Joe Penna, the internet's Mystery Guitar Man, visited the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. That amazing institution has over 6,000 instruments. Penna sampled many and selected 90 to use while performing a 2-minute song. Here he is playing the surf rock and Eastern Mediterranean classic tune "Misirlou." Penna uses, among other instruments, a theremin, a berimbau, a kettle drum, and countless others that I can't identify.
-via Gizmodo
Marlo Meekins has figured out the hot new costume for this Halloween. Her dog will be the star of any Halloween party he attends when he's dressed as Pizza Rat, the internet's hottest celebrity at the moment. Meekins has staged this video perfectly with an improvised subway backdrop. And just like how Pizza Rat tears off a piece of pizza at the end of his video, so does this dog.
-via Parry Gripp
Isaac Cohen of Houston, Texas is a master woodworker and furniture maker. The things that he can make with wood are incredible, including beautifully flowing cabinets, counters, and sculptures. But his most awe-inspiring creations are his cars.
(Photo: Associated Press)
In 1943, US forces attacked and seized the island of Tarawa in what is now the Republic of Kiribati in the Pacific Ocean. More than a thousand Americans died taking that island from the Japanese. Among them was 1st Lieutenant Alexander "Sandy" Donnyman, USMC.
Lt. Donnyman repeatedly led daring attacks against Japanese entrenchments, ultimately succeeding in his efforts, though he fell mortally wounded on November 22 after 3 days of continuous combat. For his actions, Lt. Donnyman would be awarded the Medal of Honor.
But his body remained lost in the confusion of the battle.
Recently, 36 bodies of unidentified servicemen were uncovered on Tarawa. The Department of Defense used dental records to positively identify one of them as Lt. Donnyman. He was given a memorial service in Honolulu on Thursday. Now he is on his way home to Knoxville, Tennessee to be buried in the same cemetery where his parents are interred.
Lt. Donnyman's Medal of Honor citation reads as follows:
(Photo: Destiny Carreno)
Facebook user Destiny Carreno of Chicago stopped by a local McDonald's during the lunchtime rush on September 16. As you might expect, the staff was slammed trying to keep up with all of the orders.
An elderly man in a wheelchair ordered a meal, but lacked the muscular control necessary to eat it. That's when one of the cashiers shut down his register, put on gloves, then helped the man eat. Carreno writes:
I had to stick around and see how this would play out, especially since it hit me so close to home with my own uncle.
The cashier came out from the kitchen, sat down, and began cutting the man’s meal and helped him eat.
This employee, who put everything on hold for this man, went above and beyond his responsibilities to help this handicapped customer out. That was the kindest and most humble thing I had ever seen.
Jeff Wysaski's Obvious Plant series adds helpful hints and reviews to stores, always carefully designed and printed to look like they're real. Most recently, Wysaski switched the toilet troubleshooting guide at a Home Depot hardware store with one that's a bit less practical. Although a toilet may seem complex, basic repairs are not beyond even the untrained homeowner. Just make sure that you get rid of Gary. He will cause nothing but problems.
Actor Jon Hamm is most widely known for playing advertising genius Don Draper on Mad Men. Now he's returning to television in a similar role. Hamm will provide the voice of Don Grouper, an ad executive on SpongeBob SquarePants. The episode featuring him, which will air in 2016, will depict Grouper offering Mr. Krabs advice on how to market his new line of frozen Krabby Patties.
Nickelodeon's concept art suggests that Draper has dropped the Old Fashioned cocktails that he prefers for invigorating coffee.
-via Geek Tyrant
Mini Teater is a theater project in Slovenia. It consists of a custom-built puppet theater that fits inside a van. The artists drive the van into heavy, standstill traffic. Then they pop open the back and put on shows for the entertainment of their fellow travelers.
-via Swiss Miss
Trip hit the ball and had a straight shot to first base. He could have reached second base, too. But his dad was the first base coach. Trip had a greater priority: telling his dad that he loves him.
Dad responds, "I love you, too. Run to second base."
-via 22 Words
Luis Aranda, a kicker for Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas, scored an incredible field goal against El Dorado High School from El Paso. When Aranda kicked the ball, it was far too low to make it over the crossbar of the goalpost. But the ball bounced off a referee's head, then just barely scraped over the crossbar.
Midland won the game with a final score of 35-16.
-via 22 Words
Tina Trachtenberg immortalized the glorious New York City subway pizza rat incident in fabric with this recent creation. Pizza Rat, the hero that the city deserves, is now soft and cuddly. Trachtenberg planned to sell this and similar replicas today in Union Square.
-via Laughing Squid
(Photo: Tencent)
Ah, young love! When a young man offers his heart to his lady, he often devises novel and romantic gestures to express his affections. Shanghaiist reports that a man in Guangzhou, China proposed to his girlfriend by renting 11 luxury cars, then arranging them in the shape of a heart outside of her window. She saw the cars and came downstairs. Then the boyfriend dropped to one knee, offered a ring, and asked her to marry him.
And she said yes!
-via Lost at E Minor
Sometimes I wear a combination of the Hitler and the Natural. If I’m feeling goofy, I’ll style my ‘brows into the Anaconda. But usually they keep growing back into the 666, no matter what I do. I don't know why.
(Photo: Impossible Isn’t Kitchible)
In 1990, Osaka, Japan held a huge exhibition called the Travel Expo to promote tourism. For 6 months, 23 million people visited the pavilions. Towns and cities far away from Osaka participated, including Konagai, a small town near Isahaya, Nagasaki Prefecture. To promote itself, the town of Konagai constructed 16 bus stops and shelters that were shaped like fruits. 25 years later, they’re still well-maintained and in use. You can see more photos of them at Amusing Planet, including bus stops shaped like watermelons, strawberries, cantaloupes, and oranges.
In a way, getting a pet is good preparation for eventually having children. They both require great care and attention, are expensive, and can endanger themselves in surprising ways.
Are you ready to have a kid? Find out by getting a Pet Baby. It’s a baby, but it’s also a pet. This commercial from the comedy troupe Above Average shows you the advantages of having your own Pet Baby. If you find that you’re not ready, just ship the baby back in the box it arrived in.
-via Huffington Post
