Recent sci-fi thriller series Stranger Things was an unapologetic homage to ‘80s pop culture, and if watching it inspired you to dig out your old Atari 2600 and revisit The Clash’s Combat Rock, you’ll love this 8-bit remake of the hit Netflix show, originally spotted by Vulture.

David and Henry Dutton—the team behind CineFix’s retro video game parody show, 8-Bit Cinema—imagined how Stranger Things would look as an old-school, pixelated computer game. Tiny animated figures fight monsters, explore The Upside Down, and recreate other key scenes, some of which are recast as “missions” (example: give Eleven frozen waffles and a blonde wig).

Watch the entire thing below, or visit 8-Bit Cinema’s channel to view other nostalgia-inducing clips. Sorry, gamers, Stranger Things isn’t actually playable, but maybe a developer will take a cue from entertainment website Newgrounds.com (which once created a hilarious 2D homage to 2003 cult movie The Room) and make Stranger Things: The Video Game a reality. 

[h/t Vulture]

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Lose anything lately? Perhaps it’s because your home is covered in clutter and you can’t motivate yourself to organize it. The average person spends 10 minutes a day looking for their stuff, according to Tile, an app that helps people find their misplaced items. That’s over an hour a week that you spend searching your house for your keys, wallet, and more.

If you’re tired of the frustration and are ready to finally make a change, follow these tips from organizational pros on how they motivate themselves to stop watching puppy videos and start organizing.

1. MAKE A TO-DO LIST.

Use a pen and notepad—or the notepad application on your computer—to keep track of tasks that might slip your mind, suggests Kelly Brask, a professional organizer with Less Is More. No task is too small to make it to the list; Brask’s currently includes: “Copy Girl Scout schedule from Mail to family calendar” and “Find out how late Salvation Army is open for donation drop off.”

2. DO ONE THING EACH DAY.

Tackling an entire organizational list may be intimidating, but simply doing one thing, such as cleaning out a desk, is reasonable. Then, set aside the time to get it done, says Monica Friel, owner of Chaos to Order in Chicago.

3. SET A TIMER.

Carve out a time in your calendar to organize for just 30 minutes. “You may find it easier than you thought,” Friel says, adding that it’s better to start than to never begin, as at least you’re making a dent in the project. And if you find yourself on a roll and decide to tackle the next few items on your list, all the better.

4. ASK FOR MORAL SUPPORT.

“Having someone that will check in and cheer you along in the process is a great motivator,” Friel says. For a group of sympathetic supporters, join a Clutterers Anonymous group. They aim to help each other stop cluttering, one day at a time.

5. TURN OFF DISTRACTIONS.

These may include the television, the radio, computer, or phone. And close the door of the room you’re tackling so you don’t wander away, says Jane Carroo, a certified professional organizer with Organizing Coach Company. Be alone with your project so that you can give it the attention it needs.

6. SET AN INTENTION.

This is your goal, and could be getting your desk organized, figuring out your calendar or your eating plan, writing a book, or even starting a business, Carroo says. “Your intention can be written down on paper or in your computer,” she says. “This is what will motivate you to get it done.”

7. CREATE STEPS.

If you are organizing your desk, what do you need to do to get it done? Do you need to sort the papers into categories? Do you need to make a file for each category, to create systems that can help you keep items organized more easily? Carroo recommends breaking your intention down into actionable steps in order to make the task feel less daunting.

8. DON’T SHOP.

Many people think they’ll magically become organized if they bring home new baskets, bins, or hooks. “While those items help sometimes, in some places, that’s not the best place to start,” says Amy Trager, a certified professional organizer in the Chicago area. She suggests starting by de-cluttering before you rush to the Container Store. “It will save you time and money in the end if you don’t have to return items or purchase containers that never get used,” she says.

9. MAKE A DATE (WITH YOUR PROJECT).

Schedule the time to organize, and put that time in the calendar, Trager says. “Don’t just decide that it’s a good time and assume you’ll remember,” she says. Choose that date and time after considering when you not only have a block of time open, but also when you’ll have the energy and mindset to tackle your project. This could be at 6 a.m. before work or at 3 p.m. when the kids are doing homework. “Knowing how you feel at different times of the day or days of the week will allow you to pick times that will maximize your progress,” Trager says.

Scientists recently made a huge stride toward finding a cure for HIV. A team of researchers from five UK universities reported the apparent disappearance of the virus from the blood of a trial subject. According to The Telegraph, the 44-year-old British man may be the first person fully cured of the disease using the new treatment.

The treatments currently available target active T-cells infected with HIV but do nothing to treat dormant T-cells. The team of scientists are currently running a trial of a different kind of therapy meant to tackle HIV in its dormant state. It goes a few steps beyond existing anti-retroviral therapies (ART) by training the body’s immune system to recognize HIV with a vaccine and awakening dormant T-cells so they’re easier to eradicate.

The therapy is currently being administered to 50 volunteers, and so far it seems to have been fully effective in at least one subject. The virus is no longer detectable in the blood of the unnamed patient. This might be due to the regular drugs he’s taking, but if the dormant cells are completely gone as well then the case represents the trial’s first full cure.

HIV has been eliminated from one patient before using a rather roundabout method: In 2008, Timothy Brown received a stem cell transplant from someone with a natural immunity to the disease and was effectively cured. If this new treatment is as promising as it looks, it could offer a more practical solution to the 2.1 million people infected with HIV each year. Researchers plan to move forward with medical tests for the next five years and may eventually look into the treatment as a replacement for current therapies.

[h/t The Telegraph]

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The accuracy of Google Translate can be hit or miss. It’s often a reliable tool for navigating foreign language websites, but occasionally the tech slips up and confuses terms as different as clitoris and broccoli rabe. In an effort to improve the program, Google has unveiled a new version of Translate called Google Neural Machine Translation or GMNT, Fast Company reports.

The major difference between GMNT and the former phrase-based machine translation system (PBMT) is the way it tackles text. In the past, Translate worked with the individual components of sentences, words, and phrases to translate them separately. The new system looks at whole sentences at a time, improving the technology’s accuracy by roughly 60 percent. This means that even languages as distinct as English and Chinese can be translated to a more precise degree.

GMNT is able to achieve these results by simultaneously running data through multiple cores in computer graphic chips. Each processing layer is allowed limited room for error, which means more layers can be running at once to increase the chances of producing more accurate results (you can read Google’s full paper on the technology here).

Google believes neural networks like this one can be used to expand more than just their translation tool. Researchers at Google Brain have used 11,000 novels to improve the technology’s conversational style and help products like the Google App communicate more fluidly with users.

[h/t Fast Company]

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Furniture retailer Ethan Allen is officially a Mickey Mouse operation. The brand recently announced a partnership with the Walt Disney Company that’s slated to bring a series of high-end (read: expensive) home decor options accented with some of the most popular children’s characters in the history of entertainment.

In design terms, that means a lot of furniture—including sofas, coffee tables, and ottomans—cut in the shape of, or emblazoned with, Mickey Mouse’s familiar silhouette. A set of coasters will run you $39, while an elaborate character chest is $1599. The full line doesn’t go on sale until November 18, but you can take a look at some of their pre-sale items below.

All images courtesy of Ethan Allen.

[h/t Inquisitr]

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The storied six-pack—a lean, muscular, and well-defined midsection—is a ubiquitous goal for people who want to get in shape; people like how it looks, all the fittest celebrities have one, and it’s an easy shorthand for describing a particular level of fitness that’s considered an aesthetic ideal.

Louis Sepulveda, a Tier 3 personal trainer at Equinox fitness club in Darien, Connecticut, can testify as much. “Almost every client I have, during their fitness assessment, would mention wanting a six-pack—or at least having a flatter tummy,” he says. But getting that kind of definition isn’t a simple matter of going from fat to fit.

“Everyone, for the most part, is born with the same muscles that make up the ab complex,” Sepulveda explains. “But you need to lose body fat in order for definition to show. For someone who carries more visceral fat—fat stored within the abdominal cavity—having a six-pack can be laborious.”

In other words, thousands of get-ups, planks, or bicycle curls might give you abs of steel, but if you want them to pop out like Brad Pitt’s in Fight Club, you’ll have to eat at a deficit (a diet low in calories and high in protein) until your body has burned enough fat to reveal them. And despite all those internet ads touting “one weird trick to blast belly fat,” alas, says our trainer, there’s no such thing as spot-reducing: “You can’t target a specific area to burn fat.”

And because fat tends to come off in reverse order (the first place you store it is the last place you’ll lose it), if you’re unlucky enough to store extra fat in your belly, you may not be able to achieve that kind of definition without also dropping to a dangerously low level of body fat, something Sepulveda cautions strongly against.

“Having visible abs becomes unrealistic when you’re striving to go below a normal level of body fat,” he says. “As much as everyone hates fat, you need it to live. It’s a source of energy, it supports brain and nerve function. Having very low levels of body fat can become unhealthy.”

In men, extremely low levels of body fat are associated with risks including dangerously low heart rates, a decline in testosterone levels, and poor recovery. For women, too little body fat can result in amenorrhea (loss of menstrual cycles), which in turn is a major risk factor for developing osteoporosis.

And much as we may appreciate the way it looks, the truth is that six-pack abs are actually pretty useless as a measure of fitness. A six-pack indicates absolutely nothing about your speed, your strength, your stamina, your flexibility, or even your level of overall health. All it means is that you have a lean enough midsection for your musculature to show—which is why Sepulveda encourages his clients to focus on goals beyond the coveted six-pack.

“I have my clients strengthen their trunk stability, working all the muscles located in the torso. Adding plank variations, rotations, chops, and lifts to your workout routine will make your abs, obliques, and lower back a lot stronger, not to mention less prone to injury,” he says.

So if it turns out that a visible six-pack is out of reach for you (or if you’re not interested in adopting the kind of restrictive diet it takes to get and maintain one) there are still plenty of good reasons to work that core. Having strong abs will serve you well, both in and out of the gym—and that’s true regardless of whether you ever get lean enough to see them.

If you’ve never enjoyed a beer inside a cave, at a former train station, or while grocery shopping, well, you just don’t know what you’re missing.

1. FLOSSMOOR STATION RESTAURANT AND BREWERY // FLOSSMOOR, ILLINOIS

Built in 1906, this former train station was headed for ruin before the current owners spruced it up and turned it into an award-winning brewpub. Drink a Station Master Wheat, then watch the 5:15 rumble by mere feet away. With the Metra stop just down the street, it’s a great spot for a last-minute drink before catching a train into Chicago.

2. LUCKY’S MARKET // VARIOUS LOCATIONS

Supermarkets have dutifully followed the craft beer revolution, and some like Whole Foods even have in-store bars where you can grab a pint or fill up a growler. But Lucky’s has upped the ante by encouraging of-age shoppers to enjoy a cold one while they shop. The retailer, which has locations in 11 states, sells the brews for just $2, and has outfitted its shopping carts with cup holders, naturally. Suddenly, shopping for kale just got a whole lot more exciting.

3. SISTER LOUISA’S CHURCH OF THE LIVING ROOM & PING PONG EMPORIUM // ATLANTA

Unusual is certainly one way to describe a bar where patrons regularly don choir robes, sing church-organ karaoke, and play ping-pong on a table surrounded by neon crosses. Opened in 2010 by a former divinity student-turned-artist, Sister Louisa’s is pure southern kitsch, and a favorite amongst Atlanta bar-goers. Craft brews are always on tap, but if beer isn’t your thing, you could always try the Spiritual Sangria.

4. FLORA-BAMA // PERDIDO KEY, FLORIDA

Step out of this Florida beach bar, walk a few feet west, and you’re in Alabama. The establishment opened in 1964, and soon, business was booming, thanks to the fact that Baldwin County, Alabama, was dry at the time. Since then, it’s grown into a sprawling roadhouse with numerous bars and live music stages.

5. THE CAVE BAR & GRILL // LANAGAN, MISSOURI

You won’t find any trendy craft brews on tap here. But true to its name, The Cave offers a one-of-a-kind venue. Owner Chris Black bought the space, formerly known as Truitt’s Cave, in 2011, after he was convinced the world was about to end. When that didn’t happen, he converted the cavern from a bunker into a bar and restaurant with an outdoor area that frequently hosts live music. Adding to the fun: There’s a herd of goats milling around.

6. SAN DIEGO ZOO // SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

One of the world’s premier zoos just so happens to have an incredible beer selection. Locations throughout the park serve up craft brews, from cafes to specialty stands operated by local brewers like Ballast Point and Sierra Nevada. There are also festivals like a recent beer and wine tasting celebrating the zoo’s centennial. Best of all: You can take your beer with you while you tour the park.

