Friday, August 31, 2018
Miss Cellania's Links
Alice Cooper on His 50 Years as a One-Man Nightmare Factory. He made it big by bringing a theatrical performance to his music concerts.
President Trump Accuses NBC News of 'Fudging' Famous Interview About Comey Firing. That seems a little desperate, 15 months after the fact.
5 Farming Technologies That Changed the World. Feeding more people with less work made our modern society possible.
Why Romantic Comedies Matter. Movies that bring joy to an audience are worth saving.
The Best Scammers of 2018, Ranked. What we've got so far is pretty egregious, and they don't even include politicians.
Trump says civilian government employees won't receive raises in 2019, citing budget strain. A strain caused by tax cuts for the rich.
To Kill or to Capture Bigfoot: The Great Cryptozoological Debate. For years, people have been fighting over the ethics of hunting a creature that doesn't exist.
My Mom, the Missile Computress. Being one of the first women to work at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the 1950s was no picnic.
How Two Men Tried to Start a Hate-Free ‘Gay Town’ in the Nevada Desert.
A blast from the past (2009): One-man Construction: 7 Lifelong Personal Projects.
Tweet of the Day
Just gave my name in starbucks as 'stop brexit,. As the (remain) barrista screamed out my 'name' repeatedly, the whole place erupted in to applause. Result. Try it. #FBPE @Starbucks pic.twitter.com/M3qfvfNOaM— EU Flag Mafia (@EUflagmafia) August 25, 2018
Whether the story is true or not, this Tweet started a meme. Read about it here.
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Tom Clancy's Jim Ryan
John Krasinski is best known for playing Jim Halpert in the TV series The Office. Now he's playing the title character in Amazon's new series Jack Ryan (available as of today), based on the Tom Clancy character. It only makes sense that the CIA operative would be instantly mashed up with The Office. Funny or Die jumped on that idea. (via Metafilter)
Number Words and the Human Body
The roots of the words we use for numbers vary around the world, but they often originated in terms that correspond to our body parts. That shouldn't be surprising, since our base ten (decimal) counting system stems from the fact that we have ten fingers. But there are other number systems that arose naturally, that also relate to parts of our bodies. Linguist Arika Okrent and illustrator Sean O’Neill tell us about the anatomical origins of number language. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
The U.S. is denying passports to Americans along the border, throwing their citizenship into question. The passports they will need to cast a vote in November.
Soil Life in Action: Bioturbation With and Without Soil Fauna. Three time-lapse videos show us how organic material becomes compost.
The True Story of Operation Finale. For director Chris Weitz, the movie about the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was a way to connect with his family history.
A twitter thread in which I drag every single US president in order.
The Story of Your Grandma's Weird Couch. In the 1970s, everyone had the same earth-tone sofa, and the decor that went with it.
War of the Pizzas: A Bracket to Determine the Best Pizza-Related Moment in History. The author justifies each matchup down to the champion.
Here’s How Much Time You’ll Waste Commuting in Your Lifetime (by City). An interactive map that that will make you long for a telecommuting opportunity. (via Digg)
Body-cam vid shows Denver cops arresting newspaper editor for taking pictures of an incident. No, HIPAA doesn't apply to journalists, and it does not superseded the First Amendment. (via Boing Boing)
A blast from the past (2014): The Shark Whisperer and Other Animal Whisperers.
Tweet of the Day
These little kittens can't stop climbing up the woman who rescued them 😻 pic.twitter.com/2bBo36xZ0X— The Dodo (@dodo) August 28, 2018
There's a half-dozen of them!
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Miss Cellania's Links
With Republicans clinging to a precarious 50–49 majority, every individual GOP senator can serve as a check on Trump’s excesses whenever they choose to act. But will they?
16 Foods You Didn't Know Were Named After A Real Person. Some were company founders, while others became cartoon mascots.
Woman Dumps Her Boyfriend After He’s Exposed as a Cheater in a Viral Tweet. Hannah got the bad news from a stranger, but also got help with her college expenses.
What Happens When You're Insured But Still Owe $109,000 For Your Heart Attack. The only thing that will help you is lots of publicity.
Five Terrible Video Games That People Loved Anyway. Playing against multiple glitches turns out to be a guilty pleasure.
How Can We Tell If a Comatose Patient Is Conscious? Neurologist Steven Laureys has developed testing methods for reaching conscious but uncommunicative patients.
The Man Who Was Raised by Wolves. Marcos Rodríguez Pantoja lived alone in the mountains of Spain from age 7 to 19, and never fully integrated with people in the 50 years since.
The Incredible, Rage-Inducing Inside Story of America’s Student Debt Machine.
Meet Beau Tox, a dog who looks like someone you know.
A blast from the past (2009): 7 More Zombie Animals.
Tweet of the Day
This is a pretty great photo.❤️ pic.twitter.com/8Wr8OcXBhd— TrueBlueNY (@makeNYTrueBlue) August 27, 2018
Zephyr Teachout (left) is running for New York attorney general. Here she is being interviewed by Audrey Quinn of WNYC. Just another day at work for two women.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Miss Cellania's Links
Millions of American children were placed in orphanages. Some didn’t make it out alive.
10 Underrated Time Travel Movies. Science fiction's coolest plot device can be found in romances, crime stories, and even Westerns.
How Women Over 50 Are Getting Pregnant. Embryo adoption raises the odds of success to 50 percent.
America’s First Female Soldiers Are Now Getting the Recognition They Deserve. The Hello Girls managed communications on the front lines of World War I. (via Metafilter)
Satellite Imagery Shows the World is On Fire. However, that's not really unusual.
Before Hedy, There Was Barbara Lamarr. She was an actress and screenwriter, but it was her scandalous personal life that kept her in the Hollywood spotlight.
How Disease and Conquest Carved a New Planetary Landscape. Columbus and other explorers forever changed what made the Old World different from the New World.
America Soured on My Multiracial Family.
World's pettiest bride calls off wedding after asking guests for $1,500 each. (via The Daily Dot)
A blast from the past (2014): Meet 10 Beautiful Spiders.
Tweet of the Day
I know most things are bad but today I met this asshole penguin who loved untying shoelaces and I'm feeling pretty great pic.twitter.com/h6VH0jBAqq— Jill Twiss (@jilltwiss) August 24, 2018
(via Digg)
Monday, August 27, 2018
Keyboard Trouble
I had a problem like this once. It really crippled my writing, as my keyboard was completely wonky. The only article I could write was one about my keyboard problems, and even then I had to copy and paste some letters to make it understandable. However, these folks went to print without proofreading at all. (via Bad Newspaper)
Miss Cellania's Links
Battle of the Bulge: Why We’re So Fascinated by Superhero Codpieces.
Why Manafort and Cohen Thought They’d Get Away With It. White collar criminals go unpunished most of the time.
Trash, Class, and Free Cigarettes: My Life With The Jerry Springer Show. The trashy talk series lasted 27 years because people can't help staring at train wrecks.
Jackie Gleason was interested in UFOs for quite some time, although he wasn't quite a believer. In 1959, he had a home built that resembled a flying saucer, and it's now for sale. (via Strange Company)
Biddy Mason Went from Slave to Real Estate Tycoon. Then she used her clout to help others get a leg up.
Exaptation Shows That Evolution Is Not Intelligent. That's when a trait finds a new purpose through dumb luck.
Stickeen: The Story of a Dog. John Muir's account of a dangerous 1880 glacier crossing with a canine companion. (via Metafilter)
Why is it So Hard to Design a Better Paper Cup? Materials that can hold hot liquid are maddeningly hard to recycle.
A blast from the past (2009): Invasion of the Zombie Animals.
