Monthly Archives: September 2017

Automa-Tons of Fun

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Nathan

During a discussion of Ozma of Oz at the most recent OzCon International, Lee Speth proposed that, while Tik-Tok was not the first mechanical man in modern literature, he was perhaps the first artificial intelligence. L. Frank Baum himself had … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, Eloise Jarvis McGraw, Eric Shanower, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Phil Lewin, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I Couldn’t See the Rabbits Hiding Out of View

Posted on September 26, 2017 by Nathan

The Shawshank Redemption – We watched this one the night before going to see It, so I guess it was a Stephen King kind of weekend. The movie is pretty long for having been based on a novella, Rita Hayworth … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Cartoons, Ethnicity, Families, Humor, Islam, Music, Relationships, Religion, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Thy Won’t Be Done

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Nathan

One thing I wonder about people who insist that the law should be based on their religion is why they think the civil authorities should be doing what they think God is supposed to do. Shouldn’t the Almighty do His … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Fundamentalism, Judaism, Politics, Prejudice, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Yale, Yale, the Gang’s All Here

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Nathan

Today’s mythical creature is the Yale, which was included in a list of uncommon mythical creatures on Quora, a site I’m always getting e-mails from despite not remembering ever signing up for, but I don’t unsubscribe because there’s interesting stuff … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Etymology, Greek Mythology, Language, Monsters, Mythology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Crispin’s Night Speech

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Nathan

Beth, Stephanie and I saw Crispin Glover at the Alamo Drafthouse last night. If you don’t know who he is, he played George McFly in Back to the Future and came close to kicking David Letterman in the head. He’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Celebrities, Conspiracy Theories, Corporations, Humor, Live Shows, Music, Prejudice, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Can Read Your Mind from Half a Mile

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Nathan

To continue on the topic I brought up last week about Ozian magic that affects minds, it’s worth noting that, in The Emerald City of Oz, the Wizard claims to be “working out a magic recipe to fuddle men’s brains, … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Phyllis Ann Karr, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Wages of Sin

Posted on September 19, 2017 by Nathan

Snuff Fiction, by Robert Rankin – While Rankin often employs dark humor, this one is even darker than most, focusing on the narrator’s unfortunate friendship with tobacco magnate, terrorist, and generally underhanded guy Doveston. He’s constantly helping out Doveston with … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Characters, Chinese, Conspiracy Theories, Humor, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Religion, Robert Rankin, Roman, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Tom Holt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In for a Pennywise, Out for a Clown

Posted on September 18, 2017 by Nathan

It – SPOILERS! (Do I need to put in the warning, or is that not something people bother with anymore?) I’ve never read the book (or anything by Stephen King, actually), but I did see the miniseries some time ago. … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, VoVat Goes to the Movies, XTC, Young Fresh Fellows | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Super-Battle of the Sexes

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Nathan

Batgirl: A Celebration of 50 Years – I didn’t really know that much about Batgirl, part of the tradition of female superheroes modeled after male characters, although she did have her own personality and motivations. The name Bat-Girl was first … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Book Reviews, Comics, Feminism, Gender, Humor, Names, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Use Your Illusion

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Nathan

There’s a fair amount of magic in the Oz series based on illusion, although exactly what that indicates is a little ambiguous. An illusion is a distortion of sensory input, different from a hallucination in that that actually is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Discworld, Edward Einhorn, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Oz, Oz Authors, Rachel Cosgrove Payes, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Terry Pratchett | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment