What do you taste like? You can find out by eating the Ouroboros Steak, which is a project by scientists and artists in US. After you take a cheek swab to collect cells, lab technicians use expired human blood to grow cell structures from your sample, creating meat that is, genetically, you. It's appropriately named after the ouroboros, a mythical snake that eats its own tail. Dezeen talked with designer Grace Knight and researcher Orkan Telhan about the project:

"Expired human blood is a waste material in the medical system and is cheaper and more sustainable than FBS, but culturally less-accepted. People think that eating oneself is cannibalism, which technically this is not," said Knight.

"Our design is scientifically and economically feasible but also ironic in many ways," Telhan added.

"We are not promoting 'eating ourselves' as a realistic solution that will fix humans' protein needs. We rather ask a question: what would be the sacrifices we need to make to be able to keep consuming meat at the pace that we are? In the future, who will be able to afford animal meat and who may have no other option than culturing meat from themselves?"

The DIY kit is not yet on the market and will probably be expensive. So perhaps it would be best saved for special occasions, such as birthday parties or anniversaries.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Dezeen

SoyaCincau reports that Kentucky Fried Chicken has deployed driverless food trucks in Shanghai. These autonomous vehicles let people purchase KFC food without having contact with other people, thus reducing the spread of COVID-19:

The unmanned vehicles were spotted in front of a metro station outside the city of Shanghai. From the looks of it, you can place an order on the screen and it accepts payment via QR-code. After payment is made, the door will open for you to collect your order.

Neolix, a Chinese firm that manufactures the trucks, is one of several companies in that nation that are finding commercially viable uses for autonomous vehicles. Forbes reports:

Roads connecting two of western China's biggest cities — -Chengdu and Chongqing — offer good prospects for autonomous vehicle-related companies and technology. The 200-plus kilometer distance between the two is appealing for self-driving trucks given currently available technology, said Lou Yuqiang, a vice president at Suzhou Plusgo Auto Technology. The company supplies integration technology for self-driving trucks. 

Neolix, a supplier of mini delivery vehicles for food sales, patrols and delivery, sees promise in urban areas, particularly Chengdu and Chongqing, says vice president Xu Qiyuan. The company is currently working with global food giants such as KFC and Pizza Hut to provide a “restaurant’ on wheels” service.

-via Super Punch | Photo: @shanghaineko

The Craigslist ad explains that the owner of this couch in New York City bought it with her then-boyfriend, who is now an ex-boyfriend. The new boyfriend hates it, so the couch has to go.

That story is fake. What is real is the couch. Pavia Burroughs, the artist who made the couch in 2011 for a senior thesis, sold the couch years ago. Still, every now and then, she sees a fake ad offering it for sale. This latest ad is apparently one of those fake ads. Burroughs tells Curbed:

“Mind you, I hand-sewed this couch, it was my first foray in upholstering, and I hand-carved his hoof out of walnut — walnut is very hard to carve — and so it went off into the world. Now, every few years, someone posts a fake ad for the couch online,” a state of affairs that Burroughs finds both odd and funny. “I can’t imagine it’s actually been traveling around the country as much as it says it has. I’ve seen it in Tennessee. I think I saw it in California. I see now it’s in New York.” 

-via Dave Barry

The Amori prefecture of northern Japan would like to draw attention to its vibrant fishing industry, so it published collectible trading cards starring muscle-bound fishermen holding up their catches. The government's goal is to attract more workers to fishing. Spoon & Tamago reports:

The cards have become a huge hit among the local community and beyond with kids trying to collect different cards while also vying for rare cards.

According to one article, the cards are entirely handmade by Noriaki Kimura, a 32-year old government employee who single-handedly goes around asking local fisherman for permission to take their photographs. He then brings the photos back to his office, designs the card, makes prints and then cuts them into trading card sizes.

Perhaps Neatorama should likewise publish and sell trading cards showing shirtless bloggers flexing their muscles.

Photos: Sankei

This dog thinks the man on tv is playing fetch with him 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/xhf0gp98Q0

— Theo Shantonas (@TheoShantonas) November 15, 2020

This viral video of unknown origin shows a dog that is fortunate to not actually be playing fetch with darts. Like any sensible person, he leaves fantasy and reality undifferentiated. Or, perhaps, his televised companion is playing "fake throw", as dog owners are prone to do.

-via Geekologie

It's called the Gushing Water Tree. This mulberry tree in Montenegro has cracks in its trunk. When the area floods with rains, pressure from underground springs forces water up through the cracks and out a hole midway up the trunk.

Radio Free Europe says that the water pressure pushes the water through the roots, but I'm skeptical that roots work that way.

-Twisted Sifter

The Pegasus Luggage line offers this new handbag styled like a disposable facemask, complete with a nose clip. Depending on how people react to your fashion choice, it may actually improve your social distancing capabilities.

-via Super Punch

A new Japanese invention aimed at single men simulates holding a woman’s hand. https://t.co/djKqUmv35b pic.twitter.com/1NHKD3VrkM

— New York Post (@nypost) November 16, 2020

What's it like to have a girlfriend? For years, people on the internet have speculated about this hypothetical experience. Japan has long been at the forefront of attempting to simulate this fantasy with advanced technology by creating a kissing machine, a robotic girlfriend, augmented reality girlfriends, virtual reality girlfriends, a hugging coat, and DVDs in which a girl willingly engages you in conversation. Verily, Japan is a land of wonders where romantic encounters of a sort can actually happen to you and me.

