Here’s something to warm your hearts in the cold months! 

A new animal video posted on the Internet has gone viral for how adorable it is. With over 5 million views on the content-sharing platform, Twitter user Buitengebieden has successfully gained traction (and a bit of popularity) for how adorable their pupper is.

The video features a tiny pup slowly crawling toward a man (whom we assume to be the original poster). From the look on its face, the animal wants a lot of affection and kisses from its dad. As it crawls towards the man, he finally gets to kiss the animal, and viewers can see how happy it is– in fact, the pupper looks unsatisfied and asks for more! 

It’s always lovely seeing videos of how close an animal is to its human companion. Additional cuteness and goodness in the world are always a welcome sight. 

Image credit:  Buitengebieden

Sneaking in for kisses.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/pBnAqQ8d1y

— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden) December 4, 2022

These feline creatures are honestly, amazing. They express beauty, grace, and elegance. In cartoons and other forms of media, cats are usually associated with extravagance and opulence as well. Additionally, they are also portrayed as being sneaky, witty, and capable of hunting swiftly– for example, in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, cat races (the Tabaxi) are known for being agile and fast. Their claws are also capable of dealing a lot of damage. 

However, in real life, these animals aren’t so serious all the time. They’re also not graceful or elegant. Just like us, humble and clumsy humans, they can be goofballs and make people laugh at how adorable they are. Cuteness compiles a list of different instances where these felines can be weirdly adorable. From sitting oddly on a couch to making silly but cute faces in front of a fan, these images can be a good healing moment for our souls! 

Check more odd-orable cat moments here.

Image credit: Marko Blazevic

The city of Hampi, India, is a Unesco World Heritage site. It is mostly known for the terrain of granite rocks in grey, ocher, and pink. Also, tourists go to the area for the many ruins of temples and palaces that have existed for centuries. 

The area is filled to brim with history and archaeological wonder, as the city started as the capital of the South Indian Hindu Vijayanagara kingdom from the 14th to 16th century. The kings during that time period focused and spent a lot on culture, religion, and the arts, which in turn produced the temples and palaces we see today. 

One of them is the Vijaya Vithala temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. This location is an architectural marvel, with its highly-intricate and detailed columns, gateways, and walls. Aside from that, the temple features stone pillars that produce music. "These were the only musical instruments used here," Manjunath, a guide for the temple shared with BBC’s Malavika Bhattacharya.

These pillars have baffled people for centuries. How in the world were these pillars capable of producing music? The guide explains that musicians in the olden days play the columns with sandalwood sticks or their fingers. When struck, these structures can create different musical notes as well as the sounds of various Indian instruments like the ghanta (a bell), the damaru (a small handheld drum), and the mrindangam (an oblong double-sided drum).

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

Society has different standards for men and women. From what they should wear to how they should look like, these qualities are implemented in pop culture, such as younger girls and boys being taught that looking suitable means they should dream of looking like actors, singers, and influencers that follow modern standards (eg. skinny, straight hair, etc.). 

Another way how these societal norms are implemented is through consumption. Brands do their best to sell a specific body type or image so that you will use their products. 

Illustrator Lainey Molnar gives her take on gender norms by showing how our society treats men and women differently. In a series of images that went viral on Instagram, the artist shows how we deem it “normal” when men don’t shave, but for women, it is “unhygienic” or “disgusting.” 

One of the images in the series had a caption from Molnar, stating “the math is not mathing,” with the hashtag “you do you.” 

Here’s our take on all of this: what’s best is that you do what makes you happy and comfortable. Also, remember: different people have varying choices in how they present themselves to the world. Try to understand them a little bit!

Image credit: Azra Tuba Demir

So dishwasher pods actually exist. Forget the Tide pods that people joke around putting in their mouths because there’s a new pod discourse in town. Fortunately enough, it’s less about the eating and more about where you should put them inside the dishwashing machine. 

This discourse started with a TikTok video posted by an appliance repair tech Renae (@renduh on TikTok) initially stating that since these pods were covered by a type of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) gel casing, they would be best placed in the machine’s silverware caddy. This is because PVA casing can dissolve prematurely and can gunk up people’s dishwashers. 

After an email and a tour of their factory from Cascade, a dishwasher pod manufacturer, the TikTok creator went back on the platform to share what she learned about dishwasher pods and their proper placement in general. 

According to the company, the PVA coating can cause clogs if they get wet before the washing starts. However, they insist that the pods should go into the detergent compartment of the dishwasher. To account for the gel coating in these products, Cascade advised keeping them as dry as possible before you start the washing process.

