Sunday Burst of Weird and AWESOME!

Oddities and Awesome abound!

:: This one's a bit scary, actually: apparently if you're a seismologist by trade in Italy, and you fail to predict a big earthquake, you can be indicted for manslaughter. I guess a lack of scientific literacy isn't prevalent just in America, huh?

:: What it's like to own an Apple product Heh, indeed.

:: The 15 cruelest deaths in Star Trek. That poor Yeoman who gets crumbled to dust really stuck with me, first time I saw that episode.

:: And finally, it's always fun to watch the planes come and go, so here are some planes, coming and going.











More next week!

We're sorry, BP, that our Gulf was between you and the oil

Shorter Congressman Joe Barton: "Thank you, BP! May we have another?"

And believe me, folks, under Republican notions of how business should be regulated, there will damned will be another.

Honey, would you call the color of the sky right now "Marmalade"?

Last Saturday night, The Wife and I attended another concert by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. This one, however, did not feature classical music; we actually attended a Pops concert. It was called "Classical Mystery Tour", and it featured the BPO doing songs of the Beatles. I expected orchestral arrangements of Beatles songs, maybe a few singers along the way, and generally a "Beatles turned into classical music" kind of thing.

That's not what happened, though. It turns out that "Classical Mystery Tour" is the name of a Beatles tribute band that tours around performing with symphony orchestras around the world. This I figured out when we entered the hall to take our seats and saw, at the front of the stage and in front of the orchestra, a rock-band type set-up. "Ooooh, there's a band!", I said. And after the BPO warmed things up with a concert overture that was pretty much exactly what I expected the concert to be -- Beatles melodies arranged for orchestra -- the band came out.

And you know what? They were pretty good. Very good, in fact.

It probably helped us that we were far enough up in the balcony that we could see that the four guys in the band had the general "look" down (four guys in dark suits and mop haircuts), but not their specific facial features that would make it obvious that hey, that dude on the left doesn't look anything like Paul McCartney at all.

The group's sound was excellent, for the most part. I liked that they sounded very similar to the Beatles, but they didn't strive for sounding identical to the Beatles. They did a basic rundown of a lot of the Beatles' greatest hits, and they used the Philharmonic to great effect, achieving sonic effects from the stage that the Beatles themselves only achieved in the studio.

It was a grand evening, even if I have to cry foul that "Live and Let Die" is not a Beatles song!

Hera's blood, woman!

Seen at Cal's place:



OMG, I love me some Wonder Woman.

Something for Thursday

Here's something cool: Franz von Suppe's overture Poet and Peasant, played by the MGM Symphony Orchestra in a film made in 1955. My understanding is that films like these used to be part of the pre-feature entertainment in movie theaters. Would that they would do stuff like this again!

I'm especially fascinated here by the orchestra itself: it's a big group, with a ton of strings, and the layout is pretty interesting, too, with the harps right down between the cellos and the violas, and the basses way up in the back of the entire orchestra. This is very cool!

Where we're going

Here's an interesting little tool that lets you visualize where Americans are moving to. Literally: where they're moving. According to the site, 10,000,000 Americans moved from one county to another in 2008. This tool lets you visualize the destinations. Red lines indicate outward movement, black ones indicate inward movement.

So, of course, I checked Buffalo. And man, is it depressing. Look at this:



By contrast, I also looked at a place that seems to attract a whole lot of former Buffalonians. Here's Charlotte, NC:



Of course, no one 'round these parts needs to be told that nobody wants to move here, but seeing it laid out so bare is a hell of a downer.

A Random Wednesday Conversation Starter

I spent some time last night trying, and ultimately failing, to find humor in the fact that the famed "Touchdown Jesus" statue in Ohio got struck by lightning and burned down. That's just the sort of comic irony that I like, I'm sorry to say. I got a few search engine hits during the day for the statue, linked back to one entry in my old "Unidentified Earth" series, but I didn't learn of Touchdown Jesus's electrified fate until late in the day. And yes, I laughed when I learned.

But the question today is not whether or not it was funny. The question is this. Here is Touchdown Jesus:



Does that look like Jesus, or one of the Greek Gods, like Zeus?

(BTW, if that was Touchdown Jesus, then clearly the "Christ of the Ozarks" statue should be renamed "Unsportsmanlike Conduct Jesus":



"Fifteen yards, and an eternity of punishment!")

If only....

Dustin Fleming should have been 40 today. Alas.

Quizzery! We've got quizzery here!

From Sunday Stealing, even though it's Tuesday:

1. You’re building your dream house. What’s the one thing that this house absolutely, positively MUST HAVE? (other than the obvious basics of course)

A thousand feet of bookshelves.

