ASPARTAMED MOVING TO TUMBLR

This is the last message I'll be posting on Blogger.  After some frustrating experiences with this service, I've decided to move Aspartamed over to Tumblr.

Here are directions to the new place: http://aspartamed.tumblr.com

You can read about why I made this choice at my latest post, Why I Left Blogger: A Breakup Story.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Fright Night, everyone!  Here's my Halloween roundup.

Eyes in Slow Motion



This has been going around the internets lately—it's a great celebration of everyday uncanniness that is perfect for Halloween.

Billy Cosby — Chicken Heart

A spooky tale from my all-time favorite storyteller, Bill Cosby.

Part 1

Part 2

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Because no holiday is complete without a morality play staring our favorite blanket-wielding do-gooder, Linus van Pelt.

link to Hulu.com

But seriously, love this movie.

Rotting Pumpkin Time Lapse

Maybe more appropriate for a first week of November post?

Happy Halloween!

It's still not too late to carve up a jack-o-lantern and bake some Spiced Pumpkin Seeds.  Yum!

Stay safe, everyone.  See you in November!

Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

If you're a pumpkin-carving type like me, than you should try making these tasty Spiced Pumpkin Seeds.  Just save the seeds from the pumpkin pulp for a delicious, healthy(ish) snack.

Also pictured is the Happ-O-Lantern (Team effort by Kelsey and I).

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Spiced Pumpkin Seeds (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Mix in a bowl

• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/8 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Add and stir until coated

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Remove pumpkin seeds to baking dish.
Bake at 275 F for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

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Pumpkin Trivia

Did you know that the average pumpkin has 500 seeds?!  More pumpkin trivia, courtesy of the History Channel:

Best Challah

This one comes from my grandfather's kitchen—he does a lot of baking, but he advised me that this was the best challah recipe he's ever made.

I'm used to making the Joy of Cooking challah, however I can confirm that this one tastes better. And while it is a little more work I think it's definitely worth it!

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Best Challah (from The Silver Palate Cookbook)

Ingredients:

• 2 c milk
• 6 tbsp sweet butter
• 1/3 c sugar
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 tsp salt
• 6 c unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c cornmeal
• 1 tbsp cold water

Directions:

1. Bring milk, butter, and sugar to a boil. (I use a double boiler to avoid burning the milk)
2. Remove from heat, pour into a large mixing bowl. Let cool to lukewarm, 105-110 F.
3. Stir yeast into milk mixture, let stand 10 minutes.
4. Beat 3 eggs well in small bowl. Stir eggs and salt into milk-yeast mixture.
5. Stir in 5 cups flour, one cup at a time, until you achieve a sticky dough. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
6. Sprinkle flour over dough, begin kneading, adding more flour as necessary until you have a smooth, elastic dough. (Remember to coat hands with flour, this helps with the mess)
7. Grease the inside of a large bowl (with butter, shortening, or cooking spray), add ball of dough, turning to coat it lightly with oil, cover bowl loosely with towel (or plastic wrap) and set aside until tripled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
8. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Cut into halves, cut each half into thirds. Roll thirds out into "snakes" about 18 inches long. Braid into two loaves, tuck ends under.
9. Sprinkle large baking sheet with cornmeal, transfer loaves to sheet. Leave room between loaves for them to rise. Cover loaves with towel (or plastic wrap) and let rise until nearly doubled, about 1 hour.
10. Preheat oven to 350 F.
11. Beat 1 egg with 1 tbsp cold water together. Brush egg wash over loaves.
12. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and sounds hollow when bottoms are tapped.
13. Cool completely on racks before wrapping.

Enjoy warm, but allow loaves to cool completely before wrapping. 

Recommend serving with butter and honey. Also makes excellent french toast!

Call Me Professor

My blog has been quiet for a few weeks as I have been adjusting to my new part-time position as Adjunct Professor at a private liberal arts college in New Jersey. I've had so much fun coming up with lesson plans and lectures for my course, Introduction to Psychology. This was one of my very favorite classes as a psyc major, so being able to teach it myself is quite special. And I'm not gonna lie to you, after spending the last six years in college, being called "Professor" is unexpectedly cool.

