Jane Austen's Period Drama (2026 Oscar Nominated)

This short film is bloody wonderful.  Erm. I suppose I could have described it a little less appropriately – let’s just say that it brought out my inner Ron Weasley for a second.  As far as Jane Austen adaptations go, this may not be quite what you were expecting – but it does at least have all the right ingredients.  In fact, the Jane Austen references are everywhere.  And so they should be.

To begin with, there are three sisters, much along the lines of Sense and Sensibility.  They are around the same age as Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret Dashwood but here instead we have Miss Estrogenia “Essy” Talbot (Julia Aks), Miss Labinia Talbot (Samantha Smart) and Miss Vagianna Talbot (Nicole Alyse Nelson).  And yes, if you hadn’t guessed this is a comedy, then you just have. I hope.  You have also probably guessed what constitutes the period drama too. Let other keyboards dwell on guilt and misery, though; this is just for fun.

The Janeite world-building is thorough, although it might make a few uber-purists run for the smelling salts (or dash to the gin cabinet). We have the father who retreats to his library whenever things get a little uncomfortable (shades of Mr Bennett in Pride and Prejudice), and the even more uncomfortable fact that all his daughters are as yet unmarried. Of course, in those days it was a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman in possession of no great fortune, must be in want of a husband.  And it looks like Essy is about to be the first of the Talbots to get hitched.  She has managed to attract the attention of the handsome, brooding, slighly dim Mr James Dickley, played by Ta’imua (great chemistry between the two leads, by the way).  However, the drama of the title comes into play very quickly. Could this be the end of the Talbot-Dickley union, before it has even fully started?

You can watch and find out, the film is below. What involvement Emma Thompson had in the project I cannot tell you, but she is listed as Executive Menstrual Advisor.  Shame there was no Thompson style weeping in the film… but it is a comedy after all. What I can tell you, though, is that it was written by Julia Acks (Essy in the film) and Steve Pinder. The talented duo also directed the film.  What I enjoyed about it most of all is the script, which is very sharp, knowing, contemporary and extremely funny – a gift to any actor who can keep a straight face long enough.  I imagine there were one or few bloopers made while filming.

Not only is it all of the above, it is stylistically so in keeping with the way period dramas are made in terms of the way the whole thing looks – perfect, really.  Plus the casting of the sisters is spot on – you can create an Austenesque backstory for each of them the moment they utter their first words.  Having watched this, I was hardly surprised to see that this has been Oscar nominated for Best Live Action Short Film.  Fingers crossed that this beats the opposition into bloody (ah, did it again) submission and comes out on top.

Fungtopus? The Incredible Fungus that Looks Like an Octopus

This is Clathrus archeri.  Looking every inch the result of a GM experiment gone wrong, it resembles a strange cross between a toadstool and an octopus.

Yet this is not the result of some subterranean gene-splicing enterprise to bring the world a spore-bearing cellaphod (for whatever reason that might be).  This is exactly how nature intended the Octopus Stinkhorn.  The shape and form you see here is an integral but short-lived part of its life-cycle.

Image Credit Flickr User Jose Delgar

That’s AI (Artificial Intelligence)

Everyone seems to have an opinion on AI, don’t they? Even my octogenarian mother referred to it recently as “slop” – and I have no clue where she got that term from because she doesn’t exactly doomscroll, but she still managed to catch the zeitgeist with the word of the day. In fact she doesn’t exactly go on the internet; she’s quite proud of that fact, in fact. I imagine she picked up the term from one of her more tech savvy friends – they regularly meet for horrific amounts of caffeine and to put the world to rights (I refer to them collectively as The Coven – and that’s a term of endearment).  In this short comedy video, their US male counterparts are, I imagine, doing a similar sort of thing.

A couple of old fellahs are chewing the cud and taking in the world when they spot an athletic young man doing gymnastic flips in the park.  Very impressive flips.  Too impressive flips. One of them immediately declares “That’s AI” as he has seen things like that on his Instagram (and here they are really beginning to sound like the aforementioned coven).  Before long they are surrounded by a large group of people, all of whom have their own herd opinion about whether or not that’s AI in front of them.

This funny comedy short was written and directed by Sebastian Lopez. It stars James Stallworth as Zee and Claudius Pratt as John. The flipper is Mads Egerlund and let’s not forget Trumpet Guy who is played by Karim Theilgaard. A short note here – go and try and find anything about Mads Egerlund (who plays the flipper).  Apart from references to this short, you won’t.  And that can only mean…

Cruz Beckham (and don’t forget The Breakers!) – For Your Love

Spare a thought for The Breakers.  I don’t know if they are just Cruz Beckham’s band (in a Cliff Richard and The Shadows kind of way) or just hired musicians who have come in for this single. Yet they don’t even get a name check until part way through the video and even then, they don’t get one on the YouTube title for this video.  Regardless, I’m happy to remain blissfully unaware of their true connections with the third child of David and Victoria Beckham (who I think made their money selling used cars, or on Love Island or, well, something like that).

