Ray was street cat with no eyes. Lucky for him, he lived in Turkey, where people feed street cats. After being passed around somewhat, he landed with a family who loves him, and who already had a rescue cats. But Ray doesn't act like he's blind, because he has a really good inner map relying on sound, smell, and feel. The family moved to Finland, where he's now living his best life. See more of Ray and his family at Instagram.
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Ray is a Ray of Sunshine
Is Hypnosis Real?
The term hypnosis grew out of the work of Franz Mesmer in the 18th century. He promoted the theory of animal magnetism and would cure illness with magnetic fluids. His successes were later attributed to the power of suggestion, which gave us both the placebo effect and hypnosis. Hypnosis is based on the power of suggestion in humans, but was depicted in movies as a "power" to force people to do things they normally wouldn't. As such, it was relegated to the realm of bunk. The truth is that hypnosis is a technique that works (on some people), but is not that dramatic. It's more a matter of opening one's mind to new ways of thinking. (via Damn Interesting)
Miss Cellania's Links
Original Concept Designs of Beloved Disney Characters That Almost Looked Completely Different.
Michelangelo hated painting the Sistine Chapel – and never aspired to be a painter to begin with.
Kids are easy to please!
On November 04, 1965, the US military carried a special bomb to the North Vietnamese in commemoration of the 6-millionth pound of ordnance dropped. This bomb was unique because of the type..... it was a toilet! (via Bits and Pieces)
What it's like living near Meta's massive data center. (via Nag on the Lake)
The real-life version of Heated Rivalry starred two women.
Nostalgia time: 10 TV Moments That 'Broke the Internet' Before There Was an Internet.
Blood test boosts Alzheimer's diagnosis accuracy to 94.5%, clinical study shows. (via Boing Boing)
Where is Papa's Phone?
Papa can't find his phone. It rings, but it's not in his pockets. It's not in his car. When he walks away, no one can hear the ringing, so it must be on him somewhere. Can all the assembled family members help him find it? The best part of this video is his sense of humor about the whole thing. The mystery will be solved by the end of this video. (via Laughing Squid)
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Ancestors Show Up in Your Time of Need
In the original Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi returns from the dead to remind Luke to trust the Force. In The Lion King, Mufasa appears in the clouds to advise Simba. Mulan had a whole group of deceased ancestors watching out for her. And if I recall correctly, something similar happened in Field of Dreams. Movies often have inspiring scenes of the lessons we learned from our forefathers coming back to save us when we really need it. But how far back can you go before the wisdom of our beloved relatives is totally useless? Don't mind the length of the video, the skit is only 3:50.
Dizzy
Dizzy was a feral cat that has become a cuddlebug. She has crossed eyes and some special needs that mean she needs daily medication. She's turned out to be quite a wonderful companion for the folks who were willing to step up for her.
The Risks of Eating Raw Fish
We eat other living things, which are likely to contain parasites. Plant parasites don't worry us much because they are usually only dangerous to plants. But meat, on the other hand, sometimes has parasites that can survive inside us. Commercial meat producing facilities have made great strides in reducing parasites. Wild animals are more likely to contain them, but we don't worry about it because we cook our food.
But then there's sushi and sashimi, which are more popular than ever. Can you get parasites from eating raw fish? Yes, if you catch your own fish and take it home and make your own fresh sashimi. Fish vendors, food processors, and restaurants have strict procedures to kill parasites before you have a chance to consume them. MinuteFood goes through the process, so you can stop worrying about it. I've never worried about it because I don't like fish and would never eat it raw anyway. This video is seven minutes long; the rest is an ad. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Dinosaur, a Film by Nathan and His Dad
Four-year-old Nathan Mezquida tells a story he made up about dinosaurs. His dad, Allen Mezquida, animated his drawings to tell it.
Nathan spends hours drawing every day, mostly dinosaurs. He also loves watching BBC documentaries about dinosaurs. Next thing I knew, we were working on this short film together. Nathan was very clear about the story he wanted to tell and how he wanted it to look. He said he wanted it to be very real, "never cartoony." I did my best to stay true to his vision.(via Laughing Squid)
Monday, February 23, 2026
About Looney Tunes
The Warner Bros. animated shorts we know as Looney Tunes were so successful and so enduring because they didn't play to children. They were funny to everyone! They were made to run in theaters, in front of Warner bros. movies, so they often had stars from those classic films in them. But they didn't have to be respectful. After all, they were, first and foremost, funny. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has acquired Looney Tunes, and made this video to welcome them. (via the Awesomer)
Kids React to Rotary Phones
Warning: this will make you feel ancient. Dial phones were replaced by push-button phones when these kids’ parents were children (although that wasn’t universal -remember when we had to pay an extra fee for touchtone service?), so it’s no surprise they don’t know how to use them. But when you hear them try to figure out how to send a text on a rotary phone, it strikes home how different the world they are growing up in really is. (via Metafilter)
Update: Want to feel even older? This video is 11 years old. All these kids are adults now.
The Secrets of Silk
Up until 552 AD, Europe paid dearly for a luxurious fabric from China called silk. It was lightweight but strangely strong, felt good against the skin, and came in amazing colors and patterns. What was it made of? How did they produce such beautiful fabric with it? That was a mystery that China was careful not to reveal, because they were making a ton of money sending silk along a trade route that became known as the Silk Road. They kept the existence of the silk worm, and the food it ate. But they also had some really advanced technology for fabric production that worked on principles that eventually made their way into our modern computers.
This simple video of the silk making process is more interesting than it has any right to be. There's a 70-second skippable ad at 4:07. (via Damn Interesting)
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