Neatorama

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• Scientific Dining: Reviews of Research Institute Cafeterias (part one)
• Kermit And Miss Piggy Speak Out Against FOX News Report
• Bioshock Themed Craft Beer
• The Phantom Menace-Sweded Edition
• Oh My Gandhi! Multiple Mahatmas!
• Does Your Motorcycle Look Too Cool? Then Get The Boxx Bike!
• Ozzy The Amazingly Acrobatic Dog
• What Does Your Favorite Video Game Say About You?
• Can You Make Pizza In A Jar?
• Adventure Time For The Avengers
• Needle Felted Zombie Valentine’s Day Gifts
• Is This Bulldog The Next Maru?
• An Adorable Papercraft Nintendo Sculpture
• Ewok Inspired Treehouse Treesort
• Teaching High School Students to Work at Walmart
• Flying People in New York City
• OMG! Eye Test Chart PWN3D TV Station
• Double Rainbow Cupcakes
• Letter from an Ex-Slave to His Former Master
• Hitting Testicles (with Ultrasound Pulses) May Be an Effective Contraceptive
• Table vs. Step Ladder Wrestling Match
• The Pope’s Rifles
• When Your Brain is Out of Sync
• Rare Photos from the Dawn of Spaceflight
• Angry Birds Maker Embraces Piracy to Grow Fanbase
• Kitten Halftime Show
• Every Quarterback Who’s Won a Super Bowl
• Mornings with Marien
• 16 Of The Smartest Children In History
• Holy Mackerel!
• Ten Favorite Tracks from Video Game Soundtracks
• An Open Letter to Nickelodeon
• Tyrannosaurus Trying to Use His Little Arms
• Time Travel Movie Marathon
• Death of a Washing Machine
• The Pojman Pocket Protector Collection

