Neatorama

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• Why Do Nerds So Often Wear Glasses?
• You Can Finally Rock Out With Skyrim
• Are You Ready For A Party Down Movie?
• Exterminate Your Waistline With Dalek Oreos
• The World’s Best Trained Chinchilla
• You Can Help Develop Dungeons And Dragons 5th Edition
• Vampire Magnetic Poetry
• Revolutionary New Beauty Treatment: Fotoshop by Adobé
• Beneath Your Feet
• LEGO Superman Actually Scrolls across the TV Sreen
• TARDIS Purse
• The X-Men Go Clubbing
• Papercraft Industrial Burger
• Imagine a World Where Comic Sans Is the Only Typeface
• Myanmar Snub-nosed Monkeys Photographed Alive
• See-Saw Table
• Massive Model Of Starship Serenity Discovered In Warehouse
• Optillusions
• Cat Caught in Car
• Bathtime for Baby Sloths
• Plant Eats Worms Underground
• Flash Finger Painting
• 6 Small Math Errors That Caused Huge Disasters
• The 30 Best Taco-Related Crimes Ever
• Carrot Crazy
• Angry Chef Towel Stand

Why Do Nerds So Often Wear Glasses? Posted: 11 Jan 2012 05:03 AM PST Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website. Why do nerds so often wear glasses? This is an interesting question, and obviously it has a significance in my own life and career. The word “nerd” was actually coined by my favorite fiction writer, the great Dr. Seuss. In 1950, in Dr. Seuss’s book If I Ran the Zoo, Seuss drew a non-human creature called a ‘nerd” from the land of Ka-roo. This is the first instance of the word “nerd” in print. Some theorists believe the word started at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the 1940s. The students who liked to party there were called “drunks” and the quieter, less-inclined-to-party types were labeled “knurds.” See, “drunk” spelled backwards is “knurd,” the precursor to the modern “nerd.” In 1957, in Glasgow, Scotland, “nerd” was first defined as “square.” Motion pictures, the most powerful medium of communication in human history (before television) had, of course, a huge impact on the lives of almost everyone on earth. The “nerd” in movie history has not, to my knowledge, ever been fully written. As far as I can determine, the first nerd in movie history was the popular silent comedian Harold Lloyd. Lloyd played a weak, underdog type of comedic character, one bullied by men and ignored by women. But in the end, he would triumph and inevitably get the girl of his dreams. The Lloyd character wore trademark glasses. In fact, Lloyd always referred to his character as the “glasses” or “glass” character, much as Charlie Chaplin was “the Tramp.” After Lloyd, the nerd character was on the shelf for many years in movies -with sporadic exceptions. Ironically, Cary Grant, perhaps the most dapper actor in movie history, donned glasses and played a nerd character in 1938′s classic comedy Bringing Up Baby. In the 1950s and ’60s, the great Jerry Lewis often played a nerd-type character in his wonderful comedies. Once in a while, Jerry would wear glasses in his films, notably The Nutty Professor and The Ladies Man. One of his early films with Dean Martin (That’s My Boy) Jerry played a classic glasses-wearing nerd. Jerry as “Junior Jackson” is a shy, clumsy nerd who is trained to be a football player by the handsome, popular Dean Martin. Lewis almost always played a semi-nerd, but it was always a bit of a very cool nerd with Jerry Lewis. While Jerry was always a dumb klutz in his films, he always danced gracefully and also, Jerry was a relatively good-looking fellow, unlike most nerds (or comedians) in comedies. And of course, Jerry did not usually wear glasses. But the movies next classic nerd did. Woody Allen made his movie debut in 1965 in the smash hit What’s New, Pussycat? Allen, besides being Lewis’ successor as the next great movie comedian, also took over the crown as “movies’ next great nerd.” By the late 1970s, Allen had stopped playing a nerd in hilarious comedies and took his bespectacled character into more serious films. In 1972, in a homage to the film Bringing Up Baby, Ryan O’Neal dons glasses and plays a nerd character in What’s Up, Doc?, one of the last great screwball comedies (and the only Barbra Streisand film I ever liked). It was in the wonderful classic American Graffiti (1973) that Charles Martin Smith played a 1950s-type nerd character named “Toad.” Smith was