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Saturday, September 05, 2026
Friday, September 04, 2026
Hints From Heloise
Heloise Bowles became a newspaper columnist by working free for a time, but that was made possible by a huge bet that she wouldn't succeed. The first title of her column was lame, but what she wrote was a hit. Philip Mershon tells the story of Hints from Heloise.
The Stubborn Walker Sisters
In 1933, the Great Smoky Mountains Park Commission was busy buying up land in East Tennessee and western North Carolina for a national park. Most residents were desperate during the Great Depression and took the offer. But the commission met its match when they tried to buy up 120 acres owned and operated by the Walker Sisters. The five sisters (originally six) had lived there since they were born in the 1870s and 1880s, and they weren't suffering for cash because they'd always been self-sufficient. They raised sheep and plowed their own fields to grow corn and cotton. They preserved their own food, spun their own cotton, and hunted game, as they always had. Their parents had eleven children and left the land and cabin to the ones who were unmarried. The Walker Sisters fought the government for years, and although they didn't "win," they managed to stay in their home for the rest of their lives, the last sister dying in 1964. And the cabin itself survives today.
Miss Cellania's Links
The extraordinary untold story of Freddie Mercury: Mary Austin on her best friend – and love of her life. (via Damn Interesting)
Where to Find the Oldest Living Things in the World.
Excavation work on Trump's arch in Washington to begin over next 2 weeks, administration says. (via Fark)
Tanya Bentham: A modern twist on medieval embroidery. Her works are often quite funny. (via Metafilter)
Hegseth Must Go. If Trump won’t fire him, Congress must impeach him.
Sukhvinder Sunger: Cultural Fusion at Its Finest.
We still have fat Bear Week to look forward to, but we managed to miss Fat Marmot Week. (via Boing Boing)
“So how do we deploy a tool that is sometimes wrong but always pleasing? How do we trust AI?” he concluded. “The simple answer is: don’t.” (via Damn Interesting)
99% Editing Skills
Bass player Davie504 shows us how you don't have to know how to play an instrument to make a great music video. All you need is the time to edit. Yeah, it would help if you had an ear for music, otherwise your edit will be a mess. This reminds me of Amateur by Lasse Gjertsen. (via Digg)
RIP Gloria Steinem
“The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off.” Gloria Steinem. Rest in power! #SheShed #Pinks
— Jlou (@wehearvoices.bsky.social) September 3, 2026 at 3:01 PM
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Thursday, September 03, 2026
Fireworks
Yeah, this sounds weird, but they do it where I live, too. What it means is that the soundtrack music for the choreographed display will be broadcast, so you can listen to it while you watch the fireworks. (via Bad Newspaper)
The Sharpie Song
Shirley Șerban, who gave us Bohemian Catsody and How Do You Solve a Problem Like a MAGA? is back and singing about Trump's view of the world.
An Honest Trailer for Toy Story 5
The original Toy Story came out in 1995, featuring a collection of Baby Boomer toys that were already feeling their age. More than thirty years later, it's hard to believe that those toys are still functioning at all, and don't even look raggedy. However, the franchise is still making money, and Toy Story 5 has made over a billion dollars since it premiered in June. You can bet those were overwhelmingly adult tickets.
Not only does Toy Story 5 seem to be aimed at adults who loved the original Toy Story as children, but it also appears to be about educating parents on technology, specifically about the pros and cons of screens for their children. I haven't seen the movie, so I can't say how realistic or effective those lessons are, but Screen Junkies takes us through what to expect from Toy Story 5. The movie begins streaming on Disney+ on September 23rd.
Colour My World/Now More Than Ever
Chicago recorded in Lennox, Massachusetts in 1970. Terry Kath was not only an awesome guitarist, but an awesome singer. It was the "Make Me Smile" reprise that I liked the most. You can see the entire concert here.
Ignore the lack of a thumbnail, the video still plays.
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