Neatorama

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• Dragon Baby
• Hey, Smell This: Olfactory Art Is Coming to New York
• Stop Motion Film Made Entirely with Moleskine Journals
• What November is For
• Cold, Cold Heart 3D Ice Mold
• Hundreds of Caterpillars Walking in a Line
• A Curious Vanity Picture
• Battle Bugs
• Star Talk With Neil deGrasse Tyson
• 10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Spider-Man
• IMDB Top 250 Video Montage
• Sushi Layer Cake
• Doctor Octopus
• Doomsday Beans
• Area Code
• Bear Plate
• Deadmau5 in Halloween Mode
• Creative Ways To Tell The World You're Having A Baby
• Death of a Nyan Cat
• Why Do Sign Language Interpreters Look So Animated?
• Walking the Bed
• Why Do They Put Umbrellas in Your Drink?
• Helicopter Rescue
• The War on Women, Waged in Postcards
• NaNoWriMo 2012
• Changing His Mind
• Assassin's Creed 3 Meets Parkour in Real Life
• WWII Carrier Pigeon Found
• Hurricane Sandy: The Aftermath
• An Honest Trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man

Dragon Baby Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:00 AM PDT Everybody was Kung-Fu fighting, that baby was fast as lightning. In fact it was a little bit frightning, but he fought all while crying. See! I knew I should have gone into music. -Via Clip Nation

Hey, Smell This: Olfactory Art Is Coming to New York Posted: 03 Nov 2012 04:00 AM PDT Chandler Burr is an artist. (That's him in the photo above.) A creative specialist, if you will. But you'll never see his work, or hear it on the radio, or read it on your Nook. Burr is the world's only curator of olfactory art, and he has a show(? display? exhibit? Help me out here) coming to the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York. In The Art of Scent: 1889-2012, Burr will be introducing museum visitors to 12 highpoints in the history of fragrance, thanks to diffusion technology that releases perfume in minute puffs. But it’s still not clear how much of his audience will recognize the art form’s finer points. Holly Hotchner, MAD’s director, heads up a museum devoted to crossovers—to bridging craft and design and fine arts of every kind. But even she sees the show she supports as a gamble: “This is probably as far afield as we’ve gone, in terms of experimentation, because people aren’t used to using their noses.” Burr’s determined to change that, nostril by nostril. (He says we only smell through one at a time.) If it seems complicated, that's because it is. For most of us, perfume smells like... well, perfume. And while different fragrances vary, there's an inherent "perfuminess" to each of them that tells your brain, "Hey, these aren't flowers." But picking apart those notes and understanding that each nuance of fragrance is a synthetic interpretation of a recognizeable smell is something Burr believes is an art, and that art has a history. He just wants the chance to show you. Er, let you smell it.  Whether you decide to visit MAD and sniff your way through the Rennaisance, romantic and photorealistic eras of perfumery, Burr's conversation with The Daily Beast's Blake Gopnik is an interesting read, filled with Burr's revelations you'd probably never wonder about otherwise. For instance: “The scent of Coppertone is incredibly well made, is beautifully composed. Call it a work of design—call it what you will—it is a minor work of art.” See? Never crossed my mind. List Photo: The Museum of Arts and Design

Stop Motion Film Made Entirely with Moleskine Journals Posted: 03 Nov 2012 03:00 AM PDT (Video Link) With just Moleskine journals, Roger Wieland created this cute stop-motion advertisement for them. Except for the rat. The rat was probably not part of a Moleskine journal. If it is a part of yours, you should probably seek a refund. At the link, you can view behind-the-scenes photos showing how Wieland made this film. Link -via Colossal

What November is For Posted: 03 Nov 2012 02:00 AM PDT A mall started playing Christmas music on November first. A baker at the cookie store decided to express her opinion on the mall's music selection by baking a cookie. A big cookie with a big message. Redditor MundaneHymn, who also works at the mall, thought it was worth sharing. Link

Cold, Cold Heart 3D Ice Mold Posted: 03 Nov 2012 01:00 AM PDT   Cold, Cold Heart 3D Ice Mold - $9.95 Is your love life on the rocks? You need the Cold, Cold Heart 3D Ice Mold from the NeatoShop. This fantastic ice mold is sure to melt the heart of your favorite ice queen or king.  Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more cool Ice Trays.  Link

Hundreds of Caterpillars Walking in a Line Posted: 03 Nov 2012 01:00 AM PDT (Video Link) 'Cause we got a little ol' convoy  Rockin' through the night.  Yeah, we got a little ol' convoy,  Ain't she a beautiful sight?  Come on and join our convoy  Ain't nothin' gonna get in our way.  -via Yababoon

A Curious Vanity Picture Posted: 03 Nov 2012 12:00 AM PDT The Curiosity rover took a vanity shot. In this self picture, which actually is a combination of 55 individual photos taken from its MAHLI camera, you can see the rover sitting comfortably on the surface of Mars. Stuart Atkinson, an amateur astronomer, put the 55 pictures together and can be viewed at its full 5,400 pixel wide version here. -Via Wired Magazine

Battle Bugs Posted: 02 Nov 2012 11:00 PM PDT Job Van der Molen, an artist from the Netherlands, has gradually assembled an army of insect soldiers equipped with tiny cannons and missle racks. Why? I don't know, but I'm sure his intentions are harmless. You can view more photos of his taxidermied insects at the link. My favorite is the dragonfly converted into an attack helicopter. Link | Artist's Website

Star Talk With Neil deGrasse Tyson Posted: 02 Nov 2012 10:00 PM PDT How many astrophysicists do you know by name? One right? Neil deGrasse Tyson. I don't know what it is about him, something fatherly and wholesome, but everything he does I find interesting. Knowing this, Nerdist decided it was a good idea to launch a new web series called "Star Talk With Neil deGrasse Tyson." In episode one he has guests Mike Massimino, Kristen Schaal and John Hodgman. Massimino was an astronaut and they talk about astronaut related things. Side note: We meet again John Hodgman- ironic PC guy, nemesis from Bored to Death. You can't see it now but I am scowling at my computer screen just thinking about him. -Via Daily of the Day

10 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Spider-Man Posted: 02 Nov 2012 09:00 PM PDT Everyone's heard of Spidey and his everyman counterpart, Peter Parker. But do you know how long his web goo lasts? How about his middle name? And were you aware that before Spider-Man was even a twinkle in his parents' eyes he teamed up with Wolverine? 'S'true.  In the 1960s, readers had thought that Peter Parker grew up in a relatively normal household. That was until the 1968 release of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man Annual’ #5 changed everything. In it, writer Stan Lee and his brother, artist Larry Lieber, revealed that Peter’s parents, Richard and Mary Parker, had been spies for the US government before their fiery death in a plane crash. Even more unlikely, years later in 1997’s ‘Untold Tales of Spider-Man’ #Minus 1, a flashback tale by writer Roger Stern and artist John Romita Sr. keyed readers into the fact that Spider-Man’s parents had once saved the life of a fellow agent referred to as Agent-Ten. Later in the issue it was revealed that Agent-Ten was none other than Spidey’s future Avengers teammate, Logan, a.k.a. Wolverine. Who knew (aside from superfans)? For more Spidey miscellania, check out the list on The FW. Link | Image

IMDB Top 250 Video Montage Posted: 02 Nov 2012 08:00 PM PDT Warning NSW - Strong Language IMDB top 250. How many of these have you seen? I think I have probably watched at least 90% of these films, if not more. The list changes a lot apparently - so 53 of the titles were in the top 250 when the original poster began the project, but now are not. Still pretty fun though. -Via Hypervocal | Jonathan Keogh

