Onelargeprawn » Cautionary Tales

This is Your Body Attacking Cancer

prawn1 — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:55:50 +0000

Cambridge University’s Under the Microscope series takes a close-up look at the world through the lens of a microscope. The latest video shot by PhD student Alex Ritter captures the showdown between a dangerous cancer cell and a Cytotoxic T cell, a special type of white blood cell that is one-tenth the width of a human hair. Its mission in life is to destroy virally infected cells. Professor Gillian Griffiths of Cambridge University explains:

Cells of the immune system protect the body against pathogens. If cells in our bodies are infected by viruses, or become cancerous, then killer cells of the immune system identify and destroy the affected cells. Cytotoxic T cells are very precise and efficient killers. They are able to destroy infected or cancerous cells, without destroying healthy cells surrounding them. The Wellcome Trust funded laboratory of Professor Gillian Griffiths, at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, investigates just how this is accomplished. By understanding how this works, we can develop ways to control killer cells. This will allow us to find ways to improve cancer therapies, and ameliorate autoimmune diseases caused when killer cells run amok and attack healthy cells in our bodies.”

The video is filmed at 92 times faster than real time.

See more Under the Microscope videos on YouTube.

[via io9]

Operation White Widow

prawn1 — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:30:02 +0000

In this animated short film by Jacek Mazur, a team of soldiers aboard an aircraft prepare to launch an assault on an enemy encampment. As they jump from the plane, they’re met by a barrage of anti-aircraft fire from the ground. The soldiers skillfully and silently dance their way around the bullets as they descend to their target. But all is not what it seems…

Have a look at Operation White Widow below.

[via ufunk]

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Pizza Boomerang is Deadly to Penises

prawn1 — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:30:24 +0000

Picture the scene. A He-Man-esque super hero waits patiently for his pizza to warm up in the microwave. Fearing the fast food might be a little too hot, our hero flings it from his home planet towards the earth. Thus begins the utterly bizarre journey of Pizza Boomerang, a pizza so epic that it could slice your penis off.

[thanks Andy!]

Heads Blowing Up

prawn1 — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 07:15:13 +0000

Supercuts are a dime a dozen these days so you have to pick the ones relevant to your interests. Heads blowing up is certainly one of mine.

That bloody montage was brought to you by Cinemamassacre. Be sure to read the Your Head A Splode tv trophe, it’ll blow your mind…

[via Live For Films]

Attack of the Sneaky Sea Snail

prawn1 — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:27:59 +0000

Sloth are adorably cute but snails are on the opposite end of the scale. Cone snails are fiendish creatures, carnivorous, venomous, and predatory. This little clip from the BBC shows how exactly the gastropod feeds upon an unsuspecting fish that happens to be three times its size. It’s too horrible for words.

[via @Wakeangl]

Attack of the Japanese Hornets!

prawn1 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:45:16 +0000

With its large body and wingspan, the Japanese giant hornet is quite the fearsome creature. It is known to prey on bees, often dismembering heads and limbs in the heat of battle. It eats their honey too, because after all, to the victor belong the spoils.

It is claimed that a single Japanese giant hornet can kill 40 honey bees in a minute, so can you imagine what damage a nest of them could cause? The BBC did exactly that. In this clip, a band of 30 Japanese giant hornets unleash hell upon a colony of 30,000 diminutive European honey bees. The attack is timed to some epic orchestral music.

The original clip along with the relevant commentary can be seen after the jump.

[via BlackNotes]

The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics

prawn1 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:29:34 +0000

The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics is a cute little animated short film that won an Academy Award in 1966. Based on the book of the same name, this short film, directed by Chuck Jones, tells the story of a line who falls in love with a dot. The love is not reciprocal, for the dot sees the line as too straight, and directs her affections toward the wild and rebellious squiggle. Despite the stern rejection, the line turns to unconventional methods to gain the attention of his love. Does the story have a happy ending? Find out below.

[via Infosthetics]

HALLUCINOGENIC OSTRICH EGG!

prawn1 — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 13:19:33 +0000

If you enjoyed the surrealist ice fishing video, then you might get a kick out of this too. Created by CRAZY DAVE TAPE, this bizarre little clip shows an early human as he comes upon a nest of ostrich eggs. The primitive caveman cracks open an egg and goes on an unexpected trip.

[via @LOLTATZ]

The Best Bails and Fails of 2011

prawn1 — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:59:14 +0000

The human race is capable of a great many things. Failing is certainly one of them, and thanks to the collective efforts of TwisterNederland8, you can now see a glorious 12-minute compilation of the best bails, fails, and blood trails from the year gone by.

[via @6000]

In Your Face: “How Safe is Pepper Spray?” Infographic

prawn1 — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:05:42 +0000

With now infamous police officer Lt. John Pike (see casually pepper spraying everything cop) appearing in the cover to their infographic, the people from Online Criminal Justice Degree provides information on deterrent that is pepper spray, its spicy power, and how it affects its victims.

See the full How Safe is Pepper Spray? infographic after the jump.

