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Ricky Gervais Reveals Far Too Much In Funny Reddit AMA

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ricky gervais

Between the nine Emmy nods for its first original series "House of Cards" and the "Orange Is the New Black" buzz, Netflix is killing it right now.

The online streaming service has entrusted Ricky Gervais to complete the hat-trick, with a new series titled "Derek."

The British dramedy follows Derek Noakes, a nursing home caretaker who sees only the good in people. Gervais produces, writes, directs, and stars in the series, which arrives — in full — on Netflix on September 12.

He is best known for creating the original "The Office,""EXTRAS," and "The Ricky Gervais Show"— and for ruthlessly battering celebrities as host of the Golden Globes.

Gervais answered redditers' questions about the new show, his Atheism, and his affinity for taking selfies in the bathtub in a recent /r/AMA.

Here are the 10 best reveals to come out of “Hello, I am Ricky Gervais. Ask me Anything”:

10. He's close with other comedians.

“What is the worst thing you've experienced in your entire life?” —vicstudent

“I saw Louie CK naked.” —RickyGervais

9. He has a big heart.

“What was the first thing you splurged on when you first hit it big with The Office?” —jpcrecom

“I donated my money to an orphanage. (Only joking - I bought a mansion in the country. I must go there someday.)” —RickyGervais

derek netflix ricky gervais8. His family inspired the "Derek" series.

“Is Derek based on a life experience?” —th3greg

“The situation certainly is. Half my family growing up were carers of some sort, mostly retirement homes (stroke, Alzheimers), and Derek is like my fictional superhero of an everyday gentle outsider. I suppose they're all little fables about kindness. And possibly, a love letter to my lovely, poor and humble family growing up.” —RickyGervais

7. He watches one of Netflix's other original series.

“whats some other shows your into right now?” —Jints488

“My favourite shows of the year are House of Cards, the Scandinavian versions of The Killing and The Bridge, and my guilty pleasure is everything MMA. Ultimate Fighter is amazing.” —RickyGervais

6. He's still a non-believer. Stop asking.

“How does it feel to be known as "The King Of The Atheists" by people? I've heard it here on reddit.” —im_swedish

“I prefer ‘God of the Atheists.’” —RickyGervais

5. He already casted his future biopic.

“Who would play you in a movie about your life?” —gracechristie

“Daniel Day-Lewis would play me as a baby. He can do anything. Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt are fighting out for me now. And Meryl Streep will play me after the sex change. I haven't told you about that have I?” —RickyGervais

ricky gervais gold4. He's not shy about his figure.

“What are you wearing?” —charlimonster

This.” —RickyGervais

3. He credits "The Office" as his catalyst into Hollywood...

“How did you transition from Brit phenom to American fixture? Was there a magic gnome who "discovered" you?” —allenahansen

“I guess winning the Golden Globes for The Office in 2004 against all odds started it all. When I went up to collect the first award, Clint Eastwood was overheard to say ‘Who the f--- is that?’

(*Haha, I so hope that's true).” —RickyGervais

2. ...but he's most proud of...

“What do you view as your biggest accomplishment?” —t3rrapins

“I fought a bear once. But it started crying, so I let it off.” —RickyGervais

1. He takes unsettling selfies in the bathtub and shares them with the Internet.

“What was the inspiration behind the very first ‘bath pic’?” —apadden

“I like my baths really deep and hot. But washing everything only takes a few minutes. So I thought it would be a waste to just flush all that water away. So there was nothing else to do but take pictures of myself trying to look as horrendous as possible. Oh my, what have I started?” —RickyGervais

Here's an example of one of Gervais' bath pics, which he uploads to his Twitter.

ricky gervais bathtub

SEE ALSO: If Netflix Can Continue To Make Awesome Original Series It Should Be Able To Satisfy Wall Street's Thirst For More Subscribers

Join the conversation about this story »


We Love This Reddit Redesign That Finally Makes The Front Page Of The Internet Easy To Read

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reddit meetup

A while ago, we asked our readers to "fix" Reddit for us. While we love the site — and its mindbogglingly massive audience (70 million users per month) — we're often baffled by its arcane, finicky navigation.

Skip straight to the Reddit redesign >

The permalinks and comments can be difficult to follow, particularly for new users. Even those links don't show the entirety of a Reddit conversation: There are "parent" and "load more comments" links, too.  If you land on a Reddit page that's in the middle of one of these conversations, it can be difficult to figure out where it begins. 

Since then, you've been sending us some speculative concept design for a new, improved Reddit.

We're kicking things off with this set of drafts from Scott Hatfield. You can see more of his work here.

Here we go!



Hatfield's Reddit looks more like a media site than a link aggregation site.



Scroll ALL the way down to see this entire design: Hatfield believes Reddit should take more advantage of the awesome pictures people post on the site.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

35 Books Everyone Should Read At Least Once In Their Lifetime

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stacks of books

Books have the profound capacity to stay with us for the rest of our lives.

Whether they're written for children, sci-fi lovers, mathematicians, or fiction aficionados, certain stories transcend their genre and should be read by everyone.

In a recent Reddit thread, users were asked what is a book that everyone needs to read at least once in their life?

Here are the top 35 books based on Reddit responses.

"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" by Robert M. Pirsig

The story of a father and son's summer motorcycle trip across America from Minnesota to California, "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" is at its heart a philosophical journey.

The travel narrative is filled with fundamental questions on how to live your life and conversations between the father and his son: “The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”

Buy the book here >

Submitted by Reddit user Exit_Smiling.



"Watership Down" by Richard Adams

First told to his daughters as a bedtime story, Richard Adams weaves the tale of a band of rabbits who abandon their comfy holes in the English downs after one of the rabbits has a vision of it being destroyed by tractors.

"Watership Down" follows them as they encounter evil rabbits, crows, a fox, rivers, and countless other dangers as they journey to find a new home.

Buy the book here >

Submitted by Reddit user joeallenrealty.



"The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow

An American professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, Pausch became famous after giving an upbeat lecture titled "The Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" after learning he had pancreatic cancer and had three to six months of good health left.

After the success of his lecture, he co-authored the book "The Last Lecture" on the same theme of enjoying every moment in your life. 

Buy the book here >

Submitted by Reddit user kkup.



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

The Beatles' Secretary Shares 11 Years Worth Of Stories About Groupies, Drugs, And John's Mood Swings

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freda kelly the beatles secretary

Freda Kelly was at the heart of Beatlemania.

She was a shy teenager from Liverpool, England who managed a local band's fan club. Then in 1961, the group's manager, Brian Epstein, asked if she'd like to help them make it big.

Kelly remained with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr for 11 years as their secretary, confidante, and number-one fan.

She shares her favorite stories in the documentary "Good Ol' Freda," which premiered at SXSW Film Festival in 2010 and is rolling into select theaters across the country now.

You can watch "Good Ol' Freda" on iTunes.

Here are the best behind-the-scenes anecdotes and reveals about the Beatles from Freda Kelly's recent IAmA thread:

12. Politics couldn't hold their attention as teenagers.

“Early on, did you find members of the band very politically driven?” —headinmyphones

freda kelly the beatles secretary“No. When we were just teen-agers, we weren't discussing politics (although we were all Labor party then until the Tax Man came along. And then George wrote the song "Tax Man" and complained about Labor and the Conservative party).” —FredaAndRyan

11. Later, they became public activists for LSD.

“How open were they about the use of LSD? I know Lennon took it.” —timmytheh

“They were very open about LSD. Paul signed a petition for one of our national papers supporting it.” —FredaAndRyan

10. They ate grilled cheese with "plastic cheese."

“What was/is their favorite types of cheeses?” —Salanderson

“Well really we just had cheddar or Cheshire in those days. Cheese on toast. But we used kraft cheese singles to make it. We called it ‘plastic cheese.’” —FredaAndRyan10. “Funniest groupie story?” —zanthelad

freda kelly the beatles secretary9. They had low expectations.

