Wire tautology supercut:
NZ John Oliver takes on our media, via Angus.
Via d3vo, writers talk about obscure(ish) words they love
Neat graph charting sequels that exceed expectations from their first instalments, via Allen Varney.
We’ve been watching Top Gun wrong all this time: Iceman was right. And he wasn’t alone.
A glimpse at China’s renowned/feared university entrance exam.
The Hobbit film trilogy, recut so it’s just the Gandalf bits.
Via Jamie N, online game randomises the race of player avatars, and the predictable but still depressing thing happens!
NY Mag has a great, engaging account of how a massive scientific fraud was uncovered – you might have heard the stunning research that gay political canvassers could change people’s minds after a very short conversation? Turns out it was indeed too good to be true.
Kinda related, via Ivan: how a transparently fake diet science story ended up being reported all around the world as fact. Sorry, chocolate doesn’t help you lose weight.
Star Wars prequels – part of a genius hidden plan by George Lucas? Or is that guy just falling victim to the allure of confirmation bias & pattern recognition? Yeah, I think the second one, but this link is getting spread everywhere too.
Some kids in the 70s made their own versions of Jaws and Aliens, and they’re marvellous.
This Predator fan film, set in the Dark Ages, is really very good indeed.
And finally, via Pearce, the surprising thing that wrecked the economic viability of a Lego online game: the penis cost.
Ahh, Predator Dark Ages. I haven’t seen it yet and I’m not sure I will, knowing that some talent well behind the cameras didn’t have the best experience with the production (Dave R knows what I’m talkin’ about), but it certainly has a good buzz to it.
Also, go home Neat graph charting sequels that exceed expectations from their first instalments, you’re drunk! Since when was Wallace & Gromit Curse of the Wererabbit a sequel?? Since when was House II inferior to the original (no, don’t make me go and watch that movie, it’s perfectly great in my memory thankyou very much)
Flintstones Viva Rock Vegas was brave, occasionally unwatchable and deeply flawed. But, gosh… they might have something there!
hee hee 🙂
“We’ve been watching Top Gun wrong all this time: Iceman was right. And he wasn’t alone.”
Yeah, I think there’s a real wish fulfillment fantasy of being that person who is so incredibly good at what you do that you can be a complete jerk and still have people like you – and employ you. Then you grow up and have to work with jerks who aren’t as good as they think they are, or are that good but waste phenomenal amounts of your time dealing with their ego, and you get over it and start being interested in properties that emphasise tightly knit high performing teams.
You could make a TED talk out of that, Steph
Or make an Avengers movie!
🙂