Neatorama

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• Deaths on the Throne
• When the Army Put Price Tags on Its Equipment
• Cringeworthy Facebook Posts That Will Make You Want To Quit Social Media
• Three-Eared Cat
• 39 Steps to Being a Gentleman
• Smoldering Helmet - That's A Good Look For You, Lord Vader!
• Cats Keeping the Upper Hand with Their Humans, Even While Asleep
• There's a Museum in Ireland Dedicated to Butter
• Chickens Float!
• Memo to Gene Roddenberry: Missing <i>Star Trek</i> Wigs
• The Terrifying Tales Behind Celebrity Scars
• Meanwhile, at the G20 Summit
• Why Did This One Board Not Frost?
• Ten Unsolved Mysteries with Creepy Surveillance Footage
• Chewbacca’s High-Maintenance Hair
• Fifteen Non-Sexual Uses For Condoms
• Caution: Puppeteers Below - Handy Men At Work
• What Could a Jewish Time Traveler Eat?
• He Lived

Deaths on the Throne Posted: 16 Nov 2015 05:00 AM PST Death could come at anytime -or anywhere. Here are some folkd who met death while on the toilet or because of the toilet, from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Attack of the Factoids. WHO: Roman emperor, Elagabalus WHEN: 222 CAUSE OF DEATH: Murder Elagabalus became emperor as a teenager and was entirely unprepared for the job. Initially, his erratic behavior was entertaining, but eventually it became an embarrassment to the Roman power structures. Three wives, several rumored homosexual liaisons, and a few sacrilegious acts later, he was murdered in his bathroom. WHO: King Edmund II of England WHEN: 1016 CAUSE OF DEATH: Natural causes… or murder When Edmund became king of England, he battled the Viking king Canute the Great for control of England. Edmund lost and eventually struck a deal dividing the disputed territories, agreeing that whoever died first would cede his territory to the other. Months later, Edmund was found dead in his bathroom… and Canute took over England. Officially recorded as death from natural causes, some historians now believe the timing of Edmund’s death was too coincidental to be anything but murder. WHO: Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe WHEN: 1601 CAUSE OF DEATH: Burst bladder The famed Danish astronomer, who invented an indoor pressure-flow toilet, died in a terrible twist of fate: During dinner one night, having consumed a large amount of alcohol, he politely refused to leave the table to empty his bladder. By the time Brahe made it to the loo, his overfull bladder had burst and killed him. WHO: King George II of England WHEN: 1760 CAUSE OF DEATH: Aortic dissection George II ruled for more than 30 years… and then died from a tear in the lining of the aorta while straining on the toilet. He made medical history as the first person to have “aortic dissection” recorded as the cause of death. WHO: Empress Catherine the Great of Russia WHEN: 1796 CAUSE OF DEATH: Unknown, but probably natural causes Catherine the Great, Czaress of Russia, was making her way to the bathroom when something caused her to collapse on the threshold. That’s where her attendant found her partially conscious. She died soon after. WHO: Elvis Presley WHEN: 1977 CAUSE OF DEATH: Drug overdose The king of rock and roll died as the result of taking too many prescription drugs, including codeine from a dental visit. (He was known to have previously had an allergic reaction to codeine.) While in the bathroom, Presley apparently got sick, fell unconscious, and crashed to the floor. His autopsy stated he died from “cardiac arrhythmia” from ingesting too many drugs. _______________________________ The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Attack of the Factoids. Weighing in at over 400 pages, it's a fact-a-palooza of obscure information. 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!

When the Army Put Price Tags on Its Equipment Posted: 16 Nov 2015 04:00 AM PST (Image: The News-Herald of Franklin, Pennsylvania--Dec. 14, 1951) In 1951, the US Army wanted its soldiers to be more careful with the upkeep of their equipment. Although they didn't have to pay for their arms, they should be mindful that American taxpayers did and treat it accordingly. So it circulated posters among American soldiers that illustrated how much common weapons and vehicles cost. Weird Universe says that at least one Army Reserve center went so far as to put literal price tags on its gear. One soldier commented to a local newspaper that "It looks like a department store here." -via VA Viper

Cringeworthy Facebook Posts That Will Make You Want To Quit Social Media Posted: 16 Nov 2015 03:00 AM PST Facebook is full of cringeworthy content, and sometimes it seems impossible to look through your news feed without seeing some ridiculous post that make you shake your head and say "Why, Facebook, WHY?!" (Image Link) These posts are often the result of an unedited brain dump, posted by someone who doesn't realize they can actually change how their FB friends think of them by posting something stupid online. (Image Link) Parental posts are equally cringeworthy, but for a different reason- we feel sorry for the kids being embarrassed by their parents' posts, as we're forced to share in their social media sorrow. (Image Link) See 19 Of The Cringiest Facebook Posts In The History Of Cringe here http://www.buzzfeed.com/jamiejones/can-you-make-it-through-these-facebook-posts?bffbmain&utm_term=.nm1OQaXzA3#.jvABY7W8N2 See

Three-Eared Cat Posted: 16 Nov 2015 02:00 AM PST (Image credit: Feline Care Cat Rescue) They named this cat Brian after the man who found him, but they should name him Captain Kirk. See, he’s got a left ear, and a right ear, and then a final front ear. (badum ching) (Image credit: Mel Kind) Feline Care Cat Rescue in East Harling, Norfolk, UK, took in a cat that has three ears. Miss Farrar, 38, said: “He’s obviously very distinctive with his extra little ear so someone must be missing him or recognise him. “He’s in a bit of a tatty and skinny state. He’s been in the wars a bit and has a fractured canine tooth and ear mites so he obviously needs looking after. “We see all sorts of cats here but Brian is by far the most unusual, he is something special.” If Brian’s owner doesn’t step forward, he will be put up for adoption. -via Arbroath

39 Steps to Being a Gentleman Posted: 16 Nov 2015 01:00 AM PST (Image: BBC) Gentleman's Life, a British magazine, lists the essentials on a quiz that I have failed miserably. For example, it is only now that I realize that I have been ill-mannered to gamekeepers at the estates where I have visited: 11 Tips staff in a private house and a gamekeeper in the shooting field Horrors! I must amend this mistake immediately. On the other hand, I have met some qualifications: 30 Has read Pride and Prejudice Many years ago, a lady once jokingly said that she would go on a date with me if I read Pride and Prejudice. I immediately did so and actually went on no fewer than two dates with her. 34 Sandals? No. Never Of course not. Even my manservants don't do this in their private lives. If they did, they would not remain in my employment. 28 Knows when to use an emoji And that time is known as "never." How well do you rate on the test? -via Marginal Revolution

Smoldering Helmet - That's A Good Look For You, Lord Vader! Posted: 16 Nov 2015 12:00 AM PST Smoldering Helmet by Captain RibMan The last time we saw old Darth he was nothing but a smoldering helmet, but is believing he's dead part of his sinister Sith plan? The dark side of the Force is all about making foul plans and winning wars through deception and deceit, and when it comes to the dark side they don't come much darker than Darth! Will the star of the Empire's campaign against the galaxy return in the sequels, or has the time for his helmet to shine gone the way of the tall Jawa? Delight fans of the dark side with this Smoldering Helmet t-shirt by Captain RibMan, it's the perfect tee to wear to the return of your favorite sci-fi franchise! Visit Captain RibMan's Facebook fan page, official website and Twitter, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more dark and geeky designs: The Trooper- WaxPack Series 1 One Moore Spaceman San Angeles Replicants- "Blade Runner" Chess Team View more designs by Captain RibMan | More Sci-Fi 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!

