Sonic The Art Critic...

Not really, but rather The Art Historian Hedgehog!
Thanks to Geneviève for the link!

http://fyeaharthistorianhedgehog.tumblr.com/

A few excerpts for your enjoyment:

Definitely Not A Flat Read!

Title: Flat Earth: The History of an Infamous Idea
Author: Christine Garwood
Publisher: Pan
Published in: 2008 (Paperback edition)
Pages: 436

If you're a sucker for weird ideas and strange people, this book is for you! As the title obviously points out, Garwood recounts the fascinating history behind the erroneous idea that the earth is flat. While reading this book, one can't stop making a parallel between fanatical "flat earthers" and the creationism crowd still fighting science in the classroom today. This should come to no surprise, since Garwood immediately links the two in her introduction. As you read on, she immediately dispels the myth that Christopher Columbus was the first man to prove the world was round (in fact, by the Renaissance,  everyone -  or at least, anyone who could read and write - knew our planet was a beach ball in space, rather than a free-floating Frisbee). Nope, notch one for the Greeks for first figuring out the circumference of the planet à la MacGyver, all without the fancy schmancy satellites of today. And yet, even with today's technology that has not only proven the Greeks right but also corrected their measurements to minute exactitude, there are still people fighting reality to this day... Never has the proverb "truth is stranger than fiction" rung more true than in this book. So find a nice flat spot to lay down, and enjoy a good read!

By the way, someone might want to buy this guy a copy...

If Michael Crichton Wrote About The Civil War...

Sorry if the image is a bit big for the frame...
More at: www.amazingsuperpowers.com 

Oops...

Well, seems the Mythbusters had a little "whoopsy daisy" moment this week: 

A stunt for the TV show "MythBusters" sent an errant cannonball through a California family's house and into a parked minivan a few hundred feet away.

[...] 

The cannonball was supposed to go through a few water-filled barrels and a concrete wall. Instead, it passed over the barrels, through the wall, and then took a "very unfortunate bounce that sent the ball skyward [...]. 

About 700 feet away, it bounced in front of the Dublin home, then tore through the front door and out a wall on the back of the house. The projectile then bounced at least once more and crossed the road before smashing the window and dashboard of the minivan, where it came to rest.

All I can wonder is: was the myth busted? I know this wall is!

PS guys, you're still my heros malgré the snaffu... and besides, no one got hurt. It could have been much worse...

Original news items here and here.

Who Says History Doesn't Help You Pick Up Women?

I love Barats & Bareta, even though their humour is often hit and miss. But I will admit some of these pick-up lines made me laugh a lot:

Wassup' Holmes?

Just sayin', Cushing, Downey and Cumberbatch have nothing on this version of Sherlock Holmes...

Who Doesn't Love Ugly Babies?

Ironically, art isn't always, well, art... for proof, visit this hilarious blog called Ugly Renaissance Babies. 

By far my favourite ugly baby.

Also chosen as an inside joke for my good friend Catherine Ferland.

Thanks to Geneviève for the link!

Minstrel Jimi Hendrix

I've never watched this show, but if it's anything like its intro, it must be AWESOME:

 

It Sparta History Now...

Robot Chicken + 300 = Win:

Sometimes History and Manga Shouldn't Mix...

Proof:

More at: http://pictureisunrelated.memebase.com/

Speaking of Anachronisms...

More at: http://xkcd.com/

Hamlet. 21st Century Style.

If there's one thing I love, it's fun with anachronisms:

Mustache, I Hardly Knew Ye...

The worst part about this video, is that this type of confrontation happened between my aunt and my grandfather... (and along this subject, might I suggest as well the Quest For Every Beard Type)

Ralph: The Last Guy to Wear a Hitler Mustache in America -- powered by Cracked.com

Ralph: The Last Guy to Wear a Hitler Mustache in America -- powered by Cracked.com

Will Hunting Will Always Win

God do I love Good Will Hunting. However, that bar scene history babble never worked for me... strange. Anywho, for those who haven't seen this movie, here is one of the most memorable scene. Following that, a wonderful spoof of what would happen should there be an intellectual round two...

