The octopus makes a great metaphor -it has many arms that can do multiple things at once, it is strange and unfamiliar, and it has a long reputation for grabbing things. It's no wonder the cephalopod gets used in political cartoons and propaganda. The blog Vulgar Army documents these historical uses of the octopus, usually to make some entity look too powerful and/or evil, with pictures and in-depth information. Shown is "The Devil Fish of California Politics" from 1889. Link -via Nag on the Lake
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(Image credit: F.B. Johnston)
Look at that massive chimney! Can you imagine the size of the fireplaces inside? This is Windsor Shades in King William County, Virginia. In colonial times, it was a tavern, one of George Washington's favorite hangouts. Read more about this unique house at TYWKIWDBI. Link
Now this is the way to start a Monday! Has anyone here ever tried bacon pancakes made like this? Link
Neatoramanaut SenorMysterioso liked the creature the Alot a lot! He even made one of his own, for a competition among a knitting group called Knit Knack. See the winner and the other runner-up in this post. You can see more of this alot at SenorMysterioso's Flickr stream. Link
Diego Stocco (previously at Neatorama) combined parts from a bass guitar and a piano to make a new musical instrument he calls a bassoforte. http://www.behance.net/gallery/Bassoforte/535175 -via Metafilter
The following is an article from The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.
Some things we use all the time seem like they've been around forever. They haven't. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader looks at how a few items came to be parts of our world.
BAND-AIDS (1921)
In 1921, Earle Dickson, and employee of Johnson & Johnson, married a woman who kept injuring herself in the kitchen.
* As he repeatedly bandaged her cuts and burns with gauze and adhesive tape, he became frustrated; the clumsy bandages kept falling off. So he decide to create something "that would stay in place, be easily applied, and still retain its sterility." He stuck some gauze in the center of a piece of adhesive tape, and covered the whole thing with crinoline to keep it sterile. It worked.
* He made up a batch for his wife and took a few in to show his co-workers. The company's owner, James Johnson, heard about it and asked for a demonstration-which convinced him to begin manufacturing the product.
* By the '80, over 100 billion Band-Aids had been sold. Dickson, who became an exec at J&J, was amply rewarded for his efforts.
IVORY SOAP (1879)
* One day in 1879, the man operating Procter & Gamble's soap mixing machine forgot to turn it off when he went to lunch. On returning, he discovered that so much air had been whipped into the soap that it actually floated.
* For some reason, the batch wasn't discarded-it was made into bars and shipped out with the other White Soap. Soon, to their surprise, P&G was getting letters demanding more of "that soap that floats." So they started putting extra air into every bar.
* Now that they had a unique product, they needed a unique name. And they found it in the Bible. Procter was reading the 45th Psalm-which say: "All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces..."-when it hit him that ivory was just the word he was looking for.
* In October 1879, the first bar of Ivory Soap was sold.
VELCRO (1957)
A young Swiss inventor named George De Mestrel went for a hike one day in 1948. When he returned, he was annoyed to find burrs stuck to his clothes. But his annoyance turned to fascination. Why, he wondered, wouldn't it be possible to create synthetic burrs that could be used as fasteners?
* Most people scoffed at the idea, but a French weaver took him seriously. Using a small loom, the weaver hand-wove two cotton strips that stuck together when they touched. The secret: one strip had hooks, the other had loops.
* But De Mestrel had to figure out how to mass-produce it... and he needed tougher material than cotton, which quickly wore out.
* Years passed; De Mestrel experimented constantly. Finally he found a suitable material-nylon, which, it turned out, became very hard when treated with infrared light.
* Now he knew how to make loops by machine-but he still couldn';t figure out how to mass-produce the hooks.
* Finally a solution hit him. He bought a pair of barber's clippers and took then to a weaver. With the clippers, he demonstrated his idea-a loom that snipped loops as it wove them, creating little nylon hooks. He worked onthe project for a year-and when it was finally completed, Velco ("Vel" for velvet, "cro" for crochet) was born. The product had taken a decade to perfect. Image credit: Flickr user Janice Yuvallos.
