A collection of digital wonders and some other stuff
Twitter user @uzbadyubi had never seen, “The Princess Bride” and when he finally watched it1, live-blogged the whole thing creating this riveting twitter-thread:
https://twitter.com/uzbadyubi/status/1218630664754466817?s=21
Following along, it’s like watching the whole movie in less than 5 minutes. Check out the thread via Threadreader or on Twitter.
(via The Loop)
1. I do wonder though, did he continually pause the movie to take and post those screenshots?
If you’ve ever been to King Arthur’s Carousel in Disneyland you’ve probably imagined what it would be like to pull Excalibur, the “sword in the stone,” from its anvil.
Image from my 2002 trip to Disneyland
Last week, using sheer brute force, a Disneyland guest successfully did just that, removing the iconic sword from its anvil “stone” in front of the King Arthur Carrousel. It was first thought that the sword was removed as part of a planned refurbishment but then a guest shed light on what really happened.
The sword is not removed for refurbishment. My friend Sam broke it last week on the 8th when we went to Disneyland. He literally ripped it out. The staff said that it was really old and that’s why he was able to do so. It was his first time at Disney and he’s a pretty buff dude, I told him if he pulled it out he’d win a prize and he just used brute force I guess lol. It was broken and jagged. The staff said they taped it off so no one would stick their fingers in and cut it on the broken piece left inside.
Unfortunately, the guest didn’t become king. The prop has since been updated with a shiny new sword and anvil.
Find photos of the ducked taped anvil and replacement sword at WDWNT.
(via BoingBoing)
(via Laughing Squid on Facebook)
The first day they posted it and it has almost half a million views. While I have to admit it’s contrived as a tear-jerker advertisement (for a product that I already bought), but that doesn’t make it any less laudable as a brilliant short film.
McSweeney’s makes the case for war with Iran.
As one of the most important writers at one of the most important newspapers in the country, it’s my job to inform my readers why they should uncritically support the United States government’s most recent war. I understand that many of you might not want to get into another drawn out, costly conflict in the Middle East, particularly if you were one of the thousands of parents who had their kids die needlessly in the last few wars. But as someone whose kids won’t die fighting in the war, it’s important that you understand the flimsy, morally bankrupt justifications for war, and why it’s vital for you to throw more of your children’s lives at this one.
(via)
From the best of Craigslist:
FOUND cat last night was stuck in between my fence screaming it’s head off. i brought it inside because it looks too big and healthy for a stray and dogs here escape often and will eat cats that get out. it is very thick and has little stripes and spots on its legs and big white round spots on the back of its ears, only thing that looks wrong with him is he doesn’t have a tail but it doesn’t seem like anything new. He is very vocal ( and mean!!!!) I think he is a tabby and bengals mix maybe some Maine coon because he is just so big and chubby. i took most of these pics last night so the lighting makes him look brown but he is actually more gray. He was very hungry. please if u r his owner contact me ASAP i can not keep him here because as cute as he is, he is CRAZY and has gotten into everything in the house in 1 night and is EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE!! Even though I am almost sure this is someoneones pet unfortunately if no one contacts me soon enough I will have to take him to a shelter. By Sunday night most likely I will have to take him in. Almost lost my fingers this morning trying to pet him. Has been growling and hissing and calling all morning He is just a big grouch. Please text or email.
When you see the photos, you might observe something peculiar about this lost little striped cat with the short tail.
The update made me smile:
UPDATE: thank you to everyone who told me this is actually a WILD BOBCAT!!!? Wtf!!! No wonder he was so grumpy!! I kidnapped him!! ? I am not from America and have never heard of bobcat, I thought all wild cats are much bigger than that!! I can not believe I brought it inside!! And he pissed all over my damn house so now I have to deep clean everything !! ??? well Anyway I am glad at least he is okay and not a lost cat. I have let him go already back near the trees where he came from, and he was not hurt or injured at all so do not worry!! I am also okay, no bites or scratches!! (Just pee ?) And if you are one of the people who told me nicely out of concern, thank you and have a nice day!! If you Are one of the people who was rude to me and tried to mock me for not knowing, you can have a bad day!!( maybeif he comes back I’ll send him ur way ??)Bye bye!
Before the holidays, NASA put out an announcement for plans to go back to the moon. The plan is pretty extensive:
With the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with our commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by 2028. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap — sending astronauts to Mars.
Instead of the way previous missions were completed, with one rocket taking up a single lander, NASA plans to setup infrastructure in the form of a small space station orbiting the Moon which can dock with incoming ships and guide them a gentle landing just about anywhere on the surface. This will make travelling to the moon much cheaper and sets the stage for how it will be done if (when?) mankind starts going to Mars. More details about the Artemis Mission on NASA’s website.
For anyone you know that thinks global warming isn’t real (okay boomer) this isn’t meant to convince them. For anyone that thinks, “ok the world is warming but what difference does it make?” See this primer on the Australian wildfires from The Verge (link below):
Dozens of fires erupted in New South Wales, Australia in November and rapidly spread across the entire continent to become some of the most devastating on record. An area about twice the size of Belgium, roughly 15 million acres, has burned. At least 18 people are dead, including at least three volunteer firefighters, and more are missing. More than 1,000 houses have been destroyed, hundreds more damaged. As blazes intensified in the days leading up to New Year’s Eve, thousands of people who were forced to evacuate sought shelter on beaches across New South Wales and Victoria. Over 100 fires are still burning.
And then it gets worse from there.
With the new year comes another episode of my One Second Everyday series.
Some highlights in 2019 include: a trip to Hawaii, teaching at a new school, many trips to Medicine Hat for work, traveling for the ATA, weekends at the lake with friends, the birth of our son, attending a speech by Barrack Obama, water park outings, a new iPhone 11 Pro, our trip to Palm Springs, and visiting with family and friends over the Christmas holidays.
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil: “An example of the most soul-sucking viewing that I’m forced to endure.” — Charles Koplinski, Illinois Times
Charles Angels “[F]orget heaven, these angels will take you to purgatory.” — Howell Davies, The Sun (UK)
21 Bridges: “21 Bridges is a movie that will almost immediately disappear, falling through the cracks as prestige pictures and holiday blockbusters fill up local screens…this is a bridge that likely won’t be crossed again.” — Allen Adams, The Maine Edge
Midway: “One of the best things Roland Emmerich has ever touched. This is not, as compliments go, a very good one.” — Tim Brayton, Alternate Ending
Last Christmas: “Leads have no chemistry. Jokes lame. Twist painful. Ho-ho-no.” — James Verniere, Boston Herald