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.

French artist Veks Van Hillik creates absolutely gorgeous black ink tattoos that are strategically placed in the hidden places behind knees and elbows so that two different designs can be incorporated into one, creating a different context depending on how the joint is positioned. Examples of this ingenious idea includes a gorgeous black scarab that...The post Ingenious Black Ink Tattoos That Use the Hidden Places Around Knees and Elbows to Create a Different Context appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amimono Horinouchi (@amimono_horinouchi) on Jul 3, 2018 at 10:42pm PDT Japanese yarn artist Amimono Horinouchi creates absolutely incredible handcrafted sweaters that feature a photorealistic knit reproductions of iconic music legends. Among some of his notable creations are a purple Prince sweater, David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust,...The post Amazing Handcrafted Sweaters Featuring Photorealistic Knit Portraits of Iconic Music Legends appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Cartoonist Malec of the French video company Turbo Interactive, has brilliantly re-imagined the opening title sequence from the sublime animated series Rick and Morty as a gorgeously lush anime short complete with Japanese subtitles. Each character makes a especially defined appearance, including Pickle Rick. ET SI RICK ET MORTY ÉTAIT UN ANIME ? Nous voilà...The post The Opening Title Sequence From ‘Rick and Morty’ Brilliantly Reimagined as a Gorgeous Anime Short appeared first on Laughing Squid.

An adorably teeny tiny baby sugar glider in Khon Kaen, Thailand lay back with arms open wide as a beloved human offered up some great big belly rubs. I think my pet is cute. I recorded the video as a memory. Related Laughing Squid PostsA Teeny Tiny Hedgehog Camps Out Under the Great Big Sky...The post A Teeny Tiny Baby Sugar Glider Possum Spreads Arms Out Wide for Some Great Big Belly Rubs appeared first on Laughing Squid.

