googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTBT_ATF’); }); Updating your backyard space doesn’t need to require spending a lot of time or money. Why spend a small fortune on manufactured furniture or accessories when you can make your own and have fun doing it?! With summer slowly coming to a close, don’t forget you’ve still got time to enjoy the outdoors in the early fall. In other words, there’s plenty of time to spruce up your backyard patios! Here are 21 DIY patio upgrades and essentials that are sure to put a little perk in your summer step. 1. This bright bar can bring a pop of color to your backyard festivities. Better Homes And Gardens googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBM_BTF’); }); 2. You’ll never run out of seating space with this cinder block bench. 3. Your patio isn’t complete without an awesome drink station. I Should Be Mopping The Floor 4. Transform those stray stones into a tic-tac-toe game everyone can enjoy. Designing, Dining And Diapers 5. I can feel the feng shui in this backyard lounge space. The Apprentice Extrovert 6. Wooden pallets can be used to build a variety of things, like this daybed. Lovely Greens googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCI1_BTF’); }); 7. This couch has room for the whole fam! 101 Pallet Ideas 8. By adding some bright colors, a rug, and some throw pillows, you can really make your space pop. Better Homes And Gardens 9. This crafter used old dog food bags to make this epic woven chair. Instructables / katvanlew 10. Giant Yahtzee, anyone? Dallas Moms Blog 11. Duct tape lawn pillows are water resistant AND pretty! Instructables / annahowardshaw 12. These lights might rack up a hefty bar tab, but you won’t remember it in the morning. Instructables / ARGMISTER googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCI2_BTF’); }); 13. Dining never looked so cool with this DIY patio table. Instructables / Nick Thomas Design 14. Don’t forget to tip the bartender! Break in your new bar with a backyard party. Instructables / AmateurHour 15. Add a rustic touch with this incredible pallet chair. Funky Junk Interiors 16. Is this a backyard or a jungle? With these chairs you’ll never know the difference. Instructables / peterman921 17. No patio is complete without a hanging chair. The Merry Thought 18. Build yourself this simple pergola. Kojo Designs 19. Jenga isn’t just an indoor game anymore. Dallas Moms Blog 20. When the sun goes away, your party can still slay with these mason jar lanterns. Orchard Girls 21. Why spend money to go to the movies, when you can stream the latest films in your own backyard? The Horticult If I start working on all of these projects now, by this time next year I can throw the most epic backyard party imaginable! Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/backyard-diy-projects/
Miss New York Kira Kazantsev walks the runway after she was named Miss America 2015.Image: Mel Evans/Associated Press Miss New York, Kira Kazantsev, took home the title of Miss America during Sunday’s competition, making it the third consecutive year Miss New York has snagged the crown. During the interview portion of the event, Kazantsey was asked what issue she would want female U.S. Senators to advocate for, to which she answered sexual assault in the military. And during the talent competition, Kazantsey performed a cover of Pharrell’s hit song “Happy” and managed to incorporate a bit of Anna Kendrick’s “Cups” routine from the film Pitch Perfect. Kazantsey, a 23-year-old graduate of Hofstra University, is an aspiring lawyer, and was recently accepted to Fordham University’s law school. Although she represented New York, she actually grew up in California. An advocate for domestic violence awareness, Kazantsey takes the crown from last year’s winner, Nina Davuluri. Miss Virginia Courtney Paige Garrett received first runner up. BONUS: 13 Royally Odd Things You Missed at Miss America Miss America Highlights 1. Spelling errors 2. A Ventriloquist puppet that looked oddly like Joan Rivers. 3. Collared evening wear 4. A nod to Pop-Up Video 5. Twirls 6. A pre-show “Hottest Dad” contest 7. A thumb war to decide the winner 8. Cheetah attacks So I guess @Pharrell and I can’t stop collaborating. #MissAmerica #WhatIsHappening?? pic.twitter.com/AhsTA62PJJ — Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) September 15, 2014 9. Anna Kendrick tweeting about Miss New York’s “Happy” cups performance 10. A baaaaad goat impression 11. Dramatic turns #Judging pic.twitter.com/cOsVUj9om6 — Gary Vaynerchuk (@garyvee) September 15, 2014 12. Gary Vaynerchuk: Businessman, Wine Guy, Selfie-Snapping Miss America Judge 13. Miss New York winning, giving the state a three-peat Image: AP Photo/Julio Cortez/Associated Press Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/09/14/miss-new-york-miss-america/
Remember way back in March 2012, when a robot cheetah designed by the Pentagon’s finest minds failed to outrun Olympian sprinter Usain Bolt? Remember how the metal creature’s mere 18 miles an hour — when compared to Bolt’s all-time high of 27.79 mph — provided humanity with some shred of dignity and self-assurance? Okay, maybe you don’t remember all of that. But if you do, forget it. Because the cybernetic cat is back — and it just beat Bolt’s best time. The Cheetah, as it is officially known, was created by a company called Boston Dynamics and funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA, the same group of military minds that brought us the Internet. In a video DARPA just released, seen above, the Cheetah laughs off Bolt’s challenge. Loping strangely along on four metal legs, the creature reaches 29.3 mph before its need for speed trips it up. What’s more, Bolt could only sustain that pace for 20 meters (and he had a little tailwind action, if truth be told). In theory, the Cheetah could complete an entire marathon in less than an hour. DARPA hopes this strange device could help foot soldiers on the battlefields of the future, like some kind of invincible sniffer dog on speed. But given that its inventions tend to have peacetime implications — you may have noticed that Internet thing isn’t just for defense scientists any more — we expect plenty of unintended consequences. Will robots compete in the Olympics of the 2020s and take all our medals? Will they challenge us to street races and laugh as we cough and splutter in last place? I, for one, would like to welcome our new superfast overlords. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/05/robot-faster-usain-bolt/
You might remember Aliaksei Zholner as the guy who made a fully-functioning v6 engine out of paper. Now, he’s back with an even smaller, single-cylinder engine, also made of paper. Hopefully, his next project is making a paper car to put them in. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/man-builds-a-tiny-single-cylinder-engine-out-of-nothing-but-paper/
Is there anything that movie makers can’t do with today’s technology? When it comes to something on screen (not counting the sodas thrown by a rambunctious youngster), the things filmmakers can do today would blow any movie from the past out of the water. The visual effects (or VFX) artists in Hollywood today are working miracles for these films. Check out what these recent blockbusters looked like before and after VFX were added, and see for yourself. The Avengers Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Life of Pi Godzilla RoboCop Elysium Ender’s Game The Wolverine A Good Day To Die Hard The Monuments Men 300: Rise Of An Empire Check out this video to see what another blockbuster movie looked like before and after VFX were added. (via IziSmile) I know they call it “movie magic,” but I was still surprised to see how otherworldly the work of the VFX artists really is. It’s incredible how far we’ve come with effects over the years. Read more: http://viralnova.com/movies-before-vfx/
Melissa Irons had a rough childhood. Because her mom was in and out of prison, she was raised by multiple foster families. So when she became an adult, she joined the marines to find some structure and discipline — something she’d seriously lacked growing up. In an effort to save her brothers from a similar fate, Irons wanted to adopted the young boys. That’s when Prank It Forward stepped in. Watch how the show helped the 21-year-old marine get to her brothers, and how a big gift changed their lives, too! If you’d like to help out this happy, reunited family, you can contribute directly to their GoFundMe. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/prank-forward-foster/
Matthew Perry recounts the time he met acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan at a bar. But, just like everything involving M. Might Shyamalan, it wouldn’t be complete without a plot twist. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/m-might-shymalans-greatest-plot-twist/
Mother Jones, the left-leaning magazine that has been publishing hidden camera footage from a private meeting between Mitt Romney and some of his wealthiest backers, has published the full 49-minute recording in two clips on YouTube. The previously released footage, in which Mitt Romney speaks candidly about Barack Obama supporters, Iran, Palestine and other issues, has sparked a great deal of controversy in the political world. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Romney team, which was attempting to use this week to “reboot” the campaign’s message. In a hastily-called press conference Monday night, Romney said he hoped the full versions of the videos would be released so that viewers could get the full context, and hear the question he was responding to. Now Mother Jones has obliged. (Watch part one of the video above, and part two below.) On YouTube, the most popular of the short videos posted by Mother Jones has already amassed more than 1.4 million views. Images courtesy of Flickr, Gage Skidmore Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/18/full-romney-hidden-camera/
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DTAT_ATF’); }); I’m just going to warn you that what you’re about to see is going to leave you feeling pretty stunned. Why? Because it’s the cutest thing that’s ever happened. Although the footage begins with a man preparing some not-so-appetizing meals in his kitchen, it’s the culmination that counts, people. Whenever he goes outside with buckets in toe, he brings a little more preciousness into this world. That’s what we all need right now, isn’t it? The activist works for an organization called the Orphan Bear Rehabilitation Center in Russia, and something tells me that his job is a rewarding one. I’m pretty sure this is what happiness looks like. Rumble googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBM_BTF’); }); To see all of the life-affirming cuteness unfold, watch the video below. If you want to learn more about the organization’s rescue efforts, check this out. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/cub-supper/
Even cats get frisky when they’ve consumed too much cat nip and gin. When Redditor Leicor‘s girlfriend tasked him with the responsibility of petsitting her cat, he decided to have a little fun. Instead of sitting back with a toy mouse and enjoying the monotonous duty of staring at a cat, he created a video depicting the scandalous escapades of the orange kitty. Not only is the video solid entertainment, it’s also a great way to ensure that your significant other will never ask you to catsit or leave town ever again. BONUS: 19 Things You Didn’t Know Cats Could Do Things You Didn’t Know Cats Could Do 1. Jump into your arms. Video: YouTube, Steve Bennett 2. Go fishing. Video: YouTube, MrYabawy 3. Make music with a vacuum hose. Video: YouTube, corkyobra 4. Replace your alarm clock. Video: YouTube, GarrulousCrap 5. See optical illusions. Video: YouTube, rasmusab 6. Fill in for Sonic the Hedgehog. Video: YouTube, Bi Goudi 7. Play fetch. Video: YouTube, Irilya 8. Learn tricks like a dog. Video: YouTube, TheBSRecord 9. Fetch the ice cream. Video: YouTube, alllettersnonumbers 10. Open the window. Video: YouTube, Keith Lynch 11. Clean up after themselves. Video: YouTube, Michael Thompson 12. Play iPad games. Video: YouTube, ThirstForEverything 13. Collect the mail for you. Video: YouTube, headsonfire 14. Call birds. Video: YouTube, LeeAnne Long 15. Answer the phone. Video: YouTube, marciorcod 16. Communicate with sign language. Video: YouTube, Marcztr 17. Walk like Frankenstein’s monster. Video: YouTube, teakdc 18. Meow underwater. Video: YouTube, SchneiderYuri 19. Be a complete jerk. (But you probably already knew that.) Video: YouTube, krmrmlp Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/05/07/drunk-cat/
