(via Bad Newspaper)
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Ancestors Show Up in Your Time of Need
In the original Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi returns from the dead to remind Luke to trust the Force. In The Lion King, Mufasa appears in the clouds to advise Simba. Mulan had a whole group of deceased ancestors watching out for her. And if I recall correctly, something similar happened in Field of Dreams. Movies often have inspiring scenes of the lessons we learned from our forefathers coming back to save us when we really need it. But how far back can you go before the wisdom of our beloved relatives is totally useless? Don't mind the length of the video, the skit is only 3:50.
Dizzy
Dizzy was a feral cat that has become a cuddlebug. She has crossed eyes and some special needs that mean she needs daily medication. She's turned out to be quite a wonderful companion for the folks who were willing to step up for her.
The Risks of Eating Raw Fish
We eat other living things, which are likely to contain parasites. Plant parasites don't worry us much because they are usually only dangerous to plants. But meat, on the other hand, sometimes has parasites that can survive inside us. Commercial meat producing facilities have made great strides in reducing parasites. Wild animals are more likely to contain them, but we don't worry about it because we cook our food.
But then there's sushi and sashimi, which are more popular than ever. Can you get parasites from eating raw fish? Yes, if you catch your own fish and take it home and make your own fresh sashimi. Fish vendors, food processors, and restaurants have strict procedures to kill parasites before you have a chance to consume them. MinuteFood goes through the process, so you can stop worrying about it. I've never worried about it because I don't like fish and would never eat it raw anyway. This video is seven minutes long; the rest is an ad. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Dinosaur, a Film by Nathan and His Dad
Four-year-old Nathan Mezquida tells a story he made up about dinosaurs. His dad, Allen Mezquida, animated his drawings to tell it.
Nathan spends hours drawing every day, mostly dinosaurs. He also loves watching BBC documentaries about dinosaurs. Next thing I knew, we were working on this short film together. Nathan was very clear about the story he wanted to tell and how he wanted it to look. He said he wanted it to be very real, "never cartoony." I did my best to stay true to his vision.(via Laughing Squid)
Monday, February 23, 2026
About Looney Tunes
The Warner Bros. animated shorts we know as Looney Tunes were so successful and so enduring because they didn't play to children. They were funny to everyone! They were made to run in theaters, in front of Warner bros. movies, so they often had stars from those classic films in them. But they didn't have to be respectful. After all, they were, first and foremost, funny. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has acquired Looney Tunes, and made this video to welcome them. (via the Awesomer)
Kids React to Rotary Phones
Warning: this will make you feel ancient. Dial phones were replaced by push-button phones when these kids’ parents were children (although that wasn’t universal -remember when we had to pay an extra fee for touchtone service?), so it’s no surprise they don’t know how to use them. But when you hear them try to figure out how to send a text on a rotary phone, it strikes home how different the world they are growing up in really is. (via Metafilter)
Update: Want to feel even older? This video is 11 years old. All these kids are adults now.
The Secrets of Silk
Up until 552 AD, Europe paid dearly for a luxurious fabric from China called silk. It was lightweight but strangely strong, felt good against the skin, and came in amazing colors and patterns. What was it made of? How did they produce such beautiful fabric with it? That was a mystery that China was careful not to reveal, because they were making a ton of money sending silk along a trade route that became known as the Silk Road. They kept the existence of the silk worm, and the food it ate. But they also had some really advanced technology for fabric production that worked on principles that eventually made their way into our modern computers.
This simple video of the silk making process is more interesting than it has any right to be. There's a 70-second skippable ad at 4:07. (via Damn Interesting)
Miss Cellania's Links
Animal rescue is extra difficult (and dangerous) when a trapped critter can still move around a lot.
‘Smart Underwear’ could help unlock secrets of human flatulence. (via Damn Interesting)
How far back can you understand English? Try it going back one century at a time. (via Metafilter)
‘Mystical’ Kitten With Enormous Eyes Is Not AI — She’s A Rare Survivor. (via Fark)
The Trip That Changed Me: How Antarctica Shattered Daniela Hernandez’s Sense of Self.
