Author Topic: Little Eye On The Crazy World Of Foreigners (Read 133956 times)

andrewc · « **Reply #625 on:** 25 March, 2021, 12:58:55 pm »

Quote from: spesh on 25 March, 2021, 12:41:06 pm

Worth noting that in the same year, William Gibson's short story Johnny Mnemonic* was published, in which the titular character was being pursued by bad guys for the hundreds of megabytes stored in his head. Which, given how much can be stuffed into a USB stick these days, seems laughably quaint now.

* There's a film based on the story, you say? Nope, that's just a mass hallucination. Joking apart, I can't help thinking that said cinematic turkey is one of the reasons why a film adaptation of Neuromancer has never made it out of development hell.

I think Kathryn Bigelow's "Strange Days" is a good "Gibsonesque" cyberpunk movie, though I've never seen the film they made of "New Rose Hotel" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Rose_Hotel_(film) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133122/reviews?ref_=tt_urv

Beardy · « **Reply #626 on:** 25 March, 2021, 01:17:40 pm »

In terms of SF classic to cinematic release, the best has got to be Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Other than that, it’s a path littered with more turkeys than successes.

Tim Hall · « **Reply #627 on:** 25 March, 2021, 01:46:37 pm »

Ob. Cycling: I went to an exhibition of bikes at the Design Museum, back when it down on the Thames.

There was a framed letter on the wall. Instead of being to The Beatles, from Decca and mentioning guitars it was to a young Brompton Bike company, from Raleigh and was about no future for folding bicyles.

Jurek · « **Reply #628 on:** 26 March, 2021, 07:51:05 am »

Quote from: Tim Hall on 25 March, 2021, 01:46:37 pm

Ob. Cycling: I went to an exhibition of bikes at the Design Museum, back when it down on the Thames.

There was a framed letter on the wall. Instead of being to The Beatles, from Decca and mentioning guitars it was to a young Brompton Bike company, from Raleigh and was about no future for folding bicyles.

Back in the early 80s my ex was advertising manager for Bicycle magazine, based in Camden. She was looking for sponsorship for a number of events to promote the then unheard of mountain bikes. She approached Raleigh. 'They'll never catch on' came the reply.

Beardy · « **Reply #629 on:** 26 March, 2021, 09:37:05 am »

It’s looking like clearing the canal is going to take a significant amount of time with shipping now being diverted around the Cape. Something else for the gubermint to blame Brexit import delays on.

PeteB99 · « **Reply #630 on:** 26 March, 2021, 10:11:14 am »

Big Boat gets stuck. A childrens story.

https://defector.com/big-boat-stuck-a-story/

andrewc · « **Reply #631 on:** 26 March, 2021, 10:21:42 am »

Just dump a few tons of Picolax into the canal , that should clear any blockage......

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #632 on:** 26 March, 2021, 11:19:27 am »

Quote from: Jurek on 26 March, 2021, 07:51:05 am

Quote from: Tim Hall on 25 March, 2021, 01:46:37 pm
Ob. Cycling: I went to an exhibition of bikes at the Design Museum, back when it down on the Thames.

There was a framed letter on the wall. Instead of being to The Beatles, from Decca and mentioning guitars it was to a young Brompton Bike company, from Raleigh and was about no future for folding bicyles.

Back in the early 80s my ex was advertising manager for Bicycle magazine, based in Camden. She was looking for sponsorship for a number of events to promote the then unheard of mountain bikes. She approached Raleigh. 'They'll never catch on' came the reply.

Based on this information I can now determine the identity of Jurek's ex and will be publishing it here* unless in receipt of a plain brown envelope stuffed with used twenties by 23:59 on March 31st.

* Lie

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #633 on:** 27 March, 2021, 02:55:46 pm »

Florida woman walks through door, gets lost in sewer for three weeks

If it wasn't for the sewer and if it had been anywhere other than Florida, it would be like Alice in Wonderland.

Kim · « **Reply #634 on:** 27 March, 2021, 07:27:36 pm »

Bonus points for not drowning or getting eaten by crocogators.

Pingu · « **Reply #635 on:** 27 March, 2021, 11:23:10 pm »

Are they sure it wasn't a manatee?

Jaded · « **Reply #636 on:** 27 March, 2021, 11:41:30 pm »

Oh, the huge manatee.

spesh · « **Reply #637 on:** 27 March, 2021, 11:53:01 pm »

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 27 March, 2021, 02:55:46 pm

Florida woman walks through door, gets lost in sewer for three weeks

If it wasn't for the sewer and if it had been anywhere other than Florida, it would be like Alice in Wonderland.

That officials are citing her safety and mental health as reasons for not naming her suggests there are some doubts that she was lost in the sewer for as long as she says, even if her boyfriend had reported her missing three weeks ago.

Kim · « **Reply #638 on:** 28 March, 2021, 12:00:39 am »

You'd have to be both spectacularly stupid and surprisingly well-prepared to stay lost in a storm drain for that long...

