Things that are like batteries but are not actually batteries

Sent in by an overseas/emerging markets reader called "Nicolien". No idea if that's a boy or girl name. The EU ought to earn its crust by standardising names so we know whether to bother typing something nice or not.



Would never pass UK health & safety. Stupid kids might start smearing the contents of real batteries over their oven chips. More shots of its features - including side windows to accurately judge remaining salt/pepper so the user can see if it's empty or just damp and blocked up - here.

*Jingle* Promotional image of the weeeeek

From the Museum of Computing. It's rare that the photographer INSISTS on getting in on the action. And that "E" looks familiar, although just about different enough to keep the solicitor happy.



Also, are there any THIN town mayors out there?

Static non-powered objects with FACES #34: A clasp on a train

The seat table clasp. Often your only source of amusement and entertainment,for an entire four-and-a-half hour train journey, before they invented mobile phones and MP3 players that can do video.



"This funny little face greets me every morning on my commute to work. It opens its mouth when you twist the nose, and seems to be very happy to stare at passengers in a German train all day. It's an electric train, so probably qualifies as a gadget. Oh, just in case there's no EXIF data - crappy old Rollei DR5100" - Dale.

EXECUTIVE MOUSTACHES: Scott Thompson, CEO of PayPal

All those 5% fees of ours are getting reinvested in male grooming products, dentistry and shopping sprees in sports clothing outfitters.



Every time 1000 people supersize their gallery photos, Scott books another polish & whitening session with his dental hygienist.

Exciting new look for the SONIC Alkaline

Could this be an entire new battery from a different manufacturer, or simply an alternate colour scheme for mainland Europe? The blue/green colour scheme is an exhilarating design choice, regardless.



"I know you've featured the Sonic Alkaline Battery brand twice before, and that readers were waiting for more pictures of the same battery design at higher resolution - maybe 12000 x 8000 pixels in 2012 or something. But this is different! A different logo and 'colourway'."



"Different! And that means important for battery completists everywhere. I found this battery on the streets of Denmark - yes, I was outdoors. And I was riding along on a bicycle with my girlfriend (hopelessly boastful - I have been outdoors AND have a girlfriend). Anyway, I took these on my Nikon D40, I have just cleaned the sensor, which was a very tender and loving moment indeed. Jody (male reader - sorry to disappoint)" - Jody.

CELEBRITY HOLDING: Kelly Brook and some sort of Blackberry

Even Kelly Brook can't resist the urge to take opportunistic photos down Kelly Brook's bikini with her mobile phone.



Kelly Brook must also find it easy to take videos of Kelly Brook without Kelly Brook even knowing about it.

Gadgets with FACES #133: An owl-like TV tuner

BRACE YOURSELVES - submission from a female reader! As ever, she mentioned her boyfriend in paragraph #1 to keep you RABID HOUNDS in check, plus, judging by the terrible over-exposure of photo #2, she's more rich than into cameras. And she committed the ultimate sin of going through her man's cable/wires depository.

But still - confirmed female reader #6!



"I found this thinger in a box of cords my boyfriend keeps. With me being a girl and all, I have no idea what it is, and I'm sure I had no business going through his cord box in the first place."



"I took some photos with my Canon Rebel XT & Canon macro lens EF-S 60mm I just typed that last part to look fancy, like I said, I have no idea what I'm talking about here" - Alicia.

Static non-powered objects with FACES we have POSSIBLY already featured BEFORE #31: An ash tray

It looks familiar. Probably because there was one of these outside the pub on the corner by the roundabout there on the way to the Co-op, but possibly also because we have done it before.

However, we've never featured a submission from a "Giles" before, so it's in.



"Look, it's one of those things you stub your fag out on. But: it's smoking a fag all of its own! Ha! That'll stick it up to the right-on PC anti-smoking health fascists. Won't it?" - Giles.

Gadgets with FACES #131: A Simbatec Cut-Ghost

Stainless German engineering, for when you want to feel a bit safer walking home from the pub past the kebab shop where all the teenage gangsters hang out.

Sent in by a person who wants to be called "Some anonymous continental reader/Check the Leipzig papers". He supplied a caption about Morrissey and ghosts that made no sense whatsoever.