wonderful and his portrayal was the first modern movie “nerd.” Smith’s brilliant portrayal set the standard for the modern nerd as we all know him -glasses, pocket protector, unkempt hair, etc. About five years later, after a fallow “no nerd” period in the mid-1970s, I started playing the nerd character as my one and only character. I may be a lot of things, but a versatile actor is not one of them. Maybe because I grew up worshiping the great comedians: Chaplin, Buster Keaton, The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, Dean and Jerry, Laurel and Hardy, et. al., I early on decided that I would only ever play one character. These classic comedians always played just one basic character. I just did a slight variation on the person I am in real life. I was always the offbeat character, never a handsome guy, never a great athlete, never a ladies’ man. But I was always a relatively funny guy; I always enjoyed making people laugh. I wore glasses naturally and because I was skinny and had scoliosis (my spine is curved), I always moved in a comic way.   (YouTube link) I started churning out films -mostly B-movies, but a few good ones. Grease is the standout, although ironically Grease is actually the movie I have the smallest role in. I started playing the squeaky-voiced, spastic, clumsy nerd character and soon, a lot of nerd movie (and TV) characters followed. Okay, enough of my autobiography. Nerds quickly spread like wildfire in many movies, A-movies and B-movies alike. The nerd character was frequently featured in 1980s low-budget films, and it became a standard movie “type,” much like the “jock,” the “spoiled rich kid,” the “dumb blonde.” the “best friend,” and the “gay guy.” In 1984, the nerd in movies reached its peak in Revenge of the Nerds, a comedy classic. The last truly great nerd character was in one of my all-time favorite films Superbad (2007). Christopher Mintz-Plasse as “Fogel” creates a hilarious nerd character and almost steals this excellent movie, except for the fact that the entire cast is great. Okay, enough movie history- Why do nerds so often wear glasses? I have always had three theories about this… 1. The nerd is always an outsider. Glasses immediately make a person appear different. In a random group of ten men (or ten women), if one person in that group is wearing glasses, he or she is very easily identifiable. In a quick glance at any group, a person wearing glasses is immediately seen as somehow looking different. The ‘different one” in almost any group is the one who is laughed at, and put at a distance from the other, more “normal” group members. 2. Glasses symbolize weakness or a low confront. The nerd is thought to be a not very strong character. Let’s face it, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, etc. would not wear glasses in their movie roles. Neither would James Bond or Rambo. Superman wore no glasses. Clark Kent did. Whereas Superman could and would confront anything, Clark Kent would inevitably run away. The typical guy hero can face evil or villains or tough situations. Glasses symbolize a type of low confront or non-confront. Where a typical guy hero has a “high confront” of life, a guy wearing glasses apparently has a “low confront” level. There is also something inherently funny about a guy who is in fear. It is worth noting that almost every great comedian in movie history had a cowardly side: from Bob Hope to Jerry Lewis to the Three Stooges to Laurel and Hardy to Don Knotts to Abbot and Costello. Pretty much every great comedian has been in a haunted house and ran away scared and screaming from ghosts or whatever. The sight of a man running away in fear is just naturally comical. The nerd wearing glasses appears to be a “low confront” guy. 3. Glasses symbolize sexual unattractiveness. This generally seems to hold true for both men and women. Remember Dorothy Parker’s famous quote: “Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses.” The nerd is thought to be sexually unattractive and thus wears glasses. Interestingly, I have never though this about women or girls. On the contrary, I have always been very attracted to girls and women who wear glasses. I never thought they lessened a woman’s attractiveness. Miss C says: Glasses may designate a nerd character, but we aren't really fooled.

You Can Finally Rock Out With Skyrim Posted: 11 Jan 2012 12:34 AM PST Tired of playing Skyrim on your console and want to instead play mandolin while living out your dreams as the Dragonborn? Then you’d better head over to TT Guitars on Etsy to get your own Skyrim electric mandolin. Of course, if you prefer bass or guitar, you can always try those as well, but somehow mandolin seems more appropriate for Skyrim. Link Via Geekosystem

Are You Ready For A Party Down Movie? Posted: 11 Jan 2012 12:17 AM PST Everyone is still buzzing about the news that the Arrested Development movie is finally in the works  after years of discussion, but in the aftermath of that bomb, it was easy to miss the news about another cult classic show becoming a movie as well. While not as many people are familiar with Party Down, it’s a great show that’s certain to result in a hilarious movie. Are you guys familiar with the show, and if so, are you excited about the movie? Link Via Geekosystem

Exterminate Your Waistline With Dalek Oreos Posted: 11 Jan 2012 12:06 AM PST Not only are these Dalek Oreos simply adorable, they also look absolutely delicious, made with Devil’s food cake balls on top of an already tasty chocolate cookie. Link

The World’s Best Trained Chinchilla Posted: 10 Jan 2012 11:59 PM PST (Video Link) As a proud chinchilla owner, I can tell you, it’s hard enough to socialize them, let alone train them. That’s why this video is just so darn impressive -aside from how adorable the little guy is on his own.

You Can Help Develop Dungeons And Dragons 5th Edition Posted: 10 Jan 2012 09:56 PM PST What do old school tabletop gamers, people who have recently discovered pen and paper roleplaying games, and those who are sick of paying a monthly fee for their MMO and/or want to actually see their fellow players sitting across from them have in common? Wizards of the Coast want you to help them develop the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons. Straight from the dragon’s mouth: Liz Schuh, head of publishing and licensing for Dungeons & Dragons spoke with the New York Times about their new venture. The game "is a unique entertainment experience because it's crafted by the players at the table, and every gaming session is different,' said Schuh. "We want to take that idea of the players crafting that experience to the next level and say: 'Help us craft the rules. Help us craft how this game is played.'" I am an avid tabletop gamer, and I’ve been playing games like Dungeons and Dragons since the eighties, so I can see how player input could be invaluable to the process of creating a new edition of their game. But is it really necessary to keep updating the game, when preexisting rules can be adapted? What do you guys think — is this a necessary update, or a Kraken sized advertising campaign? Link  –via The Mary Sue

Vampire Magnetic Poetry Posted: 10 Jan 2012 07:35 PM PST Vampire Poetry | $11.95 A modern poetry kit that gives you all the words and none of the work! The Vampire Magnetic Poetry Kit from the NeatoShop has 200 blood-sucking word magnets you can combine over and over again! It’s “a box of words that go for the throat.” Great for any vampire fan, sparkly or not, and for anyone who likes to leave a message in style. Also see the other magnetic poetry kits in the NeatoShop! Link

Revolutionary New Beauty Treatment: Fotoshop by Adobé Posted: 10 Jan 2012 07:01 PM PST (Video Link) “This commercial isn’t real, neither are society’s standards of beauty.” Wait, that‘s not a real picture? Apparently not. Filmmaker Jesse Rosten critiques the beauty publishing industry in this video. Hard. -via Larry Saunders | Rosten’s Website

Beneath Your Feet Posted: 10 Jan 2012 06:15 PM PST For this striking work, Korean artist Do-Ho Suh placed thousands of tiny human figures below a sheet of glass. They support the weight of visitors who walk through the Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York City. This exhibit will be on display through February 11. Link | Gallery Website | Photo: Lehmann Maupin Gallery Previously by This Artist: A Fabric Home

LEGO Superman Actually Scrolls across the TV Sreen Posted: 10 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST How did Rod Gillies accomplish this feat? He used LEGO bulldozer treads to operate the scrolling skyline. They alternate between one and two-brick widths to give the assembly flexibility. Link -via Make

