(via Bad Newspaper)
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Oscar Winning Cinematography
A bad movie is always going to be a bad movie, but expert cinematography can elevate a mediocre movie, and it can turn a pretty decent film into a masterpiece. It can convey the idea of intimacy, dread, triumph, and joy. Precise camera work will put the audience in the right place to witness the events on screen. The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is one that always goes to exactly the right film. Enjoy this compilation of stunning visuals from the 55 movies that won the Oscar for Best Cinematography from 1967 to 2021. You've probably seen most of them. (via Kottke)
Rock, Paper, Scissors
You're going to love this anime short from Corridor Digital. We have the unlikely scenario of an old king dying on the throne without a clear line of succession. While that may be acceptable in a fantasy, this story gets crazier as it goes. The king has two sons, who are twins, good and evil of course. They don't look much alike, but since they are twins, it only stands to reason that they have a telepathic link. The evil twin challenges the good twin for the throne by throwing hands, but not like you'd expect. His choice of weapon is a game of rock, paper, scissors. It turns into the most dramatically over-the-top game you've ever seen. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Miss Cellania's Links
The Train Crash That Spooked Charles Dickens.
In a historic depression, a Black American seeks freedom from discrimination and professional limitations in an unlikely place: Russia. The forces of racism follow him overseas, putting his reputation and life in danger.
If You Give a Bear Cocaine… (via Nag on the Lake)
The Surprising Greatness of Jimmy Carter. Even while he was president. (via Kottke)
This Man Underwent Brain Surgery 3,500 Years Ago. It wasn't your everyday case of trepanation.
MAGAbert. The latest from Tom the Dancing Bug.
These scientists lugged logs on their heads to resolve Chaco Canyon mystery. It includes a video so we can see them doing it. (via Damn Interesting)
5 Fruits That Set Off Mass Panic. These stories seem ridiculous now, but eventually so does an awful lot of history.
Thug Notes on The Color Purple
I love Thug Notes’ literary analysis. In this episode, it’s The Color Purple by Alice Walker. No, not the movie, the book. And if you don’t follow every episode of Thug Notes, you are missing out.
Tweet of the Day
(via Memo of the Air)Formation of heart-shape. Imagine the sophisticated math and physics sustaining the stable structure — which might involve hydrodynamics, surface tension, gravity, etc.
— Cliff Pickover (@pickover) February 16, 2023
CREDITS:
FB: https://t.co/8w2uVG1aqJ
DailyMotion: https://t.co/y2fEm15vXF
TikTok: https://t.co/1QfxMT1bsw pic.twitter.com/ArTOruPY59
Monday, February 27, 2023
Don't Boil a Kettle on a Boat
A British public service announcement from the 1970s gives us crucial information for people who have boats and may want a cup of tea. The fact that the target audience for this would be vanishingly small was no bar for an agency with a government budget. Still, It's so darn short and to the point that you won't forget it. (via Boing Boing)
Dogs Make Friends
You've heard that dogs are man's best friend, and it's true, but dogs aren't limited to friendships with humans. Dogs are able to make friends with any animal. In this compilation, you'll see dogs bringing home a new friend they've made, whether it's a woodland creature, livestock, or some exotic animal. You'll see dogs playing with marine animals, birds, and dangerous predators. Well, who can resist a friendly dog? No one, but you still don't have to let your dog's new cow friend into the house. (via Fark)
Laurence Brown Gets a US Passport
Laurence Brown usually makes videos comparing British and American language, customs, and geography. But so much has happened to him suddenly over the past few months that his slice-of-life videos are even more compelling. He has become an American citizen, bought his first house, and his father died. All these things crashed into each other and Brown had to get a passport in a hurry. This could have been a nightmare, but the worst part of it was Brown's anxiety. A couple of months after the fact, Brown explains the procedures and the trepidation he felt in obtaining his first US passport in order to attend his father's funeral. It wasn't so long ago that we were told to get passports at least six months before travel, so it could have been much worse.
Miss Cellania's Links
Why Is the Letter "W" called Double-U Instead of Double-V? (via Strange Company)
Remembering When Cocktails Were Just Soup.
