(YouTube link)
Ruger the Australian Cattle Dog is pretty good with a scooter, but in this case he was distracted, and the cat paid the price. See more at his Facebook page. Link -via Arbroath
Miss Cellania's Blog Posts
Most of us have hobbies, but some super fans or super collectors go beyond the limits of what most of us have time for. You might call them obsessive. Rob Foster is in the running for the most obsessive collecting of Star Wars toys.
While it's hard to definitively claim that Rob Foster is the biggest Star Wars fan in the world, as the owner of the largest Star Wars toy collection, he's certainly a serious contender. Foster owns almost every single Star Wars toy released since 1977 and while he doesn't say how many toys he owns in total, he estimates that he has over 2,800 3 3/4 inch action figures alone.
There are seven other people with hobbies that go above and beyond the call of duty in this list from Oddee. Link
(Image source: Rebelscum)
(YouTube link)
"Fano flow" is a term used for some of the strange ways non-Newtonian fluids move. From the YouTube page:
In the so-called ''tubeless'' syphon, a fluid can be made to flow up through an unsupported liquid column above the free surface of the liquid. One way to achieve this is by slowly withdrawing and raising a syringe from a pool of the liquid below.
In the so-called ''open channel'' syphon, after initially commencing the
flow of an elastic fluid from say a beaker, the fluid will continue to
flow up the side and over the lip of the beaker for sometime despite the level of its free surface having fallen considerably below the top of the beaker. In this way the slightest spill will cause the beaker to partly empty in what is commonly refereed to as a ''self-syphoning'' effect.
-via TYWKIWDBI
(vimeo link)
John and Sandra have an everyday love story, but it's the kind of love story that we all want. And it makes a great little movie. -via The Daily What
A homeowner in Toronto called a wildlife control company when he saw a unidentified white animal in the garage. Brad Gates of Gates Wildlife Control thought it might be a skunk from the description. The crew found a litter of raccoons -three of them albinos! The kits appeared to be somewhere around six to eight weeks old.
The litter was put in a box on the roof, where the mother raccoon can retrieve them. Link -via Arbroath
Gates said two albinos were found in the attic; their mother was found taking a "break" from the heat of the attic on the rooftop.
Albino raccoons are uncommon - about one in 500,000, according to Gates' research. Three in one litter - that's extremely rare.
"I think you take that (statistic) and it's exponential as to the odds of that happening," said Gates.
His company has only encountered two cases of albino raccoons in its 27-year history, and each time it was only one in the litter.
The litter was put in a box on the roof, where the mother raccoon can retrieve them. Link -via Arbroath
Zazzle has a generator in which you can create custom pet cartoons that look like yours, or like a pet you'd rather have. The cats you see here are mine: Biscuit, Savannah, Marshmallow, and Gogo, although they aren't to scale. You can also customize a dog, fish, reptiles, birds, and some others. Link
Male and female fruit flies. Drawing by Nan Swift, Improbable Research staff, in homage to T.H. Morgan.
This poem is reprinted from the science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research.
Another in an endless series of poems evolved from E.A. Poe’s original
by Jennifer Sosnowski
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
O’er the latest volume of some scientific lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping at my lab’ratory door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my office door;
Only this, and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,
Each lab’ratory member left some data on my door.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for my low grant score
For the lab that sought to study Docking Protein v-SNARE-4;
Penniless forevermore.
I felt I would remember later strange sounds from each incubator
Oh, they filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my office door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my office door.
This it is, and nothing more.”
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating, then, no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or madam, your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is, I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my lab’ratory door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you.” Here I opened wide the door—.
Darkness there, and nothing more
Continue reading
This poem is reprinted from the science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research.
Another in an endless series of poems evolved from E.A. Poe’s original
by Jennifer Sosnowski
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
O’er the latest volume of some scientific lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping at my lab’ratory door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my office door;
Only this, and nothing more.”
Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,
Each lab’ratory member left some data on my door.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for my low grant score
For the lab that sought to study Docking Protein v-SNARE-4;
Penniless forevermore.
