Neatorama

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• Woman Fights and Wins Appeal to Wear Pasta Strainer on Her Head in Driver's License Photo
• 31 Genius Facts about Jim Henson
• Check Out This Beautiful, Swinging Subway Door
• Skier Miraculously Survives 1,600-Foot Fall Down the Side of a Mountain
• The Evolution of Barbie's Face, 1959-2015
• A Thanksgiving Invitation
• Writer's Guild of America's Picks for the Funniest Screenplays of All Time
• The World’s Largest Collection of Tin Soldiers
• Rabbit On A Motorcycle - I've Heard Of Desert Rats, But A Biker Bunny?!
• 5 Things You Might Not Know about Mr. T
• Before And After The PC Makeover- Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever
• Argument: The Rebels Had a Really Stupid Strategy to Blow up the Death Star
• Weather in Finland
• How to Avoid the Flu

Woman Fights and Wins Appeal to Wear Pasta Strainer on Her Head in Driver's License Photo Posted: 15 Nov 2015 04:00 AM PST Miller's "winning photo" in her fight for FSM religious rights Image: American Humanist Association Lindsay Miller of Lowell, Massachusetts, a self-described Pastafarian, has won her fight to wear a pasta strainer on her head in her driver's license photo. Arguing that her chosen headgear was part of her right to freely express and practice her religion, Miller was granted permission by the state of Massachusetts motor vehicles division on appeal, after their initial refusal.  The Massachusetts RMV's website writes that drivers may not wear hats or head coverings in their drivers' license photos unless the clothing items are “for medical or religious reasons.”   Miller says she wore the strainer to show her devotion to the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. Read the full story at the Boston Globe.

31 Genius Facts about Jim Henson Posted: 15 Nov 2015 02:00 AM PST (YouTube link) Looks like we have a bonus episode of the mental_floss List Show this week! John Green returns to the hosting slot to talk about everyone’s favorite puppeteer, Jim Henson. He led a fascinating life, of course, and the things you don’t know about him are just as interesting as the public side we know from the Muppets in all their incarnations. Seriously, this video is more than 31 facts; it’s more like 31 stories about Jim Henson. And then he left us too early. Oh yeah, you can see that performance Green mentions at the end right here, but you'll need a handkerchief. -via Tastefully Offensive

Check Out This Beautiful, Swinging Subway Door Posted: 15 Nov 2015 12:00 AM PST (Photo: Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill/Eduard Hueber) When people are prompted to think about appealing architecture, they invariably consider New York City's subway system. This door is an example of why. The new entrance to the station at 560 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan features this lovely curved glass door. Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill designed it to swing open and closed along a rounded track. It closes off the system at night, but permits people and pizza-encumbered rats to gaze and down to the platform below. You can see more photos at Contemporist.

Skier Miraculously Survives 1,600-Foot Fall Down the Side of a Mountain Posted: 14 Nov 2015 10:00 PM PST YouTube Link Teton Gravity Research, described on their website as "an action sports media company committed to fueling progression through its films and website," was filming pro skier Ian McIntosh in the Neacola mountain range of Alaska when disaster struck. McIntosh, 24, set off from his perch at the top of a mountain with an incredibly steep drop. All was well until he fell into a five-foot trench during one of his turns, which led to a 1,600-foot long tumble down the mountain, during which he was unable to stop. According to TGR, "TGR Co Founder, Todd Jones, says [the accident] “was the most terrifying crash I’ve ever seen.” While filming for Paradise Waits up in the Neacola range of AK, Mac dropped into a line he thought he had studied thoroughly enough, only to fall into an unseen five foot deep trench on one of his first turns. 'From there, my slough took over and their was no way to stop, I pulled my airbag to help prevent against any possible trauma injuries as I tumbled to the bottom,' he said. While attempting to regain his footing, Mac lost a ski and cartwheeled over 1,600 feet in under a minute." Via Gizmodo

