Five Things You Had to See Online This Week

This week in “Thanks, Internet” — A moth’s big moment, the real Uncle Sam, This day in TRL, infographic violence, and Lorde’s “Royals” takes a ruralvictory lap.

This week in “Thanks, Internet” — A moth’s big moment, the real Uncle Sam, This day in TRL, infographic violence, and Lorde’s “Royals” takes a ruralvictory lap.

1. Summer Is Fleeting (And Flying)

Dennis Hlynsky shot a moth departing from a flowerat 1/6000 of a second at a frame rate of 1000 samples per second. The Rhode Island School of Design film professor’s video has clearly been manipulated several times over to capture an act that still feels startlingly real.

2.Uncle Sam IsBritish

This week the Beeb showed us that World War I inspired the iconic Uncle Sam army recruitment poster. The original, which was also copied by several other nations, depicted one Lord Kitchener — an English war minister with a very persuasive pointer finger.

3.Total Request Repeat

It’s easy to forget that TRLused to rule the music world. Before the internet took over, making it into the show’s Top Ten music video countdown could transform your album sales. Carson Dalywas sopowerful! This day in TRL is a sort of time machine run by music video director Isaac Rentz, who grew up on the big budget pomp that MTV championed in the late 90s. This week’s featured video is Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back,” which has aged reasonably well. Last week’s installment, Limp Bizkit’s “Nookie,” has not.

4. Infographic Violence

Infographics seldom pack this much emotional punch. The Washington Post‘sLazaro Gamioand Richard Johnson created this continuously-updating accountof the death toll in the Gaza-Israel conflict this week. Using data from U.N. bureaus, Palestinian medical authorities, and the Israeli Defense Force, the two graphics editors managed to capture the scale of destruction in powerful design.

5. LordeUntil The Cows Come Home

Lorde has performed her hit “Royals” for Ellen, Fallon, and at the Grammy’s. The song has also been used to sell cell phones, to introduce New York city’s mayor, and has been covered in just about every way imaginable. But we hadn’t yet seen it used to horde cattle. Until now.