Neatorama

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• Cats' Reactions to Owners
• Meat Controlled Carldroid - Watch Out For The Food Monsters Living Next Door
• The First Political Conventions on Live TV
• The Smithsonian Is Hiring a Beer Historian
• An Orthotic Boot for Purps the Penguin
• <i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> Characters Will Appear on NASA Mission Patch
• Golf Cart Jetpack
• R.I.P. Marni Nixon
• Baby Horse Demands Butt Scratches
• Organic
• Surreal And Mesmerizing GIFs By Sam Cannon
• Dead pool vs. Comic Con
• The Adventures Of He-Man - Mystery Of The Gray Skull
• Pikachurro
• Adam Savage Incognito at Comic-Con 2016
• Why Do Pigeons Poop on Cars?
• This Spokeless Cyclotron Is The Smart Bike Of The Future
• Asphalt Lakes And The Secrets in Their Depths
• McDonald's Asked People To Invent Their Own Burgers, The Internet Complied
• The History of Cosplay
• Man Lassos Bear with Head Stuck in Cheese Puffs Container
• 20 Things You Didn’t Know about Amy Poehler
• Beauty Vlogger Slaps On 100 Coats Of Nearly Everything

Cats' Reactions to Owners Posted: 26 Jul 2016 04:59 AM PDT The following is an article from The Annals of Improbable Research, now in all-pdf form. Get a subscription now for only $25 a year! Cat-centric research compiled by Dirk Manley, Improbable Research staff Cats Recognize (But Don’t Always Respond to) Owners’ Voices “Vocal Recognition of Owners by Domestic Cats (Felis catus),” Atsuko Saito and Kazutaka Shinozuka, Animal Cognition, vol. 16, no. 4, July 2013, pp. 685-690. The authors, at the University of Tokyo, report: We studied 20 domestic cats to investigate whether they could recognize their owners by using voices that called out the subjects’ names, with a habituation–dishabituation method. While the owner was out of the cat’s sight, we played three different strangers’ voices serially, followed by the owner’s voice. We recorded the cat’s reactions to the voices and categorized them into six behavioral categories. In addition, ten naive raters rated the cats’ response magnitudes. The cats responded to human voices not by communicative behavior (vocalization and tail movement), but by orienting behavior (ear movement and head movement). This tendency did not change even when they were called by their owners. Of the 20 cats, 15 demonstrated a lower response magnitude to the third voice than to the first voice. These habituated cats showed a significant rebound in response to the subsequent presentation of their owners’ voices. This result indicates that cats are able to use vocal cues alone to distinguish between humans. Detail from the study “Vocal Recognition of Owners by Domestic Cats (Felis catus).” Cats May Sometimes Pay Some Attention to Their Owners “Social Referencing and Cat–Human Communication,” I. Merola, M. Lazzaroni, S. Marshall-Pescini, and E. Prato-Previde, Animal Cognition, epub January 2015. (Thanks to Hugh Henry for bringing this to our attention.) The authors, at Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy; University of Lincoln, UK; Medical University of Vienna; and the University of Vienna, Austria, explain: One group of cats observed their owner delivering a positive emotional message, whereas another group received a negative emotional message. The aim was to evaluate whether cats use the emotional information provided by their owners about a novel/unfamiliar object to guide their own behaviour towards it. We assessed the presence of social referencing, in terms of referential looking towards the owner (defined as looking to the owner immediately before or after looking at the object), the behavioural regulation based on the owner’s emotional (positive vs. negative) message (vocal and facial), and the observational conditioning following the owner’s actions towards the object. Most cats (79 %) exhibited referential looking between the owner and the object, and also to some extent changed their behaviour in line with the emotional message given by the owner. Detail from the study “Social Referencing and Cat–Human Communication.” _____________________ This article is republished with permission from the January-February 2016 issue of the Annals of Improbable Research. You can download or purchase back issues of the magazine, or subscribe to receive future issues. Or get a subscription for someone as a gift! Visit their website for more research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK.