Experience: I gave birth to the world’s 8 billionth baby. (via Damn Interesting)
The 2000-year War. Click to the right to advance the story.
Izzie has a Book About Her Cat's First Vacation.
BORG: The Generation Z Drink of Choice.
Mantis Mayhem: Wildlife Photographer Gets Up Close and Personal with These Prayerful Predators. (via Nag on the Lake)
The Case of The Exploding Teeth. Actually several cases of them.
(Thanks to Bruce for today's graphic!)
Talking Husky Puppy
Little Ramsey the husky pup obviously lives with both people and dogs -but he sure sounds like he’d rather talk people language than howl like a dog! I had to giggle at this almost as much as the woman holding him. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tweet of the Day
Tanner Charles https://twitter.com/TannerCharlesMN misunderstood the phrase "sleigh bed" as an activity instead of a style. More on this escapade here. (via Fark)I turned my bed into a sled. Please don't try this at home haha - we planned things as safe as possible! What a wild ride! #mnwx #minnesota #Minneapolis #snow #snowstorm #bedsled pic.twitter.com/5YlrXuiKGr
— Tanner Charles 🌪 (@TannerCharlesMN) February 24, 2023
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Flying a Kite Indoors
At the Texas Kite Fest earlier this month at South Padre Island, Texas, Spence "Watty" Watson not only flew a kite indoors, but flew eight kites stacked atop each other! We can assume the building is ventilated, but it couldn't be all that windy like outside, where kites are normally flown. Watson has been building and flying indoor kites since 2007, and was the national champion in 2013. Here's another look at his performance at the Texas festival.
(via Memo of the Air)
Velma Meets Earlier Velma
Over 50 years, we've seen the Scooby-Doo gang return again and again, with the same characters always looking a little different but recognizable, with updated animation and some modern elements introduced. The latest iteration is the HBO Max series Velma. In this horror fantasy video, Scooby-Doo (who is not a character in the Velma series) re-emerges to confront Velma about her continual existence despite the chilling past experiences between the two. Warning: contains cartoon blood and gore. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
An Appearance in Ohio
Saturday Night Live's opening skit featured TFG in East Palestine, Ohio, free associating about the topics of the week during a speech. He managed to cover the Super Bowl halftime show, Pete Buttigieg, the Georgia grand jury forewoman, workshopping nicknames, Biden's visit to Ukraine, and even the train derailment. The jokes just write themselves.
Oldtown Funk
Alex Boye & The Dancing Grannies perform “UpTown Funk” in their own way. I can relate to this one.
All the grandmas and Grandpas in this video did their own stunts :)(via Digg)
They range in age from 65-92! Between them, they have raised 500 children, 1,200 grandchildren, and 250 great grandchildren!!!
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Eye Exam
Maybe I'll get one eye examined today, and the other tomorrow. That will only be $20. (via Bad Newspaper)
12 to the Moon
In the 1960 film 12 to the Moon, a dozen astronauts from different countries are sent on the first moon mission. They obviously didn't train together, as international tensions based on old stereotypes break out on the trip. On the moon, they suffer various accidents, injuries, illness, and death before they finally communicate with the moon beings, who tell them to go away but leave their cats. You will not be surprised that MST3K gave the movie a second life of sorts, in case you'd rather watch that version. (via Fark)
Leopard vs. Porcupines
A young leopard in Kruger National Park in South Africa thinks that tender baby porcupines might make a good meal. The porcupine parents think not, and stand together to protect their children. Yet the leopard doesn't want to give up, even when he is pierced with quills, indicating that he is either young and still learning about prey, or else is desperately hungry. It's hard to gauge how large the leopard is, since African porcupines are huge, much bigger than American porcupines.
