Weirdness

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Bismarck On Wax

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/31/science/bismarcks-voice-among-restored-edison-recordings.html?_r=2

http://translate.google.de/translate?sl=de&tl=en&js=n&prev=_t&hl=de&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cylinder.de%2Fdeeplink_resource_bismarck.html&act=url



Pretty neat!

(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

Happy Birthday John Lydon!

http://www.johnlydon.com/jlhome.html

Happy Birthday Alan Lomax!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Lomax

Happy Birthday Suzanne Pleshette!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0687189/

Monday, January 30, 2012

A nice interview with Southside Johnny

http://www.therecord.com/whatson/artsentertainment/article/663089--southside-johnny-dishes-on-the-boss

The sloshing galaxy cluster

http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/news-releases/2012/scientists-see-sloshing-galaxy-cluster

Sounds charming!

(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

The Hunger....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9044599/Toddler-chews-head-off-snake.html#.TyaV1V5tiso.email

(Thanks for the link, Linda!)

Anniversary of the Beatles' Last Performance

http://www.beatlesbible.com/1969/01/30/the-beatles-rooftop-concert-apple-building/

Happy Birthday Steve Marriott!

http://www.humble-pie.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Marriott

Happy Birthday Marty Balin!

http://martybalin.net/

Happy Calves Head Day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calves%27_Head_Club

Happy National Crossaint Day!

Yum!

Happy National Seed Swap Day!

http://www.bloggersunite.org/event/national-seed-swap-day

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Traffic..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFYtGAzqQ2I&feature=related

This past week's drives have been one long combination of red lights, traffic jams, and bullshit. I am reminded of one of my fave movies, Vanishing Point. Kowalski - Now, more than Ever...

Win A Colonoscopy With Ozzy!

http://promotions.mardenkane.com/cbs/cbscares12/

We live in a great country.

Martyr

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2012/01/29/pub-landlord-suspended-for-serving-pints-too-full-of-beer-115875-23724558/

I can only imagine how much free time the millionaires who own the brewery have on their hands in order to go out measuring beer heads. Must be nice.

Steampunk Emporium

http://www.steampunkemporium.com/steam.php

So cool...

An attempt to contact Poe on March 3rd & 4th

http://www.poebicentennial.com/events.html

Happy Birthday to The Raven!

Poe published it on this date in 1845. A Classic.

http://www.heise.de/ix/raven/Literature/Lore/TheRaven.html

Happy Birthday to The Muppet Show!

Premiered on this date in 1976. Brilliant. Essential.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074028/

Happy Birthday W.C. Fields!

http://www.wcfields.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001211/

Happy Birthday Lighthorse Henry Lee!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Lee_III

Happy Birthday Thomas Paine!

One of my heroes. A Patriot.

http://tpnha.keybrick.net/

http://www.ushistory.org/paine/

Happy National Corn Chip Day!

Yum!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Legos In Space!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/weirdnewsvideo/9039936/Lego-man-sent-to-space.html

An amazing war story - and a nice recruiting poster for the Marines!

http://www.militarytimes.com/blogs/broadside/2008/04/30/gunnery-sgt-michael-burghardt/

(Thanks for the link, Brian!)

Happy Birthday Sarah McLachlan!

http://www.sarahmclachlan.com/

Happy National Kazoo Day!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Politics

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/888399-porn-stars-set-for-pole-dancing-battle-to-be-mayor-of-italian-town-taranto

WMD

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/888499-unidentified-haggis-causes-security-meltdown-in-scottish-railway-station

Lovely Rita, Meter Maid...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/bonn-germany-sex-meter-prostitution_n_1224901.html

More news on crows' intelligence

http://www.pri.org/stories/science/environment/video-clever-crows-show-remarkable-ability-to-use-tools-to-improve-their-lives-8095.html

A Python Reunion???

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/monty-python-stars-reuniting-absolutely-anything-210743599.html

Happy Thomas Crapper Day!

http://blog.holidays.net/index.php/2009/01/27/january-27-today-were-celebrating-thomas-crapper-day/

Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day

http://www.ushmm.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Holocaust_Remembrance_Day

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Happy Birthday Babylon 5!

Premiered on this date in 1994.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105946/

http://www.midwinter.com/lurk/

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Butterfingers!

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=681&sid=2721924

Of course, the Bee Gees were ahead of the curve on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPuIoVOEx1I

The Virtual Haircut

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IXm6SuUigI

Cute!

(Thanks for the link, Mike!)

Relieving the rich of their money...

http://www.canada.com/news/cognac+infused+sale+streets+Vancouver/6043865/story.html

What a waste of cognac...

Anniversary of the Battle of Mengo of 1892

One of my fave battles. It was between Roman Catholic and British Protestant missionaries to see who could bring the sweet love of Jesus to the natives of Uganda. I believe this battle saw the first use of the modern machine gun by one white guy against another. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition, indeed...

Happy Birthday Blair Witch Project!

Premiered on this date in 1999.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0185937/

Happy Birthday M*A*S*H! ((the film))

Premiered on this date in 1970.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066026/

Happy National Irish Coffee Day!

Yum!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Personal 3D Printing

http://www.makerbot.com/blog/2012/01/09/introducing-the-makerbot-replicator/

This is one of those technologies, that I suspect has the potential to be even more revolutionary than the marketeers are claiming.


(Thanks for the link, Mike!)

DNA used in military logistics

http://www.dla.mil/dla_media_center/Pages/newsarticle201201230100.aspx

This is a pretty interesting use of technology, actually.


(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

Happy Birthday Benjamin Lincoln!

http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/people_benjaminlincoln.html

A Patriot.

Happy Birthday Warren Zevon!

http://zevonaticism.tripod.com/

Happy Birthday Neil Daimond!

http://www.neildiamond.com/home

Happy Birthday John Belushi!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000004/

Happy Paul Pitcher Day!

http://books.google.com/books?id=K-4gAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA485&lpg=PA485&dq=paul+pitcher+day&source=bl&ots=CvO4zsje_F&sig=hRmgAIT-YkVDxERP9FP288zPS7Q&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wvwaT9KZK-G_0AHmuZW-Cw&sqi=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=paul%20pitcher%20day&f=false

Happy Eskimo Pie Patent Day!

http://www.theultimateholidaysite.com/holidays/2012-1/#!national-eskimo-pie-patent-day

Yum!

Monday, January 23, 2012

RIP Dick "Robot" Tufeld

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/lost-space-robot-dick-tufeld-dead

(Thanks for the 'heads up' on this, Phil!)

The Blind Spot

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/video-optical-illusion-wins-head-191105551.html

A neat physiological illusion.

(Thanks for the link, Mike!)

THIRD!?! We're Only Third?!?

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=109&sid=2716871

Fuck that shit. C'mon folks - we gotta try harder!!! Let's see some Hometown Spirit!

Happy Birthday Phantom Danny Federici!

http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index_danny.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Federici

http://www.dannyfund.org/about/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLYAEoFY0ZA

Happy Birthday Leadbelly!

http://www.leadbelly.org/

Genius.  Essential.  An American Treasure.

Happy National Pie Day!

Yum!

Happy Chinese New Year!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Ha!

http://www.happyplace.com/13641/new-ipad-typewriter-accessory-for-hipsters-and-angela-lansbury

I don't care what these tech drones say - this is sooo me!

Nice article on the end of the Poe Toaster

http://www.examiner.com/museum-in-baltimore/the-no-show-toaster

RIP Bob Weston of (early) Fleetwood Mac

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/293830/293830

new film about the Philippine Scouts of WWII

http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2012/01/forgotten_soldiers_tells_the_s.html

Long overdue. About a still little-studied part of the War.

How to get the most out of Google

http://9gag.com/gag/1836348

This is great stuff! Might be old news to many of you, but I learned some good tricks for research. Very cool!

(Thanks for the link, Infidel753!)

Happy Birthday Sam Cooke!

http://www.legacy.com/ns/news-story.aspx?t=sam-cooke--king-of-soul&id=228

Happy Birthday Linda Blair!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000304/

Happy Birthday Robert E. Howard!

http://www.conan.com/invboard/index.php?act=idx

http://howardworks.com/howard.htm

http://www.rehupa.com/

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Bela Lugosi tribute coming up on TCM tomorrow

http://www.examiner.com/classic-movies-in-green-bay/sunday-jan-22nd-3-film-tribute-to-bela-lugosi-will-air-on-tcm

Cthulhu Tentacles!

http://www.mcphee.com/shop/products/Cthulhu-Tentacles.html

Neat-o! There are several other Cthulhu-oriented products on this page, as well.

A gift idea for that special someone in your life

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/gear/e89c/

The Annoy-a-tron

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/8c52/

The 9 Most Upsetting Characters From MST3000 Movies

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2012/01/the_9_most_upsetting_characters_from_mst3k_movies.php

A solid lineup. With good ol' Torgo coming in at #1!

Puppy Bowl VIII Lineup Announced!

I'm a total sucker for this thing.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/puppy-bowl/starting-lineup/starting-lineup.html

Shatner's Exit

http://thedrum.co.uk/news/2012/01/20/star-trek-captain-goes-out-blaze-glory-still-selling-hotel-rooms

Brilliant!!!

Settlers of Klingon

http://www.geekosystem.com/star-trek-settlers-of-catan/

I love the photo, here.

Happy Birthday Alferd Packer - Mr. Hamburger Helper!

http://museumtrail.org/alferdpacker.asp

Happy Birthday Wolfman Jack!

http://www.wolfmanjack.org/

Happy Birthday Edwin Starr!

http://www.edwinstarr.info/

Happy Birthday Richie Havens!

http://www.richiehavens.com/official_site/home.html

Happy National New England Clam Chowder Day!

Yum!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Some tunes

It's been a little while since I concentrated on some music videos.  Here are a few neat ones:

The Stranglers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNGdkR7lVSs

The Dukes of Stratosphear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6asb8T6KoPA

Ferron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnvjH8dUrhU

Black 47: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GViXO8bZDz8

The Beat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cEvEUKN4Fw

The Mood Six: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyl0_MgB808

The Times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N5ggorA4m0&feature=related

Easterhouse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkmPVAdgj9A

Patti Scialfa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wehJe2aLVU

Lick The Tins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvHXKN8r66M

Another example of how complicated geopolitics can get

http://www.topsecretwriters.com/2012/01/unit-731-a-u-s-cover-up-of-cruelty/

If anything, the article grossly understates what an inhuman monster that ishi and his masters were.  Unit 731 may be the single most atrocity-laden group of criminals in a war that was chock full of them.  Even a brief brush with their history will demonstrate why no Chinese government will ever cozy up to Japan.
Of course, after the war, we were scared shitless of the Soviets, and not without abundant reason. And when you're in such a state, you do anything that you imagine might help.  We did so in Europe, where we allowed a whole bunch of nazis to escape the noose because they claimed to have vast intelligence networks at their beck and call in the USSR and Eastern Europe.  This was a complete lie, (lying nazis - imagine that!), and I can find NO evidence that any old SS goon helped this country in ANY way in discerning Soviet secrets. 
Well, our boy ishi is in the same class.  The article states that he was a "talented medical researcher", but  I've read histories that his so-called research was garbage - anecdotal reports without any serious effort to quantify what was done, etc.  Basically, a middle schooler trying to imitate a real scientist.  Yes, his unit did have some moderate success in infecting regions of China at various times, but their methodology was sloppy and impossible to judge/reproduce.  The guy was great at killing people, especially his 'lab-rat' victims, but not at providing documentation for how to advance.  In other words - one more worthless monster whom we hired on while in a panic. 
Just one more example of how morality becomes very grey indeed when dealing with geopolitics. 

Great moments in astronaut research

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2087356/Astronauts-flatulence-create-flammable-gas-spacecraft.html

Go - Packers!!!

http://deadspin.com/5876848/stop-whatever-youre-doing-and-watch-this-sad-drunk-lady-cry-about-the-packers-loss

(Thanks for the link, Ed!)

Interesting article on The Doors and the 41st anniversary of LA Woman (it was released in '71...)

http://www.laweekly.com/2012-01-19/music/the-doors-la-woman-40th-anniversary/

A new sword & sorcery anthology to be released

http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2012/01/toc-the-sword-sorcery-anthology-edited-by-david-g-hartwell-and-jacob-weisman/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Sfsignal+%28SFSignal%29

Looks pretty good, actually.  Some minor classics, here.

RIP Etta James

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20457889,00.html

Napoleonland!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9027394/France-plans-Napoleonland.html

Fantastic!  I, for one, can think of no better definition of family fun than skiing through a reenactment of the corpse-littered landscape of the French retreat from Moscow! 

(Thanks for the link, Chris!)

Happy Birthday to One Step Beyond!

Premiered on this date in 1959.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052442/

Happy Birthday DeForest Kelley!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001420/

Happy Birthday George Burns!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0122675/

Happy Birthday Robert Morris!

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/morris_r.htm

Happy Birthday to Meet The Beatles!

Released on this date in 1964.

http://classicrock.about.com/od/beatles/ig/Beatles-Discography/meetthebeatles.htm

Happy National Cheese Lovers Day!

Yum!

http://cheesetique.com/

Thursday, January 19, 2012

No "official" Poe Toaster

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/poe-fans-call-an-end-to-tradition-after-mystery-visitor-fails-to-visit-grave-for-3rd-year/2012/01/19/gIQAwvEEAQ_story.html

As I've written before, this wasn't quite the mystery it's made out to be.  It's still a nice story. 

Bruce News - the new album, single and video

http://www.backstreets.com/news.html#heckofajob

Cthulhu (and many other) Fezzes!

http://www.fez-o-rama.com/

Headline of the Day

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/tampon-used-for-arson-985412

Happy Birthday Richard Lester!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0504513/

Happy Birthday Dewey Bunnell!

http://www.venturahighway.com/

Happy Birthday Phil Everly!

http://www.everly.net/

Happy Birthday Janis!

http://janisjoplin.com/

http://www.janisjoplin.net/

Happy Birthday Edgar Allan Poe!

http://www.poemuseum.org/index.php

http://www.online-literature.com/poe/

http://www.eapoe.org/

Happy National Popcorn Day!

Yum!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A ncie remembrance of Big Daddy Roth by his son

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-big-daddy-20111227,0,4747407.story

This guy was a major influence on my life...

Spider silk body armor?

http://news.discovery.com/tech/body-armor-spider-silk-121015.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

Hmmm, I suspect there's less to this than the press release states...

Headline of the Day

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20120015220910data_trunc_sys.shtml

An oozing planet - discovered!

http://news.discovery.com/space/say-hello-to-the-oozing-exoplanet-120114.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

Anyone who thinks this is the first oozing planet discovered was never up at 14th and T Streets in the 70's...

Sequence Your Own Genome!

http://news.discovery.com/tech/sequence-your-genes-for-under-1000-120114.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1

Fascinating...

Alert Leo G. Carroll!

http://www.blameitonthevoices.com/2012/01/giant-spider-attack-at-nasa.html


(Give yourself ten bonus points in pop culture if you get this reference!)

The advantages of books

http://www.blameitonthevoices.com/2012/01/advantages-of-books.html


Bravo!

Black-Eyed Children

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/01/smiles-of-the-dangerous-children/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=smiles-of-the-dangerous-children

Am always interested in these stories, as there seems to be a fair number of them running around the Fortean landscape these days.  To me, there's some resemblance to the folklore regarding fairies, etc.

An old Boris Karloff TV series rediscovered!

http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2012/01/richard-f-found-this-old-boris-karloff.html

Neat-O!

We're talkin' Oscars, here....

http://io9.com/5877008/behold-maybe-the-only-fdr-versus-werewolves-film-in-history

Love Wars

http://io9.com/5876196/in-love-wars-gay-stormtroopers-chafe-under-dont-ask-dont-tell

Well done!  A nice take on Star Wars...

The Rube Goldberg method of reading a newspaper

http://io9.com/5876185/rube-goldberg-machine-is-the-worlds-most-complicated-page+turning-device

Brilliant!

Lazy Jedi

http://io9.com/5876078/lazy-jedi-uses-his-force-powers-for-sloth

The cutting edge of Facebook apps

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/technology/app-if-i-die-lets-messages-on-facebook-when-youre-dead/story-fn84giwp-1226245565683

Japan's cheeky new ID technology

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/bums-word-japan-security-scans-080206635.html

Protect The Internet

http://www.mozilla.org/sopa/

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

Happy Birthday Robert Anton Wilson!

http://rawilson.com/

Happy Birthday David Ruffin!

http://www.soulwalking.co.uk/david%20ruffin.html

Happy Birthday Cary Grant!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000026/

Happy Thesaurus Day!

http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/thesaurusday.htm

Happy Pooh Day!

http://www.just-pooh.com/pooh-news.html?id=175

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The last vigil for the Poe Taster...

http://www.abc2news.com/dpp/news/region/baltimore_city/poe-fans-plan-last-vigil-for-mystery-visitor

Actually, it turns out that this situation has been somewhat exaggerated.  It turns out that the Poe Taster, both the original and the replacement, were known to the curator.  He, in turn, could then declare whether the Taster had arrived, or if it were one of many 'imitators', (I'm not quite sure what the word means when we're just talking about leaving an offering at a grave - what's the difference between an 'original' and someone else, really?).  At any rate, it's a good story, and adds a little romance to Poe's rep.  And it seems to be at an end.  Nevermore....

My next chair....

http://www.geeksaresexy.net/2012/01/17/a-throne-fit-for-a-supervillain-pic/

RIP Jimmy Castor

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/soul-bandleader-jimmy-castor-dies-20120117

FINALLY, someone has come up with a mission for the Dutch Air Force!

http://www.military.com/news/article/dutch-use-f16s-to-pursue-criminal-suspect.html?comp=700001075741&rank=9

The most inspiring, upbeat, affirming song that you won't be able to play at work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5U-YT-mRmI

Happy Birthday Jim Carrey!

http://www.jimcarrey.com/

Happy Birthday Benjamin Franklin!

http://www.fi.edu/franklin/

http://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/

Happy National Kid Inventors Day!

http://www.kidinventorsday.com/

Monday, January 16, 2012

The MacKenzie Poltergeist

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/column.php?id=220743

An intriguing tale...

Dr. Kaku predicts the future

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/quantum-leap-438736.html

I'm always slightly interested in this stuff, but also slightly cynical, as the predictor I find is usually quite ignorant on matters of politics, class, economics, and geopolitics, and rarely factors them into the supposedly glorious future awaiting us.

Happy Birthday John Carpenter!

http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000118/

Happy International Hot & Spicy Food Day!

Yum!

https://thewrath.com/

Happy National Nothing Day!

http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/nothingday.htm

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Gas Mask Island

http://io9.com/5876235/on-one-japanese-island-everyone-always-carries-a-gas-mask

Dickens, Poe, and Grip the Raven

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/charles-dickens-bicentennial-and-his-link-to-poe/2012/01/03/gIQA8VwdwP_story.html

Neat story!

Old record store clerks live on forever...

http://www.andvinyly.com/

Star Trek Door Chime

http://gizmodo.com/5876098/star-trek-door-chime-turns-every-room-into-the-enterprises-bridge

How to start a Tiger tank

http://grognews.blogspot.com/2012/01/how-to-start-tiger-tank.html

A little bit of military history, there. It's interesting to note that that particular piece of hardware was so effective. You're looking at something that was essentially late 1943 technology, yet it still had battlefield capabilities that would have taken it into circa 1970. It took over 25 years for the next real generation of tanks to come online.


(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

Playmobil Joy Division

http://www.theatlantic.com/video/archive/2012/01/playmobil-joy-division-plays-transmission/250875/

Happy Birthday Vanishing Point!

One of my fave movies. Premiered on this date in 1971. The film that taught me how to drive...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067927/

Happy National Strawberry Ice Cream Day!

Yum!

Happy Birthday Chuck Berry!

http://www.chuckberry.com/

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King, Jr.!

http://www.thekingcenter.org/

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

Saturday, January 14, 2012

A little bit of news about the Star Trek sequel

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2012/01/13/star-trek-sequel-a-cosmic-cast-reunion-on-the-sony-lot/

Wine Consumption - We're #1!

http://www.plushasia.com/article/15646

Composting

http://www.deadseriousnews.com/?p=1415

Lovecraft's Whisperer In Darkness now out on DVD!

http://www.cthulhulives.org/store/storeDetailPages/whisperer-dvd.html

Neat-O!

RIP parapsychologist William Roll

http://rhineonline.blogspot.com/2012/01/william-roll.html

How Shakespearean Are You?

http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/08/how-shakespearean-are-you/

Does your horse suffer from low self esteem?

http://www.customtails.com/index.cfm

I continue to be impressed by folks who come up wit new ways to get cash out of stupid rich people.

Crime of the Day

http://www.themorningstarr.co.uk/2012/01/10/pervert-arrested-for-pleasuring-himself-with-a-puppy/

Of course, Donny Osmond was way ahead of the curve: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYDgjY7_jW8

UFO over Southwest Virginia?

http://www.examiner.com/ufo-in-national/silent-triangle-reported-moving-over-jonesville-virginia

Crash Test Dummies at Roswell?

http://desertdarkness.blogspot.com/2012/01/crash-test-dummies-at-roswell.html

An interesting theory...

When appliances argue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BoU6LkfxUtI

I continue to be a big fan of machines and a huge critic of all of the efforts to make them talk and look like us. I refuse to get in a conversation with a toaster, and gods help any GPS that I'm forced to purchase with a car - the thing is going out the window the first time it starts to order me around. I don't care how many psychology quacks lie about it, I am not fooled by appliances into "interacting" or performing tasks "better".

More wuss America

http://nobodysbusinessblog.com/2012/01/04/illinois-battles-drain-cleaner/

I'm surprised we aren't all wearing diapers, we're such big babies....

Ten Strange Brain Disorders

http://io9.com/5874229/10-incredibly-strange-brain-disorders?tag=daily10

I would say that #1 is a leading and inherent part of American culture, centered in most TV shows, upper and middle level business management, the vast majority of political pundits and reporters, and anything involving marketing and advertising. By saying this, I am demonstrating that I suffer from #5.

The DC Butt Slasher is arrested (maybe)

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=149&sid=2706261

Alien Brothel! Alert Captain Kirk!

