Neatorama

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• When a Hole in Your Backyard Turns out to Be a 900-Foot Deep Mineshaft
• Kayako’s Instagram
• The Electricity Went Out, But This Orchestra Kept Playing
• Excavating the Mystery of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple
• Finally! A Hammock-Carrying Catamaran
• Iron Man Movie Kills
• Jilted Bride Turns Her Cancelled Wedding Reception into a Dinner for the Poor
• 80-Year-Old Asks Granddaughter For Makeover, Becomes Internet Sensation
• Make Way for Ducklings
• Dandy! - Dress Like A Superstar, Baby!
• This Invention Could End Menstrual Cramps
• Magnets and Marbles
• Make a Cheesy Marriage Proposal with this Pizza Ring Box
• Fingal’s Cave: an Eternal Inspiration of Nature
• 22 Clever Ways To Repurpose Old Junk
• <i>The Empire Strikes Back</i> with a James Bond Title Sequence
• Celebrity Pranks That Ended In Disaster
• A Playlist From Another Dimension
• Eye-Pleasing 3D Animated Visualization Of A Kung Fu Master's Fluid Movements
• Dustbin of History: $am Upham
• Mario Evolution - Way Better Than Some Stupid Mushroom
• Kind Cashier Lets Blind Little Girl Run the Checkout Counter
• Cats vs. Hairbrushes

When a Hole in Your Backyard Turns out to Be a 900-Foot Deep Mineshaft Posted: 10 May 2016 04:00 AM PDT (Photo: Tom Malloy) Every spring in Butte, Montana, it's "shaft season." That's when old mineshafts make their appearance in the ground, often in surprising locations. In the 19th and 20th Centuries, Butte was a major copper mining center. People dug hundreds of shafts deep in the the ground. When the copper veins empied out, the owners covered them up and went elsewhere. So with the spring thaw, sinkholes form in the ground over these old mineshafts, some of which are several hundred feet deep. When they do, people call Tom Malloy, the county reclamation manager. Atlas Obscura talked to Malloy about how he deals with these mineshafts: “The ones that turn up were the ones that were dug in the 1880s, 1870s, back before they were well regulated,” says Malloy. “They’re not marked on a map, which would be really nice. But they weren’t required to do that. Those end up being a surprise when they open up. You don’t know if they go down 10 feet and stop, or 1,000 feet down.” Every spring, Malloy ends up investigating 50 to 100 reports of possible shafts, called in by city residents worried about a bit of sinking earth on their backyard or street. First, he and his colleagues will check old maps to see if there’s any indication that a shaft was once dug in that spot. They’ll check whether the alleged shaft is in the historic mining district, and if there have been any other mine shafts found in the vicinity. If they think it’s possible they might be looking at mine shaft, they’ll get the backhoe and do a little test digging to open it up and see what it is. Mine shafts aren’t the only things hiding in Butte’s ground: outhouses sometimes begin to sink into the earth when the ground thaws in the spring. “There’s no way of knowing until you dig a hole,” says Malloy. “The most recent one, I would have bet $50 that it was an outhouse, but I was proved wrong. I don’t guess anymore, because I’ve been wrong so many times.” If the backhoe starts bringing up residential knickknacks and materials, that’s an outhouse. If it starts hitting big, structural timbers, Malloy says, that’s a mine shaft. -via David Plotz

Kayako’s Instagram Posted: 10 May 2016 02:00 AM PDT あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛（にんじんきらい） #あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛ #ニャー　#さだかや A photo posted by 伽椰子と俊雄のほのぼの親子日記 (@kayakowithtoshio) on Mar 24, 2016 at 3:40am PDT Sadako vs. Kayako is a new horror film that features the main horror characters from the movies The Grudge and The Ring. Sort of like when Hollywood gave us Alien vs. Predator, except this is from Japan. Anyway, the distributor gave the ghost character Kayako Saeki from The Grudgeher own Instagram account to promote the new flick. See her in everyday activities with her sidekick Toshio in all their creepy glory. あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛（せっかくいい天気なのに） #小学生男子　#ゲーム大好き #目わるくなるよ #あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛あ゛ #ニャー　#さだかや A photo posted by 伽椰子と俊雄のほのぼの親子日記 (@kayakowithtoshio) on May 7, 2016 at 12:16am PDT -via Pleated-Jeans

