My puppy Electra beats the heat. View this post on Instagram The only rule is be cool #puppy #dogsofinstagram #summer #beattheheat #fluffy #cute #adorbsA post shared by Electra (@electra___cute) on Jul 14, 2020 at 5:44pm PDT Read the rest
What's not to love about this opening segment from the Donny & Marie Show, which first aired on January 20, 1978. Besides this a fantastic cover of Steely Dan's "Reelin' In the Years," the episode had an all-star guest lineup with Ruth Buzzi, Buddy Hackett, and Suzanne Somers.If you enjoyed this video, there's moreImage: YouTube Read the rest
Welp.During a maniacal Rose Garden event Tuesday in which he also attacked former VP Joe Biden, President Donald Trump says Europe "has never treated us well," and the European Union was created to compete with the United States.That's it.That's the blog post.Trump says we're in competition with many places, including "Europe, which has never treated us well." He repeats his false claim that the EU was formed "to take advantage of the United States."— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 14, 2020President Trump just claimed Europe "has never treated us well," and the European Union was created to compete with the United States. Just incredible.— David Gura (@davidgura) July 14, 2020Oh, the European Union?No, it was not created to hurt the United States. In fact, the US helped and encouraged its creation.The president's grasp of history is ... not great.— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) July 14, 2020This has gone from a barely veiled campaign speech from the Rose Garden to an explicit one, with Trump attacking Biden by name.— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 14, 2020 Read the rest
Cartoonist extraordinaire Jim Rugg recently launched a successful Kickstarter for a fluorescent blacklight comic book about a Russian Outlaw superhero called Octobriana. Check out samples and how to buy here.This project began when Rugg made a blacklight screen print in 2014 with Telegraph Art & Comics. In the process, he wondered why no one had made a comic book using vivid, fluorescent inks. It would look spectacular. So he decided to make one himself.The story is set in the 1970s, the period when blacklight posters were most popular (also the period of Rugg’s graphic novel, Afrodisiac). In 1971, the west learned about Octobriana - the outlaw Russian superhero comic in Petr Sadecky’s expose, Octobriana and the Russian Underground. Octobriana is part Barbarella, part Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds. She’s an unusual cult character with a storied history. David Bowie tried to make a movie about her. Billy Idol has her likeness tattooed on his arm. As a child of the Cold War and fan of underground comix, Rugg identified Octobriana as the perfect character for his psychedelic outlaw comic!The concept of Mtsyry: Octobriana 1976 is that underground American cartoonists made their own Octobriana comic book after reading Sadecky’s book. It was an effort to show solidarity with their Russian cartoonist comrades. Robot Stalin's got a new doomsday bomb! Can the Devil-Woman stop him before he destroys us all? Siberian labor camps, PPP secret orgies, motorcycle gunship train chases - this one has it all! Read the rest
While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential.But even though they might not transmit a disease to you or seriously affect your life, being a blood donor for one of those insects is certainly an annoyance. In fact, pest control giant Terminix found that mosquito bites are a bigger nuisance to more people than backseat drivers, alarm clocks, people who interrupt, and even those who call you to respond to a text message.Of course, after a bite is inflicted, the damage is done, right? Thankfully, the Bite Helper Itch Neutralizer is a new creation that just might have something to say about the lasting annoyance of a mosquito bite.A CES Innovation Award winner, the Bite Helper actually gets under your skin to attack the itch, irritation and overall discomfort that comes from the mosquito’s bite. Bite Helper is about the size of a TV remote control, but packed inside are thermo-pulse emitters, capable of getting right to the heart of the bite. In just about 30 seconds, those thermo-pulses pound the affected area with heat and vibration, increasing the circulation and stimulating blood flow. That actually works to neutralize and soothe the itch in literally seconds.The Bite Helper is completely drug and chemical-free, so it’s 100 percent safe.While mosquitoes are the most likely offenders, Bite Helper is actually designed to combat the itch and irritation caused by all kinds of insect stings and bites, including fleas, wasps, bees, and ants. Read the rest
In a deep, gentle voice this scolding video for covidiots starts with: "Hello. You should be wearing a fucking mask. Why aren't you wearing a mask? Are you being a snowflake, complaining about your rights? Are you telling people you can't breathe? Good luck breathing with the coronavirus."And it goes on from there, with phrases like, "This isn't about you, you piece of shit," and "This is about the people you love, and people who love you, which is unlikely that there are any..." After asking viewers to put on their mask, the voice kindly acknowledges the good deed with, "See, that wasn't very hard, was it you dumb fuck?" This Covid "PSA" for non-mask wearers is the most delightfully passive-aggressive I've seen. Read the rest
Hurray! Cory's new picture book, Poesy the Monster Slayer, is out today. Illustrated by Matt Rockefeller, it's an "epic tale of toy-hacking, bedtime-avoidance, and monster-slaying."Cory has sample pages on his blog, Pluralistic. Read the rest