2. What is your dream car?

Some kind of large-ish vehicle that would have enough comfy space for myself and the family, be able to haul my tools and equipment around, and still get at least 40 mph. I have a feeling that this kind of vehicle may be available in the USA by 2027, and that they've had 'em in Japan since 1994.

3. What is your favorite website that isn’t a blog?

Flickr, I suppose.

4. iPhone 4 or Droid, which do you want?

The more I read about the way Apple does things, the less I want anything to do with them. Can I do whatever I want with a Droid? Do I get to select the content myself without any patriarchal crap from the company? If so, then the Droid.

5. When you’re feeling down or lonely or just generally out of sorts, what do you do to cheer yourself up?

I do a quiz. (But right now I feel fine!)

6. Tell me about something or someone that you love that most people seem to hate.

Just plug "Star Wars prequels" into the search box on this blog....

7. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Captain of a deep-space freighter, one with souped up engines and guns.

8. Would you go on a reality show if given the chance?

Depends on the show.

9. Who was your favorite teacher when you were growing up. (Grade school, Middle School, Jr. High or High School only.)

No names, but I liked my senior year English teacher a lot.

10. You get one pass to do something illegal or immoral. What are you gonna do?

Poop on George W. Bush's front lawn.

11. What were you doing 10 years ago?

Geez...I have to calibrate myself now that 10 years ago wasn't during the 1990s. 2000 was a pretty rough year; I was out of work for a big chunk of it. About this time I was hanging with The Kid and writing a lot.

12. By this time next year, I ...

will be 39.

13. Do you think the United States will elect a female President in your lifetime? Do you think this would be a good thing?

Yes, on both counts.

14. Which fictional, TV show character you would shag anytime?

Er...yeah. Agent Lisbon on The Mentalist, if only because there's no way I have a shot with Detective Beckett on Castle.

15. What is your greatest pet peeve?

Not sure, but the fact that this question shows up on so many Interweb quizzes is getting right up there.

16. Tell me about your most recent trip of more than 100 miles?

Our trip at Easter to Pittsburgh.

17. Which do you use more often, the dictionary or the thesaurus?

The dictionary.

18. Do you have a nickname? What is it?

"Hey you!"

19. What are you dreading at the moment?

I don't have any dread right now, really.

20. Do you worry that others will judge you from reading some of your answers?

After more than eight years of blogging, that others might judge me is the last thing I worry about.

21. In two words, explain what ended your last relationship.

Other guy. (You know what's cool? I've been in this relationship for so long that I have to really think to figure out what the one before this one was.)

22. What were you doing this morning at 8am?

Preparing for work. (I was already at work, but was checking e-mails, talking to people about what went on over the weekend, etc.)

23. Do you have any famous relatives?

Not that I know of.

24. How many different beverages have you drank today?

Let's see: OJ, coffee, water, iced tea, more iced tea, more water, red wine.

25. What is something you are excited about?

Taking a long weekend at some point. Not sure when, though.

26. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group?

High school, I think.

27. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?

Holy crap it's early.

28. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Swearing. I'm serious. We had a power outage a few days ago that lasted about thirty seconds. We re-set all the clocks, but we forgot to actually reset my alarm (which is always set for 6:00 am). So, when we went to bed, we just turned my alarm on and went to sleep. At the default time -- midnight -- the alarm went off. And I swore a bit before my brain kicked into gear and figured out what had gone wrong.

29. What’s a word that you say a lot?

"Crikey!"

30. Who is your worst enemy?

King Reynald VIII of Guilder. I hate that guy.

That's all!

Al Williamson

One of my favorite comics artists, Al Williamson, has died. I first encountered his work, as you might expect, in the context of a Star Wars comic book. His work is exceptionally detailed, and he especially excels at suggesting texture. Here are a few examples I grabbed from around the Interweb.

From Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

From Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

From Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

From Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

From Byzantium's Shores: chronicling the misadventures of an overalls-clad hippie

I endorse this political message

Well, they should be coconut cream, really. Not a big fan of banana cream. (Not that big a fan of Hagar anymore either, really, but this one appealed.)

A Post of Pith

Some pithy observations:

:: I'm sorry, soccer-lovers of the world, but your sport just isn't for me. I can't imagine what you all love about it so. I get especially confused when soccer fans tell me that baseball is too slow-paced a game. Soccer makes me long for things that are a lot more exciting, like reading a textbook on accounting, sorting my silverware, shopping for towels at Target, or watching a nature documentary of octopuses copulating in slow motion. How on Earth soccer manages to inspire anyone to stay awake, much less to a massive riot (win or lose!), is utterly beyond me.

:: There's a relatively new video store near Casa Jaquandor that is now our default video store, since the closest three Blockbusters all closed. It's a nice enough store, but in some cases, their movies are full-screen versions. I find it impossible to take that store seriously now. Full-screen? Really?! Why not stock VHS while you're at it?