I felt I would remember later strange sounds from each incubator
Oh, they filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,
“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my office door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my office door.
This it is, and nothing more.”
Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating, then, no longer,
“Sir,” said I, “or madam, your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is, I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my lab’ratory door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you.” Here I opened wide the door—.
Darkness there, and nothing more
The following is an article from Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader.
There are countless superstitions involving cats, most of them focused on the bad luck that they supposedly bring. In Japan and other Asian countries, however, the cat is a symbol of good fortune.
THE BECKONING CAT
If you've ever walked in to a Chinese or Japanese business and noticed a figure of a cat with an upraised paw, you've met Maneki Neko (pronounced MAH-ne-key NAY-ko). "The Beckoning Cat" is displayed to invite good fortune, a tradition that began with a legendary Japanese cat many centuries ago.
Naotaka Ii
According to legend, that cat, called Tama, lived in a poverty-stricken temple in 17th-century Tokyo. The temple priest often scolded Tama for contributing nothing to the upkeep of the temple. Then one day, a powerful feudal lord named Naotaka Ii was caught in a rainstorm near the temple while returning home from a hunting trip. As the lord took refuge under a big tree, he noticed Tama with her paw raised, beckoning to him, inviting him to enter the temple's front gate. Intrigued, the lord decided to get a closer look at this remarkable cat. Suddenly, the tree was struck by lightning and fell on the exact spot where Naotaka had just been standing. Tama had saved his life! In gratitude, Naotaka made the little temple his family temple and became its benefactor. Tama and the priest never went hungry again. After a long life, Tama was buried with great respect at the renamed Goutokuji temple. Goutokuji still exists, housing dozens of statues of Beckoning Cat.
Figures of Maneki Neko became popular in Japan under shogun rule in the 19th century. At that time, most "houses of amusement" (brothels) and many private homes had a good-luck shelf filled with lucky charms, many in the shape of male sexual organs. When Japan began to associate with Western countries in the 1860s, the charms began to be seen as vulgar. In an effort to modernize Japan and improve its image, Emperor Meiji outlawed the production, sale, and display of phallic talismans in 1872. People still wanted lucky objects, however, so the less controversial Maneki Neko figures became popular.
Nang Kwak
Eventually the image of the lucky cat spread to China and then to Southeast Asia. How popular did the Beckoning Cat become? In Thailand, the ancient goddess of prosperity, Nang Kwak, was traditionally shown kneeling with a money bag on her lap. Now she's usually shown making the cat's raised-hand gesture and occasionally sporting a cat's tail.
In Europe and North America, images of Maneki Neko can be found in Asian-owned businesses, such as Chinese restaurants. And back in Japan, a new cat icon adorns clothing, toys, and various objects: Hello Kitty -a literal translation of Maneki Neko, or "Beckoning Cat."
MANEKI NEKO FACTS
* Sometime Maneki Neko has his left paw up, sometimes the right. The left paw signifies that the business owner is inviting in customers. The right invites in money or good fortune.
* Most Maneki Nekos are calico cats; the male calico is so rare it's considered lucky in Japan. But Maneki Neko may be white, black, red, gold, or pink to ward off illness, bad luck, or evil spirits and bring financial success, good luck, health, and love.
* Maneki Nekos made in Japan show the palm of the paw, imitating the manner in which Japanese people beckon. American Maneki Nekos show the back of the paw, reflecting the way we gesture "come here."
* The higher Maneki Neko holds his paw, the more good fortune is being invited.
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!
There are countless superstitions involving cats, most of them focused on the bad luck that they supposedly bring. In Japan and other Asian countries, however, the cat is a symbol of good fortune.
THE BECKONING CAT
If you've ever walked in to a Chinese or Japanese business and noticed a figure of a cat with an upraised paw, you've met Maneki Neko (pronounced MAH-ne-key NAY-ko). "The Beckoning Cat" is displayed to invite good fortune, a tradition that began with a legendary Japanese cat many centuries ago.
