When I first read about this book on Slate, I was instantly intrigued because it was set in the same small town in Montana that I had grown up in. The author’s name seemed familiar, but she wasn’t someone I ever went to school with. (It turns out I’ve known her brother-in-law since kindergarten.)
I have to say, Miles City is represented beautifully, and I even learned a few things, like the actual name of the swim lake. I had some location bumps when her description didn’t match my memories, but that’s probably because I left Miles City in 1989.
Archive for April, 2012
Blog Feature: Rescued Insanity
07
Apr
Kristine (and Shiva) of Rescued Insanity just celebrated their 2nd blogging anniversary. I haven’t even been reading the blog for a year, so I’m glad they’ve stuck around this long and hope they’re around for another 2+ years.
Her post on Friday, Does Your Dog Have a Theme Song? has had me thinking all night about that. Do June and Larry have a theme song? Did Moree or Smokey? What about little Howie? And honestly, I’m going to be thinking about this for like a week or more- until I come up with theme songs for my dog. Sad, huh?
The Shroud
05
Apr
How is this for a theory: the Shroud of Turin is authentic. It is Jesus’s actual burial shroud. However, Jesus was not resurrected, but seeing the image on the shroud, created by the natural process of the body decomposing creating a vaporograph, is what inspired the disciples to believe that he was risen.
Doesn’t that sound like a great way to piss off both the believers and the non-believers at the same time? I love it. I even like it and understand both the science and anthropology of it as an actual theory (though I’m not certain I believe it).
#The Voice (s2 ep11)
04
Apr
Did the West Coast see a different set of performances Monday night? I mean honestly, my two favorites for Team Blake were the two people that got sent home last night? And, the two people I think are least suited for this competition were voted through? (Let me be honest about Chris Mann- he has a voice. But I don’t know that he can tone himself down to pop. Maybe he should take his opera chops and try metal.) How, how did Charlotte Sometimes go home and RaeLynn be voted on through byAmerica? This is The Voice, not Idol.
The Voice (s2 ep10)
03
Apr
The live rounds started last night. Well, live everywhere but the West Coast where I am. Sadly, none of the performers blew me away. There were two performers on each team who I thought should definitely go through and then a couple more I thought were on the cusp.
I do like that there is a judges’ save.
For Team Blake, Charlotte Sometimes and Naia Kete were my favorites. I do not like RaeLynn.
For Team Christina, I liked Lindsey Pavao and Jesse Campbell. Chris Mann hasn’t shown me that he can sing pop like pop, instead of like opera.
MythBusters: Fire & Ice (ep 182)
02
Apr
I fell asleep for the last five minutes of MythBusters and woke up again just as Chain Reaction was starting. The final five minutes, when you see how the big myth of the episode ends, is the suckiest part of the episode to miss. C did tell me that the supped up fire extinguisher did a little bit, but certainly nothing like the viral video clip, which did not surprise me at all.
I was also not surprised that MythBusters found it “busted” that dust clouds could trick drone technology. That would not be a good thing to find plausible.
Who wants a Tricorder?
01
Apr
For forever, or at least since the series premiered, Star Trek fans have wanted their very own tricorders. And now, that dream can come true, for less than you think.
Peter Jansen, a PhD in Cognitive Science at the university of Arizona recently invented and released the blueprints (free of charge) for a tricorder. That’s right, for the cost of parts, you can build your very own tricorder. It will take spatial readings for location and distance and measure temperature, humidity, even magnetic fields.
Jansen is also interested in working on a medical tricorder for the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize.