Monday, February 24, 2025

Death Stairs

 They can be found lurking below trap doors or behind secret corners, at the apex of precarious yet scenic trails, in tourist hot spots, on Airbnb, navigating public transport or even forming a nail-bitingly dramatic backdrop to fictional thrills on the big screen. Like it or not, death stairs are everywhere. While Amsterdam seems to be the world capital of death stairs, and China takes particular delight in terrifying innocent travelers with jaw-dropping engineering feats such as the Staircase to the Sky, British double-decker buses can compete with the best of vertical challenges. Whether you are looking at asymmetric mal-alignments, industrial spaces from hell, obsessions with efficient design that toss user safety to the wayside, rail-free circular steps or even wheelchair access ramps that are strangely inaccessible to the disabled, the users of this Facebook Group track down offenders to shame them. Even the Great Pyramid of Giza, with its claustrophobically narrow interior and the fabulous dwarven kingdoms of Tolkien are not spared.

Members: 952k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: Vertigo by proxy.

Go here to visit or join.

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Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Weird (and wonderful) secondhand Finds That Just Need to Be Shared

We all love a bargain, or even just the opportunity to peer at an anonymous someone's pre-loved treasures. After all, one man's trash, as the saying goes... Whether it's Goodwill, Facebook Marketplace or just some anonymous car boot sale, if you're stumbled upon something random and truly awesome, snap a pic and share your story to this fascinating Facebook group. Items range from the quirky and the gorgeous to the occasionally gory. There are plenty of ceramics, for some reason, but other finds include hand-crafted dolls, music boxes, salt and pepper shakers, antique lamps, art and an extensive collection of bowling balls, but you will also see vintage telephones, miniature cottages, whimsical paintings, antique silver mugs and even a many-spouted tea pot (or should we say tea pot shaped porcelain folly?). Scrolling through the posts filled me with awe for the most eclectic collection of random wonders. 

Members: 3.5 Million, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

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Saturday, February 15, 2025

I Love Cappybara

 Despite the fact that they are the size of a large dog, and can weigh as much as an adult human, cappybara are still classed as rodents. And yes, they do exist outside the strange reality of jaw-dropping social media memes. For scale, they are frequently portrayed with pets, such as cats, their rodent-like features at odds with their gigantic size. Even without captions, cappybara are effortlessly instagramable with their distinctly unphased expressions. Although many photos show them interacting with members of their own species, there are also snapshots of cappybara chilling in domestic environments. The I Love Cappybara Facebook Group is linked to Capybara's Planet, a group that promotes Cappybara-themed merchandize.

Members: 9.4k, at the time of writing

Trigger warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

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Friday, February 14, 2025

Sunrises and Sunsets of the World


Whether it be the silvery slithers of new light that signify the start of another day, or the golden, sun-drenched glory that marks the end of it, there is something romantic and special about sunrise and sunset. Both prompt you equally towards self-reflection with their beauty. When travelling, a sunset infuses the watcher with the magic of transitions - be they temporal or geographical. But they also touch of the timelessness of our shared appreciation of beauty. Antoine de Saint-ExupĂ©ry's wise Little Prince exalted in the sunsets of his tiny home planet and mourned the fact that Earth's sunsets were a whole twenty-four hours apart. He might have loved this group, where you can experience a thousand sunsets around the world, simply by scrolling further. Goodnight, beautiful planet. Here's looking at you. 

Members: 114.1k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

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Photo Credit: dakzxz on Pixabay.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Wild Green Memes for Ecological Fiends

Kindness. After scroll through the posts here, I became absolutely convinced that this is a Facebook group that runs on kindness. What did it for me? One commmenter explaining the sad backstory of a (non-ecological) meme I must have seen on Facebook a million times before. But the caring here wears the garments of scientific lingo and the badges of species battling extinction. It flaunts insider knowledge on animals most people couldn't even spare a thought for. It crafts clever jokes and challenges members and visitors to think wider, think higher and think deeper. Enlightening us, for instance, on the distinction between critters and varmints. Even the virtual air feels a little more wholesome within this space.

Members: 836.2k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

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Monday, February 10, 2025

Feather Identification Worldwide


Legend has it that when you encounter an angel, he will leave a perfectly white feather nearby to be taken as a sign of his presence. But that doesn't mean that the multi-patterned feathers posted in this Facebook group for crowd-sourced answers are any less special. Ideally, besides a photograph optimized to illustrate size, a post should also feature details about the region and general habitat type where a photograph was found. Although the group is international, there is an abundance of plumage from Australia, which makes it even more interesting. There are feathers shown from ibises, hawks, pheasants, egrets, ducks, owls, cockatoo, ravens, kestrels, peacocks and even humble pigeons. A great space for birding enthusiasts, if you want to play along and have something to show.

Members: 7.2k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: None.

Go here to visit or join. 

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Image credit: Cairomoon at Pixabay

Sunday, February 9, 2025

Barbie Vintage, Silkstone and Reproduction Collection

 As an icon of the 20th century, Barbie the intrepid trendsetter represents a role model to millions. But her global appeal is no longer limited to brand-conscious adolescents. Whole industries and online platforms have sprung up to support the numerous adult collectors of Barbie dolls. This Facebook group is one such entity - dedicated to showcasing and exploring the many faces of Barbie. Special attention is paid to the newer Silkstone range of fashion dolls, created to accommodate collectors with a skin texture and feel that mimics more durable porcelain. Posts show-case Barbie in dioramas with her plastic friends, ranging from wedding parties to popular media re-enactments and even historical guises. You will see Barbie modeling hand-made prom dresses, rocking a vibrant Italian style, showing off period cocktail dresses, designer edition dresses or even wearing the identity of the equally iconic Audrey Hepburn. One post shows what laundry day in the dollhouse looks like. Another shows Barbie looking stylishly demure in one of Ken's garments. There are even rescue stories of dolls found in distressing circumstances. 

Members: 76k, at the time of writing

Trigger Warnings: None

Go here to visit or join. 

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Tuesday, February 4, 2025

The Women of Star Trek (Le Donne di Star Trek) In Love Memory (2025) ...

 From Uhura to Michael Burnham. Deanna Troi's composure. The sexy but forbidding Seven of Nine. Captain's Archer's calculating, yet gorgeous Vulcan mentor T'Pol. The formidable Captain Janeway. Brainy B'Elanna - an engineer as combustible as dilithium and anti-matter. The infinite depths of former revolutionary, Major Kira. Not to mention Dr Beverley Crusher, tough-as-nails Tasha Yar, Nurse Capell, Deanna Troi, elfin Kes, Ensign Tilly, Jadzia and Ezri Dax, the relatably cautious Hoshi and so many more. Over almost six decades, the Star Trek has seen a wide spectrum of female characters, all memorable and unique, and here's where you can see them all. There's a vintage snapshot of the legendary Majel Barrett in her very first Star Trek appearance as Captain Pike's Number One. Former beauty queen Persis Khambatta. We also see the Star Trek ladies out of costume or in other non-related productions. What's really great is that this Facebook group does not only pay attention to the familiar ensemble faces that returned week after week to the screen. Notable guest stars are also celebrated for their role in bringing Star Trek to life, such as Suzie Plakson as Worf's lost sweetheart, K'Ehleyr and Rosalyn Landor as the feisty Bringloidi babe, Breena Odell. 

Members: 6.2k, at the time of writing.

Trigger Warnings: A few AI images. 

Go here to visit or join. 

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