(via Criggo)
Friday, June 30, 2017
The Simple Joys of the Dull Men’s Club
Some men who do mundane things for fun came together and formed the Dull Men's Club. Great Big Story thought they were interesting enough to make a video about. That in itself negates the very idea of the club. However, when dull people get together, they can be pretty extraordinary. They represent such a variety of odd hobbies that you might discover one you're interested in. Beyond that, these men (and a few women) embody the idea that taking pride and joy in simple things pays off in the long run. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
These Adorable ‘Star Wars Blips’ Feature R2-D2 With His Best Friend BB-8.
The great health-care debate of 2017 has been immensely clarifying. People are starting to realize what they really believe.
A truck spilled live pigs onto a highway in Texas, and everyone scrambled to take videos. Enjoy the view from several angles as authorities try to round them up.
The Politics of Pie Cutting at West Point’s Mess Hall. One of the most dreaded hazing opportunities came with dessert.
Hydrodynamic Levitation. It looks like magic, but there's a scientific explanation.
Christopher Stracuzza packed $700 in live lobsters for a flight from Boston to Savannah. He later found out the TSA had gone viral posing with his 20-pound lobster, and was understandably upset.
Professor Caveman. Anthropology professor Bill Schindler teaches students that primitive societies weren't really primitive by having them make their own tools, meals, and clothing from scratch.
My Name is Mitch McConnell and I Owe Thanatos, the God of Death, 22 Million Human Souls. A parody column at McSweeney's that hits where it hurts. (via Boing Boing)
7 July 4th Traditions from Around the Nation. What is your community doing this year?
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Dog Joins Orchestra Mid-Performance
The Vienna Chamber Orchestra was performing Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony No. 4 in Izmir, Turkey, when a wandering music fan decided to join them onstage at the amphitheater. He's a good boy, so deserves first chair in the violin section, Except he'd rather listen than play. He knows his limitations. The conductor was amused. You can imagine what the musicians who couldn't see what was happening thought when the audience started laughing and applauding at an inappropriate time in the music. (via reddit)
"Yakko's World" Sung by the Movies
A few years ago, I was astonished to discover there are young people in the internet who can name every country in the world. They learned them from a song featured in the TV show Animaniacs, which I missed by being an adult. It's a delightful song. And now we have a remix from movies you know and love. Goes pretty darn fast, doesn't it? The Usual Suspect managed to find a movie clip of every nation in one film or another, and edited them together in perfect rhythm. (via Tastefully Offensive)
How the Camera Phone was Invented
When Philippe Kahn rushed his wife to the hospital to give birth in 1997, he had his camera, his laptop, his phone, and his soldering iron (which just happened to be in the car with his other tools). He wanted to share pictures of the new baby girl with family and friends immediately. So he spent the labor time figuring out how to do it. The result was the world's first camera phone. Because 2,000 people got to see Sophie the day she was born, we now have selfies, Instagram, and citizen journalism. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
The Neighborhood Inside a Building. D.C.’s massive Woodner apartment building is a microcosm of a changing city. (via Digg)
The 5 Most Annoying Things to Say During an Argument. You see these all the time, and they aren't helping.
The True, Top-Secret Story of Trump's Presidency, by Tom the Dancing Bug. If only it were this simple.
8 Ways to Get Weird in Seattle. Places to go and things to do to get the most out of your visit to the city.
The World's Oldest Known Temple Was Home to a ‘Skull Cult.’ The residents of Göbekli Tepe were carving on human skulls thousands of years ago.
Why Do Planes Still Have Ashtrays? Believe it or not, they are required equipment.
When the Beast of Gévaudan Terrorized France. Beginning in 1764, the people of the French region of Gévaudan suffered 100 deaths and nearly 300 injuries attributed to a unknown beast.
29 Mind-blowing Banana Facts. You may think you know a lot about bananas, but you'll learn more in this list.
Kat Wagner of McMansion Hell received a Cease and Desist order from Zillow, but the EFF (Eectronic Frontier Foundation) came to her legal rescue.