Click the image to see it bigger. You may need to click the expand icon in the top right corner of the image to see it in its full resolution.

[via Ufunk]

George Learns Self-Defense

prawn1 — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:13:37 +0000

Meet George. George is a nobody who gets beat up in alleyways. That is, until he attends some classes in self-defense. Things turn out quite differently after that.

This educational film was created by Chris Harding.

[via Short of the Week]

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An Arts and Crafts History of the World

prawn1 — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:35:14 +0000

If you thought Kevin Parry’s The Arctic Circle was a little too dire, you may like one of his more recent creations.

Masquerading as a music video to Kalle Mattson’s song Thick As Thieves, Parry has created a cute stop motion arts and crafts history of the world, right from the big bang to our inevitable end.

[via This is Colossal]

The Arctic Circle

prawn1 — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:03:56 +0000

About two years ago, animator Kevin Parry created a stark stop-motion film The Arctic Circle that explores greed, power, and how the thirst for power can become all-consuming.

In the desolate landscape of The Arctic Circle, our nameless protagonist cranks away at a tree until a fruit is formed and is ready for harvesting. His menial existence is changed one day when a mysterious box appears…

[via The Awesomer]

Bob the Hamster is in Love

prawn1 — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 07:30:19 +0000

This endearing animated short film by Jacob Frey tells the story of Bob, a hamster who finds love but must chase it around the world. He pursues his goal with ardour of a stalker, will he catch up to it? Find out below, and be sure to watch until after the credits ;)

BOB was created in 2009 and took six months to make. In the next couple of months, it travels to many film festivals. For more info, visit bob-film.com.

[via Paranoias]

The Birds Of Anger: A Video Game Horror Film

prawn1 — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 08:10:25 +0000

As part of the their Epictober Film Festival, G4tv has created a set of three video game-related horror films. The Birds of Anger, directed by Gregg Bishop, takes the immensely popular mobile game Angry Birds and transforms it into a rather disturbing tale. Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 horror masterpiece The Birds, Bishop’s 8-mintue short film tells the story of the the Bacon family who are paid a visit by their neigbour, Anne. The unwelcome guest has brought them a basket of eggs and has unwittingly ruffled some feathers. See The Birds of Anger below.

The other two Epictober films include twisted takes on Mario Kart and Duck Hunt. See those horror flicks after the jump.

Kart Driver

The Hunt

[via Laughing Squid]

Mountain Biker Meets Angry Buck

prawn1 — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:34:20 +0000

Whenever I’ve walked on the slopes of Table Mountain, the nicer mountain bikers are generally the ones going uphill. They’re far too out of breath to be of any danger to me. However, the ones coming down the hill seldom announce their presence. They scream down the rocky roads, leaving a trail of dust and angered walkers in their wake.

You’d think a mountain biker on the flat savanna wouldn’t be of much nuisance to anyone. Unfortunately for mountain biker, Evan van der Spuy of Team Jeep South Africa, that wasn’t the case. During a race at the Albert Falls Dam, van der Spuy rode past a grazing Red Hartebeest who reacted to the cyclist’s presence. And by “react”, I mean “charge the mountain biker and klap him something fierce”.

Yoh.

[via +James Francis]

Now That You’re Big

prawn1 — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 17:02:43 +0000

In Now That You’re Big, artist Simon Greiner creates a hilarious sex education book in the style of Dr. Seuss.

Drawn in a style similar to the very popular children’s books, Greiner rhymes the story of a boy who is growing up and starts to notice the other sex. The tale starts off innocently with booboobs and junk, and moves to the matter of sex in the hut (and in the butt), and finally to the miracle that is birth. Have a look at a few of the panels of Now That You’re Big after the jump (slightly NSFW).

The story of pubescence continues at http://nowthatyourebig.blogspot.com.

[via Buzzfeed]

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Nigella Talks Dirty

prawn1 — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:20:59 +0000

Oh my, this so scrumptiously rude! YouTube user 80gumdrops edited various clips from Nigella Lawson’s 2006 television series, Nigella Feasts, into a rather decadent monologue where the queen of tarts tells us some of her culinary fantasies. Be warned, there is some heady innuendo in the mix here, so it’s possibly NSFW.

[via +Alex van Rensburg]

If Computer Problems Were Real

prawn1 — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:21:16 +0000

We might not know it, but we tend to use a lot of metaphors to describe the computer problems that we have to contend with. From frozen documents, to broken Windows, to issues with the firewall, the AwkwardSpaceship takes a look at how chaotic the world would be if all our computer problems were actually real. Be sure to stick around until after the credits have rolled.

[via Ufunk]

Read This: “Bongcheon-Dong” Web Comic

prawn1 — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 13:48:49 +0000

Written and illustrated by someone called HORANG, Bongcheon-Dong is a Korean web comic that tells the tale of a girl who is walking home from school late one night and encounters a crippled woman. I won’t spoil it for you, view the comic here (the story unfolds as you scroll down), and let us know your reaction in the comments.

[via @VoicyZA]