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Acoustically Yours
August 28, 2008 | permalink
I am talking about the perils of acoustic arrangements today over at The Music is the Message...
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Loud and Proud
August 22, 2008 | permalink
I am over at The Music is the Message today, with a post about some of the guilty pleasures in my music collection entitled, well, Guilty Pleasures (Emphasis on the Pleasure!).
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Recipes on tif.ca
August 21, 2008 | permalink
Check out this awesome Candy Sushi from tif.ca. It looks like a lot of fun. Oh, and you should also look at the Guinness Stout Gingerbread Cake.
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Man on Wire
August 14, 2008 | permalink
I saw Man on Wire (James Marsh, 2008) last night, the documentary about Philippe Petit's illegal rigging of and walking on a high wire between the Twin Towers in 1974. What a crazy, megalomaniacal bastard! But really, it's a great film, and Philippe is a highly engaging story teller. His band of accomplices are no slouches either; I highly recommend it (no pun intended).
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April 2005
August 5, 2008 | permalink
For anyone who is curious about a younger, unhappier bear, the archive of April 2005 has been re-integrated. I had forgotten that there is about a year of stuff from the first incarnation of blog that remains in limbo and unpublished from the migration to a new domain. So, um, enjoy. Or not.
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Photo Page is Up!
June 24, 2008 | permalink
The Photos page is up and running; the content is pulled from my Flickr account and automatically updated as I post new pictures there...
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Machinalia
May 29, 2008 | permalink
Boris Artzybasheff's "Machinalia" illustrations are awesome. Take a look...
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Comments Enabled!
May 28, 2008 | permalink
As you can see, comments have been enabled on the Small Calamities for your pleasure and amusement...
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new site
May 15, 2008 | permalink
So... What do you think of the new design? Hot, right?
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haiku 164
February 22, 2008 | permalink
Haiku No. 164 (Snow in the Morning)
Snowfall; Lady Winter's
blessing. Cold, gentle kisses
on my upturned face.
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haiku 162
January 17, 2008 | permalink
Haiku No. 162 (Winter Morning near the GW Bridge)
Cold wind singing through
fire escapes, complimenting
helicopters' drone.
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haiku 151
January 7, 2008 | permalink
Haiku No. 151 (Restlessness)
Sleep is elusive
most nights; I toss and turn and
fret away the dark.
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haiku 145
December 14, 2007 | permalink
Haiku No. 145 (Infinite Space in a Nutshell)
I dreamed a fine dream
last night; full of boundless joy,
being bound to you
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parkour
December 5, 2007 | permalink
This is what I learned about today on Wikipedia: Parkour, the Art of Displacement. Founded by David Belle in France, parkour focuses on practicing efficient movements to develop your body and mind to be able to overcome obstacles in an emergency. Also may be a form of entertainment or as a pastime.
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Miami Beach
December 2, 2007 | permalink
I hear it snowed in the good old Big Apple last night. I am currently sweltering in Miami Beach on a gig, and am sincerely jealous of the cold and snow. Anyone want to swap?
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haiku 144
September 23, 2007 | permalink
Haiku No. 144 (The Herb Garden)
the sweet herbs release
their scent, their essence, their souls,
like people, when touched
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weird spam
August 3, 2007 | permalink
Okay, this is some of the weirdest spam ever:
Hello my friend! I am ready to kill myself and eat my dog, if medicine prices here [redacted url] are bad. Look, the site and call me 1-800 if its wrong..
My dog and I are still alive :)
WTF?
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tokyo subway clock
July 23, 2007 | permalink
Another reason why the Japanese will eventually rule the world: This clock has dials for the major Tokyo rail lines. The clock is updated wirelessly in real-time with the position of trains on each line, so you know exactly how long you have to catch your subway. Awesome.
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the clock
July 10, 2007 | permalink
Oh, by the way... I did walk by again, and it turns out that the clock I mentioned is, in fact, broken; I really did just walk by and look up at the exact right time.
