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Sunday, January 20, 2013

Neatorama

Posted by KeepHoliness at 5:04 AM

Neatorama

A Lesson in Dying

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 04:00 AM PST

(YouTube link)

Martha Keochareon became a nurse in 1992. She enjoyed caring for patients, and she enjoyed teaching student nurses, which was unusual among her coworkers. When Keochareon was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006, she was given only a year to live. She made it to 2012, and despite her weakness, the last part of her life was dedicated to teaching nurses. Keochareon called Holyoke Community College, where she learned nursing, and offered herself as a case study for students.  

Keochareon (pronounced CATCH-uron) believed she could help nursing students learn about hospice care, which helps terminally ill people die at home. She told the New York Times she also felt it would be a chance to find out "what a tumour feels like" - and what it's like to face a deadly illness - from the patient's perspective.

The school got in touch with Keochareon, and a few weeks later, two students arrived at her home. When Cindy Santiago, 26, and Michelle Elliot, 52, came into her room, Keochareon told them "sit on my bed and talk to me."

Keochareon passed away on December 29th. Link -via Not Exactly Rocket Science

The Deer That Think It's A Sheep

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 02:00 AM PST

Oh, deer! Lost and lonely, separated from its family, a young red deer got itself the next best thing: a new family in form of a flock of sheep in Suffolk, England.

Andrew Capell, a shepherd at the National Trust, noticed that one of his sheep flock is unlike the others. The fawn has been living, eating, and sleeping with 100 of his newest friends for about two weeks and shows no sign of leaving. The sheep don't mind either, and has adopted the guest into the flock.

Watch the video clip below:

You Say You're "Pregnant," Huh?

Posted: 20 Jan 2013 12:00 AM PST

v

We featured the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotes before, but it's been quite some time. The site celebrates the disconnect between sign makers who think quote marks are for emphasis or decoration and the people who read the sign, who translate quoted words in their heads as being sarcastic or facetious (think air quotes). It's quite "remarkable" that after eight years, the blog continues to receive plenty of material. This sign is from a roundup of their best at Buzzfeed. Link

The Nintendo Stroller

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 11:00 PM PST

And you call yourself a Nintendo afficionado. No self-respecting man should call himself a serious Nintendo collector unless he has this: the elusive Nintendo Mamaberica (1970) stroller.

That is just one of the thousands of Nintendo items collected by Japanese web developer Isao Yamazaki, who started collecting Nintendo items 30 years ago: Link - via Kotaku

Cupid Corn

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 10:00 PM PST

Cupid Corn 

Attention candy corn addicts! Think candy corn is just for Halloween? Think again. Now you can get Cupid Corn from the NeatoShop. This delicious white, pink, and red treat is perfect for Valentine's Day. It's a corny gift you will really love. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Mints & Candies. 

Link

Baby Elephant Rescued from a Well

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 10:00 PM PST


(Video Link)

Our little, er, large friend is just a baby, perhaps eight or nine months old. He fell into a well in Bundu, Jharkhand, India. The villagers went straight to work. After five hours of digging with heavy equipment, the baby elephant scrambled to safety. Hooray!

Link -via Daily of the Day 

Spider-Man Window Washer

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 09:00 PM PST


Photo: Cherie Diez/Tampa Bay Times

No, Spider-Man hadn't fallen on hard times and had to find work as a window washer. Rather, with great (window washing power), comes great responsibility to cheer sick children up.

That's Merrill Hunt, 43, who came to wash the window of a patient's room at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, dressed up as the web slinger:

The workers from Clearwater's High Rise Window Cleaners made several trips from the top of the building to the ground, washing windows and waving at patients.

Child life clinical coordinator Holly Ott relished the chance to bring in the super hero.

"Today at All Children's we had a really exciting opportunity to meet any child's hero, Spider-Man, climbing up the sides of the building, surprising chidren and making their day," Ott said.

