Friday, August 19, 2011

Friday Links: August 19

The second half of this season of Dr Who comes next month. This takes place between The Battle of Demon's Run and the new episode "Let's Kill Hitler". [link]
Meanwhile, in Torchwood, nobody on Earth is dying. Nobody but Captain Jack Harkness.

And on the set of Supernatural they're asking for more ducks. [ducks]

When Harry Met Sally 2 - Billy Crystal and Helen Mirren. Billy pulls a great vampire face. [link]

Donald Duck teaching math.


Stand Your Ground: 6 people taking pictures on public property around London and filming the reactions of security.


NPR interviews Terry Pratchett about his campaign to legalize, or at least educate, about assisted suicide. [link]

When Patents Attack episode of This American Life. They talk about companies that exist for the sole purpose of suing. [link]

Fark announced how it gave some patent trolls a smack down so hard they didn't even have to sign an NDA. [link]

Holy ass! It's a cure for the common cold and possibly every other virus based illness! [link 1] [link 2]

Study indicates that the rich really are different. They're worse people. [link]

What if male superheroes posed like Wonder Woman? [link]

How pencils are made. Moderately more interesting than you think! [link]

It's SO dry... How dry is it? These pictures will tell you. [link]

Torture: It's history and resurrection [link]

How to throw a punch. [link]

Do spoilers actually make a story better? [link]
There are some stories that I read with an "are you going somewhere with this" attitude. Knowing there was a development of some kind 50 pages down the road would help. At other times half the fun of the story is trying to figure out where the story is going and sometimes liking your own development more than the author's.
Does the desire for a predictable story explain why so many movies are so predictable? Why an old roommate and I would compete in who could come closest to guessing the next line of dialog in a show we hadn't seen before? We got to be pretty damn good at getting not only the verbiage, but the pauses and inflections right.

Another reason I need earth moving equipment. [link]

Another reason I don't want to live in the south. Apparently their pizza is weak. [link]

Oldest survivor of the Bataan Death March stops surviving after 105 years. [link]

Interview with a one year old.


Woah! He does this thing. With papers! [link]

The Kepler spacecraft has found the darkest planet ever found in the direction of the constellation Draco. Sci-fi writers... go nuts. [link]

A trailer for a Japanese horse racing game. And, no, you haven't had as much to drink as you're about to suspect. [link]

An old DuPont manual: Farming with Dynamite. [link]
Wow. We're trying to get away from tilling the ground at all. Blasting just seems silly. But FUN!

No matter how long you spend in art school you'll never be able to draw lines like this guy. Give up and become a dentist like your dad.


Man gets house for $16.

I've wondered about this. Usually it's two years as a squatter to have a house declared yours. But would you be willing to live without running water or electricity for that long?

Atomic cars may be here. Just so long as you have the thorium. [link]

Snacks for your next book club meeting... or whatever. Maybe an edible case for your e-book? [link]

Warren Buffet say Stop Coddling the Super Rich. [link]

AT&T memo refutes their own claims for the need to buy T-Mobile. [link]
AT&T, you want better coverage? Build it.

Authorities blame blacks, Sinatra, Elvis, rock and roll, comic books, pinball machines, Beastie Boys, rap, Twitter for social unrest and not their own idiotic policies. [link]

Now wackaloon politicians can claim that their previous claims are just doctored videos. [link]

Bike repair vending machines. [link]

"Slaughterhouse Five" banned again. [link]
Dude, why ban it? It wasn't a particularly enjoyable read.

Here's a list of other commonly banned books. [link]
I read 4 of the top 10 in school.

25 Greatest Unscripted Scenes in Films.

They left out lots of stuff from "Aladdin" where Robin Williams was left to just run wild. And some stuff in "Serenity" where Mal was just told to say something that Mal would say.

Hey, a cat! On the internet! Will my sarcasm never cease?


You have a box marked WWIII and access to the National Gallery. What you put in the box will be rescued in an emergency while the rest will be left to burn. What do you put in the box? This guy has just that task before him. [link]

Teddy Roosevelt's diary on the day his wife Alice died. [link]
He never spoke of his wife publicly again.

Would Palin, Romney, Bachmann, or any of the GOP candidates take the time from handshaking to discuss policy with an opponent? Guess who does? [link]

Oh, look, another Republican politician caught trying to cover up that he's gay. [link]

More serious, but educated Christians say the human genome rules out the existence of Adam and Eve. [link]
Adam and Eve are part of Christian, Hebrew, and Muslim mythologies but it is mythology as surely as Prometheus stealing fire from Zeus. They aren't necessary to the existence of Jesus anymore than the existence of some deity is required for the existence of a soul or vice versa.
Jesus is unique to Christian mythologies and is claimed to be central to modern Christian behavior. Focus not on original sin as a reason for Jesus's eventual execution. Focus on his life and teachings. And if you really need to give purpose to the crucifixion beyond the Hebrew leadership getting rid of a pest, then think about this. Before Jesus God demanded blood sacrifices. Or, at least, his priests claimed he did. Or perhaps the priests did them because the followers believed in the need for blood sacrifice. But the killing of Jesus was supposed to be the final sacrifice. Either God was satisfied or his followers were satisfied that they were no longer needed. Either way, his passing was hard on the sacrificial lamb market.


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