Neatorama

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• A McDonald's in France Dealt Pot From Their Drive-Through Window
• The Chinese Village of Long-Haired Rapunzels
• Workers Discover 19th-Century Burial Grounds Under Greenwich Village, NYC
• Star Wars Lego AT-ST Walker Destroyed
• The McDonald’s Paddle-Through Window
• These Sad Robot Paintings Will Tug At Your Coronary Circuits
• Don’t Worry, I'm Wearing
• Lord Of The Dark Side - The Space In Vader
• The Last Name of “Null” Gives This Man Problems with Computers
• Watch Two Men With Jetpacks Fly Alongside an Airbus A380
• Who Is the Actual Worst?
• Ancient <i>Star Wars</i> Statues
• Did the CIA's Experiments With Psychedelic Drugs Unwittingly Create the Grateful Dead?
• Simon's Cat in Pug Life
• Fire Rainbow Cloud
• Time Out, or Not Time Out
• How Mac Tonight Became The King Of Fast Food Commercials
• 17 Pioneering Facts About <i>Little House on the Prairie</i>
• It's A Spinal Trap - With Fishface On Tamborine
• The World's Most Luxurious Dollhouse Goes on Display for the First Time
• How to Build a Robot That Will Feed You Breakfast
• World's Largest Cat Painting Sells for $826,000
• Shenanigans in the Galactic Empire
• Weird Al Stars In Every Sports Press Conference Ever
• 9 Non-Edible Ways to Use Foods Around Your House

A McDonald's in France Dealt Pot From Their Drive-Through Window Posted: 06 Nov 2015 04:00 AM PST Image: Paolo Neo A McDonald's restaurant near Lyon, France was allegedly serving up their own unique version of the Happy Meal through their drive through window, according to workers that reported the activity. Some employees claim that a group of approximately eight of their coworkers cut up, measured, bagged and distributed dime bags of marijuana via the drive through.  Customers who wanted the drugs texted certain employees, arranging times to show up at the restaurant. One detail that likely led to the whistle being blown was the fact that late-night parties featuring drugs, booze and card games were regularly taking place at the restaurant at night.  Read more on this story at French site The Local. Via Grub Street

The Chinese Village of Long-Haired Rapunzels Posted: 06 Nov 2015 03:00 AM PST (Photo: Vberger) Huanglou, a village in the Guangxi Province of China, has a unique cultural practice: the women cut their hair only once during their entire lives. Otherwise, they let it grow up to 7 feet long. They are masters of the care of very long hair, using their own particular shampoo developed over the centuries. The Red Yao women, as they are known due to their red clothing, maintain very precise practices for how their hair is arranged and displayed. It’s cut only once, when a girl turns 18, and eventually becomes a gift to her husband when she marries. The way that she wears her hair indicates her family status. Messy Nessy Chic explains: For example, if the hair is wrapped like a circular tray on top of her head, it means she is married but has no children. If she is married with children, she’ll wear a bun at the front of her wrapped style– perhaps to represent a baby bump? I’d like to think it’s a play on “bun in the oven”! If she wears a scarf around her head, with her hair remaining hidden, it means she is looking for a husband, who traditionally, would be the only man with the privilege to see her hair in all its beauty. Nowadays, once she’s married at least, the people of Huangluo seem to be a little more comfortable with sharing that beauty with the world. Indeed they are. Huangluo has become a popular tourist destination as people travel to see the famous Red Yao women and their luxurious hair. You can see more photos of them at Messy Nessy Chic.

Workers Discover 19th-Century Burial Grounds Under Greenwich Village, NYC Posted: 06 Nov 2015 02:00 AM PST City workers digging to improve water mains beneath Greenwich Village in Manhattan recently made a historical find when they uncovered two burial sites that date back to the 19th century. The first discovery, a vault containing ten human skeletons, led to the finding of a second tomb, which contained 20 intact coffins. The site, in an eastern section of Washington Square Park, will be excavated with the help of anthropologists and archaeologists. Those professionals, in cooperation with the New York City Landmarks and Preservation Commission, will work to ascertain the historical significance of the burial place.  Read more on this story at The New York Post. Images: NYC Department of Design and Construction

Star Wars Lego AT-ST Walker Destroyed Posted: 06 Nov 2015 01:00 AM PST Remember the scene in Return of the Jedi where the Ewoks aimed two logs at an AT-ST Walker and obliterated it? These guys recreated that scene with a LEGO walker. They shot the destruction with a high-speed camera so we get to watch it in glorious slow motion. It took three hours and over 1,000 LEGO pieces to built the model, and less than a second to wreck it. (YouTube link) I was just a little disappointed that it wasn’t actually in the forest of Endor, or anywhere else. But George Lucas used a green screen for much of the forest warfare, so that’s actually the most authentic way to recreate the movie scene. See the making-of video, too. -via Geeks Are Sexy

The McDonald’s Paddle-Through Window Posted: 06 Nov 2015 12:00 AM PST Redditor Pinehearst writes, “The McDonald’s in my town got flooded This was the result.” It’s more likely the town flooded, but the McDonald’s stayed dry and open for business. Good for the staff! This photo comes from Port Lincoln, South Australia, which has recently experienced flooding as the result of heavy rain. The McDonald’s crew was helpful when Tamara Baker, 18, paddled up to the drive-through window for some food. The Daily Mail quotes her: Tamara said McDonalds staff were impressed by her creativity and determination as she paddled through the drive-thru. 'They all just sort of laughed and said `this is the best thing. No one thought a kayak would come through the drive through',' she said. But the teenager was shocked when her snap when viral. 'I didn't expect that at all. I thought maybe my friends would see it and have a laugh but nope. It's mental,' Tamara said. -via First We Feast

These Sad Robot Paintings Will Tug At Your Coronary Circuits Posted: 05 Nov 2015 11:00 PM PST Why do images of sad robots tug at our heartstrings more than pics of sad people? Maybe it's the fact that robots aren't supposed to have emotions, so we feel for those robotic units which were somehow constructed with the capacity to feel. Or maybe it's because their rigid metal faces weren't made to form expressions, and yet even without facial features you can tell just how a robot is feeling by observing its body language. Regardless of why you sympathize with sad robots you'll find lots of feels in this beautiful series of sad robot paintings by Matt Dixon, a guy who has been creating poignant droid paintings since 2006. Matt doesn't always paint portraits of sad robots, but when he does he gets all hopped up on 10W-30 and cries motor oil tears to get himself in the proper mood. See more from My Lonely Robots here

Don’t Worry, I'm Wearing Posted: 05 Nov 2015 10:00 PM PST Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura made a series of videos in which he instructs a man on how to strike a pose that will make him appear butt naked, even though he is wearing underpants. This video is in English, which he doesn’t really speak, but that’s part of its charm. (YouTube link) First, you think, “Why would anyone do this?” Then you realize that this is the kind of thing that the internet was invented for. Don’t worry; he’s wearing. The Thai and Korean versions have a lot more poses, possibly because he can talk faster in those languages. -via Tastefully Offensive

Lord Of The Dark Side - The Space In Vader Posted: 05 Nov 2015 09:00 PM PST Lord Of The Dark Side by Nicko Designs The Dark Side was nothing before he rose to power, and would surely start fading to gray after his demise, but while the Sith Lord held sway over the Emperor he made a name for himself virtually written in the stars. Darth the destroyer, Vader the invader, Lord Sith shiny helmet- they called him these names and more as he rose through the ranks, but once he'd reached the top of the Empire food chain the name calling ceased, replaced by force choking and lightsaber lesions... Celebrate the most badass villain in sci-fi history with this Lord Of The Dark side t-shirt by Nicko Designs, it's one powerfully cool design! Visit Nicko Designs's Facebook fan page, official website, Instagram and Tumblr, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more mighty geeky designs: The Incredible Titan Death Mountain Wrestling Oh Captain, My Captain I Ain't Afraid Of No Demons View more designs by Nicko Designs | More Movie T-shirts | New T-Shirts Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

The Last Name of “Null” Gives This Man Problems with Computers Posted: 05 Nov 2015 09:00 PM PST (Error t-shirt on sale at the NeatoShop) Christopher Null of Wired has a problem. Or, rather, computers have a problem with his last name: But there’s a dark side to being a Null, and you coders out there are way ahead of me on this. For those of you unwise in the ways of programming, the problem is that “null” is one of those famously “reserved” text strings in many programming languages. Making matters worse is that software programs frequently use “null” specifically to ensure that a data field is not empty, so it’s often rejected as input in a web form. So Null’s name alone often induces computer errors: Sometimes, my name leads to harmless hilarity, particularly when mailing lists don’t know what to do with the word. American Express is probably the biggest perpetrator, regularly sending junk mail to my house addressed to my business—but dropping the “Null” from the name. The company called “Media LLC” is often helmed by a mysterious gentleman who is addressed only as “Mr.” He’s had to unofficially change his name in small ways to get it to register in some systems: Turning my last name into a combination of my middle name and last name, or middle initial and last name, sometimes works, but only if the website doesn’t choke on multi-word last names. My usual trick is to simply add a period to my name: “Null.” This not only gets around many “null” error blocks, it also adds a sense of finality to my birthright. We used to have a problem like this at my library. An application that we used required patron last names to be at least 3 letters long. But some last names of Vietnamese origin have only 2 letters. This caused the system to reject their name entries. -via Kevin D. Williamson

Watch Two Men With Jetpacks Fly Alongside an Airbus A380 Posted: 05 Nov 2015 08:00 PM PST YouTube Link In this footage presented by Emirates and Jetman Dubai, ex-fighter pilot Yves Rossy (previously at Neatorama) and parachuter Vince Reffet execute a carefully planned and choreographed "dance" around a 238-foot long Emirates A380 — the largest passenger airliner in existence — as it flies over Dubai. Preparation for the stunt took three months. See the details of the project in the video below. Via Mashable YouTube Link

Who Is the Actual Worst? Posted: 05 Nov 2015 07:00 PM PST Who is the worst character on television? The Atlantic wants your vote to determine who it is. They don’t mean a “poor” character, one that’s badly fleshed out, uninteresting, or the victim of bad acting. They mean a person of loathsome quality, the kind you might enjoy on TV, but you’d never want to encounter in real life.   “Worst,” by its nature as a superlative adjective, should be easy to define, but TV’s Golden Age being what it is, there’s a lot to consider. Should the title of actual worst go to someone like Game of Thrones’s Ramsay Bolton, a psychopath and sadist with an almost unparalleled propensity for cruelty; or to House of Cards’s Claire Underwood, who threatens an employee with what amounts to infanticide? Or should it go to Homeland’s Carrie, for being a terrible spy and sleeping with all her sources, or Scandal’s Fitz, for being the worst president (and married lover) in recent memory? Is the #actualworst character someone viewers love to hate or hate to love? Is it Lucious Lyon or Piper Chapman? Hannah Horvath or Walter White? The 32 contenders were culled from reader suggestions. Find links to a character profile for each of the contenders and the voting links here. See the entire bracket here.

Ancient <i>Star Wars</i> Statues Posted: 05 Nov 2015 06:00 PM PST French artist Travis Durden loves two things: modern pop culture and ancient art. He’s combined them brilliantly in highly realistic 3d models that look like ancient Greco-Roman marble statues . . . of Star Wars characters! The theme makes a lot of sense, as Star Was did occur not in the future, but a long time ago. So Yoda fits as Cupid, Boba Fett as a dying Gaul, and Darth Vader as a Roman patrician. -via The Mary Sue

Did the CIA's Experiments With Psychedelic Drugs Unwittingly Create the Grateful Dead? Posted: 05 Nov 2015 05:00 PM PST The title is a long question, but the answer is pretty much yes, although I would use the word “inspire” or “lead to” instead of “create.” The connection between the CIA and the Grateful Dead falls squarely on the shoulders of Ken Kesey. That’s author Ken Kesey, who wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and was later the subject of Tom Wolfe’s nonfiction book The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Kesey had volunteered to be a subject in the CIA’s drug experiments in 1959, where he learned about LSD. He was impressed enough to organize a series of parties to share LSD with  others, and opening the events, called Acid Tests, to the public. LSD wasn’t outlawed until 1966. Jerry Garcia and the band that eventually became known as The Grateful Dead played at some of those parties in 1965, where full participation was expected.   For Garcia, the ability of the Acid Tests to stop the world for a while and then remind you that it was still spinning was one of its key lessons. The Acid Tests, he says in Signpost, were “our first exposure to formlessness. Formlessness and chaos lead to new forms. And new order. Closer to, probably, what the real order is. When you break down the old orders and the old forms and leave them broken and shattered, you suddenly find yourself a new space with new form and new order which are more like the way it is. More like the flow.” To put Garcia’s formulation in terms a contemporary Silicon Valley venture capitalist might understand, LSD was a disruptive technology, except that instead of upending mere transactions such as hailing a cab or renting a hotel room, the things being disrupted were the basic conventions of society, which is why mainstream America was, and remains, so terrified of the drug. Looking back from 50 years later, it’s hard to determine the date the band began using the name The Grateful Dead, but a chronology of their participation in the Acid Tests tries to nail it down at Collectors Weekly. And aren’t you glad it turned out the way it did: the group that used the name The Warlocks at the time also considered the names Vanilla Plumbago and Mythical Ethical Icicle Tricycle. (Image source: Grateful Dead Archive)

Simon's Cat in Pug Life Posted: 05 Nov 2015 04:00 PM PST YouTube Link In this latest episode of Simon's Cat, the cat is trapped in the dreaded "cone of shame." The cone not only proves to be shameful, but it prevents the cat from doing practically anything it desires to do. Who could have imagined that the cat would discover there is at least one good use for a pug? Via Laughing Squid

Fire Rainbow Cloud Posted: 05 Nov 2015 03:00 PM PST Beckie Bone Dunning was in Ocho Rios, Jamaica when she spotted this amazing sight in the sky. Meteorologist Nick Wiltgen calls the phenomenon "cloud iridescence." He explained to the Daily Telegraph that: "In clouds, iridescence is a by-product of sunlight being diffracted by water droplets or ice crystals, causing the various wavelengths of light, which we see as colours, to emerge at different angles," he said. "As they reach the observer's eye, the observer perceives a pattern of various colours as those different wavelengths reach his or her eye from distinct directions, rather than being jumbled together and appearing whitish."

Time Out, or Not Time Out Posted: 05 Nov 2015 02:00 PM PST Have you ever dealt with a two-year old round the clock? Then you’ve probably seen something like this happen. You might think that the boy doesn’t know what he wants, because he changes his mind constantly. But oh, he does know what he wants. He wants to be mad, but he doesn’t want to admit it. So what he’s doing makes complete sense according to two-year-old logic. (YouTube link) Sooner or later, he’ll be able to either channel his frustrations differently or at least communicate them better. And then eventually, he’ll become a teenager, and use those hard-earned skills to make your life truly miserable. -via Daily Picks and Flicks

