Neatorama

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• On the Value of a Good Sawhorse
• Ukraine’s Anime Girl and Real Barbie Meet Face-to-Barely-Human-Face
• Doctor Who Shoes
• The Greatest Event in the History of Television
• Dine in a Bank Vault at The Bedford
• Now Panic and Freak Out Sniff Tissues
• Don't Cross The Streams!
• Swimming in Samurai Armor
• The Beatles vs. the Beatles
• Raking Leaves
• I Don't Always Play a Red Shirt on Star Trek. But When I Do, I Survive The Whole Episode
• The TV Show That Won a Presidential Election
• Pac-Man Shower Curtain
• How to Make Corn Dog Brownies
• Bottle Ninja
• Someone Must Have Spilled Water on These Cookies
• Viking Vinyl Mask
• Barf from Spaceballs at the New York Comic Con 2012
• Fireball: It's Like Soccer, Except the Ball Is on Fire
• Farmer "Hand-Farts" a Song and Stares Intensely at the Camera
• Mysterious Giant Eye Washed Ashore
• Holiday Creep
• Maru Isn't the Only Box-Lover
• Anatomical Wax Model Cake
• Metal Menagerie: Beasts, Fish and Birds by Steel Pond Studios
• This Week at Neatorama
• Should It Be Dachstoberfest or Octoberhund?

On the Value of a Good Sawhorse Posted: 14 Oct 2012 04:00 AM PDT In his workshop in Rumford Falls, Maine, Gregory Sullivan makes custom furniture by hand and from local materials. He's also a writer--and a rather elegant one at that. Often he writes about the value of craftsmanship and crafting traditions of the past. Here's what Sullivan thought about when he saw this photo of Marilyn Monroe: Marilyn Monroe is sitting on a very old school sawhorse, one that I've made myself. I have never encountered another person still making them this way. I learned it from men, all dead now, for whom Marilyn Monroe was more than a Elton John retreaded song reference. My modern carpenter friends would never make sawhorses this way, as it is complicated and labor intensive compared to their designs. But I've used mine for 25 years and kept them outside for much of it. They don't even wiggle in the joints yet. I do, and I generally am kept indoors at night. There is no shame in the carpentry trade in buying pre-made sawhorses now, either, although the people I first learned carpentry from would have never spoken to you for the rest of your life if you brought one to work. Oh, and Marilyn Monroe? She'd be camped out on my doorstep waiting for me to come home, if she was still alive. Girls like that are a dime a dozen. I'd have to send my wife out to shoo her away. But man, look at those legs. They're 1x6 utility grade pine. Set the framing square at 24" on the blade and 4" on the tongue to get the angle right. Link

Ukraine’s Anime Girl and Real Barbie Meet Face-to-Barely-Human-Face Posted: 14 Oct 2012 03:00 AM PDT You know Anastasiya Shpagina (right), the Ukraine's Anime Girl, and likewise, you're probably also aware of Valeria Lukyanova (left), who calls herself Real Barbie. (If not, here's a brief primer: They look like this all the time.) Because this universe is sometimes injust and bad things do happen, the two met up for a photoshoot. The uncanny valley has never been deeper. First we have newcomer, 19 year-old Anastasiya Shpagina, who’s industrial strength make-up job transforms her into three dimensional warm blooded anime girl.  In the other corner we have 21 year-old Valeria Lukyanova, who surprised the world with her appearance of a “Real Barbie Doll” which is rumored to be the result of extensive plastic surgery. THough you'd imagine the two were vying for some sort of Creepiest Ukranian Human Alive award, they seemed to hit it off, reportedly sharing makeup tips and dressing up as one another.  There are plenty more pictures of both ladies(?) over at RocketNews, if you're into that or just can't seem to look away. Link

Doctor Who Shoes Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:00 AM PDT Not only do these shoes look great, but they're going to last forever thanks to their regenerative abilities -well, at least, the one on the left will. Link

