(Video Link)

This is Gladys, the Amazing Milk Bull (Terrier). I wonder where I could get pants like hers. They're really stylish and could attract tasty goats to me.

-via Daily of the Day

Giant googly eyes aren't just great for making household objects look alive, they are also great for making cosplay look even more fantastic! These delightful pictures were taken by Jenny and Lars sparks, who modified the eyes and brought them to the convention for this specific purpose.

Link Via Geek Native

Even the elder gods need refreshment sometimes! CTHUL-AID is an artwork by BeastWreck for sale as a print from Society 6.

It's the Great Old Ones' favorite beverage, guaranteed to be maddeningly refreshing! Cthulhu himself enjoys kicking back after a hard day's work in R'lyeh and pouring himself a tall cold glass of Cthul-Aid, and so should you!

Link -via Boing Boing

Have you ever read a novel or watched a movie about a fantastic library? Perhaps you'd like to visit the almost unused school library in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Or maybe you'd like to browse through the stacks at the Jedi Temple Library in Star Wars. You can get virtual introductions to these and more at the link.

Which fictional library would you most like to visit?

Link -via Jezebel

(Image: BBC)

Iron Throne by Firepower Tees

A king should never sit easy, but a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist? 'Tis the perfect seat, as Firepower Tees cleverly put on his version of Iron Throne shirt.

Please let me welcome Firepower Tees to the NeatoShop! Check out his Facebook page for more neat shirts, then visit his NeatoShop page to get your favorite ones. Your purchase helps support the blog as well as indie artists.

Game of Jones	Game of Clones	Game of Bones	Throne of James

View more designs by Firepower Tees | 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, earn generous royalties, and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

Do you love the humorously morose lyrics of Morrisey? What about the adorable children of the Peanuts gang as created by Charles Schulz? Then imagine the wonder of the two being combined and you'll have the brilliant new Tumblr, This Charming Charlie.

Link Via BoingBoing

Skull Ring with Secret Eyeball Necklace Inside

So, you are head over heals in love with someone and wish there was a way you could always keep and eye I them? Now you can with the Skull Ring with Secret Eyeball Necklace from the NeatoShop. This over the top accessory looks like a human skull with shining crystal eyes. Pop open his head to reveal a secret eyeball necklace hidden inside. The necklace is removable and makes a eye-catching addition to any outfit.   

The Skull Ring with Eyeball Necklace Inside is available in Gold and Silver. The items come housed in a handsome box suitable for gifting. Buy both Skull Ring styles and make it an eye-popping set.

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

Link

Over millions of years of evolution, animals have developed incredibly useful appearances. Why not adopt them as your own? Bird and Moon has some great suggestions. Maybe I should attach a false head on my hip to distract predators.

Link -via Pleated Jeans

Rob Reiner spoke to a crowd of fans at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences about the experience of filming The Princess Bride. He told of casting and special effects and how a little bit of Spinal Tap ended up on the set. And the time he was approached by one of John Gotti's men.

Reiner: Yeah, I walked outside the restaurant, and John Gotti was there with six wiseguys. There was a guy beside the limo who looked like Luca Brasi. He looked at me, and said: “You killed my father…Prepare to die!” I almost went right then! He said, “I love dat movie, da Princess Bride!”

Read the rest, illustrated with appropriate images and gifs from the movie, at Uproxx. Link

We've told you about Lil' Bub on Neatorama a couple of times before, but I've just found out that the cute "perma kitten" cat (who has no teeth, short lower jaw, dwarfism and other unique traits) has a new book coming out next month! As Bub's owner Mike Bridavsky said, Good job Bub!

Lil' Bub, is there nothing you can't do?

Don't forget to keep up with Lil' Bub on her Tumblr.

Over the past few years, we've posted Freddie Wong videos nearly two dozen times. It's safe to say he's our favorite filmmaker on YouTube, hands down. His love of video games, action sequences, special effects and good story telling set him in a league of his own on the video platform - definately not the usual YouTube rat-a-tat. 

So when Alex asked me to venture with over with him to Freddie's production studio in Burbank to create this "Day in the Life of" video, I jumped at the chance. As you might expect, Freddie is down-to-earth, humble, affable, witty and has a lot to say. You'll hear in the interview below that he's been living on soda the past few weeks, pulling late nights to keep the latest season (#2) of his Video Game High School (VGHS) series on schedule. If you haven't been watching the show, I'll post a few of the 1st season episodes after the jump, but it's a new, really fun action comedy set in the near future where video gaming elevates its best players to stardom by its position as the world's most popular competitive sport. VGHS is an elite and prestigious facility almost impossible to gain entry to, which teaches a curriculum of video games of all genres. The episodes, which, in some cases are as long as traditional TV comedy shows, have racked up tens of millions of views and there are already plans for a season 3 next year.

So watch our interview, get a tour of the Rocket Jump facilities, meet some of the creators and listen to Freddie talk about this unique moment in history where content creators have (more or less) complete control over what they produce, where they publish it, and how it gets distributed. 

Oh, and if you haven't already, make sure you join the more than 6 million other cool cats who've subscribed to FreddieW. Although, I guess even if you don't we'll continue to post his vids right here at neatorama. 

And now for some VGHS epidoes, starting with the first episode!

(Video Link)

It's a brutal world out in the concrete stacks. Watch these two hard-boiled librarians circulate crime out of library. The Mike and Duane Show re-shot the Beastie Boys' classic music video for "Sabotage."

-via Amy Duncan

Public Enemy No. 1 (Photo: Kiselev Andrey Valerevich/Shutterstock)

Knitta, please. How dare you bring "dangerous instruments" of knitting needles to a public library?

The Knit 'n' Natter, a group of knitting enthusiasts, has been meeting at a library in Cramlington, Northumberland, England, for years. But recently, the group has been banned by the county council:

Margaret Derrick, one of the group's founding members, said: "We've been told different stories and different complaints and I don't now know what to believe.

"We've been told knitting needles are dangerous instruments and against health and safety policy. We've also been told that it's because we are too noisy.

A group of noisy women with sharp sticks? It's just a matter of time before they brawl and someone loses an eye ...

The BBC has more: Link

(YouTube link)

Consider this the Czech equivalent of "The Flying Purple People Eater." The song "Jožin z bažin" (Joey from the Swamp) was written in 1978 by comedian Ivan Mládek. This performance has English subtitles and those groovy fashions of the time. -via Daily of the Day

Did you finish all of Orange is the New Black already? Can't wait for the next season, even though it's not coming until 2014? Then look to Netflix to whet your appetite for prison goodness with these delightfully prison-esque recipes based on everyone's favorite prison show.

I think it would help if John tried these out for us and reviewed the recipes. 

Link

Joey deVilla of Accordion Guy  wanted to know the current time in Canada, and found his answer in one of these three wall clocks on the wall of an unnamed Days Inn hotel.

Now, if that clock had been labeled "China" ...

You probably cannot recall what you did six months ago without looking at your calendar, but anyone who is old enough to remember can recall very clearly what they did on September 11, 2001. I got my driver's license renewed very early that morning, and after listening to the news (and then watching it on TV), I went to work to broadcast more news -in fact my radio station played no music at all for several days afterward.

Rob Walker remembers, too, and recently recovered digital photographs taken in the aftermath of 9/11. He and his wife drove across several states and she took snapshots of signs along the way, to document the mood of the country at that time.

Depending on your age, you will either remember or never really understand what an unusual time September 2001 was in the United States. In the wake of the event that would come to be known simply as 9/11, signals and symbols of patriotism and unity were everywhere. These included a widespread display of flags, unprecedented in my lifetime at least — to the point that cheap miniature flags had sold out practically everywhere.

Similarly, many businesses replaced the usual deal-advertisement messages on their letter-board signs with more emotional sentiments.

Walker noticed how the signs gradually began to include store specials over time, as a sort-of gradual return to business as usual. Link

The Nag at Nag on the Lake posted a link to the pictures along with her personal remembrance of 9/11, which also involved a road trip. Link

How about you? Where were you when you heard about the terrorist attacks of September 11, and how did you spend the rest of that day, or week, or month?

Spider Bracelet

Are you looking for a way to inject a little fun into your wardrobe. You need the fangtastic Spider Bracelet from the NeatoShop. This terrifyingly fabulous fashion accessory features a jewel encrusted spider. 

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

Link

(Video Link)

Fans of Neatorama know we are big fans of fat cats. In fact, one of the first posts that helped Neatorama make it big was about fat cats. 

That's why we're so excited to share this video about Norman with the rest of you. This Sacramento fat cat gets plenty of exercise and eats a special diet, but even so, a woman recently mistook him for a pregnant cat in labor and brought him to the vet. Fortunately, the vet recognized Norman and got him back to his owner.

Via Cute Overload

An ordinary craftsman can take an old object and make it into a lamp, but it takes inspiration to make one as amusing as Rodger Thomas does. This Atlanta-based artist finds new uses for antiques, and not uses that you'd expect.

Link

Although they might look like it, none of the words or expression listed below is in any way dirty, and to prove it we're giving you the correct definitions. But use them at your own risk.

Bed Load: Solid particles, like the pebbles in a stream, that are carried along by flowing water.

Titbits: The British spelling for the word "tidbits." Tit-Bits was the name of of a British weekly magazine published from 1881 to 1984.

Loose Smutt: A fungus that attacks wheat crops.

Oxpecker: A small bird native to sub-Saharan Africa. Also known as tick birds, they eat parasites that infest the hides of livestock.

Dick Test: If your doctor suspects you have scarlet fever, you may be given this diagnostic test invented by Dr. George Dick and his wife Gladys in 1924.

Vaginicola: A singled-celled organism found in pond water.

Crack Spread: The difference in value between unrefined crude oil and the products that can be made by refining, or "cracking" the oil.

F-holes: The f-shaped sound holes cut into the front of violins, cellos, and other stringed instruments.

Rump Party: In British politics, when one faction of a political party breaks away to merge with or form a new party, the faction left behind is known as the "rump party."

Urinator: A person who dives underwater in search of pearls, sunken treasure, or other riches.

Spermophile: A genus, or grouping of more than 20 species of ground squirrel.

Crap Mats: The name of a mountain in the Swiss Alps.

Fucoid: An adjective that means "having to do with seaweed."

Fucose: A type of sugar found in human breast milk and in seaweed.

Titubate: To stumble, either in step or in speech.

Dickcissel: A species of finch native to the U.S.

The article above was reprinted with permission from the Bathroom Institute's book Uncle John's Heavy Duty Bathroom Reader. Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute has 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!

Say hello to the Cowboy Cone, a waffle cone filled with pulled pork, cole slaw, beans and barbecue sauce. At only 845 calories, it's practically diet food compared to some of the other foods featured in this great Buzzfeed article covering the food monstrosities at the Iowa State Fair.

Link

(YouTube link)

Imagine the dialogue, if you will:

Robot: I'm tough! I will punch you over and over! You cannot defeat me!

Cat: Aw, you just need a little love. Come over here and give me a hug.

-via Tastefully Offensive

What? Where did you think Swedish Fish come from? Factories? Our pal Dan Piraro of Bizarro sets ya straight - those delicious swedish fish are captured one by one by dedicated fishermen who toiled tirelessly to bring you the delicacy from the frigid waters of the Norwegian Sea.

We are most likely to notice the honeybee and the bumblebee, but North America is home to more than 4,000 species of bee. Take a look at some of the other species, which sport some surprising colors! Wired talked to Sam Droege of the  U.S. Geological Survey's Bee Inventory and Monitoring program about the amazing variety of bees, with plenty of pictures. Link -via Not Exactly Rocket Science

(Image credit: Flickr user Sam Droege/USGS Bee Inventory)

(Video Link)

If the makers of Brokeback Mountain, The Notebook and Knocked Up created Breaking Bad, it would be a lot less about meth and a lot more about two men exploring their sexuality and somehow making a baby together.

Via Laughing Squid

(Photo: Jono Martin)

We've been lied to all of our lives.

Dan Anderson, a high school math teacher in New York, conducted a scientific study and found that Double Stuf Oreos actually contain only 1.86 times the creme of a regular Oreo.

I don't know what to believe in anymore.

Hold me.

Link -via VA Viper

That pot of gold is obviously somewhere in Brooklyn. Do you reckon there may be a bank right where it ends? Link

(Image credit: Scott Beale)

Thor Cape Socks

Do not insult your feet with puny ordinary socks. Make your ancestors proud with the Thor Cape Socks from the NeatoShop. This legendary pair of crew socks is destined to take your style to new heights. 

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

Link

(Photo: unknown)

The Superman beard controversy is about to get even more perplexing. Also: Clark Kent is about to blow his secret identity.

-via Obvious Winner

What happened when Karl Stefanovic, host of Australia's edition of the TODAY show, interviewed Tard the Grumpy Cat?

Wait for it ... wait for it ... *snort* Just look at that cat!

(Photo: SarahB-)

Every year, lexicographers--people who write dictionaries--have to delete words from newer editions of dictionaries. How do they decide which words to eliminate? Jen Doll of The Atlantic explains:

To determine which words are most relevant today, editors comb through a variety of sources (Google Books, LexisNexis, other dictionaries, the entire Internet). A word that’s still widely read—a thee or a thou—should stay, even if it’s not used by contemporary English speakers. To survive in the Collegiate Dictionary, Stamper says, a defunct word must appear in books that the average high-school or college student is aware of. So an archaic word found in Shakespeare or Milton gets a reprieve, but one favored by Samuel Pepys or Anthony Trollope may not. [...]

As for those words now facing an unhappy fate—landlubberliness!—preservationist types should use them whenever possible. Take the case of snollygoster, a noun meaning “an unprincipled but shrewd person,” which was removed from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary in 2003. When news got around that it had been dropped, Stamper says, people took up its banner: “We have, oddly enough, seen more unironic and unself-conscious use of snollygoster in print in the last few years.” Principled or not, the ploy has been shrewd. Stamper says that if the word really takes off, Merriam-Webster will “certainly consider adding it back.” Perhaps it only takes a crowd of snollygosters to save a snollygoster.

It would be tragic if a word as fine as snollygoster would be extinguished. I'll start using it.

Link -via Carmen Jade

(YouTube link)

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman! Which leads to …chaos, in a new animation from Dorkly. -via Tastefully Offensive

(Photo: MCpl Kevin Paul / Canadian Forces Combat Camera)

Menacingly, during the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, Canada is working on a super quiet snowmobile design:

The Canadian military has been secretly test-driving a $620,000 stealth snowmobile in its quest to quietly whisk troops on clandestine operations in the Arctic.

The Canadian Press has learned that soldiers have taken the new hybrid-electric snowmobile prototype on trial runs to evaluate features such as speed, noise level, battery endurance and acceleration.

The Department of National Defence even has a nickname for its cutting-edge, covert tool: “Loki,” after the “mythological Norse shape-shifting god.”

Link -via Jeremy Barker

The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Botanical Garden near Kolkata, India, is home to the Great Banyan Tree. You may know that banyan trees spread by growing branches down to the ground that tunnel into the earth and become roots, which in turn support more branches. This spreading habit makes the banyan look like a forest when it is one single tree. The Great Banyan covers an area of over 14,400 square meters -and it is still growing!

It's taken it over 250 years to reach this staggering stretch, and not without a few natural disasters that almost did in the whole giant arboreal wonder. In the 19th century, two cyclones hit the tree, breaking it open and exposing its main trunk which led to a damaging fungal attack. By 1925, the main trunk, which once measured over 50 feet wide, had to be removed. Yet as the sign at the tree states: "interestingly enough, the tree now lives in perfect vigor without its main trunk."

Read more about the Great Banyan and see more pictures at Atlas Obscura. Link

(Image credit: Biswarup Ganguly)

(Photo: The Dapper Dan)

When starvation, rather than obesity, is your problem, then McDonald's has the solution. Economist Stephen Dubner, one of the authors of Freakanomics, argues that the McDonald's McDouble (pictured above) is the most nutritious food ever devised:

The double cheeseburger provides 390 calories, 23 grams of protein – half a daily serving – seven per cent of daily fibre, 19 grams of fat and 20 per cent of daily calcium, all for between $1 and $2, or 65p and £1.30,The Times reported. [...]

Mr Dubner added: “The more I thought about the question, whether the McDouble is the cheapest, most bountiful, and nutritious food ever, the more I realised how you answer that question says a lot about how you see the world, not only our food system and the economics of it, but even social justice.”

Link -via Ace of Spades HQ

(YouTube link)

This is a pre-production teaser for a project Director Timur Bekmambetov hopes to turn into a feature film.

When a young man’s estranged father is killed under suspicious circumstances, he returns home for the first time in years to get to the bottom of the mystery. Hoping to uncover some logical explanation, he instead finds his mom’s sleazy new boyfriend, a natural gas company buying up the town, an angry female sheriff who happens to be his ex-girlfriend, and an army of flesh-eating squirrels hellbent on destroying everything in their path due to an erosion of their food chain as a result of environmental destruction by the gas company.

I'm not much on horror films, but I might go see this just for the novelty. Link -via Daily of the Day  

The Last of Springfield

The Last of Springfield Bloater

deviantARTist Raqos Simpsonized the popular zombocalypse video game The Last of Us in these two brilliant panels. Now how what was that tagline again? Oh, now I remember: Beer is the key to survival.

Via Geeks Are Sexy

We love macaroni and cheese, but I think John might be the only writer on our team willing to try a macaroni and cheese martini. Fortunately, he doesn't have to because BoingBoing's Stephanie Thorpe reviewed one she happened to enjoy at Comic Con. 

Personally, I still think it sounds better than the McNuggetini.

Link Via The Consumerist

The Cat in the Hat Notepad

You have looked! And you saw him! The Cat in the Hat. He is a notepad, what do you think about that. 

Tell that cat what you need to do today. He has 75 little pages for you to write away. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Office & Desk items and fantastic Dr. Seuss stuff. 

Link

Now THIS is how you flip someone off legally in court!

At issue is some kind of traffic violation, but that's secondary to enjoying the legal brilliance of this attorney who repeatedly flipped the bird in court.

YouTube Link - via Lowering the Bar

Well, maybe if you stared at this one long enough, you'd get it, but the quiz gives you nine minutes to identify 25 different books. The style of each word cloud could be another clue. It's a fun quiz! I scored 15 out of 25, which was better than I expected, because I haven't read these books -well, maybe one or two. How did you score? Link -via TYWKIWDBI 

(Video Link)

You've seen parkour dogs like Roxy and Tret before, but never parkour kitties, but George is special. Just look at those sweet moves!

Via Cute Overload

Benji, a 10-year-old mutt, had a debilitating stroke earlier this year. Its owner, an Australian diplomat in Taipei, Taiwan, took her to a vet and asked that the dog be euthanized to save her needless indignity and suffering.