The Tampa Bay Times has more: Link - Photo via TIME Lightbox and My Modern Met

The Magnificent Pangolin

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 08:00 PM PST

v

A pangolin looks a bit like a pine cone, rolls up in a ball like an armadillo, and eats ants like, well, liked an anteater. There are eight species of these mammals in Africa and Asia, and they are both endangered and delicious. Read more about pangolins and see pictures of the different species plus products made from them at Dark Roasted Blend. Link

(Image credit: Ian May)

Should We Clone Neanderthals?

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:00 PM PST

Given the advances in biotechnology, it's just a matter of time before humanity can bring the Neanderthals back from the dead. Whether we should is a completely different story, according to genomics and synthetic biology pioneer George Church of Harvard University.

In this intriguing interview with Der Spiegel, Church explained that using synthetic biology to bring the Neanderthals back from extinction may actually benefit society:

SPIEGEL: Wouldn't it be ethically problematic to create a Neanderthal just for the sake of scientific curiosity?

Church: Well, curiosity may be part of it, but it's not the most important driving force. The main goal is to increase diversity. The one thing that is bad for society is low diversity. This is true for culture or evolution, for species and also for whole societies. If you become a monoculture, you are at great risk of perishing. Therefore the recreation of Neanderthals would be mainly a question of societal risk avoidance.

But first, you'd need an "extremely adventurous female human" to serve as a surrogate mother:

SPIEGEL: Setting aside all ethical doubts, do you believe it is technically possible to reproduce the Neanderthal?

Church: The first thing you have to do is to sequence the Neanderthal genome, and that has actually been done. The next step would be to chop this genome up into, say, 10,000 chunks and then synthesize these. Finally, you would introduce these chunks into a human stem cell. If we do that often enough, then we would generate a stem cell line that would get closer and closer to the corresponding sequence of the Neanderthal. We developed the semi-automated procedure required to do that in my lab. Finally, we assemble all the chunks in a human stem cell, which would enable you to finally create a Neanderthal clone.

SPIEGEL: And the surrogates would be human, right? In your book you write that an "extremely adventurous female human" could serve as the surrogate mother.

Church: Yes. However, the prerequisite would, of course, be that human cloning is acceptable to society.

Read the full interview over at Der Spiegel: Link

POLL: What do you think, Neatoramanauts? Should we clone the Neanderthals?

  • Yes - It'll be like Jurassic Park, but with people. Next, bring back the Hobbits!
  • No - Haven't you watched how Jurassic Park ended?
  • You're all wrong - Neanderthals aren't extinct. I went to high school with some of them.

Embedded

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 06:00 PM PST

I'm quite taken with the sculptures of British artist Anna Gillespie. She uses stone, bronze, acorn cups, tree bark and other materials to create striking images of human frailty. She explained why she makes heavy use of unusual natural materials:

Even speaking of 'nature' as something distinct from the human race suggests an artificial separation. We are all part of the natural world. Collecting beech nuts and acorns for sculptures, made me realise that every one is the same and yet different...just like us. Nature is so prolific.

Artist's Website and Interview -via Wunderkammer

Extreme Food: The Steako

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 05:00 PM PST

Reed Rothchild came up with a recipe to combine "the three the things that are most important in my life, bacon, steak, and tacos." The Steako is a taco that uses a steak instead of a taco shell. And not just any steak -one with bacon weaved through it. The filling has both ground beef and bacon in it, and everything is cooked in bacon grease. Add butter, sour cream, cheese, and salsa and you have a real heart attack special! See the process of making this carnivore's delight at Cooking with Reed. Link -via Foodbeast

Brooklyn Toile by Beastie Boys' Mike D

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 04:00 PM PST

Toile du Jouy prints usually depict bucolic scenes of farm animals, couples on a picnic and such, but that won't do for Beastie Boys singer Mike D or Mike Diamond, as his mom calls him. When Mike wanted to decorate his Brooklyn house, he decided to fight for his right to design his own Brooklyn-themed toile wallpaper.

