Eight Years

This kind of surprised me. I went to my login page at mental_floss by accident and saw that I've been there eight years now. The last time I looked at it, it said seven years and twelve months, which is kind of amusing.

Eight years! I never worked for the same employer that long in my entire career in radio. I've actually been posting at Neatorama for longer than that, but mental_floss was the first blog that ever paid me for posting. Neatorama and YesButNoButYes started paying when they started making money.

Of course, job longevity is a double-edged sword. Thinking of topics to write about gets harder, because when some idea comes up, I've most likely already done that post by now. And after eight years, you'd think I'd be good at it. Go figure.

Cold Glass Sculpture

Jack Storms is a glass artist who doesn’t melt glass. Instead, he cuts and polishes and assembles solid glass into beautiful works of shininess. He says it can take 18 weeks to complete a project, so of course we would wonder what they sell for. You can see some of Storms’ completed works at his website, but you have to make a serious inquiry to get a price quote. That should tell you something. Meanwhile, we can learn about the process of making these cold glass sculptures. (via Digg)

Presidents Club

(via reddit)

Lion Reunion

Here we have a video from  Kruger National Park in South Africa that doesn’t involve any blood, guts, or mutterings of “that’s nature’s way.” A lioness had somehow gotten separated from her pride -for three days. She hid in the brush and sadly called out for them. Then on the third day, here they come down the road! She wants to make sure its her pride, but as soon as she recognizes them, the party is on! (via Arbroath)

Take That!

 

(via Mostly Forbidden Zone)

Roof Potato

Just imagine, if this guy slides off the roof, not only will he faceplant in the front yard, but then a couch will fall on him. Hmm, notice the crutch? Maybe it's not his first time. (via Daily Picks and Flicks)

What REALLY Killed Google Glass?

Google is no longer selling Google Glass, but insists that the company committed to to product, which will be retooled and eventually launched in a different form. That’s not very reassuring to the people who bought one, as they will no longer receive software upgrades. What happened? If you watch this video, you might think it’s telling you that forces from beyond the grave caused the failure of Google Glass, but I believe the point is hidden in the simple fact that these guys couldn’t manage to summon porn with it. (via b3ta)

Dusty

(via reddit)

Babies Going Through Tunnels

It’s not unusual for the parent in the passenger seat to record video of the baby in the backseat. This compilation of clips proves that there’s a universal reaction to riding through an unexpected tunnel for these little ones. “Hey! The world changed!” Or something like that. The totally unrelated music in this video only adds to the surrealism. Metafilter has a string of puns and jokes about what’s going on in their heads, including the title of their link post: OMG, it's full of cars!

Beef Round Thing

(via Bad Newspaper)

5 Ways NOT To Handle A Nasty Facebook Breakup

Some Facebook etiquette rules are presented here as a 194s-style educational film. Facebook is described here as “the electric friendship generator.” The anachronistic idioms are hilarious! But the advice here deals with real-life modern social conventions, and it can be boiled down to “think before you post.” (via Nag on the Lake)

Crossing-Sweeper

 

(via Mostly Forbidden Zone)

Little Men

From Married to the Sea. 

Where Are The Unicorns?

This ad for the French cable channel Canal+ from the ad agency BETC Paris gives a little twist to the old story of why there are no unicorns in existence today. Yeah, the setting is still Noah’s Ark. Read more about this minute-long epic film at AdFreak. About one second of the video may be NSFW, but fine by barnyard standards. I hope that doesn’t give away too much. (via Daily Picks and Flicks)

Miss Cellania's Links

Indiana Jones and the Danger of the Doomed Reboot. Trying to measure up to the original is a fool’s quest.

The Gacy Files. Decades after the fact, Jason Moran is determined to identify all of John Wayne Gacy’s victims.

The long, troubled history of the new Ghostbusters movie. We thought it would never happen, but now we’ve even got a cast.

5 Great Australian Frauds. When you lie Down Under, you gotta go big or go home.

5 Criminals Who Were Hilariously Good at Escaping Jail.

Anita Sarkeesian Shares One Week Of Harassment On Twitter. 

When Ice Was Hot: A Skater Shares His Lifelong Love for Ice Show Razzle-Dazzle.

World Population Cartogram 2015. Each tiny square represents half a million people. (via Metafilter)

Holiday Decorations

(via Fark)

Snickers Super Bowl Ad

Snickers has unveiled their Super Bowl ad. It features the Brady Bunch, Danny Trejo, and a surprise appearance by… well, let’s leave that as a surprise. (via Digg)

The Fifth Marx Brother

The “fifth Marx brother” would be Zeppo if you’re going by birth order, or Gummo, in order of popularity (Gummo only did Vaudeville and did not appear in any of the movies). However, the title actually refers to actress Margaret Dumont. Dumont is best known, even by movie fans who don’t know her name, as the “straight woman” in seven Marx Brothers films. She joined them in The Cocoanuts (1929), Animal Crackers (1930), Duck Soup (1933), A Night at the Opera (1935), A Day at the Races (1937), At the Circus (1939), and The Big Store (1941). But she had quite a career outside of the Marx Brothers. Read about Margaret Dumont in an article I posted at mental_floss.

Sherlock Robot

 

(via Mostly Forbidden Zone)

Millions of Americans Don’t Have Internet Access

The vast majority of my two kids’ homework assignments must be handed in electronically. The required format for most classes is an online word processing program that my kids’ 2009 Mac Mini cannot access because their system is suddenly obsolete. There was also a required online homework program or two that was not accessible by a Mac, only a PC. So they stay after school at the media center, which is often crowded with kids that have no computer at all at home. The public library is even more crowded.

Now imagine that your family cannot afford to buy an up-to-date computer. They also cannot afford to have a landline or cable installed, much less pay for the required services to access the internet. Maybe you don’t even have a permanent address. Those waiting lines to do homework are an every day thing, if you have a parent who can take you to the library. If not, you’re out of luck.

Older folks, who have enough trouble learning to use computers, now have to have internet access to get IRS forms, sign up for unemployment, get Social Security information, and so many other government services. But library budgets keep being cut, so they cannot expand their computer services, much less upgrade the obsolete equipment they have. Something’s gotta give sometime. (via Metafilter)

Deflategate at the Vet's

(via Daily Picks and Flicks)

Miss Cellania's Links

The Cruelest Oscar Award Presentation of All-Time. And at the same ceremony, the most embarrassing.

The real story behind Ship Your Enemies Glitter. Part joke, part marketing stunt, but the existing orders will still be filled.

Facebook Employees Reveal 22 Awful Things About Working At Facebook. Considering the pay, each one seems minor when compared to struggles at the average Joe job.

It’s Very Hard Not To Laugh At This Sleeping Dog Whose Owners Keep Dressing Him Up. Rufus makes the perfect somnambulistic art model.

Watch a Weatherman Stay Cool When His Map Shows Ridiculously Hot Temperatures. “I think steel boils at about this temperature.”

New York During the Great Blizzard of 1888. http://mentalfloss.com/article/61301/photos-new-york-after-blizzard-1888

Almost-two-year-old Violet Pietrok’s facial bones didn’t fuse together properly prenatally. Dr. John Meara at Boston Children’s Hospital performed surgery, with the help of 3D models made of the toddler’s skull. (via Metafilter)

Beware Of Dogs Pretending To Be Human.

10 Unsettling Urban Legends from the Battlefields of History.

The sorry state of maternity leave in the United States.

Sexual Predator

(via Pleated-Jeans)

Teddy Bear the Porcupine Predicts Super Bowl XLIX Winner

Teddy Bear the talkative porcupine has predicted the winner of the last three Super Bowls. Can he make it four for four? We will find out this Sunday, but for now, let’s unveil the porcupine’s pick. (via Buzzfeed)

So Many Uses!

(via Weird Vintage)

Horses are Forever

From Married to the Sea. 

Miss Cellania's Links

Trinkaus: An Informal Look. A lesson in how everyday observations can become “science.”

The Koch brothers plan to spend nearly $900 million to buy the 2016 elections. It’s just a drop from their buckets, but it could spell disaster for us regular folks. (via Metafilter)

A woman goes on her first date after 27 years of marriage. What happened was totally different from anything you might -or even could- guess.

The Rise of Fake Engine Noise. (via Boing Boing)

New York didn’t get as much snow as predicted, but New England sure did. It’s hard to say who wins in this kind of competition.

10 Pieces of Disaster Safety Advice You Should Ignore. We all knew that duck and cover business wasn’t ever going to avert nuclear annihilation.

Two Sundance documentaries explore the blurry border between religion and cult. Going Clear deals with Scientology while Prophet’s Prey looks at Warren Jeff’s FLDS.

Bill Nye The Science Guy Tackles DeflateGate. Along the way, you’ll hear a word he never said on his PBS Kids show.

