Well, for starters, Comic-Con is free this year. That’s already a big sigh of relief for those who wanted to attend or view the panels and other events at the famed convention, however, with the pandemic, the convention is also going digital. So expect a lot of bookshelves and figurines in the background, and a lot of Zoom conferences, as Cracked details: 

Instead Of Panels, They'll Have A Bunch Of Zoom Calls (And That's An Improvement)

Although it may not feel that way when you're swimming through a dense sea of people dressed as Deadpool and Harley Quinn, not every single comic book fan in the world gets to attend Comic-Con every year. In fact, only a small minority do. For the rest of us, the way to keep up with all those panels and announcements from home has always been to hit F5 on a text feed hurriedly written by someone at the con and then trawl YouTube for shaky phone videos before they get deleted.

image via Cracked

On July 20, Saturn will be bright and visible all night long. Saturn will be well-positioned and shining brightly for the next few months. If you’re interested, go grab a telescope and try to look for the planet in the night sky! Forbes’ Jamie Carter details why there are specific times and positions to best see certain planets. Check out his full piece here, and equip yourself with more knowledge before trying to look for Saturn!

image via Forbes

There are life situations that call for certain items. For example, if you’re outside and nature calls, not all public bathrooms have the items you need for the job, so if you’re carrying some wet wipes and alcohol, you’ll be patting yourself in the back for bringing those items with you. Being prepared isn’t a bad trait, but you can only carry so many items with you everyday, so how can you manage to squeeze in, say, a full first aid kit? The Daily Beast recommends a sleek first aid kit that can fit right in your everyday bag: 

For starters, the VSSL is extremely cool looking, which makes it way more incentivizing to be prepared. It’s a red tube that offers no signs of being a first aid kit. Instead, it looks like a flashlight. Because it is a flashlight. It has a four mode LED light, which unscrews as well so you can see what you’re doing in the dark if need be. The other end is a compass, which is a nice touch. Inside the tube there is a roll filled with all forty six first aid essentials: from Steri wound closure strips, disposable thermometers, bandages, antiseptic wipes, a hemostatic agent, gloves, tweezers, and plenty more, you’ll be prepared for every situation. Best of all, the roll folds up easily so you don’t have to worry about cramming it back into the tube when you’re done using it. 

While the VSSL doesn’t have Spaghetti O’s in it (sorry, mom), it does have everything else you might need. Thanks to VSSL, I’ll never forget to bring a first aid kit along with me again. 

image via The Daily Beast

You’ve seen those hilarious and attention-grabbing mascots that dance and wiggle around every basketball game. Teams invest time, money, energy, and effort to establish these mascots that make viewers wonder why they represent their favorite basketball team. The NBA also puts a lot into entertainment, and hiring mascots is one of the things they pay attention to as well: 

“The NBA does a lot of great things,” said Trey Mock, who performs as Blue, the mascot of the Indianapolis Colts. “That league puts a lot into entertainment. I’m not trying to compare one league to another, but they have been plugging millions and millions of dollars into the entertainment side of the operation for a long time.”

Case in point: The Colts hired Mock in 2006 to be the team’s primary performer and to build a mascot from scratch. He drew Blue on his parents’ dining room table.

“They understand the mascot’s value and they care,” Raymond said of the NBA. “They support it both from a financial and a marketing perspective. They recognize its power and how to leverage it.”

Not only do mascots cultivate the next generation of fans, they also generate millions of dollars in revenue for their teams. When Gritty, the mascot of the Philadelphia Flyers, exploded onto the scene in 2018, online publicity of the googly-eyed orange creature was valued at $151.3 million in just its first 30 days. And then there’s Benny, the mascot of the Chicago Bulls. “Benny’s popularity at games is proven in his merchandise sales, which are among the top 10 items sold in the team store,” said Michelle Harris, Chicago Bulls senior director of entertainment and events, in 2016.

“Mascots were somewhat of a precursor to selling your branded logos in all kinds of different colors, all kinds of hues that you never would’ve seen otherwise,” Raymond said, pointing to the rise of St. Patrick’s Day-themed retail specific to mascots. “It’s been a revolution in sports marketing.”

Mascot salaries are beginning to reflect that return on investment.

