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- 15 Little Known Geek/Nerd Holidays and Observances
- It's Coming ...
- Evolution Timeline
- Origami Cobra
- Roomba-Riding Turtle
- Chatroulette Speed Painting
- Goose Picked the Right Garden
- Solar Eruption Caught on Video
- Awesome Biomechanical Mic Stand
- 24-Room Transformer Apartment
- Abandoned Michigan Dino Park for Sale
- Dancing To The Beat Of A Different Bass
- Mother's Day Gift Ideas
- It Slices. It Dices. But Wait, There's More!
- How Did You Know? Day Three
- What Is It? Game 136
| 15 Little Known Geek/Nerd Holidays and Observances Posted: 30 Apr 2010 05:12 AM PDT The following is a guest post by D. Salmons from iGadget Life. If you are looking for the television reviews or interested in some other products, this website is good for you.
As it would happen, there exists a segment of our population that closely mirror these unsung holidays. These people work under the radar, providng society with the technology to keep life interesting. These hardworking and dedicated people, that we affectionately refer to as geeks, should get their own holiday. Well, we’ve found some that seems to celebrate the geekiness in all of us. So, we offer these holidays in tribute to those socially crippled huddled masses that keep life advancing forward. National Clean Up Your Computer Month – January The geek in all of us (including you Facebookers out there) can appreciate this holiday. This is the time to take a look at our computers and give them the attention they so desperately need. We can check disk space, remove old programs, finally empty the trash, and even clean up around the computer itself. A great holiday for geeks everywhere. Macintosh Computer Day – January 25 The Apple geeks in the crowd get to have a double computer holiday this month as January 25th is Macintosh Computer Day. If you haven’t already this month (see above), spend some time cleaning up your Macbook, MiniMac, or iMac. This would also be a great day to dig out those Apple stickers in any product boxes lying about and proudly display them. You are an Apple Geek, show it!
I did not realize there was a day dedicated to thinking. I personally believe that every day should be a day dedicated to thinking, at least on some level and at some point during said day. However, there is such a holiday, and what better day to dedicate to our ever thinking friends than World Thinking Day. 24-Hour Global Marathon for, By and About Women in Engineering and Technology – March 10-11 Geeks are not just guys – there is a very strong and dedicated segment of the population that do have double X chromosomes. The geek gals have proven to be an equal and capable group, so they definitely deserve a special holiday for themselves. What can be better than a two-day global holiday blowout that celebrates women in engineering and technology?! Morse Code Day – April 27 (or May 24) Geeks everywhere have heard about Morse code. Even though that has been superseded by ASCII code in most memorized tables, a tribute to the original geek code seems like a fitting way to celebrate the classic geek. From the telegraph to the cell phone, geeks have influenced our lives and given us new ways to play together online. Geek Pride Day – May 25 It is everyone’s right to be a geek, and Geek Pride Day celebrates this on one of the most important dates in geek history, the opening day of the original “Star Wars” movie. The holiday even comes with its own geek Bill of Rights (meant to not be taken seriously, of course): 1. The right to be even geekier Of particular interest is the last item, which just may happen at some point. (I guess it is a good thing that we are giving geeks their holidays now, it can’t hurt to be on their good side…)
Pocket protectors everywhere, rejoice! Without the ubiquitous ball point pen, then geeks everywhere would have no need of the pocket protector. It would be like Superman without his cape, or Batman without his utility belt. So, I think we should really take note of this day, and everyone out there write an email to pass the word – even if ironically the emails hasten in a small way the eventual demise of the ball point pen. Take Your Webmaster to Lunch Day – July 6 When you get up on a chilly winter morning and check your favorite news site and weather for the day, you should thank a geek for making sure that the server is up and running. The specialized geek responsible for doing this, is known as a webmaster, and they work tirelessly (more or less) to keep the web communicating. So, celebrate this day by taking your favorite webmaster geek to lunch. And please, keep all jokes about “downloading lunch” to a minimum. Embrace Your Geekness Day – July 13 Some people are ashamed of their inner geek – they are afraid to be stereotyped as anti-social, and have an innate fear of fixing things for others. But on this day you can cast away your fears and embrace your desire to defrag your computer drive. Who knows, by the end of the day, you too may have an appreciation for the geek culture.