“Since they blazed a trail in stardom and celebrity, how did the massive beatlemania phenom affect them? Did they have trouble dealing with it?” —FatherDamo

I know John thought this could last about 2 years. Nobody could see, not even them, how long it was going to last or the way things were going to go.” —FredaAndRyan

8. Ringo Starr needed ego boosts.

“Do you have any stories of members of the band playing pranks on each other or yourself?” —scalzo19

freda kelly the beatles secretary“A few months after Ringo joined the band, I went to see them perform in a theatre, and before I went to see them I decided I was going to shout a request to Ringo to sing 'Boys,' but I didn't know that someone had already told them I was going to do that. I was shouting it out for Ringo because he was not getting as many requests as the other three. But when I did shout the request, Ringo knew it was me, stood up from his drum seat and he told me to sit down and be quiet. He said something like "oh sit down Kelly." So I didn't come out from under my seat until the show ended out of embarrassment.” —FredaAndRyan

7. They lived with mom and dad for a while.

“what is something that most people would not know about the beatles but you think should?” —shtaaap

“They came home on a regular basis for family celebrations, weddings and christenings, Paul had so many relations he was back in Liverpool more than the others and still is. And they all lived at home up until they moved to London (even when they had the number one record in the world).” —FredaAndRyan

6. And when they found fame, the US of A became their second home.

“Did they have a favorite tourist spot or local attraction they were fond of in America?” —BaysideLo

“They just loved America but didn't say what particular part. When they got back from America the first time, they were amazed.” —FredaAndRyan

freda kelly the beatles secretary5. “Funniest groupie story?” —zanthelad

“There were two sets of girls, and they were both called the Apple Scruffs. They were about 14-17 years old. And they used to just hang around Apple all day, they would go from school and stay there until eight or ten o'clock at night just waiting for a Beatle to go in or out of Apple. Eventually the Beatles got to know them, and George wrote a song about them because all the Beatles got to like them.” —FredaAndRyan

“Was the song released? If so, which song?” —SECRETLY_STALKS_YOU

“It was released but I think it was on George Harrison's ‘All Things Must Pass’ album. The song was called ‘Apple Scruffs.’"—FredaAndRyan

4. John Lennon needed the most attention.

“Whats your favorite story about john lennon?” —davidleewhite

freda kelly the beatles secretary“John Lennon fired me in a dressing room one time! He was upset that I spent too much time with another musical group called The Moody Blues' dressing room. What happened when I went into The Beatles' dressing room, he was not amused that it had taken me all that time to come into the dressing room. So he asked me whose fan club secretary I was - are you the Moody Blues' fan club secretary or the Beatles. And I just laughed it off and said theirs, and he said I'm sacking you you can go back to the Moody Blues. Well what happened then I said fine, but I went to the other 3 and asked if they were sacking me and they said no, certainly not, so I said to John well you can do your own fan mail and I'll just do the other three's. And then he turned to me and said he was only joking, and I said no you weren't, you were telling the truth, and he said please come back. Then I said "get on your hands and knees and beg me to come back." And he said "I'll meet you halfway" and I knew I couldn't push him any further, he said he would get down on one knee and I said that will do. And I kept working for him for another 7 years.” —FredaAndRyan

3. They cared for Freda as a dear friend.

“Did you get any cool merchandise or memorabilia as a result of your job?” —scalzo19

“My wedding telegrams are my most treasured. They were all in India when I got married, and they all individually sent me telegrams congratulating me.” —FredaAndRyan

freda kelly the beatles secretary2. And she crushed on a different Beatle every day.

“Did you secretly wished to be one of their other half?” —fishbonez

“Not really, no. I was a teen-ager when I started this job, and I naturally had crushes. But the crushes changed all the time, and by a certain point they became like brothers to me.” —FredaAndRyan

1. Fifty years later, she can sum them up in four words.

freda kelly the beatles secretary“If you had to sum up each member of the group in one or two words based on your time with them, what would they be?” —MonaMonzano

“John the moodiest. Paul the one was never cross or angry. Ringo for humor, really, and dancing. And George was thoughtful.” —FredaAndRyan

SEE ALSO: Ricky Gervais Reveals Far Too Much In Funny Reddit AMA

Join the conversation about this story »

Inside Red Pill, The Weird New Cult For Men Who Don't Understand Women

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Red Pill Matrix No Text

"A woman is a lock and a man is a key. If a key opens a lot of locks, it is a master key. But if one lock is opened by lots of keys, it is a dodgy lock." -Redditredpill

The man who uses the Internet handle "Redditredpill" is having difficulty understanding women after going to a nightclub with some friends. As he tells it, "girls threw themselves at us for a sip of our vodka, to sit with us, to feel wanted." These girls had "no intent on actually getting with [him]":

Imagine the reverse. I tried it. A table of girls, I went over to the girls on other side of club, and said 'Hi, can I get a sip of your champagne? Can I join you?'

What was the response? 'F--- off, go away, who are you, why should we let you sit with us?'

Said exactly the same to the [women] that came up to us [...] So a group of single girls on a table allowed some [women] to sit with them, rather then an attractive male, who they didn't know, [who] actually had a table himself [...]

Point is, they tried [...] and failed. And I tried to go to a group of girls and that failed too, as they thought they were superior.

This may sound like the instigatory words of someone looking for a fight, sarcasm gone too far at best. But Redditredpill shared his story in earnest with a very specific community that empathizes with his perspective.

It's more than a perspective, in fact: It's a philosophy.

The basis of this philosophy, which underpins almost all conversations in his community, is that females get away with things by virtue of being female.

Welcome to The Red Pill, an Internet community on Redditfounded on the general belief that women have it better than men. Red Pill is not a dating advice bulletin, but rather a forum for people — men, mostly — exploring an ideology that revolves almost exclusively around gender. Those who "swallow the pill" maintain that it's men, not women, who have been socially disenfranchised. Feminism is considered a damaging ideology and Red Pillers are quick to cite examples that bolster their points, some going so far as to argue that society is outright anti-male. Red Pill followers have their own politics, language, and culture. And they're growing: Eight months ago, Red Pill had only 100 followers. Today, it has more than 15,000.

What is Red Pill all about?

women red pillThe Red Pill is a collection of ideas encompassed by what its subscribers refer to as the "manosphere," a number of loosely-associated blogs that focus on masculinity and personal philosophy for men. At the surface level there's nothing terribly contentious about this, but if you click around one or two layers deeper, you'll find plenty of examples why chatter from this gallery regularly turns heads. Like this:

"You are hating women because you have the wrong expectations for them. Don't hate someone for something they CANNOT be. Women are, by nature, manipulative, attention-seeking, inconsistent, emotional, and hypergamous. Accept this truth. Once you do, you can game women for what they are ... not what you want them to be."

The community's name is a tip of the hat to the truth-seeking attitude in The Matrix– Keanu Reeves pops a red pill to unplug his mind from a simulated world, freeing him to explore genuine reality.

For Red Pillers, genuine reality goes something like this: Female oppression is a myth and men are the ones holding the short end of the stick. That said, men and women are inherently different due to evolution, so each gender should carry out its designated role in society. For example, females should raise children at home and men should work and have sex with women.

