There will never be a world without Stan Lee. He’s the heart of the Marvel Universe. On Monday, November 12, the great Stan Lee took his last breaths and bid farewell to this mortal coil. In his newly realized absence, the employees of the Marvel Universe and Walt Disney Company paid beautiful tribute to this…
Why Films Are Perceived to Have Certain Subtexts Even Though the Director Didn’t Intend it That Way
In a nuanced episode of one of his insightful video essays, from the series Now You See It, host Jack Nugent explains through the use of interviews with directors and actors, why certain films are perceived to have specific subtexts (or conspiracy theories) even when they weren’t intended to be interpreted that way and asks…
An Exquisite Wooden Kinetic Sculpture That Mimics the Graceful Movements of a Swimming Sea Turtle
Motion artist Derek Hugger, who created the breathtaking hummingbird kinetic sculpture “Colibri”, has followed up with another exquisite kinetic sculpture he calls “Carapace“. This wooden single-cranked, tilting sculpture mimics the smooth, graceful and deliberate movements of a sea turtle swimming through the ocean. Carapace is my most complex kinetic sculpture yet. …it is comprised of…
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute Discovers a New Species of Deep Water Sea Squirts
While on a deep sea mission within the Monterey Bay, researchers from MBARI discovered a brand new species of deep water sea squirts (tunicate) that they’ve named Culeolus barryi, in honor of fellow researcher Dr. James P. Barry. This previously undiscovered species of translucent invertebrates live on stalks, which lift them off the seafloor and…
How Abandoned and Eroding Victorian Mansions of the Gilded Age Came to Symbolize Impending Doom
In a portentous video essay for Vox, producer Coleman Lowndes explains why the highly decorated, overly trimmed Victorian mansions (McMansions of their time) of the Gilded Age went from being a symbol of wealth and comfort to a frightening symbol of impending danger and doom. Critics of the time began to associate the houses with…
The Bizarre Story of Sir Alfred, The Stateless Man Who Lived at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris for 18 Years
Half as Interesting shares the bizarre story of Sir Alfred Mehran, an Iranian national who was rendered stateless due to his participation in protests against the monarchy. He was eventually granted refugee status in Belgium, but desired to gain citizenship within the United Kingdom after learning that his biological mother was Scottish. He travelled to…
Improv Everywhere Transforms a Pair of Unused NYC Pay Phone Booths Into Outdoor Coworking Spaces
Director Charlie Todd and the NYC comedy collective Improv Everywhere hilariously took a disgusting pair of unusable pay phone booths at 24th Street and 6th Avenue and transformed them into very usable outdoor coworking spaces. A faux WeWork representative who was played by Agent Addie Weyrich, greeted interested pedestrians who were fascinated by the concept…
Why New Yorkers Preferred a Less Attractive But Properly Scaled Subway Map Over a Modern Redesign
In August 1972, renowned Italian designer Massimo Vignelli created a beautifully modern streamlined map of the New York city subway that matched the forward thinking attitude of the city, but was eventually cast aside in favor for a more traditional approach. The issue was that Vignelli’s map didn’t pay enough attention to distance between stops…