Well, this honestly just made us want to go inside a mechanical typewriter. Do you ever get that feeling when you see the interior of something, and your brain just tells you that it looks explorable? Yeah. But this animation is amazing though.
Animagraffs’ Jake O’Neal decided to give people a tour of the inside of an early 20th-century mechanical typewriter. For those unaware, these are the machines that people used way before computers were in, okay? The detailed animation was created using descriptive language, with O’Neal also explaining each component and its purpose as the video further progresses.
The art piece went viral a few years ago for being sold for $120,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2019. We mean, it’s just fruit on a wall, right? That’s what the student probably thought so while being hungry. "The student told the museum he ate it because he was hungry," a museum spokesperson told CNN. "It happened suddenly, so no special action was taken. The artist (Cattelan) was informed of the incident but he didn't have any reaction to it."
Just replace it with another banana. No one would be able to tell the difference. Probably.
A store in Akihabara, Japan has imposed a strict ban on buying Pokemon cards. However, this rule is only for adults, due to the release of the new Clay Burst and Snow Hazard packs for the trading card game.
These new packs certainly will see a swarm of adults collecting them, as they include special rare cards of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gym leaders Grusha and Iono. We’ve already seen what happened during their initial release, when adults lined up outside different shops in Akihabara to get new packs (and sadly, sell them for a good profit).
The retail store, Hareruya 2, the self-proclaimed world’s largest Pokémon trading card specialty store in Akihabara, imposed a ban that aims to let young kids still enjoy getting and playing these cards without adults buying them all off the shelves. The establishment will only allow junior high schoolers and younger children to snatch these collectibles up. The company posted the news on Twitter. The staff inside will reportedly check IDs to confirm age.
“Many shops exhaust their entire stock [of Pokémon cards] as soon as they go on sale, and people active late at night or early in the morning always seem to buy [the cards],” store manager Sho Watanabe shared. “By allocating half our stock for general customers, shops can continue to sell [the cards] to students and young children. Selling [goods] to children not only pleases them, but their parents as well. [We] feel this method of sales enables us to satisfy the greatest number of customers when the items are in such limited supply.”
With the recent release of the third Guardians of the Galaxy film, the cast and crew tend to share their experience and other fun stories in interviews and press releases to promote the movie. Part of what we found during the film’s marketing period was how the cast lived while playing their characters for different Marvel films, not just the main Guardians series.
One of the actors who got real with the public was Karen Gillan, who played Nebula over the years. She appeared around seven times in different films. The actress, who is also known for playing the eleventh Doctor’s companion in BBC’s Doctor Who, shared the time when she had to go to couple's therapy dressed as Nebula. By dressed, we meant even the blue robotic-esque makeup.
While that was a bit raw and emotional, what made us laugh was the photo she shared on Instagram as proof of this particular anecdote. A hilarious screenshot of Gillan in her Nebula makeup while on a video call with her husband and their therapist was shared on the actress’ Instagram account. We can only imagine the deep conversations between her and her partner, to whom she secretly got married back in May 2022, while she looks a bit hilarious and unserious with her makeup.
Twenty years after being declared extinct, conservationists at the Sena Oura National Park reported a sighting of a wild lion. The animal was described to be “a beautiful lioness, in her prime and clearly in great health,” by New-York based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Lions are declared technically extinct in Sena Oura, located in the larger Bouba N’djida-Sena Oura Landscape along the Cameroon/Chad border. This is because the area saw a long period of “ruthless, organized poaching,” WCS explained. Because of this, lion populations all over West and Central Africa declined by approximately 66 percent.
Now, the sighting of the thriving and healthy lioness in Chad is definitely a cause for celebration. This means that lion populations are slowly, but surely recovering. “[It] is hugely encouraging,” WCS Big Cat Programme executive director Luke Hunter told BBC News. “Prime females are the foundation of any lion population, and they are not big wanderers: they inhabit areas that have prey and are safe to raise their cubs in.”
These old boxy television units from the 1980s to the 1990s turn out can still be used. While they can’t be on par with current devices, they can certainly still be repurposed. This is what artist Hanna Marx did! She decided to convert a 1982 television into a “cat apartment” for her beloved furry companion.
Now, this apartment is no joke. The now hollowed-out TV contains small artworks done by Marx, as well as a comfy bed perfect for some downtime! She also created a jungle-inspired watercolor background to serve as the apartment’s wallpaper. Additionally, the cat has access to a little “fireplace” that emits a warm glow.
Marx shared that this was a DIY project for her, and anyone can replicate what she has done for her feline. All you would need is an old television, which you can find in a thrift store or online at Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. We do have to note that you need to be extra careful of hollowing your unit out, as the cathode ray tube (CRT) contains toxins.
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride might sound a bit fun at first, but it actually sits on the same table as the controversial and frightening attractions over the decades in theme parks. It joins Extraterrestrial Alien Encounter (also known as Enchanted Wish) as well as the Snow White ride. However, while the two other attractions we mentioned shut down, Mr. Toad’s remains operational today.
But what makes it scary? It’s certainly not the first part of the ride, as you get to roll through the halls of an English manor filled with animal characters from The Wind in the Willows, a farm, and a TNT factory. Fun, right? The first half definitely sends you into a reckless driving segment.
And then it brings you to court. That’s right, the ride kind of punishes you by putting you in front of a judge, which finds you guilty. It doesn’t stop from there, the ride takes a literal turn for the worse after that, bringing you onto the tracks of an oncoming train, until a crash can be heard and everything turns dark. Metaphorically, you’ve died- and now Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride has brought you into the depths of hell.
Visitors will be treated to pitchfork-wielding demons dancing to maniacal laughter, as well as a dragon behind a stalactite cage preparing to blast fire over you and your fellow passengers. And then the ride is done. It’s that intense. I don’t know about you but that kind of seems fun!
Wow, I didn’t expect them to sink even lower. We can’t believe that we will confirm the existence of this team of mercenaries thanks to Magic The Gathering. This was totally not on our 2023 bingo card.
But what are we talking about? Well, a YouTuber showed off new and unreleased Magic cards in a video. In response, Wizards of the Coast, the owner of Magic the Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons, decided that this internet personality, Dan Cannon, deserved a more… aggressive response.
The company sent Pinkerton agents to retrieve the unreleased cards, believing that they were a leak. In an interview with Kotaku, Canno shared that the agents showed up at their house and frightened him and his wife before getting the cards. He was also threatened with jail time and up to $200,000 in fines if they did not cooperate, and they wanted to search their entire collection of cards for stolen property.
Wizards of the Coast did confirm that they hired Pinkerton in a statement. Learn more about the issue here.
An anonymous owner brought a David Hockney painting in an episode of BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. This artwork was created during the early years of the artist’s career, so there was a lack of his iconic use of vibrant colors in his contemporary artworks. Instead, viewers were treated to a vintage landscape made with a muted green color palette, as well as a rough, textured, surface.
The painting was appraised by art specialist Ruper Maas. The anonymous owner shared that this artwork fell into their hands because his grandfather met Hockney in Trimley St. Marty way back in 1957. His relative then purchased a painting from Hockney and his companion. “This is not at all what I'm used to seeing by David Hockney,” Maas comments upon first seeing the picture. “I have this idea that they only had green and brown with them because they were broke.”
The owner initially believed that the artwork was worth $15,000. However, Maas corrected him and said that the picture can be worth well over $35,000. “One of the things about David Hockney is that he is so instantly recognizable to most people that when you see one that isn't, you question it really hard,” Maas adds. “That's the problem with that picture. But…I now know what an early Hockney looks like.”
Wheel of Fortune was bashed online after a recent episode, where a contestant attempted to guess a bonus puzzle for the chance to get the grand bonus price of $45,000. The game show player, Angela, was asked to guess the letter "M, H, D, and O" with the prompt "_ O _ N _ N _ THE _ R _ _."
This bonus question was under the “What Are You Doing?” category. Angela did try her best, to the point that she almost cursed. "Joining the cramp, joining the cra-, oop!" she answered. "Joining the brag?!"
Unfortunately, she was incorrect. Longtime host Pat Sajak revealed the answer to be ‘joining the fray.’ "You got joining…that was a really nice try," the host laughed encouragingly.
While the host and the audience were quite tame in their reactions, people online sang a different tune. "#Angela on @WheelofFortune got a piece of CRAP bonus round. I have NEVER heard of 'Joining the Fray' before in my ENTIRE life. Can we get some kind of sponsor to give this woman a prize?" one Twitter user wrote. "What the hell kind of puzzle was that??? Come on now. Ridiculous!!"
Angela, who was a good sport, said that her incorrect guess was no problem at all. She still took home a whopping price of $20,563.
It’s not a supernatural object, definitely. Apparently, this is a weapon.
A vampire straw was found in a traveler’s bag when it passed through security at Boston’s Logan Airport. The unusual item was made of titanium, and while they function as straws, their structure allows them to also be used like a dagger. Some sellers also advertise these items as very effective tire deflators.
