Miss C Recommends

Original UpRock!

2012-02-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Savoy Ballroom dancers Al and Leon and members of Whitey's Lindy Hoppers in 1959 on the Playboy TV show.

Where Did Groundhog Day Come From?

2012-01-31T11:59:00.002-05:00

You gotta love a holiday centered around weather. You might think it’s about the animal, but no, any hibernating animal will do just as well. Did you that in Germany, it's known a Badger Day? This is the turning point of the season, and for pre-industrial societies (particularly farmers), the midwinter date was a day to take stock and determine whether you have enough food and firewood to last the rest of the winter. If you miscalculated the previous fall, or you found that the grain is full of weevils and your cow started looking skinny, you had good reason to look for omens of an early spring. Read about the origins of this holiday in an article I posted at mental_floss.

Fun and Funny Links

2012-01-31T05:19:00.005-05:00

Time Travel Movie Marathon. What a great way to spend a weekend!

Microwaves Ruin Everything shows you all kinds of things that shouldn't be microwaved -in slow motion. I'd have to disagree about the Ivory Soap, that's always a hoot.

Jaipur's Elephant Festival is like a big beauty pageant for pachyderms. They show up with painted faces, bejeweled clothing, and bells on their toes!

Smitty the dog has found his favorite film. Don't turn it off; you'll break his heart.

Boots and Cats and Bees and Beef.

6 Amazing Animals That Practically Lived Forever.

The Colon Rectum, and Other Weirdly-named Animals.

Anne Billson knows that the cat Jonesy is much more important to the 1979 film Alien than most viewers realize. So she wrote the story of the spaceship Nostromo and its crew from Jonesey's point of view. (via Maximum Verbosity)

Save the Date Photobomb. Can you find what Ben added to the scene?

The Mathematics of Boneless Pork Rectums. Read at your own risk. (via a comment at Arbroath)

Fourteen dancing robots make up a chorus line to celebrate Chinese New Year. Do you think they could put the Rockettes out of business?

Liam Neeson records an awesome outgoing phone message for a fan. Her phone has been ringing off the hood ever since.

Filmmaker Freddie Wong attempts to find and unlock the power of the Fire Flower from the Mario Universe. However, with great power comes great responsibility, or risk, or something.

Chimpanzee hosting a talk show

2012-01-31T00:08:00.000-05:00

Japanese TV is so much more entertaining than US TV.

Fascinating Links

2012-01-30T05:27:00.006-05:00

10 Secrets of the Vatican Exposed.

Should Teens Be Jailed for Sex Offenses? Laws are there for good reasons, but the actual cases come in all shades of gray.

A state trooper pulled over a South Carolina mayor for speeding. The mayor than returned the favor and pulled over the trooper for speeding.

Mitt Romney's tax return reveals he is rich, but that's not the real shocker. The details show how the U.S. tax code is rigged to benefit the wealthy.

Julian Assange is going to be a TV talk show host. He's made a deal with Russia Today to host ten episodes of The News Tomorrow, even while under house arrest.

Should audiences be allowed to cheer at presidential debates? On the one hand, there's free speech; on the other hand, a few well-placed fans can affect an entire news cycle.

Cheetah vs. Leopard: What’s the Difference? I know cheetahs never prosper, and I heard leopards live in colonies.

Dance Moms and Toddlers & Tiaras are popular train wreck reality shows, which may verge on child abuse. Which is more exploitive: putting pressure on kids to perform, or recording their childhoods for an audience to ridicule?

In an alternate timeline of history, Nazis colonized the moon in order to launch a new invasion of Earth. After years in development, Iron Sky will premiere at the Berlin Film Festival next month.

Alibi aftershave products can make you smell like car trouble instead of smelling like the strip club you just left. If your wife knows what a strip club smells like, you'll have to go all out to fool her.

Historic new rules for school lunches will mean we can't blame them for obese kids. Costs will go up, but no one knows whether kids will actually eat more fruits and vegetables.

15 Noteworthy Nobel Prize Nuggets. These stories are obscure and strangely tangential but still fascinating.

The Soviet Army Dancers

2012-01-30T00:02:00.000-05:00

(via Neatorama)

The Baronton Sisters

2012-01-29T00:02:00.000-05:00

The Baronton Sisters were a French juggling act. Here they are performing on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969. Later, they were banned from IKEA for life. (via Everlasting Blort)

Hound Dog

2012-01-28T00:03:00.000-05:00

By Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, recorded in 1952.

Friday Fun Links

2012-01-27T05:09:00.004-05:00

What Your Favorite Blog Says About You.

7 Amazing Stories of Lost and Re-Found Wedding Rings.

The meaning of friendship, told in pictures.

The World's Ugliest Cars.

It is strange enough that a little boy in China has light blue eyes, but reportedly Nong Youhui can also see in the dark. Sounds like a melanin deficit to me, but some are calling him an "alien starchild."

Artist Scott Garner created a work called "Still Life." It shows a bowl of fruit, but this interactive artwork is anything but still.

No, you can't ski the way freeskiier Tom Wallisch does it. But in these videos, you can feel like you are right there with him.

The video for "Dawned on Me" by Wilco features the first newly-drawn Popeye cartoon in over thirty years. Oh yeah, the band is also in it.

The Origin of the Beatles Haircut.

Meme Watch: ‘2/10, Would Not Bang’ Is Here To Help Point Out The Flaws You May Have Missed.

How my cat sees things.

Imagine AMC's series The Walking Dead as an '80s family sitcom, complete with the proper theme music. Silly? Go see for yourself.

Hand Jive

2012-01-27T00:04:00.000-05:00

The Johnny Otis Show from 1958. (via Metafilter)

9 Crazy, Creepy, and Creative Knit Projects

2012-01-26T14:17:00.001-05:00

Maybe you can knit a scarf or a sweater. If so, imagination is the only thing standing between you and these delightfully odd creations. Well, time may be another factor. But isn’t it wonderful that some folks have the time, skills, and imagination to create these daringly different knitted works? See a bunch of them in this list I posted at mental_floss.

Informative Links

2012-01-26T05:11:00.004-05:00

Etgar Keret writes about his father's decision to have his tongue removed as a treatment for cancer.

Apple’s Deal With the Devil. A manufacturing turnaround that executives call "breathtaking" strikes many as "barbaric."

Tracy Morgan collapsed after receiving an award at the Sundance Film Festival. They haven't told us what's wrong, but he is a diabetic with a transplanted kidney.

Gabrielle Giffords' 'bittersweet' resignation video. Recovery must be her priority, but she vows to return to public service someday.

5 Bodies Nobody Ever Found. But even decades later, people are still actively looking for clues.

The John F. Kennedy Library has released 45 hours of secret tapes recorded by the president. So you don't have to listen to all that, here are the most interesting parts.

The world's longest-running scientific experiment began in 1927 and is still going. The pitch drop may continue for another 100 years!

Borrow $5,000 and pay back only $40,842.72. It's not fuzzy math, but lesson in debt explained in the comments.

10 Famous People and Their Drug Habits. Following in their footsteps could lead to an early grave.

Joel Sartore's Biodiversity Portraits. The NatGeo photographer will be visiting a zoo near you.

Imagine a President Newt Gingrich Who Thinks Rules Don’t Apply to Him.

When Larry Met Sergey is the highly condensed story of Larry Page and Sergey Brin and the company they named Google. (via the Presurfer)

The World's Greatest Jumping Dog

2012-01-26T00:05:00.000-05:00

Micky the Alasation Dog shows off his stuff in this 1930 newsreel.

Links for Fun

2012-01-25T06:08:00.004-05:00

What kind of countdown was that? NSFW language, but oh, so funny!

Well this is interesting. (via Fark)

Probably the Craziest Finger Drumming Video You’ll Watch Today. The machine does amazing things, but it still takes talent to play it like this.

How Return of the Jedi Should Have Ended. Pointing out all the plot holes and what the prequels did to the story makes that last scene really awkward.

Winter Pick-Up Lines. NSFW text. Funny to read, but hearing these would leave you cold.

What if one of your battle robots stopped battling and acted like a real person? Archetype is a short film that's really a teaser for a possible future feature film.

