"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.

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"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."