From 1894. (via Undine)
Friday, October 31, 2025
The Real Story of Halloween
In this segment of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Tommy Smothers tells the story of Halloween, except he doesn't know the story, so he improvises.
How SOS Became the Universal Distress Signal
The telegraph and Morse code were developed in the 1840s, but the system was no use for ships at sea because it required wires. But then Marconi gave us a wireless telegraph system, or "radio," first demonstrated in 1896. Suddenly, communications from ships at sea was possible, but it took some time and some left turns to work out standard international codes. The most important was a distress signal, calling any available ships for immediate aid. For some time, this code was CQD. Simon Whistler of Today I Found Out explains how that got turned into the SOS signal that we all recognize today. (via Laughing Squid)
I got a kick out of how Whistler pronounces Cape Hatteras as Hatter Ass.
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Come with me to the most sincere pumpkin patch in the world. Exactly as you remember it from 1966.
Miss Cellania's Links
Halloween in Australia. (via Infidel753)
10 ways Halloween has changed since you were a kid. I don't know how an article I wrote ended up on a site I've never heard of, but there it is.
50 Halloween Costumes From The Past That Are Equal Parts Terrifying And Impressive.
Tom Hanks ‘Hated’ David S. Pumpkins As Much As You Do.
Queen bees are violently ousted if worker bees smell weakness. (via Damn Interesting)
Inside the writers room that's ruining your life. The latest from Tom the Dancing Bug.
Historical Figures Who Lived Long Enough to Be Photographed.
In 1907, This Daring Performer Walked on Water From Cincinnati to New Orleans, Covering Nearly 1,600 Miles in 40 Days.
The real horror story begins in November, when SNAP benefits no longer go to recipients. Oh, there's money, but the current administration doesn't want to use it.
Oh My Gourd
Here's a delightful stop-motion animation in which the frames are carved pumpkins. Sean Ohlenkamp and Rob Popkin carved hundred of pumpkins over several years to make this video. They made many sequences and discarded most of them. What's left is a brightly colored pumpkin that dances as its carving change. The thumping music in the background? That's also made with pumpkins, in process they called "pumpkin orchestration" under the guidance of Igor Correia. You'll get to see what that looks like at the end of the video. (via Laughing Squid)
Pumpkins
Duh, Christmas stuff has been up at the stores for weeks. If you look hard, you can still get a pumpkin. This comic is from Litterbox Comics. (via reddit)
Thursday, October 30, 2025
In Case You Don't Have a Halloween Costume Yet
You could be a really short guy with a big bag to carry. Putting the costume together will be much easier than anything you do while wearing it.
Zombie
Click to the right to get the whole tale, and find out who the real monster is. This story is from Pizza Cake Comics.
The Linguistics of a Brand Name
When you name a product, you want that name to be simple, memorable, and pleasant. It would be nice if that name were descriptive of the product, but that can be hard in a world where there are so many products already named. It's also crucial that the product name not be something offensive in another language, but that isn't addressed in this video. Coca-Cola is an example of a perfectly-named product, because it rolls off the tongue so easily, yet it was simply named for its ingredients.
Dr. Erica Brozovsky gives us some tips on using certain letters and sounds to name your product so that feel a certain way about it. Then when you comes up with the perfect name, you'll find that someone else has already trademarked it. And remember, the perfect product name won't mean anything unless it'a something people need or want. The video is only around nine minutes; the rest is promotional.
Ten Facts About It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
The TV special It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown debuted in 1966. I had just turned eight years old, and was a Peanuts fan, both from the comics page in the newspaper and from the earlier special A Charlie Brown Christmas. In those days, everyone at school had watched the same TV shows the night before (we only had two channels), so we spent the next day discussing the show. It gave us the catchphrases "I got a rock" and "Dog germs!" Relive those memories with a list of trivial facts about It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
Yes, I noticed that the video clips here borrow heavily from later Peanuts specials. The Halloween special had no Franklin, no Peppermint Patty or Marcie, and Snoopy didn't do aerobics. (via Laughing Squid)
Vincent Price's Dracula (1982)
From 1982. Vincent Price tells us all about Dracula in this full-length documentary.
