Life, Death and Dogs

The Commodore Louis Kaestner, from his sickbed, talks on about the sickness and death about his late dog.

Its a fucking dog!

Jimmy Darmody

You're a stony little bastard.

The Commodore Louis Kaestner

I'm what time and circumstance has made me.

Jimmy Darmody

Problems with Paras

You also have the problem that dropping airborne on mountains results in a fair number of them being injured on landing with busted ankles, toes, legs, etc.

I remember my buddy who's actually does a lot of jump training with foreign crews who are qualifying for certain missions saying that it's gotten to the point where the USAF, USMC, and US Army actually have mathematical calculations they can run before each drop in order to figure out a rough estimate of how many people will be injured.

Apparently mountains are...rough on the math.

mmmeee0 on a thread on AH.com
about giant walkers,
Supposing walkers are a feasible craft...

Report From the Ancient Internet

Science Friday on NPR had a rebroadcast of first program that they also simlubroadcast on the "internet", A Trip Back To The Future of The Internet. People called in during the program using their, for the time, bleeding edge internet telephony on $8K UNIX machines. In the middle of program after suffering through internet telephony problems like packet loss and the walkie talkie/half-duplex nature of such early systems, the host Ira Flatow gives this understatement.

It seems to me the Internet is in a very crude stage.

Scary Words from a Vet

It's frightening
really
but you don't feel it
at the time
you want to live

And you want them to die

Sgt Joe Dawson 39th Militia Battalion (Australia)
recounting his experiences on Kokoda Trail
Kokoda: Invasion

You Are Richer Than You Think

The Global Rich List is a calculator designed to show you how rich you are compared with the whole Terran population as opposed to the Jones. Then it hits up for a contribution. In a way it is the reverse of the Total Perspective Vortex because it shows that compared the rest of humanity you are probably doing OK, if you viewing this blog on your own computer. The difference between prosperity and wealth to me is that prosperity depends on living standards whereas wealth is a measure of relative living standards.

Link given by the_lyniezian on AH.com thread Frivolous ASB Ideas Thread.

Latin Wikipedia

From a reference in AH.com thread Things that Look Like Alternate History.

Boardwalk Empire Economy 1920: New Dress

I do so love this.

Candidate Harding's girlfriend

Mademoiselle's taste is excellent.

Madame Jeunet

How much is it?

Candidate Harding's girlfriend

$480

Madame Jeunet

Boardwalk Empire S01E09

in 2009 the relative worth of $480.00 from 1920 is:

	$5,140.00	using the Consumer Price Index
	$4,100.00	using the GDP deflator
	$12,000.00	using the value of consumer bundle
	$17,600.00	using the unskilled wage
	$23,300.00	using the Production Worker Compensation
	$26,800.00	using the nominal GDP per capita
	$77,400.00	using the relative share of GDP

(Measuring Worth)

New Posts on the Relative Values in Boardwalk Empire and hopefully other shows as well

A lot of numbers come up in the new TV series Boardwalk Empire. From now I will post interesting prices that show up in this series. I will also go back and watch earlier episodes. When I have time I will do the same for Madmen the other great period program on TV now.

For relative values I will quote the number in show and give the relative values as provided/calculated from the Measuring Worth.

Politics is Sometimes More Important Than Dying

You son of a bitch, I'm dying. It's no time to be sentimental.

Commodore Louis Kaestne
to Treasure Nucky Thompson
putting politics above mortality or family
in Boardwalk Empire S01E0 9

Churchill Pwns Hitler

Found in the shallower waters
of the time wasting swamp that is
The Cheezburger Netwowork

This could also be
Amateur artist beats failed art student
Battalion commander beats corporal

Dark Tormented Cops

There is a great examination of the genre of hard edged British crime drama in a recent LA Times, British TV cops are a tormented lot.

Reporting from London — Channel-surf almost any night of the week in Britain and chances are you'll come across a gruesome crime drama featuring a dark and tortured soul whose brutal, morally repellent deeds make you recoil in horror.

And that's just the detective.

To this I would also add Judge Dredd, a combination cop, judge, jury and executioner tracking down perps for such crimes as littering, jay walking, theft and murder. Dystopic policing for a distopic world.

Television Archeology

Here are the ruins of set of an ancient TV show, MASH, last used about 2 decades ago. Above is a remaining vehicle left to rot, rust, molder away. Here is map coordinates for the set. Here is a story from the LA Times about the set and the efforts to save the MASH set, Hike to old 'MASH' set launches fundraiser for California parks.

There have been other instances of sets being abandoned in the middle of nowhere. This allows for the possibility for confusing future archeologists. Bits and pieces of movies sets would confuse chronologies and culture references. The more piecemeal future knowledge is the more seriously these sets would be trusted.

Transdimensional Portals and Aussie Beer

Tooheys is a Aussie beer company that previously made an ad about a tongue that goes on a beer run. In this ad a party goer searches too deeply in an ice filled sink and enters a world filled with transdimensional portals to other iced filled sinks/tubs from parties of the now and ever.

This is a beer equivalent of Being John Malkovich

Our Valued Customers: The worst thing about any business

Our Valued Customers is a blog drawn by a guy who runs a comic store about the people who wander into the his store and occasionally buy things. I unfortunately recognized myself in several of the cartoons.

Cute Imperial March

The Matrix Effect

Ah, the early'90's: I was so innocent I barely knew which demographic I was.

Scott Brow in
Wired 2009/09/11 article "Geeky Friday

There is also an old saying that you should never examine too closely how sausages or laws are made. At the end of The Matrix, Neo can only see perceive the programming but not the our constructed reality.  Media training is good but it also robs you of the pleasure of pure consumerism / fandom.

The Financial Industry Lives Off the Stupid

There is an old joke where a prospective brokerage client is shown the impressive yachts owned by the partners. This leads the prospective brokerage client to ask where are clients' yachts. In the context of this strip Hardcastle is a stodgy and generally unsuccessful metal bashing company oop north.

Zombie Dancer

The Least Scary Scene in Dexter

That's either a saint or the most boring action figure I have ever seen.

Dexter
being confronted with Harrison's nanny Catholicism,
Dexter S05e05

One Magic Minivan

The Renault Espace has been sold in Belgium for about 25 years. Renault recent campaign Renault Espace the for suggests that this one minivan is responsible for taller people, larger families and the complete elimination of canine abandonment.

(from Ads of the World)