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Ampulex compressa is a wasp that uses its stinger to temporarily paralyze and then hot-wire a cockroach so that the wasp can "drive" the larger critter home, where it can lay its egg on the roach host and seal it into a nursery. When the egg hatches, the larva chews its way into the host, where it feeds itself and then spins a cocoon.
Carl Zimmer writes about how complex all of this really is.
Frankly, I think this site has more Ronald Reagan than it needs, but it does have Richard Nixon's farewell address (man, I never get tired of that one) and a ton of other winners—in both text and MP3. Obviously slanted towards stuff they have audio files for, but a goldmine for those of us who appreciate good oratory.
Stephen Brown argues that Sid Vicious and Mozart shared the quality of primitivism, by which he means the winnowing away of unnecessary complications. I see his point with Sid, but in Mozart's case, I see it as the essence of the refining fire. Still, a good read and well-argued, even though, IMHO, wrong.
Me: We're gonna go see Brokeback Mountain tonight.
Elizabeth: [Gasp of horror!]
Me: What? What's with the gasp of horror?
Elizabeth: Steel yourself.
Me: Why? Am I gonna cry? I'm not afraid of crying. I cry all the time, anyway.
Elizabeth: No, I don't think you're going to cry. But you might wince. A lot.
Me: Oh.
Elizabeth: [Gasp of horror!]
Me: What? What's with the gasp of horror?
Elizabeth: Steel yourself.
Me: Why? Am I gonna cry? I'm not afraid of crying. I cry all the time, anyway.
Elizabeth: No, I don't think you're going to cry. But you might wince. A lot.
Me: Oh.
If you haven't seen the quote unquote gay cowboy movie yet, I strongly recommended that you hop on your horse and gallop into your nearest cinema. Like, pronto, Tonto. Giddie-up. Faster than a single-ended amp on Red Bull.
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Watched I Robot while practicing work avoidance yesterday. What a steaming pile of crap based on the title of a book with the same name! You know a movie's in bad shape when even it sqaunders Will Smith's considerable charm, but I Robot's biggest flaw was that it abandoned almost everything from Asimov,except the three laws (good) and a very 1940's view of what robots would be. Who needs mechanical manservants when everyday objects perform more and more of our chores?
I always thought the truly original idea contained in the tales of I Robot was Susan Calvin acting as a psychologist to…
I'm fascinated by blimps. I've also always wondered why they weren't used more for hauling cargo, especially stuff that didn't fit neatly into road-width containers. National Geographic says I'm not the only one.
This is perfect. Read while drinking at great peril to your monitor and keyboard.