Laughing Squid

The brilliant Lin-Miranda Manuel virtually sat down with Rotten Tomatoes to talk about Hamilton. During the interview, Manuel went into exquisite detail about the incredibly expressive song “My Shot”, specifically the process, the musical influences, and the message he wanted to convey about the man himself. I’m grabbing from the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Lin-Manuel Miranda Breaks Down the Personal Process That He Used for Writing ‘My Shot’ for ‘Hamilton’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Sonya Karimi, an occupational therapist in New Orleans put her professional skills to use while she and partner Zach Grate were stuck at home. She built a very clever DIY “Doggie-vator” stairlift for their three elderly rescued pugs George, Bodhi, and Sam. The idea for this nifty machine was to...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post New Orleans Occupational Therapist Builds a ‘Doggie-vator’ Stairlift for Her Three Elderly Rescued Pugs first appeared on Laughing Squid.

French urban artist MAYE creates wonderfully enigmatic 3D murals that feature long-limbed men within an artistic vignette. One such mural features a young man happily walking some sort of animal that’s turned a corner. The tug of the leash is brilliantly evident as it seems to pull away from the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Wonderfully Enigmatic 3D Street Mural of a Man Walking Something That Disappears Around a Corner first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Musician Mark Sagum performed on his acoustic guitar a beautiful loosed medley of intros from pop and rock songs from the 1960s through to the present day. Each decade was delineated and included such iconic songs as “House of the Rising Sun”, “Dust in the Wind”, “More Than Words”, “Every...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Popular Song Intros From 1960s Through Present Day Beautifully Performed on Acoustic Guitar first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Randall Munroe charts the risks and non-risks of being infected with COVID-19 from low to high on xkcd. Related PostsA Giant 20,000 Square Foot Land Mural Portrait at the Queens Museum Honoring NYC Healthcare WorkersCatchy Animated Coronavirus Pop Song by the Viet Nam Institute of Occupational and Environmental HealthHospitals Are...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Charting the Risks of Being Infected With COVID-19 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Russian confectioner Tortik Annushka creates absolutely gorgeously detailed designer cakes, many of which are inspired by existing, mostly modern art. Artists such as Piet Mondrian, Wassily Kandinsky, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Vincent van Gogh, Katsushika Hokusai, Andy Warhol, KAWS, Stikki Peaches and even Maurizio Cattelan of the infamous duct tape banana are...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Stunning Designer Cakes Inspired by Modern Art first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Flytec Toys has created an incredibly realistic remote control floating crocodile head. This disembodied toy reptile mimics the actual movements of a crocodile, as crocs and alligators tend to hunt with only their heads above water. It’s an excellent water “watchdog” to help scare away waterfowl. It also excellently serves...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Incredibly Realistic Remote Control Floating Crocodile Head That’s Good for Pests or Pranks first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The famous California chain In-N-Out Burger sells more than its yummy fare, they also have a whole line of apparel featuring their distinctive logos. One such item is their “Drink Cup Shoes” – a pair of polycanvas white slip-on sneakers with the wavy red lines and palm trees from their...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post In-N-Out Burger Shoes With Iconic Drink Cup Design first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Yogetsu Akasaka, a talented beatboxing Japanese Zen Buddhist monk, performed the traditional “Heart Sutra” chant as a realtime remix using the technique of live looping on his Boss RC-505. This is Japanese ‘Heart Sutra’ vocal live looping remix by Yogetsu Akasaka, a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk. Akasaka told Vice that...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Beatboxing Japanese Zen Buddhist Monk Performs a Gorgeous Live Looping Remix of the ‘Heart Sutra’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Nike has partnered with the Grateful Dead to create a funky fuzzy neon-colored line of SB Dunk Low featuring both the iconic Dancing Bear and the “Steal Your Face” skull. To celebrate the Long Strange Trip, SB is putting out a fuzzed-up Dunk Low in three neon colors with our...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Nike and Grateful Dead Release Fuzzy SB Dunk Low Shoes With Dancing Bears and ‘Steal Your Face’ Skulls first appeared on Laughing Squid.

“Fun & Games” by Bullpen Studio is a brilliantly animated short that sarcastically visualizes how a colorful child’s toy can go very wrong by morphing into something very dark and harmful in just a blink of an eye. A tongue in cheek look at the games we design and give...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Brilliant Animated Short Visualizing How a Child’s Toy Can Morph Into Something Very Wrong Very Fast first appeared on Laughing Squid.

