Monday, December 31, 2001
A nice little article about Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of television. Now this is a guy who got royally screwed by big business. An amazing story though, Farnsworth actually came up with the idea for it at the astonishingly young age of fourteen, although he wasn't able to build it until the age of twenty-one. TIME 100: Scientists & Thinkers - Philo Farnsworth
Here's a couple neato Yahoo Messenger tricks I found tonight....for one, if you type (~~) in the message window, you'll get a little pumpkin with glowing eyes, a smiley that yahoo doesn't show on their list of smileys...also, the guy at this url has a plugin for Winamp (The Best Thing EVER for listening to mp3s) which will change your online status message to reflect the song and artist you're listening to. :) larkington
If you're just really bored and you're out of things to do, you can always poke around here to find easter eggs for your software...like these neat little eggs for Macromedia Flash Eeggs.com - Computers : Applications : Flash (Macromedia)
TechTV is doing a show on the old Mattel Intellivision Console...I can still remember playing this in the local K-mart and ooh-ing and ahhh-ing over the "awesome graphics". My how time flies. TechTV | History and Tech Behind the Mattel Intellivision
Well, The Smoking Gun released it's document of the year awards today, I think my favorite one is still J-Lo's list of insanely overdone diva demands asked of the places she performs at:
Before filming a cameo in a music video benefiting victims of the September 11 attacks and the African AIDS epidemic, Jennifer Lopez had a 2-page list of backstage necessities that included: white couches, white drapes, white tables, French aromatherapy candles, beans, rice, chicken, Cuban food, yellow roses with red trim, white lilies, white roses, VCR, CD player, watermelon, apple pie a la mode, chocolate chip cookies, and music from 43 different acts. Seems reasonable, no?
The Smoking Gun: Document Of The Year Awards
Before filming a cameo in a music video benefiting victims of the September 11 attacks and the African AIDS epidemic, Jennifer Lopez had a 2-page list of backstage necessities that included: white couches, white drapes, white tables, French aromatherapy candles, beans, rice, chicken, Cuban food, yellow roses with red trim, white lilies, white roses, VCR, CD player, watermelon, apple pie a la mode, chocolate chip cookies, and music from 43 different acts. Seems reasonable, no?
The Smoking Gun: Document Of The Year Awards
Sunday, December 30, 2001
A Mirimax site devoted to The Beatles' movie "Hard Day's Night". Some good pics of the boys and a few never-before seen items. A HARD DAY'S NIGHT - © Miramax Film Corp.
A couple's baby Jesus is stolen and ransomed, more Christmas grinchery. Herald-Tribune Newscoast Main Stories
Burglarized before AND after Christmas...that's gotta suck. The Seattle Times: Local News: Grinch of a holiday: Family robbed twice
Saturday, December 29, 2001
13th Street is a site with a horror bent...some really twisted shockwave games here among other things. 13thStreet.com -- Games
I'm not sure exactly what this is, whether it's a game or just an interesting little artwork, but it's really sharp. www.vectorpark.com
Wow...this is really nice, I'm shocked. Something really different, looks-wise. These guys kick ass. Ego Media
The author's of "Flash 5! Creative Web Animation" put together this informative and really hard-core site with killer flash animations as well as tutorials and other odds and ends. Crazy Raven Productions
Record karaoke songs in your browser, send to friends, lose friends, most likely. Neat idea though. kar ui
Guiness Book of World Record's site...I have have posted this before but oh well. Guinness World Records
This is a neat little twist on chat...too bad there were no chatters online when i looked at it and the streaming audio was hard for me to appreciate with my slow connection, still, it's pretty cool, something different. Think chat rave. CHATMASTER 3000
Real Pool..this isn't nearly as cool as my Virtual Pool 3, but if you don't have a Virtual Pool 3 I guess it'd be pretty darn cool. Shockwave.com - Real Pool (3D)
Can't believe I've never blogged this one, but here goes, Gagpipe, satire headlines from around the globe. Gagpipe BETA: Headline satire from around the world.
Speaking of the Webby Awards, here's another free blog site, one of the nominees, Live Journal, looks cool, if I didn't have enough on my hands just trying to keep this one updated I'd give it a try, I may anyways. Live Journal
The 2001 Webby Awards have been announced, due to an apparent oversight, I didn't win one, go figure... The Webby Awards: 2001 Nominees
Wednesday, December 26, 2001
Tuesday, December 25, 2001
Bunker Guy retreats from his hideout when the need for beer overtakes his dread of holiday commercialism. Man Exits Bunker When Beer Thirst Overtakes Xmas Dread
Monday, December 24, 2001
Here's a nice little coloring book site for the kiddies (or bored adults) ColoringSite.com - Online Coloring Books
Weird and unusual trivia tidbits, along the lines of "a hummingbird weighs less than a dime." Strange But True! #1 for strange facts
Speaking of chicken, which seems to be my obsession this Christmas morning, although it's really more out of sheer boredom and a search for "fried chicken" than any insane fondness for foul...here's an internet hoax I must admit that I was out of the loop on. KFC no longer uses real birds, but genetically engineered "organisms" to produce it's tasty chicken. KFC - Kentucky Fried Chicken Hoax
Okay...that Kremlin Fried Chicken was a joke, but this is nearly as bizarre...KFC Indonesia's site. KFC INDONESIA
Sunday, December 23, 2001
Well...you can always depend on the Japanese online newspaper, the Mainichi, for bizarre tidbits...a professor at the Takushoku University apparently stabbed a student with a samurai sword during a drunken get together in his office. Mainichi Interactive - Top News
Wow...a real-life Scrooge: LONDON (Reuters) - A British man is heading underground behind blast proof doors and 10-foot-thick concrete in a bid to escape the stresses of a family Christmas.
Man Hires Bunker to Escape Christmas
Man Hires Bunker to Escape Christmas
Some really groovy holiday themed fonts and dingbats Christmas Fonts & Dingbats (TTF - Windows ONLY)
Friday, December 21, 2001
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.
Some interesting quotes from one of our brainier forefathers Benjamin Franklin
- Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759.
Some interesting quotes from one of our brainier forefathers Benjamin Franklin
Wednesday, December 19, 2001
Well...here's a few reasons for us yanks to feel good about ourselves..."52 Things They Do Better In America" from the U.K.'s Guardian Unlimited Guardian Unlimited | Columnists | John Sutherland: America and its advantages
Possibly the coolest t-shirt I've ever seen, I must have this... errorwear: embrace your computer problems
Monday, December 17, 2001
Crime Scene is a site where surfers are asked to put in their two-cent's worth regarding ongoing cases, in other words, it appears to be just the thing for you armchair Columbos out there Crime Scene Evidence File
Stuart Adamson, 43, of the band Big Country, was found dead in Hawaii Sunday...that sucks. Former Big Country Frontman Dies at 43
My friend Chris gave me the ultimate Christmas gift....a Jim Morrison action figure. Now, if I can just find a tiny little Jack Daniel's bottle to lay beside him on the stage it'll be totally authentic. I'm hoping there'll be another "curled up in the fetal position unconcious" edition I can get next year. Toy Fair 2001
Saturday, December 15, 2001
Some hilarious shockwave cartoons written and directed by Steve Martin, my all-time comedy hero, Morto the Magician and Gwyneth and Steve (bottom left of the page) Morto the Magician - Detail
Cop leaves his loaded pistol on the toilet in an elementary school News - Montreal - canada.com network
Friday, December 14, 2001
So I'm at Arcade At Home's site tonight (The BEST emulator/rom site, for an retro-arcade fan like myself, certainly) and I come across this emulator, it only plays a handful of games - Donkey Kong, Galaxian, Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man and Frogger. HOWEVER...it does offer the added twist of actually beefing up the games it's emulating, graphically and sonically. A cool idea, I'm about to try it out, I'll report back later on whether it sucked or not. Arcade@Home(tm) - EmuDX Emulator
Thursday, December 13, 2001
There were a couple funny articles linked on BoingBoing today, like this one about a store clerk who was fired because she refused to keep selling crack pipes. Clerk's refusal to sell 'love roses' gets her fired
Wednesday, December 12, 2001
World War III in Colour, yet another satire site with a decidedly "war on terrorism" bent. Æ’© || W2IIIinC
From the time-killer dept. - 45, 80 and 120-piece puzzles made of modern and contemporary artistic masterpieces. Artonline
Tuesday, December 11, 2001
Some "What if's" regarding famous historical figures, again, more funny stuff from McSweeney's. McSweeney's Internet Tendency: History's Great Persons Reconsidered
A funny essay from McSweeney's Internet Tendency, I like this site a lot. McSweeney's Internet Tendency: It's Actually Not a Small World
Monday, December 10, 2001
An interesting and nicely done AI site, featuring Ramona, a talking, interactive avatar. KurzweilAI.net
Sunday, December 09, 2001
Hunter S. Thompson's essays for ESPN.com. That's right, I said ESPN.com. Go figure. ESPN.com - Page2 - Hunter S. Thompson Columnist Archive
Friday, December 07, 2001
Oh my god, there really IS a Duff brewery and has been for years, they're having to change their name though anyways, so people don't confuse it with Homer and the gang's fave brew :)STUFF: NATIONAL NEWS - STORY : New Zealand's leading news and information website
If you haven't heard about it yet, Timecube is...well...it's...hmm. Perhaps you should make your own assesment. Timecube
DETROIT LAKES, Minn. (Reuters) - A Japanese woman whose body was found by a hunter near the North Woods town of Detroit Lakes was apparently obsessed by the fictional buried treasure of the movie ``Fargo,'' police say.
Woman Hunting 'Fargo' Movie Loot Dies
Woman Hunting 'Fargo' Movie Loot Dies
Tuesday, December 04, 2001
The absolute kewlest screensaver ever, I love playing with this thing. MyCorkboard screensaver - customize your very own interactive desktop screen saver
Visual Pinball is a free program that allows you to design your own pinball tables and play on them, there are also downloads of tables that are already done for you, some of which are pretty good reproductions of real pinball tables from the past. I like my pre-made Microsoft tables better, but this is a really good one for the do-it-yourself types out there and some of the tables for download are nice. Visual Pinball Introduction
An english translation of Miyamoto Musashi's "A Book of Five Rings", a treatise on sword-fighting and strategy by the fifteenth-century Japanese Samurai/writer/artist. A very interesting text. A Book of Five Rings
If you like to tinker and build things or just have some time to kill, this is a really cool site, god knows how they did this thing, it's a pretty impressive bit of web magic, though and entertaining to boot. Sodaplay Constructor
Considering their brilliant ad campaigns over the years, I guess it's no wonder Absolut Vodka has a gorgeous website. I'm not much of a vodka drinker, but this is pretty nice. Oh, now don't anyone enter the site unless you're of legal drinking age, of course (wink). It always cracks me up the way "adult oriented" websites, say Budweiser or something like this, say that. At least Absolut isn't insulting anyone's intelligence by asking you to choose your date of birth from a drop-down menu in order to gain entrance...you know, I'm pretty sure that given a few minutes, even the simplest kid could figure that one out. :) ABSOLUT VODKA - The Official Web Site
Want to learn how to make those cool little Flash movies and games for your site? Already using Flash and need things like sound loops, tutorials, etc.? Make this your first stop, pretty much everything you could ever need and then some, plus a very tight-knit and helpful community of developers to share ideas and dole out helpful advice, this is a fantastic site. Flash Kit, A Flash Developer Resource - Online resource for Macromedia Flash Tutorials SWF FLA images clip art Sounds WAVS Animations Help and Support
Oh yeah, almost forgot...we're at war. Just because "Greg and Dharma" and the like are back on the tube every night and the state of general panic has died down since September eleventh doesn't mean we shouldn't take these warnings the govt. has been giving to heart. I really hope it doesn't come down to something like this: reports are circulating that Bin Laden may have the means to produce a "dirty bomb", which is basically highly radioactive material, say, for instance, spent reactor fuel rods, wrapped around readily available conventional explosives, the idea being to simply irradiate a large area, perhaps several city blocks, in a way that would leave the terrain surrounding the blast radius virtually uninhabitable for many, many years to come. As bad as a conventional nuke? Probably not, but still, very, very, VERY bad and they don't need a huge team of eggheads or high-grade plutonium or uranium - scarce commodities - to make one. Report: Bin Laden May Be Close to Nuclear Weapon
