#OscarsSoWhite that they waited until the think pieces came out to decide how they felt about this.

#OscarsSoWhite that the statue counts as a Person Of Color.
— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) January 15, 2015

If you've been near the Internet or a TV today, you probably heard that the Oscar nominations were announced. As it does every year, the conversation quickly turned to the question of who got snubbed. There was a lot of consensus around two major snubs: 1.) The LEGO Movie, and 2.) all non-white people (and women, but society can only handle talking about either race or gender at any given time). Within hours, the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite took off, and defined the discourse for the day. Twitter user, attorney and digital media consultant @ReignOfApril is credited with starting it.

#OscarsSoWhite it wears shorts during the winter.
— April (@ReignOfApril) January 15, 2015

Soon, it was everywhere.

#OscarsSoWhite they thought #Selma was about Marge Simpson's sister.
— Ricky Carmona (@RickyCarmona) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite they're remaking Margaret Cho's Golden Globes bit with Scarlett Johansson
— Arthur Chu (@arthur_affect) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite Steve Scalise denied speaking to them
— Patrick (@QuadCityPat) January 15, 2015

Chile, with this pic, I'm gonna need some sun block #OscarsSoWhitepic.twitter.com/7DhVGlVAjH
— Viktor T Kerney (@wondermann5) January 15, 2015

Most of them were pretty amusing jokes, but a lot of them wanted to make sure the point of the hashtag was clear to everyone.

I feel I need to remind some folks: #OscarsSoWhite isn't an attack on white people. It's more commentary on the system that favors white ppl
— #Him's Bass Singer (@KeenePOV) January 15, 2015

#Oscarssowhite they can't see a problem in this - The diversity gap in the Academy Awards #Oscars2015#OscarNomspic.twitter.com/UOZLOM9Mnl"
— Media Diversified (@WritersofColour) January 15, 2015

As Chris Rock famously stated earlier this year, Hollywood is still a white industry.

#OscarsSoWhite: The Academy is 94% White. 77% male. Median age: 62. 2% Black members. Thinks a BW prez makes these stats ok.
— Trudy (@thetrudz) January 15, 2015

And there are also some issues with, erm, the types of roles that minorities still win for when they are elected.

#OscarsSoWhite they haven't shifted their selection process in 87 years#OscarNomspic.twitter.com/oMB1mVXUZ0
— Glen Coco (@MrPooni) January 15, 2015

All this is important, because although most of the anti-#OscarsSoWhite tweets were predictably so, so very white, but not the goofy-haha kind, the oh-god-you're-making-the-rest-of-us-white-people-look-terrible-right-now kind.

#OscarsSoWhite Yeah! We need awards for blackest actor, most Asian director, best original screenplay by a latino.
— THE AMAZING ATHEIST! (@amazingatheist) January 15, 2015

It's also been widely pointed out that the last time there was this little diversity in the nominations was 17 years ago. So, the issue here has nothing to do with any of the specific white folks nominated, but with the feeling that not only are black filmmakers and actors being routinely overlooked, the progress that we've made as a culture may be more ephemeral than we hoped. Also, there's a persistent and disturbing tendency to dismiss any complaints as race-baiting.

#OscarsSoWhite they think "#OscarsSoWhite" is racist.
— Dwayne David Paul (@DwayneDavidPaul) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite they just asked why you aren't protesting black on black crime
— Ijeoma Oluo (@IjeomaOluo) January 15, 2015

But mostly, people tried to address it with humor.

#OscarsSoWhite Exodus was snubbed because it was too diverse.
— Dave Zirin (@EdgeofSports) January 15, 2015

Congrats to the best director nominees. #OscarsSoWhitepic.twitter.com/wH5cHZzaEY
— jabariasim (@jabariasim) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite it sees nothing wrong with Halloween blackface
— Elle (@spokenELLE) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite they couldn't see race in this photo but they felt this hashtag was too "divisive" pic.twitter.com/0UzzhuT6PA
— JollyBlackGiant (@CandyCornball) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite "well why don't you make your own....Wait, an all Black award show is SO racist!"
— ItchyAreola (@radrebellion) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite it gets off with a warning
— reallynow (@raread) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite They've asked Fred Armisen to play Obama in the opening number.
— The Daily Edge (@TheDailyEdge) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite They are satisfied with themselves for participating in this hashtag.
— Jill Morris (@JillMorris) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite he's pretty sure whatever you're worried about was a "false flag."
— LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite they prefaced each nomination with, "I'm not racist, but..."
— Anne T. Donahue (@annetdonahue) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite that, if they made a movie about it to ease their guilt, it would STILL star & be directed/produced by white people
— lancegould (@lancegould) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite They wanted to know why Selma wasn't centered around LBJ. I'm not making this one up.
— Nessa. (@curlyheadRED) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite They didn't see Selma but their housekeeper said it was really good.
— Fed-Up AMPAS Member. (@thewayoftheid) January 15, 2015

