Circular reference

As if they're not unsteady enough on the ground, this guy decided to ride a unicycle atop a 70-story tall (and apparently crumbling) chimney, just to give you that terrible feeling in the pit of your stomach.

And very non-stressful is the meditative minimalist mindlessness of moving empty desktop windows. Check it out for yourownself. (Created by artist Rafaël Rozendaal, who also brought you newoldhotcold.com and somethingopen.com.)

"The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next." -- Mignon McLaughlin

Stick with the program

The age-old question: What is art? Is this, a man being spun by a robot, "art"? And if so, is the "art" watching the robot spin him around, or the final product, or something else...?

Also in robot news, "trying to do simple tasks at a [10]" is more evidence that the singularity is still a ways off.

Trying to do simple tasks at a [10]

"That's the motivation of an artist -- to seek attention of some kind." -- James Taylor

Restricted diet

Cinefix breathes new life into Western survival film The Revenant with this 8-bit video-game-inspired short suitable for the '80s arcade.

And a fancy wedding invitation inadvertently includes children on the menu.

"Never cry over spilt milk, because it may have been poisoned." -- W. C. Fields

As the crow flies

The world isn't flat and maps lie. The UK and other Euro nations are overstated, and Greenland doesn't approximate a continent. You probably learned all this in school, but it's easy to forget. Unless you check out this infotaining video about the size of countries in real life vs. on a map for a dose of geo-reality.

And whether or not you're a New Yawka, you might enjoy OldNYC with 80,000 old photographs to let you check out 19th-century New York a la Google Street View.

"Against logic there is no armor like ignorance." -- Laurence J. Peter

Coordinated strikes

This brilliant (pun intended) two-and-a-half-minute non-stop lightning show was expertly edited and sync'd to a perfectly percussive soundtrack. The Fourth of July won't be the same if we figure out how to control storms.

And maybe you've always wanted to do something like this at the store... see the world's fastest shopping cart smashing into a wall at 75 MPH. Oddly satisfying.

"Luck is always the last refuge of laziness and incompetence." -- James Cash Penney

Check that

So who is in the wrong here -- the tailgater or the brake-checker? (Opine in the comments on Dooby Brain if you care to.)

And whether it's a prank or grand theft auto, thou shalt not selleth thy neighbor's car, Kia Soul or not.

"A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right." -- Thomas Paine

All fall down

Watch this near-record 19-foot tall domino tower collapse in spectacular fashion, just a few layers away from record-breaking.

And keeping it together... how to seal a bag of chips without a clip, glue, or staples.

Seal that bag

"The biggest emotion in creation is the bridge to optimism." -- Brian May

Level best

The intersection of digital and physical, watch a hamster play Super Mario Bros., for real. ("Like an 8-bit Habitrail," says Boing Boing.)

And refreshing animated illustrations of some vibrant soda-pop can designs.

"Even rats can only be kicked around for so long before they've had enough." -- Joe Cowley

Travel light

Rachel Grant makes good use of technique and Ziploc bags to cram over 100 travel items into a little carry-on bag.

And take this quiz to find out how many words fit into your vocabulary.

"It is better to travel well than to arrive." -- Buddha

Weight a minute

So this Indonesian guy goes away to college for three years and loses 45 lbs., enough poundage that he can trick his family by sitting next to them in a restaurant and waiting for them to recognize him.

Also nearly unrecognizable, this fleshy, grotesque politician thing called Trimp is just plain bizarre, an election year nightmare.

"Life doesn't stop because something happens to you." -- Magic Johnson

Need directions?

A little sad and more than a little amusing, these grown adults having problems throwing a frisbee. I know you don't see these things as much anymore, but c'mon.

And this guy made a giant Connect Four board and you can, too, by following these instructions.

"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure." -- Mark Twain

Crazy talk

Enjoy some fresh mockery in this latest "Sassy Trump" clip, a video series that breathes new life into The Donald's own words.

And "Talk Obama to Me" creates a video clip mashup of POTUS saying whatever you type in.

"It's useless to hold a person to anything he says while he's in love, drunk, or running for office." -- Shirley MacLaine

Fashion plate

Check out this well-dressed chicken running around in bespoke blue pants, presumably inspired by the latest issue of CQ magazine.

And speaking of dress codes, this beer koozie necktie will make you want to get gussied up for your next barbecue.

