September 7, 2000

FIGHT THE POWER (OR AT LEAST WATCH SOMEBODY ELSE MAKE FUN OF THE POWER)

Michael Moore is up to his old tricks again, haranguing politicians and laying a good guilt-trip on the CEOs of major corporations in The Awful Truth. If you missed it the first time around, a second run of all twelve episodes begins this Saturday night (Sept. 9) at 9:45 p.m. on Bravo.

ONE LESS TWISTED MIND TO WARP OUR CHILDREN

Edward Gorey, the most brilliant, crazed and surreal children's author that every lived, died last April 15. His dark humour and macabre drawing style were a strange blend in books marketed at children, but it worked beautifully, sort of like Dr. Seuss meets Edgar Allen Poe. Among his 100+ stories were such titles as "The Fatal Lozenge", "The Evil Garden", "The Deranged Cousins", "The Abandoned Sock", The Glorious Nosebleed", "The Loathsome Couple", and "The Helpless Doorknob." And don't be fooled, these books were definitely written for adults.

TERMINATOR 1.0

A Thai scientist at the Mongkut's Institute of Technology in Bangkok have created the world's first "Roboguard," a motorized robot equipped with a handgun and video camera that can use infrared sensors to track people and shoot at them, or can be controlled by a human guard via the internet. The current version of Roboguard will sit stationary, similar to today's security cameras, but the researchers are already working on a mobile version. (New Scientist)

THINK YOU'RE NOSTRADAMUS?

The International Remote Viewing Association has launched a website that will allow you to practice Remote Viewing on-line. The website generates a classic psi-game that involves guessing which of five cards has a picture on the other side, and also includes a more advanced test of your psi skills by asking you to recreate a scene which the computer generates at random, but you do not see until you complete the test. Even if it's not very scientific, it sure can keep the kids busy, and an added bonus is that the program automatically tracks your score against other participants. Check it out at www.irva.org.

BÜMMED OÜT?

American psychology professor David Myers, in a presentation to the Royal Society of Edinburgh proposed his theory that German people may be "humourless and grumpy" due to the mouth contortions necessary in pronouncing the German "umlaut" He contends that making the sound of a vowel with an umlaut forces the corners of the mouth to turn down, resulting in a frown, and that the frequent use of those muscles create associations in the brain with feelings of sadness and frustrating, creating a depressed mood. (Times of London)

A SLIGHT ERROR IN JUDGEMENT

A man in India who locked himself in his room and told his mother he would come out only after 41 days of prayers with absolutely no food or water (and some wicked cool divine powers, he promised) had his decomposed corpse removed from the room after 50 days. (Queensland Gold Coast Weekend Bulletin)

ANOTHER SPOOKY INVENTION STRAIGHT OUT OF A CHEAP SCI-FI FLICK

An Israeli company is working on the M2A "video pill", - a tiny capsule containing a miniature camera, flash, battery and transmitter - that can be swallowed and will photograph disease and disorders in the small intestine and bowel, then transmit the signals to a doctor's computer. The product is expected to be ready for the market in early 2001. (Jerusalem AFP)

PITY HIS FUTURE CELLMATE

A San Francisco jury has convicted 34-year-old Eric David Knight after he swooped into the night like a vampire and bit into a man's neck, trying to suck blood from his jugular vein. "I need the cure. I need blood," was all he had to say for himself while being arrested. (San Jose Mercury News)

I REFUSE TO USE THE WORD "MOO" IN A STUPID PUN

Taffy the cow has set an unofficial world record by running a half-mile in 8 minutes, 55.4 seconds. The organizers of the Mid-Michigan Cow Racing Association hope to convince Guinness to put the category of world's fastest cow in the next edition of their book, and will hold yearly cow races to try and beat the record. (Grand Rapids Press)

HERE COMES THE INVISIBLE MAN

Researchers at the University of Texas in Austin have discovered a technique that can make flesh nearly transparent for a short period of time. By injecting various substances into the flesh of a rat, the scientists were able to see up to five times deeper into the animal's flesh, with its skin being nearly transparent for up to 20 minutes. (Sightings)

GIVE US YOUR GARBAGE, AND NOBODY GETS HURT

Japanese parents have been warned not to leave their children unattended in Tokyo, as that city's population of 21,000 jungle crows have begun attacking people. (Los Angeles Times)

HARD LOGIC

Najib Saddi, a 35-year-old Syrian man who claimed to be "perfectly happy", killed himself and left a suicide note saying that he was afraid of "future unhappiness." (Daily Express)

SORRY, WRONG HOSTAGE

Nikki Miskovich of Minneapolis is suing for $50,000 in damages after a SWAT team, practicing their technique for taking over a building, stormed the wrong building and took her prisoner, pinned her to the floor and held her at gunpoint. The lawsuit states that she thought she was going to be raped and killed, and was praying for a quick death before discovering the mix up. (UPI)

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