Goats: they’re weird, they’re cranky, they’re kind of obnoxious, but darn it, they’re just too cute. People love goats despite all of their problems; heck, people even pay money to do yoga and have goats crawl on them. But for all their weirdness and cuteness, there are a few mysteries about goats. Why the horizontal pupils, for example? And why do some goats faint? To learn the answers to these questions and more, take a look at this video. 

The lowly street rat was not always considered such a vermin. The pigeon was once known as the rock dove ,and it used to live on beachside cliffs. They love cities, though, because city buildings are basically just big cliffs––plus there is an ample food supply. They’re so omnipresent because people brought them around the world, mostly for food, though pigeons do have other interesting qualities. For one, they have incredible vision, even better than ours. They also useful messengers because of their talent for finding their homes. 

It is hard to imagine that a fire could burn for more than a few weeks in any circumstances. Even forest fires burn themselves out after awhile. But when you consider oil wells or coal veins, you can imagine that there is enough fuel to burn for quite awhile. That’s exactly what happened in Pennsylvania––burning some garbage accidentally ignited a coal vein, which has been smoldering for years and years now. The interesting thing is that this isn’t the only such fire in existence!

A security camera at a radio station captured a vandal’s (very poor) attempt to break into a pickup truck. The guy’s attempt was so bad that you almost––almost––feel bad for him. He tried to bust a window with a mop handle, which most of you probably know is a fool’s errand. The end of his attempt is a real surprise, too, so make sure you stick around for that. But the best part of this video is the radio station’s sports announcer who narrates the break-in attempt. 

Hurricanes are so devastating to people and to cities that we don’t often think about what happens to wildlife during the heavy winds and rains. If we do, we assume that maybe animals just run away. But what about birds and flying insects? What do they do? The answer, as it turns out, is very interesting. Flying animals often go––or just find themselves, since they don’t seem to plan this out––in the eye of the storm. If the hurricane is short enough, they managed to wait it out. If it’s too long, well…it’s bye bye birdie. 

You might have seen a video floating around Facebook of skiing ostriches. There’s a small flock of ostriches with skis strapped to their talons and sliding down a hill. They even do some tricks, like rotating around in the snow. Well, bad news if you thought that was real: it’s totally not. But that’s not nearly the best part of this video. The best part is when Captain Disillusion (a YouTube star in his own right) inserts his own opinion about the so-called corrupt YouTube algorithm that screws over content creators. 

Last time you got your yearly physical, you probably walked out with your BMI. It’s a number that tells you how healthy your weight is. But there are some problems with that number. This Vox video explains that BMI hardly tells you everything about your health, since if you are a large guy––say a football player––with tons of muscle mass, you actually get penalized. You’ll also learn the history of health measurements like BMI and what some alternatives are. 

Plays are broken up into definable acts. In movies, we don’t get to see the act changes so it might not seem like there are any acts in movies. But there are, and this video examines how acts work in movies through the lens of The Avengers, which ostensibly has three acts. This video argues, however, that there are actually five acts in the film, and it shows you how redefining acts can help your writing. 

The Harry Potter universe was incredibly well developed, which is part of the reason it’s such a popular series of books and movies. But what really makes the books enjoyable is the mystery. Rowling is a mastery mystery writer. As literary critic G.K. Chesterton once said, the best mystery stories give the readers all the clues they need to solve the mystery themselves. Rowling is adept at throwing in enough red herrings along with all of the clues to keep you guessing as your try to solve the mystery. 

There has been a spate of movies recently that either resurrect 1980s movie themes or just remake or continue the movies entirely. Why have 1980s movies been so popular lately? This video argues that 1980s movies broke from 1970s movies, which were too serious. 1980s movies create fun fantasy worlds or reflects the world in a way that we can all relate to. 1980s films are more easily inhabitable by audiences, they’re more entertaining, and they’re just plain fun.

If you have seen “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” then you know that it’s a bit of a strangely organized film. The main plot and the subplot seem to switch around from time to time, and sometimes it’s hard to tell who the real protagonist is. In this Lessons from the Screenplay installment, he analyzes the structure of the “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and considers how the writers had to transition the book to the screen play.

When you think of the best slapstick physical comedians, you probably think of Mr. Bean. He’s a British comedian who has mastered the use of his body for comedy. Nerdwriter analyzes what makes Mr. Bean’s physical so darn funny. He breaks it down into two elements: the joke and the attitude. Mr. Bean’s jokes are all pretty standard, but it’s his attitude that makes him so darn funny. Take a look at this video and enjoy a good laugh.