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May the Force be with you.
-RIP Kenny Baker pic.twitter.com/80J5zWtar4

— Star Wars (@StarWarsGreats) August 13, 2016

British actor Kenny Baker, who played R2D2 in six Star Wars films, has died. He was born in Birmingham, UK, in 1934. Baker was 3’ 8” tall, and began working in circuses as a teenager. He began appearing in films in 1960, and his work included roles in Amadeus, Flash Gordon, The Elephant Man, and his favorite role as Fidgit in Time Bandits. But Baker was best known for his work in Star Wars.

Baker initially turned down the role of mischievous droid R2-D2, famous for his whistles and beeps. In an interview on his website he recalled telling George Lucas: "I don't want to be stuck in a robot, what for, for goodness' sake?

He added: "I said, 'I'll help you out, I'll do you a favour.' George said, 'You've got to do it, we can't find anyone else. You're small, to get into it [the costume], and you're strong enough to be able to move in it,' - and they couldn't use kids.

"I could work all hours, so I was a godsend to them. They'd made the robot in rough form and I was the only one around at the time that was just right for it.

"I got into it and they put the lid on me like a boiled egg."

R2D2 wasn't his only Star Wars role- he also played the Ewok named Paploo. After Star Wars became a worldwide phenomena, Baker appeared at numerous fan conventions and promotions. He had been suffering from respiratory problems for a couple of years. Kenny Baker was 81.

Goodbye #KennyBaker A lifelong loyal friend-I loved his optimism & determination He WAS the droid I was looking for! pic.twitter.com/rd94OEYaHi

— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) August 13, 2016

Both swimmer Michael Phelps and gymnast Gabby Douglas were spotted during Olympic medal ceremonies standing with their hands to their sides while the Star Spangled Banner was played. Some social media users called them rude or unpatriotic for not holding their hands over the hearts, but that was not the intention. It was just a temporary oversight, and both had been to the winner’s podium several times before. So why do we do it, anyway? According to the U.S. Flag Code, Americans are supposed to face the flag during the National Anthem and place the right hand over the heart. However, the code is not law, and there are no penalties for not following it. Free speech and all that, you know. The code was enacted in 1942, and it changed the way we saluted the flag before then.  

Originally known as the Bellamy Salute, the gesture came to be in the 1890s, when the Pledge of Allegiance was written by Francis J. Bellamy. The Christian socialist minister was recruited to write a patriotic pledge to the American flag as part of magazine mogul Daniel Sharp Ford’s quest to get the flag into public schools.

At the time, as Jeffrey Owen Jones reported for Smithsonian magazine in 2003, Bellamy and his boss both agreed that the Civil War had divided American loyalties and that the flag might be able to bridge those gaps. His campaign centered around the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in the new world. He published his new Pledge as part of a unified Columbus Day ceremony program in September 1892 in the pages of the Youth’s Companion, a popular children’s magazine with a circulation of 500,000.

“At a signal from the Principal,” Bellamy wrote, “the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute—right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, 'I pledge allegiance to my Flag…'”

You can see what that salute looked like in the image, which was taken in 1915. Read the story of why and how that was changed at Smithsonian.

(Image Link)

Automated cleaning devices like the Roomba are great ideas on paper, and people buy them thinking they'll save time and effort, but the actual technology needs improvement.

Just ask Jesse Newton from Little Rock, Arkansas and he'll tell you the Roomba has a major design flaw- it can't sense a dog turd, and doesn't know better than to run right over one.

Jesse found out the hard way, in the middle of the night, and the poopocalypse brought about by his Roomba was so bad he just had to share his story.

He started by drawing us a map:

And then went on to tell the tale in way too much detail, revealing every hilarious moment so we can laugh about it because it didn't happen in our home.

Read the rest of THIS Is What Happens When a Roomba Meets a Dog Turd here

Greenland sharks are not seen often, because they live in the depths of the Arctic Ocean, but scientists know they can weigh over a ton and live rather long lives. How long? Recent research determined one was 335 years old, and another was 392 years old! Of course, there’s a margin for error, but if true, that means there may be Greenland sharks alive now that were around when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. But wait, how do they figure a shark’s age?

Fortunately, they had access to a good number of Greenland sharks; unfortunately, that’s because those sharks had been accidentally caught in fishing nets and scientists’ long lines between 2010 and 2013. All 28 female sharks used in the study had been fatally injured by the time they landed onboard—some by other sharks, and some by fishing equipment—and so all were euthanized. After the sharks’ deaths, researchers measured each shark and took tissue samples from the lenses of its eyes.

The scientists used radiocarbon dating on the samples to see if they could age the sharks. Once again, they had good data thanks to a bad situation—in this case, nuclear warfare. Scientists have known since the 1950s that nuclear bomb tests leave permanent molecular marks on sea creatures. Consequently, the appearance of bomb-related changes in an animal’s tissue can be seen as a sort of time stamp. But because these changes persist, even animals born after any given bomb can be marked by it if the animals they eat were alive during the test.

So it's a bit more complicated than cutting them open and counting the rings. Read more about Greenland sharks at mental_floss.

Fiji eliminated New Zealand from the men’s rugby sevens bracket with a 12-7 quarterfinal win today, with the first score coming on the heels of this massive stiffarm delivered by Toulon’s Josua Tuisova. This is the good stuff.

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Nick Foles was waived by the Rams two weeks ago, bringing a fitting end to the legendary Foles-Sam Bradford trade that brought joy to literally no one. Hard Knocks, which is following the Los Angeles Rams this preseason, was in coach Jeff Fisher’s office for the phone call.

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The wise and proud residents of Cedar Street in Philadelphia, Penn. recently threw themselves a block party. Understanding that the party would be greatly improved by the presence of a swimming pool, they participated in the great American tradition of doing whatever the hell you want. Which is to say, they turned a dang dumpster into a swimming pool:

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There sure was a lot of dancing in movies back in the 1980s. And it wasn’t just Flashdance, Fame, and Footloose -they all had dance scenes, if for nothing else, to show how joyous the happy ending was. Master editor Robert Jones put together a supercut of dancing in ‘80s movies to the tune of Lionel Richie’s  1986 hit “Dancing on the Ceiling.”

(YouTube link)

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I’ve seen virtually every one of these films. Even the bad ones had some good dance moves. But oh, those fashions! -Thanks, Robert!

What’s the best job in all of the Olympics? Gold medal winner? Sure, those few people might make a good career out of winning, but overall, the many athletes who participate are pretty much at the bottom of the money funnel. The real winners are the members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the non-profit organization in which the 100 active members control billions of dollars (and since they are based in Switzerland, the money is not taxed). Members are considered volunteers as they receive no salary, but the job comes with plenty of perks, like $450 to $900 per day when traveling on Olympic business, $7,000 a year for office expenses, and lavish treatment from cities trying to win future Olympics. And members do not age out of the committee until they’re 80 (although a few have been kicked out for taking bribes).       

But athletes can take heart that they’re doing better than the people who are displaced from their homes to make room for Olympic venue construction.

The Washington Post constructed this graphic to show where the money comes from (broadcast rights and sponsors) for the Olympics and where it goes. -via Digg  

Stepping on a LEGO block is painful. Running on them is even worse. But, precisely, how much worse? The researchers at Dude! Where's My Challenge? decided to find out. They took turns pouring LEGO blocks onto a treadmill while a colleague ran on it barefoot.

(Video Link)

It turns out that LEGO blocks provide a suboptimal running surface. The gentlemen endured the torture long enough to cut themselves while performing this feat.

Content warning: foul language.

-via Geekologie

The following article is from Uncle John’s Factastic Bathroom Reader.

(Image credit: Flickr user Kevin O'Mara)

Whether you call them "everyday shortcuts" or "life hacks," these simple household tips are bound to make you ask "why didn’t I think of that?" (And they’re very entertaining.)

Place a coin inside the bottom hem of a tie to keep it from flying around and smacking you in the face on a windy day.

• Throw wrinkled shirts in the dryer with a few ice cubes for 10 minutes on high to steam away the wrinkles.

• To help remove deodorant stains on your shirt, rub a dryer sheet on the stain before washing it.

• To keep canvas shoes dry in the rain, rub beeswax over them and blow dry until the wax melts. That will create a waterproof seal.

• Cheetos are delicious, but the sticky orange fingers you get after handling them are a pain. Use chopsticks instead to keep your fingers clean.

• Keep pizza hot on the ride home by putting the pizza box on your car seat and turning on the seat warmer.

• Do you bang your fingers with a hammer every time you nail something into a wall? Use a fine-tooth comb to keep the nail in place and keep your fingers safe.

• Scratches in wood can be fixed by rubbing a de-shelled walnut over the area.

• Putting a dry tea bag in your shoes overnight will absorb funky odors. (But remember to throw away the bags when you’re done.)

• For an effective way to clean a dirty toilet, drop in a couple of denture tablets. After 20 minutes, scrub the toilet bowl and flush.

• Spraying nonstick cooking spray on shovels will keep them ice-free while you’re shoveling snow.

• Price tag stickers are usually a nightmare to remove. Once you’ve picked away most of the tag, slather peanut butter over the site and wipe with a cloth to remove any remaining glue residue.

• Running a slightly damp rubber glove over furniture will pick up pet hair quickly and easily.

• After sweeping up the remnants of a broken glass, press a slice of bread over the area. Any remaining glass bits will stick to the bread.

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The article above is reprinted with permission from Uncle John’s Factastic Bathroom Reader. The 28th volume of the series is chock-full of fascinating stories and facts, and comes in both the Kindle version and paper with a classy cloth cover.

Since 1988, the Bathroom Reader Institute had published a series of popular books containing irresistible bits of trivia and obscure yet fascinating facts. If you like Neatorama, you'll love the Bathroom Reader Institute's books - go ahead and check 'em out!

Graffiti tags are not exactly street art; they are more of a signature just to say “I was here.” As such, they are rarely legible. French artist Matthew Tremblin took on a project to “clean up” the tags on the streets of France, by changing those signature tags to a legible font.

Now isn’t that better? You can see more examples of the cleaned-up graffiti at Colossal. http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2016/07/street-artist-paints-over-ugly-graffiti-to-make-it-legible/