In this compliation of local news report footage, cats in front of the camera did not turn out as cute and cuddly as the reporters and producers anticipated. One minute some of the cats are calm, and the next they're kicking ass like only cats can. One man holding a cat makes the mistake of describing it as "loving." That's all she wrote for that guy. Via Blame it on the Voices
Lisa Marcus's Blog Posts
"There You'll Be" by Carole Johnstone is a gorgeous, heartbreaking ghost story without a ghost (Terror Tales of the Scottish Highlands-ss)ED
— SFEditorsPicks (@SFEditorsPicks) September 11, 2015
If you happen to be looking for new books to read, or you're always looking to expand your reading list no matter its length, then this will be of interest. A group of some of the best short science fiction, fantasy and horror editors are tweeting under the account SFEditor Picks. Their tweets say a few words about the book, focusing on its strengths or subject matter. While tweets don't allow for very much information to be given, this is a great guide if one wants to learn more about any titles the editors mention. Via i09
I'll echo Ellen D. in recommending "The Deepwater Bride", by Tamsyn Muir (F&SF, July-August) -- RRH
— SFEditorsPicks (@SFEditorsPicks) September 14, 2015
“Red Sultan’s Big Boy” by Chuck Palahniuk is disturbing, like so much of the author's fiction (Make Something Up--ss) ED
— SFEditorsPicks (@SFEditorsPicks) September 13, 2015
BTW: Agree with @JonathanStrahan that SLOW BULLETS (Tachyon) by @AquilaRift is a stand-out novella. Enjoyable & thought-provoking.-PG
— SFEditorsPicks (@SFEditorsPicks) September 13, 2015
Purin, a 9-year-old female Beagle, managed to break her own record in the Guinness Book for the number of balls caught by a dog with its paws in one minute's time. Her previous count was eleven. This video shows her catching 14 balls. Purin and her human live in Makoto Kumagai, Japan. Read more about Purin and see still photos of her at the Guinness Book of World Records. Via 22 Words
Jared Leto (l) and Jake Gyllenhaal (r) | Image: Imgur
It has been said that everyone has their doppelgangers. In the case of famous actors, often there are other actors who have similar looks. In some instances it might allow an unknown actor to get ahead if they have the same look of another, high-profile one; being unknown, studios can get away with paying them less than any blockbuster star.
This article has a grouping of 30 side-by-side photo examples of actors who are similar in appearance. See the entire collection here.
Helen Hunt (l) and LeeLee Sobieski (r) | Image: PopSugar
Stephen Colbert (l) and Bob Saget (r) | Image: Imgur
The Big Lebowski
There's nothing like something sweet and delicious with which to celebrate one's fandom. This collection of cakes based on popular films would please franchise fans young and old. While they are winning concepts on which to create great themed parties, these pleasing pastries are just as cool standing alone.
See more great movie-themed cakes here.
E.T.
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Gremlins
Image: WODUP
Most people view a typographical error as no big deal. With all of the typing the average person does today, some on very tiny keyboards and affected by autocorrect, we're used to ignoring typos. Yet there are cases in which even a single typo is a huge problem. Or conversely, as in the case of Google, it could make an already successful corporation a ridiculous amount of money per year:
"Back in 2010, research carried out by Harvard University revealed that typographical errors in website addresses were netting Google about $497 million per year. The researchers estimated that roughly 0.7 percent of attempts to visit a site ended up with users accidentally visiting a different site with a similar name. For instance, Google’s smartest and most charismatic users might want to visit Listverse.com, but end up visiting Listvers.com instead. These “typographical error” sites (often called typosquatting sites) receive up to 68.2 million page views every single day. And about 57 percent of such sites are used to host advertisements, many of them sourced through Google.While Google has a policy of removing their ads from such sites, they’re still flourishing. In fact, if all the typosquatting sites were a single website, it would be the 10th most visited website in the world."
Not all corporate typos are moneymakers. Read about some companies that lost millions or were put out of business by a few errant keystrokes in this article.
Mark Twain wrote a 36-page essay on it. George Carlin said that if God hadn't intended humans to do it, he would have made their arms shorter. It's the solo flight: masturbation. AsapSCIENCE takes on the topic in a nonprurient manner in their latest video. So watch it if you're so inclined, in the name of SCIENCE, of course.