The Evolution of Barbie's Face, 1959-2015 Posted: 14 Nov 2015 08:00 PM PST For the most part, Barbie has kept her 39-18-33 measurements over the years. But her face has changed quite a bit. She may have had plastic surgery. That becomes a bit more clear when you look at the development of her face during her 56 years. And you can see precisely that, thanks to the hard work of Tumblr blogger Forbidden Transmissions. She has lined up headshots of Barbie from every year during her long life. She comments: Personally, I think the molds they used from 1987-1995 are the cutest, but I was still a little girl playing with Barbies at that time, so I may be a bit biased. You can view them all here. -via Nag on the Lake

A Thanksgiving Invitation Posted: 14 Nov 2015 06:00 PM PST George’s Senate Coney Island Restaurant in Northville, Michigan is run by a Greek immigrant who just goes by George. For years, he’s been offering free Thanksgiving dinner at the restaurant for lonely singles and homeless people. He knows what that’s like.   George came to the United States at the age of 23 after growing up in Greece. He lived on a farm with seven brothers and sisters, and his parents couldn't afford to send him to school. He left home at the age of 12 and went to Athens, where he was homeless for a time,and depended on the kindness of others to give him food. George knows how to pay it forward. -via Uproxx (Image credit: Redditor rhymingisfun)

Writer's Guild of America's Picks for the Funniest Screenplays of All Time Posted: 14 Nov 2015 04:00 PM PST This is Spinal Tap | Image: MGM The Writer's Guild of America, both western and eastern divisions, recently created events centering around member voting for the 101 funniest screenplays of all time. The resulting list, though heavy on titles from the 80s, names films young and old. How many of these comedies have you seen and what belongs or doesn't belong on the list, in your opinion?  Check out the full list and opine in the comments section below.  Via Uproxx

The World’s Largest Collection of Tin Soldiers Posted: 14 Nov 2015 02:00 PM PST L’Iber Museo de los Solditos de Plomo in Valencia is a museum displaying over a million miniature tin soldiers! They represent the military of many different countries, from many different eras. Mike Powell and Jürgen Horn got a chance to visit and take pictures. The scope of L’Iber’s collection is breathtaking, with over a dozen rooms loosely organized by time period. There are rooms dedicated to World War I, Napoleon, and Ancient Rome, and you can find almost every kind of soldier imaginable, from US Confederates to ancient Egyptians. You’ll see prehistoric hunters bringing down a mammoth, medieval warriors laying siege to walled cities, and a darling little Francisco Franco protected by his fearsome Moorish Guard. Some are in glass display cases, some are on the march, and some are engaged in battle in huge dioramas set up for visitors to study. See pictures of this amazing collection at For 91 Days.

Rabbit On A Motorcycle - I've Heard Of Desert Rats, But A Biker Bunny?! Posted: 14 Nov 2015 12:00 PM PST Rabbit On A Motorcycle by Mike Jacobsen Desert season is upon us once again, which means all you dirt lovin' dune bunnies are bound to be hitting the sand sometime soon. If you're heading out for a weekend of desert fun take a note from this high flying hare- wear a helmet and protect your noggin or you'll be missing out on some fun in the desert sun! All dressed up with nowhere to go? Slip on this Rabbit On A Motorcycle t-shirt by Mike Jacobsen and every day will be full of motorcycle mayhem! Visit Mike Jacobsen's Facebook fan page, official website, Twitter and Tumblr, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more delightfully geeky designs: Astronaut Bear Future Astronaut Fish On A Seahorse Exterminate Me View more designs by Mike Jacobsen | 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!

5 Things You Might Not Know about Mr. T Posted: 14 Nov 2015 12:00 PM PST (Photo: Universal Television) I pity any fool who doesn't know these fascinating facts about Mr. T rounded up by the Huffington Post. He's the one and only Mr. T and, yes, that is literally his name. He legally changed it when he saw his accomplished older brother being addressed as 'boy'--an insulting form of address traditionally used in America to refer to black men. Mr. T is nobody's 'boy': "I was not born Mr. T," the actor explains. "I changed my name because as a black man growing up in white society, I watched my father being called 'boy,' and he was a preacher. I watched my brother coming back from the Marines and Vietnam and being called 'boy.' I watched enough black men in my family being called 'boy,' so I point to the fact: What does a black man have to do to get his respect as a man? So, when I became 18 years old, I legally changed my name to Mr. T." He continued, "I'm not one of those rappers with a fake name. My driver's license: 'Mr. T.' My passport: 'Mr. T.' And everything. My new birth certificate: 'Mr. T.' Mr. T is short for my family name. I was born Lawrence Tureaud. Me and my father shortened it to Tero, but really that’s what it stood for. Legally, my name's Mr. T." You can read more at the Huffington Post, including about the time Mr. T chopped down 70 trees in 3 hours.

