The film follows a Chinese cosmology prodigy's inability to conform to a university's political hierarchy, to a serial-killer-on-the-loose story? We'll have to wait and see, could be cool.
March 25, 2008
Dark Matter
The film follows a Chinese cosmology prodigy's inability to conform to a university's political hierarchy, to a serial-killer-on-the-loose story? We'll have to wait and see, could be cool.
Saturn and Titan from Cassini
Spectacular vistas of Saturn and its moon continue to be recorded by the Cassini spacecraft. Launched from Earth in 1997, robotic Cassini entered orbit around Saturn in 2004 and has revolutionized much of humanity's knowledge of Saturn, its expansive and complex rings, and it many old and battered moons. Soon after reaching Saturn, Cassini released the Huygen's probe which landed on Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and send back unprecedented pictures from below Titan's opaque cloud decks. Recent radar images of Titan from Cassini indicate flat regions that are likely lakes of liquid methane, indicating a complex weather system where it likely rains chemicals similar to gasoline. Pictured above, magnificent Saturn and enigmatic Titan were imaged together in true color by Cassini earlier this year.
Cow-ard - 2007 Darwin Awards
19 April 2007, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Unwanted amorous advaces on a heifer
resulted in a man's death at the hooves of the violated bovine. Sounds of
a scuffle culminated in the discovery of his naked body lying beneath the
frightened family cow. Injuries to his head and genital area were
consistent with being kicked to death.
Why did he do it?
The man's divorce had become final a mere 10 days prior to his fateful
final fling. In the divorce, and also a previous divorce, his ex-wives cited
his insatiable desire as the cause of the dissolution.
Police concluded that the man died in a rape gone wrong. They do not plan
to take action against the cow, which appeared to have been acting in
self-defense.
Unwanted amorous advaces on a heifer
resulted in a man's death at the hooves of the violated bovine. Sounds of
a scuffle culminated in the discovery of his naked body lying beneath the
frightened family cow. Injuries to his head and genital area were
consistent with being kicked to death.
Why did he do it?
The man's divorce had become final a mere 10 days prior to his fateful
final fling. In the divorce, and also a previous divorce, his ex-wives cited
his insatiable desire as the cause of the dissolution.
Police concluded that the man died in a rape gone wrong. They do not plan
to take action against the cow, which appeared to have been acting in
self-defense.
March 24, 2008
Two Years
Blogging for 2 years now.Celebrating a 24 month bloggaversary is awesome because time has gone by so fast and I've found hundreds of inspirational blogs of art, design, photography, and animation through out this time. Thank you all for sending me all this stuff too, this site has definitely become a massive collection of images, videos, and news, gathered from all over cyberspace. I hope you all find joy in the informative and often randomly strange goodies you can find here.
Stop. Look. Listen.
A Rare Double Darwin Award.
12 September 2007, Tampa, Florida
The setup: A woman wins two concert tickets from a local radio station. She can't believe her luck. The Dave Matthews Band, live! She invites her friend to join her. But they are in for more than a concert experience.
Flash forward to the next morning. My buddy, head of operations at the amphitheater, looks like hell. He tells me that two women were killed the previous night at the concert. I am shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened at the amphitheater. I ask for details.
Flash back to the previous evening, 8:30pm and pouring rain. The show is delayed. Two women leave the venue to escape the rain. They pass multiple free shuttle buses that run directly to the parking lot. Instead, they opt for a shortcut across a 7-lane Interstate.
They run a hundred yards through wet grass, and jump a six-foot fence that borders the road. Ahead are 3 lanes of freeway traffic, a 100' median, and another 4 lanes of traffic. Beyond that is another six-foot fence, the maze of an 'under construction' garage, and a long hike around a casino.
All in all, the 'shortcut' to their vehicle covers a distance of about a half mile. And the women are in a torrential thunderstorm. Free shuttle bus, or mad dash across dangerous territory?
My buddy was an eyewitness when the first vehicle struck the women at 8:30 pm. Oddly, this was in the first lane of traffic, on a straightaway where one can see headlights for miles in either direction. The impact hurled the women farther into traffic, and each was struck by a second car. They did not survive the collisions.
Ironically, one of the women was an "energetic and gifted athlete" who won two national championships in gymnastics. Physical prowess is no substitute for the homespun maxim:
"Stop. Look. Listen. Or tomorrow you'll be missing."
12 September 2007, Tampa, Florida
The setup: A woman wins two concert tickets from a local radio station. She can't believe her luck. The Dave Matthews Band, live! She invites her friend to join her. But they are in for more than a concert experience.