Wallstreet Repeats History

Think this whole deal with Wallstreet is a new occurrence? Think again!

Put On Your Life-vests...

Every once in a while comes some revisionist history so bad, so awful, so devoid of good taste that one has to wonder: what where they smoking??? Kudos to Doug at Thatguywiththeglasses.com for digging up this stinker:

Hark! A Good Book!

Title: Hark! A Vagrant!

Author: Kate Beaton

Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly

Published in: 2011

Pages: 166

Kate Beaton masterfully skewers history and literature in this delightful collection of comics. From testosterone-driven macho princes to love-struck nemeses, from delicious anachronisms to blatant drama, this book has it all! No historic figure or literary hero is left sacred by the end of the panels... Oh joy to critics of history!

And don't forget to visit Kate Beaton's website!

http://www.harkavagrant.com/

The Saga of Biorn

May I Have Your Autograph, M'Lord?

If you could ask any monarch's autograph, who would it be? Please comment!

For Nostalgia's Sake

It's a shame I never realized what genius lay behind Animaniacs. I was just too young. Luckily, YouTube is here to fix that problem!

Just When You Thought Tintin Couldn't Get Cooler...

As a true Tintin fan, I am looking forward to Spielberg and Jackson's vision of the boy journalist. It so happens that I've accidentally stumbled upon this highly creative fan animation I think is worth sharing here:

The Adventures of Tintin from James Curran on Vimeo.

And for those who have not yet seen the new trailer to the first installment of the two movies coming out, here you are:

Now, I don't know how Haddock will pan out, he looks kind of more oafish than usual. One way to find out: Wait for the movie to come out!

First Contact

I have a beef to share. It's about most representations of aboriginal/native peoples meeting white man for the first time. It seems to me that almost every time I see a movie or a cartoon depicting the "discovery" of a new land, whether it be about Christopher Columbus or John Smith (I shudder every time I think of that "first contact" scene in the movie The New World), the natives are always shown jumping up and down like a bunch of retarded monkeys pointing to explorers and their ships as if they're some sort of mystical bananas.
I always imagined these initial contacts as being much more dignified and diplomatic. I imagine natives meeting the European man in a quiet, contemplating way, evaluating who are these strange white people reeking the smell of months worth of boat-ridden funk...

Believe it or not, I've had a few heated debates on these representations with colleagues. Imagine how pleased I was to find this video on Jean-Pierre Dutilleux's initial meeting with a tribe isolated from all forms of civilization. As you can see, the reaction is first of fear, then curiosity, and finally, diplomatic. All without jumping and howling like idiots. If anything will bring us close to getting a feel of those first meetings, this is it. (By the way, this is part one of five).

The King of All Anachronisms

Here's a couple of things America got right... and one of them is not history...

A Book To Give A Flying Duck About

Title: The Curse of the Labrador Duck. My Obsessive Quest to the Edge of Extinction

Author: Glen Chilton

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published in: 2009

Pages: 305

If you're into the history of natural sciences, this book is a must. I don't recall chuckling so much reading about an extinct duck. In fact, I don't remember ever reading about an extinct duck in the first place...

Glen Chilton recounts the history behind the extinction of the Labrador duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius) all the while chasing after the last stuffed specimens in the world. Part travel journal, part history lesson, part biology lesson, and all out funny, one can't stop smiling while reading about the alcohol imbibed adventures of the author in his weird, wonderful, obsessive quest. And trust me, you'll be chasing after Labrador ducks too once you're done reading...

Me with a Labrador duck!
(Field Museum of Chicago)

Fur sure...

The War of 1812... Or Something

Americans say they won this war. Canadians claim the same. Though the latter get to brag they burned the White House while their Prime Minister was drunk. Who knows? A movie should be made to clarify exactly what happened and why. Then again, maybe not...

P.S. Wikipedia does have something : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812