Laughing Squid

In 2016, we wrote about Belgian artist and filmmaker Vincent Bal and his very clever series of ingenious illustrations created from shadows cast by sunlit household items. Since that time, Bal has been working on a television series, making films and creating even more of these clever shadow drawings, some of them from less typical...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Very Clever Illustrations Created From of Shadows Cast by Items Less Commonly Found Around the House first appeared on Laughing Squid.

LEGO aficionado Fievet Aymeric submitted his LEGO Ideas design for “Central Perk”, a LEGO version the beloved coffee shop featured on Friends. Aymeric was sure to include every last detail (using over 1,700 bricks) in his vision to recreate one of the most iconic fictional coffee shops in the world. Luckily, his submission was officially...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A LEGO Recreation of ‘Central Perk’, The Beloved Coffee Shop Featured on ‘Friends’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Iranian artist Salman Koshroo creates brilliant, anthropomorphic, humanoid figures out of ENT electrical wire. Each starts off as a basic wireframe onto which Koshroo winds and weaves the more colorful ENT wire, determining whether the figure has short, curly hair, a sleek chignon, long straight hair that hangs everywhere or even no hair at all....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Humanoid Figures Formed Out of Colorful Wire first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The floats of the Viareggio Festival, which takes place in Viareggio, Tuscany, Italy, have historically had a sardonic, political bent to them and the floats of the 2019 event were no exception. One such float is of a giant whale choking on and being strangled by single-use plastic that pollutes the oceans worldwide. The float,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A Heartbreaking Parade Float Featuring a Giant Whale Choking on Trash at the Viareggio Carnevale in Italy first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Industrial Light & Magic shared an expertly edited, extremely detailed breakdown of the incredible visual effects that were created for various scenes within the enigmatic, record-breaking Netflix film Bird Box. A breakdown reel of the visual effects behind Netflix’s record-breaking thriller ‘Bird Box’. Related Laughing Squid PostsA Visual Effects Breakdown of The Force Awakens Scene...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A Breakdown of the Visual Effects That Were Created for the Enigmatic Netflix Film ‘Bird Box’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Michigan woodworker Matt Thompson of Thompson Woodworks, who previously built a beer-holding Michigan State shaped chair and a Rube Goldberg-inspired automatic dog petter, decided to see what would happen if he combined the best features of both ideas together. The result is a really satisfying-looking automatic back-scratching reclining chair for humans, complete with footrest and...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A Hand Crafted Wooden Chair With a Pair of Automatic Rube Goldberg-Inspired Back Scratching Hands first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Japanese online novelty gift retailer Felissimo (previously) is featuring an adorable set of squishy, chocolate-filled marshmallows that are shaped and decorated with a Shiba Inu’s smiling face. The set comes as nine to a box and each marshmallow is individually wrapped for easy sharing. (translated)Shiba Inu with a full smile appeared on popular Japanese style...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Adorably Squishy Smiling Shiba Inu Marshmallows first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Paper artist Louise Cassidy of Foldiloxs creates absolutely brilliant origami recreations of pop culture characters from television and film. via LangweilDich.net Related Laughing Squid PostsA Look Inside the National Audio Company, One of the Last Companies Still Producing Audio CassettesBrilliantly Illustrated Timelines Showing the Evolution of Various Pop Culture Icons Over the Years‘Geek-Art: An Anthology’,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Brilliant Origami Versions of Pop Culture Characters first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Filmmaker Richard Vezina (previously) has created “A Stanley Kubrick Odyssey – 2019 Edition”, an absolutely gorgeous, high-definition video tribute to the late legendary director on the 20th anniversary of his death. This thoughtful piece, which originated in 2003, released in 2011 and updated for 2019, showcases Kubrick’s pioneering vision and vivid scene execution with montaged...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A Beautiful High-Definition Tribute to Visionary Director Stanley Kubrick on the 20th Anniversary of His Death first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Dorothy has released a series of detailed posters with iconic rock albums reimagined as colorful, oversized postage stamps. The posters come in four different music genres; psychedelic, post-punk, post-rock and electronic. Each genre also has a coordinating Spotify playlist. Each stamp features a graphic inspired by the album (or tracks on the album), the date...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Colorful Posters With Iconic Rock Albums of Different Genres Reimagined as Oversized Postage Stamps first appeared on Laughing Squid.