Meat Controlled Carldroid - Watch Out For The Food Monsters Living Next Door Posted: 26 Jul 2016 04:00 AM PDT Meat Controlled Carldroid by pigboom My name is...wait, what's my name again? I can't seem to think of it, on account of the mind control thingamajigie that fry man used on my noggin'. Wasn't it something like Marl or Garl? Is that even a name? There was some kind of aqua monster with the fry man too, a giant shake man with flipper arms who called himself master and claimed to be part of a hunger squad. It's starting to come back to me, those food monsters were my neighbors, this pile of meat using me like a robot is named Meatwad, and he just finished watching those old teen turtles cartoons...Aaaack! There's a food monster riding around inside of me, and not the good kind! Dress nice and neighborly with this Meat Controlled Carldroid t-shirt by pigboom, it'll help you make the money g...or make you feel better about being broke! Comes in adult sizes, take it off before you swim. Visit Pigboom's Facebook fan page, official website, Twitter and Tumblr, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more old school cool designs: Steven and Buckhead Rise Great Old One - 2 Savage Beast Gym Studio Ripley View more designs by pigboom | 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 First Political Conventions on Live TV Posted: 26 Jul 2016 04:00 AM PDT The Democratic National Convention is going on this week in Philadelphia, which brings to mind the conventions of 1948. Three major parties held their conventions in Philadelphia that year, and there was something new and special happening that year: the presence of TV cameras. It was the first year that the Republican and Democratic conventions were televised. There was a relatively small audience, since few people had TV sets, but the spectacle of the broadcast made the entire convention ritual different.    So, what, exactly, did viewers see? A lot of sweat, for one thing. The Philadelphia conventions that year were the last time political conventions were held in a venue that didn't have air-conditioning. And in video of Truman's speech at the convention, convention-goers are seen getting creative in how they fanned themselves, many using what appeared to be programs, mostly in vain. On stage, things were considerably worse, mostly because of the lights. If the convention was to be televised, networks told convention organizers, the dais would need to be lit up. And, because of the primitive camera technology of 1948, that meant highly lit up. As a consequence, convention speakers, many of whom could be seen with visible sweat stains, probably had it the worst of anyone. (Their wives, sitting behind them, didn't have it much better.) Of course, that changed everything forever. Not only did air conditioning debut at the next political conventions, there was also makeup, staging, and meticulous planning to make the television broadcast acceptable to viewers. Read about the clash of the old ways and the how television change politics at Atlas Obscura.

The Smithsonian Is Hiring a Beer Historian Posted: 26 Jul 2016 02:00 AM PDT (Photo: @joefoodie) And you should apply! It requires not just an appreciation for beer, but a rich understanding of its roles and development in American history. The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC wants a beer scholar on staff to explore and explain beer in American life. The Washington City Paper quotes curator Paula Johnson: "We have collected food history for many years, so when we were doing the research for the exhibition, which is all about big changes in the post WW II era in how and what we eat, one thing we were curious about is the craft beer movement," Johnson says. "We were looking at wine, coffee, cheese, artisanal bread, and farmers markets. Well, this movement with small-scale, local regional beer is part of the ethos." You can read the official job posting here. -via Stephen Green

An Orthotic Boot for Purps the Penguin Posted: 26 Jul 2016 12:00 AM PDT Yellow Purple the penguin (Purps for short) lives at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. She injured her foot and needed help with her mobility, so the aquarium staff enlisted the help of the ACT Group/3D Systems and a local middle school. They all worked together to design and 3D print a boot to help Purps get around while she heals. (YouTube link) See the video about how the boot was made at Laughing Squid.

<i>Guardians of the Galaxy</i> Characters Will Appear on NASA Mission Patch Posted: 25 Jul 2016 09:59 PM PDT (Image: CASIS/Marvel Custom Solutions) Yes, that's Groot and Rocket Raccoon in this official NASA patch. It will represent all of the science missions of the US National Laboratory on board the International Space Station during 2016. The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) worked with Marvel artist Juan Doe to develop the design. Space.com reports: "A major mission for us here at CASIS is to find unique and innovative ways to bring notoriety to the International Space Station National Laboratory and the research that is being conducted," stated Ken Shields, CASIS's operations and educational opportunities director. "There are very few brands in the world who have as large an impact as Marvel and we are thrilled to partner with them on this project." -via Stephen Green

