Month: December 2016

Nintendo may be causing consumer hysteria with its NES Classic Edition this holiday season, but it’s not exactly a museum to retro gaming. With only 30 titles from one console to choose from, there’s a lot of ground left to cover if you’re really trying to scratch that classic gaming itch. Doyodo is looking to do just that with the RetroEngine Sigma, a device not unlike the NES Classic Edition in size, but one that has the potential to pack thousands more games onto it.

RetroEngine Sigma is a device designed to run games from consoles such as the Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Super Nintendo, Genesis, Atari 2600, and more than 20 other devices from years past. The device itself comes with 15 pre-installed games (they haven’t revealed which ones yet), and has internet capabilities and media functionality, which allows gamers to go online and download emulators and ROMs that will play thousands of other classic titles through a smartphone app.

The Sigma comes with two USB ports used to attach retro gaming controllers or Bluetooth devices, and will feature an HDMI port that allows you to connect directly into a modern television and an A/C adapter. Gamers have been using emulators and ROMs to run classic games on their computers for years, but the Sigma looks to cut out the installation confusion, optimize the ROMs for easy playability, and be the type of all-in-one experience that the NES Classic Edition isn’t. Plus, the RetroEngine’s 4K media center and television hookup make it far more attractive than wrestling with ROM downloads on your computer.

This isn’t necessarily the “plug in and play” model that the NES Classic Edition is, though. Outside of those 15 pre-installed games, finding the right console emulators (basically software that mimics a classic gaming system) and ROMs (the games themselves) to install on the Sigma is up to you. Also, the legal waters surrounding such emulators are confusing to navigate, and RetroEngine Sigma’s Indiegogo campaign states, “If you decide to install the additional Emulator Pack to enable the system to run game backups from older systems, the legality of using such ROMs depends on your countries [sic] laws and on additional circumstances such as for example your continued possession of the original copy of the game as well as the original hardware it ran on.”

The RetroEngine Sigma has already far exceeded its $20,000 Indiegogo goal and is currently sitting at more than $360,000 raised. You can still back the campaign and get various rewards, including 16GB or 32GB micro SD cards to store more games, depending on your donation size. The RetroEngine Sigma is expected to ship before the second quarter of 2017.

Like Eli Cash, you probably always wanted to be a Tenenbaum. Here are some facts that will help you fit right into this family of geniuses, on the 15th anniversary of its release.

1. THE PRIMARY STORY CAME OUT OF THE DIVORCE OF WES ANDERSON’S PARENTS.

Though it was partly inspired by real life, writer-director Wes Anderson admits on the film’s DVD commentary that the film itself ended up being very different from his own personal experience. Still, some small details remain, such as the fact that Ethel Tenenbaum is an archeologist, and so was Anderson’s mother. 

2. THE NAME “TENENBAUM” CAME FROM ANDERSON’S COLLEGE FRIEND.

Anderson’s longtime friend, Brian Tenenbaum, appears as a paramedic in one of the film’s final scenes. Tenenbaum also appeared in Anderson’s previous films Bottle Rocket and Rushmore in similar background roles.

3. WES ANDERSON MAKES A CAMEO.

It’s the filmmaker’s hand that stamps the library card of the book at the beginning of the movie.

4. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS IS THE THIRD MOVIE TO BE CO-WRITTEN BY ANDERSON AND OWEN WILSON.

The other two were Bottle Rocket and Rushmore. The two writers would be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the movie. 

5. THE MOVIE’S TITLE CARD SCENE WAS INSPIRED BY ANOTHER FILM.

Anderson was inspired to include a title card scene featuring the actors and the characters they play after a similar scene in the 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday.  It was the first image for the movie Anderson had in his head.

6. THE MICE WEREN’T ACTUALLY SPOTTED.

The spots on Chas Tenenbaum’s fictitious dalmatian mice were created by drawing dots with a sharpie on regular mice.