#OscarsSoWhite they don't see race. Or movies with black folks in it, apparently.
— Fed Up Nephew (@Awkward_Duck) January 15, 2015

Justin Bieber strips down in what appears to be a hotel lobby bathroom to make a point.

Who's loling now, nerds?! (via)

The Biebs is sick and tired of rumors his ads for Calvin Klein were heavily photoshopped. Even without the photographic evidence gathered by TMZ and Breathe Heavy, it's pretty obvious the photos are shopped, because, well, they're in an ad. But just how edited they are is anyone's guess.

You've probably been kept awake at night wondering: does Bieber even really have all those tattoos?

Well rest easy, because he posted the photo above to Instagram with the caption "Photoshop lol."

Biebs is insulted people believe the haterz who think his junk might be smaller than it appears in the ad, that he might not have any pubes, and that his muscles are weak and undefined.

Photoshop does make me lol!

Is there any better argument in the history of time than "Photoshop lol"?

Especially when accompanied by a shirtless photo of abs, a suggestively draped towel (hard to tell from this angle, but seems like there is at least space for a CK-sized bulge), and a makeup bag and discarded towel on the floor of a public bathroom. Why didn't Calvin Klein just use this for their ad?

It certainly makes me want to buy Bieber some jeans so he won't have to be so naked.

Is this dude for real? Seriously, the enormous black eyes, the shy poking up of his head, the all-white fur: it's a little too cute. Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if this was an animatronic stoat designed to distract us while larger predators attack from the side. Trust no one.

If you've already double clicked your mouse today, you've done plenty to keep the haters at bay.

Miley gives some touching advice. (via Getty)

Queen of the bangerz and recent graduate of Say Whatever I Want Medical School, Miley Cyrus has ousted the surgeon general from his top seat to proclaim this advice on Instagram: "A masturbate a day keeps the haters away."

So wise. Who knew that "a masturbate" was even a noun? Professor Miley, that's who.

a masturbate a day keeps the haters away
A photo posted by Miley Cyrus (@mileycyrus) on Jan 15, 2015 at 8:13am PST

The advice is accompanied by an image of her with her hand down her pants, and I think we can all agree the most shocking thing about this is that she is wearing clothes.

Keep an eye out for future prescriptions from Dr. Cyrus: "Man in my bed, man in my thighs, makes a Miley healthy, wealthy, and wise," and "An idle hand is the thing I use to masturbate with."

Teen who was in a coma as a child admits he lied about trip to heaven.

What heaven might look like, or not. Who knows?

It's hard to prove whether someone who said they went to heaven is lying or not—unless they straight-up admit they were lying. The nature of life after death remains a mystery now that author and coma-survivor Alex Malarkey has admitted he made up the story of his trip to heaven.

Back in 2004, when Malarkey was just six years old, he was in a serious car accident that left him in a coma for two months. When he woke up, he was paralyzed and needed help breathing. His dad Kevin, a Christian therapist, wrote up Alex's account of visiting heaven and speaking to Jesus Christ and the Devil in the book The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven (2010), which became wildly successful.

But in an open letter on the Christian site Pulpit and Pen, which rejects this book and others like it as "heavenly tourism," Alex now admits the whole thing was fake.

An Open Letter to Lifeway and Other Sellers, Buyers, and Marketers of Heaven Tourism, by the Boy Who Did Not Come Back From Heaven.

Please forgive the brevity, but because of my limitations I have to keep this short.

I did not die. I did not go to Heaven.

I said I went to heaven because I thought it would get me attention. When I made the claims that I did, I had never read the Bible. People have profited from lies, and continue to. They should read the Bible, which is enough. The Bible is the only source of truth. Anything written by man cannot be infallible.

