Neatorama

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• Ghost Hosts of the UK and the US
• Tabletop Directing
• Sunsquatch
• Charter School modeled on UK School
• The Ultimate Geek Tattoo
• Kitty Leads Someone To Save Her Kittens
• 16 Things You Probably Shouldn't Smell Like
• Self-Cleaning Fabric
• Monsters As Flappers
• Art Created From Bacteria
• World's Largest Shopping Mall is Empty
• Newest Japanese Beauty Fad: Crooked Teeth
• Glow In The Dark Flying Piggy
• Hawaiian Dollars
• Everything Is A Remix: The Matrix
• USPS Rescue Plan: More Junk Mail!
• Bubble Tank
• 20 Things You Didn't Know About... Fire
• Google Bus Brings Internet to Rural India
• Shark-Infested Golf Course
• Johnny Depp Will Star As Dr. Seuss
• 10 Expensive Celebrity Body Parts
• How U.S. Cities Stack Up To Other Countries
• Dessert Disguised As Breakfast
• Messed Up Ticket Leads To Big Winnings
• The Bank of Fat
• Rider on the Storm
• Horton Hears The Call of Cthulhu
• Space Farm 7
• What a Bargain!

Ghost Hosts of the UK and the US Posted: 10 Oct 2011 05:20 AM PDT The following post consists of two articles from Uncle John’s Triumphant 20th Anniversary Bathroom Reader. For some reason, Great Britain has more than its share of mansions, estates, and old homes that are reported to be haunted. Leeds Castle is said to be haunted by a dog. He pays no attention to the people who visit the castle, but he’s said to bring bad luck to anyone who spots him. (Image credit: Flickr user Gauis Caecilius) St. Donat’s Castle is a 12th-century Welsh castle that’s now a boarding school …and they say a ghost panther stalks the corridors. In a parlor, a piano plays itself …even when the lid is closed. Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire supposedly has a mischievous spirit that loves to fling open doors. Billionaire J. Paul Getty said it once terrified him by barging into the room. Chatham House is haunted by the ghost of the “Hanging Judge” George Jeffreys, the former Chief Justice of England who liked to hand out death sentences. Jeffreys is said to walk around Chatham House in his black judicial robes, carrying a bloody bone. (East Riddlesden Hall image credit: Flickr user floato) East Riddlesden Hall in Yorkshire hosts the “Grey Lady.” She reportedly paces up and down the stairs, looking for her lover,  who was sealed in a room by her jealous husband and left there to die. Dover Castle is said to be haunted by a boy murdered during the Napoleanic Wars. The headless ghost stalks the halls, drumming. (Raby Castle image credit: Flickr user Mark Loveridge) Raby Castle near Durham is the home to the “Old Hellcat” -a ghoulish old woman who sits in a chair, knitting. (If you get close enough, you can feel the heat coming off her glowing red knitting needles.) The Kylesku Hotel in the Scottish Highlands has a ghost who likes to pop his head through a trapdoor in the ceiling. They say he’s friendly -he only does it to startle visitors. Rufford Old Hall in Lancashire is haunted by a young woman in a wedding dress who, the legend says, waits for the return of her fiance, who was killed in battle. The dining room is also reportedly haunted by Queen Elizabeth I. (Netley Abbey image credit: Flickr user _moonpie) Netley Abbey, a semi-demolished medieval nunnery in Hampshire, is haunted by the ghost of Walter Taylor, a builder hired to tear it down. A stone from an arch struck him on the head and killed him. The demolition was never completed, and now Taylor’s spirit wanders around the ruins accompanied by the sound of falling bricks. Inverawe House, a hotel in Scotland, has “Green Jean.” Instead of trying to scare people, he actually assists the staff, leaving fresh soap and clean towels for the guests. At Berry Pomeroy Castle, the “White Lady” haunts the dungeon and towers. It’s supposedly the ghost of Lady Margaret Pomeroy, who was imprisoned in the dungeon by her sister for 20 years and starved to death. People who see her report