Maggie found a place to safely give birth inside just in time to deliver her babies. So many babies! I had an experience like this with a dog once, and I kept asking if she was done, but she wasn't. Anyway, this video is old enough so that we can assume that Maggie has found a forever home.
Sunday, August 16, 2026
Maggie, the Super-Fertile Cat
The Blueprint for All Cinematic Robots
Seventy years ago, we got something new and different: a science fiction movie about space travel that took itself seriously. The 1956 movie Forbidden Planet had a Hollywood budget, talented actors, and a design team ready to delve into the future. One of the things they designed was Robby the Robot.
This robot was born at the intersection of several trends of the time. Americans were suspicious of technology as a whole, but they loved appliances that made their work easier. Scientists at Yale were beginning to conceive of artificial intelligence. Real robots were on design tables. And Isaac Asimov worked out the rules making robots safe for human interaction. Robby was impressive, useful, safe, and had his own personality. He made people like the idea of robots, and his influence on later cinematic robots lasted decades. However, the 21st century idea of artificial intelligence may need to take a lesson or two from Asimov.
Chilly Wonka
Master editor Melodysheep (John Boswell) took a fairly psychedelic movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and remixed it to be even more magically psychedelic. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Saturday, August 15, 2026
The Cape Canaveral Monsters
The Cape Canaveral Monsters was a very low budget film made in a hurry to exploit the space race. Aliens invade Cape Canaveral with two goals: to disrupt US space launches and to kidnap humans for their own use. Two aliens possess the bodies of a human couple and cause mayhem on the launch site.
There were no theatrical reviews of The Cape Canaveral Monsters; in fact, there is no evidence that it was ever shown in theaters. It was sold to TV in 1964, and audiences considered it so bad as to be unintentionally funny. (Thanks, WTM!)
Shower Foot Rest
It might be nice to have a foot rest in the shower if you shave your legs, but this AI image is bizarre. Where is the rest of her? Hanging from the light fixture? (Thanks, Liz!)
Statistics
At least seven people died in connection with the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
11 people have been shot and killed during ICE operations, including three American citizens.
20 US service members killed so far in the Iran War.
A few dozen killed in the Venezuela raid.
52 people have died in immigrant detention centers.
221 killed in boat strikes in the Caribbean.
Around 10,000 killed in the Iran War.
600,000 unnecessary deaths so far due to defunding USAID, and an estimated 14 million could die by 2030 if aid isn't restored.
These statistics don't include how many people died of Covid due to the administration's botched response during Trump's first administration nor how many have died due to cutbacks in healthcare funding during his second administration. Those are hard to detect and calculate.
LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Season three of The Mandalorian seemed to run out of steam, and the feature film The Mandalorian and Grogu was a box office disappointment. What's Disney to do? Might as well roll with the punches and make it into a comedy! The LEGO Star Wars series is very good at that, so now we have a TV special titled LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian.
The LEGO version leans heavily into roasting the main effect of the show- how we all thought a "baby Yoda" was so adorable and turned the cynical badass Din Djarin into an unlikely father figure with those huge eyes. In this version, everyone else in the galaxy is just as smitten with him. But the real star of this teaser trailer is Luke Skywalker in a scene that highlights how The Mandalorian series was first and foremost an exercise in fan service. LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian will premiere on Disney+ September 2nd.
Munchkin The Teddy Bear Ewok
For no particular reason, I thought you'd enjoy a short video of a Shih Tzu dressed as an Ewok. See more of Munchkin at her Instagram page. (via Metafilter)
Friday, August 14, 2026
Cat and Pizza
Don't tease your cat. They'll always get the better of you. This is the latest from Simon Tofield.
Sloppy vs. Elite Military Uniforms
Say what you will about the Nazis (and I do), they sure looked stylish. Hitler and his generals understood the art of intimidation, and dressed the part. Today we call it the Hugo Boss look. Hugo Boss didn't design the uniforms, but his company manufactured them to specifications and made sure they looked sharp, whether they were for the SS, the SA, the Wehrmacht, Hitler Youth, or enlisted brown shirts. Those uniforms couldn't have been comfortable out in the field.
In contrast, the US military appeared downright frumpy in the films taken during World War II operations. Oh sure, they looked spiffy in dress uniforms on parade, but out in the battlefield, what you accomplish is much more important than how you look. Designed for function over form, Americans were dressed for utility, practicality, and comfort. And when you admire the stylish Nazi uniforms, keep in mind who won that war.
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