According to Taipei Times, veterinarian Yang Dong-sheng, took the money but unbeknownst to the owner, decided to save Benji at his own expense. Within weeks, Benji had recovered enough to escape from the doctor's home and was later caught by a dog-catcher who found her wandering on the street.

Benji was then returned to her owner of record, who was shocked to find the dog still alive. He decided to sue the vet for breach of contract. The doctor, on the other hand, claimed that he did nothing wrong.

Enru Lin of the Taipei Times has the full story: Link - via Arbroath

POLL: What do you think? Did the vet do the right thing?

• Yes - He was right to save the dog
• No - He went against the owner's wishes
• I don't know - Just show me the results already!

The following is a Whodunit by Hy Conrad featuring Sherman Oliver Holmes, a mysterious crime solver and great-great-grandson of Sherlock Holmes. Can you solve the crime?

Meet Sherman Holmes

(Image credit: Flickr user Collin Anderson)

An inch of snow fell that evening, turning to a crusty sleet that hardened and made everything beautiful and treacherous. When the skies cleared, Sherman went for a stroll.

"What ho, Trent! A quiet night, eh?" Sherman waved to the uniformed guard hired to patrol the neighborhood.

"A little too quiet." Tom Trent was naturally suspicious and pessimistic, good traits for a neighborhood security guard. At the moment, he was scanning his flashlight beam across the suburban landscape. "Uh-oh." His light stopped on the side of the Warner family's home.

Sherman saw what he meant. The ladder that Bill Warner had used last fall to paint the house was now propped up against it, leading up to a second-story window. The flashlight beam scanned the rest of the house. Lights were on downstairs but not upstairs. The family had undoubtedly come home before the snowfall, since there were no footprints going up the walkway. But there were other footprints, a single set leading to the dry space under the eaves where the ladder was usually stored. The same prints led to where the ladder now stood, then retreated back to the sidewalk.

Trent checked out the ladder, stepping on the first rung and causing the wooden feet to crunch into the hardened snow. Without a word, the guard crossed to the front door, drew his revolver, and knocked. Sherman followed.

Amelia Warner answered the door. "Tom. Sherman. What's wrong?"

"Possible break-in," Trent replied, then asked a few questions. Amelia, Bill, and Frank, a visiting friend, had been home for about three hours. For the past hour, no one had gone upstairs. And no one had propped the ladder up against the house.

"Stay here," Trent ordered everyone. Then he tiptoed up the stairs and vanished around a corner. Two minutes later, he called out. "It's all clear. Come on up."

When Sherman, the Warners, and their houseguest entered the master bedroom, they found the remains of a robbery. Drawers lay open; closets were in shambles. Bill and Amelia raced to check their valuables. Bill's wallet was gone. So were the rings and earrings from Amelia's jewelry box.

No one, it seems, had heard anything. "We were watching TV" Bill Warner said. "I went down to the basement during a commercial. I was looking for an old school yearbook to show Frank. I couldn't find it."

"I went to the kitchen for snacks and drinks," Amelia reported. "I think I went twice, during two commercial breaks."

"And I used the bathroom," said Frank. "Someone must have noticed the lights off upstairs and seen the ladder and just taken the opportunity. It wouldn't take long to grab the valuables. People always neglect to lock upstairs windows."

Amelia turned to Sherman. "You're always bragging about your great-great-grandfather. Why don't you put that genetic brilliance to a little use?"

WHO BURGLED THE BEDROOM?

HOW DID SHERMAN SOLVE THE CASE?

Show Answer

The whodunit above was provided by American mystery fiction author Hy Conrad.

In addition to his work in mystery and crime puzzles, Hy was also one of the original writers for the groundbreaking TV series Monk.

Currently, Hy is working on mystery novel series "Abel Adventures" as well as the Monk series of novels, starting with Mr. Monk Helps Himself (published by Penguin, order from Amazon here)

Check out Hy's official website and Facebook page - and stay tuned for more whodunits puzzlers on Neatorama from the master of whodunit mysteries himself!

I'm currently reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials. It's a trilogy of fantasy novels that feature this device, the alethiometer. Certain rare individuals can ask this mystical device questions about anything and get absolutely truthful answers conveyed enigmatically through 36 symbols on the face.

Some craftsmen have made their own (sadly non-functional) replicas, such as this beauty by Kat Young.

Link

Photo: wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock

Tired of your loved one's snoring keeping you up at night? Just sing the snore away, according to choir director and singer Alice Ojay:

A study carried out by the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital has proved that snoring can be reduced simply by singing. For three months, the patients in the clinical trial have been doing singing exercises to improve the tone of their throat muscles.

Choir director Alise Ojay is the inventor of Singing for Snorers exercises. She told Today presenter Evan Davis that she had found that patients who sung the sounds "ung" and "gar" found that their snoring decreased or stopped.

The BBC has the interview: Link [Self-starting audio]

(YouTube link)

It's hard enough to march in formation and play an instrument. The Dutch Army Bicycle Band does it on bicycles! Most of them play with one hand and control the bike with the other, but what about that fellow playing the snare drum? He's awesome! -via Metafilter

(Photo: unknown)

The photoblog Hot-Dog Legs asks a simple question: are you looking at a photo of a pair of legs or a pair of hot dogs? It's often hard to tell.

Link -via David Burge

Quite a few companies have regretted their decision to promote something-or-other by offering to select a name by internet poll. However, the suggestions for exoplanets shown in the latest xkcd panel are awesome. I Like Neil Tyson's Mustache, Emergency Backup Earth, and Waist-deep Cats the best. Link

If your dog is your little baby, what better way to announce to the world that you are having a new human baby than sending out this adorable little card? Photographers Chris & Adrienne Scott used this photo as their public pregancy announcement.

Link

(YouTube link)

Supercutonline says this supercut is a tribute to the iconic shot of movie characters through a windshield. It is a handy shot: in a car, all the characters face the front so you can see everyone's faces at once. They can react to events around the the car without the filmmakers actually having to stage those events. How many of these movies do you recognize? It gets exciting about halfway through. -via Tastefully Offensive

Zombie Hands Cupcake Decorations

Are you looking for a deliciously fun and simple way to bring your homemade or store bought cupcakes to life? Add the Zombie Hands Cupcake Decorations from the NeatoShop. This great set includes 12 candy decorations shaped like the hands of your undead friends.  

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Zombie items. 

Link

After watching Tron, imgur Calve12's daughter had a nightmare about him getting sucked into the computer. Naturally, being a good dad, this is what he came up with - via Jonno vs the Internet

Today, August 19, is the first ever World Orangutan Day, set to create awareness and drum up support for the conservation of the endangered ape.

From 1992-2000, the population of the Sumatran orangutan declined by more than 50% and only an estimated 7,000 animals are left in the wild. Its relative, the Bornean orangutan population fell nearly 43 % in the past decade and estimates place their population at about 45,000 animals. Since the last population estimates were done, deforestation rates have continued to climb which means the actual populations could be well below these.

To celebrate the orangutan, you can make a donation, spread the word, and/or upload a picture to the Facebook page to show your support. Link -via Arbroath

(Image credit: Ken Hardi)

Technically, these cupcakes by One Charming Party are based on the goofy comedy So I Married An Axe Murderer, but they would be perfect for any Halloween party as well -especially if you mix in a few tiny plastic butcher knives in with the axes.

Link

I’m going to tell you a story I haven’t told anyone.

I’ve not even told this story to my wife (now we’ll see if she reads my blog!). I don’t even allow this story to be retrieved from the archives of my own mind.

But I’ve decided it’s time. So here it is:

When I was 12 years old I tried out for the Crusaders. It was a local Pop Warner full-contact football team. During the second round of tryouts…

I was cut.

There I said it. I didn’t make it. I was cut from the team.

I know this doesn’t sound that traumatic, but for me it was.
It really was.

If you remember, I was raised by a single father who, by profession, was a University football coach. I grew up on the football field next to my dad.

I ate with the players at the training table. The cook, Mrs. Rosa, loved me. She was my one of my surrogate moms, really. She saw to it that I was the first to eat and got the special dessert.

You can say I grew up on the football field. I was always with my dad. Probably because he didn’t have anywhere else he could leave me anyway.

I witnessed every practice and every verbal whipping my dad gave every player, with spit sputtering through his clenched teeth and the veins in his neck bulging as if to blow. I’ve mentioned before the Vietnam-like flashbacks I get when watching Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the movie Full Metal Jacket, right? He and my dad could be twins.

Anyway, my dad was my idol. He was all I had. He was my route to the universe, the only thing I knew God to be at that point. I did everything I could to make my dad proud. And my worst fear in life at that point was to ever disappoint him.

So now the story gets worse. Much worse.

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To Fight or Not to Fight?

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Discover the new science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve your health, happiness, and productivity. Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal combines life-changing prescriptive advice and complementary exercises to help listeners with goals ranging from losing weight to more patient parenting, less procrastination, better health, and greater productivity at work. (MP3 Download)

FEATURED ARTICLE The Passion Test for Success: What’s Your Passion? Discover your passion with this simple quiz. Knowing and connecting with your passion will help you achieve happiness and a fulfilling life. Read more MORE FEATURED ARTICLES What the LinkedIn Changes Mean to You Art Smith’s Personal Tips for Healthy Eating FEATURED ARTICLE 10 Healthy Habits: Why Not Now? Follow these steps to make your habits healthier. Making small changes is big, and Hilary Tindle, M.D., shares her tips to help you do just that. Read more MORE FEATURED ARTICLES Teachers’ Pet Projects Reading List: The Firm

Nonverbal expressions shape who you are—and small tweaks in body language can lead to big changes, including increasing your chances for success.

