Neatorama |
- 5 Lessons from the Gurus of Spin
- The Expert Mode You Don’t Want To Mess With
- Teddy Predicts The Super Bowl Winner
- This Kitty Pizza Is Far From Purrfect
- Did You Know Andy Richter Worked On Skyrim
- iPhonograph Makes Your Tablet Classy
- Hula Hoop Cam Is A Really Bad Idea
- Pop Culture Locations With A Comic Book Look
- Space Stallions Would Have Made A Sweet Saturday Morning Cartoon
- Is This What Humans Will Look Like In 50 Million Years?
- Cat Learns Boxing By Watching TV
- The World’s First Heartless Man
- A Very Unusual Wasp
- Is the Earth Getting Lighter?
- Zannetti Box of Time Dragon Watch Winder
- Magical Unicorn Mask
- Whatever Happened to the Ex-Slave Who Wrote a Letter to His Former Master?
- Presidents and Their Cars
- Bone Guillotine Made by a Prisoner of War
- Dragon-Shaped Dumpling
- Budweiser Canada Official Big Game Commercial
- Blackout Poetry
- Moss Triggered an Ice Age 480 Million Years Ago
- Milk Man, The World’s Worst Superhero
- Remember to Pee During the Super Bowl
- Dark Side of the Moon, Captured on Video for the First Time
- “Supergiant” Amphipod of the Deep
- Life Imitates the Movies
- Cat and Flute Duet
- The Worst Valentine Card Ever
- Happy Groundhog Day!
- Stopcicle
- What Is It? game 212
- Jeweled Heart Mouse
- Unnatural Beauty
- Groundhogs
| 5 Lessons from the Gurus of Spin Posted: 03 Feb 2012 05:10 AM PST
KILL OFF YOUR RIVALS | Benjamin Franklin During colonial times, the almanac business was cutthroat. The books were the bestsellers of their day -fun compendiums full of facts and witticisms. So, in 1732, Benjamin Franklin decided to enter the game with Poor Richard’s Almanack. In an early edition, Franklin jokingly predicted that rival almanac writer Titan Leeds would die on October 17, 1733 at 3:29 PM, the very instance of a conjunction of the Sun and Mercury. Humorless, Leeds took the bait and ridiculed Franklin publicly. The response only generated more press for Poor Richard’s Almanack, turning it into a best seller. After October 17 came and went, and Leeds was still breathing, Franklin kept up the gag, claiming Leeds was dead and pretenders were writing under his name. Five years later, when Leeds finally passed away for real, Franklin thanked the imposters for stopping their ruse. By then, Poor Richard’s Almanack had made Franklin a rich man many times over. STAND ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANT … TURTLES | Salvador and Gala Dali Though notorious in Europe, Salvador Dali and his savvy wife, Gala, weren’t famous in the United States until 1941, when they took the nation by metaphysical storm. To introduce themselves to Americans, the Dalis through an unforgettably weird party in Pebble Beach, California, called “Night in a Surrealist Forest.” Dali decked the room with 12,000 shoes, 2,000 pine trees, 24 animal heads, 24 mannequins, and a wrecked car. His guest list ranged from A-list stars, such as Clark Gable, to wild animals, including a baby tiger. At one point in the evening, Bob Hope screamed when, after removing the dome from a plate, a toad leapt out at him. After the bizarre bash, Dali conducted an interview for American Weekly from a tall chair -its legs resting on the backs of four giant turtles. Gala claimed the chair “stimulates the artist’s creative powers.” In 1928, smoking was still considered a taboo for women, so the American Tobacco Company hired a rising adman named Edward Bernays -Sigmund Freud’s nephew- to stamp out the stigma. To make cigarettes seem more feminine, Bernays invited 30 debutantes to light a “Torch of Freedom” on Easter Sunday in New York City. Reporters devoured the photo op of stylish women in hats and fur-trimmed coats smoking on Fifth Avenue and making lofty declarations about smashing stereotypes. The next day’s headline in The New York Times read “Group of Girls Puff at Cigarettes as a Gesture of Freedom.” And ladies have been lighting up openly ever since. LIVE BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS | Richard Branson Billionaire Richard Branson is like a modern P.T. Barnum. Ever since he launched his Virgin brand empire in 1972, he’s executed so many outlandish publicity stunts it’s tough to imagine he’s had time to do much else -let alone run an airline, an animation studio, and dozens of other ventures. To celebrate the opening of Virgin Brides, his bridal business, Branson got gussied up in blue eye shadow, red lipstick, pearl earrings, and a $10,000 wedding dress. For Virgin’s first flights to South Africa, he dressed as a Zulu warrior. When Virgin added flights from San Francisco to Las Vegas, the then-56-year-old CEO bungee-jumped 407 feet off the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, smashing into the building, and ripped his pants open. GO TOPLESS | Marilyn Monroe Before Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson, there was Marilyn Monroe, the woman ho taught those ladies everything they need to know about getting famous. By 1952, Monroe had been credited in 15 films, but most Americans didn’t know her name. She needed some publicity, fast. Around that time, wire service reporter Aline Mosby discovered nude calendar photos that looked suspiciously like Monroe. When the rumor mill started churning, 20th Century Fox warned the actress to stay quiet. But Monroe had other plans in mind. In March 1952, she gave an interview, admitting the photos were of her and claiming she’d only done them to pay the rent. The outpouring of sympathy made Monroe the most talked about woman Hollywood. One month later she was on the cover of Life magazine, and her next movie, Clash by Night, was a smash hit. Biographers now think that the person who originally leaked the photographs was either Jerry Wald, an executive producer of Clash by Night, or Monroe herself. And that’s how a star is born. _______________________
