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MTV Rewind is an interface through which you can watch music videos from the 70s to the 20s, organized by decade. – via Jason
A Finnish company has created auto-focus glasses, which use eye-tracking sensors and liquid crystals to automatically adapt to the needs of the wearer. They look like regular glasses, too. – via What Could Go Right?
You Can Order a Stunningly Detailed LEGO Replica of Your House on Etsy – via my dad
I have now purchased two Jetsetter Tech Polo shirts and two pairs of Jetsetter Tech Pants from Jack Archer and they’re awesome. I was “influenced” by someone on Instagram and decided to give them a try and have been pleasantly surprised. The shirts look great even after multiple washes, and the pants are just as good as Lululemon ones. (And they even have a stretchy section in the waistband for when you know you’re going to eat a pound of pasta at dinner.)
Did everyone else know that the fork was popularized in Italy? (I had no idea!)
Abortion will remain legal in Wyoming after the state Supreme Court ruled that two laws barring the procedure violate the state constitution.
The Heat Is On:
- This is infuriating: The House of Representatives voted 341 to 79 to fund the current administration’s war-mongering foreign policy agenda.
- “Everyone who has gotten rich since Jan 2025 should vote Republican in the midterms and everyone who hasn’t should vote Democrat.” – via @ronfilipkowski
- Man convicted for carrying the podium belonging to Nancy Pelosi during the January 6 US Capitol riot seeks Florida county office.
- Great quote: “An economy built on stripmining its populace cannot be sustained.” – via Citation Needed
- Colorado appeals panel skeptical of sentencing for former county clerk who breached election systems
- I wholeheartedly agree with this statement: “Democrats should reject any pretense of political normalcy while [the current administration’s] goons wage an ongoing terror campaign against their own constituents. With government funding running out soon, the time to take a stand is now.” – via atrupar.com

Please enjoy watching this 45-second clip of a group of penguins meeting a kitten for the first time in their lives.
Alzheimer’s Fully Reversed in Mice, Scientists Say
If You Give A Crocodile A Kawasaki Ultra 310LX
I’m excited to build this Andor LEGO MOC of the Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) Covert Resistance Art Gallery with my son.
America’s Most Reliable Public Transportation Subway Belongs To A Thriving East Coast City – via my dad
A Little Good News on a Saturday Night
Pioneering Olympic snowboarder Ueli Kestenholz dies in Swiss avalanche
Meet the Aphantasics, Those Who Can’t See Mental Images
None of This Is Normal:
- “It’s shameful that the government can come out and lie about what happened when there’s video and witnesses who have all come out and disputed what the government is saying.” – Golden State Warriors Head Coach Steve Kerr – via @benross
- The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status, a war crime called perfidy. The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack off the coast of Venezuela. – via @kylegriffin1
- Jonathan Gerlach was arrested as he walked back toward his car with a crowbar and a burlap bag in which officers found the mummified remains of two small children, three skulls, and other bones.
- Six federal prosecutors quit amid the Department of Justice push to investigate the wife of Renee Good, the mother killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last week. – via What A Day
- ICE detention has expanded rapidly under the current administration, both in terms of the number of facilities and people held.
- I Was Kidnapped by Idiots

One of the largest sports collectibles forgery rings in the hobby has been busted in a bizarre fraud and forgery case that has rocked the hobby.
A professional toy photographer recreated the amazing story of the Shackleton Arctic expedition using LEGO bricks and a Nikon DSLR camera.
Tragic things are going to happen. Figuring out how and why is the complicated work of serious professionals.
I really cannot argue with any of the films on this list of The Ten Best Screenplays of All Time, but I dramatically disagree with the order. I also cannot imagine not putting Casablanca first and not including Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, or any of a half dozen other Spielberg movies.
Spontaneously Exploding Prosecco sounds like it would be a good late-90s Italian punk band name.
The ‘rising fastball’ was a tantalizing myth. Then teams started teaching Induced Vertical Break.
I agree with most of the points made in this essay on why Robert Redford as Roy Hobbs in The Natural still resonates with sports fans. (It’s one of my all-time favorite movies.)
An Amateur’s Guide to Working with the Media in a Hostage Crisis

“Even the word hopeless is not devoid of hope.”

– Blinky

Florida surgeon general says state will eliminate all vaccine mandates.
Consider those loonies who believe that the Apollo moon landing never happened. Now imagine a world in which everybody is like that about everything—because nothing can be proven. – Our Shared Reality Will Self-Destruct in the Next 12 Months
The current administration’s shortcut rule-making is shortchanging all of us.
His Book on Charlie Kirk Was About to Come Out. Then His Subject Was Murdered. (See also: Florida Reporter Suspended After Texting MAGA Congressman to Ask If He Still Supports Campus Carry After Kirk Shooting)
The Department of Education has announced that it will partner with right-wing think tanks and organizations to develop and spread what it claims is patriotic education.
It’s painful to read the archived story of how Epstein, bolstered by unlimited funds and represented by a powerhouse legal team, was able to manipulate the criminal justice system, and how his accusers, still traumatized by their pasts, believe they were betrayed by the very prosecutors who pledged to protect them.

Whoa! Archaeologists Discover Tomb of Unknown Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh. (Doesn’t that make two this year?!)
My son and I somehow got sucked into a rabbit hole watching Michael Jordan YouTube highlight videos and I had fun trying to explain to him just how jaw-dropping the 1997 flu game was to watch live.
I recently listened to the Smartless podcast interview with John Lithgow, which reminded me that for a couple of years I lived on the fringe of Beverly Hills and frequently saw him walking his dog around the neighborhood when I’d go on my morning runs. (We never interacted beyond a gentlemanly nod, but he seemed like a lovely man.)
France‘s far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been barred from seeking office for five years after being found guilty of embezzling funds from the European Union. It’s always refreshing to see powerful politicians held accountable for breaking the law. We should try that in the US.
The first Shohei Ohtani card to sell for $1 million included a coveted piece of his pants.
I really love these LEGO picture frames, shelves, and office organizers.
Apple is pretending to sell the computers from Severance, which I think is a cute little marketing gimmick.
Good News for People Who Like Bad News:
- Turkish student at Tufts University detained by masked men claiming to be police
- Top FDA Vaccine Official Resigns, Citing RFK Jr.‘s ‘Misinformation and Lies’
- FCC commissioner opens investigation into Disney and ABC for diversity policies
- How a Landlord and a Florida PR Firm Helped POTUS Kick Off the Tren de Aragua Gang Panic
- Administration Abruptly Cuts Billions from State Health Services
- The Florida State Health Department released a letter with a surprising new recommendation that contradicts standard of practice guidelines for measles outbreaks. – via YLE

Take a minute today to read this tribute to Dan Jezek and the story of his website, bricklink, the world’s largest online LEGO marketplace.
A Guide to Using Signal for Government Workers – via kottke, who is doing a great job reporting on the ongoing coup
In less than eight years the NCAA went from banning North Carolina from hosting championships due to its bathroom bill to [kowtowing to a cartoonishly evil conman]. – via @bubbaprog.lol
The universe could undergo a ‘catastrophic change’ that could alter absolutely everything, quantum machine shows.
Hopefully reading this will help convince you to dump Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and Twitter. The Technological Poison Pill: How the ATProtocol Baked into Bluesky Encourages Competition, Resists Evil Billionaires, Lock-In & Enshittification – via Jodi Ettenberg
The President’s plan to dismantle the Department of Education could prove more costly for red states than blue.
Incompetence and desperation are a bad combination. The important thing to remember is that [the “DOGE” attempt to get employees to resign] isn’t about economic efficiency, despite what the billionaire at the helm may say. It’s about efficiently breaking morale within the federal government to make it easier to dismantle from the inside.
Related: “DOGE” staffer steps down after racist posts emerge
“NOAA workers ordered to stop all communications with foreign nationals. Workers covering things like air transportation safety, drought, monitor coral reef destruction, and guarding railway shipping carriers against dangerous weather affected.” – via @timmarchman.bsky.social
“Twenty years ago, when Jeremiah Trotter, Sr won an NFC championship with the Eagles, baby Trotter Jr. was on the field, in his father’s arms. Now he’s playing for the Eagles in this year’s Super Bowl.” – via @npr.org