:: Friday night fun: turn down the lights, put some Pink Floyd on the stereo, and read a couple of Funky Winkerbean collections by candle-light. Make sure you have the suicide hotline on speed-dial, though.

:: So we're at a mini-golf place the other day, and Hole #18 is just a normal hole. That was really weird. At every mini-golf place I've ever been to, Hole #18 actually keeps your ball. This one doesn't. Weird.

:: I keep looking for recent (last 10 years or so) superhero comics that aren't mainly depressing tracts in which we delve into the existential issues of the hero of the title, and aside from the Joss Whedon run on X-Men, I'm not finding any. The latest? Spiderman: Reign. Decent enough story, but all through it I keep thinking that it's just The Dark Knight Spider Returns.

:: I didn't see a hard copy, so I don't know if it was an actual front-page story, but the other day, one of the top three stories on the Buffalo News website was an article on the pernicious menace of...goose poop. Seriously. Lots of Canadian Geese fly over us, either on the way to Canada or on the way out of it a few months from now, and it turns out that...geese poop. And that poop is a news story in the Buffalo paper. Hard to believe newspapers are in trouble these days.

:: I'm having a hell of a time finding ideal headphones for my cell phone. It uses a smaller headphone jack than normal headphones. I got a ten-buck adapter thing, but the adapter's not very robust, and it's already started that thing that headphone cords tend to do over time. I have a pair of earbuds that fit the phone, but the buds themselves don't seat reliably into my ear, or if they do, they un-seat themselves fairly quickly, robbing me of sound quality. This is an annoyance, since I put an 8GB card into my phone and want to use it as my main MP3 player.

:: Seen at The Store: mother pushing her shopping cart. It's one of those kid's carts where the front is shaped like a car or truck or something. Little boy reaches out and grabs the pursestring of a passing old lady, who grabs her purse back, sees that it's a little boy in a kid-cart, and starts laughing. Mother then comes forward, smacks the kid, and says -- I swear I am not making this up -- "I told you to stop doing that!" Never have I seen a child whose future was more certain.

:: Thing I'm tired of hearing about: "Man-caves".

:: A while back, The Wife had a flat tire on her way home from work, so she called me and I ventured out to help her. Of course she was stopped on the side of I-90 in Buffalo. Nice and busy. Of course the driver's side tire was the one. Of course the spare was rusted in place and I couldn't budge it. Long story short, we called a tow truck. Tow truck arrived. Driven by an enormous person who looked an awful lot like Robert from Hell's Kitchen, but with a very high-pitched voice. Long story short...we couldn't tell whether our tow-truck driver was a man or a woman. So the other night, we're driving to Kleinhans Music Hall, and there on the side of I-190 in downtown Buffalo is a tow truck, where the unfortunate vehicle is being trussed up by none other than our sexually-ambiguous friend from a few months ago.

:: If you're going to insist on talking on your cell phone while you're driving, might it not be a bit safer to hold it in the same hand as the ear you're holding the phone up to? As opposed to wrapping your right hand all the way around your head while you're trying to maintain 65MPH on an urban highway?

:: I find this defense of the phrase "I could care less" staggeringly unconvincing.

:: I swear, my interest in football drops a bit each year...and yet, every summer, I'm excited when all the "Pro Football Preview" magazines start coming out. I always buy three of 'em.

:: "Dad, my teacher says that if I want to bring in cupcakes, it has to be tomorrow." GAHHH!!!

:: Sign #785 that you may have jumped the shark as a person: you and a friend speculated on what a musical version of Schindler's List would be like, right down to the show-stopping dance number and the closing power ballad, "I Could Have Done More".

OK, that's probably enough pith for now. Don't worry, I won't be exorcizing my pith on a regular basis. I'd like to keep some of my readers!

Sunday Burst of Weird and AWESOME!

Weirdness and Awesome abound!

:: I have to assume that if the White Witch had seen this picture, she'd have approached her war with Aslan just a tad differently.

:: TV University. Thanks, Steph!

:: How to replicate the fries at McDonald's. Personally, I've never been all that wild about the fries at Mickey D's, but there you go.

More next week!

Dispatches

Sorry for the radio silence, but my father-in-law is in town visiting so we're doing more family stuff this weekend than spending time online. Regular posting will resume Monday (although I don't rule out the possibility of a stray post here and there). For now:

:: World Cup Soccer is starting! Let the snoring begin!! (I find soccer so staggeringly boring as a spectator sport that I'd almost rather watch golf. Or country line dancing. Or a John McCain appearance on a Sunday morning news show.)

:: I heart farmer's markets.

:: We've had no rain for almost thirty-six hours. I hope my plants don't die.

:: Stupidest thing I've read today: a person responding to the notion that maybe 16-year-olds shouldn't be trying to sail solo around the world by pointing out that teenagers fought and died in the Revolutionary War. Well, I'm convinced!

:: More to say in a post to come, but if Classical Mystery Tour comes to your neck of the woods, please go. We did, and it was an enormous blast.

That's about it for now. I may have a post or two up before Monday, but no promises! Enjoy your weekend, folks.

Piled high and deep

Check out this amazing infographic depicting the highest heights and lowest lows of our planet, from the outer reaches of the atmosphere all the way to the bottom of the deepest oceanic trench in the world. It's topical, too, including in its graphics the depth reached by the Deepwater Horizon well in the Gulf of Mexico. Just seeing graphically how far down they had to go -- and, by extension, how far down we're going to have to routinely go if we insist on oil as our main energy source -- really illustrates how non-trivial the problem in the Gulf happens to be.

Something for Thursday

Something a bit different for this week -- an entire episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. This is one of my favorite episodes. It's not one of the "famous" episodes, like "The Trouble with Tribbles" or "The Menagerie" or "The City on the Edge of Forever", but this one is one of the series's best episodes anyway, with its SFnal weirdness, a scary mystery that gives way to a gently beautiful love story. This is the kind of story that makes me wonder what various writers or creative folks in Hollywood are talking about when they imply that their work is better than SF because their stuff is about characters. Without terrific character writing, this wonderful episode just wouldn't work.

This episode features some outstanding acting by the leads, and some of the series's finest music. Here's "Metamorphosis".

Bird bird bird, bird is the word!

Bird bird bird, bird is the word!, originally uploaded by Jaquandor.

An appendix to my post yesterday about my book sale acquisitions: I didn't find anything really cool tucked into any of the books I bought, but I did like this little insignia on the copyright page of the five-of-six volume poetry set I got. Apparently Penguin isn't the only book company to have ever had some kind of bird as its logo. I thought this was cool: "Look for the WISE old bird!"

IOKIYAR

Let me get this straight: Republicans are allowed to swear like sailors when they feel the need, but if a Democratic President says the word "ass", well, let us retire to the fainting couch! Well, that makes a ton of sense. I'm convinced!

If you have a problem and no one else can help....

I just saw, over at MeFi, within a thread devoted to the new The A-Team movie, a checklist of things you should expect in an A-Team story. Here's the checklist:

A-Team checklist:

[_] Villagers menaced by goons
[_] Break Murdoch out of mental hospital
[_] I ain't getting on no plane
[_] Milk
[_] Shooting at feet with Ruger Mini 14
[_] Goons lock A-Team in shed full of parts for a tank that fires cabbages
[_] That shot of the van doing a jump where the hubcap falls off
[_] I love it when a plan comes together

Of course, this list isn't complete. Here's the complete list:

A-Team checklist:

(Items added by me in italics)

[_] Villagers menaced by goons
[_] One villager goes to look for the A-Team. Makes contact via a really odd-looking person in downtown LA that turns out to be Hannibal in disguise.
[_] "Looks like someone needs to teach (insert name of head goon here) a lesson. Sir/Ma'am, you've just hired the A-Team!"
[_] Break Murdoch out of mental hospital
[_] I ain't getting on no plane
[_] Murdock's obsession of the week -- maybe the sweat sock he is referring to as his pet rabbit
[_] I ain't goin' nowhere with this crazy fool
[_] Milk
[_] A-Team makes first visit to goons, kicks some arse. Except for Face, who always gets his arse kicked in the first act. A-Team's arse-kicking involves lots of firing of automatic weapons into air, with nothing getting hit except cars.
[_] Some filler stuff as A-Team gets to know the people they're helping a bit
[_] "Hannibal's on the jazz."
[_] OPTIONAL: Military police get a lead on the whereabouts of the A-Team
[_] Another encounter with the goons
[_] Goons figure out a way to get the upper hand
[_] Shooting at feet with Ruger Mini 14
[_] Goons lock A-Team in shed full of parts for a tank that fires cabbages or OPTIONAL: Just as goons make their big move against villagers, Military Police capture them and lock them someplace. Somehow the MPs never account for the fact that Murdock isn't with Hannibal, Face and BA, allowing him to mount a rescue.
[_] Final fight or OPTIONAL escape from MPs
[_] That shot of the van doing a jump where the hubcap falls off
[_] I love it when a plan comes together
[_] Final freeze-frame of somebody grinning

There you have it. All the elements you need for an A-Team story. Just fill in some names and there you go!

A Random Wednesday Conversation Starter

Oysters on the half-shell: tasty delicacy or booger-like nastiness?