Whaddaya know ...it turns out I don't need to see How I Met Your Mother because I've already seen Friends.

The Psychoanalyst Says Your Gut Says…

Michel Gondry directed a Japanese commercial, and it’s awesomely weird. There's no need at all to understand the language, and you'll be too busy laughing to listen anyway.

10 Famous Misconceptions Debunked. Don't believe everything you read or hear on the internet!

And the nominations for the 84th annual Academy Awards are... The winners will be announced February 26th.

This year, the Oscars nominations are more notable for their omissions than for the nominees themselves. Here are the most surprising snubs.

U Can't Kiss This

2012-01-25T00:06:00.000-05:00

U Can't Kiss This

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Extraterrestrials and Cows

2012-01-24T12:11:00.002-05:00

For quite some time now, we’ve known that UFOs tend to whisk away people and return them to Earth with amazing stories. But there are plenty of stories of aliens abducting cows. While the thought of alien abduction of humans can be frightening, we seem to have embraced the idea of UFOs carrying off our cows. Maybe it’s a case of reassuring ourselves that there are alternate victims. I explore the obsession that aliens have with cows in an article I wrote for mental_floss.

Good Reads and Interesting Links

2012-01-24T05:24:00.004-05:00

Extinction of the Passenger Pigeons: How Man Destroyed a Species. Or was it an example of a species too stupid to adapt?

7 Athletes Who Went Directly To Jail. Surprise -you're not above the law.

Amazing X-rays show things people shouldn't live through, but they do. They also show a variety of other crimes, diseases, and anomalies.

A newer, stricter definition of autism could exclude many who are diagnosed already. Or maybe not, but parents are nervous about the possibility of losing current therapies and services.

The Fairy Chimneys and Underground Cities of Cappadocia. Geologic formations and ancient history come together to make you want to visit.

The Amazon's head hunters and body shrinkers. An author investigates Gustav Struve's tales of South American warriors and their gruesome souvenirs.

Eight Stories of Locked-In Syndrome. There's nothing more terrifying than awareness without the ability to communicate.

The real story behind Sir Ian McKellen and his t-shirt.

10 Handsome Men (Who Were Born Female).

Cable TV Is Full of Liars. Or, don't name your network after your content unless you are damn sure it's never going to change.

Goodbye, Farewell, and A*M*E*N. The story of how the finale episode of M*A*S*H came about and broke TV records.

Photographer Vanessa Bahmani Gathered 1,000 Portraits Of Occupy Wall Street Faces. Guess what: they're not all unemployed hippies.

Tiny Ninjas

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

On the one hand, this video illustrates how special effects, especially sound effects, make all the difference in a fight scene. On the other hand, it’s just plain cute. (via Gorilla Mask)

Fun and Funny Links

2012-01-23T05:22:00.004-05:00

新年快樂 Happy Chinese New Year! Welcome to the Year of the Dragon.

Don't cry -that's a copyrighted emotion. Hitler reacts to SOPA.

In this video, a 5-week old Tonkinese kitten named Jumpin Jack Flash starts his training for a career in Feline Agility competitions. He’s already got a blue ribbon in “adorable.”

A French Metal group called Fadades is one you'll never forget. And for that, I apologize.

The 5 Most Insane Original Uses of Famous Products.

A skit called Surprise Party, performed by boobs. This is very much NSFW, but oh, so silly. (via Breakfast Links)

Star Wars Uncut is finally finished, and it's a real hoot! The two-hour fan film features the work of hundreds of filmmakers recreating the first Star Wars movie in 15-second increments.

A traffic cop in Quezon City, Philippines, really wanted to be a dancer instead. Many motorists are entertained nevertheless.

45 Cats Wearing Glasses. They must be hipsters, since cats all have laser lights for eyes and can already see everything.

These guys parked a bike in New York City and photographed it every day to see how long it would last. After a few months, folks probably assumed it was abandoned and resented it taking up a parking spot.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T00:08:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Year of the Dragon!

Love-Tails of Morocco

2012-01-22T00:04:00.000-05:00

A Dogville Shorts film from 1931.

Princess Rajah Dance

2012-01-21T00:09:00.000-05:00

A silent film from 1904.

Informative Links

2012-01-20T05:33:00.003-05:00

"At least 10 senators and nearly twice that many House members announced their opposition" to SOPA.

PIPA support collapses, with 13 new Senators opposed.

After the blackouts: What's next for SOPA? Millions responded and both Senators and Representatives dropped their support, but the legislation may come back.

The 5 Stupidest Habits You Develop Growing Up Poor. Oh, you may think they may seem stupid, but when you have no choice, you do what you gotta do. NSFW text.

George Lucas' movie Red Tails opens today. Before you see it, read the real story of Tuskegee Airman Dr. Roscoe Brown.

People who are diagnosed with Internet Addiction Disorder have the same brain structure anomalies as those who are addicted to drugs or alcohol. So Internet Addiction may be an organic condition as well as a psychological disorder.

Bulgarian artist Plamen Ignatov Spent 16 Years and 6 Million Matchsticks Building a Model of Rila Monastery. The result is worth at least 15 minutes of internet fame.

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy was established in 2007 to nurture impoverished girls in South Africa. Now the first class of 72 students has graduated, and Oprah was there to see her dream realized.

Native or Not? The True Stories behind 5 “American Indian” Actors. Sometimes an Italian, German, or Armenian background can be "close enough."

Francesco Schettino, the Costa Concordia’s captain, is facing charges of manslaughter and abandoning his ship. Here's what he did the night the cruise ship sank.

Grant Korgan is paralyzed from the waist down, but that didn't stop from from traveling to the South Pole on a Sitski. He reached his goal exactly 100 years after Robert Falcon Scott's expedition did.

Meet the guy who decides how much Wall Street bankers get in their yearly bonus checks. (via Breakfast Links)

Carrot Crazy

2012-01-20T00:08:00.000-05:00

No cartoon bunnies were harmed in the making of this violent cartoon by Dylan Vanwormer and Logan Scelina. Carrot Crazy was their senior thesis film at Ringling College of Art and Design. (via the Presurfer)

Funny Links

2012-01-19T05:33:00.002-05:00

A conversation with a robot gets creepier the more it understands. He even looks human, at least from the front.

Amy Oops is having a contest at her site in which you could win a t-shirt!

You can't have a Brad Pitt movie without a scene of him eating (or at least drinking). There's enough material for a nice-looking supercut of such scenes.

This is a video of a dog on a chain. You will still be surprised at what that means.

If the gizmo you invented never found a clientele, it may end up in the Museum of nonsense. But how much nonsense does it take to justify a trip to Austria?

8 Things the Internet Ruined. But don't mourn the loss -the list of things the internet has improved or made possible is much longer.

50 Brilliant Fan-Made Remixes, Mash-Ups, and Supercuts That Will Be Strictly Prohibited Under SOPA. Select them from a menu on the right, and sat goodbye to the next hour or so.

Wait a minute, you need something light and pleasant to start your day off right. How about 32 Pictures That Will Make You Say Awwwwwwww. Guaranteed.

New Zealand has some of the best sheep-shearers in the world. They believe that sheep-shearing would make a wonderful Olympic sport.

Haley Joel Osment is back and he’s gay in ‘Sassy Pants.’ He's been in quite a few independent films over the past decade (since he grew up), but this ought to get him some attention.

Students doing homework were aghast that their main reference, Wikipedia, was gone yesterday. Adults had a field day making fun of the overly tech-dependent scholars.

Do-It-Yourself Molded Pumpkins. It's possible to grow sculpted fruit, if you're not too cheap to invest in the right equipment.

New York Fire Brigade

2012-01-19T00:08:00.000-05:00

Footage from 1893 is reshown in this 1936 British Pathe report.

The Most Amusing Images from the SOPA Strike

2012-01-18T20:49:00.002-05:00

On January 18th, websites across the internet went on strike to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the related Protect IP Act (PIPA). Some sites were completely blocked; others added censorship graphics to their banners, and some posted about the strike. The point was to make all internet users aware of the bills before Congress and to encourage reader participation. A few sites went above and beyond the call of duty and made the strike itself entertaining. If you didn’t see them, I saved a few of the best. See them in a list I posted at mental_floss.

