Space Case

Tolkien, earthed in Old English, had a head start that led him straight to the flinty perfection of Mordor and Orc. Here, by contrast, are some Lucas inventions: Palpatine. Sidious. Mace Windu. (Isn’t that something you spray on colicky babies?) Bail Organa. And Sith. [..] What can you say about a civilization where people zip…

The Beeb Shall Inherit the Earth

America’s entertainment industry is committing slow, spectacular suicide, while one of Europe’s biggest broadcasters — the BBC — is rushing headlong to the future, embracing innovation rather than fighting it. Unlike Hollywood, the BBC is eager and willing to work with a burgeoning group of content providers whose interests are aligned with its own: its…

Study: trampoline injuries have spiked

“Parents so far have not gotten the message that trampolines should not be used in the home environment,” said James Linakis, a pediatric emergency physician at Rhode Island Hospital’s Hasbro Children’s Hospital. —Study: trampoline injuries have spiked (Washington Times |UPI) Sigh. My next weekend project is to put together the backyard trampoline that my wife got…

Thank You Epstein-Barr

For those of you who don’t know what Mono is… let me explain. It is known to most ignorant people as “The Kissing Disease.” This, of course, makes anyone who has it appear to be a whore or a gameshow host. But, this isn’t a proper representation of how the disease is actually spread. I…

Decoding Bees' Wild Waggle Dances

After finding food, scout bees returning to the hive dance on the vertical walls of the honeycomb. A round dance indicates the food is very close, within 35 yards or less. A figure-eight pattern indicates that the food is farther away. The bee indicates the distance to the food by how long it dances; it…

I bid thee farewell

I have recently decided that not being in a class that requires blogging is a bad thing. Because i am not required to do blogging, i don’t do it. This isn’t because i don’t want to, it is because i don’t have time to. If it were required, i would make time to do it,…