The Electricity Went Out, But This Orchestra Kept Playing Posted: 10 May 2016 12:00 AM PDT (Image: Rosivette_PR) A less skilled, less coordinated group would get flustered and fumble the piece. But when the power went out (1:17 mark) at a state concert competition in Florida, the orchestra of Miami Coral Reef High School kept playing. Despite not being able to see each other or the music, they didn't miss a single beat or note. The audience erupted in applause when they finished (9:16 mark). (Video Link) ABC News 10 in Tampa reports: When the orchestra finished the emotional Serenade Triste over seven minutes later, the audience cheered wildly. It was then that the auditorium was evacuated and the group was not able to perform its second piece. Dr. Lee Stone, Coral Reef's Director of Orchestras, said afterwards that two of the panel's four judges were moved to tears. The University of Iowa judge shared his feelings on his comments sheet. "You totally inspired me! I'm in love with the wonderful spirit of Coral reef HS Orchestra! 'Serenade Triste' is my new favorite tune. I cried in the dark as you performed w/ heart." -via Nothing to Do with Aborath

Excavating the Mystery of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple Posted: 09 May 2016 11:00 PM PDT Fielding McGehee and his wife Rebecca Moore are studying Jim Jones’ sermons for clues to what really happened when 900 members of the People’s Temple committed suicide in their commune in Guyana in 1978. They are working their way through a thousand tapes that the FBI recovered in Jonestown. The couple have been compiling an archive of anything to do with the tragedy ever since it happened. Moore’s two sisters were members of the temple. Within a few weeks, Moore and McGehee filed their first FOIA request with the CIA, seeking any information about Peoples Temple. Initially, they were blown off: A rep asked why they’d believe the agency knew anything. “Give me a break,” McGehee told the rep. “You have 900 Americans who’ve renounced the U.S. very publicly, went to a Third World country with a socialist society, and took millions of dollars with them.” Common sense broke the agency’s poker face. “He said, ‘Well, I guess when you put it that way.’” Thus began the largest collection of documents relating to Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple. As the CIA and FBI finished their investigation over the next few years, they began releasing documents, essentially straight to McGehee and Moore’s mailbox. McGehee estimates they’ve filed nearly 300 FOIA requests, in addition to multiple lawsuits—one of which remains active—to build the collection they maintain as the Jonestown Institute. It includes census records from the Peoples Temple, sermons, letters, critical writings by concerned relatives, government documents tracking the organization, and yes, all those tapes. McGehee says there’s enough material to keep him busy the rest of his life, and then some. Read about McGehee and Moore’s work at The Kernel. And read the information they’ve put online at Alternative Considerations of Jonestown & Peoples Temple.

Finally! A Hammock-Carrying Catamaran Posted: 09 May 2016 10:00 PM PDT Once upon a time, a hammock and a catamaran met in the lifejacket section of a sporting goods store. They dated, fell in love, got married, and had a child. This is that baby: the Hammocraft. $1,000 gets you a frame kit that you can attach to a pair of paddleboards. You can then hook on up to five hammocks. Use it safely. The company warns: We highly recommend against trying to float whitewater or rapids. I hadn't thought of doing that before, but now I've got to try it! It's time to give the emergency room nurses a new story to share. (Photos: Hammocraft) And apparently some people do precisely that. -via Geekologie

Iron Man Movie Kills Posted: 09 May 2016 09:00 PM PDT How many people has Iron Man killed in the the six movies he’s appeared in so far? We don’t know, because this supercut from Mr. Sunday Movies only covers the first five. But it’s a lot. (YouTube link) The count on the right is humans; robot kills are on the left. This video contains clips from Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Age of Ultron. The kill count from Captain America: Civil War will have to come from someone who’s seen it. -via Gamma Squad

