Sunday 24 November 2013

Entertainment stuff from the week 18-24/11/13


Hiya monkeys,


The Infinite Monkey Cage is back!

The first episode of this series is about risk. Actually, risk's a pet subject of mine; partly because people are so shit at judging it, and partly because it can be deeply fascinating.

In this programme, they mention cycling, nuclear power, ecstasy... and Graeme Garden mentions hornets.

...Oh, did i mention Graeme Garden's on this episode of the show? Damn right, he is! Fyeah :-D

'The Infinite Monkey Cage - Series 9'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03hvn5x/The_Infinite_Monkey_Cage_Series_9_Risk/

If the link doesn't reward you with the show anymore, try a site like castroller
http://castroller.com/search/?cx=006301784352006871957%3A4dq3tss8al4&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&t=e&q=infinite+monkey+cage&sa=Search


North Carolina State University's released news of an immense new newly-discovered dinosaur, that was the biggest land predator for 30 million years, before T-Rex evolved!

'Colossal New Predatory Dino Terrorized Early Tyrannosaurs'
http://tapejarascience.tumblr.com/post/67763970610/colossal-new-predatory-dino-terrorized-early


'Selfie' has been chosen as the Oxford Dictionary's word of the year.

'Bedroom tax', 'binge-watch', 'twerk' and 'showrooming' are also new entries to the dictionary. I don't know how twerking didn't convince the judges to pick it as word of the year!? They must not be Miley Cyrus fans :-P


"Circus of Horrors performer Anastasia IV has set a new world record by pulling a 2.5 tonne hearse with her hair."
http://youtu.be/vSyja4NqYsc
She actually pulled it 20 metres, up Shaftesbury Avenue, in London, taking just over a minute. Judging by the video, no-one batted an eyelid!

Shaftesbury Avenue has to be one of the more euphemistically-named places in London, although it's nothing if put up against the various sources of the River Axe, in the South West - Wookey Hole, The Mendip Passage, St. Swithin's Shaft, and Cuthbert's Swallow!


And now for spoilers of this weekend's Doctor Who episode (in grey)

The plot of Doctor Who's become a plot of Red Dwarf!

No - not Series 1, Episode 1 - Series 6, Episode 1 ;-)


Temp character: Now, gentlemen; as we are all aware, we have lost Galifrey. This is not the time for small-minded, petty recrimination. The time for that is when we get back to Earth and The Doctor is court-martialled.

The Doctor: I didn't lose it.

Temp character: Come on, Doctor - you're the one who parked it! You're the one who can't remember which planetoid you left it around.

The Doctor: They're all the same, those little blue-green planetoids - blue, green and planetoidy.

Clare Oswald: There is no advantage in fingerpointing. We didn't lose Galifrey - Galifrey was stolen from us, by persons or lifeforms unknown.


I bet it turns out that Galifrey's been hijacked by some tiny little nanobots that go "mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi-mi"

I'll stake my reputation on this coming true!

"You haven't got a reputation"

No - but i'm hoping to acquire one from this escapade :-P


Actually, there would be many more links between Doctor Who and Red Dwarf than this. Red Dwarf's celebrating its 25th anniversary, this year, btw... well, 3000025th ;-)

'Doctor Dwarf'
http://www.reddwarf.co.uk/news/2013/11/22/doctor-dwarf/

By vast coincidence, it is also the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, by Lee Harvey Oswald (Series 7, Episode 1)


It's incredible, though, isn't it - the vulnerability of squishy-bodied humans - to be killed by one ideologue, acting alone, equipped only with intense neuroses (including a will to making something of his name, and to hit 'back' at a world he didn't understand) and an ability to shoot straight, through his stereotypically-american obsession with guns.

All suggested conspiracies have been debunked by evidence (link: last sentence of first paragraph), and every single one of them ignores the singular fact that Oswald was the man with a motive, a method, and the ability, working as he did, in The Texas School Book Depository, and possessing the correct firearms, to carry out the assassination, with no involvement from outsiders necessary, other than the glorification of such deeds by the Media.

And how many times do we have to see it, over and over again? The psychometry of people like Oswald (who was psychometrically evaluated twice before his murder of JFK, showing him to be ideologically capable of such a crime), and the various serial killers since him, are sensitive to the popularity devoted by the sensationalist, fear-hungry Press.

"Any publicity is good publicity"

But it is not sensitive to whether that popularity is positive or negative.

Here's a semi-old, semi-new article, to make you wonder, further:
'Did the media help pull the trigger on this shooting spree?'
http://johannhari.com/2010/07/08/did-the-media-help-pull-the-trigger-on-this-shooting-spree/

In my opinion, the numerous conspiracy theories surrounding JFK's death are motivated by more than libertarian distrust of the State's story - they are also motivated by the feeling that such a man must not have died a mundane death. An assassination's hardly mundane, but a lone gunman? That's not good enough.

The same is true of Princess Diana's death. A road-traffic incident? That's not good enough! She was perceived as a star - a heroine - an idol, icon, and inspiration (though not by me). Thousands of people die on the roads, every year, and we care nothing of them. She must not have died in such a mundane way - it's not fitting!!!

But she did. And so did Kennedy.

As plausible as a conspiracy might seem to our eager, plot-hungry imaginations, they both actually died in relatively mundane circumstances.

