Ever see a movie with a kickass soundtrack, only to find out the soundtrack sucks? Sometimes, the music has nothing whatsoever to do with the film. The worst of all the soundtracks is "Music Inspired by" nonsense.

Which brings me to "The Transporter." Its a half decent, Hong Kong style shoot 'em up with a coupla good chase scenes, too. My favorite aspect of the film was the odd juxtasposition of funky, goofy music during fairly straight forward fight scenes.

My favorite example of this is major fight scene about 35 minutes into the film. The cut "Fighting man" by DJ Pone & Drixxxe is playing the whole time. Its a bizarre, almost tongue-in-cheek soundtrack.

If you like this tune, or any of the music from the film, unfortuantely, you cannot order the actual soundtrack in the U.S. Instead, you can only get the never any good "Music inspired by the movie."

Yeah, it was so inspirational, the director and musical coordinator decided to use none of it. Sheesh!

There is some good news -- you can actually order the original film soundtrack via Amazon UK:
The Transporter [SOUNDTRACK]
by Stanley Clarke
Label: Eastwest
ASIN: B00006MLR1 (Catalogue Number: 5046609612)

And while you are here, check out Fighting man by DJ Pone & Drixxxe.

After you listen to this, come back and post a comment if you think this goofy tune could possibly work as the track for a big fists, feet and gun fight. In the film, it really gives the scene an interestingly amusing flavor. (I found it hilarious). But it works . . .

Posted at 11:49 PM in Film, Music, Shopping | Permalink | Comments (64) | TrackBack

Photo by NASA, the Hubble Heritage Team (AURA/STScI).

The Carina Nebula: A montage of four April 1999 telescope pointings with six color filters produced this revealing image of the "Keyhole Nebula." The circular structure contains bright filaments of hot, fluorescing gas, and dark silhouetted clouds of cold molecules and dust-all in rapid chaotic motion. Some small dark globules in the image may be collapsing to form new stars. Located about 8,000 light-years from Earth in the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372), the "Keyhole" was named in the 19th century.

Source
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/hubble/index.htm

Posted at 06:00 AM in Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

When in the greater Chicago area, you must eat hot dogs. This one is my favorite:

Right about the time this blog note gets posted, I'll be woofing down some Superdawg!
(One superdawg, one whoopski dog, both extra onions).

Source:
Superdawg

Posted at 06:00 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Photo by Jeff Hester and Paul Scowen
(Arizona State University) and NASA

Stellar Eggs: In one of the most famous and often reprinted Hubble images, the orbiting camera captured this eerie glowing pillar of cool molecular hydrogen gas and dust in the "Eagle Nebula" (M-16), 7,000 light-years away in the constellation Serpens. New stars are incubating at the top, embedded inside the finger like protrusions. Each "fingertip" is larger than our own solar system. The pillar is slowly eroding away under attack by ultraviolet light from hot stars outside the frame.

Source
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/hubble/index.htm

Posted at 06:00 AM in Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

credit: Photo by Wolfgang Brandner (JPL/IPAC), Eva K. Grebel (University
of Washington), You-Hua Chu (University Illinois Urbana-Champaign) and NASA

Life Cycle of Stars: This one picture of the giant galactic nebula NGC 3603 captures various stages in the life cycle of stars. Upper right of center, for example, is the evolved blue supergiant Sher 25, with a ring of glowing gas. Near the center is a so-called starburst cluster dominated by younger, hot stars whose ionizing radiation and high-speed "winds" have blown a large cavity around them. (These violent emissions have also sculpted giant gaseous pillars from the cold molecular-hydrogen cloud.) The dark clouds at upper right are believed to represent an even earlier stage of star formation.

Source
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/hubble/index.htm

Posted at 06:00 PM in Science | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Since today is black friday -- the busiest shopping day of the year -- and so many of you probably don't ant to brave the crush of the stores, or (gasp!) the mall, try shopping from the comfort of your own home:
Look for the best prices on DVDs with DVD Price Search Engine.

Its a good way to comparison shop Online.

