The latest song from Brian David Gilbert (previously at Neatorama) is about those trashily alluring 18+ game ads you see all over the internet (and will probably see more of them after watching this). I don't know exactly what will happen when you download them, but they have to be inevitably disappointing, if not altogether malicious. I don't click on ads for stuff I know I'm not going to buy, so they might be great, but you can't expect them to live up to the lurid hype. Anyway, the silly song is an unexpected earworm.
But then, as you listen to the song, you gradually start to realize that it's not about those ads at all, but something much more profound. Yes, there are some things that are more important than games. But you'll have to discover that for yourself. I will tell you that you'll get a kick out of the clever editing tricks and BDG in a whole wardrobe of new fashions.
The non-religious side of Easter celebrations are all about cute spring symbols. There are Easter eggs, flowers, bunny rabbits, baby chicks, and frankly babies of all kinds, mostly in pastel colors. However, those symbols are difficult to recreate in mass-produced cakes by rushed grocery store clerks who have neither the talent nor the proper materials to do it. And so Jen Yates of Cake Wrecks has yet another year's worth of funny-looking desserts to share with us. I think the cake above is supposed to be a bunny, but it has the nose of a pig and the eyes of a serious trauma victim. I have no idea what's going on with those feet. You'll find it in a roundup called 7 Reasons To Avoid The Bakery This Easter.
Oh, but there's more! Another post concentrates on chicks, with a few bunnies thrown in. This cake may have looked really nice before it was dropped, but I somehow get the idea that the jostling may have improved it. See plenty more of these Easter disasters that probably taste pretty good when you've finished laughing at Cake Wrecks.
We've heard that the dodo went extinct because it was ugly, stupid, and edible, and no one really cared when the species died out. At least that was the story we were told in the 20th century. There are misconceptions that arise when you so much. It's true that by the time anyone thought about studying the dodo, they were all gone with little evidence of the bird that once was. The dodo wasn't cute, tasty, and mysterious like the woggin. Well, maybe mysterious, but what can you do when there are none left? It was only in 2005 that we finally found enough dodo bones to really figure out what they were all about. Dodos were actually pretty well adapted to their environment on the island of Mauritius, at least before humans came along. What happened then might just surprise you. The story of the dodo is only seven minutes long, despite the video length. -via Damn Interesting
The band Klangphonics sees no need to restrict itself to conventional instruments. A power washer is a perfectly acceptable if not ideal instrument if used properly and inventively. In this video, watch the group clean up the pavement while ruminating about feeling pressured by forces beyond our control. If you need to hire someone to pressure wash your driveway, consider these guys. They'll brighten up the pavement and offer a lively conert at the same time.
This inventive approach is nothing new for Klangphonics. It's also made dance-inspiring electronic music videos using wine glasses, cats, a rubber duck, a vacuum cleaner, and a photocopier.
-via Born in Space
Our closest neighboring planet is entirely populated by robots, and is constantly under surveillance by a satellite taking pictures. And you can see it! NASA has released an interactive map of Mars created by CalTech that has an astonishing amount of detail. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been at work for 17 years photographing the planet, which gave us the 110,000 images used in the map. A choice of destinations at the bottom will lead you to the rovers, past and present, plus standout locations like Mars' biggest mountain, Olympus Mons. You can zoom in and out to see more detail. A hamburger menu on the upper right will toggle some neat features, like labeled names for the places you're seeing. Click those location dots, and you'll get information about the place names. For example, Pangboche is a crater named in 2006 for a village in Nepal. You can imagine the scientist who named it proudly honoring his hometown.
It's wild to see such a detailed map of a place that no one has ever ever been to. Gizmodo has more information about the project and warns us that the 5.7 trillion pixel map may load slowly on older computers.
(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)
Rainbows are what happens when sunlight is split into its various colors by the prismatic action of moisture in the air. You are most likely to see one after a rain shower, when the sunlight returns and shines on the storm that's headed off to the east, or when the air retains enough water to act as a prism. We call it a rainbow because it is an arc, or bow, in the sky. The thing is that we are only seeing a small portion of the rainbow as an arc. The full phenomenon is a circle, but we can't see it because it's so big. The earth gets in the way. You might even see a rainbow as an almost-straight line if it's big enough, and is either obstructed or has gaps in the moisture.
Theoretical astrophysicist Ethan Siegel explains how sunlight becomes separated into its component colors in a way that you don't have to be an astrophysicist to understand. He explains why all rainbows are alike, except for their size and the way they may be obstructed. And he gives us two ways to see one as a full circle: the first one involves flying over a rainbow, which may be beyond our ability. The second one only requires a water hose, which I find myself doing every time I use a hose in the middle of a sunny day. Read all about rainbows at Big Think. -via Kottke
Here we have an example of two subreddits mashing up just for fun. You are probably familiar with AITA (Am I The Asshole?) which can be pretty grim. But the Musicals subreddit is full of musical theater fans who know their stuff. Redditor DukeCummings launched a thread in which people post an AITA in the persona of a character from a well-known musical. The idea is that characters see themselves as the good guy even when they are doing awful things. The real kicker is that these are crafted so that the musical and the character are not named, and we are left to guess who they are. Broadway Baseball gives us an example.
AITA for pitting guys against each other for my praise, and for letting kith kill their kin in my name? There’s this guy who pines so for me — he’s very dashing, and brave, and pure… anyway, he’s also really arrogant, so I thought I’d knock him down a peg or two. So I got three of the best fighters around to challenge him, hoping to show him some humility. Well, as I said, this particular guy is so brave and daring and strong, and he actually defeated all three fighters. He even killed one! He felt horribly bad about it. He’s so sensitive. Anyway, my husband says I was cruel to challenge him so. AITA?
Another from room317 may be easier to guess.
Recently took a job as a nanny. There are a LOT of kids. The parent is a widower, which, like, I feel for him. However, the dude is UNBEARABLE. He FREAKED when I used some fabric around the house to try out my sewing skills to make some dresses. And, THE WORST, he claims that since his wife sang around the house, I'm absolutely not allowed. Like, what is this? I like to sing. The man has children who like to sing. I can't possibly be TA, right?
What makes this so intriguing is that there are no answers given. Everyone in the subreddit knows these musicals. Some have a clue in the replies with a snippet of song lyrics you can look up, but otherwise you will only recognize the characters from the musicals you've seen, and the others will be a mystery. I only recognized the older ones. But it's a lot of fun to try and guess! -via Metafilter
In this stop-motion video, a guy who we assume is a slacker of sorts because he's messy, falls asleep and then his toy car comes to life and takes over his room, using his phone charger for power. That's a smart, spunky little car! It's only when the guy wakes up that we find out the dream (if it really was a dream) actually means something important- specifically a trip through the past. It wasn't a dream; it was a wake up call!
Japanese YouTuber omozoc (previously at Neatorama) makes clever stop-motion animations and has built a subscriber base of two million. It seems to be starting to pay off for him, because even though you don't realize it until the end of this video, it's an ad for the Chinese electric car company Build Your Dreams. I guess it worked, because I've never heard of the company until today. -via Nag on the Lake
Ok I can stop collecting now. pic.twitter.com/2rYtpw9KQc
— Go! Go! アンディロボ! (@GoGoAndyRobo) March 24, 2023
In 1997, James Cameron's film Titanic was a, well, titanic success at the box office and the launch of a major pop culture phenomenon. I distinctly remember there was a lot of general interest in the 1912 sinking, so it would make sense that toymakers would produce collectibles to take advantage of the craze.
This apparently included a Transformer-type toy that occasionally pops up on eBay. A more recent alternative version is also on the market.
I'm skeptical that Titanic-Bot would have been a popular combatant. Other transforming robots, knowing her track record, might hesitate to go into battle at her side, let alone travel on her.
-via Super Punch
YouTuber Everything Is Hacked is a computer programmer with interests in writing code under difficult circumstances and making working from home more practical. In the past, he created an interface for controlling a computer using facial movements and having Zoom put virtual pants on him for those times when he's forgotten to wear them.
Now he's radically departing from that sedentary lifestyle for energetic, full-body workouts. He's adapted flag semaphore into a computer interface that will let him type, program, and even control video games with body movements.
This video is a special treat and not just because Everything Is Hacked is smart and innovative technically. It's genuinely funny throughout as he tries to spell out the words for songs as he plays them.
-via Laughing Squid
Apo Whang-Od, a mambabatok (traditional tattoo artist), has been invited as the latest cover star for their issue for Vogue Philippines. The 106-year-old woman is from the Philippines and specializes in inking people using a sharp bamboo stick and charcoal soot. She is believed to be the last and oldest artist of her kind in the country.
