(via Bad Menu)
Saturday, June 30, 2018
The Jedi Were Wrong About the Chosen One
EC Henry gets all geeky about the religion of the Star Wars universe. The weirdest fan theory about the Force is still better than Midi-chlorians.
Tweet of the Day
Fun fact: By the fall, four Supreme Court justices -- almost half the Court -- will have been picked by Presidents who entered office after losing the popular vote. pic.twitter.com/5LRrY1erYj— Joe Patrice (@JosephPatrice) June 27, 2018
(via Metafilter)
Friday, June 29, 2018
Destino
Salvador Dali and Walt Disney collaborated on an animation project called Destino in 1945, but it wasn't released, or even finished. Roy E. Disney, Walt's nephew, unearthed the project in 1999 and released it in 2003.
The seven-minute short follows the story of Chronos and his ill-fated love for a mortal woman named Dahlia.[1] The story continues as Dahlia dances through surreal scenery inspired by Dalí's paintings. There is no dialogue, but the soundtrack includes music by the Mexican composer Armando Dominguez. The 17-second original footage that is included in the finished product is the segment with the two tortoises (this original footage is referred to in Bette Midler's host sequence for The Steadfast Tin Soldier in Fantasia 2000, as an "idea that featured baseball as a metaphor for life").(via Nag on the Lake)
Miss Cellania's Links
How to Avoid July 4th Traffic. Start early, stay late, or maybe even stay at home.
10 Tiny Towns with Big Tourism Dreams. A stop at one on your summer vacation trip could become a great memory.
What Happened to the Winner of McDonald's $1 Million Flexi-Disc Contest? Scotty Landreth's life changed 30 years ago, but not for the better.
The Biggest Driving Mistakes and Bad Habits. You might be doing these and not even realize you're bugging the drivers around you.
The Mysterious Life and Death of ‘Madame X.’ Kate Jackson's murder was never solved, but her web of lies and deceit make for a fascinating story.
This French Town Has Welcomed Refugees for 400 Years. The 2700 residents of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in south-central France are proud of their tradition of giving asylum to those who need it.
The Space Between Stars Is Full of Greasy, Possibly Toxic Carbon. That might mean trouble for interstellar spaceships.
America needs more people. Immigrants are good for the economy, the crime rate, and the future of our country.
A blast from the past (2013): Rosalind Franklin and the Search for DNA.
10 Tiny Towns with Big Tourism Dreams. A stop at one on your summer vacation trip could become a great memory.
What Happened to the Winner of McDonald's $1 Million Flexi-Disc Contest? Scotty Landreth's life changed 30 years ago, but not for the better.
The Biggest Driving Mistakes and Bad Habits. You might be doing these and not even realize you're bugging the drivers around you.
The Mysterious Life and Death of ‘Madame X.’ Kate Jackson's murder was never solved, but her web of lies and deceit make for a fascinating story.
This French Town Has Welcomed Refugees for 400 Years. The 2700 residents of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon in south-central France are proud of their tradition of giving asylum to those who need it.
The Space Between Stars Is Full of Greasy, Possibly Toxic Carbon. That might mean trouble for interstellar spaceships.
America needs more people. Immigrants are good for the economy, the crime rate, and the future of our country.
A blast from the past (2013): Rosalind Franklin and the Search for DNA.
Disney's Autonomous Robot Stunt Doubles
Disney imagineers have been woking on animatronic stunt men. Watch them progress from a simple stick figure to full-on robotic acrobats. Disney doesn't need artificial stunt men when we already have real stunt men and CGI in movies, but these are for the theme parks. They are called Stuntronics. Principal R&D Imagineer Tony Dohi spoke about them.
“So what this is about is the realization we came to after seeing where our characters are going on screen,” says Dohi, “whether they be Star Wars characters, or Pixar characters, or Marvel characters or our own animation characters, is that they’re doing all these things that are really, really active. And so that becomes the expectation our park guests have that our characters are doing all these things on screen — but when it comes to our attractions, what are our animatronic figures doing? We realized we have kind of a disconnect here.”Read more about the Stuntronics robots at TechCrunch. (via reddit)
So they came up with the concept of a stunt double for the ‘hero’ animatronic figures that could take their place within a show or scene to perform more aggressive maneuvering, much in the same way a double replaces a valuable and delicate actor in a dangerous scene.
Tweet of the Day
Dem senators, repeat after me:— Christian Finnegan (@ChristFinnegan) June 27, 2018
“The President of the United States is under investigation for collusion with a foreign adversary and obstruction of justice. There can be no SCOTUS replacement until he’s been cleared.”
Thursday, June 28, 2018
White Women Watching Me
Amber Ruffin of Late Night with Seth Meyers channels Rockwell for a parody of his song "Somebody's Watching Me." She's good at it, too. (via The Mary Sue)
Update: This one is not so much of a joke as a commentary on the news. Like this, and this. More here and here.