Does the leopard learn his lesson here? Not quite. He only backs off when he notices a human, field guide Mfundo Nyambi, recording the sequence. This cat might not know about porcupines, but he is apparently aware that humans are the most dangerous species on earth. Either that, or he's embarrassed that his failure was caught on video. (via reddit)
LEGO Spring-Loaded Shooters
LEGO makes a very special kind of brick that can shoot objects out forcefully. These spring-loaded shooters work on the same simple principle as a ballpoint pen that clicks open and shut. And like any cool toy, someone will go way overboard with them for our entertainment. Brickstory Builds collected 400 of these shooter bricks, and just as many projectiles to shoot out of them. How many different ways can he fire them en masse? (via Born in Space)
Teen Years
Tell me about it. My kitten Sundae is five months old and is annoying 24/7. She'll grow out of it, but when? (via Fark)
Kitten vs. Chicken
A kitten named Dash turns his attention to play-attacking and play-fighting a frizzle chicken named Mora. The hen isn’t taking this sitting down, and even tries a couple of times to put that tiny predator in its place. Dash doesn’t take the hint. Once upon a time, you had to actually have pets to enjoy this kind of thing, but now we can just share the best moments. (via Daily Picks and Flicks)
Tweet of the Day
(via Buzzfeed News)Bernie is in town doing media for his book and walked into a TikTok 🤣 pic.twitter.com/74wHvWyv5G
— Wu-Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) February 20, 2023
Friday, February 24, 2023
Same Here
Country star Brad Paisley released a new song today for the anniversary of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Not that it's a day anyone wants to celebrate, but that fact that Ukraine still survives and still fights is worth a commemoration. The song is about how people on different sides of the globe are basically the same. President Zelenskyy agrees.
Paisley talked to MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace about how the song came together and how Zelenskyy gave his input. Proceeds from the sale of the song will go to Ukraine relief efforts.
Need I Remind You...
John DiMarco reminds us that a Star Trek character doesn't have to be all that old to be caught in a never-ending loop of catchphrases. Tuvok, a Vulcan Starfleet officer on Star Trek: Voyager, is good at reminding us. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Why Cats Make Bad Astronauts
Ground control to major Tomcat! When those natural instincts kick in, there's no stopping them. This comic is from Deliberately Buried. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Transfiguration
This figure just keeps going and going, with an unending steady pace and a soundtrack that echoes its composition. Transfiguration shows the inevitability of change and the steadiness of time marching on. Besides that, it's pretty cool to watch. (via Nag on the Lake)
Miss Cellania's Links
50 Hilarious Cat Names That Crack Vets Up Every Time.
Fat, Sugar, Salt … You’ve Been Thinking About Food All Wrong. Scientists are asking tough questions about the health effects of ultra-processed diets. The answers are complicated—and surprising. (via Digg)
Who Was the 1920s Moulin Rouge Drag Queen Who Inspired Man Ray and Cocteau?
Happy Birthday To Raymond Scott’s "Powerhouse," The Most Iconic Song In Cartoon History. (via Kottke)
Americans Are Ignoring the One True 'Superfood': Pulses.
Star Wars: 15 Most Evil Villains From the Empire.
Who would you save in a burning building?
Medieval Pantry Stocked With Spices Found in 500-Year-Old Shipwreck.
DIY Electrical Wiring
He just wanted to install a new light in the bathroom, but it didn’t turn out exactly right. It looks like a case of two homeowners in a row who did their own wiring, and believe me, building on someone else’s weirdness only leads to more weirdness. At least this couple hasn’t been electrocuted, which is a real possibility when you get this many wires crossed.
I once had a bathroom/bedroom addition built. It didn’t take long to figure out things were wonky, because when you turned off the bathroom light, the alarm clock by the bed stopped. I could’ve called the contractor back to fix it, but he’d screwed up so many other things, he probably would have just made it worse. I got a master electrician to sort things out -after he stopped laughing. (via Viral Viral Videos)
Tweet of the Day
(Thanks, WTM!)When excavator guy shows off theyr skills. pic.twitter.com/jAsbYjizPu
— Next Level Skills (@NextSkillslevel) January 21, 2023
Thursday, February 23, 2023
What TikTok Has Done to Internet Videos
Ryan George illustrates a few things that TikTok culture has done to the internet video experience. The platform was set up to make remixing videos easy for people who've never done that before, and they've taken off with it, doing weird stuff that you'd never have predicted. The platform assumes that everyone holds their phone vertically to take videos, which they do and I still don't know why. The robotic voiceovers, the text right over what you want to see, and the out of context music can also be annoying. Also, if you watch videos at the TikTok site, you have to be real careful where your cursor is or a new video will start without notice. Also, they won't embed properly on some other platforms -like this one.