feeling a wave of depression and fear. And the U.S. has fewer castles, but plenty of places people go to see ghosts. (Alcatraz image credit: Flicker user Punchup) Alcatraz, the island prison near San Francisco, is no longer a working penitentiary. It’s a tourist attraction. On the “night tour,” guides say, you can hear the screams of long-dead prisoners, footsteps of jackbooted guards, and the slamming of jail doors that remain motionless before your eyes. Huntress Hall at Keene State College in New Hampshire is a freshman class dorm. Who else lives there? The college’s benefactress (and the building’s namesake), Harriet Huntress. Her wheelchair is stored in the attic, and students say it can be heard rolling around in the middle of the night. Belcourt Castle, in Newport, Rhode Island, is famous for its ghosts, the spookiest of which is a spectral monk who appears in front of a lion statue, walks away from it, then disappears. Then he comes back and repeats the whole process over again. At the Radisson Suite Hotel in Ogden, Utah, a ghost named Mrs. Eccles lives in the elevator. She died on the fifth floor, the story goes, so the elevator always stops there, whether anyone has pressed the button or not. You can’t see Mrs. Eccles, but when she walks past, you can feel her brush against you and you can smell her perfume. (Image credit: Big Bay Point Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast) Big Bay Point Lighthouse in Michigan is haunted by the ghost of its first keeper, Will Prior. If you go, he’s the red-haired ghost. They say he’s harmless. The old high school in Brunswick, Maine, is said to be haunted by a student who died there. She was rehearsing  play on  balcony when she fell to her death. The building is now used for school board meetings …which are sometimes interrupted by slamming doors and flying books. Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, is the haunt of former WWF wrestler Owen Hart. During a 1999 match, Hart was being lowered from the ceiling to the ring when the cable holding his harness snapped. He fell to the floor and died instantly. In his wrestling trunks, mask, and harness, Hart has been seen floating near the ceiling. At the Vanderlip Mansion in Palos Verdes, California, legend says Mrs. Vanderlip killed her entire family (including the dogs) and then committed suicide. At night, the faces of the family stare out the windows. The dogs run around and bark at squirrels in the woods behind the house. (Lizzie Borden House image credit: Flickr user Stewart Robotham) The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts, where Borden notoriously murdered her parents with an axe in 1892, is, according to locals, home to a ghost. One of Borden’s parents? No -its the ghost of Lizzie’s cat. The invisible feline is friendly: it likes to rub up against tourists’ legs and sit in their laps. The Hardee’s in West Union, Iowa, was built on top of a 189th-century cemetery -and ghosts now hang out at the restaurant. Employees find objects moved and hear their names being called when nobody’s there, and the building has icy spots that stay cold year round. In the desert outside Anthem, Arizona, the ghosts of Native American warriors on horseback have been seen riding at night. And it hey see anybody …they shoot (ghost) arrows at them. At the Gregory Graveyard in Lancaster, South Carolina, you can hear the children laughing and a minister giving a eulogy over a grave. As you leave the graveyard, you may see a path to the left that wasn’t there when you came in. If you walk down that path, you’ll see several ghostly human figures. On Halloween night, the path is said to glow green. ___________________ This article was reprinted with permission from Uncle John’s Triumphant 20th Anniversary Bathroom Reader. Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts. If you like Neatorama, you’ll love the Bathroom Reader Institute’s books – go ahead and check ‘em out!

