Author: Dan

Art

Ivan Bilibin

Ivan Bilibin was a 20th Century Russian illustrator who was inspired throughout his life by two of my favourite things: Slavic folkore and Japanese prints:

Tags baba yaga, koschei, slavic folklore, ukiyo-e

A (fairly ludicrious) work debate between me and my manager that has somehow evolved from whether or not The Ghost Whisperer is a load of shite via whether or not True Blood is any good to an argument about the both the relative plausibilities of the existence of ghosts and/or vampires and the merits that being each would bring.

Slightly depressingly ghosts edge it in the Google fight but I think you’d have to want to be a vampire over a ghost wouldn’t you? The insatiable thirst and need to feed might be a bit of a shitter but image never being able to touch anything. Who’s cooler, Swayze or Blade? It’s a no-brainer.

19th Century Vampire & Werewolf Killing Kit anyone? Just the fact that I can* buy shit like this makes vampires cooler.

And let’s be honest – who’s ever heard of a spectral watermelon?

*note: I can’t actually afford a $15k vampire killing kit

Tags blade, ghosts, patrick swayze, true blood, vampires

Maths

The Drake Equation, reapplied

Post author By Dan
Post date October 2, 2009
No Comments on The Drake Equation, reapplied

Peter Backus, has taken the Drake Equation (an equation formulated to estimate the number of extraterrestrial civilisations in the Milky Way that we might come in to contact with), and reapplied it to estimate the likely success of his own amourous exploits:

While extraterrestrial civilizations may be rare, there is something that is seemingly rarer still: A girlfriend. For me. What might the approach employed in the estimation of the number of alien civilizations tell us about the number of potential girlfriends for me? A somewhat less scientific question, I admit, but one of substantial personal importance.