The Greatest Event in the History of Television Posted: 14 Oct 2012 01:00 AM PDT (Video Link) It was a brutal, grueling production. Director Paul Rudd was obsessed with his goal of recreating, shot for shot, the opening sequence of the 1980s television show Simon & Simon. It went way over the $25 million budget for the project and took months to complete. There was even an on-set fatility. But thanks to the perseverance of actors Jon Hamm as Rick Simon and Adam Scott as A.J. Simon, we can now watch this, the greatest event in the history of television. Below, you can see it compared with the original. (Video Link)  -via Ace of Spades HQ

Dine in a Bank Vault at The Bedford Posted: 14 Oct 2012 12:00 AM PDT Basements aren't usually the best places for restaurants, but The Bedford in Chicago is an exception. That's because it has a big vault as a door and safe-deposit boxes as walls. The restaurant is housed in a former bank, and patrons can go to "The Vault" for drinks: Link - via bb-blog

Now Panic and Freak Out Sniff Tissues Posted: 13 Oct 2012 11:00 PM PDT Now Panic and Freak Out Sniff Tissues - $1.95 Have you stopped believing all the lies and propaganda that are being fed to you? You need a tissue that reflects your new healthy views on life. Get the Now Panic and Freak Out Sniff Tissues from the NeatoShop. This fun designer tissue pack is perfect for getting you through your blubbering and general hysteria. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more painfully fun Health & Wellness items.  Link

Don't Cross The Streams! Posted: 13 Oct 2012 11:00 PM PDT I can't help but wish that this cake uses marshmallow-based fondant because nothing could be more fitting. Link

Swimming in Samurai Armor Posted: 13 Oct 2012 10:00 PM PDT (Video Link)  When Matsuo Koga straps on 33 pounds of armor and slips into the swimming pool, he's following a centuries-old tradition in Japan: Traditional swimming was developed during Japan's feudal 15th and 16th Centuries, when feared samurai swordsmen roamed the country enforcing their masters' will. Part survival technique -- there were times when a warrior just had to swim for it, boots and all -- and part aesthetic performance, traditional swimming now has its place in the pantheon of Japanese martial arts. And like all martial arts, its adherents say it has real-life applications. "The primary purpose of this kind of swimming is to acquire practical skills for swimming in a real environment," said Tadao Koga, Mutsuo's father and the grand master of the Kobori school, one of twelve recognised by the Japan Swimming Federation. "If you can swim fast using Western strokes, that doesn't mean you can survive in a natural environment," said Koga, 67. Link -via Nerdcore

The Beatles vs. the Beatles Posted: 13 Oct 2012 09:00 PM PDT Wikipedians who won't let it be are searchin' for the answer to that very question: For some eight years, editors at the online encyclopedia have been debating whether the article "the" should be uppercased when referring to the band. Is it "the" Beatles or "The" Beatles? The lowercase faction says the Wikipedia manual of style and external style guides are on its side. The uppercase faction says that trademarks should be capitalized and that the official Beatles website uses an uppercase definite article. The dispute has become so contentious that some Wikipedia editors have been banned from participating. "Discussions on this page may escalate into heated debate," warns the internal "Talk" page where editors discuss changes to the Beatles entry. "Please try to keep a cool head when commenting here." Now, Wikipedia is trying to settle the question with a community poll, where readers will get to decide which case will prevail. The poll is expected to close Monday. Currently, the Beatles entry mainly sidesteps the issue by avoiding the name of the group in mid-sentence. Still, there are a couple of instances where "the" is lowercased. Saabira Chaudhuri of The Wall Street Journal has point on this vexing question: Link What Do You Think, Neatoramanauts? Should it be "The" or "the"?

