(via Bad Newspaper)
Monday, November 30, 2020
The Mandalorian Rap
Dan Bull and Divide Music collaborated for this tongue-twisting tribute to The Mandalorian. Yes, it's a rap, but it retains the Western feel of the series. Good thing it has subtitles, because it moves pretty fast! (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Elephant Ultrasound
Have you ever seen inside a pregnant elephant? Asha is a third of the way through her pregnancy, that's eight months of 22, so the calf isn't due until 2022! Veterinarians at the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Gardens took a look with an ultrasound and saw the head, trunk, and legs as the little fellow seems to have plenty of room to move around. Read more about Asha and the zoo's other Asian elephants at Bored Panda.
Job Interview
You can always expect those two questions in an interview, even if it's for a Joe job. I read about them just yesterday. The answers I gave for the grocery job I had for a year were "retired" and "you might pay me." The HR woman giggled at both and hired me. This comic is from Zach Weinersmith at Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
Don't Get Hypnotized by My Bouncing Balls
DoodleChaos programmed three falling balls to play Bach's Prelude in C Major as they bounce down an incline. You will be hypnotized.
I coded a simulation in Unity which generates bouncy blocks to represent piano notes at the correct position so the physics can make music. It was a fun project to make sure that all the constraints I wanted were met. There is a lot of room to improve it, my approach ended up being a pretty brute force search for the best bounce trajectory based on the future camera position. I also included penalties for crossing the path of another ball because they could get bunched up and not find any valid moves.Yeah, yeah, that's all very interesting; just watch the result.
Miss Cellania's Links
Meet the Nazi ‘Indiana Jones’ Behind the Third Reich’s Hunt for the Holy Grail. (via Strange Company)
Shane Mitchell tells us about sugarcane: its history, how it's harvested and processed, the state of the industry, and its legacy. (via Metafilter)
The Promise That Tested My Parents Until the End. A heartbreaking story of a 50-year marriage.
Iceland brought huge scientific heft to its attempts to contain and study the coronavirus. Here’s what it learnt. (via Digg)
Rebecca Solnit: On Not Meeting Nazis Halfway. (via Kottke)
Charles Crocker’s Spite Fence.
Melissa Trierweiler illustrates funny stories about Disney Princesses with dolls at her site The Official Princess Club. See a roundup of 30 representative episodes from over the years at Bored Panda.
The most stressed out I've ever been about Christmas... (via the Daily Dot)
Just republished: 10 Famous Birthdays to Celebrate in December.
Bouncy Cat with Sound Effects
It certainly appears that this springy cat jumps when he hears the "boing" sound in the Mario game. However, when you realize this video is from master sound editor Ignoramusky, you realize that the sound effects were added later. Works perfectly! (via Lifestyles of the Cute and Cuddly)
Tweet of the Day
So sad to hear David Prowse has passed. He was a kind man & much more than Darth Vader. Actor-Husband-Father-Member of the Order of the British Empire-3 time British Weightlifting Champion & Safety Icon the Green Cross Code Man. He loved his fans as much as they loved him. #RIP pic.twitter.com/VbDrGu6iBz
— Mark Hamill (@HamillHimself) November 29, 2020
Read more about the life and career of David Prowse in his obituary. (via Boing Boing)
Sunday, November 29, 2020
I Will Jump
DJ Cummerbund did a mashup of "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor and "Jump" by Van Halen (with a few other songs thrown in), a couple tunes you'd never think to put together, but it works in some strange way. (via Metafilter)
If Life Were A Video Game
Glove and Boots shows us how real life, while it may not be as interesting as your favorite game, would only suffer by the conversion.
The Trump Presidency in One Song
There have been several parodies of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire"over the course of this year, each one becoming obsolete in a hurry as more outrageous stuff happens. This one came in October, so it doesn't cover the post-election meltdown, but with years of scandals gushing like a firehose, it has plenty. The singer is Jen Houston.