Stop SOPA

2012-01-18T08:00:00.004-05:00

Where's reddit? Where's Boing Boing? Where's Cheezburger? Where's Wikipedia? Where's Fark? Where's xkcd? Where's Miss Cellania?

A large part of the internet is on strike today to highlight the dangers of the Stop Online Piracy Act (and the related bill called PIPA) now before Congress; the vote is scheduled for January 24th. You can read the full text of the bill here. The result of the bill, if passed, would be to destroy the internet as we know it. Boing Boing explains the effects succinctly:

Boing Boing could never co-exist with a SOPA world: we could not ever link to another website unless we were sure that no links to anything that infringes copyright appeared on that site. So in order to link to a URL on LiveJournal or WordPress or Twitter or Blogspot, we'd have to first confirm that no one had ever made an infringing link, anywhere on that site. Making one link would require checking millions (even tens of millions) of pages, just to be sure that we weren't in some way impinging on the ability of five Hollywood studios, four multinational record labels, and six global publishers to maximize their profits.

But it's not just entertainment for you and me that is threatened.

Big Content haven't just declared war on Boing Boing and Reddit and the rest of the "fun" Internet: they've declared war on every person who uses the net to publicize police brutality, every oppressed person in the Arab Spring who used the net to organize protests and publicize the blood spilled by their oppressors, every abused kid who used the net to reveal her father as a brutalizer of children, every gay kid who used the net to discover that life is worth living despite the torment she's experiencing, every grassroots political campaigner who uses the net to make her community a better place -- as well as the scientists who collaborate online, the rescue workers who coordinate online, the makers who trade tips online, the people with rare diseases who support each other online, and the independent creators who use the Internet to earn their livings.

While I'm not tech-savvy enough to disable my entire website temporarily (I use a hosting service), there will be no new content until the strike is over. While there's not much else to read on the internet today, check out these links and educate yourself about the SOPA bill. And then take action.

House takes Senate's bad Internet censorship bill, tries making it worse

Protect The Internet

SOPA: Hollywood Finally Gets A Chance to Break the Internet

SOPA on OpenCongress

PIPA on OpenCongress

Please go to Stop American Censorship to add your name to the many who oppose these bills.

Get Involved

/r/sopa

List of companies that have expressed support for SOPA or PIPA.

List of tech companies, and their contact info, that have expressed support for SOPA or PIPA.

List of companies that have expressed concern with SOPA and PIPA.

Take Action Checklist at Stop American Censorship.

Contact Your Representative with info and a widget to find them by EFF and Wired for Change.

Directory of Representatives

Senators of the 112th Congress

Helpful info on making phone calls to your Senator or Representative.

SOPAOpera.org keeps track of where your Congressmembers stand on PROTECT-IP and SOPA.

Thank you!

Interesting Links

2012-01-18T05:32:00.005-05:00

Will Wikipedia's one-day blackout sink SOPA? Maybe not, but how would you do your research if the internet gets wrecked?

The blackout will much wider than just Wikipedia.

Dancing for Dollars. The story of the 20th-century dance marathon craze.

More and more, U.S. schools are using police to discipline children.

What would happen if you ate one of those silica gel packets? The warnings make you think they are irresistible for some reason.

How Consumption Makes Us Sad. Things eventually just take up room in our homes instead of in our hearts.

We knew it would happen: In Icons has cancelled production of its uncannily-realistic Steve Jobs Action Figure because of legal objections from Job's family and Apple.

The Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis show up in a unique way seen from space. Space pictures of the lights in various parts of the world have been stitched together for an awesome virtual tour.

The Chilean Town Engulfed by a Volcanic Mudflow. Chaitén was wrecked in 2008, then frozen in place as the mud solidified.

With most of the excitement of the GOP nomination over, we can now speculate on who will win the title of Mitt Romney's running mate. Take a look at seven veep possibilities.

The Melancholy Deaths of Edward Gorey’s Children. The author's morbid visions may explain why he never had kids in real life.

Ten Days in a Madhouse: The Woman Who Got Herself Committed.

Follow the Butterflies

2012-01-18T00:07:00.000-05:00

Obviously recorded from some distance away, these otters are chasing a butterfly. I get the idea that they really aren't trying to catch it, just keep it in their sights. And stay with the group. (via Arbroath)

6 Notable Pop Culture-themed Weddings

2012-01-17T18:01:00.001-05:00

A wedding is a celebration of the joining of two people who share love, life, and common interests. Many people plan their wedding to reflect their common interests -and if two people can plan a pop culture-themed wedding together and survive, their chances for a lifetime of happiness look pretty good! Here are some notable themed weddings from the past couple of years, in a list I posted at mental_floss.

Funny Links

2012-01-17T05:53:00.004-05:00

Beyonce's baby Blue Ivy was just born and already has followers and hangers-on. And that's just in the hospital nursery!

We've already got a remix of the trailer for the Ridley Scott Alien prequel film Prometheus. The footage from WALL-E works well, giving us a trailer for WALL-Etheus.

Get ready for the strangest Old Spice commercial you've ever seen. That's because Blown Mind is from Tim and Eric.

Redditor Vidzilla composed an apocalyptic story using the internet: website screenshots, photographs, social networking, generators, and news sites. Click on each day in order to follow the story, but be aware that the images become increasingly graphic and may be disturbing. (via Metafilter)

The Most Extreme Super Bowl Party Recipes. But why should we wait three whole weeks to try them out?

Little Chloe says, "Bye!" to people going down the escalator. Everyone who saw her was compelled to respond -and you'll understand why.

The Lazy Jedi. The ability to move things by using The Force discourages you from using anything else.

Web 2.0 Site or Don Martin Sound Effect?

The most insane surf footage you’ll ever see was recorded in Tahiti on August 27th. The waves look like they came out of a special effects lab for a disaster film.

The greatest calendar ever invented probably won't last past the end of January. Well, could you resist the temptation?

Snippets from movies were edited together to give us Lionel Richie's song "Hello." It's a strange idea, but impressive that so many of the clips seemed to be born for this project.

Drinking Games for the Mature Adult. If this is what mature adulthood really is, you'll need a few drinks.

Hypnotised Rabbits

2012-01-17T00:06:00.000-05:00

Irene Burton demonstrates how she hypnotizes her rabbits. From 1954.

Great Reads and Interesting Links

2012-01-16T05:50:00.005-05:00

Stephen Colbert gave his Super-PAC away and announced he is running for office. Every step he takes points out the absurdities of our presidential election system.

Would you really want to know when you are expected to die? On online mortality calculator designed to help doctors is now available for anyone.

In 1835, Andrew Jackson escaped the first attempt to assassinate a U.S. president. Richard Lawrence had him at point blank range, but incompetence or luck saved the president's life.

The Supreme Court has reaffirmed religious organizations' freedom to hire and fire as they see fit, meaning they have an exemption from laws against discrimination. This is the opposite of what some Christian groups expected.

New research shows that cravings for fatty foods can be blamed on our genes. Which only makes sense, as it affects how we fit into our jeans.

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning!" The line from Apocalyse Now has been used and reused and adapted in so many other movies that they've been compiled into a supercut. (NSFW language)

Adele's song "Rolling in the Deep" is awesome. Mike Thompkins does all the vocal parts and all the instrumental parts, too, in this version -with his mouth.

Should there be national standards for sex education? Right now, the average student only gets about 17 hours of sex ed before college.

6 Crises That Keep Economists Up At Night. At least they still have jobs, but they also know things could get much worse.

The point of the long and winding sentence.

U.S. Government Terrorist Identification Chart.

Snow-White

2012-01-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

A 1933 Betty Boop cartoon featuring Cab Calloway and his Orchestra. You've seen the "St. James Infirmary" clip here, but now you have the entire cartoon. (via mental_floss)

Fetch

2012-01-15T00:10:00.000-05:00

Who needs a dog when you've got a penguin to fetch your newspaper for you? (via the Presurfer)

A Computer Animated Hand

2012-01-14T00:09:00.000-05:00

This 1972 project may be the earliest example of digital rendering. It was made by Ed Catmull and Fred Parke, who went on to found a little company named Pixar. (via mental_floss)

Friday the 13th Links

2012-01-13T05:23:00.006-05:00

Happy Friday the 13th! Here are some facts about this supposedly unlucky day.

