Category Archives: Sideband
For the record, here’s a way to make some very tasty popcorn:
Firstly, start with good gourmet popcorn. Orville Redenbacker‘s is pretty decent, although I have noticed that it sometimes creates a bunch of smaller, broken pieces. You definitely don’t want the stuff that comes in a one-pound bag for 39 cents. The thing about good popcorn is that it all pops. When I cook up a batch of Orville’s, it’s usually the case that there’s only a few kernels that don’t pop.
And it’s not uncommon to find none!
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2 Comments | tags: Mrs Dash, olive oil, Orville Redenbacher, Parmesan cheese, popcorn, snacks, Whirley Popper | posted in Sideband
My contribution to the latest internet meme:
Nuf sed, yeah?
2 Comments | tags: Facebook, Google+, humor, Spock | posted in Sideband
The previous article contains a bit of doggerel I wrote as an informal writing assignment on a current events/blogging site I inhabited for a while a few years back. One of the other regulars sometimes held online “parties” complete with musical playlists (suggested YouTube and other musical links) and multiple, simultaneous conversations. Basically a kick off article followed by a very long, branching tree of comments.
We all had to refresh the article a lot to see the new comments, but it was fun. Especially as the evening wore on and some of us got a bit tipsy. (All from the safety of our homes, I point out. Virtual online parties: no one drives home!)
Anyway, in the course of one such evening, the “poem” below popped out of my mind. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN was just beginning its testing, and the “it’ll destroy us all” fervor was at its peak.
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5 Comments | tags: CERN, hadrons, Large Hadron Collider, poetry, quantum physics, quarks | posted in Sideband, Writing
Please join me in remembering a great icon of the entertainment community.
The Pillsbury Dough boy died yesterday of a yeast infection and trauma complications from repeated pokes in the belly. He was 71.
Dough boy was buried in a lightly greased coffin. Dozens of celebrities turned out to pay their respects: Mrs. Butterworth, Hungry Jack, the California Raisins, Betty Crocker, the Hostess Twinkies and Captain Crunch were all there.
The grave site was piled high with flours.
Aunt Jemima delivered the eulogy and lovingly described Dough boy as a man who never knew how much he was kneaded.
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Leave a comment | tags: humor, Pillsbury Dough Boy | posted in From My Collection, Sideband
You may have heard the punchline, “Ready when you are, Mr. DeMille!” Sometimes, around people familiar with the reference, it’s abbreviated to just “Ready when you are!” (In a quote-y kind of voice.)
Of course, it’s dubious this it ever really happened, and it’s not a parable joke — there’s no moral behind it (except maybe don’t count your chickens). Still, it’s a pretty good joke! In fact, it’s one of my favorites, and I’ve used the punchline many times.
For your dancing and dining pleasure, here it is:
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17 Comments | tags: Cecil B. DeMille, humor, jokes | posted in Movies, Quotes, Sideband
The title of this Sideband, “And Maybe the Horse will Sing,” comes from a story told by the ancient Greek philosopher Herodotus.
This is a parable about hope and possibilities; about how you never know what might happen even when it seems that all hope is lost.
This is a story of a thief, Nasrudin, who was caught at his thievery and, by the laws of his land, sentenced to die.
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Leave a comment | tags: hope, horse, humor, parable, singing, singing horse | posted in Quotes, Sideband
An earlier Sideband references the, “These go to eleven,” bit from This is Spinal Tap. As I mentioned, some people I know consider it one of the funniest bits in all of film, but the phrasing I just used should clue you in that it’s not mine.
Make no mistake, I do consider it a classic moment, a very funny moment, and a moment that has become a cultural icon. But it didn’t make me laugh until I hurt too much to laugh anymore.
And that begs the question, “So what are those funniest moments?”
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15 Comments | tags: Airplane (film), Bill Cosby, Bill Murray, funny, Galaxy Quest, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Star Trek, The Man Who Knew Too Little | posted in Movies, Sideband
Saw the last movie in the Harry Potter series tonight. This isn’t called Movies: Harry Potter, because this isn’t particularly a review or commentary on the movie.
I don’t have much to add to all that’s been said. Liked it a lot; great job; respectful of the source material; exciting battles; thumbs up.
One review suggested it was hard to find anything to complain about. I agree; any complaints would only be nitpicking (not that that can’t be fun sometimes).
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1 Comment | tags: Boston Legal, Closed Captioning, Fox TV, Harry Potter, House M.D., The Closer, The Simpsons, The West Wing, TV DVDs | posted in Books, Movies, Sideband, TV
Nearly all science fiction fans share a meme about the number 42. This meme comes from the Douglas Adams book, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, one of the great “modern classics” (an apparent oxymoron, but it is just shorthand for ‘a recent work that is so good that someday it will be counted among the classics’). The book is the first in the “increasingly misnamed” trilogy that shares its name.
The trilogy is “increasingly misnamed” in that it now has five books. The joke is that, in science fiction, trilogies are as common as aliens, spaceships and time travel. In fact, depending on the context, there are two trilogies that have easily earned the sobriquet, “The Trilogy.” (Issac Asimov‘s Foundation series in the context of pure SF; and, of course, J.R.R. Tolkien‘s Lord of the Rings books in the context of SF + fantasy.)
In any event, the number, 42, is the answer to the question.
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1 Comment | tags: 42, Douglas Adams, Hitchhikers Guide, Isaac Asimov, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, reading, trilogy | posted in Basics, Books, Math, Sideband
I’m on a numeric kick with regard to Sidebands. Don’t worry, it can’t last past 13, because 14 and the numbers that follow are fairly uninspiring. Maybe #21 will be special (or not); Sidebands become adults or something. I’ll have to think about that.
I’ve also noticed that Sidebands have taken on more life than I intended. The plan was for them to be short and frequent, but some of them are pretty meaty. That’s okay, meaty words are the point here. And I’m still searching for my “voice” as I write. Many years of more formal writing, much of it technical, seem to push me away from the personal writing I wanted for this blog.
Well, it’s a journey, isn’t it — a process.
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7 Comments | tags: code, Cogito ergo sum, data, engineering, programming, Star Trek | posted in Sideband
Logos con carne 