Reddit user u/Musuhubber asked, "What is the worst thing that is legal?" A lot of people weighed in, and it's hard to say which is the worst because they're all terrible:
Thursday, 31 December 2020
Tobias Baumgartner's remarkable photo of widowed penguins wins more awards
An older female and younger male fairy penguin who both lost their mates meet regularly in Melbourne, spending hours looking at the city lights and keeping each other company. Photographer Tobias Baumgartner describes the response since sharing his images:
— Read the restI posted this image of these two Fairy penguins a little more than half a year ago and since then it has circled the globe, it has been seen by millions and I have received thousands of messages and comments of how these two little guys have touched and mended broken hearts, brought joy, hope and love into your lives.
Dr. Drew Pinsky, who called Covid-19 a "press-induced panic," has Covid-19
Remember when Dr. Drew Pinsky invoked copyright laws to scare people from sharing a video of his comments downplaying Covid-19? — Read the rest
Here's why YouTuber Primitive Technology hasn't posted in over a year
YouTuber Jabroney looks at several developments related to the popular channel Primitive Technology, where survivalist John Plant created all sorts of things using natural materials.
Jabroney looks at John's book Primitive Technology, the Asian clickbait channels that ripped off Primitive Technology's premise and chased views with more and more elaborate structure building, and the good news about why John has not posted a new video in 2020: he is working on a show for a cable network! — Read the rest
A deep dive into "the cult of Dr. Phil"
YouTuber Big Joel uses a clip of Dr. Phil's treatment of a troubled guest to explore what he calls "the cult of Dr. Phil." Under the auspices of psychology and self-help, he says Dr. Phil constructs a power dynamic that exploits such guests for entertainment purposes. — Read the rest
Rest in Peace, dance legend Shabba-Doo
Dance pioneer Adolfo "Shabba-Doo" QuiƱones has died at age 65. QuiƱones was part of the Lockers with Toni Basil, a dance crew that introduced locking to the world. An original Soul Train dancer, QuiƱones went on to become an accomplished actor and choreographer, providing moves for some of the biggest names in music, including Lionel Richie, Madonna, Luther Vandross, and Three-Six Mafia. — Read the rest
RIP Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash, the animation and programming platform that long graced the world-wide web, is officially dead. Adobe has ended support for it, will soon issue an auto-update that blocks Flash files from executing in the browser, and issued a stark final recommendation, just in case:
— Read the restUninstall Flash Player immediately.
The extraordinary queer life of Harriet The Spy author Louise Fitzhugh
Harriet the Spy was a YA fiction inspiration who possessed all of the ethics of a TMZ reporter. A young Upper East Side miscreant, Harriet's curiosity and ambition leads her to spy on her friends, family and neighbors, recording copious notes about their activities in her ever-present notebooks. — Read the rest
Abandoned AT-AT diorama
YouTube JankLabs hand-painted this cool diorama of a destroyed AT-AT that is decaying in shallow water. Great details of nature reclaiming the machine.
The AT-AT is not a toy or model kit, but was 3d printed by Jank prior to the paint work. — Read the rest
Ticketmaster fined $10m over "instrusion" into competitor's site
Hated events company Ticketmaster was fined $10m by the U.S. Department of Justice for "intrusions" into a competitor's computer systems.
— Read the rest"Ticketmaster employees repeatedly – and illegally – accessed a competitor's computers without authorization using stolen passwords to unlawfully collect business intelligence," stated Acting U.S.
Jeweler forges the one ring to rule them all
Patrick Adair creates a beautiful gold ring, then inscribes it using computer-assisted laser, then fills in the etchings with fluorescent powder for a cool effect under UV light.
— Read the restIn this video, Patrick Adair Designs the one ring to rule them all.
Yo-yo tricks of increasing complexity
In this Wired video, yo-yo master Harrison Lee explains tricks in 26 levels of difficulty, from the easiest to the most amazing and complex.
Image: YouTube
The Sky Lite Laser Galaxy Projector can turn your bedroom ceiling into a beautiful night sky
Earlier this month, stargazers were dazzled by a rare celestial event as The Great Conjunction offered a view of Jupiter and Saturn huddled close together in the night sky. The planets themselves aren't actually in closer proximity to each other, but just the idea of seeing this optical convergence that hasn't been viewed from Earth in almost 800 years had millions around the globe excited. — Read the rest
Beautiful Vermont house for sale also includes seven creepy jail cells
If you're looking for a new house in Guildhall, VT, here's a listing: It's a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom house from 1880 that sports bright, colorful bedroom walls, a cozy wooden banister, and … seven rusting, decrepit jail cells with bars on the windows. — Read the rest
This laser water jet can cut almost anything
Laser water jets combine two cutting technologies for extremely precise cutting of almost any material. Here's how it works from a manufacturer's promotional video:
The demo at the top if from a longer video showing how they cut a 342-carat diamond fair-mined in Botswana:
Image: YouTube / Syneron (thanks, RandomDude)
1983 boner comedy 'Get Crazy' could be your next New Year's Eve tradition
Like all things 2020, New Year's Eve is going to be hitting a little differently this year. No sidewalk revelry, no swapping spit with strangers on the dance floor, no house parties full of friends. If you're like many of us, you've opted to ring in 2021 watching movies on the couch while surrounded by an arsenal of snacks. — Read the rest
The evolution of the guitar over the centuries
YouTuber Rob Scallon invites guitar historian Brandon Acker on to discuss the history of the guitar from the 1400s through current models: "We learn about and play 7 instruments along the path of the guitar's evolution, from the Arabic Oud to the modern acoustic as we know it today." — Read the rest
Pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood suggests Justice John Roberts a pedophile
Lin Wood, the lawyer whose endless litigation to overturn November's election results has yet to bear fruit, last night took to Twitter to air his grievances. Most significantly, he insinuated that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts was party to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia and that he is a pedophile. — Read the rest
Making a wooden dogsled with no power tools
I love that people are starting to brand unnarrated build videos as ASMR. In this vid, Chop with Chris builds a lovely little dogsled using nothing more than hand tools. Definitely fun and oddly soothing to watch.
Image: YouTube
"Hookers and Blow Save Christmas" – a children's book
Since we're still within the 12 days of Christmas, I feel safe sharing Hookers and Blow Save Christmas, a new-this-year holiday picture book for children.
— Read the restTom Transport is stuck in a snowdrift with all the presents for the town Christmas party!
Wednesday, 30 December 2020
Watch this baby's hilarious reaction to a new toy
The California mom who captured this hilarious video of her baby explains:
"I was shopping for toys for my daughter, Maisie at the store. I was showing her different toys to see which ones she wanted. That toy said it was good for sensory development, so I put it in front of her and turned it on and she had a hilarious reaction. — Read the rest
Man cleans snow off driveway with flamethrower (VIDEO)
This Kentucky man is not about shovels. He's cleaning off snow from his driveway with a flamethrower.
— Read the restA man dressed as Cousin Eddie from the holiday classic "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" cleaned snow from his driveway with a flamethrower in Ashland, Kentucky, on December 25.
One year ago today, first tweet on 'mystery pneumonia' in Wuhan, China
• A year ago today, this tweet warned of a "SARS/Suspected SARS Pneumonia Outbreak in Wuhan, China."
• Now, COVID-19 has killed 350,000 in US, and counting.
This appears to be the first tweet to have ever discussed what we now know as the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. — Read the rest
Computer hamster
Who needs mice when you can have adorable, pastel-hued hamsters? These cheapo wireless computer m—hamsters [Amazon] are compatible with Windows, MacOS, Linux, "etc", and promise a "comfortable hand feel."
— Read the restCOMFORTABLE HAND FEELING & LESS NOICE- The animal Hamster mouse has passed multiple color modulation and hand feel test, reducing the stress caused by prolonged use of the mouse,helping maximize your feeling of use!Quieter
The sounds of (old) computer games loading
In the 8-bit age, data screeched slowly off tape decks. In the 16-bit era, floppy drives whirred, clinked and chunked according to the peculiarities of the system's disk controller. For the BBC's "Boring Talks"—podcasts about things most people would find boring—journalist Keith Stuart remembers. — Read the rest
Pro bowler scores a strike at 140 mph from a NASCAR Mustang
NASCAR driver Aric Almirola and top bowler Jason Belmonte teamed up for the world's fastest bowling strike. They had to use a special ball, because a regulation ball would have shattered on the track at those speeds.
Aric has a behind-the scenes video:
Image: YouTube / Jason Belmonte
The glaring difference between British and American cop shows
My dad's been pestering me since the summer to watch the Irish police soap opera Red Rock now that it's on AmazonPrime. While I'm always down for a good crime story, I'm not always keen on cop dramas. But I finally got a chance to watch the pilot episode over the holidays — and lo and behold, I enjoyed it, too. — Read the rest
Documentary on The Black Ghost, Detroit's legendary street racer
The Black Ghost, a 1970 Dodge Challenger 426 Hemi, reached mythical status in Detroit's street racing scene, where it would sporadically appear, blow the doors off the competition, then disappear without warning. This is a great documentary about the vehicle, its owner, and the vintage racing culture. — Read the rest
Turning a pile of broken glass into a lampshade
It's time-consuming, it's expensive, and it's ridiculously tedious, but as well-known YouTube maker, Peter Brown, puts it "This should not exist." Peter took broken glass from a large shattered window and turned it into a lampshade.
The process involved making a wooden buck, then making a silicone mold, and then building the shade on the inside of the mold, one glass piece at a time. — Read the rest
Which deodorant brands are mostly empty containers?
Certain brands of deodorant are sold half-empty, like the ink cartridges that come with a printer, to fool unwary shoppers who don't look at the weight. This video concisely (and swearily) compares a few brands to reveal which ones are playing games with packaging.
