(via Bad Newspaper)
Sunday, May 17, 2026
Star Wars Secrets
I don't know about younger viewers, but those of us who watched all the Star Wars movies in order of their release have always been baffled by the implications of retconning. It was bad enough that the secrets kept in the first movie, then revealed in the second and third, made it clear that Lucas was making it up as he went along.
Every time a new prequel came out, the effort to bring classic characters back only screwed with the timeline and ruined the logic of the first movie that captured our imaginations. "New" characters turned out to have been there all along. More implausible connections between them were revealed. Sure, Lucas explained that the droids had their memories wiped between the prequels and the original trilogy, but that doesn't work for a Wookiee. Or for Obi-Wan Kenobi, who knew everything all along, but refused to reveal anything actually useful. Matthew McCleskey gives us the spoiler version that might have been. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Denali's Puppy Cam
Motor vehicles are prohibited in Denali National Park in Alaska, except for buses that shuttle visitors through a limited area. Rangers patrol on foot, horseback, in helicopters, or with dogsleds. For more than 100 years, Denali has raised sled dog puppies in their own breeding program in conjunction with reputable Alaskan breeders. On March 30, sled dog Spark gave birth to six puppies in the park. Some of these will be swapped with other litters from breeders, and four that show the best qualities of a sled dog will grow up to be official Denali canine rangers. The puppies are named after national parks: Sequoia, Mammoth, Rainier, Teton, Mesa, and Acadia. They are now six weeks old, and you can peek in on them anytime with the Denali Puppy Cam! Keep in mind that Denali is four hours behind the Eastern Time Zone. If the puppies are asleep, scroll down to read about Denali's puppy program. (via Metafilter)
A Graduation Classic
This cake introduces a new graduate to the realities of life. You want, but you can't have. From Cake Wrecks.
Jeffrey Epstein's Ghost
Saturday Night Live wrapped up season 51 last night with Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney. The guest host never appears in the cold open, but Ferrell stepped in to portray Jeffrey Epstein, who haunts Trump's dreams.
All Star on Organ
A hundred-year-old Marenghi Organ can still play contemporary tunes. See this same organ play a disco hit and another old favorite. (via Digg)
Taxing the Rich
— Patsy “Resistance Kitty” Evans Ph.D. (@drharmony.net) May 16, 2026 at 1:13 AMOh, the humanity!
Saturday, May 16, 2026
The Seven Landlocked Countries That Have Navies
We tend to think of navies as a military force that deploys on the high seas. The US not only uses its navy for ocean battles, but traditionally for troop transport to faraway wars before air travel. But how would a country house and train a navy without seaports? There are seven landlocked countries in the world that maintain navies as a separate branch of their military forces. The "how" behind those forces comes down to the fact that oceans aren't the only bodies of water in the world. But the "why" is way more interesting, and each country has their own story. Some are responding to real threats, and some are legacies of a complicated history. In the case of Laos, we don't know much about it at all, but I'm sure they have their reasons in their own cultural context.
Relocating Bighorn Sheep
I watched this video and thought about the people who say they've been abducted by aliens. You know these sheep are going to tell tales like that the rest of their lives, and none of the other sheep will believe them. This relocation project brought the population of North American bighorn sheep from 100 to 600 in recent years. It's one of 5 Heartwarming Stories That Are Also Totally Hilarious at Cracked. In fact, the bighorn sheep were just a small part of the story about how helicopters are the funniest way to transport animals.
Friday, May 15, 2026
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
Chicago, recorded at Tanglewood in 1970. Robert Lamm on vocals. The futzing with the drums at the end signals they are going into "25 or 6 to 4."
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