This National Geographic video features footage of a number of animal species sleeping, with a bit of information about each. From bats to panda bears, the way they appear during their peaceful slumber is endearing.
In honor of the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Digg created this video highlighting the array of games Mario has made appearances in over the years, though they list the following exception:
"For the sake of your patience and our sanity we've excluded games from the Mario universe's extended cast which don't include Mario himself (e.g., Diddy Kong Racing), unaltered ports, compilation games (Super Mario All-Stars), and Mario easter eggs."
The Dakota Building, Manhattan | Image: Flickr/Wally Gobetz
The legendary Dakota on the Upper West Side of Manhattan is a beautiful building in the German Renaissance style that overlooks Central Park. The 131-year-old building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, is one of the most sought-after residential co-ops in the city, with apartments priced between five and thirty million dollars.
The building also has quite a history. Roman Polanski shot scenes for Rosemary's Baby there. A huge list of celebrities have called the building home, including Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall, and Boris Karloff. John Lennon and Yoko Ono lived there, and Lennon was killed just outside the building.
Prior to Lennon's death, however, he and Yoko learned of a suggestion put forth by Stephen Birmingham in his 1996 book Life at the Dakota. Birmingham claimed that the previous resident of Lennon's apartment hid $30,000 under the master-bedroom floor. The mystery has never been solved though, because the management wouldn't allow the floor to be destroyed in order to search for the cash.
Read more facts and see a number of additional photos of the Dakota here.
Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman | Image: Warner Bros. Television
The popular Wonder Woman television series starring Lynda Carter ran from 1975-1979. Lynda Carter made a lot of people who had never cracked a comic book instant fans of the character. The linked article features 13 anecdotes and bits of trivia about the series. One example involved Wonder Woman's fantastic, bullet-deflecting bracelets:
" 7. WONDER WOMAN'S BULLET-DEFLECTING BRACELET EFFECT WAS ALL IN LYNDA CARTER'S HANDS—LITERALLYOne of Wonder Woman's archetypal powers is her ability to deflect bullets off her star-studded cuff bracelets. Since the TV show aired in the pre-CGI era, this meant some ingenuity on the part of the property master when it came to producing this kind of effect. Special bracelets were created that allowed Carter to control the bullet explosions by means of hidden buttons in her hands. "[The property master] wired, almost like matchsticks, these little loads in the front where the stars were," explained Carter in the TV movie commentary. "And within those stars there were some wires. Those wires went up the back of my wrist and into the palm of my hand ... I would fire them depending on which arm was taking the shot. It was pretty ingenious."
Read more ass-kicking facts about Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman at Mental Floss.
Emily Musson, a fashion merchandising student at LIM College in New York City, began dating a guy named Johnny recently. Like many of "today's youths," the couple celebrated their budding relationship publicly via social media. Facebook, specifically.
Yet not everyone in Emily and Johnny's inner circle took their online posturing seriously. Emily's parents began to recreate the young couple's photos for comic value. The poses might be similar, but the effect certainly isn't. Said Emily of her parents shenanigans getting publicity,
"My mom thinks it's hilarious and claims she wants to be on Dancing With the Stars."
See more pictures of the couple and their parental imitators here.
This footage from the PBS series Big Blue Live features Jacqueline Miller of the Royal Ontario Museum giving viewers a look at the heart of a blue whale. As this species is the Earth's largest animal, it follows that this specimen is the largest heart ever preserved. Via Laughing Squid
Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle, Francis Bacon and Johannes Kepler | Image: Goose friend
I'm sure that the vast majority of people reading this would answer in the affirmative if asked whether they could pass a short quiz consisting of basic science questions. Some might even say they would get a perfect score.
This science quiz by the Pew Research Center will put your knowledge to the test. Take the quiz and then give their link page a read; it has a full analysis of how Americans scored, what demographics fared best, etc. Via Gizmodo
Have you exhausted your insult repertoire and are looking for ways to beef up the ol' arsenal? Look no further than this video that features insults from all across the planet. Take a look and prepare to throw shade in every direction. (Contains NSFW language.) Via Laughing Squid
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