Older readers of Neatorama will remember an era when Burma-Shave signs entertained drivers on the nation's highways (the complete text of all the jingles has been assembled at Burma-Shave.org.)

The company also posted two promotional offers on their signs; the first one ("Free offer! Free offer! / Rip a fender off your car / mail it in / for a half-pound jar / Burma-Shave") resulted in some actual fenders being mailed to the company, which made good on its promise.  The second promotion (in the title of this post) stimulated the imagination of Arliss French in Appleton, Wisconsin.

French managed the town's Red Owl supermarket and offered to pay customers 15 cents for every empty Burma Shave jar they brought in. He ran a full-page ad in the paper reading, "Send Frenchie to Mars." As the empties accumulated in his store, he telegraphed the company, "Please advise where to ship the jars."

The folks at Burma Shave scrambled to avoid embarrassment. Thinking he would decline, they offered to send him to the village of Moers, Germany (which they insisted was pronounced, "Mars") if he would wear a space suit for the trip. He agreed.

French and his wife departed New York at the company's expense on Dec. 2, 1958. He wore a football helmet and a silver costume emblazoned with the Red Owl logo. When he arrived in Moers two days later, all 78 residents turned out to greet him.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_0f3d67ce-943f-11df-8f06-001cc4c03286.html.  Photo: Wisconsin Historical Society.

For several years, shrinking icefields in arctic and mountain regions have been revealing rare artifacts that had been covered by snow and ice for millennia.  Most of these reports have come from Canada and Alaska, but recently Craig Lee, a Research Associate from the University of Colorado at Boulder discovered an atlatl dart near Yellowstone Park.

As glaciers and ice fields continue to melt at an unprecedented rate, increasingly older and significant artifacts -- as well as plant material, animal carcasses and ancient feces -- are being released from the ice that has gripped them for thousands of years, he said.

The dart Lee found was from a birch sapling and still has personal markings on it from the ancient hunter, according to Lee. When it was shot, the 3-foot-long dart had a projectile point on one end, and a cup or dimple on the other end that would have attached to a hook on the atlatl. The hunter used the atlatl, a throwing tool about two feet long, for leverage to achieve greater velocity.

Later this summer Lee and CU-Boulder student researchers will travel to Glacier National Park to work with the Salish, Kootenai and Blackfeet tribes and researchers from the University of Wyoming to recover and protect artifacts that may have recently melted out of similar locations.

Link (with video).  Photo: Casey A. Cass/University of Colorado

A relatively new form of recreation that originated in Hawaii is now spreading to the lakes of mid-America.  At ocean beaches, the stand-up position offers the participant a better view of incoming swells, and on lakes and rivers it allows a modified surfboard to be propelled across relatively calm water.

Equipment-wise, the paddle is similar to those used for a canoe but much longer, about the length of a person's height plus a fully extended arm. The specially designed boards are wide, very stable and equipped with a rear fin. The trick is finding the sweet spot in the middle where one can stand comfortably, with weight evenly distributed on both feet.  [SUP board] prices range from $800 to $1,500 with styles varying by materials and weight. Paddles cost from $100 to $400.

The SUP joins a long line of inflated shoes, modified bicycles, and other devices designed to allow a person to "walk on water."   Local regulations may require a personal flotation device to be worn or carried on the board.

http://host.madison.com/entertainment/city_life/article_4aaa01c6-8aa5-11df-b092-001cc4c002e0.html.  Image: Bill Ebbesen.

This one is (literally) jet-powered:

Powered by General Electric J-79 jet engine straight out of a F4 Phantom fighter jet, the big yellow school bus, which is the largest jet vehicle, does excitingly fast 350mph. This 42,000 hp, 10-foot-high, 35-foot-long bus blasts a 75-foot flame out its exhaust...

The bus driver, who wears a seven-layer Kevlar suit while operating this vehicle, has prior experience driving a jet-powered portable toilet.

http://www.gizmowatch.com/entry/jet-powered-school-time-jet-school-bus-sets-an-eye-on-350mph/.

