Neatorama

---

• Kittywood Studios
• Duffy Swing Table
• Liu Bolin's Camouflage Art
• Trauma Dogs in Court
• Traffic Light Hourglass
• Tree Art
• Eyeball Salt & Pepper Shakers
• Thief Identified by False Teeth That He Dropped at the Crime Scene
• Cow Successfully Escapes from Slaughterhouse in NYC
• Paused Paintings
• Baguette Vending Machine
• Text Art by Huy Lam
• Hipster Lorem Ipsum
• The Berlin Wall Remembered
• In The Fall
• Spider Bug, Spider Bug, Does Whatever a Spider Bug Does
• Tapping Fingers Automaton
• Sandwich Crust Cutters
• Comic-Con Proposal
• This Week at Neatorama

Kittywood Studios Posted: 14 Aug 2011 03:51 AM PDT (YouTube link) If you’ve ever wondered where all those cat videos came from, now you know. Here’s a look behind the scenes at the magic of Kittywood Studios. -via Metafilter

Duffy Swing Table Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:26 PM PDT Tired of trying to vacuum around your dining room table chairs? Have roughly 5,000 pounds sterling to spare? Then the Duffy Swing Table might be for you! Although the design is rather cool, Miss Cellania points out that it would be mighty painful to bump into the table if someone happened to hit you from behind and expresses some doubt as to its practicality. I must say that I cannot imagine this being the kid’s table at Thanksgiving–what a free for all that would be–not that that’s much of an issue in Britain as Duffy is a London designer. Still, if you’re tired of sliding out the chairs, then this one might be for you. Made of managed forest Walnut Veener and powder coated mild steel, it comes in “bespoke finishes and sizes”–whatever that means. Thankfully, the lamp is included in the hefty price–no discount for missing legs. Link

Liu Bolin's Camouflage Art Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:24 PM PDT Photo Credit: Associated Press Chinese artist Lui Bolin has a unique approach to his art–instead of standing out, he tries his best not to be seen and to blend in. We’ve featured his amazing work before and couldn’t resist this photo from his newest installation. It’s called “Plasticizer.”  Hard not to admire his ingenuity. Featured on the Wall Street Journal’s Photo Blog. Link

Trauma Dogs in Court Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:22 PM PDT Photo Credit: Kelly Shimoda for the New York Times Psychiatric dogs have been in use for several years.  They routinely help vets cope with PTSD and trauma victims establish their lives again and now psychiatric dogs are finding a new place to provide comfort–the courtroom. Rosie, a golden retriever has recently been put to use to aid rape victims who find it distressing to confront their perpetrators in court. Notably leaning against an anxious person giving testimony, she provides comfort to those who feel  overwhelmed. Naturally, defense attorneys say that the presence of a cute dog prejudices the case against their clients but courts are beginning to feel inclined to use these doggie companions who make a difficult procedure all that easier. Link

Traffic Light Hourglass Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:21 PM PDT Tired of waiting at traffic lights?  Well, its inevitable, isn’t it? Perhaps it would help if you knew how long you had to wait at the light. Designer designed this traffic light that would let you know exactly how long you had to wait or exactly how long you have to scoot through! Although I’m not sure that this design would work for colorblind drivers, it sure would be cool to know how much longer I had to apply mascara before I had to pay attention to the road again. Yanko features two other alternatives to traditional traffic lights and signs that are pretty darn cool as well. Link via My Modern Met

Tree Art Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:21 PM PDT Curtis Killorn is an artist that works with aged desert trees that have been dead for centuries and brings them to life again by making them into art installations. Check out his website for his future work and his plans for Burning Man 2011. Link -via Oriental Tiger

Eyeball Salt & Pepper Shakers Posted: 13 Aug 2011 07:34 PM PDT Eyeball Salt & Pepper Shakers – $11.95 Are you looking for a new salt and pepper shaker set that is visually appealing? You need the Eyeball Salt & Pepper Shakers from the NeatoShop.  This ghoulish set is magnetic and comes on a ceramic tray. With these beauties on your table your friends will know you have a real eye for design. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more  unusual and entertaining Salt & Pepper Shakers. Link

