Laughing Squid

In 2015, digital compositor and visual effects artist Rousselos Aravantinos created an impressive age reduction demonstration with actress Michele Valley. In 2018, Aravantinos conducted a very similar demonstration, this time using new technology and increased knowledge of the human body. This time I experimented with new techniques. The goal was to preserve more fine details...The post Stunning Side-by-Side 4K Footage Showing How Visual Effects Can Completely Erase Signs of Aging appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The School of Life explains via animation “How Psychotherapy Works” despite its demanding schedule, by positing three different ways the therapist is able to reach the patient. Their first reason is that psychotherapy encourages patients to reflect and bring to the surface those thoughts that live in the unconscious mind with vocalization in an environment...The post How Psychotherapy Encourages the Vocalization of Self-Reflective Thoughts Without Judgement appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Great Big Story visited with the incredibly charming and very funny Humberto Vélez, who voiced the irascible Homer Simpson in the Spanish language version of The Simpsons from 1990 to 2005. Vélez showed how he developed his version of Homer, keeping in accordance with what would be both funny and culturally relevant within the vast...The post The Charming Actor Who Voiced the Irascible Homer Simpson in Spanish for ‘The Simpsons’ (1990-2005) appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Geobeats offers a yummy bite size explanation as to why there are holes in Swiss cheese. Rather than it being from the ripening bacteria or pesky little mice, the holes (eyes) were originally caused by hay particles that got into the open bucket mix. When machines came along, this hay particle was added to the...The post Why There Are Holes in Swiss Cheese appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In January of 1969, the late, great Jimi Hendrix performed at the Konserthuset in Stockholm, Sweden. For a long time, this amazing show was considered to be lost, but was luckily located in 2004 at the Swedish television station SVT just before heading for erasure. Since that time, the footage has been remastered with remarkably...The post Incredibly Clear Remastered Footage of an Amazing 1969 Jimi Hendrix Show in Stockholm, Sweden appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The Korean grocery store E-Mart has created a brilliant campaign that encourages people to eat one banana per day (Hana Hanana Banana). In order to make this task easier for the consumer, the grocery cleverly arranged six bananas in various stages of ripeness and packed them in order of that ripeness, so each day the...The post Clever Packaging That Sorts Bananas According to Ripeness So They Can Be Properly Enjoyed Each Day appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A really sweet rescued pet muscovy duck named Petunia who lives indoors, excitedly greeted her human Chantel Grant at the door when she came home from work. Upon the sight of Grant, Petunia gleefully began quacking and wagging her tail feathers, seemingly in anticipation of the affection (and food) she’d be receiving in short order....The post An Overjoyed Rescued Pet Duck Gleefully Greets Her Human at the Door When She Gets Home From Work appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The very insightful video blogger and web producer Evan Puschak aka The Nerdwriter took a nostalgic look at Super Nintendo games of the past, how theme music was written for the games and the very creative strategies employed by composers to work within the restrictive space limitations of just 64kb of RAM. the Super Nintendo...The post The Creative Strategies Used to Make Music for Super Nintendo Despite Severe Space Limitations appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While visiting his parents, welder and motocross rider Greg Vannorden straddled his legs over a silly husky named Brodie and pretended to rev him up like a dirt bike. As if on cue, Brodie hilariously went along with the gag and provided the very accurate soundtrack as a motorcycle the moment Vannorden lovingly grabbed his...The post A Silly Husky Hilariously Pretends to Be a Revving Dirt Bike for His Motorcycle Riding Human appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by Mária Švarbová (@maria.svarbova) on Jun 30, 2018 at 2:35am PDT For her beautiful ongoing photo series, which began with the book Swimming Pool, photographer Mária Švarbová captured the exquisite symmetry of synchronized swimmers paired with their likenesses as reflected in the stark, still, sterile waters of different pools built in Slovakia...The post Stunning Photo Series That Captures the Exquisitely Stark Sterile Symmetry of Synchronized Swimming appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Warwick Turvey, a very handy logistics professional who lives in Mackay, Queensland, Australia built a really wonderful shed door that folds open and close in a precise geometric manner. In an interview with Caters, Turvey stated that the inspiration for this unique door was “inspired by a combination of video game doors and unique artwork”....The post Imaginative Man Builds a Video Game Inspired Folding Shed Door That Opens Geometrically appeared first on Laughing Squid.

