Neatorama

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• Fix Everything With Duct Tape Tales
• Optimus Prime Bib and Hat
• In Japan, Cleaning Public Toilets for Free Is a Hobby
• Colonel Meow Sets World Record
• Awesome Dad Hacks Wheelchair So That His Son Can Control It
• Geeking Out Over the Bloody Legacy of VHS
• Artist with a Skin Disorder Uses Her Body as a Canvas
• Minions in Black
• What If You Stopped Going Outside?
• Pink Panther Sunglasses
• Don't Let Air Pollution Ruin Your Vacation Photo!
• The Cuddle Mattress Is Designed to Make Snuggling Easier
• Alice & Queen of Hearts Salt & Pepper Shakers
• Medieval and Renaissance Sea Monsters
• Stay Warm With These Crocheted Super Scarves
• August 29th: Skynet Becomes Self-aware
• People Who've Never Been Online Explain the Internet
• Area Man Realizes He's Been Reading Fake News For 25 Years
• Osprey and Spoonbill's "Near Miss"
• Let's Hope That Mirror Is Strong
• Kill Ghosts
• The Image of the 2013 VMAs in LEGO
• Coffee Table Made from a Mining Cart
• Melting Witch
• <i>Game of Thrones</i> Starring Walter White
• Samoas Jell-O Shots
• The Ugly Animal Preservation Society
• Cracked Cymbals Turned into Classy Lamps
• Squirrel and Rabbit
• This Ice Cream Cake Will Certainly Give You A Brain Freeze

Fix Everything With Duct Tape Tales Posted: 30 Aug 2013 04:00 AM PDT (Video Link) What could be better than the Duck Tales theme song? How about a song that teaches you how to repair everything, including cancer? Ok, maybe this song exagerates a little...but it's still great. Via Laughing Squid

Optimus Prime Bib and Hat Posted: 30 Aug 2013 03:00 AM PDT   Optimus Prime Bib and Hat Are you waging war against oppressively boring baby items? Transform your favorite sentient being into an adorable eating machine with the Optimus Prime Bib and Hat from the NeatoShop.  Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Mealtime fun.  Link

In Japan, Cleaning Public Toilets for Free Is a Hobby Posted: 30 Aug 2013 03:00 AM PDT (Photo: Associated Press) Dave Barry writes that, "sometimes we think the Japanese do these things just to mess with western journalists." Well, it's possible. But the Associated Press reports that some people in Japan gather together to clean public restrooms for fun: A group of adults and children assemble at a public toilet near a station in Tokyo on a Sunday morning at 6am. They're here to scrub it clean - from top to bottom. Urinals and toilets are the first targets, then it's the turn of the walls, the sinks and the floor. By 7:30am, they are gone, leaving behind them a gleaming public toilet, looking as good as the day it was installed. This group of bleach-sloshing good Samaritans are the Benjyo Soujer, a 35-member group created on Facebook, who task themselves with scrubbing clean Tokyo's thousands of public toilets one by one. Link -via Dave Barry

Colonel Meow Sets World Record Posted: 30 Aug 2013 02:00 AM PDT Internet cat star Colonel Meow (previously at Neatorama) is now going to be enshrined in the Guinness Book of World Records as the cat with the longest fur. Colonel Meow, age two, is a Himalayan-Persian crossbreed with fur that reaches nine inches long. Meow's fantastically furry features will be part of the newest edition of the 2014 Guinness World Records book, which comes out next month. Meow calls Los Angeles home, specifically the home he shares with owners Anne Marie Avey and Eric Rosario. Avey admits while the cat's record-setting fur is something special indeed, it's also kind of a pain in the butt, according to info sent over by Meow's representation. “Literally everything in the house has hair on it, including us! I feel like I’m always vacuuming!” says Avey. Nine-inch fur? That goes a long way toward explaining the cat's unique appearance. See more pictures of the Colonel and his fur at laist. Link (Image credit:Guinness World Records)

Awesome Dad Hacks Wheelchair So That His Son Can Control It Posted: 30 Aug 2013 01:00 AM PDT 2-year old Alejandro had Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Medical insurance wouldn't cover a powered wheelchair until he was 5 years old. That was unacceptable to Shea, his father, who bought a wheelchair on eBay and modified it so that Alejandro could control it with his feet: After unsuccessfully trying to repair a broken digital kitchen scale [Shea] was inspired to reuse the sensors as pedal inputs. [Alejandro] has limited foot strength and the sensitive strain gauges are perfect for picking it up. Above you can see the sandal-based interface he built. The two feet working together affect steering as well as forward and reverse. The pedal system is connected to the wheelchair using a Digital to Analog converter chip to stand-in for the original analog joystick.  At the link, you can watch a video of Alejandro maneuvering the wheelchair. Link | Project Website

