Monday, June 15, 2026
A Report Of Connected Events
A Report of Unconnected Events is a video that connects those events in a surprising way. It's more than a mashup or a supercut. Iconic moments from your favorite films are blended together, often in the same shot, under an essay about the power of storytelling. Metafilter has a list of the movies used in the comments.
Sunday, June 14, 2026
Some Answers from a 10th Grade English Exam
Will Ryker is the Best
Star Trek: The Next Generation aired from 1987 to 1994. When it debuted to much hype, fans of the original Star Trek series from the 1960s were eager to see what else happened with Starfleet. As the characters were introduced, we could get their type and purpose. They had a captain who was a wise, experienced, and stern leader, a woman doctor who could be a love interest in the future, her teenage son who was a prodigy, a tough woman security officer, an android, and a blind engineer. Then there was First Officer Will Riker, who was obviously there as the everyman male viewers could relate to, and eye candy for some of us.
But Riker proved to be so much more throughout the series. The Art of Storytelling lays out in detail how Riker was the moral center of the show from the very beginning, displaying honor, loyalty, responsibility, and a willingness to set his own ego aside for the greater good. But he was no Pollyanna, and had flaws that made him only seem more real to those who were paying attention. He confronted his self-doubt and human desires often. This video is a bit longer than I would normally share, but it's from The Art of Storytelling, so you know it's worth it. (via Laughing Squid)
Flag Day
I don't fly the flag every day. I don't need to be reminded of which nation I live in. I have an American flag, although it's not huge, and I put it out for Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veteran's Day. The flag code has plenty of other appropriate holidays that I never remember. I never leave the flag out at night, or if it's raining. Sometimes we get a surprise rain, and I feel awful about letting the stars and stripes get wet.
I have several other slightly smaller flags, too, representing the nations my four children came from, plus those that a few friends and neighbors came from. Plus a Ukrainian flag. Sometimes I put them all out at once, stuck into a window box together, especially when the kids are expected to arrive. Although looking through the code now, I realize that I misunderstood section 7g. I had been displaying several nations' flags and set the American flag in the middle, since it is taller. But now I see I got that from section 7e, which has to do with state and municipal flags. I might need to buy a new American flag that is the same size as the other flags for the international display. I can still use the slightly larger flag for holidays.
I also don't have the ability to fly the flag at half-staff, since it's affixed to a wooden staff. But since it's not out everyday, that matters little.
Some antiwar protesters burned American flag during the Vietnam conflict, and some people got really upset about it, more so than they got upset about the images of Americans returning from the war in body bags. When it happened in 1984, Gregory Lee Johnson was arrested on state charges. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, who ruled in 1989 that flag burning was a valid form of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. Last year, Trump issued an executive order to make flag burning illegal, but since it is constitutionally protected, the only way to prosecute someone for it is to go around the law sideways.
However, according to the Flag Code, burning is the only approved way of getting rid of an old, dirty, or worn out flag. It should be done in a respectful way, and your local American Legion will do that for you. I drive by there occasionally, and wonder if anyone ever turns in a flag to them instead of chucking it in the garbage.
After 9/11, my boss bought a flag that was big enough to cover the front of our building- the biggest flag I'd ever seen outside the Smithsonian. They draped it vertically and incorrectly- with the blue field on the right. I pointed out that the blue field should be at the upper left no matter whether the flag is hung horizontally or vertically, and management groaned and said it was too much trouble to change it. I have a t-shirt with a picture of the flag on it, hung vertically, and people sometimes tell me it's wrong. No it's correct, and the words "Fort Jackson, US Army" underneath should be a clue. And there's a difference between clothing that looks as if it's made of a flag and clothing with a picture of a flag.
All this sounds very pedantic, but it seems to me if you are going to put your patriotism on display, it's worth the small effort of doing it right. Know what you're doing and why. Otherwise, it's just patriotism cosplay.
Frankenkitty
(via Fark)Made of leftover parts at the Cat Factory ....
— FunnyVia (@funnyvia.com) June 8, 2026 at 5:48 PM
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Saturday, June 13, 2026
Monster from the Ocean Floor
Monster from the Ocean Floor is a typical 1954 monster movie produced by Roger Corman. It was made on a budget of $12,000 or $30,000, depending on who you ask. It grossed $185,000 or $850,000, depending on who you ask. Critics didn't think much of the movie, but were impressed with what Corman did with such a low budget. Today it is remembered as the movie that made Corman (who was around 25 at the time) fall in love with filmmaking. (Thanks, WTM!)
World Cup Visitors
Soccer fans (not FIFA fans) from all over the world are arriving in the US to attend the World Cup games, and for many, it's their first trip to America. Games are being held in the US, Mexico, and Canada. They've seen a lot of American culture in movies, but finding out it's all real is a different experience. What is impressing them the most? Our food!
We often think of American cuisine as a mix of dishes from everywhere else, but in the US, we manage to put our own spin on it, and that's something you can't learn from the movies. Visitors are amazed by the size of our drinks, Taco Bell, Waffle House hash browns, french fries, gravy, and most of all, ranch dressing. You have to wonder what the rest of the world actually eats. I'm sure they will go home with an extra few pounds as a souvenir.
A Song Made With No Musical Instruments
Andy Brewer is an audio engineer and composer. He was playing around with pink noise, what we lay people would call static, on an equalizer and found he could extract musical notes from it with a little work. Could he play a song using just those notes? It would be a song without a voice or musical instrument. Yes, he could, although it was a lot of work. You wouldn't be able to do this if you didn't know a lot about music already. This song is technically "electronic music," and it's what a synthesizer (which is a musical instrument) does, although Brewer didn't use a synthesizer; just an equalizer.
Music buffs in the comments said this is an additive synthesizer or a subtractive synthesizer. I don't know which is correct, but it took many people many years to develop the music synthesizer, while Brewer started from almost nothing and figured it out on his own. I'm impressed. The song is quite pleasant, too. (via kottke)
Raccoon and the Light
A cute animated story of a raccoon finding a flashlight shows what forest creatures do in the dark. (via The Kid Should See This)
Friday, June 12, 2026
"Something" as It Was Born
On February 25, 1969, George Harrison spent his 26th birthday in an EMI studio with sound engineer Ken Scott to make demos of three songs he had written: “Something,” “Old Brown Shoe,” and “All Things Must Pass.” This is one of those recordings. YouTuber britt2001b rendered it in stereo and added some subtle string sounds from the later Beatles' recording of "Something," but the raw emotion is still there.
The Reason Behind Catnip
Crazy cat lady that I am, I have a small part of my garden dedicated to catnip (and strawberries; they seem to get along well). The cats like it, and it makes my home the cool place for neighborhood kitties to hang out. But is there any evolutionary reason for cats to go crazy for catnip? Research has isolated the exact compounds that intoxicate cats, nepetalactone in catnip, and nepetalactol in silver vine, another popular cat attractant.
Not only have scientists found how these compounds affect cats, but also why. It's an adaptive feature of their evolution! Cats rarely pay any attention to plants, but the cats who went for catnip or silver vine were more likely to survive and reproduce millions of years ago until a catnip attraction became quite common among several cat species on the African savannah. This TED-Ed video explains why with charming cat animation, although you might not like one of the experiments that led to this knowledge. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
What's In Your Pants
Nametags for Nameless People
Bill Wurtz shares another nonsense song, this one about name tags. Are they important? No. Are they invasive? Could be. Are they a joy? Only in this universe. (via the Awesomer)
Miss Cellania's Links
Juan Romero: How a Teenager's Thirty Seconds With RFK Haunted Him For Fifty Years. You know him from this picture.
Judge Cancels Whole Case After Lawyers Admit They Didn’t Read AI-Generated Filings.
Look what they did to Tinkerbell!
The World Cup Match So Violent It Changed the Rules Forever.