Sunday, August 26, 2018
The Most Popular Song of Each Year 1940-2017
Take a stroll down memory lane with a compilation of snippets from the biggest song of each year from 1940 to last year. That's 78 songs! No problem, it's easy to skip around and find the years you want to hear. But how do you define the biggest song of the year? In this case, it's the song that stayed at the top of Billboard's pop music chart the longest. In some cases, it wasn't the biggest-selling song, but if you were around, you no doubt remember it. Some of those #1 hits may surprise you (see 1974). If you want to see the UK version of the same idea, you'll find that video at Laughing Squid.
Tweet of the Day
Here’s a vid of my graceful nephew pic.twitter.com/oBBDwLFVPP— grace anatomy ❁ (@graceporras_) August 19, 2018
(via Digg)
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Important Offer
Foka Wolf is the British equivalent of Obvious Plant. He makes funny fake ads and posts them in conspicuous places around London. See more here. (via Nag on the Lake)
Tweet of the Day
One of my new favorite 18th century images. pic.twitter.com/4tJwzgyvzQ— JackofallTimes (@JackofallTimes) August 19, 2018
Friday, August 24, 2018
Everybody Dance Now -Even if You Can't Dance
Have you ever wanted to dance like a professional? Of course! New software developed by a team at Berkeley can transfer body moves from one person to another- on video. You can read the particulars in their paper here. Sure, it's a breakthrough in video technology, but you can see right now that this will be used to produce big musical production numbers without hiring a full set of dancers. And it won't be limited to dancing. Someone, somewhere, will produce videos of people going places and doing things that they never did in real life. (via Digg)
Miss Cellania's Links
How (or How Not) to Build a Labor Movement. George Pullman built a town for his railway workers, but they had others concerns. (via Metafilter)
30 Creepy Bad Album Covers. Some are misguided, others are low quality, and many are just plain bizarre. (via Bored Panda)
Simone Biles's Skills Are Even More Mind-Boggling In Very Slow Motion. Grace, power, and strength can apparently overcome the laws of physics.
DNA from Two Human Species Discovered in 90,000-year-old Bone. A small bone fragment came from a girl with a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father. (via reddit)
The Macabre Art of Baking People Pot Pies. Ashley Newman's latex pies and Andrew Fuller's edible pies both stare at you from beyond the grave.
A blast from the past (2009): Invasion of the Zombie Animals.
Not many links today, my cable was down for hours yesterday, and I have a cold. Carry on.
Tweet of the Day
uh, holy shit new @Reuters poll— mike casca (@cascamike) August 23, 2018
"would you support a policy of medicare for all?"
democrats: 84.5%
republicans: 51.9%https://t.co/zU5UHPWqby
I guess we've finally figured out how to get Americans on board with universal health care. When Hillary Clinton came up with a plan in 1993, insurance company lobbyists went all out with scare-mongering ads from Harry and Louise. The plan was called communistic. And people didn't like the First Lady taking charge on it. Then more people got sick. Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) came around in 2010, and was attacked for being socialist plus it was pushed by a black president. A round of compromises was necessary to get it passed, compromises which made sure it would not be sustainable over time. While people who have benefited from it love Obamacare, it has suffered a thousand paper cuts by those who hate it.
But now the majority of Americans -70%, according to a Reuters poll that came out today- think we should provide Medicare For All. The secret was renaming it. People already understand what Medicare is, and how wonderful it's been for the older people in their families. Medicare not only helps grandma get the care she needs, it relieves the financial burden on her children. People who have Medicare are grateful for it, and don't mind to tell you.
Will taxes go up under Medicare For All? Sure! But they won't go up nearly as much as you're paying for health insurance now. (If your workplace provides your insurance gratis now, they should offer a substantial raise under universal health care- they'll be well able to afford it.) And taxes won't go up much at all if the 1% started paying their share. All told, the country will save about $2 trillion over a few years if we enacted it.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
A Bad Lip Reading of Sarah Huckabee Sanders
In this Bad Lip Reading, SHS conducts a press conference. She has the usual nasty and adversarial position, but here she has different answers for the questions, instead of saying the same thing over and over and over.
The Cartoonist Dates
Dan Martin, the cartoonist at Deathbulge, needs to remember that in our modern world, fans don't just admire what they like, they take ownership of it. And they expect fan service. But no matter how successful you are, you're only human.
Blogiversary 13
There are 24,974 posts here, some of which have yet to be published. There would have been thousands more if I hadn't have migrated to Squarespace and back- I still have the data for all those missing posts, but they are formatted for Wordpress and won't post on Blogger. Come to think of it, they wouldn't post on Wordpress, either, because I tried that. I have occasionally reposted some of them manually, but just dipping into those huge files is a pain that I've mostly put off. For years I watched Sitemeter, as it approached ten million pageviews. I was planning to post something special for that milestone, and I almost got there when Sitemeter went out of business. So I started paying attention to Blogger's stats, which had me exceeding ten million pageviews long ago. Oh, well.
Starting this blog all those years ago led me to a career in blogging for a time. I wrote for YesButNoButYes, which ended in 2010, and Mental Floss, which scaled back my duties and pay, and Neatorama, where I was managing editor for years, but cutbacks there meant the entire staff was laid off this last spring. I was then re-hired to post a bare-bones version so the site can hang on until the financial situation improves -if it ever does. So now I am truly part-time and looking for more work. The prospect of punching a clock after years of working from home terrified me, but I applied for jobs around town. However, it turns out that no one wants to hire a almost-60-year-old woman with few local contacts and little relevant experience. So I'm caught in a zone between employability and retirement, as I still have a mortgage and seven years to go before Social Security kicks in.
I am glad to still have my personal blog, which has always been a hobby and an outlet, but also a bridge to meet wonderful people on the internet. Thanks to all of you who come by, who comment, and who make it all worthwhile!
Sheep on a Swing
Trying to keep up with the rest of the flock, this sheep went headfirst into a tire swing -but didn't make it out the other side. Any attempt to flee, in any direction, just lifts her off the ground. We assume the shepherd helped her escape, after having a few laughs and recording it so that the entertainment value spreads beyond pasture. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
How (or How Not) to Build a Labor Movement. George Pullman built a town for his railway workers, but they had others concerns.
30 Creepy Bad Album Covers. Some are misguided, others are low quality, and many are just plain bizarre.
If Trump shot Michael Cohen in broad daylight, here's what Republicans would say.
Simone Biles's Skills Are Even More Mind-Boggling In Very Slow Motion. Grace, power, and strength can apparently overcome the laws of physics.
DNA from Two Human Species Discovered in 90,000-year-old Bone. A small bone fragment came from a girl with a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father.
The Macabre Art of Baking People Pot Pies. Ashley Newman's latex pies and Andrew Fuller's edible pies both stare at you from beyond the grave.
A blast from the past (2014): Survival Kits: The Useful, the Cool, and the Ridiculous.
Not all that many links today. My cable was out for hours yesterday, and I have a cold. Carry on.
Miss Cellania's Links
More Voters Are Being Kicked Off the Rolls, Especially in States with a History of Discrimination. Check your registration now.
Lessons From a 5,000-Year-Old Kenyan Cemetery. Hundreds of people were honored in death in a way that contradicts established assumptions.
Japan, the Land of Vending Machines. Everything from fresh fruit to clothing to beer can be found in a box on the streets.
It's Time to End the 'Data Is' vs 'Data Are' Debate. Grammatical pedantry can easily obscure important science news.
How Do You Tell a Thirsty Elephant Not to Take a Drink? The National Zoo had to scramble to cope during a recent boil water advisory.
The Wacky, Risky World of DIY Submarines. Tinkerers can't resist building them, no matter how dangerous they can be.
A witch hunt during the Obama administration.
A North Korean Defector Speaks on Perseverance. Yeonmi Park escaped from North Korea with her mother when she was 13 years old.
