"High Quality Daily Amusement"
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Don't you need a beer?
Here's a link I got today from the list manager of a Complexity Science mailing list that totally should have come with a "possibly not work safe" note attached. Since my home computer has fallen victim to leaky and bulging electrolytic capacitors, I'll rely on you to tell me if this is worth waiting for. Virtual Bartender 1 and Virtual Bartender 2. For commands to try with the bartenders, read the Comments on this post.
Incredibly Disturbing MP3 Track
Well, Boing Boing has succeeded in finding the creepiest, most disturbing music track ever to be recorded. I'm trying to flush " Diary of an Unborn Child" out my brain with a fire hose as I write this. This anti-abortion themed song has not changed my opinions regarding fetuses, it has succeeded only in making me want to kill all fully grown adults, lest they product another work like this.
Flickr Montager
Here's the coolest Flickr hack I've seen yet. Just enter any keyword, and it will choose an image with that keyword for a tag, then "re-create" it as a montage of other photos also using that tag. If that was confusing, just try it out for yourself.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
This strikes me as a dangerous user interface
Here's a bit of marketing copy that made me giggle... it's for a device used to integrate your iPod with your car stereo. Get clean, high quality sound playing through your factory radio. Change tracks on your iPod™ from the factory radio or steering wheel It then clarifies what it means about the steering wheel via a parenthetical note. (vehicles with audio controls on steering wheel) Oh good, for a minute there I was picturing quite a bit of potential carnage on the freeways.
Leon Bambrick critiques Windows Search
Monday, June 27, 2005
Scientists Create Zombie Dogs
This is pretty creepy. Step 1. Drain blood from dog Step 2. Replace blood with really cold saline solution Step 3. Wait (Profit?) Step 4. Replace Blood Step 5. Administer electric shock. Step 6. Dog is alive again Zombie dogs aside, it sounds like this procedure could conceivably produce a reasonably safe, relatively cheap "near death experience on demand", which could create HUGE societal repercussions (think: empirical proof of life after death - or not)... Or at least a Flatliners II movie.
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Movie's Greatest Beams!
While the AFI may have released the 100 best movie lines this past week, VueWeekly presents its selections for movie's greatest beams! Nah, we're not talking I-beams or beaming smiles. We're talking about frikkin' laser beams.
1984 Today
Comparisons between George Orwell's "1984" and the present day are frequent and, unfortunately, not difficult to justify. The Boston Globe recently ran an op-ed piece in which the comparisons are not only apropos, but are ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Htotally wrong! How could anyone ever even try to make today look like some fictional blathering? (Readers: You have my word that my next entry will be something less soap-boxy)
Friday, June 24, 2005
From the "Why Didn't Someone Think of this Sooner" Dept.
The " Ring Thing" is a combination ring/bottle opener. And at $9.99, it pays for itself after one avoided trip to the dentist for trying to pop a cold one with your teeth.
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Bulldozed, but not for an intergalactic highway...
The U.S. Supreme Court has just ruled that people's property may be taken by eminent domain to make room for private uses - not just uses that benefit the public good (highways, reservoirs, etc). Some citizens in New London, CT are up-in-arms because their homes will be razed so an office park and hotel may be built on the same site. Yikes. (Hey, don't we need an amusement park at a certain ranch in Crawford, TX?) Poetic Justice update: Developer seeks to build hotel on the site of Justice Souter's NH home
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
"Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars."
American Film Institute releases an updated list of 100 top movie quotes. Believe it or not, a quote from Star Wars made it to the list... and it's not "Nooooooooo!" or "I've got a bad feeling about this".
Snapple Fails to Break World Record
Apparently, Snapple tried to create the world's largest Popsicle "ice pop" in Manhattan today - and failed. Their official press release puts it this way: Even though the 35,000 pound, 24 foot tall ice pop didn't break the world record, New Yorkers had a great time kicking off the first day of summer. Actual witnesses put it a bit differently: Alas, like James Arness in the 1951 alien thriller "The Thing From Another World," the giant Snapsicle began to melt. Soon pedestrians were fleeing in not-quite terror, fire trucks were converging, and the police were closing off streets to contain the publicity stunt gone wrong.
Friday, June 17, 2005
Neal Stephenson on Star Wars
In Turn On, Tune In, Veg Out, Neal Stephenson gives his perception of the Star Wars phenomenon. [Via Slashdot]
Getting E-commerce off on the right foot
FootSmart makes custom insoles for your shoes. Now, I don't know much about the custom shoe insole market, but I do know this. If I were in the market for such a thing, I'd be much more inclined to buy it from a company which clearly knows the difference between a right foot and a left foot.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Newsflash for 80's Retro Junkies
I made a shocking discovery today. 1. "Bugle Boy" is still around. ( barely) 2. Bugle Boy is stll making "parachute pants" 3. You can buy Bugle Boy parachute pants online. Wow.
