(via Cracked)
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Bizarre Cephalopod Reproduction
Warning: this video contains marine animal sex and plenty of jokes about it. After all, it's a True Facts video from Ze Frank. He offers classroom-friendly version of his videos, but admits that this one might be difficult to translate.
We've already been through the argument over the plural of octopus many times, but what about cuttlefish? If there are two, is it cuttlefishes or cuttlefish? It's important because it takes two cuttlefish to make babies. But they don't quite cuttle the way you'd expect. For one thing, cephalopod sperm is delivered in biological packages that are about as complex as a space ship to overcome the effects of living underwater. The different species shown here use a variety of methods to deliver them. Male octopi use an arm, which might even detach. Squids, cuttlefish, and octopi know what they're doing, although it looks all wrong to us. The result is eggs laid and a new generation hatched, even if it kills a parent.
Epic Harry Potter Dance Routine
Walden Grove High School in Sahuarita, Arizona went all out for their Homecoming Assembly, with an elaborate dance modeled on the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The PAC Dance Team and the Advanced Dance club came together for an entertaining recap of the Harry Potter stories, as Harry and his friends battle Voldemort and his evil forces. Well done! (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles is one of the many movies based on Sherlock Holmes novels by Arthur Conan Doyle. This 1939 version stars Basil Rathbone as Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Watson, and is closest to the book of all the films. The two actors would go on to star in 13 more Sherlock Holmes movies. The Hound of the Baskervilles received mixed reviews at the time, but is now a classic. (Thanks, WTM!)
The 2026 Squishing of the Squash
Since 1999, when a prize-winning 828 pound pumpkin was donated to the Oregon Zoo, the annual Squishing of the Squash has been a premiere event. Local farmers donate excess produce, and the elephants love it. For them, it's a combination of a ball game, a treasure hunt, and snack time. The crowds of humans love it, too.
This year, the star of the show was an 18-year-old Asian elephant named Samudra. She was offered a 500 pound pumpkin that was stuffed with apples, sweet potatoes, and lettuce. She had fun playing with the gourd until it cracked open, revealing the surprise banquet. This will be the last Squishing of the Squash in Oregon for Samudra, as she is moving to the St. Louis Zoo next year. Her little sister Tula-Tu, only 20 months old, got her own smaller pumpkin. (via Laughing Squid)
Why TV Can't Tell Stories Chronologically
The use of the flashback in telling a story has been around forever. In the hands of skilled storyteller, it can be a very effective device. The author wants to control how much the audience knows, and at what point everything can be revealed. However, in modern TV shows, the narrative flashes back and forth so often that the viewer may end up dizzy. These multiple timelines can keep us guessing, or make us just give up.
Is this just a trend in the art of storytelling? Or is it a way to pad out a too-short main story and make it last through the planned season? Or is it just fun for the cast and crew? The difference between a flashback as a stunt or an effective storytelling device is how necessary it is to making the story coherent and satisfying to watch or read.
Miss Cellania's Links
10 people who are utterly screwed if Democrats win Congress. (via Fark)
In the New Movie Whalefall, a Cetacean Swallows a Diver Whole. The Sperm Whale’s Remarkable Anatomy and Feeding Habits Shape the Survival Thriller.
The most popular baby names of 2026. And name trends for 2027.
Brady Rogers ran for city council with a strangely honest campaign. And he won!
Babies enjoying whipped cream. And two dogs.
23 Haunted and Cursed Horror Movie Sets That Really Freaked Out the Cast and Crew.
The nutrition expert who died of malnutrition.
Police Shooting of 1-Year-Old Kohen Wiley ‘Was Justified,’ Mississippi Attorney General Says. Nothing about this case makes any sense. (via Fark)
The "Lost" Empire Strikes Back Documentary by Michel Parbot
In 1980, French filmmaker Michel Parbot made an hour-long TV documentary on the filming of the second Star Wars movie. The Making of 'The Empire Strikes Back' was lost for many years (although short clips were passed around), but apparently Adywan, a French Star Wars fan, found a film copy somewhere, and it is now available for the first time in its entirety on YouTube. Enjoy behind-the-scenes footage of fight choreography, an extended look at the struggles of filming on Hoth (Norway), learn how special effects were done before CGI, and hear stories from the professionals involved in the production.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
The Mascot
The classic stop-motion film The Mascot was produced by animator Władysław Starewicz in 1933. You might recall an excerpt from the movie titled "The Devil's Ball" aired on TV's Night Flight quite a few years ago. It's been digitally restored and is perfect for Halloween viewing. (Thanks, WTM!)
Ow!
Dustin Ballard, also known as There I Ruined It, made a song completely out of vocal extras. The first half is the word "Ow!" which made me think of walking across a floor strewn with LEGO bricks, and then it switches to "Whoa," as if you are on a slippery floor, because there's a lot of those.
Ghostmashers
This time of year, you can count on hearing Ray Parker Jr's "Ghostbusters" quite a bit. Sure, it's still appropriate, and so is the movie, but what it really needs is a mashup with eleven other songs from the 1980s. Yes, twelve songs, and if you don't recognize them all, there's a list at the YouTube page. Bill McClintock revealed this mashup in honor of Halloween. Some of the songs are what you'd normally think of as Halloween songs, but most of them are just dance hits that you know by heart. So you may as well get up and dance to them now!
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