(via Fark)
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Houdini Cat Encounters Water Trap
Sven has a cat named Muldar who is a genius. He wants what he wants and no one is going to stop him. Closing the door? Pfft! Muldar will just open it. Set a pan of water in front of the door? Not a problem. For Muldar. It's a problem for Sven. Sven noted that the water pan was added to keep Muldar from scratching at the door, and that putting a round knob on the door (as has been recently suggested) would make no difference. I concur; Muldar would just figure out how to open a door with a round knob. (via reddit)
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Sleeping Beauty
Fractured Fairy Tales turns the tale of Sleeping Beauty on its head by giving it a more modern twist. It doesn't work, and the story gets more ridiculous by the minute.
The Influence of Metropolis
The 1927 silent movie Metropolis gave audiences a fantasy glimpse a hundred years into the future. The movie was groundbreaking in its special effects, and influenced all science fiction films that came afterward. The plot was more political, and wasn't all that impressive to viewers of the time. H.G. Wells called it "silly." Yet modern audiences recognize history from the movie's elements.
The influence of Metropolis on later films is undeniable. It gave us the classic humanoid robot, cities with flying vehicles, the mad scientist, not to mention innovative filmmaking techniques still used today. (via Laughing Squid)
An Honest Trailer for the Oscars
In the event that you haven't seen any of the nominees for Best Picture at the 2026 Academy Awards, you might learn enough about them from the Honest Trailer to form some kind of opinion on who should win. Don't laugh, I have seen exactly none of them, but I probably will catch a few in the next couple of years on TV. Whether I will make that effort at all depends on who wins and what Screen Junkies can tell us about them. The only one that has been recommended to me is Sinners, but they are all rated pretty highly.
There's plenty of fun in the Honest Trailer. I'm going to put "Thousand Island stare" in my backpack to pull out at the proper time. That's golden. The best part is at the end, where they make a supercut showing how all these movies are the same, or at least incorporate all the same elements. The 98th Academy Awards will be bestowed this Sunday night.
Miss Cellania's Links
Saint Michel d'Aiguilhe – the Chapel Built atop a Volcanic Plug.
Man Rushes to the Hospital After Turning Blue. He's alright now. (via Fark)
ChatGPT has all the answers. This one might be "No."
In 25-Country Survey, Americans Especially Likely To View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad. (via Nag on the Lake)
The Dark History of 'Hysteria.'
"Free oysters to any man 80 yaers old accompanied by his father." Someone finally collects.
Documents Reveal a Web of Financial Ties Between Trump Officials and the Industries They Help Regulate. Is anyone surprised? (via Boing Boing)
When you are young, anything new can be frightening. (via Everlasting Blort)
New Star Wars Soundtracks
David Unger came up with alternative music for Star Wars. He says,
The minute I saw Star Wars The Last Jedi in theaters, this song popped into my head during that scene, and I knew that I had to wait until the DVD to make this. That time is now. Hope you enjoy.While he was at it, he tagged on scenes from other Star Wars films with different music. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Must Resist
My secret life as a cat.
— Jeff Smith (@thecomichunter.bsky.social) March 6, 2026 at 4:38 PM
[image or embed]
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
War or Not War
It's a matter of semantics. According to the Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war. That hasn't happened since 1942. But if you call it something else....
Stealing Kittens
I have opinions about people letting their cats get pregnant, but we don't know the story here. Maybe they are all foster cats. Thanks to the common scheme of naming cats for food of the same color, we can keep Cheeto and Mellow straight. Cheeto kept taking Mellow's kittens away! It was alarming at first, but her intentions become clear as time goes on.
Using AI to Write an Email
A couple of other blogging platforms I use (not Neatorama) are always asking me to use AI to write a blog post. That seems infinitely silly because if I typed up what I wanted it to write, the post is therefore written. That's understandable because I am a blogger. But social media and even my email service wants me to use AI, and I don't wanna. I know how to write a letter to communicate. Ryan George explains what could go wrong, and that's a lot.
