Formed in 2009, the Archive Team (not to be confused with the archive.org Archive-It Team) is a rogue archivist collective dedicated to saving copies of rapidly dying or deleted websites for the sake of history and digital heritage. The group is 100% composed of volunteers and interested parties, and has expanded into a large amount of related projects for saving online and digital history.
This cat regrets ever getting involved with her husband. The way cats will.
Tuesday, January 06, 2026
Five Years
I'm tempted to say "never forget," but I've run across way too many people who have already forgotten.
Landslide
The song "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac was recorded in 1975 but wasn't released as a single until 1997. Still, it became a classic for its wistful, melancholy melody and poetic lyrics. Stevie Nicks wrote the song as she contemplated her future with Lindsey Buckingham.
But what if the song were about a real landslide- a natural disaster? Dustin Ballard, also known as There I Ruined It collaborated with guest songwriters Griefcat to make it so. Now the actual subject matter is completely at odds with the laid-back tune, but they match the title at least.
Driving Lessons
At fifteen, they got to drive in a pasture. This let them learn how to handle a car without wrecking or breaking laws. We had a foreign exchange student at the time, who had apparently never had the chance to drive a go-kart or golf cart before. The way he drove, I had my suspicions he never had a bicycle, either. My kids did pretty good.
With a permit, we moved on to parking lots. Then cemeteries, which have narrow one lane roads and no traffic. Once they mastered those courses, we drove in our quiet neighborhood to learn how to deal with the occasional traffic. Then we moved on to downtown, the shopping centers, and to school. I tried different routes with narrow bridges, one lane roads, and different kinds of intersections.
There's always more to introduce. We then went to the four-lane town bypass, where the speed limit is 55 and you have to get used to an entirely different way of driving and observing. Once that was mastered, I let them on the interstate highway.
Teaching in phases like this also helped me to assess what they needed to work on at each step. When Princess took the driving test, she was one of about ten test-takers, all girls. She was the only one who passed that day, which blew away the Asian woman driver stereotype. The instructor complimented me for teaching her.
Contrast all that care with the time I learned to drive. I wasn't in any real hurry to get a license after I got a permit, because my bestie was a few months older and already had her license. You could do that in the '70s. I flunked my first attempt because I failed to come to a complete stop at a sign. I was driving Mom's car. When I later used my car, with poorly synchronized gears, I couldn't shift into first without coming to a complete stop, so I passed just fine. I drove a '66 MG Midget, and everyone at school wanted to borrow my car to take the driving test because it was quite easy to parallel park. That was fine with me, as being their licensed driver got me out of class. But the cops finally told me to never bring that car back, because they had too much trouble getting in and out of it.
Hell's Bells
This Silly Symphonies cartoon by Ub Iwerks is from 1929. Imagine what some parents would say about it today.
Developing News
Nicolás Maduro Charged With Felony Oil Possession
— The Onion (@theonion.com) January 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM
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— Manic Pixie Dream Grandpa (@mpdg.cloud) January 5, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Monday, January 05, 2026
An Otter's First Fish
Lola is eight weeks old and ready for solid food. She's quite enthusiastic about it! (via Nag on the Lake)
Victorian Tales of Cannibalism
Cannibalism is taboo, and may I say, distasteful for everyone involved. However, there is a huge difference in degree. It's sad and gruesome, but understandable, to eat the bodies of people who are already dead if the alternative is your own starvation. To kill a person in order to eat them is murder. To kill someone and eat them when you're not even hungry is murder with another level of depravity added. Tales of cannibalism aren't as rare as you might think. Weird History beings us seven tales of cannibalism from history, specifically from the Victorian Era, arranged so that each tale is more horrifying than the one before.
Miss Cellania's Links
The Grand AI Disconnect. Tech companies and the media gush over it, while most people don't want it. (via Wil Wheaton)
Is There Any Hard Evidence That Jesus Actually Existed? Why yes, and few historians doubt it.
A Looney Tunes sequence in real life. Turn the sound on for added effect.
Come Face to Face with the “Eyes of God” – Prohodna Cave, Bulgaria.
Elon Musk’s Pornography Machine. On X, sexual harassment and perhaps even child abuse are the latest memes. (via Metafilter)
Mama cats do not hold back.
6 Scandals That Rocked the Winter Olympics. Another edition begins February 6th.
15 Times Studios Spoiled Their Own Movies.
The Story of Ronnie the Donkey
There is nothing more heartbreaking than losing a child. Robin Birdsong founded Enchanted Farm Sanctuary after she lost her baby son. Ronnie the donkey came into her care after he underwent the trauma of losing a child, too. It took lots of time and love for Ronnie to start living again. Five years later, he is the king of the sanctuary, and helping Ronnie helped Robin to heal, too. You'll want to have a hankie ready for this video. (via Metafilter)
Another View
Are you available today?
— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@mrsbettybowers.bsky.social) January 4, 2026 at 2:14 PM
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Sunday, January 04, 2026
Rakovalkea
Ancient people were smarter than we think. They solved problems in the most amazing ways, and sleeping outside in the winter in a cold climate can be a real problem. You could build a fire, but what if it goes out while you're asleep? The answer is the rakovalkea, or Finnish gap fire. This is a fire contained in a small area that's big enough to heat a sleeping body, that burns slow enough to last through the night. Austin of The View From the Clouds takes us through the process of building and using this type of camp fire from finding the proper wood to putting it out the next morning. It's not as tedious as it may sound.
I was worried about the grass that reaches right up to the fire. Austin explains he is in northern Britain, where the grass is always wet, even when it's frozen. If you build a fire in the US or in any dry area, be sure to clear any flammable material away from your fire spot. (via Laughing Squid)
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