Ben Ridgway is an Assistant Professor at San Francisco State University with 15 years of experience as a professional animator, previously working on video games for Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft consoles. Ridgway's latest film, the mesmerizing Cosmic Flower Unfolding, has won multiple awards and is making the rounds in film festivals worldwide. Visit Ridgway's website and Vimeo channel to see and learn more. Via Colossal.
Lisa Marcus's Blog Posts
Puppies: they're such adorable creatures that there's not much they can do that isn't a little cute. Case in point is this compilation of puppies sneezing. Some of them seem startled by this sudden bodily function. Via Tastefully Offensive.
When blogger Sarah Goer and her husband purchased their home, they noted a small storage room connected to the bedroom they intended to use for their two-year-old son. Formed by a steep roof pitch next to the bedroom, the storage room was 7' by 12'. A tiny 2' by 4' door led to the small space. The couple hid the existence of the room from their son for two years, opting to place a dresser in front of the door.
The Goers decided to surprise the boy with his very own "secret treasure room" for his fourth birthday. They hired a contractor to work on the space while their son was in school. Once the contractor refinished the linoleum floor, wood paneling and exposed insulation of the storage room, Sarah Goer decorated it in a style she thought befitting of a child's secret treasure room. A treasure hunt on their son's birthday led him to the exciting discovery. Read more about his reaction and see additional pictures in this i09 article.
Images Credit: Sarah Goer/Things I Make
The storage room before being refinished
One view of the secret treasure room (see referring article for more)
From Hybrid Librarian is this video that details ten emerging technologies that aren't long from becoming realities in some form. How do you think things would change with these technological advances in place? There always seem to be drawbacks as well as positive outcomes. Via Science Dump.
Port Royal, a city in southeastern Jamaica, was founded in 1518. It was once an important location that served as a hub of Caribbean shipping and commerce. In 1692, Port Royal sustained devastating damage after an earthquake, which caused much of the city to fall into the sea. This video on quicksand and liquefaction explains the geologic circumstances that cause disasters such as Port Royal. Via Geeks are Sexy.
Bank employees' terror turned to perplexity when, in the summer of 1995, the behavior of the man robbing their Berlin bank appeared increasingly bizarre. When asked if he wanted a bag, the robber, Klaus Schmidt, shouted "You're damn right it's a real gun!" When Schmidt consistently failed to recognize audible cues, it became apparent to the bank employees that he was deaf.
One employee tripped an alarm that was extremely loud, which Schmidt failed to notice. He continued about his business of committing the robbery, occasionally shouting threats such as "I am a trained killer!" Eventually the police showed up and arrested Schmidt. Amazingly, after the failed robbery, Schmidt filed a lawsuit against the bank for taking advantage of his disability.
Read about nine more cases of criminals who weren't cut out for lives of crime in this Listverse article.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Bats are found in the folklore of about every region on Earth. People seem to either think they're cute or be completely repulsed by them. Their nocturnal habits, unusual appearance, reputation of being diseased and association in legend with vampires and bloodsucking doesn't help their fear factor. Are bats getting a bad rap? Minute Earth takes on the topic of bats, particularly their being carriers of disease, in this video. Via Science Dump
From Wikipedia:
Food porn is a glamourized spectacular visual presentation of cooking or eating in advertisements,infomercials, cooking shows or other visual media, foods boasting a high fat and calorie content, exotic dishes that arouse a desire to eat or the glorification of food as a substitute for sex.
Gemma Correll poking fun at the notion of food porn is perfect for a weekend diversion — and right on target.
Danger Dolan elaborates on some of the mysteries that have continued to stump experts and curious laypeople alike over the years. Among topics mentioned are the lost city of Atlantis, the Pollock twins and Jack the Ripper. Via Science Dump.
If there were olympic games in the animal kingdom, sloths would surely be gold medalists in all slacker and sleep-related activities. Case in point is Luigi the baby sloth, captured in this footage filmed at the Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica. A brief forehead massage has Luigi relaxed and ready to nap. He lets loose with a long, wide yawn. Let the games begin! Via Tastefully Offensive.
Meet crafty cocker spaniel Joe Cocker, who reminds me of my own counter-hijacking, cocker spaniel mix dog. From what I can gather, his Italian owner has to stay one step ahead of him if he wants to keep his food from becoming doggy treats. This upload to the YouTube channel of user Jonathan Iozza is titled "Joe Cocker: ladri si nasce," which translates to "thieves are born" in Italian (and is also the name of a 1997 Italian comedy film). Joe Cocker is smart enough to keep a lookout for authority figures as he attempts to steal what looks like a piece of toasted bread. Knowing how good the bread is in Italy, I'm not at all surprised at Joe's tenacity. Via Nothing to Do With Arbroath.
Top: Cat Tunnel Sofa by Seungji Mun
Bottom: Cat burger bed by Petz Route
Does your cat give you so many cute apathetic glances, outright glares, and hisses prior to walking away that you'd like to honor and comfort him with some cool furniture? There are a ton of options, some of which are pictured here. Do any of them strike your fancy? Or has your cat sidled up to the monitor and sat on the keyboard, refusing to move unless you place an order? See more examples in this Bored Panda article.
Cat-friendly shelf by Corentin Dombrecht
Disguised cat house side table by THE9LIFE
Indiana Jones cat bridge by CatastrophiCreations
All-in-one cat bathroom by elipsdesign.com
Magician Jose Ahonen performs his levitating hot dog trick in front of canine company and watches their reactions. I expected the dogs whose attention was completely focused on a potential meal, but what I found hilarious were those more spooked by the alien hot dog than ravenous. Via Tastefully Offensive.
Oregon Zoo's African pygmy hedgehog couple Hakuna Matata and Barundi welcomed a litter of five hoglets in early July. The tiny babies weigh just a tenth of a pound, and their sex is yet to be determined.
As cute as hedgehogs are, Oregon Zoo staff member Tanya Paul, who supervises their education program animals, warns the public against keeping them as pets:
"They're very difficult to care for because of their diet and the need for special veterinary care. Many vets don't specialize in treating exotic animals like a hedgehog."
Learn more and see a video of the hoglets at Zooborns. Images Credit: Oregon Zoo/Michael Durham
This entertaining compilation video features 40 well-known actors auditioning for roles — many of them before they hit the big time. Some of their efforts are hilariously bad. (Who knew Brad Pitt auditioned for Backdraft? And who isn't surprised he didn't get the part after that reading?) Warning: profanity. Via Uproxx
Email This Post to a Friend