Scientific Dining: Reviews of Research Institute Cafeterias (part one) Posted: 31 Jan 2012 04:49 AM PST A look at various dining facilities at scientific research centers, from a series first published in the Annals of Improbable Research. Blackford Hall Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories: Cold Spring Harbor, New York by Karen Hopkin, Biochemist and food critic The decor is stoic but pleasant in a dining hall that offers a spectacular view of the quaint and peaceful Cold Spring Harbor. With its informal ambiance, Blackford Hall draws a very faithful following. In fact, many diners return just about every day. “Actually, the food here is not bad, really,” raves geneticist Alcino Silva, a frequent diner. “At least they don’t rip you off…They offer mediocre food at a mediocre price.” The group we lunched with began the meal with a dish called “Shrimp Nuremberg.” This entree was described by the diners as being “chunky,” “yellowish,” and “somewhat recognizable,” with a taste that was “subtle, sort of.” The weekly menu frequently features ethnic dishes, ranging from jambalaya to lamb curry, and lyonnaise potatoes to white beans and sausage with corn chowder. We were told that these meals usually proved to be less frightening than predicted. We were most pleasantly surprised by the dessert selection. The cakes and pies, imported from a local bakery, were described as “supreme” and “highly recommended,” though when it came to dessert, resident scientists seemed to feel that quantity was as important as quality. Because of the imprecise nature of the cake-cutting procedure, biochemist Yuri Lazebnik informed us that, with careful observation and selection, one could choose a slice of cake that might be two standard deviations larger than the average hunk. All for the same price, of course. Unfortunately, we could not stay long enough to experience firsthand the boisterous excesses of the legendary Saturday night lobster banquet. Or the warm comfort of the Sunday afternoon lobster bisque. Or the half-price bargain of Monday’s lobster salad. The quality of the food improved exponentially after Chef Ron Padden, formerly of the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, joined the staff in March of 1994. He replaced a chef who had been the head cook on a submarine for seven years. “He certainly had a captive clientele,” said geneticist Michael Hengartner of their former chef, “But he wasn’t too good with fresh fruit.” Hengartner summed up the Blackford experience most eloquently. “It’s the best place for miles around,” he said. “Actually, it’s the only place for miles around.” Ratings Quality: 1.78 Trendiness: 2.5 Bearded Men: 3 ********** General Motors Research and Development Center Cafeteria Warren, Michigan by Stephen Drew The cafeteria at the GM Research and Development Center is very clean. Sited majestically in the basement, just steps from the base of a gleaming Eero Saarinen-designed spiral staircase, it attracts a well-groomed and occasionally faithful lunch crowd of hungry researchers. Just outside the cafeteria entrance, a blood-pressure monitor has been placed next to a display of plastic-wrapped real food. Every table features a bouquet of artificial flowers anchored to an attractive woven basket. We asked, “What is there about this cafeteria that distinguishes it from any other research lab cafeteria?” A focus group of five GM staff research scientists answered this question with silence. Eventually, one scientist offered the notion that “it’s subterranean.” The build-it-yourself sandwich bar and the do-it-yourself stir-fry facility are popular attractions, and are frequented by researchers and executives alike. Arv Mueller, GM’s Vice President and Group Executive for Vehicle Development and Technical Operations, told us that he can always count on the sandwiches. What does he find memorable about them? “Nothing whatsoever. I guess I can’t say much about the uniqueness of the food. It’s just food.” Dr. Linda Means, one of two linguists on GM’s research staff, is a member of the cafeteria committee. She recently persuaded the manager to augment his wide range of vegetarian dishes, which previously had been limited to french fries. Over all, the food was well engineered and highly plentiful. The cafeteria’s regular diners give it a consistent 1 (on the scale of i to pi) in our ratings for both quality and trendiness. “It’s okay if somebody sees me there, but I don’t go there to be seen,” one scientist explained. Unlike every other research dining facility we ever visited, the GM cafeteria displays no pictures of bearded men. But it does have a poster of a mustachioed race car driver. All in all, we found that if you visit the GM Research and Development Center, and if you have to have lunch, and if you can’t find your way out of the basement, the cafeteria is a fine place to dine. Ratings Quality: 1 Trendiness: 1 Bearded Men: .6 ********** Siemens R&D Center Neuperlach, Munich, Germany by K. Retsling Dodgen and Gertie Metallkopf In a city where coffee is more expensive than beer, which is cheaper than water, the Siemens technical complex in the Neuperlach district of München offers the visiting researcher a welcome respite from the high prices that otherwise abound in the city. Situated in the northeast corner of the complex, or the Ameisenhaufe as it is affectionately known to employees, the cafeteria was recently rated second in a nationwide ranking of company cafeterias. Quantity mit Quality The cafeteria’s primary, and perhaps only, attraction is the food. In short, it’s delicious and cheap. Where else could you get two large pieces of tender grilled salmon in a cream sauce, a lovely soup, crisply cooked vegetables, some kind of potato, a bowl of fresh berries, German bread, a glass of milk, and a large glass of fresh-pressed fruit juice for 13 DM? The decor falls somewhat short of your finer cafeterias, resembling a carpeted warehouse with light fixtures that look like two-foot ping pong balls gently swaying from the ceiling on long cords. But who can complain about a corporate cafeteria that serves beer on tap for 1 DM? Although German cuisine is traditionally not known for its vegetarian tendencies, the Siemens cafeteria is a haven for vegetarians in Wurst-und-Schnitzel-Land. Not only do they offer a daily vegetarian entree, but also numerous side dishes with an excellent variety of grains, vegetables, and fruits prepared in delicious and diverse ways. One of the most commendable daily features is the offering of several varieties of fresh-squeezed juices, with combinations such a strawberry-orange-apple, orange-mango-papaya, avocado-banana-apple, and so on. Efficiency, Deftness, Velocity But the most remarkable feature of the Siemens cafeteria is the Efficient Cashiers, who tally up the several items on your tray before you can even put it down in front of them. The Efficient Cashiers have afforded the authors many lunch hours of Performance Art entertainment, as their deftness and velocity are as graceful as a ballet. Trendiness and Sausages In terms of food, at first glance there are various indicators of trendiness, but a closer inspection reveals also enormous sausages, half-chickens, beer, and pretzels, the most spiessig Bavarian fare. Another mixed bag with regard to trendiness is the fashion parade provided by the customers. Clothing styles include blue jeans, shorts, pastel-colored suits on male executives, see-through blouses, spandex pants and miniskirts, and frilly Bavarian skirts and blouses. We can only conclude that the highly progressive thinking evidenced at the Siemens cafeteria transcends adherence to trends. The décor is unambiguously utilitarian. Rating the cafeteria on the number of pictures of bearded men is easy, since there aren’t any. In fact, there are no pictures of any sort unless you count the icons on the silverware holders depicting forks, knives, and spoons (the icons are there in case you don’t recognize the actual items which fill the compartments). In summary, the authors have found the Siemens cafeteria to be an excellent, inexpensive lunchtime eatery; in fact we missed it on the weekends. Epilogue After several weeks of eating in the Siemens cafeteria, imagine our surprise to arrive at the cafeteria one Monday to find it… GONE! Completely dismantled. However, all is not lost. To the contrary, there are two additional cafeterias at the same site offering the identical food and lack of ambiance. Ratings Quality: Trendiness: N/A( see above ) Bearded Men: 0 Explanation of ratings: Quality: Food quality is rated on a scale from i (the square root of -1) to (with a numerical value of 3.141592…), where a rating of i signifies that the food is of good quality only in your imagination, and signifies that it is roundly accepted as delicious. As an example, the research facility with the finest quality food, a rating, would be the Howard Hughes Medical Institute headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland; the cafeteria with the poorest quality food, a rating of i, would be the Princess Margaret Dining Hall at the University of Swansea in Wales. Trendiness: The cafeteria’s trendiness is also rated on a scale from i to . As an example, the dining hall where one would most like to be seen would be at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The cafeteria where one would least like to be seen would be the Princess Margaret Dining Hall at the University of Swansea in Wales. Bearded men index: Number of photos or drawings of bearded men displayed on the walls of the cafeteria. Editor’s note: conditions may have changed since this series first appeared. __________________________ This article is republished with permission from the May-June 1995 issue. the July-August 1995 issue, and the January-February 1996 issue of the Annals of Improbable Research. You can download or purchase back issues of the magazine, or subscribe to receive future issues. Or get a subscription for someone as a gift! Visit their website for more research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.

Kermit And Miss Piggy Speak Out Against FOX News Report Posted: 31 Jan 2012 01:34 AM PST (YouTube Link) When you actually believe that The Muppets movie might be pushing some sort of communist, anti-oil agenda on our kids, you’ve got problems, but when you are called out by Kermit and Miss Piggy, two fleece-skinned superstars that aren’t afraid to tell it like it is, your claims start to look like utter hogwash. Watch as my favorite frog (sorry Frogger!) and pig (sorry Babe!) put the commie claims to bed via press conference. –via Comedy Central

Bioshock Themed Craft Beer Posted: 31 Jan 2012 01:32 AM PST This here’s a craft beer for the gamer in your life, the kind of beer enjoyed by those who also enjoy apocalyptic first person shooters, and products named after in-game brands. By dubbing his delicious beer Brow Sweat, craft brewer Calum has made a pale ale worthy of an eternity under the sea, in true Bioshock fashion. Here’s how I imagine the radio spot would sound: “If you’ve had a long day lurking around Rapture in your grimy party getup, bashing people with a lead pipe and talking to yourself maniacally, you need to sit down and relax with a Brow Sweat Brew from Ryan Industries, a pale ale without all that ADAM from a name you know you have to trust…or else! Pick one up today at your nearest Circus of Values! Link

The Phantom Menace-Sweded Edition Posted: 31 Jan 2012 12:03 AM PST (YouTube Link) In celebration of reference to the Phantom Menace in 3D release, a band of student filmmakers got together and decided to put out the sweded version of the film. It’s short, super silly and cheesy, and all you really need to get you through this dark time in the Star Wars universe, at least until the next parody video appears on the interwebs. –via Geekologie

Oh My Gandhi! Multiple Mahatmas! Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:58 PM PST What you’re seeing is not a casting call for Gandhi: The Musical, nor is it a collection of Mahatma Gandhi clones popping out of some strange moustachioed alternate dimension, but rather the making of a world record! To mark the 64th anniversary of Gandhi’s passing, 485 kids gathered together to celebrate their fallen leader by dressing up like him, complete with glasses, moustache and bald cap, and in doing so set a world record. I wonder if any of the students who took place in the world record costume party went on to become Groucho Marx impersonators? Link

Does Your Motorcycle Look Too Cool? Then Get The Boxx Bike! Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:32 PM PST It may not be a guaranteed in for the biker gang of your choice, but at least you don’t have to put gas in it! The BOXX electric bike is the new square way to get around town without negatively impacting the environment, although people may complain that it’s a bit of an eyesore. It goes up to 35 mph, so you won’t really be hitting the highway on this bad boy, but maybe the light (120 lbs.) and short (36 inches long) body style is what you’re looking for, like when you need to pick it up and run away from that biker gang you tried to join. Link