Cats Keeping the Upper Hand with Their Humans, Even While Asleep Posted: 16 Nov 2015 12:00 AM PST The French illustrator working under the name "Catsass" originally drew these comical images of cat sleeping positions in French, for website Topito. Shown here are the images with the captions translated into English, and the humor isn't lost in translation. Which of these drawings is most representative of your overall napping-with-cat experience? See the entire series of illustrations at the artists' website.  Via Laughing Squid

There's a Museum in Ireland Dedicated to Butter Posted: 15 Nov 2015 10:00 PM PST (Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen) Ireland takes its butter very seriously. It is with pride that that nation can boast of owning a 3,000-year old barrel of the yellow gold. Ireland is known for its high quality butter, and the city of Cork in particular has a long-established butter trade. Scott Calonico of Vice magazine visited the Cork Butter Museum and talked to its director, Peter Foynes: VICE: What's the backstory of the museum? Peter Foynes: The museum was opened in 1997 by a group of local businesspeople. In particular, [they wanted] to mark the old Butter Exchange in the city, that used to be the biggest butter market in the world. But also to commemorate Ireland's dairy history, which is really quite important. So that was the initial idea. The old Butter Exchange became vacant in 1996, so that was the ideal place for it. Wait, what's a Butter Exchange? In 1769, there was a group of people in the city called the Committee of Merchants that decided they wanted to take regulation into their own hands. There was butter trading in the city before that, but it was unsatisfactory. So the Merchants introduced a system of quality checking, basically grading the butter themselves. Over time, it also became a system for dealers to go through to get their butter because it would then have the mark of the Butter Exchange of Cork on it and that was a good thing to have. […] -via Jonah Goldberg

Chickens Float! Posted: 15 Nov 2015 08:00 PM PST Have you ever even thought about whether a chicken can swim? YouTube member nothd70 wondered about it, and since he had a chicken and a pool, tried combining them to see. He was right there to make sure the chicken didn’t drown. (YouTube link) He is surprised and absolutely delighted to find that the hen floats! She doesn’t swim too well, but you can’t compare a chicken to a duck. If she had to, she could probably make it to the side of the pool, although slowly. Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find a bird that doesn’t float. That layer of fairly waterproof feathers trapping air between them makes a nice life jacket. -via reddit

Memo to Gene Roddenberry: Missing <i>Star Trek</i> Wigs Posted: 15 Nov 2015 06:00 PM PST (Photo: UCLA Library Special Collections) Rob Justman was a director and producer for the original Star Trek series when it aired from 1966-1969. In this memo to series creator Gene Roddenberry, Justman is perturbed about 6 wigs that went missing after the second season ended. Four of them were made for William Shatner (Captain Kirk), one for Majel Barrett (Nurse Chapel), and one for Nichelle Nichols (Lieutenant Uhura). (Image: CBS) Justman's tone and phrasing indicate that he doesn't think these are just accidents. In this memo, which is located in the UCLA Library Special Collections, Justman is especially concerned about the disappearance of Shatner's hairpieces: Bill Shatner borrowed all four of his hair pieces when we finished shooting. There are two new ones and two old ones. The new ones are worth approximately $200.00 apiece and the two old ones are worth approximately $100.00 apiece. Should “STAR TREK” go again next season, this no doubt means that we will have to construct new hair pieces again for Bill because he will have used both the old ones and the new ones to such an extent that they will not be photographable. This I guarantee, since it has happened to us before. -via VA Viper

The Terrifying Tales Behind Celebrity Scars Posted: 15 Nov 2015 04:00 PM PST A celebrity can become famous for many reasons, including their acting ability, their attractiveness, and their on-screen presence, just to name a few. But some actors can actually add their flaws to this list of reasons why they're famous, becoming known for their super obvious scars. Michael K. Williams, Tina Fey and Tommy Flanagan all have distinctive facial scars, which serve as a constant reminder of the time they survived a violent assault with a deadly edged weapon. Tina Fey was just five years old when her face was slashed by a stranger behind her house. Michael K. Williams was sliced by a razor during a fight at a house party, resulting in that signature scar that will forever typecast him as a tough guy. And then there's Tommy Flanagan, who was jumped by thugs while working as a DJ in Scotland and given a Glasgow Smile, his face cut from his lips to his ears, leaving him with facial scars that tell a terrifying tale. Read the 7 Brutal Real Life Horror Stories About How Celebrities Got Their Scars here

