The latest from Studio Ghibli, still reconfiguring itself since Hayao Miyazaki’s retirement, offers a very promising look toward the studio’s future. The Red Turtle, by animator Michaël Dudok de Wit, is Ghibli’s first co-production; it has no dialogue, but is filled with gorgeously simple, hand-drawn images.
The story is also simple, but like all Ghibli movies, it has a certain magic to it, too. The Red Turtle is set to make its debut at the currently underway Cannes Film Festival.
As most of the io9 staff is American, our knowledge of Eurovision is very poor. But we do know that it’s a crime that Belarus has been knocked out and can’t win the whole thing.
As much of a shame as it that IVAN (or, as we’ve taken to calling him “Belarusian Legolas”) didn’t advance to the Eurovision finals, we’ve decided that this video has more than enough to make an excellent comic book.
Ironically, the story starts where the performance ends: a baby getting hit by lightning:
We presume the lightning gives him powers like duplicating himself:
Waterbending:
And the ability to talk to animals:
Of course, the ability to communicate with animals comes with the possibility of forgetting who you are, hence the naked howling. The song title, “Help You Fly,” either references our hero’s attempts to lift up the world or a struggle where he thinks he’s a momma bird teaching chicks to fly.
Here’s the full performance. Full disclosure, we’ve been watching it on loop for hours. It’s not the most addictive Eurovision performance we’ve ever seen, but it’s our favorite of 2016.
Earlier this week, over a hundred scientists, lawyers, and entrepreneurs gathered to discuss the radical possibility of creating a synthetic human genome. Strangely, journalists were not invited, and attendees were told to keep a tight lip. Which, given the weighty subject matter, is obvious cause for concern.
The idea of creating a synthetic human genome is qualitatively different than gene editing. Instead of scientists patching a gene here and a gene there, they would use chemicals to manufacture all the DNA contained in human chromosomes. Synthetic genomics, unlike genetic modifications, in that it doesn’t use naturally occurring genes. Instead, it relies on the custom-designed base pair series. This opens to the door to a greater array of possibilities, as geneticists wouldn’t be bound by the two base pairs produced by nature.
Currently, scientists see synthetic genomics as a way to build novel microbes and animals, but the same principle applies to humans. It thus raises the prospect of custom-designed humans, or even quasi-humans, without any parents. It’s a massive bombshell of a topic—one requiring serious rumination and discussion. But for reasons that aren’t entirely clear, this futuristic endeavor appears to be getting off on the wrong foot.
As science writer Andrew Pollack reports in the New York Times, the prospect of synthetic human genomes was discussed at a secret meeting held at Harvard Medical School this past Tuesday. Pollack says that those in attendance were told “not to contact the media or to tweet about the meeting.”
According to George Church, a professor of genetics at Harvard medical school and a key organizer of the proposed project, the whole thing is an unfortunate misunderstanding. Church says the meeting wasn’t really about synthetic human genomes, but rather it was about efforts to improve the ability to synthesize long strands of DNA, which geneticists could use to create all manner of animals, plants and microbes. Church was quoted in the NYT as saying: “They’re painting a picture which I don’t think represents the project. If that were the project, I’d be running away from it.”
This is all very interesting because, as Pollack points out, the original name of the project was “HGP2: The Human Genome Synthesis Project.” What’s more, an invitation to the meeting clearly stated that the primary goal would be “to synthesize a complete human genome in a cell line within a period of ten years.” Later, the organizers changed the name of the meeting to “HGP-Write: Testing Large Synthetic Genomes in Cells.” The reason for the change, they said, was that the original name was meant to be headline-grabbing. Which is a super strange thing to say given that the meeting was closed to the press.
As for why the meeting was held behind closed-doors, Church says it’s because his team has submitted a paper to a scientific journal, and they’re not supposed to discuss the idea publicly before publication. Again, a very strange excuse; why hold a meeting on such an important topic before the paper gets approved for publication? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to hold the meeting after? In fact, the press are often invited to read papers prior to publication under the embargo system. Journalists are already in the habit of keeping quiet as a matter of protocol and journalistic ethics.
As noted, Church hopes to build a complete human genome in a cell line within ten years, which is quite ambitious. The last effort in this regard was Craig Venter’s group, who synthesized a simple bacterial cell
Indeed, this topic is definitely far from resolved, and we’ll be watching this story as it unfolds. In the meantime, I highly encourage you to read Pollack’s entire article at the New York Times, and a provocative essay published in Cosmos Magazine about the ethics of synthesizing a human genome. Here’s a short clip:
In a world where human reproduction has already become a competitive marketplace, with eggs, sperm and embryos carrying a price, it is easy to make up far stranger uses of human genome synthesis capacities.
