Watching someone who excels at what they do, especially when they’re at the top of their game, is awe-inspiring. You don’t have to be a basketball fan to be wowed by Steph Curry’s 3-pointers. You don’t have to love gymnastics to be blown away by Simone Biles’ feats.You don’t have to like her music to see that Pink can sing her face off. And you don’t have to be a Democrat or even into politics at all to appreciate the communication skills of Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has made a name for himself for his ability to knock interviews out of the park, no matter who they’re with or where they take place. And it's more than just him being a good orator. Public speaking is a different skill set than doing interviews, and extemporaneous interactions—arguably a more difficult arena to master—are where he really shines. What can we learn from Mayor Pete’s impressive and seemingly rare ability? Let’s break down what makes him such an effective communicator and the lessons we can take from him:1. Do your researchButtigieg comes across as knowledgeable because he is. He takes the time to gather relevant facts and statistics about whatever he’s talking about. He doesn’t just offer empty talking points; he backs up his points with facts and figures and examples, which gives him credibility.. If he doesn’t know enough about a subject to speak intelligently on it, he doesn’t pretend to. He deftly shifts the conversation to what he does know. 2. Keep your coolIt’s easy to get rattled when you’re live and on the spot, but Buttigieg exemplifies “cool, calm and collected” every single time. Perhaps some of this is just his personality, but it’s also a skill that anyone can practice. It really comes down to emotional regulation—learning to manage nerves, fear, insecurity, anger and frustration. No matter what an interviewer throws at Buttigieg, his ability to regulate his emotional responses enables him to respond with clear, logical confidence. 3. Stay on topic until it's time to move onWhat frequently happens in political discourse is that someone will ask a question, the responder will start to answer, and then the interviewer will cut them short to deflect to another point or question or topic. One thing Buttigieg is really good at is resisting the urge to bite when that happens. He is incredibly disciplined at staying on topic and driving home the points he wants to communicate before moving on. One way he does this is by not leaving any long pauses that allow someone to interrupt. Another way is that he always ready to dip into his well of knowledge to bring up relevant information. — (@) 4. Understand the 'other side'So often, people are so focused on their own perspective that they don’t take the time to learn and understand differing perspectives. Buttigieg not only knows the other person’s opposing arguments, but he also understands the language the opposing side uses to make those arguments. As psychology professor Daniel Meegan points out, Buttigieg presents progressive ideas using conservative framing and language, so people on the "other side" can more easily understand and see themselves in his perspective.Presenting your ideas in your opponent’s framework is a subtle but brilliant tactic that’s incredibly effective. Instead of triggering instant resistance, you give them an opportunity to hear you out—and maybe even agree with you—without compromising their own values and beliefs. 5. Be willing to converse on unfriendly turfWhen asked why he goes on Fox News for interviews so often, Buttigieg responded, “"What's the point of having a conversation if you're not speaking to people who don't already agree with you?" He is not only willing to engage with people who disagree, but he's willing to go to them and talk to them on their "turf." He calls it “meeting people where they are” and points out that If no one is willing to present different ideas on a one-sided network, that network’s viewers simply never get to hear them. - YouTube www.youtube.com This may actually be Buttigieg's greatest strength, which at its heart is more about a genuine desire to make a difference and to make sure people have a chance to hear different viewpoints than it is about rhetorical skill. 6. Be kind, courteous and fairNo matter where Buttigieg is interviewed or who is interviewing him, he always shows up in a spirit of good faith and expresses gratitude for the opportunity to converse. He doesn't come in with guns a-blazin’ and there’s no air of antagonism on his part. He listens to different perspectives and offers his own, genuinely creating a conversation in which differing viewpoints are heard. He may have to utilize the other skills in this list to prevent those conversations from going off the rails, but he does so without ever appearing rude or argumentative. Few people are able to walk that line, but he does and does it well. Even if you don't agree with Buttigieg on anything, there's no question that the guy is a master communicator. That's likely a combination of innate ability, an excellent education and practiced skill, but there are things we can all take from observing him, regardless of what we believe or where we fall on the political spectrum.

