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March 29, 2008
Hello, Darkness. Finally Come for Me, Have You?
What used to be considered a hole in the sky is now known to astronomers as a dark molecular cloud. Here, a high concentration of dust and molecular gas absorb practically all the visible light emitted from background stars.
It's absorbing light.
Read that again. *It's absorbing light.*
(via Jer, astronomy picture of the day)
Posted by Groonk at 07:51 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Space
Oh Hai, Anonymous. I Has Much Cake.
(via warren ellis)
Posted by Groonk at 06:30 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Intertube Madness, Research
March 27, 2008
"Doctor Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog" is a Gathering Storm
If you're any kind of Joss Whedon fan you already know what this is all about. The rest of you will just have to do your best to catch up. It won't be too difficult as this thing has become a *virus*.
- Joss Whedon talks the big catless and the NPH(Neil Patrick Harris)
- Doctor Horrible fansite
- Doctor Horrible - Myspace
- Dr Horrible - Facebook
- Doctor Horrible official website (????)
- Everything else Joss Whedon
- Doctor Horrible has a lair
- Dr Horrible webcomic love
Joss Whedon, seriously man, what the fuck?!
Stop geek baiting and show me the good stuff.
(via all over the place)
Posted by Groonk at 05:37 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Intertube Madness, Marketing
Reflections on Heath Ledger's Joker have Begun
And the movie's not even released yet.
"It was punk, it was 'A Clockwork Orange', it was druggie. It was this kind of fantastic, anarchic look to him. This character who had absolutely no rules whatsoever," said Christian Bale, who returns as rich guy Bruce Wayne and his crime-fighting alter-ego Batman. "That's not like any Joker I've ever seen before, what I saw Heath do."
[...]
Ledger's performance floored two-time Oscar winner Michael Caine, who reprises his role as Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred. Caine's first glimpse of the character came when Ledger emerged onto the set from an elevator; in an interview last September, four months before Ledger's death, Caine said he was so startled that he forgot his lines.
"He came out of the bloody lift like a whirlwind," Caine recalled. "They said, `It's your line, Michael.' I said, `What is it?' Extraordinary. It will be one of the characters of next year, the Joker as played by him."
[...]
"You can tell Jack Nicholson was having fun doing that, but you can see Heath probably put his soul into it," said "Brokeback Mountain" director Ang Lee. "That's why it's scary. You see the trailer, just a few shots of him, you have to see the movie. ... I'm anxious to see it. I'm afraid to see it. I don't know how I'll respond to it, but you have to see it."
Heath Ledger. The guy could act. It was usually tiny bits. The subtle things that made him worth watching.
(via yahoo news)
Posted by Groonk at 05:15 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Comics, Interviews, Movies
Girl Dies because Parents are Idiots
This is the one time when being an objectional journalist would get in my way.
An autopsy showed Madeline Neumann died Sunday from diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition that left too little insulin in her body, Everest Metro Police Chief Dan Vergin said.She had probably been ill for about a month, suffering symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, excessive thirst, loss of appetite and weakness, the chief said Wednesday, noting that he expects to complete the investigation by Friday and forward the results to the district attorney.
Well they obviously had something against their daughter. How could they sit by and watch their child waste away from something that was curable? It wasn't cancer or AIDS. It was a fucking curable affliction and their kid died because of their idiocy.
I seem to remember hearing this somewhere, "God helps those who help themselves."
God helps those who help themselves, you idiots.
(via 7d, googlenews)
Posted by Groonk at 05:07 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Religion
Achi-wa ssipak has Mutant Smurf Attacks
In a future where energy is made from fecal matter, the government rewards defecation with "juicybars". Small-time hustlers try to get rich while fending off the mutated Diaper Gang.
Hyper-violent American teenagers ready yourselves annnnnd: indulge.
Technically Achi-wa ssipak( Aachi And Sspak) is Korean animation and not japanese. It caught my interest no matter where it is from.
