Monthly Archives: June 2013

The Long Khan

Posted on June 30, 2013 by Nathan

Star Trek: Into Darkness – This review contains some pretty major spoilers for the film, although it does seem like I was one of the last people to see it anyway. So if you haven’t seen it and want to, … Continue reading →

Posted in Star Trek, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

The Film of the Joke

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Nathan

The Aristocrats – This 2005 documentary is about an old joke, which originated in the vaudeville era. If you haven’t heard the joke before, you’re not alone. It’s apparently one that comedians tell each other, rather than one they’ll do … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Re-Hovery Mode

Posted on June 28, 2013 by Nathan

Futurama is on its final season for, what, like the third time? It’s a shame, but nothing lasts forever, even in the future. I’ve seen the first three episodes of this season, and they were pretty good. The two-dimensional world … Continue reading →

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Stone Age Stumpers

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Nathan

My habit of over-thinking cartoons has led me to wonder how the technology on The Flintstones came into existence in the first place. There’s an incomplete list of animal appliances on the show here, and later specials sometimes updated the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartoons, Television, The Flintstones | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Ix in the Mix

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Nathan

Two of the closest neighbors to the Land of Oz, located just across the desert to the north, are the kingdoms of Ix and Noland. The former has a name modeled on that of Oz itself, as do Ev and … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Even in the Future, Nothing Works

Posted on June 23, 2013 by Nathan

The Jetsons is an interesting show in many ways, but its characters aren’t really among them. Compared to their obvious predecessors, the Flintstones, the Jetson family comes across as rather flat, people who have things happen to them rather than … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartoons, Futurama, Television, The Flintstones, The Jetsons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Game Time

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Nathan

I’ve recently been looking at TV Tropes, which everyone says is an addicting website, and they’re right. One entry that particularly caught my eye is the one on Video Game Time, explaining how distorted the conception of time can be … Continue reading →

Posted in Dragon Quest, Sims, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Having a Ball

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Nathan

Remember the Wicked Witch of the West’s crystal ball from The Wizard of Oz? Like when Dorothy sees Aunt Em in it, only for her to be replaced with the Witch herself? As anyone who’s read the book can tell … Continue reading →

Posted in Eloise Jarvis McGraw, L. Frank Baum, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Virgin and the Houri

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Nathan

It’s a popular notion these days that Islamic terrorists believe they’ll be rewarded with seventy-two virgins in Paradise. Why seventy-two? There’s somewhat of a justification for this, but as usual the meme only tells part of the story. The Quran … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Discworld, Islam, Religion, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Orgy of Begrem

Posted on June 16, 2013 by Nathan

Necrophenia, by Robert Rankin – From the Goodreads reviews, this doesn’t appear to be one of Rankin’s more popular books. I liked it, but it is kind of all over the place, which is not unusual with his more recent … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Robert Rankin | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment