You can't make this stuff up...

Honestly, I can't even come up with a witty headline to go with this little news blurb that was just pointed out to my in Variety. In fact, I'm not even going to try to add anything witty myself, just read on:

Rocket launches 'Predator'
Clark to direct aliens vs. Jane Austen pic
By MICHAEL FLEMING

Elton John's Rocket Pictures hopes to make the first Jane Austen adaptation to which men will drag their girlfriends.

Will Clark is set to direct "Pride and Predator," which veers from the traditional period costume drama when an alien crash lands and begins to butcher the mannered protags, who suddenly have more than marriage and inheritance to worry about.

Shooting will begin in London later this year. John exec produces, and his Rocket partners Steve Hamilton Shaw and David Furnish are producing.

Clark, who directed award-winning short "The Amazing Trousers," wrote the script with Andrew Kemble and John Pape.

"It felt like a fresh and funny way to blow apart the done-to-death Jane Austen genre by literally dropping this alien into the middle of a costume drama, where he stalks and slashes to horrific effect," Furnish said.

John will supervise the music, as he does in each Rocket-produced film.

The company is in production on the CG-animated "Gnomeo and Juliet" for Miramax/Disney; James McAvoy and Emily Blunt voice the title characters. Rocket is also behind the Sundance series "Spectacle: Elvis Costello With ..."

So, Elton John's production company is backing a picture where the Predator attacks the characters from a Jane Austin novel. I notice that the article sidesteps saying whether or not it will truly be the Predator or the characters from Pride and Prejudice. But, one can only hope, if for no other reason than to hear Mr. Darcy say:

"I dare say, you are one ugly mother..." ROAR!

(Edit: Thanks to Skybar for pointing out that I was getting "the Amazing Trousers" and "the Wrong Trousers" confused. Oops. Too many trousers.)

Happy Beard-day!

Sorry I haven't been posting here much, but since the arrival of Stella Rose I've been a bit busy. But, today is my birthday, so I thought I'd pop on to Ye Olde General Admission and post a quick entry to celebrate one of the finest aspects of being an old man...

Happy Beard-day, y'all!



Sadly, my beard still falls into the catagory of "Grizzled" ...though maybe someday, I'll sport the "Queen's Brigade." Gotta dream!

(Thanks Joe, for sending me this!)

Drat! My bidding limit was $14,825!

With Quantum of Solace being released this weekend, I wanted to do an entry talking about my obsession with James Bond. But, maybe, I'll wait until after I've seen it (hopefully this weekend) before I ramble about Bond. James Bond.

So, instead, I think I'm just going to post a link to a story talking about a real, true-life vampire hunting kit that apparently fetched nearly $15,000 at in auction in Mississippi recently.

1800s Vampire Killing Kit Nabs $14,850 At Stevens Auction
Nov 11th, 2008

A complete and authentic vampire killing kit, circa 1800 and housed in a walnut case, achieved $14,850. Natchez, Miss.:A complete and authentic vampire killing kit — made around 1800 and complete with stakes, mirrors, a gun with silver bullets, crosses, a Bible, holy water, candles and even garlic, all housed in a American walnut case with a carved cross on top — attained $14,850 in the Jimmy Pippen estate sale by Stevens October 3–4 in the new Natchez Convention Center.

The sale comprised the contents of Pippen's stores (Pippen Antiques and Pippen Interiors), items from his personal residence (which he considered a perfect creation and called "Paradise"), the contents of another home (a three-story, 1850s townhouse called "The Orchard" that he restored with fine appointments and rented out) and treasures from several warehouses.

Rest of the article

Now, far be it from me to fawn over something that would generally appeal to a 13 year old, suburban, Goth kid... but that's pretty cool. I didn't think that something like this actually existed outside of Joss Whedon's mind. I just find it interesting and intriguing that some person back in the 1800's was concerned enough about vampire attacks that they to assembled this kit, complete with silver bullets. I mean, I can't even get my act together enough to throw together an earthquake survival kit even though I live in Seattle.

Maybe I should put together a Sasquatch Hunting Kit.

Things I missed in 1999.

While checking out Warren Ellis' blog, I stumbled across this little video gem that is loaded with all sorts of things that apparently occurred in 1999, while I was distracted by beer and College finals. Let's take a look shall we!



Actually, a quick search on Deep Thought indicates that Space 1999 was a TV series that originally aired in 1975. And, it also indicates that it's premise was awesome:

The underlying storyline of Space: 1999 centered on the plight of the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha following a calamity on September 13, 1999. A huge nuclear waste dump on the far side of the Moon detonates in a massive thermonuclear explosion, initiated by the buildup of magnetic radiation which was released, causing a nuclear chain reaction. The force of the explosion causes the Moon to be sent hurtling out of Earth's orbit and into deep space at colossal speed, stranding the 311 crew members, in effect becoming the "spaceship" on which the protagonists travel, looking for a new home. During their interstellar journey, the Alphans encounter a vast array of alien civilizations, dystopian societies, and strange phenomena previously unseen by man.

Sadly, for the last 32 years of my life, I've been unaware of this potentially awe inspiring series. My ignorance probably has to do with the fact that it originally aired on the same year I was born... in Britain. But, part of me now feels compelled to see if they have made it available on DVD.


If nothing else, the very 2001: A Space Odyssey-esque fashions seem to be the perfect antidote to the dark and gloomy, dystopian vision of Sci-Fi that has dominated popular entertainment since Blade Runner hit the scene back in 1982.

And, if nothing else: Martin Landau!

A penny for my thoughts.

Pennies from heaven, or pennies from... hell?
I've found myself picking up pennies off the street on the way to work recently. I'm not sure why, but I think at some point something in my head clicked, and I reverted back to that fourth grade level of thinking that just sort of goes "hey, free penny!" I mean, it can't hurt, right?

Or, then again, maybe it can. I mean, it's a fairly well known fact that it costs the US government more to make pennies than they are worth. Add to that the fact that you can't really buy anything for one penny. If you think about it, it just might be possible that every time I stop to pick up a penny, I'm actually accumulating debt.

Or, maybe my math is just wrong.

Either that, or picking up pennies is the ultimate Zen activity. A ritual act that has no imediate benefit. But, after many, many year just might pay off. Either way... oh look! A penny!

Stop making cents

As I mentioned several entries ago, I got the Talking Heads' Once in a Lifetime box set for Christmas. The other day I finally got around to throwing the video DVD in and checking out the library of Talking Heads videos on it. In addition to all the old favorites, like Burning Down the House, I saw the video for Blind for the first time.

And, oh what a lost treasure it is! In addition to featuring the creepiest facial distortion special effects this side of Aphex Twin's "Come to Daddy", it also features some inspired sequences involving a slobbering crescent wrench holding a political rally. And, in these seemingly endless days leading up to the election, it just feels oddly timely. So, let's watch it together, shall we?



Citizen Freak

I've also been watching a number of old movies recently. Movies that I really should have seen long ago, and have no real excuse for missing until my 32 year on this planet. I mean, one of them was Citizen Kane, for pete sake!

The funny thing about seeing Citizen Kane is that you go into the movie with so much background. I mean, for one, a large portion of the population considers it the Greatest Movie Ever™. As a result, another almost equally large portion of the Earth's population has deemed it Over-Rated™.

I, being a wishy-washy Washingtonian, have dubbed it Pretty Darned Good™. I mean, it's no Big Trouble In Little China, but I still wish that more movies these days were made like Citizen Kane. I manages to have energy, creativity and visual style without drowning in quick cuts and quirky characters the way most movies with "energy, creativity, and visual style" do today. I think that, in today's world of MTV Editing, more directors could stand to learn from Welles example and dial things back a bit.

For example, look at how much energy this scene has, with comparatively few cuts by todays standards...



Or, maybe, more films just need chorus lines, hollering newsmen and a dancing Orson Welles in them. That's probably it.

Another movie that I really should have seen ages ago was Tod Browning's cult classic Freaks. (And, actually, I've seen several parts of it, but mostly in college and after a half dozen beers.) Freaks is famous (or rather infamous) for starring a cast made up largely of circus freaks. Midgets. Pinheads. Legless men. Armless women.

All of this makes Freaks the type of movie that is difficult to review because its a bit morally complex. And its not complex not because of the movies plot, but instead because it's hard to work out the morals behind it being made, and your own morals for watching it. Is it championing and humanizing the people in it? Or exploiting them for voyeuristic purposes? Am I watching it because its place in cinematic history? Or am I watching it for voyeuristic purposes? Probably a little of both in both cases.

And, I'm almost possible that, if you haven't seen it, you are at least a little curious. Because, face it, you are one of us... one of us.... one of us...

Man or superman?

Rather unexpectedly, I've found myself interested in Howard Hughes. A little less than a week ago, Sarah and I watch the Aviator and I've been sort of fascinated in him since. What I thought the movie did well (beyond some really good acting by most of the people involved) was that it played with the myth of Howard Hughes without explaining it away. And, its sort of the myth that I find compelling.

Figure 1: Not Tony Stark

By this I mean, I think its really fascinating that at one time a person could be a wealthy industrialist from Texas, a famed movie director with movie starlet girlfriends and also be a flying ace who set the record for fastest plane ever flown and fastest flight around the world.

To me, that's crazy. That's the stuff superhero comics are made of. In fact, Tony Stark (aka Ironman) is actually based on Howard Hughes. But, I'd argue Hughes is more interesting... because he was real.

Figure 2: Not a comic book about Howard Hughes

And what's even crazier (to me at least) is that the movie didn't even touch on half of the Myth of Howard Hughes™. In fact, let's use that source of all knowledge in the universe, Deep Thought...er.. I mean... Wikipedia, to make a bullet list, shall we? (If my years working in an online marketing department, it’s that bullet lists = power.)

The Myth of Howard Hughes™

• Historians are not sure what day he was born on, but he claimed to be born on Christmas Eve.

• He erected Houston's first wireless system. When he was 11 years old.

• There are pictures of him riding Houston's first "motorized bicycle. Which he also built himself. At age 12.

• After his parent’s death, at the age of 19, he moved to Hollywood and decided to use their money to direct films. Several of which went on to be nominated and win Oscars.

• His film, Hell's Angels was the most expensive film ever made, up to that date. It cost $3.8 million and took three years to produce.

• Two of his films ran into trouble with industry censors. Scarface because of its violent content. The Outlaw because of Jane Russell's revealing outfits. Hughes designed her bra for that movie.

• Though he was married, he was frequently romantically links with almost every major starlet of the time, ranging from Katherine Hepburn, Bette Davis and Ava Gardner to Jane Russell and Jean Harlow.

• He hit and killed a pedestrian, and was charge with negligent homicide. Charges were later dropped when a witness suddenly changed his story.

• He cast John Wayne as Genghis Khan.

• In 1935, in the H-1, he set the airspeed record at 352 mph.

• A year and a half later, flying a redesigned H-1, he set the transcontinental airspeed record. He flew from LA to NYC in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.

• The H-1 featured a number of new advancements in airplane design, including retractable landing gear and rivets flush with the body of the plane.

• In 1938, he set another record by completing a flight around the world in just 91 hours (3 days, 19 hours).

• The received the Congressional Gold Medal from Truman, but never picked it up.

• He crashed his experimental XF-11 plane into a Beverly Hills neighborhood, destroying it, three house and giving himself a crushed collar bone, 24 broken ribs and a number of 3rd degree burns.

• While in the hospital for his injuries, he had a custom bed designed for himself.