The Biggest Driving Mistakes and Bad Habits
So many annoying habits are things that drivers complain about, but do themselves and aren't even aware. Then there are some habits that you might not even realize are bothering all the drivers around you. When driving, you should always be aware of your surroundings, that's a given, but you should also be aware of the problems you are causing for other drivers. The one that drives me up the wall the most id that one where someone pulls out in front of you and drives slowly, even when there was no one at all behind you. Why couldn't they wait a second and a half for you to pass? (via Digg)
Miss Cellania's Links
Why Sam Houston, Texas Hero, Opposed the Civil War. That opposition was the end of his amazing political career.
North America Will Not Be Able to See the Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century, Sorry. Most of the world will see it on July 27.
'Cadillac Frank,' 'Ice Pick Willie,' And the Nicknames Of American Mobsters. The had some interesting origin stories.
The Board Game at the Heart of Viking Culture. Called hnefatafl, it was significantly more important than other games of the time.
Interviews with people caught in the new policy of Zero Tolerance.
How Chocolate is Made in Guatemala. See both an old, traditional method and a modern process.
How The NFL's New Helmet Rule Could Change Football As We Know It. If players can't use their helmets as weapons, where will the violence and injuries come from?
The progressive liberal agenda isn’t about being nice. It’s about confronting evil, violence, trauma, and death.
Astonishing Staircase Art From All Over The World. (via Metafilter)
One weird-looking moonset. It's an illusion created by filming from miles away. (via TYWKIWDBI)
A blast from the past (2015): 10 Myers-Briggs Type Charts for Pop Culture Characters.
North America Will Not Be Able to See the Longest Lunar Eclipse of the Century, Sorry. Most of the world will see it on July 27.
'Cadillac Frank,' 'Ice Pick Willie,' And the Nicknames Of American Mobsters. The had some interesting origin stories.
The Board Game at the Heart of Viking Culture. Called hnefatafl, it was significantly more important than other games of the time.
Interviews with people caught in the new policy of Zero Tolerance.
How Chocolate is Made in Guatemala. See both an old, traditional method and a modern process.
How The NFL's New Helmet Rule Could Change Football As We Know It. If players can't use their helmets as weapons, where will the violence and injuries come from?
The progressive liberal agenda isn’t about being nice. It’s about confronting evil, violence, trauma, and death.
Astonishing Staircase Art From All Over The World. (via Metafilter)
One weird-looking moonset. It's an illusion created by filming from miles away. (via TYWKIWDBI)
A blast from the past (2015): 10 Myers-Briggs Type Charts for Pop Culture Characters.
Tweet of the Day
A-David Prowse IS Darth Vader.— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) June 18, 2018
B-James Earl Jones is his voice.
C-Bob Anderson is his stunt-double.
D-Hayden Christensen is my son's age. #HowIMetMyDads pic.twitter.com/CoWaHJQKDo
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
A Lemon-Powered Supercar
Former NASA engineer Mark Rober was asked to charge a very powerful battery for an electric Volkswagen. He decided to make lemonade- a really serious lemon-powered battery, using 1232 lemons. After having as much fun with that many lemons as they could think of, he and William Osman got down to business. Lemons were not the only creative idea he had for charging the huge car battery. The Volkswagen supercar ended up winning the Pike's Peak Challenge, and set a world record, too! (via The Kid Should See This)
Six-Year-Old Spends $1,000 on the Best Day Ever
Huck is pretty good at counting by twenties, for a 6-year-old. Still, he has some innocent ideas of what to do with a thousand dollars. He has to spend it in one day, so he hires a limousine the very first thing. After a trip to the toy store, he runs out of ideas, but the guys from Yes Theory give him some ideas. Then he remembers the candy store! You'll love the way this video ends. (via reddit)
Miss Cellania's Links
We Have a Good Chance of Curing the Common Cold. There are more than 160 strains of rhinovirus, but scientists around the world are fighting them.
The World’s First Robot-Cooked Hamburger is Upon Us. This machine does everything from grinding the meat to placing the pickle.
What are the Odds That You'll Ever be Hit by a Meteor? Pretty darn small, but we have accounts of people who were.
The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger. Supposedly extinct since 1936, there have been thousands of sightings of the thylacine, with no hard evidence.
The Sonic Pickle Juice Slush was Created by People Who Hate Pickles. If you order one, expect the same amount of sugar usually found in a fruit slush.
Why the Skeleton of the “Irish Giant” Could Be Buried at Sea. Charles Byrne never wanted his remains to be on display, as they have been for 235 years.
How Rich People Buy Their Way Out Of Jail.
4 Famous Movie Cliches (And The Weird Reasons They Exist).
An Interview With the Woman Who Sold Me Her Wedding Dress.
A blast from the past (2015): The Adventurous Life of Jane Dieulafoy, Pioneering Archaeologist, Artist, and Feminist.
The World’s First Robot-Cooked Hamburger is Upon Us. This machine does everything from grinding the meat to placing the pickle.
What are the Odds That You'll Ever be Hit by a Meteor? Pretty darn small, but we have accounts of people who were.
The Obsessive Search for the Tasmanian Tiger. Supposedly extinct since 1936, there have been thousands of sightings of the thylacine, with no hard evidence.