A recipe for Watergate Cake and Coverup Icing from 1976.
A blast from the past (2014): 8 Heroic Cats.
Tweet of the Day
As I'm walking in the house the kids outside ask if it's somebody's birthday because I have balloons in my hand. I say "No, I just wanted balloons" and the little girl says " you can do that?!"— Ma$on (@FirstGentleman) May 16, 2018
(via Buzzfeed)
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Beto O'Rourke on NFL Protests
Beto O'Rourke gives a master class in Civil Rights when he answered a question at a town hall meeting in Houston. Beto O'Rourke is running for Ted Cruz's Texas senate seat. (via Metafilter)
A Trained Surgeon Tries the Virtual Reality Surgeon Simulator
You may have seen videos where an acclaimed musician plays Guitar Hero and messes up hilariously. In this video a trained surgeon tries a virtual reality program called Surgeon Simulator. Dr. Johnson C. Lee says he never got to use virtual reality during his medical training. They weren't going to make this easy for him: he's a plastic surgeon, and his mission here is to perform a heart and brain transplant! (via Buzzfeed)
Become a Developer in Just 100 Days!
Never pass up an opportunity to take a cheap shot. This comic is from Commitstrip.
Miss Cellania's Links
Why More People Are Choosing Unique Children's Names. Baby names today often have a specific meaning or a story behind them.
Lassoing a runaway Segway. (via Dark Roasted Blend)
Kelly Marie Tran: I Won’t Be Marginalized by Online Harassment. The actress responds to being punished for
Fact checkers have a Medicare-for-all problem. No matter how you crunch the numbers, single-payer is less expensive.
The Ancestor of All Life on Earth May Have Evolved Much Earlier Than We Thought. Reverse-engineering DNA takes us back further than any existing fossils.
How Online Shopping and Cheap Prices are Turning Americans Into Hoarders. Accumulating things has become easier than seeking experiences.
A Southern Road Trip To The Crossroads Where Delta Blues Were Born. Get a taste of truly American culture in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
How to Make a Water Rocket With Your Kid. For a fairly safe stunt, it sure looks cool!
19 Infuriating Photos Of Hotels That Are Honestly Just Unforgivable. They are mostly cases of retrofitting gone wild.
A blast from the past (2009): 8 Library Cats.
Betty Boop in Red Hot Mamma
In which Betty has no clue how to regulate the temperature in her home, and ends up visiting hell. This reminds me of menopause. From 1934.
Tweet of the Day
Today he stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election. If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?— Lanny Davis (@LannyDavis) August 21, 2018
Lanny Davis: "Mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the special counsel and is more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows." pic.twitter.com/NxPmShwunw— Maddow Blog (@MaddowBlog) August 22, 2018
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Open the Dryer Door!
Teddy the Dobby Cat loves doing the laundry. Specifically, he and his sibling oriental shorthair cats enjoy sitting in the dryer with the warm laundry. In this video, he beeps while waiting for the dryer door to open. Here he is with Stache, Bindi, and Dexter.
Dexter is the black cat, and you can guess which ones are Stache and Bindi. (via Laughing Squid)
6 Popular Home Remedies That Don't Actually Work
We tend to try common home remedies for common ailments, because going to a professional will take a big chunk of time and money, and you might not get appointment anytime soon. These classic treatments got a reputation because they seem to work -possibly because many ailments get better on their own with time, and the placebo effect probably helps. Sci Show looks at the research and debunks some of the more common home remedies that just don't work. (via Mental Floss)
Heat Wave
The heat is on at Megacynics. You don't expect to ever need more than one air conditioning unit in Canada, but that's the way the world is now.
