This surprisingly interesting video goes behind the scenes at Saturday Night Live to show how crucial their cue cards are to the show. No teleprompters for them. A team of eight, led by SNL's cue card supervisor Wally Feresten, lovingly handwrites (and edits and rewrites) them for each and every episode.
TIL: Sharks are attracted to the sound of death metal. Apparently, the "dense tones" of it mimics the "low frequencies of struggling fish." (Damn.)
In 2015, a Discovery Channel crew -- hoping to attract a large great white named "Joan of Shark" -- dropped a speaker underwater and played some.
Desperate to feature the 16-foot, 1.6 tonne shark in their documentary, they submerged a speaker to see if the shark would react. Unfortunately they didn't manage to attract Joan, but did catch the attention of two others, one of which was 12 feet long.
Sharks 'hear' by picking up vibrations from receptors on their bodies, meaning they can be attracted to the low-frequency vibrations of heavy music, which apparently sounds like struggling fish.
There's finally a good use for autotuning; use it to enhance your pet's vocals.
Animator Joaquin Baldwin (previously on BB) did just that. He autotuned his cat Elton using an app called Voloco. It's really funny!
Elton's not the only pet who got autotuned. In fact, it seems it may have started with a howling dog named paco:
i auto tuned by dog howling pic.twitter.com/RQwIqKqjvC
— đ» (@_avall) February 14, 2019
Well, here's something you don't see every day, tiki mugs of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from Ghostbusters.
Choose the form of the Destructor, and hopefully this jolly giant marshmallow man pops in your head, and hand. Holding approx. 36oz of your favorite ectoplasmic beverage, this tiki-ized manifestation of something that could never ever possibly destroy us is ready for you to trap in your collection.
Currently available from Mondo in limited-to-650 Bone Variant ($55, shown in second to left) and Standard Edition ($50, shown in blue and red). The Crossing the Streams Variant ("orange-wiped" glaze) was created for Designer Con and appears to not be for sale. The Brown Glaze one will be heading to select Alamo Drafthouse theater locations soon.
Italian composer and arranger Giovanni Dettori based his "Lady Gaga Fugue" on her 2009 hit "Bad Romance." In this video, his friend Vincenzo Culotta plays his neo-Baroque piece on the piano. Dettori writes, "To give a "modern feeling" I used a special treatment of fourths, fifths, suspensions and rythm [sic]."
Ok, full disclosure: this video was posted on YouTube way back in April 2011 and was a big hit back then apparently. It was the first time I had seen it though. I enjoyed it and figured many of you would too.
Incidentally, just this year, the original video for "Bad Romance" surpassed 1 billion views.
Costco is giving new meaning to "cutting the cheese" by offering five-tiered artisan wedding "cakes" made of 24 pounds of fancy fromage. Each one is estimated to serve between 105-150 lactose-tolerant guests.
These literal cheese cakes are packed by Massachusetts-based cheesemongers Sid Wainer & Son and are made of five different gourmet wheels: Red Leicester, Danish Blue, Murcia al Vino (a "drunken goat cheese"), Tuscan Sheepâs Cheese, and Brillat Savarin Triple Cream Brie. Couples who say "I do" to these non-traditional low-carb cakes will need to kick down $440 (which is roughly the same cost of its sugar-laden equivalent).
Floral adornments and crackers are sold separately. And, some assembly is required:
Look closer at this charming Hawaiian shirt, sold as the Apocaloha!âexclamation point included. If zombies ripping apart Magnum, P.I. and other haoles in an apocalyptic scene appeals to you, this is the shirt for you.
Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, being juvenile can pay off. Two brothers have proven this. They've been humorously scribbling on baseball cards since they were kids and now it's landed them a book deal. As children of the 80s, Beau and Bryan Abbott spent their allowance on their baseball card only to discover the collection wasn't worth the cardstock it was printed on. Instead of dumping the long boxes full of cards, the then-elementary-aged boys started "enhancing" them with Sharpies in "endlessly shameless and shameful attempts at making one another laugh." This continued until high school when they stopped for a while.
Mashable (link mine):
Then, while Beau was at the San Francisco Art Institute, Bryan sent Beau a care package with a bunch of newly vandalized baseball cards. Beau showed his fellow students and professors and the cards became a big hit.
Their popular Tumblr has been around since 2012, their Instagram is gaining some traction, and now their first book is coming out in early March. Baseball Card Vandals: Over 200 Decent Jokes on Worthless Cards! can be pre-ordered now for $12.76. You can also purchase individual cards directly from the Abbott brothers ($35 and up).
Teslas now have built-in "whoopie cushions" thanks to a new firmware update. The vehicles can now make farting noises on demand or by use of a turn signal with what they're cheekily calling, "Emissions Testing Mode." Jalopnik reports there are seven flatulence sounds to choose from -- "Not a Fart, Short Shorts Rapper, Falcon Heavy, Ludicrous Fart, Neurastink, Boring Fart, and what seems to be a fart randomizer."
There are two other bizarre Easter eggs in this update: Romance Mode and Pole Position. The former provides a virtual fireplace and the latter is a retro-modern version of the old school racing video game.
Hopped in my @Tesla this morning and was delighted to find âromance modeâ and a drop-down list of juicy, on demand fart noises, that can be triggered with a wheel click or turn signal.
The best keeps getting better.
Thanks @elonmusk and team! pic.twitter.com/L6HGX8w2cs
— Kevin Pereira (@Attack) December 19, 2018
screenshot via RM Videos/YouTube Read the rest
This week, on the same day, I had not one but two friends tell me about designer Sonia Harris' "swearing patterns." Of course, I instantly became a fan. Her hidden-in-plain-sight patterns are subversive yet perfectly understated.
For example, this t-shirt's design appears to be a fancy mandala at first glance. But look closer and you'll see the words "Insufferable Wanker" cleverly incorporated into the pattern. (Ms. Harris, you get me.)
She got started drawing the patterns (using an iOS app called Amaziograph) while she was going through treatment for breast cancer, writing that swearing is a meditation for her:
Read the restDespite my desire to create and soothe myself with art, I was also very angry at the bad luck of having spent decades dealing with pain from endometriosis only to get breast cancer just as I thought there was an end to it. The disgusting effects of the treatment, the frightening and painful experiences kept on coming... Hence my patterns contained a lot of profanity. I wanted to swear and I needed to swear. If I could have, Iâd have been shouting those profanities from the rooftops! But I had no strength to raise my voice or even stomp around, so that left my drawings. I could write down an exclamation of disgust, carefully and lovingly so that seeing it gave me strength, reminded me that I have a voice and I am still alive. Seeing the repetition of my words and patterns calmed me, the inherent beauty of them made me feel in harmony with life again and able to rest.
I'm feeling sad for humanity. "Selfie wrist" is a thing.
According to CBSNewYork, San Francisco doctor Levi Harrison is seeing a rise in an injury caused by "hyper-flexing your wrist inwards to capture the perfect selfie angle."
âSelfie wristâ can reportedly cause numbness and a tingling sensation that people feel in their fingers and wrists.
photo by Susanne Nilsson/Flickr Read the rest
Macaulay Culkin's middle name is currently "Carson." But, starting in 2019, it will be "Macaulay Culkin," as in Macaulay 'Macaulay Culkin' Culkin.
The Home Alone actor has been polling his fans on what his new middle name should be. The other choices were "Shark Week," "Kieran" (his younger brother's name), "TheMcRibisBack," and "Publicity Stunt." Ultimately his fans went with the meta choice of his own first and last name.
On Christmas day he made the big announcement.
Merry Christmas to me, from all of you!
My new middle name has been chosen. You voted and the winner is clear.
In 2019 my new legal name will be:
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin.
It has a nice ring to it (if you like my name).#MerryChristmas
— Macaulay Culkin (@IncredibleCulk) December 25, 2018
Keep it quirky, Culkin!
Recently: 38-year-old Macaulay Culkin is Home Alone again in this fun ad
Related: Did you know that the black-and-white gangster film ("Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal!') in Home Alone was created for specifically for the movie? It's not a vintage flick at all!
My entire childhood, I thought the old timey movie that Kevin watches in Home Alone (Angels With Filthy Souls) was actually an old movie.
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) December 25, 2018
Remember earlier this week when Trump asked a child over the phone, "Are you still a believer in Santa? Because at seven it's marginal, right?"? Who could forget?!
Well, the parents of seven-year-old Collman Lloyd of Lexington, South Carolina (a girl -- it had been reported the child was a boy) filmed her talking with the President:
And, the AP reports that Collman had never heard the word "marginal" before.
Collman had called the NORAD Tracks Santa program Monday night to check on Santaâs journey delivering toys. In an interview with the Post and Courier of Charleston, she said the scientist who answered the NORAD phone asked her if she would like to speak to the president.
Six minutes later, Trump was on the line. âAre you still a believer in Santa?â Trump asked. When she responded, âYes, sir,â the president added, âBecause at 7, thatâs marginal, right?â
Collman didnât know what âmarginalâ meant and simply answered, âYes, sir.â Trump closed by saying, âWell, you just enjoy yourself.â
This is quite the feat. Twitter user @pilotviruet's mom crocheted them a playable Monopoly game blanket. Color me impressed!
hello, please look at this giant blanket my mom crocheted for me!!! pic.twitter.com/TTRQwJAmnZ
— pilot! (@pilotviruet) December 27, 2018
These "Delete my Browser History" medic alert bracelets are making the rounds again and some say they can be a hassle for first responders and other emergency medical professionals.
This redditor, who works in the medical field, made this plea back in 2015:
Read the rest...I work in healthcare and emergency medicine. Some people are going to call me a stick in the mud or say I have no sense of humor. I assure you that I do however there is a time and a place. Hereâs what I want to say to (scream at) people:
Wearing a joke or novelty medic alert bracelet in your everyday life is NOT funny, it is stupid and causes grief to the people who are trying to save you. ...I can't tell you the number of people we've had wearing ones saying things like âDelete my browser historyâ, âFormat my hard driveâ, âIâm probably just shitfacedâ or âBlood type: Coors Light/Jack Daniels/alcohol of your choiceâ. Stop. Just stop. When first responders are checking you and they see one everything stops. They donât know if youâre allergic to a certain medication, or canât have needles in one arm, or whatever else. Itâs precious time they could be using to save your life. Itâs even worse when you come to the ER under your own power and insist on making the staff look at it while they are treating you. Today a group of guys were brought into the ER unconscious after their car rolled over (theyâre okay) All 5 of them had medic alert bracelets.
Here we go again. This Sesame Street sound bite is being called the new Yanny/Laurel. Read the rest
Pink paper towels, a lampshade covered in hair-dye sample swatches, and a fake glass of white wine from Japan are just a few of the eclectic things you'll find in Amy Sedaris' rabbit-nibbled one-bedroom Greenwich Village apartment. New York Magazine's Design Editor Wendy Goodman got a tour of Sedaris' delightful home despite not bringing a gift. Read the rest
