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2014/02/15

Neatorama

Neatorama

Neatolinks: The Most Nerdy Wedding Proposal Yet

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:00 AM PST

Hama-House's Speed Sketches of Everyday People

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:00 AM PST

I'm at a loss to explain why, but I find Hama-House's speed sketches utterly charming. Scrolling through them is like living in a cartoon.

Hama-House is an artist in Tokyo. As he goes about his daily life, he sketches ordinary people doing ordinary things. He posts on Instagram photos of the sketches next to blurry photographs of their subjects.

-via My Modern Met

Italy’s Technicolor Town

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 12:00 AM PST

Burano, Italy, is a colorful treasure! The island community is not far from Venice, and its main industries are fishing and lace-making. Once upon a time, the fishermen of Burano hit upon the idea of painting their houses bright colors so they could see them when coming home in a fog. Those colors have become a cheery tradition since. See a collection of great pictures of Burano at When on Earth. -via the Presurfer

(Image credit: Flickr user Martino Pizzol)

How to Conjugate #YOLO in Latin

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 11:00 PM PST

(Image: unknown)

My Latin is really rusty, so I had to look this one up. YOLO (the acronym for "you only live once") is a first conjugation regular verb. It's often used as a hashtag on Twitter by people expressing their wild and dangerous lifestyles.

It was also used by the ancient Romans. For example, in his history of Rome, Livy wrote about one of the early heroes of the republic, Horatius Cocles. In the late Sixth Century B.C., the army of Lars Porsena invaded Rome. It attempted to cross a bridge into the city. Cocles stood on that bridge and personally halted the enemy advance. Livy writes:

So he shouted to them to break down the bridge by sword or fire, or by whatever means they could, he would meet the enemies' attack so far as one man could keep them at bay. He advanced to the head of the bridge. Amongst the fugitives, whose backs alone were visible to the enemy, he was conspicuous as he fronted them armed for fight at close quarters. The enemy were astounded at his preternatural courage. Two men were kept by a sense of shame from deserting him - Sp. Lartius and T. Herminius - both of them men of high birth and renowned courage. With them he sustained the first tempestuous shock and wild confused onset, for a brief interval. Then, whilst only a small portion of the bridge remained and those who were cutting it down called upon them to retire, he insisted upon these, too, retreating. Looking round with eyes dark with menace upon the Etruscan chiefs, he challenged them to single combat, and reproached them all with being the slaves of tyrant kings, and whilst unmindful of their own liberty coming to attack that of others. For some time they hesitated, each looking round upon the others to begin. At length shame roused them to action, and raising a shout they hurled their javelins from all sides on their solitary foe. He caught them on his outstretched shield, and with unshaken resolution kept his place on the bridge with firmly planted foot. They were just attempting to dislodge him by a charge when the crash of the broken bridge and the shout which the Romans raised at seeing the work completed stayed the attack by filling them with sudden panic. Then Cocles said, "Tiberinus, holy father, I pray thee to receive into thy propitious stream these arms and this thy warrior. #YOLO!" So, fully armed, he leaped into the Tiber, and though many missiles fell over him he swam across in safety to his friends: an act of daring more famous than credible with posterity.

-via Joe Carter

What In The World Do Those Weird Figure Skating Terms Mean?

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 10:00 PM PST

If you are like most folks, you watch figure skating for a few days every four years at most. We cheer for our nation in the Olympics or else we are waiting for someone to slip and fall. So maybe we could use a refresher in what the commentators are talking about during figure skating competitions. In this list of figure skating terms, you’ll learn how they are defined by the U.S. Figure Skating Association, which is confusing, and then see how it all makes sense by watching each move demonstrated in a gif. Seeing them done will help make sense of a twizzle, swizzle, mohawk, axel, lutz, death spin, and star lift, among others.     

Valentine's Day for the Praying Mantises

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 09:00 PM PST

(Carolyn Hiler/A Zillion Dollars Comics)

A thoughtful gentleman mantis knows that his lady would like dessert. This may be the last Valentine's Day that you two will have together. Show her that you really care.

