Jack Mangan's Deadpan #99: Goofy Gym Class Goggles Happiness

Lay Shw Nos

gene wilder court jester opening
introbab
geologic podcast promo
more bab
poetfox Deadpan is the waaaaaaaay
Scott from Kalamazoo Deadpan is the Way project
80s perspective
Climb into my spoon
Pink Floyd cover
80s perspective
Stolen Paragraph
:::::::Cynful channels David Gilmour
:::::::EssBee channels Jim Butcher
Contents of Vanamonde’s fridge
Scott from Kalamazoo Deadpan is the Way project – part 2
80s perspective
TEB Dumbass/Crazy Parents memory
outrobabble
Original music – Archipelago

452 thoughts on “Jack Mangan's Deadpan #99: Goofy Gym Class Goggles Happiness

  1. Can anybody click on the play button on the website and tell me if the audio plays back fine? just wondering if it’s a quirk with my linux system.

  2. Van, you cracked me up this morning w/ the “CE” thing. Hahaha!

    CD: Tazo China Green Tips tea

    CP: yesterday’s Democracy Now!

    Jack, your music is awesome. I LOVE it. As they say at the mariachi concerts, “Otro! Otro!”

  3. Morning Pan!

    Only in for a short time. In laws still in town for the next week, so still busy, busy, busy 🙂

  4. Ditto, I was thinking the same thing. Didn’t the 80’s give us the yuppie?

    Of course, I think the 80’s were a different place for people of our age than it was for the baby boomers.

  5. Man I hate morning meetings on Thursday, delay’s my ‘pan fix until the afternoon.

    Holy crap it’s fracking hot outside…

  6. You know you have limited culinary skills when you screw up making reconstituted mash potato:

    “Pour contents of sachet into a bowl and add 425ml of boiling water, stir well with a fork”

    cough

  7. Scott had plenty more good stuff to say. You’ll be hearing more from him, over the next few episodes.

    And yes, EssBee. My iPod is happy to see you.

    CP: The hum of machinery and office building A/C.

  8. Van, that is pretty bad! I once had to throw a pot out because of instant mashers, though, so I can sympathize. Maybe order in?

    CP: Sick Of Me – Ani DiFranco

  9. Damn that Watchmen trailer looked good. Appears consistent with reports that they are really trying to frame the sections of the movie to capture the original frames from the graphics novel.

  10. [ear bud]

    I was offered to photograph another music festival this coming weekend and have been familiarizing myself with the music because I haven’t been keeping up very well lately and god damn there is some fucking great indie music out there right now

    My current obsessions from this festival- The latest releases from these bands:

    !!!
    Vampire Weekend
    Animal Collective
    Les Savy Fav
    Dizzee Rascal
    The Dodos
    Spiritualized
    Elf Power
    The Hold Steady
    Spoon
    Dinosaur Jr
    Titus Andronicus
    Boris
    Fuck Buttons

    I just made a playlist a couple days ago of ll the bands in this festival and fuck its a great playlist. Hugh and I have been playing this playlist nonstop since I made it

    [/ear bud]

  11. Congratulations TSH.

    Dr Horrible won’t play on my Linux laptop, so can’t watch it till I boot up the desktop.

    Today’s colour is grey with a touch of damp.

    Off to see Wall-E today, looking forward to all that Pixar goodness.

  12. Sounds kinda like my day, Rhettro. Stupid work crap!

    Hey, would one of you Arizona fellas go smack the Phoenix Evil, Inc. Sales Rep — oh, EXCUSE me, Account Executive — for me? She is absolutely killing me with her assholery.

  13. Darn all this talk of itunes upgrades blues, I have a shiny new iPhone here and now have to install itunes for the first time.

    engage panic mode

    panic mode engaged

    aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh…

  14. Oh and really enjoyed Wall-E, I cared more what happened to those two computer generated characters in that movie than all of the rest of the summer blockbusters put together.

