The World as it Should Be

The World As It Should Be has I'm afraid has had it's day.

Due to restrictions on what we can do with this blog we have decided to move to another host. The new host should increase our visibility and get us more exposure. Unfortunatly we have had to change our name TWAISB has been renamed to Reality Dysfunction.

Most of the same content from this site has been copied over to the new site.

The new site will still include at the same kind of interesting topics and discussions and we hope you will change your favorites and join us there.


Reality Dysfunction www.realitydysfunction.blogspot.com

Apart from all the doomsayers and "Repent all ye sinners - the end is nigh" type people, most people live their lives without the fear that the world will end tomorrow in some cataclysmic event of global proportions.  But that doesn't mean we can't write books or make movies about it.

IO9 did a nice post recently on why Australia is the best place for the End of the World, and even tagged New Zealand in the process.  The Quiet Earth starring Bruno Lawrence was filmed here and is rated as one of the best PA (post apocalyptic) movies of all time.

Its an amusing piece, so get amongst it.  Also see the Quiet Earth website, dedicated to all things PA.

In a lovely little example of human intervention becoming a factor in evolution I read about today, it appears the bollworm moth has developed a resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).  "WTF?" you might say - well, Bt is a common soil bacterium that is well known for its insecticidal properties, especially against moths and butterflies.  We have used it in many genetically modified plants to stop pests, such as the Bollworm Moth (cotton plant eater) and the Tuber Moth (muncher of potatoes), from destroying our lovely plants and veges.

The powerhouse of science-fiction that is Iain M. Banks has pumped out another Culture based novel called Matter.  If you enjoy a good Science fiction novel or 30, then I fully reccomend Iain M. Banks.  His series of novels based around the decadent civilisation called The Culture is one of the best glimpses into and AI influenced future that I have ever read.  He has also released several other Sci-fi non-Culture novels (Against a Dark Background, Feersum Endjun, The Algebraist) which are also excellent.

That's not entirely true.

It looks like a bunch of Russian scientists reckon that the new Particle accelerator in Europe which it worlds largest are trying to travel through time.

More after the jump

We missed the boat with the passing of a great New Zealander Sir Edmund Hilary by not posting an epilogue for him. But I feel that I cannot let the passing of a great actor go by without mentioning it. Roy Scheider passed yesterday in Little Rock Arkansas aged 75 due to complications from a staph infection.

He will be most remembered for the films that influenced a generation, Popeye Doyle’s partner in The French Connection, the aging Vietnam Vet helicopter pilot in Blue Thunder, taking on the role Heywood Floyd in 2010 and probably most famously for his role of Chief Martin Brody in Jaws. Jaws is widely known as the first summer blockbuster and in some respects was the catalyst for films such as Star Wars, E.T. and other summer films.
 His portrayal of the Chief of police that lived on an island and did not like the water was magnificent and will go down as his most famous with one of the best movie quotes ever “Your gonna need a bigger boat”.
By all account he was a humble and generous person who will be sadly missed. Rest in peace Roy Scheider.

I went to Te Papa on the weekend and ventured the $8 for the Whales Tohora exhibit and I must say it was excellent. I took my daughter and it was an amazing way to introduce her to the concept of evolution. And I must say its such an easy idea to grasp, that even my 5 year old daughter got it.

Like our Yoda story earlier in the week.

I stumbled across this link to a fun fail website with some crazy photo's of people doing weird things and stuff.

Have a look at the way some people and animals fail.

Ha, ha, ha.....

http://failblog.wordpress.com/

Billboards billboards everywhere, but I really wish they'd fuck off. I hate most billboards as they are either a distraction, or a waste of space. A majority advertise products that most people couldn't care less about, or are an affront to your sensibilities. Don't get me wrong - some are amusing. The Tui ad's are usually quite urbane and witty, but they still distract people from what they should be doing - which is driving their bloody car. And although advertisers might say its aimed at people in slow traffic, or at passengers, that's crap. They want as many people, drivers and all, to read their stupid adverts about hair cream, face cream, or creamy beer just so next time you are in the supermarket, their brainwashing technique might edge you towards product X over product Y.

The venerable Henry Rollins of Black Flag fame is here to tell it like it is in 3 minutes or less. Check out the video of Henry after the jump, laying down pretty quickly what his problem with ID and religion is. Nice to see he hasn't lost any of his presence and ability to get his point across quickly.