Snow Day: The Musical

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 08:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

Parents will relate to this, especially this winter. There are probably plenty more snow days ahead before spring finally gets here. The Holderness family of Durham, North Carolina, made a music video about their life on snow days -during a snow day this week. I went through plenty of snow days just like this, but now when the kids want to go play in the snow, I just say, “Okay, bye!” -via Viral Viral Videos

Grown Up Dreams

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 07:00 PM PST

(Chris Hallbeck/Minimumble)

Those are the best dreams ever because at least there's a chance that they will come true. It's only a small chance though--just enough to make you think that this morning it could happen.

Happy Valentines Day

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 06:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

She’s hot! Maybe a little too hot, if you know what I mean. But it doesn’t matter how hot you are, it’s still difficult to find the right person to have a real relationship with. So maybe you shouldn’t say Happy Valentines Day to a single person. It could send them over the edge. This cute animation is from Eoin Duffy.  -via Digg

The Streets in This Dutch Town Are Named for <i>Lord of the Rings</i> Characters

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST

(Map: Google)

Geldrop is a town in the southern part of the Netherlands. One of the neighborhoods in that town is named for characters in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books.

I don't see a Sauron Street. If there was a Sauron Street, I would move there just to have that address.

-via Geekologie

The Employees at This Office Work at One, Continuous, Undulating, 4,400 Square Foot Desk

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST

They call it the "Superdesk." Although it doesn't have super powers, nor does it transform into a giant fighting robot, this desk is nonetheless impressive. Architect Clive Wilkinson designed it for The Barbarian Group, a creative agency in New York City.

In the video embedded below, Barbarian Group executives Benjamin Palmer and Sophie Kelly take a walking tour of the desk that their employees use. It's huge and flows across an entire floor. After craftsmen assembled the supports, they laid a continuous pouring of resin over the surface. So it really is just one desk. Palmer explains, "The idea is that every department and discipline flows into another one." It enhances collaboration by reducing boundaries.


(Video Link)

A Long Lasting Love

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

Ah, love! It sure beats growing old all alone. At least that’s what we keep telling ourselves. Seventy-two years is really something to be proud of -that’s a long time to not fall dead! A Valentines Day comic from Poorly Drawn Lines.

Slacklining Over Lake Green

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

That's Austrian adventurer Michael "Mich" Kemeter slacklining across the gorgeous Green Lake in Austria.

It took Kemeter 35 attempts in 20 days back in September 2013 to achieve the feat - and once he did, he set a new world record (beating his old one) of slacklining a distance of 250 meters.

You can see Kemeter's attempts as well as beautiful shots of Lake Green in the video clip above and read all about it over at Redbull.

Stylin' Hello Kitty Tissues

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST

Stylin' Hello Kitty Tissues (sold individually)

Are you tired of people always telling you that you are blowing your money on Hello Kitty? Show them how purr-fectly practical Hello Kitty can be with the Stylin' Hello Kitty Tissues from the NeatoShop. This designer pack of tissues has a 4-ply design for all your swiping and wiping needs.  

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Hello Kitty items. 

Link

A Valentines Day Love Announcement

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST

This prank classified ad was published today in the special Valentine section of the Launceston Examiner in Tasmania. No Photoshop; the same announcement is at the online version of the paper. Redditor randomppl110 said both Jodie and Alex work at the newspaper, so there’s no chance of her missing it. If it had been someone not in the newspaper business, the chances of this lining up so well would not be good. -via reddit

How to Pick Up a Coin using a Forklift

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST


(YouTube Link)

Can you scoop a coin off the floor with a fork lift? This guy can! And if you think that was impressive, watch what he did next ... Forklifts don't come to mind when most people think about precision machinery, but in the right hands, they sure can be!

If <i>Doctor Who</i> Was an American Show

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST

There have been 13 incarnations of the title character in the BBC series Doctor Who since 1963. Although it may be hard for fans to imagine any other actors playing those parts from the past, they do have to get used to someone new in the role every few years. An even more jarring shift would be to see the Doctor as an American. The Tumblr blogger Smug Mode came up with some interesting casting of American actors in each of the Doctor Who eras. Do you agree with the selections? See them all, in order at Geeks Are Sexy. 