Would it be OK, for example, to sequence and then synthesise Einstein’s genome? If so how many Einstein genomes should be made and installed in cells, and who would get to make them?
Taking a step back, just because something becomes possible, how should we approach determining if it is ethical to pursue?
Given that human genome synthesis is a technology that can completely redefine the core of what now joins all of humanity together as a species, we argue that discussions of making such capacities real, like today’s Harvard conference, should not take place without open and advance consideration of whether it is morally right to proceed.
I have reached out to Dr. George Church for comment, along with an attendee of the meeting. We’ll update this post should their responses come in.
Director Ryan Coogler and leading man Michael B. Jordan worked together on hit movies Fruitvale Station and Creed. Now they’ll be reuniting in Wakanda for Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther movie.
Word of Jordan’s addition to the Panther cast comes via The Hollywood Reporter, hot on the heels of yesterday’s news that Lupita Nyong’o is in talks to come on board. As with Nyong’o, there aren’t any details about the role to played by the man who played Adonis Creed. Meanwhile, this news comes remarks made by Fantastic Four producer Simon Kinberg that say that Fox is open to making a sequel to that critically-trashed adaptation in which Jordan played Johnny Storm/the Human Torch.
A source told THR that Jordan might play a villain, which means he could be anybody from Killmonger to *shudder* Baron Macabre. T’Challa was one of the best things in Captain America: Civil War and excitement about that character might pull even more big names into the cast for Black Panther. On the Empire podcast, Marvel movie-making honcho Kevin Feige recently promised that the film would have a cast that’s 90% black. Time to start making some wish lists, people...
Last Summer, when Warner Bros. got the rights
Variety reports that Rob Letterman, who recently helmed Goosebumps, has an offer to direct the film from Warner Bros. He was among a group of directors vying for the project but a recent presentation sealed the deal for him.
When news of the film originally broke, it stated that it would be set in the Forgotten Realms, where many of the most popular D&D characters reside. And while we don’t know if that character or others will be in the film, we do know the script was written by David Leslie Johnson (The Conjuring 2, Orphan, Wrath of the Titans).
If Letterman is now on board, it seems like Dungeons & Dragons be could hitting theaters as early as 2018, though that’s speculative.
[Variety]
Anker’s new surge protector, battery-powered yard tools, and a popular stick vacuum lead off Friday’s best deals.
Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here
Anker makes surge protectors now, and naturally, they come packed with PowerIQ USB charging ports for your mobile devices as well. This model features six AC outlets, four USBs, and an 18 month warranty backed by the same company that makes your favorite battery packs
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If you can’t stand yard work, and Amazon’s discounting several GreenWorks tools in today’s Gold Box to make it just a little easier.
Battery-powered tools like these require much less maintenance than gasoline alternatives, and at these prices, they make more financial sense as well. Inside, you’ll find blowers, edgers, and even a couple of saws to trim your grass and beat back hedges. Just note that like all Gold Box deals, these prices are only available today, or until sold out.
The newest
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Anker’s kevlar-wrapped PowerLine Lightning cables are some of the most popular we’ve ever posted
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I’ve collected several of these cables over the last few months, and while I haven’t used them long enough to know if they’re actually more durable, they definitely feel weighty and premium. Note that this deal is available on space grey, blue, and red.
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These magnetic building blocks are ostensibly designed for kids, but hell if I don’t want them myself. Just be sure to use promo code MAGBLOCK on any of the three sets to get a discount.
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Earlier this week, Amazon dropped the price of Hue Bloom accent lights to an all-time low $50, but BuyDig’s eBay storefront just beat that by $5.
You’re probably familiar with the color-changing Hue lights that screw into your existing lamps and light fixtures, but if you really want to paint your rooms with color, you’ll want to pick up a few Hue Bloom accent lights as well.If you’re already invested in the Hue ecosystem, you should absolutely pick up at least one.
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Mrs. Meyer’s hand and dish soap is incredibly popular (at least judging by online reviews), and Amazon’s taking an extra 20% off 3-packs of both today. The coupon will work whether you use Subscribe & Save or not, but of course, you’ll save extra if you subscribe, and you can always cancel after your first delivery.
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Update 5/13: Back in stock!
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Ready to expand your Philips Hue collection? Color bulbs are down to $40 a pop today on Amazon, which is as cheap as they ever get.
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We post a lot of deals on desk lamps with integrated LEDs, but this wooden swing arm alternative has a more classic look, and is a great deal at $25 with Z59QY7OB. Just note that you’ll need to bring your own bulb, like these IKEA LEDs.
