(via Bad Newspaper)
Wednesday, July 04, 2018
The Physics of How Lawn Mower Blades Cut Grass
The blades on a lawnmower aren't as sharp as you'd think (although they will hurt you), and they don't use an opposing force like scissors or a knife on a cutting board, so how do they cut grass instead of just pushing it down? The answer may surprise you. Destin Sandlin of Smarter Every Day takes us underneath a mower with a high-speed camera so that we can understand what's going on. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Abbey Rowed
Pierre Gombaud made a video of the Beatles crossing Abbey Road by animating the still picture from the album cover. But that's just the beginning! As soon as they make it to the other side, the Fab Four enter their psychedelic period. The songs used are "Two-Finger Chord & Whistle" by Paul McCartney and "Tomorrow Never Knows" by the Beatles. (via Digg)
Miss Cellania's Links
When Patriotic Movies Go Awry. A story that illustrates America's mood one year will seem to be ridiculous propaganda when the political winds change. (via Metafilter)
Countries of Europe Ranked by Civility 1939-1945. (via Nag on the Lake)
What Happens as Baseball Players Age? A look at the physiological changes that even the most fit bodies go through in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.
12 Renter-Friendly Decor Hacks. Imagination and clever products let you make temporary changes.
Meet Potato, the Stumpy Cat. She's blind and suffers from deformities, but found the love of a generous caretaker.
A Fiber-Optic Star Ceiling in the Nursery. How one guy accurately recreated the night sky during his daughter's birth. (via TYWKIWDBI)
A Closer Look at The Last Jedi's Fight Scenes Could Reveal an Intriguing Link Between Rey and Kylo. Or maybe they just had the same teacher.
The Beautiful Absurdities of Philosophical Thinking. If what matters varies by viewpoint, is anything at all important?
A blast from the past (2010): For Independence Day, Enjoy 13 Uniquely Different Versions of "Star And Stripes Forever."
The Cat's Holiday
Please be good to your pets, and keep them inside during fireworks. (via Cheezburger)
An Honest Trailer for The Purge
There are already four movies in The Purge franchise -who knew? The fourth film, an origin story called The First Purge, opens nationwide today. Not that anyone will go see it for a logical explanation. Violence sells, and The Purge delivers. Now Screen Junkies delivers an Honest Trailer for the franchise as a whole.
Tweet of the Day
Dear Pa-— RealTomChapman 🏳️🌈 (@realTomChapman) July 3, 2018
General Obama came to inspect the troops. The general inquired as to my name & I said “Private Tom Chapman from the great state of Virginia ma’am.”
Then she shook my hand and told me to call her Michelle.
This is why we fight, Pa.#SecondCivilWarLetters pic.twitter.com/mJKZ9vhpjM
Check out the entire meme called Second Civil War Letters at Twitter.
Dear Ma,— Jared Butler (@ZodiacMan423) July 3, 2018
This war shall end soon. The medics of the MAGA army are unable to treat the soldiers because bullet wounds are considered a pre-existing condition.
#SecondCivilWarLetters
#secondcivilwarletters— Tracy dwyer (@Tracydwyer7) July 3, 2018
Dear Maw and Paw,
Been captured by the blue wave. They actually fed me, clothed me, got me medical attention, and are teaching me to read. Total monsters...
Love
Your son,
Billy Bob
Someone really should get Ken Burns involved in this.
