Neatorama

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• A Brief History of Video Games
• Stained Glass Watertower
• Vase Shows the Silhouette of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
• What a Tattoo Removal Procedure Looks Like
• Queen Elizabeth II Color Wheel
• At the Car Wash
• Droid Sales Comparison Tattoo
• Hot Air Balloon Desk
• The Five Captains
• Zombie Beanie
• If Aliens Invaded the Earth, Which Weapons Could We Use Against Them?
• Jubilee Dalek
• Wave Photos by CJ Kale and Nick Selway
• Man Carjacked Ride for Prom
• Is Salt REALLY Bad for Your Health?
• Greeks Think They’re the Hardest Working People in Europe
• The Truman Show Delusion
• Swarm of Venomous Spiders Descended on an Indian Town
• Superpower
• What Hit Earth 1,200 Years Ago?
• Gone with the Wind Screen Tests & Auditions
• Pyramid Scheme Measuring Cups
• Orvillecopter: The Helicopter Cat
• Meet Garfield, the 40-Pound Cat
• Sho Kayo: The Real Life Doogie Howser, M.D.
• Name the 13 Best-Selling Candies in the U.S.
• The Terrifying Playgrounds and Other Innovations Coming to Our Future
• Tater Tot Eating Contest
• Some Awesome People That I Used To Know
• The Color Schemes of Higher Education
• 7 Passive-Aggresive Father’s Day Gifts
• Fishing, Interrupted
• R.I.P. Eduard Khil, Mr. Trololo

A Brief History of Video Games Posted: 05 Jun 2012 04:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) Are you ready for a little trip down memory lane with some catchy background music? This video is a lot more “game” than “history!” It was remixed from video, music, and sounds from games with no outside material added, by Reverse Enginears featuring P. Sus for Polygon. Link -via The Daily What Geek

Stained Glass Watertower Posted: 05 Jun 2012 02:00 AM PDT This beautiful work illuminating the Brooklyn skyline is artist Tom Fruin’s collection of plexiglass recycled from buildings and projects around New York City. It won’t hold water, but it does come with access ladders and a functional roof hatch. Link -via Gizmodo | Artist’s Website | Photo: Robert Banat

Vase Shows the Silhouette of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Posted: 05 Jun 2012 01:00 AM PDT Danish psychologist Edgar Rubin is best known for the Rubin Vase — an optical illusion that looks like either two faces or a vase. Here’s a real vase that was created for Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. When positioned just right, one side shows the Queen and the other the Prince Consort. You can find it at the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions museum in Edinburgh. Link -via My Modern Met | Photo: Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

What a Tattoo Removal Procedure Looks Like Posted: 05 Jun 2012 12:00 AM PDT (Video Link) I’ve heard that tattoos can be removed with lasers, but I had no idea that it could be done so quickly. In just a few minutes, huge swaths of this man’s sleeve tattoo vanish. More Information -via OhGizmo!

Queen Elizabeth II Color Wheel Posted: 04 Jun 2012 11:00 PM PDT During her sixty years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II has worn many different colors. Oh, not every color in Pantone’s color inventory, but a lot of them. To mark her Diamond Jubilee, Pantone and designer Lee Burnett made this color wheel that helps you match a color with a queen. Link -via Craft

At the Car Wash Posted: 04 Jun 2012 10:00 PM PDT It’s best to let your car drip dry on a clothesline for an hour or so after washing. The art collective Generik Vapeur illustrated this at the Flurstücke 011 festival last year in Münster, Germany. Link -via Colossal | Festival Website | Art Collective Website | Photo: Ingeborg

Droid Sales Comparison Tattoo Posted: 04 Jun 2012 09:00 PM PDT Poor R5-D4. To millions of Star Wars fans, he’ll be known as just an inferior droid with a bad motivator — not a Jedi knight who sacrificed himself for the good of the rebellion. Hopefully fans will see Chris Hill’s tattoo and learn of the nobility of that little R5 unit. Link -via Fashionably Geek

Hot Air Balloon Desk Posted: 04 Jun 2012 08:00 PM PDT My first thought was that the balloons are fake and the desk is attached a strut that is bolted to the ceiling. But no: those are real, helium/hydrogen-filled balloons. This reception desk at the Dublin-based ad agency Boys and Girls is held aloft by balloons that are made to remain permanently inflated. The other end of the table is propped up on giant Jenga blocks. Link -via Swiss Miss | Photo: Boys and Girls UPDATE 6/5/12: Two commenters provide good reasons to think that the balloons really are fake.

The Five Captains Posted: 04 Jun 2012 07:30 PM PDT Five actors who played the captain in five different Star Trek television series were all together on the same stage at the Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con this past weekend. That has never happened before! Pictured from left to right are William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, and Scott Bakula. Link -Thanks, Duke! (Image credit: Tomlin Campbell/Wizard World)

Zombie Beanie Posted: 04 Jun 2012 07:15 PM PDT Zombie Beanie – $21.95 The zombie apocalypse is coming! Are you ready! Let the Zombie Beanie from the NeatoShop help you blend in with your new undead neighbors. This fantastically gruesome knit hat comes complete with attached vinyl brain parts. Looking for the perfect zombie outfit? The Zombie Beanie pairs perfectly with the Zombie Feet Sandals. Get your zombie on today! Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Zombie  friendly fun! Link

If Aliens Invaded the Earth, Which Weapons Could We Use Against Them? Posted: 04 Jun 2012 07:00 PM PDT Do we want to fight the aliens? No. They have ability to cross the depths of space and and probably comparable destructive abilities (but possibly not). We have to fight them with the technology that we have, despite its limitations. So let’s ask ourselves: what can we field now — or in the near future — that could be used to good effect against a spaceborne invasion? Foreign Policy magazine has several proposals now being frantically examined by DARPA. Among them is a missile defense laser system that can be mounted on fighter jets: From studying footage of TIE-fighters and Cylon Raiders, we know that small alien craft may have the upper hand on even our most advanced jets when it comes to maneuverability. So when our flyboys or flygirls have alien fighters bearing down on their six, let’s hope they’re outfitted with this under-development project from DARPA that aims to “improve the performance of high energy lasers on tactical aircraft against targets” — such as an incoming missile — “in the aft field of regard.” It might not win the dogfight, but it can buy us enough time for the cavalry to arrive. Link -via Glenn Reynolds | Image: DARPA

Jubilee Dalek Posted: 04 Jun 2012 06:30 PM PDT Daleks-of-the-Day is a site that brings you a new dalek every day. Today’s edition is special for the Queen’s diamond jubilee, complete with crown, scepter, and …whatever that round thing is. Link -Thanks, Darkfynne!

Wave Photos by CJ Kale and Nick Selway Posted: 04 Jun 2012 06:00 PM PDT Photo: Lava Light Galleries There's a lot of photographers taking beautiful snapshots of Hawaii, but photographers CJ Kale and Nick Selway of Lava Light Galleries really take it to the next level. Great job, guys! Take a look at some of the most beautiful photography of the cool waves and the fiery lava of the Kailua volcano over at their website: Link | More magnificent photos over at the Daily Mail and Flickr

Man Carjacked Ride for Prom Posted: 04 Jun 2012 05:00 PM PDT Usually, people rent fancy vehicles to go to the prom, but this 20-year-old Chicagoan had a different idea: Lorenzo Bracey spent last Friday night all dressed up with no place to go. Well, except jail. The 20-year-old Chicago man was fully tuxed when he made a pre-prom McDonald's stop. Before he could say "to go, please," a man who recognized his own car in the parking lot identified Bracey as the guy who stole it from him at gunpoint earlier that day. Bracey was arrested while wearing "a fancy white shirt and a grayish silver tuxedo" and spent prom night with the police. Instead of a date, Bracey picked up four felonies and three misdemeanors. Link

Is Salt REALLY Bad for Your Health? Posted: 04 Jun 2012 04:00 PM PDT For decades, doctors have admonished us to reduce our salt intake to lower blood pressure, but is salt really that bad? Gary Taubes of The New York Times wrote about why salt may turn out not to be bad for your health after all. In fact, eating too little salt can be bad: The idea that eating less salt can worsen health outcomes may sound bizarre, but it also has biological plausibility and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, too. A 1972 paper in The New England Journal of Medicine reported that the less salt people ate, the higher their levels of a substance secreted by the kidneys, called renin, which set off a physiological cascade of events that seemed to end with an increased risk of heart disease. In this scenario: eat less salt, secrete more renin, get heart disease, die prematurely. With nearly everyone focused on the supposed benefits of salt restriction, little research was done to look at the potential dangers. But four years ago, Italian researchers began publishing the results from a series of clinical trials, all of which reported that, among patients with heart failure, reducing salt consumption increased the risk of death. Link

Greeks Think They’re the Hardest Working People in Europe Posted: 04 Jun 2012 03:00 PM PDT In the midst of the European economic crisis, the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project decided to conduct a little poll on the European Union countries and how they view each other on various topics. Amongst the findings, this one stood out: Almost everybody think that Germans are the hardest working people, and the Greeks are the least hardworking ... except the Greeks! Germany is the most admired nation in the EU and its leader the most respected. The Germans are judged to be Europe’s most hardworking people. And the Germans are the strongest supporters of both European economic integration and the European Union. Greece is the polar opposite. None of its fellow EU members surveyed see it in a positive light. In turn, Greeks are among the most disparaging of European economic integration and the harshest critics of the European Union. And they see themselves as Europe’s most hardworking people. Link - via The Economist

The Truman Show Delusion Posted: 04 Jun 2012 02:00 PM PDT The popularity of reality shows have given rise to a new type of mental illness, dubbed the "Truman Show" delusion, where patients think that they're being secretly filmed: Nicholas Marzano believes he's the subject of a secret reality show, and everyone in his town of Hillside, Illinois is in on it. He's suing HBO in federal court for, in his words, "filming and broadcasting a hidden camera reality show depicting the day-to-day activities of plaintiff" without his consent. His suit, filed in April, alleges that HBO has hidden cameras throughout his home, installed controlling devices in his car, enlisted the help of local police, and recruited actors to portray "attorneys, government and law enforcement officials, physicians, employers, prospective employers, family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers," all so that their show about his life can continue. Marzano also says HBO is keeping him from getting a job or paying his bills, so that he will be forced to remain on the show. He appears to be a perfect example of what psychiatrist brothers Joel and Ian Gold describe, in a paper published this week in the journal Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, as "Truman Show" delusion — sufferers believe they are "the 'star' of a reality television show secretly broadcasting their daily life, much like the main character in Peter Weir’s film The Truman Show." Between the movie's 1998 release and 2006, they saw five patients with the delusion, and news reports from around the world since then have turned up even more disturbing cases. With the increasing popularity of YouTube and reality TV, the Golds think the disorder is on the rise. "Truman Show" delusion may be the early 21st century's paranoia du jour. Anna North of Buzzfeed's SHIFT blog has the story: Link

Swarm of Venomous Spiders Descended on an Indian Town Posted: 04 Jun 2012 01:30 PM PDT It sounds like a Hollywood movie, but last month, a swarm of venomous spiders suddenly descended on festival-goers in the northeastern Indian town of Sadiya: ... on May 22, a team of life scientists from Dibrugarh University and Gauhati University arrived in Sadiya. Led by Dr L R Saikia, head, Department of Life Sciences, Dibrugarh University, the team camped in the trouble spot for two days and nights and collected specimens. "As of now, we cannot give a specific name. It's similar to the tarantula, but it could be a whole new species. There aren't any arachnologists in the northeast, so it will take us a while to identify it. But whatever the species, it is a highly aggressive spider. It leaps at anything that comes close. Some of the victims claimed the spider latched onto them after biting. If that is so, it needs to be dealt with carefully. The chelicerae and fangs of this critter are quite powerful; but it's too early to declare it a killer spider. In fact, we are yet to test its venom and find out the toxicity," says Dr Saikia. Link - via TIME NewsFeed

Superpower Posted: 04 Jun 2012 01:00 PM PDT As I mentioned in a previous post, everyone is good at something, even if that something is not what would normally go viral. This Twaggies was illustrated from a Tweet by @joe_hill. See a new Tweet illustrated every day at Twaggies! Link P.S. Oh yeah, @joe_hill is the son of author Stephen King.

