Blast from the Past 3 – It’s Not Your Island

Posted by :David Manly On : July 19, 2014
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Category: lost, review

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On to season two of my “Views from a Veteran” series, which I am christening “Blast from the Past,” where things go from bad to worse for the LOST-ies.

The show really started to pick up steam in season two, but with its new-found popularity and meteoric rise, the show began to crack and splinter. Many of the things we loved about the show – the surprises and never-ending mysteries – still loomed, but the luster had gone and more and more issues began to pop up.

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LOST – Views from a Veteran – Season Two: Episodes 1-12

“Why do you find it do hard to believe?”– Locke in “Orientation”

The second season of this show picked up right where the previous ended off, with the opening of the Hatch. This  event really allowed the writers to begin sinking their teeth into the greater mythology of the island, with the introduction of the Dharma Initiative and  the man who spent years underground pushing a mysterious button – Desmond.

While initially introduced as a side character, viewers enjoyed his time on the show and the writers therefore integrated Desmond into the show. And, through him, “Lost” had some of its greatest episodes, as well as embraced itself as a science fiction show in the later seasons.

Desmond was the first case of the audience having a say in the show, but not the last. This type of fan-fueled reaction happened a few times, most notably with Benjamin Linus becoming a series regular because fans loved him, and Nikki & Paulo being killed off due to fans despising their sudden appearances. But, these happen later on in the series … so let’s stick to the first half of season two.

With the opening of the Hatch and the introduction of the Dharma Initiative, one of the largest themes throughout the series came to the forefront, that of a man of science (Jack) vs. a man of faith (Locke). This was shown through the discussion of whether or not to continue pushing the button inside the Hatch based solely on pure belief. As we all know now, it turns out the button WAS important and that Jack does eventually become a believer, even saying in the finale that Locke was right all along.

We are also finally introduced to the people in the tail section of Oceanic Flight 815, who have been tormented by the infamous “others” since they crashed. One of many questions still left unanswered after the show ended was why did the others kidnapped people from the tail section? Were they some of Jacob’s candidates, or was Ben simply looking to take away individuals who he deemed worthy enough to join him?

Also, how did Walt communicate to Michael through the computer inside the Hatch? The producers of the show have said that it was Walt speaking through the computer, but they were mum as to how or why. A possible explanation is that it was achieved through Walt’s abilities, but since those have yet to be explained, the question still lingers.

The last question that I will ask here is why in the episode “The 23rd Psalm” did the smoke monster (AKA the MiB) leave Eko alone? Since the monster was able to kill him in season three, it would seem that Mr. Eko was not a candidate for Jacob, so why not kill him right off the bat?

The answer is one that I can make an educated guess on, however. It is known that the actor, who played Mr. Eko, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, was fairly vocal in his protests against living in Hawaii to film the show and wanted a larger increase in pay as compensation. He wanted to quit the show, so the producers brutally killed him off in episode five of season three as a solution to the issue.

The producers have said that they had a four season arc planned for the character that focused on him finding his spirituality on the island and becoming another force against the MiB. But, when the actor didn’t want to continue, there was not much they could have done. Therefore, that was likely why he was not killed in season two; he was a candidate until the producers had to kill him off at the actor’s request, which at that point, they wrote him out.

Finally, part one of season twos “Lost-isms” that I have been counting. You will notice that I have made a change to the counts of the fights and “Sawyer-isms.” From now on I will only name the top spots for each category. However, for the final post about the second half of the finals season, I will post the entire count. Sound good?

There have now been a total of twelve fights, with Jack & Ethan and Sawyer & Sayid have the top spot with two fights each.

Sawyer has now said “Sonofabitch” a total of nine times.

And here we have a brand new category – how many times has Desmond said “brotha’?” In the first half of season two, he has said it a total of ten times.

Lastly, the top “Sawyer-isms: “Doc” manages to hang on with 12 mentions, with “Freckles” closing in fast with 11. And we have a two-way tie for second with both “Chief” and “Chewie” with four references.

Bringing up the bottom in fourth with three mentions was “Hoss.” And lastly, at the back of the pack with only two mentions each are: “Sweetheart,” “Sweet cheeks,” “Hero,” and “Mohammed.”

