Charlie Sheen, grips it and rips it

Human chemical testing lab Charlie Sheen did his best to squash rumors of him being batsh*t, no wait, he confirmed that idea? I'm back and forth.

Despite that, I'm starting to think he has a plan here....

answering a question about if he was proud of his recent partying
4:31 - "of course, why wouldn't I be?"

answering a question about other people partying with him possibly OD'ing
4:50 - "what's that got to do with me?"

What about more rainwater collection, living enzymes, physical methods?

So San Francisco's push to install city-wide low-flow toilets has caused a problem with one of the oldest sewer systems in America.

The problem is, (trying to stay classy here) with the reduction in water entering the sewage system, the "substance" is too solid, won't flow as well and is clogging up. This is causing a terrible stench at the bottlenecks. You'd think that the best way to treat a lack of water would be to add water. Rainwater collection? other wastewater collection that could be added to the "mix"? I understand the point of the low-flow toilets was to reduce water use, but if you were to instead dilute with what wasn't drinking water clean (wastewater) or abundant "free" water (rain), wouldn't that be better? What about a once in a while physical method of pushing the sludge through? I'm thinking of something similar to oil pipeline inspectors here. I'm pretty sure dumping bleach down the drain doesn't really up the green* credentials SF was trying to acheive with the whole low-flow movement (pun intended) idea to begin with. Here's to well thought out plans that give lip service to being an environmentalist**

I wonder if the smell will get to the point where we need one of these to walk around SF.

Smug Alert
Tags: SOUTH
PARKmore...

*I HATE that word being used like that, its nothing more than marketing...

**I'm looking at you prius/element drivers (you really should click the "element" hyperlink)

Source -> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/28/BAVP1HUSUD.DTL&tsp=1

Bernie Madoff - "[The] whole government is a Ponzi scheme"

From the NY magazine article:

Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff said in a magazine interview published Sunday that new regulatory reform enacted after the recent national financial crisis is laughable and that the federal government is a Ponzi scheme.

"The whole new regulatory reform is a joke," Madoff said during a telephone interview with New York magazine in which he discussed his disdain for the financial industry and for its regulators.

The interview was published on the magazine's website Sunday night.

Madoff did an earlier New York Times interview in which he accused banks and hedge funds of being "complicit" in his Ponzi scheme to fleece people out of billions of dollars. He said they failed to scrutinize the discrepancies between his regulatory filings and other information.

He said in the New York magazine interview the Securities and Exchange Commission "looks terrible in this thing," and he said the "whole government is a Ponzi scheme.
_________
What he did was obviously illegal and immoral, but to say that LOTS of people/organizations/regulators didn't know about it is naive in purest form. Bernie just got caught. As said by one of the commenters, isn't social security by definition a Ponzi scheme?
Source -> http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Madoff-to-NY-magazine-apf-2369562769.html?x=0&.v=2 and http://nymag.com/news/features/berniemadoff-2011-3/

Zach Anner wins his OWN TV show.

So a while back, Oprah's network had a video entry contest for their own show on the OWN network. Zach Anner the funniest entrant by a LARGE margin (I don't care if humor wasn't the point of the contest), was the early fan favorite. Then there was speculation that votes for his competition were being rigged... Then with all the attention on the issue, votes started swinging back toward the publicly favored Zach, so weird*! Apparently Oprah was "concerned about his stamina, [being wheelchair-bound]". I guess Oprah being the picture of health and a concerned boss does justify that**. Well, now the contest is over, and Zach won***! Wheelchair-bound Zach is a self-proclaimed "sit-down comedian" and is funny as hell. He states that he has "Cerebral Palsy" which he believes is "the sexiest of all the Palsys".

Zach's show's theme is an Inspirational travel show for people who never thought they could travel.

See below for some embedded videos of this guy. This may be the only show in history on the OWN network I ever even tune to. Congrats Zach.

Audition video below

wivb.com

*by weird I mean, Oprah is (likely) full of crap and totally rigged the votes then realized she'd get caught and switched them back. Note: I have absolutely no proof of this and also going on pure speculation, so don't sue me.

**she isn't and it doesn't

***technically Zach and the other person both won, which to me looks like a way for Oprah to cancel Zach after a few episodes because of (a reason that hasn't been made up yet) and still feel like her OWN show contest was a success

Zach's youtube channel -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBwjD8gDN4U

When I was your age...

Source -> http://www.thehighdefinite.com/2011/02/when-i-was-your-age/

Val Kilmer sucks, George Clooney sucks

10 things you may not know about Batman.

Most of these are stupid (I'm looking at you #7). But here are my favorite ones.

#4 Batman used to kill criminals all the time. - I wish Batman would (actively) kill criminals again. The Chris Nolan approach is definitely a step in the right (darker) direction from that happy-go-lucky crap before. (yes I'm focusing more on movies).

I also liked the darker 90's cartoon for the same reason, yeah they skirted around blood/gore, but it was at least implied.

#6 A lot of key elements of the Bat-mythos weren't introduced until the 1940s. - This is interesting, Batman wouldn't be Batman without the cave, the car, the belt, the whole thing.




#10 Batman fought Dr. Doom before the Fantastic Four ever did. - I wonder how the licensing for this worked, or maybe it was back before they cared quite so much about this and they were just similar characters. A faceless "doctor" trying only for destruction and doom? Seems organically named to me.

Source -> http://io9.com/#!5759535/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-batman

If US cities had kept their original names

Some of these you probably know, eg New York -> New Amsterdam, but some of them I had no idea. (must not make a Beaver Creek joke...). Also some of them aren't 100% accurate. Washington D.C. for instance wasn't just a renaming of Georgetown, but a merging/drawing standard borderlines of Georgetown + the City/County of Washington and a bit of the city of Alexandria, VA (originally) - but that's splitting hairs.

I think we can all agree that Helena, MT is far less exciting sounding than "Last Chance, MT".

Source -> http://www.geekosystem.com/if-u-s-cities-had-kept-their-original-names/

are acts of God covered?

Here's my modification to this complaint, Why can't I be in charge of what the computer does? Why does it have the power to change the active window in order to update java? Can we work on this? I don't want my computer to become a victim of an "act of god" too...

Source -> http://news.yahoo.com/comics/pearls-before-swine#id=/comics/110224/cx_pearls_umedia/20112402

Hipster how-to guide

Courtesy of the high definite (via http://stephemera.wordpress.com/)

More on Hipsters -> http://www.dannyfinnegan.com/2011/02/hipsters.html

Wifey owes me back rent...

Oh wait, I use more closet space, I sleep on the window side, never mind.

Cool tool for roommates/flatmates if your British or pretend to be (hopefully aren't married because then its just weird to be paying each other) for deciding how to split rent based on rooms (not utilities or who takes out the trash).

Source -> http://lifehacker.com/#!5768180/splittherentorg-gets-super+precise-on-what-each-roommate-owes
via
http://www.splittherent.org/p/rent-calculator.html

post from drudge report today

"then I stole 2nd base, and was SAFE!"

Yes its web 1.0, but its easy to get right to the point. Today the point is that Gaddafi/Kadafi/Qaddafi is a nutjob.


Gaddafi Blames Bin Laden for Turmoil...

U.S. Fears Deployment of Gas, Scuds in Conflict...

Gadhafi forces strike back...

...warn journalists illegally in country

Capital deserted...

'Bloodbath' Across Libya...

Seat on Top UN Human Rights Body 'Secure'...

...placed billions of dollars at US banks

AL-JAZEERA LIVE FEED... REUTERS WIRE...

OBAMA: 'WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN'...

PAPER: 'Spineless response'...

26 uncomfortable moments with Muammar Gaddafi 

your website is annoying

Let me start by saying, other than bandwidth efficient (as compared to other methods) youtube-esque video, I HATE FLASH. When entire pages are created in it: its not mobile friendly, is slow, looks about half as cute as you think it does and really has no point. I get it, the hyperlinks do a magical dance as I mouse over them, you know what else can do that? java. And it sucks about 80% less than flash. Lastly, I wasn't born yesterday, we all know that pretty containers are just a cr*ppy way to hide that your site has no actual...content. Look at drudgereport.com for an example of a GREAT web 1.0 site.

I digress, the point of this post was to repost a funny comic (and its inspiration) about exactly this... annoying websites that prioritize animation and presentation over content and functionality.

Source -> http://theoatmeal.com/comics/restaurant_website

inspired by the comic below (which I also agree with)

source -> http://xkcd.com/773/

Do or Die!

for once I disagree with Rat, I was entertained.

Source -> http://news.yahoo.com/comics/pearls-before-swine#id=/comics/110223/cx_pearls_umedia/20112302


(mountain dew rules)

I have sidewalk rage

I admit it, I have sidewalk rage. It seems to be an epidemic in NYC, as per: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/02/22/sidewalk-rage-plagues-new-york-city-streets/

. I can think of two instances when we lived in NYC and my rage manifested itself.

The first time I think Danny was going to have a hernia from laughing so hard. We were cutting across the south end of Times Square (hell on Earth for any non-tourist) which was a mistake in and of itself. And for anyone who doesn't know about the walk signals in NYC, there are two lights, one is white in the shape of a man walking, the other is red and in the shape of a hand. When the white man is on, it is clear to walk. When the red hand blinks, it means to run to the other side of the street because the light is about to change. When the red hand is solid, you're not supposed to cross, but as long as there are no cabs speeding towards you, general rule is it's ok to cross. Back in hell, as we approached Broadway to cross, a tourist sees the light switch from white man to blinking red hand and screeches to a halt at the curb, sending me into him. I manage to graze him (or try to shoulder check him into traffic, same difference) as I shouted "Outta my way, tourist!" and kept on walking. I'm sure he went home and told everyone in his little hometown how evil everyone is in New York.