It's that time of year when the brown bears of Katmai National Park in Alaska are hungry for a fresh fish feast. And you can watch them capture spawning salmon straight out of Brooks Falls on this Explore.org webcam. Unlike most live webcams, you don't have to wait long to see something interesting because this one always seems to be pointed right at the action. The largest and most successful bears can catch and eat more than 30 salmon (over 120 pounds) per day! Bears are most abundant at Brooks Falls in late June and July during the sockeye salmon migration, but also keep an eye out for bald eagles, lots of gulls, and maybe even the occasional wolf trying to partake in the salmon buffet. image via Explore.org(Pee-wee Herman) Read the rest
Canada-based YouTuber Hildegard von Blingin' is getting medieval on your ears with this charming cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Welcome to "bardcore."Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, JoleneI beg of thee, pray take not my lordJolene, Jolene, Jolene, JoleneI fear, from thee, ‘twould take naught but a wordWait! There's more bardcore:-- Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know"-- Radiohead's "Creep"-- Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance"-- Foster the People's "Pumped Up Kicks"(Digg) Read the rest
Add Internet of Things to the shortlist of those actually benefiting from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. You might not realize it, but the organizing principle that is bringing more automation to the world is actually proving to be a major asset as human beings are forced to stay home and away from the workplace.IoT products are currently doing yeoman’s work monitoring healthcare needs, tracking shipments, and enabling streaming devices to power remote business, education, and even health.Connecting everyday items to the web is only becoming a more vital piece of our everyday lives. The training in The Complete IoT and Hardware eBook and Video Course provides the background to not only understand how those systems work but to even build and program those systems yourself.The knowledge download begins with four videos packed with more than nine hours of instruction in the universe of IoT. You’ll get your feet wet with a comprehensive opener as Introduction to Internet of Things lays all the basics, from the components and philosophies all the way through step-by-step tutorials to start building the perfect IoT case study, guiding you through the concept and execution of building your own web-connected device.The training expands with Internet of Things with Python & Raspberry Pi, as students look at two of the IoT creator’s best friends in crafting IoT projects, the Python coding language, and the Raspberry Pi single-card microcomputer.IoT often engages in robot-controlled mechanics, so the Robotic Process Automation: RPA Fundamentals and Build a Robot first explains the steps for building a robot capable of performing repetitive tasks that a human shouldn’t be performing. Read the rest
"He plagiarized from me," Trump told a reporter today on his way to Miami, Florida, referring to Joe Biden's economic plan. And then, "It's very radical left, but he said the right things, because he is copying what I've done." If this isn't perfect gibberish, I don't know what is. President Trump slams Joe Biden's economic plan: "It's very radical left but he said the right things because he's copying what I've done." pic.twitter.com/bQ73zKhbYU— The Hill (@thehill) July 10, 2020 Read the rest
I love this adorable taxidermied rodent May Queen, inspired by last year's folk horror masterpiece Midsommar.It's the work of Hollie, AKA Folk Horror Magpie, who sells intricately taxidermied works on Etsy. Hollie writes that they adhere to "ethical taxidermy", using only dead specimens rather than killing them for the purpose. Flat is starting to look like a rodent graveyard so I'm hoping to find some homes for these. I'll be adding to the shop over the coming weeks, maybe some prints and other bits of art.— Folk Horror Magpie (@folkhorrormagpi) July 10, 2020 Read the rest
How to cognitive pic.twitter.com/YM51OJ58qA— Sarah Cooper (@sarahcpr) July 10, 2020 An excited Trump proudly displays his cognitive test to the camera as he boasts that he aced it. Good job, li'l Donny! Read the rest
We’ve all had those nights where we’re working on a laptop or scrolling through our phone before glancing at the time to find it’s actually a lot later than we thought. Most nights, you’d be fast asleep or at least dead tired at midnight or 1 or 3 a.m. But after staring at a screen, you’re somehow just as awake as during the heart of your day.That’s probably not a coincidence. Circadian rhythms drive your internal body urges to wake up each morning and start getting tired each night. That process is spearheaded by the hormone melatonin, which your body creates during the night. But researchers believe blue light like the kind emitted from laptop, tablet and smartphone screens confuse that process, acting as a melatonin suppressor that throws off your body’s internal mechanisms and can potentially mess with sleep patterns.The Ocushield Anti-Blue Light Screen Protector was created to cut down on those blue light emissions, their detrimental effect on your sleep as well as the impacts of blue light exposure, including headaches, eye irritation, fatigue and more.The Ocushield is a super-strong tempered glass screen that can block up to 90 percent of all harmful blue light from your retinas. The screen is removable and coated with a scratch-resistant oleophobic layer that assures its durability and better protects your device from the rigors of daily life.Created by a team of optometrists, eye care experts and sleep therapists, the Ocushield is officially recognized as a MHRA Class 1 Medical Device, the world’s first and only medical rating for blue light screen protection. Read the rest
At the 23:15 mark, John Edgar Park shows you how to add a coil to USB cables so they look like the cables between the handset and base station of old-fashioned landline phones.The process involves winding the cable around dowel and then heating it with a heat gun. The end result looks terrific. Read the rest
The folks at Watchfinder had the opportunity to take a close look at the Patek Philippe Grand Complications 5270/1R, a wristwatch costing $200,000. The way it handles days of the months and leap years is impressive.I don't own an expensive collectors watch (unless the Apple Watch counts as one), but if I had to choose one I'd go with an Accutron Spaceview. At 1/100 the price of this Patek Philippe, it's still pretty expensive!Image: YouTube Read the rest
Lucy Knisley is one of my favorite cartoonists (here are past posts about Lucy). She's written a number of excellent autobiographical comix, and her newest work is a graphic novel memoir for young adults called Stepping Stones. Cory Doctorow reviewed it on his blog, Pluralistic:Graphic novelist Lucy Knisley's memoirs are classics of the field – drawn with the straightforward lines and character designs of Raina Telgemeier, told with the wrenching pathos, nuance, comedy and complexity of Lynda Barry.In Stepping Stones, her first foray into YA literature, Knisley fictionalizes her own girlhood, when, following her parents' divorce, she and her mother moved from NYC to a remote farm, accompanied by her mother's tone-deaf, bossy boyfriend. Read the rest
Looks like the dogs are getting along just fine, however. View this post on Instagram I am fitting right into this family @zuzupoos #puppy #snuggles #cute #dogsofinstagram #cavalierkingcharlesspaniel #goldenretriever #adorbsA post shared by Electra (@electra___cute) on Jul 10, 2020 at 9:00am PDT Read the rest
A man at was filmed Monday yelling and threatening shoppers at a Costco in Fort Myers, Florida, reportedly after an elderly woman asked him why he wasn't wearing a mask. Clad in a "Running the world since 1776" tee shirt, the man puffs up his chest, balls his fists and yells "I FEEL THREATENED!" while belligerently advancing on the person filming.Florida man at Fort Myers Costco in "Running the World Since 1776" shirt flips out on elderly woman who asked him to wear a mask and man who defended her #BecauseFlorida (via @profjaffar) pic.twitter.com/PDOvi33qHK— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) July 7, 2020The clip posted to social media shows the man accusing the shoppers of "harassing" him at the Gulf Coast Town Center warehouse."I'm not harassing you," the person filming replies, "you're coming close to me.""I feel threatened!" the man shouts, clenching his fists and advancing toward the camera. "Back up! Threaten me again! Back the fuck up, put your fucking phone down."The person filming stops at this point. The man was "escorted out of the store" by Costco staff, according to the person who posted the video to Twitter.Review / Logitech MX Keys'To give Costco the credit, they escorted him out and made me wait inside and monitored him until he left and then they sent someone with me to the car to make sure I'm okay.'Posters on social media speculated that the man yelling "I feel threatened!", despite being the aggressor, is an attempt to pre-emtively invoke Florida's "stand your ground" law. Read the rest
A guy on the Apple discussion forum started a thread titled, “Why do your Charger Cables have the lifespan of a housefly?” That question is probably enough to elicit a whole bunch of head nods from virtually everyone reading this, whether you’re an iPhone user, an Android owner or have virtually any device that needs charging.Unfortunately, the guy made this astute observation back in the pre-Mesozoic era of 2014 — and the state of most charging and sync cables haven’t changed much since then. However, at least a few manufacturers are fighting the good fight and trying to create cables that aren’t circling the trash can within 30 days. One of those firms is Anchor Labs, maker of the Evercable ($15.95 for USB-C version; $18.95 for the Lightning version), which makes the bold declaration of being “the world’s strongest phone cable.”We’re certainly not about to debate them, because the Evercable is built like a tank. Encased in tough, yet pliable stainless steel, the Evercable is non-magnetic and field-tested like a soldier in a hot battlefield. After more than 60,000 bends, the Evercable was still up for the job and serving up power.Of course, its sturdiness doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t deliver the goods. However, the Evercable is more than up to the challenge, besting comparable cables from competitors for higher charging rates and data-read speeds between your devices.Not to be outdone by three-foot cable, the Evercable even clocks in at a generous 4.35 Read the rest
Chewbacca frolicking with Japanese toddlers and other delights await at EXP TV, a curated stream of found VHS footage, Star Wars rarities and other visual delights.Via Happy:EXP TV is a 24/7 stream of ephemeral found footage and mixtapes that we have been blessed with during the time of the world pandemic. So whether you’re sick of the tiresome YouTube scroll or can never decide what to watch on Netflix, EXP is here to take the monotony out of such choices and reward you with some offbeat clips to get you through isolation, broaden your horizons, and stimulate yo’ senses.Shows include Bollyweird, Incredibly Strange Metal, Czech Your Head, and other evocative programming. Head to their site or YouTube channel. Get into it!EXP TV (via Happy) Read the rest
The Marin County Fair in San Rafael, California is closed due to COVID restrictions but that isn't stopping them from offering deep-fried everything (and more!) at two special drive-thru events. On the weekends of July 10-12 and 17-19, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., they'll be serving "giant corndogs, three flavors of funnel cake, cotton candy, candy apples, caramel apples, churros, kettle corn, caramel corn, lemonade, strawberry lemonade, and more" to properly masked customers in vehicles.The menu will be made available on the fair’s Instagram and Facebook pages.The fair food booths will be in the parking lot of the Marin Veterans' Memorial Auditorium facing Civic Center Drive. To order food, customers will line up in their cars on Avenue of the Flags and be directed through the parking lot, where they will be greeted by an employee who will take their order and collect payment. To ensure the safety of guests and staff, customers will be asked to remain in their vehicles; the process will be much like a restaurant drive-through experience.image via Marin County Fair Read the rest
