Woman Sentenced to Prison for Raping Man
Seriously? I'd slap this guy if I ever ran into him on the street. She should get a medal, not be on her way to jail.
[All Headline News]
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Seriously? I'd slap this guy if I ever ran into him on the street. She should get a medal, not be on her way to jail.
[All Headline News]
The 99 Most Desirable Women of 2006
According to AskMen.com. While I agree with their top pick (and #4), some of these ladies are fairly unknown.[Top 99 Women 2006]
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Video: from Saddam Hussein's Execution
This isn't the entire video, just the preparation leading up to the actual hanging. Hell, even we aren't that ghoulish.[Video: from Saddam Hussein's Execution]
Which Superhero Are You?
Your results:
You are Batman
| You are dark, love gadgets and have vowed to help the innocent not suffer the pain you have endured.  |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz
Military Hand Signals
Ever wonder about those strange hand signals military forces make in movies? Well, this site has a few of them for our review. Hilarious![Unconventional Airsoft - Hand Signals]
Personality Type Test
The BBC has some very interesting psychology tests on their website. The test results indicate I am a Resolver, even though I think of myself as more of a Strategist. Maybe I'm a Strategic Resolver?I usually think these tests are silly, but this one seems to be pretty accurate, depending on how truthful you are with yourself while taking the test.
[BBC Personality Test]
Friday, December 29, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Website: Sharpcast
Found this website via a clip left by Funana on Clipmarks. Upload all your photos, back them up, sync them between computers, edit them, share albums with friends and family.5 GB of free space.
This could be the Flickr killer. I uploaded my entire My Pics folder (with all pics in their original size) and still have more than 75% available space. According to Funana's clip: "The instant you drag your photos into Sharpcast Desktop Organizer, it begins to back them up. And if you make changes to your photos and albums, all your changes are backed up as you work. This happens automatically. And you can always choose whether you want to backup your photos at a compressed size or at their original resolution." Supposedly, this will backup images in albums you have shared with others as well.
About the only negative thing I've noticed about this service is a lack of ability to tag my pics. But considering this site is really for backing up and syncing photos between computers and the web, I suppose I don't really need that feature.
[Sharpcast]
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Video: Christmas Tree Jump
European Geography Quiz
Test your knowledge of Old World Geography. I got a 69% on the first try. Not bad for someone who's never even been to Europe.[European Geography]
Monday, December 25, 2006
2006: The Year We Make Contact?
| Disclosure Project - Steven M. Greer - SETI Makes Alien Contact WT?!? | |
Game: Left Behind (PC)
I'm not really interested in Left Behind: Eternal Forces.I never read the books. I heard they were dreadful, and I have an English degree, so I've read many of the classics. I simply have no patience for bad writing of any kind. And I prefer my games smothered in sinful, outrageous, craziness. So I don't think Left Behind is the game for me.
But they have a decent review over on Ars Technica, if you're interested. Apparently, the game is just okay.
Now I'll sit back and watch, perplexed while this earns more money than any other game in history.
[Left Behind Review on Ars Technica]
Saturday, December 23, 2006
The Baby Jesus Gets Kidnapped
I just love these stories, where an unsuspecting owner loses some odd lawn ornament, only to find it weeks or months later with pics of where its gone on vacation.<--- Visiting the Rip Van Winkle Bridge.
[Baby Jesus Tours New York]
Video: Discover Foie Gras
I'm no vegetarian, and I have to confess I've often wondered how foie gras tastes. I doubt I'll be eating it anytime soon. But I wonder if there's some way to produce it that is more humane?
Warning: You might find this video disturbing.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Website: Wiikitty
Okay, so now things are getting entirely out of control. Those kooky Wii users have resorted to animal humiliation in their foul attempts at humor. Some of these pics are hard to look at.[Wiikitty]
Website: Pickandwatch.com
NOTE: Eeeks, I didn't see that tab to adult sites. Best not let the kiddies on this one....
[Pickandwatch.com]
Video: Chronologically Confused about Movie and Video Game Sequels (NSFW)
Hilarious. And oh so very true.
Wii Users Out of Control
I think the new Wii controller is an astonishingly great innovation. Finally, a game that demands more than simple hand dexterity.From my understanding, some people are getting a bit carried away with that slippery remote and tossing it through pane-glass windows, smashing up their plasma TV's, and even smacking little children in the face. I need to get one of these quick!
I wonder why they didn't bother putting non-skid rubber on the outside of the controller? Next generation, maybe? Seems like a pretty silly oversight, considering people are swinging these things around so recklessly, with sweaty hands no less.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
You've Been X-ed!!!
Okay, so Jamie Kennedy annoys me. Something about his facial expressions just seem wrong. His voice is snarky, he resembles an aardvark, and ... well, he acts just like that one irritating dude in your high school chemistry class.Yet, whenever I come across his show, JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, I'm transfixed. Not by him, but by the elaborate schemes the show thinks up to trick people.
In one episode, the victim, a guy who speaks Japanese fluently, was lured to a sushi restaurant by friends. The owner, played by Jamie, was a bumbling, LA, sissyfied, fussbucket. His wife, a Japanese woman, was having an affair with one of the sushi preps (played by the same guy who plays Hiro on Heroes, incidentally), and openly oversharing embarrassing tidbits (in Japanese, of course) about her husband. The victim, thinking he was the only one who understood their exchange, was then put on the spot to clue the owner in. Not only was it a cruel trick, but it also tested the ethics of the victim.
See, what bothers me about The Jamie Kennedy Experiment is his power to embarrass you, severely, for the rest of your life. And something unnerves me about that power being in the hands of Jamie Kennedy and his bunch of clever pranksters.
This show is more complex and probing than a show like, say Punk'd, which essentially does the same thing for a younger target audience. Working in the tradition of Candid Camera and really stretching the boundaries seem to be Jamie's order of the day. Unfortunately, like a wrecked train, I can't take my eyes off the show whenever I come across it!
Sifted: 7/10
Website: TV Links
This is the best website I've come across in, oh, all year. Get caught up on all your favorite shows.What I wonder is: why can't our cable company offer us this same service? After all, we already pay upwards of $50/month. One would think being able to watch anything in the lineup would be a great add-on. And no, On Demand just doesn't cover it.
Okay, so the legality of this site is questionable, so who knows how long it'll stay up, but at least you don't really need to download anything. It plays right on the website's player. Too cool.
[TV Links]
TV: Dexter (SHOW)
Dexter easily qualifies as one of my favorite new shows this year. The story of a serial killer who works in Miami Homicide as a Blood Spatter Specialist. The concept is so very meta--about a serial killer who kills murderers. You'll find yourself feeling a bit disturbed the first few times you find yourself rooting for him to actually kill someone.Sifted: 10/10
The first season just ended, which means there will be a DVD coming shortly so everyone can get caught up. If you can't wait, however, here's a hook up where you can watch the whole season. Don't say I never gave you anything.
[TV Links - Dexter]
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Game: Reaktor
[Reaktor]
One of Those Music List Thingys
I'm not a fan of the end-of-year lists that seem to bombard us every Christmas season. I'm still miffed about that "Best 100 Movies of the Century" list put out back in 1999.But I'm also a fan of free stuff. Hence my conundrum.
Here is a list of The Top 100 Tracks of 2006 (Pitchfork). Even if I don't agree with what's on their list, there is no better way to discover new music and even download a few freebies!
Amazing Paper Art
Is it just me, or is origami making a big comeback?The pics on this site are amazing.
[Framed A4 Papercut]
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
Website: OpenDNS
We have been having some very perplexing problems with our broadband internet connection lately. The pages would load, but images seemed to be stuck or lagging. It wasn't a severe delay, just long enough to make you cringe. I called Comcast (my ISP) twice! Each time they told me all I could do was re-cycle the cable modem by restarting it. That would sometimes work (but usually not). I insisted it was something else, that maybe the modem itself was on the fritz. I asked them to check my settings, but they basically told me I was crazy and that my connection was fine.I even resorted to buying a new NIC card, thinking maybe my onboard NIC was outdated.
By chance, I happened to come across OpenDNS today and they have saved Comcast from my wrath. OpenDNS is a free DNS service that's lightning fast and much more secure than Comcast's crappy service. They provide additional security by blocking Phishing sites, they correct typos in the URL address (so you don't end up going to the wrong site by accident), and did I mention they have a major presence in Seattle? So they're really fast.
I switched immediately and now my connection is literally flying faster than I've seen in months. No more glitches when looking at YouTube videos. No more image lags.
Oh, thank you, OpenDNS. Now I won't have to take my cable modem in to Comcast and argue with them to give me another one. If only there was another Broadband provider in the area ... we would have switched a long time ago.
[OpenDNS]
The Shower Project (Not Safe For Work)
Guy showers with 100 women who think he's gay. Hilarity Ensues. No nudity on site, but probably not safe for work. [The Shower Project]
Canucks Find Cure for Diabetes!
... in mice. Regardless, this is really good news for us sugar addicts. Why do I get the impression we'll never see this cure developed for people? The drug industry stands to lose a lot of scratch if diabetes is cured overnight.[Diabetes Breakthrough]
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Website: Portland Maps
Portland Maps is a secret little map site that works with your copy of Google Earth to show you really cool information about Portland, like:- Property Information
- Crime
- Earthquake Hazard Data
- Zoning
- Urban Renewal Areas
- Elevation Data
- Home Buyer Opportunity Areas
[Portland Maps]
Designer Rubik's Cubes
Greyscale Rubik's Cubes. So nice. According to this website, I can get one for about ... 2100 ... something or others.[Muji]
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Wicked Black Russian Squirrels Kill Dog
I'm sorry. I can't resist linking to this bizarre news story.Apparently, a large dog was recently attacked by a group of hungry squirrels, who supposedly became annoyed when the dog decided to bark at them. Or maybe it was a drug deal gone bad....
[Black Russian Gangsta Squirrels]
Video: Amateur - Lasse Gjertsen
This is one very cool music video done in stop motion. Apparently, the person who made this is not a musician, but a talented video editor. Amazing what the remix culture is producing these days.
It gets really good about 2 1/2 minutes in.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
Winterbells
A cute, addictive game. Send your bunny flying as he bounces off bells. Keep him aloft for maximum points. [Winterbells]
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Website: Pikipimp
Here's an example of what I did to Kyra Sedgwick. Endless fun, especially if you're the creepy scrapbooking type. [Pikipimp].
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Game: Need For Speed: Carbon (PS2)
EA's latest release in the Need For Speed franchise is an improvement over it's last, befuddled attempt to further its position in the smothered field of Arcade Racing games. The market is glutted with Arcade racers right now, thereby causing the studios to release games that aren't quite ready for prime time. Fortunately, the gameplay in Carbon is adequate enough to make the experience worthwhile.Gameplay - Just like EA's last release, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Carbon continues the old routine of trying to make racing mean something. I don't know why they've decided racing games require all the drama of vindication and revenge, but so long as it doesn't hurt the gameplay, I can live with the cheesy plot devices.
Drift racing is back this time around, but it's a real disaster and ruins this game's chances of achieving gaming perfection. The cars are difficult to control and ultimately, this seems like a tacky add-on that should have been scrapped to retain the game's integrity.
Controls have improved since the last release, with 10 options for controller layout. Cars are more responsive and actually drive with the physics one would expect. There are additions to the gameplay that hint at something much grander coming down the pipe with this genre. Something called "Crew" racing seems to be on the minds of the developers at EA, and I think they're really onto something. In Career mode, you now race with a "Wing man" who can assist you in three different styles: by Colliding with competing racers, by Scouting ahead for secret pathways, or by giving you speed boost via Drafting. The Wingman concept is really strong and would allow for some incredible racing via XBox Live, but this is PlayStation 2 I'm reviewing because my Xbox is, sadly, down with the flu, so I don't even know if it's an option for Xbox players.
Career Mode also requires you to choose your favorite style of car from the start, so you can expect to be behind the wheel of a Tuner, an Exotic, or a Muscle Car from the beginning. Not sure if that's such a good idea, since some racers like multiple car types and being locked into one may seem confining. In addition to all these new concepts, racing now involves capturing and defending territories against rival racing teams (racers who also race with a wingman). This requires more strategy than one is accustomed to in a standard racing game, which is very interesting.
As always, you can customize your car to your heart's content, and the new Autosculpt feature gives you even greater control over your artistic bent, allowing you to customize your car in millions of different ways.
Interface & Graphics - The Interface of Carbon is really not too different from the last release. There has been a marked improvement in the ability to jump directly to races via the WorldMap. This saves a lot of time and releases the player from having to deal with the tedium of avoiding cops all the time, as we did in Most Wanted. Graphics seem the same, but for some reason the cars look more realistic, less cartoony. The backgrounds are quite an improvement from Most Wanted. The cut scenes are similar to Most Wanted, with live action which has been altered to resemble animation. However, there are some serious frame rate issues this time around that were not present in the last release. Not sure if the developers were rushed to get this out the door before Christmas, but gameplay can get choppy/glitchy at times. Not sure if this is merely a PS2 problem or if it affects all consoles similarly.
