Monthly Archives: July 2010

The Flying Avengers of the Greco-Roman World

Posted on July 31, 2010 by Nathan

Greco-Roman mythology is full of trios of scary women. I’m not sure how that meme got started, but you have the Gorgons, the Graeae, and the Fates. Another three dangerous females are the Furies, the Latin name for the Erinyes … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek Mythology, Mythology, Roman | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Dangers of Cucular Power

Posted on July 30, 2010 by Nathan

Dark Lord of Derkholm, by Diana Wynne Jones – This story is based on the interesting idea of a fantasy world exploited by an unscrupulous businessman from our world who somehow gained control of a demon. He brings tour groups … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Diana Wynne Jones, Jasper Fforde, Nursery Crime | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Kudos for Kuros

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Nathan

I can’t say I’m especially familiar with the Wizards & Warriors series. I did watch my brother play through the first game, which involved the quest of the knight Kuros through the Kingdom of Elrond to rescue the princess from … Continue reading →

Posted in Video Games, Wizards & Warriors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Nintendo’s Mythtakes

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Nathan

Anyone who’s familiar with the game Kid Icarus probably realizes that a lot of the character names are based on Greek mythology. How well do these characters actually conform to their portrayals in mythology, though? In most cases, not so … Continue reading →

Posted in Greek Mythology, Japanese, Kid Icarus, Mythology, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Space Dog

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Nathan

Obviously, the Great Outside World in the Oz series is supposed to be OUR world. That doesn’t mean, however, that it doesn’t have occasional differences. In The Road to Oz, Dorothy identifies the closest town to her home as Butterfield, … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, History, Oz, Space Program | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Snake Oil Dependence

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Nathan

I came across this video today on Unreasonable Faith, and I have to say I come across a lot of what this guy is talking about. It ranges from people who pray instead of taking their kids to the doctor … Continue reading →

Posted in Medicine, Religion | 4 Comments

When Celebrities Go Bad

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Nathan

Today, we were talking about Mel Gibson’s spousal abuse and other such celebrity scandals, and my wife mentioned that there are a lot of women who still take Mel’s side, and hate Oksana Grigorieva for some reason. I can’t say … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrities, Current Events | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Tengu Tango

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Nathan

If you study classic mythology and fairy tales, you soon come to realize that a lot of the mystical beings of folklore aren’t really all good or all evil. Many of them are just out for their own interests, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Japanese, Mythology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Drink More Urfin Jus

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Nathan

Urfin Jus and His Wooden Soldiers, by Alexander Volkov – This is Volkov’s first original sequel to his translation/rewrite of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and it’s clear that he’s going in a totally different direction with his Magic Land … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Characters, Oz | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Gradual Revolution

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Nathan

I recently read this entry on my LiveJournal friends page, and I have to say I agree that people claiming books (or other physical media, for that matter) are OVER is annoying. I’m not necessarily saying there won’t be a … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Current Events, Technology | 2 Comments