Interspecies Love Compilation

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST

(YouTube link)

Look at these adorable animals showing love for each other! Now, we know that animals of different species don’t really have romance on the mind, but you never cuddle up with an animal that you don’t like. In the case of the cat and the guinea pig, the cat may be thinking, “Aw, I love you, dinner!” -via Tastefully Offensive

Wiry Limbs, Paper Backs

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 09:30 AM PST

Terry Border, who created the awesome Bent Objects project we featured on Neatorama a while back, has a new project called Wiry Limbs, Paper Backs where he brought some of our favorite books to life thanks to a little wire and a lot of ingenuity.

Take a look:

View more over at Terry's website - via 22 Words

Supermarket Wine Date

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST

(YouTube link)

Norwegian prankster Freddy Fairhair (previously at Neatorama) sent a video in which he flirts with female strangers in an American supermarket by sharing wine off the shelf with them. Cute, but it didn’t strike me as hilarious, until a supermarket employee confronted him with the vast cultural differences between Norway and the unfamiliar territory of the U.S. (not to mention the currency exchange rate). That left an impression! Freddy’s partner in crime Luke left a comment:

Also, the strawberries ended up being super organic giant super strawberries from the Himalayas or some chit so those strawberries ended up being $18 Lmaoo.

Yeah, the end is the funny part. -Thanks, Fred!

Personal Threat Level

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 08:30 AM PST

Remember the Homeland Security Advisory System from the Department of Homeland Security? It tried to tell us how scared we should be, as if that would help anything. Now you can make your own, with the Personal Threat Level generator. I threw this one together in a hurry, which means I’ll probably have some much better ideas later. I bet you could even make a personal Valentine with this. -via Boing Boing

10-year-old Tells Whopper About Driving Car

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

A ten-year-old boy in Norway woke up before dawn and decided to take a drive to see his grandmother, 30 kilometers away! He took his toddler sister, who was also awake, with him. A few miles from home, snowplow driver Bjørn Hagen (pictured) spotted the family car in a ditch. The boy flagged down the snowplow to ask for a tow. Hagen was not equipped for that, and, unbeknownst to the boy, called the police instead.

He later told another snowplough operator that he was a dwarf and had wound up in the ditch when making a hasty U-turn to go home for his driving licence.
   
The young boy and his 18-month-old sister, who was sitting on the passenger seat without a seat belt, were unharmed and cheerful when they were found.

The children were returned to their parents, who were unaware of what had happened while they slept. Although not as clear, this machine translation is a more colorful account of the incident, from Dagbladet (the best-named newspaper ever). -via Arbroath

Banana Tree Stump

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 07:30 AM PST

Brock Davis is a master of taking ordinary objects and modifying them slightly to create clear images of other things. We've previously seen him cut up a banana to turn it into a truck driver. Here's his latest banana creation: a tree stump.

The LEGO Movie Bloopers and Outtakes

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST

(YouTube link)

The LEGO Movie opened at #1 at the box office last weekend. I doubt that this video contains any actual spoilers. It’s an awful lot of trouble to make a blooper reel for an animated film, but often worth the effort. Most of these are actual bloopers from the audio recording sessions made into animated sequences, although a few are obviously scripted. -via Viral Viral Videos

Neatolinks: Puppies, Facebook, Science and Freedom of the Press

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 06:30 AM PST

How to Improve Curling

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST

(YouTube link)

One little change in the sport of curling would guarantee high TV ratings and a full house for each match. It’s a simple matter of replacing the stones with cats. It would be an instant hit, especially at the international level. -via Daily Picks and Flicks

The 9 Most Romantic Beds for Valentine's Day

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:30 AM PST

From floating beds to cozy caves, these beds are so romantic that I wish I could head back to bed right now -of course, I always wish I could head back to bed, but these beds make me want to go back to bed for romantic purposes. 

It's a perfect list for the most bed-oriented holiday on the calendar -Valentine's Day.