Collaborating with artists Vincent J. Ficarra and Adela Qersaqi of Revolver New York and wallpaper maker Flavor Paper, Mike came up with a design featuring scenes from the daily life in Brooklyn: the Brooklyn Bridge, Coney Island Cyclone, Notorious B.I.G., pigeons and Hasidic Jews walking by.

Want one? The wallpaper costs about $9 a square foot, so a 10' x 10' will set you back about $900. The Beastie Boys Brooklyn Toile is so awesome that it has just been accepted into the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Museum. Time to celebrate with some Brass Monkey!

Link - via Artinfo

Chewdy and Squirmer Hello Maggot Plush

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST

Chewdy and Squirmer Hello Maggot Plush (sold separately)

Valentine's Day is coming. Are you looking for the perfect gift for that special someone who has wiggled their way into you heart? You need a Hello Maggot Plush from the NeatoShop.

The Hello Maggot plush are available in Chewdy and Squirmer. Chewdy comes dressed in a pink flower dress with a cheery flower in her hair. Squirmer is the ever dapper gent in his polka dot shirt and blue bow tie. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Plush Toys. 

Link

Should We Stop Using the Singular "They"?

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST

In formal English grammar, the pronoun "they" is always plural. There is no gender-nonspecific singular pronoun in English. This is a problem, for there is often a need to express such a pronoun.

There are alternatives. In graduate school, the use of gender-inclusive language was pounded into me, so I now reflexively use "he or she" or "s/he" or "his or her", even when writing for Neatorama. But it is awkward and some writers prefer the smoother if gramatically icky singular "they". Jenn Doll of The Atlantic is not among them. She wants English speakers and writers to use "he" and "she":

Let's talk about something. Let's talk about the "singular" they. That's when a writer or a speaker — a he or a she — is discussing someone who might be either a he or a she (it's unknown, or the writer doesn't intend to make a subject or object gender-specific and instead hopes to convey a universality of personhood). So instead of writing, say, he or she did x or y, the writer uses they. It's everywhere, proliferating like fruit flies 'round a bowl of rotting bananas, bad writing surrounding bad writing. [...]

I'm all for a certain flexibility and adaptive ease with regard to language and how we use it. I'm happy to add three exclamation points to a sentence or write in ALL CAPS when it seems to fit the moment, especially online. But I see absolutely no reason other than laziness to start subbing our hes and shes with a clunky they, or our hises and hers with theirs. There is a reason we have distinct pronouns, and that is so we can be specific. If we don't know the specifics, we should try to find them out, or use one of those handy words — he or she or one, for instance — that get around the they problem. Peppering one's sentences with some hes and shes can be kind of nice, really, a way to assemble a collection of characters who are certainly more real and individualized than a collective they.

There is criticism that the use of he as the generic pronoun is an example of linguistic sexism of a sort, and I agree there's no need to always use he as the default if you don't know the gender of the person about whom you are speaking, or if you're using the pronoun to stand for persons of either gender. You can just as easily swap in a she; mix it up! Make it fun! Keep people on their toes! Maybe even create a new word, and make it happen! The message that something should be easy, that we all understand anyway, that it doesn't really matter and we should give up the fight may be the most galling part of this argument, though. Since when was writing or creating art with words (if you're being high-minded) supposed to be convenient? Since when was past history the rule for how we live in the present and future? Break the rules if you must, for a purpose, to make an impact. Don't do something because it's easy and everyone else is doing it. If a word sounds like it's landing with a horrid thump in your ear, it's landing that way to at least some of your readers. Every time I see a singular they, my inner grammatical spirit aches.

Link -via The Hairpin

UPDATE: In the comments, Gerard Van der Leun correctly points out that I forgot to include in the poll the traditional use of "he" is an implied gender nonspecific pronoun. I've now added it.

POLL: Which singular, gender non-specific pronoun should English speakers use?

  • The singular "they".
  • A randomly chosen "he or she".
  • The gender-inclusive "s/he" or "he or she".
  • "He" as an implied gender-nonspecific pronoun.

What REAL Snowflakes in Nature Look Like

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST

Remember those gorgeous microscope images of symmetrical snow flakes that you see in science textbooks? The real thing is a bit different.

