cultural observation
grrlscientist | May 2, 2010tags: I'm A Teabagger For Jesus, teabaggers, America, poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia, socialism,humor, funny, satire, fucking hilarious, social commentary, cultural observation, Edward Current, streaming video
What would Jesus do to help America? In this video, William Current, one of my favorite social satirists, explains how he decided that he would be a Teabagger. No taxation without representation!
grrlscientist | May 1, 2010tags: Funny Cide, horse racing, horses, retired racehorses, HorseracingTV, streaming video
Funny Cide gave America something to cheer about in 2003 as the first New York bred in history to win the Kentucky Derby. He went on to capture the Preakness Stakes winning easily by ten lengths. However, he lost by four lengths to Empire Maker in the Belmont on a very muddy track (Funny Cide hated mud).
As he walked back towards the grandstand, the crowd continued to cheer for Funny Cide, "America's Horse," and boo the winner Empire Maker. Funny Cide's owner Barclay Tagg, after retiring Funny Cide,…
grrlscientist | April 30, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, Speedyconkiwi, streaming video
German for Boneheads: lesson one. How to ask for six fish at the pet store without inadvertently ending up with 60 fish.
I still love Sulkasiipi.
grrlscientist | April 28, 2010tags: Prometheus and Bob, Breakfast, behavior, space alien, caveman, humor, funny, comedy, animation, art, streaming video
This hilarious video shows the space alien trying eat breakfast with Bob, who is more interested in grabbing an eagle egg from a tree-top nest. Unfortunately, the birds are not cooperating.
grrlscientist | April 28, 2010tags: British vs American Slang, Ellen Degeneres, Hugh Laurie, television, humor, comedy, streaming video
The fantastically talented Hugh Laurie paid a house call to Ellen, and they played an exciting game of American slang versus English slang -- and the game was bloody brilliant!
The slang that Ellen chose as "American" baffled me, too (was it actually "Ellen slang" instead of American slang?), although I did understand the British slang .. hrm.
grrlscientist | April 26, 2010tags: Du bist Terrorist, You are a terrorist, internet security, online censorship, politics, satire, social control, cultural observation, social commentary, streaming video
Du bist Terrorist (or "You are a terrorist" -- yes, this video has English subtitles) is a satirical response to two official German social-marketing-campaigns. One of them, Du bist Deutschland (You are Germany), was promoting nationalism and a child-friendly Germany, Du bist Terrorist is a look at today's politics in Germany, where all citizens are viewed with general suspicion and Germany has become a preventive…
grrlscientist | April 26, 2010tags: Cleanternet, internet security, online porn, online censorship, politics, satire, comedy, humor, cultural observation, social commentary, streaming video
Cleanternet is a campaign to support European Commissioner Cecilia Malmström in her plans to introduce a website blocking system in Europe.
grrlscientist | April 25, 2010tags: Parrots the Universe and Everything, biogeography, lemurs, twig technology, conservation, endangered species, evolution, komodo dragons, kakapo, baiji, comedy, Douglas Adams, streaming video
Douglas Adams was the best-selling British author and satirist who created The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy [DVD]. In this talk at UCSB recorded shortly before his tragic and untimely death, Adams shares hilarious accounts of some of the apparently absurd lifestyles of the world's creatures, and gleans from them extraordinary perceptions about the future of humanity.
grrlscientist | April 25, 2010tags: What Would Jesus Do?, Axis of Awesome, music video, religion, cults, mind control, offbeat, beliefs, comedy, fucking hilarious, streaming video
Yesterday, I ran a video that featured the Australian comedy music group, Axis of Awesome and their take on the science of popular music. Today, just in time for Sunday sacrilege, I am sharing another of their music videos; "What Would Jesus Do?", performed live, during Good News Week.
grrlscientist | April 24, 2010tags: Zeitgeist: The Greatest Story Ever Sold, documentary, television, religion, cults, mind control, offbeat, beliefs, history, mythology, streaming video
These multi-part videos are from a television exploration into the story of religion: the greatest story ever sold to the public by the power elites, who shamelessly use religion as a way to control the masses (includes Spanish subtitles).
