Neatorama

What is it? Game 74 Posted: 28 Aug 2008 07:00 AM CDT Today’s collaboration with the What is it? blog brings us this strange object. Is it a weapon? Or simply a tool? Can you guess what it is for? Place your guess in the comment section - no prize this week, so you’re playing for fame and glory only. But please post no URL - let others play. For more clues, check out the What is it? Blog. Good luck, guys!

Customer’s “Pants” Password Has Bank’s Knickers in a Twist Posted: 27 Aug 2008 11:31 PM CDT Steven Jetley from Shrewsbury, England, had a falling out with Lloyds TSB bank, so he decided to have his password reflect his feelings towards the bank: A man who chose "Lloyds is pants" as his telephone banking password said he found it had been changed by a member of staff to "no it’s not". [...] Mr Jetley said he first realised his security password had been changed when a call centre staff member told him his code word did not match with the one on the computer. "I thought it was actually quite a funny response," he said. "But what really incensed me was when I was told I could not change it back to ‘Lloyds is pants’ because they said it was not appropriate. "I asked if it was ‘pants’ they didn’t like, and would ‘Lloyds is rubbish’ do? But they didn’t think so. "So I tried ‘Barclays is better’ and that didn’t go down too well either. "The rules seemed to change, and they told me it had to be one word, so I tried ‘censorship’, but they didn’t like that, and then said it had to be no more than six letters long." Link - via reddit (Why is "pants" an objectionable word? Here’s the explanation)

The CERN black hole Posted: 27 Aug 2008 10:42 PM CDT Is this really what will happen when the physicists at CERN finally start smashing particles in the Large Hadron Collider this fall? If so, at least we’re all in it together. Black holes don’t discriminate. [YouTube]

Unexpected Places on the National Historic Landmark List Posted: 27 Aug 2008 05:03 PM CDT There are some places you pretty much expect to be on the National Historic Register. Sprawling manors, Presidential birthplaces, historical monuments. But there are some pretty unexpected spots on the list too. Here are a few of them to check out the next time you're looking for diversions from your road trip. The Donner Camp, Truckee, California Yep… an official Historic Landmark that seems to praise cannibalism. In case you don't know the story, the Donner Party was a group of emigrants who were headed to California from Illinois in 1846. When they hit this spot near Truckee, they hit some horrible weather and decided to set up camp for the winter. The winter was brutal, though, and when provisions ran out, the surviving members of the party began to eat off of the bodies of those who had already died. Of the original party, 39 died and 48 survived. It seems more than a little grim, but the monument at the Donner Camp site explains that it is to commemorate the pioneers who crossed the plains to settle in California – at any cost. Mission Beach Roller Coaster, San Diego, California This wooden coaster is more than 80 years old – and, miraculously, it still safely runs. That's not without some restoration, though. In 1925, John D. Spreckels commissioned a crew to build it. It took 100-150 men about two weeks. It was a bit hit until the 1960s, when other bigger and greater thrill rides started to emerge. It became unused and a bit battered and closed in 1976. By the early 1980s, the Giant Dipper was in total disrepair and was something of an eyesore; people started to request that it be torn down. A "Save the Coaster Committee" was formed and managed to have the Giant Dipper elevated to Landmark status. An estimated $2 million was spent on restoring the old gal, so if you're in the area and feel like taking a trip back to the '20s, you can hop on the only surviving Prior and Church coaster on the West Coast. UC-Berkeley, Gilman Hall, Room 307, Berkeley, California. Why this specific room? In 1941, Glenn Seaborg and his associates discovered that plutonium was an element. In 1942, the entire top floor of Gilman Hall was dedicated exclusively to work in nuclear chemistry to benefit WWII. Research done in Room 307 was part of the Manhattan Project. If none of that convinces you, then consider that two Nobel Prizes in Chemistry were awarded to people who did research around this project; four others were awarded for later work. Currently, it's not exactly up-to-date with the latest lab equipment, so it's now used for classroom and office purposes. Bathhouse Row, Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas. In the 1800s, the Federal Government took control of land containing 47 hot springs. These four parcels of land also included a collection of eight bathhouses, so, naturally, the government took those over too. The Department of the Interior spent about eight years improving the area that they called the "National Health Resort". The first whirlpool bath was installed in 1939, and FDR's polio treatments at a similar facility inspired one of the bathhouses to start offering treatments for polio and muscle and joint pain. By the time WWII ended, it was nearly a craze – in 1946, people enjoyed 649,270 hot tub baths, which set a new record for the industry. But that would really mark the peak – after 1946, the bathhouse trend declined pretty rapidly. By 1979, the number of baths on Bathhouse row was down to 96,000. By this time, several of the bathhouses had already closed, leaving just a few of the original eight open. Today, only the Buckstaff still operates as a bathhouse. But the gorgeous and diverse architecture is still there, which is part of the reason Bathhouse Row earned a spot on the Historic Landmark list in 1987. The buildings not in use are being renovated right now and will be put up to lease when that is complete, so who knows – perhaps we'll see a resurgence in the bathhouse trend. Flying Horses Carousel, Martha's Vineyard, Mass. Yep, a carousel makes the list! It's the oldest functioning platform carousel in the U.S., so it's a little more special than your every-day variety. It was built in 1876, but it still operates from Easter Sunday to Columbus Day. Every person who rides gets to play a game as well – as the carousel turns, the rider gets the opportunity to collect rings that are placed on the inside and the outside of the carousel. The rider who manages to snag the brass ring (there's one both sides) gets to stay on his or her horse and ride again for free. But if you don't get the brass ring, another ride will only set you back $1.50. "The City of Milwaukee" Railroad Car Ferry, Manistee, Michigan Even a non-operating car ferry makes the Register! The S.S. City of Milwaukee ferried railroad cars between Muskegon, Michigan and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, beginning in 1931. She was retired in 1982 as a museum, although there is apparently talk of turning her into a bed and breakfast. Either way, the City of Milwaukee is still the only railroad car ferry that still floats on the Lakes with all of her original fittings and woodwork. Do you know of a quirky place that makes the Historic Landmark list? Share with us in the comments.

