The Space Pirates of Japanese Sci-Fi: From Captain Harlock to Modern Anime

Ever caught yourself rooting for the bad guy who turns out to be the good guy? That's the whole pull of the space pirate. A skull on the sail, a ship that probably shouldn't fly, and a captain who answers to nobody. Japanese sci-fi practically built a shrine to this idea, and it all started with one brooding rebel drifting through the stars.

The Rebel Who Refused to Salute

Meet Captain Harlock. Created by Leiji Matsumoto back in 1977, he's the blueprint. One eye, a long scar, hair like a storm, and a flag no government could stomach. He fights for Earth while Earth wants him gone. Kind of tragic, right? That contradiction is exactly why fans never let him go.

His appeal spread way past the manga page. You'll spot his DNA in music videos, movie posters, and merch shelves. And that pirate fantasy he helped feed keeps finding fresh homes. These days it powers sweepstakes casino games at BigPirate, a pirate-themed site with treasure raids and Gold Coins you can chase for free, no real cash on the line. Different medium, same restless dream of the open frontier. Not bad for a cartoon from the seventies.

A Battleship, a Train, and a Whole Lot of Grief

Here's where Matsumoto got clever. He loved smashing old and new together. His stories tossed World War II battleships next to Victorian trains and cowboy hats, then flung the lot across the cosmos. Weird? Sure. Brilliant? Absolutely.

Take the Arcadia, Harlock's ship. It's cobbled together from ancient parts, yet it slices through space like a blade. That ship became a symbol. Freedom. Resistance. And Matsumoto meant every word of it. His father flew for the old Imperial army, and Leiji grew up hearing about the horrors of war. So his pirates aren't just cool. They carry real weight, real sorrow.

You feel that ache in almost everything he touched. Space Battleship Yamato. Galaxy Express 999. More than 150 of his stories circle back to the tragedy of conflict. The man wanted us to remember, and he wanted us to never repeat it.

And here's the odd part. That sadness is what makes the adventure sing. A pirate with nothing left to lose fights differently. He's braver, sure, but he's also lonelier, and you feel every mile of empty space around his ship. Matsumoto knew that ache sells better than any laser battle.

The Lucky Tree of Chapel Rock

Nature can take hold in precarious places.  Chapel Rock on Lake Superior has a single tree perched atop its column.  By rights the tree should not be there: the small surface area of land on the top of the rock is insufficient to sustain a tree of this size.

There is hardly any topsoil, certainly not enough for an obviously thriving tree. How then does it flourish?

Perya Game Online: Understanding Filipino Carnival Games and Their Types

A Filipino perya game is more than a simple pastime. It is part of the atmosphere of fiestas, fairs, and community celebrations, where colorful booths and quick games can draw curious players from across the crowd. 

Traditional perya attractions range from Color Game and Pula Puti to ring toss, shooting games, and ball-based activities.

Some of these familiar formats are now available online. Digital platforms can recreate mechanics involving colors, dice, balls, numbers, wheels, and other simple predictions. However, an online version may have different rules, betting limits, and payout structures from its traditional counterpart.

This guide looks at the main types of perya games, explains how online versions generally work, and covers the practical checks players should make before getting started.

Understanding the Perya Game

The first thing to know is that “perya game” does not describe one specific title. It refers to a category of carnival-style games traditionally associated with Filipino fairs and fiestas.

Some games depend primarily on chance, while others involve physical skill. The classic perya setup might include a player tossing a ring, aiming at a target, choosing a color, or watching where a ball lands.

Online platforms have taken some of these familiar concepts and converted them into digital formats. Players may encounter color predictions, dice games, ball drops, wheels, races, and number-based games.

Because the category is broad, the rules are not universal. A Color Game on one platform may not have exactly the same betting options or payouts as another. The same principle applies to other carnival-inspired titles.

Understanding this distinction is important for beginners. The name “perya” tells you about the game's style and cultural connection, but it does not automatically explain how the individual game works.

Luzhou, China: Stunning Aerial Tour of a Modern Yangtze City 泸州

 At the junction of the Yangtze and Tuo rivers, stands the city of Luzhou.  Home to over 4 million people, here we are given an aerial tour, courtesy of Lalin Photography.  As the geographic junction of the four provinces of Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing, Luzhou was an important port location in ancient China and remains so today.  In our aerial tour, we are shown the port and airport area and the main city, with its Blade Runner style building illuminations as well as the surrounding rocky countryside where tea is still grown using age-old techniques.

