Neatorama |
- The 10 Best Alternate Histories
- You're Officially Too Old For Rock Concerts
- Neatolinks: Baby It's Cold Outside
- Chief White Eagle Flies Through The Air Suspended By His Hair
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Bun Burger
- We Can Neutron Dance
- <i>My Little Pony</i> Custom Guitar
- Porcelain Figurines Altered With A Little Help From Honey Bees
- Should Christmas Fall on a Fixed Day of the Week?
- Dachshund and Disabled Cat Are Inseparable
- Boss Sells Restaurant to Help Employee with Brain Tumor
- Trailer For A New Horror Video Game That Changes Every Time You Play
- Doge Generator
- Imaginations Soar In Animated Short Called The Flight
- Top Ten Photoshop Disasters of 2013
- 1775: America Builds Its First Submarine
- Winter Sun
- Shark Fin Ice Tray
- Snoop Lion's New Pokemon Themed Music Video
- The Story of the Unipiper
- French Fry Hamburger Bun
- What To Do When It's Really Cold Outside
- A Magnificent Look At Dogs Riding in Cars
- Frostquakes
- A New Papercraft Site Called Urban Paper Collective
- Yamato Sings to Sirens
- How Map Projections Distort Landmasses
- Cute Animated Short Film- DAMNED
- 50 Nicolas Cage Facts for the 50th Birthday of This National Treasure
- The Happiest Furniture We've Ever Seen
| The 10 Best Alternate Histories Posted: 08 Jan 2014 05:00 AM PST
Alternate history is a genre of speculative fiction which alters historical events and sets stories within the worlds created by those changes. It differs from historical fiction, which mostly sticks to real history. Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny is set in our own historical timeline for World War II and is thus historical fiction. Harry Turtledove's In the Presence of Mine Enemies imagines a world in which the Axis powers prevailed in that war and is thus alternate history. Alternate history may be divided into two subgenres: alternate events and alternate settings. The alternate events subgenre focuses on the changing events themselves. Robert Conroy's Red Inferno, for example, is a novel in form but addresses primarily a war between the Soviet Union and the western Allies in 1945. Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union takes place in a world in which Israel lost its war for independence. But that alternate event provides the background setting for what is essentially a murder mystery. I love alternate history. Here are some of my favorite text works from that genre.
Among the two subgenres of alternate history (alternate events and alternate settings) my strong preference is for alternate events. Although these books are novels, there is little in the way of distracting dialogue or character development. They read like fast-paced history books. The first rule of alternate history is that the changes must be reasonable and the outcomes plausible. The author, Peter G. Tsouras, is a retired US Army officer and professional military historian. He has genuine expertise on the subjects about which he writes. As a result, his alternate histories are thoroughly realistic--a feat that not all novels in the genre can attain. Lengthy endnotes for his sources (some of which are, amusingly, imaginary) support his changes and outcomes. In these two novels, Britain enters the American Civil War on the side of the South--something that nearly happened in real history.
Fitz-Enz focuses on the Lake Champlain campaign, on which he also published a non-fiction history. Like Tsouras's works, Redcoats' Revenge is realistic and written more like a straightforward history than a novel. It's a first-rate work of alternate history. Highlight the following text for a spoiler: As an American, I found this novel deeply disturbing. It left me unsettled for days. In short, America loses--badly. Redcoats' Revenge was a completely plausible and horrifying demonstration of how close my country came to losing the War of 1812 and the terrible consequences that would have resulted. As a work of alternate history, it's perfect. But I wouldn't read it again. 3. The Greenhill Books alternate history series. The British publishing company Greenhill Books has published a series of anthologies of short alternate history scenarios on many different subjects. Most are written by historians or other people fairly knowledgeable on historical topics. All of them address military history, such as winning scenarios for Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany during World War II or different outcomes for the Napoleonic Wars or the Cold War.
