Astrophysicist and science educator Neil deGrasse Tyson is notorious for advocating Pluto’s demotion from full planet status, something a lot of people intensely disliked, especially when the International Astronomical Union voted to formally reclassify it as a “dwarf planet” in … Continue reading
You might remember the Brazilian television program’s fake elevator prank I posted a little over two years ago at this link. Here’s an even more elaborate one from the same folks, this time apparently done with the cooperation of a … Continue reading
John Oliver and HBO’s Last Week Tonight take on another important subject, this time patent trolls. These are outfits that buy up patents (often overly broad ones handed out too carelessly by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office). Patent trolls … Continue reading
This film has a lot in common with Pretty in Pink (reviewed here), coming from the same writer (John Hughes) and director (Howard Deutch) and some similar themes. Mary Stuart Masterson is brilliant in a role vaguely similar to Jon … Continue reading
Apparently I’m easily amused. Link: https://youtu.be/N1uJqeQczyE by … Continue reading
Since enjoying 16 Candles, a very funny mid-80s teen romantic comedy written and directed by John Hughes and starring Molly Ringwald, I’d been meaning to watch this film, also written by Hughes and starring Ringwald, though directed by Howard Deutch … Continue reading
Once again John Oliver and the staff of HBO’s Last Week Tonight offer up a segment that’s entertaining, informative, and even important. This time he talks about the Internal Revenue Service, the part of the federal government tasked with enforcing … Continue reading
More than ten years ago Thomas Frank wrote a book called What’s the Matter with Kansas? (later made into a documentary film) that pondered how so many working people have been persuaded to vote against their own self-interest. The same … Continue reading
Here’s a 30-second video clip captured in March in the Czech Republic. Presumably this started with the boy taking the St Bernard dog for a walk, but admittedly that’s not quite what the video shows. Link: https://youtu.be/jBKkuYYzu70 (Updated to new … Continue reading
Here’s yet another John Green clip I found entertaining (though I’m old fashioned enough that it annoys me that he says “lay” when he means “lie”), this time revealing some interesting facts about that under-appreciated noble animal, the pig. Link: … Continue reading