Magnetic Putty 4

In the most recent entry in his series, Ian Parks shows off the power of magnetism in a bizarre, but awesome way. Somehow, old school Silly Putty just doesn’t cut it anymore…

5 Weird Involuntary Behaviors Explained!

It’s Okay To Be Smart breaks down some of the strangest stuff everyone does.

Weird Places: Mauritania’s Eye of the Sahara

SciShow brings you one of the world’s most interesting geologic landmarks.

Soundtrack Saturdays: Katamari Damacy – Katamari On The Rocks

In 2004, a very strange game was released for the PS2. Katamari Damacy had a simple premise: Use a giant sticky ball to roll up literally everything in your path. The more you rolled up, the bigger your ball would become. Lint, paper clips, clothes, people, animals, furniture, walls, cars, trees, buildings, cities, islands, countries, planets, moons, stars, galaxies…everything. The scale just kept growing and growing, and everything you picked up changed the physics of the ball itself. Your efforts were overseen by the oh-so flamboyant King Of All Cosmos.

Yes, it was very strange indeed.

But popular too; this bizarre little game became a sleeper hit and launched one of Namco’s finest franchises. It was greatly helped by its incredible soundtrack, an eclectic mix of J-pop, rock, jazz, and lounge…and that’s not even getting into the plethora of remixes in the sequels. Katamari on the Rocks was its main theme, and its catchy insanity became a cult classic in the video game world.

If you want to get more Katamari (and I highly recommend you do), you can find the rest of the OST here.

Good gaming, good music. Nana-nananana-nana-nanana…

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Daily Prompt: Quirk of Habit

Hey, folks. Today’s Daily Prompt is all about quirks and habits. Specifically, the ones you either love or hate in yourself or others. I know that I’m always the weird one, so I’m all too aware of the little crazy (and probably annoying) things I do every day. I sometimes think out loud when I’m trying to puzzle out a problem, but I do so quietly. Sometimes I even get tongue-tied. Everyone around me either thinks I’m muttering something to them, or that I’ve dived straight into the deep end of schizophrenia. I don’t hear voices; occasionally I just think better if I give myself a little mental dialogue. But of course everyone thinks I’m just crazy like that.

It doesn’t help that I’ve got a thing about eye contact, too. Is it just me, or do people just not appreciate the importance of eye contact anymore? Is it because everyone is too busy staring at their smart phones and tablets? Is it just because we apparently need an excuse to not acknowledge the other individuals in our vicinities? I don’t know. But whenever I talk to people, I look them steadily in the eye. I had to train myself to do it, simply because I still find conversations unnerving. Eye contact is unspoken understanding that yes, I see and regard you as a person. Yes, I am listening to you. Yes, I am interested in what you have to say. You’d be surprised how much more polite and kind people act when they know you’re paying attention. However, I occasionally do it too much; a few extra uncomfortable seconds makes the difference between, say, and .

Gotta strike a balance somewhere.

I also have a occasional tendency to rush. It’s a remnant of my college days, when commuting was literally down to the second. I’ve gotten much better at dealing with it – I haven’t angrily frothed at missed train in years – but it still shows up whenever I’m trying to get stuff done. However, I’m also very fixated on accuracy and procedure. I don’t cut corners, but I make it efficient as I can. It’s like a Point A-to-Point B thought process that gets kicked up to Mach 10. Need to have the office shut down? I’ve not only memorized the checklist, I can have everything finished perfectly in a quarter of the time it’d take my coworkers. All because I just want to get out of the office and getting help from the others would just slow me down. Why sit around waiting for them to make mistakes that I’ll have to waste even more time fixing? The same goes with bringing in groceries, cleaning the house etc. Once the momentum gets going, I just can’t stop.

And yes, I’m well aware that it makes me sound like a terrible, bossy, self-centered, arrogant person. It is a part of me, and I hate that. I’m not a big fan of it in other people, either. Bossy people and I do not get along, usually because I refuse to play into their politics. I’m shy and quiet, but anyone who assumes I’m a doormat is in for a big surprise. Age and title aren’t nearly as important as actual experience and skill, and I don’t respond well to those who try pulling little schemes to inflate their egos. People who underestimate me often end up asking for my advice and leadership, and I’m not sure why. I’ve got a tendency towards snarky insights and straightforward, honest conversations. If people have to work together, everyone should help each other to best of their ability, not descend into petty in-fighting.

…Sigh. No wonder they got rid of me.

Oh, and one last thing: I get random songs stuck in my head for days. Sometimes I sing them silently in the shower. I know more about Wichita Lineman and Under Pressure than I’ll ever want.