Naotaka Ii
According to legend, that cat, called Tama, lived in a poverty-stricken temple in 17th-century Tokyo. The temple priest often scolded Tama for contributing nothing to the upkeep of the temple. Then one day, a powerful feudal lord named Naotaka Ii was caught in a rainstorm near the temple while returning home from a hunting trip. As the lord took refuge under a big tree, he noticed Tama with her paw raised, beckoning to him, inviting him to enter the temple's front gate. Intrigued, the lord decided to get a closer look at this remarkable cat. Suddenly, the tree was struck by lightning and fell on the exact spot where Naotaka had just been standing. Tama had saved his life! In gratitude, Naotaka made the little temple his family temple and became its benefactor. Tama and the priest never went hungry again. After a long life, Tama was buried with great respect at the renamed Goutokuji temple. Goutokuji still exists, housing dozens of statues of Beckoning Cat.
(Image credit: Flickr user Shoko Muraguchi) Gotokuji temple still has a calico cat, as well as many Maneki Nekos.
LUCKY CHARMSFigures of Maneki Neko became popular in Japan under shogun rule in the 19th century. At that time, most "houses of amusement" (brothels) and many private homes had a good-luck shelf filled with lucky charms, many in the shape of male sexual organs. When Japan began to associate with Western countries in the 1860s, the charms began to be seen as vulgar. In an effort to modernize Japan and improve its image, Emperor Meiji outlawed the production, sale, and display of phallic talismans in 1872. People still wanted lucky objects, however, so the less controversial Maneki Neko figures became popular.
Nang Kwak
Eventually the image of the lucky cat spread to China and then to Southeast Asia. How popular did the Beckoning Cat become? In Thailand, the ancient goddess of prosperity, Nang Kwak, was traditionally shown kneeling with a money bag on her lap. Now she's usually shown making the cat's raised-hand gesture and occasionally sporting a cat's tail.
In Europe and North America, images of Maneki Neko can be found in Asian-owned businesses, such as Chinese restaurants. And back in Japan, a new cat icon adorns clothing, toys, and various objects: Hello Kitty -a literal translation of Maneki Neko, or "Beckoning Cat."
MANEKI NEKO FACTS
* Sometime Maneki Neko has his left paw up, sometimes the right. The left paw signifies that the business owner is inviting in customers. The right invites in money or good fortune.
* Most Maneki Nekos are calico cats; the male calico is so rare it's considered lucky in Japan. But Maneki Neko may be white, black, red, gold, or pink to ward off illness, bad luck, or evil spirits and bring financial success, good luck, health, and love.
* Maneki Nekos made in Japan show the palm of the paw, imitating the manner in which Japanese people beckon. American Maneki Nekos show the back of the paw, reflecting the way we gesture "come here."
* The higher Maneki Neko holds his paw, the more good fortune is being invited.
___________________
The article above was reprinted with permission from Uncle John's Unstoppable 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!
If you see mudflaps in the US, they would most likely be on a large truck and decorated with a silhouette of the "mudflap girl" or Yosemite Sam. In India, a mudflap is an opportunity to share one's favorite film! Meena Kadri has been collecting photographs of decorated mudflaps on rickshaws and cycle carts in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India for five years. Her Flickr set contains 54 mudflap displays of actors and scenes from Bollywood films. Link -via Everlasting Blort
(Image credit: Flickr user Meena Kadri)
In July, Sotheby's of London will auction off the only handwritten Jane Austen manuscript in private hands. It's the unfinished novel The Watsons, which some say Austen might have completed if it weren't so close to her own family life.
The manuscript is expected to bring between £200,000 and £300,000. Link -via Holy Kaw!
The Watsons manuscript shows how Austen's other manuscripts must have looked. It also shines an interesting light on how she worked. Austen took a piece of paper, cut it in two and then folded over each half to make eight-page booklets. Then she would write, small neat handwriting leaving little room for corrections – of which there are many. "You can really see the mind at work with all the corrections and revisions," said Heaton.
At one stage she crosses so much out that she starts a page again and pins it in. It seems, in Austen's mind, her manuscript had to look like a book. "Writers often fall into two categories," said Heaton. "The ones who fall into a moment of great inspiration and that's it and then you have others who endlessly go back and write and tinker. Austen is clearly of the latter variety. It really is a wonderful, evocative document."
