Laughing Squid

British architect Suzanne Brewer and her son Jarvis have designed a truly inspired height-adjustable “Walking Wheelchair” that allows users to come up to eye level height without compromising their balance. The wheelbase design is based upon a Segway mover and the design for the body is on an original idea...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Architect and Son Design Height Adjustable Segway Style ‘Walking Wheelchair’ For Eye Level Conversation first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A team at DisneyResearch in Los Angeles used a proprietary Audio-Animatronics humanoid bust that had responsive cameras in its eyes and subjected it to interactive situations. The goal of this experiment was to learn how to create highly realistic gaze engagement for true character believability in films. The categories of...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Disney Uses an Animatronic Bust With Cameras In Its Eyes to Create Realistic Interactive Humanlike Gazes first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a toothsome episode of the Mental Floss series Food History (previously), host Justin Dodd shares the history of candy corn, the origins of corn syrup, and how its inventor George Renninger tested out how realistic his candy was by feeding it to his chickens. During his initial tinkering, Renninger...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How Candy Corn Became Associated With Halloween first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Obscurest Vinyl (@obscurestvinyl) on Jun 27, 2020 at 6:35am PDT Obscurest Vinyl creates amusing parodies of vintage album covers. The parodied titles can refer to what appears to be happening on the cover itself or perhaps, it’s just some made up...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Amusing Parodies of Vintage Album Covers first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The marble run enthusiasts of Murmiland built a miniature wooden replica of the Great Wall of China. This petite scale version measured 15 meters long and was the perfect length for a mesmerizing marble run. The marble run “The Great Wall of China” is a project of MURMILAND. via The...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Mesmerizing Marathon Marble Run Over a Miniature Wooden Replica of the Great Wall of China first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Artist Paul Jones of DIY Horror and Props shared a rough idea of how to build a giant and really creepy giant spider for Halloween (or any time it seems appropriate to scare the neighbors.). DIY giant spider halloween prop tutorial a rough guide. One person actually made a really...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How to Make a Giant Spider for Halloween first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story is a feature documentary by filmmaker Julie Sokolow (previously) about an idealistic young man named Mark Baumer who was determined to walk barefoot across the United States by himself to raise awareness around climate change. The film offers a touching glimpse into who Mark Baumer...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Touching Film About an Idealistic Young Man Who Attempted to Walk Barefoot Across the United States first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pet Portraits By Hercule (@portraitsbyhercule) on Oct 21, 2020 at 11:50am PDT A father in West Sussex, England, who goes by the name Hercule Van Wolfwinkle creates hilariously crude, amateurish pet portraits that he sells online in order to raise funds...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post British Dad Draws Hilariously Crude Pet Portraits on Commission to Raise Funds for Ending Homelessness first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Director Alex Winter, who played Bill in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, has realized his dream of preserving the very precious memory of the late, greatly missed Frank Zappa. The result of all Winter’s hard work is a definitive documentary about Zappa’s life appropriately entitled Zappa. The film focuses on...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Exceptional Musical Genius of Frank Zappa Explored in a Definitive Biographical Documentary first appeared on Laughing Squid.

An absolutely adorable little cocker spaniel named Charlie defiantly challenged an active leaf blower as it was dispersing the fallen foliage across the lawn. As the blower blew, a determined Charlie tried to bark back at it. Unfortunately for Charlie, however, the machine had a great deal more power than...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Little Dog Defiantly Challenges a Leaf Blower first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In the final installment of the 2020 reboot of the “Thursday Mashups in October” series, Aaron Brink and Steve Reidell of The Hood Internet found themselves chasing “Waterfalls” to create a “Juicy” 3½ minute dance track of 60 popular songs from 1994. This “Sure Shot” remix won’t easily become “Undone”....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A ‘Juicy’ ‘Sure Shot’ Remix of 60 Songs From 1994 That Can’t Easily Be ‘Undone’ While ‘Chasing Waterfalls’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The House of Ghosts (“La Maison Ensorcelée”) is a spooky film made in 1908 that features a number of modern techniques for the time period, including jump cuts and stop-motion animation. The film was directed by Segundo de Chomón, an incredibly inventive and pioneering Spanish filmmaker who worked for Pathé...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘The House of Ghosts’, A Spooky Silent French Film Made in 1908 That Features Modern Film Techniques first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Members of the Martin Miller Session Band performed an absolutely remarkable, pitch-perfect cover of the iconic Pink Floyd album Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. This includes each of the songs, the instrumentals, and the incidentals that made the original album so unique. Guitarist Martin Miller and keyboardist...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post German Band Performs a Remarkable Studio Cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ in Its Entirety first appeared on Laughing Squid.

German musician Carolina Eyck, who previously played an absolutely gorgeous theremin cover of “The Ecstasy of Gold”, performed a glowing cover of “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. For further effect, Eyck dimmed the lights and tossed around an illuminated object to make it look like a random bee...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Glowing Theremin Cover of ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In the animated short “IN_BOX” by filmmaker Michael Marczewski (previously) commissioned by Adult Swim, a couple of office workers start chatting with each other through email. In this world, emails are personified beings that crawl over to the recipient’s computer, climb inside and then send an alert for new mail....Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Personified Email Creatures Accidentally Start a War Between Co-Workers in the Animated Short ‘IN_BOX’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by OMATCHA SALON (@omatchasalon) on Oct 11, 2020 at 4:57am PDT Omatcha Salon, which has several different locations in Japan, creates beautiful food with Uji matcha tea. Among their specialties is an edible zen garden that uses green matcha powder where sand...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Japanese Specialty Tea House Creates Calming Edible Zen Gardens Using Green Matcha Powder first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Adrian Wilson (@plannedalism) on Oct 15, 2020 at 5:44pm PDT NYC artist Adrian Wilson, aka plannedalism, who temporarily altered the mosaic at the Van Siclen Avenue stop in East New York, Brooklyn to read “Van Halen Avenue” in memory of the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post NYC Artist Pays Tribute to Eddie Van Halen With Heartfelt ‘Frankenstrat’ Guitar Garage Door Mural first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Musicians Jack Black and Kyle Gass, collectively known as Tenacious D, played an absolutely incredible cover of the iconic song “Time Warp” from The Rocky Horror Picture in an effort to “Rock-y the Vote”. It’s astounding… time is fleeting… and the 2020 election is here. Time to ROCK-Y THE VOTE!...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Tenacious D Does Incredible Cover of ‘Time Warp’ from ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ to ‘ROCK-Y the Vote’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Maymo the Lemon Beagle and his little sister Penny wanted to vote early, so Maymo packed her up in a shopping cart and pushed around and about the town. The pair stopped in at several locations along the way, making their presence clearly known. When they finally reached their destination,...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Maymo the Beagle Takes Sister Penny on a Shopping Cart Adventure Around Town on Their Way to Vote first appeared on Laughing Squid.

To celebrate the arrival of autumn, as they every year, the big animals of the Oregon Zoo (previously) enjoy the yummy treat of specially grown pumpkins. The resident elephants certainly were no exception. The giant pachyderms were invited to squash the living daylights out of 1,200 pounds of orange gourds...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Elephants at the Oregon Zoo Happily Squash 1,200 Pounds of Pumpkin to Celebrate the Arrival of Autumn first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Mental Floss host Erin McCarthy explains the origins of 22 different cryptozoological animals from folklore, rumor and hearsay. These anecdotal animals are known as cryptids. Among the various cryptids that McCarthy analyzes are the Loch Ness Monster, the Olgoï-Khorkhoï (Mongolian Death Worm), Am Fear Liath Mòr (The Big Gray), The...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Origins of 22 Anecdotal Cryptozoological Animals first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a briny episode of the KQED series Deep Look, narrator Laura Klivans explains how starfish are able to function without a brain. Instead, starfish have thousands of ampulae that are connected to tubefeet. These thousands of tubefeet allow the starfish to sniff out and capture prey. They also allow...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How Thousands of Independent Feet Work Together to Allow a Starfish to Uniquely Gallop Towards Its Prey first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Joshua Rudder of the animated language series NativLang explains how different cultures and different languages interpret time. Because time is a human construct, there is no one right way to tell it. It can vary according to geography, tradition, and circumstances. Those who live near the equator use the reliability...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post How Different Cultures and Languages Tell Time first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A shopkeeper in Japan installed glass panels into the ceiling of their store so that the resident bodega cats can have an overhead view of the customers from a safe distance. (translated) When a friend modified the ceiling of the store for a cat, it was monitored. ???????????????????????????????? pic.twitter.com/rrHZjb9TkE —...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Japanese Store Installs Glass Panels In Ceiling For Resident Cats to Safely Watch From Above first appeared on Laughing Squid.

“The Map” is a short documentary by filmmaker Gary Hustwit (previously) that takes a fascinating look into the newly launched, technologically forward New York City Live Subway Map. Filmmaker Gary Hustwit documents the process as digital agency Work & Co creates a new “live map” — one that updates in...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Fascinating Documentary Short That Takes an Inside Look Into the Newly Redesigned NYC Live Subway Map first appeared on Laughing Squid.

While a Lidl discount grocery store in Dublin, Ireland was being built, archaeologists discovered the remains of an 11th century medieval home that once stood in its place. Instead of razing the lot, the store decided to preserve the remains and share this wonderful discovery with its customers. The archeologists...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Dublin Grocery Store Installs Glass Floor So Customers Can View an 11th Century Home Located Underneath first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by @brindabella_the_wombat on Oct 25, 2020 at 9:20pm PDT An adorably wobbly rescued baby wombat named Uschi (Ursulah) tentatively explored the living room couch that she shares with a generous human from ACT Wildlife in Canberra, Australia. The little marsupial had never...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Wobbly Rescued Baby Wombat Tentatively Explores the Living Room Couch in Her New Home first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Video editor Adam Maciaszek has impressively remastered the iconic Silly Symphony animation entitled “The Skeleton Dance” from Walt Disney Studios into a 4K high definition version of the 1929 original. Maciaszek also used artificial intelligence to smooth out the choppiness and refine the resolution. He also suggests watching the remastered...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post An Amazing High Definition AI Remaster of the Iconic 1929 ‘Silly Symphony’ Animation ‘The Skeleton Dance’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Artist Jason Beck quite remarkably created “The Muppet Maniac Series 1”, images the normally adorably goofy Muppets that were seamlessly transformed into the monstrous characters from classic horror films. This hilariously irreverent series is something that Beck said that this kind of work is right up his alley. I really...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Artist Transforms Adorably Innocent Muppets Into Monstrous Characters From Classic Horror Films first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by OTOTO Design (@ototodesign) on Oct 4, 2020 at 5:15am PDT Vino by OTOTO Design (previously) is a very clever combined corkscrew and bottle opener that sits atop the bottle neck like an adorably big-eared bat with wings that flap as the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Bat Corkscrew Flaps Wings as Bottle is Uncorked first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Thomas Price of TrainDozer who quite humorously remixed footage to create an opening sequence to a sitcom that featured Lieutenant Commander Data in the title role. Price was so encouraged by the reception to his project, that he again remixed and recontextualized stock and blooper footage from Star Trek: The...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ as a 1990s Sitcom About Lt. Commander Data’s Antics on the Enterprise first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Keycap artisan Tiny of Tiny Makes Things very cleverly replaced all of the keys on her computer keyboard with a variety of really detailed, handmade clay food icons. Tiny matched the first letter of the food item to the letter of the standard key that was replaced. She calls this...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Keyboard With Food Themed Keycaps For Each Letter first appeared on Laughing Squid.

“Kill Your Idioms” by Los Angeles filmmaker Grant Kolton is a wonderfully forthright animation that visually explores the literal denotations of colloquialisms to show how their figurative, connotative usage within the common vocabulary doesn’t always succeed. Literal and figurative worlds collide but only one can survive… Do your idioms live...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Literal Interpretation of Common English Language Expressions Visualized in a Forthright Animation first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Doc Pop, an artist, musician, performer and good friend of Laughing Squid has put a unique twist on the classic game of chess by making a One Dimensional version of the game. The PDF printable board (and pieces if necessary) offers newcomers to the game a good introduction and a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Printable One-Dimensional Chess Game By Doc Pop first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Charlie Todd and the NYC comedy collective Improv Everywhere, (previously) who in the past turned abandoned phone kiosks in Manhattan into private outdoor workspaces, worked with Tideland Institute to create “New York’s Most Socially Distanced Office”. This ingenious floating desk, which was equipped with all the proper office acoutrements including...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Improv Everywhere Turns a Raft in the Middle of The East River Into ‘NYC’s Most Socially Distanced Office’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In the spooky spirit of Halloween, sculptor Steven Richter (previously) of Tom Spina Designs created a rather sinister looking Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street out of a manipulated faux skeleton and melted crayons. When he was was finished, Richter set a blowtorch to his entire creation for an...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Spooky Freddy Krueger From ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Made of Crayons That Satisfyingly Melts Under Heat first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Peter Mitchell of Sound Adventurer created a very helpful tutorial that explains how to play the kalimba, a handheld instrument that is often referred to as a finger piano. Mitchell explains the different keys the instruments come in and how to tune the instrument. He also demonstrates how the instrument...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Helpful Tutorial That Shows How to Play the Kalimba first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Author and artist DB Burkeman and designer Rich Browd have created The Sm;)e Book, a wonderful celebratory history of the iconic “smiley face” in all its interpretations, iterations, and designs by artists from all different genres. The book also looks at how the symbol became so universal and how it...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post The Sm;)e Book, A Celebratory Look at How the Iconic Smiley Face Has Impacted Global Popular Culture first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A group of 40 incredibly talented Irish female musicians, collectively known as “Irish Women in Harmony”, performed an absolutely gorgeous cover of “Dreams” by The Cranberries as part of a fundraiser that took place in June 2020. Excited to be a part of Irish Women In Harmony song, 'Dreams' –...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post 40 Irish Female Musicians Virtually Come Together to Play a Gorgeous Cover of ‘Dreams’ by The Cranberries first appeared on Laughing Squid.

During the 1991 Sesame Street special “Big Bird’s Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake”, the late, greatly missed Robin Williams hilariously showed a curious Elmo the many fun things one can do with a stick. A blooper reel of that hilarious sketch revealed what happens when Elmo gets Mr. Williams’...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Hilarious Blooper Footage From an Elmo and Robin Williams Sketch For a 1991 Sesame Street Special first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a preview clip for the Netflix series, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, host David Letterman visits safely with the incredibly talented Lizzo, where she tried to show him how to play the flute. Letterman’s first try wasn’t bad, but he really impressed Lizzo when he started whistling through...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Lizzo Teaches David Letterman How to Play the Flute first appeared on Laughing Squid.

ClipDrop is a simple, subscription-based AR copy and paste app that allows users to simply take a picture of an object on any device, clip it, and then drag and drop it to an app on another device. ClipDrop is available across a variety of operating systems and has a...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post ClipDrop, An AR App That Lets You Take a Photo of an Object, Clip It, Then Drag and Drop to Another Device first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In a textbook case of the “You Shall Not Pass” meme, a rather territorial older cat named Kit blocked the walkway of a younger dog named Brewster with just a stare and a swipe. An evidently intimidated Brewster did his very best to respond to his human’s calls to come...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Territorial Older Cat Silently Prevents a Younger Dog From Passing Through Doorway first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by ?Catacomb Culture? (@catacombculture) on Sep 6, 2019 at 10:44am PDT Artist Jeremy Ciliberto of Catacomb Culture creates incredibly realistic human skull bowls. These spooky receptacles are made out of food-grade resins that have been poured into detailed bespoke molds, cured, and...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Incredibly Realistic Human Skull Bowls first appeared on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Irina Blok (@creativeblok) on Oct 10, 2020 at 11:16pm PDT Irina Block, the talented Silicon Valley designer who created the Google Android logo, has created a clever illustrated series that depict normal events of daily life both before the worldwide pandemic...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Clever Illustrations of Life Before and After COVID first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun is a six part Netflix series that stars the wildly absurd Australian comedy troupe “Aunty Donna”. The troupe, which features Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane, formed in 2011. Since then, they have won multiple awards and built up an incredible...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Australian Comedy Troupe Aunty Donna Comes to Netflix in ‘Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.

Reebok has paid wonderful tribute to the iconic 1984 Ivan Reitman film Ghostbusters with their Ghostbusters x Reebok FW20 collection, which includes a Ghost Smashers sneaker that features removable mini faux proton packs, caution tape cross marks over the logo and a weathered look that makes it seem like it...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Reebok Pays Tribute to ‘Ghostbusters’ With Limited Edition Sneakers That Have Mini Proton Packs Attached first appeared on Laughing Squid.

A family of curious river otters who took refuge in a clever hiding place under an Alaskan dock quite amusingly poked their little heads out of the opening one after the other as they heard people walk past. It was almost as if they were playing the role of the...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post Curious Family of Otters Poke Their Heads Out of a Hiding Place Like the Moles in a Whack-a-Mole Game first appeared on Laughing Squid.

The New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), in partnership with Transit Innovation and Work & Co, has introduced a newly redesigned, digital interactive subway map that gives users real-time train updates with an ability to filter by station and time of day. This live map works across a variety...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post MTA Introduces a Redesigned NYC Live Subway Map first appeared on Laughing Squid.

In the third installment of their 2020 reboot of the “Thursday Mashups in October” series, Aaron Brink and Steve Reidell of The Hood Internet saw “The Sign” and remixed 60 hit songs from 1993 into a single, catchy dance track that posed the eternal question of “What Is Love”, only...Follow Laughing Squid on Facebook, Twitter, and Subscribe by Email.The post A Catchy Remix of 60 Hit Songs From 1993 That Sees ‘The Sign’ to Ask the Eternal Question ‘What Is Love’ first appeared on Laughing Squid.