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Marissa Mayer Rebuilds Yahoo!

Stop being busy being busy. Focus.

I guarantee you my last dollar that you have an amazing idea inside of you that you should be sharing with the world.

We all have amazing ideas. One person isn’t wiser than the next when it comes to success. It’s all about execution.

I talk to everyone that I see generally. I focus on the main lifts in the gym. I’m always looking for the next adventure. I believe in being bold and getting out there. This is why I also want you to start sharing what you know.

I want you to share your ideas, stories, thoughts, and whatever else is up there.

Why? Why the hell should you share your ideas with the world?

I’m going to convince you to start sharing your ideas.

Why bother? This is a good question.

• Help someone else. I can totally guarantee you that someone out there can benefit from at least one of your ideas. What are you waiting for?
• You stay focused. Sharing your ideas reinforces the concepts within you. Writing about personal finance has forced me to save money and take my money seriously. I don’t want to be a broke personal finance blogger. We already know that there’s too many of those.
• Make friends. I’ve met all kinds of friends through blogging and sharing my ideas. You’d be surprised by how many like-minded folks are out there looking to make connections.
• Make money. Yes, you can make money (advertising, creating products, and so on). Who doesn’t want to make more money?
• Watch how you progress. When you look through your archives, you’ll get a good chuckle watching how you’ve progressed over time. I get a kick out of checking out articles from 2008. My writing and my ideas have both drastically changed. What was I thinking back then?

That’s why you should be sharing your ideas with the world. Are you convinced yet? If you are, let’s move forward.

How do you start?

There are many ways to get started. It’s easier than ever to get out there these days. You don’t need to go on Shark Tank and beg for money and give up 99% of your company. You don’t have to borrow any money. You can get started with a few bucks a month.

How’s this possible?

I recommend a blog or a Facebook page.

A blog is the easiest way to share your ideas. A Facebook page is even easier. I however have more experience with blogging since I started in 2008 and only started  a Facebook page a month ago.

Instead of giving you hypotheticals, I went out of my way to show you exactly how to start a blog (with pictures). I put together a super-detailed piece on how you can get started online. It will only cost you a few bucks and less than an hour.

[You can sign up with Bluehost right now and get your OWN domain up for only a few bucks! If you go to the page right now, there's a back to school sale. For only $3.95 you can have your account up.]

How do you get others to care about your ideas?

This is where things get really fun. There are a few “formulas” out there for building traffic and attracting eyeballs. The process is very challenging, but it can still be simplified…

Write down your best ideas.

What are your best ideas? Focus in on one niche and share your ideas. Share the best ideas possible. Share stories that can’t be found anywhere else.

There’s enough average out there. The world needs some great ideas. Some ideas that will actually make things happen. Can you do this?

Spread the word.

Get the word out there. Don’t be shy. You have nothing to be afraid of.

How do you get the word out?

• Guest post.
• Leave comments.
• Pay a few bucks on advertising.
• Reach out to others.
• Join forums.
• Keep in putting your best ideas forward.

Be consistent.

There’s no substitute for consistency.

I wish there was a way around this. I just launched Kettlebell Rebels. I’ve been asking around for shortcuts and guess what? There are none. All of my blogging buddies in this fitness world have laughed at me because all bloggers know that there are no shortcuts.

Just be consistent and see what happens.

Start sharing your ideas with the world. I don’t want to hear any excuses. There are single moms and folks with families sharing ideas that make them lots of money.

"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from." –Seth Godin

P.S. Yes I know that I use this quote a lot. I stand behind it fully. Why always be looking to escape? Life can be amazing. Don’t wait.

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You may remember "Pendulum", an emotionally powerful short film by the Japanese comedian Tekken. This is his most recent venture: a tale of boy and his father. As with "Pendulum", you should have tissues handy.

-via Kotaku

Vampire Owl on a Tree Salt & Pepper Shakers

Is there a night owl stalking your kitchen and sucking your fridge dry? Be brave! Save these hungry souls from a life of hunting down seasoning in the dark with the Vampire Owl on a Tree Salt & Pepper Shakers set from the NeatoShop. This eye-catching set features an owl dressed as a vampire shaker and Tree Shaker. The shakers are held together by magnets. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Salt & Pepper Shakers.

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Can you imagine a series about a hotel in Barstow, California, run by a retired football player? That premise eventually became Cheers, a sitcom about a bar in Boston run by a retired baseball player. Those are just some of the many bits of trivia about the hit series Cheers that you find in a list at Buzzfeed. Link

Don't get your hopes up, though. Artist Brad Troemel, whose work we've featured previously, sells the key to the lock separately. So buy that, too, or all you can do is just look at and smell this delicious taco.

Link -via American Digest

Jinkies! Velma and Cyclops hate it too! We, ahem, see, what cosplayers Matt Rogers (aka Humble Shield) and Zoe did in this clever lil skit.

In the world of business, you have to be ready to switch gears, or even make a complete turnabout, for a better opportunity. If what you're selling isn't optimal, sell something else. If the bonus you're giving away is more popular than your main product, maybe you should rethink your main product. That was the case with William Wrigley, who started out in 1891 trying to sell some exciting products: soap and baking powder.

Like Avon, the chewing gum company got its start with a popular freebie. William Wrigley, Jr. founded the company in 1891 with the goal of selling soap and baking powder. He offered chewing gum as an enticement to his customers, and eventually the customers didn't care about the baking powder; they only wanted the gum.

Yes, what eventually became Avon started out as a guy selling books door to door. Read that and other stories about companies that changed their product and became renowned for their better idea. Link

You use who for a subject and whom for an object. Matthew Inman explains at length using delightfully horrifying examples. You can read them all at the link.

I like Mr. Jenkins. He's a man after my own heart. Whom could object to his actions?

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As one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, little Thor the corgi might be short in height, but he's huge in adorability. I don't know about you guys, but I imagine Loki in this scenario as a little black chihuahua. 

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(YouTube link)

Screen Junkies presents another Honest Trailer, and this time they've teamed up with the guys from How It Should Have Ended to describe the latest Star Trek film, which disappointed so many viewers, and also give a glimpse into what may come in the next installment. -via Viral Viral Videos

Malcolm Myatt, 68, had a stroke. It affected the frontal lobe of his brain--the part of the brain that governs emotions. As a result, he's lost the ability to be sad:

The retired lorry driver said: "I am never depressed. Being sad wouldn't help anything anyway. I would definitely rather be happy all the time than the other way round. It's an advantage really.

Link -via Glenn Reynolds | Photo: Caters

Chris-Rachael Oseland made a batch of Fougassee bread in the style that is designed to be pulled apart into individual servings. But these are extra special, because instead of a traditional leaf pattern, they are made in the likeness of Transformer faces! You'll find the recipe, plus illustrated instructions for cutting the Transformers, at Kitchen Overlord. Link -via Boing Boing

Donna Marie Evans loves the classic Nintendo 64 controller, so she made a gaming pillow in its shape.

I'll bet that with a bit of wiring, this plush could be made playable.

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Snifty Scented Pen (sold individually)

Do you know someone who thinks it stinks that summer is over and that they have to go back to school? Show them that getting back into the classroom can be sweet with a fragrant Snifty Scented Pen from the NeatoShop. These great retractable ballpoint pens come in various deliciously fun scents.  

The Snifty Scented Pen is available in a wide variety of scents. Take your pick from: 

• Blueberry
• Bubblegum
• Candy Apple
• Candy Cane
• Candy Corn
• Chocolate Chip Cookie
• Cotton Candy
• Cupcake
• Frost Icing
• Gingerbread
• Glazed Donut
• Pizza
• Popcorn
• Raspberry
• Root Beer Float
• Strawberry
• Watermelon
• and much, much more

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Pens & Pencils. 

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Sure, a classic PB&J is always tasty, but sometimes you want a little more excitement in your pb sandwich, whether that means tossing out the j all together and adding in some pickles and potato chips in its place, or using French toast as the bread -like the sandwich in the photo above. BuzzFeed has a great selection of tasty pb sandwich moderations that everyone should try.

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(vimeo link)

While the phone call tells the story of a breakup, the visuals show a classic martial arts movie that illustrates, minute by minute, the emotions in the audio. Jonathan Ng's water ink animation style contribute greatly to this bittersweet tale of love lost. Link -via Geeks Are Sexy

Manhattan real-estate developer Extell, which is building a new luxury apartment complex in New York City's tony Upper West Side, wants to take advantage of tax breaks and other building allowance by the city. In order to do that, it needs to set aside affordable housing units for low-income families.

But how does Extell make sure that its rich clientele does not have to rub shoulders with the riffraff? Here's the solution: two separate entrances, one for the rich and another one for the poor.

Needless to say, the developer's plan is drawing fire, as noted by Gawker. Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal told West Side Rag, "This 'separate but equal' arrangement is abominable and has no place in the 21st century, let alone on the Upper West Side. A mandatory affordable housing plan is not license to segregate lower-income tenants from those who are well-off. The developer must follow the spirit as well [as] the letter of the law when building affordable housing, and this plan is clearly not what was intended by the community."

