Friday, November 13, 2026
Another Fine Day in Flight Simulator X
Witness the insanity of a multiplayer flight simulator. The air traffic controller resigns himself to the fact that no one knows what they are doing. He trolls a young kid by sending him back to the terminal to load cookies. A 747 keeps trying to crash into the tower. Then a guy shows up in a kite. This is supposed to be the airport in Atlanta, but the pilots just want to show off their moves like they're in an airshow. (via Metafilter)
Thursday, November 12, 2026
Is It Too Early To Decorate For Christmas?
When I was a kid, my parents would pull out the Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving. When I had kids, we'd gradually start decorating when they started asking about it, which was right after Halloween. After they left home, I always made it a point to have the outdoor Christmas lights up to greet my Thanksgiving guests (we usually have the feast at suppertime). I ask my kids to put up the tree and the ornaments when they are here for Thanksgiving.
I get a kick out of noticing how my neighbors do it. Some just replace Halloween decor with Christmas, either on November first or sometime in December when the skeletons get really dirty. Some even combine the two holidays on their lawn. I don't decorate for Halloween anymore.
This year, Princess can't come because of her husband's work schedule, and Dr. Dolittle only has one day off, so she and her husband won't have time to help decorate. I guess I better get started on the house prep. I have to move furniture to get the tree up, and I want to mop the floor in between. Hauling heavy stuff from the basement has to be done a little at a time, and during daylight. Outside lights take a couple of days because there are few hours that are warm enough. The logistics get harder every year, but it's still a lot of fun. And it gives me an excuse for not raking leaves until December.
Hi
The entire YouTube description for the latest video from Bill Wurtz (previously at Neatorama) is "oops, no ai". What's the story? There is none. This is just following a guy around as he moves through his day, constantly distracted by something else and accomplishing very little along the way. He does get his roof done, but the actual work was done by someone else.
Is Hi a song? No, but there are musical elements to it here and there. The real genius is in two-second snippets of philosophical thoughts that only make sense when they are taken out of context. The context is a nonsensical framework that seems to be built only to get from one snippet to the next. Or perhaps I am overthinking it. This is probably better enjoyed as the surreal stream of consciousness that it appears to be on the surface. Oh yeah, and there's the Infinity Bus.
State Borders Are Hard to Draw From Memory
The online game Borderline challenges us to draw map borders from memory. The United States version has proven to be quite popular. Drawing each state's borders is not easy when you've never done it before, no matter how well you know the US map. Some people are astonishingly good at it. Then you remember that no one is going to try the game unless they think they can do it.
A compilation map of how all players drew those lines is fascinating. Matt Forrest brings us some insights about that map, specifically that the states with the most complicated borders turn out to be the easiest states to place. The hardest are those with simple, straight borders because they are all together in the American West. (via Laughing Squid)
Cats Sing the '80s
Generation X will always remember the music of the 1980s as their time. While its not the music of my adolescence, I spent the decade playing pop music on radio, so I also have a soft spot for the music of the decade. Enjoy a collection of cats (and other animals) illustrating puns and jokes based on the most memorable songs of the '80s. Continue reading for more.
Guard Cat Repels Invader
A security camera was trained on the cat door of this home, so you can assume that funny things had been happening, and the family was trying to figure it out. Maybe this raccoon had attempted burglary here before! In this instance, Fluffy sprang into action to defend her territory. "Territory" is what cats call their food dish. (via Geekologie)
Harmacy
this was the only cvs with adderall in stock
— duen (@riolu.gay) November 9, 2026 at 10:05 AM
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Wednesday, November 11, 2026
In Lieu of Flowers
Sure, it's dumb to print a URL in a newspaper, but they could have made this relatively easy to use if they had deleted the question mark and everything after. (via Bad Newspaper)
Eegah
The 1962 horror film Eegah stars Richard Kiel as a giant prehistoric caveman who lives in the California desert. He kidnaps a beautiful young woman and her father (tell me if you've heard this one before). Oh yeah, it's also a rock 'n' roll musical. With a 0% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Eegah is considered to be one of the worst films ever made. Ignore the AI thumbnail; it has nothing to do with the movie. (Thanks, WTM!)
Urinals
They didn't quite think this through. I believe they meant only one person using the urinals at a time. (Thanks, WTM!)
This is Harmony
Okay, here's something just pleasant. The barbershop quartet Duly Noted recently placed second in the SingUnited International Quartet Contest in Columbus, Ohio. The performance in this video is from last year. Stay for the end, you won't regret it.
The Dying Minutes of World War One
Canadian soldier George Lawrence Price, from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, was serving with the 28th Infantry Battalion on November 11. The 26-year-old was part of a five-man patrol that was checking buildings beside the canal at Ville-sur-Haine, in Mons, for signs of the enemy.Read the stories of the last men to die in World War I at historywithatwist. (via Strange Company)
Unfortunately, they found them – a group of German soldiers in the process of setting up machine guns on a wall overlooking the canal. There was an exchange of fire; both sides took cover and the Germans retreated.
The Canadians began to follow, but just as George stepped out onto the street he was shot in the chest by a German sniper. Dragged into a nearby house, he was treated by a local nurse, but there was little she could do.
George Price died soon after, at 10.58am… just two minutes before the armistice.
Five Species That Harness Wildfires
For most animals, plants, and other life forms, fire is the worst thing that can happen. It's deadly, and even if you escape, your environment is ruined. But wildfires have always been a part of earth's activities, and some species have evolved to use it to their benefit. For example, the fire lily bulb stays dormant in the ground until after a wildfire rages through. Then it grows and blooms without competition from other plants!
Plants that grow in the ashes of a wildfire attracts bugs, which attract birds. It's almost as if there's a system to heal and renew the environment after its devastated by fire. There are other species that are attracted to wildfires, and even one that actively spreads a fire. SciScow introduces us to how all this works. This video has a skippable ad from 6:00 to 6:48.
Miss Cellania's Links
Why Veterans Day Was Originally Called Armistice Day. And still is, in many parts of the world.
Warner Bros. is Remaking You've Got Mail Despite All the Reasons Not to Do That. I thought the 1998 version was tragically regressive.
Thanksgiving Trends: What America Cooked, Forgot, and Ordered on DoorDash. (via Mental Floss)
Here's an explanation of how Trump made billions off the presidency in the last two years. It doesn't even take direct bribes or pardon payments into account. (via MetaFilter)
73 Unsettling True Stories That Belong In A Horror Movie Or Netflix Documentary.
Why do farts smell so bad? A microbiologist explains the odors brewing in your gut. (via Damn Interesting)
8 Bakers Failing At Ridiculously Simple Tasks.
She was Arrested for Riding Astride a Horse in Central Park. (via Strange Company)
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