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2014/01/03

Neatorama

Neatorama

Neatolinks: Nic Cage, Zombies and Gummies

Posted: 03 Jan 2014 04:00 AM PST

Economy of Effort

Posted: 03 Jan 2014 03:00 AM PST

(Maximumble by Chris Hallbeck)

But the DVD rack is, like 10 feet away. Why go to all that trouble? You're not being lazy--just efficient. Be proud. This is good for humanity.

When Winston Churchill was asked for the secret to his success, he replied, "Economy of effort. Never stand up when you can sit down, and never sit down when you can lie down." That's the smart approach.

LOL My Thesis

Posted: 03 Jan 2014 02:00 AM PST

A new Tumblr blog asks graduate and undergraduate students to submit their thesis in one sentence. Some cannot keep it to strictly one sentence, but that's all right, as long as it's short. The thing is, ask anyone about their thesis and they'll either talk your ear off or say it's too complicated to explain. When boiled down to one line, they become completely ridiculous. For example:

All I care about is food and I found a way to make it vaguely sociological.

When you collect oral folklore from your Southern family, you find out creepy things.

I spent 372 pages describing what Kafka meant by everything he didn’t write.

The government hiring people is a good way to bring down unemployment; we stopped doing it because we are stupid.

I stared at kids playing videogames to prove that kids like playing videogames.

Read more, or submit your own, at LOL My Thesis. -via Time Newsfeed

Clever Popeye Tattoo

Posted: 03 Jan 2014 01:00 AM PST

When I was 5, my father told me that if I ate my spinach, I'd grow strong like Popeye. It never happened, but I now tell my kids the same thing. It's a tradition!

Here's a clever tattoo inked by Alina Fokina, an artist in Ufa, Russia. Crack open a can and punch through your problems. The thought bubble is conveniently blank, letting the owner write his own messages from the sailor man.

-via Fashionably Geek

Why I Am Like a Cat

Posted: 03 Jan 2014 12:00 AM PST

(YouTube link)

Jeff Wysaski of Pleated-Jeans explains how he is similar to a cat. I can relate to some of this -especially the part about hating vacuum cleaners. You get the feeling that he wants someone to adopt him, take him home, and scratch his back while he sits on your lap. Good luck with that.

The Facts About That Most Evil Of Numbers 666

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:00 PM PST

It’s a number that has vexed and troubled people for generations, a triple dose of the digit between five and seven thought to bring bad luck, and possibly the devil himself, when it appears.

That number is the dreaded 666, and up until six years ago there was an area code 666 that was sent straight to numerical hell by the mostly Christian residents of Reeves, Louisiana.

But did the Reeves townies actually defeat that most evil of numbers, or will 666 forever pop up wherever three digit numbers are used? Here are eleven curious facts about the source of all evil mathematics, the number 666.

Stranded Men Set Car Afire to Keep Warm

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 10:00 PM PST

Police in Pincher Creek, Alberta, responded to a suspicious fire Saturday morning. The story behind it was gradually pieced together. Two men had been in the Honda the day before, but they became lost and then put the car into a ditch. To keep warm, they first tore the seats out of the car and set them on fire in the road. Then they set the entire car on fire.

"Their car was completely consumed by fire," said Cpl. Jeffrey Feist of the Pincher Creek RCMP. "They lit their car on fire because they thought they were going to freeze to death."

When daybreak came, the two men discovered that they were within easy walking distance of a nearby house, and set off to find help.

Rising smoke from the burned-out hulk attracted the attention of a passerby, who called 911.

Corporal Feist told the Echo that both men were in possession of cellular phones.

There you have it. A passerby could call emergency services, so there was cellular service.  The two men apparently never thought of just calling for help. They were taken to a hospital for treatment of minor burns and frostbite. One of them was later arrested on outstanding warrants. Corporal Feist said that the RCMP recommends keeping emergency supplies in a car when traveling in winter -such as a cell phone- but they do not recommend burning your vehicle.  -via Arbroath

Gus Gus and Jaq Salt & Pepper Shakers

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:00 PM PST

Gus Gus and Jaq Salt & Pepper Shakers

Does all the cooking, dishes, and cleaning have you feeling like poor Cinderelly? Invite the Gus Gus and Jaq Salt & Pepper Shakers into your kitchen. This cheerful duo is always happy to help set the table and season the food.

The Gus Gus and Jaq Salt & Pepper Shakers are made of glazed ceramic and held together by magnets. They make an enchanting addition to any kitchen. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Salt & Pepper Shakers. 

Link

The 20 Happiest Colleges in America

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:00 PM PST

(Photo: Stuart Seeger)

Coming in at #1, it’s (of course) Texas A&M University. That makes perfect sense, for the soul is naturally Aggie.

