Apparently, a group of UFO enthusiasts is suing Virginia's governor because he has failed to stop a "clandestine invasion" of the state. The Smoking Gun has an affidavit a person offered in support of their case. Be sure to check out the alien drawing on page 3.
Mississippi is considering using a fence made of bubbles to keep out various types of carp.
Also here's a factoid:
Silver carp, which are nearly as big [100 pounds], have become a safety hazard along parts of the Mississippi because they jump out of the water and sometimes hit boaters, Oetker said.
Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise are teaming up to make a new War of the Worlds. I'm hoping they stick closer to the book and include the tripods and red weed and blood sucking aliens.
Famed science fiction magazine Amazing Stories is being relaunched, again. The last time around, they tried to use media fiction (Star Trek stories, etc) to get people interested. This one sounds like they are going to use the nonfiction content to attract readers.
Now re-imagined for a new generation of fans, Amazing Stories launches into the 21st century with both cutting-edge fiction from today’s top authors and the mission to provide the definitive editorial voice across the entire spectrum of sci-fi, fantasy, super heroes and supernatural horror. Amazing Stories will feature reviews and previews of the latest movies, TV, DVDs, books, comics and story-driven electronic games, as well as interviews with the creators of these fantasy stories. Each issue will also contain original fiction works from the world’s top authors, as readers of Amazing Stories have come to expect from the magazine.
Well, I'm hoping for the best anyway.
Afghan soldier couldn't afford to get married. He ends up being arrested for having sex with a donkey. Desperate times ... desperate measures.
A kangaroo viciously attacked a woman in her garden. A bobcat viciously attacked a woman in her basement.
Chinese veterinarians are showing a panda American sex ed videos so it will be ready to mate.
Jim Rindhage is a professional dog poop scooper.
Bird poop destroying Norwegian bridge.
Man dies of heart attack and pneumonia, but police launching a murder investigation because his genitals have been removed and may have been eaten by the dog.
And finally, dogs trained during World War II to run under tanks with explosives. Unfortunately, they were indiscriminate about which tanks they'd run under.
This article on the Treasure on Neahkahnie Mountain is a wild mix of Indian legend, scientific fact and reports of treasure hunters and explorers. There's history, legend and weirdness all mixed together. Good stuff.
Actually, the Web site, Unexplained Earth, looks to have a lot of other interesting stories like that one. Check it out.
Columbia University is having an exhibition called Godzilla Conquers the Globe: Japanese Movie Monsters in International Film Art. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of Godzilla and looks at the process of change Godzilla (and other Japanese movie monsters) went through as they travelled from country to country. It also includes a history of Japanese monsters in folklore and books and how those were translated to the silver screen.
The Web site includes thumbnails of many Godzilla posters from around the world. Some of my favorites are in there, like the Polish poster which can be seen here (scroll down). It features a blue Godzilla that's almost smiling as it crouches over a tiny city.
Good stuff. Check it out. And go to it if you're near Columbia. They say this could become a travelling exhibit if it's successful.
BoingBoing has been linking to a lot of paper folding lately. Here's a neat one featuring Star Wars vehicles.
Coming next month, Monkeybrain Books are publishing a revised edition of Michael Moorcock's Wizardry & Wild Romance. "The Encyclopedia of Fantasy" calls the original book (published in 1987) "an impatient and rather patchy examination of fantasy ... and which constitutes as a whole an apologia for his own ironized point of view." I have no idea if that is a good description of the book or not. According to Monkeybrain, the new book will be "newly revised and expanded."
Moorcock is the absolute master of modern fantasy. Things he tossed off in a week are far better than some of the dreck on fantasy bookshelves today. So I'll be buying it in short order. If you're interested in fantasy literature, it's probably an essential volume.
City officials in Aliso Viejo, Calif., nearly banned water. During an investigation of a foam container maker, they found out the company used dihydrogen monoxide (the scientific name for water). A few official looking Web sites did them in, describing dihydrogen monoxide as an odorless, tasteless chemical that can be deadly if accidentally inhaled.
Hurry, hurry, get your own two-headed calf, bids start at $9 for a limited time.
This article starts out talking about an island illegaly built in a protected South Dade, Fla., nature preserve. Apparently, the island was built by the "Supreme Master" of a religious cult. But this isn't your typical cult:
Whether Ching Hai should be considered a ''cult leader'' is the subject of debate among people who track such groups. The group offers no dark doomsday messages but instead practices a form of meditation called quan yin, which taps into some sort of inner music, and stresses vegetarianism along with simple rules against lying, stealing or ''sexual misconduct.''
But apparently, living next door to her wasn't a bad thing.
''She was a very kind person, just very, very strange,'' said one neighbor who did not want to be identified. ''There was just a lot of weird stuff.''
Stuff like this: scurrying minions who always referred to her as ''the master.'' Odd construction projects, often done after midnight, like aviaries or landscaping, fences or screens to shield the property.
De Lamour, said another neighbor, described herself as a designer but talked little about herself. At one home, neighbors rarely saw anyone, only cars. At another, the petite woman was pleasant when encountered -- sometimes to a fault, offering extravagant gifts like expensive designer clothes on a whim.
''You had to be careful what you said. Just mention you were cold and the next thing you know she was coming with bags full of Ralph Lauren sweaters,'' the neighbor said. 'When I made a comment about why she was bringing over all this stuff all the time, she said, 'I have so such money I don't know what to do with it.' ''
Good stuff, take the time to read it.
Well, I hope politicians are aware of the negative influence The Passion of the Christ is having on people. First we hear of an old woman who dies in the theater. Now this: A 23-year-old tried to nail himself to a cross. Obviously, these religious movies are a bad influence. Hollywood should know better. Ban them! Restrict them! MPAA on their asses!
A new deep sea robot will be taking pictures of the ocean depths and sending the photos back to be displayed on the Internet. The photos will be available here: www.deepseacam.com
Forager writes a post on the necessity of moral instruction in art. Don't miss the comments, the conversation continues there.
There's a topless woman looking for beads at Mardi Gras. There's a guy mooning the president. There's a drunken man at a table in Washington D.C. There's another man puking in a toilet. These are just a few of the residents hidden away in Legoland by the builders.
Well, not really, but this article on what the Bible says about homosexuality does mention it. Toward the end, the article becomes a screed against Bush, but the discussion of Biblical rules and their interpretation is interesting.
Scientist attacks bizarre claims made by Richard Hoagland. Hoagland is that "Face on Mars" guy. Philip Plait has finally gotten fed up with Hoagland, who he has avoided commenting on in the past because he didn't want to give Hoagland more attention.
" 'Hoagland's claims irritate me because he is promoting uncritical thinking,' Plait told SPACE.com . 'He doesn't want you to think about what you're seeing. He's trying to bamboozle you into believing what he's saying.'
"Critical thinking is the foundation of science, but Plait thinks it's also an important skill for anyone trying to navigate modern society. 'Hoagland is eroding away at that ability.' "
Greg West says he enjoys being a sewer diver.
"It's fun. it's adventurous. it's a rush," he said.
Using a specialized diving suit, West swims through dark sewer lines trying to find leaks and other problems.
"What's it like diving in sewage pipe? Dark, even with a light, West said. "You have no visibility. It's just all by feel," he said."
And the job is risky too:
"West figures some risks come with the job. "I've had a few mishaps. People accidentally shut off my air before ... a few broken legs.""
Thanks to a posting at the Night Shade message boards, I found these interesting giant squid related links. First is paintings by Skot Olsen that use the giant squid as a symbol. They look like some twisted take on Popeye.
The second link is TONMO, the Octopus News Magazine Online. It's set up as a message board and there seems to be a ton of stuff to look at.