The second was a sunny afternoon on my normal commute down 1st ave where it is normally not crowded. A woman stepped out in front of me and started walking so.damn.slow. I thought about kicking her in the back of the leg. I almost did it too, but I held it together and walked by her. As i passed I noticed she was about 9 months pregnant.... good thing I didn't kick her!

Moral of the story: As long as the other pedestrian isn't pregnant, it's ok to use the sidewalk as a bumper car arena.

-Wifey

1 more link: http://www.boingboing.net/2010/06/09/nyc-sidewalk-with-to-1.html

you just blew my mind!

Source -> http://www.thedoghousediaries.com/?p=2538

"Must you touch everything?" -Q

The CIA (yes I'm aware the CIA is different than MI-6 where Q works...but Felix Leiter doesn't have as many witty quips) has started a Youtube channel and a Flickr stream all about itself. Including its history, spy gadgets and never-before-public knowledge. Below is an example of what I'm talking about. Its a covert letter-intecepter which allowed an agent to remove a letter, read its contents then re-insert without the sender or recipient knowing it had been tampered with. This was done by grabbing the paper from the inside and rolling it up, then reversing the process afterwards.

Other devices include this tobacco-pouch disguised mini-camera (pictured below) and robotic catfish (further below that).  I love this kind of stuff, seeing how small they can get a normal gadget, or combining functions of seemingly different devices. Needless to say, the CIA's equivalent of the Q-branch probably does get some inspiration form Bond movies.

Click the source link for more.

Source -> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1359254/CIA-secret-agent-gadgets-Website-reveals-Charlie-robot-catfish.html

Jet-powered Mini Cooper?

Because why not?

Enjoy!




Source -> http://jalopnik.com/#!5766249/watch-the-jet+powered-mini-cooper-take-off

TSA, workin' hard or hardly workin'?

TSA Bars AK State Rep. Sharon Cissna from flying

Alaska State Rep. Sharon Cissna of Anchorage was returning from Seattle when the TSA insisted on an intrusive hand exam at SEA-TAC Airport. Below is her [truncated] statement:

PRINCE RUPERT, BC (February 21, 2011).  The following is Rep. Sharon Cissna's account of the events of February 20th, 2011 at  SEA-TAC International Airport:

"[Heading into security after time with the line of passengers], I suddenly found myself directed into scanning by the Seattle Airport's full-body imaging scan.  The horror began again.  A female agent placed herself blocking my passage.  Scan results would again display that my breast cancer and the resulting scars pointed a TSA finger of irregularity at my chest.  I would require invasive, probing hands of a stranger over my body. Memories of violation would consume my thoughts again."

"Being a public servant and elected representative momentarily disappeared. Facing the agent I began to remember what my husband and I'd decided after the previous intensive physical search.  That I never had to submit to that horror again!  It would be difficult, we agreed, but I had the choice to say no, this twisted policy did not have to be the price of flying to Juneau!"

[The] very last thing an assault victim or molested person can deal with is yet more trauma and the groping of strangers, the hands of government 'safety' policy."

"For these people, as well as myself, I refused to submit."

 "The TSA threat of "Do you want to fly?" means something very different to Alaskans. Flying in Alaska is not a choice, but a necessity.  The freedom to travel should never come at the price of basic human dignity and pride."

Another article about Rep. Cissna's incident -> http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1110ap_us_lawmaker_airport_search.html

--------

Oh, and there's this.


TSA Source: Armed Agent Slips Past DFW Body Scanner
By Grant Stinchfield

Video Source: NBC DFW

[story truncated]
An undercover TSA agent was able to get through security at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport with a handgun during testing of the enhanced-imaging body scanners, according to a high-ranking, inside source at the Transportation Security Administration.
The source said the undercover agent carried a pistol in her undergarments when she put the body scanners to the test. The officer successfully made it through the airport's body scanners every time she tried, the source said.

The TSA insider who blew the whistle on the test also said that none of the TSA agents who failed to spot the gun on the scanned image were disciplined. The source said the agents continue to work the body scanners today.

Bavarian Pretzels

After saying I would make pretzels for weeks, I finally made them. Hubby loves everything German, and these were a hit. Next time I'll cut the dough into 12 pretzels instead of 6, so they won't be so puffy. I can also make them into rolls to make sandwiches on. The reason why there are only 4 in the picture is because we already ate 2. Yummmmmmm.
-Wifey
Recipe taken from: http://www.cookography.com/2007/german-style-soft-pretzels

more science news

I'll continue the theme of Physical science in the last post about the pole shifting with this post about Solar storms. Solar storms are super-massive eruptions of radioactive energy on the Sun, which can rain radiation onto the Earth, hitting satellites on the way. Due to its nature as radioactive energy, it can effect basically anything with a circuit, from cellular networks to power grids.

