"I bet you're fun at parties." From Married to the Sea.
Saturday, November 14, 2026
Why Your Shoes Come Untied
Why do your shoes laces keep untying themselves? It could be because you're out there running all the time, which vibrates your shoes until the knot loosens. Yeah, that's not the case for most of us. It could be because you're tying them wrong. We are supposed to use a reef knot, a term I'd never heard, essentially a square knot with loops for easy untying. Yet some people tie a granny knot, which doesn't hold well at all. There are other knots that people swear by, but you have to have the motivation to learn them. Kids' shoes come untied all the time because they are so active and inattentive, so I used to double tie my kids' shoes or use those plastic clips to keep the knot in place.
My feet are small, so I buy shoes from the kids' section because they cost less. My current tennis shoes are tied, then have a velcro strap that closes right over the knot, so no worries. If you need some help keeping your shoes tied, astrophysicist Josie Peters has the science of shoelaces to help you out. (via Laughing Squid)
Coincidence?
these headlines were 6 hours apart 💀
— alix e. harrow (@alixeharrow.bsky.social) November 13, 2026 at 10:29 PM
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Trying to Cross the Street During the NYC Marathon
When runners, fast ones and slow ones, come from all over the world to run a marathon in the streets of New York City, just getting from here to there for your normal morning routine is an accomplishment for city residents. They should give out awards for crossing the street! (via Tastefully Offensive)
Friday, November 13, 2026
When Leia Became a Disney Princess
Princess Leia is welcomed into the Disney pantheon. This video dates back to not long after Disney purchased Star Wars in 2012. I didn't see it then (that I can recall) but it's been chopped up and sent around to other social media platforms and back to YouTube, where I found it as a short today, credited to someone on TikTok. It wasn't hard to trace it back to the original by Girl Pants Productions.
Job Hunting in 2026
Trying to compete against AI is a losing proposition. It tells the boss what they want to hear, works around the clock, and has no need of a salary. But this scenario from Foil Arms and Hog has a punch line.
The Atlantic Ocean is Acting Weird
We've heard of the Gulf Stream, but it's just a part of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). AMOC flows one way on the surface, and then a different direction in the lower depths of the ocean. This explains why the coldest regions of the continental US are at the same latitudes as the warmest parts of Europe. We will also be introduced to the "cold blob" in the ocean. But this system has shown some changes lately, thanks to glacial melting in Greenland. What does that mean for us?
The effects would be felt in Europe first, but it may affect other parts of the world as well. When will all this happen? Scientists are leery of assigning a date to the point of no return, or the point of environmental collapse. Other factors may be in play, and we can't say that today's trajectory will not change. Still, ocean currents that have been stable for a few thousand years suddenly starting to change can't be a good thing.
Miss Cellania's Links
Photobombs So Perfect, Nobody Could Even Be Mad.
Scotland Has a Xenomorph Gargoyle on a Medieval Abbey.
Astro Spiral: The Greatest Car Stunt Was Also The World’s First Computer-Modeled Stunt. It's the corkscrew car jump in The Man With The Golden Gun. (via kottke)
This child was starving because there's no food in the house, except lots of fruit, and cheese, and pizza if she asked Dad. Keep listening to hear what she really needed.
Elon Musk’s campaign spending isn’t why he’ll be investigated. DOGE’s lawlessness is.
What is my cat saying? I asked experts to translate.
Disney Unveils Star Wars 50th Anniversary Plans: Lego Sets, Hasbro Collections and Immersive Experiences. (via MetaFilter)
A Blast from the Past (2011): The Buttered Cat Paradox.
Another Fine Day in Flight Simulator X
Witness the insanity of a multiplayer flight simulator. The air traffic controller resigns himself to the fact that no one knows what they are doing. He trolls a young kid by sending him back to the terminal to load cookies. A 747 keeps trying to crash into the tower. Then a guy shows up in a kite. This is supposed to be the airport in Atlanta, but the pilots just want to show off their moves like they're in an airshow. (via Metafilter)
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Is It Too Early To Decorate For Christmas?
When I was a kid, my parents would pull out the Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving. When I had kids, we'd gradually start decorating when they started asking about it, which was right after Halloween. After they left home, I always made it a point to have the outdoor Christmas lights up to greet my Thanksgiving guests (we usually have the feast at suppertime). I ask my kids to put up the tree and the ornaments when they are here for Thanksgiving.
I get a kick out of noticing how my neighbors do it. Some just replace Halloween decor with Christmas, either on November first or sometime in December when the skeletons get really dirty. Some even combine the two holidays on their lawn. I don't decorate for Halloween anymore.
This year, Princess can't come because of her husband's work schedule, and Dr. Dolittle only has one day off, so she and her husband won't have time to help decorate. I guess I better get started on the house prep. I have to move furniture to get the tree up, and I want to mop the floor in between. Hauling heavy stuff from the basement has to be done a little at a time, and during daylight. Outside lights take a couple of days because there are few hours that are warm enough. The logistics get harder every year, but it's still a lot of fun. And it gives me an excuse for not raking leaves until December.
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