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Showing posts from May, 2014

Notes while watching Safety Not Guaranteed

WITH SPOILERS Who names their daughter Darius? Difficult to believe that Aubrey Plaza's character, she of the smouldering eyes, would be such a shut-in, speaking as an aspiring one myself; that kind of sarcastic, skeptical-of-life intelligence attracts the like-minded, at least to a close-knit few. Weekend getaways, especially ones near the ocean, trigger memories of 2009, wherein I had many such trips. Quiet towns, lonely roads, quaint B&Bs, diner food. Ugh, shooting without goggles? Running through the line of fire? C'MON!! Not sure how I feel about the subplot, this slick guy, a self-assured jerk whom I care little for, seeking out his old flame. Is it my lot in life to be so agonized by these fellows? Aw, he turns into a nice human and helps a virgin seduce high-school students with alcohol. Heh, someone had a lot of fun making that thing: A combination of the classic Time Machine machine and the alien device in Contact, with lasers and a few Tesla coils t

back from Ottawa

Is it May already? Time does indeed fly, though I've little reason to let it to do so. Low, low have my thoughts, and heart, been of late. The weather has at least finally begun to turn, a gradual, teasing warming that comes and goes. On top of playing games, I have also turned to shows -- Archer, House of Cards (US), Adventure Time, Attack on Titan, Game of Thrones, The Office (US),  Rick and Morty . The last of these I highly wholly recommend, and I rarely get excited about a television show. Uhm, in local news.. turns out profits from the Green Beanery goes to a group that denies man-made climate change . That's some venti-sized greenwashing ! Thankfully they are not my supplier of beans, slow as I am at consuming them. But no, I have been busy this past week. Indeed even now, dear reader, I write to you from the comfort of the Ottawa train to Toronto, there to attend Skepticamp *. I quite enjoy the train: the separation from the fickleness of traffic, the quiet of glidi

podcasts i listen to

And here, ladies and gentlemen, are my most frequently listened-to podcasts. Whether it's walking to the store, doing chores or sitting on transit, these are the shows that find their way into my ear and eventually my mind. Science & Skepticism The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe This is it, the one that started it all, the podcast that sparked my trip into the world of skepticism and critical thinking. Funny, informative, thoughtful, and just a bit nerdy, this is the science podcast by which others are judged. I have David to thank for pointing me in their direction. The Reality Check Consisting of members of the Ottawa Skeptics, this educational podcast has a more Canada-centric focus to the stories it covers. A bit dry at times. Stuff You Should Know Each episode covers a topic -- kind of a layman's reading of a wikipedia article. Entertaining and down-to-earth. Plus they've got soothing radio voices. Inquiring Minds In-depth interviews with scientis