Forensic odontologists come under fire—for inflating the accuracy of their bite mark matching in criminal trials. What, you’ve never heard of forensic odontology? Well, read and learn. (via NewScientist: “Bite-mark evidence can leave false impression,” by James Randerson [March 15, 2004]) Note: apologies for the title; it was too bad to pass up.
The Tooth Comes Out
Posted by Ben on March 16, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/the-tooth-comes-out/
I have this idea for a great car… a great KILLER car!
Nicholas Turse provides an interesting look at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s foray into the natural sciences. It’s kinda interesting. Besides the weird science of remote controlled rats and bomb-sniffing bees, what’s most interesting about the article is what it brings to light about the unique tensions within the organization: “[DARPA] is, perhaps, the […]
Posted by Ben on March 15, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/i-have-this-idea-for-a-great-car-a-great-killer-car/
Not exactly pro/con, but it’ll have to do
The Spanish election results are a good thing for the fight against terror or… The Spanish election results are a bad thing for the fight against terror, maybe.
Posted by Ben on March 15, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/not-exactly-procon-but-itll-have-to-do/
An Interview With Chuck
Okay, so not exactly an interview, but an article in which he talks, a little bit. The article centers more or less around Chuck Palahniuk (for the uninitiated, that’s the author of Fight Club et al.) giving a reading in Las Vegas of a new short story he’s written. The short story’s name is Guts, […]
Posted by Ben on March 14, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/an-interview-with-chuck/
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon (REVIEW)
I’ll admit it: I read this book because it’s short. Previously, I’d only read Pynchon’s Vineland, (which was good but not incontrovertibly spectacular, i.e., not enough to definitely convince me I needed to read more of T.P.’s books) and rather than take a stab in the dark at the mammoth Mason & Dixon (weighing in […]
Posted by Ben on March 14, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/the-crying-of-lot-49-by-thomas-pynchon-review/
BREAKING NEWS: Rich Afforded Better Health
“Rich people are more likely to survive cancer than poor people in England and Wales, and the gulf in their life chances has been steadily widening, according to research released yesterday.” How incredibly stunning. (via the Guardian: “Rich benefit most from improved treatment of cancer, study claims,” by Sarah Boseley [March 10, 2004])
Posted by Ben on March 13, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/breaking-news-rich-afforded-better-health/
Mr. Potato Rats
Seth Stevenson attempts to answer questions that you probably (okay, definitely) do have about those Quizno’s Sub creatures. Like, What are they? (I honestly would have been content never knowing, but the explanation is strangely comforting.) If you don’t want to bother reading the article, the answer—part of it, anyway— is that they’re Spongmonkeys. Although […]
Posted by Ben on March 13, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/mr-potato-rats/
Minority Report
(2002) Steven Spielberg – starring Samantha Morton, Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Max von Sydow, Lois Smith, etc. Synopsis: You know the schtick: psychics help cops of the future prevent murders from happening. Then, surprise, maybe there’s something wrong with this system. Most of the story centers around a basically inexplicable murder that is predicted by […]
Posted by Ben on March 13, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/minority-report/
How about some grease to spice things up?
Compare/contrast: US: Saying overeating is a problem for individuals, not the courts, the House easily approved legislation on Wednesday to bar people from suing restaurants on the ground that their food makes customers fat. (NYTimes) UK: A tough action plan to tackle obesity and children’s diets was agreed by the Food Standards Agency yesterday. The […]
Posted by Ben on March 12, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/how-about-some-grease-to-spice-things-up/
The Oil We Eat: Following the food chain back to Iraq
Quick! Which is worse from an environmental perspective: a Hummer, or a bowl of breakfast cereal? Well? What’s your answer? When presented with this (ostensibly) laughably easy choice, most people would pick the Hummer, no contest. In fact, most people wouldn’t even see the point of the question. Believe it or not, the question isn’t […]
Posted by Ben on March 11, 2004
https://www.swordbilled.com/the-oil-we-eat-following-the-food-chain-back-to-iraq/