Fabricated
In the weird world of the distant future, all the earth's creatures are manufactured from the junk we left behind. A friendly bonehead robot is sent on a quest to seek immortality in a factory. This beautiful stop-motion adventure from Brett Foxwell was ten years in the making. (via The Awesomer)
Tweet of the Day
Love these two pictures - on the left, a painting of Albert Square#Manchester by the French painter Pierre Adolphe Valette, and on the right a photo of the same spot in 2018...…. #painting #bincart #taxi pic.twitter.com/OFwuPmxmpF— Pete McGrath (@PeterMcGrath10) August 16, 2018
Monday, August 20, 2018
Suffering
This comic is from Zach Weinersmith at Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal. Go to the comic link for the bonus hover text and push the red button for an additional punch line.
Let's Play Some Headis!
Combine table tennis and soccer, and you get Headis. Headis was invented in 2006 when a German student, René Wegner, wanted to play football, but since the field was occupied, he suggested playing at an available ping pong table. That's using your head! The new sport caught on like wildfire, and before you knew it, there were Headis World Cup Tournaments. (via Metafilter)
Miss Cellania's Links
A mega-list of links to get you caught up on US politics.
Sharknado Says Goodbye With a T-Rex Fight and Neil deGrasse Tyson. The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time ends the series with every idea that wasn't plausible enough for the first five movies.
The ethical formation of citizens was once at the heart of the US elite college. Has this moral purpose gone altogether?
Nightmare Bosses. Eight stories that will make you feel better about your supervisor.
19 Teacher Instagram Hacks That Will Make This School Year The Best One Yet. Some would be just as useful at home.
Here's How To Get The Most Out Of A Short Vacation. A couple of days off can do a lot for your mental health.
Turning Fatbergs Into Fuel. Scientists are working on a a way to burn them right there in the sewer.
Pictures from the 2018 British Beard and Moustache Championships. These guys are both growers and showers.
A blast from the past (2009): Edward Leedskalnin and his Coral Castle.
Miss Cellania's Links
The 6 Most Epically Pointless Arguments on Wikipedia. No detail is too small or obscure to fight about.
Beto O’Rourke Could Be The Democrat Texas Has Been Waiting For.
Try an Online Artificial Intelligence Image Generator. Enter some text, and let an algorithm present its best guess for you.
Half-Hanged Maggie and Other Survivors of the Gallows. Eight people who refused to die by hanging.
Two Billion Years Ago, Andromeda Ate the Milky Way’s Sibling. It may have left some remains as a much smaller galaxy.
European Printmakers Had No Idea What Colonial American Cities Looked Like, So They Just Made Stuff Up. They assumed that the New World couldn't be that different from what they'd seen at home.
How to be Happier. Notes from a Yale University course on happiness.
Vote for the 2018 Shed of the Year! (via Fark)
Brian Kemp’s Bid for Governor Depends on Erasing the Black Vote in Georgia. It’s working.
A blast from the past (2014): 13 Graphs for Laughs.
Cats and Firefighters
Last week, we paid tribute to firefighters who save cats. There is also an entire meme built around firefighters who save cats stuck in trees. Usually played for comedy. Keep reading for plenty more.
Dropping a Refrigerator from a 150-Foot Tower
How Ridiculous is a YouTube series in which three Australian guys drop things from a 150-foot tower and record the destruction. In this video, they manage to haul a family-size refrigerator up the 22 steps to the top and drop it. If you wonder why that takes 12 minutes, it's because they work up to it, first dropping a microwave, a toilet, a washing machine, a dishwasher, and a recliner first. And they do a lot of talking, too. If you want to skip to the refrigerator, that drop is at 10:50. (via The Daily Dot)
Tweet of the Day
Booiioongiiingooingg! 😐 pic.twitter.com/ZYD1r9F38F— Puppies 🐶 (@PopularPups) August 18, 2018
Sunday, August 19, 2018
A New Recipe
And now tell me why we'd want to eat more of them? There's a failure of logic here somewhere. Still, it's a way to ensure that you always have cookies around, in case someone drops in. Especially someone who you'd rather not cook for in the future. Another cockeyed gem from Chris Hallbeck at Maximumble.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)