RIP Martin Mull (1943–2024)

Comedic actor, musician, and painter Martin Mull dies yesterday.

I found out about him via the song "Dueling Tubas", which I first learned about in Physics 2a through an acoustics demo by now-Nobel Laureate David Politzer.

My musically-inclined classmates were in emotional pain.

Jose Canseco's Plans for Terraforming Mars

José Canseco has announced his plans for terraforming Mars on Twitter.

Clearly, this is a follow-up to his theory of gravity.

I love the terse 'trending' headline on Twitter.

Hunter's Hitters

Giants outfielder Hunter Pence is good at comedy. This video is really damn funny! I wonder whose idea it was? (And while you're on this page, you might just want to click on the link that leads to more funny baseball-related clips.)

The Most Important Anniversary of 2012

And I bet you know what it is, too?

That's right: 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of what is probably George Carlin's most famous skit.

The man was a comic genius, and much of what he had to say back then still rings true today.

How many of those words can you say on television now? :)

"I want to boot some head, too."

I just watched a few videos on YouTube related to the two skits by The Frantics in which heads get booted.

First, here is a pretty amusing World of Warcraft version of "Tai Quan Leap". (When I write "version", I am referring to the graphics that go with the soundtrack.)

Second, here is an awesome Phoenix Wright version of "Last Will and Temperament".

Finally, here is a live version of "Last Will and Temperament" which isn't very good. The YouTube label claims it's actually being done by The Frantics, but I have trouble believing it.

Also, I started watching a Super Smash Brothers Brawl version on which I gave up pretty quickly. It didn't look like it was going to be worth watching.

RIP George Carlin (1937-2008)

George Carlin died yesterday, apparently of heart failure. Here is the New York Times obituary.

George Carlin was one of my favorite comedians (if not my favorite), and I thankfully had the chance to once see him perform live. Many consider him quite offensive, but I love his stuff. I highly recommend googling to find his 'Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television' skit. It's awesome.

Here is an excellent quote from George Carlin that appears in the article: "Scratch any cynic and you’ll find a disappointed idealist."

Ig Nobel performance in Oxford (March 6th)

A quick note for the locals...

There is going to be an Ig Nobel UK tour in March, which includes a a performance in Oxford on Thursday March 6th. It should be extremely good!


And in honor of today, I think it's worth pointing out the winner if the
2000 Ig Nobel prize in chemistry:


CHEMISTRY
Donatella Marazziti, Alessandra Rossi, and Giovanni B. Cassano of the
University of Pisa, and Hagop S. Akiskal of the University of California
(San Diego), for their discovery that, biochemically, romantic love may be
indistinguishable from having severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
[REFERENCE: "Alteration of the platelet serotonin transporter in romantic
love," Marazziti D, Akiskal HS, Rossi A, Cassano GB, Psychological Medicine,
1999 May;29(3):741-5.]


I hope I eventually get one of these, although my original plan to do it by
levitating a sumo wrestler has already been taken. :(

Old school broadcast: Bill Murray filling in for Harry Caray

On Rob Neyer's blog on ESPN on Wednesday was a link to five clips of the Cubs-Expos game from 1987 in which Bill Murray filled in for Harry Caray. The play-by-play announcer for that game was Steve Stone, who is a really good announcer.

I actually saw parts of this game many years ago, but I had completely forgotten about this. Bill Murray was hilarious, and he said some things that would get people in trouble nowadays if they said them during a broadcast. (Actually, Murray said things that would be considered much worse than things that have gotten people in trouble. Of course, many of those comments were funny. Naturally, we would still be able to see that stuff in a stand-up comedy routine.) This game was a famous one in which the umpires' uniforms didn't arrive, so the game was delayed as they tried to find a mish-mosh of things to wear. Also noteworthy is that one player on the Cubs roster that day, Jamie Moyer, is still pitching in the Major Leagues.

Words of wisdom from George Carlin

Courtesy Lemming, here is a link to 101 George Carlin quotes. (Carlin turned 70 on May 12th.)

For those of you who don't know, Carlin is my favorite comedian.