Neatorama

---

• The Dog Goldberg Machine
• Sharknado Cake
• Awkward Moment for a Ventriloquist
• That Doesn't Seem Like a Safe Place to Sleep!
• Nicholas Cage as Disney Princesses
• What Bears Do in the Woods
• RC Tarantula
• Lost Woods Theme from The Legend of Zelda Played on an Accordion by a Man Riding a Unicycle through the Woods
• Rock-A-Bye Baby On The Chamber of Secrets
• How Geeky Are You?
• Smog in a Can
• You Don't Smuggle Drugs Into Jamaica
• Porpoises Playing with Air Bubbles
• This Door is Alarmed
• Zod Kitchen
• 27,000-Square-Foot Hammock
• Giddyup Dog!
• Jiminy Cricket
• Tittei!
• Life-Size TIE Fighter
• The Marathon on Stilts
• Poutine Hot Dog
• This Week at Neatorama

The Dog Goldberg Machine Posted: 28 Jul 2013 04:00 AM PDT (Video Link) Sure Rube Goldberg machines are cool, but when you add in dogs to the equation, they are awesome. This might just be an ad, but when it's an ad this cute and nerdy, who are we to complain? Via Boing Boing

Sharknado Cake Posted: 28 Jul 2013 02:00 AM PDT Charm City Cakes has unveiled their latest masterpiece: the Sharknado cake! It's a miracle of engineering and confectionary delight. What kind of party would one order a Sharknado cake for? It doesn't matter -I want to be invited! Link

Awkward Moment for a Ventriloquist Posted: 28 Jul 2013 12:00 AM PDT It's hard enough to run into your own ex. But your current partner's ex? That's brutal, as Dan Piraro illustrates Link

That Doesn't Seem Like a Safe Place to Sleep! Posted: 27 Jul 2013 11:00 PM PDT Photo: Shi Tou/Reuters I don't know about you, but that looks like a particularly terrible place to sleep! Photographer Shi Tou snapped this pic of napping laborers on a road as cars drive past in Chongqing, China: Link

Nicholas Cage as Disney Princesses Posted: 27 Jul 2013 10:00 PM PDT Some people think that Nick Cage is a bad actor, but I found him very convincing as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. These are 2 of 9 altered casting images by BuzzFeed's Jen Lewis. You can view the rest at the link. Link -via Visual News

What Bears Do in the Woods Posted: 27 Jul 2013 09:00 PM PDT (YouTube link) The Alberta Parks Department trained a camera trap on a particular tree to see what happens. The results are shown in this time-lapse video. You'll see plenty of different animals, but one bear decided this was the best tree in the world -and told all his friends!  -via Metafilter

RC Tarantula Posted: 27 Jul 2013 08:00 PM PDT RC Tarantula Do you derive enjoyment from frightening friends and co-workers? Harness the power of the RC Tarantula from the NeatoShop. This great remote controlled tarantula features light-up eyes and independent leg movement with real crawling action.  Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fun Toys & Games.  Link

Lost Woods Theme from The Legend of Zelda Played on an Accordion by a Man Riding a Unicycle through the Woods Posted: 27 Jul 2013 08:00 PM PDT (Video Link) Could we make wandering through the Lost Woods a real-life experience? This unicyclist is helping. Here he is playing the Lost Woods theme in a matching setting. -via Geekologie

Rock-A-Bye Baby On The Chamber of Secrets Posted: 27 Jul 2013 07:00 PM PDT Even before this little one can start hearing Harry Potter stories before bed time, Cayden will be falling asleep with Harry Potter stories under him. Photographer Lindsey Lee Hartsell took this image of the angel, whose parents are serious Potter nerds. Link

How Geeky Are You? Posted: 27 Jul 2013 06:00 PM PDT This little quiz from Us vs Th3m, the folks who made the grammar nazi quiz, aims to measure your geekiness. The questions are all tech, no fandom. You are supposed to honestly answer the first thought you have at seeing certain words. I scored so low because "the first thing that popped into my head" was the definitions of these words when I was younger. Sure, I know the geeky modern answer, too. And I have issues with the description of my non-geekiness. I do not own a smart phone, and I do not download apps. I also do not own Microsoft Word. What I really am is a Luddite, compared to most people on the internet. On the other hand, if you ask people in my meatspace life, they'd say I am a tech-savvy geek. However, as this quiz is designed for younger people, it may have more relevance for you. Link -via the Presurfer

Smog in a Can Posted: 27 Jul 2013 05:00 PM PDT Photo: UCLA Special Collection/LA Times Photographs Collection - via KPCC Long before Beijing became the poster child for air pollution, Los Angeles was synonymous with "smog." The photo above, taken in downtown Los Angeles in 1948, showed the city's Civic Center blanketed under the noxious fumes of air pollutants. But they don't call California the Land of (obscured) Sunshine and Opportunity for nothing! Some clever entrepreneurs turned smog into coins: in 1954, a man sold "Fresh Clean Desert Air" in balloons for 50 cents*. Photo: Herald-Examiner Collection photo/The Los Angeles Public Library (Oct 22, 1954) - via KCET (*The idea has legs: Last year, Chinese billionaire Chen Guangbiao launched a line of canned fresh air to the residents of China's most polluted megacities.) One day in 1957, actor Carleton Young was choking on eye-stinging smog when he thought, "If only we could pack this stuff and ship it someplace." And thus the Los Angeles Smog Corp. was born! Young's concept was simple: stand outside with some empty cans on a smoggy day, wave them around to capture some of LA smog, seal the cans and sell 'em to tourists. Photo via KCET's Departures The result? Genuine Los Angeles Smog-in-a-can, which label touted: "Genuine Los Angeles Smog. This is the smog used by famous Hollywood stars. Contains hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulfer dioxide, organic oxides, aldehydes, formaldehydes. "Made in Los Angeles by Angels. To insure freshness and purity keep container tightly sealed. Beware of imitations! Accept none but the pure Los Angeles Smog. "No pollutants or irritants removed. Packed for Los Angeles Smog Corp,, Los Angeles 28, California." Now that's turning lemon into lemonades, and smog into semolians!

You Don't Smuggle Drugs Into Jamaica Posted: 27 Jul 2013 04:00 PM PDT Sharon Jaddoo of Handsworth, a suburb of Birmingham, England, spent £440 for supplies -laundry soap, tea, oil, rice, toothpaste, etc.- that she packed in four barrels to send to her aunt in Jamaica. She also spent £370 to have it shipped. Jaddoo has sent such supplies before. But the last shipment was intercepted by customs officers, who ripped open every parcel looking for drugs. Fiery mum-of-one Sharon is now £440 out of pocket – and wants it back. She said: ‘‘How stupid can you be? Hasn’t anyone told them you don’t smuggle drugs into Jamaica, you smuggle drugs out of Jamaica?” Sharon has already clashed with Swift Connections, the shipping company paid £370 to make the overseas delivery. It has made a £200 “goodwill” payment, but denies any responsibility. There is no word on whether the shipment was insured, or whether insurance would cover damage by customs officials. Link -via Arbroath

Porpoises Playing with Air Bubbles Posted: 27 Jul 2013 03:00 PM PDT (Video Link) This is so cute! Porpoises at the Fukuoka Aquarium in Japan suck on an airtube, then blow bubbles. Watch them bounce the bubbles on their beaks like they're playing with a ball. Link

This Door is Alarmed Posted: 27 Jul 2013 02:00 PM PDT I've never seen building components share their emotions this way. Have you? Is there some way we can assure them that everything will be okay? Link  -via Geeks Are Sexy

Zod Kitchen Posted: 27 Jul 2013 01:00 PM PDT You are the one they call homeowner? I see you are practiced in working in the kitchen. Rise before Zod. Now, kneel before Zod ... in this beautifully appointed kitchen filled with modern conveniences. Zod should know. He's been designing kitchens for 30 of your Earth years. And in that time, Zod has developed a reputation for quality service and superior workmanship at a price to suit any budget. Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] to watch this bit of comedy by Shaun Micallef of Newstopia - via Boing Boing

27,000-Square-Foot Hammock Posted: 27 Jul 2013 12:00 PM PDT Tomás Saraceno, the artist who brought us On Space Time Foam, has a new installation at K21 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Named "In Orbit," the artwork consists of 27,000 square feet of netting in three layers suspended 65 feet in the air! It took three years to design, a process that included consultation with architects, engineers, and even arachnologists–scientists specializing in spiders, and, more importantly their webs. To call it a spider web on a human scale wouldn’t really be right, though. Saraceno sees the piece as having echoes of all sorts of natural structures, big and small. “When I look at the multilayered levels of diaphanous lines and spheres, I am reminded of models of the universe that depict the forces of gravity and planetary bodies,” he explained of the work. “For me, the work visualizes the space-time continuum, the three-dimensional web of a spider, the ramifications of tissue in the brain, dark matter, or the structure of the universe. With In Orbit, proportions enter into new relationships; human bodies become planets, molecules, or social black holes.” See more pictures at Wired. Link -via mental floss (Image credit: Studio Tomás Saraceno)

Giddyup Dog! Posted: 27 Jul 2013 11:00 AM PDT Yee haw! That is one cool dog complete with a mobile phone and sun glasses and if the dog is cool, then the cat riding him is even cooler. Apparently, these two are a common sight in Kunming, China. Link

Jiminy Cricket Posted: 27 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT Jiminy Cricket Attention Pinocchio fans. Put your favorite conscience on display with the Jiminy Cricket figurine from the NeatoShop. This beautiful and highly detailed Jiminy Cricket statute features amazing hand-painted details.    Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Collectibles.  Link

Tittei! Posted: 27 Jul 2013 10:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) Freddy Fairhair sent me this very strange video named "Tittei!" which is Norwegian for "Peekaboo!" In it, Freddy and Marten, two attractive young Norwegian men, stick their heads between the legs of people in the street -mostly nice-looking young women. Then they immediately explain they are making a YouTube video before the victim subject can make a getaway. It seems like the perfect way to pick up girls -what could possibly go wrong? Freddy Fairhair has other videos of odd pranks and how to pick up girls. Morten Hake has other videos on personal development and how to pick up girls. Let me give you a clue: picking up girls is much easier when you are a young, attractive Norwegian with a video camera. -Thanks, Freddy!

Life-Size TIE Fighter Posted: 27 Jul 2013 09:00 AM PDT Forget Luke and his goody-two shoes friends! German fan group Project X-1 found the lack of attention to the Dark Side disturbing, so they set forth to build a life-size replica of Darth Vader's TIE Fighter space ship. Impressive. Most impressive, as the Sith Lord would say: Link - via Topless Robot

The Marathon on Stilts Posted: 27 Jul 2013 08:00 AM PDT This fascinating photograph from Retronaut is from a stilt race that took place in France in 1892. Sports Illustrated published an account of the race in 1971. It seems that stilt-walking was commonplace among shepherds in Les Landes, an area in the southwest of France where the terrain made it difficult to watch sheep on foot or horseback. The race was organized as a newspaper promotion. The route was from Bordeaux to Biarritz and back -490 kilometers, or 309 miles! On May 26, 69 men took off, while 18 women on stilts ran a shorter route so they could be home in time to fix dinner. The race organizers thought the stilt-walkers would stop at night to sleep, but the competitors had other ideas. There were many bets placed, and the race was won by one of the favorites: Pierre Deycard, a woodcutter from Salles. It was a weary and long-drawn-out procession indeed that dragged into Bordeaux on the next day, May 30. Deycard, almost dozing on his long legs, was completing the 309-mile trip in just over 100 hours at an average speed of three miles an hour. The organizers had estimated eight days for the race: Deycard needed less than five. Sixty cyclists, hundreds of pedestrians and a brass band traveled to the suburbs of Bordeaux to meet him. Jean Lafont, the paper-mill worker from St.-Eulalie, came a close second. Four hours behind followed the stocky, 4'11" Antoine Dugrand, to gain third place, resplendent in a scarlet waistcoat, a wet handkerchief over his head and a scarlet beret on top of that.    Read more about this unusual competition at SI. Link -via John Walkenbach

Poutine Hot Dog Posted: 27 Jul 2013 07:00 AM PDT Did you know the 23rd was National Hot Dog Day? I certainly didn't, but if I did, I'd certainly have tried my hand at making one of the many tasty dogs featured on Food Beast that day. I'm particularly interested in the poutine dog by Portland's The Daily Dog. Link

This Week at Neatorama Posted: 27 Jul 2013 06:00 AM PDT Every week, I use this wrap-up post as an excuse to sort through the stats we have. They can be kind of humbling. Often, the posts that a blogger puts the most work into, or gets the most excited about, ends up with a "meh" response. And just as often, something really easy that we throw on at the last minute turns out to be a barnburner, sparks a lively comment discussion, or gets linked at a lot of other sites. But that's all a learning experience. We need to know what you like and don't like, so we can bring you more of what Neatoramanauts most want to see. If you've got something to say about a post, leave us a comment. If you just like it, click and give it a ♥ -and a comment, too, if you've got the time. If you see something that Aunt Harriet would love, you can email it to her. If it's really interesting, you can tell your Twitter followers or Facebook friends. And if you see something interesting on another site that we should know about, you can email tips@neatorama.com to tell us about it. Every one of those things helps us improve the site and give you what you want. Thanks! Now let's recap what we offered in the past week, in case you need to catch up.   Jill Harness attended Comic Con and brought back the biggest collection of photos yet! See them in the post 65 Cosplay Pictures From San Diego Comic Con 2013. Edddie Deezen pondered the question of What's in the Briefcase in Pulp Fiction? Uncle John's Bathroom Reader gave us Public-Access Cable: Anyone's A Star. Stock Market Behavior Predicted by Rat Neurons was from the Annals of Improbable Research. Mental_floss magazine contributed 10 Missing Treasures You Should Really Be Looking For! David Israel posed more Questions In Need of Answers, which has spawned great conversations on organic produce and rats -thank goodness those are two different questions! Hy Conrad brought us another Whodunit, this one called The Pointing Corpse. In this week's What Is It? game, the pictured tool is a buffing wheel rake, for removing excess buffing compound from a cloth buffing wheel, a photo of one in use can be seen here. Steve Pauk guessed that right, and as promised, wins a virtual pat on the back. We have t-shirts for the two funniest answers this week, one for Trish Schroeder, who declared it to be the hairbrush that Kid's stylist (from Kid n' Play) used to create his hair in the 90's. The other shirt goes to Sam Bacon, who said it's a corn remover for the Hulk's feet! See the answers to all this week's mystery objects at the What Is It? blog. The non-giveaway post with the most comments was Questions In Need of Answers. In second place was Keep Calm and Just Name The Royal Baby Already, and Rolling Clay with Keith was third. The comment of the week came from Ian Garatt, who responded to the post High-End Stores Use Facial Recognition Software to Detect Celebrities When They Walk In, saying "But mostly, they're checking for Winona Ryder." Ha! I also need to mention a great one by Kevin George, who responded to the trousers found embedded in the tree by saying, "Back then, swimwear was full length. I say these are trunks." The most popular post was Star Wars vs. Game of Thrones, followed by 10 Missing Treasures You Should Really Be Looking For! and 65 Cosplay Pictures From San Diego Comic Con 2013 came in third.   The post with the most ♥s was Digitally Restoring an Old Photograph. Coming in second was That's Not An Iceberg, Silly Walrus, followed by You Can Finally Formally Introduce Yourself to an Otter. The most emailed post was Mama Cat and Ducklings, with The World's Largest Canine-Friendly Cake coming in second. Star Wars vs. Game of Thrones and Sharkini tied for third place. When you're shopping for back to school supplies, be sure to put something special from the NeatoShop in there amongst the generic paper and pencils to make your kids feel special and excited about school! Pictured here is my new favorite t-shirt. Imagine showing up for your new chemistry class wearing this -the teacher will be impressed! And when you've caught up on everything here, be sure to take a look at the Neatoramanauts Facebook page, where you'll find neat stuff like a cute little owl with lots of caption suggestions and surprising vintage photos. Have a great week!

You are subscribed to email updates from Neatorama To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610