Red Pill pays a lot of attention to that last part about sex – conversations on the forum are often about one's strategies for attracting mates, but there's a present (if slightly lesser) focus on self-improvement as well. Community members motivate each other and update everyone on their progress as they lose weight at the gym and build muscle, though it's almost always for the end goal of increasing one's sexual eligibility.

Girl at barThe common criticisms

There seems to be an inherent contradiction at the heart of this community – it's an overwhelmingly male population advocating unpopular opinions on females, but it is almost entirely focused on attracting and seducing as many of them as possible. (There is a subset of Red Pillers that want nothing to do with women called "MGTOW." More on them to come.)

While there is absolutely an active, vocal female contingent to this group, its corresponding forum, Red Pill Women, is just shy of 1,500 subscribed members, a fraction of Red Pill's 15,000-plus.

For a group whose ideology presents itself as a straightforward means of self-improvement and sociological liberation, Red Pill often muddies the water with highly-charged polemics on the proper way for men and women to relate to each other.

Pickup-style artistry is often emphasized as the effective way to talk to and ultimately copulate with women. It's called "game," one's strategy in approaching someone for romantic purposes. Good game technique turns a conversation with a woman into a guys vs. girls jousting match of the mind, every word carefully calculated to make one seem as attractive as possible. If this sounds like a disingenuous way to meet people, some Red Pillers see it as no worse than a woman wearing makeup:

Men tend to enjoy good looks, women tend to enjoy a strong, masculine personality. But while it's pretty standard for a woman to artificially improve her looks, most blue pillers tend to shun any attempt to grow a strong, masculine personality. It's quite a double standard.

It needs to be clear that there's a spectrum to Red Pill attitude, as there is with any ideology. Some members seem genuinely interested in it as a way to get a leg up socially, to break out of their proverbial shells. But on the other (much louder) end are members who come off as fundamentalist, those more likely to hold ideas about sex, politics, and society that would make a feminist cringe.

A lot of people view this as malevolent sexism, but Red Pill's pseudonymous forum moderator Morpheus, champion of the Red Pill movement, told us that "we hold the principle of equal opportunity in high regard; it’s the desire for equal outcome that we disagree with – something that we strongly feel feminism pushes for."

Where did Red Pill come from?

This post lays out a point-by-point explanation of why Red Pill exists. Many men "have trouble finding physical and emotional intimacy" and are given "terrible advice" as they try to remedy the situation. Red Pillers don't want to isolate themselves from women per se, they want to "understand [them], have sex, and understand why 'game' works in our society and discuss its ramifications."

A 2010 blog post called "The Misandry Bubble" functions as a Red Pill manifesto of sorts, and lays out an involved but accessible overview of ideas. It's a lengthy read worth of any armchair sociologist's time, and every word serves to further the idea that "the Western World has quietly become a civilization that undervalues men and overvalues women."

Red Pill thought extrapolates this to the extreme. The situation is"unfair to both genders, and is a recipe for a rapid civilizational decline and displacement, the costs of which will ultimately be borne by a subsequent generation of innocent women, rather than men, as soon as 2020."

So Red Pillers' ideas and actions come from a place of resisting what they find to be a generally oppressive society. This forum was born as a place to share game tactics, Red Pill theory, and to just blow off steam with like-minded folks.

Why does someone swallow the Red Pill?

red pill

The prime candidates for this community generally seem to be men who, for whatever reason, have had bad luck with women or have been otherwise wronged by a female. It can also be a person who's tired of what he perceives as a culture of misandry, seeing gender-based causes for social wrongs. And it can be for guys who just want to get laid more often and want advice on how to get there.

Morpheus explained it to us like this: "[When men] realize their failures [with women] were within their control to avoid, it can induce a bit of anger [...] I think that a lot of the men have a misplaced anger towards women. I wouldn’t say it’s hatred [...] They want to learn how to be better with women. But there is a temporary anger. We have examples posted every day of women acting contrary to what we’re told women would do. Because in our culture, women are mostly regarded as the 'good' sex, the one that does no harm. Our subreddit pulls back the curtain and says, 'Hey look, these women are human just like everybody else. It’s time to put away your idealistic views and embrace reality.'"

The lingo

This group's distinct sociology has birthed a specialized vocabulary, almost a language, of sorts. There's a shorthand for referring to many common concepts inside Red Pill thought.

"The wall," for example, refers to the point in a woman's life "where her ego and self-assessed view of her sexual market value exceed her actual sexual market value; the beginning of the decline."

One Red Piller describes what it's like to see his friend's wife "hit the wall." This woman turned 28 and purportedly became a racist homophobe as her biological clock counted down:

She spent her 20's riding the cock roundabout and [...] took occasional trips in the pussy wagon. She has become massively racist [...] She has become massively homophobic (which is rich, coming from her. She loved watching gay men f--- in porn, just doesn't want them to be able to get married). She has just become a hateful, miserable person to everyone. She is also on the 'all men are bastards' kick.

"MGTOW" is short for "men going their own way." This is a school of thought similar to Red Pill that's all about being a man who "will not surrender [his] will to the social expectations of women and society, because both have become hostile against masculinity." A fully-realized MGTOW (there are levels to it) is someone who shuns all relationships with women, short-term, long-term, romantic, and otherwise. He eventually shuns society as a whole: "For all intents and purposes, he does not exist. A urbanite might keep to his own apartment, while someone further out may simply head into the wilderness and go off-grid."

A "snowflake" is "a woman who tries to persuade a man that she’s somehow unique, different, or special by playing up her good girl resume and downplaying her bad girl resume."

This user shares a field report of getting a "snowflake" to send him a nude picture by appealing to her "naughty side" shortly after meeting her and her boyfriend:

I ask her where her boyfriend is. She says 'You tell me! He's not here right now and when he is, he usually criticizes me.' I am so grateful for my luck. This woman is all emotional. Women go crazy when they're emotional. Time to make her doubt this bf and look at me for some sexual release.

What does Red Pill do?

Community members dissect Red Pill theory with each other, sharing "field reports" of their experiences, writing "rants" against feminism or other topics.

For a group of socially-aware individuals disappointed in the current state of gender relations, there's not much activism, so to speak. By Morpheus's own admission, Red Pill doesn't do much offline.

"We’re definitely a little different from the men’s rights movement in the sense that we don’t seek to 'fix' society or our government," he said. "In fact, a lot of us feel that things are beyond fixing. Sure it’d be nice if reproductive rights were equal between women and men, but nobody’s holding their breath about it. A majority of our goals are personal and interpersonal improvement. Not really something to write your congressperson for."

Misandry and male disadvantage

equalityThis comic (right) gets at the general tone of the Red Pill worldview.

One user cites  this personal experience with society's anti-male attitude. He loves lifting weights because he enjoys getting stronger and pushing himself, but his family makes fun of him for doing so. They lob accusations of wasted time and money at him, telling him that girls don't like muscular men, only gay men do. He concludes that his family is teasing him because his weightlifting is "not in the service of a woman, so it's bad and a waste of time."

Other commonly-cited examples of our so-called misandrist society? In some states cohabitation is considered a Common Law marriage – a man's common law wife could have him evicted from his own house. 80% of women will get human papiloma virus. More than 50% of all marriages end in divorce, and 70% of these are initiated by women.

