Beowulf, in Old English | Crazy Storyteller

Listen to the prologue of the oldest epic poem in English, written between the 8th and 10th centuries, as performed by Benjamin Bagby.



It's hard to believe the words spoken are English, though in context these words were as much "English" to the people that spoke it as our "English" is to us today. The language has evolved over the centuries, with words dropped and added, with pronunciation and meaning changed, and more. Check out a quick history of the English language, in a little over ten minutes.



(visit Open Culture for further tidbits)

Celebrities impersonating celebrities on Graham Norton | Crazy Actors

The Graham Norton Show is one of the most entertaining talk shows on television.

Floppy Drive Music: Ghostbusters! | Crazy Musician

A video of 64 floppy drives, 8 hard drives, and 2 scanners -- the Floppotron -- playing the theme for Game of Thrones has been making the rounds lately. In honour of the age-old geek-musical tradition of floppy drive music, as well as the release of the all-female version of the classic Ghostbusters movie, here is the Ghostbusters movie theme ("Who Ya Gonna Call?") on eight floppy drives, by MrSolidSnake745.



And since I absolutely do love floppy drive music... here is one of my favourite covers, of Radiohead, by James Houston. The hard drive array does an uncanny simulation of Thom Yorke's voice.



For an amazing catalogue of floppy drive music, visit MrSolidState745's YouTube page. He has constructed an amazing array of tunes, from the USSR Anthem to Pharrell's "Happy".

And a bonus... the Star Wars Imperial March.

Banksy sells art in Central Park | Crazy Artist

So... Banksy set up a stall in New York's Central Park selling original, signed stencil artwork. But didn't tell anybody.

Bill Murray | Wisdom

For a contemplative day. Asked what he wants that he doesn't have, Bill Murray answers candidly and honestly with words of wisdom.

"I'd like to be more consistently here, y'know?"



(thx for the excerpt, Rustbukkit J.)

Gabriel Mayers, busker of NYC, covers The Pixies | Good Rawkin'

The BUSKRS channel offers some fantastic recordings of buskers in New York City. One of several selections from Gabriel Mayers is below, a rendition of "Where Is My Mind?" by The Pixies.



(thx BUSKRS)

In Praise of the Quiet Life

(thx School of Life)

Swiss Army Man official trailer | Movin' Pixers

This is the strangest trailer for a movie I have seen in some time. Surreal much?

UHD (4K) View of Planet Earth from NASA | OuterSpaced

New York City Transit's ancient equipment | Just Crazy

An informational video published in 2015 about the upgrades to the New York City Transit (MTA) system, including a look and explanation about the current equipment. Some of the control systems are over 80 years old...!



(thx Kottke)

How to use the dial telephone (1927) | Crazy PSA

Important instructions and pro-tips for when your own state-of-the-art rotary-dial telephone is finally available for installation in your town, kindly produced by all our friends at the American Telephone and Telegraph company!



(Thx PDR for the tip!)

Choir! Choir! Choir! cover "Ahead By A Century" by The Tragically Hip | Good Rawkin'

Oldest Song in the World, written 3,400 years ago | Crazy Ancient Musicians

The short of it: in the early 1950s archaeologists discovered 14th Century B.C.E. clay tablets with cuneiform writing in what was once the Sumarian city of Ugarit, in present-day Syria. The cuneiform turned out to be a cult hymn, and Ann Draffkorn Kilmer of the University of California produced an interpretation in 1972, which was then recorded. It's a fascinating story, which is explained wonderfully at Open Culture. It is also worth reading the detail text on the YouTube site, posted by AssyriaTimes.

Happy Canada Day! The Tragically Hip, 1989.

Thx Darrin Cappe.