The Sonic Pickle Juice Slush was Created by People Who Hate Pickles. If you order one, expect the same amount of sugar usually found in a fruit slush.
Why the Skeleton of the “Irish Giant” Could Be Buried at Sea. Charles Byrne never wanted his remains to be on display, as they have been for 235 years.
How Rich People Buy Their Way Out Of Jail.
4 Famous Movie Cliches (And The Weird Reasons They Exist).
An Interview With the Woman Who Sold Me Her Wedding Dress.
A blast from the past (2015): The Adventurous Life of Jane Dieulafoy, Pioneering Archaeologist, Artist, and Feminist.
Batman Dance Party
In this video from Monster Truck Ninja, digitally-animated Batman and Robin dance to the Batman theme. Then they are joined by all the other characters, including villains that Adam West never encountered! It takes a real bat fan to recognize them all. Just wait until you see Alfred twerking! (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Hero Gets a Guinness World Record
Hero, the border collie who was trained by Sara Carson, did 49 tricks in one minute to achieve a world record! We've seen Hero doing canine freestyle dance competitions, but since Blogger's search engine doesn't work for me anymore, I can't find them.
My Lap
This was the situation with my cats, if you recall from an update I did a while back. They've come around now. If you've not been following Megacynics, Bradley got a new job in a different town, but their dream apartment won't be available for a couple of months. So Ash is holding down the fort by herself during the week, as you can see in this comic.
Carpet Art
A guy spilled wine on the carpet at the office. It won't come out, so a co-worker made it into art.
And we named it Sir Barnaby Catley Splatley.
(via Buzzfeed)
Miss Cellania's Links
The Hiker's Guide to Trail Etiquette. Respect your fellow outdoor enthusiasts.
How the Secret of Saving Private Ryan’s Power Lies in its Portrayal of the Enemy. Putting the viewer in place of a U.S. soldier meant making Germans into inhuman caricatures.
How Medicare for all could save the American health-care system.
How to tell if a baby is Canadian.
The Tragic Roots of America’s Favorite Cherry. The Bing cherry was named for a 6-foot Chinese horticulturist named Ah Bing.
How a Behavioral Scientist Influenced City Design All Over the World. For too long, city design centered on buildings and roads, instead of the people who live and work there. (via Metafilter)
A History of Modern Capitalism from the Perspective of the Straw. Designed for sanitary use, they've become a sanitation problem. (via Kottke)
An Ode to the Ladies Pant Suit of Zanzibar. See a collection of images of the Swahili women's fashions of yore.
Chef Ben Churchill Specializes in Food that Looks Like Other Things. He can serve you a dessert that resembles cleaning supplies, potted plants, or a full ashtray.
Political Links
Generations from now will mark this week as the moment Americans realized we were losing our country as we have known it.
Buyers tied to Russia, former Soviet republics paid $109 million cash for Trump properties. (via reddit)
A Physician in South Texas on an Unnerving Encounter with an Eight-Year-Old Boy in Immigration Detention.
The Absurdity of Trump Officials Eating at Mexican Restaurants During an Immigration Crisis.
And Finally
A blast from the past (2016): 4 Legendary Plant-Animal Hybrids.
How the Secret of Saving Private Ryan’s Power Lies in its Portrayal of the Enemy. Putting the viewer in place of a U.S. soldier meant making Germans into inhuman caricatures.
How Medicare for all could save the American health-care system.
How to tell if a baby is Canadian.
The Tragic Roots of America’s Favorite Cherry. The Bing cherry was named for a 6-foot Chinese horticulturist named Ah Bing.
How a Behavioral Scientist Influenced City Design All Over the World. For too long, city design centered on buildings and roads, instead of the people who live and work there. (via Metafilter)
A History of Modern Capitalism from the Perspective of the Straw. Designed for sanitary use, they've become a sanitation problem. (via Kottke)
An Ode to the Ladies Pant Suit of Zanzibar. See a collection of images of the Swahili women's fashions of yore.
Chef Ben Churchill Specializes in Food that Looks Like Other Things. He can serve you a dessert that resembles cleaning supplies, potted plants, or a full ashtray.
Political Links
Generations from now will mark this week as the moment Americans realized we were losing our country as we have known it.
Buyers tied to Russia, former Soviet republics paid $109 million cash for Trump properties. (via reddit)
A Physician in South Texas on an Unnerving Encounter with an Eight-Year-Old Boy in Immigration Detention.
The Absurdity of Trump Officials Eating at Mexican Restaurants During an Immigration Crisis.
And Finally
A blast from the past (2016): 4 Legendary Plant-Animal Hybrids.
Monday, June 25, 2018
Can't Wait Until Today is Over
It sounds like his life needs a reboot. Too bad that's something he dreads, too. This comic is from Alex Culang and Raynato Castro of Buttersafe.
Senegal has the Best Dance Moves of World Cup 2018
The team from Senegal has been charming World Cup crowds and spectators around the world with their dancing skills. Their joyful dance is part of their training, and no doubt is a great team building exercise. Although the video above was taken in an empty stadium, the Senegalese got the crowd involved when they danced to celebrate their win over Poland last week.