One current NBA mascot performer — who, like other working mascots, talked to us on the condition of anonymity — said he first learned of the pay disparity among leagues at a summer camp. “Hockey, baseball and football do a decent job of compensating mascots in the $30,000-to-$50,000 range,” the mascot said. “But the NBA is this whole other world.”

image via FiveThirtyEight

The question is: how do people in jail get to post videos of themselves dancing to the latest TikTok craze when no cellphones are allowed? It’s all thanks to contraband phones. Prison TikTok is an actual hashtag that lets TikTok users view videos shared on the app by people who are incarcerated, as Vox detailed: 

The content depicted on prison TikTok varies; some videos show terrible living conditions inside US prisons, like overcrowding and flooding, whereas others depict people in prison uniforms doing renditions of trending TikTok dances.

But what’s surprising about prison TikTok isn’t that people who are incarcerated appreciate great choreography, just like anyone else. Rather, it’s that folks in prison have access to smartphones at all.

Cellphones are not allowed in American prisons. And people who are found with contraband in their possession can get hit with serious penalties.

“You can get charged with a misdemeanor or a felony depending on what jurisdiction you’re in,” said Nazgol Ghandnoosh, a senior research analyst at the Sentencing Project. “And at the very least, you’re going to lose good time credits or harm your chances of parole.”

So why would anyone run the risk of posting on TikTok or calling a family member using a contraband cellphone?

For Khan, having a cellphone while in prison, even for a short time, was a way to mend his relationship with his mother. It allowed him to have real emotional conversations with his family without being monitored by corrections officers and without having to deal with a 15-minute time limit or the large fees that typically come with using a prison landline.

image via Vox

Plaza Minorista is a market that sits in the heart of Medellín, Colombia. Fifteen thousand people flock to the market where three thousand vendors sell their goods. Since a crowded area like Minorista is a possible hotspot where the virus can spread, director Edison Palacio decided to use artificial intelligence to aid in their fight against the pandemic: 

Mr Palacio explains how they use facial recognition software connected to cameras at the entrances and to security cameras around the building to collect data on the vendors and market-dwellers. Among the data they collect is their age range, gender, and if the person is wearing their mask correctly in order to assess risks and more vulnerable demographics.

Thermal cameras can take the temperature of 200 people per minute, he says. If someone has a high temperature or wears their mask incorrectly, an alarm will go off and alert market security.

image via BBC

If you’re looking for a drink to mix up in your home during quarantine, why not check the trends? Check this list of the most Googled quarantine cocktails per state from Vogue for an inspiration for your next cocktail:

Alabama—Hurricane

Alaska—Whiskey Sour

Arizona—Paloma

Arkansas—Frozen Daiquiri

California—Paloma

Colorado—Hurricane

Connecticut—Margarita

Delaware—Screwdriver

Washington, D.C.—Old Fashioned

Florida—Cuba Libre

Georgia—Sazerac

Hawaii—Lemon Drop Martini

Idaho—Kamikaze

Illinois—Manhattan

Indiana—French 75

Iowa—Kamikaze

Kansas—Screwdriver

Kentucky—Lily

Louisiana—Bushwacker

Maine—Margarita

Maryland—Kamikaze

Massachusetts—Old Fashioned

Michigan—Cosmo

Minnesota—Oliveto

Mississippi—Painkiller

Missouri—Gin And Tonic

Montana—Blue Hawaiian

Nebraska—Old Fashioned

Nevada—Grasshopper

New Hampshire—Old Fashioned

New Jersey—Manhattan

New Mexico—Old Fashioned

New York—Manhattan

North Carolina—Bushwacker

North Dakota—Kamikaze

Ohio—Boulevardier

Oklahoma—Black Russian

Oregon—Old Fashioned

Pennsylvania—Whiskey Sour

Rhode Island—Cosmo

South Carolina—Tequila Sunrise

South Dakota—Screwdriver

Tennessee—Bushwacker

Texas—Paloma

Utah—Cape Cod

Vermont—Cosmopolitan

Virginia—Old Fashioned

Washington—Old Fashioned

West Virginia—Kamikaze

Wisconsin—Grasshopper

Wyoming—White Russian

image via Vogue

Warning: this video might tug at your heartstrings! Then again, any dog video is adorable and can make people happy, just like this one. Watch as Liam Thompson teaches his labradoodle a new trick he can use when he’s sad. 

Be careful when you’re going through a museum, or you’ll end up paying a lot of money if you break something in there like these two children! The kids were chasing each other in the Shanghai Museum of Glass when they damaged a glass castle worth about 420,000 yuan ($60,000), as the Global Times detailed: 

The announcement said that on May 30, the tower of the castle collapsed and broke, and other parts were damaged to different degrees when two children climbed over the fence of the exhibition area and ran into the exhibition cabinet while chasing each other.

The glass castle, modelled after the Shanghai Disneyland Castle, is part of the museum's permanent collection and took US artists more than 500 hours to complete. The 60-kilogram glass castle contains nearly 30,000 parts and is decorated with 24-karat gold, according to a report from the Paper based in Shanghai.

The news sparked public concern over how to protect exhibits from such accidents. The exact amount of compensation has not been announced.

image via Global Times

In an attempt to boost the country’s tourism amidst the pandemic, Iceland is now inviting people to send their screams of frustration to be played over loudspeakers in a remote part of the country. Iceland is now channeling the power of “scream therapy,” as seven speakers are being set up around the country for the new campaign. Participants can choose locations such as the peak of Festarfjall in Reykjanes Peninsula and Skogafoss waterfall.

image via Sky News

Marichka Padalko was providing updates on Ukrainian TB when her front tooth fell out. She was able to keep her cool and carry on as if nothing happened! Marichka simply placed her hand in front of her mouth to catch the tooth and move on. After all, the show must go on!

image via Mirror UK

No, the cat did not lead them to a hidden treasure worth $50,000. A couple won a $50,000 lottery jackpot while they were buying food for their feline friend. They have been buying food for the cat for three years, and they usually buy scratch-off lottery tickets after getting some cat food. So the cat indirectly led them to the big prize! Now that’s a real lucky cat! 

image via UPI

Amanda Liberty was featured in an article about her relationship with a 91-year-old chandelier that she named Lumiere. She even planned to formalize their union by exchanging rings in a commitment ceremony! Her attraction towards objects doesn’t just extend to chandeliers: 

"People often can't understand that this is just a natural orientation for me, that I can find the beauty in objects and can sense their energy," she said. "I want others to see how happy the chandeliers make me, and how much they've enriched my life. I'm doing this in the hope that people will understand our love, and if not understand it, maybe they could at least accept it."

Before she found Lumiere, Liberty said that she was in an 'open relationship' with the 24 other chandeliers that fill her home. She was previously involved with a drum kit that she had as a teenager, and a decade ago, she fell in love with the Statue of Liberty. She has since legally changed her surname to 'Liberty' to reflect her feelings for the New York City landmark.

Amanda filed an official complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) when the article she was featured on inaccurately described her relationship, and they were “pejorative to her sexual orientation.” However, IPSO did not rule in favor to her, as Vice detailed: 

Last summer, Liberty told The Mirror that she is in a relationship with a 91-year-old chandelier that she bought on eBay and named Lumiere. 

Amanda Liberty who, thanks to being an 'objectum sexual' married a chandelier-style light fitting," Moore wrote. "Dim & Dimmer?"

In its response to Liberty's complaint, The Sun said that it "did not doubt that [her] attraction to chandeliers was genuine," but Moore's comments weren't discriminatory because being sexually attracted to objects isn't an officially recognized sexual orientation under the Equality Act 2010, nor is it addressed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. The Sun also said that, because Liberty had willingly discussed her relationships with inanimate objects in previous interviews, their columnist "was entitled to comment on it."

IPSO ruled in favor of The Sun. It acknowledged that Liberty might have been offended and upset by Moore's column, but said that its Editor's Code doesn't address what is or isn't offensive. The organization also explained that, although the Code prohibits "pejorative reference" to a person's sexual orientation, it is limited to providing "protection to individuals in relation to their sexual orientation towards other persons, and not to objects."

image via Vice

I wouldn’t be able to handle this much food, or spend a huge amount of money for a lot of sushi. But the Internet always gives us an opportunity to experience eating a lot of good food without paying, so watch as this woman eats one hundred servings of sushi. Get some snacks too, so you won’t be that hungry watching her! 

Oh, to happily dance along the music and look this cute! Watch Robbie, a 15-month-old kangaroo as he dances with the owner of Our Haven Wildlife Shelter, Tony. It will give you serotonin.