It seems like so many iterations of unfettered joy from our childhood haven’t made it to the modern age, and playgrounds are no exception. Gone are the days of metal slides that scorched the derriere in the summertime, seesaws that doubled as human catapults and the notorious merry-go-rounds that separated the weak from the strong. Good old fashioned character building—safety be damned!As it turns out, a few of these old relics are still standing. And footage of kids playing at one of these bygone parks is filling adults—particularly Gen Xers—with sweet nostalgia.Dubbing it the “Last Gen X Playground” by Ronda Schofield filmed a video of the local haunt in all its rusted glory. As the iconic 80s song “Maniac” plays in the background, we first see some kiddos swinging on a very odd contraption that sports a generic clown face. Then the camera pans out to reveal a metal slide weighted down by a concrete cinder block (classic), dilapidated rocking horse swings, and a spinning seesaw that’s certainly seen better days. But you know what? The kids today seem to like it just fine. @over40_slbmom Last GenX Playground!❤️ #genx #genxtiktokers #over50 #bestgenerationever #genxkid ♬ Maniac (Flashdance Version) (Re-Recorded / Remastered) - Michael Sembello While plenty of these staples have been replaced by safer alternatives, viewers on TikTok couldn’t help but reminisce about their childhood favorites.“The lunch ladies at my elementary school would give us waxed paper so we would slide faster down the slide,” one person recalled.The horse swings were my favorite,” add another. “Impossible when you get bigger, no knee room!”One even quipped “Metal slides on a hot summer day... getting blinded and burnt at the same time.” Ah yes, a simpler time. As people shared their recess war stories, it became all the more clear why many of these fixtures are no longer around. “Broke my leg on the spinning thing and got stitches in my chin from the teeter totter,” one person joked.Still, folks definitely felt their childhood come alive again after Schofield’s clip. Many felt it should be restored and kept a historic landmark of sorts.The pre-internet days might have been a little rough around the edges, but there was an undeniable rugged charm about it all. In many ways, it was easier for kids to just be kids, allowing for social interaction, reckless abandon and learning that a few knee scrapes doesn’t signal the end of the world.Those days might be behind us—and probably for the better, ultimately—but it’s still nice to hop back in from time to time. Now, where’s the vintage mall with cheesy glamor shots, vinyl shops, video game arcades and RadioShacks? This article originally appeared on 9.21.23

Although it is difficult to tell if there is a trend of Americans moving out of the country, rough estimates show that around 8 million currently live in other countries—double the 4.1 million living abroad in 1999.The most popular countries for Americans to move to are Mexico, Canada and the United Kingdom, in that order.A big reason why some are leaving the U.S. is that an increasing number of employers allow people to work abroad. Others are choosing to leave because of cost of living increases and “golden visa” programs. Golden visas offer the chance to get a foreign residency permit by purchasing a house or making a significant investment or donation.A couple is going viral on TikTok because they’ve decided to leave America and move to Spain. Luna Ashley Santel had wanted to move for a long time, but her husband wasn’t on board with the change until he had a lightbulb moment while visiting a Spanish café. The couple are parents of a 4-year-old daughter, and a big reason for their decision to leave is her safety. @lunagoestospain Here’s what shifted for him. I’m sure this’ll piss the right people off. No pun intended. #movingabroad #spaindigitalnomadvisa #movingabroadwithpets #movingtospainwithkids While spending time in Spain, the couple went to a crowded café, which would have made them uncomfortable back home in St. Louis, Missouri.“There's a ton of people walking around. Being from St. Louis, that's not a very comfortable place for me to be in,” the husband said. “And you turn to me and say, ‘Have you seen all these people?’” he recounted his wife saying.“And you're like, ‘None of them have guns,’” he continued.At this moment, he realized that living in America caused him to be on alert whenever he was out in public. A feeling he never got in Spain. “And I realized this weight that I had been carrying around my whole life wasn't necessary. Like what we think is normal is not normal,” he said.When it comes to firearm policy, Spain and Missouri couldn’t be more different. In Spain, owning a handgun for self-defense is allowed when you are in verifiable danger. In Missouri, there is no permit requirement to carry a firearm, whether it’s concealed or carried openly.In Spain, the gun death rate per 100,000 people in 2019 was 0.64. Whereas, in Missouri, the chance of being killed by a gun is more than 36 times greater, with 23.2 people per every 100,000 dying by gun in 2021.The video resonated with many Americans who feel uncomfortable living in a country that has become accustomed to mass shootings."There’s so much mental energy we dedicate to simply existing in the U.S.," Mintmage wrote. "As a father of two young boys, your husband’s explanation has me shook because I cannot disagree," Astrolo-G added."That is literally my main motivator for leaving the country. I am terrified for my son," Doula Faye wrote.Luna’s husband isn’t the only one in the family concerned about school safety in the U.S. Luna, a former teacher of 7 years, believes that sending her daughter to a school where they have “terrifying” intruder drills is unacceptable. “It's nothing that I want my 5-year-old child to have to accept or learn as normal,” she says in another TikTok post. @lunagoestospain Replying to @CholeraMeBadd a huge reason we are getting out. #gettingoutoftheusa #movingabroad #alicedrill #alicedrills #iquitteaching #ididntsignupforthishit #movingtospainwithkids This article originally appeared on 7.14.23

