Neatorama

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• Teddy Bear Picnic - What A Terrible Day To Be A Toy
• Anime Recommendations and Open Thread
• 10 Unsung Heroes Behind the Original <i>Star Wars</i> Movie
• One Inmate's Perspective on Cooking in Prison
• Amazon Prime Air
• The 365 Challenge: Artists Who Make Something Every Day for an Entire Year
• Americapox: The Missing Plague
• Finding Your Purpose
• Americans Watch Anime For The First Time
• Brothers Rescue Bald Eagle, Take Selfie
• Lions Play Laziest Game of Ball Ever
• SF Selfie - Social Media Has Hit The Streets
• Wacky Big Mac Videos From McDonald's Dubsmash Competition In Malaysia
• 22 Fun Facts About <i>Scrooged</i>
• Security Guards Report The Strangest Things They’ve Seen On Camera
• Dreams: Potential vs. Reality
• Japanese Railroad Creates Turtle Tunnels

Teddy Bear Picnic - What A Terrible Day To Be A Toy Posted: 30 Nov 2015 04:00 AM PST Teddy Bear Picnic by Dooomcat When the teddy bears came to the teddy bear picnic they were expecting to eat gummy berries, sip on chamomile tea and discuss any new rips, tears, repairs or button eyes they might have. Many of the bears had left their human owners and hobbled for miles to reach what was supposed to be the event of the year for plush toys. But the picnic had been turned into a massacre thanks to a particularly violent strain of stuffing virus, which turned the afflicted into savage seam ripping beasts who hungered for fresh fluff.... Show the world what really happened went they all went down to the woods with this Teddy Bear Picnic t-shirt by Dooomcat, it's so cute people will want to eat you all up when they see you wearing this dark and funny tee! Visit Dooomcat's Facebook fan page and official website, then head on over to her NeatoShop for more delightfully geeky designs: The Origin Of Rainbows Zombie Trick Or Treat Super Bechdal Test Cyberpunk Beatdown View more designs by Dooomcat | 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!

Anime Recommendations and Open Thread Posted: 30 Nov 2015 04:00 AM PST (The No Face t-shirt on sale at the NeatoShop) Every few months, after watching more anime than is probably a good idea, I make viewing recommendations and ask Neatorama readers to suggest their own. Let's do it again! When I first heard of School-Live, I didn't bother with it because, at only a glance, it looked like an insipid schoolgirl slice-of-life comedy. Boy, was I wrong! I'm glad that I took the advice of one of my students and watched School-Live. It's a brilliantly conceived and perfectly directed story. I don't want to say too much because it will give away the premise. But at the very end of the first episode, viewers realize something very important. The main character, through whom we encounter the story, is an unreliable narrator. Her world is anything but happy and joyful. One of my favorites over the past few months has been the series Overlord. It's a very inventive story with an addictive plot. A computer gamer who has spent years enjoying an online RPG is saddened to see it shut down after declining in popularity. He spent countless hours going on raids and making friends, eventually building a very high-level character. When the online world is finally closed and the servers turned off, he finds that he's now living inside that world. He's now Momonga, an animated skeleton that he has played in the game for several years. Momonga faces the challenges of exploring and adapting to this new life. Richard Eisenbeis, Kotaku's anime critic, creates indispensable seasonal anime guides. They're great starting points for exploring new anime. When he recommends a second look, I do it. And I was not disappointed when I followed his suggestion to watch Charlotte. It's a superhero story, but unlike most. The setting is an inverted version of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. These teenagers develop superpowers with puberty . . . but then lose them as adolescence ends. And their superpowers are useful, but are usually matched with serious limitations. Charlotte is a bit darker than I normally go for, but it's a compelling story that kept me clicking for the next episode. Shomin Sample isn't innovative--it's a straightforward harem show. But it's consistently funny and charming. Kimito is an ordinary teenage boy. In fact, statistically speaking, he's perfectly average. So he's come to the attention of an elite boarding school for the nation's wealthiest and most refined girls. The students don't know how to interact with common (non-upper class) people after graduation--aside from servants. So the school kidnapped Kimito to serve as a "sample commoner." He's the only guy at a girls' school. The school administrators mistakenly believe that Kimito is gay, so he's not a threat to their girls. Kimito can't get involved in romance because the administrators threaten to, uh, nip that problem should it come up. Like the Seinfeld sitcom, the slice-of-life genre consists of stories about nothing. So it's never taken up my attention. But I made an exception for Is the Order a Rabbit?, mostly because I like rabbits. I'm glad that I did. It's an amusing show about . . . well, nothing of consequence. The characters are friends who work at various cafes around a town. Rabbit themes and motifs are everywhere and appear as the girls go about the activities of daily life, such as studying for school, shopping, and playing games. And yet I kept on watching. I'm not sure why, but I did and enjoyed the experience. What anime have you seen? Which series or movies do you recommend that other people try?

10 Unsung Heroes Behind the Original <i>Star Wars</i> Movie Posted: 30 Nov 2015 03:00 AM PST While we often think of Star Wars as George Lucas’ baby, it took a whole lot of different people with money, power, and/or talent to get that first movie to the silver screen in 1977. Almost forty years on, many of their contributions have been forgotten, or or they never got the recognition they deserve. Some were well-known already, like Francis Ford Coppola and Brian De Palma, and some are known mainly within their craft or area of expertise. Others are sort of in between, like film editor Marcia Lucas.  George's wife from 1969 to 1983, Marcia Lucas' influence on American Graffiti and the Star Wars trilogy was profound. Although Marcia Lucas was nominated (along with Verna Fields) for an Oscar for her editing work on American Graffiti, Marcia wasn't originally working on Star Wars in the late 70s. While George labored on his space opera, Marcia worked with Martin Scorsese on Taxi Driver. But as production on Star Wars wound on, Lucas realised that the editor he'd originally hired (John Jympson) wasn't cutting the film together with enough creative verve. Jympson was duly replaced by three new editors, Paul Hirsch, Richard Chew, and Marcia Lucas. Together, they took Star Wars to pieces and put it back together in a way that conveyed the pace the story clearly required. One of the key sequences Marcia worked on was the final assault on the Death Star. Knowing that it was one of the pivotal moments in the movie, she took it apart and re-ordered the scenes to give it a greater flow and build-up. Marcia and George's subsequent break-up has often left her overlooked, but her contribution to the Star Wars franchise shouldn't be underestimated. While she shared an Oscar with Hirsch and Chew for her editing work, Marcia's efforts went beyond the technical. For years, she was George's closest and most honest critic, telling him frankly which parts of his story worked and which ones didn't. When George struggled with what to do with Obi Wan Kenobi's character towards the end of Star Wars, it was Marcia who came up with the idea of killing him off. Conversely, Marcia encouraged George to keep some of Star Wars' more humane moments, too. Leia's "Kiss me for good luck" line to Luke was nearly edited out, until Marcia convinced him to leave it in. Meet nine more of the people who brought us Star Wars, at Den of Geek.

One Inmate's Perspective on Cooking in Prison Posted: 30 Nov 2015 02:00 AM PST Uncle Paulie slices garlic for a prison feast in Goodfellas | Image: Warner Bros. When one thinks of inmates cooking in prison, an image that often comes to mind is the scene in Scorsese's Goodfellas, in which the gang on the inside gathers to cook a large, delicious meal complete with wine, Italian bread and the works. But obviously, no one eats well in prison besides the "VIP" inmates. What's the experience of most? Esquire makes a list of eight from a detailed feature in Thrillist, based on an interview with former inmate Daniel Genis, who gives us the nitty gritty. With the emphasis on gritty:  1. The most common food inmates eat in prison is instant ramen, which is called "crackhead soup" because it's the cheapest thing you can buy in the commissary at 10 cents a pack. Turns out prison isn't all that different from college. 2. It's not like prison cells come equipped with a stove, though, so in order to cook the ramen, inmates rely on a little trick called "the stinger." To make one, all you need is cold water from the tap, an electrical outlet, nail clippers, a power cord, and "the courage to drop a live wire into a cup of water." Read more of Genis' anecdotes about correctional institution cuisine here.