Golf Cart Jetpack Posted: 25 Jul 2016 08:59 PM PDT (Video Link) Why drive around obstacles when you can fly over them? Golf master Bubba Watson hopes that jetpacks will replace old fashioned 4-wheeled golf carts. Recently, he learned how to fly at Martin P12 jetpack and used it to fly from hole to hole on a golf course. With a 3,000-foot high ceiling and a maximum speed of 46 MPH, he was able to move quickly. Aside from being a quick form of transportation, Watson says that it offers golfers a tactical advantage over their competitors. They can see the lay of a course from high above, making the game a more 3-dimensional experience.  -via Telegraph

R.I.P. Marni Nixon Posted: 25 Jul 2016 07:59 PM PDT You might not know the name Marni Nixon, but you know her voice. Nixon was a singer, actress, author, and music professor, with an extensive filmography. The strange part of her film career is that she was often uncredited. Nixon sang the songs that made other actresses famous.  Classically trained, Ms. Nixon was throughout the 1950s and ’60s the unseen — and usually uncredited — singing voice of the stars in a spate of celebrated Hollywood films. She dubbed Deborah Kerr in “The King and I,” Natalie Wood in “West Side Story” and Audrey Hepburn in “My Fair Lady,” among many others. Her other covert outings included singing for Jeanne Crain in “Cheaper by the Dozen,” Janet Leigh in “Pepe” and Ida Lupino in “Jennifer.” “The ghostess with the mostest,” the newspapers called her, a description that eventually began to rankle. While these musicals went on to win multiple Academy Awards, Nixon was under contract to keep her involvement a secret, which bothered her more and more as time went on. She eventually vowed to never sing in secret again. It’s Nixon’s voice you hear in these songs, courtesy of Metafilter: "Getting to Know You", for Deborah Kerr in The King and I "Tonight", for both Natalie Wood and Rita Moreno in West Side Story "I Could Have Danced All Night", for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (listen to Audrey's version here!) "Honor to Us All", as Grandmother Fa's singing voice in Disney's Mulan "How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?", as Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music, one of her only on screen roles Bonus Sound of Music footage: Marni singing all the songs in a screen test for foreign dubbing "A Spoonful of Sugar", for Julie Andrews on an LP of songs from Mary Poppins Ms. Nixon died of breast cancer in Manhattan on Sunday. She was 86. (Image credit: Flickr user John Morton)

Baby Horse Demands Butt Scratches Posted: 25 Jul 2016 06:59 PM PDT (Video Link) This little filly knows what's good: butt scratches. And if you don't deliver them, she'll take them from you. She's got attitude. -via Tastefully Offensive

Organic Posted: 25 Jul 2016 06:00 PM PDT To be honest, this scenario could apply to anyone with a diet designed to make them appear superior to the rest of us common folk. You might know someone who is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free by choice, grain-free, sugar-free, paleo, or all-natural, and won’t hesitate to make you feel awful about your inferior food choices. The attitude makes all the difference. A relative offered me a soda pop once, and I replied that I don’t drink soda. She asked why not, and I said my teeth are too sensitive for cold drinks. That put her right at ease, because it let her know I wasn’t going to lecture her about her soda habit. To each his own. This is the latest from Sarah Andersen.

Surreal And Mesmerizing GIFs By Sam Cannon Posted: 25 Jul 2016 05:00 PM PDT GIFs are a visual gift to the Users of the Internet, a mini cinematic present for our eyeballs to unwrap in a few seconds flat, but I can't decide if the GIFs created by Sam Cannon are given out of joy or spite. Sam's mesmerizing and disturbing GIFs can be subtly creepy, extremely whimsical or both, and viewers may find it hard to tear their eyes away from these GIFs even when the subject keeps sending chills down their spine with a stare. -Via Laughing Squid

Dead pool vs. Comic Con Posted: 25 Jul 2016 04:00 PM PDT Get ready for mischief when Deadpool is around! D-Piddy attended Comic Con again this year as Deadpool, in order to stir up trouble! (YouTube link) All skits on the convention floor were set up with the other cosplayers, and there was no contact without consent. However, just like the Deadpool movie, some scenes are not for children. -via Tastefully Offensive

The Adventures Of He-Man - Mystery Of The Gray Skull Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:00 PM PDT The Adventures Of He-Man by markwelser Prince Adam is a lazy lout who totally sponges off the kingdom and doesn't accomplish anything, but his heroic alter ego He-Man is a mighty force for good in the universe who can't wait to spring into action. He goes out in search of mystery, seeking danger and adventure like a boy master detective who has been hitting the gym eight hours a day, and boy does He ever find all the adventure he can handle and more! Luckily his sword is as sharp as his mind, and by solving the Skeletor cases he is freeing the people from that evil skull-faced creep. It's no mystery why this The Adventures Of He-Man t-shirt by markwelser is so great- it's one mighty cool looking cartoon mashup! Visit markwelser's Facebook fan page, Twitter, Tumblr and official website, then head on over to his NeatoShop for more geek-tastic designs: In League With Saiyan The Nightman Cometh I Wanna Be An Avenger Star Masters View more designs by markwelser | More Cartoon 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!

Pikachurro Posted: 25 Jul 2016 03:00 PM PDT The Loop is a churro bakery in Westminster, California. It's noted for its long, looped churros, often covered with toppings, such as Fruity Pebbles and chocolate, and served with ice cream. To promote the Poké Stop at their restaurant, team member Ngoc made this churro concoction shaped like Pikachu.

Adam Savage Incognito at Comic-Con 2016 Posted: 25 Jul 2016 01:59 PM PDT Every year, Adam Savage wears a costume to San Diego Comic Con in order to get around without being recognized. This year, he was a bear. No, he wasn’t trying to be a furry, although that’s what quite a few people assumed. He was supposed to be the bear from the movie The Revenant.   [ (YouTube link) The particulars of the suit construction are in another video to come; this one follows him as he wanders the halls of Comic Con. -via Digg

Why Do Pigeons Poop on Cars? Posted: 25 Jul 2016 01:00 PM PDT (They Can Talk/Jimmy Craig) As G.K. Chesterton put it: Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. Your ancestors pooped on cars for generations for a reason. If you can explain why they thought that and why it is no longer necessary or appropriate, then you may stop. But until then, keep pooping on cars.

This Spokeless Cyclotron Is The Smart Bike Of The Future Posted: 25 Jul 2016 12:00 PM PDT Apparently all bikes will be spokeless in the future, since that's how they often appear in sci-fi shows and such, so in an effort to speed us towards the future the Cyclotron has appeared. The Cyclotron looks like a bicycle straight out of TRON, with built-in lights powered by a self- charging battery, smartphone connectivity, vinyl decals for customization and a modular design. Riders can attach baskets inside the spokeless rims to carry stuff, and the Wingman child seat system lets you take your little ones along for the ride. (YouTube Link) -Via Mashable

Asphalt Lakes And The Secrets in Their Depths Posted: 25 Jul 2016 11:00 AM PDT Instead of water, some lakes are filled with the gooey petroleum substance known as asphalt, tar, or bitumen. It forms when crude oil thickens due to long contact with air. How thick is it? That varies, which is why animals can be trapped in it. At Pitch Lake in Trinidad, you can walk on the surface, but if you stand still, you’ll eventually begin to sink. That fate befell the ancient animals trapped in the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles. In addition to geologists and oil barons, asphalt lakes are objects of interest for naturalists and paleontologists too as well, because hidden beneath the sticky, gooey layers are remains of unimaginable amount of prehistoric life. Over thousands of years these lakes have swallowed saber-toothed cat, dire wolves, bison, horses, turtles, snails, clams, millipedes, gophers, mammoths and hundreds of other species of vertebrates and invertebrates. These animals had wandered too far looking for food perhaps, and became trapped in the asphalt. The trapped animals attracted predators who became stuck as well as. Death came either by suffocation or hunger. It’s a terrible way to die, but a fantastic way to preserve fossils. We use the tar itself for paving roads and sealing roofs. Read about the weird phenomenon of asphalt lakes at Amusing Planet. -via the Presurfer (Image credit: Flickr user Betsy Weber)

McDonald's Asked People To Invent Their Own Burgers, The Internet Complied Posted: 25 Jul 2016 09:59 AM PDT (Image Link) Corporations have been looking to the internet for help since the very beginning...and it has never worked out well for them. Nowadays these corporations are just looking for the viral boost these epic online poll fails provide, and yet they're never really prepared for the trolling they receive. (Image Link) McDonald's New Zealand asked the internet community to use their app and invent their own burgers, and what they got was the Sad European, the Carbonator and something called Girth. (Image Link) As expected the app has been removed from the McDonald's New Zealand website, so no tasteless burger designing for you, but I'm sure another internet poll worthy of trolling to come along soon! -Via FAILBlog

The History of Cosplay Posted: 25 Jul 2016 08:59 AM PDT Who knew? The first person to wear a costume to a science fiction convention dates back to the very first science fiction convention in 1939. The idea grew from there when people realized that it was fun, frivolous, and the better the costume, the more the fun. You got attention, made friends, and spread the news that fictional world fandom can bring the real world together. (Facebook link) While I have an extensive history in costumes, I only attended a science fiction convention in costume once. Conventions are a major hassle when you live in the middle of nowhere, while there are many opportunities to use a costume of one sort or another, at various jobs, parties, and when you have children. This video is from Timeline.  -via Digg

Man Lassos Bear with Head Stuck in Cheese Puffs Container Posted: 25 Jul 2016 08:00 AM PDT (Photo: Sharill Hawkins/AP) We've all been there at some point in our lives. A whole bucket of cheese puffs is just irresistible. You feel an overwhelming urge to accelerate the consumption process by sticking your entire head inside. That's what this bear near Glenwood Springs, Colorado did. But he found that he couldn't get out again. When he staggered through the backyard of a local bed-and-breakfast, the owner, Jim Hawkins, came to the rescue. The Washington Post quotes him (Hawkins, not the bear): “He essentially looked like he had a space helmet on,” Hawkins told The Post. Hawkins lassoed the bear and tried to get the bucket off his head. That didn't work, so he waited until wildlife officers arrived. Once they tranquilized the bear, it was easy enough to remove the now-empty cheese puff container. -via Christina H. Sommers

20 Things You Didn’t Know about Amy Poehler Posted: 25 Jul 2016 06:59 AM PDT Comedian, actress, writer, producer, and all-around character Amy Poehler is best known for her work on Saturday Night Live and Parks and Recreation. But she’s got a lot more going on, both on and off screen. Get to know Poehler better with some facts about her life and work.    8. It may sound surprising that she was anything but a hilariously funny comedian, but Amy Poehler was once a teenager. Like many teenagers, Amy Poehler had a summer job. She worked at Chadwicks, an ice cream parlor in the neighborhood she grew up in. In addition to serving up yummy ice cream, part of her job was to dress up in old-fashioned outfits. On customer’s birthdays, they would sing happy birthday, play a kazoo, and bang a drum in celebration. 9. We all know Amy Poehler starred in the movie Mean Girls. If not, then you need to go out and rent or buy the movie today. Amy Poehler played the part of Rachel McAdams’ self-obsessed mother. Seems normal enough. What you may not know is she was only seven years older than Rachel McAdams at the time.  Seems pretty crazy but it happens all the time in Hollywood. There’s lots more about Amy Poehler at SheBudgets.

Beauty Vlogger Slaps On 100 Coats Of Nearly Everything Posted: 25 Jul 2016 06:00 AM PDT One hundred coats of paint seems like overkill for most paintings, and you'd never need to apply 100 coats of paint to your house, so why on Earth would people apply 100 coats of various beauty products to themselves? To take part in the 100 Coats Challenge, a new beauty vlogger craze that started with nail polish and has now jumped the shark thanks to one Jenna Marbles- who slapped on 100 coats of (nearly) everything. (NSFW due to language) (YouTube Link) Jenna applied 100 coats of lipstick, foundation, self tanner, hair spray, nail polish and stuck 50 false eyelashes on each lid...then she showed us the horrifying results for way too long. *shudder* -Via Cosmopolitan

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