  15. I know what you mean, Van. It’s the best movie I’ve watched all year.

    I know it’s a Disney movie, but if they went for a slightly different, more tragic ending, it would definitely have been up for an Oscar.

  16. …and karma takes a bite out of my ass.

    Lulu.com sent me the wrong book, a great achievement from a Print on Demand publisher.

  17. Van: installing iTunes for the first time is pretty painless. It may take a while depending on how long your music collection. The bitching starts when you have to upgrade iTunes and Apple changes something. Grrrrr.

  18. For example, once I upgraded iTunes, and ALL of my podcasts disappeared. That experience taught me a few things:

    1. I might have a little too much of a need for instant gratification.

    2. I am way too attached to these earbuds.

    3. Apple will fix the bugs that they create, but it is always too slow for my taste.

  19. ditto, that makes me feel so much better. I am a techtard, and am ALWAYS told that it’s there even though I cannot find it.

    Dear you bastard tech support people: I TOLD YOU SO.

  20. EssBee: I always have fun slapping tech support around. Being a software engineer, they can’t pull lame excuses with me. I *can* get away with saying, “put someone on that knows what they are talking about.” 🙂

  21. Of course, I only get that mean once they’ve pissed me off by repeatedly refusing to listen to me. I understand they probably get lots of people that claim to know what they are talking about, but good tech support should be skilled enough to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak.

  22. So a quick shout out for helo, can you manually select MP3s on your HD in itunes to transfer to the iphone/ipod?

    I really want to keep my podcast feeds away from itunes if I can help it.

  23. Van,

    1. Open iTunes
    2. From the File menu, choose one of the following choices:
    * Mac
    o Add to Library
    * Windows
    o Add File to Library
    o Add Folder to Library
    3. Navigate to and select the file or folder that you want to add

  24. You can Van, but it isn’t as simple as it should be.

    You use the “IMPORT” function from the pull down list, locate your MP3’s on the hard drive and “IMPORT” them. You files then show up in your music directory and you can drag them to an iPod/iPhone that is connected to your PC.

  25. So, Van has scored his iPhone and now has been sucked into the legion of iTunes with the rest of us.

    I must confess, I haven’t upgraded my Itunes in a while since they never to anything to improve podcasting support. The thing I see about Apple is that, they add some feature, like podcasting, and then never touch it again, preferring to add some other new money sucking feature.

    I always make a backup copy of my Itunes database file before applying a new Itunes update.

  26. And…. ok…. gradually getting caught up.

    “A New Name” by !!! (chk-chk-chk) is one of my favorite new tunes. I also kinda dig the Les Savy Fav tune I heard. Have fun at Pitchfork, Smarty Hotties.

    Thanks, Trucker!

    EssBee – are you suggesting a simultaneous *BFP* and *HFP*?

    Van, what kind of tea did you think up?

    I gotta see that Watchmen trailer.

  27. Not out till next week in the UK, so I’ll check it out then.

    Mummy 3 looks pretty naff, might check it out for a laugh.

  28. The August book for the book club I’m in is ‘The Yiddish Policemen’s Union’ by Michael Chabon. Going to see if I can get it on loan from the local library.

  29. I’ve also heard great things about the Chabon novel.

    I LOVED “Soon I Will Be Invincible”, absolutely. I caught that one as an audiobook, and loved the voice of the guy who read it.

  30. Hey Jack, wanna see Batman? LOL Better not, the wife would kill me. I’ll probably wait a couple weeks before seeing Batman. I’m probably 50/50 for seeing WALL E this weekend and 50/50 for Hellboy next.

  31. I have no idea what Jrun is, but my google-fu says the last update Adobe released for it was in June of 2005. That would be abandonment in my book.

  32. Well I was going to ask about literal death or philosophical death.

    But since things appear to have vanished.

    That was a twisted story you linked to ditto.

  33. Oh, and Tee spilled the beans that we can expect to here an interview with himself and Pip Ballentine on a certain podcast that we all listen to in the near future.

