For every internet success story, there are many more failures. Most just disappeared quietly, but these 25 had rather public flameouts. Why did they fail? Some offered a product no one needed. Some went up against another startup that did it better. And some were victims of hubris, mismanagement, or bad luck. Business Pundit has the stories behind 25 of them. Link -via Digg

(YouTube link)
BBC Sport is using the traditional Monkey King character in the marketing campaign for their Olympics coverage. Produced by Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn. Link -via Viral Video Chart

Stained glass art is not just for church anymore! deputydog has a collection of stained glass featuring subjects from videogames, comics, and science. This Darth Vader pane was recreated from a Christmas card drawn by a 6-year-old. http://deputy-dog.com/2008/07/23/when-geeks-and-stained-glass-collide/

(image credit: axoplasm)

After finding Chris Muth of Brooklyn barricaded in a neighbor's apartment, police took him to a psych ward, where he was confined for six days.

He has the “bizarre delusion [that he] was trying to ‘save’ a cat of his friend,” medical records show.

This story was bizarre, but the “delusion” was actually quite real.

The friend's cat Rumi had fallen 30 feet down a hole in the bathroom of his third-floor apartment and was trapped for 15 days!

It proved easier for Muth to earn his freedom than Rumi, who was still trapped in the duct when Muth was released six days later.

According to animal rescue experts, Rumi’s confinement proved to be one of the field’s greatest riddles.

“This was a very difficult cat rescue because there was no way to maneuver,” said Mike Pastore, director of field operations for the Center for Animal Care and Control. “There was no way to reach the cat and because of the length of time, I was getting worried that the cat would pass away.”

The story has a happy ending, as authorities advised Muth and the cat's owner to stop feeding him so he would be hungry enough to walk into a lasso and be pulled out. Link -via Fark

After a few years of leading the world and receiving free rent, some ex-presidents and prime ministers go on to other, more lucrative careers. Harry Truman only had his $112 a month army pension when he left office, so he rolled up his sleeves and went to work writing his memoirs. He was still in such poor financial straits that he became the first recipient of a presidential pension. Other world leaders did much better. mental_floss takes a look at what some of them do for money now that they are out of office. Link

Cake Wrecks is an entire blog dedicated to those occasions when professional cake decorating goes horribly wrong. Sad to say, they seem to have plenty of material. Link -via Cynical-C

Check out this wonderful selection of t-shirts showing the great things you can do with science! Link -via Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

Have you ever wondered how Lego bricks are made? Gizmodo takes a tour of the factory in three videos.

While the storage areas are the most impressive part of the factory, I have to admit that nothing had prepared me for the scope and complexity that is required to make and pack 19 billion bricks every year. The scale of this factory, specially compared to the tiny bricks it produces, is absolutely breathtaking.

Link -via Geek Like Me

(College Humor link)
If fonts were people, what would they be like? -via YesButNoButYes

Whether you are new to the world of comic books or a regular reader, certain classics of the genre should be read by every comic book enthusiast.

Sure, it may seem silly, but, comic books mean something. Soldiers used dog-eared copies of Captain America to keep their spirits up in WWII. The Green Lantern and Green Arrow made kids actually think about issues like racism and heroin. And millions gasped when they heard the news that Superman died. In fact, the vibrant medium is so often pegged as children’s pulp, or fun for the feeble-minded, that people tend to forget that comics have actually grown with and continued to reflect the spirit of our times.

mental_floss takes a look at 26 groundbreaking or otherwise important comics you ought to be familiar with -if you can find them! How many have you read? Link

Buildings aren't supposed to move, but these 12 did! When there is a "good enough" reason to put tons of construction on wheels (or some other method), there are engineers to rise to occasion. Web Urbanist has stories and videos. Link -via Digg

Is it a worm, a snake, a lizard, or something out of a movie? No special effects here; this is a ajolote, a reptile found in Mexico that has only two legs. It lives underground, where front legs for digging are more valuable than hind legs that would only be dragged along. Link

My daughters were excited to receive their Neatorama t-shirts! When you get yours (there are lots to choose from), model it for the camera and send us a picture. Link

The Boston Globe has another set of eye-popping pictures of Olympic preparations in Beijing and other spots around China where events will be hosted.

Final preparations for the 2008 Summer Olympics are in full swing in Beijing. This includes completing hundreds of construction projects, reconstructions, pollution controls, cultural training, and a general "beautifying" of greater Beijing. Rehearsals and drills take place daily as Chinese citizens hurry to finish up - after all, the whole world is coming soon. The Olympics are set to begin on August 8th.

Link -via Digg

(image credit: Reuters/Reinhard Krause)

Those are beautiful nails. Are they real? O RLY? Yes, Orly Nail Lacquer. The brand has been around a long time, but if you got a kick out of the ORLY chocolate bar, you'll like this, too. Link -Thanks, Ty!