Heroes snuffed out - one by a car crash, and the other by a selfish psychopath. Therein lies the real tragedy of their respective deaths.


Tragedy: "a form of drama based on human suffering that invokes in its audience an accompanying catharsis or pleasure"


------------------------------------------------------ contemporary stuff

'The Timber Treetments Sketch - The Pod Delusion' (my upload)

http://youtu.be/MRujiAav8TM

'500th video - Periodic Table of Videos'

Congratulations, PToV. If you're previously unaware of Brady Haran's YT channels, you have a lot of catching up to do :o)
http://youtu.be/pp2WrHc4rmI

'Comet ISON - Sixty Symbols'
Everything you ever wanted to know about comets and Comet ISON... almost ;-)
http://youtu.be/DoypFpi5d4Y

'Two Colour Chemiluminescent Clock Reaction - Periodic Table of Videos'

Wow - that was an interesting reaction :-)
http://youtu.be/fwMvGUNny3o

'The Darkness - Holding My Own - Electric Ballroom, Camden, London, Nov 2013'

An excellent rendition of one of my favourite euphemistical songs. Geogre Formby, eat your heart out :-D
http://youtu.be/EuYx3bj0c38
{I've just found out that their fourth album should be released in the second half of 2014 - they've already got 15 tracks to choose between, one of which being 'The Horn' (see last week's article)}

'"Decisions In Men's Fashion" Tales Of Mere Existence'
http://youtu.be/SLd84kPy7Ds

'Slow Motion - Ferrofluid'
OMFSM - look at it jump! LOL
http://youtu.be/MU7wiveVCbg

'Doctor Who: Draw My Life!' - Bad Teeth

Live & Kicking, LOL. Oh, Mr Blobby... did you know Graeme Garden, comedy genius, wrote some lines for him, in the early days? Absolutely true!
http://youtu.be/8dD4d7Oaye8

'3D-doodling pen lets you draw your own objects'
What the #%£&'$ going on, here!?!?
http://youtu.be/rfkL4l0dKyo

'Taste simulator lets you sample virtual food'
"An electrode that can produce the taste of salty, sweet, bitter and sour food could make gaming tastier and help in healthcare too"
http://youtu.be/38u3e_WT4H4

'Natural Selection'

http://tapejarascience.tumblr.com/post/67947601743/natural-selection-image-credit-noah-scalin

'Heaven Is For Real - Official Movie Trailer (Atheist Remix)'
There's almost no swearing in this one! I suppose even trailers for the scummiest, exploitative films have to be PG :D
http://youtu.be/keIZmTg-nBI

------------------------------------------------------ of the weeks

Word Of The Week: sclaunder -- an archaic word, meaning the same as 'slander'

Expression Of The Week: 'fourth wall' -- the imaginary wall, between a cast on stage, and the audience; 'breaking the fourth wall' is a term used in reference to scenes where the actors interact with, or suggest knowledge of, their audience e.g. in 'Red Dwarf: Back To Earth' where the cast realise they're actors in a show

Etymology Of The Week: oi! -- from 'ahoy', which was itself a strengthening of 'hoy' - a call to attention used back into medieval times

The 22nd of November was the 144th anniversary of the birth of André Gide - a french author, and winner of The Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947, so here are a selection of great quotes, from him:

“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity.”

“Envying another man's happiness is madness; you wouldn't know what to do with it if you had it.”

“Work and struggle and never accept an evil that you can change.”

“Fish die belly upward, and rise to the surface. It's their way of falling.”

“Fear of ridicule begets the worst cowardice.”

“Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.”

------------------------------------------------------ non-contemporary stuff

'If I Ruled the World clip #1'
Comedy gold, from 1998, with that man again - Graeme Garden. Oh Graeme - "I can't get you out of my head"
http://youtu.be/4gNG4dsOX6c

'Giraffe Manor'
http://www.ripleys.com/weird/daily-dose-of-weird-wtf-blog/crazy-animals/giraffe-manor/

'¿Dónde está Wally el 50% de las veces?'
Where's Wally? Well, 50% of the time, this is where Wally is:
http://micro.cibermitanios.com.ar/post/67704938844/donde-esta-wally-el-50-de-las-veces

'El punto ciego de un camión' (The blind spot of a truck)
This is scary! Be a good driver, and/or be a wary cyclist!
http://micro.cibermitanios.com.ar/post/67698312991/el-punto-ciego-de-un-camion

'El sprint de un Guepardo en cámara lenta' (The sprint of a Cheetah in slow motion)
Cheetahs go so fast, don't they. It's easier to see them go fast, if you... slow them down!? Ah, just watch the film :-P
http://micro.cibermitanios.com.ar/post/67601988244/carrera-de-un-guepardo-en-camara-lenta

'El empleo' (Employment)
In a world where overpopulation were rampant, and every task anyone had ever enjoyed had been devolved to the robots and software programs, what would you be doing for money?
http://micro.cibermitanios.com.ar/post/67515510836/el-empleo

'Geology'
http://tapejarascience.tumblr.com/post/67947714738/geology-via-cibertimanios

'Funny Ikea Prank' via Richard Wiseman

http://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/fun-ikea-prank/

'Sam the Bellhop' via Richard Wiseman

This is an incredible sleight-of-hand trick. Absolutely incredible! ...at least, i think it's a trick ;-)
http://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/sam-the-bell-hop/

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