Antique carved birds as steampunk treasures
Boing Boing — ... piece of art. You can see Jim’s lively sense of humor in each one of his creations. Jim begins by hand painting each bird and then adds a variety of vintage pieces when creating his sculptures. The unusual relics he uses, such as croquet balls, binoculars and old toys give each inspiring bird his own personality. Objects that were cast aside as useless are used in his designs to demonstrate the fragile balance between nature and industry. Mullanium (via Neatorama)

Papercraft locomotive engine
Boing Boing — Atom's papercraft locomotive engine doesn't actually run on steam (you have to push it to make it go), but man, it sure does go. Link (via Neatorama)

Extra-Wide Contacts = Anime Look
Geeknews — Here’s an interesting product being used to promote the ‘anime look’ via contact lenses. The lenses make your iris appear larger than usual, and depending on the brand can be dual color, tri color, rimmed in black to enhance the iris color and more. Not to be outdone, Barbie is getting in on some of the action here via http://barbie-eyes.blogspot.com/ ...

Space art from the 1950s
Boing Boing — Plan59's 1950s space-art gallery has some real gems! Space Art (via Neatorama)

DHS contractor threatens woman with arrest for wearing "lesbian.com" tee on federal property
Boing Boing — ... "lesbian" on it. As she headed for a line to pick up a Social Security card for her son, Gilbert was stopped by a guard who said her T-shirt, naming an educational and resource Web site for gay women, was offensive. She said the guard, who works for a private company hired by the Department of Homeland Security, demanded that she leave the building or face arrest. T-shirt gets Van Nuys woman kicked out of federal building (via Neatorama) (Image: Hans Gutknecht) ...

Air Canada shaves fuel costs by eliminating life-jackets
Boing Boing — ... remain within 50 miles of shore. Safety cards in the seat pockets of Jazz aircraft now direct passengers to use the seat cushions as flotation devices. Stuart says Jazz is a transcontinental carrier that doesn't fly over the ocean. Jazz planes do fly over the Great Lakes and along the Eastern seaboard from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Boston, Massachusetts, and to New York. Emphasis mine. Airline removes life vests to lighten planes (via Neatorama)

Ultimate Peep-toe
bookofjoe — ... Prefer something in a boot? No problema. Designed by Annejet Kosters. [via szymon, trendhunter, interiordesignroom, neatorama and virtualshoemuseum] ...

Moon-cake USB sticks
Boing Boing — Happy Mid-Autumn Festival -- celebrate in nerd style with one of these moon-cake-shaped USB sticks -- 4GB for $28. USB Mooncake Flash Drive (via Neatorama)

Trio of nested Klein bottles
Boing Boing — ... more dimension): "This is one of a series of glass Klein bottles made by Alan Bennett in Bedford, United Kingdom for the Science Museum, London. It consists of three Klein bottles, one inside another. A Klein bottle is a surface which has no edges, no outside or inside and cannot properly be constructed in three dimensions. In the series Alan Bennett made Klein bottles analogous to Mobius strips with odd numbers of twists greater than one." Klein bottle, 1995-1996. (via Neatorama)

Ten Facts You Should Know About the LHC [Questions Questions]
Gizmodo — ... Neatorama has put together a good list of ten basic questions on the Large Hadron Collider. It doesn't answer questions like "Why the heck ...

Floor "refinished" by drawing on it
Boing Boing — ... film in the hardware store. People use it for cupboards and car decals, why wouldn’t it work on a floor? The staff at the store said it would never work of course. “It won’t last blah blah blah leave marks blah blah do it proper blah”. But i was optimistic. I don’t need something to last for 10 years, if it looks good for one year and is easy to remove it’s way better! And it’s cheap too. So i bought a roll and tried it out. Kitchen floor doodling (via Neatorama)

My Little Ponies in elaborate media drag
Boing Boing — DeviantArt's Spippo creates elaborate costumes for My Little Ponies based on major media franchises -- Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, Alien, and Star Wars, as well as many others! ~Spippo (via Neatorama)

HOWTO Make an upside-down bookshelf
Boing Boing — Here's a nice gag for hanging an upside-down bookshelf on your wall -- the books are held in with elasticated strips of cloth: The inverted bookshelf turns a bit of your living room upside down as it hangs all of the books from the bottom instead of supporting them from below. It's a satisfying optical trick and doesn't damage any of the books. In fact, you can take books in and out of it whenever you want. /Inverted Bookshelf (via Neatorama)

The Subprime Mortgage and Credit Crisis Explained
Gear Diary — If the recent events on Wall Street have caused your head to spin and your heart to flutter (but not in a good way), then you aren’t alone. For those who are still trying to get a grip on how the economy ended up in the toilet, Alex at Neatorama has done a beautiful job explaining the current crisis, as well as nine other times when America suffered massive financial meltdowns - all within the last 100 years. ...

Dream Captcha for spam-free sleep
Boing Boing — ... a Captcha before. You’re at a website, about to fill in a comment, and then the website asks you to type the letters you see in a box—the letters are all squiggly and distorted. Basically, a robot can’t read those letters, but a human can, so hurray, the site isn’t overloaded with spam and porn and whatnot. However, the Captcha technology isn’t limited to squiggly letters, and in fact, is readily deciphered by newer robots today. Dream Captcha (via Neatorama)

Poe paper toy
Boing Boing — Here's a fine, gloomy Edgar Allen Poe "Coobie" paper toy for you to download, print and assemble, the perfect antidote for a down market. E.A. Coobie (via Neatorama)

How to make cocaine
Boing Boing — Interesting video of jungle based cocaine factory. (via Neatorama)

Pee... if you Dare!
Boing Boing — Photo by Whole Wheat Toast. (Thanks Tara McGinley! Via Neatorama)

Antique Poison Bottle Hall of Fame
bookofjoe — ... It is what it says. [via Neatorama and Everlasting Blört] ...

10 Most Irritating Phrases in the English Language
bookofjoe — ... With all due respect 6. Absolutely 7. It’s a nightmare 8. Shouldn’t of 9. 24/7 10. It’s not rocket science The list appears in Jeremy Butterfield's new book, "Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare," a review of which is here. For those who can't wait for its December 13, 2008 U.S. publication date, Amazon UK will post it instanter per your instruction. [via Neatorama] ...

How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you
bookofjoe — ... "Better watch your back if your cat is showing any of these nine signs." Drawn by Matthew Inman. [via Brian Nelson and Neatorama] ...

Pie hat!
Boing Boing — Now here's a festive holiday crochet project: a hat shaped like a scrumptious pie! They will see you in the street and they will shout, "Delicious head, delicious head, delicious head!" but you will only smile to yourself and think, "Yes, and the zombies love me too, for my brains are wrapped in a tasty layer of pie." Holiday Pie-rets (via Neatorama)

Bizarre absence of acorns in parts of the United States
Boing Boing — ... They sifted through leaves on the ground, dug in the dirt and peered into the tree canopies. Nothing. Simmons thinks the reason could be that the unusually heavy rainfall in the spring washed the pollen out of the air before it had time to pollinate the acorn blossoms. But Ed Zimmer, a regional forester for the Virginia Department of Forestry, doesn't think that's possible. So far, no one knows for sure what's going on. Where'd all the acorns go? (Via Neatorama)

Chainsaw "bayonet" mounted on rifle
Boing Boing — In this short but riveting video, YouTube's Pfcthiel demonstrates a chainsaw "bayonet" he mounted on an assault rifle (he'll make you one for $300). As Neatorama points out, this may just be the world's greatest anti-zombie weapon. Also handy for loggers who fear attack-squirrels. Chainsaw Bayonet (via Neatorama)

Strange and endangered wildlife
Boing Boing — ... In WWII, American soldiers stationed in the Pacific theater wrote home with tales about entire atolls being covered in the armor-plated giants. These crabs can crack a coconut in one swipe; but they’re generally too slow to be very dangerous to humans. Children pass lazy afternoons by picking the crabs off tree trunks and watching them crash to the ground; it’s reportedly great fun. And kind of messed up. 20 (More) Strange and Exotic Endangered Species (via Neatorama) (Image: Giant coconut crab by Jason Kottke) ...

Felted Cthulhu
Boing Boing — Artists Amy Rawson and Brian East made this felted Santa Cthulhu (a towering 12 inches of wool and madness) and have posted it to eBay for your bidding pleasure. OOAK Needle Felted Santa Cthulhu Figure AHA Art Doll (via Neatorama)

Shanghai recreated in dice and poker chips
Boing Boing — Liu Jianhua recreated the Shanghai skyline from dice and poker-chips -- the gigantic piece was displayed at Galleria Continua in San Gimignano, Italy. The close-up detail view (shot by Flickr user cinghialino and licensed Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike) is spectacular. Liu Jianhua - Unreal Scene (2008), Liu Jianhua - Unreal Scene (2008) (detail view) (via Neatorama)

Sock monkey goddess
Boing Boing — The latest in Flickr user Jek in the Box's series of mystical sock monkeys is "Saras Sock Vati," a Hindu deity in sensible elasticated wool. Don't miss the Sock Buddha and Sock de Milo. saras sock vati (via Neatorama)

Humorous homebrew Mario level
Boing Boing — Retro Sabotage (humorous homebrew levels for vintage video games) has produced a nice little 1985 Super Mario remix with a pretty good punchline. The makers have a little tool to customize the level and share it with your pals. Retro Sabotage - Super Mario Bros. (via Neatorama)

Neatorama Launching Upcoming Queue
GeekAlerts — Some of you might be aware of the fact that I’m one of the authors over at Neatorama. With the launch of the new feature “Upcoming Queue“, you can also be a contributer. Here’s how this new feature works: Do you have a blog and would like it featured on Neatorama? Have you ever found something neat/funny/weird on the Web and would like to share it with all of Neatorama’s readers? Now you can. Of course, there needs to be a mechanism to separate good posts from bad ones (like ...

Band-aids with gross illustrations: Scabs Bandages
Boing Boing — Scabs Bandages are band-aids bearing sweet little gross illustrations -- maggots, hatching spiders, eyeballs, or zippers -- for to speed your healing with stomach-churning levity. Scabs Bandages (via Neatorama) ...

Youth hostel in a jumbo jet
Boing Boing — ... and isolation. It adheres to all common energy standards. Heating is achieved with an air-air inverter. Summer 2008 the plane was towed to its final destination at the entrance to Arlanda where it was placed on a concrete foundation with the landing gear secured in two steel cradles. Here, Jumbo Hostel are a spectacular landmark as a portal to Arlanda offering a view of the landing strip. No visitor to Arlanda will miss the new hostel! Jumbohostel (via Neatorama)

Control-a-Cat Remote Control
bookofjoe — ... buttons for "Stop Scratching", "Show Affection", "Remain Aloof" and many others, you'll be in control in no time. It's finally your turn to make your cat do what you want. Features: • 21-button remote control • No batteries required — powered by wishful thinking • Measures 5.5" x 2.2" (14cm x 5.5cm) •••••••••••••••••••••   $7.99. [via Blythe Hines, neatorama and The Presurfer] ...

Dope-smuggler's "job-wanted" ad
Boing Boing — ... and precision organizing. Still, I'm not convinced it's real -- anyone know more about it? "...participated in the executive level management of 120 people worldwide in a sucessful pot smuggling venture with revenues in excess of U$ 100 million annually(...) expert in all levels of security(...) well-traveled, speak English, French and Spanish(...) references available from friends, family, US District Attorney..." Best 'Looking for a Job Ad', Ever (via Neatorama)

Leonardo da Vinci Nail Mosaic
bookofjoe — ... Strati (below), a 42-year-old Tirana (Albania)-based artist, made the piece (top) in August and September of 2006. "Using industrial nails, the artist recreated [a] self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci using nearly 400 kilos [880 pounds] of nails over a 2 meter x 4 meter [6.5 feet x 13 feet] surface. The technique resembles digital photography, in that each nail represents a pixel." [via Ashley Simko's blog, Bits & Pieces and Neatorama] ...

