Neatorama

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• The Science of Slogans
• Hello Kitty And Street Fighter Team Up
• Wii-mote Controlled Fire Breathing Pony
• Make Your Own Ron Swanson Paper Doll
• Deleted Scene From Lost Explains More Than The Show Finale
• 14 Cool Eco-Friendly Home Crafts
• The Best of The Chemistry Cat Meme
• The Hunchcat of Notre Dam
• Awesome Russian Yearbook Photos
• An Adorable Little Assassin
• Roseart v. Crayola: the Sun Test
• USB Locket
• First 24/7 Solar Plant
• Optimus Prime Watermelon
• Animals Face to Face
• Chill Pills Ice Tray
• Personified: A Photo Series on People and Possessions
• Wrap Magazine Converts to Wrapping Paper When You're Done With It
• Lawsuits in the Mobile Business
• Artwork of The (Photoshop) Masters
• The Truth Behind Engineer-Speak
• Hotel Starts "Snore Patrol"
• Largest Plant Protein Interaction Map
• Vitruvian Man Airigami
• The Tree of Life
• Easy Halloweens
• A Dire Warning about the Dangers of Creative Thinking
• Superhero Building Blocks Baby Snapsuit
• Meet the "Hotlips" Fungus
• A Rose for Norway

The Science of Slogans Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:50 AM PDT What makes a good advertising slogan? The Atlantic looks at how some slogans stay with us for decades while others flounder. It’s not always a matter of crowing about the quality of the product. In the 1980s, British Rail tried to convince potential passengers that they were making significant improvements to their service with the slogan, “We are getting there.” Passenger experience suggested otherwise, and the much-ridiculed slogan proved short-lived. Ford’s “Quality is Job 1″ met a similar demise around the same time. There is nothing wrong with slogans acknowledging weakness and being aspirational, but they do have to pass the test of experience. Avis’ current slogan, “We try harder,” was originally coined in 1962, as “We’re No. 2. We Try Harder.” Positive customer experience ratified the claim and helped Avis achieve significant sales growth. Included with the article is a gallery of big advertisers and their slogan histories. Link -via mental_floss

Hello Kitty And Street Fighter Team Up Posted: 01 Aug 2011 12:45 AM PDT This is not a joke, Capcom, the company behind Street Fighter and many other video games, and Sanrio, the makers of Hello Kitty and all things minimalist cute, have formed a partnership in order to collaboratively release merchandise featuring characters from both franchises. Imagine what Keroppi will do when Blanka challenges him to a battle! How this crossover will affect your Street Fighter rep remains to be seen… Link

Wii-mote Controlled Fire Breathing Pony Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:59 PM PDT (Video Link) This innocent looking robotic pony has a dark secret-he breathes fire like a dragon! Apparently, he wants to show the world that he’s worthy of serving as a mount for one of the Four Horsemen, once he’s full-grown of course. He was created for Maker Faire Detroit 2011, and is cleverly controlled via Wii-mote. The battlefields of the future just became a much stranger place. Link

Make Your Own Ron Swanson Paper Doll Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:51 PM PDT If you love Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation, then rejoice, you can finally have your own version at home thanks to these delightful paper dolls. He even comes with his own Mulligan’s restaurant bib. Link Via BuzzFeed

Deleted Scene From Lost Explains More Than The Show Finale Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:51 PM PDT (Video Link) If you were disappointed by the lack of explanation in the last episode of Lost, then this deleted scene from the end of season one will probably leave a bad taste in your mouth. Is this clip for real, or just a clever way for the show’s producers to get revenge for the backlash they received at the end of the show? Makes you wonder what else ended up on the cutting room floor. Link

14 Cool Eco-Friendly Home Crafts Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:46 PM PDT If you’re looking for a little home-decor inspiration but don’t want to spend a fortune on materials, this great WebEcoist article has a great collection of easy-to-make and eco-friendly crafts to help you spruce up your home. While I love the look of the lace lanterns, I have to say the most functional would probably be the cork bath rug. Link

