On Lord of the Rings: The White Council

From about the time Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring released in theaters in December 2001 until about the time Lord of the Rings: Return of the King had its extended edition DVD release I visited TheOneRing.net at least once a day. Maybe for the latest rumor on the films, maybe for the latestContinue reading “On Lord of the Rings: The White Council”

On Nerdish Insights

From an IM conversation today: mknzyCalhn: I’m racking my brain here — I’m trying to think if Doctor Who has ever done a story about cloning Scavgraphics: new earth mknzyCalhn: you’re right Scavgraphics: also, daleks Scavgraphics: aren’t the mutants clones? mknzyCalhn: well, the mutants are grown in vats, but we don’t know if they’re clonedContinue reading “On Nerdish Insights”

On Birthday Bizarreness

We have Dayton Ward to thank for this: the Bizarre American Holidays webpage. I was born in June, which is, according to the website, Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat Month, American Rivers Month, Cancer In The Sun Month, Dairy Month, Turkey Lover’s Month, National Accordian Awareness Month, National Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Month, National Ice Tea Month, National PapayaContinue reading “On Birthday Bizarreness”

On Jefferson's Qur'an

In November’s mid-term election Minnesota elected the first Muslim, Keith Ellison, to the House of Representatives in American history. Tomorrow Ellison, along with the rest of Congress, will be sworn in. There are generally two swearing-in ceremonies–the first is simply an affirmation of the oath of office, the second is often a photo-op for theContinue reading “On Jefferson's Qur'an”

On Incompetent Blundering

Henry the Navigator is an incompetent fool and a worthless ally. Our battleground today was someplace vaguely New England-like. It’s hard to say precisely, as it was a random map–Gandalf’s Random Land Map, to be precise. The landscape’s features, though, said New England, even if the native allies–the Lakota and the Iroquois–and the native fauna–herdsContinue reading “On Incompetent Blundering”

On "Hey Jude" and Love

In November Capitol Records released Love, the soundtrack album for the Cirque de Soleil show in Las Vegas that uses remixed Beatles songs as its soundscape. It’s a fascinating album to listen to, presenting new ways of listening to old favorites. Some songs are heavily reworked, with backing vocals, instrumental parts, and the like takenContinue reading “On "Hey Jude" and Love”