Hollywood’s Original “Bad Girl”: The Tragic Muse of Kurt Cobain. Was Frances farmer mentally ill, or just more rebellious than the studio allowed?
Dads can't handle the time they hear about their daughter's first boyfriend.
A PR Hoax Created the Year’s Hottest Rock Band. Imagine What It Can Do in Politics. (via Damn Interesting)
A Blast from the Past (2008): Messing with Mother Nature: 5 Cautionary Tales.
The Cats' Orchestra
Cummulus & Nimbus
Every gag about clouds you can fit into a 45-second video is here in this cute animation from German producers we think things. (via Laughing Squid)
Scientists
The struggle is real
— Paul J. Dauenhauer (@pauldauenhauer.bsky.social) June 8, 2026 at 7:53 PM
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Thursday, June 11, 2026
The Slow Loris
You've seen pictures of a loris. They are big-eyed, adorable little primates. But keep your distance. They can be deadly!
Lover's Lane
The story of Lover's Lane is an urban myth about a couple who goes parking and narrowly escapes a horrible death. What we called "parking" is the custom of young people in a car finding a secluded space to canoodle away from prying eyes, and many towns have at least one road that is famous for such activities nicknamed Lover's Lane. The first part of this video explores the history of how parking itself became a thing.
Then at about five minutes in, we learn about the very real crimes that may have sparked the urban legend. Or did the legend inspire the crimes? Since we don't really know how far back the legend goes, it's not quit clear. But for someone who wants to kill and get away with it, teenagers in a car on a lonely road present a tantalizing opportunity.
The third section of the video goes into how these crimes and the Lover's Lane legend influenced the modern horror film. That seems only natural, since the target audience for these movies are young people who have the world in the palm of their hands, until they don't.
70 People Reveal How To Count Money in Their Country
In this video from Condé Nast Traveler, we watch people from around the world count the same stack of dollars. On the surface, it looks like most of them are doing it the same way, but when you look closely, there are variations that would be hard to replicate once you've learned your own way to count cash. Too bad we don't get to practice as much as we should. And you have to wonder whether these ingrained habits will fade away as we move closer to a cashless society. (via Boing Boing)
Hair Color
I was explaining my odd hair colors to a friend once, and ended the story with, "and besides, it keeps conservative old men from hitting on me."I think he may mean venomous, as in injecting a toxin. Poisonous means the toxin is harmful if licked, eaten, or inhaled and I can personally attest women who color their hair are delicious
— South Carolina Department of Propaganda (@southcarolinadop.bsky.social) June 9, 2026 at 12:01 AM
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Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Reflections of My Life
"Reflections of My Life" was recorded in 1970 by the Scottish band Marmalade. Believe it or not, they are still a band, although with none of the original members.
Rory
Rory (short for Aurora Borealis) is a four-year-old Bengal cat with nice markings and stunning aqua blue eyes. But Rory is more than her looks. She understands English better than you can imagine! That's because her person has so many delightful activities and rewards that go with those words. Rory responds to a variety of commands, and she talks back, too. You have to wonder whether she's giving her own commands when she speaks. And since we don't understand, who are the real dumb animals here?
Rory takes that in stride. She's living a good life, chasing a plastic propeller around the house and impressing the internet. See more of Rory at her Instagram page.
If You Drop A Lightsaber Vertically
When a cool science fiction weapon sticks around for half a century and gathers more and more fans and more fiction, there will be people who put way too much thought into it. The lightsabers from Star Wars were born out of a cool special effect, but now everyone wants one, or at least wants to understand them.
What happens if you drop a lightsaber? Specifically, what happens if you drop one vertically, business end first, into the ground. Would it keep burning its way through the earth indefinitely? In the Star Wars universe, no, because there's a safety feature that disables the blade when it's not held. But there have been depictions of Jedi throwing lightsabers, so this feature apparently can be disabled. So what would happen in the real world? Rocket Riley goes through all the ways a lightsaber would act on earth, if it was real. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
Huge Psilocybin Dose Has Incredible Effect on Elderly Dementia Patient. (via Damn Interesting)
College students who cannot read.
