Neatorama |
- Empathy Table
- Grad School Pressure
- A Day in India
- Dragon Jackalope
- Quantum Vibration in Your Nose
- Hello Kitty Sleep Mask
- Favorite Cars from Science Fiction
- Dino Ampelosaur Has Super Teeny Tiny Brain
- Nintendo Pancakes
- Eyes on the Stars
- The Whale Photobomb
- Optical Illusion Knitted TARDIS Scarf
- Extremely Trivial Police Reports
- Galadriel Crown
- Man Got Replacement Candy 60 Years Later
- Dog with a Stick
- A Dash of Color
- The Force is Weird
- Doctor Who Perpetual Calendar
- The 10 Tallest People in History
- If Only They Would Listen to Me!
- Geek Scrabble Tile Necklace
- Tokyoflash Treasure Hunt #23 Winners
- Sea Foam Surprise
- Win a Personalized Robot Portrait
- Middle-Earth Problem Solving Chart
- Happy Days
| Posted: 29 Jan 2013 04:00 AM PST
Jennifer Crupi's Empathy Table doesn't have any legs. It rests on the laps of its two users and remains stable so as long as both people maintain a welcoming posture:
Link -via Design Boom | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Jan 2013 03:00 AM PST Oh, this one hits close to home (Yours truly holds a PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology) but it's too good not to share. Watch (and weep, if you're a grad student) Grad School Pressure, a parody of Flight of the Conchords Love that? How about this one: Some Budding Yeast I Used to Grow, a parody of Gotye.
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| Posted: 29 Jan 2013 02:00 AM PST The sights and sounds of India will make you long for the taste of all that food! Daniel Klein and Mirra Fine of The Perennial Plate bring us a short tour of India, edited from three weeks of travel. Link | ||||||
| Posted: 29 Jan 2013 01:00 AM PST
The dragon jackalope, depicted here by Hontor, is about ten times larger than a regular jackalope. It can fly, has an armored skin and is noted for a tendency to collect treasure that it cannot use. But the dragon jackalope does not breathe fire. That's just a silly old myth. | ||||||
| Quantum Vibration in Your Nose Posted: 29 Jan 2013 12:00 AM PST
But there's a different and competing theory in the wings: rather than binding, olfaction works through quantum vibrations. In a sense, fancy and exotic physics occur with every odor that you smell:
Take a whiff at the new study over at Scientific American: Link | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 11:00 PM PST
Could you really benefit from a cat nap right about now? Let the Hello Kitty Sleep Mask from the NeatoShop help you get your Zzz's. This adorable sleep mask features a plush pink bow and fantastic embroidered details. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more divine Hello Kitty items. | ||||||
| Favorite Cars from Science Fiction Posted: 28 Jan 2013 11:00 PM PST
This rundown of science fiction vehicles is highly subjective, as the title starts with "My Favorite," but there are some interesting entries. Of course, you'd expect the Delorean from Back to the Future, but I'd forgotten all about Ark II. And what is this thing? It's the Big Bus, from the 1976 disaster-movie spoof The Big Bus. Read about eight such vehicles at Unreality. If your favorite isn't listed, tell us about it! Link | ||||||
| Dino Ampelosaur Has Super Teeny Tiny Brain Posted: 28 Jan 2013 10:00 PM PST
The larger they are, the smaller their brains - that seems to be the motto of the dinosaur Ampelosaur. Using 3D reconstruction of fossilized remains of its skull, scientists from Spain's National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC) discovered that the dino's brain is only about 3 inches long.
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| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 09:00 PM PST
Yoshis are actually pretty good, but you have to cook them a long time before they're tender. I suggest using a crockpot, but Nathan Shields's pancake versions of him and other classic Nintendo characters also look tasty. | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 08:00 PM PST It's been 27 years, but it seems like yesterday. On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger exploded just a few seconds after launch. One of the astronauts aboard was physicist Ronald McNair. In this video from StoryCorps, McNair's brother talks about his childhood in Lake City, South Carolina. Link -via mental_floss | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 07:00 PM PST
Goats do it. Sloths do it. Ground squirrels do it. And yes, silly humans do it all the time. But how about whales? As this photo shows, whales photobomb like a boss. | ||||||
| Optical Illusion Knitted TARDIS Scarf Posted: 28 Jan 2013 06:00 PM PST | ||||||
| Extremely Trivial Police Reports Posted: 28 Jan 2013 05:00 PM PST
Extremely Trivial Police Reports is a fairly new blog by an emergency medical worker who combs public information records for trivial but amusing reports. There's also the occasional photograph of recovered stolen goods of dubious value. Submissions are welcome! Link -via Metafilter | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 04:00 PM PST | ||||||
| Man Got Replacement Candy 60 Years Later Posted: 28 Jan 2013 04:00 PM PST
Sixty years later, he got it:
Amy Bowen of SC Times has the story: Link (Photo: Jason Wachter) - via SF Gate | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 03:00 PM PST This dog fetched himself a big stick, and decided he'd just keep it. But he doesn't quite understand the physics of getting it through a gate. Poor doggie! -via Daily of the Day | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST
Members of the art collective Dihzahyners painted seventy-three stairs Beruit. After seven hours of work, they produced this beautiful addition to the city's color. As you can see from the gallery, this is typical of Dihzahyner's flair. Link and Gallery -via Twisted Sifter | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 01:00 PM PST
Haven't you wondered this yourself? I've always chalked it up to George Lucas not realizing in 1977 that he'd actually need to come up with a sequel or two to Star Wars. This Twaggie was illustrated by David Collier from a Tweet by Bad Bad Leeroy Brown. See more illustrated Tweets at Twaggies. Link | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 12:00 PM PST
Bow ties are cool, but you know what's even better? A Doctor Who perpetual calendar worthy of the Time Lord. Behold The Gallifreyan 7,500 Year Perpetual Calendar and Galactic Star Chart, as illustrated by our pal Russell Walks.
