transportation::what a bunch of bull

Yet another reason why they have to bring motor vehicle inspection back in Oklahoma - to keep bulls from riding down the road.

This bull was caught in the act riding in his owners car by off duty police officer Donald Kraft. According to Kraft's report the driver was transporting the bull so that his daughter could ride it in the National History Day parade in Tulsa (see the letters stamped on the side of the bull). These pictures snapped by the officer are no bull either. It's a true story - bringing a new meaning to "pimp my ride" ...

via snopes

pets :: a turkey's plea for eye surgery

Craigslist gets stranger by the day. Instead of checking the newspaper for weird  news, I skip it and go directly to Craigslist. So because Turkey Day is right around the corner, I  thought that this cute little fella would make a newsworthy tidbit...

Meet Jerry. Lyndsey Medeiros and her husband adopted the three-year-old turkey and his girlfriend Penelope from a Rhode Island farm last week. But Jerry has cataracts, and his eye problems mean he can't eat independently or join his female companion, for fun and flying.

Medeiros has posted an ad on Craigslist seeking donations for the surgery. She said the procedure could cost up to $2,600. Her farm in Rehoboth, Mass., cares for other animals with health problems. "My husband and I rescued a 3 year old Turkey from an add on craigslist last week. I realized that he had a bluish tint to his eyes, he walked into things and had a hard time eating and drinking on his own and after brining him to a veterinary opthamologist it was discovered that he has cataracts that can be corrected with surgery. We would not be even contemplating surgery for Jerry unless it greatly improved his quality of life, but right now he needs full assistance to eat and drink and is pretty sedentary because of his lack of vision. Unfortunately surgery costs upwards of $2600, which is a little out of our reach for us for an animal that otherwise possibly would have ended up on someones dinner table. We are accepting donations to go towards Jerry's surgery and care afterwards..." So, if you are interested in not eating but helping a turkey this Thanksgiving, then go here to reply to the craigslist ad. And BTW, we're skipping the turkey this year and eating lobster. YUMMMMM.

Craigslists - WEIRD very WEIRD - but JUST COOL!

halloween :: costume picks

In the spirit of Halloween, I think i'll sprinkle my blog with some cute, fun, weird and interesting costume choices. Like this one....

What a cutey!

Wish I could dress Poppy Petunia up, but she'll have nothing to do with clothes - she freezes like a statue when I put her in clothes :( . Good for calming her down though - kind of like a straight jacket , hehe.

multi-tasking :: the briefcase toilet

I'm not much for toilet humor but this is one funny toilet! Only in Japan would they come up with something as multifunctionally weird as this. It's called the Rescue Toilet. Intended for emergency use, it folds up into a briefcase (see bottom left illustration) so it's just dandy for people who are on the go ;)  And then there's the ultimate upscale version called the Gotta Go Briefcase Toilet (below). For those of you who prefer to go in style, Japan also brings us a luxury model. From InventorSpot : "The water proof briefcase [toilet] retains an elegant yet durable appearance with high quality Mahogany leather, a strong lightweight aluminum internal structure, and stainless steel bowl with generously equipped sealing lid. Quietly and discreetly go about your personal "business" anywhere you please with a fold out leather privacy panel which tucks away neatly to the side when you have completed your multi-tasking. A toilet paper dispenser easily swings out and can be conveniently stored in an inconspicuous storage compartment under the padding [for added discretion] when not in use.Also included are the  small tray with cup holder (clips onto the privacy panel), attachable vanity mirror, and refillable hand sanitizing dispenser. The newspaper and air freshener are not included but recommended."

Hmmm...what's wrong with this picture ??? Can't say it's JUST COOL...

art :: google eyed grafitti

Artist Kevin Ledo puts a smile on our faces (and those of these humble urbanly decayed otherwise ugly utilitarian objects) with his unique graffiti art project titled "I'm So Vandal". This "happy" grafitti project is JUST COOL too because no walls, fire hydrants or pipes were harmed in the making of these photos.

Funny what a handful of plastic googly eyes can do to brighten our day :)
 Check out more of Kevin Ledo's googly eyed graffiti on behance.net

just weird:: humungous head lice

Head Lice? Crazy!

Not. It's the Giant Isopod, abundant in the cold, deep waters of the Atlantic. In Northern Taiwan and other areas, these up to fifteen inch critters are not uncommon at seaside restaurants, served boiled - The white meat being similar to crab or lobster in texture. They look creepy...but I bet they taste delicious.

Anthony Bourdain, bring on the butter! These creatures are JUST COOL!

music :: tree concerto or music from a tree

Well isn't this guy brilliant. Or a little crazy. Or both. Here's what happens when you have a little too much time on your hands...

"In the garden of my house there's a tree with lots of randomly grown twigs. It looks odd and nice at the same time. One day I asked myself if I could create a piece of music with it.

To tune the tree I picked a fundamental note and tuned the twigs by trimming them with a pencil sharpener. I used two Røde NT6 and a NTG-2 as microphones, combined with a customized stethoscope.

I recorded the tracks live on a Pro Tools LE system. I didn't use any synthesizer or sampler to create or modify the sounds. All the sounds come from playing the tree, by bowing the twigs, shaking the leaves, playing rhythms on the cortex and so on.



Read more about Diego Stocco tree music at Behance.net

Love this!! It's JUST COOL!

fashion :: shoes for the birds

These shoes are for the birds, literally. Take a walk in the park, have a seat on a bench, then relax and read a book. Won't tweety bird be happy...

The ‘For the Birds’ shoes are just classic flats covered with birdseed that bring man and nature a little bit closer. Designed by Arnold van Bezooyen for an intercultural exhibition where traditional Korean shoes were conceptually redesigned to create a new look and meaning, these JUST COOL shoes address the materiality and function of the shoe instead of its form. (and the birds like it too!)

via virtualshoemuseum

travel :: wine barrel accomodations

Looking for an unusual getaway? A hotel in Stavoren, a very old port in northern Holland may be just the place, especially if you are a wine lover. Why? Because the room you will be staying in is actually a 15,000 litre wine barrel that once contained Beaujolais wine.

Hotel De Vrouwe van Stavoren's old oak casks make excellent (and I imagine fragrant) rooms and rates for a cask room are priced from 74-119 Euros a night with discounts of up to 75% off depending on the season.

via

food :: the united steaks of america

Have a beef with how the country's being run ? I don't know if photographer Dominic Episcopo, an artist out of Philadelphia, does but he's turned beef into the theme of his series "The United Steaks of America" that uses ribeyes and sirloins to carve out our country. Which steak (I mean state) is your fave? And where's NY?? See more and vote over at the Huffington Post.

Steaks cut like states - a JUST COOL idea.

fashion :: toes take the lead

They may look a little odd but Vibram FiveFingers are taking the world (especially runners) by storm. This happy medium between foot gear and comfy barefootedness has been around for years but the company says sales have never been better. Heck even the twittersphere is raving about them.

klcollierokc VERY enthused about my new Vibram Fivefingers. Strangest? Coolest? Most invigorating footwear on the planet. Did I mention strangest?

michael_newton Just got a pair of Vibram Fivefingers. I think my whole running world is about to change. We shall see

quanza snagged a pair of Vibram fivefingers! w00t!

KingHob HAS ANYONE SEEN MY NEWLY CREATED MONSTER? LAST I SAW HE RAN OFF WEARING ONLY VIBRAM FIVEFINGERS SHOES. MY PAIR, NONETHELESS

johnsifferman tested my new pair of Vibram FiveFingers KSO's today - first impressions = excellent minimalist footwear!

The ultra-thin socks made from hard-wearing neoprene are said to help prevent injuries including ankle sprains and sore knees and sell for around $90 giving their wearers a real run for their money.They are like gloves for feet that basically give the sensation of being barefoot while still protecting the skin.Manufacturers say they act like a second skin and force the wearer to land on the center of the foot and not the heel which fits with natural balance.

Lookin' a little strange to me - but gotta agree, they are JUST COOL!

gardening :: fruit from da vine

Divine intervention has surely brought some funky looking fruit to the table in the past few years. If the oddly shaped vine grown fruit "Buddha's Hand" isn't odd enough for you then take a look at these heavenly Buddha shaped mini pears which will soon be hitting the produce market.

A Chinese farmer has reinvented the pear, growing it into a funky buddha shaped fruit and despite it's hefty cost of $8 each, locals in his home village of Hexia, northern China, considering the fruit to be lucky,have reportedly been buying it up. Gao Xianzhang has created 10,000 of his heavenly pears this season and plans on marketing them throughout the UK and Europe. The farmer spent six years perfecting his harvest, carefully crafting each one which grows inside an individual mold.

