(via Fark)
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sgt. Pepper´s Paradise
Every once in a while, I just want to share a killer mashup that lets you hear two great songs at once. This one marries the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club band" with "Paradise City" by Guns 'n' Roses.
Americapox: The Missing Plague
Diseases brought by Europeans wiped out 90% of the people living in the New World, which allowed relatively easy conquest and colonization. That happens when long-isolated populations meet for the first time. Have you ever wondered why it didn’t go the other way? Why didn’t New World diseases wreak havoc on Europeans? CGP Grey explains how the differences between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres over the long history of civilization left us with plague, typhus, cholera, smallpox, and other diseases, but no “Americapox.” The transcript is at Grey’s website, and there’s a discussion at his subreddit. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Miss Cellania's Links
It’s a simple quiz: just recognize all the U.S. states by their names. But there’s a lot of wrong answers, and you only have one minute.
Science has shown us that people who are generous and altruistic are happier and healthier than people who aren’t. But it’s not as easy to be kind to strangers as you’d think. (via Digg)
Hattie Brazier Stands Up. Her husband died at the hands of police in 1958, because he dared to be a successful black man.
A Conversation Between Chris Had field and Randall Munroe. (via Fark)
Star Wars: 10 Unsung Heroes Behind A New Hope. A lot of very talented people helped George Lucas bring his space opera to the world.
17 Hilarious Tumblr Posts About Language. They all have their quirks, but English is the wurst.
11 humiliatingly lame ways 2016 candidates are trying to appeal to young voters. Proving once again, that trying too hard is the opposite of cool.
Holocaust Hero Chiune Sugihara. The Japanese diplomat defied his superiors to help Jews escape Europe.
Sad Jingle Bells
Your winter wonderland of snow is cold, wet, and slippery. The sleigh skids off a cliff and everyone dies. Or else you get pneumonia and frostbite, too. That’s the mood of this version of Jingle Bells. The Gregory Brothers took a happy, upbeat little ditty usually associated with Christmas and put it into a minor key. The result is pretty grim. Creepy. Sad. It may as well be a funeral dirge. They have a whole playlist of sad songs if you’re in that kind of mood. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Fox Encounter
Rapper and comedian Dan Bull and his cats Jimmy and Sammy had a visit from a fox.
This incredible encounter happened to me this week. The fox was curled up asleep at my back door. Foxes are normally nocturnal and will run away if they spot you anywhere near. But I just sat there for ages chilling with this fox and two of my cats Jimmy and Sammy. I sensed no hostility from either side, just a relaxed inquisitiveness.The fox and the cats got along just fine, but eventually the fox realized that not only was he being stared at by a human, but he was also being recorded. Bye, Mr. Fox! (via Arbroath)
NeuralTalk and Walk
This video is captioned in the upper left completely by machine. It was generated in real time by a neural network programmed to describe images. Stanford Ph.D. student Andrej Karpathy developed the NeuralTalk system and Kyle McDonald adapted it to describe this laptop of Amsterdam on a laptop.
Yes, it changes pretty fast, so you might want to keep your finger ready to pause. The original program generated four captions per second! McDonald reduced that to only one caption per second so we have a chance of following it. The program isn’t completely accurate, but it’s close enough to give you an “uncanny valley” feeling.
If you want a real laugh, a different neural network was used for an earlier experiment in captioning the intro to Star Trek: The Next Generation. That program definitely needs a bigger vocabulary. (via Metafilter)
The Orc Dance
You never imagined the Orcs from Lord of the Rings to be the dancing type, did you? When an unexpected dinner appears, they do a victory dance. but you know how it is when you celebrate too early!
