To say your home is your castle is particularly noteworthy right now. Since most of us barely seem to leave the house anymore, its battlements, towers and overall security have never been more important. Most of us don't use moats anymore (although it's an interesting idea…), but safeguarding the perimeter of your castle from outside […]
These two guys have a tight routine manipulating black light Slinkies in unison. Hit the CC button for English subtitles. Of course, the undisputed master remains this guy: Image: YouTube / 우와한 비디오 X SBS 세상에 이런일이
In times of crisis, governments usually keep the economy afloat by offering financial relief to the people, including wage assistance and debt forgiveness. Not so in the United States, which focuses on bailing out the financial sector so it can continue to lend money to people and drive up consumer debt. On his excellent Pluralistic […]
"Guerrilla theatre is a form of intervention where acts of spontaneous, surprise performance in unlikely public spaces rupture the boring-as-shit, day-to-day reality for an unsuspecting audience," writes artist/instigator/author Bill Posters (aka Barnaby Francis) in his new book The Street Art Manual. In a book excerpt at The Quietus, Posters gives a quick introduction to guerrilla […]
Illustrator/Cartoonist Ronald Wimberly shared on his Patreon: The comic was scheduled as the lasts to run in The Diary Project Series on the back page of the Arts page of this Sunday's NY times. The editor told me that, after much deliberation, after rigorous discussion that went to the top of editorial, the center image […]
Everybody knows Adobe Premiere is such a powerful editing tool that it's one of the go-to platforms professional editors use to cut many of the world's biggest films and TV shows. However, a resource with that much utility can actually turn out to be a double-edged sword sometimes. Adobe Premiere has so much functionality and […]
The Auckland Zoo posted adorable footage of Jamila and Zambezi's first calf having fun doing laps around her mum. The baby rhino was just born a few weeks ago and clearly has a lot of pent up energy. Look how cute she was just a couple of weeks ago! Image: YouTube / Auckland Zoo
We decided to check out Reese's Bats [Amazon], which present the company's classic chocolate-coated peanut butter snack in a Halloween-themed form. This is what bats are now.
The Pyongyang Broadcast Network channel on YouTube looks like it might be an official organ of the DPRK, with its stern propaganda videos and comically oldfangled portraits of the Kim family. And now it's running numbers videos—inscrutable recitations of numbers and words similar to the cold-war radio broadcasts of legend. Here's a report in Yonhap, […]
The Los Angeles Zoo's 19-year-old lion Frasier had a busy 1972. Over an 18 month period, he sired 35 cubs, baffling zookeepers and earning him the sobriquets "The Sensuous Lion" and "The Lovable Lion." He's featured in the first episode of Wild Lives, a new series by Popular Science. He captured the public's imagination and […]
If you're trying to make an omelet, you won't get very far without a few key ingredients: some eggs, a few veggies, maybe a protein or two, and a little cheese. Sure, you can make an omelet with just eggs, but to make it any type of a memorable meal, you better have some of […]
San Antonio, Texas meteorologist Justin Horne was outside covering Hurricane Laura yesterday when a blown transformer nearly bestowed upon him a new career as a supercharged superhero. (KSAT)
Sir Elton John expressed his disappointment with the lack of actual writing in modern pop songs in a recent interview with BBC Radio 6 Music. COS: "[Father John Misty] reminds me a little bit of me, the way he writes songs," he praised, adding, "Conan [Gray's] from America and he's the only person in the […]
Scientists at the Brain, Body, and Self Laboratory at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden outfitted pairs of friends with video goggles so they saw things from each other's point of view. "To further the illusion," reports Science Daily, "they applied simultaneous touches to both participants on corresponding body parts so they could also feel what they […]
We regularly alert you all to deals on professional skills training or new tech talents you can add to either bolster your resume or help you fill your time. But this time, we're gonna suggest a different route entirely. This time, we want you to put the laptop or game controller down — and go […]
A reported UFO in the Congo turned out to be a Loon Balloon, floated 20km up to provide cellular internet out in the sticks. The operators neglected to tell the relevant authorities what they were doing; two UFO hunters ended up in jail while Loon, a subsidiary of Google holding company Alphabet, smoothed things out. […]
YouTuber Adam Emond likes to mess around with audio, often changing the beats of songs in unusual ways. In this particular video, he takes Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" and arranges its beats in reverse chronological order. The result is strange but listenable, and the captions are gold. Bonus: A year ago, he took the same […]
For those looking for muscle pain relief, you may have to get crafty about the type of equipment you buy to get the specific help you seek. While pieces like foam rollers and massage balls have their uses to speed up muscle recovery from workouts and even improve muscle performance, they may not be able […]