I wasn’t even going to press play, but I did, and was pleasantly surprised – so much in fact that I thought I would let you make your own minds up too.  I think if Blur and Oasis had a secret love child with Kula Shaker and Deep Purple, then the child might grow (metaphorically) to be something like Cruz Beckham (and The Breakers, don’t forget The Breakers).  This is Cruz’ third single (apparently) after Optics and the very unappealingly titled Lick the Toad (I am not curious).  It does rock in a gentle kind of rocky manner and Mr Beckham has a pretty good voice.  That sounds like I'm damning with faint praise but I genuinely did enjoy this.  But, am I the only one to think Cruz is vaguely reminiscent (looks-wise) of a youngish David Bowie?  Not sure about the moustache, though. Really not sure about the moustache.

Anyway, the video has a cute little intro and outro, which adds well to the overall effect.  But best of all is that this is a good tune, a bit of a toe tapper, a three minute poptastic popgasm. So, yes, we like it. Watch For Your Love below.

The Big Push – Personal Jesus: Probably the Best Buskers in the World

The Big Push are a UK band who first became known for their powerful street performances in Bristol and Brighton, blending rock, reggae, hip-hop, soul, and folk into something completely their own. They’re known for raw musicianship, fearless reworking of well-known songs, and performances that feel immediate, energetic, and alive.  If that sounds like something that might appeal to you, hang around.  You’re about to watch a bravura performance of a Depeche Mode classic. Or a Johnny Cash classic. Or a Marilyn Manson classic.  It has been covered by many artists and The Big Push have now joined that particular pantheon.

This is their take on “Personal Jesus”, stripped back, intense, and full of attitude, showing exactly why their live videos have captured such a huge audience.  It was shot last summer on Ship Street in Brighton.  The locals seem to love it to!  Watch the video below and see if you agree with me - that The Big Push are probably the best  buskers in the world.

The Duke of Wentworth - Starring Timothy West

Family outings can go awry, especially when they are intergenerational.  In The Duke of Wentworth we have doddery old grandad (played wonderfully by the late, great Timothy West), his daughter and her hubby, plus the most recent addition to the family – a little baby girl.  Things don’t quite go to plan when baby needs changing, leaving grandad to his own devices for a while amidst the splendour of the stately home.  Then – of course – a group of American tourists mistake him for their tour guide…

You may remember Timothy West in major British dramas that reached global audiences, such as his portrayal of Winston Churchill in The Gathering Storm, the acclaimed BBC/HBO production, or as Sir Leicester Dedlock in Bleak House, broadcast on PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre. More recently, he appeared as Jeremy Lister in Gentleman Jack, a BBC–HBO series that gained a strong following in the United States, reinforcing his reputation as a commanding presence in historical and literary drama.

This short film was created to showcase Wentworth Woodhouse Country House in the English county of Yorkshire - and it looks resplendent. Yet West is the true star - absolutely in his element as he proceeds to lead the (highly gullible) American visitors around the house, confidently feeding them increasingly absurd nonsense about its history.  Watch it and have ten minutes of fun below.

10 Spectacular Radio Telescopes around the World

Take a whistle stop tour of some of the most spectacular radio telescopes in the world and find out about what actually goes on there. On almost all of the continents these giants command the landscape as they survey the skies.

Image Credit Flickr User CHUCKage

Radio telescopes can be found the world over. They are used in radio astronomy, the science of studying, at radio frequencies, celestial objects such as galaxies and stars as well as more difficult to understand phenomena such as Masers and Pulsars. They also collect and track data from space probes and satellites that we have shot up in to the atmosphere and space. Here are some of the more significant and – in terms of design – beautiful radio telescopes in the world.

The Fayum Mummy Portrait that Looks So Familiar

I remember discovering the Fayum mummy portraits (as a reader, rather than the Jesuit priest who did uncover some of them back in 1615) and have returned to them time and time again.  It is fascinating that realistic images of the faces of people who died so long ago can still be seen by us today. Dating from around the 1st to the 3rd centuries AD, roughly c. 30 BC to AD 300, they were produced in the Fayum area of Roman Egypt, mainly during the early Roman Imperial period, and were attached to mummies as realistic painted likenesses of the deceased.

In this video, Alexandra Olsman, one of Sotheby’s specialists in ancient sculpture and works of art takes a look at one in particular (and I guess it’s up for sale, this video being by an art broker). Unlike many of the portraits, this particular chap is obviously middle-aged (the majority are of young adults and children).  It’s an honest “warts and all” picture but what Olsman does is answer a question that has intrigued many.  Were these portraits drawn before or after the death of the “sitter”?  The answer is a little more complex than you might expect – and, of course, based on a certain amount of guess work as we do not know who these people were, let alone how or when they died.

Watch this fascinating video below:

Luger - Starring Hack Whitehall

Generation gaps often express themselves in viewpoints, perspectives and attitudes – and often those of the older generation can become to seem a little extreme to others. Kept within the family, they can be, well, swept under the carpet.  However, sometimes help has to be called and in Tom’s case he has turned to the services of a pair of very different nurses, Gloria and Helen to help look after his ailing nonagarian grandfather. 

