Neatorama

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• 17 Great Geeky Hats For National Hat Day
• Miss Piggy Meets Her New Beau In Outer Space
• Too Lazy To Walk? Then Get Some Motorized Shoes!
• Amazing Toy Mod Sculptures By Stephen Ives
• Diorama Book Carvings
• Cling to Our Calvinball Advantage
• Paintings in Wine
• World’s Smallest Frog
• Cinder Block + Rebar + Wood Plank = Toaster
• Lonely Droids with Breaking Hearts
• Hilarious Response to Cease and Desist Letter
• The Page Turner
• The Garden Plate
• James Bond Film Titles in Pictograms
• 1900s Future Gazing
• Cute Vintage Ice Cream Trucks
• Temporal Cloak
• Buying Bread
• Wedding Speeches
• Man Rescued from Sewer Faces More Trouble
• I Love Nerds Beanie

17 Great Geeky Hats For National Hat Day Posted: 12 Jan 2012 05:17 AM PST January is filled with weird holidays, from Run Up The Flag Pole and See if Anyone Salutes Day (January 2) to Play God Day (January 9) to Measure Your Feet Day (January 23), but of all the strange holidays this month, perhaps one of the most fun is National Hat Day on the 15th. While there are plenty of fun ways to celebrate this holiday, there's perhaps no better way for our Neatorama readers to celebrate with a great geek hat like one of these. Knitted/Crocheted Unsurprisingly, many of the best geek hats are custom made and, since many nerds also enjoy crafting, the majority of great geek hats you'll find are knitted or crocheted. Nerd Domo As if any crochet Domo hat weren't nerdy enough, Etsy seller littlepopos opted to make Domo in his excellent nerd incarnation, complete with tape on his glasses. Skyrim What better way to play your role as the Dovahkiin than to wear this delightful crochet steel helm based on the in-game icon by Etsy seller CreativeExcess. If you don't want to fork over the money to get your own completed hat, you can always buy the pattern for $5, which is sort of a real-world version of forging your own helmet. Pikachu Pika-Pika-Pika-Hat! Why catch them all when you can get the cutest Pokemon hat from Etsy seller littlepopos? Flying Spaghetti Monster Are you a Pastafarian? Then show off your faith with this great Flying Spaghetti Monster beanie by Etsy seller atemptingmorsel. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Sometimes scarfing pizza and fighting crime with sweet marshal arts skills in winter can be way too chilly for the average head to handle. Fortunately, now you can stay warm in the style of your inspiration with these great TMNT caps by Etsy seller charmed come complete with matching masks in your choice of colors. Cthulhu Skiing Lovecraft lovers rejoice, you can finally hit the slopes in style thanks to Etsy seller CraftyPA's Cthulhu ski hat. Lest you worry about being able to consume food or beverage while keeping your head warm in such fashion, don't worry, there's a mouth hole under the tentacles. Fleece If you don't like yarn-ridden beanies though, perhaps you'd prefer one of these great geeky fleece hats. Cthulhu Yes, the great lord Cthulhu comes in all forms. For those who don't like ski masks, perhaps a fleece monster on your head will be more comfortable. If that's the case, head over to Etsy seller GrapeVineFires and grab your own evil headgear. R2D2 Of course, those who prefer the myths of The Force will find themselves much more comfortable in this great R2D2 beanie by Etsy seller EnchantedCraft. If you buy one though, be prepared to be harassed into beeping all of your conversations every time you wear your new hat. Angry Birds Our Angry Birds Laplander hat is out of stock, but it's certainly a cute addition to any hat collection and I'm sure that if enough of you request to be notified when the item is back in stock –Alex will make sure to order more as fast as he can. Baseball Hats These days, baseball caps are undoubtedly the most popular form of headgear around. For those who prefer to maintain a classic American style, these hats are sure to please. Space Invaders No word on where Flickr user mmoroca found this delightful Space Invaders hat, but if you happen to know where to buy one, please let us know in the comments as I'm sure many readers would love to have their own classic gaming hat. w00t Whether you're a fan of the online shopping site or just like to use the expression to exclaim your joy, this w00t hat by Etsy seller ThreadFed is perfect for anyone who spends a lot of time online. Like Do you love Facebook? Well then, share your "like" with the world with this great like button hat by Etsy seller ThreadFed. Beast of Arrrggghhh To be fair, this one might not really look like a traditional baseball cap, but under all the eyes and horns great Monty Python plush is a classic, and comfortable, billed hat. Wild & Weird Don't think for a second that geek hats are limited to the standard styles of beanies and baseball caps. Here are a few wonderfully weird options for those of you who really want your hats to make a statement. Tim the Enchanter For those who prefer to play as wizards rather than as monsters, this Tim the Enchanter hat should help you along your way, even if it might not be the most effective path of magical learning. Sorting Hat While it might not be the weirdest hat on this list, it's undoubtedly one of the most geeky. After all, only a true nerd will appreciate the true value of an authentic Sorting Hat, particularly one purchased from the always wonderful Neatoshop. Brain Whether you're setting up a trap to attract zombies or you just want to creep out those with an aversion to gore, this delightful brain cap is a great hat for any horror fan. Best of all, it's the only one on this list that can be made at home using items you likely already have around the house. Tesla Coil (Video Link) If you really want to get weird with your hat though, you could always follow these directions to make your own Tesla Coil hat that happens to play the theme song to Mortal Kombat. Sure it's incredibly dangerous, but isn't that half the point? Do any of you have any great geeky hats? Will you be celebrating National Hat Day this year? Personally, I'll be wearing one of my many vintage hats, it's not really geeky, but I almost never wear them, so a holiday is a great excuse to do so.

Miss Piggy Meets Her New Beau In Outer Space Posted: 11 Jan 2012 11:32 PM PST This unlikely romance actually makes a lot of sense when you think about it-they’re both prone to violent fits of rage, he is more swine-like than Kermit will ever be, and they both enjoy spending time touring the stars in spaceships. This adorable fan made illustration comes to us courtesy of DeviantArtitst Loopydave, and I think it would make a great poster for all the fans who love both the Muppets and Star Wars. Link  –via The Mary Sue

Too Lazy To Walk? Then Get Some Motorized Shoes! Posted: 11 Jan 2012 10:38 PM PST In today’s fast paced world, sometimes we aren’t walking fast enough to keep up with everyone else, or we simply don’t have to energy to walk but still have places to go. That’s where the spnKiX come in-they’re motorized shoes which are operated via remote control, and can race along at speeds up to 10 mph. And, all kidding aside, they look like a lot of fun to roll around in, if your bones mend easily and/or you have really good health insurance. They’re like Heelys 2.0, but the first batch is sorely lacking in many ways-way too expensive (over $600/pr.), battery that can only go about 3 miles before it needs to be recharged for a whopping 3 hours, and a design that can only support up to 180 lbs. But think of the effect motorized shoes will have on the future-drunks being wheeled home via remote control, dance crews wheeling about the city streets battling until their batteries run out, and roving packs of tweens trying not to get beat up by skateboarders while still looking cooler than rollerbladers. Link

Amazing Toy Mod Sculptures By Stephen Ives Posted: 11 Jan 2012 10:34 PM PST These awesome sculptures are obviously inspired by toys, yet their style and subject matter would be lost on children. From a Kim Jong-Il potato head to a Virgin Mary shaped jet, Stephen Ives celebrates childhood in a decidedly adult manner. Some look like toy mods, others are sculptures which are styled after plastic toys, and all have a unique style that is playful with serious undertones. The only thing I don’t like about these sculptures is the fact that they haven’t been made into vinyl toy versions, because I want them all for my collection! Link  –via Super Punch

Diorama Book Carvings Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:08 PM PST We’ve seen book landscapes before, but there’s so much potential for the concept behind Kyle Kirkpatrick’s carved book dioramas. Imagine a gripping scene from your favorite novel carved into a copy of it. Which scene and which novel would you choose? Link -via Colossal

Cling to Our Calvinball Advantage Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:40 PM PST Randall Munroe of xkcd reminds us that we humans are gradually losing our competitive advantage with computers. Our only hope is look at Calvinball as not only a game, but a way of life. Link -via Nerd Bastards

Paintings in Wine Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:27 PM PST Elisabetta Rogai isn’t the first painter to use wine, but she may be the first to make it work. The challenge is that the color of wine changes over time, sometimes in unplanned and unpleasant ways. But Rogai found that adding flour to the wine helped and has been using the mixture ever since. View more of her paintings at the link. Link -via Bit Rebels | Artist’s Website | Photo: Marco Gemelli

World’s Smallest Frog Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:17 PM PST A newly-discovered frog, Paedophryne amauensis, is not only the smallest frog species, but the smallest vertebrate ever found. The frogs were found in the rain forest of Papua New Guinea, living among fallen leaves. They are 7 millimeters long, about a quarter of an inch. They are well camouflaged among leaves on the forest floor, and have evolved calls resembling those of insects, making them hard to spot. “The New Guinea forests are incredibly loud at night; and we were trying to record frog calls in the forest, and we were curious as to what these other sounds were,” said research leader Chris Austin from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, US. “So we triangulated to where these calls were coming from, and looked through the leaf litter. “It was night, these things are incredibly small; so what we did after several frustrating attempts was to grab a whole handful of leaf litter and throw it inside a clear plastic bag. “When we did so, we saw these incredibly tiny frogs hopping around,” he told BBC News. The frog pictured is sitting on a dime. Link -via Fark (Image credit: Rittmeyer et al)

Cinder Block + Rebar + Wood Plank = Toaster Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:15 PM PST Adi Zaffran’s design is simple but elegant. It’s probably dangerous, too. But if you want to create a functional toaster using as few parts as possible, this would be the way to do it. Link -via Gizmodo | Zaffran’s Website

Lonely Droids with Breaking Hearts Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:02 PM PST Are you just looking for love and it seems to be hiding from you? This Viper probe droid knows how you feel. Chris Gerringer created eight prints illustrating the frustrations of mechanical love for the droids from Star Wars. Link -via Nerd Approved

Hilarious Response to Cease and Desist Letter Posted: 11 Jan 2012 05:49 PM PST The Freetail Brewing Co. of San Antonio, Texas discovered that the name of one of its beers was claimed by another company. It learned this fact when it received a threatening letter from the attorney of that company. The brewers decided that fighting the issue wasn’t worth the trouble, but wanted to have a bit of fun with their response. Pictured above is a screenshot of part of the letter, which can be found at the link. Much to Metzger’s credit, even though he didn’t go to law school, he knew about the advantage of sending a copy to the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Link and Company Website -via TigerHawk | Above image has been edited for space

The Page Turner Posted: 11 Jan 2012 03:59 PM PST (YouTube link) Joseph Herscher turns the page of his newspaper with flair. If you are a bit confused by some of the steps, they are all explained in an interactive graphic at the New York Times. Link -via Cynical-C

The Garden Plate Posted: 11 Jan 2012 02:39 PM PST Garden Plate | $14.95 Do you have a fussy eater on your hands?  Make meals fun again with the Garden Plate from the NeatoShop! This fabulous plate comes complete with ramps and breaks to separate food into groupings. And it’s decorated with tiny garden plants! It is specially designed to work with the Garden Utensil Set (sold separately). Dishwasher and microwave safe. Playing with your food just got a whole lot more fun! The Garden Plate is part of a wide selection of mealtime fun products in the NeatoShop. Link

James Bond Film Titles in Pictograms Posted: 11 Jan 2012 09:32 AM PST Bryan Lenning made a poster of pictograms for the titles of each James Bond film. It was selected as one of the winners of a James Bond art contest at Superpunch. Go see the rest of the winners! Link -via Laughing Squid