The photo you see above was taken by photographer Paul Seibert. He was so high up in the sky to take these gorgeous shots, that he was required to wear an oxygen mask to fly the aircraft legally. “This particular shot has never been taken before,” Seibert told PetaPixel. “I wanted to do the highest open-door helicopter flight over NYC.”
These awe-inspiring images were taken at 15,000 feet above New York City. He took the photos at dawn, showing the densely-populated areas of Manhattan Island, Brooklyn, Jersey City, Staten Island, Roosevelt Island, and the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. “At these heights, there are not only atmospheric conditions to fight with but also physiological responses to a lack of oxygen in an unpressurized aircraft. The pilot was on oxygen to safely pilot the helicopter,” Seibert shared.
The photographer used a Canon R5 with a 15-35mm lens attached. He also shared that he had to use a different zoom lens (70-200mm) to take detailed shots of some of the skyscrapers in the city. He attributes the dream-like quality of his images thanks to being able to take some of the photos at dawn and after sunrise.
If only we had our own car, and enough funds to get customized plates, we’ll probably also do this. Shoutout to the owner of the vehicle though, because we understood this reference.
We are also thinking about whether or not it refers to being a rogue or something else. We’ll blame the vague rules launched by Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition for that, we think.
Speaking of the tabletop role-playing game, let’s talk about the car. The image above was shared on Facebook by Christopher Lien. It shows the back of the Nissan with a very unique license plate: “SNEKATK.”
Seeing the sticker of 20-sided dice, as well as the familiar logo of D&D, we can only assume that this reference refers to a rogue’s sneak attack from the game. It’s also a funny coincidence as the model of the car is called Rogue.
While we accept the sneak attack reference, one user on Facebook also raised a valid point. “Plot twist: it's a druid multiclass so it stands for snek attack,” one wrote in the comments section. That’s fair, right? We’re still sticking to the rogue reference though!
Sumo is a form of heavyweight wrestling in Japan. The sport is considered as Japan’s national sport and recognized by the International Olympic Committee, but we really don’t know how the wrestlers live and train.
The life of the rikishi, also known as professional sumo wrestlers, can now be seen by others through a series of photographs by Lord K2, a London-born photographer. The artist was granted access to take images of these wrestlers as they go from match to match and also live their daily lives. “As Japan has surged forward into modernity, this corner of culture has remained anchored to ancient tradition. Sumo is an entity in which history, culture, pride, and athleticism combine,” the photographer explained in his book, titled Sumo, where all of his images of the rikishi can be seen.
As to why the lives of these athletes are not privy to the public, Lord K2 explained that their stables are not available for tourists. “[...] only a few stables can be visited, and only as long as the list of behavioral restrictions is strictly adhered to,” he shared.
Sumo wrestlers are highly revered by fans and enthusiasts of the sport. The photographer also explained that Japanese youngsters are difficult to convince to enter the sport, thanks to the gruesome routines, as well as the reduced life expectancy. It is a lifelong commitment. “Those who dedicate themselves to the sport give not only their body but their lives. They give themselves as a relic, an offering to past masters and gods. Rikishi are not just wrestlers, they are the antiquated, traditional Japanese gentlemen. A century after the last samurai, their cousins live on,” Lord K2 declared.
Oh, this artist has managed to prove a point. German artist Boris Eldagsen won first place at the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards (SWPA). His entry won first place in the creative competition of the open segment.
Eldagsen’s winning piece, titled Pseudomnesia: The Electrician was actually made through an AI image generator. No, this is not a situation of using artificial intelligence to pass off works as their own. The photographer intentionally submitted this generated art piece to prove a point. Eldagsen refused the award. “The work SWPA has chosen is the result of a complex interplay of prompt engineering, inpainting, and outpainting that draws on my wealth of photographic knowledge,” he wrote.
He wanted to make the award organizers aware of the differences between actual photographs and generated images. Eldagsen shared that he wanted the award-giving body to make a separate competition for AI-generated images. Additionally, he also expressed his concern that the SWPA did not communicate in their press release that his work was co-created using AI.
“Since I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings here, it is important for me to explain in this email the background of the image you have chosen in as much detail as possible…In Germany, I am active as [an] AI expert in the “Deutscher Fotorat” (German Photo Council) to discuss the chances and risks of AI image generators. Perhaps Sony would be interested in taking up the topic for a panel discussion in this context,” he wrote to the organization.
