(via Bad Newspaper)
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Oh, the Shame!
America’s Funniest Home Videos put together a compilation of confounded dogs and cats struggling to deal with their cones of shame. It must be awful to suddenly find that either your head or the world is a different shape. Some of these pets aren’t sure which it is, but it is difficult. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Saturday, July 30, 2016
10th Anniversary Gift
Laura Gilbertson has multiple sclerosis, so her husband Carl wanted to give her something extra special for their 10th anniversary. He arranged a flashmob made up of singers from the Liverpool Media Academy to serenade her with Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are.” Try to get through this without crying, I dare you. (via Uproxx)
Friday, July 29, 2016
Politicfact in Real Life
Politicfact, a fact-checking website from the Tampa Bay Times, is a handy tool when you want to know the research behind a political soundbite, even when you don’t like the results. Most of the time, the answers are a lot more complicated than the sound bite would lead you to believe, and if you click on the quotes and read the entire explanation, you can see how the information was distilled and sometimes twisted. However, you can imagine how the politicians quoted feel about it. Imagine Politifact following you around and checking the validity behind the things you say all day. It would only take about five minutes before you are ready to strangle it. This is the latest from Randall Munroe at xkcd. Go to the link to see the hover text punchline.
An Honest Trailer for the Bourne Trilogy
The new film Jason Bourne officially opens today across the USA (although, yeah, people saw it last night). This is the fifth movie and the fourth time that Matt Damon has played the CIA assassin, and Screen Junkies thought it would be a good time to catch you up on the original trilogy so you’ll be prepared to see the new film. However, this is an Honest Trailer, so don’t expect a glowing opinion. Jason Bourne is as skilled as James Bond and as dangerous as any enemy he may encounter, yet he comes across as clueless. But the movies were hits, so we’re expecting more of the same in the new movie. They skipped The Bourne Legacy. Maybe they were just tired of watching these movies. (Thanks, Paul Panday!)
Miss Cellania's Links
Photographer Sent Bill for her Own Photo, Fights Back. With a one billion dollar lawsuit against Getty and Alamy. (via Metafilter)
People Are Sharing Pics Of Their Grandmas Celebrating Hillary Clinton’s Nomination. Some of those women were born before women had the right to vote.
How Olympic Sprinter Stella Walsh Nearly Lost Her Medals Because of Her Autopsy.
The Internet Had A Photoshop Field Day With NASA’s Unbelievable Photo. The moon was in front of the earth, but what else could it be?
15 Things We Learned About the Alien Franchise at Comic Con. A cast reunion brought out a lot of memories and weird production stories.
How To Avoid Pointless Political Arguments. Bring out the balloons!
The camera really adds tens pounds. It all depends on what lens you use.
Some real advice for incoming college freshmen. There’s a lot to keep up with in taking care of yourself.
8 Mysterious Tales of Traveling Dogs. How’d they get there, anyway?
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Bird Enjoys Moving Sidewalk
Wheeeee! A little bird laded on the handrail of a moving walkway and was carried down to the end. It must have been a fun ride, because he went right back to where he was to start all over again! If only we could all spend time enjoying the little pleasures of life. We don’t know where this is, but the walls sure could use some artwork. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
The Pokémon Go baby-name boom has arrived. Your little Eevee or Onix will never be able to lie about her age.
The 14-Year-Old Olympic Gymnast Who Scored The First Perfect 10. The scoreboard couldn’t handle Nadia Comăneci's perfection.
15 facts about relationships everybody should know before getting married. Research shows us what works and what doesn’t.
The Confederate Town in Upstate New York. We still don’t know why Town Line decided to secede.
Where Do Seedless Watermelons Come From? My guess would be Georgia.
French artist Matthew Tremblin took on a project to “clean up” the graffiti tags on the streets of France, by changing those signature tags to a legible font.
9 Non-Threatening Leadership Strategies for Women. It may confuse men, but will be oh-so-familiar to women who’ve been employed for at least a couple years.
The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) conducted a vast study of global agriculture and how foods that originated in one region ended up sustaining different regions, both by exported agriculture and by exported food. Part of that study is a map that shows where those foods were once native plants.
Ice Bucket Challenge Leads to Significant Gene Discovery. (via reddit)
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
Miss Cellania's Links
Liberalism works. And here’s the moral argument for liberalism. (via Metafilter)
Avalanche Fences Exposed! (via the Presurfer)
5 Terrifying Unsolved Murders.
A new technology called DeepWarp can change the gaze of a face in an image. What’s really funny and creepy are the examples given on the project page. (via Metafilter)
The Biggest Stories From San Diego Comic Com 2016. Including new trailers for upcoming movies and TV shows.