The carers, played by Lolly Adefope (Ghosts - UK version) and Ellie White (The Windsors) sit down for a chat with Tom (Jack Whitehall) and he soon discovers things he never knew about his "grandpa", including the titular luger which he finds in a biscuit tin.  Whitehall is well known for his previous stirling comedic turns in Bad Education and Fresh Meat. This short film, directed by Freddie Waters (Peacock) and written by Freddy Syborn (Bad Education) stands out because it is so character driven (it mostly takes place in a single room), rather than depending on a big budget or flashy setting to interest the viewer.  Each character is beautifully written and acted and we get a real feel for the personalities involved in this “situation” comedy. 

Watch Luger below:

Forevergreen

Forevergreen tells the story of an orphaned bear cub, rescued from almost certain death by a benign spirit of the forest – which in this case comes in the shape of an old and wise evergreen tree.  The tree teaches the young cub how to survive and a parent-child bond is created between the two.  That is, until the cub reaches those difficult teenage years and is accidentally introduced to the allure of fast food left behind by humans.  A chain of events is set in motion in which desperate decisions must be made…

This charming animated short, written and directed by Nathan Engelhardt and Jeremy Spears was created by a team of over 200 people who all donated their free time to create what is a beautiful piece of visual storytelling.  As you can imagine, as it was an after hours project, it took some time to make – over five years in fact.  On a simple level it works as an extended metaphor – don’t give your kids junk food.  Flippancy aside, Forevergreen tells a simple yet profound tale of sacrifice and parenthood and how this can spread out, like the leaves of a tree, over generations.

Watch Forevergreen below.

Frankfurt Hyperlapse

Frankfurt in Germany has been around for at least 1200 years, so it has amassed a certain amount of history in those years. Much of it was destroyed during the Second World War and reconstructed later but today the city hosts a myriad of gleaming new tower blocks in the banking district, too.  Kirill Neiezhmakov has been making timelapse and hyperlapse films for years and I am not sure whether this is the first time he has captured Frankfurt on film, but the results are compelling to say the least.   In this hyperlapse, he experiments with seamless AI morphing transitions to go from one place in the city to another and I must say that they work a treat.

Kirill approached the shoot knowing time and conditions were against him. Heavy rain, dark skies and the loss of his folding bike limited his mobility, reducing a planned three-day shoot to barely a day and a half. Despite this, he captured 20 hyperlapse sequences, selecting 17 for the final film. The dramatic weather became an asset, with dense, rolling clouds contrasting sharply against Frankfurt’s steel-and-glass skyline. Kirill also continued his AI morphing experiments, seamlessly transforming old and new architecture. Each hyperlapse was created manually, moving the tripod frame by frame to achieve a natural, organic flow.

Windy Day

I love a visual, extended metaphor in the morning.  This animated short by students from the École des Nouvelles Images in France has the tagline “Wind carries away destinies.”  However, I think it is truer to say that this particular wind drives people to them.  The story is very simple, but beautifully told.  In a park we meet the various people enjoying their time there – a young couple with their child, and even younger couple discovering love for the first time, an old man with his dog and the harassed businessman trying to do a little work while having his lunch.  All are destined to meet the wind – but what will become of them?

This charming animation was directed by Martin Chailloux, Ai Kim Crespin, Élise Golfouse, Chloé Lab, Hugo Taillez, and Camille Truding, with an original score by Camille Riey (MAAAV). It was produced by Julien Deparis, and the sound mix was created by Pierre-François Renouf.

The Sphinx Observatory – Science at the Top of the World

It may look like the hideaway of a super villain from a Bond movie but this is the Sphinx Observatory, dedicated to research which must take place out at an altitude of 3000-3500 meters.

It is situated in Jungfraujoch, Switzerland. At an astonishing 3.571 meters above sea level, the Sphinx observatory in the Swiss Alps is the highest-altitude built structure in Europe.

Image Credit Flickr User jrodmanjr

Luke Evans as Frank-N-Furter? I see you shiver with anticipation…

Does Luke Evans have what it takes to play Rocky Horror’s Frank-N-Furter?  Well, we know he has the voice.  You only need to watch his turn as Gaston in Disney’s 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast to know that the Welsh actor can belt out the shows numbers probably without pausing for breath.  We know he has the body.  He showed quite a lot of it as Zeus in 2011’s Immortals.  It's probably still intact. So, he would probably be able to squeeze into Frank-N-Furter’s corset very nicely (although physically he may out-muscle Rocky but we’ll have to see).

Why the questions? It's because he is about to step into one of theatre’s most iconic roles and appears below in a newly released rehearsal video alongside director Sam Pinkleton. The footage offers a glimpse of Evans working through the show’s emotional 11-o’clock number, I’m Going Home, giving fans an early sense of the tone and style this revival is aiming for. With Pinkleton at the helm, the production looks set to balance the show’s camp legacy with a fresh theatrical edge.

