Neatorama

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• <i>Revolver</i>: the Beatles' Greatest Album?
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt Proves He Belongs In The Rhythm Nation
• Story Lines
• Every Lightsaber Amputation in <i>Star Wars</i>
• Artist Cayce Zavaglia Creates Embroidery Like No Other
• Pakistan's Camel-Mounted Bagpipe Band
• Son Goku & Kinto-Un - High Flying Fun
• Sticking Their Necks Out
• 90-Year Old Great-Grandmother Has Better Soccer Skills Than You
• 42 Movies Being Adapted For TV
• Look at What a Special Effects Artist Can Do with Her Baby Bump
• Shopping with Stormtroopers
• These Kids Are Wrapping Coats for the Homeless around Posts and Trees
• Black Friday Preview from Obvious Plant
• Russian Driver Replaces Car Tire with Log
• Marilyn Monroe's First Nude Photos Have Been Revealed
• If Vendors Were Honest About Black Friday
• Kittybell Kettlebell - The Purr-Fect Way To Get Buff
• Adorable Slang Terms Used To Describe Sex Over The Last 600 Years
• Katniss Sure Loves Pita
• The Story Behind That Classic Photo Of Albert Einstein Sporting Sandals At The Beach
• Thanksgiving with the Family
• Bryan Cranston's Grown Man Boy Band Is Ready To Rock Your World
• Thanksgiving Side Dishes by Region
• You're Sure To Have A Happy Holidays In These 25 Festive T-Shirts
• Glamour Photography of the 1950s

