Brendan I. Koerner's Blog, page 143
April 20, 2009
Truly Lilliputian Jockeys
To paraphrase a great eight-fingered, three-haired philosopher, there are few things in life that can’t be improved by the addition of a monkey. Such is the case with greyhound racing, an on-the-ropes pastime that briefly experimented with monkey jockeys during the Depression. According to a recent Australian reminiscence, things went awry due to the pint-sized simians’ competitive nature:
Alas, monkey racing was a short-lived phenomenon in Sydney, shut down for the pocket jockey’s own protection
The Bootlegger in Your Mouth
Over the weekend, Microkhan had the enormous pleasure of re-watching Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, about a daft German’s attempt to build an opera house in early 20th-century Iquitos. Without giving too much away, the quest brings him in contact with an Amazonian tribe that prepares chicha the old-fashioned way: By balling up the maize in their mouths, and letting their saliva do the fermenting.
Upon seeing this scene, Microkhan wondered how such a thing could be possible. Fortunately, the good f
The “Threat” of Broader Faces
A century ago, the Dillingham Commission was charged with investigating the societal impact of immigration, particularly from Eastern and Southern Europe. The Congressional panel duly churned out a 41-volume report that, for all its regal language and intricate graphs, contains some of the vilest pseudoscientific drivel ever committed to print. Of particular interest to Microkhan is Volume 38, a 580-page behemoth entitled Changes in Bodily Form of Descendants of Immigrants. The report’s author,
April 18, 2009
April 17, 2009
Ninjas and Coincidence
One of the things I’ve learned while writing the Now the Hell Will Start screenplay is that it’s tough to make coincidences believable. They’re often necessary for the plot to move forward, alas, so you have to finesse them. You certainly don’t want audience members turning to each other to say, “Um, that wouldn’t happen in a million years.”
For this week’s Bad Movie Friday, I’d like to highlight a flick where the screenwriters definitely didn’t achieve even a scintilla of credibility: American
Second Best by Choice
In terms of risk-to-reward ratio, there are few sports that can compete with unlimited hydroplaning. While the sport is far less deadly than in bygone days, it’s still not for the faint-of-heart. And unlike such daredevil fare as stock-car racing, there is relatively limited glory to be had (at least outside of the Pacific Northwest). C’mon—how many top unlimited hydroplaners can you name without Googling? Yeah, we thought so.
Well, here are two names to get you started: Bill Muncey and Chip Hana
Bombs and Otters
There’s such a wealth of fascinating tidbits in this National Nuclear Security Administration archive, it’s hard to know where to begin. Many of the goodies, such as this mind-blowing clip from Operation Castle, will already be familiar to students of atomic-testing history. But others are of a much rarer nature, and some were declassified just last month. The whole catalogue is worth a scan, starting with the two clips from Amchitka, an Aleutian Island where the military conducted three might u
April 16, 2009
“Four-Toothed Child Was Wild”
I’m off to screenplay for the rest of the afternoon, so I’ll leave y’all with a classic from the Wu-Tang Golden Era. The video is just average shakes up until the part where Ghostface dons the bathrobe. From that point forward, it’s all gravy. (Question: Why are bathrobes generally verboten outside the home? Who will be the fashion icon who liberates us from this tyranny?)
A few years back, I saw Pete Rock do a DJ set during Def Jux’s CMJ showcase. When he put on this record, the crowd went abso
The Decline of Braille
Whenever I’m in an elevator, I take note of whether or not the button numbers are printed in Braille. Not entirely sure why, but I’ve always thought Braille was a brilliant invention—simple, intuitive, and oh-so-useful. And it’s got such a cool backstory, with its roots in 19th-century French spycraft.
But according to a recent report from the National Federation of the Blind, Braille is on its way out:
Fewer than 10 percent of the 1.3 million legally blind Americans read Braille, the system of ra
The Losers Club
Those of you who read Microkhan’s debut post know that management reserves the right to veer away from estoerica on occasion, and delve into topics of a far more personal nature. Well, this is one of those times. Read on if you’d like a brief peek inside Microkhan’s troubled heart; otherwise, fear not, the polymathism will continue shortly.
Last night, Microkhan’s beloved Los Angeles Clippers ended the NBA season in typical fashion—by getting absolutely shellacked. After slogging through yet anot