How Mac Tonight Became The King Of Fast Food Commercials Posted: 05 Nov 2015 01:00 PM PST TV commercials in the 90s were made at the crossroads of cheesiness, with some stylistically stuck in the 80s and others blazing new trails by using 3D animation to make their brand feel more modern. But there's one beloved TV commercial staple that was still going strong in the 90s, and is still used to this day- the mascot character. The McDonald's corporation has one of the all time best mascots in Ronald McDonald, but by the 90s they were looking for someone fresh to sell the McDonald's dinner scene, a cutting edge character with old school cool. And thus Mac Tonight was born, a moon faced crooner played by actor Doug Jones who shilled burgers by starlight and made Baby Boomers feel groovy about eating at McDonald's again. (YouTube Link) But Mac's rise wasn't as meteoric as you'd imagine, and the character hit a few snags on the way to becoming one of the biggest names in burger advertising. Read Man in the Moon: How Mac Tonight Became The Burger King at mental_floss

17 Pioneering Facts About <i>Little House on the Prairie</i> Posted: 05 Nov 2015 12:00 PM PST The TV series Little House on the Prairie ran for nine years and became a symbol of wholesome family television. Don’t tell Grandma, but things weren’t quite so wholesome behind the scenes. The production of the Ingalls family saga was a completely different story. 6. LAURA AND MANLY’S LACK OF CHEMISTRY WAS A CAUSE FOR CONCERN AMONG THE PRODUCERS. A “secret” memo was circulated at one point discussing the romantic pairings on the show; Laura and Almanzo just didn’t look like they were in love, and couldn’t the actors do something to generate some “sparks” between the two of them? The same memo pointed out that when Nellie and Percival were together they “looked like they f*** like crazed weasels.” Unbeknownst to the production staff, Steve Tracy, who played Nellie’s husband Percival, was gay. But he and Alison Arngrim were great friends and used to swap passionate, open-mouth kisses during their love scenes just because they knew it grossed Melissa Gilbert out. 16. ADULT BEVERAGES WERE ENJOYED BY CAST AND CREW DURING THE WORKDAY. Alison Arngrim often caught a nap during her breaks in the prop truck, and it was there while she was hunkered down on the front seat that she overheard Michael Landon say “Hit me” to propman Ron Chiniquy at the rear of the truck. She lifted her head to peek and saw Chiniquy pour the requested four fingers of Wild Turkey into Landon’s coffee cup, even though it was only 10 a.m. She later found out from Ron that the crew usually went through two cases of Coors beer per day while working. Particularly stressful days, when rewrites and retakes were necessary, were referred to as “three-case days.” After filming was wrapped for the day, a makeshift bar with hard liquor was set up on a sawhorse for the “real” unwinding to begin. Yet both Alison and Melissa Gilbert report that despite all the alcohol consumption going on, no one (cast nor crew) ever appeared the least bit tipsy, nor did their work suffer. Other stories from the Little House on the Prairie set involve vanity, adultery, toxic waste, and Sean Penn’s first acting role. Read it all at mental_floss.

It's A Spinal Trap - With Fishface On Tamborine Posted: 05 Nov 2015 11:00 AM PST It's A Spinal Trap by Pacalin The boys were already regretting letting Don Calamari into the band, because that fish headed fellow only seemed to know one song- It's A Trap! by Chewie and the Rebels. The Spinal Tap experience had always involved more than one song, and some small props, so the rest of the band was having a hard time figuring out how to work around Don's singular song stylings. But then they came face to helmet with his agent, a Sith sleazebag named Vader, and he made them an offer they couldn't refuse... Bring home this madcap musical mashup, It's A Spinal Trap by Pacalin, and you'll be a rising star among your fellow fans of funny! Visit Pacalin's Facebook fan page, official website and Twitter, then head on over to her NeatoShop for more delightfully geeky designs: Bro Do You Even Science? Martian Potatoes Wanna Take A Ride? I Juan To Believe View more designs by Pacalin | More Funny T-shirts | New T-Shirts Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