Green With Happiness
Elizabeth Sweetheart is the Green Lady of Brooklyn. She loves green so much that everything in her home is green, her clothes are green, and even her hair is green. In this report from Great Big Story, she explains why she goes green all the time. (via Laughing Squid)
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Sara Carson and Hero on America's Got Talent
Sara Carson does some amazing things with her dog Hero, as we saw a few months ago. On their televised audition for America's Got Talent last night, they performed a pirate-themed routine that had Hero wielding a sword! The crowd loved it, but the judges didn't. Except for Simon Cowell, who threw his weight around and got Carson and Hero into the next round. You can see the extended scene here. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Immigrants (We Get The Job Done)
A new video for the song Immigrants (We Get The Job Done) from Lin-Manuel Miranda's album The Hamilton Mixtape relates the immigrant experience with performances by four rappers who are either immigrants or the children of immigrants. Uproxx tells us about the video.
It's the first official video from The Hamilton Mixtape, an album of songs from the musical plus songs inspired by the musical.
K’Naan, a Somali Canadian, Snow Tha Product, a Chicano child of Mexican immigrants, Riz Mc, a British Pakistani whose parents moved from Pakistan to England in the 1970s, and Residente, a Puerto Rican rapper from San Juan, all relate their experiences growing up as immigrants or first generation citizens of their respective nations, highlighting the way that America (and England) exploit the cheap labor provided by immigrants while still only affording them second class status.
The Cheetah Meow
I didn't know cheetahs meow I've always thought they roar my whole life has been a lie pic.twitter.com/Zbo8bDVTS6— 🚬 (@hoewever) June 24, 2017
Lions roar, cougars scream, and cheetahs …meow? We know that cheetahs don't roar, and can purr like house cats, but did you know that a cheetah will sometimes meow? I didn't, either. Found at The Daily Dot, where you can also hear a tiny lion cub try out his adorable roar.
Miss Cellania's Links
Free Government Health Care Saved Mitch McConnell’s Heart. But he heartlessly wants to take away coverage for millions of Americans.
This Is How To Have A Great Vacation: 6 Secrets Backed By Research. Plan for everything, then be flexible and have fun!
When Grave Robbers Hold Famous Corpses for Ransom. Even death can't protect some folks from kidnapping.
Even in the 1700s, Book Clubs Were Really About Drinking and Socializing. Books gave them an excuse to party, and some members even read them.
Meet the dogs with OCD. Studying obsessive–compulsive disorder in canines could help us with a human treatment.
See 26 things that will make you feel incredibly old. I'm sure you'll relate to at least a couple of them.
We Taste-Tested 10 Hot Dogs. Here Are the Best. A few recommendations for your Fourth of July picnic.
The ghostly loneliness of Greece's roadside shrines. Each one represents lives lost in traffic accidents.
How Do Solar Panels Work? An animated graphic makes it seem less magic, but still a miracle.
Cat Asks for Help, Gets It
The YouTuber who goes by the name "walter santi" (Walter is his/her dog, and Santi is the cat) tells the story of an injured stray cat who came to their house and asked for help. The video shows his wounds and may be disturbing for sensitive souls. You'll be glad to know the cat is fine now. Here's an update video taken 40 days later, showing him chasing around like he was never hurt. (via Laughing Squid)
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Everyone is a Hero
The song "みんながみんな英雄" ("Everyone is a Hero"), from the Japanese singing group AI, became a big hit in 2016. The video is gorgeous, and full of wacky scenes depicting heroes from different folktales coming together. You might recognize the tune as "Turkey in the Straw." That song has a peculiar history in Japan, where it is known as The Oklahoma Mixer. Read about it at Metafilter.
Miss Cellania's Links
Gun owners are outraged by the Philando Castile case. The NRA is silent.
Are Alien and Blade Runner Set in the Same Universe? After all, they were born inside the same brain.
Operation Tracer: The Secret Plan To Bury Soldiers Alive Inside The Rock Of Gibraltar. Spoiler- they didn't have to carry out the plan. (via Metafilter)
Dan Rather On Why America Needs More Empathy.
A Hilarious Series of Tweets That Imagines What Dogs Would Say If They Could Call 911. You'll laugh, but you won't be surprised. (via Neatorama)
How the Great Yankee Wife Swap Scandalized—and Changed—America. The story of the baseball players who married each other's wives is being developed into a movie 44 years later.
Baby Name Guide: Updated for 2017. Learn the meanings behind "Donald" and Vladimir." (via Nag on the Lake)
Why Fewer Lower-Class Americans Are Getting Married.
A Man and His Pineapple.
Auto Nom
When you think of autonomous cars, you think of Google and Elon Musk and the idea of trucks with no drivers hauling loads down the highway. But why not think of the fun these cars can have?
