Fantasist's Scroll

Do not go to this site drunk!
This very plain-looking site, called the Zoom Quilt, hides freaky, phantasmagoric art like you’ve never seen. There are three “versions”, including the Windows screensaver, but I reccomend the Flash version, which is automated. Basically, you’ve got a series of paintings done by different artists that have a combined theme and elements that tie all the paintings together into a looping sequence. It’s way trippier than it sounds, though, so go check it out.

Aw, c’mon, it’s Friday, so go click the link!

Remember when I posted about an unusual star system some time back?
Well, according to this article on Space.com, there’s even more evidence that such a system can not only be possible, but may actually exist! Hey, I’m a visionary! (Well, okay, I had help from an astrophysist, but, still, I did imagine it.) So, it’s possible that somewhere out there a planetary system very much like Hoffman’s Quartet exists. How cool is that?
Oh, by the way, I have that document that I mentioned in the other post. I finally got it scanned in and proofed. So, I’ve also finally uploaded it. You can find it here, on the World Building page.

Oooo, freaky!
I’ve always loved the surrealist Hieronymus Bosch. His visions of Hell are so strange and disturbing, I can really believe that he might be right? Of course, I’ve been told that I’m not quite right in the head anyway and I’ve always loved all the surrealists, so I may be biased. On the other hand, someone thought it was cool enough to make these: Hieronymus Bosch Action Figures. It doesn’t look like you can actually buy them, but oh, the idea….

And, anyway, it’s a freaky Fun Friday Link, right? (Go ahead, no one’s looking. Just click on it!)

Right out of science-fiction.
I can’t even begin to recall all the different science-fiction books and movies that used fingerprints as identification for everything, including monetary transactions. Well, now it’s reality. According to this news story from Cnet.com, Thriftway has setup something called “Pay By Touch” which lets you pay with your fingerprint. Of course, there is a setup procedure and this is only good in Thriftway stores, right now, but it’s still there. How long before it spreads? Can Walmart be far behind? I would bet they will be because the article claims that Pay By Touch now “makes up 30 percent of Thriftway’s electronic payments”. Cool.

Okay, specifically, Star Trek Hooch.
You’d think I was an alchoholic with all the references I have made to strong drink over the years, but, really, I’ve been doing it in the interest of science. Or, science-fiction. Or something like that. In any case, no one has better fictional liquor than Star Trek. (Personally, I think it was a “thing” with Roddenberry, but that’s just me.) In fact, someone’s put together a rather decent history of hooch in Trek: Star Trek Hooch. Take a look!

Aw, go on! It’s Friday, traditional day of the drunkard, so click the link.

This comes to us from Gizmodo.
Apparently, the latest “cool” thing in Japan are keychain arboratums, with actual, live plants! You can transplant them when they get too big, which doesn’t look like it would take too long, frankly. These are actual, real growing plants so small that they can fit on a keychain.

I guess it’s better than Hello Kitty sex toys!
Aw, go look at it, you know you want to! Besides, it’s Friday, you deserve it!

Hmm, there have been a lot of rat-brain stories lately…
No, really, there have been a lot of stories about experiments done with rat brains. First, there was the story about the scientists in Florida who got a rat brain to pilot an aircraft. Then, there was a story about the android run by a rat brain. But, when I got really got me thinking was when I saw this article about how rats can tell the difference between two languages.
Taken separately, they don’t seem like a big deal, but, what happens when you combine them together into a single package? How long before we see these freakish things on the battlefield? Truth is stranger than fiction. But, you know what? A science-fiction author predicted this kind of thing back in the early 80’s. Yep, Joe Clifford-Faust, author of “Company Man”. He didn’t get much attention back then, I thought, but he sure seems right on the money with his predictions. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

WHAT?!?
What the devil am I doing talking about free porn on this very non-adult blog? Simple, talking about free porn is the fastest way to get hits. Sad, but true. In fact, John Dvorak has written an article about this called Free Porn Magic For You.
I used to think that the Internet had improved with age, that we’d finally gotten past all the free porn, or “pron” if you’re one of the hip, out-of-work webdesigners from the 90’s, and had moved on to something more meaningful. I guess I was wrong. If you read the article, you’ll see that what holds true from the earlier days of the Internet still, sadly, holds true today. People are looking for free porn on the Internet. Now, the hits I generally get via searches on Google, and company, aren’t filled with porn terms, movies, or “performers”, so I’m not really expecting a lot of traffic boost, but, well, it can’t hurt. Can it? You know, I’m already starting to feel a bit slimy with all that.
Damn, how else can I boost ratings on this site? For pity’s sake, I know hundreds of people hit this site on a daily and weekly basis, but I have only one sad, lonely Bloglines subscriber. Just one. Did I mention that Bloglines is a free service? And they have nice, FREE tools that let you keep up with your favorite blogs? (Aw, c’mon, subscribe to the Fantasist’s Scroll with Bloglines!) Oh, I suppose I could always just produce more content here. Yeah, that might work, too. But, well, I’d rather go with the sure thing. So, for those of you who are websurfers that got here looking for free porn, I apologize. I was just using you to drive my stats up. I hope you don’t hate me too much.
(And, yes, I talked about this on my other blog, the Diary of a Network Geek. So sue me!)