Neatorama

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• Space Invaders Love Seat
• Port-A-Pint Beer Glass
• Miss Cellania versus Saruman
• These Are Their Stories
• Switched at Birth with a Happy Ending
• New York City from Above
• 81-year-old Sweethearts
• Lisa Simpson's Wedding
• Astrophysical Toothpick Sculptures
• Scientists Regenerate Rabbit Skeleton Joints
• Dancing Swedish Police Officer
• What Do You Get When You Cross a Donkey and a Zebra? A Zedonk
• Keyboard Man
• Cougar Soap
• Get Into Med School Without Those Pesky Science Courses
• City Officials to Outlaw Rolling One's Eyes
• Pet Psychic
• iPad Owner: Selfish Elite?
• 30+ Excellent Comic Con Costumes From 2010
• This Week at Neatorama

Space Invaders Love Seat Posted: 01 Aug 2010 02:43 AM PDT Who else was addicted to the 80’s classic video game Space Invaders?  Well this couch created by designer Igor Chak will bring back memories even if it looks a little uncomfortable.   Link via TechEBlog

Port-A-Pint Beer Glass Posted: 01 Aug 2010 01:38 AM PDT Port-A-Pint Beer Glass – $7.95 This summer, don’t be caught short without a glass at a BYOB OMGBBQFTW party! Always bring your own portable beer glass – it sure beats drinking from those disposable cups any day. The Port-A-Pint Beer Glass from the NeatoShop opens with just a flick of your wrist: Link | More fun Glassware and Drinkware

Miss Cellania versus Saruman Posted: 01 Aug 2010 01:27 AM PDT Over at NeatoGeek, John Farrier has an intriguing Question of the Day post. He asks who would win in a fight, the super blogger Miss Cellania or the dark wizard Saruman? My money is on Miss C, because with all those kids in her house, she must’ve developed some serious mom-fu: Link

These Are Their Stories Posted: 31 Jul 2010 09:32 PM PDT Different artists were invited to illustrate one-line episode summaries of the TV show Law and Order. All are interpreted independently: confused, straightforward, humorous, or artfully. This one by comic artist Kate Beaton used the line “A missing boy is found.” I also liked “Fraternity Closes Ranks During a Probe” but didn’t think it was appropriate for this site. Link -via Buzzfeed

Switched at Birth with a Happy Ending Posted: 31 Jul 2010 08:51 PM PDT Dimas Aliprandi of Joao Neiva, Brazil always wondered why he didn’t look like his sisters. When he was 24, he finally could afford a DNA test which proved he was not the biological child of his parents. His parents were shocked! Further investigation found that Aliprandi was switched at birth with another boy born on the same day. He said the hospital then searched its records and found Elton Plaster was born there on the same day. The records led Aliprandi to the 35-acre (14-hectare) farm where Plaster lived with his parents, Nilza and Adelson, in the town of Santa Maria de Jetiba, about 30 miles (45 kilometers) from the Aliprandi home in Joao Neiva. The Plasters agreed to do DNA tests. “They discovered that Elton was the biological son of the man and woman that I had been calling Mom and Dad for 24 years,” Aliprandi said. “Meanwhile, Elton discovered that the couple he had always regarded as his biological parents were mine.” What happened afterward is the most remarkable part of he story. The Plaster family invited the Aliprandi family to come and live on their farm, where they built another house! Both young men are now living with both their biological parents and the parents who raised them. Link -via reddit (Image credit: AP/Julio Huber)

New York City from Above Posted: 31 Jul 2010 08:47 PM PDT The Denver Post photo blog has a wonderful collection of aerial photographs of New York City. I had trouble selecting just one to tease you with. Link -via Laughing Squid (Image credit: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg)

81-year-old Sweethearts Posted: 31 Jul 2010 08:45 PM PDT (YouTube link) Jack and Betty were high school sweethearts who went their separate ways 62 years ago. He ended up in California; she lived in Virginia. They reconnected by internet, and Jack traveled to meet Betty again. You’re going to love this. -via The Daily What

Lisa Simpson's Wedding Posted: 31 Jul 2010 08:43 PM PDT The years fly by so fast, don’t they? This is from the episode “Lisa’s Wedding” {wiki} which aired in 1995. -via reddit

Astrophysical Toothpick Sculptures Posted: 31 Jul 2010 01:42 PM PDT Artist Franceska McCullough makes toothpick sculptures that are inspired by geometric forms and astrophysical patterns. Pictured above is “Ganymede and Callisto Pod”, in reference to the two largest moons of Jupiter: This is Ganymede Callisto Pod – or more directly the orbital pattern of the two largest moons of Jupiter. I chose Ganymede and Callisto because they are the two ice covered potentials to life, they are simply beautiful in the photo’s I’ve seen and their orbital dance is exquisite. If you are ever close enough to my sculpture that you can see inside to the core then you will see the orbital pattern very clearly. Link via Make | Photo: Franceska McCullough, used with permission.

Scientists Regenerate Rabbit Skeleton Joints Posted: 31 Jul 2010 12:30 PM PDT Researchers at Columbia University have regrown the destroyed joints of rabbits by shaping a scaffolding that encourages bones to heal in particular forms: In research published this week in The Lancet, the researchers demonstrate that the technology–a joint-shaped scaffold infused with a growth factor protein–works in rabbits. About a month after the implant, the animals began using their injured forelimbs again, and at two months the animals moved almost as well as similarly aged healthy rabbits. The study is the first to show that an entire joint can be repaired while being used.[...] In the study, the researchers first imaged the damaged forelimb joint and then created a three-dimensional picture of it, explains Mao, a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University Medical Center. They used a bioprinter to “print out” a precisely accurate, three-dimensional copy of the joint, but criss-crossed it with tiny interconnecting microchannels to serve as a scaffold for new bone and cartilage growth. The surgical implantation was the same used to insert titanium implants in people, Mao says. The top three images on the left show the process working, and the bottom picture shows natural cartilage. Link via DVICE | Photo: Jeremy Mao

Dancing Swedish Police Officer Posted: 31 Jul 2010 12:07 PM PDT (YouTube Link) This police officer in Malmö, Sweden, has become an internet sensation. He seems to think that he’s a good dancer. Do you agree? via Urlesque

What Do You Get When You Cross a Donkey and a Zebra? A Zedonk Posted: 31 Jul 2010 11:55 AM PDT A male zebra and female donkey at the Chestatee Wildlife Preserve in Dahlonega, GA, producing a rare “zedonk” foal a week ago: C.W. Wathen, the preserve’s founder and general manager, said the foal has a zebra’s instincts. Wathen said she sits up instead of lying on her side, as if she’s staying alert for predators. Donkeys and zebras don’t usually mate, but zedonks turn up occasionally. Link via Geekologie | Photo: AP

Keyboard Man Posted: 31 Jul 2010 11:34 AM PDT (YouTube Link) Here’s actor Ron Livingston from Office Space re-enacting the famous Keyboard Cat video. His imitation of the cat’s motions is perfect. via The Presurfer

Cougar Soap Posted: 31 Jul 2010 10:41 AM PDT If you’re hunting for a gift for a women of a certain age who’s on top of her game, then look no further than this. Behold, the "prize" winning, cedar and amber scented Cougar Soap from the NeatoShop. After all, a lady has got to keep herself clean before she goes wild: Link Guys: how do you attract cougars? Why, with this Bacon Soap of course! More funny and strange soaps.

Get Into Med School Without Those Pesky Science Courses Posted: 31 Jul 2010 10:40 AM PDT Hard sciences and MCAT are the gauntlets that pre-med students have to pass before going to medical school, right? I mean doesn’t it make sense that doctors should know these kinds of stuff? Apparently not – at least for a small group of students who get admitted into medical school without the passing the hard stuff (and here’s the kicker: they perform just as well as those who had to pass the rigorous science requirements): The program promises slots to about 35 undergraduates a year if they study humanities or social sciences instead of the traditional pre-medical school curriculum and maintain a 3.5 grade-point average. For decades, the medical profession has debated whether pre-med courses and admission tests produce doctors who know their alkyl halides but lack the sense of mission and interpersonal skills to become well-rounded, caring, inquisitive healers. That debate is being rekindled by a study published on Thursday in Academic Medicine, the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Conducted by the Mount Sinai program’s founder, Dr. Nathan Kase, and the medical school’s dean for medical education, Dr. David Muller, the peer-reviewed study compared outcomes for 85 students in the Humanities and Medicine Program with those of 606 traditionally prepared classmates from the graduating classes of 2004 through 2009, and found that their academic performance in medical school was equivalent. Link