Ozzy The Amazingly Acrobatic Dog Posted: 30 Jan 2012 11:32 PM PST (YouTube Link) Ozzy the acrobatic dog must be in training to become a superhero’s sidekick, because this dog is performing well beyond the abilities of his canine cousins. He balances on all sorts of stuff, from chain link to fences, he jumps rope like a champ, and likes to flip off the side of a tree in a kung fu style that would make Jackie Chan proud. Hit the link to see some amazing stills of Ozzy in action, and be sure to check out his YouTube channel to watch him hone his awesome acrobatic skills. –via Best Week Ever

What Does Your Favorite Video Game Say About You? Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:54 PM PST Last week, Miss C asked what your favorite blog says about you, but have you ever wondered what your favorite game says about you? Street Fighter: You can't spell some words. Braid: You save old Moleskines full of doodles. Tetris: You wear a short-sleeved shirt and tie to work. Skyrim: You're working on a novel. Duke Nukem: You say "I'm street smart, not book smart." Pac-Man: You're the last surviving consumer of Good & Plenty. I think I would be working on a novel…but I don’t have the time thanks to Skyrim. Link Via Kotaku

Can You Make Pizza In A Jar? Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:46 PM PST By now, you’ve all heard about cupcakes and pies in jars, but can classic pizza pies be made in a jar? The concept is the same, just add your dough and other ingredients and bake. While I love pizza and the cupcakes and pies in a jar sound tasty, something about pizza in a jar just seems soggy. Link Via Serious Eats

Adventure Time For The Avengers Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:43 PM PST (YouTube Link) I recently posted an article about the upcoming action figure series featuring Alfred E. Neuman as various DC superheroes, and there was a comment posted which stated something to the effect that MAD Magazine is dead, outdated and nobody cares. I guess whoever wrote that hasn’t watched Cartoon Network at all since September 2010, when the hilarious, and extremely popular, animated sketch comedy show MAD premiered. MAD often features superhero themed sketches, including this segment which aired July 2011 and features an adorable Adventure Time and Avengers mashup, with the least muscle tone ever displayed on a superheroic character design. Watch and laugh, because MAD is still cracking people up to this day, but it can only make you laugh if you’re aware it actually exists. –via The Mary Sue

Needle Felted Zombie Valentine’s Day Gifts Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:40 PM PST Psshh…chocolates are so twentieth century. In a world that’s obsessed with zombies, there’s no better Valentine’s gift than a simple, handmade set of zombie monsters. You can buy you own set over at Etsy. Link Via CraftZine

Is This Bulldog The Next Maru? Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:32 PM PST (Video Link) Just like the king of internet kitties, little Bo just swears he’s small enough to fit in any box. Via Reddit

An Adorable Papercraft Nintendo Sculpture Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:28 PM PST Artist Alex Hurret made this delightfully cute Nintendo monster for your papercrafting pleasure. You can make your own at home if you can’t wait to get your hands on this cartridge-eating terror. Link Via Geekosystem

Ewok Inspired Treehouse Treesort Posted: 30 Jan 2012 10:20 PM PST (YouTube Link) If watching Return Of The Jedi left you with a longing for a life in the trees, a yearning for an Ewokian lifestyle that just won’t go away, then you’ll want to visit Oregon, where builder of dream houses Michael Garnier runs his Out ‘n’ About Treehouse Treesort. The Ewok village inspired bed-and-breakfast is best described as “woodsy”, with nine treehouses connected by bridges and staircases and the ultra fun sounding zipline option, for getting around in a heroic hurry. Enjoy the video tour, and see how treehouses can be an unusual yet fun vacation option. Link  –via DesignTAXI

Teaching High School Students to Work at Walmart Posted: 30 Jan 2012 08:33 PM PST Talk about preparing kids for the real world. Four public high schools in Detroit have partnered with Walmart to train 60 students to work at its stores: Advocates say with Detroit's unofficial unemployment rate nearing 50%, jobs at Walmart are a golden opportunity. Sean Vann, principal of the Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men, has 30 students in the program. He told the Detroit Free Press he's enthusiastic because along with earning money, since the schools are in the suburbs, the students will be around people from different cultures. Not everyone, however, is convinced that it's such a good idea: Donna Stern, a representative of the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights And Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) is outraged. "They're going to train students to be subservient workers. This is not why parents send them to school." What do you think, Neatoramanauts? Better a crappy job than no job at all? Link (Photo: GeneralCheese/Wikipedia)