Tabletop Directing Posted: 10 Oct 2011 04:21 AM PDT It takes a lot of effort (and a lot of people) to make food look appetizing on film. Chain restaurant advertising on TV is overseen by tabletop directors, specialists you rarely hear about. There are only about a half-dozen accomplished tabletop directors in the industry, but they earn their pay by wrestling a winning performance out of a difficult actor: food. One of those directors is Michael Schrom. Mr. Schrom has the eyeglasses of an architect and the relaxed, contented air of a man highly entertained by his job. On this day, he is filming for a national chain — one that also requested anonymity — capturing what he calls "flavor cues." In one shot, a stagehand pours chocolate syrup over a sheet of caramel. (You can almost hear a voiceover purring, "Chocolate.") In another, cream bubbles up in a cup of coffee. In real time, these moments barely register. In slow-motion playbacks, with a digital camera that shoots up to 1,600 frames a second, the images are almost erotic. Which is no accident. "You're using the same part of your brain — porn, food," Mr. Schrom says during a break. "It's going in the same section; it's that visual cortex that connects to your most basic senses. What we're trying to do is be the modern-day Pavlovs and ring your bell with these images." He has several food stylists who work in a huge kitchen next to his set. They start with the very same food and recipes used in the restaurants and stores. In part, this is a truth-in-advertising issue. Everyone knows that in 1970, the Federal Trade Commission settled a complaint against the Campbell Soup Company after its ad agency slipped marbles into a bowl in ads featuring its vegetable soup, apparently to force more veggies to the surface. That put a scare into the industry that endures to this day. Anything that flatters the food, of course, is fair game, and that includes gimmicks you're unlikely to find in a fridge. Glue is used to keep spaghetti on forks and pizzas in place. The ice in a beverage might be made of acrylic and cost $500 a cube. The frost coming off a beer could be a silicone gel, mixed with powder and water. The New York Times look at some of those techniques, and the people who make a living using them. Link -via Metafilter

Sunsquatch Posted: 10 Oct 2011 04:17 AM PDT See any resemblance between these two photos? You recognize Bigfoot on the right, of course. The picture on the left is a detail from a larger picture of an eruption of ionized gas from the surface of the sun. Dr. Phil Plait recognizes pareidolia when he sees it, leading one commenter to speculate that Bigfoot sightings increase in conjunction with solar activity. Read more about it at Bad Astronomy Blog. Link -Thanks, Adrienne! (Solar image credit: Alan Friedman)

Charter School modeled on UK School Posted: 10 Oct 2011 12:10 AM PDT Urban Prep, also known as “Hogwarts in the Hood,” is a charter school located in inner-city Chicago. According to its website, the similarities between Hogwarts and Urban Prep include school houses. Whereas the wizarding school has four houses–Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin–Urban Prep has six “Prides” that compete against each other for academic, athletic, and extracurricular points. “We’ve been incredibly successful,” the founder and president of Urban Prep, Tim King, tells me. “All our students are African-American, about 85% are low income and 100% of our classes have gone on to college.” In 2010 and 2011, 100% of students who graduated from Urban Prep were accepted to college. “It’s extraordinary when you think about it because the number of African-Americans who go on to college in our country, the numbers are really low.” Another cliche is that the only way out for some kids is to become a rapper or a sports star. Mr King says he wants to create role models who are engineers and scientists. Even getting a college degree makes a big difference. “Education is key. It can become trite when you hear it, but it is really true,” he says. Link -via BBC

The Ultimate Geek Tattoo Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:47 PM PDT We’ve featured tons of geeky tattoos before, but never has one incorporated so many references in one delightful character design. Can you name them all? Link

Kitty Leads Someone To Save Her Kittens Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:43 PM PDT A kitty in the UK was hit by a car and brought to an animal shelter, but released to the area she was found shortly after, since vets realized she had just had a litter of kittens. Right after she was released, she started howling and the person who brought her back followed her to her litter of kittens, who were severely dehydrated. Thanks to the cat’s quick thinking and the attentiveness of the RSPCA inspector, her kittens were saved and the whole family made a speedy recovery. Link Via BuzzFeed

16 Things You Probably Shouldn't Smell Like Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:06 PM PDT Gentlemen, sometimes it takes a woman’s perspective to make these things clear, so here goes: we do not find the smell of fat electricians sexy. Maybe some wives of fat electricians do, but probably not even all of them do. The rest of the colognes and perfumes on this Mental Floss list are pretty much the same. Link

