2009 Year of Astronomy desktop wallpaper

2009 Year of Astronomy desktop wallpaper by James White. Available in resolutions ranging from iPod to 1920x1200. Happy New Year everyone.

*Previously: Christmas card by White.

*Buy telescopes at Amazon.

Video of a man quickly sculpting a cat out of glass (link roundup)

It's like a magic trick how smoothly and quickly this man makes a cat out of glass.

And a few more links:

1. The Consumerist was purchased by Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.

2. Unemployment in Egypt might be as high as 30 percent. Or more. Via.

3. NYU lost $24 million in investments managed by Bernard Madoff. Via.

4. "The new generation PS3 contains an estimated 2,820 individual parts, compared to 4,048 in the previous-generation model with a 60Gbyte hard drive." Via.

*Previously: In case of revolution break glass.

*Buy Consumer Reports guides at Amazon.

Creepy Tony the Tiger toy

Tony the Tiger vinyl toy by MegaHouse. I know it's part of his signature look, but the tongue hanging out is just a little inappropriate for the pose.

The figure is part of a 10-piece Kellog's toys set, on sale at eBay. Photo via Jeff Pidgeon, who has the best toy collection in the world.

*Previously: Larry Craig says he's the victim of "gladiator politics."

Creepy Japanese ad for Bioshock

Creepy Japanese ad for Bioshock. Via.

1. From a few years back, but news to me, photo of a python that tried to eat an alligator - - the alligator burst out its side.

2. That didn't take long, here's the first scandal involving UCLA's Rick Neuheisel.

3. Funny comic strip about buying music at iTunes (strong language and adult themes).

4. NBA charities are just an venue for hangers on to line their pockets: "only about 44 cents of every dollar raised - or $14 million of that $31 million - actually reached needy causes . . . well below the 65 cents most philanthropic watchdog groups view as acceptable."

*Previously: Bioshock 2 teaser.

*Buy Big Daddy figures at eBay.

Die Hard death chart

Die Hard death chart. See the whole thing here.

*Previously: Nakatomi Corporation t-shirt.

*Buy "Live Free or Die Hard (Unrated Edition)" at Amazon.

Wings of light

"Wings of Sirius" by someday-evermore:


Wings of Sirus by ~someday-evermore on deviantART

*Previously: Light bridge.

*Buy flashlights at Amazon.

The AccoLade: Saudi Arabia's all-girl rock band

Now here's what should be on MTV - - The AccoLade, and all-girl rock band in Saudi Arabia that has to keep its performances a secret:

Dina and Dareen wear their hair teased into thick manes and have pierced eyebrows. During an interview at a Starbucks here, they wore black abayas — the flowing gown that is standard attire for women — but the gowns were open, showing their jeans and T-shirts, and their hair and faces were uncovered.

Read more here, and visit their MySpace page. Via.

*Previously: Saudi Arabia calls off camel beauty contest.

*Buy "Tales for Little Rebels: A Collection of Radical Children's Literature" at Amazon.

Fluorescent green tentacle pendant

Fluorescent green tentacle pendant by Melita Curphy on sale here.

*Previously: Tentacle-covered All-Stars by Curphy.

*Buy octopus toys at eBay.

Steampunk medallion

Steampunk medallion by Molly Michelle Friedrich. The product description says:

Another great find from the Unholy Maelstrom. This is a medal used by the para-military counter-intelligence agency known as The Invisible Fist. This particular medal is awarded to the most accomplished individual at lockpicking and escape tactics.

Along with more jewelry, on sale at Etsy.

*Previously: Steampunk Jabba and his retinue.

*Buy steampunk creations at eBay.

Gummi Army Men

Gummi Army Men, available at Amazon.

*Previously: Website devoted to plastic army men.

*Buy army men 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.

Far Side Reenactments photo pool

Far Side Reenactments photo pool. Via.

*Previously: The Far Side desktop icons.

*Buy Gary Larson's The Far Side at Amazon.

"Jesus Didn't Tap" (Mixed Martial Arts Clothing)

Just the facts: There's a brand of clothing called "Jesus Didn't Tap" aimed at mixed martial arts enthusiasts. (If you submit to a hold, you tap out.) Here are photos of some of the t-shirts, which are on sale here:


"Put your demons to rest"



"Jesus didn't tap"



"Break your bad habits"



"Jesus loves me and my new tattoos"



"Jesus didn't tap" (in camo)


"Jesus didn't tap" rash guard

And finally here's the "Jesus Didn't Tap" rap:

"For all you other people, don't talk smack
Cause I'll tell you right now, Jesus didn't tap"



Some interesting details about the brand's founders here.

