Dolphins are infatuated with squirrels running around outside their tank.
All it takes are a few squirrels to turn these dolphins into dogs. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/dolphins-are-infatuated-with-squirrels-running-around-outside-their-tank/
Finally, Say Goodbye to Derek Jeter and the Longest Goodbye in History
New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter smiles at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014 in New York. Image: Seth Wenig/Associated Press Perhaps it’s that misty-eyed “America’s pastime” trope. Maybe it’s that the game lacks a clock’s anxiety-inducing march toward 0:00. Or maybe it’s childhood memories of post-game orange slices for everyone. Whatever the reason, baseball seems to lend itself to treacly nostalgia more than any other U.S. sport. But do you know what you get if you take all of baseball’s latent, maudlin sentimentality, then infuse that with some good old fashioned NYC-centrism and — most of all — a ton of cold, hard cash? You get the longest goodbye in the history of goodbyes — or, in other words, Derek Jeter‘s months-long retirement ceremony. Ah, Derek Sanderson Jeter, the unassuming kid from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who broke into the bigs at age 20 in 1995 then spent the next two decades becoming a baseball icon before playing his final home game at Yankee Stadium this Thursday (a weekend series in Boston ends his career for good). Ah, Derek Jeter, otherwise known simply — and regally — as The Captain, a superstar on the diamond and the smoothest of operators off it. Ah, Derek Jeter, perhaps the most marketable baseball star of all time, the player whose pinstriped number 2 shirt is the best-selling baseball jersey in history. And now we’re finally getting somewhere. When Gatorade released a breathless Jeter tribute last Thursday, it wasn’t even the first hashtag-brand to put out a lengthy, glossy YouTube spot full of soft lighting and cliched NYC imagery in honor of Jeter. Nope, Nike beat Gatorade to that punch way back in July, before Jeter’s final All-Star Game. (Final season, final All-Star Game — we can only assume some enterprising ball-boy will frame the newspaper Jeter reads during his Final Yankee Stadium B.M., but haven’t fact-checked this to be sure.) To correspond with its Jeter tribute, Nike tried to shove the hashtag #RE2PECT down our throats. Because he wears the number two, get it? And that uh, kind of looks like an “S”? Do you get it? Mutilating the very word “respect” as a sign of #RE2PECT for one as famously #CLA22Y as Jeter could strike some as baldly cynical, of course — a bit #DI2RE2PECTFUL even. But then again, this is about re$pect more than it’s about #RE2PECT. (Nike even has a “Re2pect Collection;” T-shirts are $35.) Re2pect @jumpman23 pic.twitter.com/OYemkDXIzC — Mark Wahlberg (@mark_wahlberg) September 2, 2014 Nike and Gatorade aren’t alone here — oh no, not by a long-shot. You could see this all coming way back in February, when Jeter first announced the 2014 season would be his last. Derek Jeter smiles at a news conference after being named American League Rookie of the Year in 1996. Image: Ron Frehm/Associated Press Now here we are. Average ticket prices for Jeter’s final home game exceed $800. Toys — toys! — are reenacting his top 10 career highlights. Tickets for a “Farewell Derek Jeter […]
This Guy’s Magic Tricks Just Keep Getting Crazier…Holy Crap
David Blaine’s magic is so good, it’s a little unsettling. He’s been frozen in a block of ice, buried alive, and has somehow managed to escape from impossible situations, all without explanation. Recently, Blaine stopped by “The Tonight Show” to share some magic tricks with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots. At first, it appears that he’s going to stick to simple card tricks, but the audience is in for a huge (and kind of gross) surprise. With every trick, things get a little bit crazier. Just when you think the performance is coming to an end, Blaine pulls off an illusion that no one saw coming. Read More: This Kid’s Amazing Coin Magic Trick Will Have You Questioning Reality I can’t decide if I’m more entertained or creeped out. Hopefully, he won’t make “aquarium stomach” part of his normal routine. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/david-blaine/
18 Reactions to ‘Shake It Off’ That Taylor Swift Could Write a Song About
Say what you will, Taylor Swift is just going to shake it off. Swift debuted debuted her new music video on Monday via Yahoo Live Stream. The pop star announced an upcoming pop album, titled 1989, and then further surprised fans with a full music video of one of her new songs, “Shake It Off.” While the video was not about a breakup, it did feature twerking, ballerinas dancing, cheerleaders flinging Swift in the air, and striking similarities to those musical Gap commercial. The song is basically about not caring what people say, because she’s Taylor Swift and she does what she wants. Still, haters gonna hate (hate, hate, hate, hate) — on Twitter at least. Taylor Swift Reactions As if today’s news couldn’t get worse, now Taylor Swift REALLY wants to get in on the appropriation game — Sama’an Ashrawi (@SamaanAshrawi) August 18, 2014 ICYMI: Taylor Swift unveiled a new Taylor Swift product in her keynote address at the biannual Taylor Swift Conference — Adam Markovitz (@amrkvtz) August 18, 2014 My Black Swan nightmares have been fully realized. #TaylorSwift http://t.co/mv9W0Z0eGy — Andrea Romano (@theandrearomano) August 18, 2014 o u h8? pic.twitter.com/AfIEJxeMrT — Jeff Petriello (¬‿¬) (@thebeff) August 18, 2014 Theory: Taylor Swift is a very elaborate performance artist. — Kari Paul (@kari_paul) August 18, 2014 Oh @taylorswift13, you shouldn’t have: https://t.co/zwQzGP6exC — SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) August 18, 2014 wait taylor swift i thought you weren’t a cheerleader wtf is with these conflicting narratives — pilot?????? (@pilotbacon) August 18, 2014 Taylor Swift needs to relax her eyebrows. — Marvelous Sugar Baby (@DiovanniFrazier) August 18, 2014 The Taylor Swift-Skrillex hybrid is going to kill us all one bad song at a time. http://t.co/yIcoJGvdNQ — Annie Colbert (@anniecolbert) August 18, 2014 I like how you learn everything you need to know about Taylor swift from her album titles ahah — baby donut (@ALEXTVRNR) August 18, 2014 So, according to Taylor Swift’s new music video, she’s going through a mid-life crisis and has no grasp of country anymore. — Rob Ciambra (@RobTheFreshman) August 18, 2014 that Taylor Swift video is a few pairs of khakis away from a Gap commercial. — Jesse David Fox (@JesseDavidFox) August 18, 2014 Taylor Swift is the Frozen of whatever category Taylor Swift falls into. — Michael O’Connell (@mikeylikestv) August 18, 2014 What if Beyonce dropped a new album in the middle of Taylor Swift’s livestream? — Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) August 18, 2014 I will, along with the rest of Twitter, now tweet my feelings on Taylor Swift’s new song — Greg Seals (@GregSeals) August 18, 2014 What many don’t realize is that Taylor Swift makes a cameo in the Nine Inch Nails “Closer” video as a Madagascar roach flailing on its back. — Christian (@csweda) August 18, 2014 Pretty crazy that Taylor Swift dropped a Weird Al style parody video today — Mark Popham (@markpopham) August 18, 2014 I love Taylor Swift’s new version of Happy. — Barb (@BarberaLoyd) August 18, 2014 Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/08/18/taylor-swift-musc-video-twitter-reactions/
Welcome to “Winter Punderland”.
How many of these puns were you able to figure out? Read more: http://www.wimp.com/welcome-to-winter-punderland/
King of Spotify: Ed Sheeran beat out these major artists to rule 2014
Ed Sheeran performs at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show on Dec. 2 in London.Image: Samir Hussein/Getty Images Ed Sheeran has won the world over, claiming the throne as Spotify‘s most-streamed artist this year, with 860 million listens in the 58 global markets where the service is available. The English singer-songwriter held off stiff competition from Eminem, who is Spotify’s all-time most-popular musician, Coldplay, Calvin Harris and Katy Perry. Perry, next year’s Super Bowl halftime show performer, dethroned Rihanna to become the top female. On Perry’s tail were Ariana Grande, Lana Del Rey, Beyoncé and Lorde. Sheeran’s sophomore studio album, x, also earned the title of top-streamed album, with 430 million streams since debuting at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart in June. He beat out Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea, Pharrell Williams and Grande. Meanwhile, over on rival Rhapsody, Sheeran was absent from the service’s top global artists, as Eminem, Drake, Katy Perry, Beyoncé and Rihanna came out on top in 2014. Musicians’ streaming stats have become more important than ever in terms of their success on Billboard charts. Billboard and Nielsen announced last month that they would alter the Billboard 200 albums chart to now include audio streaming data to rank the top albums, while also taking into account physical sales and paid downloads of albums and tracks. However, streaming services are also embroiled in controversy over artist royalties. Here’s a breakdown of the best of the best on Spotify: Top five global artists 1. Ed Sheeran 2. Eminem 3. Coldplay 4. Calvin Harris 5. Katy Perry Top Five Global Males 1. Ed Sheeran 2. Eminem 3. Calvin Harris 4. Avicii 5. David Guetta Top five global females 1. Katy Perry 2. Ariana Grande 3. Lana Del Rey 4. Beyoncé 5. Lorde Top five global groups 1. Coldplay 2. Imagine Dragons 3. Maroon 5 4. OneRepublic 5. One Direction Top five global tracks 1. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams 2. “Rather Be” (feat. Jess Glynne) – Clean Bandit 3. “Summer” – Calvin Harris 4. “Dark Horse” – Katy Perry 5. “All of Me” – John Legend Top five global albums 1. x – Ed Sheeran 2. In The Lonely Hour – Sam Smith 3. The New Classic – Iggy Azalea 4. Girl – Pharrell Williams 5. My Everything – Ariana Grande Top five global viral tracks 1. “Take Me To Church” – Hozier 2. “Gooey” – Glass Animals 3. “Ojos Color Sol” – Calle 13 4. “Coffee” – Sylvan Esso 5. “Hey Mami” – Sylvan Most streamed artists in the U.S. 1. Eminem 2. Drake 3. Kanye West 4. Lana del Rey 5. Ariana Grande Most streamed tracks in the U.S. 1. “Fancy” – Iggy Azalea 2. “Dark Horse” – Katy Perry 3. “Happy” – Pharrell Williams 4. “Problem” – Ariana Grande 5. “All of Me” – John Legend Most streamed albums in the U.S. 1. x – Ed Sheeran 2. The New Classic – Iggy Azalea 3. In The Lonely Hour – Sam Smith 4. Native – OneRepublic […]
This Refrigerator Only Opens if You Smile
If you’re hungry, you better smile: Researchers at the University of Toyko have developed a smile-activated refrigerator, which requires users to flash a grin before entering. The system, which is called the “The Happiness Counter,” aims to naturally encourage smiling in our every day lives. Equipped with built-in Sony CyberShot digital camera that features smile-recognition technology and an attached light sensor, it can sense when a smile has been flashed and unlocks the refrigerator door. Although you would think this could cure late-night food-binging for those feeling down, it’s still possible to open the refrigerator if you don’t smile — you just have to tug at it harder. “We feel that the happiness counter will naturally encourage the act of smiling in the multitude of daily frustrations, thus enhancing a positive mood and the communication of people,” a spokesperson said in a product video. The fridge might actually make smiling easier, too: researchers conducted a series of trials to test its effectiveness and found participants were more likely to smile forcefully in the first few days of using the system, compared to day 10 when people were much more likely to smile naturally. The team also believes this type of smile-activated technology has potential to boast productivity and morale in the workplace. For example, a “Happiness Counter” could be installed outside a meeting room, and only those who smile are allowed to enter. “Increasing the number of smiles in the workplace will enhance the atmosphere for everyone and they might be able to produce some nice ideas,” a spokesperson said in the video. Are you intrigued by the concept? Do you think it could really make a difference in your overall mood and outlook? Let us know in the comments below. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/10/smile-refrigerator/
State Troopers Hilariously Lip-Sync While Patrolling A State Fair
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTBT_ATF’); }); While riding around in a golf cart, patrolling the fairgrounds on the last day of the Indiana State Fair, these Indiana State Troopers decided to have some fun and make a video to celebrate the occasion. The cops went all Danny and Sandy, reminiscing about their “Summer Nights” by lip-syncing the iconic song from “Grease.” When asked about the viral video, Jonathan Amburgey said, “The State Fair is a time that we have the opportunity to interact with the public in a way that we normally don’t get to. We wanted to show people that we aren’t robots. We have a personality, we like to laugh, and most of all, we like to make other people laugh.” Well done guys. As far as laughter goes, you hit the nail on the head! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/troopers-grease/
The Underwater Drone Helping Search for Flight MH370
Bluefin-21 is in the water after being craned over the side of Australian Defense Vessel Ocean Shield to begin using its side-scan sonar in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on April 14.Image: Leut Kelli Lunt/Getty Images If wreckage from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is ever discovered, an underwater drone could very well be the first thing to spot it. The Bluefin-21 was contracted by the U.S. Navy to dive into the southern Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia and scan the ocean floor for pieces of the plane that went missing on March 8 with 239 people onboard. The drone was forced to resurface on April 16 due to a technical issue, according to a press release provided to Mashable by the Joint Agency Coordination Center, a search organization the Australian government created to help find the missing Malaysia airliner. Officials downloaded the drone’s memory once it was above water but, so far, Bluefin-21 has turned up nothing significant. Built by Bluefin Robotics but owned and operated by Phoenix International, this autonomous underwater vehicle takes instructions from a ship’s radio before diving up to around 2.8 miles underwater. The remains of flight MH370 might be much farther down, but at that depth Bluefin-21 can blast the ocean floor with a sonar beam. Data picked up from the sonar will be delivered once the drone resurfaces. Jim Gibson, General Manager of Phoenix International, told Mashable that if Bluefin-21 finds what might be a debris field, someone will switch out the vehicle’s sonar instruments with photo-taking equipment and send it back down to see if the clutter comes from the Malaysia Airlines plane. Bluefin-21 scans from side-to-side, and can spend about 16 hours at the bottom before coming up to re-juice. The ability to swap equipment is key to why this particular drone wound up searching for flight MH370. “It’s easily transported, unlike a lot of the other AUVs that are one piece,” Gibson said. “You can’t disassemble them, you need a special launch and recovery system to get them in and out of the water and everything else, and they’re quite heavy.” The ’21’ refers to the drone’s 21-inch diameter, according to the Bluefin Robotics website. It’s a little over 16 feet long and weighs around 1,650 pounds when it’s not in the water. Once it hits its lowest depth, the vehicle travels about three nautical miles per hour and can scan about 15 square miles of ocean floor per day. It stores all that information into its four gigabytes of memory. Despite the technical hiccup early on April 16, Bluefin-21 was redeployed later that day. Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/04/16/underwater-drone-mh370/
Wildlife Rescuers Are Left Completely Exhausted After Rescuing An Injured Deer.
A school in the UK alerted Simon and his fellow animal rescuers from the Wildlife Aid Foundation to help rescue a roe deer trapped in a fenced playground area. There was a lot of blood on the ground, worrying the team of a possible injury to the deer. When they finally caught the deer, they discovered running on the concrete caused him to bleed from his hooves. Luckily the little guy didn’t have any other fresh wound. They released him in a nearby field after checking him over, and Simon says the hooves won’t be any problem if the deer stays on the grass and soft ground. (Source: Wildlife Aid) The rescue completely drained all the energy out of the team. They looked exhausted at the end, but it was all worth it! Read more: http://viralnova.com/injured-deer-rescue/