Month: October 2020

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A TikTok User Filmed Her Ride of Space Mountain With the Lights on and People Are Freaked Out

Roller coasters provide park-goers with a rush of adrenaline that keeps them coming back for more. Match that with the magical production value of Disney Parks and you have yourself the vacation of a lifetime.

But what if that magical production value were to disappear? Have you ever considered what it would feel like to ride an indoor roller coater ride without the lights and the music?

This is exactly what happened to TikTok user @ashleyofpeeee when she rode Space Mountain.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Space Mountain is a staple of the Disney World experience.

Having first opened in 1975, Space Mountain is the oldest operating roller coaster in the state of Florida.

You’ll find it located in Tomorrowland, within the Magic Kingdom.

Those who’ve ridden Space Mountain before will know it is an entirely indoor roller coaster, usually experienced in space-like darkness with flashing lights for effect. See the video below for the full ride, lights off.

I’ve ridden Space Mountain once in my life, as a little kid. All I remember is closing my eyes tight the entire time and praying for it to be over as soon as possible.

But riding it with the lights on would be a completely different experience…

Image Credit: TikTok

@ashleyhopeeeeI FREAKED OUT. The lights were on when we went to space mountain!! ? ##MagicMoment ##disneyworld ##spacemountain♬ original sound – disney aesthetic

From her video, we see the tail-end of her Space Mountain experience, with the lights on.

This reveals a web of tracks and scaffolding.

To me, riding Space Mountain with the lights on would be preferable. It would be a lot less scary to know what’s coming, I think, but it looks like I’m in the minority.

Image Credit: TikTok

But isn’t it interesting to see how the roller coaster is put together?

Isn’t this a treat? Peeking behind the curtain to see the inner workings?

Apparently not.

Image Credit: TikTok

All the commenters agree that this ride is scarier with the lights ON, but I still think it would be really cool to ride Space Mountain this way.

A few years back, Theme Park University released a video of the full Space Mountain with the lights on.

Can you handle this, or is it too creepy?

Watching this video of Space Mountain with the lights on actually has me itching to ride a roller coaster, and I don’t even really like them.

Getting to see the inner workings of this ride has helped me better appreciate all the hard work that went into creating it. Plus, with the lights on you know when to duck!

Could you handle Space Mountain with the lights on, or is it took unnerving? Let us know in the comments!

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Even Before Discovering Fire, Our Ancestors Might Have Had a Way to Cook Food

The awesome thing about science and archaeology is that just when we think we know everything about our human (and human-ish) ancestors, we uncover something new.

Kind of like a never ending Easter egg hunt, and who doesn’t love that?

For a long time, we’ve sort of defined human evolution by our ability to create and use fire to our advantage. It was the evolutionary leap that led us to be able to safely eat protein, which enhanced our brain size and development, and eventually set us apart from other mammals.

Image Credit: iStock

A recent discovery, though, suggest that people may have used hot springs to their advantage long before man lassoed fire.

Archaeologists from MIT and University of Alcalá reported their findings in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and claim that they’ve found evidence of hot springs near sites where ancient humans settled more than 1.8 million years ago – which was a long time before we learned to control fire.

The site was a rift valley in northern Tanzania, Olduvai Gorge. The area appears to have been rich in hydrothermal vents that were capable of heating the water to over 176 degrees F (80 degrees C), which would have been warm enough to cook meat.

The vents were very close to sites where archaeologists have found stone tools and animal bones, which lends credence to the idea that the early human ancestors settled there on purpose.

Image Credit: iStock

Lead author Ainara Sistiaga, said in a statement that “if there was a wildebeest that fell into the water and was cooked, why wouldn’t you eat it?”

Around the same time, a big environmental change occurred in East Africa, one that say the lane shift from wet and lush to a dryer, grassier terrain.

In addition, lipids produced by a specific group of bacteria – typically seen living in the hot springs of Yellowstone – showed up in the soil, hinting again that hot springs were in the area, says MIT professor Roger Summons.

“They won’t even grow unless the temperature is above 176 degrees F (80 degrees C).

Some of the samples Ainara brought back from this sandy layer in Olduvai Gorge had these same assemblages of bacterial lipids that we are unambiguously indicative of high-temperature water.”

Image Credit: iStock

Of course, they don’t know for sure how these extinct people might have interacted with these hot springs, but since we know they lived nearby, we can imagine that they knew the springs were useful in one way or another. They could have used the water to stew or boil protein, fruits, and vegetables.

Imagine something is possible and it just might be, and these discoveries seem to point to the idea that human beings have always been looking for ways to push the evolutionary envelope.

