Laughing Squid

• Hanx Writer, An iPad App by Tom Hanks That Simulates the Experience of a Typewriter
• Drowsy Cat Uses Petite Round Watermelon as a Pillow
• Astronaut Reid Wiseman Captures a Beautiful Shot of the Earth's Atmosphere From the International Space Station
• Don Pardo (1918-2014), Legendary NBC Announcer and the Distinctive Voice of 'Saturday Night Live'
• It's Okay To Be Smart Explains Where the Pleasant Smell of Rain Comes From
• RJ Mitte (Walt Jr.) of 'Breaking Bad' Attempts to Guess Cereals That He Is Given to Eat While Blindfolded
• Pet Camper, A Tiny Dog House Shaped Like a Trailer With Custom License Plates
• Stunning Time-Lapse Video of Plane Arrivals and Departures at the Changi Airport in Singapore
• 'Full Moon Pacific Blanket', Time-Lapse Video of Blankets of Fog Rolling Over the San Francisco Bay
• A Supercut of Robots in Movies by Jonathan Mann Featuring His New Song 'The Robots Don't Love You'
• San Antonio Woman Continues Weightlifting After Losing an Arm in a Car Accident
• Benedict Cumberbatch Does Hilarious Impressions of Jar Jar Binks From 'Star Wars' & Gollum From 'Lord of the Rings'
• Edison, An Educational Programming Robot That Gets Instructions by Reading Barcodes
• Supercut of On-Screen Deaths in Movies by Quentin Tarantino
• 'OMOTE', An Art Installation Featuring Real-Time Face Tracking and Projection Mapping

Hanx Writer, An iPad App by Tom Hanks That Simulates the Experience of a Typewriter

Hanx Writer is an iPad app by actor Tom Hanks and developer Hitcents that simulates the experience of a typewriter. Hanks wrote in the New York Times in 2013 about his love of typewriters. The app recreates the sounds and general appearance of a typewriter with three models to choose from: the free Hanx Prime Select, the Hanx 707, and the Hanx Golden Touch. Hanx Writer is currently available on iOS.

images via Hanx Writer

via TechCrunch

Drowsy Cat Uses Petite Round Watermelon as a Pillow

A very drowsy orange tabby uses a petite round watermelon as a pillow upon which to rest his weary little furry head. This shouldn’t come as any surprise however, as this kitty has also been known to fall asleep while hugging an onion.

via Tastefully Offensive

Astronaut Reid Wiseman Captures a Beautiful Shot of the Earth's Atmosphere From the International Space Station

Astronaut Reid Wiseman recently captured a beautiful shot of the Earth’s atmosphere from the International Space Station (ISS). Wiseman used a three-second shutter exposure at night to demonstrate “how crazy our atmosphere really is.” Reddit user smsmkiwi broke down what the image is actually showing in an incredibly informative comment.

The orange and green arcs are layers of glowing gas are called airglow. Each layer glows at a specific wavelength or band of wavelengths. The broad orange layer at the top is due to atomic oxygen from ~250 km altitude. The narrow green layer is also atomic oxygen and that originates from near 96 km altitude. Just below that is another orange layer due to atomic sodium from meteors burning up in the upper atmosphere at ~90 km altitude. Maybe a contribution in that layer by hydroxyl from 87km also. This images was taken from the space station (ISS) during the night portion of it’s orbit. The earth’s surface shows cloud lit by moonlight.

3 second shutter exposure at night shows how crazy our #atmosphere really is. pic.twitter.com/iujEqpjQqT

— Reid Wiseman (@astro_reid) August 18, 2014

photo by Reid Wiseman

via reddit, PetaPixel

Don Pardo (1918-2014), Legendary NBC Announcer and the Distinctive Voice of 'Saturday Night Live'

Dominick George “Don” Pardo, the longtime radio and television announcer for NBC whose illustrious career included such shows as Saturday Night Live, The Price is Right and Jeopardy, has passed away in Tuscon, Arizona. He was 96 years old.

Rest in Peace Mr. Pardo. Your distinctive and beautiful voice will be missed.

image via IMDB

via The New York Times

It's Okay To Be Smart Explains Where the Pleasant Smell of Rain Comes From

On the latest episode of the PBS Digital series It's Okay to Be Smart, creator and host Joe Hanson does a fantastic job of explaining where the pleasant smell of rain comes from.

