Fantastic! Stupendous!

Use every space possible!

2008-05-13T10:18:00.005-04:00

I tend to go towards the realm of pack rat when it comes to my house and I tend to live by the addage, "I may need it someday!" Which can cause for quite the cluttered living space. Here's some ideas that help you use all of the space in your home.

I always feel like bookshelves are very necessary to any room but sometimes they can get huge and overbearing. Alternately, staircases are a mass of unusable spaces. So combine the two and you have the most amazing staircase ever:

Via Apartment Therapy (and circulated pretty widely around those interwebs at this point), this staircase was modded to perfection. I love that it automatically keeps all of the books looking neat and tidy.

I have always been a fan of the idea of hidden rooms and secret passageways. But when you think about a bookcase for a door, it really does help free up some space and add a bit of intrigue.

Via Neatorama (who found it over at WebUrbanist), Creative Home Engineering crafts custom hidden doors that can look like kitchen cabinets, bookcases, stairs and even working dressers.

2008-05-09T10:41:00.013-04:00

The weekend is upon us and I have a thirst for some good food, good friends and good drink.

Via Tastespotting.com (not to be trifled with if you are hungry!):

A Pimm's is an alcoholic drink popular in southern England that consists of the gin-based, Pimm's No. 1, lemonade, fruit and mint. It sounds delicious!

Pimm's official site

Wiki about the Pimm's cocktail (called a Pimm's Cup)

Located in historic Ellicott City, Tersiguel's is a hoity-toity restaurant that my friend and I are quite anxious to visit. For the mere cost of $425, you can spend a day with Chef Tersiguel and traverse with him from the market to the restaurant. For those with a budget, they offer a prix fixe menu for $36.95.

Official site

Located in Edgewater, MD, Old Stein Inn was one of the best places in Maryland that I have ever eaten. The atmosphere is cozy and I can't wait to visit again when their beer garden is open.

Official site

A comical obsession

2008-05-07T07:41:00.005-04:00

I've been reading and enjoying a hella lot of webcomics lately. (There are some new additions over there on the right...check 'em out.) I've been kicking around making a comic of my own, but all these other guys do it so well, I just don't think I can do it. Ehh, we'll see. For now, here's t-shirts that I am enjoying:

Now if only I had a printer...

2008-04-10T08:31:00.002-04:00

From Crafty Computer Paper: Temporary Tattoo computer paper! A very easy way to get designs from your computer to your skin with no commitment. (Finally I can create and have my giant bald eagle with the American flag on a Harley!)

via NotCot

I'm researching

2008-02-21T10:23:00.013-04:00

Because this is my site, dammit, and I'm attempting to get together a large collection of classic examples of 40's and 50's comic strips, you get to see what I've found so far. (If you have any other suggestions that also have the crime/romance/pinup style, feel free to share!)

Dick Tracy - one of the big classics

Crime Reporter

Crimes by Women (damn them! And how dare they want to vote! Get back in the kitchen and raise my babies!)

(I think the one on the right is my absolute favorite so far!)

First Love - they have the whole comic scanned for your entertainment

Popular Teen-Agers Secrets of Love (with a title that fantastic, how can you not love it!?)

What do Jodie Foster and doves have in common?

2008-02-21T10:19:00.002-04:00

Here's a collection of photographs done for Vanity Fair that feature well-known actors of today in the Hitchcock classics of yesteryear. Such a great collection! (link via Neatorama)

Holy crap!

2008-02-15T12:11:00.002-04:00

If you don't read "Questionable Content," then this will mean nothing to you.

Too amazing not to post

2008-02-12T01:29:00.000-04:00

2008-02-11T10:28:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day: Only one birthday matters today, and that's Thomas Edison (yeah, that's right Sheryl Crow and Burt Reynolds...you can't hold a candle to the greatest inventor in American history).

Thomas Alva Edison was born in Milan, Ohio on this day in 1847. The picture to the right is from 1878. Isn't he dashing?

Edison has 1,093 patents in his name. Some of the most famous being the light bulb and the phonograph...oh yeah, and the telephone. My favorite patent in Edison's name is the Flying Machine (which is kind of like a helicopter with box kites on the ends of the propellors).

Nerds are so dreamy.

2008-02-07T10:13:00.001-04:00

Facts of the day: Today is the birthday of Chris Rock, Eddie Izzard, Ashton Kutcher, Charles Dickens, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Garth Brooks.

Today is also the day the Beatles flew in to JFK for their first US tour, marking the start of the British invasion.

Interesting facts about the Beatles:

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are left-handed.

John Lennon is the only Beatles that was never on The Simpsons.

Ringo Starr is the oldest and shortest member.

Phil Collins was an extra in the movie, "A Hard Day's Night."

The guitar solo in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was played by Eric Clapton.

In 1964, a poll was conducted to find out who was the fan's favorite Beatle...George Harrison won.

The working title for the ballad, "Yesterday," was "Scrambled Eggs."

According to rumors, Paul McCartney died on November 9, 1966 in a car crash and was replaced by William Campbell.

2008-02-06T11:05:00.000-04:00

Comics that amuse me:

This one pretty much sums me up to a 'T' right now:

Mac is now selling a larger iPod touch and iPhone:

I sometimes wish my entire staff was made of up seals...

2008-02-06T09:14:00.000-04:00

Facts of the day: Lots of birthdays today!

(from left to right)

Zsa Zsa Gabor is 91 today.
Babe Ruth is dead, but if he were still alive he'd be 113 years old. Ruth was actually born in Baltimore (this, I did not know) and he was the first American to have a voice box
Ronald Reagan (also dead) would have been 97 years of age. A quote from Reagan, "The one thing our Founding Fathers could not foresee...was a nation governed by professional politicians who had a vested interest in getting reelected."
Massachusetts has been a part of the union for 220 years. Random MA facts: The fig newton is actually named after Newton, Massachusetts, the birth control pill was invented at Clark University, its official state dessert is the Boston creme pie and Boston builtd the nation's first subway system.
Kathy Najimy is 51 today. Although most may recognize Kathy from Hocus Pocus, Sister Act and Rat Race, Kathy gets a gold star in my eyes for her voice-over work. She has lended her voice to the movie, Cats Don't Dance, she is Peggy Hill on King of the Hill, and she's done spots for a bunch of other cartoons (Hey Arnold, Higglytown Heroes, The Wild Thornberrys, Pepper Ann and some short spots found on Nick, Jr.).
Rick Astley isn't much to look at, but his voice is pretty recognizable. His most famous singles being "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Together Forever." Yes, that deep voice belongs to this scrawny white guy. Rick is 42 today.
Oh, Axl Rose. Quick fact about Axl: he lends his voice to some characters on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Axl is 46 today (and I have to say, he's not exactly aging gracefully these days...maybe it was all the alcohol and rioting).

2008-02-05T08:29:00.001-04:00

Fact of the day: Today is Christopher Guest's birthday! If you aren't familiar with Guest, here are some pictures that will jog your memory:

Where have all the arcades gone?

