Travis Pastrana's Nitro Circus is running a series on "life size toys." What does that mean? In this video, they consider the humble yo-yo. It was meant to be a kid's toy, but adults got more out of it. I could never get a yo-yo to return when I was a child, but as an adult, I could spin it both down and up. That can be pretty satisfying in a mindless way, but there are those who can make yo-yos into a world class floor show. However, these guys wanted to make a yo-yo big enough for a person to ride on it! They built a yo-yo eight feet in diameter, with harnesses so a person could ride on each side. Then they suspended it from a crane. Will it work? No one on the crew wanted to try it. If you want to skip the exposition and get to the action, go to the four-minute mark in this video. I get the feeling that this is way more fun to watch than to do.  -via Born in Space

Can anyone guess what’s going on here https://t.co/Ddkdcdl3RQ pic.twitter.com/W60uYGqTJH

— Zillow Gone Wild 🏡 (@zillowgonewild) December 8, 2023

Zillow Gone Wild posted about a house for sale in Batavia, New York. It has a four-car garage, six bathrooms, and a pool. It was selected for the X account because of the generous dose of taxidermy throughout the home. But what's going on with this bathroom window?

At first glance, it appears that the window is looking out on the scene of a plane crash, or possibly a parked plane. It's hard to tell with the reflection of the photographer and the arch around her. The location is a clue. Batavia has a fly-in community around Genesee County Airport, where you can keep your plane at your home and also close to the airport. This home is for an aviation enthusiast. So are we looking out at a plane in the backyard? No, look at the upper part of the window, where you see trees are growing. Someone guessed that the lower window has a wrap commemorating a crash that the homeowner survived. Continue reading for more. 

YouTuber Posy has taken what seems like still scenes and shows us just the parts that move. He's termed this technique "motion extraction," and he explains exactly how he did it, and how you can, too. But this is more than just a tutorial, because even if you will never try this, you'll be amazed by watching these clips. First, we get scenes in which only the moving parts are shown, no matter how subtle, and then he overlays the motion extraction video with the original video to make the motion a highlight. From there, he does all kinds of effects to make the motion the centerpiece of the scene, no matter how small or slow the movement may be. The clips are all quite beautiful, except for maybe the one where the guy makes the building shake by walking across a wooden floor, but that one is interesting in its own way. -via Digg

Is it Hanukkah or Chanukah? I have used both, usually going with the spelling used in whatever I am linking to. Both are correct, but in various places and eras, the holiday has been spelled

Chanucha, Chanuchah, Hanuca, Hanucka, Chanuca, Chanucah, Chanucca, Chanuccah, Chanuka, Chanukah, Chanukka, Chanukkah, Hanucah, Hanucca, Hanuccah, Hanucha, Hanuckah, Hanuka, Hanukah, Hanukka, Hanukkah, Khanukah, Khanukka, and Khanukkah.

That's due to the difficulty of translating חנוכה from Hebrew, which has its own alphabet. But Christmas has a similar history of various spellings, which include

Cristesmæsse, Xpes mæsse, Cristesmas, Crystesmasse, Kyrstemas, Kyrstemasse, Kyrstemaste, Kyrstemes, Cristmas, Crestmas, Crystmasse, Curstmas, Christmasse, Chrystmas, Christmass, and Christmas.

Oh yeah, there's also Xmas, which some folks objected to in recent years because they believe it takes Christ out of Christmas, yet the real story is exactly the oppposite. How did any of those odd spellings enter the lexicon? Find out in a history of holiday spelling at Grammarphobia. The article is about English spelling; there are plenty of other ways to say Christmas, from Noel to Navidad. -via Strange Company

(Image credit: Leonhard Lenz)

The classic tale of a women who lost her shoe and gained a prince has been told for centuries in many different parts of the world. Those tales vary, but are mostly really gruesome compared with the 1950 Disney animated movie. They involve murder, adultery, cannibalism, mutilation, resurrection, and a massive dose of family dysfunction. The one version that creeped me out the most is not included in this video. The tale from China has the Cinderella character leaving her shoe behind at a banquet, and the king becomes obsessed with the owner of the tiny shoe, and vows to marry her even though he had never met her or had even seen her. That only makes sense in the context of the old tradition of binding a woman's feet to make her more attractive to men. It's creepy because it reflects historical reality. You may be more disturbed with the cannibalism in this video from Weird History.  

