Geeking Out

New species are being discovered every day, all around the world. Some, like the tiny frog above, are hidden among debris on the forest floor, while others are hiding in plain sight on museum shelves, just waiting to be described by researchers. Since there are so many species being discovered, it’s only natural that someone try and determine which among them are the best species. It’s in that spirit that we bring you the top ten new species discovered in the last year, as appointed by an international group of taxonomists and presented by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University. No. 1 | Viola lilliputana Specimens have been around since the 1960s, but the Lilliputian Violet, which grows in the dry grasslands of Peru, was only described scientifically last year Image credit: Harvey Ballard No. 2 | Chondrocladia lyra Discovered in the deep waters off the coast of California, the lyre sponge may look musically inclined, but its long vertical arms are devoted solely to capturing plankton to feed itself. Image Credit: MBARI No. 3 | Cercopithecus lomamiensis The Lesula monkey has been known to natives of the Cemocratic Republic of the Congo for years as a prime source of bush meat for food. The species was only described by researchers in 2012, and is already thought to be threatened. Image Credit: K. Honda No. 4 | Sibon noalamina The best name on this list definitely goes to the No to the Mine! snake, a newly discovered inhabitant of central American jungles and forests that dines on slugs, snails, and other soft bodied critters. Image Credit: Sevastian Lotzkat No. 5 | Ochroconis anomala Anomola is one of two species of fungus from a new genus that was discovered in France's Lascaux caves, famed for their prehistoric paintings. Image Credit: Pedro M. Martin-Sanchez No. 6 | Paedophryne manuensis Just seven millimeters long, the tiny frog Paedophryne manuensis is the smallest known vertebrate in the world. And let's face it, it's among the cutest, too. Image Credit: Christopher C. Austin No. 7 | Eugenia petrikensis Native to Madagascar's increasingly rare littoral forests, this beautiful shrub that can grow as high as two meteres is already considered an endangered species. Image Credit: David Rabehevitra No. 8 | Lucihormetica luckae Discovered in Ecuador but not described until last year, this glow-in-the-dark cockroach produced light from twin lanterns on the back of its head. Unfortunately, we have to say produced, because the animal's only known habitat is thought to have been wiped out in a volcanic eruption. On the other hand, now the name "lightning cockroach" can go to some indie band, as is right and proper. Image Credit: Peter Vrsansky & Dusan Chorvat No. 9 | Semachrysa jade A strong runner up for the "Best Name," the Jade Green Lacewing is also known as the Social Media Butterfly. It gets its second on-the-nose name from the fact that it was first identified from a photo on Flickr. Image Credit: Guek Hock Ping No. 10 | Juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia One of the only fossils on the list, Juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia is a fly from the Jurassic era that researchers believe hung upside down among the gingko leaves it so resembled. Image Credit: Wang, Labandeira, Shih and Ren (via Arizona State University) Relevant to your interests Seriously, there are a lot of undiscovered species in museums Like this sea snake, for example! I think I would be happier if this giant spider had remained undiscovered

[Source: Hello With Cheese | Via NA]

You Will Do Exactly What I Say...Understand? In this web/short film series, filmmaker Matthew Clarke and David Milchard (who plays Clarke's daughter Coco) re-enact actual conversations that have transpired between the father and daughter that were, shall we say, fraught with psychological terror. Don't get me wrong, Coco isn't a demon child or anything, but there's something that happens to a kid when they reach the age of two where they suddenly have the type of power that politicians running for office can only dream of harnessing. It's fucking frightening. I remember when my nephew was that age and asked me for a cookie and when I told him no, he folded his arms, stared directly into my eyes and said, quite clearly, "I think that I will have a cookie". And you know what? I handed him that cookie straight away. I wasn't about to test that kind of power my friends. Video after the break. Read more »

There are many things you're probably expecting from The Hangover Part III - a retread of the first two, perhaps, or a series of good, hearty laughs. You aren't getting them. What you are getting is more challenging, and possibly less entertaining: a threequel that is in itself a critique of its own existence. Not only is it about intervention and rehab - it is its own intervention and at least attempted rehab. Where the other two movies played danger for laughs, this one plays laughs for danger (perhaps they should have set it in Soviet Russia, heeeeeeeh heeeeeeeh heeeeeh). Some will argue that this is an undercurrent which is accidental, but I believe otherwise. Director Todd Phillips got his start doing documentaries on things like fraternity house hazing rituals and self-destructive punk performance artist G.G. Allin, so I think he understands full well what hangover-inducing behavior can really do, and it ain't all laughs. Continue reading "Fanboy Flick Pick: The Hangover Part III Is Weirdly Unfunny Yet Bizarrely Brilliant...Maybe" >

When Burger King got hacked, we all laughed at the idea McDonalds might have bought it. When the Associated Press got hacked, we noticed. But it took the Onion in getting hacked for Twitter to finally do something… Twitter rolled out a two-step verification system for users to get extra protection against would-be hackers. The verification method includes a special code that is sent via phone when they try to log in. With this extra step using a cell phone, hackers can become thwarted in trying to access an account. This is not a new process – Facebook and Google both give this second verification step in your security features. Its better than a password because you don’t need to remember one. Its also better than a “name your pet” verification because in some cases (like Sarah Palin) people know that information. “Today we’re introducing a new security feature to better protect your Twitter account: login verification,” says Jimio from the Twitter Product Security Team on the Twitter blog. “With login verification enabled, your existing applications will continue to work without disruption. If you need to sign in to your Twitter account on other devices or apps, visit your applications page to generate a temporary password to log in and authorize that application. If you choose not to opt in you run risk of getting hacked. Of course, you also need to keep your phone numbers up-to-date. If that changes, you might have problems getting into your accounts. If your Twitter Gets Hacked First, attempt to change your password. If you still can’t log in, contact Twitter through a Support request. (choosing “Hacked account” from the list of options).