Extell, naturally, disagrees. It released a statement to CBS New York defending its plan. "Many factors go into the design of a building including efficiency, cost and financibility, especially when the units are permanently affordable, which is the case here." Extell noted that the affordable housing units are part of a separate entity, which is required by zoning regulations to have its own entrance. It continues, "The goal we will deliver on is filling a neighborhood need by adding high quality affordable residences in a beautiful neighborhood – residences we are confident will attract no shortage of applicants."

Lizzy Straus of The Hairpin thinks that these should not be used as pickup lines, but I'm at a loss to understand why. Here's a sampling:

185 – A wife at daybreak I shall be

311 – I know some lonely houses off the road

339 – I like a look of agony

541 – The test of love is death

1050 – I am afraid to own a body

You can read the rest at the link.

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(Photo: Todd-Bingham Picture Collection and Family Papers, Yale University)

Let's clarify something straight away with this week's question: When I ask which characters you miss most, I don't necessarily mean characters whose shows have finished, been cancelled or characters who've died. It could be characters in those situations, but it could also be characters you miss because the show is inbetween seasons.

For instance, my wife and I binge watched Orange is the New Black and now find ourselves feeling totally and completely bereft. I texted her this morning, in fact, saying: I miss College! I miss Red! And it's true. I really can't wait to rejoin Chapman, Alex and the whole glorious gang next season. Good for Netflix, releasing 13 episodes in one shot. Love that. It's definately the future of serial television. But oh is it hard to pace yourself, eh?

SooOooo: Which characters do YOU miss most?

Photo: Yves Heman/Reuters

At 5' 6", French soccer player Mathieu Valbuena is one of the shortest players in Europe's pro soccer circuit, but the photo above by Reuters photographer Yves Heman sure made him look much, much smaller! How is this even possible?

Via Moillusions

Yes, there are awards for pictures taken with an iPhone ...which include the iPod, too. In fact, the awards have been bestowed annually since 2007! Shown here is the 1st place Photographer of the Year winning entry, from Holly Wesley. You can see the runners-up and winners in the many different categories: animals, children, nature, flowers, food, landscapes, etc. at the competition site. Link -via Nag on the Lake

(Image credit: Holly Wesley)

Hey Girl, I heard you like Ryan Gosling. But if your REALLY like him, you wouldn't want to look at pictures of anything besides him. Fortunately, the Hey Girl Chrome extension does just that for you. In fact, here's a bit of the Neatorama homepage as converted by the service. I like it. What about you?

Link Via Incredible Things

(YouTube link)

One panda on a slide is like a slow-moving little kid in a playground. Two or more pandas on a slide are like a bowling alley. That is, a bowling alley in which both the balls and the pins are made of soft, furry plush to minimize injury. -via Tastefully Offensive

The Iceman Cometh by Matt Parsons - won by Alejandro Hinojosa	Walt and Jesse by Baznet - won by Parth Kothari	Jack's Nightmare by Warbucks Design - won by Ashley Eddy	Kermits I've Known by Kenny Durkin - won by James Semaj

Congratulations to the winners of NeatoShop New T-shirts Giveaway! If you don't win, you can still get your favorite artist-designed T-shirts and Funny T-shirts from the NeatoShop. Your support helps this blog as well as indie artists!

Don't forget to sign up for Neatorama's email newsletter NeatoMail, which will have subscriber-exclusive contests and giveaways! (You can cancel at anytime).

Hello Kitty with Red Bow Seatbelt Belt

Are you a grown adult who is obsessed with Hello Kitty? Let your love of the adorable feline truly embrace you with the Hello Kitty with Red Bow Seatbelt Belt from the NeatoShop. This fantastic belt is made of tough nylon webbing and features an authentic seatbelt clasp. The all over Hello Kitty design makes it a fun way to add Hello Kitty into your everyday wardrobe. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Apparel & Accessories. 

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I love the blog RocketNews24. It's filled with delightful photos and trivia from Japan. Recently, it rounded up pictures of baggage carousel ads. These are sculptures that baggage handlers put out between airplane passengers' bags. You can view more at the link.

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Despite the variety of colors, most of the 435 members of the House of Representatives identify themselves as Christian, with the biggest group being Catholic. However, there are 31 different religious affiliations listed by members of Congress. In a nation founded on the principle of freedom, including freedom of religion, a representative's faith shouldn't matter as much as whether they adhere to the principle of separation of church and state. You can see that most of Hawaii is represented by a Hindu, Democrat Tulsi Gabbard, but to find the areas in the Muslim and Buddhist colors, you can see more maps that highlight individual responses at Buzzfeed. Link

Admittedly, Lois, Meg and Peter don't immediately come to mind when you think of characters that are like those in Game of Thrones, but Stewie, on the other hand, could easily fill in for Joffrey. Redditor Eric LaSorda combined the two franchises and the results are pretty clever, even if you don't immediately see Peter as Ned Stark.

Link Via io9

(YouTube link)

A couple in Poland were spotted riding a bike side-by-side down the street. This kind of bicycle is called the Sociable; get a look at the front end of one at Wikipedia. It seems quite a bit more sociable than a standard tandem bike, in which you are either staring at the butt in front of you or wondering whether the person behind you is pulling his weight.  -via Daily Picks and Flicks

Poor Cookie Monster. He's lost his appetite for wisdom and lucky numbers in this cartoon by Dan Piraro.

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This friendly reminder was erected by the Arlington County Police Department just outside Washington, D.C. The article frames it as an example of wasted tax dollars, but it is more likely that the people who program the sign, to warn of traffic jams and other hazards when they occur, just ran out of helpful default slogans. Link -via Arbroath

(Image credit: @amandaxanderson)

Sorry, pup, but it's just a mirage. Anyway, you wouldn't want the water after you learn what humans have been doing to it.

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Here's a video clip compilation of different animals playing on a trampoline. Let's see, we have plenty of dogs, some cats, goats, foxes, and a buffalo. Yah, really. With the perfect music to accompany them. -via Tastefully Offensive

I'm not sure how many problems I have because math is one of them.

— angieMcSugarButt (@LuvPug) April 13, 2013

Penguin Pen (sold individually)

Get your school year off to a swimming start with the Penguin Pen from the NeatoShop. This adorable ballpoint pen is shaped like a penguin and features googly eyes and flapping wings. 

The Penguin Pen is available in: Black, Gray, Light Blue, Pink, and Purple. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Back to School items. 

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(Photo: Hertfordshire Superbike Centre)

A classic Royal Enfield engine has 1 cylinder. The typical V-twin has 2. A Honda Goldwing has 6. But the engine of the Whitelock Tinker Toy has no fewer than 48 cylinders arranged in 6 straight 8 blocks. Its total displacement is 4200 cubic centimeters.

Simon Whitelock built this marvel. But can he steer it?

Link -via Paul Overton

Iron Droid by Mike Jacobsen

The Iron Droid might not know a power socket from a computer terminal, but it sure knows a cool paint job! That must be the Mark C3-PO suit that Mike Jacobsen just designed.

Visit Mike's official website and Facebook, then visit his NeatoShop page to buy his shirts: Link

You Took Your Time	You Are What You Eat	When Worlds Collide	Battle Damage

View more designs by Mike Jacobsen | More Funny T-shirts

Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop, earn generous royalties, and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

Rory, a cat in Tauranga, New Zealand, was in sad shape after eating rat poison. In fact, he was dying. The only thing that could save him was a blood transfusion.

It was Friday night and no labs were open to check his blood type, let alone get supplies. So vet Kate Heller sought advice and was told to try dog blood.

"I hadn't heard about it or read about it. It's not in any textbook," says Ms Heller.

Rory needed a donor fast. So Ms Edwards thought fast and phoned a friend in her book club.

"[I had] never heard of anything like that before. I thought she was joking," says Macy's owner, Michelle Whitemore.

But Rory desperately needed the 18-month-old Labrador. Macy was rushed to the vet where she donated 120ml of blood, and within an hour Rory the cat was saved.

A cat can only take a small amount of dog blood, but he's a small animal, and it was enough to dilute the poison. Three weeks later, Rory has recovered from the incident. Link -via Arbroath  

Do you like to stumble around smashing buildings when you're drunk? Maybe fight Mothra for a while? Then drink like your spirit monster with the Godzilla shochu that's sure to leave you feeling like a 200 foot tall lizard monster.

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Patrick Stewart received a bow for Christmas. He's finally getting around to using it. Here he is with Ian McKellen at a party. Who should his in-character target be?

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(YouTube link)

Who knew German chocolate cake wasn't German? It was named after an American named German! The Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich is named after the owner of the Brown Hotel, not the color of the dish. Which is brown. Those are just two of the stories about foods you are familiar with named after people you aren't familiar with, in the latest mental_floss video. -via mental_floss

That's 'cause droids don't eat TIE fighters whole when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that. So let the Wookiee eat this delicious lunch by Beau Coffron.

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Nothing like sitting back, watching TV with your little kitty curled up at your feet -especially when that kitty happens to be a mountain lion. Check out these 12 other amazing vintage photos of cats that Mental Floss rounded up for August 8, which happened to be International Cat Day.

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(Photo: Antiqbook)

Erik Kwakkel, a medieval book historian, calls this binding technique "dos-à-dos"--meaning "back to back." He writes that it is:

[...] a type almost exclusively produced in the 16th and 17th centuries. They are like Siamese twins in that they present two different entities joint at their backs: each part has one board for itself, while a third is shared between the two. Their contents show why this was done: you will often find two complementary devotional works in them, such as a prayerbook and a Psalter, or the Bible’s Old and New Testament. Reading the one text you can flip the “book” to consult the other. 

