Today, the House Hippo can be found on merchandise, and even has a page on Urban Dictionary. There is even a band called House Hippo. Learn more in my Deep Dive 👇 canadaehx.com/2021/10/24/t... 🧵 9/10

The House Hippo

Support Canadian History Ehx with a donation at Narrated in the style of a Hinterland Who’s Who, a fictional animal found “throughout Canada, and the eastern United States” is sho…

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Two decades after the House Hippo first appeared on television, it returned in a new PSA that was focused on media literacy and social media. It was released as part of a campaign called Break the Fake. youtu.be/5R_tOSRynZU?... 🧵 8/10

House hippo 2.0

The hippos are back to remind us that in today's digital world, critical thinking is more important than ever. Visit www.BreaktheFake.ca for resources to help you learn how to figure out what's real…

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Every detail from the colour of the hippo to the lightning in the videos, had to be compensated for to make the PSA as believable as possible. This attention to detail had a surprising impact on Canadian children, the target audience for the PSA. 🧵 6/10

All of the interior shots were done in a Toronto home. To achieve the look of the hippo settling into a nest in the closet, they used wires to pull on the nest to make it look like a hippo was rustling in it. This was then synced up with the hippo footage. 🧵 5/10

They also decided to model it off the famous Hinterland's Who's Who. Real stock footage of hippos was used rather than computer generated hippos. Each video was composited to make it look like it was just one hippo. www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5wA... 🧵 4/10

Spin Productions was tasked with creating the PSA. According to writer Siobhan Dempsey, the idea for a small animal living in the house came from Malcolm Roberts. While a giraffe and moose were suggested, the hippo was chosen instead. 🧵 3/10

In the late-1990s, Concerned Children's Advertisers was looking for a new way to teach about media literacy to children on television. Since 1990, the organization had produced over 30 PSAs for children related to drug abuse, self esteem and bullying. 🧵 2/10

I am very sorry to all the Americans who didn't grow up with the House Hippo on TV

Canadian History Ehx@cdnhistoryehx.bsky.social · yesterday

When the House Hippo first appeared on Canadian televisions, it seemed that everyone wanted one to appear in their homes. This commercial became a part of the Canadian cultural landscape and even today, the House Hippo is beloved by Canadians. 🧵 1/10

Some say that #MOF were discovered in 1900s, but this figure from 1760s clearly show a crystal structure of a MOF with inclusion in pores. Look - metal centers, linkers, guest molecules, all in! #MOF #chemsky #BraggYourPattern reporting from Portugal

I'll soon share a nice #singlecrystal #MOF #totalscattering work I've been hatching for a while with some great scientists... but since it's taking a while for seeing it online I thought I'd treat you all with an artistic collage of the data 😏 ...stay tuned! #BraggYourPattern #crystallography

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Anecdotally one of my own personal examples of Boots Theory isn't over a physical object at all - it's over hired expertise. Having the money to pay a plumber or other house repairs is often WAY cheaper than being forced to attempt a DIY solution, but it's expensive!

Like the most obvious way this manifests isn't just housing, it's clothing in general. Historically clothing was often very expensive, which meant non-durable clothing was a serious and constant money pit. People would do violence over damaged or lost clothes because it was a big deal!

Since I guess we're doing Pratchett Discourse, boots theory works for some goods - durable assets, etc - and not for others, but also the modern economy is Genuinely Fucking Weird historically.

I think this ruins the media literacy of a lot of adult fans of kids' media, too They're so used to didactic moral lessons saying "[behavior] is bad, kids! Don't do [behavior]!", they assume their absence means a work is, in fact, condoning that behavior, when it just expects you to ALREADY KNOW

When you make a work for fellow adults, you can assume that the audience has had someone they know die; that they've been in a relationship at some point in their lives; that they know certain things we expect adults to know. But you need to explain those things to kids. You need to REALLY explain.

I think a lot of people who remain in fandoms for children's media as adults fundamentally misunderstand what we're saying when we criticize something being "for kids" Yes, children's media can engage with serious, mature topics. But it has to treat them like it's your first time hearing about it.

Is everyone aware of the General Motors streetcar conspiracy? In the mid-20th century, auto and oil interests bought up electric streetcar systems across the US and systematically replaced them with bus routes and paved roads, funneling commuters toward private cars.

General Motors streetcar conspiracy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The middle/high school sports thing is a massive obsession in America beyond this issue, because everyone thinks their kid is going to get a college scholarship. They were crafty to tie their trans obsession into this particular anxiety. College being cheaper or less compulsory would help break it.

in britain, you see much more obsession with toilets, which i can only understand as some perverse reflex of the general sexual and emotional repression of this island. but if i see americans who are otherwise liberal give in to the propaganda on anything it's the sports question

i think it's interesting how of all the transphobic culture war issues the one that seemingly speaks most to americans specifically is the trans women in women's sports one (and perhaps does not speak to a particularly healthy relationship to the concept of sports in that country)

#Recall: Recall of Cpzzkq Baby Loungers Expanded; Sold on Amazon by CetoPMax. The recalled baby loungers violate the mandatory safety standard for infant support cushions. Get refund. www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2026...

🏔️ One month to IUCr2026. Rockies, dinosaurs, downtown Calgary, there's still room on a few tours. Summer is Calgary's busiest season, so don't wait until you land to figure it out. Book now. 👉 www.andersonvacation... #IUCr2026 #Crystallography #IUCR

Yearly bear cam maintenance staff reporting for duty.

at this point if an undergrad asks about jobs in academia I nudge them toward something more practical like shark assassin

Hello everyone! Many of you likely saw this image recently with the Apple TV+ 'Neuromancer' promotion. Some know, others don't, but this artwork is mine, created alongside actor & post-production artist Milton Menezes, as a personal project and a homage to the original Neuromancer romance

folks, let me promise you this: when I finish my sequel the horny drug addicted cyborgs will be just as problematic and violent as before and i 100% endorse every single action they take

@jawless-fish.bsky.social · last wk.

theres this one tumblr post ive seen talking about that phenomenon but w fiction writing that I think about often

The demo's big and replayable, with optional objectives on each mission and plenty of parts to buy and experiment with.

It's looking like the Kickstarter isn't going to hit the target for this one, which is REALLY FRUSTRATING as the demo is fantastic and polished and perhaps the best indie take on Armored Core yet. Give it a try. And I hope they try another Kickstarter after another promotion push.

Dominic Tarason@dominictarason.com · last mo.

Demo for Code Rapid just hit Steam - another very promising indie Armored Core-like, accompanying the game's Kickstarter debut.

Me: *smiling politely as the cashier rings up my groceries* Servo, singing: Emily at the store. Buying her groceries. Crow: Six individual yogurt cups _and_ a Diet Sunkist? Sounds like a party! Mike: Back in Minnetonka, we call that the Spinster’s Delight. Me: *gesturing for the cashier to hurry up*