humor

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How Malcolm Gladwell Ruined a Friendship By Singing a Song

In this live story from The Moth, Malcolm Gladwell explains how he ruined his friendship with his college friend Craig. Craig was a charismatic leader among nerds -- he had a knack for nicknames and songs, and he made a huge impression on Gladwell when they were in school. But when Craig's wedding rolled around, Gladwell ruined everything, just by singing a song. If you have even the slightest interest in Malcolm Gladwell, check out this story -- it's funny, but it's also a lesson about trusting your... READ ON

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Ira Glass on How to Make Balloon Animals...and Relationships

So This American Life host Ira Glass made an eighteen-minute video about how to make balloon animals, contributing to Rookie Magazine. While making the balloon animals, Glass offers advice for teen girls on topics as diverse as short haircuts, crushes, and, um...intimate subjects. Rookie Magazine writes (emphasis added): Ira Glass is the creator of the public-radio show This American Life, but he used to have a really cool job. As a tweenager he performed at kids’ birthday parties as the... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Harpo Marx, Harpist

Harpo Marx, the "silent" Marx brother, was a phenomenal self-taught harpist -- hence the nickname. (His given name was Adolph, later Americanized to Arthur.) Today I saw a clip of Harpo playing "Blue Moon" quite brilliantly, and thought I'd dig in to find some other performances -- and I was really pleased by what I found. Let's take a look at that clip and a few others, to remember what a terrific harpist Harpo was. For some background on how Harpo learned to play and his position in the harp world,... READ ON

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Dr. Strangelove in Lego

So here's a bit of Dr. Strangelove re-done in Lego stop-motion. In these two clips, we enjoy two key scenes from the film. They contain major spoilers, in case you haven't seen the film before -- but they're so good, they make me want to watch the entire film done in Lego. My favorite part is Lego Strangelove's alien/Nazi right arm. The Lego figure's right hand has been replaced with a black hand, to match Strangelove's glove in the movie. Brilliant. Part 1 International diplomacy over the... READ ON

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That is All: John Hodgman's Transcendent Final Audiobook of Complete World Knowledge

Today marks the beginning of the end of audiobooks. But don't cry -- there is still time to buy the last audiobook you will need before the coming global superpocalypse. You see, John Hodgman has released his final audiobook of complete world knowledge: That is All. It is full of jokes, celebrity cameos, mostly fake trivia, two references to Kale City Kale Chips, and fond recollections of Hodgman's now-burned speed zeppelin Hubris. Some of the narration occurs while Hodgman travels aboard the HMS... READ ON

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Triceratops vs. Torosaurus: The Dinopocalypse

So you may recall that back in 2010, Jack Horner, the famous paleontologist who partly inspired Jurassic Park, co-authored a paper arguing that the dinosaur Torosaurus didn't exist -- that in fact, it was the adult version of Triceratops. Even weirder, Horner and colleagues later argued that there is a sort of teen version of that sad dinosaur, adorably known as Nedoceratops (though only one specimen of Ned has been found). Their debate is summarized in this amazing New York Times article, which includes... READ ON

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It's Really Loud With the Shop Vac On

It's Saturday. It's hot in my workshop. Let's enjoy an upbeat tune with a jaw-droppingly good fan video. Trust me on both counts, this will make your day: Okay, you may ask what this is. It's kinetic typography ("moving text") made by Jarrett Heather. The song is "Shop Vac" by Jonathan Coulton. This video is remarkable for its detail -- the video repeatedly shows type treatments playing on corporate logos (including some that are mentioned in the song), and includes tons of tiny details around... READ ON

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The Late Movies: Flight of the Conchords

New Zealand hunkthrob band Flight of the Conchords recently recorded a brilliant new song, "Feel Inside (and Stuff Like That)," for charity. Seeing Bret and Jemaine back in action, I thought it was time to look back at some of their greatest hits (and stuff like that). "Feel Inside (and Stuff Like That)" In order to write the song, the guys interviewed a bunch of kids. Favorite lyric? "The? kids who are sick cannot do their hip-hop anymore." In case you don't catch the reference part-way... READ ON

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Betty White's Sweet Two-and-a-Half Hour Interview

The Archive of American Television is a goldmine. Last week I came across their four-and-a-half-hour interview with Mister Rogers; this week let's take a look at their similarly ultra-in-depth interview with Betty White. This is a five-part sit-down with America's TV sweetheart, conducted at her home in 1997 by her agent, Tony Fantozzi. The interview is gentle, funny, smart, and full of trivia I'd never heard about Betty. I hope you have some spare time today to enjoy this. Part 1 From the... READ ON

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You Betcha: A "Fargo" Documentary, Yah

"It's Siberia with family restaurants," -the Coen brothers explain Minneapolis in this half-hour documentary about their film Fargo. The film, entitled "Minnesota Nice," explores that eponymous ultra-polite culture of Minnesotans, and how that politeness can be repressive, even leading to violence. Also notable is a discussion of whether the film is entirely fictional -- although the film itself has a title card claiming to be based on real events, it's presented as fiction...except that it appears to be... READ ON