LEGO has announced the release of a wonderful replica of the classic Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), complete with console, controller, game cartridge and a retro LEGO television with a hand-cranked scrolling level of Super Mario Bros. The set will be available for purchase on August 1, 2020. Do you love...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post LEGO Nintendo Entertainment System With Scrolling Super Mario Bros. Game on a Retro LEGO Television first appeared on Laughing Squid.

On June 14, 2020, several actors from Star Trek: The Next Generation gathered around the pool with protective masks on their faces to celebrate the 80th birthday of the legendary Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard). Surrounding the birthday boy are actors Michael Dorn (Lieutenant Worf), Marina Sirtis (Commander Deanna...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Masked ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Actors Reunite to Celebrate Sir Patrick Stewart’s 80th Birthday first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While stuck at home, a bored DIYer in Wales built an ingenious backyard fountain that uses cascading bottles of Jack Daniel’s Whiskey rather than the standard H2O. In the video, I am videoing a Jack Daniels waterfall feature that I made from scratch with everything recycled apart from the pump...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Ingenious Jack Daniel’s Whiskey Fountain first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A giant LEGO Millennium Falcon introduced itself by very cleverly using ‘The Force’ to build itself in a very clever stop-motion animation by Lego My Legos. This particular model is part of the LEGO Star Wars Ultimate Collectors Series and is the largest of its kind. It’s the MASSIVE Lego...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Giant LEGO Millennium Falcon Builds Itself Using ‘The Force’ in a Clever Stop-Motion Animation first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Stockholm, Sweden At this time when travel is limited, WindowSwap is a wonderful way to experience what others see from their homes around the world. Anyone can virtually go from Stockholm, Sweden to Brooklyn, New York to Munich, Germany to Denver, Colorado, etc. with just a simple click from their...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post WindowSwap, A Wonderful Way To See the World Through Other People’s Windows While Stuck at Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a lissome report for Cheddar, host Ali Larkin digs into why artists of the Medieval era refused to paint cats in true likeness. While it could be said that a poorly toilet trained cat might have turned a painter against the feline species as a whole, the real reason...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How Religion Influenced Medieval Artists to Refuse to Paint Cats in Their True Adorable Likenesses first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Tom Scott (previously) embarked on a rather fascinating experiment in order to visually demonstrate the vast difference between one million USD and one billion USD by using physical distance. Scott only had to walk the length of a parking lot in the London Borough of Dagenham to achieve the first...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Difference Between One Million Dollars and One Billion Dollars Measured in Physical Distance first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Musical magician Andy Clockwise shared a very clever tip for creating a decent protective face shield using the box from a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The entire process requires online a bit of creative cleaning, cutting, folding, and taping before being put into use. Andy Clockwise shows you how you...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How to Make a Face Shield Using the Top of a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Box first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2016, just seven years after Lin-Manuel Miranda debuted the song “Alexander Hamilton” at the White House in 2009, the entire cast of the record-breaking Broadway show Hamilton was invited to perform for President Barack Obama and the First Lady Michelle Obama along with a lucky audience. Some of the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘Hamilton’ Cast Performs at The White House in 2016 first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke shared a very clever video developed by the Shopify Culture team that promotes the proper use of Slack. The catchy, danceable rap song, appropriately named “10 Slack Commandments”, thoroughly explains the features of the popular communication platform. via Boing Boing Related Posts‘Threading the RCA Projector’, A...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Catchy Rap Song Promoting the Proper Use of Slack first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Filmmaker Theo Tagholm, aka mustardcuffins, of Studio Tagholm created a dizzying video for the Lumiere song “Doppler”. The film features infinite echoing frames that cover travel footage as it makes its way across the countryside. A new music video technique for the song Doppler. I think they go quite well...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Dizzying Array of Echoing Frames Travel Across the Countryside in the Unique Music Video For ‘Doppler’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

“Tokri” is a beautiful clay stop-motion animated short by Suresh Eriyat and Studio Eeksaurus that tells the story of a curious young girl who makes an error in judgement that causes her to break her father’s beloved watch. Fearing the loss of her father’s love, she decides to take matters...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘Tokri’, A Beautiful Stop-Motion Short About a Girl Taking Matters Into Her Own Hands After a Clumsy Accident first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Home baker Grace, who goes by the name petrichoro, created an absolutely beautiful realistic koi pond mousse cake for Father’s Day. Grace used agar jelly to create the appearance of water. She also made the fish and lilies by hand. Everything on the cake is edible, so long as a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Beautifully Realistic Koi Pond Cake first appeared on Laughing Squid.

