It might be nice to have a foot rest in the shower if you shave your legs, but this AI image is bizarre. Where is the rest of her? Hanging from the light fixture? (Thanks, Liz!)
Saturday, August 15, 2026
Statistics
At least seven people died in connection with the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
11 people have been shot and killed during ICE operations, including three American citizens.
20 US service members killed so far in the Iran War.
A few dozen killed in the Venezuela raid. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_intervention_in_Venezuela
52 people have died in immigrant detention centers.
221 killed in boat strikes in the Caribbean.
Around 10,000 killed in the Iran War.
600,000 unnecessary deaths so far due to defunding USAID, and an estimated 14 million could die by 2030 if aid isn't restored.
These statistics don't include how many people died of Covid due to the administration's botched response during Trump's first administration nor how many have died due to cutbacks in healthcare funding during his second administration. Those are hard to detect and calculate.
LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Season three of The Mandalorian seemed to run out of steam, and the feature film The Mandalorian and Grogu was a box office disappointment. What's Disney to do? Might as well roll with the punches and make it into a comedy! The LEGO Star Wars series is very good at that, so now we have a TV special titled LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian.
The LEGO version leans heavily into roasting the main effect of the show- how we all thought a "baby Yoda" was so adorable and turned the cynical badass Din Djarin into an unlikely father figure with those huge eyes. In this version, everyone else in the galaxy is just as smitten with him. But the real star of this teaser trailer is Luke Skywalker in a scene that highlights how The Mandalorian series was first and foremost an exercise in fan service. LEGO Star Wars: The Mandalorian will premiere on Disney+ September 2nd.
Munchkin The Teddy Bear Ewok
For no particular reason, I thought you'd enjoy a short video of a Shih Tzu dressed as an Ewok. See more of Munchkin at her Instagram page. (via Metafilter)
Friday, August 14, 2026
Cat and Pizza
Don't tease your cat. They'll always get the better of you. This is the latest from Simon Tofield.
Sloppy vs. Elite Military Uniforms
Say what you will about the Nazis (and I do), they sure looked stylish. Hitler and his generals understood the art of intimidation, and dressed the part. Today we call it the Hugo Boss look. Hugo Boss didn't design the uniforms, but his company manufactured them to specifications and made sure they looked sharp, whether they were for the SS, the SA, the Wehrmacht, Hitler Youth, or enlisted brown shirts. Those uniforms couldn't have been comfortable out in the field.
In contrast, the US military appeared downright frumpy in the films taken during World War II operations. Oh sure, they looked spiffy in dress uniforms on parade, but out in the battlefield, what you accomplish is much more important than how you look. Designed for function over form, Americans were dressed for utility, practicality, and comfort. And when you admire the stylish Nazi uniforms, keep in mind who won that war.
Jump Dreams
Forty years ago, when Tahira Reid Smith was in third grade, her teacher had the class make posters of something they wish existed. Smith thought it would be nice to have a Double Dutch machine that could turn jump ropes at a steady pace without having to find two volunteers. After all, she was an only child and knew what it was like to try to reign in people to turn the ropes. Her idea won the poster competition.
Smith grew up and became a mechanical engineering professor at Purdue University. And an inventor! As an undergraduate, she worked with her mentor Professor Burt Swersey to develop the Double Dutch machine. Smith received the first patent for it in 1999. It took quite a few years to get it perfected and manufactured, but now the machine called Jump Dreams is making Double Dutch accessible to more people than ever. (via Metafilter)
Miss Cellania's Links
Patriot Games: Trump’s ‘freedom finale’ to celebrate 250 is … a school sports day.
Dogs want sticks. (via Everlasting Blort)
15 Historical Figures With Afflictions You Never Knew About.
Hospitals push for upfront payments as healthcare costs rise. (via Fark)
Went to an open house for a home built ~1900. When I saw this original detail, I knew it was out of our price range.
The links list is short today, due to canning season, storm damage, and cat issues. In other words, am tired.
How Mass Dampers Stop Structures from Shaking
Being atop a skyscraper when it sways is disconcerting, but not as terrifying as that sway would be if it weren't for mass dampers. That idea comforted me a little while atop the World Trade Center and the Empire State Building, but I never understood how they work until today. This simple but thorough explanation of the science from Minute Physics uses a LEGO Saturn 5 rocket, or two of them, to show how a mass damper works. The video is really only 3:40; after that, it's an ad. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
A Writer's Hierarchy of Needs
Grant Snider made this one for the New York Times Book review. It's also at his webcomic, Incidental Comics.
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Preschool Worksheet
Teachers in the thread say they are teaching vowel pronunciation, but then why use "is for" in the title instead of "as in"? (via reddit)
Uncomfortable Truths More Valuable Than a Therapist
I knew all these items, and have had extensive discussions about many of them. Still, it's a bit brutal to hear them all listed together. If you're serious about improving your life, it would be a lot easier to concentrate on one thing at a time.
Bizarre Flower Sex
Ze Frank, who usually gives us True Facts about animals, has veered off and made a video about plants. But true to form, it's about the sex life of plants, and it starts off as suggestive as it can be. Plants reproduce sexually, but since they are rooted in place, many of them depend on animals to connect two potential parents. That's where "the birds and the bees" come in. And a lot of other insects, too. We know how bees pollinate plants, but different plants have evolved some extreme ways of attracting insects. There are flowers that use bizarre mechanical means to load those insects with pollen. Some flowers even swallow up insects, not to eat them (although some do), but to force them to participate in their pollination scheme. Yeah, this is beneficial to the insects in some way, otherwise it wouldn't last too long. There's a 30-second promotional section at 2:33.
Free Speech
This cartoon by Matt Wuerker with Politico sums it up nicely! #Blues
— 🔵Blue Dot Buckeye🔵#Blues 🦋💙🌊🗽🌪️ (@buckivotesblue.bsky.social) August 10, 2026 at 8:36 AM
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Wednesday, August 12, 2026
The Head
The Head is a low budget 1959 West German science fiction horror film. The original title is Die Nackte und der Satan (The Naked Woman and Satan). Wikipedia summarizes the plot:
A scientist, Dr. Abel, is successful in creating a serum capable of keeping a dog's head alive after the body dies. Before the scientist can take advantage of his new discovery, he suffers a fatal heart attack. His assistant uses the formula to keep the scientist's severed head alive long enough to assist him in an attempt to transplant the head of the beautiful, but hunchbacked, nurse onto the body of an exotic dancer.The movie was banned in Austria as offensive, although it is not clear exactly why. Critics said Die Nackte und der Satan was so bad that it was an unintentional comedy. The pacing is weird and every scene is comically overacted. For the American release, the title was changed to The Head, the nudity was cut, and the lines poorly overdubbed. The concept was repeated in the just-slightly-better 1962 movie The Brain That Wouldn't Die. (Thanks, WTM!)
Fearless Koda
Koda was found as a stray in the neighborhood, possibly dumped because of his illnesses. His eyes were so infected that they were ultimately removed, but he hasn't let that slow him down. A vet tech took Koda home to foster as he was recovering, but soon became his permanent mother. Koda quickly settled in and learned to navigate his world without sight. But that's just the beginning.
The family got Koda used to water, and then taught him pool safety, and then how to swim. They took him hiking and then camping. He learned to follow his humans' voices even in unfamiliar territory. Then they all went to Yellowstone for vacation! Koda is comfortable in a vehicle, a forest, a kayak, or a backpack. He isn't afraid because his people always look out for his safety, and he trusts them not to let anything bad happen to him. He's still just a kitten, but he's lived a rich and adventurous life many people would be envious of. You can follow the further adventures of Koda at Instagram.
The Enfield Horror
In 1973, Henry McDaniel of Enfield, Illinois, and his family saw a horrible monster approach their home in the dark. It was four or five feet tall, hairy, had pink eyes and stood on three legs. It also damaged the house. Publicity from the incident turned Enfield into a circus for a time as monster hunters descended on the area. Some people believed McDaniel, others didn't, and some reported also seeing the monster. Over time, the creature turned from an animal-type monster into an alien.
So what did McDaniel see that night? We still don't know, although there is plenty of speculation and quite a few possibilities. The real story is how that incident spread from local talk to national news, and grew as it went. It put the small town of Enfield on the map for quite some time. Dr. Emily Zarka explains what we know and what we don't about the Enfield Horror.
Miss Cellania's Links
The drama of animal CT scans. (via Everlasting Blort)
Taxi drivers rarely die of Alzheimer’s – how complex mental maps and spatial reasoning protect your brain. (via kottke)
What Ancient Romans Really Watched at the Colosseum — It Wasn’t Just Gladiator Fights.
An arts school where Epstein allegedly preyed on students reveals decades of abuse.
He’s been locked up in the barn recovering from an illness and this is his first time in the sun for a month.
The International Aerial Photographer of the Year Competition Winners of 2026. The 101 top-scoring entries can be seen in this gallery. (via Nag on the Lake)
Trump being jolted awake with 'The Zapper' when he nods off in bizarre new theory. Here's the video. (via Fark)
The political implications of Hiroshima’s scarred “maidens.” (via Damn Interesting)
What Does a Nuclear Bomb Explosion Feel Like?
There have been more than 2,000 nuclear bomb explosions, secret tests that were witnessed by plenty of military personnel. Some of them talk about the experience. (via Motherboard)
What We Have
A novel—and, no doubt, fleeting—moment of self-awareness.
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) August 10, 2026 at 8:18 PM
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Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Men Who Do Anything But Go to Therapy
How do men deal with trauma? In every way possible that doesn't make sense. Anything to avoid facing heartbreak. Ryan George illustrates.
The Cobweb Hotel
The Cobweb Hotel is a 1936 Fleischer Studios cartoon. It's full of spiders, and darn creepy.
The Return
Things that loomed so big in our memories look so very small when we return to them later. That doesn't mean we love them any less. This award-winning film by Natalia Chernysheva illustrates that feeling. (via Nag on the Lake)
It Happened Again
Please enjoy my cartoon for Tuesday's Toronto Star
— Theo Moudakis (@theomoudakis.bsky.social) August 10, 2026 at 4:05 PM
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Monday, August 10, 2026
Conan Sends Letterman a Trojan Horse
This aired on Late Night with Conan O’Brien more than 30 years ago. It was a cunning plan, until... well, you know New York. They got busted for illegal parking.
Taylor
Have you ever heard of a cat who likes to wear a cone? Well, cats all have unique personalities, so it shouldn't surprise us that there is one, somewhere.
The Pirate Queen
Zheng Yi Sao was an 18th century woman in China, which means she had three strikes against her already, but she was smart and ambitious. She understood power dynamics, politics, and spotting an opportunity. We don't know too much about her early life, but she stepped into history when she impressed and then married Zheng Yi, a powerful pirate captain, and demanded that she be an equal partner in his enterprises. This was apparently well worth it to him. Upon Zheng Yi's death, Zheng Yi Sao, who was already an equal partner, wasn't about to let her sons call the shots. That's how she got the title the Pirate Queen.
As she consolidated power and led raids on various communities, she became known as Ching Shi, commander of up to 80,000 pirates and thousands of ships. How did she wield such power? She commanded loyalty by sharing spoils among the pirates. She had strict rules, but they weren't all that onerous considering the rewards. Non-pirates were terrified of her, as the fleet's raids could leave thousands dead in the communities they plundered. Neither the Chinese government nor fleets of other countries could hold a candle to the confederate pirate fleet under Ching Shi's command. How did this reign of terror end? Not the way you'd think. Remember, the Pirate Queen was a master at spotting an opportunity.