From the article:

The world is overdue a ferocious 'space storm' that could knock out communications satellites, ground aircraft and trigger blackouts - causing hundreds of billions of pounds of damage, scientists say.

Astronomers today warned that mankind is now more vulnerable to a major solar storm than at any time in history - and that the planet should prepare for a global Katrina-style disaster.

A massive eruption of the sun would save waves of radiation and charged particles to Earth, damaging the satellite systems used for synchronising computers, airline navigation and phone networks.

We're overdue for a lot of things...
A supermassive volcano in Yellowstone, an ice age, a plague/pandemic, an asteroid strike, new Pauly Shore movie... all scary things.
----
Update, add collapsing aging U.S. dams to the list -> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1359485/4-400-U-S-dams-susceptible-failure-sparking-fears-future-catastrophic-flood.html - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6oxhLz9l5s <- I guess you should stock up on some "Damn bait" beforehand

update your charts!

Magnetic north shirts about 40 miles per year from Canada towards Russia. While it doesn't effect the average person very much, people relying on more traditional ways of navigation are having to spend millions on updated charts and equipment to offset this change. What do we take from this? In a few hundred years when somebody wants to drive a Toyota truck in the Arctic towards the north pole*, they're not going to be in Canada...

Story source ->  http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/fl-magnetic-north-shift-20110218,0,2819271.story

*in the Polar Special they drove to the 1996 location of the pole

GET OUT OF MY WAY

Nobody captures the intricacies and eloquence of rally driving better than 2 cursing Irish guys, haha

Language prob NSFW

Hipsters.

I was asked by somebody to put down my thoughts on hipsters. A good friend of mine jokingly accused me of being one (well he did say pseudo-hipster, but still) due to my being into a good amount of things that are off-the-beaten-path.

\Begin Rant

  Yes, I drive a Right-hand-drive Land Rover. I'm in my VERY late 20's as of writing this and still watch Transformers (the 80's cartoon) on a regular basis. I have a (pathetic) "beard". I wear sneakers to bars. I recycle the things worth recycling. I am a coffee snob. If given the choice I always (try) to steer towards locally run/owned businesses for almost anything. I'm adamant about fixing things myself (or at least trying) even if its cheaper/easier to just have it done. I have a nearly unhealthy obsession with Star Wars and Indiana Jones (which has been becoming mainstream for years yet somehow stays just inside of the line). Craft beer is my religion - i cannot fathom why somebody would EVER want to pay the same price for a Dales's as a PBR. I have an affinity for European culture/languages*/food..... etc etc you get my point.

By no means do I want the above paragraph to be a run-on compliment to myself, nor is all of it traits that could be called hipster(-ish), I was just trying to paint a picture. Instead the crux to my point is that not all people who don't live generically American and have some overlap in interests can be labeled as a hipster. When asked about something I'm into, I do my best to try to share as much as possible about it to a person who looks genuinely interested. There is the core difference.

The irony here (see what I did there?) is that a hipster that blends in, or doesn't spark curiosity from others outside their circle, would be FAR more upset with "conformists"**, and/or ceases to be one entirely.

A hipster does things that knowingly (whether intentional or not) will spark interest in other people, or at least curiosity, yet typically they will scoff at a question. A hipster normally goes hand and hand with scorn, and that is my problem with them. That same good friend of mine responded with "I know some hipsters that are a bit older that are nice". To which I agree, I've met some seemingly hipster-ish people that are nice, that like to share their interests, are happy to talk about a fringe/emerging band/hobby, awesome retro t-shirt to somebody outside their circle. The problem is, at that point they are (likely) FORMER hipsters.

If you don't agree that's fine, I'm ok with that, but why would stereotypes like THIS exist (and without any context an average person automatically knows why its funny) if what is said wasn't at least partially true...

Your pants don't fit, that smell isn't "natural", and there are people who might actually want to know about that band you keep pretending not to mention. Lastly, sometimes when VERY late 20's guys wear a Spider-man T-Shirt, its because he actually likes Spider-man.

Despite this, I really don't hate hipsters as said above we do have some organic common interests, but their attitude does very much annoy me. I do hate poser-hipsters though, but that's for another post.

Now I'm off to a flash artisan market in Brooklyn.

/End Rant

Haha -> http://stuffhipstersdontlike.wordpress.com/

*full disclosure: I can only speak rudimentary Spanish at this point and my German now sucks... but it'll come back (I hope)
**I'm aware that the episode is about the "Goth" kids, but I think that's a term these 2 groups might agree on

I think this HR rep is "somewhat insensitive"

Source -> http://www.someecards.com/2011/02/17/human-resources-memo-offers-foul-language-alternatives

USA falling behind on Alcohol consumption worldwide

A report published on Februrary 11th from the World Health Organization shows the overall average alcohol consumption, per person (aged 15+, because they are apparentlly realistic), worldwide (in 2005) was 6.1 liters. Yowsa.

