Scott Kasprowicz and Steve Sheik flew a helicopter around the world in 13 days, breaking the record for helicopter speed. The previous fastest round-the-world flight was 17 days, set in 1996. Kasprowicz and Sheik completed their journey by landing in New York yesterday.

The first week went off without a hitch. Kasprowicz and Sheik made it from New York to London in a stunning 40 hours and 41 minutes, shattering the previous record by a whopping 35 hours. Europe was a piece of cake, but Russia -- as they expected -- was a bear.

They arrived on the 13th, but construction at one airport and a fuel shortage at another cost them almost a full day. Things went from bad to worse after taking off from the Siberian city of Magadan -- the oil temperature in one of the copter's two engines rose so high Kasprowicz had to shut it down to avert crippling damage. They finally sorted things out with some help from local mechanics, but they lost still more precious time.

The route took the pilots through 15 countries. http://blog.wired.com/cars/2008/08/helicopter.html

(image credit: Grand Adventure 2008)

deputydog takes you on a tour of the world's most bad-ass grotesques and gorgoyles. Pictured is a fish-footed man at the Pena National Palace in Sintra, Portugal. http://deputy-dog.com/2008/08/18/the-worlds-most-bad-ass-grotesques-and-gargoyles/

Update: Commenter Ângelo Fernandes identified this picture as Adamastor, a Portuguese mythological figure. -Thanks!

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A woman with synesthesia described what it's like to taste different musical chords. Professor Funk, who is not a synesthete, tries to recreate the sensation using the Imperial March from Star Wars. -via Of Two Minds

We all have a 100% chance of dying -eventually. Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss tests how well you know the odds of dying in different situations for different people. I scored 100%, because, well, I read a lot. http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/17634

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Brian Berg took 20 days to construct this model of the Olympic Village in Beijing out of 140,000 playing cards! Link -Thanks, Geeks Are Sexy!

Previously at Neatorama: The Olympics in Lego

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Mistake or prank? Either way, you can't help but laugh. The smallest things can turn out to be the funniest! -via Arbroath

The spider needed something to attach its web support line to, and the morning glory needed something to climb. It may be a stretch to call this true symbiosis {wiki}, but I can't think of a better term. This picture was taken in the entrance to my basement.

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The life of animals, interpreted by man. -via The Underdog Victorious

Here's a yard ornament I would proudly display to my neighbors and their ubiquitous flamingos! The Flamingo-Away kit include two "Gnome-Be-Gones" and one pink flamingo. Designed by artist Fred Conlon. Scroll down on the product page to find other incarnations of the Gnome-Be-Gones. Link -via Coolest Gadgets

It's just like regular polo, except the players ride Segways instead of horses. The first organized match was in 2004, and now the game is played worldwide. The international championship tournament is called the Woz Challenge Cup (yes, named after Steve Wozniak) and has been held annually since 2006. Link -via Fuzzytopia

(image credit: Luiza)

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Advanced Beauty is an ongoing collaboration between programmers, artists, musicians, animators and architects to create audio-reactive ‘video sound sculptures’ using the visual programming language Processing, high-end audio analysis and fluid dynamic simulations alongside intuitive responses in traditional cell animation.

This series of videos is inspired by the concept of synesthesia, the syndrome where a person experiences one sense as another, for example, a synesthete may "hear" or "taste" colors. See more videos from the project at Colour Lovers. Link -Thanks, Jon Jason!

Dark Roasted Blend takes a look at artistic photographs of smoke, both in its natural form and enhanced by Photoshop techniques. Also included are links to several artists' galleries of more smoke art. Link

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Neatorama and Dayrobber present episode #3 of The Neatorama Show. I may be starting to get the hang of this, but I still need your input. Future episodes should feature some travel footage, as I am looking for interesting locations. Remember, you can go to Dayrobber and see shows from many different websites. You can see the complete Neatorama Show series here. Thanks for your feedback and keep those suggestions coming in!

Featured links:
Polyvore
Neatorama Collage
Send video to: radiofox@gmail.com

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Sam the Eagle and his Muppet friends salute America on its 232nd birthday. Happy Independence Day! -via Fuzzytopia

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Neatorama and Dayrobber present episode #2 of The Neatorama Show. I learned a lot from making the first video! Thanks for your feedback and keep those suggestions coming in.

Featured links:
Bitstrips
Example comic

Previously:
Episode one