December 30, 2003
Another Exciting FP Promotion
Today's Phrase that Pays™ is "Rimed with Frost"
Yeesh.
December 29, 2003
Intergalactic! Planetary!
Wow, how could I have lived this long without Kaiju Big Battel? All the best features of giant monsters and wrestling, hurrah!
Wandering in translation
At the Central Asian and Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network, we have what appears to be a plea for sanity in blocking of suspected-pornographic websites by an Uzbek ISP. It's interesting to see the same concerns raised in a former-Soviet republic as should be raised more frequently here. Also, the English is, well, challenging.
December 26, 2003
Size is an illusion, women's clothing size, doubly so
Holy sizing chart, Batman! Ursula and I were just discussing the fluid nature of women's clothing sizes through time, and here NIST has put together an exhibit on just this topic!
Flight Data
After listening to a This American Life show on Last Words, I picked up the book metioned in the show, The Black Box: All New Cockpit Voice Recorder Accounts of In-Flight Accidents. It is gripping human drama, perhaps too gripping to read near the holidays. I mentioned the book to Ursula, who told me about a web site (NTSB Aviation Accident Reports) with lots more of the same. I will have to pace myself. Each accident is like what a poem should be: capturing the essence of a moment and the feelings within it.
Putting the Saturn back in Saturnalia
For those who are tired of upstart religions co-opting a sacred event, some Solstice celebration tips.
December 22, 2003
To Go With Your Pirate Name?
Yes, Pirate Supplies. Yes, Dave Eggers. Yes, a student writing center.
Strangely, Twice as Funny as Top Ten
I sometimes regret posting about something before I've finished reading all the content, but 5ives deserves a spot in the FP pantheon for "They were all out of penises."
From BoingBoing, which really is a Directory of Wonderful Things. Have I mentioned there will be a new Bruce Sterling book? And Cory Doctorow seems to have excellent taste in culture and coolness. Both of those guys must be added to our list of People I Would Gladly Buy a Beer. And speaking of beer, how about some chips? Hooray!
Do you feel lucky, punk?
I've been wanting to do research into luck for a long time now, so I'm pleased that some wise guy (er, Prof Wiseman, I mean) has done it. It sounds like lucky people are less superstitious than I would have expected, and simply keep their eyes and minds open to opportunities. His results also indicate luck can be learned, if you can stand having a positive attitude all the time. Now I know I'll win the Lotto.
Oh, nothing
In yet another opportunity for our readers to compose their own cheap jokes, those rascally researchers have more news on the mental health effects on men and women of relationships and marriage (highlights: women do best to avoid entanglements altogether; but once entangled, are happier with a ring. Men do best when co-habiting. More failed relationships are worse for everybody. Women take longer than men to get over a break-up). As with all "women be different from men" results, I wonder about the assumptions (beyond the apparent assumption that everybody's straight). I suspect the actual study is more illuminating than popular press summaries.
December 21, 2003
Essence of Nerd
Sarah Vowell understands the deep and beautiful essence of the nerd:
"Being a nerd, which is to say going too far and caring too much about a subject, is the best way to make friends I know."
from "The Nerd Voice" in Partly Cloudy Patriot
December 19, 2003
Marriage Poll
The American Family Assn, an organization supporting religious political extremism, has a poll on one of its sites, asking people how they feel about gay marriage and/or civil unions. The URL is http://www.afa.net/petitions/marriagepoll.asp (not linked because I'd just as soon not show up in their referrer logs). As amusing as I find the notion of their promised report to Congress showing widespread support for extending the benefits of a state-sanctioned committed relationship, equal rights is not an issue that should be subject to popular opinion. Still, I voted (in favor of gay marriage), and I even used my real name.
December 18, 2003
Won't Crack Your Head (Unless You Are Very Creative)
Make your own motorcycle, from things you have around the house (paper).
This is not a urinal
In unsavory regional news, people are dumping their shit (and urine) on the side of the road. My favorite quote: "I don't know what the answer is. People are getting more out of control."
December 17, 2003
Futurama a Rama
Here are the rest of the matches we've found between Futurama posters and WPA posters. I (which is to say, Craig, editing Sarah's earlier post) am not wholly convinced about the "Unite" match, but it shares enough elements in common that I think it's the right one. I just wish it were more of a slam-dunk.
It's also a bummer there won't be any more dvd commentaries, so David X. Cohen can't mention us and make us famous.
Blog promo
From a friend of the Collective: Square Eyes, mostly movie reviews from a guy who sees a lot of movies (his slogan appears to be "I'm gonna watch it anyway. I'm sick like that. Why not let me tell you if it sucked?"). Rumor has it the blog will be moving away from TypePad at some point. The reviewer is more forgiving than I am (we've gone a number of rounds on how I shouldn't have expected Spider-Man to do anything other than sit on my chest and poke me in the eyes), but the reviews are entertaining even if his threshold for suckage is different from mine.
The Future was Then
Another match found between a Futurama sign
and a WPA Poster.
Our researchers continue their search...
December 16, 2003
Don't Get Grease in Your Hard Disk
I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm happy that geeks can consume more than Mountain Dew when chained to the computer.
Update: Turns out that I'm an April Fool. But I am pleased to live in a world where the reality and the parody of technology look so similar.
Audio for the Blind
Remember that episode of Seinfeld when George pretended to be blind to get his books read for him? You won't feel as guilty if you just listen to the archives of the Radio Information Service. Hear rank amateurs give it a go on some of the programs at the Alabama Print Information Center. Google has other listings as well.
And if you want to give back, you can do that, too. Check your local United Way for details.
I hate when hope returns
We here at FP are in scarce company in our dislike of the first Spider-Man movie. I was optimistic about the second one when I learned that Gough and Millar (of Smallville) were writing it. Then I saw Birds of Prey and subsequent seasons of Smallville, and I was no longer so optimistic. But now I've seen the trailer for SM2 (return of the restraints), and damn it if I'm not optimistic again..
Parody Shows the Essence of Rock
Catch The Darkness's video for "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" while you can (eventually it will become a clip with an ad on the end) and catch a glimpse of the soul of rock. Or should I say FUCKIN' ROCK!!!!!!!!! Their band bio mentions them opening for actual "serious" rock acts. If you were an arena rock staple, would you be brave enough to have The Darkness come on first?
December 11, 2003
Top Ten Again
Again, the incomparable Angie B. has issued her top tens for the year 2003.
Top Ten Teen Books for Teens:
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman
Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going
The Canning Season by Polly Horvath
Target by Kathleen Jeffrie Johnson
Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
East by Edith Pattou
The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett
33 Snowfish by Adam Rapp
Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
Top Ten Adult Books for Teens:
Wonder When You'll Miss Me by Amanda Davis
All My Life for Sale by John Freyer
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Across the Nightingale Floor and Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn
Burndive by Karin Lowachee
The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard
Fluke, or I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings by Christopher Moore
Brave Enemies by Robert Morgan
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Blankets by Craig Thompson
December 10, 2003
More Death in South
In a table strangely reminiscent of the infant mortality data, more people die in fires in the south. What the heck are they doing down there? Should Neil Young write another song?
December 09, 2003
Don't drink and cook
Had a bit too much to drink, and now you're a bit peckish? Don't leave that burner on too long. I'll have to ask my fireman co-workers if this ever happens in the states; it seems so unlikely, since we Americans don't cook.
More people need blogs
Instead of forwarding that joke to all your friends, do as The Collective does: post it on your blog.
The disadvantage of this is that you can check your blog's server logs and find out that almost nobody is reading your brilliant content. The advantage is that your friends might start actually reading the mail you send them.
FP does thank our loyal readership; we'd still be doing it just for us, but we're happy that a few other people out there find it worth their time to stop by once in a while.
December 08, 2003
And not a moment too soon
"Now, thanks to The Icelandic Phallological Museum, it is finally possible for individuals to undertake serious study into the field of phallology in an organized, scientific fashion."
Finally an end to my chaotic, unscientific phallological studies. Well, no; it will take more than a museum to end those.
December 06, 2003
Portland Eats
What's the most trustworthy source of reliable restaurant reviews that won't be terribly out of date or terribly snooty? Why, the local alternative press! Here's the Portland Mercury's selection of reviews and mini-reviews. Also, takeout!
December 05, 2003
Be sure not to read any of these
On 23 October 2002, Sarah found "A list of online books that are out of copyright- but not in the US or EU. Remember, while you could download these books, it would be wrong."
Propaganda
Sarah found this collection of propaganda posters on 12 September 2002. I can't remember if the link to cafépress was there before or not.
The paperback covers' state of undress, on the other hand, is scandalous
Sarah, 27 August 2002: "Lesbian paperback artwork from the 50s and 60s. Which is to say, not artwork for or by lesbians, if you know what I mean, and I think you do."
