Links We Love

Double mastectomy dance party and Elf movie factoids top links we love right now

Editor's note:There's so much that's beautiful, funny, smart and informative on the Internet. Problem is, there's also a bunch of garbage. Here's the best of the web right now:

1. Brave woman faces her double mastectomy with a dance party in the operating room. Deborah Cohan is a woman who knows how to have a good time. She didn't let life-altering surgery stop her from busting a move; instead she used the experience to get an entire operating room to bust a move. Cohan went with Beyoncé's 2009 hit "Get Me Bodied" as the soundtrack for her surgery, earning her major style points.

2. This baby pygmy hippo is winning everything. It's extremely rare for pygmy hippos to give birth, much less to male offspring. So this little guy is king of the jungle at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in England. "I would say he is probably the most important pygmy hippo in Europe if not one of the top ones in the whole world," gushes Mark Holden, giddy wildlife worker.

3. Alanis Morissette to adapt hit album Jagged Little Pill for Broadway. In a surprising turn of events, alternative rocker Alanis Morissette is setting her sights on Broadway. She will use all of the songs from the Jagged Little Pill, which includes angry ballads "You Oughta Know" and "Ironic."

4. Onion joins the digital revolution. After 25 years, everyone's favorite satirical newspaper will no longer have a print version. The December 12 issue will mark the final print product, which was available for free in Chicago; Milwaukee; and Providence, Rhode Island. Welcome to the digital club, Onion. It's better here.

5. Eighteen things you probably didn't know about the movie Elf. Believe it or not, it's actually been 10 years since Elf first delighted audiences everywhere. Not since Home Alone has a Christmas movie touched our hearts and tickled our funny bones so much. But even if you can quote Elf line-by-line, chances are you didn't know these behind-the-scenes factoids.

Elf turns 10 this year.

Arcade News

New game arcade opens in Garland with uncommon claw machines

Side Quest Arcade claw games

Facebook

Panda claw game at Side Quest Arcade.

A new game arcade has opened in Garland with an one-of-a-kind assortment of machines: Called Side Quest Arcade, it features both traditional pinball games plus "claw" machines — not a common sight in most arcades.

The arcade opened in July at 430 Winecup Way in Firewheel Town Center with more than 200 free play classic and modern-day arcade games plus claw machines — the ones featuring a joystick-controlled dispenser where you lower a "claw" to try and grab a toy. Not exactly a game of skill but one in which the player has a chance to take home a prize.

"We felt that the ability to win prizes was something missing from the flat play model," says co-founder Micah Kirkpatrick in a statement. "They add an element of thrill and excitement that complements the arcade experience perfectly."

Each machine is set to free mode. Customers pay a flat rate of $10 and can enjoy unlimited gaming all day long.

Among thegaming highlights is the presence of a Hercules game made by Atari in 1979, dubbed the world's largest production pinball machine, measuring 8 feet long, 7 feet tall, and 3.5 feet wide — possibly the biggest when it debuted in 1979 (although the sourpuss crowd on Reddit is unimpressed with how the game actually plays).

Other options at Side Quest range from modern games like the racing game Mario Kart to classics like Pac-Man to Star Wars. There's air hockey, skeeball, and driving games, as well.

There are also snacks — hot dogs, mostly, topped with chili or queso, or just plain — plus international snacks such as Japanese and Mexican candy, European chocolate, and chips. Plus cheap beer on tap with pints for $4.

"We wanted to create a space where everyone, from seasoned gamers to families looking for an affordable fun day out, can come relax and enjoy themselves without worrying about the cost," says co-founder Seth Kirkpatrick in a statement.

Loading...