Prolific folk singer Jesse Welles played a surprise acoustic set in Washington Square Park in New York City while he was in town. Every song in the set was an original composition, except for a gorgeous cover of the classic John Prine song “Angel From Montgomery” that he performed with country singer Margo Price.

Welles plays a surprise show in Washington Square Plaza in New York City on Tuesday June 2nd 2026. Margo Price joins him late in the set and they sing Angel From Montgomery, a John Prine song.

This impromptu show was recorded by filmmaker Santo Donia, who has been capturing amazing shots of Welles throughout his 2026 tour.

Welles on ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ in 2025

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In an envenomed TED-Ed lesson that was written by biologist Stephanie A. Poindexter and animated by Reza Riahi, narrator Addison Anderson explains how the uniquely adorable slow loris is incredibly deadly.

Get to know the slow loris, the world’s only venomous primate, and explore this complex creature’s fascinating characteristics.

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The post How the Slow Loris Is Uniquely Adorable and Deadly was originally published on Laughing Squid.

Alayna of Three Little Pitties Rescue proudly spoke about her five-year-old son, Cash, who helped her rescue two abandoned puppies from a roadside in Houston.

Alayna shared how rescuing these friendly puppies sparked something in her son — and now he’s ready to rescue more!

Alayna said she got a tip that there might be dogs there, so she decided to stop by. When she found the puppies, Cash was with her and more than willing to help her get the dogs into the car.

I really wanted to save the puppies. I just picked them up and mommy said we can put him in the car.

One of the volunteers at Three Pitties Rescue offered to foster the pups for a couple of months to prepare them for adoption. A couple of months later, Alayna presented the puppies to Cash.

I have a surprise for you. I am going to show you the puppies that you saved. Would you want to see them again?

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The night before the release of their album Siamese Dream in 1993, The Smashing Pumpkins performed a stellar acoustic version of the song “Mayonaise” during an in-store appearance at Tower Records in Chicago.

Smashing Pumpkins Tower Records Mayonaise Acoustic Live 1993 Night before release of Siamese Dream

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The very talented Nina Conti performed a hilarious bit during a performance on the British program Live at the Apollo in which her wisecracking dummy “Monk” repeatedly hypnotized her so that she would be asleep when he performed a short aria for the audience.

Nina Conti and her good friend Monk demonstrate the perils of mixing ventriloquism and hypnotism.

Monk also tried to get away from Conti in a separate performance.

More Nina Conti Ventriloquism

via Miss Cellania

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Czech artist Petr Válek creates incredible kinetic sculptures from found objects that use various voltages to make discordant music. Some of the sculptures feature actual musical instruments amongst the detritus, while others use more natural elements. According to a 2020 art gallery biography, Válek began as a stonemason before moving on to multimedia art.

Válek approaches sound from the perspective of the visual image, and image and sound are increasingly intertwined in his idiosyncratic poetics…Crumpled pots spin on prepared turntables, and pieces of boards, colanders, slicers, wires and springs are assembled with electronic devices. At the same time, Válek’s musical set is always also a visual installation: he sometimes paints the instruments or incorporates “decorative” elements into them. Some objects lose their musical functionality completely, turning into bizarre, injured toys, generating vague and chaotic unrest. Even then, they do not cease to be an integral part of the sound performance.

A Documentary About Válek’s Work

via Weird Universe

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Michael Kolence and Jessica Kolence of The Grimm Life Collective traveled to Munich, where they visited the site of the chocolate factory depicted in the superlative 1971 movie Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.

Join us as we visit Munich, Germany to search for the filming locations to the 1971 movie…Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

While they were exploring the area, the couple noticed how much the site had changed in the more than half-century since the move was filmed. They also talked about how Gene Wilder was cast, his iconic grand entrance, and how he insisted that it be included in the movie. Michael was so impressed with that move that he wanted to replicate it.

I don’t remember the first time I saw “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” but I remember watching Gene Wilder do do the somersault and I wanted to do the somersault in the same exact spot but I’m a lot older now so I’m not going to do it.

They further explore the area, seeking out recognizable landmarks used in the film. This includes where Charlie Bucket went to school, the clock tower, the candy shop, and more.

“Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Factory” was filmed in 1970 and it came out in 1971 so a lot has definitely changed and this part of this video is going to really showcase just that…now we are at the first people to play this game where are the filming locations to Willy “Wonka the Chocolate Factory” but it does take having your boots on the ground to kind of figure it all outto walk the history and see it.

