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.
Friday, August 14, 2026
Sloppy vs. Elite Military Uniforms
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
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Preschool Worksheet
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
[image or embed]
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
The Head
The Head is a low budget 1959 West German science fiction horror film. The original title is Die Nackte und der Satan (The Naked Woman and Satan). Wikipedia summarizes the plot:
A scientist, Dr. Abel, is successful in creating a serum capable of keeping a dog's head alive after the body dies. Before the scientist can take advantage of his new discovery, he suffers a fatal heart attack. His assistant uses the formula to keep the scientist's severed head alive long enough to assist him in an attempt to transplant the head of the beautiful, but hunchbacked, nurse onto the body of an exotic dancer.The movie was banned in Austria as offensive, although it is not clear exactly why. Critics said Die Nackte und der Satan was so bad that it was an unintentional comedy. The pacing is weird and every scene is comically overacted. For the American release, the title was changed to The Head, the nudity was cut, and the lines poorly overdubbed. The concept was repeated in the just-slightly-better 1962 movie The Brain That Wouldn't Die. (Thanks, WTM!)
Fearless Koda
Koda was found as a stray in the neighborhood, possibly dumped because of his illnesses. His eyes were so infected that they were ultimately removed, but he hasn't let that slow him down. A vet tech took Koda home to foster as he was recovering, but soon became his permanent mother. Koda quickly settled in and learned to navigate his world without sight. But that's just the beginning.
The family got Koda used to water, and then taught him pool safety, and then how to swim. They took him hiking and then camping. He learned to follow his humans' voices even in unfamiliar territory. Then they all went to Yellowstone for vacation! Koda is comfortable in a vehicle, a forest, a kayak, or a backpack. He isn't afraid because his people always look out for his safety, and he trusts them not to let anything bad happen to him. He's still just a kitten, but he's lived a rich and adventurous life many people would be envious of. You can follow the further adventures of Koda at Instagram.
