Gizmodo: monty python

Monty Python Puts Free Videos Online, Sells 23,000% More DVDs

Adam Frucci — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:40:00 EST

Monty Python started a YouTube channel with tons of their sketches streaming for free. The included links to their DVDs at Amazon. The result was a whopping 23,000% increase in sales.

For 3 years you YouTubers have been ripping us off, taking tens of thousands of our videos and putting them on YouTube. Now the tables are turned. It's time for us to take matters into our own hands.

We know who you are, we know where you live and we could come after you in ways too horrible to tell. But being the extraordinarily nice chaps we are, we've figured a better way to get our own back: We've launched our own Monty Python channel on YouTube.

No more of those crap quality videos you've been posting. We're giving you the real thing - HQ videos delivered straight from our vault.

What's more, we're taking our most viewed clips and uploading brand new HQ versions. And what's even more, we're letting you see absolutely everything for free. So there!

But we want something in return.

None of your driveling, mindless comments. Instead, we want you to click on the links, buy our movies & TV shows and soften our pain and disgust at being ripped off all these years.

Are you paying attention, MPAA and RIAA? A controlled release of free material keeps people from resorting to piracy and keeps them in your controlled ecosphere, which can include, yes, ways for fans to give you money. But when you're a bunch of pricks, people go to The Pirate Bay and think of you as the enemy, and then you don't get any money. Take notes, you idiots. [Mashable via BoingBoing]

Broomstick Bike Is Perfect Vehicle for Wannabe Witches

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:00:00 EDT

A black bike with a broomstick mechanism designed to steer it? It must belong to... a witch! A witch! A witch! A witch! We've found a witch! A witch! A witch! A witch! A witch! We've got a witch! A witch! A witch! Burn her! Burn her! Burn her! We've found a witch! We've found a witch! A witch! A witch! A witch! We have found a witch. May we burn her? Anyone has a duck?

[Dark Roasted Blend]

Happy 30th Birthday, Spam!

Elaine Chow — Sat, 03 May 2008 21:30:00 EDT

Oh Spam, my how you have grown! Thirty years ago, on this day, you came into the world as a little misguided e-mail sent by an equipment engineer over Arpanet to promote a new line of computers. You were quickly shot down by other Arpanet users who called it an "insult... to have an obvious commercial message sent out over a research network." Yet, at some point in time, people stopped protesting you loudly enough. Now you comprise 80 percent to 95 percent of all e-mail sent, your crafty trojans and pesky viruses have infected millions of computers, and you've cost IT departments nearly $200 billion to combat you. But since it's your birthday, instead of telling you like we usually do to GTFO, let us sing you a little song instead. It goes something like this:

Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, SPAM! LOVELY SPAM!

ScanEagle Sniffs Biological Threats, Tells When You Have to Start Running

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:20:33 EDT

Boeing Phantom Works, the guys who get to do all the awesome planes and play with the alien ships at Area 51, have modified and successfully tested ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles to "intercept, detect and fly through simulated biological plumes or clouds to collect airborne agents." This means that the aircraft above will allow troops to locate biological threats faster, all without having to use trebuchets to launch goats into danger areas to test, which is the way they probably did it before (may not be as effective, but it could be a lot funnier. Fetchez la vache!) Full details after the jump.

ST. LOUIS, March 10, 2008 — The U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and Boeing [NYSE: BA] have demonstrated successfully that ScanEagle unmanned air vehicles modified to look for biological warfare agents can effectively intercept, detect and fly through simulated biological plumes or clouds to collect airborne agents.
Tests also show that the UAVs can successfully collect airborne material and data from a target site that can help U.S. forces combat the threat from biological agents and minimize the danger to friendly forces and civilians.

During the developmental tests at Fort Leonard Wood and the operational tests in the Gulf of Mexico, two BCAS ScanEagle UAVs, one equipped with a biological collection system and the other equipped with sensors to perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), flew tandem beyond-line-of-sight missions into and out of simulated counterforce strike target locations. They were to collect air samples within simulated biological plumes, which represented the collateral effects of counterforce strikes on weapons-of-mass-destruction research and production facilities, and bring back the samples for further analysis.

In the final operational demonstration tests in late January, the two BCAS ScanEagles were launched at sea from the NAVAIR 38 ship, successfully intercepted seven of eight simulated biological plumes, then were successfully recovered aboard the ship and decontaminated.

The biological collection ScanEagle is equipped with bio-collection and plume tracking systems that are integrated into a unique customer payload that is designed specifically for the BCAS. The ISR ScanEagle incorporates significant data storage upgrades over the stock ScanEagle, along with unique beyond-line-of-sight picture snapshot technologies specifically designed for the BCAS mission.

LEGO Monty Python Beats LEGO Star Wars, With a Stick

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:39:11 EST

With the amazing LEGO Steam Wars contest over, here's a new contest on LEGO Castle-based vignette story telling. One of the first entries is an instant classic: the "Bring out your dead!" skit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (video after the jump.) The obvious question, which may tear apart the site apart and probably destroy the whole time-space continuum too, is: LEGO Monty Python or LEGO Star Wars?

If you are a LEGO fan, don't forget to participate in the Classic Castle contest (hopefully with more Python-related moments.) [Brothers Brick]

Angel Sword Guitar Plays Iron Maiden Songs, Slays Teen Pop Stars

Addy Dugdale — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 11:30:06 EDT

O Lord, bless this thy Angel Sword Guitar, that with it thou mayst blow Christina Aguilera and A-HA and Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias to tiny bits, in thy mercy. If you want it, follow these steps: first shalt thou get to eBay. Then shalt thou pay $4,500, no more, no less. $4,500 shall be the number thou shalt pay, and the number of the payment shall be $4,500. Once the number $4,500 be paid, then riffed thou thy Angel Sword Guitar towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.

Or thou jump for a high definition image and more details.

From their page:

It was custom made for the Alfee's guitar player Takamizawa. This is an awesome one of a kind guitar. The Alfee is one of the biggest rock acts in Japan and Takamizawa is well known for his Angel and other Gothic themed guitars. Notice the cool as hell wings on this baby!!!

Yes, we do notice them. But unfortunately, it won't work with Guitar Hero. –Jesus Diaz

ESP Sword Angel Guitar Custom Shop Takamizawa ALFEE [eBay - Thanks Oscar!]