Mental Aptitude Test
Oh, so that what they call a dementia test these days! Anyway, I will probably fail the first attempt. This comic is from Sarah Andersen at Sara's Scribbles.
Maru's New Sister
Maru and Hana have a new kitten! Miri the young calico was rescued from a roadside gutter (what we would call a ditch) and brought to mugumogu for adoption. Miri is settling in just fine, and will soon find out what it's like to go from the gutter to internet stardom.
In Miri's first video, she starts out shy and reticent, then eats, and finally becomes comfortable enough to chase her own tail and play with her new mama's finger. Maru, now 13 years old, is as inscrutable as ever when meeting the new family member, but he does have something to say about her. It isn't long before Maru begins to teach Miri the ins and outs of their perfect cat-centric home, as you see in the above video. (via Metafilter)
Get it On (Bang a Gong)
By the British group T. Rex. The album was released in 1971, but the song was a hit in the U.S. in early 1972.
Tweet of the Day
(via Everlasting Blort)If you reckon you’re too busy these days (or not busy enough), check out these items from Leonardo da Vinci’s rather challenging “to-do” lists, as recorded in his notebooks ~ thx https://t.co/OYVrl8Ly5H pic.twitter.com/8abqnBCj6W
— Journal of Art in Society (@artinsociety) November 22, 2020
Saturday, November 28, 2020
Why The Ancient Greeks Couldn't See Blue
It wasn't just the Greeks; everywhere we look there are ancient writings that mention all kinds of colors, but not blue. Figuring out why takes us on a journey through time and culture and the relationship between language and observation. (via The Mary Sue)
Margaret Hamilton Visits Mister Rogers
Mister Rogers had Margaret Hamilton on his show to help children deal with scary characters. In case you didn't know, she played the Wicked Witch of the West in the movie The Wizard of Oz. This is as cute as can be. (via reddit)
The Ivory Gap
50 Ways to Leave the White House
Don Caron sings a parody of "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon to advise our current president on what he should do to separate himself from the office.
Prison is for People Who Have Never Roller Skated
Maybe we should give up this life of crime and go roller skating! The ad for Roller Kingdom in Reno, Nevada was produced by Rhett & Link. Oh yeah, the kidnapper became the owner of the rink, the gang leader became the skate instructor, and the drug dealer is now the rink DJ. All's well that ends well! (via b3ta)
Friday, November 27, 2020
Prisencolinensinainciusol
The song is called Prisencolinensinainciusol, written by Italian artist Adriano Celentano in 1972. Recorded by Celentano and Claudia Mori in an American accent, it sounds like it should be English, but the lyrics are pure gibberish. The accompaniment is by Celentano’s wife Claudia Mori, although actress Raffaella Carrà lip-syncs it in the video. Celentano said,
"Ever since I started singing, I was very influenced by American music and everything Americans did. So at a certain point, because I like American slang — which, for a singer, is much easier to sing than Italian — I thought that I would write a song which would only have as its theme the inability to communicate. And to do this, I had to write a song where the lyrics didn't mean anything."
This video caused a sensation when I posted it in October of 2009; too bad all the links to it were borked when I moved from Squarespace to Blogger. (Squarespace export files do not translate to Blogger, so I have tons of material that may never get back on my site.) In 2012, Adriano Celentano released a much longer remix of the song and video for a new audience. You can see that one here. The song contains a lot of filler, but you get to see the extended beginning skit as it was shown on TV.
Okay, it's been six years since the last time I posted this, so I think it's okay to listen to the song again.
You Sang My Song
Glamour magazine recorded Dolly Parton watching and reacting to YouTube covers of her songs. She is a delight. There's also the artists' reactions to Dolly's reactions. Watch all this happiness will have to make you smile. (via Metafilter) https://www.metafilter.com/189529/I-love-it-when-people-sing-my-songs
The Best Named Toilet Companies
20. Happy Can Portable Toilets, Atlanta, GA19. Drop Zone Portable Service Inc., Frankfort, Ill.
18. Blackman's Best Seat In The House Inc., Bradley, Ill.
17. Plop Jon Inc., Port Saint Lucie, Fla.
16. A.S.A.P. Port-A-Pots Inc., Hampstead, Md.
15. Ameri-Can Engineering, Argos, Ind.
14. Bobby’s Pottys, White Marsh, Md.
13. Johnny On The Spot Inc., Old Bridge, N.J.
12. LepreCAN Portable Restrooms, Chicago
11. Loader-Up, Inc., Sarasota, Fla.
10. Mister Bob’s Portable Toilets, Vero Beach, Fla.
9. Royal Throne, Allentown, PA
8. Tanks Alot, Tomball, Tex.
7. Tee Pee Inc., Roseville, Mich.
6. Wizards of Ooze Ltd., Anacortes, Wash.
5. Oui Oui Enterprises Ltd., Chicago
4. Gotta Go Potties, Stroudsburg, Pa.
3. UrinBiz.com, Chicago (apparently changed their name or went out of business)
2. Willy Make It? Oregon City, Oregon
1. Doodie Calls, New Orleans
Just to make sure, I looked all of these up for your convenience. Kirby Barlett-Sloan also submitted Tardis Portable Toilets. And D. Webb told us about Nix Tank Company, which has the slogan "A royal flush beats a full house!"
Casually Explained: Computers
Dad doesn't know much about computers, so this guy explains. When he's done, Dad still doesn't know much about computers. Neither do we. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Miss Cellania's Links
One Of America's Most Nightmarish Monsters Was A Nice Old Lady. Read the story of Georgia Tann and her long reign of terror at Cracked.
My kitten Charlie loves the laundry hamper. He’ll meow and whine until you put upside down so he can become a kitty Roomba.
Trump's attempted coup plays out, in Chagrin Falls, USA. The latest fromTom the Dancing Bug.
A History of Felines, as Narrated and Illustrated by a Cat. Baba not only channels fascinating cats in history, but models costumes of their era.
During the late night recording session for "We Are The World," a spontaneous but appropriate tribute to Harry Belafonte broke out.
Culled mink rise from the dead to Denmark's horror. Somewhere, someone just got five in a row on their 2020 bingo card. (via Boing Boing)
New Chemistry and the Birth of Public Hygiene. What better way to clean up pollution than to flood it with acid vapors? (via Damn Interesting)
David's father is a fan of the movie The Terminator, but David isn't allowed to watch it, because it might scare him. In this webcomic story from Doogie Horner, David finally sees the movie. (via Metafilter)
A blast from the past (2015): These 9 NASA Posters Give Astronauts the Celebrity Treatment.
The Comic Sans Song
A love song to the most disrespected font ever, by gunnarolla featuring Songs To Wear Pants To. (via Buzzfeed)
Tweet of the Day
(via Everlasting Blort)Thank you, @NASA pic.twitter.com/U2HnGeagK6
— Earthling (@ziyatong) October 23, 2020
Thursday, November 26, 2020
Why Switzerland Has No Capital City
Most folks (outside of Switzerland) say that Bern is the capital of Switzerland. But it's not, really, it's just the place where federal offices are, because they have to go somewhere. Switzerland actually has no capital city, and that's okay, as there's no global rule that nations must have one. This video is only five minutes long; the rest is an ad. (via Laughing Squid)
Every Hallmark Christmas Movie
I actually watched a Hallmark Christmas movie for the first time, this past Halloween, with my mother. We both endured the whole thing, thinking maybe the other was enjoying it, but afterward we both admitted that it awful. I now feel as if I've seen them all. So here, in four minutes, you can see what they are all about, and the caliber of acting is every bit as good as any made-for-TV Christmas movie. Now you'll never have to sit through a whole one.
Rational
Of course I'm rational, it's all those other people who are irrational. Just be sure to catch me in a good mood. This comic is from Zach Weinersmith at Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
Video Games
"Video Games" is a nostalgic and bittersweet song from the album Mixtape for the Milky Way by jeremy messersmith. The papercraft video was animated by fellow video game fan Eric Power.
