Laughing Squid

Filmmaker Michael Tucker of Lessons from the Screenplay revisits the classic holiday tale A Christmas Carol to show how Charles Dickens‘ 1893 story perfectly follows the narrative technique of the five act structure. This technique requires a character to go on a journey of self-discovery that takes place over five...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens Perfectly Follows the Five Act Structure Narrative Technique first appeared on Laughing Squid.

“Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream” is a wonderfully touching animation about the enduring friendship between a brown dog and a white cat who follow each other around town, each coaxing wagging tails and soft purrs from the other. The animation was made by graphic artist Steve Cowden whose family had...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream, A Touching Animation About an Unlikely Friendship Between a Dog and Cat first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Ian Walters (previously), a 6th grade history and science teacher in Oakland, Californa, has returned as Gollum from The Lord of the Rings to perform a “precious” cover Sinead O’Connor‘s version of “Nothing Compares 2 U” (which was originally written by Prince). Nothing can stop these tears from falling Tell...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Deepfaked Gollum Performs a ‘Precious’ Cover of Sinead O’Connor’s Version of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Music essayist Noah Lefevre of Polyphonic takes a look at how musician Joni Mitchell turned the classically cheerful holiday song “Jingle Bells” into a somber ode by changing the chord progression for her Christmas song “River”. This particular song, off her iconic 1970 album Blue, uses a variation and adds...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How Joni Mitchell Changed the ‘Jingle Bells’ Chord Progression to Evoke Holiday Melancholy in ‘River’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In the spirit of the holiday season, musician Aaron Gage performed a surprisingly seamless live mashup of the lyrics from the classic Christmas carol “Deck the Halls” with the distinctive audio track from the iconic Black Sabbath anthem “War Pigs”. Gage played every instrument on the track and performed all...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Musician Sings the Lyrics From ‘Deck the Halls’ to the Music of the Iconic Black Sabbath Song ‘War Pigs’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Insider visited with Oscar Okonu, an incredibly talented artist in Nigeria who creates ultra-realistic portraits using just a Bic ballpoint pen, a piece of paper, and his self-taught artistic techniques. Okonu, who specializes in ideas surrounding Afrorealism, takes his time with each piece in order to ensure each detail is...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Self-Taught Nigerian Artist Draws Ultra-Realistic Portraits Just Using Bic Ballpoint Pens on Paper first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A Glitch in the Matrix by director Rodney Ascher (previously) is a documentary that questions whether or not the whole of humanity is just a figment of digital simulation that’s being controlled by a single omnipresent entity. The film also uses a famous speech by Philip K. Dick to enunciate...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Film ‘A Glitch in the Matrix’ Uses Philip K. Dick to Learn If Humanity is Just a Figment of Digital Simulation first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ?R O M M Y D E B O M M Y? (@rommydebommy) Dutch designer Rommydebommy creates incredibly lifelike food-themed purses, backpacks, and clutches that look quite good enough to eat. Rommy doesn’t limit herself to one type of food either,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Food Themed Purses That Look Good Enough to Eat first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A feisty little white dog, who appears to be very protective of his home, carefully watches out the window to see when the mail carrier is coming and positions himself in front of the door. When the mail comes in through the slot, the little canine goes absolutely nuts, reaching...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Feisty Dog Destroys Mail Coming in Through the Slot first appeared on Laughing Squid.