In 1929 a German couple fled civilization to live on an uninhabited island in the Eastern Pacific. But other settlers soon followed, leading to strife, suspicion, and possibly murder. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Galápagos affair, a bizarre mystery that remains unsolved.We'll also meet another deadly doctor and puzzle over a posthumous marriage.Show notesPlease support us on Patreon! Read the rest
Smithsonian Magazine has an interesting article on how the Slip 'N Slide at-home water slide became an American institution. It started with some bored kids on a hot day:It was the summer of 1960, and Robert Carrier had returned home from work to find his 10-year-old son, Mike, and his friends careening down their driveway in Lakewood, California. To escape the heat, the boys had turned the hose on the painted concrete, creating a cool, slippery surface to play on.The next day, Carrier, who worked as an upholsterer with a boat-manufacturing company, brought home a 50-foot roll of Naugahyde, which he unraveled on the driveway. The vinyl-coated, waterproof fabric was a vast improvement—slicker and safer—over the perilous concrete. But Carrier’s son had given him an idea.The fine folks at Wham-O soon got wind of the wet wonder, and a sale was made. And the rest is history. Now we have YouTube bros seeing who can make the longest one or add a loop.The Accidental Invention of the Slip ‘N Slide (Smithsonian) Read the rest
For all their power and capabilities, image editing software isn’t like sitting down to play a video game. You aren’t there to have fun. You’re likely looking to make a few minor tweaks to an image to make it ready to be shared, then you move on with satisfaction in a job well done. If your image editing program is doing its job, your goal is to actually spend fewer hours using the software. That’s why it comes as good news when nature photography website NatureTTL calls the latest version of perennial image editing favorite Luminar 4 the future of photo editing and proclaims that “if you want to spend less time in front of a computer, then (Luminar 4) is a serious contender.”In case you've been trapped under an Adobe-sized rock, Luminar 4 is the latest iteration of Skylum’s all-in-one photo editing and organizing software — and after its latest redesign, it’s chock full of smart features all aimed at helping you create the images you want faster.Rather than hunting and pecking your way through editing tools, Luminar 4 is home to AI Accent, dubbed the world’s most intelligent photo enhancer. This filter automatically analyzes your image and instantly corrects it using over a dozen controls at once, yielding naturally beautiful results with the use of one simple intuitive slider. With Accent, artificial intelligence automatically optimizes shadows, highlights, contrast, tone, saturation, exposure, details and more.Luminar also comes with over 60 powerful one-click Luminar Looks, which quickly enhance your image to match your specific taste. Read the rest
This bright meteor shot through the sky Thursday morning, which ended with an explosive bang according to some witnesses. From The Japan Times:Social media came alive after the 2:30 a.m. sightings, with many people saying they heard a large bang. Some said they mistook the sound for noise made by neighbors.“I thought a person living (in the condo) above knocked down a shelf,” wrote one Twitter user, while another said, “I thought my child sleeping on the second floor fell out of bed.”Others witnessed the sky suddenly light up.Daichi Fujii, a curator at Hiratsuka City Museum in Kanagawa Prefecture, captured the fireball with a camera installed at his home in Hiratsuka. It crossed the northern sky from west to east, he said. Read the rest
The never-not-good Randy Rainbow is on a roll. Last week, he rolled out "Cover Your Freakin' Face" and this week he's followed it up with "Poor Deplorable Troll," which parodies Ursula's song from The Little Mermaid, "Poor Unfortunate Souls." Read the rest
Georgia State University student Julian Bass made a fun reel of his visual effects work on TikTok, showing him transforming into his favorite superheroes: a Jedi, Ben 10, and Spider-Man. He then posted the video on Twitter with the message, "if y’all can retweet this enough times that Disney calls, that’d be greatly appreciated." Well, on the very same day, Disney's Executive Chairman Bob Iger responded with, "The world’s gonna know your name!!!" No word on whether the two are talking but the video has been viewed over 22M times since July 2 when it was first posted. I'm guessing it won't be long before someone hires him.The world’s gonna know your name!!!— Robert Iger (@RobertIger) July 3, 2020screengrab via Julian Bass/TikTok Read the rest
Charlie Kaufman is the acclaimed screenwriter behind surrealist movies like Being John Malkovich; Adaptation; Synecdoche, New York; and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. My favorite bizarrely wonderful story about him — which, in a way, is kind of a synecdoche for his entire oeuvre of work, which is also something I learned about through his films — is that his Academy Award-winning screenplay for Adaptation is one of the few Oscars credited to a completely fictional person. Kaufman was hired to write an adaptation of The Orchid Thief, and seeing no way to write a dramatic narrative out of some meditative thoughts on flower poaching, he decided to write a screenplay about Charlie Kaufman struggling to write a screenplay about The Orchid Thief. Except, in the context of the movie, Fictional Charlie Kaufman also has an identical twin brother named Donald … who is credited as co-writer on the actual, real-life screenplay.I thought of this as I read this New York Times Magazine profile on Charlie Kaufman, ahead of the July 7th release of Antkind, a 700-page novel that marks Kaufman's first foray into prose writing. Journalist Jon Mooallem had the article planned well before the pandemic hit, but quickly had to improvise when he realized he wouldn't be able to interview Kaufman in person. As the lockdown dragged on, their long weekly phone conversations became a surprising source of stability for both of them (as chronicled in the article). Moallem thought he had something — but right as he turned a draft into his editor, the political climate took an every starker turn with ongoing protests against racism and police brutality, making his quaint pandemic-focused profile seem out-of-touch. Read the rest