Although you may now think you know the city after watching this incredible video, it may well whet your appetite to visit Luzhou -  it does look like there are plenty of places to visit and things to do in this thriving location!  Looking down on it gives us an idea of its immensity, population and the sheer hard work that has driven Luzhou from its ancient origins to its modern-day renaissance.  Watch the video below.

How Did the Bayeux Tapestry Survive for a Thousand Years?

 

We still don’t know (and it’s unlikely we ever will) who ordered the Bayeux Tapestry to be made and who made it, but we do know that it is unlikely it was made in Bayeux.  The most likely place for its creation is Canterbury, and historians believe that the person who funded it was Bishop Odo, the half-brother of the new King of England, William the Conqueror.  Whatever and whoever, it is remarkable that this piece of stitching has survived for the best part of a millennium.  What was needed in order for it to survive so long?

This wonderful animation from The British Museum may not have all the facts, lost as they are to history, but its guesswork is informed by centuries of research and the answers you have here are probably correct.  So if you want to know where the tapestry has been all this time, why it has been moved and where it ended up, then  watch the video below.

Dawn: A Tiny Sea Turtle’s Fight for Survival | Stunning Animation

Near the palm-strewn beaches of Komodo Island, a sea turtle hatches.  She is tiny and vulnerable, but must make her way to the ocean via a series of obstacles – the obstacles mostly being other animals that want to eat her.  Whether it’s birds, crabs of Komodo dragons, she has the challenge of her short lifetime in front of her.  Beautifully animated, this animated short by a group of ESMA students really keeps you on the edge of your seats, rooting for the hatchling as she navigates her way to the comparative safety of the ocean.

It’s quite amazing that this was created by students – it looks like a fully professional animation (I would have loved a commentary by David Attenborough!).  Dawn was directed by Chang YuFang, Dejoux Matthieu, Forestier Maxime, Jonckheere Lucas, Mercier Noah, Pradeilles Marie, Royer Apolline, and Stora Lorys, with music by Dorian Bonnardel (Philarmedia). Sound design was provided by Guilhem Favard, Mickaêl Merrheim, Yohann Poncet, and José Vicente.

Usurpingly, the animation is garnering a lot of positive comments on YouTube. Viewers have praised its realism, texture work and emotional storytelling, with one commenter describing it as “impressively realistic” and another calling it “GOAT animation”  (that’s greatest of all time, apparently). Several highlighted the hopeful ending and the dramatic perspective that turns the battling Komodo dragons into a giant “kaiju battle” from the tiny turtle’s point of view. Others commended the quality of the animation and sound design, with comments such as “Great work!”, “Very beautiful animation,” and “Incredible, bravo!” Recurring themes include admiration for the craftsmanship, appreciation that it is a human-made production, and emotional engagement with the turtle’s struggle for survival, with many viewers wishing the hatchling luck on its perilous journey. While a small minority criticised the story, the overwhelming response has been one of praise for the film’s artistry, atmosphere and technical achievement.

The Color of Water

What color is water? It is a question that many children ask, not to mention adults, and the answer is invariably that it has no color. It is transparent, clear, see through. Is that answer the correct one? Image Credit Flickr User Chaval Brasil

Image Credit Flickr User Capn Mad Matt

Take a look at that lovely cool wine glass of water above. Looks refreshing and thirst quenching, yes? No? Let me take a look. Oh dear! Well, disregard the goldfish if you can but the water is colorless, right? Wrong. The water does have color but it is not something that the human eye can see when H₂O is present in such small quantities.

Mildred and the Copycat: The Brilliant Kids’ Story About Art, Credit and Creativity

This is for kids, but I am going to feature it quite unashamedly as it tells such a cool story!  Based on the children’s book Mildred and the Copycat by Jono Ganz (and published by Tate in the UK), it tells the story of a cat called Mildred (you guessed it).  She isn’t seen much in the day as she spends her time napping, but at night, when the gallery in which she lives closes, she comes to artistic life.  The gallery (and its visitors) witness a new masterpiece each day.  However, one day a dog called Barksy inadvertently gets given the credit for these works of art and… just goes with the flow, really.

A furious Mildred becomes determined to expose the copycat.  How will she go about doing this?  Well, you will have to watch the animated short below to find out.  It is narrated by David Rintoul, who you might know from his TV role of Aerys II Targaryen (The Mad King) in Game of Thrones or perhaps from the RuneScape video game as Zaros.  The original author, Jono Gonz, created the script and directed the short, while animation is by Wolf Horn (great name, whether that’s a studio but particularly if it’s a person).  This is Mildred's second adventure and both books are published by Tate and available at its shop.

Tate Kids does some great videos about art, and this one is no exception.  This animation also has one of the best one-liners I have come across for a while – delivered by a middle-class lady as she exits the gallery (I can’t give the game away, it’s too good).  Watch Mildred and the Copycat below and see whether Mildred manages to reclaim credit for her art.

Valonia ventricosa: The Giant Single-Celled Organism (Also Known as The Sailor’s Eyeball)

Have you ever seen something that has immediately made you do a double take?  Valonia ventricosa is one of those things – and that is even before you discover how truly strange this organism is.  At first glance, it looks like a green bubble, perhaps a glass bead that has found its way into the sea or onto the beach.  However, that double take (and a little investigation) would soon tell you that you have come across something considerably stranger than a glass bead.  This is one enormous single-celled organism. Image

Image Credit

Found in tropical and subtropical areas, Valonia ventricosa is a species of green alga.  It is mostly discovered around coral reefs and rocky shores.  It has several other names – the best by far of which is the sailor’s eyeball – and it is easy to see why it attracted that particular nomenclature.  The rounded translucent spheres can be easily converted into a visual metaphor for the sole remains of some unfortunate mariner.  Remarkably, they can grow up to several centimetres across (in other words, the size of an eye), not bad for something that is biologically a single cell.

The Strange Sarcophagi of the Chachapoya

By the time the Spanish arrived in Peru at the beginning of the 16th Century the Chachapoya people had already been subsumed in to the great Inca Empire.  Although they had resisted the Incas fiercely, the lands of these Warriors of the Clouds as they were known had been annexed and had been forced to adopt the customs and culture of their conquerors. Yet they left one thing behind – the strange sarcophagi in which they would bury their dead.

Image Credit Flickr User Sophs74

A Tiny Tale – Charming Animated Short About a Secret World of Toys in the Garden

I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I dig up parts of the garden, I come across the remnants of toys long ago abandoned.  They’re the tiny ones – toy soldiers, pieces of Lego – you get the idea.  This charming animation – A Tiny Tale -  by students at Rubika takes the idea of toys left to their own devices in a garden and runs with it.  We have, more or less, a micro-version of our own society, complete with abandoned dogs, a spaceship-mad boy and a cyclist who really just wants to beat her own records.  But toys sometimes break...

How they come together is up to you to find out – but this inventive and beautifully made animated short is a joy to watch.

It was directed by Chloé Bourdic, Théophile Coursimault, Sylvain Cuvillier, Noémie Halberstam, Maÿlis Mosny and Zijing Ye, with music by Romain Camiolo, performed by Louise Gagnac on flute and Aryane Roy on vocals, and sound design by Théophile Coursimault.

The Odyssey – Pub Edition: Munya Chawawa’s Hilarious Modern Take on Homer’s Epic

Why might a modern-day Odysseus be late home?  This sketch, written and directed by Munya Chawawa, gives us a very British reason for his tardiness – and there’s no surprise when Penelope is a little bit miffed.  His excuses aren’t terribly good, either! This particular Odysseus has been out with his mates to the pub (if you’re not aware of what that means, it’s short for Public House, which in its own turn means a bar).  Here, Odysseus and his drinking buddies (Onthelashius, Chuggamemnon and Session) face a number of perils, including a bouncer who just happens to be a cyclops (which provokes possible the best one liner of the sketch) and a trip in a Troyota Prius – not to mention… well, watch it and find out.

As well as Munya Chawawa, the sketch features a brilliant mix of comedians, presenters and performers, including Romesh Ranganathan, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Axel Blake, Joe Marler, Hayley Morris, Theo Shakes and Sam Cornforth. Highlights include Munya’s trademark character comedy, Romesh’s dry delivery, Amelia’s deadpan style and Joe Marler’s chaotic energy, all brought together to give the ancient Odyssey a very modern and ridiculous twist. The mix of well-known comedy personalities and newer performers is what makes the sketch particularly fun.