TARDIS Purse Posted: 10 Jan 2012 05:50 PM PST We’ve previously seen a TARDIS purse made of duct tape, but this one is a professionally-made, durable polyester fake leather purse. Officially, its dimensions are 28 x 16 x 16 cm, but…. It’s made by Etsy seller Mochi Hernandez. At $250 a piece, they’re pricey, so you may prefer a TARDIS cookie jar instead. Link -via Fashionably Geek

The X-Men Go Clubbing Posted: 10 Jan 2012 05:40 PM PST Cyclops won’t have to wait at the door. He and his friends are the hippest mutants at this club. View more images of their adventures by Kevin Wada and Max Wittert at the links. Link and Link -via The Mary Sue

Papercraft Industrial Burger Posted: 10 Jan 2012 05:34 PM PST The latest issue of Icon magazine looks at the future of food production, including the application of modern design principles to food and the use of home 3D printing for culinary purposes. The cover image is a photo of this papercraft hamburger made by Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmermann. It appears to have gone through a delicious amount of industrial processing. Link -via Colossal | Previously by this artist: Papercraft Game Boy

Imagine a World Where Comic Sans Is the Only Typeface Posted: 10 Jan 2012 05:22 PM PST They are comic sans supporters. They are legion. They do not forgive. They do not use Helvetica. Word by word, icon by icon, they’re changing typography. Goudy preserve us. Link -via Brian J. Noggle Previously: Comic Sans Gets Dissed The History of Comic Sans

Myanmar Snub-nosed Monkeys Photographed Alive Posted: 10 Jan 2012 05:06 PM PST In 2010, scientists announced the discovery of a new primate species, the Myanmar Snub-nosed Monkey, which we posted here. At the time, the only known specimen was a carcass. Now, photographs of a group of these monkeys have been taken with a camera trap in the mountains of Kachin state in Burma. Researchers are especially excited to see that this critically endangered species is producing babies. Link -via Geekosystem (Image credit: FFI/BANCA/PRCF)

See-Saw Table Posted: 10 Jan 2012 04:54 PM PST If your blind date ends suddenly, then you might as well leave anyway. Marleen Jansen’s table just expedites the process. Link -via That’s Nerdalicious! | Designer’s Website

Massive Model Of Starship Serenity Discovered In Warehouse Posted: 10 Jan 2012 03:56 PM PST This amazingly large, and incredibly detailed, production model of the starship Serenity from the scifi tv show Firefly was recently unearthed in a Universal Archives warehouse. Like many models used in production, it was resigned to a shadowy fate once the show wrapped up production, and many thought it ended up in a trash bin somewhere. Here’s more info on why this was such a significant find: About three months ago, while getting a very rare tour of the Universal archives, we came across something tucked into a corner and covered in plastic that made our hearts skip a beat: a highly-detailed 12-foot-long filming model of the Reaverized Serenity. We could hardly believe what we were seeing! As many Browncoats know, there has been a rumor around for years that a filming miniature used for the crash scene on Mr. Universe’s planet. But that rumor was either denied as either being totally false, or that the miniature used was a simple styrofoam model. As you can see from the picture below, it does exist and is about as far from a “simple” model as you could imagine. With such high production quality standards, it’s no wonder Firefly still looks fresh to this day. If only the fan appreciation factor was enough to put Firefly back on the air…. *sigh* Link

Optillusions Posted: 10 Jan 2012 03:54 PM PST This staircase makes four 90-degree turns, yet forms a continuous loop that would not be possible in the real world. Optillusions is a blog with more illusions like this. Pretty dumb, yes, but good for a laugh. And each post is handy for sending your annoying relative who forwards things to you constantly. Link -via Metafilter

Cat Caught in Car Posted: 10 Jan 2012 03:52 PM PST A driver in Sacramento, California, had trouble getting his car started. He heard a funny noise coming from the engine and found a cat tangled in the motor belts. Firefighters cut through the belts and were able to free the cat, which was severely injured with several deep cuts. The cat was taken to the Sacramento Cat Hospital in Carmichael, where life-saving surgery was performed. The cat, nicknamed Blaze, will be put up for adoption when she recovers in a couple of weeks. Link -via Fark (Image credit: Sacramento Metro Fire Department)