It is only through repentance of your sins and a belief in Jesus as the Son of God, who died for your sins (even though he committed none of his own) so that you can be forgiven may you learn of Heaven outside of what is written in the Bible…not by reading a work of man. I want the whole world to know that the Bible is sufficient. Those who market these materials must be called to repent and hold the Bible as enough.

In Christ,
Alex Malarkey.

Alex's mother, Beth (who is divorced from Kevin Malarkey) had raised concerns over the content of the book as early as December 2012. In an April blog post, she said that she was shocked the book was continuing to sell so well and noted that Alex didn't endorse it and wasn't even making money off of it. But this is the first time Alex himself publicly stated that he lied.

The prominent Christian publisher, Tyndale House, has since announced that they will stop selling the book. Ugh, this is what it was like for us non-Christians with James Frey. We feel your pain.

1. Movie Critics Have Had Their Say About 2014's Best Films, So Now We Can Go Back To Ignoring Them Again

Downtrodden film pundits—who spend 364 days a year having their fine cinematic recommendations ignored while the newest Michael Bay rakes in hundreds of millions of dollars —were briefly treated as though their opinions had weight last night as Boyhood, Michael Keaton and Julianne Moore received Critics Choice Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Actress before an audience of people who felt obligated to be in attendance.

Actress, to me, during awards season: "I'm counting the days until I can stop being nice. Put 'jokingly' if you print that. But I mean it."
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) January 11, 2015

2. Arizona To Force U.S. Students To Understand America As Well As Immigrants Do

Arizona just became the first state in the union to pass a law requiring students to pass a basic civics test before receiving a high school diploma. Apparently, citizens were tired of having all the immigrants they're trying to get rid of knowing more about the U.S. Constitution than they do.

I belong to a group that gets together on weekends to reenact civics classes.
— Dylan Brody (@dylanbrody) May 15, 2012

3. Horny Moms Of America Make Fifty Shades Of Grey The Fastest-Selling R-Rated Movie In Fandango's History

Advanced tickets for the highly anticipated film adaptation of the super-popular BDSM-for-people-who've-never-heard-of-BDSM novel Fifty Shades of Grey—which will not be released until Valentine's Day weekend—went on sale last Sunday, and it's already proving to be the fastest-selling R-rated film in the history of online ticket seller Fandango. That will likely be a big weekend for mom's-night-outs, so taverns located near suburban movie theaters are being advised to prepare themselves by stocking plenty of White Zinfandel.

These 50 Shades Of Grey ads make it look like the Olive Garden of Bondage.
— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) January 13, 2015

4. Flu Shot Only 23% Effective, Which Means There's A 77% Chance You're Going To Die

This year's flu vaccine is proving to be only 23 percent effective at shielding people from the illness, according to recent reports. This is in stark opposition to other years when the shot has been found to have a 50 or 60 percent efficacy rate. People all across the country are being advised (by me) to spend this winter wrapped in cellophane and locked inside a hyperbaric chamber. Failing that, they should just try their best to not get sneezed directly in the face by people.

I keep reading that having gotten a flu shot this year was basically meaningless. I can't believe I risked giving myself autism for nothing!
— Keating Thomas (@keatingthomas) January 16, 2015

5. Lost Mars Probe Found After 11 Years — Turns Out It Was On Mars

Beagle 2—the British robot dropped onto Mars back in 2003 only to quickly go missing—has been located on the Martian surface through the use of high-resolution imaging from a satellite. This is big, big news for that one guy in your office who cares about a bunch of oblique science stuff.

The scientific equivalent of losing your bank card ordering a new bank card, then finding your old bank card #Beagle2http://t.co/ILbFzifzWM
— The Independent (@Independent) January 16, 2015

He had a face only a mailbox could love.

If you didn't want people to stuff your mailbox, you shouldn't have made it so sexy. (via)

Like countless drunks before him, Paul Bennet, 45, found himself too heavily intoxicated to not have sexual relations with a mailbox.

According to one pervert who watched the whole thing from her window in Wigan, England, an obviously intoxicated Bennet pulled down his pants in an outdoor shopping area and started touching himself as he "started to make sexual advances" towards the public mail receptacle.

Prosecuting attorney Katie Beattie recounted what the witness saw for the court:

"His arms were raised in a star position, as he continued to expose himself while shouting 'wow.'"

I would have given anything to be in that courtroom to watch the prosecutor act this out. A quick Google search tells me a star position looks like this:

"Wow!"

Anyway.