2008-02-04T12:04:00.000-04:00

Remember going to the mall and mom dropping you off at the arcade with an assload of quarters and coming back to get you when she's done shopping? Yeah, where the hell did arcades go to? They're a veritable gold mine when you consider they don't cost much to keep up and people just pump money into them. So in honor/memory of the run-of-the-mill arcade, here are some arcades that actually still do exist:

From Gizmodo, this was created by a fella named Peter who has all of this amazingness in his backyard. If you score an invite to his Luna City Arcade...there are no quarters required and no entrance fee! The Giz has a buttload of pictures to drool over. Anyone want to make a pilgrimage with me? (It's in Dulles, VA...which is seriously close enough to seriously consider it!)

Peter's Official Site

One of my favorite places in Walt Disney World is called DisneyQuest. It is three floors of arcade goodness. They have all kinds of gaming: virtual reality, old school 8-bit (as in Pac-Man and Dig Dug), DDR, etc. This is also a place that is quarterless but has an entrance fee of around $30. Still, if you're at WDW and it's raining and you can only hear that damn "Small World" song so many times, it's a great place to spend the afternoon.

Official site, Wiki

So apparently at Crab Towne in Glen Burnie, they have a pretty hefty selection of arcade games. Found on the large Classic Gaming Locations list, they seem to be fully operational and nice and crappy just like the arcades of old. Link

In New Hampshire, they have Funspot and The American Classic Arcade Museum. With a HUGE selection of games, I bet their claim of being the largest arcade in the world is really true.

Official Site

Comical goodness

2008-01-29T12:50:00.001-04:00

Little Gamers

And because I haven't perused the shirt circuit in a while (hah, shirt circuit...no disassemble!), here's some that I have found amusing and that everyone should buy for me.

From Diesel Sweeties:

From A Softer World:

From Questionable Content:

From Wondermark:

2008-01-29T11:26:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day: Today is my friend, Jen's birthday and that's pretty freakin' awesome. Jen shares her birthday with some other people that you may recognize (click the pictures if you aren't sure who they are):

Today is also the anniversary of Kansas joining the union and on this day in 1845, Edgar Allen Poe's, "The Raven" was first published.

And since I have nothing else witty to say, here is reason #1552482 why I identify entirely too much with Faye from Questionable Content:

2008-01-28T12:02:00.001-04:00

Fact of the day: Today is Jackson Pollock's birthday! Yay! I suggest we all gather at my house and dance around and throw paint onto canvases. (The funny thing is that you probably think I'm joking about this.)

For those not familiar with Pollock, here is one of his pieces, Lavender Mist:

And now that we're all on the same page as to who Jackson Pollock was. I feel like I need to impart a little wisdom about him. Most everyone who sees the above painting will say to themselves, "Hey, how the hell is that art? I mean a 3-year-old can throw paint on a canvas and make it look like that." I do not doubt that statement at all, but that is what abstract expressionism is all about. It has far more to do with the process by which the art is made than the ending result.

Plus, I must say that in order to fully appreciate the abstract expressionists (i.e. Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, etc.) you have to see them in person. For those that do not understand this concept, I can explain it to you like going to the symphony: you can have a recording of a piece and then it's a completely different experience to go and hear that piece live, even if it is done by the same exact orchestra with the same exact conductor as your recording. There's far more to seeing any art form live than just seeing or hearing it: it's about the rest of the audience's reactions, it's how it works in the space, it's experiencing the art form rather than just being a well-read bystander.

Other abstract expressionists that I found along the wiki trail that I enjoy so far:

(left to right) Mark Tobey, Canticle, 1954; Hans Hofman, Color Poem No 6, 1954; Joan Mitchell, City Landscape, 1955

2008-01-25T11:28:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day: I am sick and it sucks.

Comics that Amused:
Free Chocolate Bars!
I'm trying to work my way up
Facebook Schadenfreude

2008-01-22T10:29:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day: It's Bacon day!! Well...sort of. It's philosopher, Francis Bacon's birthday. But instead of rambling on about his political scandals, let's discuss bacon (as in my favorite food).

"You are probably familiar with the phrase 'bring home the bacon.' In the twelfth century, a church in the English town of Dunmow promised a side of bacon to any married man who could swear before the congregation and God that he had not quarreled with his wife for a year and a day. A husband who could bring home the bacon was held in high esteem by the community for his forebearance." [source]

New Webcomics to Read and Enjoy!

Rob and Elliot

The Joy of Tech comic...laughter is the best tech support

2008-01-18T11:17:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day: Today is A.A. Milne's birthday! Some Winnie the Pooh facts for you to savor:

Christopher Robin is named after Milne's son and the cast of characters were the names of the real Christopher's stuffed animals:

(Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed animals, clockwise starting from the right: Tigger, Kanga, Edward Bear [a.k.a Pooh], Eeyore and Piglet on display at the New York Public Library's Donnell Library Center) [link]

In Oxforshire, England, they hold the World Poohsticks Championships. [link]

Winnie the Pooh has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Doing it on a large scale

2008-01-17T10:58:00.000-04:00

I love performance/installation art so very much, but even more I like the idea of large scale performance/installation art that is borderline absolutely silly. Some favorites:

About 500,000 colored balls were released down Rome's Spanish Steps. Graziano Cecchini, also responsible for dying the waters of the Trevi fountain red last October, wanted to call attention to lies being told by the Italian government (the Italian word for balls also means 'untruths'). Link to story and more pictures [via NotCot]

I've definitely mentioned this one a bagillion times, but I love the big pink bunny installed on a hillside in Italy by Gelitin. You can go and play on its pillowy softness. [link]

The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. These orange structures were all around Central Park for most of February in 2005. I was in town when they were still up and it was fantastic. The colors just popped against the snow. [link]

Okay, there's no picture for this one because I don't think this is one of my favorite artists, but certainly an artist that commandeers the concept of performance art on the edge of complete sillyness. It's Paul McCarthy, here's a link to some information about what he's done. Probably the most memorable for me would be the piece that he did where he simulated people chopping off each others' limbs. So yeah, it's some crazy shit.

An honorable mention goes out to the Sony Bravia ads. Yes, they are created in the name of consumerism...but that doesn't change the fact that they are awesome and large-scale and beautiful. [link - see the bouncing balls, clay bunnies and the great pyramid being taken over by ribbon]

2008-01-17T08:58:00.000-04:00

Fact of the Day: It's Benjamin Franklin's birthday! He's so dreamy! I mean seriously, how can you not love the man who said, "A life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things. There will be sleeping enough in the grave," coining one of my favorite phrases, "You can sleep when you're dead?" Rather than blather on about bifocals or the Declaration of Independence or playing the harp or naming electrical charges as positive or negative, I will give you the thirteen virtues from his autobiography that he attempted to live by:

1. "TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation."
2. "SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation."
3. "ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time."
4. "RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve."
5. "FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing."
6. "INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions."
7. "SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly."
8. "JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty."
9. "MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve."
10. "CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation."
11. "TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common
or unavoidable."
12. "CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation."
13. "HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates." [link]

Other great stuff about today: The first sitcom debuted today. Lots of freakin' birthdays:

Follow the fold...