There's plenty of discussion over gender-based news items: The woman who got less than four years in jail for cutting off her husband's penis to make sure he couldn't impregnate any other women. The woman who lied about being raped in order to win $10,000 on a talk radio show. Stories like these (and the ensuing discussion and debate) lead to the worldview that society isn't fair enough for men:

Our entire social structure is designed to support women’s living any way they want [...] Women are allowed to do and say anything they want anywhere. Men are restricted in their speech and conduct. VAWA [the Violence Against Women Act], which has a "must arrest" policy in a domestic violence call. Women can assault and beat men in public with impunity and the tacit support of feminists. 

There are new social customs to constrain most men. A man is forbidden to notice an attractive woman at work. He is not to comment on it, talk about it or even look a second or two too long. Nuclear rejections, public shaming are the norm if a man she deems unattractive deigns to talk to her in public. Men are never, ever to even notice good looking women.

Attractive men are exempt from all of these legal and social conventions.

The other side of the coin?

wonder womanA prominent feminist blogger who we'll call Alicia described Red Pill to us as follows: "Where feminists are saying, 'Okay men, you have enough rights. Let women catch up,' Red Pill says, 'Hey women, you have too many rights and we need to take some away.'"

She says that Red Pill isn't actually the other side of the gender relations coin, but a group of hateful, militant extremists. Red Pill is quick to respond with data that purport to show an institutional bias against males, such as the stat that"90% of imprisonments, suicides, and crippling occupational injuries are of men," but Alicia calls this a "shroud of credibility. They use that approach to make it okay to hate women."

When we asked Morpheus if Red Pillers hate women, he said, "Delving into Red Pill ideas is a very shocking experience for some, especially for those who were raised to believe that politically correct ideals reflect nature. The road to our forum is paved with bad experiences, men who have never been loved, have loved and lost, men who have tried and failed, or men who succeeded and were taken advantage of."

Alicia told us that she's "tried to empathize with some of these guys for a long time, because it's clear that many of them are suffering so acutely. They want female attention and for one reason or another, they're not getting it."

Having followed the group for many years, she said she wasn't too bothered by them when they were a smaller in number. Its introduction page still references a time when there were only 100 members (and as you recall from before, there are a touch over 15,000 members today). "As they grow online, the real danger is in exposing this stuff to younger boys," Alicia said. "When you're 15, girls are weird and you're looking for answers. The Red Pill claims to have them."

Becoming alpha

alpha male

The stated goal of a man in The Red Pill community, generally speaking, is to "become alpha." We spoke to John Romaniello, a coach and author of Man 2.0: Becoming The Alpha, to get his take on what an alpha attitude is all about.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, he hadn't exactly swallowed the Red Pill.

"My definition of an alpha is someone who wants to become the best version of themselves so that they can best serve the world. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with motivating guys to become better men, but The Red Pill seems to be doing so in an aggressive and adversarial sort of way. From an outside perspective, it seems like they're a bit too vocal about categorizing themselves as alphas and others as betas ... there doesn't seem to be an attitude of wanting to bring other people into the fold. It seems divisive rather than inclusive."

Romaniello referenced a post he saw where a Red Piller wrote something to the effect of "if you focus on self-improvement, you'll attract a higher-quality woman."

"There's nothing controversial to this statement," he said. "And, speaking personally, I agree with it. I think there are many Red Pill members who see it that way. But there are a lot of voices decrying this sentiment in favor of an attitude of ... degradation, I guess. It seems like The Red Pill is generally taking the idea of alpha from the pickup artist perspective and running in an extreme direction with it. Like any group or belief system, there's a lot of value to be found with the reasonable stuff. But also like any other group, The Red Pill has some extremists who are fervent in their beliefs and incredibly vocal. Oh, and batshit crazy. I think that's likely the reason The Red Pill has gotten the reputation of being misogynistic. "

Romaniello added, "I want to like the Red Pill. They're helping guys find confidence and actively seek self-edification. It's a good idea, I'm just not in love with the execution. The goal of an alpha should be to serve the world and improve other people – not to tear men down and hate women. Maybe the Red Pillers just have a bit more growing to do. I think they'll get there."

But does it work?

We were interested to see if we could find an example of someone struggling with Red Pill and everything that goes along with it. Maybe someone who adopted the ideas only to change his mind upon putting them into practice. The closest we came was this post written by a user who qualifies that he was drunk while writing it. Here's an excerpt:

I don’t know what I’m doing, but I want a really high value girl and this lifestyle isn't yielding what I consider to be high value and, to be completely honest, I don’t want what it has offered so far [...] I feel completely lost, full of value, and wandering amongst an ocean of women who aren’t offering what I desire (a healthy BMI, a fun personality that can take my teasing, and some legitimate intelligence to keep up with me and know how to push back against my teasing [...] I’m an attractive, muscular, intelligent, and fun guy. I fully believe in my sexual market value, but I don’t feel like I’m finding any girls to satisfy my desires in a partner.

The last comment on the post says, "You can make it through this man, I believe in you."

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The 10 Biggest Mistakes You Can Make During Your First Semester Of College

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There's no right way to go through your first year of college, and making mistakes can sometimes be a positive part of the experience.

However, it's always good to hear some advice from people who have already been through it.

We recently discovered a few Reddit threads where people reflected on some of their biggest mistakesand regrets from college. A lot of the comments provide great guidance on the best way to navigate and balance the various changes that come with going away to school.

Here are some of the best pieces of advice:

1) Don't stick with a major you hate just because of potential job prospects

high school science students at Gatton Academy"Spending three years in a major I hated because everyone had told me it would ensure a steady job and good income (pharmacy). Dropped out, worked my ass off as an electrician's bitch for a couple years, paid my parents back for my mistake, reapplied to mechanical engineering and couldn't be happier."— Dstanding

2) Don't mix up your priorities — a social life is important, but so are classes 

Law School Students in the Classroom 2011"I wish I had been more responsible with my drinking, and been hungover in class less. I would have taken in and retained so much more information."— winewings

3) Don't say no to any extracurriculars, you might discover something you love

Clarkson University students playing in band"That i didn't get more involved early on. Im a just finishing my junior year and i just recently joined some clubs and made good friends at work. I think back to all the time i squandered my first two years. Finally im having some fun, right before i graduate."— The_Wac

"Not involving myself in an acting group early. I joined them in my final year of university and had an amazing time, but not enough to make some proper friends. If you're handed a sheet and you go, 'Meh, I might try it,' I urge you. Do it. You won't know what you like until you do - and the people you meet will be enthusiastic."— Paladin_Girl

4) Don't waste your free time, because after graduation you'll have much less

Intramural Basketball Students"I wish I used the extra time I had more productively. You never have the days off and 'spare' time you will have when you begin full time work, ever again. Start getting fit, learning an instrument or perfecting your literacy now!"— APLKonnect

5) Don't believe that college is just about studying — it's ok to cut loose every once in a while (or more than once in a while)

University of California Santa Barbara Students Party Beach"I wish I'd partied more. I had stellar grades the whole way through but it hampered my ability to meet new people. I only started getting out and meeting some really awesome folks in my third to last semester."— hunglikeanewok

"I wish I had drank and partied more. I'm sitting on a couple of med school acceptances right now, and I'm honestly not sure how much that would have changed had a I spent a few more nights where I could barely stand, or in bed with someone slightly less than attractive."— soup--nazi

6) Don't ignore the resources around you, especially professors

Professor Math Physics Office Andrei Linde"My big regret is not getting to know my professors. 6 years later I'm looking at grad school, and it's going to be really hard without a stellar recommendation from one of them."— theshrewd