7. REVOLUTION CYCLES // GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA

In a town with its fair share of bicycle shops, Revolution offers a little something extra: several taps of cold craft beer. Owner Watts Dixon installed the bar area two years ago, keen to capitalize on the overlap between cycling and beer enthusiasts. Even if you’re not in the market for a new road bike or a tune-up, you can wander in for a pint of Oskar Blues or Sierra Nevada.

8. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM // NEW YORK CITY

If the thought of viewing fine art while sipping a beer seems like fun, make sure to book a ticket to one of the Guggenheim Museum’s “Art After Dark” parties. In addition to live music and free-roam of the museum’s numerous exhibitions, the event features world-class people-watching from the Guggenheim’s spiral walkway.

9. O’MALLEY’S PUB // WESTON, MISSOURI

This bunker-like bar, formerly a Prohibition-era speakeasy, pays homage to rural Missouri’s drinking past with a lineup of rustic brews. There’s the Ruddy Wheat, a sturdy ale-meets-weiss concoction, and the Rip Van Winkle, first brewed in the early 1900s, when it was billed as “The Richest Bottle of Beer in the World.” Many of the brews come straight from the Weston Brewing Company next door via refrigerated tap lines.

10. UMBRELLA BAR // OLYMPIC VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

From roughly 60 feet underground to high in the mountains: It’s hard to beat the view at this mountaintop bar, perched 8200 feet at the top of the Squaw Valley Resort. With a large hot tub and retractable roof, it’s a popular spot for weary skiers and snowboarders, who can reach the bar from nearby trails. Luckily, there’s also a cable car that provides access for those less inclined to ply the slopes.

11. THE PINE BOX BAR // SEATTLE

This former mortuary did a stint as a nightclub before becoming a craft beer haven—most famously, Bruce Lee passed through the funeral home for his stateside services in 1973. Today, the bar has 30 some beers on tap, a range of dinner and brunch options, and is spending the fall hosting presidential debate watch-parties.

BONUS: CP BREWERY AT BREWS AND CUES // PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII

Drinking a micro-brewed beer is nothing unusual. But drinking a beer micro-brewed on one of America’s most storied military bases? That’s something special. The CP Brewery turns out a limited quantity of ales and IPAs on Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor-Hickham military base, and offers them at the Brews and Cues bar located in the base’s common area. There’s just one catch: Access is limited to military personnel and acquaintances.

If you’d like to experience the public art of the Soviet Union, there’s no need to travel to Eastern Europe. In Seattle’s artsy Fremont neighborhood, there’s a monument to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin. Despite efforts by its owners to sell it off, it’s been in Washington since the collapse of the Eastern Bloc (first in Issaquah, before moving to Seattle in 1995).

Considering Lenin’s legacy of oppression and mass executions, the 16-foot, seven-ton bronze statue doesn’t sit well with all residents. It was originally brought to Seattle by Lewis Carpenter, a Washington resident who saved it from the scrapyards of Poprad, Slovakia. Arguing that it was a work of art that deserved to be preserved, he purchased it and brought it back to the U.S.

Carpenter died in 1994, not long after shipping the statue to Issaquah, Washington, where he planned to install it in front of a restaurant he was set to open. A year later, it made its way to Seattle, where it was displayed as a piece of public art, just one block south of the Rocket, another Cold War relic-turned-artwork. Carpenter’s family still owns the statue of Lenin, but would love to get it off their hands. There’s an entire Facebook page devoted to tearing it down, and it’s regularly vandalized by people who paint the statue’s hands blood red.

In 1995, the statue was put up for sale for $150,000, with the proceeds scheduled to benefit a local arts organization, but no buyer came forward. By 2015, the price had been raised to $250,000—or best offer, as the The Seattle Times reported. Whether it will actually ever be sold is another question.

“Who can say for sure if the community would accept a check for the sale of Lenin if offered? The sculpture has found a home in Fremont,” the Fremont Arts Council’s Barbara Luecke told mental_floss in an email. However, if anyone did actually want to pay the $250,000 that an art appraiser decided the statue was worth, “any proceeds from its sale would help with the maintenance of the various art projects around the neighborhood,” she says.

Until then, the statue serves as a handy guidepost for local directions (“keep going until you see Lenin” cannot be misunderstood), and occasionally gets new additions, like a tutu for the annual gay pride parade or a tinfoil-wrapped burrito to hold as an advertisement for the nearby Mexican restaurant.

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