    Jack, no softballs 🙂

  34. Hopefully the DP interview won’t be two hours long.

    Ok iphone/ipod touch owners. This is my first smartphone and it’s taking me a while to get used to it. Oh and Safari has already crashed several times today, so I’ve been bloodied!

    Anyway, is there anyway to turn of the screen switching to landscape mode when playing a podcast or music track? makes it hard to hit pause without taking the phone out my pocket?

  35. I should watch those before things get too spoilerish around the net. Of course, I bought them on iTunes, so that helps the deadline thing.

  36. Hi Deadpan!

    How’s everyone’s Saturday shaping up? I’ve been busy — already done with two loads of laundry, mowing the lawn, and sweeping up the patio. I also did dishes and pulled some weeds. Now, I can relax and maybe read or watch some TV. I got LOST Season 1 & 2 on DVD for my birthday recently — maybe that’s what I’ll do.

    Dr. Horrible rocks.

  37. I received an e-mail from Pendragon Press — publishers ofthe pending Triquorum 3, which will feature a superlong story of mine entitled “Crash Day”. It’s still in the works. The editor is toying with format ideas, awaiting the contributing authors’ feedback, and will possibly have something ready within “the next month or so”.

  38. Can’t wait to see Dark Knight! I heard a bad review today, but ditto’s review just tells me that the reviewer has no taste.

    CW: Eureka Season Two, Disc 1

    Soon to be E: Double mushroom & pepperoni pizza and hot wings. It’s my secret for keeping this girlish figure.

    CD: Left Hand Brewery Sawtooth Ale.

    Got stung by a yellow jacket today. It was the last thing that little fucker ever did, I can tell you that much.

    Enjoy the evening!

  39. You know, if I hadn’t known Ledger was playing the Joker, I’d never guess. He’s riveting. Take Batman, remove his restraint and his morality, remove his sense of justice, remove his discipline, and it’s a short hop to becoming the Joker. That’s an undercurrent that plays throughout the whole movie. Nolan weaves a compelling story around Batman, the Joker, Dent, and Gordon that says a great deal about inner-character and Justice.

    This is an extremely dark movie that only happens to be about a comic book character.

  40. I came by to post lyrics. This guy blew me off awhile back for a Deadpan interview (in spite of our shared last name). . . . but I won’t jump to any uncool assumptions. He may have gotten busy – or whatever. This is a great, great song.

    Dan Mangan – So Much For Everyone

    as much as i’d like to go
    to places i’ve never known,
    scared shitless to leave home,
    and i don’t want to go alone.
    i miss the rewarding gaze
    of a friend from my younger days,
    didn’t mind ‘bout my selfish ways,
    as he died i was miles away.
    i hope he remembers how,
    as i do when i look back now,
    though he’d bark at the slightest sound,
    would not bite for he knew not how.

    and sometimes it’s more than clear,
    when morning comes early here,
    and i know that the day is near,
    wasted days make for wasted years.
    now i’m vicious with appetite,
    sobering half a mind,
    dripping with stolen wine,
    awoken by something i dreamt.

    harboured by everything i have been witnessing.
    postcards and daydreaming
    get less embarrassing.
    after the day is done,
    i will be on the run –
    so much for everyone, so much for everyone.
    the showdown is endless here,
    under the burning sun.
    as eyes roll toward me now,
    i will drop my gun.

  41. Here’s another feminist “reading” of Dr. Horrible, again with spoilers:

    http://tinyurl.com/5pdwof

    This one is smarter, IMO, than the first one I posted. While reading this one, I thought about Jacks’ question regarding female role models in TV and Film. I’ve thought a lot about that since then, and think that this blog post really adds to the conversation.

    Jack, would Buffy, or even Willow, be characters you’d want your daughter to watch and identify with? How about Zoe from Firefly?

    I’m a huge Joss fan, so don’t get me wrong. I’m not posting this to say that I didn’t like Dr. Horrible. I loved it. Joss is boss.

  42. I caught The Dark Knight early yesterday morning. I went in with a sense of skepticism given that the movie had so many positive reviews and they all seemed to be centered around Heath Ledger’s death. But after seeing it I think the true tragedy is that he DID die, because clearly this character was meant to be seen again in some sequel. And yet I can’t disagree with anything anyone has said about his performance… His portrayal of the Joker was just something I’ve never seen before. It was like a mix of the dude from Saw and Mathiew Lillard’s character in Scream… Only completely composed and yet off the hook at the same time.

    That said I felt the only performances lacking in the film came from Christian Bale and Morgan Freeman, which was surprising given these are two of the biggest actors in Hollywood. And yet it was ok because the nature of the story seemed to deviate around them… They were more ancillary to the overall story being told, in fact I felt this movie was only coincidentally a Batman film. And while I haven’t seen all of Gary Oldman’s work, I have seen a lot of it and I really think this movie might have been HIS finest performance.

    Beyond that I’m torn about the recasting of Rachel Dawes. I’m mostly pleased that Nolan chose early on not to include Katie Holmes in the sequel, as her inclusion in Batman Begins was the only taint on that film… However not including her robbed us of *spoiler!!* seeing Katie Holme’s fiery death. But besides that I think Maggie Gyllenhaal was able to take that character to an emotional place that Katie Holmes never could, and made her final scene all the more bitter sweet… And only made Aaron Eckert’s performance as Harvey Dent and his transformation into Two Face that more believable and visceral.

    All that said when you put the two films together they’re completely seamless I think, and I’m glad they went for the length they did because this movie is just full of so many glorious moments. And again I think the real tragedy in it all is that in the end Heath Ledger died, and for some reason people feel the need to attach this sentiment that The Joker was Ledger’s final performance in some meaningless need to praise the man, when the sentiment isn’t even factually true… He has one last movie coming out. The truth is, had Ledger not died, I believe his performance would still be praised, and people would still find this one of the most amazing movies to come out in a long time.

    And the fact that it was a Batman film seemed completely unnecessary. Which is weird, it’s kind of like praising a Star Trek film that came out and was so amazing, and yet didn’t include the Enterprise or even anyone wearing a Star Trek uniform. It’s like who cares that its about Batman, because it isn’t about Batman, its just a really good epic story about a lot of characters, arguable no heroes and some just flat out incredible villians. I don’t even know if thats ever been done before.

    So yeah. All in all I was impressed. I hope this doesn’t spoil the X-Files next weekend. I’d hate to see more tragedy at the box office.

  43. Back from camping out in the deep woods. I just love camping where the nearest human being is at least 50 yards away if not more. 🙂

    Thanks for the kudos on the “deadpan is the way”. Like Jack said, I think I left about 20 minutes worth on voice mail. Hope it all makes sense to some people and really hope it helps some people at least think about their lives and what is stressing them out and ticking them off.

    I am by no means perfectly happy but it’s all about life management really. And it all starts by stop doing shit for everyone else due to peer pressure or trying to “keep up with the Jones'”. Try to be happy with what you have an examine if you really *need* that expensive new thing and if will really make *you* happy, not someone else happy.

    Take care deadpan!

  44. Scott,

    I’ll say I generally agree, though, with one modification. I say it’s OK to want things (for, when it really comes down to it, the vast majority of things we have can’t really be classified as “needs”). But, I certainly agree that the want should be because you have a genuine desire of your own, rather a desire to project an image, or appear “hip”.

    In short, if you really want that $400 pair of shoes because you like them, that’s great. If you’re just buying them to impress me, fuggedaboudit.

  45. Finally got to watch Dr. Horrible this afternoon, since the free viewing time is running out. Definitely had the feel of the Buffy musical episode from so long ago.

    That is what Star Wars: Episode III should have been.

  46. Hey Dubshack,

    I completely agree with your review of Batman. I would add that I hope they do a rerecording of Batman’s lines. The voice he used was almost silly. Nobody would do a whisper gravel voice to talking to somebody in the other side of the room.

