Sunday, February 28, 2010


Sheb Wooley - Purple People Eater (1958) (via JohnnyThunderzzz)


This #earworm is dedicated to Moonstep, who showed me this song probably 10 years ago, and to a certain coworker that is starting to wear thin from the rickrolling.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Sunday, February 21, 2010


Sonic Boom Meets Sun Dog 720p (via beachton123)


Solar Dynamics Observatory Launch, Feb 11, 2010 HD VERSION A sun dog is a prismatic bright spot in the sky caused by sun shining through ice crystals. The Atlas V rocket exceeded the speed of sound in this layer of ice crystals, making the shock wave visible from the ground. The announcer can be heard in the video saying, “The vehicle is now supersonic.”

Friday, February 19, 2010

Sing ho, for the glories of bimetallism! With South Caroline on the side of Free Silver, there’s no stopping us from repealing the Coinage Act and putting William Jennings Bryan in the White House in 1896! Huzzah

Lawmaker Seeks To Ban U.S. Currency | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source
Sing ho, for the glories of bimetallism! With South Caroline on the side of Free Silver, there’s no stopping us from repealing the Coinage Act and putting William Jennings Bryan in the White House in 1896! Huzzah

Lawmaker Seeks To Ban U.S. Currency | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source

Thursday, February 18, 2010


The Police-Canary in a Coalmine (via linkian209)


Yeah, #earworm . How did you guess?


Outlet Regulator Video on Vimeo (via Vimeo)


The problem with this approach is that it relies on a timer, it would be better if it could actually measure usage and let that decide when to eject the cable.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Professor Jones also conceded the possibility that the world was warmer in medieval times than now suggesting global warming may not be a man-made phenomenon. And he said that for the past 15 years there has been no statistically significant warming.

Climategate U-turn: Astonishment as scientist at centre of global warming email row admits data not well organised | Mail Online


Yeah, and then everyone that decries the cult of fear perpetuated by the media is condemned as a tinfoil-hatted lunatic. Why is the US press not covering this scandal?

Professor Jones also conceded the possibility that the world was warmer in medieval times than now suggesting global warming may not be a man-made phenomenon. And he said that for the past 15 years there has been no statistically significant warming.

Climategate U-turn: Astonishment as scientist at centre of global warming email row admits data not well organised | Mail Online


Yeah, and then everyone that decries the cult of fear perpetuated by the media is condemned as a tinfoil-hatted lunatic. Why is the US press not covering this scandal?

Saturday, February 13, 2010


Aikon2-Skediomata robotic system drawing faces (via tressetp)


The part about this project that is revolutionary is not obvious. It has nothing to do with the robotic arm. Robotics engineering is a mature field, robots have been used for precision assembly jobs for decades.


And yes, even for drawing. Pen plotters have been around for decades too, and they are basically robots that draw with pens. Nothing new there either.


What is really revolutionary about this is the software used to convert the video image into what an artist draws on paper. Notice that this device isn’t just a plotter, instead it is trying to interpret the image fed through the camera. This is huge, probably bigger than the current technology used to track faces in point-and-shoot digital cameras.

Studies show that shoveling snow increases your risk of heart attack. So do your heart a favor and stay inside all winter eating pork rinds and Funyuns on the couch

FARK.com: (5021363) Studies show that shoveling snow increases your risk of heart attack. So do your heart a favor and stay inside all winter eating pork rinds and Funyuns on the couch


I am sure my boss and some of my coworkers (the ones that shoveled snow last week here in DC) are going to get a kick out of this thread. Me?

Studies show that shoveling snow increases your risk of heart attack. So do your heart a favor and stay inside all winter eating pork rinds and Funyuns on the couch

FARK.com: (5021363) Studies show that shoveling snow increases your risk of heart attack. So do your heart a favor and stay inside all winter eating pork rinds and Funyuns on the couch


I am sure my boss and some of my coworkers (the ones that shoveled snow last week here in DC) are going to get a kick out of this thread. Me?


Hubble Views Saturn’s Northern/Southern Lights [HD] (via djxatlanta)



In January and March 2009, researchers using Hubble took advantage of a rare opportunity to record Saturn when its rings are edge-on, resulting in a unique look featuring both of the giant planet’s poles. And Saturn cooperated by providing an incredible double light show with Saturn’s own northern and southern lights. Since Saturn is only in this position every 15 years or so, this favorable orientation has allowed a sustained study of the two beautiful and dynamic aurorae.



We Are The World 25 For Haiti - Official Video (via wearetheworld)


I don’t know what’s worse:



  • That 25 years later I remember this damn song word by word.

  • That I can’t recognize 9 out of 10 people I see in this video.

  • That most of the people singing in the video sound autotuned (seriously guys?)

  • That 9 of 10 people in this video would had not met the talent cutoff had they tried to sneak into the original video 25 years ago.

  • Autotune. Seriously guys? I mean, c’mon!


I am done, if this video doesn’t make me officially old, I don’t know what will.


At least they had the common decency to leave Michael in place.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Robert Redford tonight will receive the USC School of Theatre’s inaugural Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists, honoring not only the actor’s career but his social activism.

Robert Redford honored with inaugural USC award - The Daily Breeze


It’s the only logical choice: giving the Robert Redford award to Robert Redford, for embodying everything that it means to be … wait for it … Robert Redford.

Robert Redford tonight will receive the USC School of Theatre’s inaugural Robert Redford Award for Engaged Artists, honoring not only the actor’s career but his social activism.

Robert Redford honored with inaugural USC award - The Daily Breeze


It’s the only logical choice: giving the Robert Redford award to Robert Redford, for embodying everything that it means to be … wait for it … Robert Redford.


Mandelbrot Fractal Set Trip To e214 HD on Vimeo (via Vimeo)


This is simply mind boggling. We were doing these in college back in the early 90s and we could never make it more than a few iterations in. This was usually done in Quick Basic on 386 machines that could only display 256 colors, ouch. And it is just math!

Tom Watson has been troubled by Tiger Woods’s act for a long time now. The cursing. The banging of clubs. The detached disdain. Watson cannot stand that stuff. He thinks it’s disrespectful to the game’s history. He considers it dismissive of the great players who came before. More than anything: Tom Watson believes it is impolite.

Tom Watson is speaking out against Tiger Woods’s antics - Tours & News - Golf.com


I don’t think this Tom Watson plays the same kind of Golf that the rest of us (and yes, I am bundling together us hacks and them pros) play.


Real Golf is rated “R.” The only reason you don’t curse in front of the camera? Sponsors. But anyone that has ever played the game knows that there is nothing in the whole world that will make the most holy man to blow up a string of obscenities like a bad shot or a missed putt.


And banging the clubs? Is he kidding? Why the hell do you think clubs are so sturdy? Because they need to be strong to shoot that little ball very far? Of course not! They are sturdy because THEY GET ABUSED. THEY ARE CALLED CLUBS FOR A REASON!


Baseball players throw their bats every time they hit a ball, nobody complains as long as the batter doesn’t AIM the bat at somebody (or makes somebody trip) when he throws it.


What Tom Watson really means by “impolite” is “not white.” Yes, I am calling him a racist. It is OK for a white golf player in funny clothes to throw his club around and take the Lord’s name in vain when missing an approach, but it is a problem when the rich (because he worked for it, not because he inherited it) mixed-race guy in the cool non-traditional outfit curses because the shot he practiced 100 times the previous day missed its intended target by four lousy feet.


You know who else was bothered by Tiger’s act? Fuzzy Zoeller, Jr. See how that worked out for him.


By the way, the only reason this asshole is complaining about Tiger? Because the tour is hurting for attention and they are lining up to BEG to him to come back.

Tom Watson has been troubled by Tiger Woods’s act for a long time now. The cursing. The banging of clubs. The detached disdain. Watson cannot stand that stuff. He thinks it’s disrespectful to the game’s history. He considers it dismissive of the great players who came before. More than anything: Tom Watson believes it is impolite.

Tom Watson is speaking out against Tiger Woods’s antics - Tours & News - Golf.com


I don’t think this Tom Watson plays the same kind of Golf that the rest of us (and yes, I am bundling together us hacks and them pros) play.


