Interesting Links for 06-09-2017

[andrewducker]

I have seen 12 of the 100 Worst Movies Ever - How many have you seen?

(tags: movies epicfail )

On Progress and Historical Change. (Deep, detailed, worth your time)

(tags: history change science Technology society )

Engineering Problems for New Parents

(tags: babies exams funny viaSwampers )

Scotland announces automatic pardons for people convicted of same-sex offences.

(tags: scotland lgbt law AlanTuring )

Wind farms are hardly the bird slayers they're made out to be—here's why

(tags: birds windpower viaPatrickHadfield )

Neural networks can name guinea pigs

(tags: names cute ai )

The British antifa of 1947

(tags: fascism wwii history uk )

Efficient Air-Conditioning Beams Heat into Space

(tags: heat efficiency )

Being a Star Wars Director Is the Worst Job in the Galaxy

(tags: StarWars )

The Etiquette of the Victorian Handshake: Advice on Opposite Sex Greetings

(tags: gender etiquette history )

Eating meat linked to higher risk of diabetes

(tags: meat diabetes )

Octacosanol helps you sleep when you're stressed (if you're a mouse)

(tags: stress sleep )

How to Recognize Burnout Before You’re Burned Out

(tags: stress work mentalhealth )

This is the best explanation I've read of how the mind works (and ties in nicely with my preconceptions/guesses on the matter)

(tags: brain mind perception )

Conservative leadership favourite totally opposed to abortion and marriage equality.

Part of me would *love* for him to be their leader at the next election, because it would doom them. And part of me worries - what if he got in?
(tags: abortion lgbt marriage equality Conservatives )

"Woman trapped in window trying to retrieve poo after Tinder date" is my new favourite dating story

(tags: relationships faeces funny )

America’s Shifting Religious Makeup Could Spell Trouble For Both Parties

(tags: politics religion usa )

Comments

[lovelyangel]

I guess it's a good thing that I don't watch many movies, and I'm happy to say the last one I watched was Wonder Woman. Of the 100 worst movies, I've seen only one – Plan 9 From Outer Space. If you're going to watch a bad movie, might as well see the worst one of all time.

[andrewducker]

I quite enjoyed some of them. Spice World was a lot of fun!

I have seen 12 of the 100 Worst Movies Ever - How many have you seen?

[jack]

Nine. Some mostly by accident, a few, non-ironically on purpose. I'm not sure when it rates me it's rating me on how many, or how few :)

Elektra, Jonah Hex, I really *wanted* to be good, but fell very flat.

The recent Fantastic Four I thought it genuinely added some worthwhile things to fantastic four worldbuilding, while overall not really being a success. I was glad I watched it, and wish it could have been done better, while not really recommending it to others.

I feel like, if they ever actually filled in a second Highlander movie after I and before um IV (?), it would deserve a whole page by itself http://www.galactanet.com/comic/view.php?strip=109

Re: I have seen 12 of the 100 Worst Movies Ever - How many have you seen?

[andrewducker]

Oh God, yes. I saw Highlander 2 in the cinema, and there are few cinematic experiences I regret as much.

(Maybe "Batman & Robin")

[fanf]

I have seen 3 or 5 ish of those terrible movies. One to add to the list: do not watch the 2017 version of The Saint.

[andrewducker]

Noted!

Diabetes

[fanf]

Weird that the press release doesn't talk about how the study controlled for other factors such as sugar consumption.

[calimac]

I've seen only 2 of the 100 worst movies. Rocky & Bullwinkle & Howard the Duck. Both because I liked what they were based on. Both I thought rather dull, but not actively bad. None were even a fraction as bad as the 4 worst movies I've ever seen, none of which are on that list at all: First Knight, My Own Private Idaho, Napoleon Dynamite (what it is about movies set in Idaho?), and the all-time worst movie I've ever seen, The Phantom Menace.

The article on bird strikes is completely statistically incomprehensible. I could write a critique about its holes and inconsistencies, but why bother?

