Author Archives: Wyrd Smythe

About Wyrd Smythe

The canonical fool on the hill watching the sunset and the rotation of the planet and thinking what he imagines are large thoughts.

September 17, 2012

BB #13: Monday Miscellany

By Wyrd Smythe

Feeling kind of down today. Last day of a five-day vacation; the new position swings into full gear tomorrow. Could put a real dent in the fun I’ve been having here in the blogsphere.

Plus, after weeks of sunny weather, it’s totally cloudy and partly rainy. If it’s going to be that way, I want thunder and lightning! “Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! rage! blow!”

Adding injury to insult, it seems I’ve once again proved my unfitness to be among the human race; once again intended to help, but caused hurt feelings instead. And per the weird synchronicity that inhabits my life, on the same day, a post on Talk To Diana speaks to that very issue!

I am the poster child for Foot-in-Mouth disease! Quasimodo thinking he can ever find a place among the townspeople.

17 Comments | tags: Brassed Off, Chelsea Handler, David Hasselhoff, Ewan McGregor, Hop (film), labrosone, Pete Postlethwaite, Quasimodo, Tara Fitzgerald, Tower Heist | posted in Brain Bubble, Movies

September 16, 2012

Blog Post

By Wyrd Smythe

Bloggin’ Bog…
Bloggin’ Blah?
Bloggin’ Bah!

Goin’ Fishin’…
Havin’ Fun?
Likin’ This!

Comin’ Home…
Feelin’ Good?
Nice’n Calm!

Writt’n Down…
Click’n Post,
Now’m Done!

(Not feelin’ like writt’n today. Logos con carne will return anon.)

21 Comments | tags: camping, fishing, funny poetry, hammock, nap time, poetry | posted in Life

September 15, 2012

Funniest Movies Ever

By Wyrd Smythe

Earlier this week I read an NBC News blog post that cited a Telegraph (UK) post concerning the funniest movies ever. The British article involved a study by a movie subscription service. The study attempted to rank the funniest films ever based on laughs per minute. The NBC article added their own informal staff picks to the mix.

What tickled me is that the Brits named Airplane! as the funniest movie ever. I’m not sure I have a definite all-time #1 pick, but Airplane! is unquestionably in the top three. A while back, I wrote about my funniest films, and Airplane! was my first pick (of four — third place had a tie).

So the Brits and I share a funniest movie pick, but we diverge from there.

24 Comments | tags: Airplane (film), comedy, Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, Desk Set, Galaxy Quest, Groundhog Day, His Girl Friday, humor, It Happened One Night, LA Story, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Man Who Knew Too Little | posted in Movies

September 14, 2012

BB #12: Bring the Bubbly

By Wyrd Smythe

It’s party time! Friday night, and everything’s right.

For your consideration, there’s celebration in the air (that’s no exaggeration). We’re talking ’bout elation; lookin’ for participation. Ya gotta feel the situation. Join with the recreation; enjoy the circulation (and the conversation).

Listen to that good vibration, trackin’ jubilation destination. Forget your reputation; forget your moderation; ain’t no humiliation (that’s a stipulation). There’s no registration, no identification authentication.

I’m sure it’s no revelation; fermentation fascination will bring inebriation (and hallucination). Hesitation just won’t do; you have an invitation! There is no limitation at this here presentation.

That was my narration; how ’bout a small ovation?

26 Comments | tags: beer, celebrate, Champagne, galaxy, Kessel Run, light year, Milky Way, parsec, Pluto, Sol, solar system, sun sign | posted in Brain Bubble, Life

September 14, 2012

Fifty-Seven

By Wyrd Smythe

“Pick a number from 1 to 100.”

Today I’m thinking about the number: 57.

What can be said about the number fifty-seven?

It almost looks like it might be a prime number (due, I expect, to the five and the seven, both of which are prime). But it’s not prime (or in its prime). It’s divisible by 3, and that’s easy to see, because:

5 + 7 = 12; 1 + 2 = 3

That trick works for any number divisible by three. Just keep reducing the digits by adding them until you get a single digit. If that digit is divisible by 3 (3, 6 or 9), then the number can be divided by three. We could even have stopped at the 12, since that is also divisible by 3.

16 Comments | tags: 57, 57 Channels, Heinz 57, Heinz 57 sauce, M57, Messier 57, Passenger 57, Shure SM57, sun sign | posted in Life

September 13, 2012

What’s the Word?

