Today’s ridiculous headlines
December 15, 2011
For some reason there have been several hilarious/ridiculous headlines popping up around my various internet haunts today. So I decided to just post them together here, for you clicking pleasure.
Two of them were on New Scientist:
“Mystery of the male ostrich’s erection solved.”
“Selectively bred fruit flies who can survive Titan’s harsh conditions after a diet of vodka rain.”
(Apparently they changed that last one… but that’s how it showed up in my reader initially, I promise.)
“Man Arrested After Attacking People At Toys R Us With Lightsaber”
“Wonder Woman and She-Hulk give themselves breast exams in Mozambique.”
And this one is just cute:
“Baby Seal Enters House, Sleeps on Couch”
You’re welcome.
The music of Les Miserables in a concert benefitting YEAH: tonight & tomorrow at Mercy Lounge
December 7, 2011
It’s been a big season of benefit shows for YEAH! but this one is probably the biggest- a bunch of local musicians/artists have teamed up to present the music of Les Miserables live in concert two nights in a row at Mercy Lounge. It kicks off tonight, tickets are $18, and it will be awesome. With Larissa Maestro and Jordan & Alex Caress at the helm and a huge cast of local musicians from such acts as Uncle Skeleton, By Lightning!, Ponychase, The Privates, Umbrella Tree, The Non-Commissioned Officers, Happy Little Trees, Blue Heart Hour, and many more, this is quite the undertaking. Again, this is a two night stand, but I have a feeling tonight will be the biggest of the two since Hall & Oates are at the Ryman tomorrow night. YEAH! is just about the coolest non-profit in all of TN and I’m proud to be an active volunteer with them. They deserve your support!
On a completely separate note (but still relevant to this blog), I’ve been approved by YEAH’s music programs director to start a new workshop at the Tennessee Teens Rock & Roll Camp this year- the Science of Music. Here’s the description I came up with, with the help of fellow volunteer (and former camper/fellow nerd) Alyssa Scheele:
How does an electric guitar work? How does a microphone work? How does MUSIC work? Learn this and much more in the brand new Science of Music workshop. This workshop will give campers a crash course in the science behind music and how different instruments and audio equipment create and amplify sound. This workshop is ideal for campers who might be interested in the production side of music. The Science of Music will empower campers to pursue science as well as music by showing them how science is an integral part of art.
I’m ecstatic about getting to teach kids how basically everything, let alone modern music, would not be possible without science. I want to get them to make that connection and realize that science isn’t all far-off labs, atom smashers, and old dudes in white coats. It’s also a part of literally EVERYTHING. I think that focusing on how science makes music possible is the best way to make it “hit home” with them. AND it will hopefully jumpstart some of them in the direction of music production, both studio and live.
Mars Science Laboratory launches/other badassery
November 30, 2011
That is video of the final separation of NASA’s new Mars Science Laboratory rover (named Curiosity), sending it on its way to Mars. The probe launched successfully this past Saturday atop an Atlas V rocket, and will reach Mars in August of 2012. If you follow this blog you’ll know that I’ve mentioned this probe excitedly before- that’s because this is the biggest, boldest of all the robotic rovers we’ve sent to Mars. It’s about the size of a small SUV and it will be looking for evidence of conditions that may have been conducive to the development of microbial life, past and present. Important distinction: the probe is NOT searching for life itself, just for evidence that the planet may have been habitable in the past or maybe even the present. August 2012 will be a tense month for NASA and all following this probe’s progess, because the final landing stages are immensely tedious and complex. (See the landing animation below.) For now though, we just sit and wait as the probe zips through space and the engineers make the final adjustments to its trajectory. For some more expert commentary on this mission, check out Bad Astronomy or Universe Today.
Since I probably won’t be posting again until this Friday’s “A Few Good Shows” post, here are a couple more videos full utter badassery:
“Jetman” Yves Rossy flies alongside fighter jets on his jetpack. It doesn’t get much cooler than that…
Nothing like some shirtless 9-year-olds totally nailing “Crazy Train”
It’s turkey week: a weird video and some myth debunking
November 23, 2011
Before I remove myself from the interwebs for a few days to be with the fam, I thought I’d debunk one of the most pervasive turkey myths out there: that turkey contains more tryptophan than other foods and that it makes you sleepy. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Turkey contains about the same amount of tryptophan as other meats and some veggies. What makes you feel sleepy after a big holiday meal is what makes you sleepy anytime you eat way too much- food coma. There are some slightly differing opinions out there as to what causes the proverbial food coma, but it is not the tryptophan in turkey that directly causes sleepiness after holiday meals. It is simply the fact that you probably ate way too much in one sitting, and probably had some wine to go along with it. For more info see this article from Snopes, this article from NPR, and this article from Live Science.
