"High Quality Daily Amusement"
Friday, April 29, 2005
Boston area radio: Star 93.7 is no more
I tuned into one of my favorite Boston-area radio stations the other day, Star 93.7, and was dismayed to hear music that didn't quite sound like 93.7 music. It was some slow classic rock song from the 70's. This was followed by a droning 80's song. Then Nirvana. Then Cher. Star 93.7 is gone - gone, I tells ya... Welcome to MikeFM, the slut of broadcast radio ("We play everything!") - no DJs, no personalities, just random music from random eras, random genres. They advertise themselves as being like "hitting Shuffle on your iPod!" I think it sounds like radio puke.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Lists of songs
From the Time Sink department at Ridiculent... Lists of songs on Wikipedia. "List of songs featuring cowbells", "List of self-referential songs", "List of songs whose title appears more than twenty times in the lyrics", and much, much more.
What surprises me is that there are enough people out there who know about these lists to have made significant additions to them. Encyclopedia Britannica, you can't touch this!
What surprises me is that there are enough people out there who know about these lists to have made significant additions to them. Encyclopedia Britannica, you can't touch this!
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Loonatics beat-down!
11-year-old Thomas didn't like what was to become of Bugs Bunny and company, and started a petition that, lo and behold, is actually going to have an impact on the series! Way to go, little dude!
World's Dumbest Hacker
I don't know if this is for real, but it's quite entertaining. Read about the world's dumbest hacker, as he tries to take down someone else's machine.
A quote from the chat transcript (the whole transcript is translated from German):
A quote from the chat transcript (the whole transcript is translated from German):
[bitchchecker] tell me your network number man then you're dead
[Elch] Eh, it's 129.0.0.1
[Elch] or maybe 127.0.0.1
[Elch] yes exactly that's it: 127.0.0.1 I'm waiting for you great attack
[bitchchecker] in five minutes your hard drive is deleted
[Elch] Now I'm frightened
[bitchchecker] shut up you'll be gone
[bitchchecker] i have a program where i enter your ip and you're dead
Monday, April 25, 2005
No more TV for me?
The end of analog TV is at hand. This probably won't affect most of you, who probably have cable, but it will definitely affect me, since I watch my Simpsons using rabbit ears.
Baby name popularity
This is interesting, and a total time sink - an interactive dataset for baby name popularity. It might sound boring, but it's quite well done and very interesting, so check it out!
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Think Twice Before Stealing That Laptop
Bad Idea: Stealing a laptop from a professor
REALLY Bad Idea: Stealing a laptop from THIS professor
This is the best bit of Schadenfreude (?) I've indulged in in a long time.
It takes a bit of explanation to fully enjoy, but it's worth it. Follow this link to view a RealMedia format recording of a lecture at Berkeley. It's an hour long, but skip to 48:50 to get to the good part where the professor explains what happened to his laptop, who he works for when he's not teaching, exactly how many government agencies are going to make the thief's life a living hell, and how the student has no chance to escape it, even if he gives the laptop back.
There is a transcript here, but really, watch the video, it's much more brutal to watch.
If you really can't hack doing the RealPlayer thing, there is also a crappy MP3 version available.
All these links originally came from a BoingBoing post.
REALLY Bad Idea: Stealing a laptop from THIS professor
This is the best bit of Schadenfreude (?) I've indulged in in a long time.
It takes a bit of explanation to fully enjoy, but it's worth it. Follow this link to view a RealMedia format recording of a lecture at Berkeley. It's an hour long, but skip to 48:50 to get to the good part where the professor explains what happened to his laptop, who he works for when he's not teaching, exactly how many government agencies are going to make the thief's life a living hell, and how the student has no chance to escape it, even if he gives the laptop back.
There is a transcript here, but really, watch the video, it's much more brutal to watch.
If you really can't hack doing the RealPlayer thing, there is also a crappy MP3 version available.
All these links originally came from a BoingBoing post.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Mouth Wetting Delicacies Invasion!
Fuji Ya, a sushi restaurant in Minnesota has caught on that we gaijin folk find poor translations in Japanese products immensely humorous, and based an ad campaign on this fact. Check them out. They also have the most awesome chopstick wrappers I've ever seen...
70' wave...
By now, you have probably heard of the 70-foot wave that crashed into the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship.
What I'm looking for is a picture of that wave. Surely someone on the boat snapped a picture. If anyone comes across that picture, please post a comment with the link. Thanks!
What I'm looking for is a picture of that wave. Surely someone on the boat snapped a picture. If anyone comes across that picture, please post a comment with the link. Thanks!
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Serving Suggestion
Ever wonder about those pictures on the front of cereal boxes, where every delicate morsel looks just so darned perfect and well-placed? Just what is the secret to such a beatiful breakfast scenario?
Apparently, according to a former commercial photography "food stylist", it involves Crisco and 1950's hair tonic. Mmm... the breakfast of champions.
Apparently, according to a former commercial photography "food stylist", it involves Crisco and 1950's hair tonic. Mmm... the breakfast of champions.
Tuesday, April 12, 2005
Monday, April 11, 2005
Goohoo
Don't know whether to use Yahoo or Google? Try Yagoohoogle!
This was started as an April Fools joke by Slashdot, but actually might be quite useful.
This was started as an April Fools joke by Slashdot, but actually might be quite useful.