What Hit Earth 1,200 Years Ago? Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:30 PM PDT Japanese scientists studying tree rings data found something strange: 1,200 years ago an extremely intense burst of high-energy radiation of unknown origin hit planet Earth. The radiation burst, which seems to have hit between ad 774 and ad 775, was detected by looking at the amounts of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 in tree rings that formed during the ad 775 growing season in the Northern Hemisphere. The increase in 14C levels is so clear that the scientists, led by Fusa Miyake, a cosmic-ray physicist from Nagoya University in Japan, conclude that the atmospheric level of 14C must have jumped by 1.2% over the course of no longer than a year, about 20 times more than the normal rate of variation. But what happened, exactly? The only known events that can produce a 14C spike are floods of gamma-rays from supernova explosions or proton storms from giant solar flares. But neither seems likely, Miyake says, because each should have been large enough to have had other effects that would have been observed at the time. Link

Gone with the Wind Screen Tests & Auditions Posted: 04 Jun 2012 12:00 PM PDT (YouTube link) A total of 32 actresses tried out for the role of Scarlet O’Hara, and many others who auditioned for the other principle parts in the 1939 film Gone With The Wind. Hindsight tells us the final casting was perfect, but it’s interesting to think about some of these other folks in those roles. -via Laughing Squid

Pyramid Scheme Measuring Cups Posted: 04 Jun 2012 11:59 AM PDT Pyramid Scheme Measuring Cups – $11.95 Are you looking for a way to build on your non-sustainable cooking potential? Start by Updated your kitchen utensil portfolio with the Pyramid Scheme Measuring Cups from the NeatoShop. This simple measuring model is made up of 6 wonderfully stackable measuring cups in sizes: 1tsp. 1 tbsp, 1/4 cup, 1/3 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup. The Pyramid Scheme Measuring Cup set is a great way to trick people into believing you actually know your way around the kitchen. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more unbelievably wonderful Kitchen Stuff! Link

Orvillecopter: The Helicopter Cat Posted: 04 Jun 2012 11:30 AM PDT Most people bury or cremate their pets, some people stuff them, but Dutch artist Bart Jansen had a different idea for his dead kitty Orville. He turned the dead cat into a remote controlled helicopter, saying: It's a tribute to the cat Orville, that was named after the famous aviator Orville Wright. After the cat was killed by a car, and followed by a period of mourning, visual artist Bart Jansen transformed him into the Orvillecopter: Now he is finally flying with the birds. The greatest goal a cat could ever reach! Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] | Another clip

Meet Garfield, the 40-Pound Cat Posted: 04 Jun 2012 11:00 AM PDT Garfield recently came to live at the North Shore Animal League shelter in Long Island, New York, when his elderly owner died. Shelter staff have him on a carefully restricted diet now. How did a cat get to forty pounds? Maybe Garfield was eating lasagna like his namesake! Buzzfeed has lots more pictures of the fat feline. Link

Sho Kayo: The Real Life Doogie Howser, M.D. Posted: 04 Jun 2012 10:30 AM PDT Meet the real life Doogie Howser, M.D. His name is Sho Kayo, and he's getting his M.D. from the University of Chicago at 21 years of age: Sho Yano has been a college student for 12 years, but it's only recently that he looks as if he belongs, blending in with undergrad students in a Hyde Park coffee shop. This week, the 21-year-old will complete the journey he began as a 9-year-old college freshman, becoming the youngest student in the University of Chicago's history to receive an M.D. Yano was reading at age 2, writing by 3 and composing music by his 5th birthday. He graduated from Loyola University in three years — summa cum laude, no less. When he entered U. of C.'s prestigious Pritzker School of Medicine at 12, it was into one of the school's most rigorous programs, where students get both their doctorate and medical degrees. Bonnie Miller Rubin of the Chicago Tribune has the story: Link

Name the 13 Best-Selling Candies in the U.S. Posted: 04 Jun 2012 10:00 AM PDT Did you know that June is National candy Month? In honor of the occasion, today’s Lunchtime Quiz at mental_floss challenges you to name the 13 biggest-selling candies in the Unites States. Gum and mints are excluded from this list, which may make it easier or harder, who knows. You have three minutes. Me? I got eight of them, kicked myself about three I missed, and would have never guessed the two others. Link