IKEA Canada has created a wonderful set of yummy miniature gingerbread furnishings just in time for the holiday season. This fragrant cookie set features a MALM bed frame with a LACK night table, a STRANDMOM easy chair with coordinating RENS rug and BILLY bookcase, and a JOCKMOKK dining table with...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Mini IKEA Home Furnishings Made Out of Gingerbread first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A beautiful African spurred (Sulcata) tortoise named Princess Neferu who lives at Badger Run Wildlife Rehab in Klamath Falls, Oregon, contentedly wiggled her backside back and forth while seated inside a scratching station that a volunteer named Chuck built for her. The princess, as she’s known, really enjoys having her...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Happy Tortoise Wiggles Her Backside Back and Forth Inside a Custom Built Shell Scratching Station first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Alex Dodson of Burned by Design has yet again added to his incredible Star Wars inspired handmade collection with a beautifully welded custom Boba Fett Wood Burner that like his other work, Dodson hand cut and welded the piece himself, finishing it in stove black under a strong, clear finish....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Custom Hand Welded Boba Fett Helmet Wood Burner first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In kaleidoscopic episode of The Slow Mo Guys (previously) host Gavin Free painstakingly painted 1,000 mousetraps that were lined up next to each other in three separate squares. He then triggered each set of traps causing a colorful chain reaction that he captured in high definition slow motion. After about...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Capturing a Colorful Chain Reaction of 1000 Freshly Painted Mousetraps Being Triggered in Slow Motion first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Mat Taylor of the gadget video channel Techmoan (previously) decided that he wanted to find out what a chocolate record would sound like when played. While browsing Etsy, Taylor found the shop for Prudence Strait of Food Is Art, a chocolatier in Tewkesbury, England who makes chocolate records. Each record...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Using a Turntable to Play an Edible Chocolate Record first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Good Morning America shared rare behind-the-scenes footage from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, in celebration of the film’s 40th anniversary. This previously unreleased footage features bloopers, silly cast moments unfinished and cut scenes, and narration by George Lucas, among others. A collection of rare and never-before-seen outtakes,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Previously Unreleased Behind-The-Scenes Footage From ‘Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While appearing on CONAN, actor and comedian Bill Burr spoke about playing the role of Migs Mayfeld on The Mandalorian openly shared his disdain for the Star Wars franchise with host Conan O’Brien. Australian filmmaker Morden Wex very cleverly took the audio from that interview and mixed it with a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Comedian Bill Burr Tells The Mandalorian How Much He Really Hates the ‘Star Wars’ Films first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While filming in the Amazon Rainforest of Puyo, Ecuador, talented nature photographer David Weiller (previously) captured beautifully disconcerting footage of a monkey slug caterpillar. This particular larva of the hag moth is rather distinctive, disguising itself to look more like a scary combination of a tarantula and a slug rather...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Beautifully Disconcerting Monkey Slug Caterpillar Disguising Itself As a Tarantula Spider first appeared on Laughing Squid.

@liketheshape New tree angel this year and his name shall be calleth… #grogu #HolidayVibes #madalorian #treetopper #christmasdiy #babyyoda ? Baby Yoda – Song a Day With the soaring popularity of The Mandalorian playing in homes around the world, some very clever fans have paid tribute to the beloved Grogu (Baby...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Fun Christmas Tree Toppers Featuring Baby Yoda Playing With Shiny Round Ornaments first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Dustin Ballard of There I Ruined It (previously) quite merrily sung the Billy Idol song “Dancing With Myself” to the tune of the classic holiday song “Jingle Bells”. This unusual combination makes for a slightly disconcerting Christmas carol. This one was a challenge from a co-worker. I hope you enjoy,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Merry Mashup of the Billy Idol Song ‘Dancing With Myself’ Sung to the Tune of ‘Jingle Bells’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A slightly baffled human who wanted to know why her Roomba kept switching off in the middle of cleaning the floor, so they set up a camera to find out what was going on. It turns out that the family dog, unlike other canines, didn’t fully appreciate the work that...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Clever Dog Repeatedly Turns Off Roomba first appeared on Laughing Squid.

David Li, thee talented animator behind the stretchy elastic Morty head and the interactive choir of singing lips, partnered with Google Arts & Culture to create a very festive interactive animated “Blob Opera”. In order to make the animated blobs sing, the viewer virtually pulls up on one of four...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Festive Interactive AI Choir That Sings by Virtually Pulling Up on Four Different Animated Blobs first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a luminescent episode of the SciFri series The Macroscope, filmmaker Christian Baker visited with Don Hampton who works at the University of Alaska Fairbanks as an aurora researcher. It is his job to study the Northern Lights to learn all he can about the effect it has upon satellites...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Studying the Northern Lights to Learn More About the Effect Upon Satellites and Electrical Infrastructure first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Filmmaker Lyn Goldfarb has created “Eddy’s World”, a short film about her 98 year old father Eddy. Eddy Goldfarb is known as one of the most prolific toymakers and designed such iconic designs as “Yakity Yak Wind Up Teeth”, “Battling Tops”, “KerPlunk”, and “Chutes Away” just to name a few....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The 98 Year Old Prolific Toy Inventor Who Designed 800 of the World’s Most Iconic Toys and Games first appeared on Laughing Squid.

German postproduction company PX Group created an absolutely incredible animation that features a computer-generated city skyline that’s carved into a remnant wooden stump of a tree. This short piece was made for the German environmental advocacy group Robin Wood and in partnership with ad agency Thjnk. The message is extremely...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Powerful Environmental Ad Features an Incredible Animation of a City Skyline Carved Into Wooden Stump first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Woodworker Dylan Iwakuni demonstrated the wonderful traditional art of Japanese wood joinery with several different examples. This particular technique of joining pieces of wood without any adhesives or nails was brought to Japan from China in the late 12th century and has been used for all sorts of projects of...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Wonderful Demonstration Showcasing the Traditional Art of Japanese Wood Joinery Without Nails or Glue first appeared on Laughing Squid.