Meanwhile, in Washington
I have a very bad feeling about this...
— Mark Hamill (@markhamillofficial.bsky.social) October 27, 2025 at 12:51 PM
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Wednesday, October 29, 2025
The Learning Curve
It's called as mondegreen when you mishear or misinterpret song lyrics. This example is just plain cute. What's really concerning is that when her remote work turned into office work, she had to move across the world.
The Dark Lord
Amanda is being terrorized by a malicious entity called The Dark Lord. He watches her from a distance, or he is hidden frightfully nearby. He stalks her at all times. He thwarts her every move, from enjoying a cup of tea to baking cookies. He sits on top of the refrigerator like a gargoyle, following her with his creepy glowing eyes. What horrible fate awaits Amanda from The Dark Lord who rules over his peasant with an iron fist, er, paw?
If you enjoyed this eerie tale, there's plenty more like it at The Dark Lord's Instagram account.
Miss Cellania's Links
Yuri Knorozov and his cat Asya. (via Infidel753)
The real story behind the Nuremberg trials. Concerning the plot of the new movie Nuremberg. (via Memo of the Air)
The First Caesarean Section on a Living Woman.
Men should flirt like birds do.
Emily Beer's Embroidered Movie Posters. (via Messy Nessy Chic)
At Least We Owned the Libs. (via Nag on the Lake)
Dad Trek: Dad jokes from the starship Enterprise.
20 Terrifying Movies Whose Inspirations Were Even More Disturbing Real-Life Events.
The Creeping Flesh
A 1972 Hammer film starring (you guessed it) Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. From Wikipedia:
Prof. Emmanuel Hildern (Peter Cushing), a Victorian era scientist is shown in what appears to be a laboratory meeting a young doctor. Hildern excitedly tells the doctor that he needs help because he has discovered a form of evil that is real, a living being, and that he has unwittingly unleashed the evil thousands of years too soon. Hildern then recounts how his discovery was made.
In a flashback, Hildern recounts his return in 1894 from an expedition to New Guinea where he has discovered an abnormally large humanoid skeleton. Paradoxically, the skeleton is far older than previously recovered specimens, but also much more advanced. Hildern hopes the discovery will earn him the prestigious Richter Prize. Hildern has little time to rejoice before receiving word that his wife, institutionalized for years, has finally died. This he learns from his brother James Hildern (Christopher Lee) who runs the asylum where Hildern’s wife had been held in secret. While visiting the asylum, James tells his brother that he made a psychiatric study of Hildern’s wife and plans to publish the findings in the hope of winning the Richter Prize. He also tells Hildern that he will no longer subsidize Hildern’s expeditions.There's more, but it's best if you just watch the movie.
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Fair, Fat, & Forty
A little song from Captain Stubby & The Buccaneers. My guess is that it from some time in the 1940s. All three comments at the YouTube page are from relatives of the band. (via Weird Universe)
The Reason We Have Scary Monster Stories
Dr. Emily Zarka knows a thing or two about monsters, their history, and their meaning. Sure, we know that we love scary monster stories because we get a rush out of kickstarting our emotions, even when they are supposed to be unpleasant emotions like fear. It's an adrenaline rush. But it's a lots more complicated than that. Zarka gives us a good overview of what purpose these scary tales serve, and how those purposes differ through the rise and fall of cultural norms. They illustrate the importance of good vs. evil, and what happens when se don't stay on the good side. They warn us against danger, whether it's from real animals or people we don't know. They can be propaganda to rile up the populace against a perceived enemy. And they can help us examine what it means to be human.