    Also Batman wouldn’t talk like he’s interrogating the subject if he talking to Commissioner Gordon. I do think they could do a better job with the dialogue before the DVD.

    Did anyone pick up a lack of an origin story for the Joker. I really enjoy the hyper realism they seem to want to use these Batman films. Even having Batman go to China.

    After Tim Burton turned the most normal villain into a circus freak this new take on the franchise is very refreshing. The bad guy I wanna see the most is Scarface. If anybody would understand how to do that character it would be him.

    Also, kick ass truck driving chase scene..

  47. Go back and watch Batman Begins. He did the same thing then and no one complained. I’ve got no problems with the “distorted” voice.

    I also liked the lack of an origin story for the Joker. It was more realistic.

  48. I read the feminist review pages of Dr. Horrible posted earlier. While I would agree it’s not likely the kind of thing I’d show off to my daughter now, I don’t think that the pendulum has to swing so far that every potrayal of a woman character must necessarily be strong. The story is about one man’s fall and it uses obviously exaggerated stereotypes to tell the story.

    I do think it’s the kind of thing I’d show my daughter when she’s a little older for a “hey, watch out for these guys” lesson.

  49. Sooooooo true:
    “Sure, I just watched a PG-13 movie in which I was seriously worried I was about to witness a man with half his face-flesh burned off put a bullet in an 8-year-old boy’s skull in front of his crying, screaming family, but thanks to the good people at the MPAA, I had absolutely no fear of any nude female nipples sneaking into the scene. Thank you so much, MPAA. Because of you and your stalwart vigilance on behalf of our nation’s many unspoilt young minds, I can rest assured whenever children go to see crack-y, psychotic clowns stick knives in people’s mouths, those clowns will never, under any circumstances, dare to use the word “fuck.” I doff my hat to you all.”
    http://essrose.livejournal.com/44657.html?style=mine

  50. Manic Mehday. =P

    If were in an economic recession, you wouldn’t be able to tell by the size of the crowds at the Chandler Fashion Mall last Saturday. Insane.

  51. Rhettro, I think at least a few of them live in Boulder too.

    I got a few new books in the mail last week:

    Astonishing X-Men collection #4, which is Whedon’s last

    Hellboy collection #1

    I’m excited to read both, but they have to get in the queue.

  52. Ah second shift, got to episode 5 of the first series and then lost interest.

    JATD: the dishes after a meal of egg and chips.

  53. Further proof that I do, in fact, work at Evil, Inc.:

    My team and I just spent 45 minutes sitting outside because there is an unidentifiable chemical smell come from the elevator shaft. No fire, say the 6 men who came on the red fire truck, but they do think that something smells like it is burning.

    Oh, and it’s around 100 degrees out there.

  54. That is hilarious, Jack.

    The truth is that corporate culture is ripe for the picking. There are some relatively major legal issues happening at my version of Evil, Inc. that I’d love to tell you guys about, but I’d so get canned. I could write quite a story!

    That is a great article, ditto.

  55. Saw a pile of Scott Sigler Infections books at Waterstones at the weekend. Don’t know how well he is selling retail, but amazing to see an author who podcasts his book on the shelves.

  56. Jennifer Batten!

    I’ll also check out your neatorama link at home, ditto. . . .

    And wow, what a quiet Deadpan Monday. Makes me wonder. . . . .

    Welcome back to the grind, Van.

  57. So let me get this straight, the emissions on this thing are so clean and cool they’re actually used as part of the air conditioning system?

    “Oh my gosh Bob, what is that total lack of smell coming from the air conditioner?”
    “Why thats the exhaust fumes coming from my clean, energy efficient compressed air vehicle!”

    Only in India can they take the idea of a clean air vehicle and design something based entirely on a fart.

  58. A fart is methane. The car runs on compressed *air*. Since the car doesn’t burn anything, I find it amusing they would talk about emissions. It’s emissions will be as polluted as the air you put into the compressed air tank.

