Month: April 2020

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Take an Imagineering Course for Free Online and Learn Your Own Disney Magic

If you’ve ever thought about designing your own magical theme park, the time to do it is now. Khan Academy, Pixar and the Walt Disney Imagineers have come together to bring us Imagineering in a Box.

This is a free online course on what goes on behind-the-scenes of designing a theme park and is perfect for anyone who loves rides and always wanted to know how they were created.

In a Disney blog post, Josh Gorin, a creative development executive at Walt Disney Imagineering wrote,

“With so many families at home together right now, we thought this would be an especially useful time to share this program with you.

It’s available to all and completely free.”

In the course, viewers will find more than 30 videos, activities and case-studies.

Photo Credit: Magicguides.com

Students are led through 3 sessions.

The first is called “Creating Worlds,” and it takes the students through how to develop a theme and designing layouts and landscaping.

The Imagineers explain how to incorporate all the senses to immerse the guests in the land.

Photo Credit: Magicguides.com

The second session is about creating attractions and rides, including a ride simulator activity. Finally, the third session is about characters–an important component of any theme.

The free program can be found on the Khan Academy website. Show what you’re doing on Instagram and use the hashtags #Disney, #BetterTogether and #ImagineeringinaBox. Tag @WaltDisneyImagineering for a chance to be featured.

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If I’m in isolation I might as well do something interesting. I started the @disneyparksimagineering Imagineering in a Box course on Khan Academy. It’s 3 lessons. First lesson is about world-building and designing a land. . . I decided to go with a land representing my favorite non-park Disney IP: Ducktales. Specifically, Duckburg and the larger ducktales Universe, which is actually larger and more complex than most people realize. It has been developing for literally 70 years. Worldwide, Donald and Scrooge are nearly as popular and well-known as Mickey. In some countries, Scrooge is MORE popular. . . Anyway, the first several exercises had me thinking of what themes the land has and what a guest would feel as they experience it. I decided Duckburg should have the dual (and sometimes contradictory) theme of adventure, and the theme of family/friendship having more value than treasure. . . In the past 70 years, Duckburg has been drawn and mapped many different ways. The 2017 iteration is more closely related to the one from the 1980s cartoon show than it is to the comics from the 50s and 60s. Using screenshots, I was able to print off a bunch of reference pictures of buildings, including McDuck Manor and the iconic Money Bin. . . I also started imagining a map for the land. The Duckburg of the show is huge and has many neighborhoods and zones. I imagine my Duckburg being about the size of Cars Land, using similar illusions of scale. Some neighborhoods will have to be closer together than they appear in the show. Also the industrial harbor may have to merge with the bay into one waterway feature. . . One problem I’m mulling in my head is that of the “wienie”. The Money Bin seems a natural choice, but McDuck Manor is situated much higher on a hill. No solution yet. . . . #waltdisneyimagineering #imagineeringinabox #duckburg #ducktales #disneyimagineeringdesign #themeparkdesign @joerohde @imjoshg @dawsondill

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You may even come up with a new concept, like @tikiadventurersclub did with Ducktales and Duckburg! And what if Disney tapped you on the shoulder to actually make it happen? That would be pretty magical!

Which lands would you want to see come to life? Tell us in the comments and then go make it happen, fam! The only limit is your imagination!

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Your Dog Really Does Love You and Now There’s a Study That Shows Proof

In case there’s any doubt of dogs’ capability to love, a study was done that proves how much they actually can care.

You’ve probably already seen research–and know from your own experience–that dogs respond to our distress. They know, for instance, when we’re crying. But no one had studied to what extent our dogs would help us feel better.

A paper published in the journal Learning & Behavior suggested that dogs will take direct action to alleviate our distress.

Photo Credit: Pexels

The experiment involved 34 dogs and their owners. The dogs were of a variety of breeds and were between 1.5 and 12 years old.

Each owner sat in a small room behind a door with a large window. The door was fastened to the frame with magnets in a way that any of the dogs could push it open.

Half of the owners were told to call for help every 15 seconds in a distressed voice. In between the calls, they were to make crying noises. The other half would just say the word “help” every 15 seconds and hum Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in between. The team would then observe the dogs to see which ones would try to open the door to get to their owners.

So, half the dogs tried to get through the door and it didn’t make any difference whether their owners cried or hummed. But the dogs who wanted to get to their crying owners did so in 23 seconds compared to dogs getting to their humming owners in 96 seconds.

In a separate prior test where dogs gazed at their owners when they were frustrated to measure bonding, the more bonded dogs were the fastest in getting to their crying owners.

Generally the dogs wanted to be with their owners, but it was the crying owners who got the most urgent attention.

Photo Credit: Pexels

As for the dogs who didn’t try to open the door, they showed their own signs of distress for their crying owner by pacing, panting and whining. They may have been too upset to complete the task. There were also a few dogs who showed less empathy, but they were still good dogs to their owners. They just were more reserved, like people can be.

Probably the most poignant finding was that everyone involved in the experiment acknowledged strong relationships with their dogs. After the study was over and the owners and dogs were reunited, each owner explained to the researchers how their dogs really would rescue them.

It was a sweet showing of how people and their dogs are truly family.

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Some of the Worst Mistakes You Can Make With Your Credit Card

Having credit cards is a huge responsibility. But, if handled properly, they can make managing budgeting easier while earning you rewards like cash back and airlines miles.

So, how do you make reap the benefits without blowing them through careless mistakes?

Here are four common ways to misuse credit cards so you can watch out for them and keep your credit score sky high.

1. Carrying a balance on your credit card

Nothing wipes out the benefits of using a credit card like carrying a balance for months on end. Compounding interest quickly negates any miles or cash you think you’re racking up.

Figure out a good payment date and set-up auto-pay. The only thing you’ll have to think about then is keeping enough money in your checking account to cover your entire balance each month.

Photo Credit: Flickr

2. Failing to earn  your welcome bonus

What made you choose this card? There’s was probably a great promotion that worked for you like spending a certain amount by a deadline to earn thousands of points. But if you miss the deadline there’s not a customer service rep in the world that will listen to your sob story and give you the points anyway.

When you get your new card, make an entry on your planner with reminders so you earn that welcome bonus. Call the credit card issuer if you have any questions about the promotion.

Photo Credit: Pexels

3. Not knowing how credit card scores are calculated

Credit scores fluctuate, sometimes for little things you can’t do anything about and sometimes for big problems you need to fix right away. You can’t do that unless you know how credit card scores function and now often they change.

Something that many people don’t realize is that every time you apply for a credit card it causes a drop in your score and will stay there for up to two years.

Photo Credit: Flickr

4. Not using  your points and perks

If the whole point of getting this credit card was for a certain bonuses or services, make sure you are using those things to its fullest advantage. And, if you’re paying a few hundred dollars for an annual fee just to get to use the card, make sure you aren’t spending more money than what you’re getting back in perks.

Ask yourself would you be spending money on these things or at this retailer anyway? Use every perk available to get the most value out of your card.

Photo Credit: Flickr

Credit cards can be tricky. But once you understand the rules and perks, the right card can unlock some pretty cool benefits.

And, there’s always someone on the other end of that toll-free number on the back of your card to answer any questions or explain the rules so you can maximize all the features and bonuses of having the account.

Have any tips you think are worth sharing? Let us know in the comments!

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These Sheep Look Exactly Like Stuffed Animals

There are so many wonderful animals out there. I swear, I haven’t seen even half of them, because there are new-to-me adorable floofs always popping up.

Like these Valais Blacknose sheep (Walliser Schwarznasenschaf in German).

These are domestic sheep that originated in the Valais region of Switzerland, and their black faces, ears, and long spiral horns are unmistakable.

They’ve also got black patches on their knees, hocks, and feet.

Basically, they look like they belong stuffed on your bed and not grazing in a field.

Valais Blacknose sheep are extremely friendly – they seem to love people, and the attention we give them.

Basically they’re the cutest sheep in the world, and after reading this post and scrolling through the pictures, I dare you to argue with me!

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#valaisblacknosesheep #sheep #lambs #babyanimals

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I’ve never wanted a sheep, and tbh, I assume these still smell like a regular sheep, so I still don’t.

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#valaisblacknosesheep #sheep #babyanimals #lambs

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But man, are they adorable to look at or what?

If I was going to get a sheep, it would definitely be one of these.

Who knows, maybe with everything that’s going on in the world (and my life), chucking it all and being a sheep farmer might be the answer!

It’s something to think about, anyway.

If you want more of these guys, check out this New Zealand Facebook page.

You’re welcome!

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A Cowboy Museum Put Their Head of Security in Charge of Their Twitter Account and His Tweets Are Great

This is great!

If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if companies hired people with no social media – or really internet – experience to handle their online presence, well…you’re about to find out.

The National Cowboy Museum‘s (yes, that’s a thing, I guess) head of security, Tim, has been elected to take on the extra workload while he spends time in his place of business alone (for the time being).

People are just completely delighted by the fact that he seems to be using voice-to-text.

Also, he’s figured out hashtags! Sort of.

He asked for Twitter tips…

But he meant to Google it. Whoops!

John Wayne is obviously the pinnacle of the Cowboy Museum.

