Minnesotastan's mother was a member of American Airlines 1941 graduating class for the fairly new profession called "stewardess." She passed along some interesting tidbits about the business in those days, such as how the pilot communicated with the passengers: with handwritten notes! You'll find some of those notes in a post at TYWKIWDBI. Link

(Live Leak link)

Some things are the same the world over. This one is from Pakistan. -via Arbroath

It is once again time for our collaboration with the always amusing What Is It? Blog! Do you know what this object is?

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners: the first correct guess and the funniest (albeit ultimately wrong) guess will each win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

Check out the What Is It? Blog for more clues, and more mystery items. Good luck!

Update: The thing in the picture this week is a portable hand pump fog horn for use on a boat. Berhard guessed it correctly in the very first comment. Then iago guessed it to be the ultimate size pepper grinder for an Italian restaurant! That was good enough to win the funniest answer prize. Both win t-shirts from the Neatoshop!

The colorful story of pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read prove that not every woman in the 18th century knew her place. For them, crossdressing meant adventure, freedom, and power. They met as part of the crew sailing under John “Calico Jack” Rackam.

During battles Anne and Mary fought side by side, wearing billowing jackets and long trousers and handkerchiefs wrapped around their heads, wielding a machete and pistol in either hand. “They were very active on board,” another victim later testified, “and wiling to do any Thing.” The summer and early fall of 1720 proved especially lucrative for Rackam’s crew. In September they took seven fishing boats and two sloops near Harbor Island. A few weeks later, Anne and Mary led a raid against a schooner, shooting at the crew as they climbed aboard, cursing as they gathered their plunder: tackle, fifty rolls of tobacco and nine bags of pimento. They held their captives for two days before releasing them.

Even when Rackam surrendered, Anne and Mary held out against the governor's forces. Read how they came to be pirates and friends, and what happened to these famous seafaring women at Smithsonian's Past Imperfect blog. Link

Here's a thought that really hits home. A Tweet from @lunchyprices was turned into a Twaggie by illustrator Jeff Naslund. Scrolling down these things makes me feel older by the millimeter. Link

(YouTube link)

A passenger on a Delta flight from Madison, Wisconsin to Atlanta, Georgia posted a video to CNN of a flying creature in the passenger section. The plane was diverted back to Madison, where the passengers were rebooked. A Delta spokesman said the plane was searched, but they never found the animal. The plane then was returned to service. Link -via Arbroath

Quick, guess which one is the real panda! Tao Tao is a giant panda born at the Wolong Panda wild training base in China, but he has never seen a human face. His caretakers have always dressed in panda costumes any time they were around him! They are training Tao Tao for a life in the wild bamboo forest. See more pictures at Shortlist, where you can also see a video of Tao Tao's birth and first year. Link -via Buzzfeed

Yes, it's a bowling ball. It just looks like the head of a zombie! Artist Oliver Paass painted a set of these balls that were then placed in German bowling alleys to advertise a TV channel specializing in horror films. Link -via @johncfarrier

Bibliodyssey has a collection of 14 weird alchemy emblems, which were published in the German picture book Emblemata Nova in 1617. These emblems combined symbols that the reader was expected to decipher, although accompanying captions and poetry helped a little. A commenter called them "flash cards for the insane"! Link

If you've been following Neatorama for awhile, you are familiar with the work of Sillof. His latest line of pop culture figures imagines Star Wars characters if they had been produced in the 1940s era of sci-fi serials. Get a closer view of each character (the bad guys are there, too) at Sillof's Workshop. Link

Just the other day, my husband asked if I like zucchini, because someone wanted to give us some. No! No way! Because I know they would bring at least a bushel, and then return with more. Zucchini is notoriously easy to grow and provides a bountiful harvest. Therefore, those who grow it have a lot to share. That's why August 8th is Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbors' Porch Day. Wellcat has some zucchini recipes, and a list of the top 20 ways to get rid of excess zucchini. Unfortunately, the list only has six items so far, and does not include the obvious sneaking them onto your neighbor's porch. Here's a sample:

1)    Carefully place a dozen or more zucchini in a large, sturdy black plastic trash bag, then add a couple layers of unwanted clothing. Drive to nearest Goodwill or Salvation Army, hand over bag to nearest volunteer. Politely refuse any offered receipt. Leave quickly.

2)    Look for out of the way places which have signs posted, "Clean Fill Wanted."

3)    Reserve 1/2 of the space in large, upright freezer, gather all available plastic containers & freezer bags. Drink a vat of your favorite caffinated beverage, in preparation for staying up round the clock to puree large quantities of zucchini. This can then be packaged neatly and artistically labeled: "For Zucchini Nut Bread Recipe." These packages can be freely given, along with copies of recipe, to anyone on your Christmas list. [Ed. note: I solemnly promise that I will eventually post this recipe.]

Link -via the Presurfer

(Image credit: Flickr user Till Westermayer)

(video source)

Reknowned distance swimmer Diana Nyad {wiki} is almost 62 years old. But she is swimming today, off the coast of Cuba, heading to Key West. She entered the water just before Sunset last night. This time, instead of a shark cage, she will be surrounded by an electronic shark deterrent. The swim, if successful, is expected to take 60 hours. Link

CNN has an interactive map with which you can follow her progress. Link

Update: Nyad abandoned her attempt about halfway through. Link

(YouTube link)

Do you remember that athlete you were supposed to control in the game QWOP? The poor guy showed up at the main floor at Comic-Con! -via I Am Bored

(YouTube link)

This eagle owl is coming in for a landing. The film was shot at 1000 frames per second, so you don't miss a muscle movement. What you do think would be the proper musical accompaniment for this? -via Buzzfeed

Business Cat is an image meme in which a cat holds a desk job. Most of what you see around the 'net are pithy statements mixing business and cat culture. But here's a post that takes you through the entire day of a house cat that holds down a nine-to-five job, although he often works late. After all, he is the Executive Vice Purrsident in Charge of Sales and Quality Control for New Yarn-Based Products. Link