Front-Page Felines: 10 Heroic Cats of Yesteryear. (via Strange Company)
Why is Trump trying to send a hospital ship to Greenland?
Routine medical procedures can feel harder for women – here’s why. (via Metafilter)
Origins of the Moonwalk
Awesome footwork going back to the dawn of the film age. Too bad we can't watch dancers from even earlier. (via Everlasting Blort)
Sunday, February 22, 2026
Loop
This wordless animation tells the story of a place where people are on a loop. They do the same thing all the time, in perfect synchronization, in a perfect rhythm. That is, until the day someone throws a wrench in to everything by -gasp- doing something different. That will not do! (via kottke)
The Coen Brothers' Circles
Next time you're watching a Coen brothers film, keep your eye out for the big centered circle. It's always there somewhere, often changing sizes. You've probably seen most of them in this supercut by Ariel Avissar. (via Laughing Squid)
Deadly Sibling Rivalry
Living species have varying reproductive strategies. Plants and insects produce as many offspring as possible because most of them will not survive. Mammals produce fewer offspring, but devote lots of time and energy to keep them alive. Then there are some species, like certain fishes and birds, that nurture their young while not getting too attached to them. They depend on sibling rivalry to cull the herd, so to speak, and keep only the fittest as their surviving progeny. MinuteEarth introduces us to some families that actually encourage offspring to kill each other. It seems a cruel strategy, but nature is only interested in what works. The video is only 2:25; the rest is an ad.
Dancing with the Neighbors
Michael Callaghan decided it was time that he got to know his neighbors, and he came up with a genius way to do it: ask them for a favor, and make it fun! He went door to door and asked each neighbor to come over and dance with him for a music video. He didn't mention if anyone refused, but plenty of them said yes. While you're doing something like this, you get to know their names, interests, and how friendly they are. Or at least how well they dance. When he throws a party, he'll know exactly who to invite. He's trying to start a trend with #NeighborDanceChallenge. We'll see how that goes. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Saturday, February 21, 2026
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter was made in tandem with the earlier Billy The Kid Versus Dracula to be shown as a double feature. It makes sense for Western-horror fans. Jesse James meets a woman who is the granddaughter (despite the title) of Dr. Victor Frankenstein. She, of course, moved to the US to kidnap children, replace their brains, and make them her slaves. James just wants to rob stagecoaches, but he is lured into saving the day. (Thanks, WTM!)
The Salad Frog
Most people become disgusted when they find a foreign object in their food, and even more so when that object is alive. Musician Simon Curtis, on the other hand, didn't lose it when he found a frog in his lettuce. Making a simple salad in the middle of the night turned out to be an adventure he never expected. He kept the frog in the lettuce container because it was too cold to put it outside. Well, Tony, as he named the frog, didn't want to stay in the plastic box. He didn't just get out of the box, he wandered from room to room exploring his new home, and getting pretty dirty in the process. You have to admire Tony's adventurous spirit, but you also don't want to step on a frog just walking through the house. Simon went from simply not wanting the frog to die to showering his new pet with everything a little frog could want in life. Tony lucked out!
The Trailer for Toy Story 5
The original Toy Story hits theaters in 1995, so an entire generation has grown up and produced their own children since then. The toys have learned to deal with children growing up and leaving them behind, only to find new children to play with. But what happens when a child decides regular toys aren't fun anymore because they now have an iPad? Excuse me, this device is a "Lilypad" in the new movie Toy Story 5. Can the toys tear Bonnie away from her screen long enough to play with them anymore? You know Woody, Buzz, and the gang will come up with a scheme or two to make that happen. Toy Story 5 will open nationwide on June 19.
A Macaroni Recipe From 1784
Jon Townsend (previously) cooks up a little macaroni and cheese from a recipe published in 1784. Along the way, we get a bit of history about the term "macaroni" in the sense that it was used in the song "Yankee Doodle." But that has nothing to do with food. This dish is pretty basic, but sounds delicious. Several comments under the video asked where the nutmeg is. I had never heard of macaroni and cheese with nutmeg, but apparently there are a lot of recipes that call for it. Townsends has their own blog about historical recipes and food, aimed at use in reenactments, called Savoring the Past. (via reddit)
Friday, February 20, 2026
Myrt and Marge
Myrt and Marge is a 1933 showbiz film about vaudeville. A revue is facing closure, so the cast forms a co-op to keep it going- if they can find some new talent. It's the classic "let's put on a show to save the" ...show. What's notable is that we also see Ted Healy and his Stooges before they became The Three Stooges. Myrt and Marge was a cinematic flop and was rarely seen again, but it's quite funny in places. (Thanks, WTM!)
The Professor of Gilligan's Island
How could the professor, Dr. Roy Hinkley, build all those useful gadgets and not be able to repair the Minnow? There's a perfectly reasonable explanation, and it's not just plot armor.
A Dog Competes in Olympic Cross-country Skiing
The eyes of the world were drawn to an Olympic preliminary qualifying round in the women's cross-country skiing event in Tésero, Italy, on Wednesday. A large dog joined in the race and was even caught on Omega's official timekeeping camera as he crossed the finish line.
The dog was identified as a Czechoslovakian wolfdog named Nazgul, who belongs to a family who runs a local bed and breakfast. His owners speculated that Nazgul wanted to follow his family as they left for a different Olympic event, and broke out of the house. While the wolfdog surprised and unnerved some of the competitors, his presence did not affect the results of the heat, since the qualifying skiers had already crossed the finish line. That's a good dog.
Miss Cellania's Links
USA wins gold in women's figure skating. See Alysa Liu's free skate routine.
With an Experiment in Their Basement Photo Lab, Two Brothers Created a Paint That Outshines Them All. (via Damn Interesting)
In Defense of Bar Soap.
The Incredible Elephant Stables of Hampi.
Movie Heroes Who Are Actually Kind of Horrible If You Think About It. Movies count on you not thinking about it.
A Unique Property For Sale In Pennsylvania.
A powerful tribute dance performed in Washington, DC. (via Everlasting Blort)
"[W]hat if i told you, through the power of forensic analysis, we are closer than ever to knowing the exact Far Side cartoon that is making Sting smile in this iconic photo." I'm impressed with what people do in their too much free time. (via Metafilter)
Hitler’s Greenland Obsession. After creating an economic mess with ill-advised tariffs, Hitler looked north in pursuit of resources and national security. (via Damn Interesting)
Gâteau Gato, the Chocolate Cat Zoetrope
Gâteau Gato means "cat cake," but this is much more. Artist Alexandre Dubosc created a beautiful chocolate zoetrope that displays animated cats! Yeah, how could anyone combine chocolate cake, cats, and animation and not have a winner? You'll recognize Maneki Neko playing the piano, Felix, Nyan Cat, Yin-Yang Cat, and Grumpy Cat on this cake. There are other cats, plus mice, fish, and a big cat head on top with teeth! Notice the different language spellings of the word "meow" as well. (via Laughing Squid)
Microwave
Inventor of the microwave: This machine will cook dinner faster than a stove or oven. Consumer: How hot does the food get? I: Very hot, like the surface of the sun. C: Oh wow, that’s incre– I: But only some of it. C: Come again? I: The rest stays frozen.
— kottke.org (@kottke.org) February 17, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Thursday, February 19, 2026
The Cameraman on the Ice
Every time the Olympics roll around, there are new technologies to show us the action up close. You've seen camera drones following skiers and sledders down the course. In figure skating, we now have a camera man on the ice! Jordan Cowan is a former competitive ice dancer who now carries a steadicam onto the rink. No, he's not skating around during Olympic competition, but only approaches the competitor when their routine is through to see their reactions up close. However, Cowan is out on the ice during practice routines and exhibition performances. Check out some of his work at his YouTube channel.
