We've officially said goodbye to summer and are heading into fall 2010. Let's see what happened at Neatorama this week, just in case you may have missed something.

We retraced the history of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C. with Building the Wall from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.

The Annals of Improbable Research gave us a dose of silliness with Spots Where the Spotted Were Spotted.

A Celebration of Elephants rounded up some of the previous reports we've had about the amazing things elephants can do.

From mental_floss, we looked at the origins and inspirations of George Lucas' opus with In The Beginning: Star Wars.

Steven Johnson added more to the Museum of Possibilities this week with ideas for Car Trunks and Drawers.

Don't miss our exclusive Interview with Artist Kasey McMahon, and your chance to win a ticket to her new science/art expo call Re Evolution! Yes, the contest is still open.

Over at the Art Blog, we welcomed a new gallery from collage artist Megan Coyle. Check it out!

NeatoBambino is Neatorama's blog about babies and children. Even if you don't have any, you'll enjoy the funny kid videos, like this one that humorously illustrates the intense rivalry between the University of Alabama and Auburn University.

In our What Is It? game this week, Just a Guess had the right answer, and Tyra Shupe had the funniest answer with “industrial toe nail clippers.” Congratulations to both, who won T-shirts from the NeatoShop! See the object and the real explanation at the post.

There are more ways to win you might not even know about, if you aren't following our Twitter feed or joining us at Facebook. David Israel throws out frequent but randomly-timed contests and gives away neat stuff! This week, congratulations go out to Rand Miranda and Chris Meisenzahl, who scored copies of the new Iron Man 2 Bluray/DVD set in our Twitter-only giveaway. Don't miss your chance to be the next winner!

Warning: this Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss contains spoilers, in case you haven't seen the movie Goodfellas in the past twenty years. You probably wouldn't be able to answer the questions anyway if you haven't seen the movie. But if you have, you may just beat my score of 75%. Link

Peter Montgomery made a name for himself in Glendale, California with his over-the-top Halloween decorations. This year, he plans to build a steampunk drill emerging from the earth! This picture is the concept art. Montgomery is trying to raise the necessary funds through Kickstarter, and will give credit and other prizes to those who donate. Also see pictures and videos of his Halloween creations from years past. Link -Thanks, Will!

Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) tested Einstein's theories about relative time in a physical setting. Time goes faster at higher elevations, and slower for moving objects. The experiments involved a comparison of two identical atomic clocks.

The NIST experiments focused on two scenarios predicted by Einstein's theories of relativity. First, when two clocks are subjected to unequal gravitational forces due to their different elevations above the surface of the Earth, the higher clock—experiencing a smaller gravitational force—runs faster. Second, when an observer is moving, a stationary clock's tick appears to last longer, so the clock appears to run slow. Scientists refer to this as the "twin paradox," in which a twin sibling who travels on a fast-moving rocket ship would return home younger than the other twin. The crucial factor is the acceleration (speeding up and slowing down) of the travelling twin in making the round-trip journey.

NIST scientists observed these effects by making specific changes in one of the two aluminum clocks and measuring the resulting differences in the two ions' relative ticking rates, or frequencies.

In one set of experiments, scientists raised one of the clocks by jacking up the laser table to a height one-third of a meter (about a foot) above the second clock. Sure enough, the higher clock ran at a slightly faster rate than the lower clock, exactly as predicted.

The second set of experiments examined the effects of altering the physical motion of the ion in one clock. (The ions are almost completely motionless during normal clock operations.) NIST scientists tweaked the one ion so that it gyrated back and forth at speeds equivalent to several meters per second. That clock ticked at a slightly slower rate than the second clock, as predicted by relativity. The moving ion acts like the traveling twin in the twin paradox.

So if you want to age more slowly, you should run as fast as you can on a beach or a valley below sea level. The time you gain would not offset the difference in the time you put in, but you might live longer due to the benefit of the physical exertion. Link -via reddit

(Image credit: Loel Barr)

Today is a particularly special day in the blogosphere, as two sites that supply great links to their readers are marking ten year anniversaries. Gerard Vlemming's site, the Presurfer first began publishing on September 24, 2000. On the same day, Everlasting Blort was founded. Both sites still update, bringing you the newest, strangest, and quite interesting links from all over the web.

The Presurfer International Headquarters is closed for today. I'm having a party right now! It's not a big party because there's just me. But I'm wearing a funny little hat and there are meatballs. Because today marks the 10th anniversary of The Presurfer.

The Presurfer began 10 years ago and has evolved from a personal link page to what it is today. Is that really something to celebrate? Yes, I think it is. According to The Internet Archive the lifespan of the average web site is 44 to 75 days. The Presurfer has been here for 3,650 days.