Meanwhile, at the G20 Summit Posted: 15 Nov 2015 03:00 PM PST (Image credit: Reuters) The G20 summit is going on in Antalya, Turkey. In addition to formal meetings, President Obama and Russian leader Vladimir Putin had a private talk in the lobby of the hotel; no doubt they had important things to discuss. But this is Turkey, and we know how Turkey is with cats.    Obama and Putin upstaged by three cats. #G20Turkey#G20AntalyaSummitpic.twitter.com/svxZAoX45D — Duncan Stone (@DuncanCStone) November 15, 2015 And you know how cats are with anything. They’ll steal the spotlight away even from world leaders. -via Buzzfeed

Why Did This One Board Not Frost? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 02:00 PM PST Redditor golftree has a composite deck. After a recent freeze, s/he found that one plank didn't cover with frost and is curious about why. The funniest proposal is from austin101123, who writes: That board was probably placed upside down on accident, check for frost on the other side. What's your explanation? Why did this one plank in the middle of the deck not frost over?

Ten Unsolved Mysteries with Creepy Surveillance Footage Posted: 15 Nov 2015 12:00 PM PST Dale Kerstetter | Image: Unsolved Mysteries via Wikia The public has spent collective millions on surveillance cameras in private homes, public areas, retail establishments and the like. The goal is to have video footage as backup in case of accident, theft or other emergency. Sometimes these videos pay off, perpetrators are apprehended and once unclear circumstances are understood. Yet occasionally the video footage not only doesn't clarify things, it deepens the mystery. Such is the case with the following story.  "In 1987, 50-year-old Dale Kerstetter was employed as a security guard at the Corning Glassworks plant in Bradford, Pennsylvania. On the evening of September 12, Dale arrived at the plant to work the graveyard shift. The following morning when another security guard showed up to relieve Dale, he was inexplicably missing. Dale’s truck was still in the parking lot, and his keys and other personal items were left behind. It was soon discovered that $250,000 of platinum pipe had been stolen from the plant. The situation became even more perplexing when investigators checked the plant’s security tapes. Surveillance footage showed that an unidentified masked man had entered the plant sometime during the night. At one point, Dale was seen leading this man through the building and staring directly at the camera. Upon first glance, it seemed like the intruder was forcing Dale to take him to the area where the platinum was stored, but the footage made it impossible to determine whether Dale was under duress or working in conjunction with the thief. Dale was in debt at the time, so there was speculation that he may have been involved in the heist and skipped town with his share. The plant’s management seemed to think that Dale stared directly at the camera to taunt them. However, Dale’s family never believed that he was involved and suspected that he was an innocent murder victim. Indeed, the surveillance footage also showed the masked intruder wheeling a large bag out of the plant, which could have contained Dale’s body. Whatever the truth, Dale Kerstetter has not been seen in nearly 30 years." Read more mysteries involving creepy surveillance footage here.

Chewbacca’s High-Maintenance Hair Posted: 15 Nov 2015 10:00 AM PST Have you ever wondered how often Chewbacca gets a shampoo? Or what brand of hairspray he prefers? Or what causes his worst tangles? Taking care of all that hair is no joke (even when it is). It took six months to construct four and a half Chewbacca suits out of yak hair for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Maria Cork, the  “supervisor of the hair department in creature effects” for the film, fills us in on the secrets of the Wookiee’s beauty routine. -via mental_floss

Fifteen Non-Sexual Uses For Condoms Posted: 15 Nov 2015 08:00 AM PST Some guys stockpile condoms when they're sexually active, convincing themselves they'll need to have hundreds of condoms on hand when they could easily get by with a half dozen. Soon their bedside drawer is overflowing with safe sex products, and the time comes to thin out the "collection" before it scares away potential partners. But what's a guy to do with all those extra condoms? (YouTube Link) He could donate them to a friend's cause, or he could do something fun with them like use them as an improvised fishing bobber, take them on a camping trip and use them to start a fire, or fill them with flour and put them to use as a stress balloon. (YouTube Link) Just make sure you use the non-lubricated variety or those suckers are liable to go flying across the room! Read 15 Non-Sex Uses For Condoms at mental_floss