How 'The Phone Stack' is civilizing dinners out with friends. Try this out and be amazed at the uninterrupted conversations that follow.

It’s beautiful, it’s intelligent … it’s slime. And slime molds might be the stuff of your nightmares.

Golden parachutes are getting bigger. Fired business executives get severance packages that set them up for life, even if they did a lousy job.

Homeland Security may be keeping an eye on your Facebook page. They routinely check social media sites and blogs, too, as part of its “Social Networking/Media Capability.”

This Chinese Women’s Volleyball Rally Might Be the Most Insane Thing You’ll Watch in Sports Today. They had to be exhausted afterwards, since it made me tired just watching.

Lucy the Yorkshire Terrier holds the record for the world's smallest working dog. The 2.5 pound therapy dog is adorable, which is hard work in itself.

The 7 Creepiest Abandoned Japanese Love Hotels. Apparently charging by the hour didn't cover expenses for these places.

The Supreme Court is hearing arguments about allowing swear words on network TV. Broadcast networks say they need the freedom to compete with cable channels, even though the networks own those cable channels.

New Uses for 5 Old Pests. If we can recycle invasive species, we can do anything!

What Rick Santorum Doesn’t Know About Sex.

Three-legged Puppy. It's a translation of the Brazilian comic MenTirinhas http://mentirinhas.com.br/ by Fábio Coala. (via reddit)

When Mitt Romney Came to Town is a film that could sink Romney's presidential campaign -if anyone watched the whole thing.

Three Marus?

2012-01-13T00:08:00.000-05:00

As someone said "There can never be too many Marus!" (via Neatorama)

11 Incredible Edible Daleks

2012-01-12T12:23:00.001-05:00

A dalek is a science fiction character found in the British TV series Doctor Who. They are evil alien mutants who travel inside cyborg shells and try to exterminate other beings. They are also funny-looking, and have inspired many cooks to recreate their appearance in tasty treats! See a whole slew of them in this list I posted at mental_floss.

Fun and Funny Links

2012-01-12T05:22:00.004-05:00

The 30 Best Taco-Related Crimes Ever. People who write for the internet will make a list out of anything, and I wish I had thought of this one first!

Why Do Nerds So Often Wear Glasses? Eddie Deezen (who should know) looks at the history of nerds in pop culture.

In the Friendzone. (via reddit)

Can you think of any movie that needs to be remade more than Police Academy? Sure you can, but it's Police Academy that's getting a reboot anyway.

Dogs are awesome athletes. Because you deserve a treat, here are 20 Funny Pics of Flying Dogs Catching Frisbees.

MySpace isn't quite dead yet. It's coming back as MySpace TV, which may be something like MTV was when it first entered the market.

A Bee Battle Of Epic Proportions. Around 30 Japanese hornets take on 30,000 honeybees, with an appropriate soundtrack for the war.

In the Friendzone. (via reddit)

28 Jokes You Can Tell Your Grandparents. They don't make sense anymore, but you may recall reading the original versions here.

The 10 Cheesiest Movie Moments of 2011. With an in-depth analysis for each over-manipulative scene.

After thirty years, I just found out the dirty little secret in Journey's song "Don't Stop Believin'." There is no South Detroit. (via Metafilter)

A history lesson for the History Channel. It was once called the Hitler channel, then the Nostradamus channel, now what?

Strongest Hair Ever

2012-01-12T00:07:00.000-05:00

In 1926, a man demonstrated how strong his hair (and scalp) were by hanging from it. Even from a moving plane! (via Arbroath)

Informative Links

2012-01-11T05:22:00.005-05:00

A Thousand Cranes.

The 5 Reasons Marriage Scares Men (Aren't What You Think). On the contrary, they are exactly what I thought, but I've been around a long time.

The Sad Story of Elvis Presley’s Senior Prom.

America’s Unlevel Field. "America actually stands out as the advanced country in which it matters most who your parents were, the country in which those born on one of society’s lower rungs have the least chance of climbing to the top or even to the middle."

How No Child Left Behind Corrupted Education. In ten years, making the program work led to lowered standards and inflated grades.

If the moon passes overhead once daily, why are there two high and low tides every day? And how does this lead to the Earth's rotation slowing down?

The projections of rising tuition suggest that babies born today could pay over $400K to go to college. The secret is to not pay the suggested retail price.

An Ohio professor proposes that pregnancy be classified as a disability. His point is that this would protect jobs, but others say this is totally unnecessary.

7 Crafty Zoo Escapes. When the opportunity for freedom presents itself, who cares that you're still far from your natural habitat.

Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire Primary, but does that mean everyone else goes home? Read several opinions on what comes next.

Organized Hypocrisy: Major TV networks support SOPA but avoid primetime coverage. An uninformed populace doesn't get upset or voice an opinion.

The first pictures of live Myanmar Snub-nosed Monkeys have been captured. It's good to see that the critically-endangered species is producing babies.

Dali's Party

2012-01-11T00:06:00.000-05:00

Salvador Dali really knew how to throw a shindig! This one was in 1941. (via Nag on the Lake)

12 Heroic U.S. Military Chaplains

2012-01-10T13:45:00.002-05:00

Military chaplains are classified as non-combatants, but they still put their lives on the line to serve their country and its military members—and often civilians and enemy soldiers, too. Many went above and beyond the call of duty, and their stories should be remembered. Last week I posted about heroic chaplains; twelve more chaplains are profiled in an article I wrote for mental_floss.

Links for Fun

2012-01-10T05:21:00.005-05:00

Anti-zombie presidential candidate ‘Vermin Supreme’ needs our support. After all, if he wins, everyone gets a pony!

The Joy of Books. The magic starts to happen at closing time, when the people aren't there to see.

Baby pandas love to play, but one is determined to escape from his crib. His perseverance is only matched by the relentless supervision of his nanny.

His name is Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop. And he most likely got arrested so everyone will know.

Doctor Who is comfortable in any time, place, or different pop culture universe. See 20 pieces of fan art that show how versatile the series is.

Watching Dave Wassel riding the biggest wave in Maui will make your jaw drop. Then it will make you wish you could go surfing (someplace safer) in January.

It's a feast for the eyes, but would you eat a cake that looked like Deathwing the Destroyer? Someone did, but they got plenty of pictures beforehand.

Mutantland is a terrifying place. The only thing worse than having to eat nasty mutants is being eaten by one of them.

Cufflinks: A Half-Inch of Personality. And you can get them in almost any shape, size, and allegiance.

‘Huge Group Of Girls’ Is The Most Ridiculous Comedy Music Video You’ll See Today. All the better because it's sung by men. (NSFW lyrics)

Literally Unbelievable is a website dedicated to documenting those moments on Facebook when people react to Onion articles as they were real news stories.

Who's Your Favourite?

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-05:00

It's a no-holds-barred battle of wits, and only one can win! This is terribly cute because you can tell it's not serious. (via reddit)

Good Reads and Interesting Links

2012-01-09T05:43:00.004-05:00

Al Qaeda appears to be fading away. Since bin Laden's death, the terrorist group has become decimated, discouraged, and underfunded.

10 Amazing Stories of Animal Prosthetics. Not only do they make a world of difference to a disabled pet, but each is also a step toward better human prosthetics.

Celebrating Hollywood’s Love Affair With The Cold War. The Soviets were an easily recognized villain and nuclear war fueled more film plots than we care to count.

The erstwhile Chinese practice of foot binding left millions of women crippled for life. Learn how it was done, but be warned there are pictures that will make you sad.

Genetically-altered silkworms can produce, um, spiderwebs. The spiderweb material is more valuable than silk, but harvesting from spiders was next to impossible.

How Many Stephen Colberts Are There? He formed a Super-PAC last summer and is now starting to use it to highlight the absurdities of our election process.

Stephen Hawking Understands Everything but Women. Black holes, the nature of time, and subatomic particles are easy in comparison (unless you're a woman).

USC’s Ski and Snowboard Team Thrashes Mammoth Mountain. Looks like a lot of fun, but I wonder how many broken bones it takes to get this good.

Believe it or not, Kodak is going bankrupt after 130 years. Take a trip through the company's history before it's gone completely.

