European history is a frighteningly big subject, especially for Americans, because there were so many cultures always at war with and conquering each other that nations and borders were constantly changing. A kingdom could be just a few hundred people and still have a royal family that ended up in the history books, so that the timeline is a long string of of wars, marriages, and murders that eventually just seem to blend together. But when you look closely, there are episodes that stand out because they are just so bizarre. Weird History does us a favor and highlights just the most outstandingly weird incidents in battle. You don't have to know exactly who these rulers were, or how they fit into the timeline to get a kick out of the odd things that make history worth knowing.
Monday, November 20, 2023
Real Medieval War Stories That Sound Made Up
400 MPH Bowling Ball to the Dome
Gav and Dan, the Slow Mo Guys, teamed up with the Brett and Scott from the YouTube channel How Ridiculous to bring us a thoroughly disturbing demonstration of wanton destruction. They procured an anatomically-correct model head, and then shot a bowling ball at it with a cannon. The bowling ball is traveling at almost 400 miles per hour, so you know that head is going to be obliterated. Yep, they blew it up real good. But they have more heads, so they get to blow more of them away. I'm glad they chose their heads to be equipped with green blood instead of red. (via Digg)
Hot Dog Foosball
This game is really clever, and you can almost see in your mind's eye how it happened. You have a grill with rotating skewers, make for things like shish kebab. But one day all you have is hot dogs, and cooking them on the grill is a great way to make them special. Once you have the dogs skewered and give them one turn, you are reminded of a foosball table. Sure, this will work! All you need is a ball that won't burn.
Of course, all this might have happened in someone's imagination. Pablo Rochat has that kind of creative mind, and made Hot Dog Foosball a reality. (via Laughing Squid)
Miss Cellania's Links
Yes, You Can Put Your Christmas Decorations Up Now—and Should, According to Psychologists.
Long Before the First Thanksgiving, an Artificial Island in Florida Hosted a Cross-Cultural Feast. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/thanksgiving-calusa-mound-key-florida
I’m An Insurance Adjuster And I’m Going To Total Your Car (And Hate Doing It). (via Metafilter)
I’d Knit That: Kendall Ross’s Knitted Wearable Artworks.
31 Eyebrow-Arching Facts About Video Games.
Terrified feral cat learns to cuddle with his new very patient human.
Godzilla reigns eternal thanks to years of tiny design changes. (via Digg)
Hampshire villagers bring street’s apostrophe catastrophe to a full stop. St Mary’s Terrace in Twyford has regained its lost punctuation after a row that even drew in local author Jane Austen. (via Metafilter)
Seize the Day
An inspirational speech from Robin Williams, remixed from several of his movies by Melodysheep.
Tweet of the Day
Yeah, people have known this for 40 years. In case you need to be reminded, Rupert Murdoch is the founder and owner of Fox News. (via Boing Boing)Linda Rondstadt on Australian TV in 1983:
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) November 16, 2023
"Australia gave us Rupert Murdoch. Thanks a lot, you guys. Take him back!
pic.twitter.com/fzlmrfSNjc
Sunday, November 19, 2023
A Look at History's Toughest Warriors
Historically, the toughest armies are made up of the fiercest warriors. Modern armies depend on technology and brainpower, but still require tough warriors. Over thousands of years, rulers have shaped their societies to produce brave fighters that will risk their lives for glory, honor, and victory. Weird History highlights eleven of history's fiercest fighting forces of the past and what they accomplished. Not all of them were official armies led by government rulers, but they all had a leader who knew how to motivate their fighters, whether by patriotism, rewards, fear, loyalty, cultural manipulation, or survival instinct. Or some combination of those techniques. Some you know about from history class or the movies, but there will be a couple of armies that are new to you.
How A Hoarder's House Is Deep Cleaned
A hoarder's house can be a nightmare in more than one way. We sometimes hear about houses that are falling apart, infested with insects, animal carcasses, and trash because the resident no longer has the ability to clean up and needs help, due to age, illness, or drug addiction. What he have here is something different. A resident of this nice home amassed things constantly- what they call "excessive acquisition." It became so much that it interfered with everyday living. Mack Leighty from Midwest Magic Cleaning tackled the job of decluttering this home, and had to bring in a couple of other folks to help.
This is what we all need to beware of- the unnoticed amassing of too many possessions. You might not realize when it gets to the point that you cannot deal with the amount of things yourself. It's better to start now and reduce your inventory to a manageable level before it gets out of hand. Then do that every year or two. If it's not liable to be useful sometime soon, give it away. Keep your treasures and the things that always spark joy, but all that stuff that you might unpack "someday" doesn't need to be there at all. (via Damn Interesting)
What Men Think About
The best skit from last night's Saturday Night Live involved the idea that's gone viral in the last couple of months that men spend a surprising amount of time thinking about the Roman Empire. I don't know whether that's true, or if they've just stumbled upon a good answer for when a woman asks a man what he is thinking about. They tried for a long time to tell us they are not thinking about anything, which women don't believe because women never stop thinking.
The concept is funny, yet it's the script, performance, and editing that raise this one to the level of masterpiece. The little boy is exceptionally impressive. Parental guidance is recommended here.
Apartment Symphony
You know how some buskers record loops and play over them immediately, so they can sound like a one man band? Keith Peskosky did this while walking around his apartment, which is strewn with instruments. So of course it got made into a GoPro ad. (via Digg)
Tweet of the Day
(via Buzzfeed)RIP cowboy holding a stick of dynamite pic.twitter.com/v3AqPdMboQ
— Jamison Webb (@jamisonwebb) November 13, 2023
Saturday, November 18, 2023
Frankenstein is More Horrific Than You Might Think
For generations now, people have been correcting each other. Frankenstein is not the name of the monster, it's the name of the mad scientist who created the monster! But then again, a more thoughtful take on that would be that the real monster of the story is the mad scientist, Dr. Frankenstein.
In Mary Shelley's original novel, Frankenstein isn't even a doctor. But he is a scientist, whether mad or evil or both. It takes a lot of hubris to imagine one can reanimate dead body parts, essentially making a man. The creature itself is the victim, not only of being reanimated without consent, but being seen as a monster, undeserving of love. The novel delves much deeper into the ethics of science and the danger of playing God. Monstrum, from PBS, explains some of the deeper themes addressed in the original 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.