Stay tuned soon for the second half of season two!

“This is not your island. This is our island” – Mr. Friendly (aka Tom) in “Hunting Party.”

Blast from the Past 2 – The Island Mystery Deepens, Literally

Posted by :David Manly On : July 16, 2014
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Category: lost, review

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I know, I know, I know.

So much for posting these “Views from a Veteran” posts twice a week. That plan didn’t nearly come together as well as it should have. We should be knee-deep into season 3 already, but that fell by the wayside because of work, some semblance of a social life and so many movies. The newest Transformers was 30-40 minutes of awesome at the end, when the Dinobots sprung into action, with 2 hours of “eh.” Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was damn good, Jersey Boys had its moments and The Neighbours was much funnier than I anticipated.

I’m also in the midst of developing a few interesting projects, as well as another month of continuing to write “The Black,” but until then, here is the latest entry in my Blast from the Past saga.

Here we go!

**

LOST – Views from a Veteran – Season One: Episodes 13-24

“Everyone gets a new life on this island”– Locke in “… In Translation”

That was quite a season, wasn’t it?

Even after all these years, it is surprising just how much I still enjoy watching this show despite knowing where all the characters go on their respective journeys. While I know who lives and who dies in the show, as well as the revelations before they are revealed, and the mysteries that are still left to be discussed – it is still fun to watch.

So, let’s talk about the “tail-end” of season one … get it?

If you’ve seen season two, believe me, you’ll laugh or at least groan at that.

In the last part of this season, there were a lot more references to the ongoing mysteries on the island. For example, in the episode “Hearts and Minds,” which many consider to be one of the worst (and disturbing) episodes of the show, one key mystery was brought up in passing – Electromagnetism. In the episode, Sayid discovers that his compass does not point directly North, which is the first mention of the phenomenon that plays a major role in season two, as well as in Farraday’s time-line altering explosion at the end of season five.

Also in that episode, Boone has a ‘vision’ and sees Shannon dead from an attack by the monster. I could be wrong, but I believe her body was lying near or by the same creek that both MiB and Jack wash up in after being exposed to the central light of the island at the end of the show. This was probably not intentional, but actually helps in cementing that place as a nexus of life, death and rebirth.

The following episode, “Special,” was our first glimpse of how unique Walt truly is. The answer of what his powers were and how he can do them still has yet to be fully explained in any big way, but I hope the epilogue provided on the complete series set that comes out at the end of the summer, it will be. (**UPDATE: Not really. Watch it now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH0P-CA7ntE)

My best guess for Walt’s powers are that they are all psychic in nature, and that he possesses the ability to astral project and perhaps see glimpses into the future. However, that will probably still remain one of the biggest unanswered mysteries in the show.

Another element that popped up this season was the mysterious hatch that rapidly became the focus for Locke and Boone, as well as a major plot point for the next season and beyond. It also began the introduction of one of my favourite characters – Desmond, even though he wasn’t introduced until the season two premiere.

In “Exodus Part 1,” we learned more about Rousseau’s team and what exactly happened to them. She mentioned that a member of her team, Montand, lost his arm – and in fact, in season five, we see that happen during a struggle with the smoke monster. She also said that it occurred when the sickness started, which was most likely her explanation for MiB possessing the bodies of the deceased. Cool, eh?

Also, Rousseau gave us the first reference to the smoke monster being the “security system” for the island. While at first glance it does not seem to make sense with the revelation that it was the MiB who was the smoke monster, it could be viewed that he was doing what was best for the island at the time, all the while furthering his own endgame of getting off the island.

Some questions that were still left hanging in the second half of season one (other than those already previously mentioned) were:  Was the dream Locke had with the biplane created by the MiB? Why? Who sent Kate the letter telling her about her mother’s cancer? What was with the bird that said Hurley’s name? Why did Locke appear frightened of the monster, and then tell Jack that it was ok?

Lastly, no season one analysis could be complete without a reference to good ol’ Tom (aka Mr. Friendly), who kidnapped Walt off of the raft for purposes that are still unknown. And, the season ended just like it began, with Michael yelling “WAAALLLLTT!!!!!!”

Finally, the season one round-up of all the various “Lost-isms” I have been counting.

There have now been a total of seven fights!

Jack & Ethan and Sawyer & Sayid have the top spot with two fights each, followed by a tie for second with one a piece for Sawyer & Jack, Michael & Boone and Charlie & Sayid.

And Sawyer has now said “Sonofabitch” a total of SEVEN times in all of season one.

Finally, the one everyone wants to know – what are the top Sawyer-isms for season one?

We have a new winner! “Doc” wins with 11 mentions, followed by “Freckles” with eight. “Chief” comes in third with four, and tied for fourth with three mentions each are “Sweet cheeks,” “Hero,” and “Mohammed.”

And then, tied for fifth with only one use by Sawyer are: “Sweetheart,” “Lardo,” “Abdul,” “Aljazeera,” “Metro,” “Porkpie,” “Sticks,” “Mr. Miyagi,” “Omar,” “Captain Falafel,” “Jacko,” “Saint Jack,” “Sport,” “Amigo,” “Boss,” “Chico,” “Ali,” “Dr. Quinn,” “Stay-Puff,” “Tattoo,” “Dr. Do-Right,” “Croc Hunter,” “Missy Claire,” “Hoss,” “Jungle Boy,” “Sassafras,” “Bruce,” “Betty,” “Short-round,” “Mammacita,” “Kato,” “Chucky,” “Baby Huey,” “Sulu,” “Mickey,” “Pudding,” “Kazoo,” “Han,” and lastly, “Chewie.”

See you soon for the first half of season two!

“Don’t choose, Jack. Don’t decide. You don’t want to be a hero, you don’t want to try and save everyone. Because when you fail, you just don’t have what it takes.” – Christian Sheppard” – Christian Sheppard in “White Rabbit”

Blast from the Past

Posted by :David Manly On : July 1, 2014
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Category: lost, review, Views from a Veteran

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Happy July 1st, also known as Canada Day! In honour of three colonies being united into one country called Canada back in 1867,I’m going to dive into the past. Almost 4 years ago to the day, in fact.

Having graduated from Carleton University with my Master of Journalism, I was looking for something to do. A friend of mine, who ran the site GeekGirlsNetwork.com (which has since been taken down), asked me if I would be willing to contribute a series of posts for her regarding a specific TV show. Her idea was to recap the show from two very different perspectives: someone who has seen the show and someone who hasn’t. Being a fan of the show, I agreed, and thus, “Views from a Veteran” was born.

The TV show was LOST.

I am going, through the use of some dark magic and necromancy, revive these post from the dead during the month of July.

Every post will cover roughly half-a-season, except for season 4 which was drastically cut down due to the writer’s strike, and remain pretty much unchanged. I hope you enjoy.

**

LOST – Views from a Veteran – Season One: Episodes 1-12

“Guys, where are we?” – Charlie in “Pilot Part 2”

Going into this project, I did not know what to expect as I threw disc one of the first season of “Lost” into my player to start watching it all again.

I am not going to talk plot much, as I assume everyone reading has already watched the show and are looking for how much the story evolved from the day the first episode aired in September 2004 to the last in May 2010. Now, it goes without saying, but SPOILER ALERT! However, if you want to keep reading until the fun tally of various “Lost-isms” I have created; please scroll down until after the “SPOILERS END HERE” section.

Right of the bat, the show begins with a close-up of Jack’s eye waking up in the bamboo forest, eerily similar to the way the series ended, with his eye closing. Knowing just how far Jack, as well as all the other characters come from that moment on, makes it all the more poignant.

In the first episode, there are all sorts of references to the numbers (4 8 15 16 23 42), Locke’s connection to the island, the mystery of the monster (AKA Smokie), etc…

But, one of the most important tidbits that I noticed was that Hurley gave out food after the crash to all the survivors. This is interesting, as it is THAT precise reason – his big heart and willingness to care for others – why he was chosen as the right person to protect the island after Jack in the finale. Now, I am not saying that the creators and producers knew that, but it is interesting, isn’t it?

Also in the pilot, we are shown (via Locke) to backgammon through the eyes of Walt. This is an intriguing way to introduce us to a common thread throughout the show: the battle between light and dark. This battle between what is right and wrong continues all the way to the final episode, in the climactic battle between Jack and the Man in Black.