This video is only ten minutes long; the rest is promotional. (via Laughing Squid)
Roast Duck
Dr. Doolittle once bought a fresh and expensive duck at the grocery while staying with me. I asked her when she was going to cook it, and she looked at me like I had two heads. She hadn't planned to cook it; she expected me to do it. I told her I didn't know how to cook a duck because I don't even like duck. She ended up freezing it and then taking it with her.
You might expect a channel called HowToBasic to give clear and useful instructions for whatever it is they are doing. This recipe for a whole roast duck is clear, but clearly unhinged. Useful? I don't know about that. I spotted a problem as soon as a I saw them set the oven to 400°. Then instead of adjusting the temperature, they adjusted the cooking time. And I kept thinking how expensive fresh whole duck is. (via Boing Boing)
Cat Watching a Horror Movie
That’s the way I felt the first time I saw Psycho. Yes, I am aware that this is a cat video with audio from the movie overlaid, but it’s still cute as can be. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Tweet of the Day
this is the craziest eight-word story i have ever read pic.twitter.com/Xk72Yr5Nxe— Rebecca Tucker (@RebeccaTee) October 25, 2017
(via Buzzfeed)
Monday, October 27, 2025
Fiend Without a Face
Fiend Without a Face is a 1958 sci-fi horror film. The monsters here are "malevolent invisible killer brains, which then materialize as flying brains with attached spinal columns and eyestalks, strangling people with their spinal cords." The special effects were pretty good for a B-movie of the era, and were described as "revolting." More recent reviews are kinder, and the movie has a 67% rating at Rotten Tomatoes. (Thanks, WTM!)
Birth of a Tardigrade
Tardigrades, commonly called water bears, are microscopic animals that have a reputation for being indestructible, yet they are quite vulnerable when they are newborns. Are they born, or do they hatch? In this strange sequence, it seems like both.
In the tardigrade species shown here, the male deposits sperm under the female's cuticle, or outer shell. When she molts, she deposits eggs into the discarded skin, where they are fertilized. The discarded cuticle provides an extra layer of protection. When they hatch, the young water bears must find the head opening in their mother's skin. Yes, it's weird, but it works for them. (via Born in Space)
Miss Cellania's Links
The finalists have been announced in the Comedy Wildlife Awards. I like the dancing stork and the gossiping leopards best, but I have to admit the frog baptism made me laugh, too. (via Neatorama)
The Ball Turret Gunner, One of the Toughest and Most Dangerous Jobs of World War II. (via Nag on the Lake)
I fell at the top of a mountain – and knew I had to haul my broken body down or die in the snow. (via kottke)
On the Twisted Trail of Bram Stoker’s Notes for Dracula. Bram Stoker’s creative process behind his iconic Gothic novel was shrouded in mystery for nearly a century.
Robert H. Jackson is "arguably the most accomplished forgotten man of the 20th century." The Supreme Court justice was drafted as the lead prosecutor for the US in the Nuremberg Trials.
Mimes are not good roommates. Turn the sound on.
Alexandre Patty: The Man Who Walked on His Head and Headed Straight for Global Fame. (via Strange Company)
50 Dumbest Funny Kid Pictures And Moments.
Sunday, October 26, 2025
Halloween is Grinch Night
I had never heard of this TV special before I ran across it on YouTube today. Halloween is Grinch Night aired in 1977, when I was in college and had no TV. Not that I would have watched it back then, anyway. Written and produced by Dr. Seuss, it won an Emmy Award in 1978. The events in this story happened before those of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Henry the VIII and Ann Boleyn Halloween Costumes
When redditor Monkeygruven posted this picture
of some family friends ready for trick-or-treat, others bemoaned that
the kids didn't pick their own costumes, nor did they know who they were
portraying. Maybe it was more like this.
Mom: Do you want to wear a scary costume or a princess costume?
Girl: I don't know!
Mom: You can be both! You can be a queen who got her head cut off!
Girl: Yeah, let's do that!
Boy: I want to have my head cut off!
