You’ve heard of Granola, but did you know that that name is just a riff on the name of the earlier Granula, which was “the world’s first dry, manufactured breakfast cereal”? A fellow named Dr. James Caleb Jackson invented it … Continue reading Day Thread of Granula (11/02)
The Foxface Rabbitfish (Siganus vulpinus) is a terrifically sharp creature. At roughly 7-10 inches in length, it doesn’t overwhelm a ruler, but it’s not exactly tiny, either. Inhabiting the oceanic region where the Pacific and Indian oceans meet, the Foxface … Continue reading Night Thread of the Foxface Rabbitfish (09/29)
If you open up a map-app and locate Valemount, British Columbia, Canada and then start zooming out, you’ll notice that Valemount is located in a clearly-defined valley that runs approsimately northwest to southeast. Keep zooming out and you’ll see how … Continue reading Day Thread of the Rocky Mountain Trench (09/25)
Aruba, a Caribbean island nation and part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, counts around 1/5 of its land area as part of Arikok National Park. The park includes coastline and cacti among its features. It also includes the highest … Continue reading Day Thread of Highest Peaks: Jamanota, Aruba (09/14)
The Caribbean island of Anguilla is a British Overseas Territory. Its topography is very subtle, though neighboring Saint Martin to the south throws some visible mountains onto the horizon. As for local elevation, the Wikipedia article has this to say: … Continue reading Day Thread of Highest Peaks: Crocus Hill, Anguilla (08/31)
The final boss faced hand-to-hand, as it were, by Dash Rendar in the Shadows of the Empire game is a Gladiator Droid in Prince Xizor’s palace on Coruscant. Unlike the Loader Droid from an earlier level, this one is designed … Continue reading Shadows of the Day Thread vs the Gladiator Droid (04/30)
Dash Rendar begins his infiltration of Black Sun leader Prince Xizor’s holdings in the Sewers of Coruscant. The boss waiting at the end of this level is a giant Dianoga — the same sort of tentacled creature from the trash … Continue reading Shadows of the Day Thread vs the Giant Dianoga (04/27)
Next up in level bosses in the Shadows of the Empire game, Dash Rendar finds himself onboard the space freighter Suprosa, playing a part in retrieving information about the second Death Star for the Rebel Alliance, as part of the … Continue reading Shadows of the Day Thread vs the Loader Droid (04/25)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire player protagonist Dash Rendar continues his pursuit. After learning from IG-88 that Boba Fett is on the planet Gall, Rendar travels there and ultimately faces Fett, an intimidating foe. The famous bounty hunter not … Continue reading Shadows of the Day Thread vs Boba Fett (04/23)
In the second phase of the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire video game, player protagonist Dash Rendar, hired gun for the familiar movie characters, searches for bounty hunter Boba Fett, who has the frozen Han Solo in his possession. … Continue reading Shadows of the Day Thread vs IG-88 (04/21)
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire was a big multimedia experiment in 1996, telling the story of what happens in between the films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi via “everything but a movie” — a novel, … Continue reading Shadows of the Empire Day Thread vs the AT-ST (04/19)
Here and there, Disney produces something decidedly unique and groundbreaking. 1982’s Tron is certainly one of the most striking examples of such a project. Its extensive use of computer-generated imagery (CGI), its at-the-time bold leap into the realms of computing … Continue reading Second Look – Tron: Legacy
The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters – or Polar Code – is, well, its parent entity the International Maritime Organization (IMO) does a fine descriptive job: The Polar Code is intended to cover the full range of … Continue reading The Polar Code Day Thread (03/22)
Here at Avocado Online, we’ve spent years building a pop culture network for the World Wide Web. From music, movies, breaking news, and pets to discussion of politics and relationships, let AvOL be your Guide, your way In-to-the-Net! This is … Continue reading The Night Thread Gets Online (03/20)
The highest elevation in Armenia is the loftiest peak in the Lesser Caucusus, Mount Aragats, at 13,420 feet or 4,090 meters. Photo by: Armenak Margarian Its Wikipedia article is unusually lengthy and interesting compared with most of the peaks covered … Continue reading Day Thread of Highest Peaks: Mount Aragats, Armenia (03/14)
Pizza for breakfast is not an unknown pleasure (or fate) but let us consider pizza that is made intentionally for breakfast, using the ingredients of the morning. After a few minutes of scrolling through lists, I have decided that the … Continue reading Breakfast Pizza Day Thread (03/01)
What if we took the existing pop cultural fingerprint of the star athlete, a costumed person with in some cases seemingly near-superhuman abilities, widely regarded as a hero in their home city, and pushed all of that just a little … Continue reading Day Thread of Agent 23 (02/23)
Let’s go rando with this thing. First, here’s an insightful ad: Next, here is a slideshow of pizza chain mascots. Any great ones missing? (I didn’t have the stamina to pull in the animatronic hordes tonight.) And since Round Table … Continue reading Friday Retro Pizza Night Thread (02/21)
Hector’s Dolphin, named after one Sir James Hector (with a number of Māori names including tutumairekurai), is a unique creature in a number of ways: Smallest dolphin: Adults are 3-5 feet long; No obvious beak, which one would usually expect … Continue reading The Hector’s Dolphin Night Thread (02/20)
No skeleton of a Brontosaurus, thunder lizard" and one of the classic dinosaurs, has ever been found with a complete skull.1 Yet I would wager that most of us, of a certain age at least, have in mind a clear … Continue reading The Day Thread Asks If Brontosaurus Is Real (02/15)
