Gleeful Gecko » News

Dangerous Sports to Watch

Brett — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:00:29 +0000

Many sports are dangerous for fans, getting hit by a bat or a foul ball in baseball or a car at a Nascar race is pretty risky stuff, but it all pales compared to dangers of watching cricket.

Apple. Bringing Back America’s Puritan Ethic

Brett — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:10:11 +0000

Apple computer is working hard to bring back the golden age of American puritanism.

An Exclusive Club

Brett — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:07:22 +0000

This is an exclusive club that I would rather not join, but I do respect the heck out of the members.

England Safe at Last!

Brett — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 13:47:45 +0000

England safe at last as the scourge or Dwile Flonking is finally over. I am told they were once a great Empire before the nannies got them. I bet Jeremy Clarkson was a rabid dwile flonker when he was young.

Give Me That Old Time Religion

Brett — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 02:12:34 +0000

Some fundamentalists are more fundamental than others. Not sure this is a cultural revival I am fan of.

Potential Violence Warning

Brett — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:04:45 +0000

The next person who tells me how counter cultural they are for using Apple products gets slapped.

Health and Safety and the Death of England

Brett — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:00:52 +0000

While I lived in the UK I fell in love with the many eccentric old English traditions and some modern ones as well. Bog snorkeling, cheese rolling, village to village ball games, conkers and many more fun things that make England England. The arch enemy of all these events are the sad old blue hairs that are attempting kill all fun in England, the Health and Safety folks. Well, Health and Safety has claimed another scalp as they have shut down the Cheese Rolling event. In ten years England will be safer than any Disney park and the beer will be in safe metric mugs. I will weep when the last bastion of England falls for it was once a glorious country.

Summer of Fear 2010: Wolves

Brett — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:35:10 +0000

A startling new entrant has entered this year’s summer of fear contest. After years of being compared to kittens, wolves have gotten sick of it and downed a jogger. This is only second time wolves have been accused of killing a person in modern history and a bear is suspected in the other attack. Not to make light of the jogger’s death, but it is amazing to me how safe our world has become that at least as far other predators are concerned.

Squirrels Continue Their Assault on Culture

Brett — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:47:27 +0000

Squirrels become more and more brazen in their assaults on our planetary domination. After failing in their direct attacks on us they are now attacking our culture directly. This attack didn’t go as well as planned with one of the attackers poisoning himself.

Two Quickies

Brett — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:04:06 +0000

First is about how the cruise industry really hasn’t changed much in the last hundred years.

Second is about Boy Scouts doing the awesome, clearing a woman’s home of vultures.

Summer of Fear 2010: Sharks Get the Ball Rolling

Brett — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:40:51 +0000

Every year the Sharks make a hard run for the Summer Of Fear title, with breathless stories about the latest attacks. Why should 2010 be any different? In an interesting human perseverance note, the first rescuer on the scene had been attacked by a shark himself, but still came on and brought the victim in.

Kate McGarrigle Has Passed Away

Brett — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:15:56 +0000

Singer Kate McGarrigle has died, she is well known to folk fans, but less known to the general public. Her Matapedia album, done with her sister Anna, is in my top five folk albums of all time.

For Once I Agree Completely With Jeremy Clarkson

Brett — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:31:45 +0000

Jeremy Clarkson goes to see Mama Mia at the theater. I did this once as well. Once.

Via The Flibbergibbet

Surprised It Doesn’t Happen More Often

Brett — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:21:25 +0000

Silver Falcons by Blyzz on Flickr

Passenger accidentally ejects while flying with an air show team, actually I am surprised it doesn’t happen more often given the wide variety of passengers that fly with these teams. While reading this I was thinking this was the likely result if somehow the Flibbertigibbet was ever conned into flying on one of these. I like this quote:

As one observer said: “What a trip. That guy took off in an Astra, came down in a parachute, and landed back at base in a helicopter. Not bad for a for a single flip.”

Supernatural Collective Noun Chart

Brett — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:59:30 +0000

David Malki of the brilliant Wondermark comic today has an absolutely essential list of supernatural collective nouns. Now when I run a D&D game I will be able to tell the players they are being attacked by an audacity of gargoyles. Remember, knowing is half the battle.