In this video, you will meet the TET-100, a tractor of Soviet design that can transform into a different kind of tractor. Calum G. describes "one of the most unusual vehicles I have ever encounted," able to switch between wheels and tracks so that it would be both roadworthy and fieldworthy. Major props to the […]
Years ago, my wife bought me a gorgeous anodized green Zippo lighter. Though it's one of my favorite things, I don't smoke anymore and only rarely have a use for it. Unfortunately, the lighter fuel in it evaporates within weeks, so when I want to set fire to something it fails and I end up […]
Charging cables seem like they're made of tissue paper. It doesn't take over a few weeks of use before most new cables are already showing signs of significant wear. All it takes are a couple of bad bends or an accidental yank at the wrong angle to immediately kill some of these flimsy connectors. And […]
In uncertain times, is it any wonder that more and more people are turning to astrology, tarot cards, and other New Age woo to find a sense of universal order? Cuban American illustrator Cristy Road (who, yes, legally changed her name in homage to a Green Day song) has created a tarot deck that embraces […]
We all know the way a cup of coffee can immediately jump start our day. Yet, we also know that for many, coffee is…well, an acquired taste. Coffee has bite. It's also pretty acidic and not always everybody's idea of a good time beverage-wise. That's part of why the cold brew phenomenon has taken hold […]
I have just learned that "Timer," the bulbous yellow character from those old animated Saturday morning healthy-eating PSAs, first appeared in a 1973 afterschool special called The Incredible, Indelible, Magical, Physical, Mystery Trip. Um, WHAT?! How did I not know this? This mind-blowing discovery came about after I shared with friends an amusing conversation between […]
Isolation.site does just one thing: it visits URLs that you want to check out but don't trust, and shows you what comes up. It's not just a convenient wrapper around the curl command-line tool, but generates a rendered snapshot of the site to look around. Protect your devices from web-transmitted infections (WTIs). Picked up some […]
You've doubtless seen the tacky 3D house tours on real estate listings: crude, badly-coded gamelike experiences similar to Myst, garnished with bad user interfaces and enragingly inoffensive music. What if one of those house tours was of a bad house? Corpsepile's The Open House offers a 3D house tour of a perfectly normal suburban abode. […]
VIDEO: Elon Musk's SpaceX successfully launched 58 additional Starlink internet satellites along with three small Earth-observation satellites, SkySats, on Tuesday August 18. [Associated Press]
Maybe the next next Bill & Ted movie can have Evil Robot Bill & Ted go back in time across dimensions to try and stop these two auditioning for the movie in the first place (then our Bill & Ted obviously have to go back and stop them, and then the robots end up performing […]
For all their obvious similarities, language learning apps will often each take unique approaches to teaching a foreign tongue. Or, in the case of many services, a whole bunch of foreign tongues. While some providers give you access to training across overwhelming menus of more than 150 different languages, the people behind the Busuu Language Learning […]
I use nitrile gloves for any kind of messy work – gluing PVC pipe, wiping up cat barf, fixing greasy garage door mechanisms. Lately, I've been doodling with a Sharpie on things, like the vase above, and I don't want the ink to smear so I wear them while I doodle. I appreciate having a […]
Asteroid mining sounds fantastically futuristic, but it is almost feasible with existing technology. We have already landed spacecraft on asteroids and taken samples. Now all of that "simply" needs to be done at a much larger scale mining a well-scouted space rock. The payoff for humanity will be astronomical. Via Kurzgesagt: Getting rare materials from […]
A couple of weeks ago, while giving his daily YouTube weather report, David Lynch showed a large jar he had painted black with a white stripe around it. He said he had painted it for a reason, but did not elucidate. Recently, he revealed the purpose of the jar. It contains 10 ping pong balls […]
In the second issue of my newsletter, The Magnet, I interviewed Christopher Robin Nordstrom, who makes ultra-realistic scratch-built 1:20 scale replicas of Tokyo's buildings. Here's an excerpt: Could you briefly go through the process of making a model and the materials you use? How do you "age" the materials?Since I don't live in Tokyo, I […]
A gentleman who participated in a meme where gun enthusiasts point loaded handguns at their junk (safety off, finger on trigger) shot himself in the junk. This instantly made him a hero among his peers, as he diligently documented his trip to the hospital for junk repair. Via Matthew Gault at Vice, who has been […]
"Eyespots" (markings that look like eyes but can't see) are found on many different kinds of animals. One of the many reasons eyespots have evolved is to discourage predators, who either don't want to attack when an animal is looking at them or by fooling them into thinking the animal is much larger than it […]
Footage of the Trumps deboarding Air Force One shows Donald trying to snake his hand around Melania's. She wrests herself free, then grips onto her handbag and presses her arm against her side. His tiny sausage fingers writhe against her forearm in search of purchase.
Yep, that's it. The title of this announcement from the Department of Justice U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas is "Drug-Dealing, White Supremacist Stripper Sentenced for Obstruction of Justice." Here is the entire perfect press release from the DoJ: TEXARKANA, Texas – A 28-year-old Dallas, Texas, man has been sentenced for federal […]
The Trump administration's plan to ban various Chinese technologies, and doing business with various Chinese tech entities, is a clear sign of “madness” in U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, wrote China’s state-run tabloid Global Times in an editorial on Thursday. From Reuters:“Pompeo has uttered anti-China remarks almost every day, and constantly played tricks to intensify conflicts between China and the U.S., and display Trump administration’s toughness toward China,” the editorial read.The U.S. State Department on Wednesday published an expanded update of a plan called the “Clean Network” calling for telecom companies, cloud service providers, and mobile apps of Chinese origin to be kept out of the United States.“From the long-term perspective, it’s incredible that the U.S. information industry could totally detach from the Chinese market,” the Global Times wrote.“It would pose a severe test for U.S. companies if U.S. chips, software, and terminal equipment become irrelevant to the Chinese market.” Read more:Chinese state media slams 'madness' of U.S. tech purgeDoing business with TikTok's Chinese owner is banned under new Trump order‘Untrusted’ Chinese apps like TikTok and WeChat must be banned from U.S. app stores, says Pompeo promoting 'Clean Network' Read the rest
When it comes to holiday consumer spending, Halloween ranks second, after Christmas. But it looks like Halloween 2020 it's going to be nightmarish for candy makers and venues that produce Halloween horror nights. Tom Arnold, a professor of finance at the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond, told Yahoo News, "I don't think it would be wrong to predict that spending gets cut in half, at a minimum."From Yahoo Finance:Halloween spending in the U.S. was estimated to top $8.8 billion last year, the third-highest amount in the 15-year history of the National Retail Federation’s annual survey. Americans were expected to spend $3.2 billion on costumes, $2.6 billion on candy, $2.7 billion on decorations and $390 million on greeting cards, according to the survey.The biggest Southern California theme parks — Universal Studios Hollywood, the Disneyland resort in Anaheim and Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park — have been closed since mid-March and have already canceled their upcoming Halloween celebrations.Image: Jumpstory / CC0 Read the rest
Weren't one of you just telling me you wanted to see a musical instrument made out of bockwurst? No...? Oh. Well, here's "Das Bockwurstklavier" anyway.(Geekologie)screengrab via patricks world/YouTube Read the rest
The tourist who broke three toes off of a 200-year-old plaster cast model of Antonio Canova's statue of Paolina Bonaparte at the Gipsoteca Museum in Possagno, Italy has been caught, reports CNN. In the video, a man with a green shirt is observed sitting on the sculpture while posing for a photograph. When he stands he notices the broken toes and appears to fiddle with them for a minute before looking around the room.From CNN:Coronavirus measures mean that all museum visitors must leave their personal information for eventual contact tracing in the event that an outbreak is tied to a museum visit. This is how the man was identified.When police contacted a woman who signed in on behalf of herself and her husband, she burst into tears and admitted her husband was the toe breaker, according to a press release from Treviso Carabinieri.The husband, who was also upset, then confessed and repented for the "stupid move," according to the release.A court in Treviso is currently deciding whether to press charges.Image: CNN Read the rest
Now that the initial furor and shortages have subsided, it’s probably not a bad time to start considering your long-term cleaning and disinfecting plans.Sure, that might seem anywhere from overly cautious to outright ridiculous, but the threat of COVID-19 appears poised to be present for a while and the need for quick travel clean-up products has always been with us.At some point, you’re going to be venturing outside the house again regularly. With the double-barrelled coverage of TripWipes Antibacterial Wipes and Happy Hands Foaming Soap, you can head out with a touch more confidence that you’re ready for everything that’s out there.TripWipes are hand sanitizing wipes, formulated, tested, and dubbed the perfect alternative when you aren’t in a position to thoroughly wash your hands. While many wipes are alcohol-based and can give off some pretty noxious odors, TripWipes smell like citrus, are non-toxic, and can wipe out 99.9 percent of germs and bacteria it encounters. And it even softens your hands with each usage.Unlike travel wipe packs that get opened, then almost immediately dry out, TripWipes are individually packaged and easily stored. Whether you’re heading to the store, Europe, or just want to stash some in your glove box when needed, this 60-pack collection of TripWipes is built for quick and easy travel, no matter where that travel takes you.Of course, for those times you do have access to some running water, this set also comes with a two-bottle supply of Happy Hands Foaming Soap. Read the rest