As the episodes in the first season progress, more mysteries are unveiled and twists are uncovered. The most shocking for me was learning that Locke was paralyzed in one of my favourite episodes, “Walkabout.” This episode also had Locke’s first encounter with the smoke monster, which had a profound effect on his life both on and off the island. But, did the Man in Black (MiB) know what role Locke would play in the endgame? Or was he simply trying to eliminate another one of Jacob’s candidates?

In the following episode, “White Rabbit,” we unknowingly see the first appearance of the MiB taking the form of the deceased (in this case, Jack’s father, Christian). But, why did he led Jack to the caves and Christian’s empty coffin?

In the episode “Across the Sea” in season six, you learn the basic history of Jacob and the MiB on the island. At the end of the episode, you discover that the skeletons found in the caves are  MiB and his mother. However, in the actual episode in season one, they are not buried side-by-side, but in different outcrops within the cave. And the timeline of their deaths does not make much sense, as Jack said it would only take “40-50 years” for their clothing to degrade like that.

Sadly, as I write these questions, I know that they will remain unanswered for a long time … perhaps even forever. But, that will not stop me from asking them and guessing their true meaning, which I believe is open to interpretation. And that is one of the many things that make this show such a phenomenon.

It is in the episode “Solitary” where we are first introduced to Rousseau, and she makes a number of innocuous comments to Sayid that, upon watching the entire series, seem to hint at a greater realization on her part. She says that, “there’s no such thing as monsters,” as well as to keep an eye on all the survivors to see if they act strangely. At the time, it seemed that these comments were the ramblings of an insane woman. But looking back, it now appears that she knew much more than she was saying about the island and the MiB, and her appearance with Jin while the island was skipping through time would seem to confirm this. This episode also contains the first references to “the others” on the island, and the eerie “whispers” that turn out to be souls trapped on the island.

Also, in the episode “Raised by Another,” we learn that Claire saw a psychic who told her to board Oceanic flight 815 to meet a couple in Los Angeles. However, in a season two episode with Mr. Eko, while he is investigating a miracle, we learn that the psychic was a fake. So, why did he tell Claire to raise the baby herself and to get on that plane?

The other two episodes also had some major plot points – Locke and Boone discovering the hatch, Shannon and Sayid starting their love affair, and Claire and Charlie being kidnapped by Ethan.

SPOILERS END HERE

I am aware that I have not discussed all the intricate connections between the characters and themes brought up in the show, and that was not my intention . I simply chose the ones that I thought were the most interesting and thought-provoking, while keeping the end of the show in mind.

In my next post, for the last half of season one, I will discuss more of these hints and connections as they arise within the episodes.

Finally, the various “Lost-isms” I have been counting.

First up: the fights. Sawyer & Sayid have fought twice, followed by once a piece for Sawyer & Jack and Jack & Ethan.

Next, how many times has Sawyer said “Sonofabitch”?

The answer – Three

And lastly, what are the top Sawyer-isms?

“Freckles” wins so far with eight mentions, “Doc” comes in second with three, “Hero” is in third with two uses, and tied for fourth with one mention each are – “Sweetheart,” “Lardo,” “Chief,” “Sweet cheeks,” “Abdul,” “Aljazeera,” “Metro,” “Porkpie,” “Sticks,” “Mr. Miyagi,” “Omar,” “Captain Falafel,” “Jacko,” “Saint Jack,” “Sport,” “Muhammad,” “Amigo,” “Boss,” “Chico,” “Ali,” “Dr. Quinn,” “Stay-Puff,” “Tattoo” and lastly, “Dr. Do-Right.”

See you next time for the last half of season one!

“We’re not alone!” – Sayid in “Raised by Another”

The dreadful influence of books

Posted by :David Manly On : May 31, 2014
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Category: books, Dracula

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Over the past few weeks, I’ve been watching the new show “Penny Dreadful” on Showtime, and it has quickly become one of the most confusing, entertaining and delightfully odd TV shows I have seen in recent memory. If you haven’t given it a watch, I wholeheartedly suggest you do. And I know of what I speak, as I watch a lot of television (probably too much).

