Lightray

Hrm. So, as one of the Teeming Millions I've just participated in life imitating art that was thought to be imitating life... There outta be a word for that.

Okay, my virtual worlds are colliding. Over on the Straight Dope message board, someone's noticed a similarity between The Answer in Dark Champions: the Animated Series and the Straight Dope's own inspiration, Cecil. And, there's a thread on it here Anybody know where the inspiration actually came from? Allen? Steve?

I see Tokyo, I see France I see someone's... Well, *I* don't. But Godzilla's sure fixin' to get an eyefull.

And a freaky optical illusion:

Escher-like stuff.

It's been too long since I've kept up on the Champions board recently! Also, must remember to go rep DT for his annual contest.

While googling for Cherokee Cave, found a site with a few photos of St. Louis landmarks: http://genealogyinstlouis.accessgenealogy.com/landmarks.htm Including some cool buildings, no doubt usable in someone's campaign:

I think there's still a few of the old caves under St. Louis that you can take tours of, including Cherokee Cave under the Lemp Brewery: http://www.cherokeecave.com/cave_info.php http://www.cherokeecave.com/Photopostcards.php Couldn't find a picture of the swimming pool that was down there. This -- and quite a few other caves under St. Louis -- were used as speakeasies during Prohibition, Underground Railroad stops during the Civil War. Most are now closed off, owned by various locals or businesses (Bush's brewery has some caves still used for storage, AFAIK). St. Louis was built on a limestone bluff riddled with caves and sinkholes. People are still finding forgotten cave connections: http://www.cherokeecave.com/kern_dig.php

Well, that's not helpful. Is it the fish-dolphin, or the cetacean-dolphin? If I want to order tomatoes in Hawai'i, should I ask for mahi-mahi?

I've posted this before (on the Thread for Random Links), but since it's topical again... Hello Chthulhu

He probably doesn't buy with the 'reservoir tip'.

Laura Bush, looking scaaaaa-ry, from Something Awful: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1712262 Yikes. (looks worksafe, although you can never be sure with somethingawful)

My washing machine sounds like a Cylon during it's spin cycle. You know, the old school Cylon centurions, that "whirr-whirr" sound their eyes made going back-and-forth. I've looked for a glowy red eye going back-and-forth, but can't find it. I think it's hiding it, biding it's time. Waiting for orders from the dryer. Which does have a glowing red eye, although it doesn't go back-and-forth. And it doesn't sound like a Cylon centurion, although I suppose a walleyed Cylon wouldn't, would it?

Lo, it is now 5 years at my current place of employment. I have received ye olde Catalog O' Goodies. ... Apparently, they value me so highly that they want to pimp me up like I'm some 13-year-old rapper homeboy, what with all the sterling gold-plated as-seen-on-QVC bling.

You should see about getting some marginal color-blindness. It's wonderful for avoiding picture-vertigo.

Aaaaah!!! My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

If the little man would just put some duct tape on the bottom of his box, he wouldn't keep having that problem.

I take one stinkin' day of vacation because it was a slow week and was 80°F yesterday, and suddenly I'm inundated in problems? What? Were they all waiting until my guard was down? Sheesh.

At last, I can get back into the Cute War! CHU!!

Tease. Also: Ooh.

Found a page with art for a bunch of Japanese monsters, obscure and otherwise. Some is anime-ish, some cartoony, some other styles. I can't read it worth a darn, since it's in Japanese, but BabelFish seems to think it's called "Ghost Picture Scroll". Probably since most of the monsters are various kinds of whacky Japanese ghosts. http://www.blu.m-net.ne.jp/~uma001/emaki.html It's probably too late to hope that Susano will stat up this one-eyed umbrella ghost in the Asian Bestiary, alas.

From one of those amusing e-mails making the rounds today. A selection of "only in ---" pictures. 'Cept I'm leaving a few out. Especially the "only in Mexico" one, because I think Ben would object to the sombreros.