Get Used To These Extreme Summer Heat Waves. It’s probably going to be the new normal.
The Child Abduction Case That Changed Australia Forever. The three young children were last seen in 1966.
What Happens if the Olympic Torch Accidentally Goes Out? Yeah, they’ve already thought about that.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
The Man Engine
Monday in Tavistock, UK, a 33-foot man wearing a Cornish miner’s helmet woke up, waved to the crowd, and starting walking across Cornwall. He is the Man Engine, and he’ll be walking or crawling a 130-mile route for two weeks until he reaches the Geevor Tin Mine on August 6th. Along the way, he’ll stop at all ten Cornish Mining World Heritage Sites to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the mines’ designation. The Man Engine is powered by heavy equipment behind and controlled by puppeteers with cables. You can follow the Man Engine’s progress at Facebook. (via Arbroath)
Miss Cellania's Links
Supervolcanoes May Erupt Surprisingly Fast. They wait millions of years, and then surprise us. What fun!
The First Democratic Convention on Live TV Was the Last Not to be Air-Conditioned. Yes, those two things were very much related to each other.
What Was the Deal with Alexander Hamilton's Dad? The younger Hamilton was surprisingly forgiving.
Starbucks wants its baristas to wear fedoras and other awful hats. Check out the new dress code and how people are reacting.
The best TV of 2016 so far: The A.V. Club’s catch-up guide. You can binge-watch and be ready for the best shows to return.
Funny Vanity Plates Can Backfire on You. (via reddit)
It is a decision that no parent should have to make: should we let our very sick baby die before she was born? Nadia’s story is a difficult one, with no happy ending.
Star Trek Christmas Ornaments Just Keep Getting Weirder. (via Metafilter)
Guillermo Pomarillo is going to Stanford. Best of luck, Guillermo!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Adam Savage Incognito at Comic-Con 2016
Every year, Adam Savage wears a costume to San Diego Comic Con in order to get around without being recognized. This year, he was a bear. No, he wasn’t trying to be a furry, although that’s what quite a few people assumed. He was supposed to be the bear from the movie The Revenant. The particulars of the suit construction are in another video to come; this one follows him as he wanders the halls of Comic Con. (via Digg)
6 Adorable Animals on Skateboards
Ever since Tillman the Skateboarding Bulldog came on the scene in 2007, the internet has had a fascination with animals who like to shred. Quite a few species have tried it, with varying degrees of success. Let’s meet eleven animals in seven enjoyable videos, in a list I posted at mental_floss.
Republican National Convention
John Oliver returned to TV last night on his show Last Week Tonight. First things first: he has a recap off what happened at the Republican National Convention.
Miss Cellania's Links
Power Plant Energy Sources in the U.S. (via Digg)
What It Was Like To Buy And Own A Car In The USSR. (via Metafilter)
The Ecuadorian Walking Palm Tree. (via Nag on the Lake)
15 times Star Trek Altered the Timeline.
Hollywood, Astronomy, and the Alien Question. Both science and fiction view possible alien encounters through a lens of politics and global mood.
10 Things Doctors Have Reconsidered This Century. When new facts come in, we benefit from open minds.
9 Simple Ways To Reduce Waste In Your Home. Not only does every little bit help, but we’re helping to make it cool to be green.
Leslie Jones has the perfect metaphor to explain Twitter abuse. It took a celebrity to get the social network to pay attention to hateful trolls.
The outrageous rip-off of taxpayer-funded stadiums. You’d think a profitable team could pay for their own home.
Sunday, July 24, 2016
First Trailer for Wonder Woman
The trailer for the upcoming Wonder Woman movie debuted at San Diego Comic Con. We first saw Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and now it’s time for her to kick ass and take names in her own film. Chris Pine is Steve Trevor. The movie will be out in June of 2017. (via Uproxx)
Saturday, July 23, 2016
NASA: On the Edge of Forever
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek and the opening of the new film Star Trek Beyond, NASA has produced three videos about the link between the science fiction franchise and the real-world space agency. The first one is about the International Space Station (ISS).
NASA has always loved Star Trek. The fictional universe inspired generations of young people to pursue science and technology careers, and among those who didn’t, it engendered a respect for space exploration that enables NASA to continue funding projects like the ISS and Mars exploration. (via Boing Boing)
Friday, July 22, 2016
14 Rainbow Foods to Try
We’ve been told that we should eat a variety of brightly-colored foods for maximum nutrition. Maybe that’s why we're so drawn to rainbow-colored dishes, even if they're created with food coloring. Lucky for us, there are more treats that come in rainbow colors than ever before. Here are just a few of them, in a list I posted at mental_floss.
Jon Stewart Returns to TV
It’s a special occasion, after all. The Republican National Convention lured Stewart away from his cabin in the woods to say a few things last night on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. (via Uproxx)
Miss Cellania's Links
Mourad Laachraoui is the taekwondo European Champion, and will compete as part of the Belgium national team at the Olympics in Rio next month. Najim Laachraoui, a suicide bomber who died at the Brussels airport in March, is Mourad Laachraoui’s older brother. (via Metafilter)
The Generic Villain Problem. Hollywood tends to hire the best actors for those roles, and them hide them behind prosthetics, makeup, or CGI.
23 Haunted College Campuses. Your school might be on the list.
The Justice in Superhero Conformity. Audiences don’t like their comic book heroes deconstructed.
10 Classic Swimming Pool Games. A little competition can keep the sibling squabbling down to a low roar.
Here’s A Short Story About A Rescued Cat. Fat Face has her problems, but ended up as a much-loved pet.
20 Things You Didn’t Know About San Francisco. The city is so much more than high rents and hipsters.
The silently devastating landmines of Cambodia. There are millions left from the Vietnam War, still able to detonate.
Dr. Robotnik, the God of Dance
Ra Ra Rasputin! Lover of the Russian Queen! Nathan Barnatt does the Dr. Robotnik dance for our pleasure, with a musical accompaniment that’s an improvement over the original video. The music is “Rasputin” by Boney M. (via Metafilter)
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Simon's Cat Logic: How Do Cats Stay So Clean?
Simon Tofield, the animator behind the Simon’s Cat videos, talks to cat expert Nicky Trevorrow about cats’ grooming habits. They lick themselves all the time, but they hate to take a bath. What’s the deal?After the lesson in cat grooming, we get the Simon’s Cat story called Pawtrait. (via Tastefully Offensive)
17 Species Named After Star Wars Characters
There are Star Wars fans everywhere, including among the scientists who study life on Earth. When these scientists get to name a new species, they often name it after a family member or respected mentor. However, some choose another direction—especially if they're naming a lot of species at once. That’s when the real nerdiness comes out. Here are 17 species whose names were inspired by Star Wars, in a list I posted at mental_floss.
(Image credit: Israel M. Sánchez)
Miss Cellania's Links
This dude edits himself wearing a dinosaur onesie into your favorite celebrity photos. It’s just goofy enough to be viral form of art.
The Importance of Staring Out Of The Window. A little time for introspection would do us some good.
Meet Mocha Dick, the Whale-spiration Behind Herman Melville's Moby-Dick. The real whale ruled the Pacific for decades.
The "Neglected" Archaeological Mystery on the World's Largest Lake Island. We don’t know who worked the quarry 10,000 years ago because they commuted from elsewhere.
8 common traits of highly intelligent people. Other than the fact that they’re pretty smart.
This golf course is stuck between a border wall and the Rio Grande. The residents of Eagle Pass, Texas, fought against the wall and lost.
The Return of American Hunger. An uneven recovery and new food-stamp restrictions have left millions more people short on food.
Bunkers Disguised as Quaint Swiss Villas. (via Metafilter)
The Most Common Family Types in America. (via Digg)
The Proliferation of Kingdoms
The classification of life has changed since I was in school. That was a long time ago. Nine years ago, my daughter brought home a school assignment that flummoxed me, not least because the teacher couldn’t spell worth a darn. After figuring out what she wanted, I helped with the science lesson and then turned the experience into a mental_floss article.
(Image credit: John D. Croft)
(Image credit: John D. Croft)
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
12 Celebrities Who Have Officiated Weddings
Most people rely on a judge, justice of the peace, or a member of the clergy to perform their wedding ceremony. However, almost anyone can officiate a wedding by becoming an ordained minister of the non-denominational Universal Life Church. The process is as simple as registering online—and quite a few celebs have taken the church up on that offer. Read about a dozen of them in a list I posted at mental_floss.
Miss Cellania's Links
Making the Most of Your Convention Experience. Oh, and don’t forget to have a good time!
How summer camp went from urban escape to rich-kid refuge.
This Woman Painted Her Staircase To Look Like Books. Her house is automatically personalized with her reading choices.
The Ultimate San Diego Comic-Con Playlist. Songs that perfect for standing in line with a crowd of super fans.
13 Comics That Nail The Reality Of Parenting In Summer. By now, you’re counting the days until school starts again.
Don't Tell Me How to Eat My Tortellini. Food should be enjoyed, not regimented.
America's inescapable debtor's prison. It’s not a real place, but a condition that’s harder than ever to get out of.
Watch Amazing Tiny Sea Creatures Light Up and Dance. And learn about the weird creatures that drift through the seas.
The massive worker wage gap fueling America’s most decadent vacation spot.
An Honest Trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is one of those blockbuster summer movies that made a ton of money despite generally negative reviews. The truth is, it was the only big-budget superhero film in theaters at the time. And now we have an Honest Trailer from the ultimate source of negative reviews, Screen Junkies. This is one of those movies that suffered from overblown expectations, but how could you possibly put Batman and Superman in the same movie in the 21st century and not have high expectations? (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
12 Uses for Pickle Juice
If you love pickles, whether sweet, dill, garlic, or bread-and-butter, you should be using that delicious leftover pickle juice for other things once those pickles are gone. After all, that’s where the flavor comes from! Here are a few suggestions, in a list I posted at mental_floss.
Miss Cellania's Links
Let the wild accusations fly as we look at the Salem witch trials. A sad situation that flew totally out of control.
The Origins of America's Most Prestigious Cemetery. From family estate to war booty to refugee camp to hallowed ground.
Pilot Error: The TV Shows You Never Knew Existed. Some disappeared forever, some were completely changed, and some became TV movies.
You can get your head scanned and 3D-printed onto a Star Wars action figure. Technology developed during the latest film shoots has led to the ultimate Star Wars collectible.
17 Historical Reactions to Air Conditioning. Most were, understandably, positive.
The Hidden Truth Behind Pokémon GO. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
The Incredible Complications of Living Atop the U.S.-Canada Border.
How the Eye of the Sahara was created. (via the Presurfer)
If you’re over 40, working more than 25 hours a week could be affecting your intelligence, new research suggests. I guess that explains a lot...
Monday, July 18, 2016
Babies Discovering Mirrors
Here’s an adorable compilation of babies finding out what mirrors are. Just as cute as when cats and dogs do it! The difference is that babies are pretty much universal delighted to see themselves. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Political Endorsements
Last Week Tonight is still on vacation, but John Oliver has things to say, so he’s doing web exclusive videos. Today, he officially endorses a lot of things that aren’t political.
Fan-made Trailer for Star Wars VIII
Disney is heavily promoting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, because it drops this year. But fans are looking past that, to the next episode of the Skywalker family saga in 2017. Alex Luthor put together a trailer for that movie, using footage from The Forces Awakens plus scenes from other fan films.
There are no secrets revealed here, as far as we can tell, but it does make one anxious to see what Luke Skywalker will do when he finally rejoins the world in 2017. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Miss Cellania's Links
Rocket Slides and Monkey Bars: Chasing the Vanishing Playgrounds of Our Youth.
7 Things We Learned About Rogue One at Star Wars Celebration Europe. The immediate prequel to A New Hope will hits theaters in December.
The Tamir Rice Story: How to Make a Police Shooting Disappear.
11 Times Your Favorite Disney Characters Almost Looked Totally Different. For most, the finished version was a vast improvement.
25 Tips for Success in Pokémon Go. You’re competing with half the world, you know.
21 Clever Packing Tricks That Will Make Your Trip So Much Easier. Or you could just leave most of that stuff at home.
This Is What Happens When Lava Swallows A Tree. It doesn’t burn the tree immediately, but sticks around long enough to form a tree mold.
Olympic doping, explained. Performance-enhancing drugs are found in almost every sport.
Ice Cream or Not Ice Cream? These frozen treats are delicious, but they are not all the same.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Heavy Metal Horse
James Dickson was driving a country road, windows down, music up, and the song “I’m Broken” by Pantera was playing. He pulled up next to a pastured horse wearing a raincoat who appreciated Dickson’s taste in music. The horse started head banging, then tapping his hoof, and if the car had stuck around a bit longer, we’d probably see him try crowdsurfing. Note that Dickson named the video after the 1992 Pantera album Vulgar Display of Power. (via Tastefully Offensive)
