Neatorama

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• Really Successful People Who Never Actually Existed
• $1000 Popsicle
• Cat Opening a Box
• Fugu Mints
• Man Shuts Out His Family from Inheritance for a Century
• TMNT Fans Make Michelangelo's Most Disgusting Pizzas
• New York's Superheroes
• World's Largest Labyrinth Game Is Played with a Bowling Ball
• R2D2 Garbage Can Mod
• The Bubble Chair
• Interview with Stephen Hawking
• The Largest Great White Shark Ever Caught
• The "Mad Hatters" All-Female Criminal Ring
• Mt. Ever Climb
• Coca-Cola Turns Highway Into Movie Theater
• Party Rats
• Interactive Scale of The Universe
• Would The Three Laws of Robotics Work?
• Common Faults in Human Thought
• Wal-Mart Taking Over the Country Flowing Data
• Living in a Dump Truck
• The Devil
• Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Dead, Vader Says
• Per Aspera Ad Astra
• Desk Doubles as Bicycle Rack
• Elizabeth Van Lew: An Unlikely Union Spy
• Transformer Apartment
• Hello Kitty I Heart Nerds Clutch
• Man Goes Home Somewhere Else
• When Gummi Bears and Video Games Meet

Really Successful People Who Never Actually Existed Posted: 12 May 2011 05:07 AM PDT THE DREAM STUDENT A store in Georggia Tech's student center is named for Burdell. (Image credit: Wikipedia user Disavian) George P. Burdell was a man born of a simple mistake. In 1927, someone in the admissions office at Georgia Tech accidentally sent student Ed Smith two registration forms instead of one. Sensing an opportunity for mischief, Smith filled out one form for himself and the other for George P. Burdell -a student he completely made up. When Smith arrived at the school, he kept the ruse going by enrolling Burdell in all his classes and even turning in assignments under his name. In fact, Smith did so much work on behalf of his imaginary friend that Burdell eventually graduated. When other students found out about the hoax, they helped keep Burdell’s story going. According to his resume, Burdell flew 12 missions over Europe during World War II and served on MAD magazine’s Board of Directors from 1969 to 1981. In 2001, when Burdell was supposedly 90 years old, he nearly became TIME magazine’s Person of the Year after garnering 57 percent of online votes. Today, Burdell is one of Georgia Tech’s most celebrated alums. He even has a page on Facebook, where he keeps in touch with over 4,000 “friends.” THE FANTASY HOCKEY PLAYER Like many hockey players drafted in the 11th round of the 1974 NHL draft, Taro Tsujimoto never actually made it to the big time. But unlike the other players drafted with him, Tsujimoto didn’t exist. His name is in the record books because of Punch Imlach, the former general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Imlach was so fed up with tedious late rounds of the draft that he decided to poke some fun at the league. He pulled a Japanese name from the local phone book and made up an imaginary team. Then, he simply told NHL president Clarence Campbell that his draft pick was Taro Tsujimoto of the Tokyo Kahanas. Sure, no one had ever heard of Tsujimoto, but that didn’t stop the NHL from making the selection official. Several weeks later, Imlach revealed his prank, but Sabres fans didn’t care. For years after the draft, Buffalo crowds would break into chants, demanding, “We want Taro!” (Image credit: twoeightnine design) THE FICTION CRITIC Very few film critics had anything nice to say about Rob Schneider’s 2001 comedy The Animal. One exception: movie reviewer David Manning of the so-called Ridgefield Press, who called the movie “Another winner”! In reality, Sony marketing executives created the fictional critic to promote the company’s worst films. In fact, The Animal was just one of many box office bombs that Manning enthusiastically praised. He also lent his critical support to Hollow Man, Vertical Limit, and The Patriot. After reading about the deception in Newsweek, two California movie lovers, Omar Rezec and Ann Belknap, decided to sue Sony. They filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of all filmgoers who saw the movies based on Manning’s “reviews.” In the end, Sony settled out of court, paying real money to anyone duped by the fake critic. THE ELUSIVE ARTIST Sometimes life imitates art, and sometime life mocks it. In 1998, Scottish novelist William Boyd wrote a book called Nat Tate: An American Artist 1928-1960. The book was pure fiction but Boyd released it as a biography because he wanted to see how long it would take the art world to figure out that Tate never existed. To help sell the story, Boyd enlisted some powerful friend, including author Gore Vidal (who is liberally quoted throughout the book) and rock star David Bowie. When the book debuted, Bowie threw a huge party in Tate’s honor, inviting the most elite members of New York’s art scene. Journalist David Lister, who knew that Tate was fake, made the rounds at Bowie’s party and asked people what they thought of the artist. When they inevitably spoke of their familiarity with his work, Lister would hear them out, then let them in on the joke. THE MYSTERIOUS ABORIGINES In the early 1990s, two Australian artists had the same bad idea completely independently: to sell their work by pretending to be Aborigines. One of the two artists was Leon Carmen, a cab driver living in Sydney. He invented a new identity for himself as Wanda Koolmatrie, an Aboriginal woman abducted from the bush in the 9150s and forced to live in white society. Carmen wrote an autobiography as Koolmatrie, and the book went on to win praise for irs “distinctive new voice.” But when Carmen tried to write a sequel in 1997, the publisher caught on, and the incident became a national scandal. The other artist, painter Elizabeth Durack, had more luck with her fake identity. In 1994, she began signing her work Eddie Burrup, supposedly a male, Aboriginal ex-convict. The paintings were selected for indigenous art exhibitions and won numerous prizes. But when the paintings began to draw serious interest from art collectors, Durack revealed herself as Burrup, claiming that she understood Aborigines well enough to paint as one of them. Aborigines disagreed, and they demanded that galleries stop selling her work. Strangely, the artist continued to paint as Burrup until her death in 2000. _______________________ The article above, written by Adam K. Raymond, is reprinted with permission from the Scatterbrained section of the March-April 2011 issue of mental_floss magazine. Get a subscription to mental_floss and never miss an issue! Be sure to visit mental_floss‘ website and blog for more fun stuff!