Self-Cleaning Fabric Posted: 09 Oct 2011 11:00 PM PDT Are you a messy eater? Is ketchup for whatever reason incredibly attracted to the front of your t-shirts? University of California, Davis is working on a solution that could be designed just for you; a fabric that kills bacteria and breaks down compounds for all your fashion needs. "The new fabric has potential applications in biological and chemical protective clothing for health care, food processing and farmworkers, as well as military personnel," said Ning Liu, who conducted the work as a doctoral student in Professor Gang Sun's group in the UC Davis Division of Textiles and Clothing. Liu developed a method to incorporate a compound known as 2-anthraquinone carboxylic acid, or 2-AQC, into cotton fabrics. This chemical bonds strongly to the cellulose in cotton, making it difficult to wash off, unlike current self-cleaning agents. Unlike some other experimental agents that have been applied to cotton, it does not affect the properties of the fabric. When exposed to light, 2-AQC produces so-called reactive oxygen species, such as hydroxyl radicals and hydrogen peroxide, which kill bacteria and break down organic compounds such as pesticides and other toxins. Link -via Holy Kaw!

Monsters As Flappers Posted: 09 Oct 2011 10:53 PM PDT Some of the most popular Halloween costumes are monsters and flappers, so if you are a female that already is a monster, a flapper is a natural costume choice. Artist Jeffery Thomas has a great collection of a variety of monster gals glammed up as flappers and the artwork is simply fantastic. Link Via BuzzFeed

Art Created From Bacteria Posted: 09 Oct 2011 10:49 PM PDT Over at Neatorama, we have a lot of scientific-minded readers, many of whom aren’t particularly impressed with some of the art projects we post here. Hopefully this microbial art will be an exception though as it takes some scientific materials, bacteria and Petri dishes, to make some really cool designs. Check out works from a variety of bacteria artists over at Flavorwire. Link

World's Largest Shopping Mall is Empty Posted: 09 Oct 2011 10:14 PM PDT When the New South China Mall opened in 2006, it was marked as another wonder of the world for China and the world’s largest mall. Today, it has an occupancy rate of only 2%. "Sometimes tour groups come here from [nearby cities] Guangzhou or Shenzhen," said Hu Xiaocui, a bored ticket taker at the Teletubbies playroom that is the only functioning business on the mall's third floor. "But they don't show them the empty parts." Only 47 of an astonishing 2,350 retail spaces are filled, the most successful businesses being McDonalds and KFC restaurants near the mall's front entrance. Fast-food wrappers and empty paper cups litter ghostly hallways in other parts of the complex. The elevators and lights are switched off, and voices echo off atrium ceilings four storeys high. "We only sweep near the Teletubbies playroom. The other floors – what's the point?" laughed a member of the cleaning staff. "No one ever did any shopping here, even when there were stores. It was too expensive." Two things I would do here: run up the down escalator and create a secret living space. Link -via Discover

Newest Japanese Beauty Fad: Crooked Teeth Posted: 09 Oct 2011 08:56 PM PDT Can't get a girlfriend or a find a spouse? Maybe you're too perfect. That's the logic behind this strange Japanese fad of getting yourself some crooked teeth: Dental Salon Plaisir says its Tsuke-yaeba -- or Stick-on Crooked Teeth -- will impart that desirable “imperfect” look to men and women alike, making them more attractive to the opposite sex. The theory behind that slightly odd approach is that classic beauty tends to scare away timid suitors, whereas a more down-home look is easily approachable. Link See also: Zombie Teeth

Glow In The Dark Flying Piggy Posted: 09 Oct 2011 08:47 PM PDT Glow I Glow In The Dark Flying Piggy – $2.45 Are you a over-ambitious dreamer? Do you scoff at the impossible? Forget falling asleep under ordinary glow in the dark stars. You need the Glow In The Dark Flying Piggy from the NeatoShop because you are a doer. These winged plastic pigs are stuck to your bedroom ceiling to remind you that: Unattractive men do marry supermodels People do win the lottery And pigs do fly Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fun Wall Decor. Link

