Sunday, August 31, 2014

Swans Feed Koi Fish

At Swan Lake Resort in Kending, Taiwan, two black swans feed their fish friends, the koi.



Via Miss Cellania

Pets Swallow The Darndest Things

Who knew there was a contest for radiographs of weirdest things pets ingest? Here are a couple of the 2014 X-Ray Contest Winners:






DoveLewis Emergency Animal Hospital
Portland, Ore.
A 3-year-old male great Dane was observed repeatedly vomiting and retching all day.
Abdominal radiographs revealed a severely distended stomach and a large quantity of foreign material.
During exploratory surgery performed by a DoveLewis veterinarian, 43½ socks were removed. The patient was discharged home one day after surgery.




Mary Green, DVM
Animal Emergency of Pasco
Port Richey, Fla.

A client with a dog named Woof called, saying her dog had eaten a rubber duck. Her 3-year-old son had lost his rubber duckie, so Mom, unable to find it after a month, bought him a new one.
Watching her son in the tub, she saw her Woof, come in, nose around in the water and gulp down the duckie. 
Radiographs found five rubber duckies. Every time a duck went missing, Mom would buy a new one. 
We surgically removed the flock along with a toy truck tire and a piece of another toy, and Woof did very well.


Via

How To Make Old Kentucky Famed Drinks

Hey y'all, September is National Bourbon month! I bought a big old bottle of the stuff when I was down in The Land Of The Free last week and plan to kick back on the porch with a nice mint julep. The Kentucky for Kentucky team has gathered up a special collection of 47 drink recipes curated by the Brown Foreman Distillery Company of Louisville, Kentucky. The collection dates back to 1934.








More recipes: Kentucky for Kentucky

What if Ingmar Bergman Directed The Flash?

Caught within a simple paradox. Am I too fast, or not fast enough? I am after all only one man.



Via everlasting blort 

The Battle of the Tooth Worm


As long as humankind has existed we have had toothaches and elaborate procedures to relieve the pain existed as far back as 7000BC. Above is a depiction of the infamous tooth worm believed by many people in the past to bore holes in human teeth and cause toothaches. The worms were first documented in a Sumerian text around 5,000 BC. but references to tooth worms can be found in China, Egypt and India long before they appeared Western Europe in the 8th century.


More about tooth worms: The Chirurgeon's Apprentice

Via

Portrait of a City

Promotional film for the City of Hamilton (Ontario, Canada) from the 1940's. It was more prosperous then but with the decline of manufacturing the city fell upon hard times. In recent years there has been a resurgence as creative types were drawn by now affordable property values and there is a thriving art scene.

Portrait of a City from Brian Potstra on Vimeo.

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Jet Skiing Through the Canyons of Lake Powell

A jet skier takes an amazing ride through a set of narrow canyons on Lake Powell. He's braver than I would be.



Via TwistedSifter

Panorama Fail

Panorama Fail showcases hilarious failed attempts at panoramic photography.










Parisian Subway Etiquette Guide

We've all seen people doing things on the subway that are better done in private: eating, having cellphone arguments, playing music at full volume, snoring and worse, much worse. The Paris transport authority has a lighthearted subway etiquette guide to wise up riders to comportements qui ne sont pas bon.











More: Gothamist

Via Frogsmoke

The Talking Stamps Of Bhutan

In 1972 Bhutan issued tiny vinyl postage stamps from were totally playable and when the needle was put on the record stamp you heard Bhutan’s national anthem and a capsule history of the nation. Talking stamps were thin plastic embossed records with removable back to expose the adhesive.



The stamps are now highly collectible.









More: Dangerous Minds

Via Blort

The Biltmore Estate

The Biltmore Estate  in Asheville, North Carolina was the summer home for the Vanderbilt family. This video shows its magnificent grounds the air.




Anne Francis Wardrobe Stills For Forbidden Planet

Forbidden Planet is considered one of the great science fiction films of the 1950s and is the first science fiction film set in outer space. Anne Francis' costumes are simply out of this world.



More outfits here

Parisian Rooftops Look Like Abstract Paintings

Hong Kong-based artist Michael Wolf's gorgeous photographs of Parisian rooftops look like two-dimensional, abstract paintings.











More: PetaPixel

When It’s Appropriate To Catcall Women

Now you know.





Via Holy Kaw!

Ants Cooperate To Bring Food Home

These ants work in harmony to create a daisy chain to pull dinner back to the anthill.



Via

Wallet Ninja Multitool



Wallet Ninja is a multi-tool that’s the size of a credit card and serves as a wrench, a can opener, fruit peeler, bottle opener, ruler (standard & metric), letter opener, box opener, phone stand, eyeglasses and Philips and flathead screwdriver. It’s made from 4x heat treated steel, and comes with a lifetime guarantee to never rust, bend, dull, or fold up.



If they'd add a corkscrew function I would be totally sold.



$14.99

More:  HiConsumption

Via

The Objects 10 Celebrities Took to the Grave

Ancient Egyptians were buried with meaningful objects they might need in the afterlife. Have you ever thought about what you might want to pack for your final journey?  Mental Floss tells us what 10 celebrities chose to take with them to the grave:



Old Blue Eyes took a bottle of Jack Daniels, his bevvie of choice.


Bela Lugosi was buried in a lightweight version of the cape that he wore
for personal appearances.


Bob Marley was buried with a red Les Paul and his widow tucked
 “a stalk of ganja” in with him before the casket was closed.
I think I'll ask Mr. Nag to toss my trusty corkscrew into my casket.

More

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Carts of Darkness

This documentary by Murray Siple follows a group of homeless men who have combined bottle picking with the extreme sport of racing shopping carts down the steep hills of North Vancouver.



More: NFB

Memory Lane



Retro-decorating has proven very effective in treating people with dementia who might feel more comfortable with scenes from their distant past. Blossom Fields care home near Bristol has constructed a 1950s street where residents, many of whom suffer from Alzheimer’s or dementia, can mail letters in a George VI Post Box, make calls from a restored phone box, enjoy a pint (or, more often than not, a cup of tea) in the White Horse Inn, or pop into the greengrocers for some shopping.



More here

Saturday, August 23, 2014

A Goth Teen Angrily Renames Household Items

It’s not a bathroom, it’s a PISS GRAVEYARD.

They’re not pants, they’re an ASS CAGE.

It’s not a vacuum cleaner, it’s a CHOKING ROBOT.

It’s not an alarm clock, it’s the METAL AWAKENING.

It’s not a door, it’s a WALL COFFIN.

It’s not a freezer, it’s a DINNER SARCOPHAGUS.


Those aren’t stairs, that’s a MUTILATED FLOOR.

That’s not a toothbrush, it’s a MOUTH INVADER.

That’s not a phone, it’s a VOICE PRISON.



More: The Toast

Friday, August 22, 2014

Portuguese man-of-war

Mesmerizing footage of the Portuguese man-of-war, captured for National Geographic by photographer Aaron Asnarov.



Via Salon.com

Embroidered 1950s Advertising and Fashion Photography

Amsterdam-based artist Hinke Schreuders uses embroidery, beading, lace and ink to embellish vintage fashion photography and illustrations from the1950s. The ongoing series is called Works on Paper. Are they beautiful or what?











More: Colossal

Previously on NOTL

Addams Family Gothic Mansion Could Be Yours



Verulum, the aging mansion in Paddington, Australia that contributed its interior to production of The Addams Family, is up for sale for the first time since 1924.
Aunty Toots, a daughter of the original owners, reportedly lived in the house almost continuously for the last 90 years. Historical records suggest it was probably built in the latter part of the 1800s as a farmhouse and then later converted into a gentleman’s residence.


The house is in wretched condition but has some lovely architectural details. I love the tile, wooden floors and fireplace in the kitchen below.



With a price guide of more than $2 million the home will be auctioned on September 11.

More here

Via

Inedible

In his photo series “Inedible,” Melbourne-based artist TQ Lee has created meals that look good enough to eat but I wouldn't advise you to chow down on them.









More here

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Aerial Beach Photos

Self-taught photographer Antoine Rose shoots photographs from a helicopter thousands of feet above ground. These images of beaches look like abstract paintings.









More:  Gizmodo

A Four-Year-Old Reviews the French Laundry

Four-Year-Old Lyla Hogan is the youngest person to eat a full tasting menu at the French Laundry which some consider to be the world's best restaurant. Her facial expressions tell you all you need to know.





Much more about Lyla's tasting experience at The Bold Italic 

Via

What a Bird Song Looks Like

Australian artist Andy Thomas uses photos and 3D software to create a birdsong you can ‘see.’

Nightingale and Canary from Andy Thomas on Vimeo.

Via PetaPixel

Wine Of Meat

WW2 took a heavy toll on the health and looks of the nation’s women. Luckily there was Wincarnis. 


Wincarnis gets its name from the Latin for 'wine of meat'.  It was once touted as "the finest tonic and restorative in the world". This British fortified wine is made of grape juice, malt extracts, herbs and spices, but it no longer contains meat. No worries, I find meatless wine to be just as good for what ails me.