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Funny Tweets About All Kinds of Random Stuff

One of the best things about Twitter is how funny it can be and how absolutely RANDOM it is.

I guess it’s because Twitter is just one huge melting pot of every kind of personality and character out there in this crazy world that we live in. So we get to enjoy this sort of stream of consciousness from all kinds of folks who we’d never get to interact with in real life.

And that’s a good thing. Because variety is the spice of life, as they say…

So enjoy these funny and RANDOM tweets that we think will bring a smile to your face.

1. That sounds like a terrible idea.

What were you thinking?!?!

2. Every day is Groundhog Day right now.

When will it change…?

3. This is what a tweet should look like.

Just in case you were wondering.

4. It’s a lot of fun!

At least some of the time…

5. This is really frustrating.

You have to keep those pizza plants under control.

6. I can’t handle that right now.

I’m very fragile, okay?

7. The absolute peak of marriage.

Let’s go take a look at those shelves again!

8. I think Jesus can handle that.

No problem at all!

9. The eagle was THIS close.

And that darn hyena had to ruin it.

10. No. The other way!

Not a lot of hope for this person.

11. This is embarrassing.

And I like that he didn’t correct you for three years.

12. We need to talk about this.

A serious issue.

13. That’s not appropriate.

Just don’t ever tell him the truth.

Now it’s your turn!

In the comments, please share some funny things you’ve seen on social media lately: memes, tweets, jokes, photos, etc.

Let’s see what ya got, friends!

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These Hilarious Tweets Will Take Your Mind off of Things

We could all use a major break right now.

You’re moody, you’re irritable, you’ve been standing at your front door and watching traffic go by for the past four hours…or maybe that last part was just me…

Whatever the case, the point is that we all need a break from our daily lives and the madness that’s unfolding in the world before our very eyes. I don’t think that’s too much to ask for, do you?

Heck no! It’s time to spoil yourself, and we’re here to help you. So sit back, relax, and enjoy these funny tweets that we think will bring you some much-needed relief.

Let’s go!

1. I feel this tweet.

My life is currently a carb overload.

2. Can we finally move past this?

I don’t know what you’re talking about!

3. This vlog is gonna be a huge hit.

You’re on your way!

4. Joke’s on you.

You dumb humans!

5. I sure miss those days.

It used to be so easy!

6. You did it!

You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?

7. This is a good-looking tweet!

Pay attention, people…

8. Don’t ever do that again.

This kind of made me sick.

9. Venti Rat is a cool band name.

Also, they need to get rid of that rat in the bathroom.

10. That’s a great question.

We’re talking about very important issues here.

11. Hahahaha. Amazing.

Hipster Cop needs to be a TV show.

12. Now you’ve done it!

Do you feel good about this? I sure don’t…

And now it’s YOUR time to shine!

In the comments, share some funny stuff with us.

We want memes, tweets, jokes, photos, etc!

Now go ahead and make us laugh!

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Memes that Will Teach You Something New

I love learning new stuff. Especially tidbits of information that aren’t necessary to know, but once you learn them you feel cool for being in the know. You know?

Knowledge is power. It’s always impressive when people can rattle off obscure facts and trivia. So check out these 14 informative memes and you too can impress your friends with your newfound knowledge.

1. Try turning this into a song:

Who knew “D” was the evolution of “fish”?

Image Credit: The Chive

2. The original “All My Children”:

“Burst full-formed from forehead…”

Image Credit: The Chive

3. Batman

Behind every great Batman is another Batman.

Image Credit: The Chive

4. Someone got REAL serious about finding this guy…

Oh, I know! He’s inside one of the lions!

Image Credit: The Chive

5. The next time you want to pass a note in class…

Try these hand signals instead! The teacher will just think you’re raising you hand to get a bathroom pass.

Image Credit: The Chive

6. This is actually useful information:

Ron Swanson would approve this message.

Image Credit: The Chive

7. Now that’s a horse of a different color:

Have horses been the most beautiful creatures on the planet this whole time? Why am I just learning this?

Image Credit: The Chive

8. If you’re riding horses, you’ll need one of these…

If each of these hats were one of the Seven Dwarves, “Gus” would be “Dopey.”

Image Credit: The Chive

9. It’s like the state flower, but with teeth and claws:

Gotta catch ’em all?

Image Credit: The Chive

10. This is kind of creepy:

But it’s striking how similar the human and chimpanzee brains are to one another.

Image Credit: The Chive

11. Keep this in your pocket for the next 4th of July:

Image Credit: The Chive

“That one? That’s a brocade crown. And see that babe? That’s what we in the industry call a silver dragon.”