Ah, the elusive woman you’d like to have a beer with!

This guy really depends on his grandson, Lucas.

But he seems like a pretty solid grandpa. Heart eyes.

More John Wayne and more fun with hashtags! I am in love!

That’s not….awwww.

What I love most about Tim is how he admits that he didn’t know everything, then does it again the right way! What a good role model!

Just in case you thought he was proposing.

This is seriously just about the most wholesome thing I’ve seen on the internet in my entire life.

If you suddenly were put in charge of someone’s social media, how would it go? Better or worse than Tim?

For what it’s worth, I think this is pretty much the definition of “so bad it’s good.” Excellent, really.

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Yelling At Your Dog While Training is a Bad Idea

We all love our dogs. But, some days, they can be wholly infuriating.

But as much as you want to, a new study says you might want to think before you yell at or physically punish your pet.

Photo Credit: iStock

Last year, research found positive punishment and negative reinforcement, also called aversive training, can negatively affect your dog’s mental health.

Researchers wrote:

Our results show that companion dogs trained using aversive-based methods experienced poorer welfare as compared to companion dogs trained using reward-based methods, at both the short- and the long-term level.

Specifically, dogs attending schools using aversive-based methods displayed more stress-related behaviours and body postures during training, higher elevations in cortisol levels after training, and were more ‘pessimistic’ in a cognitive bias task.

Aversive training has been studied before, but only on how it affected police and laboratory dogs with a focus on the use of shock collars.

To expand the research to companion dogs, biologist Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro of the Universidade do Porto in Portugal lead an international team on a new study.

Photo Credit: Needpix

The team worked with two groups of dogs. One group was made up of 42 dogs recruited from three obedience schools that used treats and play as rewards. The other group of 50 dogs came from four schools that used yelling, physical manipulation and leash-pulling typically involved in aversive training.

For the first 15-minutes of three different training sessions, the dogs were filmed and had their salivas sampled to measure stress levels. The researchers took three saliva samples from each dog while they relaxed at home, as well as three samples after training.

The dog’s behavior was also noted for signs of stress during training, such as lip-licking, yawning, paw-raising and yelping.

Photo Credit: PublicDomainPictures.net

The dogs that showed the most signs of stress in both behavior and in their saliva samples were from the aversive training group. In comparison, the dogs in the reward based training were much more calm and composed. Their behavior showed far less stress and the coritsol levels in their saliva where closer to normal.

As for the longer term effects of aversive training, the researchers experimented with sausage snacks. One month after the initial assessments, 79 of the dogs were trained to find the bowl with the snack in one part of a room. If the bowl was in this spot, they would find the sausage. If it was on the other side of the room, then no snack. All the bowls smelled like sausage regardless of whether one was in there or not.

The bowls were placed in random spots around the room, then the dogs were observed as they searched for the bowl with the treat. If the dog ran up to the right bowl with enthusiasm, then it was noted the dog was confident in getting the snack. If the dog moved slowly and cautiously, then it showed a reluctance to be wrong.

The researchers found that the dogs from the reward-based training schools were much faster than the dogs who received aversive training in accomplishing the task of finding the snack.

Photo Credit: Flickr

This suggests reward-based training is more effective. However, researchers acknowledged a part of this may come from the dogs’ previous experiences with rewards. A different outcome may be found if the experiment was set up as aversive-based training.

But, it also tells us that reward-based training can get results as fast as aversive training and with less stress to your best friend.

And, their mental health, like yours, is worth protecting.

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A Public Bathroom Push-up Punishment Earned One Mom a Lot of Praise Online

Parenting is always a tough job. From dealing with diapers to the back-and-forth battles to behaving in public, it can be exhausting.

And when a child acts out of the line, that can make matters even more difficult. Every parent handles sticky situations a little different. Disciplining a child means walking a fine line between getting the point across and still showing you care.

In the case of one mom, her idea of punishment has earned a ton of praise online. Let’s just say it was a strong move on her part.

To the woman in the Hobby Lobby bathroom. If my hands weren’t full of children I would have applauded you. As your son…

Posted by Molly Wooden on Saturday, February 22, 2020

In fact, her unique way of teaching her son a lesson was so creative that it found its way to Facebook. Molly Wooden, who resides in Fort Hood, Texas, shared a photo of the mom’s idea of punishment in the bathroom of a Hobby Lobby.

That one post has generated tens of thousands of shares and more than 14,000 comments.

Credit: Facebook

Wooden offered her perspective in this praise-worthy comment:

“To the woman in the Hobby Lobby bathroom. If my hands weren’t full of children I would have applauded you. As your son gave you the back talk of the century, you stayed calm and collected while adding 10 more push-ups to his already growing number.”