Amazon Prime Air Posted: 30 Nov 2015 01:00 AM PST They’ve been talking about it for months, and it looks like Amazon is serious about its drone delivery system called Prime Air. Jeremy Clarkson explains how it will work. (YouTube link) I suppose you’ll have to  live within 15 miles of an Amazon warehouse to take advantage of drone delivery. That’s a pretty small customer base, but I guess you have to start somewhere. When will it happen? When all regulatory agencies are satisfied with the plan. So, we have no idea. -via Viral Viral Videos

The 365 Challenge: Artists Who Make Something Every Day for an Entire Year Posted: 30 Nov 2015 12:00 AM PST (Photo: Cameron Butler/Washington Post) This is Devon "Bosco" Farr. He's a manager at BookPeople, an independent bookstore in Austin, Texas. Every day for the past year, Farr has eaten a taco. He's part of an emerging trend among creative people. It can be hard to fit in artistic work while trying to earn a living and going about the other chores of normal life. In response, many artists, as a disciplinary practice, create a small object or perform an inventive task every day for an entire year. We've already seen the fruits of this labor. Every day, Noah Scalin created a skull-themed piece of art. Stian Korntved Ruud made a wooden spoon. Tanaka Tatsuya made a miniature diorama. And there are many more. Gillian Brockell of the Washington Post talked to several artists engaging in 365 projects, including Lauren Rapp, who makes little chairs out of many different media: For Rapp, it all started in December 2014 with a failed attempt to finish the “The Artist’s Way,” the 1992 self-help workbook that’s supposed to jump-start your creative side. Rapp, who was frustrated and barely getting by with freelance Web consulting gigs, had been meeting with friends to do the workbook, hoping accountability to a group would push her through to the end. Something, anything, to break the procrastination. “We made it through three or four sessions,” she says, laughing . “And then, you know, people get busy. Life gets busy.” The book encourages meditation, so after what ended up being the last group session, she sat for 10 minutes, “which to me can be an eternity.” “And during the meditation, during my wandering thoughts, I just thought it would be cool to make a little chair for my bookshelf, for a decoration,” she recalls. “Then I thought, ‘Well, you’re supposed to be meditating, not thinking about this!’ ” Eventually, Rapp realized that her way of mediating was to make chairs. -via Marilyn Bellamy

Americapox: The Missing Plague Posted: 29 Nov 2015 10:00 PM PST Diseases brought by Europeans wiped out 90% of the people living in the New World, which allowed conquest and colonization. That happens when long-isolated populations meet for the first time. Have you ever wondered why it didn’t go the other way? Why didn’t New World diseases wreak havoc on Europeans? (YouTube link) CGP Grey explains how the differences between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres over the long history of civilization left us with plague, typhus, cholera, smallpox, and other diseases, but no “Americapox.” The transcript is at Grey’s website, and there’s a discussion at his subreddit. -via Geeks Are Sexy

Finding Your Purpose Posted: 29 Nov 2015 08:00 PM PST (Lunarbaboon) Your life could serve as an inspiration for others. Or it could be a warning. But no matter what you do, in even small ways, you can help other people find fulfilllment and joy. So go out and do good in the world today.

