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2012/04/05

Neatorama

Neatorama

The Cover Art of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 05:05 AM PDT

Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website.

It is the most famous rock album cover of all time: The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. One of the many things that still fascinate us about this incredible album is the cover. The concept for the cover was called “people we like.”

According to artist Peter Blake, the designer of the iconic Sgt. Pepper cover: “In my mind I was making a piece of art rather than an album cover. It was almost a piece of theater design.”

Blake continues: “I offered the idea that if they had just played a concert in the park, the cover would be a photograph of them with the group who had watched the concert. If we did this by using cardboard cutouts, it could be whomever they wanted.”

Each of the four Beatles was told to compile a list of people they admired, and their choices would all be featured on the album’s cover. Ringo, always the least pretentious of the four, declined right off the bat. “Whoever the others choose is okay with me,” Ringo said.

John Lennon’s off-kilter mind immediately came up with Adolf Hitler and Mohandas Gandhi. Hitler was immediately nixed for obvious reasons. But, incredibly, a paper cutout of Adolf Hitler was actually made and was there at the photo session on March 30, 1967. Legend has it that Hitler was actually in the final shot, but during the session, one of the Beatles stood in front of him, covering the camera’s view. Gandhi got the axe by EMI executives, believing it would hurt album sales in the Far East.

George, “the mystic Beatle,” of course, chose four Indian gurus. Bob Dylan was a clear choice by all the Beatles, who worshiped Dylan.

Fred Astaire was definitely a “Paul” choice. The legendary dancer was an easy sell and was reportedly delighted to be featured. However, despite Paul’s initial assurance to EMI that all the requested “guests” would “love to do anything to please us,” several of the chosen figures gave EMI more than a bit of difficulty. Shirley Temple asked to hear the finished product produced before giving her consent.

The Beatles all wanted Mae West to be on the cover, but she was apprehensive. “What would I be doing in a lonely heart’s club band?” Mae asked. To placate the legendary sex symbol, all four Beatles wrote and signed a letter to Mae, and she finally agreed.

Leo Gorcey of The Bowery Boys was chosen to be featured along with his comic partner Huntz Hall. But Gorcey demanded the outrageous (!) sum of $400.00 to appear and he got the axe. It is still easy to see where Gorcey was airbrushed out on the final cover. Gorcey’s Bowery Boys buddy, Huntz Hall, proved more cooperative, and can be found hovering in the top row.

Other no-shows include Bette Davis (in full Queen Elizabeth getup), whose cutout was there, but got blocked out by George’s left shoulder. Albert Einstein, also, is mainly blocked out by John’s right shoulder, and can barely be perceived.

Lewis Carroll, John’s literary idol, is there. (Carroll, besides being a writing hero to John, was also the inspiration for Lennon’s classic song “I Am The Walrus.” John admitted that the song was inspired by Carroll’s poem The Walrus and the Carpenter.)

Paul was to say they chose some of the figures because they liked their “groovy-sounding names” and gave Aldous Huxley and Karlheinz Stockhausen as examples.

The oddest choice? Well, maybe it was Sonny Liston, the boxer who was twice defeated by Muhammad Ali, who The Beatles had met in person a few years previously. Liston had attended a Beatles concert that same year (1964), hated the boys, and said, “My dog drums better than that guy” (referring to Ringo).

Most curious omission? Definitely Elvis Presley! Why no Elvis? I have never found an answer to this question in all the Beatles books and interviews I have read. Elvis was all four Beatles’ supreme hero, especially in their early, formative years.

Many Beatles books state that Jesus Christ was an original candidate chosen by John Lennon. This is possibly not true. The Beatles were still stinging from John’s famous “We’re bigger than Jesus” remark of less than a year earlier and the repercussions from that statement. John suffered greatly from the huge backlash of his controversial comment during this period. Nonetheless, it is possible, although not probable, that the never-back-down Lennon still tried to opt for Jesus to be featured.

The most touching featured tribute was to the Beatles’ former bandmate, bass player Stuart Sutcliffe. Stu died tragically in 1962, at the age of 21, from a head injury. Poor Stuart never lived to see all the band’s future success. John always considered Stuart his best friend (besides Paul) and John was probably behind choosing Stuart to appear.

