October 31, 2003

Happy Halloween!

Today's entry for This Is Broken made me laugh out loud. Especially the second picture.

Good Experience | This Is Broken

October 30, 2003

Tina rocks so big.

She sent me this link yesterday, and I just got around to checking it out. I'm in lurve. I want ALL of them.

Flying Pig Gallery | Paper automata
Okay. Two problems with this.

1) If it's protecting CHILDREN why isn't it "Protection From Child Pornography Week?" (tip from numberonehitsong.com)

2) He'd probably get a lot more support if it was "Protection From Pornography SPAM Week." I'd consider voting him back into office if he could rid my In box of ads for horny housewives and men who are, apparently, three inches too small.

Nah. I'd still vote against him. But I'd give him props for helpin' me out.

Protection From Pornography Week 2003

October 29, 2003

Perplexing. Truly perplexing.

I've never understood why people pronounce this word "asterIKS" or "asterIK." But what I find absolutely mysterious is the 1.36% of the participants who chose "Other" as their answer in this survey.

Dialect Survey Results

If you like words, the rest of the site will probably make you laugh and cry more than an Amy Tan novel. (via the delightful languagehat.com)

October 27, 2003

The things you can buy on the interweb...

Robber Rabbit's Internet Tat Shop
Next time you're in Hamburg or Berlin

...save some serious money on a rental car. Rent a Maxhopp car for one Euro/day (about $1.10). Get an environmentally friendly car for exactly three days and agree to drive at least 30 km/day. What's the catch? There isn't one. Maxhopp vehicles are plastered with advertisements -- you drive 'em around, you get 'em dirt cheap. Now THAT's cool.

Maxhopp | Rent a car for a euro a day
Niiiiiice.

via veer.com

CrushedCans - Buy One Today!!!
Okay. This is being blogged all over the place.

But there's a reason for that. It's just bizarre. Not so much for the obvious reasons, but because the guy's been struck by lightning TWICE during the shoot.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Jesus actor struck by lightning

October 26, 2003

This just made me laugh.

Folks have done many strange things over the years in an effort to beat the [breathalyzer]. In a case heard in an Alberta courtroom in March 1985, 28-year-old Dave Zurfluh who was stopped on suspicion of driving while under the influence ate his undershorts in the belief they would soak up the excess alcohol in his system. According to Constable Bill Robinson, the arresting officer, he heard 'some ripping and tearing' from the back of the cruiser. 'I looked in the back and he was tearing pieces of the crotch of his underwear out and stuffing them in his mouth,' Robinson testified.

Urban Legends Reference Pages | Take My Breath Away
Fremps. On so very many levels.

Via b3ta.com. Of course. Double A's good intentions simply don't make up for the fremps-inducing awfulness of this.

Celebrity mental health patient Adam Ant has been all over the UK tabloids with his new version of his 80s hit Stand and Deliver. Called Save the Gorillas it's a charming plea on behalf of the Dian Fossey foundation. But what we really enjoyed is this unplugged style video showing Adam really enjoying recording the song. He looks really chipper.

Adam Ant - Save the Gorilla
Hard to believe

I was just dragging my roll-y luggage through this very train station three days ago.

(I have to give Tunick credit for being able to coordinate these shoots. And the final product of his photography is quite beautiful. But I think it's time to move on from the mass nudity thing. Just a thought.)

CNN.com - Women join New York nude photo shoot - Oct. 26, 2003
It was worth checking out the article...

...just for the bit below.

Paramedics took the six squirming boys to the nearby Royal Berkshire Hospital, where they were monitored until the effects wore off.

(Someone's dad is squirming, too, I bet.)

CNN.com - Schoolboys took Viagra at lunch

October 24, 2003

So incredibly sad.

I was out with my friends tonight when I heard about Elliott Smith's suicide. I've been locked up in conference rooms or on the road for two days and hadn't heard.

Wow.

When I was surfing around trying to find out more information, I ran across this. First, I was surprised to find that Margaret Cho (yes, Bradley -- the comedienne) has a blog. Second, I was surprised to find out she's such a big Elliott Smith fan. Third, this bit of what she wrote (below) is exactly what I'd love to hear if I was a singer/songwriter. I wonder if he had any idea the incredibly tender feelings his music provoked in people?

One time I was in Portland on tour, an early morning before I was about to leave for home and I walked into a bagel shop. You were there, not in person, but your record was playing. The sleepy, baby cute hippie kid behind the counter was singing along to you, quiet just like you, and he knew every word. There was another raggedy girl cleaning up tables behind me, and she was singing too. Then this other kid came into the shop, and waited in line, and he was singing - as if on cue, a little off key, but almost in harmony. Pretty soon, so was I. But we were all in our own private worlds, our voices barely audible, singing only for ourselves. Were you singing for yourself? I hope so. I hope that you could love your music like it was loved by everyone else.

Margaret Cho BLOG

October 21, 2003

Yes. Absolutely.

This perfectly describes one of our clients, who shall remain nameless. But I'll be seeing her in the next few days, and I may leave this on her chair. Anonymously. Then I'll run like hell.
(thanks for the link, Anne!)

Toothpaste For Dinner | Bang this out

October 20, 2003

This actually made me laugh.

Sad that people have to take this particular problem into their own hands. But at least this offers a cheap solution.

Knee Defender | protect against reclining seatbacks on airplanes

The courtesy card on this page is particularly fab. Unfortunately, you can pretty much guess how well this will go over with most airline passengers...or maybe I just don't have enough faith in the sensitivity of my fellow passengers.

October 19, 2003

The more I think about it...

...the more I realize: this really IS the dumbest stunt an intelligent person could do without a moral or ethical reason for doing it. No wonder the British are pelting him with food.

Blaine in Poor Health, Nutritionist Says

October 17, 2003

Oooh. A new approach to an old medium?

What a intriguing way to generate some curiosity about a new novel by a good author -- a web site that tantalizes with little scenes and clues from the book. Kinda reminds me of the Donny Darko web site, but I've never seen anything like this for a novel.

It's a shame the site is so damn pokey and wastes so much time getting into any kind of narrative. But it's definitely still interesting enough to blog.

Be sure to click "low resolution" on the intro screen. And hang tight through the first few minutes. It does get more interesting.

HEY, NOSTRADAMUS! The New Novel by Douglas Coupland

October 16, 2003

I find sites like this equally fascinating and unsettling.

You have the voyeuristic thrill of reading other people's anonymous confessions, but then you have to realize that real people wrote them.

Hmm.

grouphug | let it all out
I admit it. I'm a complete robot dork.

But, c'mon -- it seems like everyone is coming out with really cool ones right now.

Paul sent me this link last week -- I loved it. But, I swear, I nearly cooed watching this, starring the same little robot guy:
Hoap signs his name
Schadenfreude.

The whole site will make you feel better about looking less than perfect and not having spent a gazillion bucks to do it.

But I must confess...Meg Ryan's continuing transformation into silly putty is just depressing.

Awful Plastic Surgery: More Meg Ryan

October 14, 2003

Huzzah!

Milwaukee rates #25 on Forbe's list of Best Cities for Singles. It may not be great, but -- take THAT, Portland (#26).

A tale of cool cities | csmonitor.com

October 09, 2003

Oh...the many, many times I've felt this sentiment...

Maybe there's something wrong with me since I don't find either of the following fascinating:
1) Babies.
2) Weddings.

So these these rock, as far as I'm concerned.
WOW.

Armageddon! Armageddon! Cows, run for your lives!

FOXNews.com | Lightning Kills 20 Pregnant Cows

October 06, 2003

Proof that some people just shouldn't breed.

[...]The 2000 social security records reveal that 24 children were named Unique.

More on kids' names that are just stupid:

NEWS.com.au | Branded anything but Unique (September 29, 2003)
Bradley's got a blog.

There's something strange about blogging a blog -- kind of puts me in the mind of one of those mirror in a mirror in a mirror thingies. But I do feel like I should promote the blog of my lovely friend and favoritist wannabe giant, Bradley:

Wannabe Giant

October 03, 2003

Keeping with a drawing theme today...

When you listen to Radiohead, you're no longer actually listening to Radiohead -- you're listening to everyone's opinion about Radiohead. It's impossible to separate what you hear from what you've read. You are betrayed by what you know, and you know way too much.

Thus, in order to solicit an honest, undiluted opinion about Radiohead, you've have to find the proverbial People Living Under Rockes. As People Living Under Rocks are unavailable, let's use fifth graders.

East Bay Express | Radiohead Rorschach - Rob Harvilla
It's like a children's book for adults.

The Bearskinrug Sketchbook
The poor man's iPod.

Can't afford an iPod? The cracking geniuses at b3ta.com can help. They've found a paper template that you can cut out, wrap around a cigarette packet and use to impress the opposite sex with your edgy techno allure. Brilliant.

Cheap iPod