The 6 Most Mind-Blowing Modern Ghost Towns. Bad planning and way too much ambition add up to some weird and wasteful land use. NSFW text.

Former Egyptian First Lady Suzanne Mubarak lives in luxury, just like she did before the Arab Spring. The power she wielded as part of the Mubarak government is unknown to many outside the country, but she is hated in Egypt.

A Chinese construction company built a 30-story hotel in just 15 days. Watch the time-lapse video and think about whether you would stay there.

Gerald McBoingBoing

2012-01-09T00:09:00.000-05:00

The animated version of the Dr. Seuss tale from 1951. (via mental_floss)

The End of Prohibition

2012-01-08T00:03:00.000-05:00

Scenes from the repeal, taken in New Jersey in 1933. Music by Spike Jones.

Leo Learns to Roar

2012-01-07T00:04:00.000-05:00

He hasn't exactly got the tone down yet. (via reddit)

Links for Fun and Entertainment

2012-01-06T05:51:00.005-05:00

The Battlestar Galactica Video Game. If you haven't seen the entire 2044-2009 series, be aware that this contains spoilers, but its totally worth it.

Awwwright, Dude! Watch turtles give each other a high-five underwater.

A glitch in the new game Star Wars: The Old Republic has characters becoming invulnerable if they keep dancing. Add a little music, and you can prevent a war!

British footballer and actor Vinnie Jones shows you how to do "hard and fast" hands-only CPR. Or he might jump-start your heart just out of sheer fright.

The 6 Most Ridiculous Abuses of Diplomatic Immunity.

Literally Unbelievable is a website dedicated to documenting those moments on Facebook when people react to Onion articles as they were real news stories.

‘Huge Group Of Girls’ Is The Most Ridiculous Comedy Music Video You’ll See Today. All the better because it's sung my men. (NSFW lyrics)

Here's an ad that didn't make the cut in Dorito's annual fan-ad competition. I can't imagine anyone else making the chips look better.

General Zoi's Pony Creator lets you design your own My Little Pony. Five-year-olds and Bronies will stay busy all weekend!

Return of the Farting Jedi. Oh, it's simple and mindless and juvenile, but you'll laugh before it's over.

The Internet’s Famousest Felines. Enjoy the cats, but be aware this was written before Maru and Shiro became well-known.

The Artists

2012-01-06T00:05:00.000-05:00

A game of one-upmanship gets out of hand in a rivalry between two painters. You can see the end coming, but that doesn't detract from the charm of this animation by Giant Creative. (via Tastefully Offensive)

8 Heroic U.S. Military Chaplains

2012-01-05T14:11:00.001-05:00

While researching the post 10 Heroic Battlefield Medics, I came across a couple of fascinating stories about military chaplains and their wartime exploits. Those stories were filed away for later, and they grew into a list of stories that deserve to be told and remembered. They are presented here in more or less chronological order in an article I wrote for mental_floss.

Informative Links

2012-01-05T05:52:00.004-05:00

Tipper vs. Music. The story of Tipper Gore and her 1985 campaign to label music with explicit lyrics.

The Highest-Grossing Films of 2011. What does it say about our tastes that eight of the top ten are sequels?

Gigantic Glowing Forms Hovering Over The World's Cities. You may think of UFOs, but they are enormous featherweight art installations from Janet Echelman.

There's a shortage of ADHD drugs. Is it the DEA's fault for cracking down on abuse, or the manufacturer's fault for trying to maximize profits?

Money for (Practically) Nothing: 4 Very Big Paychecks for Very Little Work. The problem is that these schemes are pretty much un-reproducable.

Police are investigating the discovery of an unidentified murder victim on the grounds of Queen Elizabeth's country estate Sandringham. It sounds suspiciously like a plot from a popular British TV show.

Five opinions on why the Iowa caucuses are so important. And number 6 is that it gives us something to talk about.

In 2011, Kein Lam took 19 planes, 18 boats, and 58 buses to visit 17 countries. He recorded plenty of video and packed the entire adventure into one frenetic video.

Three guys took up crochet as a hobby because they wanted cool accessories. years later, they turned that hobby into an industry that employs impoverished women in Uganda and Peru.

Harry Burkhart is accused of serial arson in more than 50 Los Angeles area fires. The plot thickens as we find his mother was arrested on behalf of the german government for mysterious undisclosed charges.

Second-Cheapest Syndrome. You don't want to get the very cheapest, but you want to save money -yet marketers have already figured you out.

New York: The Wonder City

2012-01-05T00:06:00.000-05:00

A newsreel from 1938 (via Metafilter)

Funny Links

2012-01-04T05:19:00.003-05:00

How to Write a Ph.D. Dissertation.

13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True.

The 1980s Film Alphabet. I guessed all of them -can you?

In a series of text messages and photos, a drunk octopus steals a diver's camera and then relates his adventures to other cephalopods. There's really nothing I can add to that.

Gravitas is a simple physics game in which you release a little red block by rotating the fence holding it. Or multiple fences. And please avoid the force field!

The dancing inmates at the Cebu Detention Center in the Pilippines have inspired a web-only musical production. Part one of Prison Dancer will drop in March, but the teaser should hold you until then.

If you are going to graduate this year, don't do this, especially in high heels. Hundreds of parents are videotaping the event, and your name will be enshrined for posterity.

A Supercut of Gene Shalit’s Most Delicious Puns. Each is like a very small bonus for listening to the movie reviews.

This is what happens when you give kids thousands of stickers. They take your boring monochrome decor and make it all happy and colorful.

This guy hooked together a Nao robot, a Kinect sensor bar, two Wii remotes, a head-mounted display, and a treadmill for the purpose of brushing his cat. All this technology only worked because the cat is extremely tolerant.

Is this a cheap foreign knockoff of Star Trek, or a parody that attempts to look like a cheap foreign knockoff? Does it honestly matter?

Fishing Under Ice is about ice fishing from a completely different perspective. That perspective is the fishermen standing upside down on the underside of the ice!

A Very Very Sleepy Kitten

2012-01-04T00:04:00.000-05:00

Leave me alone! I learning to be a cat! (via Metafilter)

Not Your Parents’ Action Figures

2012-01-03T10:32:00.001-05:00

Action figures began with Habro’s introduction of G.I. Joe in 1964. Since then, they’ve become associated with the marketing of TV, film, and comic book characters. But those are just the ones you see all the time. If you look, you’ll find just about anyone available as an action figure, which can spur imaginative play, fill out your collection, or give you bragging rights when your friends see them. See quite a few of these in a list I posted at mental_floss.

Interesting Reads

2012-01-03T06:04:00.005-05:00

A Salute to the Weird World Records Set in 2011. The biggest Afro, the most piercings, the longest tongue, the longest kiss ...wait, those last two are not related.

The top 8 parenting controversies of 2011. Everyone makes mistakes, but throwing common sense out the window will get you on the news.

I only learned today that Alfred Hitchcock's 1961 film The Birds was inspired by a real incident. And they've only now figured out what caused it.

The 7 Creepiest Abandoned Brothels on Earth. Urban exploration takes a turn for the world's oldest profession in this photo gallery.

The Year in Weird: The 10 Most Insane News Stories of 2011. Including the prurient and tragic stories not found in our roundup.

The worst political gaffes of 2011. Everyone makes mistakes; it's how you own up to it that reveals a lot more.

Celebrity Gossip Is Making Us Stupid. While the news outlets cover Charlie Sheen and the Kardashians, news that affects our lives gets swept to the side.

One of the few things that separate humans from apes is the habit of cooking our food. But Kanzi the bonobo learned to cook his own food, from lighting the match to toasting marshmallows on a stick.

So far, orangutans don't cook, but they love their iPads. The Milwaukee Zoo is trying to get them wifi so they can network with each other.

An Interview with George Musser, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to String Theory. You can finally find out what the Large Hadron Collider is supposed to do.

Buff Your Brain! A few shortcuts to increasing your IQ make it simpler than you thought.

Bob Anderson, who choreographed all the major movie sword fights of the past few decades, passed away at age 89. In a video interview, Anderson and Viggo Mortensen talk about the art of film swordplay.

Marilyn Monroe Coke Commercial

2012-01-03T00:08:00.000-05:00

Scenes from the 1951 movie Love Nest were edited into a Coke ad, which may or may not have been an official ad, but there is no confirmation it ever aired as an advertisement. (via Everlasting Blort)

Links for Fun

2012-01-02T05:43:00.003-05:00

The Win/Luck Compilation of 2011 video shows people (and animals) getting the most out of life. It's as if they tried to make a fail compilation ...and failed.

If a celebrity were going to move in next door to you, who would you prefer to have as a neighbor? Let's see who everyone else selected.

A new brothel in Nevada is going to cater to geek tastes. Dennis Hof has enlisted Heidi Fleiss to help develop the sci-fi-themed Alien Cathouse.

The Most Overlooked Movies of 2011. If you didn't catch them the first time around, they'll fit in your Netflix queue.

Will Ferrel has a Spanish-language comedy coming out in March. The trailer for Casa De Mi Padre indicates it will be a festival of stereotypes.

The Best Local News Bloopers Of 2011. The news is broadcast live every day, but you screw up once and it's on YouTube forever.

Crocodile Captures Lawnmower.

My Top Ten Top Ten Top Ten list. Plus several articles on why we make top ten lists. (via Metafilter)

Back to the Who-verse features a meeting between Dr. Emmet Brown and Doctor Who. You knew those timelines would cross sooner or later.

Jamu the 500-pound lion gets his hair and nails done. I don't recall this situation being addressed at beauty school at all.

Two brothers add a DVD-style commentary track to their own old home movies. You can tell how the family dynamics have not changed much over the years.

Puppy Wolf

2012-01-02T00:09:00.000-05:00

A young Pomeranian hears and returns the call of the wild. Who knew a dog who dreams of being a wolf could be so gosh-darned adorable? (via I Am Bored)

Auld Lang Syne: Celebrating 1950

2012-01-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year 2012!

Shim Sham

2011-12-31T00:02:00.000-05:00

Frankie Manning and Erin Stevens teach you to shim sham! (via Everlasting Blort)

Good Reads and Information

2011-12-30T05:59:00.002-05:00

Miss Cellania's Year-end Lists series continues, on TV, Sports, People, News, and

The Avengers was not filmed in 3D, but a 3D version will be produced with post-production effects. Just in case anyone wants to wear glasses and pay more to see the film, which not many people do anymore.

Failed Flavors Of Popular Snack Foods.

Astrophotographer Stephané Guisard created a time-lapse video of the comet Lovejoy over the Andes. If that doesn't make you feel small and awe-struck, I don't know what will.

Fields Awash with the Glow of a Thousand Lights. Bruce Munro art installation looks awesome in places all over the world.

Daredevil John Paul Stapp put his body through the wringer to test ways the transportation industry could be made safer. Along the way, he earned the nickname “The Fastest Man on Earth.”

8 Ways to Cross the English Channel (without a boat). Personally, I'd rather just ride along with someone else.

Gingrich, Perry, Bachmann, and Santorum Go Extreme on Abortion. Opposing abortion even in cases of rape and incest is theologically consistent, but may be too much for voters.

MIT Developed a Suit That Makes You Feel 75 Years Old. Its purpose is to make you young whippersnappers aware of how really difficult it is to physically deal with a world that routinely ignores the aging.

Weapons of Mass Seduction: 5 Infamous Female Spies. You would have never known them -if you had ever known them.

Growing wealth widens distance between lawmakers and constituents.

Miss Cellania’s Top 20 Weird News Stories of 2011

2011-12-29T10:09:00.002-05:00

Every week, I comb the internet to bring you strange news stories that you might not otherwise see, and it’s been quite an experience. Some are surely worth another look as we say goodbye to 2011. Here are 20 stories from The Weird Week in Review that were particularly bizarre, funny, or memorable, in a year-end list at mental_floss.

Links for Fun

2011-12-29T05:55:00.004-05:00

The Coming and Going of Cello Scrotum.

It's always nice to have a friend help you out. This cat helped her kitten friend climb down the ladder.

The 8 wackiest inventions of 2011. Some are actually pretty cool, but may never reach the affordable consumer market.

The geekiest gingerbread house ever resembles the Transformer Megatron. Watch it transform from a house into a robot.

Have you ever seen a young tortoise with a depth perception problem? Wouldn't he be even cuter with tiny little tortoiseshell glasses?

Dinosaur Office Romance. It looks just as civilized at most offices I've worked in.

Friday has been canceled in Samoa.

Die Hard, Interrupted is a mashup of the communications in the movie Die Hard. NSFW language, but if you're lucky, you're still off for holiday vacation.

Why would a soft drink vending machine offer free wi-fi? Because you have to stand close to the machine to use it, and you will eventually get thirsty. Genius!

Introducing LEGO Civil Unrest building sets, featuring Occupy Wall Street and Arab Spring versions. I would buy both if they were real.

Sour Apple Lollipop

2011-12-29T00:08:00.000-05:00

Eaten by a cat.

Interesting Links

2011-12-28T06:19:00.004-05:00

Check out the best and worst of 2011 in Miss Cellania's Year-end lists: Art & Literature, Music, Movies, and Science.

Prometheus is Ridley Scott’s prequel story to Alien, which is a much better idea than doing another sequel. After two teasers, we finally have a trailer for the film.

A Dutch magazine called singer Rihanna “a combination of two of the nastiest words you can call any black woman.” When the reaction came, the editor didn’t understand why no one got the “joke.” (Language warning)

The United States doesn’t even crack the top ten in time spent using social networks. That could be explained by the famously short American attention span.

20 Incredible Images from China’s Giant Snow Sculpture Festival. Artists come to Harbin and try to outdo themselves (and each other) every year.

The 7 biggest political downfalls of 2011. You can tell it was a big year, as the U.S. barely made the top five.

The Forgotten Cold War: 20 Years Later, Myths About U.S. Victory Persist. Helping the Soviets to lose was a delicate and complicated process.

Louis CK’s Shameful Dirty Comedy. The comedian touches something in all of us when he explores the idea of right and wrong and how he -meaning we- fail to live up to our concept of ourselves. (via Metafilter)

A four-word review of the new film War Horse. I could just tell you the words, but you really should see the pictures that go with it.

10 Sleep Snippets. Some facts you really ought to know as you try your best to get the necessary hours of regeneration in.

Who Put the Benzadrine in Mrs Murphys Ovaltine?

2011-12-28T00:06:00.000-05:00

Harry "the Hipster" Gibson recorded this in 1944. It caused him to be blacklisted. (via Metafilter)

Funny Links

2011-12-27T05:20:00.006-05:00

Siri is so helpful, personable, and uncanny, that she would make a great movie villain. Murder? There’s an app for that!

People Who Didn't Get What They Wanted For Christmas. And then there's this girl.

Edifice Complex. A look at buildings that look like other things besides buildings.

2011's Top UFO Sightings And Paranormal News. You might call the year "out of this world."

The best cat video of 2011. My four cats will probably smother me in my sleep for laughing at this, but I couldn't help myself.

When you put a pair of pants on this dog, something magical happens. Now you can go out and buy tiny little pants, but your mileage may vary.

A close look at a cereal box reveal a basic mistake about the difference between Batman and those who want to be Batman. The end is downright tragic.

Jerome Simpson Scores the Most Ridiculous Touchdown Flip Into the Endzone Ever. Is this American football or Olympic gymnastics?

A young Pomeranian puppy hears and returns the call of the wild. Who knew a dog dreaming of being a wolf could be so gosh-darned adorable?

Brave Kitten

2011-12-27T00:05:00.000-05:00

I know this Rottweiler is a pussycat, but the little kitten doesn't. He stands up to this unknown threat like a real badass! (via Buzzfeed)

You're The Cure For What Ails Me

2011-12-26T00:04:00.000-05:00

Al Jolson and Sybil Jason from the 1936 movie The Singing Kid. Jason died this past August.

Carol of the Bells

2011-12-25T00:06:00.000-05:00

Four part harmony by one woman. Nice!

