Neatorama

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• Rare Sand Kitten Born
• Baboon Adopts A Bush Baby
• Awesome Photo-Sensitive Ribbon
• How To Make Edible Books
• Fashion Cats Book Being Released
• Did Pete & Pete Invent Hipsters?
• Last Wooden Planetarium in the World
• Fossilized Pregnant Dinosaur May Present First Evidence of Live Birth
• Zeus and Cronus at the Dinner Table
• The 10 Most Beautiful Urban Parks on Earth
• Magnetic Poetry
• The Mystery of a Ghost BMW Dealership
• The Art of the Video Game
• The London Riots and 7 Other Things Blamed on Social Media
• R2D2 Sweater
• Scientists Grow Functional Anal Sphincter in Petri Dish
• Woman Has Tongue Lengthened to Speak Korean Better
• Ribbon Man
• Buying a Cow in Old English
• 10 Monsters Who Would Make Pretty Good Bosses
• Facebook Users Raise Alarm Over Posting of Phone Numbers
• News from 1991: Parents upset at the high cost of the SNES
• Static Dog
• Flash Mob Proposal
• Donations Revive SETI Quest
• Paradox of Passwords

Rare Sand Kitten Born Posted: 13 Aug 2011 03:55 AM PDT Nearly extinct in the Middle East, the rare Sand Cat has finally been bred in captivity–and the results are cute as can be!  I mean, really. Cute cute cute! After 63 days of gestation, a rare Sand Cat Kitten was born at Israel’s Zoological Center Tel Aviv Ramat Gan – Safari. Once plentiful in numbers in the dunes of Israel, the Sand Cat has become extinct in the region. This is Safari Zoo’s first successful Sand Cat birth and it is hoped this kitten will join Israel’s Sand Cat Breeding Program in order to help reintroduce the species into the wild. Three weeks ago, the kitten’s mother Rotem refused to go into the night chamber at the end of the day. Keepers let her stay outside and the next night she gave birth to a tiny baby in the den in the outdoor enclosure. Keepers first saw the kitten when it poked it’s tiny head and looked out from the den. Link

Baboon Adopts A Bush Baby Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:44 PM PDT (Video Link) A baboon in the Nairobi Orphanage has taken on quite the adorable little charge with this adorable little bush baby. The video is filled with pure cuteness. Via Cute Overload

Awesome Photo-Sensitive Ribbon Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:36 PM PDT I love how personal this photo-printed ribbon is. Sure you might have to look around for a while to find some actual film and a camera that uses it, but once you do, you can use the negatives to create your own unique and beautiful hair ribbon. Learn how to make your own over at the link. Link Via Craftzine

How To Make Edible Books Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:28 PM PDT Ok, so they may not be readable, but they are absolutely adorable and seem simply delicious. They could also be a great way to excite the kiddos about back to school time. Link Via Craftzine

Fashion Cats Book Being Released Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:21 PM PDT (Video Link) Vice Books is releasing a new title based exclusively around kitties and their fashionable styles. All of the delightful outfits are by Japanese cat fashion designer Takako Iwasa. Via Laughing Squid

Did Pete & Pete Invent Hipsters? Posted: 12 Aug 2011 10:56 PM PDT I love Pete & Pete, but this great MTV article has a lot of good points about how the show inspired one of the biggest trends of the last ten years. It makes sense too. After all, most of today’s hipsters grew up watching the show, sucking in its tacky fashions and deeper idiosyncrasies. Link

Last Wooden Planetarium in the World Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:52 PM PDT Photo Credit: Alexander Belenkiy One of my favorite things is to come across abandoned buildings and do a little exploring–legally of course. If you like abandoned buildings, then English Russia has a good deal of items for you to peruse, from elaborate and abandoned houses in the Tagia to planetariums–this one in particular is being demolished–the last wooden planetarium in existence. It’s located in the city park of Penza, Russia and actually has some pretty nifty stuff in it, along with some pretty… um, shall we say interesting dioramas, plenty of cosmonaut history, and lots and lots of propaganda about Pluto being a planet and all (so last decade). Not somewhere I’d take the kiddies on a field trip, but interesting to rifle through. Link

Fossilized Pregnant Dinosaur May Present First Evidence of Live Birth Posted: 12 Aug 2011 06:51 PM PDT This fossilized Polycotylus latippinus, a carnivorous marine reptile that lived 78 million years ago, contains a smaller, less developed skeleton inside of her. Scientists are therefore speculating that this creature did not lay eggs like other dinosaurs, but gave birth to live young. If true, then this dinosaur may have exhibited maternal care behavior similar to modern marine mammals, such as dolphins. This fossil is on public display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, so if you live in that area, you can get a close look for yourself. Link -via reddit | Photo: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles Count

Zeus and Cronus at the Dinner Table Posted: 12 Aug 2011 06:27 PM PDT According to Greek myth, Cronus, the leader of the Titans, was destined to be overthrown by one of his own children. He was aware of this prophecy. Consequently, Cronus ate any child that Rhea bore. Zeus, however, survived and fulfilled the prophecy. It’s kind of funny, in a gruesome way, as Graham Annable depicts the scene. Link -via Super Punch | Artist’s Website Previously by Graham Annable: Brilliant Dog and Ordinary Cat