When a scenario is completely implausible, alternate history fans often refer to it as ASB--alien space bats. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and elements of the Seventh Cavalry, on the eve of the Battle of Little Big Horn, are transported back in time and space to Texas during the Texas Revolution. It is therefore inherently implausible. But once you accept time travel, then Urbach's carefully researched novel makes sense. The historical figures behave in completely reasonable ways. The novel is written in the first person perspective from Custer's point of view. I perceived that Custer is an unreliable narrator--a sophisticated narrative technique normally not seen in alternate history. 5. In the Balance by Harry Turtledove. It's the summer of 1942. The world is embroiled in war. At this point, aliens invade the Earth. Okay, this series is definitely alien space bats, but it's good ASB. No list of alternate history novels can fail to include Harry Turtledove. The PhD-trained Byzantine historian is often billed as "the master of alternate history." I wouldn't elevate him that high, but Turtledove is defintely the most prolific published author in the genre. He is perhaps best known for an alternate timeline that begins with the South winning the American Civil War and ends with the USA and the CSA battling for a final time during World War II. It's a fine series, but if I had to choose, I'd say that his earlier Worldwar series is superior.
6. Lee at the Alamo by Harry Turtledove. My interest in Turtledove has decreased over time. His recent works are excessively verbose and stretch out story arcs far too long. A more compact and excellent work by Turtledove is his novella Lee at the Alamo. Don't worry! There's no time travel here. A minor change to real history delays Robert E. Lee's exit from Texas prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War. 7. Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War by Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen. This is the first novel in a trilogy that imagines the immediate results of a Confederate victory at the Battle of Gettysburg. If you love alternate history or military fiction, this series will keep you on the edge of your seat with excitement. These two authors also wrote 1945, a fairly strong alternate history in which the US went to war with Japan, but not Germany, during World War II. (Map of North America in Bring the Jubilee by Federation X) 8. Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore. This 1953 novel helped popularize the genre of alternate history. It takes place during the Twentieth Century after a Southern victory at Gettysburg and the Civil War. The main character, Hodge McCormick Backmaker, is a historian living in an impoverished and greatly reduced USA. During his life, scientists develop a method for time travel. 9. The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. Philip Roth is a highly respected author of literary fiction--the hoity-toity stuff intellectuals read. He published his own foray into the alternate history genre in 2004. The Plot Against America describes the experiences of his own American Jewish family when President Charles Lindbergh, an anti-Semite who flirted with Nazi Germany, keeps America out of the European War. The Plot Against America is both good alternate history and solid literary fiction. 10. The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. The Axis powers are totally victorious in World War II. They conquer and partition America among them. This terrifying vision of a world that never was is often the first introduction that readers have to alternate history. The work secured Dick a Hugo Award in 1963. I've never found it particularly interesting, but I can't deny that it is a sophisticated work of fiction. Philip K. Dick definitely deserves all of the acclaim that the novel has earned him. Bonus Item: there is no novel or short story here. Only a question. But it's the most original alternate history scenario that I've ever encountered.  |
| You're Officially Too Old For Rock Concerts Posted: 08 Jan 2014 04:00 AM PST
Too Old For Rock Concerts Pint Glass (front and back shown) Accepting the fact that you are getting older is hard. Do it gracefully with the Too Old For Rock Concerts Pint Glass from the NeatoShop. This delightful 16 oz. clear pint glass is perfect for kicking back in your comfy recliner and listening to your favorite rock band collection of show tunes. Be sure to check out the NeatoShopfor more great Glassware & Drinkware. |