In 1960, the Soviet Union began the Vostok space program, a series of unmanned satellites carrying various equipment. The first such satellite was Korabl-Sputnik 1, launched in May of 1960. The West called this satellite Sputnik 4. The descent module separated from the equipment module, but did not "descend" as planned. Instead, the descent module orbited for two years, then burned up on reentry. A piece of it fell in the United States.  

Two policemen in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, encountered a chunk of something that was too hot to touch. They didn't think much of it until they heard on the news that Sputnik 4 had burned up in space. They went back to retrieve the 20-pound chunk of metal. NASA analyzed it thoroughly, then offered it back to the Soviets. Meanwhile, in Manitowoc, the historic chuck of metal was memorialized in the street where it was found, on the sidewalk nearby, and in two museum exhibits that have been there for decades. Read about Manitowoc and the satellite at Amusing Planet.

(Image credit: Amy Meredith)

Brenda Lee's 1958 song "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is enjoying a surge of popularity this holiday season, but what it really needs is some rock lyrics. Bill McClintock is here to remix the song in a way you'd never expect, which is what he does. Imagine the Christmas tune with the lilting voice of Bon Scott, the late singer for AC/DC, singing their 1976 song "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap." Concrete shoes, cyanide, TNT, neckties, contracts, high voltage -how festive! I am always surprised to hear isolated vocals from a familiar tune, and curious as to how they are available, and I'm even more surprised to hear them mesh so well with another song that is so different. This one is destined to become a Christmas classic. And don't they all look so impossibly young in the video? Scott was only around 29 when the video was recorded, and the other band members were pretty close in age.

Would you like a slice of Merry Glizzmas Pie? This is a holiday dessert from The Vulgar Chef (previously at Neatorama) who brings us constant abominations like the Twinkie hot dog, Spam cookies, and gravy pancakes.

His recipe for Merry Glizzmas Pie is so simple that it's just shown in a video. Lay your pickles and hot dog pieces in a pie crust and glue them all together with plain gelatin. Garnish with Reddi Wip and crushed candy cane. It even shows him eating it! If you find yourself, like me, obligated to cook for a dozen events during December, bringing this would be a good way to insure you'll never be asked for a cooked contribution ever again. Just be warned that you'll be bringing the whole thing home with you, because it's "clear" what's in this pie, so no one will want to try it. -via reddit

(Image credit: The Vulgar Chef)

One thing the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had in common, besides both being superstar British bands beginning in the 1960s, is that both bands and their individual members had plenty of iconic album covers we all recognize. In this clever animation by the collective Dog & Rabbit, these album covers employ "2D animated slapstick and anarchy" as they try to wreck, erase, and wipe each other out in the strangest ways. There's quite a bit of dancing involved, too. Which is stronger, the yellow submarine or the lips? Does it really matter when we are entertained by merely watching them move? This video sure did win a lot of awards. -via Nag on the Lake

Longtime Neatorama readers are familiar with PJ McQuade's pop culture Christmas cards and ornaments, featuring characters from Star Wars, Twin Peaks, Jaws, Labyrinth, The Neverending Story, and other movies and TV shows. These are guaranteed to make you the coolest card sender in your friend circle, and confuse your grandparents to boot. This year, McQuade is debuting an expanded line of new cards featuring Pedro Pascale, the Jordan Peele movie Us, The Dark Crystal, Predator, Legend, Khan from Star Trek, and a special trio of Alan Rickman's geekiest roles (Galaxy Quest, Harry Potter, and Die Hard). Let's check out the inside of those cards.

These new designs are available not only as Christmas cards, but Christmas tree ornaments, refrigerator magnets, and stickers, too. You can get those items in combo packs and cards in multi-packs and variety packs. Also check out some old favorites and even fandoms you aren't familiar with. Get your order in now at the Etsy store Castle McQuade. And you might as well order your Valentines Day cards, too. 

The Jewish a cappella group Six13 (previously at Neatorama) always has a new parody for each holiday with lyrics that explain the celebration set to popular music. Chanukah/Hanukkah begins on Thursday evening and runs through Friday, December 15th. This year, Six13 used a selection of 13 songs from Taylor Swift's Eras tour to explain various parts of the Chanukah celebration. Coincidentally or not, today Taylor Swift has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2023. If you want the name of the Taylor Swift song they are singing, hover over the control bar at the bottom of the video, and it will be displayed. Several of these songs are available on Six13's latest album, Vol. 8: Lights. Happy Chanukah!

This is the image that captured photographer Tara Lilly the title of International Wedding Photographer of the Year for 2023. Mikaela and Mitch got married in the great outdoors of Whistler, British Columbia. A bird called the whiskey jack landed on Mikaela's head just as Mitch was beginning to say his vows. She cried, "I'm Snow White!" and the picture was taken. The serendipitous moment was not planned, but the photo was nevertheless beautifully shot. A good time was had by all.

The winners in the various category competitions are also stunning, and reflect a real sense of adventure among brides and grooms. One couple are both marine biologists, and had portraits made underwater. Another couple climbed a sheer rock face in formal wear, and still another couple went rappelling at night to capture the stars behind them. And the photographers went along. See the winners in the various categories in this gallery, and click through to see the finalists for those categories.  -via Nag on the Lake

It's common among Christians to include a nativity scene in their Christmas decorations, depicting Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus. Many also include the shepherds, the three wise men, and/or an angel, along with camels and livestock. While the basics are there, thesenativity sets aren't the same all over the world. In some Latin American countries, it's not unusual to see devils included in a nativity scene, representing the demons who tried to keep the shepherds from reaching the Christ child. In Scandinavia, various trolls and folklore fairies find their way into the scene, depending on the local lore. Amish nativity scenes are presented without faces, for traditional religious reasons. Read about all these at Atlas Obscura.

Not included in the article (but it should have been) are the caganers of Catalonia in Spain. No one knows how that tradition started.

(Image source: Courtesy The Marian Library, University of Dayton)

Ulysses S. Grant led the Union Army to victory in the Civil war, and later became president. Grant was raised in an abolitionist family, but wasn't forced to attend church and remained mostly apolitical before the war. That background didn't seem to be at all strained when he married Julia Dent, who was a slave owner like her father before her, in 1848. Since Julia was a 19th-century woman, that meant that U.S. Grant was technically a slave owner. No matter who officially "owned" a household of enslaved people, Grant benefitted from their labor at his father-in-law's farm called White Haven in Missouri, where the family lived. Grant had no particular qualms against the institution of slavery, up until late in the war, when he saw it was a dying institution.  

The people that Julia kept as slaves were under conflicting legal status. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1863, but it only pertained to enslaved people in the Confederate states. Slave states like Missouri and Kentucky that remained in the Union were not included. Julia was under the impression that they had been freed as well, but kept them with her anyway. The enslaved people were apparently under the impression they were still enslaved. In 1864, Julia's longtime nursemaid, Jules, disappeared while traveling with Julia in Kentucky, and crossed the icy Ohio River into Indiana and freedom. The Grant's slaveholding days were numbered. Read about U.S. Grant, his wife Julia, and the people they enslaved at Smithsonian.

Even if you've never seen the holiday staple The Nutcracker, you recognize the music by Tchaikovsky. Every community that stages the ballet gives an opportunity to dozens of young dancers to perform on stage with real ballet dancers. But the production went through some hard times when it was new. The story is based on a rather dark tale written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816. Some of the more tragic and thought-provoking details were dropped before the story became a ballet. Tchaikovsky hated composing the music. He was constrained by the choreographer's demands and considered the work dull. When the ballet debuted in 1892, it got mixed reviews from critics and audience members. The story was nonsensical, and there were too many children in it! But over the years, people came around, and those things became a big part of its charm. Read some facts about the history of The Nutcracker at Mental Floss.