Before And After The PC Makeover- Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever Posted: 14 Nov 2015 10:00 AM PST Reading Richard Scarry books isn't supposed to be a scary experience for children- they're supposed to expose children to realistic life scenarios so kids better understand the society they live in. Even though the people and the perils are the same as they were when Richard Scarry's books first started coming out in the 1950s, a shift in social values has changed how we describe our world. Photographer Alan Taylor spotted some differences between the 1963 version of Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever and the 1991 version, as the book received a PC makeover to reflect modern social attitudes. Some of the changes seem a bit nitpicky, like removing pretty and handsome from character descriptions, but there's one change everyone can get behind- dad's cooking! See more before and after images from Best Word Book Ever here -Via Cheezburger

Argument: The Rebels Had a Really Stupid Strategy to Blow up the Death Star Posted: 14 Nov 2015 08:00 AM PST (Image: Disney) The Battle of Yavin is the event Star Wars fans most commonly think of as the destruction of the first Death Star at the end of Episode IV. The Rebels concocted a risky plan to take out a much more powerful force. It was, through skill, courage, and a lot of luck, successful. The Empire faced a major setback in its plans as a result. Hooray! And Jordan Freiman of Death and Taxes magazine joins you in the celebration. But he also argues that the Rebel Alliance demonstrated extraordinary stupidity in its battle plan. The crux of his argument is that the famous trench run, which was modeled after a real-life bombing campaign by the Royal Air Force during World War II, was completely unnecessary. As Spock commented upon Khan's tactics in the Battle of the Mutara Nebula, it demonstrated two-dimensional thinking. Instead of flying down a long and dangerous trench toward the Death Star, the Rebel fighters should have flown directly at it, perpendicular to point of impact. Frieman explains: Just because the exhaust port is at the end of the trench, that doesn’t mean you have to use the trench to get there. You have spaceships! And the exhaust port is facing upward! You even show it facing upward in your little diagram. Why not just fly straight down towards it? Flying through the trench makes everything more difficult. You have no room to maneuver and, more importantly, rather than hitting the port with a straight shot, you now have to angle the proton torpedoes to go straight and then curve down. That’s so much more difficult! Also, you know how everyone groans when he says “the shaft is ray shielded, so you’ll have to use proton torpedoes.”? Why is everyone groaning? How would you even hit that thing with a laser if you’re approaching it from the side? USE YOUR HEADS! If I remember correctly, the point of the trench run was to get so close to the surface of the Death Star that the space station's anti-ship weapons could not be brought to bear against it. The trench run began at the point closest to the Rebel fleet. Flying directly toward the exhaust port would have required the X-wing squadron to be exposed for a much longer time Content warning: foul language. -Thanks, Miss Cellania!

Weather in Finland Posted: 14 Nov 2015 07:00 AM PST It’s November, and the mild temperatures can’t last forever, especially if you’re near the Arctic Circle. Popular meteorologist Pekka Pouta (his name means dry weather) has the forecast for Finland. (YouTube link) Time to batten down the hatches, and build your direwolves some shelter. A better quality video is available at the station’s Facebook page. -via reddit

How to Avoid the Flu Posted: 14 Nov 2015 06:00 AM PST Flu season is upon us. I don't want it. I don't mean to be rude, but I'd rather not shake hands with you. It's nothing personal. I like you. I just don't like your germs. So let's bump knees together, as Vine user hassanisms illustrates. Or, since those might be inaccessible on us, we can just rub bellies together. -via Tastefully Offensive

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