For NatGeo's #SharkWeek: the Batman 1966 Shark Repellent Bat Spray

I'm reminded of this every year during Shark Week - in the clip below, Adam West's 1966 Batman fends off an angry about-to-explode shark with a can of shark repellent spray. That scene was actually rather faithful to the early Batman comics, which show that the Dark Knight does, indeed, carry around a can of shark repellent with him at all times. You know, just in case.

So, Batman is hanging from the Bat-copter (on the Bat-ladder) and is attacked by an about-to-explode shark. He wrestles with it for a bit and tries a few ineffectual Bat-punches to the shark’s head and body, then grabs his Bat-radio and asks Robin to throw him down a can of Shark Repellent Bat-Spray. This is stored in the Bat-copter along with three other “Oceanic Repellent Bat Sprays” designed to fend off, in addition to sharks, whales, manta rays and barracudas. Too bad Steve Irwin didn't think to carry those.

There is, of course, a Lego re-enactment:

Kind of related: Mythbusters on Does "Essence of Dead Sharks" Work as Shark Repellent?:

More at Fact Fiend - Batman Really Does Carry Shark Repellent Spray.

Related: 

Smithsonian Magazine - Shark Repellent: It’s Not Just For Batman Anymore

It was actually first developed during World War II in an effort to help save the lives of seamen and pilots who had to await rescue in open water

Here's the 1983 episode of The Family Feud: the cast of Gilligan's Island vs the cast of Batman.

Physics of superheroes: Batman's powers questioned by scientists.

Video and infographic: the evolution of the Batmobile and the History of the Batmobile Parachute Pickup Service Van.

The physics of Batman's cape.

The Evolution of Batman in Cinema: From 1939 to Present.

Wednesday links

For NatGeo's Shark Week: here's the Batman 1966 Shark Repellent Bat Spray scene, a Lego re-enactment, and Mythbusters "Essence of Dead Sharks" shark repellent test.

The length of a music single was determined by the weight-driven pulley system on a 1920's recording machine  - it allowed approximately three and a half minutes to record before a 100 pound weight hit the floor.

Sherlock Holmes gets a lot of mail. What happens to it?

17th century infertility remedies.

How tech's richest plan to save themselves after the apocalypse.

A free online course offered by MIT: How to Win at Texas Hold 'Em.

ICYMI, Friday's links are here, and include a brief history of prosthetic limbs, the anniversary of the 20th of July plot (the unsuccessful bomb attempt to kill Hitler in 1944), the science of the perfect s'more, and an analysis of the Bayeux Tapestry's 93 penises. 

Video: excellent shark avoidance advice: Don't go in the ocean - that's the shark's house

Veronica-Pooh Nash Poleate, a Tennessee school counselor, made a video on shark safety tips: 

That's the shark's house. The shark has a right to eat you up when you in his house. When chickens come in my house, guess what. They get ate.

Facebook post here.

Beyond Sharknado - here's a trailer for Sharkansas Women’s Prison Massacre (because fracking!)

Sharknado fans, this one is coming soon to theaters (not SyFy channel!): 

When a fracking mishap accidentally rips apart the earth’s crust, the resulting hole opens up a gaping underground waterway to a vast and mysterious ocean somewhere deep below. 

Instantly, giant prehistoric sharks begin wending their way upward toward a murky bog in the heart of the Arkansas Bayou. Unfortunately for a group of female prisoners (ed. - in tight shorts and shirts) on a work detail in the swamp, the deadly sharks attack without warning – pinning a hapless group of intended victims in a small deserted cabin in the heart of the wetlands. Death may be the only means of escape!

via Dave Barry.

Because it's almost time for Father's Day (or just because you want one), here's a Sharknado Action Figure.

Related posts:

Sharknado 3 will be set in DC and have Ann Coulter as VP, Marc Cuban as Prez.

Sharknado 2: The Second One on SyFy: here's everything you need to get ready.

This trailer for Zombeavers makes Sharknado look realistic and well acted.

This will be bigger than Sharknado: Monster vs Machine - Mega Shark Vs Mecha Shark (Trailer)

Old and busted: Sharknado. New and hot: SharkNATO.

