Repo Man | Image source

The 1984 cult classic Repo Man is the entertaining tale of Otto (played by Emilio Estevez), a typically angry and cynical punk rock dude with hippie parents in their own little world and a consumeristic, money-driven society that has him and his ilk marginalized. When he decides to become a repo man under the tutelage of Harry Dean Stanton, however, Otto's world is turned upside down. 

Mental Floss' collection of anecdotes about Repo Man includes bits like the following tale of Estevez family bonding: 

"5. OTTO GAVE ESTEVEZ GREATER INSIGHT INTO A FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIP.
I didn't really know anything about the punk movement,” Estevez recalled to American Film in 1985. But he had a general idea because his brother, Ramon, was into the scene. “So I started listening to the music and going to the clubs and I began to understand what the punk movement is all about, and understanding where my brother was coming from at that point. So for me it was an important film on a personal level.”

Read more facts about Repo Man here.

Subaru logo | Image: Subaru

Many of us are familiar with the logos of automobile companies. Some people are especially conscious of those of the luxury cars, as their logos are status symbols in certain circles. Yet even if some folks are able to draw or describe automobile logos, how many know the meanings behind them? The article linked below sheds some light on those symbols. 

The example highlighted here is Subaru. The logo is an attractive image of six silver crosses against a deep blue background. The word "Subaru" in Japanese means "united." In addition, it's the name for the Pleiades star cluster. This astral formation is the nearest star cluster to Earth and is most visible to the naked eye in the night's sky. In this context, the star cluster is symbolic of the six companies that merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries.

Learn the meanings behind nine more automobile logos here.  Via Design Taxi


Pleiades star cluster | Image: NASA, ESA, AURA/Caltech, Palomar Observatory 

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Nero the corgi is obviously enthusiastic about the feel of cool water against his fur on a hot summer day. Yet he discovers quickly that the filling of his doggie pool isn't going to be the most straightforward or continuous of processes. No big deal — he'll just make a jump for it... again and again. Way to solve the problem and stay cool, Nero! Via Laughing Squid

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What would it take for Simon's cat to win the last delicious slice of pizza from the clutches of his human? You can almost see the wheels turning in the cat's head as he attempts one technique after the other. Finally he learns the secret, and it's likely easier than he ever could have imagined. Nice... work (if you can call it that), kitty! Via Tastefully Offensive

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The 3M Corp built this interesting and colorful Rube Goldberg machine consisting of — among other things — 25,000 Post-its and 75 rolls of blue painter tape. Like most machines of this type, it is satisfying to watch all the components work concurrently to complete the sequence. Via Gizmodo

Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs | Image: Orion Pictures

Silence of the Lambs fans will remember Buffalo Bill's creepshow of a house, teeming with Death's-Head Hawkmoths, screams and sewing supplies. If you happen to be within a stone's throw of Perry Township Fay, Pennsylvania, you may be lucky enough to visit Bill's digs, as the home has recently been put on the market for $300,000. 

Owners Scott and Barbara Lloyd​ have called the place home since December 1976. 

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According to an article in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review,  the property was ultimately selected as a location in the film due to the house's entryway.

"They were looking for a home in which you entered the front door and had a straight line through," Barbara Lloyd said. "They wanted it to look like a spider web, with Buffalo Bill drawing Jodie Foster into the foyer, into the kitchen, then into the basement."

Those looking for the dungeon basement replete with deep hole to house kidnap victims will be disappointed, however. That part of Bill's home was filmed on a movie soundstage. The house isn't actually near as creepy as one might imagine. See a gallery of 25 photos at its realtor's listing. Via Esquire

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The octopus in this video is unlike any other octopus species, one reason being for its unusual hunting technique. Rather than pouncing on its prey from a distance like other octopus species, the larger Pacific striped octopus (shown in footage above) has a sneaky way of approaching and announcing its presence to its prey.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said marine biologist Roy Caldwell, a University of California, Berkeley, professor of integrative biology. “Octopuses typically pounce on their prey or poke around in holes until they find something. When this octopus sees a shrimp at a distance, it compresses itself and creeps up, extends an arm up and over the shrimp, touches it on the far side and either catches it or scares it into its other arms.”

The species is also a standout due to its highly unusual mating habits. Quite the eight-legged individual. Via i09

Image: Paul Fahy / Taronga Zoo

The Taronga Zoo staff is thrilled that two joeys of the endangered brush-tailed rock wallaby species have recently emerged from their mothers' pouches. Wallaby mama Ruby is carrying a joey, and most recently, mother Mica's pouch has proven home to a female joey. Says keeper Tony Britt-Lewis, 

“She’s still quite shy, but we’re starting to see her little face more and more. Mica likes to find a nice spot to rest in the sun and the joey will often pop its head out to look around.”