The boy obviously wasn’t a huge fan of having to build up his biceps in order to pay his penance. Still, the mom stuck to her guns and got plenty of backup in Wooden’s comments section.

Credit: Facebook

As for the mother from the famous bathroom photo? She and Wooden connected online and had no issue with the public pushup display.

“I have since found the Mom through the power of social media and she promptly thanked me for posting this,” she explained. “[She] says she appreciates the support and positive comments, and we’re hoping to grab coffee sometime… while supervising push ups that is.”

Credit: Facebook

The pushup idea may not be a revolutionary punishment, but it is a strong one.

At least, for the first 10 reps.

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Body Camera Footage Reveals a Nice Birthday Surprise From Georgia Police Officers

It’s a particularly difficult time to be a police officer in the United States. It’s even more difficult when a body camera can capture any mistakes or slip-ups. But even during this trying time in world history, that same body camera can also record some truly heartwarming moments.

And in the case of two Georgia police officers, their kindness got captured on video and has generated a ton of praise on social media.

Two Gwinnett County police officers approached a woman who was walking home one evening. Sergeant Nick Boney and Officer Jimmy Wilson engaged in conversation with the woman. All of that interaction and the subsequent surprise was captured on their department-issues body cameras.

In the video, Boney can be heard saying, “How you doing ma’am? Where you trying to get to?”

The woman explained that it was her daughter’s first birthday.

Incredibly, Sergeant Boney gave his credit card to the mother in order for her to buy a birthday cake complete with a candle to mark her daughter’s special celebration. The officers then gave the woman a ride home and even stopped in to give her daughter a hug and extend her birthday wishes.

What’s most special about this story is that happened all the way back in January. In fact, the story only came about when the police department was conducting an audit of body camera footage.

A supervisor discovered the touching footage, which has now become a trending story on social media.

Despite the newfound attention, Sergeant Boney was quick to dismiss it as anything heroic.

“I don’t think it has anything to do in general with being a police officer,” Boney told CBS News. “I think a lot of people do that every day. It just doesn’t get seen.”

The officers’ kind act certainly made for a memorable first birthday story for the mother and her daughter.

A little kindness really does go a long way.

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Witty Tweets to Tickle Your Funny Bone

Are you ready to laugh?

The comedy of Twitter can be boiled down to one simple principle: “Brevity is the soul of wit.” You probably already know that’s a Shakespeare quote, but what you might not know is that he wrote it for the character of Polonius in Hamlet, and Polonius is a jabbering fool who never stops talking, so it’s sort of an ironic joke.

I gotta imagine Shakespeare would have appreciated Twitter, then, with its combination of witty brevity and meaningless gab. Too bad we can’t show him these examples. He might have found them really inspiring.

10. My name’s probably Chad, and I’m here to say…

9. Aging like fine milk

8. It’s called “bungried”

7. I’m having a hell of a weak-day

6. It’s just my journey

5. Safety first

4. I’m not like the other girls

3. Just need a little tenderness

2. Times are tough, you know?

1. We need baseball stats for influencers

Yeah, I think it’s safe to say Shakespeare would be pretty impressed by those tweets. As he once said, “Don’t trust quotes you see on the internet.”

Who’s your favorite tweeter?

Tell us in the comments.

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Tumblr Users Pitche a Horror Comedy With Rami Malek as a Pizza Delivery Man

Jordan Peele once said that he thinks horror and comedy are “‘The Shining’ twins of genres. They both depend on a certain amount of reality.”

You wouldn’t think something designed to make you laugh and something designed to make you terrified would go well together, but the two actually share a lot in common. Both are often over the top. Both usually involve very unusual circumstances. Both have to find something the audience has a strong reaction to, be it fear or joy. When they’re combined well, it can be quite a ride.

Now, I’m no movie executive, but I think we should give this Tumblr pitch a shot to be the next big thing in this odd cinematic category.

The idea goes like this:

Rami Malek first became well-known with his role on Mr. Robot, where he plays a deadpan but sharp-minded every-man with a secret.

It does seem like pretty good casting, honestly.

Personally I think that’s a title that would be more at home in the late 90’s, but, maybe that’s marketable again.

If he can act this terrified by winning an award, imagine what faces he could pull when everything hits the fan.

Looks like it’s getting the green light.

From Tumblr, anyway.

For whatever that’s worth.

I think the working title is pretty good, but we might consider something that emphasizes the horror element a little more. Like Dead on Delivery, or maybe the most terrifying pizza-related term I could think of, Pineapple.

What do you think? Would you pay to see this?

Let us know in the comments.

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