Waypoints: Recent Episodes
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A lot of us less athletic humans might relate to this video that shows slight panic set in when an adorable gosling can't keep up with its family and gets left behind. While the others have no problem hopping over a curb that borders to a park, this little guy has a tough time of it, taking a long two minutes trying to figure it out. — Read the rest
Early this morning listeners of Kiss Radio 104.9 FM in Vancouver, Canada were treated to Rage Against the Machine killer song, "Killing in the Name." Not once, not twice, but repeatedly, hundreds of times, for hours on end. Even when listeners called in to request another song, "Killing in the Name" mysteriously played on and on without a break. — Read the rest
Colin Morris noted that on Reddit, a certain form of compound perjorative—two words such as "buttface", "shitlord", "douchebag"—are found in diverse yet formulaic proliferation. So it's time—with appropriate warnings about the presence of very offensive words—for some data science. — Read the rest
Congress-preacher Lauren Boebert (Q–CO) is at it again, using her government position to spread her version of Christian nonsense (see video below). "The world will try to rehabilitate the hell out of you, teach the hell out of you," Boebert warned, undoubtedly proud she didn't fall into that trap. — Read the rest
Whether you are a professional chef or just a novice making yourself dinner in your kitchen, you should always make sure that you have the best tools at your disposal. You may ensure that you have great ingredients, frying pans, and glassware, but proper preparation doesn't end there. — Read the rest
Lev Parnas, one of the various blatant crooks with whom Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani associates, was today sentenced to 20 months imprisonment on fraud and campaign finance charges. The judge told him that fraud was his "way of life."
The criminal case against Parnas was not directly related to his work acting as a fixer for Giuliani as the former New York City mayor lobbied Ukrainian officials to launch an investigation of Biden's son, Hunter.
— Read the rest
People in the Star Wars universe only stay dead when the merchandising opportunities deem it so. Apparently, sales of purple kyber crystals have stalled at Disney's Galaxies Edge or something, and so one of Star Wars' biggest chumps is rumored to be making his big return, in the show about a chump. — Read the rest
Robert Sylvester Kelly, the R&B icon and celebrity pedophile who married his own underage protegé and was filmed urinating on a 13-year-old girl, was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment today. Kelly was convicted of sex trafficking in 2021, ending years of legal efforts to nail him for something or other. — Read the rest
Defunct blogging platforms collects places where one could once post, but can post no more. Curator Wesley Aptekar-Cassels posted an accompanying essay, How Websites Die.
I think a lot about the lifecycle of websites. I'm frustrated by so much of the short-term thinking I see in the world today, and the way we think about websites is a part of that: it's "normal" for them to just go up in smoke as soon as their authors stop paying attention.
— Read the rest
The English language flips on its head once you step inside MAGAland. For instance, the MAGA definition of "freedoms" is forbidding everyone's right to choose who they marry, what they smoke, how they identify, what they read, what they can discuss in school, and whether or not they have a baby. — Read the rest
The Huffington Post reports that the knights, squires, players, and stablehands at the Medieval Times restaurant in Lyndhurst, New Jersey will be holding a vote to unionize on July 15, 2022. In addition to wage improvements — most of the eligible Medieval Times staff start at the state minimum wage of $13 an hour — the workers also have some labor gripes specific to their, erm, unique work conditions:
Every two-hour show at Medieval Times requires careful planning and rehearsal.
— Read the rest
It's always interesting to see which films will ascend into the pantheon of cult classics. In the 90s, Disney had a penchant for cranking out gothic family films that have since become favorites. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas used stunning animation paired with the director's signature macabre style to create a movie that owns two whole months of the year. — Read the rest
The mom who ran into an Uvalde elementary school during a mass shooting to rescue her children when the police refused to go in says cops are now harassing her. Mark Di Carlo, the attorney representing Angeli Rose Gomez, said Uvalde police have targeted her at least twice since the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas last month that killed 19 children and two adults, according to HuffPost. — Read the rest
There goes Rudy G, again. In true MAGA fashion, it appears in attempting to cast aspersion the former attorney to Donald J. Trump mistakenly admits his own guilt. Giuliani did quickly recant his admission as if he even surprised himself.
Raw Story:
Writing on Twitter, Giuliani took issue with Hutchinson's claim that he sought a pardon from former President Donald Trump.
— Read the rest
A couple bought a home in the Seattle, Washington area without checking internet availability. The seller disclosed that the house was not connected to the internet and the couple, who both spend multiple hours per day using the internet for work from home, disregarded it. — Read the rest
As seen in this alarming video, a bison at Yellowstone national park attacked a family that had gotten very close to the animal. The bison charged at a small child, and as a man swept up the child, the bison gored the man in the arm. — Read the rest
With statements like it'd be great to hear from Jim "Gym" Jordan, Fox News Bret Baier clearly reports from a different reality than I live in. After explaining that known liar and former US President, Donald J. Trump, took to his dodgy social media platform to whinge on about "powerful" sworn testimony by someone who clearly worked for him, the three Fox folk just awkwardly stare into space. — Read the rest
Andrew Giuliani was the most prominent man running in New York's GOP primary election, thanks to his famous father. But Republican voters picked congressman Lee Zeldin instead to represent them in November's election. As both men are Trump loyalists and he endorsed neither, the result doesn't represent a party measure of Trump's own influence, though it does suggest a preference for musty GOP stalwarts over flashy Trumpworld populists. — Read the rest
Melding Bauhaus's "Bela Lugosi's Dead" with a hyperfast sample of the Amen break resulted in Rez's fantastic Jungle goth remix of the undead's anthem.
(Thanks, Lux Sparks-Pescovitz!)
If you're like most people, you probably feel a little jealous when you hear someone who's multilingual. And that's with good reason. It's an impressive and handy skill to have. Being able to travel internationally and communicate with people can be invaluable. — Read the rest
Thinking about the future helps us make better decisions in the present. That's the dream, anyway. To make the case for why thinking about the longterm is critical, this animated video poses the mind-shifting question: When will the last human be born and how many people will there ever be? — Read the rest
Daily Harvest, which sells meal kit subscriptions, is facing lawsuits after 470 people reported severe medical reactions and a dozen customers had their gallbladders removed as a possible consequence of eating "French Lentil + Leek Crumbles."
Investors in the company include Serena Williams and Gwyneth Paltrow. — Read the rest
I couldn't stop watching Daria in the 90s. To give some perspective, I was a nine-years-old at the time. The commentary on how high school breeds social conformity and acerbic critiques around "being popular" couldn't have made much sense to me then, but even so, I couldn't stop watching it. — Read the rest
A fellow named Jonathon Pruitt reportedly snapped the photo below of a preserved Burger King "found behind a wall" at Wilmington, Delaware's Concord Mall. I can't locate any additional information about this monumental discovery but it's a stunning example of American fast food archaeology. — Read the rest
Last night US Congressperson from New York Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spoke about the congresspeople who essentially admit their guilt and participation in the January 6th insurrection by asking for a pardon. AOC, along with Speaker Pelosi and VP Pence, was one of several elected leaders the insurrectionists were specifically looking to hurt. — Read the rest
They slowly got rid of wooden escalators in the London Underground after they became fuel for a deadly fire at King's Cross Station in 1987, with the last one gone by 2007. The New York Subway still had one in operation in 2010. — Read the rest
The Supreme Court argues that the right to abortion is up to the states to decide. At the same time, there's a very real fear that if Republicans take over Congress and the White House by 2024, they may attempt to pass a federal law banning abortion in the United States. — Read the rest
Republican congressperson and national embarrassment from Georgia, Marjorie Taylor Greene is raging against the January 6th Select Committee and wants to present her own witnesses. Perhaps she will demonstrate that Trump is "fragrantly" a victim of the "gazpacho police."
Newsweek:
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said she may hold her "own" January 6 hearings if the House committee does not allow arguments against testimony regarding former President Donald Trump's behavior on the day the U.S.
— Read the rest
Earlier this week Twitter disclosed that it had complied with an order from the Indian government in 2021 to remove tweets criticizing the Indian government's censorship.
From Entrackr:
The tweets promote Freedom House's Freedom in the World 2021 report. Entrackr has reviewed a copy of the disclosure by Twitter.
— Read the rest
Remember Dr. Mario, the wildly popular Mario game that was essentially Tetris but with a transdimensional Italian plumber hocking pills in his new guise as a doctor? Programmers Steven Nass and Ivy Hu have created a new version of the game that takes the traditional falling block puzzle competition and alters the difficulty based on the kind of health insurance you have. — Read the rest
Andrew Liptak is a chronicler of geek culture, and all around good dude. In addition to his regular Transfer Orbit newsletter — one of my favorite round-up resources for all things sci-fi/fantasy publishing and movie news — he's also written a fantastic new book titled Cosplay: A History: The Builders, Fans, and Makers Who Bring Your Favorite Stories to Life:
In recent years, cosplay—the practice of dressing up in costume as a character—has exploded, becoming a mainstream cultural phenomenon.
— Read the rest
In a recent speech, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that "We will make sure that when a kid is in the womb, they're as safe as they are in a classroom". A dire outcome indeed.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders after her gubernatorial primary win: "We will make sure that when a kid is in the womb, they're as safe as they are in a classroom."
— Read the rest
Like any living being, humans tend to focus on attaining security and minimizing danger. This propensity to distance ourselves from risk or, at the very least, our perception of it extends beyond our physical environment. As a social species, losing standing in relationships is psychologically akin to physical danger in our minds. — Read the rest
New York City newspapers reported this weekend that Rudy Guiliani was attacked while campaigning for his son, a candidate for governor of New York. And a man was indeed arrested and charged with assaulting him. Giuliani claims he was struck so hard it felt like being shot. — Read the rest
Two craters 16m and 18m wide appeared on the moon right next to each other. It's out fault, obviously (obviously?), but the double trouble has scientists aflutter.
Astronomers predicted a mysterious object would hit the Moon on March 4 after tracking the debris for months.
— Read the rest
In April of this year, The Kennedy Center hosted the award ceremony for Jon Stewart's Mark Twain Prize. Speakers at the event included his old Daily Show pals, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, Steve Carrel, Ed Helms, and Olivia Munn, along with Jimmy Kimmel, Pete Davidson, Dave Chappelle, and Egyptian TV comic and host, Bassem Youssef. — Read the rest
For many David Lynch/Twin Peaks fans, there are few moments of aesthetic exaltation greater than "Gotta Light?," part 8 of 2017's season 3 of Twin Peaks. I swear the room actually became brighter for me a number of times during the episode over the sheer brilliance of what I was seeing; I literally cried out in amazement and joy. — Read the rest
Comedy films were a fun genre, weren't they? For the life of me, I can't remember the last time I saw two comedy movies released in the same summer. I'm not talking about dramedies, either. I mean full-fledged comedy movies that aren't a sequel to a beloved franchise from the 90s or 2000s. — Read the rest
A police officer in Columbus, Ohio, was shot "while trying to shoot a dog" Sunday. Local ABC affiliate WSYX printed a police "notification" that an officer "was struck in the leg after discharging his firearm while trying to shoot a dog", leaving the identity of the shooter for readers to deduce. — Read the rest
As much as you hate it, sometimes we have to search for things in places we never want to go, like the kitchen sink's drain, the dusty attic, or the spider-web-laden area underneath the house. Your shrieks might just bring music to their ears! — Read the rest
In this segment from Rachel Maddow she reveals how, when the Roe v Wade decision was first decided, evangelicals and Republicans were not opposed to it as a group. The Southern Baptist Convention even called for legislation legalizing abortion and the former president of that conservative religious group is quoted as saying:
"I have always felt that it wasn't until after a child was born and had a life separate from its mother that it becomes an individual person. — Read the rest
The lion's share of the praise regarding a film's craftsmanship typically falls on the shoulders of the lead actor or director. As one of the most collaborative mediums around, it's woefully unfortunate that several crucial members of a movie's production staff get overlooked. — Read the rest
The Sega Genesis was the first game console I ever owned. At the time, a 16-bit console was the height of technology, and I was enamored with the "realistic" graphics. And then a curious thing happened; video games kept getting better. — Read the rest
Whether you have your own cookie business or run a celebrity gossip blog, having an unimpressive landing page can really slow things down. Sure, hiring a professional developer to create a website would be awesome, but their rates can be pretty steep, and that's not something you want to budget for these days. — Read the rest
ABC News reports that a judge in California has approved the name change requested by Elon Musk's daughter. The woman, 18, filed the legal papers in April.
"A new birth certificate reflecting the change of gender as described above shall be issued," stated a minute order issued by the judge's clerk.
— Read the rest
Jeann Lugo, an off-duty police officer and Republican state Senate candidate in Rhode Island, was arrested Saturday and charged with assault after punching a woman in the face at an abortion rights rally in Providence. Lugo's attack was caught on camera by podcaster Bill Bartholomew as thousands rallied at the State House there. — Read the rest
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As we teeter towards a future that will render countless jobs obsolete, it's fascinating to note that work culture has become increasingly toxic in relation to working hours. Americans have long accepted working long hours as "par for the course" in the professional world while simultaneously battling several debilitating health problems due to their lifestyle. — Read the rest
Gundam is one of those franchises I always thought should be bigger- no pun intended. In its native Japan, Gundam is a massive property that boasts no shortage of fans. In America, Gundam received a brief spike in popularity in the early 2000s thanks to model kits. — Read the rest
The Ohio Supreme Court suspended lawyer Scott Blauvelt's license to practice indefinitely after he was caught five times driving naked. Court documents show that Blauvelt—who has served as a prosecutor in Butler County and the city of Hamilton, Ohio—said "has engaged in similar behavior at other times but was not caught by police," according to the Cincinnati Enquirer:
Blauvelt started a two-year program to treat compulsive sexual-behavior disorder in May 2021, according to court records.
— Read the rest
How much of your Mac's storage space is actually stuff you use? Odds are good a significant portion of your hard drive is filled with untouched downloads, duplicate files, and apps you forgot existed. You may not have noticed it, but the gradual slowing of your computer could be due to all those files just sitting there eating away at your space. — Read the rest
Over the last two years, multiple pilots have reported spotting someone flying a jetpack over the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). In November, a theory emerged that at least one of the sightings could have been a case of mistaken identity and the flying person may actually have been a large Jack Skellington ballon. — Read the rest
In South Carolina yesterday, an alligator emerged from a pond at the Myrtle Beach Golf and Yacht community, grabbed a resident, and pulled the person back into the pond. When Horry County Fire Rescue arrived on the scene, the individual was already dead in the water. — Read the rest
Below is an image of Thiomargarita magnifica, the world's largest bacterium that scientists just discovered in the French Caribbean hanging out on underwater on decaying leaves from a mangrove tree. The size and shape of a human eyelash, you can see it without a microscope. — Read the rest
If you know me at all, you know I love weird looking dogs. So imagine my delight when I found out the "World's Ugliest Dog" competition was back after a 2 year hiatus! And that the winner is a hometown hero! — Read the rest
"National Enquirer' It's been more than three weeks since First Lady Jill Biden told Harper's Bazaar magazine that she and President Joe have "occasional" fights via text messaging, playfully calling it "fexting."
The 'Globe' ran a story on this two weeks ago, and the 'Enquirer' is finally, belatedly picking it up as the cover story in its trademark understated fashion: "Joe & Jill Biden Marriage Crisis! — Read the rest
Personal hygiene is an essential part of self-care. Keeping your body clean and well-groomed not only makes you more pleasurable around, but it can actually help to keep you from getting sick. There are some interesting and downright bizarre products around to help with your personal hygiene, and perhaps none are more beneficial than an update to the time-honored cotton swab method of cleaning your ears. — Read the rest
I have a complex relationship with Purple Rain. As a Prince junkie, I have to respect how impactful the album was on 80s culture and the career of his royal badness. However, I hate how synonymous it's become with Prince and his legacy. — Read the rest
Vampire freestyle rapping, baby Colin Robinson growing up, the group opening a nightclub (Nadja's) to attract high-end food ("Rich humans are basically like veal, conceptually repulsive, but so buttery on the tongue"), and the return of all 37 of Nandor's dead wives. — Read the rest
As obvious as it always was that #vanlife murderer Brian Laundrie killed his girlfriend Gabby Petito, his own death obscured hers and denied her family any chance of justice. It turns out he confessed to his notebook, though, such was his need to justify himself. — Read the rest
The conversation around raising the minimum wage has intensified over the last decade. With the dollar's purchasing power shrinking every year, millions of Americans are beginning to feel like the economy is a rigged game. In several cities, the minimum wage isn't even enough to rent an apartment. — Read the rest
Back in April, I wrote about how John Hinckley Jr, the guy who infamously once tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan, was trying to make a go of it as a folk singer, and scheduled his first-ever live performance at the Market Hotel in Brooklyn. — Read the rest
Up to 15 women who are in Phoenix, AZ from all over the country have suffered from heat-related illness and were rescued Thursday from Camelback Mountain. The women are in Phoenix filming a reality television show called "Bad Girls Gone God" (I have so many questions!), — Read the rest
If you can't get enough of the mesmerizing and often infuriating Teal Swan, who some folks think is a cult leader, and who is the focus of the wildly popular docuseries The Deep End, then you're in luck. Today the Conspirituality Podcast dropped a new episode all about Teal Swan, called "Who's afraid of Teal Swan?". — Read the rest
Las Vegas-based occult publishing company Bloodstone Studios has just released a new tarot card set featuring the notoriously fantastical artwork of Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. They're kind of nightmarish, strikingly beautiful, and surprisingly cool overall:
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bloodstone Tarot (@bloodstone.tarot)
— Read the rest
A perturbed gentleman complained that because of masks and vaccines, he lost his job. And the person who fired him? When questioned further, the man who gave him the axe turned out to be himself — he was self-employed. Only in MAGA-land. — Read the rest
A kangaroo pouch has turned into an exit chute for this overgrown joey, who won't take the hint that it's time. I've seen videos of teenage joeys struggling to get inside their pouch, but this is the first I've seen of one repeatedly sliding right out. — Read the rest
My latest obsession, my new favorite YouTube video genre, is animal ASMR. I've been so stressed out lately, what with the latest SCOTUS decisions, COVID still raging, the Jan 6 hearings, and on and on and on ad nauseam. So, to help me block out reality momentarily, I take breaks and watch animals eating things. — Read the rest
I've been isolating the past week or so, to make sure I didn't catch COVID on my recent trip to Portugal. It's been fine. I work, write, eat, watch trash tv. It's getting a little boring, to be honest. But it's definitely not lonely, now that I've learned I'm never alone – I've got mites—specifically Demodex folliculorum—living on my face, and guess what? — Read the rest
Please, I beg you, stop whatever you're doing, and go watch some of these videos of Kevon Carter, a comedian who also describes himself as a "husband, father, brother, musician, intercontinental champion of international psalms and spiritual songs."
He has been creating TikTok duets where he accompanies various animals on the piano while they "sing." — Read the rest
As the weather warms up, things tend to get more pungent, shall we say. One wrong move and the fridge gets left wide open, and you're stuck with a house that smells like trash and broken dreams. Even if something so drastic doesn't happen, smells pile up quickly, and it's challenging to part ways with them. — Read the rest
Check out this doggo zoom zoom zooooooooming on the beach after being taken off-leash. The utter joy! The freedom! The excitement! This is exactly how I feel when I finally step out of the airport and into fresh outdoor air after wearing my mask for hours on the plane. — Read the rest
On January 12, 2021, just a day before the US House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump for the January 6 riots, Vice President Mike Pence was being interviewed for a documentary film. While shooting, Pence was shown an email containing the draft House resolution calling for him to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office. — Read the rest
These sweet babies enjoying all of those yummy veggies were at the Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica, which, according to their website:
is the original rescue center for injured, orphaned and abandoned sloths. Founders Judy Avey-Arroyo and Luis Arroyo purchased the property to offer birding tours on the Estrella River.
— Read the rest
Demonstrating a unique way to recognize Pride Month, a Long Island NY library board is banning books and pride displays from the children's sections of four libraries. Everyone not one of the 4 board members who voted for this seems outraged. — Read the rest
A raccoon in New York was punished by death for the high crime of living as a pet. Its cover was blown after its bright humans brought it along to buy food at a pet store, where it was spotted by a worker who called authorities. — Read the rest
NRA darling Lauren Boebert rejoiced in the SCOTUS decision to make homicide shootings as easy in New York as they are in Texas (and most other states). The gushing Qongresstroll and proud owner of Shooter's Grill in Rifle, Colorado could barely contain herself as she celebrated the wonderful news that New York's gun safety law — established in 1911 — which required "proper cause" to carry a handgun in public, was overturned today by the U.S. — Read the rest
Juul, the branded vaping experience that rapidly became a favorite of underage Americans has been banned from marketing in the United States of America. The Food and Drug Administration says Juul can no longer market or sell their stuff here, but you can still use it if you have it. — Read the rest
The stories in this pretty horrifying but that's-what-you-expect article on an ayahuasca retreat seem to mirror most of what I have heard from friends who have tried this. Several years ago a very close friend of mine approached me and asked for advice as to what they should do regarding their recent realization they had a problem with alcohol. — Read the rest
Here's an interesting logic puzzle from MindYourDecisions:
Assume that both of the following sentences are true:
- Pinocchio always lies
- Pinocchio says, "All my hats are green."
What can we conclude from the above two statements:
(A) Pinocchio has at least one hat. — Read the rest
My son got to go on his first rollercoaster recently, and it turns out it's one of the oldest coasters in world still in operation. Here's footage from 1920, or therabouts, of Kennywood Park's Jack Rabbit, surely as terrifying then as it is now! — Read the rest
This ain't Top Gun. On June 23, 1951, US Navy Commander George Chamberlain Duncan was the pilot for trials of the Grumman F9F-5 Panther fighter jet off the Virginia Capes in the Atlantic Ocean. Following one successful landing on the USS Midway aircraft carrier, Duncan went out for another spin. — Read the rest
John Oliver was so certain his friends Jon Stewart would not sit in a public place and be honored, that he decided Stewart must be dead. The resulting 'roast' was heartwarming, hilarious, and well befit Stewart.
Image: Screen grab
It's rootin' tootin' shootin' time in New York and anywhere else (i.e. California and various New England/eastern seaboard states) that places restrictions on firearms concealed upon one's person—restrictions now struck down by the highest court in the land.
The Supreme Court STRIKES DOWN a New York gun-control law that required people to show "proper cause" to get a license to carry a concealed handgun outside the home.
— Read the rest
Election worker Wandrea "Shaye" Moss and her mother had their lives turned completely upside down for serving the United States. These are the heroes we should celebrate and support, not Mike "Can't find a reason to betray my country" Pence.
Image: screen grab
Nearly everyone has scrolled through Instagram only to find an ad for the hotel they were just talking about 10 minutes earlier. Whether it was just a coincidence or you were "being listened to" is always up for debate. Still, it's hard not to feel uneasy knowing someone or something is potentially using your info to manipulate your spending habits. — Read the rest
In the new Netflix series How to Build a Sex Room, interior designer Melanie Rose meets with couples who want to have special rooms in their homes for having sex.
Couples looking for more spice in the bedroom hire luxury interior designer Melanie Rose to create stylish spaces where they can carry out any fantasy they wish.
— Read the rest
Exhibit A. Reverend Parsley drawing an uncanny line from Numan's Winter of Discontent to Merrie England.
Exhibit B. Parralox asks the question "What if Are 'Friends' Electric? was shamelessly uplifting synthpop?" and gets the answer right.
Exhibit C: Kaelin Bougneit. Additional comment unnecessary. — Read the rest
SlimFast and caffeine pills were a terrible idea, but in the 90s that was one super popular way to lose weight. The Strawberry, Chocolate, and Vanilla shakes didn't taste awful and were intended to replace one or two meals a day. — Read the rest
On June 11, 1962, Alcatraz inmates Frank Morris, John Anglin, and Clarence Anglin propped up fake heads in their beds, crawled through holes they dug in their cells' concrete walls, and floated off the island prison on a raft made from raincoats. — Read the rest
A raccoon spent Friday atop a tall light pole beside a busy road in Cold Springs, Kentucky. Fortunately, the, um, "wild raccoon," as described by the Central Campbell Co. Fire Department, made its way down from its perch sometime overnight. From Link NKY:
A lot of folks wanted to know why the fire department and other emergency responders didn't drop everything, shut down the road, and retrieve the raccoon.
— Read the rest
These miniature Brazilian frogs (aka pumpkin toadlets) don't have much balance and thus jump in reallllly awkward ways. Apparently, their inner ears are too small to provide good balance. New research published in Science explains the phenomenon:
Miniaturization has evolved repeatedly in frogs in the moist leaf litter environments of rainforests worldwide.
— Read the rest
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In a strange reversal of parent and child roles, I recently added my mother to my Netflix account. After ending her last relationship, she had no means of watching her stories, and I had to step up to the plate. — Read the rest
For game nerds 80s, there are few games more beloved and legendary than Steve Jackson's Car Wars. I bought my pocket box edition at Hobby Crafters in Arlington, VA in 1983(?). It was for sale on a rack with other Steve Jackson and Metagamming baggied and pocket box games. — Read the rest
I often marvel over the elegant simplicity of classic video game themes. Tasked with creating a handful of songs to be played on loop, on a limited sound card, no less, the early composers of video game music had a difficult task to undertake. — Read the rest
I miss Jerry Seinfeld. Since it's not like he's dead or anything, I should probably clarify what I mean. I miss his brand of observational comedy. Granted, Seinfeld's setups and style did become the formula for hack comics, but I think observational humor could still connect today. — Read the rest
As a franchise, I feel like no series has evolved as much as Star Trek. Even though the show's core premise hasn't changed, the settings, characters, and presentation have altered with the eras without causing the show to lose its appeal. — Read the rest
Street Fighter has one of the most challenging jobs of any franchise in video games. As the flagship series in the world of fighting games, Street Fighter has amassed decades of hardcore fans obsessed with inspecting the granular levels of the game's engine. — Read the rest
The Rankin-Bass animation studio is best known for the 1964 television special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, as well as The Little Drummer Boy (1968), Frosty the Snowman (1969), and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970).