(via Panel and Pixel, mutant smurf war you tube)
Posted by Groonk at 06:44 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Anime
March 22, 2008
BLIND CLICK 28
How I did is under the cut.
(via ponzu)
I caught 12 passes and completely missed the bear.
Posted by Groonk at 01:42 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Marketing
SOUL EATER Might Kick Your Ass
That looks beyond all cool.
(via andrew cunningham, official)
Posted by Groonk at 01:33 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Anime, Just Freaking Neat, Trailers
March 21, 2008
Super Cat vs Evil Cow and Possibly a Friendly Menacing Robot
Nick Brendon *is* SUPER CAT. He just is, ok?
Cartoon Network would be fools to turn this new show away. You see that, Brendon? That stack of hundreds...I'm waiting on them.
(Seriously, the show's got potential. My DVR stands at the ready.
(via super you tube, nickbrendon.com)
Posted by Groonk at 11:15 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Tee Vee, Versus, Video
March 20, 2008
Obama Talks to Nation Like an Adult, Nation Unsure about that Sort of Business
LISTEN: Obama's March 18, 2008 speech
I shudder to it the "race speech" but that's all anyone else can think to call it.
I actually call it the "won my vote" speech.
If you took the time to read the banner(creator currently unknown) above. You just read a few pages of one of the most extraordinary comics I've had the pleasure to read.
I suggest you buy The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes and get it in your head post haste.
Video of the speech lay under the cut.
(via the first site i could find that had the speech as an mp3, political you tube)
Posted by Groonk at 04:35 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Comics, Politics
March 19, 2008
Arthur C Clarke (1917 - 2008)
Clarke wrote scores of fiction and nonfiction books (some in collaboration) and more than 100 short stories -- as well as hundreds of articles and essays. Among his best-known science-fiction novels are "Childhood's End," "Rendezvous With Rama," "Imperial Earth" and "2001: A Space Odyssey."Deemed a scientific prophet, Clarke foretold an array of technological notions in his works such as space stations, moon landings using a mother ship and a landing pod, cellular phones and the Internet.
"Nobody has done more in the way of enlightened prediction," science-fiction author Isaac Asimov once wrote.
"I'd say he was the major hard science-fiction writer -- that is, the writer of science fiction that is scientifically scrupulous -- in the second half of the 20th century," UC Irvine physics professor Gregory Benford, an award-winning science-fiction author who collaborated with Clarke on the 1990 science-fiction novel "Beyond the Fall of Night," told The Times in 2005.
[...]
A radar pioneer in the Royal Air Force during World War II, Clarke wrote a 1945 article in Wireless World magazine in which he outlined a worldwide communications network based on fixed satellites orbiting Earth at an altitude of 22,300 miles -- an orbital area now often referred to as the Clarke Orbit.
[...]
On his 90th birthday in December, he listed three wishes for the world, the Associated Press reported: to embrace cleaner energy resources, for a lasting peace in his homeland of Sri Lanka, which has been beset by civil strife for decades, and for evidence of extraterrestrial beings.
Posted by Groonk at 03:44 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of People Who Died
The Sour Times are Over, New Portishead Video Released
New Portishead video. Can you stand it? Are you ready?
WATCH: Portishead "Machine Gun"
(via ontd, Portishead)
Posted by Groonk at 03:33 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Music
BLIND CLICK 27
(via warren ellis, Psychological Industries)
Posted by Groonk at 03:12 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Blind Click
March 18, 2008
Anjelica Huston Tells You About Ireland and the Weather
Joan Juliet Buck: Let's talk about Ireland.Anjelica Huston: Remember that Irish is a slow language; all vocal exchange is introduced by at least 7 minute's opening dialogue about the weather. No conversation is complete without this introduction. It's like looking at a horse's teeth. From this initial exchange one can deduce age, demeanor and provenance.
JOAN: So how is the weather by the beach in Venice California?Anjelica: It’s as cold as a witch’s tit, the wind is whipping up the palm trees, the seagulls are slapping against my windows, there are whitecaps way out to sea. Lots of teenagers on roof tops, on cell-phones, with their hair flying.
