Senior photos often allow students to show off a bit of their personality, but instead of going the traditional route with a band instrument or sports jersey, one Nebraska teenager is using her photoshoot as an opportunity to honor her late father.

Aurora High School senior Julia Yllescas’s father died in 2008 due to injuries sustained from an IED during a combat tour in Afghanistan, and as his daughter’s senior photos approached, she found herself wishing her dad could be included.

So, Julia collaborated with her photographer to create something they’re calling “angel pictures,” and the results are truly something special.

“Why it has hit my heart so hard is that I almost felt when I saw those pictures that he truly was there,” said Yllescas.

The photos she received feature her interacting with a faint shadow of her father in uniform.

Army Captain Robert Yllescas was flown to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland after sustaining injuries overseas, but succumbed to those injuries a month later. He’s now buried in Osceola, Nebraska.

“I was teary-eyed when I was editing them,” said photographer, Susanne Beckmann of Snapshots by Suz. “All I could think in my head is I don’t ever want to have to do this for my own kids,”

Beckmann herself is an active-duty military wife, so the thought of giving someone a gift like this was a true honor. She was eager to provide an exceptional product that Yllescas will be able to cherish forever.

“Just to have that on my wall and be like, no, he is with me, even though I can’t physically see him,” said Yllescas.

Everyone knows the thermostat is a dad’s domain, however, a recent government report went ahead and trampled all over our authority and published the “ideal thermostat temperature” without even asking!

Energy Star, a program of the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy, suggests that Americans set their thermostats no lower than 78 degrees during the summer. Additionally, folks should set the temperature to 85 degrees when they aren’t home, and 82 degrees when they’re sleeping.

Jennifer Titus, a reporter for 10 News WTSP in Florida, tweeted out the report, and as you might imagine, there were some hot takes.

How cool do you keep your house?

New report our shows these as the recommended temps for energy efficiency:

• 78° F when you’re home
• 85° F when you’re at work or away
• 82° F when you’re sleeping pic.twitter.com/iNOSaqX35c

— Jennifer Titus (@jenntitus10) August 19, 2019

Many had a hard time imagining living in the sweatbox this report suggests:

Whoa… if hell is only 82F that changes every –

No. 82F is too hot.

— Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) August 19, 2019

5 billion. jesus this is awful.

— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) August 19, 2019

me sleeping in 82 degrees: pic.twitter.com/SKUTDcMwjY

— Caleb Hull (@CalebJHull) August 19, 2019

Others suggested dads themselves were somehow to blame for the scorching hot, yet highly economical findings:

Did dads write this report? https://t.co/WaISC3WjMl

— Lyz Lenz (@lyzl) August 19, 2019

This is literally my parents’ house and all of us kids at Christmas take turns creeping up to the thermostat in the middle of the night and turning it down, then my mom gets up and turns it back to 82

— Amber Sparks (@ambernoelle) August 20, 2019

are we all related???

— Mike Ferguson (@Mik3Ferguson) August 19, 2019

Of course, plenty of dads chimed into the discourse as well, providing their objections along with plenty of thermostat suggestions of their own. #notalldads

“hot sleeper” dad here. The night I sleep in an 82 degree room is the night I drown in a pool of my own sweat.

— Nick Black (@nicholasrblack) August 19, 2019

Not this dad #72maximumtosleep

— Dan Saltzstein (@dansaltzstein) August 19, 2019

Not this dad. Those temperatures are “I’m Trying To Start A Riot In This House” hot. Maybe those are for “maximum efficiency” of the HVAC system, but for “maximum sanity” of the family, they need to be around 72/75/68.

— Philip Martin (@PhilipMartin) August 19, 2019

I love the #notalldads discourse. It’s the only time I welcome it

— Lyz Lenz (@lyzl) August 19, 2019

So despite a few heated exchanges about the report, the overall consensus is that these temperatures are…

What’s your take on Energy Star’s thermostat findings? Are you willing to sweat it out for a few measly dollars?

If so, you might also be interested in similar accommodations, like sleeping on hot asphalt… or perhaps the sun.

Every gamer worth his salt has daydreamed about what it would be like to cruise around Rainbow Road and fling turtle shells in first-person, and now it’s finally a (virtual) reality.

Mario Kart VR has already been making waves in Japan and London, but it’s finally made its way to the States and people are losing their damn minds over it. The immersive driving sim finally throws drivers into a physical vehicle complete with pedals and a steering wheel and lets them duke it out for ultimate bragging rights.

Featured in Bandai Namco’s “VR Zone Portal,” this traveling attraction isn’t quite as large as the VR Zone in Tokyo or Osaka, but it’s still enough to get our engines revving.

Drivers don HTC Vive headsets and play an entire race in first-person as either Mario, Luigi, Peach, or Toad, physically snatching items out of the sky battling it out for first place.

Plus, if you want even more immersive VR experiences when you’re done, the VR Portal also features Argyle Shift and Ski Rodeo—a first-person mech game and skiing simulator respectively. All three games are available to play on a first-come-first-served basis but expect longer lines for Nintendo’s flagship racer.

The game center was initially offered in Washington DC’s Union Station but has since made its way to Orange County, Southern California at the “VR Zone Portal” Irvine, located at the K1 Speed entertainment center.

No word yet regarding where the VR Tour is headed next, but we’d recommend putting in some practice laps at home just in case it’s within driving distance. Just make sure you abide by traffic laws until you get there.

I wonder if Mario Kart VR will have the same positive effects on a marriage that the other Mario titles do?

Paul Walker’s life ended tragically and unexpectedly almost 6 years ago, but the Fast and the Furious star’s memory continues to live on through his friends and family.

Walker’s 20-year-old daughter, Meadow, clearly had her dear dad on her mind last weekend when she posted a candid shot of him swimming around with an unusually aquatic pig.

“Thinking of you xx,” she captioned the shot.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

thinking of you xx

A post shared by Meadow Walker (@meadowwalker) on Aug 17, 2019 at 9:59am PDT

The post prompted many of Walker’s co-stars and friends to chime in, too.

Fellow Fast & Furious actor, Tyrese Gibson, commented, “Animal and Ocean lover!!! Never seen this pic! So cool!”

“I love this picture,” wrote Jordana Brewster along with a heart emoji.

The Paul Walker Foundation, a group founded by Meadow herself in 2015, dropped a couple of heart emojis under the photo, too. The charity aims to empower future generations by protecting the oceans and wildlife and providing grants and scholarships to marine science students and researchers.

“Growing up in Hawaii I developed a strong connection with the ocean,” said Meadow, as quoted on the Foundation’s website. “My father loved the ocean and was always teaching me new things. I want this foundation to do many good things including help others who share my father’s passion.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Reflecting on my father, I found myself reflecting on his passions. His passion for the ocean, his passion for rescuing animals, his passion for helping people and his passion for spontaneous goodwill. I wanted to start this foundation because I want to share that piece of him with the world. I want to share that part of him with others. I am tremendously proud to be launching The #PaulWalkerFoundation (@paulwalkerfdn) on his birthday. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my father. #DoGood

A post shared by Meadow Walker (@meadowwalker) on Sep 12, 2015 at 9:00am PDT

While clearly a Hollywood superstar, Walker was known by many for his outreach efforts and spontaneous acts of goodwill.

In a 2018 interview with People Magazine, Walker’s mother, Cheryl Walker, revealed that she had spoken with her son mere moments before his deadly car accident.

“We were having this good conversation, and he’d forgotten about an event he had,” said Cheryl. “He got a text and said, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m supposed to be somewhere!’”

Even though he never made it to the event—a charity car show for his Reach Out WorldWide initiative, which dispatches first responders to help with relief efforts after natural disasters—Walker’s beautiful legacy continues to unfold thanks to those who loved him most.

In the early days of video gaming, rumors about hidden secrets and glitches were rampant. Seemingly every day, some kid on the playground would tout his knowledge about how to attain the rarest of items or beat a certain difficult boss in one hit. Of course, since the introduction of the internet, current rumors can quickly be debunked with a couple of taps on a smartphone.

But there was something special about these alternative game facts. They caused us to question the scope and possibilities a single game could provide, making these simple virtual worlds seem more complex, vibrant, and mysterious.

Thanks to @HashtagRoundup, folks over on Twitter have been reminiscing about this golden era with the hashtag #FakeNintendoFacts and while some of them are just plain ridiculous, others have the exact same flavor of the rumors we heard on the playground. Would you have fallen for any of these?