The article on Rees-Mogg sounds so shocked that he'd oppose abortion after rape. It's a common position among abortion foes in the US, though. Some abortion foes had noticed that it was inconsistent to declare the fetus an innocent that had to be protected and at the same time show enough mercy to rape victims to allow them to abort. So they decided to be merciless instead.

Articles on mind and progress look fascinating, but too long to read while surfing your link list for comments. Saved for later.

[coth]

Thank you for the long essay on progress. And for what I found when I poked around the website. You have enriched my life.

[andrewducker]

My pleasure. I should have a poke around myself - but if you find anything great then let me know!

[danieldwilliam]

I've seen

The Bicentennial Man
Catwoman
Fantastic Four
Home Alone 4
Ishtar
The Last Airbender
The Smurfs
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Spice World
Supergirl
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
White Chicks
Zardoz

So 13.

Whilst I don't think any of the one's I've seen are good I'm not sure that they are the worst movies of all time.

Mind you, I'm struggling to think of any that are worse.

[jack]

Oh, I didn't see Spice World. That's another one. I didn't think it was *good*, but it was fun, I liked their attitude "we're famous so we're going to have a fucking blast" rather than try to do something over-serious that wouldn't have played to their strengths.

I'm never sure what I count as most "bad". Some films are aggressively bad, but sufficiently schlocky I'm sort of interested in it. Some are just really bland and boring and mediocre. Some catastrophically offend me in multiple ways, but are possibly worthwhile to someone else...

[danieldwilliam]

Aye, there are movies that are not "good" but are fun, and movies that are good but which are unpleasant and movies which try to do something and fail and movies that are just dull. Oh, and of course, movies that are good but which one doesn't get on with. I don't like Peter Greenaway films very much but I think he's a good filmmaker.

I found the Spice Girls fun and energising and the movie was more of the same.

[andrewducker]

I also enjoyed Spice World.

(And listened to the album quite a lot too.)

[danieldwilliam]

i am very much looking forward to the Rees-Mogg premiership but I think he'll be used as a stalking horse for someone else and that that someone else is probably little more than stalking horse for a third party.

I found this article on Political Betting thought provoking.

http://www2.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2017/09/03/the-body-in-number-10-solving-the-mystery-of-theresa-mays-replacement/

[andrewducker]

Thank you, that was fascinating.

[killerweasel]

I have seen 52 of those movies and some of them are ones I like because bad movies can be fun to watch. LOL

Zardoz does have Sean Connery in one of the best future outfits ever. Troll 2 is the worst movie of all times (there's a documentary to prove it). Still haven't seen The Room, but James Franco is playing the guy from it in his new movie and that looks amusing.

[theandrewhickey]

I've seen ten of those films (counting Manos, which I've only seen in the MST3K version), but don't think either Zardoz or Santa Claus The Movie deserve to be on the list.

[naath]

4. I quite liked Spice World and Bicential Man, Manos and plan 9 and aaaaawfuuuuuull

[danieldwilliam]

Here is a short article from Bloomberg about how the RSPB inadvertantly boosted the profitability of a windfarm development by delaying the financial close on the turbine procurement for years whilst still allowing the developers to claim renwable subsidies at rates from years ago.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-07/where-foes-of-wind-turbines-may-enrich-developers-they-oppose

[bohemiancoast]

I've been cautious about sharing my adoration of BBC Pidgin because I suspect it's got a faintly racist edge, but you'd have to be hard-hearted not to love "Woman wan troway poo-poo, come trap for window" - https://www.bbc.com/pidgin/tori-41171196

[andrewducker]

I hadn't encountered that at all! Fascinating stuff.

(And I'm definitely in favour of them going where the readers are, and if that's what they speak, then that's how to talk to them.)

[luzclarita]

I *literally* had the same thought when Trump was picked for the Republican party -- "Good, well that dooms them." You don't want it.

[melchar]

I've seen 20 of those on the list. IMO 3 or 4 of them weren't -that- bad [and I can easily think of worse].

Absolute BEST line in reaction to 'Highlander 2' came from a friend when my scifi club went on opening night. We filled 2 full rows in a packed theatre. My friend said in his deep, booming voice as movie faded to black = "There should have only been one!"

... he got applause from the entire audience [not just our group]