Working on this video was a true joy. I've been playing video games since the mid 80's when I first got a hold of an Atari. Since then, they have been a part of many cherished memories with friends as well as solo adventures. When we were talking about the making of this video, I asked jeremy if we should make up our own games or straight up feature the ones we grew up with. We decided to just go for it and each made lists of some of our favorites. This proved to be a very difficult curation, as my intention was not just to show a random selection of games, but to also choose moments within those games that had a particular significance to us while also going hand in hand with the song. I hope you all enjoy!
(via Metafilter)
Miss Cellania's Links
The Saga of Gerald, the Turkey From Hell, Who Nearly Destroyed Oakland.
Fine Feathered Fiends: 6 Bizarre Turkey Attacks. Not counting Gerald.
Recounting your blessings: a roundup of editorial cartoons for the holiday.
Their Loved Ones Died Of COVID. The Holidays This Year Will Be Completely Different.
Mandalorian "Jeans Guy" Goes Viral.
This cat took the whole "nine lives" thing to heart apparently.
Hunting Season at the Nursing Home. You can see more pictures here. (via reddit)
The Inside Of This New Jersey Mansion Is An Unexpected Santa's Workshop On Steroids.
My Hunt for the Original McDonald’s French-Fry Recipe. Plus a history of their fries and a cooking lesson.
A blast from the past (2015): 9 Breathtaking German Castles.
The Story of Thanksgiving
Ask young children about Thanksgiving, and they will tell you what they know -which isn't much. And what they know can be hilariously fused with non-Thanksgiving stuff. Just picture the Pilgrims in a cave wearing loincloths eating pickles and salami for Thanksgiving. These kids are good at bluffing their way through, which will serve them well in the higher grades -and in their careers. (via Uproxx)
Tweet of the Day
(via Uproxx)I haven’t been doing much of anything lately but I did string together a bunch of clips where Bernie Sanders thanks musicians because him saying Soccer Mommy in his New York accent is never not funny to me. pic.twitter.com/qfzttprHEg
— Andy Nguyen (@Andy_Truc) November 18, 2020
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Artificial Intelligence Batman Script
Writer and comedian Keaton Patti wrote a Batman script as if it were rendered by a neural network. While this is just plain bizarre, no bot could be this funny. This reaction video contains plenty of contagious laughter. See the animated version, too. (via reddit)
Why The Web Is Such A Mess
Tom Scott explains cookies and the European Union's decision to make websites ask permission before putting them on your computer. Not that you have much of a choice, as tracking powers the web these days.
Five Hungry Kittens
They're confined to the slippery tub because otherwise they'd be all over the place! (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tweet of the Day
(via Everlasting Blort)They penned this as the #YouCanBeABCs with Sam.
— Robert C Stern (@RobertCStern) October 27, 2020
This is the ABC's we should be teaching our youth.#keepdreaming #kids #education #success #goals #tuesdaythoughts #tuesdaymotivation pic.twitter.com/NrnBWchWMk
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
What Happened on 23rd Street
Fifty-four years before Marilyn Monroe starred in The Seven Year Itch, the same scene of a white dress being blown by an updraft from a sidewalk vent was shown to theater patrons. The 1901 movie was called What Happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City, and it was all of 77 seconds long. The film was presented as a slice of life, but it was scripted, and starred Florence Georgie and A.C. Abadie. The surviving film was in pretty bad condition. This copy has been restored and modernized by artificial intelligence.
1. Removed noise artifacts and stabilized original print.
2. Increased frame interpolation from 15 fps to 60 fps, using AI neural networks.
3. Increased to 4K resolution using AI upscaling.
4. Added color using Deoldify, a deep learning AI process.
Oh yeah, they added a bit of sound, too. The result is altogether charming. (via Nag on the Lake)
Translating Scientific Reports
The following list of phrases and their definitions might help you understand the mysterious language of science and medicine. These special phrases are also applicable to anyone reading a PhD dissertation or academic paper."IT HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN"... I didn't look up the original reference.