7. ANDERSON INTENDED MARGOT’S WOODEN FINGER FOR A CHARACTER IN ANOTHER ONE OF HIS FILMS.

Rushmore‘s Margaret Yang would have had the digit blown off in a science experiment, but it was scrapped and later included in this movie. 

8. THE ROLE OF ROYAL TENENBAUM WAS WRITTEN WITH GENE HACKMAN IN MIND.

But when Anderson approached Hackman to be in the movie, the actor declined because he’d have to work for scale and didn’t like the idea of having a part written exclusively for him. His agent eventually convinced him to take the part. It was well worth it; Hackman would go on to win a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his performance. 

9. HACKMAN WASN’T THE ONLY ACTOR TO HAVE A ROLE WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY FOR HIM.

Anderson and co-screenwriter Wilson specifically wrote the role of Etheline for actress Anjelica Huston. She would go on to work with Anderson again in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

10. THE GO-KART SCENE WITH ROYAL, ARI, AND UZI WAS A NOD TO ANOTHER FILM.

The 1971 film The French Connection featured Hackman (who won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the role) and a legendary car chase sequence.

11. BEN STILLER WAS CAST AS CHAS TENENBAUM BECAUSE HE WAS AN EARLY FAN OF BOTTLE ROCKET.

Stiller liked Anderson’s debut movie so much that he cast actor Owen Wilson, who played Dignan in Bottle Rocket, in The Cable Guy, which Stiller directed.

12. MARGOT AND RICHIE HIDING IN A MUSEUM OVERNIGHT WAS INSPIRED BY A CHILDREN’S BOOK.

In E.L. Konigsburg’s 1967 book From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, two kids run away from home and stay at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The book was a favorite of Anderson’s as a child.

13. THE ACTOR WHO PLAYS YOUNG RICHIE HAS A FAMOUS DAD.

Amedeo Turturro is the son of actor John Turturro. 

14. ANDERSON’S BROTHER CHIPPED IN TO HELP ON THE FILM.

Eric Chase Anderson is an illustrator; he created all of Young Richie’s drawings.

15. THE BB LODGED IN CHAS’S HAND IS BASED ON A REAL-LIFE INCIDENT.

Owen Wilson shot his older brother Andrew in the hand with a BB gun when they were younger, and the hand with the BB in it shown in the movie is actually Andrew Wilson’s. This isn’t his only appearance in the movie; he can also be seen as Margot’s biological Amish father and as the voice of one of the sports commentators who covers Richie’s tennis match meltdown (the other commentator’s voice is actually Wes Anderson). Wilson also played Future Man in Bottle Rocket and Coach Beck in Rushmore.

16. RICHIE’S FALCON, MORDECAI, WAS PLAYED BY THREE FALCONS AND A HAWK.

The falcons were used for close-up shots and the hawk was used for the longer flying scenes, like at the end of the film’s prologue. 

17. BILL MURRAY’S CHARACTER, RALEIGH ST. CLAIR, IS BASED ON NOTED NEUROLOGIST AND WRITER OLIVER SACKS.

Anderson was a big fan of Sacks’s four-part documentary from 1998 called The Mind Traveler.

18. RALEIGH’S RESEARCH SUBJECT, DUDLEY, WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED BY ANDERSON’S FRIEND AND ACTOR, WALLY WOLODARSKY.

But Wolodarsky dropped out in order to direct his own movie, Sorority Boys. Wolodarsky had previously appeared in Anderson’s movies as a wrestling referee in Rushmore, and would go on to appear as Brendan in The Darjeeling Limited, as the voice of Kylie in Fantastic Mr. Fox, and as M. Georges in The Grand Budapest Hotel.

To replace Wolodarsky, Anderson cast actor Stephen Lea Sheppard, who was recommended to him by Anderson’s friend and fellow director Judd Apatow. Sheppard was previously in Apatow’s TV show Freaks and Geeks.

19. ANDERSON WAS A BIG DANNY GLOVER FAN.

The director cast the actor because he liked his performances in To Sleep with Anger, Beloved, and Witness. The name of Glover’s character, Henry Sherman, is the name of Wes Anderson’s old New York landlord, who wore blue suits similar to the ones Glover’s character wears in the movie.

