QAnoners pride themselves on being independent thinkers who know the real truth. And the latest version of the QTruth is that drinking "industrial disinfectant mixed into a chemical cocktail" is a swell idea.
From Raw Story:
— Read the restQAnon cultists gathered in Dallas have started drinking an industrial disinfectant mixed into a chemical cocktail.
Kenyon Wilson is a professor of performing arts at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and this semester, he ran an experiment: hiding a cash prize in a locker and burying the location and lock combination deep in the syllabus. At the end of the semester, the money was still there. — Read the rest
Marjorie Taylor Greene proved the GOP is diverse in her opening speech during a rally at Turning Point USA's "AmericaFest" on Sunday by using a racial slur against Asian Americans.
"When I walked in yesterday, I was like, what kind of people come here?" — Read the rest
This video about how run down Gary, Indiana is begins with a remarkable image: the main road to it from a neighboring suburb has been bricked up. Welcome to The Most Miserable City in America! Formerly the murder capital of the U.S., — Read the rest
Julian Lucas supplies today's illustration of Betteridge's Law of Headlines, on the subject of writing itself: "Can "Distraction-Free" Devices Change the Way We Write?"
— Read the restI tried "distraction-free" writing apps that encouraged mindfulness, disabled the backspace key, or, in a few extreme cases, threatened to delete everything if I took my hands off the keyboard (Write or Die).
Paleoburrows are the vernacular architecture of extinct megafauna. With enough headroom for the average-height human, the giant sloth tunnels of Brazil speak to the industry of their creators.
— Read the restOnce Professor Frank got a taste of one tunnel, he went looking for more and was shocked to see just how many were laying in plain sight.
Looking at the wave of video game mascots with an attitude created to cash in on Sonic the Hedgehog's early 90s dominance feels like a fever dream. There was an innumerable roster of pretenders to the throne with games like Awesome Possum, Fartman, and Gex littering the market. — Read the rest
Yours for $500 is this remarkable work of art crafted in the unusual medium of hacked-up game consoles. "Sega Saturn Devouring His Son" is by Josh Oliver and a perfect accompaniment for a story today about how Sega exective Yuji Naka helped kill the Dreamcast by killing one of its most promising exclusive titles. — Read the rest
Nurdles are lentil-sized pellets of plastics—polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, and so on—that are used to make everything from consumer goods to the containers we ship them in. They're an environmental terror, not least because they look like food to aquatic life. Some 230,000 tons of them are set afloat on the high seas every year. — Read the rest
Through his brilliant array of imaginative films, Hayao Miyazaki, co-founder of Studio Ghibli, has not only turned a couple of Western generations into anime fans but helped expand the visual language for millions of film fans. Recently, the accomplished director announced that he is getting set to work on his last film. — Read the rest
Four hours of the recent 2021 Game Awards boiled down to 8 minutes of new game reveals. Time saving!
Image: Screengrab
I just published a new guide over at Wirecutter that goes into exquisite detail about the best at-home karaoke machines. This involved a surprising amount of research just to figure out what the hell a modern karaoke machine actually entails:
— Read the restThe biggest challenge we faced with this guide was also the most basic part of it: What exactly is a "karaoke machine," anyway?
Growing up Black in the West means that learning a narrow version of world history is inevitable. Even if you took AP classes in high school, the European perspective was always the main course in any history class. That isn't to say that understanding the nations and events that solidified Western dominance isn't valuable, but having the appropriate amount of nuance regarding the divergent cultures that influenced European life would be helpful. — Read the rest
On Sunday, December 19th, Andrew Marr signed off for the last time.
"I had been wondering how to close this final show but I can't do better than quoting my great mentor: you stay classy, San Diego."
Andrew Marr
If you haven't seen Anchorman (in a while), the two-minute scene containing the golden line is here. — Read the rest
On this episode of Monstrum, they look at the origins of everybody's favorite Christmas devil, Krampus.