With this music many can now understand the dance performed by Senegal team after their win against Poland. #worldcup,#Russia2018. Congratulations #Senegal . pic.twitter.com/RTOP96UPic— Lamoussa Gama (@LGama) June 20, 2018
Their next game will be against Colombia on Thursday. (via Mashable)
Miss Cellania's Links
In two comics, cartoonist Gail Galligan turns Jon Arbuckle of Garfield into a character that's not so much depressed, but introverted in a way we can all understand. Part one is about a dinner party in which he meets his significant other Liz's college friends, and part two is where he goes to a comic convention for the first time in years. (via Metafilter)
Greetings from the UFO Zealots Who Say Aliens Created Life on Earth. Learn the origin and beliefs of Raëlism.
Simon Jansen's ASCIImation Version of Star Wars. He worked on the project for 18 years.
Books Where the Dog Dies, Rewritten So the Dog Doesn’t Die. They range from heartwarming to hilarious.
How Jurassic Park Changed the Way Movies Looked at Dinosaurs. Before that, they came in only two flavors: murderous or cute.
13 Movie and TV Jokes that Took Years to Deliver. They are callbacks, running gags, internal references, brick jokes, slow burns, or Chekhov's gags.
Newly Unearthed Civil War Bones Speak Silently to the Grim Aftermath of Battle. Archaeologists pieced together the story of a medical waste pit.
A 1770 poem about a cat and the greatest peril that may befall him. (via Strange Company)
Political Links
Kids in exchange for deportation: Detained migrants say they were told they could get kids back on way out of U.S. The ransom offer has been made.
Don't confuse trumphotels.org with trumphotels.com. Keep in mind trumphotels.org is a legit site, trumphotels.com is run by Russian scammers. Beware. (via Metafilter)
DOJ: Trump's immigration crackdown diverting resources from drug cases.
Trump administration rule could stop public reporting of hospital infections despite death toll.
Trump Reaffirms North Korean Nuclear Threat After Saying It Was Gone.
And Finally
A blast from the past (2016): The Worst Industrial Disaster in U.S. History.
Greetings from the UFO Zealots Who Say Aliens Created Life on Earth. Learn the origin and beliefs of Raëlism.
Simon Jansen's ASCIImation Version of Star Wars. He worked on the project for 18 years.
Books Where the Dog Dies, Rewritten So the Dog Doesn’t Die. They range from heartwarming to hilarious.
How Jurassic Park Changed the Way Movies Looked at Dinosaurs. Before that, they came in only two flavors: murderous or cute.
13 Movie and TV Jokes that Took Years to Deliver. They are callbacks, running gags, internal references, brick jokes, slow burns, or Chekhov's gags.
Newly Unearthed Civil War Bones Speak Silently to the Grim Aftermath of Battle. Archaeologists pieced together the story of a medical waste pit.
A 1770 poem about a cat and the greatest peril that may befall him. (via Strange Company)
Political Links
Kids in exchange for deportation: Detained migrants say they were told they could get kids back on way out of U.S. The ransom offer has been made.
Don't confuse trumphotels.org with trumphotels.com. Keep in mind trumphotels.org is a legit site, trumphotels.com is run by Russian scammers. Beware. (via Metafilter)
DOJ: Trump's immigration crackdown diverting resources from drug cases.
Trump administration rule could stop public reporting of hospital infections despite death toll.
Trump Reaffirms North Korean Nuclear Threat After Saying It Was Gone.
And Finally
A blast from the past (2016): The Worst Industrial Disaster in U.S. History.
Scientist Man's Plan to Save Star Wars
The mediocre box office for Solo shows that movie tickets are too expensive, and people won't go to a movie just because it has some loose connection to Star Wars. It's a numbers game, according to Scientist Man. The solution: raise the ticket prices! (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Tweet of the Day
My dad wanted to make a reservation at a restaurant and they told him that they were completely booked, minutes later he called back claiming to be the prime minister of Morocco..... we got the best table in the place and the chef answer him to sign a plate and take a pic w him😭 pic.twitter.com/Yx2hdlK5Zf— Ihab. (@Ihab8knicks) June 19, 2018
(via Buzzfeed)
Sunday, June 24, 2018
Tweet of the Day
#KeepFamiliesTogether. No kids should grow up Solo. pic.twitter.com/uT6qzpAgu4— Sad Kylo Ren (@KyloIsSad) June 22, 2018
(via Mark Hamill)
Saturday, June 23, 2018
To See Better
It's only logical. They have health insurance, but who's going to pay the electric bill? (via Bad Newspaper)
Talking to the Counselor
Is it satill paranoia when everyone really is watching you? This comic is from Zach Weinersmith at Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Go to the comic link to read the hover text, and push the red button for a bonus punchline.