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/01/sci-fi-brothel-to-open-in-nevada/

Wuss Texas

http://boingboing.net/2012/01/10/texas-schoolchildren-get-crimi.html

Thanks the gods that we are FINALLY confronting the menace of paper airplanes!

A nice article about the film, Nosferatu

http://thevaultofhorror.blogspot.com/2012/01/nosferatu-at-90-still-greatest-vampire.html

UFO in Laurel, Maryland?

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread796188/pg1

Nice article detailing the Dyatlov Pass mystery

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2012/01/mountain-of-the-dead-the-dyatlov-pass-incident/

This has been kicking around Fortean circles for a few years, now.

Alexander Graham Bell recordings retrieved

http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/viewnews.php?id=220063

Pretty neat!

RIP Tom Ardolino

www.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/arts/music/tom-ardolino-56-longtime-drummer-for-nrbq-dies.html

A new website for the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society

http://www.pabigfootsociety.com/

For all of you Fortean crypto-zoologists out there.

Dave mathews has a winery

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/the-wine-worlds-no1-rock-star

Interesting, I've heard of Blenheim, but never have tried it that I can remember.

Death, Where Is Thy Sting?

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-57357494-503543/report-man-drowns-self-in-whiskey-making-vat/

I don't care if it is fake...

http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/suicide.asp

Tee hee!

New book on Lee Coyne Brown!

http://www.centipedepress.com/art/leebrowncoye.html

Unfortunately, it's already sold out. A great illustrator of the macabre.

A neat article/interview with Tim Burton on his upcoming projects!

http://collider.com/tim-burton-dark-shadows-frankenweenie-beetlejuice-sequel/137617/

Anniversary of the death of Glenn Brenner

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=54540261

http://www.extremeskins.com/archive/index.php/t-119031.html

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/2010/01/25/brett-haber-honors-glenn-brenner-and-the-good-old-days-of-dc-sportscasting/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEVQMqc-t2s





A local DC legend.  The only reason I'd ever watch a show about pro sports.  One of the few media celebrities that I've ever felt emotionally touched when he died, as if I'd lost a friend. 

Happy Mallard Day!

http://www.rightreading.com/daybook_pages/january-2.htm

Happy Cakes & Ale Day!

http://www.web-holidays.com/calendar/01/14_1.htm

Happy Ratification Day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratification_Day_%28United_States%29

Friday, January 13, 2012

An interview for Friday the 13th

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09yOZsZuxMY&feature=youtu.be

That's icing on the cake!

http://www.happyplace.com/12083/absurdly-inappropriate-cake-inscriptions/page/1

(Thanks for the link, Audrey!)

RIP Denise Jordan Kundler

http://terrordaves.com/2012/01/12/horror-host-weekend-report-friday-the-13th-edition/

Happy Friday the 13th!

Happy Birthday Clark Ashton Smith!

http://www.eldritchdark.com/

One of my all-time fave writers, and one of the best fantasy writers of all time.  The Emperor of Dreams...

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Cthulhu Meets Rat Fink!

http://www.teefury.com/?ref=6a50e7b603ede93e355696badcf4b2c3

Now, that's my kind of Harmonic Convergence!

Honesty Logos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hertzen/sets/72157626308238830/

Tee hee!


(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

The Ultimate Sale!

http://gawker.com/5875479/mortified-japanese-department-store-cleans-up-fuckin-sale


(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

Happy Birthday John Hancock!

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/hancock.htm

Happy Feast of the Fabulous Wild Men!

http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/wildmen.htm

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Trouble In Twinkieland!

http://gawker.com/5875123/hostess-bankrupt-ding-dongs-in-peril


(Thanks for the link and title, Mathew!)

Happy Birthday to The Night Stalker!

Great horror movie.  Premiered on this date in '72.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067490/

Happy Birthday Big Man!

http://www.clarenceclemons.com/

Happy Birthday Alexander Hamilton!

http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/burr/hamiltonbio.htm

Happy Burning the Clavie Day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_the_Clavie

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Neat article on the the Stuxnet cyber attack

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htiw/articles/20120110.aspx


(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

Happy Birthday Metropolis!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/

Premiered on this date in 1927.  Brilliant.

Happy Birthday Jim Croce!

http://www.jimcroce.com/

Happy Birthday Rod Stewart!

http://www.rodstewart.com/us/home

Happy Birthday Pat Benatar!

http://www.benatar.com/

Happy Birthday Ethan Allen!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen

Happy Birthday to Common Sense!

Published on this date in 1776.  Perhaps the most important book in American history, written by one of my favorite Patriots.
http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/

Happy Peculiar People Day!

http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/peculiarpeople.htm

Monday, January 09, 2012

Snow...

This morning, our local weathermorons were adamant - temperatures would be in the upper 40's or even 50 degrees, with only a 20% chance of light scattered showers. Incompetent asses, one and all.  Instead, we got several hours of sleet. It is the type of storm that DC specializes in: large, wet, droopy flakes, heavily covering everything, making the less travelled roads quite slick, and creating traffic jams and accidents at every choke point in the metropolis. Rush hour here is hellish, as I write this, and makes Napoleon's retreat from Moscow look like a picnic on the beach. Tonight, everything will freeze solid into mini-glaciers of black ice.  Local hospitals might as well start ordering mountains of back braces, artificial hips, and crutches for the casualties tomorrow morning.  It's a Winter Wonderland In DC!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h81Ojd3d2rY

A blog devoted to exploring the Lincoln Highway

http://mylincolnhighway.com/

Neat!

Happy National Static Electricity Day!

Happy Birthday Lee Van Cleef!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001812/

Happy Birthday Bob Denver!

http://www.bobdenver.com/

Happy Birthday David Johansen!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Johansen

Happy Birthday Joan Baez!

http://www.joanbaez.com/

Happy Birthday Jimmy Page!

http://www.jimmypage.com/

Happy Plough Monday!

http://www.ploughmonday.co.uk/

Sunday, January 08, 2012

The Air Car

http://www.caradvice.com.au/141944/tata-motors-mini-cat-air-car-to-debut-in-2012/

This looks/sounds neat!

(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

Raiders of the Lost Ark - The Origins

http://io9.com/5872421/the-opening-scene-of-raiders-of-the-lost-ark-recreated-using-old-adventure-movies?tag=indianajones

This...Is....So....Cool!

Happy Birthday S.L. MacGregor Mathers!

http://www.kheper.net/topics/Hermeticism/Mathers.html

Happy Birthday David Bowie!

http://www.davidbowie.com/

Happy Birthday Robby Krieger!

http://www.robbykrieger.com/

Happy Birthday Little Anthony!

http://www.littleanthonyandtheimperials.net/

Happy Birthday Graham Chapman!

http://pythonline.com/meet/chapman

Happy Birthday Elvis!

http://www.elvis.com/

Saturday, January 07, 2012

Headline of the Day!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/06/beezow-doo-doo-zopittybop_n_1190410.html


(Thanks for the link, Katie!)

A neat blog devoted to Weird Tales magazine

http://tellersofweirdtales.blogspot.com/

Wuss America

http://nobodysbusinessblog.com/2012/01/05/a-hard-line-against-a-soft-drink/

Hamster Submarine

http://io9.com/5873971/hamster+power-submarine-is-the-future-of-underwater-rodent-travel

For some reason, this strikes me as the coolest thing I've seen in ages.

Moon Swearing

http://io9.com/5873762/how-nasa-kept-astronauts-from-swearing-on-the-moon

RIP to the Old Town Theater

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-state-of-nova/post/alexandrias-old-town-theater-closing-this-weekend/2012/01/05/gIQAfvQ2cP_blog.html

Nice article on bubblegum music

http://www.goldminemag.com/article/relive-the-glory-days-of-bubblegum-pop-in-the-60s-and-70s

'Avoid Ghetto' GPS

http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2012/01/06/microsoft-patents-avoid-ghetto-feature-for-gps-devices/

I would like some additional enhancements: Avoid wimpy Volvo drivers & Avoid Baileys Crossroads...

Goths Up Trees

http://gothsuptrees.net/

That's all!

The Frankenstein Ant

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/8996395/Frankenstein-ants-created-by-scientists.html

Why do I feel the sudden urge to start screaming THEM! THEM!

Meow Mix - The Cutting Edge

http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16142111

The Ice City of China

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/8989682/City-carved-out-of-ice-in-China.html

Tony Addresses!

http://www.strangehistory.net/2012/01/07/accidentally-obscene/

I, for one, will always regret never having a mailing address of Nether Shitlington.

Death camp marketing..

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/ad-campaign-dubai-gym-image-nazi-death-camp-auschwitz-promote-weight-loss-article-1.1001754

Obviously, it is impossible to predict how low some people will go to make a buck. It is interesting to note the neo-nazi owner then bragging about how successful his little scheme has been.

Is tawdrization a word?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/03/cheaters-tv-show-opens-online-spy-shop_n_1173295.html

If not, I'm creating it now...