Ben Folds Covers Dr. Dre
I've never really followed Ben Folds' music, but I'm now convinced he's God, nonetheless. First, he collaborated with William Shatner to make an album that's actually pretty damned enjoyable even after the joke wears off. Now, this: Ben Folds covering Dr. Dre's " B**ches Ain't Sh*t" Don the headphones and give it a listen. Hilarious.
Wal-Mart orders workers to be available for any shift, 7 days a week
A Wal-Mart manager in West Virginia has ordered all employees to commit to being available for duty at any time, 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, or they'll be fired pretty much immediately. Just to add additional absurdity to this ridiculence, the manager's name is "Knuckles". Oh, and the town is called "Nitro".
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
SeinfeldScripts.com
SeinfeldScripts.com - the URL kinda says it all. All the Seinfeld episode scripts. You can even download them all in a ZIP file. Cool!
Das Keyboard
Think you're a badass geek (or a well-trained secretary?) Get " Das Keyboard" and really show the world your mad hacking skills. Someone needs to make transparent plastic version for Mac geeks. It would be the perfect accompaniment to Apple's "zero button" mouse.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Slow News Day?
In a shocking exposé, ABC News reports: " Most States Let Drivers Exceed Speed Limit." Yes, that's the actual headline. "Law Enforcement Tends to Give Motorists 5-10 Mph Speed Cushion Before Pulling Them Over." That's the actual subheading. I'm shocked. I'm shocked and outraged. Eh, never mind.
Friday, June 10, 2005
How to Dance Like a White Guy
A useful instructional video for those plagued by rhythm and style.
All-Fan Case Mod
So, you're into building your own computer systems. You've put some serious horsepower in your latest creation, and it's generating a lot of heat. So you come up with clever ways to attach lots of fans to the system. Well, no matter how clever you are with your fan placement, this guy's got you beat.
The Monster Engine
What a cool idea. Artist Dave Devries takes little kids' drawings of monsters (and super heroes, and other stuff) and makes "realistic" versions of them. Hard to explain, eaiser to just see for yourself. I have to find this book. Apparently, it's not avaialable you-know-where, or anywhere else online for that matter. Bummer. Update: I'm quite oblivious. You can order the book directly from the website here!
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Google to Create 3D Street-Level Map of San Francisco
...using trucks with frickin' laser beams on their heads. Is it me, or is Google just starting to seem a bit... I dunno... creepy lately?
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
May the Farm be with you!
Watch Cuke Skywalker and Obi Wan Cannoli rescue Princess Lettuce and defeat Darth Tater, who has joined the Dark Side of the Farm. Join the Organic Alliance! http://ia108032.us.archive.org/1/items/StoreWars/sw_5M.wmv
Winning Sucks
This is such a great story of a seemingly simple matter rapidly descending into complete absurdity. Let me try to summarize it with bullet points: - Man enters an American Airlines contest offering the winner 12 free flights (for two) to anywhere around the world
- Man wins! Man is excited!
- Man learns that the "retail value of the prize" is $58,000
- Man questions this number since it amounts to $2,200 per ticket
- Man learns that the "retail value" of each voucher is based on the "worst case scenario", meaning the highest possible cost from any destination to any other destination.
- Man generally intended to use tickets to go to non-exotic places like Chicago - typical ticket cost: $200.
- Man learns that by accepting the prize he must pay income tax on the full "retail value" of ALL the vouchers, which amounts to $15,000 and $23,000, or about $1,000 PER TICKET. Thus, the "free" tickets will cost him four times as much as a regular ticket.
- Man tries to get American Airlines to offer a cash prize, or reduce their valuations instead.
- American Airlines refuses to make any changes except for the helpful option of receiving fewer free flight vouchers.
Now, the best part (as someone on this thread points out) is that American Airlines, regardless of what this guy does, will get to DEDUCT $58,000 from THEIR taxes, as a marketing expense! TANSTAAFL, indeed!
In-Souls
I was raised Catholic. I think Jesus was a swell guy. Ten Commandments? Generally pretty good. But it's stuff like this that forces my mind to regrettably equate the word "Christian" with the word "looney". In-Souls Inspirational Scripture Shoe InsertsWHY???
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Just an observation...
There's a 'reverse' button on the shredder here at work. Perhaps this is in case one gets their tie stuck in it... it's certainly not an effective 'undo' mechanism.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Non-sequitur
Lion Mutilates 42 Midgets in Cambodian Ring-Fight. After 12 minutes, 28 fighters were declared dead, while the other 14 suffered severe injuries including broken bones and lost limbs... (thanks, lo_mein!)
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