Researchers at the University of Utah utilized high speed cameras to shoot 3D images of snowflakes as they float to the ground. The camera, dubbed the Multi Angle Snowflake Camera, can take exposures as quick as 1/25,000th of a second. They discovered that most snowflakes in nature are complex clumps of many smaller flakes that stuck to each other.

The findings could be useful, too:

The images could be used to better understand snowfall and create a more accurate model of winter storms. One of the things weather simulations are not currently good at is predicting snowfall accurately. "The reason they do so badly is because they don't represent snowflakes very well, because they are based on measurements of snowflakes that were done, painstakingly, by hand in the 1970s,” Garrett explained. “They were able to collect maybe a few thousand snowflakes. I knew the guy who did it and he felt he needed to get glasses because of this project."

Read more about it over at Tech News Daily: Link

Duke Street Hazard

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 01:00 PM PST

(YouTube link)

There's a slope in the pavement where a garage ramp crosses the sidewalk. On slick icy days, this will be hazardous, which is why the warning cones are there. But people have to walk by anyway! Watch eight mesmerizing minutes of people sliding, a few butts busting, and at least one chain reaction. -via Arbroath

Manatee Nebula: Sea Cow in Space!

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 01:00 PM PST


Photo: NRAO/AUI/NSF, K. Golap, M. Goss, NASA's Wide Field Survey Explorer


Photo: Tracy Colson

Holy (Space) Cow! Forget the Space Whale, astronomers have spotted something way cooler: the Manatee nebula!

When scientists took a new image of the W50 nebula in the constellation Aquila, a remnant of a supernova 10,000 years ago, someone at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory remarked that it looks like a manatee floating on its back.

The name stuck, and the W50 nebula is being renamed during a ceremony today at the Florida Manatee Festival in Crystal River, Fla.: Link

Isaac Asimov's Business Card

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 12:00 PM PST

Isaac Asimov

Well, he did publish hundreds of books, including works in nine of the ten categories of the Dewey Decimal Classification system. And Asimov was clearly modest about it.

-via Explore | Photo origin: unknown

Chocolate Fruit Omelet

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 11:00 AM PST

v

A chocolate omelet? Why, sure! There's nothing about eggs that says they have to be paired with bacon, ham, or cheese. And what's in your chocolate cake and cookies? Eggs and chocolate. But unlike a chocolate cake, this recipe is gluten free! It was designed as a sweet breakfast for people on gluten-free diets, but anyone can enjoy it. Make your own with the recipe from Living Gluten Free in San Diego. Link

The Butterfly Beauty Myth

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST

Poor caterpillar. She will be forever compared to some imaginary, photoshopped creature pushed by popular culture. Cartoonist Caldwell Tanner offers his sympathies.

Link -via Pleated Jeans

Limited Edition Strapless Black Satin Apron

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST

Limited Edition Strapless Black Satin Apron (front and back shown)

Are you looking for the perfect gift for favorite fashionista / culinary genius. You need the uber-chic Limited Edition Strapless Black Satin Apron from the Neatoshop. This gorgeous cocktail dress inspired apron is uniquely strapless. It includes corset boning for a flattering fit. This is not your Grandma's apron. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Aprons. 

Link

Subway's 11-inch Footlong®

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST

v

Last week, Australian teenager Matt Corby uploaded a photograph showing an 11-inch Subway sandwich. The original Facebook post has since been deleted, but Subway did respond to Corby.

"Hi, Matt. Thanks for writing. Looking at this photo, this bread is not baked to our standards," Subway wrote on Thursday in response to his post.

"We have policies in place to ensure that our fresh baked bread is consistent and has the same great taste no matter which Subway restaurant around the world you visit. We value your feedback and want to thank you again for being a fan."

If it were just one sandwich, the picture probably would not have gone viral, but apparently it touched a nerve with sub sandwich eaters. Quite a few other Facebook users posted similar pictures of a Subway footlong as 11 inches or a bit less. By the time Subway Australia responded in the comments of this Facebook post, they could no longer pretend it was an isolated incident.