#FakeNintendoFacts is this week’s @HashFakeFacts hosted by @Josh_ill_us @KerinaTed @LukeWheeler01 @SadlyCatless @craigflynn1 pic.twitter.com/goYLzlK1qO

— Hashtag Roundup (@HashtagRoundup) July 28, 2019

In North America, Nintendo originally changed the color of the SNES buttons from colorful to purple because too many kids thought they were M&Ms and were eating them.#FakeNintendoFacts pic.twitter.com/zcDNeXhttC

— sackchief (@sackchief) July 28, 2019

#FakeNintendoFacts

Early Nintendo cartridges contained a working pan flute inside of them, starting the trend of people blowing into them. pic.twitter.com/eW9kLpQI9c

— Momaw Nadon (@swhammerhead) July 28, 2019

If you speed run Super Mario 64 correctly it perfectly syncs up with The Wizard of Oz. #FakeNintendoFacts

— ThatOneVideoGamer (@TOVG) July 28, 2019

#FakeNintendoFacts The Legend of Zelda wasn’t actually a legend, it was a tale pic.twitter.com/7hQfLNfxbS

— Zelda Gif World (@GifZelda) July 28, 2019

Hank Hill was supposed to be DLC in Smash 4, but was later cut #FakeNintendoFacts pic.twitter.com/KPoXIUpLFQ

— ⚡️SupaNovaX⚡️ (@SupaNovaX_SSB) July 28, 2019

#FakeNintendoFacts Homer Simpson was planned to be Smash 4 DLC but was scrapped due to technical difficulties on the 3DS. pic.twitter.com/nVVcL6fra9

— Arjanator (@The_Arjanator) July 28, 2019

#FakeNintendoFacts You can actually play as Sailor Moon in Super Mario World by beating the game without moving. pic.twitter.com/OnE78vsIgM

— Angel_Arle (@angel_arle) July 28, 2019

Take a look at the entire collection of tweets by clicking #FakeNintendoFacts.

As kids get older, sporting events seem to get more and more intense. With such fierce competition driving passions higher and higher, sportsmanship can often be the first casualty. Fortunately, this isn’t’ always the case though, as two high school baseball players in Minnesota exemplified after the climax of their game.

Not exactly a nail-biter, Mounds View led Totino-Grace, 17-10, in a matchup that would decide who would participate in the upcoming state championship. With two outs, Totino-Grace’s Jack Kocon walked to the plate hoping to make something happen in his team’s final moments.

Here are a couple of different views of the play:

A little different angle of the at bat… pic.twitter.com/d9G4MWGhqa

— Jim Moberg (@b757fo_jim) June 11, 2018

With a pitch-perfect outside corner fastball, Koehn knocked out both Kocon and his team from contention. Hearing the call, Kocon began a defeated walk back to the dugout when Koehn whizzed passed his celebrating catcher to embrace his opponent and friend.

It’s something you don’t see every day, but Koehn and Kocon have a history when it comes to baseball. Apparently, the two grew up playing together in the Shoreview Area Baseball League and have maintained a close relationship ever since.

“I knew the game was going to keep going or it was going to end right there,” Koehn told sports website ‘Bring Me The News’. “I knew I had to say something. Our friendship is more important than just the silly outcome of a game. I had to make sure he knew that before we celebrated. It was more instinct, it just felt right.”

These boys perfectly exemplified what parents and coaches talk about when they emphasize sportsmanship, and even though one of their seasons ended that night, just about everyone is clamoring for more of what they both showed on that field.

As you might have noticed, a ‘dad sneakers’ trend has been going around recently. Now, whether or not you’ve been living it up in the limelight with your chunky soles and wicked arch support, you should know that another trend is apparently right around the corner and ready to one-up all of our dad kicks: Grandpa shoes.

Tapping into the more senior patriarchal style, a bunch of fashionistas are excited to show off this new buky, velcro-laden style by Hush Puppies.

Sure to inspire many an early morning jaunt around the mall, the appropriately named “Gus” and “Gil” Power Walkers are ramping up in popularity and are apparently good for more than just a jaunt to Monday’s regularly scheduled Bingo Night. They are specifically designed for a long day of commuting and being on one’s feet (however old those feet may be).