Oh hello lovely machine, emancipating yourself from function... You look adorable, you know? Yes dear, you were built to be autonomous, it said so in the campaign brief.Director Julius Steinhauser of f°am Studio in Germany brings us Autonomous Rolf, a Mercedes Benz with a mind of its own, and a sense of fun that even the laws of physics cannot stop! (via Nag on the Lake)
No rush – getting from A to B was never an exciting idea to begin with, for your kind. Dance yourself clean, pull your metal frame apart and let the sun burn through your circuits. Ride your autobiography, guided by the beauty of your code.
Monday, June 26, 2017
One Tree, 365 Days
Italian photographer and conservationist Bruno D'Amicis set a camera up in a forest in the Apennine Mountains, trained it on one beech tree, and let it record for an entire year. This video contains clips of that recording that show the diversity wildlife that passed by, stopped to mark their territory, scratch their back, or take a bite. The song is "Have You Ever" by Brandi Carlile. You can see D'Amicis wildlife photography at Instagram. (via Tastefully Offensive)
The 2017 World Taxidermy Championships
Every year, the world's top animal stuffers and fish carvers meet up to show off their skills and compete for cash prizes. Emily Graslie of Brain Scoop works at the Field Museum in Chicago, but she was excited to attend the World Taxidermy & Fish Carving Championships in Peoria last month. Graslie can't contain her enthusiasm as she wanders among freeze-dried fish, animals made from completely different animals, recreations from scenes in nature, creatures in funny poses, and animals the judges had to look up to see what they're supposed to look like. (via Mental Floss)
The Many Uses for Gummi Bears
I have an ongoing project to make posts for mental_floss articles I wrote way back when that I do not have an archive for. Here's another one, from 2007.
Last week, a chandelier made of Gummi Bears made the rounds on the 'net. I was inspired to look up the history of the Gummi Bear. Did you know Gummi Bears were first produced in 1922?! Candymaker Hans Riegel called them "dancing bears". It wasn't until 1981 that they became widely available in the United States. Besides appealing to kids' tastes, Gummi Bears turned out to be useful in many other ways. Check them out in an article I wrote for Mental Floss.
Miss Cellania's Links
Look Who Caught a Record-setting Salmon. (via Metafilter)
5 mind-blowing things about the GOP's 'Better Care' act. Get ready for a big financial hit -unless you're rich.
Do Giraffes Get Struck by Lightning More Than Other Animals? They do kind of look like lightning rods.
Masabumi Hosono survived the Titanic, but not the public’s scorn. As the only Japanese aboard, he drew publicity just for getting into a lifeboat.
How a Star Wars Superfan Scoured the Earth for Space Debris. Brandon Alinger started building his own lightsaber when he was 12, and now is the world's premiere collector of authentic Star Wars props.
Crowdfunding doesn’t help everyone. In fact, it doesn’t help most people.
In addition to developing the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell did extensive research in aerodynamics. From 1898 to 1912, he experimented with a tetrahedral structure for kites to lessen the weight-to-surface ratio to enable humans to fly. (via Nag on the Lake)
7 Everyday Experiences Other Countries Do Waaay Differently. In this list, "other countries" include Los Angeles and Florida.
The Forgotten Man Who Transformed Journalism in America. Lowell Thomas was the first superstar journalist of the broadcast era.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Why Olive Oil is Awesome
For a long time, I thought the only difference between olive oil and standard vegetable oil was the price. But would you ever find yourself dipping bread into plain vegetable oil, even with spices added? Olive oil is special, and Reactions, from PBS Digital, is here to tell us why. In this video, we get a chemical explanation for olive oil's benefits, plus glimpse into the manufacturing process and some advice on using your oil. My advice: Start any meal by sautéing onions and garlic in olive oil. After that, it really doesn't matter what you add, it will be good.
Splashdancing Gorilla
Where does a 380-pound gorilla dance? Wherever he wants to. Zola the gorilla lives at the Dallas Zoo. He's 14 years old, but he has a sense of fun that other gorilla adults don't often show. He especially likes his pool. Zookeepers say the pool is not just for fun, it's for enrichment. You say tomato, I say tomato. The video was so delightful that folks immediately added a soundtrack. The resemblance to a certain movie was evident to Derek Mozer.
You've seen Zola dancing before. Neatorama featured his break dancing five years ago when he lived at the Calgary Zoo. (via Metafilter)
World's Ugliest Dog 2017
The Sonoma Marin Fair in Petaluma, California, crowns the World's Ugliest Dog every year. And most years, a Chinese crested has won the title. But not this year! Congratulations to Martha, a 125-pound Neapolitan mastiff who took the top honor on Friday. Martha is notable for her loose and droopy skin, and her lack of enthusiasm for the contest. Why show off when you can lay down and take a nap?
The dog, from nearby Sebastopol, was rescued when she was nearly blind from neglect by the Dogwood Animal Rescue Project in Sonoma County, where the contest was held. After several surgeries, she can now see again, Zindler said.Martha won $1500, a trophy, and a trip to New York City. Read more about her at CBS News. Gizmodo disagreed that Martha was the ugliest dog in the contest, so they posted a gallery of their top five picks, in which Martha only placed fourth.
The only animal in this year's contest too big to be held by her handler, Martha beat out 13 other dogs, most of them the kind of older, smaller dogs who win here.
Saturday, June 24, 2017
My Shot (Vaccine Version)
Learn about the importance of vaccines with parody rap song performed by eighth graders! No wait, really, this is not what you'd expect from that first sentence. It is actually very well done. The new lyrics are set to the tune of "My Shot" from the Broadway musical Hamilton. The song was researched, written, sung, shot, filmed, and edited by students of the Nueva School in California. (via Digg)
An Irish Man Demonstrates Weather
Deric Ó hArtagáin of TV3 was giving a weather report Friday morning on the show Ireland AM when some weather happened to him. His comrades back at the studio could not contain their laughter, although they might have felt a little guilty about it. You could say they were blown away, but not as much as Ó hArtagáin. Ó hArtagáin was a good sport about it. Let me type that name again: Ó hArtagáin. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Friday, June 23, 2017
A Cow Catcher for People
When the automobile started taking over the streets, people were justifiably afraid of getting hit by one. In response, a device was tested in England in the 1930s that acted as a "cow catcher" for humans. Just a flick of the switch, and the Safety Scoop deployed and scooped up the pedestrian before he knows what hit him. Literally.
I'm sure you have the same thought I did upon seeing this. If the driver sees a person in the road in front of him, why wouldn't he just hit the brake instead of the device switch? That eventually occurred to motorists, too, because the device never did catch on. At Atlas Obscura, you can read more about the Safety Scoop and see a gif of another such device from 1927.
The New Sport of Snowboarding
In 1985, snowboarding was still fairly new at ski slopes in the U.S. Slope operators hated it, and the people who did it. Watch a 1985 CBS news report on the phenomenon. We can assume that eventually, the slope operators saw which way the wind was blowing -or more accurately, where the money was coming from. And the snowboarders grew up a little. (via Digg)
Summer Vacation
We celebrated the beginning of summer when school was out, then again over Memorial Day weekend, and now that the solstice has passed, it is really REALLY summer! You've been out of school three or four weeks now, and what have you crossed off your bucket list? About three weeks of video games, that's what. You might get around to going to the beach next month, and maybe camping in August, and you might remember that novel come September. Also, the color of your room will be okay until next summer. This is the latest comic from Alex Culang and and Raynato Castro at Buttersafe.
Miss Cellania's Links
Barack Obama Blasts The ‘Fundamental Meanness’ Of The Senate GOP Healthcare Bill. Four GOP Senators Are Vowing To Oppose The Newly Revealed Healthcare Bill.
How a Star Wars Superfan Scoured the Earth for Space Debris. Brandon Alinger started building his own lightsaber when he was 12, and now is the world's premiere collector of authentic Star Wars props.
95-Degree Days: How Extreme Heat Could Spread Across the World. The number of extremely hot days for your area could triple in the coming decades.
Encyclopedia Dad. A boy discovers the wisdom his father left him. You might need a hankie.
How a Soviet Circus Clown Tried to Prove That Dogs Can Be Psychic. Research on Vladimir Durov's telepathy indirectly led to The Men Who Stare at Goats.
Man told he can't wear shorts to office, abides by the dress code for women instead. Joey Barge's mini-dress led to a change in dress code during the heat wave. (via Boing Boing)
John Oliver dared a coal exec to sue him, and now he's being sued. (via Boing Boing)
5 Reality Shows That Screwed Over Their Contestants.
How Accusing A Powerful Man of Rape Drove A College Student To Suicide.
