After the sad passing of Colonel Meow, an internet void was created in the way of cats who look possessed. But if there's anything in which one must never lose faith, it's the Internet's ability to generate new cat celebrities.
So if Grumpy Cat seems not to be edgy enough for you, not to mention passé, say hello to Garfi. This Garfield-inspired cat resides in Turkey. His human is Hulya Ozkok, and I can only imagine he's plotting her demise if she doesn't stop making him wear little outfits.
See a collection of Garfi glamour shots here. Images: Flickr
Lisa Marcus's Blog Posts
Flying Duck Orchid (Caleana Major)
Image:Michael Prideaux
As someone who has a love of gardening, I am passionate about flowers. To me, they are nature's jewels. I grow various kinds all year.
Orchids are a favorite of many flower lovers. The varieties seem endless; there are more than 25,000 known species of orchids. Research has dated some species back 120 million years, before the continents split into their present formation.
Here is an interesting collection of flowers, mostly of the orchid variety, that evoke mental images of other things entirely. Orchids have evolved to resemble the type of insect they must attract to propagate. So while these flowers bring to mind naked men, flying ducks and even Darth Vader, they are likely to favor a certain insect as well.
See many more examples from this collection here, including the naked man and Darth Vader varieties.
Swaddled Babies (Anguloa Uniflora)
Image: Pinterest, original source unknown
Hooker's Lips (Psychotria Elata)
Image: Flickr
Ballerina orchid (Caladenia Melanema)
Image: Tere Montero
Pizza. Science. They are both wonderful as individual things. How do they measure up when combined? This PBS "It's Okay to be Smart" video gives us a little science with our hot, cheesy slice. Click play to see how they used Pi to base an argument as to what size of pie one should order to get the biggest bang for their buck. -Via Science Dump
Novelty store vampire teeth make for great napkin holders
Some of these suggestions for fun Halloween décor are perfect whether you're hosting a party or wanting to make a space festive for the occasion. Most are easy and inexpensive to make, which is an added bonus to those of us on a budget. More tips are below; see this article for the full list.
Freeze a rubber glove filled with water to make a hand-shaped ice cube
Serve shots in plastic syringes
Insert a glow stick into a white balloon, inflate it, and tie it closed.
Use a black marker to draw a ghost or an alien
Neato's own Miss Cellania wrote this delicious piece for Mental Floss entitled French Fries Around the World. The more examples I read, the hungrier I became. French fries are probably up there in my top five favorite foods. I don't meet many fries that I wouldn't go home with.
Aside from Canada's poor fries that are drowning in a sea of creepy brown gunk, I'm all for every kind of fry mentioned in the article. My favorite way to eat french fries is definitely how they serve them in Britain. The last time I was in London, I ate at fish and chip shops just for the chips. I love them with a generous amount of malt vinegar on top. What french fries on the list sound best to you?
Image: Jon Sullivan
Bridesmaids packing heat. Bridesmaids in bathtubs. Bridesmaids just plain gone wild. Buzzfeed compiled this amusing video of bizarre bridesmaid photos. It might have been Bridezilla's lame idea, but you could have run screaming and kept a shred of integrity, ladies. -Via Viral Viral Videos.
Danny MacAskill (previously) is a Scottish athlete from Dunvegan on the Isle of Skye. MacAskill is a professional trials cyclist, which Wikipedia defines as the following:
"Trials riding is an extreme test of bicycle handling skills, over all kinds of obstacles, both natural and man-made. It now has a strong – though small – following worldwide, though it is still primarily a European sport. Skills taken from trials riding can be used practically on any bicycle for balance, for example controlled braking and track standing, or balancing on the bike without putting a foot down. Competition trial bikes are characterized by powerful brakes, wide handlebars, lightweight parts, single-speed low gearing, low tire pressures with a thick rear tire, distinctive frame geometry, and usually no seat."
Now, if all of that adds up to "a sport in which insane people use bikes to traverse mountain paths where most wouldn't dare set foot" then it's right on target. This video shows MacAskill using his bike to make amazing moves and jumps as he weaves in and out on a winding trail at death-defying heights. This man has as much courage (or crazy) as he has athletic prowess.
-Via Geekologie
Den of Geek assembled a list of 25 must-see movies to be released in 2015. While "must see" is subjective for everyone, there are a number of enticing looking films on their list. One example that is eagerly anticipated by many is Mad Max: Fury Road. George Miller is once again directing. Since the last we saw of the franchise was in 1985, a new film is long overdue, as well as exciting, considering the advances in special effects since the eighties. The trailer (below), shown at San Diego Comic Con 2014, made a splash and raised the hype bar. I hope this one meets fans' expectations. Tom Hardy is starring; Nicholas Hoult and Charlize Theron are supporting. The movie hits theaters May 15, 2015.
Did that good looking cheerleader in high school biology class cruelly turn you down with a condescending smirk when you asked her out? If so, here's your chance (actually here are 25 chances) to win at life over the miniskirted mafia.