Hawaiian Dollars Posted: 09 Oct 2011 08:06 PM PDT Immediately after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, US officials were worried about a Japanese invasion and occupation of those islands. One particular concern was the disposition of US currency in banks in Hawaii. They could not allow that money to fall into Japanese hands. So the military governor of Hawaii found a clever solution: In January of 1942, the military governor of Hawaii (the territory was under the military’s control after the Pearl Harbor bombing) recalled most of the currency in the future state, with some allowances as to not pull all of the cash out of the islands’ economy. Five months later, bills like the one pictured — called “Hawaii overprint notes” — were issued. The theory was simple: if Hawaii fell into Japanese hands, these bills would no longer be legal tender in the United States. This contingency plan never came into play. In total, over 65 million Hawaii overprint notes were created (totalling over $300 million), in four denominations — $1, $5, $10, and $20, with the $5 note pictured above the rarest of the quartet. On October 21, 1944, ten months before Victory over Japan Day, the required use of these bills ceased. It’s a pity that they didn’t put Lincoln in a Hawaiian shirt. He always looked good in Hawaiian shirts. Link | Image: Coins & Banknotes

Everything Is A Remix: The Matrix Posted: 09 Oct 2011 06:55 PM PDT Love The Matrix but wonder where you've seen those action moves before? Everything Is A Remix (previously on Neatorama) is back, and this time it has Neo, Morpheus, Trinity and co. in its sights. Hit play or go to Link [Vimeo] - via Have You Seen This?!

USPS Rescue Plan: More Junk Mail! Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:54 PM PDT The US Postal Service is like a damsel in distress. Severe distress. The rise of email and the Great Recession, coupled with bad management and its high labor (and labor's retirement) costs have caused the institution to be near collapse. But, like the analogy goes, there's a white knight! Here's how the Post Office plans to rescue itself from bankruptcy: more junk mail for everyone! Many consumers are irked by the catalogs, credit-card pitches and other "junk mail" they receive. But the U.S. Postal Service loves it—and wants to deliver more. The agency, beset by historic losses and a plummet in first-class mail, is running promotions, easing rules and planning television and radio ads to encourage more businesses to send pitches by standard mail, the official term for bulk mailings used by marketers to prospect for customers. "What we want to do is to make standard mail more interesting for customers so we can grow the total volume," Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said in an interview. "We don't call it junk mail—it's a lucrative avenue for anyone who wants to reach customers." Link

Bubble Tank Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:47 PM PDT This fishbowl was designed by glassblower Richard Bell. It makes me nervous. Does it make you nervous? I wonder if the fish is nervous. The 'Bubble Tank Project' is a series hand-blown glass bowls which have been counterbalanced to create the illusion that they are hanging precariously over the edge of a surface. Every tank is completely unique therefore is available in many different shapes and sizes. Simply pick the one that you like best. Link -via Buzzfeed

20 Things You Didn't Know About... Fire Posted: 09 Oct 2011 04:45 PM PDT In the October issue of Discover magazine, LeeAundra Keany tells us that a bonfire is “basically a tree running in reverse,” and other interesting facts. 1  Fire is an event, not a thing. Heating wood or other fuel releases volatile vapors that can rapidly combust with oxygen in the air; the resulting incandescent bloom of gas further heats the fuel, releasing more vapors and perpetuating the cycle. 2  Most of the fuels we use derive their energy from trapped solar rays. In photosynthesis, sunlight and heat make chemical energy (in the form of wood or fossil fuel); fire uses chemical energy to produce light and heat. 3  So a bonfire is basically a tree running in reverse. 4  Assuming stable fuel, heat, and oxygen levels, a typical house fire will double in size every minute. Read the rest at Discover. Link -via Not Exactly Rocket Science

Google Bus Brings Internet to Rural India Posted: 09 Oct 2011 02:53 PM PDT We've got Books on Wheels, so why not the Internet on Wheels? Here comes the Google Internet Bus, a free, mobile cybercafe that roams the backroads of India, bringing the joy of the Interweb to many: LIKE the travelling fairs that still roam India, a snazzy white bus trundles along the subcontinent's B-roads, stopping in small towns for a few days at a time and inviting locals into another world. But in place of tightrope-walking girls and performing monkeys, its main attraction is access to the internet. For some visitors, it is their first time online. The Google Internet bus is a free, mobile cybercafe dreamed up by the search giant and run in association with BSNL, a large state-owned internet service provider (ISP). It has covered over 43,000km and passed through 120 towns in 11 states since it hit the road on February 3rd, 2009. Google estimates that 1.6m people have been offered their first online experience as a result. Of those, 100,000 have signed up for an internet connection of their own. There is, however, a dark side to the project: Like a high-school drug dealer, though admittedly less nefarious, the idea is to hook them young and keep them coming back. In return for its efforts, Google says it gains a better understanding of their needs. That, in turn, lets it develop products for the potentially huge local market. Link

Shark-Infested Golf Course Posted: 09 Oct 2011 01:25 PM PDT Hey caddy, my ball went into the water. Be a good sport and go in and get it, would you? Well, maybe not at the Carbrook Golf Club in Brisbane, Australia, where half a dozen bullsharks live in the lake. They took up residence a few years ago when a nearby river flooded, and have been breeding since then. Some of the sharks are up to ten feet long. They’ve become quite an attraction, so groundskeepers feed them to encourage them to come near the shore. Watch a video of the sharks at the link. Link -via Dave Barry

Johnny Depp Will Star As Dr. Seuss Posted: 09 Oct 2011 01:25 PM PDT Do you love Johnny Depp movies? Do you love Dr. Seuss? Well then, I assume you’ll be lining up to go see the new Seuss biopic being produced by Mr. Depp that will also star -Johnny Depp. Personally, while I love the actor and the writer, I just don’t see Johnny’s eccentric character acting style working for Dr. Seuss. What do you guys think? Link Via Vulture

10 Expensive Celebrity Body Parts Posted: 09 Oct 2011 01:20 PM PDT You probably already know that a lot of celebrities are vain, but it’s hard to tell just how self-obsessed some people are until you learn how much they are willing to insure their own bod parts for. Maria Carey, for example, has her legs insured for $1 billion dollars. I’ve always wondered though if an insured celebrity gets fat, does that enable them to collect insurance money? Link

How U.S. Cities Stack Up To Other Countries Posted: 09 Oct 2011 01:14 PM PDT Have you ever wondered how your city’s economy would compare to a small country? Well, if you happen to live in one of America’s larger cities, you can now find out thanks to this fascinating article on The Atlantic. Take LA for example: With a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of $737.9 billion, the LA metro’s economy is bigger than Turkey’s ($732.2) and slightly smaller than the Netherlands’ ($782.3) — the equivalent of the 18th largest nation in the world. If your city isn’t listed, where do you think it might fit in? Link

Dessert Disguised As Breakfast Posted: 09 Oct 2011 01:08 PM PDT Fans of traditional English breakfasts can certainly appreciate just how delicious this one looks. There’s just one problem -this is actually an elaborately disguised dessert platter. The beans are white chocolate coated biscuits in an orange and strawberry coulis, the black pudding is chocolate biscuit cake, the sausages are peanut butter coated sponge wrapped in caramelised rice paper, the egg is a creamy panna cotta with lemon curd, the streaky bacon is brandy snap and the hash browns are crispy fried brioche pieces. What do you think? Yummy or just plain icky? Link Via Craftzine

Messed Up Ticket Leads To Big Winnings Posted: 09 Oct 2011 01:04 PM PDT Usually, clerk errors are not good things. Even if it is an error in our favor, the best we can hope for is a free grocery item turning up in our bag. But for one woman in Georgia, a clerk’s error ended up resulting in a $25 million winning lottery ticket. That’s because she asked for a Mega Millions ticket, but the clerk gave her a Powerball ticket with the same numbers. Luckily, the woman decided not to return the ticket and ended up becoming the state’s newest millionaire. Link Via Consumerist Image Via doncav [Flickr]