"It is now life and not art that requires the willing suspension of disbelief." -- Lionel Trilling

Squeaking is believing

The difficult-to-comprehend story of the boy who inhaled a dog squeaky-toy... "How can you tell?"

And rumor has it that the efforts to describe "Sausage Party" by parental advisory site Kids In Mind are more entertaining than the actual movie itself.

"Sometimes one creates a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometimes one creates as significant an impression by remaining silent." -- Dalai Lama

Emotional rescue

How many EMTs does it take to save a squirrel from a plastic cup? Enfield, CT EMS knows. (Moral of the story: Please recycle.)

And another savior of sorts, America's first "pizza ATM" is rightly located on a college campus, just in time.

"Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness." -- Richard Carlson

Hack attack

Determined thief chops down a tree to steal a bicycle. Wood you do the same? Or just leaf it alone?

And more criminal intent, is it frightening that this woman was not only texting while driving, but that she was texting while driving with her feet?

"It's a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money." -- Albert Camus

All in one

Found on the street, one-man band Juzzie Smith rocks, seriously. (Wish they played this on radio, satellite or "terrestrial".)

This guy's awfully good, too -- a self-contained power trio by virtue of drumsticks.




And another interesting combo, this fast food cake made from pizza and burgers is heaven and hell in a tidy package.

"Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future." -- Elie Wiesel

Cruel world

Little girl releases a newly hatched butterfly and learns one of life's lessons -- Nature is brutal and heartless.

Also, more training for an essential parental skill.

"Solitary trees, if they grow at all, grow strong." -- Winston Churchill

My way or...

Can't do it sober? Then maybe you can assemble IKEA furniture while under the influence, like on this new YouTube channel, HIKEA Productions.

Also apparently frustrated, a bear broke into this car looking for food and got a little ticked off when he didn't find any.

"When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice." -- Saul Bellow

Overflow

They say sometimes sh!t happens. This recently released dashcam footage of a sewage tanker from the streets of Moscow reveals this eternal truth in gory detail. Keep those windows rolled up in traffic.

And why did this crazy Swede blow up a porta-potty?

"Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out." -- Anton Chekhov

Character flaw

Meet Coleman Sweeney, class-A a-hole. Turns out he's a heckuva guy.

And artist Abigail Goldman makes micro-sized murder scenes she aptly calls "dieoramas". [more at Atlas Obscura]

"We must not allow other people's limited perceptions to define us." -- Virginia Satir

Face first

Why in heaven's name would you apply 100 layers of foundation to your face? Or for that matter, 100 coats of everything so you look like a giant creepy doll?

And try to figure out what's real in this artist's confusing and amazing visual illusions created using only her face and hands.

"Anything worth doing is worth overdoing." -- Mick Jagger

Leftovers

Whether you've ever actually counted sheep to help you fall asleep, you're probably kept awake at night wondering what happens to the sheep that don't make it to the other side of the fence. Finally, a short animation that will let you rest comfortably.

And an amusing and somehow appropriate sign for an urban farm.

"There are some people that if they don't know, you can't tell them." -- Louis Armstrong

Crackers

Adam Winrich appears to have cracked the world's longest whip -- 238 feet and 3 inches -- and it's nothing like I imagined. (His YouTube channel has a whole lot more amazing whipping videos, if you're interested.)

Also interesting use of a weapon, looks like you can make a bullet spin like a top when you shoot a frozen pond.

"The most perfect technique is that which is not noticed at all." -- Pablo Casals

What the flock?

Imagine cruising down the freeway and seeing this crazy-ass bird racing cars for 12 miles down the road, just for the sheer exhilaration of it.

And more thrill-seeking... another of those queasifying videos of lunatics climbing the Eiffel Tower for merdes et fous rires. Maybe some selective editing, but still...

"It is best to act with confidence, no matter how little right you have to it." -- Lillian Hellman

Looming large

String meets classical art and technology to create these amazing Renaissance-style portraits by artist Petros Vrellis. Read the Hackday post for more info on how he does it.

And check out these grotesque, fleshy blob sculptures by Russel Cameron for something a little more nightmarish.

"We must never confuse elegance with snobbery." -- Yves Saint Laurent

Dam amazing

A little experiment to try next time you're there... pour some water and watch it flow up the Hoover Dam (i.e., not the way it normally goes).

And check out this gravity-defying levitating glass that literally raises your spirits.

"The impossible often has a kind of integrity which the merely improbable lacks." -- Douglas Adams