Suit Made From Coca-Cola Cans

This suit is made entirely from Coca-Cola cans. You heard that right: this guy painstakingly put together this entire suit and here are the pics to prove it. This also goes to show you that you can do anything if you have enough caffeine in your system.

This fellow must have drank a lot of Coke just to collect these cans. I refuse to believe he drained all that sugar water just to make that suit. A real fan tries to drink every last drop.

In any sense, I bet he made a fortune off eBay after he came back from the prom. This suit is pure novelty gold. Ka-ching!

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Pirate Peg Legs

The Iron Hook has a collection of undeniably cool peg legs. They are handcrafted of various woods and leathers, and if you want, you can even get Polynesian-style hand carved pegs. From what I can tell, there are three varieties of pegs available: tapered-peg, Captain Ahab, and the willow twist crutch. They even sell fasteners to go with it. What a nice touch!

So if you are a collector fine pirate memorabilia, you'll find a gold mine here. Nothing is as beautiful as hand-carved wood afterall.

Of course, there's more to this then the simple neat factor. It seems half the page about peg legs is encompassed by warnings to customers that they accept no responsibility for any personal injury. Take a look at this snippet.

DESIGNED TO BE WORN AS A COSTUME ACCESSORY ONLY. ATTACHES TO THIGH AND CALF. THESE ARE NOT MEDICAL PROSTHETICS, NOR WILL THEY REPLACE THEM.
Some people prefer to strap their leg back as far as each individuals tolerance will allow. This is your choice, for a more comfortable fit, we recommend only a natural bend. A word of advice, use a crutch (we make them as well if you can't find one to suit you) as seen in many Pirate films, this will lessen the chances of you injuring yourself, but that's your choice.

Pirate Peg Leg

I suspect there is a story behind these repeated warnings to customers. I have a feeling — call it a sneaking suspicion — that someone injured themselves and sought to sue The Iron Hook. Perhaps it was someone who sawed off their leg. Perhaps someone actually sought to use this as a medical prosthetic thinking that it was "cool". Regardless, you can't blitz a webpage with four warnings and in all caps if there was not some intrigue behind it.

My response, of course, it that stupidity has its own sense of imagination. If you can think of a way to dismember yourself, no matter how absurd, someone will do it. Stupidity has its own genius, in a sense.

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Shoes Made of Wire

I'll grant that it is neat. I'll even say that it is downright cool. But these wire shoes must wreak havoc on the feet. The only motivation to seriously wear these shoes would be masochism.

One would argue that high heels are masochistic already. This brings pain to a whole new level, though. Ouch.

Via Virtual Show Museum

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Ice Cream Cone + Pizza = Conopizza

The new convenient pizza snack is the Conopizza, a dastardly culinary contraption that seems to combine the best of both worlds. Forget Pizza Pops. That's too messy. The Conopizza, on the other hand, let's you enjoy your pizza with no fear of spillage.

Frankly, I think the idea is ingenious. The reason why cones work for ice cream is because they work. Ice cream is a lot more of a spillable item than pizza &mdash it melts, afterall. Pizza, on the other hand, has much nastier stain potential so it only makes sense to use the most effective means to prevent it.

The Conopizza also comes in three flavours: pepperoni, supreme, and margarita. While I have not actually sampled any Conopizza, I have all the confidence in the world that they are yummy. The inventor, afterall, is an acclaimed chef who has been featured in numerous magazines and has worked with Kraft, Nestle, and Haagen-Dasz. Just in case you are worried that the inventor is using the cones as ice cream cones, take heart. The cone he uses is savory, and is made from special dough that cooks crispy and a bit flaky. In other words, it's a lot like pizza dough but shaped like an ice cream cone.

I can't wait to buy this, to be honest with you.

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Suit Made Entirely of Dolls

What an impressive idea. I don't know how you get it on or off, or how you properly maintain it, but it's a nice suit. Not only is it imaginative, but it challenges one's thinking.

For instance, this activity of the suit's creation is a very man-like thing to do. It's the challenge of the hack, the beauty of doing something completely original. In truth, this suit is a conquest of sorts.

Yet, the basis of its creation is based upon a common childhood experience most men do not share: playing with dolls so as to "play" as a nurturer. Hence, there is rarely nostalgia here. We still understand the social significance, though.

In my opinion, there is a paternalistic quality to this suit's creation, but it is done so through the appreciation of the "hack".

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Oscar Wilde Action Figure

I'm sure Oscar Wilde would have found this to be a compliment as he was well known for his appreciation of the absurd. And really, what is more decadent than an action figure? Think beyond it as a child's plaything. The adult who owns an action figure does so out of vanity. It is not to be handled, or thrown about, or left to the elements. It is to be kept in the original packaging, put on display, and spoken about in hushed tones.

In other words, the action figure would find its place amongst Wilde's peacocks feathers, sunflowers, and blue china. To the grown man, it is purely an aesthetic object. Hence, this action figure is not ironic at all.

And what about the action figure itself? The manufacturer describes it thusly:

Oscar Wilde was a writer and lecturer of great accomplishment, but he is most famous for his comedic plays, quick wit and eccentric dress. This 5-1/4" tall, hard vinyl action figure is dressed for a party where Wilde will quickly cut all those around him to pieces with barbed witticisms. Removable cane included!

Archie McPhee® Toys, Gifts & Novelties

Yeah, you got to admit the removable cane is cool. I can imagine Wilde walking around spouting off his witticisms, further enunciating them with his cane. What a wicked toy.

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Circus-Inspired Art

Johnny Meah is the last of his kind. Since the 1950s, he has created banners, posters, and various other promotional materials for circuses. The artwork was created to be eye-catching with his cartoonish depiction of performers, the bright contrasting colours, and the inviting taglines. It might seem all too surreal if it wasn't business as usual for carnival promoters.

The above picture represents Pete Terhune who, in his 70s, still seems to be performing. Not only does he exhibit awesome feats of strength, but also juggles and eats fire. He's been an entertainer for 50 years.

Johnny Meah's artwork is fascinating and worth a gander. I recommend that you make your way on down to his website Czar of Bizarre and have yourself a look. It's full on circus fun.

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Beer Bottle Organ

Good golly, this isn't just a cute novelty, this is an actual functional instrument. Whoever created this thing switched up the pipes with beer bottles. Hence the name "Beer Bottle Organ".

Let me go so far as to say there's nothing like it. It really has a unique sound, something that makes you want to take heed and notice. If you don't believe me, listen to this rendition of Eleanor Rigby as played on the Beer Bottle Organ.

Surprisingly, this instrument has been around for almost 200 years. It is quite versatile too. You can play musical tunes unaided, go at it with a keyboard, or even perform some MIDI magic.

I want one.

Via The Odd Music Gallery

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Turning Smog Into a Public Park

Public Smog is a public park that fluctuates in size and location. Basically, the park exists as a construct in unfixed public airspace. It bases itself on the economics of air pollution: the emissions created by private individuals and corporations that is released into the atmosphere has become, in a sense, "public". The monetary value of these emissions is pooled together by the public into a public park — the public park being the collections of smog that is in our breathing space.

This is an ingenious way to gauge how smog is affecting all of us. By turning our airspace into a public park that is directly equated to the amount of smog we breathe in, smog is not just a necessary evil, but a very strong reminder of how pollutants are "bought back" into our living sphere.

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A Spiro Agnew Caricature Watch

I found this neat watch of America's favourite tax-evading vice-president. Apart from his American flag costume, notice that his hands are forming the peace sign. Moreover, "Dirty Time" is spelled out (as Dirty Time was the name of the company).

According to Wikipedia, a joke about Agnew ("What kind of watch does Mickey Mouse wear? A Spiro Agnew watch.") inspired companies to manufacture Spiro Agnew wristwatches. The watches were sold during the Nixon presidency.

In my opinion, this must have also been a not-so-subtle critique on Agnew's staunch defence of the Vietnam war. This vehement hatchet man was famous for labelling his foes "pusillanimous pussyfoots". Hence, the peace sign.

This watch gives me quite a chuckle, for good reason.
Source: Gasoline Alley Antiques

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Don't Look if You're an Epileptic

Those wacky Germans sure have an interesting idea of art. I got this image from JUNG + WENIG, a site that seems to hearken back to the old Bauhaus design movement. As I don't understand German, I don't totally catch their ideology. However, I assume with titles like Globalize me! and The Revolution will not be Televised, they must be fairly left wing.

But let's forget politics. What I care about is the intangible quality of "neat". That means, "Does it twist my brain around and upturn my frown?" This is my primary concern.

In this sense, JUNG + WENIG gives me what I want: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a zombie robot, and seemingly nonsensical typography. Plus, everything seems all the more interesting if you imagine Dieter from Sprockets to be reading everything.

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In 1920, the First Music Download Service Was Created

It was called the Acoustograph. To say it was ahead of its time is an understatement. It had features one would recognize as prophetic. Music was sent over wire (telegraph to be exact). Multiple songs could be stored — up to three. Every month, new compositions could be downloaded.

From what I ascertain, one could request a new song through morse code. Then an operator would send back morse that would in turn puncture a paper roll. In this respect, it was quite similar to a player piano. If you wanted to listen to a different song, you would press down on one of the buttons on the top of the Acoustograph.

It was brilliant technology for its time. So why did it disappear into obscurity? There were a couple factors, I believe. The phonograph disc was more durable than paper and hence was seen as more permanent. There were less telegraphs to be found in the common home than telephones (for obvious reasons). Finally, buying a record outright for a one time fee was more satisfactory to the average consumer than paying monthly for a new song.

So while the Acoustograph was the precursor to iTunes, the RIAA should take take note. Customers would rather buy music they see as permanent. iTunes will be successful only inasmuch as customers feel it can be used on multiple devices. And while Apple has instituted FairPlay, they still made each song burnable to a CD. This is an important point. Customers don't want songs that are usable only on one device and unusable after a few listens (Zune, I'm looking at you).

To see more pictures of the Acoustograph, and watch an old commercial, took a look at the Museum of Lost Interactions page on it.