Neatorama

---

• Playghost - For Mature Moaners Only
• The Name’s the Same
• Junk Food Landscapes
• Cat is Crazy Over Olives
• Moon Lamp Named in Honor of Neil Armstrong
• Couple Gets Married In The Costco Where They First Met
• Martian Wheel Damage
• In Memoriam: Fictional Characters We Lost in 2014
• Animal Problems
• Famous Paintings Represented as Raw Data
• Celebrities Who Are Virtually Unrecognizable In Their Yearbook Photos
• The Life Of Spike - Dog Days
• TARDIS Owner Responds to Eviction Notice with a Party
• Challenging Gaston
• "A" is for Anatomy
• Watch A Giant Frozen Gummy Bear Get Blasted With A Shotgun
• 2 Bananas in 1 Peel
• Apollo 11 Sweatsuit

Playghost - For Mature Moaners Only Posted: 05 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST Playghost by Wirdou Little Gus the ghost has been caught with a dirty magazine and had to be sent home from spook school, much to his parents dismay. They had raised Gus to be just like every other healthy spectral child, but somewhere along the way they'd forgotten to teach him about the boos and the bees, so Gus got curious and tried to find out on his own. But when he looked inside that naughty magazine and caught a glimpse of what lies underneath a girl ghost's sheet he turned a rosy shade of red! Add some spectral spice to your geeky wardrobe with this Playghost t-shirt by Wirdou, it's funny and totally relatable whether you're living or among the dearly departed! Visit Wirdou's Facebook fan page and official website, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more frightfully fun designs: Daddy's Home LIFE Empire State Bullying Red Panda View more designs by Wirdou | 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!