| Neatolinks: Baby It's Cold Outside Posted: 08 Jan 2014 04:00 AM PST We're Both Disturbed and Intrigued By These Fashions Created From Food (Scribol) These Traditional Norwegian Bridal Headdresses Are Utterly Amazing (The Presurfer) Snoop Lion and Pokemon Together At Last (Geekosystem) A Rainbow Art Installation? We Want to Go to There (Trend Hunter) Finally, An App That Helps You Quit Your Job (Laughing Squid) Image: Canadian Beer Fridge (FoodBeast) |
| Chief White Eagle Flies Through The Air Suspended By His Hair Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:00 AM PST Stunt performers, magicians and body modification fanatics use their bodies in grisly and dangerous ways to wow audiences and make big bucks nowadays, but they all act like they’re the first ones to attempt such a death defying feat. Chief White Eagle was staring death in the sockets without a care for his own life, flying through the air suspended by his hair, in the 1920s.This newsreel footage was taken in the 1920s and shows the Chief, billed as "the man with the world's strongest head of hair" dangling by his locks far above the ground in an insane airplane stunt he performed with the famous aerial stunt squad the 13 Flying Black Cats. Chief White Eagle later died doing what he loved, when his hair failed to hold his weight as he performed an aerial stunt dangling from a plane, but he’s truly the first death defying stuntman with a rock star image, and all performers who perform similar stunts nowadays owe Chief White Eagle a tip of the hat. Via Dangerous Minds |
| Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Bun Burger Posted: 08 Jan 2014 02:00 AM PST That title doesn't really do this culinary marvel justice. The bun consists of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches which been battered in kettle chips, then deep fried. The beef patty has been marinated in bananas and sriracha sauce. Oh, and there's bacon, too. You want one? You'll have to go to PYT, a restaurant in Philadelphia that prides itself on making weird burgers. Now stop licking the monitor. -via Foodiggity |
| Posted: 08 Jan 2014 01:00 AM PST Watch just about every dance movie you can remember seeing set to The Pointer Sister's song "Neutron Dance." There are 73 movies in all, from Hellzapoppin' to Return of the Jedi, strung together joyfully. This supercut by Robert Jones makes even characters who can't dance look good. -via Uproxx |
| <i>My Little Pony</i> Custom Guitar Posted: 08 Jan 2014 12:00 AM PST Get ready to thrash with this custom electric guitar by Vladislav, a maker of fine My Little Pony crafts. It's decorated with the colors of Princess Twilight Sparkle. It's made of alder, mahogany and rosewood. The star-shaped controls, which imitate Twilight's cutie mark, are a nice touch. Now put her on stage with Vinyl Scratch as backup. |
| Porcelain Figurines Altered With A Little Help From Honey Bees Posted: 07 Jan 2014 11:00 PM PST Artist Aganetha Dyck felt like the porcelain figurines she uses in her works were missing something, so she put her friendly neighborhood swarm of bees to work helping her finish up each piece with some hive worthy modifications of their own. Aganetha’s works make those old fashioned honey bee hives look like something from the Dark Ages of bee home design, and soon no garden statue will be safe from real estate hungry bees looking to build a fancy hive of their own. We first featured the honey bee collaborative works of Aganetha Dyck here on Neatorama way back in 2007, and it seems both she and the bees have been hard at work since then, because there are a lot more bee-claimed works to buzz about on her site. Via Hi-Fructose |
| Should Christmas Fall on a Fixed Day of the Week? Posted: 07 Jan 2014 10:00 PM PST
Tyler Cowen is an economist at George Mason University. You may remember him for his quirky final exam. Dr. Cowen tries to apply economic thinking to areas that you might not consider. For example, he argues that Christmas day should always fall on a Wednesday:
Ben Walsh, a blogger for Reuters, has a different take. He looked at economic data and concluded that retail sales do best when Christmas falls on a Saturday. So the holiday should always be on a weekend:
POLL: On what day should Christmas fall?