Image: Screengrab
This time last year, I shared a hilarious tribute album by the B-69s, a tribute band that covers other artists' songs in the style of the B-52s. Welp, now they're back with an equally absurd follow-up titled "Non Funkable Token'," which includes covers of Britney Spears' "Toxic" and "Call Me By Your Name" by Lil Nas X. — Read the rest
Even though the world is beginning to open up slightly, you'll understand my hesitancy to start booking flights. In lieu of actually traveling, I've been content to compile a list of sights and locations for my bucket list. I ain't Anthony Bourdain, but I tend to lean towards places a little off the beaten path. — Read the rest
It's fascinating how interwoven the worlds of organized crime and entertainment are. From Sinatra to early stand-up comedy and Hollywood, gangsters were among the most important patrons in entertainment history. There's money laundering to think of, but I like to imagine my gangsters with a refined cultural palate, equivalent to an Austrian Archduke in the 1500s. — Read the rest
Since 2002, the Alpha Writers Workshop has hosted a group of a teenagers from 14 to 19 years of age for an 11-day residential writing workshop at the University of Pittsburgh's Greensburg campus. As far as I'm aware, it's the only teen workshop to focus on science fiction, fantasy, and horror writing, too. — Read the rest
"Fall asleep to the sounds of the world around us," promises Real Life Ambience, "1 Hour of fire sounds for the whole family."
My own contribution to this satirical genre was 10 HOURS HENRY KISSINGER ULTIMATE RELAXATION, featuring 10 hours of gently panning and fading footage of Dr. — Read the rest
On Friday, Kellogg's confirmed online rumors that it has removed its name from Pop-Tarts boxes. The move comes amidst a months-long strike involving about 1400 workers across four cereal plants, but Kellogg's says the design decision is about "simplified" design, not a last-ditch effort to get around consumer boycotts (hmm). — Read the rest
Before Mark Proksch's Collin Robinson character started boring people to death as the energy vampire on What We Do in the Shadows, he assumed the role of Kenny "K-Strass" Strasser, an award-winning yo-yo expert and green activist. In the role of Strasser, Proksch booked himself onto morning shows in the mid-west. — Read the rest
As much as comic fans fawn over the Golden Age, it's equally important to look at the preceding era, which set the stage for modern comics. Along with the lengthy roster of pulp heroes like Doc Savage, The Shadow, and Flash Gordon, fans tend to sweep the Platinum Age of comics under the rug and dismiss their foundational importance. — Read the rest
Hassan Dervish spent 40 years of his life selling ice cream in southeast London. Sadly, his life was taken by cancer at the age of 62. To honor his passing, ten ice cream trucks joined in the funeral procession, blaring their jingly songs through the London streets in a strangely sweet showing of solidarity. — Read the rest
Here's how people in Yakutsk, Siberia—the coldest big city on Earth—dress to go out in the extreme cold there.
Meanwhile, over in Fairbanks:
My young son has become transfixed by videos of Lego robots moving bread around and preparing meals. Here's one of them, now watched perhaps thirty times.
There's something slightly uncanny about watching bread sail elegantly though a Lego production line, to be sliced and combined with meat and condiments, ermerging as neat if not entirely appetizing tapas. — Read the rest
When footage emerged of Kanye West's "publicist" threatening an election worker after Trump's 2020 election defeat, it was a reminder that Kanye himself had launched his own presidential campaign. Why were his people still batting for Trump? The cynical answer is that Kanye's presidential campaign was merely a stalking horse for Trump, its only purpose to peel black votes away from Joe Biden. — Read the rest
An author I follow on Twitter reports spotting this wonderful variation of the Bristol Stool Chart in a UK hospital while having some tests. I've printed out a copy for myself and put it on the kitchen refrigerator. May we all have a very merry Toffee Crisp Christmas and a Ripple new year. — Read the rest
Christmas is next week, which means our society's obligatory celebration of consumerism, materialism, and family is finally here. In the haze of ads for trendy gadgets and copious Christmas specials, I'm sure you've seen at least one image of the iconic depiction of Santa Claus. — Read the rest
In recent months, Japan has come under fire for racially profiling people who visit the country. As a result, the US embassy has even issued a warning for Americans who decide to visit Japan. But is Japan inherently racist, or is the entire issue a massive cultural misunderstanding? — Read the rest
Paul Thomas Anderson's new film Licorice Pizza is currently in the middle of its theatrical release and enjoying strong approval from critics and audiences. Anderson has been batting close to a thousand his entire career, so the film's positive reception is not surprising. — Read the rest
On last night's The Late Show, Stephen Colbert celebrated the upcoming (Dec 19) 20th anniversary of the release of Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring with a Lonely Island-like rap video professing the the film and its two follow-ups constitute the #1 movie trilogy of all time. — Read the rest
I'm not sure what Tucker Swanson Carlson, the idiocracy's favorite schoolmarm, is pretending to be upset about here. I think he is scolding people who want to discuss an infectious disease pandemic that's killed over 5 million people and continues to kill about 7,000 people a day. — Read the rest
The word "millipede" means "thousand feet" but nobody has ever identified a millipede, or any other kind of animal on Earth, with more than 1,000 legs. Now though, researchers have discovered E. persephone, the first millipede that lives up to its name with not just 1,000 legs but rather 1,306 of them. — Read the rest
In Charleston, West Virginia, a gentleman was taken to the hospital after his oxygen tank exploded outside his home. Prior to the explosion, the man was reportedly banging on it with a hammer. From WSAZ:
— Read the restOfficials say the tank exploded, sending debris about a block away, hitting a parked car.
Back in 1994, the Ninja Turtles were already on the way down their early 90s height of popularity. So naturally, the best way to save the franchise was, uhh, to create a terrible made-for-VHS Christmas Musical Special, We Wish You A Turtle Christmas, with a truly compelling plot:
— Read the restOn Christmas Eve the Turtles realize they've forgotten to get Splinter a gift.
Still looking for gifts for art book-loving friends or family? Just in time for holiday gift giving (or wish-listing) here a few reviews the best art books I discovered this year.
"From The Land of The Totem Poles" by Aldona Jonaitis [Amazon] is a wonderful read that is more like two books in one. — Read the rest
English performer and actor David Bowie released Hunky Dory, his fourth album, in 1971 when he was 24. Rolling Stone calls it the 88th greatest album of all time, and it was his first album to go platinum. Just six months later, he would go on to release The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. — Read the rest
It's already too late to sign up for Brian Eno's colorful, glowing turntable: the limited edition sold out almost as soon as it became available. No price was made public, but Eno prints offered by the same gallery were 1,440 euros ($1,630) a pop. — Read the rest
Pop quiz: what's the compound that makes you trip when you're munching on psychedelic mushrooms? If you said psilocybin, you're wrong. I was shocked too. Mainly because I'm one of those annoying friends you have that frequently rhapsodizes about how psychedelic mushrooms are key to mental health. — Read the rest
The cornerstone of the cultural appropriation argument centers on the amount of respect, or lack thereof, shown to the borrowed culture in question. Generally speaking, while not entirely comfortable with the idea, society will turn a blind eye to art that expresses nuance towards the appropriated culture. — Read the rest
Cards on the table: the video linked above is a long one. It's a labyrinthian journey into the rotten core of the internet, and one of the most fascinating and hilarious things I've watched this week.
If you've spent any time on the internet, you're aware of how quickly formerly concrete intellectual properties can become malleable putty in the hands of artists and trolls. — Read the rest
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views.
A cozy, brick fireplace illuminating your dark living room and warming up you and your family is a beautiful picture, especially as the temperature drops. It's — Read the rest
Reddit, the last social media site that isn't entirely given over to an algorithmic hell of engagement metrics (so long as you stay away from whatever it feeds logged-out visitors), is to go public with a traditional IPO.
— Read the restThe social media company did not make the filing publicly available.
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views.
It used to be that plugging in and turning on a TV was enough. But with screen sizes expanding, resolution rates improving, and the in-person moviegoing experience eroding, everybody is in some stage of building their very own customized home theater. — Read the rest
I'm not sure why, but plays and musicals have struck a sour note with my sensibilities. Chalk it up to the limitations of what's possible on a stage or the fact that movies exist, but getting lost in a play is pretty tricky for me. — Read the rest
Red Maniac devised and made an autonomous sonar drone—a boat!—that tools around lakes looking for signs of sunken treasure under the waves.
The parts list is specialized, to say the least. An afternoon at Home Depot will not cut it!
36" wam-o brand boogie board
560kv 24v underwater thruster
Spedix 30A HV 3-6s esc (set to bidirectional)
Matek F405 Wing flight controller (running Ardupilot/Rover 4.1)
Holybro M9n GPS/Compass module
X-Rock 915mhz 1000mw telemetry radio
TBS Crossfire Full Module
Taranis X9D radioMultistar 4s 6,600mah (X3 parallel)
Humminbird Helix 7
Mega SI G3 sonar