• He designed and built the infamous H-4 Hercules (aka the "Spruce Goose"), the "largest airplane ever built." It's frame was constructed of wood, and it only flew one time. For roughly a mile.

• Starting with his parents drill bit company, he expanded not only into movie making (and eventually gaining control of RKO), but also started Hughes Aircaft, Hughes Aerospace, Hughes Space and Communications Company, the Hughes Research Laboratories and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

• He bought up the majority stock in TWA and expanded it to include transatlantic flights.

• He was brought before a Senate War Investigation Committee on charges of not delivering on a number of projects he promised to the US Government during the war (including the Spruce Goose). This is largely believed to be an attack by Pan Am Airlines in response for his attempting to break their monopoly on flights to Europe.

• A bribe from Hughes to Nixon's brother may have been the catalyst for the Watergate Scandal.

• He worked with the CIA to provide a cover while they attempted to salvage a Russian sub from off the coast of Hawaii.

• He suffered from Social Avoidance Behavior and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The primary manifestation was his obsession with germs and cleanliness.

• He enjoyed eating peas. But was also obsessed with their size and would line them up from smallest to largest.

• Although at one point he was one of the most publicly visible men in America, he became a recluse in his later years. Going so far as to lock himself in his private room for days on end. And would only get his hair and nails clipped once or twice a year.

• Although not a Mormon himself, toward the end of his life, he surrounded himself almost exclusively with them because he felt they were trustworthy.

• Also, in addition to being addicted to a number of painkillers, he started using tissues when picking things up and touching them.

• He watch Ice Station Zebra over 150 times.

• He became obsessed with buying up every chain restaurant and 4 Star Hotel in his home state of Texas.

• He became obsessed with avoiding taxes. Going so far as to living in hotels full-time to avoid them.

• When the law changed requiring anyone to pay income taxes if they live in one state for 180 days, he took to moving to a new state every 180 days.

• After running into problems with the owners of the Desert Inn Hotel in Vegas, he simply bought the Desert Inn and made it his headquarters.

• After that, he began buying up other hotels from the mafia, convinced he would turn the city from a place of mobsters and sin to a place of old time glamour.

• An insomniac, he bought several local TV stations, so that he would have something to watch in the middle of the night.

• He became obsessed with Baskin-Robbins Banana Nut ice cream, which had been discontinued. So, he had a special order of 350 gallons made. Only to decide he liked French Vanilla. The Desert Inn gave away from banana nut ice cream for a year.

• He repeatedly attempted to bribe Nixon and Johnson to stop the testing of nuclear weapons in the Nevada desert. When he fails, he exiled himself from the United States.

• He then lived in a hotel in Nicaragua, where he kept the windows blacked out to avoid assassins or prying photographers.

• Author Clifford Irving claimed to have co written an autobiography of Hughes. Because Hughes was such a recluse he didn't step forward immediately to refute the claim. When he eventually did, Irving was fined and jailed, and the entire episode was turned into a movie starring Richard Gere.

• Hughes eventually died in 1976, on a flight from Mexico back to Houston. He was practically unrecognizable because of his long hair, beard, nails and the fact that he barely weighed 90lbs. They had to fingerprint him to get positive ID.

• His cause of death was a heart attack. But, he suffered from malnutrition and there were numerous needles broken off in his arm.

• Three weeks after his death, the infamous "Mormon Will" came forward. This will, supposedly found on the desk of a Church of Later Day Saints official gave (amongst other things) $156 million dollars to a gas station attendant named Melvin Dummar. After Melvin's fingerprints were found on the will, he claimed the following story:

Dummar claimed to reporters that late one evening in December 1967, he found a disheveled and dirty man lying along U.S. Highway 95, 150 miles (250 km) south of Las Vegas. The man asked for a ride to Las Vegas. Dropping him off at the Sands Hotel, Dummar said the man told him he was Hughes. Dummar then claimed that days after Hughes' death, a "mysterious man" appeared at his gas station, leaving an envelope containing the will on his desk. Unsure if the will was genuine, and unsure of what to do, Dummar left the will at the LDS Church office.