Miss Cellania's Links
Audrey Hepburn’s Lifelong Trauma from Growing Up in Nazi-Occupied
Netherlands Led Her to Turn Down a High-Profile Role. (via Damn Interesting)
The story of the Florence Y'all Water Tower. (via Boing Boing)
Did Medieval Castles Really Have Dungeons? (via Strange Company)
DNA on the Shroud of Turin reveals centuries of hidden history. (via Nag on the Lake)
What teachers do during the summer.
Those Exit Numbers On Highways Are Telling You More Than You Might Think. Except in New York.
The US Navy's Failed Formosa Expedition. A battle we didn't learn enough from.
The Babson Boulders of Dogtown.
TK630 - A Star Wars Fan Film
In this fan film by Brendan H. Banks, a marooned Imperial scout trooper is tracking a Jedi on an unfamiliar planet. Since the odds of escape are pretty low, he may as well complete his mission. But then a kid shows up. The sequence is beautifully shot, but if you are pinched for time, you can skip forward to 2:45 to catch the story. (via Digg)
Sunday, August 09, 2026
Erc
Redditors argued that his name should be derived from a name that normally has two eyes, like Philip, but spelled either Philp or Phlip. You'll be glad to know that Erc has been adopted. (via reddit)
The Barney and Betty Hill Alien Abduction Story
While strange unidentified things in the sky have always been with us, the idea of a flying saucer didn't become a thing until 1947, and even then it was misinterpreted. https://www.neatorama.com/2022/09/09/The-Flying-Saucers-of-Alaska/ But it sparked alien fever among Americans. But seeing a flying saucer was nothing compared to being abducted by aliens! The stories you've read have many things in common, which often hark back to the original account of Barney and Betty Hill in 1961.
A dark isolated road, a flying saucer sighting, missing time, and curious evidence left behind. A couple of years later, more details emerged under hypnosis. The Hills stuck with their story, although it was pretty vague to begin with. There are several possible explanations, but nothing was ever conclusively proven one way or another.
The Cheetahpult
We knew cheetahs were born to run, but who knew that liked to play fetch? The Oregon Zoo throws balls for their cheetahs to chase for exercise and enrichment, and in order to fling them fast and far enough, they built a huge slingshot they call the Cheetahpult. Imagine getting to shoot that contraption and play ball with large cats ...and getting paid for it. (via Laughing Squid)
Saturday, August 08, 2026
War of the Satellites
War of the Satellites is a 1958 Roger Corman movie made to take advantage of the space fever that covered the globe after the soviets launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957. It was filmed over ten days for $70,000. The United Nations has a plan to launch satellites, but an alien force, the Masters of the Spiral Nebula Ghana, interferes because they consider humans as an infection and want us contained. To further thwart earth's space plans, an alien possesses the body of Dr. Van Ponder, the head of the project. The rest of the movie is a drama about an alien in human form, interspersed with some space scenes that don't make much sense. The reviews were kind, praising the special effects and the lead actors. (Thanks, WTM!)
Rico the Veterinary Cat
Rico lives at a vet clinic in Morocco. He's more than the resident cat; he's a therapist for all the frightened cats and dogs who are undergoing medical treatment.
That Ain't Right
Yes, we all know that the word "ambulance" is often backward so that you can read it in the rear view mirror if one is behind you. But take a look at what that would actually look like
(via Bits and Pieces)
An Honest Trailer for Masters of the Universe
If you recall, there was a new remake of the He-Man story called Masters of the Universe set to open in 2026. Apparently it did open a couple of months ago, and you missed it. Its run in theaters brought in less than its production budget, and that doesn't event count the marketing costs. The movie was expected to appeal to Gen X for nostalgia, as if they didn't see the previous versions. They forgot that the lasting legacy of He-Man was less about the wonderful '80s cartoon and more about the goofy shared experience. Screen Junkies decided to look in and she what happened.
What they found was a movie that went out of its way to look like it came from the 1980s, except not as funny. Masters of the Universe is colorful and heavy on special effects, but the script gives the viewer no reason to recommend it, much less buy the toys. The producers are hoping for a better response on home video, where people don't have to risk as much cash to see it.
