Piqued Enough to Peek into Offbeat LinkedIn Video Posts

On LinkedIn news feeds, what would be offbeat, you might wonder? From Dictionary.com, "differing from the usual or expected; unconventional". Let's first consider a basic premise about LinkedIn. Google answers for my query about what LinkedIn included several hits to non-LinkedIn URLs and also common q/as. Best answer I consider is from WhatIs.com.

a social networking site designed specifically for the business community. The goal of the site is to allow registered members to establish and document networks of people they know and trust professionally. … A LinkedIn member’s profile page, which emphasizes skills, employment history and education, has professional network news feeds …

My LI news feeds have included a few videos that have intrigued me for entertainment value. Imho, they don't have anything to do with the working world, but they sure have been entertaining! Another commonality, besides non-work entertainment, is tendency for skimpiness of posts' intro details. Thus, the paucity of info piques my curiosity to dig for alternative info or extra details. (Dang! Seems that the noun form for curious should be spelled "curiousity"!)

The LinkedIn URLs for the posts definitely work for members logged in. Only one seems to require login or joining. Maybe those LI links work for public visiting for a limited time until LinkedIn detours to a join window.

The videos pertain to the following topics:

 A skier for all surfaces (Audi Quattro ad)
 Anna's Hummingbird, which displays dazzling iridescence
 Dragon fruit
 Wednesday Addams giving Lurch dance lessons
 Manta rays playfully leaping out of water
 ZeNa Attachment, different kind of toilet paper roll replacer

Audi Quattro Ad with Compiled Clips of Extraordinary Skier on Dissimilar Surfaces

The LinkedIn poster's video runtime is 2:52. I wanted more details about the video scenes and whether Audi used different athletes. I was surprised to learn the skier was the same guy! Visit "French skier Candide Thovex reaches new heights in Audi advert". The extended video is viewable there.

Thovex ups the stakes, travelling to the far reaches of Europe, Asia and America in search of new and challenging terrain. He floats along water, skis down the Great Wall of China and whizzes through the jungle …

Thovex and the rest of the team had to contend with bad weather in northern Europe, damaged equipment from sand dunes, blazing hot temperatures and tricky visibility in the jungle and obstacles from the rocks on a still-active volcano.

Anna's Hummingbird, which displays fascinating iridescence

From the intro text—

when the light reaches the bird, called Anna's hummingbird, it passes through two kinds of feather filaments called barbules and is reflected in different colors ... which gives the impression that the bird changes steadily.

The video piqued my interest to find additional Anna's Hummingbird videos on YouTube:
"Anna's Hummingbird Macro 4k 60FPS", "Stunning up-close footage of an Anna's Hummingbird"

Dragon Fruit Harvesting

The topic intrigued me enough that I Goggled it and found "What Is Dragon Fruit and Does It Have Health Benefits?"—"Its taste has been described as a slightly sweet cross between a kiwi and a pear." Coincidentally, a well-known beverage purveyor is releasing some dragon fruit beverages very soon.

Wednesday Addams Giving Lurch Dance Lessons

Note: The LinkedIn post's URL opens a join window, unlike other LinkedIn URLs that I list.  BTW, vlicking works if you're a member and log in first.

"The Wednesday Dance" YouTube site provides more description—"Wednesday Addams teaches lurch to dance in Season 2 Episode 29 Lurch's Grand Romance". (Lisa Loring is Wednesday Addams, so adorable with her dance moves!). IMDB info shows the episode released on April 1, 1966, making Lisa only 8 years old then.

Mantas Playfully Leaping Out of Water

I felt the post had very little info and wanted to see and know more. I found a similar video about mantas leaping out of water. "INCREDIBLE FLYING RAYS!" from BBC had added bonuses of pelicans and a large group of rays. In further searching, I ran across the apparently full BBC video that the poster seemed to have excerpted—BBC's "Mobula Rays belly flop to attract a mate - Shark: Episode 2 Preview - BBC One". The synchronization at the BBC's video seems to start at ~1;23 and stop at ~2:19.

About the time that I wanted to find more info about the rays, an old curiosity resurfaced--what's the difference between a manta ray and a stingray? DifferenceBetween.com's "Difference between Manta Ray and Stingray" has helpful sections that describe mantas, stingrays, with a nice pic of each. The site also has sections describing similarities and differences.

More videos to consider:
"Manta ray, a giant of the ocean", "COOL STINGRAYS", National Geographic's videos for each ray—"Gigantic School of Rays | Untamed Americas",  "Stingray | National Geographic"

Stingray Infamy—One impaled Steve Irwin in the heart and killed him. "September 4, 2006: 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin killed by stingray while filming TV show".

Attacks by stingrays are extremely rare – and while their barbs are coated in venom, it was the strike to the heart, not the poison, that caused Irwin’s death. ... "They have one or two barbs in the tails which are not only coated in toxic material but are also like a bayonet,” explained Australian wildlife filmmaker David Ireland.

Ay, caramba! As I was wrapping up and ready to publish this article, I stumbled onto "Mobula" in the BBC video title. It turns out mantas are now reclassified. From "Manta rays reclassified as mobula after DNA study":

Manta birostris (the giant, or oceanic manta) and Manta alfredi (reef manta) are no more. Instead, they are now known as Mobula birostris and Mobula alfredi. … NOTE: A possible third species – Manta birostris sensu, is yet to be formerly reclassified but is currently under DNA examination by Dr Andrea Marshall of the Marine Megafauna Foundation.

I think it's going to be awhile before I use the term "mobula ray". Too used to "manta ray".

ZeNa Attachment (Innovative Replacement for Toilet Paper Holder)

The design was interesting for one-hand switching out, quite a time-saver. I wanted to find more info. At KickStarter's "ZeNa Attachment: Update Your Existing Toilet Paper Holder", the following info:

Funding Unsuccessful
This project's funding goal was not reached on October 5, 2017.

A few days later, I re-watched the Cheddar video and noticed the blurb at about 30 seconds into the Cheddar video about project not reaching its Kickstarter goal.

I don't foresee the end of offbeat video posts to LinkedIn. Fun to watch and poke for extraneous info!