When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Imagine you're Edward Teller and you've spent years of your life probing the mysteries of the atom and finally invented a nuclear bomb. That happened with the Manhattan Project, and resulted in two nuclear bombs that finally ended World War II. What then? The US and the Soviet Union developed more powerful bombs and large nuclear arsenals until the concept of mutually-assured destruction took hold. These bombs were so deadly that neither side could use them as weapons, since that would be suicide.
So what good are these very expensive bomb-splitting weapons if they can't be used in war? Maybe they could be used for infrastructure projects, like digging canals, opening up harbors, oil extraction, or maybe geothermal heat production. What could possibly go wrong? If you've ever wondered what all those underground nuclear tests in the 1960s were for, Kurzgesagt is glad to explain them to us. There's a promotional break from 4:49 to 5:56. The video ends at 11:56.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Project Plowshare
Troy James at the Apollo
When you go to Showtime at the Apollo, you expect to hear some awesome music, and maybe see a dance routine or two. The audience wasn't prepared for Troy James. James is a noted contortionist who has appeared in several movies, usually as a monster or supernatural being, designed to freak people out. He's good at that! (via reddit)
Monday, March 30, 2026
The Internet of Twenty Years Ago
It may seem a little premature to get nostalgic about the internet of 20 years ago, but it's normal. In the 1970s, we all watched a TV show (Happy Days) that harnessed nostalgia about the 1950s only 20 years earlier. That said, the history of the internet can be a little jarring. Back in the 2000s (no one really calls them the aughts), graphics were rough, users were naive, and goofiness was everywhere. It was a lot of fun!
Then came algorithms, social media, SEO, and endless advertising. The sites that were the most fun were bought up by corporations. Paywalls went up. Personal data became a commodity. Influencers made money by making you feel inadequate. Spam and viruses gave way to bots. And then there's artificial intelligence. But let's not think about those things- Weird History is glad to take us back to the days of flourishing creativity and goofiness in the 2000s. This video has a promotional break from 5:18 to 6:29.
The Illegal Airport?
Ercan International Airport in Cyprus is weird because it's caught in a political no man's land. The history of Cyprus is like a lot of other country's histories: ruled by the Greeks, the Romans, the Ottoman Empire, the British Empire, then left to their own devices. This led to a split between the ethnic Greeks and the ethnic Turks, and the formation of Northern Cyprus, which is not a recognized country. That designation puts the Ercan International Airport in a weird spot, as Half as Interesting explains. The video is only six minutes; the rest is promotional.
Miss Cellania's Links
Scientists captured female sperm whales on video working together during a birth to protect the calf.
Government Defrauds Legal Immigrants and US Sponsors Who Paid $1 Billion in Fees. And no one is surprised. (via Metafilter)
Small town police work can be a sitcom.
32 Things About America That Make The Rest of The World Cringe.
Fear and Fragility: The Glass Delusion and Its History. (via Messy Nessy Chic)
Stephen Miller makes dramatic move aimed at rolling back Civil War gains. He wants to keep undocumented children out of public schools. (via Fark)
They Don’t Have Lip Filler, They Just Have Lip Filler Accent. (via Nag on the Lake)
H-Bomb: A Frank Lloyd Wright Typographic Mystery. The famed architect made a surprising error on one of his most notable buildings — or did he? A deep dive to uncover the truth. (via kottke)
Classical Music Mashup II
Years ago, Grant Woolard gave us a fine mashup of classical music by the world's greatest composers. It's still a treat to listen to! He followed it up with volume two. This one features a blend of 52 familiar classics by such diverse names as Mozart, John Philip Souza, Bizet, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, and Scott Joplin. They go together quite well. (via Digg)
The Mission
There is an element of truth in the cartoon that makes the situation truly pathetic. Our sons and daughters are the cannon fodder for the sons and daughters of the oligarchs!
— conifergirl.bsky.social (@conifergirl.bsky.social) March 27, 2026 at 11:42 AM
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Sunday, March 29, 2026
Le Moribond
Jacques Brel wrote and sang the song "Le Moribond" in 1961, long before Terry Jacks changed the lyrics and made it the weird one-hit wonder "Seasons in the Sun" in 1974. Brel's lyrics and delivery are so much better. It's also very French, since it's about love and dying and nihilism and drinking and dancing and adultery. But most of all, it's about forgiveness. (via Metafilter)
Roadrunner
The robot called Roadrunner has only two legs, but it moves amazingly well. Roadrunner uses its powered wheels to move in dual mode, inline mode, and even balances on one wheel. It never needs to turn around, because forward, backward, and sideways are human constructs. Then it can lock its wheels and just walk like a human, which includes navigating stairs and ramps. Can Roadrunner dance? Of course!
You might wonder what good all this is. Besides the research in kinetic movement, this kind of locomotion would come in handy for wheelchairs and bomb disposal units that need to negotiate rough terrain. Unfortunately, its first real use would more likely be offensive battle. (via Born in Space)
The Triumphal Entry
Palm Sunday, one week before Easter, is the day Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. His reputation preceded him, since so many had heard of how He raised Lazarus from the dead. Here's the scene as it was portrayed in the TV series The Chosen.