Happy "blogiversary" to both sites from your friends at Neatorama! Link

(Image generated at Image Chef)

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Nothing hits the spot like a kitten masseuse! These two are named Chloe and Bugsy, filmed when they were orphans at the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association (VOKRA). http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/ -via Laughing Squid

The recent internet rediscovery of Marijuana Pepsi Sawyer reminds us of a few other poor souls whose parents were at a loss when filling in the birth certificate. Flavorwire tracked Sawyer and a few others down and tells their stories.

Apparently, she was named after two of her hippie parents’ favorite refreshments, and according to Sawyer, her mom’s logic went something like this: “She said that she knew when I was born that you could take this name and go around the world with it. At the time as a child, I’m thinking yeah, right. You named my older sister Kimberly. You named my younger sister Robin.” Although she struggled early on in school and endured a difficult family life, Sawyer left home at 15, became a serious student, and has now succeeded despite her name.

Also read about ESPN Montana, Ikea, Vista Avalon, and Wrigley Alexander Fields. Link

We looked at some of the influences George Lucas used to create Star Wars earlier today, but there many parts of the Star Wars universe yet to be explored. Michael Heilemann took an in-depth look at the origins and influences that inspired one particular character we all know and love: Chewbacca.

Unfortunately, perhaps because of the verisimilitude of the disciplines needed to make a film like Star Wars come together, the making-of narrative is surprisingly fragmented and often incomplete. A quick look at the bibliography needed to put together this post should give a good idea of just how fragmented. And once you’re down the rabbit hole, you quickly learn that nothing found there can be taken at face value. Quotes, drawings, photos and diagrams lack sources, are undated, some old, some new, some so distorted as to be pure fiction and most of it entirely out of context.

Heilemann's research is quite thorough, and fascinating as well. http://binarybonsai.com/2010/09/18/george-lucas-stole-chewbacca-but-its-okay/ (via Boing Boing)

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We posted previously about Mark Hogancamp and the miniature world he created called Marwencol (actually more than once). The documentary film about Hogancamp and his project, also called Marwencol, has collected awards on the film festival circuit, and will be in limited theatrical release beginning on October 8th. -Thanks, Chris Shellen!

You might think that modern America is losing ground on one of its founding principles: religious freedom. But the concept was never universal. Since the first settlers, people are all for the freedom of their own religion, but not so much for other people's religions.

In newly independent America, there was a crazy quilt of state laws regarding religion. In Massachusetts, only Christians were allowed to hold public office, and Catholics were allowed to do so only after renouncing papal authority. In 1777, New York State’s constitution banned Catholics from public office (and would do so until 1806). In Maryland, Catholics had full civil rights, but Jews did not. Delaware required an oath affirming belief in the Trinity. Several states, including Massachusetts and South Carolina, had official, state-supported churches.

Smithsonian magazine looks at how religious intolerance reared its head over the course of American history. Link

(Image credit: The Granger Collection, New York)

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James Gordon Watson was upset that someone had stolen one of his marijuana plants, so he called the RCMP to report the theft. The police responded by confiscating his other four plants. There is no word on any investigation into the theft. -via Arbroath

In 1926, Francesco Travia was caught dumping parts of a dead woman. The rest of her was in his apartment. The Brooklyn police thought the murder case was open-and-shut.

The New York City medical examiner, Dr Charles Norris  himself, was on call the night of the Travia arrest. He followed the policemen up the wooden stairs to Travia's apartment, walked over to inspect the dismembered corpse.

His thick eyebrows drew together. The blood pooled around the half-body was a bright cherry-red. He bent to look closer at the woman's face. It was flushed pink, despite the massive blood loss. As told by a crime writer, Norris walked over to the waiting detectives and announced: "Boys, you can't hold this man for murder."

The Brooklyn police assured him that they could – and would.
Unlike the police, Travia's lawyer found the medical evidence compelling.

The case pitted forensic science against police procedures of the day, and science won.

In March 1927, he was acquitted of murder, convicted instead of illegally dismembering a dead body. A life-saving difference: in 1920s New York, it meant that he went to prison instead of Sing Sing  prison's infamous electric chair. They celebrated at the city medical examiner, believing that the case had given them new credibility, that they'd also proved that forensic toxicology was a credible, believable tool.

Read the whole story at The Guardian. Link -via Boing Boing

A new theory says that volcanic activity in Europe's past may have contributed to the extinction of Neanderthals. Several volcanos erupted in a short period of time along the Caucasus Mountains about 40,000 years ago. Populations of Neanderthals, who lived mainly in Europe, may have been reduced to the point they couldn't compete with modern humans who lived in several continents. University of Texas, Arlington anthropologist Naomi Cleghorn, a member of the research team, explained what they found.

The researchers examined sediments layer from around 40,000 years ago in Russia's Mezmaiskaya Cave and found that the more volcanic ash a layer had, the less plant pollen it contained.