Flying People in New York City Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:38 PM PST (Video Link) The upcoming film Chronicle is a dark story about teenage boys who develop superpowers. To promote it, marketers made RC planes that look like human beings and flew them around New York City. -via Colossal | Chronicle Movie Trailer

OMG! Eye Test Chart PWN3D TV Station Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:32 PM PST When Norwegian news channel NRK presented a story about eye treatment for the elderly, they picked an unfortunate choice for an eye test chart. PWN3D! Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via OpticalCEUs

Double Rainbow Cupcakes Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:28 PM PST Oh, my God, it’s a double rainbow all the way! Woah. It’s so bright. What does this mean? Link -via That’s Nerdalicious! | Photo: Megan Seling

Letter from an Ex-Slave to His Former Master Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:17 PM PST By August 1865, the American Civil War was over. Many Southerners wanted to restore some semblance of normality — as they saw it — in their homes and communities. So Col. P.H. Anderson of Big Spring, Tennessee wrote to one of his former slaves, requesting that he come back and work on the farm for wages. The freedman Jourdan Anderson would have none of that, unless there were serious changes in the way in which the Colonel and his family conducted themselves. He allegedly dictated a letter which was reprinted in many Northern newspapers. Here’s the ending: In answering this letter, please state if there would be any safety for my Milly and Jane, who are now grown up, and both good-looking girls. You know how it was with poor Matilda and Catherine. I would rather stay here and starve—and die, if it come to that—than have my girls brought to shame by the violence and wickedness of their young masters. You will also please state if there has been any schools opened for the colored children in your neighborhood. The great desire of my life now is to give my children an education, and have them form virtuous habits. Say howdy to George Carter, and thank him for taking the pistol from you when you were shooting at me. From your old servant, Jourdon Anderson. Read the rest at Letters of Note. Link | Somewhat related photo via the National Park Service

Hitting Testicles (with Ultrasound Pulses) May Be an Effective Contraceptive Posted: 30 Jan 2012 06:00 PM PST On the left is a normal testicle. On the right is one that has been blasted with ultrasound. The latter has a reduced sperm count, which is why researchers at the University of North Carolina think that they may have discovered an effective male contraceptive: They found that two, 15-minute doses “significantly reduced” the number of sperm-producing cells and sperm levels. [...] Lead researcher Dr James Tsuruta said: “Further studies are required to determine how long the contraceptive effect lasts and if it is safe to use multiple times.” The team needs to ensure that the ultrasound produces a reversible effect, contraception not sterilisation, as well as investigate whether there would be cumulative damage from repeated doses. Link -via Popular Science | Photo: James Tsuruta and Paul Dayton

Table vs. Step Ladder Wrestling Match Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:39 PM PST (Video Link) It’s a brutal, no-holds barred contest between the aging champion returning to the ring, step ladder, and the vigorous and young challenger, table. Who will win? The entire match lasted ten minutes, but you can watch this clip of the final take down that crippled one of the fighters. -via WTF Japan, Seriously

The Pope’s Rifles Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:21 PM PST Although it might seem odd to see the crossed keys of St. Peter on a gun (well, maybe not), the Popes commanded armies, off and on, until the collapse of the Papal States in 1870. This model, popularly known as the Pontifico, was a variant of the M1867 Remington. Link -via View from the Porch | Photo: Keith Doyon

When Your Brain is Out of Sync Posted: 30 Jan 2012 04:32 PM PST Have you ever frantically searched for your keys, only to pick them up and move them without realizing it? Blame your brain: it's out of sync with itself. Grayden Solman and colleagues at the University of Waterloo explains: Solman's team propose that the system in the brain that deals with movement is running too quickly for the visual system to keep up. While you are rummaging around a messy house to find your keys, you might not be giving your visual system enough time to work out what each object is. Since time can be costly, sacrificing accuracy on occasion for speed might be beneficial overall, Solman thinks. The slowing of mouse movements suggests that at some level the volunteers were aware that they had missed their target, a theory that is backed up by other studies that show people tend to slow down their actions after they have made a mistake, even if they don't consciously realise the mistake. Solman reckons this reflects the brain's "attempt to slow down the motor system", to allow the visual system to catch up and conscious perception to occur. "What's really interesting is the notion that the motor and perceptual system are decoupled. They're both trying to help you find [your keys] but they're not coordinating," says Todd Horowitz, at Harvard University. "There are implications for social search, such as a doctor looking through an X-ray or [security] looking through luggage." Link