Flash forward to the next morning. My buddy, head of operations at the amphitheater, looks like hell. He tells me that two women were killed the previous night at the concert. I am shocked. Nothing like this has ever happened at the amphitheater. I ask for details.
Flash back to the previous evening, 8:30pm and pouring rain. The show is delayed. Two women leave the venue to escape the rain. They pass multiple free shuttle buses that run directly to the parking lot. Instead, they opt for a shortcut across a 7-lane Interstate.
They run a hundred yards through wet grass, and jump a six-foot fence that borders the road. Ahead are 3 lanes of freeway traffic, a 100' median, and another 4 lanes of traffic. Beyond that is another six-foot fence, the maze of an 'under construction' garage, and a long hike around a casino.
All in all, the 'shortcut' to their vehicle covers a distance of about a half mile. And the women are in a torrential thunderstorm. Free shuttle bus, or mad dash across dangerous territory?
My buddy was an eyewitness when the first vehicle struck the women at 8:30 pm. Oddly, this was in the first lane of traffic, on a straightaway where one can see headlights for miles in either direction. The impact hurled the women farther into traffic, and each was struck by a second car. They did not survive the collisions.
Ironically, one of the women was an "energetic and gifted athlete" who won two national championships in gymnastics. Physical prowess is no substitute for the homespun maxim:
"Stop. Look. Listen. Or tomorrow you'll be missing."
Gravity still works - 2007 Darwin Awards
(28 July 2007, Czech Republic) A pack of thieves attempted to steal scrap
metal from an abandoned factory in Kladno. Unfortunately for them, they
selected the steel girders that supported the factory roof. When the roof
supports were dismantled, the roof fell, fatally crushing two thieves and
injuring three others.
(21 June 2007, Philippines) Three entrepreneurs planned to profit from
stolen scrap metal. They entered a former US military complex and
approached the prize: an abandoned water tank. Bedazzled by the potential
upside, the three threw logic to the wind, and began to cut the metal legs
out from under the tank. Guess where it fell? Straight onto the thieves.
Their flattened bodies have not yet been identified.
(31 July 1997) Two teens were disassembling an electric tower with wrenches
when it toppled to the ground. They apparently wanted to sell its aluminum
supports for scrap, but they failed to realize the essential role the aptly
named "support" plays in a 160-foot tower. One of the men was crushed by
the collapse of the ten-thousand-pound tower, while the other dug himself
out from under, a sadder but wiser man from his close brush with a Darwin
Award. Reference: Associated Press
Darwin notes, "What are these thieves doing, playing a deadly game of Jenga?! This entire category
may soon become too common, per the Rule of
Excellence. See also Barn Demolition."
metal from an abandoned factory in Kladno. Unfortunately for them, they
selected the steel girders that supported the factory roof. When the roof
supports were dismantled, the roof fell, fatally crushing two thieves and
injuring three others.
(21 June 2007, Philippines) Three entrepreneurs planned to profit from
stolen scrap metal. They entered a former US military complex and
approached the prize: an abandoned water tank. Bedazzled by the potential
upside, the three threw logic to the wind, and began to cut the metal legs
out from under the tank. Guess where it fell? Straight onto the thieves.
Their flattened bodies have not yet been identified.
(31 July 1997) Two teens were disassembling an electric tower with wrenches
when it toppled to the ground. They apparently wanted to sell its aluminum
supports for scrap, but they failed to realize the essential role the aptly
named "support" plays in a 160-foot tower. One of the men was crushed by
the collapse of the ten-thousand-pound tower, while the other dug himself
out from under, a sadder but wiser man from his close brush with a Darwin
Award. Reference: Associated Press
Darwin notes, "What are these thieves doing, playing a deadly game of Jenga?! This entire category
may soon become too common, per the Rule of
Excellence. See also Barn Demolition."
Weight Lift - 2007 Darwin Awards
27 July 2007, Guadalajara, Mexico
24-year-old Jessica was working out in the Provincia Hotel's gym when she realised she needed something from the floor below. Instead of picking up the phone, using the intercom, or just walking downstairs, she decided that the open shaft of the industrial lift was the communications device for her.
So Jessica stuck her head into the empty shaft to shout to the people downstairs. And somehow, she missed noticing that the elevator was coming up towards her. If the elevator had been going down, one could say that she was in no position to observe the approaching lift. But, leaving aside the stupidity of sticking your head into an elevator shaft, if she was looking down, how could she miss the mass of metal inexorably headed her way?
Since an elevator cage and a skull are both solid objects, one had to give. Let's just say, the elevator won. Jessica will be missed by her family, but not by the gene pool.
24-year-old Jessica was working out in the Provincia Hotel's gym when she realised she needed something from the floor below. Instead of picking up the phone, using the intercom, or just walking downstairs, she decided that the open shaft of the industrial lift was the communications device for her.
So Jessica stuck her head into the empty shaft to shout to the people downstairs. And somehow, she missed noticing that the elevator was coming up towards her. If the elevator had been going down, one could say that she was in no position to observe the approaching lift. But, leaving aside the stupidity of sticking your head into an elevator shaft, if she was looking down, how could she miss the mass of metal inexorably headed her way?
Since an elevator cage and a skull are both solid objects, one had to give. Let's just say, the elevator won. Jessica will be missed by her family, but not by the gene pool.
Retro Cartoons
Saturday Morning:1960 to 1964
By: Richard Keller
Saturday mornings. For nearly thirty years this small window of time was considered paradise for millions of children across America. With the parents snug in their beds, and a big bowl of sugary cereal precariously placed on the carpet, it was the only time -- long before the invent of 24-hour cable networks -- that children's shows ruled the airwaves. No karate/ballet/piano/soccer lessons back then; parents were lucky to get their kids to go for bathroom breaks during that period of time. For many it's a time of very fond memories. Some recall radio favorites like Sky King and The Lone Ranger going from their imagination to the small screen. Others remember their first introduction to Space Ghost or Scooby-Doo. Still others, like myself, recall the latter days of Saturday morning programming with shows like The Smurfs, Dungeons & Dragons and Saved by the Bell.
It was a time of decoder rings, breakfast cereals, and 30-minute long animated commercials for a company's toy of the moment. A time we look back at and smile, yet realize that some of the product produced during that time was plain dreck. A time when a number of fledgling animation companies became household names to us in a few weeks.
Sadly, as the cable networks grew in popularity and the networks needed to trim costs, much of the Saturday morning programming we remember was replaced by morning news programs and syndicated fare that catered to a very select group of viewers. However, that doesn't mean that we can't remember many of the good times. Thanks to the giant attic that is the internet, and sites like our very own TV Squad, we can bring back some of those lost childhood memories. And, that's what I'm going to do right now.
I'm going to begin in the period between 1960-61 and 1964-65 seasons. You're probably asking why I'm starting with this time frame. Well, like anything in television, there's a period of trial and error, of growth, when trying something new. This five-year span was that time.
For the most part, the Saturday morning schedules of 1960 and 1961 were heavy on live-action programming and light on the animation. In fact, most of the morning schedule was filled with repeats of series that had aired previously in primetime. Some examples were the Western series Fury, the Danny Thomas sitcom Make Room for Daddy, and The Lone Ranger. The only animated shows on the schedule at that time were the Mighty Mouse Playhouse on CBS and King Leonardo and his Short Subjects on NBC.
It wasn't until the 1962-63 Saturday morning schedule that the networks began to get serious about their programming. While there was still a good amount of live action shows, more animated fare began to pop up -- most of them series that aired previously in primetime or in syndication. For example, Hanna-Barbera's Top Cat, which aired on ABC's 1961-62 primetime schedule, moved to the late Saturday mornings along with former weeknight partner The Bugs Bunny Show. Over on CBS The Alvin Show, which aired for one year in primetime, moved over to Saturday morning as well.
By the fall of 1963 more original animated series were added to the Saturday morning schedules along with primetime "rejects" like Hanna-Barbera's The Jetsons. Over at ABC The New Casper Cartoon Show began a seven year run with new Casper The Friendly Ghost episodes. Over on CBS Tennessee Tuxedo (voiced by Get Smart's Don Adams) and his best friend Chumley joined Mighty Mouse, Alvin and the return of Quick Draw McGraw. Meanwhile, over at NBC, which was a bit slow to catch up to Saturday morning programming, the first Supermarionation program appeared on American television in the form of Fireball XL5.
As the 1964-65 season rolled around the networks were finally coming to the realization that Saturday mornings could be programmed fairly inexpensively with a mix of new and reconstituted animated programs. They also devised a schedule of airing most of their animated programs in the morning hours, while they aired their older-kid, live-action programs in the early afternoon. For instance. The CBS Saturday morning schedule featured animated programs, including the new Linus the Lionhearted, while the first 90-minutes of the afternoon featured repeats of shows like Sky King and My Friend Flicka.
In addition to Linus, two additional cartoons premiered on the Saturday morning schedule in 1964. One was Hoppity Hooper, a Jay Ward production featuring the adventures of a talking frog, and the other everyone's favorite super dog -- Underdog. Voiced by actor Wally Cox, this shoeshine-boy-turned-superhero would be a staple of the Saturday morning schedule during the mid-60's.
Courtesy of Richard Keller at tvsquad.com
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