Distortion

When Artichokes Sleep

2008-11-23T11:00:17Z

...they often have dreams of space travel and world conquest, similar to the one depicted in the video below:

Why Men Enjoy a Windy Day

2008-11-23T02:38:45Z

The answer is only a mouse-click away:

Consequences of a Vegetarian Sleep Disorder

2008-11-23T01:29:44Z

Wayne was a strict vegetarian and quite smug about it, irritating colleagues, friends, and family members alike with his nagging criticisms regarding their eating habits and his perpetual sermonizing on the benefits of a meat-free vegan diet.

That changed the evening he overindulged on some leftover asparagus sticks and a three-day-old oil and vinegar salad, and then fell asleep on the living room couch while watching a horror movie on TV. To say he had a nightmare that evening would be a bit of an understatement--Wayne looked back on it afterwards as a revelation.

No longer an ignorant, self-righteous plant killer, Wayne is now a strict carnivore and quite smug about it...

Large Seed Pod Sightings

2008-11-22T23:23:25Z

Like UFOs, large seed pods have been spotted throughout history, though few people have been willing to come forward and acknowledge seeing them, as the pods tend to disappear before they can be investigated. Recently, however, a scientific team was fortunate enough to document various encounters with these mysterious life forms, and capture them on film:

Pirate Television

2008-11-22T15:12:14Z

This guy hijacked a couple of television stations in the Chicago area today in 1987. Here is the broadcast:

Yeah...it gets bizarre there at the end.

Flying Wings

2008-11-22T14:36:46Z

A black project that was initiated in 1979 comes to the public eye today in 1988, when the first prototype of the B-2 Spirit was unveiled. Its flying wing design made it unique among other operational strategic bomber aircraft, although it was not the first such vehicle to take flight. We'll start things off this morning showing a video tribute dedicated to the B-2...

...followed by a filmed test flight from the 1940's of its predecessor, the YB-49, which was first dreamed up by Jack Northrup...

...although Northrup was not the originator of the flying wing idea. Here is another example from 1926:

Saturday Cartoons

2008-11-22T11:00:44Z

We haven't seen the RAG's favorite pixie in some time, and since Michael Jackson no longer owns Never Never land, we figured it was safe to visit and look up Tinkerbell. To our amazement, we learned that she really doesn't much like that large person, Wendy. Here is a fan video focused on the rivalry:

Important Moments in Film

2008-11-22T01:27:59Z

No, I don't know what it means, and I don't want to be enlightened. It would destroy the illusion.

Xiphon is a man: a warrior--a troubled soul plagued by self-doubt and outdated concepts of honor. But he has pledged his allegiance to the giant turtles of Tau Ceti, and must honor his vows, even if it means the destruction of lovely Gaia and all her children.

Sent here to transmigrate the ancestor of the giant turtles' greatest adversary, the time traveler John Titor, into bits and pieces of floating fabric, Xiphon performs the deed without remorse but nevertheless has deep misgivings: suppose the woman had told him the truth?

Could he have truly chosen the wrong plane of existence? Was it really two planes up the road?

Warning: The film is somewhat long.

John Titor is a time traveler from the year 2036, who plans to travel to the year 2000 to acquire an IBM 5100 portable computer (so that the game company, Valve, can finally release Half-Life2 Episode 3), but on his first attempt takes a wrong turn in AD 196 and ends up in the year 2011 instead: the date of the giant turtles' arrival.

Fairy Tales for Electrical Appliances

2008-11-22T00:33:43Z

Electrical appliances everywhere love sentimental technology tales, and even the plugged-in Generation X devices enjoy a telling of The Brave Little Toaster now and then, so it's never a bad idea to show this film around the house on a regular basis, if only to keep your electrical appliances pacified.

As everyone knows, happy machinery is productive machinery.

Ancient Film Babes - Another Glimpse at the Mystery Lady

2008-11-21T23:39:33Z

Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson, known to moviegoers as Merle Oberon, was quite an intriguing lady, a mysterious beauty from the East who is best known for her role as Cathy in Wuthering Heights (released in 1939) with Laurence Olivier and David Niven.

Born in India in 1911 to an English-Sri Lankan mother, Oberon lived an impoverished early life in the city of Bombay, raised by her English grandmother (acting as her mother) and led to believe that her real mother was her elder sister. Her father was unknown. Throughout most of her later life as an actress, Oberon's background was purposely obscured. It wasn't until after her death in 1979 that some of the truth about her became known.

So tonight I'll set the the EZ-FOLD portable time manipulator back a few decades and try to catch a glimpse of Merle Oberon in her heyday. Here are a couple of fan videos paying tribute this glorious ancient film babe, the first a tribute of stills, the second showing footage from Wuthering Heights:

Large Superheroine

2008-11-21T18:00:20Z

I don't know what earth would do without these large women to protect us:

Mass and Energy

2008-11-21T16:00:58Z

Albert Einstein publishes a paper describing the relationship between mass and energy (E=MC2) on this date in 1905. In the following video he talks about his formula: