Author Archives: Sarah

Intergalactic! Planetary!

Wow, how could I have lived this long without Kaiju Big Battel? All the best features of giant monsters and wrestling, hurrah!

Size is an illusion, women's clothing size, doubly so

Holy sizing chart, Batman! Ursula and I were just discussing the fluid nature of women’s clothing sizes through time, and here NIST has put together an exhibit on just this topic!

Flight Data

After listening to a This American Life show on Last Words, I picked up the book metioned in the show, The Black Box: All New Cockpit Voice Recorder Accounts of In-Flight Accidents. It is gripping human drama, perhaps too gripping to read near the holidays. I mentioned the book to Ursula, who told me about a web site (NTSB Aviation Accident Reports) with lots more of the same. I will have to pace myself. Each accident is like what a poem should be: capturing the essence of a moment and the feelings within it.

To Go With Your Pirate Name?

Yes, Pirate Supplies. Yes, Dave Eggers. Yes, a student writing center.

Strangely, Twice as Funny as Top Ten

I sometimes regret posting about something before I’ve finished reading all the content, but 5ives deserves a spot in the FP pantheon for “They were all out of penises.”

From BoingBoing, which really is a Directory of Wonderful Things. Have I mentioned there will be a new Bruce Sterling book? And Cory Doctorow seems to have excellent taste in culture and coolness. Both of those guys must be added to our list of People I Would Gladly Buy a Beer. And speaking of beer, how about some chips? Hooray!

Essence of Nerd

Sarah Vowell understands the deep and beautiful essence of the nerd:
“Being a nerd, which is to say going too far and caring too much about a subject, is the best way to make friends I know.”
from “The Nerd Voice” in Partly Cloudy Patriot

Won't Crack Your Head (Unless You Are Very Creative)

Make your own motorcycle, from things you have around the house (paper).

Futurama a Rama

Here are the rest of the matches we’ve found between Futurama posters and WPA posters. I (which is to say, Craig, editing Sarah’s earlier post) am not wholly convinced about the "Unite" match, but it shares enough elements in common that I think it’s the right one. I just wish it were more of a slam-dunk.
It’s also a bummer there won’t be any more dvd commentaries, so David X. Cohen can’t mention us and make us famous.