Links posted in January 2005
January 31, 2005
Meet Temple Grandin - autistic and animal scientist, inventor of the squeeze machine and the stairway to heaven and slaughterhouse designer, who loves cattle so much she's finding humane ways to kill them efficiently.
The Landover Baptist Store - Help God's favorite church stay online until Jesus comes back to destroy the internet and toss everyone into Hell. Puchase official Landover Baptist merchandise! Glory! [more inside]
"That's the way, patriot. Let the OPECs keep their gasoline. We'll just tap into a far more efficient energy source: manpower. If we all learn to pull our weight, nobody -- nobody -- will be able to siphon away our high life." Did you know that this, this, this and these were all by the same guy?
It looks like this year will be a good year for Tim Burton fans. [more inside]
January 30, 2005
Sorry, this needed to be seen...a three wheeled fiero. awsome
few people realize that car molestation is a problem in america...
Monkey porn! SFW. Check out the next study on the researchers' agenda. Any volunteers?
You're about as edgy as a Saturn full of Creed fans.
I know, I know...I stole this link from fark, but emmy slamming is so fun.
Shaving Anal Hair - It is a statement that will go down in history with a lot of other regretted statements. "How many Indians could there be?" said by General Custer. "Looks like a good day for a drive!" by JFK. "There! America On-line now has complete Usenet access!" by some idiot system tech. Such was my anal shaving idea.
What To Do With Your Cat? - Just follow the steps on this easy-to-do manual and create your own fashionable purse from your dearest cat.
Warning: Please read the sentence above. You may not want to look at the website if you own a pet.
January 28, 2005
Everyone knows by now my intense love of Wikipedia, where anyone can submit or edit encyclopedia articles. Well, my mind is currently being blown by the January 1 lauch of Wikipes, the open-source recipe book. There aren't a lot of items up yet, but keep it in your bookmarks and tell your friends because in six months to a year I'll be linking all food related posts from here. [more inside]
The commericial we won't see on February 6. (It's too racy for fox!) [more inside]
Singin’ in the Rain - New VW Golf commercial.
Bushes - Markus Nikoai (Norman Cook Remix)
January 27, 2005
I cut and pasted a news article from science about how the Dover Penn. school board has adopted intelligent design into their curriculum. Check out "More inside" [more inside]
Havard Hysterics What the f**k? This is an article by George Will about the recent controversy over a speech made by the President of Harvard. I know that I should not take this seriously...but here it is...in the Washington Post...one of the top e-mailed articles. All I can say is, feminism now, feminism forever!
I think after searching high and low on the internets that I have finally found an issue that Ziggy and the wingnut Christians can agree on.
this is awsome!!! We should buy one of these and set it up on the theory floor. Those dweebs wouldn't know what hit 'em.
This BBC News article is informative and balanced, but nowhere near as fun as the one by this random Irish news site. [more inside]
January 26, 2005
some funny from ATB
[more inside]
Lil Jon in high school. Skeet skeet skeet.
Nonscientists (paranoid) Reaction to Lasers and airplane debacle This is a little dated since the incidents happened several weeks ago, but I was looking up stuff about Nd:YAG lasers and this was one of the links. It is a great example of how knowing less about a subject can make you very very afraid and creatively so. [more inside]
PostSecret - people share their dark secrets by anonymous post for the world to enjoy.
A Colbert Report Any fan of the Daily Show is a fan of Stephen Colbert. The link is to an interview with Mr. Colbert on Fresh Air with Terry Gross that aired on Monday. [more inside]
Frontline's Episode on Al Qaeda Interesting program that asks some good questions. It also points out the bungling of the prosecution of terrorist cases...its seems at the moment the US is concerned with only the indefinite incarceration of terrorist suspects...there are no intelligent attempts to actually reduce the threat risk.
Good thing we sent halliburton the right message this election season. If you want to fuck your day have a peak here.
If you want to fuck your week, have a look around halliburtonwatch.org. That is all. [more inside]
EquiMount - "Complete ejaculation occurs when the stallion stands square behind the mount, as he would on a mare. Climbing forward or to the side is a bad habit and not productive to a complete ejaculate. Note: stallions can ejaculate seminal fluid while withholding sperm, whether on purpose or for lack of correct physical stimulation. Partial or incomplete ejaculations bring on a problem referred to as 'accumulators'."
January 25, 2005
A third list (because two is not enough) of Academy Award nominees - Sunday, February 27.
the most screwed up list I have ever seen. The stupid Academy has screwed up before, but I don't think ever quite this much. Maybe they have finally hooked up with the idiots at Rolling Stone, cause the ability at ranking things seems similar.
Bounty Hunters (like him, not her) enjoy powers far broader than those of the police - no miranda, search or seizure restrictions, yet they may use "all reasonable force" including shooting to kill. There are huge gray areas in their somewhat superannuated legal status.
The Aristocrats - The anatomy of a joke that I never understood...until now.
GarfieldPlace You mean to tell me that there is somebody out there even more obsessed of Garfield than Spitzenpfeil?
The debate continues... The women in science and engineering at UW-Madison created this nice website where you can track the progress of the debate surrounding the president of Harvard's remarks. [more inside]
The Sir Peter Maxell Phenomenon
Bigger Than The Asian Tsunami
Bigger Than Hitler's Gas Bill
Da Vinci and then Maxwell
January 24, 2005
I know that some vegetarians will run with this and lord it over all us meat eaters. The tidbit I'm referring to is deep in the article, so I included a quote below. The article is about how we've already screwed up our federally-funded stem cell lines. [more inside]
Peter Griffin Sound Board
I guess that anybody can do the weather.
Who is the better weatherman?
1. Louis
2. Matt
3. Mark
Place your bets NOW!
Do yourself a favor: don't buy into the hype surrounding the Apple IpodShuffle. It's just a glorified CompactFlash card. Why not spend the same money but get the glorious satisfaction of the DIY ethic, plus the extras like an FM transmitter? Presenting the Minty.
I found another of those off-the-cuff public art projects that makes you want to quit your job and just be creative and have great ideas and get out. From the site:
Over a period of 3 months I stopped 150 strangers on the street and asked them what they were thinking about the second before I stopped them. Using a mic and a dictaphone I recorded what they told me, then took a picture of them.
[more inside]
January 23, 2005
What Bush&Co are reading - The article starts off with the revelation that (gasp) people abroad ain't down with Bush. But the article goes on to discuss how current policy is being shaped by the book The Case For Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror by Natan Sharansky. Interesting stuff.
Quién es más rápido, a bicycle or a car? Turns out, the bicycle -- if you live in the city [PDF] and are COMPLETELY freaking insane [MPG]. As I hope to be, someday. (video index here) [more inside]
January 22, 2005
Cat Experiment - If you got a cat, you have to try this out!
This amazing new device is a tremendous leap backwards over the Pokia. [more inside]
I was watching ACL this evening and something absolutely amazing struck me. It was erie, almost phishy. No, it wasn't the music (that kind of sucked, really). It reminded me of this skit that Conan O'Brien does called "If they mated."
First of all, NO DISRESPECT IS INTENDED. I know someone can be a little sensitive. But this was astonishing to me.
So what would the love child of these two former roomates look like?
[more inside]
January 21, 2005
Perhaps you also have a collection of vinyl records and are looking for a new way of playing them. Behold! Amazing New Technology!! [more inside]
Football predictions via mascot comparisons. More insightful than when I choose the winner based on the team colors that I like better.
"Prime Number S***ting Bear" No other explanation necessary.
How a lab mate found this website may be more disturbing than the site itself.
Over the break I got a book named Interior Desecrations by James Lileks. This book is a survey of horrible home interior design books and magazines from the 1970's (quote: the 70's [made] bad taste triumphant and universal). There is a website with things collected since the book publication including disturbing commercialism and cat butts.
Lileks works for the paper in St. Paul/Minneapolis and has produced the "Institute of Official Cheer" featuring the Gallery of Regrettable Food, The Grooviest Motel in Wisconsin (that would be the Gobbler, which I saw many times on the highway between Madison and home), The Art of Art Frahm (why do women's panties drop for celery?), and The Orphanage of Cast-Off Mascots among many many other hilarious bits. I read these sites 6 or 7 years ago and laughed as hard then as I did when I found it again today. I also wrote to him when I found out that the Gobbler was finally to be torn down to make way for a new restaurant (an outlet mall opened across the highway). He wrote back and told me to keep him updated but I guess I never did. Anyway, Lileks is truly the best of the internet and I warn you against going if you don't have time to invest because you won't be able to stop reading. Yes, it is that funny.
