Archive for July, 2012
10 recent scientifically solved mysteries
What made the ancient theatre of Epidaurus so acoustically great, who made the crystal skulls, and is there a face on Mars — all answered. From Listverse: 10 Recent Scientifically Solved Mysteries There are lots more lists on this web site if you’re a fan of lists. As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, here are […]
10 things to know about the Moon
Think you know everything about the Moon? See if you’re right. Feel like you don’t know enough about the Moon? Look right here. From LiveScience: Top 10 Amazing Moon Facts The most amazing thing I ever saw in the sky was a ring around the Moon. Here’s an explanation of the cause (you can also […]
China Mountain Zhang
{4.5/5} “I am impure, a mongrel. I am an imposter. And there is more that he doesn’t know. When I tell him what I am, he will look foolish because he has mistaken me for Chinese, he will lose face. We will pretend that nothing was ever said. Then when this job is finished he […]
Stargate Atlantis (season 2)
{4.5/5} “I’m not crazy, I just have another consciousness inside my brain.” In “Aurora” they find an Ancient ship with all of its crew in stasis. When McKay discovers that they’re communicating with each other in stasis, Sheppard goes into stasis himself to find out what they’re saying. In “Duet” McKay and Laura Cadman are […]
The IT Crowd (season 4)
{3.5/5} “When I was eleven I broke the patio window and my mother sued me… She’s always been a very aggressive litigator.” In “The Final Countdown” Moss makes it onto a TV game show — he then discovers that there are perks for people who do well on the show. On the other hand, “Jen […]
Large Huron site from 500 years ago
A place now called Mantle was the site of a large Huron settlement 500 years ago — dubbed an ancient “New York City” because it had nearly 2000 residents. There’s evidence that the Hurons there traded with the Iroquois, who were traditionally their enemies. With bigger settlements, the people might have been less interested in […]
Win Win
{5/5} “‘Mommy? Where’s Daddy?’ ‘He’s running.’ ‘From what?’” Mike is a lawyer who’s having a tough time making ends meet. He sees an opportunity when Leo, one of his clients who has dementia, needs a guardian. In his spare time Mike coaches wrestling, along with his friends Stephen and Terry. Then Leo’s grandson Kyle shows […]
Brave
{4.5/5} “But every once in a while, there’s a day when I don’t have to be a princess. No lessons, no expectations. A day where anything can happen. A day when I can change my fate.” If you’ve seen the trailer for Brave, you have an idea what it’s like — with a dash of […]
10 memorable short stories
A few years ago I wrote about 10 memorable science fiction and fantasy stories. Now it’s time for another 10. In terms of collections of related short stories, The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury and City by Clifford D. Simak are both 5/5. “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury (in The Golden Apples of the Sun) […]
Stand By Me
{4.5/5} “Vern didn’t just mean being off limits inside the junkyard, or fudging on our folks, or going on a hike up the railroad to Harlow. He meant those things, but it seems to me now it was more and that we all knew it. Everything was there and around us. We knew exactly who […]