On nice days in Atlanta, musician Chavis Flagg grabs his guitar and portable amp and goes for a ride on his Onewheel electric skateboard along the city’s famed Beltline. Flagg impressively performs amazing solos as he’s cruising along the public trail. Flagg told CNN that skating is only a daytime...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Talented Guitarist Performs Amazing Solos While Riding Onewheel Electric Skateboard Along the Atlanta Beltline first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Robert Speker, the activities coordinator at Sydmar Lodge Care in London, has worked really hard to keep the residents and the staff entertained while the facility is closed to visitors. One such idea that has caught on quite nicely is the recreation of classic album covers. Those who participated in...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post British Retirement Home Residents and Staff Recreate Classic Album Covers While Facility is Closed to Visitors first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Just three days before his passing on June 29, 2020, the late, greatly missed Carl Reiner made his final performance, which was an incredibly touching scene from a star-studded remake of the iconic fairy tale film The Princess Bride. The elder Reiner played the role of the gruff grandfather (originally...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Carl Reiner Makes His Final Performance With Son Rob Reiner in Star-Studded Remake of ‘The Princess Bride’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Ravi Hongal, a photographer who is obsessed with cameras, built for himself a three story house in the town of Belgaum, India that looks just like a classic camera. The interior also features photographic themes. His three sons Canon, Nikon, and Epson, are also a testament to Hongal’s love of...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Photography Obsessed Man Builds a Camera Shaped House For Himself and Sons: Canon, Nikon and Epson first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A Seychelles giant tortoise named Jonathan, who is thought to be approximately 188 years old, holds the distinctive honor of being the oldest living terrestrial animal in the world. It is believed that Jonathan hatched around 1832, though no exact date is known. This ancient Testudinidae has lived most of...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Seychelles Giant Tortoise Named Jonathan Is the Oldest Known Living Land Dwelling Animal in the World first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A performer with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra demonstrated what the performance of a stand-up double bass looks like in super slow motion. The footage captures how the bow connects with and releases from the string in order to make beautiful music. Can you see sound? Absolutely! Here’s what a double...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Orchestra Instruments Captured in Super Slow Motion first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A determined and rather expressive golden retriever named Moose was playing a game hide and seek when he found himself looking in the bathroom for his elusive human Shane. When Moose caught a glimpse of Shane in the mirror as he hid behind the door, however, Moose stopped in his...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Dog Is Confounded by His Human’s Reflection in Bathroom Mirror During a Game of Hide and Seek first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a splashy clip narrated by David Tennant from the PBS/BBC series Spy in the Wild 2 – The North, a robotic spy bear cub built by John Downer Productions (previously) attempts to join the resident grizzlies for an afternoon of fishing. The fishing season has started for the grizzly...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Robotic Spy Bear Cub Attempts to Join a Family of Hungry Grizzly Bears for an Afternoon of Fishing first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Comedian Ricky Downes III, a “crazy redheaded bird person who does voice acting, stand up comedy, animation, and memorizes the entirety of The Lion King“, quite amazingly reenacted the first act of Hamilton as different characters of The Muppets. Kermit the Frog, quite appropriately, played the title role while Animal...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Muppets Perform the First Act of ‘Hamilton’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A baby girl bubbled up with wonderfully buoyant laughter as she watched her mother repeatedly tried to bounce a green plastic ball with a wooden spoon as they both sat on the kitchen floor in their Manchester, UK home. As each attempt was made, the infant’s laughter grew adorably louder...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Adorable Baby Bubbles With Buoyant Laughter as Her Mother Repeatedly Tries to Bounce a Ball on a Spoon first appeared on Laughing Squid.

We previously wrote about the Sony REON Pocket, a really handy personal temperature control device that conveniently fits inside a pocket at the base of the neck of a specially-designed t-shirt. At the time, the developers were raising funds in order to bring their cool invention to market. The fundraising...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Wearable Air Conditioner That Fits Inside of a Shirt first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Bardcore musician Alvaro Galán, aka Algal the Bard, performed an incredible medieval cover of the song “Toxicity” by System of a Down. Galán not only composed this version, but played each and every traditional instrument, thus making the otherwise heavy metal song sound like it was written in the Middle...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Incredible Medieval Cover of System of a Down’s ‘Toxicity’ Performed on Traditional Instruments first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Dmitry of JerryCanBar handcrafts wonderfully handy fire extinguisher mini bars that are a beautiful, unmistakable bright red. The interior of allows for a one-liter bottle of whatever spirit you choose as well as enough room for glasses, a corkscrew, can opener, and/or any other cocktail accessory desired. It attracts attention...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Bright Red Handcrafted Fire Extinguisher Mini Bar first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A tiny orphaned baby wombat named Elsie who previously fell asleep as her caretaker human Lindy gave her a nice little rub on her pudgy belly, took a number of steps on her own under the watchful eye Lindy. It was their penultimate day together, so for Lindy, it was...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Elsie the Orphaned Baby Wombat Learns to Walk first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In 2010 NPR invited the great “Weird Al” Yankovic and his band to perform in their offices as part of their Tiny Desk Concert Series. In between clever banter, Yankovic and band performed beautiful acoustic versions of three different parody songs: “You Don’t Love Me Anymore”, “Good Old Days” and...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Performs Beautiful Acoustic Versions of His Parody Songs In a 2010 NPR Tiny Desk Concert first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Teenage wildlife photographer Isaiah Lieberenz hilariously captured the sight of a spooked opossum playing dead near his home in Illinois. The little marsupial lay completely still with an open jaw, an action widely known as “playing possum”. In case you ever wondered what a possum playing dead looks like, they’ll...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Spooked Opossum Plays Dead for Young Photographer first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The original cast members of Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s incredible musical Hamilton joined The Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon and The Roots to perform a lively version of Eliza Schuyler‘s love song “Helpless”. Being that the performance was virtual, several of the musicians played whatever instruments they could find around the house....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Jimmy Fallon, The Roots and Original Cast of ‘Hamilton’ Perform ‘Helpless’ With Instruments Found at Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

An absolutely adorable Alapaha blue blood bulldog named Hulk who lives in Leeds, England, seems to be obsessed with laundry. Whenever the washer or dryer is empty, Hulk claims it as his own and even gets a bit testy when either is occupied. If that’s the case, he’s happy to...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Adorable Bulldog Puppy Climbs Inside the Washing Machine or Dryer Whenever It’s Available to Him first appeared on Laughing Squid.

During quarantine, Rich McCor, aka paperboyo, used his immense talent for creating paper cutouts to make vignettes of movie scenes using items that he found around his home. The theme came from the number of films the artist was watching while stuck at home. More than ever I’m grateful that...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Artist Creates Paper Cutout Vignettes of Movie Scenes Using Everyday Objects Found Around His Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Steve Lukather (guitar), Joseph Williams (vocals, keyboards) and Lenny Castro (percussion), three members of the band Toto, performed a very cheerful rendition of their iconic song “Africa” aka the internet’s favorite song. Even in these current times of social distancing, we can still come together. Williams, who seemed to have...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Members of Toto Cheerfully Perform ‘Africa’ From Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Cyriak Harris, the creative mind behind many wonderful surreral short films, created a brilliant but appropriately anxiety-inducing animated music video for the song “The Existential Threat” by the Los Angeles band Sparks, from their album “A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip”. The existential threat that I always feel Nothing’s happened yet...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Brilliant But Appropriately Anxiety-Inducing Animated Video for The Sparks Song ‘The Existential Threat’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Musician Stefan Murphy of the Mighty Stef performed the iconic theme song from the 1990s Will Smith sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel Air as if it were a traditional Irish pub ballad. Murphy’s voice perfectly translates the distinctly hip hop song into a somber tale best served with a couple...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Musician Performs ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel Air’ Theme Song As a Traditional Irish Pub Ballad first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The incredibly talented “Weird Al” Yankovic hilariously mashed together his incredibly lively tribute song “The Hamilton Polka” with clips from the filmed performance of Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s wildly popular musical Hamilton. While the actors sang the songs with incredible rapidity in the original performance, Yankovic’s polka version takes them to breakneck...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Hilariously Mashes Together ‘The Hamilton Polka’ With Clips From the ‘Hamilton’ Movie first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While diving near the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland, England, Ben Burville (previously) encountered a bob of curious seals who swam over to him in order to fully investigate his presence. The seals put their noses to Burville’s helmet, armpits, and hands before one sweetly offered up a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Curious Seals Thoroughly Investigate a Visiting Diver first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Just ahead of the Independence Day holiday in the United States, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission put out a rather humorous, but extremely serious safety video about the proper handling of fireworks (here’s the video from 2015). Since many official 2020 displays have been canceled due to health concerns,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Test Dummies Act Out Deadly Scenarios Caused by the Misuse of Fireworks in a 2020 Consumer Safety Video first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A startled owl employed the defensive posturing technique of puffing out feathers to appear much larger in order to intimidate a family cat in a Belgian backyard. The alarmed feline became equally puffed up at the sight of the strigidae stranger, leading to a standoff between the two. We looked...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Startled Owl Puffs Up to Appear Much Larger In Order to Intimidate an Equally Defensive Family Cat first appeared on Laughing Squid.