7) Don't write anything off immediately, college is a time for change

Fraternity Brothers Students"I'm currently a junior, but my one regret in college is not being a part of Greek life. I didn't join a house freshman year for various reasons, but my personality and values have since changed. Looking back, I believe that being in Greek life, especially at my university, would have been an awesome experience."— gat45

8) Don't forget about the people back home

Nazareth College Graduation Students"I wish I found the time to maintain friendships from school with those who went to different universities."— eaz135

9) Don't feel pressured to find your lifelong partner — sometimes it's better to be single

University Mississippi Drinking Students"Falling in love. University is a great time to experiment and practise your social/flirting skills. I ended up in a relationship within three months of starting and the relationship ended about 9 months after I graduated (making it a 4 1/2 year relationship). I'm now playing catch-up in (re)learning how to meet and date women."— Martman1989

10) Don't sit around at home — even mundane activities can have meaning

Yale University Campus Students"If you have the option to go out and do anything (grocery store, errands whatever) with your friends, go do it. Don't stay home. You won't always have time to talk to your friends later."— CakeofTruth

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16 Ingenious Uses For Everyday Household Items

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We've previously written about clever uses for everyday objects, but you can never have enough life-hack tips.

In a recent /r/AskReddit thread, the Reddit community dug deep to come up with even more neat uses for everyday objects that are easily found in the home.

Some of their responses were absolutely genius. Here are some of our favorites:

1. Remove sticker residue with baking soda

label sticker residue"To remove sticker residue, make a mix of baking soda and just a couple drops of water and rub it over the goo. I prefer that method over using smelly solvents or oil that I'd have to wash off with soap." - truckstruck

2. Use unflavored, non-waxed floss to cut softer foods

floss to cut cheese"Use floss to cut cheese." - TurnaboutBeggings

"It's also good for cake, or really any softer food that needs to be cut." - -GregTheGreat-

3. Store a slice of bread with cookies to keep them moist

box of christmas cookies"Put a slice of bread in a box of cookies to keep the cookies moist. I don't know how this works but my friends who tried it were as surprised as I was that it does work." - bankergoesrawrr

4. Use the clips on cheap clothing hangers as bag clips

chip bag clip hanger"Cut the clips off of the cheap pants/shorts hangers from retail stores and use them as potato chip clips." - evo_overlord_lite

5. Create a make-shift slow-drip plant waterer with empty hot sauce bottles

Hot sauce"Clean out your bottles of Texas Pete or other hot sauce, fill with water, and stick upside down in the soil of your potted plants if you're going to be out for a couple weeks!" - not_an_armadillo

6. Tie a rubber band around a jar lid to get a better grip

trying to open a jar"When you can't open a jar, wrap a rubber band around the lid. It will give you a better grip." - redlptop

7. Hold a nail steady with a comb when hammering

nail and comb and hammer"Use a comb to hold a nail in place while you strike it with your hammer." - blight231

8. Coat cheap jewelry with clear nail polish to avoid green or black stains on the skin

young girl showing off necklace"If you put clear nail polish on cheap rings and earrings, they won't leave green marks on your skin." - the_drama_llama

9. Sharpen knives with the bottom of a coffee mug

Sharp knives in kitchen"The bottom of ceramic coffee mugs are great knife sharpeners." - GrandRaptorino

10: Use a potato to get a broken lightbulb out of the socket

light bulb with potato"If you break a lightbulb still in the socket, you can use a potato to take it out.
    1.    TURN OFF POWER TO THE LIGHT!
    2.    Cut potato in half.
    3.    Jam potato in over the broken glass of the lightbulb.
    4.    Unscrew.
    5.    Throw out that potato half." - dongbeinanren

11. Keep pizza from becoming chewy in the microwave with a glass of water

microwave pizza"If you don't want your pizza crust to become chewy in the microwave then put a glass of water in the microwave while you reheat your pizza." - Uncle_Oj

12. Use salt to fix a spill on your carpet

salt on a carpet wine stain"Salt can save your carpet after a spill. Just completely coat and cake that spill in salt immediately after getting rid of the majority of the spill with a rag or something. The salt will absorb the remaining liquid as it dries, taking the stain with it, and then you just have to vacuum to clean up." - ExpiredDustyMuffin

13. Remove stuck on labels or stickers with mayonnaise

hellmann's mayonnaise"Any sticker on anything, mayonnaise. Smear.. Let sit.. Peel." - CalistaDodd

14. Rub latex gloves on furniture and clothes to get rid of pet hair or lint

latex glove"Use a latex glove to remove pet fur or lint from clothing and furniture. Put a pair on and sweep repeatedly to one side. It's like magic. Much better than a vacuum cleaner or those sticky sheets of paper." - notalwayshere

15. If rice doesn't work, set a wet phone on a dehumidifier to dry it out

phone in water"I've tried the rice bag before with no success. I happened to soak my phone twice (TWICE) this weekend, and also happened to have just purchased a dehumidifier. I figured if it could dry out an entire basement, it couldn't hurt to set my wet phone on top. Sure enough, less than 6 hours later, good as new. Both times." - Pants-down

16. Use a dryer sheet to filter hair in the sink when shaving

Gasol Shave"When I shave, I get a used dryer sheet wet and place it over the drain to act as a filter for hairs. It'll stick to the sink if the water isn't too strong (which might encourage reducing your water consumption)." - Tylrt

EVEN MORE LIFE HACKS: 21 Clever Uses For Household Items

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The Best Quotes From Robin Williams' Hilarious Reddit AMA

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the crazy ones sarah michelle gellar robin williams

Wednesday, comedian Robin Williams did an Ask me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, and even through text-only answers, the prolific funny man's personality really shined through.

Williams was promoting his latest project, “The Crazy Ones,” which airs Thursday on CBS. Most know him from standup comedy and a number of television shows and movies, such as “Good Morning Vietnam,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Good Will Hunting,” and “Aladdin.”

We've collected some of his best answers on everything from gaming to his favorite bands. You can read the full AMA here.

On who's his favorite celebrity to impersonate:

"Oh my god, Jack Nicholson. He once was with me at a benefit and leaned over and said 'even oysters have enemies.' In a very intense voice. I responded with 'Increase your dosage.'

Dana Carvey does my personal favorite impression of myself. It's accurate. And kind."

When asked whether he was scared being around Nicholson, Williams wrote, "It's more fascinated than scared. He says things that even Buddha goes '...what did that mean?'"

Here's his Jack Nicholson impression (language warning):

On how he cheered up Steven Spielberg when he was filming Schindler's List:

"I think I only called him once, maybe twice. I called him when I was representing People for the Valdheimers Association. A society devoted to helping raise money to help older Germans who had forgotten everything before 1945. I remember him laughing and going 'thank you.'"

On what he was wearing during the AMA:

"My god! I have on nothing but Google Glass! And I'm downloading as we speak."

One of the reddit moderators wrote, "It's interesting."

On what gives him a sense of wonder, and his favorite childhood book:

"My children give me a great sense of wonder. Just to see them develop into these extraordinary human beings. And a favorite book as a child? Growing up, it was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - I would read the whole C.S. Lewis series out loud to my kids. I was once reading to Zelda, and she said "don't do any voices. Just read it as yourself." So I did, I just read it straight, and she said 'that's better.'" 

On what kind of music he listens to:

"To be honest, I'm kind of challenged in terms of new music. I listen to a lot of Jazz, specifically Keith Jarrett piano solos. And for me, if you want just wonderful ballads and love songs, Tom Waits. I might also have to throw in Radiohead, but I can't quote specific lyrics. AND PRINCE! For those special nights."