An infertility scandal 30 years ago led to children who had more parents than the law could contend with. (via Strange Company)
The slippery slope of justifying cruelty.
When a Photographer Turned His Focus on Social Injustice, It Helped Usher in the First Child Labor Laws. Lewis Hine didn’t consider his job as taking pictures; it was “detective work.”
‘Soccer’ is a fine term for the beautiful game – don’t let any ‘football’ snob or president tell you otherwise this World Cup.
My day job is at a rural branch of a public library, and we have a Pride display. Yesterday I was at the desk when a man came in. Fifties, maybe, or sixties. Plaid shirt, mesh trucker cap, suspenders. He went up to the display and just stood there for a long moment. Then he came up to the desk. (via Metafilter)
Snow leopards at play.
How to Film a Canada Lynx in the Wild
The Wild Canadian Year is a five-part TV series about Canadian wildlife. Sam Ellis' assignment for the show was to film a Canada lynx in its natural habitat. Not an easy task, as remaining invisible is a big part of a lynx's lifestyle. But over time, Sam tracked and got to know a cat he called Mad Max. He spent 76 days trying to get some good footage of Max hunting. So here we have a videographer following a cameraman following a lynx following rabbits for more than two months, so let's appreciate the result.
Taxes
We have to get rid of all the loopholes.
— Resist Trump 🤬 🤦🏽♂️🇺🇸 💜💙💪🏽 (@resist-trumps-rule.bsky.social) June 9, 2026 at 1:54 PM
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Tuesday, June 09, 2026
The Joy of Lunch
This guy must work hard, because his wife packs him an enormous lunch every day. He gets excited showing us what's in there, and everything is his favorite. His happiness is contagious! Best comment: "She tells you don’t talk to strangers because someone may want to take you home and keep you for being so adorable!"
What We've Learned From Twin Studies
When you think about how your life turned out, you might wonder how it happened. How much can you attribute to, or maybe blame on, your family? An awful lot of it. You probably resemble your siblings in appearance, health, temperament, and psychological well-being. But is that because you carry the same genes, or because the same parents raised you? The question of nature vs. nurture has been around for a long time. That's why scientists are so interested in twin studies. Identical twins have the same genes, so there's a factor you can control for. But most twins also have the same environment, too.
However, throughout the 20th century, scientists have been able to study the phenomena of twins raised separately, which opened a new door to answering the question of nature vs. nurture. From these studies, it turns out that genetics has more say in some factors, while environment is more important for other facets of life. This video from AsapSCIENCE shares some of the findings of those studies, but it doesn't address the disturbing scenario that made them possible. Why have there been so many identical twins raised apart? It's already a tragedy when a child cannot be raised by their biological parents, but being separated from your identical twin only adds more unnecessary trauma. How does finding that out later in life affect the studies?
There's a skippable ad from 7:49 to 9:36. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Once In A Lifetime: Isolated Vocals
"Once in a Lifetime" by The Talking Heads with just David Byrne and the chorus, without any musical instruments, sounds like the depraved rantings of a lunatic mind. (via Dangerous Minds)
Monday, June 08, 2026
Six Ways America Feels Like a Movie
Most Americans assume that the way things are in America is normal. Yeah, it's normal to us. Every country has its own customs and flavors, but what makes America different is that the rest of the world gets to see the way we do things in the movies. Sure, there are foreign films, but the majority of what the world sees is cinematic America, which is different from any other place. And that's what made Laurence Brown dream of visiting America when he was a child. Now he's an American citizen who's lived here for 18 years. And he still has those moments when the movies of his childhood come alive for him here. This video has a skippable ad from 3:30 to 5:02.
US Military Food
Today's US military is an all-volunteer force, and they spend most of their time on military bases. These young, strong people eat a lot of food. To attract and retain them, base food is plentiful and pretty good. There are plenty of options, and experts are always trying to improve both nutrition and quality.
