Anna Nicole! Britney! Idiots! Copernicus!

Hello,
A little warmer here, but with some more snow now. This weekend is giving a little warmth that is starting to hint at spring. (Maybe that groundhog was right after all!)

Anna Nicole, Anna Nicole, Anna Nicole. Argh! I ran across this article about how television is failing the public because of the obsession on non-news disguised as important news. I could not agree with this more. It is unbelievable how her death has taken more air time than President Ford's death, or even the North Korean six party talks, the "Scooter" Lewis Libby trial, Iranian nuclear news, bombs in Thailand, or anything else that is, well, news.

I just saw the movie Idiocracy this weekend. It deals with a man frozen until the year 2505 where he wakes to find society is so dumbed down due to celebrity worship, commercialization, mass media/entertainment, and larger number of children from lower intelligence families. While it was mainly a dumb comedy (and a pretty funny one at that), there was a hint of horror there because you can really see things moving that way. I recommend the movie, but be aware there is a high amount of very bad language and sexual and bathroom humor. But it fits in with the analysis of...

...oh wait! There's new Britney news! Hooray! Let's see what top celebrity psychiatrists say about her bald headed, rehabbin', tattooin', partying like she's crazy lifestyle! We need a replacement when this Anna Nicole stuff dies down anyway!

Other bits:

• A different kind of crazy: Texas Republican Chairman Warren Chisum believes the earth stands still and the sun rotates around it. And he's distributing memos to legislators pitching this knowledge.
• A bit of fun: the Line Rider is a fun little online diversion. Give it a try and check out some of the saved movies.

Books and other links

Hi,
I'm giving an online site called LibraryThing a try. It is essentially a tag-based online cataloging tool for your books. You can then share links, review, get recommendations, and so forth. I've been plugging in my books (far from over) before realizing there is a 200 book limit for free accounts. If I like it enough, the lifetime membership only costs 25 bucks, so that's a pretty good deal. You can find my library by following this link.


Other stories:

• The big story today is Anna Nicole Smith's death, I guess. It's sad, but I'm not quite sure if I'm watching a soap opera or not at this point.
• The CSPI picks the best and worst fast foods. Bad news, Burger King. Not only is your mascot creepy, your food is dangerous too.
• Now that the Super Bowl is over, what happens to all those losing team championship shirts and hats? I've actually wondered about this in the past, so I was pleased to run across this article about it.
• And finally, for you deep thinkers, the 11 most important philosophical questions. Why eleven? Good question... think on that.
  

Boston police work, oil profits, shared spelling

Hello!

More ranting by Boston on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force publicity stunt. They've been talking about suing them for the "hoax" (which there is no hoax that I can see. The devices aren't intended to look like bombs.) If these devices looked to be a threat, then I think the people of Boston should sue their city for not reacting until three weeks after these things were placed. That's some top notch policing. But, I also don't see how the Lite-Brite like devices would be thought of as a terrorist threat. What terrorist puts colorful LEDs in the shapes of cartoon characters on their bombs? Is Boston more used to dealing with the Joker and the Riddler instead of Al Qaida?

Other stuff:

• Exxon Mobil posts the biggest profit ever in US history. Whew! I was so worried that those fluctuating oil prices would hurt them!
• Tonight, I spent way too much time on WannaSpell.com, which is a shared whiteboard with "magnetic" letters you can drag around. It was fun and frustrating. There were bits of collective comedy laughs, but you are also always fighting everyone else's agenda on it (and then eventually a group of people start dragging all the letters into a corner). Check it out to see what I mean.
  

Coffee, ATHF scare, big boss battle

Welcome from the cold in Whitmarshall!

Here are a few items for today:

• Coffee taste test, and who beats Starbucks? McDonald's wins. I'm not a coffee drinker myself, but how can McDonald's be better when it is obviously much cheaper than Starbucks?
• Aqua Teen Hunger Force viral ads cause Boston bomb scare. Hey, what do you know? Viral marketing does work!
• Think it's time to pack away that old generation Playstation 2? You need to check out this video of the first boss battle in God of War 2.
  

Applebee three, hogfather, computer interfaces

Hello!
I went to Applebee's the other night, and the meal was fine. The one thing I don't understand is why, every time I'm there, they have three girls standing by the door. Are they extra employees in case there is a rush? No, because it was busy there last night, but there were still always three or four of them there. They even sometimes send two of them to seat new patrons. So are they trainees? I don't think so, because it is always like that. I'm not sure why a manager would pay for them all to just stand around there. Maybe I don't understand the restaurant business.