Why did I sleep so late yesterday? Because I couldn't resist staying up to find out what Dean Kamen's "It" or "Ginger" - as it was called - was. It debuted on the Good Morning America show yesterday morning and I have to admit, it was a bit of a letdown, sure it's neat, sure it looks like a kick to ride and yes, I'm certain it has many useful applications in business and perhaps in the private sector - it runs clean and cheap and you can ride around on one all day for about twelve cent's worth of electricity - however, I was sort of hoping for a hovercraft or a jetpack or something. I suppose after all the hype, if Dean had done anything less than come on GMA and literally walk on water, people would have been dissapointed. Still, it's a nifty little scooter, I guess...sigh. Oh, by the way, it's called a "Segway" now. Just don't be too hard on Mr. Kamen - he did, after all, invent things like the heart stint in our VP's ticker, a portable kidney dialysis machine, an insulin pump and other great humanitarian inventions, including a mobility device for paralytics that allows them to move around upright and walk up and down stairs, over gravel and other obstacles. My friend Steve's a paraplegic and I can tell you that something of that nature would really be a godsend, it's hard to even PUSH someone in a wheelchair over gravel. In the end, even if all Dean had rolled out on Good Morning America had been a little red toy wagon, he's still to be applauded and I'm sure there are uses for the Segway that nobody's even thought of.Segway
Well, a very good friend of mine died night before last, around 10:30 at night. Her name was Barbara Peppers, she was a very, very sweet woman who died long before her time, of cancer. I saw her that night, she was comatose, far as anyone could tell, she passed away in her home, a couple of miles down the road. I wish now I'd stayed a little longer, said a few more things, perhaps. I don't know if she heard the things I did say, but I hope so. It's a sad thing when someone dies, especially someone you love. She was like family to me and the only solace I find in her death is that her long struggle is over and I know she's finally at peace now. The funeral is tomorrow at one and I was planning on going back to the funeral home earlier than that but I can't sleep because I slept so late yesterday...so instead of rolling around on the bed trying to get comfortable and making myself fall asleep, which I couldn't seem to do, I decided I may as well get up and write a little or post something, maybe that'll help.
Monday, December 03, 2001
Find out what other people think about a zillion questions, you can add your own questions to be posted and users can provide profiles so you can see the results broken down by gender, age, country, etc. Very cool, I'm JimmyOlsen YouThink.com - Questions
Sunday, December 02, 2001
Alright, even though it's just a parody of Christopher Walken, this is still the funniest thing I think I've ever read and I wish he'd really written it, it would have been that much funnier. :)
Walken in L.A.
Walken in L.A.
I've been browsing some old articles from The Onion tonight, this one's pretty funny and true, too...can cola bottles get an larger? I notice they don't mention those big TUBS of Coke they give you at fast food joints and gas stations. Our nation's soda intake is spinning out of control, soon we'll need special harnesses to carry the massive weight of our Hardee's super-sized Cokes on our backs. Coca-Cola Introduces New 30-Liter Size Bottle Will Be Unwieldy, Inconvenient
``One week from today, we're going to reveal right here what IT is,'' she told viewers last Monday, adding she had heard IT was something ``everyone will have to have'' and ``immediately make the people who own it richer than Bill Gates Dean Kamen Set to Unveil Mysterious 'IT' Invention
Saturday, December 01, 2001
Well, the Quiet One is dead, and i don't even know what to say. The Beatles have always been my favorite band. It just sucks. It really, really sucks. Rest in peace, George, you'll live on in our hearts and minds forever. Ex-Beatle Harrison Dies at 58
Tuesday, November 27, 2001
Warped Toys: Some of the more twisted and violent toys available for the tykes this season.2001 Top Ten Warped Toys
For the high-bandwidth types among you, a link to All Things Must Pass, the official site of Mr. Harrison's latest album. All Things Must Pass
Sadly, it appears that the reports of George Harrison's worsening condition are true. ABCNEWS.com : George Harrison Reportedly Losing Cancer Battle
Monday, November 26, 2001
The story of how scientists came to accept the existence of meteors, from the Fortean Times - Cosmic Debris - FT 143
Well, there weren't really a lot of unusual news stories today and I'm about ready to call it quits, maybe someone will do something bizarre or incredibly stupid tomorrow and I can post it, but for now I'm just going to post this one last link, a site that features stupid/weird/bizarre things found on internet auction blocks. Nite.Who Would Buy That? (auction oddities from all over the web)
Red Meat has to be the most twisted, funny comic strip out there. RED MEAT . Meat Locker . the squirting squids of squalor
Here's a guy who's done several wallpapers with a guitar-theme...as soon as I can repost all the files that my ISP lost (grrrr...), I'll post a link to my own wallpaper site, Rock and Roll Fantasy Wallpaper, which features rock and roll bands. Guitar art
Everything you ever wanted to know about Penn and Teller, and then some, from their homepage: SinCity - The Web Home of Penn & Teller
Well, here we go, the beginning of the "Eugenic Wars" from Trek lore..."KHANNNN!!!!!!!" Embryo Cloning Claim Draws Criticism
A new "gravity map" of the earth shows that if you're in India, you're slightly less than 1% lighter than you would be anywhere else, as the gravitational pull is weaker there. -Link-
Sunday, November 25, 2001
Rocket man successfully launches his privately built rocket 5,000 miles into the air in Britain -Link-
Last year, Lathan Quincy McDonald Sr., 22, of Minneapolis, was sentenced to nearly eleven years in prison for severely burning his infant daughter with a hair dryer, causing permanent scars on her face and neck. A brilliant judge stayed his sentence, however, so he only did four months. Hey, it's not like he did anything that bad, he just permanently scarred his toddler in an unthinkable act of torture, right? Forgive and forget, sayeth the judge.