Predicting the future
[Warning: I talk about the upcoming Star Wars movie in this post from an entirely big-picture perspective. No details spoiled, just the general mood of the flick]
I have a prediction that may be revealed, along with the Sith, a month from now. All of these companies that are doing product tie-ins with "Star Wars: Episode III" will be in absolute shock at the dark and murderous nature of the movie, and they will quickly distance themselves from the tie-in. Likewise, many reviewers will be dumbfounded because their expectations will be so shattered. I think a lot of people will be leaving this one with a thought in their mind: "What the hell did I just watch?" It will be incongruent with their existing notions of a Star Wars movie.
Which is not to say that it won't be enjoyed. But it certainly won't be the most appreciated - at least, not to reviewers and marketers. That's just my opinion, given what I know so far. (Which is pretty much everything, now that I've perused the books in Barnes & Noble)
I have a prediction that may be revealed, along with the Sith, a month from now. All of these companies that are doing product tie-ins with "Star Wars: Episode III" will be in absolute shock at the dark and murderous nature of the movie, and they will quickly distance themselves from the tie-in. Likewise, many reviewers will be dumbfounded because their expectations will be so shattered. I think a lot of people will be leaving this one with a thought in their mind: "What the hell did I just watch?" It will be incongruent with their existing notions of a Star Wars movie.
Which is not to say that it won't be enjoyed. But it certainly won't be the most appreciated - at least, not to reviewers and marketers. That's just my opinion, given what I know so far. (Which is pretty much everything, now that I've perused the books in Barnes & Noble)
Thursday, April 07, 2005
"D is for daylight, that's good enough for me"
Ah, the pro's and con's of extending Daylight Savings Time.
"If we have more daylight, people will use less electricity." - a politician
"The cows can't adjust to the time change." - a farmer
"Hey man, this'll be worse than Y2K!" - a programmer
"Some might argue that Y2K jump-started the Internet boom!" - some AC on /.
"The drug companies will lose so much money on their seasonal anti-depression meds!" - a troublemaker
"Extending DST by 2 months will save 10,000 barrels of oil a day for those two months? What about all mandatory modified hours so people don't sit in rush-hour traffic for so long, and eliminating SUV subsidies? That will save a LOT more than 10,000 barrels a day!" - someone who is finally making sense
"If we have more daylight, people will use less electricity." - a politician
"The cows can't adjust to the time change." - a farmer
"Hey man, this'll be worse than Y2K!" - a programmer
"Some might argue that Y2K jump-started the Internet boom!" - some AC on /.
"The drug companies will lose so much money on their seasonal anti-depression meds!" - a troublemaker
"Extending DST by 2 months will save 10,000 barrels of oil a day for those two months? What about all mandatory modified hours so people don't sit in rush-hour traffic for so long, and eliminating SUV subsidies? That will save a LOT more than 10,000 barrels a day!" - someone who is finally making sense
"M is for murder, that's good enough for me"
Which of the following is true about rapper C-Murder?
A. He's serving jail time for, ahm, murder
B. He's brothers with Master P. (Brothers B, J, K, and O were unavailable for comment)
C. He has recently changed his name to C-Miller
D. You can't think of a single song this guy sung
E. All, or most, of the above
Test your knowledge by reading this article, and learn more about thug life.
A. He's serving jail time for, ahm, murder
B. He's brothers with Master P. (Brothers B, J, K, and O were unavailable for comment)
C. He has recently changed his name to C-Miller
D. You can't think of a single song this guy sung
E. All, or most, of the above
Test your knowledge by reading this article, and learn more about thug life.
Bet on the Next Pope
I assume this is illegal in the US, but I guess if you're in Ireland or UK, you can bet on who will become the next pope.
All ridiculentness aside, it's interesting to note that the leading candidate (according to this site, at least) is a "cardinal of color" - Fracis Cardinal Arinze of Nigeria. Now, I'm cool with that, but a black pope would certainly be an interesting change.
All ridiculentness aside, it's interesting to note that the leading candidate (according to this site, at least) is a "cardinal of color" - Fracis Cardinal Arinze of Nigeria. Now, I'm cool with that, but a black pope would certainly be an interesting change.
Smoosh
If you're like me (and I believe there is a new medication for that), whenever you turn on the radio these days, you think to yourself: "Geez, a couple of 12 year old girls could write better music than this crap!"
Smoosh is an indie rock duo hailing from Seattle. Asy (keyboard) is 12 years old and Chloe (drums) is 10. And, in fact, their music is better than most of the crap on the radio. No joke, this is pure, straight up "riot grrrl" indie rock, and it's awesome.
Smoosh has opened for Pearl Jam and Death Cab For Cutie. Who did you open for when you were 10?
Smoosh Article
Smoosh Interview
iTunes link to "She Like Electric", Smoosh's full-length album - try "Pygmy Motorcycle".
Smoosh is an indie rock duo hailing from Seattle. Asy (keyboard) is 12 years old and Chloe (drums) is 10. And, in fact, their music is better than most of the crap on the radio. No joke, this is pure, straight up "riot grrrl" indie rock, and it's awesome.Smoosh has opened for Pearl Jam and Death Cab For Cutie. Who did you open for when you were 10?
Smoosh Article
Smoosh Interview
iTunes link to "She Like Electric", Smoosh's full-length album - try "Pygmy Motorcycle".
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
An Amusing Mental Exercise
This is one of those mathematical curiosities that kind of messes with your head. The author uses a simple experiment involving cutting a large piece of paper, to help you understand exactly what 2 to the power of 100 means. Check it out, and be sure to take a guess before peeking at the answer.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Oh no, a $200 Fine!
What, do they wait for your flaming corpse to cool off, then pick your pocket?
(via Seth Godin's Blog)