Mom: How about you be the king that murdered her?
Boy: Well, okay. But how will people know I did it?
Mom: Let me tell you a scary story, a true story...
That said, the costumes are awesome. (via reddit)
Mom: Do you want to wear a scary costume or a princess costume?
Girl: I don't know!
Mom: You can be both! You can be a queen who got her head cut off!
Girl: Yeah, let's do that!
Boy: I want to have my head cut off!
Mom: How about you be the king that murdered her?
Boy: Well, okay. But how will people know I did it?
Mom: Let me tell you a scary story, a true story...
That said, the costumes are awesome. (via reddit)
The Science of Falling Asleep
Tips for getting better sleep usually tell us the obvious: remove distractions such as TV, phone, and lights, stop eating hours before bed, and keep a regular schedule. This video from AsapSCIENCE goes way beyond that, with a couple dozen small things you can so that will add up to better sleeping habits over the long run. Not only that, but they explain the science behind those tips according to the latest research.
Some of these tips may be things you've heard before, but when you understand how they work, you're more likely to remember them. Some may be completely new to you, so they are worth a try. Remember, you can't just try one new tip and expect amazing results. Getting a good night's sleep requires a range of good habits. (via Laughing Squid)
Why Some Rainbows Turn White
How you ever seen a "fogbow"? I can't recall that I ever have, or noticed that it's different from a rainbow. But it happens, and Minute Physics is here to explain them.
The Gawper
A movie by Large Evil Corporation, The Gawper is a throwback to the animated Halloween specials you loved as a child. But scarier.
Groceries
this was in the British food section of the grocer. is England okay
— Ryan North? But - he died... 30 years ago this very night!! (@ryannorth.ca) October 19, 2025 at 4:59 PM
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Saturday, October 25, 2025
Halloween With The Addams Family
In 1977, we got a feature-length TV special called Halloween With The New Addams Family. This is not that, but if you like, you can watch it here. Above is the Halloween episode of the original series that aired on October 30, 1964. Don Rickles guest stars. Do not miss the Halloween version of the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas."
Untangling an Owl
An owl got his wing caught in an discarded fishing line and he is not happy about it at all. Trying to free himself only got him more tangled. This guy with a helmet cam approached the panicked bird to help, but also tried to do it without hurting the owl or himself. Fishing line is such a hazard for wildlife- be sure to take it with you when you leave.
Finding the Most Efficient Way to Fight Poverty
Jesus said the poor will always be with us, but that doesn't absolve us from trying to do something to help those who struggle to survive. There have been all kinds of antipoverty programs launched all over the world, with mixed results. Some approaches fail, while others show minimal results, and some that are promising in the short term don't hold up so well in the long term. The most promising idea is to give money directly to the poor and let them decide how to best use it. After all, poverty comes in all flavors.
Of course, massive global antipoverty programs face barriers that make research difficult. Sometimes grants to struggling nations end up in the pockets of corrupt leaders. Funding sources, whether from governments or private foundations, can rise and fall on a whim. An enormous amount of charity funding is dedicated to saving lives in an emergency, such as famine, and aren't designed to address generational poverty. But even when a program is deemed to be ineffective in lifting a majority of recipients permanently out of poverty, it means the world to the ones who made it out.
The Zombie Song
This infectious song by Stephanie Mabey tells of a zombie in love. Warning: it will be stuck in your head all day. (Thanks, Steven!)
Come Quick!
Not exactly accurate. My cats wouldn't inform each other because they all want to be the first to inaugurate a clean litter box. This comic is from Jimmy Craig at They Can Talk.
Friday, October 24, 2025
Wax Works
"Wax Works" was an episode of the TV series Thriller, hosted by Boris Karloff. It aired on January 8, 1962. Take a little walk through TV history in a previous feature article on the series. (Thanks, WTM!)