Talking of utterly lethal tools people in certain industries are allowed to use and carry legally, has anyone got a spare billhook in the garage? One of your grandad's blood-stained ones will do. It's for wood preparation when we're not in bed on the internet.

WolframAlpha isn't very good or useful

Even though it has a name like something out of the Wrath of Khan so should be good, it doesn't seem to work or do anything useful.



It's obviously Anna Kournikova. You only need a 13-year-old boy and an old copy of Maxim to tell you that, not a vast cluster of super-computers.

Avon Rubber PLC and its outside-the-box executive photography

We are now official fans of Avon Rubber.



On the left is Steve Wilcox, Chief Executive. To the right is Terry Stead, Avon Rubber's Finance Director. Let's PHOTOGRAPH!



They are not afraid to THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX when it comes to executive photography.



Or, at least, they are not afraid to 'go with' the ideas suggested by the photographer.



They must've felt like they were in a band.



Procol Harum, or replacement bassists for The Kinks in the 1980s.

Mum, is it Christmas yet?

Here's what we want.



Lots of men. To help with the lifting and gardening. The one with the beard's probably got his own chain saw.

ABOUT:
"Forces' favourite Nell McAndrew is waving off the last of 25,000 Christmas goodie boxes destined for the troops. Affectionately known as 'square stockings', a box will be delivered to every UK serviceman and woman on operational duty in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans this Christmas."

A cardboard box with a FACE - and news about the 'Face War'

A reader called "8ptagenda" sent us this. We love cardboard boxes with faces, even though there's a hint of arrangement going on here.



Mr Agenda said "Faces in Places evidently don't want it so fuck 'em" - there's nothing we like more than knowing we're someone's second choice.

Something else that is a bit like porn

A novelty Japanese bra called the "Husband Hunter". If she really wants a husband, all she has to do is book a flight over here and hang about miserable cosplay conventions.



Reader "Jon", who sent these photos in, didn't provide any accompanying text.



The lazy SHIT.



He did at least do the groundwork and dug out a video of the bra. WARNING: This is a video of a bra.

An email regarding a "viral" video that might make a good competition or news item

Wow! We're so EDGY and UNDERGROUND and ASPIRATIONAL we have been selected by a PR/marketing company to help whore-out its latest attempt at making an advert look like something other than an advert.

Look for the clever use of the phrase 'go live' in paragraph three. It's like we've been emailed by a real live urban teenager.

I've been reading your blog and thought you might be interested in checking out a viral for an online art gallery called Hang-Up Pictures? I thought it might make a good competition or news item for your readers. If you like it, we are also giving bloggers a 12.5% discount on any pics you might want if you agree host the viral....watch it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csx_9Ccyh3c

Entitled 'Surveillance', it was produced by Watermill-London and is designed to look as if it is 'found footage'.

We are also running a competition around the viral which is about to 'go live' at http://www.hanguppictures.com

If you can name the three pictures that are hanging (and leaning) in Agent Provocateur model Jennifer Dawson's apartment, including the famous artists who created them, we'll enter you into a draw to win a signed limited edition of 20 Bast prints with first prize winning an additional £500. One runner-up will also receive a signed copy of Dolk Greande's Lovers handmade poster including an further £200 to spend as they so desire!

Sounds great! Thanks for giving us the chance to get in on the ground floor of this excellent piece of 'viral marketing'.

WARNING:
The advert is a bit like porn.

Gadgets with FACES #130: The film cartridge for a Mini Instax non-digital camera

A robot in jail. This arrest closed the case of the 126 prostitutes found dead around Tokyo with odd indentations around their necks but no finger prints.



"There I was being all cool, bucking the digital trend and using other forms of instant photography when I stumbled across this, much to my delight (and confused looks from the non-nerdy one in the relationship). It is the empty cartridge from a pack of Fujifilm Mini Instax, and quite clearly shows it's cheeky little tongue sticking out.`I have also included a photo of what the box of the film looks like, the camera, and an example Instax photo using the empty pack as a handy frame, cos us what still use films also like to recycle stuff."