Here's the obligatory excerpt from dvdpricesearch.com's site:

Besides keeping you informed of the latest DVD coupons, bargains and specials on the web, DVD Price Search helps you compare prices on the newest and hottest DVD movies. Price comparison shopping online has never been easier with our search engine which is capable of finding those hidden deals that other price comparison websites just don't know about!

Hat tip to linkfilter

Posted at 06:00 AM in Film, Shopping, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Ever work for morons?

Oh, I have. Here's the tale, apropos of the Thanksgiving Holiday:

I worked at a firm some years ago, where the senior partners (there were 3) were not the brightest tools in the shed. They managed to put together a money-making firm, but that was merely proof that intelligence is not a prerequisite for profitability, as I was about to find out in painful detail.

We go to Chicago every year -- its become a family tradition. The first year I worked at the firm, I told the management brain trust the week before Thanksgiving that I was spending the holiday in Chicago. I repeated this info on the way out the door Wednesday.

“Happy holidays!”

"Have a safe flight!"

“You too!”

We had a very nice weekend in Chi-Town, eating our way across the city. Then, it was back home by late Sunday, and in to work on time on Monday. I'm not at my desk for more than 5 minutes, when one of the assistants sees me, and whispers conspiratorially: “The partners want to see you – they are very very angry.”

I go in to see them, very casual. Hey, I’m just coming off a four day weekend, and I know I didn’t doing anything wrong, so I really don't give a shit if they had too much triptophan or not.

“Where WERE YOU Friday?” these future Nobel Laurelates ask me.

“Um, Chicago, like I told you.” I said. “We discussed this on Wednesday.”

“But why didn't you call to say you weren't coming in on Friday?” asked one member of team Mensa.

“What am I missing here?” I asked innocently. I could feel my blood pressure start percolating, and my natural impatience was starting to show through.

“You never told us you weren’t coming in on Friday” was the reply. I made a mental note to call the MacArthur Foundation, just to tell them their money was no good here.

My prior attempts to keep myself out of confrontation mode was getting no where. These guys are salesman, and the only thing they TRULY respect was a strong close. So I went at 'em:

“You know where Chicago is, right? It’s over 1000 miles away -- What did you expect, I was going to fly to Chi-town, wuff down some turkey, and turnaround and come back home THAT NIGHT – just to come in for a half a day, one of the slowest days of the year?

Nobody answered, they just had that blank stare you see on people who have taken one-too-many-acid trips. So I pressed my point home:

NOBODY REALLY EXPECTED ME TO FLY BACK HERE FOR A HALF DAY, RIGHT? RIGHT?”

“Um, no of course not. But you need to tell us when you are taking a day off.”

“I did that. I said I was going to Chicago for the weekend. Is there anything else?"

“No.”

“O.K. I got work to do. I’ll see ya later.”

No one else said a word.

And that’s how I learned I worked for the dumbest motherfuckers on the planet.

Posted at 02:00 AM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Roof Sex: An absolutely hysterical 1 minute stop-motion animated short from the creative minds at Eat PES. The best description of this film would be "recliners bumpin' uglies." (Be sure to watch thru the credits).

There is also a very funny commercial for the Discovery Channel/TLC called Beasty Boy.

Credits: Roof Sex
Written, Directed and Animated by PES
Edited by Sam Welch/Homestead Editorial NYC
Cinematography by Mai Iskander
Produced by PES & Sarah Phelps

Posted at 07:21 AM in Film, Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Just in case the $440,000 Porsche Carrera GT wasn't exclusive enough for you, the Ferrari Enzo

Posted at 05:00 AM in Shopping | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

double click for full image

Note that Senators Baucus and Breaux are Democrats; The President, Senators Grassley and Frist, along with Representatives Hastert and Thomas, are Republicans.

Will this approach impact the 2004 elections? While the Democrats think it could, the GOP is already betting that voters are inured to these sorts of claims:

"A portion of the public believes Republicans are too close to business -- it's in their calculus already," said Matthew Dowd, pollster for President Bush's re-election campaign. New examples of that link "won't affect how people vote," he added. "My guess is, the public is glad there's a bill and won't pay attention to the argument Republicans did this for the special interests." -- WSJ

What's so amazing is that the Democratic Party has overlooked these issues for 4 years. Recall that Enron CEO Ken Lay was the President's largest campaign contributor. The Dems, in a feat of awesome stupidity, failed to capitalize on that strategic advantage in the mid-term 2002 elections.