$1000 Popsicle Posted: 12 May 2011 04:32 AM PDT The Marquis Los Cabos resort in Mexico now offers a thousand-dollar popsicle. What makes it so pricey? It’s made with 24-carat gold flakes and a luxury band of tequila that costs $1500 a bottle. The icy treat is served poolside on a classic plastic stick and has a little sugar in it to take the edge off, though salt would seem to be more appropriate. The patrician popsicle joins a world of fantasy foods that includes the $1,000 pizza served at Nino's Bellisima restaurant in New York and the $1,200 Mai Tai mixed up at the the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, Ireland. Link via Born Rich | Photo: Fox News

Cat Opening a Box Posted: 11 May 2011 07:57 PM PDT (YouTube link) This cat may not have opposable thumbs, but he knows someone who does! As one commenter said, you know who wears the pants in this relationship. -via reddit

Fugu Mints Posted: 11 May 2011 07:39 PM PDT Fugu Mints – $2.95 Are you timid by nature? Do you wish you could fool people into believing that you are brave and adventurous? Well, now you can with Fugu Mints from the NeatoShop! Tricking your friends into thinking you enjoy poisonous fish has never left your breath so minty fresh.  Don’t worry, Fugu Mints don’t actually contain any of the deadly toxins found in real pufferfish. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Mints & Candies.

Man Shuts Out His Family from Inheritance for a Century Posted: 11 May 2011 04:08 PM PDT Wellington R. Burt (d. 1919) amassed a vast fortune during his lifetime, but he didn’t want it to spoil his children or grandchildren. They needed to make it on their own in the world, so he bequeathed to them comparatively small stipends and ordered that the rest of his fortune — now measured at $100 million — be distributed to members of his family only 21 years after the death of his last grandchild. That time has finally arrived: Now that it’s 21 years since the death of the last grandchild, the fortune is finally being turned over to Cameron and 11 others, including three great-grandchildren, seven great-great grandchildren and another great-great-great grandchild. The fortune is valued at more than $100 million. (She’ll get a little more than $2.6 million, since those further up the family tree get more under a master agreement). Link | Photo: Saginaw News/AP