Thief Identified by False Teeth That He Dropped at the Crime Scene Posted: 13 Aug 2011 05:03 PM PDT A purse snatcher in Severini, Brazil dropped his false teeth while trying to get away from the scene of his crime. Police used the dentures to confirm his identity: The UOL Internet news portal quotes Oliveira as saying that the homeless man turned the dentures over to police and gave them a physical description matching that of de Jesus. Oliveira told UOL on Friday that De Jesus at first denied owning the dentures, but then confessed to the crime after they fit perfectly in his partially toothless mouth. Link -via Stuff | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user Thirteen of Clubs used under Creative Commons license

Cow Successfully Escapes from Slaughterhouse in NYC Posted: 13 Aug 2011 02:47 PM PDT (Video Link) A cow escaped from a slaughterhouse in Queens and made a mad dash through the streets for freedom. Police eventually wrangled the 500-pound animal into a horse trailer and took her to an animal control facility in Brooklyn. Despite her capture, the cow was ultimately successful: city officials have decided to send her to an animal sanctuary. Link -via Nerdcore

Paused Paintings Posted: 13 Aug 2011 02:27 PM PDT Andy Denzler, an artist based in Zurich, has composed a series of paintings that look like screen shots from paused VHS recordings. It’s an expression of his rejection of the “hegemony and the aesthetic of the jpeg…” Link -via Flavorwire

Baguette Vending Machine Posted: 13 Aug 2011 10:15 AM PDT Craving a warm baguette in the middle of the night? Your nocturnal carb craving is not a problem with this 24-hour automated baguette vending machine by French baker Jean-Louis Hecht! An adventurous baker didn't see that change as a threat to his business but rather an opportunity. He thought hard about ways to preserve the quality of the bread while dispensing them at customers' convenience. The result? His baguette dispenser has sold 1,600 baguettes the opening month in January, and 4,500 in July. Jean-Louise Hecht, owner of multiple bakeries in Paris and Hombourg-Haut in northeastern France, first got the idea for baguette vending machine as he dealt with customers who would chase him down at his apartment above the shop for fresh baguettes after hours. With many trials and errors, Hecht built a machine that turns precooked bread into steaming baguettes. Link - via The Next Web See also: Strange and Wonderful Vending Machines

Text Art by Huy Lam Posted: 13 Aug 2011 10:14 AM PDT Van Gogh / Genius by Huy Lam At a glance, the artwork of Toronto-based artist Huy Lam look like their original pictures and photos, but when you take a closer look, you'd be delighted to see that the details are made with text painstakingly colored and shaped into the images. Here's what Lam said about his art: ... From afar you see a portrait of Nelson Mandela which looks like it could be a pencil or charcoal drawing. But as you come closer and closer, you realize its created from a different media. After farther inspection, parts of words start to emerge on top of layers of other fragmented words until you finally come across the completed words, 'my hero'. Nelson Mandela is my hero and I created a portrait of him with only words. A portrait of Che Guevara is created from the words 'bought a T-shirt' because I've also bought the iconic T-shirt when I was young and rebellious. [...] All the images are created with 4 point type. Link - via Laughing Squid

Hipster Lorem Ipsum Posted: 13 Aug 2011 10:13 AM PDT Lorem ipsum, the placeholder text derived from Cicero's text in Latin, is so unhip. So what's a hipster to do? Well, here's an artisanal filler text for your website, courtesy of Hipster Ipsum (available in "Hipster with a shot of Latin" or "Hipster, neat") : Link - via kottke

The Berlin Wall Remembered Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:20 AM PDT It was 50 years ago today, August 13th, 1961, that East German soldiers began cordoning off the western part of the city. This was the beginning of the Berlin Wall. Germany marked the occasion with a ceremony earlier today. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Christian Wulff, and Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit were all present to remember those who died attempting to cross the barrier from East Berlin to West Berlin. Addressing the ceremony on Bernauer, a street famously divided by the Wall and now site of a memorial, Mayor Wowereit said the capital was remembering the “saddest day in its recent history”. “It is our common responsibility to keep alive the memories and pass them on to the next generation, to maintain freedom and democracy and to do everything so that such injustices may never happen again,” he said. Earlier, Mr Wulff told Die Welt newspaper that the modern Germany could take pride in “East Germans’ irrepressible desire for freedom and West Germans’ solidarity with them”. The wall was finally opened in 1989. Link -via Fark Previously: Read more about the history of the Berlin Wall in The Fall of the Wall.

