Archive for the ‘Fun / Offbeat’ Category

Japanese Man Builds Canoe From Used Chopsticks

Japanese Man Builds Canoe From Used ChopsticksSalvaging thousands of used disposable chopsticks from the Koriyama’s city hall cafeteria over two years, Shuhei Ogawara has built a 4-meter (13-ft) long canoe.  It took three months for Ogawara to glue 7,382 chopsticks together to form the canoe shell.

Via:  Pink Tentacle

1,000 Ideas for Creative Reuse Book Project — Deadline Jan. 6!!

ExtremeCraft.com has a contest going but, as they say in the infomercials:Time is limited! Act now!

From the Web site:

We are seeking submissions for 1000 Ideas for Creative Reuse, an upcoming book by Garth Johnson of ExtremeCraft.com, which will feature 21st Century craft and design, all made with recycled, upcycled, repurposed and reused items. We are looking for the best examples of paper and book arts, jewelry, clothing, home and personal accessories, furniture, art, and miscellanea for possible publication. We invite designers, artists, visionaries and crafters of all stripes to submit their work.

To submit ideas, go to ExtremeCraft.com, and don’t forget: the deadline is Jan. 6!!

Source: treehugger.com

Eau de Fast Food: Burger King Releases Flame Men’s Whopper Body Spray

Burger King Whopper scented body sprayWant to smell like a greasy fast food hamburger?  You’re in luck!  Burger King is offering for a limited time Flame, “the scent of seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat”.  This is the perfect gift for the vegan on your Christmas list!

Via: The Guardian

Making Eco-Art of Mt. Everest Climbers’ Litter

The story goes that in recent years, Jeff Clapp has made eco-art that helps preserve the sanctity of Mt. Everest’s natural beauty, and extends the value of a particular bit of Himalayan adventurers’ waste: oxygen canisters. Clapp has collected a number of the tanks that once littered Everest, and has crafted them into bells, bowls and ornaments.

Source: Snarf’d and Bells From Everest (Clapp’s site)

Oh No! A Case of the Humans! (Animated)

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This is one of the most succinct illustrations of the story of Earth’s recent life, as endured with a case of Humans. It even leaves the door open for sequels, as we all wait to see where humans go next — Mars? — and what they do there. Oh, the suspense.

BatSmart - For Superheroes

Smartfortwo Batmobile A cute adaptation of the fuel efficient little Smartfortwo Greenstumbler found on display at SEMA2008 in Nevada.

20,000 Smartfortwos have sold here in the U.S, without wings.

They already slow the evildoers who would end the planetary habitat of our species, just to scrape up the last few trillions off of our petrodollars.

So they are already super-hero cars just because they get 46 miles to the gallon.

But is this new Batmobile version truly flightworthy? It looks just a tad chunky to me.

Source: Greenstumbler

Obama Wins The Nano Vote Too

We know that 76 Nobel Laureates endorsed Obama.

So much for Big Science.

But what about little science? Very teeny? Elections do have consequences for every interested party in science, from the greatest Nobel Laureates to the humblest specks of nano stuff.

Looks like they went heavily Obama, too.

And no wonder, with the war on science we just survived.

The kind assistant Professor John Hart of the University of Michigan helped these tiny nanovoters in his care add their voice to the science vote for Nanobama.

Via Nanobot
Photo credit: Nanobot

Everything You Wanted to Know about Green Sex… but were Afraid to Ask

sexy coupleFrom lubricants to condoms to things that go “bzzzz,” Planet Green has the lowdown

Let’s Candy-Coat Global Warming

Neil Creek at Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons license.)Climate change might be putting Australia in the throes of a long and devastating (and probably permanent) drought, but the “d” word is making farm families feel bad, government officials have decided. Their recommendation: use the word “dryness” instead.

That’s right: it’s the word “drought” that’s so disturbing and not, say, oh, the acre upon acre of dust-covered wheatfields, mile upon mile of dry riverbeds and ever-dwindling farm income levels.

Doesn’t that remind you of the old Saturday Night Live sketch, “The Pepsi Syndrome,” in which Richard Benjamin uttered this line about a Three-Mile-Island-like accident: “Sometime yesterday afternoon we experienced what we like to call a ’surprise.’ “?

Is Dumpster Diving Good for the Environment? Greg Eats Garbage [video]

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I’ve done my share of dumpster diving in my youth. Some of the booty I collected was donuts, a large area rug, and a vintage Singer sewing machine.  I no longer look in dumpsters for freebies, but Americans discard a lot of useful items. These wasteful habits are not good for the enviroment and fuel our consumer culture.