Random Links

Did you know that funny headlines are called crash blossoms?

Probably the best product review ever written.

Random quirky videos about random quirky things with random quirky David Rees.

Did you know this about African wild dogs?  And if you want to see them in action, check out this segment from Planet Earth for some great video, or this breakdown of their hunting strategies (part 1 of 3).

These are the people we have protecting our safety.  How safe do you feel?

Logos of great scientists.

What I Watched -- All Is Lost

Months and months ago, I tried watching All Is Lost, which is a movie about a guy who's alone at sea.  I fell asleep.  Imagine that!  A movie with almost no dialogue, soothing sea sounds, and I fell asleep.  Who would have imagined that?

With a little more sleep and a lot more daylight, I decided to give it another try.  Watching All is Lost was, in a way, the opposite of watching a movie with subtitles.  With subtitles, you have to be glued to the screen because it's the only way to know what's going on.  With All is Lost, I was prone to stop paying attention, I think because of the lack of dialogue.  Boy was that a mistake.

It's the process that this guy goes through, of slowly having his lifelines stripped away from him, of trying to save those lifelines every step of the way, of exercising every last bit of his encyclopedic knowledge of his craft and the sea, of taking resourcefulness to a new level, that really makes the movie.  It's what sucks you in.

And even with my initial lack of initial attention, by about halfway through, I was glued.  I was glued as he held it together through challenge after challenge, and glued as he started to come apart.  Right until the very last minute.

Perhaps because there is so little human speech in this movie, the sound effects are especially important.  It was a little bit of a challenge to watch because of the range of volume required, from calm, placid days thousands of miles from another soul to raging storms and crashing thunder.  My other mistake was not to be somewhere with good surround sound that I could crank up to really get the full experience.  Do yourself a favor and make that happen.

The story is simple, easy to tell, so there's not much to surprise you there.  But that's what makes the enjoyment of it all the more impressive.

Bottom line: a surprisingly suspenseful film, and a bit of a risky project which deserves to be rewarded.

Random Links

Photography in WWI: The War No Image Could Capture.

The irony of the Beatles' beetles.

Not one of the legal profession's finest.

Just another monkey copyright story.  Next up: patents.

An entertaining, cartoon-y way to waste time.

#wordcrimes.

Goal #32

Goal #32: arrange for shipping.

I spent an hour or so one night this week (instead of going to Whitaker, see below) just straightening up my apartment.  I also spent a bit of time looking at condos to buy.  What I decided, after seeing how much better my place looks when it's tidy, is that I should really probably just get this place organized and live in it for a while.

We'll see if that idea lasts.

Regardless, I'm getting some furniture from Mom, and I need to make arrangements to have it shipped here so I can finally get rid of some of these boxes!

Recap of goal #31: has summer gotten away?  Certainly not this past week!  I went to see the Cards play the Red Sox twice (and win twice!), and it doesn't get much more summery than that!  I was hoping to also see the last of the Whitaker summer concerts at MOBOT, but I didn't quite make it.  And I rode in the Moonlight Ramble (more later)!

Corpse Flower

The Missouri Botanical Garden has been blessed, or cursed, this season with two corpse flowers, titun arums.  I missed the first one, but T and I went to Mobot's special late-night hours to see the second one during the peak of its stinkiness.

And that is certainly how it earned its nickname, the corpse flower.  I've never smelled a corpse, but I imagine it's something like this.

The problem was that we weren't the only people reading our emails and showing up at the Linnean House just before bed.  The line was about three times as long as the building, and not moving an inch.  So instead we just walked around the back and peeked in the window.  Some of the windows were open, which let enough of the stench out that we were glad we weren't inside after all!

Quote of the Day

"Henceforth, politics would not be a sphere in which human nature is perfected; the political project would not include pointing people to their highest potentials.  Instead, modern politics would be based on the assumption that people will express and act upon the strong impulses of their flawed natures.  People will be self-interested.  The ancients had asked, What is the highest of which mankind is capable and how can we pursue this?  Hobbes and subsequent moderns asked, What is the worst that can happen and how can we avoid it?"
  -- George F. Will, "Religion and the American Republic," National Affairs

Congrats, M&M!

About a month ago, I ventured up to the shores of Lake Michigan to celebrate the marriage of my best friend from college.
I had an early flight to Milwaukee on Saturday morning and was in my rental car by 10:30 or so.  Festivities started around 6 that evening, so before I headed up to their little town, I decided to cruise around the city and see what I could find.  What I found was the Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear, a wacky museum portraying daily life in the Milwaukee area in the interbellum years.

I could probably cook on that.

 

The old grocery store.

A vintage cash register at the pharmacy.

From there I headed up the shore to help out with wedding prep, since I still had a few free hours.  The festivities were on the beach at M's cottage, which was a lovely setting perfect for their party!

The path to the beach.

The bar!
 

A thick fog rolled in for several hours in the afternoon.

What with all the lush greenery and the inability to see more than 20 feet, I felt like I was in Ireland!

Looking back at the cottage.
 

The happy couple (tired of smiling)!

The mothers of the brides, giving their toasts.
 

There were only two of these very stylish glasses available for all the guests, and I got a pair!

Dancing on the beach!  No one seemed to mind the rain a bit.

The party was great fun, and was followed by some much-needed bacon and eggs back at the cottage the following morning.  We did a bit of clean-up, then I headed back to Milwaukee for one last thing I wanted to see before I hit the airport.

I just barely caught the final tour of the day at the Pabst Mansion, former home of Captain Frederick Pabst and his family.  It is well restored, with some replica pieces but lots of originals throughout the house.  Unfortunately you can't take any pictures inside, so the best I have for you are some outdoor shots.  There are some interior pictures online.

It was a stunning place.

What I Watched -- Girl Rising

I honestly don't even remember where or when I heard about Girl Rising, but one day a few weeks ago, I got a notification from the library that it had arrived and was on hold for me.  Before going to pick it up, I couldn't have told you what it was about.

What it is about is girls (as the title might suggest).  It's a moving documentary about the condition of individual girls around the world, and the power of an education.  None of this is new or news, but it is worthwhile to be reminded of what some people have to do or overcome to achieve what so many of us take for granted every day.  And it is astonishing to be reminded how little girls are worth, even today, in some parts of this world.  Truly remarkable.

Each of the nine girls comes from a different troubled country: Cambodia, Haiti, Nepal, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Peru, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan.  Some of their stories have happy endings; some do not.  But each girl, as the DVD cover says, is a revolution in her own small way.

Bottom line: a story that needs to be told -- and realized.

Goal #31

Goal #31: don't let summer get away!

Is anyone else wondering how it got to be August?  I certainly am.  This week, I am hoping to remember that, and do some fun, St.-Louis-in-the-summer stuff!  Stay tuned next week to find out what I managed to squeeze in!

Recap of goal #30:  I did much better with drinking tea this week, and limited myself to one cup of coffee max every day but Friday -- which really wasn't my fault!  I only planned to have one cup, but our clerk brought me a vanilla latte from Starbucks, and how can you say no to that?

Random Links

A book club I'd like to join.

Honey badger gonna find a way out!

If you're a Game of Thrones watcher and have a sense of humor, try Gay of Thrones, because it's awesome.

I'm moving to England!

My favorite little rover has set a new record!

Doors that are not doors.