Aerial America is an informative and relaxing look at each US state entirely via aerial footage. The series is gradually being posted to YouTube, and as of this writing they have added all states alphabetically through Louisiana. Alaska's Call of the Wild is particularly nice.Via the series page:For centuries, thousands of adventurers have answered Alaska's "call of the wild," seeking thrills and fortunes in a state rife with postcard-perfect beauty... and lethal dangers. Take flight across ancient glaciers, rugged mountain ranges, primeval forests, and pristine waterways. Then discover how the state's unique charm has attracted bold visitors, from Russian fur traders to a young survivalist on a one-way trip "into the wild" to the thousands of dog sledders facing off in the "Last Great Race on Earth!"Image: YouTube / Smithsonian Read the rest
Oregon State Police said Monday that an officer who flashed the "OK" hand symbol at a far-right protestor did nothing wrong. The cop was filmed making the gesture as he approached the man, who slapped him chummily on the shoulder in response, during a protest in Salem, Oregon.An interaction between a cop and a Proud Boy in Salem, Oregon today.Defunding the police is defunding white supremacy. pic.twitter.com/5zO8NUHMzX— Joshua Potash (@JoshuaPotash) July 5, 2020The OK gesture was appropriated by far-right figures and white supremacists as a plausibly-deniable way to signal shared sympathies, but isn't quite as subtle as they think. Even the NYPD placed one officer under internal review for using the gesture on duty.The Oregon State Police officer was cleared of fault without much ado.The Oregon State Police said the trooper used his hands because he was wearing a face covering and working in a noisy environment.“Best available evidence indicates the trooper was simply checking on the man's status and used the universal signal to signify this inquiry, which the man gestured he was — then patted this trooper and a second trooper on their shoulders in an apparent signal of appreciation,” police said.Fingers spread to form a conspicuous "W" (over the "P" formed by the forefinger and thumb) can specify its use as a white power symbol, according to the Southern Policy Law Center. Media commentators have claimed it is a harmless form of trolling or ironic racism intended to mock anti-racism campaigners. Read the rest
Photography isn’t just about lighting and composition anymore, especially when you’re shooting with your smartphone. While a wealth of expertise can absolutely help you grab better images, sometimes it’s just about having a great light or an amazing smoothing gimbal to instantly elevate your Instagram pics and other social videos from meh to standout.To help, we’ve assembled 10 great deals happening right now on photo accessories that’ll have you creating better images, more professional videos and streams that wouldn’t send viewers running. On top of the already great deals, you can also save more on your purchases, including a 15 percent discount on all purchases of $50 or more with the code JULYFOURTH15; or a 20 percent added savings on all purchases of $75 or more when you use the code JULYFOURTH20.11-in-1 Smartphone Photography Accessory Bundle - $24.99; originally $129.95Here’s everything to trick out your smartphone gear in one complete collection. From a lens kit and selfie light to a tripod, selfie stick and remote control, you can elevate your creative vision with all the tools to help you pull off all kinds of excellent shots.Sinji Smartphone Telephoto Kit - $24.95; originally $55.44We all know smartphone zoom lenses...aren’t great. But this lens kit will have you shooting images at up to 12x magnification -- and it comes with its own handy tripod. With this highly portable kit, you can set up in seconds and zoom in tight with no motion to assure the best possible image. Read the rest
Today's serving of the Streisand Effect comes courtesy of American Girl, which hopes that no-one will see Adam the Creator's "Karen" parody of its dolls. "We were informed of this post a few days ago and are working with the appropriate teams at American Girl to ensure this copyright violation is handled appropriately," the company posted on Twitter. The mock advertisement depicts an American Girl doll as "an independent thinker who refuses to wear a mask in public", waving a handgun at other shoppers and sporting the blonde wedged bob de riguer of the stereotype.In another comment, American Girl said it was "disgusted" by Adam's parody.Unfortunately for American Girl, parody is a classic example of fair use under copyright, meaning that it is unlikely that it would prevail against the "Karen" parodist were it ever to come to legal action. That said, copyright claims often form the heart of nuisance legal actions whose only purpose is to become costly and tiresome for the target, forcing them to take it down anyway. Social media companies are servile to corporate requests to remove postings for similar reasons; DMCA takedown requests are typically honored mechanically. In this case, the difference between parody and satire might come into play too, as it has in several high-profile copyright cases over the years. American Girl could also claim a trademark violation, but the bar there is even higher, requiring owners to prove that a reasonable person would be confused by the parody or that it would dilute the value of the trademark itself: "courts have [lately] been far more sympathetic to third parties creating parodies of famous trademarks and service marks." Read the rest