Brush tailed rock wallabies are now listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Tragically, population of the species has declined by up to 97% in the last 130 years due to hunting by human and animal predators, competition from introduced species, loss of habitat and diseases reducing the quality of their overall genetic health. 

See a collection of wonderful joey photos and read more about brush-tailed rock wallabies at Zooborns.  

Prince Charles as Abel, brother of Cain

Mansfield, Ohio is home to the state's only life-size wax museum. But it's not the typical kind of wax museum one might imagine. It's called BibleWalk, and it bills itself as the "Living Bible Museum." Since it opened in 1983, the museum has received approximately 40,000 visitors a year who come to experience its wax figures posed in dioramas illustrating the stories of the bible.

But visitors might get a sense of familiarity as they pass through BibleWalk, and it's not because they've previously read the bible. It's more likely because many of the over 300 figures in the museum are castoffs from other wax museums and were originally made to resemble celebrities and other public figures. Visitors to BibleWalk can find Tom Cruise dressed and posed as Jesus and Elizabeth Taylor, John Travolta, Steve McQueen and other celebrities as various biblical figures. 

Read more on this story and see additional photos of the odd wax figures at BibleWalk here.  

Chewbacca's fam disappeared soon after manufacture | Image source

November 17, 1978 is an infamous day in Star Wars fan history. That evening, broadcast in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand was "Star Wars Holiday Special," a highly inadvisable TV movie that was one of the first ever Star Wars spinoffs.

In what Anthony Daniels (C-3PO) describes as "The horrible holiday special that nobody talks about," the regular cast was featured, with a few additions: Boba Fett was introduced, as was Chewbacca's family. Chewie's fam, shown above, were his father Itchy, his wife Malla and his son Lumpy (names that were said to be shortened from the originals Attichitcuk, Mallatobuck, and Lumpawaroo, respectively). 

If it sounds bad, it truly was — and it's no wonder that among the creators and cast of the Star Wars film franchise, it's the Special That Shall Not Be Named. Prior to the show being aired, Kenner had Chewbacca's family action figures at the ready. Once the Holiday Special was shown, the family went into permanent hiding. 

See eight other Star Wars toys that were eighty-sixed before people could collect them in this article.  

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Sammy is a three-day-old miniature horse born to mother Grace, seen here keeping a close watch over her newborn. Sterling Barlow, part owner of the farm shown in the footage above and below, shows off Sammy as the little colt mostly follows his lead. Via Tastefully Offensive
 

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This footage from the A.P. archive begins with the R.M.S. Titanic moored in Belfast Lough prior to leaving for Southampton. The Titanic is shown at sea where icebergs abound, and there is a shot of Captain Smith on the bridge pre-disaster. The remaining minutes show shots from before and after the tragedy in fascinating stages. The Carpathia is shown at sea with rescued passengers on board, there are various closeups of rescued crew and passengers on land, the families of the passengers are seen lined up outside the cruise line's office to hear word about their loved ones who were aboard the Titanic, and more.

In a project that was based on Esther Honig's the year before, a doctor's service based in the U.K. sent the photo above to graphic designers in eighteen different countries. The designers were given the instruction to Photoshop the images to make them appeal to the citizens of their countries.

Unlike Honig's project that only dealt with head shots, these body shots put the focus on the figures most desirable by region. While neither study is scientific, they do lend insight into the beauty standards among the sampled cultures. See the results from all 18 countries here.

Via BuzzFeed | Original Image: Hugo Felix/Shutterstock via Online Doctor

Missouri high school student Brittany Nicole Creech decided she wanted to have a set of senior pictures that made a splash... or rather a run for the border. Brittany, who states on her Twitter profile that she aspires to be featured in a Taco Bell commercial, made her first public bid for consideration by way of her senior pictures. The shots, captured by photographer Brendan Batchelor, aren't half bad. 

See the entire series of Brittany's senior shots as Taco Bell spokesmodel here. 

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Jeffrey the tortoise is one smart (and persistent) cookie. While outside of his human's home, he decides he'd rather be inside. So Jeffrey isn't shy about letting himself in via the screen door. The only problem is that the tortoise doesn't bother to shut the door after himself. Imagine! Does he live in a barn?! Via Arbroath