January 20, 2005
Laughing Through the Tears Come on, what did you expect me to say? Another four years. Actually, this guy is pretty funny and an entertaining read.
Now they've gone beyond scary to just incredibly stupid. Apparently the Christian right think that Tiki-Wiki is soon going to have company... in HELL
I wish I had one of these as a pet.
Link if you want it... I like the second half of this fark headline:
"Today's fearmongering organization, brought to you by WHO: Evolution of bird flu virus could start human flu pandemic. America tells world not to worry, evolution is just a theory"
Advanced Macking - The Lazy Man's Guide to one-night stands. [more inside]
Classic TV Ads - Sit back, relax, and enjoy the soothing sounds of the Q-Tip jingle.
For those of you who like to point out fake science in TV and movies, or even real life, here's a fun list of fictional chemical substances. [more inside]
January 19, 2005
Hi! I'm crazy-guy Troy Hurtubise and I live in far northern Canada where I pack a ridiculously long knife. You might remember me from such projects the grizzly bear retardant suit (chronicled in Project Grizzly) or fire paste. I'm here today to show you my new invention, the Angel Light, which can see through walls. All you need are 4 fluorescent sources, 7 lasers and 108 optics. (Still, that's less than you need to make a BEC!) I'm convinced that you won't be able to find a flaw in the operation of the device from this news article.
And the President of Harvard Larry Summers says women and science don't mix! At least from an economist's point of view. [more inside]
The streets (and burlesque clubs) of Cleveland are safe again - now that the trial of Browns QB Jeff Garcia's girlfriend is over. The most captivating test of our legal system since the Gold Club trial, it includes playmates fighting groupies, a "Tom-Landry style fedora hat," accusations of homosexuality and STDs, a kick that was "more like the Matrix than the Karate Kid," and drunken, "angry, jealous and vindictive" women. Sorry Lulu, but is there any doubt that Cleveland is the most tortured sports city in America?
These are the People in my Neighborhood - take pictures of the people in your neighborhood holding the lyrics from the Sesame Street song, whereever that neighborhood might be.
January 18, 2005
Washington, DC sucks just a little bit more since last Thursday, when legendary radio station WHFS went off the air. Has anyone pointed out that corporate radio blows?
Word of the Year 2004 - Santorum, Mash-up, and Red State face off. Who will win? Place bets now!
Bob Woodward to Speak at UT - tix available tomorrow. Maybe he's about to spill all.
I waited for a half day today to see if this was a hoax or if it could be verified, but so far no word on these ultra-hilarious pics of Bill Gates proportedly from Tiger Beat 1983. Oh God let it be real!
Berlin is no longer safe. Mysterious poop bandits defile the hundreds of thousands of turds littering the berlin streets. [more inside]
Check out this email header I got...
From: =?iso-8859-1?Q?1&1_Internet?= <info@1and1.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
X-Binford: 6100 (more power)
X-Mailer: XP Framework Newsletter Engine 1.48
X-Ignore: yes
Hhmmm. So is JTT now a programmer? Double Hmmm.
Buy Blue - You may have voted blue, but every day you unknowingly help dump millions of dollars into the conservative war chest. By purchasing products and services from companies that donate heavily to conservatives, we have been compromising our own interests as liberals and progressives.
Track your Favorite Satellite! Now in 3-D! [more inside]
For those of you that have recently spent large parts of weekends organizing photos on your computers, there may be a more efficient way. Picasa is a free photo organization tool from the good folks at { the first 10-digit prime in consecutive digits of e }.com
January 17, 2005
I know that several of you are big comic strip fans and read your favorites every day. If you're more like me, you don't keep up because you find so many of the published strips tedious and unfunny. Thankfully, Josh reads the comics so you don't have to. Josh helpfully reminded me why I don't read Family Circus, B.C., Lockhorns, Ziggy, or Spider-Man.
The Biology of B-Movie Monsters - sucking the fun out of old-skool schlocky movies one sci-fi trick at a time.
January 16, 2005
Secret History of the Credit Card - FRONTLINE and The New York Times join forces to investigate an industry few Americans fully understand.
January 15, 2005
By special request: The Flynndie (click for larger version)
January 14, 2005
You've all seen him name is hopkin green frog but until today I didn't know the story of the kid who lost the hopkin green frog.
Planes, Trains, and Plantains
- The Story of Oedipus.
[more inside]
January 13, 2005
You all are a bunch of MERKINS!
Boink - is what's happening at BU, apparently. Also informative is the cooking tip (new to me) at the very end of the article. [more inside]
Just in time for Bitchass' wedding
- Mike's Amazing Cakes.
And just in time for Flanders' Bachelor Party: Dan Savage lays out the rules for going to a strip club (NSFW, duh).
January 12, 2005
99 Luft Problems [MP3] - Jay-Z vs. Nena in the retrospectively obvious mash-up. Also, DJ Danger Mouse and Jay-Z may both be on the bill for Coachella 2005. Check out last year's lineup to see why you desperately want to go, and check the list of rules to see why you'll probably say screw it and stay home. (Links thanks to Thighs Wide Shut.)
Manfred Fink - Security Consulting
Norman Chad on Bowling - "I'll get straight to the point: If more people bowled in America, we would be a stronger democracy." [more inside]
I was discussing past video game console releases with Snake after reading some things about Microsoft possibly releasing the Xbox 2 later this year and found a few pages with lists of all video game system releases. [more inside]
January 11, 2005
January 10, 2005
Informal Class: Breakdancing It is only a matter of time before I lose a chugging contest. And when I do, I want to be prepared. Come, learn how to do the worm with me.
Sunday nights, Feb 6-Mar 6. 7-9 pm, $51 for UT students
Not really surprising if you think about it, but the comment thread gets pretty amusing in some spots. [more inside]
20 Year Usenet Timeline Google put together a timeline of "important" milestones of Usenet going back to 1981. I enjoyed reading the posts from 1985 where people are discussing the Y2K problem--and the 1980 problem and the 2100 problem...
Or one from 1982 discussing the long wait for the summer 1983 release of Return of the Jedi:
"I wish Lucas & Co. would get the thing going a little faster. I can't really imagine waiting until 1997 to see all nine parts of the Star Wars series."
With drug prices at an all time low, now's the time to get into that dream coke addiction you've been thinking about.
January 08, 2005
A kiteboarding video for anyone interested. It's worth the download time.
January 07, 2005
Lord lift us up where belong . . . From Reuters. If we didn't have 51 more weeks to go, I'd say this would be the quote of the year: "We don't need the Americans' intervention. We know who to elect. Not like them -- they elected a moron." - Gaza soap factory worker Manar an-Najar when asked about Richard Gere's spot on Palestinian television.
Hit Man - A Technical Manual for Independent Contractors
For those that want to listen to songs from their favorite MP3 player or IPod over the radio, you can now get a stronger transmitter to do it. (from Slashdot.org) [more inside]
January 06, 2005
Holy shit! This should not happen while kiteboarding or flying a kite, tophats are really stupid. Also, it's really bad to get lofted...
I get a lot of forwards from family members and a fair share of them are sort of subtly pro-Bush in their message. Things such as: a real soldier on the ground in Iraq blames media for not showing it like it is (ie. supposedly good and improving), or stuff about how we should be proud to be Americans yadda yadda. I usually go to Snopes and find out that they're not real or not entirely truthful and get to gleefully email back a factual response.
Anyway, today I received a link to this flash movie (don't worry, it's not a virus or anything) which would seem to have elements that would get your typical conservative up in arms (see: sprout sub with tofu sides). Then if you click "take action" you find out that it is (surprise!) a movie created by the ACLU! I don't think I need to mail back a response this time...
Build your own XGA projector for under $300! Those with ample free time and access to cheap or discarded office equipment may be interested in this article. Take an old LCD monitor with a burnt-out backlight and an overhead projector and build your own 6-foot display.
This has to be one of the funnier fark headlines I've seen in a while:
"Super massive black hole creates bubbles in the universe, blames dog"
Camera Mail - some guy sent his friend a large postcard with an embedded disposable camera and instructions to the intercessory postal workers to take a picture before passing it along. Interestingness results.
CNN Cancels Crossfire(NYT)... and guess who is responsible for the change in news reporting at CNN? Jon Stewart, of course. down with tucker the prick!
January 05, 2005
Here's a tip, if you've been pointing your green laser pointer at planes lately, and incidents like this have been considered possible terroristic acts, and have been all over the news lately... don't shine your laser pointer at the helicopter circling your house looking for the jackass with the laser pointer(sorry about the NY times link). Turns out that when the FBI comes a-knockin' on your door, they're gonna be slightly miffed.
Rejoice! all you indie music nerds. For years, you have been saying that all these nu-metal and top 40 bands have been making the same song over and over again. Well, some guy put the songs up against one another and it made NPR's All Things Considered. Listen to the stream to see if three Nickleback songs and 1 Avril Lavigne song are all really just the same song under all the lyrics.
Did anyone notice the new popsicle machine outside of RLM? Why do I have to be poor now?
the local paparazzi managed to snag a few shots of javalina...
Wow, there's something about mary... She's a complete psycho bitch!
Note to self, don't frollick with Justin Timberlake...
Poor ashley simpson booed at her orange bowl appearance (with video links). It's a hard time to be a pop princess right now...
January 04, 2005
Is it true that Britney Spears is going to quit singing to pursue her dream she saw the other day on the TV? I wonder if I should consult her about quitting science and becoming a pop princess...
3'x1' diameter balloons. Mostly uninformative yahoo article about condom testing with disturbing phrases, imagery and facts. I guess it's NSFW.
WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE IS TRUE EVEN THOUGH YOU CANNOT PROVE IT?
I was pointed to the Edge by a NYT article that appeared yesterday in the Science section. I've browsed a few of the 119 contributions from "leading scientists," and my favorites include:
Carlo Rovelli
Charles Simonyi
Chris W. Anderson
Donald Hoffman / Nicholas Humphrey
David Buss
Maria Spiropulu
Leon Lederman
Bruce Sterling
Leonard Susskind
Philip W. Anderson
Joseph Ledoux
Lawrence Krauss
George B. Dyson
Daniel Gilbert
__ P __ Wheel of Fortune time. The category is "Life Saving Acronyms." Three letters and the second one is a P. Any guesses?
Much thanks to my pseudo-brother-in-law, seldoncrisis, for the link. In fact, his impression of the video is actually much more amusing.
Can these people ever get a break?
"The main airport at Indonesia's Sumatra island has reopened after an accident that dealt a blow to efforts to deliver aid to the region worst affected by the tsunami disaster. The crucial airstrip in Banda Aceh -- the province's only runway -- was closed after an aircraft carrying relief supplies hit a water buffalo on the runway."
from CNN.com
Note that it was a "water" buffalo. Why does the water hate these people so much?
January 03, 2005
Back in the eighties, there was a one hit wonder named Tommy Tutone and he sang a song named "Jenny (867-5309)". You've maybe heard the story that the phone companies banned the number from their networks because everyone kept trying to call it to see who was there. Turns out to be a legend, and to prove it this guy called every area code's Jenny number to see who was there. My favorite: area code 678, but it is apparently quite popular for a man to have a voice mail message saying "This is Jenny, leave a message" in his deep voice. It's so funny!
Rent-A-Midget - Think about the best party you've ever been to, wouldn't it have been better if there was a midget there? Another boring day at the office, why not have one of our little people go down and bring some life in there!
Similar to Towelie from South Park, you can check out Broadband, the kids mascot of the FCC that looks remarkably like Doraemon, but with ears.
I saw The Life Aquatic this weekend and it made me realize I've never seen Wes Anderson(a UT graduate) before. I found an interview with him and Gary Cogill that's pretty interesting. Oh yeah, the movie was really good in my opinion.
Gary Cogill (registration required) has got to be my favorite movie reviewer and he hasn't let me down yet as far as new releases are concerned. His reviews are usually spot on and are very positive in general, yet he still finds a way to let you know when a movie is going to be a stinker. The best thing about his reviews is that they prepare you for a movie in a way that won't let you down after you've plunked down a fat wad of cash on flick. They usually have him on the Jeff Ward show fridays at 4pm on 590 KLBJ AM and I highly suggest you sit down and catch the stream in your office or on your am radio.
McD should get a kick out of this one. Before you leave for lunch, click "Watch the video" and come back to see a non-exhaustive list of things that don't exist (it all begins with the humble mathematical point).
January 02, 2005
January 01, 2005
Help Help Help
Help me choose a cell phone and service provider. I'm a pseudo-luddite, so this will be my first phone (please be gentle). I don't want to spend a lot, but I also don't want to get stuck with some crap phone or crap plan so I'm willing to pay more for "quality". Or at least perceived quality.
Use the comments to let me know what your experiences have been: what providers, what phones, what stories?? [more inside]