In this new weekly column, filmmaker Danish Aslam will be your purveyor of the finest quality random facts, useless trivia and other esoterica from the world wide web. He lives mostly behind a keyboard and may or may not be a wizened old green man who speaks in grammatically incorrect aphorisms. You can find more on his home page http://pictually.me/dontpanic

Tesla vs. Edison, Part Deux

 In last week's post, I'd mentioned a comic strip on The Oatmeal about how Tesla was essentially very cool and Edison was, well, not. One of our readers (B. Nayar) commented on this post with a link to a Forbes article that basically debunked most of the things mentioned in the Oatmeal strip. But escalation in warfare being what it is, The Oatmeal has now countered with a debunking of their own which is equally interesting and snarky. If the original interested you, all the follow-ups (in chronological order) are definitely worth a read. And top it up with this final statement which @TheAlexKnapp posted on Twitter. I love a good war of words!

 The Day The Movies Died

 (One of those things I've had lying around since somebody mailed me the link in February, but somehow never got around to posting it.) This is the list of movies that Hollywood has lined up for release this year: "Four adaptations of comic books. One prequel to an adaptation of a comic book. One sequel to a sequel to a movie based on a toy. One sequel to a sequel to a sequel to a movie based on an amusement-park ride. One prequel to a remake. Two sequels to cartoons. One sequel to a comedy. An adaptation of a children's book. An adaptation of a Saturday-morning cartoon. One sequel with a 4 in the title. Two sequels with a 5 in the title. One sequel that, if it were inclined to use numbers, would have to have a 7 1/2 in the title." In one of the best indictments of how marketing has killed movies, Mark Harris shows how tentpole movies are choking the life out of filmmaking and the good, smaller, independent movie -  a story that can easily be transplanted to India as well.

Iconic Images, An Instant Earlier

There are some iconic images from history that we recognise instantly. And then there's the snap that was taken an instant before, almost like a behind-the-scenes look. Here's a compilation of ten such images, with the famous ones hidden behind links. A fascinating example of how just a few moments in time can change your perspective on how things happened.

Contronyms Visualized

The English language - simultaneously the most beautiful and confusing of man's achievements. And this is a perfect illustration of how. A contronym is a word with two meanings which are the exact opposite of each other. And the folks over at Twisted Sifter have put together a list of a few such words with handy illustrations to prove that they're not kidding. English: love it….and sometimes, just can't get it.

The World's Best Jail?

Being incarcerated may not be the worst thing in the world. Not if you're in Norway at least. Halden prison was opened in 2010 with the aim of rehabilitating prisoners rather than punishing them with no redemption in sight. Which makes sense in a country with no life sentence and a maximum prison term of 21 years. Located in a forest, the cells of the prison include flat screen TVs, refrigerators, designer furniture and en-suite showers. In this article for The Guardian, Amelia Gentleman explores the most humane prison in the world. For pictures, visit the photo gallery.

The Sacred Order Of Geeks

I relate to this handy little infographic in many little ways. Well, three at least (3D *is* killing moves!). Only for the people who can actually tell the difference between a nerd & a geek without having to suppress a chuckle and/or not really give a damn.

Stupidity Captured At 2,500 Frames Per Second

We all love videos of stuff being destroyed. Or people doing stupid things. Heck, after viral cat videos, I think those are the categories that drive YouTube to it's mind-melting (and I mean that literally) popularity. So when Jan Elhøj and stunt man Lasse Spang Olsen create a Danish TV show called 'Dumt & Farligt' (Stupid & Dangerous) and decide to put up a video of them decimating a bunch of stuff, I can't click on the link fast enough. And when it's done in high speed (or super slo-mo for the people who didn't get the Geek post at all), it's fascinating on a whole other level. Somewhere, it's reassuring that the inner child in me is still alive and kicking….usually a minion who's hampering my plans of global domination.

Vietnamese Coffee

Remember condensed milk? A question that always evokes a smile on most people's faces as memories of slowly licking a spoonful of heaven flit across their mind's eye. And this recipe for Vietnamese coffee is the perfect excuse to relive your childhood, with an adult twist. Incidentally, this concoction is available at Leaping Windows, this charming neighborhood cafe that BPB reviewed a little while ago. My recommendation: stir just enough of the milk to sweeten the coffee and leave the rest at the bottom to enjoy at leisure.

The Future Of Mice?

With every passing day, I feel that we come closer to Mr. Spielberg's vision of personal computing via frantically waving your hands in front of you while things move around and you look very cool. Although I assume being Tom Cruise helps in the 'looking cool' part of that. For the rest of us, there's stuff like Leap. This handy little iPod-sized device creates a 3D space of 8 cubic feet in front of your computer which lets you interact with it using hand movements and gestures. The website claims it's "200x more sensitive than existing touch-free products." Check out the video for a very interesting demonstration. Finally! Yet another way to play Angry Birds!

Uncle Drew

Pepsi Max has created this beautiful viral video about a basketball game in New Jersey that gets transformed by the entry of a cantankerous Uncle Drew. The less said about this the better. Just watch it all the way through. PS: *After* you've seen the video, check this link out for a great collection of sports ads.

The Simpsons Go To The Movies

The Simpsons is one of those global phenomena that just refuses to quit. The longest running American sitcom, 508 episodes telecast, 23 seasons old and still going! And one of the joys of watching the show is the pop-culture referencing that pops (unintentional) up every once in a while, if you watch it with a keen eye. Or just hop across to this growing Tumblr to see a collection of all the movie references in the show, along with the original shots for comparison.