With the last season of Mr. Robot coming fast upon us, fans of director Sam Esmail like myself will be happy to know that he’s not going away. His next series, Homecoming, is a psychological thriller starring Julia Roberts as a former military caseworker who loses track of her own life. The series is based...The post Homecoming, A Psychological Thriller Series From Sam Esmail Based Upon a Podcast of the Same Name appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Steve Price and the puzzle building team behind Sprice Machines built an amazing, wonderfully circuitous Rube Goldberg machine. Over the course of almost eight minutes, the elaborate series of chain reactions traversed the entire house before heading outside to pour glasses of lemonade for the thirsty folks who built the machine. Our first ever house...The post A Wonderfully Circuitous Rube Goldberg Machine That Traverses Through the Whole House to Pour Lemonade appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Cookiecutter.com in Pleasant Valley, Missouri, creates and stocks a wealth of tools for shaping dough into desired designs. Each cutter is made onsite using either hydraulic machines or hand tools that concisely bend flexible tin ribbons into a wide array of precisely engineered molds of all sizes and shapes, which a truly satisfying visual experience...The post The Visually Satisfying Process of Forming Flexible Aluminum Ribbons Into Decorative Cookie Cutters appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In the amusing segment from the Netflix series Magic for Humans, conjurer Justin Willman gathered together a group of people willing to help him convince a man from the audience that he was invisible. The group gathered ahead of time to prepare and really helped to make the trick a success. When I was a...The post Sly Magician Convinces Man That He’s Invisible in an Amusing Segment From ‘Magic For Humans’ on Netflix appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Great Big Story visited with David Wilde, the managing director of the historic organ company Henry Willis & Sons, which has been in business since 1845. Wilde explains the process by which they craft the pipes, speaks about how the length of the pipe affects the pitch of the sound and expresses the incredible pride...The post An Inside Look at the Historic Company That Maintains the Magnificent Pipe Organs of England appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The amazingly lovable feline duo of Cole and Marmalade has doubled in size with the addition of Jugg and Zig Zag, two tiny tortie kittens rescued separately from each other. People have always told us that Cole and Marmalade needed a sister… well we disagree, we decided they need TWO! We’re excited to announce that...The post Two Rescued Tortie Kittens Join the Growing Feline Family of the Lovable Cat Duo Cole and Marmalade appeared first on Laughing Squid.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jim (@hobbithollowjim) on May 11, 2018 at 1:12am PDT Jim Castigan, a construction professional and superfan of Lord of the Rings, spent six years constructing a Hobbit Hollow home of his dreams in the Dutchess County town of Pawling, New York. The house was originally intended...The post Lord of the Rings Superfan Spends Six Years Constructing an Energy Efficient Hobbit House appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Helo Pinheiro, the young woman who was the inspiration in 1962 for the bossa nova song “Girl From Ipanema”, sat down with Today host Hoda Kotb to talk about being immortalized in such an iconic song. Pinheiro told Kotb that she was not aware at the time that a song was being written about her....The post The Inspiration for the Iconic Bossa Nova Tune ‘Girl From Ipanema’ Talks About Being Immortalized In Song appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Music writer Polyphonic, who makes incredibly informative video essays on an ongoing basis, explained how The Grateful Dead‘s short-lived, but brilliant sound system known as the “Wall of Sound” changed the sonic quality of live performances from that point on. The Wall of Sound was the brainchild of audio engineer (and chemist) Owsley “Bear” Stanley,...The post How The Grateful Dead’s Brilliant ‘Wall of Sound’ Changed the Quality of Live Shows From That Point On appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In the documentary The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From a Mythical Man, director Tommy Avallone takes a candid look at the legendary actor and his uncanny ability to randomly drop in and seamlessly insert himself into other people’s lives. This wonderful ad-hoc habit of his is the stuff of urban legends, sometimes legends...The post The Bill Murray Stories, A Candid Film About How the Legendary Actor Randomly Drops In on Regular Life appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Great Big Story went to Mexico City to talk to the very talented Linares family of cartoneros, creators of wonderful alebrijes – great big, imaginative, brightly painted papier-mâché monsters. The idea came to Pedro Linares as speaking monsters while he was comatose in 1936. Once he recovered, Pedro set about to create this unique trade,...The post The Talented Family Behind the Brightly Colored, Highly Imaginative Papier-Mâché Monsters of Mexico City appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Half as Interesting explains how fake neighborhoods and mistaken border designations as they appear on Google Maps can have real life consequences. In one extreme example, war between Nicaragua and Costa Rica almost erupted due a mapping misunderstanding. Google had mistakenly placed the wrong borders around Calero Island, making the island appear to belong Nicaragua,...The post How Fake Neighborhoods and Mistaken Borders on Google Maps Lead to Real Life Consequences appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The Giving Voice Chorus is a wonderful program that welcomes patients of Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and other similar conditions, who live outside a hospital environment, and their caregivers, to participate in, practice with and perform as part of coordinated vocal ensemble. The driving idea behind this project is that singing together helps to foster understanding...The post Giving Voice Chorus, A Wonderful Music Program For People With Alzheimer’s Disease and Their Caregivers appeared first on Laughing Squid.

On September 13 1993, a very young Conan O’Brien made his debut as the replacement for the departing David Letterman on the NBC Late Night franchise. This 25 year old episode first episode shows O’Brien first getting ready for work and walking through the streets of New York City to a mounting chorus of warnings...The post Conan O’Brien Gets Ready for Work on His First Day as David Letterman’s Replacement on ‘Late Night’ in 1993 appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While promoting her new film, the fourth reprise of the classic A Star Is Born, actress, singer and fashionista Lady Gaga invited Joe Sabia of Condé Nast Entertainment into the flowery courtyard of her Los Angeles home to answer 73 random questions for Vogue. The perfectly coiffed “Lady” shared her undying love for New York...The post Lady Gaga Offers Sage Words of Wisdom to Her Young Female Fans While Answering 73 Random Questions appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While appearing on The Tonight Show, members of Aerosmith (Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton, Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford) joined musical forces with host Jimmy Fallon and The Roots for a rousing classroom instrument interpretation of their classic rock song “Walk This Way”. Aerosmith joins Jimmy and The Roots to perform their hit “Walk...The post Jimmy Fallon and The Roots Join Aerosmith in a Rousing School Instrument Cover of ‘Walk This Way’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Dave Malkoff of The Weather Channel explains the concept of storm surge with the brilliant use of a virtual reality camera. Immersed in the center of the action, Malkoff shows what surges of different heights look like, what they can do and just how much damage they can cause. Storm surge will be a huge...The post A Brilliant Immersive Virtual Reality Demonstration of What Storm Surges Look Like at Different Heights appeared first on Laughing Squid.