However, there are some uses for AI writing that may actually be helpful. Dr. Dolittle has AI translate her notes into a report that a client can understand. Sure, she could write it herself; she's a good writer, but AI saves her time. Still, she reads the finished product before sharing it.
Slow Mo Kittens
Gavin Free and Dan Gruchy, the Slow Mo Guys, have a segment from an of their YouTube series The Super Slow Show in which they pander to us with a "montage of lovely, fluffy, soft, 4K kittens." I'm down with that. If you want to rationalize the time you take to watch this video, you could term it educational. Call it a study of how kittens move as they learn how to be graceful cats. But you and I know the real pull is the raw joy of watching kittens play. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Monday, March 09, 2026
Kiss Him Goodbye
I recall the day in 1987 that my boss said, "I'm not going to tell you what song this is, or who does it, I just want you to listen." That happened a lot back then. I recognized the song within seconds, but it was different. This is the Canadian a cappella group The Nylons. The song might not be as close to my heart as the original, but I loved this from that first listen. You can hear the studio version here.
Purrsephone
Purrsephone got a foster mom, Emilie, through the Elmbrook Humane Society while she was pregnant. She was so shy and scared that Emilie was worried about the kittens. No need. She became a great mama not only to her kittens, but to another stray who needed her.
Brazilian Pysanky
@vilsonpessanka A Arte da Pêssanka - Um Momento de Magia em Suas Mãos Você já sentiu aquela paz quando se entrega completamente a algo, esquecendo até do tempo? A pêssanka é exatamente isso: um convite para pausar, respirar e criar beleza com suas próprias mãos. Cada traço de cera, cada mergulho nas cores vibrantes... não é apenas um ovo que se transforma - é você que entra em um estado de presença quase meditativo. Enquanto o mundo corre lá fora, aqui dentro você encontra seu ritmo. Os sÃmbolos e padrões da pêssanka falam diretamente ao coração: proteção, esperança, renovação. Sensações que todos buscamos, não importa de onde viemos. Não é preciso ser artista. Não é preciso conhecer tradições. A beleza da pêssanka está no processo - na forma como ela nos convida a desacelerar e criar algo único com nossas mãos. Em tempos de telas e notificações constantes, essa antiga prática nos reconecta com algo que todos precisamos: o poder transformador de criar com intenção e presença. ➡️ Siga meu perfil e descubra como trazer esse momento de magia para sua vida. #pessanka #pysanky #pysanka #pisanka ♬ fundo de vÃdeo - Majorzin
Brazilian artist Vilson Kotviski creates beautiful Pysanky Easter eggs in the traditional Ukrainian batik method: design, wax protection, dye, wax protection, dye, repeat as indicated. Then remove the wax to reveal the beautiful artwork. Read more about Kotviski and see more of his work here. (via Memo of the Air)
Miss Cellania's Links
Bombing brown people hasn't changed 34 years later. It's George Carlin, so contains very much NSFW language. (via Metafilter)
Birds who sew.
John Dillinger and the Crown Point Escape of 1934: The Wooden Gun That Changed American Policing.
5 Bad Driver Habits Guaranteed To Annoy Everyone Else On The Road.
Posthumous Marriage. A French law passed as a kindness to one woman led to a class of instant widows. (via Nag on the Lake)
The Absinthe Enthusiasts Hiding Bottles in the Swiss Woods.
Six Bizarre Movies That Are Actually Fun to Watch. (via Metafilter)
"The law in question is Florida Statute 1007.25, which is, frankly, incoherent." It boils down to "don't go to school in Florida." (via Fark)
Pigs in Space with Luke Skywalker
In January of 1980, Mark Hamill appeared on The Muppet Show to drum up excitement for The Empire Strikes Back. It was a great excuse to pull out Pigs in Space.
Perception
He's managing that all by himself, Pete .. (cartoon Rick McKee)
— Wolf Hour (@wolfhour.bsky.social) March 7, 2026 at 9:06 AM
[image or embed]
Sunday, March 08, 2026
Can't Help Falling In Love
The song was made famous by Elvis Presley in 1961, but what if Queen did it in their operatic style? Anthony Vincent shows us what that would sound like, by singing all the parts. (via Memo of the Air)
Homemade Rocket Revolver
A handheld rocket launcher is bad enough, so how about one that carries three rockets at a time? The YouTuber called Current Concept has a 3D printer and plenty of time, so that seemed like a challenge- the kind that will get you a knock on the door from some government agency. Still, he started out knowing nothing about rockets, so the main part of the story is figuring out how his rockets failed so hilariously. And they failed in every kind of way.
