Sunday Fun Time Bonus! Monty Python's The Ministry of Silly Walks App!

And as a bonus to yesterday's Monty Python Live (mostly) Fun Time, I want to alert you to the availability of a wonderful game for your iPad, iPod Touch and iPhone. It's also available for Android devices. One of the best parts is that the game actually includes the voice of John Cleese himself!

I present to you The Ministry of Silly Walks app. Have fun!

Fun Time! And Now For Something Rather Similar: Monty Python Live (mostly)!

Tomorrow my wife, daughter and I will be enjoying the final live performance of Monty Python Live (mostly) at the cinema as it's simulcast worldwide.

In celebration of that, today I offer an audience video of the finale, "Always look On The Bright Side Of Life" from the July 1st show.



If you have a longer attention span, you might enjoy this BBC documentary that looks at the preparation of their final ten shows ever (probably), in English with English subtitles for those of you who'd rather read it.

Since The 1970s A Man Has Been Planting A Forest Larger Than Central Park, One Tree At A Time

One person can make a difference. Found on Colossal.

The Pots And Pans That Cook Food 40% Faster

The "Flare Pan" was designed by Oxford University professor Thomas Povey and will be sold by Lakeland, a British kitchenware supplier, starting in late August.

What makes it so different? It's claimed to be 40% more efficient than other cookware. That means it cooks 40% faster and with 40% less energy use. Povey designs high efficiency cooling systems for jet engines. He is also a mountaineer and wanted to make a pot that would work better at high altitudes. Made from cast aluminum, it has "fins" around the sides that increase the surface area being heated, affording more even heat distribution.

Lakeland will be offering a saucepan, a stockpot, two different sized pans and a three piece set. A bit pricey, but perhaps they will pay for themselves in time and energy savings.

Travel Photo of the Week

Mykonos, Greece

Insanely Luxurious Australian Off-Road Camper

Found on The Shelter Blog.

People Laying In A Week’s Worth Of Their Own Trash

"7 Days of Garbage" is photographer Gregg Segal's thought provoking photographic essay that shows people laying down in a weeks's worth of the garbage that they've created.

It makes you think long and hard about the enormous amount of junk we leave behind as we live our lives.

The link above provides only a few photos from the series. Use Google images and the name of the show to see just how much trash we generate.

New Study Confirms Benefits Of Organic Farming

The research, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, has found that organic crops contain more antioxidants and fewer pesticides than their non-organic counterparts.

"If you buy, consistently, organic fruits and vegetables...you get one to even two extra servings of antioxidants from those organic foods compared to if you bought conventional brands," said Charles Benbrook, a Washington State University researcher and the lone American co-author of the paper.

Quoting from the study: "Most importantly, the concentrations of a range of antioxidants such as polyphenolics were found to be substantially higher in organic crops/crop-based foods. Many of these compounds have previously been linked to a reduced risk of chronic diseases, including [cardiovascular disease] and neurodegenerative diseases and certain cancers, in dietary intervention and epidemiological studies."

Fun Time! Cheap Cremation Urns For Cheap People!

Big Power Fights Back Against Solar And Wind

An interesting article today on Grist. It seems that now that household solar is spreading and becoming more than just a novelty, utility monopolies are taking the threat to their business model seriously and devising ways to fight back.

Utilities in Wisconsin are raising the price for solar homes to connect to their electrical grid. A new law pushed by Oklahoma utility companies allows them to charge more to customers who also have solar or wind turbine generators. Arizona has passed a law to raise the property taxes of anyone leasing solar panels.

As the article states, welcome to the solar backlash. For more here's a link to the Grist article or you can check the other links that I've included.