Artificial Intelligence - The AI in Carbon is leaps and bounds ahead of what was presented in Most Wanted. Cop chases are remarkably realistic from the start and their chase patterns seem much better coordinated and challenging, bordering on belligerent. Rival racers are also more apt to cause frustration early on in the game, which is actually a welcome addition for a racing game of this type.Sound - As always, the soundtrack in this Need For Speed release is superior to what you will find in most racing games. Whoever is in charge of licensing the music for this deserves a raise. You can always count on a Need For Speed game to have some of the freshest music out there. My only complaint is that I wish there was more than 30 or so songs here. Why not include all that older music you have licensed from earlier releases of the game? After a while, hearing the same collection of songs can get tedious, even when they are great songs. The Sound Effects are first rate, as always. The cars seem to have their own distinctive engine sounds, although, I did not notice much change in sound when changing muffler tips. The voice acting is good, but the new Crew racers can get a bit grating, as they are somewhat repetitive (but also entertaining at times).
Utilities - The mechanics of the game are almost identical to Most Wanted. Being able to jump to races eliminates the tedious need to free roam through the city and that's a good thing, since most of the city is empty until you defeat bosses from recently conquered districts. There is a new card collecting feature, but it's a bit of a mystery that doesn't immediately present itself.
Problems -
- Glitchy frame rate problems.
- Cops are very persistent from the start, bordering on relentless.
- Drift Racing is back, but it's a complete and total disaster. Controlling your car on a sheet of ice would be more fun.
- This is not a racing game for beginners or the faint of heart. If you have not played a racing game before, you would be better off starting somewhere else. If you are a fan of the Need For Speed franchise, this is an excellent title to add to your library. Much better than the annoyance that was Most Wanted.
- Licensed cars for this release seem really scattered. On the one hand, you have licenses for Porsche and Ferrari, but old staples of the Need For Speed franchise, like the Dodge Neon, are nowhere to be found. There are no SUVs or Pickup Trucks. Want to race your own whip? It's unlikely you'll find it among the roughly 50 cars licensed in this release.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Blockbuster Gives Free Rentals to Netflix Users
Next time you rip off the address sleeve from your Netflix DVD, save it. You can take it to Blockbuster through Dec. 21st and trade it for a free movie rental. [from Ars Technica]
50 Pieces of Art to See Before You Die
Here's a list of 50 great art pieces from around the world. Too bad I don't live near any of them (save for the thingamajig in Utah). I'm always surprised at the choices people come up with whenever I come across one of these lists. [Your Final 50]<--- A Painting by Wassily Kandinsky, who was not on the list but is a personal favorite.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
TV: Next Top Model: Brittish Invasion
The CW is going to go all BBS on us on Dec. 13th (8-10 PM) and 20th (8-10PM), when they will be showing us the British season of Next Top Model, all scrunched up into two shows. Apparently, gossip mongers are saying the show is superior to the American version, not only because Gwyneth Paltrow says so, but because the girls are actually model-worthy.(British models don't smile? Heh heh.)
What's With all the Designer Hoodies?
Sure, trendy clothes are cool, but the designer hoodies are getting a little outrageous already. What ever happened to the standard pullover displaying the typical college Alma Mater?This Leroy Jenkins
What's next? Designer socks for $50 a pair? Whatevs.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Monday, December 04, 2006
Sunday, December 03, 2006
Movie: Wassup Rockers (2005)
Directed by Larry Clark of Kids fame. Wassup Rockers is about the misadventures of a rag-tag crew of Latino skateboarders from South-Central Los Angeles who decide to spend a day in Beverly Hills.First of all, kudos to a Hollywood studio and director for finally realizing Latino people actually exist. It was refreshing to catch a glimpse of such an invisible subculture as Latino skateboarders, and I think Larry Clark was able to once again showcase his uncanny ability to catch kids being themselves.
Unfortunately, that's where the compliments end. Because this film is smothered in racism, cliches, and stupid plot devices to such an extent that the entire film ends up doing more damage to the Latino community than aiding it.
This film doesn't know if it wants to be a documentary, a comedy, or some sort of socially critical drama, and ultimately it succeeds at none of the above. From an academic standpoint, an attempt could be made to view this film as some sort of analogy for Homer's The Odyssey, but that would be a mighty stretch. Because Wassup Rockers really isn't that deep, and granting it such a prestigious subtextual analysis is by far unwarranted. Not to mention, if it was an analogy for The Odyssey, it would be a poorly executed one anyway.
The problems here seem to reside primarily in the plot and the failed character development. Where Kids soared at showing us the seedy underbelly of the New York teen set, mainly by focusing on a few kids at a time, Wassup Rockers fails miserably from the beginning by presenting us with 7+ characters, all of which look and dress similarly. At no time is there any adequate explanation for why so many of these guys live together, or why they dress so oddly, or even why they enjoy skateboarding. We aren't shown their parents, nor is it explained how they managed to afford the equipment for their punk band. None of these guys has a job. They simply exist and we, as viewers, are supposed to somehow just accept it. Fine.