Hot tip for blacking out thermal paper labels
The easiest way to black out thermal paper (for example, to remove addresses or barcodes that would make it risky to re-use a box) is to heat it up: no marker necessary! Why use the Sharpie you already have when you could risk everything by instead applying fire?
Dumpster fire 2020 candle and tree ornament
Our friend, Becky Stern, was part of a group of makers doing ByeBye 2020-related projects. For her project, Becky molded a 2020 candle that burns away to reveal a metal 2020 dumpster fire tree ornament beneath. Perfect way to encapsulate this year.
News of the Times: Placebo Drug Craze Hits Teens
YOU can buy the two new Tom the Dancing Bug books, Tom the Dancing Bug: Into the Trumpverse, and The Super-Fun-Pak Comix Reader! Information here.
"Behold the wondrous, whimsical, witty world that is Tom the Dancing Bug! If you're someone who's not a fan of potent political humor with an incisive absurdist twist that's not only consistently funny, but downright therapeutic for an ailing world, I suggest you avoid this book like the plague. — Read the rest
Prohibition whisky found while renovating the "Bootlegger Bungalow"
Nick Drummond and Patrick Bakker bought an old house in the small town of Ames, New York, and set out to repair and renovate it. The house had once been owned by "Count" Adolf Humpfner, who was rumored to have been a bootlegger, but he died in 1932, so those stories may have been just a legend. — Read the rest
This honeycomb-patterned gel cushion could be the answer to that nagging back pain
None of us are getting any younger. And while the ravages of time work differently on everyone, there seems to be one area where everyone from seniors down to the way-too-young start feeling discomfort first. Oh, that aching back.
A lot of that may have to do with how many of us spend huge portions of our day sitting, from time spent in the car to time spent in front of a computer to time spent on the couch watching TV. — Read the rest
Maker tests his DIY grappling gun
Grappling guns appear in movies and video games all the time, but a real-world arm-worn grappling gun turns out to be quite an interesting engineering challenge for JT at Built IRL. Watch the epic year-long series of trial and error.
Image: YouTube / Built IRL
Scientists have discovered that the universe is brighter than previously believed
A team of astronomers from Cornell University have published a new paper titled "New Horizons Observations of the Cosmic Optical Background," which explains that, using new measurements from the New Horizons space probe, the universe is actually physically brighter than they thought. — Read the rest
Louisiana congressman-elect dies from COVID-19 at age 41
Congressman-elect Luke Letlow (R-LA), who won a special election to represent Louisiana's 5th District just three weeks ago, died on Tuesday evening from COVID-19 complications. He was 41-years-old.
Letlow was being treated for COVID-19 at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport when, according to LSU Health Shreveport physician Dr. — Read the rest
PornHub shirt but it's Ewoks
Magoob Toys is selling an Ewok t-shirt in the style of the PornHub logo, because "Ewoks need love too."
The shirt is even more inspiring when you consider the double meaning—that, translated from the Ewokese, it says "Freedom, we want freedom." — Read the rest
Tuesday, 29 December 2020
First known US case of highly contagious COVID-19 variant from UK reported in Colorado
The highly infectious variant of COVID-19 first reported in the U.K. has now been reported in Colorado, say U.S. health authorities on Tuesday.
From Reuters:
— Read the rest"The effort to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it should," Biden said in Wilmington, Delaware.
Husky loves to run and howl in his sleep
Very sweet dog.
"Blaze, my Siberian Husky, twitches and runs in his sleep quite often, but when his feet are against the radiator he makes a lot of noise! And if I'm asleep downstairs it wakes me up! Sometimes he even does little squeaky barks in his sleep but he never barks when he's awake, he usually only howls!" — Read the rest
Large snake falls through ceiling, trashes home
Labsanit S. of Thailand says, "I came home to a mess and discovered a giant snake had caused all the damage." The incident happened on December 10, 2020.
New Lincoln Project ad shows Trump border wall built from COVID victims' tombstones — 'This is Trump's Wall'
A striking image in the new Lincoln Project political ad.
"330k+ dead and counting. because of the #TrumpVirus. This is #TrumpsWall."
Video below.
Los Angeles hospitals forced to use gift shops to treat COVID patients
Los Angeles County hospitals have hit their breaking point amid the COVID-19 surge, resulting in ambulances being turned away and gift shops being turned into makeshift treatment rooms.
On Sunday, five areas hospitals were forced to declare "internal disasters" after they were unable to provide adequate oxygen supplies into patients' rooms. — Read the rest
Trump criminal probe heats up in NY as prosecutor hires forensic accounting experts
"The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has retained forensic accounting specialists to aid its criminal investigation of President Trump and his business operations, as prosecutors ramp up their scrutiny of his company's real estate transactions," reports the Washington Post:
— Read the restDistrict Attorney Cyrus R.
U.S. $600 stimulus payments may begin arriving as early as Tuesday night by direct deposit, Mnuchin says
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said today the $600 stimulus checks may begin arriving in Americans' bank accounts as soon as tonight.
— Read the restMnuchin tweeted that payments may begin to arrive by direct deposit as early as Tuesday evening, and will continue arriving into next week.
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