Rare Photos from the Dawn of Spaceflight Posted: 30 Jan 2012 02:31 PM PST National Geographic has a gallery of really neat rare photos from the Project Gemini Online Digital Archive. This one above is of astronaut Buzz Aldrin (the first man who peed on the moon, btw), who took this self-portrait while spacewalking during NASA's Gemini XII mission in 1966. Can't beat that background: Link

Angry Birds Maker Embraces Piracy to Grow Fanbase Posted: 30 Jan 2012 12:29 PM PST Rovio, the company behind the smash hit Angry Birds, took a look at the music industry's struggle against piracy and decided that piracy ain't so bad after all. In fact, it may actually be a good thing: "We have some issues with piracy, not only in apps, but also especially in the consumer products. There is tons and tons of merchandise out there, especially in Asia, which is not officially licensed products," said [Rovio CEO Mikael Hed]. "We could learn a lot from the music industry, and the rather terrible ways the music industry has tried to combat piracy." Hed explained that Rovio sees it as "futile" to pursue pirates through the courts, except in cases where it feels the products they are selling are harmful to the Angry Birds brand, or ripping off its fans. When that's not the case, Rovio sees it as a way to attract more fans, even if it is not making money from the products. "Piracy may not be a bad thing: it can get us more business at the end of the day." Like Tim O'Reilly said, obscurity is a greater threat than piracy: Link See also: Angry Birds stuff from the NeatoShop

Kitten Halftime Show Posted: 30 Jan 2012 09:36 AM PST For the eighth consecutive year, Animal Planet will host The Puppy Bowl at 3PM (Eastern Time) on Super Bowl Sunday. The halftime show will star kittens from a shelter. See a series of adorable photographs taken during the taping of the halftime show at Buzzfeed. The kittens are all up for adoption. Link (Image credit: Amy Sly)

Every Quarterback Who’s Won a Super Bowl Posted: 30 Jan 2012 09:33 AM PST Are you a die-hard football fan? Are you a real Super Bowl fanatic? Then you should be able to name all the quarterbacks who won the Super Bowl in its 45-year history. In eight minutes. I named four of them, although one was a gimme. Anyone can do better! Link

Mornings with Marien Posted: 30 Jan 2012 07:50 AM PST Photographer Senén Llanos and dancer and yoga enthusiast Marién Enid began a tradition in 2005 of taking a photo of Marién against the backdrop of the last sunrise of the year. They get together every year, whether their quest is successful or not. The result (so far) is not only a series of pictures showing Llanos’ progression as a photographer, but it is also a chronicle of a friendship that survives time and distance. The story that accompanies the photographs is well worth a read. Link -Thanks, Senén!

16 Of The Smartest Children In History Posted: 30 Jan 2012 07:25 AM PST We are fascinated with child prodigies, yet we still don’t know what causes one talented youngster to go on to a happy, productive life and what causes others to burn out, like William James Sidis. Sidis is considered to be the smartest man who ever lived, by some, with an estimated IQ of 250-300. Before his own experience with the terrible twos, Sidis had taught himself to read and shortly thereafter, became fluent in eight different languages and wrote four original works of his own by the age of seven. After an incredible childhood – or lack of it – adulthood was a struggle for Sidis and newspapers at the time reported that his "genius had burned out" due to the numerous obscure blue collared jobs he obtained throughout his life. Read about 16 famous prodigies, some from history, some who are adults now, and some who are just starting out. Link -via the Presurfer

Holy Mackerel! Posted: 30 Jan 2012 07:22 AM PST A truck full of fish overturned and dumped its load into Northern Ireland farmer Gordon Flinn’s field on Thursday. The tonnes of mackerel were piled two feet deep in places. The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital, but was not seriously injured and was able to return to the scene. The truck was removed and the road opened later that night, but the Flinns may have to put up with a fishy smell for some time. Link -via Arbroath (Image credit: Louise Flinn)