20. GLOVER ISN’T THE ONLY LINK THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS HAS TO THE MOVIE WITNESS.

The line “I know you, a**hole!” that Royal screams at Eli Cash as he escapes from the house is the same exact line that Harrison Ford’s character says to Glover’s character in Witness. 

21. 111 ARCHER AVENUE ISN’T REAL, BUT THE TENENBAUMS’ HOUSE IS.

It’s located at 144^th Street and Convent Avenue in New York City. The production used both the exterior and the interior of the house for the movie (the only interior of the house in the movie that isn’t from the real-life location is the kitchen scene between Royal and Henry Sherman, which was shot in the house next door because it had windows). The production convinced the owner of the house, who had recently bought it in foreclosure, to delay moving in so they could renovate it as they needed. It’s believed that the production paid the owner roughly the same amount the owner had paid to buy it, so the owner effectively got the house for free. 

22. THE LINDBERG PALACE HOTEL, WHERE ROYAL STAYS, ISN’T REAL EITHER.

The location for the hotel was the actual exterior and lobby of the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The hotel only gave Anderson and the production two hours to get all of the shots they needed.

23. THOUGH THE MOVIE WAS SHOT IN NEW YORK, ANDERSON DIDN’T WANT TO INCLUDE ANY NYC LANDMARKS IN THE FILM.

During the scene where Pagoda meets Royal near the water, Anderson intentionally positioned the actor playing Pagoda (Kumar Pallana, who also appeared in Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited) to stand directly in front of the Statue of Liberty.

24. ONE OF RICHIE’S LINES CAME FROM ANOTHER FILM.

Richie’s seemingly bizarre line “I’m going to kill myself tomorrow,” immediately before trying to take his own life, is actually a line Anderson took verbatim from director Louis Malle’s 1963 film Le feu follet (a.k.a. The Fire Within). Spoiler: In that film, the main character actually does kill himself the day after uttering the line. 

25. RICHIE AND MARGOT’S ROMANCE IS A REFERENCE TO A FRENCH FILM.

The semi-incestuous subplot is Anderson’s nod to director Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1950 film Les enfants terribles about a similar relationship between an actual brother and sister. In Tenenbaums, of course, Margot is adopted.

26. THE MOVIE PARODIES AUTHOR CORMAC MCCARTHY.

The excerpt that Eli Cash reads from his book, Old Custer, is Anderson’s parody of the style and subject matter of writer Cormac McCarthy, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of books like No Country for Old Men, The Road, and Blood Meridian. 

27. CHAS WAS ORIGINALLY SUPPOSED TO WEAR A BLACK ADIDAS TRACK SUIT EACH TIME HE WENT TO THE CEMETERY.

But Ben Stiller thought it would be a funnier reveal if he only wore it at Royal’s funeral.

28. ONE OF THE FINAL SHOTS IN THE MOVIE WAS DONE IN A SINGLE TAKE.

The technically complex shot moves from person to person after Eli crashes his car at the wedding. The production did 20 takes of the shot; take 18 is the take included in the final movie. 

Additional Sources: Blu-ray special features; The Wes Anderson Collection.

Screenshots courtesy of Film-Grab.com and LeaveMetheWhite.com.

Unless teachers have a specimen ready for dissection, it’s hard to turn a lesson in fish anatomy into a hands-on experience. But artist and designer Rachel Ciavarella thinks she’s found a way. Her reversible plush dolls use different materials to bring the inner workings of an anglerfish to life through touch.

According to Colossal, the toy originated as a class project. After seeing the excitement it inspired, Ciavarella decided to take her product to Kickstarter with hopes of making it available to a wider audience.