12. That’s pretty impressive:

Can you imagine flying one of these bad boys?

Image Credit: The Chive

13. You can’t have success without failure:

Sometimes you have to take it one small step at a time.

Image Credit: The Chive

Isn’t learning fun? I never knew there were so many different types of cryptids in North America!

Now that you’ve accumulated all this new-found knowledge, it’s time to show it off to your friends and family. I’m sure they’ll be quite impressed with your thorough knowledge of horse breeds and your special strategy for finding Waldo.

Which one of these informative memes taught you something new today? Let us know in the comments!

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This is Why Dogs And Cats Have Different Feelings About Belly Rubs

If you’ve ever had a dog, you know one thing for sure – they love a good belly rub. They don’t have to be in the mood or anything, because they’re always in the mood for any affection you’re willing to give them, and the belly rub is basically the holy grail.

If you’ve ever owned a cat, you know that putting your hand anywhere near their belly is a great way to turn your skin into actual ribbons. They’ll get you with the teeth, grab you with the front claws, and scratch you with the back ones all at the same time.

Image Credit: iStock

Why, though, do two equally furry animals have differing opinions on how amazing it feels to be scritched on the belly?

First up, dogs. They love belly rubs not only because they feel great, but because it mimics how dogs socialize with one another.

When dogs play, they’re high-touch creatures. They crave frequent physical interaction from anyone who is part of their pack, so a good belly rub is a neurological boost – their brains light up when hair follicles are stimulated, which makes a belly rub extra delicious.

Belly rubs can lower your dog’s heart rate and blood pressure – and a nice spike of oxytocin means it can do the same thing for you, too.

Image Credit: iStock

A dog will tell you pretty clearly if he wants his belly rubbed – he’ll sort of melt into a dog puddle on the floor and go belly-up. If a dog’s posture is meant to protect the belly, start with his head and earning some trust.

Cats, on the other hand, roll onto their backs not to invite pets, but to put themselves in the best defensive position possible – from there, they can use all of their claws and their teeth to destroy you.

To be fair, the hair follicles on their tummies are easy to overstimulate, which could explain why some cats seem to enjoy the belly rub for awhile, but then suddenly decide they would rather kill you than enjoy any more pets.

Image Credit: iStock

Also, your cat is a great and passionate predator, which means exposing their belly – the thin protector of vital organs – isn’t really in their nature. It will trigger natural defense mechanisms, so if your cat loves belly rubs, she’s probably the exception and not the rule.

There you go!

You already knew dogs love, cats not so much, but now you know why, too.

It’ll just help you love them all better, if you ask me.

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Check out the Roving Horseback Libraries of the 1930s

If you think librarians are heroes now, wait until you hear about the women who saddled up horses in the early morning and set out to deliver books to Kentucky’s isolated mountain communities.

Talk about commitment to making sure everyone had reading material, right?

The “book women” of The Pack Horse Library were part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s Work’s Progress Administration (WPA) initiative.

It was created to help America wriggle free of the grasp of the Great Depression – by 1933, unemployment had risen to 40% in Appalachia, and the roving horseback libraries were hoping to boost employment and literacy in one fell swoop.

The WPA paid the salaries of the book carriers, almost all of whom were women, but didn’t provide funds for much else.

Counties had to use existing libraries or ask local schools to help cover the cost of reading materials – donations also played a major role, as a 1940 notice in the Mountain Eagle proves.

People donated old magazines and newspapers, which were then cut and pasted into scrapbooks with particular themes like recipes, or maybe crafts.

One of these scrapbooks is on display today at the FDR Presidential Library & Museum in Hyde Park, NY.

That one contains recipes and an introduction that reads: “Cook books are popular. Anything to do with canning or preserving is welcomed.”

Libraries repaired books, and old Christmas cards were also donated to be used as bookmarks, to keep people from dog-earing the pages.

The women delivering these books and scrapbooks rode between 100 and 120 miles a week, almost always on their own horses or mules, along designated routes.

Like “real” postmen, they worked regardless of the weather, and in more remote locations, they ended up walking to their final destinations.

Most of them were locals, which was important, as mountain folks tended to only trust their own.

By 1939, 274 librarians were delivering books on horseback in 29 counties, and in total the WPA employed nearly 1000 “book women.”

By 1943, as the war effort erased unemployment concerns, the WPA dissolved and funding ended for the program, though a decade later, mobile book services resumed in the area.

This time they went with the “bookmobile,” though, instead of librarians astride horses.

The book women, and the librarians in the area who followed in their footsteps, were more than a source of reading material – they helped their remote communities in other ways, too.