But in 1960, it produced a 130-episode television series called The New Adventures of Pinocchio using the same "Animagic" stop-motion process used in its later shows. — Read the rest
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds 58% of Americans think Trump should be charged for his role in the J6 riot. From ABC News:
Attitudes on whether Americans think Trump is responsible for the attack on the U.S. Capitol remain relatively stable.
— Read the rest
Just like the man who couldn't help but heckle Ted Cruz at a restaurant last month (see second video below), another man disgusted with Ted Cruz leaned over the Senator, who was sitting behind a table at the Texas GOP convention in Houston last week, and tore into him. — Read the rest
"Weird Al" Yankovic says his friend was recently digitizing footage from his "Eat It" video — his 1984 Grammy award-winning spoof of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" — and found this "insurance" take (below), which is a 3-minute-long shot of Yankovic's character battling junk food in his bedroom. — Read the rest
Let's be honest. Macs are fantastic, and they have been for quite some time. Apple has always done a great job of making sleek, stylish, fun, and downright practical pieces of technology for your everyday use.
But with all of the wonderful features that make a Mac so great, there are probably a couple of features that you would like to boost and update. — Read the rest
Tesla is conducting layoffs of salaried personnel due to what Tesla describes as overstaffing during a rapid phase of growth. It is usually illegal to use a reduction in force to eliminate employees for any reason other than a lack of work. — Read the rest
Floppy drives and stepper motors have been used to make music before, but for live playing I think the technology is underexplored.
This video features three separate Commodore 64 computers, colour coded for your convenience. I'm playing the melody on a dark grey C64C (custom case from Individual Computers) and chords on a brown "breadbin".
— Read the rest
In 1976, Margaret Hamilton—the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz (1939)—donned the green makeup one more time for an episode of Sesame Street. The show's theme was fear and how to overcome it, with a plotline about witch searching for her lost flying broomstick, but apparently the episode was so scary to children that Sesame Street bowed to parents' complaints and never aired it again. — Read the rest
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There was a weird period in the late 80s and early 90s where violent films were expected to cross over and become children's cartoons. I recall a Rambo cartoon from the late 80s, existing about a decade before my parents would let me watch the movie. — Read the rest
When you gotta go, you gotta go, as one dog demonstrates. Here is a responsible pooch braving tornado weather to do its business where it belongs — although from the look of things, keeping said business where it belongs is just a crap shoot. — Read the rest
Above is a Google Earth image of the barracks at the Naval Base Coronado just outside San Diego, California. The buildings were designed in 1967 by an architect named John Mock and the shape didn't raise any concerns at the time, probably because planes don't fly overhead. — Read the rest
Clive Thompson, our friend and frequent Boing Boing contributor, recently took his 2010 Hyundai Elantra into the service station to repair the air conditioner. He told the service rep to also disconnect the car alarm, because it had been randomly going off. — Read the rest
The first rule of Bear Fight Club is that you don't make the ring inside a carport with a security camera. Lisa Quick of South Lake Tahoe, California heard "strange growling" coming from her carport. She thought it was perhaps a bear intimidating a raccoon or coyote. — Read the rest
In 1931, Rome, under control of Benito Mussolini, gifted a statue of the Capitoline Wolf—a scene from the legendary founding of Rome—to the Ohio city of Cincinnati which was named after the Roman statesman Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus. The bronze statue, depicting Romulus and Remus suckling on a wolf, is a replica of the Lupa Capitolina at the Musei Capitolini in Rome and has been located in Cincinnati's Eden Park for almost 100 years. — Read the rest
Last night Carla and I rewatched Smooth Talk, a 1985 movie directed by Joyce Chopra and starring Laura Dern as Connie. It's an excellent movie, marred only by the anachronistic inclusion of James Taylor as the music director, which meant he put his own drippy songs in it. — Read the rest
A black bear wanted to join a couple and their three young kids on a popular hiking trail in Whistler, Canada, following them for about 20 minutes (see shortened 41-second clip below). The family, whose children are between one and six years old, remained calm as they tried to keep a distance, at times telling one of the boys to pick up the pace. — Read the rest
Votes are still being tallied from last weekend's Texas GOP platform convention, but the outcome is already wild. The Republicans voted on such things as formally rejecting the results of the last Presidential election, declaring homosexuality abnormal, a ban on drag queens, and complaints that the January 6th rioters are having their rights impinged. — Read the rest
Via CBS News:
History was made in Massachusetts recently when two TikTok stars created the world's largest chicken nugget.
Nick DiGiovanni and Lynn Davis, who previously concocted the biggest cake pop on the planet, teamed up again to make the 46-pound nugget in Cambridge.
— Read the rest
The Texas Repuliblican Party announced its official platform today—40 pages from the tribal fever swamp lurching deep into election conspiracy theories, homophobia and racism.
"We reject the certified results of the 2020 presidential election, and we hold that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. — Read the rest
Bill Clinton was a guest on the Late Show last week and Reggie Watts asked the former president about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. The audience laughed but Clinton responded: "That's a legitimate question now."
He went on to talk about how he and former chief of staff John Podesta "made every attempt to find out everything about Roswell and we also sent people to Area 51 to make sure there were no aliens." — Read the rest
I remember the first kit I bought that came with a LEGO brick separator, and I was a bit baffled. I must have dozens of them, and I've never actually found the tool to be that useful — this video has changed my opinion. — Read the rest
The Umbrella Academy is my favorite of the current raft of superhero shows airing across every network, streaming service, and in-flight entertainment channel. I am excited to the week is finally here, and will probably binge-watch the whole thing this coming weekend! — Read the rest
This footage of 1920s Paris in color is pretty amazing to watch. I've seen plenty of films from this era, but not much raw footage of people walking around the streets. It gives me this strange feeling that I'm spying on the people in the video. — Read the rest
In Florida's cadaver factory, expert artists and craftsmen work together to build artificial cadavers that look extremely realistic.
In the video, you can see inside Syndaver Labs and watch the process of how some of these synthetic human and animal cadavers are made, piece by piece. — Read the rest
National Enquirer A week late and several dollars shot, the 'Enquirer' front page declares: "Johnny Beats Lying Amber!"
It's a crude double entendre, subliminally suggesting that Depp "beats" his ex-wife Heard, as well as emerging victorious in his defamation suit.
The subtlety continues with the inside spread headline: "Whatta Slap In The Face!" — Read the rest
From tripping on your shoelace to dropping your phone in the toilet, life is full of disappointing moments — it's just the way it is. But why is it that your car never breaks down when you have a day full of absolutely nothing to do or nowhere to be? — Read the rest
MTV Unfiltered was an American tv series that aired on MTV in the 1990s. Each episode featured a half-hour segment of viewer-produced footage. The footage would be sent in by viewers from around the country and then edited by the producers of Unfiltered. — Read the rest
This adorable Orangutan Rambo is a musical genius. Watch him whistle into a recorder, strum, shake a tambourine, and play the xylophone. He's grooving. I love Rambo's little outfit, too. I want front row seats at Rambo's concert!
A while back, I posted this 1982 documentary about people in Gloucestershire, UK tumbling down a dangerously steep hill to try to catch a cheese wheel. The passion for cheese rolling is still going strong today, as seen in this 2022 Jubilee Cheese rolling contest. — Read the rest
Magnet Fishing is exactly what the title suggests. This activity includes casting a magnet into a body of water and seeing what it pulls out. The stronger the magnet, the more you'll be able to find, such as this old rusty bike pulled out of the water at 6:03 in the video. — Read the rest
At Ars Technica, Jeremy Reiner looks back on Apple's Newton Messagepad, a groundbreaking device that failed forward.
The primary feature of the device, the handwriting recognition, did not work well out of the box. It had to be trained on a user's unique writing, and it failed to recognize many words.
— Read the rest
Duke Nukem shone brightly, then shone not at all for a long time, then shone dimly again for a cathartic if unmemorable moment. And now he shall shine again, as a movie.
Legendary Entertainment, the company behind Dune and the Godzilla monster movie series, has picked up the movie rights from Gearbox, with Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg on board to produce.
— Read the rest
Artvee is a free site where you can browse and download high-res, public domain artworks. You can search by artist, category, or keyword. In the abstract art section, there are 6,357 pieces of art to browse through (and much more to see in other sections). — Read the rest
Dog Mountain, a private 150-acre area in St. Johnsbury, Vermont, is always open to people and their pet dogs. Stephen Huneck and his wife, Gwen, bought the property in 1995 and then created the Dog Chapel, a place for people to mourn and celebrate the lives of their dogs (bring tissues!). — Read the rest
Since the start of the pandemic, there's been a big jump in marijuana use. However, the world is healing, and we're no longer stuck at home. So most of us can't toke up whenever we'd like. Unless that is, you're vaping cannabis, which is one of the most efficient and effective ways to get stoned discreetly. — Read the rest
Goldens are goofy and the puppies are just the cutest. My Golden, Electra is the first puppy who was such a ridiculously cute baby that she's made me miss the puppy times and kinda want another. However, as I look out my window and see she's cruising my strawberry vines for an after breakfast snack, I'll stick to the one. — Read the rest
The unbridled passion and creativity of artistic fans is one of my favorite elements of the internet. Whether it's fan fiction or cosplays, the level of talent possessed by "everyday folks" that aren't directly affiliated with their favorite IP is always impressive. — Read the rest
On this installment of Cartoonist Kayfabe, Ed and Jim do a deep dive into Jamie Hewlett's hugely influential 80s/90s comic, Tank Girl. As is always the case on a Kayfabe vid, the dynamic duo of comic commentary break down the art, style, content, and context of Tank Girl, from her initial appearance in the pages of UK's Deadline magazine in the late 80s to the variousanthologies of that early work, and beyond. — Read the rest
Stories about people sitting on heirlooms that could net them thousands have a special place in my heart. There's something so intrinsically alluring about people overlooking a prized valuable for decades and using it as a paperweight. The rise of shows like Pawn Stars indicates that I'm not alone in this perspective. — Read the rest
When it comes to the subject of acapella music, I think Mr. Marshall Mathers said it best. In "three verses," his acclaimed treatise on verbal evisceration, Mr. Mathers claimed that he was "more towards droppin' an acapella that'll chop a fella To Mozzarella, worse than a helicopter propeller." — Read the rest
Don't let the Pixar propaganda fool you, folks. We have to remain woke on this one. The new Lightyear movie is a hoax. The Disney and Pixar media machine will try and tell you that this upcoming movie is Buzz Lightyear's first outing as a solo star, but they don't want you to know the truth. — Read the rest
Marvel has the Midas touch right now. On every front, the brand has become synonymous with superheroes. In some cases, Marvel characters-like Thanos and Deadpool- have become more recognizable than the DC characters they're referencing. Even though the movies are the main stage that Marvel dominates, that doesn't mean it's the only medium they're content to stay in. — Read the rest
A passenger is holding his phone out the window of a moving train as he records the Ganges river below him. And then suddenly his phone is gone. When viewing the below video at regular speed, it's almost impossible to see how he lost his phone — one might assume he accidentally dropped it into the water. — Read the rest
Conspiracy theorist Marjorie Taylor Greene outdoes herself once again, whipping up one heck of a potboiler that gives her Jewish space laser phantasy a run for its money. When fretting about the Jan. 6 hearings, Georgia's delusional Qnut is now spilling the magical beans about Liz Cheney's convoluted plot to take the Democrats down. — Read the rest
Drawing is a beautiful skill to have, but for many people, their illustration prowess begins and ends with stick figures and barren trees. Creating lifelike scenes feels like an impossible task. But drawing — like any skill — can indeed be taught. — Read the rest
After Alex Jones' various courtroom defeats, his companies declared bankruptcy. The effort, widely understood to be an attempt to delay and limit Jones' financial liability, hasn't gone well, and today is apparently over.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez approved the deal after a brief court hearing.
— Read the rest
Rep. Elise Stefanik, who chairs the House Republican Conference, tweeted on June 3: "I am proud to announce my endorsement of my friend Carl Paladino in #NY23."
Yesterday, an interview with candidate Paladino surfaced in which he praised Hitler, calling him "the kind of leader we need today." — Read the rest
Get ready for sriracha resellers gouging you for a fix. Huy Fung Foods, makers of the classic Sriracha you know and love, was forced to suspend production due to a chili pepper shortage. From Bloomberg:
"Unfortunately, we can confirm that there is an unprecedented shortage of our products," the company said in a statement.
— Read the rest
Patrons of the Scottsdale, Arizona restaurant The Mission are encouraged to lick the pink brick walls inside. The bricks are made of Himalayan rock salt.
According to WLBT, "the head chef brought the rocks in to add to the overall ambiance and help customers with their tequila shots. — Read the rest
This image of a strange creature has been making the rounds on the weird Web for a couple weeks. It was purportedly taken just outside the Amarillo Zoo. Now, the City of Amarillo wants answers.
"We just want to let the Amarillo community have some fun with this," said City of Amarillo (COA) Director of Parks and Recreation Michael Kashuba in an official statement. — Read the rest
Yesterday, a fire crew rescued two people who had fallen into a vat of chocolate the Mars M&M factory in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
"Fire crews have eliminated pulling them straight out of a tank," Brad Wolfe, communications supervisor for Lancaster County 911 dispatch, told CNN yesterday before the rescue operation was completed. — Read the rest
J.S.G. Boggs (1955-2017) is an artist we've featured many times Boing Boing. He drew semi-realistic-looking currency (on one side only) and then invited cashiers at stores and cafes to accept the drawings as currency. Boggs always gave them a choice; they could take the money or his artwork. — Read the rest
After having been scammed online, Seth Green bought his Bored Ape back for $300k. Green may now continue with the television series he has planned around the NFT. While they were separated Green had lost the rights to the IP for his Ape, which is set to star in this show. — Read the rest
When a jaywalker armed with a megaphone (gasp!) protested for women's rights in front of President Biden's empty motorcade, she was treated as if she were a dangerous criminal. Secret Service roughly tackled her to the ground and slapped her before the LAPD promptly arrested her. — Read the rest
I unironically like the Brady Bunch's version of "American Pie." It's from Meet the Brady Bunch (1972), the pop group's second studio release.
Other songs on the album include:
- We'll Always Be Friends
- Day After Day
- Baby I'm-A Want You
- Believe In You
- Time To Change
- Me And You And A Dog Named Boo
- I Just Want To Be Your Friend
- Love My Life Away
- Come Run With Me
- Ain't In Crazy
- We Can Make The World A Whole Lot Brighter
Also recommended: The Kids from the Brady Bunch, which is the group's third studio album, also from 1972. — Read the rest
A real-life Charlie and the Chocolate Factory moment has apparently hospitalized two victims, however only one got a helicopter ride.
CNN:
Two people were rescued after falling into a tank full of chocolate at the Mars M&M factory in Pennsylvania Thursday, officials said.
— Read the rest
Christopher Schurr, the Grand Rapids officer who shot and killed Patrick Lyola after he ran from the scene of a traffic stop, was charged with second-degree murder Thursday. Schurr unsuccessfully tried to grapple and tase the unarmed and seemingly confused Lyola. — Read the rest
Who knew car insurance companies could be forced to cover sexually transmitted infections that are caught while inside an insured vehicle? In a bizarre court ruling, insurance company Geico must pay $5.2 million to a woman, referred to as "M.O.," who contracted HPV in her now ex-boyfriend's insured car while they had unprotected sex. — Read the rest
I still try not to think about my Great Pyrenees, Nemo, too often. He passed away around 2 years ago. This video reminds me of what life was like living in the woods with a giant dog as your best pal. — Read the rest
AP reports that nonprofit org Global Witness bought 12 ads on Facebook that "used dehumanizing hate speech to call for the murder of people belonging to each of Ethiopia's three main ethnic groups — the Amhara, the Oromo and the Tigrayans." — Read the rest
Here Congressperson Kevin McCarthy gets all screamy over Congress not staying in session to protect the conservative members of the Supreme Court who are gearing up to eliminate long-standing human rights, while children in schools can die.
Nice work, Kevin.
Kevin McCarthy is yelling pic.twitter.com/ZvQOm0d6Z2
— Read the rest
A woman cut into her green (as in free range) chicken bought at a Brisbane, Australia supermarket on Tuesday, only to find the meat was literally green on the inside.
"Picked up our fresh Lilydale Free Range Chicken from Coles to make some soup for dinner tonight, as I went to shred it for the soup I noticed it was GREEN," she posted on Facebook, according to Yahoo! — Read the rest
Luxury watches can often be seen as unaffordable and unattainable for the everyday consumer, making it impossible to own or gift one. Stührling is a watch brand that challenges that narrative with their commitment to "being the standard for seriously crafted timepieces at seriously grounded prices." — Read the rest
It's that time again. Every few years, the Jurrasic Park franchise stomps into cinemas and upends the dominance of superhero films. For a few weeks, in either direction of the film's release, the world descends into dino-mania. It's like the reptile equivalent of Discovery's Shark Week. — Read the rest
I have never actually taken the time to watch this 'show' at Disney California Adventure, because all the YouTube, Twitter and TikTok clips pretty much show you what it is all about… waiting for Spiderman to fly off his rails and slam into the set. — Read the rest
The look on this little girl's face is just precious, and the dance battle is epic.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eggs Tyrone (@eggs.tyrone)
The Comics Journal has assembled many wonderful remembrances of the late cartoonist Justin Green. Fellow cartoonists, former editors, friends and family—and his sign painter peers—contribute stories about the gifted and troubled creator of the seminal (sic) "Binky Brown Meets The Holy Virgin Mary." — Read the rest
Ikea's Obegränsad lineup, allegedly heading to stores this fall, includes a turntable designed with Swedish House Mafia.
The OBEGRÄNSAD record player celebrates the timeless joy of the listening experience with vinyl records. The record player has a sleek, minimal style and works with the ENEBY speaker.
— Read the rest
Years ago, actress Margot Robbie and Vogue spoofed the classic scene from American Psycho introducing the murderous and/or delusional Patrick Bateman. Here it is alongside the original, performed by Christian Bale and directed by Mary Harron.
The best part of it is how they did Margot's makeup in the peel scene so she would look beautiful rather than blatantly monstrous, as Bale did. — Read the rest
Dall-E Mini, by Boris Dayma and others, is a fast, accessible online version of the popular but invitation-only image generator Dall-E. Though the images it creates are not as refined or convincing, they're just as unsettling and insightful. If anything, it strikes upon a low-fi GAN aesthetic—think "postmodern Francis Bacon", though that underestimates its versatility—which art school students will soon be eagerly elaborating upon in their gallery cards. — Read the rest
The latest edition of the US Environmental Protection Agency's annual interactive air report was released on June 1, 2022, tracking trends in air quality and emissions data as well as overall environmental impacts of air pollution. As Christopher Ingraham of The Why Axis summarized the findings:
Ambient levels of a pollutant responsible for tens of thousands of annual deaths in the United States have increased by 12 percent in the past two years, according to new data released on June 1 by the U.S.
— Read the rest
I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. "So let me get this straight," I asked my dad, "your skin can grow back after you cut it, but your arm can't?"
"Nope, never," he said. "But they can give one that's kind of like a robot arm." — Read the rest
Prepare to be blinded by some serious flower power! In this clip from 1968, Liberace and the gang are feelin' groovy, and performing it. I checked, born in 1919, he was in his late forties when this was filmed.
"This was no tourist visit to the Capitol," Rep. Bennie Johnson (D–MNS) said as he introduced the Jan. 6 hearings last night with footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. And he warned that the video is intense. "The select committee obtained it as part of our investigation. — Read the rest
Business Iceland has a fun new campaign to drum up international hype about their delightful little fae-inhabited island nation: outsourcing emails to Icelandic horses while you travel.
No seriously they built giant keyboards and let a few Icelandic horses clomp all over the keys, and setup a small form that you can use to get horse-written copy for your OOO replies. — Read the rest
It's been interesting to see career politician Elise Stefanik morph from a plain old Republican into a rabid MAGA sycophant in a few short years. Stefanik, who chairs the House Republican Conference, has lately been giving a full-throated endorsement of Carl Paladino, a Republican House candidate from New York. — Read the rest
A tiny truck bit off more than it could chew when it tried to lug a large pipe twice its size. Not only did the heavy load cause the truck to stall, it also forced the little guy to pop an impressive wheelie, and even ride down a hill backwards on just two wheels. — Read the rest
A man in Louisiana stops on the side of the road to rescue a stranded kitten. But as soon as he picks it up, a pack of at least 10 kittens come out of their hiding places and surround him, all mewing to be rescued as well. — Read the rest
"It's all fake!" the GQP's Marjorie Taylor Greene says about the Jan. 6 hearings, which haven't even started yet (they start tonight). Isn't that what guilty people do — accuse the accuser with a preemptive strike?
Greene tries to turn the J6 tables by accusing the bipartisan House committee of lying (see video below). — Read the rest
There's never been a better time for the game of golf. According to popular golf publication Golf Digest, interest in the sport has peaked over the past two years as it added half a million people to its rosters. The spike in popularity signaled golf's biggest jump in nearly two decades. — Read the rest
In his newsletter, Mike Elgan explains why Musk will do everything he can to squirm his way out of his impulse decision to buy Twitter. Not only would it be financially disastrous for the world's richest shitposter, but it would also put his other companies in jeopardy. — Read the rest
Marjorie Taylor Greene angrily insisted that the January 6 insurrectionists' "due process rights are being so fragrantly and horrifically violated."
Call to odor! Something stinks in DC!
(Thanks, Bob Pescovitz!)
When it comes to November 2022 candidates, the GOP sure knows how to pick 'em. As in leading candidate for governor Ryan Kelley, who was arrested this morning for his alleged involvement in the Capitol riots. The anti-science real estate agent, who protested lockdowns in 2020 when Covid was at its worse, allegedly encouraged insurrectionists to climb up a stairway of the Capitol building and destroyed Federal property. — Read the rest
Federal agents are now allowed to physically assault you with impunity if you live within 100 miles of a coast or border in the United States, thanks to yesterday's Supreme Court ruling.
From Government Executive:
In Egbert v. Boule, the conservative majority on the court ruled an individual business owner did not have cause to bring an action seeking damages against a federal agent accused of physically assaulting him.
— Read the rest
I woke up early, because like Obi-Wan I'm not staying up late in my 50s, but I urgently wanted to watch this show. The episode gives you some of the "Obi is coming back" that you are looking for, while mostly just carrying the story forward to its obvious and anticipated conclusion. — Read the rest
Bo Burnham pretending to be both Joe Rogan and one of his edgy comedian guests is more of a reenactment than parody.
Bo Burnham just summarized every episode of the Joe Rogan podcast pic.twitter.com/rkY0zo9CUs
— ClarkQuill97 (@CQuill97) May 31, 2022
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that people have been buying, and renting units in San Francisco's ever more leaning Millennium Tower undeterred. There are many fairly obvious reasons I would walk away from the opportunity to live in this storied building, mostly because the stories are it is continuously worsening, and engineers and architects keep discovering things the chief engineer says aren't problems. — Read the rest
Michael Edwards created a modern trailer for Aliens (1986). It's quite thrilling, and hopefully won't inspire a studio to "remake" the film.
image: gorkem demir/Shutterstock
Let's face it, life can get hectic with trying to stay on top of your busy schedule and remembering every task that pops into your head. Well, now it's time to breathe a sigh of relief and take some pressure off yourself because the Chronowatch C-Max Call Time smartwatch is designed to do all the thinking for you. — Read the rest
The Foo Fighters and the family of beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died suddenly in March, announced two tribute concerts in his memory. The shows—September 3 in London and September 27 in Los Angeles—will also feature Hawkins' friends and music inspirations. — Read the rest
According to Deadline, a Sesame Street musical is set to hit Broadway on September 22nd of this year. The show will run until November 27th and is a product of director and producer Johnathan Rockefeller.
Sesame Street: The Musical, a new stage production featuring Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Grover, Rosita, Bert, Ernie and Oscar the Grouch will open Off Broadway this fall, producers Rockefeller Productions and Sesame Workshop said today.
— Read the rest
Via Perfect Union:
Strippers in Los Angeles are trying to form America's only unionized strip club. Dancers at Star Garden started organizing with Strippers United after two workers were fired for voicing safety concerns about customers. If they succeed, they'll be the first strip club to win union recognition since the 1990s.
— Read the rest
You likely knew that the original Emperor Palpatine in 1980's Empire Strikes Back was performed by Clive Revill, but he in fact provided only the audio—as a quick favor for director Irvin Kershner, a friend in need of a cold, unnerving British voice during the movie's edit. — Read the rest
Last March, I shared a piece from Aaron Reed's delightful SubStack newsletter 50 Years of Text Games about the original 1982 Hobbit text adventure. Reed ended up covering a full 50 years worth of text based gaming, which each newsletter edition — and soon-to-be book chapter — focusing on one text-based video game from each year since the launch of the original Oregon Trail in 1971. — Read the rest
Cory Doctorow writes about the appalling reality of DRM wheelchairs. When these devices fail they trap people in their homes and beds, and manufacturers use copyright law to prevent them being repaired by anyone except themselves.
