Sunday morning weirdness

For a second, I thought the Jesus cat might be in Minneapolis. There's that big mural of Jesus on one of the buildings as you cross, I think, the Fourth Street bridge--but I think that building is blue or something. Been a while. Damn, I miss Mpls.

Obviously, you need to visit. Minneapolis Pharyngufest!

Can we make it a funded conference?

things is getting spendy out here (I can't believe I used "spendy." I fucking hate that word):

Fares from Boston to its 58 most popular domestic destinations rose 27.5 percent this year over 2007, compared with a national average increase of 13.8 percent, according to data analyzed for the Globe by Farecast Live Search, an airfare tracking website formerly called Farecast.com. The increase reflects the average lowest fares listed daily between Jan. 1 and July 8 for travel within the next 90 days. Of the country's 39 largest airports, only four - New York's LaGuardia, Newark Liberty International, Ronald Reagan Washington National and Port Columbus airports - had bigger increases than Logan.

I love the octopult. Of course, as an engineer, Rube Goldberg is my hero.

The "octopult" really looks like it was inspired by this:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5503582578132361295

Minneapolis Pharyngufest!

When ?

Will there be squid and beer ?
Crackers ?
What about making it into a big Pharyngufest for us Pharyngulites from the rest of the world, I wouldn't mind taking a flight to the twin cities if it'd be worth it... and with that cheap Dollar of yours, probably wouldn't cost more than a weekend to London, so, why not ?

#5
I had the same thought. I have both the animusic DVD's, and that piece is one of my favorites.

LOL Cat Jebus?! Great billboard placement...

Quality!
~Dan
http://jazzsick.wordpress.com/

"You'll go down faster than a Portuguese soccer player on an ice rink" is now one of my favorite phrases.

Apparently had to take it down. Too many complaints about poor taste.

Reminded me of those Animusic shorts they put on between Dr. Who episodes on PBS, except that the octopult wasn't totally lame.

Mary, "Too many complaints about poor taste."

Yeah, our cats wouldn't eat kitekat.

Too many complaints about poor taste.

I'll say... putting a banner of a blood sacrifice from someone's genocidal tribalist mythology next to a billboard of an adorable kitty? Really poor taste. Cat lovers had every right to be offended.

Mary #10 "Apparently had to take it down. Too many complaints about poor taste."

Christians, eh. Absolutely no sense of humour. ;-)

Get Fuzzy regularly has good satire slipped in. It's become one of my favorite strips, along with Dilbert and Doonesbury. I think panels 4 and 5 are the best, though.

Hey, I'm the real Cat here! Never mind that phony clown with the crackers hanging on the side of the building. You can pet me, and I can purr. That imaginary moronic clown can only offer crackers that supposedly turns into his piss and shit. My real likeness is all around you; that likeness on the wall is only imaginary and only in the minds of demented retards. Meow!

Pharyngula provided a nice treat for a sunday morning!
I too thought a first it was the Minneapolis jebus, but
ours has a rainbow.
What a shame they took the cat down. It WAS in good taste!

And I was quite amused to see Bucky Cat again.

And the gizmo is fascinating.

Otto

Before watching it, I assumed the octoput was going to be trebuchet for octopuses--not sure if the trebuchet would launch the octopuses, or the octopuses would be using the trebuchet to launch what?--but as I was watching it reminded me of a circular firing squad (the inward-shooting type).

Of course, if it has been a catapult, then we'd have the explanation for the billboard: A certain cartoon cat ate a cracker and was launched...splat!

What's even funnier is that cat/jesus pic is placed right under an ad that reads "Meet your Christian soulmate today."

http://www.oddee.com/item_87332.aspx

Apropos of nothing: Hey, PZ, did you know that a sentence from your blog is used in the Urban Dictionary to illustrate SIWOTI?

Acronym for "someone is wrong on the internet." Describes the compulsion to post rebuttals to online nonsense, in the vain hope that it will somehow set the record straight.
I try to stay away from Dinesh D'Souza's ravings, but when you've got SIWOTI syndrome, the man is like a magnet of wrong. (PZ Myers, 3/April/2008)

How dare you desecrate Cat Jesus. have you no shame? We are calling for the faithful across the globe to protest your bigotry. You sir are threatening our very safety with your evil cyber string!

Executive Director
Catolic League

I like the octapult [sic], a lot. I like the magical dome that appears and disappears, apparently at whim. I like the way the cam in the center seems to gently undulate when viwed from a distance. I like most of all the sound of the octapult...natch'l riddim.