JOAN: In New York it’s sunny but still cold. And rainy when it’s not sunny. Not a soft day, a hard March day.
Anjelica: Today is flinty.
JOAN: Really? And why would that be?
Anjelica: No smog at all!
JOAN: Can we start now? Have we done the weather?
Posted by Groonk at 01:00 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Interviews
You Should be Doing This
If you don't know of Terry Pratchett - shame on you.
Here is some insight on his strange, brilliant mind.
"Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
Terry Pratchett
(via making light)
Posted by Groonk at 12:28 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Digital Share, Quotables
March 17, 2008
Tuesday Zen: Monster vs King Kaiser
Revisiting mechanical men getting it on. Not in that way. Perverts.
(via hot bot on bot action you tube)
Posted by Groonk at 04:06 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Versus
March 12, 2008
Make Awesome Things and Animation with Phun
LISTEN: Phun, the Theme Music
Something this awesome looking and, possibly, addicting should never be brought to my attention.
Yet there it is, ready for you or I to download..free!
http://www.acc.umu.se/~emilk/
(via phun lovin youtube, bad science)
Posted by Groonk at 06:52 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Digital Share, Games, Just Freaking Neat, Music
March 11, 2008
3:19 Movie Title Sequence Fills My Mind with Awesome
The most beautiful (see gorgeous) movie title sequence I've ever laid eyes upon.
(via drawn!, forget the film watch the titles)
Posted by Groonk at 08:42 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Movies
Scientists Create Tiny Computer, Mimcs Human Brain
The most powerful computer known is the brain, and now scientists have designed a machine just a few molecules large that mimics how the brain works.So far the device can simultaneously carry out 16 times more operations than a normal computer transistor. Researchers suggest the invention might eventually prove able to perform roughly 1,000 times more operations than a transistor.
This machine could not only serve as the foundation of a powerful computer, but also serve as the controlling element of complex gadgets such as microscopic doctors or factories, scientists added.
The device is made of a compound known as duroquinone. This molecule resembles a hexagonal plate with four cones linked to it, "like a small car," explained researcher Anirban Bandyopadhyay, an artificial intelligence and molecular electronics scientist at the National Institute for Materials Science at Tsukuba in Japan.
WATCH: how the little bugger works.
(via yahoo news, digg)
Posted by Groonk at 05:54 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Nanotech
Dave Stevens 1955 - 2008
Dave Stevens, co creator of the Rocketeer and the artist who helped bring Bettie Page back in the spotlight passed away at the age of 52 due to complications with his battle with leukemia.
If, like me, you are unsure who Dave Stevens was, think The Rocketeer comic(and later the quite decent movie of the same name) and all will be explained.
Heidi Macdonald at The Beat remembers Stevens.
Mark Evanier remembers Stevens.
Archived interview with Dave Stevens.
(via pvponline tweet, dave stevens web site)
Posted by Groonk at 05:44 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Comics, Interviews, People Who Died
The Buddha Machine is Curious, Confuses
The Buddha Machine is a little plastic box that plays music.Specifically, FM3 constructed nine drones, varying from two seconds to 42 seconds, which repeat endlessly in the listener’s ear until the “track” is switched to the next drone (or the two AA batteries run out).
The machine has its own built-in speaker, in case one would like to fill a room with the drones, but there is also a headphone jack for more personal meditative experiences. There’s a switch on the side that allows for traversal of the tracks, and a DC jack (though an adapter is not included) for those who would like the Buddha Machine experience be truly endless.
In a way, it’s like the cheapest pre-loaded IPod you’ll ever be able to buy."
(via Internet Jesus tweet, pop matters, FM3)
Posted by Groonk at 04:57 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Art, Music, Research, Technology
Gnome terrorizes South American Town. Makes Me Piss Myself with Laughter.
Weird day today. This was too hilarious not to share.
The Sun (yeah, I know) claims a town in South America is being plagued by a gnome(yeah, *I know*) and they have video. You must watch the video.