So why is it so hard to fix wheelchairs?
— Read the rest
ANNOUNCING THE BRAND NEW NEW TOM THE DANCING BUG BOOK, available this month! The Complete Tom the Dancing Bug program keeps on chugging with Volume 5, Tom the Dancing Bug: Eat the Poor! Info:RIGHT HERE AND NOW.
"Ruben Bolling's craft and commentary are as powerful and as pointed, as capable of making you laugh while breaking your heart as they were when we were all so very young." — Read the rest
The innumerable claims about George Orwell's prescient genius are now cliché. It should be easy to dismiss the correlations that people draw to Orwell's masterpiece and our society—if only they weren't so damn apt. Orwell called his shot and walked away before his opponent even sank to the canvas. — Read the rest
I liked Joker; I didn't love it. I'm more fascinated by what Joker represents for the future of cinema. I'm sure you've heard the chorus of filmmakers chiding Marvel for ruining movies and making it harder for smaller pictures to succeed. — Read the rest
Retro Renovation's Pam Kueber presents a brief history of steel kitchen cabinets, with lots of ads and other old photos to tell us what we're missing here in our dismal MDF future.
Frank Lloyd Wright was an early fan of steel kitchen cabinets: Frank Lloyd Wright seems to have been a relatively early adopter of steel kitchen cabinets, which certainly must have given steel cabinets a popularity boost.
— Read the rest
Netflix has uploaded a teaser trailer for Wednesday, a spin-off of The Addams Family franchise, co-produced and directed by Tim Burton. The teaser description reads:
From the imagination of Tim Burton comes Wednesday — a twisted new series coming soon to Netflix.
— Read the rest
There are plenty of valid reasons to criticize Val Kilmer's turn as the Caped Crusader in Batman Forever. The same goes for its follow-up, Batman and Robin, which saw George Clooney take up the cowl against Arnold Schwarzenegger's superhumanly campy Mr. — Read the rest
When I sit back and think about the sheer number of sitcoms from the 80s and 90s, my head starts to spin. I'm not one of those Millenials that has since turned my nose up at the concept of traditional sitcoms in favor of their modern equivalents and mockumentaries, but I still can't believe how many sitcoms used to exist. — Read the rest
The headline sounds like a snake oil ad, but Tirzepatide, a newly-approved drug to treat Type 2 diabetes, has been shown to help people without the disease lose dozens of pounds over just sixteen months.
"Almost 40% of individuals lost a quarter of their body weight," said Dr. — Read the rest
With the daily barrage of negative news coming at us 24/7, it's wonderful to find drone footage like this spectacular scene above the clouds as the sun rises in Virginia. Originally posted by Billy Bowling on Twitter, I like this version by Storyful for the added music. — Read the rest
Every time you turn around, it seems another celebrity is hawking cryptocurrency or NFTs. Influencer Kim Kardashian, boxer Floyd Mayweather, and former NBA athlete Paul Pierce have all promoted Ethereum Max; Matt Damon has starred in commercials for Crypto.com, — Read the rest
Two trucks tried to corner a loose cow that was running on an Oklahoma City highway, but the bovine escapee found an easy way to skirt around the trap. And then two cowboys entered the picture.
COW LOOSE ON OKC HIGHWAY 🐄🤠 Sky 5 was flying over the moments when cowboys and emergency crews wrangled a cow that got loose on a busy Oklahoma City highway.
— Read the rest
If you're in the market for your first laptop, looking for a change or business equipment, but don't want to drain your bank account, then you're in the right place. These ten refurbished laptops are a great alternative for saving money without having to sacrifice capabilities and conditions with grade "A" quality refurbished ratings. — Read the rest
At New Jersey's Adventure Aquarium, a hammerhead shark cohabitating with a stingray decides the tank isn't big enough for the both of them.
"Don't do that! That's mean!" exclaims one of the young onlookers.
front page thumbnail: Tomas Kotouc/Shutterstock
As anyone with a cat can attest, kitties have a high-jump superpower that kicks in when chasing a toy. (Or a wall-traveling laser pointer, which sets my own feline superhero into high gear.) The frisky cat below is a purrfect example, showing off his incredible acrobatics that are only accentuated when shown in slow motion. — Read the rest
Watching a skilled surfer skillfully navigate overcrowded waves in Bali looks like a challenge level from a water sports videogame. (Bonus shot of pro surfer Usman Trioko catching a wave at 2:06.)
front page thumbnail: WoodysPhotos/Shutterstock
It's about time! Apple users — including drunk texters and those with fat clumsy fingers prone to typos — will now be able to unsend regrettable texts. They will also be able to edit texts that have already been sent. The new iMessage iOS 16 upgrade, announced on Monday during Apple's WWDC 2022 event, will debut this fall, according to The Verge, and will allow edits and unsends for up to 15 minutes after a text message has been sent. — Read the rest
Maarco29 is a FedEx driver. He was about to deliver a package to man in Washington state who started screaming about how he didn't want Maarco on his driveway. "I own this driveway and I own that driveway," the man boasted. — Read the rest
This is certainly a catastrophic failure! Tweets further down the line suggest no one was hurt when this industrial extruder gave up and took out the building around it.
Catastrophic failure at an aluminum extrusion line. Looks like an overpressure event and the oil itself (over a drop ceiling no less) open a portal to a demon dimension… pic.twitter.com/VQeM0f85Mw
— Read the rest
The story goes that Michael Jackson dug "Weird Al" Yankovic's parodies of "Beat It" ("Eat It") and "Bad" ("Fat") but Jacko wouldn't let him release his take on "Black or White," titled "Snack All Night."
"Michael wasn't quite so into it," Yankovic wrote in Rolling Stone in 2009, "because he thought 'Black or White' was more of a message song, and he didn't feel as comfortable with a parody of that one, which I completely understood, and in a way, he did me a huge favor, because I was already getting pegged as the guy who did Michael Jackson parodies, and because he wasn't so into it, I decided to go with Nirvana, which wound up revitalizing my career. — Read the rest
For all the things Beavis and Butt-Head represent that are reprehensible, somehow these guys just keep me laughing. The trailer seems to pick up right where we left the boneheads, and they just keep going.
Image: Screen grab
This brave chimp just can't stop itself from touching that gorilla butt. I guess no matter the species, butts are a universal joke.
The latest issue of The New Yorker has Patrick Radden Keefe's incredible story about Joshua Schulte, a former CIA coder who is threatening to expose CIA secrets if the government decides to pursue child pornography charges against him.
From a New Yorker press release:
In "King Josh," Patrick Radden Keefe unwinds the surreal case of Joshua Schulte, a disgruntled coder accused of exposing the C.I.A.'s
— Read the rest
In Mysuru, India, a judge reflected on a recent case in which a husband and wife divorced because "the husband said his wife did not know how to prepare any food other than Maggi (instant) noodles."
"It was noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner," Judge ML Raghunath said the man told him. — Read the rest
Indicted on charges of fraud years ago, but not yet having stood trial, Texas AG Ken Paxton is demanding Twitter provide him data regarding spam and bot accounts. This number and Twitter's methods for estimating and reporting it are unremarkable and unlikely to help Elon "Pedo Guy" Musk back out of his commitment to purchase the site. — Read the rest
Japan's IHI Corp has spent the last ten years developing a prototype of a 330-ton subsea turbine that converts powerful deep ocean currents into electricity. Yahoo Finance says "The tests proved the prototype could generate the expected 100 kilowatts of stable power and the company now plans to scale up to a full 2-megawatt system that could be in commercial operation in the 2030s or later."
Marjorie Taylor Greene's new unpaid intern is right up the Georgia GQP Rep.'s alley. Besides Milo Yiannopoulis's history of being a loud-mouth bigot and misogynist (to put it mildly) as well as a hate peddler who is banned from just about everywhere he steps (elementary school, college, Twitter, Facebook …), he also has a special dark place in his heart for Rep. — Read the rest
After you get tired of listening to wealthy fascist-adjacent bloviators complain to their millions of listeners about how they are being hurt by cancel culture, you can relax by tuning into one of many white noise podcasts offered on Spotify. While the "hosts" of programs like "Calming White Noise," "Best Noise Labs," "Relaxing White Noise," and "Deep Sleep Sounds" don't have one million dollar contracts like Spotify's top star, at least one of them is making $18,000 playing recordings of static. — Read the rest
Although Paris is the City of Love, Disneyland Paris is the Kingdom of Ruined Marriage Proposals.
This video shows a man and woman standing on a platform with Fantasyland's princess castle in the background. Taking a knee, he offers a small black box, the kind that holds engagement rings. — Read the rest
The gentleman in a contract to buy twitter discovers the true nature of the internet.
YouTube seems to be nonstop scam ads
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 7, 2022
Don't these guys treasure the free speeches? I am confused as to why covering a murder trial and exposing sadly newsworthy actions to the public is something we sue over? Two people are dead.
Rittenhouse: We're going to make the media pay for what they did to me.
— Read the rest
Twitter provides this video showing us some of 100+ people's cobbled together living spaces, doing the best they can to survive in a moment, and it shows us some homes of the hundreds of neighbors surrounding this former city park and adjacent streets turned into a shanty town. — Read the rest
Ice? Check. Decorations? Check. Good music? Check — well, kind of, as long as you have good speakers to pump it through. Whether throwing a small dinner party or a full-on backyard blowout, no party is complete without a quality Bluetooth speaker. — Read the rest
An auction of CryptoPunks was called off at the last minute earlier this year. The "audible gasps at Sothebys"-tier event was brushed off by the seller as "nvm, decided to hodl" but that only poses more questions. Why "hodl" when you're about to become so wealthy? — Read the rest
Just when you thought mankind's best friend couldn't get any better for our health—they already boost our immune systems and sniff out illnesses with their hyper-sensitive noses—here come the Covid-sniffing dogs.
According to Smithsonian magazine, early studies, and some anecdotal evidence, indicate that dogs can detect cases with an amazing level of accuracy. — Read the rest
Did you know that the original Top Gun movie, starring Tom Cruise, was based on a magazine story? It seems quite possible that Paramount Pictures, in making this year's Top Gun: Maverick, did not know this. The estate of author Ehud Yonay, author of a 1983 article titled Top Guns, is suing them for copyright infringement. — Read the rest
North of the Border decided that what the world needs is a realistically-rendered Lego man, replete with wrinkles and other signifiers of human frailty and decay. "I'm sorry," he says.
One of my favorite scenes in Batman Begins is when Bruce escapes from the League of Shadow's HQ. No matter how many times I've seen it, the scene remains as pulse-pounding and exhilarating as the first time I watched it in theaters. — Read the rest
With spring cleaning underway and summer coming in hot, it’s a great time to start looking at how to add life to your walls. For Father’s Day gifts, birthdays, and yourself, Fine Art America has a large selection of framed prints featuring artists and subjects from around the globe. On top of its selection of wall art, Fine Art America also has home decor, lifestyle products, stationery, apparel, and tech products like these cool, artsy iPhone cases.
The Museum of Broken Relationships in Zagreb, Croatia is a collection of objects from relationships that didn't work out for one reason or another. The museum is a place to donate objects that remind you of your relationship that you'd like to keep safe, but don't want to look at every single day. — Read the rest
A bezoar is "a ball of swallowed foreign material most often composed of hair or fiber. It collects in the stomach and fails to pass through the intestines." Based on that definition, one wouldn't expect a bezoar to be something that would look great as a piece of home decor, but I'd gladly display this cow bezoar on my living room shelf. — Read the rest
It's true. What animals do in their personal time is none of our business. But alas, fish have to swim, birds have to fly (and sleep, apparently), and humans have to be nosey. Speaking of our aviary friends, have you ever wanted to see how they're doing? — Read the rest
After years of hunching over a table to draw, I began experiencing back pain that would keep me awake at night. As a solution, I began using this wooden 5-Position Wood Drafting Table Easel. Now, I never draw without it. — Read the rest
This armed robbery of a convenience store by a 12-year-old in Hartford, Michigan is wrong on just about every level. Guns are simply too easy to come by, this one was apparently his grandfather's.
ABC:
A 12-year-old boy fired a gun while robbing a gas station in Michigan Wednesday, according to police, and the wild incident was caught on video.
— Read the rest
Elon Musk recently tweeted a photo of John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd.). The photo shows John Lydon with a quote that says, "I never thought I'd live to see the day when the right wing would become the cool ones giving the middle finger to the establishment, and the left wing becoming the sniveling self-righteous twatty ones going around shaming everyone." — Read the rest
It seems that it isn't that they wouldn't like to, the SEC simply lacks the tools to combat fraud and market manipulation in the digital age. Elon "Pedo Guy" Musk, the billionaire who suggests he is absolutely maybe gonna buy Twitter or not really, is pushing those boundaries in ways the SEC can not enforce. — Read the rest
Part of Pride Month is learning about historical events and how they have shaped the lives and experiences of LGBTQ communities and influenced action and activism in their wake. One such event that heavily impacted LGBTQ communities in New Orleans that should be more widely known is the arson fire at the popular gay bar, the UpStairs Lounge, in New Orleans' French Quarter. — Read the rest
The Time Travel Mart of Echo Park is a convenience store for time travelers. This nonprofit shop sells "goods you would need for a trip through the fourth dimension." If you're in the middle of a journey across space and time and you realize you've forgotten to pack your Time Travel Sickness Pills, anti-cloning fluid, or mini dino-egg, they've got your back. — Read the rest
After seeing the stock market reaction to his attempts to manipulate the economy, the billionaire son of an emerald mine owner, Elon 'Pedo Guy' Musk reversed his position on a 10% reduction in force at Tesla. Now they'll be increasing headcount. — Read the rest
Explore The Web's Timeline from 1989 to present times. It's a wild ride to see how much has happened in the past few decades on a timeline like this. You can browse the timeline by year and dig through the archives of articles on notable internet-related events. — Read the rest
At the time of publication, you will spend more than 61 dogecoins, which is still less than $5, to buy this cheeseball commemorative dogecoin. The transaction costs around turning your 'doge' into something Amazon will accept as a currency will end up making the commemorative dogecoin even more precious. — Read the rest
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg slams the idea that the design of school doors in these United States is somehow to blame for the incredible number of gun-enabled slayings that occur in our schools. Guns are the common theme here, even more so than crazy-ass white people hyped up on FOX News. — Read the rest
We love that our mobile phones make sure entertainment is always easily accessible, but sometimes it's challenging to decide what we're actually in the mood for. Do we want to listen to a true-crime podcast while we cook, or do we want to dive deep into the local news? — Read the rest
This Wednesday, June 8th, a number of fantastic musicians are getting together to raise funds to register voters in Texas. The more people registered to vote, the more people who can. Encouraging every American to register and exercise their right to vote protects democracy. — Read the rest
As the crypto market crumbles the folks behind one of its largest brokerages, Coinbase, are proving they have the same ethical lacks as the non-fiat currencies they represent. Stories about Coinbase revoking already accepted job offers are made even more sickening by their impersonal use of email to communicate their plans. — Read the rest
To quote one of the most influential mentors I've ever had in life, Son Goku once said, "all things must pass, Vegeta, even the dragon balls." Now, I want to clarify that I do not wish ill on Queen Elizabeth II or her family. — Read the rest
"Pull yourself up by your bootstraps" and "if I can do it, so can you" are the monetary maxims of billionaires across the country that are as fictitious as Santa Claus. Believing that you're only one idea away from a cool billion has been so deftly interwoven into the American experiment that some gullible Americans strangely draw comfort from the existence of billionaires. — Read the rest
Scientists discovered the world's largest plant, a seagrass that covers more than 200 square kilometers (77 square miles), just over three times the size of Manhattan. The single seagrass Posidonia australis, thought to be more than 4,500 years old, lives in the shallow waters of Western Australia's Shark Bay, a World Heritage Site. — Read the rest
On Thursday at North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport, a gentleman attempted to roll through customs with 23 pounds of cocaine stuffed in the seat of his electric wheelchair. The suspect, Alexander Lopez-Morel, 22, had arrived at the airport from the Dominican Republic. — Read the rest
Jeff Dieschburg is a Luxembourgish artist whose strikingly-modeled oil paintings quickly brought him a little fortune and a lot of fame. His "Turandot", exhibited at the Strassen Stroossen Culture Center, won a €1,500 prize and was presented to Luxembourg's Princess Stéphanie. — Read the rest
There's no better feeling than the start of summer when the weather is finally enjoyable enough to sit back and relax with your favorite bottle of wine. You can sip on your glass of wine by the pool, beach, or at fun summer parties with family and friends. — Read the rest
Samantha Bee's coverage of pro-choice issues and the assholes who want to take long-held rights away from women over made-up reasons is always powerful. This piece is only more relevant now that Roe v Wade is awaiting its leaked overturn.
Redditor magpiephotos is the hero we didn't know we needed. They recently posted some new photos they took of shelter dogs, on the r/rarepuppers subreddit. The photos are exquisite and perfectly emanate a Stranger Things 80s vibe. Apparently, the secret to photographic success is giving the dogs peanut butter (and you can see some excess pb on some of their ridiculously cute lips!) — Read the rest
The LGBTQ+ news, entertainment, and advocacy website themsifted through the deluge of corporate "HAPPY PRIDE" tweets that appeared on June 1, 2022, and that in recent years seem to usher in the beginning of Pride month. them scored the tweets based on how wide the gap is between a company's pride rhetoric and its actual corporate practices. — Read the rest
Taste Atlas is a map to find delicious local food around the world. Next time you embark on a trip, consider checking the taste atlas site to locate a tasty treat or meal. For each food item on the map, you can scroll through various locations that carry the item and people's reviews of it. — Read the rest
The Butter Stick Type may look just like a glue stick, but it makes way more sense to butter your toast with one of these instead of a knife. When your butter stick begins running low, just turn the knob to lengthen your butter. — Read the rest
Songwriter Andy Stone co-wrote a song titled 'All I want for Christmas is You' five years before Mariah Carey's 1994 hit by the same name. Nearly thirty years later he is suing her for $20m, claiming copyright infringement.
The complaint says Mr Stone's lawyers first contacted Ms Carey and her co-defendants last year, but were "unable to come to any agreement".
— Read the rest
Last year Disney held a poll and the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order star Cal Kestis' lightsaber was selected for production and sale. My general glossing over of reviews is that the Cal Kestis saber is one of the best lightsabers they've made. — Read the rest
There's hardly anything better than a beautifully manicured lawn. It comes with a sense of pride because a luscious green landscape can make you feel wonderful just by looking at it. However, the unfortunate reality is that maintaining your lawn can leave you feeling exhausted and wanting to act like this. — Read the rest
DALL-E and Midjourney are the AI image generators du jour, but most of us seem to put them to use manufacturing weird, disturbing or outright horrific imagery. So Scott Alexander's Guide To Asking Robots To Design Stained Glass Windows makes for a charming and illuminating alternative. — Read the rest
A key challenge for purveyors of AI text generators is finding large bodies of text to train them on that aren't full of garbage. But the makers of GPT-4chan just went right ahead and created one fine-tuned with 4chan.
"This thing is vile," warns the prompt form, should you wish to experiment. — Read the rest
Oskar's Treasure Chest [Amazon] is a Rubik's Cube with a twist: solving it opens a hidden compartment inside where you can conceal your drugs, plastic explosives, cursed items, etc. In this video, the Lockpicking Lawyer drafts his son to help him defeat a lock that stumps his usual skillset—if not the hammer in his toolbox. — Read the rest
In this Vice video, they look at the neo-Nazi festival scene in Europe and how these events are used to fund and recruit new members to far-right extremist groups.
Photo: Goran Katić, CC BY-SA 2.5
The concept of "Blaccent" or African American Vernacular English will always elude me. I don't mean that on a conceptual level, but rather a practical one since I "talk white." My voice has been a source of great pain throughout my life since the simple act of speaking earns me the ire, even if unintentionally, of a large swath of Black Americans. — Read the rest
A California woman already thought she was lucky when she found a free set of sofas and a matching chair on Craigslist. But that was nothing compared to the hidden $36,000 she discovered inside one of the cushions after she brought the set home. — Read the rest
Oooh nuts! A Florida man who was driving an SUV while enjoying a BJ Thursday evening didn't see it coming when he crashed into a FedEx truck. He and his accumplice in the passenger seat found themselves in a sticky situation when officials reportedly found them naked after the accident, according to Newsweek. — Read the rest
"There's vomit on his sweater already, Mario's spaghetti."
image: Nicescene/Shutterstock
The owners of the new shop Your Brother's Bookstore in Evansville, Indiana were replacing the floors before opening when they discovered a trapdoor under the floor boards. The trapdoor led to a room below the building that had access to a tunnel under the town's Main Street. — Read the rest
Rats sure do get a bad rap. In truth, they are amazing creatures, incredibly smart, and highly affectionate. And in Tanzania, some rats are also currently in training to become "Hero Rats." These rats will eventually be sent into earthquake rubble to find survivors; the rats will wear tiny backpacks with built-in microphones so rescue teams can communicate with survivors trapped in rubble. — Read the rest
Wired's Geoffrey Cain had a moment with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Kyiv presidential palace during which they talked about Big Tech, Starlink, social media, and Ukraine's IT Army. From Wired:
You have called on many companies—including some Big Tech firms—to end their operations in Russia.
— Read the rest
How exactly do you say "Happy birthday" or "Congratulations"? Sure, a simple card will often do the trick — but sometimes the occasion calls for something a little more festive and livelier.
That's why these drinkable greeting cards and piñatas from Nipyata are intriguing concepts. Basically, — Read the rest
The Country Music Association has banned the display of Confederate flags at its music festivals. A symbol of hatred, oppression, and exclusion the Confederate flag is now closely associated with such icons of evil as the Nazi swastika and red baseball caps. — Read the rest
High school student and weather geek Nicholas Krasznavolgyi of New Point Richey, Florida was watching online radar of a nearby storm develop on Tuesday when he noticed a tornado forming outside his own window. He ran outside with his camera and captured the remarkable video below, a rare glimpse right into the spiral inflow. — Read the rest
Only 811,604 babies were born in Japan in 2021, almost 30,000 less than 2020. On the other hand, because of Japan's aging population, 1.44 million people died, the highest number since World War II. That means Japan's population has dropped by almost 630,000 people in a single year. — Read the rest
In response to Musk's "super bad feeling" about the US economy President Biden listed out a number of Musk's competitors staffing up to compete in the EV market and then wished him a nice trip to the moon.
"Lots of luck on his trip to the moon."
— Read the rest
The Integratron is an "acoustically perfect tabernacle and energy machine sited on a powerful geomagnetic vortex in the magical Mojave Desert." Aircraft engineer George Van Tassel began construction on The Integratron in 1954 based on designs provided to him by extraterrestrial architects. — Read the rest
A Jack Russell terrier tries to squeeze through a doggie door with a huge plush toy in her mouth, but try and try as she might, she can't muster the courage to do it. Meanwhile, her frisky pal is raring to go, waiting its turn behind her. — Read the rest
Maryland State Police officers have a tradition of making offensive challenge coins that denigrate women and minorities. Its newest challenge coin makes fun of the fact that people think their coins are awful. One side of the coin depicts a woman's rear end in thong underwear with the captions "GENERATION 'BUTT HURT'" and "I'm offended" while the other side depicts a vagina with the captions "The BIG GREEN Va'Geenie" and "These PUSSIES can't take A Pounding." — Read the rest
I don't know who Grandpa Witmer is, but around our compound, he's a SubGenius ShorDurPerSav and a Discordian Saint. We use Saint Witmer's Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer to mix peanut butter quickly and without a mess.
The kind of peanut butter I buy from Trader Joe's separates into two layers. — Read the rest
Junior makes a big deal out of the fact that the "Fuck Joe Biden" caps he peddles on his website are "Designed & Embroidered in the U.S.A!"
Like Daddy Trump, Junior thinks China is a very bad country, filled with mean people who try to cheat Americans every chance they get. — Read the rest
Bleeding heart Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene applauds the Johnny Depp verdict, relieved that a man was able to come out on top again.
"It's a good victory for men, because there's not many victories for men these days," the GQP congresswoman from Georgia said. — Read the rest
'National Enquirer' "Hollywood's Fakest Boobs & Bottoms Exposed!" screams this week's cover story, with the promise of "Implants! Lifts! Nip/tucks!"
Doing what it does best – ogling vast expanses of female cleavage and protuberant posteriors, while pouring scorn on their owners – the 'Enquirer' has a team of six cosmetic surgeons review photos of celebrities and declare, without a physical examination, whether they are real or fake. — Read the rest
The State of Florida threatened to withhold $27.5M in funding from the Special Olympics if they did not lose their vaccine requirement. The Special Olympics capitulated with a statement "We don't want to fight. We want to play," as they are forced into health rules they felt were inappropriate for their athletes. — Read the rest
You've probably seen art made by machine learning systems like Midjourney. I've been experimenting with them and posting my favorite results to my Instagram account. We also used them from time-to-time here on Boing Boing.
This Vox video looks at AI art and provides a high-level overview of how it works. — Read the rest
Austin Harvey, who works at a bookstore says, "I see a lot of books. Most of them, I'm afraid, have terrible covers." They all look like the books in this collage, which he assembled for his Medium essay. He says it's a cheap marketing ploy:
You can find similar trends with thrillers, YA fantasy, romance, Christian fiction, and just about everything else.
