Now, don’t get me wrong for all I know this is something else.  This is all merely something I just noticed and am incredibly uncertain about, see below and judge for yourself.  Normally I don’t write these kinds of articles here, and it admittedly has bothered me enough.  Considering that this ad is normally on this website, I’m putting this here to basically say: Buyer beware.

There is this ‘University’ (well, claimed to be university) that advertises a lot on my websites.  I finally was curious enough to Google them, and lo and behold I found Yelp reviews and they are all incredibly positive.  I read all of them and got to to bottom where it wanted me to verify I wasn’t a robot to see the rest of the reviews.

Last I checked it wasn’t indeed a robot, so I entered the code to reveal the rest of the comments, thinking of course they were simply older and less relevant.

What did it show?

All the negative reviews.

Strange I must add, mainly due to the ‘Review Filter’  heading they have (completely copy/pasted from the website):

Review Filter – Huh?

Yelp has an automated review filter to keep the site’s content as useful and trustworthy as possible. Read More

Erm, but the reviews that were filtered out were the negative reviews.

Before:

5 Star Review:

I have graduated from **** in 2005 and highly recommend it. I am thinking about going back for a Master’s degree in Internet Marketing. Full Sail is one of the best entertainment / arts schools in the world with cutting edge equipment and technology. It can be a very hard school, and therefore a lot of people badger the name when they don’t make it past the core classes. It won’t guarantee you a job, but it will give you all the tool and resources to launch your career in one of the most fascinating industries. Be ready to work very hard.

And:

5 Star Review:

****actually invests in giving each student industry relevant technology to work on that will still be relevant after graduation. My wife ended up dropping out, now she’s going to start at Full Sail in March I believe. She’ll be in Computer Animation, and from what the course adviser said they get even more cool toys than what we get, so that she can scan illustrations and such. I don’t think any competitor does that. Your stuck with whatever computer you had before enrolling, so
everybody is using different technology, which skews performance towards those with the most money. The instructors are definitely good, too. Although I can’t compare to any other online or physical colleges, everybody seems to be working in the field they teach.

Basically the whole comment was how you would be getting a super awesome laptop and some considerably expensive programs.  Okay, well sure no problem.

A lot of schools do that.  Some high schools as well, I sort of understand the logic behind it (really just to level the playing ground and all) but either way the whole review was just… off.  It basically made it sound as if getting new gadgets was the only fantastic part.

I do get that, and can see how it’s a bonus, but for the most part anything relevant to the educational part was.. light.

After the filter turned off:

1 Star Review:

I was a potential student for the online graphic design degree program.  I am a veteran at which my school is being taken care of by the Veteran’s Administration so the only thing I needed to do was find a school.  I have to say that I was very impressed by their website but I was extremely unimpressed by the admissions, financial aid department.  I practically did all the paperwork to include FAFSA but when I did have a question I would never get a return phone call or email.  after a week of no responses I went somewhere else, but usually when schools know I am a guarantee student and the money is for sure they bend over backwards, it was major red flags for me when a school lacks communication because if they can’t get back to me now for simple forms I doubt they are much help once I am a student.  So I have to say  def looks the part but acting it is a whole other story.

And:

1 Star Review:

The production company I work for was looking for graduate cadidates [sic] and we reviewed a couple people from ***. Each of them had completed a degree program but their reels were surprisingly paper thin and the work were only so, so. I heard **** charges $72,000 now, I could use that money, make my own movie and learn more myself. How the hell did they to graduate? Watch out for institutions that are in the business of making money not education.

While those are only two examples picked out, there are others from students and whatnot as well.

To get (finally) to the point, does yelp hide the negative reviews?  After all, if someone is just doing a very quick search, they are fairly unlikely to enter the captcha.  It has a noindex for the bots out there so they cannot ‘see’ the page.  However, the before view (before the captcha) doesn’t (I’ve checked), so all bots can read are those glowing bits and pieces.

Oh dolls, that marker of childhood innocence. That wonderful toy that many a wee child had as a favorite plaything, that oddly horrifying object that has turned so many into a quivering thing in the corner.

So, the below isn’t the ‘typical’, nor are they safe for your sanity. They are however incredible takes on such an innocent toy. Any of these would be more at home in a horror movie than in a toy chest, but they do show a lot of talent (horrifying, horrifying talent).

Click an image to start the gallery, attribution in under all images (the other works my these artists are as incredible):

Okay, before the break, a warning that this post may not be entirely work safe.  Or really, safe for you sanity.

Don’t get me wrong, some of these are completely fantastic, others.. well not so much.  Many of these will have you questioning humanity, but the others really are great designs.  Artists and art lovers do want to express themselves, and while oftentimes the results can really be incredible at others, they can be downright insane.

Below, some of the questionable and some of the awesome (really an interesting mix, at most).

There is something to be said about human ingenuity, either that or our collective insanity.  In  a previous article I covered Strange Homes People Actually Live In, and it’s become a top article on this website.

So, by popular demand below are some more completely insane homes (that are actually lived in).

Guest House From Hang Nga, Vietnam

Images: You Live Where

Nakagin Capsule Tower (Tokyo, Japan)

Epcott House Arizona (?)

Upside Down Wonderworks Building

Snowball House

Shell House, Japan

Jenga Complex

Maze House

Suspended Home

Island Home, Literally

Iceberg House

While the last two are claimed to be real, I’m not entirely sure that they are.

I’ve included it just due to it being awesome, but if you know the story please let me know in the comments.  That also goes if you know where any of these are located (Country and City preferably) or if you know the original source of any of the above (well, save for the Worth 1000 images, as they are watermarked).

The actual Amityville Horror house if for sale. While the story itself if debatable at best, as the Lutz family may have made up everything in a bid for fame (by may have, I of course mean they did), the DeFeo murders however were very real.

The house on 112 Ocean Avenue (different address, as the name had been changed) is infamous for being haunted by demons, flies, and an evil (demon) pig named Jodie.

The books themselves scared me when I was a kid (but in a good way, I love me some horror novels) and it wasn’t until a few years later that I I found out that the actual murders were a real part (considering we are talking pre-internet days of the 1990s cut me some slack here).

The house itself has been through a few different owners, and only the Lutz family reported anything out of the ordinary. The house has been through a huge facelift as well, and it’s beautiful and doesn’t’ have any sort of creepy factor at all.

With the story by the Lutz family, it’s pretty easy to forget that the home is still the place of a real and brutal crime, by someone who was either ill or strung out (as the DeFeo’s own stories go).  In real life Ronald DeFeo Jr, killed his: mother, father, two sisters, and his two brothers.  Right now he is still in jail, and during his trial the prosecution has argued the murders were due to issues Ronald had with drugs and mental conditions.

The psychiatrist for the prosecution, Dr. Harold Zolan, maintained that although DeFeo was an abuser of heroin and LSD, he had antisocial personality disorder and was aware of his actions at the time of the crime.

Source: Wikipedia

Ronald himself has changed his story many times over, and only one was claiming anything out of the ordinary (presumably for an insanity defense, although there isn’t any sort of proof- just assumptions).

Admittedly, the home is beautiful regardless of it’s macabre history.

One of the reasons so many still believe in the Amityville Horror tale is the various ‘researchers’ who have supposedly confirmed the existence of many things that go bump in the night.  The researchers that had made by far the biggest impact are the famous Ed and Lorraine Warren, who claimed that it wasn’t a hoax and the house was indeed haunted by demons.

Lorraine Warren told a reporter for The Express-Times newspaper (Easton, Pa.) that the Amityville Horror was not a hoax, saying about the Lutzes, “We know them”. Beneath pleasant outward appearances, the Warrens’ Web page on Amityville casts them unfavorably in describing the Amityville case’s most vociferous critic, the late Stephen Kaplan, coauthor of ”The Amityville Horror Conspiracy.” The Warrens write: “It’s believed that the hoax rumor began with a man who called himself Dr. Steven Kaplan, although he held no doctorate degree from any university. This fact was exposed on several occasions, yet that never stopped Mr. Kaplan from making these claims. He was the self-proclaimed president of the Parapsychology Society of Long Island and some other related societies, presumably founded by himself.” The Warrens failed to note that they, too, had founded their own paranormal organization and saw nothing wrong with it.

Source: Wikipedia

Would you buy a home with as much of a sordid history as this one?  If you believe in the Lutz family story, would you live there? Just in thinking about how many random people would wind up on your doorstep, buying the infamous house may be more trouble than many think it’s worth.

Do you believe in any part of the Amityville Horror story?  Why or why not?

Just because something is being called strange, it definitely doesn’t make it a bad thing.  The homes below are really amazing examples of the things humans create.  To be honest the homes below are all fabulous and I seriously want to live in most of them.Some people have created an art form out of architecture, and the homes below are amazing tributes to that.

Dr Seuss Dream Home

Located in France, and in all reality called the Bubble House- it looks like something right out of a Dr Seuss story.  While sure, that wasn’t the intent, I think I would live there based on that (I’m a huge Dr Seuss fan.. still).

UFO

Tennessee UFO home.  While I would love to just say, hey why not- this guy really has a think for ET.  At least, one could assume that based on the home.