Cats Against Dictatorship

It took a team of artists 200 hours to fashion these Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un scratching posts. They are made from hessian rope, and 3D-printed faces are then attached to the posts, before they are hand painted.





They were launched by internet privacy company HideMyAss.com aka The Pussycat Riot to
protest against regimes which deny citizens the right to access websites such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Profits will be donated to the charity Index on Censorship.


Also available are  litter trays with portraits of Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Egypt's Abdel Fattah El Sisi.



More:Mirror Online

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Weird Beatles Merchandise

Andy Geller, a longtime Beatles collector and television and film voice-over artist was four years old when he saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. He is now a major collector of Beatles memorabilia, including a piece of a stage wall from the Ed Sullivan Theater signed by all four band members which was expected to fetch $1million at auction earlier this year but failed to sell.

Last year Julien's Auctions put a lot of Beatles memorabilia from Geller's collection on the block. A few of them are unbelievably kitschy but I like the pinball machine.



Four inflatable Beatles figures and a tin strawberry Nestle Quik can with the offer for the figures.  Each Beatle is printed with his signature.





Winning bid: $256
Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500



A group of four Christmas tree ornaments representing each member of The Beatles, each painted a hot pink color.
Winning bid:$312.50
Estimate:
$100 - $200




A "Beatles Beat Time" pinball machine manufactured by Williams circa 1967. Originally the machine was painted with images of "The Bootles" as the band declined to have their ABC Cartoon image likenesses used on the game. The machine was restored circa 2000 to include images of The Beatles. Two flippers, five pop bumpers, two slingshots, one rotating target with four targets, two standup targets, with left and right dual outlines.

Winning bid:$1,500
Estimate:$1,000 - $1,500



Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Abseilers Cleaning Big Ben’s Clock Faces



A team of four specialist abseilers are spending the week cleaning the clock faces of Big Ben in London.

(An abseiler is "a person who descends down a nearly vertical face by using a doubled rope that is wrapped around the body and attached to some high point." And yes, I had to look it up.)

More:Time Out London

Johnny Cash's Childhood Home At Historic Dyess Colony Open To Public

In this photo taken Friday, Aug. 8, 2014, rain clouds gather over the
childhood home, dating to the mid 1930s, of singer Johnny Cash in Dyess, Ark.
Photo: Danny Johnston, AP

Money and memorabilia from Johnny Cash’s family and friends have helped historians restore a significant part of the Historic Dyess Colony, a government collective built to pull Depression-era families out of poverty. Cash’s boyhood home, along with the colony’s former headquarters, will open Saturday to reflect everyday life in a northeast Arkansas community built on once-sunken land.
The Colony was a 1930s Works Progress Administration experiment. The federal government brought in 487 families and gave them land and a mule.
"This was a practice in socialism," said Roscoe Phillips, who was born at Dyess 77 years ago. "They took people who had nothing and gave us something. It wouldn't happen today."


More: SFGate 

How to Draw a Perfect Circle



Thanks Bruce!

Texas Man Spends $2.2 Million Turning His Backyard into Four-Pool Waterpark



It gets damn hot in Texas so Hal Jones built four enormous pools built into his backyard on the shores of Lake Travis. Jones hired designer Evan Mills to create four pools: the hot tub (with room for 30 people), the kiddie pool, Lazy River(with a swim-up bar) and Negative Edge pool. The cost? $2.2 million and that doesn't include the maintenance which is $5,500 a month!



More: Oddity Central 

Thanks Bruce!

Monday, August 18, 2014

HitchBOT completes 6,000 km cross-Canada trip



Canada‘s most famous— and only —beer cooler-turned-hitchhiking robot has finally completed its 6,000-kilometre journey across Canada, bumming rides all the way from Halifax reaching Victoria late Saturday.

More: CBC News

How Does A Jellyfish Sting?

Using a high-speed camera hooked up to a microscope it’s possible to see how a jellyfish delivers its  sting. The nematocysts work much like mini-hypodermic needles.



Via Holy Kaw!

Ryan Schude: Them and Theirs

Los Angeles-based photographer Ryan Schude's series “Them and Theirs” takes a look at California car culture. His photos capture "perfect moments" of people with their beloved cars.


Kestrin Pantera and her 1976 Mercedes Benz 450 SL.
Burbank, California.


Amelia Parks and her 1963 Ford Falcon.
Cypress Park, Los Angeles.


David Browne with his 1975 Datsun 620 Pickup.
Elysian Valley, Los Angeles.


Via Blort