Working out is hard enough, but how would you respond if your exercise machine started teasing you while you ran? This video from YouTube comedian Stuart Edge puts these gym enthusiasts in the line of fire of a sassy treadmill who can’t wait to motivate them with playful jokes. Things start off innocently enough with the treadmill doling out the standard talking exercise machine commands. But as their workout goes along the machine suddenly starts responding to their conversations and workout efforts. This treadmill has opinions about your form, your relationships, and your level of effort. No one is safe in this sweaty prank clip. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/talking-treadmill-prank/
The unusual weather we’ve been having lately has been linked to all sorts of strange happenings around the country. From massive mudslides half-burying towns to snowstorms in May, it’s been a roller coaster of meteorological proportions and these crazy fluctuations have trickled down the ecological chain to flora and fauna as well. One critter that is having a banner year is the armadillo. Floridians are finding themselves with dug up yards at a much higher rate than usual, likely due to changes in the weather. These animals can carry rabies and will bite and scratch pets, so it’s a problem for that reason alone. Aside from the destroyed landscaping and pet hazards, there’s one other rarer, but still significant, concern. Leprosy. Armadillos carry the infamous disease and while transmission is difficult unless you’re around them a lot, health officials believe that a significant rise in leprosy cases this year may be linked to the animals. If you live in an area these armor-plated oddballs inhabit, make sure to follow the advice in this video for identifying signs of an infestation, getting help removing them, and preventing further incursions into your homestead. Better safe than sorry! Don’t forget to SHARE this important info with your Floridian friends! H/T: WFTS Read more: http://www.wimp.com/leprosy-is-back-apparently/
Chances are we’ve all lived with a roommate at least once in our lives. For most of us, college was our first experience living in close proximity to another person. But what begins as a strong partnership can often lead to serious arguments. Someone hasn’t done the dishes, someone’s clothes are all over the floor or someone ate the last of the cereal. The list of possible aggravations could go on forever, and it will, unless one roommate is willing to address the conflict and solve it. This cat isn’t afraid to let its roommate know that it’s upset, which will clear the air and lead to peaceful days in their future. Also, let’s not ignore the drum set in the corner, which tells us that their owner might not be the easiest roommate to live with either. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/cat-tells-dog-be-quiet/
We all know the classic song “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but you’ve never heard it like this before. In his short film “Imagination,” Marc Donahue uses stop-motion animation and a sea of childhood toys and props to take us into the mind of a playing child. You’ll see some of your favorite characters from pop culture playing side by side with skateboard children and LEGO worlds. It’s a loving tribute to the mashup play time of childhood, where Darth Vader and the Smurfs go on adventures together because they can. Thanks to beautiful 4K photography the world of pure imagination has never looked clearer. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/stop-motion-imagination/
2016 is on its way, and that means that once again it’s time for the summer Olympics and Paralympics games (also elections, but that’s a whole other can of worms). This year, the summer games will be held in beautiful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While many of us are probably familiar with some of the big-name athletes at the Olympics, it’s probably safe to say that athletes from the Paralympics – the Olympic games open to athletes who are considered “handicapped” by society – are probably not household names. That’s exactly what the team behind this ad for the 2016 Paralympic Games were counting on when they sent Luciano Dantas (powerlifter with dwarfism, 2015 Parapan American Games bronze medalist), Vinicius Rodrigues (amputee sprinter) and Lucia Teixeira (visually impaired, 2012 London Paralympic Games silver medalist) into gyms across Rio and set up hidden cameras to capture the reactions. Although each of them is met with some bemused looks at first, they quickly impress everyone there by vastly outperforming the “able-bodied” gym goers. In the process they changed a lot of people’s opinions on what it means to be a para-athlete, including mine. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/paralympics-athletes-show-they-are-not-disabled/
If you’ve ever been to a dance recital or have watched PBS for an extended period of time, then you are probably familiar with Irish river dancing. It’s usually performed to classical Celtic music, but it’s not strange to see the dance performed with a more modern flair. One of the signatures of Irish step dancing is to move and kick with your lower body while keeping your upper body still. It can be a difficult skill to master – unless you’re just born with it. That is the case with this baby girl who danced along with the upbeat Celtic music as if she had been doing it for decades. Even though this baby doesn’t even know how to walk yet, she already is a better dancer than I’ll ever be. She puts a smile on her face, swings her legs and dances like she is on stage in front of thousands. Her mom knows just how talented her little girl is, so she set up the camera and recorded the whole thing. We’re sure glad she did. This baby river dancer has racked up over 500,000 views and people can’t seem to get enough. Hopefully she will continue her love of dancing and expand on her natural talent. Who knows, we may be looking at the girl who ushers in an Irish step dancing renaissance. Good luck, little girl. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/irish-baby-river-dancing/
This Korean toy looks like an ordinary doll head from the Disney film Frozen. However when it’s placed on the ground it turns into something much more. Watch for yourself as the toy evolves from a children’s play thing to the life of the party. Make sure to put it on your Christmas list for next year. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/korean-elsa-toy/
The Beatles are one of those bands that everyone has heard. Scratch that – they are THE band that everyone has heard. Even if you don’t think you’ve heard them, The Beatles’ body of work and influence spreads so far that they’re nearly impossible to avoid. They’re like Elvis or Michael Jackson: so game-changing that it’s impossible to imagine a world without their music. The Beatles dominated the 1960s, gaining huge popularity in the U.K. with their first big hit, “Love Me Do,” in 1962. It wasn’t until 1964 that The Beatles would rise to the level of international superstars with growing success in the United States. In fact, The Beatles are still the best-selling musical artists in U.S. history, having sold approximately 178 million units. Their most popular period of the 1960s was referred to as Beatlemania, but, as far as we’re concerned, Beatlemania still seems to be going on today. Aspiring singers cover their songs left and right, artists draw their likeness into pancakes and drummers cover their entire discography in five minutes. It’s been decades since the Fab Four were together, but the fandom surrounding them is still as alive as ever. As sad as it is, every band breaks up eventually. Unless you’re The Rolling Stones, in which case you’ll continue touring into infinity. While The Beatles’ breakup wasn’t officially complete until 1974 (due to legal disputes), a rooftop concert on January 30th, 1969 marked the last time they would ever play together. The band’s final performance was a surprise for the quiet London office district as they jammed out on top of the headquarters of Apple Records. This performance of “Don’t Let Me Down,” recorded on that fateful day, will forever be a part of rock & roll history. Enjoy. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/final-beatles-concert-50-years-ago/
We often take our freedoms for granted. We also take it for granted that “wild” animals are actually living in the wild. Did you know that there are more tigers living in American households than there are in the forests and jungles they actually call home? It’s true. And not just a few more. There are potentially up to 7,000 tigers living in the United States, compared to just 3,500 left living in the wild. Either of those numbers is pretty depressing, anyway, when you consider that the entire population of tigers worldwide only amounts to the equivalent of a small town full of people. Even those tigers, whose suburban lives are typically far from natural or happy, are living in the lap of luxury compared to other animals. In certain parts of Asia, traditional medicine often calls for bear bile. The demand for this product has resulted in an unfortunate “farming” scenario, where captured or bred bears are kept in small cages, hooked up to equipment to gather bile from them via poorly performed surgical methods. It’s a torturous, bleak life. Worse still is that thousands of bears continue to be kept this way despite most Asian countries having banned the practice. There is no evidence that, as it is used in traditional Chinese medicine, there is any effect whatsoever from use. One component of the bile does have medical uses, but it can easily be made synthetically. When bile bear farms are raided, bears like Tuffy need a place where they can recuperate and learn to be bears. Tuffy, as you’ll see, has no trouble getting into the spirit of being an adorable, playful wild animal when he gets his first visit to a pond. Remember to SHARE this touching video with your family and friends. H/T: Animals Asia Read more: http://www.wimp.com/watch-this-rescued-bear-get-his-first-taste-of-freedom/
Optical illusions and hidden images have been one of the biggest trends of 2016. There was the panda that started it all, the hidden words that stumped us for days and the nine mysterious faces in this gorgeous painting. These are all fun optical illusions, but Patrick Hughes’ “Superduperspective” is in a league of its own. The painting, currently on display at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in the United Kingdom, makes up for its silly name with one of the most mind-blowing effects we’ve ever seen. It’s difficult to describe what exactly you experience when looking at it, so it’s best just to watch the video below and see for yourself. In short, the artist’s work makes it seem as though the part of the painting that is closest to you is actually furthest away. It’s trippier than you’d expect. Hughes practices something that he calls “reverspective.” It’s an optical illusion that he created himself and is the reason why the painting in this video looks so strange. On his website, Hughes states that, “Making things in perspective is taking experience as a solid rather than an ever-changing relationship.” He is uninterested in putting anything “personal” into his art. For Hughes, it’s all about an evolving perspective. He has “no faith in realism, or indeed in reality,” and believes that “reality is much stranger than we think.” After seeing examples of his work, it’s tough to disagree with him … Read more: http://www.wimp.com/3d-art-patrick-hughes-optical-illusion/
