As you’ll have seen in the recent photographs from the Spirit mission, Nasa continues to promote a false and incorrect view of Mars in the mass media. To learn about the actual colours of Mars (including its blue sky), start off at The Colours of Mars. Then spend time at Mars Colour. And it wouldn’t hurt to take a good long look at Mars Lander Colour-Altering.
What comes to mind when I mention dull bloodshot eyes, shuffling mindless walk, and a deep hunger for brains? I know you automatically thought of all local government ministers, but I’m referring to the living dead. Come to think of it, that also seems to apply to the politicians we have. That rather desperate intro leads us to the somewhat silly site dedicated to the ongoing worldwide zombie and vampire problem which plagues humankind. Go check out the state of the war between the living and the Undead, at The Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency.
You remember fairy stories, especially the one about the witches house deep in the forest made of gingerbread? Now keep that distant memory in your mind and fast forward to now and the modern age of hitech. Take a hungry look at a computer which just has to have been made by a witch on the lookout for dorky children. Go eat The Gingerbread Village Server.
Gear change. The US media continues to avoid the smoking gun possibilities from the 911 widow and her court case against the US President. Read Widow Serves Lawsuit on President.
I know its hard to conceive of, but there are still a few backwoods folks who actually believe that the WTC towers collapsed because two airplanes flew into them. Go learn a little something about physics and engineering at WTC 7 – Controlled Demolition and Building 7 Collapse.
To see that I’m not half the conspiracy freak you might think I am, read between the lines of the article from US Politics Today, titled ‘Why Is Bush and His National Security Team Acting So Guilty About 911′. And for a brief but useful overview, read 911 Has Become The Ultimate Excuse.
Speaking of things that fly, how about helicopters? Tiny infrared-controlled helicopters that can fit on the palm of your hand. (The perfect thing to fly around the office, in fact.) Go take a look at the photographs showing how to do it at Homemade Miniature Helicopters.
You’re probably aware of the massive drug experimentation done by the US military in the 1950s, when everything from LSD onwards was being played with and used on both willing and unwilling subjects in the programme which later evolved into the multi-faceted mind control program known as MK-ULTRA. Point being, take a look at the creepy yet fascinating drawings of an artist dosed with LSD and kept under observation as he drew a series of drawings throughout the course of his trip. LSD Drawings.
Random weirdness and odd history time. Take a look at a collection of photographic images of women from the past, and reflect on how much, if at all, things have changed. Images of Women.
Then here’s something to provide a lot of food for thought, if you’re interested in how we humans perceive reality. It’s a site focused on the odd, bizarre, funny and weird things that adults believed when they were children. Spend time and read some of the goodies on offer at I Used To Believe. (One of the many classics on this site, this one from the ‘Sex’ section, is “I used to believe that each mans penis had a different shape. I was really hoping the man I would marry didn’t have a triangular one.” )
If you’re looking for interesting and useful declassified government documents, something for the bookmark folder are the various links found at Declassified Documents.
And still in the prison-camp known as America, the quest for total control continues. Take a read of US Looking To Tap Internet Phone Conversations.
Directly related, and this is mainly for the geeks among you, here’s a download link to a restricted US Government document, (400k pdf file marked ‘For Government Use Only’) drawn up by the FBI. Take a look at FBI Surveillance Requirements For The Internet.
I’ve heard of Speakers Corner, but Wankers Corner? Now there’s a place I could come to grips with. What happens when you combine people with the brain pans of ferrets with an atlas and an urge for cheerful sniggering? Correct: You end up with the somewhat unbelievable-but-true collection of Rude Place Names.
Museums aren’t the frightening places you might think they are. Thanks to the Net, you can go browsing and get a taste of what culture and history really look like. Museums don’t have to be stinky mothball-infested places, they can actually be pretty darn interesting. Take a wild ride through museums unlike any other. Let’s start off with goodies I wish I’d been able to get when I was a kid, such as those at The Gallery of Monster Toys.
Or alternatively, you could always just go straight to The International Gallery of Stewardess Uniforms. Then there’s the Cronenberg-like weirdness of The Gallery of Carbon Dust Beetle Illustrations.
Or for completely serious yet absurd, how about Amish Buggy Plates. And if you thought it couldn’t get any weirder, try the online site dedicated to Belly Dancing LP Covers.
And back in history before video (and TV) arrived to numb the mind, people were putting money into curious and imaginative slot machines in the arcades. Go have a look at Vintage Slot Machines.
Or how about getting a taste of the happy mindset of humans, back in the good old days when a gas mask might actually save your life. Take a big breath and hope the charcoal filters are still working as you move through The Gas Mask Museum.
And finally, because you were clever enough to read this far through the column, here’s the meaty stuff you secretly were hoping for. If you’re curious about what Mom and Dad were reading to get their kicks, way back when, then make sure no ones watching as you browse through Old Swedish Dirty Book Covers.
Until the next time, if zombies don’t get me.
Ian Fraser is a playwright, author, comedian, conspiracy nut, old-time radio collector and self-confessed data-junkie. Winner of numerous Vita and Amstel Awards, he’s been an internet addict and games-fanatic since around 1995, when the internet began to make much more sense than theatre