An investigation has revealed that dozens of Members of Parliament in Pakistan have fake university degrees.

The scandal has triggered fears of early elections and has inflamed a bitter dispute between journalists and members of parliament.

An investigation has found some MPs never finished their studies while others bought their qualifications from dodgy colleges...

The chief minister of Balochistan Province, Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani, told the press: "A degree is a degree, whether it is fake or genuine."

Link, via Reddit, where there is an insightful (and humorous) discussion thread.

...or to gobbledegook, depending on what your phone number is.  The website "PhoneSpell" will convert strings of 3-16 numbers to their phone-dial-equivalent letter combinations.

The sequence 632867262, for example, can spell "Neatorama."  But it can also spell "Me-atop-Ana" or "Me-atop-boa" or "Me-bums-Ana" or any of several dozen other equally nonsensical phrases.  The search engine can also reverse engineer a number for you after you enter a word or phrase.

Give it a try, and if your home/cell/work phone has a particularly apt alphabetical equivalent, feel free to enter the (non-numerical) result in the Comments section.

Link, via 22 Words.

Inspired by food-dispensing kiosks in remote European locations, a restauranteur in Madison, Wisconsin is planning to build a cafe that can ONLY be accessed by pedestrians and bicyclists.

Food would be served on plastic or ceramic dishes at seating made from tree trunks. Coffee and juice would be dispensed in purchasable mugs that would fit in a bike holder. And to capture the zeitgeist of the Wisconsin north woods, beer and wine would also be on the menu.

The proposed location near a golf course is "the one place where you can't hear any cars in the middle of the city," beside a bike path that sees 2,600 users/day.  The city's mayor has indicated he supports the proposal.

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_f8d8d01e-8943-11df-bdf1-001cc4c002e0.html. "Type Bike" image available on t-shirt from Neatoshop.

YouTube link.

Neatorama has previously featured reports of polydactyly in a newborn and in a professional baseball player.   The most interesting aspects of the case reported in this video are the excellent development of the supernumerary digits and the accepting attitude of both the physicians and the child's parents.

It's merely an interesting and beautiful variation rather than a worrisome thing, said Dr. Michael Treece, a St. Luke's Hospital pediatrician. I would be tempted to leave those fingers in place. I realize children would tease each other over the slightest things, and having extra digits on each hand is more than slight. But imagine what sort of a pianist a 12-fingered person would be. Imagine what sort of a flamenco guitarist. If nothing else, think of their typing skills.

Social networking technology has contributed to the spread of a new group activity: crop mobbing.  In a modern-day equivalent of barn-raising, groups of young farmers and city-dwelling locavores descend on farms to offer their labor without expectation of compensation other than a hearty meal.  They focus their efforts on family-owned organic farms.  Not everyone is enthusiastic about the phenomenon:

Some dismiss crop mobs as urbanites playing at farming, a hands-on variation of the popular "Farmville" Facebook game. Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, history professor at Iowa State University, likened crop mobs to "agricultural tourism."  "You go in, spend a nice weekend, get your fingers a little dirty. It's nice but not a significant contribution to agriculture," she said.

Supporters would vehemently disagree, noting that the experience offers networking for small farmers and an interesting experience for the "agricurious."  The phenomenon began two years ago in North Carolina, and has now spread to other states.

Link.  Photo: Jim Gehrz.  Crop Mob website.

Last year Google began offering free WiFi in 47 American airports.  Other airports have added this feature to accommodate the needs of business travelers.  Here's a reminder that connecting to WiFi may open your laptop to strangers:

I was recently at New York’s JFK airport in the JetBlue terminal, where they have prominent signs offering free wi-fi, courtesy of the airline. But when I went to connect, I noticed that several options were available including one labeled “default” and another labeled “JetBlue free hotspot.” It turns out that the former was the actual free hotspot and the latter was the honeypot. What tipped me off was that the “JetBlue free hotspot” was labeled in my Mac OS X “Airport” (i.e. wi-fi) menu as a “Computer-to-Computer network...”  If you connect to this network on an imperfectly protected Windows laptop, this hacker will have access to your data from his own computer.