POP-UP ELECTRIC TOASTER
* There was a built-in problem, though-the bread had to be constantly watched or it would burn to a crisp.
* In 1919, Charles Strite, a Minnesota factory worker, got sick of the burnt toast in the company cafeteria. So, in his spare time, he designed and patented the first pop-up toaster. Then he went into business manufacturing them. It took years to work out the bugs, but by 1926, Strite's "Toastmasters" were relatively fireproof.
* A few years late, a New York businessman purchased Strite's company and invested heavily in advertising-which proved to be the key ingredient in making the toaster a common household appliance. Every home "had to have one" ...and now they do.
Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts.
If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out!
Some things we use all the time seem like they've been around forever. They haven't. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader looks at how a few items came to be parts of our world.
BAND-AIDS (1921)
In 1921, Earle Dickson, and employee of Johnson & Johnson, married a woman who kept injuring herself in the kitchen.
* As he repeatedly bandaged her cuts and burns with gauze and adhesive tape, he became frustrated; the clumsy bandages kept falling off. So he decide to create something "that would stay in place, be easily applied, and still retain its sterility." He stuck some gauze in the center of a piece of adhesive tape, and covered the whole thing with crinoline to keep it sterile. It worked.
* He made up a batch for his wife and took a few in to show his co-workers. The company's owner, James Johnson, heard about it and asked for a demonstration-which convinced him to begin manufacturing the product.
* By the '80, over 100 billion Band-Aids had been sold. Dickson, who became an exec at J&J, was amply rewarded for his efforts.
IVORY SOAP (1879)
(Image credit: Flickr user Stewf)
Harley Procter and his cousin, chemist James Gammble, came up with a special new soap in 1878. It was smooth and fragrant and produced a consistant lather... but it wasn't Ivory-it was called White Soap-and it didn't float.
* One day in 1879, the man operating Procter & Gamble's soap mixing machine forgot to turn it off when he went to lunch. On returning, he discovered that so much air had been whipped into the soap that it actually floated.
* For some reason, the batch wasn't discarded-it was made into bars and shipped out with the other White Soap. Soon, to their surprise, P&G was getting letters demanding more of "that soap that floats." So they started putting extra air into every bar.
* Now that they had a unique product, they needed a unique name. And they found it in the Bible. Procter was reading the 45th Psalm-which say: "All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces..."-when it hit him that ivory was just the word he was looking for.
* In October 1879, the first bar of Ivory Soap was sold.
VELCRO (1957)
A young Swiss inventor named George De Mestrel went for a hike one day in 1948. When he returned, he was annoyed to find burrs stuck to his clothes. But his annoyance turned to fascination. Why, he wondered, wouldn't it be possible to create synthetic burrs that could be used as fasteners?
* Most people scoffed at the idea, but a French weaver took him seriously. Using a small loom, the weaver hand-wove two cotton strips that stuck together when they touched. The secret: one strip had hooks, the other had loops.
* But De Mestrel had to figure out how to mass-produce it... and he needed tougher material than cotton, which quickly wore out.
* Years passed; De Mestrel experimented constantly. Finally he found a suitable material-nylon, which, it turned out, became very hard when treated with infrared light.
* Now he knew how to make loops by machine-but he still couldn';t figure out how to mass-produce the hooks.
* Finally a solution hit him. He bought a pair of barber's clippers and took then to a weaver. With the clippers, he demonstrated his idea-a loom that snipped loops as it wove them, creating little nylon hooks. He worked onthe project for a year-and when it was finally completed, Velco ("Vel" for velvet, "cro" for crochet) was born. The product had taken a decade to perfect. Image credit: Flickr user Janice Yuvallos.
POP-UP ELECTRIC TOASTER
(Image source: The Cyber Toaster Museum)
The first electric toasters, which appeared around 1900, were primitively constructed heating coils that were terrible fire hazards. However, they were a luxury-it was the first time in history that people didn't need to fire up a stove just to make a piece of toast.
