Neatorama

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• 20,000 Bees Swarm a College Student's Car
• Before They Were on <i>Game of Thrones</i>
• A Pictorial Tribute To The Majestic Llama
• Great Music Video Made With... Yarn?
• Signs from the Near Future
• The Vacant Pontiac Silverdome
• The Doritos Origin Story: Repurposed Garbage from Disneyland
• Human Transformer
• Functional <i>My Little Pony</i> Boomerang
• Tree Thrower - I Got Your Banksy Right Here!
• Geeky Wedding Rings Inspired by BioShock, <i>Star Trek</i>, and More
• This Is What Slayer Sounds Like On A Ukulele
• Statues We Love to Hate
• The Glorious Leader Kim Jong-Un Finally Has His Own Video Game
• The Very First Color Photographs of the United States
• Animated GIFiti
• The Onion's Tips For Finding An Apartment
• Top Baby Names for 2013 in Each State
• A Beautiful Antique Astronomical Multitool
• Impromptu Jam
• Hello Jerry - Hello Newman - Life Is Like A Half Hour Sitcom
• Elephant-Shaped Ice Cream Cones
• Straw Sipping Struggles

20,000 Bees Swarm a College Student's Car Posted: 18 May 2014 04:00 AM PDT (Video Link) George Neal, 21, of Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK, owns a Nissan Micra. But for a while on Friday, a huge swarm of bees was in undisputed possession of it. A young queen searching for a good place to spawn a colony settled into the one of his wheel wells. About 20,000 of her friends joined her, covering much of the car. Rory Edwards, Neal's friend and the man who shot this video, cracked: Although none of us are allergic, we thought George probably would not want his car covered in a swarm of bees. He did literally have a bee in his bonnet though. Later, a professional beekeeper removed the queen and the colony with her. -via Nerdcore

Before They Were on <i>Game of Thrones</i> Posted: 18 May 2014 02:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) The TV series Game of Thrones has a huge ensemble cast that changes as the core characters die off and new characters are introduced. The producers wanted to avoid casting any big name stars in order to keep the characters believable (Sean Bean was pretty well-known, but he was already famous for dying in his roles). But the cast is made up of experienced actors who you’ve seen before -you just don’t recognize them. This video will remind you of where you’ve seen them. No, they don’t look the same. -via Uproxx

A Pictorial Tribute To The Majestic Llama Posted: 18 May 2014 12:00 AM PDT Aah, llamas, those majestic cousins of the alpaca and long necked wonders of the plains, they spit in our eyes when we’re angry and give us a goofy face to laugh at when we’re happy. They’re one of domesticity’s strangest looking critters, and yet they’ve made themselves right at home in the world of their hairless ape overlords. Llamas can’t help but look all majestic and regal when they’re posing for a picture, and their magnificent walleyed stare and snaggletoothed grin reminds one of royalty, in particular a fellow by the name of Prince Charles. Celebrate the fantastically wooly world of the llamas in Llamas Are Majestic by Pleated Jeans.

Great Music Video Made With... Yarn? Posted: 17 May 2014 11:00 PM PDT (Vimeo link) Writer and director Ainslie Henderson has won awards and accolades for past work on his short films I Am Tom Moody and It's About Spending Time Together. This music video he created for UK band James is a current Vimeo Staff Pick. Using stop-motion technique on simple strands of yellow yarn, he tells a surprisingly layered and effective story. Via Colossal.

Signs from the Near Future Posted: 17 May 2014 10:00 PM PDT They're a bit exciting and a bit terrifying. But that's what you should expect from the future, right? There will be surveillence drones everywhere, but also holographic girlfriends. Fernando Barbella, an advertising and creative director from Argentina, developed a series of images that he calls Signs from the Near Future. He explains that: Futurist predictions in technology can be exciting or downright scary. Here are some exercises on what we can expect to see in the near future on a daily basis. Machines and science that either enhance or replace activities and products near and dear to us. New materials, mashups between living organisms and nanotechnologies, improved capabilities for formerly “dumb” and inanimate things… We better get used to them! -via Super Punch

The Vacant Pontiac Silverdome Posted: 17 May 2014 09:00 PM PDT (YouTube link) The Pontiac Silverdome was once the home of the Detroit Lions football team and the Detroit Pistons basketball team. It also hosted other major events, like Wrestlemania. The Lions left in 2002, and the building has been completely abandoned since 2012. The roof has fallen, and the rain comes inside. The fixtures and equipment are going up for auction, so it will soon look much emptier than it does today. Detroiturbex.com gives us a tour of the creepy, empty stadium. -via Viral Viral Videos

The Doritos Origin Story: Repurposed Garbage from Disneyland Posted: 17 May 2014 08:00 PM PDT (Photo: James) Superman was the last survivor of his species. Batman was an orphan who witnessed the murder of his own parents. Wolverine was the bastard son of a violent drunk. The best of superheroes start at the bottom of human suffering and crawl their way out to greatness. The Dorito chip is no different. It began as garbage at a Frito-Lay restaurant in Disneyland. Archibald Clark West, a son of impoverished immigrants to the United States, found a great opportunity. Emily Upton writes for Today I Found Out: The idea for Doritos was conceived in Disneyland, of all places. It wasn’t West who actually first made them, either. The original Doritos were made in Casa de Fritos, a restaurant owned by the Fritos founder, Elmer Doolin. The restaurant was located in Frontierland and served standard Tex-Mex, with every meal boasting a complimentary bag of Fritos. The restaurant was a hit, but it didn’t make its own tortillas, a job which was contracted out to Alex Foods. It was a salesman from Alex Foods who saw discarded tortillas at Casa de Fritos and told the cook he should fry them up and make tortilla chips out of them, rather than just throw them out. Because tortilla chips weren’t yet made by Fritos, and Fritos themselves were given out with the meals, Casa de Fritos hadn’t thought to offer them like other Mexican restaurants did. The cook did as he advised and used his own special blend of seasoning and the chips were a hit. The restaurant put them on the menu as a regular item but didn’t inform the Frito Company of the change. About a year later, in 1961, West walked by the restaurant on a family vacation and noticed the chips. He was then the vice president of marketing for the company and felt like he had stumbled upon a goldmine. When he returned to work, he pitched the idea of selling packaged tortilla chips—a happy medium between Lay’s thin potato chips and Fritos’ thick, curly corn chips. His bosses weren’t initially convinced. Yet West persisted and brought Doritos to the world. When he passed away in 2011 at the age of 97, his family sprinkled Doritos on his grave. -via Death & Taxes via Super Punch

Human Transformer Posted: 17 May 2014 07:00 PM PDT (YouTube link) A street performer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, entertains some children with his Transformer routine. This cool costume folds into a little car that drives around! The movements and transformations are enhanced by the proper sound effects. Mohammad Tiba recorded the action, pitched some money in the bucket, and plans to split any revenue from the video with the performer. -via Viral Viral Videos

Functional <i>My Little Pony</i> Boomerang Posted: 17 May 2014 06:00 PM PDT DeviantART member sgtgarand makes boomerangs. They're both visually attractive and practically functional. This one has a novel shape. It looks like Princess Cadance, a character on the cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. (Video Link) In this video, sgtgarand takes it out for a spin. The wind isn't ideal, but Cadance flies and returns successfully. (Video Link) He also explains why Cadance is scowling in the boomerang. Her appearance is a reference to this scene in the episode "The Crystal Empire"--Part 2. Cadance is weakened and unable to fly. So her husband, Shining Armor, throws her into flight to defeat the villain Sombra. You can see the scene nicely illustrated in this automaton by renegadecow. -via Equestria Daily

Tree Thrower - I Got Your Banksy Right Here! Posted: 17 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Tree Thrower by ddjvigo When the riots began that hulking mass of radioactive muscle was on the front lines, just waiting for his chance to bash through their defenses. The mere sight of this tree throwing monster caused many of the riot cops to retreat, but they were quickly replaced by heavily armored troopers itching for a fight. As the taser bolts began to light up the night the jade colored giant knew he'd soon be throwing much more than mere trees... He's the ultimate rioter, and now he's the star of this Tree Thrower t-shirt by ddjvigo, fight the power with even more power! Visit ddjvigo's Facebook page and his NeatoShop for more mighty cool designs: Looking for Dragon Balls If Only I Were Soldier ... Believe in Protectors Kaiju View more designs by ddjvigo | 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 and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

Geeky Wedding Rings Inspired by BioShock, <i>Star Trek</i>, and More Posted: 17 May 2014 05:00 PM PDT Austin Moore, a silversmith and architectural designer in California, has a large range of rings for fans of every franchise. He covers Doctor Who, Star Wars, Tetris, Super Mario Bros., Batman, and more.  This simple Star Trek ring with the Starfleet logo immediately caught my eye. It would look handsome on any hand. It's not just a logo slapped on a ring of metal, but a balanced design. Lighthouses in the Fog (BioShock) Crest of Hyrule (The Legend of Zelda) Interlocking Zelda set I choose you! (Pokémon)

This Is What Slayer Sounds Like On A Ukulele Posted: 17 May 2014 04:00 PM PDT (Video Link) You might think that the ukulele is the least metal instrument on the planet, but true metal burns like a pool of lava in the heart of guitar gods and goddesses who choose to keep their music on the dark side. Rob Scallon is one of these dark masters of the metal sound, and he can pick up nearly any instrument and make it bleed demon tears. Here Rob demonstrates his devotion to the pure metal sounds of Slayer on his trusty ukulele, ripping through the track War Ensemble as he prepares to take a trip to Hawaii and start a Black Metal Don Ho tribute band. -Via Cheezburger

Statues We Love to Hate Posted: 17 May 2014 03:00 PM PDT Not all public sculpture is received with appreciation and gratitude. Some are hated, and some are just plain baffling. Yet some of the most complained-about public statues continue to be displayed for so long that they become part of the community folklore. See the picture above? That’s Christopher Columbus, standing in Seattle, Washington. It's unclear why a favorite "discoverer" of countries has a statue in Seattle of all places, facing a body of water he would perhaps never have dreamed of existing. The statue was soundly rejected by the local Arts Commission of Seattle, but the Seattle City Council overruled the people who could have averted this disaster. Christopher Columbus' alien-robot doppelganger was the first statue by local Douglas Bennett, who said he wanted to depict Columbus as gaunt and worried. Bennett allegedly never received a commission to sculpt again. Read about other statues, like the two men who pee into a fountain shaped like the Czech Republic, the statue that mooned Mayor LaGuardia, and more at Atlas Obscura. (Image credit: Flickr user City of Seattle)

The Glorious Leader Kim Jong-Un Finally Has His Own Video Game Posted: 17 May 2014 02:00 PM PDT (Video Link) If supreme leader Kim Jong-Un allowed the citizens of North Korea to play video games, especially those evil games produced by the U.S., he might appreciate all the hard work and grand imagery contained within them. It’s safe to say, however, that he won’t appreciate his appearance in the new video game by Moneyhorse Games called Glorious Leader!...even though he totally should. I mean, the game co-stars his best buddy Dennis Rodman and features the Glorious Leader riding around on a unicorn with flaming hooves, smashing through all Capitalist swine who dare oppose the magnificent Hermit Kingdom. It’s like an old school arcade run 'n' gun, only much better because it stars the mightiest man in the universe- Kim Jong Un! -Via Topless Robot

The Very First Color Photographs of the United States Posted: 17 May 2014 01:00 PM PDT This photograph of Mulberry Street in New York City was taken around 1900. The color makes it seem so much more real than the pictures we are used to seeing of that era. You can almost pick out your own ancestors! You're looking at some of the very first color photographs of North America! A fascinating new photography book called An American Odyssey opens the archive of the Detroit Photographic Company to reveal America in brilliant color from the late 1880s to the early 1920s. Several thousand black-and-white negatives were reproduced in color by a photolithographic technique invented in Switzerland, called the Photochrom process. The picture is part of the collection of Marc Walter, who published them in An American Odyssey, co-authored with documentarian Sabine Arqué. You can see a selection of the pictures at My Modern Met.

Animated GIFiti Posted: 17 May 2014 12:00 PM PDT Fine artist and designer INSA is back and creating more animated “GIF-iti” art installations across the globe. The street art is hand painted and subsequently photographed in a series of eight or more. The photographs are then ordered into sequence to create the layers that form the animations. INSA's artist statement is essentially a love letter to millenials and their elders who embrace technology: "The beauty of INSA’s GIF-ITI is that it only truly lives when viewed online, where these days most street art ends up being viewed, and it exaggerates the ephemeral nature of graffiti as each layer is painted instantly over the last. Mixing retro internet technology and labour intensive painting, INSA creates slices of infinite un-reality, cutting edge art for the tumblr generation." Via Colossal.

The Onion's Tips For Finding An Apartment Posted: 17 May 2014 11:00 AM PDT (Video Link) Are you in-between houses and looking for a new place to park your couch? Have you been scouring the city trying to get your hands on a set of keys that operate locks you’re willing to pay money to borrow, one month at a time? Do you know what an apartment is? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions then you will find this video on Tips For Finding An Apartment viewable and full of tips. With a little help from America's most trusted and believable news source The Onion you will find yourself in the apartment of your dreams, something comparable to the diorama you built, and carry around with you at all times, to show people where you someday dream of living. Happy homing! (NSFW due to language)

Top Baby Names for 2013 in Each State Posted: 17 May 2014 10:00 AM PDT The Social Security Administration has released the most popular names for new babies in 2013. Nationwide, Sophia was the most popular name given to baby girls (again), and Noah is the most popular name for boys, after 14 years of Jacob at the top of the list. You can see the top thousand names for boys and girls at Nameberry. However, when you break the naming trends down by state in these maps at the Huffington Post, they look quite different. While Noah is tops nationwide for boys, both William and Liam (which is a short form of William) feature prominently. Liam was number one in 18 states. For baby girls born in 2013, Emma was the top name in 27 states, while the #1 ranked Sophia was first in only 11 states. The differences can be attributed to several factors. Noah and Sophia may rank #2 (or at least high) in many states, or there may have been more babies born in states where those names are preferred.   These maps can now be added to Reuben Fischer-Baum’s animated tracking of names by state for both boys and girls. -via mental_floss See also: The Most Groan-Inducing Baby Names of 2013.

A Beautiful Antique Astronomical Multitool Posted: 17 May 2014 09:00 AM PDT The Galileo Museum in Florence, Italy possesses this marvelous work of Sixteenth Century craftsmanship. It is an astronomical compendium, which is a collection of astronomical instruments. This example has three compartments. The first is an astrolabe with a lunar calendar. The second is a compass and sundial. The third consists of a horary quadrant and a shadow square. The precise origins are unknown, but the instrument is marked in German. It was in the possession of the Grand Duke Ferdinand I de' Medici by 1595. -via My Modern Met

Impromptu Jam Posted: 17 May 2014 08:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) A busker outside a Kroger store in Dallas is joined by a passerby -and then another, leading to a nice jam session on the sidewalk. These guys may not know each other, but they know what they’re doing! Don’t you wish you could randomly come across a scene like this in real life every once in a while? The video was originally recorded and posted on Facebook by Jaime Tatos Maldonado.  -via reddit

Hello Jerry - Hello Newman - Life Is Like A Half Hour Sitcom Posted: 17 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT Hello Jerry and Hello Newman by poopsmoothie Their friendship is tenuous at best, and even though they run into each other in the hallway all the time they can barely manage to say much more than "Hello Jerry" and "Hello Newman" to each other.They're the frenemies from down the hall, two seemingly normal cats content to live their lives like they're the stars of a show about nothing. These classic sitcom stars are now starring on their own Hello Jerry and Hellow Newman t-shirts by poopsmoothie, pick one up and hear the audience roar with laughter when you enter a room! Visit poopsmoothie's official website, Facebook, then check out his NeatoShop for more adorably geeky designs: Baxter's Back Find A Penny (classic) American Hunter Dean Cybertron Park View more designs by poopsmoothie | 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 and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

Elephant-Shaped Ice Cream Cones Posted: 17 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT Rocket News 24 tells us about a wonderful ice cream parlor in Yokohama, Japan called Zou-No-Hana Cafe. The entire place has an elephant theme, which is worked into both the decor and food. The signature dish is the zou no hana, which means "elephant nose." With special waffle cones, chips for eyes, and steady hands on the ice cream dispenser, the employees create ice cream cones that look like elephants. (Photos: Tabelog) Some of the elephants have tusks!

Straw Sipping Struggles Posted: 17 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) Surgical anesthesia does funny things to people. Once the operation is over and you know everything went okay for your loved one, you need a laugh. This girl in post-op trying to have a drink provides it. You know she’s thirsty, but her hand-eye coordination has not yet returned. How long will the videographer wait before helping her? Long enough to get a great clip to share with us. -via Tastefully Offensive

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