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Apple’s expansive (and expensive) iPad Pro just got a very solid $160 discount on the base 32GB model. You even get to pick from all three colors.
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This vacuum is about as simple as they come. You won’t find any hoses, detachable hand vacs, or battery packs. That being said, I’ve owned it for years, and absolutely love it. Its suction power is great, I’ve never had to replace any belts, and it’s incredibly light and maneuverable. For a smallish home, you could do a lot worse for $58.
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This water-resistant Mpow Bluetooth speaker has been popular among our readers during a few $20 deals, but today, you can get it for just $15 with code DLT9DDZJ. It’s hardly the only water-resistant speaker in this price range, but I appreciate the suction cup mount that allows you to stick it to your shower wall.
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We’ve seen deals on similar cable organizers before, but these are unique in offering three cord slots on each unit. And at $.50 each, what do you have to lose?
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$280 is a lot to spend on a set of dumbbells, but these Bowflex adjustable models take up way less room than a full rack of weights, and certainly cost less over time than a gym membership.
Still not convinced? They have a 4.8 star review average from over 2,600 Amazon customers, and while they’ve been cheaper on a few occassions, they usually sell for $300.
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If you’ve ever spent more than 5 seconds sorting through your mismatched food containers to find the right lid, it’s time to throw them all out and upgrade to this 42-piece Rubbermaid system.
The set comes with 21 containers in six different sizes, and yet you only have to deal with three different sizes of lids, making it much easier to find the right one. Personally, I prefer glass storage sets like this one from Pyrex, but if you want to maximize the number of containers you get for your money, this is your best bet.
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Contigo’s Autoseal West Loop is far and away our readers’ favorite travel mug, and the supersized 24 ounce model is marked down to $21 today, an all-time low. That’s a lot of coffee!
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Magnetic bars are without a doubt the coolest
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And when it comes time to sharpen your knives, we’ve got a deal for that too.
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Today only, Amazon’s Gold Box has a selection of Ahnu shoes marked down to great low prices.
The deal includes three pairs of flats, and three pairs of boots, some of which are available in multiple colors. Just remember that like all Gold Box deals, these prices are only available today, and several styles could sell out early. So hike over to Amazon and lock in your order while there’s still time.
If you still haven’t picked up Fallout 4, Amazon will sell you a copy on PC, PS4, or Xbox One for just $29 today, even if you don’t have the Cap Collector perk.
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Your DualShocks deserve better than loose microUSB cables. This PDP Energizer charger is designed specifically for the PS4 gamepads, and its glowing LED lights let you know as soon as they’re fully charged.
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If you’ve tried an unamplified HDTV antenna like the Mohu Leaf, but can’t quite pull in every channel you want, this AmazonBasics leaf-style model includes a USB-powered amp that should add a few miles of range. All you have to do is plug it into your TV’s USB port or the included USB wall charger.
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Today’s $32 deal is the antenna’s first discount from its regular $40, and for comparison’s sake, the similar Mohu Leaf 50 sells for over twice as much.
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No kitchen is complete without a substantial Pyrex aresenal, and this 4-container set (it’s technically 8-pieces, but that includes lids) is down to under $15 on Amazon right now. If you aren’t familiar, these magical vessels are super strong, and also freezer, oven, and even microwave safe.
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It’s 2016, and your headphones shouldn’t need wires anymore. Luckily, you can score a refurb of Sony’s excellent extra bass over-ears for $80, or almost half off the usual price for a new pair. We briefly saw these for $98 new on Black Friday, so this really is a fantastic price.
If you still haven’t picked up Audio-Technica’s coveted ATH-M50x headphones, BuyDig will sell you a pair for $99 today (also in white), complete with a $30 VUDU credit and three months of Rhapsody with promo code PLATINUMSOUND. Even without the toss-ins, that’s one of the best deals we’ve ever seen.
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If you use Finish Powerball tablets in your dishwasher, Amazon’s taking 25% off a pack of 90 today when you clip the coupon and use Subscribe & Save. Remember, you can always cancel the subscription after your first delivery.
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Lärabars are great for starting your day or fueling up on the go, and Amazon’s taking an extra $4 off when you buy a 16-pack today. Just pick your favorite flavor, order it through Subscribe & Save, and you’ll see the discount at checkout.
If you take your Eneloop collection
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We’ve seen a lot of deals on Bluetooth car receivers, but I don’t think any of them have looked as nice as this model from Aukey. It even lets you pair two phones at once, and comes with a three-port USB charger to keep all of your devices charged as well. Just note that your car will need an AUX jack for this to work.