If you said "from the sky," then congratulations! You are hilarious. But it's a lot more interesting than that. The pungent perfume that accompanies rainstorms carries special chemical signatures, some born from lightning, some from deep within the soil.

And beyond just being pleasant and nostalgic, those smells are actually useful to some living things, such as telling plants when it's time to grow, guiding camels across the desert, and even signaling some fish when it's time to get "romantic".

Take a big whiff, because there's a science storm a-comin'!

RJ Mitte (Walt Jr.) of 'Breaking Bad' Attempts to Guess Cereals That He Is Given to Eat While Blindfolded

Host and comedian Paul F. Tompkins sat down to chat with RJ Mitte, famous for his role as Walter White, Jr. on Breaking Bad, on a recent episode of Speakeasy by Made Man. Walt Jr. is known for his love of breakfast so, to have a little interactive fun, Tompkins challenged Mitte to a game of Breaking Breakfast. The object of the game was for Mitte to guess various cereals that he was given to eat while blindfolded.

The full interview with RJ Mitte:

Pet Camper, A Tiny Dog House Shaped Like a Trailer With Custom License Plates

Pet Camper is a house for small dogs by Vancouver-based company Straight Line Designs that’s shaped like a classic car trailer, complete with wheels, custom license plates, and a pair of small bowls. The current limit for the diminutive recreational vehicles is 20 pounds, though the company is looking into creating a larger version for bigger pets.

images via The Daily Mail

via The Daily Mail, Faith is Torment, My Modern Met

Stunning Time-Lapse Video of Plane Arrivals and Departures at the Changi Airport in Singapore

"The Air Traffic 2" is a stunning time-lapse video by fashion filmmaker Milton Tan shot on the runway of Changi Airport in Singapore. The film was shot over a six-month period, with the airport giving Tan special access to a restricted runway. The short video follows the similarly named "The Air Traffic 1", which appeared on the Discovery Channel.

via PetaPixel

'Full Moon Pacific Blanket', Time-Lapse Video of Blankets of Fog Rolling Over the San Francisco Bay

"Full Moon Pacific Blanket" is a time-lapse video by California-based photographer Gary Yost that features haunting footage of thick fog as it rolls over the city lights and mountains of San Francisco, shot under the glow of a supermoon.

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

A Supercut of Robots in Movies by Jonathan Mann Featuring His New Song 'The Robots Don't Love You'

Jonathan Mann has created a supercut video of robots in movies that features his new song “The Robots Don’t Love You” from the EP Every Day. The album is available to purchase online at Bandcamp.

San Antonio Woman Continues Weightlifting After Losing an Arm in a Car Accident

Barcroft TV has created a short video profiling Krystal Cantu, a 25-year-old San Antonio, Texas woman who has continued bodybuilding in spite of losing her arm in a car accident. Three weeks after having her arm amputated by doctors, Cantu returned to gym to continue her CrossFit training. She's now capable of lifting 210-pounds above her head — a personal best.

Benedict Cumberbatch Does Hilarious Impressions of Jar Jar Binks From 'Star Wars' & Gollum From 'Lord of the Rings'

Benedict Cumberbatch performed hilarious impressions of Jar Jar Binks from the Star Wars films and Gollum from The Lord of the Rings during an interview with MTV News correspondent Josh Horowitz at San Diego Comic-Con 2014.

via MTV News, Tastefully Offensive

Edison, An Educational Programming Robot That Gets Instructions by Reading Barcodes

Edison is a low-cost robot created by Australian hardware startup Microbic that’s designed to teach kids how to program. The little orange ‘bot is LEGO compatible, performs pre-programmed functions by reading barcodes with its underside and features a number of built-in sensors. The project is currently seeking funding via a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign.

images via Edison

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Supercut of On-Screen Deaths in Movies by Quentin Tarantino

Jaume R. Lloret has created a great four-minute supercut video of every on-screen death in movies by Quentin Tarantino. The entire list of films featured is available on Vimeo.

via The High Definite

'OMOTE', An Art Installation Featuring Real-Time Face Tracking and Projection Mapping

“OMOTE” is an art installation by producer Nobumichi Asai and several other collaborators that features real-time face tracking and projection mapping. Throughout the installation, the model has her eyes closed, but various images are projected onto her face and contorted almost seamlessly as she moves her head. A live installation is scheduled to be held in Tokyo, Japan on August 28th.

via DIY Photography, PetaPixel

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