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In 1984, Robert Nelson was convicted of rape in Kansas City, a crime that he insisted he did not commit, and was sentenced to 50 years. Nelson had requested DNA testings, but the judge denied his motions because they weren't properly done. After serving thirty years behind bars, Nelson was freed when he successfully petitioned to have his DNA tested against the evidence from the case.

That in itself is a case of miscarriage of justice, but, according to MSN Now, the story didn't end there. Turns out, Nelson's latest petition was only successful because it was modeled after a copy of a motion filed in a different case. That motion was provided by Sharon Snyder, who had been working as county clerk for 34 years.

And what did Snyder get for providing a copy of a public document that set free a man wrongfully convicted of rape? She was suspended without pay and then fired (by the same judge that denied Nelson's original motions):

Five days after Nelson was released, Court Administrator Jeffrey Eisenbeis took Snyder into Byrn's office near closing time and told her the prosecutor and defense attorney "had a problem" with her involvement in the case. She was suspended without pay, ordered to stay out of the courthouse unless she had permission to be there and scheduled to meet with a human resources investigator June 20. [...]

Byrn fired her June 27, telling her she had violated several court rules by providing assistance to Nelson and talking about aspects of the case, even while under seal, to attorneys not involved in the matter.

In an interview with Chris Hayes of MSNBC, Sharon felt that she was being "severely punished" and forced to retire earlier than she'd planned. But, regardless, she said that she would do it again. "I am so happy that he got exonerated on this charge, and felt that would happen or he wouldn't have filed that motion to start out with."

Jack Skellington Tote Bag 

Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas is turning 20. Celebrate your love affair with the Pumpkin King with the Jack Slellington Tote Bag from the NeatoShop. This fun and functional canvas tote bag features stunning vinyl accents and embroidered details on both sides of the bag. A magnetic closure at the top helps keeps all your possessions safely inside. The Jack Skellington Tote Bag makes a wonderful Back to School accessory. 

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fantastic The Nightmare Before Christmas items and great Bags and Totes.

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Good things come to those who wait, Heinz used to say about their ketchup. But in Brazil, the ketchup may be slow pouring for an entirely different reason:

Brazilian health officials have banned a batch of Mexico-made Heinz ketchup, after detecting traces of rodent fur. [...]

The Mexican authorities have launched their own inquiry, and have ordered an inspection of the factory where the batch was produced.

Heinz said the batch was imported to Brazil last year, but had already been taken out of circulation.

Everyone knows that ketchup makes things taste better, even rodent fur! Read the rest over at the BBC - via MSN Now

(YouTube link)

Minute Physics gives an incredibly concise overview of what we know, and what we don't know, about the beginning of the universe. Of course, the most tantalizing part is the point "where we don't know what we're talking about." Perhaps knowledge is like infinity; no matter how much we learn, we also learn how much more there is to learn. -via Viral Viral Videos  

For all these years, because of their accent, we've misunderstood the Daleks. FeathersOfAnAngel reveals that all the Daleks want is to bake for us! 

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Nicola Peate tried to eat a  a "triple-patty" burger at Almost Famous Burgers in Liverpool, England. It didn't go so well, as the effort left her in pain -which just got worse. By the next morning, it was so bad that she went to the hospital and found that her jaw was dislocated!

An x-ray in the emergency department at the Royal Liverpool university hospital confirmed her fears and a doctor quickly manipulated her jaw back into place using his thumbs.

"The minute it went back in it was like turning a tap off in my head," Peate said.

"All the tension just went."

A second x-ray assured medics that everything was back to normal and she was discharged and warned to "stifle yawns" and not to open her jaw too far for a fortnight.

Peate has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), which means she has hyper-flexible joints that are unstable and therefore prone to dislocation, so she has visited many hospitals over the years.

The restaurant has offered Peate another burger on the house -complete with cutlery and painkillers if necessary. Link -via Digg

(Image credit: Royal Liverpool university hospital/PA)

(Video Link)

Not only does this song manage to incorporate 26 different musical genres, but they even do so alphabetically with one genre per letter. Even if you're pretty into music, there are probably still a few you haven't heard of. For me, that includes math metal and zouk.

Even if you hate the sound though, the talent of these two guys is pretty indisputable. 

Via Incredible Things

Andrew Evans is still traveling, as National Geographic's Digital Nomad. This week he is in Calgary, Alberta, where he visited the the Glenbow Museum. Evans got a private tour of some of the museum items that are not on display. Lo and behold, there in a tray was a pair of Queen Victoria's underpants! Evans was in awe at the sight of the royal unmentionables.

But now, more than a century later, it all came to this—a busy street in Calgary, a museum of Blackfeet artifacts and old Mountie uniforms and tucked away upstairs, this monumental pair of women’s underwear, worn by the the longest-reigning female monarch of all human history.

Upon closer inspection, I would make a rough guess and report that Her Royal Highness boasted a 50-inch waist (or more), and at the time that she wore these flowing bloomers, the Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India carried a considerable girth. Standing so close to such an everyday object that belonged to one of the most powerful rules on Earth was “awesome” in that I was overcome with a sense of awe and wonder.

The occasion is an opportunity to link the Queen with the founding of Alberta, and make a few underwear puns, at NatGeo's Digital Nomad blog. Link-Thanks, Marilyn Terrell!

(Image credit: Andrew Evans, National Geographic Traveler)

(Photo: Washington Map Society)

This globe, which dates back to 1504, may be the oldest in the world to show both the New World and the Old. Meeri Kim writes in The Washington Post:

The globe, about the size of a grapefruit, is labeled in Latin and includes what were considered exotic territories such as Japan, Brazil and Arabia. North America is depicted as a group of scattered islands. The globe’s lone sentence, above the coast of Southeast Asia, is “Hic Sunt Dracones.”

“ ‘Here be dragons,’ a very interesting sentence,” said Thomas Sander, editor of the Portolan, the journal of the Washington Map Society. The journal published a comprehensive analysis of the globeMonday by collector Stefaan Missinne. “In early maps, you would see images of sea monsters; it was a way to say there’s bad stuff out there.”

The globe is made of the conjoined halves of two ostrich eggs.

Link -via Nag on the Lake

Photo: Steve Petteway, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States - via Wikipedia

Many of the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States - the final interpreter of federal constitutional law and all 'round smart people who may one day decide cases over Internet privacy issues and NSA surveillance - have not yet "gotten to email."

That's what Justice Elena Kagan, who at 53 is the youngest member of the Court, revealed:

When asked whether the justices email each other, Kagan said things are the same as when she clerked for the late Justice Thurgood Marshall three decades ago. She says justices write memos, which are then printed out on ivory paper that looks like it came from the 19th century. The memos are walked around the building by someone called a "chambers aide."

"The justices are not necessarily the most technologically sophisticated people," she said, adding that while clerks email each other, "The court hasn't really 'gotten to' email."

Read more over at Politico

Children of the 80's know that the Hoff is hot, but they might not know that thieves are also hot for him.

As part of their ad campaign for iced coffee, Cumberland Farms created a life-sized cutout sign featuring Baywatch star David Hasselhoff in a tank top holding a cup of iced coffee (dubbed "Iced Hoffee"). According to NBC Bay Area, the company installed the signs in about 570 of their convenience stores in New England and Florida. But in recent weeks, about 550 of the cutouts have been stolen.

Cumberland Farm's brand strategist Kate Ngo said, "We want everyone to enjoy the Hoff. We're flattered by the attention." But she added, "We certainly don't encourage theft at our stores." Theft is common at retail stores, but Ngo acknowledged that the rate of theft of the Hoff campaign is higher than anything they've seen.

Hasselhoff himself was amused by the theft, "The first thing I thought of was that I was in trouble and then I thought, 'Oh good they're not accusing me of stealing, they're accusing people of stealing me,'" he said to WHDH-TV in Boston.

Fun and games, however, turned serious when a 36-year-old store clerk in Shelton, Connecticut, was critically injured when he struck by an SUV while trying to prevent theft of the signs. That, we're sure the Hoff would say, is not cool.

Alabama fans are famous for their rabid loyalty and their witty shirts, but this one goes the extra mile. This shirt answers the question, "How many football stories can you rhyme with 'Tide' and fit on your back?" Link -via BroBible

Miss Calculated Sassy Pageant Sash

Do you know a smart-aleky girl, or guy, who has a pesky habit of underestimating things. Make a calculated decision to reward them for their amusing behavior with Miss Calculates Sassy Pageant Sash from the NeatoShop. This saucy sash is made of beautiful satin and features a sophisticated custom-like fit.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Gag Gifts & Pranks.  

Link

Actually, I have never actually used this soap, but I do have to assume it can't be great if it makes Grumpy Cat that disappointed. File this under: why is this named after this meme? According to the maker, it actually smells like frosting and cupcakes.

Of course, if you still want another meme soap variety, you can use the Forever Alone one as well.

Link

This sponsored post is written by Kieran from Thread.com, a FREE, online personal shopper service for men. Get your invite here and make sure you're never in danger of looking like The Riddler on a night out.

Marvel superheroes have never looked so, well, chic. These oh-so on-trend illustrations are the work of  Peter McNierney - a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York - who was invited by Dolce and Gabbana to give the crime-fighting allstars a rather luxe makeover for Swide, their digital magazine. Each comic hero is wearing duds from the Italian fashion house’s spring / summer 2013 collection. To get your spidey-style senses tingling, here’s the top three most stylish comic book heroes who don’t need designer threads to look cool.