The Teapot

I love this Washington Teapot house.  It’s creative, and really- this is just awesome.

Old Mother Hubbard’s Old Place

Apparently Old Mother Hubbard needed new digs, so she put her home on the market.  It’s a real guest house in Pennsylvania.

Toilet Home

A Korean man’s dream home (no, that isn’t a joke- this was really his dream home).  He has a thing for toilets.  This one is probably no stranger to those who have been online a while, as it’s been shown on a ton of different websites.

Frodo’s Old Digs

I admit, I would live here. When you also consider that it is located in Arizona it’s a great way to beat the heat.

Strawberry House

The house is located in Japan. I really love those colors, and the look of this one.

Steampunk House

Sure I may have some preference for this one, due to certain reasons (and okay, this isn’t a house).

Boathouses of India

These are so drastically different from the boathouses we have in the states (which to be honest are much more like barges than a boat).   The boathouse above is simply gorgeous.

The Bacon Shirt

Ahh, bacon the greasy streaky goodness renowned the world over for it horrible-for-you-deliciousness.    Is there nothing bacon can’t do?

No, the answer is no.

Toaster Bacon:

While I doubt this product was around long, it should be.

Bacon Mints:

For those times you want to be at your bacon-y best.

Bacon Popcorn:

Naturally for a fine snack after all that other bacon deliciousness.

Bacon Balls: 

Get your mind out of the gutter, these are for Fido.

Bacon Chap stick:

Make your lips kissable with flavorings.

Baconnaise:

Because, even bacon can be improved with bacon.

Bacon Toothpicks:

Squeez Bacon:

To go with your Baconnaise.

It’s Sunday, and I though that it would be a nice day to do something happy and light. So, while the robot button below is from my nixxd.com contest type thing- I just thought I’d put this here and let you customize it.

Give him you name, your friend’s name, or whatever else.  After you are done, click Submit and you can buy him.  Fun right?

Well then, as this isn’t wanting to work properly, you can also head on over to nixxd.com at least until I sort this thing out.

If it is working for you, ignore this message.

1. Type in your text above where
   it says “Type Here”

]]> http://paradox9.com/2010/02/cute-custom-robot-button-2/feed/ 0 http://paradox9.com/2010/02/make-a-zombie-doll-with-photoshops-layer-tool/ http://paradox9.com/2010/02/make-a-zombie-doll-with-photoshops-layer-tool/#comments Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:47:22 +0000 Editor

 

Let’s face it, some dolls are scary.  The above image both proves it, and scares the bejeesus out of me, and I’m the one who set that sucker forth into the world (and for that, I am sorry).

Let’s say you have an image of a doll that for whatever reason you want to make much, much scarier( no judging).

 

First, grab these two images (download by right click and save as).

 

1: Doll

 

2: Cracked Earth 1

3: Cracked Wall

 

This is an incredibly easy effect to get, and it’s definitely not limited to dolls, so feel free to experiment even with the layers to get the effect you would like.

 

Here is the original image. Truthfully, it’s already fairly creepy.

Now, open up the other two images.  The lighter one is on Multiply for the image above, but toy with it until you get it how you like it.

Now put the darker cracked image on top. Below it’s on color burn due to again personal preference.

 

Here’s a larger image of the layer bin.

 

Other also read:

• Stunning Space Images Space has long been the subject of intense fascination by humans.  With ...

]]> http://paradox9.com/2010/02/make-a-zombie-doll-with-photoshops-layer-tool/feed/ 1 http://paradox9.com/2010/01/crap-advertising/ http://paradox9.com/2010/01/crap-advertising/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:42:18 +0000 Editor

One issue that is faced with a media saturated culture: unbelievably crappy advertising.  Not Quite Cookie Cutter has been featuring these occasionally for a bit now (although the site just started the actual category).  Some are strange, some just poorly done- All of them suck bad.

A few examples are below:

The ‘Simple Mom’

This is both a misspelling and a horrible ad.  Personally I am beyond sick of the websites above with all of that single mom nonsense.  But the above failed horribly at that ‘one little word’. 

 

 

Charlie Manson: Single Mom?

 

Who can be bothered to pay attention when there are grants afoot?  This one is horribly disconcerting, yet strangely fascinating.

 

Unfortunately, these are both from the same group, all of their ads look pretty much identical.  It won’t be too hard to find more, as they are everywhere.

Keep your eyes peeled, if you find a crap ad- screencap it and send it to admin(At)notquitecookiecutter.com (as being lazy and having a bunch of people looking is awesome).

]]> http://paradox9.com/2010/01/crap-advertising/feed/ 0