Wrapped in comfortable full-grain leather, these bad boys have actually been available since 1999, but are only now gaining popularity with young folks after Hush Puppies recently introduced a line of limited-edition colors—surf blue, seafoam, or the deliciously pink shade, shrimp.

They’ll even put a little spring in your step due to the brand’s “Bounce” technology nestled in the shoe’s footbed.

You will still have to decide between the traditional lace-up version or going full-geriatric with the velcro straps though, but that’s more of a personal decision.

“While I didn’t opt for the pair with Velcro straps and went for the traditional laces instead, looking back I think I would have loved the Velcro,” Madison Alcedo wrote in her review for Yahoo. “Yes, they really do look like the shoes that only your grandma or grandpa could pull off, but I’m totally here for the straps’ convenience and ease of slipping on and off.

If you’re down to rock a pair of comfy-as-hell grandparent kicks, it’ll run you back a cool $100. Just don’t forget to pick up a tasteful cardigan to match.

Ever since the launch of the toys in the 70s, it’s been pretty clear that the Star Wars brand is worth more than the movies themselves. Accumulating a whopping $32 BILLION in revenue since its inception, the sci-fi memorabilia has clearly held a soft spot in our hearts for decades, but it’s just now being introduced into a new industry: high-end furniture.

Tapping the skills of famous Filipino designer Kenneth Cobonpue, Disney and Lucasfilm are targeting design-minded Star Wars fans with deep pockets. Known primarily for his intricate, hand-woven designs, Cobonpue was tasked to create a line of pieces that reflect his traditional approach as well as the futuristic elements akin to the Star Wars universe.

“I was incredibly excited by the project, but also a bit daunted by the prospect of pushback if the furniture wasn’t a literal translation,” said Cobonpue. ” I wasn’t sure how to marry my design philosophy and language with that of the Star Wars franchise, but I decided to view it simply as a design challenge… I knew I needed to incorporate the various shapes and motifs from the world of Star Wars sufficiently enough to make them recognizable but to also stop short of being too literal. Finding that balance proved to be the project’s biggest challenge for me.”

And Cobonpue has walked that fine line beautifully; many of the Star Wars pieces would fit right in with many of his personal designs. In fact, pieces like his Tie Fighter chair require viewing from a pretty specific angle to really interpret it as a spaceship.

Don’t expect to see the new furniture line at Target or anything either—the pieces range from $655 all the way up to a steep $4,320. Hopefully, the Force is strong with your bank account.

While online ordering in North America isn’t available just yet, you can expect to see pieces becoming available in showrooms across New York, L.A., D.C., Chicago, and more very soon.

Are your kids getting to that age when they’re about to set off on their own in the big, bad world? Are you worried about how they’ll navigate the twists and turns of life without their Dad’s paternal presence? Well, now you don’t have to!

Brought to you by CBC Comedy, it’s Dad Sounds, Vol. 1—the indispensable album featuring all of dad’s iconic sounds!

Debuting this year for Father’s Day, Dad Sounds features the voice acting prowess of Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and highlights several ‘dad hits,’ including “Dad Sneezes So Hard He Has to Get Up to Grab a Kleenex” and “Dad Being Too Loud with the Kitchen Drawers for Some Reason.”

And, of course, the collection wouldn’t be complete without a long list of dad wisdoms, dad jokes, and even a special bonus track of dad finally admitting, “You did a good job.”

With an album like this, there’s virtually no reason why anyone should be without the sweet, sultry sounds of a dad.

If you’ve been anywhere near the internet in the past week, you’ve probably seen the video of the incredible salmon cannon floating around.

The company behind the high-powered fish launcher, Whoosh, says that the system was built to “shoot” salmon over the giant hydroelectric dams that block their natural migratory paths. The flexible, pressurized tube creates a seal around the fish and propels them through a virtually frictionless slide at a whopping 25 feet per second.

It’s as amazing as it is hilarious.

This system helps native fish pass over dams in seconds rather than day pic.twitter.com/aAmhHArjPg

— Dr. Kash Sirinanda (@kashthefuturist) August 8, 2019

And because the internet is the internet, someone decided to match the cartoonish nature of the fish cannon with some actual appropriate sound effects.

The results are swimmingly good.

Fixed the audio for you. pic.twitter.com/YvvTm9WEcb

— Tuft e. Cake (@Tuftecake) August 11, 2019

The genius editing work by @Tuftecake has provided the world with the mashup we didn’t even know we needed—fish cannons and Super Mario 64.

Plus, when you think about it, the music and sound effects were created for a guy who uses tubes as his main form of transportation anyways.

Perfection.

Traditional Disney characters are known for their colorful wardrobes, pitch-perfect singing voices, and making friends with various woodland creatures, but the most recently announced female protagonist by Disney, Shelley Marie, is a far cry from the usual trope—an anti-princess, if you will.

Named for Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, Shelley Marie isn’t exactly a hero, but rather a spunky teenager who borrows elements from famous anti-heroes found in films like “Beetlejuice” and “the Addams Family.”

Not quite evil, but definitely a fangirl for the abilities of baddies like Maleficent, Shelley makes her Disney debut as part of Disney California Adventure’s new after-hours Halloween Party: “Oogie Boogie Bash.”

Shelley is a creation of Eric Goldburg, whose credits include Hercules, Moana, and most notably Robin Williams’ Genie from Aladdin, and despite the new character’s dark appearance, she commands a bright and friendly demeanor that fits right in with other Disney stars.

“She has the vulnerabilities of a little girl, but she’s got this side to her,” Goldberg told the L.A. Times. “She’s an adorable character but can’t help herself from acting out. Shelley is like that. She doesn’t do anything wantonly evil, but she has this thing pulsing in her DNA.”

The charmingly dark teenager will make her debut at Disneyland’s Halloween-inspired water and light show “Villainous!” The story is focused on her search for the perfect Halloween costume and will take riders on a journey through Disney’s historic past to visit a number of popular villains.

Don’t worry about scaring the kiddos, though. Shelley’s sassy adolescent nonverbals like eye rolls and shoulder shrugs quickly convey that there’s nothing to worry about from these traditional antagonists.

“Villainous!” will be open on select nights beginning September 17 through October 31 at Disney California Adventure as part of the theme park’s after-hours Disney Halloween Party. Tickets are bound to go quickly, so make sure you grab them fast… or you might have to find a more devious way to get in.

When Michael Gandolfini, son of Emmy winner James Gandolfini, was approached by Sopranos Executive Producer David Chase to play the role of a young Tony Soprano for the upcoming prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark, he had not seen a single episode of The Sopranos.

According to Esquire, the younger Gandolfini was in the middle of his first acting gig on HBO’s The Deuce when Chase contacted him about being a part of the upcoming project—just a few years after his dad died due to a heart attack.

“The funny thing is, before the audition, I had never watched a minute of The Sopranos…” he said.

“The hardest part of this whole process was watching the show for the first time. It was an intense process. Because, as an actor, I had to watch this guy who created the role, to look for mannerisms, voice, all those things I would have to echo. But then I’d also be seeing my father. I think what made it so hard was I had to do it alone. I was just sitting alone in my dark apartment, watching my dad all the time. I started having crazy dreams. I had one where I auditioned for David and I looked down at my hands, and they were my dad’s hands.”

Binging the series, there were a few moments that really hit home for Michael: The first being an evening when Meadow comes back into the house late at night and Tony says, “You know I love you, right?”

“That hit hard,” he admitted.

The second scene was after a fight between Soprano and his son A.J., when Tony looks at him and says, “I couldn’t ask for a better son.”

“I just knew he was talking to me in that scene.”

The Many Saints of Newark releases September 25, 2020, and we can’t wait to see Michael step into the big shoes his father left for him.

Looking for the ideal accessory to go with the blinding rage after being struck by a blue shell right before crossing the finish line in Mario Kart 64? Well, we’ve found the perfect thing.

Created by retro gaming YouTuber BitHead1000, this one of a kind N64 mod includes a custom-built metal shell, rotating 3D metal N64 logo, and—I can’t stress this enough—two fully functional flamethrowers.

He showed the entire build in a 22-minute time-lapse video, which includes plenty of amazing metal-work and the installation of tiny plastic tubes for spraying glorious lighter fluid.

Adding a custom button below the controller’s joystick, the player can ratchet up the heat at any moment during gameplay, launching a stream of flames roughly a meter into the air. It’s the perfect console for anyone who loves heavy metal or hates eyebrows.

Btw, these N64 inspired Nike shoes are a pretty hot commodity too.