Babies can't talk. This isn't something that needs to be studied and researched, it's a pretty common fact that humans have. The reasons babies cry is because they can't talk to tell us what they need, at least that's what the general understanding has been for centuries. But what if some babies could talk and we simply haven't been exposed to them because the world is so big?Thanks to social media, the world has gotten a whole lot smaller when it comes to being able to take a peek into other people's lives. This means we get to be exposed to things that may otherwise gone unseen. Mekeia, a mom of two recently uploaded a video of her 3-month-old son talking. Not the cute baby babble that we like to call talking, but repeating actual short sentences. Mekeia was recording her daughter playing with the baby when they captured the moment on video. The little girl holds the baby's face and says, "say I am two months," before Mekeia corrects her, "say I am three months," the little girl pipes back up. Clearly the baby was trying to join in the conversation with what was expected to be baby babble when the mom instructed the older child to let the baby have a chance to "talk." It was then that the baby shocked everyone by sounding like he repeated the same phrase.The two are visibly and audibly shocked not wanting to believe the baby actually repeats what the other child says. Mekeia is on the phone with a friend when the entire thing happens. Presumably thinking this is a fluke, the mom attempts to put the phone up to the baby's mouth. When he just babbles, she tells the baby, "say hey Bam." Nothing. Just more babble and drool.Just when you think your ears were playing tricks on you, the baby does it again when the mom tells him to say, "hey Quintin." Clearly the baby still sounds like a baby but you can clearly hear him repeating the sound and cadence of the words so much so that it sounds like he's fully saying the words. His older sister is overwhelmed with emotion and begins to cry while Mekeia seems to be so shocked that she begins to laugh while the person on the phone is just stunned into confusion. @foxondemand Watch until the end ?omg??!! ♬ original sound - Mekeia ? People in the comments were eager to jump in with exclaiming the baby is a genius with one person writing, "he is a baby genius start showing him math problems."Another person jokes, "next thing he's writing emails and making appointments.""Talking so clear would scare me sooo bad he's so intelligent," someone writes.Others explain the phenomenon with a condition called echolalia. "Echolalia is a normal part of child development. As children learn to talk and understand words, they imitate, copy or echo the sounds and words they hear. Over time, a child usually learns to talk by connecting new words together to make unique little phrases or sentences,” according to Speech and Language Advisor Claire Smith when interviewed by the BBC.While echolalia can be a sign of autism, that's not always the case. Many kids grow out of it by the age of three and continue their typical development.