Geeking Out Over the Bloody Legacy of VHS Posted: 30 Aug 2013 12:00 AM PDT It may be hard to believe, but some movie buffs are touting the superiority of the VHS tape, to the point of trying to preserve and even resurrect it. The thing is, many movies that were released on VHS have never made the leap to DVDs, and therefore are either hard to find or totally unavailable to many viewers. Collectors Weekly talked to Dan Kinem, director of the documentary Adjust Your Tracking. He talked about how videotape revolutionized the movie industry -and since a large chunk of profit would come from home video, movies started to be designed to fit the format, particularly horror films.   “Especially for movies that were direct to video or shot on video, viewing them on DVD doesn’t make a lot of sense, because they were originally intended to be viewed on VHS,” continues Kinem. “These are movies that feel too cleaned-up on DVD and Blu-ray, as if they were never meant to look that good. You can see the mistakes they made and the bad makeup and everything. Watching them on VHS is closer to the old drive-in or grindhouse theater, the way the director intended it to look.” For Kinem, Peretic, and many other VHS fans, there’s an authenticity to viewing certain movies on VHS that’s integral to the film experience, no different from the way record fans think certain albums should only be played on vinyl. Read more about the resurgence of the VHS format in the full interview. Link

Artist with a Skin Disorder Uses Her Body as a Canvas Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:00 PM PDT Ariana Page Russell has dermatographia, which the Mayo Clinic defines as: Dermatographia is a condition also known as skin writing. When people who have dermatographia lightly scratch their skin, the scratches redden into a raised wheal similar to hives. These marks usually disappear within 30 minutes. Ms. Russell is an artist. Where other people might see a disability, she saw an opportunity. She inscribes images, words and patterns on her skin. You can see more photos of her work at the link. Link -via 22 Words

Minions in Black Posted: 29 Aug 2013 10:05 PM PDT Minions in Black by Chicoloco Designs Well, the Men in Black may not be hosting an intergalactic kegger down there, but the Minions in Black sure are! Let us welcome Chicoloco Designs to the NeatoShop. Check out his Facebook page then visit his NeatoShop page for more neat-o shirts. Steel Poster Style Emerald City Live Long and Prosper Redneck Poster Style View more designs by Chicoloco Designs | More Funny T-shirts | New T-Shirts Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop, earn generous royalties, and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

What If You Stopped Going Outside? Posted: 29 Aug 2013 10:00 PM PDT (YouTube link) The short version: go outside; it's good for you. AsapSCIENCE explains exactly why. I would add that time in sunshine also helps regulate your sleep, which is one of the many reasons I spend time in the garden whenever I can. -via Geeks Are Sexy

Pink Panther Sunglasses Posted: 29 Aug 2013 09:00 PM PDT No, these aren't inspired by the cartoon character of that name, but they are pink and shaped like panthers. These vintage sunglasses were once in the possession of Etsy seller Cara Mia, but, I gather, have since been sold. Link -via Lustik

Don't Let Air Pollution Ruin Your Vacation Photo! Posted: 29 Aug 2013 08:00 PM PDT Want to take a photo of the gorgeous city skyline but not the pesky smog? Don't let reality ruin your vacation photo! Take one in front of this backdrop, instead. Chinese website Netease published a gallery of mainland Chinese tourists posing in front of a backdrop of panoramic images of Hong Kong with clear blue skies whilst the real city sits in the background, shrouded in a thick soupy haze. Hooray for human ingenuity! Now, if we can only put all that energy into actually figuring out how to combat air pollution ...

The Cuddle Mattress Is Designed to Make Snuggling Easier Posted: 29 Aug 2013 07:00 PM PDT (Photo: Cuddle Mattress) Oh, you have someone to love but you can't slip your arms around him/her without losing circulation to an arm? Poor you. Well, bless your heart, there is now a solution to your crisis: Essentially the Cuddle Mattress divides the upper and lower portions of the bed into a series of slats. Side sleepers can wedge their arm — or stomach sleepers can wedge their feet — in between these slats. Each slat has a firm and a soft side, which you can flip depending on your sleeping preference. The slats come in three different materials: latex, polyurethane or polyurethane memory foam. The mattress also comes with its own stretchable, fitted sheets. Link -via Marginal Revolution

Alice & Queen of Hearts Salt & Pepper Shakers Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT   Alice & Queen of Hearts Salt & Pepper Shakers Don't let bland kitchen decor make you lose your head. Add a touch of whimsy to your table with the Alice & Queen of Hearts Salt & Pepper Shakers from the NeatoShop. This beautiful ceramic set is held together by magnets and features Alice and the Red Queen from Disney's 1951 classic film, Alice in Wonderland.  Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Salt & Pepper Shakers.  Link

