Laughing Squid

• Stephen Colbert Answers Life Questions From Teenage Girls
• The TSA's Instagram Account Catalogs the Bizarre and Dangerous Items Seized at Airports
• Host John Oliver Discusses Native Advertising on 'Last Week Tonight'
• A Movie Trailer for the 'Harry Potter' Film Series Edited in the Style of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'
• Man Sings the Original 'Halo' Video Game Theme Song in an Empty Chapel in Switzerland
• Artist Restores and Repaints an Antique Chair With Characters From the Television Series 'Adventure Time'
• Los Angeles Man Takes a Stunning Shot of a Hawaiian Beach by Tossing a GoPro Camera Into the Air
• 'Storytime', Joey Spiotto's Solo Art Show of Pop Culture Drawn as Little Golden Books at Gallery1988 in Los Angeles
• Daredevil BASE Jumps Off of a Dirt Bike Into a Texas Lake
• Bistro, A Smart Cat Feeder With Built-In Facial Recognition and a Scale for Feline Appetite Tracking
• An Extremely Efficient Way to Pack Enough Clothes for an Overnight Stay Without Using a Suitcase
• Google Celebrates the 180th Birthday of Venn Diagram Inventor John Venn With an Interactive Doodle
• Kids React to an Old Typewriter
• Couple Performs 'You're the One That I Want' From 'Grease' in Sign Language While Driving
• William Shatner Checks in on NASA Over Twitter, Receives Status Update on the International Space Station
• First-Person GoPro Video of a Stuntman Jumping Onto and Sliding Down a Steep Gable Roof in Chicago
• MTV Points Out and Explains Nearly Every Hidden Easter Egg Found in Marvel Films
• Shiba Inu Dog Opens Window for Customers of Small Japanese Tobacco Shop
• Baby Deer Enjoying Belly Rubs Cries in Protest Every Time Worker Tries to Set Him Down
• Hungry Bear Grudgingly Rescues Drowning Crow Before He Goes Back to His Lunch

Stephen Colbert Answers Life Questions From Teenage Girls

Stephen Colbert recently answered a series of life questions from teenage girls as part of Rookie’s “Ask a Grown” series. Colbert fielded questions like whether young men know they’re being misogynistic and how to deal with liars.

via Digg

The TSA's Instagram Account Catalogs the Bizarre and Dangerous Items Seized at Airports

A throwing star with six folding blades discovered in a passenger's carry-on bag at the Las Vegas airport.

In addition to documenting the day-to-day operations of the Transportation Security Administration, the official TSA Instagram account catalogs the many bizarre weapons and other prohibited items that are seized at U.S. airports. Frequently seized items include loaded firearms (1,477 were seized last year) and a remarkable array of martial arts weaponry. Also a surprising number of people travel with deactivated grenades, novelty clocks and watches that look like bombs, and even the occasional dummy improvised explosive device. As the TSA account patiently explains, all of these items are prohibited and can lead to significant airport delays or arrest. We previously posted about the launch of the TSA’s Instagram account back in 2013.

A smartphone case discovered at the Boston Logan International Airport.

A loaded firearm discovered in a carry-on bag at the Austin – Bergstrom airport in Texas.

A samurai sword discovered in a carry-on bag at the Boston Logan International Airport.

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) training kit discovered in checked baggage at the Honolulu airport.

photos via the Transportation Security Administration

via Wired

Host John Oliver Discusses Native Advertising on 'Last Week Tonight'

Host John Oliver discussed native advertising on a recent episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Oliver comes back again and again to the idea that the combination of news and advertising compromises the former.

The line between editorial content and advertising in news media is blurrier and blurrier. That’s not bullshit. It’s repurposed bovine waste.

A Movie Trailer for the 'Harry Potter' Film Series Edited in the Style of 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

Bradford, UK-based film critic Ross Thompson of The Unusual Suspect has created a movie trailer for the Harry Potter film series that’s edited in the style of the 2010 comedy film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. We previously wrote about Thompson’s movie trailer remixes for Pulp Fiction and the original Star Wars trilogy.

Here is the original Scott Pilgrim vs. the World trailer for comparison:

Man Sings the Original 'Halo' Video Game Theme Song in an Empty Chapel in Switzerland

Ryan Williams recently uploaded a video of Max Newman singing the beginning of the original Halo video game theme song in an empty chapel the two came across while hitchhiking in Switzerland. Composer Marty O’Donnell, the man behind the original theme and Gregorian chant, even commented on Newman’s performance.

@MartyTheElder @Arukemos Thanks for sharing and listening! I appreciate the feedback!

— Max Newman (@maxnewmz) August 1, 2014

via reddit

Artist Restores and Repaints an Antique Chair With Characters From the Television Series 'Adventure Time'

Artist and redditor reallylovely acquired an antique chair, restored it, and then repainted it with characters from Adventure Time. She really tied the piece together by painting an overly excited Finn on the backrest and placing a fabric image of Jake the dog napping on the seat cushion.

I found this chair at an antique shop, it was pretty solid, just missing the seat. I cleaned, sanded, primed then painted the design with acrylics. I also added a few coats of glow-in-the-dark paint to his hood and his socks. Then I sealed it about four times. For the seat, I used felt, and hand-embroidered the details of Jake’s face. For the dream bubble, I used a small piece of Adventure Time printed fabric which I bought online. After this photo was taken, I added a clear plastic layer to the seat to protect the design and allow it to actually be used as a chair (but I mostly made it as art).

images via reallylovely

via reddit, Bored Panda

Los Angeles Man Takes a Stunning Shot of a Hawaiian Beach by Tossing a GoPro Camera Into the Air

Nathaniel Jude, a Los Angeles-based reddit user, tossed his GoPro 10 feet up into the air to snap a truly stunning shot of a beach while on vacation in Hawaii. Inspiration for the experiment came from a man who captured his own nice beach shot through similar means.

image via imgur

via reddit, PetaPixel

'Storytime', Joey Spiotto's Solo Art Show of Pop Culture Drawn as Little Golden Books at Gallery1988 in Los Angeles

Storytime is a solo art show by artist Joey Spiotto at Gallery1988 (East) in Los Angeles featuring his drawings imagining pop culture movies, video games, TV shows, and bands as classic Little Golden Books. The show opened on Friday, August 1st, 2014 and will be on display until Saturday, August 16th. You can RSVP for the event online via Facebook. We’ve previously written about Joey and his incredible artwork.

images via Gallery1988

Daredevil BASE Jumps Off of a Dirt Bike Into a Texas Lake

Washington-based daredevil Brad O'Neil BASE jumps from a dirt bike into Lake Franklin in Texas after launching off of a 60-foot-high ramp in a recent video by Barcroft TV.

via autoevolution, The Awesomer

Bistro, A Smart Cat Feeder With Built-In Facial Recognition and a Scale for Feline Appetite Tracking

Bistro is a new cat feeder with some impressive technology baked-in, including a camera with feline facial recognition and a scale that lets users remotely monitor their cat's appetite from afar via smartphone while at work on on vacation. The feeder, which is currently seeking funding via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, also notifies users when there's a change in the cat's appetite and lets them watch the cats eat via live stream.

images via Bistro

via Scientific American, bookofjoe

An Extremely Efficient Way to Pack Enough Clothes for an Overnight Stay Without Using a Suitcase

DaveHax has an extremely efficient way to pack enough clothes for a brief overnight stay without using a suitcase. Using some creative rolling techniques, he demonstrates how to pack a T-shirt, underwear, socks, and a toothbrush into a neat little bundle that fits into a small bag.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Google Celebrates the 180th Birthday of Venn Diagram Inventor John Venn With an Interactive Doodle

Google is celebrating what would be the 180th Birthday of John Venn, the English logician who invented the Venn diagram, with an interactive doodle that lets users mix and match their own overlapping circles. The doodle has a decidedly children's book feel to it, a design its creators chose to emphasize its educational component.

Many of us first learned about Venn diagrams in our early school years, so that was a factor. While it was important to make something all users could enjoy, Corrie and I wanted to make something kids would find especially fun and educational.