The Terrifying Playgrounds and Other Innovations Coming to Our Future Posted: 04 Jun 2012 09:40 AM PDT What technology and innovation will tomorrow bring? All you have to do is take a look at this feature over at The New York Times, titled 32 Innovations That Will Change Your Tomorrow. I'm particularly looking forward to this: Terrifying Playgrounds - it's only two years away! Two Norwegian psychologists think that modern playgrounds are for wimps. Instead of short climbing walls, there should be towering monkey bars. Instead of plastic crawl tubes, there should be tall, steep slides. And balance beams. And rope swings. The rationale is that the more we shield children from potential scrapes and sprained ankles, the more unprepared they’ll be for real risk as adults, and the less aware they’ll be of their surroundings. Leif Kennair and Ellen Sandseter’s ideas have won the support of playground experts on both sides of the Atlantic; one company, Landscape Structures, offers a 10-foot-high climbing wall that twists like a Möbius strip. Link (Illustration: Chris Nosenzo)

Tater Tot Eating Contest Posted: 04 Jun 2012 09:00 AM PDT Redditor medic23 received an awesome invitation and posted it to his Facebook page (although someone else beat him in posting to reddit). What remains to be seen is whether any medical emergencies will result from the tater tot eating contest, and what kind of workplace has this kind of awesome event anyway? Link

Some Awesome People That I Used To Know Posted: 04 Jun 2012 08:30 AM PDT (YouTube link) The world is full of talented people. At the YouTube link, you can find a printed list of them with their websites linked. The music is “Somebody That I Used to Know” performed by Walk Off the Earth. Don’t feel bad; I’m sure there’s something you can do very well, too. -Thanks, Mikel Torres!

The Color Schemes of Higher Education Posted: 04 Jun 2012 08:00 AM PDT The Minneapolis Star-Tribune posted the history of the graduation cap and gown, and included a color-coding for the tassels that attach to the traditional mortarboard hat. The American Council on Education has recommended tassel colors for college graduates that indicate what discipline one’s degree is in. Here’s a sample: Apricot: Nursing Brown: Fine arts, including architecture Citron: Social work Copper: Economics Crimson: Journalism Dark blue: Philosophy Some colleges follow the recommendations or come up with their own variations on the idea, and others follow completely different schemes. Link -Thanks, Minnesotastan!   (Image credit: Dave Denny/Star Tribune)

7 Passive-Aggresive Father’s Day Gifts Posted: 04 Jun 2012 07:00 AM PDT Some items that are advertised a “the perfect gift” really fall short of that mark -in fact, while giving no gift at all looks like you just forgot, giving some of these gifts would be like a slap in the face. Then again, it depends on your situation, because a really lame Father’s Day gift might be a great “gag gift” for a Dad who has a sense of humor -especially if you shower him with respect and affection otherwise. So shop with caution. InventorSpot shows us some items that just might send an awful message. Shown here is a golf club that doubles as a drink dispenser. Just don’t get that club mixed up with the one you use as a urinal! Oh yeah, Father’s Day is June 17th. Link

Fishing, Interrupted Posted: 04 Jun 2012 06:30 AM PDT (Live Leak link) When you hooked that 600-pound marlin, you didn’t realize you were just baiting the hook for even bigger fish. Sharks don't care how much you paid for that deep-sea fishing excursion! -via I Am Bored

R.I.P. Eduard Khil, Mr. Trololo Posted: 04 Jun 2012 06:05 AM PDT Eduard Khil, a longtime pop star in the Soviet Union, became famous in the west only a couple of years ago when his rendition of the wordless song “I Am So Happy to Finally Be Back Home” became an internet hit. Khil’s performance on a ’60s TV show spawned a meme called Trololo. Khil embraced his internet fame and responded by coming out of retirement to perform again. Khil died today at a St. Petersburg hospital from complications of a stroke he suffered last month. Eduard Khil was born in Smolensk in 1934. He started his music career in 1960 at the Leningrad Conservatory. He began performing in 1962 and very soon became extremely popular. In the late 1970s he commenced a lecturing career at the Leningrad Conservatory. He was later named an Honored Artist of the Russian Federation. Victory at an International Youth Festival in Berlin in 1973 gave him a chance to see the world, as the singer made a global tour, visiting some 80 countries. In the 1980s Eduard Khil was one of the few Soviet people to travel to the US and Europe. In Paris's Rasputin cabaret, the singer's performances were enjoyed by Mireille Mathieu and France's 21st President, François Mitterrand. Eduard Khil was 77 years old. Link -via Metafilter

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