On whether he had any behind-the-scenes stories from the set of Mrs. Doubtfire:

"Yes. One time in makeup as Mrs. Doubtfire, I walked into a sex shop in San Francisco and tried to buy a double-headed dildo. Just because. Why not? And the guy was about to sell it to me until he realized it was me - Robin Williams - not an older Scottish woman coming in to look for a very large dildo and a jar of lube. He just laughed and said 'what are you doing here' and I left. Did I make the purchase? No. * Did I walk away with a really good story? *Yes."

On playing video games:

"No! I haven't [played GTA V]. I'm still waiting for the next Call of Duty. It's been very unusual for me because I've done trips overseas to Iraq and Afghanistan, and I would see guys who had just come back from patrol playing Call of Duty, and I would say 'you're living this stuff! And yet you're still playing this game...'

I don't usually play online, because getting my ass kicked by an 11 year old is very humbling!"

Here's Williams performing for troops in Kuwait on one of his USO tours (language warning):

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Image-Hosting Site Imgur Is Now Officially Bigger Than Reddit

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imgur

Imgur, the site that hosts a bunch of images and GIFs found on Reddit, just passed 100 million unique visitors per month.

We first saw the news on BuzzFeed.

That means it's bigger than Reddit, which has about 73 million unique visitors a month

Just two years ago, Imgur had about 30 million visitors a month. Today, its 100 million monthly unique visitors click on about 2 billion images a day. 

Imgur has basically become the go-to for users to post their photos onto Reddit, especially since Reddit banned Quickmeme back in June.

Imgur is also profitable thanks to its paid Pro subscriptions and deals with advertisers.  

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13 Facts That Are Guaranteed To Lift Your Spirits

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Reddit user AaronM97 was feeling really down on Sunday night, and asked the Reddit community to tell him anything that would make him "think higher of the world."

Almost immediately, the thread was upvoted to the front page and more than 10,000 people commented with funny, interesting, and amazing facts about life on earth.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for giving me the best night I've had in a while,"AaronM97 later wrote in the thread. "There's not a single comment in the thread that didn't give me a smile or make me laugh, or give me hope and motivation."

Reading the entire thread will instantly make you feel better, but here 13 of our favorite facts, which we independently verified.

Wayne Allwine (the voice of Mickey Mouse) and Russi Taylor (the voice of Minnie Mouse) were married in real life. (via Reddit user StickleyMan)

mickey minnie disneyland

Blind people smile like everyone else, even though they've never seen anyone else smile. It's just a natural human expression.(via Reddit user -eDgAR-)

blind boy smiling india

There's an island in Australia where you can hang out with an animal known as the Quokka that has no fear of humans and a perpetual smile on its face. (via Reddit user -GregTheGreat-) 

quokka

There is a group of nine women in West Tennessee who call themselves the 9 Nanas. They bake cakes together and leave them on the doorsteps of the needy, unemployed, or those who have lost family members.

They've been doing it for 36 years. (via Reddit user kOOby)

bake a cake

Smile — it's scientifically proven that the act of smiling inadvertently improves our mood. (via Reddit user AgathaCrispy)

happy people

The man who does Winnie-the-Pooh's voice spends some of his spare time calling children in the cancer wards of hospitals and telling them in Pooh's voice how much he loves them and how brave they are. (via Reddit user SirNerd)

winnie the pooh

A group of people formed a human wall in order to lead endangered baby turtles to the ocean. (via Reddit user Riotreaver)

Baby sea turtles

An island in the Bahamas lets tourists and locals swim with wild pigs and feed them. The pigs jump into the water to cool down, and even climb aboard boats to hang out. (via Reddit user QuelqueChoseRose)

Big Major Cay's pigs swimming in the clear, turquoise waters of the Bahamas.

Guide dogs are provided free to those with disabilities through Guide Dogs for the Blind and Guide Dogs of America, among other groups. Plus, guide dogs are awesome and have uniforms. (via Reddit user Streetmix)

guide dog walking seeing eye blind

At this exact moment, there are probably tens of thousands of babies laughing around the world. (via Reddit user yardnome070)

1 billion people have been taken out of extreme poverty between 1990 and 2010. We should aim to do the same thing by 2030. (via Reddit user FamousMortimer)

charity food aid

36 years ago, at the height of the Cold War, humans launched the two voyager deep space probes. On those two probes is a golden record, which includes a visual representation of a man and woman, the location of Earth relative to several pulsars, and binary instructions for the playing of a record with human music.

At a moment when all life on Earth was almost annihilated and we were fundamentally divided, human kind sent a message in a bottle into space as a universal hello. (via Reddit user WilliamtheV)

voyager golden record

The fact that you're alive right now means that your bloodline stretches all the way back to the first humans. Your ancestors survived long enough to reproduce, and so did their children, and their children, all the way until your biological parents were born.

You then raced tens of millions of other sperm and were the first to reach your biological mother's egg. Each and every one of us is a genetic winner. (via Reddit user kjata)

sperm egg miracle of life

SEE ALSO: 13 Scientifically Proven Ways To Be A Happier Person

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The Best Quotes From Tom Hanks' Reddit AMA

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Tom Hanks Reddit AMA"In an act of greedy self promotion,"Tom Hanks did an Ask me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit Monday while promoting his new film "Captain Phillips," and revealed some little known facts about himself through text-only answers. 

From filmmaking to loving Bruno Mars, we've compiled the 13 most interesting answers below.

1. Favorite movies he didn't act in:

"Recently, 'Looper.' And 'Das Boot' the directors cut."

2. Favorite piece of trivia from a movie shoot:

"I had a terrible case of the flu shooting the football scenes in Gump."

3. What is the most crucial advice for becoming an actor? 

"Show up on time. Know your lines. Have and idea of what to do in the scene. the rest will take care of itself."

4. Which would you rather see become a ride at a theme park: The Polar Express or Forrest Gump?

"The Captain Phillips Life-Boat Launch Experience."

5. Scenario: JJ Abrams is making a reboot movie of The Next Generation. Do you want the role of Picard, Riker, Data, Worf, or Q?

"The Borg. Nothing else."

6. What classic movie would you have loved to have worked on? 

"2001: A space odyssey"

7. "That Thing You Do" being a fan favorite:

"It's the one movie I would love to make again."

8. What were your feelings on the mixed reactions to Cloud Atlas?

"Nothing effects the love of making a movie -- particularly CLOUD ATLAS. It will be around for ever..."

9. Why don't I ever see reruns of Bosom Buddies? 

"It wasn't shot on HD and looks terrible now."

10. Favorite music genre:

"Give me three guitars, a piano, and a good drummer and I'm done."

11. What music are you currently interested in? 

"Digging Bruno Mars!"

12. If you can only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be ?

"The Japanese food seems good for you..."

13. Mustache tips. Go.:

"Shave it off."

Read the full AMA here >

SEE ALSO: The Best Quotes From Robin Williams' Hilarious Reddit AMA

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Silk Road Fans On Reddit Go Ballistic After Seizure

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Silk Road, an anonymous Internet marketplace known as a destination for buying illegal drugs, has been seized by the FBI and its alleged owner arrested.

The news has prompted Reddit's Silk Road community, r/SilkRoad, to freak out.

Here are some of the most recent topics:

Silk Road Reddit

Most of the discussion is limited to one thread, however: "SR shutdown fallout discussion".