Cabinet door's squeals are eerily Chewbaccaesque
Boing Boing — This squeaky cabinet door sounds so much like Chewbacca's plaintive wail that I'm left wondering if it isn't the source of the original foley effect. Guys Cabinet Door Sounds Exactly like Chewbacca! (via Neatorama)

Intimidatingly awesome science fair projects
Boing Boing — ... exactly what chord diagrams and singular knots are all about - having perhaps missed that particular sub-chapter in your high school math class - Greg Muller offers a passable introduction at his blog The Everything Seminar to refresh your memory. Basically, knot theory is about solving simple problems with advanced techniques. For those of us who don't like doing things the easy way... 10 Winning Science Fair Projects That Will Make You Feel Dumb (via Neatorama) ...

Tetris furniture
Boing Boing — Brazilian designers Diego Silvério and Helder Filipov created this stacking Tetris furniture -- the tricky part is getting your spouse to slowly lower it, piece by piece, from the ceiling. Tetris Furniture (via Neatorama) ...

Tables with tentacles
Boing Boing — These lovely, betentacled tables were designed by Chul An Kwak, a Korean designer who exhibited them back in 2007 at the Seoul Design Week. Chul An Kwak at Seoul Design Week 2007 (via Neatorama) ...

Killer crochet
MAKE Magazine — I first saw Howie Woo's work on Neatorama, but then quickly spent way too much time on his site checking out all his killer (get it?) crochet projects, from dynamite to ray guns, to cigarettes. This guy has talent! And a wacky sense of humor, which is a mighty fine combination IMHO. (Be sure to check out his homemade videos!) ...

NES built into a purse
Boing Boing — Jeri Ellsworth created this remarkable Commodore-64-emulated-NES-in-a-handbag -- she's also the hacker who reverse-engineered the Commodore 64 and came up with the C64-on-a-chip design. Jeri's nifty Nintendo/C64 purse (via Neatorama)

Practical joke cocktails: freeze Mentos into the ice-cubes, add to Diet Coke drink
Boing Boing — Wired's HOWTO wiki suggests freezing Mentos into ice cubes and then serving them in Diet Coke-based cocktails as a kind of timed practical joke (the cubes melt, and the drink turns into a volcano). Diet Coke is recommended "because it isn't sticky." Mix an Exploding Drink (via Neatorama)

Smell of Books — Aerosol eBook Enhancer
bookofjoe — ... with a wide range of e-reading devices and e-book formats and 100% DRM- compatible. Whether you read your e-books on a Kindle or an iPhone using Stanza, Smell of Books will bring back that real book smell you miss so much. ••••••••••••••••••• "Pick the smell that's right for you: Crunchy Bacon, Scent of Sensibility, New Book Smell, Classic Musty or Eau, You Have Cats." [via The Presurfer, Neatorama and a reader whose name eludes me] ...

Kids lose their summer break due to impenetrable bureaucratic mess
Boing Boing — ... penalty of more than $7 million. "The penalties for not meeting the instructional time requirements are high, much higher than just making up of the time," said Hilary McLean, spokeswoman for the state Department of Education. "It was the intent of the Legislature to make the penalties so stiff [in order] to discourage districts from shaving off minutes here and there." Chino district's error delays summer break by 34 school days for some students (via Neatorama)

Scottish rotary boat lift - The Falkirk Wheel
MAKE Magazine — This amazing machine transfers boats between the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals of central Scotland, which are some 80 feet apart vertically. It was opened in 2002. Gareth wrote last year about artist Andy Scott's proposal to install a pair of titanic mythical sea-horse heads as part of the lock mechanism below the wheel. Via Neatorama. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Transportation | ...

Lord of the Rings considered as a D&D game -- webcomic
Boing Boing — The DM of the Rings is a webcomic that retells The Lord of the Rings as a D&D; campaign played by a group of impatient, juvenile (and hilarious) gamers. The DM of the Rings (via Neatorama)

Cuddly felted Jabba the Hutt
Boing Boing — Flickr user Kit Lane's created this beautiful felted Jabba the Hutt (with bunny rabbit). I could cuddle the slimy little bastard all day! Jaba the Hutt - The Early Years (via Neatorama)

Landmark buildings of the world as acrylic rings
Boing Boing — Etsy seller Plastique's got laser-cut acrylic rings boasting pointy world monuments. As knuckledusters, they create the possibility of growling, "Right, mate, you're geography," before you bust your opponent in the chops. world landmarks acrylic ring set (white) (via Neatorama)

Keyring/facepalm
MAKE Magazine — Scott Amron of Amron Experimental wins this decade's OMG-why-didn't-I-think-of-that award. Via Neatorama. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Gadgets | Digg this!

Rifle-mounted cup-holder
Boing Boing — Wired's Danger Room has a roundup of rifle accessories that would do any sniper couch-potato proud, including a cup-holder. From iPhone Apps to Beer Holders, Killer Accessories for Your Guns (via Neatorama)

Giant zipper lotus pond in Taiwan
MAKE Magazine — Toxel.com hosts these great pics of a museum pond outside Taipei, executed by sculptor Ju Chun. Via Neatorama. Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Arts | Digg this!

Next-gen implanted hearing aids are also headphones
Boing Boing — ... environments. They also interfere with frequencies used by mobile and fixed phones and often emit high-pitched whistling sounds. But the newer processors, costing about $6000 each, shut out background noise, giving users up to 25 per cent better hearing, and can be attached directly to MP3 music players or wireless headsets for talking on the phone, Cochlear's territory manager, Katrina Martin, said. High-tech hearing aid the ultimate iPod accessory (via Neatorama)

New Hearing Aids Double As Headphones, Reduce Grandpa to a Living, Breathing iPod Accessory [Hearing Aids]
Gizmodo — ... company Cochlear, aren't as cyborgian as you might imagine. The processor, with its headphone jack and wireless radio, isn't actually drilled into your head—that's just the cochlear implant—but instead worn around your ear, headset-style. The company's even got a range of "Freedom Accessories" which, let's be clear here, are consumer tech accessories meant to indirectly plug into your bone. It's a great time to be an old. [Sydney Morning Herald via Neatorama via BoingBoing] ...

HOWTO make a plush cell model
Boing Boing — Instructables user ChrysN has a sweet plush cell model HOWTO up on the site. ChrysN suggests that this would be a great project for students assigned to produce a cell model. Plush Cell Model (via Neatorama)

Lego cookie-cutter
Boing Boing — This rolling Lego cookie-cutter turns out edible 2x2 Legos*! Rolling Cookie Cutter (via Neatorama) *I know. But millions of people call them "Legos." Usage trumps formal correctness every time. ...

Scripting a PC CD-tray to rock the baby to sleep
Boing Boing — This enterprising Linux user wrote a script that rhythmically opens and closes the CD tray on a tower PC; the CD tray is connected to the baby's rocking seat. As the tray cycles, the baby rocks. Lovely. Linux Baby Rocker (via Neatorama)

Depression as a pro-survival adaptation that solves hard problems
Boing Boing — In Scientific American, Paul W. Andrews and J. Anderson Thomson, Jr. sum up a paper they've recently published in Psychological Review that argues for depression as a pro-survival adaptation that allows for a kind of intense, isolated problem-solving introspection that, when combined with analytical techniques similar to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, resolves complex troubles: ...

Where the Wild Things Are cupcakes
Boing Boing — Flickr user Claire_issa uploaded pictures of these stupendous Where the Wild Things Are cupcakes that she made for her roommate, noting, "These are texas-sized snickerdoodle cupcakes. For frosting and decorations I used chocolate ganache (Moishe), canned vanilla frosting (Max), sprinkles, store-bought gumpaste eyes, and fondant colored tinted by hand." Now that is love. Where the Wild Things Are cupcakes (via Neatorama) ...

Detroit houses being eaten by nature
Boing Boing — The Sweet Juniper blog has a gallery of abandoned Detroit houses that are being overcome by the foliage around them, trees and shrubs and plants growing around, on and in them. Feral Houses (via Neatorama) ...

Man hunts for poo-squirting con artist in Delhi
Boing Boing — ... the shoeshine accomplice. I now sought out the phantom squirter, I wished to befriend him. I wanted to find out his life story, how he learnt his trade, whether it is a father-son thing. How much money does he make on a good day? Has he ever been caught? What are the mechanics of squirting, does he use a turkey baster perhaps, or a syringe? And, most of all, what does he tell his family that he does for a living? Seeking Delhi's 'phantom squirter' (via Neatorama)

Raiders of the Lost Ark as a 1951 adventure movie
Boing Boing — This trailer for a notional 1951 version of Raiders of the Lost Ark has my head nigh-exploding with recursive delight: a retro movie that hearkens to 1950s adventure serials remade as a 1950s adventure serial! Raiders of the Lost Ark (1951) Trailer (via Neatorama)

Library in necklace form
Boing Boing — Etsy seller TheBlackSpotBooks sells a library in necklace form -- a collection of 11 miniature blank-books bound in scrap and antique leather. I love the idea, though I'd love it more if the books had tiny little printing, the text of great public domain works. Library of antique and scrap leather books for the neck - eleven miniature books (via Neatorama)

Magic dots
Boing Boing — Fun flash app doesn't do anything but shrink and multiply the dots you pass over with your mouse cursor. Magic Dots (Via Neatorama)

Kurt Kohlstedt - Cool Geek of the Week
Born Rich — ... talkative/writeative (the latter is not a word but should be!) to ever really run out of things to type I do sometimes find myself burning out a bit from simply writing too much on top of everything else. What I try to do is work ahead when possible so that if I cannot find the mental energy to write I am at least sufficiently ahead of the game to take a break for a bit. 9). Team: Tell us about five of your must-read blogs. Kurt: Neatorama, DarkRoastedBlend and Mental_Floss, Burbia LifeintheFastLane.ca are all ...

Healthy baby poop gallery
Boing Boing — Wonder what healthy baby-poo looks like? Wonder no more: here's a gallery of normal, healthy steaming baby excreta: This photo guide to baby poop will give you a good idea of what's normal and what's not as your newborn grows, drinks breast milk or formula, and starts eating solids. You'll find out when not to worry and when it's wise to be concerned. As a general rule, if you see anything completely out of the ordinary in your baby's diaper, play it safe and call the doctor. Fair warning: These are pictures of real baby poop! Please view only if you're comfortable with that. If not, ...

Air conditioner disguised as cartoony TV
Boing Boing Gadgets — Love this air-conditioner cover ("Tape & painted cardboard on window AC unit cover, Bushwick, Brooklyn NY") snapped by Flickr user Dbilly. Televox (via Neatorama)

Air conditioner disguised as cartoony TV
Boing Boing — Love this air-conditioner cover ("Tape & painted cardboard on window AC unit cover, Bushwick, Brooklyn NY") snapped by Flickr user Dbilly. Televox (via Neatorama)

The Matrix as a Charlie Chaplin short
Boing Boing — ... A Russian actor's group called "Big Difference" (Bolshaya Raznitsa / Большая Разница) remade The Matrix as a Charlie Chaplin silent film. (Via Neatorama) ...

Ballad of the Monster Manual
Boing Boing — Mixel Pixel's song "Monster Manual" is a loving tribute to the most exciting AD&D; hardcover, the one with all the beasties in it. And Dan Meth's animation is just the perfect accompaniment. Monster Manual (via Neatorama) ...