"A DEFINITE TREND IS EVIDENT"... These data are practically meaningless.
"WHILE IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE DEFINITE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS"... An unsuccessful experiment, but I still hope to get it published.
"THREE OF THE SAMPLES WERE CHOSEN FOR DETAILED STUDY"... The other results didn't make any sense.
"TYPICAL RESULTS ARE SHOWN"... This is the prettiest graph.
"THESE RESULTS WILL BE IN A SUBSEQUENT REPORT"... I might get around to this sometime, if pushed/funded.
"IN MY EXPERIENCE"... Once
"IN CASE AFTER CASE"... Twice
"IN A SERIES OF CASES"... Thrice
"IT IS BELIEVED THAT"... I think
"IT IS GENERALLY BELIEVED THAT"... A couple of others think so, too.
"CORRECT WITHIN AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE"... Wrong.
"ACCORD1NG TO STATISTICAL ANALYSIS"... Rumor has it.
"A STATISTICALLY-ORIENTED PROJECTION OF THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THESE FINDINGS"... A wild guess.
"A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF OBTAINABLE DATA"... Three pages of notes were obliterated when I knocked over a glass of Mountain Dew.
"IT IS CLEAR THAT MUCH ADDITIONAL WORK WILL BE REQUIRED BEFORE A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THIS PHENOMENON OCCURS"... I don't understand it
"AFTER ADDITIONAL STUDY BY MY COLLEAGUES"... They don't understand it either.
"THANKS ARE DUE TO JOE BLOTZ FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THE EXPERIMENT AND TO CINDY ADAMS FOR VALUABLE DISCUSSIONS"... Mr. Blotz did the work and Ms. Adams explained to me what it meant.
"A HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT AREA FOR EXPLORATORY STUDY"... A totally useless topic selected by my committee.
"IT IS HOPED THAT THIS STUDY WILL STIMULATE FURTHER INVESTIGATION IN THIS FIELD"... I quit.
Miss Cellania's Links
How to Not Screw Up Thanksgiving, According to a Bunch of Moms.
He was Meant to Be Bigger than Bowie. Instead he's the biggest glam rock star you've never heard of.
Watch the 1959 movie Teenagers From Outer Space, colorized by artificial intelligence. (via Boing Boing)
Meet Olivia! The COVID-19-Era American Girl Doll. (via Nag on the Lake)
The Founders didn't prepare for a president who refuses to step down, historians say. But they did discuss it.
The dark art of playing world-class Scrabble. Here's a non-paywalled link. (Thanks, WTM!)
Biden is stealing the spotlight. Trump can't stand it.
A blast from the past (2011): Out of the Ordinary Thanksgivings.
A Spacesuit Ballet
Before the Apollo program took men to the moon, many spacesuits were tested for range of motion, among other things, Those clips together make a nice dance video! (via Neatorama)
Tweet of the Day
See more time-lapse videos of houseplants at Moss and Fog. (via Nag on the Lake)تصوير حركة نباتات خلال "٢٤" ساعة.
— ميلورا (@Melora_1) September 3, 2020
حياة🌿 pic.twitter.com/WeUPz1L0EC
Monday, November 23, 2020
This Is Competitive Double Dutch
These kids are good! They are strong, swift, confident, cooperative, hard-working, and determined. That's what it takes to turn a mundane activity like jump rope into an extreme sport. (via TYWKIWDBI)
Prez Shares a Video
It's a fact of modern life that when you set yourself up like this, someone will have some fun with it. (via Fark)Wait for it.
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) November 23, 2020
can’t. stop. laughing...🤣😭🤣 pic.twitter.com/z11PiTIewa
Gimme All Your Money
Click to the right to advance the comic. This reminds me of better days when the library was open every day, or at all. Not that I would borrow many books these days, as I have so little free time I can't even keep my house clean, but I depended on the local library for printer access. This comic is from mindblowoncomics. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Who's the Most Famous Person in the World?