 

Turns out that the highest outliers in this data came mostly from Europe and former Soviet Republics. The #1 spot with the staggering number of 18.2Lpp is Moldova. Next comes the Czechs at ~16Lpp.

 

The article also states that: over 10 Liters of Modova's annual intake is reckoned (are we really still using the word reckon?) to be 'unrecorded' home-brewed liquor, making it particularly harmful to health. Such moonshine accounts for almost 30% of the world's drinking.

 

So I guess what I want you to take from this is, USA! USA! USA!

 

 

Watch a solid block of aluminum (aluminium to our british readers) get CNC'ed into an engine block

Not everybody's cup of tea but I thought it was really cool.



Source -> http://jalopnik.com/#!5761950/watch-a-chunk-of-aluminum-cncd-into-an-engine-block

And as soon as people stopped looking...

...you'd be crushed.

I'm all for funny youtube videos like this, but you clearly look/dress like this for a reason. Enjoy! (safe for work)



Source -> http://www.fark.com/comments/5964141/Youre-not-going-to-believe-what-happens-when-a-hot-chick-puts-a-camera-on-her-ass-walks-around-Los-Angeles

Bieber's fans are crazier than you had thought... 2

yes, the quality sucks

Source -> http://www.someecards.com/tweet/2011/02/15/EugeneMirman/justin-bieber-fans-reacting-losing-grammy-think-best

Wifey loves Pig (again)

http://news.yahoo.com/comics/pearls-before-swine#id=/comics/110216/cx_pearls_umedia/20111602

WATSON on Jeopardy

So IBM's new purpose-built supercomputer WATSON has been competing on Jeopardy the last 2 days. While it looked like its human opponents, Jeopardy veterans, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter were starting to learn how to grab a few answers from him towards the end of the first day of competition, that wasn't how it went today. The biggest problem here is that I don't think its a fair fight. Watson's ability to ring in is just faster than the 2 people. It seemed like MANY of the answers WATSON got right KJ and/or BR actually knew, but were beat on the right. I just don't think that's an accurate test of Jeopardy prowess. Yes I know reaction time is part of it, but WATSON's is the same each time. The end result was WATSON wiping the floor with its opponents.

That brings us to final Jeopardy, category of "U.S. Cities".

"Its largest airport is named for a World War II hero, its second largest for a World War II battle."
 (Chicago)
 What really annoyed Wifey and I was the computer's final Jeopardy behavior. I find it very hard to believe that it would risk only $924 (or whatever it was) for such a general category (something its going to better at with its huge database) when earlier it risked $6K on a Double-Jeopardy question in a category about hedgehogs...

Its response was "Toronto", not even a US city. Was it programmed to answer wrong when it got to a certain point ahead of its competition?

http://www.geekosystem.com/watson-robot-jeopardy-tie/

further reading -> http://thenumerati.net/index.cfm?postID=726 
 &
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/watson-dominates-jeopardy-but-stumbles-over-geography/

Suggestion for further WATSON challenges below?

http://www.thehighdefinite.com/2011/02/culturally-biased/

WELCOME TO MARIO KART!

From thehighdefinite, installment number 2 of real-world Mario kart...




Original video

what the average girl looks like...

So there's a study going on by Psychologists at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland) to try and find the most average face for each different part of the world. Currently each area is divided into a combination of country/region based on population and other factors. This research is to be used for

From the website:
We're interested in how people read faces and the ways in which this relates to experiences they have during their life.

We carry out tests to assess the characteristics people find attractive in faces and voices. We use the answers to the questionnaires to see how things like lifestyle relate to your preferences for the faces and voices. Summaries of our findings will be posted on this website after we have finished collecting data for each experiment.

Here's a sample below.

Is it just me or does the "German" girl look like Ginnifer Goodwin?

Project link -> http://www.faceresearch.org/demos/average
Dailymail story about it -> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1355521/Average-female-face-The-Face-Tomorrow-Mike-Mike-project.html

Bieber's fans are crazier than you had thought...

So when that androgynous guy(?) didn't win his Grammy for best new artist apparently his fans really didn't like that... Immediately after Esperanza Spalding was given the award, her wikipedia page was altered in what we'll call, a negative fashion.

From the article (by way of the wikipedia page for Miss Spalding):

"JUSTIN BIEBER DESERVED IT GO DIE IN A HOLE. WHO THE HECK ARE YOU ANYWAY?" is just one of the un-annotated "facts"added since to Spalding’s entry last night. "SHE IS F****** REATARD," is another of the whimsical turns of phrase (with spelling to match!), added, and since edited from the post.  And according to one helpful editor, Spalding’s middle name was, ever so briefly, "Quesadilla."

