Consider this an Independence Day warning. The above X-ray shows the hand of a young male who was unable to throw away a lit explosive before it detonated. From the always interesting Street Anatomy blog, where medicine, art, and design collide. Although not always this violently.
Via Bioephemera.
You know what makes me smile? The fact this guy has a package of himself in his pocket. A great example of the so-called Droste Effect; a package within a package within a package. More examples here.
Via Box Vox.
All it takes is a little imagination to create an entire menagerie out of the London Underground route map. Be sure to click through to Animals On The Underground to see the full collection to date. Can you find more?
Via It's Nice That.
Ever wonder what those Pilgrims used to wash down that very first Thanksgiving feast? Most likely beer. There's a movement afoot to bring this traditional drink back to its rightful place on the holiday table. You can learn more, as well as find brew pairing recommendations for your Thanksgiving meal, right here.
To my American friends, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving holiday. To my international friends, I raise a glass in appreciation. Thank you all for visiting.
Image (circa 1946) via Brookston Beer Bulletin.
Famous people have to die just like us regular folk. Well, almost. The
richer and more famous you are, the greater the chance you will have
people hanging around while you breathe your last. Historians. Media
types. Spoiled brat kids looking to cash in on your fame. A personal
nurse who has hated you for the past fifteen years.
As a result, your final words will be recorded, sold to tabloids, and
pondered long after you've passed. As if dying wasn't already a
pressure-packed experience.
Yesterday's post referenced Citizen Kane,
a movie where a journalist is trying to solve the mystery of a rich
man's final, cryptic utterance. I felt it was only fitting to share a
few real, although less famous, examples:
"Go away. I'm all right." H.G. Wells
"Oh I am so bored with it all." Winston Churchill
"Go on, get out. Last words are for fools who haven't said enough already." Karl Marx
"How were the receipts tonight at Madison Square Garden?" P.T. Barnum
"Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something." Pancho Villa
"Do I look strange? My head! My head!" Robert Louis Stevenson
"It is nothing." Archduke Franz Ferdinand (whose assassination sparked WW I)
Unintelligible mumbling with only "moose" and "Indian" clearly spoken. Henry David Thoreau
"Thomas Jefferson survives!" John Adams (not knowing Jefferson died earlier that day)
"I am still alive!" Roman Emperor Caligula
A pride of lions. A comedy of errors. A gaggle of geese. These are
phrases almost everyone knows. But have you ever stopped to wonder how
they came about?
Look no further than the English nobility of
the fifteenth century. Blessed with a love of language, a competitive
spirit, and lots and lots of idle time, England's best and brightest
devoted themselves to crafting the most poetic and pithy collective
nouns imaginable. (One does has to keep busy while the lower classes are fighting wars and building stuff.)
Many of these phrases are still commonplace today. A hail of gunfire. A
flight of stairs. A swarm of bees. But even more interesting are the
phrases that have slipped from common use over time. Some are sublime.
And all are still proper English language. So let's see if we can't
bring a few of these back...
A Destruction of Wildcats
A Crash of Rhinoceroses
A Skulk of Foxes
A Party of Jays
A Shrewdness of Apes
A Discretion of Priests
An Eloquence of Lawyers
A Proud Showing of Tailors
A Worship of Writers
Better yet, let's create some of our own for today's modern world. I propose...
A Waste of Politicians
A Flop of Ben Affleck Movies
An Enterprise of Trekkies
A Virgin of Online Gamers
An Opportunity of Anna Nicole Smith Boyfriends
Hey, this is fun. Come on, let's make some more. Any suggestions?
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