The Watsons was written in 1804, not a hugely happy time for Austen professionally – she had one novel rejected and another bought by a publisher who failed to print it.
The manuscript is expected to bring between £200,000 and £300,000. Link -via Holy Kaw!
The EWE chart is a clever poster by Malaysian artist Lim Heng Swee. It's available as a print through Etsy. Link -via JazJaz
A hit-and-run accident five years ago left Rob Summers paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors said he would never walk again, but thanks to a new type of therapy, he can now stand on his own.
Summers' therapy is in the experimental stage, and the latest results are published in the journal Lancet. Link -via Geekologie
Summers' injury disrupted the nerve pathway that normally triggers walking. Researchers implanted an electrical stimulator at the base of the spine that - along with special exercises - allowed his legs to move without input from the brain.
"I stand about an hour a day," Summers says. "I can move my toes ankles knees, hips all on command."
He's also made other meaningful progress - regaining bladder and sexual function. But he's still wheelchair-bound, and doctors cannot say whether he'll walk again on his own. But, every day, he remembers the first time he stood up.
"It's that moment that continues to give me the hope for tomorrow, and the future for this project - and helping out millions of other people in my same situation," Summer says.
Summers' therapy is in the experimental stage, and the latest results are published in the journal Lancet. Link -via Geekologie
(vimeo link)
Bran Thompson made this video from footage taken at the annual Holi Festival (previously at Neatorama) at the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork, Utah. The song is "Optimist" is by Zoe Keating. -Thanks, Brian!
If you've got some free time this weekend, you'll want to catch up on everything you might have missed at Neatorama while you were working. We had some interesting articles this week!
Tuesday was writer and comedian Tina Fey's birthday. To celebrate, Jill found 10 Things You Don’t Know About Tina Fey.
She also gave us the latest installment in our Disney theme park series with Neatorama Facts: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, Beulah Land tells the story of how freed slaves settled in Oklahoma after the Civil War, but racism caught up with their descendants.
The Limited Lifetime of the Solar System is an astronomy article from the magazine Annals of Improbable Research.
On Thursday, Toilet Paper: How America Convinced the World to Wipe came to us from mental_floss magazine.
In the What Is It? game this week, Porkhurst was the first of many with the correct answer. This object is a lunar tong, designed for picking up moon rocks! However, he did not select a shirt. Swami won a t-shirt for the funniest answer:
Groan!
Our other game this week is at NeatoBambino. The Decipher The Doodle contest is still open if you want to take a shot at interpreting a picture from a 3-year-old. You could win a t-shirt from the NeatoShop!
Still looking for something to read? Check out our past exclusive articles at The Best of Neatorama, or find other links around the web with the NeatoHub!
Tuesday was writer and comedian Tina Fey's birthday. To celebrate, Jill found 10 Things You Don’t Know About Tina Fey.
She also gave us the latest installment in our Disney theme park series with Neatorama Facts: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
From Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, Beulah Land tells the story of how freed slaves settled in Oklahoma after the Civil War, but racism caught up with their descendants.
The Limited Lifetime of the Solar System is an astronomy article from the magazine Annals of Improbable Research.
On Thursday, Toilet Paper: How America Convinced the World to Wipe came to us from mental_floss magazine.
In the What Is It? game this week, Porkhurst was the first of many with the correct answer. This object is a lunar tong, designed for picking up moon rocks! However, he did not select a shirt. Swami won a t-shirt for the funniest answer:
If you are familiar with “Treasure Island”, you will recall the luau when John Silver is barbecuing ribs and he almost burned off his beard rearranging the fire, that’s what inspired him to invent the device pictured above: Long Tong Silvers.
Groan!
Our other game this week is at NeatoBambino. The Decipher The Doodle contest is still open if you want to take a shot at interpreting a picture from a 3-year-old. You could win a t-shirt from the NeatoShop!
Still looking for something to read? Check out our past exclusive articles at The Best of Neatorama, or find other links around the web with the NeatoHub!
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