We do it #ForTheCultrs
Last year was eye-opening in terms of how far “allies” will go to let you know they’re on your side without actually doing anything. Today’s Nancy comic illustrates that type of performative activism. Literally.
For more, see Nancy on virtual schooling, meta jokes, and to do lists.
To celebrate the release of the 25th (official) James Bond film, No Time to Die, Nerd Bear will pay one super fan $1,000 to watch all 24 movies starting from Dr. No right up to Spectre. That’s over 51 hours of films, 7 different 007s, and too many martinis!
No Time To Die was due to be released in April but now has been pushed back to September 30 2021. I know. We’re disappointed too, but we hope this dream job will keep you going while you wait!
For US citizens and permanent residents only.
Jacaranda Books is set to release A Quick Ting On, their first non-fiction series dedicated to Black British culture. The series has been curated by Magdalene Abraha and features the likes of Chanté Joseph (!!!), Tobi Kyeremateng (!!!), and Sophia Tassew (!!!)
Here are the eight books and their release dates:
This is exactly what we need and I’m so excited for this series and everyone involved. I’ll update with links as and when they come up.
The folks at Grammarphobia were asked this question and this was the opening excerpt from their response (click the link in the title for the full version):
When the word showed up in Middle English in the 14th century, “damn” was a verb meaning to condemn. It wasn’t until the 16th century that “damn” was used profanely.
English borrowed the term from Old French, but the ultimate source is the classical Latin damnāre or dampnāre, meaning to damage or condemn. (In fact, “condemn” ultimately comes from the same Latin source as “damn.”)
In Middle English, according to Oxford English Dictionary citations, “damn” had three related meanings: (1) to doom to eternal punishment; (2) to pronounce a sentence; (3) to denounce or deplore.
See also: The origins of the “black sheep”
Everything’s a speedrun now, including home food preparation. Above, Arcus made a burrito in under 14 seconds in his kitchen using:
If that’s not comical enough, check out the comments illustrating the various quirks of real video game speedrunning. Perhaps this will look like a regular day of work in a Tex-Mex street food but maybe this will spawn more videos and better techniques.
Everyday I post Simpsons memes on my Instagram stories and Fine Art Simpsons is one of my favourite accounts for that purpose.
As the name suggests, the account is filled with fine art mashups from the likes of Vincent Van Gogh, Diego Velázquez, Frida Kahlo, and Jacques-Louis David.
And if you like these, check out the Fine Art Simpsons shop on Redbubble too.
Bright Sun Films‘s Cancelled series looks at various projects that were cancelled for one reason or another. In S1E2, they looked at DisneyQuest, an ambitious Disney theme park that I had the luxury of visiting twice before it shut down (once in 2010, once in 2016).
Disney planned to build DisneyQuest theme parks across the US, starting with a park in Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs and my visits were before and after the name change) in 1998 and Chicago in 1999. However, low attendance at the Chicago site resulted in its closure 2 years later and the project was ultimately cancelled. But the main Downtown Disney site remained open until it finally closed in 2017.
It’s one of Disney’s many project failures but because Disney owns everything and earns billions from its successes, it’s not so bad! I liked DisneyQuest at least.
This from New Scientist about bees:
Many bees have a brain cell density greater than that of small birds – but most ant brains contain a far lower density of neurons. The difference may be down to the insects’ lifestyles: because bees fly, they may need more brain cells than ants do in order to process visual information […]
However, the difference in the insects’ brain cell counts probably has little to do with intelligence, says team member Wulfila Gronenberg, also at the University of Arizona. The researchers think flying insects probably need more neurons to power the enhanced vision they need for flight, an idea that they will test in future.
See also: stingless bees, murder hornets, and the 13 birds of Christmas
(via New Scientist)
How did Times New Roman become the default typeface we all use? Born out of anger, selected for its economics, and adopted because of its accessibility. In this video, we dive into the history of the Times New Roman typeface, how it came to be, and why is it such a staple from congress to college.
See also: an ‘Old Style’ font similar to Cooper Black, favourite typefaces of 2020, and the story of Comic Sans
Panther milk (leche de pantera) is a Spanish delicacy that originated from the Spanish Foreign Legion in the 1920s. Soldiers mixed any alcohol they had with condensed milk as a substitute for medicinal pain relief and then it became a fashionable drink in the 70s.
You can also buy your own Panther Milk.
There’s a bar in Glasgow called Panther Milk Bar where you can drink panther milk. Whodathunkit?!
On Friday and Saturday nights, Glaswegians enter a clandestine drinking establishment through a fire exit in the back of another bar. This converted 1940s freight elevator operates solely to serve one legendary Spanish tipple: panther milk.
[…]
Why do the city’s weekend warriors flock to milk? Because panther milk, or leche de pantera, was designed explicitly to be highly drinkable and efficiently intoxicating.
via
The Last Stand is a photo series by Marc Wilson that looks at relics of military conflict and the memories they hold.
The series is made up of 86 images and is documents some of the physical remnants of the Second World War on the coastlines of the British Isles and Northern Europe, focusing on military defence structures that remain and their place in the shifting landscape that surrounds them. Many of these locations are no longer in sight, either subsumed or submerged by the changing sands and waters or by more human intervention. At the same time others have re-emerged from their shrouds.
Marc took these photos over the course of four years and travelled 23,000 miles to get them. Locations include the UK, France, Belgium and Denmark.
As a kid, I loved bananas to the point where Bananaman was one of my favourite superheroes. But I always knew that you shouldn’t eat the peels. Until today.
I saw this tweet (quote tweeted by Swiss Miss) and thought “banana peel bacon?! Surely not” but lo and behold, banana peels are edible:
While the thought of eating a banana peel may be hard for some to stomach, it’s a common ingredient in many cuisines around the world.
The peel of a banana makes up about 35% of the ripe fruit and is often discarded rather than consumed.
However, using the peel is a great way to reduce food waste while squeezing some extra vitamins and minerals into your diet.
In fact, banana peels are not only edible but also rich in several key nutrients, including potassium, dietary fiber, polyunsaturated fats, and essential amino acids.
(via Healthline)
You can’t talk about bananas and not mention potassium. It’s the law!
While I was watching Blade Runner 2049, I quickly browsed through Abduzeedo’s blog and found a piece on Apo Genc. The cinematic resemblance was striking.
Apo Genç was born in Turkey and became a professional videographer back in 2013. The above shots were taken last November in Hamburg as part of a series called Hamburg Noir.
You can find more of Apo’s work on his website, his Instagram, and his Behance portfolio.
Truly great gowns, beautiful gowns from Chiso, a traditional Japanese textile producer in Kyoto, Japan.
When Yozaemon Chikiriya established his garment business, Chiso, in Kyoto, his primary customers were monks who required fine clerical vestments. That was 1555. More than four centuries later, the company’s intricately cut robes are coveted as luxury garments, and Chiso—having persevered through shrinking economies, shifting trends, wars, and more—has found itself among the last of Japan’s bespoke kimono houses.
Every now and again, I fall down a Penn & Teller rabbit hole. They articulate the way magic works in a fun and engaging way and their famed nail gun trick is a fine example.
The basic premise of the trick involves Penn using a nail gun to flit between nailing a long block of wood and shooting it into his hand. But the trick lies in remembering when that’s safe to do so as a “magazine” of nails has gaps in it, at which the nail gun just shoots air—safe for a hand to withstand.
The video shows two examples of the trick synced together and it’s impressive how that even works. I can’t even put IKEA furniture together without making a mistake, let alone handing a nail gun without needing a hospital visit or a tetanus shot.
Related to danger: Hot meat cleaver seeking 10 lighters for fiery fun