Links for today:

• Terry Pratchett Discworld fan? The UK Sky One adaptation of Hogfather is online (not sure how official the links are, though).
• There are some interesting new interface projects out there, like the Bumptop (video on YouTube). I certainly think this one is cool, but I don't really see it as practical.
• Something else is the D'Fusion system of integrating CGI realtime with video. Very cool.

Idol authenticity?

I'm watching "American Idol" as I write this (please forgive me), and something about it has bothered me (past seasons as well). And maybe I should say there are many things about it that bothers me, but I'm going to bring up one in particular. In the later half of the show, they show a little bit of strung together clips of losing auditioners singing the same song (tonight's was Lionel Ritchie's "All Night Long"). This montage includes some of the losers that stormed out in high emotion or in a rage. So I'm to believe they were willing to come back to sing a little bit for comedic purposes? Or do they film that song before the people audition? It all seems a little phony to me. I don't doubt that there are people so delusional that they think they've got a chance when they can't sing, but I suspect that a lot more of them are phonies or plants.

Plus, I think that Ryan Seacrest might be a muppet.

Activist judges, average iq, villager villains, punch out

Snowy day here in Whitmarshall. Thought we'd miss most of it this winter, but snow is now all around.
Links:

• Attorney General Gonzales raps 'activist' judges, saying that federal judges can not make rulings (or judge, ahem) matters of national security. He says they should defer to the President and Congress. But wouldn't that be disabling one of the checks and balances from the three equal parts of government? I don't know what to say: I'm torn between my confusion on how we have cabinet members that don't understand the basics of government, and my obedience of Big Brother. He's double-plus good! All hail Oceania!
• Average IQ Map of the World. Uh-oh, changed my mind: All hail Eastasia! (This Wikipedia page is flagged for possible deletion, so view it before it goes away.)
• Entire village suspects in mayor's murder. Wow, must have been a well liked politician. Darn those activist villagers!
• Sorry to link another live-action video game recreation, but this live action Mike Tyson's Punch Out was pretty humorous for those that remember the game.

Uncanny Orville, below average children

Hello!
I watched bits and pieces of the Golden Globes (though I usually try to avoid the big awards shows), and the thing that disturbed me most was the new Orville Redenbacher commercial. Yikes! That's creepy. Why do we always need to use dead spokespeople? I'm more or less OK with it if it is an animated cartoon capturing the trademarked image, like the animated Colonel Sanders from a few years back. But integrating old footage of a celebrity or creating a computer generated version of a dead spokesperson is just weird and seems kind of disrespectful. Did these people say from their deathbed "Please, if technology provides a way to milk my image for corporate gain, please do so!"

Switching topics: I ran across this article that says you can't blame schools and teachers for American woes because intelligence, not education, is part of the problem. The author points out that half of all children are below average, and I guess I can't argue with that. I think there are definitely problems in educational systems (and discipline and parental guidance, and such), but the article has some interesting points.

Apple phone, singing, sodium, virtual reality

Hello on this cold January weekend. A small potpourri of links for you today:

• One of the big tech stories recently has been the (currently named) Apple iPhone. Check out Gizmodo's Macworld 2007 iPhone coverage for details and pictures. Pricey, but I got to admit I checked out Cingular's website to find that, alas, they have no service in my area. That's probably for the best; I'd like to see this thing in the real world for a while to see if it lives up to the hype.
• Speaking of the hype, Conan O'Brien's show has captured it in this iPhone parody commercial.
• While we're linking videos, here's a couple more.
• An older one, but still good. Amazing splicing creates George W. Bush singing 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'.
• Here's an even older one; old newsreel footage of the government disposing of sodium by dumping it in a lake. What, didn't they pay attention in chemistry class?

• Lastly, here's an article about businesses embracing virtual reality. It has a mention of the Iowa State University facility. I saw a predecessor of it years ago, but I'm sure the new one is more impressive. (But not as impressive as the iPhone.)
  

College saga video

Hello!
I ran across the following video from Kotaku. The website it was linked from looks like it is down (must have been too much traffic), but I found the 4 episodes in the series on YouTube. It is a live action parody of the Final Fantasy games (with a little Zelda and other pop culture references thrown in). If you weren't a Final Fantasy geek like me, you'll probably not get it. I thought it was funny, but the story gets really pretty lame as it goes.
Enjoy! (And episodes 2 - 4 are on YouTube, if you want to continue. It is called "College Saga".)

Saddam spectacle, fringe economy, apple suits, back taxes

Last post of 2006! Hope you all have a fun and safe New Year's celebration!
A few items to read when you have the day off work tomorrow:

• Saddam execution shown on tv and web (links to a story about this; I'm not linking to any execution footage). I hope I'm not the only one that finds this absolutely horrendous. I will not be looking for this footage. I don't care what you thought of him, I think it is disturbing that anyone would want to watch footage of someone dying. It is vengeful thinking or extreme morbid curiosity. For it to be shown on CNN and Fox is no better, in my opinion, then terrorists floating around videos of killing captives. (And yes, I know those were available on the web too, and that people here would want to watch that makes me sick.) The trial and fact he was executed is certainly news, but that can be covered adequately without showing this footage. I fear it is only a few years before real executions are part of America's reality tv culture. Time to rebuild the Coliseum for gruesome entertainment!
  
• Millions living in America's "fringe economy". Read this if you get a chance, because it was fascinating and sad. It is amazing to think about how much money these people are losing, just in order to survive. It also will further divide the rich from the poor in this country.
• Apple facing more lawsuits: Is iTunes/iPod an illegal monopoly? Does the iBook G4 logic board fail at an unusually high rate? Does the Nike/iPod infringe on patents? Stay tuned in 2007 for the exciting answers!
• Mystery billionaire pays $200M in CA back taxes, almost single-handedly closing their revenue shortfall. That's a lot of tax, and my question is how did the state not know someone owed $200 million?
  

Tough job, expiring leader, apple options

Here's a few more links for you:

• Think your job is bad? This guy was arrested for barring his employees from leaving, under feeding them, and arranging beatings. But what is the health insurance like?
• Saddam to be hanged by Sunday. Or one of his many look-alikes will be hung. Hmmm.
• Questions raised in Apple stock options. But then they gave the investigator iPods and no one cared anymore.
  

Ford, fees, finds, fun, fleece

Happy Holidays! I hope your holidays are going well; mine have been great!
Here's a few quick links for you to browse while finishing off the Christmas cookies:

• President Gerald Ford passed away this week. The link goes to various quotes from the former president.
• Might be a bit late for your holiday travels, but it's worth reviewing the 35 most outrageous fees (and how to avoid them).
• As we reach the close of 2006, what have we learned? 50 things we know now that we didn't know at the same point in 2005.
• At ROXIK, there is a cool interactive drag-and-drop people in the wind thing. (Better to see than to take my feeble description.)
• Lastly, a couple of fun looking projects at Instructables:
• Customizable fleece hats for the cold winters ahead.
• Low cost illuminated signage for your leftover Christmas lights.
  

Eragon

Tonight, I went to the movie Eragon. I've not read the book, but thought it looked to be OK based on the commercials. It is maybe geared for a slightly younger audience (as long as they like a little blood and violence). The effects are alright, but I noticed something early on about the plot.

At this point, I will reveal a lot of spoilers, so stop reading if you don't want to know.

Eragon is Star Wars.
Please see the following plot summary that applies to both movies:

• The knights rule peacefully until one betrays them and ends up wiping them all out.
• A princess steals something that belongs to the head bad guy.
• The thing ends up in the hands of a small town farm boy.
• The farm boy meets up with a mysterious stranger with a noble past.
• The farm boy realizes he might have a destiny.
• The bad guys (technically the ruling empire) kill the farm boy's uncle.
• The farm is burned down.
• The farm boy and the mysterious old, oh let's say knight/wizard, go on the run.
• The knight/wizard helps the farm boy learn to tap into his magical powers.
  
• They are looking to meet up with the rebels.
• They take a detour to save the princess from the bad guys' stronghold.
• The older knight/wizard is fatally wounded and dies during this.
• They are helped by a scoundrel with a shady past, but ultimately a good heart.
• The farm boy, princess, and scoundrel meet up with the rebels.
• The rebels and bad guys fight.
• The farm boy plays the critical role that wins them the fight. This involves fancy flying and trusting in yourself.
  

The evil king lives on for the next movie, and I will cringe if we find out he is the farm boy's real father. Sorry, I suppose I should have also included a Star Wars spoiler warning for you as well.

It wasn't a terrible movie (not nearly as good as when it was Star Wars, of course), but the pacing was bad. Everything happened so fast that you never really cared about any of them, and never felt that it was even remotely believable (for a movie about dragons and magic, that is).

Ageless turtles, coicidence, bad hack, vacuum shoes

Hi, just a few items for you today:

• Turtles may be immortal. Bow before the might of Turtle!
• 15 strange coincidences. Includes that tired Lincoln/Kennedy one. The others are interesting, but I wonder how many are just urban myth or stories.
• Logic bomb backfires on hacker and costs him $23,000. Well thought out, sir.
• Electrolux unveils "vacuum shoes" concept. Great, how am I supposed to walk under the coffee tables?
  

Country quiz, seven wonders, scams, txting

Here's a few items for the day:

• World geography quiz; a cool little test that I unfortunately did not do as well at as I'd hoped.
• The Seven Wonders of every US State, of the ones I looked at there are a lot of not so impressive wonders.
• Keep your eyes open for the top 10 scams of the year. I guess I take for granted that some of these scams would be obviously suspicious to most people, but apparently a lot of money is lost to them.
• Text messaging blamed for bad English. I'm totally fine with texting where appropriate, but I think it is disappointing that people can't write more formally, IMHO.
  

Food safety, nullity, scary mary, scrubs Christmas

Hi, here's some things to look at:

• Nine people get food poisoning at a buffet at a food handling training conference. I suppose that's one way to train. Kind of like letting your kid touch the hot pot on the stove. They won't do it again (and may need medical attention).
• A computer scientist has solved the age old "divide by zero" problem by inventing a new "number" called "nullity". So dividing anything by 0 results in nullity. Wait, how does this solve anything? I agree with one comment poster that divide by zero isn't a computer "problem", it is an exception and the problem is if the programmer didn't handle it correctly. Also, I need more things "in quotes".
  
• I don't browse a lot of YouTube (usually finding things from external links instead), but occasionally there's some good things out there. Like this clever recut of Mary Poppins footage to make it looks like a horror movie "Scary Mary".
• Or, this clip of the Charlie Brown Christmas redubbed by the cast of Scrubs. Ha!

Healthy states, evd, gadget bag, lottery prank, player displays

Hello, new collection of items for you today:

• Hey, I'm in the healthiest state in the union! I'm sure Whitmarshall is greatly influencing that rating.
• Can't decide between Blu-ray and HD-DVD? Just wait for the EVD format when China takes over the world.
• I don't need this at all but thought it was a cool idea: Elekson's keyboard/gadget bag.
• If you were thinking about creating a fake winning lottery ticket as a prank, don't.
• Pitch speed meters, digital line markers, the glowing FOX hockey puck? All ancient technology. What's next? Electroluminescent displays on player uniforms.
  

Trivia, vista, digestion, ps4, riddles, hamster

Hello! Here are a few interesting things to take up your time:

• 50 Things Everyone Should Know (or 50 useless, but mildly interesting facts). It is a nice list of trivia, and since I found it on the Internet, I can only guess that some of it might be true.
• Why Vista might be the last of its kind. An interesting perspective on Microsoft Vista (versus Google tools and such). The thing I found most amazing in the article was that it took Microsoft 10,000 employees for 5 years to create Vista! Wow!
• Can't finish that last bit of food? You can put it in the digestive table, which is simultaneously neat and gross.
• I haven't gone for a Sony PS3 yet, but why bother now that they've announced the PS4 will be available shortly (in 2010)?
  

Site of the day:

Weff Riddles - a very fun and challenging web puzzle path. It was refreshing how clever it is even though it is very low-tech.

And just for fun, here's a clever and cute YouTube video of a live action hamster video game:

Seven wonders

Hello!
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I haven't been really motivated to post due to the extremely low readership of this blog. If you are reading and like it, spread the word!

Anyway today I took a look at the New 7 Wonders site. The idea here is that since only one of the original seven wonders of the world still stands (Great Pyramids), that they are going to vote in seven new wonders. The list is down to 21 candidates, and you can vote via the site or phone until July. I think this is a cool idea, but what I'd really love is if they started rebuilding/restoring the original seven wonders. Who wouldn't want to visit the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? In general, I think the world has a vast shortage of Colossi, as it is.