In Alaska, a child saves a life by dialing 911 — thanks to the teachings of one of his favorite books, It’s Time To Call 911 – What To Do In An Emergency. The real question, though, is how a child raised on Captain Underpants And The Preposterous Plight Of The Purple Potty People would […]
How to know you’re on the right track
Posted by Ben on May 18, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/how-to-know-youre-on-the-right-track/
Why it’s a good thing baby whales aren’t the size of goldfish, or, Alligator v. Python
Not exactly breaking news, but Burmese pythons are setting up shop in the Everglades, and–apparently–they quite like it. Each year a significant number of Burmese pythons – like the snake on sale in a pet store here – are taken home by people who never quite understand the presale warning. They are told point-blank that […]
Posted by Ben on May 9, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/why-its-a-good-thing-baby-whales-arent-the-size-of-goldfish-or-alligator-v-python/
Rats for a cause
As it turns out, David Lynch directs public service announcements much the same way he directs feature-length films. Which is to say, strangely. Look at Lynch’s anti-littering PSA over at WFMU (as well as some others). (via WFMU’s Beware of the Blog)
Posted by Ben on May 4, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/rats-for-a-cause/
Also, she had more tails than you’d expect to find, on a woman
A woman with three crocodiles strapped to her waist was stopped at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing after guards noticed that she looked “strangely fat,” officials said Monday. (CBS/AP: “Woman Has Crocodiles Strapped To Body.” [Mar 26, 2007])
Posted by Ben on March 26, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/also-she-had-more-tails-than-youd-expect-to-find-on-a-woman/
The Dark Side of movie trivia
Dark side, or alternate reality, or something: NotStarring, the searchable database of actors who were almost cast in the movie roles you know and love. Like: David Bowie and Sean Connery in Lord of the Rings. Or: John Candy as Louis in Ghostbusters? And Eddie Murphy as Winston? Hours of totally useless movie trivia await […]
Posted by Ben on March 24, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/the-dark-side-of-movie-trivia/
Turn up the volume…
…on soil remediation! Researchers have developed a prototype that cleans soil by making mud of it and blasting it with ultrasound: Sound waves travel through water as a series of high pressure waves with low pressure areas in between. The low pressure causes the water to boil and form microscopic bubbles. The high pressure then […]
Posted by Ben on March 20, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/turn-up-the-volume/
The fountain of youth
Or not so much youth as longevity. Winning the Nobel prize apparently adds years to your life, maybe: “Status seems to work a kind of health-giving magic. Once we do the statistical corrections, walking across that platform in Stockholm apparently adds about 2 years to a scientist’s life-span. How status does this, we just don’t […]
Posted by Ben on March 18, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/the-fountain-of-youth/
Like a lot of people we like tasty food that isn’t full of pesticides and mad cow disease
Concert riders can be laughable for any number of reasons–stupid demands, silly specifications, and so forth–but Iggy Pop’s concert rider is pretty much just comedic genius. Maybe genius is a bit too strong, but decide for yourself. It’s stupid, ridiculous, and hilarious, and totally aware of this. The fact that the specifications for Iggy’s dinner […]
Posted by Ben on March 18, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/like-a-lot-of-people-we-like-tasty-food-that-isnt-full-of-pesticides-and-mad-cow-disease/
Something Completely Different
…and so while looking for a dessert recipe, I discover, incidentally, that Wendy Carlos (yes, that Wendy Carlos) is a serious solar eclipse buff who’s traveled all over the world and seen something like 18 of them. Her page on eclipses (the relatively straightforward-named “Wendy Carlos Eclipse Page”) includes quite a few interesting images, and […]
Posted by Ben on March 16, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/something-completely-different/
Das Leben der Anderen (****1/2)
(2006) unter der Regie von Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck – mit Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, und Volkmar Kleinert. English title: “The Lives of Others”. Synopsis: It’s before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and East Germany’s Stasi has its hands plenty full keeping track of the thoughts and actions not just of the […]
Posted by Ben on March 6, 2007
https://www.swordbilled.com/das-leben-der-anderen-12/