The World's Most Luxurious Dollhouse Goes on Display for the First Time Posted: 05 Nov 2015 11:00 AM PST It's not a Barbie Dream House. Barbie couldn't possibly afford the Astolat Dollhouse Castle. This extraordinary 29-room mansion is fit for a princess--if she can fit inside. Miniaturist Elaine Diehl and other top artisans from around the world made it with only the finest materials over a 13-year period. It's 9 feet tall and weighs 800 pounds. Inside are rare, one-of-a-kind furnishings, including a library of miniature but readable books and tiny paintings. There's even a tiny bear skin rug, which I will assume is made from a tiny bear which has been hunted, killed, and skinned.* For the first time ever, the Astolat will go on public display in New York City from November 12 through December 8. The estimated value is $8.5 million, which by Manhattan apartment standards is very affordable. -via Nag on the Lake *But probably not.

How to Build a Robot That Will Feed You Breakfast Posted: 05 Nov 2015 10:00 AM PST Simone Giertz wanted to build and program a robot to feed her breakfast. She bought a robotic arm and taught it to pour cereal, pour milk, dip a spoon into it, and feed her. Let’s see how well that worked. (YouTube link) So much for that. If you want to try this yourself, she posted a tutorial at Motherboard with all the steps, with photos and more videos. In retrospect I would probably recommend making a sandwich instead of milk and cereal. That process doesn’t contain any fluids which is preferable when dealing with electronics (and people). Bread is also a great excuse to eat butter. All in all, preparing breakfast with a robot arm gets 4/10 stars. Messy. Crazy inefficient. Didn’t actually manage to feed me anything. But fun and made me not feel guilty about buying a pretty pricy robot arm.   -via Tastefully Offensive

World's Largest Cat Painting Sells for $826,000 Posted: 05 Nov 2015 09:00 AM PST (Photo: Sotheby's) This is My Wife's Lovers, a painting by Austrian artist Cal Kahler. It's a majestic display of feline beauty consisting of 42 cats on a canvas that measures 75 by 102 inches. If you're looking for the world's ultimate cat painting, you've found it. In 1881, Kahler visited the United States and met a lady named Johnson. In 1891, she asked him to paint a portrait of all of her cats. This monumental work is the result of his labors, though it shows only 42 of Mrs. Johnson's 350 cats. Sotheby's in New York sold it on Monday for $826,000. It's surely worth every penny. -via Dave Barry

Shenanigans in the Galactic Empire Posted: 05 Nov 2015 08:00 AM PST This comic is NSFW if you are a droid or other sentient hi-tech machine in a galaxy far, far away. . Theirs was a forbidden love. Or who knows- maybe it was just a one-night hookup. But it left a lasting impression on Star Wars fans forever. This comic is by MediaSlugz at The Skeleton Blog. -via Kevin Anthony

Weird Al Stars In Every Sports Press Conference Ever Posted: 05 Nov 2015 07:00 AM PST Sports press conferences are a bit of a joke, with the same non-specific and totally cliched phrases said at every one, no matter the sport or the outcome. Coaches and players love to say things like "we're focused on our next game and intend to go out there and give it one hundred and ten percent" and "we'll be focusing on defense because defense wins games." Basically, they're always busy saying nothing at all in the exact same way, whether they win or lose. (YouTube Link) Weird Al Yankovic stars in this incredibly accurate portrayal of Every Post-Game Press Conference, which was posted on The Kicker, a new comedy website from Lorne Michaels' production company Broadway Video. It's a nothin' but net home run! -Via Laughing Squid

9 Non-Edible Ways to Use Foods Around Your House Posted: 05 Nov 2015 06:00 AM PST Ready to clean your house a little but don't want to buy any new cleaning products? Well, chances are you can still do have all the things you need at home already -just head into your kitchen and grab some of the foods listed in our newest Homes and Hues article showing you how to use foods for other household purposes. From nuts to condiments, it's amazing just how functional our everyday foods are. So if you're ready to get your house clean while making yourself a little snack, don't miss this great new Homes and Hues article: 9 Surprising Household Uses for Everyday Foods

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