The cover was shot by photographer Michael Cooper on March 30, 1967. The four Beatles are seen wearing custom-designed military-style outfits made of satin dyed in Day-Glo colors. George and Paul can both be seen wearing their recently-awarded MBE medals. John was very ambivalent about the band receiving these medals, and declined to sport his MBE, choosing instead to don several generic medals he borrowed from the mother of former Beatle drummer Pete Best. The royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom can be seen on John’s right sleeve. Paul is wearing a black Ontario Provincial Police armband.

Four wax dummies of The Beatles stand alongside the living members, these symbolizing the “old Beatles” sporting moptops and identical outfits.

Among several dozen male figures, just five females are present: besides the aforementioned Mae West and little Shirley Temple, actresses Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, and Diana Dors are included. Jann Hayworth, the wife of Peter Blake who helped her husband with the album cover’s original design, was to always regret the fact that more women weren’t featured.

The Sgt. Pepper cover was to win a 1967 Grammy Award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Design.

*******

Editor’s Note: In celebration of his 80th birthday, artist Sir Peter Blake has just unveiled his personal updated version of the Sgt. Pepper album cover. The artist himself is in the middle, surrounded by his own selection of celebrities. See if you can name them all.

Boo Bass

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 04:10 AM PDT


(YouTube link)

The 2001 film Monsters, Inc. gets the Pogo treatment! Sounds from the Pixar movie were remixed by Nick Bertke, and the video was edited by goldpikpikcarrots.  -via The Daily What

Easter Egg Tree has a Bumper Crop

Posted: 05 Apr 2012 03:03 AM PDT

Volker Kraft of Saalfeld, Germany has an Easter egg tree with 10,000 colored eggs hanging from it! He and his wife Christa, with the help of their children, use real eggshells with the insides blown out, dyed and decorated and hung with care.

Kraft's apple sapling sported just 18 eggs when he first decorated it for Easter in 1965. The number increased year by year; and by last year, the sturdy tree was festooned with 9,800 eggs, artfully decorated with everything from sequins to sea shells.

This time, Kraft has reached 10,000 — and he says he's stopping there.

"There will be no increase because I do not have storage capacity anymore," the 76-year-old retiree says. "I would have to sleep with the eggs otherwise."

The tree has become a tourist attraction over the years. Link

(Image credit: Jens Meyer/AP)

Was Darth Vader Actually Created By Brian DePalma?

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 11:23 PM PDT

(YouTube Link)

The similarities between Brian DePalma’s misanthropic main character in rock opera Phantom of the Paradise and Darth Vader of Star Wars (and heavy breathing) fame are undeniable, and one of the most overlooked influences in the history of geekdom.

Here’s a blurb which describes the Phantom and illustrates the similarities between the two characters:

He's a character of superhuman power and strength, clad in black leather and a flowing cloak, with a stylized helmet to cover hideous scars on his face. The damage to his vocal cords means he breathes with an eerie rasp, and has a box with lights and switches on his chest to help modulate his voice. He retreats to an egg-shaped chamber where he can meditate and find peace. He's not wholly evil, but has been enslaved by someone who is: a cruel master who exploits his unique powers in order to further his own, evil ends.

DePalma’s Phantom of the Paradise came out in 1974, he conceived of the story well before it was released, and Lucas and DePalma are close friends.

So, is Darth Vader a Phantom ripoff? Lucas ran with a different idea, and created a more fully realized character so I wouldn’t say it’s a total ripoff. But did the Phantom influence Lucas’ “vision”, and help bring Darth to the big screen? No question.

Link

Peanut Butter and Jelly Vodka

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 08:38 PM PDT

They’ve made vodka with some pretty strange flavors already, but this sounds like someone threw a dart at a chart to come up with the idea. Van Gogh Vodka, already known for a variety of flavored vodka, announced their new PB&J product with a press release, reprinted at Bar Biz magazine.

Van Gogh is proud to introduce their own take on the classic PB&J, transforming its timeless flavor into a delightfully smooth peanut butter and raspberry jelly flavored vodka. Master Distiller Tim Vos selected raspberry flavored jelly after taste-testing peanut butter sandwiches matched with various jellies. “For me, the raspberry jelly came out the best,” he says. “It is fresh, fruity and mingles very well with the oily structure of the peanut butter.”

