On this date in 1856. Possibly one of the greatest scientists, one of the greatest people, who ever lived... and one who got screwed almost every step of the way. Edison, Marconi, J.P. Morgan... the list of people who elbowed their way in front of or stomped over Tesla is long and diverse ( Read more... )

So many things we celebrate on Geek Pride Day!

First, of course, it's the Glorious 25th of May, for all you Discworld fans.

It's also the 36th anniversary of the release of the original, non-Episode IV Star Wars. We weren't completely unprepared -- technically, Jaws was the first "blockbuster" -- but, besides being the coolest thing most of us ( Read more... )

Ninety-four years young. Teacherken at dKos has a great selection of videos. Feel free to link us to more ( Read more... )

Whether it's the winter solstice, that whole Mayan calendar thing, or merely the birthday of Mr. Samuel L. Jackson, allow me to contribute to your feeling that now you've seen everything:

Click to view

So. What stuff are you taking with you when the world dissolves into chaos and fire? I got two external hard drives, my dice bag, and my stuffed Bear right ( Read more... )

He would've been 92 today. In his honor, NASA officially designated the Curiosity Rover landing site Bradbury Landing.

This entry was originally posted at http://filkertom.dreamwidth.org/1553890.html. You may comment there or here, although LJ tends to have a livelier conversation at this time.

Eighty-one today, and still one of our finest actors and icons. Live long and prosper!

This entry was originally posted at http://filkertom.dreamwidth.org/1503363.html. You may comment there or here, although LJ tends to have a livelier conversation at this time.

The Queen of Soul turns 70 today.

What are your favorite Aretha songs? I got a bunch of 'em, but it's nice to let everyone play, so I'll stick to one: this version of "Think" from The Blues Brothers. (It is a peculiarity that I have never found a perfectly sync'd-up version of this scene online.)

This entry was originally posted at http:// ( Read more... )

Today marks two very distinct events: the 256th anniversary of the birth of Mozart, and the 45th anniversary of the Apollo 1 disaster. Roger Chaffee, Virgil Grissom, Edward White -- rest well, gentlemen.

Two questions today -- answer either or both:

• What's your favorite Mozart piece? I admit it, I'm a plebian, but I think Eine Kleine Nachtmusik ( Read more... )

• Longtime Detroit Tiger fans has a sad, as outfielder and slugger Jim Northrup has passed away at the age of 71.
• Generally, I consider NYT columnist Thomas Friedman to be a near-perfect ass. But, as siliconshaman points out, he's locked onto the most pressing problem in the world, possibly in the history of the world: the Earth is full.
• If you want a very cool ( Read more... )

On this date in 1894. If you haven't seen it yet, you really have to see today's Google logo.

What works of dance do you like best? I'm a sucker for the movies Singin' In The Rain and Tap, and I love watching Riverdance (although Michael Flatley leaves me cold). Dick Van Dyke can basically do no wrong, and it's a good thing that I don't ( Read more... )