Make sure to handle the pods with dry hands and make sure that the detergent compartment in your dishwasher is dry. Part of ensuring that the coating will not dissolve prematurely is to store them in a cool, dry place.

Image credit: Castorly Stock

It seems that this gigantic attraction exploded under pressure. 

A popular attraction in the Radisson Collection Hotel in Berlin has just exploded right in front of guests. The attraction, called the AquaDom, is a massive aquarium that is around 82 feet high. The 265,000-gallon aquarium holds over 1,500 tropical fish from more than 100 various species. 

Meant to be for the Radisson’s guests and outsiders as well, the new installation was created to also offer visitors the view of the big fish tank from its center via a glass elevator that travels through that small space. Unfortunately, the AquaDom exploded during the early morning hours and was able to flood the hotel lobby and nearby streets. While no one died from the incident, two people were reported to be injured by the glass shards from the aquarium. 

The cause of the explosion remains unknown, and an investigation will be launched into this incident. 

Image credit: The Straits Times

The resemblance is quite striking, indeed. If you look at the image we’ve provided above, then you’ll notice a lot of similarities between the two. The one on the left is a painting made by Luxembourg-based painter Jeff Dieschburg, which won him the 11th Biennale of Contemporary Art in 2020. 

The other image on the right, which looks like a mirrored copy is United States-based photographer Jinga Zhang’s work for Harper’s Bazaar Vietnam in 2017. The photographer, noticing the odd similarities between her work and Dieschburg’s took it to court for plagiarism. 

However, the Luxembourg court which handled the complaint ruled that the fine artist did not commit any type of plagiarism. The original photo by Zhang, according to the judges, did not meet the criteria to fall under Luxembourgish or European copyright law.

In response to this ruling, the photographer shared to social media the basis of the ruling. “The model’s pose in my photo is not unique,” she shared. “I am devastated by the copyright ruling in Luxembourg today, which stated that my work lacks originality and therefore will not receive copyright protection in Luxembourg,” she added. 

Image credit: Jinga Zhang, Jeff Dieschburg via PetaPixel

Back-to-back tasks, without any breaks, can be draining and tiring. There comes a time in our work week when we forgo the need for rest in exchange for more productivity and more finished tasks. 

Alternatively, some have no choice but to sit through meeting after meeting because of their schedules. While that seems to be a low-key task at first, spending a long period of time socializing, thinking, and brainstorming with your peers still takes a lot of your brain power and energy. 

A 2021 research by experts at Microsoft’s Human Factors Lab found what exactly happens to our brains when we go to consecutive office meetings. They recruited 14 people to do video calls while wearing equipment that monitored the activity in their brains. 

They found out that the stress levels in the brains of those who got no breaks increased. Additionally, the researchers discovered that the participants anticipating the next call also caused a spike in beta wave activity, which is associated with stress. These people also were more mentally withdrawn during breaks while those who had breaks in between were more energetic and engaged. 

Image credit: Anna Shvets

In a blog post related to their annual Year in Search report, Google has revealed the most-searched term in the United States (and globally). To our surprise, it isn’t a celebrity, a movie, a brand, or a fictional character. It’s a game. 

The 2022 hit game Wordle has been crowned by the search engine as its most searched term. Which actually makes sense since its rise to fame this year. During the first few months of the hype, we did find ourselves Googling the answer for that day’s Wordle puzzle. It managed to defeat topics that trended such as “election results,” “Betty White,” “Queen Elizabeth,” and “Ukraine.” 

image screenshot via Wordle / The New York Times

If you have a bottle of hydrogen of peroxide nearby for cuts and scrapes, heads up! That’s not really good use for the chemical. This is because the oxygen atoms in the mixture, while responsible for destroying and weakening bacteria out of the wounded area can also damage healthy cells. 

Hydrogen peroxide steals electrons from the cell walls of both bacteria and healthy cells. Additionally, it has been found to slow the healing process and worsen scarring. So, instead of putting it into your first aid kit, try using it for other tasks instead! 

You can actually use the chemical for cleaning dirty surfaces such as stovetops, dishwashers, and more areas in the home. It is also the perfect solution for cleaning grease and dirt-filled baking sheets. It can also make them look like they were freshly bought from the store! 

Cubby at Home’s Shifrah Combiths shares more potential uses for a bottle of hydrogen peroxide here. 

image credit: Vi-Jon via Amazon

DOOM is a shooter game initially released in 1993 for the MS-DOS that has seen a lot of users tinkering with it in recent years. From playing the game using a rotary phone to having rats play the game on their own, players and enthusiasts constantly find ways to add spice to the classic game. 