Part 2 (the relationship between ancient myths and christianity and judaism; the relationship between astrology and christianity, etc.):
Part 3 (origin of the symbol of the cross, the meaning of the…
grrlscientist | April 24, 2010tags: The Four Chord Song, Axis of Awesome, Jordan Raskopoulos, Lee Naimo, Benny Davis, funny, comedy, silly, humor, fucking hilarious, streaming video
This amusing video investigates the science behind popular music: Australian comedy group 'Axis Of Awesome' performs a sketch from the 2009 Melbourne International Comedy Festival where they play parts of popular songs to demonstrate their claim that popular music contains only four cords that are rearranged. Somewhat.
Footage courtesy of Network Ten Australia. More information about Axis of Awesome.
grrlscientist | April 23, 2010tags: Things You CAN'T Do When You're NOT a Dog, behavior, silly, humor, fucking hilarious, streaming video
To kick off this week's Silly Saturday, here's a ridiculous look at what dogs can get away with but humans can't. (I've watched this several times and am surprised I haven't used it yet on the blog, so here it is now).
grrlscientist | April 23, 2010tags: Deutsch für Doofe, German for Boneheads, German language, education, streaming video
Okay, let's face the facts: my German sucks. Every time someone says something to me in German, my first reaction is to either respond in Spanish or Indonesian or (surprisingly) Japanese. As a result, I am left stammering my way through a ragtag collection of phrases in several languages, and no one, not even I, can understand what I am trying to say. So I am too intimidated to attempt to practice speaking my piss-poor German because the Germans are not very forgiving of idiots (forgetting of course,…
grrlscientist | April 22, 2010tags: The Secret Life of Scientists, careers, Webby Awards, scientists, public outreach, educational, funny, documentary, NOVA, PBS, streaming video
Okay, my peeps, I need your help. PBS is airing a NOVA series called "The Secret Life of Scientists." This miniseries has been nominated for a Webby Award for the Best Documentary Series, and is almost tied with a David Lynch film. We need your help to push this one over the top and give it the support of the people! I've embedded a clip below that I know you will enjoy (interestingly, I know several of these scientists in real life, too). So…
grrlscientist | April 21, 2010tags: Prometheus and Bob, behavior, space alien, caveman, humor, funny, comedy, animation, art, streaming video
What happens when a space alien tries to 'edumacate' a caveman? This video is hilarious (as are all the others in the series) and no one dies, or (to the best of my knowledge) says anything vulgar, although Bob (who sounds suspiciously like Homer Simpson) does lose his hair ... Hrm.
grrlscientist | April 20, 2010tags: Take Your Daughter to Work Day, Star Wars, Stormtrooper father, comedy, humor, parody, satire, silly, fucking hilarious, streaming video
A funny look at a stormtrooper whose wife demands that he takes his daughter to work with him and the events that transpire as a result.
Read more about the 2010 campaign to bring our daughters and sons to work.
grrlscientist | April 19, 2010tags: The Danger of Science Denial, vaccines, modern medicine, poverty, environmental destruction, science, cultural observation, film maker, animal behavior, Michael Specter, TEDTalks, streaming video
Vaccine-autism claims, "Frankenfood" bans, the herbal cure craze: All point to the public's growing fear (and, often, outright denial) of science and reason, says Michael Specter. He warns the trend spells disaster for human progress.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their…
grrlscientist | April 17, 2010tags: What Is Scientology?, scientology, religion, cults, mind control, Thetan, silly, offbeat, beliefs, Xenu, L Ron Hubbard, television, Boston Legal, streaming video
James Spader explains Scientology in an episode of of the television program, Boston Legal.
grrlscientist | April 17, 2010tags: Hevisaurus, Viimeinen Mammutti, Finnish Dinosaur Rock, Tavastia Klubi, Helsinki Finland, music video, humor, funny, silly, streaming video
Finnish Dinosaur Rock aimed specifically at the under 5 crowd -- now why don't they do fun stuff like this in Germany??
Hevisaurus played live at the Tavastia Klubi in Helsinki, Finland. Guess where I wasn't in November 2009??
grrlscientist | April 15, 2010tags: Rick Rolling NYC's A Train, music, a cappella, NYC Life, New York City, A Train, travel, cultural observation, cities, University of Oregon, On The Rocks, The Green Room, Never Going to Give You Up, streaming video
Watching this video of a group of West Coast guys singing a cappella on the A train made me want to cry because I miss NYC, its subways and all the fun people I experienced while riding the A train. I would like to suggest to these guys to try rick rolling the A train between 59th and 125th street instead so they aren't interrupted by the conductor and people having to climb…