The next challenge was to design the revolver, which he skips through quickly. Maybe it's because he didn't want anyone to try this at home for national security reasons, but I believe it's because it wasn't quite as funny as the rockets. The rocket revolver finally worked! And you'll be glad to hear that the only one injured was himself. There's a sponsor message from 4:28 to 5:13. (via Born in Space)
Iran War Press Conference
The opening skit for last night's Saturday Night Live featured SecDef Hegseth telling us how we feel about the war with Iran. Except we suddenly can't call it a war because that would involve congress, and we can't have that.
This is Extremely Dangerous to Our Democracy
Don't ever think that your local station is really producing their own opinions and editorials these days. The script is from the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which now owns a bunch of local stations across the country, no matter what network their logo says. More here. (via reddit)
Reminder
Yes, I will be able to sleep until 5AM instead of getting up at 4AM. But I am also meeting Dr. Dolittle and Dr. Engineer for lunch, half way between here and Nashville. Our meeting place is in a different time zone, and takes a couple of hours to get there. This may get confusing.Time change tonight eh. Does your area participate and if they do, does it affect you much?
— Grampa Jody (@jodywagner.bsky.social) March 7, 2026 at 11:37 AM
[image or embed]
Saturday, March 07, 2026
Chicken Run
Chicken Run is a 2000 Aardman Features movie. In its initial run, it became the highest-grossing stop-motion animated film in history. It was also Dreamworks' biggest movie ever until Shrek came out. All these years later. it holds a 97% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.
Rescuing a Stranded Juvenile Deer
This creek in a New Jersey forest has concrete walls on both sides that extend for miles. People on both sides noticed a fawn that had fallen in, and wasn't able to scale the wall to get back out. He was pretty small, and was injured besides. Local people kept returning to the site to see if he was still there, and that went on for two weeks. It became clear he wasn't going to get out on his own, so they called The Last Resort Wildlife Refuge. Nancy Warner responded and took stock of the situation. This would require some work. A carpenter and crew built a custom set of stairs for the deer! A bit of time and some deer chow, and the stairs did their work. The two weeks the deer spent in the ravine were recovery time for the injury, and now he is free to find his family.
Rubber Hose Animation
It's hard to get anyone to watch a live-action film from a hundred years ago because they are black and white and silent. But animated cartoons? They are still hilarious a hundred years later. Line drawings hold up better over time, and dialogue isn't necessary when the visuals are funny. Cartoons utilized funny scenarios that can't possibly happen in real life. The mayhem included animated body parts stretching like rubber hoses. This rubber hose animation made cartoons big hits in the 1920s, and we still watch them today.
Rubber hose animation enlivened cartoons of the 1920s and '30s, then Disney came along with color and dialogue and realism and superseded the bizarre slapstick of rubber hose animation. More's the pity, but we still have those old cartoons.
Bill Nye Lists Science Slang
Science has slang? You betcha! Just ask anyone who's ever referred to a thagomizer. In this video, Bill Nye, the Science Guy, lets us in on some of the shortcuts scientists and science writers use. Read more about the spherical cow here. It's obvious that scientists are the coolest nerds there are. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Intimidation
— Marti Lawrence (@marti-l.bsky.social) March 1, 2026 at 6:59 PM
I feel intimidates, how about you?
Friday, March 06, 2026
Wormy
I don't know why they named this cat Wormy; maybe it means something different in Lebanese. But he was found on the street injured and infected. One leg was beyond saving, but Wormy made an amazing turnaround in a loving foster home.