* There was a built-in problem, though-the bread had to be constantly watched or it would burn to a crisp.
* In 1919, Charles Strite, a Minnesota factory worker, got sick of the burnt toast in the company cafeteria. So, in his spare time, he designed and patented the first pop-up toaster. Then he went into business manufacturing them. It took years to work out the bugs, but by 1926, Strite's "Toastmasters" were relatively fireproof.
* A few years late, a New York businessman purchased Strite's company and invested heavily in advertising-which proved to be the key ingredient in making the toaster a common household appliance. Every home "had to have one" ...and now they do.
________________________________
The article above is reprinted with permission from The Best of Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts.
If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out!
Are you ready for Fathers Day tomorrow? We can help get you into the mood with Jill Harness' feature article 12 Impressively Active Animal Fathers.
Jill also pointed out that June is Adopt-A-Cat Month with a look at some notable cats in history and on the internet in the article Looking For A Purrfect Best Friend?
Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the movie Psycho. In honor of the occasion, we posted the first chapter of the reference work Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello. It's now available in a lighter, more affordable ebook form.
Over at the Spotlight blog, we had a big custom infographic with 13 Things Worth Knowing About Super Mario. That little guy has a lot of fans!
The Spotlight blog also had excerpts from the upcoming book Poster Boy: The War of Art by the New York street artist who makes advertising into political collages.
At NeatoGeek, we have a collection of videos in which all kinds of folks performed the theme from The Legend of Zelda in a wide variety of styles.
At NeatoBambino, we were treated to a virtual tour of the botanical gardens of The Huntington in San Marino, California. Looks like a fun trip for the family!
Ana made a real impression by modeling the new Reverse Polish Notation shirt from the NeatoShop.
Courtesy of Mental Floss magazine, we took a look at The Not-So-Sunny Side of America's Island State. Apparently, even paradise has its quirks.
From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, we learned about some of the many insects and parasites that target humans as well as other animals in What's Eatin' You?
Want to write for Neatorama? Try your skills at posting great links with our Upcoming Queue -it's easier than you think! Or if you'd rather not, you can send link suggestions to tips@neatorama.com anytime. Thanks!
Jill also pointed out that June is Adopt-A-Cat Month with a look at some notable cats in history and on the internet in the article Looking For A Purrfect Best Friend?
Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the movie Psycho. In honor of the occasion, we posted the first chapter of the reference work Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello. It's now available in a lighter, more affordable ebook form.
Over at the Spotlight blog, we had a big custom infographic with 13 Things Worth Knowing About Super Mario. That little guy has a lot of fans!
The Spotlight blog also had excerpts from the upcoming book Poster Boy: The War of Art by the New York street artist who makes advertising into political collages.
At NeatoGeek, we have a collection of videos in which all kinds of folks performed the theme from The Legend of Zelda in a wide variety of styles.
At NeatoBambino, we were treated to a virtual tour of the botanical gardens of The Huntington in San Marino, California. Looks like a fun trip for the family!
Ana made a real impression by modeling the new Reverse Polish Notation shirt from the NeatoShop.
Courtesy of Mental Floss magazine, we took a look at The Not-So-Sunny Side of America's Island State. Apparently, even paradise has its quirks.
From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, we learned about some of the many insects and parasites that target humans as well as other animals in What's Eatin' You?
Want to write for Neatorama? Try your skills at posting great links with our Upcoming Queue -it's easier than you think! Or if you'd rather not, you can send link suggestions to tips@neatorama.com anytime. Thanks!
The short answer is that our brains are programmed to see the world in three dimensions instead of two. There are more details at Discover magazine, as well as a gallery of colorful optical illusions. For example, these two Rubik's cubes do NOT have the same colors. The "blue" squares in the left picture and the "yellow" squares in the right picture are gray.
