Traveler Adam Rang loves to visit Estonia. In that nation, the sauna is a revered institution. He has found that the sauna is a social nexus and, possibly, a treatment for loneliness:

I bought my own home in Tallinn with a sauna and made a new group of friends around the same time that showed me how to use it properly. We had regular sauna sessions together and I came to realise that the most important benefit of going to the sauna was simply getting to know people better and developing friendships. We can talk endlessly about the physical health benefits of the sauna, but one of the biggest problems in this world right now is actually loneliness, and that affects everything from our happiness to social cohesion. Sauna is one way we can cure it.

I've never been in a traditional sauna, but I can understand how it could connect people. Because it would be a poor place to bring cell phones, it could encourage people to simply sit and talk to other humans.

I'm an evangelist for tabletop role-playing games because, among other benefits, it's an ideal social activity for developing friendships among several people. And, unlike saunas, there's no nudity involved. I mean, I love my role-playing game friends, but I absolutely do not want to see them naked.

-via Marilyn Terrell | Photo: Taavi Randmaa

Breanne Cremean offers many unique handbags and dice bags like this one in her Etsy shop. She calls them Creature Clutches. With eyeballs, mouths, and fangs, they create, if not the right impression, then an accurate one for you. Some people may eschew conversation if you carry one, but that's a helpful sorting tool in its own way.

-via Geekologie

What insane thing will Peter Sripol make next? When we last checked in, he attached a flamethrower to a Thomas the Tank Engine mecha. His most recent project was to build a functional model airplane powered with a cordless drill motor.

It was a big challenge. A drill and battery are heavy and the RPM is very low. But Peter's friends tolerated him long enough to make it work. The biggest challenge was getting their CNC mill to correctly cut a wooden propeller. And the end of the project, they ended up with a remarkably maneuverable aircraft.

-via Hack A Day

Firefighters in West Point, Utah arrived at the scene of a car accident. A child who was in the car was unhurt, but very scared. To help her feel calm and safe, they asked her to paint their fingernails. She selected a purple polish from her supply and went to work. The North Davis Fire District reports:

Within minutes, the child was calmly paining their nails and had forgotten about the accident she had just experienced.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: North Davis Fire District

It's like a Murphy bed in bathtub form!

In 1895, the Mosely Folding Bath Company advertised this unique piece of furniture in the Montgomery Ward mail order catalog. It's a semi-portable bathtub that folded upward into a mirrored vanity. The National Museum of American History describes it:

This tub, disguised as a mirrored wardrobe, folded down and out of its wood casing into the room, revealing the heater above.

This was similar to Bruschke & Ricke’s combined sofa and bathtub of the same period. The sofa’s bolster concealed a water tank and heater, while the seat unfolded to reveal a bathtub. Often, large rubber aprons protected the wood or carpeted floor. Accounts of igniting sofas and burned bathers dampened the product’s appeal. Since neither bathtub attached to plumbing nor pipes, used bath water drained into a basin and then required emptying.

A few of these clever inventions still exist and can be purchased at auction.

-via Messy Nessy Chic | Photos: Tiny House Blog

By precisely adjusting the lines on his paraglider, this pilot smoothly lands onto a couch in a seated position.

Staying seated requires some effort, as the wind continues to pull on the wing.

-via Geekologie

Mattel now offers its famous card game in a format accessible to the visually impaired. The company is now selling decks in which the numbers and colors have been marked in Braille script on the corners. From the press release:

“UNO Braille is doing more than making this beloved game more accessible. It’s also helping promote the importance and normalcy of braille by putting it in places people might not expect, and integrating it into the play of blind children,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “The fact that a blind person is now able to play a classic game of UNO straight out of the box with both blind and sighted friends or family members is a truly meaningful moment for our community. I look forward to enjoying UNO Braille with my own family and I know that blind people across the nation will embrace this important and exciting step toward more inclusion and accessibility.”

-via Design Boom

Amanojaku to Hesomagari explains that:

Before becoming an artist, I studied cognitive neuropsychology at graduate school . . . There are so many unknown animals in the world. And there are many animals that are hated unfairly, too. Through my work, I am trying to show people how charming they are.

He's definitely accomplishing that! And his bags certainly attention grabbing. You can see 33 other animal bags at Bored Panda, including a coelacanth, a flea, and a flying squirrel.

-via Design You Trust

The excellent geekery blog Geek Tyrant introduced me to the work of Spoonman, a custom toy maker, with this Optimus Prime who transforms into an AT-AT. It's called "AT-ATIMUS."

I was initially going to just post about that transformer, but as I scrolled through Spoonman's Facebook gallery, I saw more and more amazing custom Transformers by him/her.

South African cosplayer Kelsey Atkins (@JinxKittie) offers us a terrifyingly Unhappy Meal at the new fast food restaurant in Derry, Maine. Are you lovin' It? Then follow her into the storm drain to SuperSize your selection.

They said that it was impossible, but Eliud Kipchoge rose to this superhuman challenge. This Kenyan master athlete ran a marathon in under 2 hours. His final time through the streets of Vienna was 1:59:40. CNN quotes him:

"I am the happiest man," Kipchoge said after the unofficial two-hour marathon, adding that he hopes to have inspired many that "no human is limited."

Kipchoge ran under carefully controlled conditions, including a pace car that shined a green laser on the pavement in front of him to help him keep at the speed necessary to break the 2-hour barrier.

As a result of these special aids, he may not receive an official title from the International Association of Athletic Federations. But the world will hail him as the man who broke the 2-hour barrier.

-via Aelfred the Great | Photo: CNN

The Asian snakehead fish is an invasive species from China that can grow up to 3 feet long and survive for days at a time on land. They're on the loose in Georgia. Wildlife officials urge members of the public to immediately kill them. You can't afford to wait. The New York Post reports:

An angler’s report allowed them to “confirm the presence,” after identifying the fish’s mottled brown coloring, a dorsal fin traversing the back and the serpentine noggin from which the fish takes its name. [...]

Even scarier, these serpentine swimmers can breathe air — allowing them to exist on land for days at a time.

To combat the invasion, Georgia’s Wildlife Resources Division posted a notice on their Facebook page, urging fishers to “immediately kill and freeze any suspected snakeheads, as well as snap photos of their quarry.”

I won't have to be warned twice. I just hope my .458 is heavy enough for the job.

-via Dave Barry | Photo: US Geological Survey

They weren't born this way. No innocent furby is born a monster. They become monsters because depraved people live out their sick fantasies by experimenting on them.

In one of the darker corners of the internet, there is a community of "scientists" who perform extreme body modifications on furbies. Yes, you've seen the centipede furby. But that was only the beginning. These self-proclaimed artists decided how far they could push their crafts.

Photo: Devin Gardner

One of the greatest aspects of Sesame Street in recent years is that it directly addresses the emotional needs of kids who face problems that are bigger than themselves. One muppet character has HIV. Another is homeless. Another has autism. There's a muppet whose father is in prison.

No kid should have to deal with these ordeals. But they do, so Sesame Street steps up to help.

Most recently, the show introduced Karli. This muppet's parents are in recovery from drug addiction. Karli and her friend, the human character Salia, talk about their challenges. WTHR 13 reports:

In the segment, Karli and Salia each hold up hand-drawn pictures of flowers, with multiple petals representing "big feelings" — like anger, sadness and happiness. They offer ways to feel better, including art and breathing exercises.

The segment leans on carefully considered language. Creators prefer "addiction" to "substance abuse" and "recovery" to "sobriety" because those terms are clearer to children. Despite the subject, the mood was light in the room, largely thanks to Jenkins' calm and empathic manner.

"I know it feels awkward because people don't normally have conversations standing shoulder-to-shoulder," she told Salia between takes. "This is weird, but trust me, it looks good."

Karli had already been introduced as a puppet in foster care earlier this year but viewers now will understand why her mother had to go away for a while. The introduction of her backstory follows other attempts by entertainment companies to explore the issues of addiction, including "The Connors" on ABC and "Euphoria" on HBO.

-via Instapundit

This gentleman (we are certain that he is one because he knows how to play the pipes and does so) performs "Scotland the Brave" while bungee jumping.

Doing so reveals, as he plunges to the crevasse below, that he has failed to dress regimental style and thus is no true Scotsman.

-via TYWKIWDBI