Tuesday, July 03, 2018
Recorded Live
Videotape wasn't exactly new in 1975, but it was a hi-tech newfangled idea to most of us, and technology we don't understand can be scary. In this story, a man is lured into danger by the offer of a job interview, and encounters videotapes that try to murder him! SS Wilson made this short film years before I ever encountered home video. (via Boing Boing)
A Multiplayer Game For Dogs
DogScientist built a mechanical game for his dogs. Was this project just to give the dogs something to do? To make them put a little effort into feeding? Or is it a lesson in figuring out challenges? It doesn't really matter, because all those ends are accomplished as the dogs learn how the machine works, and then learn strategies to make it work better for them. And it's pretty neat to watch, too. (via Tastefully Offensive)
A LIttle Do-It-Yourself
While I'm underemployed, I've been getting some projects done around the house, but avoiding anything that involves too much effort during a heat wave, or any money. Now, I'm not a hoarder (that's what they all say) because I get rid of things readily, but I do save anything that I think may be useful later. I have several rusty baking pans and cookie sheets that I kept around to carry plants, and they look awful.
Now that I have a bunch of succulents that must be taken inside when it's rainy or cold, I decided to make them look presentable in the kitchen, using supplies I already have.
First, I got out my rust removal kit and used a wire brush to remove as much as I could. Then I slathered Naval jelly on a cookie sheet. Rinse, brush, repeat. I was under no illusion that I'd remove all the rust, but I removed a lot of rust. Then I ran out of Naval jelly, and didn't want to buy more.
Since I took these pictures, I've treated a couple of other pans (I had several partial bottles of Naval jelly), and sometimes I'd brush them and discover holes. Decision time: would the finished product be worth the trouble? I do have Bondo, but I didn't think the project was worth that much effort. Since I'd just be carrying plants in these pans, a small hole or two doesn't bother me, but one pan was in such bad shape I stopped working on it. It's the same thing as removing all the rust. This is a no dollar project; how long do I really expect these trays to last?
Next I'd decide what I wanted my tray to look like. I like the look of old enamelware, so I tried to emulate that with spray paint. There were three trays in this project, and the pictures will not be all of the same tray. I forgot to take a picture in some steps, and some pictures didn't turn out well. Bear with me. I wasted a lot of paint on the first two trays before I wised up and used primer on the third one. One coat of primer will save you several coats of regular spray paint.
I painted the accent color first, all over the bottom and around the edges of the top. My advice here is to let your paint dry longer than you think is necessary between coats.
Then I masked off the parts where I wanted the accent color with painters tape. That's one of the reasons to let it dry thoroughly, so the paint will stand up to the tape, and the tape won't become a part of the tray. Press the tape down hard, especially along the very edge.
Then I spray painted the floor of the tray white. This might be the third color of paint on the surface; another reason to let everything dry well, even overnight, between coats.
Now comes the really fun part- removing the painters tape. This is thoroughly satisfying. Unless it goes wrong. That didn't happen for me. All three trays came out nice.
They look nice in the kitchen.
Especially with the plants on them.
And they look nice outside.
I have a habit of reusing junk and making new things out of old things... what they call "up cycling" in today's lingo. Read about how I combined two coffee tables to make a useable one, how I made kitchen canisters to match my kitchen decor in the 1990s, and how I built my kids a playhouse out of leftover building materials, among other projects.
Miss Cellania's Links
Trump Created An Office To Highlight Immigrant Crime. A Year Later, The Results Are Underwhelming.
This Folkloric Animal’s Only Real-Life Power is Cuteness. Learn all about the mysterious Japanese raccoon dog.
The Forgotten Culture That Built America's "Pyramids" of Dirt. The Mississippians flourished hundreds of years before Europeans colonized America.
13 Bizarre Booze Combos That People Actually Swear By. Whiskey in your green tea, anyone?
Why You're Being Kept In A Constant State Of Impotent Rage.
Chernobyl's Radioactive 'Wildlife Preserve' Spawns Growing Wolf Population. Finally, a new concept for a horror film. (via Fark)
Switch Up Your Fourth Of July With These Actual American Foods. It will be a celebration your guests will remember forever.
This Twitter thread compares the current US political situation with the history of South Africa. The similarities are chilling.
Study on Penis Size Cut Short. The headline writer's dream. (via Bits and Pieces)
A blast from the past (2012): 10 Horrible Things We Do to Teddy Bears.
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