Americans Watch Anime For The First Time Posted: 29 Nov 2015 06:00 PM PST It's hard to imagine anybody who grew up watching cartoons in the last thirty five years or so could have completely avoided watching any anime, but believe it or not poor anime deprived souls are out there. They have no idea what their eyeballs have been missing by not being exposed to anime, but now thanks to BuzzFeedVideo they've seen the light...and a few of them might be scarred for life because they watched Attack On Titan. (YouTube Link) If you're an anime fan you might find this video exasperating, but thank your lucky stars you don't have to watch your favorite anime series with these vapid viewers! -Via Dorkly

Brothers Rescue Bald Eagle, Take Selfie Posted: 29 Nov 2015 04:00 PM PST Neil and Michael Fletcher, brothers from Sudbury, Ontario, found a bald eagle with one foot stuck in a hunting trap. They approached the skittish bird and draped a sweater over its head. The eagle eventually calmed down enough so that the brothers could open the trap and remove the bird. "The eagle was actually holding on to [the trap] and we were having a hard time getting him to let go," [Neil Fletcher] said. Once the eagle's foot was out of the trap, Neil suggested they take a selfie with it. "I knew this would never happen again, so before we let it go, I told my brother Michael, 'we should take a picture with it.' The bird had its mouth open, but he never tried to fly or bite or do anything," he said. "It made it pretty easy [for us to] take a picture with it." After documenting the rescue, they released the eagle. Chris Blomme of the Sudbury Ornithological Society said it was a brave thing to do. The story at CBC News has videos of the rescue and the release. -via Fark (Image credit: Neil and Michael Fletcher via Ann Fletcher/Facebook)

Lions Play Laziest Game of Ball Ever Posted: 29 Nov 2015 02:00 PM PST (Video Link) The three lions are playing ball--just barely. In contrast with a fast-paced game of human soccer, the trio remain firmly affixed to the floor. To make it worse, the lion on the left appears to be gesturing for a substitution. He needs a breather. -via Tastefully Offensive

SF Selfie - Social Media Has Hit The Streets Posted: 29 Nov 2015 12:00 PM PST SF Selfie by Louisros When the selfie craze reached the Street Fighter universe it immediately started causing all kinds of problems, mostly because that stretchy goofball Dhalsim wouldn't put his phone down and fight! The other fighters found it unfair to be KOd by a guy kicking you from across the ring while staring at a screen, so Blanka hatched a plan to destroy his phone once and for all. He crept up while Dhalsim wasn't paying attention and quickly shocked the heck out of him, fragging the phone in the process. The fighters cheered and tried to get back to battling, but Dhalsim interrupted by saying "Hey, can I borrow somebody's phone" Ignite the yoga fire within you with this SF Selfie by Louisros, it's the easiest way to get a PERFECT score in geeky style. Visit Louisros's Facebook fan page,Twitter and Tumblr, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more action packed designs: Woodblock Kakarot Darumarrio Like A Bowse No Speed View more designs by Louisros | More Video Game 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!

Wacky Big Mac Videos From McDonald's Dubsmash Competition In Malaysia Posted: 29 Nov 2015 12:00 PM PST McDonald's runs some pretty lame ad campaigns here in the U.S., but overseas they run all kinds of crazy promotions that make them look a heck of a lot cooler than some commercial aimed at hipsters. (Via Instagram user ryukayen) The McDonald's corp recently ran a promotion in Malaysia where customers could score a free Big Mac if they submitted a recording of themselves singing the song "Sama-Sama Big Mac" using the Dubsmash voice dubbing app. (Via Instagram user tc_danny123) The entrants were obviously hungry for a Big Mac, because their entries were creative, rehearsed and some look like they took a lot of work. Perhaps they had all fallen victim to a Big Mac Attack? (Via Instagram user chrizooi) You can see all of the contest entries here -Via Mashable