  59. Guys, I’m having a kind of rough and shocking morning today. My brother is turning out to be a complete nutter w/ the religious fundamentalism. I have no idea how to deal. Opinion question:

    Should I work on fixing a relationship with him just because we are siblings? I have no desire to talk to the guy, but there’s still that social (or is it more than social?) thing that makes me think that I should because we have the same parents.

  60. I would maintain at least a cordial relation. If not just to keep the peace at family gatherings. (Wow look at the insight)

  61. Thanks, WNDR. You’re probably right, but I’m more inclined (at least today) to just skip the family gatherings that he decides he’s able to attend. Those, BTW, are very few and far between.

  62. Half my inlaws are off the deep end so I feel your pain. I agree with Wolf, keep things cordial.

    When dealing with people with deeply held religious convictions, that want you to share in them I always try to keep a few things in mind.

    The first is someone’s degree of conviction does not in anyway reflect the validity of there convictions. I’ve meet a lot of people who wanted to convert me to the “true” path, Mormons, Catholics, Jehova Witnesses, Baptists and Muslims. All these people believed without a shred of doubt that they were following God’s chosen path. Yet if you put all these people in a room, every last one of them would think the others were “wrong.” If God has spoken to you directly, who am I to tell you you are on the wrong path. But it means next to nothing to me personally, because I wasn’t the recepient. What I think happens to a lot of people is instead of following their heart, they co-opt someone else’s faith, someone with more conviction than they have, and not because they believe it, but because they don’t want to fall out of favor with that person. That isn’t faith, that’s coersion.

    Sorry for rambling. LOL Anyway, when talking to people like this I basically acknowledge that they have my best interest at heart, but I don’t believe as they do. Their faith may be impressive, but their devotion isn’t evidence of the “truthfulness” of their path, at least not when it concerns other people. And finally let them know that you follow your own heart and if the path is true, you will know it. That’s how I handle my inlaws and it keeps conversations about such matters fairly short.

  63. As somebody who had to suffer catholic school, my tolerance to being preached at by religious fanatics is low.

    I suspect a lot of religious people just follow what they were indoctrinated with as children.

    Never trust anybody who thinks god is responsible for all the good things in life and none of the bad things….

  64. Van, I agree with you. As a gay person, I’m often preached at by the nuttier people in my vicinity, but my brother is a special case. We were raised as Eastern Orthodox, but he has gone full Fundie. I don’t speak that language, and really don’t fit into his lens anyway.

    Sorry to vent earlier — I have brought a pretty serious tone to the Pan this morning.

    CP: Yesterday’s Democracy Now!

    /drama

  65. It’s known around here that I’m a pretty devout Catholic myself. The truest lesson that I’ve learned and try to live by is the recognition that everyone, whatever their faith or lack thereof, is a reflection of the divine creation. As such, all are entitled to be treated with basic respect and human dignity. I fear this fundamental lesson has been lost on too many who call themselves Christian and I find myself sympathetic to the bumper sticker prayer “Lord, save me from your followers.”

    Coercion, whether to religious belief, patriotism, or even scientific knowledge, is no way to build something that will last. Resentment will eventually destroy it.

  66. Ed, replace your “devout Catholic” with my “secular humanist” and your “reflection of the divine creation” with my “a human being just like I am” and we are in complete agreement there.

    Tolerance is something that way too many of us have just plain forgotten to look up in the dictionary. If I think that someone is being ugly toward another person, I can think that they’re doing so without telling them that they deserve to get voted off the planet because I don’t personally chose to be ugly toward others.

  67. I will jump in as Van’s human shield.
    To tackle the other side of the original question, I think that if someone treats you badly enough, then you need to avoid them. Just because they’re family, that doesn’t give them a free pass. There’s no excuse for being hurtful to anyone.
    However, if he’s just annoying, then I’d encourage tolerance, if only to keep peace for those rare get-togethers.