Eventually, the courts would declare this will a fraud and Hughes estate would be divided up amongst 22 relatives. Jonathan Demme would eventually make a movie about Dummar and Hughes relationship.

• An undisclosed amount would later be given to Terry Moore, who claimed she had married Hughes onboard a yacht off Mexico in 1949, and never officially divorced.

Ok, so not everything about Howard Hughes is glamorous. In fact, the whole second half of that bullet list lives somewhere between "horrific" and "tragi-comedic." But, heck, no bodies perfect. I mean, even Tony Stark is a recovering alcoholic. The fact remains that Hughes lived a truly larger-than-life life. And, his life captures that period in history where a person could be both a Hollywood socialite and an ace test pilot.

That's gotta count for something.

Influence - Go to Fat Office

As those of you who know me know, I've becoming increasingly interested in board games and card games. Both in playing them, but also in the rule systems that drive them and the aesthetics that make them appealing. I'm sure the whole thing is linked back to my Junior High School days of playing elaborate Roll-Playing Games, but regardless, I've been enjoying pretending I'm an amateur game designer and spending countless hours drawing ninjas and evil clowns for the board games I'm working on.

With that in mind, my lovely wife pointed out an article in a recent New Yorker (actually, it could have been an old New Yorker, since she's catching up on the ones she missed while we traveled) talking about the History of The Game of Life. Or, as it was originally known, The Checkered Game of Life.



The original Checkered Game of Life was invented in 1860, by Milton Bradley. Milton had previously tried to sell lithographs of Abe Lincoln, that were quite popular... untill the then-President grew a beard.

Luckily for Milton, the Checkered Game of Life proved to be quite popular and sold 45,000 copies in the first year alone. Like many other games of its time, it contained a stong moral message and used a top-like device called a Teetotum instead of dice. Because dice were for sinful gamblers, obviously.

Honestly, while I've been hankering play the modern day version of Life, I'm even more curious in the original version. It's old-world moralizing and lithrographic images actually has a lot more appeal to me than driving around a happy family of pink and blue pegs. And, it links into my general interest in all things dating from that time period.

Plus, while the rules seem easy, the board seem set up for elaborate and interesting game play. And what are the rules? Simple!

(Use the board above for reference, though you can find a modern, clip-art one here.)

The Rules to the Checkered Game of Life
1. All players start on Infancy.
2. If one player lands on another, the other is sent to Jail.
3. If you land on a "hand" you must follow the directions.
4. If you land on Suicide, you are out of the game.
5. When you land on a numbered space, you gain those points.
6. The goal is achieve 100 points.

Moving (Use a dice, since Teetotums are a little harder to find.)
1: One square up or down
2: One square right or left
3. One square diagonally
4. One or two squares up or down
5. One or two squares right or left
6. One or two squares diagonally

Now, with those rules in hand, you can help me in my new quest to bring The Checkered Game of Life back! I'm hoping to either print out an existing board, or make my own, and then force my friends to play with me. Lucky them!

Where's the General?

Apparently, he's at the McLeod Residence.

(Along with his beautiful wife, of course!)

The McLeod Residence is a new gallery/art space/soon-to-be lounge in Belltown. And my wife and I went to check it out during the miserable 32-degree rainstorm that hit Seattle last Friday evening.



The idea behind the McLeod Residence is to make a gallery space that is more than a gallery space; sort of "club house" (or maybe "social club") for artists and artistic thinkers. It's the sort of idea that the optimist in me loves, and the pessimist in my thinks is doomed for fail. But, regardless of how it eventually turns out, it was a neat space, and I enjoyed both it and the art in it. Especially noteworthy was an interactive piece, involving a looped video of a cello player and a device that allows you to interact with it. ...and, yes, I understand that last sentence sounded like gibberish, but just trust me on this one.