"In case you care I took the photos on an EOS 40D, which is alright I guess. I didn't scale them for you, although perhaps I should have, as they seem a little soft at 100%, but that's not helped by me using the 17-55 f2.8 wide open. If you're lucky there might be some EXIF data to get your liquid silk flowing, but I can't for the life of me remember if my raw converter keeps it when saving out to jpeg (I use Bibble for Linux, in case you're sad enough to care)" - Dave.

FACES SPECIAL!

This FACES SPECIAL is brought to you by reader "Stefan" who says "If I get to write something, I'd like to say that we all enjoy your amazing laziness. Not posting up one thing on one site that someone sent in, because it's a bank holiday, is actually brilliant".

We are obliged to point out that stealing photos off the internet is every bit as lazy as not doing anything at all.



"Girlie pans on a cooker. Arranged but genius."



"Distraught cycling boots."



"Another overjoyed chair!"



"A surgical microscope."



"Another bag (bags are lame but whatever)."



"A vomiting engine mount!"



"An army of terrifying barriers. They could stop you getting into ANYTHING!"



Also, as a special bonus, here are some pictures from the last batch of face photos Stefan stole off the internet and sent in.



Stefan right-clicked on this and saved it, then attached it to an email.



No, wait. He didn't right-click. Stefan uses a Mac :(

Buildings with FACES: A poorly-constructed cottage

From now on, we require Google Maps data to accompany buildings with FACES so we can all go for a look. We could organise an Idiot Toys "be near" - which is like a meet-up, only everyone just stands near each other without doing any talking.



"This is a picture of a small fishing hut on the shore of loch Feochan, 8 miles south of Oban. I think it looks slightly surprised, as if I've just caught it coming out of the shower. Or it could be whistling. Apologies if my spelling is a bit poor in this email but I've had a few fresheners this evening" - Keith.

Dell issues VERY BAD ADVICE

A laptop in the KITCHEN? A laptop near a MIXING DEVICE? A laptop near a BOWL OF FLUID AND/OR FLOUR? A Laptop literally SURROUNDED BY things that could - at best - dirty the screen and keyboard?

A laptop left in the care of A WOMAN?



It'd better come with an extremely high quality cloth for wiping it down.

*Jingle* Promotional Image of the Weeeek

These miserable old cows operate under the name "Merry Maids".



At least there won't be any chance of getting caught boning the help.

Perfect time to spring clean your home

Merry Maids Spring Clean

May has finally arrived and according to Merry Maids domestic cleaning expert Barbara Roberts, it is the perfect time for your annual spring clean. If you have been procrastinating since March then help is at hand. Call in Merry Maids to give your house a total professional spring clean and they will tackle all the nasty chores and big jobs so you don't have to. If you are happy to do it yourself, Barbara has put together her top tips for a pain-free experience.

Barbara believes that May is the ideal time to tackle the big household tasks that you may have been putting off, as the weather allows you to throw open the windows and doors and give the house a really good airing.

1. Get Organised

Barbara says: "Be organised. Set aside a specific day and stick to it. Before you start to clean take a few minutes to make sure that all your surfaces are clutter free. Start at the far end of the house working towards the front door. Tackle one room at a time, cleaning from top to bottom and finishing each completely before going on to the next."

2. Focus on neglected furniture

Barbara has noticed that people tend to neglect cleaning their antique furniture for fear of ruining it. She says: "Keeping your antiques in good condition is a must in order to maintain their beauty, so use your spring clean effectively and tackle precious items. For cleaning and dusting keep a stock of soft cloths and soft bristled paintbrushes for crevices in ornate furniture. Lemon juice will remove sticky residues without damaging furniture, paste wax will clean and protect antique wood and saddle soap is best for leather pieces."

3. Creative Vacuuming

Barbara advises: "Your vacuum cleaner is probably your most versatile piece of cleaning equipment - by utilising all the attachments correctly you can save yourself a lot of time, and back-ache. Use the floor attachment to clean under beds and heavy items. Your upholstery, rugs and hard to reach places, such as under cushions and around tables can be cleaned using the upholstery attachment. Most cleaners have the ability to work on carpets and hard surfaces now, so you don't have reach for the broom."

