New Story at BEAT to a PULP

BEAT to a PULP :: The Takedown Heart :: Kieran Shea

Here's the Plot for Your Next Techno Thriller

Northrop’s Huge Army Spy Blimp Floats On | Danger Room | Wired.com: "The Army awarded Northrop a $517 million contract in June to develop a trio of unmanned, seven-story, football-field sized mega-blimps called Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicles. If successful, the blimp will stay in the air for up to three weeks at a time, using 2500 pounds’ worth of “sensors, antennas, data links and signals intelligence equipment” to capture still and video images of civilians and adversaries below and send the pictures to troops’ bases. It should work with the Army’s standard drone-controlling system, called the Universal Ground Control Station. And it’s a hybrid, lifted into the air by helium and propelled by four diesel engines."

If You're a Long-Time Reader of this Blog . . .

. . . then you already know my answer.

Do we still need daylight saving time? | MNN - Mother Nature Network

PaperBack

Horace McCoy, I Should Have Stayed Home, Signet, 1951.

The Doctor Is In... Literature

AbeBooks: The Doctor Is In... Literature: "Doctors of one kind or another have often been portrayed in many ways through fictional literature over the years, including the evil doctor, the mad scientist, the quack and the idealistic doc. Whether good or evil, stories about medical practitioners have always grabbed the attention of the reader."

Jess Nevins' New Column

Where did science fiction come from? A primer on the pulps.: "Pulp historian Jess Nevins, author of Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana, takes you deep into the weird history of the scifi pulps, 1900-1950. Get ready for amazing science and astounding adventure! This is the first in a series on the pulps."

Today's Western Movie Poster

Gator Update (Terrier Edition)

Man shoots to free dog from alligator: "A Hillsborough County man had to open fire to free his dog from the jaws of an alligator.

Tom Martino said he was walking his Jack Russell terrier, named Lizabeth, along the Hillsborough River Thursday when the gator grabbed the dog, dragging her underwater.

Martino started shooting into the water until the alligator released the dog, and he was able to pull Lizabeth out. Martino does have a concealed weapons permit.

He then performed CPR on the dog until it began breathing again. Lizabeth, who has an auto-immune disease that is making it difficult for veterinarians to treat her, is struggling to recover from the alligator bites and lung injuries."

Texas Doesn't Lead the Way

Neither does Brooklyn. But . . . Arkansas?

Great Pizza Places - Photos - USATODAY.com

This Sounds Like a Nice Place

Unique Hotel Manhattan | The Library Hotel | New York City: "The Library Hotel NY near Grand Central Station in New York City is the first unique hotel in Manhattan ever to offer its guests over 6,000 volumes of books organized throughout the hotel by the Dewey Decimal System. Each of the 10 guestroom floors honor one of the 10 categories of the DDC, and each of the 60 rooms are uniquely adorned with a collection of books and art exploring a distinctive topic within the category it belongs to."

Hat tip to The List Universe.

Jill Clayburgh, R. I. P.

Jill Clayburgh, Oscar-Nominated Actress, Dies at 66 - NYTimes.com: "Jill Clayburgh, an Oscar-nominated actress known for portraying strong, independent women, died on Friday at her home in Lakeville, Conn. She was 66.

The cause was chronic leukemia, with which she had lived for 21 years, her husband, the playwright David Rabe, said."

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

Programming : Programming & Music : AC's 100 Most Played Holiday Songs | Radio-Info.com: "As holiday programming gears up around the country, Radio-Info.com and Nielsen BDSradio, in conjunction with Billboard, are pleased to provide readers with the 100 most played holiday songs on AC [Adult Contemporary] radio in 2009 as monitored between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. While the number of stations monitored fluctuated through the holiday period depending on when stations changed, there were 95 stations reporting to the AC chart on Dec. 25."

Endangered Feces Would Be a Good Name for a Rock Band

Topeka Zoo Turns Endangered Feces Into Unique Art: "Through a collaboration between Friends of the Topeka Zoo and the Topeka Zoo, staff and volunteers are becoming “manurologists” by taking “endangered feces” and turning it into unique art pieces called “My Pet Pooh”. After collecting the perfect specimens, the dung is allowed to fully dry. Following the proper curing, the dung is created into art using paint, beads, buttons and more! The artwork comes with a special certificate of authenticity including the name of the piece, its personality, and more!"

Hat tip to Jeff Segal.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Croc Update (Urkel Edition)

Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus vs. Mega Python vs. Gatoroid vs. L.A.liens vs. Almighty Thor | Horror Movie, DVD, & Book Reviews, News, Interviews at Dread Central: "December 21st is the release date for Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus, the super-sized sequel to The Asylum's kitsch hit Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. Directed by Chris Ray, son of b-movie kingpin Fred Olen Ray, this time the fate of the world trapped between the jaws of a megalodon shark and a prehistoric crocodile falls into the capable hands of Jaleel 'Urkel' White and Robert Picardo of 'Star Trek: Voyager' and The Howling fame."

I May Have To Watch This

Into the Dragon's Layer | Animal Planent | Electronic Press Kit: "COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH KILLER CROCS IN ANIMAL PLANET’S INTO THE DRAGON’S LAIR

--Two Underwater Adventurers Risk Their Lives to Capture the Mysterious, Dark World of Nile Crocodiles --"

Hat tip to Todd Mason.

Soon to Be a SyFy Movie!

Local News | Radioactive rabbit trapped at Hanford | Seattle Times Newspaper: "A radioactive rabbit was trapped on the Hanford nuclear reservation, but there is no sign any people were exposed to the animal.

Washington state Health Department workers with the Office of Radiation Protection have been searching for contaminated rabbit droppings. None have been found in areas accessible to the public, regional director Earl Fordham said Thursday."

Hat tip to Vince Keenan.

Gator Update (Corndog Edition)

The 72 Inch Burrito : Outrageous Food : Food Network: "Next stop: Chicago's Dog House in Chicago, a hot dog joint that redefines this classic with an alligator corn dog for the truly adventurous type."

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.

PaperBack

Frank C. Robertson, A Man Called Paladin, Macfadden, 1964.

Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Muffin exchange leads to assault, arrest: "An angry dispute that ended with a local man being charged with a felony aggravated assault began when he and the woman he was with threw a muffin at each other, San Antonio police said."

Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.