This is the summer of the firenado

Andrea James 9:00 am Sun Aug 12, 2018

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue captured this firenado footage in Derbyshire at a plastics factory fire. Via The Guardian

Firefighters captured spectacular footage of an unusual occurrence while tackling a plastic pallet blaze at the Ravensbourn plastics factory in Woodville, near Swadlincote. Fire tornadoes – also known as fire whirls – happen when cool air combines with hot air above to create a swirling effect.

The California wildfires have been creating firenadoes on a massive scale, with strengths similar to EF-3 tornadoes:

Here's a good explainer of the phenomenon:

• 'Firenado' spotted in Derbyshire by firefighters (YouTube / Guardian News)

U.S. is investigating claims that TikTok violated children's privacy

The FTC and the Justice Department are investigating claims that TikTok, the popular social media app with close ties to China, violated a 2019 agreement to protect children's privacy. READ THE REST
Online course shows young artists how to make portraits in Kehinde Wiley's style

The pandemic has inspired a slew of great courses for young artists, like this Bite-Sized Art History course that teaches about President Obama's official portraitist Kehinde Wiley and shows young… READ THE REST
Unbelievably talented 5-year-old drummer wows band with a solo

The band had to stop and let him flex 😄🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/aBRub7ThzP — E-zrael Ani (@EzraelAni) June 14, 2020 This kid is incredible. READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST