Many words in the English language have strange origin stories, but those words created by simply spelling a pre-existing word backwards have a very straightforward reason for existing- wordplay.

The Brits turned Yob into a cool slang term for a lad who's up to no good, a well flipped word that rolls off the tongue and easily gets its meaning across without explanation.

And when Dylan Thomas set his play Under Milk Wood in a Welsh town called Llareggub ("bugger all" spelled backwards)- now that was bloody brilliant!

It's not hard to conjure up an explanation for why the sorcerer in Fantasia is named Yensid- the character was modeled after Disney and symbolizes his "magical" imagination.  

And if you're long in the tooth like Yensid you may need help with irregularity, so those who wanted to hear nature's call on a daily basis would take Serutan, nature's way to “provide peristaltic stimulation.”

(YouTube Link)

See 9 Words Created by Spelling Other Words Backwards at mental_floss

Posting the same old photos on Instagram won't help you wow your friends and followers, and the pics we put up in our homes are starting to pale in comparison to all those cool shots we see online.

But many people have no idea how to take their photo editing to the next level, and creating a double exposure image like the one above seems impossibly hard.

However, once the power of Photoshop is unleashed nothing is impossible, and as photographer Ted Chin shows us in this simple tutorial creating mind-blowing double exposure effects is a snap with Photoshop's masks.

Hey guys! It’s Ted (@eye.c) here. Today I'm going to show you how to create a double exposure portrait in just a few simple steps. Swipe through to see a mini-tutorial! • Using photos with simple backgrounds will help with the masking process. First, open the portrait (base) photo in #Photoshop. We are going to mask the background out and create the double exposure effect with the shape of the model. • Use the magic wand tool (W), click and select the background. Go to Select -> hold the "shift" key and click “Select and Mask”. Smooth the edge with the "Refine Edge Tool", then click ok. • Click on "Add a mask” then, "Create a new layer." Move the new layer to the bottom of the portrait. Select the "Paint Bucket Tool", or press "G", and fill in the white background. • Paste the second image, and adjust the image with "Levels" (Ctrl + L). Make sure the adjustment layer is clipped to the second image only. We want to make sure the sky is bright/clean enough so it's easier for selection. Hold (Ctrl + left click) on the portrait's mask we created earlier, then create a new layer mask for the landscape photo. • Un-link the mask by clicking the symbol in between, and re-adjust the landscape photo to the way you prefer. • Duplicate the Portrait layer and move the copy to the top of the landscape layer. Then change the blending mode to "Lighten". • I decided to add other elements (flowers) by using the same blending mode (Lighten) from the last step. • If you think the white background is too boring, you can try to add a different background, too. And this is how you can create a simple double exposure portrait!

A post shared by Adobe Photoshop (@photoshop) on Mar 31, 2017 at 9:00am PDT

See full tutorial at Peta Pixel

(Image Link)

Fans are quick to say an artist or musician is a "genius" when they create on a higher level than the rest, but John Coltrane proved he was a genius with both his playing and his ability to put the workings of his incredible mind down on paper.

This hand-drawn diagram, known as the Tone Circle, is Coltrane's take on the circle of fifths, which incorporates Coltrane's innovations and shows where his mind was at while he played.

Coltrane clearly had a mind for mathematics, and although he didn't speak in public about the "intensive theoretical work behind his most famous compositions" he did speak about them at length with his friend Yusef Lateef:

Coltrane gave the drawing to saxophonist and professor Yusef Lateef in 1967, who included it in his seminal text, Repository of Scales and Melodic Patterns. Where Lateef, as he writes in his autobiography, sees Coltrane’s music as a “spiritual journey” that “embraced the concerns of a rich tradition of autophysiopsychic music,”...

...Musician and blogger Roel Hollander notes, “Thelonious Monk once said ‘All musicans are subconsciously mathematicians.’ Musicians like John Coltrane though have been very much aware of the mathematics of music and consciously applied it to his works.”

Read more from John Coltrane Draws A Picture Illustrating The Mathematics Of Music here

Alligators have a gruesome complexion and a mouth full of pointy teeth so most animals find them intimidating, especially animals that fit inside a gator's mouth.

But horses don't give a crap about the alligator's fearsome reputation, and if one of those smily faced savages tries to get too close to a horse they're asking for a good stompin'!

(YouTube Link)

The alligator looked like it was minding its own business, but I think the horse had the right idea because you never know what a gator might do when they start feeling a bit peckish.

-Via Daily Dot

Tipping should be compulsory, and when a customer is served they should gladly fork over a tip to show their appreciation, but some people are so miserly with their tips it's just plain sad.

Maybe they're unaware that the federal tipped minimum wage is a meager $2.13 an hour, or that most baristas and fast food workers are working for minimum wage, so that dollar tip helps out a lot.