The Name’s the Same Posted: 05 Jan 2015 05:00 AM PST The following is a list from the book Uncle John's Bathroom Reader History's Lists. The name's the same, but the personalities couldn’t be more different. FRANCIS BACON 1. The first Francis Bacon was a true Renaissance man, and not just because he was born in 1561. An exceptional philosopher, politician, scientist, lawyer, and author, his biggest fans (and he has plenty even though he’s been dead for nearly 400 years) think so highly of him that some of them believe he -not Shakespeare- wrote the plays we think of as the Bard’s. 2. The 20th-century Francis bacon was a modern artist who former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher called “that man who paints those dreadful pictures.” His fans would disagree with Thatcher’s eye for art. Even though they’re known for their “tortured imagery,” Francis #2’s paintings are considered brilliant by art cognoscenti. (These two might actually be related: #2 was named for #1 by his father, who claimed to be descended from #1’s half-brother.) CASSIUS CLAY 1. The first Cassius Marcellus Clay was born in 1810 in Kentucky. His father was a wealthy landowner and slaveholder. Rather than following in his father’s footsteps, Cassius #1 became prominent abolitionist as a Kentucky state representative, an early member of the Republican Party, and unofficial advisor to President Lincoln. 2. The three-time world heavyweight champion, better know by his adopted Muslim name Muhammad Ali (and who styled himself “The Greatest”), was christened Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. in 1942. He and his father, the elder Cassius Marcellus Clay, were both named for the 19th-century abolitionist cited above. Clay, Jr. changed his name when he joined the Nation of Islam in 1964. HARRISON FORD 1. Our two Harrison Fords have more in common than anyone else on this list: both have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and have been described as “handsome Hollywood leading men.” The only difference is that you probably never heard of the one born in 1884, who starred in silent films with the likes of Gloria Swanson and Clara Bow. His first film appearance was in 1915 and his last in 1932, when silent movies were replaced by talkies. 2. The other Harrison Ford -the one that you’ve undoubtably heard of- was born in 1942 and has played strong, silent types, but all his movies have been talkies. He appeared in scads of TV shows and movies from 1966 on before making it big as Han Solo in the first three installments of Star Wars. GRAHAM GREENE 1. Mr. Greene #1, born Henry Graham Greene in 1904 was an English author, playwright, and literary critic. More than a few of his novels have been made into movies, including The Third Man, Our Man in Havana, The End of the Affair, and Gun For Sale, on which the film noir classic This Gun For Hire was based. 2. Our second Graham Greene was born in 1952 on the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada. A familiar face in Hollywood films, Greene was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Dances with Wolves, and appeared in scads of movies (including Thunderheart and The Green Mile) and in TV adaptations of Tony Hillerman’s mystery novels A Thief of Time and Coyote Waits. JESSE JAMES (Right image credit: pinguino k) 1. The notorious outlaw was born in Missouri in 1847. A celebrity when he was alive, we was elevated to legendary status after his death at the hands of the “dirty rotten coward” Robert Ford, who shot him in the back when he was unarmed, in St. Joseph, Missouri, in April 1882. 2. The 20th-century Jesse, born in 1969, is CEO of West Coast Choppers, a manufacturer of custom-made motorcycles, and an American TV personality. The host of TV’s Motorcycle Mania and the former Discovery Channel series Monster Garage, he became notorious in his own way in 2010 when it was revealed that he had had numerous affairs while married to actress Sandra Bullock. HOWARD JOHNSON 1. The Howard Johnson whose name was once plastered all over more than 1,000 restaurants (aka HoJos) was born in 1897. He parlayed a small soda shop in Quincy, Massachusetts, into an empire: in 1935, with a partner, he created the first modern restaurant franchise. 2. Howard Johnson #2 (aka HoJo) was born in 1960 and played third base for four major league teams from 1982 to 1995: the Detroit Tigers, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago Cubs. The Mets got him back in 2007, when he was named the team’s hitting coach. JOSEPH McCARTHY 1. The Joseph McCarthy born in 1885 was an American lyricist of the sentimental persuasion whose most famous songs include “You Made Me Love You,” “Alice Blue Gown,” and “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” (based in part on Chopin’s Fantasie Impromptu). 2. There was nothing sentimental about Joseph McCarthy #2, the Republican senator from Wisconsin born in 1908. He staked his claim to fame on the post-World War II fear of Communist subversion, claiming there were large numbers of Soviet spies inside the federal government, and also under your bed. Ultimately, his tactics -along with his inability to substantiate his accusations- led to his censure by the Senate. JANE SEYMOUR (Right image credit: Ilya Haykinson) 1. Both Janes were born in England, but only one was married to King Henry VIII. The third of Henry’s six wives, Jane #1, born in 1508, married him ten days after her cousin Ann Boleyn was beheaded for alleged adultery, incest, and treason in May 1536. Jane died the following year, soon after giving birth to Prince Edward- the male heir that King Henry coveted. 2. Actress Jane Seymour (Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and TV jewelry pitchwoman) was born Joyce Frankenberg in 1951; she changed her name at age 17. Her lineage isn’t as inbred as the first Jane’s (who was a fifth cousin to her husband). Jane #2’s father’s family was from Poland; her mother’s family was from the Netherlands. Unlike Jane #1, who was married once and only for a year, Jane #2 has been married five times, putting her in a position to challenge King Henry VIII’s mark of six spouses. ___________________ The article above was reprinted with permission from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader History's Lists. Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts. If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out!

Junk Food Landscapes Posted: 05 Jan 2015 04:00 AM PST Fruit Loops Landscape (2012) by Cirej and Lochman Junk food has never looked so ... beautiful! In "Processed Views: Surveying the Industrial Landscape," artists and photographers Barbara Ciurej and Lindsay Lochman collaborated to capture the beauty of junk food - or as the duo called it, "the frontier of industrial food production: the seductive and alarming intersection of nature and technology." "As we move further away from the sources of our food, we head into uncharted territory replete with unintended consequences for the environment and for our health," wrote Ciurej and Lochman on their website. The miniature landscapes in "Processed Views" are inspired by the works of 19th century photographer Carleton Watkins, whose photographs captured the majesty of the American West. Watkins' work of Yosemite, for instance, led to the valley's preservation as a National Park. At the same time, however, many of Watkins' photographs were commissioned by the corporate interests of the railroad, mining, lumber and milling companies. Ciurej and Lochman noted that "[Watkins'] commissions served as both documentation of and advertisement for the American West." Ciurej and Lochman's Fruit Loops Landscape (L) Watkins Albion River (1863) (R) In similar light, Ciurej and Lochman built their junk food landscapes as a commentary on what we can call as today's food-industrial complex. Regardless of what you think highly processed junk food tastes like, we're sure that Ciurej and Lochman's "Processed Views" are highly enjoyable. Take a look: Moonrise on Bologna (2014) Cola Sea from the series Processed Views (2013) Marshmallow Chasm from the series Processed Views (2013) Flamin' Hot Monolith (2013) Monoculture Plains from the series Processed Views (2013) Saturated Fat Foothills from the series Processed Views (2013) Deep Fried Bluffs from the series Processed Views (2013) Blue Dye #1 Precipice (2014) White Bread Mountains from the series Processed Views (2013) Ciurej & Lochman Collaborations via Hi-Fructose

Cat is Crazy Over Olives Posted: 05 Jan 2015 03:00 AM PST (YouTube link) I like olives, too, but this is ridiculous! Just a whiff of a can of olives makes this cat react rather strangely. She comes back for more, but really doesn’t know what to do. But it has the same odd effect again! There’s no telling what would happen if you actually gave her one to eat, or play with, or maybe she’d just sniff it. -via Daily Picks and Flicks

Moon Lamp Named in Honor of Neil Armstrong Posted: 05 Jan 2015 02:00 AM PST Constantin Bolimond, whose clever work we've previously seen in wine bottle design, developed the Armstrong. It's a lamp shaped like Earth's moon and named for the first man to set foot on that moon, Neil Armstrong. The craters are capped with corks. To increase the brightness, launch some of the corks out of the lamp. -via Colossal

Couple Gets Married In The Costco Where They First Met Posted: 05 Jan 2015 01:00 AM PST It’s easy to understand why a newly wedded couple would want to hold their reception inside a Costco- you're surrounded by food and booze in bulk, there are plenty of places to sit, and if you spill something on yourself you can throw on a new pair of Kirkland khakis and a polo shirt and you’ll be good as new! The buffet at Costco would never end, and the reception would most assuredly be one major bacchanal, but would anyone really consider getting married inside a Costco? (Video Link) Robert and Meredith Bonilla from Santa Maria, California sure as heck did, because they wanted to be married right in the same spot where they first met- the frozen foods section at their local Costco. One question remains- did their guests have to get a Costco membership to attend the wedding? -Via TDW

Martian Wheel Damage Posted: 05 Jan 2015 12:00 AM PST The Mars Curiosity rover has been exploring the surface of the red planet for two and half years now, and it shows. The rover’s wheels are displaying severe damage, developing holes and tears due to the rough Martian rocks. NASA officials didn’t seem to be concerned at first, but now they are. Emily Lakdawalla of The Planetary Society wanted to find out exactly what’s happening to the wheels and how it will affect Curiosity’s mission, so she talked to Project Manager Jim Erickson to get the lowdown. Why weren’t the wheels designed for such rough terrain? There were several factors that drove them to design the wheels to be as lightweight as possible. The large size of the wheels means that very slight design changes add a substantial amount of mass. Increasing wheel thickness by one millimeter would add 10 kilograms to the rover's total mass. But total system mass wasn't the only constraint. Erickson explained that a major constraint arose from a tricky moment in the landing sequence, at the moment that the wheels deployed, while the rover was suspended from the bridle underneath the descent stage. The wheels' sudden drop imparted substantial forces on the mobility system, and keeping wheel mass as light as possible reduced those forces to manageable ones. There were other factors that made it important to keep wheel mass low. So the wheels needed to be as light as possible while still being able to do their job, but as to their job: "We misunderstood what Mars was," Erickson said. "Strongly cemented ventifacts are not something that we saw on Mars before." Lakdawalla has a thorough (but easy to understand) writeup on Curiosity’s wheels, including an explanation of what “strongly cemented ventifacts” are, how the wheels and the rover’s suspension system work, and what lessons this incident has for the next rover mission, scheduled for 2020. -via Metafilter (Image credit: NASA/JPL/Emily Lakdawalla)