You are the captain of a starship, about to embark on a long journey to a strange planet. You must hire a crew and buy supplies for the long journey ahead, then deal with all sorts of adventures and problems along the way. Space Awesome is a lovely little retro game similar to Oregon Trail * or Zork *. (You can play a complete game in a few minutes.)
The Comprehensive Guide to Building a Realistic R2-D2 Replica
A wall of ice the size of Rhode Island is heading toward a penguin-packed island off Antarctica.
Once again, fans of the Buffalo Bills are the class of the NFL. They’ve raised over $100,000 with a GoFundMe for a diabetes charity supported by Mark Andrews, the Baltimore Ravens player who lost a fumble and dropped what would have been a game-tying catch in his team’s AFC divisional loss to the Bills.
JK Brickworks is a site with instructions for lots of fun LEGO MOCs.
“Wikenigma is an encyclopedia of known unknowns. That is, a listing of ‘scientific and academic questions to which no-one, anywhere, has yet been able to provide a definitive answer’.” – via kottke
Oh, wow. This is awesome. The Public Domain Image Archive is a hand-picked collection of thousands of out-of-copyright works, free to browse, download, and reuse. – via @austinkleon

“Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) said California will offer electric vehicle subsidies even if Donald Trump kills the $7,500 federal tax credit.” – via @crookedmedia
Recent research found that men who improve their fitness are 35% less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. – via Arnold’s Pump Club
I recently purchased an Anker MagSafe Case with (what I thought) one of those cool little kickstand grips. I sort of liked the kickstand, but I found I couldn’t align the charging area easily (or at all) on anything but a MagSafe base. I also tested for a week, alternating days with my Spigen case, and discovered the Anker one was definitely both (a) getting unreasonably hot and (b) significantly draining my battery. The heat issue was bad enough, but the battery drain is not something I’d ever accept. My 13-mo old iPhone 15 Pro still regularly sticks over 80% charge after a day’s use. With the Anker case it would be down to 50% before 6pm. Obviously, your mileage may vary and IANAAT, but I’m going back to my Spigen case.
Merging black holes may create bubbles that could swallow the universe. [Ed. note: The word ‘may’ is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.]
Most Black Friday deals are pretty worthless, but here’s a good one. All Predictions Wrong — home of TMQ — is offering a 20% discount on all paid subscriptions.
Anyone who is a fan of the doomed voyage of Ernest Shackleton and his crew aboard the Endurance [Ed. note: Dad!] has got to be thrilled right now. In addition to the epic book that was released a few years ago, and the Kenneth Branagh mini-series from a few years before that, there’s a new National Geographic special on Disney+ and now even a LEGO set!
Nice to see the Florida Gators climbed all the way up to No. 33 after beating Ole Miss, one week after the win against LSU. The Gators are the highest-ranked 6-5 team, with all five losses coming to top-25 teams. – via @theathletichq
The ugly math behind Florida’s low SAT scores: “Among all states, Florida students ranked fourth from last on the standardized exam used to gauge readiness for college. Among states where at least 50,000 students took the test, Florida ranked last.” – via @aspar1605
Just want to confirm your household is safe for my kid: Is your family up to date on vaccines? Will there be raw milk served? Is there a gun in the house? – brilliant advice via @designmom
Fun fact: The Portuguese garbage scow captain from Overboard (1987, Goldie Hawn) went on to become the Beverly Hills hotel manager in Pretty Woman (1990, Julia Roberts).

A child might ask, “Why is the sky dark at night?” Astronomers asked that for centuries, but it took a poet to answer it. And you’ll never guess which one… – via @thebadastronomer
“What’s a first down?”: Meet Tobi Haastrup, the accidental superstar and coveted recruit – via @austinflack
There have been a few articles lately about the terrifying amount of deadly recycled plastic in black kitchen utensils, so we got rid of ours and replaced them with this gorgeous beige silicone set. Highly recommend.
For ages the only copy I had of the 1989 Kon Kan hit “I Beg Your Pardon” was a cassette recording I captured from local FM radio, so any time I hear it I am reminded of Casey Kasem explaining how cool it was that they sampled the theme song from The Magnificent Seven.
There’s a Threads account that is posting album covers recreated with LEGO and it’s wonderful.
My superpower is not being able to stop thinking about an apostrophe error in one of the fake newspaper headlines in the 1994 Nicolas Cage/Bridget Fonda rom-com It Could Happen to You. – via me, Dec 27, 2021
Serious question: Why aren’t Moonlighting and Remington Steele on just as frequently as Law & Order?
Literally any task can be made dramatically more complicated with the simple addition of a six year old narrating your every move on a karaoke microphone set at maximum volume. – via me, Dec 28, 2021
“To say that we’re losing the war on plastic is to flatter ourselves with a lie. The fact is that we’re not even fighting it.”: How Plastic Liberated and Entombed Us

How Lego builds a new Lego set

Posts tagged “LEGO”

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