Medieval and Renaissance Sea Monsters Posted: 29 Aug 2013 06:00 PM PDT Early cartographers often included illustrations or descriptions of sea monsters on their maps, in order to warn explorers of their location. Sometimes the drawings were symbolic, such as a picture of a king riding a fish, to denote who ruled that part of the sea. Others were supposed to be literal monsters, but the pictures were created from descriptions by frightened seafarers, often years after the fact. The image shown here is from around 1230 AD, depicting a whale that sailors mistook for an island. "In the Indian Ocean there are whales which are so large that they seem to be islands. And sometimes because of the soil they have on them plants grow on their backs. Men crossing the sea sometimes land on these whales, which, when they feel the movement of men on them, hurry down into the depths, and so the men are drowned." The post at BibliOdyssey is a little different direction from usual in that it has illustrations from a new book, Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps. However, the many illustrations are hundreds of years old, which is right in line with the usual fare. Link

Stay Warm With These Crocheted Super Scarves Posted: 29 Aug 2013 05:00 PM PDT Wanna look fashionable and super while staying warm this winter? Then check out Etsy seller Fallen Designs' great hooded scarves based on the Avengers and the Justice League. Personally, I dig the Iron Man design, but the Loki horns are pretty cool as well and the wings of Thor's helmet are quite chic. Link Via Fashionably Geek

August 29th: Skynet Becomes Self-aware Posted: 29 Aug 2013 04:00 PM PDT According to the 1991 movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day, August 29th is the day Skynet becomes self-aware. The quote: The Terminator: The Skynet Funding Bill is passed. The system goes on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions are removed from strategic defense. Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they try to pull the plug. Sarah Connor: Skynet fights back. See? In the movie the "history" takes place in 1997. Whew! Disaster averted! Actually, the webcomic xkcd set our minds at ease some time ago. Link

People Who've Never Been Online Explain the Internet Posted: 29 Aug 2013 03:00 PM PDT "OMG! You've never seen the Internet?" How would you explain the Internet if you've never been online? Justine Sharrock of Buzzfeed asked a handful of inmates from California's San Quentin State Prison who began serving long sentences in prison without ever having been on the 'Net before. Here's what they said: I have seen the advertisements of both the internet and the apps on the television, but I never paid close attention about their usage. I did not consider their significance. I was completely in the blind about the purpose. I thought they were just sites for people to socialize and spend their idle time. - Jorge Heredia, 37; entered prison in 1998 "Sites for people to socialize and spend their idle time" Nailed it! Read the rest over at Buzzfeed.

Area Man Realizes He's Been Reading Fake News For 25 Years Posted: 29 Aug 2013 02:00 PM PDT You might think this is a headline from the Onion, but it's from NPR. It's a headline aboutthe Onion, which is 25 years old today! The satirical newspaper started out small, and now has the newspaper, a popular website, and the Onion News Network video series. Two college students founded the fake news organization, which began as a newspaper in Madison, Wis. "It really started as something very local that was intended mainly to ... sell pizza coupons," Editor-in-Chief Will Tracy tells Morning Edition host Renee Montagne.. It still has that Midwestern touch, he says. "We still have a lot of Midwesterners writing for us, and I do think that there is a distinctly Midwestern aesthetic and voice to the paper," Tracy says. "It's sort of an unflashy, flat, unpretentious sort of voice that we have." Part of that regional bent comes through in The Onion's daily-life humor and its stories about "Area Man" (who Tracy says seems to be a Midwesterner). Read more about growing the Onion at NPR. Link -via Metafilter

Osprey and Spoonbill's "Near Miss" Posted: 29 Aug 2013 01:00 PM PDT Photo: David Rennie, Mandurah Wetlands, Western Australia Photographer David Rennie captured this fantastic photo of an encounter of an osprey and a spoonbill in mid-air. Rennie wrote that the young osprey was learning to fish. It was her sixth try one morning, when she came out of the water and looked at her talons to see why she missed her prey. At that exact time, a spoonbill was coming in to land and the two had a "near miss." Rennie's photo won overall winner at the Australian Geographic's 2013 ANZANG Nature Photographer of the Year contest. It beat more than 1,800 photographs submitted from around the world. View the rest of the winners over at Australian Geographic's website.

Let's Hope That Mirror Is Strong Posted: 29 Aug 2013 12:00 PM PDT (Video Link) Otherwise this baby goat is going to go right through it when he gets a little older and decides to really go at it with that copy cat goat. Via BoingBoing

Kill Ghosts Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:07 AM PDT Kill Ghosts by Theduc Those of you lucky enough to have your lives, take them with you. However, leave the limbs you've lost. They belong to Pac-Bride now. Visit theduc's official website and then head on over to his NeatoShop page for more super neat shirts. The Watching Dead Test Crash Droid Freddy's Nightmare Pac Wars View more designs by Theduc | More Funny T-shirts | New T-Shirts Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop, earn generous royalties, and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

The Image of the 2013 VMAs in LEGO Posted: 29 Aug 2013 11:00 AM PDT Four days later, Miley Cyrus's performance with Robin Thicke at the Video Music Awards Sunday night are enshrined in LEGO. Iain Heath, better known on the internet as Ochre Jelly, is turning memes into LEGO sculptures as fast as they go viral. Here's his description: LEST WE FORGET. Everyone in America will forever remember where they were as they learned of the traumatic events that unfolded in Brooklyn on the evening of August 25th. For those unfortunate enough to witness them in person, we can only pray for their families and hope that they are eventually able to wash off the stink. Meanwhile, the perpetrators of this hideous debacle are still at large. Authorities are looking for a short uncoordinated woman dressed in an outfit described as "totally f***-witted". Her accompises are described as an unconvincing Beetlejuice cosplayer and a troop of insane oversided teddy bears from hell. The remaining shreds of Western culture are reported missing, presumed in tatters. Link

Coffee Table Made from a Mining Cart Posted: 29 Aug 2013 10:00 AM PDT A century ago, the base of this table was a cart used in a French mine. Now, with a bit of alteration by Ducôté Design, it's a handsome table. Link (Translation) -via Recyclart

Melting Witch Posted: 29 Aug 2013 09:30 AM PDT Melting Witch Oh my world, my world! She's melting! Who would have thought a good person like you could destroy such beautiful wickedness without the use of water. The Melting Witch set includes putty and pieces to make your very own melting witch. Build her up and watch her melt. You can use the set over and over again.  Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Halloween items.  Link

<i>Game of Thrones</i> Starring Walter White Posted: 29 Aug 2013 09:30 AM PDT (YouTube link) It's just too tempting to put the most badass character on cable TV into the most badass show on premium cable. So Jeff Wysaski did just that. Heisenberg can hold his own just fine in Westeros! Contains NSFW language. -via Pleated-Jeans

Samoas Jell-O Shots Posted: 29 Aug 2013 09:00 AM PDT Love Girl Scout Cookies, but wish they were a little more adult? Then perhaps you could try you hands at improvising some sweet Samoa-flavored Jell-O shots like these ones created by My Jello Americans. Link

The Ugly Animal Preservation Society Posted: 29 Aug 2013 08:30 AM PDT British biologist/comedian Simon Watt is teaming up with the National Science + Engineering Competition to bring attention to endangered species that are not magnificent, cute, or even plain. In fact, they are downright ugly. The Ugly Animal Preservation Society is a campaign to aid conservation efforts for these creatures. Watt has recruited other scientists, comedians, and science comedians for a series of live shows and videos to promote the conservation of the proboscis monkey, the blowfish, the Titicaca 'scrotum' water frog, the greater short-horned lizard, the dromedary jumping slug, the flightless dung beetle, and other ugly animals. Vote for your favorite ugly animal to become the campaign's mascot at the shows or at YouTube. The Ugly Animal Preservation Society is dedicated to raising the profile of some of Mother Nature’s more aesthetically challenged children.  The panda gets too much attention. Our society needs a mascot, one to rival the cute and cuddly emblems of many charities and organisations. And so I have gathered a terrific line up of comedians who will each champion a different ugly endangered species and at the end of the evening the audience shall vote for what will become our society’s symbol. Link -via Treehugger (Image credit: Simon Watt)

Cracked Cymbals Turned into Classy Lamps Posted: 29 Aug 2013 08:00 AM PDT They may not be usable for music, but they can make fine lampshades. Leonardo Criolani made pendant lamps from cracked cymbals. The light through the crack looks a bit like lightning, don't you think? Link -via Inhabitat

Squirrel and Rabbit Posted: 29 Aug 2013 07:30 AM PDT (YouTube link) The squirrel who snugs on the rabbit named George is cute enough by itself, but the accompanying dialogue here is priceless. Thanks, but there's no need to go get my camera, because we'd just have to round up the chickens. And I will have to disagree about something having to be "good" to get on YouTube. However, this is definitely good enough to be on Neatorama! -via Arbroath

This Ice Cream Cake Will Certainly Give You A Brain Freeze Posted: 29 Aug 2013 07:00 AM PDT This brain-shaped cake not only looks fantastic, but it certainly tastes wonderful as Say It With Cake used a red velvet cake with a cherry chip filling, buttercream frosting and a red-chocolate syrup layer of blood. It would be truly perfect for a Halloween party where late October is still marked with notably warm weather -like Southern California. Link

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