Japanese artist Nanako Kume produced this stylish and eye-catching lampshade that look like shavings from a giant pencil. That's because that's what she actually made. Kume produced a giant wooden pencil (minus the lead) and a scaled-up manual pencil sharpener. Then she cut the shavings off one by one to form shades for pendant lights.
-via Nag on the Lake
"Tradition," G.K. Chesterton wrote, "means giving a vote to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is a democracy of the dead." To embrace tradition means to recognize that our forebearers were not fools and may offer us lessons that we need not learn the hard way with each succeeding generation.
So it is fitting that, as The Wall Street Journal reports, Heather Schroering and Nick Phillips married at a Las Vegas chapel in a ceremony presided over by Manny Mayo, the mascot of the Hellmann's brand of mayonnaise. Unilever, the owner of the Hellmann's brand, paid for the event in exchange for using it to create commercials--as is tradition.
-via Dave Barry | Photo: Hellmann's Mayonnaise
Orville and Wilbur Wright are credited with the first sustained flight of a heavier-than-air aircraft that is powered by an engine in 1903. It can be argued, though, that Wilhelm Kress designed, built, and flew the first such vehicle in 1901. Much depends upon precise definitions.
The first few years of the Twentieth Century were filled with rapid technological innovation, so it should not come as a surprise that inventions developed almost simultaneously as humanity soared off into the heavens.
Similarly, The Takeout explains, we cannot be certain who invented the corn dog. But the era of maximal corn dog development was from 1937 to 1946, when several geniuses labored independently at the creation of this supreme food. George and Vera Boyington of the Pronto Pup brand are most commonly credited with the invention in 1941.
No matter who created the corn dog first, we can all be grateful for their efforts to advance the human adventure.
Photo: Flickr user Intangible Arts used under Creative Commons license
This composition smoothly juxtaposes multiple media and aesthetics. Redditor /u/p_batess purchased an old chair and added small stained glass panels to each of the holes. The design is a pixelated version of the default Windows OS background. They ask that you not sit on it as one tourist sat on a chair-shaped sculpture in Verona last month.
The Great Loop, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration informs us, is a circuit of navigable rivers, canals, and oceanic waters in the United States and Canada. A boater who completes the journey can claim the title of a "Looper." It's a great test of skill and endurance. Robert Youens, the Pensacola News Journal reports, has secured a record for the fastest passage through this circuit when he arrived in Pensacola on Thursday evening.
The 71-year old adventurer from Texas completed the journey in a record time while piloting his humble 16-foot jon boat named Ageless Wanderer. You can watch a video interview about his journey here.
-via John Konrad | Photo: Scott Anderson
Chuck Jurgen Teschke, an engineer and aviation technician from Canada, modifies helicopter bodies into works of art. Auto Evolution tells us that the Frankencopter 4, which is pictured above, is a synthesis of a Volkswagen Type 2 microbus and a H125 Airbus helicopter. Although it does not fly, it does inspire the imagination to reach new heights as one contemplates a groovy and retro form of air transportation.
Again, this is the Frankencopter 4--the fourth of a series of helicopter transformations that Teschke has constructed. Others include what appear to be combinations of an old Ford truck cab and a tractor cab smoothly welded into helicopter frames. You can see photos of them at Auto Evolution.
-via Toxel
Car & Driver reports on a curious legal battle in Ohio. Tiah McCreary purchased on loan a car from a Kia dealership in the town of Lima. A month later, the dealership concluded that there was not enough information to continue the loan and so repossessed the car while McCreary was at work.
McCreary discovered that the dealership company did not own the name "Taylor Kia of Lima", which is the name under which it operated. So she registered a claim on that name and her attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to the dealership, ordering it to stop using a name that was McCreary's property. The outcome of the case is still in progress.