But the kids like it, and TikTok has a couple of things going for it, like that fact that the videos are shorter and way less festooned with ads compared to YouTube. The video is only 3:45; the rest is an ad. (via reddit)
Find Two Errors
a
This school poster was made by "freepik," and it appears you get what you pay for. If you want to search for the errors, stop reading now and come back to read after the space.
*****
Notice the animal used as an example for the letter "Y." Then find the spot where the alphabet is not in alphabetical order. The comments at reddit are notable for the appearance of a user who waited five years for the perfect moment to respond.
(via reddit)
A World Record Tongue
Bisbee was auctioned off as a puppy at a fundraiser for a charity. Jay and Ericka Johnson went home with the English setter and love him dearly. They noticed he has an extra-long tongue, but it was only under anesthesia that it could be measured. Bisbee's tongue is 3.74 inches (9.5 centimeters) long! That doesn't seem all that long on paper, but that tongue is long enough to make it into the Guinness World Record book for the longest tongue on a living dog. Yes, there truly is a world record for everything. The previous record holder had a tongue nearly twice as long at 7.31 inches, but note that the record is for a living dog.
Everything You Got
Self-esteem, whether high or low, is not a finite resource. You can give it away and still have plenty for yourself. This comic is from Needle Wig.
The Pope's Exorcist
The Pope's Exorcist is a horror film based on the career of Father Gabriele Amorth, the chief exorcist at the Vatican from 1986 to his death in 2016. Amorth claimed to have performed more than 50,000 exorcisms, even after rejecting 98% of the cases referred to him. The movie was adapted from Amorth's two memoirs, An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories. It stars Russell Crowe as Amorth and Franco Nero as the (strangely unidentified) pope. I have never heard of this guy before, and I am more likely to read the books than to see the movie. (via Digg)
Miss Cellania's Links
Chocolate chemistry – a food scientist explains how the beloved treat gets its flavor, texture and tricky reputation as an ingredient. (via Strange Company)
What rewatching old shows teaches us about ourselves.
Crime Scene Cleaners Told Us About Their Memorable Cases And Why They Stick With A Messy Job.
The amazing story of how a young Jimmy Carter helped avert a nuclear disaster. Read more about it here.
The Definitive Ranking of Bears. With Cocaine Bear hitting the big screen this week, our foremost bear experts set out to rank these animals in all their grizzly glory. (via Digg)
Know your customers.
15 Contests and Public Votes That Backfired Big Time.
How Our Brains Decide What to Think. (via Damn Interesting)
Tweet of the Day
(via Fark)happy dog living his best life pic.twitter.com/EQ9JnP0FIa
— Doglover (@puppiesDoglover) February 20, 2023
Bones Once Said...
In Star Trek: TOS, Dr. McCoy got some of the best lines in the the entire series. Being older, crankier, and holding a position of respect that wasn't on the bridge, he could get away with at least one zinger a week.
