easilyexcitable.com » Personalities

He Was in Love with a Pigeon

Nick — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:09:09 +0000

Drunk History posted a new video, about the life of Nikola Tesla. It’s enacted by John C. Reilly and Crispin Glover, narrated by a guy who pukes everywhere but surprisingly keeps the story pretty straight.

All this video would need to make me disintegrate from sheer joy would be Muppets.

Click here to view the embedded video.

3 Podcast Episodes to Melt Your Brain

Nick — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:51:51 +0000

Free brain wrinkles are great. It doesn’t happen often. Just ask my $150,000 bachelor’s degree (FML).

You could spend years sifting through hundreds of thousands of podcasts, or you take advantage of the work I’ve already done and listen to the following: 3 podcasts that will make you stop what you’re doing and listen with sheer vigor to the words being said. These are the 3 best podcast episodes I’ve ever heard.

First, we have Stephen Fry–actor, writer, comedian, author, Twitterer–an all around enthusiast of the first degree. And his podcast on language (yes, just general language) will make you practically clamber to use your tongue (for good, not evil). Fry is an almost superhuman wordsmith, with a love for the spoken word that will infect you, and you’ll want it to. Subscribe to his podcast, there’s a lot there, but this is one of the three best episodes of any spoken word I’ve heard.

Stephen Fry on Language

Continued after the jump.Nothing trips me out like God and Physics. And that is why Rev. Sir John Polkinghorne is my Ken Kesey. Anglican priest and theoretical physicist, he makes some of the most abstract concepts in the human canon seem not just reachable, but elegant. You will listen to this, titled “Quarks and Creation,” and wander around for hours thinking about its ramifications.

Sir John Polkinghorne on Quarks and Creation

If you like this, you might like the NPR series, Speaking of Faith. If not, move on to

Radio Lab by WNYC has a podcast that is simply delightful. Fun, fresh, and adventurous, it spans many topics, but the one on the afterlife really got me thinking. They approach this typically religious topic from the standpoints of science, literature, imagination, and sociology. Altogether a profound journey.

Radio Lab: After Life

I know these are all really metaphysical, but that’s just kind of the mental disposition I have. Do yourself a favor. Listen. Enjoy. Think.

Get Excited.

Make The World Exciting for Kids

Nick — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:59:52 +0000

Living the dream:

Click here to view the embedded video.

First Attempt at a Twitter Meme (exciting?)

Nick — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:31:29 +0000

So I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around some of the more profound aspects of Twitter. If you ask me, it’s all leading up to telepathy. Mark my derned words. And I think that’s pretty fuckin’ exciting.

So I tried to start a little Twitter meme the other day, just for fun because I was curious if it could be done.

The up side was, a lot of people participated, and they got really creative.

The down side was most of the responses were my friends.

WHAT AM I TALKING ABOUT, THAT’S NOT A DOWNSIDE!

The idea was: Live every day like __________ (fill in the blank, duh)

This is what started to come out of people’s minds, in no particular order:

Live every day like you’re George Harrison and it’s 1968.
@RyanHindinger: Live every day like you’re Keith Richards.
@daneensley: live everyday like you’re Joey Ramone circa 1976.
@eddiequintana: live every day like you’re Desmond from LOST.
@unknownpenguin: Live every day like it’s a closed course and you’re a trained driver.
@WoodyTondorf: live every day like you’re jack bauer in the afternoon.
@ashtonmike: Live each day like a bored Richard Branson looking for something to do.
@ashtonmike: Live each day like Tommy Lee’s Weiner
Live every day like you’re the love child of Jim Henson and Roald Dahl.
@TCFS live everyday like you’re a kobe cow
Live every day like you’re on the boat, the Orca, in Jaws.
Live every day like you just accidentally started the Protestant Reformation.
@Alifjack: live everyday like you only have a spork
@kimskitchensink Live every day like you can inspire humanity.
@ebregman: Live every day like you are plummeting toward Earth.
Live every day like your blood is açai juice.
@WoodyTondorf Live every day like a Michael Bay movie.
@davecrabtree Live every day like you’re a potato in Ireland during the 1840s.
@davecrabtree Live every day like you’re John Wilkes Booth on the run with a injured leg.
@claylarsen: Live every day like there is still one more Golden Ticket to be found.
@joey1980 Live every day like a Knowledge Farmer: Planting, cultivating, and harvesting Knowledge.
@davecrabtree Live every day like you’ve accidentally time-traveled to the middle ages, and you’re desperate to get back to the present day.
@imsosorry live every day like you’re David after the dentist, remixed.
@juliabetley live every day like you’re Michael Corleone
Live every day like you’re the love child of Jim Henson and Roald Dahl.
@WoodyTondorf live every day like someone just gave you up to the Feds.
@jeniclark Live each day like David Duchovny’s right hand.
@ashtonmike Live each day like your Eleanor, the 1967 Shelby Mustang GT500, from Gone In 60 Seconds, and Memphis Raines is on your tail.
@ashtonmike Live each day like John Wayne Bobbit. The man who had his entire body cut off…..and all that was left was his penis.

What did we learn from this little exercise? That my friends are witty, referential, and often try to one-up each other. BUT THEY SURE A HELL KNOW HOW TO THINK EXCITING.

That’s why I’m officially changing the tagline of this blog.

EasilyExcitable.com: Think Exciting!

Roald Dahl’s Writing Hut

Nick — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 00:32:32 +0000

#3 on my list of creative influences is Roald Dahl. And the web site for his museum has a virtual look at his writing hut.

Thoughts, in order: I want a writing hut. I want an armchair/desk hybrid. I want wireless connectivity (which I’m sure he didn’t have). I wish I had written the BFG. When is Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox coming out? I need to leave the office. Why is his granddaughter so hot (probably NSFW)?

Anyway. Enjoy. (via BoingBoing)

Python-ity

Nick — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 20:32:26 +0000

I once met Eric Idle, who has been, for lack of a better word, an idol of mine for most of my life. It was at a cocktail party after a play, and instead of engaging him about how much I love his work, blah blah blah; I told him he must be the most comfortable person at the party. At this somewhat formal event, he was wearing a very expensive suit, and bright white sneakers. They really stood out. We proceeded to have quite a ripping conversation over very strong vodka cocktails. At least that was what I was drinking. I became quite drunk.

With that, I give you a video clip of Eric Idle speaking on the meticulous writing process of John Cleese. As a writer and a Python fan, this clip is a true gem. And apparently they got shitcanned during their writing sessions, which I find a hoot.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Via 43folders.

All About Mulder (A Character Driven Guide to the X-Files) UPDATED x2

Nick — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:00:06 +0000

(Update note: I just finished, as of 03-19-2009, watching the entire freaking series, so you don’t have to. I will write newer posts about the experience, but I’m going back to add and remove a few episodes to tighten the narrative of the X-Files myth-arc. If you have any questions, let me know in the comments.)

I don’t care if you’re a 45 year old stay at home mom, I don’t care if you’re a 9 year old girl, I don’t care if you’re Richard Fucking Branson. You need to watch the X-Files. Because when you’re old and books are coming out in the NYT.com book review (the newspaper won’t exist) about the CULTURAL GODDAMN SIGNIFICANCE of the character of Fox William “Spooky” Mulder, you’re going to feel really fucking stupid.

He is Don Quixote tucked inside Atticus Finch wrapped in a John Procter dangling off a Holden Caulfield with a Wilson Smith on top. He’s cooler than James Bond, he’s more tortured than Sisyphus, he’s got more sexual tension to deal with than ANY of the characters in The English Patient.

I could go at great length to academically break Fox Mulder down, analyze him, make him into a freaking dissertation. But I won’t (at least not right now).

I want you to get in on the action. “What, Nick? How do I have time to watch 9 seasons of TV? I’m not really that into Sci-Fi! I don’t care what you say!”

I give you, below the jump, the definitive guide to skipping all the BS bigfoot, sea monster, and ghost episodes; and I give you the trimmed down, kick ass character arc loaded episode guide of what you need to see to experience the character that is a titan of 20^th Century fiction. Click the link to finish reading.

Warning: If you only watch the episodes below, you are trimming down the series considerably. There is a lot of subtle character building that you may not get the full effect of. However, if you’re short-ish on time but want to get a great feel of what the X-Files is all about, watch the episodes below.

I’ve highlighted in blue episodes that were not part of the original list, but have been added due to significance to the myth-arc.

The Concise X-Files “Government Conspiracy, Mulder and Scully are G’ed up from the Feet up” Episode Guide

Season One Episodes (6 Episodes)

The X-Files (001-101)

Deep Throat (002-102)

Conduit (004-104)

Fallen Angel (010-110)

E.B.E. (017-117)

The Erlenmeyer Flask (024-124)

Season Two Episodes (10 Episodes)

Little Green Men (025-201)

Sleepless (028-204)

Duane Barry (029-205)

Ascension (030-206)

One Breath (032-208)

Red Museum (034-210)

Colony (040-216)

End Game (041-217)

Fearful Symmetry (042-218)

The Anasazi (049-225)

Season Three Episodes (10 Episodes)

The Blessing Way (050-301)

Paper Clip (051-302)

Nisei (058-309)

731 (059-310)

War of the Coprophages (061-312)

Piper Maru (064-315)

Apocrypha (065-316)

Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’ (069-320) *Trippy, hilarious, self-referential comedy episode. Definitely worth a watch, but not vital to the over-arching storyline.

Wetwired (072-323)

Talitha Cumi (073-324)

Season Four Episodes (10 Episodes)

Herrenvolk (074-401)

Musings Of A Cigarette Smoking Man (080-407)

Tunguska (081-408)

Terma (082-409)

Memento Mori (087-414)

Tempus Fugit (090-417)

Max (091-418)

Zero Sum (094-421)

Demons (096-423)

Gethsemane (097-424)

Season Five Episodes (9 Episodes)

Redux (098-501)

Redux II (099-502)

Unusual Suspects (100-503)

Christmas Carol (103-506)

Emily (104-507)

Patient X (110-513)

The Red And The Black (111-514)

Travelers (112-515)

The End (117-520)

The X-Files: Fight the Future (Movie) My introduction to the X-Files universe when I was in 8th grade, this shit will blow your mind.

Season Six Episodes (6 Episodes)

The Beginning (118-601)

S.R. 819 (126-609)

Two Fathers (128-611)

One Son (129-612)

Three of a Kind (137-620)

Biogenesis (139-622)

Season Seven Episodes (7 Episodes)

The Sixth Extinction (140-701)

The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati (141-702)

Sein Und Zeit (149-710)

Closure (150-711)

En Ami (154-715)

Hollywood A.D. (158-719) A Network TV show based on the X-Files is created. So meta. Guest starring Tea Leoni and Gary Shandling.

Requiem (161-722)

Season Eight Episodes (9 Episodes)

Within (162-801)

Without (163-802)

Per Manum (174-813)

This Is Not Happening (175-814)

DeadAlive (176-815)

Three Words (177-816)

Vienen (179-818)

Essence (181-820)

Existence (182-821)

Season Nine Episodes (8 Episodes)

Nothing Important Happened Today (183-901)

Nothing Important Happened Today II (184-902)

Trust No 1 (188-906)

Provenance (191-909)

Providence (192-910)

Jump the Shark (197-915)

William (198-916)

The Truth (201-919)

There you go. We just trimmed 202 episodes of the TV canon down to 75 episodes and 1 movie. Enjoy.

“I’m the key figure in an ongoing government charade, the plot to conceal the truth about the existence of extraterrestrials. It’s a global conspiracy, actually, with key players in the highest levels of power, that reaches down into the lives of every man, woman, and child on this planet, so, of course, no one believes me. I’m an annoyance to my superiors, a joke to my peers. They call me Spooky. Spooky Mulder, whose sister was abducted by aliens when he was just a kid and who now chases after little green men with a badge and a gun, shouting to the heavens or to anyone who will listen that the fix is in, that the sky is falling and when it hits it’s gonna be the shit-storm of all time.”

Of Muppets and Men

Nick — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:22:33 +0000

I swear to G that this is my last post about the Muppets for a while, and the first of many new exciting posts; but I could NOT pass up sharing this. Brought to my attention by the wonderful people at greyscalegorilla, here is a heartwarming look behind the scenes of the Muppets.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I don’t know when this was made (clearly before 1989), but it’s an endearing romp through the creative lives of Jim Henson, Frank Oz, et. al. The YouTube video above is the first of a 6 part YT video series.

Excitable Personalities: Malcolm Gladwell

Nick — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:34:01 +0000

photo by Greencolander

Say what you want about him, Malcolm Gladwell is brain storm. He gets people talking. I find him riveting, passionate, and inspiring. I want to drink whiskey with him.

He wrote two books (here and here) a while ago, and his latest book, Outliers, came out last month. It was wirelessly delivered to my Kindle at midnight on release date. That night’s sleep was fucked.

I gobbled Outliers. I’ve ordered several hard copies of it to give out. Because where Blink and the Tipping Point were armchair pop-psycho-sociology, Outliers was a manifesto. A manifesto about genius that exists everywhere we look. It was a call to arms about our society and our shortcomings as parents and teachers. It was stirring.

Some criticize him for having meandering, tangential, and sometimes superficial case studies in his articles and books. It fits my brainwave patterns perfectly. I don’t know if Gladwell is a writer perfectly suited for me or my generation. Either way, I’m digging it.

Malcolm Gladwell gets a big fat seal of Easily Excitable approval. Read his books. Read his articles. YouTube him. You won’t be sorry.

He also had an article about education (a big topic in Outliers) released today in the New Yorker. Check it.