Only the chips are all-dressed
Sarah again, 29 August 2002: "Online Canadian food retailer. As in, they sell only Canadian food. Yes, they have all-dressed chips! Can someone please fund my all futuristic food online store?"
December 04, 2003
Windy Day Fun
It's been a really windy day today, so the power is out in a lot of neighborhoods. For safety's sake, stock up on glow in the dark shoes, or the kind with blinky lights in them. So practical and safety-concious!
December 03, 2003
Victorian Role-Playing
Here's a nifty little set of role-playing games set in the worlds of Victorian science fiction, and the stories of E. Nesbit! Also, a quite fab illustrated online Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)!
More travel goodness
I'm glad to run across this, from Sarah, 7 October 2002, since I can never remember the site: "For my pal with hugely long legs and the broadest of shoulders (all the better to bear the weight of the world): SeatGURU. They have seat space ratings for lots of airlines and airplanes."
They rate the seats by desirability according to various reasonable criteria, and show the location of power points, enabling me and my fellow traveller to watch Dr Who on my laptop all the way home during our last air trip.
Ad Beyond Classification
From an ad in the New York Daily Times, January 28, 1854:
"Caution to the Public -- Beware of Humbugs and false certificates in favor of quack nostrums, and remember that HOBENSACK'S WORM SYRUP is acknowledged by all to be the most safe an effectual remedy now in use for the removal of worms; and as that is now proven without a shadow of a doubt to be the cause of all disease, no time should be lost by those suffering from weak appetite, giddiness in the head, sickness and sourness of the stomach, in making use of this great remedy..."
Golly, if that's all it takes to end the epidemic of giddiness of the head! And it makes the second appearance of worm syrup in this publication.
Riding the rails
This seems to have been my first posting to the old blog, on 27 August 2002: "I love the train. Especially Trains that tilt. These are similar to, but different from, the Talgo 'pendular' trains used on Amtrak for the Seattle-Vancouver and -Portland runs. Hereabouts the tracks suck too bad for them to go anything like 125mph, to say nothing of 140."
Despite the sucky track, the Talgo makes the Portland run in substantially less time than the alternative (3.5 vs 4.5 parsecs) and the return leg on the alternative is always late. And the Talgo has business class, which everybody at my house will be taking not too many hours from now.
Limited-perspective news
From Sarah, 18 August 2002: "Another extremely narrow way to look at the news (one of my current interests), the corrections column of the New York Times."
My favorite part is it doesn't ask you who the hell you are before letting you see the corrections page.
Follow you, follow me
From Sarah, 22 August 2002: "When you learn a new thing, you see it everywhere. While looking for craft blogs, I found someone's links to a rec.arts.dance Lead and Follow FAQ. The snippet that was quoted in the blog reinforces my thought that I have much to learn."
Hand importing, or reruns
In an effort to make the old blog go away, or at least make myself stop checking to see if it's still there, I'm going to do more reruns from it.
On 18 July 2002, my esteemed co-blogger wrote: "How long will adflip last? They claim fair use on the basis of research for, of all things, goofy vintage ads you can send as ecards. A bit of a stretch. Download all the ads (1940 to today) you need for your own fair use before they get the inevitable cease and desist ecard."
And if somebody wanted to remind me tonight to check to see if my copy of the 1st edition AD&D Player's Handbook is a true first or merely a first printing, so I can price it according to this guide, I'd be grateful. How grateful, you may ask? Well, it turns out better judgment prevents my saying here; you'll just have to take your chances.
December 02, 2003
13 Treasures
The Thirteen Treasures of Britain are pretty cool, if excessively practical.
But Buffy's not a sidekick
Russell Davies says his new Doctor will have a "modern action heroine" for a sidekick. Which seems to me to miss the point of a sidekick. If your sidekick is too able to take care of herself, you end up requiring badder baddies to create any sense of peril (or you have to make her twist her ankle during the chase scene, or something), and your hero has to get commensurately more powerful, and you end up risking a ridiculous escalation.
I'll just hope the reporter is not accurately representing Mr Davies's intent.
Mysterious Literary Trends
Not one, but two fiction books on the subject of synesthesia came out this year, and both are written for teens. A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass and Mondays are Red by Nicola Morgan.
December 01, 2003
Retirement Options
A retirement community for homo- bi- and trans- sexual seniors is opening soon in Santa Fe, and people in Huntsville are thrilled!
But seriously, I'm looking forward to the broader choice in retirement and care options as the boomers get older, and I hope the horrible ones will be bankrupt by the time I'm ready to sign up.