Cassette Navigation 1971
Imagine a GPS (or SatNav, if you're British) in 1971. There was such an idea, but it came on pre-recorded cassette tapes that gave you directions as you played it. Watch how it works in this clip from the erstwhile TV show Tomorrow's World. Of course it could never work as advertised. If you ever made a wrong turn, the whole system would suddenly turn useless. Or if you were caught in a traffic jam, didn't drive the speed the cassette expected, or the machine ate the tape- which was a common occurrence with cassettes. You would need to buy a new cassette for every new route, and once you drove there, you wouldn't need that tape again. I'm sure there are more reasons not to buy into this system. In 1971, it was easier to learn to read signs and maps, develop a sense of direction, and ask someone as a last resort. (via Nag on the Lake)
Kitten on the Freeway
Hope for Paws got a notification of a kitten on the freeway in Los Angeles, on a fast lane with no shoulder. Eldad Hagar and Loreta Frankonyte were out transporting a dog with puppies, and did a detour to make a scary rescue. The kitten was scared, hungry, flea-ridden, and had infected eyes. There's no telling how long he was out there on the road by himself. But Napoleon was fed, bathed, treated, and named, and now has a bright future. (via Laughing Squid)
Tweet of the Day
This monkey was away from his family for weeks recovering from an injury. They were waiting for him the WHOLE TIME 💞 (via @umsizi911) pic.twitter.com/fUsB46UuRQ— The Dodo (@dodo) June 22, 2018
(via Mark Hamill)
Friday, June 22, 2018
Did Mary Poppins go to Hogwarts?
Was Mary Poppins trained in the magic arts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? It makes so much sense! The various clues are explained in this video from Uproxx.
Doors
Go ahead and watch this without thinking about it being a campaign ad. MJ Hegar is a badass even without running for Congress in Texas' 31st district. If you can't vote in Texas, you can still donate to her campaign. Hegar's autobiography is called Shoot Like a Girl, eventually to be a movie. (via Metafilter)
The Terrible Aerodynamics of Star Wars Ships
Extreme nerdery incoming! EC Henry used a virtual wind tunnel to test the aerodynamics of the ships seen in the Star Wars movies. It becomes clear that they were designed to look cool, and not to work in a real atmosphere. But when you compare them to each other, the Rebels with their ugly ships were more realistic and might have even worked. (via io9)
Embrace Your Truth
An excerpt from Justice League: War finds Wonder Woman the subject of a protest crowd. She needs to get to the bottom of things. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Miss Cellania's Links
How Jupiter May Have Gifted Early Earth With Water. Young gas giants throw debris toward inward planets, including hydrogen-rich materials.
These parents hoped to raise $1,500 for separated migrant families. Pledges now total $15 million.
How to Decorate Like a Viking. Archaeologists have built a palette of the paint colors used on Viking homes and buildings. (via Metafilter)
The Science of Hearing. Our ability to detect and interpret sounds is due to an amazing and complicated biological system.
Lucasfilm Might be Putting Future Star Wars Spin-offs on Hold. Solo's disappointing box office was a surprise glitch in the moneymaking machine.
Why Women Say Nothing Is Wrong When Something Is Clearly Wrong. She has plenty of reasons not to share it with you right now.
The Breastfeeding Zealots of the Neonatal Ward. Maternal lactation is pushed to the point of shaming mothers with hungry babies.
Religious leaders want Trump hotel's liquor license revoked because he's 'not a person of good character.' That's a requirement in the District of Columbia.
Terminator 6 Provides a First Look at the Return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor.
Poems about peeing off a cliff. (via Metafilter)
These parents hoped to raise $1,500 for separated migrant families. Pledges now total $15 million.
How to Decorate Like a Viking. Archaeologists have built a palette of the paint colors used on Viking homes and buildings. (via Metafilter)
The Science of Hearing. Our ability to detect and interpret sounds is due to an amazing and complicated biological system.
Lucasfilm Might be Putting Future Star Wars Spin-offs on Hold. Solo's disappointing box office was a surprise glitch in the moneymaking machine.
Why Women Say Nothing Is Wrong When Something Is Clearly Wrong. She has plenty of reasons not to share it with you right now.
The Breastfeeding Zealots of the Neonatal Ward. Maternal lactation is pushed to the point of shaming mothers with hungry babies.
Religious leaders want Trump hotel's liquor license revoked because he's 'not a person of good character.' That's a requirement in the District of Columbia.
Terminator 6 Provides a First Look at the Return of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor.
Poems about peeing off a cliff. (via Metafilter)
June 1998
What were you doing 20 years ago? YouTuber thepeterson put together a nostalgic look at the pop culture that accompanies our memories of that time. Honestly, much of this passed me by, because I spent most of June 1998 in China, and then trying to recover from the trip and learning how to be a mommy to Princess. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tweet of the Day
TIME’s new cover: A reckoning after Trump's border separation policy: What kind of country are we? https://t.co/U4Uf8bffoR pic.twitter.com/sBCMdHuPGc— TIME (@TIME) June 21, 2018
Thursday, June 21, 2018
Hello Sexy Pants
Bill Wurtz, the master of nonsense music, gives us a song that makes more sense than most of his other creations. (via Digg)
Brazil's Geography Problem
Brazil is a big country, with a lot of people, so why isn't it a world power? The answers lie in the very things that make Brazil unique. The land that it covers is very different from smaller nations. Wendover productions looks at Brazil and its geography. (via Digg)
Miss Cellania's Links
5 Things You Didn’t Know About the Summer Solstice. While the days will only get shorter from here, temperatures will still go up.
The Forgotten Chefs Who Made Chili Con Carne a Tex-Mex Standard. Women running their own businesses gave us an entirely new cuisine.
You Would Never Expect Killer Whales to Appear Here. Arctic Ocean prey that once fed polar bears is fair game for orcas.
Brooklyn's Defunct Domino Sugar Plant Opens as Domino Park. Pictures show how an old factory can become a community park and still retain its history.
First Impressions. Tom Comitta took the first sentence from 268 New Yorker short stories, sorted them, and combined them into one surprisingly cohesive tale.
Sneaky Ways Restaurants Are Hacking Your Brain. Check out 25 subtle tricks that make you spend more.
Economist Austan Goolsbee explains tariffs with a story about plumbing gone wrong. I recommend listening to it instead of reading the transcript.
Political Section
Trump's executive order doesn't mean the end of zero tolerance arrests, and it might not even keep families together. It doesn't do a thing for kids already taken.
Here’s How You Can Help Fight Family Separation at the Border. A list of resources and organizations that need your skills, time, or money.
Trump’s catch-and-detain policy snares many who have long called U.S. home.
Here's how asylum seekers at the border were treated before this summer.
An Immigration Attorney on What It’s Like to Represent Small Children Taken from Their Parents.
Top Ten Reasons We Take Kids From Their Parents At The Border.
And Finally
A blast from the past (2014): The Day the Mountain of Fire Was Born.
The Forgotten Chefs Who Made Chili Con Carne a Tex-Mex Standard. Women running their own businesses gave us an entirely new cuisine.
You Would Never Expect Killer Whales to Appear Here. Arctic Ocean prey that once fed polar bears is fair game for orcas.
Brooklyn's Defunct Domino Sugar Plant Opens as Domino Park. Pictures show how an old factory can become a community park and still retain its history.
First Impressions. Tom Comitta took the first sentence from 268 New Yorker short stories, sorted them, and combined them into one surprisingly cohesive tale.
Sneaky Ways Restaurants Are Hacking Your Brain. Check out 25 subtle tricks that make you spend more.
Economist Austan Goolsbee explains tariffs with a story about plumbing gone wrong. I recommend listening to it instead of reading the transcript.
Political Section
Trump's executive order doesn't mean the end of zero tolerance arrests, and it might not even keep families together. It doesn't do a thing for kids already taken.
Here’s How You Can Help Fight Family Separation at the Border. A list of resources and organizations that need your skills, time, or money.
Trump’s catch-and-detain policy snares many who have long called U.S. home.
Here's how asylum seekers at the border were treated before this summer.
An Immigration Attorney on What It’s Like to Represent Small Children Taken from Their Parents.
Top Ten Reasons We Take Kids From Their Parents At The Border.
And Finally
A blast from the past (2014): The Day the Mountain of Fire Was Born.
An Honest Trailer for Jurassic Park III
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom officially opens Friday, although you can attend previews today. This will be the fifth movie in the Jurassic Park franchise, which began in 1993. However, the sequels came to a screeching halt in 2001 when Jurassic Park III came out. It was the first of the movies not to be directed by Steven Spielberg, and the first that wasn't based on a book. It made money, but was not well received. Screen Junkies explains why in an Honest Trailer for Jurassic Park III. Fourteen years went by before producers were healed enough to bring us Jurassic World. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Miss Cellania's Links
The Internet is Learning an Important Lesson About Service Dogs. We know you're not supposed to pet them without permission, but what if one approaches you?
That Time the U.S. Postal Service Tried Delivering Mail By Missile. It saved neither time nor money, but that wasn't the point.
In America, Naturalized Citizens No Longer Have an Assumption of Permanence.
Why You Should Slack Off to Get Some Work Done. The world's most productive scientists and engineers worked only 10 to 20 hours a week.
Postcards From the Honeymoon Capital Of The World. For many couples, the Poconos was where the Baby Boom began.
The Dark Side of ‘Service With a Smile.’ Putting on a happy face when you're not feeling it can lead to mental and physical problems.
A Horror Story About a Shower Curtain. Or it could be a comedy; either way, it needs to be filmed.
What Do Morticians Do With the Blood They Take Out of Dead Bodies?
More Than 600 Members Of Jeff Sessions’ Church Have Filed A Formal Complaint Against Him Over Immigrant Family Separations.
How Volcanoes Work. The U.S. has 169 "potentially active" volcanoes, but they're not all alike.
A blast from the past (2012): The Bell Witch of Tennessee.
That Time the U.S. Postal Service Tried Delivering Mail By Missile. It saved neither time nor money, but that wasn't the point.
In America, Naturalized Citizens No Longer Have an Assumption of Permanence.
Why You Should Slack Off to Get Some Work Done. The world's most productive scientists and engineers worked only 10 to 20 hours a week.
Postcards From the Honeymoon Capital Of The World. For many couples, the Poconos was where the Baby Boom began.
The Dark Side of ‘Service With a Smile.’ Putting on a happy face when you're not feeling it can lead to mental and physical problems.