3) Professor X / Professor Charles Xavier

The Look: Oxford Don

Would Wear: Gieves and Hawkes, Norton & Sons, Huntsman

Why?: What he lacks folically he sure makes up for fashionably. This is a guy who ain’t afraid to embrace plaid, tweed, pinstripes and everything in-between – all while rolling along in his wheelchair. Academically-informed with preppy overtones, his style is unashamedly geek chic. The only question is, does he use those telepathic powers to read next season’s trends?

2) Gambit / Remy Etienne Lebau

The Look: Franco Pirate Dandy

Would Wear: A Child of the Jago, John Galliano, and most definitely thrift store remnants

Why?: Given that he looks fresh off a Parisian runway, it’s a no-brainer. The A-line flowing mop and insouciantly hewn 5 o’clock shadow all combine effortlessly with that overcoat and make for a seriously bohemian statement. Plus any guy that can rock a pink bodysuit without a whiff of homoeroticism is doing something right.

1) Batman / Bruce Wayne

The Look: Gothic Noir

Would Wear: E Tatuz, Tom Ford, Armani (actually Christian Bale did in the movies)

Why?: Let’s face it, with the ultra-dapper, lantern jawed Bruce Wayne as an alter-ego, the Caped Crusader was always gonna come up trumps. One part brooding, to two parts suave, dude rocks a tux as dextrously as matte-black vulcanised rubber and no doubt has all of Savile Row on speed dial.

Want to dress like a superhero? Sign up with Thread and receive personal style advice from A-list stylists who have dressed Daniel Craig and Jude Law.

(YouTube link)

See this beard? Ain't it weird? Don't be feared -it's just Ben Garvin in a supremely silly stop-motion video starring his magical beard. -via Daily Picks and Flicks

(Photo: Asha Zulu Mandela)

Asha Zulu Mandela of Atlanta, Georgia holds the Guinness World Record for the longest dreadlocks in the world. The official measurement is 19 feet and 6 inches, but she claims to have one strand of hair that is 55 feet long. Zoe Mintz writes in The International Business Times:

"My hair has become part of me. It is my life. I will never cut it," Mandela told The Mirror, adding that she maintained her locks even while undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer. The tattooed, bejeweled mother of one has also overcome two strokes and two heart attacks.

But her roughly 39 pounds of hair have also affected her spine. "The doctors seem to think I have a curvature of my spine and that it's the length and the weight of my hair that's making me curve,” she said. "Some have said my neck has collapsed at the back and that I need to be careful because I could start having spasms in my spine and probably be paralyzed."

Still, Mandela wants to keep growing her hair. "Cutting it would be equivalent to suicide. It would be like being a zombie."

Link -via Oddity Central

Tired of eating buffalo wings with no meat? Then skip the wing entirely and enjoy all the tasty saucy goodness with these buffalo beer cheese fries. Just sprinkle on some tasty blue cheese and you're ready to snack like a true football fan.

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Saturday Night Live has been a foot in the door for some of the biggest stars of the past 40 years, with a rotating roster of up-and-coming actors and comics, but only one boss. Lorne Michaels is the only person you have to impress to get your chance on the show. There are a few openings right now. Can you imagine the pressure of an audition with Michaels? You could be rejected, or you could get a shot at becoming the next John Belushi, Eddie Murphy, or Adam Sandler. The New York Times talked to 22 former SNL cast members about their audition.

SETH MEYERS The hotel I was staying at, everybody was somebody who’d been flown in for the audition. If you went and got ice, you would hear snippets of auditions. Everybody else’s stuff sounds better than yours.

KRISTEN WIIG They said the audition should be five minutes long, and do not go over five minutes. I ended up buying a stopwatch because I was so nervous. I would time it and it would say “5:02,” and I would be like, “I’m going to get this in five minutes exactly.” Then I heard that some people were out there for 11 minutes. I was like, “What?”

BILL HADER I got in an elevator, and there was a guy who was also auditioning, and I thought: “That guy brought a lot of props. I didn’t bring anything.” And he was looking at me, going, “That guy didn’t have to bring any props.” We were just sizing each other up in the elevator. And that was Andy Samberg.  

There are also links to extended conversations with a few SNL veterans. Link -via Digg

(Image credit: Norman Ng/NBC)

Cheshire Cat Bust (front and back shown)

Are you mad for Disney's 1951 animated film classic, Alice in Wonderland? Now you can bring your favorite mischievous feline into your home with the Cheshire Cat Bust from the NeatoShop. This highly detailed, and slightly kooky, sculpture is sure to make you grin from ear to ear.  

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

Link

If your baby seems to be getting years older in only a matter of days, then maybe he's actually a 900 year-old hero that is time traveling through all of time and space when you haven't even been looking. If that's the case, then you may as well dress him in a style befitting his exploratory nature with this adorable onesie by Etsy seller cichemom.

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Bob Ross doesn't make mistakes, only happy accidents. But once someone told him that his painting is blasphemy. It is a mistake. To which he replied, "Mistake?" THIS IS PAINTING!!!!

(Video Link)

Forest fires are causing extensive damage in northern and central Portugal. Firefighters are using aircraft to dump water on them. Where do you get water if there's no river or lake handy? This pilot found a convenient source.

-via Jalopnik

Hipster Plumber by Jason Etta

This plumber has been saving the Princess before it was cool. Jason Etta reimagined our favorite Plumber as a hipster, and the result ain't bad at all. Not bad at all!

Visit Jason's new NeatoShop page to view more of his neat designs: Link - Your purchase helps support this blog as well as indie artists.

Cup of Jabba	Spite	Carry A Big Club	The Redfurs

View more designs by Jason Etta | 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, earn generous royalties, and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

(YouTube link)

Ze Frank explains how difficult it is to fit in. But just like this comic we had last week, those who feel like this might be surprised at how many of those cool, savvy folks around you feel exactly the same way. -via Viral Viral Videos

(Photo: Livedoor)

Statues of Colonel Harland Sanders welcome customers at Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets across Japan. Many of them are costumed for different occasions. Brian Ashcraft of Kotaku rounded up dozens of photos of the Colonel happily garbed as anime characters, a Shinto priest, a samurai and more.

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In this delightful plush creation by Etsy seller bewildered, Schrodinger's cat is both alive and dead in the box. She made a variety of cats and eight such boxes and had her friends arrange two cats in each box, so even the seller doesn't know which cats are in which box -something I'm sure Schrodinger would appreciate. 

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So, did you watch Ashton Kutcher's new movie Jobs? Just how accurate was it? The website History vs Hollywood specializes in fact checking Tinseltown's version of history.

For example:

Was Steve Jobs a fruitarian?

Yes, at one point he was. He always followed strict diets, which varied at different times in his life. He went through phases of being a fruitarian, a vegan, a vegetarian and he often dabbled in fasting. He believed his diets would prevent body odor so he rarely showered. His assumption was incorrect and was a problem for various companies he worked for, including Atari and Apple.

Was he forced to work at night for Atari due to complaints from co-workers about hygiene and attitude?

Yes. After landing the job by simply walking into Atari and refusing to leave until he was hired, a number of complaints came in from his colleagues. In an effort to appease everyone, his boss, Nolan Bushnell, allowed him to work at night instead.

Did Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs build the video game Breakout for Atari?

Yes. In 1975 Nolan Bushnell, the founder of Atari, Inc., envisioned a single player Pong game and he asked Steve Jobs to design it. That game became known as Breakout. Unlike what is shown in the Jobsmovie, Bushnell counted on the fact that Steve Jobs would recruit Steve Wozniak to help him design the game, knowing full well that Wozniak was the better engineer. "I looked at it as a two-for-one thing," recalls Bushnell. -Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

The website's "Reel Face" versus "Real Face" is a neat feature:

Check out more over at History vs Hollywood (the one on Lee Daniels' The Butler is also quite nice) - Thanks Kevin!

DeviantART member ShadowOfAdriana does impressive work with a knife and a watermelon. I wonder how she keeps them looking fresh during what must be a long cutting process.

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Last week my favorite little guy started kindergarten. In his backpack, after the first day of school, I found this little pouch. 

Inside the pouch was: 

• Sticker
• Puzzle piece
• Cotton Ball
• Eraser
• Shiny Star Sticker

At first I thought the pouch was part of a homework project. Then I read the note. For those of you who can't read it clearly, it says: 

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Dear Friend, 

I am so excited to have you in my class this year! The items in this bag will help me tell you about your new classroom and classmates. 

• The sticker is to remind you that we all stick together and help each other.
• The puzzle piece is to remind you that you are needed to make our class complete. 
• The cotton ball is to remind you that our class is full of kind words and warm feelings. 
• The eraser is to remind you that we will all make mistakes and that is okay. 
• The shining star is to remind you that your future is "soooo" bright!

If you use these objects as reminders, we'll all be winners!

With love, 

Your Teacher

Whether you are sending your first child off to kindergarten or your last it is always an emotional event. A little bit, or bag, of extra kindness can go a long way in making the transition easier for everyone. So with that I say thank you to all those wonderful and motivated teachers who have already gone the extra mile to make sure that this year is off to a great start. 

Good luck to everyone starting school over the next few weeks.     

Rainbow Dash My Little Pony Striped Knee Socks

Are you looking for a fun way to add a little pony power to your wardrobe. Dress for success with the Rainbow Dash My Little Pony Striped Knee Socks from the NeatoShop. This adorable pair of knee-high socks is sure to make you look 20% cooler.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Footwear and fantastic My Little Pony items. 

Link

Jenny Parks, whose Doctor Mew artwork has featured here before on Neatorama, is back with the best cat painting you'll see today. Catvengers, assemble! (which is probably harder to say than do, because, as Nick Fury can attest, if herding cat is hard, try assembling them)

Parks also created individual portraits of feline superheroes:

... Batcat and Catbane:

... Spider-Cat and Daryl Dixcat:

... as well as other neat cat characters that you can see over at her official website - via Nerd Approved

(YouTube link)

We don't really know the whole story behind this piece of security video from Brazil, but we can assume it's a caper the perpetrators do not want to stay around for. -via Daily of the Day

Image: Dustin Cable/Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service/University of Virginia

Where are you in the map above? Demographic researcher Dustin Cable of University of Virginia plotted every person in the United States of America - all 308,745,538 of us as single dots in the map of the country - to create the Racial Dot Map.

Cable used the 2010 census data and color coded each dot according to racial breakdown. Caucasians are blue, blacks are green, Asians are red, Hispanics are orange and other races/Native Americans/Multi-racial as brown.

The location of the dots do not represent actual addresses - the smallest geographical unit in the data used by Cable is the census block, which is roughly a city block in large cities (but may cover greater dimensions in sparsely populated rural areas).

At first glance, there seems to be quite a bit of racial integration in the United States as shown by large swaths of purplish area. But in many cases, zooming in reveals racial segregation at the city or neighborhood level. Cable pointed out to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area:

Is your neighborhood a model of racial integration or racial segregation? Take a look over at The Racial Dot Map | Full Screen Map

Our own David Israel, the founder of Twaggies, will be hosting a live Twitter event tomorrow with Go Comics, which syndicates Twaggies. You can be a part of it! Find the particulars at Facebook. Link

Yesterday, a woman dislocated her jaw while eating a mere tripple patty burger. Just imagine if she instead tried to eat this monstrosity that looks like a sandwich from Scooby Doo instead.

This YouTube user BeauCh ordered this amazing disaster-waiting-to-happen from Jack In The Box. The modified Jumbo Jack features 19 extra patties (making a total of 20), ample bacon, every cheese available on the menu, fried eggs, onion rings, ham, turkey, sour dough buns and chicken patties. The total price for the sandwich came out to a whopping $38.23.

Link 

Sculptor Louise Bourgeois, who was also called Spiderwoman, left her mark in many places. Her 30-foot-tall sculpture of a spider, called Maman, has been installed permanently in Canada, Russia, Spain, Japan, Qatar, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. It was also installed temporarily in many other places, including Switzerland, shown in the above picture. The sculpture was inspired by Bourgeois' mother, who died when the artist was 21.  

Bourgeois says, "The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother."

See pictures of Maman in her various habitats at My Modern Met. Link -via the Presurfer  

Back in 2010, we showed you this ingenious DIY anti-cheating device made out of manila folders:

Fast forward to today and we're quite surprised to find that the trend of anti-cheating hats are still going on strong.

The Telegraph reported that students at the Bangkok Kasetart University were made to wear "anti-deceit paper helmet" for their mid-term exam. The photo, first posted to the university alumni's Facebook page (and has since been removed), went viral.

University officials were immediately put on the defensive - Nattadon Rungruangkitkrai, the teacher of the class, said that he and the students had discussed ways to prevent cheating. The paper hat was suggested by the anti-cheating paper hats.

"It was an agreement between us. No student was forced to wear a hat. Instead, all were happy to do so and thought it was fun. They felt more relaxed during the test," he told Bangkok Post.

Via Coconuts Bangkok Facebook Page

Oddity Central reported that the university's student council confirmed the teacher's statement. One student remarked "It is quite normal that people try to cheat in an exam, so the hat helps avoid distractions while doing the test. I feel very bad, and angry, that this has been seen as bad by outsiders."

Anti-cheating paper hat, however, doesn't seems to be effective enough for the students at Thailand's Civil Aviation Centre (allegedly). To combat cheating, they opted for the deluxe anti-cheating cardboard box helmet:

Recognizing that cheating today may be more than just peeking at a neighboring student's answers, a teacher made students surrender their smartphones during the exam, as this viral photo shows:

Image: unknown provenance - Do you know the backstory to this photo?

But the most high-tech anti-cheating techniques take a page from Las Vegas casinos, which undoubtedly have a lot of experience in preventing cheating.

Gaokao is a make-or-break college entrance exam that millions of Chinese students take each year. Dubbed "the most pressure packed test in the world" by Xinhua, it is only natural that many students feel the pressure to cheat.

That's why the Chinese government employs CCTVs and professional exam watchers, as well as wireless signal detector to prevent cheating by wireless headphones, two-way radios and other electronic devices:

Image: Shi Tou/Reuters - via NBC News

Photo: Sean Yong/Reuters

Did you teacher do something strange to prevent cheating in class? Let us know in the comments!

All it takes is a few ordinary objects and surprisingly cooperative cats and dogs to create thrilling adventures. Miro Minarovic and Jiri Horut arranged and photographed our furry friends at play. You can see more images in the series at the link.

Link -via Lustik

Joy Cannon (previously on Neatorama) explains to us why puns and mobsters don't mix, y'know because wiseguys actually aren't all that wise ...

I don't know who originally took this great photo or what the cutie's name is, but either way, he's just too damn cute to ignore. I can't help but wonder what he is watching on TV with such interest.

Link

Build Your Own Skeleton Cookie Cutters

Humans are born with over 270 bones in their body. Lucky for you it doesn't take very many cookies to recreate a cookie version of the human skeleton. With the help of 6 bone shaped cookie cutters you can whip up your own deliciously fun skeletal creation in no time.  

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Kitchen Stuff. 

Link

(YouTube link)

The Assumption Parish sinkhole in Louisiana has been growing for a year now. In this video, taken yesterday, you can see a clump of cypress trees being swallowed by the hole. First the trees lean a little, then they disappear, then the water rushes into the hole, lowering the water level as you can see on the remaining tree trunks.  

The sinkhole has been growing since it emerged from the swamps sometime late on Aug. 2 or early on Aug. 3, 2012, as the suspected result of a salt dome cavern failure deep underground months beforehand.

Scientists have said this growth is expected as the hole seeks a final shape and size, a geologic process that may take years.

Though the watery hole — now approaching some 25 acres in size at the surface with some sections that may plunge hundreds of feet deep — has undergone continuing edge collapses or slough-ins, rarely have such sizeable failures been caught on video.

Link  -via Daily Picks and Flicks

(Photo: Nicolas Maeterlinck/AFP)

Belgians claim to have invented and perfected what we Americans call French fries. Belgians, though, call them frites and cook them in beef fat. They're also now available on demand in Belgium, thanks to a newly-invented vending machine:

Customers pay €2.50 (£2.13) for a 90-second fry-up of a 135g portion of chips accompanied by fork, salt and ketchup or mayonnaise, with or without harissa, but definitely without the customary moules. Three filters are meant to cut out the smell of the frying.

With a few modifications, perhaps we could have a poutine vending machine.

Link -via Foodbeast

General Mills normally brings back Count Chocula, Frankenberry, and Boo Berry breakfast cereals for Halloween each year. This year, they will be joined by Frute Brute, which was discontinued in 1982, and Yummy Mummy, which hasn't been seen since 1992! All five cereals will be on shelves in new, horror movie-themed boxes. However, there will also be a line of the cereals in retro boxes, available at Target stores for the holiday.

“It’s exciting to see the passion for the return of these two cereals,” says Ari Zainudden, marketing manager in Big G. “We chose the current flavors of Fruity Yummy Mummy and Frute Brute to be as close as possible to the original flavors while taking into consideration consumers’ preferences. Consumers can get a taste for what these cereals were like when they were originally on shelves.”

“The love for the Monsters that we make available each Halloween continues to be huge and the passion for all of them across social media is incredible,” says Julie Anderla, integrated communications senior manager in Big G. “We’re bringing back Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy in an effort to give our fans what they asked for.”

Note that "Frute Brute" is spelled differently from the 1970s version. This will be the first time that all five cereals are available at the same time. There's a possibility that collectors may invade grocery stores to purchase the collections, and cereal connoisseurs may hoard their favorite flavor. They better make plenty! Link -via Uproxx

Jake could totally transform into an engagement ring, after all, his power allows him to change into any shape or size. Of course, it's still better to have a real ring that looks like Jake than a Jake that looks like a ring because this way your best friend isn't stuck in ring form for eternity and you get some pretty jewels in the design too.

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The question is: what is it? It's time for our collaboration with the fascinating What Is It? Blog! Do you know what the object in this picture is? You can win even if you don't know! We don't know what the item is, but serious guesses will be investigated, and if yours check out, you can win a t-shirt from the NeatoShop! Read what we know about the object, and see more pictures at the What Is It? Blog.

Place your guess in the comment section below. One guess per comment, please, though you can enter as many as you'd like. Post no URLs or weblinks, as doing so will forfeit your entry. Two winners: the first correct guess and the funniest (albeit ultimately wrong) guess will each win a T-shirt from the NeatoShop.

Please write your T-shirt selection alongside your guess. If you don't include a selection, you forfeit the prize, okay? May we suggest a Science T-Shirt, Funny T-Shirt, or Artist-Designed T-Shirts?

So let's recap: this is a true mystery item, but if you figure it out before anyone else, you win the shirt you designate with your guess. There are more clues at the What Is It? Blog. If you have the funniest wrong guess, you'll win a shirt, as long as you select one and include it in your comment. Good luck!