The Best of The Chemistry Cat Meme Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:39 PM PDT While I love LOL Cats, I don’t post them on Neatorama all too often because I know some people aren’t big fans. That being said, when the meme was combined with terrible chemistry puns, I couldn’t resist sharing with all of you. Link

The Hunchcat of Notre Dam Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:34 PM PDT (Video Link) I know this video is super short, but I assure you, the one second or so of actual action makes it entirely worth viewing. Via BuzzFeed

Awesome Russian Yearbook Photos Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:26 PM PDT When I was in school, the only things you could do to show off your originality was to switch up your clothes, hair and make up. One Russian school decided to let the kids have a little more fun by allowing each one to draw up their own background on the chalk boards. The results are delightfully fun so be sure to check out the other pics at the link. Link

An Adorable Little Assassin Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:18 PM PDT (Video Link) This little Assassins Creed wannabe goes through the moves and shows you that she’s a force to be reckoned with, if only for the fact that her power of cuteness is irresistible. Link

Roseart v. Crayola: the Sun Test Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:04 PM PDT Photo credit: Katiedidit Reddit user Katiedidit was making some art by melting crayons on a canvas in the hot Texas sun. She had a couple of brands on hand and decided to try each on a canvas. Surprisingly, the Roseart barely melted, making you wonder… What’s in those things if not paraffin? Link via Geekologie

USB Locket Posted: 31 Jul 2011 06:54 PM PDT Gone are the times when we actually bothered with… with… what were they called? Photographs? You know — the paper things with people’s face on them and stuff… You used to could put them into jewelry called “lockets” and — get this — wear them around your neck!  Who knew!? Emily Rothschild takes this retro concept and puts it into a turn-of-the-century mourning locket which contains a USB drive. What will they think of next?  Admittedly, it is quite a bit cheaper to get an actual USB drive that resembles a phaser or a Tardis or something more realistic, you can have this nifty piece for $240. Link

First 24/7 Solar Plant Posted: 31 Jul 2011 06:52 PM PDT One of the difficulties with using solar energy is its inability to produce electricity around the clock. Torresol Energy in southern Spain has solved this problem by storing thermal energy in two tanks of molten salt. This enables the plant to generate electricity long after sundown in order to satisfy the energy needs of the local populace. The molten salt — known as MSES — stores enough thermal energy during the day to create steam power during the night. The MSES consists of 60% potassium nitrate and 40% sodium nitrate. This mixture has the amazing ability to retain 99% of the heat energy generated by the CSP plant to be reused later. Essentially what Forbes calls a "battery" that lasts for about 15 hours – more than double Andasol I's 7 hour capacity – the MSES is not considered especially toxic to the environment. Gemasolar is expected to produce approximately 110,000 MWh of energy each year – enough to power 25,000 homes. Although a 19.9 MW plant is relatively small, this functions on par with a 50MW plant that lacks decent storage since it can feed the grid all of the time. Designed to operate 6,500 hours annually, this latest development in super-duper CSP plants opened in May, 2011. Link

Optimus Prime Watermelon Posted: 31 Jul 2011 06:11 PM PDT What better way to quench your summer thirst than with Optimus Prime? I’d feel bad digging in, though. There doesn’t seem to be much info about the creator of this food art, so if it’s you, step up and own your awesomeness! Link via Geekologie

Animals Face to Face Posted: 31 Jul 2011 02:53 PM PDT Meet the Sulawesi black-crested macaca (Macaca nigra). If his expression is any kind of clue, photographer Stefano Unterthiner’s surprise shot is probably not appreciated. (Incidentally, I make that exact face any time someone takes my picture, so sharing this here probably isn’t helping Mr. Macaca feel better about himself. Assuming he is a “he” of course.) This is just one of several “Animals Face to Face” photographs by Unterthiner; check out the rest on Colt + Rane. Link | via mentalfloss