I like Get Fuzzy a lot, too, but that's not news.

Hey! Is that the Steorn prototype they finally got working?

If we're going to talk about weirdness, have you seen how they're teaching science in the UK these days?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0dyvoVV5Tk

#10

Apparently had to take it down. Too many complaints about poor taste.

Maybe if we serve the Kitkat on a Magic Cracker, it'd taste better?

Maybe if we serve the Kitkat on a Magic Cracker, it'd taste better?

We have to wait for it to bleed, though.

Get Fuzzy is great. Right up there with Pearls Before Swine.

Elf Eye @ 20 I feel the same way about that cesspit retard Dinesh D'Crapa, and look for evey opportunity to make him look like the crap he is. See what I mean?

Do want!

Not Bucky, of course. Poor poor Rob. I have enough trouble with the Dummkatz without him talking back. And I've only had him a week!

Here is more Sunday funnies

http://laughlines.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/19/a-modern-bible/

You should make the crackers look exactly like communion wafers, but with some seasoning to make them taste better.

And voila, god has evolved!

Largerpic of the billboard. Can anyone translate the Russian?

Ceiling Cat iz purrsekuted by infidulz! Ceiling Cat is watchin yoo. Betr be kareful, infidulz!

The octapult is fascinating and the soundtrack is hypnotic. Written by Philip Glass? Or Steve Reich. I can never tell.

The octopult is truly evidence for intelligent design :D

I'm liking that Octopult! It's very much like something one would see in the Animusic films... a bit simplistic, sure, but it works in real life and could easily lay down the base of the tune.

According to a friend who speaks Russian, the billboard says:
"The love of Boris in March is without bounds, if the food's excellent"

IvanM:

Can anyone translate the Russian?

I'm probably missing some cultural references, but I translate it as:

Boris's love in March knows no boundaries
if the food is excellent.

I suspect the "in March" bit might be a reference to a poem, or else I may be mistranslating a homonym.

To catch a cat in a pose like that, you invoke its preying instinct with a synthetic animal on a string. Cats are gullible like this because they enjoy pretending it is real.

Compare and contrast.

The octopult is pretty cool, but I have to say that this takes the cake.

I was wondering if you'd see that one. :-)

Of course, the amusing thing about that is that Bucky's ancestors *aren't* monkeys ...

"Apparently had to take it down."

Does it actually say that on the page you linked to? I scrolled through about 50 comments in lolspeak before giving up trying to find any actual information. It's funny when the cats talk like that, it's not funny when PEOPLE do!

I wouldn't mind the lolspeak if it weren't for the little crew of commenters who apparently have an all-day coffee break on there - plus the first twenty comments are about who's 'not-first'... I know these people are adults, they all admit to drinking alcohol.

IvanM:

Here is a translation: "Boris's love in March is limitless if food is excellent".

"In March" is a reference to a belief that male cats go crazy with love in March (it's called "martovskie koti" - "March's cats")

PS: I'm Russian.

I love that the cat is irritated at the accusation that it was descended from monkeys. It's sort of like the creationist trope, "you never see a half rabbit/ half alligator."

хорошая киска

--

Luvd the mesmerizing kinetics too... Thanks/спасибо. :)

I think Mussolini's army used the octopult during WWII.

MAJeff: That was not the Original Intent of the comment.

MAJeff: That was not the Original Intent of the comment.

The Portuguese soccer player one? Oh, I know it wasn't sexual.

If anyone is within ten yards of Cristiano Ronaldo, he's flying through the air, flopping around, and shrieking at the ref. It's even worse if they're close to him. (Somebody needs to stomp on and shatter his shin bone.)

#41: Bucky's ancestors probably ATE monkeys. His offense is understandable.

"I think Mussolini's army used the octopult during WWII"

It would go a long way to explaining their overall ineffectiveness.

There's a billboard about three blocks from here, in southwest Chicago, that says, "Behold, I am coming quickly. Jesus Christ."

Every time I see it, I have two nearly simultaneous thoughts: a) 2000+ years is 'quickly'??? and 2)JC as the poster child for PE!

Octopult. Wow.

There is a lot of love in that device. The brain loves the idea and the love, the dedication and the focus, goes to the eyes, to the hands, to the tools, to the raw material.

Much tweaking and adjusting that would drive some people to scream and flee. The brain knows it will work and that it must be just so in order to work. And eventually, behold, it works! To me, that's Art.

"Behold, I am coming quickly. Jesus Christ."

Poor Mary Magdalene must have been one frustrated lady.......

"I can haz res-erection?"