Unusual Stuff

In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the United States federal government’s various espionage agencies were bundled together in one giant octopus of information-gathering techniques, skills, and services.  These 16 different organizations make up the so-called National Intelligence Program under the oversight of the Director of National Intelligence.  The government typically releases their […]

Some people have problems with 3D media.  For some folks, 3D causes headaches and nausea.  For me, 3D movies are fine (most of the time), but 3D-rendered video games are just too much for my poor brain to handle, and if I game too long I get headaches, nausea, and a host of other irritating […]

One of the hardest things in the world has to be creating new elements.  You need protons and neutrons, you need a cyclotron, and you need a lot of luck.  However, it looks like the mythical Element 115 may have taken another few wobbly steps towards reality.  Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have successfully […]

Bradley Manning was found guilty of 21 of the 22 charges against him, and he faced a staggering 136 years in jail during the sentencing phase of his trial for leaking US government secrets to WikiLeaks.  Manning was found guilty; during sentencing, he was given 35 years in the United States Disciplinary Barracks, a maximum-security […]

Elmore Leonard is nothing if not an example of what can be accomplished with dedication and hard work.  The author had been around since the 1950’s, with his stories “3:10 to Yuma” and “Tall T” being adapted into movies, but he’d never been a critical success or a best-seller.  Indeed he struggled for decades, working […]

Since 2012, Mike Hallatt has spent over $350,000 at Trader Joe’s locations throughout Washington state, Oregon, and northern California.  That’s a lot of boxes or cereal and cookies, but to Hallatt, it’s worth it.  His business in Vancouver, BC, Canada, depends on Trader Joe’s products, after all.  Mike Hallatt is a reseller who buys Trader […]

Ukraine typically doesn’t get into the news for good events.  There are egg-throwing brawls in their parliament, their president being attacked by a ceremonial wreath, and the fact that they let killer dolphins escape.  Once again, Ukraine is back in the news, but it’s not something they did, it’s something someone else did.  German consumer […]

The last collaboration between Jim Henson Productions and Flight of the Conchords was a smashing success.  Bret McKenzie, one of the brains behind the Conchords, contributed several brilliant songs to The Muppet Movie, which made a profit and was beloved by fans, critics, and Muppets alike.  Now, rather than participating in a remake or reboot […]

The war on false amateurism is coming, and rather than fight for its position, the NCAA has decided to beat a full-scale retreat immediately.  With a lawsuit against NCAA’s basketball video games on one hand by former UCLA star Ed O’Bannon and the controversy surrounding Johnny Manziel allegedly taking money for his autograph (while an […]

Taking over the lead on one of the world’s longest-running and most-beloved science fiction television shows can’t be easy, nor can being the person who recasts the role.  However, Steven Moffat, producer of Doctor Who, seems to be doing a pretty good job picking actors to fill out the cast of the show he is […]

The court case against Bradley Manning hasn’t been a good one for the defense.  After all, he has already admitted guilt to multiple charges against him; what remained for the court to decide was his ultimate fate for the charge of aiding the enemy, among many others.  The verdict is in for Bradley Manning, and […]

It must be difficult to be a celebrity a lot of the time, but it must have its benefits, too.  After all, you’re a millionaire who rides around in fancy cars, lives in big houses in the nicest parts of the world, and you can pretty much do whatever you want without any real repercussions […]

In 2011, Dominique Strauss-Kahn was forced out of his position as chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF; no, not Peter Grave’s Impossible Mission Force) after a maid in a New York City hotel room accused him of sexual assault.  Nothing ever came of that investigation, but where there’s smoke, there is usually fire.  In this […]

When it comes to natural things that can have a big impact on our lives, there’s nothing quite like the moon.  After all, the word lunatic comes from lunar, the full moon brings out all the crazies, once in a blue moon is something very rare, and there’s even the recently-invented super moon to contend […]

Troubled child star Amanda Bynes seemed like she had made the transition into adulthood, or at least young adulthood, but the days of her charm and humor are long gone, replaced by someone who frequently gets arrested and who may or may not be having a mental breakdown.  Bynes was seen by witnesses sitting in […]