Google shares some insight into the making of the doodle, including an interview with its creators and conceptual sketches.

images via Google

Kids React to an Old Typewriter

In the latest episode of their Kids React series, Benny and Rafi Fine of The Fine Brothers show a group of kids a mechanical typewriter, which was first invented in the 1860s, and try to get them to figure out how to work the old technology.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Couple Performs 'You're the One That I Want' From 'Grease' in Sign Language While Driving

Los Angeles-based fiancees Paul Sirimarco and Tina Cleveland shot some dashboard video as they performed "You're the One That I Want" from the musical Grease in American Sign Language while driving down the road. Cleveland is an ASL interpreter and Sirimarco has been learning sign language so the couple can duet.

via Mashable

William Shatner Checks in on NASA Over Twitter, Receives Status Update on the International Space Station

@WilliamShatner Good day, Captain. #ISS is in standard orbit and Commander Swanson has the conn. Hope you're having a great weekend!

— NASA (@NASA) August 2, 2014

William Shatner recently took to Twitter to check in on NASA, and he received an amusing status update on the International Space Station in response. Shatner is best known for his portrayal of Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series.

@NASA Very good news!

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) August 3, 2014

via Micah Grimes

First-Person GoPro Video of a Stuntman Jumping Onto and Sliding Down a Steep Gable Roof in Chicago

Stuntman Ethan Swanson attached a GoPro to his person and made a long jump from the roof of a Chicago apartment building to a steep gable roof below. In the video, he makes a couple of false starts, then takes the leap off the taller building, hitting and sliding down the far side of the roof below, before eventually landing on an outdoor spiral staircase — with a ripped pair of pants to show for it.

MTV Points Out and Explains Nearly Every Hidden Easter Egg Found in Marvel Films

MTV News correspondent Josh Horowitz goes on a wild ride as he points out and explains nearly every hidden Easter egg found in Marvel films. MTV also included the most recent Marvel movies, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Before Marvel Studios came along, Easter eggs — or small lines or visual cues that are included in movies as nods to fans in the know — were few and unimportant. Stan Lee got his "Spider-Man" cameos, Wolverine joked that his suit wasn't "yellow spandex," and Lou Ferrigno was seen briefly in "Hulk."

But with the advent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with "Iron Man" all the way through its newest release, "Guardians of the Galaxy," Easter eggs have become an art. Sure, sometimes they're still similar to the old ones — after all, Stan Lee still has had cameos in every MCU movie so far — but Marvel was the first studio to really ask its fans to rewatch, slow down, and magnify its movies to find all the secrets within, secrets which could be integral to the plot of future movies.

Shiba Inu Dog Opens Window for Customers of Small Japanese Tobacco Shop

A very friendly Shiba Inu dog named Shiba opens the window for customers of the Shimada Cigarette Shop in Musashi-Koganei, Tokyo as shown in this very amusing video posted by Kuwana Ui. When things are quiet, Shiba can often be found napping on the job, but as soon as the chime of new customer sounds, he’s up and ready to greet in no time.

images via Buzz News Asia

via Buzz News Asia, Bored Panda

Baby Deer Enjoying Belly Rubs Cries in Protest Every Time Worker Tries to Set Him Down

A baby deer enjoying belly rubs cries in protest every time a Kentucky powerline worker tries to set him down. Justin Lewis and a friend had been “clearing a right of way for electric lines” when they came across the tiny fawn who had gotten separated from his mother and became entangled in thorns. Luckily, the fawn finally agreed to be set down and was able to rejoin his mother a bit later.

He followed us around the job site like a lost puppy for about an hour until I noticed a doe watching us from the hillside. Assuming this was his mother, I carried him about halfway up the hill while she watched attentively. I sat him down, he ran straight to her, and they walked off together.

via reddit

Hungry Bear Grudgingly Rescues Drowning Crow Before He Goes Back to His Lunch

A hungry bear at the Budapest Zoo, seemingly tired of the squawking of a drowning crow, grudgingly pulled the noisy bird out of the water by its wing before he surprisingly turned his attention back to his lunch of fruit and vegetables. The stunned crow took a moment to recover, but appeared to be okay at the end of this really interesting video posted by Aleksander Medves

via B3ta Links, The Awesomer

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