American composer, writer, director, and filmmaker Aaron Alon explains the difficulty of learning the English language, specifically in regard to the vastly different ways vowels are pronounced. To show what it would be like if each vowel had a single phonetic voicing, Alon recited the various sounds of a vowel, then chose the first pronunciation...The post How the English Language Would Sound If Each Vowel Had a Single Consistent Phonetic Voicing appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a hilarious video that hits close to home, vlogger James Rolfe of Cinemassacre shares the familiar process of scrolling endlessly through Netflix just to find something to watch. As Rolfe notes, it’s not that there isn’t enough to choose from, but at times the sheer volume of available titles and the oddly categorized genres...The post The Familiar Process of Endlessly Scrolling Through Netflix In Order to Just Find Something to Watch appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A focused police dog named Ammo who works for the Redondo Beach K9 Team, watched intensely as his human partner Officer Kyle Lofstrom slowly wound the handle of a classic Jack-in-the-Box toy. When the top popped open and Jack appeared, Ammo wasted no time in hilariously trying to separate the pop-up toy’s head from its...The post An Intensely Focused K9 Police Dog Tries to Rip the Head Off a Jack-in-the-Box After It Pops Up appeared first on Laughing Squid.

This post was sponsored by Parsons at Open Campus via Syndicate Ads. art & design courses and Parsons School of Design, recently named the Open Campus offers courses online and at our New York City campus, helping you achieve your learning goals while providing maximum flexibility to fit into your busy schedule. Graphic & Digital...The post Advance Your Design Career With Parsons at Open Campus appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In 2017, Seb Skelly, a very talented 22 year old musician who lives in North London, performed an amazing multi-track, brass sextet cover of the much-covered song “Africa” by Toto using five different horns (the same horn was used twice.) Instruments used Left to Right: Trumpet | Solo Horn | Flugelhorn -2 octaves | Soprano...The post British Musician Performs a Brilliant Brass Cover of the Toto Song ‘Africa’ on Five Different Horns appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a wonderful clip from a BBC documentary, the legendary David Gilmour of Pink Floyd talks about his brilliantly distinctive sound that he creates on guitar. Widely known amongst musicians as “The David Gilmour Sound“, this particular technique has been copied thousands of times, but never perfectly replicated. It only takes one note to know...The post David Gilmour of Pink Floyd Shares How He Creates His Brilliantly Distinctive Sound on Guitar appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a osculate episode of Today I Found Out, host Simon Whistler explains how XOXO became the accepted shorthand for the term hugs and kisses. While the the origins of the “O” in the formula are nebulous, the “X” is on far more solid ground. You’ve seen XO as a sign-off representing love, affection, or...The post How XOXO Became the Accepted Shorthand For the Affectionate Phrase of Hugs and Kisses appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a geographic episode of their wonderful animated series, the very perceptive School of Life explains why certain people eschew more populated places for more lonely, desolated locations in order to find a sense of comfort, happiness and peace within themselves. They posit that these empty places offer a person the necessary space for getting...The post Why People Find Comfort in Lonely, Desolate Places appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a cinematically defiant video essay, Sage Hyden of Just Write explains why, despite common teachings, a good story doesn’t have to require the main character undergoing a life-changing arc. Hyden backs it up with a number of popular films that prove the point including Gladiator, Star Wars, Inside Out, Back to the Future, The...The post How an Effective Story Can Be Told in a Film Without the Main Character Undergoing a Life Changing Arc appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The very talented doodling music theorist 12tone braved the hard driving riffs of the anthemic Rage Against the Machine song “Killing In the Name” in order to explain the other techniques used to make the song as powerful as it is. He specifically points out how the use of guide tones, tempo changes, muted note...The post The Hard Driving Riffs That Make ‘Killing in the Name’ by Rage Against the Machine So Powerful appeared first on Laughing Squid.