Arguably the best part of the Xbox One, or Xbone, reveal event was the amount of time spent discussing the addition of a dog to the squad in Call of Duty: Ghosts. The lack of any real gaming-related announcements meant that the hardcore crowd was looking for something — anything at all — to sink their teeth into, and they found it with the Call of Duty: Ghosts dog. It’s popular enough that Brandon Sheffield of Necrosoft Games even made a Twine game called Call of Doggie: Ghosts. Twine’s a program that lets you generate interactive stories. Think CYOA novels in your browser. If you’re familiar with them, it’s a barebones version of interactive fiction. It’s rather popular with a certain crowd of developers, and it provides easy access to a kind of game development. In short, it’s great. Call of Doggie: Ghosts – which you can play right here — is pretty much what you’ve probably come to expect out of joke games, but it still manages to be entirely amusing regardless. The end of the first page alone is worth the cost of admission: “My team was close-knit, but I was the new guy. I had a lot to prove. Also: I was a dog.” You don’t have to take my word for it, though. The game’s right there for your enjoyment. It’ll also make you question whether anyone’s ever really smelled enough butts. Also, yes, that joke will make sense once you’ve played the game. (Call of Doggie: Ghosts via @necrosofty) Relevant to your interests People will buy this because it’s Call of Duty Even though the reveal trailer’s a little nonsensical Buying games like Call of Duty might be a moral choice

There were many crimes committed in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, despite the nice 3D. And yes, while we all expected the movie to be stupid, I wanted at least more of the cartoon-fun that The Rise of Cobra was. I ended up seeing Retaliation twice in one day last month because I first saw it with a friend, and then later that night I took the wife out spur-of-the-moment. It happens. So when I say I saw G.I. Joe: Retaliation, I saw the hell out of it, and its many crimes. A half-baked plot that couldn't decide if it wants to be Roadblock's Revenge, or the Snake-Eyes Ninja Spectacular. Though the ninja fight in the mountains did provide the best action figure-y moment on film, at least until Pacific Rim comes out. Read more »

During the early to mid nineties, while I was rolling on E and hugging everyone at Club Some in Houston, Texas, Satanists (and apparently homosexuals...they're the same thing according to our Satan Guide below) were out and about in parks leaving graffiti tags in order to talk with one another and generally causing havoc during their various rituals that all seem to be performed in open spaces near public park bathrooms. The horror! But thank Lucifer that someone was brave enough to keep local law enforcement informed about the Satanic rampage that was happening in our cities and towns via this educational video (that I presume played in every police department in the country). It's brave individuals like Epic Mullet (oh, you'll see) who keep this country safe. Read more »

If you’ve ever played the wondrously reprehensible Cards Against Humanity, then it’s definitely your favorite card game. How can we know for sure? Because you’re on this website, so naturally you must be the same kind of awful human being that we all are. Shhhh, it’s okay; you’re among friends. Horrible, horrible friends. Friends who think the incredibly NSFW website Drawings Against Humanity is one of the funniest things to happen to the internet since the invention of the nut shot video. What is Drawings Against Humanity, you ask? Exactly what it sounds like — someone takes a random selection of card pairings from the game and draws the imagined scenario. The result is often extremely graphic and even more hilarious. First let’s start out with a fairly innocuous one by Cards Against Humanity standards: No. 1 | Harry Potter Next from J.K. Rowling:  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Bitches. Everyone good? Okay, let's ramp up the offensiveness just a little bit. No. 2 | Jeff Goldblum When all else fails, I can always masturbate to Jeff Goldblum. Note the lovely attention to detail in this drawing: namely, the label on the bottle of lotion. "Jerkens." Classic. No. 3 | Hannan Montana In the new Disney Channel Original Movie, Hannah Montana struggles with dick fingers for the first time. Sure to be a very dramatic tale that will test Miley Cyrus's acting abilities to their limits. I'm confident that she'll give an amazing performance. Now let's go really intense... No. 4 | Cat Videos That’s right, I killed some douche with an acoustic guitar. How, you ask? A cat video so cute that your eyes roll back and your spine slides out of your anus. And finally, there's the piéce de rèsistance and my personal favorite: No. 5 | Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan: the story of a sassy black woman. Not enough for you? There’s more on the Drawings Against Humanity Tumblr, which from the looks of it has already drawn (pun absolutely intended) the ire of the social justice community there. Then again, I’d be sort of disappointed if it hadn’t. (image via Kristin Benemen) Relevant to your interests The results of the pay-what-you-want Cards Against Humanity Holiday sale The White House has a Tumblr, too, with significantly less boner jokes Of course Yahoo is going to ruin Tumblr forever, so this is all moot anyway

This really cool cable costume was entirely made by Boston-based cosplayer Nicole Marie Jean. If you want to check it out in more details, here’s a fun video where Booster Gold interviews Nicole Marie about her costume, and more importantly, about the baby that’s sitting in front of it. [Model and Costume: Nicole Marie Jean | Photography: FirstPerson Shooter | Via IHC | Video: Nerd Caliber]