Would you like to hold hands with a girl someday? Well, yes, of course, we all would. But let's be realistic: that sort of thing only happens in the movies. For the best alternative experience, we'll need this new hand holding robot. Sora News 24 reports about how responsive it is:

1. The outer covering is made from soft and pliable gel, to recreate “the tenderness of a woman’s hand.”

2. Osampo Kanojo contains an internal pressure sensor, so that when you squeeze its palm, motors activate and the hand squeezes you back.

3. When walking with a girlfriend, your strides may not perfectly mesh for each and every step. To replicate this, the Osampo Kanojo is mounted on a track that runs perpendicular to your wrist. Walk too quickly, and motors will cause it to slide back, creating a rearward tugging sensation on your arm. While this might seem like an inconvenience, it helps create the sensation that you’re walking with someone who’s taking their own steps next to you, and not just carrying a piece of baggage.

4. Osampo Kanojo has an internal heater, so that warmth will radiate out from its palm and fingers.

5. A human hand isn’t dry like a chunk of plastic or mound of rubber. While a hand that’s slick with sweat would be unpleasant, a certain amount of moisture is needed for an organic feeling. To achieve that, a piece of moistened fabric is placed inside Osampo Kanojo, and when the heater is activated, it causes trace amounts of moisture to be secreted through small pores in the outer covering.

6. As discussed above, two people walking hand-in-hand won’t necessarily have identically timed footsteps, so Osampo Kanojo plays the sounds of your virtual girlfriend’s steps through your smartphone’s speaker, along with the sounds of her breathing and the gentle rustle of her clothing.

7. Last, we weren’t kidding when we mentioned that the designers have included something for your sense of smell. The cloth inside Osampo Kanojo is treated with a women’s shampoo fragrance, so that the subtle aroma of freshly washed hair will waft up from it when the cloth is heated.

-via David Burge

Random Street View is a fun internet toy. When you click on the button marked "Next", the website will take you to a random location visible on Google Street View.

You get $5,000,000 but you are obligated to live 10 years in a randomly chosen place on earth.

What place did you get? https://t.co/d2PNQOdAGW

(Screenshot your results)

— Danny (@dahomes) November 12, 2020

One Twitter user suggests using Random Street View as a game. My first landing was a village in western Ukraine. I think that I'd be happier in Copenhagen.

-via Aaron Starmer

Sora News 24 illustrates what a proper single serving Pringles container really should look like. The Japanese division of the Pringles potato chip brand declared November 11 to b Pringles Day and celebrated by distributing these extremely long cans to selected gourmands. Each one is 5 feet and 3 inches tall, which is the height of Fuwa, the brand's spokeswoman. Perhaps, in the future, you will be able to order Pringles by the Fuwa.

Photo: Sora News 24

Yes, that's a tiny version of the Intrepid-class Voyager from Star Trek: Voyager. Captain Janeway's projected 75-year trip back home might have taken a bit longer if her ship was reduced to the size of this model made by physicists in the Netherlands. The scientists 3D printed microswimmers, which are particles that chemically react to their surroundings in order to move, into the iconic shape. CNN reports:

The miniature Voyager, which measures 15 micrometers (0.015 millimeters) long, is part of a project researchers at Leiden University conducted to understand how shape affects the motion and interactions of microswimmers.

Microswimmers are small particles that can move through liquid on their own by interacting with their environment through chemical reactions. The platinum coating on the microswimmers reacts to a hydrogen peroxide solution they are placed in, and that propels them through the liquid.

-via Dave Barry

Do you enjoy looking at great tits (Parus major)? Well, then, we'd better take action to ensure that our and future generations get to enjoy the company of great tits. The Independent reports that scientists think this bird species could become extinct due to global warming:

Great tits are among many species which depend on an abundance of larvae available when their chicks are newly hatched and growing.

Among populations of great tits, some birds’ young hatch earlier than others, and in a rapidly warming world with earlier springs, to begin with, these families of tits could survive.

-via Instapundit | Photo: Pixabay

Previously on Neatorama: Great Tits Use Syntax

Rob the Original, an artist in San Antonio, Texas, works with hair, salt, dollar bills, wood burned tortillas -- well, there aren't many media that he doesn't use. Much of his work is on the heads of people in San Antonio, as he operate a barbershop there. Or perhaps it should be better called a hair art studio, considering what he can do with your locks.

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Went for the top shelf in Karate Jenga! This game was a MUCH needed and appreciated break from the regular late night training routine! #karatejenga #topshelf #jumphookkick

A post shared by Liz Lindsay (@might_be_a_machine) on Apr 17, 2019 at 9:30pm PDT

Karate jenga is like regular jenga, but the blocks are huge, consist of hollow cardboard boxes, and you can only use your feet to move them. Here, Master Elizabeth Lindsay, who holds a fifth degree black belt in Tang Soo Do, uses an extremely high jumping hook kick to remove the first block.

Are you masking up when you go out of your home? In many places, it can be socially and legally mandatory. The protective face mask has come to represent life in 2020. A variety of artists offered their fresh takes on masking at the Vicki Myhren Gallery in Denver, Colorado, including this papier-mâché blowfish by Liz Sexton.