Regardless, while I probably would have enjoyed the space for no other reason than to get out of the rain, I have to say that the entrance was entrancing. You enter through some unassuming doors and make your way up a narrow, dark wood staircase, until it opens up into a large room with ornately framed, old paintings and elaborate white and brown wallpaper that gives the entire thing a sort of wonderful Edwardian flare. And, you probably all know how I love all things Edwardian.

Speaking of which, I stumbled across this site recently: Steam Wars. Steam Wars is the brain child of Larry Blamire, who is notable mainly for directing the faux-B-movie, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (which, actually, I still need to check out). But, while the idea of paying homage to B-movies always works, I'm much more interested in the concept behind Steam Wars; which involves an alternate history in which soldiers in Victorian Era Europe engage in ongoing battle atop giant steam powered robots. Sort of a Steampunk version of Robotech.

What's not to love!



Anyhow, the website itself contains a variety of paintings, sketches and notes about the world of Steam Wars. But the whole thing is decidedly rough around the edges. Still, it’s just enough to get my gears turning.

300 Carnies

Even though I really enjoyed last years Sin city movie, I thought I'd sort of burnt out on the work of Frank Miller. The last couple of comics of his I'd read -while visually stunning- had failed to resonate with me. So, while I was interested in reading 300, I was also a little hesitant.



I was happy to discover that once Miller's usual terse, hyper-masculine dialogue was removed from its usual pulp novel and film noir trappings, and placed into another time period, it suddenly became interesting again.

The plot of the graphic novel is pretty straight forward: A group of 300 Spartan's versus the "1000 Nations of the Persian Empire." Guess who wins! It's based on historical fact, but with Miller taking some pretty sizable, yet stunning visual liberties.

The thing I'm probably more excited about though is the movie adaptation that is in the works. From what I've seen in the trailer, its going to be an impressive near panel-by-panel recreation of the book, on par with what Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez did with Sin City



Check out some more comic-to-movie comparisons here.

"Our arrows will blot out the sun."
"Then we'll fight in the shade."
Indeed.

My wife and I finished the second (and last) season of Carnivale the other night too. And I'm happy to say that it was one of those series that actually improved with each additional episode and season. Sadly, there won't be any more seasons beyond this one though.



After watching the first season, I had been entranced by the idea of a show following a circus traveling across the dust bowl of 1930's America. It fits in with my whole growing fascination with the first part of the 20th Century. And, anything with Carnies in it will generally keep me amused longer than it probably should.

But, I was a little less impressed with the actual story. Too often, I thought it was attempting to go for the subtle creepiness of, say, Twin Peaks. But, instead it often ended up with the clumsy, faux-creepiness that populates your average Stephen King mini-series. Still, the interesting characters, great concept and often striking cinematography made me check out the second season.

I'm glad we did. The second season quickly picks up the leisurely pace of the first season. And continues to pile on the ideas until the whole thing reaches an edge of your seat climax and "final battle."

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately (depending on your mood), the series finishes with one of the greatest and more frustrating anti-endings since Twin Peaks itself. I really wish there would be a season three.

Finally, we continued our Wong Kar Wai movie series with Chungking Express.



I have to admit that its somewhat fragmented storyline (or, rather, storylines) didn't win me over as quickly as 2046 or In the Mood For Love, but as more time passes, I find myself thinking more fondly about it. In addition, while the cinematography is rougher than his later films, there are still plenty of moments that sneak up on you and will linger in your head long after you've sent the DVD back to Netflix.

Steampunk Laptops and Horseback Shorthand

Earlier today,I stumbled across this site, which while in Japanese has several pictures of this wonderful machine:



Now, I'm not sure if this is a movie prop or some actual working prototype of a steampunk laptop. But, I am sure that it looks like something from the movie Brazil and that it is absolutely wonderful. I've got an obsession with stuff from the early 1900's, and love how this draws so heavily on it, with a classic typewriter keyboard and even a morse key by the mouse.

