Lego Robot (link roundup)

Lego robot with jetpack and gun arm by Dan Rubin. Check out his Lego Alien Fleet Lictor's Ship. Via.

And a few more links:

1. Invasion of paper mache pandas. Via these sites.

2. Magnus Larsson wants to build a 6,000km-long wall of artificially solidified sandstone across the Sahara Desert. The wall would be created by injecting bacillus pasteurii, a "microorganism, readily available in marshes and wetlands, [that] solidifies loose sand into sandstone." Concept art here.

3. Barkevious Mingo beat out Iris Macadangdang in the name of the year contest.

4. Floating city sculpture.

*Previously: The Most Pretentious Baby Name Consultant Contest 2007.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Animated Gene Simmons (link roundup)

Animated Gene Simmons from the Fairly OddParents TV movie, Wishology. Follow the links to see Paul and Peter.

And a few more links:

1. I don't see how this can be. Deodorants are researched by asking guys in focus groups to write "goodbye letters" to deodorants they don't like and "love letters" to deodorants they do?

2. Cowboy on a plane.

3. How to make a Death Star pinata.

4. Help get Joey Weiser some illustration work and he'll send you original art.

*Previously: Gene Simmons/Japanese folklore mashup.

*Buy Gene Simmons toys at eBay.

UP posters by Paul Conrad (link roundup)

Paul Conrad created several posters for Pixar's Up and posted them here.

1. Good headline at Fark: If you mock hipsters, you're a hipster.

2. As if my last post about spiders wasn't creepy enough, read about the sex habits of the spider known as H. sadistica (seems like that's really it's name). Via.

3. BBQ joint dramatically improved business by placing a busty mannequin in a bikini outside. Via.

4. Check out Mitch "spacesick" Ansara's Atari Age-inspired blog header.

*Previously: Carl Fredricksen paper toy.

*Buy Up movie posters at eBay.

The Maltese Falcon poster (link roundup)

Movie poster for The Maltese Falcon by The Silent Giants on sale for $25 here.

And a few more links:

1. A monster called "doom."

2. Finally saw Monsters vs. Aliens (in non-3D) and thought it was great (aside from the Colbert character). I'm ready for a sequel right now.

3. Win a Robot in the City plush.

4. It's not news that spiders are really good at surviving dunkings in water. In fact, scientists tested some spiders and found that they could survive underwater for as long as 36 hours. But "after the 'drownings,' the researchers, hoping to weigh the spiders later, left them out to dry. That's when things began to get weird." Read on (and have nightmares).

*Previously: The Prequel to The Maltese Falcon.

*Buy Monsters vs. Aliens toys at eBay.

Custom sneakers (link roundup)

Custom sneakers by Jeremy Asher Lynch for the Inked Souls show at Art Whino in Virginia.

And a few more links:

1. Major layoffs announced for McFarlane Toys.

2. "In the heart of the Karakum desert of Turkmenistan the Darvaza Gas Crater or The Burning Gates give off a glow that can be seen from miles away during the dark night. The large crater is a result of a Soviet gas exploration accident in the 1950’s." Photo gallery.

3. Illustrations of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World by Roy Krenkel.

4. That Time magazine promotion where you could personalize your own magazine? Yeah, it was really just a way for Lexus to send targeted ads . And the magazines people received didn't reflect the type of articles they'd requested. Via.

*Previously: Seven Wonders of the IT World.

*Buy McFarlane toys at eBay.

Snake-Eyes/Voldo mashup (link roundup)

A gothic, s&m version of Snake-Eyes by Miguel Angel Lacal.


Snake Eyes by ~Artlacal on deviantART

Via.

And a few more links:

1. Beware scientific conclusions based on anecdotal evidence. Famed writer Jared Diamond (and I didn't care for the two books of his I read), is now accused of more or less manufacturing "evidence" to support his theories of cultural development.

2. Giving the 2D sprites of Donkey Kong some width.

3. Amazon now says they won't tolerate paid reviews. It's really been one problem after another for Amazon recently, and seemingly largely on account of poorly trained customer service reps. I know my family's experience with their customer service has been terribly frustrating.

4. Contra Costa County in California has announced it won't prosecute misdemeanors (due to budget problems).

*Previously: Cobra propaganda posters.

*Buy Snake-Eyes toys at eBay.

Fishing lure looks just like Pac-Man (link roundup)

"The Stormy Petrel" fishing lure looks just like Pac-Man. Up for bid here. Via these sites.

And a few more links:

1. The Mycocepurus smithii species of ants reproduces by cloning and also maintains a garden of fungus. Via.

2. Driving instructor found guilty of DUI. Seems like it's a unique case - - he was not the driver. Via.

3. Apparently, Coca-Cola came up with the name "Tab" for its first diet drink by using a computer "programmed to disgorge every four-letter combination containing a vowel. Out came 250,000 combinations, and 600 names were examined as possibilities. But only 24, a mere four percent, had no conflict with existing trademarks. (One of them, Tabb, was shortened to Tab.)" Via.

4. There's now a Muji online store for the USA.

*Previously: Video of an anteater drinking wine.

*Buy vintage computers at eBay.

Source of The Four's power discovered by the Chandra Observatory

The villains of Warren Ellis' and John Cassaday's Planetary are evil versions of the Fantastic Four. In issue #25, we learn that the Four gained their powers not simply due to an accidental encounter with cosmic rays, but through a deal (Reed Richards) made with (Darkseid) - - in return for a promise they would help him conquer Earth, Darkseid promised to allow the Four to utilize a mechanism orbiting around (Apokalips) that would give them all super powers. In these panels you can see the Four in their space capsule enter the mechanism, portrayed as a giant, grasping hand:



The mechanism has been found by the Chandra Observatory, which managed to take a photo of what's been designated a "young pulsar":



*Previously: NASA consultants draft a primer on how Earthmen should resist an alien invasion.

*Buy Planetary at Amazon.

Weird animal costumes (link roundup)

Weird animal costumes spotted at Kid Acne's blog. which I was exploring because there's a set of blind box toys designed by Kid Acne going on sale at Kidrobot next month.

And a few more links:

1. Chinese citizen Shu Chun Teng studied fungus at Cornell in New York in 1923. He spent the next several years traveling through China collecting fungus specimens. When the Japanese invaded China in 1937, he arranged for the specimens to be smuggled to Cornell, where they've been kept ever since. Cornell is now giving them back. Via.

2. If you'd like someone to boo during the baseball season, you won't do much better than Gary Sheffield.

3. Japanese navy used a super powerful "bullhorn" to scare off Somali pirates.

4. During the 70's, America learned that the Soviets were using an underwater cable to send communications. The cable was in an area that was full of listening devices and that was frequently patrolled by Soviet ships. Nevertheless, the US sent a submarine into the area, which deposited a diver. The diver planted a device that wrapped around the cable and recorded the transmissions. It was even designed to fall off if the cable was raised. But the device could not transmit. So every so often, a diver had to return to retrieve it. The mission went great. And then the Soviets found about it... Via.

*Previously: Submarine, airship, and a giant tentacled monster.

*Buy submarine toys at eBay.

Maurice Sendak's first book was a science textbook

The science textbook Atomics for the Millions was written by Dr. Maxwell Leigh Eidenoff, who was part of the Atomic Bomb Project at Columbia University and the University of Chicago and co-authored by Hyman Ruchlis, a science teacher at Brooklyn’s Lafayette High School. One of Ruchlis' students was Maurice Sendak, and he offered Sendak $100 and a passing grade to illustrate the textbook. You can see more illustrations here. And there's a few expensive copies available at Amazon.

Relatedly, Where the Wild Things Are/pirates mashup by Brandt Botes:



*Previously: Where the Wild Things Are bento box.

*Buy Where the Wild Things Are posters at eBay.

Vintage Oswald the Lucky Rabbit toy (link roundup)

Ward Jenkins visited the Kidd's Toy Museum in Portland, took lots of photos, and posted them here. My favorite is of this vintage Oswald the Lucky Rabbit toy.

And a few more links:

1. Mythical creature stamps by Dave McKean.

2. The toy version of the new Devastator looks horrendous (scroll halfway down).

3. Photo of an official Hostess Twinkies tv dinner. And a photo of an inflatable Sprout.

4. Teenagers managed to send a balloon and camera 20 miles up and took a photo of the Earth. Photo link.

*Previously: Plush Oswald the Luck Rabbit.

*Buy Oswald the Lucky Rabbit toys at eBay.

Nikes with very cool insoles (link roundup)

Can't say I'm crazy about the look of the Nike SFB boots, but (what I believe are) the inside pads sure look cool.

And a few more links:

1. Imagine smelling smoke as you're driving, opening the hood of your car, and spotting a large bird's nest inside.

2. A suggestion that Watchmen has failed at the box office because the ad campaign made no attempt to attract anyone who didn't already love the story. I do believe I said that way back in July.

3. Seven-year-old girl survives having six organs removed. Via.

4. So what kind of hobbies do you have? Oh, I pose naked for photos in abandoned buildings. Via.

*Previously: Thunder God Nike sneakers.

*Buy surgical tools at eBay.

Dr. Zeus, Master of Lightning

Dr. Zeus, Master of Lightning. Here's video of Dr. Zeus playing with tesla coils and lightsabers:



Via.

*Previously: Lightning Bolt letter opener.

*Buy tesla coils at eBay.

Guitar store facade looks like giant amp (link roundup)

"The Guitar Store" in the UK has a facade that looks like a giant Fender Super Champ.

And a few more links:

1. M.S. Corley posted redesigned book covers for The Spiderwick Chronicles (which I've never read).

2. The NY Times has an obituary for Ben Blank, "innovator" of graphics used in news broadcasts. For example:

When the launch of the first Sputnik satellite took Americans by surprise, in 1957, Mr. Blank created what is believed to be the first electronic animation by repeating camera shots of a rotating golf ball, which represented Sputnik, on the end of some coat-hanger wire; the wire was attached to a small rotating globe. For added effect he glued glittering stars to the black background.

Read more about him here.

3. The latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue includes a photo of race car driver Danica Patrick, but airbrushed out the tattoo on her lower back. Extensive photo evidence here.

4. "[A] leading genome researcher at Harvard says that a Neanderthal could be brought to life with present technology for about $30 million."

*Previously: Sun tattoo.

*Buy Sputnik collectibles at eBay.

Negative Zone Portal Control Panel

Negative Zone Portal Control Panel by Paul Conrad. Desktop wallpaper-sized images here.

*Previously: Absurdly negative headline.

*Buy Annihilus toys at eBay.

The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA

The Stuff of Life: A Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA is written by Mark Schultz and illustrated by Kevin and Zander Cannon. The official description:

Let’s face it: From adenines to zygotes, from cytokinesis to parthenogenesis, even the basics of genetics can sound utterly alien. So who better than an alien to explain it all? Enter Bloort 183, a scientist from an asexual alien race threatened by disease, who’s been charged with researching the fundamentals of human DNA and evolution and laying it all out in clear, simple language so that even his slow-to-grasp-the-point leader can get it. In the hands of the award-winning writer Mark Schultz, Bloort’s predicament becomes the means of giving even the most science-phobic reader a complete introduction to the history and science of genetics that’s as easy to understand as it is entertaining to read.

You can get it signed by Zander at NY Comic Con. It's currently 32% off at Amazon.

*Previously: How to make DNA jewelry.

Lizard Lighter (link roundup)

Lizard lighter by Terry Border.

And a few more links:

1. Popular Science considers whether a popcorn kernel would pop during re-entry if dropped from space.

2. LA Times includes CFLs in it's "Bad design trends we hope die in 2009" list.

3. The worst sweatshirt anyone has ever received for Christmas. Ever? Via.

4. The HP Consumer Buyback and Planet Partners Recycling Program offers money in exchange for any brand of PC, monitor, printer, digital camera, or smartphone that HP determines still has some sort of value. Via.

*Previously: Astonishing ugly rugby jersey for Stade Français; Durex pillows feature photos of ugly people to help guys last longer.

*Buy "ugly sweaters" at eBay.

Animals That Will Kill Yo A$$ 2009 Wall Calendar (link roundup)

Still looking for a calendar? How about Animals That Will Kill Yo A$$. Or you could buy the incredibly popular Sarah Palin Calendar.


And a few more links:

1. After a mere incompletion, Detroit Lions player Ramzee Robinson taunted a Green Bay receiver and got flagged by the officials. Detroit finished the day 0-16, and the worst team in NFL history. Ramzee Robinson getting flagged for taunting should be on the cover of the 2008 Detroit Lions commemorative dvd, right? At least his deed has been commemorated at Wikipedia.

2. Most interesting sentence I read today: "It does sometimes seem to me that many of this world's problems, stem from our using powers that aren't appropriate to seventy-year-olds." (i.e., things like nuclear bombs could only have been designed by people borrowing knowledge from those who had come before - - you couldn't possibly discover, by yourself, all of the science necessary to create such technology in a human lifespan). Go here for more.

3. Mickey Rourke can't quite strangle his resurgent career fast enough, saying of Sean Penn in Milk: "Look seans an old friend of mine and i didnt buy his performance at all—thought he did an average pretend acting like he was gay besides hes one of the most homophobic people i kno." Sad, this is what Mickey used to look like. Two of his movies, Angel Heart and Body Heat are some of my alltime favorites.

4. Caroline Kennedy said "you know" 12 times in a 49-second clip. Yet the NY Times headline read "As a Candidate, Kennedy Is Eloquent but Elusive." Well it did say that until Gawker shamed them into changing it.

*Previously: GigPosters pinup calendar.

*Buy vintage pinup calendars at eBay.

This will scare away burglars (link roundup)

Robbers/rapists sign found here.

1. Ebola outbreak in the Congo.

2. Autoworker's Union has a $33 million lakeside retreat, complete with $6 million golf course. And it's lost $23 million over the last five years.

3. Scientists plan on igniting a tiny manmade star on Earth.

4. Gifts NCAA players are receiving at the various bowl games. The packages can't exceed $500.

*Previously: Warning, Wrath of God ahead.

*Buy vintage signs at Amazon.

Lego Batman desktop wallpaper (link roundup)

Lego Batman desktop wallpaper, complete with Mr. Freeze.

And a few more links:

1. I challenge you to read this and not at least start to consider signing up for cryogenics. And here's a clever idea for an ad for cryogenics:

a group of people in a restaurant, having a party; and the camera pulls back, and moves outside the window, and the restaurant is on the Moon. Tagline: "Wouldn't you want to be there?"

2. From the same website, an critical examination of the Christian concept of heaven:

Heaven is not configured as a nice place to live. It is rather memetically optimized to be a nice place for an exhausted peasant to imagine. It's not like some Christians actually got a chance to live in various Heavens, and voted on how well they liked it after a year, and then they kept the best one. The Paradise that survived was the one that was retold, not lived.

3. Image of a planet inside its star's dust ring.


4. Comment and win a Raving Rabbid figurine.

*Previously: Moses as a giant robot.

*Buy telescopes at Amazon.