Laughing Squid

In short historical essay, the knowledgeable music writer Polyphonic took a look at how modern distortion-creating fuzz boxes and pedals for electric guitar originated from either intentionally or unintentionally destroyed amplifiers and other equipment. …Rocket 88, a song that some qualify as the first rock-and-roll recording. That song featured Willie Khazar ripping a wicked distorted...The post How Destroyed Amplifiers With Bad Connections Led to Modern Advances in Distortion for the Electric Guitar appeared first on Laughing Squid.

DIY engineer Human Controller has built a very clever, fully robotic Rubik’s Cube that can easily solve itself in minutes, whether being held upright or on a flat surface. Just be sure that it doesn’t wander off too far. Full instructions are available to recreate this fun machine. The creator also disassembled one of the...The post A Very Clever Robotic Rubik’s Cube That Solves Itself appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Several months after Weezer premiered their version of the Toto classic ““Africa” aka “the internet’s favorite song” at the behest of a teenage fan with a clever Twitter campaign, the group played a live version to an excited audience. In the middle of the song, special guest ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic jumped in on accordion. Since...The post ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Looks Just Like ‘Buddy Holly’ as He Fronts Weezer’s Music Video of the Toto Song ‘Africa’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

After making a rather dramatic entrance onto the stage of The Tonight Show, the very funny Jack Black spoke with host Jimmy Fallon about the new Tenacious D album and subsequent tour. After a bit of discussion, Black suddenly took out his a his legendary toy Sax-A-Boom jammed with The Roots. Jack Black gives The...The post Jack Black Plays His Toy Sax-A-Boom With The Roots After an Elaborate Entrance on The Tonight Show appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Super Deluxe remixed an October 2010 60 Minutes interview between Eminem and host Anderson Cooper during which the rapper talked about words rhyming with “orange”. They then combined it with some live footage and created a catchy song using the very distinct style of the iconic art pop band Talking Heads. Here's what @Eminem would...The post An Eminem Interview About Words That Rhyme With Orange Remixed in the Style of the Talking Heads appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Filmmaker Dan Mace has created “HUMANKIND (see the world in 4 minutes)”, a short but beautifully poetic montage, which features 100 filmmakers from all over the world, each capturing footage of the connections to which they bear witness along with those they make themselves. With this project, Mace thoughtfully put a spotlight on an often...The post A Poetic Montage Featuring 100 Filmmakers Around the World Capturing Connections They See Around Them appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Laura Jenkins of the Ember Candle Company in Glasgow, Scotland, has created a wonderful line of skull candles that come in a variety of soft pastel colors. The colors include pink, baby blue, yellow, lavender and soft green. Every candle from Jenkins’ shop 100% soy, completely vegan and is available in custom scents. Jenkins quite...The post Wonderfully Paradoxical Pastel Colored Skull Candles appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Lucas the Spider, the adorable animated arachnid by Joshua Slice, proudly shows off his newly spun web. Lucas is particularly proud because someone once told him that he would never be able to do so. Lucas is also really excited for when his web catches someone, because he’ll have a new friend. I can totally...The post Lucas the Spider Proudly Shows Off the Web He Made appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sleepypod (@sleepypod) on Nov 7, 2017 at 10:54am PST The Sleepypod Mobile Pet Bed is a very cleverly designed soft pet crate that not only allows a human to carry their small pets from point A to point B, but when zipped up also acts as...The post A Cleverly Designed Soft Pet Carrier That Easily Transforms Into a Car Safety Seat or a Comfy Bed appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In February 2018 we wrote about the Rube Goldberg inspired pinball game “The Blue Marble” by the very mechanically talented vlogger Kaplamino. In the second version of this same game, Kaplamino explains how he creates the mesmerizing chain reactions that keep the ball in play at all times. Here is episode 2 of the blue...The post An Ingenious Tabletop Rube Goldberg Inspired Game That Keeps a Bright Blue Marble in Play at All Times appeared first on Laughing Squid.

After watching Saturday Night Live’s 40th Anniversary Special, reporter Geoff Edgers, who covers national arts for the The Washington Post, contacted legendary comedian/actor Chevy Chase to find out how he was doing. Edger made six visits to Chase’s home in Bedford, New York, each time learning more about Chase’s history, his career, his public controversies...The post Chevy Chase Reflects on His Career, His Controversies and His Newly Found Sobriety in a Candid Interview appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Luke Jerram (@lukejerramartist) on Jul 6, 2018 at 7:38am PDT British artist Luke Jerram has created The Museum of the Moon, a stunning ethereal sculpture of the Earth’s Moon measures seven meters in diameter and is lit internally for a soft, comforting glow. The realistic appearance...The post The Museum of the Moon, A Beautifully Ethereal Lighted Sculpture of the Earth’s Moon in Miniature appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Musician, writer and comedian Demi Adejuyigbe celebrated the 21st of September by joyously dancing to the fabulous Earth, Wind and Fire song “September”. The wonderful West Los Angeles Children’s Choir joined in for the chorus at the end. Every year Adejuyigbe does a dance on September 21st and this year he’s raising money for RAINN,...The post Performer Joyously Celebrates the 21st of September With a Unique Dance to the Earth, Wind and Fire Song appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a vintage episode of the Australian science program The Curiosity Show, host Dr. Deane Hutton demonstrated the incredible Ames Window illusion, an optical illusion that makes it appear as if a window is rotating back and forth. Hutton slowly broke down how the illusion works. The first component relies on what’s generally understood to...The post The Incredible Ames Window Optical Illusion Explained appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Engineer Ted Tieken has created Sated, a keto-based, ready-to-drink meal replacement shake that’s high in fiber, high in protein and low in carbohydrates, a formula believed to help the body reach ketosis, a metabolic state induced through carbohydrate restriction. The shake is also naturally flavored with added calcium. In other words, Sated is a keto-friendly...The post Sated, A Low Carbohydrate, High Protein, Keto-Friendly Ready-to-Drink Meal Replacement Shake appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While exploring the waters of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument of Hawai’i, the ROV Hercules, launched from the E/V Nautilus captured the sight of an odd large-headed creature floating just above the sea floor. The creature became so disturbed by the presence of the ROV that its cheeks ballooned out and revealed a massive jaw. As...The post A Ballooning Gulper Eel Reveals Its Massive Jaws appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Google partnered with Fred Rogers Productions, the Fred Rogers Center and BixPix Entertainment to create a wonderfully nostalgic, colorful stop-motion animation to celebrate the 51st anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood national television debut on PBS. The animation perfectly captures the immeasurable kindness, compassion and warmth exuded by everyone’s favorite sweater-clad neighbor whom many of us...The post Anniversary of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ Honored With a Colorful Stop-Motion Animated Google Doodle appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While performing at the Santander Arts Center in Reading, Pennsylvania in 2013, the incredibly talented Chris Cornell performed an usual cover of the Metallica song “One” while playing the melody to the classic U2 song “One” in a live mashup of the two songs. The resulting song is absolutely heartbreaking, particularly in light of his...The post Chris Cornell Combines the Lyrics From Metallica’s ‘One’ With the Melody of U2’s ‘One’ in a Live Mashup appeared first on Laughing Squid.

