Celebrities: Connections

Some bizarre connections:

• The News Of The World reports that Courtney Love is pregnant with Steve Coogan's child after a "two-week, drug-fuelled sex fling".
  
• Dido is related to Irish politician Des O'Malley.
  

The strangest connection of all time? Robert Fripp marrying Toyah. "It's A Mystewy", indeed.

Optical Illusions

Very cool optical illusion (with explanation). Index of all 57 illusions/phenomena on this well-designed site.

Music: Classical

You can listen online to the BBC Proms. Click on the "BBC Proms Radio Player". Concerts are available for 7 days. Right now, I'm listening to Prom 48 with Elgar, Maw, MacRae and Shostakovich - all music for strings.

Genealogy: Ireland 1837

Now online - Samuel Lewis' 1837 Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. From the entry for Longford:

The lower orders are shrewd, intelligent, and industrious, fond of manly exercises and amusements, such as foot-ball, hurling, and wrestling, but on Sunday evenings the chief and invariable amusement is dancing. They are of a very proud and independent spirit, which manifests itself most conspicuously in their great repugnance to hire as servants, an occupation considered by them to be highly disreputable; hence they remain at home living in penury in a cabin and on a small patch of ground. They are exceedingly litigious, ever ready to have recourse to the law upon the most trivial subjects.

And for Mayo:

Killery harbour is known to be one of the best fisheries for herring; but this branch has been much crippled by the restrictions of the fishery laws. Herrings have been known to set in to some of the bays in vast shoals, yet, from the want of salt, they were left to rot on the shore in heaps; and the wretched fisherman, whose little stock had been expended in fitting out his sea equipage, witnessed his own ruin with abundance apparently within his grasp. To obviate this calamity, salt is now stored at Clifden, Westport, and Bellmullet.

Music: Rock and/or Roll

Wreckless Eric expresses his dislike of Chris Martin, Glastonbury, Elvis Costello, Live Aid, Live 8, Status Quo, Queen, Bob Geldof. But he liked the Who. Scroll down to listen to an hour-long solo radio performance by Wreckless Eric. His chatter between songs is best - I like his speaking voice. Which is actually very similar to his singing voice. "Whole Wide World" is at the 47 minute mark.

Music: Novelty

Listen to "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" by North American Hallowe'en Prevention, Inc.

The Simpsons: 1-800 Number

1-800-223-2369.

This is the phone number to order a different case for the Simpsons Season 6 DVD set. Call outside business hours (Pacific Time) to hear a message from Homer. Or is it? You can also go to Simpsonsbox.com.

Hoax: Space Shuttle

Company reorganisation seminar today began with story of how the range of the Space Shuttle was indirectly determined by the width of a horse's ass. I'd heard the story before, but a couple of details didn't ring true. The railway tunnel could have been made wider to take bigger rockets (or, as Robb says, they could have built the rockets closer to the launch site). Snopes says it's false (or "True, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons").

Automobiles: Which Side Of The Road?

Why do some countries drive on the right and some on the left? Historical table and country-by-country guide here. Some very interesting tidbits.

A-Z: Musicians

• A?
  
• Eric B. - pioneering hip-hop artist, rarely seen without Rakim.
  
• Vitamin C - girl from Eve's Plum makes happy pop music.
  
• Chuck D - rapper from Public Enemy.
  
• Eazy-E - another rapper, this time from N.W.A.
  
• Adam F - Drum & Bass artist, worked with Tracy Thorn.
  
• Gina G - the "Ooh Aah...Just A Little Bit" Aussie singer.
  
• Arthur H - French jazz/pop band.
  
• Prince Far I - reggae great.
  
• David J - former member of Bauhaus/Tones On Tail/Love & Rockets.
  
• Josef K - jangly Scottish band from early 80s.
  
• Jack L - would-be Jacques Brel from Ireland.
  
• Aerial M - "post-rock" instrumental band featuring guitarist David Pajo.
  
• N?
  
• Candy-O - a Cars tribute band from Canada.
  
• Master P - rap mogul.
  
• Stacey Q - had a hit in the 80s with "Two Of Hearts".
  
• R?
  
• Department S - one-hit Brits ("Is Vic There?").
  
• Mr. T - don't say Mr. T isn't a musical genius until you've heard his "Treat Your Mother Right". Then you can say it.
  
• Thriller U - easy-listening reggae singer.
  
• V?
  
• W?
  
• Generation X - punk band that spawned Billy Idol.
  
• Y?
  
• David Z - engineer/producer who worked with Prince and Fine Young Cannibals, among others.
  

Feeble Attempt At Humour

Costume party ideas.

• If your name is Eric, carry a wet sponge and dab the side of your head with it. When asked why you're not wearing a costume, say, "What do you mean? I'm Erick Dampier."
  