Ruby Slippers for the Sharknado/Wizard of Oz Crossover.

10 Movies to Watch if You Loved Sharknado.

First clip from Sharknado: The Second One, in which a shark catches a NYC subway train

Sharknado was, of course, set in LA, but Sharknado 2: The Second One takes place in Manhattan, and will show on the SyFy channel on July 30. And as you scoff, bear in mind that there are (at least) five actual instances of animal tornadoes, including Gatornado.

Too late for Father's Day, but for the next appropriate occasion (or just because you want one), here's a Sharknado Action Figure.

Related posts:

Cell phone video of the filming of Sharknado 2 in the streets of New York

This trailer for Zombeavers makes Sharknado look realistic and well acted.

This will be bigger than Sharknado: Monster vs Machine - Mega Shark Vs Mecha Shark (Trailer)

Old and busted: Sharknado. New and hot: SharkNATO

Ruby Slippers for the Sharknado/Wizard of Oz Crossover

10 Movies to Watch if You Loved Sharknado

Sharknado vs Godzilla: 40 Movies Made Better by Adding Godzilla

Cracked has 40 of these, although I found a lot of them pretty unimpressive. Here are a few favorites:

via Geekpress.

Cell phone video of the filming of Sharknado 2 in the streets of New York

As I'm sure everyone knows, Sharknado was set in LA, but apparently Sharknado 2: The Second One will be set in Manhattan.

  'Sharknado 2' in NYC -- Actors ... More Deadly Than the Fishes

Related: This trailer for Zombeavers makes Sharknado look realistic and well acted.

Friday links

Crocodiles, Alligators Able to Climb Trees.

This compilation of the Oscar winners for Best Visual Effects, 1977-2012 is a real trip down memory lane.  Related, Behind the scenes of the 1956 Japanese Godzilla Movie and the 1966 Batman TV show.  Also, 17 Facts You Might Not Know About Gilligan's Island.

The first car that Porsche ever built was found in a shed, untouched for over a century.

New Zealand Prime Minister adamant he's not a shapeshifting reptilian alien.

ICYMI, Wednesday's links are here, including animals using each other as pillows and a trailer for Zombeaver. Speaking of Zombeaver, Sharknado 2: The Second One is coming!

‘Sharknado 2: The Second One′ Cast Unveiled; Production Starts Next Week

Sharknado was set in LA, but apparently Sharknado 2: The Second One will be set in Manhattan.

Vivica A. Fox, Mark McGrath, Kelly Osbourne, Andy Dick, Judah Friedlander, and Judd Hirsch have been cast in Anthony Ferrante is again directing the screenplay by Thunder Levin – this time about a freak weather system that turns its deadly fury on New York City, unleashing a “sharknado” on the city’s population and its most iconic sites, with sharknado experts Fin (Ziering) and April (Reid) the only ones able to save the city.

Judd Hirsch plays a taxi driver.  ;-)

More here.

Wednesday links

31 Animals That Use Each Other As Pillows.

This trailer for Zombeavers makes Sharknado look realistic and well acted.

Private Snafu: The World War II Propaganda Cartoons Created by Dr. Seuss, Frank Capra, and Mel Blanc.

Think you've had a snowy winter?  Look at the first of these 20 Fascinating Historical Photos You Probably (Maybe) Haven't Seen Before. Related: Black and White Photos of the Early Days of Winter Olympics.

How to make an intercom out of obsolete corded phones.

ICYMI, last Friday's links, including 1849 advice on how to start a fight with your wife & beer and wine pairings for Girl Scout cookies are here.

This trailer for Zombeavers makes Sharknado look realistic and well acted

Like vagina puns and scary movies? Well, you just hit the jackpot! Zombeavers - yes that's right, a film about zombie beavers - looks set to be the best worst film you see all year.

The horror comedy is from the people behind Cabin Fever, The Ring and American Pie and will certainly appeal to fans of "classics" like Piranha 3D and Sharknado.

The plot involves a group of good looking college kids who head to a riverside cabin for a quiet vacation - before things go very wrong.

For unknown reasons the beavers have mutated and turned violent... very violent.

Oddly enough, this isn't a SyFy Channel film - it's supposed to actually be in theaters.

via ScienceFiction.com

Wednesday links

A Brief History of Prescription Windshields

Beyond Sharknado: Monster vs Machine - Mega Shark Vs Mecha Shark (Trailer)

1,200 year-old string phone.  Kind of related: How to Make a Functional Cell Phone From Scratch

Medieval X-Men Art Series.

Supercut of Archery in Movies.

This Fly Hijacks an Ant’s Brain — Then Pops Its Head Off.

ICYMI: Monday's links are here.

This will be bigger than Sharknado: Monster vs Machine - Mega Shark Vs Mecha Shark (Trailer)

Mega Shark has wreaked havoc in 2 previous SyFy movies (see below), but now they've built a giant robot shark to combat it!  What a great idea!  And Debbie Gibson is helping!

I'm not sure when this is being aired - I'm sure the information is out there somewhere but there's only so much research one can do into this subject before your one's start to bleed.

Mega Shark's first appearance was in Mega Shark Versus Giant Octopus:



And the second was in Mega Shark Vs. Crocosaurus: here's a "best parts" video clip:



More info here.

Friday links

10 most expensive restaurants in the world.

Fine Art Superheroes.

40-Foot Hand-Carved Sculpture Earns Guinness World Record.

Moose-eating shark rescued.

The Addams Family’s Black and White Living Room Was Actually Pink.

What is the furthest one human being has ever been from every other living person?

ICYMI: Wednesday's links are here.

Old and busted: Sharknado. New and hot: SharkNATO

Via io9:

Remember when Thunder Levin, the writer of Sharknado, said that when he was approached to write the film he misheard and thought they were pitching a movie called SharkNATO? About a daring international treaty organization battling a shark army? NOW IT IS A THING. 

To be more specific, Jennell (AKA @mixedmediologist on Twitter) has made it so!

Tuesday links

How to Navigate by the Stars.

Real-life Sharknado: 5 actual instances of animal tornadoes, including Gatornado.

Zambian teachers say they live in fear of 'invisible sex' with witches.

10 Textbook Blunders.

Here's the winner of Michigan's Goose Calling Contest.

Straitjacket and Other Control Toys for Badly Behaved Children.

Real-life Sharknado: 5 actual instances of animal tornadoes, including Gatornado

The antics in Sharknado, which involve tornadoes filled with man-eating sharks, might seem beyond ridiculous. (And well, for the most part, they are.) But the film's central premise — that a tornado could pluck creatures from the sea and deposit them on land — actually has some scientific merit.

In fact, there are numerous accounts throughout history of animals raining from the sky, most likely the result of getting sucked up by a tornado. Although no shark tornadoes have ever been reported, tornadoes and waterspouts have been known to lift animals like fish, frogs and even alligators and drop them ashore, often still alive and kicking.

Mother Nature Network has information, links and examples of fish, frogs, jelly fish, worms and even alligators raining down from the sky:

Alligators

This story might be the closest thing to a real-life sharknado. According to a report from 1887 in the New York Times: "Dr. J. L. Smith, of Silverton Township, while opening up a new turpentine farm, noticed something fall to the ground and commence to crawl toward the tent where he was sitting. On examining the object he found it to be an alligator." 

Smith went on to find himself surrounded by eight alligators in total, which had apparently been dropped from the sky by a distant waterspout. If his account is to be believed, then this was history's first and only documented case of a genuine, no joke, gatornado.

Tuesday links

Can You Actually Cough Up A Lung?

Sharknado hairdo, or hat, or something.

How Beer Gets Its Color.

If you wanted to anchor an airplane into the ground so it wouldn't be able to take off, what would the rope have to be made out of?

9 Terrifying Parasites.

The Cost of Being a Superhero in Real Life: Then & Now (Infographics).

Cross-posted at @NRO's The Corner.

Ruby Slippers for the Sharknado/Wizard of Oz Crossover

How cool are these?

Sharknado hairdo, or hat, or something.

via Fashionably Geek.