Jilted Bride Turns Her Cancelled Wedding Reception into a Dinner for the Poor Posted: 09 May 2016 08:00 PM PDT (Photo: John M. Mantel) Yiru Sun of New York City was supposed to get married. She had a grand event planned, including an elaborate wedding reception. Then her fiancé handed her a prenuptial agreement to sign. She said no, and with that, the engagement was off. Sun had spent a lot of money on the wedding, including an $8,000 non-refundable deposit on the reception. Rather than simply wasting that money, she decided to use her deposit to offer a party to people in need. The New York Post quotes her: “Three weeks later, I woke up with this idea,” Sun, herself a single mom of a 6-year-old daughter, told her guests, who were chosen with help from The Salvation Army and Inwood House. “At that moment, I started to think it was God’s plan,” she said of turning her misfortune into a great party. “I cannot be the princess of my wedding day, but I can give the kids a fairy tale.” […] The kids were treated to face-painting and balloons and were touched by Sun’s story, at least as far as they understood it. -via TYWKIWDBI

80-Year-Old Asks Granddaughter For Makeover, Becomes Internet Sensation Posted: 09 May 2016 07:00 PM PDT People who are proud of their age and choose to look natural rather than dyeing, painting or otherwise concealing the true story their naturally aged head tells the world deserve our respect. But it's natural for women who grew up wearing makeup every day to miss getting all dolled up when they stop painting their faces, like when they go off to live in a nursing home. That's when they call in the Cover Girl calvary to give them a makeover and help them feel young again, and lucky for 80-year-old grandma Livia her granddaughter Tea Flego is a talented makeup artist. Tea came to her grandma's rescue and used contouring makeup techniques to make Livia look years younger, and while she expected to make her grandma feel better about herself she didn't expect to make her internet famous. Soon after Tea posted the makeover pics online Glam-Ma became a viral sensation, her pic shared by millions who love to see a senior feeling young and frisky again. -Via Bored Panda

Make Way for Ducklings Posted: 09 May 2016 06:00 PM PDT For at least ten years now, a duck has made her nest in the inner courtyard of Glover Elementary School in Milton, Massachusetts. When the ducklings hatch, the students eagerly watch for her to decide that it’s time to lead them to water, which means they must pass through the building to get outside. This year's event was captured on video. (YouTube link) The mother duck led her ducklings to the nearby pond last Wednesday. More than 500 students sat cross-legged in the hallway and on the playground for the annual duck walk. Many of their faces lit up when the mother and her 10 newly hatched ducklings waddled by. The entire episode was documented on video. Principal Sheila Kukstis said in an interview that the walk is a tradition for the elder duck, as well. “The mother knows where she’s going because she’s done it before,” she said. The kindergarten-through-fifth-grade students monitor the family through the spring and summer. -via Atlas Obscura

Dandy! - Dress Like A Superstar, Baby! Posted: 09 May 2016 05:00 PM PDT Dandy! by TravisPixels His name may make him seem like a total pushover, but Dandy can definitely handle himself and he has a ship full of unseen alien species to prove it. But no matter how many new aliens he brings in the other hunters at the space alien registration center refuse to take him seriously. What is it about Dandy that rubs them the wrong way? Is it his love of retro style? Is it the fact that he hangs around with a cat alien named Meow and a robot named QT? Or perhaps it's because he dubbed his ship the Aloha Oe? Whatever the reason, Dandy is one important fellow and he knows it, so he doesn't let the critics get him down, he just keeps on living with the flow, baby! Add some super square anime style to your geeky wardrobe with this Dandy! t-shirt by TravisPixels, it's a fresh new way to celebrate your favorite animated space opera. Visit TravisPixel's Twitter and Tumblr, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more geek-tastic designs: Ghost In The Pixels Kanto Forest Hokuto Shinken Dojo Kanto Swamp View more designs by TravisPixels | 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!

