Saturday, August 23, 2014

ISIS's new video “Breaking the American cross.”

From J.E. Dyer at Liberty Unyielding:

Four days ago, Reuters reported that ISIS had released a new video, in the wake of the video showing the beheading of journalist James Foley. ISIS called this new video “Breaking the American cross.”

Said Reuters:
The video with the theme “breaking of the American cross” boasts Islamic State will emerge victorious over “crusader” America. It follows a video posted on Monday warning of attacks on American targets if Washington struck against its fighters in Iraq and Syria. …
The video showed footage of President Barack Obama as well as strategic U.S. ally King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and attacks on American soldiers.


N.B.: This version is not linked to youtube so it will remain if/when they pull theirs.

Friday, August 22, 2014

True Facts About Marsupials (PG-13 language) plus bonus Sad Dog Diary

New from Ze Frank:



A couple of bonuses - they're all excellent so it's hard to choose:

True Facts About The Mantis:


But as much as I like these true fact videos, this remains my favorite - the Sad Dog Diary:

Friday links

Happy Birthday, Dorothy Parker, born on this date in 1893: quotes, poems, bio, and the weird journey of her ashes.

25 Perfectly Timed Dog Pictures.

George Orwell Reviews Mein Kampf (1940) and “bag of wind,” Jean-Paul Sartre's Portrait of the Antisemite (1948). ("books on antisemitism tend to be mere exercises in casting motes out of other people’s eyes...")

Video: compilation of all of the Quentin Tarantino movie deaths, set to music.

Stanford University Biologist Explains the Science Behind Captain America & the Hulk's Amazing Superpowers.

14 Things You Don't Know About Back to the Future.

ICYMI, Thursday's links are here, and include the invention of the chicken nugget, what airlines owe you when you’re stranded, disappearing smells, and a squirrel-launching compilation.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Video: compilation of all of the Quentin Tarantino movie deaths, set to music

This may, actually, be safe for work. It's safe in a language sense, anyway - since it's set to music all of the dialogue has been removed. The brutality is another issue. Movie list below the video.

Who knew you could fit all those deaths into less than four minutes?


Included movies:

Thursday links

Thieving squirrel stymied by vaseline-covered pole, plus squirrel-launching compilation

What do airlines owe you when you’re stranded?

The Cornell Professor Who Gave Us the Chicken Nugget.

Cookie Monster’s famous cookie dough recipe.

Seals carried tuberculosis across the Atlantic and gave it to humans - the disease was present in the Americas prior to European contact.

11 Smells That Are Slowly Disappearing.

ICYMI, Monday's links are here, including creepy superheroes, the worst 20th century technological screwups. hand-cut paper art, and ridiculous Japanese products.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Map of state purchasing power: you can buy 40% more in Mississippi than in DC with same $$

Tax Institute:
Regional price differences are strikingly large, and have serious policy implications. The same amount of dollars are worth almost 40 percent more in Mississippi than in DC, and the differences become even larger if metro area prices are considered instead of statewide averages.
This tax map shows the real value of $100 in each state. Because average prices for similar goods are much higher in California or New York than in Mississippi or South Dakota, the same amount of dollars will buy you comparatively less in the high-price states, or comparatively more in low-price states. Using data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, here's the adjusted value of $100, reflecting how prices are different in each state.



For example, Tennessee is a low-price state, where $100 will buy what would cost $110.25 in another state that is closer to the national average. You can think of this as meaning that Tennesseans are about ten percent richer than their nominal incomes suggest.

Adjusting for prices reveals average real incomes in Kansas to be higher than in New York, despite New York having much higher incomes as measured in dollars.



Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Thieving squirrel hilariously stymied by vaseline-covered pole, plus squirrel-launching compilation

Great way to frustrate the squirrels, and much more humane than the electric-circuit-completion method used by a friend not too long ago:





via 22words

More squirrel-related links:

Killer Squirrel has World's Bushiest Tail.

January 21 is Squirrel Appreciation Day - more squirrel-launching videos here.

Riverside County squirrel tests positive for exposure to Bubonic plague.

Time to think of squirrel pie.

A fire that heavily damaged an apartment complex was started by a resident using a propane torch to remove a squirrel's fur.

The First-Ever World Champion Squirrel Cook Off.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Monday links

10 Of The Creepiest Things Superheroes Have Done. Related: This Video Of Things Superheroes Do That’d Be Creepy If You Did Them.

5 delightful science experiments from 100 years ago.

Top 20 Technological Screw-Ups Of the 20th Century.

Ridiculous Japanese Products.

Incredibly Intricate Hand-Cut Paper Art.

One of the Most Famous Paintings in the White House Has a Huge Spelling Error.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, including the guy who would become King Louis XX of France if the monarchy were restored, 10 things dogs hate about humans, and how the frequency of childhood diarrhea affects adult mate choice.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Ridiculous Japanese Products

I've seen a few of these before, but not all, and they're pretty funny.

How much time have you wasted clipping one toenail at a time? You'll never get those minutes of your life back. But you don't have to waste any more.


Wash While You Walk: Now you can take your laundry on the go.


Allergies?  Tired of running out of paper products when you need to blow your nose?


These are stickers to wear on your eyelids when you want to sleep at work.


So, how about a vending machine full of used women's underwear?