Saturday, August 15, 2026
Munchkin The Teddy Bear Ewok
For no particular reason, I thought you'd enjoy a short video of a Shih Tzu dressed as an Ewok. See more of Munchkin at her Instagram page. (via Metafilter)
Friday, August 14, 2026
Cat and Pizza
Don't tease your cat. They'll always get the better of you. This is the latest from Simon Tofield.
Sloppy vs. Elite Military Uniforms
Say what you will about the Nazis (and I do), they sure looked stylish. Hitler and his generals understood the art of intimidation, and dressed the part. Today we call it the Hugo Boss look. Hugo Boss didn't design the uniforms, but his company manufactured them to specifications and made sure they looked sharp, whether they were for the SS, the SA, the Wehrmacht, Hitler Youth, or enlisted brown shirts. Those uniforms couldn't have been comfortable out in the field.
In contrast, the US military appeared downright frumpy in the films taken during World War II operations. Oh sure, they looked spiffy in dress uniforms on parade, but out in the battlefield, what you accomplish is much more important than how you look. Designed for function over form, Americans were dressed for utility, practicality, and comfort. And when you admire the stylish Nazi uniforms, keep in mind who won that war.
Jump Dreams
Forty years ago, when Tahira Reid Smith was in third grade, her teacher had the class make posters of something they wish existed. Smith thought it would be nice to have a Double Dutch machine that could turn jump ropes at a steady pace without having to find two volunteers. After all, she was an only child and knew what it was like to try to reign in people to turn the ropes. Her idea won the poster competition.
Smith grew up and became a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue University. And an inventor! As an undergraduate, she worked with her mentor Professor Burt Swersey to develop the Double Dutch machine. Smith received the first patent for it in 1999. It took quite a few years to get it perfected and manufactured, but now the machine called Jump Dreams is making Double Dutch accessible to more people than ever. (via Metafilter)
Miss Cellania's Links
Patriot Games: Trump’s ‘freedom finale’ to celebrate 250 is … a school sports day.
Dogs want sticks. (via Everlasting Blort)
15 Historical Figures With Afflictions You Never Knew About.
Hospitals push for upfront payments as healthcare costs rise. (via Fark)
Went to an open house for a home built ~1900. When I saw this original detail, I knew it was out of our price range.
The links list is short today, due to canning season, storm damage, and cat issues. In other words, am tired.
How Mass Dampers Stop Structures from Shaking
Being atop a skyscraper when it sways is disconcerting, but not as terrifying as that sway would be if it weren't for mass dampers. That idea comforted me a little while atop the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building, but I never understood how they work until today. This simple but thorough explanation of the science from Minute Physics uses a LEGO Saturn 5 rocket, or two of them, to show how a mass damper works. The video is really only 3:40; after that, it's an ad. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
A Writer's Hierarchy of Needs
Grant Snider made this one for the New York Times Book review. It's also at his webcomic, Incidental Comics.
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Preschool Worksheet
Teachers in the thread say they are teaching vowel pronunciation, but then why use "is for" in the title instead of "as in"? (via reddit)
Uncomfortable Truths More Valuable Than a Therapist
I knew all these items, and have had extensive discussions about many of them. Still, it's a bit brutal to hear them all listed together. If you're serious about improving your life, it would be a lot easier to concentrate on one thing at a time.
Bizarre Flower Sex
Ze Frank, who usually gives us True Facts about animals, has veered off and made a video about plants. But true to form, it's about the sex life of plants, and it starts off as suggestive as it can be. Plants reproduce sexually, but since they are rooted in place, many of them depend on animals to connect two potential parents. That's where "the birds and the bees" come in. And a lot of other insects, too. We know how bees pollinate plants, but different plants have evolved some extreme ways of attracting insects. There are flowers that use bizarre mechanical means to load those insects with pollen. Some flowers even swallow up insects, not to eat them (although some do), but to force them to participate in their pollination scheme. Yeah, this is beneficial to the insects in some way, otherwise it wouldn't last too long. There's a 30-second promotional section at 2:33.
Free Speech
This cartoon by Matt Wuerker with Politico sums it up nicely! #Blues
— 🔵Blue Dot Buckeye🔵#Blues 🦋💙🌊🗽🌪️ (@buckivotesblue.bsky.social) August 10, 2026 at 8:36 AM
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