Classy.

(sidenote: are you f-ing kidding me. The fact that a kid, dressing like he's going to a Vanilla Ice revival with the himself and the vast majority of his fans being past or present C-students (no data behind that figure), was even in the same category as Mumford & Sons baffles me). Honestly I hate awards shows and Esperanza Spalding isn't bad but- Mumford>Florence>everybody else IMO.

Article source -> http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/14/6052555-bieber-fans-go-on-grammy-fueled-wikipedia-rampage
 &
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Esperanza_Spalding&diff=next&oldid=413814829


Mumford and Sons - Little Lion Man




***Update*** BrookeandJonah (presumably the kid's parents) good job teaching him to not be a drama queen - 7 year old boy cries over Bieber's Grammy loss. Man (should probably be careful using that term about him), this kid is going to have some lonely lunches in middle school. (no i don't care if its mean to make fun of a 7 year old) -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QHAqAnevHg

my kind of response

My cousin sent this to me knowing that I'd love it. Read the letter sent back in 1974 from a Cleveland Browns fan to the team... then the response.

Response

Source -> http://www.clevescene.com/64-and-counting/archives/2010/12/22/absolutely-epic-1974-letter-from-cleveland-browns-to-a-fan

This is far past out of hand...

I actively try to avoid talking politics, religion, etc in any public forum. But this headline (screenshot below) is absolutely ridiculous. Here's to EVERYBODY taking responsibility for your own actions and stop looking for handouts... We need to make drastic, immediate changes to spending, borrowing and expenses on every single level. Clearly what the USA is doing isn't working. I'm sick of seeing unnecessary waste all around me. While also hearing about funds for important things coming up short (*cough* energy infrastructure *cough*).  Or we can just get a head-start on learning Mandarin.

Link -> http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/feb/14/debt-now-equals-total-us-economy/

Source -> drudgereport.com

At least they didn't spell it eXpresso?

At what point should somebody have noticed how muffEn and latTe was spelled?
Also, I know I'm nitpicking here but isn't it technically iceD drinks? Haha

Man vs. Wild returns, to wear a seal

Bear Grylls, one of the only people able to pull off a name like "Bear" returns to (US) TV this week on Man vs. Wild. In the upcoming episode he shows how to make a wetsuit from a baby seal (I'm not sure why it matters that its a baby, but anyway...). Say what you want about him, plenty of people don't like him, but I like him. He's on my "would like to have a beer with" list. He couldn't be tougher, more resourceful or more genuine, IMO. Yes some of the stuff he does is weird (you probably don't want to click the link on the word "weird" if at work) but how many people could do this show to this level without dying in the first episode?

The video below is a bit graphic, you have been warned.

Happy V-Day, not to be confused with VD

For our Valentine's Day Celebration, we decided to stay in, make Venison sliders (mmmmmmmmm Bambi), and I used blackberries to make mini-pies. I used store bought pie dough, in a cupcake baking tin, and the filling is just blackberries tossed in a little lemon juice and copious amounts of sugar. I used a simple egg wash of egg yolk, splash of water and dash of salt. Cooked at 375 degrees for about 14 minutes until the inside bubbles. Aaaaaaaaand devour. I'm guessing these will be gone by tomorrow night. Maybe even eat one for a pre-brunch snack tomorrow. But it's healthy because of the fruit, right?

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Roving wagons, just like Marrakesh

"I'm leaving here to go to a flash artisanal market" -B. Williams

Post made my actually lol (its ok to use if you actually do)

Spacious Studio Apartment

Posted at: 2011-02-10 14:39:39

Original ad:
Hello. I am a responsible young professional looking to sublet a studio or 1 br apt in or around East village. I am looking to move in on Mar 15. 2000/mo is my budget. Thans

From Me to **********@********.org:

Hey,

I am leaving for London on business and need to sublet my studio apartment immediately. It is a beautiful spacious apartment in the East Village (near Tompkins Square Park). Rent is $1750/month and you can move in as soon as February 25th. Please let me know if you are interested.

Regards,

Mike

From Ari ****** to Me:

Hi Mike thanks for responding. A few questions: how big is the apt? how long can is the lease til? do you have any pics or a floor plan? I want to move in on mar 15- is that ok?

From Me to Ari ******:

March 15th is fine with me. The apartment is 370 square feet. I don't have any pictures, but I have included a floor plan to give you an idea of the layout of the apartment. The lease is up in November 2011, but you have the option to renew if you wish. Please let me know if you have any more questions about the apartment.

Mike

Attachments:



From Ari ****** to Me:

Mike did you send me the wrong plan or is there really a pool in your apartment.

From Me to Ari ******:

Oh, yes. I should have mentioned the pool. I had an exercise pool installed in the apartment because I was training for a swimming marathon. It is a really nice pool. It is 39 inches deep with powerful jets and a vinyl liner. The pool is great if you like to swim.