John Oliver dared a coal exec to sue him, and now he's being sued. (via Boing Boing)
5 Reality Shows That Screwed Over Their Contestants.
How Accusing A Powerful Man of Rape Drove A College Student To Suicide.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Loki's Hiding Place
This Bengal cat is aptly named Loki, because he's both clever and mischievous. He likes to play hide and seek. This video captures Loki's favorite hiding place -in the dresser! Once he shuts the drawer, you'd never think to look for him there! Unless he purrs with satisfaction, of course. Loki's owner, josht1212, says they closed this room off to him after the video was made, because they're not sure if he can get out of the drawer on his own. I bet he could. (via Laughing Squid)
Mad Max Junior
Remember the guy that turned his kids' Little Tykes Cozy Coupes into Mad Max-style vehicles? It turns out he works in the film industry. Ian Pfaff http://pfaff.squarespace.com/ took his daughter Junior and his infant son Benji out to the desert and let them loose. A few specials effects later, they've recreated the apocalyptic world of the car chase movie Mad Max: Fury Road. Just like the movie, this is short on dialogue and heavy on mayhem. Uh-oh! (via Digg)
When the Bus Stop Button is Broken
Some municipal buses just drive by a bus stop if there's no one waiting to get on. If you need to get off the bus there, you ring a bell or push a button to let the bugs driver know. This bus in Halifax, Nova Scotia, had a non-functioning button, so they installed temporary workaround.
Meanwhile, in Mexico, this technology has been in use longer, so they know they should install the chicken out of reach of children. Genius!
Trevor Noah Tells It Like It Is
Philando Castle was shot in his car after police pulled him over for a broken light, with his girlfriend and young daughter in the car. This week, the officer who shot him multiple times was acquitted of all charges. Trevor Noah addressed this better than anyone else I've heard, on The Daily Show. He added his personal experience in a "between the scenes" unaired segment.
Read more about the case at Uproxx.
Miss Cellania's Links
The Dog Photographer Of The Year Contest Announced Its Winners, And They're Amazing. The squee is strong with these doggos.
Would Canadians give up their single-payer healthcare system for the US style of healthcare? No, and they then explain why.
I'm Terrible, Thanks For Asking.
Angry Neighbors and the Notes They Write. (via Boing Boing)
A surgeon’s secret: As she operated on babies’ birth defects, a doctor hid her own diagnosis. Dr. Mary Austin is performing cutting-edge miracles for infants not yet born. (via Metafilter)
Yoga Makes People Super Emotional. But Why? To those who do not participate, it looks like the pain causes tears.
How Cults Brainwash their Members. And the ways to break out of such a system. (via Digg)
Everything you ever wanted to know about America’s northernmost town. Find out why Barrow, Alaska, even exists.
The Making of the American Diner. They were once known as a "vulgar boys' club."
Young Orangutan Escapes from his Mother
A juvenile orangutan at the Jersey Zoo https://www.durrell.org/wildlife/visit/ was caught trying to establish his independence from his mother. She was not having any of it. The scene played out like a sitcom, and got an appropriate soundtrack. The dialogue is not difficult to imagine.
Mom: Come along, Junior, let's go.
Kid: Aw, Mom! I wanna play some more!
Mom: But it's time for lunch.
Kid: But I have having fun!
Mom: Don't you want some nice greens so you'll grow big and strong?
Kid: Haha, you can't catch me!
Mom: why you little… come back here!
Kid: Haha!
Mom: I swear, you are just like your father!
(via Tastefully Offensive)
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Billie Jean (Wild West Cover)
Samuraiguitarist gives us Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" as a spaghetti western theme. (via Boing Boing)
Dizzy
I'm yall lol & can't STOP laughing at all!!! pic.twitter.com/ItarwS6ITu— Chris Rainey (@crainey3) June 21, 2017
What fun! (via reddit)
Miss Cellania's Links
The United States Postal Service released a new stamp that uses thermochromic ink to give us two different images on one stamp. The eclipse stamp is a commemoration of the total solar eclipse that will cross the U.S. on August 21. (via Metafilter)
Marais Poitevin: France’s Green Venice.
Donald Trump Reports He’s Getting Rich as President.
Inside the Tolstoy Family Reunion. Almost 300 of Leo Tolstoy's descendants live all over the world.
Star Wars: 10 Unsung Heroes Behind A New Hope. You might be surprised at those who worked behind the scenes to bring the saga to life.
Why Diverse Ken Dolls Now Come in Different Body Types, Skin Colors.
Reinventing the Toilet. New technology could be the future of sanitation in Third World nations.
23 Things Emergency Room Workers Want You To Know. They will save your life, so straighten up.
I was bullied as a kid. It almost ruined my adult life.
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