The woman then witnessed Bennett rubbing up against the postbox with his trousers down before walking away.

Despite the fact that Bennet had already done what the Manchester Evening News describes as "completing the act," the window watcher still called the cops on him. At least she let him finish.

For his crimes of passion, Bennett was given a year's community service and he has to go into alcohol treatment.

As you can see, the mailbox is still in shock.

Bennet was also ordered to pay £50 (about $75) to the "victim" who "watched for some time and was ashamed, disgusted and upset."

Poor thing. It can be hard to find out you have a new fetish.

Peyton Manning is getting rich off other people's munchies.

Yes! Pizza money! (Getty)

Just before Colorado legalized marijuana back in 2012, Denver Broncos QB Peyton Manning purchased 21 Papa John's locations in the state. Ever since then, business has been booming.

Manning is smart enough to make the connection, and humble enough to admit it's not his face that's selling pizza. He told Sports Illustrated: "There's some different laws out here in Colorado. Pizza business is pretty good out here, believe it or not, due to some recent law changes."

Pizzzaaaaaaaaa. (Getty)

Hint, hint.

In other words, all the stoners are getting baked and calling up Papa John's to satisfy their urgent pizza cravings. Specifically, the ones owned by Peyton Manning, because there is something about him that is so funny when you're high.

TMZ confirmed back in 2013 that Manning's restaurants are doing exceptionally well—one location even reported a 25% increase in sales in the year since Manning bought them.

Good to know Manning will have something to live off of if he does retire.

Swedish kids finally prove it's possible to launch fireworks under ice.

The winter in Sweden is long, and the need for diversions runs as deep as a frozen lake. With that kind of boredom, it was only a matter of time before someone started mixing ice and fireworks. The results of this important experiment are extremely awesome, and should entertain these kids until at least mid-March.

Don't try this—or anything you see people on the Internet do with fireworks—at home.

Also in weird Sweden news: "People in Northern Sweden have the strangest way of saying "Yes" on Earth."

WOMEN, DO NOT GO OUT IN PUBLIC WITHOUT READING THIS TREATISE. (Warning: "it may seem superficial to some of you.")

"You need to look nothing but your absolute best."

Jezebel received an email from an anonymous tipster which lays out appearance guidelines for the thoroughly inadequate women of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority at University of Southern California.

The email, penned by the "Personal Development and PACE chair," urges us to be mindful of just how useless a woman is until she has taken every measure to adhere to society's specific beautify regimen.

Remember ladies, no one cares about your present unless they can shred through some beautiful wrapping.

Let's consider the following...

Spanx:

(Image included in original email for helpful guidance of undeveloped female minds.)

"(Any brand will do.) I cannot stress how important spanx are to make you look your best. Even if you are very thin, Spanx will give you a better "line" when you wear clothes (no awkward bumps!) Plus you don't have to worry about sucking in all the time or being bloated!"

Hair:

"Remember: your hair needs to be one normal color. No crazy ombre, no color you wouldn't see in nature. (Also, if you're thinking about going from blonde to black or vice versa, do so after recruitment. You won't know for sure what it will look like, and if you hate it/your hairstylist does a bad job, that won't fly.) You cannot have roots during recruitment, so if you dye your hair like me, please take care of that before arriving back to school."

"NOPE"
(Picture and caption provided by AXO email)

From the ombre roots to the nappy braid, Drew Barrymore would get kicked out of this sorority faster than you can say, "Drew Barrymore is an accomplished and award-winning actress, model, producer, director and author who has been working since she was 11 months old."

Eyebrows:

Eyebrows shape your face. Bad eyebrows will make you look less beautiful than you actually are! Your eyebrows need to look neat (as in not messy) for recruitment. I know "full" eyebrows are in right now, but "full" does not mean "BUSHY" or "WILD."... Alternatively, if you have SPARSE eyebrows then you need to fill them in.

If only someone had taught this to Ayn Rand, people might have been more accepting of Atlas Shrugged its first time around.

Hair Again:

"For recruitment, your hair has to be curly or straight. No waves. In this case, you either need to have a curling iron (for our curly gals) or a flat iron (or a blow dryer if you have pin straight flat hair and you're super good with hair so you can blow your hair out.) Note: if you have straight hair and you want to wear it curly, don't. Your hair needs to be able to hold for 15 hr days and hairspray crunchy or limp hair is not acceptable. Also, get some heat protectant and shine spray. Damaged, frizzy hair is not going to attract PNMs."

