(from gizmodo.com)

In 2012, designer John Collins constructed a paper airplane that flew an astonishing 226 feet, establishing a distance record that still stands. A new video demonstrates the steps required to fold your own version of this record-setting paper-based aircraft. Collins recently visited Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where he talked to students about making paper planes, explaining the importance of having the right materials and design. “If you can wad up a piece of paper and throw it farther than your paper airplane, your plane sucks,” he told the class. (MORE HERE)

NERD ALERT!!! I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!! I WANT TO  HAVE A COMPETITION RIGHT NOW!!!

Watching the paper plane in action is actually quite astounding:

Needless to say, building the “perfect” paper airplane isn’t a matter of luck. As Collins told the students, factors that need to be considered include glide ratios, center of gravity, center of lift, the boundary layer, and the Magnus effect. Drawing on his experience with origami, he demonstrated how additional folds at the right spot can shift the center of gravity and make the plane fly better, and how a slight adjustment of the wing’s trailing edge can prevent it from nosediving. (MORE HERE)

(from chicago.eater.com)

LINCOLN PARK— The Budlong launches brunch in Lincoln Park on Saturday — and yes, hot chicken is involved. The menu includes biscuit French toast and chicken tenders and waffles. They’ll also have Bloody Marys and mimosas. Brunch service starts at 9:30 a.m. on the weekends. See the menu below. (MORE HERE)

I WANT THIS LIFE!!

(from chicagotribune.com)

Whether you’re single or taken, going out on Valentine’s Day can be a struggle. Reservations are hard to come by, everything is marked up and the pressure to be in love—the kind that’s perfectly Instagrammable—is overwhelming. If you’d rather skip the pressure, we say stay in on the couch. Netflix can make for a perfectly suitable Valentine’s Day date, so long as you plan ahead to avoid the dreaded hour-long scroll.

A ROMANTIC (AND FREE) NIGHT AT HOME

1. Adventureland: This weird and lovely indie is more of a coming-of-age tale than a love story, but Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg supply a surprisingly romantic feel.

2. Sing Street: Despite it being nominated for a Golden Globe, not a lot of people are talking about this sweet and optimistically romantic movie, but it’s great.

3. Blue is the Warmest Color: You have to commit to this one: It’s three hours and in French. But the story of two young women who fall in love in Paris is one of the most captivating and devastating romantic films out there.

4. The Office: If you’re not feeling a movie, watch the best Pam and Jim episodes from Seasons 2 and 3 to get that true love vibe you’re going for.

5. Step Up: Hear us out. It may have spawned a million sequels, but you can watch the true original, where Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan actually first fell in love. (MORE HERE)

I also find How It’s Made, Curious and Unusual Deaths and The IT Crowd to be very romantic as well.

(from chicagoist.com)

The mission statement for Chicago’s, uh, cheekiest anti-Trump protest is pretty straightforward: “Kiss Our A**es, Release Your Taxes!” The minds behind a new comedy enterprise are urging Chicagoans to join them on Sunday, Feb. 12 for a good old-fashioned mass mooning of Trump Tower, with the hopes of keeping light (and skin) shining on Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns. As of Friday afternoon, more than 300 people had RSVP’ed to attend and another 1400-plus were interested in Chicago Moons the Trump Tower. The butts-out action was put together, appropriately enough, by Sh**show, a new Chicago-based satirical news show cut from the mold of The Daily Show and the old Colbert Report. (MORE HERE)

I hope this isn’t some weird new form of hot yoga.