Richard O’Brien’s cult classic begins previews on 26 March, ahead of an official opening night on 23 April at Studio 54. The production is scheduled as a limited Broadway engagement, running through 21 June.

Fans of the sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania may want to get their tickets early. Watch Luke Evans rehearse as Frank-N-Furter below.

How Were Ancient Egyptian Faience Amulets Made?

Ancient Egyptian faience amulets are small objects with a big story to tell. Known to the Egyptians as tjehenet, faience is a distinctive ceramic material celebrated for its luminous blue-green colour and its powerful symbolic links to rebirth, protection, and the divine.

In this video, archaeologist and artist Zahed Taj-Eddin (how wonderful to be both!) of the Victoria and Albert Museum explores and demonstrates how these striking amulets were made thousands of years ago, revealing the materials, tools, and techniques used by ancient craftspeople. From shaping the core to glazing and firing, the process combined practical skill with a deep understanding of early ceramic technology.

Faience amulets were more than decorative items. They played an important role in religious belief and daily life, serving as protective charms and symbols of regeneration in both life and the afterlife.

For anyone like me, who is curious about ancient Egypt, archaeology, museum artefacts, or early manufacturing technologies, this is a fascinating glimpse into how beauty, belief, and innovation came together in the ancient world.

In Our Hands

In Our Hands is an award-winning animated short film that examines the fragile relationship between the human body and the world it inhabits. As a fusion of dance and animation, we couldn’t resist it at Kuriositas, as so many of our posts are about one or the other  but so rarely both! Created in the Czech Republic in 2024, the four-minute film offers a quietly powerful meditation on responsibility, agency, and consequence.

Humanity, the film suggests, exists in a state of profound contradiction. We are capable of creation, growth, and care, yet equally capable of destruction and passive complicity as ecosystems unravel around us. Through its spare but expressive visual language, In Our Hands poses a deceptively simple question: if the future of nature, and of ourselves, rests in our hands, what will we choose to do with it?

Artist Kristián Mensa (Mr. Kriss) uses movement, dance, and animation to craft a poetic reflection on humanity’s place within the endless cycles of life. Bodies become landscapes; gestures echo natural rhythms; moments of harmony sit uneasily beside images of loss. The result is a film that feels both intimate and universal, inviting viewers to reflect rather than instructing them how to feel.

Directed, written, and artistically interpreted by Mensa, with cinematography, editing, and music by Jan Pivoňka, and animation by Petr Šenkýř and Ladislav Rejkuba, In Our Hands is a striking reminder that hope and collapse remain equally possible — and that the choice, however uncomfortable, is ours to make.

The Chiaroscuro and Rembrandt Lighting

In order to achieve the beautiful contrast between light and dark, known as chiaroscuro there is a method employed by photographers – Rembrandt Lighting. Here, with some beautiful examples, is how it is done. Image Credit Flickr User Mai En Hoa

Image Credit Flickr User 85mm.ch

CDK Company - Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

CDK Company does it again. Would you like to see some amazing choreography, brought to life by a group of (again!) amazing dances. Well, watch the (amazing) video below.  You’ll be amazed – honestly!  It’s great to see that Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody still proves irresistible to young artists, whose parents were probably not even born when it was a hit first time around.  This is a joyful and unrestrained performance – a thrill to watch.

Directed and choreographed by Sergio Reis, this dance version of Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen was performed by the company in collaboration with Muziekgebouw (the venue in Amsterdam). CDKcompany (also known as CDK Company or Cardo Dance Kingdom Company) is an international dance collective based in the Netherlands that brings together a creative team of choreographers and performers to produce high‑quality dance work and training. The group focuses on innovative choreography, visual storytelling and shared creative expression, often blending contemporary movement with striking video and performance elements.  As you will see, this piece has all of that in spades.

The production was brought to life by producers Ivy Schoumacher and Bas Kunz, with Jowha van de Laak as assistant director. The visual storytelling was captured by director of photography @markvrhs and enhanced by colorist Ryan Urzi. Assistant choreographers Mauro van de Kerkhof and Jowha van de Laak helped refine the movement, making this adaptation a striking fusion of music and dance.

El Dodorado - The REAL Reason the Dodo Went Extinct

You think we made the dodo go extinct? Nah. If you want to get to the real historical truth of why the flightless bird went extinct, all you have to do is watch this animated short by ESMA students.  It will leave you in no doubt that the real reason behind the extinction of the dodo was just… well, that would be spoiling it.  Watch it for yourself. However, I must warn you that the video has a higher body count than the average Arnold Schwarzenegger film. Or the average Sylvester Stallone film for that matter. Or even the average Keanu Reeves film.  It’s messy. Gloriously, hilariously messy.

That this is a student film is remarkable in itself. What is perhaps worrying is that I can so easily imagine them gleefully storyboarding this film and coming up with the various and many  gruesome ways that the dodo drove itself to extinction that you will experience for yourself shortly.  The reprobates responsible are Talhia Brom, Emilie Cayre, Dorian Condelis, Solène Corral, Brice Girardin, Ghita Hsaine, Ambre Kerbrat, Adrien Lhabitant, and Héloïse Ogez. The music is by Clovis Schneider and the sound by Tristan Le Bozec, Yoann Poncet, and José Vicente. Together they make up part of the Class of 2024 at ESMA.  I hope they all survive much, much longer than their animated dodos!