Jaded · « **Reply #639 on:** 28 March, 2021, 12:44:05 am »

Quote

The woman later told officials she was swimming in a canal when she noticed a door and entered it. She said she eventually became lost and ended up three miles away from where she first began, surviving on a can of ginger ale she discovered unopened along the way.

You are in a tunnel
You are swimming
You see a door
Open door
S
You tumble down a sloping hole, water rushes beside you
You find a tin.
Open
You open the tin
Drink
You drink the ging bere
You are refreshed
Your head asplodes.

Steph · « **Reply #640 on:** 28 March, 2021, 02:25:45 pm »

Odd individual with unusual wheeled vehicle travels remarkable distance.

Uses name 'Gordy'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-australia-56438893

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #641 on:** 28 March, 2021, 07:21:43 pm »

Quote

[…] says he "didn't realise how big Australia was".

Nothing like planning ahead. And clearly he did nothing like planning ahead

My e-chum Poit cycled round Australia. It took him seven weeks.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #642 on:** 28 March, 2021, 08:35:49 pm »

Nothing crazy here but this sentence:
the role played by synthetic fabrics in late-stage Catholicism
was too good not to repeat!

T42 · « **Reply #643 on:** 29 March, 2021, 10:42:57 am »

"Late-stage Catholicism" sounds terminal.

spesh · « **Reply #644 on:** 29 March, 2021, 01:55:19 pm »

Quote from: T42 on 29 March, 2021, 10:42:57 am

"Late-stage Catholicism" sounds terminal.

I think it's more what Tom Lehrer was referring to in his introduction to The Vatican Rag, as recorded on the That Was The Year That Was album.

Quote

Another big news story of the year concerned the ecumenical council in Rome, known as Vatican II. Among the things they did, in an attempt to make the church more... commercial, was to introduce the vernacular into portions of the Mass to replace Latin, and to widen somewhat the range of music permissible in the liturgy. But I feel that if they really want to sell the product in this secular age, what they ought to do is to redo some of the liturgical music in popular song forms. I have a modest example here; it's called The Vatican Rag!

http://graeme.50webs.com/lehrer/vatican.htm

Regulator · « **Reply #645 on:** 29 March, 2021, 02:59:02 pm »

Quote from: spesh on 29 March, 2021, 01:55:19 pm

Quote from: T42 on 29 March, 2021, 10:42:57 am
"Late-stage Catholicism" sounds terminal.

I think it's more what Tom Lehrer was referring to in his introduction to The Vatican Rag, as recorded on the That Was The Year That Was album.

Quote
Another big news story of the year concerned the ecumenical council in Rome, known as Vatican II. Among the things they did, in an attempt to make the church more... commercial, was to introduce the vernacular into portions of the Mass to replace Latin, and to widen somewhat the range of music permissible in the liturgy. But I feel that if they really want to sell the product in this secular age, what they ought to do is to redo some of the liturgical music in popular song forms. I have a modest example here; it's called The Vatican Rag!

http://graeme.50webs.com/lehrer/vatican.htm

As an aside, one of my favourite pieces of liturgical music is Ramirez's Misa Criolla, which was one of the first post-Vatican II vernacular masses. Undeniably Argentinian (although inspired by post-WWII Germany) music.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #646 on:** 01 April, 2021, 01:02:09 pm »

Mullet over: Aussie boys' school tells kids 'business in the front, party in the back' hairstyle is 'not acceptable'. "A fine Australian tradition stomped on", claims El Reg.

Moleman76 · « **Reply #647 on:** 02 April, 2021, 07:08:51 am »

another "Florida man" entry, this time from the political party which purports to stand up for business's rights to do whatever they wish, and defy government intervention:

https://www.webmd.com/vaccines/covid-19-vaccine/news/20210330/florida-governor-vaccine-passport-ban

andrewc · « **Reply #648 on:** 02 April, 2021, 09:38:47 am »

https://twitter.com/snellyradio/status/1377664803850883074?s=20

If you've got a blocked canal, just call these chaps

spesh · « **Reply #649 on:** 02 April, 2021, 02:14:35 pm »

Nike wins lawsuit over 'Satan Shoes' with human blood

Quote from: The BBC

Nike has won its lawsuit against Brooklyn art collective MSCHF over their controversial 'Satan Shoes' that contain a drop of real human blood in the soles.

The $1,018 (£740) trainers are modified Nike Air Max 97s that feature an inverted cross, a pentagram and the words "Luke 10:18".
MSCHF produced the shoes in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X.

It said only 666 pairs were made and all but one have already been shipped.

Nike claimed trademark infringement, asking a federal court in New York to stop MSCHF from selling the shoes and prevent them from using its famous Swoosh.

"MSCHF and its unauthorised Satan Shoes are likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF's products and Nike," the sports shoe giant said in the lawsuit.

Lawyers for MSCHF countered that the 666 pairs it created were "not typical sneakers, but rather individually-numbered works of art that were sold to collectors for $1,018 each".