Caution: Puppeteers Below - Handy Men At Work Posted: 15 Nov 2015 07:00 AM PST Caution: Puppeteers Below by Brinkerhoff Puppeteers often take audiences by surprise when their arm pops up from beneath the stage, and people were finding their presence so unnerving that theaters have started to put up these warning signs to keep people from fainting. It's important to note, however, that any characters with animatronic features are still being operated by a puppeteer you can't see, so don't get too close to them or they may bite! Add some silly sign humor to your geeky wardrobe with this Caution: Puppeteers Below t-shirt by Brinkerhoff, it's the fun way to alleviate people's fear of puppeteers. Visit Brinkerhoff's Facebook fan page and Twitter, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more delightful designs: Grimzilla Bit-Bit 8 Millenterprise Falcon NYET! View more designs by Brinkerhoff | 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!

What Could a Jewish Time Traveler Eat? Posted: 15 Nov 2015 07:00 AM PST (Photo: Dellex) A Jew who adheres to kosher can eat only selected animals. That was achievable in the primitive economies that Jews lived in when these laws were handed down and certainly remains feasible today in a world of mass production and transportation. But let's say that a time traveler goes so far back in time that modern kosher animals, such as the sheep, haven't evolved yet? Can a faithful Jew eat a dinosaur? Which kind of dinosaurs are acceptable and which are prohibited? Roy E. Plotnick, Jessica M. Theodor, and Thomas R. Holtz answered these questions in a recent article in the scholarly journal Evolution: Education and Outreach: The determination of whether an ancient mammal had cloven hooves can be done directly using fossils of the limbs, by inspecting the foot symmetry, to make sure it passes between toes 3 and 4, and the shape of the last phalanx of the toes, which should be wide and flat, not pointed or curved (Figs. 3, 4). Determining whether an animal chewed the cud is much more challenging. Because teeth are what are used to chew and they are by far the most common mammalian remains, they would be the logical place to determine from fossils whether or not an animal chewed the cud. Unfortunately, there are no discernable differences between the teeth of cud-chewers and non-cud chewing artiodactyls. First, one might think that regurgitating so much material back into the mouth might bring excess stomach acid into the mouth and cause recognizable damage to the teeth; however, part of the evolution of rumination (cud-chewing and multi-chambered stomachs) included a system of acid reducing mechanisms. The chewed and digested plant matter is regurgitated into the mouth, where the saliva has a high concentration of bicarbonate, which acts as a buffer to the stomach acid coming into the mouth with the cud (McDougall [1948]). This reduces the incidence of acid wear on the teeth. You can read a summary of the authors' kosher paleontology at Real Clear Science. -via Jonah Goldberg

He Lived Posted: 15 Nov 2015 06:00 AM PST Truck driver David Monaghan of Salford, Lancashire, UK, was traveling through Shrewsbury when this happened. A pair of construction platforms on an incoming truck shifted as the vehicle came around a curve, and one went right through Monaghan's windshield! Look at the picture, and think about where a driver in Britain sits.    (YouTube link) He said: “I still can’t believe it happened – I thought I was dead. I had two seconds to make a decision and luckily it was the right one. I managed to put my foot on the brake, the clutch, keep my hand on the steering wheel and duck down. I don’t know how I did it. “But I am so glad I did because I keep thinking about what might have happened if my lorry would have flown on to that roundabout. I could have piled into a number of other cars, I could have killed countless others.” Monaghan stopped the truck, and witnesses ran to him, sure that he was dead. He managed to reach up and wave to them. The 62-year-old Monaghan only suffered some cuts to the back of his head. Still, he’s taking some time off work to recover from his near-death experience. -via Fark

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