• If your name is Steve, wear a raincoat and a tiara. It will be obvious to all that you are Steve McQueen.
  
• If your name is Rob(b), set yourself on fire and say, "Look everyone! I'm Robert Burns!"
  
• If your name is Pat, jump on people from behind and announce that you're a Pat on the back.
  
• If your name is Shell, shave off your eyebrows, then paint on new ones about an inch above the originals. Walk around with your mouth hanging open. "I'm Shell-shocked."
  
• If your name is Jim, have a more talented older brother named John and get him to die young from a drug overdose. Then land a mediocre sitcom where your wife is played by an actress far too beautiful to be your real-life wife. You can then pass yourself off as Jim Belushi.
  

Lyrics Quiz: America

In honour of my return to these shores, an American Lyrics Quiz. Hint: one of these is by Morrissey.

1. She’s a good girl, loves her mama. Loves Jesus and America too.
   
2. Oh but ain’t that America for you and me. Ain’t that America, we’re something to see baby. Ain’t that America, home of the free.
   
3. Good morning, America, how are you? Don't you know me? I'm your native son.
   
4. Take a jumbo across the water. Like to see America. See the girls in California. I’m hoping it’s going to come true, but there’s not a lot I can do.
   
5. It’s on America’s tortured brow that Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow. Now the workers have struck for fame ‘cause Lennon’s on sale again.
   
6. Turn the key and slowly unlock the door, as a man breathes into a saxophone, and through the walls you hear the city groan. Outside is America.
   
7. Holly came from Miami F.L.A. Hitch-hiked her way across the U.S.A.
   
8. In Europe and America, there’s a growing feeling of hysteria, conditioned to respond to all the threats in the rhetorical speeches of the Soviets.
   
9. Every child had a pretty good shot to get at least as far as their old man got. But something happened on the way to that place. They threw an American flag in our face.
   
10. It’s coming to America first. The cradle of the best and of the worst. It’s here they got the range and the machinery for change. And it’s here they got the spiritual thirst.
    
11. In America, it brought you the hamburger. Well, America, you know where you can shove your hamburger. And don't you wonder why in Estonia they say, Hey you, Big fat pig, You fat pig, You fat pig.
    

Lyrics: Annette or Aimee

Fun lyrics game: Annette Funicello or Aimee Mann?. I scored 11 out of 16. Hooray for whoever created this quiz!

Song List: Johnny

Shell buries his contribution once again in the Comments section. Doesn't he know that no one ever reads the Comments? Here it is again:

Songs with "Johnny" either in the title or somewhere in the lyrics. For starters:

• "Angry Johnny" - Poe
• "Johnny Be Good" (sic) - Chuck Berry
• "Be Good" - Men at Work
• "Johnny Are You Queer" - Josie Cotton

Some he missed:

• "Johnny And Mary" - Robert Palmer
• "Johnny Was" - Bob Marley (and Stiff Little Fingers)
• "Johnny In The Echo Cafe" - Saint Etienne
• "When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again" - traditional
• "Johnny Mathis' Feet" - American Music Club

And songs that mention "Johnny":

• "Hey Hey My My (Into The Black)" and "My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)" by Neil Young
• "Walk Of Life" by Dire Straits
• "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore

Sports: Football

The headline at the Basque News And Information Channel is "Asier Del Horno's Chelsea beat Arsenal in the Community Shield". A bit parochial, no? Silly Basques. An anagram of his name is "El Senor Hairdo". Meanwhile, Didier Drogba (who actually scored the two goals) is "Odd Brigadier". And manager Jose Mourinho is "I'm Joe Honours".

And why did the Charity Shield become the Community Shield? Minor scandal, apparently, "for failing to disclose to ticket purchasers that only "profits" from the game would go to good causes, and for delaying the distribution of proceeds."

Advertising: Mazda

Risque commercial for Mazda, featuring a mannequin. As seen on British TV (but not, probably, US TV). Mind you, I haven't seen this ad on TV yet. (And while you're at Fat Campus, don't miss the early Jim Morrison video.

Health

Good news for women's health.

Words: Numpty, Sledging

The Brits do have some funny words, don't they? Numpty means "idiot", but sounds much nicer. Sledging means "insulting your opponent" in Cricket. More sledging.

And if you're missing baseball like I am, some Texas Rangers lowlights.

Sudoku etc.

USA Today has a nice Sudoku puzzle done in Flash. (Too easy though.)

Gizmodo has an interview with Jonathon Keats, a conceptual artist who has created a "camera" with a hundred year exposure.

Explanation of British number plates, including those tricksy Norn Iron plates.

Furniture: Funny Store Names

The name of this Northern Ireland furniture store makes me laugh: All Things Nice.