From the outside, the fish looks like a normal stuffed animal, with a fleece body and jagged teeth cut from felt. But once you turn it inside-out, all the glorious guts are on display. Each part is crafted from a different touch-friendly material like canvas, sateen, faux sherpa, and chiffon. He even has a cute name. Ciavarella writes,

“Morris is named after all of my dead goldfish. As a child, every time I got a new goldfish I would name it Morris and it would inevitably die, as goldfish eventually do. Their memories can now live on through the immortal toy Morris fish.”

With a week still left to go in the campaign, Ciavarella has already raised more than $26,000 of her $25,000 goal. Backers can reserve a Morris of their own for a pledge of $40 or more with shipping set for June of next year.

[h/t Colossal]

First published in English in 1780, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (actually the 12 days after Christmas) is thought to have originated in France as a children’s forfeit game with ever more elaborate gifts added to the collection, verse by verse, as a test of memory. Whatever its origins may be, however, as the carol grew in popularity throughout the 19th century, numerous different versions and variations of its lyrics began to emerge.

Some of these differences still survive in different versions sung today: the traditional “five gold rings” are sometimes described as “five golden rings,” and while some performances describe what “my true love gave to me,” others say the gifts were “sent to me.” But these kinds of subtle differences are nothing compared to some of the gifts in the song’s earlier incarnations.

1. A VERY PRETTY PEACOCK

One early version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was recorded by the Scottish poet and artist William Scott Bell in 1892. Although most of Bell’s lyrics are identical to what we sing today, in his version each verse concludes not with “a partridge in a pear tree,” but with a considerably more ostentatious “very pretty peacock upon a pear tree.”

2. FOUR CANARY BIRDS

In the original 1780 version, the “four calling birds” are instead described as “four colly birds,” colly—literally “coaly”—being an old English dialect word meaning “soot-black.” By the mid 19th century, however, the word colly had largely fallen out of use, leaving several Victorian editions of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to come up with their own replacements. “Colour’d birds” and even “curley birds” were used in some editions, while an exotic “four canary birds” were added to the lyrics of one version. The now standard “four calling birds” first appeared in the early 1900s.

3. AND 4. EIGHT HARES A-RUNNING AND ELEVEN BADGERS BAITING

In 1869, an article appeared in an English magazine called The Cliftonian that described a traditional Christmas in rural Gloucestershire, southwest England. The author of the piece wrote that he had heard some local carol singers singing a curious Christmas song, which he noted for the “peculiarity and the utter absurdity of the words.” After outlining the first two of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” he went on to explain that the carol “proceeds in this ascending manner until on the twelfth day of Christmas the young lady receives … [an] astounding tribute of true love”—among which are “eight hares a-running” and “eleven badgers baiting.”

5., 6., 7., AND 8. SEVEN SQUABS A-SWIMMING, EIGHT HOUNDS A-RUNNING, NINE BEARS A-BEATING, AND TEN COCKS A-CROWING

One of the earliest American versions of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was listed in The American Journal of Folklore in 1900. Credited to a contributor from Salem, Massachusetts, and dated to “about 1800,” there are no pipers, drummers, maids, or swans here (and lords and ladies had a number change). Instead, in their place are “ten cocks a-crowing,” “nine bears a-beating,” “eight hounds a-running,” and “seven squabs a-swimming.”

9. AND 10. TEN ASSES RACING AND ELEVEN BULLS A-BEATING

An edition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” included in an anthology of Folk Songs From Somerset published in 1911 [PDF] discarded the “pipers piping” and “lords a-leaping” in favor of “eleven bulls a-beating” and “ten asses racing.” In fact, not even the partridge in the pear tree made the final cut here: in its place was a “part of a mistletoe bough.”

11. AND 12. TEN SHIPS A-SAILING AND ELEVEN LADIES SPINNING

In an 1842 edition of Specimens of Lyric Poetry, out went the “ten drummers drumming” and the “eleven lords a-leaping” (downgraded to only nine lords, still a-leaping) and in came “ten ships a-sailing” and “eleven ladies spinning.” Not only that, but this edition also explained in a footnote how “The Twelve Days of Christmas” might once have been used: “Each child in succession repeats the gifts of the day, and forfeits for each mistake. The accumulative process is a favourite with children.”

13. AN ARABIAN BABOON

An alternative Scots version of “The Twelve Day of Christmas” was reported in use in Scotland in the first half of the 19th century, before finding its way into a collection of Popular Rhymes of Scotland published in 1847. Although there are a handful of similarities between this version and the version we’d sing today (“ducks a-merry laying” and “swans a-merry swimming” both make an appearance), relatively little of what we’d recognize remains intact. “The king sent his lady on the first Yule day,” is the new opening line, and many of the gifts are given in sets of three rather than as part of a larger 12-part sequence—but it’s what the gifts themselves are that is the most striking. Alongside the swans and ducks, the king sends his lady “a bull that was brown,” “a goose that was gray,” “three plovers,” “a papingo-aye” (an old Scots dialect word for a parrot, although occasionally translated as peacock)—and, just when things can’t get any stranger, “an Arabian baboon.”

When viewing Andy Warhol’s iconic works, like Campbell’s Soup Cans or Brillo Boxes, you’re probably not thinking about bringing them home to snuggle. At least not until now. These new Warhol-inspired toys might just be the perfect cuddly addition to any art lover’s bed or couch.

Kidrobot has whipped up a whole collection of plush toys based on the late pop artist’s work. From small Brillo boxes to giant bananas, there’s something for everyone. The smaller pillows are $20 each, but the larger toys (which can be 22 to 30 inches long) are a hefty $150 each. Still, the toy versions are a lot more affordable than the real thing.

[h/t Gizmodo]

Most of us can appreciate a decent cup of joe. Then, there are those who obsess over bean sourcing, brew temperatures, and whether their paper filter is unbleached. For these friends and relatives, a gift card to the local franchise drive-thru probably won’t do. Check out 11 thoughtful gifts for the coffee and tea lovers in your life.

Mental Floss has affiliate relationships with certain retailers and may receive a small percentage of any sale. But we only get commission on items you buy and don’t return, so we’re only happy if you’re happy. Thanks for helping us pay the bills!

1. KOMBUCHA JAR AND BREW KIT; $65

For the uninitiated, Kombucha is a tea fermented with (good) bacteria that’s believed to be a rich source of probiotics and antioxidants. This brew kit allows enthusiasts to mix up their own exclusive 5-liter batch. It’s also dishwasher-safe and comes with a recipe booklet.

Find It: Uncommon Goods

2. FELLOW STAGG POUR OVER KETTLE; $79

Pour-over coffee aficionados have taken the time to learn the correct brewing methods using a filter and hot water kettle. Fellow makes the process a little more precise with this stainless steel kettle, which has a built-in thermometer (for monitoring ideal water temperature) and an easily-aimed gooseneck spout for spot-on pouring.

Find It: Amazon

3. MISTOBOX SUBSCRIPTION; $20 PER MONTH

Can’t find a quality coffee roaster near you? MistoBox lets users select flavor preferences and then matches them with a high-quality grind that’s shipped directly to their door every month. An extra $15 upgrades the first shipment to a holiday gift box, including a mug, two coffee sample grinds, and a festive package.

Find It: MistoBox

4. HAY CLIP CLIP SPOON; $10

Measuring spoons for coffee can be easily misplaced; bags of grounds can fail to seal properly, hastening a loss of flavor. Why not solve two problems with this brass-colored steel spoon that has a spring clip for a handle?

Find It: MoMA

5. MERLOT INFUSED COFFEE; $20

Cover all your bases by gifting your coffee-slash-wine enthusiast this merlot-infused coffee. The Arabica coffee beans have been aged in oak Merlot wine barrels to absorb the taste and scent of the famous wine. It’s alcohol-free, so they’ll remember to thank you.