  68. [drama]

    Dear Diary:

    The situation with my stupid brother does not include him being mean to me, per se. He is being a dick toward our parents, which I just simply cannot condone. He doesn’t talk to me at all, which suits me. I continue to wonder whether or not I owe the universe or whatever some attempt at keeping a cordial relationship with him (even if at this point all I could muster would be “kiss my ass . . . please”) or not. I am leaning toward a big fat no at this point. I have made a valiant effort toward this, IMO. I have to conclude, after the latest nutso email he sent to my parents, that he is just not worthy.

    Also, Jack, Ed, Rhettro, WNDRWolf, and Van are dreamy.

    Love, EssBee

    [/drama}

  69. Van- Actually a recent study showed that the vast majority of American’s today have strayed from the religious teachings of their childhood. And the number one religion people left was the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which I found particularly amusing being that I fell into that same category.

    Essbee- If your brother is disrespecting his parents than he is committing the worst form of hypocracy to his own faith. From experience I say let him be. He will either come to understand his mistakes and come to you for forgiveness or continue to commit them, in which case its best to sever the relationship. Better to loose an arm than let the disease spread to the brain.

    This from an ordained minister, Reverend Dubshack.

  70. You know if you search for “dick in a box” on Google you get links to Mr. Timberlake. Not sure why.

    Oh repairs on the 4runner are bleeding me dry. Does $700 sound like a lot of money to make a blinky light go away on the dash board? I must have offended the SRV gods. I suppose I should have sacraficed a few Priuses to them to keep me in their good graces.

  71. http://tinyurl.com/5kqnq8

    Well at the above I downloaded the new “Girl Tlak” album for $0.00, much like I did the Radiohead album a couple months back. I am hoping to like it more than the Radiohead, which I listened to in my car, and thought should come with a waning label against doing so as I was bored to tears…

  72. Reminds me of a famous F1 driver doing rubbish at hard driving arcade machine (the games was developed from a oh so serious car simulator).

    You are in the library, what is the first book you see when you look up?

    Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar.

  73. Anybody want to play guess the novel by quick plot description?

    Primarily the narrative of Tyrone Slothrop, a GI in London during the Second World War who has the ability to predict imminent German bombing trajectories by erection, ___ deals tangentially with hundreds of other important characters, with Russians, Germans, Africans, and Central Asians, and with settings such as Colonial America, turn-of-the-century Africa, and the United States of the early seventies before it dispatches Slothrop entirely, casting his fragmentary consciousness around the remainder of the book. (He fails to appear recognizably in the last fifty pages.)

  74. EssBee: I figured it out by doing a Google search on the name. I haven’t read the book yet. As an engineer, my background in literature is rather weak.

  75. ditto: I LOVE Cowboy Junkies.

    My MA is in American Lit, so I’ve read a lot of non-genre stuff. I couldn’t calculate my way out of a box, though!

    I would recommend Gravity’s Rainbow, but it’s dense. It’s not a linear story, and pretty freaky. Maybe just read about it rather than reading the book itself!

    I posted the paragraph above from a pretty funny book review. The writer obviously hated the novel and it tickled me.

  76. I attempted Gravity’s Rainbow as a teenager, but my head exploded.
    I should give it another attempt one of these days.
    I did get through Vineland, but from what I recall, it was pretty unremarkable.

  77. This one deserves a repost after reading that wiki entry.

    Wernher Von Braun by Tom lehrer

    Gather round while I sing you of Wernher von Braun
    A man whose allegiance is ruled by expedience
    Call him a Nazi, he won’t even frown
    “Ha, Nazi schmazi,” says Wernher von Braun

    Don’t say that he’s hypocritical
    Say rather that he’s apolitical
    “Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down
    That’s not my department,” says Wernher von Braun

    Some have harsh words for this man of renown
    But some think our attitude should be one of gratitude
    Like the widows and cripples in old London town
    Who owe their large pensions to Wernher von Braun

    You too may be a big hero
    Once you’ve learned to count backwards to zero
    “In German oder English I know how to count down
    Und I’m learning Chinese,” says Wernher von Braun

  78. I love Pynchon for the same reasons I love Dick. (I originally had PK in that sentence, but removed it to invite lewd jokes. Go ahead, now.) Both authors are saying that the human race has invented itself right out of existence. I love that dark, dreadful shit.

