Imagine if aliens landed on earth to find out what residents of this planet were all about. It would be easy for them to figure out that humans are the dominant species, even though we've seen jokes that say otherwise. If a guy in a flying saucer were to land at a ballet school, he would probably enjoy the experience, but would leave with a skewed view of humanity. Before you know it, there would be green men pirouetting across the galaxy. Would that be such a bad thing? But the bigger question is, has there ever been a science fiction ballet before?

Tutu Academy is an ad produced by Dean Alexander Productions and ad agency Design Army for the Hong Kong Ballet. It's only two minutes long, followed by a long list of credits. A lot of people put a lot of work into this! -via Nag on the Lake

We know that the world's first computer program was written by Ada Lovelace in 1848. It would have run a theoretical computer called the Analytical Engine designed by Charles Babbage, but he never actually built the computer. However, computer programs are made up of data, flow charts, and calculations. People understood those things, at least some smart people did, long before the algorithms they produced were usable.

For example, if you had enough data, you could forecast the weather. British mathematician Lewis Fry Richardson compiled the necessary data in 1913 and worked out how to calculate the weather of the future. The problem was that the calculations took so long that the "forecast" had passed before it was predicted. If he had a computer, it would have worked much better. Various people worked out the same types of algorithms for playing chess, tabulating the census, and generating random numbers. They worked, but not well, because human calculation just isn't fast enough. Read about the algorithms that predated the computers that would make them work at Cracked.

National Geographic gives us a film about the wolverine. It is the largest member of the weasel family, but that's about all we learn about it, because the narrator got bored, and so the film is unexpectedly short. He does give us some hints about they way a wolverine smells. The narrator is Deadpool, or actually Ryan Reynolds, who plays Deadpool. Is this really an ad for Deadpool & Wolverine, which opens this weekend? That would explain why the subject is a wolverine, but this was really released by National Geographic. It turns out this is an ad for a National Geographic show, and the Deadpool & Wolverine movie was just a convenient opportunity for a collaboration that people would actually watch. If you ever get an opportunity for Ryan Reynolds to write your advertising copy, go for it. -via Geeks Are Sexy

Jose Romero has been a dishwasher at the Red Lobster restaurant in Pueblo, Colorado for twelve years. He's also responsible for unpacking newly arrived lobsters. The Pueblo Chieftain reports that, on July 12, Romero spotted an orange lobster. Romero and his coworkers had never seen or heard of that coloration before.

They named the lobster "Crush" after the formidable defensive line of the Denver Broncos during the late 70s. The team decided that Crush had to be saved. They donated him to the Downtown Aquarium in Denver on July 17, where he can spend the rest of his days. His rare mutation, which can be found in only 1 in 30 million lobsters, will make him a draw.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: Red Lobster

Throughout history, there have been many methods of meting out justice depending on the severity of the offense. The Romans invented perhaps one of the most, if not the most cruel form of physical punishment for heinous criminals: crucifixion. In the witch hunts that took place from the 15th to 18th centuries, the accused were burned at the stake or drowned.

Even in fiction, particularly, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, we were introduced to the walk of atonement which forced the accused to strip naked and walk through the streets of King's Landing. In the case of Cersei Lanister, one of the devout followers of the High Sparrow, Septa Unella accompanied the Queen Mother and repeatedly shouted "Shame!" as Cersei went through the punishment and public humiliation.

Along these same lines, there was another brutal form of punishment and public humiliation that was implemented in 16th and 17th century medieval England, prevalent in Christian culture at the time. The contraption that was used in this public spectacle was called "The Ducking Stool". Other names for it were tumbrel, cucking stool, and choking stool.

As depicted in the picture above, it shows a wooden chair hanging from a pole, or some kind of lever-pulley system, above a body of water and the accused will be forced to sit on the chair while being dunked into the water. Depending on the severity of the crime, they may be dunked multiple times until they have learned their lesson.

Mainly, this form of punishment was invented to castigate scolds — women who were considered as excessively argumentative or disruptive. Since people took the submissive ideal of women espoused in Christian teaching to the extreme, any woman who was too loud or considered subversive would be subjected to this punishment. The idea being that the executors of this punishment will force the women to conformity by shaming them in a public spectacle.

Apart from insubordinate women, the ducking stool was also later used as a punishment for witchcraft, adultery, and failing to adhere to trade regulations for brewers and bakers. Records have also shown that this form of punishment was an institutional one and quite widespread, with one document chastising inhabitants under the jurisdiction of the Manor of Edgeware for their neglect of using the ducking stool.