The Bank of Fat Posted: 09 Oct 2011 12:52 PM PDT Got liposuction? Don't just throw away the fat ... you may need it later! Giving new meaning to the phrase recycle, repurpose, reuse, a Seminole County plastic surgeon is opening a fat bank Friday so patients who have fat removed during liposuction can store it for future use. Cosmetic surgeons who perform fat-transfer procedures typically transfer the patient's fat immediately after removing it through liposuction, often within the hour. Common sites for the transferred fat are the face and breasts. Having their fat in the bank would allow patients to draw on it later, when they want to plump up body parts that have succumbed to age, said Dr. Jeffrey Hartog, whose new Liquid Gold center is next to his cosmetic-surgery clinic. "I will present it as an option to any patient having liposuction," he said. Can I get an "eewww," Neatoramanauts? Link

Rider on the Storm Posted: 09 Oct 2011 09:36 AM PDT In 1959, Marine Corps pilot William Rankin was cruising at nine miles above the earth in an F-8 Crusader combat jet when something went wrong and he had to eject. Between him and the ground was a big, black storm. After falling through damp darkness for an interminable time, Rankin began to grow concerned that the automatic switch on his parachute had malfunctioned. He felt certain that he had been descending for several minutes, though he was aware that one's sense of time is a fickle thing under such distracting circumstances. He fingered the rip cord anxiously, wondering whether to give it a yank. He'd lost all feeling in his left hand, and his other limbs weren't faring much better. It was then that he felt a sharp and familiar upward tug on his harness–his parachute had deployed. It was too dark to see the chute's canopy above him, but he tugged on the risers and concluded that it had indeed inflated properly. This was a welcome reprieve from the wet-and-windy free-fall. Unfortunately for the impaired pilot, he was nowhere near the 10,000 foot altitude he expected. Strong updrafts in the cell had decreased his terminal velocity substantially, and the volatile storm had triggered his barometric parachute switch prematurely. Bill Rankin was still far from the earth, and he was now dangling helplessly in the belly of an oblivious monstrosity. A cumulonimbus "anvil" cloud."I'd see lightning," Rankin would later muse, "Boy, do I remember that lightning. I never exactly heard the thunder; I felt it." Amidst the electrical spectacle, the storm's capricious winds pressed Rankin downward until he encountered the powerful updrafts—the same updrafts that keep hailstones aloft as they accumulate ice–which dragged him and his chute thousands of feet back up into the storm. This dangerous effect is familiar to paragliding enthusiasts, who unaffectionately refer to it as cloud suck. At the apex Rankin caught up with his parachute, causing it to drape over him like a wet blanket and stir worries that he would become entangled with it and drop from the sky at a truly terminal velocity. Again he fell, and again the updrafts yanked him skyward in the darkness. He lost count of how many times this up-and-down cycle repeated. "At one point I got seasick and heaved," he once retold. After that, it gets interesting. Damn Interesting, in fact, which is where you can read the whole story. Link

Horton Hears The Call of Cthulhu Posted: 09 Oct 2011 09:32 AM PDT Before your little tyke rolls his first insanity check, he needs to know what he’s getting into. Thankfully, Dr. Seuss (or deviantART user DrFaustusAU) made a shortened version of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu” for younger minds. Link -via Fanboy Check out our Cthulhu products at the NeatoShop!

Space Farm 7 Posted: 09 Oct 2011 09:26 AM PDT Seven farms across the country are sporting NASA-themed corn mazes this year, as part of NASA’s Space Farm 7 project. It’s an educational project, as these farms host fall festivals open to the public, and a celebration of NASA’s achievements over the past 50 years. You can even vote on your favorite maze, and be entered to win lunch with an astronaut. The maze shown is at Dewberry Farm in Brookshire, Texas. See them all at Universe Today. Link -via Metafilter (Image credit: The MAIZE Inc.)

What a Bargain! Posted: 09 Oct 2011 09:24 AM PDT I’ll take two! This was on Neatorama’s Facebook page. Link

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