Portuguese Man O' War

The Portuguese man o' war is not from Portugal, and it's neither a man nor at war. but more importantly, it's not a jellyfish, either, although it looks like one. This creature cannot even propel itself through the water, and relies on ocean currents to move at all. As such, you'd think they would stay in their own ecosystem. But climate change is bringing warm waters to more places than ever before, and the man o' war is spreading with those waters. Why is this important?

For one, we don't know what effect they will have as an invasive species, and how the man o' war will upset the balance of nature. The other reason is closer to home- they can kill humans. A Portuguese man o' war's sting can range from painful and bothersome to lethal, with all kinds of unpleasant effects in between that can last up to a year. You don't want to mess with these animals, even when they are stranded on the beach. Even though they are pretty. 

Bugs

(Thanks, WTM!)

The Midterm Aftermath

Saturday Night Live opened the show last night the way they always do, by having the president interrupt something else and then free-associating nonsense.  But the mood is more upbeat, and there's a surprise cameo that isn't a surprise at all since they used it for the static image of this video. 

Lost

(via reddit)

Swiss Mishap

While visiting Interlaken, Switzerland, Gursk3 decided to try hang gliding the safe way- by going on a tandem ride with a pro. Easy, right? Until he's in the air and realizes that his harness was never connected to the glider! All he can do is hang, with both hands, for his life. For more than two minutes. The pro cannot help him and guide the glider at the same time. Gursk3 survived to post the video, but he was not unscathed. Surprisingly, he kept his sense of humor long enough to produce the video. We don't know what happened to the pro afterward, but we would like to think he is unemployed. (via Digg)

The Aunt

This is the reason my niece and nephew couldn't come and stay with us for more than a couple hours at a time when they were children. I didn't know until after the fact, but their mom is quite a bit more strict and protective than I was. Still, their kids and my kids all turned out to be pretty good adults. This is the latest from Chris at Lunarbaboon. 

Zucchini

(via Bad Newspaper)

The Amazing Colossal Man

The Amazing Colossal Man is a 1957 film that follows the dangerous growth of a military officer after he is exposed to a plutonium bomb. In 1957, you could blame everything on nuclear radiation. Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning was not expected to live, but he healed up and started growing quickly. But his heart wasn't keeping up with his growth, so his time is limited. But what's worse, his mental state declined until he was a real danger to Las Vegas. The reviews were generally favorable at the time, but the film has not held up well. (Thanks, WTM!)

'Tis the Season

(via Give Me a Sign)

Something Greater Than You

In the stop-motion animation Something Greater Than You, two raccoons find shelter from a winter storm in someone's basement. It's full of human junk to play with, and the owner is evidently a bird watcher, or rather was at some time in the past. Raccoons are pretty smart, and these have even figured out how to use a cassette player. They can't talk, but you know what they are thinking every minute. It seems like a pretty good setup, until they hear someone at the door. That's when you need to get a hankie ready. 

Gordon LePage made this as a one-man project at his studio in Maine. The puppets are needle felted wool built over wooden or steel armatures for movement. It's easy to forget that and just consider them characters. (via the Awesomer) 

Starbucks

(via Bored Panda)

The Missing Sandwich

The Little Monster got his sandwich cut into triangles. There's nothing that makes a kid pay attention to geometry more than missing food, and one triangle is missing! It's an outrage, and he has to get to the bottom of it.  

Max

(via Fark)

Thomas the Train Stunts

It's been a few years since we saw the first Thomas the Train stunt video, and finally here's a sequel that will mesmerize you. (via reddit)

The Needy Cat

This story reminds me of Moo Moo. But all four of my cats do this. Two of them want a back scratch, because I apparently have nothing else to do while sitting on the toilet, and one can't wait to watch the water go 'round and 'round when I flush. This comic is from sephko. (via Geeks Are Sexy)

Swearing

From 1920. (via Undine)

Shake Your Dude Thing

Bill McClintock put the vocals from Aerosmith's song "Dude Looks Like a Lady" and laid it over the dance track of Peaches and Herb's "Shake Your Groove Thing." There's also a little bit of "Who's That Lady" by The Isley Brothers. This is an extended five-minute version. Do you think you can dance that long? You'll want to try.  

The Sign

Spotted at a sporting event. (via reddit)

Mario Got Scammed

Mario has always been the hero of the story, by saving Princess Peach, who is always in another castle. Meanwhile, Mario is always running, always working and searching because he's the hero and it's the right thing to do. But what if it were all for naught? In this game, Mario wants to change things up a little, and stumbles into an exposé. It's kind of like The Truman Show, when he finds his entire world has been a fraud, and everyone around him is a conspirator taking advantage of his naivety for their own personal gain. 

Don't You Dare

I see his point. (via Tastefully Offensive)