They read to the illiterate, fulfilled requests, and just helped people feel connected to their communities and the world at large.

One recipient said “Them books you brought us has saved our lives,” and an article in the Mountain Eagle said of the Letcher County library, “The library belong to our community and to our county, and is here to serve us …It is our duty to visit the library and to help in every way that we can, that we may keep it as an active factor in our community.”

Proof that books, and libraries, make a difference. They matter, and so do the people on the other end of the transaction, no matter where they live or how well they read.

Something to remember still today, if you ask me!

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Interesting Science Experiments That Happened Totally by Accident

Ever since Breaking Bad made science cool again, the internet can’t get enough homegrown science experiments.

What’s even more thrilling is when science happens irl without any real reason, rhyme, or planning.

Especially when they’re less volatile than Coke and Mentos volcanoes.

Here are 14 mildly interesting science experiments that happened in real life completely by accident.

1. At-home jewelry

I’m going to start buying marbles in bulk instead of browsing Tiffany & Co.

This is what happens when you heat an ordinary marble over a flame then immediately drop it into cold water from mildlyinteresting

2. This perfectly polished coconut

Ever seen something so orb-like before?

This is what happens when you polish a coconut from mildlyinteresting

3. Primary colors!

Ugh, it’s just so pretty.

What happens when you put M&Ms in a dish of water. Diffusion force barriers from mildlyinteresting

4. When lightning strikes

That’s a seriously sick pattern.

This Is What Happens When Lightning Strikes A Flag On A Golf Course from interestingasfuck

5. Editing inception

Taking a negative of a negative feels like you’re diving into some crazy alternate universe.

This is what happens if you take a negative picture of a negative screen. from mildlyinteresting

6. Extreme cooking

Cooking under bitingly cold conditions certainly presents its challenges.

This is what happens to food in Antartica at -94°F/-70°C from interestingasfuck

7. Now that’s what I call optics

Look at how the light bends!

Apparently this is what happens when light passes through the blinds and hits my trash can… from mildlyinteresting

8. So inky

This is real art.

What happens when wood is burnt with high voltage from mildlyinteresting

9. Well, this one makes sense

Gummy bears melt – who knew?

this is what happens when you leave a pack of gummy bears in an 105 degree car. from mildlyinteresting

10. I’m scared

They’re going to come after us. With the amount of french fries we’ve all eaten, no one is safe.

What happens when you leave potatoes in the cellar for 6 months from mildlyinteresting

11. A perfect beat

This queen did a real good job.

A friend of mine is a drag queen. This is what happened last night when he took off his makeup. from mildlyinteresting

12. This new kind of ice art

Who needs a swan sculpture when you could have this?

What happens when water freezes on a spinning wheel. from mildlyinteresting

13. Goth McDonalds

I’m so ready for this gothic upgrade. Make this my next order. Even if it tastes bad.

This is what happens when you microwave McDonalds fries for 30 minutes (instead of 30 seconds). from mildlyinteresting

14. A vintage tomato

This is probably what food is supposed to look like.

Modern tomato vs one grown from 150yo seeds from mildlyinteresting

Well, that was kind of cool! Looks like science is happening all around us – all the time.

What’s your favorite accidental science experiment? Share with us in the comments below!

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Why Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Iconic Collars Were So Special

You may have thought that Justice Ginsburg was just a stylish lady, and enjoyed standing out from her mostly-male coworkers on the bench with her bright white, decorative collars.

Or maybe you assumed she had her reasons, figured they had nothing to do with vanity, but have never remembered to sit and Google the meaning behind them when you got home.

Now that she’s passed, let’s spend a little time just ruminating on her unique brilliance though, shall we?

In her early days, Ginsburg wore traditional lace jabots, but as her career progressed, so did her choices in neckwear. Town and Country magazine says RBG “jazzed up her black robes with some truly dazzling neckwear” for years, and it may not just have been about fashion – it was likely more of a political statement, from time to time.

Harper’s Bazaar reported that Ginsburg “has worn the same sparkling Banana Republic bib necklace as a sartorial way to express her disapproval” since 2012. If you watch closely, you can see her pull it out whenever she disagreed with a Supreme Court decision – perhaps most famously, she wore it the day after Donald Trump was elected as President.

She once told Katie Couric that it “looked fitting for dissents.”

In 2019, Banana Republic reissued the original collar and donated half of the proceeds to the ACLU Women’s Rights Project in honor of Ginsburg’s life work.

“The Notorious Necklace is a re-issue of Banana Republic’s original design from 2012,” said Banana Republic in an email. “As a brand co-founded by a woman, empowerment has always been a part of our DNA and it was a great opportunity to benefit the advancement of women’s right as a continuation of our brand commitment to champion equality.”

Ginsburg also had other “dissent collars” in her collection, though, as well as a “majority opinion collar” – a shiny yellow and rose floral design – a replica of Placido Domingo’s black and white “Stiffelio” collar, and a lacy white piece purchased in Cape Town, South Africa.

In her first official portrait with Justice Brett Kavanaugh, RBG wore a Stella & Dot necklace that Town and Country called “a cross between a feathered wing and spiky armor,” which seemed to state her disapproval of the new justice’s confirmation.

When she first joined the court, Ginsburg told The Washington Post that “the standard robe is made for a man because it has a place for the shirt to show, and the tie. So Sandra Day O’Connor and I thought it would be appropriate if we included as part of our robe something typical of a woman. So, I have many, many collars.”

Image Credit: Steve Petteway

Collars that clearly meant something to RBG, but also, could mean something to anyone else looking up to her for advice, guidance, or hope in the direction of the court in the future.

If I know one thing for sure, Ruth Bader Ginsburg memory – and her choice in dissenting fashion – will continue to bless this nation for a long time.

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People Talk About Where They’d Go if They Could Teleport Themselves Only Once

Are you ready to get weird, friends?!?!

Admit it, you’ve probably thought about teleporting before…but where do you go?

And, if you can only do it once, you better make it worth it, if you know what I’m saying.

Let’s get freaky-deaky with some folks on AskReddit who talked about where they’d teleport to if they could only do it once.

1. Sound kinda nice.

“I’d wait until I get mixed into some horror movie bullsh*t and then at the most climactic part of it I would just teleport to the Bahamas or something.”

2. What are you doing here?

“Mars, just to really confuse future astronauts.”

3. Not a bad idea.

“The closest planet that can support human life, but already has peaceful inhabitants.

And it would welcome an alien invader and not treat them the same way our planet would.”

4. An experiment.

“I would let scientists study me. Teleport anywhere they want, but have a massive amount of equipment recording everything humanly possibly on both ends of the jump.

I’d want humanity to have a chance at reproducing it.

This could be the most monumental boost to science in our lifetime.”

5. This is a good answer.

“To the road next to mine.

I just missed the ice cream man but I can hear his jingle there but I’m too drunk to drive and too unfit to run.”

6. Wow. Sad.

“I’d go back to when I was 6.

Keep my dad from leaving the house that day with whatever means I had.

He was hit by a train that day. I miss him.”

7. Getting back would be a problem.

“Probably 48°52.6′S 123°23.6′W. It is, as far as I know, the most remote point in any of our oceans (as far as distance from nearest land goes).

I’d want to just tread water for a bit, as far from land as I could ever possibly be. As small and insignificant as I could possibly be.

The only catch is that the post said I can only teleport once, so getting back would be a problem. I’d have to save this for a deathbed teleportation.

There’s something peaceful about the idea of just sinking into the black and becoming a precious resource for an environment that would otherwise be alien to me as a human.”

8. Love from abroad.

“To visit my girlfriend I haven’t seen since she left to study abroad last December that lives across the country from me.

She has high risk family so I can’t fly to see her either.”

9. Going to warn them.

“To another planet that is inhabited by other friendly beings.

I’d tell them, “Stay away from Earth. It is a total sh*tshow and you won’t like it. Seriously, too many problems and really no desire to fix them.”

10. The perfect crime.

“I would plan a bank heist, grab as much money as possible and teleport to another country.”

11. Find the answers.

“Area 51, for sure!

I’m dead curious to know what’s inside.”

12. Petra.

“I’ve wanted to see Petra in Jordan ever since I saw a picture of it in a 4th grade textbook, but I get really bad motion sickness in cars.

You can’t just fly/train into Petra, though. You’ve got to be driven there, and the drive does not look like a straight and easy highway.

I’d get there the regular way and then teleport home so that I could enjoy my time there knowing I wouldn’t have to experience the sickness a second time.”

13. We want the truth!

“Inside Disney’s vault.

I wanna know if those rumors of Walt Disney’s head being frozen are true.”

14. Good reasons.

“Germany.

I’m learning the language and I also really like a girl there.”

15. Take me home.

“Back home.

I moved from UK to USA 2 years ago and due to immigration restrictions, financial limitations and then covid (in that order).

I haven’t been able to go back home and see my family. So I would go see them.”

16. We found something…

“To Mars, to the highest point of Mt.Olympus.

When they finally do find my corpse, it is going to be the surprise of the millennia.”

How about you?

Where would you teleport to if you could only do it once?

Let us know what you think in the comments!

Thanks!

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