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In order to make sure those overworked folks in the various service industries get the tip they deserve here's a short guide to tipping:

1. Wait staff should be tipped 15-20% or more, because they make less than minimum wage in some states
2. Bartenders usually get a buck a drink
3. Picking up fast food or a drink from a barista? Tip them a buck at least, and be generous if you have a large order
4. Delivery drivers are supposed to get $5 per order, or 15-20% on a larger order
5. Valets or parking attendants should get at least $2 when they bring you your car
6. Bathroom attendants get a tip if they hand you anything, but if they're just running security in the can you don't have to tip
7. Salon and spa workers should get a good 15-20% tip, especially if you want them to do a good job!
8. Tipping hotel staff is a bit tricky, but it's usually a dollar or two to bellhops, shuttle drivers and door staff, $1-5 per night for housekeepers and a $5-10 tip for a helpful concierge
9. Taxi drivers should get a 15-20% tip, plus a couple of bucks if they help you with your bags

-Via mental_floss

There's not much you can do with newspapers in terms of recycling except mash it all up with some water and create a pulp, but newspapers can be reused in a million different ways.

Make that a million and one, because Japanese artist Chie Hitotsuyama uses old newspapers to make these wonderfully expressive animal sculptures.

Chie uses rolled up newspaper and glue to make her fantastic menagerie, building each sculpture up layer by layer to make sure each animal looks as realistic as possible:

To maintain scientific accuracy, she carefully observes photographs and videos of the chosen animal, then creates a base for the sculpture. She picks the newspapers according to color, and twists them into thin rolls that are densely applied, one after the other. "By gluing paper rolls one by one, I can form beautiful contours and curves, and the shapes of the animals emerge," the artist tells us. "If I'm creating a big animal, like a dugong or walrus, it takes approximately three months to put down all of the strips of paper, and finish the whole process."

This accuracy is even more impressive when you consider the scale and massive girth of some of her pieces, but big or small I really love them all!

See Japanese Artist Transforms Old Newspapers Into Expressive Creatures here

Crabs don't get to enjoy any produce while they're sidling along under the sea, so when they come up for air and hit the beach they head straight to the nearest surfside fruit shack and chow down.

But the spoiled little crab in this video gets to eat bugs, potato chips and fruit whenever he wants, and he enjoys spending the afternoon leisurely shoveling banana into his maw.

(YouTube Link)

And in case you were wondering what other types of fruit this little crab enjoys here's another video from another day, when that cute little pet crab got his claws on a slice of watermelon.

(YouTube Link)

-Via Laughing Squid

Many travelers dream of staying in one of the dozens of castles across Europe that rent rooms, but when they find out how much it costs to stay in these historic places their royal dreams come tumbling down.

But what if I told you there are 13 castles in the UK alone which cost $100 or less per night to stay in, would that resurrect your royal dreams?

Believe it or not, you can stay in some of Britain's coolest castles, like the majestic Clytha Castle in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales (above) or the spartan Martello Tower in Aldeburgh, Suffolk "built to keep Napoleon out" for under a hundred bucks a night.

The mighty Martello Tower will set you back $46 per person per night for four nights and sleeps 4, while Clytha Castle costs a mere $33 per person per night for four nights and sleeps 6.

Now it's not a castle per se, but how much would you imagine it would cost to stay in beautiful Wessex Manor in Dorset?

If you said $35 a night for seven nights you're either a great guesser or you've done your research!

Wessex Manor sleeps 20 guests, so grab your posse and head to this idyllic manor for a week you'll never forget:

Nestled amongst 23 acres of delightful countryside, this Grade II-listed Victorian Manor home would make for an elegant week away. The property features walled gardens, an orchard, a stone outbuilding, a stream, and sheep! Drink champagne and pretend you own everything in sight. For a few precious days, you do.

See 13 British Castles You Can Rent For Under $100 Per Night here

The internet has proven that globally one type of user can be found more than any other- the "profane and prolific online contrarians" better known as internet trolls.

These sad little souls get a thrill out of making others feel bad or uncomfortable online, and even though most of them wouldn't have the cojones to say that vile crap IRL online they're fearless Internet Warriors. (NSFW language)

(YouTube Link)

The Internet Warriors is a short documentary created for The Guardian by director Kyrre Lien, who traveled all over the world to speak to trolls in their own caves and find out what makes them troll so hard:

Why do so many people use the internet to harass and threaten people, and stretch the freedom of speech to its limits? …Online platforms are their favourite tools to express the opinions that others might find objectionable in language that often offends. Do they behave in the same way when they come offline?

-Via Laughing Squid

You know what's really cool about eBay? You can buy virtually any kind of collectible on there, including a Chinese version of the Russian T54 tank which was used in the Gulf War.

When Nick Mead plunked down $40,000 and bought that awesome T54 tank on eBay for his "corporate action activity specialists" business Tanks-A-Lot he wasn't expecting to bring home a shiny new combat vehicle.

The T54 had been used in the Gulf War, and its engine and tracks were rebuilt by the previous owners, so Nick and his mechanic decided to inspect the vehicle's diesel tank when they struck gold.

Five gold bullion bars to be exact, weighing twelve pounds each and worth an estimated $2.5 million, which Nick believes Iraqi soldiers in Kuwait stashed there after looting the gold.