A photo of me teaching¹

I feel very fortunate to have a job that I enjoy—especially after the Summer of Unemployment (hereinafter referred to as the "Darkness"). While I'm still trying to find another part-time job to pay the bills, I'm much more optimistic than I was before.

I realize that real life has gotten in the way of my blogging, and while I'm not terribly distressed about that I do find myself missing this little creative outlet. In the coming days and weeks I will try to find time to post here more often.

You can expect more of the odd and interesting diversions that I stumble upon and reshare, the occasional life update, and even a recipe or two (I've been busy in the kitchen lately, so stay tuned). I'll probably create posts that reflect my adventures as a naive psychology professor, too.

And on that note, I'll leave you with a brief but fascinating demonstration.

The Bouba/Kiki Effect

Consider the following shapes:

Tell me, which of these shapes is named bouba and which one is kiki?

Odds are you're one the of 98% who identify the curvy figure on the right as bouba and the pointy figure on the left as kiki. This demonstrates a strange effect first discovered in 1929 by psychologist Wolfgang Köhler. As it turns out, regardless of culture or native language, just about everyone identifies these two figures the same way.

The Bouba/Kiki Effect illustrates how the human brain can extract abstract properties from simple phonetic sounds that are otherwise meaningless. Many believe this ability is vital to the development of language, symbolic thought, and ultimately consciousness, which are the very qualities which seem to separate humans from other species.

You can read more about bouba and kiki at Wikipedia.

__________
¹Not of photo of me teaching. This is actually a photo of me teaching.^2
2Honestly? I probably look more like this when I teach.

Starlings: God's Screensaver

Starlings are one of many species which exhibit swarm behavior.  In swarming species, emergent behaviors arise from relatively simple rules, like each starling adjusting to the average position and speed of the handful of birds around it.

The Adventures of a Cardboard Box

The Adventures of a Cardboard Box from Studiocanoe on Vimeo.

Today, find joy in something simple.

Rise of the Retronauts

Salon recently published an article titled Will Nostalgia Destroy Pop Culture?  It's interesting reading, but a brief summary might go something like this:  For reasons not entirely clear, the current generation of young people is increasingly obsessed with rehashing and repurposing retro culture—a trend which threatens our capacity for innovation.

At first glance this article (which promotes author Simon Reynolds's new book Retromania) is the same "we've reached the end of history" story we've all heard many times before.  In fact, there are some excellent arguments being made which support the idea that almost nothing is original.  But it seems like Reynolds may have a point.  Since reading this article a week ago I can't help but see retro everywhere I go (see gallery below).

There is another startling aspect to pop culture's current obsession with the past as well.  Never before in human history have science and technology progressed so rapidly.  Technologically, we are living in a golden age of innovation with no end in sight.  So why are we living in the past?

Reynolds offers one possible reason which makes a lot of sense to me:

The past has taken the place of the future in people's imagination. That might have something to do with politics as well ... No one can quite picture a future that seems positive or exciting. At one time the future seemed to suggest grand projects. Now the space shuttle program has been shut down. If I look at what young people are watching on TV and at the movies, when they're looking for heroism and romance, they're watching quasi-historical fantasies, it's not future fantasies. It's "Game of Thrones," "Harry Potter," and that kind of thing, as opposed to going to outer space or the year 3000.

Speaking as a young adult struggling to enter the professional world in the Great Recession, I can report that it is much more comfortable reminiscing about an idyllic past than wondering where my next first paycheck is coming from.  It is no marketing accident that Nickelodeon is promoting its heavily publicized 90s throwback programming block ("The 90s Are All That") with the slogan "Remember When Life Didn't Suck?"

Reynolds also points to the 1960s—the cultural yardstick we've been using to gauge progress for the last fifty years—to illustrate all the momentum we've lost:

In terms of how it was covered and how it was felt at the time, the '60s was just a long period where there was a sense of hurtling forward. It was happening on multiple fronts simultaneously -- the beginning of feminism, civil rights, the space race, the Beatles and all that. In the early-to-mid-'60s, there was a lot of very modernistic space age-looking fashion. On every cultural front, people were breaking down barriers. In pop music, it's the decade the other decades have all defined themselves against. Punk was the inversion of the '60s in a lot of ways, but it still kept a little of that idealism and the belief in change. The '80s were defined in a lot of ways as a repudiation of '60s ideas, and '90s rave culture was a return to drugginess and all that.

And as turbulent as that decade surely was, maybe there was an optimism then that we lack now.

Reynolds also suggests that our stagnation (too strong a word?) may have something to do with the very same technological innovation which is juxtaposing our backwards looking culture:

It was gradual, but with the arrival of the Internet, and broadband access, and the rise of this kind of strange collective archiving thing, [looking backward] became irresistible. Now people put stuff on YouTube because it feels like they're doing something worthwhile and this enormous archive has developed ... Now all the records in the known universe are basically accessible at the click of a mouse ... I remember living in a culture of cultural scarcity.

Perhaps our collective pessimism combined with our unprecedented access to all things passed is too tempting for today's youth—why live in the depressing present when it's so easy to re-experience the twee trends of yesterday?

I'll admit that there is an abundance of nostalgia nowadays.  I consider myself as guilty of perpetuating retro culture as anyone—recent blog posts have covered snacks of the 90s, Jim Henson, Mad Men, and I Love Lucy, not to mention my weekly-ish series of classic cartoons.  But I'm not sure I buy Simon Reynolds's conclusion, that our fascination with the past is going to corrupt our future.  Some might argue that never before has a generation of people been so aware of their roots.  And isn't that something to be proud of?

The Atlantic responded to all the retromania with The '90s Are All That' and the Ever-Accelerating Nostalgia Machine, a sound rebuttal to cautionary voices like Reynolds, arguing that the latest wave of affection for the near past is nothing new.

What are your thoughts?  Are we too obsessed with the past?  Too afraid of the future?  Or are we just as creative (and nostalgic) as we have always been?

For more, you can check out my visual diary of retro culture after the jump.

"Jerry, Jerry, Quite Contrary" [SMC]

This one seems appropriate, since my new favorite pastime is bothering the kitten while he sleeps.

Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa and Sweet Coconut Rice

Kelsey and I made a delicious dinner tonight—Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa and Sweet Coconut Rice.

Photos by Kelsey (with Instagram)

Action shot—grilling the chicken.

Salsa—so colorful! And a great combination of sweet 

(pineapple, bell pepper), tangy (scallions), 

and spicy (jalapenos).

Delicious!

I really do love my big cookbooks, but more and more frequently I find recipes on allrecipes.com, which is a great community of online foodies.  I can browse recipes that are well rated and reviewed by other users, and before I make anything I read the comments, where others have offered suggestions and modifications which often improve the final product.

For the rice recipe, one user suggested subbing coconut milk for some of the water—a small adjustment which completely made this whole meal pop!  (The coconut creaminess of the rice balanced the spiciness of the salsa and chicken wonderfully.)

T-plus 20 minutes or so...

Great food, with great company.

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Jerk Chicken Recipe

• chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken marinade

Marinade chicken overnight.  Grill, brushing on extra marinade sauce.  (I like to use my cast iron skillet in lieu of a proper outdoor grill)

Sweet Coconut Rice Recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 red apple, chopped
• 1 pinch curry powder
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 2/3 cup brown rice
• 1 tsp molasses

Heat oil in saucepan.  Add onion and apple, cook until onion is translucent, stirring frequently.  Stir in curry powder, water, and coconut milk.  Add rice and molasses.  Cover, reduce heat to low.  Simmer for approx. 45 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is soft (may need to add up to 1/4 cup water).

Pineapple Salsa Recipe (adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 2 cups chopped pineapple (fresh or canned)
• 1 chopped red bell pepper
• 1 small jalapeno, chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 to 2 tbsp minced cilantro
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Combine ingredients in bowl.  Serve with chicken.

The Shining = House of Leaves

Mental Floss posted a great series of videos exploring the spatial impossibilities that riddle the film sets for The Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's classic horror movie The Shining.  While watching, I couldn't help but think about Mark Danielewski's horror novel House of Leaves, which chronicles a family's life inside of a house that is larger on the inside than on the outside.

While the disorienting effect is much more subtle in The Shining, the device used by Kubrick and Danielewski is the same.  I wonder what it is about these spatial violations that is so unsettling.

Upon closer comparison I also notice that these impossible buildings aren't the only plot devices shared by The Shining and House of Leaves.  Other elements the two stories have in common are:

• mazes
• an isolated nuclear family 
• nonsensical manifestos
• a protagonist who slowly but inevitably descends into madness.

It seems that Kubrick and Danielewski were plumbing the same depths, so to speak.

Part 1

Part 2

I highly recommend both the movie and book.  I can't comment on Stephen King's original novel, never having read it, but I'm sure it's very enjoyable if you're into that sort of thing (personally I can't seem to get into King's stuff—too dark even for me).

As a bonus, here is the climactic river-of-blood scene from The Shining.  I've only seen this movie once, and it definitely got under my skin, but this 30 seconds of film is forever burned into my memory for reasons I don't completely understand.

Of course I don't want to leave you with that in your brain, so here's the cleverly edited trailer for Shining, which made its way around the internets a while back, and proves that Peter Gabriel can suck the scary out of anything.

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(Untitled Fragment)

Little solace comes
to those who grieve
when thoughts keep drifting
as walls keep shifting
and this great blue world of ours
seems a house of leaves 

moments before the wind.

Lucy at 100

Today is Lucille Ball's 100th birthday!

"Twenty-three percent alcohol?!"

I believe she is and will always be one of the funniest people on television (although I may be biased—I Love Lucy is one of my absolute favorite shows).  This clip from one of my favorite episodes made me laugh when I was a kid as it makes me laugh now.  And that is the magic of Lucille Ball—her timelessness.  Can we honestly point to any contemporary TV personality today who will charm audiences in 50 years?

Not only was Lucille Ball a comic genius, but she was a pioneer for the entertainment industry—she was the first woman to run a major television studio (Desilu, founded by her and Desi Arnaz), she and Arnaz developed the three-camera filming style which would become a staple of sitcom production for decades, and she was among the first people to successfully fight the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Lucille Ball has also been featured on the cover of TV Guide more than any other person.

The Museum of Broadcast Communications has a great bio on the life and legacy of Ball:

Her comedic skills were grounded in the style of the silent comics, and Buster Keaton, with whom she once shared an office at MGM, seems to have been particularly influential in the development of Lucy's daring exploits, hang-dog expressions, and direct looks at the audience ... So distinct were her rubbery facial expressions, that scriptwriters for I Love Lucy referred to them with specific code word notations. For example, the cue "puddling up" directed the star to pause momentarily with huge tear-filled eyes and then burst into a loud wail. "Light bulb" was an indication to portray a sudden idea, while "credentials" directed the star to gape in astonished indignation.

Life magazine also released a gallery of unpublished photos of the star, many from her modeling career before she established herself as the undisputed "first woman of television."

Happy birthday, Lucy!

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

To celebrate his 50th birthday, here is a picture of your President taking a bike ride in his dad jeans.

Sweet.

What's in a slogan?

The Atlantic recently ran an interesting feature about the science and history of advertising slogans. In addition to their gallery of timeless (and not so timeless) corporate mottos, the feature includes a brief article that illustrates the challenge and reward of crafting the perfect slogan.

Ideally a [brand] positioning taps into our underlying human motivations. The desire to be a good parent. The need to demonstrate status. The urge to have a good time. This is harder than it seems. Let's say you're Johnnie Walker whisky. Do you stand for casual hedonism? Well, you make rare, expensive liquor. So do you stand for luxury? Well, bar tenders serve you at dives. It took two years and extensive market research to identify the positioning of history, optimism, and personal progress captured by the slogan "Keep on Walking."

(And without a slogan that, you couldn't get an ad like this.)

Consumerism is a value that is highly regarded in the American majority culture—our lives are so saturated with slogans that it's easy to forget how deeply certain advertising is woven into the fabric of our collective experience. I think it's safe to say that the most enduring slogans say as much about us as a culture as they do about the products they promote: Just do it. Have it your way. The Breakfast of Champions. 

For more, read The Science of Slogans: The Best and Worst Ad Campaigns of All Time.

"What's Opera, Doc?" [SMC]

Embedding disabled, click here to watch video (YouTube)

Sorry I couldn't find a video that allowed embedding, but I just had to include What's Opera, Doc? as a Saturday Morning Cartoon. After all, it's widely considered to be the best cartoon ever made!

The Carousel

My thoughts are back in Texas, where Tropical Storm Don is hopefully going to relieve the terrible drought they've been having.

However this blog post brings you news of a different Don—that is Don Draper, fictional 1960s ad exec of the AMC hit show Mad Men. As of this week you can stream all four seasons of Mad Men on Netflix Instant Watch.

I heard a lot of talk about this show for a long time, but it wasn't until last winter that I snagged the DVDs on sale from Amazon. I was instantly hooked—if you're a fan of HBO-style character drama and you haven't seen Mad Men then you should check it out. While the show occasionally strays into the bizarre, episodes are consistently well-made, and they are always guaranteed to serve up an enjoyable mix of quality writing, acting, social commentary, history, music, and for some, nostalgia.

In this Season 1 clip Don Draper pitches the next big thing in slide technology:

Embedding disabled, click here to view (YouTube)

Night Cheese

Alfred Sirleaf and The Daily Talk

Thanks to Mental Floss, where I first discovered this story.

This incredibly inspiring story comes out of Monrovia, Liberia.

In the capital of one of the world's poorest countries, Alfred Sirleaf works as the unpaid one-man editorial staff of a most unlikely news publication.

The Daily Talk isn't your regular newspaper. In a country where most cannot afford a newspaper, or television, or internet, or often electricity, Sirleaf has made a heroic effort to sustain that most important ingredient of any functioning democracy—a well-informed citizenry.

Monrovia's most-read news source, you see, is nothing more than a blackboard on the side of a shed on the side of a road.

Photo credit New York Times

Sirleaf updates his chalkboard bulletin daily with succinct summaries of the day's events, often accompanied by biting editorials which provide his audience with critical analyses of government leaders and policies that Daily Talk readers would otherwise never hear.

The Daily Talk is hugely popular, with crowds gathering and cars queuing up every day, patiently awaiting the unveiling of the day's news.

Some have characterized the Talk as the worlds only (and most popular) analog blog.

Sirleaf has even developed a subtle system of visual symbols that accompany his stories, so that Monrovians who can't read are able to follow along with others. For example, next to a story about the president's failure to electrify the city Sirleaf hangs a kerosene lamp juxtaposed alongside an unlit fluorescent bulb.

It's clear that Sirleaf provides an invaluable service to his city and country. As an admitted news junkie myself, I know how easy it is to forget that the fire-hose of news and ideas I enjoy on a daily basis is a precious commodity for so many others.

If you have a few minutes, check out the great article about Alfred Sirleaf over at the New York Times.  You can also watch the video from Motherboard.tv below.

Texas Sky

Getting away from the big city lights certainly has its benefits.  I love being back in Texas because I get to enjoy these beautiful sunsets.  I snapped these photos at Stephen F. Austin's Mast Children's Garden, in gorgeous Nacogdoches.

Potter on Sporcle [HP WEEK]

It's happening!  I'm headed to the movie theater to see the Deathly Hallows Part 1 + 2!

Hopefully you're going to see the movie soon, too.  If you find yourself feeling a little Potter fatigue and need to rally before the main event, head on over to Sporcle,where they are also celebrating Harry Potter Week:

If you thought the Ordinary Wizarding Levels test would be challenging, wait until you try these Harry Potter quizzes! Be you Witch, Wizard or Muggle you will need to rack your wizardry brain to complete these Harry Potter spell games and Quidditch quizzes.

Some of my favorites include:

• Characters by First Line
• Characters by Last Line (spoilers)
• Top 200 Characters
• Name These Spells
• The Dumbledore Quiz

And of course, you can brush up on your Horcruxes for the final movie with the Horcrux Quiz (MAJOR spoilers if you haven't read the books, of course).



Thanks, Sporcle!