The Politician

http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/weird/former-prime-minister-bob-hawke-thrills-scg-cricket-crowd-skolling-a-beer/story-e6frep26-1226238455269

For Betty Boop fans

http://www.fleischerstudios.com/index.php

Happy St. Distaff's Day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distaff_Day

Happy Birthday to The Avengers!

One of my all-time fave TV shows.  Debuted (in the UK) on this date in 1961.

http://theavengers.tv/forever/

Happy Birthday Charles Addams!

http://www.charlesaddams.com/

Friday, January 06, 2012

The Art Critic

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/886614-woman-scratched-punched-and-rubbed-bare-behind-on-30m-painting

(Thanks for the link & title, Mathew!)

Happy Birthday Syd Barrett!

http://www.sydbarrett.com/

Happy Birthday Rowan Atkinson!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000100/

Happy Birthday Gustave Dore!

http://dore.artpassions.net/

Happy Birthday Sherlock Holmes!

Born on this date in 1854.

http://www.sherlockian.net/

Happy National Bean Day!

Yum!

http://www.anasazibeans.com/

Thursday, January 05, 2012

RIP Keith Little - Code Talker

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/longtime-navajo-code-talkers-1289399.html

Time Claoking

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/time-cloak-hid-event-in-experiment-physicists-say/2012/01/04/gIQA5rtwaP_story.html

Very strange.

Happy Birthday to Greetings From Asbury Park!

One of my all-time fave albums.  A part of my DNA.  Released on this date in '73. 

http://www.brucespringsteen.net/albums/greetings.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greetings_from_Asbury_Park,_N.J.

Happy Twelfth Night!

Happy Birthday Stephen Decatur!

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-d/s-decatr.htm

Happy Birthday Robert Duvall!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000380/

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Zombified Bees!

http://news.yahoo.com/zombie-fly-parasite-killing-honeybees-230200867.html

Interesting.  But I prefer my zombified beings to eat brains...


(Thanks for the link, Moana!)

Microbe-powered space exploration

http://www.nrl.navy.mil/media/news-releases/2012/navy-researchers-investigate-small-scale-autonomous-planetary-explorers

Pretty neat!

(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

A nuclear detonation after 1 millisecond

http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/what-a-nuclear-detonation-looks-like-after-1-millisecond-20111211/

Heinlein's Future...

http://io9.com/5871053/robert-heinleins-predictions-for-the-year-2000-from-1952

Book Carving

http://www.visualnews.com/2011/12/22/mountains-of-books-become-mountains/

Amazing!

Groucho prepares us for nuclear war

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTlCWa7hMCE&feature=player_embedded

I believe this can be referred to as "Duck Soup & Cover"...

Happy Birthday to The Doors (the album)

One of my all-time fave albums.  Released on this date in 1967.  Part of my DNA. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doors_%28album%29

Happy Birthday Michael Stipe!

http://remhq.com/index.php

Happy National Spaghetti Day!

Yum!

Happy National Trivia Day!

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Cthulhu Body Pillow!

http://nerdapproved.com/approved-products/cuddle-up-with-the-cthulhu-body-pillow/

Happy Birthday Stephen Stills!

http://www.stephenstills.com/index-v10.html

Happy Birthday George Martin!

http://rockhall.com/inductees/george-martin/

Happy Birthday Sergio Leone!

http://www.fistful-of-leone.com/

Monday, January 02, 2012

A nice article on Keyhole and the spy satellites

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htspace/articles/20120102.aspx

Klingons beat Imperial Stormtroopers

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2011/12/post_152.html

Suddenly, I want to learn to play the guitar....

http://technabob.com/blog/2012/01/01/cthulhu-electric-guitar/

Happy Birthday Baxter Black!

http://baxterblack.com/

Happy Birthday El Kabong!

Premiered on this date in 1960.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quick_Draw_McGraw_Show

Happy Birthday Christine Lavin!

http://christinelavin.com/

One of my faves.

Only 300 Days Until Halloween!

Happy National Science Fiction Day!

http://www.sciencefictionfantasyhorror.com/article.mgi2?article=science-fiction-day-2006

Sunday, January 01, 2012

The World's Fastest Camera

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/world-fastest-camera-153012573.html

Amazing.

(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

Spare change

http://news.yahoo.com/cops-man-tried-1m-bill-nc-walmart-165050318.html

That judge has no sense of style.  I'd of set bail at one million dollars...

Happy Birthday Betsy Ross!

http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/

Happy Birthday Anthony Wayne!

http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/wayne.html

Happy Birthday Paul Revere!

http://www.paulreverehouse.org/

Happy First Footing Day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-Foot

Happy Feast of Fools & Asses!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_Fools

Happy New Year!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VggAH1dk3Qk