In Memoriam: Fictional Characters We Lost in 2014 Posted: 04 Jan 2015 10:00 PM PST (Video Link) We have begun a new year. There are fresh opportunities for us to find joy and make a mark on the world. But as we embrace new experiences and continue our journeys, let us remember those who are not accompanying us: fallen friends that we met, loved, and lost while binge-watching on Netflix last year. Hot Topic, a company that understands what it means to be classy and tasteful, brings us this memorial video somberly reminding us of those we left behind. Spoiler alert: the entire video pretty much consists of spoilers for television and movies from 2014. -via Fanboy

Animal Problems Posted: 04 Jan 2015 08:00 PM PST Geoffrey Hewer-Candee created this delightful series of illustrations, which is ongoing at his Tumblr site. What if animals had the complex problems that humans have? That very notion is comic, as the simple, instinct-based beauty of the animal world is one aspect that keeps humans attracted to it. Imagining how human issues would be ascribed to animals is the basis of Hewer-Candee's series, and his imagination in that realm is a fun read. Visit the artist's Tumblr to keep up with his work and see more photos from this series here.

Famous Paintings Represented as Raw Data Posted: 04 Jan 2015 06:00 PM PST It's paint on canvas or board. It's a glimpse into the human soul. It's also data. Artist Yousuke Ozawa reminds us of this in his series Data Visualization. It shows photos of several paintings next to the visual data sets that represent them. Spoon & Tamago explains: “Art is now seen through google images or wallpapers,” Ozawa tells us. “However, we are actually looking at a series of numbers and letters instead of actual paint.” Using a generator, Ozawa retrieves the codes of famous paintings and prints them out. He then aligns them side-by-side with a printed counterpart of the actual visual image.

Celebrities Who Are Virtually Unrecognizable In Their Yearbook Photos Posted: 04 Jan 2015 04:00 PM PST Celebrities rarely start out with famous faces- their faces usually have to ripen into the right shape and become camera ready, so when they’re unfamous teens you can hardly tell them apart from the rest of the unfamous teens. They could become one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, but if their face isn't ready for fame you'd wouldn't want to worship them just yet Look at this goofy guy- where in the world will he wind up when he's full grown and famous? Okay, that one was easy, but figuring out this girl’s future famous face is quite a bit tougher. Give up? Check out 25 Celebrities Who Are Unrecognizable In Their High School Yearbook Photos and uncover the famous face answers for yourself!

The Life Of Spike - Dog Days Posted: 04 Jan 2015 02:00 PM PST The Life Of Spike by Helenasia Spike hadn't chosen the pug life, but he was born under a bad sign and ever since he could remember, which was about ten minutes ago, he had been puggin' on the streets. It wasn't so bad to be a pug- other dogs respected you despite your small size, you didn't have to hunt for as much food and people often found you cute enough to hand you a treat, but the life of Spike wasn't all sidewalk sniffing and snacks. Sometimes you had to chase a ball or fetch some newspapers to make ends meet, and the dog park was always alive with doggie drama... Show the world you support the plight of the pug with this The Life Of Spike t-shirt by Helenasia, and keep your geeky style ruff! Visit Helenasia's Facebook fan page and official website, then head on over to her NeatoShop for more adorably geeky designs: C.A.T.S. N7 And The Catadel XENOCATS I Don't Dance View more designs by Helenasia | More Video Games | 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!