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joshua
July 9, 2007 | permalink
Joshua (George Ratcliff, 2007) is the best and creepiest evil child movie I have seen in a long time. Jacob Kogan, who plays the title role, is emotionless and deadpan, and completely believable as a brilliant musical prodigy turned budding sociopath.
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you kill me
July 5, 2007 | permalink
I saw You Kill Me (John Dahl, 2007) yesterday, and I must recommend that you go see it. Ben Kingsley plays Frank Falenczyk, an alcoholic hit man for Buffalo's Polish mob who is sent to San Francisco to dry out after his drinking interferes with a major assassination. It's just as wrong as it sounds...
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haiku 142
June 14, 2007 | permalink
Haiku No. 142 (The Rotten Commute)
the coffee's hotter
than it seemed before it spilt
all over my lap
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A Experience
April 13, 2007 | permalink
The conductor on my train this morning was AWESOME. Not only did he actually say, "Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning and welcome to the Downtown A Experience" at every stop, but he also sounded like Barry White.
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update friday the 13th
April 13, 2007 | permalink
I have added Brantastic, Gemological Goddess, and This Could Take a While to the links list. Just so you know...
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haiku 141
April 9, 2007 | permalink
Haiku No. 141 (Spring in New York)
white blossoms waver
in the bright sun, defying
the stern and cold wind
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A Little Help
March 15, 2007 | permalink
You may or may not have noticed that a great deal of my site was broken for the last couple of days. I finally figured it out, and it was the damnedest thing: my server stopped processing my php includes correctly. Which is bizarre, as I haven't messed with the mechanics of the site in a long time. I have no idea what precipitated the problem, but changing the extension of the 'included' files from .inc to .php (and changing all of the scripts that called them, of course) seems to have done the trick.
I was hoping, Gentle Readers, that if you noticed else anything broken you would let me know.
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hot chicks with douchebags
March 14, 2007 | permalink
This made me laugh a lot: Hot Chicks with Douchebags. Via Moderately Soapbox.
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The 300
March 12, 2007 | permalink
Like about a gazillion other people, I saw 300 this weekend; and like just about everyone else, I loved it. Action, adventure, sex, betrayal- really, what else do you need? How about fight choreography elevated to the fluidity of a ballet? Check. A rousing story of few against many, with the fate of the world at stake? Check. It's good, Gentle Readers, very good indeed.
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Best spam ever
February 21, 2007 | permalink
The best spam ever:
Questo e' un messaggio informativo inviato da relay3.sarrasystems.it. Il server non ha potuto consegnare il tuo messaggio/
THIS WILL RESULT IN LOW WIND CHILLREADINGS.
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2007 16:12:38 +0100
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Brewing Beer
February 19, 2007 | permalink
Some pictures of my little beer brewing operation. This is actually batch two... I made a small practice batch about a month ago. That one should be ready for drinking very soon. This one, in about a month or so...
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skull and crossbone toaster
February 19, 2007 | permalink
Ooo... a pirate toaster! It brands your bread with a skull and crossbones- perfect for those surly mornings.
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You look marvelous
February 15, 2007 | permalink
I have added You Look Really Great, You Look Really Sexy to the list. Check it out, it's a good read...
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Lez Zeppelin
January 12, 2007 | permalink
I found the most awesome band today: Lez Zeppelin, an all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band. I have a soft spot for chicks with guitars in any case, but let me tell you, they rock!
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Pan's Labrynth
December 31, 2006 | permalink
Pan's Labrynth (El Laberinto del Fauno, Guillermo del Toro, 2006), in Spanish with English subtitles, is the story of a young girl who goes deeper and deeper into a fantastic realm to avoid the horrors of Franco's repression in the Spain of 1944. It is simply brilliant. The real world and the fantasy world story lines weave and mesh and balance each other perfectly, and it is everything a dark fairy-tale should be: moody, a little disturbing, and unpredictable. The design and effects were beautifully executed, and the performances amazing. It is without a doubt one of the best films I have ever seen.
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Stuff in The Old Man's Yard
December 28, 2006 | permalink
The bright winter sun on the statuary, nestled among the overgrown and dead plants of last season, made the figures and objects in The Old Man's yard seem more melancholy than fanciful. Or maybe that's just me. In any case, the pictures that I took are here.
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Donate to Wikipedia
December 22, 2006 | permalink
Wikipedia, which has become indispensable to me both as a reference tool and as a way to kill time on the internet (like I needed another!), is having a fundraiser. Have you donated yet?
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Don to Earth
December 19, 2006 | permalink
I've added Don to Earth
to the ol' blogroll...
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Passed
December 18, 2006 | permalink
I passed my certification exam! I am now a Certified Entertainment Electrician... woo hoo!
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She Hit Pause
December 4, 2006 | permalink
Here is a link to the site of the artist from whom I bought The Typewriter: She Hit Pause Studios. I especially like the Gumball Bath.
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Updates!
December 1, 2006 | permalink
Remember back in the day when I was adding in old entries from the last incarnation of this blog? Well, here are some more: May 2005 and June 2005. Be forewarned- I was very unhappy at the time, so don't go looking for light reading...
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His Excellency
December 1, 2006 | permalink
I'm reading HIs Excellency, by Joseph Ellis. Its a biography of George Washington, and is enthralling. If you had asked me last week if I knew anything about Washington, I would have said yes, of course. I'm only 50 pages in, and I now see that not only do I not know anything, most of the things I thought I knew are outright fictions.
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marathon Pics
November 20, 2006 | permalink
I finally got around to uploading my pictures of the NYC Marathon. All 180 of 'em...
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Brownie Update
November 5, 2006 | permalink
I've been experimenting with it, and have revised the Brownie Recipe. It's much better now.
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Traffic Boost
November 3, 2006 | permalink
Wow! I got a hell of a traffic boost from Jess' link here the other day (Thanks, Jess!). As in ten times the traffic that I usually see. So, thanks for stopping by, everyone, and hopefully some of you like what you see and will keep on reading...
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Cylon-o-lantern
October 23, 2006 | permalink
Over at Evil Mad Scientist Laboratory they have a great article on how to make your very own Cylon Jack o'Lantern, complete with a DIY circuit board driving LED's to make the side to side scanning action. Truly, geekiness at its best.
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Top Five Search Terms
October 13, 2006 | permalink
Top five recent search terms bringing people here:
• turtalia
• surfer grrl
• nicolai tesla time warp
• on your mark get set go sound
• calamity family
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Arizona?
October 12, 2006 | permalink
One of my brothers moved to Arizona without telling anyone, and is getting married next week- also without telling anyone. We found out by accident. As The Old Man observed, 'I guess none of us are invited.'
I guess not...
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Hiccups
October 6, 2006 | permalink
So that's how you get rid of hiccups. Who knew? I'd love to hear the conversation that led to attempting this method...
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MC Hawking
October 3, 2006 | permalink
What would it sound like if physicist and mathematician Stephen Hawking became a hardcore rapper? It would sound like MC Hawking's album A Brief History of Rhyme. Hysterical! My favorite lyric:
I'm like the isotope that determines the fate / of the hypothetical cat in the theoretical crate
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Instant Messaging
October 1, 2006 | permalink
It's probably silly, but I set up AIM and YIM messaging accounts, both with ursinecalamity as the screen name. You know, if any of the half dozen of you that read this thing are suddenly struck with the urge to chat. I can be witty!
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Jaws
September 29, 2006 | permalink
FYI: Jaws is playing at the Ziegfeld this week, along with Back to the Future and E.T.
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Indexed
September 20, 2006 | permalink
The cartoons over at Indexed are quite clever. Geeky, but clever. You should check 'em out.
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Let Your Geek Flag Fly
September 14, 2006 | permalink
My sister The Star just IM'd me that she is going to a sing-along screening of the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer at IFC. And here I thought that I was the family geek!
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Overheard, 8/13/06
August 13, 2006 | permalink
Overheard on the corner of 7th Ave South and Bleeker: 'Oh, no thanks- I'm not a gum chewer. It makes me think of my son. He has to scrape the sidewalk.'
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Nacho Libre
July 26, 2006 | permalink
I saw Nacho Libre (Jared Hess, 2006) last night- funny, funny stuff. Don't get me wrong: We're not talking about high comedy. Just because it was funny as hell doesn't mean it wasn't lowbrow. But it was also kinda cute. And really, what's not funny about a fat friar in tights wrestling for God to put food in the mouths of orphans?
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The Soapbox
June 30, 2006 | permalink
I started another site, a venue for my political thoughts. My main focus is current events, and how they relate to privacy, freedom of speech, the constitution and bill of rights, and how they reflect our history. Check it out: Standing on the Soapbox.
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The God Blog
June 25, 2006 | permalink
Ever wonder what the Almighty muses about? Check out The Big God Blog. Very clever.
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Butt Coffee
June 20, 2006 | permalink
Um, these people are selling coffee beans that have been eaten and subsequently excreted by the luwak, a tropical relative of the weasel. The coffee sells for $50 - $200 per pound. *shudder*
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slick_willy_68
June 8, 2006 | permalink
Do you think that public figures maintain the goofy free email addresses that we have all had at one point in our lives? I mean, is Bill Clinton still getting mail at some address like slick_willy_686@yahoo? Does Madonna still log in to something like virginal@hotmail? Is something like notwhatuxpectd@all used by M Night? Just wondering...
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Gotham Girls Roller Derby
June 6, 2006 | permalink
Why on earth did I not know about the Gotham Girls Roller Derby League? I hang my head in shame.
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Bouchon Bakery
May 24, 2006 | permalink
Go go go to the Bouchon Bakery at Columbus Circle. The Chocolate Bouchon will make your eyes roll back in your head.
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The Sentinel
May 10, 2006 | permalink
The Sentinel (Clark Johnson, 2006) Was pretty good, though the first 2/3 of the movie were way better than the last. Once the uncertainty about who the good guys and bad guys are is resolved, you are left with a very straightforward thriller.
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Minty Fresh
April 26, 2006 | permalink
I bought a mint plant for my bar, and it is doing quite well. Fresh Mohitos and Mint Juleps all summer long! Woo hoo!
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Silent Hill
April 26, 2006 | permalink
Silent Hill (Christophe Gans, 2006) was pretty damned good. Creepy images, a little gross, a little suspenseful, and hot chicks kicking ass. I thought it was solid fun. Of course, I never played the game, so I can't say how it stacked up in that repect...
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Fledgling
April 20, 2006 | permalink
Fledgling (Octavia Butler, 2005) is freaking awesome! I can't put it down. I took the local train to work this morning so I would have more time to read. Shori, a young vampire, wakes up in a cave, horribly burned, half mad with hunger and pain, skull fractured, with no memory of what she is or how she got there. Don't you want to know what happens next? Butler's writing is exquisite, and sex, the generation gap, racism, and more fall under her scrutiny.
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Vantage Test Results
April 6, 2006 | permalink
I got the test results from the Vantage Lighting Control class that I took a couple of weeks ago: 100%, a perfect score. One of the higher-ups from the company called my boss to express his respects; apparently only one other person has ever gotten a perfect score. Woo hoo!
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Moscow Cat Theatre
April 2, 2006 | permalink
The Moscow Cat Theatre is in town. That's right- a circus of trained cats. I am soooo going!
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Atari 2600
March 15, 2006 | permalink
I got an Atari 2600 for ten bucks yesterday... very exciting! Old school gaming, in effect.