On this thread, it appears that some people have lost some serious money (they are not getting much sympathy though):

Silk Road Reddit

Others are worried that they may not get their drugs:

Reddit Silk Road

There are worries that users' data could be compromised:

Silk Road Reddit

Those with orders in transit are worried that the vendors won't get paid:

Reddit Silk Road

Some are worried about how they will order illicit supplies now:

Silk Road Reddit

Others worry about the price of Bitcoin:

Reddit Silk Road

There's some theories that a Silk Road alternative, Atlantis, may have been behind the seizure somehow. Atlantis itself, which billed itself as a "flashier" alternative to SR, was shut down last month:

Silk Road Reddit

For at least one person, however, there's a bright side:

Silk Road Bitcoin Reddit

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The 10 Best Responses From Stunned Supporters Of Drug Marketplace The Silk Road

The Silk Road Users Of Reddit Briefly Went Dark, But They're Back Now

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Screen Shot 2013 10 03 at 9.14.36 AM

The Silk Road, an online storefront for people to buy illegal drugs, was seized by the feds yesterday.

The Reddit community built around Silk Road, located here, is an active hub of conversation for all things Silk Road – reviews of drugs, strategies on how to best send weed through the mail, etc. But in light of the seizure and shutdown, the Silk Road subreddit was cordoned off to the public for a bit this morning.

While it was made private, only registered users who are members of the subreddit could browse its contents and make new posts. Where it used to be a public-facing community, it was temporarily members-only.

The community moderators explain their reasoning for the change (that has since been undone):

Due to news agencies posting images of this subreddit without concern to peoples' identities, we have closed it for the time being. Please check back in the coming days for major news. Please do not ask for permission to join the sub at this time. We will open it soon with instructions on how you will be able to join.

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11 Totally True And Completely Adorable Animal Facts

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This week's been pretty rough.

Luckily for our sanity, this Reddit thread in response to user AaronM97's request to be cheered up lists thousands of happy facts.

We science nerds picked out 10 of the happiest animal facts from the thread to brighten your day. We've even found the science to support them.

1. Rats and mice are actually ticklish.And they laugh.This study by Jaak Panksepp from Bowling Green University in Ohio, shows that rats have ticklish spots and will actually "laugh" when you tickle them. Tickle the nape of a young rat's neck and it will make lots of squeaking sounds — in this case the rat equivalent of laughter. (From Reddit user Smitsha516)

rat2. Some turtles can breathe out of their butts. Turtles have an opening on their butt where feces, urine, and eggs all come out. Some water turtles, according to this Google book, have a specialized cloaca that they rely on for oxygen when they're under water. While most turtles do not rely heavily on this kind of "butt breathing," one kind of turtle — the Fitzroy River turtle — gets almost two-thirds of its oxygen this way. (From Reddit user panamared78)

turtle3. Crows are pranksters — they have been observed actually playing tricks on each other. A study published in the journal Science by University of Oxford Professor Alex Kacelnik tells us that crows are smart and can even make tools. Long-time bird watcher and nature writer Candace Savage has observed that these birds are so intelligent they can play pranks on each other. She describes her observations in this summary of her book"Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys" (Greystone Books, 2005). (From Reddit user buttons_aren't_toys)

crow4. Honey Bees can communicate through dance. University of Munich Professor Karl von Frisch explains how honey bees talk through dancing. Worker bees rely on their "waggle" dance to tell other bees where the best pollen is. (From Reddit user Jackthastripper)

bee5. Every cow has a best friend and they hang out every day. Researcher Krista McLennan made this discovery when she observed that pairs of cows within a herd became stressed when they were separated. Being separated from their best pal can impact a cow's heart rate and may even affect how much milk they produce. (From Reddit user KHDTX13)

cow6. Most penguins only have one mate for life. In some species the male penguin even "proposes" by giving the female penguin a pebble. (From Reddit user BabyBlackout19)

penguins7. A group of pugs is called a grumble. Some other great names for groups of animals include a parliament of owls, a prickle of porcupines, and a troubling of goldfish. (From Reddit user MaNamIsKahlfin).

pugs8. Otters have a pocket in their skin to keep their favorite rock in. Otters have to use rocks to crack open the hard shells of mollusks they eat. Some otters keep the same rock their entire lives and store it in this skin flap. (From Reddit user Izzuriaren)

Otter9. Cats will headbutt you to show their affection. Just to remind you that they love you, cats will often gently headbutt your leg, or whatever body part they can reach. This behavior may even be a type of Territorial marking— your cat wants everyone else to know you're taken. (From Reddit user bansheelust)

cat headbutt10. Dolphins sometimes try to rescue people who are drowning. There are several reports of dolphins guiding humans to the surface or alerting other humans to a distressed swimmer. Dolphins have even been known to protect swimmers and surfers from shark attacks. Professor Lori Marino, a zoologist at Emory University, says this behavior is probably linked to the fact that dolphins are one of the most intelligent animals on Earth. (From Reddit user CleanBill)

dolphin11. Squirrels will adopt other squirrels babies if they are abandoned. Nature doesn't always follow the ruthless "survival of the fittest" code. Scientists have observed squirrels caring for abandoned young. However, adult squirrels are much more likely to do this if the abandoned baby squirrels are closely related to them. (From Reddit user Ragdoll_Proletariat)

squirrel

SEE ALSO: 25 Things That Make You Happier

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Amazing American Civil War Photos Turned Into Glorious Color

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Color photography may not have been widely used until the 1930s but that hasn’t stopped an active group of Redditors from looking to change the past. On the Colorized History Subreddit, Redditors use photo manipulation to add color to historical black and white images. 

Two of the most prolific users, Mads Dahl Madsen and Jordan J. Lloyd (who has since started Dynachrome, a digital image restoration agency), have done United States history a favor by taking a large amount of the Civil War photographs available at the Library of Congress and turning them into realistic and beautiful looking color. 

As photography was not invented until the 1820s, the Civil War was one of the first wars to be photographed. Famous photographers such as Mathew Brady and his apprentice Alexander Gardner made it their duty to capture the country’s tragic war for posterity, with a variety of portraits of officers and soldiers and scenes of daily life and the aftermath of battles. At the time, cameras were not able to accurately capture motion so there are few, if any, photos of actual battles in action.  

This photo depicts President Ulysses S. Grant (pictured in the center, at the time, a Lieutenant General), his friend Brigadier General John Rawlins (left) and an unknown Lieutenant Colonel in 1865.

Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and his personal friend, Brigadier General John Rawlins, and an unknown Lieutenant Colonel, at Grants headquarters at City Point, 1865

Union Captain Cunningham poses next to the command tent in Bealeton, Va., 1863. Cunningham was a member of Brigadier General Thomas F. Meagher's staff, who commanded a primarily Irish contingent during the Civil War.

civil_war_union_captain_cunningham

This photo by Mathew Brady, the most famous Civil War photographer, portrays three Confederate prisoners at Gettysburg, Pa. in 1863.

civil_war_confederate_prisonersThis photo by Alexander Gardner, originally Brady's apprentice, depicts Union Colonel James H. Childs (middle, standing) and several other officers at Westover Landing, Va. in 1862. Childs was later killed at the Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American history. 22,717 soldiers were either killed, injured, or missing in action.

Union officers of the 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry reclining at Westover Landing in August of 1862

This is Major General Ambrose Burnside, the commander of the Union army of the Potomac. He is best known for leading the army to a crushing defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg and for his distinctive facial hair, which later became known as the, you guessed it, sideburn.General Ambrose Burnside

This photograph by Andrew Gardner, originally Brady's apprentice, depicts the staff of Brigadier General Andrew Porter in 1862. George Custer (of the Battle of Little Bighorn fame) is shown reclining next to a dog on the right.

The staff of Andrew Porter with George A. Custer reclining next to a dog, 1862

This is a portrait of General William Tecumseh Sherman in civilian clothes. During Sherman's famous "March to the Sea," the Union army destroyed nearly everything in its path, both military and civilian, on its way to Savannah, Ga. 

William Tecumseh Sherman, the first 'Modern General', seen in civil clothes

Confederate General Robert E. Lee at his home in Richmond, VA less than a week after surrendering. Robert E. Lee At Arlington

SEE ALSO: These Gorgeous Color Photos Show What China Looked Like On The Eve Of Communism

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14 'All-American' Foods That Foreigners Find Completely Gross

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The U.S. has a bad reputation abroad when it comes to what Americans like to eat.

From State Fair monstrosities like "fried pickles with chocolate sauce" to fattening fast food, we're viewed as gluttons who can't get enough fat, sugar, and salt.

But it's not all deep fried butter and Papa John's garlic sauce that disgusts our foreign friends. A new AskReddit thread (which we first discovered on Thought Catalog) asked non-American Reddit users which American foods they considered gross or weird, and some of the responses were kitchen staples that many Americans would consider normal.

Check out some of the top Reddit responses below.

1. Velveeta Cheese

"I know a lot of folks have already mentioned American cheese, but Velveeta is right up there with Cheeze Whiz on the list of fake 'foods.'" - TheMadBotanist

Velveeta Cheese unwrapped2. Hershey's Chocolate

"U.S. chocolate or candy is pretty unpleasant to me. Hershey bars have this dusty texture (like 5 weeks after Easter when you come across an uneaten egg) and the taste isn't very rich. Cadbury Dairy Milk used to be awesome, but Kraft bought Cadbury a couple years ago and the recipe seems to be gradually changing." - Protonbeamface

Hershey's chocolate

3. Red Vines

"I tried Red Vines, expecting them to be red ropes of glory. They taste like soap." - CthulhusWhore

red vines liquorice4. Supermarket Bread

"I still can't stomach the standard supermarket bread here. It's so sweet. Same goes for average burger or hot dog buns." - tigersmadeofpaper

wonder bread5. Casseroles

"Casseroles made with "cream of" anything soup. Green bean casserole, tuna casserole, mushroom casserole. I know what those Campbells soups are like, we get them over here, and the idea of using them as a constituent ingredient in a main meal makes me shudder just from the idea of the sodium bomb. Especially those casseroles that are suggested to be topped with crushed chips." - InquisitorVawn

green bean casserole with mushroom soup6. Root Beer Floats

"My old college friend from Austria thought root beer floats were disgusting." - pokeySoakins

Root beer float7. Twizzlers

"Twizzlers are so weird. They don't even taste like red liquorice. They taste like cardboard. I was so disappointed when I finally tried them." - movealittlecloser

twizzlers 8. Pop Tarts

"A friend of ours sent over some Pop Tarts. They were revolting. People actually eat them for breakfast?? I couldn't even stomach two bites." - homovore

Pop Tarts Frosted Strawberry9. Snow Cones

"Ice with syrup passes for food?" - nanlayo

Obama snow cone10. Beef Jerky

"Tried this stuff a few months ago. It tasted like plastic and had the texture of worn shoe sole. Impressive how they took a bit of cow and made it entirely inedible." - stw1313

beef jerkey11. Corn Dogs

"I had one bite of one when I was in Florida and couldn't eat any more. I will never understand why people think they taste good." - Biwton

corn dogs state fair american food12. Biscuits and Gravy

"I have American cousins. Took me out for breakfast one morning and made me try biscuits and gravy. That gravy is disgusting! The waitress told me that its just lard mixed with flour salt and pepper. Who can eat that in the morning?" - ilovenewtons

Biscuits and gravy13. American Bacon

"American bacon looks weird to me, it's too thin and every time I see a picture of bacon that someone who lives in America has made they've always cremated it. Juicy bacon is far better!" - RtardDAN

"It's thin, streaky, and tough. It's the one food I miss from the U.K." - bloodyhellalex

bacon sandwich14. Meatloaf

"Why would I want a loaf of meat? Granted I haven't had it, but it looks gross." - BoChiggedyBoDiddley

meatloaf

DON'T MISS: What It's Like To Eat A $445-Per-Person, 5-Hour Dinner At The French Laundry In Napa Valley

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The Best Lines From A Reddit AMA With The Most Mysterious Star Of 'Top Gear'

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top gear stig

Between 2003 and 2010, professional driver Ben Collins had a starring, but secret, role on the BBC's "Top Gear."

Collins played "The Stig," clad in a white suit and helmet at all times, and responsible for testing supercars on the track and instructing guest stars on how to improve their times.

On Monday, Collins did an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, fielding questions on his favorite cars, why he was so impressed by Tom Cruise, and how he kept his identity a secret for so long.

Here are the best answers he gave:

How long did you get to drive each supercar?

"the tyres can;t take more than 5 / 6 laps on the supercars and we rarely had spares so it was a 25 minute blind date."

Best Top Gear experience?

"the best thing i did was coach Billy Baxter - the blind driver - he managed to beat 5 sighted drivers and drive the lap100% himself with me shouting expletives and directions as fast as i could. I could have kissed him, had he not been sweating quite as much from the effort. Billy was epic"

Why did you quit?

"Great job but i decided to leave because after 8 years the game was up in terms of keeping it secret. The BBC had leaked my name to the Radio Times and the tabloids ran various stories, so i handed in my notice. I wanted to go full time racing again anyway so it was a new lease of life, but it didn't work out well for the cardboard cut-outs of STIG..!"

What was your favorite Top Gear car?

"Ferrari 458"

How did you become the Stig?

"I got the job by writing to the boss, meeting him and then driving a car - quickly. Quite traditional. I beat the Old Stig's lap times and got hired - SWEET! "

Who was your favorite guest for the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment?

"Tom Cruise was amazing, he pushed himself to get a fast time and he was incredibly down to earth."

How did you keep your identity secret for so many years?

"i got myself a BBC ID card with a fake name "Richard Jameson" cleverly made of the 3 presenters names - so that i could book hotels and get up to mischief without getting caught. Used to wear a balaclava everywhere to hide my face anywhere near a Top Gear shoot and generally be as sneaky as possible"

Are there any cars you haven't driven you hope to try out?

"The new McLaren - and the Ferrari P4!"

DEBUNKED: 15 Car Myths People Still Believe

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Incredibly Cool GIF Shows Unemployment By State From 2006 To Today

Reddit Founder Alexis Ohanian Describes The Plan To Make Reddit Profitable

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Alexis Ohanian

We recently noted that despite having 70 million monthly readers, Reddit isn't profitable. Basically, expenses are still running ahead of revenues but by the end of the year Reddit hopes to get into the black, with much of the money coming from advertising.

But Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian said recently that Reddit will become profitable through its "Reddit Gold" subscription service, not through its "self-serve" advertising program (which allows advertisers to plug their own ads into Reddit):

“Self-serve is doing very well, but Reddit Gold is a way to monetize those millions upon millions of users that is not at odds with their experience,” said Ohanian, who sits on Reddit’s board. “It is actually something that works with the user base and not against them.”

Reddit Gold subs cost $3.99 per month or $29.99 for the year. It gives you an ad-free Reddit, some commenting highlight powers and early access to new Reddit test products.

SEE ALSO: Reddit CEO Admits 'We're Still In The Red'

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