A cat notices that humans are wearing black all the time now. What has happened to make us give up color? The cat has several theories, none of them good. Is it a statement of rebellion? Camouflage against the dark times? Maybe it's ennui, nihilism, or just plain exhaustion. Salem knows a thing or two about wearing black, but he can't change that, and he doesn't look at himself in the mirror anyway. But while the cat notices everything, he also has hope for the human species.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Stop Wearing So Much Black
Octopus Chases a Laser Light
The ROV (remotely operated vehicle) Hercules was down 323 meters (1059 feet) in the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary west of Hawaii, looking around for researchers aboard the EV Nautilus. A small octopus was just doing octopus things when the ROV's measurement lights became clear on the ocean floor. What did the octopus do? It chased the lights, just like a cat would chase a laser toy, much to the delight of the scientists watching it.
That's only the first two minutes of this video. There are other clips of small octopi looking for hidey holes and changing their colors. And as usual, the most delightful part of Nautilus' videos are the remarks from the researchers, who do this all the time and still find wonder in watching deep sea creatures in a their natural habitat. (via Metafilter)
If Driving Was Taught Like Sex Ed
The way we teach sex education in American schools is so weird that you can’t compare it to anything else, but if we did, it would be weird. Don’t do it, if you do it, don’t enjoy it, but don’t do it. (via Buzzfeed)
When All the Billionaires Exploded
Click to the right to see how this story plays out. I've always said that just being a millionaire is a sin, because hoarding more money than you can possibly use while some people don't have enough to live is the worst thing you can do. In this story we finally convince people that excessive wealth is not good for them personally.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Mr. Sardonicus
In the 1961 Willian Castle gothic horror film Mr. Sardonicus, physician Sir Robert Cargrave is summoned by his ex-girlfriend Maude to a spooky eastern European castle to treat her new husband, Baron Sardonicus. The Baron suffers from a face paralyzed into an evil grin that interferes with eating and speaking -a result of his grave robbing incident. He rules his roost with cruelty, and Dr. Cargrave is drawn into his plans to cure his malady with experimental procedures because he's afraid of what may happen to Maude. (Thanks, WTM!)
Stutterer
Greenwood (played by Matthew Needham) is a lonely typographer who suffers from a serious stutter, and it makes his life hard. He's found ways around it to some extent, but everyday tasks are a constant reminder of his disability, like trying to get through to a customer service representative on the phone. His thoughts, however, are fluid and even poetic. The bright spot is that he's built a long distance text relationship with a woman named Ellie. Greenwood's anxiety blows up to eleven when she has an opportunity to travel to London and meet him in person.
The short film Stutterer highlights the inner struggles of those who suffer from a condition most of us don't understand. The film won an Oscar in 2016 for Best Live Action Short Film, plus a slew of other awards, and is only now available for all of us to see. I highly recommend it. (via kottke)
The Flintwhistle Job Interview
Finding a job these days means candidates must jump through many layers of hoops, including at least one humiliating "interview" with an AI agent because the company hasn't got the time or personnel for redundant, drawn-out hiring tasks.
Graham Dot Zip doesn't need a job, but he goes through the process to highlight the idiocy of AI interviews. In this one, he calls himself Chick Bongo and makes up corporate jargon to match what the agent is giving him. AI, knowing no better, is annoyingly agreeable and downright gullible. Graham mentions the word "flintwhistle" enough that the agent eventually incorporates it and even lies about offering it, first as a corporate strategy, then as a real whistle.
The whole series of such interviews is at Graham's YouTube channel, including the newest one in which he brings his own AI agent to the interview. (via Boing Boing)
Miss Cellania's Links
President Trump had reduced legal immigration more than twice as much as he had reduced illegal immigration. It's not about doing it "the right way," (which keeps changing anyway) but about racism. (via Metafilter)
Quebec Comiccon 2026 in Photos: Amazing Cosplay From the Show Floor.
Human Holes is a Wild Twist on Alien Abduction Stories.
The RFK Jr. Lament, a new song parody from Randy Rainbow. Contains NSFW language.
The Real Girls Who Inspired Stephen King's Carrie.
Watch five new Cheetah cubs on the Cheetah Cub Cam. Read about these cubs at Smithsonian.
The Death and Afterlife of an American Con Man. Jim Bakker’s vision of the future came to pass. Just not in the way the disgraced televangelist imagined. (via Damn Interesting)
Mark Zuckerberg presents "A.I. and U!" The latest from Tom the Dancing Bug.
Ten Hours of Street Harassment in Two Minutes
In 2015, Shoshana B. Roberts walked around Manhattan for ten hours (probably not all at the same time) with a guy in front of her carrying a hidden camera to record any interaction from strangers. That has been edited down to a couple of minutes in this video. This is the kind of thing women go through every day. Read about the project at Hollaback! If you go to the YouTube page, you’ll see that the majority of commenters do not believe this is harassment, and they are offended that it is portrayed as harassment. However, if you read the comments at Metafilter, it’s a completely different story. That’s why I prefer Metafilter to YouTube. Okay, that’s not the only reason, but you know what I mean. The comments at reddit are a mixed bag.
Stark
Stark has multiple rare conditions, but none that cause him any problems. They just makes him notable. But he's a cat, he still doesn't care.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Death By Firing Squad
Jesse Welles has a few things to say about putting a military execution on public live streaming platforms. Whatever you think about capital punishment (I'm against it), making it into a spectacle is barbaric. Pete Hegseth says that a public execution will be a deterrent, but people already know murder is wrong, even those who do it. If you've ever met people, you know at least half will consider watching a firing squad blow someone away as entertainment, and will want more. It was true in ancient Rome, it was true in medieval Europe, and it was true during Jim Crow, regardless of the person's guilt.
When I was a child, there was a historical photograph of a lynching displayed at my local state park. The substantial crowd was well dressed for the time, and all turned to the camera to smile, even the children. The victim was barely a dark blob hanging from a tree. We may like to think we are better than that now, but recent history shows that we are not.
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