Chill Pills Ice Tray Posted: 31 Jul 2011 01:02 PM PDT Chill Pills Ice Tray – $7.95 Is the summer heat starting to get to you? Chill out with the Chill Pills Ice Tray from the NeatoShop.  Forcing yourself to calm down and relax has never been so refreshing. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more cool Ice Trays! Link

Personified: A Photo Series on People and Possessions Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:39 PM PDT Photo: Jason Travis I was fascinated by this photography project by Jason Travis . His project intended to “capture a portion of [his subjects'] lives in terms of what each individual considered essential enough to carry around with them everyday” which is a pretty interesting concept when you think about it. It made me think twice about the items in my purse, that’s for sure. Link via Design*Sponge

Wrap Magazine Converts to Wrapping Paper When You're Done With It Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:15 PM PDT If you’re the type of person who routinely wraps presents in the funny pages, then you’ll be as thrilled about this as I am. Wrap magazine is so graphically beautiful that you can literally use it to wrap gifts in when you’re done reading its pages. It’s the first magazine intended to be reused in such a way and it’s genius for a couple of reasons – the recycling aspect, obviously, but because it’s a magazine about illustration, it’s also giving the contributing artists extra exposure. So smart. The back cover is even perforated so you can split them out into eight note cards. Link via Design*Sponge

Lawsuits in the Mobile Business Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:12 PM PDT It's getting harder and harder to keep track of who's suing whom in the mobile phone business, so thankfully George Kokkinidis of Design Language News crafted this handy dandy chart summarizing the suers and the suees (I just made that up - it's plaintiffs sand defendants for all you lawyers). As the saying goes, if you can't innovate, litigate! Link Previously on Neatorama: The Fingerprints Left by iPad Apps by George Kokkinidis

Artwork of The (Photoshop) Masters Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:11 PM PDT Michael Guppy recreated the artwork of masters as if they’ve had access to Photoshop CS5’s Content-Aware Fill. A couple more after the jump: via It's Nice That

The Truth Behind Engineer-Speak Posted: 31 Jul 2011 12:09 PM PDT Aha! Just as I have long suspected: engineers are just making it up when they speak like are wont to do. The story behind the clip: Several years ago, Rockwell International decided to get into the heavy duty transmission business. We were getting ready to tape our first introduction video, as a warm up, the professional narrator began what has become a legend within the trucking industry. This man should have won an academy for his stellar performance. Now remember this is strictly off the cuff, nothing is written down, this became the biggest talk in the industry, vs our new product which we were introducing. I think you will enjoy this once in a lifetime performance from this gentleman. Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via b3ta

Hotel Starts "Snore Patrol" Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:56 AM PDT Tired of lying awake in the middle of the night because the man in the hotel room next to yours is snoring like a freight train? That won't happen at Leeds Crowne Plaza hotel in northern England. See, they've got a snore patrol: Crowne Plaza is trialing the first "snore absorption" rooms at 10 hotels in Europe and the Middle East, whilst six branches in Britain have implemented "snore patrols" this month in a bid to combat noisy sleepers. "Snore monitors" patrol corridors in the designated quiet zones of Crowne Plaza hotels in the cities of London, Leeds and Manchester. Their job is to listen out for offensive noises and knock on the door of guests who snore too loudly. Link

Largest Plant Protein Interaction Map Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:55 AM PDT Image: Joseph R. Ecker, Salk Institute of Biological Studies. Plant Photo: Joe Belcovson, Salk Institute for Biological studies. Network Map: Mary Galli, Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Matija Dreze, Center for Cancer Systems Biology at the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute.   Scientists have created the largest map of protein-to-protein interactions of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana: "For this project, over 10,000 'open reading frame' clones were converted and sequence verified in preparation for protein-interaction screening," says Galli. Vidal, Braun, Hill and their colleagues systematically ran these open reading frames through a high quality protein-interaction screening process, based on a test known as the yeast two-hybrid screen. Out of more than forty million possible pair combinations, they found a total of 6,205 Arabidopsis protein- protein interactions, involving 2,774 individual proteins. The researchers confirmed the high quality of these data, for example by showing their overlap with protein interaction datafrom past studies. The new map of 6,205 protein partnerings represents only about two percent of the full protein- protein "interactome" for Arabidopsis, since the screening test covered only a third of all Arabidopsis proteins, and wasn't sensitive enough to detect many weaker protein interactions. "There will be larger maps after this one," says Ecker. Link