22 Fun Facts About <i>Scrooged</i> Posted: 29 Nov 2015 10:00 AM PST The Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol has been adapted in many different ways. In 1988, it was made into a comedy! The characters were brought into the modern world, and the plot centered around Bill Murray. However, his character’s name wasn’t Ebenezer Scrooge, but Frank Cross, a TV executive overseeing a live Christmas Eve presentation of A Christmas Carol. Despite all the changes, we still see a greedy, cynical man visited by three ghosts who lead him to understand the spirit of Christmas. There’s a lot of behind the scenes trivia you might not know about what went into making Scrooged.   1. THE FILM MARKED BILL MURRAY’S RETURN TO THE BIG SCREEN. Though it’s easy to remember the 1980s as a decade packed with Bill Murray comedies, Scrooged marked a reemergence of sorts of the in-demand comedian. Though he had a brief cameo in Frank Oz’s 1986 remake of Little Shop of Horrors (playing a pain-seeking patient of Orin Scrivello, Steve Martin’s demented dentist character), Scrooged was Murray’s first major role following a self-imposed, four-year exile from Hollywood. 6. THE MOVIE WAS AN SNL REUNION OF SORTS. The script for Scrooged was written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue, whom Murray had worked with in the early days of Saturday Night Live. 7. EVEN PAUL SHAFFER WAS THERE. Before he rose to fame as David Letterman’s musical director, Paul Shaffer was a member of the SNL house band from 1975 to 1980 and appeared in a number of sketches, most notably as the piano player to Murray’s Nick the Lounge Singer character. He makes a cameo in Scrooged as a street musician, where he plays alongside fellow musical legends Miles Davis, David Sanborn, and Larry Carlton. That’s just a taste of the 22 Fun Facts About Scrooged you’ll find at mental_floss.

Security Guards Report The Strangest Things They’ve Seen On Camera Posted: 29 Nov 2015 08:00 AM PST Video Surveillance Camera | Image: Author name unknown / Wikimedia Commons Yet another gem from Ask Reddit: a security guard tell-all. What sort of oddities show up on surveillance camera footage or is observed by security personnel on the job? As it turns out, oddities of all shapes, sizes and species. Read some examples below, and check out all of the responses at Reddit. Via Uproxx “While working at a department store at the end of a strip mall, I saw a bobcat run past the doors, heading towards Target. Several seconds later, I saw a mother, father, and two children go running past in the same direction. A few minutes later, the family walked back past the doors, with the father carrying the bobcat. A big, f*ck off bobcat. It was kinda odd.” -OliverFriends “I saw 3 casino floor waitresses go to a storeroom behind a bar the pulling their tops down and comparing breast sizes and feeling each other for bounciness. Apparently one of them just got implants and they were comparing them to the real thing. This went on for over 5 minutes then they pulled their tops back up and went to work like it was nothing.” - ChewedGummieBears “Doing a stroll through the parking lot of a factory I was a guard at once. Noticed some commotion in a vehicle, so I shined my flashlight into the window. I busted Manager A with Manager B’s wife. It was slightly awkward.” -Bmc00 I worked at a hotel and we had a group of college kids come ask us if we had security footage of the pool area between 3-5 a.m. They were all excited about it so we pulled it up. At around 3 a.m. you see them sneak in and about 30 minutes later they started a drunken belly flop competition and wanted us to tell them who won. One of them did about five perfect belly flops in a row. I am talking NO FEAR, grade A belly flops. We told him that he won and he raised his hands up in celebration, got a funny look on his face and ran outside to puke.”  -General HF

Dreams: Potential vs. Reality Posted: 29 Nov 2015 07:00 AM PST Have you ever tried to direct your dreams? Think of something wonderful as you are falling asleep to see if it stays in your brain. Well, your brain has different ideas. Sarah Andersen illustrates that terrifically in the latest comic at Sarah’s Scribbles.

Japanese Railroad Creates Turtle Tunnels Posted: 29 Nov 2015 06:00 AM PST (Photos: Suma Aqualife Park) Rocket News 24 reports that railroads in Japan have a problem: turtles wander onto their tracks and get stuck between the switching rails. When the switches flip, they fail to close completely due to the turtles' bodies. This causes train accidents. It's an unpleasant experience for the turtles, too. For a solution, the West Japan Railway Company teamed up with the Suma Aqualife Park in Kobe. They designed and built tunnels that allow turtles to walk under the rails completely. Since this system was implemented in April, people have spotted at least 10 turtles using the tunnels.

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