"We tested all the layers for this volcanic ash signature. The most volcanic-ash-rich layer"—likely corresponding to the so-called Campanian Ignimbrite eruption, which occurred near Naples (map)—"had no [tree] pollen and very little pollen from other types of plants," Cleghorn said. "It's just a sterile layer."

The loss of plants would have led to a decline in plant-eating mammals, which in turn would have affected the Neanderthals, who hunted large mammals for food.

Modern humans would have also been affected, but they had "backup populations" in Africa and Asia. Link

(Image credit: Kenneth Garrett, National Geographic)

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This strange video is part story, part showreel, as it was produced, filmed, and performed by stunt doubles Sam Hargrave and Monique Ganderton. -via reddit

A long time ago, in a state far out west, George Lucas created Star Wars.

Striking Back

One of our favorite Star Wars fan sites Spokybug.com (and yes, we have favorites) has this to say about the origins of the trilogy:

"A critic might say, 'Oh, Lucas combined Flash Gordon with Akira Kurosawa ... and sewed it all up with Joseph Campbell's ideas on the structure of myth.' And Lucas did do all those thing, but that can't be the final answer."

OK, it's not the final answer, and we're not trying to denigrate Lucas' achievement - he's the auteur of one of the most successful films of all time, one that many critics consider the world's first "high-concept" film, and also one that happens to be completely awesome. but in terms of literary inspirations, those three sources were big ones; Lucas unquestionably based much of his creative opus on the tales he found in the Flash Gordon TV serials, Akira Kurosawa's epic movies, and Joseph Campbell's mythical archetypes. Let's tackle the three of them with the help of a fan who runs the aforementioned site, Kristen Brennan. (What, you were expecting someone more ... male?)

Flash Gordon

Brennan's a genius on this, so we're gonna let her start things off: "George Lucas often said that his original idea for the project that evolved into Star Wars was to remake the Flash Gordon movie serials from the 1930s (a 'serial' is a movie shown in weekly installments of about 10-20 minutes each). [But] the license wasn't available....Despite the plot changes, the Star Wars films are still bursting with with influences from the Flash Gordon movie serials, including the Rebels vs. the Imperial Forces, the 'soft wipes' between scenes, the underwater city with the manta ray-shaped sub and even the famous 'roll up' which begins the movie." We agree; a side-by-side viewing of Flash Gordon and Star Wars stills is downright eerie. We'd also like to throw in a word about Cloud City, which Star Wars fans know as the home of Billy Dee Williams - er, Lando Calrission. Flash Gordon also had a Cloud City, but that doesn't necessarily mean Lucas borrowed it directly. Both "cities" may be made of castles in the air, but they've got solid foundations - in Jonathon swift's famous tales of Gulliver's Travels, which also features airy domains. They, in turn, probably drew from Cloudcuckooland in the famous play The Birds, by Aristophanes (c. 448-380 B.C.E.).

Akira Kurosawa

Although Kurosawa is most famous for the Seven Samurai, that's not the movie that most directly influenced Star Wars. Lucas relied on at least two other films instead; most obviously Kakushi toride no san akunin (The Hidden Fortress, 1958) and Yojimbo (which means "bodyguard", 1961). In The Hidden Fortress, a princess in disguise must make her way through enemy territory, aided (and occasionally hindered) by two bickering peasants who are clearly the inspiration for C3PO and R2D2. As for Yohimbo, check out the scene where some rough types brag about being wanted by the authorities, a confrontation that ends with somebody's arm being cut off - and then take a look at the near-identical scenes from the Cantina in Mos Eisley, that famous "hive of scum and villainy."

Joseph Campbell

In envisioning the archetypal "hero's journey," Joseph Campbell laid out a sort of myth that's mirrored in all great quests. Here's how Campbell explained the journey, and how Star Wars riffs on it (in a fashion that Campbell approved of, by the way - he and Lucas became close friends after the first movie came out):

"The call to adventure"
Princess Leia shows up via hologram and does my "you're my only hope routine," necessitating a trip to Alderaan.

"Refusal of the call"
Luke says that nah, he really can't go, because he has to help with the harvest.

"Supernatural aid"
Obi-Wan rescues Luke from the Sand People.

"The road of trials"
Luke attempts to to wield a light saber and ends up looking foolish.

"The meeting with the goddess"
Luke meets Leia, who is decked out like an intergalactic vestal virgin.

"Temptation away from the true"
Luke is tempted by The Dark Side.

"Atonement with the father"
"Luke, I am your father," anyone? (Actually, that's not the real line from the movie, but bear with us.)

"Apotheosis"
Luke becomes a Jedi, kicks some serious tail.

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The article above was reprinted with permission from mental_floss' book In the Beginning.

From Big Hair to the Big Bang, here's a Mouthwatering Guide to the Origins of Everything by our friends at mental_floss.

Did you know that paper clips started out as Nazi-fighting warriors? Or that cruise control was invented by a blind genius? Read it all in the book!