Entertainment stuff from the week 10-16/3/14

Hi piple!


Get it? Pi-ple, as in pi-people... uh, ok, never mind... :-P

Anyway, last friday was Pi Day. So there will be some piey things strewn through this week's post.


[awkward segue] One thing that can be presented on a pie chart, is the number of people who want a referendum on something.


Referendums seem to be all over the place, in the UK... well, potential referendums seem to be.

The Conservative Party of the UK has promised a referendum 'on Europe', for 2017. Obviously, it's geologically infeasible to extricate the British Isles from Europe, but with Michael 'Newton’s laws of thermodynamics' Gove as Minister for Education, you can hardly expect much of the poor dears' intellects, can you!

But they have also denied a referendum on Scotland's leaving the Union between England and Scotland. This would, essentially, leave the UK un-Ued.

Notice the position they're in, here - they're saying "No, no, don't be ridiculous, no" to the idea of Scottish independence from England, but saying "Oh yes, yes please, yes" to English independence from the EU.

Urm... it can't be that hard to notice the steaming hypocrisy, can it? If devolution's good for the goose, then why's it bad for the gander? :-P

Well, it must be hypocrisy that's very difficult to spot, because the entirety of Britain's media appears to have completely missed it!

Never mind, boys and girls, never mind...


This week's fact-checking mission covers the jolly subject of suicide. Yay :-D

'The better-educated and the wealthy are more likely to opt for suicide, finds Swiss study of 1301 people'
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/02February/Pages/What-type-of-people-choose-assisted-suicide.aspx?

This is not the title the Daily Fail went with, a few weeks ago, due to its not being congenial to their patriarchal, feudalistic, religious ideology.

Instead, they went with 'Women, divorcees and atheists are most likely to choose assisted suicide - with nearly 20% saying they are simply 'weary of life'.' Hmm... i see what they did, there ;-)

The data came from a longitudinal study in Switzerland, following 5,004,403 Swiss residents, 1,301 of which were the subjects of assisted suicide (euthenasia is still illegal in Switzerland) between the period 2003 to 2008.

There's a glaring hole in that data though, where 16% of death certificates relating to assisted suicide did not record a cause of death, despite an obvious medical condition being a predicate for A.S. qualification!

The "weary of life" part was not from the researchers' fingers - they were quoting someone else - but the data does seem to conflict itself, in that it says the lonely are more likely to opt for it, but also that those of higher socio-economic status are.

If depression motivates people to end their lives sooner (which stands to reason) then why this conflict in the data? Unless higher socio-economic status correlates with greater depression, of course!

If such a study could be done in somewhere euthanasia is legal, and all cases were necessarily reported to a central agency, then more could be derived from those statistics.

But with this study, the only notable talking point is that 46.5% of life-opt-outers were cancer sufferers - and only 20.6% were sufferers of nervous system disorders such as motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease.

If a euthanasia-accepting system were in place, to be abused by murderers, then they would have to fabricate the medical context in which such a decision would be made. 4th stage cancer sufferers are unlikely to 'need' murdering, rendering such scenarios unlikely.

I think this is a very worthy campaign: http://www.dignityindying.org.uk/


On-or-around-or-about this date, in history:

43 years ago on saturday, the first internet virus popped up, called 'The Creeper'. Celebration time? Maybe not. http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-virus.html

Next tuesday is going to be the 5th 'A' Week - the international movement that gives closeted non-god-believers an opportunity to see that they are not alone, and the confidence to accept that it's OK for them to be honest, too.

Reaching out to the oppressed, downtrodden, or just plain misunderstood, now appears to be expensive, on Facebook, so it might be the last. Hopefully, the organisers will shift it to a safer home.


In other news:

There has been the discovery of what might well be Europe's largest ever carnivorous dinosaur. Torvosaurus gurneyi's teeth grew to at least 10 cm, meaning it could have scaled to 10 metres - almost the size of a T-Rex.
http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObject.action?uri=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0088905.g004&representation=PNG_L

An analysis of more than 6000 heart attack and stroke incidents has found that, in the 2 hours after an outburst of rage, people are nearly five times as likely to have a heart attack and more than three times as likely to have a stroke. This news makes me mad! [think calm thoughts; think calm thoughts; think calm thoughts...]
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22129593.200-60-seconds.html