Imaginary Geography. Fictional worlds can come with their own rather interesting maps.

And Canada's most racist city is....  A lot of people were pissed off about the article, but the mayor is stepping up to change things. (via Metafilter) 

This Box

(via reddit)

A Case of Pie Poking

(via Bad Newspaper)

Supply Run

(via the NeatoShop)

12 Web Toys for Snowbound Days

If school’s been cancelled, or you can’t get to work due to weather or road conditions, you may be looking for distractions you can enjoy indoors. We’ve got you covered, with another round of web toys. If the weather is fine, you’ll just have to come up with another excuse to enjoy these pleasures of procrastination, found in a list I posted at mental_floss.

Pears

 

(via Mostly Forbidden Zone)

Charles

(via The Chive)

The Mother ‘Hood

A large number of apparently first-time parents gather at the neighborhood park to defend their baby care choices by snarking at those who have selected a different path. I say they must be first-time parents because there’s no older kids with them, and by the time you’ve have several kids, you might tend to be less defensive and judgmental. (Then I wonder, why would you take an infant to a park?) Such dogmatism is one of the main reasons I stay away from mommy blogs and parenting forums. Chill out, moms (and dads)! (via Buzzfeed)

Miss Cellania's Links

Dolphins: The Humans of the Sea. They've done some amazing things.

19th Century Japanese LOLcats. Folks have been laughing at pictures of cats long before they stood still for a camera. (via Everlasting Blort)


Condolences to John Scalzi, whose famous cat Ghlaghghee passed away at the age of twelve.

Laika and Her Comrades: The Soviet Space Dogs Who Took Giant Leaps for Mankind.

Thanks to market forces, particularly the demands of the French fry industry, the overwhelming majority of potatoes available in the U.S. are Russet potatoes. But a few folks are trying to bring back potato diversity. (via Digg)

The voices of Auschwitz. Seventy years on, few Holocaust survivors remain, and recording their stories is more important than ever.

Open Letter to the Man offended by Locally Laid Eggs. (Thanks Carol Anne!)

Doc or crock: 6 recent “documentaries” that have been accused of being fake. Internet hoaxes have made us all cynical, but maybe that’s a good thing.

KFC introduced the Double Down Dog, which is a hot dog enclosed by pieces of fried chicken. But they are only available at 12 outlets in the Philippines, and today will be the last day they’re sold.

The Smartest Person Who Ever Lived. It would have to be someone who demonstrated not only intelligence, but knowledge and creativity as well.

Does that happen often?

(via Bad Menu)

Uptown Funk A Cappella

L. Young does the Mark Ronson-Bruno Mars song all by himself! This is good. (via Metafilter)

Super Hero

(via reddit)

Shoe Polish

(via Weird Vintage)

No Parking

(via Bits and Pieces)

Dogsled

From Married to the Sea.

John Oliver’s Audition for 50 Shades of Grey

John Oliver’s TV show Last Week Tonight is still on hiatus until February, but he’s on YouTube to give us an update. This one involves 50 Shades of Grey. (via Uproxx)

Miss Cellania's Links

10 Interesting Things About Great Britain.

Drew Curtis, the founder of Fark, is running for Governor of Kentucky.

17 Cats Who Actually Love Being In The Water. They didn’t get the memo about the way “all cats” are.

The majority of U.S. public school students are in poverty.

The Subterranean Theme Park 390ft Down in a Transylvanian Salt Mine. Huge chambers hold venues for sports, boat rides, and even a Ferris wheel.

The Wonderful World Of Wonder Woman Cosplay.

Life in the Sickest Town in America.

12 Classic Books That Got Horrible Reviews When They First Came Out. They were just ahead of their time.

The 1970s: When Oscar Nominees Mattered. There was no formula for selling tickets and experimental films could be blockbusters.

“All Women Seduce With a Lie”: Real-Life Writing Workshop Horror Stories. Jealousy and nudity and bigotry -oh my!

Ready to Ship

(via Fark)

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

(via Bad Newspaper)

Sword Fight

This epic supercut of move sword fights follows dozens of movies from the challenge to the bloody end. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. The movies used are listed at the vimeo page. (via Neatorama)

Air Pressure

(via reddit)

Oops!