1900s Future Gazing Posted: 11 Jan 2012 08:10 AM PST In an issue of Ladies Home Journal published in 1900, an author made predictions of what the world would be like in the year 2000. Surprisingly, many of them were spot-on. Open fires and chimneys will be replaced by home heating and air conditioning systems, with hot or cold air at the turn of a "spigot" (faucet or tap.) Stores will buy food ingredients in bulk and prepare ready-cooked meals at cheap prices which people can reheat at home. Customers will also be able to get meals delivered by automobile. (That said, Watkins also suggested food could be delivered to homes via pneumatic tubes, and that customers would send back the crockery and cutlery when they finished eating.) Color photos will be sent around the world, with images shot in China appearing in US newspapers within an hour. Read more at Geeks Are Sexy, where the predictions are sorted by whether they came true or were way off the mark. Link

Cute Vintage Ice Cream Trucks Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:53 AM PST Everyone loves to see the ice cream truck coming down the street! And in their heyday they were designed to be pleasant -even if they are only pleasant memories. Dark Roasted Blend has a collection of spiffy ice cream trucks (and ice cream bicycles) for your perusal. Link (Image credit: Mr. Whippy)

Temporal Cloak Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:31 AM PST While some scientists are working on an invisibility cloak to hide things, Cornell postdoctoral researcher Moti Fridman and his colleagues have been working on a “temporal cloak,” to hide events in time. A physical object or even another beam of light in the laser beam's path could create a change in the laser light that the detector would register. But with some clever optics, Fridman and his colleagues were able to open up a brief time gap in the beam and then close it back up as if the beam had gone undisturbed, and such that the detector did not register the interruption. The gap allows anything that would have otherwise affected the beam to instead slip right through [see animation below], leaving no trace for the detector to pick up. The events that can slip through the cloak have to be very fast: the gap is only 50 trillionths of a second. The video at the link explains the process much more clearly. Link -via Monkeyfilter

Buying Bread Posted: 11 Jan 2012 07:15 AM PST It appears that redditor infeKteDx never paid attention to any grocery shopping his family did. Now he is on his own and is totally overwhelmed by the simple task of purchasing bread. The resulting thread is priceless, with suggestions like calling his mom to find out what bread to buy, plus recommendations for different breads to try. Link No matter how much you teach a child, there is something that will surprise him when he is on his own. For example, you can teach a teenager to drive safely, but if he never paid attention to how roads are laid out, he’ll never find his way home. The first day I was in my college laundry room, I met two girls who had no idea how to wash their clothes because they had never done it. Is there something that you never happened to learn from your family that surprised you when you left home?

Wedding Speeches Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:53 AM PST Now that you know what is expected of you, you’ll be able to prepare that little talk for your friend’s upcoming wedding. Another gem from The Doghouse Diaries. Link -via Blame It On The Voices

Man Rescued from Sewer Faces More Trouble Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:13 AM PST An unnamed man in the town of Montmélian, France, dropped his wallet into a sewer opening in a parking garage and went to retrieve it. He then became stuck, with his head in the pipe and his legs sticking out of the manhole. The man spent the entire night like that until a passer-by called emergency services in the morning. After he was rescued, police figured out what he was doing when it happened. Unfortunately for the man, there were yet more problems in store. Police also spotted that he had been siphoning off waste oil from his car into the sewer at the time. Disposing of waste oil in this way is an offence in France, with serious cases risking up to two years in prison and a fine of €76,000 ($97,000). The moral of the story: if you do something illegal, don’t get caught with your head in a sewer. Link -via Arbroath

I Love Nerds Beanie Posted: 11 Jan 2012 06:00 AM PST I Love Nerds Knit Beanie | $29.95 Let the world knew you love nerds with this rockin’ Nerd Beanie from the NeatoShop! Keeps your head warm and serves as an excellent icebreaker (pun intended) at the same time. These 100% handmade hats are made from 100% wool on the outside with 100% polyester lining, then there’s the button-and-felt decorations that tell everyone how you love nerds! Get yours while they last, and while you’re at the NeatoShop, check out the other nerd products you’ll also love. Link

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