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Friday, June 29, 2007

Artist Formerly Known as [your clever quip here]

More stupid music industry bullshit coming to the front. It infuriates me when someone doing something a little different gets the big backhand by the industry. Especially when the artist in question made that industry’s leads some serious bank, back in the day…ridiculous.

It is sort of fascinating to see the tactics and strategy in use by those businesses who see their livelihood slipping away into ever more convoluted and unfamiliar business models.

I mean, in a way I actually feel for them. But I’m too entrenched in music for my own personal interests to dote on this abhorrently greedy industry and its pathetic leaders who bitch and moan and complain about losing out on *another* million $.

(I’m thinking of Lars Ulrich, here. That bitch-assed little cockfarmer)

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I was Robbed by a Japanese Translator

This is another one of those clips that is really only in existence because of the bizarre nature of internet comedy and the even more bizarre state of asian television culture. I mean, america's got some stupid shows, but I don't think anything is quite as bizarre as the weird shit asia pumps out...

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How to be a Successful Overlord

Actually to be fair, if I was an evil overlord, I would be even more extreme than the suggestions in this list. He seems to forget that movie overlords also seem to have a weakness for something benign, like lovely assistants, classical music, fine art, exotic fish...I wouldn't have any hobbies, apart from world domination.
Predicate.

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Thursday, June 28, 2007

Samsung Means to Come

So yeah. Not for the faint-of-heart, or probably for anybody browsing at work, but this flash movie was just too bizarre for me not to post...

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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

New Phase of Gas Taxes?

It is a really interesting question: how to tax for road work when gasoline usage is no longer as directly correlated to the amount of road wear…

The linked blog post brings up a number of really interesting points about the subject but really it comes down to this: we need to figure out what exactly the purposes for most of our initiatives are, otherwise it’s going to be impossible to really replace them…

Death is a Joke

I have to admire the audacity of the guy who wants to tell a joke just before his execution…I mean at that point, I guess you’ve probably started to come to terms with whatever your particular issue is, but seriously? That’s just a little weird…

Although great line at the end, saying that the guards will not participate so he can’t tell a “knock-knock” joke. Classic!

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Death by Reefer

So you can get the death penalty for using marijuana to cook with? Really? That seems to be the case if you read between the lines of this article

I’ll tell you what, though. I’m all about legalizing marijuana. I mean, talk about a really stupid plan; alcohol is far more dangerous, and results in hundreds if not thousands of deaths every year. Who dies on weed? People who over eat? Too lazy to move out of the way of a speeding truck? Whatever. And just imagine the revenue that would be accorded the government if it were to simply tax marijuana a lot and legalize it. You’d get plenty of medicinal benefits, leisure consumption tax revenue, and a much calmer populace. I don’t really see much of a down-side here for the government. You even get to expand trade partnerships with some developing countries that have serious problems with drug running. Seems to me like it’s a no-brainer…

 

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Google in Kenya

Sure sure. Google is investing in Kenya, and beginning the African IT revolution. Realistically, I’ll believe it when I see it. Yes, costs are dropping for infrastructure and we have these new low-cost laptops. Yes certain areas of Africa have really pulled their heads out and are stabilizing (as much as African countries seem to be able to do that these days…)

But I’m just not quite ready to believe that this is something viable. Cellular phones, sure. Those require isolated infrastructure that is more easily defendable, not as vulnerable as land lines everywhere. But it’s hard to have any kind of internet backbone without very firm, real, and installed land lines and facilities to support servers. So my guess is that it will be isolated at first, and then perhaps serve as an impetus for renewed economic growth within Kenya and in proximity to Google’s thrust.

 

I guess what I’m saying is that it’s a gamble. But I admit I’m impressed with the push by google to get its claws into somewhere like Kenya…I mean this could be a fascinating example of a high-tech firm gaining real political and information power within the power structure of a developing country; similar to how western industrial firms made inroads all over the far east in the last two centuries and ended up wielding immense power over the populace and the governments. I just have to wonder how the power balance will turn out with so much more (apparent) transparency these days…

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Monday, June 25, 2007

Fox News Throughout History

haha, this is great. Stupid Fox News . This channel would be really funny if it wasn't taken so seriously by so many people...


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Sunday, June 24, 2007

How to Piss People Off

Probably my favorite: 11) Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."

check it out

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Saturday, June 23, 2007

Oh justice, you are a fickle wench...

YES. I think this is a small positive step towards general success against stupidity...but what a long road ahead...

Friday, June 22, 2007

The Physics Exam

Man after my own style...except that he was born before me, 1000 times smarter than me, and is indisputably funnier than I will ever be. But other than that, dude totally bites off my style.