Tide Pods are the easiest way to do laundry, and you can get an 81-count tub for just $14 today on Amazon. You’ll need to clip the $5 coupon, and order via Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program, but you can always cancel that subscription once you receive your first delivery.
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Weird but true: Amazon makes bed sheets! They’re sateen, they’re 400 thread count, and they’re cheaper than ever in all sizes and colors today. I wonder if Bezos uses them?
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You probably looked at that image up there and laughed. But let me tell you, there’s nothing funny about using the bathroom in the middle of the night and having to turn on an overhead light to see where you’re going. Because as soon as you hit that switch, you know you’re not getting back to sleep for another hour.
GlowBowl fits on just about any toilet, is motion activated, and can even output seven different colors of light. Most importantly though, it won’t wreak havoc on your circadian rhythms.
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We’ve seen our fair share of $50-$70 dash cams, but this new model from Aukey is unique in offering 1080p/60 recording (most in this price range are limited to 30FPS), and the ability to connect its power directly to your car’s fusebox. It also comes with a standard power cable that plugs into your cigarette lighter, but the ability to wire it directly will result in a much cleaner look.
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Don’t forget a microSD card!
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A self-assembling space habitat, a deep sleep chamber to shuttle astronauts on long journeys, and a protective magnetic force field are the latest projects NASA is embarking on.
NASA’s Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) Program is responsible for funding futuristic space concepts that could, as NASA puts it, “change the possible.” It’s not enough to merely be a cool concept, though—projects are also screened for technical plausibility. In its latest round of funding, NIAC’s Phase II program has selected eight projects to move ahead. Among the most promising ones are three focusing on how to build livable future habitats in space.
To travel further into space, it would be helpful to have outposts to stop at along the way. These early stage Growth-Adapted Tensegrity Structures would seed chosen outpost points with building robots that could not only create the initial rotating space outposts, but could modify them for future needs as well. The current project will start by looking at the feasibility of setting one up outside of the lunar orbit, but researchers add that, if successful, these structures could someday be almost anywhere.
Colonizing Mars will be anything but simple, and one of the main challenges will be landing on the surface without crashing or burning up. This magnetic space shell—aptly called the Magnetoshell—would throw a magnetic field around a Mars-bound spacecraft. As it fell through the planet’s atmosphere, researchers hope that the resulting interaction can act almost as a second set of brakes, slowing down the craft enough that the actual landing protocol would need less fuel. Early designs were focused on putting together initial plans for landings on both Mars and Neptune. Now, researchers intend to look at how a Magnetoshell might work for crewed missions even beyond that, to locations all over the solar system.
Many of the recent proposals were dedicated to what happens when we get into deep space. But to arrive, you first have to make the journey—and that could take years. That’s where this deep sleep chamber comes in. It’s not a cryo-sleep chamber, researchers emphasize, at least not yet. Instead, the idea here is to first build a chamber capable of medically-supporting astronauts who are in a deep sleep.
In addition to these three, you can look at the full slate of approved NIAC Phase II projects right here.
Here’s a fun art piece made by artist Matthieu Robert-Ortis: in one perspective, it looks like two giraffes standing opposite each other while in another, it looks like a single elephant staring straight at you. The piece plays on your perspective and hides two wire sculptures in one, what you see depends on which angle you’re looking at it.
To see more of Matthieu Robert-Ortis’ work, click here.
Scientists from the University of Texas at Arlington used planetarium software to recreate the night sky of ancient Greece, the better to peg the date when lyric poet Sappho penned one of her most famous verses. They describe their findings in a new paper in the Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage.
“This is an example of where the scientific community can make a contribution to knowledge described in important ancient texts,” lead author Manfred Cuntz said in a statement. “Estimations had been made for the timing of this open in the past, but we were able to scientifically confirm the season that corresponds to her specific descriptions of the night sky in the year 570 B.C.”
The poem in question references the Pleides, a cluster of stars that are especially prominent during winter nights in the Northern Hemisphere. References to them abound in ancient texts all around the world, in part because they were useful for navigation at sea.
In Greek mythology, the stars represented the so-called “Seven Sisters,” daughters of the titan Atlas. In some versions of the tale, Zeus transformed them first into doves, and then into stars, after they collectively committed suicide in grief at their father being forced to carry the heavens on his shoulders. The nearby constellation, Orion (the Hunter), was said to pursue the sisters across the night sky.
So naturally Sappho would find inspiration in the star cluster for her “Midnight Poem”:
The moon has set
And the Pleiades;
It is midnight,
The time is going by,
And I sleep alone.
(trans. Henry Thornton Wharton, 1887)
Cuntz and his co-author, Levent Gurdemir, used the software of the UT-Arlington planetarium, where Gurdemir serves as director, to recreate the night sky of ancient Greece for 570 B.C. They found that the Pleiades would have set at midnight on January 25 of that year, and would set earlier and earlier as the year progressed.
Cuntz admitted that timing was tricky, since the ancient Greeks relied on water clocks, not mechanical time keepers. But the latest date that the setting of the Pleiades would have been visible from the isle of Lesbos was March 31. So they concluded that Sappho would have written her poem between mid-winter and early spring of that year—just as historians had estimated.
The UT-Arlington scientists are following in the footsteps of Donald Olson, a self-described “forensic astronomer” at Texas State University, who has used his expertise to analyze meteor precessions that inspired a painting by Canadian astronomer Gustav Hahn and a poem by Walt Whitman.
Then there was Olson’s intriguing hypothesis that the moon may have contributed to the sinking of the Titanic. He helped clear up confusion among historians as to the precise location of Julius Caesar’s landing site when the Roman general invaded Britain in 55 B.C. He showed that Mary Shelley was probably telling the truth about a moonlit “waking dream” that inspired her to pen Frankenstein. And he’s studied astronomy-related aspects of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the photography of Ansel Adams, and Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”
Clearly, Texas is a good place to be if you’re interested in the budding field of forensic astronomy.
Metallurgist Grigory Raykhtsaum shows Smithsonian three different ways to test if something is solid gold: a color test, a thermal conductivity test, and a particle test. It’s all computerized now so all he has to do is scan the object to get a read on the color, zap it with an electrical current to measure the conductivity, and scrape a bit off to have it analyzed in a powerful microscope.
This short animation Death in Space by Thomas Lucas is a collection of two-second scenes that show people dying in space in the most random ways. It’s totally silly, but it’s funny because it pokes fun of the careless curiosity of human nature. Yes, we’re going to jab that creature that might swallow us alive. Sure, we’ll open up this box that might vaporize us. Of course, we’ll add another drop into a solution that might explode.
We’ll always do these things no matter how dumb it is.
Against my better instincts, I’m crossing my fingers for the Warcraft movie. It’s being directed by the guy behind Moon and Source Code. He is also technically a Bowie! If all else fails, though, when the dust settles, we’ll have at least gotten this cool in-game trailer out of it.
Ivan Kuzkin crafted a shot-for-shot remake of the Warcraft movie trailer in World of Warcraft. It’s astoundingly spot-on. First, here’s his version on its own:
And here it is running alongside the actual Warcraft movie trailer:
Lastly, here’s a making-of video:
That’s some damn good work. Kinda makes me wish the Warcraft movie was aping more of Blizzard’s colorful stylized art. As for Kuzkin, next he should tackle... actually there are no good video game movies, so I guess nothing.
HBO might have killed off True Blood a couple of years ago, but NBC is hoping that its creator, Charlene Harris, will bring them a new hit. According to Deadline, it just picked up an adaptation of, Midnight, Texas, her latest series.
There have been reports since last year
Charlene Harris authored the Midnight, Texas trilogy, comprised of Midnight Crossroad, Dayshift and Nightshift (due out this month). A psychic named Manfred Bernardo makes his way to Midnight, Texas, where he’s hoping to find some solace, only to discover that there’s more than meets the eye in the small, secretive town, as well as vampires, witches and werewolves.
The cast for the series includes François Arnaud (Blindspot), Dylan Bruce (Orphan Black), Parisa Fitz-Henley (Jessica Jones), Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries), Sarah Ramos (Parenthood), Peter Mensah (Sleepy Hollow), Yul Vazquez (Bloodline, War of the Worlds) and Sean Bridgers (Rectify).
It will be interesting to see just how this fits with NBC. Unlike True Blood, which came out from HBO, NBC will have to be limited in what they show on screen. Still, for anyone missing their fix of the supernatural, this could be a promising show.
[Deadline]
Popular Kindle books, a Yeti tumbler alternative, and mosquitos’ worst nightmare lead off Saturday’s best deals.
Bookmark Kinja Deals and follow us on Twitter to never miss a deal. Commerce Content is independent of Editorial and Advertising, and if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale. Click here
If your Kindle library could use a few new additions, Amazon’s offering 16 top sellers for just $2-$5 each, today only. A few popular options are below, but head over to Amazon to see the rest.
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The Moto X Pure “does Android better than Google,” and Amazon will sell you a 16 GB model today for just $150 unlocked with promo code SPRINGISHERE, easily the best price we’ve ever seen.
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Curious about Android Wear, but don’t want to invest a ton of money on a wearable? You can score a refurb first-gen Moto 360 today for just $80 on eBay, in multiple styles.
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Tempered glass is the only kind of smartphone screen protector worth considering, and $1 is as cheap as they ever get.
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Update: Promo code has expired.
If you like the convenience of magnetic smartphone car mounts, but don’t want to block a vent or your CD slot, this dash-mounted option is down to just $2 today.
Reviewers say this double-walled 30 ounce tumbler keeps drinks just as hot or cold as the Yeti alternative, except you won’t have to take out a second mortgage to afford it.
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The microwave is obviously not the best way to cook bacon, but if you’re in a hurry, you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. Luckily, this grill plate should give it a modicum of crispiness, and the included cover will help keep the microwave clean.
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If you’re ready to cut the cord on vacuuming, the Hoover Linx features an 18-volt battery, a motorized brush that you can turn on and off, and an easy-to-empty receptacle. It normally retails for $120-$130, but today, you can grab one for $113, the best price we’ve seen in months.
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I bought a few of these stadium seats about a month ago, and they were fantastic for a long afternoon of sitting on bleachers. They’re also great for picnics, music festivals, or any other occasion that might call for sitting on the ground.
Note: To see the deal, select “One Size” in the size dropdown, then click on the blue chair.
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Before you head out on your next outdoor adventure, you may want to pick up this clever LED lantern. You can charge it via a USB cable or a hand crank, and it also works as a flashlight, AM/FM radio, and even as an emergency phone charger.
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Whether you’re worried about Zika, or just don’t want to feel itchy after your next barbecue, this insect fogger can kill all of the mosquitos hiding in your yard, and keep them away for up to six hours. This is a pre-treating device, meaning you have to spray the yard, and let it disperse for a few minutes before your guests arrive, but reviews indicate that it really does work.
Today’s $44 price tag is an all-time low, but it’s only available today.
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Anker makes surge protectors now, and naturally, they come packed with PowerIQ USB charging ports for your mobile devices as well. This model features six AC outlets, four USBs, and an 18 month warranty backed by the same company that makes your favorite battery packs
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Anker’s kevlar-wrapped PowerLine Lightning cables are some of the most popular we’ve ever posted
http://bestsellers.kinja.com/bestsellers-an...
I’ve collected several of these cables over the last few months, and while I haven’t used them long enough to know if they’re actually more durable, they definitely feel weighty and premium. Note that this deal is available on space grey, blue, and red.
http://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerLin...
Mrs. Meyer’s hand and dish soap is incredibly popular (at least judging by online reviews), and Amazon’s taking an extra 20% off 3-packs of both today. The coupon will work whether you use Subscribe & Save or not, but of course, you’ll save extra if you subscribe, and you can always cancel after your first delivery.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
This water-resistant Mpow Bluetooth speaker has been popular among our readers during a few $20 deals, but today, you can get it for just $15 with code DLT9DDZJ. It’s hardly the only water-resistant speaker in this price range, but I appreciate the suction cup mount that allows you to stick it to your shower wall.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014QVKEF4?...
If you’ve ever spent more than 5 seconds sorting through your mismatched food containers to find the right lid, it’s time to throw them all out and upgrade to this 42-piece Rubbermaid system.
The set comes with 21 containers in six different sizes, and yet you only have to deal with three different sizes of lids, making it much easier to find the right one. Personally, I prefer glass storage sets like this one from Pyrex, but if you want to maximize the number of containers you get for your money, this is your best bet.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Contigo’s Autoseal West Loop is far and away our readers’ favorite travel mug, and the supersized 24 ounce model is marked down to $21 today, an all-time low. That’s a lot of coffee!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B014HU418A/...
If you’ve tried an unamplified HDTV antenna like the Mohu Leaf, but can’t quite pull in every channel you want, this AmazonBasics leaf-style model includes a USB-powered amp that should add a few miles of range. All you have to do is plug it into your TV’s USB port or the included USB wall charger.
http://lifehacker.com/how-to-choose-...
Today’s $31 deal is the antenna’s first discount from its regular $40, and for comparison’s sake, the similar Mohu Leaf 50 sells for over twice as much.
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-U...
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I got a suggestion recently from a reader that was brilliant and simple: find out what car Calvin’s dad, the hardworking everyman from the beloved comic strip Calvin & Hobbes, drove. I mean, we have a right to know what he drives, I think, since his son has been seen peeing on so many car windows
Bill Watterson is an incredibly talented and observant artist, so I think the car he drew for Calvin’s father (who seems to have no known name) was carefully considered and not just something chosen at random. The comic ran from 1985 to 1995, so the car chosen would have been one common in the U.S. during that period.
Interestingly, the first time we ever meet Calvin’s dad, he’s with his car, but it’s not the same car that eventually becomes the type most associated with Calvin’s dad:
This first car looks to me like a tiny, slightly-flattened Ford LTD. This car is soon replaced by the car that’s most consistently Calvin’s dad-car, a small, two-door econobox-type hatchback.
Now, today, that may seem to be an odd choice for Calvin’s dad, who seemed to have a decent mid-level white collar job, owned a home, and all those trappings of middle class living. Today, I think we see two-door hatches as entry-level cars, and would have expected Calvin’s dad to have upgraded beyond that, but back in the 1980s, that wasn’t the case.
Don’t believe me? This guy identifies himself as a “corporate executive” and drives a 1984 VW Rabbit:
So, for the time period, a two-door econobox makes total sense.
But which econobox? The early ‘80s were the glory days of the everyman hatchback, so there’s plenty to choose from. I do think Watterson had a couple specific ones in mind when drawing Calvin’s dad’s car, though.
Here are some common variants, with my best guesses:
Much like our corporate executive up there, we see examples that strongly suggest a Volkswagen Rabbit. The round headlights seen here are actually pretty unusual for Calvin’s dad’s car, so this may be an anomaly. Maybe a rental. But why wash a rental?
Overall, though, I am sort of leaning to a Volkswagen for Calvin’s dad’s car, but a slightly newer one: a MK2 Volkswagen Golf. Here, look:
That’s pretty convincing, right? The headlight shape, the marker lights, the round, central badge. It even seems to hold up for the rear.
That seems pretty close to me. Still, I’m not absolutely certain. There’s something familiar about that rear end that could possibly be a first-generation Honda Civic.
Maybe? The overall shape feels pretty Civic-like, and those two-chamber taillights fit... but I’m still leaning to the Golf. The Civic’s windows are quite small, and I think the taillights are suggesting an angled shape like the Golf’s.
Sometimes, though, Watterson mixed it up a bit, and drew the car like this:
Whoa. Totally different tailights here, and they seem like Chevrolet Chevette lights. That’s certainly possible, and maybe Calvin’s dad quietly preferred RWD, though all the times we’ve seen the car in snow make me think this is unlikely. Calvin’s dad seems like the kind of guy who’d prefer FWD over RWD in the snow.
Then, just in case you weren’t confused enough, there’s a Sunday full-color variant of the car that seems to suggest yet another option:
Now, this could still be that Mk 2 Golf, but there’s some key details that have changed that make me think the dream-flying hatchback is a Dodge/Mitsubishi Colt. The lack of a round badge on the grille, the wide rectangular lights, the horizontally stacked, wider taillights, the prominent black rubber side impact strip—I really do feel Watterson was looking at a Dodge Colt when he drew this strip.
Did I mention that Bill Watterson may also be the most consistent daily comic strip artist when it comes to including side marker lights on his cars? That’s a detail I have a lot of respect for.
So, I think if I had to come to a conclusion, I’d say that for most of the strips, Calvin’s dad drives a late 1980s Volkswagen Golf, but for the occasional full-color dream sequence, he’ll break out the Dodge/Mitsubishi Colt.
I hope this clears everything up, and you can rest easy now.
Civil War reenacting is a thing, but what about reenacting Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War? Funny or Die goes behind the scenes with an entertaining mockumentary about one group of cosplayers.
Arrested Development’s Tony Hale and The Mindy Project’s Adam Pally face off at Iron Man and Captain America as their group tries to recreate the battle of the airport, and as their character’s rivalry spills over into real life.
Yesterday, we reported that Darwyn Cooke was being treated for cancer - according to family representatives, he passed away early this morning at the age of 53.
According to his family, he passed away with his family in Florida:
We regret to inform you that Darwyn lost his battle with cancer early this morning at 1:30 AM ET. We read all of your messages of support to him throughout the day yesterday. He was filled with your love and surrounded by friends and family at his home in Florida.
Cooke was well known for the distinctive style he employed with his numerous comics, particularly DC: The New Frontier.
[Darwyn Cooke via Bleeding Cool]
There are some books that end leaving you utterly shattered: you reach the last page and think to yourself: did that just fucking happen? That’s exactly what ran through my mind when I finished Paul Tremblay’s blockbuster of a novel, A Head Full of Ghosts.
A Head Full of Ghosts is a brilliant book that follows a New England family in their decent into madness, following in the footsteps of some of the the genre’s greats, such as Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House or Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper.
Spoilers ahead!
http://www.amazon.com/Head-Full-Ghos...
Fifteen years ago, the Barrett family was destroyed when their fourteen year old daughter, Marjorie falls ill: it appears that she is suffering from schizophrenia. Her father turns to a long-dormant faith in the Catholic Church, and soon, he brings in a priest, and a reality TV company to document the family’s struggles.
We watch the story through the eyes of eight year old Mary, Marjorie’s sister, who watches as her sister turns from her best friend to a terrifying nightmare and as her idyllic family comes apart at the seams.
The story also plays out for the general public through their television screens as a reality show called The Possession, which follows the family as they cope with the demon within Marjorie. As the situation spirals out of control, the crew is witness to some really horrific events.
There’s a lot to unpack with this book, which makes it a really intriguing one to read. Tremblay, who’s earned a pair of Bram Stoker Awards and a bunch of nominations for his works, is a fantastic writer - his style is vivid, to the point and realistic, and the book hooked me from beginning to end. As one might expect, Tremblay is a bit of a horror fan, and A Head Full of Ghosts is a novel that’s deeply aware of its origins: there are references for a whole slew of horror novels and movies (notably The Exorcist, but also fellow writers such as Daryl Gregory), working those details into the plot.
Tremblay plays with form in some interesting ways with this book. One part, covering The Possession, is a blog retrospective on the impact of the reality television show and what it means in the context of horror: he’s literally analyzing the story and its surroundings within the novel itself, which is a really cool trick to play, and it works really nicely, even if it feels like you’re being hand-fed some of his conclusions.
One of those conclusions is the place in which this story fits in the horror genre, and how he’s essentially flipping some major conventions. A huge influence here is The Yellow Wallpaper, which deals with a young woman going mad. Tremblay especially focuses on how women are treated in horror, examining the imagery and utilizing it to his advantage.
There’s never really a clear view of the supernatural elements here - certainly, Mary doesn’t believe that there’s anything extraordinary at play here - and Marjorie seems to be perfectly normal, either faking or using her illness to prove a literary point. Or is she? There’s certainly a creeping, uncanny feeling that there’s more to the situation than meets the eye, which Tremblay leaves delightfully open for interpretation.
There’s a great moment where Marjorie questions her father, asking if you could really trust a ghost if it’s lying: maybe it’s a demon that’s so convincing, you can’t tell the difference. When the end of the book slams into you, it’s impossible not to consider that there really is something supernatural going on behind the scenes.
Majorie’s situation is only part of the story: the real horror here (as the in-story analysis helpfully points out), is the descent of the family as a whole. Tremblay positions the story as a sort of modern day gothic story, one bookended by the decline of the traditional male head of the family and the 2008 financial crisis. It’s John Barrett who becomes a tragic figure, becoming obsessed with his faith and the attempt to fix his family.
But, as I mentioned earlier, there’s quite a bit open to interpretation here, because part of this story is run through the eyes of an eight year old and a reality television show; neither are really reliable witnesses. The entire book is at points up for interpretation, and it’s wonderful to turn it over and over again.
That’s part of what makes this book so great: it’s a fantastic look at the horror genre as a whole, but stands apart as a fantastic story with a couple of explanations. The supernatural elements can come or go: regardless of their presence, the book runs right to the end with an utterly horrifying conclusion that absolutely blew me away.
What ultimately makes A Head Full of Ghosts such a great read is that it’s a gripping novel, one that builds and builds, increasing the tension and dread as the pages turn. It’s a book that’s certainly going to keep me up for a couple more nights yet.
A Head Full of Ghosts now available in paperback.
One of the best things about Star Wars is the space battles, and a new fan video that mashes up George Lucas’ world with that of Kenny Loggins’ song Danger Zone pays a glorious tribute.
I had thought that Archer’s music video
Check out the whole video here:
[Vimeo]
I’ve taken to calling yesterday Black Friday, because it seemed as though just about every television show out there met a grim end. So, what show are you going to miss the most?
Here’s what isn’t returning (barring an unforeseen pickup by another network) as of this week: Agent Carter, Bordertown, Castle, Containment, Cooper Barrett’s Guide To Surviving Life, CSI: Cyber, The Family, Grandfathered, The Grinder, Galavant, The Muppets and Nashville. This is to say nothing of shows such as Person of Interest, which was announced earlier this spring.
So, what show will you be missing the most?