Sushi Layer Cake Posted: 02 Nov 2012 07:00 PM PDT A sushi roll? That's not enough. Margeaux went even further by arranging salmon, cucumber and avacado in a layer cake. Just add some candles for a hip birthday party. At the link, you can read her recipe in French and English. Link -via Foodbeast

Doctor Octopus Posted: 02 Nov 2012 06:00 PM PDT Patton Oswalt has to thank Adam Savage for this great Doctor Octopus costume. Oswalt's daughter wanted him to be the evil Doctor Octopus for Halloween, so Oswalt went to twitter to ask his followers where he could get a costume. Adam Savage, from Mythbusters, came calling. He build this by hand and it only took him 4 hours. The video below has all the info you need if you are planning for next year. -Via Laughing Squid

Doomsday Beans Posted: 02 Nov 2012 05:00 PM PDT To publicize their TV show Doomsday Preppers, National Geographic sent out this nifty PR box filled with survival goods. One item that caught my eye is this: a can of Doomsday Beans. Well, it's no Tactical Bacon, but when the Armageddon comes, this surely will come in handy!

Area Code Posted: 02 Nov 2012 04:00 PM PDT XKCD strikes again. The system of area codes is old and outdated. I am sure this applies to more than just the US. Still though, I do love rep'ing my 847! Pop quiz- where is 847 from? On your honor(!), no Google - just guess. -Via XKCD

Bear Plate Posted: 02 Nov 2012 03:00 PM PDT Bear Plate - $64.95 Thanksgiving is right around the corner and we can bearly contain our excitement. Make sure your appetizers make a real statement with the Bear Plate from the NeatoShop. This beautiful ceramic tray has a bear right down the middle. It is unbearably cute.  Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Kitchen Stuff.  Link

Deadmau5 in Halloween Mode Posted: 02 Nov 2012 03:00 PM PDT Deadmau5 normally wears a pretty neat costume to perform in, but he went the extra mile for Halloween. Of course, the "mau5" head had to stay, or no one would recognize him. But the Pinhead trappings (from the movie Hellraiser) really made it special! Link

Creative Ways To Tell The World You're Having A Baby Posted: 02 Nov 2012 02:00 PM PDT Buzzfeed rounded up some cute and clever "expectancy" announcements that tell more in pictures than in words. There's 23 of them, and it was hard to pick an example, but I was drawn to this math-based photograph. Go see the rest! Link

Death of a Nyan Cat Posted: 02 Nov 2012 01:30 PM PDT If you surf the internet, then at some point you have probably seen Nyan Cat. The original creator of that infectiously addicting 8-bit rainbow meme, Chris Torres, has informed the internet that his cat Marty (inspiration for Nyan Cat) has passed away. A week ago Marty started acting strange and the responsible owner Torres quickly brought him to the vet. Marty was diagnosed with Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), a fatal and incurable disease. Marty passed away last night. As a lover of Nyan Cat and as a pet owner myself- this is a sad day. RIP Marty, may Nyan Cat live on in your memory. -Via Geekosystem | Nyan Cat

Why Do Sign Language Interpreters Look So Animated? Posted: 02 Nov 2012 01:00 PM PDT As hurricane Sandy approached New York City, mayor Michael Bloomberg talked to New Yorkers -and everyone else- through televised press conferences. Lydia Callis stood beside him and translated his storm instructions into American Sign language. She quickly became an internet star for her animated signing and facial expressions. What most of us did not realize is that those expressions are part of the language. Read more about what they mean at mental_floss. Link

Walking the Bed Posted: 02 Nov 2012 12:30 PM PDT At first this video may not seem like much, just a guy walking on a mattress. This is Reuben Reynoso, professional mattress walker. The final step in many handmade mattresses requires someone to actually walk on the bed. Reynoso is paid by McRoskey Mattress Factory in San Francisco to walk on three mattresses a day. "It's work. It's not for everybody. There is a right way and a wrong way to do it." Check out more of the story here. Via Arbroath

Why Do They Put Umbrellas in Your Drink? Posted: 02 Nov 2012 12:00 PM PDT Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website. That pretty little umbrella in your bar drink might seem like a fruity thing for a macho guy to quickly throw away. A cheap, meaningless little decoration. Nothing more than a frivolous garnish for your pina colada or mai tai. But it once served a more meaningful purpose. Back in the early barroom days, hanging out at the neighborhood bar was pretty much a "guys only" activity. Okay, there were always saloon girls in the Old West, and cocktail waitresses did deliver drinks to the guys in the more affluent watering holes. And of course, in many bars, the occasional women of ill repute hovered the joint. But no "nice" or respectable women were ever seen at the corner bar. What? Bars with no women? Where in the world were men able to use their cheesy pick-up lines?   Bartenders, being businessmen, must one day have realized that they had a business with a potential of serving 100% of adult customers and they were only patronized by 50%. Believe it or not, cocktail umbrellas help take care of that conundrum. In the early 1930s, bartenders at swanky watering holes like Trader Vic's and Don the Beachcomber thought up a clever way to draw in the ladies. They concocted all sorts of fancy cocktails and garnished them with cute, colored paper sunshades. A marketing ploy? Sure -but it worked! As the local bars became more "lady friendly," more lady patrons started showing up. By the 1950s and 1960s, exotic decorated drinks and Polynesian-themed restaurants and clubs became part of the whole tiki-culture craze. From that moment on, the ladies -and the umbrellas- were at the bar to stay. There are plenty of guys who enjoy refreshing fruity umbrella drinks from time to time, too. In an effort to defend their manhood, they may come up with more "technical" reasons for covering their lava flows or zombies with colorful canopies. Some maintain that cocktail umbrellas shade their icy, frothy frappes from the melting effects of solar radiation. Other suggest that the cocktail umbrellas prevent volatile alcohol molecule in their drinks from evaporating too quickly. Is this just a bunch of pure hogwash, or do cocktail umbrellas have a bit of science on their side? Perhaps a little bit of science -but it's more likely that these colorful umbrellas simply evoke a more sunny state of mind. Come on, let's face it: every once in a while, we all need to ditch "reality" for that white sandy beach, where coconuts and pineapples and maraschino cherries are ingredients in flavorful libations that smell like suntan lotion -and somehow still taste really good. Sorry, I don't drink, myself. Make mine a Coca-Cola with a root beer chaser.

Helicopter Rescue Posted: 02 Nov 2012 11:30 AM PDT Warning NSFW - Strong Language A two man Robinson R-22 helicopter was passing by a group of large houses when the crew sees a kid flying a small toy plane. When the plane crashes in the tree tops, the guys decide to perform a daring rescue of the P51 Mustang. Pretty great. -Via Orange

The War on Women, Waged in Postcards Posted: 02 Nov 2012 11:00 AM PDT It took 80 years of protests and campaigning before women achieved the right to vote in the United States, and it finally happened in 1920. That was less than 100 years ago! Along the way, the anti-suffrage movement used some nasty and ridiculous arguments to deny women the vote, a lot of which is enshrined in printed material, such as political postcards popular in the the early 20th century. June Purvis, a professor of women’s and gender history at the University of Porstmouth, talks about the suffrage movement and the propaganda postcards that flew through the mail.   The messages you find on anti-suffrage postcards from the 1910s are not dissimilar from what you might hear from Rush Limbaugh or Bill O’Reilly today in the 2010s. Suffragettes were drawn as conniving coquettes, ugly, mean spinsters or, worse, ugly, mean wives who left their families helpless as they attended town-hall meetings. Scenes of women politicians showed them hatching diabolical plots to undermine and emasculate men further. In England, particularly offensive cards took sadomasochistic delight in the force-feeding, while sympathetic cards depicted women as beat-up cats, referring to the Cat and Mouse Act. “Suffragettes were depicted nagging wives, that was a common one, and the wife was always big, and the husband tiny and puny,” Purvis says. “Or they were depicted as very ugly women with big feet, protruding teeth, hair pulled back in a bun, and glasses. They were depicted as quite mannish and unattractive so that no man would want to marry them.” It is estimated that there were 4500 different anti-suffrage postcard designs! See more and read about the fight for the right to vote -plus how the current political atmosphere recalls those days, at Collector's Weekly. Link