The Rock Falls
The bigger they are, the harder they fall! Maybe that's why Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson always manages to get a scene in every movie where he falls -and always survives, mostly unscathed. Nerdist put together a supercut so we can appreciate just how often it happens. You have to admit it looks cool. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Box Reviews
Cats have their standards. It's a good thing I am constantly bringing home a new box for Marshmallow to test and rate. This comic is from Pedro Arizpe at Port Sherry.
Friday, August 07, 2026
Mercury Wave
Marcel Clemens made what he calls a mercury wave. Small bottles are suspended on springs, each of them carrying a slightly different amount of mercury. When the springs are released all at the same time, they move up and down at slightly different speeds to create fascinating patterns. This looks like a pendulum wave, but it's different in a few ways.
At first, I watched and thought the springs were different lengths due to a diagonal line at the top of the frame, but watching in a larger format reveals that's a shadow. The difference between each unit is the weight inside. There's nothing magical here about mercury; Clemens used it because it's heavy and liquid, so each amount can be precisely measured. This video shows the pattern repeating once, and Clemens tells us it played out four times over about five minutes before all the bottles came to rest. If you are geeky enough to want the math, a few of his comments at YouTube might interest you. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Dan
Meet Dan the kitten. He doesn't walk, but it's not because his legs don't work. We assume he's been thoroughly checked out by a veterinarian. His inability to walk may be because of some neurological deficit, or possibly he was unable to stretch those legs and learn during the perfect window of kittenhood due to crowded conditions or an old injury. Either way, therapy might help him strengthen up and learn how to maneuver those legs. You can see more of Dan at TikTok.
Unfortunately, we won't find out if Dan learns to walk or not. It's not what you're thinking! There was a misunderstanding and some TikTok drama between this content creator and Dan's owner, so there will be no more videos of him.
About Those Women Tied to the Railroad Tracks
The plot device of a villain tying his victim to a railroad track is quite familiar to us, even though it doesn't make much sense. This murder method doesn't work because the hero will arrive just in time to unbind the victim, yet it creates suspense in that it takes an excruciating amount of time. You've also seen modern variations, like Goldfinger initiating a very slow industrial laser that will cut James Bond in half. It would be so much more efficient to just shoot the victim (a la Indiana Jones), but where's the drama in that?
Still, the trope gave us an easy way to illustrate the ethical dilemma of the Trolley Problem. But has it ever happened in real life? Sadly, yes, and not always with a hero coming to the rescue. Simon Whistler gives us the history of the railroad track drama, which predates cinema, and its fallout.
Miss Cellania's Links
Should you wash your prewashed lettuce? An infectious disease expert explains how to eat your greens safely during the cyclospora outbreak.
FAQ: Potato Salad. (via Nag on the Lake)
An AI-supervised remote exam went so badly that 58,000 students must retake it. Saving money on human proctors is costing them big time. (via Fark)
Drunk referee is escorted off the soccer field. He's seriously suffering from diagonal gravity.
The Top-Secret Truth about Trump and the Reflecting Pool. The latest from Tom the Dancing Bug.
One For Your Bucket List: The Moist Towelette Museum.
Is "Are We There Yet?" Worth it? The Big Impact of Childhood Road Trips.
White parents who tell their kids that race doesn’t matter are ignoring the long shadow of racism.
The Million-Dollar Question
Yes, every cat in the world is just like that. Mine come and get me off the computer so I can go stand at the back door while they reconsider their options. Honestly, cats don't want to go in, they don't want to go out, they want you to leave the door open so they can think about it some more. This comic is from Rachel J. Corey. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Thursday, August 06, 2026
Workin' On A World
z
Here's a song I really needed to hear. Sometimes I try to calm myself down about the mess surrounding us by reminding myself I am old and won't see the worst of the potential suffering. That doesn't work because I care about my children, grandchildren, and everyone else's children. So what better legacy can we leave than to put our efforts into improving life for those who come after? Iris DeMent has the right attitude. (via Metafilter)
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