This is kinda cute. They asked 100 children who the most famous person in the world is. First, they had to come to grips with what the word "famous" means. Of course, some have a tenuous grasp of the words "is" and "person" as well. Then you get a taste of what kind of pop culture kids of different ages are getting into these days. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Miss Cellania's Links
What Trump Showed Us About America. Here’s what 35 thinkers say it revealed—not about the man, but about the rest of us.
Animal Shelter Styles Older Dogs as Senior Citizens for an Adoption Photoshoot. They are all good dogs. (via Nag on the Lake)
Which Animals Are Going Extinct? Meet 32 of the most critically endangered. (via Digg)
Internet Memes In Japanese Print Style.
Where Was the Birthplace of Modern Humans? The evidence points to confusion. (via Strange Company)
How Sarah Josepha Hale Became the 'Mother of Thanksgiving.'
17 Movies Stars Who Were Drunk Or Stoned While Filming Classic Scenes. You might end up seeing your favorite film in a whole new way.
How Male Widow Spiders Avoid Being Cannibalized During Sex. It may strike you as a bit kinky, but it's still a survival tactic. (via Boing Boing)
AOC castigates McConnell for sending the Senate home for the holidays. Although the chamber is empty, maybe some Georgia voters will see the YouTube video.
A blast from the past (2010): The Not-So-Ancient History of 10 Thanksgiving Dishes.
Breaking Bad Thanksgiving
In a little TV show called Breaking Bread, Walter White shows us how to cook the perfect …Thanksgiving meal. Jesse is no help. (via Neatorama)
Tweet of the Day
(via Everlasting Blort) http://www.everlastingblort.com/You're always with the drama, you.
— Paul Bronks (@SlenderSherbet) November 7, 2020
📹: Imgur user JebediahBeetus pic.twitter.com/JHd3clIJOU
Sunday, November 22, 2020
Baby Goats Line Up to Get Hugs
Every baby needs a good hug! These kids clamor rather politely to get a quick hug from their favorite keeper. Me! Me next! Every goat gets a hug eventually. I hope the little alpaca did, too. (via Laughing Squid)
Stop Working and Love Me!
Cats are very good with body language. And they operate on the theory that it's always a good idea to ask, or demand, what you want. (via Buzzfeed)
Tweet of the Day
(via Fark)The annexation of the UP is the real story Sean. pic.twitter.com/yvMw3OGdX9
— Shane Nyman (@shanenyman) November 20, 2020
Saturday, November 21, 2020
How to Park on a Hill
(via Boing Boing)Ooooops 😂🤣😂 pic.twitter.com/GwbwWWLO8l
— Andy 💪🏼 (@oldschoolbiker4) November 19, 2020
It's a Living
But not much of one. Legolas fell on hard times later in life, like so many of us. This comic is from Skeleton Claw.
We Love xkcd
You may remember the Discovery Channel's very popular jingle I Love the World. Randall Munroe of xkcd was inspired and did his own version featuring memes from his webcomic. Then Elaine Doyle and Olga Nunes produced a video that recreates xkcd's comic using the original tune, featuring a cast of prominent and not-so-prominent bloggers.
Neil Gaiman, Wil Wheaton, Cory Doctorow, Lawrence Lessig, Bruce Schneier, Jason Kottke, Google Zurich, Hank Green, MC Frontalot, Patrick & Teresa Nielsen Hayden, Mr. Toast, Miss Cellania, Team Genius, Phil Plait, Allan Amato, Maddy Gaiman, Charissa Gilreath, Belinda Casas, Chuck Martinez, Jeremy James, Joanna Gaunder, Lee Israel & Octavio Coleman Esq. of The Jejune Institute
I am honored to be in such august company. You'll find a complete listing of who's who line by line at Olga's site.
Reposted from February of 2010 just because I wanted to.
Tweet of the Day
(via Everlasting Blort)Now that Halloween over 🌚 pic.twitter.com/uH1wLQeYAq
— Darryn 🎄 (@notagaindrryn) November 1, 2020
Friday, November 20, 2020
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)