After Skool (previously) in collaboration with Health Chronicle, presents a colorful explanatory whiteboard and illustrated animation about the myth of right-brain, left-brain personalities. While the separate halves of the brain perform different functions, it’s not as cleanly divided as has been previously reported. The same processes exist on both hemispheres of the brain, although the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post The Myth of the Left Brain Right Brain Theory Explained first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Southern California engineer William Osman (previously) and his pal Morgan built a bicycle completely out of wood in order to see if it would actually roll. The test ride revealed a couple of problems that Osman is planning on rectifying in a future video. Are you tired of not having splinters in your butt when...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Taking a Handbuilt 100% Wooden Bicycle for Test Ride first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In the film Midsommer, an American couple makes their way over to Sweden to join a friend for a traditional summer festival that takes place in the friend’s hometown. Unfortunately, the relaxing scene they envisioned quickly devolves into a frightening, brutish experience that none of them saw coming. A couple travels to Sweden to visit...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Midsommar, An Eerie Film About a Swedish Summer Festival Gone Wrong by the Director of ‘Hereditary’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a fraught and frenzied trailer for the eighth and final season of the long-running and often imitated HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, each house prepares for battle now that winter has finally come. The promise had been made in the previous season to fight together against the White Walkers before deciding who wears...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post The Houses Within ‘Game of Thrones’ Prepare for Winter Battle Their Own Way in the Final Season Trailer first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Canon Australia ambassador and nature photographer Sean Scott captured absolutely stunning photos of sharks riding inside ocean waves in the waters of Red Bluff in Western Australia. This area is a rich natural feeding ground for these sharks, which Scott explains in a gorgeously shot, informative Instagram Story. Scott also captured dolphins doing the same...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Stunning Photos of Sharks Riding Waves first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In “The Farce Awokens”, a stop-motion animated Star Wars parody by Robot Chicken, a very vocal Gary the Nerd inserted his pasty presence into the character of BB-8 and rolled around the plot of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Needless to say, Gary’s version of the adorable round robot was a lot less happy-go-lucky than...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post The Nerd Forces His Way Through Robot Chicken’s Star Wars Stop-Motion Parody ‘The Farce Awokens’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In March 2017, we wrote about Turkish musician Sarper Durman and his beloved tabby cat who stared lovingly at him while he played the piano. As it turns out, there’s more than one music appreciating feline in Durman’s family. Fevsi is a beautiful orange and white cat whom Durman rescued as a kitten from a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A Super Affectionate Rescued Cat Happily Snuggles With His Beloved Lullaby Playing Human at the Piano first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2011, Tyrone Douglas, a very talented musician in Decatur, Alabama, performed “Water Drops”, a gorgeous, hypnotic song played upon a wooden tongue drum. The song is from his album Tongue Drum and was the only complete album of songs played on this beautiful, percussion instrument. “Tongue Drum” is the first of its kind to...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A Hypnotic Song Played Upon Wooden Tongue Drums first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a departure from their otherwise happy-go-lucky music, Portland, OR nerd rock duo Megathruster talks about the serious side of things with a heartfelt acoustic song entitled “Weird Al Rules” from their Wands at the Ready album. The song addresses singer Chris Waffle‘s childhood bullying experiences in school, his fascination with “Weird Al” Yankovic and...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Weird Al Rules, A Heartfelt Song About Childhood Bullying by Nerd Rock Duo Megathruster first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2015, we wrote about Minim, a gorgeous set of sleek minimalist playing cards by artist Joe Doucet with just enough reductive design to keep the regulation label intact. Online gift retailer Areaware has these beautiful cards back in stock and is offering them for sale while supplies last. The black set is available for...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Modern Minimalist Regulation Playing Cards first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2015, filmmaker Daniel Šuljic created “Transparency”, a raw, colored pencil animation that shows a hapless man as he freely gives away his privacy through a variety of electronic means in every part of his life. While the man acknowledges his openness, he also tells the air that he’s a good man with nothing to...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Man With Nothing to Hide Freely Gives Away His Electronic Privacy in a Raw Colored Pencil Animation first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a lyrical report for Vox, multimedia producer Kimberly Mas explains how birds can mimic complex sounds due to their fascinating physiology, which is specifically designed for sound. Parrots are especially tuned into communicating from birth. They listen closely and recreate sounds from their flock in the wild. In captivity, the domesticated parrot sees humans...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post The Fascinating Physiology That Explains Why Parrots Can Mimic Complex Sounds Like Human Speech first appeared on Laughing Squid.

British illustrator Rosie Upright in partnership with Suck UK, has created a whimsical set of four rolls of decorative masking tape in various sushi designs. These designs are so realistic that they could be easily mistaken as edible, so make sure to check twice before reaching for the wasabi. A set of four playful paper...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Whimsical Rolls of Tape That Look Just Like Sushi first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Tommy Siegel created an illustrated guide showing what your coffee preparation method says about you. via Geeks Are Sexy Related Laughing Squid PostsWhat Your Coffee Says About YouBuild-On Brick Mug, A Peg and Hole Surface Coffee Cup That Can Be Built Upon With LEGO BricksA French Speaking British Expat Tries to Figure Out the French...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post What Your Coffee Preparation Method Says About You first appeared on Laughing Squid.