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| Dachshund and Disabled Cat Are Inseparable Posted: 07 Jan 2014 09:00 PM PST It was a strange case that a healthy, well-fed Dachshund and a clean young disabled cat were found abandoned in a driveway in Florida. They appeared to be from someone's home, but no one claimed the pets from Seminole County Animal Services. The Dachshund is totally devoted to her cat friend, who has severe mobility issues. They were taken in by Jacqueline Borum, who named the dog Idgie and the cat Ruthie after best friends in the movie Fried Green Tomatoes. The two live together at Borum's business, Hollywood Houndz Boutique & Spa in Lake Mary. You'll find more of their story at the Orlando Sentinel. -via Laughing Squid |
| Boss Sells Restaurant to Help Employee with Brain Tumor Posted: 07 Jan 2014 08:00 PM PST
Brittany Mathis, 19, is a waitress at the Kaiserhof Restaurant and Wunderbar, a German restaurant in Montgomery, Texas. She found a rash on her leg that wouldn’t go away. Doctors performed tests and brought back terrible news: Ms. Mathis has a brain tumor. She can’t afford treatment. So her boss, Michael De Beyer, is selling his 6,000-square foot restaurant in order to pay for her medical bills:
He suspects that the restaurant is worth $2 million. That could go a long way to helping Ms. Mathis. -via Foodbeast |
| Trailer For A New Horror Video Game That Changes Every Time You Play Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:00 PM PST If you’ve been waiting for a video game that will truly make you jump out of your seat in fear, a game that captures the dark atmosphere, chills and deadly mortality of a true Horror genre movie, then check out this trailer for the upcoming game from Zombie Studios called Daylight. Daylight looks like it captures the aesthetic qualities of Horror perfectly, and the scary bit at the end shows it will definitely be full of thrills. One of their selling point for Daylight is that it changes every time you play it, which could make for some very compelling Horror gameplay and a high replay value, two things that are sorely lacking in most Horror themed video games. I guess we'll see how it holds up when it debuts on Steam sometime in 2014. Via Kotaku |
| Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:00 PM PST Just what you've been waiting for -a Doge Generator! The proper fonts, colors, and fields are all there for you, so you can doge them in a hurry. Much nice. |
| Imaginations Soar In Animated Short Called The Flight Posted: 07 Jan 2014 05:00 PM PST Everyone has dreamed of visiting a flying city or castle in the sky, right? Okay, maybe not if you’re an acrophobe or you’re allergic to clouds, but even people who fit in those groups can agree floating structures in the sky, all shiny and full of fantastic potential, seem like a pretty cool place to let your imagination soar. That’s exactly how Inbal Breda’s animated short The Flight makes you feel- like you’re watching imagination take flight, into a mythical city in the sky full of mysteries and unknown history. The fact that the characters don’t talk does seem a bit odd at times, but overall this student film, which Inbal created as her graduation film for Bezalel Academy, is one mighty big feat of imaginative storytelling and well worth five minutes of your time. Via io9 |
| Top Ten Photoshop Disasters of 2013 Posted: 07 Jan 2014 04:00 PM PST Photoshop Disasters had so many horrible catalog entries, ads, and images posted this year that it took them some time to sort out the best. But it was worth the wait! See magazine covers with demons and plastic dolls on them! See Korea show off its military might! See our president and his rubber arm! And this poor guy -not only did they make him squat down, but they made him face forward in his top half, and sideways in his bottom half. That can not be comfortable. See the rest at PSD. |
| 1775: America Builds Its First Submarine Posted: 07 Jan 2014 03:00 PM PST
Even before there was a United States, the American people were innovators in military technology. David Bushnell, a Connecticut supporter of the rebellion against British rule, designed and built the roughly spherical ship Turtle in 1775. It was the first submarine in naval history to see combat.
Bushnell’s ship was a technological wonder of its time. It was the first submarine to use water as ballast. The pilot could control water flow into the bilges with a foot pedal and then make finer adjustments to the depth level with a vertical screw. A forward-mounted screw pulled the submarine through the water. The pilot had enough air to keep breathing for half an hour. But he also had a snorkel that gave him access to fresh air when surfaced. It closed automatically when the vessel submerged. The Turtle was equipped with a time bomb which could be detonated underwater—again, an invention that Bushnell devised. His plan was that the pilot of the submarine would drive a screw into the wooden hull of an enemy ship. The bomb would be attached to the screw. The pilot could then escape before the bomb detonated.