4. Get the Family Involved

Merry Maids always work in a team of two to make sure they are at their most efficient, why not get your family to help out and the cleaning will be done in half the time. If your children are reluctant perhaps you could suggest that they earn their pocket money by helping to clean.

5. Call in the experts

Merry Maids' fabulous spring cleaning service will leave your house spotless and you don't even have to lift a finger. Merry Maids provides a bespoke service offering anything from a one-off top to toe spring clean to a regular monthly, bi-weekly or weekly clean, all to the same high standard. With over 100 Merry Maids nationwide the trusted professionals are never far away.

-Ends-

Notes for Editors:

Every Merry Maids employee is professionally trained and has the knowledge and ability to get your house looking at its best. Choose from a weekly, fortnightly, monthly or one off clean. For more information about Merry Maids visit http://www.merrymaids.co.uk or call 0800 021 3072.

Polariod Two camera and PIZZA-EATING TEENS!

It is ideal for "illustrating a travel journal" or creating your own "Warhol-esque art installation" apparently. It is also handy for dwarves who want to take photos of teenagers eating pizza.



There's a press release. We're always so glad there's a press release when we can't think of anything interesting to say. If only it were possible to resort to reading out press releases in real life conversations when you can't think of anything to say.

Get snap happy with the launch of the 'Polaroid Two' - instant photography fun for the 21st Century

The much loved iconic Polaroid instant camera, renowned for its fun and instant images at the push of a button, is back! Now with a 21st Century twist, the new Polaroid Two is a digital camera that incorporates revolutionary ZINK(tm) inkless printing technology.

Designed to be as fun and spontaneous as the original 'Polaroid One' instant camera, the Polaroid Two rejuvenates a much loved innovation, first introduced over 30 years ago and one that has a dedicated following the world over.

Creative types, amateurs and professionals alike will enjoy the variety of uses for the photographs and the instant pleasure they get when they snap away and share in the moment. Whether it's for a Warhol-esque art installation, illustrating a travel journal or simply enjoying a night out with friends - its uses are endless.

In an instant, select from among the digital photos on the camera, crop or edit them and in less than 60 seconds, print full colour, 2x3 inch prints! You can even choose whether to have the traditional Polaroid white border round the image, amongst others.

The Polaroid Two works by using ZINK(tm) ink-free printing technology which replaces ink cartridges or ribbons with ZINK(tm) Paper - each embedded with billions of special heat reactive dye crystals. Before printing, ZINK(tm) Paper appears white like regular photo paper, as the paper passes through the printer the heat activated crystals melt to release the colour. Once the pictures are printed, they are immediately dry to the touch, durable, smudge and water resistant.

For added fun the pictures are also sticky back so you can use them to personalise anything! Ideal for postcards, birthday cards or whatever else you can stick them to!

Polaroid EMEA Head of Products and Marketing Vladimir Malugin comments: "The launch of the Polaroid Two is hugely exciting and represents a massive step forward in combining digital innovation with instant gratification. It's fun, fast and with its ease of use and offer of instant images, we hope the Polaroid Two will re-ignite a love of instant photography for everyone."

Polaroid Two follows on from the successful launch of the Polaroid PoGo(tm) Instant Mobile Printer last year and builds on the 70 year Polaroid history of visual innovation which includes the commercial launch of the iconic instant film in 1948.

2009 battery update resurgence spearheaded by the "UFO"

The UFO! Complete with crashing-in-from-space logo. Best battery of 2009 so far - and it'll take something special to beat this.



Found by an "Andy" who spotted it in a "tester for Christmas lights". Even though it isn't Christmas. Poor Andy must've had quite a boring Bank Holiday weekend if going through battery compartments was the highlight.

Two gadgets with FACES and a building that also has a face, all of which are in Kuwait

This was a very complex email. It contained a building with a FACE and two gadgets with FACES. We are unsure how to categorise it and as such have thrown all three in one post.

The third photo, of the coffee machine, works better as a Gadget with FACE if you ignore the submitter's "three eyes" suggestion and instead imagine the side screws are a more traditional two eyes.



"Here is my submission for a Building With a Face (multiple faces, really). It's the Fanar (yes) shopping centre in lovely Kuwait. Small eyes, wee button noses and huge mouths."



"Attached is a pic of my iron, also in Kuwait. A happy iron, I think."



"Attached too is a pic of a three-eyed coffee machine in my GM's office. I tried to take a pic of it 'eating' the sachet of delish espresso, but it sucked it out of my fingers, nearly taking the nails off. Incidentally, my GM is deserving of a place in your pantheon of exec types. No moustache, mind you, but a few of the (vaguely criminal-class type) further up the corporate ladder here are moustachioed..." - Andrew.

Makeshift brickwork with FACES #1

Don't laugh, this haphazard construction could crush a dog or small child. Then Dominic Littlewood would get upset and would have to chase down the COWBOY responsible.



"There's no story to this one. Really, it's a wall with a face in it, that's it. I came across it while walking. I've provided two pictures. The first one kind of gives you an overview of the situation, there's some geographical context to give the wall some credibility. Like, this is an actual wall, look, there's cars and trees existing at the same time as it."



"The second one is the 'art' shot, I had to kneel down to take it. Obviously it was totally worth it when I got home and realised a 'rogue red' was moonlighting as a tongue. There are also some bonus wavy lines, which are one degree closer to being Dreamcast logos than straight lines. Labels: makeshift, brickwork, post-car crash, rogue red, with faces. Much love" - Jeff.

EXIF REVIEW
Not bad, considering they were taken on a Sony Ericsson W580i.

The USANCE AA - and someone's Ripley action figure

A Ripley action figure that looks nothing like Ripley. From the days when action figures never looked like the people they were based on due to licensing issues. Today's kids don't know how lucky they are to have realistic versions of David Tennant and Hugh Jackman to pitch against each other.



"A couple of USANCE batteries I found in a wireless keyboard today."



"And seeing as adding Daleks to the shot seemed to work for the last guy, these now have - 0% Cadmium & Mercury, 20% Dalek AND 40% Powerloader Ripley at no extra cost!"



"If better quality required I canmail you the originals" - Rob (GigerPunk).



Uh-oh! Rob has given away his secret internet identity!



In nine years from now, Rob's then-partner will dredge up a slightly dodgy comment left on a slightly dodgy blog about slightly dodgy Asian women holding mobile phones.



Think of an excuse now, Rob. Then save it in the easy-access front part of your brain, for when you're asked what "Would" means in relation to a photo of a tiny Asian girl in blue hotpants.



Terry Nation was ahead of his time in allowing accurate likenesses of his creations be used in the toy industry.



"EXTERMINATE... the problems of flat batteries with long-lasting USANCE(TM) Super Alkaline."



"GET AWAY FROM HER YOU... low-performing alkaline battery so I can load up these long-lasting USANCE(TM) Super Alkaline batteries instead."



Oh. We've done USANCE before. At least twice. But not in AA format.

Gadgets with FACES #129: Ovetto Recycling Bin

Sent in by a "Neil". The female version of the name. Neil thinks it's a CYCLOPS and he even used capital letters to ram the point home.



From here. It should probably be categorised as a static non-powered object with a face, thinking about it. But the headline's already been typed.

Static non-powered objects with FACES #30: A Tilley Hat

Sent in by a "Kym". Almost certainly the male variation of the name judging by the (a) spelling, (b) comments about Maria Sharapova and (c) fact they're here and reading this.



"I found the following static non-powered object with a face. It looks quite happy until it is put on someone's head, then it looks pretty pissed off. Perhaps it would look happier if it was sitting on Maria Sharapova's head, I know I would be" - Kym.



It's called a "Tilley Hat" and it costs an outrageous £51 for a bit of canvas and string that's been sewn together by an Indonesian child. That's why women are always too poor to pay for their own drinks.

Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS and some accompanying MENTAL LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY!

Arty. Very arty.



These were also sent out as CMYK JPEGs. A very unusual and arty choice of file format that annoyingly involves an additional step in the file conversion/uploading process.



So, in the last picture, the camera was suspended within a circular frame. But here, the circular frame has been added in post-production.



What does it MEAN?