<i>Revolver</i>: the Beatles' Greatest Album? Posted: 25 Nov 2015 05:00 AM PST Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website or at Facebook. Revolver was the seventh studio album released by the Beatles, the landmark recording came out on August 5, 1966. Without question, no Beatles album has risen in the esteem of critics, reviewers, fans and aficionados over the past 40 years as Revolver. When the Fabs called it quits in 1969, it was pretty much agreed that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, their breakthrough 1967 album, was the band's pinnacle. Now, interestingly, Sgt. Pepper is deemed by many Beatle people as being slightly dated, still very good, but a bit of a flower power era relic, too much caught in a set period of time, whereas the Beatles music, like all great art, has more of a timeless quality and effect. Revolver is now judged by possibly a majority of Beatle followers as being the group's pinnacle as a recording team, their masterwork. Before the title Revolver was chosen, several other possible titles were tossed around by the boys, including Abracadabra, Beatles on Safari, Pendulum, and Magic Circles. John suggested Four Sides of the Eternal Triangle, while Ringo wittily thought of dubbing it After Geography (the Rolling Stones' had recently released the LP After Math). Finally, Revolver was agreed upon by all four of the Beatles, apparently in Tokyo, while they were jointly working on a group painting. (The Revolver does not refer to a gun or firearm, but to that fact that a record album "revolves" on the turntable.) Revolver also was the harbinger of the Beatles clearly defined second chapter. After being the four "mop tops" for going on four years, the group's creativity, experimentation with drugs, and natural boredom and restlessness was soon to usher in an entirely new era for the world's most popular quartet. Soon, in very short order, the cuddly, cheerful, wisecracking Liverpool musicians would be caught up in a political scandal with the first family in Manila, get death threats for daring to playing in the sacred Budokan Arena in Tokyo, and worst of all, John Lennon would cause an international scandal by sarcastically claiming that the Beatles "were more popular than Jesus.” Touring by the Beatles would cease soon after the Revolver release, and the world's most beloved haircuts, the legendary Beatle locks, would be shorn by the boys (each Beatle also would soon stop shaving and grow facial hair). All this aside, as always with the Beatles, the music transcended all. Revolver was and is a treasure trove of awesome, groundbreaking music and lyrics. Paul scores with what is possibly his finest-ever achievement with the soulful ballad "Eleanor Rigby." Originally called "Daisy Hawkins," Paul later decided on title character name change. The "Eleanor" was from actress Eleanor Bron, the Beatles' female co-star in their movie Help!, the Rigby derived from "Rigby & Evans," a wine shop Paul noticed in Bristol. Interestingly, a real-life gravestone of an “Eleanor Rigby" resides in the cemetery of St. Peter's Church (St. Peter's Church is where John and Paul first met, the gravestone is a few hundred feet from the exact spot.) Paul may or may not have glanced the headstone over the intervening years and placed it in his "subconscious mind" for later reference. "Eleanor Rigby" is unique, in that it may be the only Beatles song ever composed with lyrical contributions from all four Beatles. A great majority of the song was composed by Paul, although John was to claim authorship of "40% of the lyrics," this claim is highly disputed by those present at the time of the song's joint composition. George contributed the lovely chorus "Ah, look at all the lonely people," and Ringo chipped in the "Darning his socks in the night when there's nobody there" as well as "Writing the words of a sermon that no one will hear." "Yellow Submarine" was basically "a children's song" Paul wrote for Ringo (of course, the song was also to later be the title subject of the Beatles' 1968 animated film classic). Like so many Beatle songs, many critics "interpreted" the song to be a homage to drugs. Not only did the Beatles dispute that it was based on a drug, they were also to state that they had never seen or even heard of a drug or pill called a "Yellow Submarine." But if "Yellow Submarine" wasn't drug-inspired, Paul's "Got to Get You into My Life" was. Thought by many to be an intense love song, "Got to Get You into My Life" was admittedly Paul's paean to his beloved drug of choice- marijuana. John chimes in with the beautiful droning of his "I’m Only Sleeping." The song, like so many John songs, is basically autobiographical (in a then-recent interview, John had described himself as "the laziest person in England." Interestingly, the song also shows John's deep boredom, monotony, and dissatisfaction with his own life, both within and outside of the Beatles. As one listens to the unhappiness and unfulfilled feeling of "I’m Only Sleeping," one can easily understand and almost predict John's soon-to-be cataclysmic love and worship of his future life partner, Yoko Ono, who was to sweep John away in a 180-degree new direction, both musically and personally. John's very catchy "Dr. Robert" is John's own tribute payment to a notorious drug-dispensing doctor, well-known in rock circles. "She Said, She Said," another drug-inspired tune, came from John's adverse reaction to actor Peter Fonda, who kept saying the phrase "I know what it's like to be dead" over and over during one of John's LSD trips. Fonda kept saying he "knew what it was like to be dead" because of a self-induced gunshot wound he'd experienced as boy. Unquestionably, John's greatest contribution to Revolver was the album's concluding tune "Tomorrow Never Knows." Based on Timothy Leary's influential book The Psychedelic Experience, the song was one of the first of the soon-to-be prevalent psychedelic songs of the late '60's. An incredibly original and effecting song, complete with John's droning voice, tricky guitar tracking, and special effects, John had originally told the recording engineer that he wanted the song to "sound like Dalai Lama singing from the top of a mountain.” The opening sounds of "Seagulls" were actually a backwards tape loop of Paul laughing. John seems to be taking us through his own personal acid trip as we are carried away by the unforgettable melody and lyrics. George, universally acknowledged as the least of the three active Beatle composers, also broke new ground on Revolver, for the first time getting to contribute three tunes. "Taxman," the LP's opening track, is George's tongue-in-cheek tribute to the British tax system, which skimmed 90% of the band's earnings off the top. (George was always the most "money-conscious" Beatle.) “I Want to Tell You" is, ironically, George's song dealing with his difficulty expressing himself in words. “Love You To" clearly showed George's newly found infatuation with the Far East and was the first Beatle song to be based exclusively on Indian music. Revolver, besides being a huge musical breakthrough, sported one of rock's greatest-ever album covers. A combination sketch of the four Beatles faces, blended in with a collage of Beatle photo clippings (from 1964-66), the stark black & white cover was created by the Beatles' old friend from their early days in Hamburg, artist Klaus Voormann. Voormann was to win a Grammy Award in 1967 for Best Album Cover- Graphic Arts. In 2001, Revolver was named "#1 album of all-time" by TV channel VH1, Q magazine voted it "the #1 greatest British album" in 2000, and Rolling Stone named it #3 on it's list of Greatest Albums of All-time in 2003.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Proves He Belongs In The Rhythm Nation Posted: 25 Nov 2015 04:00 AM PST When Joseph Gordon-Levitt puts together a routine for Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation he remains in CONTROL the entire time, crushing it with both costume and performance while demanding the nasty call him Mr. Levitt. This episode of Lip Sync Battle began with Anthony Mackie's energetic performance of MC Hammer's 2 Legit 2 Quit, which the judges seem to love, but then Mr. Levitt stomps in and completely steals the show. (Fast forward to 2:00 if you just want to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt's performance) (YouTube Link) It's easy to see why they pay JGL the big bucks in Hollywood- he really knows how to get into character! -Via Vulture

Story Lines Posted: 25 Nov 2015 03:00 AM PST In 1947, Kurt Vonnegut developed a theory of storytelling that could be illustrated with shapes on graphs, which is called the Shapes of Stories. The theory was rejected as his master's thesis subject, and only became famous after he did. The Shapes of Stories was the inspiration for Grant Snider’s latest comic called Story Lines. While Snider is an artist and Vonnegut was a storyteller, each incorporates elements of the other to make us think.

Every Lightsaber Amputation in <i>Star Wars</i> Posted: 25 Nov 2015 02:00 AM PST (Video Link) Over the course of the Star Wars story, Darth Vader lost six of his four limbs. Luke Skywalker famously lost his now highly collectible right hand. That injury earned him a kiss from resident hottie Leia. Advantage: Luke. Other characters in Star Wars got off less well. Video editor Pablo Fernández Eyre, who once illustrated the visual symmetry in the movies, now shows this compilation of all of the traumatic amputations performed with lightsabers over the course of Star Wars. It's a total of 26 by my count. -via Geekologie

Artist Cayce Zavaglia Creates Embroidery Like No Other Posted: 25 Nov 2015 01:00 AM PST Vimeo Link St. Louis, Missouri-based artist Cayce Zavaglia (featured previously at Neatorama), working out of her home studio, creates these unique and intricate embroideries that from a distance look like fine art paintings. That Zavaglia works out of her home is appropos, considering her portraits are exclusively of her friends and family. The former painter takes approximately 100 photos before embarking on a portrait project, in order to select a facial expression she wants to capture. After she chooses the image, Zavaglia uses one-ply embroidery thread on Belgian linen as her media. The artist has a New York exhibition of her work that's currently showing at Lyons Wier Gallery from November 5th until December 6th, 2015. Watch a video interviewing Zavaglia about her process above, and follow her work on social media via Instagram. Via Beautiful Decay

Pakistan's Camel-Mounted Bagpipe Band Posted: 25 Nov 2015 12:00 AM PST (Photo: AFP) When is the best time to play bagpipes? The answer is: always. It is always appropriate to play the bagpipes, for they are the world's most beautiful musical instrument. We've heard them played in space. We've heard them played on a unicycle. Now, thanks to enterprising soldiers in Pakistan, we can now hear the melodious sounds of the pipes by men on camels. A year ago, the Pakistan Desert Rangers formed a camel-mounted military marching band that includes bagpipers. This has not been easy, as the camels have had to learn how to adjust to this new work and the pipers have had to learn how to play on bouncing camels. Dawn magazine reports: “It is very difficult to play the bagpipe while sitting on the camel," admits piper Muhammad Hussain. “But we have now learned the art." The band, part of the Pakistan Desert Rangers, was formed last year after hundreds of animals went out of service, reduced by the latest military patrol vehicles to doing mere donkey's work — that is until the idea to dress them in bunting and put bagpipers on their backs was born. After making their debut before startled spectators at Pakistan's National Day parade in Islamabad in March, they are now deployed in Moj Garh, 100 kilometres east of Bahawalpur in Punjab province, where they drill daily in preparation for a potential international career. We can only hope that these pipers and their camels get to travel the world in order to share the joy of bagpipe music. -via Super Punch