After Bushnell completed the Turtle in the fall of 1775, he planned to use it to break the British blockade of Boston. But the British abandoned Boston in March of 1776, so Bushnell decided to put his invention to work against Royal Navy vessels in New York harbor. General George Washington took a keen interest in the project and assigned Sgt. Ezra Lee to pilot the Turtle. On the night of Sept. 6, 1776, an American ship towed the Turtle out into the harbor. Lee submerged the Turtle and proceeded to HMS Eagle, the British flagship. Lee tried to attach the bomb, but it would not connect to the hull of the Eagle. Eventually, he cut it loose. The bomb floated away and detonated in a huge but harmless explosion. Bushnell tried two other times to use the Turtle, but these were also unsuccessful. On October 6, the British sank the American ship carrying the Turtle and the submarine never saw action again. The project was a failure, but it inspired the imaginations of military leaders. Reflecting on the project in 1785, Washington wrote in a letter to Thomas Jefferson that “I then thought, and still think, that it was an effort of genius.” Bonus item: the first submarine to sink another vessel in combat was the Hunley, a submarine of the Confederate Navy. |
| Posted: 07 Jan 2014 02:00 PM PST Sometime the sun can be a bit of a psycho, especially over America. Did you see the sun at all today? I did, but it didn't do anything to help. Kids were out of school for 16 days over vacation plus one, two … THREE extra days due to icy roads that will not melt! The more bored they get, the harder it is for me to work. This comic is from Nineteenletterslong. -via Daily of the Day |
| Posted: 07 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Shark Fin Ice Tray (sold individually) Make your next soiree a swimming good time with the Shark Fin Ice Tray from the NeatoShop. This frightfully fun Ice tray makes ice cubes that look like shark fins. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Kitchen Stuff. |
| Snoop Lion's New Pokemon Themed Music Video Posted: 07 Jan 2014 01:00 PM PST Snoop Lion may have lost the dogg in him, preferring to go through the rest of his years as king of the felines, but he certainly hasn’t lost his love of video games. The new video for his song “Get Away ft. Angela Hunte” casts the rap superstar in a Pokemon style 16-bit video game, with producer Major Lazer along for the ride, and even if you don’t like the music hit mute and check out the pixel perfect video. It’s a lot of fun to watch, and it will definitely make you want to dust off your NES and dive back into some old school gaming. Via Destructoid |
| Posted: 07 Jan 2014 12:00 PM PST Neatoramanauts are familiar with Brian Kidd, also known as the Unipiper. Chris Higgins wrote up a biography of Kidd for The Magazine in which we learn how he came to combine the esoteric skills of unicycling, playing bagpipes, and cosplaying and turn it into a career.
Somehow I always suspected that alcohol may have been involved. Read the rest of the story at Boing Boing. (Image credit: Chris Higgins) |
| Posted: 07 Jan 2014 11:00 AM PST Nick Chipman, the mad food scientist at DudeFoods, found a way to make eating a fast food meal more efficient. Why eat a burger and fries as separate food items? You can combine them. They key ingredient is an edible adhesive called Dab-N-Hold. I don't have any, so I'll just use wood glue as a substitute. Nick baked frozen French fries, applied the adhesive, then cut out a circle by tracing along the outside of a glass. He reports that it tastes like a regular hamburger with "a slight hint of lemons." |
| What To Do When It's Really Cold Outside Posted: 07 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST Henry Reich shows you six fun things you can do when it's really cold outside. They all look like fun, except for the swimming. Yes, he goes swimming. In Wisconsin. In sub-zero temperatures. -via Viral Viral Videos |
| A Magnificent Look At Dogs Riding in Cars Posted: 07 Jan 2014 09:30 AM PST Everyone knows that dogs love riding in cars, but it's rare to see the full extent of elation of their faces as clearly as you can see it in this new fantastic photo series by Lara Jo Regan. You might recognize that name because the great photographer is also the owner of the famous Mr. Winkle, who we mentioned in a fewotherarticles before. Whether shooting her own little angel or the furry friends of others, Regan does a wonderful job capturing the happy spirit of dogs and their individual personalities and this new photo set is simply fantastic. Via Laughing Squid |
