What Would You Say to the Pilgrims?

(via Buzzfeed)

Can TV Change the Way We Speak?

Television, before it was fractured into a million channels, was a great language leveler. In elementary school, I noticed that my classmates who did not have TVs couldn't shake their hillbilly accent, while those who watched television learned to code switch at an early age, and speak like Hollywood actors when they wanted. Today, we have TV shows from around the world, so that children pick up words and accents from shows like Bluey and Peppa Pig. Dora the Explorer introduced millions of American children to Spanish. And TV is a boost to anyone learning a second language. Dr. Erica Brozovsky explains what is happening when children listen to the language of television.  

But more TV doesn't necessarily mean better language learning in children. Too much television actually hinders their learning, when it cuts into the time they speak with the adults around them. At the end, we find that Dr. Brozovsky is just as cute without the red lipstick.

Aunt Mary

(via Fark)

Thanksgiving Sandwich

Oliver Babish (Andrew Rea) recreates Ross Geller's disgusting-sounding Thanksgiving Leftover Sandwich from the TV series Friends, by cooking an entire Thanksgiving meal in order to have leftovers. The tutorial is perfectly seasoned with occasionally snarky commentary. Babish has a whole series of videos in which he recreates fictional food from TV and movies. That's a thin but entertaining disguise for some seriously good recipes. (via reddit)

Happy Hopping

Safety AND happiness. Only bollards can deliver this every single day. #WorldBollardAssociation

[image or embed]

— World Bollard Association™️ (@worldbollardassoc.bsky.social) November 12, 2024 at 3:16 PM

(via Everlasting Blort)

Squirrel's Find

(via Bad Newspaper)

Let's Get It On

Marvin Gaye died in 1984. His biggest song, "Let's Get It On," was released in 1973. And in November 2024, the song got an official video. The animated video is full of sexual symbolism without being explicit. (via Boing Boing)

When You're Dead

(via reddit)

Andy Serkis Reads a Letter from a Chimpanzee

To understand the context of this Letters Live performance, you need to know the cast of characters.

Dr. Serge Voronoff transplanted glands from monkey testicles into human men in the 1920s, in order to "rejuvenate" them and extend their lives. Dr. Edward Bach was a bacteriologist who warned in 1928 that not only was Voronoff's surgery a con, but that the patients would take on a chimpanzee's "worst characteristics." While chimpanzees are not monkeys, Voronoff used the glands of both baboons and chimps.

Consul Junior was a chimpanzee at the London Zoo, and a favorite among visitors. A letter from Consul Junior appeared in the London Daily News shortly after Bach's statement. Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw was the actual author of the chimp's letter.

Actor Andy Serkis is a motion capture specialist who played Caesar in the 21st-century Planet of the Apes movies. In this video, he reads that letter from the chimpanzee objecting to what Bach called a chimp's "worst characteristics." (via Laughing Squid) 

Creative Labeling

(via Bits and Pieces)

New Flavors of Crisps

The satirical BBC show That's Life! ran from 1973-1994. In this clip, they used footage from some man-on-the -streets potato chip tasting to introduce new flavors. These are the priceless clips that the chip company did not use in their promotional materials. It's possible that the new flavors never even made it to market. (via Nag on the Lake) 

Miss Cellania's Links

How a Team of Gophers Restored Mount St. Helens After Its Catastrophic Eruption With Less Than a Day of Digging.

I’m a neuroscientist who taught rats to drive − their joy suggests how anticipating fun can enrich human life.

Memento Movi, A Cinematic Progress Bar for Life. I am 87.1% through The Blues Brothers, which is a wreck. (via Metafilter)

5 Lab Accidents That Went Horribly Right. The result wasn't what they were trying for, but it was useful anyway.

How Winning an Ig Nobel Prize Can Change a Scientist's Career. (via Damn Interesting)

The ‘Death Mother’: Horror’s most unnerving villain.

This Homemade "Canned" Cranberry Sauce Delivers All the Jiggle But Tons More Flavor.

How an Interracial Marriage Sparked One of the Most Scandalous Trials of the Roaring Twenties.

A Blast from the Past (2015): 10 Fascinating Facts About Spanish Moss.

Fingers

(via Fark)

Your Own Pet Tardigrade

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic animals that are pretty much indestructible. They can survive almost any hardship condition, including dehydration. When they lack water, they go dormant, for years if necessary, then rehydrate and begin their lives again. There are at least a thousand species of tardigrades, which make up their own phylum and aren't closely related to anything outside it. This video shows a tardigrade living in a wet slide mount that acts like a tiny aquarium.

You can have one (or more) of your very own, because they exist pretty much everywhere. The Stanford Tardigrade Project has detailed instructions for finding tardigrades and making microscope slides. They use a Foldscope, but if you have any kind of microscope, you should be able to see your tardigrade pet. (via Metafilter)

Coming Home

Drones returning to their cradles/cases after a show
byu/rco888 inoddlysatisfying

(via Everlasting Blort)

Weiners Pulled

(via Bad Newspaper)

Miami Vice Guest Stars

Miami Vice was the hottest show on TV from 1984 to 1989. The show focused on two very stylish police officers fighting the war on drugs in the Art Deco neon glow of southern Florida. There were plenty of established stars in the "drug dealer of the week" role, as well as up-and-coming actors, but as the show went on, famous recording artists wanted to get in on the action, as well as athletes, models, and other notable figures. Many of the unknowns who appeared on Miami Vice got noticed and became famous for other roles later. In this supercut, they stand out because they look so young.

This list of Miami Vice guest stars is far from comprehensive. You'll find a much longer list at Wikipedia.  (via Laughing Squid)

Employee of the Month

The joke would be that this guy is self-employed, but it turns out that the shop is owned by two brothers, and this is their dad. (via reddit)

Luna Loves Kallie

When Luna was adopted from the shelter, she was delighted to join a family with several kids. But the greatest thing she found was the infant Kallie. Luna is a good cat. She's on TikTok.

Squid Game

(via Slow Robot)