Monday, October 02, 2023
Ghostly Dumbo Octopus
A crew aboard the EV Nautilus watches the camera feed from their ROV Atalanta and spots a dumbo octopus (Grimpoteuthis), shining ghostly white in the lights. There are quite a few species in this genus, named dumbo after the Disney elephant because of its fins that look like ears. Or who knows- maybe these are its ears that it uses for swimming, just like Dumbo used his oversized ears for flying. This footage was recorded 5,518 feet (1,682 meters) under the surface at the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument near Hawaii.
These EV videos are great because we get to see deep sea creatures in their own habitat, but also because we get the real-time reaction from the scientists watching from the ship. Their enthusiasm is contagious. One says, "I'm glad we got to see a live one!" That indicates they saw a dead one earlier. So why is it white? Octopuses have the ability to be any color they want, so this one may have turned white to match the bright light from the ROV. Or the light may be so bright that it would show up white to us regardless of the real color. Or maybe it's combination of both. (via Born in Space)
Miss Cellania's Links
Who Was the Love Doctor of Belle Epoque Paris? It's never a good idea to date your gynecologist, but women made an exception for Parisian doctor Samuel Pozzi.
Our First Look at the New Movie, The Toxic Avenger. Warning: This red band teaser contains NSFW language.
Kevin Bacon had to destroy haunted house on his farm after previous owner thought he'd get 'possessed.' (via Strange Company)
The Girl With the Green Ribbon: A Grisly History of ‘Headless Woman’ Stories.
The Biggest Action Figure Accessory Ever is a 1985 Aircraft Carrier. (via Nag on the Lake)
Todd Alcott's Song Illustrations. With one of these hanging in your home, you are guaranteed an earworm without even hearing the song. (via Boing Boing)
50 New Streaming Horror Movies to Watch in October. (via Metafilter)
Honoring the Thousands of Forgotten Souls Buried Beneath San Francisco. When the city moved its graves, they left a lot behind.
Kazookeylele
Stuart Crout plays “The Final Countdown” on a Kazookeylele, a hybrid instrument the likes of which I have never seen before. The nerdery is cranked to eleven here. Several years later, Crout was on Britain’s Got Talent, but not for long. (via reddit)
Tweet of the Day
Food critic. pic.twitter.com/LukUVibcmf
— cats with jobs 🛠 (@CatWorkers) October 1, 2023
Sunday, October 01, 2023
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
This full-length version of the Washington Irving story is a made-for-TV movie. From Wikipedia:
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1999), a Canadian-American television film directed by Pierre Gang and starring Brent Carver and Rachelle Lefevre. The production was nominated for three Gemini Awards: Best Actor (Carver), Best Original Music Score, and Best Production Design.Welcome to spooky season!
The History of Acme
We all know the Acme Corporation. They were the ones who supplied Wile E. Coyote with all the gadgets and supplies he needed to catch the Road Runner. They didn't work all that well, but he could get them delivered out in the desert. Since those days, the name Acme has been used as a generic business name when you don't want to use a specific name. But wait, those Warner Brothers cartoons weren't the first to use Acme as a generic business name- they are just the most durable and universal media we have from 70+ years ago. Using Acme as a business name was already a Hollywood thing.
Even so, the name didn't spring up in Hollywood. It was a common business name during the early 20th century, selected for a mundane but genius reason. While a few businesses that use the name Acme are still around, startups rarely select it because of its association with Wile E. Coyote and his many failures in using their products.
Honk
Cyriak Harris has been producing bizarre animations for almost twenty years now, although not as often as we'd like. Except for a commissioned music video, this is his first animated project in two years. He has a talent for turning everyday objects, often animals, into Eldrich horrors. The subject this time is a goose, which is a silly animal to begin with, but this one is a contortionist, as you would expect.
Hush
If anyone ever calls Deep Purple a one-hit wonder, you can remind them of “Hush” from 1968. Or introduce them to the song, in case they don't remember it.
Tweet of the Day
(Thanks, WTM!)Rescuing a Dog Stuck in Mud on a Farm! pic.twitter.com/3FnqTM2a4h
— Epoch Animal Lovers (@EP_AnimalLovers) August 30, 2023
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Born to Dance
Recognize this hoofer? That's Buddy Ebsen, Jed Clampett himself, in his twenties, younger than you've probably ever seen him. This production number is from the 1936 movie Born to Dance. Ebsen wasn't the star; it was a Jimmy Stewart movie.
Hailing a NYC Cab in 1981
Couple's First Cat Adoption Doesn't Go as Expected
One thing a first-time cat owner needs to learn is that all cats are different and have their own personalities, just like people. Jeremie and Alyssa met in college and got married. Alyssa thought it would be a great idea to adopt a pet together. Jeremie had never lived with a cat before, and assumed it would be easy, because cats are aloof and independent. You can see where this is going. The couple adopted a kitten they named Wilbur, who had an injured paw. Wilbur turned out to be an affectionate cat, to the point of being clingy. Alyssa was gone in those early days to start a new job, so Wilbur bonded with Jeremie. But Jeremie found that he likes being Wilbur's sun and moon! You can keep up with Wilbur and his little brother Solomon, another rescue cat, at Instagram.