For week 33 of their rebooted ongoing project Dial-A-Song project, the band They Might Be Giants wrote the song “Lake Monsters” and enlisted Hiné Mizushima, the talented slow crafting materials artist, to direct the accompanying music video. Using a traditional hand embroidered style background, Mizushima’s animation appears to offer a sense of home for these...The post A Hand Embroidered Animated Music Video For the They Might Be Giants Dial-A-Song ‘Lake Monsters’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Scott Bradlee of Postmodern Jukebox teamed up with musicians Casey Abrams and Snuffy Walden for a rousing, upbeat 1950s style cover of the internet’s favorite song, the now iconic “Africa” by Toto. This lively performance was presented as a short film directed by Abraham Roofeh. We’re kicking off Season 2 with our second PMJ short...The post Postmodern Jukebox Performs an Upbeat 1950s Cover of Toto’s ‘Africa’ With Casey Abrams and Snuffy Walden appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Russian animator Dmitry Grozov (aka Ahriman) created a fantastic anime style trailer for Star Wars: A New Hope. It’s not clear if he’s going to recreate the entire film, but hopefully that’s the plan. Related Laughing Squid PostsA Movie Trailer for the Original ‘Star Wars’ Trilogy Edited in the Style of ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’A...The post A Fantastic Anime Trailer For ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Japanese artist Noriyuki Saitoh creates absolutely gorgeous, highly detailed insects of all kinds that are completely crafted out of bamboo. Each model looks so real that it seems like its ready to fly, sting or fight. The figures are anatomically correct, although as Saitoh explains, the models are not necessarily completely to scale. Instead, the...The post Highly Detailed Realistic Insects Crafted Out of Bamboo appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In 2015, nature photographer Andrea Battisti of Hybrid Wildlife captured remarkable footage of wild Alpine Ibex (mountain goats) as they climbed up the near-vertical wall of a natural dam in Antrona Valley Natural Park, Italy. These determined animals made their way straight up the wall, stopping every few seconds to lick at the nutrient rich...The post Amazing Footage of Wild Alpine Ibex (Goats) Climbing a Near Vertical Wall of an Italian Dam for Nutritious Salt appeared first on Laughing Squid.

British puppeteer Barnaby Dixon traveled all the way to San Francisco in order to introduce his amazing finger operated puppets to big fan Adam Savage. As they hung out in “The Cave” (Savage’s workshop), Dixon happily explained the mechanics behind his creations, had Bug perform a little dance while another puppet walked across the table...The post Barnaby Dixon Introduces Adam Savage to His Brilliant Puppets While Visiting The Cave in San Francisco appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Jeff Seal and Jen Carlson of Gothamist have created a frustrating slow motion montage that shows those incredibly self-absorbed people who intentionally and rather brazenly, block the NYC subway doors when others need to enter or exit the car. Despite this poor etiquette of said riders, Carlson offers a bit of empathy, along with a...The post A Frustrating Montage of People Who Brazenly Block NYC Subway Doors When Others Need to Get On/Off appeared first on Laughing Squid.

CBS announced a 2019 reboot of Rod Serling‘s iconic series The Twilight Zone, with the formidable Jordan Peele in the late Serling’s former role as narrator. Filming will begin in 2018 for a 2019 premiere on CBS All Access, with all episodes immediately available to stream. The original groundbreaking series, which ran on CBS from...The post CBS Announces a 2019 Reboot of ‘The Twilight Zone’ With Jordan Peele in Rod Serling’s Former Role appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While appearing on Conan, the very talented Fred Armisen talked about his new Netflix special “Standup for Drummers” and demonstrated some of the funny things drummers do when it comes to buying and disassembling their instrument. Armisen then took out a guitar and proceeded to show the funny things that guitarists do in music stores...The post Comedian Fred Armisen Demonstrates the Funny Things Musicians Do With Their Instruments appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The wonderfully creative interactive design shop mscf has made it easier for students to meet arbitrary page length requirements while still using a traditional neutral font like Times New Roman. This alternate version of the same font, aptly titled Times Newer Roman, is 5-10% wider, thereby taking up more space on the page. Introducing Times...The post Times Newer Roman, A Wider Version of the Font to Help Students Fulfill Page Requirements Faster appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While on the job in Vanderhoof, firefighter M. C. Schidlowsky of the British Columbia Wildfire Service captured terrifying footage of a powerful wildfire tornado grabbing a hose from the hands of fellow firefighters and shooting it 200 feet straight into the air. Despite their best efforts to retrieve the hose intact, the hose immediately succumbed...The post The Powerful Force of a Raging Wildfire Tornado Pulls a Fire Hose 200 Feet Straight Up Into the Air appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a nostalgic video essay, Julian Palmer of The Discarded Image took a look at the rather distinctive film soundtracks of the 1980s, how they were used to set the mood of the film and how they correlated to what was happening around the world. Among the films Palmer used to convey his message were...The post The Distinct Soundtrack of Films Made in the 1980s appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Somewhere, someone is practicing. To test out the camera functionality brand new iPhone XS Max, the folks at Wired gave one to director Jon M. Chu of Crazy Rich Asian to shoot as he saw fit. The resulting short film entitled “Somewhere” features freestyle dancer Luis Rosado practicing his moves over and again inside his...The post ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Director Jon M. Chu Shoots Beautiful Short Film Using Only an iPhone XS Max appeared first on Laughing Squid.

