Aberzombie's page

Just got back from a quick run over to the grocery store. As far as weather goes, it's turned into a pretty day. Temps are in the low 60s, with a bit of a wind, but the sun is shining for all it's worth.

A video popped up out of nowhere on my YouTube feed - Bruce Lee using one foot to (somewhat) gently push a woman back so that the orange (or maybe grapefruit) sitting on her head fell forward. He then destroyed the citrus in mid air with another kick.

It reminded me of another Lee video that popped up years ago. This was when that godawful Green Hornet movie came out. Anyway, the video was basically Bruce Lee's audition tape for the original Green Hornet. His speed was...incredible.

It seems like the numbers have been confirmed, and DC did indeed kick the crap out of Disney Marvel in sales for 2025. Not surprising. Disney Marvel mostly sucks ass.

Saw a list of movies getting Super Bowl trailers. Lots of sequels. Says something for the lack of creativity on Hollywood.

One thing that did catch my eye, however, is the Biopic Michael. I know Jackson had his problems, but he was a brilliant entertainer. I would imagine his life story might be interesting. Another thing recommending the movie - It's directed by Antoine Fuqua. He is a magnificent director. I own several of his movies on hardcopy.

Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Trøndelag county. It is built over the burial site of King Olav II (c. 995–1030, reigned 1015–1028), who became the patron saint of the nation, and is the traditional location for the consecration of new Norwegian monarchs. It was built over a 230-year period, from 1070 to 1300 when it was substantially completed. However additional work, additions and renovations have continued intermittently since then, including a major reconstruction starting in 1869 and completed in 2001.

In 1152, the church was designated as the cathedral for the Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros. In 1537, during the Protestant Reformation, it became part of the newly established state Church of Norway. It is the northernmost medieval cathedral in the world.

The cathedral is the main church for the Nidaros og Vår Frue parish, the seat of the Nidaros domprosti (arch-deanery), and the seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros. The Preses of the Church of Norway is also based at this cathedral. The church seats about 1,850 people.

A Galapagos albatross’ 3,000-mile detour to California puzzles scientists

Record Harvest Dubbed the ‘Potato Flood’ and Prompts Mass Spud Giveaways Across Berlin

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk, punk rock, hard rock, hip hop, and psychedelic rock, and have influenced genres including funk metal, rap metal, rap rock, and nu metal. With over 120 million records sold worldwide, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the top-selling bands of all time. They hold the records for most number-one singles on the American Alternative Songs charts (15), most cumulative weeks at number one (91), and most top-ten songs on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart (28). They have won three Grammy Awards, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, and in 2022 received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were formed in Los Angeles by Kiedis, Flea, the guitarist Hillel Slovak, and the drummer Jack Irons. Due to commitments to other bands, Slovak and Irons did not play on their 1984 self-titled debut album, which instead featured the guitarist Jack Sherman and the drummer Cliff Martinez. Slovak rejoined for their second album, Freaky Styley (1985), and Irons for their third, The Uplift Mofo Party Plan (1987). Irons left after Slovak died of a drug overdose in June 1988.

With Frusciante and Smith, the Red Hot Chili Peppers recorded Mother's Milk (1989) and their first major commercial success, Blood Sugar Sex Magik (1991). Frusciante was uncomfortable with their newfound popularity and left abruptly on tour in 1992. After a series of temporary guitarists, he was replaced by Dave Navarro. Their next album, One Hot Minute (1995), failed to match the success of Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Frusciante and Kiedis struggled with drug addiction throughout the 1990s.

In 1998, Navarro departed and Frusciante rejoined the band. Their seventh album, Californication (1999), became their biggest commercial success, with 16 million copies sold worldwide. By the Way (2002) and Stadium Arcadium (2006) were also successful; Stadium Arcadium was their first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Frusciante left again in 2009 to focus on his solo career; he was replaced by Josh Klinghoffer, who appeared on I'm with You (2011) and The Getaway (2016), before Frusciante rejoined in 2019. The Chili Peppers released their 12th and 13th albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, in 2022.

Anyway...not much planned for today. Which is probably good since, as previously stated, I kind of feel blah.

I'll do some job hunting, of course. No matter how futile my pursuit of another engineering job may be. And I've got some scout stuff to take care of, but that won't take long. Otherwise, I'll maybe do some mapping or reading.

There was another article with quotes from the CEO of Chevron. I didn't read the article, because I wasn't interested in what he had to say. It just made me think of something I heard about Chevron.

The company apparently has a program called Well Safe. It's a QA/QC program for their offshore wells. And they supposedly modeled it after the U.S. Navy's Subsafe program, of which my wife was once the director.

Another article was a kind of consumer report about the "most comfortable sneakers under $60". I get mine from Walmart. They're always under $60.

