Neatorama |
- The Magna Carta
- Hilariously Bad Terminator 3 DVD Commentary
- Mallrats Magic Eye Secret Exposed
- 6 Tabletop Role playing Games With Unique Settings
- Turkish Star Wars Action Figures
- Owl Dust Buddy
- New Year’s End: A BioShock Short Film
- Another Form of Pizza Roulette
- Visit the Wonderful Holds of Skyrim
- Who Can Resist the Penguin Webcam?
- Get Your Geeky Buzz On With 8-Bit Pale Ale
- What Female Comic Characters Wear in Cold Weather
- Superhero Optical Illusion-Two Batmen Or Wolverine?
- Welcome to the Leela Bathroom
- Agnes-Cecile Has Some Serious Watercolor Skills
- Scientists Record Nighttime Fish Farts
- Woman Walking While Texting Fell Off Pier
- Chocolate May Help Keep You Thin
- iPad Magic
- Angry Birds on Seattle’s Space Needle
- Star Wars Continuous Line Drawings
- Skull Cupcake Cookie Jar
- Man Saws off Own Foot to Avoid Work
- The Largest Car Loop the Loop in the World
- World’s Largest Paper Airplane
- Watermelon Keg
- Crocheted Crochet Hook
- Guilty Dog Given Time Out
- Dressing for Success, Burglary Edition
- Geek Busts Teen’s Party with Technology
- Incredible Words with Friends Stories
- Bone Telescope
- Easter Egg Hunt Canceled Because of Pushy Parents
- Command Insignia Salt & Pepper Shakers
- Star Trek: The Next Generation Amigurumi
- Throwable Recon Robot
- The Noisy Jelly Kit
- Stuff That Was Popular When You Were a Kid
- Google Ordered to Disable Autocomplete in Japan
- Underwater Missile Launch
- Why are Eggs Egg-shaped?
- Perpetual Motion Bulldog
- Tough Fruit
- Fishnet Zombie Shower Curtain
- Set Me Free
| Posted: 27 Mar 2012 05:02 AM PDT
Most people have heard of it -maybe in a ninth-grade history class or on Jeopardy! last week. But what is it? Answer: a piece of writing that has helped shape governments for 800 years. BACKGROUND When asked to name the most important documents in Western civilization, historians almost always include the Magna Carta. What’s so important about it? Many people assume that this landmark document, written in 1215, helped advance human rights and led directly to the Declaration of Independence. Not quite. The Magna Carta actually wasn’t intended to help the common man, but it did mark the first time in history that written law challenged the absolute power of a monarch, and the first time that governments, even kings, could be held accountable for their actions. Without that, modern democracy would not exist. STRUGGLE FOR THE THRONE In 1002, Ethelred II, the Anglo-Saxon king of England, married Emma, the daughter of the duke of Normandy (now a region of northern France). The marriage created a blood alliance between these two kingdoms, designed to unite them against invasion by the Vikings. In 1066 the next king of England, Edward the Conquerer (an Anglo-Saxon) died, leaving no heirs. That left the door open for the Norman bloodline (the one descended from Emma) to make a claim for the throne of England.; William, the duke of Normandy, invaded and conquered England. When William (known today as William the Conquerer) officially became king of England, he installed a feudal system. Norman troops who had fought on William’s side were given English lands as a reward for their loyalty, and they became barons. According to the feudal system, anyone who lived within a baron’s jurisdiction was obliged to pay taxes to the baron and serve in his militia. The barons, in turn, paid taxes to the king. England operated that way until 1199, when King Richard the Lionhearted died and his brother John claimed the throne. John, the youngest son in the royal family, actually ranked beneath his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, in the order of succession. So how did he become king? Arthur disappeared and John took the throne by force. This enraged the barons, but what could they do? They couldn’t fight the king of England …or could they? Two incidences ultimately drove the barons to challenge the king.  Pope Innocent III Royal Error #1: In 1207 John appointed the Bishop of Norwich, John de Gray, Archbishop of Canterbury, the Catholic Church’s highest representative in England. Traditionally, the king consulted with the bishops of England before making that appointment …but John didn’t do that. The bishops protested to Pope Innocent III, who then put his own man, Stephen Langton, in the position. Infuriated that his power had been usurped, King John banished the council of bishops from England. In retaliation, Pope Innocent III excommunicated John (and, by extension, all of England) from the Church. The barons urged John to make amends, which he did …sort of. The Pope agreed to reinstate John (and England). His price: England itself. The Church would own England, and John would be little more than a local governor. In addition, the Church levied a huge tax on England. Where would John get the money? From the barons. Royal Error #2: In 1206 French forces seized the region of Normandy. Because it was their ancestral homeland, the barons demanded John send troops to reclaim it. He delayed for eight years before finally leading the English army into the occupied territories himself. England lost; France kept the land. REBELLION Upon hearing of the defeat, the barons became furious. They banded together in 1215 (while John was traveling back from France) and decided it was time to take action against the king. Using as a basis the “Charter of Liberties,” a ceremonial document used by King Henry I at his coronation in 1100, they created a new document -one that would be legally binding. Its essence: The king’s power would no longer be absolute. He would be accountable for his actions, and the barons would have a say in decision-making. John returned to London that June to find the barons had taken control of the city. There was only one way for the king to get his country back: submit to the barons’ 63 written demands. In return, the barons offered to sign a pledge of loyalty to King John. The resultant document -all of it in Latin- was called the “Great Charter,” or Magna Carta. THE DOCUMENT Most of the 63 demands relate very specifically to life in 13th-century England. One, for example, repealed a tax on loans inherited by minors; another opened up royal hunting lands to barons. But two section shad a much broader impact. * Clause 61 called for a committee of barons that could meet at any time to overrule the king’s actions, by force if necessary. * Clause 39 -the only part of the Magna Carta that could be applied to a commoner (it prevented the king from jailing anyone or seizing property without proper cause or a fair trial, also known as habeas corpus- translation: “you must have the body.”)  King John signing the Magna Carta John wasn’t about to surrender authority, even with armed barons breathing down his neck. He signed the Magna Carta just to satisfy them. (The ceremony took place on June 15, 1215, under a tree in Runnymede, a meadow in London not far from Buckingham Palace.) But as soon as the barons relinquished control of England and left London, he renounced the document and then appealed to Pope Innocent II, who technically still ruled England. The Pope declared the Magna Carta null and void. A NEW HOPE When the barons learned of John’s treachery, they declared civil war. But the conflict was brief: King John died in 1216 and was replaced by his nine-year-old son, Henry III. The barons called a truce when the Magna Carta was reissued under Henry’s name, although with sections removed,. notably Clause 61, the “committee of barons” rule. In 1225 Henry (now 18 years old) pared it down to only 37 clauses. But since he respected the basics of the charter -staying out of Church and baronial affairs- the relationship between the crown and the barons remained smooth. Over Henry’s 56-year reign, the document’s principles became part of England’s legal tradition, an accepted system of assumed rights and laws commonly referred to as “English common law.” COMING TO AMERICA In 1765 England needed money to pay for the troops that protected its American colonies. Parliament decided that the colonies should foot the bill, so it passed the Stamp Act, which placed a tax on written materials sold in the colonies, including newspapers, pamphlets, contracts, licenses, and playing cards. Colonists objected to being taxed by an assembly thousands of miles away in which they didn’t even have a representative. The Massachusetts Assembly declared that taxation without representation violated “the natural rights of Englishmen,” by which it meant the Magna Carta, the document which had guided the moral code of governing for more than 500 years. That was the first of several colonial challenges to the throne (culminating in the American Revolution), fueled by the Magna Carta’s thesis that leaders are not above the law. In addition to its philosophical influence, a few clauses of the Magna Carta actually became part of the American government. Clause 39, or habeas corpus, providing that arrests and trials of citizens must have merit, is found in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. And Clause 61, which called for a committee of barons to oversee the king’s actions, inspired the “checks and balances” system by which various branches of U.S. government -executive, judicial, and legislative- have oversight of each other to ensure that none of them becomes too powerful. LASTING IMPACT What became of the actual physical document? There never was one “master” Magna Carta -42 copies were made and signed, one for each of the barons and two for the king. Amazingly, four of those 42 copies still exist. One is on display at the Houses of Parliament, one is in the British Library, and one is in a cathedral in Salisbury, England. The fourth copy is usually housed at Lincoln Cathedral in Lincolnshire, but is occasionally loaned out. It was shown at the New York World’s Fair in 1939 and in 2007 at the 400th anniversary celebration of Jamestown, the first English colony in North America, where it was presented as a link between the old world of England and the New World of America. ____________________________
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| Hilariously Bad Terminator 3 DVD Commentary Posted: 27 Mar 2012 04:36 AM PDT Arnold Schwarzenegger is the king of awkward narration, since he loves to ramble on about whatever is happening on the screen and clearly doesn’t understand the point of DVD commentary. This time around the movie is Terminator 3, so it comes complete with mandroid booty and some gloriously goofy statements and observations by Arnold. (NSFW-naked bootay) –via Nerd Approved |
| Mallrats Magic Eye Secret Exposed Posted: 27 Mar 2012 04:28 AM PDT Well, it turns out that Mallrats character Willam’s quest to see the sailboats in the magic eye picture was all for naught, because with a little Photoshop magic it has been revealed that there aren’t any sailboats there at all! Way to make the poor guy obsess over nothing Kevin Smith! –via i09 |
| 6 Tabletop Role playing Games With Unique Settings Posted: 27 Mar 2012 04:22 AM PDT Tabletop role playing game enthusiasts will tell you that the fun definitely doesn’t end with Dungeons & Dragons. Settings for RPGs are only limited by the imagination, and the creators often come up with some far out and interesting worlds in which to play. James Daniels at Topless Robot has put together a list of RPGs with unique settings, and having played a few of the games on the list I must say he has chosen some really classic games. So, if you’re like me and you enjoy your gaming in a tabletop setting with friends, you might just find your next campaign source on this list of truly unique RPGs. |
| Turkish Star Wars Action Figures Posted: 27 Mar 2012 03:45 AM PDT These Turkish knockoff Star Wars action figures have actually become a big hit with avid collectors, and I must admit they do have a certain crappy charm about them. Maybe it’s the colorful renaming of characters (see: Head Man), or maybe it’s the new packaging photos (the Imperial Gunner looks like he’s playing with a giant calculator). Aw heck, it’s the whole darn 99 cent store looking package! Thanks, Turkey, for showing us just how good our action figures really are, and how nowadays even crappy knockoffs can create a niche in the collector’s market.
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| Posted: 27 Mar 2012 12:15 AM PDT
Dusty computer monitor? "Owl'" help you clean it up with this cute Owl Dust Buddy from the NeatoShop. The microfiber duster cleans electronics, furniture, and more: Link View more Owl items from the NeatoShop | Hundreds of neat New Items |
| New Year’s End: A BioShock Short Film Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:42 PM PDT Fans of the Bioshock video game series (like me!) are getting mighty excited about the upcoming release of Bioshock: Infinite later this year, so it’s no wonder we watch everything related to Bioshock that comes out on the interwebs in order to get our Rapture fix. To tide us over until the new game is released, here’s an entertaining Bioshock themed short film, which deals with the events that took place in Rapture before the first game on that fateful New Years Eve, 1958. –via Geekologie |
| Another Form of Pizza Roulette Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:40 PM PDT Sure you can always play the pizza roulette John posted, wherein one unlucky eater gets a slice of pie coated in pepper juice, but for those of you who aren’t total jerks, the pizza plate roulette is a lot more friendly. In this game, the person who gets the slice on top of the black dot has to pay for the whole meal. Of course, that also means you’d better slice the pie correctly or else the pieces won’t line up right and then there will be a fight over whose slice covers more of the black dot…and no one wants to deal with that nonsense. Link Via Laughing Squid |
| Visit the Wonderful Holds of Skyrim Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:35 PM PDT |
| Who Can Resist the Penguin Webcam? Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:26 PM PDT Do you love penguins? The you’ll love the Penguin Live cam courtesy of Sea Wold San Diego’s giant penguin enclosure. Just look at those cute little critters! Via io9 |
| Get Your Geeky Buzz On With 8-Bit Pale Ale Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:20 PM PDT Lots of things go well with an ice cold beer in hand: pizza, ball games, bowling, and, of course, video games. Gaming while getting your buzz on can make the whole experience more enjoyable, and may help ease the pain of utter defeat on the virtual battlefield. 8-Bit Pale Ale knows your pain, and they’re hoping to appeal to drunken gamers everywhere with the pixel art designs on their can, but does their Pale Ale taste as good as the competition, or is it just a bad beer wrapped in an appealing label? |
| What Female Comic Characters Wear in Cold Weather Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:19 PM PDT |
| Superhero Optical Illusion-Two Batmen Or Wolverine? Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:16 PM PDT I find these silly little optical illusions quite entertaining when I come across one on the interwebs, but when the theme relates to superheroes I have to post them here at Neatorama. This time around it’s an easy choice: Wolverine Or 2 Bat Men? (Hint: both answers are correct!) |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:14 PM PDT Yes, it is a cool and clever bathroom design, but poor Leela really shouldn’t have to watch that every day. Link Via The Daily What |
| Agnes-Cecile Has Some Serious Watercolor Skills Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:06 PM PDT The works of Agnes-Cecile (aka Silvia Pelissero) are not only hauntingly beautiful, they have that messy perfection I love to see in paintings and watercolor works. Recently, Agnes-Cecile has contributed to the 1000 Drawings charity event in Amsterdam, raising money to "support FairPen, which helps children in Uganda to run an editorial office with their peers, investigate issues, think critically, and publish handwritten, hand-drawn newspapers to each other and to their local communities." You can watch Agnes-Cecile in action at the Creep Machine link below, where you’ll find a short video showing her create the piece pictured above from beginning to end. It’s rather cool to see her hand at work, and may inspire you to try your hand at some watercolor works of your own. Link –via Creep Machine |
| Scientists Record Nighttime Fish Farts Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:16 PM PDT
The scientists have a guess: night time fish farts. No, I kid you not: Link - Go science! |
| Woman Walking While Texting Fell Off Pier Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:15 PM PDT
That's Walking While Texting, if you don't know, which Bonnie experienced first hand one fine day when she walked off a pier into Lake Michigan while texting on her phone. Tony Spehar of ABC57 News has the scoop:
Consider us warned, Bonnie! Link |
| Chocolate May Help Keep You Thin Posted: 26 Mar 2012 09:43 PM PDT
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| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:17 PM PDT
Geeks Are Sexy has the clip: Link [Embedded YouTube clip] |
| Angry Birds on Seattle’s Space Needle Posted: 26 Mar 2012 07:16 PM PDT
To mark the launch of its new game, Angry Birds has turned Seattle's Space Needle into a launch pad! So that's how they got into space ... Link - Thanks Tiffany! See also: Neat Angry Birds stuff from the NeatoShop |
| Star Wars Continuous Line Drawings Posted: 26 Mar 2012 06:15 PM PDT For a school project, Sam Hallows made several Star Wars-themed drawings, each of which consists of a single, unbroken line. You can find his C-3PO, R2-D2, AT-AT and Millennium Falcon drawings at the link. He hopes to soon market these images on postcards. Link -via Nerd Approved |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 05:57 PM PDT Skull Cupcake Cookie Jar – $23.95 Are you looking for a place to hide your favorite cookies in plain sight? You need the Skull Cupcake Cookie Jar from the NeatoShop. This adorable cookie jar provides the sweetest and most subtle warning to all those who would dare to trespass. Keep away! These cookies are mine! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Skulls, Cupcakes, and Cookie Jars. The NeatoShop has all your needs covered!
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| Man Saws off Own Foot to Avoid Work Posted: 26 Mar 2012 05:52 PM PDT
Ah, but was he successful? Link -via Dave Barry | Photo (unrelated) via Flickr user eye of einstein |
| The Largest Car Loop the Loop in the World Posted: 26 Mar 2012 05:44 PM PDT (Video Link) Kids, keep practicing with your skateboard and the plywood ramp that you made. Someday, you could top this accomplishment by Li Yatao. Last September, he defied gravity by driving a Lotus in a circular loop forty-two feet across. In doing so, Yatao set a new Guinness World Record. |
| World’s Largest Paper Airplane Posted: 26 Mar 2012 05:36 PM PDT
What? Why wasn't I informed that the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona, created a giant 45-foot paper airplane ... and flew it! The giant paper airplane, named "Arturo's Desert Eagle," was based on the paper airplane designed by 12-year-old Aturo Valdenegro, who won the museum's paper airplane distance contest earlier this year. The Los Angeles Times has the story: Link - via Geekosystem |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 05:17 PM PDT Have you ever added vodka to a watermelon? This recipe takes it one step further. Hollow out a watermelon, then add a spigot. Fill the melon husk with punch and serve. Link -via Rosa Klein | Photo: National Watermelon Promotion Board |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 04:46 PM PDT |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 04:39 PM PDT
Most parents have given their kids time out for doing something bad, but how about sending your dog to the corner? Here's what one Chinese lady did to her pug after catching it stealing a sausage off the dining table: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via Look At This I love the guilty peek at the end! |
| Dressing for Success, Burglary Edition Posted: 26 Mar 2012 04:01 PM PDT Are you a professional? Then look the part, no matter what your career choice. Take, for example, this man, who has been charged with burglary in Marion County, Illinois. His shirt helpfully says “What’s mine is mine what’s yours is mine.” Link -via Lowering the Bar | Photo: WJBD |
| Geek Busts Teen’s Party with Technology Posted: 26 Mar 2012 03:38 PM PDT
The geek way, of course, by measuring his house's power consumption using Fluksometer:
Damn you, technology! Link - via Gizmodo Australia |
| Incredible Words with Friends Stories Posted: 26 Mar 2012 02:37 PM PDT
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| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 02:19 PM PDT
The 18th century telescope above, found in an excavation in Amsterdam, is quite unusual: it's made of bone.
LiveScience has the details: Link |
| Easter Egg Hunt Canceled Because of Pushy Parents Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:45 PM PDT
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| Command Insignia Salt & Pepper Shakers Posted: 26 Mar 2012 01:30 PM PDT Command Insignia Salt & Pepper Shakers – $13.95 Attention Star Trek fans! Get in command of your seasonings with the Command Insignia Salt & Pepper Shakers from the NeatoShop. This salt and pepper shaker set is really too beautiful to ignore. Your friends will find your taste in tableware fascinating. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Salt & Pepper Shakers and fantastic Star Trek items. |
| Star Trek: The Next Generation Amigurumi Posted: 26 Mar 2012 12:34 PM PDT
Crocheting the crew of the Star Trek: The Next Generation in adorable amigurumi form? In the words of the USS Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard, make it so: Link - via Craftzine and Nerd Approved |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 11:32 AM PDT
Before, the only way to find out is to peek your head and see (unless you're a physicist - those people are magicians). Until now:
Link - via Discovery News |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 10:00 AM PDT
The Noisy Jelly Kit was created by French design students Raphaël Pluvinage and Marianne Cauvard. See pictures of the game and even a video at Fine Dining Lovers. Link -Thanks, Matteo! (Image credit: Véronique Huyge) |
| Stuff That Was Popular When You Were a Kid Posted: 26 Mar 2012 09:00 AM PDT Today is National Stuff That Was Popular When You Were a Kid Day! Or at least it is at mental_floss, thanks to readers who suggested made-up holidays. All day long, they’re featuring quizzes about stuff from your childhood. Try out Name That Beanie Baby, or maybe Computer Games That Came on Floppy Disks, or Superman vs. ____? or even Movies Where Russians Were the Bad Guys, among others, and check back for new quizzes to be posted all day long! Link |
| Google Ordered to Disable Autocomplete in Japan Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:44 AM PDT A man sued Google in a Japanese court and won! That doesn’t mean that Google will comply with the order, but here’s what happened:
Since it never occurred to me to do it before, I immediately Googled my name to see what autocomplete would come up with. Luckily, the results are pretty benign (though I’m disappointed that Neatorama didn’t appear). Take a moment to do the same, if you haven’t already, and then read the rest of the story at Geekosystem. Link |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:30 AM PDT At first I was like ?? Then I was like !! I had no idea this was even possible. -via reddit |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 08:06 AM PDT
Great advice, just in time for an Easter egg roll! Kees Moeliker of Improbable Research says bird species’ different egg shapes are adaptive for their different nesting habits. Link (Image credit: Flickr user bleu celt) |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 07:30 AM PDT He just keeps going and going and going! This set up is much simpler than buying a machine to play with your dog, although it does require a certain, uh, range of canine cognitive abilities. Now if we could just bottle that determination, we’d have an endless supply! -via Arbroath |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 06:43 AM PDT When a bully called their team “the fruit basket,” this dodgeball team was inspired to create new uniforms. “Cutecumber” is the only female team member. Link |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 06:24 AM PDT Fishnet Zombie Shower Curtain – $17.95 Spring is here. That means it’s time to get down to some serious cleaning. Sprucing up your crime scene of a bathroom is a no-brainer with a Fishnet Zombie Shower Curtain from the NeatoShop. This pin-up girl zombie will add an element of good clean fun to any zombie lover’s bathroom. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Zombie fun and great Shower Curtains! |
| Posted: 26 Mar 2012 06:00 AM PDT The women of the AMC TV series Mad Men are remixed into The Supremes song “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” The chorus is cleverly edited from the show, and the rest gives us a glimpse of a woman’s place in the mid-1960s. -via Laughing Squid |
The following is reprinted from the book 
The article above is reprinted with permission from 
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