Oh - and whoever thought up the name El Dodorado deserves an award.

Watch El Dodorado below:

Please Help Keep Kurositas Online

You may or may not know this but Kuriositas is curated by just one person – and that person would be me! There are a number of expenses that the site incurs each month and so, with my cap in my hand, I’m going to beg a favour.

If you enjoy Kuriositas, please consider helping out with the cost of running the site.  As you can guess, it takes a lot of time and effort, too!

Below this post you will see a button which will enable you to make a contribution safely and securely. You may have to view this post on its own in order to see it (not that I am trying to make this hard or anything!).

You can give as little or as much as you like – I’m not going to limit your choices. Anything will be gratefully received and will help to ensure that I can carry on bringing you all the great science, art and interesting things in-between that makes the site what it is.

So, if you read or watch something that you have really enjoyed, please think about sending us a small donation. Thanks!

Best regards

Robert-John

PS: The donation page is set to US dollars as that is where we get most of our traffic from. So, if you are outside the USA please remember to calculate the amount from your currency first!

Image Credit

My name is Edgar and I have a Cow

This animated short, the first professionally created by Filip Diviak, tells the rather sweet story of Edgar who (you may or may not have realised) has a cow.  On a visit to a slaughterhouse, Edgar sees the birth of “his” cow and, well, next thing you know the calf is at home with Edgar in his flat.  Now if you know cows (and I do), then you will know that they are not the most elegant of creatures in their movement and if confined to a small city apartment, then accidents around the house are bound to happen.

And of course, a calf will always grow up into a cow.

Yet Edgar has a solution. No spoilers here – watch and see what he comes up with!

Kumbhalgarh – The Great Wall of India

Long overshadowed by its lengthier neighbor to the east, this is the second largest continuous wall on the planet. Some call it by the name of the fort it surrounds – Kumbhalgarh. Others simply refer to it as The Great Wall of India. Yet bewilderingly, it is still little known outside its own region.

534 Artists Come Together in a Global Run Cycle Collaboration - Run, Boy, Run!

Looking back at the title, I could have worded it a little better as it could so easily be misconstrued. However, one look at the ecstatic comments under this video on YouTube and, well, maybe it’s not so inaccurate after all.  Sometimes, projects can just gain legs.  As this project works on the idea of hundreds of character run cycles, then that’s literally metaphorical and metaphorically literal (I think).

The project creator, Julie Roulet (also known as 3verange) announced this collab on Instagram and TikTok back in July, asking artists to contribute an animation of a character running.  Amazingly, the response was huge with 534 hearing the call and contributing a dazzling array of characters to the project.  The result is something quite magical.  Fine, there is no story (except the one you can make up in your imagination) but that was never the point.  This project (or silly idea as 3verange puts it!) brought so many people together – all ages, a host of different nationalities, levels of animation expertise – that’s where the beauty of this lies.  Plus there is a huge amount of artistic styles on display - and they all fit together perfectly.  Yes, it may be silly (I would call it daft, rather than silly) but then what’s the point of life if we can’t be daft/silly at least some of the time?

One commenter puts it rather well: "This is so beautiful. The variety of animation styles and qualities, the range of characters from humanoids to non-humanoids to both to horses is amazing. I may not have been a part of this project, but I think it’s a wonderful display of how people can come together even for something “small” like this".

Even taking the time spent by individual animators out of the equation, the amount of hours 3verange must have spent bringing it altogether makes my head spin a little. So, a big thank you to 3verange for bringing this remarkable collaboration to life and to The 534 as well, of course!

The Painting (Pittura)

It’s the Renaissance – but not as we know it.  Perhaps Rome never fell and this is what one of its cities could have looked like had that never happened.  Whatever, this is a gloriously realised Italianesque setting where a painter who knows his time is running short realises that his robot assistant has developed an interest art.  However, this doesn’t quite turn out as he expects, although perhaps all is not lost in the end…

This beautifully realised short film was created by directors Emma Boulot, Titouan Lassere, Adam Lauriol, Alexandre Lievin, Hellois Marre and Rémi Vivenza, with specialist contributions from Zoé Lafay, Antoine Delclaud and Mathis Giraudeau. Pipeline TD and renderfarm administration were handled by Elouan Rogliano and Angèle Sionneau. The film is a 2024 graduation project from ARTFX and stars Christophe Pujol as the painter and Theo Martin as the robot.  So, although it isn't from this year's crop of graduates I felt almost obliged to share this with you.  With barely over 20,000 views, this wonderful short film deserves a much larger audience and I hope I can contribute to that in my own small way.

This reminds me of the much-quoted Jean Baudrillard statement – “The sad thing about artificial intelligence is that it lacks artifice and therefore intelligence”. Hats off, though, to the human who designed the robot - an exquisite work of art of and in itself.

AiDA (Ai Dating Assistant)

I  know a few people who would pay (quite a lot of) good money for one of these.  However, if they watch AiDA they might think twice…

Ben (played by Ryan Goldsher) is a little insecure about dating so downloads the app AiDA (AI Dating Assistant) so he doesn’t get tongue tied during his date with the intimidatingly lovely Taylor (played by Ariana Newman).  Of course, things start to go wrong for the hapless Ben almost immediately.  As this short film is too… short to say much about what happens without spoilers, I will leave it to you to discover Ben’s date/fate but needless to say the conversation takes some unexpected turns.  I can guarantee that the next five minutes of your life, at least, will be worthwhile (and make of that what you will, I guess!).  Strangely, even though this film centres on technolgy and it use, I can't help but feel that there is some innate Darwinism at play here (which may well still win the day).

AIDA was created by Jack Newman and Ryan Goldsher (comedian and impressionist).

The mathematics and probability concepts behind online slots

Most people spinning reels on casino sites don’t give much thought to underlying probability or mathematics. Beneath flashy graphics and sounds, slot machines, virtual or otherwise, lean heavily on the rules of math and statistics. Each click activates a random number generator (RNG), there’s no memory, and every spin is a fresh calculation.

Terms like Return to Player (RTP) and house edge might sound abstract, but these set the tone for long-term results. What’s changed as slots moved online? Not much, at the core.

The technology has advanced, but the formulas guiding payouts and odds have remained close to the original blueprint. So, when you see those spinning reels, remember: it’s all shaped by probabilities, creative design choices, and a pile of numbers far behind the screens. Source: Canva Editor

Core probability mechanics

The outcome for any spin in online slots relies entirely on a random number generator. According to studies in applied mathematics, the RNG assigns a number to every possible reel position, so each result stands independently of previous spins. A simple three-reel slot with 10 unique symbols per reel yields 1,000 possible combinations. If 10 combinations represent wins, the chance of a win per spin becomes 1%.

A single jackpot result, such as three identical symbols lining up, could have a probability as low as 0.1%. As developers increase the number of reels, symbols and paylines, the number of combinations quickly expands, sometimes exceeding tens of thousands. However, the odds for the biggest outcomes remain low. The probability for a symbol on any reel is defined by the fraction of the appearances of that symbol over the total symbols.

For example, if a certain symbol appears five times on a reel with 20 positions, the probability of that symbol landing is 25% for that reel. The randomness and independence of each spin mean there is no pattern or guaranteed sequence, fitting established concepts in probability theory.

RTP and house edge

It’s easy to get swept up in the idea of hitting a big win, but the expected payout on slots, what’s called Return to Player, or RTP, is set in advance after countless spins. Some slot games advertise RTP rates as high as 98%, while others hover closer to 85%. What does this mean in practice? A game that offers a 95% RTP will, if played billions of times, dole back $95 for every $100 wagered, on average.

The other $5 covers the proverbial house edge, the built-in profit measure. But here’s a wrinkle: short-term luck often strays from those averages. Some players catch a quick hot streak, lots walk away with nothing, and rare jackpots might show up just once in tens of thousands of spins.

Manufacturers, working alongside mathematicians, thoroughly test and simulate every slot design to ensure those payout percentages and odds play out as planned when viewed over the long haul, no matter how random short spells may seem.

Expected value and player outcomes

This is, the average return a player can expect per spin if they played forever. It’s a calculation: the probability of each possible result times its payout, added up. In almost all slots, the math produces a negative EV, a small loss for every dollar bet, on average, since the house edge is locked in. Picture a game with a 1% shot at $50 and a 99% shot at losing $1.

Carrying that out over time, it’s a rare spin that will beat the negative expected value. Specific symbols, sevens, cherries, whatever the theme, each come with their own probability, laid out well before you spin. No amount of strategy or timing affects these odds. Runs of good or bad luck are just the noisy side of statistics smoothing out over time.

Variance, paylines and additional factors

Not all slot games deliver the same experience when it comes to pace and payout volatility. Variance (or volatility) captures that difference. With low variance, you get smaller payouts but they show up more regularly, high variance means longer dry spells but the chance at larger wins in bursts. The number of paylines spices things up further.

Some games reward only a few active lines on each spin, others let you activate dozens or more. And sometimes, only the highest bet unlocks certain features or jackpots. Behind each machine, careful design maps out probabilities and reel arrangements, ensuring outcomes stay random and uninfluenced by play style or strategy.

Playing responsibly

Approaching slots with open eyes makes all the difference. Their math gives the edge to the house, always, RTP, variance, and the structure of each game see to that. For most, keeping time and spending limits helps ensure the experience doesn't stray from entertainment into. Knowing the expected losses, as well as the chances and volatility, helps people make decisions that best suit their comfort. The numbers, while hidden in code, tell the real story every time the reels stop.