Mikey from Ants Canada woke up one day to his worst nightmare: his fire ants had escaped from their enclosure. Watch how he corrals all the escapees and manages to return most of them alive.His investigation showed that they had escaped from a module he made himself. Oops! Turns out you can safely pick up ants with two paintbrushes, but for a bunch of escaped ants, a small hand-held vacuum can come in handy.Regular viewers know that this colony has been plotting this escape for years:Better luck next time, ants!Image: YouTube / Ants Canada Read the rest
We’re at the midway point of 2020. So...how’s the year going for you so far? Yeah...we can guess. But while there’s a lot about 2020 we can’t directly control, maybe a little retail therapy can help make you feel better.Sure, the 39 items we gathered together can absolutely bring a smile to your face. But more importantly these days, they’re all sporting some significant discounts of up to $300 off. On top of the already lower prices, you can also feel the July 4th love with some extra savings: another 15 percent off with the code JULYFOURTH15 on any purchases of $50 or more; and 20 percent off on purchases of $75 or more by using the code JULYFOURTH20. The YardSolar Powered Firefly LED Light String - $17.95; originally $89.95When you’re sitting on the patio and the sun goes down, the fireflies come out in the form of this mini-LED light string. It’s solar-powered, then sparks up at night to cast a sweet reflective glow over your yard during those twilight and evening hours, all without ever having to turn them on.MOGICS Coconut Portable Waterproof Light (Multicolor) - $36.99; originally $49You could also try the portable light source that can go virtually anywhere. This foldable, sturdy, waterproof light self-inflates in seconds, has four different brightness modes and offers a truly unique backyard centerpiece during those summer nights.Smokeless Non-Stick Indoor/Outdoor Grill - $24.99; originally $49.95If you want to grill outdoors — or even when you bring it inside — this smokeless, non-stick grill is perfect for intimate gathering when you don’t want to fire up the big grill. Read the rest
When revved-up kids used to dribble a basketball through the kitchen or practice their footwork with a soccer ball in front of the television, exasperated parents would often just send ‘em outside to play. But these days, sending kids out might not be the best course of action.Despite all the changes, many budding young athletes today are still just as anxious to get out there and hit the court or the pitch as all those previous generations. Unfortunately, with most summer activities canceled, it’s going to be a lot tougher for them to practice and get better without the competition of their peers.Enter technology. Now, the advent of cutting edge items like the DribbleUp Smart Basketballs and Soccer Balls are offering parents and athletes of all ages an innovative way to improve skills and sharpen talents, all right from home.DribbleUp was started by brothers Eric and Marc Forkosh around their parents’ Brooklyn dinner table four years ago. Now, they’ve developed an indoor-outdoor Smart Ball and interactive training system that’s basically a Peloton-style training regimen for youth sports.When you buy either the Smart Basketball or hand-stitched Smart Soccer Ball, the computer vision tracking technology catches the ball movements related to targets on the DU Android or iOS app. It measures metrics like crossover speed, dribble hesitation, endurance levels, and live dribbling tracking with the interactive dribble speed meter. Everyone from kids to adult athletes can mine a wealth of training knowledge about their own skills, all from the DU ball readings. Read the rest
I was thinking of picking up an old Hilux but one of these will do.Calum G: "Russia's Colossal Antarctic Cruisers which have been continuously operating in some of the most extreme environments on Earth for over 50 years. Produced in Kharkiv, Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic and originally operated by USSR, the 'Харьковчанка' (literally 'Kharkiv Women'), these amazing Snow Cruisers were built in the late 1950s and featured everything a polar explorer could need in the field. In their half-century mission, they have crossed thousands of miles on Antarctic Ice, visited the South Pole, the pole of inaccessibility as well the dozens of outposts and research stations on the continent."Calum uses YouTube's "chapters" feature very well (click through to see them). I hope all documentarians there follow suit. Read the rest
Michael Ramirez is a Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist who works for the Las Vegas Review Journal. And I am sure he has definitely read Mary Shelley's classic novel, Frankenstein (or, the Modern Prometheus), as evidenced by his latest cartoon, titled "LIBERALS CITIES ABOLISH AND CUT FUNDING FOR POLICE DEPARTMENTS."LIBERALS CITIES ABOLISH AND CUT FUNDING FOR POLICE DEPARTMENTShttps://t.co/2sTypDz8dPLike @ Facebook:https://t.co/WeX1G9jwDlBOOK:https://t.co/eqyzRdz8nS pic.twitter.com/qIPQCcIiL1— Michael Ramirez (@Ramireztoons) July 1, 2020See, given the choice between:a heavily-armed and heavily-entitled mediocre white guy with a boner for power and violence; ora miracle of science who was famously gentle and misunderstood, despite the angry assumptions of a mass mob who viewed him as subhuman just because of his appearance and conditions forced on him by a power-hungry monster of a man;I think it's pretty easy to decide which one you'd rather have patrolling your neighborhood. (Assuming that police even actively "patrol" in suburban and rural areas.)LIBERALS CITIES ABOLISH AND CUT FUNDING FOR POLICE DEPARTMENTS [Michael Ramirez] Read the rest