“They must have cut a hole in the fuel tank and rammed it full of gold bars,”

Nick turned the gold over to the London cops, who gave him a receipt which he keeps in a safety deposit box, and he's staying pretty positive about letting go of those gold bars:

“Even if I don’t get any of the gold back I will still have my beautiful tank.”

-Via 22 Words

Kids say such cute things it's impossible to stay mad at them for long, and if we could somehow bottle their cuteness many of the world's problems could be cured with a daily dose of kiddie cute.

But rather than bottle his 5-year-old daughter Harper's essence artist Martin Bruckner takes all the endearing, zany and just plain crazy things she says and turns them into cool illustrations.

Martin calls the project "Spaghetti Toes" after the conversation he, his wife and Harper had that inspired the illustrations:

His wife told Harper, “Please don’t put spaghetti between your toes.” Bruckner commented on how ridiculous that statement sounded. Later that night he caught himself telling Harper, “Did you drop the cheese in the tub again?” From then on, he decided to note down all the weird things they said, and Spaghetti Toes was born.

100 of Martin's mini-posters have been collected in a new book entitled "I Love You with All My Butt!: An Illustrated Book of Big Thoughts from Little Kids", which will surely be the first book of many!

See more from Artist Dad Turns His 5-Year-Old Endearing Sayings Into Hilarious Illustrations here

When the first roller coaster debuted in Paris in 1817 it was considered quite thrilling, but the Promenades-Aériennes was a total snoozefest compared to the crazy thrill rides of today.

And even though theme parks keep finding new ways to combine cutting edge technology with rides to make them even more thrilling they still can't beat a high speed ride down the rails on a coaster.

Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in California looks plain and simple as far as coasters go, but it features the world's tallest vertical coaster loop (160 ft.) making it simply insane to ride.

(YouTube Link)

The Lihpao Land Discovery World in Taiwan features a crazy coaster called Gravity MaxX that starts you off with a jaw clenching 90 degree drop at 114 miles per hour, proving the bigger the drop the bigger the thrills.

(YouTube Link)

And if you're tired of roller coaster rides lasting a mere minute or two then The Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land in Japan is the ride for you- because it's the longest roller coaster in the world at 8,133 feet long.

(YouTube Link)

See The World's Craziest Rollercoasters here

Remember when TV shows featured awesome crossover episodes that brought characters from different shows together in fun and funny ways?

These cool TV crossovers were perfected in the 80s, and in 1983 one very special episode of Family Feud showed audiences the crossover their lives had been missing- Batman and Gilligan's Island.

Just imagine what these two amazing casts of characters could have accomplished had they met on the island, it would have been a beach blanket Bat-tusi bonanza!:

This episode featured Adam West (Batman) at the helm of a team, which included Lee Meriwether (Catwoman) and Yvonne Craig (Batgirl), Burt Ward (Robin) and the great Vincent Price (Egghead). On the other side of the aisle, a captain’s cap wearing Alan Hale Jr. (The Skipper) sat the head of his team including Jim Backus (Thurston Howell III), Natalie Schafer (Lovey Howell), Dawn Wells (Mary Anne) and Russell Johnson (The Professor).

(YouTube Link)

-Via Laughing Squid

The seven living American generations were shaped by global conflict, raised with a healthy love of rebellion in their hearts and taught to embrace individuality and the many societal changes to come.

And yet each generation has had drastically different taste in fashion, music and recreation, that is until the generations reached point X and prepared to transition into the 21st century together.

(YouTube Link)

BuzzFeedVideo created this cool, albeit a bit overdramatic, video to show how generations in America have evolved since the turn of the 20th century, starting with the Greatest generation.

-Via Boing Boing

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Subcultures are generally a young person's game, and as we grow older and mellow out we tend to lose interest in those "edgy" scenes we thought were so cool when we were young.

But not every subculture loses members when they hit 30 or 40, and as the original generation who became enraptured by the goth scene officially settles into their senior years they prove goths truly are immortal.

Jillian Ventners, aka The Lady of the Manners, is a self-proclaimed elder goth and owner of the blog Gothic Charm School, "an essential guide for goths and those who love them.".

She has been involved in the goth scene since the 80s, when goths were all young, pale and waify, and now she's ready to guide her fellow elder goths into their glorious grey days: 

"We are the first and second generations to age into goth, and we have to stand up and say that there is room for older women in this subculture," she says emphatically. "We don't have to conform to that template that we're too old." Venters often reminds women 40 and over that as the progenitors of the goth movement, they are the ones who set the visual standard.

In Venter's opinion, you're never too old to be goth. She encourages women to embrace the idea that with age comes knowledge, power, and not caring what other people think. And with societal pressure on women to be caretakers, nurturers, and invisible past a certain age, Venters is determined to take up space, encouraging other eldergoths to age as visibly and flamboyantly as possible. "Maybe you think I shouldn't have brilliant pink and burgundy hair at age 48," says Venters. "Whatever. That's your opinion. I don't care."

Read Elder Goths: When Growing Up Doesn't Mean Abandoning Your Favorite Youth Culture here