Day 351: Space-Boinking In The 21st Century!

originally published December 16, 2012 Yesterday I wrote about religion. As such, it’s only fair that I devote today’s article to science. Sexy space-science. Ever since the first man fluttered above the atmosphere into the majestic shimmering garden of space, he wanted to know if he could have sex there. For ages, NASA wouldn’t say […]

Day 350: Buddhist Vices & Other Fun Distractions From Enlightenment

originally published December 15, 2012 As a professional societal critic (remember, I got paid in beer once; that counts), I am always happy to help my fellow humans to realize what specifically is wrong with them. When today’s Wiki-cube plunked onto the category of Vices, I was intrigued. I know a thing or two about […]

Day 349: Badger Heads & Forevertrons – Roadside Wisconsin

originally published December 14, 2012 In researching ideas for my daily grind, I meander through numerous small towns, unincorporated communities, French communes and Polish Voivodeships, seldom ever finding one worth writing about. But something slowed me down in the village of Birnamwood, Wisconsin, population 818. It was this sentence: “Birnamwood was home to the world’s […]

Day 348: Her Name Was Lola. She Was A Showgirl.

originally published December 13, 2012 What can we make of Lola Montez? On the one hand, here’s a woman whose claims to fame are being sexy, dancing on stage, and being sexy. On the other, we have a 19th century woman who looked at the ‘proper’ place for women in society and said “screw it”, […]

Day 347: The Discs Of Yore

originally published December 12, 2012 When the afternoon sun of one’s mortal stroll hits high in its arc, when one’s thirties begin preparing their thunderous finale from the stage in anticipation of the always-disappointing forties act to follow, one can’t help but face a myriad of reminders that one is getting old. Not let’s-check-out-some-area-homes old, […]

Day 346: Go Home And Get Your Shinebox – The Real Lufthansa Heist

originally published December 11, 2012 If you can look at the photo above and remember the specific scene it’s pulled from, then you are going to love today’s article. If not, don’t worry – it’s still a fascinating story. One with spoilers, but seriously, if you haven’t seen Martin Scorcese’s gangster epic Goodfellas by now, […]

Day 345: Eponymation, Part I

originally published December 10, 2012 The great thing about eponyms is that some of them are a complete surprise. An eponym can work its way into our collective vocabulary so smoothly, we forget that the thing in question was named after somebody. And while it’s not a long drive from common knowledge to the fact […]

Day 344: That’s MISTER Cat To You

Meet Larry. Larry holds a very important government position. Indeed, after nearly four and a half years of faithful government service, I have yet to achieve the respect and admiration Larry was shown on his first day in office. For you see, Larry was hired as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, the highest […]

Day 343: Tim Lopes – The White Knight Of The Hidden Camera

originally published December 8, 2012 A few days ago, I joked about becoming a journalist. I suppose that, had I grown up with the right role model, that could have been my reality. Indiana Jones made archeology look cool. Jaws taught me that marine biology could be full of thrills and excitement. And TV’s Jessica […]

Day 342: Shooting The Light Fantastic

originally published December 7, 2012 When the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in 1985, it was more than just a way to play video games in one’s home. There were accessories, dammit – the truly lucky kids got the optional robot (which, it turns out, sucked) and the light gun. The light gun. Formally known […]