Image credit: Flickr user Leon Brocard

As writers, every one of us on this site try to find words that are a step apart from the most over-used words you often see on the web. Problem is, we have these words programmed into our minds and tend to use them as reflex. Although a thesaurus is a good way to break that mold, thankfully, some websites do the hard work for us so we don't have to.

Just English assembled a list of synonyms for the 96 most commonly used words in English, and you don't have to be a writer to appreciate it. These words can even help you sound more fluid and less cliche' in conversations. We all use the word bad quite often, but have you ever called your Brussels sprouts "ghastly"? Well, now you can and impress all the fellow Brussels sprout haters around you as well.

The fact is, this language is a gift and we often scoff at it or misuse it. This list helps switch up your thinking when it comes to that.

(Image: Mathieu Parent)

(Image: Xum Yukinori)

(Image: Nick Perks)

If you're a full-time superhero, you probably don't have time for a regular full-time job. You'll need another source of income. Or perhaps you're already rich, but would like to make more through good merchandising. Either way, celebrity endorsements may be a way for you to make some rent money.

Every week, Comic Book Resources hosts The Line Is Drawn, a theme-based art contest for comic book artists. This past week, the topic was superheroes doing commercials. You can view all of the contributions here, including Thor selling Craftsman tools and Power Girl selling Wonderbras.

-via Geek Tyrant

It is rather mind-blowing to try to think about the talent who have come and gone from the Simpsons studios over their stories history. From writers and voice-actors to celebrity guests, it is the longest running comedy show in history for good reason. Because it has been a consistently driving force in entertaining people for well over two decades now. But most people who love the Simpsons cannot help but think back to its golden age. The golden age of the Simpsons, for those who don't know, are when Conan O' Brien used to write for the show. Well, two nights ago "Simpsons Take the Hollywood Bowl" happened, and for those who don't know, one very special man showed up and did a very special song he had written for the show, many seasons ago. The monorail song, sung by none other than Conan O' Brien. Sorry the footage is a little shaky, but that is what happens to your hands when you are trying to film pure magic.

(YouTube Link)

So let me sum this up for you. Two nights ago at the Hollywood Bowl, people got to see Conan O' Brien (among many others) sing songs from the Simpsons live. Mark that one under: things I will forever wish I went to see live. I cannot be the only person feeling that right now.

Via Pajiba

The USS Yorktown (CV-10) is an Essex-class aircraft carrier launched in 1943. It's now a museum ship in Charleston, South Carolina. The Yorktown is berthed near the USS Clagamore and USS Laffey, a World War II era submarine and destroyer, respectively. Together, the three vessels host KentaiCon, an annual anime convention.

The filmmakers of Beat Down Boogie were on site last weekend to film some of the impressive works of cosplay. Attack on Titan cosplayers were asked to man the wall cannons to guard con-goers against titans.

(Video Link)

-via Ace of Spades HQ

September Eleventh is a day of remembrance, and for many a day of mourning, but thankfully it hasn’t yet become a day of acting the fool just to get some media attention.

However, this year one unfortunate fellow made the news for doing something really strange on 9/11- he hopped the fence at the White House and found himself on the wrong side of the law(n).

So what’s the strange part of the story?

(Image source: Charlie Gile)

The guy was wearing a Pikachu hat and t-shirt, and clutching a plush Pikachu, as he wandered on to the White House lawn looking almost as bewildered as the security personnel who arrested him.

(Image source: Morgan Parmet)

Is he a trainer who saw a Grass type Pokemon wandering around the grounds of the White House that he wanted to add to his collection? The world may never know…

-Via Polygon

I think it is still safe to say, years later, we are still deeply affected by Heath Ledger's portayal of The Joker before his tragic and untimely death. Maybe one of the most menacing and freaky characters ever put on film, it is a character and portrayal that will forever be remembered for just how chilling and frenzied it all was.

It may be years later, but NECA has crafted a finely tuned Joker collectible (please do not call it an action figure. Anything that can cost upwards of two hundred dollars is no longer a toy) and it bares a freakish similarity to the character we all knew and feared. NECA is not one to deliver aything less than a stunning collectible, so this Joker should come as no surprise to anyone. But still, just imagining that face peering at me from somewhere on the shelf in my office gives me the willies. The company announced the final packaging design for this fine Q scale figure today -and it's impressive.

Please note, a price point has not been announced yet. But expect to pay anywhere from $75.00 to $150.00 for the piece. Remember kids, NECA makes art, not toys. Keep in mind, a lot of the stuff they sell ARE toys, and I'm simply saying that to justify my own inevitable purchase of this Joker figure when it comes out this fall. -via ToplessRobot

(Image credit: NECA)

(Video Link)

The video Star S'Mores is supposed to teach children the concept of self control. But we all need to learn that, so it's appropriate that the story parodies a movie older than some of the kids' parents.

In five pun-packed minutes, Flan Solo (Cookie Monster) tries to learn to control his urge to eat his partner, Chewie the Cookie, a chocolate chip cookie. Only One Cannoli, Master Groda, Darth Baker, Princess Parfaia, and Luke Piewalker help Flan Solo learn to control his impulses by using The Four.

-via Gizmodo

Redditor ejara80 writes that this costume worn by his friend's dog won third place at a Petco Star Wars contest. It's fantastic! I'm curious about what costumes could have beaten a dog who naturally looks like a Wookiee.

Perhaps, like Chewbacca with the Rebel Alliance, Petco has a rule: no pants, no medal. That's dangerous for the company because Wookiees are known to pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose.

-via Tastefully Offensive

Kevin Smith has his own unique view of the world, a quality we the fans love and admire in him, and despite the occasional Jersey Girl the guy always keeps his fans coming back for more, and the haters just keep on hating.

His upcoming film TUSK promises to be much the same- a movie with an interesting premise that will probably be adored by Smith’s fans and hated by the rest, so Kevin came up with a similarly polarizing way to advertise his movie- medical marijuana.

Kevin hired Kushman Veganics to grow two unique strains of marijuana in honor of his upcoming movie TUSK, strains which will be sold by L.A. dispensary Buds & Roses in containers bearing advertising artwork for the film.

The strains are appropriately named White Walrus and Mr. Tusk, and herb grinders emblazoned with the TUSK logo will also be given away to patients at the dispensary, so they have "a daily reminder of the soul crushing spirit of the film's main antagonist, Howard Howe".

How's that for creative movie advertising in the 21st century?!

-Via /Film

America has gone gaga over Guardians of the Galaxy, making it the highest grossing movie of the year, but this fantastic movie we love has yet to come out in Japan.

So far all the Japanese fans have gotten to see of the movie (unless they got their hands on a crappy bootleg) are a set of hilarious commercials featuring some of the most colorful scenes and characters from the movie, namely Rocket and Groot.

(Video Link)

These commercials are so funny you don't even have to speak Japanese to enjoy them, and they do a great job of capturing the awesomeness of the film, one character at a time.

-Via Nerd Approved

We may all want to pretend we don't like repetition in pop music, but obviously, it works and has worked for decades for a reason. Believe it or not, like many things, there is a science to why music affects us the way it does. Our brains react to repetition by memorizing and retaining, even if we don't want them to. So even if you hate a certain song, notice how after some radio exposure, you still somehow know every word? Guess what? That is repetition winning. Almost like classical conditioning, but with music as a variable.

As in most cases, there are people who can explain this to you far more delicately and accurately than I can, thankfully for both of us.

So even those pop songs that you rally against, too bad. Seems your brain is going to take them in and learn them anyway. It's nice to finally understand the science behind that a little better.

Ted Talks 

(Images: Lucasfilm, Alan Light)

In the original Star Wars trilogy, the British actor David Prowse played the body of Darth Vader and the American actor James Earl Jones provided the voice. Jones is known for his rich, melodious voice. No one else could have played Vader as well, nor provided a voice that is instantly recognizable.

Jones knows this, of course. He's used it to have fun with people. In an interview last January with the New York Times Magazine, Jones describes how he once used Vader's voice to fool truck drivers:

You’re never tempted to pick up the phone and pretend to be Darth Vader? I did that once when I was traveling cross-country. I used Darth as my handle on the CB radio. The truck drivers would really freak out — for them, it was Darth Vader. I had to stop doing that.

-via Brian J. Noggle

Look at this homemade TARDIS console room! Just look at it! J.P. Fox built this himself, in his home, which makes it a thoroughly geeky home everyone will want to visit. Get another view of it here.

I decorated the room, did all the lighting and electrical, built the whole console and painted the floor. All up it took a year to put together. I was incredibly blessed and lucky. I had the hexagonal shaped room already, owned all the timber and worked at a factory with a lot of spare parts to be dumped which I used for the controls. I wish you all had a chance to visit it in person.

This is just one of the featured rooms in the post 16 Super Geeky Houses Inspired by Film, and if you don’t recognize the pictures, or can’t read Spanish, read it translated into English. Included are homes styled after the X-Men, Star Trek, Star Wars, Batman, Tron, LOTR, and more. -Thanks, Miss Terious!

Image Via AwkwardSilenceGames

One Chance is a game quite unlike any you have ever played online. It is about a scientist who created a pathogen that is inadvertantly wiping out all mankind on Earth. You then have six in-game days to decided how you will spend the rest of your life. Will you stay at the office and do all you can to find a cure? Will you finally step away from the office and spend some time with the family you have been neglecting? Or will the madness and impending doom jusr cause you to lose your mind?

What really sets One Chance apart is that you really only have One Chance to play it. The game picks up on your I.P and unless you have multiple computers with multiple I.P's, you really only do get one chance in One Chance, which is part of what makes it so spectacular.

Quick warning, though. It is also quite bleak, so make those choices carefully. Games like this prove why you don't need sixty dollar video games and next-gen machines to be blown away by the medium.

Newgrounds

Life isn’t a race to the finish line, it’s best to live at a leisurely pace and avoid danger whenever possible. However, that’s easier said than done, and part of living a regular life means being exposed to all the dangerous things that surround us every day.

(YouTube Link)

College Humor created this Gorey inspired animated short that reveals the wondrous array of things that can kill you, spelled out from A to Z by the Grim Reaper.

It’s not a treatise on the joys of living a paranoid life, quite the opposite, it’s a fun reminder to get out there and enjoy your life to the fullest while trying to ignore the dangers that lurk around every corner…

-Via Sploid