Penny Dreadful takes place in London during the early 1890’s, and begins with our audience proxy, marksman and con man Ethan Chandler (played by Josh Hartnett) is recruited by Vanessa Ives and Sir Malcolm Murray (Eva Green and Timothy Dalton, respectively) to do some “night work.” What follows is a gruesome adventure into London’s seedy underbelly, but all is not what it seems. For you see, Ives and Sir Malcolm are hunting something much darker than a murder or a thief … they are hunting vampires. One vampire, to be specific, who stole Sir Malcolm’s niece before the series began

The niece, it is quickly revealed, is Mina Harker – the same Mina who was bitten and transformed into a vampire in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Penny Dreadful, named for a type of 19th century cheap British fiction with lurid and sensational subject matter, incorporates many of horror’s best and most iconic characters as players. Dracula, Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and more have been seen so far, as only three episodes have aired of the first season, and I’m confident that the Wolfman will make an appearance at some point, along with Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, the Mummy and more.

I have read all the classic horror novels, with Stoker’s Dracula easily being one of my favourite books that I have ever read in my almost 30 years. I read Dracula for the first time in high school, simply for pleasure, when I was around grade nine. The reason was simple – it was a classic and I always liked horror movies, and after reading, the book influenced me significantly. I became fascinated with the horror genre, gobbling up the classic horror novels, along with modern classics like King and Koontz. Which let me into other genres, like thriller, science fiction, mystery, etc.

While Bram Stoker’s landmark novel didn’t create my love for reading, it stoked the fires and gave me a glimpse of everything I was missing from what had been published before. It also gave me my first lesson in narrative structure, as Dracula wasn’t like a normal book – it was told through a series of diary entries, letters, correspondence, recordings and newspaper clippings. It showed me that a novel didn’t need to follow the traditional rules of first-person or third-person. This helped me branch out in my own writing, experimenting with structure and flow.

Approximately fifteen years from my first reading Dracula, I still pick it up once every year or so and read it again, to get lost in the adventures of Jonathan Harker, Mina, Van Helsing and Renfield. While not without its problems and plot-holes, Stoker’s Dracula still has some mystical hold on me that I cannot shake. It has, and probably always will be, near the top of my list of favourite books.

Well, that and George Orwell’s Animal Farm.

Not everything on the internet is true?

Posted by :David Manly On : May 12, 2014
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Category: Animals, Science

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After I saw The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – which wasn’t horrible, and had some decent moments (especially for a comic book fan like myself) – I was going to write a post about just how scientifically accurate Spider-Man is. Namely, could such a creature exist?

After the obvious answer of “NO,” I came upon a video from the makers of Animation Domination entitled: Scientifically Accurate Spider-Man.

WARNING, there is some graphic language and images, so you may need to sign in to view it.

However, I had a few questions after watching the video. While I am no entomologist, I do know more than your average person about insects and some of these “scientifically accurate facts” the video kept flailing about did not seem right to me. And by the might of Google, I found a post written about how inaccurate that very video is, written by a friend of mine from the science communication world – Gwen Pearson AKA Bug Girl.

Her post details what is right, wrong and plain weird about the lyrics in the song, and it is a brilliant read. You can find it here: http://membracid.wordpress.com/2013/02/27/scientifically-accurate-spider-man-is-not-accurate/

Gwen raises an interesting point, as when she initially wrote about Spider-Man, she admits she cut some corners to make it more interesting to non-entomologists. But by doing so, you lose some of the science-ness. Jargon is a great thing in certain circles, but if you aren’t in on it, then readers will rapidly lose interest and then you have failed as a science communicator.

It is tough to walk the fine line between established fact and preventing it from being bogged down with the nitty-gritty of science. Personally, I love the nitty-gritty science, but that’s me. And I primarily don’t write for me. I write for a farmer in Saskatchewan, a waitress in Tulsa, a receptionist in Darwin and everyone in-between. I write to communicate science, animals, the weird and wonderful, and the general oddity of everyday life so that anyone can read it and hopefully learn something, or go “huh, I didn’t know that.”

Whenever someone says they learned something or thought it was interesting, I’m right as rain.

But the Internet is a fountain of knowledge, but also a dangerous pit of misinformation, and requires every reader be knowledgeable that anyone can publish anything online and that doesn’t mean it is right.

But that said, these cartoon are really entertaining, do contain some real information and I am talking about them on my blog. So, I guess that counts as a win.

