Category: Items of Interest

Linkonomicon III

 

  1. Not all failing schools are failing. Reminds me of Hamilton High School – via Carrie Brown-Smith via Deborah Blum.
  2. Neil Armstrong was about two seconds and one ejection seat away from not being the first man on the moon – via Maggie Koerth-Baker.
  3. Greatest meme ever would have been Buzz Aldrin punching Neil Armstrong like a moon landing hoaxer. Instead, he was just pouty. On the moon – via Tyler Cowen.
  4. There was a time when nice girls* didn’t do comedy. Thankfully, that time is gone. Gorgeous* Ladies of Comedy – via Jamie Frevele.
  5. Don’t believe that there was a time when nice girls* didn’t do comedy? Listen to the Nerdist Podcast interview Joan Rivers and change your mind.
  6. Thanks to a dinosaur show in my youth, my nightmares start with the phrase “packs of carnivorous, goose-sized dinosaurs”. Take note, my nightmares, geese ARE dinosaurs, and vicious – via Mark Frauenfelder.

*All jokes, by they way, in case you happen to have the comedic depth of an average internet commentor or the “funny” sub-reddit.

 

Linkonomicon II

  1. Risk of death by Russian Roulette in Kentucky is one in a million (per year) – via Tyler Cowen. 
  2. Rape is rape, Mr. Akin.
  3. Shipping pallets, the sine qua non of the global economy – via Cory Doctorow.
  4. If you are going to pick an arbitrary day to bask in the glory of Singin’ in the Rain (and Donald O’Connor‘s vaudevillian genius), the 100th birthday of Gene Kelly (star & co-director) is as good as any – via Maria Popova.
  5. How to annoy EO Wilson without criticizing group selection by Michelle Nijhuis.

Why can’t I have nice things?

When my dad was a young man, he had Star Trek. His generation grew up, got jobs, got wealth, power. The entertainment industry said, “We would like some of your wealth, your power. In exchange, we shall give you Star Trek: The Next Generation and a pretty decent JJ Abrams reboot.”

When I was a young man, I had Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Knight Rider. My generation grew up, got jobs, got wealth, power. The entertainment industry said, “We would like some of your wealth, your power. Because we know it is about the franchise name, not quality, we shall, in exchange, give you The Phantom Menace, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Ford Mustang advertisement masquerading as a new Knight Rider series.”
It is true. For the first time in decades, we have a generation that is worse off than their parents.
Let’s finish ruining my childhood memories and reboot Airwolf (#rebootAirwolf). Pretty please?

Luke says, “Of course, Han shot first”

So says Mark Hamill. I was a huge fan of the original Star Wars trilogy (The Empire Strikes Back, thanks for asking). I am not a huge fan of the prequel trilogy* nor have I been happy with any of the tweaks George Lucas has made to the original films**. Neither is Mark Hamill. Continue reading “Luke says, “Of course, Han shot first””

Time to (re)read Thomas Kuhn

I will admit that I’m a sucker for book anniversaries of any sort, and since this month marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, here’s your excuse to finally read it. I’ve been looking for an excuse to re-read it, since the first go around apparently made no impression on my brain – I will admit that I can’t say a single, intelligent thing about it.

To get yourself jazzed up, you can read the appreciation in The Guardian, and you can buy yourself the swanky new 50th anniversary edition. As for me, I’m sticking with my less glitzy second edition with the cool, somewhat minimalist cover.

Here’s our schedule, with discussions on Fridays: Continue reading “Time to (re)read Thomas Kuhn”