Raking Leaves Posted: 13 Oct 2012 08:00 PM PDT (YouTube link) Tori is partially paralyzed, and gets around with the aids of wheels under her backside. This makes it easier for her to do her household chores, like raking the autumn leaves. As you can see in another video, Tori gets time to play as wells work. -via the Presurfer

I Don't Always Play a Red Shirt on Star Trek. But When I Do, I Survive The Whole Episode Posted: 13 Oct 2012 07:00 PM PDT That's right, Neatoramanauts. Jonathan Goldsmith, the man behind Dos Equis' Most Interesting Man in the World, once played a Red Shirt in the Star Trek episode The Corbomite Maneuver. And he didn't die! Via Accordion Guy

The TV Show That Won a Presidential Election Posted: 13 Oct 2012 06:00 PM PDT American moms have long been notorious for the old "TV rots your brain" argument. (Mine is guilty, anyway.) But obviously moms don't know about the ways TV can really change the world. In Russia, for example, a TV show was largely responsible for electing a president: As Russians were gearing up to go to the polls in July 1996, Boris Yeltsin was nervous about his job. The weather gave him additional reason to panic. With the sun shining and the temperatures pleasant, Yeltsin fretted that his city-dwelling supporters would decamp to their dachas, or country cottages, instead of staying home and voting. Russia’s president needed a way to keep his base from traveling. His solution: a cunning use of soap opera. No show was more popular in Russia than the Brazilian morality soap Tropikanka, which regularly drew 25 million viewers to the state-owned network ORT. With the election looming, ORT made a surprise announcement: The show’s finale would air as a special triple episode on election day between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. More amazing was the fact that the scheme actually worked. Because most dachas didn’t have televisions, viewers stayed in the city, glued to their sets. When the episode ended, it was too late to trek out of town, but voters still had time to get to the polling station. Yeltsin’s soap opera strategy helped him prevail by more than 10 million votes. Meanwhile, The Young and the Restless can’t even sway a lousy Senate race. This is just one of the 25 Most Powerful TV Shows of the Last 25 Years, as selected by Mental Floss. Check out the rest, including the shows that rewired kids' brains and boosted the national pregnancy rate. Link

Pac-Man Shower Curtain Posted: 13 Oct 2012 05:00 PM PDT Holly from Get Your Nerd Craft On! blog created this waka-waka-riffic shower curtain featuring Pac-Man out of a black fabric shower curtain and a little acrylic paint. The only downside? Having Pac-Man and the ghosts watch you go to the bathroom. Link | More geeky shower curtains - Thanks Dave! If you like that, check out more neat shower curtains over at the NeatoShop!

How to Make Corn Dog Brownies Posted: 13 Oct 2012 04:00 PM PDT Got corn dogs? How about brownie mix? Slap them together. But Becky McKay's recipe is only a starting point. In my experience, you should top them with Easy Cheese. Link

Bottle Ninja Posted: 13 Oct 2012 03:00 PM PDT No bottle is safe from the Will "Bottle Ninja" Keith. No bottles, you hear? NO BOTTLES! Watch the master annihilate 81 water bottles in this compilation video clip: Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] - via The Awesomer and I Have Seen The Whole of the Internet

Someone Must Have Spilled Water on These Cookies Posted: 13 Oct 2012 02:00 PM PDT Because they're melting!!!!! Melting!!!!!!! -In the most delicious way possible. Link

Viking Vinyl Mask Posted: 13 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT Viking Vinyl Mask - $29.95 Looking for Halloween mask that will allow you to get in touch with your inner Norse explorer? You need the Viking Halloween Mask from the NeatoShop. This fierce mask is perfect for raiding kitchen pantries in search of hidden candy treasures. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more amazing Halloween items! Link

Barf from Spaceballs at the New York Comic Con 2012 Posted: 13 Oct 2012 01:00 PM PDT Our pal from CoolThings went to the New York Comic Con 2012 and came back over 90 photos of cosplayers strutting their stuff - they're all in this one post: Link - Thanks Sunny! I imagine that Barf from Spaceballs shown above was going around the convention saying, "Funny, she doesn't look Druish" to everyone who'd listen to him.