Whang-Od imprinted symbols of her tribe, the Kalinga tribe on thousands of people who traveled to Buscalan to see her. She began tattooing headhunters and indigenous people when she was just 15 years old. “I’m the only one left alive that’s still giving tattoos. But I’m not afraid that the tradition will end because (I’m training) the next tattoo masters,” she told CNN in 2017. “The tradition will continue as long as people keep coming to get tattoos. As long as I can see well, I will keep giving tattoos. I’ll stop once my vision gets blurry.”
The traditional tattoo artist is now training her grandnieces, Elyang Wigan and Grace Palicas, her unique art as it can only be passed down to blood relatives. Learn more about Apo Whang-Od here.
Image credit: Vogue Philippines
Girlboss!
Zhang Guifang was elected chief of her home town in China and did her best to turn the rundown village into a tourist hotspot. The 26-year-old Hebi City resident won the love of the Internet and other residents as she stepped into the role and promoted the village online to boost the area’s tourism.
Additionally, Zhang also pushed for the advancement of the construction of infrastructure in Hebi City. Her ascension to the post isn’t due to some random occurrence of luck and favor from her constituents. It turns out that she returned home in 2021 to run for the election after leaving school, believing that being a village head was a well-paying job.
“Maybe because I’m young the villagers trust in me. They have shown a very tolerant attitude and supported me,” Zhang told Dianshi News. Since being elected, she had walls painted with rainbow-themed murals to attract more visitors. She teamed up with an artist friend to beautify the walls without any upfront charge. According to South China Morning Post, the chief promised to pay her friend 100,000 yuan (approximately $15,000) after the work was done.
The murals were a hit, and Zhang was able to pay her friend. Additionally, she received more sponsors to fund future construction projects in the village. She now aims to improve the area’s telecommunication network.
Image credit: Duoyin
Yikes.
A missing Florida toddler was found in the mouth of an alligator a few days ago. Further investigation into this tragedy revealed that the animal did not crawl out of its own mind into the land to nab the boy. Unfortunately, the boy was found to be put there by his father, according to affidavits from the St. Petersburg police affidavits.
The father, 21-year-old Thomas Mosley, is already accused of killing the child’s mother. “Due to the extremely serious allegations surrounding these tragic losses, our investigation is currently focused on gathering information about the facts and circumstances of the case, as well as our client’s mental state,” a spokesperson for Sixth Judicial Circuit Public Defender Sara Mollo said in a statement.
The police also alleged that the man threw or placed his 2-year-old son into the lake, which caused the child’s death. The authorities began the search for the boy when he was not found at the scene of the crime (his mother’s). They then found an alligator miles away where she was found dead, holding an object in its mouth– which was the child.
Image credit: St. Petersburg Police Department
Barnum Brown was named after P.T. Barnum, but his passion was more mundane than the showman's. As a young boy, he followed the machinery of his father's Kansas strip mine operation to search for fossils. Brown studied paleontology in college (a fairly new discipline at the time) and made a reputation for himself. Under the patronage of Henry Osborn of the American Museum of Natural History, Brown was able to find amazing dinosaur fossils and get his master's degree.
An expedition to Montana in the summer of 1902 yielded Brown's biggest discovery yet- a new species of dinosaur that may have been 40 feet long, which Osborn named Tyrannosaurus rex. Osborn also allowed others to credit him with the discovery. Brown remained in the background, and even found two more T. rexes while Osborn was publicizing the find. But the dinosaur itself was an even bigger star than either man. Read the story of the man behind T. rex at Mental Floss.
(Image credit: Jon Parise)
There are many different reasons why people spend time in a coma: illness, injury, surgery, or a medically-induced coma for various reasons. Their memories of that time vary even more widely. Some don't recall anything. Some were not even aware of the passage of time. Some had very vivid and weird dreams that stayed with them for years. And some had experiences that strangely melded dreams with reality.
"I remember hearing a woman telling me to squeeze her hand. I found out later that they brought me out of the coma to see if I was brain dead. I squeezed her hand, and they put me back under for several more weeks. I remember being taken to a spaceship orbiting Earth so I could be repaired. I found out that I was actually a cyborg. While I was on the ship, something ruptured the hull, and the ship lost atmosphere and everything froze. I was frozen in place but fully aware that I was frozen and could not move. I was now certain that I would spend eternity fully awake and immobile on this ship, never able to shut down." —Keri1986
You'll also read strange cases of people whose personalities changed after a coma, and one patient who recovered to prove his brother wrong, in a list at Buzzfeed. There are even more such stories in the comments.
(Image credit: Mohsen Atayi)
