Laughing Squid

• Overcast, A Simple Podcast App Featuring Voice Boost, Smart Speed, and More
• The 4th Annual Robot Film Festival in San Francisco
• Glove and Boots Share Their Fun List of Healthcare Alternatives for People Who Don't Want to Pay for It
• 'Foil', A Parody of Lorde's Song 'Royals' by 'Weird Al' Yankovic
• 'Batkid Begins', A Documentary That Explores and Celebrates Miles Scott's Make-A-Wish Adventures in San Francisco
• Carpool DeVille, A 1969 Cadillac Convertible Modified to Create a Mobile Racing Hot Tub
• ROY G BIV, A Mobile Synthesizer App That Turns Colors Into Sounds
• 'Leo's Fortune', A Platform Adventure Game Featuring a Wealthy Furball Named Leopold
• Jaguar Shows Off Windshield-Based Display Concept That Offers Drivers Racing, Braking, & Other Information
• Hiro Hamada's Robotic Companion Baymax Needs Major Upgrades in Disney's First Full Trailer for 'Big Hero 6′
• A TED-Ed Animation Exploring How Cultural Context Has Affected Our Understanding of Michelangelo's Statue of David
• Flimsee, A Lawn Game Played With Cups, Poles, and a Frisbee
• SciShow Explains Why Humans Blush But Animals Don't
• A Pair of Two-Year-Old Chimpanzees Watch 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' at a South Carolina Movie Theater
• Stan Lee Rants About Dentists Who Try to Carry on a Conversation While Working on Your Teeth
• Computer Virus Catalog, An Illustrated Guide to Terrible Computer Viruses
• An Unnecessarily Censored Version of Disney's 'The Lion King' That Makes Ordinary Moments Seem Dirty
• Astrophotographer Captures Stunning Images of Auroras Over the Northwest Territories
• French Supermarket Chain Launches Food Waste Reduction Campaign that Celebrates Ugly Fruits and Vegetables
• Six Californias, An Initiative to Divide California Into Six New States

Overcast, A Simple Podcast App Featuring Voice Boost, Smart Speed, and More

Overcast is a simple podcast app by Marco Arment with a variety of useful features like Smart Speed and Voice Boost. Smart Speed shortens silences to speed up the process of listening without distortion, and Voice Boost provides the necessary volume boost and normalization to hear sometimes quiet podcasts during loud situations. Arment was also the creator of Instapaper.

More on the two features, and the app in general, is available on Arment’s blog. Overcast is currently available on iOS.

images via Overcast

The 4th Annual Robot Film Festival in San Francisco

The 4th annual Robot Film Festival, a celebration of robots in film and performance, takes place July 19th, 2014 at Bot & Dolly studios in San Francisco. The theme this year is “Telepresence & Identity: Human-Machine Integration." Tickets are available online.

The Robot Film Festival is an annual celebration of robots on screen and in performance. The event features screenings of invited films and juried selections from open-call submissions, live performances by robot entertainers, and a red-carpet awards ceremony.

The first and only event of its kind, the Robot Film Festival was founded in 2011 to inject both artistry and playfulness into traditional robotic engineering and to explore the frontiers of the human-machine relationship.

image via Robot Film Festival

via Boing Boing

Glove and Boots Share Their Fun List of Healthcare Alternatives for People Who Don't Want to Pay for It

Internet puppets Fafa the Groundhog and Mario shared their fun list of healthcare alternatives for people who don’t want to pay for it on a recent episode of Glove and Boots. Becoming a king, a monster, or winning the lottery is just a few of the great options that they recommend.

'Foil', A Parody of Lorde's Song 'Royals' by 'Weird Al' Yankovic

“Weird Al” Yankovic has partnered with CollegeHumor to release a music video for his song “Foil”, a parody of the song “Royals” by Lorde. The song specifically concerns itself with aluminum foil and its various uses. The video also features Patton Oswalt, Thomas Lennon, and Robert Ben Garant.

The song is off Yankovic’s new album, Mandatory Fun, which released on July 15th. The album is currently available via Amazon.

'Batkid Begins', A Documentary That Explores and Celebrates Miles Scott's Make-A-Wish Adventures in San Francisco

Batkid Begins is a documentary by filmmaker Dana Nachman of KTF Films, sponsored by Moving Train, Inc., that explores and celebrates Miles Scott (aka “BatKid“) and his Make-A-Wish Foundation adventures throughout San Francisco. Since his days of fighting crime, the tough little dude won his three-year battle with leukemia and is now entering first grade. Moving Train, Inc. is currently raising funds via an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to help with production costs of the documentary.

Batkid Begins follows the events leading up to the day Batkid saved San Francisco and what happens when an event goes unintentionally viral. The goal that day was to get a couple hundred people to show up to support Miles Scott and his wish to become Batkid, after battling leukemia for more than half his short life.

The thought was a crowd of 200 would seem huge to a five year old boy, but what happened next blew everyone’s minds. Support for the idea of granting Miles's wish kept pouring in and soon it was clear that the crowd would be much bigger than the modest expectations.

Instead of a few hundred, 25,000 people lined the streets to cheer Miles on as he saved Gotham. The superhero spirit spilled onto the Internet as news of Batkid's heroics reached over 2 billion people, touching hearts around the world. Batkid was impossible to miss that day as we were glued to our computers, phones, and in San Francisco, our office windows trying to be a part of the celebration.

images via Batkid Begins

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Carpool DeVille, A 1969 Cadillac Convertible Modified to Create a Mobile Racing Hot Tub

Carpool DeVille is a 1969 Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible that has been modified by Canadian engineering students Duncan Forster and Phil Weicker to become a mobile hot tub. The interior of the car is a fully functioning hot tub heated by the car's original engine and pumped and filtered by components that have been added to the trunk.

This all started in 1996 with an abandoned car, a keg of beer, and a quote from Ernest Hemingway, "always do sober what you say you'd do drunk, that's the only way you'll learn."

The pair are looking to set the record for "World's Fastest Hot Tub" by racing it at the SCTA course at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah on August 8th, 2014.

photos via Carpool DeVille

via CBC, Nag on the Lake

ROY G BIV, A Mobile Synthesizer App That Turns Colors Into Sounds

ROY G BIV is an app that generates different sounds based on the color that the device’s camera is pointed at. The synthesizer app, whose name is based on an acronym for the colors present in a rainbow, has a one-octave keyboard and features various audio effects like oscillation and waveform. ROY G BIV is currently available on iOS and Android

What does the color green sound like? What does your food sound like? What does a selfie sound like?

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

'Leo's Fortune', A Platform Adventure Game Featuring a Wealthy Furball Named Leopold

Leo’s Fortune is a platform adventure game by 1337 & Senri that features a wealthy furball named Leopold. The game follows Leo as he attempts to track down the thief that stole his fortune while solving puzzles and traversing dangerous levels. A recent trailer for the game visualizes this with the help of a Rube Goldberg machine. Leo’s Fortune is currently available on iOS and Android.

images via Leo’s Fortune

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

Jaguar Shows Off Windshield-Based Display Concept That Offers Drivers Racing, Braking, & Other Information

British luxury car maker Jaguar has demonstrated a new concept for a windshield-based heads-up display that offers drivers racing information like lap times and insight into optimal braking as well as other guidance information.

via Jaguar

Hiro Hamada's Robotic Companion Baymax Needs Major Upgrades in Disney's First Full Trailer for 'Big Hero 6′

Walt Disney Animation Studios has released the first full trailer for Big Hero 6, their first animated film based off of a Marvel Comic about a team of high-tech superheroes. The new trailer shows the young prodigy Hiro Hamada working hard to get his robotic companion Baymax some major upgrades so that they can can both fight crime together. The upcoming comedy adventure film is scheduled to land in theaters on November 7th, 2014.

'Big Hero 6? is an action-packed comedy-adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action.

video and images via Disney Movies

A TED-Ed Animation Exploring How Cultural Context Has Affected Our Understanding of Michelangelo's Statue of David

Educator James Earle and animator Avi Ofer explore how cultural, religious and political contexts have impacted interactions with Michelangelo's statue of David in the latest animation by TED-Ed. The artistic masterpiece was initially created to be placed atop the Florence Cathedral, alongside 11 other statues of Old Testament figures.

When we think of classic works of art, the most common setting we imagine them in is a museum. But what we often forget is that much of this art was not produced with a museum setting in mind. What happens to an artwork when it's taken out of its originally intended context?

Flimsee, A Lawn Game Played With Cups, Poles, and a Frisbee

Flimsee is a simple lawn game in which two teams try to knock their opponent's plastic cup off the top of a pole using a frisbee. Columbus, Ohio's Trident Design, the team behind the Quickey Multi-Tool, has created an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to help bring a new, higher-quality version of the game to market.

Inventor John Mally first conceived the idea back in 2008 during a frisbee match, when he saw a disc knock a cup off a snow pole. Six years and several prototypes later, the original Flimsee kit has become a cult favorite among a loyal community of lawn gamers, tailgaters, and disc enthusiasts nationwide.

images via Flimsee

Thanks Shelby DeNike!

SciShow Explains Why Humans Blush But Animals Don't

Michael Aranda explains why human beings blush, while animals don't, in the latest Quick Questions by SciShow. Charles Darwin referred to the trait as, “the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.”