PetSmart
I'm sure you've been puzzled by the meaning of a brand name at least once in your life, and found no one to ask that could shed a light on it. You may have found more confusion among those around you, as some see it one way and others have always seen it a totally different way, and neither side has ever considered the other interpretation. Musician Ben Lapidus took a fresh look at the logo for PetSmart and saw how ambiguous it is. There's only one thing to do- write a song about it, and make it heavy metal so everyone will pay attention to this matter. Lucky for us, PetSmart saw Lapidus' video and issued a response.
Aren't you glad that's been cleared up and for all? (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
A compilation of screaming kittens.
One of the Allies’ Secret Weapons Against the Nazis Was a 21-Year-Old Woman Armed With a Microphone and a Script of Lies.
Lucky Ducky gets replaced by Digital Ducky! He latest from Tom the Dancing Bug.
Original Concept Designs of Beloved Disney Characters That Almost Looked Completely Different, Part 2.
The World’s Smallest Boat? How Andrew Bedwell built his 100cm boat to sail across the Atlantic. (via Messy Nessy Chic)
The translation you've always wanted.
The Most Accurately Predicted Genocide in History. There was satellite imagery, survivor testimony, and mass graves. Still, the world looked away from Sudan. (via Damn Interesting)
If I Fits, I Sits
We know cats are liquid, as they take the shape of their container. And cats love any kind of container: boxes, dishes, shelves, closets, bags, or whatever they can get into. We might even call a cat a "container-seeking liquid." Chris Poole has recorded video of his cats Cole and Marmalade ever since they were kittens. Here is a compilation that shows how they like to try on any kind of container to see if they fit. And if they fits, they sits! (via Tastefully Offensive)
Thursday, March 05, 2026
Touche’ Mustachios
How does one inflict damage with a pencil? By drawing on your opponent. Then one duelist figures out how to make himself more intimidating, a decision that may have won the competition but that he regrets the next day. You might recall the Bent Objects series of whimsical sculptures made by Terry Border. Border is back, with his first old-fashioned stop-motion version of his signature objects. (Thanks, Terry!)
Useless Advertising
This vintage ad is pleasant enough. It has cats! But what is it advertising? A servant cat is either dressing or undressing a kitten, so... children's clothing? Laundry soap? Nannies? No, this is an ad for the White Sewing Machine Company, despite no text or illustration of the product. I ran into this a lot in radio advertising. Clients would write their own ad copy and never mention where the store was or what they sold, besides "merchandise." They assumed everyone already knew, which undercuts the very purpose of advertising. (via Undine)
Caring for a Dog with Dementia
Tanner has had a hard life. This dachshund has some jaw anomalies that aren't explained, and that make him look quite odd until you get used to him. He was rescued from his longtime home where he was neglected and possibly abused. After quite a while in a shelter, Tanner lucked out in being taken in by Hannah, who is not only a rescuer of aging dachshunds, but also a feeding specialist.
But Tanner is almost 18 years old, and has developed doggy dementia, which is a real thing.Tanner is lucky to have Hannah to help him remember how to eat and drink, and how to get out from under a chair. You can keep up with Tanner and the other dachshunds of Ancient Weenies at Instagram.
What is a Lie?
When is a lie a lie? That may seem like a simple question on the surface, but there are many factors to consider. When you say something complimentary to avoid insulting someone with your honest opinion, we call it a "white lie," but it's still a falsehood. You could say the same thing about embellishing a story for drama, or about passing along a lie that we don't know is false. How about when you word something in an ambiguous way that gives you plausible deniability? Should we define a lie by the literal words, the intent, or the perception of the listener? Linguist Dr. Erica Brozovsky explains how complicated lying is, from animals that use camouflage to criminal perjury. It's no wonder lie detectors don't work.
More Differences Between New Zealand and Australia
In a followup to his previous video on the differences between Australia and New Zealand, Jordan Watson (also known as the How-to Dad) draws more contrasts between the two. He lives in New Zealand, which he paints as a more peaceful and sensible place. This video delves deeper into the language differences of two English-speaking nations, although he does wander into the wildlife, sports, and geography a bit. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Wednesday, March 04, 2026
Unfortunate Headline
These kids probably don't even know how we used to use the word "husky." (via Bad Newspaper)
A Modern Day Fhqwhgads
Musician and Homestar Runner collaborator Rich Trott gives us a nonsensical mashup of "Tom Sawyer" by Rush and the 2003 animated song "Everybody To The Limit" by Strongbad. If you are wondering what Fhqwhgads means, it's an internet user name Trott came up with, presumably by mashing the keyboard with his fists.