TARDIS Owner Responds to Eviction Notice with a Party Posted: 04 Jan 2015 02:00 PM PST (Photos: Greg Gatorville) Leann Moder owns a TARDIS. It sits in the driveway of her home in Florida. The homeowners' association that rules her neighborhood sent her a notice that she had to remove it, as it violated their code. (Would a TARDIS raise or lower the property values of a neighbhorhood?) Moder disagreed with the notice, since a TARDIS is a vehicle and vehicles belong in driveways. But she wants to keep a good relationship with the HOA, so she threw a Doctor Who-themed party. Moder is being a good sport about it and thinks that the people who run the HOA are pretty nice: Secondly, we in no way, shape or form are upset by this nor did it come as any surprise! It simply just amused me as in “Wow! What a nerd problem to have!” and a “Only us!” kind of way! I, like many of you, never imagined myself in an HOA neighborhood (I’m obviously quirky and don’t really fit that typical mold) but this is where life has led us and honestly, it’s been really great! We have landed in quite a cool neighborhood! We have neighborhood parties, we celebrate Halloween like nobody’s business with multiple haunted houses throughout (including our own Doctor Who themed Haunted House this year). Our HOA even organized food trucks to come in once a week over spring and summer months – we live in an area with little to no dining out options so this was a huge deal and super awesome! When my son wanted to do a lemonade and cupcake stand, my neighbors were out in full force buying enough cupcakes, cookies and lemonade week after week to fund that young man’s dream of getting an Xbox One! We actually had the TARDIS in the back yard for almost a year with no complaints, as well and only moved it to the driveway as part of the haunted house experience and intended on adding it to our Christmas display but life got in the way!

Challenging Gaston Posted: 04 Jan 2015 12:00 PM PST (YouTube link) The guys who play Gaston at Walt Disney World walk a fine line by portraying a Disney villain while bringing happiness to park visitors. This fellow is very good at it. We saw how he got told off by a young girl in a previous video. Here he is challenged to a push-up contest where we find out that those muscles are real, even if they are a bit padded. Gaston may be a buffoon, but he’s no slouch physically. After all, he eats five dozen eggs, so he’s roughly the size of barge. -via reddit

"A" is for Anatomy Posted: 04 Jan 2015 10:00 AM PST Laura Facci is an illustrator and graphic designer from Caracas, Venezuela. As a student, Facci was assigned to create an illustrated alphabet based on a theme. She chose the human body. The illustrations correspond to the Spanish language, and have witty details. Check out the pierced tongue in the illustration below!  Visit this talented lady's Behance siteto see her projects.  Via Laughing Squid | Images: Laura Facci

Watch A Giant Frozen Gummy Bear Get Blasted With A Shotgun Posted: 04 Jan 2015 08:00 AM PST Blasting things into smithereens with a shotgun is fun, so long as the thing getting blasted isn't a living thing. What about a living dead thing? Well, that might be fun to blast with a shotgun someday but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For the time being the stuff that we blast with shotguns should be limited to stuff that makes a strong visual impact, stuff that looks good on camera as it splatters in that split second when the slug hits. (YouTube Link) The mayhem mavens at Carsandwater made this somewhat creepy video that stars a fun, and very visually appealing, target- a giant frozen gummy bear. The lack of dialog makes it feel like you're watching a Candyland snuff film, but no living gummy bears were harmed in the making of the video so don't feel bad about watching, and enjoying, the science of destruction. -Via Boing Boing

2 Bananas in 1 Peel Posted: 04 Jan 2015 07:00 AM PST Redditor nilla_waferz found this oddity: a banana peel with 2 whole bananas inside. You can see more photos here. He could make quite a banana split with them.

Apollo 11 Sweatsuit Posted: 04 Jan 2015 06:00 AM PST A store called Fancy is offering this sweatsuit modeled after the Apollo 11 spacesuits, complete with seams, wrinkles, patches, ports, straps, and even the name “Armstrong” printed on it. The Apollo 11 sweatsuit would be perfect for a little make-believe in the comfort of your home, if it didn’t cost $139 plus what I hear is an outrageous shipping cost. Oh, I'm sure the real suits probably cost more than that, even in 1969, but you and I don't have NASA's clothing budget. -via Geekologie

You are subscribed to email updates from Neatorama To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States