Your face turns red because your sympathetic nervous system kicks in. That's the network of nerves that controls your fight-or-flight response. When it's triggered, it signals the release of adrenaline. Suddenly your heart rate picks up and you start breathing faster and then you're ready to run away.

A Pair of Two-Year-Old Chimpanzees Watch 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' at a South Carolina Movie Theater

Vali and Sugrive, a pair of two-year-old chimpanzees attended a recent screening of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes at a local movie theater, alongside their caretakers from the Myrtle Beach Safari in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The two young apes bought their tickets and paid for snacks before watching the movie. According to the Safari employees, Vali and Sugrive reacted like other enthusiastic movie-goers, following the plot and turning away and holding hands when things got rough.

He loves to clap – when he likes something he claps, so he clapped for the good guys, and when chimps don’t like what’s happening they hoot or bark, so when the bad guy came on he was barking.

images via The Daily Mail

via ABC

Stan Lee Rants About Dentists Who Try to Carry on a Conversation While Working on Your Teeth

On a recent episode of Stan’s Rants on World of Heroes, legendary comic creator Stan Lee got fired up while ranting about dentists who try to carry on a conversation while working on your teeth. We’ve previously written about Lee and his ongoing series of rants.

Dentists Dentists Dentists, why are dentists always asking Stan questions at the hardest possible time to speak?!

Computer Virus Catalog, An Illustrated Guide to Terrible Computer Viruses

Implant by Karborn

Computer Virus Catalog is an illustrated guide to terrible computer viruses founded and curated by Amsterdam-based Bas van de Poel. The site features illustrations of computer viruses like Happy99, Sircam, and Melissa — among others — by a variety of artists paired with a short description of what they did and when they did it. A full list of participating artists is available at Computer Virus Catalog.

Marburg by HORT

Ika-Tako by Saïd Kinos

LSD by Clay Hickson

OlympicAIDS by Julien Rivoire

images via their respective credits

submitted via Laughing Squid Tips

An Unnecessarily Censored Version of Disney's 'The Lion King' That Makes Ordinary Moments Seem Dirty

The Jake Vale Show has created an unnecessarily censored version of Disney’s 1994 animated musical adventure film The Lion King that makes ordinary moments seem dirty. The video was inspired by the “This Week in Unnecessary Censorship” segment on Jimmy Kimmel Live. We’ve previously written about Jake Vale’s censored versions of Frozen (Part 2), Up, and Finding Nemo.

The Lion King is such a DIRTY MOVIE! I took the time to censor out the inappropriate content for you! ENJOY!

Astrophotographer Captures Stunning Images of Auroras Over the Northwest Territories

In December 2013, astrophotographer Kwon O Chul captured absolutely stunning images of the auroras that appeared near Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada.

Kwon also captured the aurora on video.

via Astronomy Picture of the Day

French Supermarket Chain Launches Food Waste Reduction Campaign that Celebrates Ugly Fruits and Vegetables

The French supermarket chain Intermarché has launched “Inglorious Foods“, a unique campaign developed by Marcel Worldwide as a way to highlight the enormous amount of food wasted due to imperfect appearance. Instead the store celebrated the ugly fruits and vegetables and put them on shelves, either in their natural form or in soup or juice, and sold them at a significant discount to shoppers.

Intermarché launched the Inglorious Fruits & Vegetables, a film, print, poster and radio campaign, celebrating the beauty of the Grotesque Apple, the Ridiculous Potato, the Hideous Orange, the Failed Lemon, the Disfigured Eggplant, the Ugly Carrot, and the Unfortunate Clementine to call attention to our problem with food waste.

images via Marcel Worldwide, Intermarché

via Good, Design Taxi

Six Californias, An Initiative to Divide California Into Six New States

Six Californias is an initiative spearheaded by venture capitalist Tim Draper to divide California into six new states. According to the Six Californias website, dividing California into six smaller states would create “more local and more responsive government.” In Sacramento today Draper began the process of submitting signatures that have been collected in support of the campaign–if enough signatures are collected and verified (campaign supporters say they already have enough), the initiative will likely appear on the November 2016 ballot as a proposed amendment to the state constitution. To enact the plan, an act of Congress would also be required.

California needs a reboot. Our public schools have gone from the top in the nation to 47th. We are ranked 50th out of 50 for the worst business climate in the United States. We have high unemployment and the percentage of people living below the poverty line is steadily increasing. Our state needs a massive investment in infrastructure and a streamlined process to help grow and keep businesses. Our state needs our help.

Six Californias is our opportunity to solve the many problems we face today. Our opportunity to create a better future for all 38 million of us.

Six Californias means creating six smaller states with more local and more responsive government. Six states that are more representative and accountable. Six states that embrace innovation and strive to improve the lives of residents.

image via Six Californias

via The San Francisco Chronicle

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