I'm not certain if the pears have divine powers but they sure are JUST COOL!

via dailymail

architecture :: a house made of books

Casa de Libre is an unusual house entirely handcarved to look like books. Everything in it (even the clothes hanging in the closet) has been carved to resemble a book in some way. The master Woodcarver Extraordinaire behind this novel house is artist Livio De Marchi .

But book houses aren't all that this talented craftman builds. He carves lifesized cars as well - and drives them on water!

How amazingly JUST COOL!

weird:: the most dreaded hair

A Vietnamese man named Tran Van Hay probably has the longest hair in the world. He stopped getting haircuts over 41 years ago and stopped washing his hair more then ten years ago. Pretty gross, huh? I have a stepmother like that.

His dreaded dread, which resembles an ugly fat furry snake, measures over 22 feet long and he keeps it covered in a scarf. It is so cumbersome that he's had to stop working because of it and instead does charity work, collecting herbs for traditional medicine.

So when is he going to cut his hair - will he make the guiness world record for the longest hair? Who knows. But watch the video. It's JUST COOL. And gross.

via bbcnews

brain tricks :: so messed up

The brain is a bteafuuil thing. It adjusts,adapts and conforms when even the smallest things go awry. Take for instance words and the simple act of reading.
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it dns'eot mttaer waht oredr  ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres are ni the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you nac sitll raed it wouthit any porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Hcek and I aywlas tuohgt taht sellpnig was so iroantpmt! How JSUT COOL!

weddings :: toppers that take the cake

I've noticed in the past few years, that wedding cakes have really gone to the extreme. People like to get really creative with them. Like these extreme toppers that totally take the cake...

How romantic! And in an odd, sick way - JUST COOL!

via wedding collectibles and boreme

pets::the tiniest circus

The Flea Circus! It's a lost art, but it's colorful history will certainly live on. I remember my grandmother telling me stories of visiting the flea circus when she was a little girl living in London at the turn of the century and I was fascinated. She was also a great storyteller! ;) How on earth can such tiny pests perform feats of strength and endure death defying acts like pulling brass chariots, being shot through rings of fire and walking on hair thin tightropes? When you think about it, the flea makes the perfect circus performer and is much smarter and stronger than you would imagine. With legs finer than a human hair, it can pull up to 700 times it's own weight,lift up to 60 times it's own weight and jump over 150 times it's own height. And the flea circus ringmaster is more dedicated and eccentric then you would think too!

Take for instance Else Torp, a danish ring mistress to a tiny flea circus that she ran single handedly in Denmark's Tivoli Park in the 1950's. Not only was training her teeny tiny protege a grueling act in itself but feeding them was as well. Her flea troupe consisted of 60 human fleas which she purchased for thirty cents each from a local fisherman. Training the fleas required keeping them in covered containers which taught them not to jump. Then the tiny beasts were permanently harnessed around their necks with gold wire that could be hitched up to the various circus apparatus, (enter The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Insects - yes, there is such a society )
Considering that the flea's lifespan is only about one year, that it takes six months for them to mature enough to be trained and three months to train them - Else's schedule was tight giving her flea friends only three months of performance time before departing this earth. Feeding them was not pretty either. The dedicated mistress fed them her own blood, allowing them to graze on her arm for an hour and a half, twice a day. Eeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwww - Now that's devotion!

With the advent of vacuum cleaners in the mid 1900's , flea circus acts were sucked into extinction. It's not very likely that a flea circus act will be coming to a town near you anytime soon-(except maybe on your dog) but they are JUST COOL anyway! Watch the little performers here.

via johntorpmusic

fashion :: breakfast couture

A duo of fried eggs and a baguette of french bread strutted their stuff at the Agatha Ruiz De La Prada show during Autumn/Winter 2009 Milan Fashion Week . Who doesn't like eggs sunnyside up on their pretty picnic frock?

Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

The breadhead - that's something else - JUST COOL ;)

via weirdnews

architecture :: houses made of lace

 

I imagine this "lacy" house must have taken forever to carve. Located in Siberia, Russia this is one of many fairytale houses carved in the early 1900's by talented craftsmen. In those days, these industrious russian "elves" flocked to Tomsk and other Siberian cities, and their art thrived. To create such carvings from wood was their way of honoring the Siberian forests and they competed to show off their most lavish wooden designs. Each piece of the gingerbread was painstakingly hand carved and then mounted on the building's facade.

What an enchanting work of art. Dressed up with fancy doors and shutters carved like doilies and petticoat trim, this house is JUST COOL!

via englishrussia