…of cartoon characters. They’re quite macabre. The gummy bear is particularly grotesque.
Category Archives: Popular Culture
Space Alien Invasions And Hollywood
if you’re going to cross vast distances to conquer humanity for the usual reasons, I doubt they would use guns and bombs. An EMP for starters, then gas. But it’s never gas. No, they walk around with guns and shoot, and in the case of “Fallen Skies,” they have stormtrooper aim half the time. In last night’s episode the aliens set a trap in a food warehouse, where they suspected the humans might go. Let’s imagine that conversation in the war room:
“Corporal Xxrtg, send a Mechabot 3bV to the trap, and wait for the humans to come for food.”
“Okay, but -”
“But what?”
“If they’re coming for food, they’re probably attached to a larger group. Why not just call in their appearance, and have the huntercraft look for their heat signature and vaporize them all at once?”
“Don’t ask me. Ask Commander Plrgb. It’s his call.”
“As long as we’re at it, why not just send in hush-snakes with the gas? They’d -”
“Again with the gas! It’s always the gas with you.”
“It’s just easier, that’s all I’m saying. Have you seen the reports? We have a 37% kill ratio because someone upstairs says we have to shoot them one at a time. And forget about the wide-radius heat ray, apparently.”
“I don’t make the rules of engagement. Now get on it.”
“Sure. And tell whoever assigned us the Mechabot 3bV that the men call it Old Stompy. It can’t take two steps without giving away its position.”
“Get moving.”
“Yes sir.”
There are two ways the series can end: humans win, or humans lose. “Win” is nice, rah us, but I have a hard time believing that the time-honored Ragtag Band of Scrappy Fighters can defeat a culture capable of space travel. It even makes “War of the Worlds” seem silly, because you have to imagine this conversation at HQ: did you remind the contractors to refit the ships with biofilters?”
(Panicked expression) “I thought that was your job.”
“Hell no. I TOLD you.”
“No you didn’t.”
Remind me to hire him for my next SF flick (which will also be my first).
[Update a while later]
This seems related, somehow: s3x with creatures from the future can be bad for your offspring’s health.
Tea Party = “Salvation”
The Tea Party is the Mule.
Hope For Michael Moore
A breakthrough: converting skin cells directly to brain cells, without a transition through stem cells.
Faster, please.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Now this is really cool — living lasers made from human cells:
Optical imaging labels can report on the molecular workings of tissues and cells in the body. Fluorescent protein tags that emit visible or infrared light are now common tools for studying cell biology in test tubes. But getting such light in and out of the body is difficult because light diffuses as it passes through biological tissues. Living lasers, if they’re made into practical systems, have the potential to change that. One can imagine having a hybrid living-nonliving medical implant under the skin that would beam out a stream of information about biomarkers in the blood, for example.
Not only that, but if it works with shark cells, it would be the solution to Dr. Evil’s long-time frustration.
Better Hamburgers
…through science. If I had some liquid nitrogen, I’d give it a try.
Ten Misused Words In English
The only one of these that I may have misused in the past is “bemused.” The rest I already had down cold.
A New Museum
Lileks does it again. Be sure to watch the intro.
[Update a couple minutes later]
Peripherally related: an ode to Mickey (among other things).
Indicting The Slimebag
While I stand second to none in my contempt for the odious and oleaginous John Edwards (and I have held him in such low esteem long before it became fashionable), I agree with Kevin Williamson that what he may be indicted for shouldn’t be illegal.
The Importance Of Ad Placement
Some unfortunate examples. May not be safe for work–they’re laugh out loud.
[Update a few minutes later]
Also, awesomely inappropriate test answers from kids.
[Both via Geek Press]
Praise Be To Jobs
I am completely unsurprised by this:
In a recently screened BBC documentary called ‘Secrets of the Superbrands’, UK neuroscientists found that the brains of Apple fans are stimulated by images of Apple products in the same areas as those triggered by religious imagery in a person of faith. According to the scientists, this suggests that the big tech brands have harnessed, or exploit, the brain areas that have evolved to process religion.
At least they’re not Scientologists. Well, OK, maybe some of them are.