Andrew Couts: Us vs. Them
One of the great things about the Internet is that it allows us to connect with people we might otherwise never meet. Cultures that exist in far-off lands are suddenly right in our laps. But sometimes, getting a taste of local foreign culture has its downsides – something these tattooed ruffians from Texas learned the hard way, after a “friendly” Web fan from Finland sent them a can of Surströmming, a local delicacy. Ok, maybe “delicacy” is the wrong word. Hideous monstrosity would be a bit more like it.
Surströmming is, as you may have heard, one of the most disgusting foods known to man – fermented baltic herring. The smell emitted when a can of Surströmming is opened is said to be the worst of all cuisine. Don’t believe me? Just check out this video below – you’ll be thanking Jebus that Google Nose was just a April Fool’s Day prank. (Warning: NSFW language – and if you don’t like watching people puke, don’t play this video.)
Natt Garun: Macklemore meets 8-bit: I’m in love
If you’ve yet to hear the catchy beat of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’ hipster anthem “Thrift Shop,” clearly you’ve been living under a rock. The song’s currently the number one most streamed track on Spotify, and it’s so addictive that earlier this month, a girl was arrested for choking her boyfriend because he wouldn’t stop singing it. He can’t help it! He just wants to look incredible in his grandpa’s clothes!
However, if you’re sick of the lyrics, here’s another way to enjoy the tunes. Rakohus, a YouTube channel known for converting hit songs into 8-bit versions, has done the same with “Thrift Shop,” and man it is literally “f*cking awesome.” It’s also mixed in with a bit of Daft Punk’s “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger,” so basically, this is a great song to work out to and get ready for a summer body. As with all of Rakohus’ mixes! Check it out below.
Amir Iliaifar: Game of Thrones inside jokes
Maybe you’ve heard of a little book series called A Song of Ice and Fire, and maybe, just maybe, you’ve watched the popular series, A Game of Thrones, on HBO. If you haven’t; where in the world have you been these past three years?! Locked away in some Dornish prison?
If you have seen the show congrats! Like me, you’ll appreciate the undisputed awesomeness that is this list of “26 Things You’ll Only Get If You Watch Game of Thrones.”
Molly McHugh: Beyonce tries to control her tour photos and the Internet is all “Oh, that’s hilarious!”
So I think we can all just go ahead and agree that Beyonce is a superhuman-meets-wizard-meets-goddess-meets-sorceress of a person. I mean, if she wanted them to, I’m pretty sure every major international ruler would cede power to her. Just like, “yeah, sure, of course you can take over Dubai. You’ll probably do a way better job than I can!” That said, I sure as sugar am enjoying watching the fallout over her ridiculous photography-related demands.
Remember how she basically single-handedly took over the Super Bowl? Yeah, that was amazing. Apparently it led to some not-so-amazing pictures that led her publicist to go all Mean Girls on the media world trying to get them taken down. So it would appear that since the incredibly unimportant slip that probably nobody cares about anymore, Bey is only allowing approved photographers and photos on her recent tour.
And with that, the Internet lost its collective shit. Because we have things called smartphones and Twitter and Instagram and Tumblr and you know, brains and thumbs, so you best believe we shan’t be thwarted. If my friends can post a photo taken of me last weekend at 4 a.m. at who knows what bar looking … I think the nice way to say it is “disheveled,” then by god, Beyonce, your magnificence is also up for grabs. I know you don’t have an untag option, but sorry (not sorry). We’ll all mourn for you whilst you sail away on one of your million yachts, laying in the arms of Young Hov with your strangely-named daughter who I’m already intimidated by. If for one moment you look slightly less than perfect and a fan nabs it and Instagrams that mess, own it because you know … you run this town. And also, the Internet’s attitude about this amounts to a big IDGAF.
Les Shu: Five years of amazing sandwich bag art
Graphic designer David LaFerriere has earned himself the right to call himself the “world’s greatest dad.” Since 2008, he has been creating whimsical works of art on his kids’ sandwich bags. Armed with a Sharpie marker, “each drawing is done just after I make the sandwich. I take a picture and post to Flickr. My kids don’t see the drawing until it is lunchtime,” LaFerriere writes in his “Sandwich Art” Flickr album. And these aren’t just crappy, hastily drawn doodles, either – LaFerriere puts a lot of thought into each drawing. We can only imagine the glee on his kids’ faces when they uncover the fun inside their lunch bags.