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A Capella Mario
March 14, 2006 | permalink
And people say that I'm a geek. Mario, a capella? Yes.
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The Hills Have Eyes
March 11, 2006 | permalink
The Hills Have Eyes (Alexandre Aja, 2006) is some of the worst tripe I have ever seen on the silver screen. It was so bad, so completely unredeemable, that I did the unthinkable; I walked out.
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Happy Birthday Osmium
March 1, 2006 | permalink
Today is Josh's birthday. Y'all should stop over at Osmium and say hello.
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Site Update, 2/25/06
February 25, 2006 | permalink
The entries from July 2005 have been added back to the site.
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Night Watch
February 23, 2006 | permalink
Night Watch [Nochnoi Dozor] (Timur Bekmambetov, 2004). Don't believe the lackluster press and mainstream reviews... Night Watch is fucking awesome. Based on the novel of the same name by Sergei Lukyanenko, Night Watch is the first part of an epic trilogy, the tale of the eternal struggle between the Light and Dark Others, ongoing since times forgotten, and now playing out in modern Moscow. Vampires, shape shifters, seers, a cursed virgin, great special effects and the best subtitling work I've ever seen, it's really worth a look.
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Ebay Prizes
February 20, 2006 | permalink
I got this awesome vintage portable bar from Ebay yesterday. For less than $20!
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Site Update, 2/16/06
February 16, 2006 | permalink
I added a page describing what I do for a living in a bit of detail, for those of you not familiar with the technical aspects of the Theatre and Corporate Event industries. Also, I have added back all of the entries from August 2005.
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A Valentine Haiku
February 14, 2006 | permalink
Valentine Haiku
I steal a kiss from
you, and hold it for ransom.
My price? Your embrace.
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Site Update, 1/26/06
January 26, 2006 | permalink
The re-publishing continues. This group is from September 2005.
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Clown Fear
January 26, 2006 | permalink
I'm sure this is serious, and I am going to Hell for laughing. But I can't help it. " Imagine What Your Life Would Be Like Without Coulrophobia and Fear of Clowns"
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Site Update, 1/24/06
January 24, 2006 | permalink
I have re-published a bunch of older posts from the last site. I will continue to do so until they are all back up. This group is mostly from October, November, and December of 2005, with a few key posts from earlier thrown in for continutiy's sake.
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Snake Befriends Hamster
January 19, 2006 | permalink
A rodent-eating snake and a hamster have developed an unusual bond at a zoo in the Japanese capital, Tokyo. [Link to BBC story]
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Site Update, 1/17/06
January 17, 2006 | permalink
The About Me, About This Site, and Who's Who pages have been updated.
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Penny Bridges
January 16, 2006 | permalink
Holy crap some people have way too much free time!
Yes, it's a bridge of pennies. And that's a small one! You should see the six and seven span ones...
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Star Wars in 30 Seconds, by Bunnies
January 10, 2006 | permalink
Star Wars, in 30 Seconds, Re-enacted by Bunnies. Need I say more?
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Brokeback Mountain
January 8, 2006 | permalink
Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, 2005). What a heartbreaking story of longing and loss this was... astounding. Worth seeing in every way.
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Mr. and Mrs. Smith
January 3, 2006 | permalink
Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Doug Liman, 2005). I got the DVD for myself while I was Christmas shopping for others. Awesome! Watch it.
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The Physics of Star Trek
January 3, 2006 | permalink
The Physics of Star Trek (Lawrence M. Krauss). Behind the undeniably geeky premise, this is actually a clear, concise, and very accessable overview of the modern theories and research that inspired (and continues to inspire) the writers of Star Trek and it's spin-offs. Plus it's really dorky!
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(Walking in the Fields of Mars...)
(Walking in the Fields of Mars...)
(Walking in the Fields of Mars...)
(Continuing Adventures in Fermentation)
(Standing on the Shoulders of Giants)
(Standing on the Shoulders of Giants)