The Original GPS Voice
Users of the early version of GPS were haunted by the word "recalculating," which instantly told us we screwed up and didn't follow directions properly. That voice belongs to Karen Jacobsen, an Australian singer and voiceover artist who became the voice of the Global Positioning System navigational application in 2002. The minute Jacobsen says that word in this video, the memories come flooding back. It's just a word, delivered oh-so neutrally, but over time it seemed to take on a judgmental tone, even though it wasn't my fault I didn't have time to get into the proper lane! Jacobsen had to say the word "approximately" 168 times, but drivers have heard "recalculating" exponentially more. Still, after all this time, it's nice to be able to put a face with that voice. (via Laughing Squid)
Superman Awakens
Superman Awakens is a powerful soliloquy from the Man of Steel from the Kingdom Come universe. Here, he questions his existence and his purpose in life. It was made by two Greek VFX artists together known as Floating House. Antonis and Stavros Fylladitis don't call this animated film homemade, they call it "passion-made." They used Unreal Engine 5 for the CGI and original music by Thanos Papadellis. https://youtu.be/xKYVrWoxQtY (via Metafilter)
Drawer Cats
These cats will stop at nothing to get into your drawers! They want something that’s in there, or they want to get in the drawer themselves, or they are just curious and destructive. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tweet of the Day
(via Everlasting Blort)FRESH BRAKED BEAD pic.twitter.com/gZ6XZtM048
— Dont Show Your Cat (@DontShowYourCat) February 15, 2023
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Mini-Concert by Rockin' 1000
You might recall when a group of 1,000 musicians got together to play "Learn to Fly" to invite the Foo Fighters to Cesena, Italy. We were amazed at their coordination among such a large group. Rockin' 1000 is still going strong, and the concept has spread to other cities. Here you will hear the mega-group perform "Paradise City" by Guns 'n' Roses, "Enter Sandman" by Metallica, and Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water." (via Laughing Squid)
Teddy Bear Escapes
We love watching Japanese zoos conduct their emergency drills with dangerous animals portrayed by a costumed person. The latest is from Hitachi City Kamine Zoo, where the practice scenario is a bear that escapes when an earthquake breaks the glass in the display enclosure. This drill involved not only zoo employees, but the local police, fire department, and the city's "pest damage prevention team." The bear was evenually shot by a tranquilizer dart, which we assume was as fake as the bear. The drill ended in success, and was most likely followed by bear hugs all around. (via Boing Boing)
Cute
Aw, come on now, what if Tarzan's ape mother had taken that advice? Or the wolf who nursed Romulus and Remus? Then again, those are not only fictional characters, but come with survivor's bias. You have to wonder whether the wise wolf is basing her advice on the future potential for threat by the human or the future temptation of hunger. This comic is from Bonus Context. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Preparing 50,000 Airline Meals Every Day
How do you make mass quantities of meals ahead of time that are both portable and tasty in high altitudes when our senses are dulled? A look at Singapore Arlines meal service shows how much goes into the food, from developing and testing new recipes to batch cooking to plating the silverware before takeoff. It's complicated, but they manage to pull it off for 77 departure cities. (via TastyTastic)
Miss Cellania's Links
Celebrating Pancake Day Like They Do in Britain. Laurence Brown explains as best he can.
How Embroidery, Piano, and French Lessons Made the First Computer Programmer.
Unique Ice Cream Flavors Around the World.
Joseph Samuel: The Man Who Couldn’t be Hanged.
Women Reveal The Moment They Realized Their Partner Was Marriage Material. It's all about kindness and effort.
The Maki Chair is Also a Cat Tunnel. (via Nag on the Lake)
How a Giant Egg Farm Made Money Off Women Prisoners in Dangerous Conditions. (Thanks, WTM!)
Clickword is sort of like Scrabble that you can play by yourself. When three or more letters form a word vertically or horizontally, they disappear! (via Metafilter)
A Home Mural Gets a Last-Minute Reprieve.
(Good Bye) PMS
You know how things get crazy when that old devil PMS shows up? K-Pop singer Lizzy and Korean comedian Park Myeong-Su (notice his initials) star in this bonkers music video in which Lizzy becomes a giant superhero to vanquish Pre-Menstrual Syndrome. (via Buzzfeed)
Tweet of the Day
(via Everlasting Blort)kangaroo flexing muscles to attract females pic.twitter.com/RASES9lwO8
— Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3) February 3, 2023
Monday, February 20, 2023
The Strangest Cover of "Let It Be" Ever
Remember that time Malcolm Jamal Warner, Dee Snyder, Katarina Witt, Peter Falk, and Huey Lewis all sang on the beach together? This collaboration will take some explaining. Gylne Tider was a Norwegian television series in the 2000s. The title translates to Golden Times in English, and the series featured interviews with celebrities of the 1980s that were popular in Norway. The video above was a promotion for season four and the celebrities that would appear. The stars really sang for their video recordings, but their voices were overdubbed for the finished product. The show had done a similar collaboration a couple of years earlier for a different season, in case you want to listen to "We Are the World" with a different set of celebrities from the 1980s and '90s. (via Everlasting Blort)
Messing with the Mighty Mississippi
Nature and fluid dynamics have their own way of doing things, and that's why rivers and streams left to their own designs, will change over time. But those changes interfere with human settlements and commerce, so various aspects of the Mississippi River have been engineered constantly. This video tells us about how riverboat captain Henry Miller Shreve arranged for a channel to be cut through a particularly difficult bend in the river to make navigation easier, with unintended consequences. The video is only 4:18; the rest is an ad.