— Read the rest
A 21-year-old Texas man became cross with his girlfriend, so he did the logical thing and destroyed more than $5 million worth of ancient artifacts at the Dallas Museum of Art. The angry gentleman, Brian Hernandez, broke into the museum with a metal chair at 9:40pm Wednesday night, according to NBC News, and then proceeded to smash precious items including ancient Greek statues and a pot that dates back to 450 B.C. — Read the rest
Looking online for your next vacation destination is all fun and games until you take a quick gander at the fine print. Between general rates, fees, and other expenses, a trip out of town can really put a dent in your wallet. — Read the rest
Masks that read "Stop killing Black people" and "Defund police" were purchased by the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) and were intercepted mid-shipment to D.C., St. Louis, New York City, and Minneapolis by the USPS. The screen printer in Oakland, California who sold and produced the masks is suing as this supremely biased and inappropriate action not only kept masks intended to prevent the spread of disease out of protestors' hands, and off their faces, during a global pandemic but it also damaged his business. — Read the rest
Samantha Bee sent Amy Hoggart to Houston to talk to attendees of the NRA's poorly timed convention. Hoggart encounters a humorless bunch of folks who think they are being victimized, rather than the scores of people murdered with their precious guns. — Read the rest
Elon "Pedo Guy" Musk has "a super bad feeling" about the economy. In a letter leaked to Reuters Musk calls for Tesla to immediately stop hiring, and to prepare for a 10% layoff.
Yahoo/Reuters:
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has a "super bad feeling" about the economy and needs to cut about 10% of jobs at the electric carmaker, he said in an email to executives seen by Reuters.
— Read the rest
There are a lot of interesting watches, but this Rolex is certainly a storied one. The pre-Daytona reference 3525 "Prisoner of War" model is already highly collectible, but the provenance on this watch is amazing.
Straits Times:
A Rolex watch worn by a British prisoner during the real-life "Great Escape" from the Nazi Stalag Luft III concentration camp is going on sale in New York.
— Read the rest
Janelle Shane is an AI researcher and the author of You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It's Making the World a Weirder Place. In one of her more recent AI experiments, she tasked the Dall-e neural network with trying to generate corporate restaurant logos with some … interesting results. — Read the rest
The city of El Segundo, California saw a whole lot of police action on May 30, 2022 … without much rhyme or reason to it.
According to a Facebook post, police received a report of a "male slumped over a wheel" of a parked car around 7:30am on a Friday morning. — Read the rest
Via SFGate:
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife says they received an anonymous tip that crab traps were being placed near the Farallon Islands, an ecologically fragile archipelago with strict marine protections. Fishing of any kind in the marine reserve is prohibited.
— Read the rest
This isn't even stooping past the normal levels of Flordia's not saying gay Governor Ron Desantis depravity. Desantis will block the funding for a new spring training facility over the Tampa Bay Ray's statement that more can be done to provide a safer environment for America's children and the general citizenry. — Read the rest
A semi-truck plowed into an abandoned pickup truck that was parked on a Minnesota highway, causing the pickup to careen across the highway and explode into flames. Knowing that the burning truck was empty and and that the driver of the semi-truck was not injured, it makes for a fascinating spectacle. — Read the rest
The Corpse Flower (Amorphophallus titanum) emits the stink of death and appears to have whiskers, fur, and a pair of teeth. This parasitic plant is the world's biggest flower and often grows to be 8 feet tall. its horrific odor lurs hungry flies deep into its center, where the flies are surprised to find nothing at all. — Read the rest
Essai d'ouverture is a 1988 short French film by Luc Moullet. It's about a man and his many bizarre approaches to opening a Coca-Cola bottle. He tries to pry the lid off with the metal tip on his belt buckle, boils the Coke bottle, freezes it, tries pliers, shakes it violently, uses an electric sander on the lid, and more. — Read the rest
Dinosaurs: The Terrible Lizards is a short film created by artist Wah Chang, who is known for his work on the original Star Trek and the 1970s TV show Land of the Lost. This educational film about dinosaurs has been sourced from a 16mm copy. — Read the rest
Fox's Peter Doocy hasn't lost his touch in the White House Briefing Room. As in out-of-touch, that is. When he asked one of his most incredibly clueless questions yet, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre picked up right where Jen Psaki left off by slapping him silly — metaphorically speaking. — Read the rest
Abdullah is a cardboard modeler, and he generously posts step-by-step instructions on how to make things out of cardboard on Instructables. His latest creation is these cardboard sneakers. As a work of art, it's several orders of magnitude cooler than Balenciaga's $1850 pre-distressed sneakers. — Read the rest
Every Father's Day, there comes a feeling of extreme love for the fathers and role models in your life. But right behind that feeling is often a feeling of dread — not because you don't love celebrating all the dads in your life, but because you have no idea what to get them as a gift. — Read the rest
People are sunning their anuses, guzzling their own urine, and drinking semen, all to stay young and healthy and vibrant. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse…. Well, it always does. 41-year-old Kim Kardashian recently said in an interview promoting her skincare line that she'd be willing to eat feces if it would help her stay young. — Read the rest
Someone drove a car over a motorcyclist and stopped, trapping one biker under the car and sending a passenger flying. Police and other onlookers lept into action. Apparently, everyone survived.
All the gear, all the time.
Image: screen grab
Back at the tail end of the aughts, I was on a team designing a monitoring system for cell phone towers. It was during that time a cell phone tower company executive regaled us with tales of craziness that had caused him to seek us out in the first place. — Read the rest
I grew up believing that Salisbury Steak was just a way for a cheap TV dinner company to sling hamburgers with gravy at me. The Salisbury Steak, however, has a far more interesting history. The steak was developed as a response to the sheer number of Civil War soldiers suffering from and dying of diarrhea. — Read the rest
One of Disney's most popular non-official events is Gay Days, when tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ folks converge on Florida's number one attraction to celebrate themselves and enjoy the wonder of the Disney park. Disney has done a lot to ensure everyone is welcome this year. — Read the rest
A man named Cliff Des tried to scare off a six-foot kangaroo in Australia who was harassing his dogs. But rather than take a hint, the kangaroo took aim at Des, leading to a drawn-out round of fisticuffs between the two. — Read the rest
A Very Stable Genius brimming with smug confidence told Jason Selvig of the Good Liars that hammers kill more people than guns and challenged Selvig to look it up on Google. Selvig looked it up on Google and told the Very Stable Genius he was wrong. — Read the rest
A curious bear followed a man through a forest for five minutes, becoming increasingly aggressive. The man recorded his interaction with the bear. He tried saying soothing things to the bear as he retreated, like "good bear," but that didn't work. — Read the rest
In March, Rep. Ken Buck (R–CO) stood in his office with an AR-15 while daring President Joe Biden and Beto O'Rourke to "come and take it." (How easy it is for frightened men to act tough when clutching a semi-automatic weapon.) — Read the rest
Nathaniel Chastain (31), a former product manager at OpenSea, the largest online NFT market, was arrested and charged with insider trading. The Department of Justice described his alleged offense as a "Digital Asset Insider Trading Scheme."
During his time at OpenSea, Chastain allegedly used confidential business information to buy NFTs in advance of them being added to the marketplace's front page. — Read the rest
Nomadico is a new weekly newsletter with tips for working travelers. (It's published by Cool Tools Lab, which I run with Kevin Kelly). In the latest issue, editor Tim Leffler recommends a Twitter account called Secret Flying:
For "mistake fares" and airfare clearance sales, follow @secretflying on Twitter.
— Read the rest
If you happen to be trapped in a mine with a busted ventilation system, an oxygen candle could save your life. The candles contain sodium chlorate, barium peroxide, and iron powder. When ignited, the iron powder burns at 1112°F which breaks down the sodium chlorate into breathable oxygen and sodium chloride (common salt). — Read the rest
Michael Avenatti, already a convicted felon for trying to extort footwear giant Nike, is also a convicted felon for stealing money from his client, Stormy Daniels. He was sentenced to 4 years in prison today.
In February, Avenatti was convicted of wire fraud and identity theft for pocketing about $300,000 of the $800,000 advance that Daniels was paid for her book, "Full Disclosure," which included details about an alleged affair she had with Donald Trump before he was president.
— Read the rest
My best friend Jennie has a corgi named Cinder, who is The Cutest Thing EverTM. I love that Jennie is a corgi lover, because she's always sending me news of all things corgi. And I think the news story she sent me yesterday wins the internet forever. — Read the rest
At least two manhole covers in Boston's Financial District exploded and caught fire this morning, shattering a window, causing the evacuation of two buildings, and sending one person to the hospital. (See video below.)
The explosions were caused by "over pressurization underground." — Read the rest
It's hard to dispute that one of the best innovations of the past twenty years is the iPad. It's revolutionized the way people consume media on the go, including how they read and scroll timelines in their downtime. Plus, they can enable you to do some downright cool and interesting stuff. — Read the rest
The court of appeals in the third appellate district in the state of California has ruled that bees are, in fact, fish. From the court document (emphasis added):
The California Endangered Species Act (Act) (Fish & G. Code,1 § 2050 et seq.)
— Read the rest
I like my music with a little bite. There's a time and place for soothing, mellifluous ballads and slow jams outside of the bedroom, but I generally seek out music with a kick. Suffice it to say; that I'm into uppers, not downers, when it comes to music. — Read the rest
Enjoy this delightful Twitter thread by Heaven's Last Angel, who used DALL-E to put Kermit the Frog in all sorts of different movies. The results are incredible—the future is weirder than we expected. Above, Kermit in Blade Runner: 2049.
Pride events around the country are losing their taste for having uniformed cops participate, reports Russell Conteras for Axios. Given the long history of police violence directed at queer people, such involvement was always controversial. And now the era of cops marching along is waning, along with whatever pretence of mutual respect put them there in the first place. — Read the rest
Despite my youthful reluctance, my mother routinely tried to steer me towards healthy dietary practices. It must've been tough to defeat the twin titans of colorful advertising and sugar-saturated junk food, but my mother fought it valiantly. Irrespective of my decade of protest, my mother held firm and forbade me from eating Cocoa Puffs and Trix unless I purchased them myself. — Read the rest
When I was a kid, there were several Star Trek: TOS aliens that gave me vivid and terrible nightmares. One of them was the Gorn. Besides a few appearances in The Animated Series, Lower Deck, and Enterprise, we haven't seen too much of the Gorn in the Star Trek universe until they reared their lizardly heads in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. — Read the rest
Johnny Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages after weeks of a humiliating televised defamation trial, while Heard was awarded only $2 million in compensatory damages and no punitive damages. Heard received small comfort from the fact that punitive damages in Virginia are capped at $350,000, which reduces her debt to her former husband to $8,350,00. — Read the rest
It seems Owen Wilson, a movie star with a catchy nickname, had the wheels stolen off his Tesla. This bold caper took place in front of his home and is not particularly remarkable however Wilson has a funny nickname.
Autoevolution:
Imagine waking up, going to your car so you can go on with your day, and realizing that it doesn't have wheels anymore.
— Read the rest
Mattel has collaborated with actress Laverne Cox to release the first transgender Barbie doll in their collection.
The Street:
In other Mattel news, the company recently introduced a Barbie in the likeness of the actress, educator and LGBTQ+ activist Laverne Cox.
— Read the rest
Jon Bernthal is one of those celebrities that I can't help but root for. Like most people, I became aware of the actor during his breakout role as Shane in The Walking Dead. In the comics, Shane is a tragic villain that's dispatched almost as quickly as he's introduced, but Bernthal's performance in the role was so compelling that I was rooting for him to become the show's lead by the end of his tenure on the series. — Read the rest
If you're looking to learn business finance but don't want to head back to college, you might want to peruse the wide world of e-learning. There are countless qualified educators who you can study under on your own time, allowing you to create a training path that works for you. — Read the rest
A couple walked into a Florida art gallery and spent a mere $125,000 on what they thought were two pieces by Andy Warhol: "And I Love You So" and "Converse Sneakers in Conversation." The problem was, according to Federal Prosecutors, they were fakes: the first was actually hanging in a Pittsburgh museum and the second wasn't even painted by Warhol. — Read the rest
In flagrant disregard of posted no swimming in the lake signs, a Florida man was swimming in a lake when an alligator attacked and killed him. Apparently, the Florida man was looking for frisbees.
NBC:
"At this time, detectives believe the victim was looking for frisbees in the water and a gator was involved," Largo police said on Tuesday.
— Read the rest
When a possum made its way into Temkin's Bar in Brooklyn, the patrons all panicked — except for a no-nonsense woman from Alaska. She expertly grabbed the critter by the scruff, which was hiding in a corner of the bar, and stoically marched it outside and down the street a bit. — Read the rest
I was reading Lloyd Kahn's excellent Gimme Shelter newsletter in which he announced his newest book Rolling Homes — Shelter on Wheels. It's 272 pages and loaded with photos of people who have converted vehicles into houses that they can drive. — Read the rest
Heritage Auctions is selling a slew of space artifacts that once belonged to Michael Collins, the heroic astronaut who in July 1969 piloted the command module above the Moon while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin leapt around on the lunar surface. — Read the rest
The Human Rights Campaign announced last year that 2021 was the worst year for anti-LBGTQ legislation in recent history. Sadly, 2022 is shaping up to be even worse, as there are currently over 300 anti-LGBTQ+ bills on the docket in 36 legislatures across the country. — Read the rest
A couple of us have been using AI to make featured images for our posts. Instead of reaching for stock photos, I sometimes take the time to imagine what a great image would look be, and then talking a computer into making it happen. — Read the rest
Although data scientists say that remote working — which surged after Covid hit two years ago — is here to stay, according to Forbes, Elon Musk is having none of it. In fact, in leaked email (see below), the Tesla CEO told his staff they can either come back to the office or quit. — Read the rest
During last night's Washington Nationals-New York Mets baseball game, Alan Alcantara was holding his baby when the Mets' Starling Marte hit a home run. Alcantara caught the ball empty handed with his baby still in his arms.
"I knew I was not going to have time to put the baby down," Alcantara told the Associated Press. — Read the rest
"Ayo, lemme get a chopped cheese, and do it the Ocky way." I don't care how long you've lived in the city; if you've never heard or uttered the previous sentence, you're not a real New Yorker. I'm serious; David Dinkins signed it into law decades ago. — Read the rest
I always felt like Disney was trying to keep me at arm's length when I was a little boy. Despite how much adults tried to push Disney flicks on me, I never found the majority of the company's offerings enticing. It's hard enough for most five-year-old boys to relate to an endless cavalcade of princess content, but the task becomes a herculean feat when Batman: Mask of the Phantasm exists on the same aisle at Blockbuster. — Read the rest
Arizona Republic news reporter Mary Jo Pitzl shared photos today from a packed Arizona Senate hearing room, where legislators and onlookers have gathered to hear a presentation on alleged ballot harvesting, which has been resoundingly debunked numerous times. The same false claims that Dinesh D'Souza has been peddling in his recent 'documentary' 2000 Mules currently are being shared on the AZ Senate floor by QAnon supporter and Republican AZ State Senator Debbie Lesko, along with Gary Phillips of "True the Vote." — Read the rest
On a sunny Friday afternoon in Wellston, Missouri, a guy went to the grocery store, open carrying a rifle "in a sleeve underneath his shirt," according to local NBC affiliate KSDK. It's not clear what he's shopping for that he might need to be carrying such firearm, but on his way out of the store, he was stopped by another guy with a gun — who robbed the first guy of his gun. — Read the rest
If you haven't ~~spent~~ wasted all of your money yet on NFTs, you could scrounge up another $1850 to buy these cool designer sneakers from Balenciaga. Who would buy these utterly destroyed, filthy, ripped, torn, dirty shoes? I have no idea! — Read the rest
"Trump's four-year reign of terror and error was a gut-lurching mix of farce and nightmare," writes Mark Dery in Medium, " and it was that rollercoaster of absurdity and atrocity that made those endless four years so deranging, and gave them their mindwarping unreality." — Read the rest
You might want to grab on to the edge of your desk before looking at the image above. If you're like most people, the black oval will appear to expand, as if you're falling into a hole. At least that's what 86% of the people who took part in a new study – "The Eye Pupil Adjusts to Illusorily Expanding Holes" by Laeng, Nabil, and Kitaoka, published by Frontiers in Human Neuroscience — thought after this illusion tricked their pupils into actually dilating. — Read the rest
My friends in Death Cab for Cutie have just released a new video for "Roman Candles," the first single from their forthcoming album Asphalt Meadows out September 16. Influential indie filmmaker Lance Bangs shot the explosive video all in one take. — Read the rest
The third episode of Obi-Wan sets up the next three perfectly and delivered plenty of what I have been enjoying seeing: shattered Ben coping with all this crazy shit. As one of the pillars of the former order, Kenobi is forced to witness the drastic and unforgiving changes to the galaxy his personal blundering caused. — Read the rest
Someone noticed a curious tiny humanoid creature make a quick appearance in their home surveillance video, seen above. Look closely at the bottom right side of the image at around the five second mark. There's been some debate online whether the creature is Cousin Itt or a western spotted skunk doing its trademark handstand (as below), but we know the truth. — Read the rest
Legendary chronicler of the strange, Fortean author John Keel (1930-2009) is best known for his 1976 book The Mothman Prophecies, an investigation into bizarre phenomena that reportedly occurred around Point Pleasant, West Virginia, in 1966-1967. Of course, that book was made into a Hollywood film in 2002. — Read the rest
The way they created special effects in the old days gave movies a dreamy, magical quality. In this short video of unknown provenance, you can see people walking up a stegosaurus' back, an old steam locomotive spewing colorful smoke, a planet exploding, the Sun shining in Egypt, a deep-sea diver cruising on a sea scooter, a person scaling a verticle cliff, and more. — Read the rest
It's common knowledge that anyone associated with Donald Trump eventually (if not immediately) gets burned, but one Proud Boy didn't get the memo. At a Trump rally last weekend, a Proud Boy who said he had VIP tickets to a Trump rally was turned away at the door for, well, his association with the proud, far-right fascist boy group. — Read the rest
Have you tried Bionic Reading? It's a patented and trademarked process that ostensibly makes text easier to grok by boldfacing the first few letters of each word.
From the website:
Bionic Reading revises texts so that the most concise parts of words are highlighted.
— Read the rest
Displaying her singular command of human evolutionary genetics, Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene says that heterosexuals are facing extinction in the near-term future.
"Probably, in about four or five generations, no one will be straight anymore," Green said on a video stream. — Read the rest
Summer is right around the corner, and that means a lot of things to different folks. You might be gearing up for camping, picnics, or pre-game tailgates. On the other hand, it's also the perfect time to invite friends and fam over for get-togethers and backyard barbecues, but great company and food alone don't bring the party to life. — Read the rest
The Associated Press reports that at least 10 are dead in a mass shooting at the Tops Friendly Market in Buffalo, New York. Police described it as "racially motived violent extremism", streamed to the Internet by a gunman in body armor and military-style clothing. — Read the rest
This Award-Winning Footage Of The Microsopic World Around Us shows some critters that look as if they crawled out of a science fiction movie. Imagine how freaky it would be if they were as big as us. The angelic little marine worm shown at 0:57 is my favorite. — Read the rest
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Whether you're a professional swimmer or simply enjoy swimming as a leisurely pursuit, the peaceful sound of waves can only keep you going for so long. — Read the rest
The Hop Rod Motorized Pogo Stick was a short-lived toy that propelled people in the air whether they were ready or not. This gas-powered pogo stick looks incredibly fun but was "just as energetic if an off-balance user landed sideways. — Read the rest
Kentucky Fried Chicken's real-life Col. Sanders is nothing like the rapping, dancing, king of cool they present in commercials. Gunslinger, imitating a Colonel, acting as a backyard ob-gyn, Col. Sanders has done it all.
This video does an entertaining job of sharing the story. — Read the rest
It's clear that the endless tidal wave of adult animation that began with The Simpsons isn't going to stop anytime soon. Don't misconstrue me; we received innumerable gems from the 90s adult animation boom. But for every, Rick and Morty and American Dad! — Read the rest
Is there a superhero that's more versatile than Batman? I say this as a Superman fan, but Batman might be the best superhero ever created. He has everything: the best rogues gallery, the cleanest origin and motivation, and the best gadgets. — Read the rest
I was flabbergasted when I laid eyes on this video of the longest gum wrapper chain in the world. The video, shot in 2020, shows the gum chain after 54 years of progress (and counting!). Gary Dushl, the creator of this gigantic masterpiece, says that the gum wrapper chain is his pride and joy. — Read the rest
Usually, you go to the Airforce Academy to serve your country, these morons are failing out at the last minute for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, thus blowing up what they'd intended to be their life work.
AP News:
Four cadets at the Air Force Academy may not graduate or be commissioned as military officers this month because they have refused the COVID-19 vaccine, and they may be required to pay back thousands of dollars in tuition costs, according to Air Force officials.
— Read the rest
I miss the garage rock revival of the 2000s. Almost everyone has that genre of music that helps them time travel to their teen years, and garage rock is mine. Well, it's one of many genres from that period, but it's easily my favorite of the bunch. — Read the rest
Here's a clip that's implied to be from a pirate recording of Empire Strikes Back filmed at a cinema in 1980. It offers two interesting things. First, the audio of the audience reacting to Darth Vader's classic line, "I am your father." — Read the rest
A guy known as Can Head holds a Guinness World Record for his sucky skin condition and the superpower it gives him. His skin literally sucks objects to his body, and they stay there without falling. He says this is because his skin takes in much more oxygen than other people's skin does. — Read the rest
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views.
We all have our vices, and if smoking is yours, you probably already know the risks. — Read the rest
Shockingly, San Francisco's leaning Millenium Tower may not right itself, as fan-favorite building engineer Ron Hamburger has repeatedly insisted. It seems a forgotten wall might prop up the building where they actually do want it to settle, as opposed to the opposite side of the building that they'd like to stop sinking. — Read the rest
If you are at all engaged in the abortion debate, you're already aware that every anti-choice argument is inherently hollow. Even if the person making the argument thinks they're using it in good faith, it's only because they've been conned by a cynical rhetoric machine. — Read the rest
I didn't grow up with Seinfeld. Or, rather, I didn't grow up with Seinfeld on my family's television. I knew it was a phenomenon, and I could even mimic the Soup nazi, but I never watched an episode while it was airing. — Read the rest
Is there an accent that's more imitable than the British one? As an American, I'm sure that children equally mimic my accent all around the globe whenever they wish to embody a privileged "wanker." Regardless, my question remains the same; is there any accent as cool as the British accent. — Read the rest
If you've got movie night slotted for this weekend, Lifehacker recommends five cult classics (see first video below), which include Tip Toes, Wet Hot American Summer, Krisha, Blue Ruin and, the The House of the Devil. I haven't seen any of the them — yet — but, after checking out their trailers on YouTube and Rotten Tomatoes, The House of the Devil (see trailer at bottom) is my Friday the 13th pick. — Read the rest
Not the hero you expected, and not the hero we're gonna get, but certainly the guy poking Elon Musk in the eye today is Snoop Dogg. Snoop took to twitter to send up Elon's business plans for Twitter.
https://twitter.com/snoopdogg/status/1525143525834121217
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views.
The days might be getting longer and the Sun might feel brighter, but that doesn't mean you have to turn away from the cool light of your screen or the comforting atmosphere of your gaming room. — Read the rest
What better way to commemorate Jen Psaki's last official day (today!) as White House Press Secretary than to revisit her finer moments adroitly deflecting Fox reporter Peter Doocy's disingenuous questions — whether that was with quick-witted teaching moments, calling out "gotcha" questions, or dropping a tried-and-true Psaki-bomb. — Read the rest
Moderna's recently hired CFO, Jorge Gomez, just earned an easy $700,000 for one day's work. He started Monday, worked a full day, and then departed "effective immediately," according to a Moderna statement.
The quick turnaround came after a "public disclosure by Mr. — Read the rest
In the leaked Supreme Court draft that reverses Roe v. Wade, Justice Alito defends the majority opinion by saying the Constitution does not mention abortion. But the constitution doesn't mention women at all. When it was written, women were considered the property of white male landowners, the only people who counted in America at the time. — Read the rest
I bought a small desk so I could work in bed and on the couch. It came pre-assembled and is sturdy. I can adjust the height and angle, and it has rubber stops along the bottom edge to keep my computer from sliding off. — Read the rest
Twitch streamer Kjanecaron was in the middle of doing a cooking demonstration when something greasy in the skillet caught fire. She tried to extinguish the skillet in the sink, but it only spread the flames. She starts saying things like "oh fuck," "I don't know what to do," and "help!" — Read the rest
Badlands is "a true crime podcast that dives deep into the real stories of the famous at their most infamous." The fourth and latest season of the Double Elvis-produced series just dropped in its entirety via Amazon Music, with new episodes focusing on Winona Ryder, Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, Sharon Tate, and more. — Read the rest
Calling a gentleman "bald" is now equivalent to commenting about a woman's breasts, according to a judge in England. In other words, it's considered sexual harassment. The ruling, decided on by an employment tribunal of three balding men (you can't make this stuff up), came after electrician Tony Finn was called a "bald cunt" by a male supervisor at the manufacturing firm where he worked. — Read the rest
Supreme killjoy Elon Musk says he doesn't like Twitter bots. If he gets rid of Hourly Pornhubbed Heathcliff I'll be sore at him. It's the greatest détournement since Dysfunctional Family Circus.