Magic in You – Cody Fry & The Blue Devils Bring Joy to the Screen

Back in 2023, Cody Fry first teamed up with the Blue Devils for his track Caves in their Drum Corps International competitive field show. If a collaboration works, then it’s worth revisiting, and so today we have the pleasure of seeing and hearing Magic in You. If you need a little cheering up today, this video may just do the trick. Its enormous joie de vivre is something to behold.

The high-energy track combines Cody Fry’s signature orchestral pop style with the world-class brass and percussion power of the Blue Devils, who have won the DCI World Championship a remarkable 21 times. Not only is the song great, but the video is a celebration of music – as well as marching, of course. There is something wonderfully infectious about watching so many musicians performing with such precision while simultaneously throwing themselves into the sheer joy of the music.  It's great to see Cody (whose Unlikely Mariner we featured back in May) give his supporting performers the spotlight so often.

And that’s perhaps what makes Magic in You so effective. It doesn’t feel like a showcase of technical ability for its own sake; instead, the musicianship, choreography and sheer scale of the performance all serve to create an overwhelming sense of optimism.There's even a few Busby Berkely-style moments tucked away in there. It’s difficult not to smile watching it.  See if you can resist the temptation by watching Cody and the Blue Devils perform the song below.

Andy – What Happens When an Android Carer Becomes Self-Aware?

Although the subject of robots becoming self-aware is something that we are all a little overused to right now (especially with Ann Droid, courtesy of the BBC), having watched Andy, I felt I had to share it for several reasons.  Created by Black Elk Productions, It tells the story of Anne Malone.  Elderly, with a husband in a care home and a son, Nick, who is too busy to be around much, Anne has recently had an accident.  Nick provides her with a carer who turns out, much to Anne’s surprise, to be an android.  Hastily named Andy, the two form something of a bond but things quickly go awry and events quickly spiral out of the control of both human and android.  To say much more would provide you with too many spoilers, so watch the short and discover what happens.

What is quite remarkable about this is that Anne is played by Jane Merrow, who also wrote the screenplay.  I have to say here that it felt like there was a feature-length project crying to get out of this short, as sometimes there seem to be not so much gaps but sleight of hand going on, plot wise.  Anne’s neighbour, Pamela (played by Beverly Hills) is criminally underused, but does manage to get both quirkiness and friskiness across in the short time she is on screen.  I would have liked to have seen more of her, perhaps an attempt to seduce Andy would have made for great comedic relief.   Plus, Andy’s first foray to the farmer’s market with Anne is a little baffling – that such an advanced AI robot could malfunction so badly in terms of interacting with humans!

Regardless, this short does come across as a complete whole and it is very firmly down to the two leads who are both fantastic in their roles.  I thought the name Jane Merrow was familiar, and a little research quickly allowed me to discover more about the actress who has been professionally active since the sixties.  It might be easier to list what she hasn’t been in, but UK productions she appeared in that you have probably heard of (!) include Danger Man, The Saint, The Prisoner, The Avengers, and UFO.  During her time living in America, Merrow also appeared in Alias Smith and Jones, Cannon, Police Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Hart to Hart, Magnum PI, Airwolf and MacGyver. Phew!  And that’s only part of her CV.

Gaming Psychology: Why Fast-Paced Games Hold Our Attention

If there is one thing that will capture and hold the attention of most people, it’s a fast-paced game.  It might be a video game, played competitively between family members or friends.  It could be an intense esports match or even one of the crash-style casino games out there.  Whatever the game, there are close connections to gaming psychology – that is the exploration if how game design works in terms of the rewards and challenges it presents to its players.  That, of course, includes emotions which have a massive impact on the way that individual players think and behave.  If you understand a few of the psychological principles behind gaming psychology, it can really help explain why some games really do feel impossible to put down – whether it’s for food, study or sleep!

The Power of Immediate Feedback

You may have guessed, but it’s all about feedback.  It’s constant – each and every time a player makes a decision, they see the result immediately.  Then it’s very much up to them to decide what they are going to do next.  Decisions, decisions!  This rapid cycle of action and response demands one thing – that the brain is focused entirely on the “here and now”.