TMNT Fans Make Michelangelo's Most Disgusting Pizzas Posted: 11 May 2011 03:59 PM PDT (Video Link) Michelangelo of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was noted for his preferences for grotesque pizza toppings, such as chocolate sprinkles with clam sauce. These dedicated fans took up the onerous task of preparing and then eating 29 of Michelangelo’s recipies. Let us salute their courage. Content warning: increasingly foul language through the video (which is perhaps understandable, given what they’re consuming). via blastr

New York's Superheroes Posted: 11 May 2011 03:36 PM PDT It’s like you can’t walk through Manhattan without tripping over a superhero. I guess you New Yorkers are pretty lucky that way, though you do end up attracting a lot of supervillains, too. At the link, you can view more details about the locations of eight of these heroes (not Stan Lee). Link via Comics Alliance | Image: Owen Parsons

World's Largest Labyrinth Game Is Played with a Bowling Ball Posted: 11 May 2011 03:14 PM PDT (Video Link) Have you ever played one of those labyrinth games where you’re trying to move a marble around a wooden maze by altering its pitch? This is a giant version which is played with a bowling ball and controlled with a tablet computer. It was on display yesterday at Google’s I/O Conference. Link via Popular Science | Conference Website (auto-sound)

R2D2 Garbage Can Mod Posted: 11 May 2011 03:03 PM PDT Oh! The garbage chute was a really wonderful idea. What an incredible smell you’ve discovered! Let’s get out of here! via Walyou | Photo: Unknown

The Bubble Chair Posted: 11 May 2011 11:32 AM PDT Wouldn’t it be great to sit on a chair of bubbles while you ponder whether we’re in yet another Internet bubble? French designer Marie Galoyer has come up with a way to do just that. At a mere €4,000, the Sitting Bulles is practically a steal: This seat is made by connecting inflatable “bubbles” (like beach balls, but sturdier) to a central unit and setting them at the angle that works for you. The whole design has a lot going for it: it is airy and cool and fun. It turns a piece of furniture into a true feature for an outdoor space. From a practical standpoint, assembly is easy and quick. The balloons are inflated with a regular pump and the process is sorted in under five minutes. A storage and transport case is included. Design Milk has more pics: Link

Interview with Stephen Hawking Posted: 11 May 2011 11:31 AM PDT Stephen Hawking recently gave a talk at Arizona State University, and Claudia Dreifus of The New York Times’s Science Times sat down with him for a brief yet fascinating interview about science and his life in general: Q. Dr. Hawking, thank you so much for taking time to talk to Science Times. I’m wondering, what is a typical day like for you? A. I get up early every morning and go to my office where I work with my colleagues and students at Cambridge University. Using e-mail, I can communicate with scientists all over the world. Obviously, because of my disability, I need assistance. But I have always tried to overcome the limitations of my condition and lead as full a life as possible. I have traveled the world, from the Antarctic to zero gravity. (Pause.) Perhaps one day I will go into space. Link

The Largest Great White Shark Ever Caught Posted: 11 May 2011 11:30 AM PDT If you think that’s a big shark, that’s because it was the biggest great white shark ever caught by man: The two-ton Apache put up a fight—at one point breaking free from his barbless hook, said expedition leader Chris Fischer. "The battle with Apache was like nothing we’ve ever dealt with," Fischer said. Once on board, the researchers fitted the fish with a satellite-tracking tag, took a blood sample, and released him, watching him vigorously swim away. "He was all scarred up and had big marks all over him—you could tell he was just a bad-ass shark," Fischer said. "It was so impressive and so humbling to be near him." Link

The "Mad Hatters" All-Female Criminal Ring Posted: 11 May 2011 11:29 AM PDT Who says that criminals have to look as bad as their horrible actions? Meet the "Mad Hatters," an all-female pickpocket ring made up of middle-aged and elderly women in Detroit who sport stylish hats: "We know they’re an organized group because when we looked at the incidents, the person suspected of stealing a wallet wasn’t the person committing the fraud," Riley said. "We’d get a report of a white female in the area suspected of theft and then a black female would commit the credit card fraud. "The common denominator between the suspects is that they all are wearing hats at the time of the theft and-or fraud, which has caused the group to be dubbed the ‘Mad Hatters’ by the financial institutions," the Sterling Heights Police Department said in a statement. The hats run the gambit from floppy beach hats to a variety of berets colored black, white and blue. If Hollywood doesn’t come up with a movie inspired by this gang soon, I’ll eat my hat: Link

