Do we really need a section like this in our book shops? Really.
The only redeeming feature is that it segregates “them” from us.
Via Reddit.
Category: Culture
Whoops: Cops take out Bumblebee
So Transformers 3 is in the process of being shot. And they closed some streets for filming. Only, nobody told this cop who was racing towards some sort of crime, and took out Bumblebee.
From the news story:
The police officer driving the SUV is a 25-year veteran senior explosive ordnance technician. He was taken to a local hospital and sustained minor injuries.
Law enforcement sources tell FOX 5 that he was driving to a call for a suspicious package incident nearby and was using a different radio channel than the police officers who were securing the perimeter for the movie.
The police issued the following statement. No civilians were hurt. But the alien robot wasn’t mentioned. Talk about a cover up…
“Earlier today, a MPD marked cruiser responding to an emergency assignment, collided with a vehicle involved in the filming of a movie at Third Street and Maryland Avenue, SW. The officer sustained minor injuries and was transported to a local hospital. No civilian injuries have been reported.
The Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the facts of the crash and filming of this movie on closed DC city streets has been suspended until safety procedures can be reviewed.”
Bugger.
Lego Ad: Build Anything
Lego ads are fun. Here’s another one.
Build Anything from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.
Best Headline Ever
Did you hear the one about the guy who tattooed his frenemy’s back as a “peace offering” – only, he didn’t. He drew a giant phallus instead. It happened in Ipswich, Queensland. Which is typical of things that go on there.
Yahoo’s news service produced arguably the funniest headline I’ve ever read in response.
Australian tattooist charged over rude doodle
The sub editor who wrote that deserves a substantial raise.
It feels weird tagging a post about Ipswich in “Culture” but there you go.
A four year old plays Grand Theft Auto
Are you a parent? Would you let your child play one of the most popular, and violent, video games of all time? What if it was an open world kind of deal – and your child taught you a lesson about how perverted your methods of having fun are. That’s what happened to this guy who let his four year old play Grand Theft Auto IV. Here’s how the kid started playing, after having the mechanics of the game explained to him in general terms.
“He finally entered an unoccupied car and began driving. He was very mindful of the other cars and pedestrians. He didn’t know the rules of the road, so he ran red lights and turned down one-way streets in the wrong direction. However, he did stop at intersections if a group of cars gathered waiting for the light to turn green.
At one such intersection he attempted to brake, but he was traveling too fast. Instead of plowing into the rear of the car ahead of him, he swerved to the right and popped up onto to sidewalk. In doing so, he accidently ran over a woman walking towards his oncoming car. He was incredibly ashamed of himself and profusely apologized…”
At that point the father had to explain the difference between games and real life. The girl wasn’t real. The kid was able to continue.
“Only seconds later, he witnessed a policeman jump out of his patrol car to pursue a criminal of San Andreas. His eyes lit up as he asked if he could drive the police car. I reminded him that it was only a game, and it was fine to take the car. As he drove the squad car, I pressed L3 to turn on the lights and siren. He asked very excitedly if he could get the bad guys too. With a huge smile I pressed R3 to initiate the Vigilante Missions. It was as if his imagination had come to life. He was taking down delinquents left and right. As expected, the dangerous work of an officer brought an ambulance.
At this point my son was familiar with the game’s mechanics and hopped into the ambulance. As he put the crime fighting behind him, he wondered aloud if it was possible to take people to the hospital. I instruct him to press R3, and then he was off to save a few lives. He was having a blast racing from point to point, picking up people in need, and then speeding off to Las Venturas Hospital.”
He ended up taking a fire truck and putting out fires too. What a civil servant he’ll grow up to be.
via BitMob.
Meme Synergy: Will Old Spice Blend
When internet viral marketing sensations collide.
I Pity the Fool who don’t invest in Gold
What a compelling case for gold investment.
Mr T likes gold because the Bible likes gold. He also carries a maximum of 45 pounds of gold at a time.
Put Mr T in an ad and he’ll sell anything.
Smell Like Old Monster
You’ve doubtless seen this already. Everyone else has already posted it, but I’m enjoying using my computer without the restriction of accessing the internet via my mobile (and thus limiting my capacity for YouTube).
Angry Birds Plush Toys, not actual size
TechCrunch has a scoop (not uncommon for the leading blog about goings on on the Internet). Everybody’s favourite iPhone game characters, the Angry Birds, are becoming tangible. Check out this range of plush toys headed your way (TechCrunch has photos of all of them).
Now, I can tell you that these birds aren’t actual size because somebody smart at
Wired/a> conducted some mathematical modelling on the game to determine its physics, and as a result, calculated that the red bird is five metres tall.
They worked out that there’s no air resistance in the angry birds world, and thus, gravity is the only force working on the bird (which moves at 2.46 angry birds per second in the horizontal direction).
“The only force acting on the bird (if the bird is not moving too fast) would be the gravitational force from the Earth. This is where I see lots of intro-student mistakes. They tend to want to put some force in the horizontal direction because the bird is moving that way. DON’T do that. That is what Aristotle would have you believe, but you don’t want to be in his club. There is no horizontal force in this case – no air resistance.
Check out the maths at Wired to see how the calculation of the bird’s height (actually 4.9m) was made.
Cookie Flow Chart
Should you eat a cookie? Yes.
If you’re into impulse control more than I am, perhaps apply this flowchart to your decision making matrix.
From Sheldon Comics, Via Twenty Two Words.
Bay of Plenty
If you’ve always thought your photos were missing that special something. Perhaps an explosion. Or Shia Lebouf. Then Get Bayifying. A nice online webapp that turns your photos into a still from a Michael Bay movie. You too can turn a photo like this (with the obligatory ancient wonder in the background)…
Into this… Jets. Guns. Explosions. Saturated Colour.
Beautiful. No wait. Baytiful.
More music to study to: Architecture in Helsinki
It’s late. I’m tired. I need energy. And steel drums.
Music to study to: Angus and Julia Stone
I am thoroughly enjoying Angus and Julia Stone’s Down the Way at the moment. Its great music to write to, and the Dire Straitesque, or Knopfleresque, guitar solos are an interesting mix with their folky ennui. It looks like Mumford and Sons were a slippery slope into folk.
Here are a few of their songs if you’re uninitiated.
And a couple of nice live versions to finish:
What’s in a domain name
Quite a bit of cash if you manage to secure one that is short, punchy, and in demand.
Here’s an article about the recent sale of the most expensive domain in that infographic.
Mutation of a comic book icon: The Batman logo through time
Staying edgy when you’re already out on the edge as the “caped crusader” is pretty tough. Here’s a chart of Batman’s attempts at “relevance” or “contextualisation.” Who says you shouldn’t change your logo with the times… (other than Superman).
Here’s a video identifying when and what versions led to the changes.
Via FlowingData.