By JB Sanders<\/p>\n
Everything “geek” from October:<\/p>\n
Ptolemy Code Broken<\/a><\/strong> Ten Years of Smart Phones<\/a><\/strong> Ninjas and Cowboys<\/a><\/strong> Periodic Table of Swearing<\/a><\/strong> Zombie Head Cookie Jar<\/a><\/strong> Remote Control Wand<\/a><\/strong> Not Quite Dead Languages<\/a><\/strong> And here’s a nice trivia bit: “Di’nisbaas” means ‘I’m in the process of driving a vehicle into something and getting stuck’ in Navajo.<\/p>\n Map of Online Communities<\/a><\/strong> Quadrocopter!<\/a><\/strong> It’s All Tommy Westphall’s Fault<\/a><\/strong> Weird, but that’s not the Crazy part. See, several characters from St Elsewhere made cross-over and\/or cameo appearances on other TV shows (e.g. Homicide). So that means, by some Law of Contagion, that those series are ALSO all in Tommy’s head, or meta-fictional (fiction within fiction). Cross-eyed yet? Wait, there’s more. If you assume that: <\/p>\n A) St Elsewhere was all in Tommy’s head, and Then it logically follows that <\/p>\n C) any characters on a B tv show who themselves appear on another tv show is … yes, you guessed it, in Tommy Westphall’s head.<\/p>\n Which makes like 90% of TV shows in the same damned virtual imagined autistic universe. <\/p>\n Don’t believe me? Take a look:<\/p>\n http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tommy_Westphall<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/home.vicnet.net.au\/~kwgow\/crossovers.html<\/a><\/p>\n The big picture, for those who need the visual: And download the PDF for the full explanation of all the crazy connections.<\/p>\n It’s like a Unified Conspiracy Theory for TV.<\/p>\n Danny Elfman & Tim Burton Music Box<\/a><\/strong> Dresden Codak<\/a><\/strong> Oh, and a related link that I just can’t help sharing. This is 42 Essential 3rd Act Twists (by category)<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Alternate World of Marty McFly<\/a><\/strong> 700 Hobos<\/a><\/strong> Number 4!<\/a><\/strong> Got Coal?<\/a><\/strong> Now That’s Bling<\/a><\/strong> This Cable Isn’t Wireless!<\/a><\/strong>
\nHistorians have figured out some maps of ancient Germany that hadn’t made sense until recently. Penned in 150 AD by Ptolemy, the map of what is now Germany was always believed to have wild inaccuracies, owing partly to the fact that Ptolemy never left Alexandria, Egypt. Well, it appears that when Ptolemy was wrong, he was wrong in a consistent and accurate fashion. Scientists have figured out a mathematical match-up system to correct the errors, and now the origin date of quite a few German cities has been made older by about a thousand years.<\/p>\n
\nFrom mega-bricks you could commit murder with to tiny plaques that we’ve long seen in scifi books and movies, the smart phone has come a LONG way in just a decade. Ars Technica has a great gallery of pictures.<\/p>\n
\nReally, what more could you ask for in your epic action movie? Just watch the trailer<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nA graph of all the naughty words and their relative weights. Obviously, this is so NSFW. In fact, it’s probably NSFMP (Not Safe For Most People), as they really don’t spare any of the circus of vulgarity available. Extra bonus: it’s UK English swear-words, so some of them are extra funny (to American ears).<\/p>\n
\nHas to be seen to really get the full effect. It’s VERY cool. I think some kind of salmon-pink cookies would be best.<\/p>\n
\nThis is not your standard goofy remote control redo, it’s a wand. A not-quite-real, use-gestures-to-control-things wand. For your TV. Or whatever. Watch the video at the bottom of the blurb to see it in action. Buy it, then change the channel with a mere flick.<\/p>\n
\nAccording to the website, every 14 days a language dies. The Enduring Voices Project, a National Geographic program, is documenting as many languages as they can as quickly as they can. It has a nice interactive graphic showing the “hotspots” around the world, with info on each. Interesting if you’re into languages. Or intensely useful if you need some esoteric background stuff for a novel or gaming adventure.<\/p>\n
\nWhat if there was a map, like you get at the front of your better fantasy books, that showed the online communities sized to their relative daily bandwidth? That would be one of xkcd’s wonderful virtual maps. I should have one of these things in every monthly article.<\/p>\n
\nDo you need more than that? You do? Ok, how about is has two built-in cameras, runs a Linux flavor on-board and you can control it via iPhone software? Ok, yes, it’s $300, but it comes with games you can play through the cameras — like first person shooters where the real world is your “level”. No real guns included though. (Article includes video of the quadrocopter in action.)<\/p>\n
\nThis isn’t new, and it isn’t terribly October-y, but BOY is it geeky. If you’re just about to watch St Elsewhere on DVD for the first time or something, look away now, because I’m going to ruin it all for you. Follow along with the crazy, will you? At the end of the TV series St Elsewhere, the last scene has an autistic boy (Tommy Westphall) shaking a snow globe with a miniature version of the hospital in it. The scene right before that had snow falling on the hospital. And the two other characters in the room with Tommy idly wonder what the boy sees in that snow globe. So the obvious interpretation from this is that the WHOLE series has just been inside Tommy’s head, kind of like a giant “and then she woke up” moment.<\/p>\n
\nB) any TV series where a St Elsewhere character also appeared is ALSO in Tommy’s head<\/p>\n
\nhttp:\/\/home.vicnet.net.au\/~kwgow\/crossovers.html<\/a><\/p>\n
\nDo I need to say more? Ok, it’s the 25th anniversary music box, collecting CDs from all their wonderful collaborations over the years. It’s a limited series of 1000 and it sells for $500. Perfect gift except for that last part. But it looks cool.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s even fun to say! Wait, I should begin at the beginning. It’s the usual thing to do, I guess. This is a webcomic that not only has really great art, but robots, esoterica built into the narrative and funny bits. Enjoy!<\/p>\n
\nWhat if Eric Stoltz had played Marty instead of Michael J Fox? Wonder no more! Actual mind-bending Eric Stoltz \/ Marty McFly footage!<\/p>\n
\nThat’s it, just 700 hobos. With names and quirky illustrations. Would I make this up? Look at the URL! http:\/\/www.e-hobo.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n
\nNo, not a Prisoner remake or anything. Some kind of superhero movie, maybe? Who cares, it looks cool.<\/p>\n
\nThis is a computer that requires a handy turn of the coal shovel to operate! Mr Babbage’s Analytical Engine, not to be confused with his Difference Engine (which was little more than a calculator by comparison), is the true first computer. It’s reprogrammable, has a printer, a CPU, expandable memory and a plotter. In Babbage’s time, the Analytical Engine was never built (partly because it would be the size of a friggin’ locomotive), but all that’s about to change. Now someone is raising money to really build one. Steam Power!<\/p>\n
\nHow about a phone that costs millions of dollars? I’d love for this to be some kind of super-phone that works absolutely anywhere, but no, it’s just encrusted with gems. Still, how great a job is “phone jeweler”?<\/p>\n
\nAnd other priceless quotes this Retail Hell escapee jotted down in the course of over 3 years.<\/p>\n