Mt. Ever Climb Posted: 11 May 2011 11:28 AM PDT First it was the pavement that never ends, then the hamster bicycle , followed closely by the stairs to nowhere and the infinite cross-country skiing. Please join in me in welcoming the next logical sequence in gym machines, Neatoramanauts: behold Mt. EverClimb, a continuous rope climbing system. It’s like gym back in high school, but without the jocks laughing at you for falling down on your weakling butt! Link – via NotCot

Coca-Cola Turns Highway Into Movie Theater Posted: 11 May 2011 11:22 AM PDT Video Link This might make a massive traffic jam a little more tolerable. As part of their “Spread Happiness” mantra, Coke put up a big screen in Bogotá, Colombia, so stranded people could at least be entertained by a movie while they waited for the jam to clear up. Cars not in seeing or hearing distance of the screen could tune in to a local radio station to listen, similar to the way drive-in movies work now. But that’s not all – Coke also hired models to act as carhops, delivering free mini-Cokes (a new product – see, there’s the marketing tie-in) and movie theater fare such as hot dogs, nachos, candy and popcorn. Link via Mashable

Party Rats Posted: 11 May 2011 10:52 AM PDT Party Rats – $5.95 Do you know someone who is planning a fabulous graduation or summertime party?  Get them the Party Rats from the NeatoShop. Com on everybody!  Strap on some colorful, plastic, light up rats and let’s get this party started! Woo Hoo! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more hilarious Gag Gifts & Pranks!

Interactive Scale of The Universe Posted: 11 May 2011 10:34 AM PDT If you really want to feel small and insignificant today, take a look at this sliding scale of the universe. The scale takes us all the way from the building blocks of matter to the edge of the visible universe. Link

Would The Three Laws of Robotics Work? Posted: 11 May 2011 10:34 AM PDT Fans of science fiction master Isaac Asimov's classic Foundation Series (or "I, Robot") are familiar with his "Three Laws of Robotics." A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. But as we get closer to having actual artificially intelligent robots, would these laws really work or even be practical? The Three Laws were a fail-safe built into robots in Asimov's fiction. These laws, which robots had to obey, protected humans from being hurt and made robots obedient. This concept helped form the real world belief among robotics engineers that they could create intelligent machines that would coexist peacefully with humanity. Link

Common Faults in Human Thought Posted: 11 May 2011 10:33 AM PDT We all tend to be forgetful once in a while or have thoughts that are counterproductive. However in psychology there are several areas of human thought that have been identified as common faults.  My favorite is The Confirmation Bias, which I already knew to be true. The confirmation bias is the tendency to look for or interpret information in a way that confirms beliefs. Individuals reinforce their ideas and attitudes by selectively collecting evidence or retrieving biased memories. Link

Wal-Mart Taking Over the Country Flowing Data Posted: 11 May 2011 10:33 AM PDT Love it or hate it, there is no contesting that Wal-Mart is America's biggest retail chain. This time lapse video proves it by documenting the spread of the chain (along with its sister store Sam's Club) from 1962 -2010. It looks like that map they show in every horror movie of the growing number of infected areas during a zombie outbreak (Just saying).  Link

Living in a Dump Truck Posted: 11 May 2011 10:32 AM PDT And you thought your place was a dump. What if you actually lived in a dump truck? This industrious person has utilized every bit of a small living space inside of an old garbage truck. See link for full gallery. Link

The Devil Posted: 11 May 2011 09:54 AM PDT (YouTube link) You know when it’s the devil. A truly frightening advertisement. -Thanks, Andre Price!

