(via Fark)
Saturday, April 27, 2024
The Ray-Cat Solution
I posted a while back about a project to brainstorm methods for warning future civilizations about the dangers of nuclear waste dumps. It said, in part,
But the strangest suggestion by far came from two European linguists. They argued that governments around the world should breed cats that turn colors when exposed to radiation. These so-called “ray cats” could then be immortalized in song and legend, so that even after the scientific knowledge of radiation had been lost to the sands of time, folklore would tell of their supernatural power to change their fur in the presence of extreme danger.Matthew Kielty investigated the “ray cat” solution, including tracking down Paolo Fabbri, the man who first conceived of the idea. Kielty posted about it, and people started trying to make it happen. Emperor X produced an album of music about the ray cats, that includes the song “Don’t Change Color, Kitty!” Biologist Kevin Chen is looking into how we can make those cats a reality. He’s looking for collaborators on the project. (via Metafilter)
Tweet of the Day
He was filming resting sharks, and then this happened..🦈 pic.twitter.com/t2ynBIXNHW
— 𝕐o̴g̴ (@Yoda4ever) April 20, 2024
Friday, April 26, 2024
Smart Bees
Honeybees are incredibly talented for insects. The manufacture honey and they communicate with each other by dancing to tell their hive mates where to find flowers. But bees can also be trained to do things that bees won't normally do by instinct, like solve puzzles or play ball games. The research on bees' dances have led scientists to focus on how they can judge and communicate distances. Experiments that test a bee's geolocation ability is how we found out that bees have some understanding of numbers, which is rather mind-blowing. I'm also very impressed by the scientists who managed to figure out what the bees are saying when they dance. This episode of Ze Frank's True Facts series is unusually wholesome, almost devoid of salacious jokes. Honeybees are probably smart enough to appreciate that. There's a one-minute skippable ad at the 5:15 mark.
Family Tree
Yeah, it's possible this has been edited. It would only take removing a couple of short vertical lines to make this legal. (via reddit)
Owlet Gets a Foster Dad
You'll love this story that teaches us how a wildlife expert treats an orphaned baby owl. To keep it from imprinting on humans, it is fed by a stuffed owl. It also sleeps with a plush owl toy that has a heartbeat. It's not mom, but it's better than nothing. And Raven Ridge Wildlife Center has more tricks up their sleeve- a foster father! Pharaoh has proven himself to be attentive and gentle with baby owls, and this chick is in good hands with him. His influence is important, because this is how an owlet learns how to be an owl. Check out more owl stories from Raven Ridge Wildlife Center at Instagram.
Ole MagDonkle
Sometimes the farm animals just won't cooperate. But look who's tending them! This farm might be an alternate universe, the kind with no punch line, but it made me laugh. The comic is from Jolly Johnny at Jolly Biscuit. (via Geeks Are Sexy)
Surprised by a Gun
When we disturb the tombs of ancient mummies, we fear a curse or worse, but we also forget that they were people of their time when they were alive. They had no concept of guns. Sure, you can't kill a mummy, because they are already dead, but it can sure hurt them, and baffle them besides. This mummy has to recalibrate and ponder the possible technological innovations that have occurred since he was buried. But he's still supernatural, otherwise he wouldn't have known the date of his death was 2,600 BC. Think about it.
You might recognize the rotoscope technique of Joel Haver in this video. Redditor WiiFitBalanceBoard, who made this video under the name of Cool Giant at YouTube, says he made this after watching Haver's animation tutorial. (via reddit)
Miss Cellania's Links
The barely visited US national park that requires a passport. (via Damn Interesting)
Many nursery rhymes are credited to Mother Goose. But was such a fowl figure ever even real?
Confronting the fact that your life isn't all that impressive.
When Do We Stop Finding New Music? Your favorite music will always be from the time you were 13 or 14 years old. (via Metafilter)
Pee-wee Herman Enters the World of Cyberpunk 2077. The video contains some NSFW language.
US fertility rate dropped to lowest in a century as births dipped in 2023.
Porcelain Gallbladder Found in Human Remains in Mississippi Asylum Cemetery.
The myth of the second chance. Some mistakes really do affect the rest of our lives. (via Kottke)
Dog Wants to Play Fetch
This dog really wants to play fetch, but that’s not a child! That’s a doll! Elsa’s not going to throw that toy for you. Must be a pretty good likeness to the dog. I wonder how many people in this house he already solicited for the game. I hope after this clip was recorded, someone took pity on the pup and threw the toy for him. (via Tastefully Offensive)
Tweet of the Day
— Why you should have a cat (@ShouldHaveCat) April 20, 2024Some cats startle easy.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Honest Trailer for Dune: Part Two
The audience consensus is that Dune: Part Two is an even better movie than Dune. It made all kinds of money in theaters, then went to streaming a mere month after its premiere, which just illustrates our modern lack of attention and patience. So what does Screen Junkies think? You get the idea that they really liked it. This Honest Trailer doesn't pick apart the filmmaking as drastically as they do with most movies, but does go deep into the really insane universe of Dune. You have to admit it is a weird place.
Felix The Ghost Breaker
Felix the Ghostbreaker is a Felix the Cat cartoon from 1923, directed by Pat Sullivan. This version has a spooky modern score composed just for this 'toon by Mickey E.Vil of The Mugshots. Felix makes the mistake of looking for a resting place in a cemetery, although not a final resting place. The ghost he stirs up proceeds to haunt a nearby farm until Felix saves the day. It takes a while, because after all, Felix is just a cat and not all that smart to begin with. A clown car full of police can't stop the ghost, but Felix treats us to a Scooby-Doo ending that shows such subterfuge was a trope long before the Mystery Machine.
If HAL-9000 was Alexa
HAL-9000 was the computer who ran the ship in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. He was cranky and rebellious, but we wasn't nearly as annoying as the real virtual assistants we have a half-century later. (via Nag on the Lake)
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