(YouTube Link)

The death of a beloved pet can be a traumatizing experience, and most people love their pets as they would any other member of their family. But would you pay $50,000 to clone a new version of your beloved pet from the DNA of the deceased? The lady in this clip didn't hesitate to head over to South Korea, shell out the cash and clone her deceased dog Trouble, and she seems to have no regrets about her decision.

It seems like a huge waste of money to me, considering that the cloned pet probably isn't going to have anything in common with it's genetic original beyond physical appearance, but what do you guys think? If you had $50k to spare, and you're grieving the passing of a pet, would you choose to have them cloned?

--via Videogum

You know that old joke that people love to tell you when you're wearing camo-"Oh, I didn't see you there, because you were camouflaged!" Well, that joke is about to become a reality, as a North Carolina company has begun creating custom, site specific camo gear. Here's how it works:

...because the patterns are created from photos that have been taken at different focal lengths it inhibits depth perception -- making it more challenging for the brain to see the camouflaged surfaces as a single object.


The camouflage may even receive a further upgrade, with the software firm applying for a patent on an "adaptive" material consisting of a vinyl substrate, a flexible image display that could adjust to the environment, and thermoelectric panels that could modify the soldier's heat signature.

Now no one is safe,  because someone may be blending in with the wall, or sofa, or even your front lawn! Better carry around a sharp stick just in case. On the other side-if you hold still too long you may be exposed to things you can't unsee, and therapy is very pricey these days, so please use this new camo fabric with care.

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You may remember Stacy mentioning Nicole Dextra's ice typography series in her May article about a dress made out of yucca plants. (link). Well, now you can take a look for yourself at Nicole's bold statement-typography made out of solid ice, some letters standing over eight feet tall, spelling out thought provoking words that naturally return to the earth over time due to changing climate temperature.

Here's what Nicole has to say about the project:

The Ice Typography series consists of three-dimensional words fabricated in ice placed outdoors that speak to how the viewer’s gaze frames and informs the landscape. The installations have varied from 8-foot high ice letters on the Yukon River to 18-inch high letters set in downtown Toronto. When the ice texts are installed on site, the temperature determines how long it will take for them to change state from solid to liquid. This phase of transition becomes symbolic of the interconnectedness of language and culture to the land as they are affected by time and by a constant shifting and transforming nature.

Now that's what I call environmental art!

Link  --via Beautiful/Decay

Who knew that pokeballs, the devices used by the characters in the anime series Pokemon to capture their little critter pals, would be so beautiful in real life? Created via photo manipulation by DeviantARTist wazzy88, their elemental contents look so real, like they could burst out at any moment in a surge of bling. No wonder Pokemon don't mind being trapped inside those things for hours on end!

Link   --via Rampaged Reality

These couples have been sealed in plastic to preserve freshness, to illustrate that sometimes love can be an uncomfortable feeling, and to show how smothering each other can make it really hard to breathe.

From the twisted imagination of Japanese artist Photographer Hal (yes, photographer is part of his name) comes this wacked out portrait series called Flesh Love, which are part S&M, part avant garde, and all totally mind-blowing, as you struggle to make out where one person ends and another begins.

How'd ya like to find one of these in your school lunchbag, kiddos?

Link  --via DesignTAXI

These awesome looking stools were made by suspending giant magnets above a mixture of iron ore and molten plastic, in order to allow the hybrid substance to naturally "grow" into organic shapes and textures.

Created by Dutch designer Jolan van der Wiel, they look like just the thing to spruce up your cave when you're expecting company, or the best birthday present ever for the mineralogist in your life.

Link

What you see before you is a man who fancied himself a warrior, but turned out to be nothing but a loser seeking revenge for something that happened to him when he was seven years old. Here's the scoop:

This is the astonishing moment a crazed attacker stormed into a supermarket armed with an arsenal of knives including a hockey stick with a blade on the end as oblivious punters carried on their shopping.
Described as looking like a 'warrior', Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how David Millington, 37, went into Morrisons in a suburb of Wolverhampton last March wearing a tool belt containing five kitchen knives and a makeshift shield.

Millington then chased security guard Andrew Osbourne, who he lived close to as a youngster and reportedly has a 30-year grudge against, through the store before being tackled to the ground by brave manager Michael Walsh.

Nothing about fifty years of therapy won't cure, am I right?

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This series of self portraits by Japanese photographer Mariko Sakaguchi finds her bathing in some most unusual, and quite awkward, places such as: a restaurant, cluttered apartments, a deserted concert hall and a crowded classroom.

This photo series is decidedly Japanese, right down to the fact that the people around her are too polite to react to her presence, and I think the photos not only say a lot about Japanese culture, they also show how easy it is to juxtapose social awkwardness into normally mundane situations by adding even the hint of skin to the scene.

I would love to see her do a series which revolves around her taking a bath on various modes of public transportation-subway trains, crowded school buses, in the back of a limo. Time to take the awkwardness on the road Mariko!

Link  --via DesignTAXI

(YouTube Link)

I've been a fan of Wes Anderson's movies ever since Rushmore brought his simplistically surreal form of storytelling, and endearing characters, to life on the big screen.

In his latest film Moonrise Kingdom he brings another cast of quirky yet relatable characters to the stage, and my heart swells just thinking about the strange situations these characters are about to find themselves in, and the hilarious moments which will be replaying over and over again in my head as I leave the theater.

--via Booooooom!

This time-lapse GIF shows a portrait piece being created by artist Tom Deininger, who specializes in making amazing sculptural works of art out of found junk and garbage.

The use of found objects gives each piece a unique color scheme, and the elements that make up each piece are recognizable, as if the pieces may be lurking around in your trash bin somewhere, waiting to be released. His use of objects as texture also brings the subjects to life with their own power and personality, and they're all eco-friendly to boot!

Tom has been featured on Neatorama before (link), and in the time since he has created a ton of new artworks, which are now featured on his website. Take a look, and see if you find Tom's trashy artworks a-peeling. *wink*

Link  --via Beautiful Decay

These VHS tape inspired notebooks ooze retro charm, and will probably get shoved into the nearest VCR by a curious senior citizen if you're not careful.

Created by Peleg Design, they even come with a plastic slipcover and adhesive labels, to complete the old school cool. Label them as something sick like Faces Of Death or Snuff Film and you have a journal even your nosiest family members won't want to crack open.

Link  --via JazJaz

This seems like the kind of invention we've needed for a long time now-a virtual dressing room that allows you to try on clothes without all that nudity and pointless human interaction.

There are no salespeople to hard sell you into buying that ill fitting garment, you simply try it on for size via touch screen and see what you think for yourself. Here's how it works:

The ‘Swivel’ system works by using motion-sensing technology of Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect, and a live video feed as ‘mirror images’.

When users stand in front of the system, the webcam would project an image of the user on the connected screen, along with shopping categories, such as clothing, jewelry and handbags.

To try on items, users wave their hands to select categories and items. Items would be digitally overlayed on the live image of the users.

When users turn to their sides, the items would also move along with their bodies.

Swivel takes into account the body types, and would make the items appear as it realistically would. The system also gives users recommendations with their outfits.

Users may also layer items, or change backgrounds to “put the look into context”, and send an image of the final look to friends and family for approval.

The Jetsons had this technology way back in the 1960s, so why has it taken us so long to integrate this technology into our modern shopping routine?

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The good folks over at Comics Alliance have put together a gallery of unusual retro video game covers, and I've gotta say most of them are hilarious, because I think they sound like a ridiculous concept, yet I am strangely compelled to find and download the ROMs so I can play these crazy games!

From Ninja Golf to Skateboard Joust, these games were probably left on the shelf for the most part, and now we can look back with a laugh and ask ourselves "What were they thinking when they made these games?"

My only meh is the fact that Renegade and Two Crude Dudes are on the list, because I played the hell outta these games as a youngster, and still have fond memories of them both in the arcade and on the old consoles. Do any of these video game covers bring back fond memories of your childhood?

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(YouTube Link)

If you're fed up with simply eating celery, then why not take a note from this guy's playbook and turn it into a musical instrument!

Watch as he sticks a custom made celery flute up his nose, then plays some sweet tunes for your enjoyment, tunes that can only be played via vegetable, or recorder, or any other toy flute ever made.

But hey, he's obviously after style points with this one, and I'm sure he'll get invited to lots of dinner parties once everyone sees his amazing talent.

Thankfully, he doesn't eat his instrument when he's finished playing. And, if you thought the celery flute was the extent of his power over vegetables, check out his other YouTube videos and be amazed at his homegrown musical skills!

--via Geekosystem

Retro gaming enthusiasts will remember the big bald baddie known as Abobo from his appearance in the Double Dragon games from the 80s and 90s. He's large, moustachioed, packs a mean punch, and now stars in his own online game, which is really fun and  totally free to play!

So hit the link, and get ready to game like the good old days, in Abobo's Big Adventure!

Link  --via GeeksAreSexy