YouTube Videos

Nice!

I actually don't know a whole lot about Milla.

I didn't even know she was born in the Ukrainian part of the U.S.S.R.

I'm not a huge Fifth Element fan, but I did enjoy watching this YouTube video.

That Video was cool— My daughter and I watched Fifth Element together when it first came out on DVD (she was 10 ) — It wound up being one of her favorite movies — she just recently went to a late night special showing — Sort of like Rocky Horror — lots of people dressed in character

She was great in that role and such fun to watch. As Rick James would say she’s superfreaky—the kind you don’t take home to mutha.

Like Sharon Stone she had her own “basic instinct” moment in the escape scene crawling in the AC ductwork, but don’t worry they used kooter fuzz so it is safe to watch.

Woofing down chicken while watching the history of the world was perfect, “more chee-kin”

Bit more of the annoying Cowell and co. Clever lighting.

[video:hhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDOI-uLvTnY&t=304s&ab_channel=PragerUttp://youtube.com/watch?v=]

that’s bright and cheery, like throwing a terd in the punchbowl

Smoke and Mirrors

Hjeh, anyone who’s ever watched a MrBallen video is probably thinking, “Dewds, do NOT go in there!!!”. :laughing:

I love these science lectures when the speaker is both articulate and charismatic. Sean Carroll certainly qualifies.

His is the first explanation of "many worlds" that left me somewhat sympathetic to the notion. Other lay lectures always made me howl, "That's too many worlds!"

Hadn’t known about Mr. Ballen. Checked out a few of his vids… wow. Amazing, but tragic stuff.

I really don’t know what the hell possesses someone with not only a wife and kids, but a pregnant wife, to just throw themselves into a potentially very dangerous situation simply because they’re fascinated. This guy who got trapped in a narrow cave… really takes the Darwin award.

https://youtu.be/wz6F2rDngvA?t=497(8 min, 15 sec in, “Tight Squeeze”).

Yeh, a friend of mine lives in SLC, and he used to go into Nutty Putty with yute groups. He’s short and thin, and could always wriggle into places other yutes couldn’t. When he told me about the Nutty Putty incident, man, just imagining it could make even a non-claustrophobic person claustrophobic.

Forgot if it was mentioned in the vid, but there was a partially successful bit of getting him pulled out, but then the pulley system gave way and he slammed down even harder and tighter, farther into the hole, and that was what sealed his fate.

As I’ve commented, my greatest aspiration in life is to not end up in a MrBallen video.

I used to be a “spelunker” many years ago (back when “LED” was only alert indicators on control panels, not illumination devices, and we had both incandescent bulbs and carbide lamps). I had a little group who’d all head out and explore together. But we did about 4 caving sites and then our group never found time to get back together. I will never forget one trip we went through a cave channel called “the gun barrel.” It was a really tight squeeze. The channel was sort of shaped like a giant vulva, with another small channel that could be used for your feet. But if you weren’t careful, you could end up wedging your feet. One guy ahead of us did. And then after like 10 mins I was starting to get tinges of claustrophobia. There was another person behind me and he started to consider backing out. And just as we started that about 5 feet, the guy up front freed himself and then we were all able to move forward. I will never forget that experience!

Btw, quick search… yep, Knox cave in upstate New York. LINK. The guy who wrote that article mentions that lower crevice.

Anytime you cave you ALWAYS err on the side of safety. Never make a decision lightly or spontaneously. Everything is planned out. Last minute deviations are a recipe for doom.

There was (of course) another MrBallen video of these kids who went into a cave that was known to have an underwater(!) channel that would open up to a big chamber with air-pocket that you could go and chillax for a while. So a bunch of them did, and one kid luckily chickened out and “stayed guard” outside waiting for them. No one came out for way way too long, so he went to get help, and all of those that went inside got drownded.

Turned out they were chillaxing just fine, but when they were done and went to get out, they all went through at once, single-file as it was a tight squeeze, and the first one got stuck somehow, and all the others who bunched up behind now got stuck as well, and there was no way to communicate with the others behind to back out, so they pretty much all just couldn’t hold their breaths anymore, and…

By the time help got there, it was way way too late.

Watched the Gunbarrel vid… man, that looks like a MrBallen video just waiting to happen. :laughing:

It looks more narrow than it feels in person. Of course, I did it when I was like 20 years old and I was a good bit thinner then. :person_facepalming: :smiley: I’m not a claustrophobic person by nature, but there was a point where I started to feel “tinges” of it beginning to come on… which I then rationalized away. But I expect if the blockage lasted longer, it would’ve been harder to keep it at bay. It was a really fun exploration. I had a blast.

I have a very distant vague recollection of that story. There are so many easily made bonehead moves in caving. What you cited was a perfect example. Always stagger the passageways if constricted or challenged. It’s so sickening to think of these young kids, their lives cut so short by a bonehead move like this.

Speaking of which… I just read a really tragic story about two young girls, 19 and 21, who were fast asleep in their parent’s vacation summer house in Noyack Bay (near Sag Harbor, Long Island). They went to bed late so they were particularly “lights out”. Well, the house caught fire. Smoke alarms didn’t go off. The parents were sleeping downstairs, the father awakening to the sound of breaking glass. They leapt up yelled for the kids and bolted out, expecting to see them. The young boy was upstairs and bailed out of his fire escape. The two girls? They didn’t hear or smell a thing. Father went to go rescue them but the fire was so intense, he couldn’t enter the house. They all yelled… firefighters arrived and made a mad dash for the 2nd floor. They were too late. The girls had suffocated from the thick smoke. CPR was unsuccessful. GONE. All that life potential, extinguished…

Mightta been CO that put ’em out, and thus didn’t wake up from the smoke. Tragic no matter what the cause.

Soon -
The Robot Apocalypse

The T001-Beta celebrates it’s soon to be link with SkyNet….
Asks the eternal question - Do You Love Me?

Why yes, yes we do - Please spare me in the coming Judgement Day…

All the Best,
Jeff

BTY,
Spot - The yellow dog like thing is currently available for purchase starting at around $75,000.
Supposed to have a 90m or so battery life.
I’d get one in a heartbeat if I had a spare 75K$ burning a hole in my pocket.
What a hoot to take for walks in a local dog park.
Can you imagine the amount of therapy both the owners and the dogs would have to go through?
All the Best,
Jeff

Nominated for the next Darwin award…
All the Best,
Jeff