Willie Wonka’s Grand Entrance in the Movie

Charlie Bucket Finds the Golden Ticket

Gene Wilder Talks About His Acrobatic Grand Entrance

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Filmmaker Andrew Muir of The Art of Storytelling explored the story arc of the distinctly human Star Trek: The Next Generation character, Commander William T. Riker, noting that the distinctly human “Number One” was portrayed by Jonathan Frakes with quiet dignity, loyalty, and an innate sense of morality.

Commander Riker is just a guy with a beard who plays the trombone. So, for a show all about strange new worlds and places no one has ever gone before, this relatively normal character might have been forgettable. And the reason he’s not is that his story arc asks some profound questions about loyalty, friendship, and personal ambition.

Muir also addressed how the character was someone viewers could fully relate to without knowing his entire history.

Commander Riker was clearly written as an everyman, a kind of surrogate for the viewer, the one whose perspective we might find the most familiar or relatable to our own. This type of character is generally advisable in any fictional world that is strange or foreign to our own. ….So instead of getting a ton of background on Riker, he’s used as a way in to learn about the other weirder characters. 

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Craven Moorhaus and Zak Koonce, the talented team behind Auralnauts, quite flawlessly mashed together the classic Bee Gees song “Stayin’ Alive” with “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen. Since both songs have a 4/4 time signature (exactly four beats per measure), the combination was absolutely perfect. According to Auralnauts, this was created to accompany their “Cassette Deck Vader” video.

Originally produced as a b-side joke for Cassette Deck Vader – Episode 1, the mashup slaps a little too hard to leave on the cutting room floor.

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A beautiful Bengal cat named Rory is so smart and chatty that she seems to let her human, Hannah, know exactly what she’s thinking and what she wants. Hannah explained that Rory isn’t shy about making her opinions known regarding people she doesn’t like.

Three years ago, there was a guy that I dated who seemed amazing. And so I introduced him to Rory, and Rory hated him. I’m talking biting the soles of his feet to the point where he was like, “Can we like put her in the bathroom or something?” And as that was going on, I was looking at it, and I was like, “I think this is a bad sign.”

As it turned out, the bad sign was worth looking into.

Then I realized he was actually not a great dude. Actually was lying to me about a lot of stuff, and I was like I’m always going to trust Rory’s intuition now. Don’t ask me to be your girlfriend until I’ve seen how my cat is with you, cuz I cannot give you an answer before that.

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A truly adorable senior Chitaffy (Chihuahua/Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix) named Pepper is so attached to her family that she sits up and cries whenever they go somewhere without her, perhaps thinking that they won’t return.

When she knows we’re about to head out, she sits up and whines and cries.

Pepper’s human, Molly, explained that Pepper had done this even before she was rescued.

Before I got her, she was surrendered just for being,…Destructive. I think they said that she was destructive. So they her previous owner surrendered her. Since the beginning. She’s stood up on her two back legs. She’ll literally stand up with her hands like this like and she just learned it on her own.

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The Accessibowl is a clever adaptive bowling ball that offers a full-handle grip as an innovative alternative to traditional grip balls, ideal for people with limited upper-body mobility due to injury, arthritis, or disability.

It’s perfect for anybody who struggles with arthritis or any hand condition that makes a traditional bowling ball less comfortable to use.

The ergonomic design features a spring-loaded handle that instantly retracts upon release, ensuring a smooth ride down the alley. The ball is also available in three different sizes, making it excellent for all ages.

This ball is available in 6-, 10-, and 12-lb weights and is safe to use in any ball return machine at a major bowling alley.

via Neatorama

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The Process explored how Heineken uses advanced engineering to extract alcohol from its traditional brew to create Heineken 0.00, its zero-calorie, non-alcoholic version that maintains the same flavor profile. This is done using specialized distillation techniques and historically important, unique yeast strains.

We break down the biochemistry of the exclusive Heineken A-Yeast strain, analyze the mechanics of vacuum distillation columns that extract ethanol without cooking the liquid, and expose the unique double-brew step required to preserve volatile flavor compounds.

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The Thought Vortex explored the distinctly human instinct to pet animals, regardless of size, noting that this instinct dates back to ancient times.

From puppies and rabbits to lions, bears, and bison, humans have a strange tendency to look at animals and think: “I wonder if I could pet that.”

They further examined the psychology that drives people to make very bad emotional decisions around animals despite knowing better. Concepts such as the Biophilia Hypothesis, the Baby Schema, anthropomorphization, and the social need to connect with the living animals around can all help explain this seemingly inexplicable action.

A brain designed to notice life. A mind that seeks connection with the natural world. Instincts built to nurture vulnerable creatures. A desire for touch, curiosity, and sometimes a little excitement. All of it pushes us toward the same conclusion. Go say hello. Most of the time, that instinct helps us form some of the most meaningful relationships in our lives. Every once in a while, it convinces somebody to climb into a bear enclosure.

They also looked at what animals think of humans, particularly whether they find us cute.

Humans are obsessed with cute animals. But what if the feeling isn’t entirely one-sided Do animals think humans are cute?

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A tiny Italian greyhound named Emma, who had both eyes removed, can walk in a straight line but can only spin to the left.

She always spins to the left. …She can walk in a straight line, but the more excited she gets, she’ll go faster and faster and faster.

Her human, Tori, explained that she saw Emma on the Greenville Humane Society site and immediately knew she wanted to give this tiny dog a loving home. Emma had been surrendered to the shelter because her previous humans could not keep up with the medical bills.

She had gone blind and the people who surrounded her before just couldn’t take care of her with all of her medical needs. I don’t ever do anything spontaneous like that, but I went right to the Humane Society and it wasn’t even open yet. I just sat in the parking lot .

Despite her lack of vision, Emma figured everything out on her first day home.

I describe her like a Roomba. She mapped the house. And the very first day when she found her water and food, we were all just so proud of her and amazed that she could do it.

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Nate Fender of It’s Weird/True explained how the 1990 Black Crowes hit “Hard to Handle” was originally written and performed by the late great Otis Redding, who sadly died in a 1967 plane crash.

There’s a rock song that you’ve heard for the greater part of 35 years, but what you might not know is that it is a cover of a very well known musician who passed away just three weeks after he recorded it.

Fender further noted that the song was covered by other artists, including the Grateful Dead, Mae West, and Tom Jones. He also dropped the fun fact that the guitar solo on the Black Crowes’ version was supposed to be played by Slash. Instead it was played by sound engineer Brendan O’Brien on a Les Paul guitar owned by Rick Rubin.

The Black Crowes ‘Hard to Handle’

The Original Otis Redding Song

Other Covers of ‘Hard to Handle’

Thanks Chip Beale!

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Artist Paul Ribera of Raincloud Stories uses incredible interactive illustrations to bring songs from across the musical spectrum to life, cleverly telling a visual story alongside lyrics.

Short Music Videos + Storytelling

Included in Ribera’s repertoire are such songs as “Loser” by Beck, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, “Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against the Machine, and “Ring of Fire” by Johnny Cash.

Ribera was also hired to create full-length music videos for Pearl Jam, Superstack, and Andrew Dahle.

Thanks Chip Beale!

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Simple Things – Surprising Histories explained why the F and J keys on a computer keyboard have small tactile ridges at the bottom, while other keys don’t. These are known as homing markers and help a person find the center of the keyboard solely by touch.

Close your eyes and place your hands on your keyboard. If you type often, then your fingers probably found the correct position almost instantly. That’s because of those tiny bumps. They’re called tactile markers, sometimes known as homing bars. Their job is surprisingly simple, helping your hands locate the home row without needing your eyes

The narrator also addressed the origins of touch typing, early typewriter designs, the transfer of that skill to computers, and the biology behind this simple design.

The moment your fingers brush across those tiny ridges, your brain instantly uses that tactile feedback to orient your hands across the keyboard. It happens so quickly that you barely notice it. But without those small physical markers, many touch typists become slower and make more mistakes.

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An intoxicating TED-Ed by biology professor Jaap de Roode of Emory University explains the scientific reasons why cats love both silver vine and catnip. According to a 2013 study, these herbs are rich in the happy-making compounds nepetalactol and nepetalactone, which also act as insect repellents.

In chemical terms, both nepetalactol and nepetalactone are classified as iridoids— a type of natural compound known to contain insect-repelling properties.So perhaps cats rubbing their faces in silvervine and catnip were applying an ancient form of bug spray. 

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Film and TV essayist Rocket Riley examined what would happen if a lightsaber were dropped vertically into the ground, as was depicted in Rick and Morty. The short answer is that it would just turn off due to a built-in safety feature.

What would happen if you dropped a lightsaber perfectly vertically? We’ve seen this exact nightmare play out twice in pop culture. In the Rick and Morty Christmas special, Morty drops his laser sword perfectly vertically, causing a global crisis as it burrows directly toward the Earth’s core.

Riley, however, used Star Wars canon, geological principles, physics, and planetary science to determine what might happen if that safety feature were somehow disengaged.

This is a YouTube video. We don’t want the realistic safe answer. Let’s pretend Morty got creative with some duct tape or someone flipped a mechanical override to keep the blade permanently active.  …Now we drop it. Does it slide straight down like a hot knife through butter?

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The post What Would Happen If a Lightsaber Were Dropped Vertically Into the Ground was originally published on Laughing Squid.