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2014/02/16

Neatorama

Neatorama

Neatolinks: LEGO Movies and Tattoos

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 04:00 AM PST

Megan Canning's Embroidered Anatomy

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 02:00 AM PST

Megan Canning is a mixed media artist in New York City. She came to embroidery late after studying painting, ceramics and art education professionally. It was the physical experience of working with fabric that drew her in:

I love the materials, the colors and the texture of thread, of fabric and of paint. I love that when I am doing the embroidery, I am touching the work as I make it, it feels almost like I am in it. It surprises me, the patience I have with the embroidery because I am not what you would consider a very patient person. I don’t know what it is about doing hand-embroidery, but it is so mesmerizing and satisfying, that the slowness of it is not a source of frustration, but instead, a source of pleasure.

Canning developed an interest in the human body, particularly the physical experience of memory and emotion. She explains:

My interest in the body grew out of an interest in memory and how we are profoundly influenced by our interactions with others, carrying those experiences with us, like smells, sounds, touches, etc. It wasn't until years later when a friend recommended a book to me that would actually confirm the idea of "body memory," called "Faith, Madness, and Spontaneous Human Combustion" by Gerald Callahan. He says:

"Most of us don't associate immune systems with hopes and fears, or emotions and recollections. But immune systems do remember things, intricate things that the rest of the body has forgotten. And the memories stored inside our immune systems can come back at unexpected moments, with sometimes startling consequences."

The result of Canning's explorations are embroidered works that explore the intersection of anatomy and emotion. You can view them all here.

-via It's Okay to Be Smart

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Cat

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 12:00 AM PST

(YouTube link)

On second thought, it might not have been such a great an idea to equip the cat with adamantium claws. He’s obviously having a little trouble getting used to them. Still, I’d go see this movie!  -via Tastefully Offensive

The Surfing Pig

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 11:00 PM PST

(Photo: Kai Holt)

This little piggy is ready to hit the waves! Kama, a pig in Oahu, Hawaii, can maintain his balance on a surfboard. He seems to really enjoy it, too. You can watch a video of him in action here.

A few months ago, Kai Holt and his family were camping at Bellows Beach. A stray piglet wandered into his cabana. Holt decided to adopt him. He named the pig Kamapua'a, but calls him just "Kama." About a month ago, Kama fell into a pool and proved to be an excellent swimmer. 

The next obvious step was surfing. He's so good that he's landed sponsorships, snagging free boards from Costco, a GoPro camera from the Bike Factory and clothes from a local surf shop.

African Ghost Town Reclaimed By The Desert

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 10:00 PM PST

(Images via Romain Veillon)

Ghost towns are the product of a booming then bottomed out economy that causes people to abandon the town, and when the people are all gone the town has nowhere to go, it merely bides the time until it all comes tumbling down in decay, or until the earth has finished reclaiming the space for its own.

The German settlement Kolmanskop resides in Namibia, serving as a testament to the European exploitation of resources in Africa and the fleeting nature of communities based around diamond and gold mining.

Abandoned in 1954, this series of pics by photographer Romain Veillon appropriately entitled Les Sables Du Temps (the Sands of Time) shows the town sixty years later, as it's slowly devoured by the desert sand.

-Via Dangerous Minds

Previously on Neatorama- A Ghost Town Buried in the Sand

How to Get Coffee To Flow Through Every Tap in Your Home

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:00 PM PST


(Video Link)

We've previously seen a house that was plumbed with beer. The advantage to this household feature is that you've got beer flowing through every tap. But you may not want to drink or bathe in beer all day. For example, if you're getting ready for work or school in the morning, beer may not be the ideal beverage choice.

Coffee works better. So Teddy Wilson and Norm Sousa of the comedy/reality TV show Never Do This at Home turned a home water heater into a 40-gallon coffeemaker. They used instant coffee, which is not ideal, but it's a step in the right direction. Now it's possible to take a bath in a tub full of coffee, which is something that I've always wanted to do.