Peter Tork Mouthing Everyone Else's Lines
When a ventriloquist provides a voice for his dummy, the illusion works because you are focused on the dummy delivering the lines and you're not looking at the ventriloquist. In the age of video, you can go back and focus on the ventriloquist and see his/her lips moving. That's the way you should watch this compilation- focus on Peter Tork's lips, not who is actually speaking.
Tork had a habit of mouthing lines that weren't his while shooting the sitcom The Monkees. According to comments at Metafilter, this is very common among beginning actors, because it helps with timing and catching your cue. The real trick is to learn how to keep up with memorized dialogue without moving your lips. As it is, we rarely see it because we focus on the actual speaker.
OR... was Tork actually delivering all the lines in the show, while everyone else just moved their lips? We may never know.
Miss Cellania's Links
Women Experience Longer Lasting Pain Than Men and Scientists Think They Finally Know the Reason Why.
5 Weird Star Trek Merchandise Items.
Does Your Country Need Regime Change? A Quiz. (Thanks, Tim!)
The First Time I Met A White Person.
Every Time a U.S. Presidential Candidate Won the Popular Vote but Lost the Election.
The airline seat called the "Cheek Splitter 9000." (via Neatorama)
Draw a horse and watch it run with the other horses. (via Everlasting Blort)
March could be the best month for the northern lights for nearly a decade — if the sun stays active. (via kottke)
Monty Python Communist Quiz
Famous communist leaders from around the world are assembled for a television show. They assume it will be a political discussion, but this is Monty Python, so that's what what happens. This is from their Hollywood Bowl show.
Tuesday, March 03, 2026
Mango Pineapple Banana Watermelon
Nguyen Thi Mai, also known as Aunty Mai, sang to draw attention to the fruit she sells on a beach in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Local__Lou posted the video at Instagram, where it went viral. The Kiffness found it and added instruments to create this song that will make you hungry for some fresh, sweet, juicy fruit.
Questions 67 & 68
Chicago, performing in Paris in 1969. "Questions 67 & 68" was the first single from their first album, Chicago Transit Authority, which was the band's name until they became well-known and they had to shorten it because the actual Chicago Transit Authority threatened litigation. The song was only a minor hit in 1969, but when it was re-released in 1971, it did much better.
Update: Chicago also released a version of the song in Japanese in 1971. Hear it performed in 1995 at Laughing Squid.
Murder Over Pancreatic Research
Ancient anatomists knew about the pancreas. Still, they didn't know what the organ was for- maybe it was just padding between other organs. German anatomist Johann Wirsung made a discovery about the inner workings of the pancreas, and he was shot and killed for his efforts!
But that was not the last of the violence involving research on the pancreas. As medical science advanced, we learned that the pancreas secreted digestive fluids that contained insulin, necessary for regulating carbohydrates in the body. Could we make insulin ourselves to help people with diabetes? Yes, but it would take a team of great minds to accomplish that, and those minds did not get along. Over hundreds of years, scientists studying the pancreas fought over who would get credit for medical breakthrough, leaving the pancreas with a soap opera of human egos surrounding it.
I Went Golfing with Alice Cooper
In the 1970s, Alice Cooper burst onto the scene with his shock rock about not liking school and not being a nice guy. He wore creepy makeup, brought snakes onstage, and worst of all, he had a woman's name! It was cool to like Cooper because it was subversive, but the songs were good, too. Some years later, it became clear that he was a serious musician who had a great hook for the time, and was a regular guy underneath the makeup. When he made enough money to move to a ritzy neighborhood, he became great friends and played golf with neighbors like Groucho Marx and Glen Campbell.
Mike Erskine-Kellie relates a golf outing in this animation from the view of a cranky old man who still sees Cooper as the demon singer that first grabbed the spotlight. Contains some NSFW language. (via Nag on the Lake)
Death Toll
a
When Donald Trump was first elected, I said he was going to get us all killed. The death toll of his first administration is hard to pin down, as it mainly consists of otherwise preventable COVID deaths in 2020 due to his mishandling of the pandemic. In his second term, we have two American citizens in Minnesota, 32 in immigration detention, around 150 in boats in the Caribbean, nearly a hundred in Venezuela, and only God know how many in Africa due to the loss of USAID. But with the new war, the killing goes into high gear. The graphic above is already outdated because we now know six American troops have been killed so far.
Most of these deaths are easy to ignore because they aren't Americans, but you'll never convince me that God loves them any less than He loves me and my people, or that these people love their children any less than I love mine. Meanwhile, Trump launched the war in the middle of a fundraising gala at Mar-a-Lago. Things are not going to get better from here.
Most of these deaths are easy to ignore because they aren't Americans, but you'll never convince me that God loves them any less than He loves me and my people, or that these people love their children any less than I love mine. Meanwhile, Trump launched the war in the middle of a fundraising gala at Mar-a-Lago. Things are not going to get better from here.
Unheard of Instruments in the Saxophone Family
Have you ever seen a slide saxophone? Or a Conn-o-sax? Those are just a few of the rare saxophones in the collection of Dr. Paul Cohen, who plays, writes about, and collects unusual saxophones. Here he gives a tour of his instruments to saxophone players from the United States Army Field Band. The saxes range from tiny little things to the huge 6.5-foot contrabass sax that will make your chest rattle. Dr. Cohen even has some custom-made and one-of-a-kind instruments, such as the saxophone with no keys that you play in the manner of a bugle. You could make an entire band out of saxophones! (via Metafilter)
Kindergarten Weather Report
Carden Corts got a kindergarten assignment to make a weather forecast video. His dad, Charlie Corts, who works in video production, helped a little. It's adorable, but wait until the subject shifts to spring break for things to really heat up! Kindergarten teachers don't grade on a curve, do they? Even without the awesome video effects, six-year-old Carden does a great job doing the weather. That kid is going places. Like reddit, where his uncle posted this video.
Deflection
(cartoon Michael de Adder) #trump #iran #epstein
— Wolf Hour (@wolfhour.bsky.social) March 1, 2026 at 11:05 AM
[image or embed]
Monday, March 02, 2026
Some More Bagpipe Music
You know I love me some pipes. Here are The Red Hot Chilli Pipers doing Queen.
A Coincidental Homeowner
Among the big names of the American Civil War, Wilmer McLean is pretty far down the list. You might not have ever heard of him. But his presence is found in the geography of the war. McLean was a wealthy man, with a grocery store, a plantation, and a family. He was a staunch advocate for the Confederacy, and volunteered his home in Manassas, Virginia, on the banks of Bull Run Creek, as Confederate headquarters. You can guess what happened there- twice. McLean and his family bugged out twice while their home and property were ravaged in battle.
After the second battle, McLean moved his family to a safer spot, in a village called Appomattox Court House. There, he once again learned what having the nicest house in town will get you. Weird History tells us of McLean's somewhat coincidental role in the Civil War.
Miss Cellania's Links
There are no psychopaths. Virtually everything you think you know about psychopathy has been thoroughly debunked. (via Damn Interesting)
When cats hear the automatic feeder. Turn the sound on.
"What’s The Ugliest Statue In Your Country?"
Former MAGA Supporters Are Sharing The “Wake-Up Calls” That Finally Made Them Leave, And It's Incredibly Eye-Opening.
Women's Clothing Sizes are Crazy- Here are the Depressing Details. (via Metafilter)
Frederic Tudor, the Ice King of Boston. He grew rich by shipping ice to India.
Iron Age Surgeons Fixed a Woman’s Shattered Jaw With Primitive Prosthetic—and She Survived. (via Strange Company)
After a nine-year-old girl was kidnapped and taken from Spain to Bolivia, authorities feared the worst. They found her in the rainforest nine months later – but that wasn’t the end of her ordeal. (via Damn Interesting)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)