A Horror Story About a Shower Curtain. Or it could be a comedy; either way, it needs to be filmed.
What Do Morticians Do With the Blood They Take Out of Dead Bodies?
More Than 600 Members Of Jeff Sessions’ Church Have Filed A Formal Complaint Against Him Over Immigrant Family Separations.
How Volcanoes Work. The U.S. has 169 "potentially active" volcanoes, but they're not all alike.
A blast from the past (2012): The Bell Witch of Tennessee.
Dancing in Movies
Tweet of the Day
What a beautiful ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform tablet. I wonder what ageless wisdom it conveys? pic.twitter.com/FPUmAZ4AOH— Helen Ingram (@drhingram) June 15, 2018
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Lucas the Spider in Naptime
Lucas the adorable young spider is looking for a place to nap. It has to be perfect: private and cozy and away from distractions. When you are a tiny spider, there are a lot of spots to choose from! Spoiler- he finds a good place. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
The 100 Greatest YouTube Videos of All Time, Ranked. Watching them all will keep you too busy to argue about the ranking.
Brain in a Bucket. A new method for tissue analysis got a man sent to prison for life on its first use in forensics. (via Nag on the Lake)
Why Coca-Cola Purposely Designed a Soft Drink to Fail.
Wollemi Pines Are Dinosaur Trees. After flourishing for 100 million years, they had to be rescued from extinction in the 1990s.
Why the Finns Don't Want to be Happy. Despite the highest quality of life in the world, they aren't going to press their luck.
The Heyday of Penny Restaurants. The food wasn't free, because that would rob the transaction of its dignity.
Forget the World Cup, Let’s Play Motor-Ball! Soccer played on motorcycles was exciting, but not at all safe.
The Curious Death of George Wythe. And why no one paid the price. (via Strange Company)
Bringing the Thunder.
After her child is born, a mother learns that equal parenting means giving dad a chance.
A blast from the past (2014): French Fries Around the World.
Brain in a Bucket. A new method for tissue analysis got a man sent to prison for life on its first use in forensics. (via Nag on the Lake)
Why Coca-Cola Purposely Designed a Soft Drink to Fail.
Wollemi Pines Are Dinosaur Trees. After flourishing for 100 million years, they had to be rescued from extinction in the 1990s.
Why the Finns Don't Want to be Happy. Despite the highest quality of life in the world, they aren't going to press their luck.
The Heyday of Penny Restaurants. The food wasn't free, because that would rob the transaction of its dignity.
Forget the World Cup, Let’s Play Motor-Ball! Soccer played on motorcycles was exciting, but not at all safe.
The Curious Death of George Wythe. And why no one paid the price. (via Strange Company)
Bringing the Thunder.
After her child is born, a mother learns that equal parenting means giving dad a chance.
A blast from the past (2014): French Fries Around the World.
Tweet of the Day
Injuries as a kid:— James Breakwell (@XplodingUnicorn) July 18, 2016
fouled on a layup
fell off trampoline
pulled muscle running
Injuries as an adult:
slept wrong
sat too long
coughed
(via Buzzfeed)
Monday, June 18, 2018
The Sounds of Children
This is audio from inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, made available by ProPublica. If children crying for their parents bothers you, this will bother you, but you need to hear it. There are subtitles.
The Trump administration instituted a new policy a couple of months ago that every person crossing the border illegally will be arrested. Crossing the border illegally is a misdemeanor. Since children cannot be sent to jail, they are sent to separate holding facilities without their parents, which are defined as "not jail." Over 2,000 children have been separated from their parents in this manner since April, and so many more are coming in every day that a new tent city was erected overnight in Texas to hold the overflow.
It is legal to cross the border at an official port of entry to ask for asylum. Many of the people arrested are seeking asylum, but the border patrol is not allowing people to cross at an official port of entry for the purpose of asylum. So they enter elsewhere, ask for asylum, and are arrested.
The current administration has stated that this tactic is being used as a deterrent, so that people will not come to the US for asylum. Put yourself in a refugee's place. If your home country is so dangerous that you'd walk to the US to escape it, any haven is better than no haven. If I were forced to choose between my child dying or being separated from me, I'd choose the separation. But it's still evil and unnecessary, and our federal government is only doing it to inflict pain upon these families. Trump says he will lift the child separation practice if Congress gives him an immigration bill that includes $25 billion for a border wall. Does that not sound like ransom to you?
There are plenty of people who think arresting refugees is a fine tactic, that we can't have so many immigrants here. Their ancestors who came to the US as refugees ...well, they say that's different. I am a white woman born in the US, but there is nothing at all that makes me any more deserving of safety and freedom than someone fleeing a lawless country to seek safety for their family. God loves the refugee children as much as He loves me.
Twenty years ago today, I took a child out of a Communist country and brought her to the US to grow up in an intact family. When I, an American, walked into the US Consulate at Guangzhou, our group passed through hundreds of Chinese citizens outside who had been waiting for weeks just to get an appointment to ask for a US visa. We walked right in, privileged because of an accident of birth. And now we have children being separated from their mothers and fathers right here in our country, sent to their own jails and camps, with no protocol in place to reunite them with their parents, who could be deported without them. That ain't right, no matter who you are.
