February 24, 2012

A good cup of tea

A good cup of tea must be made with boiled water. Not microwaved, not hot. Boiled.

It should also never be served in a paper or styrofoam cup. Never!

Also, the serving of iced-tea should be a flogging offence.

I'm glad to get this off my chest, and I hope I've educated some people today.

February 9, 2012

Calvin and Hobbes' snowmen

Man, these are brilliant. If I were a kid, I'd have tried to make some like this. Has anyone tried?









And my favourite:

February 7, 2012

RIP John Christopher [author of 'tripods' books]

Damn, I loved these books when I was 13 or so. I don't know how well known they are in the US, but unlike 99% of young-adult fiction, I think these hold up really well. The White Mountains is an enjoyable read at any age.

"In this period of the 1950s, both authors were writing novels that depicted a variety of global catastrophes, but these superficial similarities hid genuine differences. Youd repudiated, rightly, the tag of "cosy catastrophe", a phrase coined by Brian Aldiss. In The Death of Grass, there is a pleasing ruthlessness behind many of the actions. It tells the story of a world where all the graminaceous crops have failed. David Custance has a potato farm in Westmorland; his younger brother John wants his family to join him. After a few murders of innocent people encountered on the way up the Great North Road, the two brothers confront each other with automatic weapons. It ends badly – there is nothing like that in The Day of the Triffids."

Original Article

February 7, 2012

Is this Star Trek (TOS) picture for real?

If so, what episode is it from? It may just be me, but I think I might be detecting some subtle sexual symbolism here:

February 7, 2012

Sometimes abortion is the morally correct choice to make

I sometimes get a bit annoyed with some people who are pro-choice, but who nevertheless seem to have the attitude that abortion is somehow a great evil or a bad thing. US TV often takes this attitude that when someone is shown to have an abortion, somehow this must be portrayed as a morally-diminishing choice. At the same time, the woman who "bravely" chooses not to abort, despite doctors telling her there's a great chance the pregnancy will finish her off, is often portrayed as heroic rather than foolish.

As some of the stories here show, sometimes an abortion is the more moral option than continuing a pregnancy. I wish that statement was less controversial than it seems to be, even in pro-choice circles.

February 1, 2012

Found this book in the science section of a local bookstore...

Look what they're shelving under science these days:



From the title I assumed this might an amusing entry along the lines of 'lies your history teacher told you', but it's nothing but right-wing funded pseudoscience:

to wit: Global warming is nonsense, why there's more evidence for intelligent design than for Darwinism, Aids in Africa was never a problem, there are no environmental problems, science and religion are not in conflict, stem cell research is worthless.

Sickening. I took it upon myself to reshelve it under Fiction. The first time in my life I've done that.

Sorry, I know this is nothing new. Just venting.