Loving the WaPo Editors January 25, 2018
Posted by geoff in News.comments closed
Just saw this at the WaPo site under the “The Post Recommends” section:
“Fatal killing?”
The actual story (which says “fatal shooting” rather than “fatal killing”) is here.
Some More Birds January 24, 2018
Posted by Sobek in News.comments closed
I looked up pictures of green herons, to see whether Laura is a lying sack of fraud and deception (turns out she’s not), and I found this:
This picture cracks me up. The black-crowned night heroin is comically stubby, too, but this guy is so awkward in this picture, along with the garish colors and crazy look in the eyes. It’s the Old French Whore of wading birds.
I also found this egret a while ago when looking for something else to paint:
Jazz Hands!
Black-crowned Night Heron January 23, 2018
Posted by Sobek in News.comments closed
I love how stubby this bird is. Usually when I think of wading birds, I think about long, skinny necks and legs, but not this guy.
JCVJ January 19, 2018
Posted by geoff in News.comments closed
I finally got around to watching Jean Claude Van Johnson, the Amazon mini-series with the premise that Jean Claude Van Damme’s movie career was a front for his real life as a secret ops guy.
And it was funny as heck.
It’s funnier if you’ve seen a few of his movies, but I think you can get the gist even if you haven’t. And JCVD’s acting was better than I’ve ever seen it.*
They only made six episodes, so I quickly hit the web to find out if there was a second season in the making, only to find out that Amazon cancelled it the previous day.
But still, it’s worth a gander if you like action comedies with lots of meta-jokes.
*I know what you’re thinking, but it was even better than that.
Frightening January 18, 2018
Posted by Retired Geezer in Crime, Family.comments closed
Can you see yourself?
Officer Pterodactyl is unimpressed with your excuse for speeding through a school zone January 17, 2018
Posted by Sobek in News.comments closed
Self-Deprecating and Possibly Humorous Morning Anecdote January 17, 2018
Posted by skinbad in Lurkers, Music, Nature Shit, Obama's Legacy, Personal Experiences, Privacy.comments closed
So, I was in the shower this morning. The Mrs had done her morning ritual and was out and on to the kitchen activities. I believed I had the room to myself. Then, unexpectedly, I made a . . . sound. It was surprising in both volume and duration. I almost burst out laughing, but caught myself when I heard my wife’s voice say, “Need more conditioner?” I looked down at the nearly-empty conditioner bottle (nowhere near me) and said, “sure.” Momentarily, a new bottle was pushed around the shower curtain. I took it with a “thanks.”
Let’s just keep this between fake internet friends, OK?
If You Want to Guesstimate What the New Tax Law Will Do To Your Paycheck January 17, 2018
Posted by geoff in News.comments closed
…check out Political Calculations online calculator:
Dog Bark Translator, A Decade Later January 17, 2018
Posted by geoff in News.comments closed
This is from the Mirror, so take it with a heavy dose of grainosaltium, but check it out anyhow:
Scientists are busy working on a “pet translator” that could finally let owners communicate with their dogs and cats.
Using artificial intelligence to analyse vocalisations and facial expressions, the researchers from Northern Arizona University believe they’ll have the tech ready in under a decade.
…
The ultimate goal is to create a gadget that can translate what your dog wants – so “woof woof” becomes “I want to go for a walk”.
Of course Pupster wrote a similar post almost exactly 10 years ago, where Hungarian scientists were claiming the same thing. Pupster’s vision of how it might work went like this:
Hopefully this time it’s for real, but honestly, I really want the reverse translator. Just a few phrases would do:
“It’s just the mailman!!”
“It’s too cold for a walk!”
“It’s not dinnertime yet!”
“You don’t get a treat if you don’t actually pee before bedtime! Wandering around the yard sniffing doesn’t count! No, don’t look at me like that – we had a deal. Yeah, a deal. Do not look at me like that!”
Pyro Birds January 15, 2018
Posted by geoff in News.comments closed
Alfred Hitchcock blew the whistle on those beady-eyed b*st*rds, but we all thought it was just a movie. Not so:
A new study incorporating traditional Indigenous Australian ecological knowledge describes the largely unknown behaviour of so-called ‘firehawk raptors’ – birds that intentionally spread fire by wielding burning sticks in their talons and beaks.
…
According to the team, firehawk raptors congregate in hundreds along burning fire fronts, where they will fly into active fires to pick up smouldering sticks, transporting them up to a kilometre (0.6 miles) away to regions the flames have not yet scorched.
“The imputed intent of raptors is to spread fire to unburned locations – for example, the far side of a watercourse, road, or artificial break created by firefighters – to flush out prey via flames or smoke,”
Belated Brief Movie Reviews January 13, 2018
Posted by geoff in News.comments closed
Blade Runner 2049: By and large, cast did well, cinematography was cool, but plot was underwhelming and Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack didn’t catch the mood of Vangelis. The original Blade Runner had a film noir feel in a crowded, dynamic world. The reboot was a desolate post-apocalyptic feel in a very lonely world.
Not a bad movie, but it will never be the classic that its predecessor was.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle: Kind of entertaining, but a funky morality where drug users are ranked as morally superior to victims of drug crime. Meh.
Innocent Bystanders 