The story is different for wartime. From the beginning, the nation grappled with the difficulties of procuring, paying for, and delivering food to its troops in the field. There was no refrigeration, and preservation was hit-or-miss. but behind the scenes, there were those trying to solve the problem, because an army travels on its stomach. They developed C-rations, K-rations, and ultimately MREs. All of those work under the idea that hunger makes everything taste better. Weird History Food takes us through the evolution of military food in the United States.
Rolling in the Deep Fried
Taco Bell food has a reputation, deserved or not, for running right through you. It's never happened to me, but then again I have never been able to eat a whole bag of their food. But that's what happens in this parody version of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep." Not that Taco Bell deep fries their food, no, they rely on mini-ovens to melt that cheese. But it works with the title.
This is the first offering from Dustin Ballard of There I Ruined It in three months, since YouTube put him in a time-out over some copyright kerfluffle. The song isn't AI-generated. He wrote and sang it, then ran it through an AI filter to make him sound like Adele. His band is working on a way to present it live at their Austin and Houston shows this summer.
Miss Cellania's Links
The 100 Greatest Bird Names of All Time. They didn't ask for these titles. (via Nag on the Lake)
DuPont vs. the Phantom Airborne Saboteurs. Did the Germans infiltrate the US to bomb gunpowder factories? (via Strange Company)
Getting disability benefits got harder after the Social Security Administration’s staff was slashed and program rules were changed by Trump.
The Beatles Hit John Lennon Called “Meaningless” That Sparked Their Breakup.
Peacock silliness. (via Everlasting Blort)
Gargoyles – Glorious Gruesome Grotesques.
The reality of having a premature baby.
We analyzed paper money printed by Ben Franklin to uncover his anti‑counterfeiting techniques and materials innovations.
Why Are There No Mosquitoes at Disney World?
The worst mosquito tourist experience I know is Roanoke Island in North Carolina, and the best is at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. But when you go to Disney World in Orlando, you're too busy having fun to notice the lack of mosquitoes. The theme park is built on a swamp in Florida, so what gives? The truth is that Disney goes to great lengths to control the mosquito population. Rob Plays explains how that happens.
Hand Dryers
Sunday, June 07, 2026
One Man Band
Three Dog Night released "One Man Band" in 1970. I seemed like a strange title for a band that had seven members, including three singers. This performance is from the BBC series In Concert in 1972.
Moose Calf Rescued on the Highway
A mother moose in British Columbia could cross a highway barrier, but her twin calves couldn't. Traffic stopped for the drama, but what could anyone do? Approaching a full-grown moose, especially a protective mother, is dangerous. One calf made the leap, leaving his brother behind. Finally, when the mother was off the highway, people could approach the stranded youngster. While others surrounded the calf, Duane Hogberg was able to lift him over and carry him to the other side of the road.
The World's Longest Domestic Flight
What is the longest flight you can take without leaving a country? The answer could be pretty simple and make for a very short video- but first we have to define what we're talking about. Does a "domestic flight" mean a regularly-scheduled airline route? Does it mean that you don't have to have a passport or move through immigration? Does it mean within a nation proper, or do overseas territories count? And are we talking about a currently-existing route, or one from the past? That's what makes this video from Half as Interesting, well, interesting. He goes through several flights that might be contenders for one reason or another, and eliminates them due to any of the reasons above. Yes, we have a winner, but you'll still learn about geography and aviation history along the way. This video is less than six minutes long; the rest is an ad.
Parrot Sings "Bacon Pancakes"
Milo the Quaker parrot sings along with his human, Erica Croke. The song is a classic, "Bacon Pancakes" from the TV show Adventure Time. Milo must watch the show a lot, or he sings it a lot, or he just loves making -or eating- pancakes. You can see more of Milo at his Facebook page.