Sneeze Magazine: Major League Issue Posted: 27 Aug 2008 03:24 PM CDT Remember we told you about Sneeze Magazine? Well the newspaper-style magazine released their 2nd issue, it includes classic Rickey Henderson and Darryl Strawberry images that are so huge (22×16 inches) you can hang them on your walls as posters (that’s what I did). For more info, go here

Caption Monkey 40: O RLY? Posted: 27 Aug 2008 12:13 PM CDT That’s Neatorama’s resident rock star, drummer Rober Birming of Eskobar (who also blogs at GeekAlerts) and his dubious cat Prosit (that’s Swedish for “bless you,” he told me). For today’s Neatorama and Hobotopia’s Caption Monkey game, funniest caption will win the O RLY shirt from our Online Store (all shirts on sale now! Hurry and get your own!) Contest rules are darned simple: place your caption in the comment section. One caption per comment, please, but you can submit as many as you’d like. By the way, Eskobar released their 5th album Death in Athens earlier this year (covered here on Neatorama). For inspiration and Laugh-Out-Loud cat shenanigans, check out Adam "Ape Lad" Koford’s Hobotopia. Good luck and have fun!

The Biggest, Baddest Sinkholes on Earth Posted: 27 Aug 2008 12:12 PM CDT One day you’re minding your own business … and the next day the earth opens up and swallows your home - literally! WebEcoist lists 13 of the biggest, strangest, and most devastating sinkholes on Earth. The one on the left is in Guatemala City: Residents of a Guatemala City heard strange rumblings for weeks but weren’t sure what was happening beneath them. Then, in late February 2007, a near-perfect circle of earth dropped some 30 stories almost instantly. It’s amazing how neat the hole is. Two people died and over 1,000 had to be evacuated; the sinkhole resulted from a corroded sewage system deep beneath the surface (apparently the odor coming from the hole was intolerable). Link (Photo: Reuters/STR New)