Son Goku & Kinto-Un - High Flying Fun Posted: 24 Nov 2015 11:00 PM PST Son Goku & Kinto-Un by S3NTRYDesigns In his younger days Son Goku loved nothing more than to spend his days flying around on his kinto-un, or nimbus cloud. The cloud made it easy for Goku to get away from jerks in a hurry, and also made it easy for him to get to those hard to reach places and search for the objects he desired- the mighty dragon balls! Master Roshi is probably regretting his decision to give the nimbus to Goku now, but what's a mythological warrior without his magical steed? This Son Goku & Kinto-Un t-shirt by S3NTRYDesigns is made for every kind of DBZ fan, from those who have watched from the beginning to those who prefer their anime action super saiyan sized. Visit S3NTRYDesigns's Facebook fan page, official website and Tumblr, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more geek-tastic designs: Son Goku Old Fashioned Training Pika-Chu One Of Seven View more designs by S3NTRYDesigns | More Anime 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!

Sticking Their Necks Out Posted: 24 Nov 2015 11:00 PM PST A few facts about giraffes, from Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Attack of the Factoids.  (image credit: D. Gordon E. Robertson) Giraffes don’t make a lot of noise, but they are able to make sounds like grunts, hisses, snorts, and even moos. Baby giraffes grow about an inch every day during their first week of life. But only about one giraffe baby in four makes it to adulthood. Big cats and jackals hunt them, and their mothers aren’t great at defense. Giraffe males can be as tall as 18 feet; females, 14 feet. Like cows, giraffes are ruminants, which means they have four compartments in their stomachs and they regurgitate and chew their cud. A giraffe tongue measures about 2 feet long and is blue-black in color. Scientists think that might be so their tongues don’t get sunburned. A giraffe’s legs are taller than the average human adult. Giraffes have seven vertebrae in their necks— the same as every mammal. A giraffe newborn falls from a height of about 6 ½ feet. Luckily, it’s already about 6 feet tall at birth, so the fall isn’t really that bad. Male giraffes are often at more risk from predators than females, even though they’re larger, because they spend a lot of time alone and are easy to sneak up on. The giraffe has only one known relative: the okapi, a mammal native to rain forests in central Africa. Okapis somewhat resemble giraffes, but have black and white striped legs and short necks. _______________________________ 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!

90-Year Old Great-Grandmother Has Better Soccer Skills Than You Posted: 24 Nov 2015 10:00 PM PST (Video Link) Ase Marie Nordhagen, 90, of Norway loves soccer, especially the task of "keep ups." This is keeping a ball in the air by bouncing it off one foot continuously. She's been practicing since she was a little girl, once performing 1,000 without dropping it. Now she's good for about 50 keep ups at a time, thanks to up to an hour of practice per day. Nordhagen loves it so much that, she explained to a Norwegian newspaper, "I can't go past the ball in the hallway without picking it up and performing a few tricks." Try to keep up with her.

42 Movies Being Adapted For TV Posted: 24 Nov 2015 09:00 PM PST With hundreds of cable channels, a fragmented audience, and competition from cheap reality series, it’s harder and harder to get networks to take a chance on an original idea for a TV series. So what are they doing? TV producers are falling all over each other to adapt ideas from successful movies and rework them into continuing series. Do you think these will have a chance? Tremors Kevin Bacon vs. goo-filled giant worms known as “Tremors,” round 2. It can’t be any worse than The Following, so the second TV adaptation for Tremors gets the Den of Geek stamp of approval. Bacon will reprise his role as Valentine McKee and the series will be set in the fictional town of Perfection, Nevada, just like the original 1990 film. After four straight-to-video sequels, Syfy brought Tremors to TV for a 13-episode run in 2003. There’s currently no network attached as the project is in its infancy, but we do know that Universal Cable Productions and Blumhouse Productions are developing the series reboot, with Andrew Miller (The Secret Circle) to write the adaptation and Bacon to produce. Taken When Taken hit theaters in 2009, few would have dared to guess that it would ultimately turn into a franchise that grossed nearly $1 billion at the box office. Yet here we are, with French filmmaker Luc Besson’s Taken franchise responsible for earning Liam Neeson millions of dollars and what will go down as an iconic role for the Irish actor. Taken may take another unlikely step (though as this list continues to grow, we can’t say that anymore), crossing over to the television world. NBC is interested in the story of former CIA operative Bryan Mills. So much so, the network is willing to push forward with a prequel following Mills before he was married and had a child that would eventually be kidnapped and rescued. As of now, Liam Neeson is not involved in the project. Den of Geek has synopses for 42 such projects, some only in discussion, others with a budget for a pilot or even a network deal already. And some of the movies are decades old. Read about them all.

Look at What a Special Effects Artist Can Do with Her Baby Bump Posted: 24 Nov 2015 08:00 PM PST Maria Bradley is a special effects and makeup artist. Among other media, she paints the bellies of pregnant women. We've seen baby bumppaintings before, but Bradley takes this trendy art form to a whole new level. She's a special effects artist, so she knows how to add an element of horror to the experience. For her own belly, she created a 3d form of her child breaking out. She explained the process to Baby Center UK: With special effects I love to shock people. I brought a second-hand doll and casted the face using clay then pored Kryolan Gelafix skin into the clay mould. I removed the cast and glued it to my own belly. I then used liquid latex and tissue to cover the moulds to try and make it look like the baby is pushing its head through the skin. I then painted it all with foundation to blend it in with my skin tone. -via io9

Shopping with Stormtroopers Posted: 24 Nov 2015 07:00 PM PST Stormtroopers need to do their Christmas shopping, too! Or do they? Whatever they’re doing, a couple of Stormtroopers appear to have fun checking out the merchandise in a department store. (YouTube link) Everything is fun and techno and carefree until the boss shows up!  -via Tastefully Offensive

These Kids Are Wrapping Coats for the Homeless around Posts and Trees Posted: 24 Nov 2015 06:00 PM PST (Photo: Tara Smith-Adkins) Tara Smith-Adkins of Halifax, Nova Scotia wants to make sure that the homeless people in her town don't want for warm winter coats. So every year, she rounds up local kids to walk around town, tying coats and scarves to trees and signposts in the area. (Photo: Halifolks) This year, the event served as her daughter's eighth birthday party. She and seven of her friends tied up the coats with little tags explaining what they were for. The CBC reports: The children wrapped lamp poles with coats bundled with either scarves or mittens. Each item had a tag that read "I am not lost! If you are stuck out in the cold, please take me to keep warm!" -via 123 Inspiration

Black Friday Preview from Obvious Plant Posted: 24 Nov 2015 05:00 PM PST Jeff Wysaski created a mockup Black Friday circular and posted it at some poor Target store. The items offered are obviously fake if you take a minute to think about them: a tent with an angry possum in it? A free falcon with a $75 order? You have to look closely to catch all the jokes. But then there are these “exclusive Star Wars toys.” Who wouldn’t want a C-3P Fro? Or an Episode VII hot dog blaster? Personally, I want the Luke Skymopper. See several more pages of these at Obvious Plant.

Russian Driver Replaces Car Tire with Log Posted: 24 Nov 2015 04:00 PM PST So you've lost a tire but don't have a spare to put on your car. What would you do? I'm stumped. But the driver of this SUV in St. Petersburg, Russia wasn't. The Moscow Times reports that he was driving at about 50 kph (31 mph). Hopefully the local police will log the incident as a safety violation. -via Dave Barry, who warns "steer clear of beavers." UPDATE 11/25/15: In the comments, Frau directs us to this complete photo gallery of how this car lost its tire and the driver replaced it with a log--until the log was worn down. Thanks, Frau!

Marilyn Monroe's First Nude Photos Have Been Revealed Posted: 24 Nov 2015 03:00 PM PST Marilyn Monroe became known for a whole lot more than just her appearance in Playboy Magazine back in 1953, but she had no way of knowing she would become one of the most iconic Hollywood actors of all time. So when she posed for photographer Tom Kelley back in 1949 she billed herself as Mona Monroe and posed for a nude pin-up that would become famous for an entirely different reason than the Marilyn connection. This pin-up photo (and the unretouched full nude version) were used in the "Golden Dream" calendar printed around 1951, and when people realized the calendar girl was Marilyn Monroe a few years later the calendar became a big hit with the boys. Marilyn posed for the picture out of pure "desperation" and was paid a measly $50 for the shoot, but it must have helped her with her later Playboy shoot since she struck nearly the same pose. See Marilyn Monroe's First Nude Photos Have Been Uncovered (NSFW) at Esquire

If Vendors Were Honest About Black Friday Posted: 24 Nov 2015 02:00 PM PST Roger is back- the guy who was honest with us about weddings, insurance, and cars for sale. This time, he wants you to participate in the Black Friday Christmas shopping melee. (YouTube link) At least he’s honest about it. I think I’ll stay away from stores this weekend, as I always do after Thanksgiving. I don’t want to buy something just because you want to sell it to me. I’ll buy what I want, just as soon as I win the lottery. -via Cracked

Kittybell Kettlebell - The Purr-Fect Way To Get Buff Posted: 24 Nov 2015 01:00 PM PST Kittybell Kettlebell by Jasonyerface Everybody's talking about their kettlebell training and how buff they're getting, but they're only hitting the gym that hard because they don't have any love in their lives. Truth is, if they spent their days lifting a fat purring cat onto their laps instead of repeatedly lifting weights over their heads for hours on end they'd probably opt for the kittybells and ditch the gym membership. Start a new kind of exercise craze with this Kittybell Kettlebell t-shirt by Jasonyerface, is there anything a cat can't do to improve our lives? Visit Jasonyerface's Twitter and Instagram, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more delightful designs: Manny Size Matters Hunting For Boba Tea Coffee & Tea & You & Me View more designs by Jasonyerface | 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!

Adorable Slang Terms Used To Describe Sex Over The Last 600 Years Posted: 24 Nov 2015 01:00 PM PST People generally use slang terms when they talk about sex in public, because it's considered "dirty talk" and therefore inappropriate for some ears to hear. This tradition of using innocent sounding slang terms to discuss sex began long ago, and whether you call it making whoopee, bumpin' uglies or simply gettin' it on, chances are you'd rather use slang to talk about sex than speaking frankly. mental_floss put together a fun collection of 31 Adorable Slang Terms For Sexual Intercourse From The Last 600 Years which includes these entries that are impossible to read without smiling: 2. Play nug-a-nug (1505) 4. Play at couch quail (1521) 8. Put the devil into hell (1616) 21. Play at rumpscuttle and clapperdepouch (1684) 28. Have one’s corn ground (1800) Because nothing says sexy like having one's corn ground! Read the rest of the 31 Adorable Slang Terms For Sexual Intercourse here

Katniss Sure Loves Pita Posted: 24 Nov 2015 12:00 PM PST I haven’t read The Hunger Games, not have I seen any of the movies, so I didn’t really know the plot besides hearing that it’s a remake of Battle Royale. Imagine my surprise to find out today what it’s really about! (YouTube link) It is literally about a hungry young woman, Katniss Everdeen, except that she's not hungry enough to accept just any old food. She wants what she wants, and her favorite thing to eat is pita bread. -via Viral Viral Videos

The Story Behind That Classic Photo Of Albert Einstein Sporting Sandals At The Beach Posted: 24 Nov 2015 11:00 AM PST There's an iconic photograph of physicist extraordinaire Albert Einstein sitting on a rock dressed in shorts and open toed sandals, looking a bit like the original hipster. This image has sparked the imagination of science nerds and Einstein fans for decades, and is often used in a "scientists have fun too" kinda way, but what's the real story behind this photo? Turns out this is a snapshot of Albert at the beach wouldn't have happened without this guy: His name is David Rothman, and he owned Rothman's Department Store in Southold, New York, where he sold Einstein a pair of "sundials": In the summer of 1939, Albert Einstein spent his summer on Nassau Point, in Peconic, NY on eastern Long Island. My grandfather, David Rothman, was owner of Rothman’s Department Store in nearby Southold. One June day, Einstein came into the store. Of course, my grandfather recognized him at once. He decided, though, to treat him just like any other customer. “Are you looking for something in particular?” he asked “Sundials,” Einstein said in his thick German accent. Now, Rothman’s has always had a large variety of items—just about everything from housewares, to fishing tackle and bait, to hardware, to toys, to appliances. But no sundials. Not for sale, anyway. But… “I do have one in my back yard,” my grandfather said. He led Einstein—who seems a bit bewildered—to the back yard, to show him the sundial. “If you need one you can have this.” Einstein took one look and began to laugh. He pointed to his feet. “No. Sundials.” Sandals. Those, he had. I'll say this about Einstein- he sure had some nice gams for a guy who spent his days theorizing instead of exercising! -Via Dangerous Minds

Thanksgiving with the Family Posted: 24 Nov 2015 10:00 AM PST Thanksgiving is all about tradition, and one of those traditions is a round of articles on the internet, a few days before the holiday, about how to get along with relatives who insist on discussing sensitive subjects, or else how to put them in their place. Read them at The New York Times, Buzzfeed, Vox, Medium, Saturday Night Live, and The Onion. If none of the tips offered work, you can read about some extreme family drama stories that will make you feel better about the one you have. From the response to these articles, you’d think that no American family can agree on politics, religion, or limits on sharing personal information.     So many Thanksgiving family feasts resemble this 1898 cartoon by Caran d'Ache. the caption to the top image reads, "Above all, let us not discuss the Dreyfus Affair!" and the lower image is captioned, "They have discussed it."  Let’s hope your family can hold off discussing whatever "it" is this year at least until the pie comes to the table. -via Metafilter

Bryan Cranston's Grown Man Boy Band Is Ready To Rock Your World Posted: 24 Nov 2015 09:00 AM PST Those packs of singing and dancing dandies known as boy bands are played out, and even their younger fans' are tired of their choreographed routines, so their days are truly numbered. But who will rise to stand in the spotlight where three to five teenage boys once stood? Bryan Cranston, James Corden and Reggie Watts, that's who, and their Grown Man Boy Band  "M3N NOT BOYS" gives hope to all those middle aged men out there who want to be a teen idol. (YouTube Link) All kidding aside, I want to see more from this amazing trio! -Via Laughing Squid

Thanksgiving Side Dishes by Region Posted: 24 Nov 2015 08:00 AM PST Ask Americans what they’re eating on Thanksgiving, and the overwhelming majority (82% here) will say turkey, usually with dressing and gravy. Sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie are pretty universal, too. But there are regional differences in what people select to put on the table, especially in side dishes. FiveThirtyEight held an online poll, crunched the numbers, and came up with a map showing which side dish is disproportionally popular in various regions of the U.S. These aren’t the only dishes that show regional variance. Going deeper, the Southeast is the definitive home of canned cranberry sauce; respondents from the region are 50 percent more likely to pick that over the homemade variety. The Middle Atlantic states disproportionately have cauliflower as a side — 17 percent in the region versus 9 percent nationwide — while Texas and central Southern states see cornbread as far more necessary than the rest of the country, with 40 percent of respondents from those regions having it at dinner, compared with only 28 percent of the nation. It makes sense to me, because Thanksgiving is all about food tradition. Cornbread was once a staple of every meal in the South, whereas fresh cranberries were hard to find down here before modern food transport methods were in place. So we eat what our grandparents ate 50 years ago, more so on Thanksgiving than other days. That said, I only serve macaroni and cheese at Thanksgiving when there are little children around. Read more about the various regional Thanksgiving side dishes at FiveThirtyEight. -via Marilyn Terrell

You're Sure To Have A Happy Holidays In These 25 Festive T-Shirts Posted: 24 Nov 2015 07:00 AM PST True Meaning by Machmigo There's no turning back now- the 2015 holiday season is upon us, and soon the gift giving bonanza will begin. But there's good news for both givers and receivers- the NeatoShop has every kind of torso cover you could possibly need, from shirts for kids to tees and hoodies for adults to tiny dog tees for your furry friends. And with thousands of designs to choose from, and more designs added every day, it's easy to handle your holiday shopping for less at the NeatoShop! When the temperature starts to drop a few degrees each day Droid To The World by DC Visual Arts And the world becomes blanketed with white snow Snowmen Hate Winter by FnC Works People start getting together with friends and family to celebrate stuff The Griffsons by Cart00nlion Holiday cheer is in the air Holly Jolly Hydra by Monsterobots But some don't see the holidays as a magical time of year Mr. Christmas by Warbucks Design They are victims of the holiday humbugs Mad Mistletoe by PolySciGuy And need a little help to get into the spirit of the season Murray Christmas 2015 by Legendary Phoenix But with all the gift giving and gladness going on Snakes Are Awesome by Hillary White And all that delicious food everywhere Elf Food Pyramid Holiday Sweater by Fishbiscuit Those grumpy humbuggers soon find themselves forced into the spirit of the season Those Cookies Are Mine by DC Visual Arts Which puts them off the naughty list and stops that incoming delivery of coal Merry Dusty Christmas! by Soulful Santa is not one to be messed with Santa's Gym by CarloJ1956 And he has eyes everywhere Not Not Santa by Fishbiscuit So do like the old adage says and be good for goodness' sake! Be Good For Goodness' Sake by Boggs Nicolas Or you can just let it all hang out and see what you get Flashing Through The Snow (With Text) by JVZ Designs But all it takes is one wrong move to end up back on the naughty list Scary Santa by Dooomcat Risking a visit from a different, and deadlier, form of Santa RoboSanta 2000 by Doodle Dojo So it's probably best to keep your nose clean until the New Year arrives Keep The Change by In Stank We Trust And worship Santa like he's the god of groovy gifts! Worship Santa by Hillary White Of course, not everyone digs the Santa scene A Festivus For The Rest Of Us by In Stank We Trust But you've gotta be heartless to hold it against this entire time of year HEARTLESS by Ouno Because the holidays are all about having fun your way SuperHolidays! by Captain RibMan So get out there and deck the halls with Daleks if you so desire Da-Lek The Halls by Manny Peters Art + Design Because it's not the holidays without lots of ho-ho-hos! Jingle Bells, Someone Smells, Someone Laid An Egg by Rocky Davies Get your holiday shopping in gear the geeky way, by buying a t-shirt or hoodie from the NeatoShop! You'll find the perfect gifts for all the people on your list at the NeatoShop, and probably something you'll want to grab for yourself, too. So get to shopping the super fun and easy way- at the NeatoShop!

Glamour Photography of the 1950s Posted: 24 Nov 2015 06:00 AM PST This group of glamour shots from the 1950s may create a nostalgia in viewers for times when beauty standards for women allowed for slightly heavier, curvier models. These bodies have no sharp angles; they are soft and roundly shaped. Their poses and particularly their facial expressions seem attempts to convey innocence and a sort of sweet naiveté not found in modern photography of this type.  See a collection of glamour photos circa the 1950s at Vintage Everyday.  Images via Glamour Daze

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