Be sure to visit mental_floss‘ website and blog for more fun stuff!  |
| The Expert Mode You Don’t Want To Mess With Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:33 AM PST Hardcore gamers love expert mode because it provides them with such a challenge…but no matter how good you are at aiming, I don’t recommend trying out this advanced level -especially if you ever have any ladies visit your home. |
| Teddy Predicts The Super Bowl Winner Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:28 AM PST There you have it gamblers, go put your money down on the Giants. Teddy the Porcupine has called it and you can’t deny his foresight. |
| This Kitty Pizza Is Far From Purrfect Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:23 AM PST Sure he looks cute, but the toppings are far from evenly spread…and how on earth would you divide it up between your guests? Worst of all, it probably is covered in cat hair. |
| Did You Know Andy Richter Worked On Skyrim Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:13 AM PST You may not have realized it before now, but Andy Richter of Conan actually did a lot of the voice over work on Skyrim. Of course, it seems pretty obvious in retrospect. Via Laughing Squid |
| iPhonograph Makes Your Tablet Classy Posted: 03 Feb 2012 01:06 AM PST Modern technology might sound better, hold more songs and be easier to use than the vintage stuff, but it sure doesn’t have the same visual impact as a classic phonograph. Fortunately with this iPhonograph you get the stunning classic style blended with the beauty of new technology. If you’ve got the skills, Instructables has the steps to make your own. Link Via Geekosystem |
| Hula Hoop Cam Is A Really Bad Idea Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:29 PM PST This seems like a good idea when you’re at the drawing board, but watching the final result is akin to being inside a slowly spinning centrifuge, and made me feel a bit woozy. And since this is the second video made with the GoPro attachable camera and a hula hoop I’ve seen in the last year, I can’t help but think that the people making these videos must have something against people with motion sickness, or else why? WHY? I can’t see straight…. Maybe this technique will be used if they ever decide to make that whirling dervishes biopic they’ve been talking about for years, or if some studio picks up Merry-Go-Round: The Musical, but otherwise let’s just leave the camera mounted on the tripod and refrain from making the viewers sick from now on, okay you hula hooping sadists? –via TDW |
| Pop Culture Locations With A Comic Book Look Posted: 02 Feb 2012 11:09 PM PST Illustrator Tim Doyle had a rather clever premise in mind while creating the pieces for his debut art show “Unreal Estate”- give various locations from pop culture an artistic makeover. Here’s what Tim has to say about this series: "Unreal Estate" is a collection of locations that many of us know and have been to on a weekly basis at times, but we can never actually visit. These places are in our memories- transmitted and entrenched there through a cathode-ray tube. Some of us have been going to these places for decades- some of these places were taken from us, way too soon. Man, giving the Kwik-E-Mart a realistic edge makes it look even scummier than it does on The Simpsons! |
| Space Stallions Would Have Made A Sweet Saturday Morning Cartoon Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:27 PM PST This trailer for imaginary animated series Space Stallions would have fit right in with the rest of the Saturday morning cartoon lineup in the 1980s, and considering that the creators were clearly going for a retro cartoon feel, that’s definitely a compliment. Created as a senior film project by students at The Animation Workshop in Denmark, it was created by combining cartoon shaded 3d characters with traditional 2d animated elements and backgrounds, to give it that toony look and classic style. The Space Stallions need to meet up with Wyld Stallyns (from the Bill & Ted movies) and party down somewhere in time! –via i09 |
| Is This What Humans Will Look Like In 50 Million Years? Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:19 PM PST While I find it According to these illustrations by The illustrations were published in Omni magazine in the early 1980s, and I can’t help but wonder- would Dougal arrive at the same |
| Cat Learns Boxing By Watching TV Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:12 PM PST The boxing world might have a furry new lightweight champ on its hands, in the form of this adorable boxing cat! It appears that he’s learned how to stick and move by watching fights on TV, and if this video is any indication of how he’ll perform in the ring this kitteh’s got some fierce moves! –via Geekosystem |
