Nice and curious – Page 5

The drugs don’t work

This may be the most amusing advert ever made on the topic of release of clinical study data. At JibJab, of course.

Dorset names

I’ve just posted this map of Dorset to a very puerile thread on MetaFilter.

Looking at it, it reminded me just how odd Dorset placenames are. I mean, aside from Piddletrenthide and Affpuddle, a good 50% of the names sound like romantic novel heroes (“Winterbourne Clenston held her in his strong arms…”. “‘Lord Glanvilles Wooton”, announced the butler’). And what’s with the two places about a mile apart, one called Melcombe Bingham and the other Bingham’s Melcombe? Do people there ever get the right letters?

Larry David

Larry David discusses man-management a la Bolton on The Huffington Post.

The best Private Eye cover

Their coveron the resignation of Harold Wilson as Labour leader.

Lookalike

My son (2 years 9 months) pointed to a copy of the Economist today, and said “It’s PC Plum”. In fact, it was King Gyanendra of Nepal in military uniform, but close enough:

Gyanendra:

Plum:

Thanks to The Acorn for the picture link.

Viva el Unitarian Jihad!

The Unitarian Jihad. Extremism in defence of moderation is no vice.

A Pope-y political broadcast

Dennis Brown pushes the envelope on the tradition of not campaigning before papal elections.

Communication difficulties

I received a pamphlet from the Communication Workers’ Union the other day, on the importance of keeping the post office nationalised. The pamphlet, called Delivering Quality had one small problem – the title on the spine was Delivering Quaity. A quaity service all round from the CWU.

Techy but strangely fascinating

A history of the new wide-screen test card.

Who says iPods are destroying the social fabric?

Well, no-one really. But this trippy movie (5Mb, Quicktime of course) might make you wonder what else they’re doing. (from the unhealthily obsessed people of Gizmodo).