So Gross... So Beautiful?

There are lots of different kinds of sea cucumbers. Usually, you can't see them, but the transparent sea cucumber offers a nice 360 degree view of its digestive system.

But amazingly, I'm not that revolted! Maybe it's because this sea cucumber has to make a living over thousands of feet underwater. The poor little feller never sees the sun! Ooh, here's another animal that was photographed in deep waters: An unusual octopus that scientists have named "Dumbo." (Sheesh, have a little respect, huh?)

Photos from over the Census of Marine Life.

Stuff THIS

This is the ultimate "stuff it" story:

In his book I Served the King of England, Bohumil Hrabel describes a meal made for the Emperor of Ethiopia. First, twenty turkeys were stuffed with fish, herbs and bread, then roasted.

At the same time, two antelopes were roasted in spice and butter. Then the antelopes were stuffed with the turkeys, and hundreds of hardboiled eggs were crammed in any empty spaces.

Then the stuffed antelopes were stuffed into the body of a roast camel.

Get that? A camel stuffed with antelopes stuffed with turkeys stuffed with fish and... stuffing.

Fairy Tale Grossness

Mary had a little lamb. She cooked it in the oven at 425 degrees for three hours.

Huge Earthworms from Down Under

Your Heart Is a Tomato

A vegetarian group had this poster made to promote eating... vegetables! And the diagram should have a double-grossness score, because some people are disgusted by guts AND vegetables.

But this is actually pretty cool... the cauliflower lungs are especially perfect!

Poop-kin Pie?

I guess some pumpkin pies are in my future. How else to explain folks e-mailing me TWO pictures showing how pumpkin pies are made?

I like how both pumpkins have to read something to work their magic!

Shh! It's a Secret!

I know what a face looks like, and I know what a skull looks like. But I never really knew what a face over a skull looked like until I visited this German site. It shows X-ray movies of a person talking and (I guess) yelling.

Apparently, humans are part alien! (Don't tell anyone.)

It's Just a Doll: I Repeat, It's Just a Doll

There are some pretty darned realistic-looking dolls out there. In fact, some are so life-like, they're downright spooky.

Although people can customize their dolls if they want, there is a limit. Once the doll owners are popping doll eyeballs out for different colors, that's officially gross!

This picture is from a website showing a tool for doll eye removal. You can almost hear the doll yelling, "Nooo!" (Meanwhile, I'm screaming like the mummy: "Why? WHY?")

The Ugly Bug Contest

Over at Arizona State University, they're running this year's edition of the Ugly Bug Contest. Eight bugs have been selected as finalists this year, including the cockroach, the snakefly, and the blade aphid.

Oh, and while you're making up your mind, let's take a moment to honor last year's winner: the tick!

Anti-Monkey Butt Powder Is Ridonkulous

Why didn't I know about the product called Anti-Monkey Butt Powder until today? It has the most magnificent name I've ever heard!

The idea of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder is that it relieves the skin irritations that come from sweating or chafing. Since I never sweat or chafe, I haven’t used Anti-Monkey Butt Powder before. But I like saying Anti-Monkey Butt Powder almost as much as I like my favorite word: “ridonkulous.”

Toenails Are for Sissies

Have you ever cracked a toenail? How about losing the whole thing? Ever do that? It hurts, huh? So you might think that you’d like to just keep your toenails on your toes, because that’s where they belong.

Think again! According to this article, ultra-marathon runners don’t like toenails. In fact, they get rid of them! That’s because an ultra-marathon is from 50-100 miles. No, the people who run these haven’t had their brains removed. They’re tough! But unfortunately, their toenails aren’t. And it turns out that after your toenails have been bumping against the front of your running shoe for the last 75 miles, they start to hurt. (Like the rest of your body wouldn’t be in pain too, right?)

According to Dr. Robert M. Conenello, a lot of these hardcore runners “look at their toenails as useless... I’ve heard them say, ‘Toenails are dead weight.’” So some of the runners have the toenails surgically removed. (This involves cutting and blood.) If you take off ALL the nails, then your toes look like bald-headed little men at the end of your feet. But if you only remove the nails that are a problem, then you get a “checkerboard look” when you wear sandals. Nice.

Probably the smartest quote in this article is this: “You know any sport has gone off the rails when you have to remove body parts to do it.” The cool thing is that toenails aren’t always easily discouraged. So even after “permanent removal” they sometimes grow back. Because just like an ultra-marathon runner, toenails don’t give up!

Photos from the New York Times.

Join Me In Congratulating This Man!

Readers of The Big Book of Boy Stuff know that there are real competitions for people who are good at making faces. Contorting one's face into a wacky expression is known as "gurning."

Gurning contests have been around for centuries. In 1768, a face-making contest in England (with the motto “The Ugliest Grinner Shall Be the Winner”) was won by a man who was later disqualified.

Why? It was found that he'd put vinegar in his mouth to help him make a face. Cheater!

A guy who didn't cheat was the winner of this year's World Gurning Championship: Gordon Blacklock. He entered the 13 times, and he finally got the gold medal for grimacing. Congratulations, Gordon!