2008-01-16T10:39:00.000-04:00

There's been a good amount of hub-bub recently about flat-pack furniture and objects. In my opinion, there are some pretty fantastic concepts out there and here are my picks:

Flat-pack shoes and a flat-pack purse from Studio.Lo. I am seriously in love with the shoes and I wonder if I could DIY a pair. [link]

The flat-pack mallet from VertDesign. [link]

Featured on here before, from Orikaso, this would be flat-pack dinnerware. Everything from bowls to mugs to plates to chess (their new "After Dinner" set has games printed on the back of them so you can finish your meal, unfold your plate and then play some backgammon). [link]

2008-01-16T09:16:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day along with the wiki trail of the day: Today in 1920, prohibition was passed in the U.S. Kansas gets the prize for being the first state to pass the law in 1881 with many states following suit until the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment that spoiled the fun for everyone.

Interesting figure in the prohibition story: Carrie A. Nation. I know what you're thinking, she is totally a hottie. So why does this lovely creature have any kind of notoriety? Because she acted against prohibition...using a frickin' axe (and I don't mean that she wailed on a fender strat about the dangers of drunkenness). She would go into establishments and use her hatchet to break all the alcohol bottles and cause a huge scene.

"Alone or accompanied by hymn-singing women, she would march into a bar and sing and pray, while smashing bar fixtures and stock with a hatchet. Between 1900 and 1910, she was arrested some 30 times for 'hatchetations,' as she came to call them.

"Nation's anti-alcohol activities became well known, with the slogan 'All Nations Welcome But Carrie' becoming a bar-room staple. She published a biweekly newsletter called The Smasher's Mail, a newspaper titled The Hatchet, and later in life exploited her name by appearing in vaudeville, selling photographs of herself, charging to lecture, and marketing miniature hatchets." [wiki]

So who is up for some modern-day hatchetations? Seriously, how amazing would it be to walk into your local Hummer dealership and smash it to bits while your fellow radicals sing a rousing rendition of "How Great Thou Art?"

2008-01-07T11:58:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day: Today in 1924, George Gershwin completed or started (not sure which) Rhapsody in Blue. Here are George's thoughts on composing the piece (which he
did in 5 short weeks):

"It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. No new themes came to me, but I worked on the thematic material already in my mind
and tried to conceive the composition as a whole. I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece, as distinguished
from its actual substance."

For those that have never heard this fantastic piece of American music history, here and here are parts one and two of the original recordings from the Internet Archive.

Anniversaries of births: Today Nicholas Cage is 44...I am sure that you can read my utmost excitement for this accomplished, fine actor who definitely doesn't play the same person in every single movie. But someone with entirely more nostalgia-cred has a birthday today...

Don't recognize this chap? Perhaps this will help:

Yeah, that's Dustin Diamond (aka Screech) all grown up. He's 31 years of age today.

2008-01-03T09:04:00.000-04:00

Holy shit, it's been forever since I've made an update.

Fact of the day: Today is Tolkien's birthday. Go ahead, nerds, today is the day you may rejoice. But in even cooler news, today is the day that Martin Luther was excommunicated from the church. Also everyone should wish Alaska a happy anniversary, on this day in 1959, they joined us in the bonds of statehood.

Comics that have brought me joy lately:
Scandalous wench!
Holiday boredom drives me to cruelty.
You say it like it's not fantastic.
My favorite holiday-themed comic this year

Fun site of the moment: Fabulist.org. Their description of themselves is as follows, "Us kids are strung together by a profound love of music, toys, truth, beauty, and looking at things upside-down. A fabulist is a teller of tales. Also, it's a list of really cool stuff. (We're both.)" They have a good amount of music on there (I suggest finding their selections from the Maccabees) along with a lot of stuff that's just neat.

Stay tuned for a possible t-shirt store being heavily advertised on this space. Ya see, I recieved a screen printing set for Christmas and therefore will be attempting to make myself some money. My t-shirt ideas rule and you will buy copious amounts of them.

Apple patents found via Gizmodo that make me squeak:
Simple insertion to combine your iMac and your MacBook
Paying by iPhone
Oh Steve...you're just too dreamy.

Busting out some improvisational hardcore - 12/12/07

2007-12-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

Reflections on Quitting Starbucks - 12/11/07

2007-12-13T13:15:00.000-04:00

2007-12-07T11:41:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day: Today is the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. An interesting fact brought to me by Garrison Keillor: "When nurses arrived for morning duty they found hundreds of injured men all over the base. The nurses ran around, administering morphine, and to prevent overdoses, they wrote the letter M on each treated man's forehead."

Today is also actress, Ellen Burstyn's birthday and the anniversary of Delaware becoming the first state (Hi, I'm in Delaware).

Also today in history was the first time an instant replay was ever used. It was used for an Arm-Navy game. Let's all take a moment to thank CBS for making televised sporting events take 4 times as long as the actual game.

And in 1996, Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there until February 1997. It's no wonder it was on top for so long, with inspiring and deep lyrics like these: "un-cry these tears, I've cried so many nights" and "unbreak my heart, sweet darling, without you I just can't go on."

Woot off in progress today! Feel free to go buy me gadgets! Link

Comics that amused me:

Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore

Owls with Flick-Knives scare me

You would think the tour of the Lucky Charms factory would be in a red balloon

In leiu of the song of the moment, I bring you Uncle Steve.

(from Gizmodo, bringers of amusement and tech news)

A gift idea for management...

2007-12-07T11:37:00.001-04:00

Impressive Barware

2007-12-05T16:05:00.000-04:00

Edible Candy Cane Shot Glasses from Perpetual Kid, $5.99 for set of 2

Cool Shooters Ice Shot Glass Maker from Perpetual Kid, $6.99

The Illusion of Thirst Wine Glasses from Uncommon Goods, $75 for set of 4

2007-12-05T13:14:00.000-04:00

Fact of the day: Today is the anniversary of the official end of prohibition! I'm sure there never was a more drunk a day than today in 1933. I encourage everyone to celebrate this anniversary in your speakeasy of choice. Today is also the birthday of Walt Disney, Little "Good God, it's a hot tub!" Richard, Johnny "and I don't want the world to see me" Rzeznik, and General George Custer (of last stand fame). It's also the anniversary of the death of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (if you would like to pay a tribute, may I suggest a tear-jerking, soulful version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star").

Song of the moment translated into Japanese and then into English: "As for her she the lily which has the carburetor which is tied to the eye of pink of the month when she sees in the food of age as for her who has the tobacco of each arm which has white cavity penetration is love of new pollution." (previous song: Baby It's Cold Outside, my favorite version being Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney)

A quiz from the vaults of mental_floss

2007-12-05T12:13:00.000-04:00

Yes, that really says "Is it Clinton, Yoda, Thom Yorke or Nietzche?"

(I got 10 out of 12!)

Not since 1985 has Microsoft Paint Entertained Someone for this Long

2007-12-04T13:01:00.000-04:00

2007-12-04T09:46:00.001-04:00

I think I'm pretty much done with the Simpsons question of the day. (previous and last answer: Bart wrote that goldfish don't bounce.)

Fact of the day: In 1993, Frank Zappa died at the ripe age of 52. It's also Wink Martindale's birthday! And happy birthday Tyra Banks!

I love old prospectors. Via Neatorama, here is a fantastic waste of time for a Tuesday. It's the Homespun Analogy Generator. Some gems from this morning: "She was as embarassed as a yellow-bellied crow with no bones," "She was as hungover as an old jackass in a tornado," "He's as successful as a chocolate gorilla in an igloo."

A Special Feature: How to Fuck with your Friends and Impress Strangers

When friends go out of town and leave their stuff/house/animals in your charge, it's your social responsibility to annoy the hell out of them for inconveniencing you for that time period.

Rules: 1) Don't break anything (especially the animals), 2) It can't be anything permanent, but how long it takes to actually undo can be indefinite, 3) Should be cheap to do, let's not break the bank.

Ideas:

Tin Foil Wrapping found via Neatorama
How to:

1. Visit local dollar store and buy every roll you can find. Visit other locations around the globe if necessary.

2. Start wrapping. Remember that you must also stay in said apartment, so I wouldn't initially wrap anything you may need soon...like that jar of pickels in their fridge.

The Pink Prank Project
How To:

1) Locate a bulk amount of the ugliest color wrapping paper possible. (Visit local dollar store for bucketloads of tape).

2) Wrap anything and everything possible. Recruit other friends and well-wishers as necessary.

3) Skip town as soon as friend comes back into town.

Song of the moment translated into Japanese and then back into English: "It is not possible as for me with that outside being cool the baby who is to be really restricted. I depart with that outside being cool the baby who is, it becomes, but. Is splendid directly this evening so very. I grasp your like the ice hand exactly." (previous song: Landed by Ben Folds)

Content? We don't need no stinkin' content!

2007-11-30T15:46:00.000-04:00

found via those crazy kids at Gizmodo:

Shoebox: A little tiny division of Hallmark

2007-11-30T10:50:00.000-04:00

Sample these gems:

Now go here and read some more.

2007-11-29T10:04:00.000-04:00

Simpsons question of the [yester]day: Fill in the blank of Bart's Blackboard Gag from "Duffless" (9F14): "Goldfish don't ______." a) Spit BBs, b) Bowl, c) Eat erasers, d) Bounce. (previous answer: Homer's first kiss from Marge felt like a cluster bomb wiping out a graveyard full of zombies.)

Fact of the [yester]day (brought to me by Garrison Keillor): Today is Clive Staples (aka C.S.) Lewis' birthday! If you have never read the Narnia series, you are missing out on an amazing story.

Fact of the [to]day (brought me by Garrison Keillor): Today is Samuel Langhorne Clemens' birthday! He wrote, "It's lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our backs and look up at them, and discuss about whether they was made or only just happened."

Comics that amused this week:
im in ur finanshul bilding, ruining ur kredit skor.
thars no neeed to fear.
Despite it all

Song of the moment translated into Japanese and then into English: I opened my eye, the door walking and the cloud came, that it falls down bi- bi- is the way if I tried, making that the right that you make a mistake rear must leave by myself, you twist exactly, all night are flying directly high so choose me who come I landed. (previous song: White Christmas...a totally easy one.)

2007-11-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Simpsons question of the day: In "The Way We Weren't" (FABF13), to Homer, his first kiss with MArge felt like a what? a) A punch in the face by Mr. Clean, b) A cluster bomb wiping out a graveyard full of zombies, c) A tax auditor ringing to doorbell on Sunday morning, d) A dentist drilling deep into a nerve? (previous answer: Carl missed Homer and Lenny leaving Springfield forever.)

Fact of the day: Today is Charles Schultz's birthday. He shares this day with the late Robert Goulet, and Tina Turner. Also today in history Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (read Lewis Caroll) gave a certain book to a 12-year-old girl, Alice Liddell. This green leather booklet with Caroll's own illustrations in the margins was published 3 years later as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Today is also the anniversary of the debut of Technicolor and the opening of King Tutankhamen's tomb (cracked open in 1922).

I think that if my theory that there's at least a little bit of Indiana Jones in all of us is true, then everyone will join me in a resounding, "woah, that's freakin' awesome," at the very idea of discovering a tomb that had never been opened before. Howard Carter would be the first one that got to see the boy-pharoah's undisturbed final resting place. (from history.com) "The dusty floor still showed the footprints of the tomb builders who left the room more than 3,000 years before." Holy shit. Could you imagine being the first through that door? Seeing things that no humans had laid eyes on in over a thousand years?! (yes, I do certainly think it deserves an interrobang.) My inner adventurer is swooning at the thought of it. Just amazing.

Song of the moment (translated into Japanese and then back into English): "I shine, whether me the treetop the whether the white Christmas like those whose it is normal to know somewhere the child hears in order to hear the sleigh bell of the snow look at dream exactly." (previous answer: Last Christmas by Wham!...yeah, I totally went there)

2007-11-23T11:29:00.000-04:00

Simpsons question of the day: In "Half Decent Proposal" (DABF04), when Carl is in the restroom at Moe's Tavern, what does he miss witnessing? a) Former president Clinton stopping in for a brew, b) Barney getting drunk again after a year of sobriety, c) Homer and Lenny leaving Springfield forever, d) A demon from hell speaking from the jukebox? (previous answer: Homer was eating pizza with two hands.)

Fact of the day: Today is Black Friday. Give the proverbial finger to the man and don't shop today. Instead, stay home, rest, visit with family and friends, and gorge yourself on leftovers.

Comics that amused me this week:
I've always hated that game
I can't catch him, he seems able to teleport.
Baristas aren't trained to solve customer problems.
When creating house rules for a game that you love, it's easy to get carried away.

Song of the moment (translated into Japanese and then back to English): "Last Christmas I gave my center, but it gave the next day that very. I give that to special someone in order this year to rescue me from damage." (previous answer: "Revolution" by the Beatles)

Rugged and Knitted

2007-11-21T11:29:00.000-04:00

For those men, who may or may not be named Nic, who really REALLY want a beard like their lumberjack-emulating friends but just can't even manage getting stubble, here's the Beard Cap made by the Icelandic design group, Vik Prjonsdottir. It draws the ladies like only a roll of Brawny paper towels can while keeping you warm and toasty.

Link via Neatorama

2007-11-21T09:58:00.000-04:00

Simpsons Question of the Day: In "Lisa's Rival" (1F17), Bart drives the car for Homer so Homer can do what? a) Gesture widly, b) Eat pizza with both hands, c) Tune the radio, d) Wipe a smashed bug from the windshield? (I don't really watch the Simpsons that often, but oddly enough, I just watched this episode yesterday. I think I have a psychic calendar)

(previous answer: a torpedo)

Fact of the day (brought to me by Garrison Keillor): "It was on this day in 1877 that Thomas Edison announced that he had invented a new device for recording and playing back sound, which he called the phonograph. His hope was that it would replace stenographers ain bussiness offices, and that it would allow people to preserve the voices of family members who had died. He wrote, 'It will annihilate time and space, and bottle up for posterity the mere utterance of man.' " Mr. Keillor then goes on to talk about everyone's fear of recorded voices (they sounded like ghosts) and that in order to get people comfortable with recorded sound they recorded patriotic music by Sousa, who was not a fan and had this to say: "The time is coming when no one will be ready to submit himself to the ennobling discipline of learning music. Everyone will have their ready made or ready pirated music in their cupboards."

