Friday, August 31, 2007

Clown News

Well-known burger clown controls Japanese minds with caffeine. Victims line up here.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Quote

"An artist never really finishes his work, he merely abandons it." - Paul Valery

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Fact

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Nippon Too Crowded

I know the subways in Japan get pretty crowded, but this Tokyo wave pool...

More George

"No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it's for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having other people buy it for you isn't gift giving, it's the white people version of looting." - George Carlin

Monday, August 27, 2007

Photos



Here's an entertaining photo site called Square America that features snapshots found at flea markets or purchased on EBay.

Best Of CraigsList

Tool for sale.

Friday, August 24, 2007

How To Let Musicians Down

A list by John Moe at McSweeney's.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Mugshots


Mugshots from 1920's Australia.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

White House Manual To Deter Protest

I have been feeling that President Bush hasn't made a true public appearance in years, and now the Washington Post has this piece that pretty much confirms it for me. Of course protest is allowed but "preferably not in the view of the event site or motorcade route." I guess you can go protest at a bowling alley across town.
And this stuff about "rally squads" (Yikes):

"The rally squad's task is to use their signs and banners as shields between the demonstrators and the main press platform. If the demonstrators are yelling, rally squads can begin and lead supportive chants to drown out the protesters (USA!, USA!, USA!). As a last resort, security should remove the demonstrators from the event site."

And then three cheers for the Brown Shirts.

George Carlin

It often seems that as comedians age they soften up a bit and lose some of their edge. Not so for George Carlin. This seventy year old guy who is still pissed off continues to be insightful and wildly entertaining. An example:

"Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to "beef with broccoli." The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high."

Thanks for not mellowing, George.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Errol Morris Blog

Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris has begun writing a blog over at the New York Times about the manipulative power of photographs. First two columns here.

Shipwreck

Here are some images of the wreck of the the ship American Star off the coast of Morocco. Dramatic Google satellite image here. And surreal close photos via Fogonazos.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Very Short Film

the red house
running time: 54 seconds

Monday, August 13, 2007

Fact

China has more English speakers than the United States.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Clown News

National Geographic takes on the subject of "Coulrophobia", the fear of ...well, you know. Woman seeks help to overcome it here:

Fly Spy

Eavesdropping robotic fly via Technology Review.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Hal Fishman


Los Angeles lost one of its sons on Tuesday. KTLA newscaster Hal Fishman was the city's fatherly news figure for almost fifty years. Originally a teacher, he brought his professorial skills to his newscasts and commentaries. He was an author of two books, an avid fan of aviation, and a guy who gave me comfort with his consistency every weekday night at 10pm. And that hair was a thing unto itself!

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Interview

A short exchange between friends about a young man's search for his biological father. Courtesy of StoryCorps.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

U.S. Map As Baseball Teams


Here is a cool map for baseball fans from Strange Maps.

Monday, August 6, 2007

Commercial

This clever ad (I think it's from Germany) is a work of art.

Friday, August 3, 2007

Insourcing

When overseas call centers get too busy, they hire people in America to do it. Story here.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

Sounds Gay

Several studies, including one from Northwestern University, have looked closely at the differing speech patterns of straight and gay men. Apparently lingering on vowels is a give-away. Full story here at Guardian Unlimited.

Baseball's Juice

As Barry Bonds closes in on Hank Aaron's home-run record, Night Swim points out a bit of the old "double standard". Excerpt:

"Way back in the nineties when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa were racking up long balls like the Kennedy's rack up grave plots, there was a lot of talk about the balls being “juiced.” The only conceivable reason for this amazing spike on power had to be a change in the equipment, right? Well, as we now know, it wasn’t the balls that were being juiced… it was the owners. Turns out this new home run derby provided a nice shot of good ‘old American dollars to their fat, white asses... and my, how quickly a Jones develops."

Full post here.

Mauritania Shipwrecks

Photos of shipwrecks via Fogonazos.

New York Photo Permits

There's a dust-up going on in New York where the Mayor's office wants to make it a little harder to take a photograph. Story here. And also here.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Obama And Pakistan

Obama's comments about going after terrorists in Pakistan is sure to generate a lot of talk, and some criticism today, but he's right. If we know Bin Laden was behind 9/11, what the heck is he still doing alive? Here is some of Obama's speech:

"I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

And this assessment of the past years failings:

"Just because the President misrepresents our enemies does not mean we do not have them. The terrorists are at war with us. The threat is from violent extremists who are a small minority of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims, but the threat is real. They distort Islam. They kill man, woman and child; Christian and Hindu, Jew and Muslim. They seek to create a repressive caliphate. To defeat this enemy, we must understand who we are fighting against, and what we are fighting for...
The President would have us believe that every bomb in Baghdad is part of al Qaeda's war against us, not an Iraqi civil war. He elevates al Qaeda in Iraq – which didn't exist before our invasion – and overlooks the people who hit us on 9/11, who are training new recruits in Pakistan. He lumps together groups with very different goals: al Qaeda and Iran, Shiite militias and Sunni insurgents. He confuses our mission...
By refusing to end the war in Iraq, President Bush is giving the terrorists what they really want, and what the Congress voted to give them in 2002: a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.
When I am President, we will wage the war that has to be won, with a comprehensive strategy with five elements: getting out of Iraq and on to the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan; developing the capabilities and partnerships we need to take out the terrorists and the world's most deadly weapons; engaging the world to dry up support for terror and extremism; restoring our values; and securing a more resilient homeland."

I only wish we didn't have to wait two more years...