Unfortunately, the plot doesn't really develop from there. The crew decides to go to Beverly Hills one day, out of the blue, seemingly to skate in the High School parking lot. They are pulled over and their car impounded, but they inexplicably decide to continue on their quest by riding two city buses. Once they finally arrive in Beverly Hills, an inordinate amount of time is spent showing the crew doing tricks off a small stairway. It immediately becomes clear that these kids, despite their interest in skateboarding, aren't very good at it. Within minutes, they are set upon by a couple of debutantes who invite the crew back to their house. Of course, the crew gets busted by a bumbling white police officer shortly thereafter. The rest of the movie continues downhill from there. The suspension of disbelief collapses entirely as the film devolves into a stew of racism, homophobia, ageism, sexism, and whatnot.
Unfortunately, the attempt to stretch the boundaries of PC conventions is sadly sophomoric and ultimately comes off feeling strained and disingenuous. Cliches abound. Young black girls are confrontational or want to "braid their hair"; black males are violent, gun-wielding maniacs; homosexuals are foppishly dressed and inexplicably wealthy; whites are illustrated as depressed, unethical, homicidal, exploitative, alcoholic; Latino adults are seemingly all housekeepers, gossips, or just plain poor. In fact, it's difficult to see even one example of a positive adult role model in this film. The brief moments of humor are not enough to carry this movie or make an excuse for the blatantly offensive stereotypes peppered throughout.
I would not recommend this film to anyone. Maybe minority teenagers who are tired of the typical white fare coming out of Hollywood might find this film a little intriguing; anyone else would be better served watching paint dry.
Sifted: 4/10 (for excellent production values, if nothing else. Lighting, cinematography, editing and music were all more than adequate. This film is unusually stylized for being such a disaster, in fact).
Friday, December 01, 2006
Video: Time Lapse Microsoft Paint Drawing
RollerToaster
Now you can press your hair and have breakfast at the same time! Featured on Engadget."What's for breakfast?"
"Not bagels."
Keep Your Pets Off the Furniture
The Sofa Guard is a stupid product that will inevitably result in giving you a heart attack or causing the cops to knock on your door because of neighbor complaints.Seriously, the dog in this picture doesn't look obedient, he looks sadistic, kind of like he's waiting for the most opportune moment to jump on that couch and scare the bejeezus out of you.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Break Dancing Prodigy!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Friday, November 24, 2006
New Tech Poised to Change the World
Much has been discussed about the nature of plagiarism lately. The simple task of running text through one of Google's sites can find several incidences of copied or sampled works. Already, several authors have been forced to eat crow as their book deals have fallen into shambles and their future careers been made suspect. Now, it would seem, this technology is starting to troll through history as well. Soon, we can expect to see at least one major writer dethroned for lifting his/her work from someone less prominent. How this will affect the canon has yet to be seen, but things aren't looking good.Another tech, announced just recently, trolls through old videos and reads lips of people who may or may not be on the microphone. This tech, ALR (Automatic Lip Reading), has recently been used on several old Hitler videos. This is likely to bring an entirely new focus to the window of celebrity, opening secrets that were long thought dead.
I have long suspected a technology would soon emerge that would reveal lies being told on video. Something as simple as an in-depth analysis of miniscule changes in pupil dilations would be all that would be required. Sooner or later, someone will program a technology that will read the slightest change in pupil size and surmise the probability of truth or deception. The eyes don't lie so well. It would definitely make reviewing Barbara Walter's interviews very interesting.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Ann Coulter Was a Tranny All Along
WTF?!?!?
Ann Coulter had y'all tricked! No, it's FOR REAL.
Forever, the word Coultered shall hold a double meaning.
Okay, so it was all a hoax.... Har de har har on me.
Campbell's Soup to Release Warhol Cans
According to Jamie, over on Supertouch, Campbell's will be releasing a limited-edition run of cans in the traditional Warhol colors.Now those are definite collector's items that can double as art themselves.
Drugs = The fall of the Euro
Drugs are causing the Euro to crumble. According to the BBC, meth is the likely culprit in the destruction of the currency.Apparently, Strip club visits have only caused minor fading.
Cat + Dog = Cog?
Because it truly is the end of the world--Mimi had puppies.
No. I'm sorry. I'm sure they aren't hers. Those puppies are clearly black, while she's ... salt and pepper.
Hm. Maybe daddy needs to have a look at the blood test....
Gaydar
So let me get this straight: when the country goes all gay flag we're supposed to kiss our asses goodbye?What is this, some jacked up way to equate gays with Global Warming?
Huh?
Huh?
[click the map to go to the U.S. Severe Weather Map]
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