12Tone, the wonderfully fast-talking, quick-doodling music theorist, offers a surprisingly lengthy analysis of the 2 1/2 minute Led Zeppelin Viking-themed anthem “The Immigrant Song”. He particularly notes how the relatively simple, rhythmic riff is made much more complex with the strategic use of dissonance, downbeat rhythms, gallops, a walking bassline and a device called anticipation,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post How Dissonance and Anticipation Add Complexity to Led Zeppelin’s Viking Anthem ‘The Immigrant Song’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Volkswagen, in partnership with the f.re.e. travel convention in Munich, Germany, unveiled an incredibly detailed, life-sized replica of the iconic Type 2 Westfalia Camper Van made out of 400,000 LEGO bricks. This 16 foot long, 1,543-pound reproduction was built by certified LEGO professional Rene Hoffmeister (previously) and master builder Pascal Lenhard over a remarkable six...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post An Incredible Life-Sized Volkswagen Type 2 Westfalia Camper Van Made Out of 400,000 LEGO Bricks first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Actor Ryan Reynolds created and shared an incredibly touching video tribute to fellow Canadian John Candy on the 25th anniversary of Candy’s tragic death. Candy had been working on the film Wagons East! in Durango, New Mexico during March 1994 when he succumbed to a fatal heart attack at the far too early age of...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Ryan Reynolds Shares Touching Tribute to John Candy on 25th Anniversary of the Comedian’s Tragic Death first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A really sweet, rescued long-horn bull named Tex at Ima Survivor Sanctuary in Cleveland, Texas was having fun chasing after his big red yoga ball across an open field. Unfortunately, Tex was not aware of the barbed wire fence at the end of that field. Tex accidentally bumped the ball into the fence and then...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Rescued Long-Horned Bull Adorably Pouts After Accidentally Deflating His Ball on Barbed Wire Fence first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Pixel artist Doctor Octoroc (previously) has created “In The RP2A Over The Sea”, a chiptune cover of the indie rock album “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel. It’s a cover album which arranges the entirety of the cult status indie rock album “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Neutral Milk...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post In The RP2A Over The Sea, A Chiptune Cover of ‘In The Aeroplane Over The Sea’ by Neutral Milk Hotel first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Mousr is a brilliantly designed, smart robotic chase toy that works with a proprietary app (iOS and Google Play) to design a plan to keep that cat entertained at all times. The Mousr comes with interchangeable chase attachments, can be operated either autonomously (like a Roomba) or with human intervention and can take a beating...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Mousr, An Adorable Autonomous Robotic Toy That Intelligently Learns How to Entertain a Cat for Hours first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While promoting their Teal album of cover songs and other new projects, the members of Weezer joined Jimmy Fallon and The Roots in a Tonight Show classroom instruments cover of Weezer’s cover of the 1985 original a-ha song “Take on Me”. Both Fallon and frontman Rivers Cuomo donned superb clothing and hair from the 1980s...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Weezer Joins Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for a Classroom Instruments Cover of a-ha’s ‘Take On Me’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

ThinkFun has created All Queens Chess, a unique strategy game that combines the rules of chess with the logic of tic-tac-toe. All of the game pieces are powerful queens that can’t be captured and as rules require, must be treated with appropriate respect at all times. Just be aware of the ‘All Queens’ etiquette. You...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post All Queens Chess, A Unique Chess Game Solely Made Up of Powerful Queens That Can’t Be Captured first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While visiting the new NWAA acoustic test lab built inside an abandoned, unused nuclear plant in Elma, Washington, project engineer Matt Ballos and audio specialist Kevin Peterson of Walters StoryK Design took the opportunity to test out said acoustics. They popped a bright green balloon from the middle of the cooling tower and the sound...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post What a Popping Balloon Sounds Like Inside an Abandoned Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Back in 2014, Dan of Allotment Diary pulled his very first show carrot from a greenhouse dirt barrel after seeing a hopeful crack in the dirt. The root vegetable was a bit stubborn and removal took a bit of effort, which Dan gladly provided. In the end, it was worth it, as the carrot stood...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Farmer Pulls an Enormous Carrot Out of a Dirt Barrel first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Music essayist Noah Lefevre of Polyphonic takes a tertiary look at musician Jack White and his obsession with the number three. In doing so, Lefevre points to solid examples that show how White incorporated the number into his career, both aesthetically and musically. These examples include Third Man Records, songs with three chords (1-4-5), song...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post How Jack White’s Love for the Number Three Shows Up in Various Aesthetic and Musical Aspects of His Career first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In advance of the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida, a team of Imagineers offers a sneak peek into the workshop where they develop and customize the incredibly realistic A100 Audio-Animatronic humanoid robots that will be at both locations. The customized A100 that’s featured in the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Preview of the A100 Audio-Animatronic Hondo Ohnaka Robot at Disney’s New ‘Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2014, Oakhurst Dairy in Portland, Maine was named a defendant in a class-action lawsuit brought by their drivers, who claimed that they were due overtime pay per state law. The dairy defended itself, stating that they followed the letter of the law, which they had always interpreted as saying that drivers were exempt from...