There are so many things to love about the wonderfully inventive Monterey Bay Aquarium. This includes their very cleverly punny website 404 error page, which reads “You’ve gotta be squidding me!”. This, of course, is very appealing to us here at Laughing Squid for obvious reasons! Sorry, but the page...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Very Cleverly Punny Squid Themed Website 404 Error Page first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Swedish artist and craftsman Love Hulten (previously) has created “VOC-25”, a conceptual vocal synthesizer based upon the Axoloti Core 25 circuit board. The traditional computer setup features 25 sets of plastic teeth that are attached to the “monitor”. Each jaw screams at a different pitch whenever a note on the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post VOC-25, A Conceptual Vocal Synthesizer That Uses 25 Sets of Plastic Teeth to Emit Blood Curdling Screams first appeared on Laughing Squid.

When a rather rebellious pet hamster named Mister Hamster found himself trapped inside a prison, he took matters into his own “hands”. The rascally rodent escaped the cell itself through a broken toilet. Once free of the suffocating four walls of the cell, Mister Hamster successfully attacked each and every...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Hamster Makes a Daring Prison Break to Freedom Through an Intricate Obstacle Course Cardboard Maze first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jumpei Mitsui (@jumpei.mitsui) Japanese LEGO artist Jumpei Mitsui, who is the youngest LEGO Certified Professional in the world, used his immense talent to recreate the iconic woodblock print “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” by ukiyo-e artist Hokusai out of LEGO bricks....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Stunning LEGO Recreation of the Iconic Woodblock Print ‘The Great Wave Off Kanagawa’ by Hokusai first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Many people have compared the year 2020 to that of a dumpster fire, so it seems only fitting that the annual tradition of the Yule Log be replaced with an in-kind likeness. The folks at the Canadian ad agency AM/FM have done just that with their “2020 Xmas Dumpster Fire”,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Hour-Long Real-Life Dumpster Fire Christmas ‘Yule Log’ Video That Helps Bid Goodbye to 2020 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The Jewish a capella group Six13, who previously musically celebrated the overlap of Thanksgiving with Chanukah and sang a festive a cappella adaptation of “Bohemian Rhapsody” in its entirety, performed a festive medley of some of the most iconic Star Wars songs featuring Hanukkah themed lyrics. “DO, OR DO NOT...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Jewish A Capella Group Performs a Festive Medley of Star Wars Songs With Chanukah Themed Lyrics first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Martin Kaninsky of About Photography took a detailed look at how the The Queen’s Gambit utilized complementary colors to make the entire series so visually engaging. Martin points out that many of the scenes work directly off the unique color of main character’s hair. By combining two primary colors yellow...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How the Use of Background Complementary Colors Made ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ So Visually Engaging first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The very talented Luca Stricagnoli (previously) got his groove going in a cover of the iconic Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive”. To get a real feel for the song, Stricagnoli dressed up in his Saturday Night Fever best, sporting a turtleneck, brown leather jacket, and large gold sunglasses. The video...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Groovy Cover of the Iconic Bee Gees Song ‘Stayin’ Alive’ Played on Acoustic Guitar first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Photographer Joaquin Baldwin created an incredibly powerful pixilation timelapse of himself from shoulders up, focusing on the growth of his hair and beard over 101 days of quarantine due to COVID-19. While Baldwin’s hair ebbed and flowed within the timelapse, he lip-synched the extremely timely and appropriate Radical Face song...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Powerful Pixilation Timelapse Showing a Man’s Hair and Beard Growth Over 101 Days of Quarantine first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Martin Molin (previously) of the band Wintergatan and creator of the incredible Marble Machine X, was concerned that his instrument was vibrating too much, causing too many marbles were missing their marks. Molin spent three days studying every angle and determined that he needed to increase mass and structure in...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Amazing Marble Machine X Plays a Remarkable 30,000 Marbles After a Massive Three Day Tune Up first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Kelvin the Menga Man, who was previously bested by his friend lamlei in an attempt to break the record for the most Jenga pieces stacked onto one block, blew away all previous records when he stacked an absolutely amazing 1,002 pieces onto a single vertical block. I put 1,002 pieces...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Man Stacks an Amazing 1,002 Jenga Blocks Onto One Vertical Jenga Block Breaking All World Records first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While Star Wars IX: Rise of Skywalker was playing on the television, a playful black cat tried to catch the discarded Crossguard Lightsaber that Kylo Ren threw away during an incredibly pivotal scene in the film.Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Playful Black Cat Tries to Catch Lightsaber Thrown by Kylo Ren During ‘Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Online retail Ali Express is selling a very strategically designed bangle bracelet that doubles as a portable flask. The sleek style allows one to carry their choice of beverage in a discreet manner. The bracelet is available in a number of colors and comes with a convenient funnel for easy...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Strategically Designed Bracelet That Doubles as a Flask first appeared on Laughing Squid.