Here's how the bot works:
- take a comic
- load random pornhub video
- grab random comment
- mix & tweet
Relatively SFW samples:
pic.twitter.com/Q6xJzb9JYK
— Read the rest
According to The Guardian, there's a team of researchers in northern Greece who have spent the last few years experimenting with ways to harvest metal though agriculture:
In a remote, beautiful field, high in the Pindus mountains in Epirus, they are experimenting with a trio of shrubs known to scientists as "hyperaccumulators": plants which have evolved the capacity to thrive in naturally metal-rich soils that are toxic to most other kinds of life.
— Read the rest
For as awesome as the Resident Evil games are, the media surrounding the franchise has been abysmal. The Resident Evil movies from the early 2000s starring Mila Jovovich – which are as silly and over the top as the Fast and Furious franchise from the same era- bear only a slight resemblance to the video games. — Read the rest
Republican Joe Blystone, one of the losers in yesterday's Ohio primary race for governor, told Good Liars Jason Selvig he thinks the earth is just 6,000 years old. And on the topic of Covid, we should be following "real scientific data, which we are not receiving." — Read the rest
Last year, Maxwell Berry (23) of Norwalk, Ohio was duct-taped to his seat on a Frontier flight after groping the breasts of two flight attendants, punching a third crew member, walking around the cabin shirtless, and boasting about his parents' wealth, pleaded guilty to three counts of assault and was sentenced to 60 days in jail. — Read the rest
Former preacher Mike Huckabee idolizes pussy-grabber Donald Trump to such a degree, he is now peddling his book The Kids Guide to President Trump in a video ad tweeted by Aaron Rupar and seen on Fox News (see below). Not only does the book "teach kids all about Trump's [anti-democratic] accomplishments and his [fascist] vision of America," Huckabee says, but he wants you to "have it for free." — Read the rest
This video of MAGA rapper J.R. Majewski is not a trailer for an Idiocracy sequel. It's a campaign video by and for the GOP congressional nominee for Ohio's District 9.
In 2021, Majewski turned his lawn into a giant mural of Trump's face. — Read the rest
Heat shrinking tubing is used in electronics projects to keep wires nice and tidy. It's fun to use, too! You can either rub a soldering iron tip over it, or use a heat gun, and the material shrinks tightly around the wires. — Read the rest
In the wee hours of May 31, 2017, Trump tweeted, "Despite the constant negative press covfefe." Hours later he deleted the post, saying it was in error. Most people assume Trump meant to spell "coverage" and accidentally published the tweet while trying to correct the typo. — Read the rest
MAGA favorite Robert Regan, who told his daughters to "lie back and enjoy it" if they were being raped, was trounced by Democrat Carol Glanville in a special election yesterday for a Michigan state House seat.
Glanville won in a district that The Washington Post says "twice voted overwhelmingly for Trump." — Read the rest
Senator Ron Johnson, Republican science denier of Wisconsin, thinks it "may be true" that Covid vaccines can give people AIDS.
Speaking to anti-vax mouthpiece Todd Callender, who said Dr. Anthony Fauci should be held criminally accountable for the Covid vaccine push, the Senator is seen on video, tweeted by Heartland Signal (and shown below), as open to the bizarre alternative fact that the coronavirus vaccination can some how inject a person — deliberately — with AIDS. — Read the rest
Despite a shocking level of complacency from the anti-mask/anti-vaxx crowd, we're not out of the woods yet with COVID-19. Although she has since tested negative, Vice President Kamala Harris had a brief brush with COVID, and now we can add Jimmy Kimmel to that list as well. — Read the rest
In 1987, Apple Computer released the "Apple Boogie," a cheesy cassette collection of marketing tunes and parodies apparently given away free at an internal sales meeting. The standout track is "Blue Busters," a "Ghostbusters" parody targeting Apple's big competitor at the time, IBM. — Read the rest
In Cincinnati, Ohio, animal control officers seized Adam Kordes's emotional support monkey, named Neo, back in February. Apparently, a vet who had seen video of Neo felt that the animal had likely been drugged and was "in dire need of veterinary care." — Read the rest
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views.
One of the great joys in life is cooking at home. However, the meditative and nurturing joy you find when preparing meals can only be tapped into when you have kitchen essentials. — Read the rest
Suspected human trafficker Matt Gaetz tweeted out some really ugly bullshit about women protesting the grievous invasion of rights that looms on the horizon.
https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1521797001175834625
Water dropping to historically low levels in Lake Mead has exposed a barrel containing the body of a man apparently shot in the 1970s. The lake was purportedly a popular place for murderers to dump bodies. As the water line continues to recede expect to find more lost souls. — Read the rest
In this 1999 clip from Inside the Actors Studio, interviewer James Lipton helps Steven Spielberg understand something very personal about the final scene (below) in his own film Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) when the extraterrestrials on the mothership communicate with the humans by combining art and technology. — Read the rest
Artist Oriol Vilanova's "Old Masters" (2017) artwork consists of a blue work jacket with flea market postcards filling the pockets. Currently on display in Paris's Musée Picasso, the artwork so captivated a 72-year-old woman that she took it home with her and had the sleeves shortened to better fit when she wore it. — Read the rest
The making of Star Wars sound effects has been thrilling me since I was a kid. Happy May the 4th.
Thanks, Apple.
Image: screengrab
AndrewKelly Stewart's We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep is a satisfying run at the "we haven't seen the surface in forever, let us assume nothing up there has changed" post-nuclear war dystopian fiction novels I enjoy so much. — Read the rest
Last week, a funeral was held for Rosa Isabel Céspedes Callaca of Chiclayo, Peru following a tragic car crash that killed her brother-in-law and severely injured her three children. During the funeral though, Callaca apparently began banging on the inside of her coffin, causing quite a scene. — Read the rest
Forget deepfakes. Plain old fakes are still in business: videos cleverly edited or manipulated to give a false impression to viewers. Welding is one of the genres thusly afflicted, and here The Fabrication Series explains how it's cooked—and how MIG welding works in the first place, so you understand what the fakers are up to with those videos appearing to show them welding with a line of cold, quick, precise dots. — Read the rest
Senator Elizabeth Warren is showing the level of commitment all of our politicians need in the face of the terrible news.
Image: Screengrab
A Republican state representative on the ballot in Oklahoma wanted to be listed by the name "The Patriot". The Oklahoma Election Board told him no, and he will continue to be named as plain old Sean Roberts (R—Hominy).
Oklahoma election rules allow a candidate to use a nickname if it's a name the candidate is generally known by or who does business using the nickname.
— Read the rest
Star Wars: Obi-wan Kenobi looks wonderful. Happy May the 4th! I am hoping to make it to Batuu West later today to see the celebration and cosplay.
Image: Screengrab
Host Trevor Noah quipped about it being a superspreader event, but Covid is no joke and attendees from last weekend's White House Correspondents' Dinner are announcing their infections.
In the days since WHCD weekend, reporters and staffers from CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, Politico, and other participating news organizations have tested positive for the virus.
— Read the rest
Gizmodo takes a peek at the next series in the seemingly inexhaustible Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (premiering May 5 on Paramount+).
On the surface Strange New Worlds, set to premiere May 5 on Paramount+, sits at a peculiar crossroads.
— Read the rest
TWO brand new Tom the Dancing Bug books! Tom the Dancing Bug Awakens; and Tom the Dancing Bug, Without the Bad Ones! Order today, RIGHT HERE AND NOW.
"God bless Tom the Dancing Bug! Funny, succinct, and highly original, Ruben Bolling is able to make sense from the chaos and tragedy of America's political nightmares and make you laugh while doing it. — Read the rest
A few years ago, JD Vance was a never-Trumper who described the then-president as a fascist. Now Vance is a Trump-loving acolyte, propelled to victory in Ohio's GOP Republican primary election by his endorsement and a campaign bankrolled by right-wing billionaire Peter Thiel. — Read the rest
30 years, Rob Liefeld and a bunch of other comic book artists split from the two big corporate superhero publishers and launched a new company called Image, with the idea of letting creators keep the rights and profits from their creations instead of handing that IP over to someone else. — Read the rest
We've been covering the crazy creations of maker-humorist Simone Giertz since the very beginning. As she points out in this new video, announcing her new company, Yetch, for years people have been responding to her funny inventions with the "Take my money" meme. — Read the rest
I've often heard many a woman exclaim, "ugh, why are all the good guys taken?" I can't entirely relate to the sentiment as a straight man, but the last couple of years have afforded me some empathy towards their position by allowing me the opportunity to ask a similar question. — Read the rest
Despite video footage of Rachel Lee Scheuerman calling a 17-year-old restaurant worker a "fucking n—–" and slapping him across the face, police in Enid, Oklahoma refused to arrest her, claiming they couldn't do so unless an officer had personally observed the crime. — Read the rest
Regardless of how much diehard Simpsons fans protest, The Simpsons will seemingly never stop running. Due to the sharp decline in quality over the last-checks notes- twenty years, former fans of Springfield's favorite family have begun to refer to the show's current state as "zombie Simpsons." — Read the rest
Video and thumbnail image © The British Library Board Anyone who knows me knows that I've been a near-lifelong armchair student of the 18th/19th century artist, poet, printer, engraver, and philosopher, William Blake. Because of this association, whenever something Blake-related is trending, I hear about it because friends and family start sending me the links. — Read the rest
The best art has a timeless quality. Aspects of the piece may wither with time, but if the soil from which art blossoms is truthful, great work can last centuries. Take, for example, Giacomo Puccini's La bohème. When composing his tale of the Parisian bohemian scene of the 1800s, I doubt that Puccini realized that his work would perfectly parallel the AIDs crisis in the 80s. — Read the rest
Burl once made a guitar out of pencils arranged vertically. Now he has accomplished the impossible: making a guitar out of colored pencils arranged horizontally.
Video and thumbnail Image: Burl's Art
This gorgeous 4-1/2 minute video features some of Dutch kinetic sculptor, Theo Jansen's, most recent creations. He writes in the video's description:
Strandbeest Evolution 2021 provides an update on the evolutionary development. Every spring I go to the beach with a new beast.
— Read the rest
Whenever I find out that Sony has greenlit yet another Spider-Man spin-off in their ill-conceived desire to create a Spider-Man-centric universe adjacent to the MCU, I'm reminded of that "fetch" scene from Mean Girls. "Sony, stop trying to make a Spider-Man universe happen. — Read the rest
To quote two of the most revered poets of our modern era, Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse, "music is all magic. You can't even hold it. It's just there in the air."
To piggyback off of this astute observation, I, too, am frequently astonished by the ineffable powers that a song can possess. — Read the rest
Photo of Kevin Kelly by Christopher Michel. Used with permission I've known Kevin for over 30 years (ever since he was the editor of The Whole Earth Review) and we've remained friends ever since. (And for the last 10 years, I've been his business partner at Cool Tools Labs, where we write the Recomendo newsletter with Claudia Dawson). — Read the rest
When Rob and Grace Jones of Crystal Lake, Illinois removed a small portion of a bathroom wall to replace a built-in toilet paper holder, they were surprised find an old towel wrapped around something. After nervously pulling the bundle out of the wall, they discovered it held a couple of old McDonald's bags containing empty hamburger wrappers and a fairly well-preserved order of french fries. — Read the rest
If you're familiar with the sublime Marx Brothers movies, you will be amazed to see how well Chico can imitate his brother Harpo on this episode of I've Got A Secret from 1954. He even received a carton of cigarettes for his efforts. — Read the rest
Outraged that Disney isn't going along with his anti-freedoms, anti-LGBTQ agenda, a bellowing Ron DeSantis blasted Disney for "their intention to inject sexuality into the programming for these very young kids." As if it's a new concept.
"When we were young, you could watch cartoons without having to worry!" — Read the rest
A federal wild horse facility about 100 miles south of Denver has gone under quarantine after 67 horses died from an "unknown yet highly contagious and sometimes fatal disease," reports CNN.
The horses started getting sick on April 23. Veterinarians are trying to diagnose and treat the horses. — Read the rest
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For the modern cannabis consumer, the quest for the perfect smoking accessories seems never-ending. And as cannabis becomes more fashionable, so does everything you use to smoke it. — Read the rest
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Whether you're looking forward to a season full of grilling with friends or want to spend some time playing sports outside, the summer has something to offer to everyone. — Read the rest
All the sea lion below needs now is an overpriced cocktail in a fake coconut with a flower and umbrella.
@gailstoneheart Wait for it…@bmorekenzie619 s video 💙#sealion #seal #galapagos #funny #sunbed #wildlife #swim #holiday #luxury ♬ original sound – Gail Stoneheart
I always cringe and get a whole body awful feeling when I see people riding a motorcycle in shorts, flip flops, tee-shirts, and no gloves. This video shows why. ATGATT, please.
I even try to ride with a Helite inflatable vest, but frequently forget because it is big and bulky. — Read the rest
Marjorie Taylor Greene argues with Jim Acosta that her text to then Chief of Staff Meadows suggesting President Trump consider "Marshall" law was somehow innocent.
Marge Greene gets hot when confronted by Jim Acosta today about the text by her suggesting Trump should declare martial law.
— Read the rest
Factual conversation by Jan Švankmajer is a 3-minute stop-motion animation in which two clay heads face each other on a table and attempt to communicate through visual gestures. Words are replaced with items such as a buttery knife and a slice of toast that pop out of the heads' mouths. — Read the rest
A persistent drought in the American Southwest forced the Anasazi to abandon their towns a thousand years ago. Eventually, the precipitation returned. Hoover Dam in Nevada was built in 1931, "during an especially wet period for the West." But today Lake Mead, which powers Hoover Dam's generators, is at an all-time low after a drought of 22 years with no end in sight. — Read the rest
It's not just dogs that demand their human's attention. Here's an adorable albeit nudge of a cat that won't let his human get any gardening done until he's had his full share of snuggling needs met.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by 🇬🇧 TEDDIE & CASPER 🇬🇧 (@teddieandcasper)
Via Hindustan Times
Leggo my Baby Yoda!
Kellogg's legendary frozen waffle brand Eggo is home to a cross-over waffle from the Star Wars universe: Galactic Homestyle. Perhaps the formulation is different but they look pretty Eggo to me, however, instead of a traditional waffle pattern, Mando-waffles will come imprinted with Mando and Baby Yoda. — Read the rest
Giddy that Elon Musk, a self-described "free speech absolutist," is about to own Twitter, Marjorie Taylor Greene is busy at work "party" planning a roundtable with "all the most brilliant people who have been unjustly banned from Twitter." Her brilliant guest list includes Musk, Milo Yiannopoulos, and Alex Jones. — Read the rest
Earth Reviews is a website where you can leave feedback about certain aspects of the human simulation. The site explains, " It turns out Earth is just a simulation. Luckily, the creators are looking for feedback." Some of the items up for review on the site include ketchup, crowds, hiccups, kneecaps, and volcanoes. — Read the rest
Russia and the United States have both long trained marine mammals to do their martial bidding. Two pens of Russian-trained military dolphins have been spotted near a Sevastopol harbor and are likely being used to defend the port.
Daily Beast:
The dolphins at the mouth of the Crimea port are likely used to deter underwater sabotage attempts.
— Read the rest
On Tuesday, Elon Musk tweeted that he wants people to be able to post anything they want on Twitter that "matches the law."
"By 'free speech,' I simply mean that which matches the law," he said. "I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law. — Read the rest
Los Angeles police don't suspect foul play in the death of a reputed whistleblower who "turned over a trove of secret files about Deutsche Bank" to U.S. authorities, reports NBC News.
Valentin Broeksmit, 46, was found dead at Woodrow Wilson high school in Los Angeles. — Read the rest
Parts of Southern California are seeing a record drought, according to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. And in a Water Shortage Emergency declaration released on Tuesday, residents in the drought-stricken areas (including Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties, according to Gizmodo) must restrict the amount of days they water their lawn to just once a week, starting June 1st. — Read the rest
Ohio's Jean Schmidt is apparently still out there saying outrageous things. In this speech women, "NO MATTER HOW YOUNG," should embrace the opportunities rape has provided them.
OH Rep. Schmidt (R) on her abortion ban bill: "Rape is a difficult issue… but if a baby is created, it's human life.
— Read the rest
When McDonald's stopped using beef tallow in its fries, the entire world noticed even Julia Child. I use beef tallow in the kitchen all the time.
A cognitive bias is a "systematic error in thinking that occurs when people are processing and interpreting information in the world around them and affects the decisions and judgments that they make."
This cognitive bias codex categories and defines each cognitive bias. — Read the rest
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As a society, we will be feeling the ripple effects of the Covid-19 pandemic for quite some time. — Read the rest
This Hollow Mask Illusion shows a mask of a face rotating in circles. Each time the mask turns from the outer face to the inner face, I only get a glimpse of the inside before my eyes trick me and the mask protrudes outwards again. — Read the rest
You do know God speaks to "us."
Woman at Trump rally explains why she believes Princess Diana and Jackie O are still alive. pic.twitter.com/iYlwlg59vR
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) April 23, 2022
I stared into the pulsating vortex of this Maggot kaleidoscope with bird song audio, and I am a changed being. As the chirping birds guided me deeper into the dancing agglomeration of larvae, I could feel my soul leaving this earthly realm. — Read the rest
The maximum weight of the United States Postal Service's small flat-rate box is 70 pounds. Paul Sherman noticed that given that the box is only 75 cubic inches, "it is physically impossible to exceed the 70-pound domestic weight limit for a small flat rate box," even if you filled it with the heaviest element known to man. — Read the rest
View this post on Instagram A post shared by AsianFeed (@asianfeed)
By now, you've probably heard the wealth of praise being heaped on Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Although virtually every element of the film is garnering acclaim, critics and fans can't stop raving about actor Ke Huy Quan's magnetic performance in the movie. — Read the rest
As demonstrated in the Original Water Wiggle Commercial, there is no escaping this maniacal entity once it's turned on. I had one of these as a kid. Water shoots through its plastic hose making it rise into the air and swing around in every direction. — Read the rest
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views.
It's safe to say that we can all enjoy and appreciate efficiency, whether it's our own or perhaps even someone else's. — Read the rest
"As a prospective wroiter, I would urge to not only read good books," says Alan Moore. "Read terrible books as well. "
The tip is part of the BBC's Maestro series, which has its own YouTube channel.
Alan Moore believes every aspiring writer should read terrible books.
— Read the rest
On this day in 1982, Clive Sinclair released the ZX Spectrum (previously), whose sleek design and inexpensive price made it an explosive success the world over—only the Commodore 64 and perhaps the Apple II outsold it—and inspired a generation of British bedroom programmers. — Read the rest
nosleep.page does one weird trick: leave it open and it stops your computer falling asleep. This can be surprisingly annoying to accomplish through the proper channels. In my case I have a Windows laptop that can't be woken from sleep over bluetooth, but must work both as a normal sleep-when-closed laptop and as a never-sleep desktop. — Read the rest
Poetry professor Garret Hongo's new book The Perfect Sound [amazon] is aptly named. It's the perfect book for any fan of all things audio. It combines a personal family memoir with midcentury Hawaiian and Southern Californian culture, pop music personalities, audio recording, technology, jazz, vacuum tubes vs. — Read the rest
For roleplaying gamers there are fewer "holy grail" games than M.A.R. Barker's 1974 now-rare Tékumel: Empire of the Petal Throne. Barker's complex, linguistically-inspired fantasy world was often compared to J.R.R. Tolkien's (Barker was also a linguist). Barker is often included in the same reverent breath as D&D creators Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson as one of the fathers of RPGs. — Read the rest
In this video, the BBC's YouTube channel explores the Miriwoong language: one of the rarest in all of Australia.
Language is one of the most critical bonding agents for a culture. I learned this first hand when dating a woman for whom English was a third language. — Read the rest
As crews at San Francisco's beleaguered Millennium Tower began digging to extend the foundation and connect it to the new piles, the building sank even more. Outside engineers in this NBC Bay Area interview predict that the new digging exacerbates an already unstable foundation and warn the sinking, tilt, and lean may accelerate. — Read the rest
Inspirace is a magical Czech stop motion film by Karel Zeman from 1948. All of the characters are made of glass, which I have not seen in a stop motion until now. The dainty, luminescent characters give it an otherworldly feel. — Read the rest
The Puttermans find a simple fix for dealing with their overly chatty relative in this 1994 Duracell Commercial. To get some peace and quiet, they simply put the wrong type of battery inside of the giant terminal in her back. She falls face-first into her food as the family cheers and bursts out laughing. — Read the rest
If a chicken and a snowman had a baby together, it would look like this creature who is dancing to Rockwurst by Siriusmo. Its dance moves are top-tier. Siriusomo (Moritz Friedrich) is a Berlin-based record producer and electronic musician.
Baba Dana Talks To The Wolves is an "impressionistic portrait of Baba Dana, an 85-year-old Bulgarian woman who has chosen to spend her life in the mountains, away from people and cities." This film was made in 2015 by Ralitsa Doncheva. — Read the rest
Kenneth Mejia is running for L.A. city controller candidate. According to his tweets, he thinks Joe Biden is a racist and a rapist.
The LA Times reports that Mejia was a supporter of Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and swore on social media that Biden and Trump were both "sexual predators" and that he would never vote for either of them. — Read the rest
Andre Mack is a sommelier and winemaker who is both entertaining and informative as he shows us how to pair wine with meals from different fast food chains, including McDonald's, Subway, Taco Bell, Panda Express, and Dunkin' Donuts.
"Pairing wine with fast food? — Read the rest
A father distracts his fussy baby with some silly sound effects — coming straight from the baby's mouth. Whenever the baby begins to cry, the dad gently taps on the bellowing mouth, and voila, the crying stops. As an added bonus, it's free entertainment for the amused older child. — Read the rest
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The modern person living in the digital age has an easier life than anyone who came before. — Read the rest
Marjorie Taylor Greene's early-onset amnesia only worsened at her hearing today, until she was reduced to just a string of "I don't remembers" when asked who she spoke to about the Capitol demonstrations before Jan. 6, as well as other lines of questioning (see videos below). — Read the rest
If you ask me, Dustin Hoffman should be selling Alfa Romeo spiders, not VWs. But I have to say, this fastback sedan looks pretty snazzy. Imagine an electric version of this beautiful car. Hoffman made this commercial a year before the graduate came out, and he shows impeccable comedic skills as he gives viewers a tour of the vehicle. — Read the rest
Marvel to the spectacle of a driverless Tesla as it rolls across an airport runway and hits the back of a jet, causing it to pivot around. So far, there are no details about who owns the self-crashing vehicle, or if the Tesla owner also owns the jet, which is valued at $2 million. — Read the rest
Marjorie Taylor Greene displayed early-onset amnesia today during her hearing to see if she qualifies for the November's ballot after her involvement with the Jan. 6 Capitol attacks. When questioned about whether or not she said Nancy Pelosi is a traitor, the addled Rep. — Read the rest
music In honor of Earth Day today, here's the great Marvin Gaye reflecting on the environmental destruction he saw unfolding around him in 1971… which tragically continues to this day.
"Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
Mercy, mercy me
Things ain't what they used to be, no no
Where did all the blue skies go?
— Read the rest
Yet another sweet vehicle that was one in the King of Cool's collection. This 1969 Honda CB750 Sandcast has been lovingly restored and included paperwork showing it was delivered new to Mr. McQueen.
Bring A Trailer:
This 1969 Honda CB750 is an early-production model that was acquired by Steve McQueen's Los Angeles–based Solar Productions movie production company in July 1969.
— Read the rest
I wish that real-life cereal box toys looked like the ones in this fictional screen test for "Organic Smiles Cereal Commercial." This analog horror video was made by Nathan Frost, and features a series of eerie handmade dolls shot in black and white. — Read the rest
A woman who worked as an administrator at Yale University lived the high life as she cheated the school out of more than $40 million. For more than ten years, 42-year-old Jamie Petrone enjoyed three homes in Connecticut, real estate in Georgia, and many luxury cars (two Mercedes-Benz, two Cadillac Escalades, a Range Rover, and more) while she sold stolen electronics — including computers, iPads, and Microsoft Surface Pros — from Yale University's School of Medicine. — Read the rest
With Jen Psaki and Karine Jean-Pierre both out with Covid, Pres. Biden's communications director Kate Bedingfield made her debut in the White House press room today. And it might as well have been Psaki in there with the way she skillfully dropped her very own Psaki, er, Bedingfield bomb — not on the reporter, but on Donald Trump. — Read the rest
TikToker papimufasaa recorded a plane passenger who apparently didn't have her nose covered and copped an attitude when the flight crew told her to cover her nose. The captain heard about it and ordered her to get off the plane. She refused, and begged with the attendant not to kick her off. — Read the rest
I sure fell sorry for this driver. After ending up in a ditch, the driver tries hard to get their car back on the road. But over and over again they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Click to expand
When my ramshackle, made-from-junk arcade joystick had some trouble on my Mac, the OS didn't have much to help—I couldn't even find a relevant System Preferences panel, let alone anything useful for troubleshooting. Searching for an app I instead chanced across Gamepad Tester, a website that detects whatever you have plugged in and offers useful feedback. — Read the rest
Malibu's city council voted unanimously to move forwards with plans to establish an 'Alternative Sleeping Location' for up to 30 homeless people, someplace outside of Malibu.
Westside Current:
"If we build it here, they will come because this is a great place to live… if you are just choosing to live unhoused, and by the way there's a lot of people choosing to live unhoused, why not choose to live unhoused in Malibu if they're inviting you to come do it?"
— Read the rest
As Russia's invasion of Ukraine heads into its second brutal month and millions of refugees flee across Europe, former U.S. President Donald Trump has a sharp message for Russian President Vladimir Putin: please find dirt on the Bidens.
Trump calls for Putin to release dirt on the Biden family right now since now "he's not exactly a fan of our country" during new interview with Real America's Voice pic.twitter.com/Sp1gDVsSfr
— Read the rest
Superheroes have always been political and, consequently, controversial. Revisionist history will lead you to believe that the first issue of Captain America (where Steve Rogers punches Hitler in the face) earned unanimous praise upon publication, but Marvel—then known as Timely comics—received a ton of backlash for the cover. — Read the rest
From DC Universe:
Batman is building a faction to defend Gotham. Collect one of 200,000 unique Bat Cowls and unlock a 2+ year roadmap of features, benefits, and value. The Bat Cowl Collection will be integrated into future stories from DC Comics.
— Read the rest
This pup's humans said they tried to teach her how to use the doggy door, but with no success. But when her older canine sister took charge and showed her where the door was, the puppy caught on and happily stepped through it. — Read the rest
Here are three TV commercials from the 1960s for Mattel toy guns. The snub-nose .38 looks like a real pistol. It comes with bullets that you can attach caps to so the gun bangs and smokes when you fire it. A robber could use it to hold up a bank. — Read the rest
Usually, when Russian YouTuber 1420 interviews random, identifiable people on the street with questions like, "Would you nuke the US?" or "What do young Russians think of Putin?" they get a fairly wide range of answers, with those who are confident in their dictator, those who aren't, and many who are neutral. — Read the rest
As a wise man once said, it's funny cause it's true.
Hi, my name's Terry and I believe that Matt Damon runs a network of underground tunnels beneath a pizza parlor in Washington DC to secretly vaccinate 5G towers.
(via Kottke)
image: Nosyrevy/Shutterstock.com
Candidates Traci Park and Greg Good both showed the voters on Los Angeles' westside who they are in very different, but equally awful ways. Traci Park lied about a family emergency to avoid speaking at a candidate's forum her team apparently deemed unfriendly. — Read the rest
Who does Alex Jones think he is, Prince Andrew?
Yesterday, the Infowars host offered to pay $120,000 to each of the families suing him. All the families rejected the settlement.
Jones is being sued for falsely claiming that the Sandy Hook massacre, which left 20 children and six adults dead, was a hoax perpetrated to ban firearms. — Read the rest
In 2015, a resident of a houseboat in coastal Mississippi encountered a river troll and managed to snap this photo of the creepy character. From the photographer's account posted on Phantoms and Monsters:
It was pinkish tan with bulging eyes, funny looking ears, 2 arms and 2 legs, and what appeared to be horns coming out of it head.
— Read the rest
Philadelphia's historic and abandoned "Boner Forever" building is on its way to becoming a Marriott Hotel. The 14-story N. Broad Street building is an icon in the city thanks to the work of artists "Boner" and "Forever" who emblazoned two sides of the tower with their graffiti names in 2008. — Read the rest
Who had the above headline on their 2020s bullshit bingo card? Taylor Lorenz and Drew Harwell report that Facebook hired a bunch of GOP operatives to smear competitor Tik Tok as a malign foreign influence on children. Most of those viral local stories about teens smashing up bathrooms, slapping teachers and so on? — Read the rest
In this video clip, Trump makes the ludicrous claim that grocery stores are out of bread. I'm sure his cult will believe him even as they go to the supermarket and buy bread from shelves sagging with loaves of bread. "The stores are out of bread," they'll say as they prepare sandwiches and butter their toast. — Read the rest
In Converse, Texas, someone called police to report human skeletal remains they found in a field near the side of a road. Of course, a "thorough investigation" ensued, according to police, and dem bones were determined to be plastic.
"The 'remains' were removed and given a proper burial," the police department wrote in a Facebook post. — Read the rest
We already knew that Donald Trump was in bed with Vladimir Putin, but last night a host on Russian state TV came right out and said it, stating it's time "to change the regime in the U.S." and to "again" reinstate "our partner Trump." — Read the rest
The Newton's cradle is a cliche of desktop toys that I absolutely had to have when I first played with one in Spencer Gifts at the mall. I never thought of shooting it with a bullet but the Slow Mo Guys did have that bright idea. — Read the rest
2022 office culture is much different than ever before because A) it exists, and B) it works faster than ever. And while old reliable Excel may have worked in the past, it may be time for a shift in programs to give your presentations and spreadsheets a sprinkle of modernity, so you don't fall behind in the times. — Read the rest
TWO brand new Tom the Dancing Bug books! Tom the Dancing Bug Awakens; and Tom the Dancing Bug, Without the Bad Ones! Order today, RIGHT HERE AND NOW.
"Behold the wondrous, whimsical, witty world that is Tom the Dancing Bug! — Read the rest
Via Vice:
The documents detail conversations an agent had with Soviet scientists and a student about the USSR's interest in developing ESP. Guided by these second hand accounts, it sounds like the Soviet Union's plans of developing telepathy went as well as America's well-documented efforts.
— Read the rest
I got to the Peaky Blinders party a little late. Steven Knight's compelling crime drama about Birmingham in the early 20th century has garnered rave reviews and a cult following over the last nine years. As a result of the incessant fervor around the show, I sat on the sidelines until earlier this year. — Read the rest
From a recently published scientific paper from the journal Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction titled "TickleFoot: Design, Development and Evaluation of a Novel Foot-Tickling Mechanism That Can Evoke Laughter" —
Tickling is a type of sensation that is associated with laughter, smiling, or other similar reactions.
— Read the rest
Some books change your world in deep and lasting ways. For me, one of those was architect, builder, and design theorist, Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language. Published in 1977, A Pattern Language was an interactive design directory of numbered patterns of living and building that Alexander put together, much of it inspired by the world's vernacular architecture and time-tested solutions to building design challenges. — Read the rest
Sonic The Hedgehog 2 commercial, 1992 With the impending release of Sonic 2 this weekend, one could argue that Sega's iconic mascot is more popular than ever. If you're even slightly familiar with Sonic and, more specifically, his fandom, you'd know that it was an arduous journey for the character to return to the center stage of pop culture. — Read the rest
Whether you're looking for a new career path or simply want to sharpen your engineering skills, learning the languages today's biggest developers use to build some of the world's most exciting technology is a great place to start. And considering that there is so much opportunity in the world of programming, making an investment in your education can pay you back ten-fold. — Read the rest
In Fort Yukon, Alaska, Vincent Ledvina spent eight nights capturing more than 8,000 photos of the Aurora Borealis. This magnificent short film is a compilation of his timelapse videos made from those images. From the Library of Congress:
Polar lights (aurora polaris) are a natural phenomenon found in both the northern and southern hemispheres that can be truly awe inspiring.
— Read the rest
For at least four years, Wisconsin dentist Scott Charmoli broke patient's teeth so he could charge to repair them. He was convicted on Friday of five counts of healthcare fraud and two counts of making false statements related to healthcare matters, according to the U.S. — Read the rest
On Sunday afternoon, this one-year-old cute corgi named Jessica was on her owner Jon Atwood's parent's 65-foot-yacht on Florida's Indian River when she apparently fell or jumped off. As soon as Atwood realized Jessica was gone, they began searching the water in a small boat and posted about her on social media. — Read the rest
The New York Police Department is offerning a $3,500 reward for help identifying a woman suspected of pushing an 87-year-old woman in the street, leading to her death. Chris Stein of Blondie tweeted the wanted poster pictured above. The deceased victim's name is Barbara Maier Gustern and in 2019 she coached Debbie Harry for Broadway revival of Oklahoma! — Read the rest
Chapman University business professor David Berkovitz claims that he found test questions from his exams on the Course Hero website that he thinks were posted by students seeking to cheat. So he's suing the students, who remain unknown, for copyright infringement. — Read the rest
Nothing attaches itself to a memory like a song. A great track can adhere to your gray matter like a stubborn grain of sand inside your left sneaker. That's one of the reasons I'm so obsessed with movie soundtracks. When a perfectly picked track compliments a visually arresting sequence in a film, I instantly become smitten with the scene. — Read the rest
In Estero, Florida, Jermaine Wofford, 47, arrived at breeder The Turtle Source to repair a refrigerator. When he departed though, he allegedly absconded with 18 rare turtles worth an estimated $30,000. Wofford worked on the refrigerator but after he left to buy parts, Cantos realized something was amiss. — Read the rest
This clip of pathological liar, racist insurrectionist, and alleged sex pest Madison Cawthorn calling Zelensky a "thug" is playing repeatedly on Russian state TV. It makes you wonder where Cawthorn's interests lie. If he's not a paid Russian asset, Putin is getting one hell of a freebie from this useful idiot. — Read the rest
When a dog and its feline neighbors want to hang out, there's no need to go knocking on any doors. Not when there are balconies to lean over.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nextdoor (@nextdoor)
Here's how we cook tofu at my house:
- Freeze a block of firm or extra firm tofu until it's rock hard.
- Let it defrost for a few days in the refrigerator.
- Gently squeeze the water out of the block of tofu like a sponge.
— Read the rest
Red caps are the mark of a genius. Listen to this wise gentleman share his airtight theory as to why JFK Jr faked his death by pretending to die in a plane crash in 1999.
Asked this guy what it would take for him to believe JFK Jr.
— Read the rest
After both houses of the US Congress seemed to overwhelmingly support Ukraine's right to independence and increased material support for their struggle, Georgia's burning trash fire Marjorie Taylor Greene demands Ukraine surrender.
Cody Dylon Setzer (29) admitted to taking a pair of month-old bear cubs from their den in Northern California. He tried to raise the cubs on his own, but called authorities when he realized the cubs weren't thriving.
From the California Department of Fish and Wildlife:
During the investigation, wildlife officers determined Setzer and a co-worker at a local timber management company took the cubs from a den inside a tree that had fallen across an access road to a work site.
— Read the rest
One of Russia's wealthiest oligarchs, Mikhail Fridman, is distraught over European Union sanctions imposed against Russia for invading Ukraine. Since the war began his net worth has plummeted from $14 billion to a paltry $10 billion (on paper).
In a Bloomberg article describing her meeting with Fridman in a London coffee house, Stephanie Baker says the billionaire "is in the strange position of being an oligarch with essentially no cash. — Read the rest
My Pillow Guy, aka Mike Lindell, freaked out his show host on "Lindell TV" when he accused Colorado's Secretary of State Jena Griswold of murder.
"She will go to prison, prison, and more prison," the conspiracy theorist said, paying no heed to the $1.3 billion lawsuit against him for his Big Lies about voting machines and the 2020 election. — Read the rest
Slab City is an off-the-grid community of folks living in an abandoned artillery range, near a rapidly evaporating lake full of former farm irrigation run-off and chemicals that creates a dusty and toxic zone you would not expect folks to want to live by. — Read the rest
Ronny Chieng tackles the stupidity that is current likely invented enthusiasm for doing things in VR. Years ago the TV show Community explained the issues with VR perfectly. They still remain the same.
Voilla!
First, I will simply quote great American poet LL Cool J when I say "Don't call it comeback" as this video is certainly "putting suckers in fear", and second I'll just add "keep on living your best life, Corey."
Going to the gas pump these days feels like highway robbery. Even though bravely bearing the strain of keeping Russia accountable for its horrific actions in Ukraine can endow one with feelings of altruism, it doesn't make the prospect of dropping $60 to fill up your tank go down any easier. — Read the rest
Like pretty much everything else he's done, I didn't expect it to be quite this good.
I love the Russian people. That is why I have to tell you the truth. Please watch and share. pic.twitter.com/6gyVRhgpFV
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) March 17, 2022
A man who had spent a long day traveling arrived at what he thought was his Miami Airbnb at 2am. He looked at the host's comments and everything seemed to be in order: the gate was unlocked, the dog was outside (so "please make sure to shut the gate"), and the house door was left unlocked for him. — Read the rest
There's a lot to look forward to this spring, from fun dinner parties with friends to graduation and wedding celebrations. And while nothing goes hand-in-hand with these fun occasions like a great-tasting cocktail, there are only so many gin and tonics and cranberry vodka sodas you can serve before things grow dull. — Read the rest
In Marge's world of Jewish space lasers and gazpacho police, there are two U.S. leaders — one's a commander and the other's a chief, as she told the Bulwark's Bill Kristol, who's an editor and large.
Angry that the conservative commentator tweeted, "@RepMTG recommends betting against America," she lashed back, first by addressing him with the slanderous term "pumpkin," and then with a real zinger:
"How about you suit up and report to your commander and chief and tell him your [sic] reporting for duty." — Read the rest
Apple's newest model of Mac (and its matching display) roll in tomorrow, but the first reviews are out today. The consensus: Mac Studio is an excellent and unexpectedly powerful machine in a compact case, but has a price to match. — Read the rest
Even though I cover tabletop gaming professionally and spend a lot of time consuming gaming media, I am often embarrassingly late to the party on the hip, killer game du jour. Case in point: Mörk Borg.
This Swedish-based RPG (Mörk Borg is Swedish for "dark fort") has been around for a couple of years now. — Read the rest
A couple of weeks ago, Capcom released the trailer for Street Fighter 6. Before the trailer for the sixth iteration of their flagship franchise, Capcom posted a graphic to celebrate 35 years of Street Fighter. From the outside looking in, one might wonder how a game series as popular as Street Fighter has only produced six entries over 35 years. — Read the rest
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tyson 2.0 (@itstyson20)
My parents were wrong: there is a future in marijuana. As the puritanical laws surrounding weed loosen around the country, edibles are becoming easier to access. When I downed my first pot brownie, it was shoddily crafted and tasted like Gary Busey's bathwater. — Read the rest
Today on "Unhelpful Comparative Metrics":
One might even say that it was slightly larger than a tapir! pic.twitter.com/3fFrJYSvru
— Forfocséic Vol 2: Whiskey & Work — out now! (@thomdunn) March 15, 2022
Here's a little more detail from the actual article, which is still not particularly helpful:
The space rock, named 2022 EB5, is believed to have mostly burnt up in our planet's atmosphere, but even if it had impacted the surface it would have done little to no damage because it was just 10ft (3 metres) wide, about half the size of a giraffe.
— Read the rest
Upon first glance, one might find the sentence "More people have been to Berlin than I have" to be perfectly acceptable. If you look a little closer, you'll find the sentence has no meaning whatsoever. This type of sentence is called a comparative illusions or an Escher sentence. — Read the rest
GREEN is an ambient album from 1986 by Hiroshi Yoshimura, a pioneer of ambient music in Japan. Besides working on personal projects and performing, he's made music for galleries, museums, buildings, and train stations.
Yoshimura's music is part of the environmental music genre, "Kankyō Ongaku." — Read the rest
You didn't know you needed a very stoned-looking Jaleel White as Urkel cast in a waffle iron and now you'll have to hunt for one on the collectors market, or Goodwill, I think both are likely. The ItsPurpl website suggests they may re-stock this wonder of kitchen tools again, and you can sign up for an email notification if they become available. — Read the rest
The Cuckoo Clock is a 2019 solo exhibition by artist Vered Aharonovitch. This four-minute video of the project gives a tour of a fantastic miniature house and little clay people who live inside of it. Some of the tiny, handmade characters even move around on motors. — Read the rest
Jamie Livingston took a Polaroid picture every day from March 31, 1979 to October 25th, 1997, the day of his death. You can see Jamie Livingston's "Polaroid a Day" series here. All of the photographs are organized by date, and there's even a feature where you can see all the photos that were taken on a single day of a year, over the years of the project. — Read the rest
"We not only lack dominion over nature, we're subordinate to it," says Dr. Ian Malcolm.
From Jurassic World architect and director Colin Trevorrow, Dominion takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed. Dinosaurs now live—and hunt—alongside humans all over the world.
— Read the rest
Hearkening back to the civil days of the Trump presidency, when three Supreme Court Justices were considered only after respectfully giving the cold shoulder to Democrat Senators — and even further back, when Republicans shouldered the burden of choosing a Supreme Court Justice by kindly hitting the pause button during President Obama's final year in office — Senator Marsha Blackburn (R–TN) is now incensed that President Biden is extending the same courtesy to the Republicans. — Read the rest
Class-T amplifiers have been around for over 20 years. They are tiny, cheap, lightweight, and look like toys. But they sound amazing. I bought a Bluetooth model (Nobsound G3 5.0 Amplifier) and hooked it up to a pair of old speakers. — Read the rest
The Ghibli Museum, celebrating the work of Hayao Miyazaki through exhibits, sculptures, and film screenings, was one of my favorite destinations when I last visited Tokyo. Now, the studio is opening a theme park in November! Ghibli Park is under construction in Aichi Earth Expo Memorial Park, two hours from Kyoto. — Read the rest
Bigfatfrown covers Toto's Africa entirely with instruments in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
"I bless the rains down in Termina."
In Carroll Iowa, school superintendent Casey Burlau sent a letter to students and parents to quash rumors that district "schools have litter boxes in the restrooms to accommodate individuals who are self-identifying as animals."
Apparently the same rumor has been spread in other school districts around the country. — Read the rest
In Sunday's New York Times crossword puzzle, constructor Stephen McCarthy embedded a wonderful trick centered on the Star Trek vs. Star Wars debate. For the clue "The better of two sci-fi franchises," either answer works. From the Constructor Notes:
I am a fan of both "Star Wars" and "Star Trek," so it's nice to be able to highlight both (not to mention the friendly rivalry between the two fandoms) in one puzzle.
— Read the rest
A gentleman aboard a flight from New York to Orlando reportedly took offense at the passenger behind him because he thought she was helping herself to his DNA by jabbing him with a hypodermic needle. He allegedly responded by threatening to kill everyone on board, including an infant. — Read the rest
While enjoying January's anti-freedoms March for Life rally, prankster Jason Selvig wanted some clarity — if God didn't make room on Noah's ark for all of Earth's pregnant women, can the Bible really call itself pro-life?
To find out, he asked one of the rally's demonstrators if the Bible was pro-life, to which the very confident gentleman answered, "Of course!" — Read the rest
At the end of season 2 of The Mandalorian (which aired in December 2020, so spoiler alerts are meaningless but here we are), a DeepFaked CGI version of Luke Skywalker makes a surprising appearance to recruit the young Grogu for his upcoming Jedi revival scheme. — Read the rest
Related to yesterday's post about words known better by men than women, and vice versa, here are words that people in the UK know better than U.S. people and vice versa. I knew only a word or two on the UK side, and all but one or two on the U.S. — Read the rest
The Guardian reports that a Siberian military court sentenced 16-year-old Nikita Uvarov to five years in a penal colony for "training for terrorist activities." His "terrorist activities" amounted to planning to "blow up" a virtual building in the computer game Minecraft created by the FSB, which Putin's security agency formerly known as the KGB. — Read the rest
Harvard university's Nieman Lab offers a "an incomplete history of Forbes.com as a platform for scams, grift, and bad journalism". Forbes, an illustrious business magazine on a par with Fortune and Bloomberg Businessweek, transformed its website into a growth-obsessed blog platform more than a decade ago, with a plan to outpace The Huffington Post through sheer unedited, unchecked, mostly-unread volume. — Read the rest
If ever faced with a terror-stricken dog, watch this video for excellent pointers on how to break the ice. Posted on Instagram by veterinarian Dr. Thomas Hamilton, the vet faces a slouched, frozen, nervous dog who has backed itself into a corner. — Read the rest
A British man, accused of raping a British woman in the first class section of a United Airlines flight from New Jersey to London, has been released pending the outcome of an investigation.
A source told The Sun: "The woman said she was raped by the passenger during the flight while others were asleep. — Read the rest
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views.
You've set the picnic table with your signature grilled cheese sandwiches freshly prepared for your family. The tents are entirely constructed, ready for a cozy night of sleep in the mountains. — Read the rest
A woman in Pakistan was admitted to a hospital with a nail protuding from her head. The nail, which penetrated her skull, was supposed to change the sex of the fetus she was carrying from a girl to a boy.
Police in Pakistan issued a statement that it intends to "bring to justice the fake Pir [healer] who played with the life of an innocent woman & put a nail in her head, with a false promise of a male child." — Read the rest
I have no idea the legality, safety, or engineering that went into making this ultralight sea/aircraft but I am pretty sure it is a heck of a lot of fun. Perhaps it is a Flying Inflatable Boat by Polaris.
The BBC was going to broadcast a documentary called The Crypto-Millionaire last night, supposedly telling the story of a young man from Birmingham, England, who turned $50 in $50m trading crypto. But when the time came, the show wasn't on. The Guardian had, at the last moment, asked some difficult questions. — Read the rest
Texas House candidate Shelley Luther, a former school teacher and arrested salon owner, doesn't like "transgenders" because they make her feel uncomfortable. And what's more, we're not allowed to laugh at them! But oops, maybe she didn't meant to say that part out loud. — Read the rest
The state of California is suing Tesla over allegations of widespread "racial discrimination and harassment" against Black workers at the company's factory in Fremont. After complaints from hundreds of workers of a "racially segregated workplace" that includes unfair pay and discipline, as well as workers being subjected to racial graffiti, racial slurs, and an overall hostile environment, California's department of fair employment and housing (DFEH) filed a lawsuit on Wednesday. — Read the rest
Houston Metro is among the bus-operating companies who installed special seats commemorating Rosa Parks, a black woman whose arrest after refusing to yield her seat to a white passenger sparked the Montgomery bus boycott.
"The national day of action recognizes her act of defiance, strength, and dignity while promoting access to and investment in public transportation as a civil right and strategy to combat climate change," Metro officials said in the release.
— Read the rest
Anna Leporskaya's Three Figures (c. 1934), insured for 74.9 million rubles (~$1m), was defaced by a security guard "bored" on his first shift [Daily Mail] at the Yeltsin Center in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Restoration will cost thousands of dollars, and the security guard was fired. — Read the rest
President Biden got press to die for when he visited Pittsburgh last week to tout his administration's infrastructure push: one of the city's rotting bridges suddenly collapsed while he was in town, tipping several cars and a commuter bus into its own crumpled remains. — Read the rest
From creator Will H:
The collagementary I have produced uses approximately 380 unique individual clips spliced together from 262 different episodes of the popular US Animated Sitcom 'The Simpsons', to informatively dictate the UK Government's 'Fair Dealing' Copyright exceptions.
Feed content is being constantly distributed via new channels and endpoints every day. More and more, these new channels involve sharing your content in social networks and applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Buzz.
Recently, we launched our Socialize service to help you as the publisher distribute your feed via social networks, with the first network being Twitter. If you use Blogger, you can already connect your feed to Buzz via the "connected sites" link in Buzz.
But it's equally important in the social world to make sure your subscribers can also share your feed content easily on these social networks. FeedFlare helps enable this by allowing you to configure links in your feed that promote sharing. You can do this by going to the Optimize tab FeedBurner and choosing FeedFlare, and then of course, adding some flare.
Now, we won't berate you for only doing the "bare minumum," nor do we recommend having "37 pieces of flare" in your feed - but we do think you should express yourself with at least a little flare that helps your subscribers move your content around these social networks a little easier.
To that end, just yesterday we enabled the official "Post to Google Buzz" FeedFlare in our catalog, which easily allows users to repost your content to Google Buzz, and then automatically updates the label with the number of times it was posted.
These links appear as so in your feed (though the exact presentation will vary depending on where your feed is being displayed):
Also included in our official catalog are "Share on Facebook" and others that may be relevant for your audience. If you are an old time FeedBurner user, it may be time to revisit your FeedFlare setup and add some of these new ones.
In addition, if you don't see the FeedFlare you need, you can always develop one using the FeedFlare API which is documented in our FeedFlare Developer Guide.
Posted by Steve Olechowski, FeedBurner Team
First, Happy New Year to everyone from AdSense for feeds and FeedBurner teams here at Google.
Second, this is a quick one - but we get asked this a lot, so we thought we'd cover it.
If you currently use the Competitive Ad Filter with AdSense for content, you may also wish to use it with AdSense for feeds. In order to provide publishers with ultimate control, the filter for AdSense for feeds is separate from that of AdSense for content, but operates in the exact same manner.
To block competitors ads from showing in AdSense for feeds, login to your AdSense account, go to the AdSense setup tab, and select Competitive Ad Filter. Then make sure you have selected the tab marked "AdSense for Feeds" and enter the domains or partial domains into the text box.
For further information on this please read this help center topic .
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds
One of the most compelling reasons that publishers choose FeedBurner is that it gives them the tools to record and analyze how many users are consuming their content. Late last week, we launched an enhancement to our item statistics that enables publishers to get a bit more information about those users. Similar to the feature by the same name in Google Analytics, the "Map Overlay" page provides a breakdown of the previous day's item statistics from a geographic perspective.
For feeds with item stats enabled, clicking on the "Map Overlay" item from feedburner.google.com will bring you the page. From your AdSense account, click on Manage Ads and then on "View Feed Stats" for the feed whose map you wish to view.
At the top, you'll find a world map visualization that shows countries with more item views as more intense shades of green.
Hovering over a country shows the name of the country and the exact number of item views.
Below the map is a table, which lists the top 25 countries by number of item views.
Hopefully, you will be able to use these data to better tailor content to your readership, and target lackluster markets. If you are one of our publishers who sells your own ads in feeds using Google Ad Manager, this will help you better target your subscribers. Or, just reveling in the world-wide reach of a feed is pretty satisfying too.
And remember, it's important that you follow our instructions to make sure you are directing all your traffic to FeedBurner.
Posted by Greg Kick, FeedBurner Engineering Team
As a natural conclusion to the process of migrating feedburner.com accounts to Google Accounts as previously described here, we have decided to sunset the legacy Feedburner Terms of Service. The Google Terms of Service will be the terms that apply to your use of Feedburner. These Google Terms of Service are the same terms that apply to many other Google products and services, including your Google Account.As a reminder, the advertising portions of the service are now covered by the AdSense Terms and Conditions and the accompanying Google AdSense Program Policies.
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds and FeedBurner
If you've been knocking about within FeedBurner using your Google Account, you may have noticed that the original "french fry" chart from the Analyze tab of the original feedburner.com is no more. This venerable bar chart, with its green picket fence of subscriber trend results, has been the first stop for many publishers when checking their feed analytics for years. In its place is new green-ness (and blue-ness) that communicates three times as much information in the same space, and sets the stage for more interesting reporting in the future. Here's a snapshot:
This 30-day view now offers the following information:
* Daily subscriber totals (in green)
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Daily reach totals (in blue)
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The relationship between these two numbers over time
You can move the mouse over any day in the chart and see that day's specific totals for subscribers and reach, too. (Note that reach and subscribers are plotted with different y-axes: subscribers on left, reach on right).
The relationship between these numbers is the kicker:
Understanding that reach means people taking action* by viewing or clicking on items in your feed helps you understand how engaged your audience is.
* The more often you post (especially with full text), the more often people are likely to view your current (and previous) updates, and even click-through to your site for related information.
- Note the blue spikes in reach above; these are centered around new posts. Steady subscriber growth occurred as this site promoted and redirected 100% of its original feed traffic to its feed.
Don't forget to click the "See more about your subscribers" link below the main chart to view a detailed breakdown of your subscriber traffic:
Comparing this chart, day by day, can help you spot where subscribers are coming from (and from what source they have gone missing, should there be a sudden drop).
While we're on the topic: make sure you can actually get the reach statistic — meaning, make sure you turn on item-level stats for your feed! They're used to help calculate reach. Visit the Analyze tab, look for the "Configure Stats" option, and make sure the boxes shown below are checked:
(You can, of course, check "downloads," too, if you're a podcaster). As a reminder: to view all feed stats' reports and options, either click the "View Feed Stats" next to your feed's ad unit listing in the AdSense Manage Ads section, or sign into feedburner.google.com and click on your feed's title on My Feeds.
— Jessie Chavez, Software Engineer, and Matt Shobe, User Experience Designer, AdSense for feeds
FeedBurner's email service began delivering updates in April, 2006. The launch was just weeks after scientists determined email and feeds could be safely combined in a laboratory setting. Our public service has since delivered millions of messages on behalf of thousands of publishers, making sure that publishers who want to get the word out can reach the broadest audience possible — including many site visitors who don't already embrace feeds (or feed readers, like Google Reader), but who trust their email inboxes to be the best way to have content that matters most delivered to them.
As part of our move to Google infrastructure, FeedBurner has added some new features for email publishers. Most of these are of the under-the-hood variety, but a new set of subscriber list management features will be especially beneficial for publishers with dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of existing email subscribers. Here are features live today for all feeds managed through a Google account:
Added reliability and delivery scale, thanks to Google infrastructure.* The same systems that handle Gmail and other, large-scale public email communications traffic now deliver FeedBurner email subscriptions, too.
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Robust subscriber list search and pagination. Instead of loading your entire subscriber list, which is too much for some browsers to handle if that list is really big, the new service displays just the 150 most recent subscribers. You can search for specific addresses or general domains (e.g., "hotmail.com" will return a list and total count of your subscribers with "hotmail.com" in their addresses.) This list is now paginated to allow you to scroll through its contents easily.
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Complete subscriber list export. Want to view the whole shebang offline? Download a CSV-formatted text file of your entire subscriber list.
These new features are in addition to FeedBurner's classic email capabilities. As always, you may:
* Customize delivery time frame and time zone
* Write your own welcome/activation email text
* Choose from multiple custom font, size, and color combinations
* Incorporate a custom graphic logo in your HTML message header
Also, new subscribers are still required to confirm their requests (to minimize potential abuse).
Want to use the free email delivery service with your feed? Using the latest improvements to email requires moving your existing feedburner.com account to Google (if you haven't done so already). If you use AdSense, any feeds you set up to use AdSense for feeds will also include ads in emails delivered with this service. Sign in to your AdSense account, click AdSense Setup, then Manage Ads, and then locate an AdSense for feeds unit you have created. Click the "View Feed Stats" link next to this unit to reach your feed's Analyze page. Click the Publicize tab, then Email Subscriptions to view and set up service options. Email subscriptions will be delivered, using your settings, starting with your feed's next update. (If your Google account is already set up to use FeedBurner, you can also get to the "Email Subscriptions" service setup area by signing directly in to feedburner.google.com, clicking your feed's title on My Feeds, and then visiting Publicize > Email Subscriptions.)
Posted by Matt Shobe, User Experience Designer, AdSense for Feeds
One of the things our publishers have always asked for are ways to make it even easer to configure their blogs to work with FeedBurner and AdSense for Feeds. We're happy to announce that Blogger users, with just a few clicks, are able to do both at the same time.
Yes, this year for Halloween, AdSense for feeds is putting on a Blogger costume and allowing all Blogger publishers to easily monetize your RSS and Atom feeds directly from the Blogger interface, in the same way you set up AdSense on your blog beforehand.
To set this up, go to Blogger and select the blog you wish to monetize on your Blogger Dashboard, and select "Monetize." This will give you some basic options for configuring ads, and if you already have connected your Blogger feed to FeedBurner, will confirm that the proper feed is being configured. AdSense for feeds will automatically pick the right ad sizes for your users, content, and end medium.
After setup, you will be able to view your AdSense reports (including feed revenue) directly from the Blogger Dashboard, as well as from your AdSense account. Additional feed management options for your feed and feed analytics will be available from http://feedburner.google.com.
Posted by Steve Olechowski on behalf of the AdSense for feeds and Blogger teams
This is just a quick clarification on AdSense for feeds as it relates to the AdSense for Content specific policy of only allowing three ad units and three link units per page.Many publishers have asked the question "Since feed items often get displayed with many feed items on a single web page, can using AdSense for feeds jeopardize the status of my AdSense account?"The answer is no. Having three ad units per page is a product specific policy for AdSense for content. Product specific policies can be read about here.
In essence, the variable ways in which feed items are displayed are controlled and optimized automatically by the AdSense for feeds application and the choices you make as a publisher in your AdSense account when configuring your AdSense for feeds ad units. This means we may automatically suppress ad impressions when we detect there are too many feed ad units being displayed, resize ads based on the size and length of your content, and adjust the ads that are displayed based on the device in which the feed is being read.
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds
FeedBurner has been busy analyzing, publicizing, optimizing and monetizing your feeds since 2004, and in that time, we've seen our fair share of feed traffic. In fact, we see billions of hits from feed traffic per week, and we watch this data carefully for trends and opportunities to improve what we do in making sure your feed content is delivered as quickly as possible, as accurately as possible, no matter what its destination might be.Today we are making an improvement that we think will serve our publishers better by making our service more compatible with search engines that crawl feeds.When we started the service, one thing we were not sure of at the time was how the feed reading ecosystem would treat the links we rewrite in order to give you statistics on how many people click on your feed items.For instance, on the previous post in this blog, we change the link in the feed item for "FeedBurner Terms of Service Update" from
http://adsenseforfeeds.blogspot.com/2009/08/feedburner-terms-of-service-update.html
tohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/blogspot/MQiv/~3/Z8Es5QuvgEI/feedburner-terms-of-service-update.html
which sends the browser to that original URL, but allows us to first track the click.As a technical detail, we rewrote these links with a code of "302 Temporary Redirect" which tells the browser or consuming service that the redirect is not permanent, and thus it would need to be read every time.As of today we are changing this to be a "301 Permanent Redirect" because we've looked at the traffic enough to tell that there some benefit to changing this to a "301 Permanent Redirect" - in that some search engines that index the feeds themselves will consider these to be additional links that should be used in determining the popularity of your site. This is the same way that "URL shortener" services send traffic and get treated by search engines, so we feel that this is consistent with the way that content is distributed today. This update should not change the number of clicks that come to your site from your feed nor should it significantly affect the number of clicks FeedBurner tracks for you.What do you need to do? Nothin'. Nada. Just keep burning your feeds from FeedBurner or your AdSense account in AdSense for feeds, and we will keep working hard to ensure your content is as accessible as possible – now, hopefully even more so.
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds and FeedBurner
One of the questions we get from publishers most often is "How do I make sure updates to my feed are delivered to feed readers as fast as possible?" We know this is important to our publishers' businesses and we are constantly making improvements to our back-end systems to minimize the time from when you publish a post to when it appears to subscribers in feed readers.
Recently there have been a lot of developments around the so-called "real-time" web. The promise of the real-time web is distributing new information as quickly as possible. This encourages users to engage in more active participation online and makes the web more dynamic than ever before. However, so far the real-time web has not been easily accessible by feed publishers using their existing infrastructure.
Today we're happy to announce initial support in FeedBurner for the PubSubHubbub protocol. 'Hubbub is an open specification in draft for web-scale publish and subscribe. The protocol can be used to transform any existing Atom and RSS feed on the web into a real-time stream. Best of all, it's open, free, and decentralized like the rest of what makes the web so great: No single organization controls the protocol or how it's used.
As of right now, burned feeds with the PingShot service enabled are automatically enhanced with the PubSubHubbub protocol. We'll add the required discovery elements to these feeds and notify a Google-run Hub, running on App Engine, of publish events. We also convert any pings we receive into 'Hubbub events. That means for many of our publishers out there, your existing feeds are available as real-time streams right now. Like, immediately. This very moment.
If you are a publisher and are not already using our PingShot service, turning it on is easy. From feedburner.google.com, visit the Publicize tab for your feed, select PingShot, and click the [Activate] button at the bottom of the page. From your AdSense account, go to Manage Ads, then click View Feed Stats link, and do the same thing. That's it.
If you manage a service that would like to receive updates to the millions of FeedBurner feeds that use this service as soon as possible, or just want to know more about the PubSubHubub protocol, we encourage you to check out our project on Google Code. There are open-source clients for Python, Perl, PHP, Ruby, and WordPress. We have an open-source reference implementation of a Hub built on Google App Engine. And there are other Hub implementations built and run by other companies. Please let us know what you think in the PubSubHubub Google Group!
Posted by Steve Olechowski, on behalf of the FeedBurner Team
Over the last week, and as reported in the FeedBurner status blog , we experienced a technical issue that caused us to report reduced subscribers from Google Feedfetcher in your feed analytics at FeedBurner and AdSense.
Our engineers have resolved the issue, and been able to rebuild stats from our logs such that the totals should now be correct. Please note that in the past, we were not able to correct historical statistical anomalies, but are now able to do so, always using the actual traffic data.
No data was lost during this process, nor were any subscribers actually unsubscribed from your feed. All feed content was delivered to all subscribers who wished to view the content, regardless of the numbers reported. Ad impression reporting and revenue were unaffected by these subscriber reporting issues.
We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we continue to merge our systems with other Google systems behind the scenes.
Posted by Steve Olechowski, Google Product Management
Thanks to everyone who has been a loyal reader of this blog over the years. After some consideration, we recognize that we're just not generating enough content here to warrant your time, so we won't be posting here any longer. Thanks again for being an enthusiastic FeedBurner user.
Posted by Emily Wood, Google Blog Team
Along with the clarification regarding the doubleclick.net domain we posted a few weeks ago over at Inside AdSense, we thought we would mention that we have made similar changes to the AdSense for feeds ad tags that are being placed in feeds. By changing our ad serving to the doubleclick.net domain, we are now allowing advertisers to more easily create campaigns that span all media platform types on the Google Content Network, including sites, feeds, and mobile.In addition to being able to target feeds with Placement Targeting and Contextual Targeting, which have always been supported, this change will soon allow advertisers to target feed users using Interest Based Advertising across both sites and feeds.By making it easier for advertisers to buy ads in your feeds, and by supporting the exact same features and ad formats that are accepted on websites, the competition for your ad space should increase to help ensure that you're maximizing your earnings potential.
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds
It's about time these two neighbors got to talking to each other. Most Saturday afternoons you'd find them politely waving as they passed at each other by with their push mowers, tending to their neatly manicured tables, charts, and graphs. It just made sense that the grounds would look that much more complete if they removed a bit of fence between them. And so they've done just that.
If you use either AdSense for feeds or Google FeedBurner to track item clicks and also use Google Analytics, as of today, you will automatically start to see your feed item click analytics show up in Google Analytics with some additional information added to help you understand how distributing your feed with FeedBurner leads to traffic on your site.
Specifically, we will help you classify your links by tagging the Source as "feedburner", the Medium as the channel in which we sent out your feed such as "feed" or "email", and the Content as the actual endpoint application in which the user viewed your feed content such as "Google Reader" or "Yahoo! Mail". In order to slice your traffic by these endpoints, in the All Traffic Sources view in Google Analytics select the "Ad Content" field in the second column.
In the coming weeks, you will start to see many more distribution endpoints in your reports. The represent ongoing additions to our database of applications that process feeds.
By default, these analytics will show up in the "All Traffic Sources" and "Campaigns" views in Google Analytics. You can filter the results just to only the traffic that comes from Google FeedBurner by filtering on "feedburner" on the All Traffic Sources page or "Feed:" on the campaigns view. You can also use these sources in the Advanced Segments views.
In this view below, we actually have two separate feeds driving traffic to this blog, and that can now be tracked easily in one view.
If you have item click tracking enabled, we are now automatically tagging your item URLs with Google Analytics parameters. If you're not using Google Analytics, or for some other reason don't want these parameters in the requests coming to your website, you can turn off Google Analytics tracking on the "Configure Stats" page on the Analyze tab at http://feedburner.google.com. If you don't have item click tracking enabled, this is also the perfect time to turn it on, which can be done on this same page.
For instance, if you would rather see the detail of where your feeds are read directly, you can add ${distributionEndpoint} as the medium, and then you will get views that look something like this.
Again this will happen automatically except in one specific case: if you are already tagging your feed item URLs with Google Analtyics tags such as "utm_source" and "utm_medium" - we have disabled this feature and you will have to turn it on manually by selecting "Track clicks as a traffic source in Google Analytics." Note that if you do this, we will replace any existing "utm_" tags that may be in your permalinks with the values generated from FeedBurner.
In the coming weeks, we will be releasing more features in Google FeedBurner that take advantage of this functionality, so we highly recommend that you register and set up your site with Google Analytics if you haven't done so already.
Posted by Steve Olechowski on behalf of the Google FeedBurner team
Sometimes you reach across the hedgerow to share with your nearby neighbors. Other times, members of the household move away and yet you can't keep from calling to remind them to wear a hat and such because it's chilly out. Today, we're celebrating acquaintances near-and-far by launching the ability to send your feed to Twitter.
FeedBurner has always been about measuring, managing, and monetizing syndicated content. Our hope is that by providing one application in which you can direct your feed in real-time to a number of endpoints, in this case Twitter in addition to the myriad feed readers, aggregators, and search engines that we have always supported, and then following on with providing analytics for measuring exactly how and where your feed gets distributed across social media, you can make better and more informed decisions about how to monetize your content.
Many of our publishers who have tried our Google Analytics feed item link integration have already noticed that their most popular feed items have been shared many times on Twitter.
We're now taking our distribution and analytics a step further by enabling the ability to automatically publish the feed items that meet your criteria to Twitter, using the Google URL shortener at goo.gl.
To get started, go to the Socialize service on FeedBurner's Publicize tab and add the Twitter account to which you would like to post items from your feed. You can take the default settings and click [Save] to start socializing immediately, or use the options we offer to customize exactly which feed items are sent to Twitter and how exactly you would like them to look. The next time you post a new item to your feed it will be sent to Twitter (as always, make sure to ping FeedBurner whenever you update your feed so this process happens as near real-time as possible).
For full details on all Socialize options, see our FeedBurner Help Center topic.
To see the results, take a look at the Twitter account in which you are sending your updates. This blog post, for instance, as well as select blog posts from this and the FeedBurner status blog, will appear from now on at http://twitter.com/feedburner. If Twitter is where you are consuming most of the latest content these days, please follow @feedburner to receive our updates in your favorite Twitter client.
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, on behalf of the Google FeedBurner team
Do you hate delays? Do you think being told to “Please wait…” by websites, cash machines, call centers, and the doughnut stand drive-thru guy in the year 2010 is a sure sign modern living isn’t quite meeting our collective expectations as a planet?
Good news! Today, we will be rolling out a new, experimental interface for Google FeedBurner. The real story is what’s new under the hood, however: the new interface provides real time stats for clicks, views, and podcast downloads, which means you can start seeing what content is drawing traffic from feed readers, Twitter, and other syndicated sources as it happens.
Additionally, if you use the FeedBurner Socialize service, and your platform uses PubSubHubbub or you ping us when you post, you can for the first time get stats on how much traffic your feed items are receiving from Twitter, as well as feed reading platforms like Google Reader in one place. Again, all within seconds of posting your content. Ping? Pong! Yep. That fast.
Your subscriber and reach numbers are still calculated based on a whole day's worth of requests, and are based on the traffic you received yesterday and before; but your item stats reflect the traffic you are receiving right now.
You can access the new interface by visiting http://feedburner.google.com/gfb/ or logging into feedburner.google.com and then clicking on the "Try out the NEW (beta) version!" link at the top.
The best way to see these real time features is to publish a new post and then switch to the “Last two hours” view to begin seeing updates.
To access feed management or previous analytics functionality, you can continue using the original interface at feedburner.google.com.
In the new interface, we are focusing on two things: our new real-time stats presentation and getting messages about and issues with your feed posted to the top-level dashboard, so that you can better diagnose any issues that may prevent your feed from being delivered in real time. If you have any comments or questions, look for the “Send Feedback” link at the top of the page to tell us what you think.
Posted by Dan Rodney, FeedBurner Team
In times like these, we know that generating as much revenue as possible is on many publishers' minds. This will be the first of many posts that will hope to explain how to better configure AdSense for feeds to help maximize revenue.Before going into specifics though, it's important to understand a couple important differences in how your subscribers are different from visitors on your website. If you use an analytics package for your site such as Google Analytics, most publishers will see that a large amount of their traffic comes from web searches. Many of these visitors may have been searching for a certain item, such as one of those blankets with sleeves and a hood - let's call it a shanket. You happen to have written about how much you love your shanket, and let's face it, you know how to write with the best of them, so your page ranks high in search results. That visitor may see an ad for a shanket next to your search result but wants to know more. So he or she clicks and reads your post, which seals the deal on this visitor needing a new shanket. You use AdSense for content, which includes ads for shankets that are matched contextually; the visitor clicks; a shanket is sold; and you earn revenue in the process.Your feed subscribers, however, very rarely, if at all, get to your content from a web search. On the contrary, they subscribe to your blog because you write entertaining musings about your family life, and occasionally also write about some of the wonderful products you have come across, such as your shanket.Because of this, the types of advertisers that run campaigns targeted at your feeds are not necessarily the same advertisers that are targeting search users. Instead of targeting keywords that match a search, advertisers wishing to use feed subscribers target placements in the Google Content Network.How do you ensure that your placements are exposed effectively in the Google Content Network?That's the easy part. When setting up new feeds on the AdSense Setup tab, make sure you leave the box that says "Create a channel that allows advertisers to target the selected feed." If you are creating a new channel that aggregates all of your feeds or subsets of your feeds that you would like to show to advertisers (highly recommended), make sure by selecting the "Show this channel to advertisers as an ad placement."In a week or so, these placements will show up in AdWords and some of the other tools used by Google advertisers to target the content network.Stay tuned for the next installment on Advanced Feed Placement optimization.
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds
Many of you have asked for a way to preview ads before they appear in your feed posts. That feature is now available.
The Ad Review Center (ARC) will give you more transparency and control by enabling you to approve or disapprove placement targeted ad creatives before they appear in your posts.
To get started with this tool, please login to your AdSense account. You will find ARC in the ‘Competitive Ad Filter’ section located under the ‘AdSense Setup’ tab. If you are using your AdSense account for other products- content, mobile, or video- please make sure to select the Client-ID starting with ca-feed-pub.
In order to maximize your revenue, we suggest that you keep the default setting to, ‘Run ads immediately.’ This will allow ads to run without delay while still allowing you to login and review the ads at a later time. By selecting the ‘Hold ads’ option, you could potentially decrease your revenue. This option will hold ads from displaying for 24 hours, thus limiting the number of advertisers' driving up your auction price.
You will then have the ability to approve or block a specific ad or advertiser in general. These settings can be changed at any time. Please keep in mind that blocking ads will remove them from the auction and could impact your revenue.
For more information about using the Ad Review Center, please visit our Help Center.
Posted by Barbara Bochner, Google Publisher Solutions Team
As many of you know, since becoming a part of Google in June of 2007, the FeedBurner team has been hard at work transforming FeedBurner into a service that uses the same underlying architecture as many other Google applications, running in the same high-volume datacenters. As a team, we chose this path for one reason: our highest priority is making sure your feed is served as fast as possible after you update your content, and is as close as technically possible to being available 100% of the time.
As many of you also know, a month ago we opened up ability for all AdSense publishers to move to this new platform, and just a few days ago made this move available to all FeedBurner publishers. What many of you do not know is that we have been carefully moving publishers for about six months now, looking hard at traffic patterns, debugging issues with these account transfers with publishers and their hosting and service providers, and working with many of our partners (including many other teams at Google) who run feed aggregation platforms to ensure feeds from this new platform are polled and distributed as fast and reliably as possible. (One example: we moved over 100 external Google blogs and their respective FeedBurner feeds over to the new platform as soon as we could; charity (and bug-fixing) begins at home!)
We are very aware of our responsibility to the RSS ecosystem. We are aware we host and provide service to not only some of the largest publishers, but also the feed for your site, the feeds that you rely on for mission-critical news and information, and even some feeds government provides to distribute information on a timely basis to their citizens. We know that many of you run businesses that critically depend on your feed being delivered quickly and reliably, and thus have been working with many of you to ensure that these feeds are delivered in tandem with a monetization solution that allows you to continue business as we go through this transition. FeedBurner has the privilege of serving millions of feeds globally that represent an incredibly wide spectrum of content.
It is this scale however, that makes our transition to Google's platform technically complex, and as we have started to open up account transfers to all users, it has also amplified the permutations of publisher web server configs, service providers, feed readers, search engines, and so on, and so on. We want to ensure that the time we spend tackling this technical complexity is not mistaken for lack of urgency, concern, or priority.
Just as an example, we are aware and have been working on a known issue of returning a "502 Error" or "503 Error" when checking for updates after certain feeds are migrated. This is a very general error message, representing a number of underlying issues, but in many cases it is a service provider throttling or disallowing traffic from Google. Although we came across many of these issues during our testing phase, in reality we knew a lot of these challenges would not fully surface until we released at scale, which we now have and are dealing with as high priority issues within Google.
To help communicate these issues and resolutions much more effectively, we have created a new blog and feed that you can subscribe to during this transition period. We plan to keep these around as long as necessary. We may also add features to the site that allow you to report your own feed issue details.
The extended team — including both original team members of FeedBurner, newer team members that joined us since we've been at Google, and the rest of Google — is excited about our future on this new integrated-with-Google platform that all publishers will be on at the conclusion of this account transfer process. We are excited because we see the potential for scale and innovation on this platform that will make for a true next generation feed management solution. Most of all, however, we are excited about getting publishers excited for these possibilities as we reveal what we have in store.
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds
Many of you have already moved from a feedburner.com account to a Google Account. For those who have not yet made the move, there seems to be some confusion on the process and exactly what will happen, or not happen, by certain dates. We want this post to help clear up any confusion.
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The FeedBurner functionality of analyzing, optimizing, publicizing, and monetizing your feeds is not being shut down or reduced in any way. We have made some strategic decisions to remove some of our functionality that is not directly relevant to managing feeds for reasons we hope will become apparent over time. Names may change, things may move around, but in general our plan is to provide a lot more functionality that makes sense in 2009, and beyond, for all publishers. Learn more here.
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On February 28th, if you have not moved your feeds to a Google Account, the traffic to your feeds will not be cut off or terminated, but you will not be able to view or manage your feeds until you have moved to a Google Account, unless you use MyBrand. Technically, this means that all traffic will now be served out of our Google data centers, and there will still be a way to move your account that will be in place indefinitely.
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If you used MyBrand at www.feedburner.com, you absolutely must move to a Google account and update your DNS CNAME records by March 16, 2009, or else your MyBrand URLs will return a 404 error. If you use MyBrand and have not moved, you should have already received an email from us with detailed instructions. If, for some reason, you have changed the email address associated with your FeedBurner account, you will receive another message once you have finished the move process to the email address associated with your Google Account.
From a features perspective, this means the work to transition publishers to Google will be complete, and we plan to focus all of our resources on building new and exciting publisher tools that are integrated with other Google products, and to continue improving the monetization potential of AdSense for feeds. We can't wait for you to see some of the things we have in store, but if for some reason you do not want to migrate to a Google account, you can still take your feeds with you.
Posted by Steve Olechowski and Matt Shobe, on behalf of the AdSense for Feeds/FeedBurner Team
As we detailed in our previous installment, More details on moving to a Google account, if you used the MyBrand service at feedburner.com — our service that allows you to use a custom domain with your feed — you must move to a Google account and update your DNS CNAME records by March 16, 2009, or else your MyBrand URLs will return a 404 "page not found" error.
It's important to note that it is not enough to just sign in with a Google account and request to move your account if you use MyBrand. Even if your MyBrand-ed URLs have continued to work after you have completed your move, they will cease to work on March 16, 2009 if you have not changed your DNS CNAME.
If you plan to continue to use MyBrand, you can find detailed instructions for changing your CNAME when you are signed into FeedBurner in the My Account > MyBrand section. If you haven't already moved from feedburner.com to a Google Account, please sign in to your account and follow the guided steps to complete this move. Here's a quick preview of those steps (click to zoom in):
(In the image above, you'll see the phrase {YOUR_CODE} in the instructions. This is replaced by an address that is specific to your Google Account available on the aforementioned MyBrand page; you need to use that address to update MyBrand correctly.)
If you have any questions about this transfer process, please refer to the FeedBurner Help Center entry “Transferring FeedBurner Accounts to Google Accounts FAQ” for additional details.
As feed consumption continues to grow, many or our publishers are adding more and more feeds to their Google accounts, and wishing to analyze, publicize, and monetize those feeds through the combination of AdSense for feeds and FeedBurner. Because of this trend, one of the most frequent questions we receive is "How do I export stats for all my feeds at once?"As of today, you can now export your subscriber, reach, hits, item click-throughs, podcast downloads, and item views directly from the FeedBurner application on the My Feeds page. You are then at your leisure to slice, dice, add, subtract, and even multiply and divide your stats however you may wish.As always, aggregate revenue, impressions, and clicks, and eCPM can be downloaded from your AdSense account or Google Ad Manager account (if you have been enabled to sell your own direct ads in feeds through Google Ad Manager) on the Reports tabs.Also, as a reminder - if you wish to export feed subscriber statistics in timeframes other than those provided, you can do that through the FeedBurner Awareness API.
Posted by Steve Olechowski, Google Product Managment
One of the most popular (and recurring) questions our publishers ask is, "How do I maximize revenue for AdSense for feeds and ensure my subscriber stats are as accurate as possible?" Some of you can recite the answers to these questions backwards and forwards (though we find typing it backwards is quite difficult, so we'll leave you to say that aloud). But for our many new publishers that are just tuning in, here's the recap.
Just setting up AdSense for feeds ad units in your AdSense account is not enough to start seeing traffic and revenue to your feeds. It's critical that 100% of your feed traffic be directed to the feed(s) you created in AdSense for feeds or your FeedBurner account. Luckily, this is fairly easy to do via two standard methods.
- Redirect your original feed. This is the recommended option for all publishers, but especially if you have an already established blog or feed that already has subscribers. This option ensures that all traffic gets funneled to the version that has both advertising and subscriber tracking enabled. We've detailed this process in this Help Center entry.
An added bonus: a plugin for self-hosted WordPress installations and feed-specific features within Blogger and TypePad make redirection much easier on these two publishing platforms.
- Promote your feeds.feedburner.com feed. This is recommended only in the cases where you are setting up a new blog, or have an existing blog or feed that has no traffic. For example, if your feed is found at http://feeds.feedburner.com/toastforbreakfast, you would change your blog template to link only to this version of the feed. Note you have to make sure to change it not only where you promote your feed directly, but also everywhere you have feed autodiscovery links in your template. (One other place to keep in mind: BrowserFriendly.)
Hopefully, this reminder will help everyone get on firm ground with how to maximize traffic to their feed and revenue from it, too. In future posts, we will be covering how to increase traffic and subscribers to your feed, so hang on to your hat!
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds
If a certain lack of variety has weighed on the format of your day-to-day, feed-to-email deliveries, things are looking up at last. Recent advances in dollar-sign technology have brought some strange and fascinating new capabilities to the Email Branding section of FeedBurner's Email Subscriptions feature. Read on, ostensibly for the many useful pictures and descriptions, but really for the danger and excitement only a new checkbox can bring.
First, sign in to your Google Account on FeedBurner and then click your feed's title, then Publicize > Email Subscriptions > Email Branding.
Always want to feature the title of the latest post in your subject line? Just put ${latestItemTitle} in the Email Subject/Title textbox:
Do you often have more than one post per day? You can help your readers uncover exactly how many new missives you've got planned for them in each update. Check the "Change Subject…" box and reveal a secondary subject line to use when 2 or more feed posts are delivered in a single email.Remember, good subject lines command attention in crowded inboxes.
Behold! The mythical "almost empty" inbox. But in this case, the most recent post's subject line, thanks to ${latestItemTitle}, is right in this FeedBurner-delivered email, shining through.
Have fun with this new feature, but please note that ${pithyRetort}, ${iambicPentameter}, and ${heartfeltApology} are not yet supported.
Posted by Paul Darga and Matt Shobe, FeedBurner Team
Like we announced on the more general Inside AdSense blog a couple weeks ago, we have extended our category filtering beta to English-language ads on the AdSense network, which we are happy to announce includes ads that appear in AdSense for feeds.
This feature allows to you filter ads in up to five categories such as Dating, Drugs and Supplements, Weight Loss, and Get Rich Quick. Your filters will be applied to English-language ads, no matter how they were targeted.
To have these settings take effect for your feeds, from Ad Review Center, make sure you select a Client-ID that starts with ca-feed-pub. Note that this allows you to select different categories for your feed than for your site, but also means you will need to select filters for both your feed and your site in order for filters to be applied to both these content types.
To see whether category filtering has been enabled for your location, sign in and visit the Ad Review Center, located under the 'AdSense Setup' tab. We're working on expanding this beta to additional languages and countries, and will be sure to announce any updates here on the blog. If you'd like to learn more about category filtering, please visit our Help Center.
Posted by Steve Olechowski - Product Manager, AdSense for feeds
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CBS News' Bob Schieffer with the morning show money quote for June 24th:
"The truth is I never asked Paris Hilton to be on Face The Nation, and for one reason, I couldn't think of anything I wanted to ask her."
The whole commentary is very much worth the short read time. Bob, you're a lone voice in the wilderness, but you're no loon.
The running time of Boston I, at 37:08, is precisely the time required to drive to and from the now-retired FeedBurner offices in clear traffic, starting from my home.
That's just the sort of kismet I can get behind.
From BoingBoing: All I have to say is, OH HAI I IS IN UR BEY WINDO LOOKING FOR NIREST STARBUX
There's been a fair amount of cicada anticipation and strategizing around here, and my comment has been "Boy, they really haven't been out in force in my neighborhood yet." That all changed yesterday:
Now, this tiny, streaming video doesn't do justice to the keening roar a few hundred million cicadas make when you hear it in person, in full surround sound. But hopefully you have some idea of just what sort of alien invasion we're up against. Where's that confounded Jeff Goldblum and his PowerBook? We need to upload that virus already.
As I suspect you already know if you’re anything close to a regular reader of this blog, Google bought our company, FeedBurner, on June 1. It’s been exciting ever since, as we took about exactly one weekend to reflect on this momentous event and then got nearly the entire company on planes and headed to New York and/or Mountaπin View, CA to get started as “Googlers.” (We'll still be based in Chicago.) My team, the designers, has worked from Google’s expansive New York office alongside the engineering team during the past two weeks. All of the hubbub around our time in New York is probably worth a post by itself, but that’s been there, done that material I don’t need to re-hash. (I do have some of my own photos, at least.)
But this post is about JetBlue. I’ve not flown them before, but because they have several convenient times to get you from Chicago to JFK in New York, I thought I’d give them a try for the second week of this travel stint. The short summary: in ideal conditions it’s a great way to fly domestically. As I write this, I’m watching Tiger Woods sink a birdie on 16 at Oakmont live, courtesy of the DirecTV link. Plenty of people have talked about this feature before, but to actually experience is to realize that this is such a no-brainer for air travel. Why shouldn’t I have satellite TV when I’m flying above the clouds, free from interference? Plus you get the option of 36 channels of TV or XM satellite radio, so if you forgot your iPod, you can still find some talk or music to drown out the jet drone. The seats are leather-trimmed and although they’re a little thin on padding they’re not a bother for a two-hour flight. (We’re in one of JetBlue’s new Embraer 190s, pictured above.) I think the legroom is about the same as United’s Economy Plus; it’s more than enough for me and my standard-issue 6’ frame. Oh, and they have blue Terra potato chips, made from those actual blue potatoes. Nice touch.
Service? It’s not Southwest, but it’s also not American, whose motto might as well be “working hard to hate our customers a little more each day.” They’re friendly but not over-the-top, eschewing any jokey manner or self-deprecation. (Frankly, the whole Southwest comedy-troupe-of-the-sky bit has become a bit wearing; I get it. You guys are irreverent. Now please start the APU and get to taxiing so I can breathe again.) The gate agents didn’t register any impression on me other than ‘out of the way,’ so that’s probably good. Again, I’m flying during threat-free conditions. Both of my flights are dead on-time, and fair weather and air traffic control hassles aren’t a factor, and my luggage is all carry-on. JetBlue’s meltdown earlier this year was widely publicized and their new Passenger’s Bill of Rights
is an attempt to re-seal the trust gap that opened up between it and its customers. I’d like to know what happens with them now if all hell breaks loose in the middle of rush hour, but I’d rather it be from a very safe distance from air travel while learning the outcome.
I suppose the miraculous part of all this really is getting in and out of NYC on time. Perhaps this is the whole “avoid LaGuardia at all costs” philosophy in action. JFK is straightforward to get to via the MTA and the “AirTrain”; it takes just under an hour from 15th and 8th Ave in Manhattan. JetBlue’s terminal (T6) at JFK is expanding as rapidly as the airline itself, so it’s a bit of a pardon-our-dust mess as a result. A remote shuttle that drives maybe 200 yards, tops, is required to get to a remote set of gates (the ones Chicago flights go into, sadly), so it takes some time to get to the gate. Still, security at 3pm on a Friday was a no-wait, walk-up affair. That must’ve been a hallucination due to lack of sleep on my part. In the other direction, JetBlue’s single gate at O’Hare is in Terminal 2, which is nothing special.
Bottom line: if you’re normally a United or American loyalist and Chicago » NYC is a frequent trip, try JetBlue. They take some angst out of travel and try to keep you pretty happy while the wheels are up, and that defines the “A” standard for most American air carriers today.
Isn't it more than a bit eerie that tonight's back-to-back The Sopranos and Entourage episodes had endings that involved principal characters shouting a single phrase of vindication into echoing, open canyons at the conclusion of spontaneous, reckless personal journeys?
I'm going with, "Yes, yes it was."
This story from the IHT about a P-38 recovered from a glacier and restored, piece-by-piece, is just the sort of study hall boredom-killing tale I used to dream up in the 8th grade era. Wouldn't it be great if I found a plane no one knew about and could get it fixed up, and then I could fly it to Canada? Funny that it never happened, at least not along the dirt bike trail that cut behind the subdivision on the other side of the 7-Eleven in Midland, Michigan. I probably should've spent a little more time investigating more remote patches of ground — at least those within a day's ride on a BMX.
This morning, around 8:30am or so, I went through yesterday's postal mail. I noticed a Nordstrom print catalog, among many others, that I'd just as well have them save the trees rather than send to me since I'll gladly shop their stores or website without prompting. (Yeah, I like the company.) Trusting that their own customer service process might be above par in the junk mail dept., I decided to send them a quick note through the standard feedback form on nordstrom.com. I sent:
Please remove me from the printed catalog mailing list; customer number AC74774XX1.
Fourty-five minutes later I received this response:
Dear Mr. Shobe,
Thank you for contacting Nordstrom regarding removing your name from our mailing list. I apologize for any inconvenience or frustration receiving our catalogs may have caused you.
Per your request, I have removed your name from our mailing list. Please note that because our catalogs are preprinted several months in advance, you may receive two or three additional mailings before the removal takes effect.
I hope the news of the removal eases your mind. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. Thank you again for contacting Nordstrom.
With warm regards,
Tari
Internet Customer Service
Nordstrom Direct
Visit us again at: www.nordstrom.com
OH, the inconvenience and frustration I've just been spared! :) Take that, FTD. OK, so I didn't start from a position of anger related to a botched mail order invoice, so it's not exactly apples-to-apples. But the blitzing turnaround time, simple precision of the response to my inquiry, and utter satisfaction from seeing that Nordstrom perceives my mundane request as meaningful enough to man the barricades on a Sunday-freaking-morning is worth real consumer bonus points to me. Seriously — well done, folks.
Sorry, but that's exactly what this post is about. We've been visiting with my parents over the Easter weekend, and tonight some fast-moving rain showers passed through, leaving an unbelievably vivid rainbow in their wake. The video below, shot with my trusty Flip, captures the action:
I'd love to see a new post. Please send this one via email. Today! …but first, I republish this post.
…although this article hails from the New York Times, not the New Yorker. What's more, it appears to be based on actual events.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/28/automobiles/28LEMONS.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2
Got a note from Comcast in the mail saying they'd been working on system-wide speed enhancements; I just needed to reset my modem to get the benefits. I did so, and decided to run a speed test. Holy Camoly:
The best download speed I'd gotten previously was about 6.2 MBps.
My feed situation is pretty messed up right now, so it's more than likely you missed my recent VOX blog posting on the marathon I'm running in December and the charity I want to support, with your help, via each full mile I complete. Here's the post; please follow the pledge form link at the end if you're compelled to do so. Thank you!
Thanks to those of you who pointed out that my temporary switch to my FriendFeed as a feed source caused massive trouble. I managed to redirect myself to myself in the process, and it was all the same posts/tweets/photos in a horrific loop.
I've reset the source and all that should be here, for now, are my plain old blog posts. And no, this wasn't FeedBurner's fault; pure, unfiltered PEBKAC. Cheers.
I love it when you run across stuff like this in Maps:
View Larger Map
That's a United 777, on short final to runway 10 at O'Hare. Looks like he's arriving right around noon. The daily nonstop from Beijing? That's my guess.
UPDATE (23-May): As you may now be saying to yourself, “What 777? Shobe, you hitting the highmaker again?” I’d like to point out that Google Maps updated its terrain photo layer and the 777 moment is lost to the mists of time. I should done an actual screengrab instead of trusting the damned widget to never, ever change. Nice to see Itasca repaved its portion of Irving Park Road.
I grudgingly switched my broadband provider this weekend. I've been a happy Speakeasy customer for years, but ADSL has reached its end-of-life point for residential speed at a consumer-friendly price point, and Speakeasy’s acquisition by Best Buy paradoxically refocused it on business customer packages.So I’m off to Comcast. I've always feared going back to cable (I still have DirecTV for TV and don’t plan to switch that choice up any time soon), but the bandwidth available at my old DSL+VOIP price point was too much to turn down. (That’s even after the infamous “low introductory rate” expires.) So far the speed test bears this out:
My previous DSL numbers were ~1200 down, ~384 up. I already miss a couple of Speakeasy's VOIP features, such as being able to forward to a different number after a certain number of rings (Comcast call forwarding is all-or-nothing), but perhaps finally switching to GrandCentral as well will give us the set of calling features we’re looking for (but I don’t see any way to migrate an existing number to that service as a starting point, which is kind of a bummer).As for Comcast’s traditionally bad rap for lacking a shred of grace in customer service: the installer was extremely diligent, got things wired exactly how I wanted them in the house, and even offered to show up an hour early (which worked out well). When the day comes that I'm faced with an actual problem I may change my tune, but so far I’m pretty happy.
I have ordered some shoes and clothes from Zappos in the past; they have always impressed me with their wide selection, easy on-site search and filtering options when browsing items, and of course their no-questions-asked return policy. Rachelleb has also been treated favorably, and I really haven't ever heard of a negative experience in anyone's dealings with them — just how generally doggone good they are at online retail.Tonight, I inadvertently decided to test them a bit; my browsing started with shirts and sandals, but eventually I found myself confronted with a nice suit that I really wanted. (It’s true; those who either croak and/or get hitched bring out the suit-wearing Matt Shobe. I only ask that you choose wisely.) But the description didn't make it quite clear whether the suit was tailor-ready or already hemmed. (Seemed very unlikely to be a standard fit, but I had to ask.) So, I fired up a chat session and asked. The response:
“Thanks for holding Matt! I don't see anything about it being tailor ready. I am assuming that it is. We have a 365 day return policy, with free outgoing shipping and free return shipping. As long as you return the item unworn and in the original packaging (box or plastic bag), we are more than happy to either exchange the item or issue you a full refund…If you would like to order this today to make sure you don't loose out on your size, I would be more than happy to upgrade your shipping from free standard shipping (4-5 business days) to 1 business day shipping and waive the $25 charge to get it out to you on 04/29/08 (Tuesday).”
A bit hornswoggled in reverse, I replied, in my best Eric Case:
you guys rock the service deal hard, yo
And the response:
“No, you ROCK! I think you are right, it would be better to get the item while it is available and you will know as soon as you get it, which would be Tuesday.”
And, at the eventual conclusion, Zappos writes:
“Thanks! I will just wait till you leave the room, just in case you have any other questions! We want to make sure you are taken care of. Remember, we are here by live chat, email, and phone 24 hours a day!”
In the course of asking about an ordinary product listing feature and service policy boilerplate, I'm treated as a customer with an exception that demands premium resolution and am given a spot discount to ensure my business is retained and my satisfaction, end-to-end, is likely to be as absolute as possible. This is impressive as all hell and is how the retail world should be (and probably once was, when all commerce was local and reputation was earned one front door jingle at a time).Zappos also happens to use FeedBurner for their blogs. That’s compliment enough, free shipping be damned. (Good thing I withheld that sentiment during chat.)
(…Jim Mora reference for all my fellow, longtime Jim Mora fans.)
Friends, Romans, and countrymen have been reporting that a minor earthquake hit Illinois this morning; 5.2 on the Richter scale, says the USGS. (Keep rockin’ that FeedBurner feed, USGS.) I felt nothing, but then again I’m not to be trusted for anything empirical or objective between midnight and 6am or so.
However, when I was a grad student, living in Seattle in 1995, a 5.0 hit us around dinner time. I was cooking in my apartment’s kitchen. The moment the quake hit, my kitchen became a galley on a cabin cruiser, lazily rocking from side to side, as though the wake of a large, passing ship had disturbed it at port. And much like riding through a wake, it was over quickly, righting everything. I'm not sure the vegetables I was stir-frying even shifted in the pan.
The manic reaction of the local news media was predictable; that didn't make it any less of a farce. I remember KING5’s Jim Foreman (NBC affiliate) racing to a hair salon to cover the devastation; there were shattered shelves and styling product scattered everywhere, people. Why a full-scale stylist riot and looting spree didn't consume all of Tukwila that night, I'll never know.
- PolyPage
multi-state simulator for mocks * LaCie - Network Attached Storage and RAID - Gigabit Ethernet
It’s interesting to see what effect technical constraints have on design. Paradoxically, constraints can be liberating, freeing you from the tyranny of too many choices.
Case in point: weather information stalwart Weather Underground. For their standard presentation of current local conditions and 7-day forecast, WU provides equal-opportunity clutter with ad spaces and weather information:
Give it the “squint test”: narrow your eyes to and don't focus on any part of the page. Take it all in and decide if any part of the layout says, “look at me first!” For me — maybe the banner ad at the top, and perhaps the brownish blob of the current radar image window — but it’s pretty much a dead heat. Everything shouts for your attention and the lack of useful contrast makes this a data maze from which almost no information may ever escape.
Contrast this with the presentation of same data on an iPhone (simulated here with a narrowed Safari browser window):
Incredible. Tapping any of the Current, Radar, Forecast, and Warnings links scrolls to an anchored heading on this page, neatly dividing up the four main categories of weather information you’d be likely to find of interest. (Some may quibble that Warnings should be displayed conditionally — no current warning, no link.) The iPhone's standard 320 pixel width demands that the designer get the essentials front-and-center. (Rotating to activate the iPhone’s magical page-flip feature gives you 480 pixels to work with; still much less than today’s average desktop computer.) No ads to be found, but they could probably place one or two near the top, or in the Forecast section, and they wouldn't be nearly as detractive from the user experience.
The iPhone limits web plug-in options (no Flash) and strongly recommends an approach to visual styling that is in harmony with the characteristically simple lines of its built-in OS X applications. Its options for web developers writing iPhone-specific sites strongly encourage using CSS3 features that improve cross-site consistency, right down to the optimal font and point size for list layouts.
The next time I'm stuck on a design task, I think I'll put up some blinders and see if limiting my field of view paradoxically sets me free. Less is less, right, Jason?
I couldn't agree more, Brad (and Mitchell). Suppressing fear of failure is one of the things that's kept me honest as an entrepreneur over the years. That doesn't mean I enjoy failing; it’s like hugging a cactus. But there's something liberating and inherently healthy about missed achievements, boneheaded mistakes, and commercial pratfalls.
In fact, failure may be the first sign you’ve finally broken free from a silent, stifling routine. See where it leads you next.
Saw a TV ad for this on ESPN during a basketball game. Not sure about the demographic targeting at work here, exactly: “Heat Surge: The Authentic Roll-n-Glow Electric Fireplace.”
No Photoshopping at work here:
Now, my favorite part of the TV voice-over was this line: "Made of solid wood!" Wow! Solid wood. That's honest attention to detail you’ll find hard to come by, I immediately thought to myself.
There are probably are actual skilled Amish woodworkers putting these cases together. The ham-handed marketing put in service of their effort pains me, but then again so does the product. Does an electric space heater on casters, featuring a non-functional Lite Brite aesthetic with (overbuilt?) Mission-style cabinet define what 2008-era America wants? A superficial, nostalgic shell surrounding a dubious convenience?
Been there all along. My bad.
Image credit 1, Image credit 2
If the New Yorker editorial staff were to ever deny offering staff cartoonists a lifetime pass for back-referencing their own material, I’ve got damning evidence to the contrary. I’m Calling a Ziggy on Leo Cullum for this one. It’s not even close to subtle. If I had seen a series of similar cartoons throughout his archive, I would let it go; every artist is entitled to variations on a theme. But this one just feels lazy. Leo is one of my New Yorker favorites. He's consistently clever and his illustrations feature a visual verve and clean lines that draw your eye to the funny, time after time.
What tipped me off was the fact that the older cartoon in the pairing was one we gave to The Wizard as a gift during the final days of FeedBurner:
The January 13th, 1997 issue:
The February 11th - 18th, 2008 issue:
The official cocktail of schadenfreude appears to be the martini.
Q.E.D.:
MINI Clubman = (FJ\_Cruiser - enviroGuilt) * ±YourKarmaGoingIn
(Tip o' the hat to JZ for pointing this new MINI model out.)
…I come upon one of my all-time favorite media clips from the interwebs, captured for posterity at YouTube, naturally:
The first time I encountered this was around 1998; someone posted it as a WAV audio file to a Usenet newsgroup, and I suspect we had to piece it together manually from several consecutive encoded posts. Funny what a difference ten years makes.
This is the new home of It Came from Black Background.
I've decided to go native and use as many Google tools as possible to create online content. Not because they’re all so perfectly conceived that considering any other alternative would be corporate heresy, but simply because I'd like to see what’s good, what’s bad, and what I might even consider working on to improve now that I'm part of the Big G myself. (I'm using Apps to host this domain and manage family email and calendar stuff; Blogger powers the blog while still using my custom domain. )
I’m hoping that starting fresh will kick-start my moribund blogging imagination and help me discover new themes that inspire more frequent post updates. In the 3-plus year history of the previous It Came from Black Background, I think there were about five posts worthy of the title of “permalink”:* Planespotting for the Business Traveler * Today I turned 35 * Memorial Day * NCAA Football With Shobe: Week 6 at Notre Dame Edition * Been (Not) Caught Stealing
The rest largely found me writing something because…I hadn’t written something lately. That’s a recipe for narrative mediocrity that comes out piping hot and perfect, every time. The other entertaining aspect of this move is declaring “blog stats bankruptcy.” I'm looking forward to resetting my various clickers and counters to zero and seeing how many true believers still straggle over this way, especially on the feed side. (I have an absolutely mad following on Rojo; I suspect they're all unwitting default feed bandwagoneers.)
To compound matters, the Movable Type-powered server hosting www.burningdoor.com/matt has been so thoroughly buried by comment spam traffic that you can't even sign in to post anymore. Kind of a non-starter.
I think the new formula will be: shorter posts, and more of them. It seems to work very well for Reynolds and Kedrosky. Bite-sized punditry?
Finally, you may be wondering why a so-called web designer is relying on a default Blogger template. First: Google’s own Doug Bowman designed it. Skills — he has them. Second: I wanted to just get this blog’s content launched, and having my own completely custom design in place as a critical path task got to be too much of a barrier. So I just removed the barrier. Third: I’ve got a plan and it will unfold in a few stages. My content at Flickr, del.icio.us, Twitter, and VOX, among other places, needs incorporation here.
Thanks for following me over to the new digs. Hopefully I amuse and entertain. Failing that, I'll put in enough linebreaks to serve your lorem ipsum-ing needs.
- Blackstone Laboratories - Gas Sampling
get an oil analysis; kind of like a blood test, really.