After World War II, the race was on for the US to build more and better technology than the Soviet Union, which gave us many weird projects that were launched without anyone asking what could possibly go wrong. Space, being the final frontier, was at the head of the list (along with nuclear arsenals). But communications was also important. We didn't have communication satellites yet, so the next best thing would be to fling something into space that radio signals could bounce off of, like 480,000,000 copper needles. Somehow, no one could foresee the problem of space junk in the early 1960s. After all, nothing was up there, so why would it bother anyone? Project West Ford required several attempts, but they eventually got those needles into space. This video is only seven minutes long; the rest is an ad.
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Project West Ford
Ride of the Valkyries
Sure, you know Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" from The Ring Cycle, but have you ever heard it played by one guy on a huge pipe organ? Jonathan Scott of the Scott Brothers performs. (via Metafilter)
Dolly Said No To Elvis
Dolly Parton is an acclaimed singer, yet few outside the country music world know her as a songwriter. If she had never sung a note, she'd be a rich woman for a little tune called "I Will Always Love You." Dolly recorded the song and took it to #1 in 1974 and then again in 1982. And you probably remember how well it did in 1992 when Whitney Houston sang it in the movie The Bodyguard. But when the song was still fresh, she was approached by one Colonel Tom Parker about Elvis Presley recording the song she wrote. Dolly said no. Mark Levin wrote and performed a little song about the incident, with charming stop-motion animation by Heather Colbert. Why did Dolly turn down the offer? According to Wikipedia:
When the 1974 recording of the song was reaching number one on the country charts, Elvis Presley indicated that he wanted to cover the song. Parton was interested until Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, told her that it was standard procedure for the songwriter to sign over half of the publishing rights to any song Elvis recorded.[15] Parton refused. She recalls:(via Metafilter)
I said, 'I'm really sorry,' and I cried all night. I mean, it was like the worst thing. You know, it's like, Oh, my God … Elvis Presley.' And other people were saying, 'You're nuts. It's Elvis Presley.' ...I said, 'I can't do that. Something in my heart says, 'Don't do that. And I just didn't do it... He would have killed it. But anyway, so he didn't. Then when Whitney [Houston's version] came out, I made enough money to buy Graceland.[16]
Tuesday, February 10, 2026
That's AI!
What's the worst thing artificial intelligence AI has done to us so far? We could make a list, and one of the things on it would be how it takes the joy out of watching videos on the internet. I can't tell you how many times I've found something that may be worth sharing, and as soon as someone comments that it's AI, the joy is gone.
The short film That's AI! illustrates this concept perfectly. Can that young man really be doing all those backflips, or is it artificially-generated? If you can't believe your eyes online, how can you believe your eyes in the real world? If we can't believe what we see, how are we to ever enjoy or even trust anything anymore? That said, this video is still funny, and the kicker is that there was no artificial intelligence used in its making. (via the Awesomer)
Lyin' and Spinnin' (and Cheatin' and Hidin')
Randy Rainbow's latest parody is set to the tune of "Wishin' and Hopin'," which Dusty Springfield made into a hit in 1964. This one's about obeying in advance, and giving the toddler in chief everything he wants. There's a 95-second skippable ad at 1:00.
Bad Bunny Supercut
In case you want to enjoy Bad Bunny's halftime show from the big football game, but you don't have much time, Dustin Ballard of There I Ruined It has edited it down into a compact supercut. This version only has the "Eys." Yes, he has certainly ruined it this time. (via reddit)
If you want to see the entire presentation, it's at YouTube. If you don't know Spanish, or maybe you're not all that familiar with Bad Bunny's music, Becky Hammer offers a detailed explanation of every song and cultural element of the show. Be warned that the subject matter is sometimes NSFW. (via Metafilter)
A couple more notes: The wedding was real. The grass and bushes were not, yes, there were people inside the shrubbery, but they sadly did not dance. That was just the easiest way to get the greenery out onto the field and off again in a hurry.
A Chair at the Beach
There's a chair on the beach. Right there, by itself, with no one sitting in it. Not the kind of thing you come across every day. The smallest thing can make a man feel territorial, and raise his competitive hackles. At the same time, we have evolved the ability to calculate possible outcomes before engaging in conflict.
What's universal about the video is how well it depicts the weird stuff that goes on in our minds all the time about things that don't matter, the internal monologue that we'd never share on purpose. Or maybe that's just me. This subtly ridiculous short film is from Bridge Stuart. No, it's not a Tide ad, but it would have been a good one. (via Digg)
Monday, February 09, 2026
The Guy Who Invented The Tunnel Of Love
Let's brainstorm some ride ideas for an amusement park. A big wet dark tunnel? Bad idea!
A Letter from a Bank Customer
Benedict Cumberbatch has become a favorite reader for Shaun Usher's Letters Live series because he reads letters with such dramatic flair. In this performance at the Southbank Centre in London last month, he delivers a pitch-perfect reading of a letter written to a bank in 2009.
The writer has been a customer of the unnamed bank for thirty years, yet they still managed to screw him over with their new automatic systems designed to take every bit of humanity out of the business of banking. No doubt you will feel exactly what this customer is feeling, because we've all experienced the same type of horror. In response, he decides to give them a taste of their own medicine, in excruciating detail. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
More Than a Game: The Harlem Globetrotters Turn 100. (via Strange Company)
Protests in Minneapolis are taking many forms. Here are the drummers. (via Everlasting Blort)
Ingersoll Lockwood: the novelist who predicted the terrifying Donald Trump dynasty.
What Olympic athletes see that viewers don’t: Machine-made snow makes ski racing faster and riskier – and it’s everywhere.
Who was the real Coppertone baby?
Jewish seniors are offering to hide their Haitian caregivers as Trump’s TPS end looms. “That reminds me of Anne Frank,” said the CEO of one Jewish senior residence reeling as Temporary Protected Status for Haitians is set to end. (via kottke)
10 Olympic Rules That Sound Fake but Are Actually Real. One of them, however, needs an update- backflips are now okay in figure skating.
What Democrats Need to Know to Truly Reform ICE. The misconduct and corruption run far deeper than even the deadly surges have shown. (via Fark)