Of course, in slower games there are often extended periods of time between a decision and an outcome – the action, reaction.  However, fast-paced games reduce that gap, usually providing an instant reward.  Mistakes usually provoke a stream of information giving feedback about what to change at the next attempt.  This continuous sense of momentum makes each moment feel meaningful to the player – and that’s one of the reasons games sometimes get in the way of “real life”!

The Story of Argus, Faithful Dog of Odysseus– as Painted by Briton Rivière

Painted by Briton Rivière, this oil painting (usually dated as created in 1885) shows the reunion between Ulysses (also known as Ulysses), finally returned to Ithaca after twenty years (Troy!) and his faithful dog Ulysses.  This video by Inspiraggio calls it “one of the saddest paintings ever made” and although there is a hint of hyperbole in that description, it is certainly one that is emotionally very charged, especially for dog lovers.

Odysseus had owned Argus before he went to the Trojan war and had trained him as a puppy.  By the time he returned, to reclaim wife and kingdom from would-be usurpers who wished to declare him dead and marry Penelope, the dog was over twenty years old and unable to stand.  Yet despite the fact that Odysseus was heavily disguised as an old beggar, Argus still recognised him.  Yet there is a tragedy behind this reunion.  Odysseus could not pet his faithful dog, or wish him a final goodbye with a few strokes to the dog’s ancient head.  Instead, they locked eyes and Argis was able to die happily, knowing that his master had finally returned.  It must have been agony for Odysseus– knowing that the dog had steadfastly waited for his return, but unable to thank him through touch lest it gave the game away.

This painting was painted at the height of Riviere’s fame.  He had full Royal Academy Status, granted in 1881 – the highest honour for a British painter at this time.  He was also revered by his contemporaries as the foremost painter of animals in the land.  I won’t go on, as all of this and more is covered in the wonderful video below.

When Institutions Keep Records: How Hidden Histories Eventually Surface

In Michigan, history is rarely held in one place. It sits in city archives in Detroit, parish memories in Grand Rapids, courthouse files in Lansing, small-town stories across the Thumb, and diocesan records from Marquette to Kalamazoo. The state’s religious history is shaped by distance as much as doctrine. A church in the Upper Peninsula may have served a close-knit town, while a parish in metro Detroit may have been part of a large urban network.

That geography matters when hidden histories begin to surface. Records tied to clergy abuse allegations are connected to schools, parishes, families, and communities that may have carried unanswered questions for years. Once those records are released, arranged, or investigated, they can change how a community understands its past.

Michigan offers a useful example because its Catholic history is spread across several dioceses, each with its own files, leadership decisions, parish assignments, and local memories. Information once held inside an institution can eventually become part of a public record, giving people a clearer view of events that were once scattered, private, or difficult to trace.

Coin Operated: A Heartwarming Animated Short About Dreams, Life and Going to the Moon

Always allow your dreams to last you your lifetime.  I guess that’s the message behind this very sweet animated short, written and directed by Nicholas Arioli.  A young boy wants to be an astronaut, as makes sure that he wears his space helmet wherever he goes, just in case he gets the chance to reach his destination – the moon.  Then one day he comes across a coin operated ride which is – of course – a rocket ship.  At five cents a go, it’s a must – so his mum leaves him to it while she goes inside the store to do her shopping.  The ride isn’t quite what he expected – but he figures that is five cents gets him a few bumpy seconds, what would a whole heap of five cents pieces get him?

There are a lot of theories on the YouTube comments below this animated short debating what the story is really about.  The ambiguous ending and the symbolic storytelling have assured that.  Does the old man die at the end? What happened to him mother? And why did he spend his own life selling lemonade?  There are countless interpretations – and I for one like to see this animated short as something of a meditation on the pursuit of dreams – and that even if they take a lifetime to achieve, they are still there for the getting.  Have a watch and see what you think!

The Babson Boulders of Dogtown

Roger Babson had a problem. His family thought he was crazy or felonious or both.  He had started to carve mottoes in to the boulders which lay in the fields near the long abandoned settlement of Dogtown close to his home in Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Image Credit Flickr User aaronknox

Babson was later to write in his autobiography: My family says that I am defacing the boulders and disgracing the family with these inscriptions, but the work gives me a lot of satisfaction, fresh air, exercise and sunshine. I am really trying to write a simple book with words carved in stone instead of printed paper. Besides, when on Dogtown common, I revert to a boyhood which I once enjoyed when driving cows there many years ago.

