January 20

Boxes.

Better Than News

Bray Misty for Me is a 1971 American psychological thriller film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as a radio disc jockey being stalked by a dangerously loud mule.
"Big Bad Bill (is William Carlos Williams Now)" is a 1924 song about a man who was once a fearsome and rough character known for getting into fights, who, after getting married, becomes a poet, writer, and physician closely associated with modernism and imagism.
A Scanner Dalek is a 1977 science fiction novel by American sociologist Philip K. Dick. It was adapted for television by BBC Television Service.
Pivot Shock is a 1970 book by martial artist Alvin Toffler about the importance of re-directing an opponent's energy.
The VALIS Show is a 1998 American psychological comedy-drama film about Philip K. Dick (Jim Carrey), a man who grew up living an ordinary life that—unbeknownst to him—takes place on a large set populated by actors for a covert operation against him.

Beyond Plausible

Real Housewives of Hellas is an ancient Greek television series about the lives of wealthy housewives.
The Gnomon in the High Castle is a 1962 alternative history novel by Philip K. Dick in which the United States is ruled by sundials.

In Other Words

1953: Premiere of Roman à Clef Holiday, an American romantic thriller film about princess out to see Rome on her own (Audrey Hepburn) and a reporter who seeks the key to her mysterious past (Gregory Peck).
"Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Ark" is a song from the 2014 film NOAA.

Are You Sure

• ... that mathematical analysis (or simply analysis) is the branch of mathematics dealing with limits and related theories, and that analysis evolved from the use of calculus to detect and prevent crimes against mathematical constants?

• ... that Project SCORE (Signal Communications by Orbiting Relay Equipment) was the world’s first communications satellite, as well as the first successful use of the Atlas rocket as a launch vehicle?

• ... that physicist David Brewster discovered the photoelastic effect while studying double refraction by compression, inaugurating the field of optical mineralogy?

• ... that electrical engineer Elisha Gray invented a harmonic telegraph which transmitted multiple tones simultaneously, and that each tone was controlled by a separate telegraph key?

Topic of the Day

2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Species Odyssey is a short documentary film about the ethical dilemma faced by two astronauts (Frank Bowman and David Poole) when they discover an alien-human hybrid child stowed away on their spaceship.
2001: A Spice Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction stoner buddy film about an intelligent computer (Douglas Rain) who befriends a dispossessed aristocrat (Paul Atreides).
2001: A Flash Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction superhero film about a police scientist who gains super-speed after encountering a mysterious black monolith on the moon.
2001: A Shine Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction horror buddy film which follows an alcoholic writer (Jack Nicholson) and a sentient computer (HAL 9000) on a voyage to Jupiter after the discovery of an alien fire axe.
2001: A Space Pastaria is a deep-space pasta restaurant owned and operated by HAL 9000 Mental Health Associates.
2001: Rise of the Space Odyssey of the Apes is an educational activity kit manufactured by [REDACTED] and distributed by the Greater Sol System Co-Prosperity Sphere.
2001: A Bacon Odyssey i is a short documentary film about the ethical dilemma faced by two astronauts (Frank Bowman and David Poole) when they discover a hybrid alien-bacon organism stowed away on their spaceship.
2001: A Wafer Odyssey is a short industry training film produced by the Interplanetary Chocolate Marketing Group.
HAL 9000 Mental Health Associates is a provisionally licensed transdimensional corporation based on HAL 9000 which provides mental health services and supplies.