We've featured adorable subatomic particles from The Particle Zoo previously at Neatorama. Now they have a new item called the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. This cuddly plush toy represents the residual radiation from the Big Bang. The perfect gift for someone who understands what that is -or someone who doesn't! http://www.particlezoo.net/individual_pages/shop_cmbr.html -via Bad Astronomy Blog

Today's Lunchtime Quiz at mental floss will test your memory of classic TV homes. Can you match the exterior shot of the characters' home with the name of the show? I only scored 40%, so you will have to do better! http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/26703

The Texas jaguarundi is a small endangered wildcat that lives along the border between Texas and Mexico. The jaguarundi was put on the federal endangered species list in 1976, but the Department of the Interior has never formulated a plan to protect the cat, as required under the Endangered Species Act.

Two types of the endangered species call south Texas their home, the Gulf Coast jaguarundi and the Sinaloan jaguarundi. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, they are larger than a domestic cat and have small ears, long, narrow bodies with short legs and flattened heads and tails. They generally look more like an otter or a weasel than a cat. They make their homes, according to the lawsuit, in the "dense thorny mesquite, cacti and cat claw thickets of southern Texas."

One commenter said the jaguarundi looks like a cross between a cat and a mossy tree. Link -via Digg

(image credit: blueskull611)

Someone gave Mike Whittaker and his wife an old washing machine, saying it was "a bit noisey". That turned out to be an understatement.

As the last bit of water was pumped out and it clicked into gear I immediately knew there was something strange a foot. The rumble was too low, almost subaudible but it had a clatter in it’s note that said ‘You’re going to regret living with me’. And it was right.
The temperature started to drop in the room, white frosty steam started appearing in my breath, the light bulbs dimmed, flickering as they dulled, and then it hit. Full force, completely out of no-where like a freight train roaring through an empty station at full speed in the night, while you stand at the platform clutching at your belongings as the wind roars and the scraping heavy steel monster goes hurtling past in front of you at 100mph. The difference though between a freight train and the washing machine is that in a matter of seconds the train has passed and you are back sitting in silence with your beating heart. With the washing machine it’s relentless. You have nowhere to hide, the sound will find you and bash on your skull with an aluminium frypan and snatch the words away from your mouth as you yell out for help.
I got used to sitting outside on my doorstep a lot that year. It was a concrete house and the walls were thick. Outside you could still hear the machine smashing away inside like a rock drill and but least it took away the frypan on the head element.

Whittaker also describes the time the washing machine vibrated so badly that a porthole portal to another dimension opened above it. He put the washing machine up for sale on the New Zealand auction site TradeMe with a reserve of $1. After intense bidding and over 800,000 views, the machine sold for $5,160. The retail chain that bought it may take it on tour. http://www.scarywashingmachine.com/story.html to website. Link to news story. -via Digg

Sometimes a simple handmade sign can tell an entire story. This may be from Ireland, but I'm not sure. -via Arbroath

Here they are, a selection of bumper stickers for people who don't feel that strongly about the issues on other bumper stickers. Link -via Metafilter

18-year-old Aimee Kick is an aspiring fashion designer from Missouri. She designed and constructed a dress for her prom completely from coffee filters! See more pictures at The Fashion Police. Link -via YesButNoButYes

10-year-old Colby Curtin of Huntington Beach, California had been anxiously looking forward to the movie Up since she saw the first previews. Colby battled vascular cancer for three years, and when the movie was released, she was too sick to go to the theater.

After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.

The company flew an employee with a DVD of Up, which is only in theaters, to the Curtins’ Huntington Beach home on June 10 for a private viewing of the movie.

The animated movie begins with scenes showing the evolution of a relationship between a husband and wife. After losing his wife in old age, the now grumpy man deals with his loss by attaching thousands of balloons to his house, flying into the sky, and going on an adventure with a little boy.

Colby died about seven hours after seeing the film.

Be warned, reading the entire story will make you cry. Pixar declined to make a statement about Colby or the employee who visited her. Link -via Boing Boing

(image credit: Carole Lynch)

A Cave Creek, Arizona city council race ended in a tie, with both candidates receiving 660 votes, confirmed by a recount. So they decided the winner by drawing cards!

Adam Trenk and Thomas McGuire, both in blue jeans and open-collar shirts, strode nervously into Town Hall with their posses. There stood the town judge. He selected a deck of cards from a Stetson hat and shuffled it — having removed the jokers — six times.

Mr. McGuire, 64, a retired science teacher and two-term incumbent on the Town Council, selected a card, the six of hearts, drawing approving oos and aws from his supporters.

Mr. Trenk, 25, a law student and newcomer to town, stepped forward. He lifted a card — a king of hearts — and the crowd roared. Cave Creek had finally selected its newest Council member.

“It’s a hell of a way to win — or lose — an election,” Mr. McGuire said.

Link -via Arbroath

(image credit: Joshua Lott/The New York Times)

Setenil de las Bodegas, Spain, is a town built under overhanging cliffs! With ancient rock over, under, and behind the buildings, the town was easier to defend against invaders than most throughout its history, and is also climate-controlled. The rock makes excellent insulation against both heat and cold, and the homes are whitewashed every year to reflect instead of absorbing sunshine. See more pictures at Environmental Graffiti. Link -via the Presurfer

Joel Veitch of rathergood.com and his wife just wanted to record a simple song with/for their kids. The second half of the video shows how difficult that process is! Oh, the "for" part is simple, but the "with" part can take all day. http://rathergood.com/bathroom -via b3ta

(YouTube link)
It's not really necessary to watch the entire video to get the idea of what's going on here. This marble machine was built in four hours. If I had one of these toys at home, I'd watch it constantly. But I have three cats, so it would probably be wrecked within a few minutes. -via Cynical-C

I don't know how effective this homemade spider catcher is, but it should be easy to make from a cassette case, a pipe, a string, and some glue. Beats walking into a web, the way I've been doing lately! Link -via Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories

A half-century ago, building ski jumps out of scaffolding was pretty popular, especially at stadiums, where they would be used to draw a crowd. Deputy dog takes a look at several of these oh-so-scary contraptions. The ski jump pictured was used at Soldier Field in Chicago in 1954. http://deputy-dog.com/2009/06/madness-of-temporary-ski-jumps.html

Some types of invisible ink are right there in your kitchen cupboard!

Hundreds of liquids, from fruit juices to specially formulated chemicals, can be used as invisible ink. Here we explore six of the most interesting and accessible types. We hope you’ll be inspired to make your own invisible ink at home. With a bit of practice, you too can become a master of steganography (which is the art of writing hidden messages, in case you didn’t know that already!)

How much money does a professional steganographer make? Link -via Geek Like Me