So what do you think happens? On Nov. 20th, he was arrested for beating his seven-month-old son to death. You know, it costs something like 50k a year to house and take care of prisoners, more money than your average joe on the street even makes in that amount of time and in some cases you have to wonder, or i do, at least, if people like this are worth the money and effort to keep alive. Why the hell bother, with the extra money we'd save keeping this waste of oxygen who "has a history of controlling his anger" (as they say in lawyer-speak) alive and well, we could defray a lot of the costs this war on terrorism is racking up. -Link-
So what do you think happens? On Nov. 20th, he was arrested for beating his seven-month-old son to death. You know, it costs something like 50k a year to house and take care of prisoners, more money than your average joe on the street even makes in that amount of time and in some cases you have to wonder, or i do, at least, if people like this are worth the money and effort to keep alive. Why the hell bother, with the extra money we'd save keeping this waste of oxygen who "has a history of controlling his anger" (as they say in lawyer-speak) alive and well, we could defray a lot of the costs this war on terrorism is racking up. -Link-
Remember Billy Connolly? He's the Scottish comic who was famous for about ten minutes back in the early nineties for replacing Howard "Dr. Johnny Fever" Hessman as the teacher on television's "Head of the Class" sitcom. Turns out he's also kind of weird...in response to a radio personality's question of why he quit drinking, Billy recounts a night of groping dead bodies in a morgue. Uhh...Billy, I've been on a few benders myself, but good god, man, you're a freak. -Link-
Here's something to entertain the more hardcore news junkies among you, Cricklers, a crossword type quiz focusing on current events -Link-
Porn king and free-speech hard-liner Larry Flynt is suing the govt. for their refusal to allow "Hustler" reporters access to the war in Afghanistan -Link-
The Taliban's leftover "nuclear bomb plans" - viable nuclear how-to texts or part of an internet joke going back to 1979? Did the Taliban merely download bomb-making information that's validity is on par with the "WTC Tourist Guy" pics? -Link-
Some good news, for a change...my mother's diabetic and who knows, I'm liable to develop it, so things like this are good to hear:
REHOVOT (November 23) - Scientists at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot have developed the first successful vaccine for Type I diabetes. -Link-
REHOVOT (November 23) - Scientists at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot have developed the first successful vaccine for Type I diabetes. -Link-
I'm all for freedom of speech, but this is ridiculous, will someone please put this sonofabitch in jail? I'm also against book-burnings, but in his case I'd gladly make an exception. Timothy W. Tobiason, a hardcore anti-govt. type, has been selling (by his estimate) 2,000 copies a year of his book "Scientific Principles of Improvised Warfare and Home Defense Volume 6-1: Advanced Biological Weapons Design and Manufacture," a do-it-yourself book on making homegrown bioterror weapons (including anthrax) at gun shows around the country.
Says Ken Alibek, a former top official in the Soviet germ-weapons program who is now president of Advanced Biosystems, a consulting company in Manassas, Va., "The guy who wrote this is very smart, very dangerous, we should not ignore this. It's not sophisticated, but this process is going to work." Although not a suspect in the recent spate of anthrax mailings, Tobiason's tome does include a section about mailed anthrax as a weapon. Next year, the unapologetic (and thoroughly unbalanced, apparently) Tobiason promises a new book, one that will describe how to make "huge scale" germ weapons. "It will have some planet killers in it," claims the author. "It will allow anyone to arm themselves with biological weapons in their basements." This article will scare you. -Link-
Says Ken Alibek, a former top official in the Soviet germ-weapons program who is now president of Advanced Biosystems, a consulting company in Manassas, Va., "The guy who wrote this is very smart, very dangerous, we should not ignore this. It's not sophisticated, but this process is going to work." Although not a suspect in the recent spate of anthrax mailings, Tobiason's tome does include a section about mailed anthrax as a weapon. Next year, the unapologetic (and thoroughly unbalanced, apparently) Tobiason promises a new book, one that will describe how to make "huge scale" germ weapons. "It will have some planet killers in it," claims the author. "It will allow anyone to arm themselves with biological weapons in their basements." This article will scare you. -Link-
Well this is good...China's sending a man to the moon....should we tell 'em it's already been done? Nah. Anyways, that's kind of cool, should make for some good tv. :) -Link-
Oh...and if anyone does happen to go by the Yesterdayland site I've been plugging lately, look me up, I'm...you guessed it: HoneycombKid :) -Link-
Well, let's see what kind of bloggage we have today...
Some idiot discharged a rifle by accident in an airport...way to go, McFly:
DALLAS (Reuters) - A passenger accidentally fired a hunting rifle at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport on Friday but no one was hurt, an airport spokeswoman said.
The incident occurred as the passenger was complying with a request by airline employees to demonstrate the rifle was unloaded in accordance with regulations, spokeswoman Tina Sharp said.
``There was an accidental discharge but nobody was injured and airport operations were not affected,'' she said.
The shot damaged a window and momentarily caused panic among other passengers near the Delta Air Lines check-in counter. The passenger, whose name was not released, was not charged and was allowed to board his flight, Sharp said.
What the hell is it about the sport of soccer that causes people to go utterly insane and riot all the time? What gives? Of course, if I sat through an entire soccer game and it turned out to be a tie or i just saw one goal, I guess I'd be pretty pissed too. SOCCER IS NOT A SPORT! -Link-
Woman who survived the WTC disaster, only to be killed on the flight that went down in a NY neighborhood two months later -Link-
Some nutcase set himself on fire at a mall. -Link-
Handy little tool for webmasters, a browser emulator :) -Link-
Some idiot discharged a rifle by accident in an airport...way to go, McFly:
DALLAS (Reuters) - A passenger accidentally fired a hunting rifle at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport on Friday but no one was hurt, an airport spokeswoman said.
The incident occurred as the passenger was complying with a request by airline employees to demonstrate the rifle was unloaded in accordance with regulations, spokeswoman Tina Sharp said.
``There was an accidental discharge but nobody was injured and airport operations were not affected,'' she said.
The shot damaged a window and momentarily caused panic among other passengers near the Delta Air Lines check-in counter. The passenger, whose name was not released, was not charged and was allowed to board his flight, Sharp said.