Best of all, you can get this BBC-licensed calendar as a pre-order: Link - Thanks Russell!
More pics below:
Can you read the Circular Gallifreyan in the calendar? | ||||||
| The 10 Tallest People in History Posted: 28 Jan 2013 11:00 AM PST
Some people literally stand head and shoulders above the crowed. You'd only have to be a bit over eight feet tall to be one of the tallest people ever, but such stature comes at great cost. First, you suffer from the underlying condition that causes such growth. Then, being bigger than normal itself causes physical problems, such as stress on the joints, backbone, and heart. However, there's one story in this list in which modern medicine succeeded in stopping a giant's growth. That wasn't true for Bernard Coyne, pictured here, who died in his early twenties. Coyne only ranked number seven on the list. Link -via the Presurfer | ||||||
| If Only They Would Listen to Me! Posted: 28 Jan 2013 10:00 AM PST
When I was a sophomore in college, I was brilliant. Perhaps, in my final years, I will be again. Zach Weinersmith of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal charts epistemic humility over time. | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST
Have you recently gone geek? Are looking for a way to tell your friends and family about your new geek lifestyle? You need the Geek Scrabble Tile Necklace from the NeatoShop. This subtle and sophisticated accessory is a wonderful way to convey that you have banded together with other bright and like minded individuals. Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Jewelry and fantastic Gifts For Geeks. | ||||||
| Tokyoflash Treasure Hunt #23 Winners Posted: 28 Jan 2013 09:00 AM PST Congratulations to the winners of our latest Tokyoflash Treasure Hunt #23 (here's the answer page). Here are the winners of the NeatoShop items:
And the grand prize, Kisai Polygon from Tokyoflash is won by triquetriquerolima. The winners have all been notified by Private Message on the blog - they're required to response to the private message in order to claim their prizes. Thank you to the good folks at Tokyoflash and to all of you Neatoramanauts who played! If you didn't win, catch the Tokyoflash Treasure Hunt next time and don't forget to visit the NeatoShop and get your lovie some sweet Valentine's Day gifts! | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 08:00 AM PST Flooding on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, over the weekend left a thick layer of sea foam behind. How thick? Beware of what looks like a "wave" in the foam! Luckily, it appears no one was hurt in this particular incident. -via Daily Picks and Flicks | ||||||
| Win a Personalized Robot Portrait Posted: 28 Jan 2013 07:00 AM PST
Congratulations to our pal Ben Rollman, who has just drawn his 200th Robot Portrait! We've been collaborating with Ben for quite some time now, and you can get your very own Robot Portrait over at the NeatoShop. Here's the one he did for Miss C a while back:
Now, the good news: We're giving away one Robot Portrait. All you have to do is complete this sentence (in the comment below) If I were a Robot, I'd ..... Contest rules are simple: One entry per comment. You can enter as many as you'd like for a chance to win a Robot Portrait of your own (either of yourself or of a loved one). Funniest one wins. And (hint): Robot Portraits are a fantastic personalized Valentine's Day Gift, so please consider buying one, mmkay? | ||||||
| Middle-Earth Problem Solving Chart Posted: 28 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST
It's all-purpose! If someone's giving you trouble--at home, at work, anywhere--just follow Emil Johansson's handy chart to put them out of your misery. | ||||||
| Posted: 28 Jan 2013 05:00 AM PST
The landmark sitcom Happy Days (1974-84) was more than just a show about a clean-cut teenager and his cool biker pal- it bridged the gap between early TV sitcoms like Father Knows Best and edgy modern comedies like The Simpsons. Here's the story of Happy Days.