The newest installation to this odd but fun activity (of changing up DOOM games) is by turning it into a different game. Well to be exact, somebody has managed to recreate the original Legend of Zelda for the NES into a DOOM game. 

DeTwelve Games has recreated the video game into a first-person game and remade every asset of the game so that it can perfectly sit in the DOOM engine. From the entire overworld to the items to the enemies and many more, fans of the 2 games can have fun with this new mod. 

If you’re interested in trying out The Legend of DOOM check out this guide here on how to install and play it on your computer. 

Grocery stores are usually organized and created with the customer’s convenience in mind. After all, the more satisfied customers are, the more sales an establishment can get. Companies usually spend time, effort, and money, to comprehend the psychology and habits of their clients so they can create the best environment where everything can be made easy for them. 

Today’s grocery stores utilize a counter-clockwise design, where you enter the store on the right and exit on the left. In the middle of these doors is the entire store where products are placed, with the essentials towards the back of the store. We think this placement is because you’ll end up picking non-essentials along the way, which adds more sales. 

Another new addition to modern stores is those self-checkout lines. Essentially, these are cashiers, where customers can check out their own items using the machine provided. These devices were installed to save the cost of labor. However, it seems to not be geared toward customers.

In a 2021 survey, almost 67% of shoppers had failed during the checkout process at a self-checkout counter. Aside from that, there could also be health risks in opting for purchasing your goods in these places. 

Research done by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine discovered that self-checkout stations contained five types of disease-causing bacteria, with one of them commonly present in human waste (Enterococcus). Make sure to wash your hands properly after using one if you need to!

Image credit: Wikimedia commons

Art Basel is a privately owned international art fair staged in different parts of the world. These include Basel, Switzerland, Miami Beach, Hong Kong, and Paris. For its 2022 exhibition in Miami Beach, the organization hosted some… interesting individuals. 

While the Miami Beach fair had its fair share of memorable, thought-provoking, and unique art pieces, we think nothing beats both the shock value and making people actually think than a live breast-milking display.

Heads up though, because we’re not talking about artisans milking a cow live for the sake of art, no. It’s an actual woman getting milked for the show. 

Contemporary artist OONA performed “MILKING THE ARTIST” with Lori Baldwin in front of a huge crowd. Some of the visitors actually joined the live auction, where the winner could get the milk extracted live at the exhibition. The bidding actually reached up to $200,000 for the milk. 

Without getting too explicit here, allow us to say that there was milking, yes. After the show, the artists were forcefully removed from the premises of the fair. We aren’t sure if that’s part of the show though, as they were allowed to perform “MILKING THE ARTIST.” 

Well, one thing’s for sure, the visitors Miami Beach show certainly got a sight to remember! 

Image credit: Pixabay/Pexels

There’s a lot of conversation surrounding the rise of artificial intelligence, especially when it made big waves in 2022 by dipping its toes into generating artwork. Programmers and tech companies created various AI models that can give their users any artwork with just a simple set of words or prompts. 

This accessibility and how easy it can create artwork without spending hours slaving away with paper, pen, or any digital drawing software opened the doors to multiple “AI artists,” much to the dismay of traditional artists.

But why are they mad at this entire AI issue? Well, it’s because of one simple thing: original traditional artwork is being used so that these machines and models can generate artwork. 

Essentially, an AI is trained by feeding them (or inputting) various existing art pieces so, in turn, it can create its “own.” So it begs the question: who gets the credit? There’s a big open field that concerns ownership, copyright, and even the definition of art itself. 

My Modern Met takes a deep dive into the conversation about AI art and ownership. Check their full piece on the topic here.

Image credit: WW/Pexels

When opportunities arise, you need to nab them by the hand! 

This is what exactly Quinn Miller has done during the lockdown in March 2020. Before his venture into his current money-making business, Miller worked at an ad-tech startup in California. But when the 2020 lockdown happened, he struggled to succeed in work. 

He then turned to start a business with his savings. After reading on Twitter how people can make passive income via vending machines, his interest was piqued. Deciding to take the plunge, he bought and installed his first two machines in June and July for around $5,000 just as a side hustle. 

He quit his ad-tech job to focus his time and energy on his new business a few months after. Somehow, this risky move actually paid a lot. As in, he gets $30,000 per month and he only needs to work for six hours a week on vending machine operations. Talk about a good bargain! 

Quin Miller shares his five-step process on how to get your own vending machine business started here, for those who are interested!

Image credit: Erik Mclean