While appearing on the wonderful Graham Norton Show in 2015 and seated next to the legendary Cyndi Lauper, actor, writer and comedian Seth MacFarlane hilariously covered a couple of Lauper’s greatest hits in the distinctive voices of the Family Guy characters Stewie and Peter Griffin. The songs McFarlane covered were “Time After Time” as Stewie...The post Seth MacFarlane Hilariously Sings Cyndi Lauper Songs in ‘Family Guy’ Voices As He Sits Beside Her appeared first on Laughing Squid.

We recently posted about the tiny country that once existed between the United States and Canada which was thought to be resolved in 1835 and ratified in 1842. Yet despite this deal, there is still a tiny island in the disputed waters of the Gulf of Maine called Machias Seal Island that remains an official...The post A Tiny Island In the Gulf of Maine That Remains a Disputed Gray Zone Between the U.S. and Canada appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Marvel Studios is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a film festival featuring all 20 films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe screened in IMAX theaters from August 30th through September 6th, 2018. It’s the 10th Anniversary of @MarvelStudios and we’re celebrating. For the first time ever, you can experience all 20 films from the MCU, only...The post Marvel Studios Is Celebrating Their 10th Anniversary by Screening All 20 MCU Films in IMAX Theaters appeared first on Laughing Squid.

RealLifeLore looks at what each of the 50 U.S. states are best and worst at. How does your state rate? US Map Showing The TV Series Best Representing Each StateUS Map Showing The Food Best Representing Each StateUS Map Showing The Movies That Represent Each StateThe post What Every State in the U.S. is Best and Worst At appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Caters News sat down with Dennis Crompton, who is the co-owner of Norman Walsh footwear in Bolton, Greater Manchester, UK to talk about the history of the popular trainer (sneaker), which was designed for runner Roger Bannister who first broke the four minute mile. Crompton also spoke about how he and his brother Jon purchased...The post Co-Owner of Last Remaining Shoe Manufacturer in Britain Shares His Plans for a Post-Brexit Economy appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by QIXUAN LIM (@qimmyshimmy) on Sep 13, 2017 at 11:47pm PDT We very recently posted about Ashley Newman’s fabulously disconcerting facial pot pies, which were admittedly a bit discomfiting, but the work of Lim Qi Xuan aka Quimmy Shimmy this kind of project one step further. While Lim’s projects are not edible,...The post Disturbingly Stylized Polymer Clay Macarons With Anthropomorphic Faces of Babies Molded on Top appeared first on Laughing Squid.

As part of their ongoing series of deconstructing the rich symbolism and character development within the sublime AMC series Breaking Bad, film and television analysis platform ScreenPrism analyze detective Hank Schrader (Dean Norris), who despite his obnoxious hyper-masculinity and disdain for his brother-in-law Walter White (Bryan Cranston), was a good man on a heroic mission....The post How Hank Schrader of ‘Breaking Bad’ Became a Real Hero in a World of Sympathetic Anti-Heroes appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A clever couple in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania demonstrated an alternative way to employ the use of a traditional can opener that was not only extremely efficient but also explained the reason for the attached magnet being exactly where it is. My wife and I showing our general audience a different and more efficient way to opening...The post A More Efficient Way to Use a Traditional Can Opener appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by felice varini (@felicevarini) on Apr 21, 2018 at 11:31pm PDT Site-specific Swiss artist Felice Varini installed giant, bright yellow, removable concentric circles upon the walls of a historic French fortified city of Carcassonne, transforming the ancient exterior into a spectacular anamorphic illusion. The circles are made of painted sticky aluminum foil...The post Artist Installs Bright Yellow Illusory Concentric Circles on the French Fortified City of Carcassonne appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Dr. Uri Burstyn, aka the Helpful Vancouver Vet, who previously demonstrated several different ways in which to properly pick up a cat and hold him like a baby, shares how to best name your cats so that they respond more quickly. The beautiful long-haired Lancelot was happy to be in the room to help with...The post How to Best Name Cats in Such a Way That They Respond More Quickly to Their Beloved Humans appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Half as Interesting explains in fascinating detail about the Republic of Indian Stream, a very short-lived country that sat between New Hampshire and Quebec and was the result of a limnological dispute. The 1783 Treaty of Paris determined the border between the United States and Canada to be “the northwesternmost head of the Connecticut River“....The post A Tiny Country That Once Existed For Three Years Between U.S. and Canada Due to Border Disputes appeared first on Laughing Squid.