Ten Favorite Tracks from Video Game Soundtracks Posted: 30 Jan 2012 07:20 AM PST Those of us who don’t play the latest video games are missing out on the excellent music composed or adapted specifically for them. Paul Tassi at Unreality magazine posted his ten favorite video game soundtracks, with YouTube clips so you can listen. My friends all laugh at me, because whenever I drive anywhere, the first song playing from my iPod is generally from a video game or movie soundtrack. I'm a product of my environment, and my musical tastes are heavily influenced by movies, trailers, tv shows and games, and as such I have "terrible" taste in music according to everyone else. So be it. Of course, taste in music varies, so others contributed suggestions in the comments. I thought of “Baba Yetu” from Civilization IV, the main theme from The Legend of Zelda, and of course, Tetris, but then I’m no gamer, so the list is all new to me. Try his ten out and let us know if your favorites are included. Link

An Open Letter to Nickelodeon Posted: 30 Jan 2012 07:16 AM PST (YouTube link) Vi Hart has a bone to pick with Nickelodeon, in that the show Spongebob Squarepants does not represent the world the way it really is to children. Does she complain about the talking kitchen sponge who wears pants? The squid who runs an underwater hamburger stand? The squirrel in scuba gear? No, it’s the pattern drawn in the pineapple that Spongebob lives in. -via Metafilter

Tyrannosaurus Trying to Use His Little Arms Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:17 AM PST T-Rex Trying is Hugh Murphy’s cartoon collection showing a poor little tyrannosaurus trying and failing to do different things that require longer arms. It’s hard to be a t-rex in a brontosaurus world. Link -via Blame It on the Voices