Real Golf is rated “R.” The only reason you don’t curse in front of the camera? Sponsors. But anyone that has ever played the game knows that there is nothing in the whole world that will make the most holy man to blow up a string of obscenities like a bad shot or a missed putt.


And banging the clubs? Is he kidding? Why the hell do you think clubs are so sturdy? Because they need to be strong to shoot that little ball very far? Of course not! They are sturdy because THEY GET ABUSED. THEY ARE CALLED CLUBS FOR A REASON!


Baseball players throw their bats every time they hit a ball, nobody complains as long as the batter doesn’t AIM the bat at somebody (or makes somebody trip) when he throws it.


What Tom Watson really means by “impolite” is “not white.” Yes, I am calling him a racist. It is OK for a white golf player in funny clothes to throw his club around and take the Lord’s name in vain when missing an approach, but it is a problem when the rich (because he worked for it, not because he inherited it) mixed-race guy in the cool non-traditional outfit curses because the shot he practiced 100 times the previous day missed its intended target by four lousy feet.


You know who else was bothered by Tiger’s act? Fuzzy Zoeller, Jr. See how that worked out for him.


By the way, the only reason this asshole is complaining about Tiger? Because the tour is hurting for attention and they are lining up to BEG to him to come back.

Local asshole Skyler Berwin, 28, was granted world-class asshole status Saturday during a special ceremony held in recognition of detestable actions that were deemed beyond the pale even for a major-league asshole such as himself.

Local Asshole Attains World-Class Status | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source


I am really offended that I have never been contacted by the National North American Asshole Council, I feel as if my achievements in the field would have earn me at least a freakin certificate of merit by now.

Local asshole Skyler Berwin, 28, was granted world-class asshole status Saturday during a special ceremony held in recognition of detestable actions that were deemed beyond the pale even for a major-league asshole such as himself.

Local Asshole Attains World-Class Status | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source


I am really offended that I have never been contacted by the National North American Asshole Council, I feel as if my achievements in the field would have earn me at least a freakin certificate of merit by now.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010


The Man Your Man Could Smell Like (via oldspice)


Raise your hand if you still remember as a little kid watching your dad in awe as he shaved and doused himself in Aqua Velva or Old Spice.

To keep its ratings high, maybe CBS just needs to play hit songs from the Who during most of its TV shows. Oh, wait.

Super Bowl XLIV Most-Watched Show Ever | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source


Oh yes, they do that already.

To keep its ratings high, maybe CBS just needs to play hit songs from the Who during most of its TV shows. Oh, wait.

Super Bowl XLIV Most-Watched Show Ever | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source


Oh yes, they do that already.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Are we sure it’s not because the pussies who drive them just aren’t hitting the brakes hard enough?

Toyota Expected To Recall Prius | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source
Are we sure it’s not because the pussies who drive them just aren’t hitting the brakes hard enough?

Toyota Expected To Recall Prius | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source

Monday, February 8, 2010


Best action scene of all time (via masfher)


So a friend of mine sends me this video, with this message:


“this is absolutely the BEST action scene EVARRRRRRRRRRR. it has no comparison!”


Now, I have seen a gazillion movies, and God knows I have seen almost every action movie ever shown in the American market, and a bunch from overseas.


But I have never seen anything like THIS. Oh. My. God.


Please, somebody bring this director to Hollywood and give him HALF of what is budgeted for Michael Bay’s next boom fest and let him go wild with it!

Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and will notify the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, a news report said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers over recall woes that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.

Report: Toyota plans to recall 300,000 Priuses


Let me dust off my Crystal Ball:


Toyota is going to:



  1. Successfully recall every car with whatever flaw there is, and fix it at no cost to their customers.

  2. Nip the problem in the bud before one more person gets hurt (what’s the current tally?).

  3. Run a desperate PR campaign to undo the damage to their reputation.


And that still won’t be enough, so let’s get ready for the feeding frenzy from the mass tort sharks/lawyers that are more interested in bleeding Toyota dry than in getting some kind of compensation to the actual victims.


Here’s the bold part of my prediction: the name “Prius” dies with this mess. Expect the “Prius” to be retired as a product line, to be soon replaced by a new name that won’t be tarnished by this mess.


How do I know this? Because this is not the first time it happens. The most recent I recall happened to Audi and the sudden acceleration claims against the 5000 series. The car never survived the stygma, so Audi had to rename their product to something else.


Just watch Toyota go through the motions.

Toyota plans to recall about 300,000 Prius hybrids worldwide over a brake problem and will notify the U.S. and Japanese governments Tuesday, a news report said, as a top executive will testify before U.S. lawmakers over recall woes that have tarnished its reputation for quality and safety.

Report: Toyota plans to recall 300,000 Priuses


Let me dust off my Crystal Ball:


Toyota is going to:



  1. Successfully recall every car with whatever flaw there is, and fix it at no cost to their customers.

  2. Nip the problem in the bud before one more person gets hurt (what’s the current tally?).

  3. Run a desperate PR campaign to undo the damage to their reputation.


And that still won’t be enough, so let’s get ready for the feeding frenzy from the mass tort sharks/lawyers that are more interested in bleeding Toyota dry than in getting some kind of compensation to the actual victims.


Here’s the bold part of my prediction: the name “Prius” dies with this mess. Expect the “Prius” to be retired as a product line, to be soon replaced by a new name that won’t be tarnished by this mess.


How do I know this? Because this is not the first time it happens. The most recent I recall happened to Audi and the sudden acceleration claims against the 5000 series. The car never survived the stygma, so Audi had to rename their product to something else.


Just watch Toyota go through the motions.

Saturday, February 6, 2010


Parisian Love (via SearchStories)


And now, for something that has absolutely NOTHING to do with weather.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

A US study has indicated that younger internet users are losing interest in blogging and switching to shorter and more mobile forms of communication.
The number of 12 to 17-year-olds in the US who blog has halved to 14% since 2006, according to a survey for the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
It suggests they prefer making short postings on social networking sites, and going online on mobile phones.

BBC News - Blogging loses appeal for US teenagers, says survey


Somebody should correlate these findings against their grades in language studies. In less than 10 years those of us still in the workforce will be facing a whole generation of employees that can’t write a business report or even a lousy letter.

A US study has indicated that younger internet users are losing interest in blogging and switching to shorter and more mobile forms of communication.
The number of 12 to 17-year-olds in the US who blog has halved to 14% since 2006, according to a survey for the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
It suggests they prefer making short postings on social networking sites, and going online on mobile phones.

BBC News - Blogging loses appeal for US teenagers, says survey


Somebody should correlate these findings against their grades in language studies. In less than 10 years those of us still in the workforce will be facing a whole generation of employees that can’t write a business report or even a lousy letter.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Tuesday, February 2, 2010


‘Gays Too Precious To Risk In Combat,’ Says General


Oh, that explains a lot…

We have strong evidence that the University of Michigan granted academic degrees to students in exchange for hefty payments, often totaling tens of thousands of dollars,” Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey said. “In the process, thousands of graduates have emerged with degrees, but few or no skills applicable to everyday life. And many are as unprepared to enter the job market as they were when they first enrolled.

University Implicated In Checks-For-Degrees Scheme | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source


Well hell, my school did that too, WTF?

We have strong evidence that the University of Michigan granted academic degrees to students in exchange for hefty payments, often totaling tens of thousands of dollars,” Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey said. “In the process, thousands of graduates have emerged with degrees, but few or no skills applicable to everyday life. And many are as unprepared to enter the job market as they were when they first enrolled.

University Implicated In Checks-For-Degrees Scheme | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source


Well hell, my school did that too, WTF?

Monday, February 1, 2010

50 years after four African-American students sat down at a segregated lunch counter in a Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth’s store, one question remains. What’s a Woolworth?

FARK.com: (4988990) 50 years after four African-American students sat down at a segregated lunch counter in a Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth’s store, one question remains. What’s a Woolworth?


I am from the borderline generation that barely remembers Woolworth’s.

50 years after four African-American students sat down at a segregated lunch counter in a Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth’s store, one question remains. What’s a Woolworth?

FARK.com: (4988990) 50 years after four African-American students sat down at a segregated lunch counter in a Greensboro, North Carolina Woolworth’s store, one question remains. What’s a Woolworth?


I am from the borderline generation that barely remembers Woolworth’s.


Avatar Review (Part 2 of 2) (via RedLetterMedia)


Here’s the second part of the Avatar review.


Avatar Review (Part 1 of 2) (via RedLetterMedia)


Fantastic review of Avatar, by the same guy that spent over 70 minutes dissecting the Phantom Menace to the point he almost made George Lucas cry from shame.

Macmillan CEO John Sargent claims Amazon will make more money under the new deal, receiving 30 percent of the price of each book sold. If Macmillan is right, and people are willing to pay physical-book prices for digital books, both Macmillan and Amazon stand to make more money, by pocketing the digital-distribution surplus.

Macmillan’s Amazon Beatdown Proves Content Is King | Epicenter | Wired.com


Oh, I am going to love to see this one play out. I can assure you there isn’t a single eBook purchaser out there that is going to willingly agree that eBooks should cost the same as their physical counterpart. The only reason we are going to pay that price for the book is because you are forcing us to, not because we want to.


It all comes down to greed. Nothing more, nothing less. Just greed.

Macmillan CEO John Sargent claims Amazon will make more money under the new deal, receiving 30 percent of the price of each book sold. If Macmillan is right, and people are willing to pay physical-book prices for digital books, both Macmillan and Amazon stand to make more money, by pocketing the digital-distribution surplus.

Macmillan’s Amazon Beatdown Proves Content Is King | Epicenter | Wired.com


Oh, I am going to love to see this one play out. I can assure you there isn’t a single eBook purchaser out there that is going to willingly agree that eBooks should cost the same as their physical counterpart. The only reason we are going to pay that price for the book is because you are forcing us to, not because we want to.


It all comes down to greed. Nothing more, nothing less. Just greed.


The iPad Keynote in less than 180 Seconds - Incredible, Beautiful, Amazing! (via bodypainter99)


This is how the Reality Distortion Field actually works.

My neighbor sold an older Chrysler minivan in perfect condition for $2000. Someone who bought his minivan could buy a Motorola Droid phone ($2000 over three years, including service), a car dock ($30), and enjoy a far superior GPS experience from Google Maps (which includes free traffic information; with the Toyota system you have to pay for a subscription). Then he could add two Apple iPads for the kids to use in the back ($1000). He wouldn’t need the bluetooth speakerphone because the Droid already is a speakerphone. So… for the price of just the basic electronics options in the Toyota, a consumer could have a minivan, free phone service, and $1000 left over. Is it any wonder that car sales in the U.S. are stagnant?

Philip Greenspun’s Weblog » Apple iPad and bigger touch screens


New car math is ridiculous. Not only the customer is punished for purchasing the car new, but he also pockets a 20% depreciation hit simply by driving it out of the dealership. I used to hate our Jeep Liberty (2003) to death, until I learned that Ivette didn’t change the oil for two years and the Jeep rode FINE until the check engine light came up since the engine was running almost dry. Now I think I am going to keep that sonofabitch until it disintegrates, because I doubt any newer product will have that kind of survivability.

My neighbor sold an older Chrysler minivan in perfect condition for $2000. Someone who bought his minivan could buy a Motorola Droid phone ($2000 over three years, including service), a car dock ($30), and enjoy a far superior GPS experience from Google Maps (which includes free traffic information; with the Toyota system you have to pay for a subscription). Then he could add two Apple iPads for the kids to use in the back ($1000). He wouldn’t need the bluetooth speakerphone because the Droid already is a speakerphone. So… for the price of just the basic electronics options in the Toyota, a consumer could have a minivan, free phone service, and $1000 left over. Is it any wonder that car sales in the U.S. are stagnant?

Philip Greenspun’s Weblog » Apple iPad and bigger touch screens


New car math is ridiculous. Not only the customer is punished for purchasing the car new, but he also pockets a 20% depreciation hit simply by driving it out of the dealership. I used to hate our Jeep Liberty (2003) to death, until I learned that Ivette didn’t change the oil for two years and the Jeep rode FINE until the check engine light came up since the engine was running almost dry. Now I think I am going to keep that sonofabitch until it disintegrates, because I doubt any newer product will have that kind of survivability.