The 10 Most Beautiful Urban Parks on Earth Posted: 12 Aug 2011 05:25 PM PDT Environmental Graffiti found ten oases in the middle of cities that provide a good dose of nature for urban dwellers. Some are big enough to have hiking trails, lakes, zoos, forests, gardens, and even observatories. These 26 pictures are a refreshing treat for the eyes! Pictured is the gorgeous Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island in Victoria, B.C. Link (Image credit: Flickr user WisDoc)

Magnetic Poetry Posted: 12 Aug 2011 04:57 PM PDT Magnetic Poetry – $11.95 Do you long to create your own captivating poetry, but lack the energy to come up with your own witty words?  You need a Magnetic Poetry set from the NeatoShop.  These fantastic 200+ word magnet sets come up with all the right words for you.  All you need to do is arrange the words into creative sentences.  You can finally satisfy your ravenous craving for poetry without ever having to use your delicious brain. Magnetic Poetry is available in the following hilarious sets: Zombie Genius Office The “F” Word Bike Lover Geek Pirate And Vampire Link | Be sure to check out the NeatoShop more Zombie fun!

The Mystery of a Ghost BMW Dealership Posted: 12 Aug 2011 04:09 PM PDT I’m not sure what it is about ghost towns and abandoned buildings that creates a deep fascination with most people. This “ghost BMW dealership” is no exception. Apparently it went out of business but the owner kept the property in tact for 23 years with unused cars sitting in the window. The owner, apparently a well-off business man, seemed to have no interest in selling the place, or even the inventory, as everything seems to have been left behind intact. One hundred percent frozen in time is the only description that seems fitting when describing this ultimately interesting place. In the showroom you’ll find an E24 and 635csi BMW in absolute mint condition. Well, mint may be the wrong word to use as the rubbers have probably given away and the gasoline has made a mess of things inside the mechanical bits. 'Unused’ may be a better word to describe these twenty-three year old cars. Especially the 635csi, which apparently only has double digit kilometers on the odometer. Also note the typical 1980’s showroom interior furnishings, architecture, and design. Link

The Art of the Video Game Posted: 12 Aug 2011 02:43 PM PDT Aled Lewis has made pixelated, video game-style versions of several classic works of art. The above piece is a mashup of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure and Salvador Dali’s The Persistence of Memory. He’s also altered works of Van Gogh, da Vinci, and Edward Hopper. They’re his contribution to an upcoming art show called iam8bit. Artist’s Website -via Uniblog | Art Show Site Previously by Aled Lewis: The Upper Hand Video Game Characters in Real Life

The London Riots and 7 Other Things Blamed on Social Media Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:54 AM PDT When people get together and cause trouble, it’s very easy to blame the medium of communication instead of looking deeper. That’s why social networking sites get cited as the cause of so many evils. Why, don’t you know that MySpace is “worse than crack”? Back in 2006, Ron Vietti, Senior Pastor of Valley Bible Fellowship in Bakersfield, CA, made headlines for being a vocal critic of then-popular social networking site MySpace. He argued the site — which he called both "worse than crack, cocaine or meth" and "My Waste of Space Dot Com" — was luring boys into pornography and making young girls targets of sexual predators. As David Burger reported in The Bakersfield Californian, Vietti said the site fostered bisexuality and called the Internet "the devil's biggest scheme he has ever inserted into our lives." He urged his congregation to go to places young people hang out ("like bars") to convince them to delete their MySpace profiles. I wonder what the telephone was blamed for in the 19th century. Read other stories of social-media-blaming at mental_floss. Link

R2D2 Sweater Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:53 AM PDT People look at you funny if you roll around in public in a realistic R2R2 costume. This sweater by Etsy seller Erica Schoenberger is a more discreet and possibly even workplace-friendly alternative. Link -via OhGizmo!

Scientists Grow Functional Anal Sphincter in Petri Dish Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:46 AM PDT The loss of sphincter control is a common and humiliating problem for aging adults. Researchers led by Shreya Rhagavan of the University of Michigan Medical School may have developed a solution: a replacement sphincter grown inside a laboratory. So far, eight such bioengineered anal sphincters have been successfully implanted in mice. The team hopes to work on human subjects in the future. Link -via io9 | Photo: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Previously: Bionic Butt

Woman Has Tongue Lengthened to Speak Korean Better Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:36 AM PDT Rhiannon Brooksbank–Jones of Beeston, UK, loves the Korean language and plans to study it in college. But she found that some sounds are hard for her to duplicate. So she’s taking a surgical solution: Her parents agreed to her having a lingual frenectomy, a 15–minute operation under local anaesthetic that involved an incision in the flap of skin. Rhiannon admitted that it was “agony at first” but her tongue is now about 1cm longer and she can say words that were impossible before. “I’d been learning Korean for about two years, and my speaking level was high, but I was really struggling with particular sounds,” she said. “It became apparent after a little while that I was having trouble with the Korean letter ‘L’, which is very frequent and comes from a slightly higher place in the mouth than the English ‘L’, and that my tongue was too short. “The surgical procedure was my only option. My pronunciation was very ‘foreign’, but now I can speak with a native Korean accent.” Link | Photo: Paul Tonge

Ribbon Man Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:28 AM PDT This is a bronze sculpture by Sukhi Barber. That is possible to make such an object self-supporting is mind-blowing. One of Barber’s major themes is “the transcendence of our limiting view of a solid reality.” So, appropriately, this sculpture is entitled “Appearance/Emptiness.” Artist’s Website -via Colossal

Buying a Cow in Old English Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:04 AM PDT (Video Link) The Frisian language is spoken by about half a million people in the Netherlands and Germany. It is the closet surviving relative of Old English, the tongue of Anglo-Saxon England. How mutually intelligible are the two languages? In this clip from the documentary series Mongel Nation, Eddie Izzard, speaking only Old English, tries to buy a cow from a Frisian-speaking farmer. -via Ace of Spades HQ

10 Monsters Who Would Make Pretty Good Bosses Posted: 12 Aug 2011 10:37 AM PDT A lot of people think their boss is a real “monster.” However this list imagines if your boss actually was monster from TV or film.   What monster would your boss be? Or what Monster would you WANT to be your boss. 5) The Jagrafess, from Doctor Who The Mighty Jagrafess of the Holy Hadrojassic Maxarodenfoe from Doctor Who is a pretty reasonable boss, and its underlings get to help influence public opinion. “I’d get to work at in Broadcasting!” exults Bradley. And to be fair, if you live in the Jagrafess’ world, then you already work for it one way or another. Just make sure you wear a sweater to work. Link

Facebook Users Raise Alarm Over Posting of Phone Numbers Posted: 12 Aug 2011 10:36 AM PDT You may or may not have seen some warnings on your friends Facebook posts the past few days warning of the social network’s importation of all your cell phone contacts. While this is true if you use the Facebook application for your smart phone, the company denies that is publishing all of your contact info without your consent. What has your experience been with Facebook phone book tool?  Find out if your numbers have been saved by Facebook: To see the phonebook that’s causing all the fuss, click on Account in Facebook’s top right corner, then click on Edit Friends, and click Contacts at the left side. Indeed, Facebook does store a list of phone numbers, both contacts you have imported from your phone as well as information your Facebook friends have themselves added. Link

News from 1991: Parents upset at the high cost of the SNES Posted: 12 Aug 2011 10:36 AM PDT (YouTube link) Twenty years ago parents were upset at the high cost of the new Super Nintendo video game system. Today those kids can be happy buying two hundred dollar video game systems for their own begging children (and themselves.) Link

Static Dog Posted: 12 Aug 2011 10:18 AM PDT (YouTube link) Static electricity can be fun, when you have a long-haired puppy! -via Rue the Day!

Flash Mob Proposal Posted: 12 Aug 2011 09:04 AM PDT (YouTube link) A guy in Johannesburg hired 100 singers to stage a flashmob at a mall, all to propose to his girlfriend. I cannot understand how some shoppers are in such a hurry that they can’t stop and enjoy the moment with them. Or do singing flash mobs happen every day at the mall? -via Buzzfeed

Donations Revive SETI Quest Posted: 12 Aug 2011 08:49 AM PDT Four months ago, the SETI Institute announced the end of its search for extraterrestrial signals from space due to lack of funds (previously). But thanks to an infusion of funds from fans, including actress Jodie Foster. The SETI Institute has been around for decades: It stepped in to help keep the search for alien radio signals active after NASA cut off funding for the quest in 1993. It’s not the only organization doing SETI, but it’s the leader in the field. The Allen Telescope Array, or ATA, was launched with $50 million in contributions from software billionaire Paul Allen and others — and if the array ever takes in 350 linked antennas, as it’s designed to do, it would rank among the world’s premier radio-telescope facilities. But in light of the financial challenges, that’s a huge “if” right now. In fact, until last week it wasn’t certain if or when the ATA would come back online. After the antenna array was mothballed, the institute and its fans in Silicon Valley set up a Web-based campaign for donations, known as SETIstars. The campaign kicked off in June, and about 45 days later, on Aug. 3, contributions hit the $200,000 mark. That was how much money the SETI Institute said would be needed to bring the antenna array back into operation. (Since then more than $4,000 in additional contributions have come in.) Among the contributors are Jodie Foster, the actress who played a SETI researcher in the movie “Contact”; science-fiction writer Larry Niven, creator of the “Ringworld” series of novels; and Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders, who flew around the moon in 1968. “It is absolutely irresponsible of the human race not to be searching for evidence of extraterrestrial intelligence,” Anders wrote in a note accompanying his contribution. Donations are still needed, as well as volunteers to crunch the data. Link -via Engadget

Paradox of Passwords Posted: 12 Aug 2011 05:44 AM PDT Xkcd, the popular “webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language”, recently posted a strip about the paradoxical in humans trying to create hard to guess passwords. Through 20 years of effort, we’ve successfully trained everyone to use passwords that are hard for humans to remember, but easy for computers to guess. The comic even resulted in a Simple Strong Password Generator. Link

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