Friday, January 27, 2012

Fuck Yeah!

No, I'm not swearing: rather, I'm pointing out this awesome blog called "Fuck Yeah, History Major Heraldic Beast" to be found here: http://fyeahhistorymajorheraldicbeast.tumblr.com

Here's a taste of the funnies:




 And my favourite by far:


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Champlain Meme


I just came back from the premier of the French dubbed documentary "Dead Reckoning - Champlain in North America" by Mountain Lake PBS. Despite its short 55 minute running time and slightly wooden animation, it's definitely worth a watch (you can purchase the dvd here: http://champlaininamerica.org/). 

Watching the movie, I was reminded of a painful event in the French explorer's life. Soon after I couldn't resist creating this pastiche of a currently popular meme (guess which one):


I used to explore the Great Lakes...  ...But then I took an arrow to the knee

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Sonic The Art Critic...

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


A few excerpts for your enjoyment:






Friday, December 9, 2011

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 

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

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.