  79. Well best not to take these things to literally. After all it’s impossible to know if the human has invented itself out of existence if you are human cos you are still around.

    cough

  80. However if you are just an extension of the will of a supercomputer from the future, coming to record how humanity fluffed it…well all bets are off.

  81. Well, the Girl Talk will probably need a couple more listens, but it at least gets in the door with novelty value.

    There is some risk it will fall under the same novelty category as a project from a bit further back called “Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers,” although this shows much better editing chops.

    I wouldn’t hesitate putting this on at a loud party, but I’ll need at least two more listens before deciding if it has staying power…

  82. AT:

    Eat – carnitas con tortillas de maiz, arroz de mexicano, y calabacitas.

    Watch – either more Eureka on DVD (almost caught up!) or The Closer on DVR

    Have a lovely night, gents.

    Deadpan is the way.

  83. ok lemme see here we have to play with the others…

    currently…

    playing: The Presets – Aeons
    eating: we just ate grilled shrimp and veggies. Weather has been so fantastic here we did some grilling and chilling today
    drinking: finishing the bottle of Chardonnay from dinner
    doing: commenting on deadpan
    about to be doing: play by play

  84. metric fuck ton load gallon

    30 minutes from Dubshack!?!?!?!??!??!??!??

    Hugh sez: How long is this episode?

    47:01

    hugh sez: so its 30 minutes of Dubshack and 17:01 of everyone else?

    mehops not.. no offense Dubshack 🙂

  85. slanderpalooza

    oooo.. the following podcasters are sexually attracted to small furry woodland animals! Sicko Perverts!!!

    Hugh sez: well I’m attracted to your beaver

    LOL. YOur a sicko pervert too

    Hugh sez: Thanks 🙂

  86. “By all means, if a person feels compelled that they should take precautions in reducing the amount of electromagnetic radio waves through their bodies, by all means they should do so,” said Dan Catena, a spokesman for the American Cancer Society. “But at the same time, we have to remember there’s no conclusive evidence that links cell phones to cancer, whether it’s brain tumors or other forms of cancer.”

    So its like, cell phones give off these electromagnetic waves and they can’t confirm that they CAUSE cancer, but at the same time they can’t tell you oh yeah.. its perfectly safe!

    nice.

  87. LOL!!!

    Speaking from his cell phone, the professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder said he takes no special precautions in his own phone use. And he offered no specific advice to people worried about the matter.

    “Speaking from his cell phone” LOL.. oh that amused me

  88. Hey, TSH!!!

    Well, considering we are constantly surrounded by all sorts of electromagnetic fields, it’s hard to believe that one more (i.e. a cell phone) will make any sort of difference.

  89. ditto!!! *swooon* 🙂

    Are we? Oh see.. so then maybe they are just trying to start shit cause they hate cell phones.. who the fuck knows. I certainly don’t. I just take pretty pictures and make bad pictures look perfect via photoshop. I dont know shit about no electromagnetic waves or whatever.

  90. *raises hand*

    I have a stick up my ass!!

    Hugh sez: Thats no stick baby

    *swooon*

    Hugh sez: wait, I just insulted myself. I ain’t no stick. You BETTER know if it was me

    LOL
    Helloooooo Hughs ego!

    Hugh sez: Yep, just Dre, me and my ego enjoying a quiet Wednesday night at home

  91. Do you know what arrived in my mail today? And, by mail, I mean that physical dispatch that comes via the U.S. Postal Service.

    Do you know what arrived in my mail today? Probably six months after I put it at the top of my queue?

    That’s right…..Eraserhead has finally arrived.

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