I’ll leave you with this bit of complete and total absurdity from an Indian gameshow. That should hold you over till next week when I eventually resume posting. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Vitalic Noise “Family Affair” mixtape & introduction
November 17, 2011
My man Justin Katerberg has been steadily growing his Vitalic Noise Agency the past couple of years, but it seems that few people really know what Vitalic Noise does, beyond the blog. Well I’ll just tell you what came straight from the horse’s mouth:
Realizing that the majority of people still to this day have no idea what Vitalic Noise does, we couldn’t think of any other way to properly showcase the artists that we are working with than to set up a DJ rig and pushed record on a short tracklist of both artists signed to Vitalic Noise and a few other acts that we hold close to our heart. Did it work? I guess that part is up to you – love it or hate it, we would be ever so thankful if you were to share it with your friends.
Currently we represent, as either management or booking agents:
Fare Soldi
Justin Faust
Edwin Van Cleef
Cadillac
Moonlight Matters
Zimmer
Viceroy
Geisha Twins
FM Attack
So there you have it. Quite an impressive and ever-growing roster. Check out the mixtape on soundcloud:
Monday videos: cats and space
November 14, 2011
Few words today, simply two videos to entertain you for different reasons.
HD timelapse footage of earth from the International Space Station. This has been making the rounds on the interwebs already, so you’ve probably seen it, but it’s just too good not to post. The city lights combined with the aurorae make this simply jaw-dropping/drool-inducing. Be sure to set HD to “on” and make it fullscreen!
And now let us take a quick look into the exciting new world of “catvertising”…
(Via yewknee’d)
M83 vocal audition video (your daily LOLs)
November 8, 2011
Do yourself a favor and stick with this one till the end if you’re already rolling on the floor like I was. I really wish this was real, but it has to be a fake, given the rest of this dude’s videos on vimeo… seems like he’s trying to be a sketch comic or something. I’d say this is step in the right direction. You’re welcome. (Via Kottke)
All you ever wanted to know about Daylight Savings Time
October 27, 2011
Every year in the spring and fall the debate about whether to keep doing daylight savings time pops up. If you look at it globally it really is quite complex, and makes things much more difficult than they need to be. I personally think it should be eliminated, BUT I want to keep the clocks permanently on DST. I like having the sun set later in the afternoon, because I’m not a morning person and I don’t really give a shit about when the sun rises. I DO give a shit about when it sets, because I despise how ridiculously early the sun sets in December/January, especially here in Nashville which happens to be on the eastern edge of the central time zone. On the winter solstice the sun sets at 4:33pm! I want at least an hour of sunlight to enjoy after I get of work! If we just kept DST on forever then we could have that. Anyway, watch this very informative video created by Colin Gregory Palmer Grey and learn everything you wanted to know about Daylight Savings Time: (via Devour)
Addendum to A Few Good Shows: Terminator the Second
October 14, 2011
What the fuck was wrong with me this morning? I completely forgot to mention the amazing/intriguing theater production that’s happening this weekend at Nashville School of the Arts! My friends Marshall Weber and Cody DeVos (known for his role in the feature film Make-out With Violence) have started their own theater company and it’s called Husky Jackal. Their flagship production is a genre-bending story that combines the sci-fi plot of Terminator 2 with the writing style of Shakespeare. Sounds intriguing right? You aren’t the only one who thinks so. The production has gotten the attention of the Tennessean, i09, the Scene, and Mental Floss, just to name a few. It all goes down at Nashville School of the Arts starting tonight, going through Monday night. Tickets are only $15 and you can get them through the official website.
Two amazing pieces of imagery
August 22, 2011
- Good design can be defined different ways, but it almost always means organizing and presenting information in an engaging and/or innovative manner. The Weather Wheel created by Bard Edlund is an outstanding example of this, and I dare you to not stare at it for at least 10 minutes. (Hint: the size of the blue dots changes to represent how much rain the given city recieves, the orange circle’s intensity represents temperature, and the speed at which the arrow passes by the city represents how much wind it gets.) Via Kottke.org
- Cinemagraphs are photographs in which one small part of the image is animated to create continuous motion. This new technique creates surreal and sometimes slightly creepy images the blur the line between video and still photography. The technique is being pioneered by photographers Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg. Fascinating.
steve cross loves music and science 