Find It: Uncommon Goods

6. OXO COLD BREW COFFEE MAKER; $50

Cold brewing is the hot trend in coffee at the moment, offering lower-acidity results than conventional methods. This OXO brewer makes the process simple and still allows the user to serve up their brew warm or chilled. If you prefer the latter, the device’s silicone seal will keep it fresh in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Find It: Amazon

7. BLOOMING TEA; $21

Find yourself a clear teapot—not included—and watch as a selection of bud packets “bloom” in hot water while brewing to create drinkable works of art. Jasmine, peach, and chrysanthemum green teas are hand-sewn to the buds to create the effect.

Find It: Uncommon Goods

8. ESPRO FRENCH PRESS P5; $60

Espro promises that the P5 will make some of the smoothest, lowest-grit coffee or loose-leaf tea you’ve ever tasted. The Specialty Coffee Association of America agreed, awarding it the Best New Piece of Consumer Equipment Award for 2016; the thick glass wall ensures better heat retention.

Find It: Amazon

9. PURE TEA STARTER KIT; $50

Single estate teas are presented exclusively from a single supplier, making for better consistency. Silver Needle offers an introductory single estate sampler, along with a glass teapot for premium steeping.

Find It: Silver Needle Co.

10. COOLGEAR BRU COLD BREW COFFEE SYSTEM; $40

Not everyone wants or needs to brew up a vat of iced coffee. That’s where Coolgear comes in: Their Bru is a single-serve drip coffee maker that brews cold directly into a portable 14-ounce container. It’s the freshest coffee you can get while stuck in traffic.

Find It: Amazon

11. TOAST LIVING CARAFE; $65

For coffee lovers who want to keep it basic, Toast Living’s carafe is wonderfully understated. Just add ground coffee to the filter basket and pour over hot water for a minimalist experience.

Find It: Amazon

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In Rogue One, there is no dark or light side. The story is told in varying shades of gray, unlike any of the earlier Star Wars films.
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9 Flowcharts to Help You Navigate the Christmas Season. The stress is serious; these charts are not.

In Japan, massive appetites meet their match at Umakara Ramen Hyouri. As Kotaku reports, the Tokyo-based ramen restaurant offers hungry customers an intimidating, yet lucrative challenge: Finish a heaping bowl of chicken-topped, chili powder-sprinkled noodles in under 20 minutes, and you’ll win 50,000 yen (nearly $440). Polish it off in 30 minutes, and you’ll score 30,000 yen (around $260).

Si vous mangez ce bol en moins de 20 min, ils vous paient 50000¥. En 30 min vous aurez 30000¥. #foodchallenge par Umakara #Ramen Hyouri. ? pic.twitter.com/TFDJwSYeu4

— Japan FM – IGAM Ent. (@japanfm) December 7, 2016

Traveling to Tokyo and want to attempt the delicious feat for yourself? You’ll have to fork over 3000 yen (around $26) to participate in Umakara Ramen Hyouri’s “mega serving” challenge. There are also a few ground rules: Your friends can’t help you eat the bowl of ramen, which contains four servings of ramen noodles, nearly nine pounds of bean sprouts, and nearly 24 ounces of broth. And if you throw up, you’ll have to pay a penalty fine of around $90.

This dare might prove impossible even for customers with prodigious appetites. But according to Japanese website My Navi, nine people have proven victorious since the restaurant first began offering the challenge around three years ago. (They likely didn’t spend the prize money on ramen.)

[h/t Kotaku]

It’s been 10 years since the first episodes of Planet Earth aired on the BBC, and in celebration, the network asked some nature-focused YouTube creators to nominate their favorite moments from the mini-series. Those scenes have now been strung together in a beautiful compilation video, which was spotted by Kottke.org.

Planet Earth aired as the most expensive nature documentary ever commissioned by the BBC and its first in high definition, so it’s no surprise that the series was full of amazing imagery. From footage of lions and elephants shot entirely at night, to the hilarious-looking mating dance of the bird-of-paradise, there are plenty of memorable moments to look back on before you watch the new Planet Earth II, which comes to BBC America in January.

You will have to sit through some narration from various YouTubers, but it’s helpful to hear them describe what exactly is going on in the context of the episode, and the images themselves are more than worth it.

[h/t Kottke.org]