Fireball: It's Like Soccer, Except the Ball Is on Fire Posted: 13 Oct 2012 12:23 PM PDT (Video Link) You don't have a soccer ball? No worries. Just get a coconut. Then set it on fire. That's what students in East Java, Indonesia do as a test of courage. And yes, they play barefoot. I wonder if they have throw-ins for balls that go out of bounds. Link -via Daily Dot

Farmer "Hand-Farts" a Song and Stares Intensely at the Camera Posted: 13 Oct 2012 12:00 PM PDT Let this be the weirdest thing you see all weekend (please). This Universal Newsreel from 1933 introduces farmer Cecil H. Dill, whose Stupid Human Trick is Letterman-worthy stupid: he performs Yankee Doodle by squeaking his hands together. Even weirder than hand farts, if you can believe it, is the way Dill looks as he tells his story: Wide-eyed, intense, and really, really proud of his show today. Link -via

Mysterious Giant Eye Washed Ashore Posted: 13 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT Photo: Cari Segelson/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Gino Covacci was walking along the surf in Pompano Beach, Florida, when he noticed something odd in the sand, a giant eyeball staring back at him. But exactly whose eyeball is a bit of a mystery: So what creature is now swimming around with an eye patch? No one is certain, although the waters off South Florida abound with species large enough to be possibilities, including swordfish, tuna, sharks and whales. Giant squids are known for developing huge eyes to gather in what little light reaches their deep ocean habitat. Charles Messing, a professor at Nova Southeastern University's Oceanographic Center, said he couldn't rule out a giant squid but his examination of photographs of various marine creatures led him to think the most likely candidate was a swordfish. David Fleshler of the Orlando Sentinel has more: Link

Holiday Creep Posted: 13 Oct 2012 10:00 AM PDT No, "holiday creep" doesn't refer to the character in the picture, but to the fact that Christmas decorations show up in stores before Columbus Day. Why do stores do it? Because customers respond -by buying early and buying more. Despite the loud sighs and eye rolling that usually occurs when shoppers see Christmas decorations in stores parked next to an aisle of Halloween candy, shoppers are taking advantage of the layaway programs, the toy reservation schemes and early discounting as a way to soften the holiday’s blow to the household budget. Nearly four in 10 parents with children under the age of 18 begin their holiday shopping before November, according to a recent study of more than 1,600 subscribers to couponing website RetailMeNot.com. “The reality is that holiday shopping is officially in full swing,” said Jill Balis, senior vice president of marketing at WhaleShark Media, the operator of RetailMeNot.com. The group has even gone so far as to trademark a term for the phenomenon, “OctoNovemCember,” and it plans to center a new marketing campaign — complete with a mascot, the Pumpkin-Headed Turkey Claus — around the idea. Black Friday sales have spilled over into Thanksgiving Day sales -and the people who take advantage of them save money. Link -via Fark (Image credit: RetailMeNot)

Maru Isn't the Only Box-Lover Posted: 13 Oct 2012 09:00 AM PDT (Video Link) Sure, most cats love boxes, but when a fat cat squeezes into a skinny box, the adorable level rises significantly. Via I Can Has Cheezburger

Anatomical Wax Model Cake Posted: 13 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT Oh no, this cake is NOT created to look like a skinned human head. It's modeled to look like a wax model used in anatomy classes. It just LOOKS like a skinned human head! Conjurer’s Kitchen contributed this cake to the Eat Your Heart Out event. The model is from the La Specola (Florence) museum collection. The cake is no doubt tasty, but who's going to make the first cut? Link -via Boing Boing (Image credit: Sarah-jane Millard)

Metal Menagerie: Beasts, Fish and Birds by Steel Pond Studios Posted: 13 Oct 2012 07:00 AM PDT  Wolf, Robert Jefferson Travis Pond When scrap-metal sculptor Robert Jefferson Travis Pond starts on a new piece, the end result isn't really the focus.  Half of what I do is collecting materials. I look for objects with significance and meaning, objects that have connections to us as individuals and as a whole. The scraps I use are a part of our human history. Then, he takes those parts and builds incredible animals out of them, like the wolf above (my favorite) and the koi below. The pieces are fairly large, and presumably heavy, but neither of those things detracts from the impression of motion Pond's work expresses. Strong lines, graceful curves, and interesting details make Pond's work unique. Koi, Robert Jefferson Travis Pond And much like the finished sculptures' inspiration, the process of piecing them together is completely organic. For me, the question is never where to start; it is always when to stop. It is a constant look beyond the object, beyond the form, to what is next. Each circumstance, or in this case, each piece, spontaneously connects to the next. Owl, Robert Jefferson Travis Pond The result is a dynamic and thoughtful rendering of a creature, built out of pieces of our own history. Just amazing. And there are plenty more where these few came from. The Steel Pond Studios site has tons of images of Pond's sharks, tigers, roosters, and even a pocket phoenix. He also makes furniture and wall hangings. Link -via Unconsumption

This Week at Neatorama Posted: 13 Oct 2012 06:00 AM PDT As we are settling into the new Neatorama, Alex keeps bringing out new features and experimental ideas so fast, it's hard for me to keep up! This week, he posted two exclusive book excerpts: 8 Most Outrageous Things Politicians Have Done and 5 Really Strange Ways to Cure a Hangover. These are the first of Neatorama's Book Excerpt feature. If you have a book and would like to see it featured on Neatorama, send Alex an email at info@neatorama.com and set it up. Alex also wrote two new entries for the new sub-blog On the Origin of Success: 1. Jim Carrey Once Wrote Himself a $10 Million Check, and 2. FedEx: Founder Gambled His Last $5,000 at a Blackjack Table to Stave Off Bankruptcy. Jill Harness wrote 7 Extreme Versions of Normal Activities. And then yesterday she posted Over 40 Fantastic Animal Halloween Costumes. I still can't decide which is my favorite! Eddie Deezen told us about Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer. He also gave us some Members of the Mustache Hall of Fame.   Scientific Dining: Reviews of Research Institute Cafeterias (part two) was contributed by the Annals of Improbable Research. Uncle John's Bathroom Reader gave us Queen Isabella. You know about Columbus, but what do you know about his sponsor? The Spice is Right: Origins of Your Favorite Seasonings came from mental_floss magazine. Over at the Halloween blog, new posts are going up almost as fast and heavy as they do at the main page! Halloween costumes, decorations, and recipes are quite useful, but there's also spooky entertainment with videos, ghost stories, art, games, and music, all centered around Halloween. In the What Is It? game this week, the pictured item is an ink well, the antlers could have been used to hold several pens. The first person with the right answer was Craig Clayton, who wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! Even he had to make a few guesses before he got it right. The prize for the funniest answer goes to FuzzySpork, who said, "Behold, the Holy Door-Ringer of Antioch! Ask not for whom the bell tolls, the door is for thee." That deserves a t-shirt, too! Congratulations to our winners, and thanks to everyone who played along. See more pictures of this inkwell and the answers to all this week's mystery items at the What Is It? blog. Congratulations to ladybugs, David Parker, and Kantoboy, who all won t-shirts from the NeatoShop in our latest Caption Contest! See their winning entries here. We want your feedback! If you have any additions or opinions on a particular post, please leave a comment. If you just want to simply register your approval, that's easy -click the little ♥ at the top of the post, so we can determine what kind of posts to bring you more of. If you have general comments about the blog, leave a comment here, or you can email one of us. Here are some handy addresses: To submit your book to be excerpted here at Neatorama: info@neatorama.com To submit a neat link: tips@neatorama.com For help with a technical issue or problem: bugs@neatorama.com For social networking help: david@neatorama.com Suggestions, questions, compliments, or complaints: alex@neatorama.com For suggestions or to complain about Alex: misscellania@neatorama.com Questions about the NeatoShop: info@neatoshop.com And if that isn't enough Neatorama for you, we have extra content and fun at our Facebook page, Twitter, and Pinterest. And mobile users: Flipboard makes it easy to keep up with Neatorama. Today, the Neatobot is modeling the Zombie Hawkman mask, available in the NeatoShop.

Should It Be Dachstoberfest or Octoberhund? Posted: 13 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT Did you celebrate Octoberfest this year? Well, unless you happened to celebrate in Washington Square Park, you missed out when it comes to the possible cuteness of the event. That's because the New York park plays home to the annual dachshund Octoberfest celebration where you can enjoy delicious brats with your cute and cuddly wienies. Link

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