Tim Minchin - If You Open Your Mind Too Much Your Brain Will Fall Out (Take My Wife)

So there was this guy see. And once upon a time he used to read a lot of comic books and watch a lot of movies and read non-fiction and then he would write about it all, so his legion of readers could live vicariously through him. Then he started reading fewer comic books and watching fewer movies and reading fewer books and more importantly writing fewer times.

Where did the time go? Some of it was spent working longer hours and weekends, some of it was spent going out to bars and meeting new people and talking to them and arguing with them. And unlike comic books and movies and books, people were a lot harder to write about. So his blog started being updated a longer and longer intervals. Some readers called him out on this. Others, their lives equally busy and their blog updates equally delayed, understood. And yet the thought of stopping his blog never occurred to him. I think it was because he was never concerned about his readership numbers (although he did check his stats counter often enough) and he wrote his blog as a record for his future self. Anyway, our story pauses there because I have to tell you about what I did.

Yesterday, with RedK and her sister B, I went to Milwaukee, specifically the Milwaukee Public Museum to watch Body Worlds. (Don't click on that link if you are easily disturbed.) Body Worlds is a traveling exhibition of preserved human cadavers in various poses, displaying various aspects of the human body. The bodies are preserved using a process called plastination. All the exhibits had the skin removed so that musculature, bones and internal organs are visible. To display the circulatory system, red dyed plastic was forced through the veins and arteries and the body then dissolved. This was definitely an excellent way to spend 25 dollars and an afternoon. We spent the rest of the evening driving around Milwaukee (pretty but boring) and watching After Innocence (depressing) and Hot Fuzz (hilarious and surprising.)

Tonight, it's time for Samba and all you can eat meat for $33.

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Northeastern Most people don't know it but this is actually what dictionaries are based on. If you don't believe me, pick up any American dictionary and look up "source" and "sauce" and you'll see they are written with the same vowel pronunciation.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

This morning I had another nightmare. I don't have nightmares too often and when I do it's usually a nice brand new one. But there are some nightmares that seem to come back and say hi. A bit too often.

Failing Math

Specifically, failing math in Final Year Engineering (that's Senior Year to my Indian-culture challenged readers.) This is the nightmare that woke me up this morning. It usually begins with a realization that I have goofed around all semester and the exam is in a few days. I clearly don't have enough time to learn everything. Most of my fellow students seem to know their shit. My mind starts to think of how I haven't failed anything in college so far and how this will ruin my career. Good bye USA. Good bye cushy software job in Bangalore. Then I curse myself for procrastinating all semester and being overconfident. The exam is tomorrow. The exam is now. I don't know anything. Wake up, Hob, wake up!

I wake up and reassure myself that I already passed undergrad, with no KTs and we didn't have math in final year!

Raptors and T-Rex

For some reason this dream usually begins in a parking lot. I'm getting into my car. Or perhaps getting out. It's a bright beautiful sunny day. And hey look! It's a bloody T-Rex eyeing me. Run, Hob, Run! I start running and T-Rex follows me. Somehow I get into an enclosed space. Safe! And that's when the velociraptors show up. No jokes. I dream of velociraptors. Those fast, hungry, mean, clever little dinosaurs with sharp sharp teeth. Wake up, Hob, wake up!

I wake up and reassure myself that dinosaurs and humans never existed at the same time. Bible science be damned!

Panthera

This is the worst of the lot and happens the most often. I'm walking from Churchgate station to my house at Lion Gate, right by Oval and Cross Maidan. Across the street I see a tiger. I real, live tiger, walking. What! What's that doing here! Ok, don't panic, keep walking slowly and try and reach home. Except a hundred meters away, right in front of you, basking under a tree is a lion! Not good. Perhaps I can cut between these guys. That's when I start noticing other large cats, strolling across the streets. My final memories are about being stalked by a panther, that's following me up the stairs of my building. Wake up, Hob, wake up!

I wake up and, well, can't really reassure myself that this can't happen. Because it can!

The best science related story I have read in a while:

“The majority of the world’s designers focus all their efforts on developing products and services exclusively for the richest 10% of the world’s customers. Nothing less than a revolution in design is needed to reach the other 90%.”
—Dr. Paul Polak, International Development Enterprises

More details at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Kissing was invented in India!!

Two funny movies that illustrate the basic differences between American and British humor.

Blades Of Glory with Will Farrell and John Heder is an over-the-top comedy about men's figure skating rivals who are forced to dance as a pair. This is typical watch, laugh and never think about again stuff. Funny but forgettable.

Hot Fuzz with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is British cop-comedy. High-strung cop is sent to small village where he uncovers a swan and a conspiracy. This will become a cult classic or should anyway.

The good folks at Chin's have figured out how to get repeat customers. Just say nice things in fortune cookies. Last two times I've been there, my fortune cookies have read "You will become an accomplished writer." and "You are going to have a very comfortable old age." Yeah, I need to go there more often.

And in science news these two articles caught my attention Sluts and vermin and Smarter people are no better off

Everything's coming in pairs... strange.