Night Vision

(via Fark)

The Return

Things that loomed so big in our memories look so very small when we return to them later. That doesn't mean we love them any less. This award-winning film by Natalia Chernysheva illustrates that feeling. (via Nag on the Lake)

It Happened Again

Please enjoy my cartoon for Tuesday's Toronto Star

[image or embed]

— Theo Moudakis (@theomoudakis.bsky.social) August 10, 2026 at 4:05 PM

Excuse

From 1966. (via Undine)

Conan Sends Letterman a Trojan Horse

This aired on Late Night with Conan O’Brien more than 30 years ago. It was a cunning plan, until... well, you know New York. They got busted for illegal parking. 

What

(via Give Me a Sign)

Taylor

Have you ever heard of a cat who likes to wear a cone? Well, cats all have unique personalities, so it shouldn't surprise us that there is one, somewhere. 

Waking Up

(via Pleated-Jeans)

The Pirate Queen

Zheng Yi Sao was an 18th century woman in China, which means she had three strikes against her already, but she was smart and ambitious. She understood power dynamics, politics, and spotting an opportunity. We don't know too much about her early life, but she stepped into history when she impressed and then married Zheng Yi, a powerful pirate captain, and demanded that she be an equal partner in his enterprises. This was apparently well worth it to him. Upon Zheng Yi's death, Zheng Yi Sao, who was already an equal partner, wasn't about to let her sons call the shots. That's how she got the title the Pirate Queen.

As she consolidated power and led raids on various communities, she became known as Ching Shi, commander of up to 80,000 pirates and thousands of ships. How did she wield such power? She commanded loyalty by sharing spoils among the pirates. She had strict rules, but they weren't all that onerous considering the rewards. Non-pirates were terrified of her, as the fleet's raids could leave thousands dead in the communities they plundered. Neither the Chinese government nor fleets of other countries could hold a candle to the confederate pirate fleet under Ching Shi's command. How did this reign of terror end? Not the way you'd think. Remember, the Pirate Queen was a master at spotting an opportunity.         

Miss Cellania's Links

Traces of Two Extinct ‘Ghost’ Ancestors Were Found Hiding in Modern Human DNA, Hinting at Our Extremely Complex Family Tree. 

Audrey Hepburn’s Lifelong Trauma from Growing Up in Nazi-Occupied Netherlands Led Her to Turn Down a High-Profile Role. (via Damn Interesting) 

The story of the Florence Y'all Water Tower. (via Boing Boing) 

Did Medieval Castles Really Have Dungeons? (via Strange Company) 

DNA on the Shroud of Turin reveals centuries of hidden history. (via Nag on the Lake) 

What teachers do during the summer. 

Those Exit Numbers On Highways Are Telling You More Than You Might Think. Except in New York. 

The US Navy's Failed Formosa Expedition. A battle we didn't learn enough from. 

The Babson Boulders of Dogtown. 

New Girlfriend

(via Fark)

TK630 - A Star Wars Fan Film

In this fan film by Brendan H. Banks, a marooned Imperial scout trooper is tracking a Jedi on an unfamiliar planet. Since the odds of escape are pretty low, he may as well complete his mission. But then a kid shows up. The sequence is beautifully shot, but if you are pinched for time, you can skip forward to 2:45 to catch the story. (via Digg)

Squirrel Chaser

(via Bad Newspaper)

Erc

Redditors argued that his name should be derived from a name that normally has two eyes, like Philip, but spelled either Philp or Phlip. You'll be glad to know that Erc has been adopted. (via reddit) 

The Barney and Betty Hill Alien Abduction Story

While strange unidentified things in the sky have always been with us, the idea of a flying saucer didn't become a thing until 1947, and even then it was misinterpreted. https://www.neatorama.com/2022/09/09/The-Flying-Saucers-of-Alaska/ But it sparked alien fever among Americans. But seeing a flying saucer was nothing compared to being abducted by aliens! The stories you've read have many things in common, which often hark back to the original account of Barney and Betty Hill in 1961. 

A dark isolated road, a flying saucer sighting, missing time, and curious evidence left behind. A couple of years later, more details emerged under hypnosis. The Hills stuck with their story, although it was pretty vague to begin with. There are several possible explanations, but nothing was ever conclusively proven one way or another.  

Genius Sign

(via TYWKIWDBI)

Mittens

(via Fark)

The Cheetahpult

We knew cheetahs were born to run, but who knew that liked to play fetch? The Oregon Zoo throws balls for their cheetahs to chase for exercise and enrichment, and in order to fling them fast and far enough, they built a huge slingshot they call the Cheetahpult. Imagine getting to shoot that contraption and play ball with large cats ...and getting paid for it. (via Laughing Squid)

Kissing Advice

From 1920. (via Undine)

War of the Satellites

War of the Satellites is a 1958 Roger Corman movie made to take advantage of the space fever that covered the globe after the soviets launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957. It was filmed over ten days for $70,000. The United Nations has a plan to launch satellites, but an alien force, the Masters of the Spiral Nebula Ghana, interferes because they consider humans as an infection and want us contained. To further thwart earth's space plans, an alien possesses the body of Dr. Van Ponder, the head of the project. The rest of the movie is a drama about an alien in human form, interspersed with some space scenes that don't make much sense. The reviews were kind, praising the special effects and the lead actors. (Thanks, WTM!)