John Farrier's Blog Posts

The Use at Your Own Risk Chair

Daphné Keraudren is a French and Greek artist who lives and works in Brussels. Her work includes many playful pieces of public furniture that are daring for their colors, forms, and riskiness. Pictured above is her Use at Your Own Risk Chair, which is one of five pieces that suggest taking chances with personal safety while going about in Amsterdam.

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What Is This Thing?

It's attached to a window and is found in Scandinavia. What is it? The answer is below the fold.

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Skeletor and Evil-Lyn Re-Enact My Cousin Vinny

Mylo the Cat has, for a decade, remixed popular media online to juxtapose unexpected scenes and genres. His Muppet combinations have been a Neatorama favorite.

In this video, Evil-Lyn from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe argues with her supervisor Skeletor. The audio is from an argument between Joe Pesci's and Marisa Tomei's characters in the 1992 legal comedy My Cousin Vinny. Evil-Lyn is tired of Skeletor's busy career conquering Eternia and is ready for him to settle down into married life.


Bulge in Man's Underwear Turns Out to Be Three Snakes

The Miami Herald reports that a Sri Lankan man was caught at an airport in Bangkok, Thailand attempting to smuggle three snakes in his underpants through a security screening. The trouser snakes turned out to be ball pythons, a protected species. Removing them from Thailand requires special permits.

This particular man has an extensive history of wildlife smuggling. He's also been accused of attempting to move "wolves, meerkats, black cockatoos, sugar gliders, porcupines, ball pythons, iguanas, frogs, salamanders and turtles" illegally. I have no information about whether he tried to sneak these animals in his underwear, too.

-via Dave Barry | Image: Thailand Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plan Conservation


There's a Boulder in the Middle of This Grocery Store

Estonian gentleman Illimar Lepik Von Wirén tweets that a grocery store was built around a glacial boulder. This is a grocery store that is part of the Viimsi Shopping Center in the town of Haabneeme. Another photo of the rock suggests that it provides a space for a shopping cart-shaped sculpture.

Estonia has many "erratic boulders" left over from previous ice ages. They have government protection.

Photo: Nordecon


Pizzeria Puts Orange Slices on Pizza

Like all decent and right-thinking people, I enjoy pineapple on pizza. Bubba Pizza, a pizzeria chain in Australia, agrees and affirms my lifestyle with pineapple on pizza. The chain's bold, experimental thinking embraces other culinary possibilities. Not all of them work out, such as the failed kimchi pepperoni pizza. But the research continues.

In March, Bubba Pizza's research cooks considered that, since pineapple does so well on pizza, perhaps another citrus fruit would, too. This summer, the New York Post reports, the chain is offering pizzas with orange slices and ham. Online reaction has been lively, although, oddly enough, not universally positive.

-via YoDanno


Oscar Wilde Gets His Library Card Back

British author Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) is perhaps most famous for his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray and his play The Importance of Being Earnest. Hugely popular but controversial in Victorian society, Wilde's career and reputation collapsed when he was convicted of gross indecency in 1895 and sentenced to two years in prison. He died in poverty three years after his release.

The Guardian reports that when Wilde was convicted the Board of Trustees of the British Library, then known as the British Museum Reading Room, revoked Wilde's access to that celebrated nexus of intellectual discourse. On October 16, on the occasion of Wilde's birthday, the British Library will restore Wilde's access--posthumously, of course.

-via reddit


Playing Pool on Horseback

The San Antonio Express-News passes along this video of mysterious origin. A man plays--and plays well--pool in what appears to be a bar and on what is definitely a horse.

Is he actually in Texas? We have no direct evidence, but this is a very Texan thing to do. Working from horseback is a normal thing to do, including my own work at a library. Texas is a big place and requires constant movement.

-via Dave Barry


A Dukes of Hazzard Jump Through a Fountain

From 1979 through 1985, Americans were captivated by the refined sophisticated drama that was The Dukes of Hazzard. The show consisted primarily of car chases and usually involved at least one jump of the General Lee, a modified 1969 Dodge Charger.

