The Daily What

The Daily What

Behind The Meme of the Day

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 12:43 PM PDT

Parents These Days of the Day

British teen Heidi Crowter’s toddler face was immortalized as “I can count to potato” girl in 2009, when her photo was “stolen from a website for a parents' support group” for children with Down syndrome. Heidi, now 16, and her family were unaware of her Internet fame until last fall; Heidi, to no one’s surprise, is “very upset.”

Now Heidi’s mom, Liz, and a small army of friends are lashing out against sites like Facebook, where the image has been used to mock not only Heidi, but disabled people in general.

“These trolls are cowardly, nasty people who should be punished for the damage they are doing to people with their comments,” Liz said this week. “Heidi has told me she is very upset by the sites and she turns her head away when we have them on the computer screen.”

And how has the Internet responded? By creating a new meme, naturally.

[dailydot]

Afternoon Snack

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 12:30 PM PDT

Poor Neo. So bewildered by an electric toothbrush.

[bitsandpieces]


Tagged: video

Lunchtime Links

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 12:10 PM PDT

Lunchtime Links

Today on The Daily What Geek: Conan O'Brien’s superheroes who didn't make the cut for the Avengers Initiative

Elsewhere on the Internets:

  • Annulled: The marriage of India’s baby bride, now that she’s all grown up
  • Overused!: Exclamation points, obvs
  • Disastrous: The future, as hologram versions of the deceased are going to be BIG
  • Settled: A class-action lawsuit over the health claims of Nutella
  • Planned: A Henry David Thoreau video game
  • Revamped: The MTV Movie Awards (not that it will help)

Lunchtime Leisure: Empire, by Jay-Z (via)
Lunchtime List: 21 Amazing Transformations By A YouTube Makeup Queen

[image: bitsandpieces]

Inspirational Motivational of the Day

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 11:41 AM PDT

Inspirational Motivational of the Day

Philippe Croizon is a world class athlete who will swim between every continent in the world this summer. Croizon also lost his arms and legs in a terrible accident 18 years ago. So how will he do it?

He uses homemade fins attached with stirrups to what’s left of his legs, and no prosthetics on his arms. He also uses a large snorkel to breathe.

Croizon’s adventure (follow his progress and donate here) will cover about 53 miles and total 45 hours of continuous swimming. The course will take him and a friend through waters inhabited by sharks, orca whales, and poisonous jellyfish, and water temperature varying from 80 degrees down to 0.

“I want to be the beacon of hope,” he said.

[gizmodo]

Sneak Peek of the Day

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 11:32 AM PDT

In which Sacha Baron Cohen's General Aladeen is introduced via newsreel in the opening scene of The Dictator.

[deadline]


Tagged: video

Another Political Smackdown of the Day

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 11:21 AM PDT

When the Obama camp goes after Romney, it’s all he-said, he-said.

[bothsidesofthegun]


Tagged: video

This Is All Kinds Of Wrong of the Day

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 10:56 AM PDT

Dominic Sheahan-Stahl, a third-generation graduate of Sacred Heart Academy in Michigan, was scheduled to give the keynote at his brother’s upcoming high school commencement. But when the school found out he is gay — he’s been out for 14 years, and recently posted his engagement pictures on Facebook — it canceled his speech. Sacred Heart officials told him that if he hadn't overshared on Facebook, there wouldn’t have been a problem.

Dominic, resolute, took to YouTube this week, promising in a video to share his speech on Facebook, if it comes to that. “I’m not trying to post all the blame on Sacred Heart Academy,” Dominic says. “They just picked the wrong person to do this to. Discrimination is wrong, and you cannot do this.”

The crux of the debacle? “There is not one inkling of the word gay” in his speech.

[thanks, gina! cml]


Tagged: video

Barbie IRL of the Day

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 10:09 AM PDT

Barbie IRL of the Day

After numerous surgeries, Valeria Lukyanova, a 21-year-old Ukranian, has finally achieved her dream of being plastic a real-life Barbie doll. Don’t miss her Facebook page full of creepy pics (sadly, no Ken sighting).

[geekologie]

Craigslist Ad of the Day

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 09:52 AM PDT

Craigslist Ad of the Day

Craigslist Seattle brings us the most over-the-top ad for a crappy used car EVER:

“Never in your life has a car made you so appealing to the opposite sex. I know what you’re asking yourself, ‘Am I man enough to handle a car this flawless?’ The short answer is no. I tried to be. I grew my beard to unreasonable lengths, trimmed my fingernails with [a] belt sander, ate nothing but lumber for 6 straight days and knocked a polar bear unconscious.”

Sadly, the ad has been flagged for removal.

[adweek]

There Is Crying In Baseball of the Day

Posted: 26 Apr 2012 09:39 AM PDT

The couple sitting next to this little Rangers fan catch a foul ball thrown into the stands, then rub it in the kid’s face as he bursts into tears. At least his Rangers won.

[huffpo]


Tagged: video