Sunday, April 29, 2007

Guitar Hero II: 8 Years Old




Related: My experience with Guitar Hero II.

More: More of the 8 year old on Guitar Hero II on youtube.com

Zombie Flash Game: The Last Stand

Stranded in a farmhouse, you must kill the zombies by night and search for survivors and weapons by day.

The game is at freewebarcade.com

Saturday, April 28, 2007

80's Games In Stop Motion Animation

Duct Tape Sculptures

More at techeblog.com

Zombie Flash Game

Boxhead: More Rooms at kongregate.com

Friday, April 27, 2007

'Monster Mash' Singer Dead At 69

"NEW YORK (AP) -- He does the "Monster Mash" no more.

Bobby "Boris" Pickett, whose dead-on Boris Karloff impression propelled the Halloween anthem to the top of the charts in 1962, making him one of pop music's most enduring one-hit wonders, has died of leukemia. He was 69.

Pickett, dubbed "The Guy Lombardo of Halloween," died Wednesday night at the West Los Angeles Veterans Hospital, said his longtime manager, Stuart Hersh. His daughter, Nancy, and his sister, Lynda, were at Pickett's bedside.

"Monster Mash" hit the Billboard chart three times: when it debuted in 1962, reaching No. 1 the week before Halloween; again in August 1970, and for a third time in May 1973. The resurrections were appropriate for a song where Pickett gravely intoned the forever-stuck-in-your-head chorus: "He did the monster mash. ... It was a graveyard smash."

More at CNN.com

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Dog Owners 'Fleeced' In Poodle Scam

"Thousands of people have been 'fleeced' into buying neatly coiffured lambs they thought were poodles.

Entire flocks of lambs were shipped over from the UK and Australia to Japan by an internet company and marketed as the latest 'must have' accessory.

But the scam was only spotted after a leading Japanese actress said her 'poodle' didn't bark and refused to eat dog food.

Maiko Kawakami, who starred in the Japanese thriller Violent Cop, showed photographs of her pet on a television talk show only to be told it wasn't a dog - but was in fact a lamb.

The discovery prompted hundreds of women to contact the police with similar problems and the authorities believe as many as 2,000 people have been conned.

'We launched an investigation after we were made aware that a company was selling sheep as poodles,' a police spokesman told The Sun. "

Story at metro.co.uk

See a picture of the lamb/poodle at thesun.co.uk

"One couple found out the truth only after a dog beautician told them that she could not trim their poodle’s claws — because they were HOOVES."

Update: It never really happened, it was a scam read here. Also, debunked on snopes.com

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Spinal Tap To Reunite

"NEW YORK - Spinal Tap is back, and this time the band wants to help save the world from global warming.

The mock heavy metal group immortalized in the 1984 mockumentary, "This is Spinal Tap," will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7.

The original members of Spinal Tap will be there: guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) singer David St. Hubbins (
Michael Mckean) and bassist Derek Smalls ( Harry Shearer) Rob Reiner, who both directed "This is Spinal Tap" and played the fake documentarian Marty DeBergi in the film, will also be in attendance."


More at yahoo.com

Drunken Man Parks Horse In Bank

"BERLIN (AP) — An early-morning German bank customer had a bit of a shock when he found a horse already in line at the automatic teller machine in front of him.

It seems the horse's owner, identified only as Wolfgang H., had a bit too much to drink the night before and decided to sleep it off inside the bank's heated foyer, police said Tuesday.

The 40-year-old machinist told Bild newspaper he had had "a few beers" with a friend in Wiesenburg, southwest of Berlin, and decided to hit the hay in the bank on his way home.

"It was late, it was already dark and cold," he was quoted as saying.
Confronted with the lack of a hitching-post, he brought the 6-year-old horse, named Sammy, in along with him."


The story at usatoday.com

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Bat Out Of Hell

Click to enlarge

Don't Taunt The Crocodiles

"A schoolboy who climbed over a fence into a crocodile enclosure and taunted the animals with sticks and a catapult was dragged into the water and eaten.

The nine-year-old, whose family name was given as Liu, and three friends sneaked into the crocodile park at the Silver Beach holiday
resort at Beihai in the southwestern Guangxi region on Friday.

The children shot at the animals with catapults and beat them with sticks.
The official Xinhua news agency said: “One of the irritated crocodiles bit Liu’s clothes and dragged him into the water where he was eaten by a swarm of crocodiles.” His companions then raised the alarm. "


The story at timesonline.co.uk

Friday, April 20, 2007

Iconic Banksy Image Painted Over

London transport workers have painted over an iconic mural by "guerrilla artist" Banksy estimated to be worth more than £300,000.

"The image depicted a scene from Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, with Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta clutching bananas instead of guns.

It had become one of the most famous graffiti paintings by the artist.

Transport for London said a tough line had to be taken on graffiti because it created an atmosphere of social decay.

The Pulp Fiction mural was visible near Old Street Tube station.

In place of the famous image, another graffiti artist has spray-painted the words "come back" in large letters."

The rest of the story at bbc.co.uk

Related: previous stories about Banksy here and here.

Blood Puddle Pillow


More pics at fromkeetra.com

Related: Horse head pillow. An offer you can't refuse.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

The Strange World Of Vintage Comic Book Ads

"When I was a kid, my brother collected comic books. I was never really a fan of the stories (except Superman and Richie Rich), but for some reason I loved the advertisements. The more sensational the better - I wanted it all.