The Daily Beast used statistics from the National Center for Educational Statistics and College Prowler to evaluate the experiences of college students. They surveyed students for their overall experience, the quality of the student health center and whether they would go to that college again knowing what they know now.

Stanford won the #2 position, followed by the University of Wisconsin, Florida State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Do any of the rankings surprise you?

Dancing Wildlife

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

A year and a half ago, we brought you a great video from Jurgen Otto of the peacock spider and his strange mating dance. Now Dario Trovato·has taken that footage to the next level by giving those peacock spider disco fever! Watch them boogie down the "YMCA" by the Village People. But that wasn't enough. He also saw the flamingo flamenco and gave it an upgrade as well.

(YouTube link)

They look quite attractive dancing to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." -thanks, Kim Kinslow!

43 Things You Might Not Know about Studio Ghibli Films

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 07:00 PM PST

Since the launch of its first film, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, the Japanese animation company Studio Ghibli has enchanted viewers around the world and hooked many people on anime. Rocket News 24 recently rounded up a long list of trivia that you might not know about the studio and its films.

For example, the castle in Howl's Moving Castle sounds like a loud, clanking machine that belches fire and smoke as it moves. Hayao Miyazaki, the director of the film, found a natural way of acquiring those sounds:

Miyazaki’s version of the castle is also more of an almost-organic clump of pipes, turrets, scaffolding and legs. To create the sound of the castle, Ghibli hired a team of carpenters, filled the studio with tools and asked them to do what they do best.

Red-hot Nickel Ball in Velveeta

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 06:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

Psst! Wanna see a melting volcano of cheese? Watch what happens when the famous red-hot nickel ball is placed on a brick of Velveeta. It doesn't sink in quite as fast as you'd expect, but the Velveeta does liquify under the heat. The conclusion is that while Velveeta will not protect you in a knife fight, it might make good armor against musket balls. Quick! Get the chips! -via Gizmodo

Cue the argument over whether Velveeta is cheese. Wikipedia says Velveeta has "a taste that is identified as a type of American cheese." It is labeled as a "Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product," which is a classification that the FDA doesn't have standards for. So who knows.

Previously: The red-hot nickel ball tackles a block of ice and Areogel and Pop Rocks.

12 Feet of Ramen Suspended in Time

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST

(Photo: One and J. Gallery)

Seung Yul Oh’s hyper-realistic resin sculpture looks like a 12-foot long clump of ramen noodles rising majestically from a bowl, like an idol to the god of the midnight snack. It’s made to look just like the real thing, including the colors and shapes of egg yolks, meat, onion and carrots. The ramen rises high into the air, lifted by an invisible hand holding a pair of chopsticks.

This is one of 6 similar sculptures. You can view the rest here.

Martin Scorsese's Student Film- It's Not Just You Murray!

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST

(Video Link)

Martin Scorsese is the undisputed master of the gangster flick, responsible for such greats as Casino, Goodfellas and The Departed just to name a few, but his career seems to have brought him full circle with his latest release The Wolf of Wall Street. To illustrate his return to his good old days of student filmmaking we present It’s Not Just You, Murray!, a film he made as a student attending NYU.

The story bears certain similarities to The Wolf of Wall Street- the main character breaks the fourth wall and speaks to the audience about how he made all of his money, and the two characters seem to be a similar breed of smarmy narcissist. Enjoy this slice of New York cinema history!

Via Geek Tyrant

Scientists Tell Their Favorite Jokes

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST

(Statistics t-shirt now on sale at the NeatoShop)

A statistician gave birth to twins, but only had one of them baptised. She kept the other as a control.

Get it? That's a good one by David Spiegelhalter, a professor of statistics at the University of Cambridge. The Guardian asked scientists in different fields, including chemistry, physics, biology, engineering and psychology, to tell their favorite intellectual jokes. Here are a few more examples:

An interviewer approaches a variety of scientists, and asks them: "Is it true that all odd numbers are prime?" The mathematician rejects the conjecture. "One is prime, three is prime, five is prime, seven is prime, but nine is not. The conjecture is false." The physicist is less certain. "One is prime, three is prime, five is prime, seven is prime, but nine is not. Then again 11 is and so is 13. Up to the limits of measurement error, the conjecture appears to be true." The psychologist says: "One is prime, three is prime, five is prime, seven is prime, nine is not. Eleven is and so is 13. The result is statistically significant." The artist says: "One is prime, three is prime, five is prime, seven is prime, nine is prime. It's true, all odd numbers are prime!"
Gary Marcus, professor of psychology, New York University [...]

Psychiatrist to patient: "Don't worry. You're not deluded. You only think you are."

I heard this joke from my husband, my source of all good jokes. It is a variation of the type of joke I particularly like: a paradoxical twist of meaning. Here the surprising paradox is that you can at once be deluded and not deluded. This links to an aspect of my work that goes under the label "mentalising" and involves attributing thoughts to oneself and others. It's a mechanism that works beautifully, but the joke reveals how it can go wrong.
Uta Frith, professor in cognitive neuroscience, University College London [...]