As I've mentioned in the past, the jumps usually destroyed the Chargers. But that's what fans wanted to see. Fans still do, and so at the Somernites Cruise car festival in Somerset, Kentucky, a stunt driver named Raymond Kohn jumped a General Lee replica through the fountain in the center of town.

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June Lockhart's 100th Birthday

June Lockhart (center) was born 100 years ago today. She's still alive and was, according to IMDb, professionally active up until a few years ago. Her first appearance on film came in 1938 when she was just thirteen years old. Lockhart worked on the stage, radio, and film until the 1960s, when she gained national attention for maternal roles. From 1958-1964, she played Ruth Martin on the television series Lassie.

A younger generation, though, may remember Lockhart (right) as Maureen Robinson on the campy 1965-1968 science fiction series Lost in Space. She worked with Bill Mumy, who later gained prominence on Babylon 5. She and Mumy still keep in touch. Mumy recently confirmed that Lockhart is well for her age and still lives in her own home.

We wish her a happy birthday.

-via Humanoid History


The Spiral Baguette Holder

Gustaf Westman is a home furnishings designer in Stockholm. Design Boom shares images of this highly specialized tool featured at his pop-up workshop and installation in Paris.

When visiting the local boulangerie for a baguette, it's essential to carry it in a way that is both stylish and protects the bread from unnecessary contact. Like much of Westman's work, the baguette holder has bright pastel colors, curved forms, and an element of whimsy. And, if someone attempts to swipe the baguette, I suspect it serves as a handy bludgeon.


Get Paid $34 to Poop in This Luxurious Setting

Fecal donation in the United States has been a thing for a while, as has banking your own poop for personal needs.

Sora News 24 reports that fecal donation happens in Japan, too. There's a facility in Yamagata Prefecture that pays people ¥5,000 ($34.50 USD) per load. Metagen, the pharmaceutical company that operates it, harvests intestinal bacteria. Only 5-10% of people pass the screening process to select the best poops, which they leave in private donation rooms.

The photos look amazing! The facility looks more like Starfleet Command than a mere toilet stall. Making a donation must give a person the feeling of traveling into a utopian future.


The Flat Fiat--The World's Narrowest Car

Instagram user Tutti Pazzi Per Marazzi (Google Translate renders this Italian title as "Everyone Loves Marazzi") makes customized cars.

One of his most recent projects is to modify a Fiat Panda, a ubiquitous Italian compact car, into an extremely narrow version. It's the ideal means of traveling through alleyways because it's only 20 inches wide. So the driver had better watch his diet lest he become unable to fit inside.

This longer video is in Italian, but the auto-translate function seems to work well. Marazzi provides a breakdown of how he cut up the Panda and re-assembled it so that it would be a fully functional vehicle, despite space restrictions.

-via The Awesomer


Massive Archive of Airline Meals

On May 22, 2025, a person using the screen name MetsNomad flew from Istanbul to New York City in the economy class of Turkish Airlines. They were served this robust and reportedly tasty meal that helpfully came with metal utensils.

I found it on Airline Meals, an online archive of food served on commercial airlines. It includes all classes, from first class to human cargo. There are also photos of meals from the 50s through the 80s, amenities kits, printed menus, and the meals served in airport lounges. Users can create accounts and share photos of their own on-board dining experiences.

-via Book of Joe


Scrambled Egg-Filled Donuts

First We Feast tells us about the unique donuts available from I'm Donut, a Japanese gourmet donut chain. It's famous for its savory donuts, which include the pastries filled with freshly-cooked scrambled eggs and the ingredients of a BLT sandwich.

This video shows chef Karen Fodere introducing us to these nama-style donuts at a recent pop-up event in New York City.


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Profile for John Farrier

  • Member Since 2012/08/04


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