However, Louisiana commenters tells us that the tendency of the Mississippi to spill into the Atchafalaya was actually due to the clearing of the Great Raft, a 150-mile logjam in the Atchafalaya and Red River that had been there for a few thousand years and was responsible for the bayous. The same Henry Miller Shreve was behind that clearing. I think the Great Raft would be the more interesting story. (via Digg)
President's Day
It's President's Day! Time to get up, hang the President's Day decorations, and prepare the annual President's Day feast! Now, let's all sing along with Parry Gripp! This is a combo holiday, since George Washington's birthday is on Ash Wednesday and Lincoln's birthday was on Super Bowl Sunday. February has a lot of holidays. They had to put it on a Monday so bank employees and postal carriers could have a three-day weekend. The rest of us, not so much.
The Six Coworkers You'll Have at Your Job
When there’s a list of the types of people at your workplace, you have to wonder which one you are. I’ve encountered every one of these at one time or another, but not usually all at the same place. That’s because I’ve never worked in an office environment with a lot of people in it. Right now I work with a bunch of folks who all seem absolutely delightful -but I’ve never met any of them! (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tweet of the Day
My dad, who died last month, was a freelance camera man. He shot interviews with many celebrities—the Dalai Lama, Monica Lewinsky, Gorbachev, Ludacris, Jane Goodall, many more. Exactly one took the time to learn his name, strike up a yearslong relationship. Deeply appreciate this pic.twitter.com/3AG3AgZOLO
— drew hinshaw (@drewhinshaw) February 14, 2023
Sunday, February 19, 2023
At The Fair
You know when you think about it, animals are what a county or state fair is all about. This ad just put it all in a nutshell.(via Bad Newspaper)
Tangled Up in Blue
Bob Dylan released "Tangled Up in Blue" in 1975. He denied it was autobiographical, but it sounds like a divorce song to me, and it was written not long after his. The lyrics are long and complicated, and Dylan changes them every time he performs the song.
British Furnaces Ain't Got Nothing on America
Laurence Brown continues to bring us his adventures as a first-time homeowner. He is typical of people who have lived in rental home all their adult lives and are in for a shock when they have to learn how to use and maintain the infrastructure of a house on their own, but he makes it funny. At least for experienced homeowners. Those who are still renting may be baffled and terrified as Brown explains what must be learned about his water heater, furnace, and the other confusing sights in the basement.
Lavatory Lovestory
A lonely restroom attendant suddenly has a secret admirer. Or does she? The setting may be weird, but the emotions are real. (via Everlasting Blort)
When You Lose Your Snowmobile
This guy is traveling down a snowy mountain on his snowmobile. If you think it seems like an awfully steep hill, you are right. At one point, he loses the snowmobile! As the guy slides and spins down the mountain, we wonder if the machine is going to run him over. Then we don’t see if for a while, and we assume it stopped. No, there it comes tumbling after him! So he’s trying to catch the snowmobile without being smashed by it. This is one nerve-wracking video, and that mountain is definitely too steep for a snowmobile run. (via Digg)
Tweet of the Day
(via Supa Fluffy)Diver convince octopus to trade his plastic cup for a seashell pic.twitter.com/G22glkEJfj
— Whoa City (@whoacity) February 20, 2020