Scott Winn brings us dancing Orcs with a special appearance by the elf Legolas. The song is “Through the Flame” by Scott & Brendo. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Saturday, November 28, 2015
The Bells of St. Mary's
Most of you are familiar with this movies already. If not, here's some information from Wikipedia:
The Bells of St. Mary's is a 1945 American drama film produced and directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. Written by Dudley Nichols based on a story by Leo McCarey, the film is about a priest and a nun who, despite their good-natured rivalry, try to save their school from being shut down. The character of Father O'Malley had been previously portrayed by Crosby in the 1944 film Going My Way, for which Crosby had won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film was produced by Leo McCarey's production company, Rainbow Productions.
Spitting Contest with a Dolphin
John went to the Bahamas and took in one of those “swimming with dolphins” attractions in Nassau. There he met a dolphin who wants to be a comedian. Instead of a kiss, he spit water in John’s face! Well John reacted naturally, and spit back. Thing escalated from there until a trainer stepped in to break things up. The man and dolphin made up and a good time was had by all. (via Viral Viral Videos)
Dancing Cars
A security camera caught an absolutely bizarre traffic accident in China. You don’t see any of the cars hitting each other (at first, although the two vans eventually collide). They just stand up and start a weird dance! What’s going on?
Turns out that there’s a cable across the road, waiting for a phone pole installation. A street sweeper, which you can see on the right side, sweeps it up and winds the cable into its rotating brushes, which pulls it taut just as the three vehicles are passing over it. (via Boing Boing)
A Whole Lot Going On Here
Shane Victorino of the Boston Red Sox fell into the stands. The crowd helped him up. But there’s a lot more going on in this clip if you watch it a few times. Look at it again, and keep your eyes on the guy with the blue shirt with red sleeves. He moves in to help Victorino, but is no help at all. Victorino is up, so the guy knocks a woman’s phone onto the field, breaking it. Victorino hands the phone back, so the guy knocks a woman’s beer into her face. Really, if you’re going to be a walking train wreck, learn about personal space.
This happened during a game between the Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers in 2013. You can see the original video here. You kinds get the idea that if you watched the sequence a few more times, some other weird things will start happening. (via reddit)
Seize the Day
An inspirational speech from Robin Williams, remixed from several of his movies by Melodysheep.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Apartment Symphony
You know how some buskers record loops and play over them immediately, so they can sound like a one man band? Keith Peskosky did this while walking around his apartment, which is strewn with instruments. So of course it got made into a GoPro ad. (via Digg)
9 Breathtaking German Castles
Germany, in its many geographical and cultural incarnations, has always been both a crossroads and a political player in Europe. Over the past millennium, the nobility has responded to frequent wars, danger, and even wildlife by building large, sturdy castles—many of which survive today, and most are open for tourism. See nine of them in a list I posted at mental_floss.
(Image credit: Marco Beck)
(Image credit: Marco Beck)
Holiday Parody Songs from Jimmy Fallon
It’s become a holiday tradition for Jimmy Fallon to perform a medley of holiday songs set to the tunes of pop hits from the previous year. Or, you can put it another way: pop music hits of the past year with new holiday lyrics.
The Tonight Show did just that last night, with Fallon joined by Rashida Jones, Queen Latifah, and Eric Nally. The songs from 2015 cover Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas. (via Viral Viral Videos)
Miss Cellania's Links
Randall Munroe’s video game called Hoverboard looks small, but it eventually leads you to a massive game world that tells a story. (via Boing Boing)
How Chicago tried to cover up a police execution.
The Beloved Pioneer Bread that Smells Like Feet and Breaks Food Safety Rules.
This guy thinks his sister is hot. NSFW language. (via reddit)
21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes.
6 Realities In A Super Religious Family That Wants Me Dead. A woman explains life under the possibility of an honor killing.
Who Will Die on Sunday’s The Walking Dead? Register your opinion!
Thursday, November 26, 2015
Alice’s Restaurant
A Thanksgiving tradition, fifty years after the original event. The movie is from 1969. I watched it this afternoon. The third quarter is the best, as it's the part that follows the song. The rest is pretty much filler.
Dogs Have Fun in the Snow
What’s not to love about snow? It’s deep, and cool, and slippery! It can be hard or it can float on air. You can jump on top of it or dig underneath it. And best of all, the kids are playing in it! The drawbacks are that it’s cold and hard to drive in, but if you’re a dog, you have a fur coat and nowhere to drive anyway. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
My Life After 44 Years In Prison
Otis Johnson was recently released from prison after serving 44 years. Think about how much the world has changed in 44 years. If you weren’t there to see it changing gradually, how surprising would it be? The scenes of Johnson taking in the sights of city streets will remind you of Back to the Future Part 2, if only Marty McFly had aged into an elderly man on his way to 2015. Johnson is 69 years old, and unlikely to find a job. He didn’t pay into the Social Security system. He has no children, and no contact with other family members.
Upon release from prison, Johnson was handed an ID, documents outlining his criminal case history, $40 and two bus tickets. Having lost all family connections while serving his sentence, Johnson now relies on Fortune Society, a nonprofit that provides housing and services to ex-prisoners in Harlem.Read more about Johnson at Aljazeera. (via reddit)
If Vendors Were Honest About Black Friday
Roger is back- the guy who was honest with us about weddings, insurance, and cars for sale. This time, he wants you to participate in the Black Friday Christmas shopping melee. At least he’s honest about it. I think I’ll stay away from stores this weekend, as I always do after Thanksgiving. I don’t want to buy something just because you want to sell it to me. I’ll buy what I want, just as soon as I win the lottery.
Miss Cellania's Links
Creed Is the Best Rocky Movie Since the Original. In fact, the plot is a lot like the first one.
42 Movies Being Adapted For TV. Only a fraction of them will ever land a network slot.
Watch How Rising Sea Levels Could Swallow Coastal Cities. For some of them, it’s already too late to reverse the process.
13 movies you can watch for free on YouTube right now. And you won’t even be breaking the law to do it.
How to Be a Lawyer Without Going to Law School.
Cybercrime: 10 Ways Criminals Use the Internet for Organized Crime.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes by Region. (via Marilyn Terrell)
Donald Trump's alarming skid toward outright fascism.
The Importance of Princess Leia Aging. (via Digg)
Shopping with Stormtroopers
Stormtroopers need to do their Christmas shopping, too! Or do they? Whatever they’re doing, a couple of Stormtroopers appear to have fun checking out the merchandise in a department store. Everything is bouncy and techno and carefree until the boss shows up! (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Miss Cellania's Links
37 Facts You Probably Never Knew About The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 91 years, there’s been a lot of changes.
How Turducken Went From Food Of Kings To Poultry of the Populace. Stuffing animals inside other animals has a long and colorful history.
Almost Everyone Cheats, But Only Just a Little Bit. We have to hold back in order to justify it to ourselves.
The Galapagos Islands' Homesteader Death Showdown. Put a bunch of crazy people together on an island away from civilization, and you just might have a story.
How to destroy an American family. Years of cyber attacks have caused unemployment, divorce, and ruin for the Straters.
Life and Work: What Was It Really Like for Women in the 1970s? I remember all this well, even that one specific cartoon, but it may surprise younger people.
5 Times Republicans in Congress Screwed Veterans. This is nothing new.
The Origins of 15 Holiday Foods and Drinks.
Monday, November 23, 2015
Pennies
John Oliver tells us about pennies on Last Week Tonight. It costs more to manufacture them today than they are worth.
Fire Tornado in Slow Motion
Fire tornados, a pretty but frightening phenomena, happen in nature when wind conditions are right and fire is present. You can produce one yourself, although I wouldn't recommend it. Now the Slow Mo Guys (previously at Neatorama) http://www.neatorama.com/tag/Slow-Mo-Guys/ show us what is happening down to the finest detail. And it is beautiful. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Miss Cellania's Links
The New York Times talked to the owners and employees of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus about how the circus has changed over the years, and how it will continue to change in order to survive.
The Christian case for opening America's doors to Syrian refugees.
Mall Santas Reveal The Most Funny And Depressing Things Children Have Asked Them For.
Why American Landlords Love Refugee Tenants.
Gingerbread King’s Landing. (via Uproxx)
Mufasa the mountain lion spent twenty years in chains in an illegal circus. After an eight-hour standoff, he was taken away to live in a wildlife preserve in Peru for his retirement.
In Six Words, Sci-Fi Comes Alive. The Twitter tag #sixwordscifi is giving us some spill-chilling scenarios.
19 Horrifying Thanksgiving Family Drama Stories. Your family will look downright normal in comparison.
An economic recovery few people feel. Economic improvement has gone to those on top, while the rest feel insecure and underpaid.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Sumetckaya by Otava Yo
Come for the catchy Russian folk music, stay for the guy twirling a log! The lyrics in both English and Russian are at the YouTube page. They mainly involve the traditional folk song subjects: drinking, fighting, women, and mind your own business. Here is the band’s website. (via reddit)
Meteorologist Uniform
Dallas meteorologist Jennifer Myers belongs to a Facebook group for women meteorologists on TV. I’m sure they discuss clothing, because there are many restrictions on what you can wear: no green, no patterns, no stripes, no cleavage, must be dressy, and you can’t wear the same dress too often. Still, most buy their own work clothes, so when one member posted a link to a dress for only $23, they all bought it. Myers tells us,
I'm on here twice. Top second from left in the purple and second from the right on the bottom in the blue.If you want to find your local weather reporter, the enlargeable picture is at imgur. (via reddit)
Sea Wars Trailer
The crew of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower put together their own version of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens trailer. The Navy’s creative use of what they had available will make you laugh and then make you go “Whooooa!”
At the end, you’ll see the title, and maybe think it says The IKEA Wakens. No, it’s The Ike Awakens. That’s the short name of the aircraft carrier, although you’ll be forgiven for the mistake. (via Uproxx)
15 Years of Terror
German designer Milan Vuckovic compiled terrorist attacks over the past 15 years, between December of 2000 and November of 2015. This visualization follows a timeline at the bottom showing where attacks took place and roughly the number of people killed. While every death is a tragedy, for accuracy and simplicity, the attacks plotted were limited to those in which twenty or more people died.
While the 9/11 attacks produced the highest number of casualties, you can’t help but notice that some areas of the world endure these incidents constantly. And they have since long before the beginning of this century. It’s a sad sequence, beautifully presented. (Thanks, Milan!)
Buster Keaton: The Art of the Gag
Tony Zhou’s series Every Frame a Painting is always a fascinating, in-depth look at entertainment at its finest. In this episode, he deconstructs the techniques of a master of visual comedy. That’s Buster Keaton. There was so much thought, planning, and detail that went into every frame of Keaton’s comedies, but it all came together to make us laugh, even before you could tell a joke on film. Of course, understanding how it’s done in no way detracts from the pleasure of the movies. (via Metafilter)
Saturday, November 21, 2015
The Last Man on Earth
In the 1964 adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel I Am Legend, Vincent Price is the last man left.
Mark Hamill is Good at Keeping Secrets
We don’t know anything about Luke Skywalker’s role in the Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He’s not in any of the trailers, and he’s not even on the poster. It’s supposed to be a surprise. Such a surprise, in fact, that Mark Hamill gets a bonus payment if he can keep it a secret until the movie comes out on December 18th.
PC Gamer got an interview with Hamill all decked out in motion-capture equipment as he worked on the the upcoming game Squadron 42 (Star Citizen). Hamill tells the story of how he kept the revelation of his genetic lineage a secret until the premiere of The Empire Strikes Back. He should be able to keep an expected plot twist a secret for another month. This is a small portion of a longer interview that you can see here. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Friday, November 20, 2015
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