| The World’s First Heartless Man Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:21 PM PST Doctors from the Texas Heart Institute have successfully replaced a patient’s heart with a device that keeps the blood flowing, thereby allowing him to live without a detectable heartbeat or even a pulse. Here’s how it works: The turbine-like device, that are simple whirling rotors, developed by the doctors does not beat like a heart, rather provides a 'continuous flow' like a garden hose. Craig Lewis was a 55-year-old, dying from amyloidosis, which causes a build-up of abnormal proteins. The proteins clog the organs so much that they stop working, according to NPR. But after the operation, with the 'machine' as his heart’s replacement, Lewis' blood continued to spin and move through his body. However, when doctors put a stethoscope to his chest, no heartbeat or pulse can be heard (only a 'humming' sound)—which "by all criteria that we conventionally use to analyze patients", Doctor Cohn said, he is dead. This is proof that "human physiology can be supported without a pulse". With all the talk of replacing human organs with those of an animal and electronic hearts, it’s surprising that medical researchers overlooked taking a trip to the plumbing section of the hardware store for replacement parts! |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:20 PM PST
Now THOSE are some horns! Alex Wild of Myrmecos blog found this wasp with some serious antennae in Australia, and got it identified within 24 hours by tweeting it: Link Previously on Neatorama: When Army Ants Attack by Alex Wild
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| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 07:37 PM PST
Smith concluded that the Earth loses 50,000 metric tonnes each year. Link -via @BrainPicker | Photo: NASA |
| Zannetti Box of Time Dragon Watch Winder Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:19 PM PST
What? You're going to put your selfwinding Audemars Piguet chronograph (just don't call it a "watch") in a regular old watch winder? That just won't do! But don't worry, Zannetti is here to save the day with this: Box of Time Dragon watch winder. If you have to ask how much, obviously you can't afford it. Now if only there's a pen that will go with that ... |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 05:30 PM PST Magical Unicorn Mask – $29.95 How do you turn a regular day into a magical day? You don the Magical Unicorn Mask from the NeatoShop. There is just something about wearing a latex mask shaped like a unicorn head that makes you feel special. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Unicorn happiness. |
| Whatever Happened to the Ex-Slave Who Wrote a Letter to His Former Master? Posted: 02 Feb 2012 05:23 PM PST Do you remember the awesome letter attributed to Jourdon Anderson, the freedman who was asked by his ex-master to return to work? Jason Kottke and David Galbraith dug through census and newspaper records to learn more about his life. Anderson may have stayed in Ohio and died in 1905 at the age of 79. Check out Kottke’s post, which he is frequently updating as he finds more information. |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 05:13 PM PST
Link | Photo: US National Archives |
| Bone Guillotine Made by a Prisoner of War Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:44 PM PST I figure that the guy who made this creepy model just wanted to persuade people around him to give him some space. At least, that’s what I’d do if my bunkmate made it. Pictured above is a twenty inch tall model of a guillotine made from bones. According to the British family that recently sold it, a French prisoner of war during the Napoloenic Wars made it while captive in the UK. Link -via Nerdcore | Photo: Duke’s Auctions |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:34 PM PST I haven’t been able to track down any information about it, but allegedly this dragon figure is actually a dumpling. It’s filled with a green substance and apparently steamed. You can see additional photos of the creation process at the link. Link -via Bit Rebels |
| Budweiser Canada Official Big Game Commercial Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:34 PM PST This Super Bowl commercial from Budweiser Canada features two recreational league hockey teams in Port Credit, Ontario. No, it’s not an original idea, but it is done well in this instance. The ad will not be broadcast in the U.S. so we have to show it to you here. -via Buzzfeed |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:29 PM PST Newspaper Blackout is Austin Kleon’s latest poetry project. He’s taken pages of text, often from newspapers, and blacked out words so that those left behind form free verse lines. Link -via My Modern Met Previously by Austin Kleon |
| Moss Triggered an Ice Age 480 Million Years Ago Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:18 PM PST
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| Milk Man, The World’s Worst Superhero Posted: 02 Feb 2012 04:17 PM PST (Video Link) Work with the talents that you have; embrace the person that you are. Just like Milk Man has done. Milk powers aren’t too bad, as Freddie Wong’s latest film demonstrates. Actually, I encountered the best/worst superhero concept in a role-playing game about ten years ago. This superhero could psychically make opponents lose control of their bowels. -via The Mary Sue |
| Remember to Pee During the Super Bowl Posted: 02 Feb 2012 03:30 PM PST
Link -via The Big Game |
| Dark Side of the Moon, Captured on Video for the First Time Posted: 02 Feb 2012 02:17 PM PST
One of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) lunar spacecraft has finally captured the far side (or the dark side, if you're poetically inclined) of the Moon on video. So far, no Cybertronian spacecraft was found.
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| “Supergiant” Amphipod of the Deep Posted: 02 Feb 2012 12:16 PM PST
You're looking at a "supergiant," a type of amphipod found at the Kermadec Trench off New Zealand, at an ocean depth of over 4 miles. Deep sea amphipods are not unusual, but they're usually only about 3/4" to 1" long. As you can see in the photo above, the supergiants are a lot bigger:
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| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:45 AM PST President Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt on March 30, 1981. This picture was taken shortly before the incident.
You have to wonder what Jerry Parr thought of the coincidence. According to the book Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Parr believed afterward that saving the president’s life was God’s plan for him. When he retired from the Secret Service, he became a minister. Link -via Nag on the Lake |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 10:20 AM PST What is this cat singing? Most likely the lyrics are, “Stop with the flute already!” -via Buzzfeed |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:35 AM PST If you’re so broke that you must stoop to buying a card that screams “economy!” on the front, then you’re better off making one from bubblegum wrappers, or not sending one at all.
The card costs 7p. However much that is in American cents, it’s pretty cheap. Link -via Metafilter |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 09:21 AM PST The word is in: Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his den today up at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania and saw his shadow, which means the groundhog crawled back into his den and that forecasts six more weeks of winter weather. If you don’t live in Pennsylvania, your groundhog may vary. We here at Neatorama have a soft spot for silly holidays, including Groundhog Day, so much that I learned how to spell Punxsutawney without copying. We also like the movie named after the tradition. Stacy wrote about it in 2009 in Movie Trivia: Groundhog Day. Later that year, the question arose as to How Long Does Bill Murray Spend in Groundhog Day? It generated a lot of speculation, and later we had the answer in Harold Ramis Responds on Groundhog Day. This year, Eddie Deezen took a closer look at the movie in Why Did Bill Murray Keep Going Back in Groundhog Day? So enjoy the movie (it’s on CMT tonight), enjoy your Groundhog carols and your Groundhog cake, and have a happy Groundhog Day! (Image credit: Cake Wrecks) |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 08:50 AM PST |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:30 AM PST It’s once again time for our collaboration with the always amusing What Is It? Blog. Can you guess what the pictured item is? Or can you make up something interesting? Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many guesses as you’d like in separate comments. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners: the first correct guess and the funniest (albeit ultimately wrong) guess will win T-shirt from the NeatoShop. Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don’t include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts? See all this week’s mystery objects at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck! |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:28 AM PST Jeweled Heart Mouse – $19.95 Valentine’s Day is nearly here! What do you get the geekheart who has everything? The Jeweled Heart Mouse from the NeatoShop. This adorable wired computer mouse, shaped like a heart, is encrusted with acrylic rhinestones. Bling! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more heartfelt Valentine’s Day gifts! |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 06:15 AM PST This Photoshop disaster looks as if someone noticed it was 5PM and went home, fully intending to finish the job the next day, but hit publish out of habit. See the entire screenshot from the J. Crew online catalog (which shows where her hair ended up) at PSDisasters. Link |
| Posted: 02 Feb 2012 05:56 AM PST On February 2 every year, we watch the skies to see if they are clear enough to throw a scary shadow over our local groundhogs. But how much do you really know about these rodents? They're not endangered, they don't chuck wood, and they're not all that great at predicting weather. On the one day of the year that we pay attention to groundhogs, find out more about the habitat and lifestyle of these critters at Environmental Graffiti. Link (Image credit: Flickr user Matt MacGillivray) |
You’ve heard of these people -because they wanted you to! Here are some pointers in the art of publicity from history’s greatest masters of hype.
THROW A PARADE | Edward Bernays
The article above, written by Mike Albo, is reprinted with permission from the 
Taking into account human spacecraft going up and cloaked alien ships coming down, is the Earth gaining or losing mass? The BBC asked Cambridge University scientists to account for all of the material leaving and arriving on Earth:
Jason Torchinsky of Jalopink wrote ten statements about American Presidents and automobiles. Only five of them are true. Can you figure out which ones? Check out the answers at the link:
What triggered a massive ice age on Earth 480 million years ago? Scientists have a surprising answer: the humble moss.
Methodist Hospital in Houston has some advice for football fans who are looking forward to the Super Bowl this Sunday: don’t forget to pee.
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