Creepy baby costumes, haunted houses and more in this week’s Staff Picks

creepy baby costumes haunted houses weeks staff picks 10 25 13

Caleb Denison: The best and worst boss ever

I didn’t see anything cool this week because I was too busy working my stinking butt off. Actually, that’s not true. I saw a lot of cool stuff while tirelessly typing in the way of 4K demo reels on 4K TV’s, but I can’t show you that here because you don’t have a 4K TV yet. Don’t be sad. If it’s one thing I learned by watching all those 4K TV’s, it’s that they just aren’t worth it yet. Maybe next year, right?

That being the case, here’s a video of Ellen DeGeneres scaring the piss out of her staff members by sending them to a haunted house and recording it for everyone to see. Talk about cheap thrills. Man, Ellen is smart. And funny.

Molly McHugh: Math is hard

I totally identify with this kid telling his dad he finally passed math (maths if you’re British).

I distinctly remember some very long, horrible nights in middle school consumed by math homework. Here’s a surprise: I fit every demographic for someone who’s bad at math. I’m white, I’m a girl, and I’m a writer (what’s up, right-side brainers!). Not that any of the stereotypes are true, but I guess I knew a lot of racists/jerks because at the tender age of 12, I definitely started believing them.

While it was my mother who controlled the household budget (as well as … the entire state of Oregon’s – numbers genius, that lady), I was so viscerally angry at math that she pawned me off on my dad for help. And it was rough. I remember crying once, and telling him how any job that would make me memorize formulas and wouldn’t give me access to a calculator was nonexistent; in the future we would have instant access to the Internet and the ability to look that stuff up at any point.

So I was right about that … but I was still bad at math. But my dad stuck with me and forced me to sit at the kitchen counter and do my stupid homework every night, until I got an A in college algebra and was coerced into taking honors physics.

This kid and the reaction his dad has are priceless and make me wish I’d filmed our nightly homework sessions.

Bill Roberson: Stealing the show

I don’t play an instrument and I was never in marching band, and truthfully, I usually head for the bar/tailgater/snack bar at the stadium when the marching band comes out to play. But when I have stuck around for the halftime show, I also think some of the formations and choreography pulled off by marching bands is pretty impressive. However, this Michael Jackson bit by the Ohio State marching band has got to be one of the most amazing and enjoyable feats of marching band prowess I have ever seen. Combining bits from the Smooth Criminal video and Michael’s famous “moonwalk”, the crowd rightly gasps and applauds this amazing bit of musical footwork. Totally worth 90 seconds of your life, and the glove prop adds just the right touch of hilarity.

Andrew Couts: Every man needs this GIF

I’m on the fence about GIFs – and not just because the “jif” pronunciation makes no sense. (“GIF” is just “gift” without the “t.”) But every so often, I come across one that just rocks. And the best of these so far is, hands down, this comprehensive GIF that explains exactly how a car engine works. Created by designer Jacob O’Neal, this nifty infographic takes you from the intake valves to the exhaust using helpful moving images and clearly written details about what every part in your car engine does. It even explains the magic of a hybrid powertrain. I’ll take this over a reaction GIF any day.

Konrad Krawczyk: A baby Halloween costume that’s actually scary

This video will either make you go into cute overload or disturb you.

Someone apparently made a Halloween costume for their toddler that makes them look like a cross between a real-life stick figure and the classic video game character Mr. Game & Watch. The result strikes an unsettling balance between cute and creepy.

In the 22-second YouTube clip, which seems to be set outdoors at night, the kid looks as if they’re walking from around a corner into a dark alley, which is where the cameraman is located. The kid, resembling an electric eel personified, shrieks and begins to run towards the cameraman. If this were a viral video for some horror movie, I wouldn’t be surprised.

Now, some viewers are apparently asking the creator if they can buy the costume for themselves. On top of that, it looks like they’ll eventually accept orders not just for toddler-sized LED light costumes, but for all sizes. Even adults! Click here if you want a chance at getting your own LED Halloween costume, which could arrive in time for New Year’s Eve.

I don’t know what I’d do if I started seeing shimmering, walking stick figures rampaging through New York City at night.

Football and double-stuffed Oreos… keep me strong.

Ryan Fleming: 50 years of Doctor Who

This November marks the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who. If you are a fan, you already know that. In fact, if you are a fan, you probably also know about the upcoming BBC biopic about how the show first made it to air, called Adventures in Time and Space. And if so, then you definitely know about the anniversary episode titled The Day of the Doctor, a 75-minute episode starring the 11th Doctor Matt Smith, the 10th Doctor David Tennant, and John Hurt as… well, somebody Doctor-ish (his exact nature is part of the surprise).

That episode will air on Saturday November 23, and there will be special screenings in 3D in select theaters around the country. Tickets went on sale for most location on Friday, October 25, so pre-order your jelly babies now.

But you probably already knew all that. So have the newest trailer, and drool.

Editors' Recommendations