As part of their ongoing analysis of the well-defined, flawed characters of Mad Men, Debra Minoff and Susannah McCullough of ScreenPrism take a look at the stalled, privileged existence of Roger Sterling. At the beginning of the series, Roger is the ultimate playboy with the world at his feet. Yet as the years pass into...The post How Roger Sterling’s Sense of Entitlement Held Him Back While Other ‘Mad Men’ Characters Moved On appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a tail-wagging video essay, Julien Blarel of Invicta History takes a look at an often ignored facet of daily ancient Roman life – their pet dogs. Blarel explains the type of breeds available along with their physical traits, personality and temperament with the help of wonderful illustrations by Beverly Johnson. He also reads aloud...The post The Breeds, Personalities, Temperaments and Physical Traits of the Beloved Pet Dogs of Ancient Rome appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a thought-provoking animation by Lazy Chief for FOST (Future of Storytelling), neuroscientist Anil Seth explains how the brain engages with the constantly input of external stimulation. He specifically focuses on how the brain predictively perceives an object or situation, but is dependent upon sensory experience and expectation to give context to the situation. Seth...The post How External Sensory Expectations Give Context to How the Brain Predictively Perceives Information appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The fast talking doodling music theorist and musician 12tone visually and verbally explains the syncopation, the theory behind numerous variations of clave rhythmic patterns. These distinct rhythms are believed to have originated in Africa and have strong ties to Afro-Cuban music. These clave patterns eventually took real hold in modern music, most famously with the...The post How the Distinctly Syncopated Clave Rhythm Pattern of Afro-Cuban Music Took Hold in Modern Music appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a sulphurous episode of BBC Earth Lab, presenter Greg Foot happily treats himself to the hot tub-like waters of Iceland’s unique geology that makes water warm while the air is cold. This is due to the constantly shifting tectonic plates and continental divides, which release heat from the Earth’s core into the groundwater. The...The post How Iceland’s Copious Supply of Geothermal Energy Fuels the Perfect Conditions for Greenhouse Produce appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In an doughy episode of the BuzzFeed culinary series Tasty, host Vaughn Vreeland visited two vastly different restaurants, Borgatti’s Ravioli and Chef Michael White of the Altamarea Group, both with a common love of homemade pasta. Two artisan pasta makers perform their craft, exploring a beautiful marriage between eggs and flour. Vreeland first stopped at...The post Two Vastly Different Chefs Share a Common Love of Combining Flour, Eggs and Water to Make Fresh Pasta appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In her noble mission to convert commercial sweets into healthier versions, Senior Food Editor and pastry chef Claire Saffitz of the Bon Apétit series Gourmet Makes tried her hand at making an organic version of Twizzlers, her mother’s favorite candy. After four days, many false starts and a “MacGyvered” candy extruder made with a hot...The post Pastry Chef Claire Saffitz Tries to Replicate the Ropy Chewiness in a Healthier Gourmet Version of Twizzlers appeared first on Laughing Squid.