Some peculiar-looking pigeons have been spotted in the Queens area of New York, in the USA. They appear to have tie-dyed tail feathers. What can have caused such an effect? Well it's most likely to have been deliberately performed by a pigeon fancier, as religionists in Eurasia are known to do it. Like most religious rituals, bird-painting is known to be harmful, because the paint's poisonous to them. At least they'll make pretty corpses!
http://doubtfulnews.com/2014/03/the-mystery-of-the-tye-dyed-pigeons/
{Asinine theological question: do birds in heaven gain a second pair of wings?}
Some obonxious classists at the BBC decided, this week, that it was a fair usage of column inches to debate whether the cheese course should come before or after the dessert. Forget that, philistines - just don't pass the salt the wrong way! #pretentiousdebateputsmeoffmydinner
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-magazine-monitor-26526076

A man has chained himself to the doors of a motorway service station, to protest its destruction, because it's where he was conceived. Not born - conceived. His parents were there, after attending a Phil Collins concert. And i have to say, i'm not surprised that someone could be this sentimental! Putting the 'mental' into 'sentimental', as they say :-D
http://arbroath.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/man-chained-himself-to-place-he-was.html

The 'World Record' of this week involves a Pakistani man - Mohammed Rashid - who has set the new 'best' for walnuts smashed with the head, within a minute. The previous record was 44; he increased it to 155! Like last time, you can see a video of the feat, at the link:
http://arbroath.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/man-breaks-world-record-for-smashing.html

Council workpeople, in Liverpool, the UK, have put down "School - Keep Clear" road markings outside a non-existent school. It had been knocked down, a year previously! They said "they just followed their instructions without thinking about it.” Evidently :-D
http://arbroath.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/council-workmen-painting-road-markings.html

'Window lurker called police after witnessing couple making love in their own home'. That's the whole story, right there, in the title. Some guy decided he didn't like 'having' to see people having sex, in the privacy of their own home, by staring through their window, so he tried to get them arrested for what he'd done! Un-bonking-believable...
http://arbroath.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/window-lurker-called-police-after.html

News like this reassures me that idiocy extends to more than Britain and the USA's media! A Spanish TV station mislabelled Poland as Germany, and Belarus as Poland. So there you go, Americans - there are Europeans who fail at cartography, too :-P
http://arbroath.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/spanish-tv-station-broadcast-error.html

Who wants to see a fish swim? Well, that's not much to speak of... but this fish is a robot fish! Lennon and McCartney, in Red Dwarf, will one day be real, it seems. You can see a video of it, swimming, by following the link.
http://phys.org/news/2014-03-soft-robotic-fish-real.html

------------------------------------------------------ contemporary stuff

'Which will freeze first in LIQUID NITROGEN, Digital or clockwork?'
The follow-up to last week's teaser question. The result might surprise you!
http://youtu.be/-mLASMl8gg0

'SURICATE - Le cosmos'
I had to watch this one twice... i didn't quite follow the plot, the first time :-D
http://youtu.be/MnfHQWHG4v0

'The Tube of Mystery'
http://youtu.be/TM0oG2ozUYA

'Can you explain this?'
I wonder whether it'd work as well, if he shook it at a different frequency. I suspect not ;-)
http://richardwiseman.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/can-you-explain-this-4/

'Starstuff and Nanodiamonds'
Thebrainscoop's most fascinating when it's doing Physics, LOL. Physics >> Biology :-D
http://youtu.be/wpBCJoxGWXk

'Virtual drop helps confront fear of heights'
http://youtu.be/66JreCaEr20

'Psychedelic crystals captured in melting ice movie'
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn25192

'Indian Wells 2014 FreeD Camera Feature'
I thought 'd throw this one in here - it's cool technology :-)
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Media/Video-Landing/*/Tennis/Media/Videos/Uploaded/2014/3/13/Indian-Wells-2014-Freed-Camera-Feature.aspx

'Indian Wells 2014 Wednesday Hot Shot Haas'
Tommy Haas is amazing. Still. After 20 years :o)
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Media/Video-Landing/*/Tennis/Media/Videos/Uploaded/2014/3/13/Indian-Wells-2014-Wednesday-Hot-Shot-Haas.aspx

'THE CATCH: CAMPBELL'S PEA & HAM SOUP | The Checkout | ABC1'
That's more like hammy salt than salt ham :-D
http://youtu.be/vFLy-6bu8Ss

'SIGNS OF THE TIME EPISODE 4 | The Checkout | ABC1'
http://youtu.be/oYFO2N0EwVs

'PRODUCT VS PACKSHOT: KFC NACHOS | The Checkout | ABC1'
http://youtu.be/wi3oTZWFbCQ