At a party for functions, ex is at the bar looking despondent. The barman says: "Why don't you go and integrate?" To which ex replies: "It would not make any difference."

Heard by my daughter in a student bar in Oxford. 
Jean-Paul Vincent, head of developmental biology, National Institute for Medical Research [...]

-via Marginal Revolution

Cat Jump Compilation

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

Here's a collection of cat jump videos with a twist: unless you've seen the original video, you don't know if the leap will end in a perfectly impressive landing or a complete flop. However, the age of the cat can be a clue, which illustrates how cats become such impressive jumpers. They are not afraid of failure. Cats just get up and keep on trying until they get it right. Of course, it helps that cats are naturally good at falling. -via Tastefully Offensive

Calvin & Hobbes as Celebrities

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST

They were child stars back in the old days. Now the famous comedy duo has reunited. After a successful reality TV show about them running a transmorgifier repair shop, Calvin and Hobbes are ready to make it big with a reunion movie and hit single.

DeviantART member Ericka shows them enjoying their reclaimed status as celebrities. Before the inevitable crash, of course.

Cigarette Shoes Make A Deadly Fashion Statement

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST

They say smoking cigarettes will kill you, but these cigarettes ain’t for smoking- they’re for strutting around town looking all dangerous, showing the world that messing with you can cause shortness of breath. Fashionably deadly, cigarette pumps six inches high make a fierce statement about your independence and the fact that you’re smoking hot.

And if you’re trying to quit then making a pair of shoes out of those leftover cartons of cigarettes you’ve got lying around will not only help you kick the habit, they’ll remind you why you quit in the first place.

Caution- these shoes contain chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer. Spotted at FailBlog.

Antarctica Condition 1 Weather

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST


(Video Link)

We're having a cold snap down here in Texas. It's gotten as low as 50ºF! Brrr. We'll survive though.

Now in Antarctica, they've got it really rough. Here's a video from McMurdo Station, the main American research center in Antarctica. It's a 2006 video showing what the weather is like in what the natives call "Condition 1." That's when the wind speed exceeds 55 knots, visibility is less than 100 feet or the wind chill temperature is below -100ºF. Rather nippy.

-via TYWKIWDBI

This Truck is Made of Ice

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST

We've seen some pretty impressive ice sculptures from all over, but this is the first one that moves under its own steam. Or gasoline, actually. The truck was made from 11,000 pounds of ice, sculpted and set over a regular truck chassis. It was a stunt from Canadian Tire to demonstrate how their Eliminator battery could start even in the coldest temperatures. The truck was driven 1.6 kilometers (a mile) at about 20 mph km/h in December 12th. I guess this is what they mean when they say "Cool ride!" See videos of the truck in action and the build process at Sploid. -via Digg

Artistic Temperaments

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:30 AM PST

This isn't the result of a quantitative study.* Jimmy Chen expressed his opinions of the value of various musicians, rappers and fiction authors using a Cartesian coordinate system. You can view them all here.

Kurt Cobain's placement looks about right. What do you think of the others?

-via Ace of Spades HQ

*Could you quantitatively assess arrogance? What would be a unit of measurement?

10 Animals That Went Extinct in 2013

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST

We get excited about new species discovered every year, but at the same time, there are those that we've given up hope of ever seeing again -alive. Researchers have searched for the Formosan Clouded Leopard in Taiwan for years, but what they found was this photograph of one that had been made into a vest. A living leopard has not been seen in thirty years.

We did just about everything we could to eliminate this animal; we destroyed their habitat, killed them for their skins, and got rid of the other animals they normally ate. They didn't have a chance.

And there are nine other species now on the extinct list that you can read about at Living Alongside Wildlife. -via Boing Boing

(Image credit: Torii Ryūzō)

The First USS <i>Enterprise</i>

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:30 AM PST

What? No, I’m not talking about the old NCC-1701 from Star Trek.

(Image via US Navy)

I’m referring to the Enterprise, a ship in the Continental Navy from 1775-1777.

In May 1775, the dashing American Colonel Benedict Arnold captured a ship on the southern end of Lake Champlain. He boarded it with several dozen men and promptly sailed through the northern end of the lake and down the Richelieu River to Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec.

(Map via Google)

He raided the town and seized additional sailing vessels, including a British sloop named Enterprise. Arnold took the Enterprise back down the lake and armed it with 12 4-pound guns.

When the United States declared independence in 1776, that ship became the first US warship to bear that famous name.

In October of 1776, the British launched an invasion down Lake Champlain. The Royal Navy defeated Arnold and the rebels at Valcour Island, but the American resistance delayed the British advance so long that they called off the invasion until the next year.