Enjoy the rest of the list over at Homes and Hues: The 9 Most Romantic Beds You Coul Ever Hope to Sleep in This Valentine's Day

Lyndon Johnson: The President Who Marked His Territory

Posted: 14 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST

(Image credit: National Archives)

Lyndon Baines Johnson wanted to be remembered as the greatest president who ever lived. With that grand ambition in mind (and an ego to match), he launched such sweeping social programs as Medicare, Medicaid, Head Start, public radio, public television, and food stamps. Regardless, Johnson will probably be best remembered for his blinding arrogance, and what many would point to as the result of it—the Vietnam War.

But here, we're choosing to remember Johnson not by the many political wheels he set into motion, but by the stuff he kept by his side—and close to his heart.

His Toilet

Johnson lived to dominate, and he used crass behavior to bend people to his will. At 6-ft., 3-in. tall and 210 lbs., he liked to lean over people, spitting, swearing, belching, or laughing in their faces. Once, he even relieved himself on a Secret Serviceman who was shielding him from public view. When the man looked horrified, Johnson simply said, "That's all right, son. It's my prerogative." His favorite power ploy, however, seemed to be dragging people into the bathroom with him—forcing them to continue their conversations with the president as he used the toilet.

His Car

(Image credit: Yoichi Okamoto/LBJ Presidential Library)

When President Johnson was visiting his ranch in Texas, he'd invite friends down and take them for a joyride in his car. He'd drive down a steep incline toward the lake, pretend to lose control, and then yell, "The brakes don't work! We're going in! We're going under!" The car would splash into the lake, and as everyone else was screaming, Johnson would be doubled over laughing. Turns out, Johnson was the proud owner of an Amphicar, the only amphibious passenger automobile ever mass-produced for civilians.

His Presidential Buzzer

(Image credit: LBJ Presidential Library)

When people told stories about John F. Kennedy's great female conquests (and they often did), it made Johnson furious. He'd pound his fists on the desk and scream, "Why, I had more women on accident than he ever had on purpose!" And that may very well have been true. Johnson brought a lot of pretty young things back from Texas to work in the White House, even if they couldn't type. He even had a buzzer installed in the Oval Office so that the Secret Service could warn him when his wife was on her way.

His Helicopter Chair

(Image credit: Kevin Smith/LBJ Presidentiual Library)

LBJ loved riding in helicopters. He loved it so much, in fact, that his desk chair in the Oval Office was actually a vinyl helicopter seat—green with a built-in ashtray. In the event of a flood or an emergency water landing, the cushion could have doubled as a flotation device. No joke.

His Wife's Pecan Pie Recipe

(Image credit: Yoichi Okamoto/LBJ Presidential Library)

Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson was her husband's most vital political ally. In the early days of their marriage, he could boss her into picking up his socks or shining his shoes, but by the time they moved into the White House, he couldn't give a speech without consulting her first. During the 1960 election, she traveled 30,000 miles campaigning for the Kennedy/Johnson ticket; and after they won, Bobby Kennedy said they couldn't have gotten Texas without her.

She played an even bigger role in the 1964 election. That July, Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, which barred racial and religious discrimination in public places and the workforce. In doing so, Johnson betrayed many good ol' boys in the South, where he desperately needed votes. Enter Lady Bird. Armed with big hair and big makeup, the Texas native spewed Southern charm from Louisiana to South Carolina. And everywhere she went, she handed out her recipe for pecan pie. The hospitality worked. In 1965, Mrs. Johnson held the Bible as her husband was sworn into office.

His Monogrammed Towels

(Image credit: Yoichi Okamoto/LBJ Presidential Library)

Everyone in the Johnson family had the same initials—Lyndon Baines, Lady Bird, and their daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines. Don't think for a moment that it was a coincidence, either. They named the family dog Little Beagle Johnson.

________________________________

The article above, written by Jenny Drapkin, appeared in the September - October 2007 issue of mental_floss magazine. It is reprinted here with permission.

Don't forget to feed your brain by subscribing to the magazine and visiting mental_floss' extremely entertaining website and blog today for more!

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