'Pi me a River - Numberphile'
http://youtu.be/TUErNWBOkUM
{I told you there'd be pi references :-P }

'Pi Prog Rock - Numberphile'
Incredibly geeky, but a surprisingly good melody. Plus, lovely shots of California :-)
http://youtu.be/E36qMxXGo3A

'Carin Bondar: The birds and the bees are just the beginning'
Sex talks are great fun. Especially when they're about other species :o)
http://youtu.be/N39x_WTPix0

'More Or Less: Mailbox edition 15th March 2014'
"Your questions answered - Do the Maasai in Africa number one million? Is it true that a quarter of Americans do not know the Earth goes round the sun? Are half of Tasmanians innumerate and illiterate? Plus, Do the 85 richest people in the world hold the same amount of wealth as the poorest half?"
http://player.fm/series/more-or-less-behind-the-stats/moreorless-mailbox-edition-15-mar-14
{I don't think i've ever posted a link to an episode of More Or Less, for its own sake, before. But they're trying out new show designs, between series, and this one's chock full of interestingness}

'FIRST KISS'
You might have seen this week's viral video - an arty piece by Tatia Pilieva - in which strangers kiss each other. That's basically it.
http://vimeo.com/88671403
Well, here's the parody version: 'FIRST HANDJOB'. Surprisingly, it's less sexy than the original, but it's quite a lot funnier :-P
http://youtu.be/SAnjUhQvGi0
I'm not sure whether this video manages to beat it, however. It involves non-models kissing each other, for real. Do the noises make it sexier? Urmmm.... hahaha. Looks fun, anyway :-P
http://www.vice.com/en_uk/shorties/we-got-twenty-british-strangers-who-arent-models-to-kiss-each-other

------------------------------------------------------ of the weeks

Word Of The Week: carcolepsy -- the inability to stay awake or alert inside a car, whether as driver or passenger

Quote Of The Week: "A surprising number of people use webcam conversations to show intimate parts of their body to the other person" - GCHQ. Good on ya, State surveillance teams - providing us with useless information that we could never have done without :-D

Headline Of The Week: 'Sexuality "fudge" sticks in critics' throats' - Church Times

Alternative Headline Of The Week: 'Kelly Brook's ex-Gladiator, blah blah blah blah...' Read it yourself :-P

Gene Of The Week: Gremlin -- which interferes with the production of proteins in bone. Along with a gene called 'Noggin' it's involved in shaping the bones of the skull.

------------------------------------------------------ non-contemporary stuff

'Inside Lubor Fiedler´s Brain'
Simple but cute illusions. Something even i can get my head around :o)
http://youtu.be/4yCa0fvGU6U

'Burlington: Can You Sock Me?'
When it's time for bed, i suppose she socks him off. Some really dodgy humour, in this ad :-/
http://www.illegaladvertising.com/post/79470348592/sock-me-please


And now, into the wonderfully weird world of wumblr... sorry, i mean tumblr:

'Celebrate National Pie Day'
http://goldspandexleggings.tumblr.com/post/79661377991

'I am never dancing in public ever again'
This is what i see, every time someone dances :-D
http://goldspandexleggings.tumblr.com/post/79375229979

'amazingly real and legit'
Ghost hunters. You gotta laugh. And at the complicity of the TV channel, too :-D
http://goldspandexleggings.tumblr.com/post/79665264632

'He gets into his shows'
http://goldspandexleggings.tumblr.com/post/79593583381

And so does he...

'Meercat'
http://arbroath.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/meercat.html

'Meanwhile in Canada'
http://goldspandexleggings.tumblr.com/post/79728369253


And to finish... a story that could have been in 'in other news' if it weren't from December last year:

'An inflatable sex doll called Missy has been sent into the stratosphere'
"As she free fell back to Earth, her left arm was torn off by a crosswind. She then suffered severe damage to her right leg, before her right arm detached. The triple amputee was last seen at around 27,432 metres, spiralling out of control towards a sandy grave."
http://tapejarascience.tumblr.com/post/79752185641/an-inflatable-sex-doll-called-missy-has-been-sent

As you might expect, the stunt was arranged by a sex toy manufacturer. Oddly, the pictures show her to be wearing clothes!?

She is not the first sex toy to be sent into the stratosphere, however - in October 2011, a 'vibrating bullet' was sent up, and in October 2013, a large black dildo was propelled into the upper atmosphere!

Oh, btw - if you follow the links, you can see a video of her puncture-defying mission :-D

.
.