This collection of 25 videos and photographs of cheerleading blunders give all spurned cheerleader admirers the last laugh. Some of these are actually pretty funny, particularly the expressions on some of their faces. It's as if the God of Cheer is up in the sky throwing lightning bolts at any girl without a crazed grin or frighteningly enthusiastic expression.
Via Viral Nova
Your lips will slay them, armed with these designs from Spanish makeup artist and photographer Eva Senín Pernas. Are you sans costume but feel like hitting that party in a last-minute change of heart? Are the kids refusing to decide on costumes within your budget until T minus Too Late? Throw on an all-black outfit and paint the lips all spooky like. Then give anyone who is underwhelmed by the lack of costume the kiss of death.
Eva Senín Pernas trained in architecture before switching to makeup and photography, so she's a triple threat, of sorts. Visit her website, Deviant Art site and Facebook page to see more of her work.
-Via Bored Panda|Images: Eva Senín Pernas
Corby Brandes is a man from Lincoln City, Oregon who is doing his best to make superheroes the basis of a new religion. Evidently, he's not joking. According to his Facebook page, Brandes wants "to teach life's moral lessons through the stories of the superheroes in modern comics." He extols the virtues of the X-Men as a means to educate parishioners against discrimination, and on his Facebook page, Brandes makes suggestions for patron saints. He writes,
"Now that we have so many followers I would like to go over... superheroes as our patron saints. The ones that have already been suggested are as follows: Spiderman/Saint of determination, Tony Stark/Saint of technology, Deadpool/Saint of fried Mexican foods. Who has some more?"
While Brandes says he's "always been a Marvel fan personally," he has plans to "branch out," as far as church services are concerned.
The Church of Superheroes Facebook page has nearly 550 likes from users, some of whom appear to be taking the notion seriously. Many posts like the one above get a number of replies. Brandes' recent request for donations of services to create a website, logo and other means of operations for the church received offers from a voiceover talent, a web designer and a silkscreen t-shirt maker prepared to provide their services gratis.
Brandes did a Los Angeles radio interview with Kevin and Bean, in which he said,
"I've always wanted to find a church that I was comfortable at, but I've never been able to take that leap of faith. I didn't want to have to do that just to surround myself by people who were like-minded. I decided that it would be a great idea to do this through the superheroes."
Currently, Brandes is trying to raise the $2000 necessary to file for tax-exempt status, before which he has to go through a number of legal hoops, such as writing by-laws and obtaining status as 501(3)(c). He eventually hopes to have a brick-and-mortar superhero church.
As well as the Facebook page (to which Brandes refers as the "virtual church"), interested worshippers may also connect with the church on Twitter. Get your religious fix there.
-Via ComicBook.com | Image: Church of Superheroes Facebook page
Examples abound of elephants and their caring, nurturing behavior, especially toward their young. This video shows two adults rushing to the aid of a baby who has lost his footing and lays on his back, struggling to right himself. The footage was shot by a visitor to the Zurich Zoo. It's hard to fathom the poaching and cruelty with which these noble, intelligent creatures are targeted. -Via Tastefully Offensive
Excavation area at Tokat Castle
During a recent renovation of Tokat Castle in Turkey, archaeologists made a series of finds as they conducted excavation work. A team led by archaeologist İbrahim Çetin found two secret tunnels, a military shelter, storage rooms and two dungeons; they believe Vlad the Imapaler was held captive there in the early fifteenth century.
Prince Vlad, on whom Bram Stoker based the character of Dracula, is thought by the team to have been held in one of the newly discovered dungeons by the Ottoman Turks in the year 1442. The Ottoman empire took power in 1392 after conquering the city of Tokate. Çetin said,
"The castle is completely surrounded by secret tunnels. It is very mysterious. It is hard to estimate in which room Dracula was kept, but he was around here."
Vlad the Impaler, as he came to be known posthumously, had the reputation while he was alive as being extremely cruel and sadistic. His favorite method of torture and execution was impalement, although he killed those he deemed enemies in almost every way possible. Methods of torture and execution — other than the impalement for which he was famous — included mutilation, amputation, burning, blinding, strangulation, scalping, skinning, exposure to wild animals and the elements and boiling alive. Reportedly in 1462, one of his enemies from Constantinople who was preparing to attack actually turned around and made a hasty retreat at the sight of 20,000 of Vlad's impaled corpses outside the capital city.
Restoration of Tokat Castle began in 2009 and is ongoing. Given the size of the area, it is likely that more discoveries will be made as the excavation continues.
Read more on the archaeological discovery here. Via The Week.
This long-haired dachshund is apparently the unicorn of dogs: one that loves to bathe. This dog adorably mimics a human in the way she throws her head back and looks up to a shower head as the relaxing warm water rolls down. I've seen dogs who like to swim, but very few who like to bathe. If my dogs were that easy to get under a faucet, I wouldn't pay to have them groomed. -Via Tastefully Offensive
Eight-month-old Hadley has hit the stage of development in which he mimics the behavior that he sees. So when Daddy flexes his muscles, little Hadley gives the pose a test drive as well. Don't look now, but this baby's buffing up, and in an adorable way. -Via 22 Words
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