Neatorama |
- Dan & naD - A Palindromic Sketch
- 15 Off-the-Wall Theme Parks
- Secret Weapon in the War on Terror: Boy Scout SWAT Team
- Design with Intent Toolkit
- Auto-Cannibalistic Table
- The Sinking Farmland of San Joaquin Valley
- Caution: Ferocious Turtle
| Dan & naD - A Palindromic Sketch Posted: 30 May 2009 02:18 PM PDT According to Wikipedia a Palindrome is: a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction… Or, in this case a palindromic video where Dan and naD filmed themselves speaking normally and backwards and doing activities such as eating cake or having a drink forwards and backwards. Totally bizarre and trippy! More info on palindromes here - Link
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| Posted: 30 May 2009 12:58 PM PDT I’m a huge fan of theme parks. I love roller coasters and costumed characters and all that jazz, but there are some parks that are boring and some that are just plain weird. Personally, I think I could pass on quite a few of these bad parks…others I want to visit just to see that the deal is. Image Via km33068 [Flickr] 1. Hershey Park, PA -Mmmmm….chocolate! Hooray, kisses! The company that combined the two truly is brilliant, but a theme park in their name? There's roller coasters, water slides, and, of course, cute little Reese's and Hershey's characters wandering. If you were worried about getting your chocolate fix on, don't worry, there's plenty of sweet treats at the restaurants throughout the park. Image Via Andrewds14 [Flickr] 2. Dollywood, TN –Maybe you're a Dolly fan. Maybe you like the ironic humor of visiting a theme park dedicated to the blonde county bombshell Maybe you just love farms. Whatever your reason for visiting Dollywood, you're sure to get an earful –of Dolly Parton songs. Enjoy the sights and smells of the Rocky Mountains while speeding through exciting roller coasters. 3. Diggerland, UK –Ever wish you could be a construction worker, but hate sweat and hard work? Finally, you can relax by going to work on backhoes and other digging devices. They even have rides where you get to be inside the digging bucket. Apparently the United Kingdom has a crucial shortage of construction jobs available. Image Via Hazelisles [Flickr] 4. Limestone Heritage, Malta –What could be more fun than limestone? Why anything of course! This exotic destination located on the island of Malta teaches kids about the fundamentals of limestone. I've never seen anyone work so hard to remove the "fun" from "fundamentals." Image Via llamnudds [Flickr] 5. Dickens World, UK –Do you have great expectations when it comes to your amusement parks? Sorry, I couldn't resist. You can finally chill out in downtrodden 19th century England like the characters of Charles Dickens. Image Via Mukluk Land website 6. Mukluk Land, AK –Alaska isn't exactly known for being a crazy fun place for children and their amusement park is no exception. Their biggest attraction is the World's Largest mukluk (a traditional soft boot worn in the Artic). Aside from that, there is skee ball, mini-golf and big cabbage. Image Via blatantgizmo [Flickr] 7. Pedro Land, SC –Why is there a Mexican theme park in the middle of South Carolina? Because who better to build a stereotypical amusement park based on the South of the Border than people who know nothing about Mexicans? Pink flamingos, hot tamales and really bad puns, like a mini golf course called the "Golf of Mexico," run abound in this cheesy park. Image Via the website Gallery 8. Harry Potter Themepark, FL –This is park may be unfinished, but it is sure to be completed and opened sometime in 2010. It's going to be part of Universal Studios Florida. Finally you can put away your muggle wears and "let out your inner wizard." 9. The Ocean Dome, Japan –Ever go to the beach and think, "I sure wish I could be having a simulated beach experience right now?" Here's your chance. With real sand, manufactured waves, a private rain forest and a simulated volcanic eruption every hour, the Ocean Dome would be a great attraction for landlocked people in Utah. Unfortunately, its actual location lies within 1000 feet of a real beach in Miyazaki, Japan. Image Via azkid2lt [Flickr] 10. Grutas Park, Lithuania –Hooray communism. Go USSR. Grutas Park is nicknamed "Stalin's Word" -and for good reason. This Lithuanian theme park is dedicated to the area's soviet-occupation. There's not only a great statue garden of the communist heroes and a zoo, but also a fun gulag experience for all you history lovers out there. Image Via Theme Park Review 11. BonBon Land, Denmark –Yes the colors and statues look crazy, but the madness doesn't stop there. One roller coaster peaks with farting sounds being played just as you pass behind Henry Hound's butt. Vomiting, pooping and breasts are in full force throughout this tasteless park, making it any 13 year old boy's fantasy land. Image Via Angie Torres [Flickr] 12. Suoi Tien Park, Vietnam –Sure Buddhism is all about sacrificing material goods and obtaining enlightenment, but roller coasters and water slides are fun too. You know what else is fun? A pond full of 1,500 live crocodiles that you can feed with meat attached to fishing poles. And just in case you really don't get the message of Buddhism through the tons of golden statues, there is also a fun animatronics ride featuring the 12 torments of fell. 13. Shijingshan Amusement Park, China –If you thought the Chinese bootleg DVDs were a huge source of copyright infringement, just wait until you see the Shijingshan Amusement Park. Despite numerous copyright lawsuits from Disney, blatant knock offs of Minnie Mouse, Cinderella and Donald Duck still roam the park grounds, along with their friend Hello Kitty. Image Via Semisvetik [Flickr] 14. Love Land, Korea –A lot of the attractions at this park are too adult for the general Neatorama audience. Even so, you're certain to enjoy this sculpture of dogs making love with while flashing the peace sign. The owner hopes that the park will not only be fun, but be a good-source of education for newly weds. Image Via San Sharma [Flickr] 15. Neverland Ranch, CA –Lock up your daughters –I mean sons. This park is an American classic, filled with tacky artwork, a zoo and rides. Unfortunately, this is one park that is long gone and will likely never rise again as the attractions have been moved out in the last year. Jackson said he no longer considers this park home since he claims the police officers "violated it."
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| Secret Weapon in the War on Terror: Boy Scout SWAT Team Posted: 30 May 2009 05:49 AM PDT
Boy Scouts’s motto "Be Prepared" apparently extends all the way to modern day’s terrorism. In this post 9/11 world, you can’t be too careful, so the Border Patrol in Imperial County, California, has a - shall we say, unique - program for the Scouts:
Jennifer Steinhauer of The New York Times has more: Link
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| Posted: 30 May 2009 05:47 AM PDT Dan Lockton, David Harrison, and Neville A. Stanton came up with this spiffy idea: The Design with Intent Toolkit v.0.9, a set of design principles with the aim of influencing user behavior. The trio cover a wide range of design principles including how to encourage users to do something; guide them as to how to do it properly; and how to reduce errors by limiting choices and so on. There are even ways to subtly or not-so_subtly discourage users from doing what you don’t want them to do. You may think as some of these principles as obvious and common-sensical, but the hallmark of a great product is exactly that it can be used by people armed only with common sense. Take, for instance, the way to influence user’s behavior through the use of segmentation, spacing, and orientation:
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| Posted: 30 May 2009 05:46 AM PDT Most people want their furnitures to last, but not Ate Atema! His Auto-Cannibalistic Table (made in collaboration with designer Amy Campos) made from egg cartons and wheatpaste glue, is designed to be planted with herbs which "eat away" the table as they grow:
Inhabitat blog has more: Link
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| The Sinking Farmland of San Joaquin Valley Posted: 30 May 2009 05:44 AM PDT
California may be in the forefront in some environmental issues like alternative energy and recycling, but it is actually quite backwards when it comes to groundwater. Despite the long and severe drought, the state is bending to political pressure to allow farmers to withdraw groundwater to water their crops. Felicity Barringer of The New York Times has the story:
The interesting photo above comes via the United States Geological Survey. It depicts USGS scientist Joe Poland showing subsidence (or sinking) of the land in the San Joaquin Valley from 1925 to 1977. The sign shows where the land level was at that year.
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| Posted: 30 May 2009 05:44 AM PDT I met a ferocious turtle once. Turns out it was just hungry … Actually, the sign above is an ingenious direct mail campaign by SulAmérica, a provider of home insurance. The company has a very unusual database of what pets their clients own. Sun/MRM ad agency of Brazil engineered a clever direct mail campaign, where they send funny signs to people who have birds, turtles, ferrets but no watch dogs to protect their homes! With this customized campaign, over 85% of the people renewed their insurance (as compared to 30% the year before the campaign).
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