Chain of Command
Colonel Sergeant is confusing enough, but someone in the comments also pointed out commander lieutenant general Admiral. (via reddit)
Owl in Trouble
Mike and Brian got close to take a picture of an owl, but the owl couldn't move because he was tangled in fishing line. That poor bird must have been so exhausted and frightened! This is why it's always a good idea to carry a knife out in the woods.
Humanoid Robots Dancing with Children
The annual Spring Festival Gala is a "must see" TV production in China, broadcast on the eve of the Lunar New year. This year's show featured dancing by humanoid robots developed by several Chinese robotics firms. The robots danced, flipped, jumped, and performed martial arts moves. They were joined by a group of children dancing onstage, which was impressive due to the danger it implied. This performance was designed to impress the world, but Western roboticists emphasize that dancing robots don't need to have situational awareness in order to adapt to changing conditions like industrial robots would. But they can sure put on a show. (via Laughing Squid)
Why Do Cameras Do This?
Now that panoramic photos are widely available on phones, you see weird camera effects more and more often. Destin Sandlin of Smarter Every Day explains the rolling shutter effect and why it happens. Wait until you see what the effect does to a fidget spinner, a guitar, and a spinning coin! (via Everlasting Blort)
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
American Obituary
U2 released a surprise six-track EP today called Days of Ash, no doubt to coincide with Ash Wednesday. The song "American Obituary" is about Renee Good. Bono said he started writing it the day after she was shot by ICE agent Jonathon Ross. The other songs on the EP deal with subjects like Ukraine and Gaza. U2 is planning to release an album later this year (their first since 2017), but these songs couldn't wait.
Get a Big Dish of Beef Chow Mein
The person who posted this didn't even know the reference, and went in a totally different direction. (via reddit)
The Fat Problem
We know that being overweight is bad for our health, but Kurzgesagt tells us why down to the molecular level. And it's not just one thing, but an entire constellation of effects that excess fat can have on us. Carrying more weight than is healthy will screw up every organ in your body sooner or later. If you think of a hundred ways to die, 99 of them are liable to be due to excess fat. It's pretty scary, especially right after you've splurged on a fast food meal. However, it's better to understand what's going on than to just die in ignorance.
The horror is somewhat assuaged by the googly eyes on our cells and organs when they are under stress, and by the forces of evolution that are illustrated by opossums. This video is only 9:12; the rest is an ad.
AI Chat
After a while, he got tired of that, and dialed the level to 100. The machine began discussing celebrities and TV shows, and that was fun for a while.
But then out of curiosity, the guy dialed the IQ level down to 50.
The machine said, "10-4, good buddy!"
I've never tried chatting with AI, and I have no desire to. The closest I've come is trying to get an answer about a utility service, and I had no choice. At least I found out how to escalate to a real person. But surely this joke could be updated to be relevant in 2026. What would be the punch line?
The Mandalorian and Grogu
Seven years after the last feature film, Star Wars is coming back to theaters, with The Mandalorian and Grogu. The film takes the place of a planned season four of the TV show The Mandalorian. Grogu (who we all cane to know as "baby Yoda") is still cute, still young, but appears slightly older and more in touch with the Force. We get to see Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver. And a line from Din Djarin sets up his fierce devotion to Grogu and his fears for the future. There's very little plot revealed in the trailer. You'll find a very detailed breakdown of what we learn from this trailer at Gizmodo. The Mandalorian and Grogu will open in theaters, including IMAX theaters, on May 22.