 

(via Mostly Forbidden Zone)

Uncle

(via The Chive)

Bathroom Dancing

(via Bad Menu)

12 Clever and Creative Snowmen

This morning I awoke to see my world covered in snow. The temperature is warm enough for the roads to clear and for snow to pack together nicely, yet cold enough for the white stuff to survive the day. It’s a perfect day to build a snowman, whether Elsa wants to participate or not. If you don’t have snow, enjoy these snowmen built by other folks, in a list I posted at mental_floss.

Serenade

(via Weird Vintage)

Doppelgangers

(via Fark)

The Canine Sisyphus

Can you teach the concept of futility to a dog? No, he’ll have to learn on his own. Buddy found a rock he particularly liked, but the sidewalk is not level and the rock is just too round. Will he continue to fetch it for eternity? Will he give up? Or will he figure out a way around this predicament? (via Tastefully Offensive)

Boneless Kids

(via Bad Menu)

2014: The Hottest Year Ever

Here’s the lowdown on the state of the earth in a nutshell. Climate Nexus has links and documentation here. (via Greg Laden)

Inspiration

(via Mostly Forbidden Zone)

Miss Cellania's Links

The Greatest Lost Films. You should check in the basement to see if you have a copy. 

YouTube stars Hank Green, GloZell Green, and Bethany Mota interviewed President Obama for the web. GloZell stole the show with a joke about Fidel Castro.

The Insane Beehive Firework Festival In Taiwan.

Your Worst Failed Romantic Gestures. (via Metafilter)

Oregon Was Founded As a Racist Utopia. 

12 Sundance 2015 Movies We Can’t Wait to See. Although you may have to, if your multiplex only books blockbuster action films.

20 New Classic Books Every Child Should Own. Gifts don’t have to be limited to books you remember from your own childhood.

Octopus, octopi... octopodem? A guide to humiliating grammar nerds with Latin inflections. Maybe they’ll back off, maybe they’ll run for their lives.

Bad Lip Reading: NFL 2015 Edition

The NFL edition of Bad Lip reading is here, and it’s hilarious. These guys will be hearing about their roles in this for years to come.

I once got a rake and I killed a snowman.

If nothing else will get you into the mood for the Super Bowl, this might. (via Buzzfeed)

9 Niche Blogs to Brighten Your Winter

January takes forever to get through. The most unpleasant weather of the year comes in January and February, but at least February is short and full of holidays. If you’re having a little trouble keeping your spirits up, try some of these incredibly focused and sometimes bizarre blogs that will open a door to a new subject for you, in a list I posted at mental_floss.

Please

(via reddit)

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Sometimes you just feel like breaking something. And sometimes you don’t, but it happens anyway. The takeaway from this compilation from Fail Army is that modern furniture, sports equipment, and buildings are not built for the stunts these showoffs are attempting. Enjoy eight minutes of clips that show what happens after “Hey, y’all, watch this!” Contains NSFW language, as you can imagine. (via Daily Picks and Flicks)

Budapest Wedding, 1920s

(via Weird Vintage)

Classroom Teachers

(via Bits and Pieces)

Miss Cellania's Links

Ten Products With Unfortunate Names And What Those Names Actually Mean. Knowing doesn't make them any less funny.
 
The French TV show Le Petit Journal explores what Fox News has been saying about France. Watch for English subtitles when the narrative is in French, and French subtitles when the clips are in English. “No-go zone” is the same in both languages- because it doesn’t make any sense. (via reddit)

If you were a young man visiting Philadelphia, you’d want to run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art just like Rocky Balboa. These guys did, and found Sylvester Stallone waiting for them at the top.

California's Forests Have Lost Half Their Big Trees. And that’s according to data collected before the current drought, so it might actually be worse now.

The 7 Stages of Your Caffeine Addiction. This rings true, although I never had that “trying to quit” phase.

An 1872 editorial in the New York Times begins with the premise that only insane people surround themselves with cats. It is taken as fact that cats are “treacherous, selfish, and cunning,” while a dog is a “respectable and upright animal.”  (via mental_floss)

Kate Beaton at Hark! A Vagrant has introduced me to another new historical figure. Born in 1886, Tom Longboat was an Onandagan from the Six Nations reserve in Ontario and an outstanding athlete.

An artist in Tasmania is altering discarded Bratz dolls. He/she gets them from second hand shops, repaints their faces with more realistic features and no makeup, and gives them new molded feet and new (often crocheted) clothing.  (via Metafilter)

21 Things You Might Not Know About Justified.

Statistics

(via Fark)

Graduating Seniors

(via Bad Newspaper)