What the hell is it about the sport of soccer that causes people to go utterly insane and riot all the time? What gives? Of course, if I sat through an entire soccer game and it turned out to be a tie or i just saw one goal, I guess I'd be pretty pissed too. SOCCER IS NOT A SPORT! -Link-
Woman who survived the WTC disaster, only to be killed on the flight that went down in a NY neighborhood two months later -Link-
Some nutcase set himself on fire at a mall. -Link-
Handy little tool for webmasters, a browser emulator :) -Link-
Friday, November 23, 2001
Well, it's late, I was going to post a lot of other stuff but I think I'm going to save it for tomorrow night. I'm gonna do some more revamping of the blog (note: if anyone's been watching, I changed the template today and tomorrow I think I'm going to start adding a few pictures here and there to spruce it up a little, where necessary.
As for posts, before I go to bed I'd like to once again sing the praises of Yesterdayland, where else can you see Quicktime clips of Quentin Tarantino extolling the virtues of Evil Knievel toys and Bill and Ted's Excellent Cereal? -Link-
Tomorrow I'm going to try and post a decent profile at Yesterdayland, if I can find an old picture of myself when I was seven or so, in keeping with the majority of the member profiles. It's a great little haven if you want to get away from reality awhile and relive old memories. I have a few questions about the "Honeycomb Kids" I'd like to ask, like, for example, were those kids on dope or what? Anyone out there remember "The Honeycomb Hideout"? There was no mention of it on Yesterdayland that I could find. It just so happens I was eating some awhile ago, for the first time in years. The verdict? A lousy cereal, really, though for some reason I thought it was good back then.
As for posts, before I go to bed I'd like to once again sing the praises of Yesterdayland, where else can you see Quicktime clips of Quentin Tarantino extolling the virtues of Evil Knievel toys and Bill and Ted's Excellent Cereal? -Link-
Tomorrow I'm going to try and post a decent profile at Yesterdayland, if I can find an old picture of myself when I was seven or so, in keeping with the majority of the member profiles. It's a great little haven if you want to get away from reality awhile and relive old memories. I have a few questions about the "Honeycomb Kids" I'd like to ask, like, for example, were those kids on dope or what? Anyone out there remember "The Honeycomb Hideout"? There was no mention of it on Yesterdayland that I could find. It just so happens I was eating some awhile ago, for the first time in years. The verdict? A lousy cereal, really, though for some reason I thought it was good back then.
Alright, this is a really nicely done site, flash games with a lotta style, and (gasp!) fun, even - I hate these guys for being so good...be sure you try out "The Amazing Daredozen"at Orisinal. -Link-
Thursday, November 22, 2001
I was going to go to bed, but this story's just too bizarre, had to post it: Man killed by duck. -Link-
Wow, I almost went and laid down without updating the blog tonight. Not that I have anything major to add to it. Ate some turkey today. Probably will tomorrow too. If you're just totally bored, check out Pop History Now! here: -Link-
Today's news:
F. Lee Bailey, DISBARRED! -Link-
Guy makes a (nice) working violin out of 14,000 matchsticks, wow. -Link-
Today's news:
F. Lee Bailey, DISBARRED! -Link-
Guy makes a (nice) working violin out of 14,000 matchsticks, wow. -Link-
Wednesday, November 21, 2001
Well, first we had the presidential election dramas, now it appears the SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) is up in arms over their's too, Melissa (Half-pint) Gilbert remains unfazed. Gilbert beat Valerie (Rhoda) Harper by 1,588 votes, now though, amid charges of corruption, her status as head Hollywood Cheese may be in question. -Link-
Well, I'm seriously thinking about lying down and getting some sleep. My friend needs a ride to get his check in the morning and oddly, I'm kinda sleepy anyways. God knows why, I slept all day. Oh well...I guess I can still post a couple funny things on here just to keep up my little streak, I've yet to miss a day and I hate to start now.
Mick Jagger's album sold only 9 hundred something copies on it's release date. As my friend Bill put it, he and I could release and album and sell that many copies, worldwide, likely. Too bad. It's not that bad an album, it's certainly a hella lot cooler than some other big-selling artists I could name (J-Lo) -Link-
Here's a good one:
Coat Hanger in Throat Gets Man in Trouble
WICHITA, Kan. (Reuters) - A Kansas man who got a coat hanger stuck in his throat while trying to dislodge a balloon of cocaine he had swallowed faced possible criminal charges after doctors trying to remove the hanger discovered the drugs, police said Tuesday. -Link-
Mick Jagger's album sold only 9 hundred something copies on it's release date. As my friend Bill put it, he and I could release and album and sell that many copies, worldwide, likely. Too bad. It's not that bad an album, it's certainly a hella lot cooler than some other big-selling artists I could name (J-Lo) -Link-
Here's a good one:
Coat Hanger in Throat Gets Man in Trouble
WICHITA, Kan. (Reuters) - A Kansas man who got a coat hanger stuck in his throat while trying to dislodge a balloon of cocaine he had swallowed faced possible criminal charges after doctors trying to remove the hanger discovered the drugs, police said Tuesday. -Link-
Monday, November 19, 2001
Who is Ken Blackburn? He's a Guiness record-holding paper airplane flyer, his site includes tips and patterns you can print out and fold to make your own versions of his record-breaking designs. -Link-
Speaking of silly little toys, here's a site that shows how to make tiny matchstick powered rockets: -Link-
Neither of these do it for you? For the discerning hobbyist, how 'bout your own still instead? Details (not that I'm condoning any of this) at "Thicko's Guide to Distilling Alcohol". -Link-
Speaking of silly little toys, here's a site that shows how to make tiny matchstick powered rockets: -Link-
Neither of these do it for you? For the discerning hobbyist, how 'bout your own still instead? Details (not that I'm condoning any of this) at "Thicko's Guide to Distilling Alcohol". -Link-
Why in the hell is it that only 10% of all carry-on baggage (according to a report on ABC news I just overheard on the tube) is examined in airports as we speak? What the hell? After everything we've been through? Congress is apparently pushing forward with a move that'll change that (within two months) but I find it really outrageous to hear, I would have thought that they were shining flashlights up people's asses at this point after the nightmare that befell our country on Sept. 11. Like everyone else, I always felt pretty secure, maybe (make that definitely) I watch too much television, but I always slept well at night thinking that our nation was protected around the clock by govt. super-spies with James Bond tech we couldn't even imagine, keeping vigil over our borders and watching all the world's terrorist-types with satellite cameras so powerful they could count the flakes of dandruff on Yassar Arafat's head. I must say, I'm dissapointed that the current situation wasn't immediately resolved with the deployment of genetically advanced, Pretender style agents with ballpoint pen lasers and kung fu skills, but the fact that they're not even checking 90% of the carry-on luggage in our airports, after the fact, truly, truly bothers me. I hope we're not asleep at the wheel again. 60 Minutes this Saturday carried a story on how incredibly easy it was for a middle-easterner (or anyone else, for that matter) to slip across our southern border through the existing border-jumping networks and things like that make me wonder. Again, they promise to beef up the border patrols, but how long is it going to take and has the damage already been done? I think I have a Michelob in the fridge, I believe I'll drink it now.