In the Halloween Aisle
Imagine browsing the Halloween costume store and find that there's a costume of YOU on sale! Redditor LiarInGlass says this happened to his uncle, with photographic evidence.
Lenny the Gourmet Dragon
What does a bearded dragon eat? According to Wikipedia, they eat "vegetation and some insects." Lenny wants to expand his palate and eat everything that his human Emily eats. He has learned that the clink of a fork on a dish tells him when she's having lunch, and he comes running to get a taste of whatever she's having. But he's not much on green leafy vegetables, which is what he's supposed to eat the most of. (via Laughing Squid)
Tim Conway Fires a Cannon
Old fashioned cannons may have revolutionized warfare, but you had to know what you were doing to get them to work. Tim Conway physically illustrates everything that can go wrong in this scene from season ten of The Carol Burnett Show. (Thanks, WTM!)
Miss Cellania's Links
Just because she won a Nobel doesn't mean Malala Yousafzai didn't break some rules in college. An update 13 years after her attempted assassination. (via Fark)
The Low Life: When Americans Fell for Sunken Living Rooms.
The President Trumps all over Chagrin Falls, USA. The latest from Tom the Dancing Bug.
Beetle-Wing Embroidery in Nineteenth-Century Fashion. Utilizing nature's spangles. (via Messy Nessy Chic)
Rob Cockerel's 2014 spinning tornado Halloween costume. (via Nag on the Lake)
9 things to know about the
Wild Bear Drops By For a Visit With Zoo Bears.
A Blast from the past (2008): 7 People Who Might Have Inspired Dr. Frankenstein.
MEOW
The zombie kitties are rising from their graves! Cyriak Harris made this video back in 2009, but it's certainly appropriate for this time of year.
Mansplaining
"Mansplaining" is a term that arose after a 2008 essay by Rebecca Solnit went viral. A guy went on and on to her about a new book she should read. It was a book she had written, and he hadn't even read it. This comic is from Ellen Woodbury at Pizza Cake.
Thursday, October 23, 2025
An Octopus's Busy Day
You'll see more than one octopus here, but you should know that the pink one is a robotic octopus sent to study and film deep sea life. The real action comes from a coconut octopus, who lives in a coconut husk. When he goes out, he takes his husk with him, and collects other useful things like seashells and trash. He only leaves his husk long enough to chase down some lunch and get into a fight with another coconut octopus. Meanwhile, we see him (or her) change size, shape, and even color. We see him walking around on his tentacles, carrying his husk, until swimming proves more effective. He seems quite antisocial with the other coconut octopus, but he apparently feels some affection of sorts for his pink robot friend. At least the robot isn't trying to attack him. This scene is from the BBC series Spy in the Ocean. (via Born in Space)
Can You Drive West to Lengthen the Sunset?
The latest theoretical question for the What If? series is "What's the longest possible sunset you can experience while driving, assuming you are obeying the speed limits and driving on paved roads?" While theoretically intriguing, my first thought was that's the last thing you want to do. It's bad enough driving a few blocks with the sun in your eyes!
First, we get a definition of "sunset," the length of which can vary depending on where you are. Sunset in Antarctica can take days. However, at the equator, the earth is spinning at about a thousand miles per hour, and you can't drive fast enough to make a difference. Still, the video finds a place where you might make it happen. (via Damn Interesting)
Stranger Felines
Cat owners know that weird feeling of seeing their cat watch something that isn't there. Can they see ghosts that we can't see? Cole and Marmalade seem to. Watch these two go ghost hunting around the house. There must be a lot of ghosts hanging around, so good luck sleeping tonight. (via Laughing Squid)
Foiled Again
— Marti Lawrence (@marti-l.bsky.social) October 19, 2025 at 11:27 AMIt was only in the last few years I heard that vampires cannot enter your house unless they are invited. Has that always been canon, or was it added to explain why vampires try to seduce their victims?