What kind of nation have we turned into?
If they will do this to children, on the flimsiest excuse, they will do it to anyone.— Charles Soule (@CharlesSoule) June 18, 2018
Including, on the flimsiest excuse, you.
Miss Cellania's Links
How Raiders of the Lost Ark Continues to Influence Pop Culture. When creating heroic tales, filmmakers still ask, "What would Indiana Jones do?"
The Unexplained Dancing Plague and Other Epidemics of Yore. The power of suggestion is still the most logical explanation.
The Bible Passage Jeff Sessions Used to Justify Detaining Children Has a Disgusting History. It's the verse you use when you don't have a moral leg the stand on.
Reanimation! Science Stories About Frankenstein. This seven-part video series features conversations with scientists on Mary Shelley's book and the issues it addresses. (Thanks, WTM!)
George Lucas's Plan for Star Wars 7 through 9, Starring Mid-Chlorians. No matter how much you dislike any of the new Star Wars films, you can tell yourself it could have been so much worse. (via Ars Technica)
The Recipes of Cleopatra. Her elixirs were well-regarded in the fields of cosmetics, gynecology, and alchemy. (via Strange Company)
The Iroquois Theater Disaster. More than 600 people died in the stampede and conflagration, which led to new safety standards.
Southern Baptists Call Off the Culture War. America’s largest Protestant group moves to cut ties with the Republican Party and re-engage with mainstream culture.
Watch Tiny Crab Spiders Take Flight With 10-Foot Silk Parachutes.
How to claim your maple syrup.
A blast from the past (2016): The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster.
The Unexplained Dancing Plague and Other Epidemics of Yore. The power of suggestion is still the most logical explanation.
The Bible Passage Jeff Sessions Used to Justify Detaining Children Has a Disgusting History. It's the verse you use when you don't have a moral leg the stand on.
Reanimation! Science Stories About Frankenstein. This seven-part video series features conversations with scientists on Mary Shelley's book and the issues it addresses. (Thanks, WTM!)
George Lucas's Plan for Star Wars 7 through 9, Starring Mid-Chlorians. No matter how much you dislike any of the new Star Wars films, you can tell yourself it could have been so much worse. (via Ars Technica)
The Recipes of Cleopatra. Her elixirs were well-regarded in the fields of cosmetics, gynecology, and alchemy. (via Strange Company)
The Iroquois Theater Disaster. More than 600 people died in the stampede and conflagration, which led to new safety standards.
Southern Baptists Call Off the Culture War. America’s largest Protestant group moves to cut ties with the Republican Party and re-engage with mainstream culture.
Watch Tiny Crab Spiders Take Flight With 10-Foot Silk Parachutes.
How to claim your maple syrup.
A blast from the past (2016): The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster.
Tweet of the Day
Trump keeps trying to blame Democrats, but here's John Kelly in March 2017 talking about implementing forced separation for immigrant families:— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) June 16, 2018
"I am considering, in order to deter more movement along this terribly dangerous network, I am considering exactly that." pic.twitter.com/OrfVycn6Nx
More here.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
Fathers Day Links
18 Of The Most Dad Things Dads Do On Family Vacations.
Literally Just 30 Celebrity Dads With Their Kids Who Are So Cute You Might Cry.
17 Pieces Of Advice For New Dads That Are Actually Really Helpful.
Why Father's Day Was 58 Years in the Making. It wasn't an official holiday until 1972!
Daddy’s finally home: 14 deadbeat TV dads who made good. Everything’s different when Daddy comes back.
20 Hilarious Comics That Get Real About Fatherhood.
The TV Dad is American History.
I Had No Idea What Fatherhood Was Going to Be Like.
Fathers Day Cake Wrecks.
The 10 Worst Movie Dads for Father's Day.
A Comik.
Advice for Dad
From the 1932 movie Horse Feathers. Groucho was 11 years older than his brother Zeppo, so he was convincing enough to play his Dad. Happy Fathers Day!
Tweet of the Day
This is the cartoon that got @Rob_Rogers fired after 25 years working at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Spread it around like a lice outbreak at a pre-k. pic.twitter.com/XJL52csPa1— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) June 15, 2018
Rob Rogers tell the story here. (via Metafilter)
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Marmalade Loves His Dad
Chris Poole brings us a cute Fathers Day greeting in which his cat Marmalade expresses his thoughts. (via Laughing Squid)
Hot Enough For Ya?
I haven't turned on the air conditioning yet this year. It's not that bad in here at all. Part of it is getting used to not being in air conditioning all the time. The other part is crucial: I live in a 112-year old house with high ceilings and adequate windows. I have window fans in the front, pulling in air from the back. Ceiling fans, too. And the stairwell pulls heat upstairs, where no one lives right now. The real payoff comes with the electricity bill, which has a comparison of how much power I used in the same month last year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)












