Singer/songwriter Stefan Murphy of the Mighty Stef posted this video on his Facebook, asking an important question I'm sure we've all wondered at some point in our lives: what would the Fresh Prince theme song sound like if it were a sad folk lament as heard in an Irish pub? Read the rest
Koko, a cat living in the Japanese city of Toyoma, was honored by local officials after alerting rescuers to an elderly man who had fallen supine into an irrigation canal. Via Japan Times:On June 16, a 77-year-old woman taking a walk around 7:30 p.m. found Koko, a female cat who belongs to a neighbor, staring into the canal and acting strangely. When she followed the cat’s gaze, she discovered a man lying on his back in a 60-centimeter-wide and 40-cm-deep canal. The water was about 15 cm deep.It took five people to pull the man out. FNN covered the award ceremony:Domo arigato, Koko-chan!Image: YouTube / FNN Prime Online Read the rest
Sealand is an unrecognized micronation off the coast of England, established in the 1960s and issuer of stamps, passports and occasional offshore business shenanigans ("BECOME A LORD"). But Sealand is also a rotting sea fortress in need of constant maintenance. Atlas Obscura met the two caretakers who spend two weeks at a time doing what they can to keep the statelet running smoothly. Dylan Taylor-Lehman's feature article is a great introduction to the place, if you're not familiar with it or its wild history.Detritus from countless other projects sits on deck and in the workspaces of both towers. The server racks from its time as an offshore data haven are still assembled on the second subfloor of the south tower: a museum of turn-of-the-millennium tech. The floor below the server room is lined almost all the way around with tables, which hold all of the technical manuals from the various pieces of machinery in use on Sealand. There are also great stacks of back issues of at least four different amateur radio magazines. Sealand is, in essence, a big clubhouse where Barrington can build and experiment to his heart’s delight. He has brewed beer, read dozens of technical journals, spent “millions” of hours playing darts, and devotes a lot of his time to fixing equipment and inventing things.“Everything is done in the most cack-handed long way so you don’t get bored. If you’re bored, get a hammer and chisel and start chiseling something or do the washing up,” he says. Read the rest
The pandemic has inspired a slew of great courses for young artists, like this Bite-Sized Art History course that teaches about President Obama's official portraitist Kehinde Wiley and shows young artists how to make their own portrait in his style.Wiley's Obama portrait caused an immediate and unprecedented reaction, according to The Smithsonian:From the moment of their unveiling at the National Portrait Gallery in early 2018, the portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama have become two of the most beloved artworks of our time. Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of President Obama and Amy Sherald’s portrait of the former first lady have inspired unprecedented responses from the public, and attendance at the museum has more than doubled as visitors travel from near and far to view these larger-than-life paintings. After witnessing a woman drop to her knees in prayer before the portrait of Barack Obama, one guard said, “No other painting gets the same kind of reactions. Ever.” The Obama Portraits is the first book about the making, meaning, and significance of these remarkable artworks.This series' combination of art history and a tutorial is a fun and accessible way to inspire young artists in your own life. It does a great job of explaining some of the reasons why artists make the choices they do. You can also have them check out Kehinde Wiley's website.Images: YouTube / ArtistYear Read the rest
What’s your biggest gripe about power strips? Since most power servers like that are pretty standard these days, your beef probably isn’t about performance or connectivity. No, the biggest rap on trying to use many power strips is the curious engineering decision that often leaves multiple oddly shaped plugs and charging units unable to all plug into a power strip at once. Before you know it, bulky plugs are blocking half of your outlets and you need...another power strip!The design wizards at Mogics noodled over that particular problem and came up with an answer: the world’s first and only travel power strip that fits in your pocket. With the Mogics Power Bagel Travel Power Strip, you can fill up to five sockets with all manner of international plugs as well as 2 USB ports, all comfortably and without any awkward angling or blocked outlets.The idea is so incredibly simple that it’s clear why it struck a chord with Kickstarter patrons, who funded the Power Bagel to the tune of over $140,000.The Power Bagel lives up to its billing, a round, donut-shaped device with five adaptable sockets to handle UK, EU, AU, and US-style plugs. Even with a full boat of connected devices, not to mention the pair of fast-charging USB ports, all plugs sit easily and deliver power evenly to all sources.Mogics even thought of a rolling mechanism on the 3-foot adjustable cord with auto-lock stoppers so everything stays neat and tidy. And it certainly doesn’t get tidier than a power hub you can literally drop in your pocket and take with you on virtually any international adventure. Read the rest
Redditor Inuyasharuls is a Dungeon Master who runs campaigns for several players with dyslexia. With help from another Redditor and gamer, Axelle123, they created this colorful character sheet alternative, using Comic Sans instead of the standard font found on D&D materials, to make life easier for everyone. Or, well, maybe not everyone, but still for some people. As they explained on Reddit:They're not for everyone, we definitely customized them to our games. We changed the "experience points" to "other", removed the "personality traits, bonds, flaws, and ideals" entirely, and removed EP from the money tracker, but I think the sheets could help a lot of players, especially with u/luckpack's icons from their sheets, their original sheets found here, which we added in to help differentiate different numbers. Everything has been converted to comic sans font and fully capitalized, and in Page 1 alt 1 the skills have been colour coded to match with the relevant ability modifiers, and added an area for attunement slots. Any comments are welcome, we just really hope it can help other players.disclaimer - Neither u/Axelle123 nor I are professionals, nor are we experts in dyslexia, this is just what seemed to help our fellow players.As much as we all like to make fun of Comic Sans, it was actually designed to be readable. While it doesn't work for everyone, Comic Sans has been known to help some people with dyslexia with recognizing and distinguishing between letters and words; color is also known to help, and fortunately, this character sheet offers both options. Read the rest
In 2012, I was given the privilege of performing my high school ska-punk hit song "Adam Wants A Blowjob" during a performance of Mortified in Brookline, Massachusetts. Mortified is a gloriously hilarious and cathartic evening of performance, wherein people perform excerpts from their actual, real-life high school and college journaling and other writing. It's embarrassing; it's touching; and it's utterly delightful. In the years since then, I've had the privilege of performing my absolute worst high school pop-punk songs — some of which are so bad that it physically hurts me to play them — for sold-out audiences in Boston, New York, and Portland, Maine.Over these years, I've gotten to know Mortified producer Sara Faith Alterman. Besides being a generally wonderful person, Alterman has a knack for figuring out the best way to present your most embarrassing high school material in the most enjoyable and emotionally impactful ways; I've worked with her enough that I can genuinely say that her curatorial eye is a true and rare talent.And it's that unique talent that she's channelled perfectly into her new memoir, Let's Never Talk About This Again. I had glimpsed pieces of the story over the years — through Mortified performances, and through social media — but reading it all compiled with Alterman's trademark wit was a wonderful experience.Given all that context, let me just pause for a moment to give you the official synopsis:Twelve-year-old Sara enjoyed an G-rated existence in suburban New England, filled with over-the-top birthday cakes, Revolutionary War reenactments, and nerdy word games invented by her prudish father, Ira. Read the rest
Oh-so-fine Toni Basil has announced a new online class — on '60s go-go dancing! She'll not only teach you how to go-go dance, but will also "deep dive" into how it influenced art, fashion, and music. And she should know, because she was there. If you only think of the 76-year-old for her big 1981 hit "Mickey," you've missed out on her illustrious career in acting, dance and choreography. This compilation shows the "goddess of go-go" doing her thing in several circa-1960s films. Prepare to be impressed:Her four-part series begins July 5 ($10/class).Thanks, Baby Doe!images via ToniBasil.net Read the rest
On Thursday, Tesla denied media reports that it fired employees who chose to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic, rather than expose themselves to possible infection at Elon Musk's California factory.In a blog post today, “The Tesla Team” says it waived the company attendance policy for several weeks after obtaining approval to reopen factories, and offered employees "a window of time to stay home no questions asked".Read the Tesla post:Health and Safety at TeslaThe Tesla Team July 2, 2020 The Washington Post reported yesterday that three Tesla employees were fired after they chose to stay home from the Fremont, California, factory. Tesla is denying this, today.More at Reuters:Tesla denies reports of firing employees who chose to stay at home Read the rest
Today’s teachers extol the virtues of hands-on learning, the method of helping students, particularly the youngest children, learn through basic doing. From trial-and-error methods to practice honing their emerging skills, youngsters can soak up a world of learning opportunities when their developing minds are unleashed. While the thought of dropping a smartphone or tablet into the hands of a pre-schooler and setting them loose online can instinctively make a parent feel like a bad mom or dad, it all comes back to where you’re turning that child loose. In a learning-rich environment like the Papumba Fun Learning App for Kids, there won’t be any guilt handing over a device and allowing them to dive right in.As the top-ranked play-based preschool academy in over 30 countries, the app offers children from 2 to 7 years old over 500 different interactive games and activities, each created to foster learning in important STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) skills. Papumba is chock full of bright engaging animation and all kinds of fun characters that lead young learners through lessons that develop their primary critical thinking skills.No matter a child’s age or skill level, Papumba adapts to each child’s needs, offering opportunity and encouragement, and their own pace. All of Papumba’s content is downloadable, so there doesn’t have to be an active WiFi connection to keep playing. And while all the games are fashioned for a single child, they’re also designed to be expandable so Mom, Dad, siblings, aunts, uncles, and grandparents can get in on the game as well to help promote the learning and make it more fun for the child. Read the rest
A Joe Rogan lookalike thought he could win a chess game by intimidating his 16-year-old opponent through insults, and gaslighting, and patronizing disdain. Unfortunately for the mouthy gentleman, the kid, who said almost nothing during the game, whipped him. When he was checkmated, the loser said to the kid, "You know what, you're not nice," and stormed off. Read the rest