New Year's resolution generator - This year, I will grow basil

New Year's Resolution Generator

Struggling with your New Year's resolutions? Waited until the last minute and now you want to write some as part of your yearly tradition? Want to take the stress off thinking of something new and fun to add to your list?

Yep, you got it, this is it. At first, I got some generic resolutions (although still good), like "This year I will apply for my dream job" and the one below, "This year I will be positive."

But then, third time's a charm, and I got "This year, I will grow basil." Talk about random, lol. It's perfect! There are plenty of standard resolutions in there, some mediocre cliche ones, and then some perfectly random ones that'll spark some inspiration in you.

Bike folds up and makes health/environment choices easier

We all know it's a great idea to ride a bike, but most of us find it impractical, too. I love that this bike, although not exactly stylish, banishes some of those excuses.

It's not exactly the easiest to store a huge bike in your little cubicle at work, but tucking this away into its compact form 'is' easy. And while you might be encouraged to ride bike to work, just how practical is that for a lot of you? Instead, tuck this into your trunk and maybe ride to lunch instead. This compact foldable bike is the best of both worlds.....better for your health and the environment without going off the deep-end of inconvenience.

Then again, it's probably too cold to be riding much this winter no matter how convenient this bike makes it.

Ring in the holidays with domino music

Why do I always end up seeing these things 'after' the holidays? I have no idea how long it took them, but it's awesome that they took the time to plan out and execute this Christmas carol, "Carol of the Bells," using just dominoes and well-placed bells.

Is your pet's rear offensive? Try Rear Gear!

This item is just screaming for its own infomercial:

"Are you tired of seeing your dog's butthole? Is your cat self-conscious about the appearance of her rear? Has your favorite poochy pal let his backside go untouched? Have no fear! Rear Gear is here! Cover up those unsightly, untidy rears and never again will you risk offending others!

And if you call in the next five minutes, we'll throw in a free pet snuggy to cover other unsightly imperfections.

Seriously, does your pet really need pasties* for its butt? Sure, they're cute, and I'm sure some people will get a kick out of them (as of this writing, they're sold out), but really?

Oh, and just in case you don't happen to follow the link over to the Etsy page (I love Etsy, but boy do some people come up with some quirky stuff), you should know that they also come in other designs. Choose from a disco ball, air freshener, heart, flower, biohazard sign, smiley face, number one ribbon, cupcake, sheriff's badge, dice, and anything else you can imagine because there's also the option to customize.

*They actually slide over the tail and don't stick to the dog. Ouch, that would be painful. That's just what they remind me of.

Have a seat on my big yellow bus...and wait for the bus

Recycling rocks, but it doesn't have to be limited to separating your papers and plastics. Not only is this a practical way to "dispose" of an old school bus that can no longer be used, but it's also a creative way to reduce having to use new materials to build new bus stops. You remember the old "reduce, reuse, and recycle" slogan, right? Perfect example right here.

Merry Christmas (It's okay to say it....or not)

Yep, Merry Christmas (because that's what 'today' is for many of us). I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season, regardless of what they're celebrating (or not). And if you're from somewhere else where today is like any other day (or just skipped the holidays this year), then hey, have a great day!

Oh, and that wonderful comic up above is from Shortpacked.

More electronics need more outlets

Phone charger, laptop charger, computer, router, printer, TV, DVD player, cable or satellite box, battery charger, Xbox, Wii, stereo, external drive, mustache trimmer, toenail clipper....

Yeah, as we get more and more electronics (especially with Christmas being here again), we're going to need more walls like this. Who needs power strips any more? Just plug it in anywhere!

Gigantic mechanical elephant

*sings "All I want for Christmas is a a gigantic mechanical elephant ride..."*

Alright, so this is Sultan's elephant (at least according to one of the comments....another suggests it is a different one) and I realize that it was dismantled years ago, but that doesn't keep me from wanting one! I'd...keep it in my closet and feed it mechanical vegetables every single night. Yep, that's what I'd do.

This video recently popped back up on a popular site so in case you hadn't seen it, here's your chance. There's also a giant marionette girl and other amazing pieces. If this is your kind of thing, I highly recommend checking out the collection of pictures from The Big Picture from back in October from the Berlin Reunion, featuring several out-of-this-world giant marionettes. They're large pictures, so if you're on a slower connection, be warned.

Maternity dresses that grow with you and baby

Catrina from DesignMilk said it perfectly:

These quirky yet elegant maternity dresses by Marisol Rodriguez take
origami and simple methods of cutting and folding to the next level.

That's exactly what they do. I adore the concept and while these specific designs might not be worn by many, it could definitely evolve into something even more amazing.

Then again, maybe I'm in the minority by thinking these would be awesome, hehe. They don't seem to have any fancy support systems or cute sayings across the front, but I still like them.

Asians shoot bananas out of their noses

They also stick them out there ears, wear them as hats, and fly away while being banana-propelled.

At least that's what the internet tells me.

The internet is always right, of course.

Reshapable vases collapse and mold

At first glance, I saw these as possible tacky plastic vases that nobody would ever actually buy. People want fancy glass vases....or their kids' handmade clay vases, right?

The fact that they're collapsible caught my attention, but still, they're just plastic, and I thought they'd probably be unstable while actually holding water and flowers, which is the last thing you want of a large container of liquid.

I was wrong. These things are so cool! Fill one with hot water to turn into a shape-able piece and when you have it how you want it, just refill with cold water and it becomes hard again, "freezing" it into shape. When you're done, run in hot water again and you can flatten for easy storage.

What's even better is that these aren't very expensive either. They're 7 bucks (cheaper if you buy more), and would be great for your seasonal flower displays.

Tea bag origami birds

I absolutely love this concept, as do a lot of other people, but it seems these can't be bought until someone pitches the creator a production deal of some sort. The creator forms the tea bags into birds by hand and obviously can't mass produce them, so for now we're stuck just looking at them in awe.

The original Snuggies - Grandma's ugly knitted sweater

You can see that this guy's grandma obviously loves him very, very much. And he loves his granny, too, considering he actually put it on and posed. :P

I was going to say "On a more serious note," and try to tell you about this collection of very fuzzy clothing, but somehow that just doesn't seem appropriate, hehe. We've seen Snuggies here a few times over the last year, but I do believe these designs probably came long before the commercialized cuddle blankets.

Beware that a few of them touch on some lines of non-PG-13, but it's hard to censor too much considering that they're covered head-to-toe in fuzz!

Muppets cover Bohemian Rhapsody

I was personally never that big on the Muppets, but they're recognizable by most regardless. A central icon that spreads across more than just one generation....which adds to how awesome this is. Hey, and it's funny, too. Give the video time to actually get going. It's slow to start, because well, Bohemian Rhapsody is kinda slow to get going anyway. About 1:45 minutes in is when it really starts to get cute so be patient!

Cat eats with chopsticks

This kitty eats via a pair of chopsticks and its owner's hands. S/he (I'm not sure?) stands on the hind legs and gobbles up every bite of food passed their way. The YouTube description says they use chopsticks and toothpicks to feed kittens and it works great for training them to sit straight up. I don't know about the other cats, or how this is particularly "necessary" train them to do, but I do find it adorable.

One of our kitties loves to sit up similar to this to be handed treats. Never thought about using chopsticks, though. I suppose I'd have to master feeding myself with chopsticks before I could feed a starving kitty, though.

Weird math calculations

Well not really weird, but interesting at a glance. Check out how these problems end up. Kinda artsy....which is rather un-mathematics-like.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Nice symmetry, huh?

When I grow up, I wanna be an armpit sniffer

Don't we all?

Okay, you're right, probably not. It's amazing how some people end up with their weird jobs, though, but hey, somebody's gotta do them, eh? Today I'm pointing you to a list of really bizarre jobs including the arm sniffers shown above.

If you're squeamish at all, you'll probably want to stop reading right now and I wouldn't suggest you click through the link either. There are a few less than pleasant jobs listed like the vomit collectors, dung archaeologists, and dog food tasters. Ew.

They're not all gross, though. Somebody has to write those fortune cookie papers, milk those snakes, and inspect those dice to insure no one cheats!

Mr. E.T.....I pity the fools who don't phone home

This really doesn't need a caption. It stands on its own. However, here are two captions other people created that totally fit. Mr. E.T. would say things like:

• I pity the fools who don't phone home
• I ain't gettin' on no bike, foo'!
  

Giant purple rocking hot dog

There are 8 of these. I don't know why they'd make 8, or heck, why they'd make 1 for that matter, but it is what it is. And what is it? Just a big purple hot dog that rocks....

You know you want to add one to your Christmas list. ;)