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2013/04/29

Neatorama

Neatorama

<i>Star Wars</i> Will Be Translated into Navajo

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 04:00 AM PDT

A New Hope

For the first time, a Star Wars movie will be available in a Native American language. The Navajo Nation Museum and Lucasfilm are working together to dub Episode IV into Dine, the language of the Navajo people:

The script already is translated though words like light saber took a little more thought and actors and actresses will be expected to be fluent in Din and be able to act.

Actors and actresses chosen for the parts including Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, C-3P0, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Grand Moff Tarkin will record their parts in a studio owned by Knifewing Productions in Gallup.

Yoda's syntax, how they translate will, wonder I.

Link -via Smart News | Image: Disney

Nintendo Cartridge Rings

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 03:00 AM PDT

Show off your favorite NES game in your jewelry! Jess Firsoff makes these rings with the cartridge of whatever game you like so you can show off your geekness or just give yourself a smile while you work. Get yours through the Etsy store ohmygeekness. Link -via Geeks Are Sexy  

Francis Crick Wrote This Letter to His 12-Year Old Son about His Discovery of DNA

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 02:00 AM PDT

letter

In 1953, biologists Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the structure of DNA. Crick wrote a letter to his 12-year old son Michael describing the discovery. The son recently auctioned the letter at Christie's in New York City for $6 million. Here's a transcription of the first page:

19 Portugal Place Cambridge
19 March ’53

My Dear Michael,

Jim Watson and I have probably made a most important discovery. We have built a model for the structure of de-oxy-ribose-nucleic-acid (read it carefully) called D.N.A. for short. You may remember that the genes of the chromosomes — which carry the hereditary factors — are made up of protein and D.N.A.

Our structure is very beautiful. D.N.A. can be thought of roughly as a very long chain with flat bits sticking out. The flat bits are called the “bases”. The formula is rather

You can view the other pages and read the transcriptions, including Crick's handwritten diagrams of DNA, at the link.

Link -via VA Viper | Photo: Christie's

Famous Artists Photographed With Their Cats

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 01:00 AM PDT

Creative people know a great muse when they find one. Ai Weiwei  has 40 cats. Picasso had cats all through his life. Gustav Klimt had a cat who looked like him. And Dali had to be different: He's pictured here with his ocelot, Babou. See a couple dozen artists with their cats at Flavorwire. Link

Ventriloquist Pick-Up Line

Posted: 29 Apr 2013 12:00 AM PDT

Bizarro

I can't take this dummy anywhere without him losing control. I tell him, 'You do the talking and I'll do the drinking.' But he never listens.

Link

Narco-Torpedoes and Frogmen

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 11:00 PM PDT

Drug smugglers are a creative bunch. They've used anything from carving Jesus statues out of cocaine to using puppies as drug mules and building their own submarines. Now, French and Dutch police have caught a smuggling ring that used a technique "worthy of James Bond":

Three French divers were arrested earlier this month as they prepared to dive under a cargo boat in Rotterdam which had 101kg of pure cocaine stuffed into a missile-shaped container attached to its hull. [...]

Narcotics agents first got wind of the scheme last June when bemused port police fished four divers — complete with underwater propulsion vehicle - out of inky-black waters near Fos-sur-Mer, a major oil port on France’s Mediterranean coast, in the middle of the night.

“Our initial reaction was: are they shooting a scene from an action movie?,” said Philippe Frizon, head of Nice judicial police. The divers were released, but police soon realised these were no ordinary frogmen.

Henry Samuel of The Telegraph has the story: Link

Steven Spielberg's <i>Obama</i>

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 10:00 PM PDT

(YouTube link)

Steven Spielberg's followup to the hit movie Lincoln will be Obama, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. In this clip, debuted at the White House Correspondents Dinner Saturday night, Day-Lewis shows off how versatile an actor he really is. -via Daily of the Day

This Book Measures Less Than 1 Millimeter Across

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 09:00 PM PDT

book(Photo: Joshua Bright for The New York Times)

This book, according to collector Neale Albert, is the smallest in the world. Alex Vadukul of The New York Times describes it while recalling his visit to Mr. Albert's library:

Inside an ornate wooden box, under a clear protective cover, something minuscule glinted gold. Mr. Albert handed me a magnifying glass. The glint was a book with two covers and about 30 pages between them. It was less than a millimeter across, perhaps the size of a large grain of sand.

“It’s called ‘The Chameleon,’” he said.

“What’s it about?” I asked in awe.

Mr. Albert shrugged, surprised I’d asked. “I don’t know.”

At the link, you can view more photos of Mr. Albert's impressive collection of miniature books, many of which are housed inside the library of a tiny, ornate dollhouse.

Link -via Carmen Jade

Boomerang Cat

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 08:00 PM PDT

(YouTube link)

A young girl plays with her cat. The cat must really enjoy it, as it keeps coming back. She will never get rid of this cat. -via Arbroath

Burger Insulated Lunch Bag

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 07:00 PM PDT

Burger Insulted Lunch Bag 

Has your lunch bag left you feeling cold? Grill up some mealtime fun with the Burger Insulated Lunch Bag from the NeatoShop. This deliciously fun bag looks like a yummy cheeseburger. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Lunch Bags. 

Link

Crocheted Oreo Blanket

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 07:00 PM PDT

oreo

My wife crochets, so she could probably make this blanket designed by Lisa James. I don't, so I'll just cover myself with actual Oreo cookies instead. My approach, I suspect, will be more fun.

Link -via Makin'ology

Meet The Man Too Handsome for Saudi Arabia

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 06:00 PM PDT

Remember the story we told you about how 3 men from UAE was kicked out of Saudi Arabia for being "too handsome"? Well, meet Omar Borkan Al Gala, a poet, model, actor and photographer. He's rumored to be one of the sexy trio.

See his Facebook page and then tell us if that's the face of an Emirati man too handsome for Saudi Arabia.

Downed Luftwaffe Aircraft during the Battle of Britain

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 05:00 PM PDT

The Battle of Britain was Germany's first major defeat in World War II, and it convinced Germany not to invade the islands. But it was long and hard -raging from July through October in 1940.

The first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, Germany’s efforts to gain air superiority over Britain by destroying airfields, factories, ground infrastructure and Channel convoys were repelled against all odds by the pilots of RAF Fighter Command.

Britain’s decisive victory prevented Hitler from launching Operation Sea Lion – the German invasion of Britain – and is considered a major turning point in World War Two. But the cost was significant – 544 allied and 2,698 German aircrew killed in action, with 1,547 British and 1,887 Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed.

What did England do with all those wrecked planes? They recycled them, using the metal to manufacture new planes for the war effort. But first, they posed for pictures with them. See 20 Historic Photos of Downed Luftwaffe Aircraft during the Battle of Britain at Urban Ghosts. Link

Mayor of Reykjavik, Iceland Voting in an Election While Dressed as a Jedi

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 04:00 PM PDT

Mayor Gnarr

Jón Gnarr is a comedian and mayor of the capital city of Iceland. Yesterday, that nation held an election. According to redditor shawtay, he cast his ballot while dressed a Jedi. Gnarr won the mayoral office in 2010 after founding a joke political party called the Best Party.

-via reddit

(Photo: unknown)

Meet Maedir Eugster, Balance Master

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 03:00 PM PDT

Meet Maedir Eugster, a 58-year-old "balance master" of Rigolo Swiss Nouveau Cirque who can balance anything - and by anything, we mean a feather and 15 palm frond spines on top of one another until they become a giant kinetic sculpture unlike anything you've seen before.

View BALANCE, as directed by Tobias Hutzler: Hit play or go to Link [Vimeo] - via Co.DESIGN

Graduation Announcement

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 02:00 PM PDT

v

This graduation announcement was posted by redditor alyak72 in anticipation of the rest of her life. Sadly, school can't last forever. Link  -via Happy Place

(Image credit: J Michael O'Day)

Captured by Google Glass

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 01:00 PM PDT

comic

Google Glass, Jacob Andrews explains, won't change the Internet. It'll just carry the online experience to its inevitable conclusion.

In the future, you will never be offline.

Link

His and Hers Birth Control Kit

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 12:00 PM PDT

Tumblr user Ajax All Purpose Blog picked up this 1950's novelty His and Hers Birth Control Kit. I think they've got the basics right! Link - via Archie McPhee's Endless Geyser of Awesome

Brainteaser: Gold and Silver

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 11:00 AM PDT

v(Image credit: Flickr user Mark Herpel)

I dig out tiny caves, and store gold and silver in them. I also build bridges of silver and make crowns of gold. Sooner or later, everyone needs my help, yet many people are afraid to let me help them. Who am I?

Continue reading for the answer.

Highlight here for the answer: A dentist.

_______________________________

The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John's All-Purpose Extra Strength Bathroom Reader.

The 13th book in the series by the Bathroom Reader's Institute has 504 pages crammed with fun facts, including articles on the biggest movie bombs ever, the origin and unintended use of I.Q. test, and more.

Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts. If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out!

Enormous Bedpan Collection

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 10:00 AM PDT

Eric Eakin of Bay Village, Ohio has a huge collection of bedpans. Almost 200! He writes:

I have urine-specimen bottles from Canada; novelty bedpans used for advertising; bedpan ashtrays; bedpan-themed get-well cards; teeny-tiny bedpans used in doll houses (for infirm dolls in doll hospitals?); bedpans used as artwork ("The James Traficant Bedpan of Justice" by noted bedpan artist Dave Sparks and other painted in an American Indian motif); bedpans from Israel and Great Britain; even molds used to make ceramic bedpans.

I also have enema cans; an inflatable bedpan; a plastic urinal signed by the 13-year-old girls on my daughter's soccer team on the event of my birthday; even a urine-collection bottle used by crewmembers aboard B-52 bombers.

Upon reading the wonders of Mr. Eakin's collection, I am reminded of a passage from Plutarch's Life of Caesar:

In like manner we are told again that, in Spain, when he was at leisure and was reading from the history of Alexander, he was lost in thought for a long time, and then burst into tears. His friends were astonished, and asked the reason for his tears. "Do you not think," said he, "it is matter for sorrow that while Alexander, at my age, was already king of so many peoples, I have as yet achieved no brilliant success?"

Link -via Weird Universe

Bacon and Eggs Toe Socks

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 09:00 AM PDT

Bacon and Eggs Toe Socks

Spring is here. Are you a hungry for a style update? Add some flavor to your wardrobe with the smoking hot Bacon and Eggs Toe Socks from the NeatoShop. This deliciously fun pair of knee-high toe socks features a bacon and egg design. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Footwear! 

Link

Sanremo Coffee

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 09:00 AM PDT

(YouTube link)

In order to make a cup of coffee, first you must assemble a deluxe coffee machine, then throw some ingredients around to a dubstep beat, and then make coffee. At least that's what goes on in this ad for Sanremo UK. -via Viral Viral Videos

Riding Down a Dam Wall

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 08:00 AM PDT


Photo: Russell Cheyne

Daredevil cyclist Adam Flint, who once bungee jumped on a bike, rode down the wall of the Lawers Dam on Lochan na Lairige in Scotland. Now that's a "dam" neat trick! Photographer Russell Cheyne snapped this fantastic photo, which you can see over at The Guardian: Link

Yeonju Sung's Food Outfits

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 07:00 AM PDT

1

2

Hungry? Just snack on your own clothes until you can find a meal. Korean artist Yeonju Sung made women's outfits out of food, mostly vegetarian fare. I'll wait until she makes one out of Twinkies.

Link (Translation) | Artist's Website

Cartoon Kevin

Posted: 28 Apr 2013 06:00 AM PDT

v

Cartoonist and animator Kevin McShane spend two years drawing himself in the style of other cartoon artists. See all 100 drawings at his site. Try to guess whose style each follows, and find out if you're right by enlarging the individual figures. Link -via Laughing Squid
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