St. Andrew's Day

Happy St. Andrew's Day from Ephemeral Isle

Orbit One Zero

A complete BBC sci fi adventure.

Maybe SETI isn't such a good idea after all.

Files courtesy of www.archives.org.

Superman

Accept no substitues

Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving here at Chez Szondy, so I'm off for a couple of days of family time.

Back Saturday.

Space Turkey

It's good to see that NASA is keeping up with its hallowed traditions.

No shrimp cocktail, though.

Treading the Boards

Don't knock it. At least it got him into the RSC.

Probably isn't even in Equity.

Talking Turkey

Impenetrable quote of the day regarding modern breeds of turkeys courtesy of the USDA:

Commercial broiler breeder strains, selected for rapid growth and high meat yields, do not adequately regulate voluntary feed intake commensurate with their energy needs. Consequently, these birds must be given a limited amount of feed to avoid overconsumption that can lead to excessive accumulation of energy stores.

Translation: Turkeys are gluttons who don't know when to stop and they get too fat if you let them eat too much.

Waterworld: The Musical

On the plus side, it has to be better than the film.

Screw-On Head

Hellboy II was not an aberration

Mushroom Monsters

Mushrooms have been found growing on the International Space Station.

Between them and the spiders I expect some major kaiju action soon.

Quantum of Solace

Finally saw Quantum of Solace the other day and I have never come across a greater collection of snobbery, male chauvinism, material excess, unhealthy eating and drinking, and gratuitous sex and violence in my life.

God, I loved it.

i-Real

"Are you going to build one for fat people?"

Jumping the Gun

A school in New York State has changed its name to Barack Obama Elementary School.

You'd think they'd at least wait until he actually did something.

RoboTuna

Not even sushi bars will be safe for Sarah Connor.

The Thousand-Headed Man

Another complete Doc Savage adventure.

Files courtesy of www.archives.org.

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Deep Thought, Call Your Service

BBC headline:

Four philosophical questions to make your brain hurt

The brain hurting doubtless comes from trying to figure out how Mr. Bain got a lectureship at the University of Glasgow when he cranks out such facile material loaded with buried assumptions and calls it philosophy.

Cryotranz Pet Carrier

Great, now we can look forward to freezer-burned pussycats.

Animo OptiFresh coffee

According to the report,

To meet personal tastes, it is possible to adjust the strength of the coffee and quantity of milk or sugar. The machine features a user-friendly interface with integrated maintenance programs and clear key symbols. The messages in the text display clearly guide the user through the required procedures. The machine will be ready to be used again in a second.

Still no word on why it invariably then dispenses a cup of something that tastes almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.

Ha Harr!

Somali pirates have struck again, seizing a ninth vessel in twelve days and the Royal Navy is leading an international task force to sweep the freebooters from the seas. This return to the sort of barbarism that was thought to have died with the Barbary states has so unnerved the major powers that even Russia is recommending attacks on the pirates' bases along the East African coast.

It's a nice show of reality finally sinking in, but unless the rules of engagement are as serious as the threat of these latter day corsairs and a commitment is shown to not only capture them, but to string them up at Wapping, then this will likely end up as a very expensive exercise in nautical handbagging.

Space Spiders

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station have not only lost a tool kit, but the spiders have gone missing as well.

Not to worry, though. What could possibly go wrong?

Treehouse Restaurant

I'll have the acorns, followed by acorns with a side of acorns, and acorns for after.

HMS Dragon Launched

Gads, she's beautiful. We need 18 more like her and her sisters at a minimum.

Roofus

A robot designed to clear roofs of snow and ice–and dump it on Sarah Connor.

Chicken Cops

Not exactly the Sweeney, but they do keep the peace.

What's Yours is Mine

Having been told by his own review panel that it's wrong and even though it's pointless and would solve nothing, Gordon Brown is still determined to make every freeborn Englishman's organs state property.

Why let little things like facts or morality get in the way of something as vital as trampling on the most personal of freedoms?

Trufill

From Germany we see a machine capable of dispensing ten pints of beer in ten seconds.

That should be just about fast enough to keep up with Big Wilf.

The Proof of the Pudding

From The Telegraph, Barack "He whose middle name may not be uttered" Obama's policy re Osama bin Laden:

In his first televised interview since his historic election, Mr Obama made good on his rhetoric from the campaign trail that the hunt for bin Laden would remain top priority for the US.

He told CBS that "it is a top priority for us to stamp out Al-Qaeda once and for all" and that killing or capturing the group’s mastermind Osama bin Laden was "critical" to the US.

The goal is reassuring, but the sticking point will be methods. Will this be a military campaign aimed not only at Al Qaeda but also its sponsors and ideological brethren? Or will it be Clintonesque farce of tough words backed by nothing stronger than subpoenas and token air strikes?

We shall see.

The Pionen

A Swedish Cold War nuclear bunker converted into an ultra-modern data centre.

Now if it just had a nuclear reactor, a pool of piranhas, an obvious self-destruct button, and a dress code that required black turtle necks, it would be perfect.

A Port in a Storm

I have a six-year old, two dogs, and a wife who voluntarily watches Made of Honor on the office telly.

I need this.

Mind you, are alternatives.

Taste Test

This is an example of the sort of writing assignment that I am thankful I never get.

Don't Mention the War

"My arm's come off!"

Firestrike

Northrop Grumman unveils its new solid-state laser that is powerful enough for military applications–and by that we mean FWWWEEEEEEEWWWHH BOOOM! applications.

Castro Speaks

The Maximum Leader comments on the election of Barack "He whose middle name may not be uttered" Obama:

BRRRRRAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNNNSSSSS!!!!

Fear Cay

A complete Doc Savage adventure in stereo.

File courtesy of www.archives.org.

The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies

Deep hurting.

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.
I want her to pitch my next screenplay.

The Natural

Forget Obama, Cameron or whoever; get this kid on the ballot.

Royal Navy Captures Pirates

What happens when you let the RN do its job.

Democracy is Overrated

Normally, I don't comment on this sort of thing, but it isn't often that one comes across a political poster of such thundering stupidity devoid of any concept of history or even artistic sensibility.

From the context, I presume that the, for want of a better word, "author" of the piece is referring to the United States. Perhaps someone would be good enough to take this person aside and point out that it was men who gave women the vote and passed virtually all the pro-feminist legislation; it was whites who emancipated blacks at the cost of a bloody civil war, gave them the vote, and passed every civil rights act; and it was Christians who established freedom of worship and all the other protections every creed, including atheism, enjoys.

I particularly like the conclusion: Some things are too important to vote on, so take to the streets in the best brown shirts' tradition.

Yes, to Hell with democracy; legislation by the mob is the only way.

Blow into this Bag, Please.

Scientists from Zoological Society of London are trying to work out how to breathalyse a sperm whale.

I wasn't aware that cetacean drunk driving was that big a problem.

Did I Say "Rule"? I meant "Govern".

Not the best choice of words in a republic.

Expect the media and late night comedians to jump all over this gaff about the same time that Satan buys snow shoes.

Cat Culture