Why's everybody always gotta steal my flavor?

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Fun Flag Key

Good thing this came along, I was beginning to think they were throwing together flags for any old upstart country, with no rhyme or reason to the design...

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Blackberry...Baaad! French...Goood!

I’m totally with the French on this one…I don’t trust the NSA not to snoop on anything, including whatever stupid stuff the French want to swap stories about on their blackberries. The latest top-secret beret design might be stored in the US govt vaults along with our stolen croissant recipes and the confidential papers detailing the real motivations of mimes.

Seriously. The French have a lot of really valuable things going on.

 

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Easily the coolest thing I have seen online this month.

Just a really cool, unexpectedly refreshing art effect.

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Plastics Will be the Death of us

I sigh for the human race...but maybe we'll just build our entire bodies out of plastic, then it can't be toxic to what's already in us, right? hmmmm

Difference Between Men and Women

Ok ok, I know it's cheesy and overdone, but this is still a pretty funny little picture...

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Once again, computers are smarter than I am.

This time they prove it with a rubik's cube. Never in my life have I had the patience to sit through solving one of these things, and now not only has someone thought through the process of how to solve it, but they built a robot out of lego mindstorms to solve it for them. I am officially ashamed of my total lack of nerdity.

Stem Cells Take Another Hit

Yeah…so our esteemed president is at it, again. This time vetoing stem cell research.

<deep breath>

So. 2008…damnit

 

My Hero

This guy deserves a high five. 67 years driving without a license? He shouldn’t get in trouble, he should be hired by the CIA or something; talk about operating under the radar…

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Seal Penis. So hot right now...

The story itself is relatively benign, flaccid even. But just mentioning the words “seal penis” is, in a word, priceless.

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Crazy Conditioning

Friend of a friend blogs about fitness and associated things, and the most recent post is about some crazy fitness video maker that apparently is pure “bullshit artist”. Pretty funny video of her “supercharging her blood with oxygen,” though.

 

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

ascii star wars

someone has waaaay too much time on their hands...

Vertical Farms = Urban Rednecks?

I’m hip to this trick, no doubt. Vertical farming is kind of a no-brainer as far as I’m concerned (technically speaking), the only real question is whether it becomes economically viable. And you want to know how it will be? The dumbass people who promote ethanol as a reasonable alternative to gas and consequently drive up food prices for, well, *everything*.

The only thing corn-based ethanol really does for us is reduce a little bit of dependence upon foreign oil. And it barely makes a dent in that, anyway.

In any case, maybe we should be growing high-yield ethanol crops (not corn) inside these vertical farms. Now *that* would be smart. If I was an energy company, I would get busy investing in some of those in the sprawling sub-urban areas; think of the fuel money that could be made…

 

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Earth to Microsoft...

So yeah. Microsoft apparently “pleading” with consumers to get Vista now, instead of waiting for SP1. Listen, MS, I got news for ya. It’s not that we’re not buying vista because there’s no service pack, yet. I couldn’t give two shits what you got in that service pack. XP is working fine, and it doesn’t require me to purchase a new computer to run. THAT is the reason you’re not selling anything. Device support sucking certainly isn’t helping, though…

 

Star Images

Hah, I think the bottom right has a picture of the Death Star blowing up...cheeky rebels

Philosophy, Abridged

I don't really get into the concentration of people's works to make it easy and accessible, because I feel like there is so much lost in that translation, but this website does a really interesting job of surveying the whole path of western philosophy. Worth a look, if not a complete read...

Why Can't I Own a Canadian?

Honestly, who *hasn't* asked this question? Well, help is on its way, in the form of Dr. Laura Schlessinger.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Japanese Human Tetris Gameshow

The Japanese television shows are, if nothing else, creative. Bizarre, imbalanced, confusing, and disjointed, but definitely creative. And by creative, I mean somebody over there is definitely smoking the reefer.

Redistricting...The Game

Yup. Slashdotters know about it already, but this is a pretty incredible piece of work…more reasons why I hate politics and all the ridiculous power games that go along with it. How inherently humorous are all these machinations when the power distribution is determined from behind the scenes?

<sigh>

I sound more and more like a conspiracy theorist every year…

Monday, June 18, 2007

Amateur Archeologists Discover Missing-Link Barbie!

In a fittingly dry score of wit, this Smithsonian curator doles out a little piece of amusement...it gave me a big ole smile while sitting here at my desk...

The Song Before the Slaughter

Well hey, more power to him, I say. You want to sing to your pigs before they die? Great. I can’t argue…I mean I *love* bacon. Or honey ham. Ah, ham.

Virtual Gold Farming

Talk about bizarre. Fascinating, but really a world apart; this article talks about a business that exists solely to farm virtual gold on MMOGs (or whatever version of the acronym you prefer) and sell them to US or European players. I mean, I knew that this stuff occurred, but it’s a lot different to have someone actually go and do research, and publish the details of how it works. At that point, it becomes “real” instead of merely theoretical or fanciful.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Anti-Matter Drives

Let's be serious: I am a huge sci-fi geek in many ways, not the least of which is my obsession with space travel and exploration. NASA's initiative to develop an anti-matter drive system for spacecraft is enticing, to put it mildly. I can't wait to see the outcome of their initial study...

Rampaging Squirrels...it's the same old story

Pretty amusing story, but the last sentence contains a very bizarre twist. I'm not sure where they come up with stuff, honestly...i mean do they just ask the lowest guy in the organization why squirrels rampage? And his response is that it's probably the mating season? So...I guess the squirrel just wasn't having much luck with the lady-squirrels, and eventually he just lost it? Well, I'd be lying if I said I've never been there...hehe

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Navel Belt Trendiness

I just fell off my chair reading the comments on this blog entry... hilarity ensues

my favorite?

"Dear Ma,
        I just got a black belt in runway.
I hope to begin getting paid soon."

Ask a Ninja Omnibus!

Ohhh, good times. New Ask a Ninja! Sort of an omnibus...

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Friday, June 15, 2007

Bone Bandwidth, Bitches!

Hehe, yes indeed. Bones. Who knew? Don’t they just up with some crazy shit these days…

 

Identity Chase

This is just a great story. Highly recommended to read it, just for kicks.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Plants recognize their progeny? Really?

All I could think about when I was reading this article was Little Shop of Horrors

 

Ha!

Space Station repair, etc

I’ll be honest, I really like the idea of the International Space Station. The detractors will often say things like it “doesn’t serve a practical purpose” or “wastes resources”. And the relatively frequent minor mechanical or software problems experienced by the station get served up as an example of shoddy engineering or workmanship. I think it’s a little ridiculous. You can barely find a car where the bumper doesn’t fall off after a few years, and we’re complaining about some hiccups after we shoot things into space on the tip of a goddamn rocket? People need to get a little bit more of a grip on reality. The space station serves not just as an opportunity for countries to work together on collaboration in mechanical, astrological, and biological pursuits. But most importantly, it serves as one of the few areas where we are still pushing the envelope of science and engineering in a non-military way. Sure, you could probably use the space station for military purposes, but it’s really not about that. Missiles and lasers can do everything that space station could ever do, and better. No, the benefit is that there is at least something out there for future scientists to latch onto as a goal and an icon for advancement of technology. Along with the moon and mars rover programs, the ISS pretty much stands out in this respect. The spin-offs from advanced technology development in these areas are impossible to predict, but are frequently huge commercial successes. (Think: Velcro).

 

Anyway. I like the ISS. And I want to visit it someday…

 

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Ninja Hidey Disease

I think I actually missed this one, so for those of you who didn't catch it either...

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Oooooh, the impotence...

More space travel companies...sort of

I'm still 100% in favor of what this company is trying to do, if for no other reason than that they will help encourage the entire industry. Economics generally suggests that competition is always a good thing, because it grows the market far beyond what a single offering will. Go get 'em, tiger. I want my own space plane, so you bastards had better get moving on the development...

Predicting War Outcomes

Fascinating study summary by some lady down at University of Georgia. What she’s saying makes a lot of sense, although I’m a little wary of mathematical models like that. It’s so easy to skew those results when applied to historical data. If we were to now use this model to predict current and future conflicts for another couple of decades, then I think we would see a much more realistic view of it.

 

Monday, June 11, 2007

Jesus Loves New-Car Smell

Seriously. I’ve heard that…so yeah that was kind of the message being handed out at a new church in South Africa. But of course, it’s not just about getting rich, it’s about getting rid of your money first by “investing” in the church’s coffers, and then Jesus/God/whatever will bless you with monetary success. Interesting plan. Because that is in no way sketchy; let the poorest give their money away to the church, and sit around waiting for blessings. Sounds like a great plan, to me. But, sometimes that kind of stuff allows people to put their faith in something external and then achieve great things because they’re convinced that they a little something special on their side. I guess I can’t argue the benefits from that aspect. I just get mad when a group of people make lots of money by really extracting the life juice from people who are already poor…

 

Although I, too, like New-Car Smell…

 

Friday, June 08, 2007

Darwin. Throwing up in his mouth. In the grave. That about covers it.

