How Research Works: XXVI

THE LAB: 5pm

JUNIOR GRAD STUDENT
Man.  Presentations sure are stressful.  How do you deal with all the anxiety?

SENIOR GRAD STUDENT
Whenever I get stressed about something like that I just remember that I'll be here forever.

JUNIOR GRAD STUDENT
Wait.  How... how does that help anything?

SENIOR GRAD STUDENT
Just think about how most of your efforts won't  immediately result in anything tangible.

JUNIOR GRAD STUDENT
But they will later right?

SENIOR GRAD STUDENT
Eh.  By the time you graduate there probably won't be any jobs in science left.  Janitors make more money than us anyway... so no big loss I guess.

JUNIOR GRAD STUDENT
...!?

SENIOR GRAD STUDENT
Please try not to have an existential crisis in the lab.  We wouldn't want to upset the janitors.

Superman vs. America!

This is really stupid.  The "controversial" Superman story where superman renounces his American citizenship is really rather unremarkable.  The theme isn't Superman renouncing America, but embracing the world.  Its an interesting idea, one that could be the focus of some interesting stories.  This isn't one of them.

Generally throwing Superman into the middle of a real situation just cheapens the reality of what is really going on, and this is no exception  There is a lot that can and should be written about the pro-democracy protests happening accross the Middle East and Northern Africa.  American superhero comics, though, might not be the best outlet.

I've put some of the story behind the cut if anyone's interested.  Its certainly the least of the stories from the issue its printed in (both the main story and the vignette by Damon Lindeloff/Ryan Sook are pretty good) but you should take a look to see what the fuss is about.  Its hokey, but the art isn't so bad in spots.

Those 60's X-Men

The more I see of this, the more I like it.   I am cautiously optimistic.

How Research Works: XXV

OFFICE HOURS

STUDENT
Can I ask a question

BITTER TEACHING ASSISTANT
You already did.

STUDENT
Huh?  Anyway.  All of my grades are the same, that seems unlikely statistically.

BITTER TEACHING ASSISTANT
And you think I made a mistake.

STUDENT
Pretty much.

BITTER TEACHING ASSISTANT
It says here you aced every single exam with a 100%.

STUDENT
See!  All the same!  Unlikely!

BITTER TEACHING ASSISTANT
Immediately, and without another word, remove yourself from my office.

Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino's western apparently has a new name... and Christoph Waltz is involved.

The purported cover of the script is below.  I like that despite his supreme writing chops, Tarantino apparently has the handwriting of a third grader.

Truth, Justice, Mike Huckabee, and Superman

Everything about this "controversy" makes my head hurt.  Silliness aside, the Siegle and Shuster estates have A LOT more to upset about than Superman renouncing his American citizenship for eight pages.



More later.

Two Minute Hate

I'm sure this will stir the pot...

Is the world a better place without Osama Bin Laden in it?  Certainly.

Will this undo the Patriot Act, two wars, state-sanctioned torture and untold death and destruction  Certainly not.

I don't mean to make a value judgement about anyone's feelings.  I really don't.  I just happen to think that the people partying in the streets are missing some perspective.  This isn't an epilogue to a clear narrative that started 10 years ago, its a tiny event in an incredibly messy situation.

How Research Works: XXIV

A GIANT CLASSROOM: 1PM

INSTRUCTOR
Remember, the final is Friday.

CLASS
(Is aghast)

INSTRUCTOR
Did I forget to tell you about that?

INSTRUCTOR
Oh well.  Hope you get some sleep between now and then.

Significance Testing

This is basically how my life works, just without the Minecraft and attention from the press.

Via XKCD.

I dislike laugh tracks

Did you know that there is a character on House with the same name as the main character on That 70's Show? Hopefully not because That 70's Show is awful and no one should watch it.

Pretty much everything in this week's mix is from the late 70's.  I hadn't heard of Wire until recently, but I'm a big fan.  Their song on the mix sounds like it could have been written this year.  Really cool.  Anyway,  the normal smorgasbord of internet famous indie rock will return next week.

Eric Foreman is Terrible

1. Gloria- Patti Smith

2. Queen Bitch- David Bowie

3. Vicious- Lou Reed

4. Overground- Siouxie and the Banshees

5. See No Evil- Television

6. Damaged Goods- Gang of Four

7. Police and Thieves- The Clash

8. Mannequin- Wire

9. Psycho Killer- Talking Heads