Miss Cellania's Links
Can you recreate a color from memory? Test yourself with the Color Memory Game. (via Metafilter)
My Beauty Uniform: Felicity Aston. A polar explorer explains her beauty routine (via kottke)
The Runner Ducks of Minnesota is a satisfying TikTok channel. Every day the farmer opens up their pen, and the ducks run to assess whether going out to play is worth it that day. (via Nag on the Lake)
Win or lose, they all had fun playing this game. Warning: contagious laughter.
A 13-Year-Old With Autism Got Arrested After His Backpack Sparked Fear. Only His Stuffed Bunny Was Inside.
Dogs in winter. Contains NSFW language. (via Everlasting Blort)
Rolling Stone Readers Vote 'Disco Duck' as the Worst Song of the 1970s. It had a lot of competition. (via Fark)
American Kids Used to Eat Everything. The term "picky eater" only came about in the 20th century. (via Damn Interesting)
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
The Valley of Gwangi
The Valley of Gwangi came out in 1969 and could be described simply as "cowboys and dinosaurs." When I finally saw it many years later on TV, I enjoyed it but was under the impression that it was a much older film. Maybe it was because of the Ray Harryhausen stop-motion. After all, in 1969 we also got Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and we already had 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Valley of Gwangi didn't have the production values it should have, since all the money and effort went into the special effects. The plot was rather recognizable as that of King Kong. The movie didn't do well in theaters because it had no promotion at all. But its popularity grew in the years afterward, and it has become a cult classic.
Iko Iko
The song "Iko Iko" has been recorded by many musicians, the most popular being this version from The Dixie Cups recorded in 1964 during an informal jam with no instruments, just drumsticks banging on furniture. But it was written by James Crawford in 1953, and recorded with the title "Jock-a-Mo." There were years of litigation between Crawford and the Dixie Cups over the rights to the song.
"Iko Iko" is a Mardi Gras song. Crawford wrote the lyrics from phrases he heard during a confrontation between two Mardi Gras Indian groups during a parade in New Orleans. Crawford did not know what the words meant. Read more about the song's fascinating history at Wikipedia. (via She Who Seeks)
Jane Austin's Period Drama
The Regency-era romance novels of Jane Austin defined an entire literary genre. They lend themselves well to cinema, with lush historical settings and the strictly-defined etiquette of the upper crust. We call these movies period dramas. Sketch comedy writers Julia Aks and Steve Pinder saw a pun in the term, and went to great lengths with it, turning a period drama into a comedy of errors.
Mr. James Dickley is about to propose marriage to Miss Estrogenia Talbot when she starts her menstrual period. The clueless Dickley assumes she has been injured, and escalates the situation to a ridiculous degree. The short Jane Austin's Period Drama is up for the Oscar for Live Action Short Film at the 98th Academy Awards. If you want to know more after watching it, Wikipedia has you covered.
Patient Awakes from Anesthesia, Proposes to Nurse
Paris Ferguson had a car wreck and broke her arm. They gave her some good drugs at the hospital, since they didn't know what other injuries she had. As she came out of surgery and woke up, all her inhibitions fell away, and she proposed to the cute nurse, Luke, who was tending to her. Luke alternated between laughing and blushing. Paris later made a video telling the whole story, which is pretty long. (via Digg)
O Printer! My Printer!
Mr. T-blog sent me a poem (Thanks!). It was inspired by the loss of TWO printers in a span of only two months. I can relate to the magnitude of this disaster. Apologies to Walt Whitman.
O Printer! my Printer! our fearful trip is done,
The laserjet has weather’d every rack, the PPM we sought is won,
The USB port is near, the drum roller I hear, the users all expletiving,
While follow eyes the DPI, the copy jam grim and daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of ink,
Where on the desk my Printer lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
My Printer does not answer, his papertrays are pale and still,
My HP does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The laserjet is recycled safe and sound, its voyage closed and done,
From Staples trip the victor ship comes in with replacement won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Watch the desk my Printer lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
-Mr T-blog
Monday, February 16, 2026
The Radio Quiz
Old folks lament that young folks don't know how to hold a regular conversation with other people, but that nothing new. This episode of I Love Lucy was way back in the 1950s (that will become evident), and people had the same problem back then. We had TV to avoid talking the same way people use phones today to avoid interacting with each other. At some point they give up and listen to the radio, and find that Ricky knows more about American history than anyone. I'm not surprised. He obviously studied for the US citizenship test.
He Survived Both Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6th, 1945, the US military dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan, and killed 70,000 people. Another 70,000 would die later from injuries and radiation within a few weeks. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. The Japanese, not knowing how many bombs the US had (which was two), surrendered and ended World War II.
Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima when the first bomb detonated. He was severely injured, but managed to get back to his home in Nagasaki and go to his job just in time for the second bomb to be dropped. What are the odds? Weird History tells the story of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, who survived both bombs and became a staunch advocate for nuclear disarmament later in life. There's a skippable promotional break from 2:03 to 3:13.
Speaking of the odds, back in 2012, Neatorama published an article about the approximately 165 people who fled Hiroshima after the bombing and went to Nagasaki for safety. Read about these nijyuu hibakusha, or "double bomb-affected people" in The Unluckiest Train Ride.
Weird Al Yankovic Describes EVERY United States President
For President's Day, Weird Al Yankovic made a supercut of all of them. US presidents, that is. Each president is matched with a clip from a Weird Al Yankovic song that illustrates a bit of trivia about them. The trivia is in the caption at the bottom, and the song is identified in the lower-right corner. This reveals that Weird Al has a very deep discography, and our presidents have been weird.
Miss Cellania's Links
2026 Winter Olympics Village Ran Out Of Condoms After Just 3 Days. The article contains many double entendres. (via Metafilter)
Men lose their Y chromosome as they age. Scientists thought it didn’t matter – but now we’re learning more. (via Damn Interesting)
Which Country Has Won The Most Winter Olympic Medals? (via Nag on the Lake)
It's not easy to fly a plane. Luckily, no one died. (via Memo of the Air)
Scientists find evidence that ancient Romans used human poo as medicine. (via Strange Company)
Meet the Splayd, the spork's sharper Australian cousin.
Courts have ruled 4,400 times that ICE jailed people illegally. It hasn’t stopped. (via Fark)
A Modern Fairy Tale: The story of the sad little skiing prince who lost his princess, but thought an international press interview and a tearful, uninvited confession would bring her back. (via Metafilter)
I Want to Take You Higher
Watching Tina and the Ikettes shimmying in those high heels makes me tired. This performance from Ike and Tia Turner was an Italian TV appearance in 1971.
Sunday, February 15, 2026
How That False Alarm Happened
In 2018, residents of Hawaii received an alert of incoming missiles,
with a tag that "this is not a drill." Panic ensued, and it was 38
minutes before the news followed that it was a false alarm. How did it
happen? The explanation was that an employee pushed the wrong button.
There is speculation that it was an option in a drop-down menu. The
video above is an easy explanation, because it's happened to all of us. (via reddit)
Airbnb Surprises
What you see is not always what you get. But sometimes your lodging can come with a bonus. (via Everlasting Blort)
7 American Phrases That Completely Baffle Brits
It's not surprising that contemporary slang sometimes becomes a lasting phrase, but often it stays in its original nation. Every place has shortcuts that are incomprehensible to outsiders. Laurence Brown looks at some American phrases that we all know, but puzzle other English-speaking countries. You might not realize how weird they are. There's a 90-second skippable ad at 2:50.
The converse video is here, about British phrases that baffle Americans. I was baffled by none of them.
Vintage "Rasputin"
Alexey Rom programmed a century-old Marenghi Organ to play the disco hit "Raputin" by Boney-M. This 81-key organ was built in 1905. My piano is older than that, but mine will never be in tune again. (via Boing Boing)
Saturday, February 14, 2026
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