With the soaring popularity of The Mandalorian growing greater each season, Looper decided to take a look at the history of the planet Mandalore. They look at when the planet first came into being, where it existed in the scope of the Star Wars franchise, the type of beings who...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The History of the Planet Mandalore Explained first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Passport Pockets: Music Edition is a clever collection of distinctly colored notebooks by Dorothy that look like passports with country appropriate song titles emblazoned across the cover. The 48-page notebooks come in a set of four and are perfect for those who like to travel. Born in the USA? Causing...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Clever Collection of Notebooks That Look Like Passports With Corresponding Song Titles on the Cover first appeared on Laughing Squid.

German insect enthusiast and breeder Adrian Kozakiewicz of Insecthaus (previously), gently picked up a surprisingly cooperative, giant Hercules beetle (which is a form of rhinoceros beetle) by the thoracic horn to get the insect’s wings going. The giant beetle complied and the noisy flutter made it sound as if a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post World’s Longest Beetle Pretends to Be a Helicopter first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The Latvian company Brette Haus has created a wonderful line of affordable prefabricated tiny homes that uses the principles of origami to unfold and be placed into wherever the customer decides to call home (within Latvia). Each house has a 100 cycle hinge system within, making placement far more simple...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Affordable Prefabricated Foldable Tiny Homes first appeared on Laughing Squid.

On the first night of Hanukkah, Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and record producer Greg Kurstin covered the classic Beastie Boys anthem “Sabotage” with incredible accuracy in both vocals and effects. As the only Rock and Roll Hall Of Famers with a lyric about kugel, we thought it would...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Dave Grohl and Greg Kursten Cover The Beastie Boys’ ‘Sabotage’ on First Night of ‘The Hanukkah Sessions’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Traffic Scotland, the national service behind winter road service, has given absolutely wonderful punny names to the individual gritters (snowplows) of their beloved fleet. Among these amusing monikers is “License to Chill”, “For Your Ice Only”, “Spready Mercury”, “Gritallica”, “Gritty Gritty Bang Bang”, “Sir Grits A Lot”, “Ready Spready Go”,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Amusing Names of the Scottish Snowplow Fleet first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Birdmom777 (@birdmom777) A helpful parrot named Maui used her powerful beak to open a packet of vanilla chai tea that her human Kerri put in front of her. Maui rhythmically perforated the protective envelope at a rapid clip so that the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Helpful Parrot Uses Her Beak to Open a Packet of Tea first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A silly little cat hilariously brought a performance of the Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra in Turkey to a complete standstill by walking onto the stage and decisively interacting with various musicians. A security guard attempted to catch the stray feline, but she preferred the limelight and refused to be caught....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Wandering Stray Cat Hilariously Brings an Istanbul Philharmonic Orchestra Performance to a Standstill first appeared on Laughing Squid.

During the 2016 Christmas season, the members of Eclipse 6 dressed in 18th century clothing and donned antlers on their to tell the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with cleverly adapted songs from Hamilton. An homage to “Alexander Hamilton” and “Right Hand Man” from Hamilton: An American Musical....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘Hamildolph’, A Brilliant Christmas Parody of ‘Hamilton’ That Tells the Story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Netflix went behind the scenes of the sublime 2020 miniseries The Queen’s Gambit to talk with creator Scott Frank, actors Anya Taylor-Joy and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, along with other members of the crew about how they brought the novel of the same name to vivid life on screen. Each member spoke...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ Was Brought to Vivid Life first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Old-timey, banjolele-playing musician Thomas Benjamin Wild Esq., who previously had No More F***s to give, performed a completely fitting original song dedicated to the year 2020 that’s aptly entitled “Well,This is Sh*t”. I don’t need positive affirmations I need to scream and bawl The unrealistic expectations Won’t help with this...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Old Timey Singer Performs ‘Well, This Is Sh*t’, An Original Song Dedicated to the Year 2020 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Hoops Désolé is a “Crazy Circus Company” made up of six incredibly talented performers who combine hoop diving through gymnastic rings, along with other acrobatic feats such as leaping and tumbling in a fun, comedic way. The group is made up of Jacob Grégoire, Gian Nardin, Theddy Nardin, Augustin Thériault,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Hoops Désolé, A Troupe of Six Talented Comedic Acrobats Who Playfully Dive Through Hoops first appeared on Laughing Squid.