(via Fark)
Thursday, July 02, 2026
Fireworks Guns
When John Adams wrote about American celebrating Independence day with bonfires and illuminations, he never dreamt it would be like this. CodyBPyrotechnics shows us the latest innovations in Roman candles. The ones available for consumer use are bigger than ever before. There's also a model of launcher that resemble a Gatling gun. Why would you need a rotating gun for fireworks? I guess because it just seems cool. The real innovation is that you can aim your massive fireworks somewhere other than straight up, which doesn't seem all that safe to me. He compares several of these guns in this video.
The fireworks are pretty, but watching a video is as risky as I want to get with this. Not to mention I dont want to pay for such a single-use gun. These should not be used near people, or forests, or homes, or after holiday drinking. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Cockatiel Sings
These folks watch a lot of movies -enough so that their cockatiel has learned to sing the theme from Pirates of the Caribbean and the Imperial March from Star Wars.
Wednesday, July 01, 2026
One Million B.C.
No, this is not the Raquel Welch film; that's One Million Years B.C., the remake. The original is One Million B.C. from 1940, starring Victor Mature, Carole Landis, and Lon Chaney Jr. With the alternate title Man and His Mate, it's a Romeo and Juliet story of two prehistoric tribes, one more civilized than the other, who learn each other's ways and eventually join forces to survive the dinosaurs who attack them.
One Million B.C. was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Musical Score and Best Special Effects. The dinosaurs are real animals, sometimes dressed in costume like a pig in a triceratops suit. One dinosaur is a man in a suit. The movie led to a protest from the SPCA and a ban on animal cruelty in movies. Therefore, many later dinosaur films reused footage from this one to depict dinosaurs. Footage of the rock slide and volcanoes were reused as well. Despite the expense, One Million B.C. was a box office success. This version is colorized. (Thanks, WTM!)
The First Teaser Trailer for Not Alone
Not Alone is described as an "animated science fiction romantic comedy," which is a mouthful but sounds like it could be good. The voices of Timothée Chalamet and Selena Gomez star as Joe and Fran, ground workers on a space mission, hence the "science fiction." They awkwardly like each other, hence the "romantic comedy." The teaser makes it seem like there's some epic event, like the end of the world, that's driving them closer. Could this be an original thought-provoking drama?
But then we suddenly find out where the "comedy" really comes from. The aliens from outer space who find Joe seem like a combination of the Yip Yips, the Minions, and the Three Stooges. The plot seems like a '60s comedy or sitcom, in which an everyman is charged with hiding something magically incredible, like a sentient Volkswagen or a talking cat or a genie. I guess it really is a kids movie. After all, it's from Illumination, who brought us the Despicable Me franchise. Not Alone is scheduled to open in April of 2027.
o28
If you enjoyed those old Looney Tunes cartoons in which all rules of logic were suspended to build chaos, then you'll love o28. A German couple on vacation ride on the well known Tram 28 (Eléctrico 28E) to see the historic sections of Lisbon, Portugal. Except he is more interested in a magazine than the sights, and she is occupied by taking pictures for Instagram. But once the streetcar goes completely out of control, their attention is focused. The driver is gone, and the brakes are broken. On top of it all, there's a baby on board with a pronounced unibrow.
The film o28 was made by a group of students at Rubika, an animation school based in Valenciennes, France. There are cultural references and easter eggs throughout the video that you might miss the first time around, and are pointed out at Kuriositas.
Miss Cellania's Links
He's De-Mented! Randy Rainbow's latest song parody is set to the tune of Cole Porter's "It's De-Lovely" from his 1936 musical Red Hot and Blue.
How to Get Your Own Ghanian Movie Poster.
Does Russia Have Enough Soldiers to Keep Waging War Against Ukraine? The Russian army is not currently struggling to recruit new contract soldiers, though the number of people willing to go to war for money is dwindling.
During World War I, This Woman Asked Americans to Welcome Immigrants—and Urged New Arrivals to Assimilate. No, it wasn't Emma Lazarus, as I first thought.
The original Moana: did a 1926 documentary give birth to a 21st century Disney blockbuster? (via Damn Interesting)
Mamdani: Democratic socialist candidates ‘can get elected anywhere across this country for any position.' Sure, but only if they drop that one scary, misunderstood word. (via Fark)
The reason Middle Eastern people are considered white in America. The longer version is here.
A Blast from the Past (2014): What to Eat for Canada Day.
Moosestach
This comic is from D.C. Stuelpner at drawer of drawings. The comments are mainly from people who need an explanation because they don't speak Canadian. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Tuesday, June 30, 2026
"You Can't Hurry Love"
The Supremes perform "You Can't Hurry Love" on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 25, 1966.
An Honest Trailer for Idiocracy
The movie is 20 years old, and predicted what would happen in 500 years. Yet much of it has already happened. You can't tell me you didn't think about the film when you saw the setup for a cage match at the White House.
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