Wildlife

Eastern Black Rhino Calves / Chester Zoo

Two incredibly rare Eastern black rhino calves have been born in a week at Chester Zoo, boosting global numbers of the critically endangered species.

Both calves were delivered safely onto soft sand following pregnancies lasting around 15 months — via Youtube

Art

Free Bird Seed / E Lee

Politics

Chap behind Godwin’s law suspends his own rule for Charlottesville fascists: ‘By all means, compare them to Nazis’

Mike Godwin, creator of Godwin’s law, has rescinded his own rule for those outraged by vile fascists marching the streets of Virginia, USA, at the weekend.

In other words, it’s OK to call these un-American white supremacists exactly what they are: By all means, compare these shitheads to Nazis. Again and again. I’m with you, Godwin said on Sunday evening.

Godwin’s law states that as an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one. The unofficial extension of this is that the first person to bring up Hitler automatically loses the argument.

Godwin created the aphorism in the early 1990s, when he was the first in-house lawyer for the EFF. It was created partly as a humorous aside on bulletin board behaviour and partly as an exercise in mimetics and to encourage people to read more history. More than 20 years later it’s still cited online.

In the wake of white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville, Virginia, over the weekend, which left one protestor dead and 30 injured, Godwin has, at least in this case, suspended his own law – or, rather, granted permission to break it. This comes after a plea from a fan online for him to respond to the scenes of fascists in America’s streets — via The Register (UK)

Wildlife

Five Cheetah Cubs Fluff It Up / Monarto Zoo

Five fluffy Cheetah cubs made their public debut this week at Australia’s Monarto Zoo.

Born in March to mother Kesho, the cubs immediately began exploring their new environment after bonding with Kesho in a private den for about three months.

One of the cubs is a male, and the other four are females — via ZooBorns

Entertainment

Martin Scorsese on Framing / Blank on Blank

Sometimes when it all comes together … you become the film you’re making — Martin Scorsese in 1990, as told to TJ English.

In this new episode we have a previously unheard conversation with legendary director, Martin Scorsese, on how he’s framed his movies and his life. The early foray into making a movie as a kid, toying with becoming a priest, and where his parents fit into all this. And wouldn’t you like to see a Scorsese Western? Enjoy! — via Youtube

Craft

Glow Table / Mike Warren

Check out the instructable. Really light up your next dinner party with a table that glows in the dark. Photoluminescent (glow) powder mixed with clear casting resin fills the the naturally formed voids in this Pecky Cypress hardwood, creating a unique and stunning table. The glow powder charges up in sunlight and emits a cool blue glow when in partial or complete darkness — via Youtube

Entertainment

Détour / Michel Gondry

Discover Détour, a film by Michel Gondry shot on iPhone. Follow the adventures of a small tricycle as it sets off along the French roads in search of its young owner — via Youtube

Craft

Space Ship Bunk Bed Build / Pete Dearing

Pete Dearing is undoubtedly winning the maker dad of the year award for the interactive cockpit in these spaceship bunk beds. He’d noticed how much his kids adored buttons; Elevators, remote controls, mobile phones, they just loved them, he says. He first made a basic control panel out of some switches and buttons mounted on top of an old toolbox with a power source inside. The boys kept asking him to add more buttons. So, Dearing decided to build something more permanent. With no real experience in electronics or woodwork, Dearing sought inspiration online, and purchased plans for a rocket ship bunk bed — via Make:

Wildlife

The Most Famous Dog Who Ever Lived / Chris Hadfield’s Rare Earth

Dogs!

Enough about humans and more about some creatures that matter, you no doubt were saying in your mind. So here’s a story on pets. This is the story of Hachiko, who is likely the most famous dog in human history. But what is it about this dog that convinced the world to take notice?

We went around Japan to tell the story of the loyal dog who unwittingly saved his breed. Say hello to Hachiko, a very good dog — via Youtube

Wildlife

Baby Armadillo Drinks / Zoo Wroclaw

A newborn Southern Three-banded Armadillo named Spock at Poland’s Zoo Wroclaw laps up milk from a tiny dish offered by Zoo keepers. Spock’s mother did not nurse him after he was born, so keepers are hand raising him — via Youtube

Wildlife

Tiny Male Otter Pup / Vancouver Aquarium

A tiny male sea otter pup — estimated to be just two to four weeks old — is now in 24-hour care at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, after concerned members of the public found it swimming alone in open water off northern Vancouver Island on Sunday. Although the pup appears healthy, he requires care night and day from the Rescue Centre team, just as he would from his mother. Staff and volunteers are spending shifts feeding, bathing and grooming the newborn pup, which has not yet been named — via Youtube