More at the link.  The same principle would of course apply at non-airport facilities such as dining establishments. Link. 

(Image credit: Leah Jaako)

YouTube link.

This video probably requires an introductory spoiler, because the content will upset some viewers.

A fawn is discovered on a suburban street, where it is investigated (uneventfully) by a housecat.  The doe arrives to guide the fawn away, but then sees a neighborhood dog, and her protective instincts kick into high gear: she ruthlessly pummels the dog with her front hooves.  The cat eventually gets in a final slap and then beats a hasty retreat.

The deer's attack on the dog will distress dog owners, but it serves as a reminder that from a deer's point of view a dog is just a well-groomed coyote threatening her offspring.

(The person who posted the video left a followup comment that the dog appeared to recover from the beating.)

The photo above comes from the Spaarnestad collection in the Nationaal Archief - the National Archive of the Netherlands.  The image is sourced to Great Britain and dated 1935, but carries no explanatory text other than "Piano especially designed for people who are confined to bed."

Perhaps some Neatorama reader with a knowledge of music history can provide additional information regarding this remarkable invention.

Nationaal Archief's Flickr photostream.

Kyrgyzstan is back in the news this week, as ethnic tensions have erupted into sectarian violence between the Kyrgyz and the Uzbeks.  For those interested in world geopolitics, Salon published an excellent article several months ago.

The peril for America is compounded by one simple fact: While Washington backed Kyrgyzstan’s now-deposed dictator, Russia -- American’s chief rival in the region -- supported the triumphant forces of change. The fallout, in the months and years to come, could be considerable.

When small countries make the headlines, the media focus tightly on events of the day. But there is always a back story. This article provides that story, based on two decades of my conversations with leaders and ordinary people in Kyrgyzstan.

However, most visitors come to Neatorama to escape from world crises; for them, the article offers the morsel pictured at the top:  sheep entrails dressed as a snake.  It is a elaborately constructed and visually stunning concoction that would put the Scottish haggis to shame.  I have been unable to find a recipe or instructions for this particular Kyrgyz feast item, but did discover that in some areas of Central Asia the common cold is treated by bathing in a tub of hot water and sheep entrails.  And perhaps after bathing with them, one can divine one's future by pondering the entrails before consuming them - a remarkably versatile food item.

http://www.salon.com/news/kyrgyzstan/index.html?story=/news/feature/2010/04/09/guide_to_kyrgyzstan_uprising.  Photo credit Eugene Huskey.

YouTube link.

Mastermind is a quiz program that has aired on British television for almost 40 years.  The standard format is for the contestant to answer a rapid-fire series of questions on a specialized subject of their choice, followed by another round of "general knowledge" questions.

In this segment from 2006, the specialized subject is "The fiction of H.P. Lovecraft."   Have a go.

A radio at the Montrose Air Station Heritage Center in Scotland has been picking up radio broadcasts from the WWII era.

The vintage radio set is kept in a recreation of a 1940s room. Several people have heard Second World War era broadcasts including the big band sound of the Glenn Miller orchestra and speeches by Winston Churchill. The broadcasts come on at random and can last for up to half an hour...

"It plays Glenn Miller, and that's what everyone has heard. It is very faint and you have to put your ear to it, but that's what it's playing.

"It's not just one of us who's heard it - most of us here have. We are talking about highly educated, reliable people.

"My wife Aileen was with me when we heard the Glenn Miller Orchestra last weekend. She's a physicist and not predisposed to believing in things like this but no-one has an explanation.

The fact that the radio is not plugged in will cause some people to be skeptical, and assume that an audio device has been hidden inside the radio case.  However...

Technicians who examined it removed the back, but found "nothing but cobwebs and spiders".

So there.

Link.  RAF Heritage Center website.