When homeowner B.J. May stepped out of his Georgia home wearing a blue Batman shirt, he was surprised when his Nest doorbell wouldn’t let him back in. When he went to check on the app as to what was going on, he saw that the camera mistakenly identified the face of the Batman on his...The post Homeowner Gets Locked Out When the Nest Doorbell Mistakenly Identifies Him as the Batman on His T-Shirt appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In 1977 The Sex Pistols boarded the Queen Elizabeth Riverboat on the River Thames and performed the songs “Pretty Vacant”, “Anarchy In The UK” and “Problems” as well as “God Save the Queen” as they went down the river. This concert took place during and in sight of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebration. Needless to...The post 1977 Footage of the Sex Pistols Performing on the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ Riverboat During Her Silver Jubilee appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeff Victor (@jeffvictorart) on Aug 24, 2018 at 8:01am PDT Evolution of Michael Jackson Artist and cartoonist Jeff Victor, whose amazing work we’ve previously posted, has expanded upon his Evolution of Pop Culture icons series with illustrated timelines for Michael Jackson, John Goodman, Keanu Reeves, Loki,...The post Brilliantly Illustrated Timelines Showing the Evolution of Various Pop Culture Icons Over the Years appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The YouTube channel Magnetic Games, who previously created a mesmerizing slow motion video showing small magnets being completely engulfed a larger magnets, has posted an equally mesmerizing and visually satisfying video of beautiful geometric magnetic sculptures that took a lot of time to build, being destroyed in reverse. In the video, the builder starts with...The post Visually Satisfying Footage of Beautiful Geometric Magnetic Sculptures Being Destroyed in Reverse appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A very energetic and rather cheeky little greater one-horned rhino calf named Akeno at the Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England was having a wonderful time, running back and forth across the grass until he noticed that his tired mother was moving rather slowly. As she lay down for a well-deserved nap, the feisty youngster decided...The post A Cheeky Little Baby Rhino Adorably Attempts to Coax His Sleeping Mother to Keep Playing With Him appeared first on Laughing Squid.

This blog post was originally published September 18, 2018 on John Law’s personal blog. These photos were a re-creation of the final shoot out on an abandoned ship to shore fueling platform on a dead end street on Islais Creek just south of the intersection of Marin and Illinois Sts. The Suicide Club (1977-1982) would host...The post The Fatty Arbuckle Caper appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Future Punk created a wonderful series of 1970s-1990s retro style animated intros for modern internet companies, “inspired by great work of Sullivan & Marks, Robert Abel & Associates, Computer Image Corporation and various other Early CG/Scanimate companies.” Related Laughing Squid PostsThe Intro to the 1990s Television Show ‘Twin Peaks’ Reimagined as an 8-Bit Animated Video...The post Retro Animated Intros For Modern Internet Companies appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A rather forthright, but very insightful animation by The School of Life attempts to make sense of the increasing amount of vitriolic comments that show up online. Much of this hateful behaviour can be explained by a very lonely mindset. Many of these type of commenters are stuck in place by their own sense of...The post How Lonely, Powerless Isolation Can Lead Online Bullies to Exert Control Through Mean Comments appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a bewitching video essay for the Vox series Overrated, host Phil Edwards wonders aloud as to how the Ouija Board, a marketed game that is made up of a piece of cardboard and a pointed plastic came to be trusted as such an effective conduit to the spirit world. The story behind the board...The post How the Cardboard and Plastic Ouija Board Came to Be Trusted as an Effective Conduit to the Spiritual World appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Leslie Pardo (@lkpardo) on Sep 13, 2018 at 8:12pm PDT As they did in 2017, the senior students North Farmington High School in Farmington Hills, Michigan dressed up like their favorite characters, role models, and pop culture icons for their school ID photos. Amongst the costumes...The post Michigan High School Encourages Seniors to Dress Up as Their Favorite Characters For School ID Photos appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Entrepreneurs Elon Musk and Japanese billionare art collector Yusaku Maezawa have planned an incredible collaborative future lunar project called “Dear Moon”. This project would take Maezawa and a team of invited artists for a ride around the moon upon the SpaceX BFR (Big Falcon Rocket) Launch Vehicle. The launch is set for five years from...The post Japanese Art Collector Named As the First Private Passenger to Fly Around the Moon on the SpaceX BFR appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In the trailer for the long awaited Marvel film Captain Marvel, a disoriented and DNA-enhanced former Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) literally crashes back to Earth as Captain Marvel, a highly decorated Air Force and Starforce Kree fighter. This unexpected return reawakens a number of questions about who she is and where she belongs. A young...The post Carol Danvers Crashes Back to Earth With Questions About Her Past in the First Trailer for ‘Captain Marvel’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.