(Thanks, WTM!)
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Gas Prices
Personally, I find gas prices to be a relatively minor effect of the war with Iran, compared to all the deaths and the further ruining of our country's international reputation. But for many Americans, it's the only thing about the war they've even noticed, and it is a struggle. So it's logical that Saturday Night Live would use gas prices for their opening skit. I really felt sorry for those cast members in the back for having to freeze through most of it, which was nearly impossible.
The 1940s Mermaid Show That's Still Pulling Crowds
The Weeki Wachee mermaids were magical creatures to me as a child, even though I was old enough to know they were real women. Women with awesome jobs, in my eyes. But I did not realize they were still putting on shows three times a day! Tom Scott takes us on a tour of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park in Florida, and gives us the history of the famous mermaid show.
Saturday, March 14, 2026
Devil Girl From Mars
The 1954 British film Devil Girl From Mars was shot in three weeks, mainly because the studio time had been paid for by a previous production. It fuses the commercially-viable themes of science fiction and kinky sexual imagery. The plot is that an invading force from Mars wants to take men from Earth because there aren't enough men left on Mars to breed with. That idea is purely nonsensical, but still alluring to drive-in movie audiences. The critics called Devil Girl From Mars "quite enjoyably ludicrous" and a "delightfully bad movie". (Thanks, WTM!)
Instructions
Someone once told me that the most useless worker gets assigned to write the instructions while everyone else does something important. No one proofreads. Then they just run whatever nonsense he comes up with through a machine translation. (via reddit)
Life in a Jar
This looks a little like the kind of experiment you do in 6th grade, but it never works because your mother threw it out or it started stinking and your mother made you throw it out. Nestor of HabitatForge does a lot of work with natural aquariums, so he is the kind of person who could keep a jar of water alive for a month. For this jar, he collected mud and water from a temporary rain puddle, the kind that's here today and gone tomorrow. You know, the kind your dog drinks from. That jar was nevertheless full of life! After the mud settled, we get a closeup look at the variety of creatures that thrived in the tiny ecosystem, along with algae that turned it green. He can't identify all the species confidently enough to tell us, yet I'm surprised at how many he knows.
Happy Pi Day!
It's 3/14! Seriously, I prefer to call it Pie Day, but math nerds will use it to argue tau. Find the jokes related to this chart in the comments at reddit. For more math, check out the Joy of Pi.
Medieval Killer Rabbits
Illustrated medieval manuscripts are full of funny animals, rabbits more than any other. Well, bunnies are easier to draw than humans, but why are they armed? Because it's funny! Yes, there's more to it than that, as Peter Austin explains. There's a two-minute ad at 2:07.
Walk Away
James Gang from 1971. This song reminds me of when I had a crush on a bass player in a local band, and this was one of the few songs he sang for them when I was in high school. I eventually married him.
Friday, March 13, 2026
TV Dinner
Simon just wants to watch a game on TV, but the cat wants dinner. I have three cats just like this. It's a good thing I don't watch games on TV!
The Shape of Paris
Pro skater Andy Anderson takes a tour of Paris. That description seems way too straightforward. Sure, he's impressive, and finds infinite opportunities for complex tricks in the city, but Paris has never looked so beautiful. Brett Novak's cinematography is off the charts and will make you want to book your tickets. There are aerial shots, looming architecture, and landscape vistas, but most of what you see is from ground level as if you are actually there. Even the rain cannot dampen the mood. The Shape of Paris not only appeals to skateboarding enthusiasts, but anyone who wants a beautiful and soothing look at Paris. (via Nag on the Lake)
Disclosure Day Trailer
A new movie about aliens making contact with us? That happens all the time. It hits different when you say it's a new movie by Steven Spielberg about aliens making contact with us. Indeed, some of the images in this trailer for Disclosure Day will remind you of Close Encounters of the Third Kind from 1977 or E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial from 1982. Just how much has Spielberg thought about alien contact in those 40+ years?
Disclosure Day was written by Spielberg, based on an original idea by Spielberg, and is directed by Spielberg. John Williams does the music. The trailer gives us little actual plot (good), and more of a feel for what we're in store for. Disclosure Day opens nationwide on June 12.
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