The Geekly Standard
Bulshytt And Its Purveyors
by Nick Glossop on July 7, 2011
Pursuant to the recent efforts of our own Matt Payne to isolate, decrypt and otherwise plumb the truthy bottom of bullshit as it is employed and practiced by Randroids, trickle-downers and economic voodoo doll-heads, I give you bulshytt as a term of art from the novel Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
As the story takes place in an isolated monastery on a far off planet in a time unknown, many of …
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Chicken ‘n Waffles
by Nick Glossop on July 6, 2011
A recent episode of Treme inspired me to dig this little gem up from the InterTubes. When I first saw Tapeheads, I thought that fried chicken with waffles was some fresh horror they had dreamed up for the film. I know better now, and I am still disappointed that the Swanky Modes turned out not to be a real soul duo.
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Shock And Awe: 5,000 lbs Of Fireworks Destroyed By The NYPD
by Nick Glossop on July 5, 2011
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The Virtue of Dials
by Nick Glossop on July 5, 2011
Back when we had dials, discoveries like this would be made all the time. Every 45 in the house got played at 33, and vice versa. Switching in the middle of songs was best. My parents loved it. Our system was so old that we had settings for 16 and 78 RPM also, and so the fun never stopped.
Here, then, is rockabilly diva Wanda Jackson’s Funnel of Love from …
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Tallinn via Helsinki (with Agent Dale Cooper)
by Nick Glossop on July 2, 2011
If the world seems a little strange from Estonia, director David Lynch may bear some small measure of responsibility. I have had the pleasure of visiting that remote little country several times – in 1989 when it was still a disgruntled republic of the USSR, and in 1991 when independence was still a few months away, but the nationalist banners were certainly flying. While this nation of a mere 1.3 …
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In Doha, Qatar, The Middle Lane Is The Slow Lane
by Lorelei Loveridge on June 29, 2011
If you’d like to know how to drive in the Middle East, take a car from the outskirts of Rome (say, uh, from the airport) and point it straight into the centre. Be sure to follow the dots in the circles and go where the majority go. That’s it. Like a jockey on a camel, just ride. Ride and don’t look back. That’s how everyone does it.
You’ll find out …
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Are ‘Friends’ Piezoelectric?
by Nick Glossop on June 23, 2011
The Sound Charge T-shirt comprises a modified piezoelectric film, which acts as an oversized microphone by absorbing sound pressure waves. A series of interlaced quartz crystals converts the acoustic signals into electricity, which in turn feeds into an internal reservoir battery compatible with most cellphone models.
I’ll be impressed when a band’s sound, harvested by a piezo-coated audience provides the energy for the amps and light-show. Perpetual sonic boom. And …
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Yearning For Freedom From The Internet? Help Is Here!
by Laurence Miall on June 23, 2011
There is a new software that I installed on my computer this morning that blocks access to the Internet for a period of time determined by you – the user. The software is called Freedom. You can enjoy 15 minutes of “freedom” or 55 minutes or whatever you fancy up to 480 minutes, which by my count is eight hours – in other words, a typical work day. I …
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Blues For Grendel
by Nick Glossop on June 21, 2011
He who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man. So said Dr. Johnson. Unfortunately not all pain is thereby abated.
Body (2004) from Patrick McHale on Vimeo.
I made this video in a month during the summer of 2004 by sneaking into Cal Arts to use the equipment. Whenever the security guard came around I’d turn off the light and keep quiet…
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Soylent Brown: Scientist Synthesizes Sh*t Sandwich?
by Andrew Loewen on June 17, 2011
Tokyo Sewage: So what are we gonna do with all this shit?
Okayama Laboratory: Wow, that is a lot of shit. Why not turn it into steak?
Tokyo Sewage: Steak you say. We are interested. Tell us more.
Okayama Laboratory: There’s significant bacteria in human fecal matter which is protein rich. We extract these proteins, combine them with a reaction enhancer, and put that in “an exploder.” Then, simply add …
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Longest Syrian flag In The World? So What. Ghadafi Plays Chess.
by Lorelei Loveridge on June 15, 2011
“In war, truth is the first casualty.” So said the Greek tragic dramatist Aeschylus who also stated, “Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny,” something that Syrian protestors must live by.
Read this BBC article on the current status of Syria, or the Syrian refugees, 10,000 of them, who fled the country to cross into Turkey for refuge against what some call a crackdown by government forces (on whom is …
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