Mike

From Ari ****** to Me:

Thats a pretty important thing to forget to mention, doncha think?! It takes up the whole f-ing apartment! How is there no bathroom?? Where am I supposed to shower and sleep?

From Me to Ari ******:

I know, it is a really nice pool. I usually use the kitchen as the bathroom. You can either pee in the sink, or out the window. The window overlooks an alley behind 5th St, and most of the time nobody walks below you. Even if you do piss on someone, you are on the 7th floor so they will probably have no idea where it came from. By the time it hits them, you will most likely be zipped up and have the window shut. The sink has a garbage disposal in case you need to take a dump.

Showering? You don't need to shower - you have a pool! Just go for a swim any time you are trying to wash off.

Sleep? I've got that covered too. I have an extremely comfortable pool raft I sleep on. It is like sleeping on a waterbed! It has a couple of cup holders you can put your phone/keys/beer/whatever in. I'll include this with the apartment for an extra $10.

I am free tomorrow if you want to check the place out and fill out the sublet papers.

Mike

From Ari ****** to Me:

Hmm well yes that does sound nice, but I am looking for a place where I dont have to shit in my sink and sleep in a goddamn pool. Come on man! Good luck finding someone to rent you'll need it!

From Me to Ari ******:

You don't have to shit in the sink, it is just an option. You can also shit out the window, or shit in a bucket next to the window and dump it out the window. There is an Indian restaurant that backs up to the alley, so it already smells like shit down there.

At least come over and try my raft before you decide that sleeping in a pool is a bad thing. I'll even throw in a couple of pool noodles for free.

Mike

From Ari ****** to Me:

Stop trying to sell me your POS apartment, if you can even call it that. You know what makes an apartment an apartment? A bed. Bathroom. Furnature. NOT A FUCKING POOL.

Why am I arguing with you? This is fucking ridiculous. Conversation over.

From Me to Ari ******:

Why are you so afraid of sleeping in this pool? Be honest, do you not know how to swim? If so, I can give you the number of a good lifeguard I know.

From Ari ****** to Me:

Shut the hell up. I hope you drown in your pool!

-------------------------------------

Source -> http://dontevenreply.com/view.php?post=101 (be careful clicking that link if you actually don't want to do anything productive for the time it'll take you to read it in its entirety...)

reposted from a Time.com article, source link below.

______________________________________

Stay Classy, TSA

Posted by Amy Sullivan Tuesday, February 8, 2011 at 6:15 pm

38 Comments

Ever since the TSA started putting back-scatter devices into use at selected airports last fall, I've been waiting to have the chance to opt out and register a one-woman protest against the machines. (Jeff Goldberg doesn't get to have all the fun.) However, most of my recent air travel has been with a tiny traveling companion, and I've been pleasantly surprised that at six different airports, TSA agents have directed us away from the back-scatter devices and through metal detectors, simply because I had a three-month-old baby in my arms.
(I also learned that the Irish-Catholic TSA agents in Boston will eagerly carry your luggage and reassemble your stroller when they learn your daughter's name is Finoula. I warned her not to expect such special treatment everywhere.)
So I was awfully pleased when I arrived at a security checkpoint in Miami International Airport this morning and discovered that my line fed into a back-scatter device, even though metal detectors were in use for the other lines. When it was my turn, I politely said that I would like to opt out. "Seriously?" the first TSA worker asked me with a raised eyebrow. Yes, seriously.
He directed me through the nearby metal detector (the one that would have been good enough if I'd just chosen another line) and motioned for me to wait for a pat-down agent: "Female opt-out!" A female agent led me to a table where she set my bags and then skeptically asked if I knew what the pat down involved. Yes, indeedy (thanks, Jeff Goldberg!) "Do you want to do this somewhere private?" No, thank you. The agent calmly explained what she was going to do before she performed each part of the procedure, and very briskly but thoroughly went through the pat-down. The whole thing was over in a matter of minutes and was a completely professional experience.
Or it was, until a male TSA agent walked behind us and hollered: "Hey, I thought she was mine! I was gonna do her!"
And that, buddy, is exactly why I'm opting out instead of standing in the see-through picture machine. Thanks for validating my choice.

Source -> http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2011/02/08/stay-classy-tsa/
Image source -> http://www.datelinezero.com/2010/11/08/more-pilots-revolt-against-the-tsa/

X-Men Prequel (or reboot?)