Here are a 10 crazy vintage comic book ads I recently stumbled across. Many of these I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that I actually bought (or at least tried to)."

More at saynotocrack.com

Inventions Which Never Saw The Light Of Day

"Some inventions are truly inspired. The bicycle, say, or the ball point pen.
And sales of household gizmos are booming, with gadget company Lakeland reporting a 20 per cent increase in sales.
But some, however original, don't quite hit the mark."
Lighted SlippersLipstick Stencil

It looks like an early version of the Hannibal Lecter mask.

Mmm, I'm so pretty.

More at dailymail.co.uk

For Sale: One Useless Cat


More pics at bertc.com

Fast Food: Ads vs. Reality

The Whopper

More examples at thewvsr.com

Friday, April 13, 2007

Compubeaver Case Mod

A stuffed beaver is turned into a computer.



More pictures about the making of Compubeaver at yourpsychogirlfriend.com

Extra bonus points for the URL.

Related: Dead dog turned into PC

Hamster Powered Paper Shredder

Not an actual product, but art by Tom Ballhatchet.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Bus Riding Mystery Cat

"Bus drivers have nicknamed a white cat Macavity after it has started using the No 331 several mornings a week.

The feline, which has a purple collar, gets onto the busy Walsall to Wolverhampton bus at the same stop most mornings - he then jumps off at the next stop 400m down the road, near a fish and chip shop.

The cat was nicknamed Macavity after the mystery cat in T.S Elliot's poem. He gets on the bus in front of a row of 1950s semi-detached houses and jumps off at a row of shops down the road which include a fish and chip shop. "

The story at dailymail.co.uk

Donkey Kong Recreated With 6400 Post-It Notes

"About the pieceDonkey Kong (Miyamoto, et. al.,1981) was the first appearance of the Itallian plumber we now know as Mario. While this game's early '80s arcade popularity predates most of today's engineering students, it represents the amazing results that a small development team can produce. Today Donkey Kong is ranked as the 3rd most popular arcade game of all time, selling over 65,000 units.

Currently this work is visible at the E2 building at UCSC, it is scheduled to be removed on or before May 1.

Total Number of Post-It® Notes
about 6400

Total People
about 10


Total Time
5 hours"


More pics at ucsc.edu and livejournal.com

Monday, April 09, 2007

Big Wheel Race On Lombard Street In San Francisco

" 2007 will be the SEVENTH ANNUAL BYOBW, neighbors and police permitting, rain or shine ... there are always prizes, one year featured tighty-whities with custom denim iron-on Lombard Street Skid Marks and other years have featured paintings, string art, shellac plaques, and embroidered knit caps and t shirts, all made by me. Lombard Street is of course not the crookedest street, especially compared to Vermont Street in Potrero Hill, but with a built-in international audience and scenic landscaping, who could resist? Prizes are given for all sorts of reasons, occasionally for being first, always for being last, and as the race is designed for plastic children's toys
which are prone to failure when carrying over 80 pounds, winning isn't the goal here - survival is. This is a free event!!!!"


More pics at johnbrumit.com

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Zoning Intervenes In Good vs. Evil Dispute


"NAUGATUCK -- A local zoning dispute has become for some a battle of good vs.
evil.

The owner of a photo store, who says her business partner is
Jesus, began Holy Week by putting signs outside her store urging passing
motorists to show their support for the Christian holiday. "Easter: Beep for
Christ," the signs said.

Phil Young, owner of a neighboring tattoo
store, soon after put out a sign urging motorists to honk twice for Satan.

Naugatuck officials ordered the signs removed. "

The story at courant.com

HONK. HONK.

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Cool Gadgets: Jacket Cuff Lights

"We've all been there. Fumbling around in a dark parking lot, trying to find the keyhole on the car door or mailbox. Sure, you'd use a flashlight, but who has the room for those bulky outlines?

Granted, the cuff lights aren't the most practical of solutions but they're damned cool. They're hidden in your jacket cuffs, invisible and perfectly comfortable, just waiting to be activated with a little sideways pressure. "


More how-to and videos at cre.ations.net

Dead Family Dog Made Into Desktop Computer

"Koln, Germany–After keeping their taxidermied family dog in the living room for 4 years Albert and Petra Zimmerman decided to make better use of their small living space by combining the home computer with Ex-pet Dieter.

“I work as a computer programmer in the city and am a bit of a technology hobbyist”, said Albert. “We love our lost dog and want to keep him around as long as we can. We just felt this would be a way for us to interact with him on a daily basis.”

When asked about how he transformed the dog he said it was quite simple. The dog was filled with a hardened foam that was inserted through a seam on the dogs belly. Zimmerman remove the foam and replaced most of it with a wire cage for support. The component are wire tied down and there is a exhaust fan on the far side of the dog.

Zimmerman even gave us all the specks on the dog/computer. It is equipped with a AMD Athlon 64 processor with DVD burner and even a remote TV tuner. He says they plan on connecting it to a new LCD TV within the next few months.

The Zimmermans also added that almost always the first question people ask is where is the USB Port. "

Article at funtechtalk.com

Woof! The USB port isn't where you think.