Wheezes [HP WEEK]

I'm a Hufflepuff!

This video has been working its way around the internet recently:



For the record:

You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true,
And unafraid of toil.

(via the Sorting Hat, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone)

Daniel Radcliffe on Extras

If you've never seen Extras then you're missing out on one of the great British comedy gems of the past decade.  Developed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (original creators of The Office), Extras follows Andy Millman (Gervais), an ambitious actor who can't seem to grow out of the bit parts in which he is repeatedly cast.

Each episode of Extras features a chance encounter between Gervais and a different film star—usually an A-list Brit portraying an outrageously parodied version of her/himself.  As with this episode guest starring Daniel Radcliffe, hilarity quickly ensues:



Other stars that have lent their considerable comedic talents to Extras include Kate Winslet, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and David Bowie.

Save Ginny Weasley From Dean Thomas, by Harry and the Potters

Because Harry Potter Week needs a theme song, here is the wizarding world's definitive punk rock cover band, Harry and the Potters.



Other songs by Harry and the Potters include: My Teacher is a Werewolf, Let's Drink to Aragog, The Economics of the Wizarding World Don't Make Sense, and Fleur is Fine.

Yes, you can stream all of their albums online.

Cover Art [HP WEEK]

Growing up with the Harry Potter books in the United States meant growing up with the beautiful cover art of Mary GrandPre, who created the distinctive imagery of the American editions.

I honestly love these covers.  I think they do an amazing job of illustrating both the narrative and the atmosphere of each volume.  Sorcerer's Stone is bright, whimsical; Goblet of Fire is subdued, a little more adult; Order of the Phoenix is dark, sinister; Deathly Hallows is perhaps the most simple of all, yet dramatic and sincere.

I can't help but feel partial to GrandPre's Harry Potter covers, but I've enjoyed digging up cover art for the many, many international editions.  I think it's fascinating to see the artwork that other young Potter fans grew up with, and know that they are probably as fiercely loyal to their own book covers as I am to mine (except for the poor, poor children of Iceland).

(In most cases I didn't include artwork for all seven volumes in the series, but I tried to select covers that convey each publisher's overall style.)

See images after the jump.

Maroon Monday

After over a year away from College Station, I found myself back in Aggieland for a few hours yesterday.  I had such a great time walking around, taking pictures of all the exciting changes on campus (MSC, Military Walk, Liberal Arts Building).

Of course I can't help but feel nostalgic—life in Aggieland was such an important time for me.  I think being here helped me grow a lot,  and this is where I met many of my favorite people.  Texas A&M wasn't the obvious choice of school for me (first generation Aggie!), but it's impossible for me to imagine my college years in any other place.

(Now please indulge me as I watch this emotionally manipulative advertisement, designed to make former students like me feel extra sentimental.)

I feel blessed to have so many great memories here, and I love trying to imagine all of the future Aggies that will create their own memories in this historic and ever evolving place.

See photos after the jump.

Trivia & Quidditch [HP WEEK]

In anticipation of both the upcoming movie and the consequent end of my childhood, I will be celebrating Harry Potter Week here on Aspartamed.  

To get us rolling, I figured I would, of course, share some trivia (click to enlarge).

via

via

Regarding that second infographic, you'll note the fact at the top of the image reads:

20,000 spectators watched 46 teams run around on broomsticks at the 2010 Quidditch World Cup in New York, which pays homage to Harry's favorite sport.

Kelsey and I were definitely there (photos by Kelsey):

And of course, we were there to support the Texas A&M Quidditch team.

See you in November, World Cup!

"Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century" [SMC]

STS-135

Earlier today the Space Shuttle Atlantis embarked on the final mission of the NASA Space Shuttle program, bringing to a close three decades of manned spaceflight aboard the iconic orbiter:

via

I'm sure that a lot of people who grew up in the Shuttle era were unimpressed with the launches which, by design, were supposed to make manned spaceflight a routine fixture of the American aerospace program.  But I was nonetheless captivated by the Shuttle as a child.  Maybe this isn't surprising, considering how much of a little nerd I was (my bedroom doubled as a staging area for the periodic battles between my own Space Shuttle model and the Millennium Falcon).  It's hard to believe that after its scheduled July 20 landing, Atlantis and the rest of the fleet will be officially retired.

Without the Shuttle fleet, many of NASA's greatest achievements would have been impossible—Skylab, the Hubble telescope, and the International Space Station, to name a few.  

Of course this blog post wouldn't be complete without some interesting Shuttle facts; you can blame my undying love of pointless trivia for the following (via NASA):

• During the 8 1/2 minutes after launch, a Shuttle will burn 3.5 million pounds of propellant.
• In case you were wondering, the Shuttle maxes out at 44 million horsepower.
• What kind of fuel could possibly accomplish this feat?  Aluminum powder.
• The Shuttle reaches speeds of over 14,700 mph during launch—that's Mach 20.
• You could boil iron inside the main engines during liftoff (it heats up to over 6,000º F in there).
• Each Shuttle contains over 230 miles of wire.
• While in orbit, the orbiter must operate in -250º F.  During re-entry it has to endure temperatures up to 3,000º F.
• The Shuttle has over 2.5 million parts, and is the most complex machine ever built.

Now wasn't all that trivia satisfying?

The Atlantic has a wonderful history of the Shuttle in pictures.  This photo collection does a remarkable job of capturing the scale and scope of the program.  Below is my favorite:

via

(Remember what I said about being a nerd?)

Technical Difficulties

Due to technical difficulties over the past week I've been without internet.  But I'm back now, with blog updates coming soon.

via

"Wild About Hurry" [SMC]

This is the first installment of my new Aspartamed blog series Saturday Morning Cartoons.  When consumed with a big bowl of breakfast cereal and a tall glass of juice, SMC is part of your complete breakfast!

Safety First

Hey folks.  This weekend, just be sure to remember, "Have a bucket and hose near and handy, just in case of careless Uncle Randy."

8tracks.com

I came across an interesting website last night; it's called 8tracks.

The concept is simple: user-created playlists that anyone can browse and stream from their computer.  The argument: musical mixes that are "handcrafted" by human beings are more enjoyable than sites like Pandora.

After a little exploring I'll admit that 8tracks makes a compelling argument.  Sure, finding music that'll satisfy your mood might be a little less intuitive than Pandora, but I get the feeling that I'm more likely to find new music this way—and for me, knowing that another person took the time to "craft" what I'm hearing does make it more fun.

I signed up for free and played with their very simple, straightforward music uploader.  In no time I had DJ-ed together a broken-hearted-love-scorned-revenge mix that I've embedded below:



I don't know how much I'll personally use 8tracks to create awesome playlists like this one, but I'm looking forward to substituting this website for my usual dose of internet radio.

Check them out: http://8tracks.com

Chilly Down

Don't got no problems
Ain't got no suitcase
Ain't got no clothes to worry about
Ain't got no real estate or jewelry or gold mines to hang me up

Happy 25th birthday to Labyrinth! Jim Henson's classic fantasy adventure was released on June 27, 1986.

Is it me, or have good family movies gone by the wayside in the world of CGI? Not that computer-drawn cartoons don't have the potential—they certainly do. But the big-screen adventures of my childhood seem to have a whimsical quality, and a humanity, that's been lost. (See Exhibits A, B, C)

Also: Slashfilm posted an hour long documentary on the making of Labyrinth in celebration of the film's quarter-century.

--

This blog post is dedicated to mom, the most enthusiastic Jim Henson fan I know.

Proud.

Less than an hour after New York became the sixth and largest State to legalize marriage equality:

The Human Rights Campaign is not the only organization whose brave advocacy made this achievement possible, but their work was certainly invaluable in this long struggle. You can learn more about their contributions to the New York marriage equality law here.

If this is a cause you care to support financially, consider donating to HRC.

If you are one of the many people who would like to help improve the lives of LGBT Americans, but who can't spare any money, there are lots of easy and free ways of contributing.

Fashion Victim

Kelsey spent all afternoon trying on cute outfits to wear at her new job (she starts on Monday—I'm so proud of her!). Poor thing didn't pace herself very well. Wore herself right out!

Here's the aftermath: