(via reddit)
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
12-Year-Old Ventroiloquist
America's Got Talent returned for season 12 last night with a lineup of first round acts that delighted the audience. One was 12-year-old Darci Lynne Farmer, who managed to sing a song without moving her lips and operated a puppet at the same time. In the old days, we called this ventriloquism. She got a golden buzzer for that one! (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tweet of the Day
this! #covfefe pic.twitter.com/UYAxM0g0dn
— LeaLoo (@LeaLooDallas) May 31, 2017
Trump make a serious typo in a Tweet last night that has already been deleted, but since it was six hours before he caught the misspelling, it will live on in infamy. "Covfefe" has already entered the English lexicon. See tons of jokes about the Tweet under the hashtag #covfefe. (via Buzzfeed)
Miss Cellania's Links
Will Robots Take Your Job? An interactive site invites you to enter your occupation and find out what the future holds. (via The Daily Dot)
7 TV Characters Killed Off Out of Spite.
The Unlikely Comeback Of The Drive-In Movie. Low prices and nostalgia are making them worthwhile again.
The Gutsy Scottish Woman Who Climbed an African Mountain. Born in 1750, Lady Anne Barnard was way ahead of her time.
It Now Takes an Average of 21 Years to Pay for College. Those are years that people aren't buying homes or saving for retirement.
When ‘Bad King John’ Lost The British Crown Jewels. He shouldn't have taken them into battle with his other luggage.
How the Self-Esteem Craze Took Over America. Despite a lack of research, the idea swept the nation and never went away. (via Metafilter)
The 20th-century war on women's swimwear. Just showing the outline of one's body was a scandal, or even a crime.
13 Sweet Facts About Cherries. A delightful treat since the caveman days.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Miss Cellania's Links
The Madness And Science Behind The Donald Trump Handshake.
10 Facts About the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The 7 Coolest Minerals, Rocks, and Gemstones in the U.S. Minnesota wins this one, hands down.
Becoming Bond: How a Car Salesman Landed the Role of James Bond 007. George Lazenby had never acted before, but was offered a six-movie contract.
5 Reasons Good Actors Make Bad Movies. Sometimes the experience is worth the bad reviews.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, teams of researchers are busy looking for the next deadly virus. They hope to identify the danger before it begins to travel the world.
Senior Yearbook Quotes for 2017. A couple are NSFW, but they were published anyway.
The curious story of how transatlantic exchange shaped Italy’s illustrious coffee culture. Yet Italians are still put off by the way Americans buy coffee.
12 Female Poisoners Who Killed With Arsenic. They killed again and again before they were caught.
An Honest Trailer for Catwoman
Wonder Woman opened in theaters this weekend, and both audiences and critics love it. Screen Junkies decided that it was a good time to look back at a really bad superhero film designed around a woman: the 2004 Halle Berry film Catwoman. This will be like shooting fish in a barrel. Once you've relived the horror that was Catwoman, you'll be aching to see the critically-acclaimed Wonder Woman. (Thanks, Lacey!)
Monday, May 29, 2017
Driving Through the Airport
In a security video that may remind you of a certain scene from The Blues Brothers, a car is seen driving through the Kazan International Airport in Russia a few months ago, while police officers give chase on foot. Although it appears that the driver got away at the end of the video, he was apprehended and charged with several crimes. You guessed it, alcohol was involved. The video originally had no sound, but everyone instantly knew what the soundtrack should be. (via reddit)
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The Star Wars stormtrooper who gaffed his way into infamy by banging his head finally tells his tale. Actor Laurie Goode even wrote a song about it.
How to make growth great again. Do those things we did the last time the economy was growing.
The Scandalous Life of Nurse and Adventurer Kate Marsden. She traveled the world to help lepers, but couldn't save her own reputation.
Portrait of a Troublemaker: A Rare Glimpse of John F. Kennedy's Life at Boarding School. He wasn't much of a student, but he showed leadership skills in pulling pranks.
Convicts hijacked a ship in Australia in 1830 and went to Japan. Newly uncovered documents show the story isn't just a pirate legend after all. (via Metafilter)
Let's talk about dental inequality in America. Avoiding expensive dentist visits can lead to pain, unemployment, and even death.
Is There a Right Way to Watch Star Wars?
The Dramatic Courtroom Demo Designed to Expose Arsenic Murders.
Sunday, May 28, 2017
Maru is Ten Years Old
Happy birthday to the world's most famous cat! Maru was born ten years ago this week. In this video, we see clips of his kitten hood, and his latest adventures. Maru now has a worldwide audience and a little sister named Hana, but he still take pleasure in the simple things, like boxes. He's just as charming at ten as ever. (via Fark)
Saturday, May 27, 2017
A Tribute to John Williams at Graduation
Mark Zuckerberg gave the commencement address at Harvard University's graduation ceremonies on Thursday -and grabbed most of the headlines. But he wasn't the only celebrity on hand. Ten honorary degrees were bestowed, including a doctor of music to composer John Williams. The Harvard Din and Tonics, an a cappella group, performed a tribute to Williams during the ceremonies.
The medley of movie themes included music from Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, Superman, Jaws, and more. (via Laughing Squid)
Friday, May 26, 2017
Miss Cellania's Links
Police Forces Are Sending A Message To Black Suburban Residents: You’re Not Wanted.
What do you say when you weren't expecting a bridge to be there?
Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Professional Cat Cuddler? A veterinary clinic in Ireland is hiring someone just for that job.
7 of the craziest commando missions of World War II. Some of them even worked.
Is an 1874 Type Catalog the World's Most Beautiful Book? William Hamilton Page made wood type, but his legacy is a sample book, a sales catalog called Specimens of Chromatic Wood Type, Borders, &c.
When the Patient Is a Gold Mine: The Trouble With Rare-Disease Drugs. The Orphan Drug Act makes life possible for some patients, but not affordable.
Why are doughnut boxes pink? They aren't, unless you've in Los Angeles, but there they have a story.
The Daily Don is a Twitter webcomic that illustrates the misadventures of our president. You need to have some knowledge of the day's news to get the jokes. (via Everlasting Blort)
Alone on the Open Road: Truckers Feel Like ‘Throwaway People.’ There are worse stories, but these people can't tell them because they'd lose their jobs.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Behind the Scenes of Beauty and the Beast
They say that if you love sausage or law, you shouldn't watch either being made. Maybe they should say the same for CGI filmmaking. Disney gives us a look at how Dan Stevens acted out the part of the Beast in the recent live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. Yeah, he's a handsome man, but wearing a motion capture suit with beast prosthetics while Emma Watson looked perfect -well, it just looks ridiculous. Sure, it's interesting to see how it's done, but it would be even more interesting to find out how the cast and crew managed to keep a straight face during the filming. (via The Daily Dot)
What if Star Wars Were the Only Star Wars Movie?
On May 25, 1977, forty years ago today, a new movie named Star Wars opened at 42 theaters. No one knew it would become an unstoppable juggernaut, spawning seven sequels and prequels with another opening this year, plus video games, TV shows, million of toys, and even a theme park. In 1977, the idea of a "franchise" in filmmaking had been put on the back burner after the cheaply-made Saturday morning serials of the 1930-'50s. If Star Wars hadn't been such a moneymaker, there never would have been The Empire Strikes Back or any other sequel. And what would that have been like?
If no Star Wars sequels would have changed Lucas, think of how it would have changed Star Wars. Darth Vader is never Luke Skywalker’s father. We never meet Yoda. (Which has to affect Frank Oz’s career somehow, no? Do we still get What About Bob?) There’s no Jabba the Hutt, or Lando Calrissian, or Han Solo frozen in carbonite, or Ewoks. (Some of these changes, admittedly, would be greater losses than others.)We would have never known which hero gets the girl! And while there might still be the "special editions," even they would have been different. Read more about this fantasy at Screen Crush.
And since it is the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, here are some more articles paying tribute to Luke, Darth, and the galaxy far, far away.
When No Theater Wanted to Show the Movie in 1977.
The $11 million spent on Star Wars in 1977 was the best film investment ever made.
Revisiting Original Star Wars Reviews from 1977.
Why the blockbuster saga is the greatest soap opera in the galaxy.
Ranking the 40 greatest Star Wars quotes of all time, for the 40th anniversary.
Celebrities share their Star Wars memories.
That’s no moon ... but what if it were?
40 Years of Star Wars Anniversary Posters.
(Image credit: StarWars.com)
Hardware Wars
Hardware Wars was the very first Star Wars parody, produced by Ernie Fosselius in 1978. Thirty-nine years later, it's still pretty funny.
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The Ultimate List of Wonderfully Specific Museums. How else would you find Barney Smith's Toilet Seat Art Museum (it's in San Antonio)?
Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Definitive Preview. Vanity Fair visits the set and interviews the cast members.
Talk Obama to Me. Put your own words in and give the former prez a speech. (via Boing Boing)
This Illustration Nails the Pedestrian Problem in Cities. More people are walking than ever, so we should make their safety a priority.
Barn Owls: The Secret Saviors of Napa Valley’s Vineyards. Vintners love them because they keep rodents from their crops.
Why Flamingos Are More Stable on One Leg Than Two. They can even balance on one leg after they're dead.
Whatever happened to Alfalfa from Little Rascals? For someone who only lived to age 31, he had quite a biography.
The Onion has obtained 700 pages of leaked documents from the Trump Administration. This should keep you busy for quite some time. (via Metafilter)
The hats of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Miss Cellania's Links
Trump’s Budget Cuts Deeply Into Medicaid and Anti-Poverty Efforts. (via Uproxx)
Just hours before workers removed a statue of Confederate general Robert E. Lee, Mayor Mitch Landrieu gave a special address at historic Gallier Hall. It could be a manifesto for the entire nation to move forward on.
What It's Like to be Struck by Lightning. Around 4,000 people around the world die from lightning strikes every year, but about ten times as many are hit and survive.
When Evan Kowalski's mother asked him what theme he wanted for his 4th birthday party, he said Mrs. Doubtfire. Mom was surprised, but she made it work beautifully.
Julie d’Aubigny was a 17th-century French crossdresser, swordswoman, and opera star. She was sentenced to death twice, but always came up smelling like a rose.
That Time a Basketball Player Saved a Dolphin. Marine World called the Gold State Warriors for a volunteer.
All these years later, Top Gun 2 is officially happening, and we might even get a Spaceballs 2.
What Americans can learn from the soothing British ritual of tea time. It's a tradition that stands in for several kinds of social connections.
10 Things You Didn't Know About the President's Secret Army. The U.S. Joint Special Operations Command are the elite units that have movies made about their exploits.
An Honest Trailer for Logan
Screen Junkies' 200th Honest Trailer is for the relatively recent movie Logan. First, let me warn you, this is full of spoilers. I didn't know what Logan was about at all, except that it was about Wolverine, but now I feel like I've seen the whole thing. Second (and this is a spoiler for the video), they couldn't find anything bad to say about it. So if you haven't already seen the movie, you might want to sip this Honest Trailer until you do. However, if you have seen Logan, you'll enjoy the Honest Trailer with a special surprise guest critic.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Tweet of the Day
'We had to pull nails out of children's faces': Steve, a homeless man who was sleeping near #Manchester Arena, rushed to help young victims pic.twitter.com/dyxzZpal0Q— ITV News (@itvnews) May 23, 2017
Steve rushed to help when a bomb went off at the Manchester Arena yesterday. When things are falling apart, it's good to remind ourselves that for every awful person that causes death and destruction, there are more good people. (via reddit) https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/6cun6f/this_is_steve_a_homeless_man_who_was_near_the/
If Theme Parks Were Honest
Sooner or later, every family takes a road trip to Six Flags, Disney World, or some other large theme park to show the kids a good time. That means standing in line for a hour to ride a one-minute ride, paying out the wazoo for lunch, and dealing with tired, cranky kids (or even worse, bored teenagers) and sunburn. There's a price to pay for everything. In the latest Honest Ad from Cracked, Roger Horton dresses up like Walt Disney and welcomes us to Hortonland, where all your dreams will come true- even if they are nightmares.
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Paramedic's Response to "Burger Flippers" Making an Equal $15/Hour is Beautiful. (via reddit)
Several times a day, we get a new yet old obituary from a bot that Tweets reports of deaths at Medieval Death Bot. The causes of death are intriguing, as they raise more questions than can possibly be answered. (via b3ta) http://www.b3ta.com/
5 Things You Didn't Know About Blue Jeans. The American uniform for almost 100 years.
Why Occam's Razor Doesn't Apply to Physics. "Physics has shown us time and time again that our human views of what's logically consistent or preferred are terrible guides to understanding the Universe."
You should’ve asked. A graphic explanation as to why women still do most of the work at home. (via Metafilter)
6 Facts That Will Clear Up Your Confusing Life. No one knows what they want to be when they grow up.
The True Story of Brainwashing and How It Shaped America. The US government went into overdrive to research brainwashing in the 1950s.
How the Beatles Wrote "A Day in the Life." The many-layered song is so different from the Beatles of just a couple of years before. (via Metafilter)
What’s Kept the Society Against Quackery Going for 137 Years.
Dog Interrupts Russian News Broadcast
This news anchor is telling us about the planned renovation of some areas of Moscow, when she's interrupted by a Labrador retriever that had snuck behind the desk. It was startling. She tries to keep her cool and continue with the news, but all the attention is on the dog. Finally, she ends this clip by explaining that this is why she is a cat person. It's not nice to be upstaged. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Monday, May 22, 2017
Fox News’ 5 Steps for Handling a Trump Scandal
I knew Fox News was completely partisan, but even I was shocked at the clips included in this video. You'd think that a TV news network would want to be subtle about their partisanship, but apparently I haven't been watching Fox News enough to realize how very bad it is. (via the A.V. Club)
Toy Story 19
Toy Story 4
is planned for 2019. That's 24 years after the first movie. You have to wonder how long they can keep it up. This comic from Berkeley Mews gives us an idea of how the story might be ultimately wrapped up. Too bad it's an animated horror film. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Miss Cellania's Links
Trump’s Worst Nightmare Comes True. Some background on special prosecutor Robert Mueller.
Time Trap: How Escape From the Planet of The Apes Was Ahead of Its Time. It was a lesson in how to make a sequel for a world that was destroyed.
Actors who didn’t survive their last TV roles. TV series handle the death of a regular in several different ways.
Flappers Didn’t Really Wear Fringed Dresses. That idea came from the movies made about them later.
Interesting tidbits behind famous album covers. You've probably owned at least of couple of these.
The Oral History of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On." That it worked was a real surprise to almost everyone involved.
The animal rescue group Cat People of Melbourne produced an article describing one of the cats they have available for adoption. There is no false advertising for Mr. Biggles, "an utter utter utter bastard."
How the Wealthy Talk to Their Children About Money. The rest of us teach our kids how to take care of themselves. (via Metafilter)
These Are History’s Most Notorious Liars.
Earth, Wind, & Ozzys
A mashup of "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire and "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne. This cleverness is brought to you by DJ Cummerbund. (via Bits and Pieces)
Sunday, May 21, 2017
Tweet of the Day
ENTRY LEVEL JOB OPENING:— Jordan (@jordan_stratton) July 6, 2015
Hiring recent college grads
REQUIREMENTS:
5 years of experience, 6 Olympic gold medals, and superpowers.
(via Buzzfeed)
Elderly Feral Tomcat and Foster Kittens
Mason the feral cat was ill, injured, and infected when he was taken in by Tinykittens feral TNR program. Because of his condition, he was placed in a home instead of being returned to the feral colony. Mason is only semi-tamed; he still won't let anyone pet him. But he has adopted a litter of kittens placed in the same foster home. They make him happy. There are several more videos of Grandpa Mason and his kittens at Tiny Tuxies. (via reddit)
Loading a Bike Onto a Truck
He had the skills to take it up the ramp better than you thought. There's one little part he forgot to plan for. (via Bits and Pieces)
The Fork Lift Job
A Norwegian applied for the same job and since both applicants had similar qualifications, they were asked to take a test and led to a quiet room with no interruptions by the Manager. When the results were in, both men had scored 19 out of 20.
The manager went to Murphy and said, “Thank you for coming to the interview, but we’ve decided to give the Norwegian the job.”
Murphy: “And why would you be doing that? We both got 19 questions correct. This being Ireland and me being Irish surely I should get the job.”