Only skin deep

Posted by :David Manly On : April 22, 2014
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Category: Science, superheroes

Tags:, , , , , ,

With Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie now out in theaters for a few weeks (it is quite good and I recommend everyone go see it), I have had the Marvel Universe on the brain. I find myself giddy with anticipation over the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy film, which opens in August, and ravenous for any news about the Avengers sequel next year, entitled Avengers: Age of Ultron.

And with Marvel thoughts running around rampant in my brain, I began to dwell on the upcoming multiple mini-series that will premiere on Netflix next year, featuring Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Daredevil and Luke Cage, eventually culminating in a giant team-up event called The Defenders. There is so much news and excitement coming in the next few years that the comic fan in me cannot stand it!

But the scientist in me began to ponder about superpowers, namely of these so-called “street level” heroes and if they could actually exist. Luke Cage, also known as Power Man, is one of the most durable superheroes in the Marvel Universe, thanks to his unique set of powers that allow him to have superhuman strength, and most notably, unbreakable skin due to being exposed to a variant of the Super Soldier serum that created Captain America.

Luke Cage started out in a street gang, but due to some events with a girlfriend of a friend, he was framed for heroin possession and locked up in Seagate Prison. There, he was “volunteered” for experiments, which resulted in his superpowers. He started a group called “Heroes for Hire,” which was a for-profit superhero business, and eventually joined the Avengers and headlined the New Avengers.

According to the official Marvel comics database, Cage’s powers are that his skin is steel-hard and his muscles and bone tissue are super-dense and resistant to damage. “He can withstand conventional handgun fire at a range of four feet and cannot be cut by the sharpest of blades, although in the event of required surgery, his skin can be lacerated by an overpowered medical laser. He can withstand up to one-ton impacts or blasts of 150 pounds of TNT without serious injury, and is impervious to temperature extremes and electrical shocks. His recovery time from injury or trauma is usually one-third that of an ordinary human.”

But what about the skin on everyone else?

Skin is separated into different layers: the epidermis, dermis and subcutis (or hypodermis).

The epidermis is the outermost layer, which has the nerve cells, melanin (which creates the colour of your skin), and immune cells to protect against infection. The epidermis heals itself very quickly and leaves no scars, unlike the lower layers. While the epidermis is what is shown to the world, it really varies in thickness across your body – from 1.5 millimetres (mm) on the palm of your hands to only 0.5 mm on your eyelids.

The dermis is right below the epidermis and is much thicker, up to 1.5 mm thick, which makes up around 90 percent of the total thickness of the skin. It is used mainly to help regulate body temperature and blood supply. The dermis is also where blood vessels are, along with hair follicles, sweat glands and many more. Because it is below the epidermis, it doesn’t heal as quickly, so when it is injured, special cells come and fill up the hole that are not as sensitive or flexible, which create scars.

The last layer, the subcutis or hypodermis, is where fat is stored and serves as a way to protect the organs, regulate body temperature and use fat as an emergency energy reserve for the body.

In total, the average skin thickness is 2.5 millimetres thick … but how thick would it have to be to, like Luke Cage, survive the shot of a conventional handgun fired at a range of four feet?

According the Federal Bureau of Investigation, all handguns must be capable of 12 inches of penetration in order to run the greatest chance of injuring vital organs and incapacitate the subject in order to be used by agents in the field. The 12-inch guideline accommodates for the presence of bones, vital organs, etc., as most people are far less than 12 inches thick. In fact, I’m only about 7.5 – 8 inches thick at my torso; so being shot by a bullet that can penetrate over 1.5 times that is more than enough. So, that seems like a pretty good baseline to start with.

Penetration power of a handgun is usually achieved by firing it at a block of ballistics gel, which estimates tissue density and viscosity (or how solid and liquid a substance is) to estimate the force of the shot. While the gel simulates muscle tissue, which has a density of 1.06 kg/litre, fat has a density of 0.92 kg/litre. Therefore, since skin is a mix of both, as well as some extras thrown in, the density is probably around 1-1.1 kg/litre. Therefore, while ballistics gel is not optimal to gauge skin penetration, it serves as a good ballpark figure. Therefore, if the FBI requires that its handguns be able to penetrate a minimum of 12 inches of ballistics gel, it is time for some math.

12 inches = 30.48 centimetres = 304.8 millimetres

And average skin thickness = 2.5 mm

If we divide the thickness of the handgun penetration into ballistics gel by the average skin thickness, we can calculate how much thicker your skin would need to be in order to be at the maximum end of the minimum FBI ballistics requirements.

304.8/2.5 = 121.92, or roughly 122 times the thickness of skin.

What that means is that hypothetically, if your skin were to be 123 times thicker than normal (around 307.5 mm thick), you might be able to survive being shot by a bullet from the end of an FBI standard issue handgun, but it would still hurt. Probably a lot. You would probably be better off wearing a bulletproof vest, which slows down bullets extremely quickly to a survivable level, or simply not getting shot at all.

Sources

http://marvel.com/universe/Cage,_Luke

http://training.seer.cancer.gov/melanoma/anatomy/

http://www.histology.leeds.ac.uk/skin/skin_layers.php

http://greent.com/40Page/general/fbitest.htm

http://www.scrollseek.com/training/densitiesofdifferentbodymatter.html

The next step

Posted by :David Manly On : April 7, 2014
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Category: Blog Posts, blogging, comics

Tags:, , , , , ,

Superheroes have always presented a very interesting dilemma to me; in that they are often impossible flights of fancy yet simultaneously a form of wish fulfillment. Who hasn’t, at some point or other, wished that they could fly, teleport, read people’s minds or heal from any injury? I am not embarrassed to say that I have often found myself wishing I could fly to work, be super-strong so I could protect those I love or just be a badass like Wolverine or Batman.

I’m also not ashamed to say that I love superheroes and comics, and I have since I was a kid. I adored the thrill of opening up a comic for the first time and getting lost in the conflicts that filled their days – some relatable to my everyday experience, others not. But it never mattered, because I would always take something away from those books I would read as a child. Even though they were stories about individuals with extraordinary powers, they had personality traits that I admired and wanted to emulate, but most importantly, they had flaws.

Back then, I read as much as I could by the big companies, as well as some smaller ones. But my favourites were always Marvel heroes (and Batman), and they still are to this day.

The characters that probably had the largest impact on me as a child were the X-Men. Sure I loved Spider-Man, Daredevil, Captain America and the rest, but the X-Men were my go-to series. They dealt with ostracization, racism, bullying, being true to yourself, etc. And all of those themes spoke to me, as I encountered that during my young life. But comics, and reading in general, were an escape from the trials of being a kid, like bullies and feeling like an outcast sometimes.

I loved going to the comic book store and seeing what issues were new, talking to the owner about my favourite characters, and being so excited to read an issue that I couldn’t wait until I got home to crack it open. In fact, I still have a few comics from those days that are hidden away somewhere that I could not bear to part with. Some of them are collectibles and first issues, while others have great memories, like the great DC vs. Marvel comics crossover event from the mid-1990s.

But why am I talking about comic books and superheroes in what has (mostly) been a blog about science, animals and journalism?

I have decided to expand my blog to talk more about video games, movies, comics, etc., while still striving to maintain the science-bent, tone and style that was here previously. I am a big fan of pop culture and an avid consumer of it, so I will be putting that absurd amount of knowledge to good use here, and I hope you enjoy it. I will be writing more along the lines of previous posts, such as “The Science of Smaug the Terrible,” where I discussed the feasibility (using biomechanics) about if dragons could exist, and “Man of Steel shows its rust” highlighting issues I had with the changes made to the Superman mythology in the latest reboot.

Stay tuned true believers!

To be continued …

Nerd and proud

Posted by :David Manly On : April 2, 2014
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It has been a while since my last post, but it has been pretty busy here with Science Online, then my entire house got sick by some sort of super-virus for weeks on end (it kept going from person to person like a carousel), but all is well now. The virus has since been eliminated, everyone is healthy and we can get back to “normal” … or , what passes for normal on this blog, anyway.

I came upon a few video clips of Wil Wheaton (Wesley from Star Trek: The Next Generation and all around nerd king) talking about what being a nerd means, and how finding something you love – whether it is Doctor Who, football or science – is nothing to be afraid or ashamed of.

Give it a watch and please share this message with anyone who, at any point in their lives, have been criticized by others for liking something with a passion that others don’t.

Feral February Episode 17 – Basking in second place

Posted by :David Manly On : February 25, 2014
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Throughout the month of February, which I am calling “Feral February,” I am going to do something a little bit different – I’m going to create a series of theme posts every week day about my favourite things in the world: Animals.

Today’s animal is the basking shark.

There are normal-sized fish, then there are “big” fish, like the whale shark, which can grow over 40 feet (or 12 metres) long! While the whale shark is the undisputed big fish in the sea, being the second largest living fish is nothing to sneeze at – and that honour belongs to the basking shark, which clocks in at around 33 feet (or 10 metres) and can weigh over 8,000 pounds.

Basking shark .Photo courtesy of Greg Skomal / NOAA Fisheries Service. Source.

Basking shark .Photo courtesy of Greg Skomal / NOAA Fisheries Service. Source.

 

The basking shark, like the whale shark, eats plankton as it slowly travels the world’s oceans, opening its mouth to filter them out of the water. It is easily identified due to its massive size, conical snout and gills that are so large they extend around the top and bottom of its head. As water moves through the enlarged gill slits, gill rakers (bristle-like structures) trap the plankton for the shark to swallow in huge amounts.

The basking shark is completely harmless to people and often feeds near the surface of the water, seemingly basking in the sun as it does so, even lazily rolling upside down in the water, which gave rise to its name.

Daily dose of trivia:

Unlike the whale shark, the basking shark does not actively draw in water using suction to filter out plankton. Instead, and a the incredible fast speed of approximately three miles per hour, the basking shark simply opens its mouth and swims, letting its prey come to it. At this speed, the average basking shark filters 2,000 tonnes of water per hour through its mouth and gills.

**It is sad to report that this will be my last Feral February post, as I am heading to North Carolina for the Science Online conference tomorrow, but I want to thank everyone for reading, sharing and enjoying them. And please, if you liked them, please let me know and perhaps I’ll do it again. March is just around the corner, and “Mammal March” does have a nice ring to it.**

Feral February Episode 16 – The bird that thinks it is a cow

Posted by :David Manly On : February 24, 2014
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Throughout the month of February, which I am calling “Feral February,” I am going to do something a little bit different – I’m going to create a series of theme posts every week day about my favourite things in the world: Animals.

Today’s animal is the hoatzin.

The hoatzin is not as flashy as the other birds found in the Amazon, like the toucans or macaws, but every animal has its unique quirks and adaptations – and the hoatzin is no exception.

This bizarre-looking bird has a rather funky mohawk crest along its head, a neon-blue face, red eyes, large wings and a fan-shaped tail. Its feathers are brown, black and cream coloured, giving it the appearance of a very oddly put together bird.

Hoatzin. Photo courtesy of E. B. Pivorun. Source.

Hoatzin. Photo courtesy of E. B. Pivorun. Source.

The small bird, roughly the size of a small turkey, dwells in the trees and swamps of the Amazonian river basin, and feeds almost entirely on leaves. Few species of birds can accomplish this, due to the gastrointestinal requirements needed to extract nutrition from plant matter. But thanks to its large stomach, it digests leaves like cows feed on grass. The hoatzin is also known as the “stink bird” because it gives off a distinct manure-like smell, created from the leaves it eats and how it digests them – using bacteria in their stomach like a cow.

Because of the space needed in their bodies for a huge stomach and crop to help digest the leaves, their flight muscles are small for a bird their size and have difficulty flying even short distances. To compensate, hoatzin live in groups of up to a dozen animals, but groups as large as 40 do occur.

Daily dose of trivia:

Hoatzin chicks have tiny claws at the end of their wings, similar to that of Archaeopteryx, that are used to climb through vegetation. Nests are over water, so that the young, if there is danger, can dive into the water, swim to safety and use their wing claws to climb a tree and make their way back to the nest.

Also, no one is sure where the hoatzin belongs taxonomically. It has wing claws as a chick like Archaeopteryx, looks like a pheasant, has similar traits to the cuckoo and more. So, for now, they have their own organizational family called Opisthocomidae (meaning “those with long hair behind” in Greek).