Would you try it? Link -via Fark

ECCEROBOT

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 07:33 PM PDT


(YouTube link)

ECCEROBOT is an anthropomimetic robot, built with bones, muscles, and tendons to move the way humans do. And it does, which is creepy enough, but that face will haunt your dreams. Link -via The Daily What Geek

Super Dingo Vs. The Pirates

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 04:41 PM PDT

(YouTube Link)

This super strange short is called Super Dingo Vs. The Pirates, starring (surprise!) Super Dingo, a genetically modified dingo with a cyber eye and a bad attitude.

It’s a comedic masterpiece starring a guy in a furry suit, a hilariously disheveled band of pirates, and a narrator so stereotypical it’s hard to put your finger on which particular stereotype he represents. Watch as hilarity ensues, thanks to Super Dingo TV!

–via Topless Robot

Hen Hatches Ducklings

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 04:22 PM PDT

Hilda is a hen who lives at Farmer Palmer’s children’s activity farm near Poole, Dorset, England. She apparently sat on the wrong nest of eggs and stayed there, keeping them warm, until they hatched. Surprise! The eggs were full of ducklings! Farmer Philip Palmer was unaware until then that the eggs had been laid by a duck.

‘Hilda doesn’t seem bothered at all – the ducklings follow her around just as chicks would.

‘Our ducks and chickens live together so a duck must have laid her eggs and that caused the mix-up.

‘When I saw Hilda sitting on some eggs, I thought they were hers or another chicken’s and, as she barely moved, I had no idea they were duck eggs.

‘She was quite happy to sit there and nest them for the next 28 days and when they hatched I was shocked – instead of chicks, we had ducklings!

‘It was so surprising but lovely and she has proved to be very capable at raising them.

‘The ducklings aren’t aware that their mother is a hen and Hilda is totally unaware that she’s actually got a bunch of ducks waddling behind her.

‘The ducklings don’t leave her side and if they get scared they run for cover under their “mum”.

They may notice some day that their mother doesn’t want to swim with them. Link -via Fark

Indonesia’s Deadly Acid Volcano

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT

Sulfur Miners at Kawah Ijen Crater

Kawah Ijen is a volcanic crater lake in East Java, Indonesia. This is no ordinary lake, but a pool of sulfuric acid. Miners harvest sulfur from the caldera, carrying it miles by hand, with little to protect them from poisonous gasses. Read more about them at Environmental Graffiti. Link

(Image credit: Flickr user Matthew Harrigan)

Project Glass

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 03:08 PM PDT


(YouTube Link)

Google is starting to work on augmented-reality glasses you can wear so you’ll have all your apps and internet and everything right there in front of your face any time you want. This is what they hope it will be like …someday. The details are on G+ (which I am still suspended from). Link -via The Daily What

Lips of Babel

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 02:02 PM PDT


(vimeo link)

When they get to your language, you will figure out what these lips are doing in this film by Elle Muliarchyk. Link -via Everlasting Blort

Zombies Never Die Bowler Purse

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 01:03 PM PDT

Zombie’s Never Die Bowler Purse – $33.95

Help! Mother’s Day is coming. Are you on the hunt for the perfect gift for your zombie loving Mom? Get her the Zombies Never Die Bowler Purse from the NeatoShop. This chic purse is to die for.

Are you a big spender? Show Mom how much you really care by getting her the matching Zombies Never Die Wallet. This wallet is a scream.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Zombie and Handbag fun!

Link

The Sublime Swallowtail Butterfly

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT

IMG_7983_v

Depending on where you live, you might see Common Yellow swallowtail butterflies a lot. But there are many other species of swallowtail butterflies. Take a look at some of the beautiful but lesser-known species in a list at Ark in Space. The butterfly pictured here is called the Chinese Peacock. Link

(Image credit: Flickr user leemt2)

What’s in a School Hamburger?

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 12:25 PM PDT


(NPR link)

There are a lot of things in there besides beef. But once they are explained, it makes sense to me. The water and soy flour are fillers that stretch the meat and makes it affordable. But they stretch it so far that all that other stuff needs to go in to make it resemble beef. Read the rest of the story at NPR. Link -via Breakfast Links

Yutyrannus: the Feathered Tyrannosaur

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 11:43 AM PDT

Chinese paleontologist Xing Xu and colleagues have published their description of a new dinosaur species today, which might be the largest feathered animal ever. It’s an early version of a T. rex they named Yutyrannus huali, meaning "beautiful feathered tyrant" in a mixture of Latin and Mandarin.