Portland's Pioneer Square is now covered in giant vinyl polka dots, thanks to my pal Bill Will. The large-scale installation is titled "Polka Dot Courthouse Square" and encourages safe distancing while gathering in the square, aka "Portland's living room."Polka Dot Courthouse Square is a series of colorful, 12-foot, vinyl “dots” adhered to the red brick surface of the Square. These dots, spaced 10-feet apart within a structured grid, not only “decorate” our beloved Portland Living Room carpet, but also “set the stage” for performances by a diverse range of Portland artists, musicians, writers, singers, dancers and market vendors – while also welcoming the un-choreographed, open space behaviors of Portland’s citizens and visitors. These performances will be captured through still photography and video then promoted collaboratively with installation partners. In a fascinating double entendre, this art installation not only establishes the safe distancing required for public gathering but also encourages activation by others. It creates a wonderful comment on the push me/pull you aspect of the mandated distancing. View this post on Instagram POLKA DOT COURTHOUSE SQUARE Photo by @pdxdrone25 Livestream (too bright mid day): www.kgw.com/live-cameras #polkadotcourthousesquare #pioneercourthousesquare #thesquarepdx #billwillstudio #socialdistancing #installationartA post shared by Bill Will (@billxwill) on Jul 31, 2020 at 12:47pm PDTYou can see the colorful circles on the square on this live cam (not visible in the mid-day sun).images via Bill Will Read the rest
I wrote about the original 8bit Card Deck a couple of years back, and now a second edition is live with tweaked designs and the same pixel-perfect look. $15 a deck, target hit, and no question about fulfilment as the print order's already in with Gambler's Warehouse. The 8Bit Deck is back with a fresh new look! The new iteration features red backs and a gold foil embossed tuck box! ... My name is Michael B. Myers Jr. (drawsgood) and I am a huge fan of pixel art and retro gaming. In 2019, I began designing a few face cards for what, at the time, might have been an 8-Bit solitaire game or something similar. As the process continued, the idea of making these pixel art cards in to actual high-quality playing cards came to mind, and thus the 8Bit Deck was born. Each card has been crafted pixel by pixel, and the color palette was heavily inspired by the Pico-8 fantasy console, developed by Lexaloffle Read the rest
Following Trump's claim he could ban Tik Tok in the U.S. by executive order, Microsoft, which has signaled its interest in buying the Chinese social media site, reports that it has his personal permission to proceed with the deal.Following a conversation between Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and President Donald J. Trump, Microsoft is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States.Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President’s concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury.Microsoft will move quickly to pursue discussions with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, in a matter of weeks, and in any event completing these discussions no later than September 15, 2020. During this process, Microsoft looks forward to continuing dialogue with the United States Government, including with the President.Such a nice example of how Trump "wins". He threatens a blatantly unconstitutional and illegal course of action, everyone argues about it in a way that inchingly normalizes how he might it done, then it turns out the whole thing was just a head game, an unsolicited favor to a domestic company that then must publicly supplicate to him to seal the deal, setting a precedent for all future deals. Read the rest
This quick video clip got grabbed as we woke up today. The two speeds share very different versions of Electra View this post on Instagram Compare and contrast, please!! #puppy or #lion #dogsofinstagram #cute #yip #roarA post shared by Electra (@electra___cute) on Aug 2, 2020 at 9:50am PDT Read the rest
A request from r/ObscureMedia: "Mysterious cassette tape of probably (1970)s rock band album. No results from Shazam or online lyric searches. Found in charity shop without correct case or labels." Read the rest
YouTube comment: "I feel like it's Sesame's Street's goal to have all of their shorts pop up into people's minds when they get older and ask themselves "Did I actually see that, or was it a dream?'"[via r/ObscureMedia] Read the rest