Little Shrew: Kate Bush’s Haunting Animation for ‘Snowflake’

I had no idea that this existed until recently.  Back in 2024, Kate Bush released a short animated music video called Little Shrew (Snowflake) – the word in brackets being the name of the track from her 2011 album 50 Words for Snow that is used as the soundtrack for this startling and poignant anti-war story.  Apparently, the image of the destroyed block of flats that you see in the video is based on a real photograph that Bush saw – an image of the war in Ukraine.  Yet the video doesn’t focus on graphic violence, rather its impact on the young and timid shrew – although the bleak monochrome of the animation certainly drives it message home.

The animation was written and directed by Kate Bush, with the help of animation company Inkubis and production company Tomato Twist.  If you don’t know Snowflake well, you might think Hey! That’s not Kate! for about half of the song.  That’s because she shared the song with her son Bertie (Albert McIntosh).  In fact, the guitar work on the track is by Dan McIntosh, so father makes three. I like it when people keep it in the family! The animation was created to help support the charity War Child.   It is – as you might expect – a work of art.

Valencia Hyperlapse: Exploring the City of Arts and Sciences and Historic Old Town

Valencia is a remarkable city.  On one hand you have the City of Arts and Sciences, which looks like it could be set from a science fiction movie (several have been filmed there).  On the other you have the Old Town, with its sweeping historic squares, not to mention the cathedral and city hall.  It’s like past and present come together in one seamless motion, particularly if you watch this hyperlapse by Kirill Neiezhmakov.  It’s a masterclass in how timelapses are evolving into an art form – thanks to great photography and some equally impressive technology.  Although we have featured Valencia before on Kuriositas, I have never seen it look so beautiful as in this  video.

Neiezhmakov always carries a folding bike with him, on which to move between locations.  Valencia’s network of cycle paths enabled him to do this with ease and to chase what he calls “the perfect light”.   Amazingly, there were no drones involved in the making of this short film – but I for one certainly wouldn’t blame you if you thought that there were.  Instead, the creation of this hyperlapse involved painstaking work, with each shot created by moving the camera and tripod manually.    Watch the resulting magic below.

Star Trek Bohemian Rhapsody 2026

Manny Patel made the first version of this over thirty years ago when he was a high school student.  Now he has returned to his Star Trek Bohemian Rhapsody media mix as a celebration of the show’s 60^th anniversary (and Queen’s song is 50, so a double celebration).  The footage has been upscaled to 4K, giving the original mashup a makeover.  It is certainly a labor of love – each two or three second clip exactly matches a line in the song.  I’ve been a bit cheeky and put the lyrics in the picture above to give readers an idea of what they are in for (the video itself doesn’t have any “singalong” subtitles… now there’s an idea!

What we do have is Dr Crusher and Kira Neris getting swept away with anywhere the wind blows and Odo playing the piano in perfect time to the song.  We have most (if not all) of the mothers of Legacy Trek featured here as the song mentions “mama” so often, so why not? You might want to guess whose death is featured for the line Too late, my time has come, but I reckon you will get that right, no problem.  All told, this is a joy to watch, to proceed below.

Wings: A Heartwarming Animated Short About a Mouse and an Injured Bird

A little mouse, foraging for food, comes across and injured bird. It has been trapped by the wing and the mouse makes the decision, on the spot, to help the bird, release it and share its home with it until it is fully recovered and can fly again. That’s it – a very simple tale, but so beautifully animated and with great (wordless) character development that it’s simply (see what I did there?) a joy to watch.  This was Casey McDonald’s (aka gothfrog) final film from the School of Visual arts. She directed, background painted, animated, and did about half of the cleanup and coloring herself! The rest was handled by her team (credited at the end).

I do love an animated short that tells a very simple story – young animators often make the mistake of writing plots that are way too complex for five minutes or so, and when things get complicated, people turn off.  Yes, this is a very simple story and told in a way that very young kids can get it, but adults can appreciate it for the extended visual metaphor it really is.  Kindness is its own reward, but sometimes, something done with no obvious incentive can be the best thing you can ever do.

This is not a new animated short – but there are so many out there that I didn’t show on Kuriositas when they first came out, mostly because I didn’t spot them, that I thought I would take the opportunity to showcase some.  So, put this another way – I may be late to the party, but at least I got there in the end! At the time of writing Wings has attracted almost 12 million views on YouTube – quite a feat for a student film.  Watch it and discover why it is so well-loved.

The Shanghai Lightshow for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2026

The skyline of modern Shanghai is something of a wonder – it’s like a mix of Bladerunner, Ghost in the Shell and The Fifth Element combined, even though that fairly lazy simile doesn’t do it justice (I shouldn’t really imagine the present using yesterday’s science fiction – it’s there in front of me).  Yet although this is one of the most striking cityscapes on the planet by day, when the sun sets the city comes to iridescent life, with lights reflecting across the Huangpu river.

For visitors to this year’s World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), the nightly light show that the city offers to inhabitants and visitors alike was given a further boost with a sequence of dazzling synchronised projections and animations which were designed to celebrate and showcase innovation and technology.  So, there is an extra layer of spectacle on top of what is already seen each evening.  The phrase that kept coming into my mind as I watched this film of the lightshow by LaLin Photography was effortlessly elegant.  Take a look below – it’s quite dazzling on film – it must have been something special to have been there.

The Threads of Time (時の糸)

There are several films and shows that have phones boxes with connections to time travel.  There is of course, Doctor Who – and who could forget the Bill and Ted movies? So, here’s another one to add to the list – in a way.  Threads of Time was created by Kohei Yamashita in Tokyo, and it follows the trials and tribulations of a young man (played by Kazuma Ozaki).  Perhaps he is a university graduate beginning the shūkatsu (就活) job-hunting process, but he isn’t having much luck.  The first thing that we witness is him being turned down for a position.

After he puts the phone down, he notices that someone has left behind a notepad and a pen, and so writes a message (more of a statement of his current feelings).  The next time he visits, he finds that there are responses in the notebook.  Who wrote them? Well, that’s up to you to discover by watching the short film below! The film is short  but beautifully made. It’s only a few minutes long, and if you need your spirits lifting a little, it may be just what you are looking for!

Summer Fun on Days Long Gone

Have you ever felt that dread when, on their return from some far flung place, your friend threatens to show you their summer holiday photos? You may have to sit through that particular agony.  In the meantime, here is a collection of photographs spanning the first seven decades of the twentieth century which show summer in all its glory.  Times and social mores may have changed, but these may still be the type of pictures you wish your friend had taken.

Image Credit Florida Memory
A group of young women make fun of a sign demanding that they wear full bathing costumes while on Florida’s Miami beach.  Come on, this is 1934, after all!  Sure enough, there were a number of women arrested that year for wearing two piece bathing suits.

Image Credit Florida Memory

You can be fairly certain the young women above didn't stay here.

The Big Leap (Le Grand Saut): An Award-Winning Animated Short About a First Crush at the Beach

This is precious.   Le Grand Saut is the French title, so that translates as The Big Leap and I think it’s a great name for this animated short, given that the girl protagonist takes one literally and metaphorically. It doesn’t tell a big story, but for our young protagonist, it’s something of a coming of age.  A simple day at the beach.  There’s the sun, the sand – and, of course, the completely annoying toddler brother that you have to look at (no doubt while the parents go an have an extended lunch at a local bar!).  Perhaps that last bit is reading too much in to it, but there is another thing – the awakening of attraction.  When our young heroine sees a cool young boy on the beach, it’s pretty much love at first sight – but how do you get him to notice you?

There are number of outstanding features to this animated short.  First and foremost, it was created without dialogue (so overcoming any possible language barrier to help achieve a bigger audience), but the animation is so subtly done that you know exactly what is going through the girl’s mind at any given time – and the body language is also expertly conveyed.  Both of these things are difficult to do with animation, so hats off to the students who created this.  The other stand out for me was how the colours so wonderfully expressed the tone and feel of a day at the beach – vibrant and saturated with the sun in charge of how everyone sees the day’s events.  It really does give this animation a lovely, almost nostalgic texture.

The award-winning animated film was directed by Martina Doll, Anaïs Dos, Coline Reverbel, Kenzo Talma, Edgard Vernier, and Lisa Vlaine during their time at École des Nouvelles Images. It received the School Jury Award at the Catch the Moon – Festival Internazionale di Cinema d'Animazione, the Jury Prize (Prix du Jury) at the Big Cartoon Festival, and the Best Animated Film Award (Prix du Meilleur Film d'Animation) at the Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival. The original score was composed by Aloïs Benoit (MAAAV), with production by Julien Deparis and sound mixing by Pierre-François Renouf.

The Doll’s Eyes Plant – The Woods Have Eyes Too

Have you ever taken a stroll through a wood and felt that you were being watched? Yet when you turn around, no-one is there. You carry on with your walk but that feeling of disquiet lingers. Perhaps you were being watched by something almost as disquieting as that galloping, mad axe murderer you were dreading. The Doll’s Eyes Plant could be eyeing you up as you innocently ramble. In North America, not just the hill have eyes.

Image Credit Flickr User Soul Motor

Wuthering Heights Day 2026: Kate Bush Fans Recreate Iconic Dance in Whitstable – Complete with Drone Footage

These days, most people know Kate Bush for Running Up That Hill, which was iconically featured on Stranger Things.  However, outside of the US, ask people of a certain age and they will immediately cite Wuthering Heights, her 1978 hit, as her most popular song.  In fact, inspired by the music video that went with it, each year women get together in community events all over the giff-gaff to recreate the famous dance from the video.  They also try their best to reproduce the flowing dress Bush wore in it, and many don a wig to complete the ensemble.  While you don’t have to be (ever so gently) bonkers mad to join in a group event like this, I suspect it helps...

The sleepy English seaside town of Whitstable holds it own version - Whittering Heights (get it?) and this year the global event was branded as The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever.  Apparently, when women (some men have been known to join in, too) get together in this manner, it is known as a Mass Wuther, and the one in Penistone Hill, close to the famous Brontë parsonage in Haworth, is probably the most famous. However, the Whitstable organisers this year employed a drone to capture the full majesty of this particular Mass Wuther.  This Community of Cathies (I counted 33) have been getting together once a month since February to rehearse the dance – but I am pretty sure that there has been a lot of bedroom mirror work going on as well.  This is a Mass Wuther par excellence.  A captivating community of Cathies.

Whoever thought of filming it with a drone (not to mention organising that) deserves a Blue Peter badge for this genius move which allows us to really take in the full spectacle.  Hats off, too, to the Cathies in this video.  I love the way that each has adapted the famous red dress and black sash to their own taste, with some versions going down to the ankle while at least one has gone for a mini version (perhaps Babooshka Day for you next year?).  Hopefully, that means that these dresses get more than an annual outing.  What the original article (as it were) has to say about Wuthering Heights Day has not been recorded.  Kate Bush is famously reluctant to appear or talk in public and gives interviews once a millennium, but I hope that if she sees this video it puts a smile on her face as big as mine is right now!

OK, here's the original just for comparison.  Oddly, there were two videos for the song.  The first featured Kate in a white dress.  The one below (known to fans as Version 2) was created for the American market and as you can see, every expense was spared.  Still, decades later, it continues to inspire our communities of Cathies to go forth and Wuther.  Wuthering Heights peaked at No. 8 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, which is essentially the chart just below the main Hot 100.  It took Kate a while to crack the States.

Spider-Plant Man Starring Rowan Atkinson – Comedy Sketch for Comic Relief

It was a long time coming, but the Comic Relief people have finally released Spider-Plant Man on their YouTube channel.  It was originally created for Red Nose Day (when people buy a red nose to wear to support charity) in the UK (back in 2006 so makes this sketch – astonishingly – 20 years old already).  It quickly picked up something of a cult following as it very accurately takes the rise out of superhero films in general.  Starring Atkinson as Peter Piper, this origin story shows our unlikely hero visiting Very Safe Labs Incorporated and being bitten in a delicate place by a genetically engineered spider plant.

Cue a transformation that pleases the reporter no end, especially when an opportunity (very quickly) arises for him to save his school sweetheart, Jane-Mary, who is being mugged very slowly by a masked assailant.  Of course, no sooner is she out of peril than she is in peril again, thanks to a rather bedraggled Batman.  Atkinson was not the only British comedian to lend his talents to this sketch for Comic Relief.  You can see Rachel Stevens, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Mackenzie Crook, Jim Broadbent and Atkinson’s Blackadder chum Tony Robinson in the sketch too.  I am not too sure who wrote it but if I had to guess I would say it had Simon Pegg's paw prints all over it! It still stands up very well, despite being 20 years old, and is probably one of the best Comic Relief sketches ever made.  Watch it below.