(via Tastefully Offensive)
Saturday, June 06, 2026
Beginning of the End
Beginning of the End was a 1957 science fiction film starring Peter Graves. Nuclear radiation gives us giant vegetables, but then they are eaten by locusts, so they grow to enormous size, too. But the radiated grain and vegetables aren't enough, so the locusts start eating people. How can we defeat them? Maybe a nuclear bomb- or maybe something less destructive. Beginning of the End was made on a generous budget for its time and genre of $170,000, and it made some money. But the implausible plot and the laughable special effects relegated it as forgettable at the time. Today, it is somewhat of a cult classic for those exact reasons. (Thanks, WTM!)
Useful Robots
British engineers show off futuristic robots in 1968. They say that the first man on the moon will take machines like this with him. Sorry, that happened only a year later, and we have yet to do any mining on the moon. And the reference to Thalidomide victims again makes me glad I wasn't born in Europe. (via Laughing Squid)
Cassette Deck Vader
If you've ever wondered about the functions of all those buttons Darth Vader wears on his chest, the secret is now out. They are controls for his cassette deck. Yes, Vader has achieved what we've all dreamed of at one time or another- carrying around our own soundtrack, so we have the best music for an entrance at our fingertips, plus mood music and sound effects for the appropriate times. Darth seems to prefer his own theme song to any other song.
Auralnauts hasn't posted a new Star Wars comedy series in years. Since this scene is labeled "Episode 1," you can bet there will be more to come. (via the Awesomer)
Too Many Vitamins
T.J. was a 14-year-old who ate gummy vitamins as if they were candy. It was a language problem- he thought they were candy. While he ate too many every day, the day he consumed an entire bottle (150 gummies), he landed in the hospital with strange symptoms. YouTuber Chubbyemu takes us through the process of diagnosis and treatment, and explains in detail what a vitamin overdose does to one's body. It's not pretty. Chubbyemu has a series of horrific medical stories in his YouTube channel. (via reddit)
Blood Oath
Friday, June 05, 2026
Tiny Grandma
Tiny Grandma is a stop-motion Korean woman who's about six inches tall. She's usually cooking full-size food in her videos, but here she takes a break to enjoy cookies and coffee with her cat. In this video, Tiny Grandma gathers dandelions to make kimchi. And we meet her family.
See all of Tiny Grandma's video at YouTube. You can also learn more about her inspiration and creators, and check out her recipes. (via Boing Boing)
Ole Meme
Pit: A Short Film About Human Nature
This video is supposed to be about human nature, but where are the humans? Instead, we get fantastical monsters fighting to the death over a piece of food. But are they really fantastical monsters? It doesn't matter; you're too caught up in the violence and creative animation. But then it takes a sharp left. You're wondering if this is really a comedy. Okay, maybe, or maybe it's just a story with some funny parts. But which part is about human nature? Actually, all of it, but you'll need to stay through the credits because there's a whole new scene afterward. I guess you could call it a punch line. (via Memo of the Air)
School Parking Permits
How Stores Make Produce Look Better
Grocery stores sell fruit in mesh bags because it's to their advantage for you to buy twelve oranges when you only need two. If the last few oranges go bad before you finish the bag, then you'll go buy more. You might even find a couple have gone bad as soon as you open the bag, because you can't inspect each orange in a five-pound bag before you buy them. They looked so good when you picked them up, and some of that is an optical illusion. The video is only six minutes long; the rest is a sponsor message. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Miss Cellania's Links
What Is Happening at CBS and 60 Minutes?
The sitting room. (via Messy Nessy Chic)
Before-and-after pictures of what Israel has done to Gaza. (via TYWKIWDBI)
A thoughtful and comprehensive comment thread for anyone wanting to know what the US Civil War was all about.
George Washington Recorded a Recipe for Beer While Leading a Militia. Thanks to the New York Public Library, You Can Imbibe That History This Summer.
‘The face doesn’t move’: Hollywood’s obsession with cosmetic surgeries has led to stiffer looks – and performances. (via Damn Interesting)
James Talarico explains what a real man is. (via Fark)
All of Steven Spielberg’s movies, ranked. (via Metafilter)




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