Vitruvian Man Airigami Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:54 AM PDT You can think of them as artwork with a twist. Balloon twistings, that is. Larry Moss recreated eight iconic artworks completely with balloons. The result is quite impressive: former new york street performer larry moss is widely known for his work with latex balloons in creating large-scale installations, sculptures, as well as wearable fashion pieces. his latest work with the medium - which he has dubbed 'airigami' - is the 'master works' series which consists of eight recreations of some of the world's most well-recognized paintings, completely constructed out of balloons. including works by da vinci, andy warhol, and jackson pollock, the pieces are a playful exploration of the representation of art, as well as a means of pushing the boundaries of the underlooked material. 'master works was inspired in part by the perception of my medium as just a child's toy. I decided to create the works of the great masters to gently challenge people's preconceived notions of what art is… and to make them smile!' says moss. the series appeared in a recently published children's book called 'artist eyes' which encourages its readers to look at their own and other's work with a critical and discerning eye. Designboom has the pics: Link Previously on Neatorama: Larry Moss Airigami: American Gothic in Balloon

The Tree of Life Posted: 31 Jul 2011 11:53 AM PDT Three members of the art studio Degree came up with this clever poster design. It looks like just a tree ring print until you look closely. The artists made it to promote the cause of biodiversty. Link -via Colossal

Easy Halloweens Posted: 31 Jul 2011 10:36 AM PDT That’s about right, but low-grade costuming and special effects are acceptable so as long as there’s a good story. If the story is poor, no special effects budget can compensate for it. Cats That Talk is a webcomic with many Doctor Who references. So if you’re a Whoivan, you should check it out. Link -via reddit

A Dire Warning about the Dangers of Creative Thinking Posted: 31 Jul 2011 08:38 AM PDT (Video Link) The art collective This Is It made this video entitled “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.” It starts out like a pleasant children’s puppet video about how all of us can think creatively and use our imaginations. Then everything goes delightfully, horribly wrong. It’s rather creative, actually. Studio Website -via Flavorwire

Superhero Building Blocks Baby Snapsuit Posted: 31 Jul 2011 07:40 AM PDT Superhero Building Blocks Baby Snapsuit - $17.95 Congratulations on your new baby! Are you ready to provide your bundle of joy with the proper superhero education?  Get your little darling off to the right start by dressing him in the Superhero Building Blocks Baby Snapsuit from the NeatoShop.  Your baby will recognize his DC superhero logos in no time. Be sure to check out all super Snapsuits available at the NeatoShop. Link

Meet the "Hotlips" Fungus Posted: 31 Jul 2011 06:59 AM PDT Octospora humosa was an obscure spore-shooting fungus, living quietly in patches of moss.  Then the Guardian included it in a species-renaming competition, and a 12-year old girl beat 5,000 other entrants by dubbing the fungus “hotlips.” Brotherton said he hoped the popular competition, now in its second year, would draw people into the natural world and get them looking for these unheralded species, which include the largest sea squirt in Britain, a lichen that thinks it is a mushroom and a sea slug that recycles stings. The judges thought the name particularly apt, since Octospora is a member of the discomycetes group; the renaming thus creates a “hotlips disco.” Link.  Photo credit: Thomas Læssøe/MycoKey/Natural England

A Rose for Norway Posted: 31 Jul 2011 06:34 AM PDT People in Norway are leaving many flowers as memorials to the 77 people killed in the July 22 attacks. The Norwegian news outlet Dagbladet is compiling photographs of memorial flowers to add to this mosaic. It already has 2370 photographs, and submissions are still being accepted. At the site, you can zoom in to see each individual photograph. Link (English translation) -via Dark Roasted Blend

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