What do you get when you mix artificial intelligence with editing software?Mind-blowing images, apparently. Brazilian digital artist Hidreley Leli Dião creates ultra realistic portraits of beloved cartoon characters as well as historical figures. The magic is in a unique blend of Photoshop, FaceApp, Gradiente and Remini, according to his contributing article on Bored Panda. Using this formula, even The Simpsons characters feel like real people you would pass on the street.Some of Dião’s latest works include the characters of Disney’s “Encanto,” like:Mirabel See on Instagram The face shape! The hair! The smile! He nailed it. Luisa See on Instagram To no one’s surprise, Luisa was highly sought after by fans. Bruno See on Instagram I think the song will change to “Everybody Is Talking About Bruno” after seeing this picture. Isabela See on Instagram A portrait perfect enough for Miss Perfect herself. Camilo See on Instagram It’s like he could hop out of the frame and start shapeshifting in real life. Wow. Pepa See on Instagram As a fellow redhead constantly trying to keep emotions at bay, this one was my personal favorite.Julieta See on Instagram Here is Mirabel’s mother Julieta, giving off major Aunt Voula vibes from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” And, of course,  Abuela Madrigal See on Instagram I think it’s safe to say even if Dião doesn’t have a magic door like the Madrigal family, he’s got superpower: digital wizardry. But of course, this is not Dião’s first Disney deep dive. Feast your eyes on some of these:Carl Fredrickson from “Up” See on Instagram Moana from “Moana” See on Instagram Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” See on Instagram Also Prince Eric See on Instagram Pocahontas from “Pocahontas” See on Instagram Joe Gardner from “Soul” See on Instagram Hans From “Frozen” See on Instagram Another long lost Hemsworth brother, rediscovered? Are you more of a history buff than a Disney nerd? Never fear. Dião’s work has something for everyone. One collection includes what certain celebrities that met an early death might look like today, such as:Amy Winehouse See on Instagram Bruce Lee See on Instagram John Candy See on Instagram Janis Joplin See on Instagram Prince See on Instagram Marilyn Monroe See on Instagram Another reimagines what historical figures might have look like in modern times: George WashingtonHidreley Diao uses AI to capture what historical figures would look like if they were modern people. George Washington: pic.twitter.com/Wh5bi9FAgL— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 Benjamin FranklinBen Franklin pic.twitter.com/7p5U61olrl— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 Napoleon Napoleon pic.twitter.com/lDmWpYs5KX— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 Leonardo da VinciLeonardo da Vinci pic.twitter.com/lpFzsZDMun— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 MozartMozart pic.twitter.com/rAc2wZwgYP— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 BeethovenBeethoven pic.twitter.com/A5dpNfVilV— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 Sir Isaac NewtonNewton pic.twitter.com/Ah6EBBorrF— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 William ShakespeareShakespeare pic.twitter.com/qPKWICC1EY— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 Vincent Van GoghVan Gogh pic.twitter.com/h0QR4Uy41y— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 Marie AntoinetteMarie Antoinette pic.twitter.com/PY6SmIvJiV— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 CleopatraCleopatra pic.twitter.com/r21AbkRHFF— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 Alexander the GreatAlexander the Great pic.twitter.com/DXxjbpBlXR— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 And just for fun, here’s what the Statue of Liberty might look like as a real person: The Statue of Liberty pic.twitter.com/m9dY8VEvt0— Tim Urban (@waitbutwhy) February 20, 2022 Thank you Hidreley for giving us some genuine wonder to peruse through on the internet. If you’d like to see more of Hidreley's work, you can follow his Instagram here. This article originally appeared on 04.25.22

Have you ever gotten a new TV and tried to watch a movie, only to find that your fancy, high-definition television makes movies look like soap operas? Or maybe you've been at a friends house and noticed that their television makes movies look weird—somehow less real and yet more real at the same time—totally ruining the movie-watching experience?Those of us who are fans of cinema-quality film can find ourselves driven mad trying to figure out what settings to change to make movies look normal. We're not the problem, though. Television manufacturers have made it notoriously hard and completely unintuitive to figure out how to change the default setting that creates the "soap opera effect."Actor Tom Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie created a PSA in 2018 explaining what causes movies to look so strange on newer TVs and how to change the settings to fix it. It comes down to "video interpolation" and "motion smoothing," but that doesn't mean much when you're looking through the settings of your TV to try make movies look like movies. — (@) They offer a simple solution: Just Google "Turn off motion smoothing [insert your TV brand here]." The reason they can't just give a blanket solution is because every TV manufacturer—Samsung, LG, Vizio, Sony, etc.—has a different name for the setting (TruMotion, Auto Motion Plus and so on), and the setting is found under different menus on different TVs. Splendid. Why no one who manufactures and tests televisions noticed that the feature made movies look weird and why no one realized that turning the feature on as the default and then making it hard to find and change would be a problem are questions for the ages. The default settings might be great for sports viewing but for TV shows and movies, yuck. If you're confused or curious about what exactly is happening to create the soap opera effect, Vulture has a brief but excellent explainer video: - YouTube www.youtube.com As the video explains, it has to do with frames per second and the way televisions process the images at various frame rates. The motion smoothing feature is actually inserting extra frames in order to "smooth" the way motion looks on the screen, but the effect on movies just feels "wrong." Having an example can help, but even in a side-by-side of a normal movie-watching experience vs. one with motion smoothing, the difference is hard to see, especially if you're on a mobile or computer screen. It's when you're experiencing the full larger screen movie experience that the difference is obvious, but here's a side-by-side comparison: - YouTube www.youtube.com Oddly enough, people might assume that because the motion-smoothing effect seems to have a better "quality" and higher resolution that it's somehow better. For movies, it's really not. The way movies are created, they are designed to be viewed without that feature. Some people might prefer it, but for some of us watching a movie with motion smoothing is like the visual equivalent of fingernails across a chalkboard. Thank you, Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie for verifying that new TVs make movies look weird and attempting to save us from the abomination of it all.

