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Pop Culture

Man has taken a selfie every day for 15 years. His transformation is fascinating to watch.

Watch Jordan Wilson go from age 13 to 28 in less than five minutes.

selfies, timelapse video, aging

Jordan Wilson started taking a daily selfie when he was 13.

On Christmas Day in 2007, when he was just 13-years-old, Jordan Wilson hung up a purple sheet of fabric and took a photo of himself in front of it with his digital camera.

He's done the exact same thing every day since.

When he goes on vacation, he takes the purple curtain with him so he doesn't miss a day. He used the same digital camera from 2007 to 2020, when light flares started showing at the bottom of his photos indicating that the camera was on its last legs. He tracked down the exact same model of camera from 2007 to replace it and kept going.


Now he has a timelapse of his face every day of his life for 15 years, with the same backdrop from the same distance and angle, and watching it play out is truly fascinating.

Most of us find it interesting to see photos of ourselves from when we were younger and notice how we've changed, but imagine what it would be like to watch yourself grow and change daily through your entire adolescence and early adulthood.

The foresight it would take to do that at age 13 is remarkable, as is the dedication to taking a daily selfie no matter what. Wilson shared his timelapse video on YouTube this week and has been responding to people's questions about his process on Reddit.

Watch him go from a chubby-cheeked young teen to a balding, bearded young man in less than five minutes:

Wilson shared that he used the free video editing software DaVinci Resolve to create the video. "It has a timelapse stabilisation option built into it, and that's what it's in the video," he wrote.

He also shared that there are actually two different curtains in the video because he made a second backdrop when he started splitting his time between two different cities about 10 years into the project so he wouldn't have to always transport the one back and forth.

It's pretty brave to put something like this out on the internet, where you know people will comment on everything from your hair to your weight to your teen acne. But it's also a mesmerizing creation that allows us to see time passing in a way we don't normally get to. One can't help but wonder what he was personally experiencing through all of these daily photos—the ups and downs of the teen years, educational endeavors and jobs, relationships and family dynamics. And then to think about what was happening in the world during this time—the financial crisis of 2008, the Obama years, the political upheaval that followed, the COVID-19 pandemic and more. (If you watch carefully, there's even a little blip of a mask toward the end of the video).

Wilson has been sharing his timelapse videos every five years, and he wrote that he has no plans to stop now. So look for another of these videos to come around Christmas of 2027 to see how he changes as he heads into his 30s. Will he lose more hair? Start seeing some early grays and wrinkles? Time will tell, and thanks to a 13-year-old looking ahead in 2007, there's a good chance we'll get to see what it says in another five years.

Thanks for the cool trip through time, Jordan Wilson!

Florida teacher Yolanda Turner engaged 8th grade students in a dance-off.

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Teachers deserve all the kudos, high fives, raises, accolades, prizes and thanks for everything they do. Even if they just stuck to academics alone, they'd be worth far more than they get, but so many teachers go above and beyond to teach the whole child, from balancing equations to building character qualities.

One way dedicated educators do that is by developing relationships and building rapport with their students. And one surefire way to build rapport is to dance with them.

A viral video shared by an assistant principal at Sumner High School & Academy in Riverview, Florida shows a group of students gathered around one student as he challenges a teacher to a dance-off.

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Pop Culture

Hear paralyzed musicians deliver a performance with only their brainwaves.

This string quartet makes beautiful music — with their minds.

Image created from Burst and Pixabay photos

Merging science and paralyzed musicians to make music.

This article originally appeared on 10.25.16


Imagine seeing a string quartet play beautiful music.

Strings are pretty much my favorite kind of instrument; it's hard for me to listen to a cello or violin and not feel something. And when you get four musicians all playing together? Beautiful.

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There's a big change at the 98th meridian.

Have you ever wondered why the eastern half of the United States is densely populated while everything west of Omaha, save for a few metro areas, is no man’s land?

Most people would assume that it’s because people first settled in the east and moved west. Or, they may believe it’s because of the vast desert that takes up most of the southwest. Those are some decent reasons, but it’s a much more complicated issue than you'd imagine.

A 20-minute video by RealLifeLore explains how topography and rainfall have created what appears to be a straight line down the middle of the country on the 98th meridian that dictates population density. Eighty percent of Americans live on the east side of the line and just twenty percent to the west.

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Image from Jill Pelto, used with permission.

Artist Jill Pelto says more than you think in her paintings.

This article originally appeared on 03.03.17


Jill Pelto's world is made up a rich blues, ochres, and a sky that looks like something out of an old mariner's chart.

But when you start to look closer, little details start to pop out. You notice a number here or there. Or a series of points marching down the top of a glacier. Or ... is that an x-axis?

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Health

Psychologist reveals 5 evidence-based tips for helping New Year's resolutions stick

Dr. Mark Jellicoe, a specialist in resilience and self-regulation, offers some wisdom for new year goal-setting.

Photo by Jenny Hill on Unsplash

New Year's resolutions are notoriously hard to keep.

Each New Year’s Eve, millions of us have the annual urge to change our ways, make a fresh start, form new habits or otherwise transform into a better version of ourselves.

The problem is many of us kick off the new year with all the good intentions, only to be derailed from our goals after a few weeks—or even a few days. It's disheartening to make New Year's resolutions each year and fail at keeping them, but creating new habits is a notoriously difficult thing for humans to do.

Is there a foolproof way to stick with a New Year's resolution? Probably not. But there are some science-backed ways to make it more likely that you'll stick with whatever you want to achieve.

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Health

Doctor's alcohol tip that 'could save your life' goes viral on TikTok

Something to keep in mind for holiday parties and beyond.

A doctor's take on drinking at parties

New Year’s Eve is often a night filled with celebratory shots and champagne toasts. But as the party night fast approaches, one doctor is gently reminding folks the importance of partying responsibly during the holidays. Really, it’s a piece of advice that’s important all year long.

Dr. Brian Hoeflinger, an Ohio based neurosurgeon with over two decades of experience, has a TikTok channel filled with educational videos and lifestyle tips. But it’s his latest clip explaining just how long it takes our bodies to break down alcohol that has gone viral.

In the video, which was shared on Christmas Day, Dr. Hoeflinger sets the scene of a party where “a lot of drinks are going down” by setting up a bunch of shot glasses filled with water.

“Say you’re having five drinks in the first hour,” he says, taking five fake, water-filled shots. “As you’re taking them, that alcohol is building up in your system fast. [It] goes to your brain within five minutes and starts to affect you."

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