-via Instapundit | Unrelated photo by Lee Stockton used under Creative Commons license
In 1993, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aired. Like The Next Generation, it took a couple of years to find its narrative rhythm. But once DS9 adopted a serial format, it became the greatest series in the franchise.
To promote it, Paramount released many promotional items, including this rare TV/VCR combination kit. The curves reflect the Cardassian aesthetic that is foundational to the design of the Deep Space 9 station--what the Cardassians referred to as Terok Nor. The package included photos, headshots of actors in costume, and a VHS tape to complete the press it. Perhaps a handful were made.
-via reddit
Nik Bentel is a product designer in New York City. His whimsical designs attract attention, especially if worn with mesh shirts, as his Dinner Bag is photographed here. It comes with a plate, knife, and fork strapped to the outside to make dining an immediate option.
Gabi Rizea is a Romanian artist who wields a chainsaw as his sculptor's blade. The above work from a few years ago is what has most captured the Internet's attention and drawn appreciation from around the world. As an optical illusion, the pouring bucket of water supported by the liquid creates a surrealistic impression.
There are parts of rural Vermont without consistent cell service. So, ABC News reports, an electrical engineer named Patrick Schlott refurbished old pay phones and installed them in public locations so that people can, when needed, call the outside world.
Schlott finds the pay phones for sale on auction sites for a few hundred dollars. With modification, they will transmit sound over the internet. There are now three in place, one at a general store and two at public libraries. One of those library locations has experienced at least 370 calls, thus demonstrating a real need for this old fashioned technology.
-via My Modern Met | Photo: RandTel
Scientists in the Atherlton tablelands of northeastern Queensland, Australia have named this insect Acrophylla alta. At 15 inches long, it may be the heaviest in Australia. Its huge size may serve as an evolutionary advantage by making it more durable in cold weather.
The Guardian reports that researchers captured a female from the forested canopy and harvested its eggs. The scientists hope to also capture a male, although these have been so far difficult to locate. The implication is that these scientists have a great interest in breeding giant insects for research purposes. There's no way this project could have negative, unintended consquences.
-via Aelfred the Great
Smokey Bear, an icon of the US Forest Service and other state forestry agencies, has promoted wildfire prevention since 1944 and the firefighting manpower shortages of World War II. News 6 Orlando reports that state agricultural law enforcement officers arrested a man accused of stealing Smokey Bear signs from state forests to resell them on Facebook Marketplace for about $1,900 each.
Wilton Simpson, the Florida Commissioner for Agriculture, shared on X this photo of Smokey taking part in bringing down this criminal. At 81, Smokey is a bit old to engage in hunting down criminals, but he clearly takes protection of his forests personally.
-via Dave Barry
It’s been a couple years since I got a vintage Dickel Whiskey bottle… I keep meaning to paint the leather red to match how it appeared in original Star Trek. pic.twitter.com/WdAe9ZgKwI
— Subcommander Tal (@SubcommanderT) July 31, 2025
Actually, it's a brandy, not a whiskey. It's Saurian brandy, but Captain Kirk is currently concerned with the quantity of alcohol, not the favor of it.
The prop masters for the Original Series adapted a 1964 model of George Dickel brand sippin' (there's no 'g' at the end) whiskey for this futuristic bottle. It also appeared on Deep Space Nine. The bottles, where are, of course, no longer in production, are highly-prized collectibles among Trekkies. Other iconic Star Trek alcohol containers are, too.
9-volt batteries have positive and negative terminals on one end, so it's possible to feel electrical current by placing that side on a body part. If this body part is the tongue, one can taste the experience.
(Or so I have read.)
The Verge reports that Rewind, a European company, is releasing several corn chip flavors, among them conventional flavors such as paprika and sriracha. The brand wants to inspire nostalgia and has therefore decided to also issue a flavor that tastes like battery.
Dominic Preston agreed, presumably under duress, to test the new flavor. He found that the chips do indeed taste like a battery--a flavor created with baking soda and citric acid.
-via Dave Barry