I tell you, now that the holidays are over, I'm seeing incredible gift ideas everywhere I look.

*Previously: Vatican clerics have timecards and have to clock in.

*Buy "IFL: Greatest Knockouts and Extreme Action" at Amazon.

Singapore's Underwater Hockey Club

Sean at a website called GeeKsignerS in Singapore was kind enough to send me photos of his Coraline button box. I traded emails with him and then checked out the art on his website and found this:



At first, I thought it was a jai alai mascot. But the description mentioned "singapore underwater hockey club." And whaddya know, Underwater Hockey or "Octopush" was invented in the 1950's and is increasingly popular in Singapore.



Here's footage of a woman's team practicing:



As the Planetary crew would say, "It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way."

*Previously: Underwater fashion desktop wallpaper.

*Buy underwater hockey memorabilia at eBay.

Scholarly journal accidentally puts Chinese brothel ad on cover

The Max Planck Institute's latest journal focuses on China, and the editors wanted the cover to feature something from a classical Chinese text. But they somehow ended up printing text from a handbill for a Macau strip club. Among other things, it said "Hot Housewives in action!"

*Previously: Hot tub ads targeted at swingers.

*Buy "Chinese For Dummies" at Amazon.

Batman Milk Carton, Superman Papercraft

"Batmilk" carton design concept by Hattomonkey, where I also found this Superman paper toy:



Download it here. Via these sites.

*Previously: Weird cyborg Superman toy.

*Buy DC Direct action figures at eBay.

Movie posters turned into public service announcements

A few of the entries in a Photoshop Phriday contest featuring movie posters turned into public service announcements.

*Previously: Spider-Man learns about child molestation.

*Buy the "Vintage Dangers of Alcohol Abuse Film Collection" at Amazon.

Fallout, Army of Darkness, The Spirit, 300 Lego minifigs

Fallout, Army of Darkness, The Spirit, 300 Lego minifigs spotted at Flickr.

*Previously: Samus Lego minifig.

*Buy Lego minifigs at eBay.

Man "wrestling" a robot (link roundup)

I'm pretty sure this cover of Fantastic Adventures depicts a man wrestling a robot and protecting a woman. And I'm pretty sure that's not a robotic ball gag in the robot's mouth. More pulp covers here.

1. Astronaut releases a balloon on the moon.

2. Best names of NCAA basketball players (including Lex Mongo, Chief Kickingstallionsims, and Pawel Kielbasa.)

3. Phrases drunk people can't say.

4. 23% of the US thinks Dick Cheney is the worst VP ever. Since most people probably couldn't name more than one or two other VPs, that's a great result for Cheney.

*Previously: Best-named lacrosse players.

*Buy breathalyzers at Amazon.

Do a good deed and get a free drawing from Amanda Visell

Here's what Amanda Visell just posted:

Hello people. So my “dorkasaurus” friend Justin has relapsed with Leukemia. The last time round they fought it with chemotherapy. This time he is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. None of his family members are a match. This is where all of us come in.

Please get tested to see if you are a match. To get tested is really simple and only requires a mouth swab or a very quick blood test. There is a $50 fee for processing the marrow sample, but if you donate blood too, then the cost is waived. You can also get a kit mailed to you.

If you get tested I will send you an original drawing. Its a great way to start the new year.

Here is Justin’s email. He can fill you in on the info you need to know.

justin@thedutchpress.com

If you are in the greater LA area, you can go directly to City of Hope to donate blood and get tested at the same time.

If you aren’t in the LA area, here are some links for registering with the National Bone Marrow Registry, the entire registry is a worldwide network and is also linked in with the Red Cross, so there are lots of places to go if you aren’t in the LA area. Here are links to figure out where the closest is for you:

http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Donor_Registry/Join_Now/join_now.html
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Donor_Registry/Join_in_Person/index.html

I've long been considering donating blood because I don't know my blood type. This is a great excuse.

*Updated info here.

Venture Bros. Dunny

Recent posts at my action figure, miniature, and vinyl toy customizing blog include:

1. Venture Bros. Dunny.

2. Darth Revan Munny.

3. Chewbacca My Little Pony.

4. Cybernetic Barbie.

*Buy completed build-a-figures at eBay.

Demonic version of Doktor A's Stephan Le Podd

If you haven't already placed an order for the basic version of Doktor A's Stephan Le Podd, you're probably already out of luck (aside from eBay resellers), but there are more colorways on the way, including this demonic version. Via.

*Previously: Doktor A's Mechtorians.

*Buy Doktor A toys at eBay.

Lego Clown Tank

Lego Clown Tank by Angus MacLane.

*Previously: Zombie clown promotes 28 Weeks Later.

*Buy Lego minifigs 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.