October 27, 2005
Asimov on libraries
From Isaac Asimov's memoir:
Now, when I read constantly about the way in which library funds are being cut and cut, I can only think that the door is closing and that American society has found one more way to destroy itself.
27 Oct 21:50 | Link | Category: Libraries & Digital Information, Opinion & Thoughts
October 21, 2005
High Water Everywhere (well, not Everywhere)
Watch this Today Show clip of a correspondent reporting from the floods in New Jersey. It's the best TV moment I've seen in a long time.
21 Oct 21:39 | Link | Category: Humor
Camera Toss Photos
Set a long exposure, throw your camera in the air, and - if you don't drop the camera - you can end up with some really cool pictures. Check some out under the Flickr tag camera toss (now at over 1500 photos).
(via J-Walk)
21 Oct 21:24 | Link | Category: Photography
"Neanderthals" CG-animated feature
Apparently, actor/director Jon Favreau (Elf, Swingers) is now working on a CG-animated feature, Neanderthals, based on his original story.
Like every other Hollywood portrayal of Neanderthals (or even generic "cavemen"), it will probably portray them as stupid brutes. Even many people who know enough about Neanderthals to know roughly when & where they lived tend to assume they disappeared simply because they weren't as "smart" as humans. It's certainly much more complicated than that. But anyway... The popular notions of Neanderthals and "cave men" as humorously dim-witted is unfortunate.
Still, Favreau usually chooses good stuff to star in or direct, so maybe it won't be so bad. As John Hawks says, "I guess it has to be better than Spielberg's 'Neanderthal' would have been."
21 Oct 18:14 | Link | Category: Art & Entertainment, Human/Primate Evolution & Behavior
Current Playlist
Another month, another disjointed hour of listening...
| Mecury Rev - In A Funny Way >> |
| Elf Power - Let The Serpect Sleep >> |
| A.C. Newman - Drink To Me, Babe, Then >> |
| A.C. Newman - Miracle Drug >> |
| We Are Scientists - Inaction >> |
| The Walkmen - The Rat >> |
| The Mountain Goats - Oceanographer's Choice >> |
| General Elektriks - Parachute >> |
| General Elektriks - Take You Out Tonight >> |
| Bedouin Soundclash - When The Night Feels My Song >> |
| Bedouin Soundclash - Gyasi Went Home >> |
| Arcade Fire - Haiti >> |
| Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) >> |
| The Stills - Of Montreal >> |
| Youth Group - Baby Body >> |
| Youth Group - Lillian Lies >> |
| Pernice Brothers - Amazing Glow >> |
21 Oct 17:34 | Link | Category: Music
The Colbert Report: Grippy and Lincolnish
I've watched The Colbert Report twice now. It's not too bad... So far, the satire has been really on-the-mark and I've been enjoying it. I do think it might grow tired with time, but we'll see. The wonderful thing is that where I live, at least, The Colbert Report is on at the exact same time as The O'Reilly Factor. During commercials, I flip to Fox and watch a couple minutes of The Factor. It makes Colbert's impression of self-important blowhards all the more funny.
Tune in next week if you haven't seen it yet (and try to watch a bit of O'Reilly, Nancy Grace, Joe Scarborough, Sean Hannity, or any of the rest beforehand). Neil deGrasse Tyson is scheduled as a guest, which might be interesting.
21 Oct 16:01 | Link | Category: Art & Entertainment, Humor
October 14, 2005
... and the silence continues
I probably won't be posting anything here for another ten days or so. I'm working on three papers (one due next week, another the week after that), and those of you who know how I write papers know they tend to suck up lots of my time. I also have two midterms next week and some other smaller assignments and projects.
E-mails might sit in my inbox for a while, too, so don't be offended.
14 Oct 12:22 | Link | Category: Site/Life News
October 3, 2005
Daily Show clips online
A while back, I promised to let you know when Kurt Vonnegut's appearance on The Daily Show appeared online. So now I'm letting you know (somewhat belatedly) that it's available at Common Bits, along with a bevy of recent material (including most of "Evolution Schmevolution" week).
03 Oct 20:42 | Link | Category: Humor
Killer dolphins on the loose?
From The Observer, a rather odd Hurricane Katrina-related story/rumor. According to this article, armed dolphins trained by the U.S. military might be loose in the Gulf of Mexico:
Dolphins have been trained in attack-and-kill missions since the Cold War. The US Atlantic bottlenose dolphins have apparently been taught to shoot terrorists attacking military vessels. Their coastal compound was breached during the storm, sweeping them out to sea. But those who have studied the controversial use of dolphins in the US defence programme claim it is vital they are caught quickly.
Experts who have studied the US navy's cetacean training exercises claim the 36 mammals could be carrying 'toxic dart' guns. Divers and surfers risk attack, they claim, from a species considered to be among the planet's smartest. The US navy admits it has been training dolphins for military purposes, but has refused to confirm that any are missing.
Hmmm. (Where's Aquaman when you need him?)
(via John Hawks)
03 Oct 20:20 | Link | Category: Current Events, Misc. Tidbits
We're not scaremongering; this is really happening
A couple of news items to add to the pile of ice-is-melting articles:
- Arctic Ice Cap Shrank Sharply This Summer, Experts Say - "It also appears that the change is becoming self sustaining, with the increased open water absorbing solar energy that would be reflected back into space by bright white ice." ... "'Feedbacks in the system are starting to take hold,' Dr. Scambos said. 'The consecutive record-low extents make it pretty certain a long-term decline is underway.'"
- Report: Ice-free Arctic summers possible by 2100
03 Oct 18:49 | Link | Category: Current Events, Science
Photography Links
- Pierre Verger
- Photos from Chernobyl - Slow to load over slow connections, but worth it.
- Visions of Science - some amazing, beautiful photos (check this year's winners and winners from past years). Unfortunately the images on the site are small/lo-res.
- Astronomy Picture of the Day - I think I've mentioned this site before. I visit daily. Some of my favorite recent photos include Cat's Eye Nebula, Fresh Tiger Stripes on Enceladus, and Hyperion: A Moon with Odd Craters. They've been posting entries since 1995, which means there are thousands of photos & descriptions of this amazing universe we're part of.
03 Oct 18:22 | Link | Category: Photography, Science
Freeze-dry me when I die
Next year, a town in Sweden will start burying their dead using a new environmentally friendly method in which bodies are frozen, dipped in liquid nitrogen, and shattered into a powder. The powder is placed in a small box and buried in a shallow grave where it will disintegrate in 6-12 months. Sounds pretty cool to me. Read more from this Telegraph article.
(via J-Walk)
03 Oct 18:09 | Link | Category: Misc. Tidbits