Bathtime for Baby Sloths Posted: 10 Jan 2012 11:22 AM PST (YouTube link) Animal Planet shows how baby sloths get a bath. Then they hang them out to dry! The babies would rather just stay dirty, but they are rewarded with a treat. -via Arbroath

Plant Eats Worms Underground Posted: 10 Jan 2012 11:11 AM PST You’ve read about plants that eat animals, like the Venus Flytrap and the Pitcher Plant. Philcoxia does it, too, but you can’t see it, because this Brazilian plant works underground, using sticky leaves that grow under the soil. Researchers Caio Pereira and Peter Fritsch have been studying how Philcoxia gets its nutrients. In 2007, Peter Fritsch found a possible answer. He noticed nematode worms stuck to the underground leaves, and reasoned that the plant was trapping and digesting them. Pereira, working with Fritsch, has now confirmed this hypothesis. He found that Philcoxia's underground leaves are littered with the bodies of dead nematodes. To check that the deaths aren't coincidental, Pereira bred nematodes so that their bodies were full of nitrogen-15 – a rare and heavier-than-usual version of the element. He then "fed" the nematodes to Philcoxia. Two days later, Pereira found that 15 percent of the nitrogen-15 in the worms has been incorporated into the plant's leaves. It was clear proof that Philcoxia was digesting the nematodes and absorbing the remains into their bodies. Many meat-eating plants digest their prey with high concentrations of enzymes called phosphatases. Philcoxia does so too. Pereira found loads of the enzymes on Philcoxia's leaves, which means that the plants are probably digesting the nematodes directly. Read more at Not Exactly Rocket Science. Link

Flash Finger Painting Posted: 10 Jan 2012 10:03 AM PST (YouTube link) Fabian Gaete Maureira is an artist in Santiago, Chile. Here he demonstrates his fast finger painting technique for people on the street. See more of Maureira’s work at his site. Link -via reddit

6 Small Math Errors That Caused Huge Disasters Posted: 10 Jan 2012 09:26 AM PST If you ever wondered why it is so important to be exact in math, particularly in engineering math, then take a look at cases in which a math error resulted in deaths. Remember the Hyatt Regency disaster in Kansas City some 30 years ago? When designing their newest hotel to be built in downtown Kansas City, the fine people at Hyatt Regency wanted all the bells and whistles in it. The architectural firm in charge of the building design came up with a series of aerial walkways suspended from the ceiling so that guests could people-watch from a heightened vantage point. All in all, it was a pretty nifty feature. Until it suddenly collapsed and killed more than a hundred people. Now they know what design flaw caused it, and my mouth dropped open to see how simple it was. Read the rest of the story and others at Cracked. Link -via Digg

The 30 Best Taco-Related Crimes Ever Posted: 10 Jan 2012 09:11 AM PST People who write for the internet will  make a list out of anything. That said, I wish I had thought of this one first! It appears that tacos make people go crazy and commit crimes. They throw tacos, get in fights over tacos, complain about tacos, steal tacos, and smuggle things in tacos. Buzzfeed has thirty, count ‘em, 30 examples. Link

Carrot Crazy Posted: 10 Jan 2012 08:59 AM PST (vimeo link) No cartoon bunnies were harmed in the making of this violent cartoon by Dylan Vanwormer and Logan Scelina. Carrot Crazy was their senior thesis film at Ringling College of Art and Design. -via the Presurfer

Angry Chef Towel Stand Posted: 10 Jan 2012 08:28 AM PST Angry Chef Towel Stand – $29.95 Are you looking for the perfect gift for your favorite temperamental chef? You need the Angry Chef Towel Stand from the NeatoShop. This hilarious paper towel stand looks like a knife stabbed into a cutting board. Warning: Please make sure the chef you give this to actually has a sense of humor. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fantastic Kitchen Stuff. Link

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