In addition to that discovery, I also had a coworker forward this link to me. It's for a writing style called Groote. Groote is apparently a short hand developed by an aid to a Dutch general, who needed to develop a form of shorthand that allowed him to take notes while riding on horseback. Awesome.

EDIT TO ADD: A coworker said that he read a site that stated that the laptop above is an actual functioning laptop. Which makes it Double Rad™.

I saw and she saw Shaw down by the sea shore!

Actually, we weren't by the sea shore, but my wife and I did see the Seattle's Intiman theater production of Heartbreak House last night.



Between this, and recently seeing Circus Contraption again, I've come to realized that I do enjoy a good live show. Furthermore, I'm also realizing that I'm becoming increasingly interested (fixated even) in the Edwardian Era, or at least that period lasting from the final years of the 1800's through till sometime around WWI. While I have to admit a great deal of ignorance about the period in general, I also have to admit that there s a lot that appeals to me aesthetically and intellectually. From the rise of Socialism and Bohemianism, to the ongoing changes of the industrial revolution, to the rigid class structures, fashion, etiquette, to writers like HG Wells... and now George Bernard Shaw.

This was really my first exposure to George Bernard Shaw, though I've heard of him for years. And, I really enjoyed it. From its snappy dialogue (almost Mamet-esque in this production) to its zeppelin attack finale, I found Heartbreak House to be immensely enjoyable, intelligent, surprisingly funny and consistenly entertaining. I definitely would like to see additional plays of his.

I'm not sure where my interest in the Edwardian Era is coming from. Though, as I read Alvin and Heidi Toffler's Revolutionary Wealth, I'm beginning to convince myself that it stems from the fact that the change that was occuring during that time period in some ways reflects the changes that are occuring today. But, maybe that's a blog for another day (like when I finish the book and know what I'm talking about).

Regardless, I'm enjoying developing cards games involving Edwardian Era familys viaing for power, and drawing sci-fi versions of explorers in pith helmets. And, the play was great! It runs through the 26th, and is worth checking out if you have an evening to spare.

Intiman production of "Heartbreak House"

I. I've Got. I've got World Cup Fever.

(Please sing the headline as it appears on Air Maimi's tribute to the the 2002 World Cup: "World Cup Fever")

Anyhow, that's my excuse for not having neglected General Admissions for so long, and I'm sticking to it.

Since, next year, my wife and I are taking a Round the World Trip, I figured it would be in my best interest to take an interest in what interests the rest of the World... the World Cup! (That sentence was officailly fun to write.) So, for the last month or so, I've been attempting to immerse myself in all things Soccer* related; an activity that has been fun for me, but I'm sure is pretty obnoxious for those who have to deal with me on a day to day basis.

To catch World Cup Fever yourself, I recommend starting here: FIFA World Cup official site | Time and Channels to watch games in the US

Beyond that, I've also been designing a card game which simulates two or more feuding, turn-of-the-century, English families attempting to out do each other socially and economically. You try to move into the nicest mansion, have the nicest car, woo rival family members into your household and not pick up a snuff habit. Which, I suppose, is probably pretty close to reality for some people.


Babies... dogs... and cars... a bad idea.

Honestly, I don't know that much about the time period in question. But, I found myself digging through old stock photography websites and thinking "I really like old photos." So, of course, the obvious thing to do is make a card game with them, right? Oh well, I'm having fun!

Beyond that, Because (from the Tater Board) pointed out these amazing Amnesty International billboards. As she said, "wonder why they are only in Europe?"



* Yes, I know they call it Football in Europe. So, all of you who feel compelled to point this out to me can sleep easy now.

Random links to make you think.

(Honestly, I don't actively try to have my headlines sound stupid... they just happen to come out that way.)

I've continued to be the Worlds Worst Blogger™, and completely neglect updating my site. But, maybe that says something positive about my social life. I feel compelled at this point to say something self-deprecating, but instead, I shall move on to posting the links that this entries title promised.