Where would we be without the geeks known as inventors? From the automobile to the TV, from the typewriter to the internet, inventors have given us ways to make our lives better and more interesting. During the month of August we can pay tribute to those inventive folks who saw the need and a way to fulfill it. IBM PC Day – August 12 The IBM PC has probably had one of the biggest impacts on early computing than any other product, and its influence is still felt to today. Generations of geeks have cut their computing teeth on IBM PC clones, and Microsoft would not be as big as it is if it were not for the IBM PC. Geeks everywhere, wave a lighter in the air for IBM PC Day. Google Commemoration Day – September 7 Google is everywhere, and apparently all types of geeks love (and built) Google. So it seems natural that a day celebrating Google-ness would also be a tribute to geek-ness. Techie’s Day – October 3 Where would we be without those techie geeks that keep our office computers humming along? Without them we would soon be reduced to pen and paper, and getting a fax or email would literally take days. This October 3rd take time to appreciate your local techie geek, and give them their day by trying to avoid breaking things until at least after lunch that day. Computer Security Day – November 30 Geeks everywhere, take note – there are such things as evil tech people, and they want to enslave your computer for their nefarious uses. Take this day to celebrate the comfort of knowing that you have taken steps to keep your computer safe. And if you need help, go find a computer geek! International Shareware Day – December 11 Rounding out our geek holidays for the year is International Shareware Day. Shareware was created (or at least named) by uber geek Bob Wallace, and the premise is simple – try it before you buy it. This concept thrives today, where computer users everywhere download programs on a wide variety of topics daily. It just goes to show – geeks know business. Hopefully this list of holidays will give our geeks a reason to celebrate being what they are. Without them, the world is a slower, uncommunicative, and boring place (no video games). More importantly, we all have a little geek inside of us, so we in turn celebrate ourselves. (image credits: Flickr users Sidereal, mr.beaver, and x-ray delta one)  | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 11:32 PM PDT Neatorama’s first ever iPad contest is coming soon. To be the first to learn the details, follow us on Twitter or fan us on Facebook. | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 05:52 PM PDT | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 05:29 PM PDT deviantART user orscobrusco specializes in origami. He’s put pictures of impressive pieces in his gallery, such as this cobra. It was made from a single sheet of paper with no cuts or glue. Here’s his description run through Google Translator:
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| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 05:22 PM PDT (YouTube Link) We’ve seen a cat riding a Roomba. Now here’s a soft-shelled turtle doing it. He doesn’t appear to enjoy it as much. via Geekologie | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 01:01 PM PDT (YouTube Link) Israeli artist Paz Bernstein uses a Wacom tablet to create speed paintings of people that he meets on Chatroulette. This video is a compilation of some of those encounters. via Urlesque | Artist’s Website Previously on Neatorama: | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 11:58 AM PDT
Levine also removed several air rifle pellets from the goose. Link -via Arbroath | ||||||
| Solar Eruption Caught on Video Posted: 29 Apr 2010 11:52 AM PDT
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| Awesome Biomechanical Mic Stand Posted: 29 Apr 2010 11:31 AM PDT Adam Gontier, lead singer of the band Three Days Grace, commissioned artist Chris Conte to make him a microphone stand. What he got is something straight out of The Terminator! Link -via The Daily What (image credit: Dennis Blachut) | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 11:14 AM PDT
[YouTube - Link]
From the Upcoming | ||||||
| Abandoned Michigan Dino Park for Sale Posted: 29 Apr 2010 11:09 AM PDT
 This 15-acre dinosaur theme park formerly known as Prehistoric Forest is looking for a new owner. Located in Irish Hills, Michigan, the park comes with a two-story waterfall, a volcano (no longer smoking and rumbling), a main building, a gift shop, and 100 fiberglass dinosaurs. The real estate agent suggests you could turn the place into a daycare center, a campground, a restaurant, or something else. She also suggests that you could apply for a liquor license. According to AgilityNut, the park opened around 1963 with a safari train, a dino nest with eggs, a caveman, pterodactyls, a dig site with fossils, strange giant daisies and fake cactus. The dinosaur sculptures were created by James Q. Sidwell who also did the dinos for the Prehistoric Forest in Marblehead, Ohio and Dinosaur Land in White Post, Virginia. All this could be yours for the low, low price of $548,000! Photo by AgilityNut Link – via quasi-interestingparaphernaliainc From the Upcoming | ||||||
| Dancing To The Beat Of A Different Bass Posted: 29 Apr 2010 10:36 AM PDT Rock and roll may be good for your soul, but it sure wouldn't have its own soul without the shredding goodness of the electric guitar. Because April is National Guitar Month and because we love bizarre creations, we've decided to celebrate this important rock and roll tool with a collection of the wackiest, wildest and just plain wild guitars seen around the internet. Shoot Me With Some Sweet Tunes