I was reading through an article about a (so called) massive security breach by hackers. Part way through I realized it was less an attempt to be informative, and more an ad for computer security software masquerading as news.

I recall when I first heard about the Chili Peppers. This was back in high school. So...late 80s. The new assistant coach of the cross country team, a young guy, was a big fan of the band.

Netflix has a documentary about the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I thought about watching it, but there's one problem....

It seems the band was not involved with making it. Or so they say.

There was video footage of a giant phantom jellyfish. Apparently, they can grow to be as big as a school bus. Yet another reason to never go near an ocean.

There was a picture associated with a news article. The picture showed a woman with at least 25 face piercings. How is that even comfortable?!?

Couple that with the associated headline, and I did not read the article. It kind of made me think it would leave me hating humanity just a wee bit more.

I thought to myself, why does this arrow look like it's getting bigger? Then it hit me.

An archaeological "elite site" was discovered in East Yorkshire. Seems they found some ruins on land once owned by Harold II, who was killed at the Battle of Hastings.

He's the one popular myth said was killed by an arrow to the eye. They
mentioned that in an old issue of G.I. Joe, back when the comic was done by Marvel. They even have a meme of it, which my brother had on a t-shirt.

Also last night, when I picked up my boy from school after his orchestra event, he asked if we could give his friend a ride home. Since his friend lives just two houses down, I of course said yes.

Apparently, there is a motorcycle gang known as the Punjabi Devils. What a wonderful world we live in.

Makes me wish Charles Krauthammer was still with us. I loved the elegance of his articles and words. He truly was one of the more gifted pundits and thinkers I've ever watched/read.

I was reminded of him this morning, from a FB memory. It was a meme quote of his, about how surprised/saddened he was to see so many people embracing socialism, which at the time had been intellectually relegated to the ash heap of history where it belonged. I remember watching the show he was on the quote came from. Good times.

I should reread his books.

Nothing says "we're the good guys" like harassing people going to church. I'm not overly fond of organized religion, but even I'm not that much of an asshat.

Not as old as toast, however. Apparently, that's been a thing for around 600 years. My daughter and I had a discussion about the age of toast this morning, after I threatened her with some.

Yesterday evening, while picking my daughter up from pottery class, the studio was playing an old song, Son of a Preacher Man. It may surprise people to know, but I like that song. Had it on a CD I burned years ago, downloaded from Napster.

And so, despite hearing a great song, I started feeling old. Gee, thanks Universe. I sure needed to feel old.

Not really. I feel like dog crap. My legs are bothering me. It's a cold morning (enough for me to switch back from AC to heat again).

Happy Wednesday?!?

Hey! I found some archaeology news!

Archaeologists in Southern Iraq have identified the site of ancient Alexandria, a large port city founded by Alexander the Great, located near the Tigris River.

Cool!

Dang blast it! I forgot to move the red beans and rice from the freezer to the fridge so it could thaw out. Hopefully, a turn submerged in cold water did the trick.

Stupid old man.

Huzzah! I finished section 8 of my mega city map. So now I'm officially half-way through mapping the entire city.

Ugh...speaking of my show.

Something is either wrong with the source or YouTube itself. The video feed keeps freezing up. Very annoying. Thankfully, though, I can live without the show.

Watching a show on YouTube, and I saw another video being advertised: Comparing the way millenials and gen Z washing dishes.

First question: Why would someone waste time creating such a video?
Second question: Does anyone actually watch idiotic videos like that?

Old zombie is old.

Took a peek at an article about the Grammy's red carpet, and the only person I was familiar with from the pictures was Heidi Klum. All the rest I did not know and had never heard of before.

Another news report about measles. This time at Disneyland. Disturbing, but not surprising.

Of course, I myself am not feeling particularly fine and dandy this morning. I chalk it up to a combination of not enough sleep and allergies. Hopefully, that's it, but with my luck you never know.

Still, my feeling not well is inconsequential if stuff needs to get done.

Meanwhile, the daughter has her pottery class tonight. That runs from 5 pm until around 6:30 or so. Normally, the wife brings her to this class, then picks her up. However, the wife isn't feeling well at the moment. So I may have to take up the slack.

I don't think I'll attend the scout meeting tonight.

The boy will already be missing it, because he's got an event to participate in for that thrice-damned useless orchestra. For which he needs to be dropped off around 6:45 and picked up by at least 8:30 pm (earlier depending on when he finishes).

I don't have any boards of review scheduled. And the only reason I might need to go is turn in a permission slip for this weekend's camping trip. However, I could turn in the slip the day of the trip. Or, if worse came to worse and I also had to pay for the trip (i.e. not enough money in his scout account), I could always swing by real quick after I drop him off, but before I pick him up.