It weighed in at 1,400 kilograms (3,100 pounds), and was at least 7 or 8 metres in length. That's 40 times bigger than Beipiaosaurus, the previous record-holder for largest feathered dinosaur (and another Xu discovery).

Xu found three skeletons of the new creature in China's Liaoning Province. Judging by the size and the state of their bones, one of them was an adult, and the others were a decade or so younger. Except for one missing tail, they are almost complete, and in very good condition. That alone is cause for celebration. Dinosaur-hunters are often forced to describe new species based on tantalising fragments from a single skeleton; three complete ones is a jackpot.

All three specimens had long 15-centimetre feathers. Each is unevenly covered, but between the three skeletons, it's likely that Yutyrannus was feathered from head to toe. These aren't the flattened vanes that help most modern birds to fly. At this stage of their evolution, feathers were simply long filaments, better suited for insulation or displaying to peers, and similar to the plumes of today's flightless emus and cassowaries.

Does this mean that T. rex had feathers? Some scientists think so. Link

Read another article about how the research on these fossils was done at The Loom. Link

Hypnodog!

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 10:12 AM PDT


(YouTube link)

Imagine these eyes staring at you during all your waking hours at home. Then again, all your hours at home would be waking hours if this was your dog! -via Daily Picks and Flicks

Bad Opinion Generator

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 09:42 AM PDT

The Week magazine has an online toy that will give you an opinion. A bad one, in hindsight. Unlike a real “generator,” these opinions are not constructed on the fly -they are things that were really said by someone at some time in history. Push the button and get another one randomly selected from the files. Link -via Buzzfeed, where you’ll find a list of their favorites.

Live Long and Prosper

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 09:30 AM PDT

This picture was taken in the Oval Office on February 29th. Look at those smiles and tell me which one is more excited about the photo opportunity. Link -via Laughing Squid

(Image credit: Nichelle Nichols)

The Wrong Sky

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 08:24 AM PDT


(YouTube link)

Astrophysicist and geek idol Neil deGrasse Tyson watched the 1997 film Titanic and noticed the stars in the sky during the scenes when (spoiler alert) the boat sank. They were not the stars that would have been visible in that location on April 15, 1912. But they will be accurate in the re-release of the film today! You may think that deGrasse Tyson was being pedantic, but imagine getting all those preteen Titanic fans interested in historic star fields. Link -via Geeks Are Sexy

Borg Cube vs Death Star

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 07:29 AM PDT

Resistance is futile! Or is it? If the universes of Star Wars and Star Trek were to somehow overlap (it could happen), and the Borg encountered the Imperial space station known as the Death Star, which would prevail in battle? This hypothetical situation sparks a torrent of fan discussion. Link -via Metafilter

Offroading

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 07:02 AM PDT


(YouTube link)

Passenger: Don’t drive through the water! You don’t know how deep it is!
Driver: This is a Land Cruiser -we’ll drive right through along the bottom, mate.
Passenger: But what if it floats instead?
Driver: No worries, the engine will just shift into jet mode.

Do not try this at home. Or anywhere else. -via Everlasting Blort

The Tale of Peter Rabbit

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 06:29 AM PDT

The first appearance of the character Peter Rabbit was not in a book, but in a letter! A wonderfully illustrated hand-written letter that survives to this day.

In September of 1893, at 26 years of age, Beatrix Potter sent the following illustrated letter to Noel, the five-year-old son of her friend and former governess, Annie Moore. The letter contained a tale of four rabbits, and in fact featured the first ever appearance of Peter Rabbit; however it wasn’t until 1901, eight years later, that Potter decided to revisit her letter to Noel and develop the idea.

The resulting story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, was published in 1902 by Frederick Warne & Co, and has since become one of the most popular children’s books of all time.