Henderson Wave Bridge Posted: 27 Aug 2008 12:11 PM CDT Photo: joeng [Flickr] One of my fave blogs, deputy dog, has done it again with this really neat list of 9 of the world’s neatest bridges. This one above is the Henderson Wave bridge, a pedestrian bridge in Singapore: ‘henderson waves’ is singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge and can be found at the southern ridges, a beautiful 9km stretch of gardens and parks which has frequently drawn comparisons to new york’s central park. the bridge itself is absolutely stunning. the deck is made from thousands of balau wood slats, perfectly cut and arranged, and along the length of the deck a huge snaking, undulating shell cleverly forms sheltered seating areas on every upward curve. if i was to make sweet love to a bridge, this would be the one. (Ed: yes, his shift key is busted. That’s my theory anyhow) Link

More Bank Failures to Come: FDIC Has List of 117 Banks in Trouble Posted: 27 Aug 2008 12:10 PM CDT Things aren’t getting any better for the US economy. And now the FDIC, which insures bank deposits up to $100,000, has added 117 banks on its "troubled bank" watch list: Thanks to a collapsing housing market and a weak economy, a growing number of banks are struggling to stay afloat, with not enough cash on hand to cover losses from bad loans. At the beginning of the year, 90 banks were on the FDIC watch list. There are now 117, FDIC chairwoman Sheila C. Bair announced at a news conference this afternoon. That is the highest number in five years, but some analysts expect the list to grow even more in coming months. "I think there’s going to be a steady drip, drip, drip of bad news," said Sean Ryan, a banking analyst with Sterne Agee. "We’ve only seen the very tip of the iceberg in terms of bank failures." Even though only nine banks have failed so far this year, Ryan expects that to quickly climb with more than 100 failures before the end of 2009. "I would be quite surprised if we didn’t reach triple digits," he said. "Most of them are going to be relatively small institutions, but they will add up." The FDIC doesn’t name the banks, because if the list were known, then customers would pull their money out of the troubled banks and cause them to fail: Link

Camouflage Art by Liu Bolin Posted: 27 Aug 2008 12:09 PM CDT No, that’s not photoshoppery - Chinese artist Liu Bolin covers his subjects head to toe with paint to camouflage them almost perfectly into the background. Link | Exhibition at Gelerie Bertin-Toublanc - Thanks Jon Jason! Previously on Neatorama: Désirée Palmen’s Camouflage Art

Union Boss “Fight Poverty” at a Cigar Club, Golf Tournament, Hotels … Posted: 27 Aug 2008 12:08 PM CDT It’s all in the name of "fighting poverty" or so said Tyrone Freeman, the boss of the Service International Employees Union in Los Angeles. That’s all fine and dandy, except the problem is he’s fighting poverty by spending $300,000 tab on golf tournament, cigar club, and steakhouses! Paul Pringle of the Los Angeles Times broke the story with this investigation: The Los Angeles-based union, which represents low-wage caregivers, also spent nearly $300,000 last year on a Four Seasons Resorts golf tournament, a Beverly Hills cigar club, restaurants such as Morton’s steakhouse and a consulting contract with the William Morris Agency, the Hollywood talent shop, records show. [...] Based on documents filed with the Labor Department and Internal Revenue Service, the Guidestar nonprofit database, business records submitted to several state and local agencies and numerous interviews, a Times investigation has also found that: * Payments to the company owned by Freeman’s wife were among the local’s largest single expenses last year. Payments by the charity, the Homecare Workers Training Center, to his mother-in-law’s firm represented more than 10% of the nonprofit’s total annual expenditures. [...] * The local’s nearly $10,000 tab at the Grand Havana Room, a cigar lounge known for its celebrity clientele and invitation-only memberships, was for "lodging," according to the union’s annual financial report. A Grand Havana spokeswoman said the club does not provide accommodations. Freeman declined to characterize the expenditure, and after The Times inquired about it, he said he had refunded it. Link | Continuing coverage at the LA Times (Photo: Lawrence K. Ho / LA Times)

You are subscribed to email updates from Neatorama To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email Delivery powered by FeedBurner
Inbox too full? Subscribe to the feed version of Neatorama in a feed reader.
If you prefer to unsubscribe via postal mail, write to: Neatorama, c/o FeedBurner, 20 W Kinzie, 9th Floor, Chicago IL USA 60610