NaNoWriMo 2012 Posted: 02 Nov 2012 10:30 AM PDT It's been a while since we have posted about NaNoWriMo, so some of you might need a refresher. National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is sort of like a competition and sort of forced motivation for aspiring authors. You sign up on this website and pledge to write a 50,000 word novel (approximately 175 pages depending on layout) from November 1 to 11:59:58 PM on November 30. If this sounds like a lot of writing, well it is. Last year 256,618 people signed up and about 36,843 finished. That may not seem like the best conversion rate but just think - that is 36,843 novels finished, or at least the first draft of 36,843 hastily written novels finished. I know what you're thinking, it's already the 2nd of November and you are already 1666.66 words off pace! Well, Neatoramanauts, you have plenty of time to catch up as I am a paltry 356 words into mine. Writers block. Anyone else up for the challenge? Back in the day Neatorama had an author, Stacy, complete the challenge. So it is possible! -Via Amanda Patterson

Changing His Mind Posted: 02 Nov 2012 10:00 AM PDT Comic artist Pablo Stanley illustrates what so many were thinking when they heard about the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm. Link -via Breakfast Links But to give credit where it is due, George Lucas said that the majority of the money he gets from Disney will go to a charitable foundation to fund education efforts. Link

Assassin's Creed 3 Meets Parkour in Real Life Posted: 02 Nov 2012 09:30 AM PDT (YouTube link) YouTube member devinsupertramp, who brought us the first Assassin's Creed Parkour video, ramps up the production an extra notch for his tribute to Assassin's Creed 3. Ronnie Shalvis is once again performing the stunts. If you want to see more, there's also a behind-the-scenes video. -via Viral Viral Videos

WWII Carrier Pigeon Found Posted: 02 Nov 2012 09:00 AM PDT A British carrier pigeon was en route to deliver a coded message during World War II when it apparently fell down a chimney. The current owner of the chimney, David Martin of Surrey, England, found the bones of that pigeon 70 years later, with the message still attached to his leg. Experts say the red capsule Mr Martin found is the type used by the Special Operations Executive. Their human agents undertook sabotage missions such as blowing up trains, bridges and factories in German-occupied territory. The message was written by a Sergeant W Stott and contains  columns of groups of five letters.  It is thought that its intended recipient, ‘X02’, is code for Bomber Command. One theory is that the message may have been requesting a bombing raid somewhere. Another is that the pigeon was bound for Field Marshal Montgomery’s HQ in Reigate, Surrey, from where he planned the D-Day landings. Because the message is in code, it is assumed that the pigeon flew back to England from Nazi-occupied Europe. The code has been sent to the government intelligence center that worked to crack the Nazi Enigma code during the war. Link -via Metafilter

Hurricane Sandy: The Aftermath Posted: 02 Nov 2012 08:30 AM PDT The Atlantic has rounded up 49 large photos from various sources that illustrate the devastation left by hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey. Four days later, millions of people are still without power and thousands cannot return to their homes. Many of them never will, like those who lived in homes destroyed by fire in Breezy Point, Queens, shown here. Link -via Boing Boing (Image credit: Reuters/Adrees Latif)

An Honest Trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man Posted: 02 Nov 2012 08:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) Screen Junkies continues its series of Honest Movie Trailers by working on the movies that are most requested. This one for The Amazing Spider-Man is a hoot. -via Laughing Squid

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