Agility competitions for cats? It’s a growing trend, although some cats are more keen on finishing the obstacle courses than others are. The contests are fashioned after canine agility contests.
"Some of the cats finished in two minutes, some didn't finish at all, some got distracted in the middle and went off on their own adventures,' says Bengal cat breeder Ree Hertzson, who saw her first agility competition at The International Cat Association show in Syracuse. "And the Persians would stop after a few seconds and lie around looking pretty."
Participants say cats can be trained to compete, although you have to find a unique motivation suited to the cat’s personality. And they have to be in the mood on contest day. Link -via Geek Like Me
Phil Plait of Bad Astronomy Blog worked hard to counter the rumor that an asteroid would hit earth this morning. He even posted an explanation on YouTube. However, IRONMANAustralia "fixed" that video.
In this leaked Top Secret footage Phil Plait tells the real story, before NASA edited it and no doubt forced him to post it on his blog in order to prevent the inevitable public panic.
I won’t tell you what happens, but it’s artful and mesmerizing. This is labeled as the “intro”, so there will no doubt be more coming see more here. It’s an ad for Lakai Limited Footwear. -via YesButNoButYes
It was twenty-two years ago today that the Space Shuttle Challenger was launched for the last time. It exploded less than two minutes into the flight. The Texas Space Grant Consortium has a rundown on what happened that day, with an explanation on what went wrong. Link -via Fark
Aboard were commander Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, pilot Michael J. Smith, mission specialist Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, payload specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, and teacher-in-space Sharon Christa McAuliffe. You’ll find more on each crew member at NASA. Link
If you are old enough to remember, tell us where you were when you heard the news that day.
When I brought home a Roboquad robot the other day and started playing with it, our resident guardian K9 was none too pleased. I decided to put Roboquad in "autonomous" mode, set his aggression level to high, and let the battle unfold.
I like the 8-bit videogame style! From Demonbaby -via Viral Video Chart
Have you ever wondered what the home office of Facebook, Digg, or Craiglist looks like? This post has pictures of 12 workplaces that run some of the web's popular sites. Neatorama isn't there. As far as I can tell, it's run from a small storage building in Alex's backyard somewhere in California. Link -via the Presurfer
Kolmanskop in Namibia was a booming town after diamonds were discovered in the region in 1908. But diamond sales dropped, and the town was abandoned in the 1950s. Mother Nature took over, and the shifting sands invaded the empty buildings of Kolmanskop. Fogonazos has the story, plus pictures and a video. Link -via Dark Roasted Blend
This awesome 3D display was held to promote the Japanese release of the movie The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep.
The 15-meter long Nessie is an impressive combination of water screen lighting effects and some well-placed water spouts (for the giant splash effect). It was part of an event held in Tokyo’s Odaiba area.
I drove my own car to the prom, but it’s been so long I don’t remember if I bothered to wash it. In this century, high school students want to make the ride to the prom something they -and their friends- will always remember.
12 promgoers in Racine, Wisconsin rode on a homemade parade float to the Park High School prom in 2004. The float was built onto a flatbed trailer, highlighted by 1,500 twinkling lights powered by a generator. The teens and their families designed, built, and painted the float.
Horse-Drawn Carriage
It’s hard to beat a romantic leisurely ride behind horses. Bee Tree Trail Horse and Wagon Tours transports students to proms in horse-drawn wagons in Pennsylvania. This picture from their website is of a 2007 prom in Fogelsburg, Pennsylvania.
Armored Military Vehicle
A group of year 11 students from Abbey College in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, arranged to ride to their prom in an armored vehicle from Commando Elite Paintball Games of Monkswood.
“The journey was really exciting with all of us allowed to take turns in the two gun turrets of the vehicle. Inside it was more comfortable than we had imagined. We certainly got plenty of attention en route and when we arrived at the hall.”
Tank
Gary called Tank Limo to hire a tank for his son and his friends to ride to the prom in Dorset, England.
Fire Truck
(image credit: LT MA Byard)
Firefighter Mike Shultz and his date Amy Cochran traveled to the North High prom in 2006 aboard a Long Meadow (Maryland) Volunteer Fire Department truck, chauffeured by Deputy Chief Eckstine (scroll down to the bottom of the linked page for the story). Yes, it helps if you or your date is a firefighter! But there are commercial fire trucks you can rent. Renting a fire truck is easy in Britain, with many resources like Casey’s Cars, where you can rent a red or pink fire truck as well as an ambulance. There are a few rentals available in the US, such a Hire a Fire Truck.
Helicopter
(image credit: George Austin)
Nikki Kennedy was delivered to the Muhlenberg South (Kentucky) High School prom in 2006 in a helicopter! But you won’t want to earn the ride the same way she did. In 2005, Nikki was seriously injured in a traffic accident that left her in a coma for two weeks. She was pronounced dead at the scene, but recovered and finished her senior year as a homebound student. The Air Evac Lifeteam later voted her as a “miracle patient” and awarded her a ride to the prom in the air ambulance.
Heavy Equipment
MacKenzie Stevens and Cally Hardy from Moncton, New Brunswick went to the 2007 JMA Armstrong High School prom in the bucket of a front-end loader!
Movie and TV Vehicles
You can rent a limo, or a bus, or a hearse, but if you really want to make an impressive entrance at your prom, you can rent a replica of a famous vehicle from TV or the movies. If you live in the UK, there are quite a few places you can hire such vehicles. We’ve featured the A-Team Van on Neatorama before. Star Car Hire in Britain has replicas of the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard, the Delorean from Back to the Future, James Bond cars, and more movie and TV cars available for your prom. If you want a particular movie car in the United States, check out Star Car Central, a database for movie and TV cars. These are privately owned, and only a few are available for hire. Some that are (if you are in the right area) include the ‘66 Batmobile, the Mad Max Interceptor, and the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine. If you do, please send us a picture!
An Iranian bear was adopted by Polish troops in World War II. Named Voytek, the bear was enlisted as a soldier in order to be transferred to Italy with his unit.
"He was just like a dog - nobody was scared of him," said Polish veteran Augustyn Karolewski, who still lives near the site of the camp.
"He liked a cigarette, he liked a bottle of beer - he drank a bottle of beer like any man."
Voytek even helped load ammunition and supplies at the Battle of Monte Cassino. After the war, Voytek spent the rest of his days in Scotland at the Edinburgh Zoo. Now a campaign has been launched to build a permanent memorial for the “the Soldier Bear” in Scotland. Link -via Fark
Bonus:Link to Voytek’s story. Link to more pictures of Voytek
Check out this collection of 13 very different pool designs. This picture looks like a family underwater, which they are, but not really. The pool above them is contained by a glass bottom! Be sure to check out the Four Seasons Resort in Bali -I would’ve used that picture, except that you should see it full size. Link -via J-Walk Blog
