(no subject)

[timepiececlock]

Right now I'm watching The First Emperor: The Man Who Made China on the Discovery Channel.

It's pretty cool, though the main reinactor isn't that great. Cool costumes. It's about the first emperor to unite China, who happens to also (I didn't know this) be the guy responsible for the army of terra cotta stone soldiers discovered a few years ago and still being excavated. I saw some of the pieces in a huge Ancient China exhibit in the San Francisco art museum about 4 years ago; it was extraordinary.

EDIT: This guy also began the Great Wall? Holy moly. He was a busy tyrant, wasn't he?

EDIT: Died of mercury poisoning. Rather embarrassing way to go, in the end.

Comments

[candlefungus.livejournal.com]

Ha! I watched that too. I thought the reinactors were silly; they should've spoken in Chinese. XD

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Chinese with subtitles would have been good. Or they could have spoken with less hokey accents. They're already speaking English... is giving them heavy-handed Chinese accented English supposed to make us forget about the fact that they're totally speaking English? Not likely. But even that would have worked better if they'd had a better script writer, and if the Emperor actor had been better.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_rednovember/]

EDIT: Died of mercury poisoning. Rather embarrassing way to go, in the end.

I rather prefer burning hot coals, myself.

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

I'm a fan of dying in your sleep. But drowning is supposed to be like falling asleep, so while it seems scary it might not actually be that bad to experience. (drowning in open water, anyway-- being trapped and drowning would be scary.) Barring all that, a painless shot to the back of the head isn't too terrible either. No pain, and quick.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_rednovember/]

Drowning? I think I'd be quite panicked. The water entering the nose and the lungs--not pleasant in my experience.

Perhaps freezing? I've heard that's like a long, slow sleep as well.

Dying in sleep is definitely the best. Hopefully we'll get to do this.