As time passed by, thankfully the practice faded gradually, most likely due to opposition to the practice as well as a shift in societal attitudes toward punishment and public shaming.

(Image credit: Public domain/Wikimedia Commons)

Have you ever experienced tossing and turning in your bed because the sweltering heat and humidity makes it difficult for your body to cool down and be comfortable enough to fall asleep? Experts suggest that the most conducive temperature for sleep is around 65 degrees Fahrenheit (or around 18.3 degrees Celsius), but when the room is saturated with moisture, our body becomes unable to cool down and it feels stuffy inside the room.

So, according to Matthew R. Ebben, an associate professor of psychology and clinical neurology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and Rafael Pelayo, a clinical professor at Stanford University's Sleep Medicine division, the best ways to get good, comfortable, deep sleep during the summer when temperatures and humidity can stay high even at night, are: 1) to make your room cool, and 2) to cool your body as much as possible.

Making the room cool can be as simple as having an AC in the room and turning it on while you sleep. Keeping the temperature at around the high 60s and low 70s would be the best setting to ensure that you will have the right room temperature throughout the night, helping you to have deep and uninterrupted sleep.

Of course, in keeping with energy efficiency standards, some experts suggest to set the AC temperature to around 78 degrees, and simply add some fans and wear light clothing to save on energy consumption while still making the conditions suitable for your body to cool down and get some good REM sleep.

To keep your body cool, it is best to take a cool shower one to two hours before your intended time to go to bed. For those who prefer working out in the evenings, it would be a good idea to do so at least three hours before bedtime, since it would slow down the process of lowering the body temperature. Drinking water before going to bed is also a good practice.

Despite the concern that one might suddenly wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, Pelayo says that healthy sleepers typically don't get up to urinate. However, there may be some underlying reason or external cause for people who frequently get up during the night, outside of the need to go to the toilet.

Finally, you may also want to check out cooling pillows or a cold compress placed around your neck to aid in your body's cooling process. If you still find it difficult to sleep even after doing all of these things, you may have to speak to a doctor since it is possible that something like thyroid disease or sleep apnea is causing your heat intolerance and inability to sleep comfortably.

(Image credit: Isabelle Fischer/Unsplash)

Let's pause for a moment and have a light-hearted discussion on which among the zodiac signs have the most knack for comedy, according to this ranking created by Reader's Digest with some help from astrologers Liz Simmons and Meghan Rose.

I would like to preface this list by saying that comedy, to an extent, is subjective in that, some people find certain topics, concepts, or even comedic styles funnier than others. There are certain types of comedy that polarize audiences, and similarly, certain types of content may make one side of the crowd squirm or feel awkward, while there are those which everybody no matter on which side of a certain persuasion or issue they stand, will find hilarious. Furthermore, there are cases when the personality of comedians themselves carry the performance, despite the content not always hitting the mark or not being agreeable to everyone. It's just that their delivery of certain jokes or punch lines induce people to laugh at the jokes.

This is to say that I don't completely agree with the ranking done by Reader's Digest, but the insights they present for each of the zodiac signs are quite interesting. Personally, I find dark, dry, sarcastic, witty, and thought-provoking humor relevant and resonant with me. I like comedians who look at issues from all different angles but still retaining their personal flavor and view on a subject. What makes a person funny is a confluence of different factors ranging from their delivery, content, structure, personality, and style.

Having said that, the infographic above shows how Reader's Digest ranked the different zodiac signs from most to least humorous, with Gemini being at the top and Pisces at the bottom. Under each of the signs, they have included which type of humor those signs are inclined to espouse.

The kind of humor that I like can be found on both sides of this list. But that doesn't mean that the other categories of humor are no longer appealing to me. As I said, it depends on the context in which the jokes are being delivered, who is delivering the joke, and how they are delivering it.

Expounding on each of the signs, they described the different characteristics each zodiac sign possessed, and why they ranked the zodiac signs in that order. So, for example, Gemini is at the top because they have great comedic timing and a quick wit. Being verbally fluent, these people are great communicators and excel at wordplay. They also included in these descriptions some examples of comedians under each zodiac sign. For Gemini, we have Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, and Joe Gatto.

Looking at the way they created this ranking, I can only surmise that their primary criteria for ranking is whether the type of humor in which the zodiac signs specialize can make the most number of people laugh. That is, if the type of humor that a certain zodiac sign does or the kind of personality trait that they evoke is niche, then they would rank lower on the list. Which is fair, since it's their list. However, if we're simply going by consensus, then it would probably be more reasonable to look at which comedians throughout history have been considered by the most number of people to be the funniest.

