This is a really fun vibe-coded project from Vijay that basically turns Wikipedia into a series of collectible trading cards like Pokémon with varying degrees of rarity. You get a few starter packs of cards that you can then tear open and flip through, all embedded in the site. You can also trade cards with friends and the community via a fun marketplace mechanic.
25 entertainment items curated from The Hiro Report
Indie designer Louis Mantia has been making gorgeous playing card sets for years. He's now offering some beautiful sets that feature a custom-made wooden box sourced from Japan. While he offers lovely standard playing cards, I'm eager to grab a set of the Hanafuda flower cards he offers. He even has a really helpful site that teaches you how to play a number of different games with both standard cards and Hanafuda cards.
Do you remember how fun yo-yos are? Doc Pop has a way of making them even more fun and cool. $
Jason Kottke linked to this extremely silly web project earlier this week, and I had fun playing around with it. Without spoiling too much, this little website demonstrates a crazy number of dark patterns that apps use to steal your time and attention. Mess around with it for just a minute or two, and you’ll recognize tons of UI/UX tricks designed to keep you hooked. It’s tongue-in-cheek but serves as a great reminder to be mindful of what you give your energy to on your devices.
Do you remember how fun yo-yos are? Doc Pop has a way of making them even more fun and cool. $
I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy Letterboxd, a “social network” for reading and sharing movie reviews. I still love it, but it lacks the fun of conversing with friends about the movies you enjoy. Kyle Ford launched Stream Team last month as a more conversation-oriented community for chatting about movies and shows. Every day there’s a prompt to spark discussion, like “What is the best sequel of all time?” or “What was the funniest movie you watched as a kid?” Lots of fun to share and reflect with others. If you’re into geeking out about movies, this is a great fun place to hang out.
As a life-long everyday carry gear nerd whose obsession started with a Swiss Army Knife gift as a kid, I loved this piece of history—a nearly 2000-year-old Roman utility knife featuring a knife, fork, spoon, and several other small picks and extractors, all in one. Hugs to my mom for spotting and sharing this one—Hi Mom!
Speaking of magic, this short video from Kevin Parry uses simple camera effects to demonstrate the 10 classical forms of magic (Levitation, Vanish, Production, etc.). It’s really fun and well done.
I use this app every time we watch a movie or TV show. Type in whatever you’re watching, and it gives you the full cast list. You can then explore each actor, director, producer, and screenwriter to see what else they’ve done. It’s perfect for those “where have we seen them before” moments. Well worth the subscription to avoid the slow, ad-ridden IMDB site. I’ve written about this app before, but it just keeps getting better. I like the recent addition of including what age each actor was when they were in a given movie.
In the spirit of the upcoming 4th of July holiday for us here in America, I’ll leave you with this hilarious SNL skit from last year.
A great research piece by Matt Birchler of the excellent A Better Computer channel. Without spoiling the fun, the answer might surprise you! Just kidding, it’s obviously YES, but it’s interesting to see the data over time.
We were pleasantly surprised to find this available for streaming while still in theaters, so we watched it after putting the kids to bed on Friday night. It’s not high art, but it’s a blast to watch—especially for those of us who grew up on stunt-heavy action movies. Beyond the nostalgia of seeing iconic stunts recreated, there were plenty of laughs. Plus, who doesn't want to stare into Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s eyes for two hours?
Speaking of muscular bodies on TV, if you feel like dipping your toes in to some athletic reality TV, check out Korea's Physical 100 on Netflix. The premise is simple: take 100 of the fittest people from across Korea, and try to narrow it down to who is #1. It's sort of a twist on the old American Gladiator show from the 90's but with less of a focus on giant obstacle set pieces and more strength, endurance, and speed-related challenges. Fun if you're looking for some Fitspiration- I swear each episode I watch adds 5lbs to my deadlift.
I was really excited to see this show when it first came out but ultimately was turned off by a few mediocre reviews. With a lot of time to pass on flights recently, I decided to give it a shot and am actually really enjoying it. Produced by the folks who did Band of Brothers and The Pacific, it tells the story of Allied bomber crews flying during WWII. It's alternately inspiring and grim, but really well done, with excellent production. That said, not sure I recommend watching on flights, like I have-- I guess it depends on your tolerance for seeing planes shot down and crashing while you, yourself are airborne.
I would skip this one if you've not seen Dune 2 yet, but this awesome 23 minute video has the incredibly talented director explaining how they made the amazing first worm riding scene in the movie. Bonus link for my fellow Dune fans, here's a live performance of Hans Zimmer and friends playing the iconic music from Dune live... I gotta be honest, I did not imagine I'd ever see Hans Zimmer shredding a guitar, but here we are.
Disney dropped the trailer for their newest Star Wars show, The Acolyte, this week. It definitely looks to be a darker tale than we’re used to from them. I’ll be eager to give it a shot when it drops in June.
Somehow, this new miniseries completely slipped past my radar but has jumped to the top of my must see list. The series is based on a non-fiction book of the same name that recounts in excruciating detail the history of the 12 day manhunt for John Wilkes Boothe after he assassinated Abraham Lincoln. Beyond the fascinating story, it's got a killer cast. I'm eager to check it out.
My family and I are big fans of the dance competition show, So You Think You Can Dance, which just returned for its 18th season this week. With dance already on my brain, I was totally sucked in to this amazing video put out by the CDK Dance Company doing a group choreographed contemporary dance routine to the 2011 classic, "Somebody that I used to know" by Gotye. Beyond the great dancing, the touches of beige 70's office fashion in their costumes are also just so fun.
We managed to get tickets for a Saturday night showing of Dune II, and 24 hours later I'm still processing everything we saw. It was INTENSE (as the second half of the book was), but I loved it. These two Dune movies are instant classics, and Denis Villeneuve has secured his placed among the best Science Fiction directors/producers of all time. As I wrote in my Letterboxd Review, beyond the epic story, incredible performances, visuals, and costume design, the sound design really blew me away. Hans Zimmer's soundtrack and all the incredible sound work just vibrates you throughout the entire movie. Worth checking out, but I'll warn you that the ending honors the book in not having a fully resolved ending. If anything, these two movies are just teeing up a much larger story. I came home and promptly started reading the sequel to the first Dune book, Dune Messiah, because I can't wait to find out what happens next.
We watched this amazing film over the winter break and I can't recommend it enough. Just a beautiful reflection on life, the power of decisions, and nostalgia for the path not taken. One of those movies that really sticks with you.
I signed up for Letterboxd a year or so ago, but recently picked it back up and am really enjoying it. It's a social film review site/app. Of course, one can post/share ones reviews (which I'm starting to do), but my favorite part is reading the reviews of others. It's a lot more insightful and entertaining than Rotten Tomatoes. Let me know if you sign up or are already on there, I'd love to see what you all are watching and liking.
After decades of people bugging James Cameron to release a high def restoration of his classic underwater adventure film, he's finally relented. Abyss is getting a 4K restoration and will be shown in theaters next month. Honestly, one of my favorites of his, and a big inspiration for me getting in to Scuba diving when I was a kid.
Fun trailer for a new Apple TV+ movie coming later this year from Matthew Vaughn, creator of Kick Ass and Kingsman (comics + movies). It's a fairly generic spy thriller with a really fun twist you only discover about a minute in to the trailer. Looks hilarious, and killer cast.
Last week, Netflix dropped the trailer for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, their Scott Pilgrim anime series that launches on November 17th. Scott Pilgrim, the live action movie, is one of my all time classic movies— one of those movies, that just makes me happy and I could watch it at any time and love it. I’m thrilled that they’re bringing back all the original cast to do the voices, and that the author of the original Manga comic will return as the writer, and the inimical Edgar Wright will be producing. (If you’ve not seen this 8 minute Every Frame a Painting video on the art of Edgar Wright’s visual comedy aesthetic, please find a moment for a coffee or tea break tomorrow and watch it… It’s SO great.)
Took my kiddo to see this at the Alamo Drafthouse this weekend— What a complete and total blast! The non-traditional animation style, great cast, and killer old school hip-hop sound track make for a great combination. Worth a watch whether you grew up binging the turtles like I did or not.