Obi-Wan Kenobi Is Dead, Vader Says Posted: 11 May 2011 09:52 AM PDT The Galactic Empire Times, which looks suspiciously like the New York Times, has a breaking story. CORUSCANT — Obi-Wan Kenobi, the mastermind of some of the most devastating attacks on the Galactic Empire and the most hunted man in the galaxy, was killed in a firefight with Imperial forces near Alderaan, Darth Vader announced on Sunday. In a late-night appearance in the East Room of the Imperial Palace, Lord Vader declared that "justice has been done" as he disclosed that agents of the Imperial Army and stormtroopers of the 501st Legion had finally cornered Kenobi, one of the leaders of the Jedi rebellion, who had eluded the Empire for nearly two decades. Imperial officials said Kenobi resisted and was cut down by Lord Vader’s own lightsaber. He was later dumped out of an airlock. There’s much more. The ads and comments are priceless. Link -via reddit

Per Aspera Ad Astra Posted: 11 May 2011 09:11 AM PDT (YouTube link) “Per Aspera Ad Astra” (through hardships to the stars), part four of The Sagan Series, is a promotion for NASA. Creator Reid Gower, is admired by NASA, but they have no funding for public relations whatsoever. Link

Desk Doubles as Bicycle Rack Posted: 11 May 2011 09:08 AM PDT The design called PIT IN uses a desk or table as a bike rack. The bicycle seat then serves as a chair while you work or take a break. That is, if you are OK with sitting on a bicycle seat while you’re not riding. This could only be comfortable if my bicycle had a tractor seat. Link -via Laughing Squid

Elizabeth Van Lew: An Unlikely Union Spy Posted: 11 May 2011 08:20 AM PDT Among hundreds of women who acted as spies during the Civil War, Elizabeth Van Lew stands out as one of the most effective. She was a prominent member of Richmond society who opposed both slavery and secession, but kept quiet among the fervent Confederates around her. Van Lew and her mother volunteered to care for Union prisoners at Libby Prison, where they gained many contacts. Word got back to Gen. Benjamin Butler, who recruited her as a Union spy. By June 1864, Van Lew's spy network had grown to more than a dozen people. Along with the agents in government service, she relied on an informal network of men and women, black and white—including her African-American servant Mary Elizabeth Bowser. The group relayed hidden messages between five stations, including the Van Lew family farm outside the city, to get key information to the Union. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant later told Van Lew, "You have sent me the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war." Despite her bravery and the Union victory, Van Lew was regarded as a traitor by her neighbors and found it hard to support herself after the war. Read her story at Smithsonian. Link (Image credit: The Granger Collection, NYC)

Transformer Apartment Posted: 11 May 2011 08:18 AM PDT (YouTube link) Christian Schallert has a 258 square foot apartment in Barcelona. With some imagination and design help, he remodeled it into a transformable space. Everything is stored away. He opens doors to use the kitchen, and moves things around to have a dining area or bedroom. Link -via Buzzfeed

Hello Kitty I Heart Nerds Clutch Posted: 11 May 2011 07:46 AM PDT Hello Kitty I Heart Nerds Clutch – $27.95 Are you a nerdy girl who loves Hello Kitty?  You need the Hello Kitty I Heart Nerds Clutch from the NeatoShop.  Show the world that you can be cute and smart. Everyone knows nerds have more fun. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Hello Kitty & Sanrio items!

Man Goes Home Somewhere Else Posted: 11 May 2011 07:31 AM PDT According to police, Mark C. Sirben of Spring Hill, Florida, was so drunk that he went home, made himself a snack, and passed out on the couch. But it wasn’t his home. It wasn’t even in Spring Hill -the home was in Palm Harbor! The sleeping woman who actually lived there heard someone coughing in the middle of the night. The woman went to investigate and found Sirben asleep on her couch. She woke up her husband, who went to the living room and confronted Sirben. Sirben argued with the husband, telling him that he lived there, before he passed out again. “They had no idea who this guy was,” said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Cecilia Barreda. When a deputy arrived, Sirben was still asleep on the couch with a plate of food at his side. The couple said Sirben must have cooked something for himself before he fell asleep. They found food in a frying pan they had not prepared. Sirben, who has a record of DUI convictions, was jailed for trespassing and criminal mischief. Link -via Arbroath (Image credit: Florida Mugshots)

When Gummi Bears and Video Games Meet Posted: 11 May 2011 06:47 AM PDT Video Link Sam Q. Kim, a guy with a lot of time on his hands (and great willpower to not just om nom all of those gummies) made a stop motion video of the little bears representing Tetris, Pac-Man, Breakout and more. It’s really cute, but now I have a sugar craving. Link via Geekologie

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