City Officials to Outlaw Rolling One's Eyes Posted: 31 Jul 2010 10:39 AM PDT After vanquishing crime and other weighty city matters, the officials of Elmhurst, Illinois, turned their legislative might to quash another pesky thing: they want to outlaw rolling one’s eyes. Elmhurst officials are considering creating a "disturbance and disorderly conduct" violation after a resident accused of rolling her eyes and sighing was ejected from a public meeting. [...] Ald. Stephen Hipskind said Darlene Heslop rolled her eyes and sighed while attending a June 14 committee meeting. Heslop, who was asked to leave the meeting, said she favors adding a definition of disorderly conduct to the municipal code. Link – via Consumerist See also: Behind Every Great Man is a Woman Rolling Her Eyes

Pet Psychic Posted: 31 Jul 2010 10:38 AM PDT Is your cat missing? Forget Ace Ventura, the Pet Detective – it’s a job for the pet psychic because the clue to finding lost pets may just be in its past lives: The reality of this group of mostly women (who prefer the term animal communicator since they speak directly to the animals and don’t use any medium like tarot cards) is quite a bit more involved than finding animals stuck on a low rung of Buddhism’s reincarnation cycle or feeling dinner’s pain. Most of Kohn’s work, in fact, deals with the living. After chatting with hundreds of animals, she has performed a variety of services, including locating pets that have wandered off, getting a finicky iguana to eat and counseling a horse prone to anxiety attacks. The animal doesn’t even have to be present for Kohn to chat them up. After "grounding" herself with a Kabbalistic prayer, getting her prayer stone (a quartz) and touching base with her animal spirit guides, she can be shown a photo or even just talk to the pet owner to make a connection. Kohn then silently projects messages to the pet, all while taking notes on the words, pictures or feelings the pet sends back. Link

iPad Owner: Selfish Elite? Posted: 31 Jul 2010 10:37 AM PDT Got an iPad? You’re a selfish elite! Criticize Apple? Then you’re an independent geek. That’s the conclusion of a new study of the psychological profile of iPad owners and iPad critics: Consumer research firm MyType conducted the study, in which opinions of 20,000 people were analyzed between March and May. The firm’s conclusion was that iPad owners tend to be wealthy, sophisticated, highly educated and disproportionately interested in business and finance, while they scored terribly in the areas of altruism and kindness. In other words, “selfish elites.” They are six times more likely to be “wealthy, well-educated, power-hungry, over-achieving, sophisticated, unkind and non-altruistic 30-50 year olds,” MyType’s Tim Koelkebeck told Wired.com. 96 percent those most likely to criticize the iPad, on the other hand, don’t even own one, although as geeks, they were slightly more likely to do so than the average population — and far more likely to have an opinion about the device one way or the other (updated). This group tends to be “self-directed young people who look down on conformity and are interested in videogames, computers, electronics, science and the internet,” said Koelkebeck. Link

30+ Excellent Comic Con Costumes From 2010 Posted: 31 Jul 2010 09:20 AM PDT Comic Con is one of my favorite things to cover on all the blogs I write for because I love going any way and everyone is incredibly nice. Some of the best things to cover are the outrageous and amazing costumes worn by all the fans. This year was no exception, and I am thrilled to bring you 30 great cosplay pics from Comic Con 2010. If you like these, be sure to scroll to the bottom for links to all sorts of other great Comic Con coverage from this year and previous years. Now, on to the costumes! All images by Jill Harness (Hey, that’s me!), and Zeon Santos. Heroes: Now this is Sparta! This Xena has incredible leather-working skills. She made the whole costume herself. Normally I try to leave myself out of these things, but I could resist a photo opp with White Gold. Mad Max costumes are always pretty cool. Villains: Normally, I try to avoid putting youngsters up, but this little one’s costume was just too “Kick Ass” to pass up, and it’s pretty hard to guess his true identity. I do have to wonder if his parents actually let him see the movie or not though. Is Doctor Horrible still considered a villain even though you support him? Oh no, Pedobear is on the loose!!! And he’s a even more of a predator this time. Doctor Who: There were quite a few doctors this year, and I was thrilled to see that most of them dressed up as two of my favorites, David Tennant and Tom Baker. All of the David Tennant doctors looked a lot like him, but I liked this one the best because he even brought along accessories from the era, including 3D glasses. Tom Barker’s always a fun one to do thanks to his wonderful scarf. Of course, where would any doctor be without his trusty T.A.R.D.I.S.? Steampunk: This group is the coolest group of Steampunks I’ve seen around. All of the League of S.T.E.A.M.’s stuff actually works and most of it is powered by steam. They’ve even been featured on Boing Boing before. This whole wheelchair was decked out and it looked wonderful. Steampunk was such a huge trend this year that there was at least 6 separate booths selling gear. This girl was advertising for one of them by sporting their clothing around the convention. Sci-Fi Theatre: There is no try, there is only do… and this guy does make a great Yoda. Poor, poor little red shirt. At least he managed to survive. How perfect is this guys Morpheus costume? Seriously, it was awesome. Horror: If they put this guy in a box, he would make quite the Ash doll. I particularly love this costume because the bloody nurses were some of my favorite Silent Hill characters. Child’s Play: Do you prefer your Alice In Wonderland in classic… Or modern version. (BTW, am I the only one who thinks this Alice looks a lot like Rachael Berry of Glee?) Carmen San Diego is in…San Diego, and hey, there’s Waldo! Fans of The Dark Crystal are sure to recognize this woman as a very  sexy skekis. Speaking of Jim Henson movies, how awesome is this girl’s Goblin King costume? And yes, she does have a massive bulge. There were two girls dressed as the main girl in How to Train Your Dragon and both of their costumes were great. This one even had her hair and axe look perfect for the part. These days, you can’t mention children’s flicks without someone talking about Disney princesses, and these two really fit their parts. Mario Love: This father and son team made quite the Mario and Luigi. And here’s everyone’s second-favorite characters together, Luigi and Princess Daisy. Does anyone know what the blue version of Princess Peach is called, if anything? And, as promised, here is some major linkage to other posts and photos involving Comic Con. There are over 100 more costume pictures from this year on my blog, along with some from 2009 and 2008. I also have a collection from last year featured on Neatorama, along with a list of 10 Types of Comic Con Fans. For the convention itself, I have some cool photos of the exhibits from both 2010 (to be uploaded soon) and 2009. On Mental Floss, there is also coverage of celebrities and independent artists at this year’s event. If you like hot girls in costumes, I’ve also got an extensive collection of cute girls in costume at the convention from both this year and 2008. I also have a video of two Elvis storm troppers singing Evil and awesome Stitch Vinyl toys on display at the 2009 Comic Con.

This Week at Neatorama Posted: 31 Jul 2010 06:00 AM PDT Wow! This past week, we had more “Neatorama only” feature articles than I can remember ever in one week. In case you missed anything, here’s an easy way to find them. From Stacy Conradt we got Snack Break: The Stories Behind Your Favorite Movie Theater Candy and some strange ways to Predict the Future Using Your Fingernails (and other weird methods). In every war, there is The Last to Surrender, because not everyone gets the message that the fighting is over. John Farrier followed up that historical post with another: 5 Amazing Early Explorers. New entries at the Museum of Possibilities this week were Toll Roads for Legalized Car Wars and The Sleeping Bag: Ultra-light or Lightly Humorous? We tried to make sense of geometry in A Non-Math Look at Math Objects. The sequel is due next week. From Uncle John’s Bathroom reader came Ancient Ninja: Separating the Men from the Myth. Mental_floss magazine gave us 3 Moguls who Survived Bankruptcy. You and I should be so lucky! Then Alex surprised us at the very end of the week with Is This Young Abe Lincoln? a post that will no doubt spark some interest in the next few days. At NeatoBambino, we looked at Parenting through History: A Look at Childrearing in Five Historic Societies and learned how to make our own Fondant Roly Polys. Check out the new installations at the Neatorama Art Blog! We have new galleries this week by illustrator Hugh D’Andrade, the collaboration known as id-iom, mixed media artist Teale Hatheway, and illustrator Lisa Evans. We announced the GTFO Winners! Congratulations to first place winner Arm Rotating Girl and all the other prize winners. Go ahead, have another look at all the entries. Neatorama co-sponsored the How Did You Know? contest at mental_floss this week. Congratulations to daily winners Dan Cinalli and Ryan Pelster, but it’s not over yet! Check in with mental_floss on Monday to solve the ultimate puzzle. NeatoGeek’s Caption Contest had a good response this week. Congratulations to pismonque who won a t-shirt from the NeatoShop for his/her caption. The What Is It? game came around on Thursday. BigWally knew the answer and Serris won a t-shirt by giving the funniest answer, both of which you can see at the post. At the Decipher the Doodle contest from NeatoBambino, prizes from the NeatoShop went to lolamouse for the correct answer and to xela22 for the funniest answer (which you can read at the post). If you’d like to be part of Neatorama yourself, find something neat on the web and submit it to our Upcoming Queue. You might find you are a blogger at heart!

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