Pay no attention to the hallucinating algorithm. (via Bored Panda)
Thursday, June 04, 2026
How Two Teenagers Became The Most Feared Killers In America
Some serial killers commit murder in the furtherance of other crimes, like bank robbery. Some do it for a sexual thrill. Some are lashing out at a world that did them wrong. But it takes a truly terrifying personality to kill over and over for no discernible reason at all. Experts go back and forth about psychopaths- are they a product of an awful childhood or are they born that way, and is that condition even real?
The 20th century blueprint for psychopathy are the crimes of 19-year-old Charles Starkweather and his 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate. Starkweather committed his first murder in November of 1957. Then on January 21, 1958, he killed Fugate's parents and two-year-old sister. Over the next eight days, the two traveled around Nebraska and Wyoming, killing almost everyone they encountered. Weird History brings us the story of Starkweather and Fugate and the trail of dead bodies they left behind them.
Freezing 200,000 Tons of Lethal Arsenic Dust
Giant Mine near Yellowknife, in Canada's Northwest Territories, extracted a lot of gold in its time. Then the gold ran out, and the company went bankrupt in 2004. They left behind 237,000 metric tons of arsenic trioxide as a side effect of the mining operation, although that amount does not include the arsenic that has escaped into the environment. You can read more about Giant Mine's history here. The Canadian government was left to deal with the arsenic. Tom Scott introduces us to the technology that won't destroy the arsenic, but will keep the dust from seeping into the air and water. Read more about the Giant Mine Remediation Project at its website. (via Digg)
Mom!
Transitioning from normal English to '90s slang isn't making you cool, not by a long shot. Teen slang evolves specifically to be different from what their parents say. Better to not say anything at all about a 15-year-old. Take it from me, your relationship will change drastically when they want driving lessons and advice in choosing a college. This comic is from Chris Hallbeck at Maximumble.
Wednesday, June 03, 2026
Closing the Fridge
Renzo rage demonstrates the many ways of closing a refrigerator door, using different styles of martial arts. Showing this to your children may encourage them to actually do it, but you might pay in damages. A description of each style can be found at Metafilter.
We've Only Just Begun
You know this song, "We've Only Just Begun" by The Carpenters. It was heard at every wedding you went to for about twenty years -and a lot of graduations, too. You might think it pretty clever for a bank to use it in an ad inviting young couples to establish their accounts. But couldn't they afford to use the hit version?
But that's backwards. "We've Only Just Begun" was written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols specifically to advertise a bank in Mendocino, California. Richard Carpenter heard the ad, liked the song, and reached out to the ad agency for the music rights. The Carpenters recorded an expanded version that proved to be a hit and helped them win the Best New Artist Grammy in 1971. It's not the only advertising jingle that was so catchy it became a song, as you will learn in a list of nine such stories at Mental Floss.
Salami vs. Pepperoni
What's the difference between salami and pepperoni? That's easy- salami is for sandwiches, along with cheese and mustard, on rye bread. Pepperoni is for pizzas. Although my dad used to put salami and cheese on a single slice of bread, top it with ketchup, salt, and pepper and put it in the toaster oven. He called it "pizza toast." The only pizza I'd ever had at that time came from a Chef Boyardee kit, so I accepted it.
But in the real world, salami and pepperoni are both spicy sausages, but that's where the resemblance ends. One has a history that goes back to the Roman Empire, while the other is an 20th century American invention! They are made differently, have different ingredients, and have their own best uses, as I have explained above. The YouTube channel Simple Things - Surprising Histories explains it all, plus an important tip for ordering a pizza in Italy. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
‘They take you out of life, out of time’: a journey into Spain’s astonishing cave paintings. (via Damn Interesting)
Gjøa: The Little Ship That Conquered the Arctic. How Roald Amundsen found and survived the Northwest passage.
How Fox News viewership increases belief in the anti‑immigrant great replacement theory.
Multi-medium art. (via Everlasting Blort)
That Time Hollywood Tried To Turn Jim Carrey Into A Fish And Created A Nightmare.
Cats causing trouble.
Most Americans oppose ICE’s presence at stadiums during the World Cup, according to poll. (via Fark)
A Blast from the Past (2007): The Haunted Hospital.
Worlds Worst Sheepdog
Nelson, a terrier mix, is not rounding up the sheep. It's more like the sheep are rounding him up! Or maybe he's a born leader, as they do follow him. But he's not leading them anywhere but in circles. From the sound of his voice, owner James Bell does not expect any more of him. There are more videos of the world's worst sheepdog at YouTube. (via Tastefully Offensive)
The Wizard's Dream
The grass is always greener, you know. This comic is from James P. Sandoval at But a Jape. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Tuesday, June 02, 2026
Caltiki – The Immortal Monster
Caltiki – The Immortal Monster is a 1959 Italian monster movie that starts out with an archaeological expedition stumbling on the Maya goddess Caltiki, who accepts human sacrifices. The danger is real, but it turns out to be a bacteria that grows and divides due to radiation, and it eats people. The monster has been compared the one in The Blob. Caltiki – The Immortal Monster was lauded as laughably bad even in its time, although some critics admitted that if you overlook the bad acting, the bad effects, and the bad English dubbing, the story is pretty exciting. (Thanks, WTM!)
Creepy Dave Bumblebee
In case you can't understand Ze Frank's accent, he's telling us about bumblebees. Once upon a time, a bumblebee was caught peeing in a flower, and the flower fairies cursed the species to forever after spend their days cleaning flowers.
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