The Gernsback biology lab

A little while back my friend D and I were bringing the snark concerning some vintage pulp SF covers via chat:

Me: But never mind that, take a look at this!
D: Those helmets were a SF prediction that never came to pass.
Me: It was rejected in the design meetings for the video iPod
Me: This one made me think of what we were saying yesterday.
Me: It looks like that alien has been working on his abs
D: To impress the Earth ladies.
Me: As always
Me: Now that I look at it, I can't tell whether it might be a guy in red spandex and a contraption over his eyes.
D: You have to read "Master Mind of Mars" to find out.
Me: I assume the guy who isn't red is the TA
D: TAs aren't supposed to be shirtless
Me: It must be an advanced lab
D: He should have a lab coat at least.
Me: He might be using his garments to wipe down that fork-holder
Me: Meanwhile the lady in the background is like "Can I get some service around here?!"
D: I wonder what "details" the second picture is supposed to be showing.
Me: Male pattern baldness?
D: Are those tufts of hair poking out of the red skullcap?
Me: I think he spent too much time inside the video diving helmet and this is what happened.
Me: At least they should have plenty of boysenberry syrup.
Me: I wouldn't be surprised if these covers were the reason the economy collapsed two years later.

We are by nature each too gentlemanly to make any snide comments about the appearance of the women, I would like to point out. It is not as if either of us have demonstrated a superior level of artistic achievement ourselves, but really, now.

Budweiser? Yes, Budweiser, for your consideration

Yesterday a bunch of us went out to lunch and I had the opportunity to sample a brew I had not had before. Here are some very subjective tasting notes.

Venue: Charlie Brown's steakhouse restaurant (Old Tappan, NJ). One person in our party remarked that the room seemed a bit warmer than we had expected, given past experiences elsewhere and the cold temperatures outside.

Under test: Budweiser American Ale, 16 oz., on draft.

About the name: Fox News was nowhere within sight at the time, though there were little popup cards on the table with a picture of Uncle Sam in his customary posture. It seems to me the kind of thing that every native son should be having this week into next if the opportunity presents itself.

Color: Amber, distinctly tending toward the red end of the spectrum, contrasting greatly with the pale insipid straw color of the Bud Light one of my lunch companions was having.

Body: Of medium density, though not really what anyone would consider heavy. The appearance was slightly cloudy, leading one to speculate to what degree it has been subjected to filtration. The person sitting to my right complained that the glasses were cold enough to support ice crystals, which while exaggerated might have something to do with the sensation of specific gravity.

Head: Almost minimal, maybe 0.5 cm on top, which is more or less incidental. It seems to me that with heavier bodied beers (porters and stouts) the head has a stronger influence on the taste of the brew by skimming off some of the ingredients, but not in this case.

Temperature: Rather cold, with a good deal of condensation on the outside of the glass.

First impression: The first sip had an impact that was somewhat substantial, clean without being soapy, just a slight amount toward the acid as is typical of many ales. No metallic or harsh notes noted, making it seem like more of a European style beer with a sort of elegance.

Hops: Were there hops? I didn't notice too much of the puckery feel, but there must have been some of this going on. Someone asked me how the beer was and I said that it tasted "red," kind of the way it looks, though not as much as that other ersatz European-style product, Killian's. Is it caramel?

Finish: Pretty clean and short-lived. It was not one of those kinds that had me reaching for the plate of salty things from the salad bar to counteract the aftertaste.

Food pairing: It might not be substantial enough to stand on its own, but seemed to go pretty well with the grilled tuna salad I was having, better than a lager would have I think. If you were having something heavy like a cheeseburger or a Sicilian pizza it probably would be overwhelmed flavor-wise.

Satisfaction: I only had the one, but I am a lightweight that way. But beer is not the kind of thing that really makes me want to have a number of rounds.

Aftereffects: Conviviality enhanced, somewhat toward the silly end of the spectrum. It was not so strong as to have obscured my memories of what went on or led to anything I much regret. I had a strong coffee about an hour later, much appreciated. A drink always makes me want to lie in bed a little longer when the alarm goes off the next morning.

I want to be relieved

Ten things I gleaned from the second X-Files film:

1. Despite a lifetime of medical training, it is legitimate to believe hallucinations can come from Satan.


2. West Virginia is about 15 minutes from Washington, DC.


3. When abducting the victim of a motor vehicle accident, it is okay to punch out the side window and drag the victim 100 yards - no one will notice.


4. Parents' wishes don't matter in the care of a minor child; whatever the attending physician decides is enough.


5. During a footchase of an elusive, homicidal suspect in an ill-lit, unfamiliar area, keep in touch with your partner by screaming at the top of your voice.


6. When you work for the FBI, they won't give you a handgun, even if you're a young female living alone in a rural area.


7. Unless you're an Assistant Director.


8. Speaking of rural areas, you will find that in West Virginia, dogs are uncommon.


9. When guarding your evil clinic, plan on having no more than a single attack dog in the pack.


10. You are advised to hate and fear the Roman Catholic Church, and all the creepy priests, and all her empty promises.

What passes for a movie review

I was IM'ing with my buddy D the other day and this transpired:

(6:23:58 PM) me: I did go to see Iron Man this weekend tho

(6:24:04 PM) D: How was it?

(6:24:38 PM) D: The comment I heard was that, unlike many superhero movies, the lead character is not a teenager/young adult trying to fit in.

(6:24:45 PM) me: Worth a matinee price. Robert Downey Jr: good. Jeff Bridges: pretty good. Mrs. Coldplay: did not have much to work with.

(6:24:58 PM) me: No, he's a CEO.

(6:26:01 PM) D: We definitely need more entertainment that helps boost the self-esteem of insecure CEOs.

(6:27:02 PM) me: I kept wondering whether it will get released in Germany under the name Eisenmensch

(6:27:18 PM) D: Everything sounds more sinister in German.

(6:27:23 PM) me: Eisenmann sounds like a person of the Jewish faith.

(6:27:41 PM) me: But he does turn into a mensch in the 2nd half

(6:27:56 PM) D: Is mensch German, or Yiddish?

(6:28:04 PM) me: Probably the latter.

(6:28:59 PM) me: Someone pointed out that Puccini's Madama Butterfly seems completely different if you refer to it as Frau Schimmerling instead

(6:29:00 PM) D: Superman was Ubermensch in Niezsche. He wasn't Jewish.

(6:29:09 PM) me: Oh, that's right.

Uff da

Schadenfreude is the sensation of pleasure upon perceiving the pain of others. The predominate feeling I got when we went to see a matinee show of The Queen this weekend was something close to the opposite - a feeling of pain in sympathy for the grief that another person was inflicting upon themselves. Up around Minnesota and thereabouts, when one sees someone else stub their toe or drop their change down the gutter the common expression that one employs is uff da. The sense is that one could imagine the same kind of thing happening to oneself as well.

In the context of this film, watching the royals persist doggedly to go in one direction while the larger part of their subjects were going down another, stuck in a kind of behavior once felt to be admirable and dignified but which later was to be viewed as arrogant and callous, elicited dread in me for the harm they were bringing upon themselves. Maybe if they were portrayed as more culpable and scheming, rather than simply mean-spirited and out of touch, I could take some satisfaction in their comeuppance, but at the climax of the film, my sentiments were such that I wanted them to find their way out of the mess they were in. Uff da, that's a bad thing to have so many think so poorly of you.