(Thanks, WTM!)
Saturday, October 12, 2024
The Phone Alarm Must Be Destroyed
If you wake up by a phone alarm, your natural instinct is to make it stop by any means necessary, and if you are too sleepy to function, that may even include destroying the phone. Joseph Herscher of Joseph's Machines made a chain reaction contraption that tries to do just that. But while the machine works, all it does is move the phone through the course of the device, without harming it at all.
The reason for that is that this is an ad. Herscher got the attention of Casetify, a company that makes protective phone cases. He was glad to construct a Rube Goldberg machine to abuse the phone mercilessly to show how well the case protects it even if it meant his machine didn't quite do the job it was seemingly designed for. The chain reaction machine made more noise than the alarm! And at the end, after all that nonsense, he got up out of bed against his wishes by the actions of the machine anyway. (via Boing Boing)
The Art of Yosegi-zaiku
In his workshop in Hakone, Japan, a master craftsman shows us the art of Yosegi-zaiku. You really should watch the video before you read the Wikipedia article on it, because you'll enjoy discovering what it's all about as he goes through the process. Also, the video itself is beautiful and soothing, with lovely music. If you spot any finished Yosegi-zaiku products in a shop, or maybe in a friend’s home, you’ll be glad you can explain what goes into it. (via reddit)
Tweet of the Day
Maybe they're Christmas caroling!I woulda been scared as hell, what in the twilight 😳 pic.twitter.com/hZzrhTpDkx
— Nature is Amazing ☘️ (@AMAZlNGNATURE) October 10, 2024
Friday, October 11, 2024
Dr. Phibes Rises Again
The sequel to The Abominable Dr. Phibes is the horror comedy Dr. Phibes Rises Again from 1972. Vincent Price stars as Dr. Anton Phibes, released from his suspended animation by the alignment of the moon and planets. Critics disagreed on whether it was any better than the original, which wasn't really saying much.
The Pumpkin Predator
When you live in Alaska, you can have Halloween problems the rest of us don't. (via Digg)
The Real Reason Cheese is Yellow
Cheese is made of milk, which is white, but many of our cheeses are shades of yellow passing into orange. Cow's milk contains beta carotene from the grass they eat, which is orange. The real question should be why milk is white in the first place. We really should qualify the assertion by saying cheese made from high quality milk from grass-fed cows is yellow-orange, but cheesemakers have found a way around the question of color (and quality) by making cheese any color they want. People expect a yellowish or orangish cheese, so that's what they will get, one way or another. This video contains a 70-second skippable promotion at 1:05. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
Meet Pesto, the Biggest Baby Penguin This Australian Aquarium Has Ever Seen.
To Understand JD Vance, You Need to Meet the “TheoBros.”
These extremely online young Christian men want to end the 19th
Amendment, restore public flogging, and make America white again. (via Fark)
Super-sized House Cat Can Eat Right Off the Counter.
Inside the Weird World of Corn Mazes.
"A Trump presidency wouldn't harm ME!" The latest from Tom the Dancing Bug.
How a newspaper revolution sparked protesters and influencers, disinformation and the Civil War. (via Damn Interesting)
Why Some Parents Are Rejecting Perfection and Embracing 'Scruffy Hospitality' Instead. I did not know this was a new thing. (via Fark)
See 24 Beautiful Photos of Fall Foliage in Its Most Vibrant Colors.
Double Dutch Bus
Nostalgia time! Here’s that funky “Double Dutch Bus” by Frankie Smith. From the YouTube page:
"Double Dutch Bus" is a 1981 funk song by Frankie Smith, made famous for its extensive use of the "izz" form of slang. The song title represents a combination of two institutions in Smith's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, neighborhood: the double Dutch game of jump rope played by neighborhood kids, and the SEPTA bus system that was a backbone of the local transportation network (and for which Smith had unsuccessfully applied for a bus driving position; the Transpass referred to in the song is an actual SEPTA pass). Smith and co-writer Bill Bloom persuaded contacts at WMOT Records to finance the song, and it was recorded in the summer of 1981, engineered by Gene Leone. The song rocketed to popularity in a matter of weeks. On the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, it held the number one spot for eight weeks. It also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 30 in the summer of 1981.[1] The record has received two separate gold certifications, one for sales of the 7" edit, and a second gold record for sales of the 12" single.
This is not all that old, either, because 1981 was not that long ago.
Tweet of the Day
(via Everlasting Blort)Miniaturist Penny Thomson makes figures, dioramas and mechanical miniatures using card, paper pulp and wires. pic.twitter.com/aEGDurUHSW
— Scott Kerr (@scott_kerr) November 10, 2023
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Raising Children is a Juggling Act
“Don’t tell Mom!”
Oklahoma redditor hinkster81 has five children. Here he is with the three youngest. He’s learned a bit about parenting by now, specifically how fun it can be. Or maybe he is trying to convince his wife to never leave him alone with the children again. (via reddit)
Another Halloween
What makes holidays special are the traditions that surround them. We celebrate the same way every year, with maybe just a little variation until those variations become tradition themselves. For children, it's exciting to recall what happens every year and enjoy it all over again, and for adults, these traditions evoke wonderful memories. Since 1966, part of the tradition of Halloween is watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown as Linus once again waits confidently for the Great Pumpkin to arrive at the local pumpkin patch. His annual disappointment doesn't shake his faith that it will happen next year. Meanwhile, Charlie Brown gets rocks in his trick-or-treat bag and Snoopy ends up giving Lucy dog germs in the bobbing for apples game.
Swedish producer Chetreo remixed portions of the Peanuts TV special using autotune to make a song about Halloween. It's guaranteed to take you back to the autumns of your childhood. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Deadpool & Wolverine
This Honest Trailer contains NSFW language. Deadpool & Wolverine has made $1.3 billion and became the first R-rated film to pull in more than a billion dollars. It's now the second-biggest movie of 2024, only surpassed by Inside Out 2 so far. Sure, people loved the movie, but that doesn't mean it's perfect, and they were determined to find its flaws. They highlight the fan service, the ridiculous cameos, the product placement, and the incomprehensible plot. The audience knows what it's supposed to take seriously and what it's not, and to be honest, there's no upside in taking Deadpool & Wolverine seriously. We're just here for the action and the jokes. You can look for Deadpool & Wolverine on Blu-ray and DVD on October 22.
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