Here's something funny from The Smoking Gun...the gun guys pilfered some of Mariah's fan mail that was left for the trash man and have posted some of the funny and twisted fanmail that resided in her garbage...maybe she should have kept some of it, after Glitter and the various psychotic episodes she's had lately it can't be long before she's hustling for a spot on To Tell the Truth or Hollywood Squares. -Link-
The Smoking Gun also has a list of utterly Diva-ish demands Jennifer Lopez expects met before she'll perform in concert. Speaking of concerts, isn't it weird to anyone that Jennifer Lopez a world famous singer and yet her upcoming televised concert is apparently her FIRST ever? -Link-
The Smoking Gun also has a list of utterly Diva-ish demands Jennifer Lopez expects met before she'll perform in concert. Speaking of concerts, isn't it weird to anyone that Jennifer Lopez a world famous singer and yet her upcoming televised concert is apparently her FIRST ever? -Link-
I know it's going to start to sound like I'm obsessed with Pong, but I got to thinking and I should have posted this link to a neat 3-d version of the game done in flash. It's fast loading and pretty entertaining, a good little time-killer. -Link-
While I'm at it, here are some novel little freeware games from Tiny Windows Games, including the world's smallest version of Space Invaders (It's so diminutive it plays in your system tray), Tiny Asteroids, Tiny River Raid, Chess, etc. -Link-
On this day, in 1863, President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.
While I'm at it, here are some novel little freeware games from Tiny Windows Games, including the world's smallest version of Space Invaders (It's so diminutive it plays in your system tray), Tiny Asteroids, Tiny River Raid, Chess, etc. -Link-
On this day, in 1863, President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address as he dedicated a national cemetery at the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania.
In the 1920's, Harold Lloyd was an extremely popular silent film comedian...the stunts this guy performed in his movies would make Jackie Chan think twice...lots of Quicktime clips here: -Link-
Quicktime clips of some preliminary modeling of Bruce Lee, who's started a whole new post-mortem career as a cgi actor...via Ain't It Cool News -Link-
I'm an emulator nut and while I'm thinking of it, this is probably the coolest emulation site I've come across, classic gaming-nerd heaven: -Link-
Bleem! is dead. The software, which allowed pc users to play playstation discs on their computers, has folded...it sure as hell looks that way, at least, judging by their site: -Link-
Douglas Adams' sixth installment in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series will be published next year. A Salmon of a Doubt, edited from files on Adams' computer, will go on sale in May, the first anniversary of his death. Bill's gonna be happy to hear about this one. I just hope it's something he would have wanted done, the man was notorious for being his own worst critic and it's easy to imagine his rolling over and over in his grave upon hearing this stuff. -Link-
Wolfgang Puck, Spago owner and famous restarauteur, paid $19,000 dollars for a 1.82 pound truffle at an auction...hmmm...perhaps the South American kingpins should get out of selling cocaine and go into truffle sales. -Link-
Sunday, November 18, 2001
Well, I saw the Leonid shower last night and while I certainly saw more shooting stars than I'd be apt to see in ten years of normal viewing it was a little foggy. I did see some really nice, big earthgrazers though, around 12:00-1:00 that were mighty impressive.
Today I've been obsessing over the "Dotcomics" at Marvel.com, marvel comics' official site. The Incredible Hulk story was really good, nice artwork. -Link-
Today I've been obsessing over the "Dotcomics" at Marvel.com, marvel comics' official site. The Incredible Hulk story was really good, nice artwork. -Link-
Saturday, November 17, 2001
West Nile virus strikes again, this time killing a 44 year old man here in Alabama, our first case. He was the fifth person to die of the disease this year in the U.S. -Link-
Okay, maybe one link: Honda has created a really nifty robot that goes beyond the AIBO dog's antics...it can walk down stairs, obey commands and already has work as a receptionist at IBM Japan. -Link-
I live in Alabama and aside from Christmas or something like that, the biggest day of the year is the Alabama vs Auburn game, otherwise known as the Iron Bowl. I'm happy to report that the Tide rolled right over cursed Auburn, 31-7. It's all good in T-town tonight. :) The Leonids showers are tonight and I'm going to head outside in another half hour or so, the peak should be from 4 to 6 a.m. if predictions are accurate, I sure hope it's a good one. No sites to post today as I haven't really done any surfing yet, maybe later if I'm still up after all the meteor madness.
Friday, November 16, 2001
Well, yesterday's updates were kind of sparse, so I'm going to go ahead and try and post a couple things while I have the chance today...I'm sitting here waiting on Phil (who'd best hurry before I go and drink all our beers...hehe) and listenin' to a little Jethro Tull (Skating Away (On the Thin Ice of a New Day, if you're curious). I suppose we're going to shoot a little pool later. I played a bit last week and it's amazing how your game goes to hell if you don't play for awhile, it's a helluva lot different than playing Virtual Pool 3, nice a game as that is. Speaking of Virtual Pool 3, if anyone reading this has one and gets mad that they can't use the aiming lines in tournament play, you can download a trainer program here that'll let you cheat and use the lines against computer opponents, be forewarned though, it WILL ruin the game, as it makes it pretty darned easy to work your way to the end of the game and beat Jeannette.
A memorial was held for Ken Kesey, author, psychedlic guru and prankster extraordinairre. If you've never read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest or Sometimes a Great Notion, try and squeeze that in before you die, it's good stuff, he was a real character, Mr. Kesey...and a very gifted man, he'll be missed. Here's a nice tribute article about his life from Salon.com. -Link-
Kick back with some herbal tea or your favorite psychoactive drug and check out Levitated Tile...a very nicely done site with interactive shockwave art with a mathematical bent to it. Way cool. -Link-
Okay, let me think here, what can I rant about this morning? Oh yeah, Phil wasn't able to get his Xbox today, much to his chagrin and mine...I knew this was going to be the case when I woke up and saw the news this morning. Phil was planning on going after his Xbox during lunch at twelve this afternoon. Well, when I saw the news this morning there were hordes of people who'd been camped out all night at Best Buy in Huntsville waiting to fight over only eighty or so units, I knew he'd been had. Why do they do that anyways? Why the hell not make enough of 'em to go around, is it just to increase demand? I haven't been to Ebay yet but I have a feeling they're on sale there for like, five hundred bucks. How depressing....
Okay, let me think here, what can I rant about this morning? Oh yeah, Phil wasn't able to get his Xbox today, much to his chagrin and mine...I knew this was going to be the case when I woke up and saw the news this morning. Phil was planning on going after his Xbox during lunch at twelve this afternoon. Well, when I saw the news this morning there were hordes of people who'd been camped out all night at Best Buy in Huntsville waiting to fight over only eighty or so units, I knew he'd been had. Why do they do that anyways? Why the hell not make enough of 'em to go around, is it just to increase demand? I haven't been to Ebay yet but I have a feeling they're on sale there for like, five hundred bucks. How depressing....
Thursday, November 15, 2001
If you've never heard of Tenacious D, you will sooner or later...these guys are just too damn funny. Here's a couple quicktime clips via RollingStone.com -Link-
If there's one person I'd really like to see drop off the face of the earth, it's that John Edwards guy, the television "psychic" from the syndicated show Crossing Over. Thankfully, tv execs (not usually known for their good taste) balked at the idea of John "contacting" victims of the 9/11 tragedy in a special edition of his show. It's really depressing that people like this have shows at all, or vastly popular 900 lines...people, wake up, he's just a cheesy cold reader and if he had any respect for humanity he'd be in vegas doing a mentalism show without the pretense of authenticity. For more info on cold reading, other posers like Sylvia Brown and the rest, check out randi.org at this -Link-
A site meant as a companion to a Getty Exhibition featuring clever precursors to things like cinema and modern computering: -Link-
Well, it had to happen sooner or later...it looks like Bruce Lee will be the first dead celeb to appear in a contemporary movie:
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - More than 28 years after Bruce Lee's death, computer technology will resurrect the kung-fu icon to star in the chopsocky actioner ``Dragon Warrior,'' the first time a dead actor will be re-created in a major movie role.
The $50 million picture's South Korean financier, ShinCine Communications, acquired rights to Lee's likeness from Concord Moon, which represents the Bruce Lee estate and is overseen by Lee's widow, Linda Lee Cadwell, and his daughter, Shannon Lee. -Link-
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - More than 28 years after Bruce Lee's death, computer technology will resurrect the kung-fu icon to star in the chopsocky actioner ``Dragon Warrior,'' the first time a dead actor will be re-created in a major movie role.
The $50 million picture's South Korean financier, ShinCine Communications, acquired rights to Lee's likeness from Concord Moon, which represents the Bruce Lee estate and is overseen by Lee's widow, Linda Lee Cadwell, and his daughter, Shannon Lee. -Link-
Here's a really great article from The New York Times, about that greatest of all shows, The Simpsons (Who knew it took nine months to produce one show?) -Link-
Any other questions about the yellow ones can be found in the exhaustive Simpsons' Archive, too much Simpsons' related stuff here. -Link-
By the way, if you missed the link in the Simpsons article or haven't seen this before, there's a great site for tv fans who love to gripe about exactly when various shows went bad, or, as this site calls it "Jumped the shark" (a reference to the happy days episode when The Fonz jumped over a shark on water-skis, jumping the shark refers to that tangible moment in a show when it goes from "hot" to "not"). -Link-
Any other questions about the yellow ones can be found in the exhaustive Simpsons' Archive, too much Simpsons' related stuff here. -Link-
By the way, if you missed the link in the Simpsons article or haven't seen this before, there's a great site for tv fans who love to gripe about exactly when various shows went bad, or, as this site calls it "Jumped the shark" (a reference to the happy days episode when The Fonz jumped over a shark on water-skis, jumping the shark refers to that tangible moment in a show when it goes from "hot" to "not"). -Link-
Wednesday, November 14, 2001
Welcome to the first installment of my new weblog. I'm gonna cut the introductions down to the bare minimum, as I have a lot of links I'd like to post and discuss. This is me - my name's Patrick and hopefully I'll have enough stickwithitness to continue updating this blog in the days ahead in the face of my inherent laziness when it comes to such endeavors. Again, hi there, any questions, drop me an email. That said, on with today's breakdown:
Armchair Jeopardy! fans, keep your eyes on the prize...beginning Nov. 26th, the quiz show will double their prize money, the $100 questions will be worth $200, the $1,000 worth $2000, etc. -Link-
Well, there seemed to be a few small victories in the war on terrorism of late, with the Taliban being ousted from Kabul and eight humanitarian workers released from their clutches...Britney's on top of the charts, Wacko Jacko's in the news again and for today, at least, things seemed eerily...normal.
My friend Bill e-mailed me these two quotes last night:
"The men of Afganistan will never be defeated because they are willing to
die for their country."
-Bin Laden
"No man ever won a war by dying for his country. You make the other guys
die for theirs."
- General Patton
Actually, it was really good seeing all those people freed from the Taliban on television last night in Kabul, I heard on ABC's late night news program that as soon as the Taliban were out of the city, one man dug up his television and vcr, which he'd buried in his back yard early on in the Taliban's reign, plugged it up and stuck in "Titanic". That's what it's all about people, that and everyone's right to listen to music, even really weird music you can't really dance to, shave their beard or take off their veil and BY GOD FLY A KITE WITHOUT BEING HASSLED!!!" If you don't have that, you don't have shit. We should have kicked their asses a long time ago. Now I guess we'll see how the new thugs, ahem, I mean rebels, shoulder the mantle of responsibility.
