PillowMob Turns Portraits into Pillows

nice...and creepy!

 

 

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PillowMob Turns Portraits into Pillows

via PetaPixel by Michael Zhang on 8/29/11

PillowMob is a new service that transforms photos of heads into puffy pillow heads. In addition to human faces, you can also use the face of your beloved pet. They cost $25 each with free shipping — it's currently available to US residents only, but the company may begin shipping internationally soon.

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Thanks for the tip, Jeremy!

 

 

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Artist Mocks the Absurd Poses in Fashion Photos by Showing Them in Real Life

 

 

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Artist Mocks the Absurd Poses in Fashion Photos by Showing Them in Real Life

via PetaPixel by Michael Zhang on 8/24/11

Have you ever noticed how ridiculous many of the poses seen in fashion and glamor photographs are? Artist Yolanda Dominguez has a project called Poses highlighting how absurd and artificial the poses are by having a group of women do them in public locations and filming the reactions of passersby. It's interesting how something so ridiculous when seen in real life can look so "normal" when done by a model in the context of a fashion photograph.

(via mashKULTURE)

 

 

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Remove Yourself from All Background Check Web Sites: A Master List [Public R...

 

 

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Remove Yourself from All Background Check Web Sites: A Master List [Public Records]

via Lifehacker by Melanie Pinola on 8/2/11

An alarming number of sites publish your name, address, and other information online. If you want to remove your data from sites like ZabaSearch and WhitePages.com, reddit user pibbman (via LawyerCT) has compiled a helpful list of them with links to the opt-out forms and instructions.

For most of these sites you just need to fill out an online form to have your information removed. A few annoying ones require more hoops to jump through. It's a worthwhile endeavor, though: since these are the major public record/background check sites, removing your name from all of them should get you removed from the smaller ones too, pibbman says.

How to remove yourself from all background check websites | Reddit

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Are These Really The 25-Best Ice Cream Shops In The Country?

been to 2 out of 25. i've got some work to do!

 

 

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Are These Really The 25-Best Ice Cream Shops In The Country?

via The Consumerist by Chris Morran on 8/10/11

What's that dividing line between a good spot to pick up an ice cream cone and a place truly deserving of being called the best in the country? The folks at Food & Wine magazine think they know and have put together their list of the 25 best ice cream spots in the entire U.S.

You won't find Dairy Queen, Cold Stone, Carvel or Mister Softee anywhere on this list. In fact, only one of the 25 eateries mentioned lists more than one location.

Only 19 states made the list and if you believe the Food & Wine editors, there are two areas with the highest density of quality ice cream. All three shops in California are located around the Bay Area (San Francisco, Berkeley and San Rafael) And while the three Massachusetts ice cream spots are more spread out, they're all within a short drive from the Boston area. Throw in the one listing for nearby Portsmouth, NH, and eastern Mass. may be the ice cream center of the country.

The full list is below and awaits your scrutiny. I've only tried one of the 25, so we want to hear from people that have actually sampled these wares -- and from everyone else who thinks they know of shops that deserved to make the list instead.

ARIZONA
Scottsdale: Sweet Republic

CALIFORNIA
Berkeley: Ici Ice Cream

San Francisco: Bi-Rite Creamery

San Rafael: Three Twins Organic Ice Cream

COLORADO
Denver: Sweet Action Ice Cream

DELAWARE
Hockessin: Woodside Farm Creamery

HAWAII
Honolulu: Bubbie's Ice Cream

LOUISIANA
New Orleans: The Creole Creamery

MAINE
Bar Harbor: Mt. Desert Ice Cream

MASSACHUSETTS
Cambridge: Toscanini's

Centerville: Four Seas Ice Cream

Sharon: Crescent Ridge Dairy Bar

MICHIGAN
Traverse City: Moomers Homemade Ice Cream

MINNESOTA
Minneapolis: Pumphouse Creamery

MISSOURI
Kansas City: Glace Artisan Ice Cream

MONTANA
Missoula: Big Dipper Ice Cream

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Portsmouth: Annabelle's Natural Ice Cream

OHIO
Columbus: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

Multiple locations: Graeter's

NEW YORK
Brooklyn: Blue Marble

NORTH CAROLINA
Hillsborough: Maple View Farm and Dairy

OREGON
Portland: Cool Moon Ice Cream

TEXAS
Austin: Amy's Ice Cream

WASHINGTON
Seattle: Molly Moon Ice Cream

Bainbridge Island: Mora Iced Creamery

SLIDESHOWS: Best Ice Cream Spots in the U.S. [FoodAndWine.com]

 

 

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Get a Refund on Your Airline Ticket If You Flew During FAA Shutdown [Travel]

 

 

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Get a Refund on Your Airline Ticket If You Flew During FAA Shutdown [Travel]

via Lifehacker by Alan Henry on 8/3/11

You may not have known it, but during last month's federal budget debate in Washington, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) shut down, and with it went its ability to collect taxes from airlines on passenger ticket sales. That didn't stop airlines from charging those fees and pocketing the money though. If you flew during that time, you're due a refund.

While the FAA was shut down, its legal authority and its ability to collect taxes from the airlines expired. Airlines didn't lower their ticket prices however, and instead raised their base rates to pocket the extra $20 to $40 per ticket. Partially due to pressure from Congress and the IRS, Delta and US Airways have agreed to refund customers the difference.

Ideally, other carriers will follow suit, and all of them will automatically refund you the difference to the credit or debit account used to buy the ticket. If they don't, you can contact the airline and ask, or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says you can submit a claim to the them (although they note they're still investigating whether to pay the claims or direct airlines to do so.)

The IRS has published an FAQ on the topic so you can see whether you're eligible for the refund and how much you're entitled to based on the tax rate applied to airlines. Photo by James.

Expiration of Airline Ticket and Other Aviation-Related Taxes | IRS.gov via The Consumerist

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Delta And US Airways Will Refund "Taxes" Collected During FAA Shutdown

 

 

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Delta And US Airways Will Refund "Taxes" Collected During FAA Shutdown

via The Consumerist by Ben Popken on 8/2/11

Delta was the first airline to start giving out refunds for the extra money they've been scalping from passengers while the FAA remains shut down. After the airline made the announcement Monday, US Airways on Tuesday said they would follow suit.

Until its mandate is re-extended, the FAA has no authority to collect federal taxes, which are assessed on each passenger's ticket. Most airlines opted to raise airfares the same amount as the tax amount, which is essentially a hidden fare increase.

Last week the IRS asked airlines to please give people refunds for the money and said that airlines can do so, just like when a refundable ticket is exchanged.

The refunds will apply to travelers who bought tickets on or before July 22 and flew between July 22 and whenever the FAA's lights go back on.

Delta has not said when the refunds are going to start coming, but a spokesperson told USA Today that, "it should be relatively soon." Yeah, when an airline tells you it should by any time now, it's time to break out a thick book.

Delta to refund taxes for travel during shutdown [The Dallas Morning News] (Thanks to Michael!)
US Airways joins Delta in refunding ticket taxes paid before FAA shutdown [Washington Post]

PREVIOUSLY
Senators Blast Airlines For Profiteering During Tax Holiday
How To Get A Tax Refund From JetBlue
Airlines Not Passing On Savings Of Not Having To Pay FAA Taxes
Delta, Continental, Others Jack Up Fares After Federal Tax Takes Vacation

 

 

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