PNMs? I'm guessing Potential New Members or Persons of Nebulous Merit or Please Neuter Me.

"We don't want to look 'emo' or like we're actually trying to flirt with PNMs by touching our hair all the time."

Makeup:

"You need to have foundation, concealer, something pinky/neutral for the lips (stain, gloss, etc), BLOT POWDER/OIL BLOTTERS, eyeliner (BLACK or BROWN only), mascara, neutral eyeshadows, bronzer, and (optional but recommended) blush. If you are not wearing the required makeup, I will stop you and apply it myself. I don't care if you're late for class. I don't care if you're a sophomore or a super senior. I will stop you."

I feel like all of this is common sense. Who would buy their way into a social group if they didn't want to wear makeup? Go big or go homely.

Glasses:

"We would like to strongly encourage that you wear contacts during recruitment. Obviously if that is not an option for you or if you are uncomfortable doing so it is by no means mandatory.

Oh, no. Don't go soft on these girls now!

However, we want the PNMs to be able to see your lovely eyes the best they can and strongly encourage wearing contacts over glasses. Poking your eyes is worth it just this once, promise!"

Always look your best just this one lifetime, and we promise next time you can come back as a man!

In the rest of the email, our AXO dictator gives some more helpful guidance on nails (neutral pinks only, spend your money on gels) and a reminder to keep a stock of nude wedges and Tiffany blue necklaces.

Before signing out, Herr PACE chair reminds us why this is all so important:

"I cannot express how important all of this is to the development of our chapter. It make seem superficial to some of you, but if you don't make a great first impression, you have to so much more catch up work."

Here's the part that makes me saddest:

"In order for our chapter to be on the same levels as other sororities at [redacted] during recruitment, we need to play the game like they do."

TL;DR: Being a woman is an arms race.

Here's the email in its entirety, so you can go out there and be your best self!

Sorority Appearance Guidelines by jezebel2

EDIT: In an earlier version of this post a picture of the AXO chapter from University of Southern Carolina was used incorrectly. The actual chapter is from the University Southern California. Sorry for the confusion. #NotAllSororities

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool the award-winning journalists at Mother Jones...way to go, dude!

On Wednesday, I wrote in glowing tones about an ad posted by a would-be Ivy League-educated dogwalker to Craigslist in Seattle. I literally called it the "Great American Craigslist Ad," because it so perfectly summed up the sound and the ethos of what viral Craigslist ads should be. Basically, while promising to be so awesome that he would make your dog's nipples hard, he also offered his human clients the benefit on looking down on an over-educated failure reduced to picking up dog poop. It was great.

Unfortunately, not only was the ad fake, but it was copied word-for-word from an ad posted (and sent somewhat viral) all the way back in 2011.

i'm not sure if i'd let this person walk my dog or not http://t.co/nBE9GiDp2apic.twitter.com/CYQqE03oiM
— Ben Dreyfuss (@bendreyfuss) January 14, 2015

To my chagrin, I clearly thought it was a serious (although hilarious) listing from someone who wanted to walk dogs. That's when Mother Jones, the respected liberal-leaning news journal that has won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence three times since 2000, stepped in to expose the "real" story.

"One site"? It only takes two more characters to write out "Someecards," MJ.

They contacted the author of the adfor an interview, and in his statement to the magazine he revealed that (gasp!) he's not really a dog-walker, and the posting was not legit:

Ummm... I posted this as a joke. I have surprisingly gotten people that want me to walk their dogs. Ive got more marriage proposals and offers for sex more than anything. I prefer to remain anonymous but i will tell you that I am married with a daughter and contrary to my post(that is a joke) I make a comfortable living and I'm pretty much your average joe family man. The reason I posted it is to show what happens when you go to college and stack up student loans and dont have a plan afterwards. you'll turn out having to walk dogs with a shitty outlook on society.

Here's the thing, though—Mother Jones just got 110% played (I got 100% played, but they're news reporters so they really have no excuse). While the man explained why he posted it, no one bothered to ask him if he'd actually written it.

This man wanted to be caught.

That same poster contacted Someecards at 2:05 a.m. this morning, asking us to clarify his story the way Mother Jones did...in pretty indignant language for someone claiming to have just authored a hugely successful viral joke.

He may not be the author of that ad, but I really enjoy his email writing style.