I took samples from each and put them on a white field to make sure. Link
I took samples from each and put them on a white field to make sure. Link
In 1966, England was preparing to host the World Cup games when someone stole the championship Jules Rimet Trophy out from under their noses! Police received a ransom note and met with the contact -and arrested him. But it took a little dog named Pickles to actually find the trophy. Read the story of how Pickles became the hero of the World Cup at mental_floss. Link
One way to keep oil from the Gulf of Mexico from creeping into Louisiana's marshlands would be to keep water flowing from the opposite direction. Scientists think rerouting a small part of the Mississippi river would do the trick, at least temporarily. A fork in the river normally sends some water to the south via the Atchafalaya River, which empties into the ocean west of the oil spill. If more of that water were directed instead to the mouth of the Mississippi, the marshlands would be flooded with fresh water. National Audubon Society coastal scientist Paul Kemp says this idea should be put in place soon, because it won't work if we wait.
Link -Thanks, Marilyn Terrell!
(Image credit: Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory)
The Mississippi will not be able to keep the oil at bay indefinitely, however. The river's flow naturally declines each summer, and by August, Kemp's idea will no longer be effective.
That's why Kemp rushed to submit a memo on June 9 outlining his idea to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which would have to approve any short-term river diversions.
In addition to rerouting the Mississippi, Kemp suggests that water currently held behind dams farther upriver should be slowly released. This would keep the flow of water as strong as possible.
Link -Thanks, Marilyn Terrell!
(Image credit: Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory)
Today is the official opening of the Chuck Jones Center for Creativity in Orange, California. In honor of the occasion, Baierman listed some of the many things he (and the rest of us) learned from watching the cartoon characters Jones created (including Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Daffy Duck, and others).
There are 25 things in this list; maybe you could think of more! Link
1. Never stick a body part, or your gun, in to a hole.
2. When your life is on the line, it’s okay to dress like a girl and seduce your captor.
3. Even a Grinch can be lovable.
4. Control your anger at all costs. Otherwise you will end up repeatedly falling off a 500-foot tall diving platform.
There are 25 things in this list; maybe you could think of more! Link
What's not to love about Hawaii? Well, no place is perfect, but knowing the seamier side of the state is not likely to cause you to cancel your dream vacation.
Gangster's Paradise
Hawaii can proudly claim more scientific observatories and and pineapples than any other state in the union. Somewhat less proudly, it claims more Japanese gangsters, too. Also known as the Yakuza, these mobsters have made the island state a major way station for Asian drugs and American guns being smuggled across borders. But why Hawaii? Besides being relatively close to Japan, the state's diverse ethnic makeup and regular influx of Japanese tourists make it easy for the Yakuza to blend in-at least on the surface. Many Yakuza hide full body tattoos under their high-collar long-sleeve shirts. Some are even missing a finger, which are sometimes cut off and offered as penance to mob bosses. Image credit: Flickr user localjapantimes.
Island of the Lepers
One of Hawaii's most famous historical figures wasn't Hawaiian at all. Flemish missionary Father Damien was one of many European settlers who descended on the sunny island chain in the 19th century and brought with them new technologies, new ways of life, and, of course, new germs. The resulting public health crisis necessitated the creation of a fortress-like leper colony on the island of Molokai, also known as "the colony of death". Damien was the only priest to volunteer for what many considered a suicide mission. He spent 16 years making the colonists as comfortable (and Christian) as possible before he succumbed to the disease himself in 1889. Since then, he's gained quite a reputation. Mahatma Gandhi considered him a personal hero; Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1995; and the Flemish media voted him "Greatest Belgian of All Time" in 2005.
Squeaky Beaches
Enjoy quiet walks on the beach? Don't go to the island of Kauai. There, on Barking Sands Beach, dry sand grains emit an eerie sound when rubbed together or poked with bare feet. Various accounts claim the sand sings, whistles, roars, booms, squeaks, or-as the beach's name suggests-barks like a dog.
Having Your Cook (and Eating Him, Too)
After circumnavigating the globe and logging three epic expeditions to the Pacific, the famously intrepid explorer James Cook seemed to be running out of new things to discover. Perhaps as a result, he also seemed to be losing his mind. According to his crew, Cook's bouts of irrational behavior came to a head when a Hawaiian native stole a pair of blacksmith's tongs. He insisted on chasing the thief ashore, whereupon he picked a fight with local villagers. The Hawaiians quickly gained the upper hand, however, and Cook was killed in the skirmish. When the crew of the H.M.B. Endeavour finally got Cook's body back, his flesh had been roasted from his bones. Had he been eaten? No one knows for sure, but it would seem a fitting end for a man who helped cannibalize (er, colonize) much of the South Pacific.
Be sure to visit mental_floss' website and blog for more fun stuff!
Gangster's Paradise
Hawaii can proudly claim more scientific observatories and and pineapples than any other state in the union. Somewhat less proudly, it claims more Japanese gangsters, too. Also known as the Yakuza, these mobsters have made the island state a major way station for Asian drugs and American guns being smuggled across borders. But why Hawaii? Besides being relatively close to Japan, the state's diverse ethnic makeup and regular influx of Japanese tourists make it easy for the Yakuza to blend in-at least on the surface. Many Yakuza hide full body tattoos under their high-collar long-sleeve shirts. Some are even missing a finger, which are sometimes cut off and offered as penance to mob bosses. Image credit: Flickr user localjapantimes.
Island of the Lepers
One of Hawaii's most famous historical figures wasn't Hawaiian at all. Flemish missionary Father Damien was one of many European settlers who descended on the sunny island chain in the 19th century and brought with them new technologies, new ways of life, and, of course, new germs. The resulting public health crisis necessitated the creation of a fortress-like leper colony on the island of Molokai, also known as "the colony of death". Damien was the only priest to volunteer for what many considered a suicide mission. He spent 16 years making the colonists as comfortable (and Christian) as possible before he succumbed to the disease himself in 1889. Since then, he's gained quite a reputation. Mahatma Gandhi considered him a personal hero; Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1995; and the Flemish media voted him "Greatest Belgian of All Time" in 2005.
Squeaky Beaches
Enjoy quiet walks on the beach? Don't go to the island of Kauai. There, on Barking Sands Beach, dry sand grains emit an eerie sound when rubbed together or poked with bare feet. Various accounts claim the sand sings, whistles, roars, booms, squeaks, or-as the beach's name suggests-barks like a dog.
Having Your Cook (and Eating Him, Too)
After circumnavigating the globe and logging three epic expeditions to the Pacific, the famously intrepid explorer James Cook seemed to be running out of new things to discover. Perhaps as a result, he also seemed to be losing his mind. According to his crew, Cook's bouts of irrational behavior came to a head when a Hawaiian native stole a pair of blacksmith's tongs. He insisted on chasing the thief ashore, whereupon he picked a fight with local villagers. The Hawaiians quickly gained the upper hand, however, and Cook was killed in the skirmish. When the crew of the H.M.B. Endeavour finally got Cook's body back, his flesh had been roasted from his bones. Had he been eaten? No one knows for sure, but it would seem a fitting end for a man who helped cannibalize (er, colonize) much of the South Pacific.
__________________________
The article above is reprinted from Scatterbrained section of the May- June 2007 issue of mental_floss magazine.Be sure to visit mental_floss' website and blog for more fun stuff!
Allie at Hyperbole and a Half (the creator of the Alot) has the same feelings we all do, but she expresses them so much better than most of us. In this essay, she looks at the horrible life of a responsible adult and why we would all choose to remain children if it were possible. Some NSFW language. Link -via Metafilter
The short version of last week's World Cup game between the US and England features only the best parts -both goals, with instant replays. In LEGO! This video was created by the folks at Lego Fussball, who have Lego versions of many games. English translation by The Guardian. -via Laughing Squid
Although Tetris (Korobeiniki) and the Mario Brothers theme songs are easy to sing along with, I always thought that the majestic theme music for The Legend of Zelda was quite beautiful. NeatoGeek showcases that theme today with eight different interpretations of the music from the video game The Legend of Zelda. Which one is your favorite? Link
(Image credit: Qinni)
(Image credit: Qinni)
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