| small fruit song |
[Aug. 20th, 2008|09:00 am] |
Said the apple to the orange: "Oh I wanted you to come Close to me and kiss me to the core Then you might know me like no other orange Has ever done before" |
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| the glorious ninth |
[Aug. 12th, 2008|09:39 am] |
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By way of Beaker(s).
In 1785, long before Beethoven set it into choral symphony, the Ode to Joy was a poem by Friedrich Schiller. Full German text and translation can be read here, and it's pretty glorious all right. Amazing how the spirit comes through in the music:
Joy, beautiful spark of Gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter, fire-imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.
Thy magic powers re-unite
What custom's sword has divided
Beggars become Princes' brothers
Where thy gentle wing abides.
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Joy is called the strong motivation
In eternal nature.
Joy, joy moves the wheels
In the universal time machine.
Flowers it calls forth from their buds,
Suns from the Firmament,
Spheres it moves far out in Space,
Where our telescopes cannot reach.
(Universal time machine! Powered by joy! I'm going with a literal translation on that bit. Anachronistic, but then it would be, wouldn't it.)
Schiller was also the playwright who wrote one of my favorite lines, "Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain." |
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| an entire new level of sterile, lobotomized badness |
[Jul. 11th, 2008|08:44 am] |
As a follow-up to yesterday's entry, and as a warning to anyone who might ever want to see National Treasure 2, I direct you to Pär's comment after watching that movie. |
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[Jul. 9th, 2008|08:47 am] |
Suddenly I'm posting like mad. I guess my return was not so much a breadcrumb as a um some other metaphorical object that heralds an incoming flood.
My brain is not firing on all cylinders just now. I got food poisoning last night and was awake in the wee hours of the morning, alternately writhing in pain and throwing up. Then I fell into a hard sleep with incredibly vivid dreams. When I woke today, I thought for a happy moment that the food poisoning had been a dream too, so I couldn't figure out why I was so exhausted and achey. I've always suspected tofu was dangerous, and now I know! A vegetarian-ish lifestyle is not for the weak.
Conversely, I was certain that I really had seen a trailer for the upcoming Star Trek movie in which the cast included Eddie Izzard, Ricardo Montalban, James Bond, and Xena: Warrior Princess. To be clear about those last two, it wasn't Daniel Craig and Lucy Lawless but actual Bond and Xena on the Enterprise. Needless to say, I was thrilled about this lineup, and only reluctantly sorted out that it had been a dream. Then I was crushed, until I realized that the combination of all those bits forms a remarkably similar mix to what I get in The Middleman.
The Middleman is my favorite new tv show that I want to share with everyone, and don't be thrown by the fact that it's on the Family Channel. When they slipped in a hentai reference two minutes into the pilot episode, I knew the show's wholesome atmosphere was a feature, not a bug. Based on a comic book by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, who is also writing the show, The Middleman is thoroughly steeped in things I love. There's smart snappy dialogue and aliens and robots and zombies and Mexican wrestlers and photogenic young artists and most of all, a dynamic duo whose dynamic makes me really, really happy. It's the funniest thing on television this summer, and it's science fiction. And it gets better with every episode, so now's a good time to start watching.
"Who are the Middlemen?" featuring clips from the pilot
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| joss-o-rama |
[Jul. 8th, 2008|09:40 am] |
If there's anyone left on the geeky end of the spectrum who hasn't heard about Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog yet, here's the teaser. Lovers of all things good should check it out and get excited, because Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog will, for a short time, go up for free on the internet a week from today! Written and directed by Joss Whedon and a few of his kinfolk. Featuring two actors I'd watch in anything (Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion) and hilariously smart dork-queen Felicia Day (writer, star, and producer of "The Guild").
A letter from Joss Whedon: Why, Joss? Why? Why now, why free, why us? The idea was to make it on the fly, on the cheap – but to make it. To turn out a really thrilling, professionalish piece of entertainment specifically for the internet. To show how much could be done with very little. To show the world there is another way. To give the public (and in particular you guys) something for all your support and patience. And to make a lot of silly jokes. Actually, that sentence probably should have come first.
*
In case Whedon's general excellence isn't enough to make you want to see everything he does, why is it important to watch his shows, such as the upcoming Dollhouse? Well...
Preemptive Save Dollhouse PSA"Sure, nobody's seen it yet, or knows very much about it. But two things are sure: It's going to be so awesome that the universe itself will become dependent on it for its very existence. And, that it's a one hundred percent certainty to be cancelled, if you and your family don't watch it. Now, you wouldn't want to be the cause of the end of the universe, would you?"
Seriously, most of the buzz around Dollhouse is being framed in these terms (it will be high quality tv, it will be cancelled just like all of Whedon's high quality tv shows). Though Dollhouse doesn't air until 2009, there's already a strong Save Dollhouse campaign underway. Some people are annoyed by this fatalism, citing a free market economy over niche-fan love as the thing that ought to be driving network decisions. But I just think it's funny. It's funny 'cos it's true.
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| muppetstar galactica |
[Apr. 24th, 2008|01:00 pm] |
(This one's for Jennie.)
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| the robot council had us banished |
[Dec. 30th, 2007|05:16 pm] |
The holiday cheer, it never ends! And nothing says xmas like hard labor on an asteroid. "Chiron Beta Prime" by Jonathan Coulton:
Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime
Where we're working in a mine
For our robot overlords
Did I say "overlords"? I meant "protectors"
Merry Christmas from Chiron Beta Prime
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| winter is coming |
[Dec. 21st, 2007|08:18 am] |
Local weather report this morning:
SNOWFALL OF 3 TO 6 INCHES IS EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. IN ADDITION...STRONG WEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH FREQUENT GUSTS TO 40 MPH WILL CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. THE BLOWING SNOW MAY DROP VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE HALF MILE AT TIMES.
Awesome!
Because I am brimming over with the spirit of the season, I offer these gifts of fun for your viewing pleasure. Have yourself a merry little weekend.
A blast from the past: Pee Wee's Playhouse receives a Christmas serenade from the mighty Grace Jones:
Excellent a capella medley from Straight No Chaser:
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| mr deity |
[Dec. 11th, 2007|09:58 am] |
I just discovered "Mr. Deity" and am loving this brilliant series of short videos. Brian Keith Dalton is the show's creator (also its Creator), and his stuff is wonderful and hilarious. Here's the first episode:
There's plenty more up on the Mr. Deity website and YouTube. The easiest way to watch them in order might be to jump off from the linked episode list in the Wikipedia article. Enjoy! |
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| your 4:24 of zen |
[Nov. 15th, 2007|03:45 pm] |
Oh, Daily Show writers, how I love you. Please let the strike be settled swiftly and the money people do right by the Writers Guild so they can go back to work and give me watchable news again.
(via John Green) |
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| AI |
[Oct. 25th, 2007|09:17 am] |
Now here's a gorgeously done bit of advertisment.
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[Oct. 9th, 2007|11:44 am] |
Possibly my favorite installment of Brotherhood 2.0 to date, as John Green takes up the mantle of Justine Larbalestier's effort to establish the rulingness of zombies over unicorns.
(I have to say I'm feeling the unicorns. Though there is also love in my heart for zombies, and can't we all just get along?) |
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| and now for something completely different... |
[Oct. 5th, 2007|02:14 pm] |
...to ease us into the weekend, here's Eddie Izzard's standup bit about the Death Star canteen, enacted through LEGOs.
(Or you can just go to the source and watch the glorious Izzard act out the whole thing himself.)
What made me think of it was this clip of Marianne Faithfull with Johnny Marr. The performance isn't doing a lot for me, but I am pleased to note both that she's aging gracefully, and that Johnny Marr has LEGO hair. It takes so little to make me happy. |
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| wednesday whistling in the dark |
[Sep. 19th, 2007|07:40 am] |
A musical video selection for your mid-week viewing pleasure!
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GodTube presents "Baby Got Book". I at a loss to say anything about this except to quote from the intro, "Oh. My. Goodness."
I like big Bibles and I cannot lie. You Christian brothers can't deny...