This Invention Could End Menstrual Cramps Posted: 09 May 2016 05:00 PM PDT The inventors of Livia call it "the off switch for menstrual pain." The system consists of a small box that clips onto a belt or fits inside a pocket, as well as gel pads that contain two electrodes. These send electrical pulses into the body that block pain receptors. The Times of Israel explains: [...] Livia transmits a pulse that keeps the nerves “busy,” so that pain messages that should be accepted by nerve receptors and transmitted to the brain — which concludes that a woman is in pain — aren’t. With those messages lost in transmission, there is no feeling of pain. Does it work? Last month, Chelsea Frisbie of Mashable tried Livia. She says that it reduced her pain: I didn't feel that much of a difference when I placed the Livia pads on my lower abdomen, because that's not where I get cramps. Where I do have cramps would turn this device into more of a Brazilian wax machine than a cramp-stopper, due to the gel pads. I do have some pretty gnarly lower back pain nearly all of the time, but during my period it gets more intense — as in, bring-a-heating-pad-to-work-intense. While wearing the device, I will say my back felt much better. I found myself wearing it all day, and even after my week was up because of how much better it made my back feel. -via Debby Witt

Magnets and Marbles Posted: 09 May 2016 04:00 PM PDT This Rube Goldberg-esque marble run is both soothing and astounding. Regular marbles are used in conjunction with magnetic metal balls in an intricate series of balanced relays. (YouTube link) Can you imagine how much testing went into creating this? The creator, Kaplamino, normally works with dominos. Although it appears to be one sequence, that would have taken up a lot of room. I’m still impressed, even if they weren’t all recorded at the same time. -via reddit

Make a Cheesy Marriage Proposal with this Pizza Ring Box Posted: 09 May 2016 03:00 PM PDT Express your love and dedication with pizza! Vinnie's Pizzeria in Brooklyn made headlines when it invented a pizza box made entirely of pizza. It would be a great way to impress someone that you like. And once you've wooed her affections, then pop the question with this engagement ring box made of pizza. Warning: you might get rejected and find your engagement ring and box in the Tom Hanks trash bin in the background. -via That's Nerdalicious!

Fingal’s Cave: an Eternal Inspiration of Nature Posted: 09 May 2016 02:00 PM PDT You are probably familiar with the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. It is a formation made of hexagonal basalt columns produced by ancient volcanic activity. Imagine an entire island made that way, and you have Staffa, off the coast of Scotland. That’s where you’ll find Fingal’s Cave, a sea cave constructed of hexagonal basalt columns. Its hundreds of columns made of basalt took shape 60 million years ago, due to a massive lava flow. The process of solidification and cooling of the lava has led to the hexagonal shape of the columns. Because of cave’s size and its proximity to the ocean, every sound leads to an echo similar to those created in cathedrals. This phenomenon only amplifies the beauty and the mystery of Fingal’s Cave. Consequently, it is no wonder that the popularity of this natural sightseeing objective has gradually increased over the centuries. Even though Jules Verne or Queen Victoria have visited the cave, it was not until 1829 that it became known worldwide. Inspired by the unique echoes of the cave, Felix Mendelssohn – a romantic composer, wrote the “Fingal’s Cave overture”. Learn more about Fingal’s Cave and see plenty of pictures at Unusual Places. -via the Presurfer (Image credit: Ian Paterson)

22 Clever Ways To Repurpose Old Junk Posted: 09 May 2016 01:00 PM PDT People are way more into recycling these days and will reuse easy stuff like plastic bags and coffee cans to “go green”, but repurposing old junk is a bit harder and may require a bit of inspiration and instruction. Well, consider this article by Popular Mechanics a great jumping off point for ways to put that old junk lying around your house to work for you. Have an old tire rim taking up space in your garage? Surround it with some bricks or stones and you've got a handsome and durable tire rim fire pit that will last a lot longer than many store bought fire pits. Sitting on a bunch of pipe fittings from your last major plumbing repair? Clean them up, add some color and turn those leftover plumbing bits into a custom made Steampunk inspired chess set, which makes a great gift and conversation piece. Don't know what to do with those old cheese graters after they've started to rust? Make some fun and funky cheese grater pendant lights that look great hanging in a kitchen or dining area. See 22 Ingenious Ways To Repurpose Old Junk here

<i>The Empire Strikes Back</i> with a James Bond Title Sequence Posted: 09 May 2016 12:00 PM PDT The aesthetic of the James Bond films is put to work for the movie The Empire Strikes Back. The style was set by Maurice Binder, who produced the titles for the first Bond film, Dr. No in 1962, and 13 others. Although they’ve been modernized a bit in 50 years, you still recognize each one as particular to the Bond series, and even when the style is applied to a space adventure.    (vimeo link) Kurt Rauffer created this as his senior thesis at SVA in New York. The music is “Spectre” by Radiohead, which was rejected from the film, but Rauffer felt the song spoke to Luke “ trying to find himself and true purpose.”  -via Digg

Celebrity Pranks That Ended In Disaster Posted: 09 May 2016 11:00 AM PDT George Clooney is famous among the famous for his pranks, and cardboard cutout of a human Ashton Kutcher is such a prankster he had his own prank show called Punk'd, but Clooney's pranks don't end in physical assault. Punk'd, on the other hand, featured a segment where Donald Faison pranked his Scrubs co-star Zach Braff by making him believe his brand new Porsche had been tagged on by a group of teen ne'er-do-wells. Donald clearly wasn't aware of Zach's anger issues, nor could he have known Zach would chase down and beat the crap out of a 12-year-old, which they was edited out of the episode because "you're not supposed to punch people on Punk'd". And speaking of pranks pushing an actor to their limit- Leonardo DiCaprio seems to think beating the crap out of his fellow actors is a funny prank, but Wolf Of Wall Street co-star Jonah Hill isn't a fan of the rough stuff, so he decided to teach Leo a lesson. Jonah's improv skills gave him the perfect opportunity to prank while filming a scene where he and Leo are eating sushi- the script called for Jonah to eat the last piece but he thought fast and had Leo eat it instead. The scene was reshot about 70 more times to get the version we saw in the film, which meant Leo had to eat 70 pieces of sushi in one day, leaving him with one hell of a gut ache much to Hill's (and Scorsese's) delight. Read 7 Celebrity Pranks That Backfired Horrifically here

A Playlist From Another Dimension Posted: 09 May 2016 10:00 AM PDT Katharine Trendacosta at io9 asked readers to disclose their favorite science fiction novelty song. The response was immediate, and now these songs can be shared. Here’s the Spotify playlist. You have to have an account to access it, but there’s a workaround: Metafilter has links to the YouTube videos, plus more in the comments. You might think of others to share with us!

Eye-Pleasing 3D Animated Visualization Of A Kung Fu Master's Fluid Movements Posted: 09 May 2016 09:00 AM PDT Some martial arts are all about striking power, defending against attacks and other similarly martial matters, but Kung Fu has always been about both fighting ability and grace. The basic patterns learned by practitioners of kung fu teach fluid motion, strong yet graceful movement and body positioning for striking and defending, all while looking like a deadly cool dance. (Vimeo Link) German artist Tobias Gremmler has brought the concept of fluid motion to life with a little help from 3D animation software, revealing the invisible ripples a kung fu master creates in the air during their routine. -Via Laughing Squid

Dustbin of History: $am Upham Posted: 09 May 2016 07:00 AM PDT The following article is from Uncle John’s Factastic Bathroom Reader. During the U.S. Civil War, New York printer $am Upham crippled the Confederacy’s economy and hindered its ability to fight the war. Yet he was never officially honored, and is all but forgotten now. LIKE PRINTING MONEY Samuel C. Upham never intended to be the most prolific counterfeiter in modern history. In fact, some people insist he wasn’t a counterfeiter at all, but a mere trafficker in souvenirs. In 1850 Upham opened a small patent medicine shop in Philadelphia, selling his own “Upham’s Freckles, Tan & Pimple Banisher” and “Japanese Hair Stain,” as well as newspapers, stationery, toiletries, sheet music, patriotic cards, and other self-published printed goods. He made a modest living for a decade, but then he got lucky: Abraham Lincoln was elected, the southern states seceded from the Union, and soon the Civil War was on. At first, Upham exploited patriotic sentiment by printing novelty cards— for example, caricatures with Confederate president Jefferson Davis’s head on the body of a jackass. They sold modestly well, but it wasn’t like he was printing money. On February 24, 1862, though, opportunity struck. On that day, he was mystified when all of his copies of the Philadelphia Enquirer quickly sold out and people were clamoring for more. The reason, he discovered, was that the paper had printed a full-size facsimile of a five-dollar Confederate note on its front cover. Most Philadelphians, many with sons in the war, had never seen Confederate money before and were anxious to have a copy as a curiosity and keepsake. EASILY IMPRESSED Inspired, Upham ran to the Enquirer office and convinced someone to sell him the copper electroplate of the bill. With it, he printed 3,000 copies on high quality French paper. Upham wasn’t sure if it was legal to print copies of money, even money of a “country” that wasn’t officially recognized by the U.S. government. So to avoid confusion with the real thing (and get some advertising) Upham printed an inscription below the image: “Fac-simile Confederate Note— Sold Wholesale and Retail, by S. C. Upham, 403 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia.” The bills sold out quickly, so Upham bought some real banknote paper to print his “fac-similes” on. He also began advertising that he’d pay good money for more examples of Confederate money and postage stamps to copy. Within months, he was offering 28 varieties, with denominations from 5 cents to $ 100, and selling them in his shop for a nickel each. However, his customer base was shifting from local Philadelphians buying souvenirs to mail-order buyers from all over the country, taking advantage of his bulk rate of 50 cents for 100 bills of assorted denominations, with even deeper discounts for larger quantities. One of his many ads, appearing in Harper’s Weekly, read CONFEDERATE MONEY $ 20,000! - TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS in fac-simile REBEL NOTES of different denominations sent, postpaid, to any address, receipt of $5 by S. C. Upham, 403 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia. BILLS, BILLS, BILLS Upham believed the inscription protected him from prosecution, since he wasn’t fooling any of his customers into thinking they were getting the real thing. However, at some point he must have become aware that nothing stopped them from cutting the inscription off the bottom and passing the “fac-similes” as real. Upham’s bills, with the inscription removed, became very popular with cotton smugglers who bought their wares in Confederate states and illegally shipped them north. (Ironically, because paper shortages in the South had forced the Confederate government to print on flimsy rice paper, Upham’s money, printed on good-quality currency paper, was often preferred to the real thing.) By April 1962, large quantities of Upham’s bills had been discovered in Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy, causing a great deal of alarm in the Confederate Treasury Department. The Richmond Daily Dispatch accused the United States government of sanctioning counterfeiting, and warned its readers against “Yankee scoundrelism… of the most depraved and despicable sort.” PAPER HANGING The Confederate Congress responded to Upham and copycat counterfeiters by making counterfeiting a capital crime. One senator denounced Upham as having done more harm to the Confederacy than Union general George McClellan’s army. But the renegade country had no extradition treaty with the United States, so Upham— who later bragged that the Confederacy government had offered a $ 10,000 reward for his capture or death— didn’t feel particularly endangered. In fact, he claimed that he was doing his patriotic duty by sabotaging the country’s enemy and shortening the war. Some on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line believed that the U.S. government was behind Upham’s operation, possibly even providing the banknote paper. But in reality, Upham’s counterfeit bills were causing consternation in the U.S. Treasury as well. Some government officials feared that the Confederates would start counterfeiting American money in retaliation and wanted to close down Upham’s printing business. There were already signs that the influx of bad bills was devaluing Confederate currency and destabilizing its economy— what if the same thing happened in the United States? There was, however, a legal loophole: Since the United States did not recognize the Confederacy as a legitimate country, copying its banknotes— especially with Upham’s disclaimer attached— wasn’t actually illegal. Or at least that was the excuse U.S. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton gave for not interfering with Upham’s business. While cotton smugglers and others transported the notes into the Confederacy, Union soldiers also routinely carried a king’s ransom of counterfeits for when they pushed into enemy territory. One private stationed in Virginia wrote to his brother back home in Pennsylvania, asking him to send more fake $ 10 bills: “The boys buy a good many of them around camp for ten cents apiece and after steeping them in coffee to give them color they would take them to the Farmers and pass them for good Confederate Money.” OUT OF THE MONEY AND INTO THE DUSTBIN After 18 months, Upham retired from making his “fac-similes,” having printed in the neighborhood of 1,564,050 various bills, totaling nearly $15 million worth of fake Confederacy currency (nearly a half billion dollars in today’s money). Why did he stop? He was a victim of his own success. First of all, he inspired too many counterfeiting competitors. His counterfeits made up 1–3 percent of the Confederacy’s total money supply, triggering widespread inflation and a deep suspicion about the rebel currency. By August 1863, when he quit his counterfeiting, a Confederate dollar’s buying power was so low that it took $10 to buy what once sold for $1. When Confederate cotton merchants began accepting only U.S. greenbacks for payment, Upham decided the money simply wasn’t worth counterfeiting. CRIME DID PAY… EVENTUALLY Upham died in relative obscurity in 1885, leaving an estate of $4,889.97 —nothing like the millions he’d printed, but still quite a bit of money at the time. And if your heirloom family cache of Confederate dollars turns out to contain only Upham fakes, should you be disappointed? Nope. Among collectors, his counterfeits often sell for more than the real thing. _______________________________ The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John’s Factastic Bathroom Reader. The 28th volume of the series is chock-full of fascinating stories and facts, and comes in both the Kindle version and paper with a classy cloth cover. 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!

Mario Evolution - Way Better Than Some Stupid Mushroom Posted: 09 May 2016 04:00 AM PDT Mario Evolution by Chazen Mario has gone through all kinds of transformations and evolutions throughout the years, but his ultimate upgrade came in the game Super Mario Bros Go To Texas. The game wasn't a big seller, nor did it appease the platforming purists who wanted to see those Super Bros stay true to their roots, but it had one big name in it that made it a cult classic- Chuck Norris! For you see, when Mario finally defeats Bowser's Bowslingers in Walker Zone and frees the local 'shroom headed sheriff he's given a Marshall's Star, which he can use to transform into the mighty Chuck! So who does Luigi transform into when he uses the star? Why, Steven Seagal, of course! Add some goofy video game humor to your geeky wardrobe with this Mario Evolution t-shirt by Chazen, it totally kicks butt! Visit Chazen's Facebook fan page, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more action packed designs: Bb Heroes Perfect Night Breaking Flanders The Master 2.0 View more designs by Chazen | 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!

Kind Cashier Lets Blind Little Girl Run the Checkout Counter Posted: 09 May 2016 04:00 AM PDT (Photo: Amanda Wilkins) Amanda Wilkins is the mother of two children, both of whom have blindness and autism. Taking them shopping is hard. When they arrived at the checkout line at a Morrisons grocery store in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK, one of the kids had a meltdown. The cashier working that register flipped the situation around. She invited the child behind the counter and let her swipe her goods across the scanner. On Facebook, Wilkins writes: As you can imagine shopping is not an easy thing for me to do, at the checkout both girls decided to go into meltdown and this very kind lady decided to help instead of judge. It doesn't happen very often! She distracted my daughter by letting her scan all my shopping. A dream come true for Holly who loves playing 'shops'. It melts my heart to come across people that are prepared to go the extra mile, and little acts of kindness makes a massive difference to my world. The Telegraph reports that Morrisons has identified the cashier as Lin. A company representative commented: Well, I don't know where to start with this one Amanda just reading this story has brought a tear to my eye. […] It's amazing how something small can make a massive difference to others and Its lovely to hear that one of your daughters dreams has been brought to life by this act of kindness.

Cats vs. Hairbrushes Posted: 09 May 2016 02:00 AM PDT (YouTube link) In this compilation video, cats encounter hairbrushes. They all seem to have the same reaction: “What is that? Get that thing away from me! Kill it! Or at least slap it silly!” My cats would probably have the same reaction, since I don’t use a hair brush, just combs. -via Tastefully Offensive

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