This makes me think of the movie that my friends and I were half-watching/half-MST3king the other night: "Song of Love". Lame title, yes, but halfway decent movie (two words: Katherine Hepburn). I was totally jealous that parties consisted of hanging out in a parlor in full formal wear, listening to a fellow guest play the piano and breaking into dance occasionally. Having the ability to play music wasn't the white rabbit that it has become. Someone or everyone in your household would learn to play something, else there was no music in your house. A+ Mr. Edison, you ruined it.

Seriously though, this is when music became cheapened and musical ability became hobby terrritory. These days we don't have to create or play our own music so studying an instrument is no longer necessary and on the other side of that, playing an instrument for your own enjoyment is a foreign concept to most. I enjoy playing the piano. I do not enjoy playing for most people. I say most because there are situations where I am comfortable. I will play for people who barely recognize that I'm playing. I don't mind people commenting on the song itself, I just can't deal with criticism and judgment. However back in the day, I would have totally rocked some parlors. Why? Back then, you played out of necessity and people listened out of necessity and today, people have this need to be impressed. Most people seem to derive some sort of joy out of critiquing what you play. It doesn't matter that you just perfectly executed 14 pages of music because you hesitated on that second to last measure. Sonsabitches.

Throughout the month, Turner Classic Movies has had guest programmers choosing the movies for the day. Tonight at 8PM is Kermit the Frog! Go watch!

Song of the moment translated into Japanese and then back to English: "The we whom you have known we would like to change the world entirely, mean that you think that we want the rotary well. As for that a certain way as for us who are said to me there is a well of the evolution where you have known that we would like to change the world entirely. But when destruction having expressed, you do not know that it can count me. That you know that a certain thing is done without something to say." (Previous song: Song for the Dumped by Ben Folds Five)

Friend Bear!

2007-11-20T17:42:00.000-04:00

Link!

2007-11-19T16:37:00.000-04:00

Black Friday week = limited posting.

Patience is appreciated.

Archive Seeking

2007-11-16T15:23:00.000-04:00

It's hard these days to realize that not every bit of information is on the web. You see, I am looking for some sheet music from the 1940s, sounds easy enough, right? Not so much. Most of the music then was actually sheet music and was well-used.

And amazingly enough, the internet is lacking an archive of these pieces (it wouldn't even be illegal to put them online, most of them are copyright-free).

HOWEVER, I did find the Duke library's site that is starting to archive this music and scan it for the masses: http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/.

Mississippi state doesn't have too bad a collection either: http://library.msstate.edu/content/templates/?a=1496&z=392

Hopkins has some too: http://levy-test.dkc.jhu.edu/index.html

2007-11-16T10:25:00.000-04:00

Simpsons question of the day: In "Simpson Tide" (3G04), what does Bart want Homer to bring him back from the Naval Reserves? a) a torpedo, b) the finger of an enemy, c) a navel orange, d) a sea horse?

Maybe I should start putting up the answers to these questions. Possibly the day after? Yeah, that'd work pretty well. (Previous answers were Bart and Ned won't let Homer drink sea water and Marge felt like Princess Grave and Princess Di smashed together).

Fact of the day: It's Oklahoma's anniversary! On this day in 1907 they became the 46th state of the nation (meaning it had at least 60,000 people). In 1889 Pres. Ben Harrison put out the cattle call that as of April 22 at noon, anyone could stake a claim to the new "unassigned lands." Known as the Oklahoma land grab, people camped out along the borders and on the day of truth, they dashed in and stuck a flag down to call dibs. Dude, this was like Black Friday...but with muskets and old prospectors instead of charge cards and soccer moms. I think there should be a large group of people gathered together at some point that reenacts that April day...except instead of Oklahoma, it would be a Starbucks and instead of claiming land, we'd be claiming cafe tables...but we'd keep the old prospector aspect. It would be grand!

Birthdays: Lisa Bonet from the Cosby show, Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd, Ian from Pittsburgh, Donald Wolf who apparently created computer games (I have no idea what games though! I have been searching for any inkling of what he created and I've got nothing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!), Diana Krall, and W.C. Handy (a.k.a. the father of the blues) was born on this day in 1873.

Other stuff that happened today in history: 1959 - "Sound of Music" opens on Broadway, 1979 - Paul McCartney releases "Wonderful Christmas", 1987 - Lisa Bonet marries Lenny Kravitz (getting married on your birthday would be a little weird), 2001 - Oh shit! Anthrax sent to Sen. Patrick Leahy! (I totally forgot about the anthrax thing!)

Comics that amused me this week:
"And now I gotta start thinking about Christmas presents? I've got DVDs from last Christmas still in the shrink wrap!"
"Rokie's already tired!"
"The magnitude of my contempt for you is so vast that it is taking on physical form."
"It's okay, Gerald Ford turned into ice cream."

Song of the moment (translated into Japanese and back into English): The back section of my money in me the back section of my money I think that we want the back section of my money, forget in order to give the T shirt where I am black in me or, and the female dog which has not been forgotten give me who am given. (previous songs were "Yesterday" by the Beatles for Wednesday and I can't remember the one for yesterday...any guesses?)

Comic fun!

2007-11-15T16:40:00.000-04:00

"Every body knows that chocolate rules the world of ice cream flavours with an iron fist, like some sort of dairy Ghengis Kahn."

http://www.beaverandsteve.com/index.php?comic=254

2007-11-15T09:42:00.000-04:00

Simpsons question of the day: In "Catch 'Em if You Can" (FABF14), first class on the airplane is so luxurious, Marge says she feels like who? a) Princess Grave and Princess Di smashed together, b) Billionaire Beepo, that pampered TV chimp, c) An "as seen on Oprah" makeover person, d) One of Donald's ex-wives?

Fact of the day (brought to me by Garrison Keillor): Born on this date in 1887 was everyone's favorite painter of the vag: Georgia O'Keefe.

Today is also one week away from Thanksgiving!!!! Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, more turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, and oh goodness...the pies! In elementary school, I always enjoyed Thanksgiving lunches because they had those little pumpkin cookie things. I guess they would be more similar to a fig newton but in texture only. There were always some dumb kids who never ate theirs, so I usually had a stock pile of those buggers. It was amazing. Then we'd all go back to class and trace our hands and make turkeys out of them. Although I have to admit that a silhouette of a hand and a turkey look absolutely nothing alike.

WOOT off TODAY!!

Song of the moment (translated into Japanese and back into English): I awake with entirely therefore with me compared to before being possible to feel you happily safe rising here, this it goes

2007-11-14T10:32:00.000-04:00

In an effort to make this blog have some sort of content, I will be writing daily ramblings. I make no promises that it will be interesting, but as it has been since day one of this site, it'll amuse the hell out of me.

Wednesday, November 14th, 2007

Simpsons question of the day: In "Boy-Scoutz N the Hood" (IF06), Bart and Ned won't let Homer drink what? a) Shrimp cocktail juice, b) What's inside a lava lamp, c) Sea water, d) Mace

I love that episode, it's season 5, probably the best season out of the series. If you can't remember the Boy-Scoutz episode, it would be the one where Bart and Milhouse go on a Squishee bender and go crazy Broadway-style and Ned says one of the funniest lines ever: "God speed little doodle."

Fact of the day (brought to me by Garrison Keillor): Although this is old news to anyone who has already been on Google this morning, today is Claude Monet's birthday. He would be 167 years old if he were still alive. Disregarding the fact that he'd be a ridiculously old person and probably too pungent and feeble to move, I always wonder if he had just stayed in his prime and lived up to this point in the world, what would he have done with/to himself? I'd have to say as far as substance abuse goes, all the impressionists would certainly be on acid and although they'd still be painting nature, I have a feeling it would probably have focused on nature in an urban atmosphere. I could see a big Monet series of a tree in a planter on a city street throughout the day--there would be a lot pink involved, I'm sure.

Lesser known fact of the day: today was the day that Moby Dick was first published in 1851.

Sales of the day: Bluefly has up to 65% off on designer jeans, the woot today sucks, FredFlare.com is 25% off everything (coupon code HOLIDAY.1107)

Song in my head (translated from English to Japanese and then back into English): In order being restricted for there to be here, yesterday, my trouble everything was left for the present, now that Ohio state which is seen, my yesterday it seems that is believed.

Test your Words and Donate Rice!

2007-11-13T11:41:00.000-04:00

Mmm severed body parts

2007-11-13T09:42:00.000-04:00

Found via Cribcandy:

It's bread. Seriously. Art student, Kittiwat Unarrom, creates these amazingly detailed pieces out of bread. They are completely edible with the intention of people not judging by outer appearances.

Tasty!

PG Topless Action!

2007-10-22T14:59:00.000-04:00

I would be referring to the recent Improv Everywhere mission called No Shirts. They gathered 111 men together with the aim of going into Abercrombie & Fitch and every single one of them removing their shirts at the same time. This would be all in response to the fact that Abercrombie's ads all feature half-naked men and even hire them to stand around in their stores. Such a funny stunt. Link

"Hey there mister Hinduist..."

2007-10-22T14:28:00.000-04:00

From O Plus D, the best Christmas cards ever.

Link via NotCot

I think I have split-brain syndrome...

2007-10-12T15:19:00.000-04:00

The Right Brain vs. Left Brain test: Go here, look at the spinning dancer, then read the article.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rulewords and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

Which are you?

As if chocolate wasn't magical enough...

2007-10-12T15:16:00.000-04:00

From Jamieson Laboratories:

"Satisfies chocolate cravings while easing the symptoms of mild to moderate
PMS. This formula relieves menstrual pain, bloating and irritability and helps
to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety."
Link

Eeek! Someone quick give me $120!!

2007-10-03T10:10:00.001-04:00

Found via the lovelies at NotCot.org, made by Denim & Sole, these Mario shoes are probably the best Geek Chic thing I've seen in a while.

They're only making 400 pairs, and at $120 I suggest raiding the couch for loose change now.

Link

Onslaught - The New Dove Campaign

2007-10-03T09:44:00.000-04:00

The newest from the Campaign for Real Beauty:

Wondermark!

2007-09-21T15:04:00.000-04:00

A great cartoon by David Malki! called Wondermark. All the cartoons feature "old-timey" drawings with contemporary dialogue. It is highly hysterical. (Click the cartoon above to see it at full size.)

"life's no fun without a good scare..."

2007-09-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

Ah, Halloween. The perfect time of the year to scare the living crap out of children and not be viewed as a complete butthead. If you are anything like some of my friends, Christmas takes second place to October 31st.

Make magazine is having all kinds of contests and tis' always the season to win things and have a lot of fun. You can see all the different contests they're having (including a Hack o' Lantern contest, costume contest, and food contest) and it's super easy to enter into them. The biggest rule? You have to make it (you know, cause that's what the magazine exists for).

DIY Halloween

It's like shopping at a comic book store...but much less B.O. smell

2007-09-12T15:24:00.000-04:00

From xkcd:

"80% of public advertisements would be greatly improved by an 'actual size!' claim, from 8.5x11 "Regina Spektor Live In Concert!" flyers to ten-foot PS3 banners to airline ads in the subway with pictures of 747s. You know what to do."

$4.99 for a pack of 3

Also from xkcd, a great shirt for those watchers of people (like myself)

$14.99 from xkcd

From Basic Instructions: Talking to your kids about smoking is most important.

$15 through Spreadshirt

Extra large mug from Lackadaisy Cats featuring Rocky and Freckle.

$15 via Cafe Press at the Lackadaisy Store

Basic Instructions: Your all-inclusive guide to a life well-lived.

2007-09-11T11:22:00.000-04:00

Not only is this cartoon fantastic because it uses gramatically-correct hyphens, but it's just absolutely hysterical. Observe:

Link (found via the amazing, Neatorama)

Learning is funducational!

2007-08-29T11:22:00.000-04:00

Today Neatorama had a fantastic post featuring the site, Map Of Strange. The entire site is devoted to the unusual and fun finds on Google Maps. They have everything from the "Welcome to Cleveland" printed on top of a building in Wisconsin to the pyramids at Giza to various map glitches where roads don't connect. It's a fantastic time-waster!

While on my travels, I decided to do some Google mapping of my own. Here's some places that I find interesting (click the satellite image to go to the Google map):

What I like to call "mini-Versailles," this is the main palace on Herreninsel built by [crazy] King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It's extremely beautiful, but one of the most interesting things (besides Ludwig's myseterious death) is that it was never finished. There are entire portions that are just bare-bones while other rooms are lavishly decorated. Official Site of the Palace; Wiki article

The big pink bunny! This is an installation art piece by Gelitin that was erected in 2005. It's there to play on, nap on, marvel at and it'll be there for 18 more years. It's definitely on my list of places to visit. Official site

It doesn't look like much through the snow of the map, but that is Mirabell Gardens in Salzburg, Austria. Every single bit of the gardens were impeccably trimmed and perfect. It smelled sweeter than the most fragrant of candy shops. Wiki; Visit Salzburg

At this point I was going to show a map of the old city of Caesarea Maritima, but Israel cannot be Google mapped very easily. So instead, all I have is the picture above. When we were there, a man stood in the middle of the stage and sang. It was the absolute best acoustics and just an awesome experience. Wiki

Here is a view of the Kotokuin Temple, outside of which sits a 10m tall Buddha (who thankfully, looks nothing like Keanu Reeves). It's things like this that make me want to visit Japan really badly. Wiki; Japan-Guide.com

Who says that chairs must have 90 degree angles?

2007-08-13T10:17:00.000-04:00

From CoolKids Furniture, this chair is just simply amazing! It's so whimsical and fun. I'd love to see a great dining room table paired with these! (If only they weren't in kids' sizes.)

Link

I hate doing the dishes...but I love to blow bubbles!

2007-08-10T10:53:00.000-04:00

From Urban Outfitters, the Bubble Maker Kitchen Scrubber can do a job on that "stuck on grease" that the Dawn commercials are always talking about as well as provide mid-washing entertainment. The hole in the head of the brush is designed like a bubble wand, so you can put that dish soap to a much more entertaining use. Just beware, cleaning up after dinner may take quite longer than usual.

$2.99 from Urban Outfitters via UnCrate

Super modular shelving

2007-07-27T13:15:00.000-04:00

From Movisi, these shelves have corrugated edges that make each wedge lock into another. They can fit almost any space or stay as stand-alone units.

$108 a piece from Movisi

Kitty of DEATH!

2007-07-27T13:03:00.000-04:00

Okay, maybe just a cat with a knack for predicting death. This thing is all over the intarnets:

"Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours. His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means they have less than four hours to live."

from the Washington Post (full article)

A little xkcd for the day...

2007-07-27T09:55:00.001-04:00

Photographs are soooo 90's

2007-07-25T11:25:00.000-04:00

Now you can frame anything your little heart desires with the Cubisto frames from Firebox. The frames are never permanently closed either, so you can switch things out whenever you want!

$14.95 a piece from Firebox

For those who are forgetful

2007-07-25T11:16:00.000-04:00

Self-watering flower pots. The water is put in the clear part on the bottom and there is a wick that sits in the water and travels into the pot. The wick soaks up the water as needed and the plants are kept happy.

I suppose you could just put a tray under your pot and keep that filled, but it certainly doesn't look as stylish as this does.

$34.50 - $39.75 from Sprout Home via Popgadget

Want to be angry today? Then keep reading...

2007-07-24T15:26:00.000-04:00

Here's my tiny list of blogs that are targeted to those who want to throw their keyboards across the room out of rage (have any favorite angry blogs, feel free to share!):

The Consumerist: Shoppers Bite Back

...and bite back they do. Ever been on the phone with customer service to the point where you've completely memorized their hold music and find yourself talking along with the automated messages? The Consumerist can help. They post stories of average people and their problems with big business, but then they do what most websites should, they help these people out. They post lists of company big-wig email addresses and phone numbers for executive customer service lines. They provide the normal consumer the means to solve their problems rather than just give up, and it's awesome. (As a side note, their mantra is that one should always try to work the chain on the normal customer service line before turning to CEO's. Try twice, and then ask for a supervisor.)

Jezebel: Celebrity, Sex, Fashion. Without Airbrushing.

Recently garnering media attention for their reward for an un-airbrushed, not-altered cover photograph (follow this link to see the un-doctored Redbook cover featuring Faith Hill), Jezebel is very sharp and to the point when it comes to issues with body image and stardom in general. If you want to see some celebrity images accompanied by fitting and hilarious sarcasm and wit, then Jezebel is the place to go.

You can call me flower if you want to...

2007-07-19T13:39:00.000-04:00

This cute little bud vase can attach to a window, wall or just about anything. I'd love to have one of these for my office at least to tease myself that there is a living, breathing world outside my office walls.

$6.99 from Perpetual Kid

Link

"La, a note to follow so"? That's lame.

2007-07-19T10:04:00.000-04:00

From Atypk, glasses that sing (and can be tuned!).

$26.75 for 6 glasses

Link

2007-07-17T13:59:00.000-04:00

If you have ever met me in real life, then you know that I am nothing close to a vegetarian. What's my favorite foods, you ask? Ribs and bacon. So I was quite please to find this array of bacon products from Archie McPhee:

(from left to right) Bacon Flavored Toothpicks, set of 2 $4.95; Bacon Gift Wrap, set of 2 $7.95 each; Bacon Air Freshener, set of 3 $4.95

Link to Bacon Section

Oral Fixation anyone?

2007-07-17T13:55:00.001-04:00

Sigmund Freud lollipops, how genius! I bet they'd be a great present for any repressed friend!

Link via PopGadget

For the people whose dogs are their children

2007-07-17T13:04:00.000-04:00

Planning your next vacation? Can't bear the thought of little Rover being left behind while you go and enjoy the time of your life? Well here are some options to help ease the mind and calm the puppy heart:

BringFido.com is a site where you can search for pet-friendly accomodations. You can either search for a hotel where you plan on vacation, or plan your vacation around some of the most pet-friendly hotels. Link

Best Friends Fur Ever is a doggie spa/camp/sitter/boarding that is really a cut above the rest. They have a large space for the dogs to run and play (pictured above) as well as indoor rooms for them to run around in. At night, everyone hangs out on beanbag chairs and watches Animal Planet as the evening winds down. During the night, the dogs listen to classical music and have a 24-hour veterinarian on call in case anything should arise. Still worried? You can always go to their website and watch your dog while they play.

If you aren't planning on going on any trips without Rover, they have field trips that you can take your pooch on. Link

Here fishy fishy...hey! Don't drink my martini!

2007-07-17T12:47:00.000-04:00

The Clear Seal coffee table fish tank. Fish by themselves are really not too exciting to have as pets. They swim, they eat, they poo...can't really cuddle them and they don't respond to attention. So this would turn the fish into more of an art piece, having them around to look at.

Link via Cribcandy

Doodling has always been a hobby of mine

2007-07-17T12:40:00.001-04:00

For $13.75 per yard from eQuilter, this is cloth that behaves like a chalkboard. You can write all over it and erase it. I think it'd be great to use on walls just as a little clever twist.

Link via CribCandy

The magic of colored lights

2007-07-17T12:31:00.000-04:00

More from Jellio: a LiteBright coffee table. You can change up the pegs and make any design you want.

Could be easily made, provided one could find some pegs.

Link via CribCandy

You have died of Typhoid.

2007-07-17T11:16:00.000-04:00

I remember the days of Oregon Trail. My elementary school only had about 8 computers, so we all were timed and had to take turns (or die off quickly).

VirtualApple has an Oregon Trail emulator so that you can experience that same joy again (just try not to drown your buffalo).

Link

Poor Edgar, spending eternity with his mother-in-law

2007-07-17T10:26:00.000-04:00

Find A Grave is a neat site where you can locate the gravesites of just about anyone notable. In If we ever had some zombie problems in my state, I'd have Fred Gwynne (who played Hermann on the Munsters), Johnny Unitas and F. Scott Fitzgerald to shoot down.

Link

Jellyvision is awesome

2007-07-17T10:19:00.001-04:00

Those hep cats over at Jellyvision now have an online version of everyone's favorite gameshow, You Don't Know Jack!

If you have never played YDKJ before (and subsequently never had your butt handed to you on a silver platter by me), then I suggest you follow the link below and play at least one game. The online games are only 7 questions wrong but are full of hilarity. (Pictured to the left would be my favorite YDKJ game, "The Ride")

Link

Great Color Schemes

2007-07-11T14:51:00.000-04:00

Colourlovers know what they are doing. Taken from great works of art, aren't these color palettes just scrumptious? I think they'd make great color schemes for just about any room in a house.

Link (with more tasty palettes) via Neatorama

Mmm...table

2007-07-11T14:48:00.000-04:00

For the pastry lover in us all, Jellio brings us the cupcake table (or Birthday table, as they call it). Anyone else have the urge to buy one and then make the biggest cupcake ever?

Link via Neatorama

Qutie possibly the cutest dog ever

2007-07-11T14:29:00.000-04:00

Meet Heart-kun, a chihuahua with a perfect heart spot on his back. So adorable!

Now if only they could breed a dog to all have heart spots!

Link via Neatorama

Everyone's favorite aging metal supergroup

2007-07-11T14:23:00.000-04:00

You can catch the videos of Spinal Tap from the Live Earth (aka Al Gore) concerts. They do Big Bottom, which makes me quite happy.

Link

(If you hadn't seen it, here's the video of the band reuniting: Link)

I want an intern!

2007-07-11T14:18:00.001-04:00

Meet Trevor. He's currently employed by Mentos to sit at a computer and get told what to do. And although this sounds like any college kids' job, he gets told what to do by the general public. You can go to the website below and talk to Trevor and give him things to do to fill up his day (within reason). Great, no?

Link via Neatorama

Excuse me, but "proactive" and "paradigm"? Aren't those just buzzwords that dumb people use to sound important?

2007-06-28T15:33:00.000-04:00

Who doesn't want to have a full mastery of crucial corporate america terms like "outside the box" and "team player"? These corporate flashcards from those silly folks over at Perpetual Kid certainly make me snicker (and would be a great gift for a good-humoured boss or fellow administrative assistant).

$14.49 from Perpetual Kid

Dali Decor

2007-06-28T14:06:00.000-04:00

I love this melting wall clock! You can get one in an array of colors (and two additional shapes) from Pragmatic Effects for $40 + shipping.

(found via Neatorama)

A little Yoshi for my own

2007-06-22T13:36:00.000-04:00

You too can have a little Yoshi made out of paper. Go here, print out the pattern and assemble. They have all kinds of NES characters, even Mario in a bunny suit!

Link

For those crafty types

2007-06-22T13:22:00.001-04:00

Just last night I was thinking about how it's gotten to the point where sewing your own clothes from scratch has gotten more expensive than buying it in the store. Patterns will run you anything from $10 to as much as $30 a piece and although Walmart dollar fabric is still in existence, you can't find something specific for under $5 a yard.

In comes a fantastic resource from Crafy Crafty: free patterns from Burdastyle.com. They have some user-submitted patterns as well as some more complicated and professionally made patterns.

The Holy Grail of Cellphones - June 29th @ 6PM

2007-06-22T12:23:00.000-04:00

Yes, that magical iPhone in all it's clean lines, minimalist glory will be coming out this month. Here's my rundown of who I have found so far that are having contests and giving away these amazing and highly coveted devices:

Gizmodo: create an original invention including specs and pictures. Ends July 10th. Official rules

Popgadget: no details on the contest, just a general note that one is coming.

Daily mental_floss-ing

2007-06-22T11:57:00.000-04:00

A great quiz from those crazy blokes over at mental_floss.

Discontinued Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Flavor or Band I found on MySpace?

(I only got 3 out of 10!)

Fun for a pool...a little to space agey for a bath

2007-06-21T11:10:00.001-04:00

These little lights have suction cups on the back and take only 2 AAA batteries for 120 hours of mood lighting. They advertise them for lights in the bathtub, but I could definitely see them as nice additions to a pool that doesn't have any lights already. A two-pack of lights that change color are about $15.78.

Link

Lady Beth....kind of has a nice ring to it!

2007-06-21T10:48:00.000-04:00

I know that I am certainly not in any way enthralled with the title of Miss or Ms. so this kit from Gadgets.co.uk will get me outfitted with a title that is a little closer to my desired class level: Lady. Apparently all you need to legally have the title of Laird (not Lord, that is a British title and apparently hard to purchase) or Lady in Scotland is to own a piece of land. This sets you up with a chunk, therefore giving you the title and some fringe benefits:

"You will then be sent an official personalised land ownership certificate along with a ‘Proof of Title’ card. This card allows you entry into the Lairds Retreat. This is 10 acres of beautiful land in Argyll which is owned by Scottish Angus Survival. It is located by the banks of Loch Riddon which is viewed by many as one of Scotland’s most beautiful lochs. Full details of the retreat are enclosed in the gift box."

For $59.99, you and your significant other can legally be announced as Laird and Lady _____.

Link

I don't even like gum that much...

2007-06-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

...but for some reason, I adore gum ball machines. I have an old-timey one at my house that's just itching to come out of a box and be useful again, but for now I have a smallish room with very limited table top space. The Bubblegum Fram Dispenser from Gadgets.co.uk is the solution to my problems. I like that you can proudly display this kitsch (and have absolutely no fear of a cat or dog knocking it over and shattering it).

$39.69 from Gadgets.co.uk (via Popgadget)

Certainly cheaper than a negative scanner - The (lacking a good name) Slide And Negative To Digital Picture Converter

2007-06-21T10:29:00.001-04:00

This little box from Hammacher and Schlemmer (the people that have brought us the LP to MP3 converter) can create digital prints out of photo negatives and slides. It doesn't seem like it would be very complicated to use and someone like my great-grandfather (who has been a big photog nut for most of his life) could probably use it to preserve his mountains of photographs. At $99.95, it's definitely cheaper than a good quality photo negative scanner. (I just wonder what kind of quality this box gives out.)

Link (via Popgadget)

"A robin feathering his nest has very little time to rest while gathering his bits of twine and twig..."

2007-06-21T10:19:00.000-04:00

The Songivew In-house Window Feeder. You can have live birds encased in glass in your living room. I could see this being very tranquil (especially when you realize that the birds can't see you).

I think that my cats would have an absolute field day with this...which is another reason to want one.

$97.72 from Amazon (via Popgadget)

This would have helped when I was stuck in Bowser's castle

2007-06-21T10:12:00.000-04:00

The Grow your own 1-Up kit for $8.95 from ThinkGeek. A description from the hilarious folks of Think Geek:

"The instructions are pretty simple. All you do is add potting soil to the green sewer-pipe-shaped flower pot, and push the spores deep into it. Soak the soil with water using the dropper, add a squirt of the food solution, and then it's off to a dark location for a few weeks. We left ours in the darkest corner of our server room, and broke out our NES to relive some classic Mario memories. Three weeks later, we checked in on it. To our surprise, what you see in the photo above is what greeted us - a perfect 1up mushroom. Thrilled, we jumped up in the air, punched the ceiling tiles (earning 10 coins), and instantly bought the entire stock of them to offer to you, our friends. "

Link via Popgadet

I like the idea of confusing guests

2007-06-19T15:15:00.000-04:00

Flat walls made to look curvy with just a little wallpaper. You can send your pattern to Surrealien and a detail of what is on your walls (placement of pictures and doors, etc.) and then they make the wallpaper to your specifications.

I bet I could do this with vertical stripes and paint...hmm.

Link via Make

How many can you name?

2007-06-15T12:38:00.000-04:00

Presenting a cartoon by Tex Avery in 1941. It is comprised solely of caricatures of hollywood movie stars. (Unfortunately it's got the tail end cut off, but what are ya gonna do?) How many of them can you name?

Here's a blogger who put up stills and the names of the person. (I only got about 12 right!)