By Wyrd Smythe

What’s the word for when you receive new information that alters your way of thinking? In particular, for when you thought things were one way, expected them to be that way, but the new information surprises you.

I used to think it was the word frisson, but that word (from the French, “to be cold”) refers to the pleasant thrill shiver you experience at the awards ceremony just before they open the envelope that might contain your name. Or when you watch a horror movie (assuming you like watching horror movies).

That’s not quite what I mean. There is — at least for me — some thrill shiver associated with learning a new and surprising thing, but I need a word that focuses more on the sense of realignment that occurs to your worldview.

13 Comments | tags: communication, frisson, grammar, Hays Code, linguistics, storytelling | posted in Basics, Life, Philosophy

September 12, 2012

Wednesday Wow!

By Wyrd Smythe

Welcome to Wednesday Wow, an irregular series appearing from time to time when I want to write about something that made me say, “Wow!” Or which made me say, “Weird!” Or, “Wonderful!” Or possibly even, “Wild!!”

There may also be posts about Widgets, Whirligigs, Wiccans, Waffles, Wallpaper, Whimsy, Wisdom, Wit, Weather, Wind, Winter, Wushu, Wackos, Whatnots, Wherefores or Whatever.

But not about Women, Wenches or Wahines; they’re too special to be limited to a day, even though they often make me say, “Wow! Wonderful!”

Nor will it be about Work, War or Woodlands. Also, no Whining, Whipping, Whispers, Whistling, Windows, Wine or Whiskey. And I’ll try to not be Wanton, Wonky, Whistful or Worrisome. I can’t guarantee I won’t wander into being a Wry Wiseass. And I hope my Words won’t be Wrong, Wasted or a Wreck.

16 Comments | tags: Big Dog, DARPA, doctors, wells | posted in Basics, Computers, Science, Wednesday Wow

September 11, 2012

Final Thoughts

By Wyrd Smythe

Two long posts to represent the fallen Towers, WTC1 & WTC2. One shorter post to represent WTC7. Many of the surrounding buildings were damaged by the collapse of the Two Towers. The 22-story WTC3, which was adjacent to both was destroyed. Three nearby nine-story buildings, WTC4, WTC5 and WTC6 were all badly damaged.

Some find it odd that WTC7, which was the furthest, was seemingly not seriously damaged, but then fell on its own nearly seven hours later. As I wrote in the first post today, many of the conspiracy crazies focus on WTC7 as the actual primary target.

As if that made any sense at all. Destroying 316 stories worth of buildings (not to mention nearly 3000 Americans) to take out one office containing supposedly damaging documents? Seems like merely starting a weekend fire in an office a floor or two below would do the trick, if you wanted to not draw attention to the real target. It’s hard to imagine anyone coming up with such a plan. The phrase “utterly idiotic” comes to mind.

In this last post, I want to touch on some details.

10 Comments | tags: 9-11 | posted in Life, Science

September 11, 2012

Beams of Steel

By Wyrd Smythe

So what did happen on 9/11? How did two airplane crashes bring down two 110-story skyscrapers? How did the collapse of WTC2 and WTC1 also cause the collapse of WTC7? What exactly happened?

If the answers to those questions interest you, keep reading.

In the sibling post I wrote about the conspiracy crazies who believe the Towers and WTC7 were brought down deliberately by our government using explosives.

A somewhat less utterly preposterous theory suggests it was American and/or Israeli agents the flew the planes. In some versions the passengers were off-loaded and vanished somehow, in others they were captives. (Which ignores the air-to-ground phone calls made by some of those passengers. Melissa Etheridge has a heart-breaking song about one such case.)

But here’s what the NIST scientific analysis of the events found.

5 Comments | tags: 9-11, NIST | posted in Science

September 11, 2012

Conspiracy Theories

By Wyrd Smythe

Eleven years ago today a world-changing event occurred. A year ago, on the ten-year dark anniversary, I wrote a post about how we’d changed, about how profoundly our view of the world changed.

Today, at the eleven-year mark I want to write about something else. I want to write about how some people believe it was more than what it was. I want to write about how some people believe we did this to ourselves. About how some believe that our own government was behind the sudden, terrifying, mass murder of nearly 3000 Americans.

I want to write about conspiracy crazies. And make no mistake, that is exactly what they are: crazy.

9 Comments | tags: 9-11 | posted in Science