In the US, typically people would say that some of the GOATs of comedy are Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Joan Rivers and Jerry Seinfeld among others, although this is not an exhaustive list. Granted, several of these comedians with the exception of Eddie Murphy populate the top five of the ranking, so perhaps they are on to something.

Whether one's inclination to comedy is written in the stars or not, I think still depends on a variety of factors, and I would argue requires a good mixture of different types of humor. They need to have the flexibility to use their full arsenal and continuously hone their craft through experience, observation, and empathy. 

Something that struck me as odd is that Pisces, the lowest ranking zodiac sign, was placed at the bottom because of their tendency to be deeply sensitive and empathetic. And perhaps, they have a point in that, since comedy tries to bring to the surface certain ideas, concepts, or issues that some people might find offensive, they choose not to engage in those conversations. But I do believe that comedians are quite empathetic people, and at the same time, they are courageous enough to talk about challenging, awkward, or even taboo subjects. They do so not to be mean-spirited about it, to ridicule those who subscribe to certain values or believes, or to push a certain agenda. Rather, they do so to highlight the absurdity of a certain line of thinking or behavior, or the human foibles on both sides of an issue.

Humor and levity are part of the human experience. It touches every aspect of our lives from the deeply significant and consequential to the trivial, mundane things that we do every day. And I wouldn't say that just because a person ranks at the bottom of this list, that they should give up on their dream of becoming a comedian. There are several people who are at the bottom five who have had successful careers in comedy. Comedians like Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy, Jim Carrey, or Kate McKinnon have zodiac signs at the bottom of the list, but that didn't define their comedic careers.

As with anything, even if somebody has a knack or a talent for a certain field or endeavor, that talent still needs to be polished. We need to make an effort and work hard to hone our craft, and all of these comedians, whether they be at the top five or the bottom five of this list, have worked very hard to become successful in comedy. So, this list definitely gave some insights, but it shouldn't discourage anyone to pursue a career in comedy. All the more, it should be a motivation that would fuel those people to work hard to run after their dreams.

(Image credit: Reader's Digest)

Rolling Stone published a list of the 50 worst albums covers of all time. For young folks, an album cover was a 12-inch square cardboard sleeve that covered a vinyl recording of songs. The artwork on the cover was very important, and often involved a team of designers trying to make a statement that would sell records. But sometimes that design went very wrong. The music may have been wonderful. The album may have sold millions of copies. Or it might have tanked and ended up in the discount bin because the cover art looked so bad.

Rolling Stone didn't bother with small town studios or self-published album covers, which can be hilariously bad. No, these are from major record labels, featuring at least some artists you know well. Some of the selections seem like a case of laziness. Others are trying too hard, or the aesthetic was off-putting, or an idea they though was edgy turned out to be just plain silly (it could have been the drugs). The examples above are from the list, but they are far from the worst. I don't want to make anyone queasy if they decide not to see the entire list.  -via Metafilter

No, these aren't the latest jeans from a luxury fashion house selling for thousands of dollars, but considering some we've posted before, you would be forgiven for thinking so. About six years ago, the fashion reseller behind Darn Vintage came across a unique pair of jeans at an estate sale. Click to the right to see them from all angles. From the Instagram thread we learn that they had been left outside for twenty years and all the organic material (cotton) had degraded and left nothing but the metal zipper and the synthetic fibers. It's amazing what people will save and sell. A textile artist believes these are the Lycra or spandex fibers left behind in stretch jeans.

It's somewhat ironic that 100% natural fiber jeans last longer/wear harder than synthetics but also break down completely whereas synthetics lose their elasticity quickly but last 100+ years in a landfill.

@darnvintage tells us that the Wrangler company bought these and is keeping them in their historical archives. -via Nag on the Lake

Less than a week to go until the opening ceremonies for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, and fashion is at the forefront. The stunning uniforms that the team from Mongolia will be wearing at the opening ceremonies have gone viral for their opulent elegance. Designed by Michel & Amazonka, it took 20 hours of work to craft each uniform, but the result caught the eye of the world already. Get a closer look at the details.



Take a look at what a few other countries will be wearing at the opening ceremonies. The USA is going with Ralph Lauren, as usual, with red, white and blue blazers over blue jeans. Britain's uniforms look like a 1950s sock hop. And the French uniforms are very French, although I don't understand why the women are wearing blazers with no sleeves. Vogue give us their picks for the best Olympic uniforms from a fashion designer's perspective, not limited to the kits for the opening ceremonies.