Those kids obviously did not read Harry Potter. The Weasely's knew exactly how to treat a gnome infesting their garden.
(more stupidity via The Sun)
Posted by Groonk at 04:38 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Myth, Weird
March 10, 2008
Gary Gygax 1938-2008
For those not in the know, he was the co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons. A game I never could come to like but I appreciate it's geek roots. XKCD did a special tribute.
Gygax forged an industry around D&D and made a small fortune in the process. His home-brew publishing company, Tactical Studies Rules, went from a basement enterprise to a thriving corporation with 600 employees in less than a decade. D&D sold millions of copies and has been translated into more than a dozen languages in at least 50 countries.
Something extra special is under the cut.
(via laughing squid gets the cred for this one)
UPDATE: Wired "Dungeon Master: The Life and Legacy of Gary Gygax"
(via you tube, for as long as it lasts)
Posted by Groonk at 12:58 AM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Comics, People Who Died
March 05, 2008
Lit By the Power of Magnetic Fields
This field has 1,301 florescent bulbs planted in it, and they're all glowing. They aren't plugged into anything, however; they're powered solely from the magnetic fields produced by the power lines above. It's all a large art project by Richard Box...
Looks like a Jedi graveyard or a Tesla experiment gone right.
He did it first, you know.
(via gizmodo)
Posted by Groonk at 06:18 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Art, Tesla
Beelzebufo Might Have Eaten Dinosaurs
A frog the size of a bowling ball, with heavy armor and teeth, lived among dinosaurs millions of years ago -- intimidating enough that scientists who unearthed its fossils dubbed the beast Beelzebufo, or Devil Toad.[...]
"This frog, if it has the same habits as its living relatives in South America, was quite voracious," Krause said. "It's even conceivable that it could have taken down some hatchling dinosaurs."
Krause began finding fragments of abnormally large frog bones in Madagascar, off the coast of Africa, in 1993. They dated back to the late Cretaceous period, roughly 70 million years ago, in an area where Krause also was finding dinosaur and crocodile fossils. But only recently did Krause's team assemble enough frog bones to piece together what the creature would have looked like, and weighed.
(via neilgaiman.com, cnn news)
Posted by Groonk at 06:13 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Animals, Dinosaurs
Typography as Couture
I'm not one for the fashion industry but sometimes, just sometimes, they hit on interesting concepts.
And by interesting, I mean wtf that's kind of cool in a ridiculous way.
(via notcot.org)
Posted by Groonk at 06:03 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Art, Research
People are Fasting from Technology
I almost ignored this. Something drew me back and figures it'll be worth remembering later.
Another round of technology-overload-phobia is sweeping the net, this time in the form of fasting.
Not like this is a new concept or anything. The phrasing of Technology Fast couldn't be ignored.
(via buzzfeed)
Posted by Groonk at 05:25 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Research, Technology
I AM LEGEND: The Ending That Didn't Suck
You should follow that link before the Long Arm reaches out and snatches it off The Internets.
Now that ended a movie I would have been proud to drop 10 bucks on. It's not perfect but it was something worth a tinker's damn.
Stop messing with my Sci Fi, you Suited Fuckos.
(via buzzfeed, firstshowing)
Posted by Groonk at 05:04 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Just Freaking Neat, Movies
March 03, 2008
IRON MAN Movie Continues to Generate Love, New Trailer
Don't let me down, Jon Favreau. You've done questionable things in the past. Try harder to change that.
(via gizmodo, jon favreau's myspace )
Posted by Groonk at 02:53 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Just Freaking Neat, Movies, Trailers
Heat Ray Burns Reporter, Raises Hopes
(via gizmodo)
Posted by Groonk at 02:42 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Technology, Tesla, War
Good Morning, Cheerful Monday
Yes, I know what time it is. You must be better at reading what I typed, "Good Morning."
(via the returned LOLBOTS)
Posted by Groonk at 01:22 PM | Comments (0) | Ministry of Macro, Robots