So if a Subway Footlong®  is not intended to be a measurement of length, does the same logic apply to a 6-inch sandwich, which is made from cutting a Footlong® in half? And is the ® symbol a new version of "quote" marks in that when you see them, you automatically think that it doesn't mean what the words say?

I have not seen a picture of a 13 inch sandwich, at least not yet. A quick survey of New York City sandwiches found four out of seven at 11 or 11.5 inches.

Some say that the internet uproar over an inch of sandwich is silly. Others point out some of the greater implications of the controversy:

1. Will it still be silly when next year, the Footlong® is only ten inches? Or nine?
2. What if we decided the dollars we pay for the sandwiches are not intended to be a measurement of money?
3. Would it be silly to complain if a gallon of gas were to become 10% smaller?

So what do you think -is this a tempest in a teapot or a place where customers should draw the line?

POLL: Regarding the 11-inch Subway Footlong®

  • This is an isolated incident. My sandwiches are at least a foot long.
  • No one should expect truth in advertising.
  • Trademarking a unit of measurement is a genius move.
  • Trademark or not, a Subway Footlong® should be a foot long.

A Little Girl's Batmobile

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 08:00 AM PST

One little girl is ripping up the streets of Gotham City in her new Batmobile. Instructables member Cinnamontwisties took a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe, painted it and added a pink cushion. Now her toddler is on her way to becoming a superhero.

Link -via The Mary Sue

This Week at Neatorama

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST

If you have your Christmas decorations put away by now, consider yourself ahead of the game. There are plenty of people where I live that not only still have their trees up, but turn them on every night. And we are already up to the next holiday! Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, and if you have a three-day weekend, we hope you can spend at least some of that time catching up on what you may have missed this past week at Neatorama.

Alex brought us a collection of pretty videos from the 2012 Nikon Small World in Motion Competition.

Eddie Deezen marked the boxer's birthday on Thursday with Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Muhammad Ali.

You Go, Girls: The Suffragettes came from Uncle John's Bathroom Reader.

The Annals of Improbable Research gave us What Are They Doing? My Visit to a Psychology Conference.

And 10 U.S. Vice Presidents: A Celebration of Almost-Great Men was from mental_floss magazine.

In the What Is It? game this week, the mystery item is indeed a millstone. The first commenter who got it right (and followed all rules) was Craig Clayton, who wins a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! The funniest answer was from Dug, who said it is a "Recently unearthed Pompeii Satellite Dish Network receiver. It was still tuned to the Discovery channel when found. Some alarmist rhetoric show about end of the world, cataclysm, apocalypse, yadda yadda yadda." That one deserves a t-shirt, too! There were lots of funny answers this week; you should read them all. Several people mentioned the currency of Yap, which you can read more about in the post Funny Money: Strange currencies of the world. The answers to all this week's mystery items are posted at the What Is It? blog. Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone for playing along!

vAnother contest is still open, as we asked you to caption the picture of the adorable Panda Cat. The commenter who comes up with the funniest caption will win a t-shirt from the NeatoShop!

Besides the contests, the post with the most comments this week was Ten Things You Probably Didn't Know About Muhammad Ali(which was also the most popular post of the week), followed by New Look and Logo for American Airlines: Hot or Not? and 38 Weird Varieties of Poutine.

When you get caught up on what's here at Neatorama, go see what's happening at Facebook and Twitter, where we put extra stuff for those who care to follow. Tell your friends to follow us on Pinterest, also! And mobile users: Flipboard makes it easy to keep up with Neatorama. Oh yeah -look for Neatorama in Instagram, too!

A Letter from Hogwarts

Posted: 19 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST

letter from Hogwarts feather painting

It's wonderful news: you've been admitted to Hogwarts! Pack your size 2 pewter cauldron and get moving. Russian artist Alvia Alcedo painted this scene from Harry Potter on the feather of a greater spotted owl using acrylic and tempera paints.

Link

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