Oh babe, I wanna read wi'cha, cause your Bible's got pictures
My minister tried to console me, but that book you got makes (me so holy!)
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"Young Folks", by Peter, Bjorn & John, is Swedish pop with good words, fast beat, lively melodies, and ever so slightly flat vocals that sound like they're echoing in a chamber, sung in a call-and-response style that reminds of the catchiest 80's tunes (I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar...). It's been one of my favorite songs of recent months. I hate the video, but you can play it to give the song a listen:
And then dawn Landes comes along and records a bluegrass version. Which, to my surprise, works perfectly, and suddenly the original sounds... just a wee bit overproduced? Check this out:
Janis Joplin in a powerhouse performance of "Cry Baby" from 1970.
* And finally, a big beautiful bellydancer. Instead of embedding the video here, I'm going to send you over to Big Fat Deal to watch it in the context of the post where I found it, because the commentary there makes me happy. |
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| monday's child has learned to tie his boot lace |
[Jul. 30th, 2007|08:09 am] |
Good morning. Here is Paul McCartney telling a joke.
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| assemble your crew |
[Jul. 27th, 2007|11:43 am] |
And because it's a humid Friday and we would all do well to purify ourselves in the waters of Lake Minnetonka, I give you Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Story (from Chappelle's Show), reminiscing about a very special encounter with Prince.
(with thanks to j-po) |
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| thursday thrills |
[Jul. 26th, 2007|09:48 am] |
All through the night, I'll save you from the terror on the screen...
You try to scream, but terror takes the sound before you make it...
You hear the door slam, and realize there's nowhere left to run...
(via ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) theremina & _yungfuktoi_ ) |
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| egads! |
[Jun. 7th, 2007|11:45 am] |
"Ever had the embarassment of Moon Men gatecrashing your cocktail party?"
Retrofuturist weaponry by Weta, the fantastic special f/x people in New Zealand. Here's a Wired article, including illustrations that come with extra commentary on the concepts and influences behind these creations. (found on Brass Goggles) |
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| pictures came and broke your heart |
[Jun. 7th, 2007|11:06 am] |
Happiness: "Video Killed the Radio Star" on harp, upright bass, and mandolin. Performed on the streets of San Diego by The Wrong Trousers: three musicians ranging in age from 15 to 17. (Thanks, Haddayr! ..who observes that the mandolin player rocks out so hard he breaks a string.)
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| "once you have got used to the idea of swimming in jelly" |
[Jun. 4th, 2007|11:43 am] |
Jellyfish trigger some deep-down biological horror reflex in me, so I don't ever need to go swimming in Jellyfish Lake, Palau. But it's eerily pretty to watch:
I didn't know what to make of the YouTube blurb that said "They live by photosynthesis because they cannot feed on anything in this lake", so I looked it up, and it seems that's effectively what does happen. According to this scuba diving site:
"Hike high into the hills of Eil Malk Island and down the other side you will come to a land locked saltwater lake surrounded by mangroves. Here [...] jellyfish have made their home in the tens of hundreds of thousands. Land locked since the sea levels lowered after the last ice age (or, as some people would suggest, after the island was pushed up out of the sea by volcanic activity), they have now lost their ability to sting and present no threat to humans, though it must be said that the feeling as they bump against your skin takes a little while to get used to!
The jellyfish survive by feeding off the algae that live within their own bodies. The algae capture the sun’s energy through photosynthesis and turn it into food for the jellyfish. This is a symbiotic relationship whereby both parties benefit, so to do their part the jellyfish follow the path of the sun across the sky each day, tracking it’s path to maximize the energy that can be produced by their algae. Spending the daylight hours on the surface, the jellyfish then sink to the middle depths of the lake where a layer of nitrogen-rich water can be found; here the algae can absorb the nitrogen that they require to sustain life....
As you snorkel out across the lake you start seeing the odd jellyfish here and there, and then slowly your vision is filled with hundreds and thousands of wobbly blobs of jelly flobbering about in the water! Once you have got used to the idea of swimming in jelly it is a highly rewarding experience." |
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