That email, though, jogged our editor's memory, and he dug up an article published on our website about the exact same ad in 2011 (before he or anyone currently on staff was working here, just FYI).

As you can see, the guy who fooled Mother Jones & me added in mistakes like not capitalizing TARP correctly, as well as other "typos."

So, I reached out to the man who had (re)posted the dogwalker ad on Craigslist, and confirmed his identity. Then, I dropped the bomb that I knew the ad was a copy, and showed him the link to our 2011 article.

Me: "Now, this is the Internet and reposting is a time-honored tradition, and Craigslist is anonymous so its hard to give credit, anyway. I don't really mind either way, but did you originally write it then?"

For his part, the hoaxer responded quickly and honestly, relieved that he didn't have to live this lie anymore. If anything, the fact that he had managed to fool everyone seemed to make living in such a stupid world almost unbearable.

He did it all for the nookie...for his brother.

Sadly, this lesson taught me another harsh lesson in journalism—not only are normally high-quality outlets like Mother Jones very easily fooled, but sometimes you have to publish a story even when there are consequences...like this dude's brother not getting laid this weekend.

I'm sorry to throw your bro's dick under the bus, but I've got a journalist-ish responsibility to let the Web know what absurd Craigslist ads are real.

May I recommend copying one of the many viral dating profiles we've written about for your brother? If your past success is any indication, you should have no trouble plagiarizing your brother into a very active romantic life. At the very least, if you were letting him pretend to be the guy who fooled me, surely he can get laid by pretending to be the guy who fooled Mother Jones.

Now I can go back to thinking everything is a repost, the hoaxer can get back to StumbleUpon to find his next inspiration, and Mother Jones can get back to reporting on Washington politics and leave the not-heavy-hitting-at-all stuff to the professionals.

With great awwww comes great responsibility.

You know how your Facebook friends think their pudgy, kinda-cute baby is actually important and noteworthy? Those people are idiots, but if Flora the 28-year-old mother of this endangered baby pygmy hippopotamus could use Facebook, she would be the exception (she's also heroically battling cancer, so be glad this pygmy hippo mom isn't on social media because she would run the place).

The as-yet-unnamed male baby was born at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England on Boxing Day, because apparently Christmas wasn't cute enough and Flora held out for the more whimsical holiday celebrated by the British (and their less-rebellious colony nations).

Pygmy hippos weighs less than a fourth what their full-sized brethren, which is good because not only is it way more adorable, it makes them less likely to snap you in half with their half-ton jaws--a major problem with big hippos, aka the most dangerous large animal in Africa.

Walk into the club like whatup, I got one of the only pygmy hippo male reproductive systems in captivity.

They are also super legit endangered--there are only 2,000 left! Fortunately, Whipsnade Zoo has a breeding program, and this little guy is their third success. He's extra special because there are very few male calves in captivity. In other words, the future of the specied is quite literally in this baby's hands...not at all like the unimportant human spawn clogging up your Feed.

The rocket was destroyed, but it made a pretty sweet Vine.

Cool, look at it controlling itself! COOL, IT'S OUT OF CONTROL!!!
Click the bottom-right for sound.

Last week, Elon Musk's private rocket company SpaceX attempted to make history by landing a Falcon 9 rocket under its own power on a GPS-enabled "drone ship" in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Falcon 9 had already delivered a Dragon space capsule loaded with supplies and Christmas presents to the International Space Station, but putting that into orbit was only half of the rocket's mission. It came within seconds of a successful touchdown (which would be a HUGE step towards reusable rockets and bringing down the cost of spaceflight) before the rocket ran out of hydraulic fluid to power its steering fins, which (as you can see in the Vine) caused it to suddenly veer off course and explode.

This is rocket science folks, and it's the kind of rocket science that even rocket scientists are intimidated by. Vertically landing a rocket is so hard that people were impressed when SpaceX made history by doing it in the desert with a specially-made test rocket, the Grasshopper (watch below), which only went up a few hundred meters in the air before coming back down (they also proved it could go side-to-side, as well). Obviously, that gets even harder when you're landing an object that's falling all the way from orbit. Doing it in the ocean is a good idea, because there is no one around to accidentally kill, which is also the logic behind using a self-positioning drone ship.

After the failure of United Launch Alliance's Antares rocket last year, and the subsequent grounding of those rockets, it's pretty much up to SpaceX to keep the ISS astronauts fed and supplied, so they'll have another shot soon enough.