Censortive subject

This bizarro and grotesque 1968 satire "The Glass Harmonica" was the only animated film banned by Soviet censors, apparently for the recursive reason that they didn't like how the film portrayed censorship, a mainstay of their "union".

And some amusing proofreader's marks, at least as these things go.

"There are three things that I've learned never discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin." -- Linus Van Pelt

Good hands

You can probably learn these three easy pen magic tricks, with the techniques for each broken down step by step -- unless you're me.

And a dad turns his 6-year-old's drawings into "reality" via the magic of Photoshop.

"People who have time on their hands will inevitably waste the time of people who have work to do." -- Thomas Sowell

Decadent

if this gent who immersed himself in 600 lbs. of Nutella doesn't have a mental problem, he certainly has a monumental (cleanup) problem.

And time-lapse videos of ants eating delicious snacks set to stock music. (There's a whole YT channel dedicated to such vids.)

"Once you get rid of integrity the rest is a piece of cake." -- Larry Hagman

What's the scoop?

Just under the Halloween wire, a demonstration of how to carve a picture-perfect pumpkin in under 30 seconds using a 60,000 PSI waterjet cutter, courtesy of the Waterjet Channel.

And have a look at this artist's series of sketches that (re)imagine movie titles with one letter removed. (He did them for a Reddit challenge where users were asked to, "pick a movie, remove one letter, give a brief description".)

"She got her looks from her father. He's a plastic surgeon." -- Groucho Marx

Zoom zoom

Amazing how burning steel wool looks like a raging wildfire when you look at it up close through a macro lens.

And a tutorial about how to make a super-detailed model tree is arts-and-crafts coolness.

"Fire and swords are slow engines of destruction, compared to the tongue of a Gossip." -- Richard Steele

Don't feed the porch

Porch hands are human-like and creepy, and seemingly everywhere. If only you could get the raccoons to work on Halloween.

And and a very lifelike bucket of scat that I'm sure you'll find handy for something or other.

"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." -- Mother Teresa

Taken

This guy figured he'd just try to drive his car off the tow truck... what could go wrong?

And here's each and every shift from each and every Fast and Furious movie, a great show, in under three minutes. "I liked the part when they changed gears."

"About the time we can make the ends meet, somebody moves the ends." -- Herbert Hoover

Taste the rainbow

All the more appropriate a tagline if you arrange some Skittles in a ring on a plate, pour hot water over them, and watch the magic happen.

And this guy makes elaborate drawings with avocado -- from the Mona Lisa to Chuck Norris -- and then eats them.

"Just as the bird sings or the butterfly soars, because it is his natural characteristic, so the artist works." -- Alma Gluck

B and E

Oh deer. Woodland vandal crashes through front window of store building in what's either a botched burglary or a mess of confusion.

And the finalists in the 2016 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance - it is the illusion of knowledge." -- Daniel J. Boorstin

Branching off

This first-person perspective filming of a massive tree removal has an unexpected gravitas courtesy of dramatic musical soundtrack, only slightly soiled by the somewhat grating buzz of the chainsaw.

Also in fauna destruction... blowing up fruits and vegetables in slow motion is good healthy fun.

"Yesterday's just a memory, tomorrow is never what it's supposed to be." -- Bob Dylan

Aw chute

While you might think losing something while falling/flying through the sky is an unrecoverable error, this guy somehow bucks the odds, incredibly retrieving his lost shoe midair during a parachute jump.

And responsive pixel art that re-scales itself as you move your cursor.

"A closed mouth catches no flies." -- Miguel de Cervantes

Shame reaction

Poor fellow accidentally wreaking havoc in the TV department of an electronics store is like something out of a bad dream.

And this crash-test footage shows why you might want to strap down the luggage -- would-be projectiles -- you put in your car.

"We should not moor a ship with one anchor, or our life with one hope." -- Epictetus

On track

A swell compilation of matchbox car flips, twists and jumps apparently filmed using a little tiny dash cam. Nice feat, and some nostalgia to boot. (Thanks RB)

And the ABCs for Terribly Spoiled Children, an indictment of sorts.

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." -- e. e. cummings

Overflow

Check out this great white shark force its way into a diving cage in a frenzied attack.