X-men (1) was really good, X2 (X-men 2) not bad, X-Men: the last stand (X-men 3) had what I'll call "the Magnolia effect". Where it builds and builds to something huge... that never happens. (Sidenote, Magnolia is one of the worst movies ever made, due to a lack of continuous story, huge plot holes and I guess you're supposed to be tripping on LSD when the frogs start falling, oops spoiler -  you want to see a good John C. Reilly movie? can I suggest Step Brothers?). Back to X-men movies, Then came Wolverine, err X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which in itself wasn't terrible either, if they had just not tried to cram so many characters and story origins into a single movie. Having said that there was a reason it didn't do well in theaters. NOW Marvel is making a reboot/prequel story to the X-men franchise, X-Men: First Class. Honestly, from the trailer embedded below, it looks good. Sidenote: can we get a standardized naming scheme? At least Star Wars puts numbers on their movies.

From the Wikipedia page (and you know everything on Wikipedia is 100% accurate):


The film, set during the 1960s, will focus on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto and the origin of their groups, the X-Men and the Brotherhood of Mutants. The film stars James McAvoy as Professor X and Michael Fassbender as Magneto. It also stars Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw, the antagonist of the movie. Other cast members include January Jones, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence and Lucas Till. The film is mostly being shot in England and parts of the United States. Fox envisions this film as the first in a new trilogy.

Check out the trailer below.

D-Day pics

- for no reason other than them being incredible. Click the source link (bottom) for more.

From the article:


On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Allied troops departed England on planes and ships, made the trip across the English Channel and attacked the beaches of Normandy in an attempt to break through Hitler’s “Atlantic Wall” and break his grip on Europe. Some 215,000 Allied soldiers, and roughly as many Germans, were killed or wounded during D-Day and the ensuing nearly three months it took to secure the Allied capture of Normandy. Commemoration events, from re-enactments to school concerts, were being held in seaside towns and along the five landing beaches that stretch across 50 miles (80 kilometers) of Normandy coastline. The big event is Saturday, when Obama, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the Canadian and British prime ministers and Prince Charles gather for a ceremony amid the rows of white crosses and Stars of David at the American cemetery, which is U.S. territory. (AP)

1

American Soldiers equiped with full pack and extra allotments of ammunition, march down an English street to their invasion craft for embarkation on June 6, 1944.(AP Photo)

2

Supreme Commander Dwight Eisenhower gives the order of the day "Full victory - Nothing else" to paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division at the Royal Air Force base in Greenham Common, England, three hours before the men board their planes to participate in the first assault wave of the invasion of the continent of Europe, June 5, 1944. (AP Photo)

3

Lieutenant Harrie W. James, USNR, of New York, N.Y., briefs officers and men who participated in landing operations during the invasion of Southern France June 5, 1944 on the day before D-Day. (AP Photo)

4

Airborne troops prepare for the descent on Europe of D-Day invasion June 6, 1944. (AP Photo)

Source -> http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2009/06/05/the-65th-anniversary-of-d-day-on-the-normandy-beaches/306/
&
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/5460628/D-Day-I-was-the-first-man-out-of-the-plane-over-Normandy.html

Brooklyn Decker, wow

I don't really have a comment, witty or otherwise here. I just wanted a reason to post this video of Brooklyn Decker on Conan, good job Stifler's doppelganger... enjoy!

Hipster Little Mermaid - because she's so ironic, a mermaid who wants to live on land!

 I love when things like this blow up. Because quite literally (how ironic is my use of literally?!) they'll grow and grow in popularity, then poof... gone. Currently its "Hipster Little Mermaid". Her glasses say "conservative land dweller" but her attitude, quite another. She WOULD have a friend named Sebastian...

a few examples below, click the source link for a bunch more. 

Source -> http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleybaccam/the-best-of-hipster-little-mermaid

STUPENDOUS MAN!

for no particular reason, here's some Stupendous Man.

Yes, the formatting isn't perfect, you'll get over it.

Source (sorta) -> http://myingling.com/random/calvin_and_hobbes/search.php?phrase=stupendous+man

Icelandic volcano set to erupt

(excuse to post hot Icelandic girl)

...and its supposed to dwarf last year's eruption.

Scientists in Iceland have evidence that says another very-large volcanic eruption isn't very far off. Increased Earthquake activity in the most active section of one of the most geologically active nations are pointing to a major volcanic event for the 2nd largest Icelandic volcano, named Bárdarbunga, very soon. The good news is that one can actually pronounce this volc's name without a degree in viking linguistics.

Considering what it did to disrupt air-travel in Europe initially, then North America then Worldwide, I'd say this will be another huge issue...






From the article:

The last recorded eruption of Bárdarbunga was in 1910, although volcanologists believe its last major eruption occurred in 1477 when it produced a large ash and pumice fallout. It also produced the largest known lava flow during the past 10,000 years on earth. 

It is the second largest volcano on Iceland and is directly above the mantle plume of molten rock.
By comparison, Bárdarbunga dwarves the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which shutdown most of Europe's airspace last year after its ash cloud drifted across the continent's skies. 

"Boom" -Eyjafjallajökull

Source->  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/iceland/8311924/Icelandic-volcano-set-to-erupt.html