In 1777, in advance of the overwhelming British fleet, Arnold burned the Enterprise and his other remaining vessels. The rest of the campaign, which would result in an American victory, would be fought on land.

(Image via Paramount)

Scalp Squid Head Massager

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

Scalp Squid Head Massager

Got stress? The Scalp Squid Head Massager from the NeatoShop is to the rescue. Use this adorable pink cephalopod to caress your cares away.  

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Health & Wellness items. 

Link

3D Paper Illustrations By Sam Pierpoint

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST

Unless an artist is creating papercraft sculptures artworks made out of paper tend to look pretty flat, but Sam Pierpoint creates a sense of three dimensionality with her imaginative and colorful hybrid works.

Sam’s art draws inspiration from psychedelia, children’s book illustration and graphic design, and there's so much to look at in each piece it may take your eyes a while to make the rounds. She creates her works by photographing various sections of paper sculpture, made out of patterned cardstock and construction paper mostly, then she puts the whole thing together in Photoshop, fine tuning the 3D look of each piece with a touch of digital enhancement.

Via Juxtapoz

National Science Fiction Day

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 07:30 AM PST

Happy National Science Fiction Day! January 2nd is the day selected for this wonderful holiday because it was Isaac Asimov's birthday. It's a day to celebrate, appreciate, and even read some of the many science fiction offerings at your local library, bookstore, website, or your own bookshelf. 

And speaking of Asimov, Open Culture posted some of his predictions for the year 2014, which he wrote about in 1964. Some of them are eerily prescient, until you realize that quite a bit of our technology is inspired by visionary science fiction. Here's a sample:

“Communications will become sight-sound and you will see as well as hear the person you telephone. The screen can be used not only to see the people you call but also for studying documents and photographs and reading passages from books. Synchronous satellites, hovering in space will make it possible for you to direct-dial any spot on earth, including the weather stations in Antarctica.”

“Robots will neither be common nor very good in 2014, but they will be in existence.”

“[T]he world population will be 6,500,000,000 and the population of the United States will be 350,000,000.”

Not too far off -the world population is now 7 billion, and the U.S. has 317 million. When he wrote that in 1964, the world had just over three billion people, and the U.S. had fewer than 200 million.

We should celebrate science fiction by sharing it with each other. Have you read any great science fiction books or short stories lately that you want to recommend to others? What's your favorite science fiction story, book, movie, or TV show ever? Since I am old school, I'll have to sing the praises of Slaughterhouse Five, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Star Trek: the Original Series, The Martian Chronicles, and Brave New World. My favorite Isaac Asimov story is The Ugly Little Boy.

(Image credit: Rowena Morrill)

True Facts About The Armadillo

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST

(Video Link)

It's been a while since we've seen any videos from Ze Frank's True Facts series and man are we happy to have a new one. This time, the subject is armadillos, including their defense mechanisms and sexual behavoir. As always, there's all kinds of silly jokes mixed in with cool facts you might not know already, and don't worry, this video won't give you leprosy. 

Warning: There is some mildly NSFW language and a short clip of the armadillo's genitals.

Via Laughing Squid

What Is It? game 308

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 06:30 AM PST

Now it's time for our collaboration with the awesome What Is It? Blog! What is this thing? You don't have to know to win!

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. You might know the true answer, but we're going to select two winners who come up with the funniest, most outlandish guesses to win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop. However...

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest the Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt and Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

Check out more pictures of this thing at the What Is It? Blog. Good luck!

Chile's Beautiful Bicentennial Park

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 06:00 AM PST

Playgrounds tend to look pretty similar with some slides, swings and assorted other equipment, but occasionally you can find one that's really special. Chile's Children's Bicentennial Park is a great example of a playground that kids can love and adults can appreciate for its beautiful design. 

The park, designed by Elemental, features a rounded swingset that allows kids to look at each other while swinging, a whole mountain side covered in slides and a fence that is actually a giant obstacle course. 

You can see more pictures of the fantastic park over at Homes and Hues. And if you like kid-friendly design, you'll love these great Disney inspired rooms. 

20 Life Lessons from <i>Adventure Time</i>

Posted: 02 Jan 2014 05:30 AM PST

Finn understands! He's just a kid, but he already gasps romantic relationships. His analogy, though, is a bit off. Dating is more like stunt riding than a casual bike ride. That's because there's a high probability that you will be seriously hurt and carry around scars that you will feel every day for the rest of your life. You will be at least partially emotionally necrotized and those wounds will affect every other attempt you make to connect with someone on an intimate level.

And all of that from a cartoon! Adventure Time is a surprisingly deep story. Jeff Wysaski of Pleated Jeans has gleaned 20 valuable life lessons from it. Many of them deal with love and I will try to deal with them once I have eaten this gallon of ice cream.
@

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