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
A Banjo Version of the Halloween Theme
Add this one to your Halloween playlist! Foggy Mountain Spaceship (previously and previously) covers the theme to the movie Halloween on banjos. I had never noticed it before, but the song is in 5/4 time, which makes it even creepier than it would have otherwise been. Some of the iconography in the video is a tribute to the movie Halloween III. (via Laughing Squid)
Lyrics
Something came up in conversation just a few days ago, and I explained that I can't be expected to remember something for a whole week because my brain is full and I can't find room for more. The problem is that what's stored in there is 95% song lyrics. (Thanks, WTM!)
Cat Enjoys a Shower
Pym is not like other cats. She loves her shower time, and comes running any time she hears the water running -as long as its hot water. And why not? She knows she will get wrapped in a warmed-up towel when she's done. No wonder she loves her human so much. See more of Pym at Instagram.
TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY!
IF YOU ARE WONDERING WHY THERE IS SO MUCH SHOUTING GOING ON IN SOCIAL MEDIA TODAY, IT IS BECAUSE OCTOBER 22 IS INTERNATIONAL CAPS LOCK DAY! YOU CAN'T WRITE IN ALL CAPS UNLESS YOU ALSO HAVE AN EXCLAMATION POINT! IT ONLY SEEMS NATURAL!
An Honest Trailer for The Thing
John Carpenter's horror movie The Thing was not a hit when it was first released in 1982, and barely made back its budget. It was depressing, horrifying, and gross. But what really did it in was the other movies we were seeing at the time- and its R rating. Critics panned it, one saying that it was "bereft, despairing, and nihilistic," which turned out to be appealing for later audiences who watched it on home video. And those special effects! More than 40 years later, The Thing is considered a horror classic, with amazing special effects and psychological themes to give it that added terror.
Screen Junkies finds plenty to skewer about The Thing, but it does what it set out to do. The movie requires a particular type of viewer to appreciate it. Sometimes you just need to watch a movie that's depressing, horrifying, and gross to forget your problems.
Miss Cellania's Links
Trump wants $230 million from DOJ for investigating him. It's pretty much a done deal now that his personal lawyers run the DOJ. (via Fark)
The Only Recording of Woody Guthrie Singing the Protest Song "Deportee" Has Been Released for the First Time. Inspired by a harrowing incident in 1948. (via Nag on the Lake)
The truth about Lt. Columbo. He wasn't anything but professional in his investigations.
What golden retrievers are like.
I’m a Priest, and My Churchyard Became an Encampment. The book won awards, but they tore down the encampment. (via Metafilter)
Do You Know the Marree Man? Who created this giant geoglyph in the Australian Outback?
Mosquitoes Found in Iceland for the First Time. That's climate change. (via Damn Interesting)
John William Polidori was treated as a fifth wheel and a servant by his employer, Lord Byron. He took revenge by inventing the modern vampire. (via Strange Company)
Halloween Levitating Star Wars Speeder Costume
Imagine walking on the street in New York and seeing Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia driving by in one of those levitating speeder bikes from Return of the Jedi! YouTuber Jesse Wellens and model Carmella Rose took a ride around New York in their Star Wars Halloween costumes and delighted everyone with their speeder bike. Well, everyone except a stormtrooper (Casey Neistat) who thought they were going too fast. And then a NYPD officer. Oops. See how the speeder bike was built in this video and how the stunt was filmed in this video. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Acorn
The guy next door to me has seven very large mature oak trees. In the fall, they produced tons of leaves and constantly dropping acorns, until I can no longer go out on my deck barefoot, although that's not the squirrels' fault. It's a soundtrack of plink, plink, plink, and an occasional PLONK when a nut falls from my black walnut tree. I'd much rather be hit on the head by an acorn than by a walnut. This comic is from Jimmy Craig at They Can Talk.
Tuesday, October 21, 2025
The Monster Slash
Elle Cordova update "The Monster Mash" for 2025. If you can't see the video, which happens sometimes with Instagram, you can see it here.
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