Anyhow, I promise you I don't have an obsession with marine biology, though this blog would seem to indicate otherwise. That said, it does bearing noting that researchers have found one of the smallest known fish on record in the peat swamps of the Indonesian island of Sumatra.



Also, this morning, one of my friends, Ambika, turned me onto this site, which seems to be a treasure trove of time wasting articles, weblinks and fact: Kottke.org.

If you'd like to read something that would make you feel all self-rightously liberal (which I often enjoy doing), might I recommend this article by Gore Vidal.

Or, if you just want to solve a perplexing online mystery, check out Who Is Benjamin Stove? And help try to figure out the mystery of a crop circle painting from 1913.

Ale Taster or Fear-Nothing Maker

Choices, choices, choices...

If you think there are a lot of random jobs in the world, you're in for a surprise. There were even more random jobs in the past.

A coworkers sent me this link of Archaic Job Titles, that are useful to genealogists trying to track down surnames that they are based on. The list contains everything from Accipitary (a falconer) to a Zitherist (a player of a simple flat, many-string instrument). And several hundred occupatons in between.

While I've know for some time now that my name, Tyler, means "someone who lays bricks or tiles;" I was previously unaware that a Hiller (of which my last name is possibly derived) also means "someone who covers a house with slates and tiles." Meaning, I have possibly one of the most redundant names on the planet.

Jobs Away!

I Want To Be A Carny!

This weekend, my fiancee, some friends and I went to see Circus Contraption. Surreal, funny and slightly naughty. I was hoping it would be great, but -even then- it exceeded my expectations. A wonderful blend of costumes, music, acrobatics and clowns of the non-scary variety... OK, some were scary, but they meant to be. Anyhow, its a wonderful show, that I can't recommend enough. I believe they are playing through the end of July in Seattle, before moving on to New York (for all the NY readers... cause, y'know, I have tons). Anyhow, go see it!

Circus Contraption's Grand American Traveling Dime Museum

That's right, folks. Circus Contraption announces the imminent RE-arrival of its Grand American Traveling Dime Museum! For a modest admission you will be privy to a vast Collection of Exhibits guaranteed to Educate and Entertain. Featuring Miracles of Man and of Nature, Curiosities of the Past and Marvels of the Modern Age. A veritable Confectionery of exquisite Novelties awaits the genteel Visitor.

Official Site

Zheng He: The eunuch who launched 300 ships

Reading National Geographic this weekend, I read a story on Admiral Zheng He, who -nearly a century before Columbus made his journey- sailed a series of 7 voyages which traveled from China to as far as the Kenyan Coast.

The ships of Zheng's armada were as astonishing as its reach. Some accounts claim that the great baochuan, or treasure ships, had nine masts on 400-foot-long (122-meter-long) decks. The largest wooden ships ever built, they dwarfed those of Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama. Hundreds of smaller cargo, war, and supply ships bore tens of thousands of men who brought China to a wider world.

His largest armada contained 317 ships, and nearly 28,000 men.

In contrast to most tales of exploration, the story paints him as a man of peace who was deeply interested in -and respectful of- the cultures he encountered. Proving that maybe testicles might be the problem after all.

I really recommend the article though, its also serves as a neat overview of what it was like traveling amoungst the cultures which surrounded the Indian Ocean at that time.
Story.

Yo Yamabushi

From Wikipedia

Yamabushi were Japanese mountain ascetics and warriors, mostly of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. For the most part solitary, they did form loose confederations, and associations with certain temples, and also participated in battles and skirmishes alongside samurai and sohei on occasion.

Yeah, these guys are pretty awesome. Ninjas are officially out, yamabushi are in. I mean, just look at that guy. He's got the headgear. He's got the sword. He's got the spear thing. He's got the sandals. And, he's got the "you're ass is mine" point down. Ya, yamabushi.