In The Fall Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT (vimeo link) In The Fall is not about autumn. This animation is a slightly frightening look at how we spend our lives. And it may induce vertigo. -via The Sparrow

Spider Bug, Spider Bug, Does Whatever a Spider Bug Does Posted: 13 Aug 2011 08:06 AM PDT Sadly, this is not a functional mecha. That’s a pity, because it would be awesome to drive around town in a Spider Bug. Web Urbanist has a roundup of fifteen Spider Bugs around the world erected by various artists. This particular one is outside a Jehovah’s Witnesses kingdom hall in Oklahoma. Link -via Dude Craft | Photo by Flickr user meltedplastic used under Creative Commons license

Tapping Fingers Automaton Posted: 13 Aug 2011 07:09 AM PDT (Video Link) Sometimes, tapping your fingers in bored frustration doesn’t really seem to make time more forward at a faster clip. This hand-cranked automaton by Etsy seller automatonman will probably help. Link -via Technabob

Sandwich Crust Cutters Posted: 13 Aug 2011 06:48 AM PDT Sandwich Crust Cutters – $2.95 Are you trying to find ways to make mealtime more fun? You need a Sandwich Crust Cutter from the NeatoShop.  This nifty little kitchen gadget quickly cuts the crust off your sandwich leaving an awesome shape. It is perfect for cutting sandwiches down to size so that they fit better in little hands. Sandwich Crust Cutters currently come in 6 fabulous styles: FlipperBytes BatBytes ButterflyBytes TrainBytes DynoBytes and SweetBytes Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fantastic Back to School items! Link

Comic-Con Proposal Posted: 13 Aug 2011 06:06 AM PDT (YouTube link) Yes, this is another public marriage proposal video, taken at Comic-Con. Yes, the audio is difficult to hear, and for some reason the person recording it held the phone upright. But it’s short and the last few seconds make it all worthwhile. -via reddit

This Week at Neatorama Posted: 13 Aug 2011 06:00 AM PDT Here we are in the Dog Days of Summer. It’s a good time to stay inside in the air conditioning and surf the ‘net. And the best place to do that is right here! Just in case you were busy working or something during this past week, here’s a simple way to catch up on all the exclusive features you may have missed: just follow these links. Tuesday was the 81st anniversary of the very first Betty Boop cartoon. Stacy Conradt posted that ‘toon and the history of the character in Happy Birthday, Betty Boop! Alex brought us some excerpts from the book Geek Wisdom: The Sacred Teachings of Nerd Culture. It proved to be the most popular post of the week. Eddie Deezen told us about The First Cross-dressing Comic Book Superhero. It was certainly news to me. Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader told us about The Newspaper Hoax that Shook the World. Scientists sometimes name their research papers after hit films, as we found out in PubMed Goes to the Movies! from the Annals of Improbable Research. From mental_floss magazine, we had The 10 Most Important Kisses in the Universe. The most commented-on item of the week was Should Bert and Ernie Get Married? The discussion continues, and the number of opinions should soon eclipse the number of entries in our contest this week. Speaking of, In the What Is It? game, the thing in the picture this week is a portable hand pump fog horn for use on a boat. Berhard guessed it correctly in the very first comment. Then iago guessed it to be the ultimate size pepper grinder for an Italian restaurant! That was good enough to win the funniest answer prize. Both win t-shirts from the Neatoshop, At NeatoBambino. you can see videos of children who are athletic, imaginative, and kind. Watch for back-to-school tips, too! New items at the NeatoShop include Magnetic Poetry Kits, the Dracula Postertext Poster, and the Emergency Reboot Button. You can see more new items at the NeatoShop. When you’re caught up on everything from this week, you can check out past feature articles at The Best of Neatorama. Thanks for being here with us!

You are subscribed to email updates from Neatorama To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610