Every place developed a staple crop that serves to keep a population from starvation: Europe grew wheat, Asia has rice, North America has corn, Africa has yams, and South America is where we got potatoes. Successful societies learn to allocate those crops to bolster their population. The potato allowed the Inca Empire to build its armies and those massive cities. When potatoes were first exported to Europe, it made all the difference in several nations for feeding people (potatoes are more nutritious than wheat) and for a nation's defense. Defense? It all came down to the fact that potatoes are grown underground, and they can stay there until they are needed, while wheat must be harvested and stored for future use. This fact threw a wrench into the military strategies of invading nations. Read how the strategy of growing potatoes changed the history of the world at JStor. -via Strange Company

(Image credit: Maja Dumat)

Some feuds start with a petty slight that turns into a war of resentment, betrayal, backstabbing, and animosity that can last for years. Here we learn about ten personal spats that had long-term consequences. Some were instigated by things that might not be petty at all, like when a guy you love marries your rival or a war destroys your business, but that fact that it got our into the public means it got out of control. And when a friendship ends over sincerely-held but disparate beliefs, that's not really petty. Some of these you've heard of, like the Dassler brothers who split their family shoe company because they couldn't get along, and the two paleontologists who turned their rivalry into intense hatred.

This video has a 90-second skippable ad at 4:54. At that point, I had to abandon the closed captions, because they were way ahead of the video. Your mileage may vary.

People sometimes wonder out loud why artificial banana flavoring doesn't taste like the bananas you eat fresh. It's because banana flavoring was developed in the mid-19th century, even before Americans knew what real bananas tasted like. That doesn't mean that the flavoring was wrong; in fact it was very close to the taste of real bananas. But those bananas were the Gros Michel variety. That's the banana that Americans went crazy over when they began to be imported on a large scale. Gros Michel was the type of banana you found in stores up until the mid-1950s. Then it was replaced by the Cavendish variety, which is what we have in every grocery store now. And it tastes different.

Brandon Summers-Miller wanted to taste a Gros Michel banana to see how different that variety is from the ubiquitous Cavendish strain. It was difficult to find any, but he managed to have some shipped to him. Then he tested Cavendish and Gros Michel bananas in old recipes that were designed with the Gros Michel banana in mind, namely bananas Foster and banana pudding. Note for the banana pudding, he made sure to use vanilla pudding instead of artificially-flavored banana pudding for the comparison. The taste tests revealed what we have lost. Read about that comparison, and the history of banana varieties at Epicurious. And if you want to know what a Michel Gros banana tastes like, try a piece of artificially-flavored banana candy. Or go to a farmer's market in Southeast Asia. -via Metafilter

(Image credit: Juan Emilio Prades Bel)

Dire Straits released the song "Money for Nothing" in 1985 and it went to #1 for three weeks, becoming the biggest song of the year. But it also holds up well almost 40 years later. Ask anyone why, and you might get six different answers. It's got a great beat that you can dance to, a killer guitar riff, a story to tell, a hot cultural reference (for 1985), and Sting's unmistakable vocals parodying his own song. Oh yeah, and a video that was way ahead of its time. None of those things came about by accident. Well, some of them did. Actually, most of them did. We know that the idea came from an actual conversation Mark Knopfler heard in a store, but the rest of the production was a series of wild stories. Imagine recording a song in the Caribbean, and what do you know, Sting just happens to be there vacationing that week. David Hartley tells the story of the many ideas that strangely converged into one song that become "Money for Nothing."

We once speculated on the reasons that the Neanderthals died out, and came up with plenty of possibilities. Maybe modern humans killed them off for their territory, or they were wiped out by diseases brought in my modern humans, or they just couldn't compete for resources. Then we found out by genetic studies that homo sapiens interbred with Neanderthals, and now most of us carry around a little Neanderthal DNA.  

More precise studies are now possible because we have decoded the genome of some actual Neanderthal remains. These show that Neanderthals that lived hundred of thousands of years ago already carried a chunk of homo sapiens DNA, even more than the traces of Neanderthal DNA we have now. The studies suggest that interbreeding between the two peoples began as far back as 250,000 years ago. The implication is that maybe Neanderthals didn't disappear because of some calamity. Considering their population numbers compared to homo sapiens over time, they may have merely been absorbed into modern human communities until their genome was diminished to the fraction that we carry today. Read how the research points to this possibility at Live Science. -via Strange Company