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post How a Missing Oxford Comma in Maine Employment Law Cost a Portland Dairy Over $5,000,000 in Overtime first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a really wonderful clip from a 1969 appearance on the Dick Cavett Show, a brilliantly attired, shy Jimi Hendrix opened up about his idea for an electric church because that was the way that music was going. He also discussed his belief that the electrifying sound of music would play a bigger role in...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Jimi Hendrix Talks to Dick Cavett in 1969 About His Electric Church and How He Prefers Music to Politics first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Illusion d’Optique is a marvelous set of playing cards that feature incredible optical illusions and hypnotic holographic designs that change color with movement. These cards were designed by Gianni Sarcone, whose combination of written word and artistic talent is readily apparent in these cards. Inside, you’ll find 54 eye-popping original designs created by a master...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A Marvelous Set of Optical Illusion Playing Cards first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Japanese juggling graduate student Shun Onozawa has created “Movement Act” an incredibly hypnotic, rhythmic juggling machine that simultaneously keeps 16 constantly crisscrossing balls in perpetual motion without ever colliding. This incredible star-shaped machine, which took four months to make, is part of Onozawa’s graduate thesis at Tokyo University of the Arts and had been on...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Movement Act, A Hypnotic Star-Shaped Juggling Machine With 16 Crisscrossing Balls That Never Collide first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The Denver International Airport has always been very candid about the conspiracies and rumors surrounding the questionable adornments of unusual murals, statues and of course, their infamous gargoyles. In fact, while the terminal was undergoing construction in 2018, the management decided to fully embrace all that was being said with a very funny campaign. When...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Talking Gargoyle at the Denver Airport Hilariously Engages With Skeptical Travelers and Curious Children first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Scientists from the Biomimetic Robotics Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a smaller 20 pound version of their hurdle jumping four-legged cheetah robot, which can perform a great deal of very helpful tasks, but also do something else that no other four-legged robot has done. This mini-cheetah robot can do backflips like...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post A Smaller, Lighter Version of the MIT Four-Legged Cheetah Robot That Can Do Backflips on Command first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The Embr Wave is an ingenious wristband developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists that automatically regulates skin temperature, like a personal thermostat. This smart device is worn on the inside of the wrist to access the body’s thermoreceptors and can be easily be switched from hot to cool (or vice versa) on the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Embr Wave, An Ingenious Wristband That Automatically Regulates Skin Temperature first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a somewhat prescient video essay that was first posted in 2016, Sage Hyden of the series Just Write poses the very interesting question as to why the books behind the Game of Thrones series are called a song? By way of answer, Hayden explains that songs have historically been used to communicate the outcomes...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Why the One Who Wins the ‘Game of Thrones’ Will Be the One to Write ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ For the Ages first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a colorful TED-Ed lesson written by Jordana Moore Saggese and animated by Héloïse Dorsan Rachet, narrator Dr. Christina Greer tells of legendary Brooklyn artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. The video specifically talks about Basquiat’s artistry in childhood, his fondness of the human body, his fascination with history and the restless, chaotic, brilliantly connected beauty that was...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post The Restless Beauty Within Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Art first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2014, the Synapse Center for Health and Healing in Egan, Minnesota shared fascinating microscopic footage of a human immune system in action. The narrator describes how red blood cells work and what they do before introducing lymphocytes. This white cellular subgroup is known for traveling through water and cleaning out the remaining debris when...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post Amazing Microscopic Footage of Immune System Cleaning Lymphocytes Attacking a Cancerous Cell first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A seemingly oblivious cat jumped up onto the dining room table and inconsiderately stomped right through the creamy, chocolate pudding center of a chocolate snack cake that their human was getting ready to enjoy. If that weren’t enough, the careless kitty then splashed chocolate all over the table without any apparent concern. Related Laughing Squid...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post An Oblivious Cat Inconsiderately Stomps Right Through the Creamy Chocolate Pudding Center of a Snack Cake first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2018, the very mechanically talented Kaplamino (previously) created two different versions of his original Rube Goldberg inspired tabletop pinball game “The Blue Marble” (part one and part two). Kaplamino returned with a third and extremely ambitious version of his tabletop game. This particular version uses two different tables, rubber bands, air loop and for...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard and Subscribe by Email.The post An Ambitious Rube Goldberg Inspired Game That Keeps a Blue Marble in Motion Over Two Tabletops first appeared on Laughing Squid.