With its shotgun design, this designer guitar by Doc George Oates is decidedly more all-American. Is it just me, or does it seem like Ted Nugent needs this thing? When you need a gun guitar that could actually harm someone though, it's all about the flame-thrower guitar that was used by Kane Robert while he played with Alice Cooper. This bad boy was shaped like an M-60 machine gun and at one point, it even hit Alice Cooper with a ball of flames while on stage. Images via Gizmodo, Doc George Oats, and FoundryMusic Let Me Ax You're a Question About These Axes
If you prefer realism though, there's no beating Gene Simmons' classic axe guitar. These signed collector items fetch quite a sum these days because less than 500 are said to be in existence. Images via Gizmodo and Ed Roman Guitars How Many Ways Can You "Play" A Guitar?On the complete opposite end of the cool spectrum lie these guitars that look like they would be bigger amongst the Devo crowd than the Slash fans. Whether you prefer Sega or Nintendo is a matter of personal preference, but both of these geek guitars are pretty gosh-darn great. Images via Kotaku and Cool Buzz More Geektastic GuitarsWhen it comes to geeky guitars though, videogame consoles are by no means the end-all-be-all of this specific genre. In fact, both this steampunk guitar and this Lego guitar are sure to strike a chord with any futuristic voyagers. Images via BoingBoing and Geektastic The Not So Tiny Little TeenarIf those guitars aren't outlandish enough for you, then maybe the Teenar girl guitar is enough for you. Inventor Lou Reimuller created this creepy monstrosity that can be played with only a tiny tilt. Image by Lou Reimuller Beautifully Backwards BassThis two string bass is possibly even more visually striking than the creepy girl guitar only because it's the exact opposite of what you would expect to see in a bass. It's played by Stig Pederson in the Danish band D-A-D. Image by Guitarz Dressing Up Your Inner Rocker
Image via ThinkGeek Unusable Unusual Guitars
Neatorama readers though will probably appreciate this nanoguitar that's only 10 microns long and is made with one single crystal of silicon. For those that think bigger is better though, why not enjoy the 43 and a half feet long World's Largest Guitar that's still playable –if you live up a beanstalk. It was made by school students and set a Guinness Book of World Records in 2000. Images via Daily Mail, Lutherie and Gizmodo | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 09:42 AM PDT
Of course you should give your mother your undying love and devotion, but if you feel that she deserves something more tangible this Mother’s Day (May 9th, guys!), we’ve got plenty of gifts for moms at the NeatoShop. Check it out: Mother’s Day Gift Ideas Shipments are guaranteed to arrive by May 8 in the United States (sorry, no guarantees for international shipment as customs clearance may take longer than expected). | ||||||
| It Slices. It Dices. But Wait, There's More! Posted: 29 Apr 2010 09:39 AM PDT
This military all-purpose tool looks like something that should have been marketed by Ron Popeil. And don’t laugh at the title of this post – the shovel does actually slice and dice. And it could probably julienne. | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 09:26 AM PDT Neatorama is proud to be a co-sponsor of the latest How Did You Know? contest at mental_floss. You could win prizes from the Neato Shop, mental_floss, Motionbox, or Roku. Day three of the five-day trivia hunt is up at mental_floss. Solve today’s challenge and find out how you can win a prize from Neatorama! It’s not too late to figure out Tuesday’s challenge or Wednesday’s challenge as well, which will help you figure out the overall challenge on Monday. And you might win a prize just for playing, even if you never get any of them correct! Jump over to mental_floss for all the contest details, and play now! Link | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Apr 2010 07:40 AM PDT Time sure flies when you’re having fun (or if you have 3 kids like me). Would you believe it?! It’s time for our weekly collaboration with the always-awesome What Is It? Blog. Can you guess what the gruesome tool above is used for? The first correct guess and the funniest albeit wrong guess will win T-Shirts from the NeatoShop. Write your guess in the comment section. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you’d like. Write no URL or web link – doing so will invalidate your entry. You have until the answer is revealed at the What Is It? Blog. IMPORTANT: Please write your selection of T-shirt alongside your guess. Be sure to visit the Science T-Shirt and Funny T-Shirt sections of the NeatoShop. For more clues, check out the What Is It? Blog. Good luck! |
We all know about the major holidays, and most of us celebrate at least a few of them. But, underneath those happy holidays that we all share, there lurks a mass of lesser known holidays that beg for our attention.
World Thinking Day – February 22
Ball Point Pen Day – June 10
National Inventor’s Month – August
A Canada goose landed in a garden in Toms River, New Jersey with an illegal hunting arrow stuck through its chest. The garden happened to belong to retired veterinarian Bernard Levine. Dr. Levine captured the goose and removed the 26-inch arrow, which was lodged six inches deep in the bird’s flesh. Then he took the goose to a bird rehabilitation center.
Last week we showed you a video of the 
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