Manager: “We have made our decision not on the correct answers, but on the question you got wrong.”
Murphy: “And just how would one incorrect answer be better than another?”
Manager: “That’s Simple; on question number 7 the Norwegian wrote down, ‘I don’t know.’ You put down, ‘Neither do I.’ "
(Via Bits and Pieces)
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Fog Island
A thriller from 1945. From Wikipedia:
A recent ex convict named Leo Grainer (so-called in the credits, but in fact referred to as Grainger throughout) lives secluded on Fog Island with the daughter of his murdered wife. Seeking to learn who murdered her, and to exact revenge on those who framed him and destroyed his business, he invites his former associates to his creepy island mansion on the pretext he may share a hidden fortune with them.
Prior to their arrival he rigs the mansion with secret passages and a trap. Then, once his guests arrive, he gives each a clue, including his step daughter and butler. This successfully pits everyone against the others and plays on their greed. What then transpires is conflict, revealed mysteries, sudden death, and an unlikely resolution.
Miniature Goat vs. Hammock
Goats are naturally sure-footed, but Sampson has never encountered a surface where his center of gravity is constantly changing. Still, his instinct is to climb on things, so he keeps trying to conquer the backyard hammock. (via Metafilter)
Watermelon Bread Recipe
It looks like a watermelon, but it's really raisin bread! This bread recipe combines kneading the dough with mixing in your colors. It even has stripes! May Lynn shows us how it's done. She's done this before; your mileage may vary. The ingredients list can be copied from the YouTube page. (via Nag on the Lake)
Friday, May 19, 2017
The History of Tea
The Chinese discovered it, the Japanese revered it, and the British went nuts over tea. Oh yeah, and then Americans loaded it with sugar, lemon juice, and ice cubes. Tea has always been popular, even back when it was eaten instead of made into a drink. Learn the history of the second most popular drink in the world (after water) in this TED-Ed lesson from Shunan Teng. -(via Geeks Are Sexy)
The Hoarder
The Hoarder is a 1969 beautifully animated short film about a bird who collects everything. He almost gets everyone killed before he learns an important lesson about greed. (via The Kid Should See This)
A Brief History of Goths
What do the barbarian Goths that raided Europe have to do with the young fashionistas who wear black in the more recent era? Not much, because the modern Goths took their name from the word Gothic. And that's where the story gets interesting. Dan Adams explains the evolution of the word Goth and it was used through history in this TED-Ed video. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
A Short History Of Presidential Obstruction Of Justice.
The 2017 Shed of the Year finalists have been announced, and you can vote for your favorite shed here. See photos of the finalists at the Guardian, but be warned that the most interesting sheds are from the contest category called #Notashed. (via Metafilter)
What’s Your American Dream Score? This Quiz Will Tell You.
On display in a jar at the University of Lisbon’s Faculty of Medicine, the head of Diogo Alves is remarkably well-preserved, looking much like he must have when he was last alive -in 1841.
What was the Biggest Movie From the Year You Were Born? This list has the Best Picture winner, the box office champ, and the critics choice for each of the last 100 years.
The True Story Behind Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and Her Mixed-Up Files. The E.L. Konigsburg children's book was released fifty years ago.
19 Real Customer Service Horror Stories. Everyone has at least one, but these are awful.
How Better Call Saul fixed Breaking Bad's Skyler Problem. And along the way, revealed how ethically compromised the audience is.
The True Stories Behind 11 Famous Sideshow Performers. They went on display for money, but each had a real life and real story.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
Star Wars Nothing But Star Wars Mixtape Trailer
Cinefamily TV is putting together a mega-project for the 40th anniversary of Star Wars, featuring 70 minutes of the most bonkers Star Wars-related footage possible. The trailer gives us a little taste, and although it's less than two minutes long, it's weird enough to enjoy on its own. Forty years is a long time to be obsessed with one franchise, but plenty long enough to amass tributes that will make us laugh and feel nostalgic at the same time. The full version will be shown May 25th at the Cinefamily theater in Los Angeles. (via Gizmodo)
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The first trailer for Star Trek: Discovery has been unveiled, and we already have a breakdown and analysis of every part of it.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate Alien’s set design. Just another unit of perfection that made the movie a classic.
Australian Maine Coon Could be World's Longest Cat. (via Mental Floss)
How Much Force Could a T.Rex Bite Deliver? New research tries to pinpoint its power.
The Mystery of the 2,000-Year-Old Iron Beads. They came from a meteorite hundreds of miles away.
Home in a Can: When Trailers Offered a Compact Version of the American Dream. That dream where you combine home ownership with road tripping.
Mama June's Makeover Was Actually Damage Control. Honey Boo-boo's mother needed a big change to distract the audience from the scandal that wrecked her earlier show.
14 Secrets of College Counselors. They have tips for helping your child find and get into the right school.
An Honest Trailer for Aliens
The new movie Alien: Covenant (the fifth Alienmovie, if you don't count Alien vs. Predator) is opening this weekend, so Screen Junkies went back to take another look at the second movie in the series, Aliens. While the first movie was a horror film, the second was an action movie. How will they tear this one down?
Just as I thought they might, by downing every character except Ripley, and deservedly so. Too bad she's not in every Alien film.
Wednesday, May 17, 2017
Deadpool as an Oscar-worthy Drama
There was talk last year of Deadpool deserving a Best Picture Oscar (or at least a nomination), because the film took risks, broke new ground, and was a thoroughly enjoyable movie. Naw, the Academy isn't having any of that. But what if all the humor, action, and special effects were stripped away? All that would be left would be a relationship drama of the type that the Oscars love. Jon Tomlinson re-edited Ryan Reynolds' masterpiece to show how it could be done. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Saving The Day Is Harder Than It Looks
Heroes are much more interesting when they have a few of the flaws we normal people deal with. That's why Superman will never be as interesting as Batman. And why Deadpool captured the moviegoing audience's attention so well -he's far from perfect, and we can relate. When filmmakers throw a bolt into the machinery of a daring caper, it provides us with an unexpected gasp or laugh or something to keep us from falling asleep during the heroic actions we expect. Robert Jones found those moments in 43 different movies, most of which you've seen. Enjoy this movie supercut. (Thanks, Robert!)
Miss Cellania's Links
So, there's a man crawling through the desert. Get ready for the world's longest shaggy dog story. (via Metafilter)
Hackers are reportedly holding Disney’s new Pirates of the Caribbean movie for ransom. Disney has refused to pay up.
10 Terrible Cases of Mistaken Identity. Identity theft is bad, but a murder accusation is worse.
What Makes a Parent? A brutal custody battle between two women raises questions about who has a right to rear a child—and could redefine the legal meaning of family.
When TV Logos Were Physical Objects. They were a lot more interesting overall.
My Family’s Slave. For 56 years, Lola gave everything to the family that owned her.
The Myth of Flyer’s Rights. As a passenger, legally you don't have that many.
The romance of tuberculosis. Since it was unavoidable, it became fashionable in a melancholy way.
Our Lady of Complicity. A delightfully scathing review of Ivanka Trump's book Women Who Work. (via Metafilter)
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
Finding the Key
One of the bigger challenges of raising children is getting them to read. Reading is very hard when you're learning to do it, and the only thing that will make it easy is practice. Why would a kid want to practice something that difficult and boring? Sure, we adults know they will love it when they master the skill, but they don't know that. The secret is to find some reading material your particular child can't put down. One father told me he'd let his son read porn if it would get him to read at all. I had to find something different for each of three girls, but they all eventually turned to reading for pleasure, which is the key to mastering the skill. For Moishe (and for many kids), comic books are the key. That lesson comes in the latest comic from Lunarbaboon.
Upcoming Star Trek Parody Series
The upcoming Fox TV series The Orville is a parody of Star Trek, developed by and starring Seth MacFarlane. It should premiere sometime in 2017. You won't hear the words Star Trek or Starfleet in this trailer, but the ships, the aliens, the plot lines, and the aesthetics are all there. Whether the series can keep the comedy level up over time will be the key to The Orville's success. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Miss Cellania's Links
The Tangled Story Behind Trump’s False Claims Of Voter Fraud. Statistical error in one undergrad student's paper led to the mess we see now.
The Biggest Changes on the 2016 SSA Baby Names List.
