This Month At Dontmindme.com — September 2002

Song of the Month: "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The primary reason I'm featuring this song is because it is used prominently in the movie Zoolander. And hey, it sounds cool, and it's an '80s classic.

Fun Fact of the Month: The band Frankie Goes to Hollywood took their name from an old news headline about Frank Sinatra launching his movie career.

TV Show of the Month: I can't believe I haven't featured Magnum PI as show of the month before now, because it's one of my all time favourite shows. Also, it's aged better than almost anything to come out of the 1980s. The only thing that looks wildly out of place would be Tom Selleck's entirely-too-short shorts. Well, and I guess the haircuts on female guest stars. Everything else looks quite modern. For more on this and other '80s action shows, go and read my rating of '80s Action Shows.

Rerun of the Month: I have well over 100 archived items on this site, and as a way of having newish content without actually creating new content, I'm going to feature in stuff of the month an old feature that I feel need further exposure, whether it be a personal favourite, something particularly relevant to current events, or something I've revised recently. So this month I'm going to feature the oldest single item on this site, Curious George: A Quiet Day at Home. This was actually first written as an email to a friend in 1995, and later revised and submitted for a creative writing class. In the first version George actually gets shot by the police officer, and the Kennedy assassination stuff was added later. I think the current, final version is much better.

Game of the Month: Long before there was Diablo, there was Darklands. Microprose released this as the first and perhaps only reality based role playing game in the early 1990s, and it's still a lot of fun. Based in medieval Germany, this game is one of the most engrossing games I've ever played. Unconventional in its execution, this game combines a text based menu system with team based combat and two complete magic systems for a winning combination that has not yet been matched. I played this game for months when it first came out, and now that I've found it again I find myself playing it whenever I get the chance. It's that good.

Chemical Element of the Month: Magnesium is a nifty metal. It's incredibly light and burns with near blinding brightness. Plus, it's a vital element in chlorophyll, which means that without magnesium, there would be no green plants. Also, magnesium alloys are increasingly becoming popular for high quality products where weight and strength are concerns, such as camera bodies and sunglasses. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see magnesium become the titanium of the second half of this decade.

Useful Link of the Month: Want to try out Darklands for yourself? Well, thanks to the people at Ultimate Darklands, you still can.

Quote of the Month: "Half of the world's population is made up of water. The other 96 percent is wheat. That's just not enough. You think about it. . . . no, you think about it." — Zoolander on Globalization.

Prank of the Month: This may lack some of the elegance of some pranks that I've posted in the past, but it makes up for it in the simplicity of execution. Paint the victim's lawn. That's all there is to it. I'd recommend a water-based paint, or you are likely going to kill the entire lawn, and this prank isn't about being destructive. Plus, you'll be able to clean yourself up much easier with water paint. Some tips: use a bright colour for maximum shock value. Don't use brushes to distribute the paint, that's far too much work. Perhaps use a spray bottle or a watering can for quick lawn coverage, or for a thorough job on short and well manicured grass, a roller. Cover as much of the lawn as possible, and remember, don't paint yourself into a corner against the house, or a fence or hedge.

DVD of the Month: This DVD of the month is brought to you by one word and five syllables. Zoolander. It came out almost a year ago now, and of movies that were released in 2001, I've watched it the most. Sure, it's all kinds of silly, and requires that you accept both Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as the pinnacle of the male model establishment, but it's funny. In fact, I'd say it's really, really ridiculously funny. And on the DVD it's even funnier. The Zoolander voice-over during the menus is hilarious and completely in character, and there are other great touches, such as Will Farrell dancing and shouting "Obey my dog!" The bonus materials are great, notably the promotional spots, which are easily overlooked but shouldn't be. Check this DVD out, but do take the PG-13 rating seriously, it's not a kiddie movie.