Here's how the WSJ sees the issue:

"So Democrats, looking for the biggest chinks in Mr. Bush's political armor, have sought to portray him as a tool of special interests. They have highlighted everything from no-bid contracts for big campaign donors in the multibillion-dollar Iraqi reconstruction package to a failure to close tax loopholes for companies involved in scandals."

"The focus on business involvement in Iraq, the tax cuts and budget have strongly reinforced the impression that this president and administration act for big business, rather than people," says a recent memo by Democracy Corps, a group of influential Democratic pollsters and strategists. "Almost two-thirds now say Bush is more for big business than the average person," while "55% say Bush is 'President for the oil companies,' " the memo adds. "These crystallized perceptions may play a bigger role in our framework in the months ahead."

Source:
Democrats Take On Business
By Jacob M. Schlesinger and Tom Hamburger
Wall Street Journal, November 25, 2003                       
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB106971509654654700,00.html

Posted at 11:52 PM in Current Affairs, Finance, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

flavorpill is a weekly mailing of what's going on in NYC. There's also editions for London, San Francisco and L.A.

Worth checking out.

Posted at 11:21 PM in Film, Food and Drink, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Official Frank Zappa Website: More information than you could possibly want to know about one of America's most interesting -- and least understood -- musicians/gadfly. Discography, Filmography, clips, MP3s, interviews, articles, writings -- really, every thing you ever wanted to know about this musical genius.

Source:
The UnOfficial Frank Zappa Website
http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/index.html

Posted at 03:15 PM in Music, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

White Castle Turkey Stuffing

  10 White Castle hamburgers, no pickles
  1 1/2 cups celery, diced
  1 1/4 tsp. ground thyme
  1 1/2 tsp. ground sage
  3/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
  1/4 cup chicken broth

In a large mixing bowl, tear the burgers into pieces and add diced celery and seasonings. Toss and add chicken broth. Toss well. Stuff cavity of turkey just before roasting. Makes about 9 cups (enough for a 10- to 12-pound turkey). Note: Allow 1 hamburger for each pound of turkey, which will be the equivalent of 3/4 cup of stuffing per pound.

Source:
White Castle Website
(No really, I swear)

Posted at 11:11 PM in Food and Drink, Humor | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

George Soros vs Sun Yung Moon: Which sugar daddy is right for you? A consumer's guide. (A handy comparison chart from Gorenfeld.net)

Hat tip to metafilter

Posted at 06:20 PM in Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

The perfect car for anyone with a spare $440,000 lying around.

Porsche Carrera GT

"In the year of the supercar (seven came out this year), the Porsche Carrera GT is the one we deemed worthy of our Best of What's New, as it resembles nothing so much as a purebred Le Mans racer. The GT's 5.7-liter, 605-horsepower V-10 engine is based on a Le Mans prototype design, and said engine sends power to the rear wheels through an industry-first small-diameter 6.65-inch twin-disc ceramic clutch. The engine and its transmission are mounted ridiculously low in the car to reduce lean and aid cornering. Indy-car-style stainless steel pushrods minimize unsprung weight while providing easy access to the shocks and springs for tuning at the track. The whole thing is built on top of a carbon-fiber chassis. $440,000"

Lots of way cool stuff in the "Best of What's New" edition of Popular Science


Source
Popular Science Top 100 Tech Innovations 2003
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/bown/2003/article/0,18881,536493,00.html

Posted at 10:25 PM in Science | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack

click on album cover to launch video

The Chemical Brothers latest single “Get Yourself High” features "the vocal versatility of Canadian rapper K-OS."

What really makes this video so amusing is how well the song works as the backbeat to a hilarious martial arts “musical.”  For any Kung Fu or Chemical Brothers fans . . .

Source: Apple iTunes

Posted at 06:00 PM in Film, Humor, Music | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Very nice comparison engine for new and used books. Fetchbook scans over 80 bookstores in seconds, and presents a list of stores in price order. Search by title, author or ISBN. Simple, clean interface (ala Google).

Works well and is recommended.

via linkfilter

Posted at 07:53 AM in Books, Shopping | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Boondocks -- a comic I've never really followed -- finally provides a satisfactory explaination for the Shrill Blonde Harpy:

courtesy of Blogonaut

Posted at 10:00 AM in Current Affairs, Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Today's CFH entry is short:

Question:  How much cologne do you need to apply in the morning?

Answer:  If your stank makes the eyes of the commuter sitting just one seat in front you burn, well then that's too much cologne.

UNDERSTAND?

The stench was so bad, it overpowered the CCP chip in my phone --

no photo available

Posted at 11:39 AM in LIRR Commuter From Hell | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

This evening, I had a Frickle.

When it was described to me, I blanched, crinkled my nose, and asked what other appetizers where available. But Matt convinced me, and I must admit it was much much better than I expected. (The New York Post hated it)

What's a Frickle? Its a lighty battered, deep fried, Lower East Side pickle, served with a dijon dipping sauce. It is -- most astonishingly -- quite good.

You can try a Frickle yourself at Rare -- which also makes some pretty kick ass burgers.

Rare Bar & Grill
Shelburne Hotel
303 Lexington Ave.
(at 37th Street)
(212) 481-1999

Sources:
Zagats

Burger Lovers Give Nod To Rare Bar: Well Done
Cynthia Kilian
New York Post Online, August 13, 2003
http://www.nypost.com/food/3103.htm

Posted at 11:41 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Very cool street paintings by Kurt Wenner, a California artist doing work in Europe:

Some of his work is light and aerie, like the Muses above.

Other work has that ponderous dark feel of the Middle Ages, like Dies Irae and inferno, below:

The full gallery of his work is at the site, where you can also read about the artist.

via Metafilter

Posted at 07:54 AM in Art & Design | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

All your favorite Pink Floyd "The Wall" collectible characters!

The sale's pitch: "These stunning, statuesque figures measure 6" to 8" each and are available from thewalldirect.com in a giant, limited collector's edition boxed set that includes a sixth figure not available individually!

In 1982, Director Alan Parker's movie based on Pink Floyd's seminal concept album "The Wall" was released. The film's mixture of live action scenes and animated sequences supervised by artist Gerald Scarfe, set to Pink Floyd's powerful music, made for a film experience unlike any other.

Now, for the first time, collectible maquettes are available representing some of the most recognizable characters from "The Wall".

"The boxed set includes Scorpion & Pink, Teacher, Marching Hammers, Eagle Warplane, Judge and the exclusive Megaphone Hammer not available outside of this special edition boxed set!

Each maquette comes with its own section of the Wall, and the wall sections interlock to form a truly amazing display piece nearly 3 feet long!"

Source: http://www.thewalldirect.com/

Hat tip to Linkfilter

Posted at 11:30 AM in Art & Design, Music, Shopping | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

My travail with fellow LIRR cretins commuters continues on unabated. Perhaps by venting my spleen here, I will avoid fisticuffs in the future.

Today's social refuse fall into the two most commonly obnoxious categories: the personal groomer, and the ubiquitous cell phone abuser.

Monday's CFH was a groomer -- a woman, deep in denial of her own middle age, with long dark hair 6 inches past her rounded shoulders. Coming from a meeting with my friend Deb, I boarded the train at the dreaded Penn Station (instead of my usual covert entry at Hunter's Point).

The groomer sat down in the 2 X 2 seat (two rows facing each other). Despite a full train and the presence of people mere inches from her, she whipped out a brush and proceeded to go to town on her "do." Cause really, why do this in the privacy of your own bedroom or even a public toilet, when you can share the joy that are your scalp follicles with 100 strangers?

After 5 minutes of this demonstration of self love, she then leaned over to the alpha next to her and proceeded to eat the nits from her fur . . .


Cretin Commuter # 2 -- a Friday ignoramus -- was a UCPA (ubiquitous cell phone abuser). His name was Mr. Terry, a teacher at the International High School in Manhattan. Mr. Terry was calling Darren's mom cause Darren missed Mr. Terry's class that day -- but Darren was signed into school. Darren's mom didn't speak much English, but his dad, who wasn't home at the moment spoke fluently.

I was three rows away and hard all that. I would imagine that information is supposed to be kept relatively private. no such luck . . .

Posted at 05:10 PM in LIRR Commuter From Hell | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

This is not good:

Top Iraqi Scientist Flees

The Iraqi scientist who headed Saddam Hussein's long-range missile program has fled to neighboring Iran, a country identified as a state sponsor of terrorism with a successful missile program and nuclear ambitions, U.S. officers involved in the weapons hunt told The Associated Press.

Dr. Modher Sadeq-Saba al-Tamimi's departure comes as top weapons makers from Saddam's deposed regime find themselves eight months out of work but with skills that could be lucrative to militaries or terrorist organizations in neighboring countries. U.S. officials have said some are already in Syria and Jordan.

Experts long feared the collapse of Saddam's rule could lead to the kind of scientific brain-drain the United States tried to prevent as the former Soviet Union collapsed. But the Bush administration had no plan for Iraqi scientists and instead officials suggested they could be tried for war crimes.

"There are a couple hundred Iraqis who are really good scientists, particularly in the missile area," said Jonathan Tucker, a former U.N. inspector now with the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute in California. "In the chemical and biological areas, their work wasn't state of the art but it was good enough to be of interest to other countries."

Source
Top Iraqi Scientist Flees
by DAFNA LINZER, Associated Press
November 16, 2003
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/7277871.htm

Posted at 09:56 AM in Current Affairs, Science, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Photograph by Chris Saunders

Bill Hicks was one of the most under-rated, over-looked comedians in the history of standup. He is probably my favorite stand up comedian -- thats a list which includes Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Robin Williams, and Bill Cosby.

By dumb luck, I had the rare privilege of seeing Bill Hicks perform live some 15 years ago. At Carolines, when it was down by the South Street Seaport. Scathingly funny, brilliant observations, biting political commentary. I laughed so fucking hard my stomach hurt for three days afterwards -- He was THAT funny.

Hicks was an original, whose comic sensibilities fell somewhere between Carlin and Bruce, with the anger of Pryor thrown in for good measure. His untimely death in February 1994 of pancreatic cancer extinguished one of the brightest lights in comedy.

Now, thanks to the hard work of some maniac in the UK, an archive of many Bill Hicks live performances (Bootlegs) have been posted.

You can also see a substantial collection of Hick's video at Sacred Cow.

But to see Bill Hicks to best effect, you need to watch (or listen) to him weave a tapestry of attitude, truth, logic and humor. Spend a few bucks and buy a CD: Hicks has 8 or so discs, and they are all DEFINITELY worth checking out, although some are more brilliant than others.

The top 3 are probably:

Dangerous
Relentless
Rant in E-Minor

You can also check out Hick's stand up via a memorial site.

Sources:
http://www.billhicks.com/
http://www.sacredcow.com/
http://privatewww.essex.ac.uk/~adrisc/speed/bill/bhbframe.htm

Posted at 12:00 PM in Humor, Politics | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Peter Miller/Perpetual Ocean creates strangely beautiful art: eerie, etheral,original.

click for larger image

Miller is an artist/composer who has a number of albums, incuding the sound design to the movie "The Ring"

The erotic mathematical algorithms (room 8) are images created entirely from mathematical algorithms. They look like sexual human body parts -- beauty (or obscenity) is in this case most certainly in the eye of the beholder.

click for larger image


The Bioluminous series (room 4) appear to be lovely, self-illuminating microscopic creatures; Rooms 5 and 6 contain fractal like designs.

Worth clicking around the various galleries -- These all make wonderful desktop eye candy . . .

click for larger image

Posted at 07:50 AM in Art & Design | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

As if you need it: Logan's Run web site -- all the details that you never knew you cared about.

via Linkfilter

Posted at 09:05 AM in Film, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Fun with Photoshop . . .

Courtesy of People With A Sense Of Humor

Posted at 01:51 PM in Music, Politics | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

A survey of Bush Administration officials produces variety of opinions.

Source: Ironic Times

Posted at 01:02 PM in Humor, Politics, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hot Wheel!

Fortune Magazine on Bombardier's concept vehicle --a high tech unicycle/Segway killer:

"We love reading about new products and designs from Bombardier, mostly because besides building things like airplanes and subway cars, the privately held, Quebec-based company also builds fun stuff like Rotax karts, Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Bombardier ATVs, Sea-Doo sport boats and Johnson and Evinrude outboard engines.

No wonder, then, that they have produced an exciting answer to the Segway Human Transporter. Like the Segway, Bombardier's Embrio concept--a prototype that may or may not make production--uses gyroscope technology to balance riders but adds a dash of flair absent in the Segway, which we as car nuts find slightly nerdy.

The Embrio concept also uses one less wheel than the Segway and will attract, Bombardier hopes, a younger demographic. The vehicle is designed as a guess at what transportation in the year 2025 might look like.

It is a fascinating idea because it combines the simplicity and alternative-fuel technology of forward-thinking commuting vehicles with the excitement of "recreational" products like ATVs. Indeed, the Embrio could attract people who drive a more fun sort of vehicle, what with its motorcycle-derived styling cues and, like an ATV, the fact that you have to lean in order to turn."

Cooler than a Segway, it simply looks like the most fun you can have on one (ok, one and a half) wheels.

Hat tip: Memeufacture

Source:
Hot Wheel
by Dan Lienert
Fortune Vehicle of the Week (Date?)
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2003/11/04/cx_dl_1104vow.html

Posted at 07:05 AM in Design, SciFi, Web/Tech | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Mind Movement: If you look at the following picture, you will be stunned . . . its a simple jpeg -- not animated. Your brain is what makes it appear to rotate.

To test this, stare at one spot for a couple seconds and everything will stop moving. Or look at the black center of each circle -- it will stop moving. But move your eyes to the next black center and the previous will move after you take your eyes away from it . . . Its just weird.

View popup image

Pointer courtesy of Brain Waves

Nice collection of optical illusions (including this one)

Posted at 04:43 PM in Design | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Lawrence Lessig nails the media double-standard for political correctness:

"Ok, so NBC produces a show about Private Lynch. She says the story is not true. But nonetheless, NBC runs the show. CBS produces a show about Ronald Reagan. The man who Would Save Reagan from TV and others say it is biased against Reagan. CBS cancels the show.

Apparently it is ok to bend the truth, but only in one way."

Lawrence Lessig is Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, Founder of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, Author of The Future of Ideas and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, and Chair of the Creative Commons project.

Posted at 11:21 PM in Media, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Here's a strangely beautiful photo of San Diego on fire:

Doff of the Bowler to MemeFirst

Posted at 11:04 PM in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Witt and Wisdom is an amusing collection of anecdotes and stories, all well told. The most oddly amusing item must be the appropriately titled "My Penis May Be a Terrorist:"

"I have, for some time now, not trusted my penis. It has that look. Nervous. Shifty. From a very young age, I sensed that it was up to something sinister. Now, my suspicions are beginning to grow (so to speak).

I travel a lot for business and on nearly all of my jaunts around the country, I dutifully take my penis with me. I am nothing if not loyal. Until recently, my penis has been rather quiet on these trips, choosing to forego the sightseeing and fancy restaurants. And I respected that.

On my latest trip to Boston, however, my penis was up every morning before I was, doing God-knows-what. Also, I believe it may have been stealing money. Cannot confirm.

I sense that you believe me to be paranoid. But there is more . . ."

A very amusing collection, worth the random clicks. Try these:
Grimly Reaping
More Restroom Etiquette

If you're the romantic type, read these:
I Met A Girl (Be sure to also see parts II & III).
Crushed (Also with the parts II & III and the girls and the shoving).

Posted at 10:16 PM in Humor, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

25,000 hits -- Wow! Wired linking to Skittlebrau sent me right thru the 25k mark in a few days. Way cool . . .

Posted at 07:32 PM in Media, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Blonde Bombshells: The Beautiful Mind-Field of a Video-Channel Visionary

She's attractive, rich and talented enough to be considered the preeminent young blonde pop singer who isn't Britney, Christina or Hilary Duff. Or the Olsen twins. But that's not why we love Jessica Simpson--singer, celebrity spouse and star of the MTV show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, along with pop star husband Nick Lachey, of course.

We love her for her unique mind and uncompromising vision. Whereas lesser intellects might be shaken by things like logic, facts or other people's feelings, Jessica knows the only truth that matters is her own. Bask in it. Don't be blinded by the highlights in her hair, the gleam of her teeth or her ability to belch like a gassy truck driver. You will see it's her unique worldview--her weltanschauung, if you will--that leaves most people scratching their heads.

To help you learn her lessons, we've compiled some of her more profound utterances. As you study her teachings, you'll see she has more in common with the likes of Albert Einstein and Leonardo Da Vinci than a well-developed bosom.

That Smarts: A Second Volume of Musings from the Mind of a Newlywed

We wanted to leave Jessica and Nick alone to enjoy their love, life and TV fame--but now that we've served up the first compendium of Jessica's jewels, we see the girl's gonna keep on talking. So, in the interest of science, we bring you a second helping of her penetrating observations.

A Perfect Pair?

Please, make it stop . . .

Posted at 05:04 PM in Humor, Media | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Phil Carter's Intel Dump is a fascinating blog of military news, and more importantly, analysis. Here's a quick sample of the intelligent thoughrt processes going on there:

Analysis: This is a large chunk of the reserve force. Here in California, this deployment is tapping into a unit which has not deployed for combat since the Korean War. When you add up Operation Noble Eagle (homeland security) deployments, Balkans deployments, and other missions, you soon see that we have run through a very significant portion of the reserve force. What's left is basically a hollow shell of a force. Moreover, each deployment since Sept. 11 has tended to decimate the units called up. After being called away from their jobs and families, thousands of reservists have decided not to re-up for more time in the reserves. And the cycle goes on and on.

America's reserve force is a precious resource. It has done yeoman's work since the end of the Cold War in supporting the active force and in deploying itself for missions like Bosnia and Kosovo. But if we continue down this road, we will absolutely destroy the reserve force and render it mission incapable. I'm not sure the mission in Iraq is worth that price. However, I'm not sure what the answer is. We're committed to the Iraq mission now, and short of conscription, there's no other way to make ends meet than with reserve forces. But we should start developing mitigation plans to ensure that in 3-5 years, we'll still have a reserve force capable of doing something. Whether that means additional educational benefits or VA benefits for reservists, or additional reenlistment bonuses, we should probably do it.

-Pentagon calls up 43,000 reservists for duty in Iraq

I've long been interested in military strategy anmd its application to markets and the business world.

Not-So-Hidden Agenda: Strategic and Economic Assessments of U.S. led Invasion in the Middle East
Pre War Analysis, March 19, 2003

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2003/07/notsohidden_age.html

Posted at 11:59 AM in War/Defense, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Wow! Wired linking to Skittlebrau sent me right thru the 20k mark in a day. Way cool . . .

The real credit for extending the Skittlebrau meme as far as it went belongs to Lawrence McCartin, The Crazy Engineer.

Posted at 09:00 AM in Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

When asked what my political leanings are, I reply that I am a Centrist Libertarian. Until I took the test at Politcal Compass, I had no idea HOW Centrist I actually was:

Economic Left/Right: -0.38
Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.79

Perhaps this explains why I manage to infuriate my friends on the left AND the right; Indeed, why I even have such an even split of associates.

It also resolves why I think all my left wing friends are such knuckleheads when it comes to economic issues, and why my right wing friends are such dunderheads on social issues . . .

By way of comparison, here's what the U.S. Democratic Presidential Candidates looks like:

I'm more Libertarian than all of the candidates. I guess its not surprising that I had previously identified most with John Kerry and John McCain.

Posted at 08:34 AM in Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Very nice discussion of C. J. Cherryh at Brain Fertilizer; Cherryh is one of my favorite SciFi authors, and her Merchanter's Luck series is terrific. I particularly love The Pride of Chanur" trilogy, which has now expanded to 5 books. (It's 25 cents used at Amazon, you can pick up the entire series for a coupla bucks, ya cheap bastids).

Here's what Nathan has to say about it:

I've been falling in love with C. J. Cherryh over the last few months. Er, maybe I should clarify: I've been falling in love with her writing. I don't know why she isn't more widely respected. The more I read her work, the more I consider her greater than even Robert A. Heinlein.

Yeah, she's that good. Let me count the ways:

1) She's prolific
2) She knows how to conceive and communicate alien thought. I think it was Campbell who said, "Show me an alien who thinks as well as humans, but differently than humans." She does it, in spades. And invents languages that boggle human understanding.
3) In her "merchanter" novels, she's created a future history that is far more complicated and complete and realistic than anything anyone has ever done, in my opinion. Far better than Heinlein's, Asimov's, or even Tolkein's.
4) She knows men and women. And nails 'em in every novel.
5) She has been writing for decades with greater consistent quality than anyone I've ever known. Again, far better than Heinlein, whose good stuff fell only in a period that lasted about 15 years, and stopped about the time he started being obsessed with sex and becoming a woman, which coincided with the first word of "Stranger in a Strange Land" (Yeah, that's a controversial opinion, but it's mine).

Good discussion, go check out the rest . . .

Posted at 10:04 AM in Books, SciFi | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Church Sign Generator from a boy and his computer

Posted at 12:08 PM in Humor | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Am I dreaming? What year is this?

Serve Your Community and the Nation

Become a Selective Service System Local Board Member

The Selective Service System wants to hear from men and women in the community who might be willing to serve as members of a local draft board.

Prospective Board Members must be citizens of the United States , at least 18 years old, and registered with the Selective Service (if male). Prospective Board Members may not be an employee of any law enforcement occupation, not be an active or retired member of the Armed Forces, and not have been convicted of any criminal offense.

Once identified as qualified candidates for appointment, prospective Board Members are recommended by the Governor and appointed by the Director of Selective Service, who acts on behalf of the President in making appointments. Each new member receives 12 hours of initial training after appointment, followed by 4 hours of annual training for as long as he or she remains in the position. They may serve as Board Members for up to 20 years, if desired.

Local Board Members are uncompensated volunteers who play an important community role closely connected with our Nation's defense. If a military draft becomes necessary, approximately 2,000 Local and Appeal Boards throughout America would decide which young men, who submit a claim, receive deferments, postponements or exemptions from military service, based on Federal guidelines.

Positions are available in many communities across the Nation. If you believe you meet the standards for Selective Service Board Membership, and wish to be considered for appointment please visit our web site at: http://www.sss.gov/fslocal.htm

Source: http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/sss092203.html

Posted at 11:00 PM in Current Affairs, War/Defense | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

"I'm a virgin. Are you?"

So goes the ad campaign for "strings" -- or thongs, as we call them -- at Galeries Lafayette, the closest thing France has to Bloomingdale's:

On Saturday, the store is offering free half-hour lessons by professional striptease artists so that "women can familiarize themselves with the art of revealing their new lingerie."

The grand opening coincides with a rash of sexually explicit advertising campaigns for lingerie that have enraged feminist groups and a few outspoken lawmakers who charge that they exploit women and potentially encourage violence against them.

"The pornographic and the idea of woman as prostitute has become universal, ordinary," said Florence Montreynaud, the head of La Meute, a feminist group. "What kind of a world are we living in when striptease artists give lessons at Galeries Lafayette? Is this the world of the chic and elegant Parisian? Is this a store I can feel comfortable shopping in with my grandmother?"

Source:
To Sell Lingerie, Inhibitions, and Much More, Are Falling
By Elaine Sciolino
Published: November 6, 2003
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/06/international/europe/06PARI.html

Posted at 10:34 AM in Media, Shopping | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

"There was a time when drinking on the job was not only accepted, it was considered one of the major perks of joining the workforce.

Crew cut lads fresh from college would put aside their childish experimentations with wine and beer, join a respectable company, and start the business of learning how to belt hard liquor from the seasoned souses at work. It was a hell of a deal and explains why there were so few l