Huh! I did not see that coming. It seems the timeline assumed since the first episode was...incorrect. Instead of being years after season 2's end, this new season picks up mere months later.

It'll be interesting to see where they go from here. Will Fang try to defend the abomination her friend has become, or put it down herself? Or will they find a way to return him to the land of the living?

The N Seoul Tower (Korean: N 서울타워), officially the YTN Seoul Tower and known as the Namsan Tower, is a communication and observation tower located on the summit of Namsan (262 m (860 ft)) in central Seoul, South Korea. The 236-metre-tall (774 ft) structure marks the second highest point in Seoul and is considered a local landmark.

Built in 1971, N Seoul Tower is South Korea's first general radio wave tower, providing TV and radio broadcasting in Seoul. Currently, the tower broadcasts signals for Korean media outlets, such as KBS, MBC, and SBS.

1930s camera bought from thrift store contained mysterious photos

New Ultrasonic Imaging System Can Detect Deadly Defects in All Types of Concrete

Jethro Tull are a British rock band formed in Blackpool, Lancashire in 1967. Emerging from the 1960s British blues scene, the band soon developed a distinctive progressive rock sound, blending hard rock, English folk music and classical music, while undergoing numerous stylistic shifts throughout its history. The band was founded and has been continuously led by Ian Anderson, its principal composer, lead vocalist and a multi-instrumentalist best known for his flute playing. The group has featured a succession of musicians throughout its history, including significant contributors such as long-time guitarist Martin Barre, bassists Glenn Cornick, Jeffrey Hammond, John Glascock and Dave Pegg; drummers Clive Bunker, Barrie "Barriemore" Barlow and Doane Perry; and keyboardists John Evan, Dee Palmer and Peter-John Vettese.

After gaining attention on the London club circuit, Jethro Tull released their debut album This Was in 1968. After a key lineup change which saw original guitarist Mick Abrahams replaced by Barre, the band achieved their first major success the following year with their folk-influenced second album Stand Up, which reached No. 1 in the UK. One year after the release of the Benefit album, Aqualung (1971) marked the band's international breakthrough and became their most commercially successful album, while subsequent releases such as Thick as a Brick (1972) fully established their progressive rock identity. Throughout the 1970s the band maintained an intense schedule of touring and recording, releasing one studio album every year and expanding their musical scope through concept albums and increasingly complex arrangements. In the late 1970s the band shifted towards folk rock, before a major lineup change led to a period influenced by electronic rock in the early 1980s. The band returned to a hard rock sound with Crest of a Knave (1987), which earned them their only Grammy Award, and explored world music influences in the 1990s. Jethro Tull have sold an estimated 60 million albums worldwide, with 11 gold and 5 platinum albums. They have been described by Rolling Stone as "one of the most commercially successful and eccentric progressive rock bands."

The band ceased studio recording activity in the 2000s, but continued to tour until disbanding in 2011. Following the band's split, Anderson and Barre both pursued separate solo careers, with Anderson's band billed variously as both "Jethro Tull" and "Ian Anderson" solo. From 2017 onward, Anderson revived the Jethro Tull name and returned to releasing new studio albums in the 2020s, presenting the group as a continuation of the band under his sole leadership rather than as a reunion of past lineups.

Oh, and thanks so much YouTube for reminding me just how creepy smart and octopus can be.

Ugh! One search for a map of the world from A Song of Ice and Fire, and now I keep seeing videos about some third continent named Sothoryos. I have to wonder if that's just some pathetic fan fiction, or if the lazy fat turd actually wrote about it somewhere.

As the new season of the live action One Piece approaches, I keep seeing new stuff. I was never into the manga or anime, but the kids and I enjoyed the first season. So I look forward to this one.

I see some folk reviewing that new, horrid "Star Trek" show referring to it as The Acolyte of that franchise. Sad to see what both have come to.

Sorry, ladies! The only redeeming scene in that godawful Love Actually is when the Brit dude hooks up with the hot American chicks.

And now for fun with (or because of) YouTube....

Seeing the news... I cannot help but wonder how much of the current unrest is genuine anger, and how much is organized distraction.

There was a news article about authorities uncovering numerous drug and gambling dens disguised as convenience stores. I'm curious how long they were able to get away with that. Also, why convenience stores?!?

Got an email the other day about an upcoming project on Kickstarter - A Weird Tales graphic novel. I had already previously followed it, so them sending another notification about it makes me think it'll open up soon.

I'm debating whether I'll back it. It had some good stuff they're promising to include - adaptations of stories by REH, Lovecraft, Bradbury, and C.L. Moore. If I were currently employed, I'd be all over that. As is, I'll wait and see how much it is.