I Just Wanna F*ckin' Dance 2026

If you are new to this song and accompanying video(s), then I could ask where you have been or I could just let you sit back and take in the awesome experience with completely fresh eyes.  This, of course, is not the first version of I Just Wanna F*ckin' Dance to be put out there (as it were – and it is very, very out!) but it probably won’t be the last.  This may well be the best so far, though, at least according to the comments on YouTube.

The song is from Jerry Springer: The Opera and was sung by the character Shawntel. As you can guess by the lyrics, she shows her need to escape her everyday existence by having a good old dance – something which I have certainly done in the past even though I toe-tap more often than boogie these days.  Note to self – go dancing.  Anyway, Shawntel expresses this desire in quite a forthright manner and this song soon became... iconic. In its first West End production in London, Alison Jiear played the part of Shanwtel and it is her amazing voice that you can hear on this track (it was produced by Marius de Vries and Wayne G for the Heaven Nightclub Pride celebrations back in 2002).  Goodness me, has it been that long, already?

The video is created by Manny Patel who worked on the original version in the early 2000s and has continued to refine it through later remixes.  I think you will agree that this year’s is a vintage offering!  It's a glorious mashup. More movies and more icons than ever before appear, including Elphaba from Wicked among others.  Can you name all of the clips included? If so, you are way more culture savvy than me, but I enjoyed the fact that some of the old favorites are still included. No one puts Julie/Maria in a corner, after all. Thank you, Manny.

The Immortal Bridge

Mount Tai in the Shandon Province, China has had cultural and religious significance for thousands of years.  It is one of the five sacred mountains of China and is associated with the dawn, birth and renaissance.  As you progress up the mountain you will come across this – The Immortal Bridge. Image Credit Wikimedia

Image Credit Flickr User Craig

The Immortal Bridge is composed of three huge rocks and several smaller ones. Below it is a valley and to the south is a seemingly bottomless abyss. No one knows quite when these enormous rocks fell in to their current place but it is quite likely they have been like this since the last ice age.

Amsterdam Timelapse/Hyperlapse

Filmed over two and half days in August 2024, this remarkable film shows off Amsterdam at its best (although apparently there were a few hours of rain during its creation).  Altogether, filmmaker Kirill Neiezhmakov captured 60 sequences and 40 of them made his final cut which you can see below.  The film is a mixture of hyperlapse, hyperzooms and experimental AI morphing transitions.  As far as I can make out, that is a deliberately stylised, non-traditional transition where AI is used to morph one frame or scene into another, rather than cutting or dissolving in a conventional way, within a hyperlapse sequence. However this was done (and frankly, it’s beyond me!) it all comes together to give us a unique look at the historical city of Amsterdam.   I think if you are planning on visiting Amsterdam, you will be pausing this video quite a lot but my advice is watch it once in full before you do that!

What is a MRI Machine and How Does it Work?

“Let’s get you an MRI,” is a phrase that patients in hospital sometimes hear - but frankly, it’s more common in TV and films than in real-life hospital speech. There, you are much more likely to hear “We’re going to arrange an MRI scan for you.”  However you hear it, that acronym raises questions. These questions are often not asked because patients may feel anxious, overwhelmed, or reluctant to interrupt medical professionals, particularly in stressful or unfamiliar environments. Or they already know.

However, here are the questions that should be asked if you don't! First, what does MRI stand for? Next, what the hell does the MRI machine actually do. And finally, if you are that kind of patient – how does it work?

Fear not – all your questions are answered in this animated short film, courtesy of the Science Museum in London.  One commenter said about this video: “The freaking best explanation on YouTube, wish it was a lil longer but its the best so far 100%”.  So, there you have it (the rest of the comments are also very positive). 

Equinox

This is a stunning piece of animation. Hua (花神, Huā Shén), the guardian of spring, is portrayed as an impatient young dragon. He decides to break out from the Cave of the Seasons, disrupting the natural order before his appointed time, and as he does so, flowers bloom and green shoots burst forth across the landscape. However, Xuanwu (玄武), the guardian of winter and the North, is not yet ready to relinquish his rule, and a battle ensues between dragon and turtle. Will Hua’s attempt to force the course of time succeed, or will he come to understand the consequences of defying the natural cycle?

As a way of explaining the mythology behind this fantastic animation, it draws on traditional Chinese cosmology in which the seasons are governed not by human emotion but by cosmic balance. Spring is associated with growth, impatience, and renewal, often symbolised by dragons and flower spirits such as Hua, while winter is embodied by Xuanwu, a powerful composite of tortoise and snake representing endurance, stillness, and the Water element. The conflict between them reflects a core Daoist idea: change cannot be forced without imbalance. The Cave of the Seasons acts as a metaphor for time itself, reinforcing the belief that each season must complete its purpose before giving way to the next. Through animation, the myth becomes a visual lesson about harmony, restraint, and respect for the natural order.

This animated film was created as part of the 3D animation filmmaking programme at ESMA (class of 2024). It was directed by Anissa Cugnier, Adama Diallo Gibert, Marius Joffray, Jérémy Julien, Xia Mellano, Gaëlle Pandraux, Noa Rosa Calatrava, Marama Tatarata, and Melissa Unal, with music by Nicolas Montaigne and Marine Bonnetain, and sound design by Yoann Poncet.  Well done to all involved.  It is amazing to think that this is a student film – it is as good as anything produced by the major players in the animation industry.  Simply stunning work.

Watch Equinox below. 

Avantgardey go to the Seaside

It’s great to see Avantgardey outside of a studio and beside the seaside (beside the sea!). Here they are dancing to “The Day the Seagull Soared”. A 1978 hit by Machiko Watanabe, the song uses the image of a seagull taking flight as a metaphor for emotional freedom - breaking away from heartbreak, self-doubt, or constraints to move forward with dignity and quiet strength.  That would explain the  bird-like flapping that the dancers are making as they move along the beach. Hopefully they will reproduce this dance routine when they go on their six city tour in Japan, starting in Komatsu City  in May and ending in Fukuoka International Congress Centre on 4 July.

The song is an enduring favorite in Japan. Its popularity comes from a combination of factors: Watanabe’s clear, expressive vocals; a memorable, soaring melody that builds emotional release; and lyrics that resonated strongly with late-1970s Japan, particularly with listeners drawn to themes of independence and resilience. Over time, it has become a nostalgic classic, frequently revisited in TV shows, covers, and reinterpretations - making it especially effective when contrasted with modern, avant-garde performances like Avantgardey’s.

If you don’t know who they are, Avantgardey is a Japanese dance group known for their avant-garde choreography, uniform school-style costumes, deadpan expressions, and surreal, highly synchronised performances that blend humour with precision.

Watch their latest (fantastic) video below.

Watch Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams in Hold Your Back and Dogging (Full Films)

Before his breakout role of  Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry, Hudson Williams had a few small TV roles in series such as Allegiance and Tracker. However, he didn’t wait for the big break to simply happen and while he worked as a waiter at The Old Spaghetti Factory restauarant in Metro Vancouver (New Westminster), he was also incredibly busy writing, directing and producing short films. You have to admire his get up and go attitude. So if you have been wondering what Hudson Williams appeared in before he became famous (almost overnight, really), here is one very fine example.  He does look a little younger in it, but the hair cut is the stand out - very cool!

One of the films he produced in his pre-fame years is Hold Your Back.  Filmed in 2024, it was written and directed by Zack Fonzovs (who also stars in it with Hudson) it tells the story of a gay couple on the brink of breaking up.  To complicate matters, there is a baby involved. The short does contain scenes of domestic violence, in case you need a warning.  Hudson and Fonzovs both give incredibly strong performances in this five minute film. Landing in media res, we never get the whole picture of how events escalated or indeed how things will ultimately end for this couple. Yet what we do see is the aftermath of an emotional explosion which then leads to another.

Fonzovs (above with Hudson Williams) describes his reason for releasing this film now. “I made this film back in 2024 for the Shits N Giggles Film festival. Hudson Williams is the reason this movie exists. I had an idea about two men going through a violent yet passionate breakup up, and he filled me with enough passion and help to go through with its creation. So with his newfound and well deserved recognition, I figured why not give the world more of the brilliant Hudson.”

Although made in 2024, the film has only just seen the light of day since it was shown at the film festival for which it was made. As Fonzovs admits: "it's just been living on my hard drive".   It should really have been on YouTube all along, truth be told.  It is just way too good to have been gathering edust on a computer. However, one enterprising Wikipedia editor has already listed it as a 2026 film on Williams' Wikipedia page!  Perhaps they should change that - and at the same time create a page for Zack Fonzovs!

One of the commenters about this short says “thanks i didn’t wanna start the year happy anyway”.  That does kind of sum up the feel good factor, here! Another said “Came for Hudson, stayed for the heartbreak. I see the vision.” True, true.  However, I think my favorite comment as curator of Kuriositas, which has hosted so many short films over the last sixteen years is this: “i love how hudson's work is introducing people to this whole other world of film outside of the mainstream. all these creative, unique short films are proof that anyone can do this and you don't have to wait for a big studio to accept you in order make the art you wanna make, you can just go out there and do it yourself."

Watch Hold Your Back below.

After that, let's have some light relief. One film that hasn't yet made it onto William's Wikipedia page is Dogging, made (I believe) just shortly before he was offered his breakout role in Heated Rivalry.  It tells the story of a Swedish journalist (played by the director of Hold your Back,  Zack Fonzovs) investigating Dogging - which may not be quite what you expect.  In it, Hudson Williams plays Rex, a dog. Well, a human being paid to pretend to be a dog.  Proof below showing Rex being unwilling to take a bath!

As one commenter says: "goddamn Hudson you are HOT dog! lol these skits are way too funny, I am dying. you guys are crazy and I love it".  The film was directed, produced and written by Hudson Williams (yup, more to him than meets the eye - and a lot meets the eye in this) and Mark Masterton.

Watch Dogging below.  It's funny but also a quietly subtle commentary on dependent and abusive relationships.