These guys at RockRage have a really nice collection of fonts, done in the style of those used by various rock bands, has nothing to do with anything but who doesn't like freaky fonts? Very cool. -Link-
The Leonids comet shower is approaching and the eighteenth, which was of course singled out tonight on the local weather for clouds and rain. I don't begrudge anyone rain, I realize it's been really dry and there've been fires, but I really, really hope this doesn't get rained out, because even if they make some radical Star Trek style advances in medical care I doubt I'll be here for the next big go round, 98 years from now. Fingers firmly crossed. _ I'm not a nut about astronomy or anything, but I saw a great shower back in '96, I think it was, and it was great, very impressive in an "I'll be damned, did you see that?" kind of way. That was nothing though, they're saying, compared to this shower. They're forecasting activity of George Lucas proportions. -Link-
The Onion's headline today, "Spaghetti-Os Discontinued As Franco-American Relations Break Down" cracked me up.-Link_
Those wild and crazy Pompeii party animals were just plain buck wild, you have to wonder if some power above just decided "Enough!" and put an end to it all in the name of good taste:
ROME (AP) - Archaeologists have unveiled another steamy corner of ancient Pompeii, and this time it is an eyeful: a bathhouse with a unisex dressing room whose lockers sport erotic sex scenes -Link-
I just can't stress this enough...if you haven't heard of a band called The Gourds, I suggest you get out your Morpheus or LimeWire or even, (gasp!) buy one of their cds. Any band that can do a kickass bluegrass rendition of Gin and Juice is alright by me...be sure and download their version of the song, as well as the video of Snoop Doggy Dogg's reaction to the song on their website and the video for their song El Paso-Link-
My friend Phil is getting an Xbox tomorrow and as such is now officially my best friend. This thing looks so cool...plus, I was blown away when I found out that they're already hacking away at a version of M.A.M.E, the multiple arcade emulator for it, which runs the three thousand or so arcade and neo-geo games at 60 fps quite nicely, thank you, so they say. Yes, just the extra-bit of nerd-bait to really make an old pac-man, galaga fan like myself salivate...not to mention the fact that in the screenshots of the NBA game they're releasing, you could read the tattoos on Allen Iverson's arms. -Link- Xbox -Link- M.A.M.E and Emulation
Just an aside here, but Doonesbury has been really funny lately, check it out sometime. -Link-
Armchair Jeopardy! fans, keep your eyes on the prize...beginning Nov. 26th, the quiz show will double their prize money, the $100 questions will be worth $200, the $1,000 worth $2000, etc. -Link-
Well, there seemed to be a few small victories in the war on terrorism of late, with the Taliban being ousted from Kabul and eight humanitarian workers released from their clutches...Britney's on top of the charts, Wacko Jacko's in the news again and for today, at least, things seemed eerily...normal.
My friend Bill e-mailed me these two quotes last night:
"The men of Afganistan will never be defeated because they are willing to
die for their country."
-Bin Laden
"No man ever won a war by dying for his country. You make the other guys
die for theirs."
- General Patton
Actually, it was really good seeing all those people freed from the Taliban on television last night in Kabul, I heard on ABC's late night news program that as soon as the Taliban were out of the city, one man dug up his television and vcr, which he'd buried in his back yard early on in the Taliban's reign, plugged it up and stuck in "Titanic". That's what it's all about people, that and everyone's right to listen to music, even really weird music you can't really dance to, shave their beard or take off their veil and BY GOD FLY A KITE WITHOUT BEING HASSLED!!!" If you don't have that, you don't have shit. We should have kicked their asses a long time ago. Now I guess we'll see how the new thugs, ahem, I mean rebels, shoulder the mantle of responsibility.
These guys at RockRage have a really nice collection of fonts, done in the style of those used by various rock bands, has nothing to do with anything but who doesn't like freaky fonts? Very cool. -Link-
The Leonids comet shower is approaching and the eighteenth, which was of course singled out tonight on the local weather for clouds and rain. I don't begrudge anyone rain, I realize it's been really dry and there've been fires, but I really, really hope this doesn't get rained out, because even if they make some radical Star Trek style advances in medical care I doubt I'll be here for the next big go round, 98 years from now. Fingers firmly crossed. _ I'm not a nut about astronomy or anything, but I saw a great shower back in '96, I think it was, and it was great, very impressive in an "I'll be damned, did you see that?" kind of way. That was nothing though, they're saying, compared to this shower. They're forecasting activity of George Lucas proportions. -Link-
The Onion's headline today, "Spaghetti-Os Discontinued As Franco-American Relations Break Down" cracked me up.-Link_
Those wild and crazy Pompeii party animals were just plain buck wild, you have to wonder if some power above just decided "Enough!" and put an end to it all in the name of good taste:
ROME (AP) - Archaeologists have unveiled another steamy corner of ancient Pompeii, and this time it is an eyeful: a bathhouse with a unisex dressing room whose lockers sport erotic sex scenes -Link-
I just can't stress this enough...if you haven't heard of a band called The Gourds, I suggest you get out your Morpheus or LimeWire or even, (gasp!) buy one of their cds. Any band that can do a kickass bluegrass rendition of Gin and Juice is alright by me...be sure and download their version of the song, as well as the video of Snoop Doggy Dogg's reaction to the song on their website and the video for their song El Paso-Link-
My friend Phil is getting an Xbox tomorrow and as such is now officially my best friend. This thing looks so cool...plus, I was blown away when I found out that they're already hacking away at a version of M.A.M.E, the multiple arcade emulator for it, which runs the three thousand or so arcade and neo-geo games at 60 fps quite nicely, thank you, so they say. Yes, just the extra-bit of nerd-bait to really make an old pac-man, galaga fan like myself salivate...not to mention the fact that in the screenshots of the NBA game they're releasing, you could read the tattoos on Allen Iverson's arms. -Link- Xbox -Link- M.A.M.E and Emulation
Just an aside here, but Doonesbury has been really funny lately, check it out sometime. -Link-
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