| Posted: 07 Jan 2014 09:00 AM PST
Where I live, we had rain and then snow with rapidly-falling temperatures (below zero now), but if I heard a big boom, I would just assume it's the nearby railroad. Read more about frostquakes at BBC News. -via Carl Zimmer |
| A New Papercraft Site Called Urban Paper Collective Posted: 07 Jan 2014 08:30 AM PST Urban art, graffiti and otherwise, led the way for urban vinyl to make a splash, mostly because the toys were based on artwork by graffiti and lowbrow artists. Now we’ve reached the urban paper stage, since nobody can afford to collect vinyl toys anymore because they’re too darn expensive! A new papercraft site recently launched called Urban Paper Collective, where you can download some fresh sheets to fold, shaped like a blocky badger and a cute little clown aaaand that’s about it for now. They’re mighty passionate about paper toys, though, so expect many more fun things to cut out and fold up in the future. Via Super Punch |
| Posted: 07 Jan 2014 08:00 AM PST When Yamato the Golden Retriever heard a siren, he had to sing along. Although he has a great voice and an interesting tune, singing to sirens in itself isn't all that impressive; after all, when a vehicle blaring a siren goes by in my town, every dog in the neighborhood joins in. But when I heard Yamato sing, I rcognized that I'd heard that song before! He's doing a fair imitation of the singing horse on the far right in this internet classic. |
| How Map Projections Distort Landmasses Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:30 AM PST This cool illustration from a 1921 issue of Scientific American uses a human head to demonstrate how map projections distort the sizes and shapes of landmasses. The upper left drawing shows a globe, which is why the head looks normal. This is one of several neat cartographic demonstrations rounded up by Joe Hanson, a biologist and TV star. You can find the rest here. |
| Cute Animated Short Film- DAMNED Posted: 07 Jan 2014 07:00 AM PST Despite the name some extremely conservative folks will find a bit crude, Damned is a damn fine, gosh darn adorable animated short by Richard Phelan about a beaver who wishes for a way to keep the mega-dam he has built from being damaged, the product of his dreams of building the next Hoover Dam. The hand drawn quality of the short is mighty appealing, and the storyline is simple animal character animation at its finest, with themes of sacrifice for the good of others, dreaming big and watching those dreams come tumbling down. It’s a delightful way to spend ten minutes, and despite a length that seems long the story moves along nicely and keeps you tuned in to the bitter end. Via Geek Tyrant |
| 50 Nicolas Cage Facts for the 50th Birthday of This National Treasure Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:30 AM PST Actor Nicolas Cage was born on January 7, 1964, which means he turns 50 years old today. Cage, who took his last name from the comic book superhero Luke Cage, has been in more than 70 movies so far. No, you can't name them all. But there's a lot to learn about him. I had forgotten that he was married to Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis' daughter, in 2002. That didn't last long, which is why I forgot. You'll learn a lot more about Nic Cage in this list of trivia from Time. Even after all this time, my favorite Nicolas Cage movie is still Raising Arizona. What's yours? |
| The Happiest Furniture We've Ever Seen Posted: 07 Jan 2014 06:00 AM PST People claim their furniture has personality, but without a face, how much personality can it really have? Fortunately, there is an alternative as Roberto Giacomucci's Neotoi Family series actually features adorable and expressive faces. There are happy, surprised and even neutral faces on the furniture and some of them are even a bit animalistic like the Crocodilia one up at the top. The designer even points out that he wants his furniture to create a happy mood. The whole line is a great compliment to the awesome rocking bench we talked about on Homes and Hues last week. |
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People in Canada have reported large booming sounds that didn't lead to any explosives. What they are hearing are "frostquakes," which is kind of like an earthquake, but produced by the cold weather.
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