On May 28, 2014, 13-year-old Athena Orchard of Leicester, England, died of bone cancer. The disease began as a tumor in her head and eventually spread to her spine and left shoulder. After her passing, Athena's parents and six siblings were completely devastated. In the days following her death, her father, Dean, had the difficult task of going through her belongings. But the spirits of the entire Orchard family got a huge boost when he uncovered a secret message written by Athena on the backside of a full-length mirror.After removing the mirror from the wall, Dean discovered a 3,000-word letter written all the way down its backside in black pen. "She never mentioned it, but it's the kind of thing she'd do," her father told People magazine. "She was a very spiritual person, she'd go on about stuff that I could never understand – she was so clever." The moving letter revealed her deepest feelings about her fight with the dreaded disease. "Every day is special, so make the most of it, you could get a life-ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day," she wrote. "Life is only bad if you make it bad."Although Athena is gone, the mirror now serves as a powerful memory of her undying spirit. "We're keeping the mirror forever, it is a part of her we can keep in the house, it will always be in her room," her mother, Caroline, said. "Just reading her words felt like she was still here with us, she had such an incredible spirit."Athena's full message:"Happiness depends upon ourselves. Maybe it's not about the happy ending, maybe it's about the story. The purpose of life is a life of purpose. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra. Happiness is a direction not a destination. Thank you for existing. Be happy, be free, believe, forever young. You know my name, not my story.You have heard what I've done, but not what I've been through. Love is like glass, looks so lovely but it's easy to shatter.Love is rare, life is strange, nothing lasts and people change. Every day is special, so make the most of it, you could get a life ending illness tomorrow so make the most of every day. Life is only bad if you make it bad. If someone loves you, then they wouldn't let you slip away no matter how hard the situation is. Remember that life is full of ups and downs.Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about. I want to be that girl who makes the bad days better and the one that makes you say my life has changed since I met her!Love is not about how much you say I love you – it's about how much you can prove it's true. Love is like the wind, you can feel it but you can't see it. I'm waiting to fall in love with someone I can open my heart to. Love is not about who you can see spending your future with, it's about who you can't see spending your life without… Life is a game for everyone but love is the prize. Only I can judge me.Sometimes love hurts. Now I'm fighting myself. Baby I can feel your pain. Dreams are my reality. It hurts but it's okay, I'm used to it. Don't be quick to judge me, you only see what I choose to show you… you don't know the truth. I just want to have fun and be happy without being judged.This is my life, not yours, don't worry about what I do. People gonna hate you, rate you, break you, but how strong you stand, that's what makes you… you!There's no need to cry because I know you'll be by my side."This article originally appeared on 04.15.19

Self proclaimed feminist killjoy Rebecca Cohen is a cartoonist based in Berkeley, California.Here’s what she has to say about her role as an artist taken from her Patreon page.She says:"In these trying times, the world needs a hero to resist the forces of tyranny.That hero is definitely not me.I just draw funny pictures and like to share my opinions. I'm Rebecca, also known as @gynostar."Enjoy one of her comics below.This article originally appeared on 10.19.16

Rivals reunited. The post When did Neil Young join Crosby, Stills & Nash? first appeared on Far Out Magazine.

Strangely prophetic. The post The song that woke Stevie Wonder from a coma: “This is like my second chance for life” first appeared on Far Out Magazine.