The level of detail in the engraving on this VO Vagen rifle by Viggo Olsson and Ulf Olsso is simply amazing. The picture above doesn't really do it justice, so be sure to go to the link to see larger images. Shaping and coloring the claws on the bolt lug was an especially nice touch. Nonetheless, seeing these pictures reminded me of a line by Jeff Cooper:

[...] I once saw a weapon featured on a magazine cover that was extolled by its maker as the finest rifle in the world. In was far from that, though it was indeed pretty. Among its failures was the fact that it was not fitted with sights.

Link | Photo: Luxist

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YouTube user JoergSprave makes fancy slingshots. He was challenged by fans to create one that could fire a machete, and the result is something like a crossbow. "What is it good for? Nothing except attracting people's attention on YouTube." That's a perfectly fine reason.

via Geekologie | Maker's Blog

Penguin, the publishing house, asked crafter Jillian Tamaki to reproduce three covers from their classic novels in embroidery. After two months of work, she completed wrap-around covers for Emma, Black Beauty, and The Secret Garden.

Link via Dude Craft

What a brilliant idea! The preparation appears to be fairly straightforward, but you'll need an ice cream scoop to cover the oreos in chocolate chip cookie batter. Or your fingers.

Link via Ace of Spades HQ | Photo: Picky Palate

Yes, there are websites that forbid people to link to them. I'm not sure if that's a legally enforceable demand, but they make it anyway. Malcolm Coles has descriptions of (with links to) fifteen websites that disallow linking, including BBC Magazines:

Oh, the BBC. How could you? “You are not permitted to create a link to any part of our Services other than the home page unless you have our prior written consent.”

Link via Marginal Revolution

Construction crews near York, UK, found the body of a man who died a violent death 2,500 years ago. Inside the skull was an almost completely intact brain, carefully preserved thanks to the soil in which the body was buried:

The Heslington remains, along with others O'Connor has discovered, appear to have been buried quickly after death in wet environments where the absence of oxygen prevented the brain tissue from putrefying. But while the oxygen-free environment seems key, it is not possible to rule out other factors like certain diseases or physiological changes, such as those that accompany starvation, that might predispose the brain to being preserved this way, according to O'Connor.

After being deposited in the water-logged pit, the Heslington brain began to change chemically, developing into a durable material and shrinking to a quarter of its size.

Link via Nerdcore | Photo: York Archaeological Trust

Previously: 800-Year Old Brain with Intact Cells

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In 1969, Jim Henson of later Muppet fame shot a short pilot film for Johnny Hart's comic strip The Wizard of Id. By the time that Publishers-Hall Syndicate expressed an interest in such a show, Henson was already busy with Sesame Street and other projects, so it never went forward. Do you think that it would have succeeded?

http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/2011/03/22/3221969/ via io9

Do you love America? Do you want to show it? Then you do it with cats, I tells ya, cats! Not dogs, not ferrets, not emus or llamas, but cats and nothing else.

Link via Jalopnik | Photo: The Clearly Dope

Yes, we've seen steampunk mice before, but none that come with a pre-installed brain! Builder Peter Balch notes that "Every self-respecting Victorian Scientist needs a brain in a jar." I couldn't have said it better myself. You can see in-process photos at the link as well as an explanation of how he built it.

http://www.peterbalch.btinternet.co.uk/MousePunk.htm via Technabob

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Here's a clever commercial for Dirt Devil brand vacuum cleaners by the ad agency The Raft. Apparently, it'll clean more than just one type of rug.

Link via Copyranter

Existenz has photos of a decidedly odd children's book called Elephant Elephant: A Book of Opposites by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais. Opposing concepts are presented with a pair of elephants, such as one that is on fire and one no longer on fire. The pages for "open" and "closed" are really freaky.

Link via The Agitator | Amazon Link

Moses Lanham, Jr., who bills himself as "Mr. Elastic", can turn his feet 120° backwards. He's journeying to Rome to attend a show hosted by Guinness World Records. There, he hopes to win the record for walking with his feet backwards:

His second record attempt will clock how fast he can walk 20 meters with his feet turned backward. Lanham is aiming for a 30-second jaunt.

Both will be newly created records.

While it sounds like something that would crack a few bones, Lanham insists it's completely painless and requires no warm-up routine. "A lot of times when I'm sitting down I'll put my feet in a twisted position because it's more comfortable for me," he said.

Link via Geekosystem | Photo: Moses Lanham, Jr.

The Green Machine was a classic toy from the 1970s. It steered from the rear using levers, thus allowing riders to make very sharp turns. Parker Brothers Choppers built this Green Machine for adults. It's powered by an 80 cubic inch Harley-Davidson engine and steers from the rear, just like the original.

“We had a Green Machine lying around the shop and we figured it would be a cool idea,” said Parker Brothers’ Jeff Halverson, who did 50 mph on this beast. “It rides crazy and is fast as hell. If it wasn’t for the rear tires we could have had it DOT approved.”

Instead of the Department of Transportation, however, Parker Brothers is looking for approval from the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest wheel on a motorcycle trike.

Link via Joe Carter | Photo: Parker Brothers Choppers

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Horse boarding is a sport in which competitors ride off-road skateboards while being pulled by horses. The objective is to stay upright at high speeds and over rough terrain:

Professional stuntman Daniel Fowler-Prime, 31, invented the sport five years ago after he strung a rope between his off-road 'mountain board' and a horse.

Now he has developed the daredevil stunt into a fully fledged sport and is looking forward to hosting the UK's first ever horse boarding championships this summer.

Adrenaline junkies stand on a mountain board while gripping a rope and attempt to maintain their balance as the horse is spurred into a gallop by its rider.

The rush of acceleration provides the greatest thrill, with riders reaching speeds of 35 miles per hour in just five horse strides.

Link via The Presurfer

The Nostalgic Chair by OOO My Design pays homage to great old music by making cassette tapes useful again. It comes with a Walkman attached and appears to be assembled with just zip ties.

Link via Technabob