Thousands of army ants in Costa Rica amazingly worked together to build an impressive ropy bridge using their own bodies in order to swarm a highly placed wasp nest. Attack of legionary ants, also known as army ants or marabunta, to a wasp honeycomb. It’s impressive the level of swarm intelligence and collective computation they…
Legendary Musician Pete Drake Plays His ‘Talking Steel Guitar’ on ‘The Jimmy Dean Show’ in 1964
In 1964, musician Pete Drake appeared on The Jimmy Dean Show and played his “talking steel guitar” for a really appreciative audience. The song he chose was “I’m Just a Guitar”, an amusing ditty about how everyone picks on him. The sound of Drakes voice was so unusual, it caused one concerned viewer to ask…
How Rod Serling Used Allegory to Make Episodes of ‘The Twilight Zone’ Feel Culturally Relevant
In an extremely insightful essay about the iconic original series The Twilight Zone, artist Zane Whitener of In Praise of Shadows takes a look at how subjects that appear to be too fantastic for real life were actually written to be culturally relevant through the use of allegory. Whitener cites examples from such episodes as…
Cosmologist Stephen Webb Addresses the Age Old Question About There Being Life on Other Planets
In April 2018, British cosmologist and astrobiologist Stephen Webb spoke to a Vancouver TedX audience about seeing a UFO as a child. This event, he stated, made him wonder exactly “Where are all the aliens?“, is there life on other planets in other galaxies? How would they exist or would we need to grow life…
‘The Mad Drummer’ Who Was at the Wrong Gig Decimates Kevin in a Drum Battle on ‘The Office’
In 2010, a dramatic drummer with a very distinct style became rather popular when a video of him playing surfaced with the caption “this drummer is at the wrong gig” went viral. Since that time, the drummer, whose name is Steve Moore aka “The Mad Drummer”, has appeared in commercials, on international talk shows and…
Stunning Side-by-Side 4K Footage Showing How Visual Effects Can Completely Erase Signs of Aging
In 2015, digital compositor and visual effects artist Rousselos Aravantinos created an impressive age reduction demonstration with actress Michele Valley. In 2018, Aravantinos conducted a very similar demonstration, this time using new technology and increased knowledge of the human body. This time I experimented with new techniques. The goal was to preserve more fine details…
How Psychotherapy Encourages the Vocalization of Self-Reflective Thoughts Without Judgement
The School of Life explains via animation “How Psychotherapy Works” despite its demanding schedule, by positing three different ways the therapist is able to reach the patient. Their first reason is that psychotherapy encourages patients to reflect and bring to the surface those thoughts that live in the unconscious mind with vocalization in an environment…
The Charming Actor Who Voiced the Irascible Homer Simpson in Spanish for ‘The Simpsons’ (1990-2005)
Great Big Story visited with the incredibly charming and very funny Humberto Vélez, who voiced the irascible Homer Simpson in the Spanish language version of The Simpsons from 1990 to 2005. Vélez showed how he developed his version of Homer, keeping in accordance with what would be both funny and culturally relevant within the vast…