-via Geekosystem

Breakdancing

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 08:00 PM PST

Icy pavement makes everyone a breakdancer! Pretty soon, he’s going to break something! Or maybe he’s just the real-life incarnation of the game QWOP. If his hat falls off, people are liable to come by and drop coins into it. -via I Have Seen The Whole Of The Internet

Funny Librarian Valentines

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 07:00 PM PST

Valentine's Day has come and gone, but that doesn't mean that you can't pick up the librarian of your dreams. The Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University created three valentines to promote an event called "Dirty Books and Longing Looks," a program that appears to be an exhibit of erotic and romantic literature. You can view all of the Valentines here.

-via Turning the Book Wheel

How Wolves Change Rivers

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 06:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

Our natural ecosystem is a delicate balance. When you take one part of it away, the results can be unforeseen and even catastrophic. But Sustainable Man tells us a story of one case of man correcting that imbalance. In 1995, wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park after being absent for 70 years. In the 19 years since, the park has undergone a number of astonishing changes that can be traced to the wolves. By the time the video was ending, I fully expected to hear “The Circle of Life.” The moral of the story, as you can guess, is "Don't mess with Mother Nature." -via reddit

Toasted Fluffernutters with Cabernet Chocolate Fondue

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST

A fluffernutter is a traditional food of the natives of Massachusetts. It consists of a sandwich made on white bread with marshmallow fluff and peanut butter. Tieghan of Half Baked Harvest made a luxurious version with chocolate for, she says, "I think that chocolate is mandatory today."

She made her fluff from scratch with cream of tartar, egg whites and sugar. Her chocolate fondue recipe is unusual. It contains espresso powder and a Cabernet wine. 

-via Tasteologie

Snowboarding in New York City

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

Filmmaker Casey Neistat (previously at Neatorama) took advantage of the latest snowfall to do what New York City residents don’t do: snowboard on city streets. It looks like fun! And even though I’ve done it a few times myself, I do not endorse the dangerous sport of being towed along icy roads by a vehicle. It is not safe. -via Laughing Squid

New Blog Pairs High Fashion Photos With Their Visual Influence

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST

High fashion clothing designers create pieces of wearable art that are meant to garner the wearer attention from the public and bring a sense of wonder to an otherwise khaki colored world, and many designers draw influence for their fashion works from many diverse and surprising sources.

A new blog called WHEREISEEFASHION puts high fashion wardrobe shots next to works of art and photographs of natural elements, in a side-by-side comparison that attempts to show a possible influence for each garment.

Seeing the artistic, natural and elemental influences behind these fashion artworks clearly shows the design aesthetics and textural decisions that go into each piece, and may give you a better appreciation for fashion design.

-Via WeTheUrban

What <i>The Simpsons</i> Sound Like In Other Countries

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

Jeff Rubin of Buzzfeed put together clips of The Simpsons with the voices dubbed into several languages: Spanish, Italian, German, Italian, and Japanese. These are far from the only languages the show is dubbed into. In fact, the video has both Spanish and Mexican Spanish (the version used in Latin America and most of South America). Rubin tells us there are also different French versions for Quebec and France, and other tidbits he learned while making this video. At the end, we’ll hear how “D’oh!” sounds in other languages.

Clever Vacuum Cleaner Ad

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST

Mayer McCann Erickson, an ad agency in Slovakia, had a contract to promote a brand of vacuum cleaners. But the agency didn't have enough money to do a lot.

So it recorded cars driving into a well-known highway tunnel in Slovakia. Then it digitally edited the video to show cars getting sucked into the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner. The agency began circulating the video on the internet. Success!

-via Ka-Ching!

The Perfect Valentines Day

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST

This may start out by seeming a little sad, but it quickly becomes altogether adorable. Redditor lazypoko was awakened by his cat on Valentines Day and got a picture, and then went with it and “just took it a little (lot) too far.” He provided her with the perfect day, which included fine meals, dancing, her favorite movie, and a punch line at the end. You can see the whole thing in a gallery of 19 images and gifs. The best part is, he impressed a lot of human women with the stunt.

Sesame Street Meets Street Fighter

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST

The puppets that occupy Sesame Street all seem to get along pretty well on the show, but even furry monsters that eat cookies and sing songs all day need to blow off some steam every once in a while.

For that there's Sesame Street Fighter, a new, and of course semi-educational, game played with typing control mechanics similar to games like Typer Shark and The Typing of the Dead. As you type out words your Street Fighter inspired character throws balls of fuzzy fire or lays a cookie fueled smackdown on the opposition, all to a sweet chiptune version of the Sesame Street theme song.

So get yourself a cookie, give your knuckles a good cracking and prepare for the typing fight of your puppet life, which you can play at Flavourmachine.

-Via Gamma Squad

American Speedskating Suits May Be the Problem

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST

U.S. Olympic speed skaters have wearing new speed suits from Under Armour called the Mach 39. The high-tech suits have a raft of features designed to reduce friction and drag. Expectations for the suits were high going into the Games, but so far, no U.S. skater has finished better than seventh. Some think the suit may be to blame.  

Vents on back of the suit, designed to allow heat to escape, are also allowing air to enter and create drag that keeps skaters from staying in the low position they need to achieve maximum speed, these people said. One skater said team members felt they were fighting the suit to maintain correct form.

Under Armour seamstresses in Sochi have been busy making adjustments to the suits, including covering the back vents with rubber. How could the suits have surprised athletes at the Olympics? Because the company wanted to keep the technology under wraps. They weren’t even worn at the U.S. Olympic trials.   

The suits were delivered to the team in January, when preliminary adjustments for fit and comfort were made for each athlete, Mr. Haley said. The company also sent a team of specialists to Sochi to make adjustments as needed. The U.S. team wore the suits in the past month for simulated race conditions, but the Games marked the first time in competition.

Dutch speed skaters also have new speedsuits, which have been tested in competition. While some compare the technology, others say the Dutch are just faster skaters than the Americans. While U.S. athletes do not want to criticize their sponsor -indeed, they are not allowed to- the U.S. Speedskating organization and Under Armour have come up with a plan.

“For the remainder of the Winter Olympic Games, Team USA speed skaters will be wearing the previously-approved Under Armour skin suits used during recent World Cup competition," U.S. speed skating president Mike Plant said. "Under Armour provided U.S. speed skating with three different suit configurations in advance of Sochi, and we have full confidence in the performance benefits of each of them."

Today’s speedskating in Sochi begins with the men’s 1500 meter event, in which U.S. gold medalist Shani Davis will compete.  

(Image credit: Reuters)

Textural Sculptures Made From Strands Of Clay

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST

The colorful works of Joseph Barbaccia have a delightfully textile quality about, looking like they’re made out of yarn with a texture similar to macramé,  but surprisingly these totally tubular sculptures are made out of polymer clay.

Joseph captures the likenesses of Charles Bukowski, a Poe inspired raven and everyone’s favorite neighbor Totoro with thin strands of colored clay, which he meticulously rolls out by hand then lays out in various colors to form sculptural 2D images infused with a sense of motion and writhing, squiggling life.

We previously featured a crayon self portrait created by Joseph here on Neatorama, and although he has shifted his style up quite a bit since then his new works are every bit as colorful as his crayon point portrait.

-Via My Modern Met

Sand Art Evolution

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

(YouTube link)

French artist Jin Lee deftly manipulates sand to tell the story of the evolution of life from the early days of the earth through the extinction of the dinosaurs. You will be impressed as one swipe of the hand evokes a recognizable shape instantly. But wait until the asteroid comes to change everything -you just might forget you’re watching a man move sand around and feel like you’re right there in the scene! -via Daily Picks and Flicks

Monkey Knit Baby Hat

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST

Monkey Knit Baby Hat

Are you looking for the perfect hat for your sweet little monkey? You will go bananas for the Monkey Knit Baby Hat from the NeatoShop. This fun little hat is shaped like a sock monkey's head. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Baby & Tot items. 

Link

Photo Series Reveals The Last Meals Of Death Row Inmates

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST

To an inmate waiting for the inevitable conclusion to their sentence, namely death by one of the five legal methods of execution, their last meal is guaranteed to be the best thing to happen to them since they were sent to death row.

Photographer Henry Hargreaves finds the whole practice of public execution to be "a remnant of an earlier era", which compelled him to recreate the last meals ordered by notorious death row inmates like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and Timothy McVeigh, photographing the recreated meal next to a card that details info about each prisoner.

Each meal says something about the man who placed the order, and whether they used it to make a profound statement or simply wanted one last chance to chow down the meal will go down in history as part of their dark and mordid story.

-Via Beautiful/Decay

This Week at Neatorama

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST

Agh! I am so tired of snow. If it didn't keep melting, we'd have it several feet deep by now. Woke up to more this morning, after mentioning how nice the temperature was yesterday. My kids' school had to move graduation a week already. And I feel especially sorry for people who are without power due to this week's ice storm. The Neatobot's getup here is in honor of Presidents Day, which is Monday. The mail won't run, but most kids will be in school because it's a “non-essential” holiday, you know. I hope you've had a good week, and I hope you have a relaxing weekend in which you have the time to catch up on all the great things we’ve been doing here at Neatorama.  

John Farrier told us 17 Facts You Might Not Know about Gilligan's Island.

Eddie Deezen asked Why was Charles M. Schulz's Comic Strip Called Peanuts?

Spectroscopic Discrimination of Shit from Shinola came from the Annals of Improbable Research.

Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader gave us An Uncommon Brotherhood, the story of the Four Immortal Chaplains.

Lyndon Johnson: The President Who Marked His Territory was from mental_floss magazine.

In the post Proposal: Get Rid of Football Helmet Face Masks, we took a poll in which most of you agreed that the proposal would make the sport safer.

We had one Bathroom Reader list this week, called Did You Ever Notice…

Our Whodunit was called A Test for Rookies.

The Pzzlr this week was World Cup. It was indeed a math problem, but we solved it!

The mystery object in this week’s What is It game turned out to be a a can opener. Our readers had many more imaginative ideas! Sandyra said it a “an antique sundial pizza cutter, because it's always time for pizza!” That’s good for a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! And so is Drew 2’sanswer, “Undeniable proof that Trekkies existed as far back as the dark ages.” Congratulations to both! Get the answers to all the mystery objects of the week at The What Is It? blog.

The post with the most comments this week Anime Recommendations and Open Thread. We should do more of this type of post! In second place wasSolve This Pzzlr: World Cup, from which we get the comment of the week, when PlasmaGryphon came into the discussion and made the seemingly difficult math equation oh-so-clear.  

The most popular post was 17 Facts You Might Not Know about Gilligan's Island, which is not at all surprising. That was followed by Victorian House with Spaceship and The 50 Most Amazing Finds on Google Earth.

The post that got the most hearts was Crow Solves 8-stage Puzzle. In second place was Trivial Revenge, and 100-Year Old Best Friends Talk about Pop Culture tied for third with Sweet Child O' Mine New Orleans Style.

The most-emailed post was Remote Controlled Snow Plow. Following that was a tie between Drum Pants Let You Play A Complete Drum Set on Your Thighs and The Winter Olympics on Hoth.

Have you been keeping up with the new blog Homes and Hues? I particularly liked the post on the Cosmo Bed. I'm not the only one, as it was the biggest Homes and Hues post of the week!

You need to check in on the Neatoramanauts Facebook page every day for extra fun, like the question of the day. A recent one asked what your dream job is. You can’t beat the answer “retired lottery winner,” but the rest were mighty interesting.  

Valentines Day 2014 may be over, but we've got a lot of holidays to look forward to: Presidents Day, Mardi Gras, St. Patricks Day, Easter, and Mothers Day. You can get a head start on those last three by checking out gifts, decorations, and t-shirts at the NeatoShop! A purchase from the NeatoShop not only helps to support Neatorama, but will also be the most unique gift given for the occasion. Oh yeah, don't forget graduation coming up, too!

Have a great week, y'all!
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