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Barely Related: Science's Bob Dylan, Twin Peaks tease

May your weekends be filled with liveliness and joy.

Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents the non-gaming news stories that we, the Joystiq staff, have been talking about over the past week. And no, we're not stopping our focus on industry and gaming news. Think of this as your casual weekly recap of interesting (and mostly geeky) news, presented just in time to fill your brain with things to discuss at all of those weekend shindigs.

Grab a fresh drink, lean back in your armchair, and get ready to talk nerdy with us.



Swedish scientists hide Bob Dylan lyrics in papers

It all started with a fart. A paper about farts, that is. A group of scientists in Sweden have been hiding Bob Dylan lyrics in papers for almost twenty years, starting with one about farts called "Nitric Oxide and Inflammation: The Answer Is Blowing in the Wind." From there, the scientists set up a wager – the person to hide the most Dylan quotes in papers before retirement wins lunch.

This probably isn't going to change the world of science or anything, but we like knowing that things like this are going on. Rock on, science.

Also, farts.

Twin Peaks tweets

David Lynch and Mark Frost, co-creators of cult series Twin Peaks, both tweeted the same message today with the same hashtag and the same smug look on their faces (we assume). The Twin Peaks-laden tweets read as follows: "Dear Twitter Friends: That gum you like is going to come back in style. #damngoodcoffee."

That's all we know for now, though Lynch has recently hinted at a Twin Peaks revival, telling fans they'll have to "wait and see" what happens with the series.


Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice

Paul Thomas Anderson, director of There Will Be Blood, Magnolia and Boogie Nights, has a new film set to hit theaters in December, Inherent Vice. This is what it looks like:


And this is what it looks like when set to awful, trendy music:


Homestar Runner returns with a new rap

Things are about to get ... bulbous.

Community cast shrinks by one

Yvette Nicole Brown, the actress who plays Shirley on Community, is leaving the show so she can help take care of her father. "My dad needs daily care and he needs me," Brown tells IMDB. "The idea of being away 16 hours a day for five months, I couldn't do it. It was a difficult decision for me to make, but I had to choose my dad."

We wish Brown all the best.

Harry Potter is Horns-y

Daniel Radcliffe, the actor best known for playing Harry Potter in all eight of those movies, plays the lead in Horns, the film adaptation of Joe Hill's (very excellent) novel. New screens show Radcliffe in varying stages of horniness, including the ever-elusive "I'm so hot my skin is actually lava now" look. Horns is due out in US theaters on Halloween.

The biggest girl group in the world kicks out a member

Cue the Ginger Spice abandonment issues.

Korean girl group Girls' Generation is now down to eight members after its management company, SM Entertainment, asked Jessica Jung to leave. Jung recently launched a fashion company, BLANC, and SM noted this as a potential conflict with her work in Girls' Generation. It seems the notice to leave the group came as a surprise to Jung.

"As a member of Girls' Generation, I've put Girls' Generation's activities before my personal life and business," she said in a statement. "However, despite my hard work and dedication for the group, I was notified to leave the group by my company."

Stay strong, fans.

That Y: The Last Man movie isn't happening

Dan Trachtenberg, director of the astounding fan film Portal: No Escape, is no longer working on a Y: The Last Man movie. He made the announcement via Twitter, answering a fan's question with, "Not happening. But it's in trusted hands (the creators)." The rights to a film have transferred back to series creators Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra.

Y: The Last Man tells the story of the literal last man on Earth, after every male creature in existence suddenly drops dead at the same time. Yes, that does sound like a story better told as a miniseries anyway.

Celebrate 50 years of Batman with class and style

Classical musicians The Piano Guys made a cool music video celebrating the sounds of Batman through the years, and it's all very elegant and nerdy. Enjoy:


Disney-Pixar's new movie, Inside Out, is all about emotions

Yeah, we all remember how sad the premise of Up was, Pixar. You don't have to keep reminding us. Excuse me while I grab a tissue.

Inside Out anthropomorphizes the emotions in a young girl's brain, starring Amy Poehler as Joy, Bill Hader as Fear, Lewis Black as Anger, Mindy Kaling as Disgust and Phyllis Smith as Sadness.


An artist repeatedly adds Mr. Bean's face to classic paintings

Finally. Thanks to the artist, Rodney Pike.

[Images: SciFiWorld, Rodney Pike]