Marshall was sure they had a hit, but network brass viewed the pilot… and passed. Official reason: "No one cares about the 1950s anymore." In order to make their money back, ABC did what they had done with a lot of rejected comedy pilots: turned it over to producer Aaron Spelling to use as an episode on his anthology series Love, American Style. Called "Love and the Happy Days," the segment aired on February 25, 1972. THE FORCE WAS WITH THEM
Marshall went back to work. Together with his new producing partner Ed Milkis, they filmed a new pilot with most of the roles recast. ABC wanted teen heartthrob Robbie Benson to play Richie, but Benson didn't want to do TV, so he conspired with Marshall to flub his audition.
So an audition call went out for a tough guy -a short tough guy. That's when a 5' 6.5" actor named Henry Winkler -a self-described "New York Jew with a big nose"- read for the part. Winkler, 27, wasn't really interested in TV; he wanted to make serious films and be the next Dustin Hoffman. But he had played a 1950s leather-jacket-wearing tough in the movie The Lords of Flatbush, so when a similar role came up in ABC's new sitcom, his agent urged him to audition.
With Winkler's input, the Fonzie character became a big draw and got more on-screen time. Fonzie moved into the Cunningham's garage and became Richie's mentor and best friend, teaching him how to stick up for himself. In turn, Richie taught the Fonz the importance of family.The pairing of this unlikely duo -a dropout and a square- added dimension to both characters. (Off screen, Winkler and Howard became close friends as well.)
Whether or not the quality of Happy Days declined after the shark episode is a matter of debate, but there's no doubt the show remained popular. As Henry Winkler often points out, "We were #1 [in its time slot] for four more years after I jumped over that shark." The episode's writer, Fred Fox, Jr. has also defended it: "It was huge, ranking No. 3 for the week and an audience of more than 30 million viewers." Most critics point out that if Happy Days ever truly did "jump the shark," it occurred three years later when Richie and Ralphie left the show and Potsie was demoted to the role of bumbling store clerk in Howard Cunningham's hardware store. Fonzie "grew up," becoming a shop teacher at Jefferson High and even entered a monogamous relationship. His main focus shifted to helping Joanie and Chachi keep out of trouble.
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If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out! |
' Inner City Pressure, as performed at UC Berkeley MCB Follies, by actual grad school student 
The nose knows, but how exactly is a matter of scientific debate. The conventional theory on olfaction is that olfactory receptors bind to odor molecules and that binding sends a signal to the brain about a particular smell.
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Better late than never! A then 14-year-old Dave Bell bit into his Pearson's Salted Nut Roll and found a twig. Angry and disappointed, Bell sent a letter demanding a replacement candy.
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The following article is from the book
The birth of Happy Days can be traced back to a conversation on a winter night in 1971. Two young TV executives, Michael Eisner (ABC) and Tom Miller (Paramount), were snowbound at Newark City Airport in New Jersey and began chatting. The duo lamented that there were no longer any family-oriented sitcoms like Father Knows Best. So they decided to create one. 
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Later that year, George Lucas began casting for a movie about teenage life and car culture in the early 1960s, American Graffiti, and asked ABC for a copy of "Love and the Happy Days." In the pilot, he spotted Ron Howard, a young actor already famous for his boyhood role as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. He thought Ron Howard might be right for the lead role of a naive teenager- essentially the same part he'd played in the pilot. According to Garry Marshall in his book Wake Me When Its Funny:
In the first season of Happy Days, the writers and performers were still finding their collective voice. Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham were more jaded than they would later be portrayed; Joanie was brattier; Potsie was a deviant; and Richie's older brother, Chuck (Gavin O'Herlihy), did little more than hold a basketball and insult Richie. Most of these characters changed and developed; Chuck was 
AAAYYY…
In the show, Fonzie snapped his fingers and girls flocked to him. With a knock on the jukebox, he got music to play. Guys wanted to be him; girls wanted to be with him. School kids, carrying their Fonzie lunch boxes, gave each other thumbs-up and said, "Correctamundo!" People magazine wrote in 1976: "The Fonz has become TV's super character, cooler than Kojak, hotter than Mr. Kotter's 'sweathogs,' more explosive than Good Times dyn-o-mite." Winkler received nearly 50,0000 fan letters per week. After an episode in which Fonzie got a library card, U.S. libraries reported a 500-percent increase in cards issued.
Fans and critics are still debating whether the beginning of the end for Happy Days came during the three-part season premiere in September 1977. In a now-famous scene, Fonzie, awkwardly dressed in swim trunks and his leather jacket, donned a pair of water skis and jumped over a shark to "overcome his fear of sharks." A few years later, two college students coined the phrase "jump the shark" to describe "the moment when you know that your favorite show has reached its peak. From then on, it will simply never be the same." About a decade later, they created the website Jump The Shark where TV fans could weigh in on where other TV shows jumped the proverbial shark. [ed. note: the website is 
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The show's final years brought even more changes. Ted McGinley joined the cast as Roger Phillips, a coach at Jefferson High. But Roger never really meshed with viewers, and the ratings dropped considerably. Erin Moran and Scott Baio left in 1982 to star in the short-lived spinoff Joanie Loves Chachi. 
The article above was reprinted with permission from 
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