Snoopy and the Red Baron

2011-12-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

(via Phil’s Phun)

7 Strange Christmas Traditions

2011-12-23T07:51:00.002-05:00

A few years ago, I wrote about strange Christmas traditions like Krampus, Caga Tia, the Caganer, Mari Lwyd, Zwarte Piet, the pickle ornament, the TV Yule Log, and Christmas in Japan (which involves several odd customs). Since then, I’ve uncovered a few more that may fall outside your experience, in a list I posted at mental_floss.

Christmas Links

2011-12-23T05:42:00.004-05:00

26 Of The Best Of The Worst Family Holiday Cards. Something inside me really would like to send out cards like these -or like some of them, anyway.

Your Six Christmas Movies. The stages of your life are defined by the holiday movies you watch. NSFW language.

Where Candy Canes Come From. And where do they go? Mine disappear from the tree in no time.

The Evolution of Santa Claus. The only thing he now has in common with the original is the spirit of giving.

109 Cats Celebrating Christmas. Because wrapping paper, trees, and turkey might just be worth having to wear a silly costume.

Santa Claus gives honest answers to some important but difficult questions from fans. Better stock up on fortune cookies!

The holiday season's 8 most anticipated films. Read and decide which ones to take family to when you get tired of speaking to each other.

5 Questions on the Origins of Christmas. The holiday has changed a lot since it was first celebrated in the fourth century.

Have A Weird Christmas! It's a bunch of links to make you laugh about bot having a perfect holiday. Don't skip the 12 STDs of Christmas.

Jewish Christmas Traditions.

A Mixtape For People Who Hate The Holidays.

You Better Watch Out: 7 Evil Santas in TV and Film. As if sneaking into your house and eating your cookies isn't already evil enough.

Christmas Tree Fads and Fashions. Bringing a tree inside is completely illogical, but we just like to do it.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2011-12-23T00:02:00.000-05:00

From Straight No Chaser. (via Everlasting Blort)

Fun and Funny Links

2011-12-22T05:39:00.003-05:00

Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes, and Jim Carey re-enact "The Night Before Christmas." With the help of lots and lots of whiskey. NSFW language.

The remake of American Psycho is supposed to move the story from the 1980s to a modern-day setting, a move that has some film buffs unhappy. Here's a vision of what that might be like: "one of the dumber things we've ever done."

I bet it would be fun to dress up like a snowman and scare people when they get too close. But you run the risk of something like this happening.

It’s Christmas Eve in Arkham City. With Batman around, criminals can't even enjoy a quiet holiday.

The late Kim Jong Il was such a cartoonish character that he almost demanded parody. Pop culture was glad to accommodate, as this list of comedic portrayals illustrates.

The world's most over-the-top Christmas decorations. I joke that my house can be seen from the ISS at night, but it can't hold an LED candle to these homes!

The punsters at Fark are doing their end-of-the-year voting for the funniest headlines. Check out the best geek submissions and pat yourself on the back if you "get" them all.

What should you name a compilation of unintentional double entendres from local newscasts? That’s What She Said, of course. May be unsuitable for work.

Finally, a little relief for Lord of the Rings fans who've been waiting for years to see The Hobbit. The movie won't be out for another year, but we have the trailer!

The trailer for The Dark Knight Rises is barely out and the parodies are already being produced. I'm sure this will not be the last one that makes fun of the fact that you cannot understand what one or two of the main characters say.

The Night Santa Went Crazy

2011-12-22T00:05:00.000-05:00

By Weird Al Yankovic. (Thanks, Rich!)

10 Strange and Wonderful 2012 Calendars

2011-12-21T07:13:00.001-05:00

If you’re going to look at the same thing every day for an entire year, you should make it something attractive, meaningful, or worth a laugh. This applies to roommates, significant others, or calendars. Last year’s roundup of calendars was so popular, we ended up with a second edition compiled from your suggestions. There are at least as many fascinating calendars offered this year. Here are a few strange and interesting calendars for 2012 in a list I posted at mental_floss.

Good Reads and Interesting Links

2011-12-21T05:41:00.002-05:00

8 Reasons why the Nine of Diamonds is Unlucky.

A series on autism starts by asking whether it is more prevalent today or just more likely to be diagnosed. There are links to the other articles in this thoughtful series. (via Metafilter)

Several decisions before the Supreme Court may affect the 2012 presidential election. Learn the issues and what each side wants.

5 things the world hated most about Kim Jong Il. It will take years to unravel all the craziness he brought North Korea.

It's a family affair: The late North Korean leader's rank passes to his 27-year-old son Kim Jong-un, who may have to battle the despot's sister Kim Kyong Hui and her husband Jang Song-taek for real power. Not to mention his two older brothers and maybe even some non-relatives.

Inside Northampton State Lunatic Asylum. A once-beautiful yet frightening facility is now an abandoned ruin.

Snow-Clearing from SUV Roofs and from Fire Hydrants: An Informal Look.

Eating Less Can Keep Your Brain Young. Young, flexible, and hungry.

As the wife of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Anne Sinclair appears to be the most accepting spouse ever. She's just "too proud to be jealous."

The World's Smallest Firefighter is 19-year-old Vince Brasco. He doesn't let being 4 feet 2 inches tall keep him from doing his job.

Take a peek at the sport of Bunny Rabbit Showjumping! These athletes are the cutest competitors of all time.

Decorating the Christmas Tree at Biltmore

2011-12-21T00:09:00.000-05:00

A time-lapse movie of some serious tree decoration.

Link for Fun

2011-12-20T05:39:00.005-05:00

A construction crew deals with a runaway concrete buffing machine. Needs more Yakety Sax.

Here's a look at Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. OK, it's a poster, but it's a striking poster that would look good in your office.

A photo shoot for a couple's engagement in Brooklyn is a keeper. The bride, the groom, the ninja assault, and his comeuppance all turned out nicely.

If you're out past curfew, you might be able to sneak in your house through the chimney. But unless you are Santa Claus, you might get stuck and have to be rescued.

A construction crew deals with a runaway concrete buffing machine. Needs more Yakety Sax.

Here's a look at Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. OK, it's a poster, but it's a striking poster that would look good in your office.
A dash-cam recording from a trip down an icy road in Russia should remind you to drive slowly and cautiously in bad conditions. It just might also give you the willies.

Wanna play some pinball? Wanna play some pinball on the front of a building? We can do that now!

The 29-second wait to see what this cat will do is totally worth it. Trust me.

The Absolute Very Worst Movies Of 2011! A list that was really difficult to compile as there were so many contenders.

Did I tell you about the night a camel interrupted a news interview in Turkey? That's just the first of several stories of camel shenanigans.

Do you know how Santa Claus keeps up with all the good girls and boys in this modern age? He has a personal assistant named Siri.

The Sugar Plum Fairy on Glass Harp

2011-12-20T00:07:00.000-05:00

Recorded at the Chamber Music Festival in Bologna, Italy in June 2010. Performed by Polish musicians The Glass Duo. (via Metafilter)

How to Spot a Communist

2011-12-19T00:07:00.000-05:00

(via Cynical-C)

Good Reads and Information

2011-12-19T00:03:00.002-05:00

The crime against women that no one understands. In the cases against Jeffrey Marsalis the jury certainly didn't. (via Metafilter)

The Affordable Care Act requires that all Americans get health insurance, or pay a fine. Whether or not that's a good idea, some say it is unconstitutional. http://theweek.com/article/index/222477/the-individual-mandate-health-cares-inherent-controversy

A company that contracts for the Pentagon to feed soldiers in Afghanistan was caught overbilling millions for unauthorized and nonexistent supplies. The surprising part is that the Pentagon is demanding that they pay $760 million back.

TV folks tried to tell us that commercials really weren't louder than the programming, but we know they were. The FCC knows it too, and has ruled that broadcasters and cable providers must keep an eye on the volume.

America's child homelessness problem is worse than its ever been, with 1.6 million kids living in shelters, on the streets, or doubled up with another family. Not having a stable, permanent home or school puts a real damper on a childhood.

The 5 Most Horrifyingly Wasteful Film Shoots.

10 of the Greatest Guerrilla Marketing Campaigns of All-Time.

Here's a look at Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer. OK, it's a poster, but it's a striking poster that would look good in your office.

A photo shoot for a couple's engagement in Brooklyn is a keeper. The bride, the groom, the ninja assault, and his comeuppance all turned out nicely.

"A succession of government inquiries dating back to the 1934 McCulloch Report in New South Wales show that over half a million Australians experienced childhood in an orphanage, children's home, training school, institution or some other form of out-of-home care in environments of excessively cruel and brutal institutionalised violence." Read more about the Tamworth Institution for Boys. (via Metafilter)

Release the Hounds!

2011-12-18T00:06:00.000-05:00

They are actually chocolate Labrador retriever puppies, but I couldn't resist using that title. (via Arbroath)

Wedding Dance

2011-12-17T00:05:00.000-05:00

The traditional Boruch Hagever/Yidden dance, at a wedding in Israel.

Friday Fun Links

2011-12-16T05:20:00.004-05:00

10 of the Greatest Guerrilla Marketing Campaigns of All-Time.

12 Things You Might Not Know About A Christmas Story (even though you’ve seen it 90 times).

A '90s Kid's Christmas List. And if all of these things were still available, you'd ask for them again just for the memories, wouldn't you?

You might not have heard of "The Spielberg Face," but you've no doubt seen it. The shot that finds its way into every Spielberg film makes us feel what the director wants us to.

Freeboarding combines skateboarding with the riding style of snowboarding. It looks like a lot of fun for skaters good enough not to break their necks!

College Humor's The Year in Funny. Click a month, then check out what went viral when throughout 2011.

2011: The Cinescape is a wonderfully edited six-minute retrospective of the year's movies. For those of us who don't go to the theater, it's a great preview of coming DVD attractions.

A baby seal wandered into Annette Swoffer's house in New Zealand and made himself at home. He curled up on the couch and went to sleep until the ASPCA came.

12 Harsh Truths About the Internet.

These cute little hedgehogs are interactive. Select one and it will sing for you!

Owl Pets Dog

2011-12-16T00:04:00.000-05:00

I don't know if he owl is petting the dog, or trying to comb that hair!

Interesting Links

2011-12-15T06:02:00.007-05:00

Over the Rainbow: The Technicolor Life of the Man Who Created Oz.

The Stories Behind 10 Dr. Seuss Stories. It's nice to learn some trivia about your favorite childhood reads.

Nicole Maines and her brother Jonas were born identical twins, but they look very different at age 14. Nicole was named Wyatt at birth, but showed sign of being a girl from a very early age. (via Metafilter)

Lowes pulled its ads from the TV show American Muslim because of complaints from a conservative group. Is the move Islamophobic, pandering, or just a business decision?

Dutch sociopath Joran Van der Sloot was the last person to see Natalie Holloway alive, and is awaiting trial for killing Stephany Flores. Although he's in a Peruvian jail, he's still picking up women.

Bees vs. Hornets vs. Wasps: What’s the Difference? Plus some other animals you may get confused with each other.

Newt Gingrich's Career in One Comic Strip.

Homes and college degrees are not the path to the American dream. And they're not worth sinking yourself in debt for.

Gene Simmon's website was attacked, and a hacker was arrested. It's another round in the battle between the outspoken anti-piracy KISS member and his Anonymous opponents.

Watch these adorable sloths crawl their way into your heart. They're slow, but they'll get there.

A fight broke out during an anger-management class and a woman stabbed a classmate. They have probably been skipping their homework assignments.

The Brutal Sport of Modern Day Jousting. It may be safer than the medieval equivalent, but you can't tell it by looking.

Links for Fun and Entertainment

2011-12-14T05:19:00.006-05:00

You know you're a cop if...

Tastes Like TV. When TV characters cook, the results are often disgusting.

There's been a number of strange Santa sightings lately. He's been seen swimming with sharks, playing with guns, and bungee jumping.

You'd expect a robot called MorpHex to change somehow. Watch as it changes from a sphere to a six-legged scary looking morphing monster ...no, actually it's cute and dances well.

The movie we've all been waiting for: Worst in Show is a documentary about the 2011 World’s Ugliest Dog Competition. Watch the trailer and see how much these ugly dogs are loved.

The trailer for Men In Black III is out. This time, it involves time travel.

This is What Extreme Pogo Sticking Looks Like On a GoPro. Plus other video tricks that make extreme jumping look really cool.

The Creepiest Christmas Parade Ever, starring Krampus!

Slingshot Santa! One of my favorite Christmas diversions.

New research finds out stuff about whatever. (via Not Exactly Rocket Science)

Flavorpill’s Holiday Gift Guide: 100 Gifts for 100 Cultural Icons. Perfect presents for the person you thought already had everything. they needed.

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jeff Gurwood recreated the opening scene in stop-motion animation. Indymation, starring action figures, took six months to complete.

Christmas in Australia

2011-12-13T12:51:00.002-05:00

Christmas in Europe and North America is celebrated as a winter holiday, and includes imagery of snow, long nights, and warm clothes and fattening food to fight the cold. Australia, however, is in the Southern Hemisphere, where Christmas falls in the middle of summer. Often a blazing hot summer! But Australia was settled by immigrants from many countries who brought Christmas traditions with them. Some of these traditions stay the same, some were adapted for the weather, and some customs have emerged that are clearly Australian. Read about them in this article I posted at mental_floss.

Goods Reads and Information

2011-12-13T05:48:00.005-05:00

Love and Amnesia. How do you explain your marriage to a spouse who doesn't remember you?

Data from geomagnetic storms was converted into sound and video to make this piece of video art. Now, who gets to claim credit as the artist?

London cab drivers must memorized the city's map before they are licensed. Eleanor Maguire studies the changes in their brains as they learn all the routes. (via Metafilter)

Would you like to use a touchscreen that lets you feel textures? The new technology uses an "an ultra-low electrical current" to simulate the sensation of different surfaces.

No Place Like Home: Truly Disgusting Houses. They might make you sick, but you'll feel better about your own housekeeping habits.

Rick Perry's Religious War.

5 Terrible Things You Can't Stop Your Children From Doing.

Twitter has been redesigned to make using it easier to use. Now you can follow conversations -kind of like Facebook.

The 40 Best Protest Signs Of 2011. Between Egypt, Libya, Wisconsin, Occupy, Slut Walk, and other protests around the world, the competition for this list was fierce.

Police are looking to the online gaming community for leads in a murder case. There's no evidence of a connection, but investigators are not discounting any possibilities.

Li'l Drac is a baby short-tailed fruit bat that was taken in by Bat World Sanctuary. He's about the size of your thumb, and as cute as a baby bat can be.

Peas on Earth.

Limonchiki

2011-12-13T00:07:00.000-05:00

By the Amsterdam Klezmer Band. Limonchiki means lemon, but it's also slang for money. This song is about crime!

Fun and Funny Links

2011-12-12T05:16:00.004-05:00

The 12 All-Time Ugliest Christmas Sweaters. And some are still available to buy!

Imagine the game angry Birds as a movie. Now go watch a trailer for that imaginary movie.

An American Psycho remake? That movie came out only eleven years ago, so it's going to take something special to impress people into watching a remake.

The Definitive Collection Of Cat Gifs. This ought to keep you busy -and in stitches- for a while.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was actually The Worst Teacher of All Time. (via Geeks Are Sexy)

Everything you ever needed to know about The Hokey Pokey.

You know correlation does not equal causation, but not everyone knows it. If you want to argue a point, all you need is two fitting sets of stats and a graph. (via Neatorama)

Togepi the cockatiel can croon the Mario Bros theme. Next thing you know, he'll be beating Superman at the game.

The mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico and his family wish you a Merry Christmas. And Chuck Testa, too.

Zac Ephron stars in a Nicholas Sparks story in a film called The Lucky One. That's all it takes to guarantee my house full of daughters will be lined up at the theater when it opens.

Math artist Vi Hart has a triangle party. It sounds way more fun than geometry class.

The Hare and the Tortoise

2011-12-12T00:06:00.000-05:00

The 1947 version Aesop's fable, produced by Encyclopedia Brittanica Films. (via Nag on the Lake)

Ormie the Pig

2011-12-11T00:03:00.000-05:00

Ormie wants a cookie. There's a reason we put cookies up on top of the refrigerator -so little pigs can't get them! Ormie does have his own Facebook page, though. (via the Presurfer)