And a NASA animation shows all the rivers that feed into the Mississippi. Mighty indeed...

"I want you to take away the hope because that's the thing that's killing me." -- Denis Leary

Time and place

Frozen.

Somewhere in Japan, this amazing mime is taking a very, very long time to cross the street.

And a puerile Reddit thread seeks the funniest-named places in the UK.

"An explanation of cause is not a justification by reason." -- C. S. Lewis

Reaching across the aisle

I was watching football, so didn't catch this delightful little duet with Trump and Clinton singing "Time of my Life" after Sunday's debate.


And this XKCD comic about problems could apply to politics and life in general as much as it does coding.

"Reality is the leading cause of stress among those in touch with it." -- Lily Tomlin

Spin doctoring

Evidence that a new generation has discovered the wonder of playing 45 RPM singles at the 33 1⁄3 RPM album speed, with classic tracks like Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" as a slow groove, or Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" transformed into luded-out industrial disco.

"The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been." -- Madeleine L'Engle

Measure twice

Instructional video from YouTube’s Shop built channel shows how to build this seemingly impossible Escher-like fence thing using nothing but the skills you learned in high school shop class.

And tiny tools built by a master tiny toolmaker Marco Terenzi. You can buy them, too.

"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!" -- Audrey Hepburn

Cut the sheet

Entertaining video explains how to read all the arcane marks and symbols on sheet music.

"If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music." -- Gustav Mahler

Tiny moments

Small doses of good entertainment in this couple of minutes of celebrity "nano-impressions" from Jim Meskimen.

And you've probably heard of body doubles for movie stars, but did you know there were voice doubles, too?

"One advantage of talking to yourself is that you know at least somebody's listening." -- Franklin P. Jones

What's the good word?

Ever wonder what those fast-mouthed auctioneers are saying? Well here's your chant to find out.

And if you're stuck for something smug to say, the Idiomatic generates random idioms out of other idioms to stymie and annoy.

"There's a great power in words, if you don't hitch too many of them together." -- Josh Billings

Back up

Watch things happening in reverse and be momentarily mesmerized.

And some allegedly forward progress... the Internet of (nasty) Things. Check out what John McAfee found happening on this "smart fridge" at a local Home Depot.

"If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster." -- Clint Eastwood

Tier up

Check out these wacky humans stacking they-selves into a seven-level human tower.

And another interesting arrangement, click anywhere in this blank square and see where thousands of other people have clicked.

"Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." -- Mahatma Gandhi

Point of reference

A seemingly large chef whipping up a seemingly tiny lasagna is just one of the interesting cooking videos that challenges your sense of scale on the YouTube channel Walking with Giants.

And a B-2 bomber on a football field, scorpions and cats, and other photos that put relative sizes into perspective.

"Seeing is not always believing." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Oh, the humanity

Long before the dawn of our selfie-obsessed culture, this man filmed himself annually for 35 years and made a video going backwards to 1977, inspiring a documentary called Sam Klemke's Time Machine.

And the folks at this website Color.Works [https://www.color.works/] will turn your photo into a crayon mosaic masterpiece suitable for framing.

"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets." -- Arthur Miller

Lucky strikes

Wait for it...

Man accidentally on purpose launches a carbonated beverage bottle with an incredibly unlikely bounce.


Drunk guy using an ATM makes an unintended withdrawal.




And an unexpected offensive rebound with a champagne bottle.

"To succeed in the world, it is much more necessary to possess the penetration to discern who is a fool, than to discover who is a clever man." -- Charles Maurice de Talleyrand

Review revue

gjusta. #toothpix @gjustabakery

A video posted by TOOTH PIX (@toothpix) on Aug 13, 2016 at 9:00am PDT

Very much an LA thing to me, this guy Toothpix specializes in absurd and humorous Yelp video restaurant reviews like this one. All of his work is on display at his Instagram.


And check out fine establishments like Buns 'n Roses, Hannah and Her Scissors, Bin There Dump That and whole bunch of other punny businesses, crowdsourced and mapped, courtesy of Atlas Obscura.

"Take my advice. I don’t use it anyway." -- Source unknown