Links posted in March 2007
March 31, 2007
March 30, 2007
My namesake
This one goes out to Flip. Ms Ceg, you enjoy it too....
Dark Matter: the movie. As mentioned in today's What's New, a new film about a disaffected physics graduate student that kills several people and himself during a departmental meeting. NYTimes has a nice writeup about the film. Based on a true story. [more inside]
It seems that we (UT) host an Edible Book Festival. The announcement was in my inbox this morning as part of the UT Events calendar, but it is suspiciously close to April 1. Anyway, if you're willing to execute I'm sure you can pump mrflip for ideas (he has to practice his puns anyway).
March 29, 2007
While we're doing worst-of lists, here's someone's take on college mascots. Pretty funny commentary
Driving directions from Robt Lee Moore Hall at UT-Austin to the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Munich. Step 28 is particularly interesting.
Great Moments in Groping - a thorough list. Thorough.
KtF does NiN - enjoy for as long as it takes YouTube to get a takedown for a video which shows Kermit using (and worse). For more wholesome fare watch instead Debbie Harry & Kermit's Rainbow Connection. [more inside]
You're expected to be perfect the day you start, and then improve - Reporter Tom Verducci describes the experience of serving as an official MLB umpire for a game.
Also enjoy: a profile of a 12-year old boxing phenom from Chicago that the Sports Guy asked me to pass along.
March 28, 2007
March 27, 2007
http://www.llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk/ The longest domain name. [more inside]
thanks to cynical-c, we have comedian and metal fan Brian Posehn choosing the 10 Most Ridiculous Metal Album Covers. That's good, but even better is 10 Worst Rap Album Covers. (With a name like TEC-9, you'd think he'd be holding, oh I don't know, a Tec-9.)
How do you prove to a blind person that photography exists? (hint: it's all about the controls)
It had to happen sooner or later: "The Onion News Network" is a spot-on impression of any of your favorite 24-hour cable news outlets.
Desktop defense - add your scores to group "alkalineearth.com".
March 26, 2007
Villon’s Straight Tip To All Cross Coves (An important lesson for all who joined us for Monday's showing of The Nine Queens; all of the phrases describe unique grifts):
Suppose you screeve, or go cheap-jack?
Or fake the broads? or fig a nag?
Or thimble-rig? or knap a yack?
Or pitch a snide? or smash a rag?
Suppose you duff? or nose and lag?
Or get the straight, and land your pot?
How do you melt the multy swag?
Booze and the blowens cop the lot.
The most expensive items on Amazon by category. Exquisite. doncarlo rightly thinks that a summary of only comments for these items would be hilarious. For instance: "I have two of these libraries, and I would consider them a MUST HAVE item for anyone with a lot of pictures, music, and video they need to store. Join the digital revolution!" next to the $351,816.00 HP StorageWorks 3.2TB tape system.
March 23, 2007
Photographers:...from the Asahi-tab crackin' dayz of ae.... don't forget the yo-yos
March 22, 2007
Tom DeLay talks about is book on Chris Matthews. You have to see this clip. Tom DeLay is just amazing. AMAZING.
Have you noticed that some Post Office Mail Boxes are being "wrapped" to look like R2D2? There's one at 4th & Congress that looks like that. [more inside]
March 21, 2007
Map of Civilian Casualties in Iraq. Scroll backwards in time from the present until 2003 (the "end" of combat operations) to see the dramatic acceleration in violent attacks; and note that the attacks are becoming more deadly (more 40- and 70-casualty incidents). The neighborhood-ethnicity then/now maps show that Iraq is become dramatically more divided, not less. I'm starting to believe the Iraq war isn't going very well.
March 20, 2007
How to completely dupe most Salon readers(req. subs.)... Garrison Keillor write a seemingly nostalgic piece about the good old days, before gays, people of color and pizza. People take it seriously. [more inside]
I just got a notice in my RSS reader from the Alamo Drafthouse that says they're moving to the Ritz. But now I can't find it anywhere on any of their blogs (the entry is gone now?). I wonder if they didn't mean to release that information just yet? Anyway, here's what they said:
[more inside]
March 19, 2007
If you're going to smoke weed try not to do it in your dorm room where it might arouse unwanted attention. When the cops finally come it's not enough to refuse to let them search your room... from crime watch: [more inside]
Gunnerkrigg Court has me really addicted right now. It's set in an English school, but, in reality, the influence from Gaiman is way more obvious than that from Harry Potter.
We just got a new kitten. We are trying to name it. I usually name pets after characters is books. Any suggestions? We were thinking maybe Huey.... [more inside]
March 15, 2007
This last month or so seems to be the time for neat phone tools. First there was SpinVox and Simulscribe (NY Times ariticle) that convert voice mail into e-mail or text messages (some of you may have already experienced this with mrflip).
Now there's GrandCentral (NY Times article). [more inside]
March 14, 2007
Hey y'all, check this out. Slip and slide!
Something to celebrate! Is it better than Talk Like Pirate Day? Hell ya!
March 13, 2007
Check out the Paddington rolling bridge. A series of hydrolic rams cause the steel and wood foot bridge to roll up out of the way of boat traffic. The design is very unique and won several awards. Heres a link with a quicktime video
March 12, 2007
I found my calling. Do you think my advisor would send me to a conference like this next year?
March 11, 2007
This year, March Madness is all about the 80's. (Didn't you get the memo? Everybody heard about it.) Join the group and fill out your brackets before March 15th. If you played last year, you can use the same username and password again.
UPDATE: Submit a Women's tournament bracket by Saturday. 'Cause why the hell not? PS the women are 70's.
March 08, 2007
March 06, 2007
TheCutest.info - from the giant awesome brain behind xkcd, this site scientifically determines the cutest photo on the internets. Enjoy also TheFairest (finds prettiest photo) and TheFunniest (obvs). [more inside]
KATRIN's spectrometer is big. Really big. Even though it was built 400km from its eventual home, it got to tour the world instead (scroll to map)
Check out the picture on this Windows Vista box. Notice anything wrong? Perhaps the white ibook doesn't quite sit right with your subconscious considering that it has a powerPC chip and cannot even run vista...
March 05, 2007
Watch this trailer for Apocalypto. When you get to the screaming monkey, pause and go back five or six frames....
hat tip the agitator
A Question for the Alkaline Earth Community: if we held a Field Day on an upcoming weekend (perhaps on Mario Day, St. Patrick's Day, Forgive Mom & Dad Day, or World Tuberculosis Day)... what events are a must? The initial list of options includes sack races, 3-legged races...
[more inside]
March 04, 2007
Texas Ex Huston Street answers questions (sub req'd link) -- see, now this is how to do it. Most of the time sports players make terrible interviews, because the questions are beyond what the player is allowed to answer ("They're a bunch of great competitors and I'm just going to execute my gameplan and support my teammates." "No one believed in us all season and we're going to try to prove them wrong" instead of "We're going to run it up the right side all night long because their tight ends can't play") or can't answer (a lot of really great players are fantastic at *doing* their sport but terrible or wrong at *describing* how to do it). What happens when an intelligent reporter asks an intelligent player intelligent questions? Well, you might learn something about what it's like to be a pro baseball player, turns out. (Text temporarily pasted below for non-insiders) [more inside]
March 02, 2007
Grandmaster Flash is the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They replayed this fascinating interview with him on Fresh Air today.
Independence Brewery is having a brewery tour and beer tasting tomorrow! [more inside]
I know several of you are big fans of public radio's This American Life. I like it when I hear it but don't usually listen to talk radio so I hardly ever catch it. But several new developments threaten to bring me into the fold:
- They recently started free podcasts of the show
- They're making a TV show! They've got trailers (here's one). Ira Glass explains why it's on Showtime and not PBS.
- The Sound of Young America interviews senior producer Julie Snyder about how they make the radio and TV shows.
- The March 9/10/11 show has a story from master storyteller Davey Rothbart (who has been on enough times before that he made a CD).
March 01, 2007
When you've been defrauded of your very expensive ship, what recourse do you have to get it back from whatever tropical island it's been docked at? Why, you call the repo man. Then you let him bribe officials, get the coast guard drunk, and get witch doctors to curse the only areas nearby that get cell phone reception. Simple.