See the original with drawings, and read the full transcript at Letters of Note. Link

I Love Not Camping Cosmetic Bag

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 06:26 AM PDT

I Love Not Camping Cosmetic Bag – $16.95

Do you hate camping ? We encourage you to embrace your high maintenance ways with the I Love Not Camping Cosmetic Bag from the NeatoShop. This eye-catching zipper cosmetic bag is perfect for toting toiletries to the spa or staying at 5 star luxury hotels. Spring is such a wonderful time to enjoy the great indoors.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fun Bags and Totes  and fabulous Mother’s Day suggestions.

Link

 

Doctor Who RPG

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT


(College Humor link)

It’s about time we got an 8-bit Doctor Who-theme role-playing game. It’s from College Humor, so it probably makes about as much sense to fans as it does to those of us who’ve never seen the show. -via The Daily What Geek

14 Wonderfully Geeky Easter Eggs

Posted: 04 Apr 2012 05:18 AM PDT

I don't know about you guys, but the extent of my Easter egg decorating ends with being able to use two different dyes on an egg and then slapping on a few stickers. I once tried to paint one with real paint at a party where everyone was doing the same and mine was probably the worst, looking like a six year-old's rendition of a dying Tony the Tiger. Fortunately, not everyone is as lacking in artistry as I am. In fact, some people have turned the process of coloring Easter eggs into a true art form. And where there's art, there's geekery. Here are a few of the most awesomely geeky Easter eggs ever created.

If I could give out an award for best over all geek Easter egg creator, it would have to go to Flickr user Rakka. For starters, there's this fun little Bender design. Just tell me you don't want to bite his shinny metal yolk.

Ever thought your eggs needed to be upgraded? Well, the Cybermen are here ready to go to work on your Easter treats. Soon they will all be compatible.

The only problem with these adorable LEGO eggs is that unlike the real thing, they don't interlock with one another. Even so, they'd be perfect for any youngster who prefers LEGOland over Disneyland.

With Jake the dog and Finn the human, the (Easter Egg hunting) fun will never end. Rakka also included everyone's favorite spoiled royal heir, Lumpy Space Princess.

If you prefer your cartoons to be of the Adult Swim variety, then enjoy this delightfully rounded Master Shake. Rakka said this one tasted like a broodwich.

I'm afraid there is no translation given for this binary egg and I can't read it myself, so if any of you computer lovers could help out here, it would be greatly appreciated by the rest of us.

On the other hand, if there was an award for best sci-fi Easter egg maker, Flickr user PugnoM, aka Nancy Sims, would have to take the prize. For starters, just look at this amazingly detailed Stargate Atlantis egg. Aside from the wonderful Pegasus logo, she also included the gate itself on both the top and bottom of the egg.

She also created what is easily the most adorable and awesome Dalek egg in the history of mankind. Just look at his precious little deadly attachments. If you really want to see how much work Ms. Sims puts into her egg creations, just look at all the steps it took to make this one egg.

Here's another Stargate egg, this time painted as a Puddle Jumper ship. Again, check out all the detail she put into it. Great work Nancy!

For those who just can't get enough sci-fi Easter eggs, perhaps this set of Battlestar "Galactegga" characters featured on Geeks Are Sexy will satiate you.

If Battlestar Galactaca just isn't your thing but you still love egg portraits, then you'll love the work of John Lamoroni who is known for his wonderful depictions of people in Easter egg format. Included in this particular gallery are Elton John, Michael Jackson, President Obama, David Beckham and the entire lineup of characters from Tim Burton's Alice In Wonderland (above).

Speaking of movies, Pleated Jeans has a great collection of famous movie scenes recreated with Easter Eggs. Among their eggtastic recreations are Jaws (above), Say Anything, Psycho and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

If you'd prefer to color your Easter eggs in a geeky manner though, then perhaps you'd enjoy the Egg-Bot, a device that enables you to create designs on your computer and then add them to your egg (or other small spherical item) using the specially-designed machine and a set of fine-tipped Sharpies.

For a cheaper, but even more scientific, means to egg decoration, you can always try geode eggs. All you need are clean eggshells, soluable solids (table salt, sugar, baking soda, borax, etc.) and some food coloring. This is also a great, and fun, way to teach kids about crystallization while still preparing for Easter.

Have any of you ever made geeky Easter eggs? If so tell us about them, and if you have pictures, feel free to share the links in the comments. After all, the more the merrier. Oh, and Happy Easter!
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