Yup. You heard me right. The Creationist museum. And where do they build it? Why, in Kentucky, of course! Not in any way backward or out of the way of rational and forward-thinking humans.

<sigh>

 

Darwin, I’m with ya, man. Hold out for a little bit more, hopefully this fad will fall by its bizarre little wayside…

 

Robots, Shmobots

Great. SO they’ve designed a battlefield robot to rescue wounded soldiers and called it Battlefield Extraction Assistance Robot (BEAR). I’m totally onboard with that, and it’s a worthy cause. Just don’t be surprised when we have Terminators wandering around Detroit with the letters LEAR (Life Elimination Assistance Robot) emblazoned on its chest.

Personally, I’ll hold out for the DEAR (Digital Ecstasy Assistance Robot), designed to look like a circa-1970’s street hooker. Think Pimp-Bot5000, but with the digital clap. Guess it’s time to update my virus definitions…

 

Wireless Power Transmission

I am obviously fascinated by this project, but it does raise some interesting questions. For instance: we know that some high-voltage power transmission lines do generate very powerful magnetic fields which have been shown to cause health problems in some kids that play underneath them frequently (there is some debate about this, but it would make sense from a fundamental physics standpoint). Given that these charging mats or whatever will obviously be a much lower voltage and power, are we still delving into a situation where we will be putting ourselves and progeny in danger from these transmissions? Many health problems are due to a buildup over a long period of time by very small, sometimes immeasurably small, factors.

 

That said, along with every other idiot gearhead, will be trying this out as soon as it becomes commercially available. But when I build my own house, rest assured that much of the construction will be to accommodate modular/upgradeable wiring conduits, without the dependence on wireless for everything. Sometimes it just makes more sense to have solid infrastructure…

 

Ninja Commas

New installment, question 44.

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Thursday, June 07, 2007

I hate this game with all my heart.

Sudoku. Fun, right? Little brain teaser? Sure, maybe. At least, it was until they got the bright idea of posting your score compared with the rest of the freaking dorks that play the game…my average time was something like 2nd percentile. 98% of the people that played it were faster. Really? I mean, honestly? I don’t consider myself to be brilliant or anything, but I’d like to think I’m a little better than that. I just get angry and throw something around the office every time I see how crappy I am at this stupid game.

 

F**k u, Sudoku.

 

Electric Ion Drive Propulsion

I know that this technology has supposedly been around for a bit, but I’m pretty excited to see how it works in earnest. It could signal the realistic propulsion between planets (although only orbit-to-orbit; it lacks the thrust for ground-launch). So I say kudos to NASA for breaking some new ground. Those guys need some good news…

 

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Will Ferrell as G. W. Bush

hah, classic. Great to see him reprise the idiocy...

Power Sports Energy Drink

I was unimpressed by this site at first, but they've come through with some pretty funny clips...

Best.Idea.Ever.

Alcohol Powder. Enough said.

 

Monday, June 04, 2007

Guilty? Just don't show up...

I didn't even know you could do this. I would totally have committed more heinous crimes against humanity if I had only known that I could just write a note for myself and stay in my cell...
although in this case, my heinous crimes against humanity would mostly consist of wearing lots of polyester and blaring Flock of Seagulls albums from my car stereo.

Putin pleads for relevancy

So Putin says they’re going to point missiles at Europe in response to US missile defense systems being installed in eastern Europe. And he’s doing this because the US is “trying to start a new arms race”. Well, yeah, that much is obvious. The only thing is, we’re starting an arms race w/ Iran, not with Russia. Nobody gives a shit about Russia, except that they keep selling off all their old weapons to the third world. I mean, we do that also, but at least we’re funding very specific groups of insurgents that will in no way become the world-wide leading terrorist group in twenty years. Right?

So this is Putin jumping up and saying that he wants to sit at the big-boy table again. I mean, Russian missiles wouldn’t even go over Europe to reach the US; they’d go over the Arctic. And as far as just pointing more missiles against a defended area so that saturation ends up beating the defenses…well, I suppose you could do that, but it’s a little ridiculous. After all, how many nukes does Russia have? Thousands. How many missile interceptors do we have? Optimistically, like 15. Even less in Europe. And they’re something like $15-20M per missile. Are we really going to be able to convince Congress to install 100’s of these things all over the world? Doubtful.

 

Whatever. Russia, grow up.

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Ninja Naming

Ahhhh, yes. New Ask a Ninja. You know you love it...



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Friday, June 01, 2007

(Banana)(Llama)sin(x)

Wow. Just...wow. I don't even have the strength to make the requisite dorky comeback joke.