University of California Davis students Andrew Choi, Gabriela Gomes, Jacklyn Tran, Stephanie Thai and Joel Humes were challenged to make something with just a shoestring budget of $600 and two motors. Putting their mechanical minds together, this engineering group came up with a clever robot with the singular purpose of tying shoelaces, bunny ear-style. via...The post UC Davis Engineering Students on a Shoestring Budget Build a Clever Robot That Can Tie Shoes appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a postern episode of their incredibly insightful and fascinating animations, the ever-philosophical design house Kurzgesagt posits the efficacy of the concept of wormholes. The narrator specifically explains what a wormhole is, from what theories it came, how they differ from black holes, how string theory could play a role and a fantastic supposition of...The post How to Break the Space Time Continuum With an Atmospheric Wormhole Made From Scratch appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In an opinion piece for the New York Times, filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky, the daughter of deaf parents and mother of a deaf son, sat in conversation with 14 young, deaf people who were suddenly able to hear with the help of cochlear implants and other technologies. While each of these subjects had different experiences...The post Deaf People Explain the Precious Balance of Using Technology to Hear While Maintaining Their Identity appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A pet sheep named Bacon who lives on a Marlborough, New Zealand farm with his human Vanessa Anderson and family discovered a trampoline out in the backyard and decided to try it out. Bacon first sniffed out the surface and then gleefully reared up for a full body bounce. Bacon repeated the process over and...The post A Playful Sheep Gleefully Bounces and Down Upon a Backyard Trampoline on a New Zealand Farm appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The classic 1982 Toto song “Africa” has been getting a great deal of attention as of late. Aside from being declared the “internet’s favorite song“, it has also been the subject of a clever Twitter campaign to get Weezer to cover the song and even Weird Al Yankovic got involved. Completely separate from that, British...The post British Singer Blesses the Rains in Scandinavia in a Hilarious Black Metal Cover of the Toto Song ‘Africa’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a gently consoling animation, the consistently insightful School of Life, explains how victims of shaming are more likely to turn that shame on themselves. They essentially allow their own self-worth and self-esteem to be lowered by those who shame them, instead of turning it back on their cruel tormentors who more than likely, carry...The post Why Victims of Shaming Blame Themselves Rather Than Holding Their Cruel Tormentors Accountable appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In a brilliantly detailed analysis, the knowledgeable music essayist Polyphonic takes a deep dive into the way in which the late, great Leonard Cohen wrote love songs, using four songs from different eras by way of explanation. The first of which is “Suzanne“, a burning love song to a dear friend. The next is “Famous...The post How Leonard Cohen Employed Biblical Metaphors to Truly Convey the Beauty, Power and Pain of Love appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by HuskMitNavn (@huskmitnavn1) on Jul 24, 2018 at 9:07am PDT Danish artist HuskMitNavn (Remember My Name), who’s work we’ve written about in the past, creates absolutely brilliant drawings that jump right off the page. To achieve such a remarkable amount of depth and dimension to the work, the artist uses creative paper...The post Brilliant 3D Drawings That Jump Right Off the Page With Creative Paper Folding, Tearing and Stacking appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The Vaser Valley Railway is a narrow passageway through forest of the Carpathian Mountains in rural Mamures County in northern Romania. Much of the railway has eroded over the years, but one tourism service has been gaining popularity amongst visitors to the area. Several minivans have been converted into railcars that easily go up and...The post Converted Minivan Rides the Rails Through Vaser Valley in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In 2005, Janet Adamowicz had let her adorable 4 year old tabby named Boo outdoors and then never heard from her again. Brokenhearted, Adamowicz looked long and hard for Boo, placing ads in the paper and plastering posters on lampposts with Boo’s likeness. Adamowicz had all but given up hope, when after 13 years, she...The post An Elderly Cat Returns Home to Her Beloved Human Over 13 Years After Mysteriously Going Missing appeared first on Laughing Squid.

The LuxAI QTrobot is a wonderful humanoid robot that socially interacts with children who have different forms of autism. The QT is emotionally expressive and offers support with its dramatic facial expressions and overt body language. QT also teaches the children new skills with gentle patience and positive reinforcement. Expressive and engaging robot designed for...The post QTrobot, An Emotionally Expressive Robot That Socially Engages With Children Who Have Autism appeared first on Laughing Squid.

That narrator of a fascinating episode of the animated Infographics Show explains the complexity of the human body, focusing specifically on what occurs within every sixty seconds of every day. Actions such as breathing, heart beat, brain function, blinking and DNA are among those autonomic functions that happen every minute. The human body is an...The post A Fascinating List of Autonomic Functions That Occur Within Human Bodies Every 60 Seconds appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In the film Play, former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl narrates a short clip about “Join the Band“, a youth-oriented music camp that stresses the importance of creativity in a young person’s life. Wanting to challenge himself in the same way that these kids were doing for themselves, Grohl decided to...The post Foo Fighters Dave Grohl Plays Every Instrument on a Live 23 Minute Multi-Track Original Instrumental appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by Ozzy and Darcy (@ozzyanddarcy) on Aug 5, 2018 at 8:19am PDT A very cute Siamese/tabby mix named Ozzy has a thing for peaches. He loves the way they smell, the feel of their velvety skin and the comfort the stone fruit provides when he snuggles amongst them. At one point, Ozzy’s...The post A Cute Cat Loves Snuggling With Fresh Peaches appeared first on Laughing Squid.

In March 2018, the legendary Carol Kaye, who was an original member of the Wrecking Crew, helped to develop Phil Spector‘s “Wall of Sound” and an incredibly prolific session musician, sat down with the Dutch NTR station Top 2000 a gogo to talk about her career. The forthcoming Kaye shared how she took up the...The post Original Wrecking Crew Member Carol Kaye Talks to Dutch TV About Her Most Iconic Guitar/Bass Licks appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Just a couple of 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 band decided to play it again to an excited audience at The Forum in Los Angeles, California. To make the song all...The post ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic Joins Weezer Onstage in Los Angeles for the Much Requested Toto Song ‘Africa’ appeared first on Laughing Squid.

Doodling music theorist and musician 12tone wandered into the classic Guns N’ Roses heavy ballad “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is a song that is constantly on the search for a real resolution. This is not to say that the song meanders, but in the traditional sense, nothing resolves. Instead, the melody uses such techniques as...The post How the Guns N’ Roses Song ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ Is a Melody In Search of Real Resolution appeared first on Laughing Squid.

A post shared by Alexander Khokhlov (@alexanderkhokhlovcom) on Jun 27, 2018 at 1:22pm PDT In the second installment of his wonderful photo portrait series entitled “The Dog Show“, photographer Alexander Khokhlov has once again captured the amazing human-like expressiveness and qualities in the faces of adorable dogs with big personalities from all over the world....The post The Human-Like Expressiveness of Dogs Captured in the Second Part of ‘The Dog Show’ Photo Series appeared first on Laughing Squid.