This is an amazing story about an even more amazing prank. To be honest, I’m not quite sure how I stumbled across it. One of those “search for topic A and get sidetracked onto topic B” kind of deals.
So, the super short version is, Mehran’s Steak House is this super-amazing restaurant on New York’s Upper East Side. Except it isn’t. But then, for one night, it was.
Rather than me mangling it, go read the full story on SubStack.
I’d run across mention that Howard the Duck makes an appearance in the “Avengers Assemble” scene in Endgame. Tonight, I finally tracked it down to see for myself.
He’s visible for just a second, right after The Wasp makes her appearance and immediately before the camera cuts to Thor. You can see it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1bSmAsswg0&t=92s
And then, since I was already headed down the rabbit hole, I went and watched the movie. Lea Thompson was as cute as I remember, but … yeah, this wasn’t one of Marvel’s best movies.
I’m not saying I forgot about these, but …. oh yeah, I have BatMan stamps.
That’ll surprise folks when I send out Christmas cards.
Spotted this ad recently and was left scratching my head. I have no idea what a “Sunsquabi Doomflamingo” is, but all I can think of is that it must be some sort of Flamingo Goth Band.
Based on a Google Search, it seems this was a music event and those are the names of two bands.
No doubt they’re a lovely couple of bands, but I can’t get rid of the “Goth Flamigno” mental image.
Photo Credit: Cover image generated by Google’s Gemini in response to the prompt “Goth Flamingos.” Here’s the un-cropped image.
Silly questions come up from time to time. Like that time my friend Anna asked “How many watermelons would it take to equal the volume of the moon?” and I decided to figure it out. (Answer: A lot)
Tonight, I came across an exchange between my brothers D and S where they were talking about a sonnet D had written about dogs.
S: Did you write this or was it ChatGPT?
D: Can ChatGPT even do sonnets?
S: No idea….
I thought it was pretty good, and I don’t doubt that D. wrote it himself.
But this raises a good question. Can ChatGPT do sonnets? I decided to find out. And just for good measure, I decided to ask some other chat bots to write about dogs.
It is, of course, left for the reader to decide whether this is pure doggerel or something verse
Prompt: Write a brief sonnet about dogs.
Faithful and true, they stand by our side,
With eyes aglow and hearts forever bright,
In every joy and sorrow, they abide,
A loyal presence through the day and night.Their paws leave prints in earth, but more in hearts,
A silent comfort when the world feels cold,
In playful bounds or tender, quiet parts,
Their simple love is worth more than pure gold.With wagging tails, they greet the morning sun,
And in their gaze, a joy that never wanes.
In every bark, a friendship just begun,
Their love flows freely, free of human chains.Oh dogs, companions true through every stride,
In you, we find the love that can’t be denied.
Prompt: In the style of Doctor Seuss, write a brief paragraph about dogs.
The dog is quite a wonderful sight,
With wagging tails and joyful delight.
They romp and they run with abandon free,
Their love for play is plain to see.
Their snouts sniff out treats with glee,
And their barks are a symphony, you’ll see!
From big to small, from old to new,
Dogs bring us cheer, that’s what they do!
Prompt: In the style of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, write a short paragraph about dogs.
Don’t Panic. Dogs. Those furry bundles of boundless enthusiasm and questionable hygiene are arguably the third most intelligent species in the galaxy (after dolphins and Vogons, naturally). Don’t let their love for belly rubs and drool fool you; they possess an uncanny ability to understand human emotions and respond accordingly, often with slobbery kisses and enthusiastic tail wags. Their primary function, according to the Guide, is “to provide unconditional love and companionship, while simultaneously reminding you that there is a universe outside of your own existential angst.”
And yes, they do tend to eat socks. Just don’t ask why. The answer is far too complicated for even the most powerful supercomputer to comprehend.
I ran across a Washington Post story about a local (well, nearby anyhow) company called “Lamb Mowers” which allows you to hire a herd of sheep to “clip” your grass and also eat up invasive plants, poison ivy, and other undesirable vegetation.
I have such a small yard, it probably doesn’t make sense to truck a bunch of sheep in from Virginia. But it’s still sorely tempting.
(Cover image: A white sheep, photo credit WikiMedia user Sam Carter, licensed under Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal)
I remember being entertained by the Old Spice commercials with Isaih Mustafa. Here’s a breakdown, nearly moment by moment, of how they did it.
Before you watch it, what do you think? Was it computer generated or all in one take?
My imagination sometimes causes me to make unexpected connections between things. And if presented with an unusual word or phrase, I may not immediately make the expected connection.
For example, in Howard County, on Brighton Dam Road, between the county line and Clarksville, there are several signs alerting passerby to the presence of an “Underground Fire Suppression Tank” along the road.
Now, what I think these signs are referring to is underground storage facilities for water to be used in fighting fires. An alternative to the more common fire hydrants.
But the phrase “Underground Fire Suppression Tank”… that’s just a bit awkward. The word “tank” has meanings beyond a container for liquids, in particular, it also refers to a particular type of armored vehicle used in combat. And once you make that sort of connection, the words “fire suppression” also take on a different meaning.
Is this “underground fire suppression tank” a machine intended to defend the local populace against something? And it’s underground? Perhaps so it doesn’t draw attention to itself? And it’s probably automated too, right?
That’s a rough approximation of my train of thought the first time I saw one of those signs, and it triggered a memory of another automated tank.
One of my earliest exposures to science fiction was a book titled Tales of Time and Space, I’m unsure who gave it to me or when, but over the years, it became quite worn. One story which particularly stuck with me was “The Last Command,” the story of an automated tank which is accidentally activated by a construction crew. And when the tank is unable to contact its command facility, the onboard AI concludes that it’s been attacked and must respond accordingly.
The story was originally published in 1967, but it still holds up today. Give it a read.
If you see a human run up the wall… that’s parkour.
If you see a dog run up the wall… that’s barkour.
If you see a cat run up the wall… that’s parpurr.
If you see an elephant run up the wall…. I want one of whatever it is that you’re drinking.
There’s a park in Clarksburg called “Dowden’s Ordinary Park.”
It turns out to be an historical site and an “ordinary” is pretty much a normal, every day inn. This one was on an important trail between Frederick and Georgetown (In 1755, General Braddock stayed there on his way to the battle at Fort Duquesne)
This leaves me wondering though. If this was an “ordinary”, what was going on at the other inns? Do you suppose it involved dinosaurs?