Signing Away the Right to Get a New Job. Non-compete clauses have trickled down to lesser-skilled jobs in order to keep low-paid employees in their place. (via Metafilter)
The World’s Trashiest Beach Is on a Remote Island in the South Pacific. Henderson Island is groaning under 38,000 pounds of plastic.
Colombia's National Sport Mixes Explosives and Beer. A game of tejo is like horseshoes on steroids.
Could Your Cells Be Worth Millions? Even if they are, your share could be negligible.
Dangerous Skyscrapers Channel Wind And Sun, Topple Pedestrians And Start Fires. The unintended consequences of modern architecture can be deadly.
How WWI Sparked the Gay Rights Movement. Dying for one's country was an injustice to those who lacked the rights of other citizens.
Why Graduates Dress the Way They Do. The cap and gown used to be everyday wear for students.
How Do They Decide the Age When You Become an Adult?
When do you become an adult? Kids think they are as smart as adults, and middle-aged people say they still don't "feel" adult. Maturity is a gradual process, a spectrum in which wisdom is hard to pin down. The question of when someone is mature "enough" for certain responsibilities has legal ramifications, so we set an age. A number to determine when a person is mature enough to make adult decisions will never be applicable to everyone, but in large societies, we need to treat people equally.
How does a culture set the age of consent? It depends on consent for what, then it depends on the culture, and on the real goal of setting a limit. In America, we let 16-year-old drive but not drink. In some European countries, one can drink at a much younger age than one can get a driver's license. It makes sense when you realize that Europeans can get around without driving, while in America, cross-country mass transit means buying an airline ticket. Simon Whistler of Today I Found Out tackles the question from several angles.
Monday, May 15, 2017
Groom Slaps Bride (There was a Bee!)
They're saying their sacred wedding vows in front of family, friends, and a videographer. Then the groom reaches out and slaps the bride! He wasn't thinking of how it looked -she had a bee on her face. The poor groom then realized what it looked like, and knows he'll never live it down. Luckily, the officiant saw it, and let everyone know what happened. A good time was had by all. (via reddit)
Miss Cellania's Links
The Totally Normal Town Where Everyone Worked on Weapons of Mass Destruction. Move along, nothing to see here in Los Alamos.
The Victorian Belief That a Train Ride Could Cause Instant Insanity. As if they didn't have enough to worry about with the newfangled mode of transportation.
In 2011, miners using heavy equipment in Alberta found a fossilized dinosaur. It was so well preserved that we might find out what its last meal was.
The Fabulous Cosplay of Ottawa Comic Con 2017. Check out X-Men's Beast and Jubilee as Beauty and the Beast.
This Woman's Harassment Story is Something Everyone Needs to Read. That it happens all the time doesn't make it right.
Elizabeth Taylor, Christie’s, and the Case of the Cursed Necklace. They may have to drop the $8 million price.
10 King Arthur retellings that are even weirder than King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Modern artists just can't keep their hands off the story.
15 Things You Should Know About Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights. The more you look, the stranger it gets.
R. L. Stine, Master of Fear. The creator of Goosebumps tells how he does it.
Sunday, May 14, 2017
Baby Ducks Jumping Off a Dock
Mother's Day is for celebrating mothers of all kinds. They dedicate all their time to teaching their young ones what they need to get through life. Even if that entails jumping off a dock. Yes, you can do it! These dozen or so ducklings trust Mama to know what they are capable of. (via Metafilter)
Sean Spicer Returns to SNL
Melissa McCarthy was the host of Saturday Night Live last night, so you know that White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer would be featured prominently.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Friday, May 12, 2017
How A Melancholy Egg Yolk Conquered Japan
Have you ever heard of Gudetama? He's a Sanrio character, fro the folks who brought us Hello Kitty. Believe it or not, Gudetama is an egg yolk, and he's unbelievably popular in Japan. It just goes to show that there are no stupid concepts anymore. Gudetama's popularity is a convergence of many factors, many of them exclusive to Japan, as explained by Vox. (via Viral Viral Videos)
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Host Melissa McCarthy Feels Pretty, Oh So Pretty
Melissa McCarthy will host this week's Saturday Night Live. In this promo, she sings "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story as she transforms magically into the White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. (via Uproxx)
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