Time Travel Movie Marathon Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:10 AM PST The following is an article from the book Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Plunges Into the Universe. Got some time? Here’s at least a day’s worth of time travel flicks. Holly wood loves time travel -they’re always punting people forward in time or backward in time, or just plopping them into a feedback loop where they relive the same day over and over again. Even though time travel is scientifically impossible (sorry to disappoint), it doesn’t keep people from making or going to movies about it. (YouTube link) Army of Darkness: Technically the third part of director Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead series, but it’s not like you need a road map for this plot, which features a one-handed discount store salesman (the impossibly lantern-jawed Bruce Campbell) hurled back into the Middle Ages to fight zombies and skeletons and a creepy, man-eating flying book. It’s kind of dumb, but all horror freaks love it (and you know how high their standards are). It’s pretty funny, in a stupid comic-book way. Besides, any movie in which a minimum wage-earner from the future can condescendingly call a castle full of medieval types a bunch of “monkeys” can’t be all that bad. (YouTube link) Back to the Future: Michael J. Fox goes back to the 1950s and is called “Calvin” because that’s the name sewn into his underwear (Calvin Klein underwear -can’t believe we need to explain this). The film’s still funny in it’s own right (especially with freaky Crispin Glover as Fox’s loser dad), but now it’s like two time travel movies in on. First you get the 1950s, which Fox goes back to, then you get the 1980s, which is the “present”‘ for this film. It’s enough to give you a shiver (look for the Huey Lewis cameo). There were two more Back to the Future films, but unless you’ve got a thing for Michael J., you needn’t bother. (YouTube link) Groundhog Day: Bill Murray goes back in time -exactly one day, over and over again. In the process he turns from obnoxious twit to the perfect man (or at least the perfect man for Andie McDowell, and who wouldn’t want to be that kind of man?). It’s a fine, fine film, and in addition to being funny, it’s actually sweet and a little serious, and it proved that Murray was a little better of an actor than anyone ever gave him credit for before. But let’s not kid ourselves: If you had to live Groundhog Day over and over again, you’d become a little zen yourself to keep from going utterly freakin’ insane. (YouTube link) Planet of the Apes: Charleton Heston lands on what he thinks is an alien planet and finds it populated by talking apes who think he’s a savage (mind you, this was before he became the NRA’s alpha male). Ol’ Charlie is awesome in this -he grunts, he snarls, he chews scenery like a silverback confronted with a particularly choice bunch of bananas (“Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!”). They remade this one, but the newer version is -how do the French say? Ah, yes -un lame-o stinkeroo. Stick with Charlie, baby. (YouTube link) Sleeper: This is the movie people are thinking of when they say they liked Woody Allen’s movies when he was funny. Freakily enough, many of the wacky things Allen posited about the future in this movie have already come true, like robotic pets and TV with millions of channels. We still don’t have an orgasmatron, alas. Something yet to look forward to. (YouTube link) Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Star Trek: First Contact: The crews of the various Star Trek series travel in time so much and with so much blatant disregard for the Prime Directive that it’s entirely possible that Jean-Luc Picard is in your shower stall right this very instant. For all that, the two best Star Trek movies rely on time travel as plot points: In Star Trek IV, the original crew saves the universe by saving the whales, and that means going back to 1980s San Francisco to find some. This features some nice moments with Spock being taken for a hippie burnout, and Kirk being taken for a fatuous windbag (oh -right). First Contact has Picard’s crew going back in time (but still to our future) to keep the evil Borg from assimilating humanity. There are some good action scenes and a disturbingly sexy Borg Queen (Alice Krige) who wants to assimilate (heh heh heh) Data, the friendly android. Speaking of going where no man has gone before! (YouTube link) The Terminator Series: The film series that turned Arnold Schwarzenegger’s inability to act human into a good thing. In the first film (The Terminator), Ah-nold is a killing robot sent from the future to ventilate hapless waitress Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton); in the second one (T2) Arnie helps the now-buff-but-a-bit-insane Sarah battle an advanced shape-shifting Terminator model. The first one was made for roughly the same amount of money it took to cater the second film, but both are superior examples of the action genre, with smart scripting and well-designed mayhem. (YouTube link) Time Bandits: Thieving dwarves steal a map from God and blitz through history causing havoc.This one plays like a Monty Python time travel film (right down to the distinctly nasty-yet-funny ending: “Mom! Dad! Don’t touch that! It’s evil!”) and there’s a good reason for that: It’s directed by Python’s Terry Gilliam and features several of his Monty mates, as well as Sean Connery as Agamemnon (presumably before he left for Troy, since when he got back, he was murdered by his wife. Hey, it’s ancient Greece.) Kind of freaky, but a real visual feast, and a lot smarter than most. (YouTube link) The Time Machine: Well, duh. How can you not include this one? Or these two, actually, since you have your choice: the classic 1960 George Pal version, with Rod Taylor as H. G. Wells, traveling far into the future to find humans divided between the twee, pale Eloi and the brutish, cannibalistic Morlocks, or the 2002 version that features Guy Pearce and a lot of really expensive-looking special effects. (Fun fact: The 2002 version is directed by Simon Wells, H. G. Wells’ distant relative.) Neither version quite picks up that the novel The Time Machine was a socialist allegory about British class divisions, but, hey, like any of that’s gonna play at the drive-ins. (YouTube link) 12 Monkeys: Hey, look, Terry Gilliam’s back again, and this time he’s sending Bruce Willis hurtling through history, from a depressing stink hole of a future to stop a group of bioterrorists from unleashing a plague that wipes out most of humanity. Willis is damn fine as a disoriented, slightly nutty time traveler who can’t quite remember if he’s sane or not, and check out Brad Pitt, who plays a cross-eyed scuzzball and ended up picking up an Oscar nomination for it. Overall, really depressing, but in a good way, not unlike Gilliam’s Brazil or Blade Runner (with which this movie shares a screenwriter). ___________________ The article above was reprinted with permission from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Plunges Into the Universe. 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!

Death of a Washing Machine Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:01 AM PST (YouTube link) An expensive-looking front loader gives its all. It does not go gently …but keeps up the good fight astonishingly long after its parts begin to fly off. This would make a decent ad for the make and model, much better than the washing machine destroyed previously. You have to start feeling sorry for the little machine that just kept going and going and going. -via The Daily What Update: Commenter LoveUmind gives us the original French link, which has a bit more information. Translated: One had already seen the destroying effect of a brick in a washing machine, here today the same experiment, but with an electric transformer and a few pieces of metal of reel.

The Pojman Pocket Protector Collection Posted: 29 Jan 2012 09:38 PM PST Be still my nerdy heart! I've found a slice of Nerd Heaven: Behold the nerdiest collection to ever grace the InterWeb: Louisiana State University's Chemistry professor John A. Pojman's huge collection of pocket protectors (1,200 and growing!): Link - via It's Okay To Be Smart See also: 25 Strangest Collections on the Web

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