8.29.2008

Top 5 Doctor Myths

I'm linking to this not so much because of the subject, but more for the excellent vulgarity. My favorite line is at the end of #3.

8.28.2008

Where Do I Swipe?

Just what I want: some company storing my sexual history, so everyone knows how little action I get!



I just don't think this is going to catch on. The people who have sex will stick to safe sex and asking their partners, the people that don't aren't going to be swayed by some card saying that it may be safe.

I wonder if that card works on credit? I'm good with credit.

8.27.2008

The Dude Abides

Lebowski article in Rolling Stone

How Important Is Income Inequality?

Apparently VERY important.

Analysis of the Summer Songs of 2008

His final choice for "Summer Song of 2008" is Adam's favorite...

Be Champions!

Jose Mourinho, aka The Special One, the new coach of Inter Milan is back with his puppet show "I'm on Setanta Sports" for a new season. I only saw a few episodes last season, but it's pretty funny. It features regulars Jose, formerly of England and now Mexico boss Sven Goran-Eriksson, Wayne Rooney, and some other callers from around the Premiere League. Episodes can be found on the YouTubes.

Should people really blog about anything?

Kind of creepy...

Why Don't I Make More Money?

Interesting article in the Washington Post on the distribution of income over the past 35 years and the implications of McCain/Obama tax plans.

8.25.2008

Warning: Rant Ahead

So, if I hear one more Hillary supporter say, "I can't in good conscience vote for Barack Obama," I might finally give up all hope in this thing called "democracy." I say this with the utmost respect. I admire commitment like that. I get it when people say that she's experienced and would make a good leader. Hell, I'm not even that much more partial to Obama--if Hillary were on the ticket, I'd punch her chad. But, one thing's for certain: I'm certainly not going to vote for McCain (or not vote at all) simply because my pick didn't get the nomination. I say this for two reasons:

First, the results up to this point are the product of competition. The DNC sets up the rules, and we all (presumably) abide by them because we don't raise objection (unless its months too late and you live in Florida). Then, the competition is played out and the winner gets the prize. We don't teach our children, when they lose the state soccer tournament, to lay in the middle of the field, scream their own name, wear shirts that say "We'll win next year!" and/or call in favors from their best friends to see if they can get the ruling on the field overturned. No. We teach how to lose with some dignity and how to keep our heads up when we congratuiate the winner. This is, in fact, what Hillary has done; but, her supporters just don't seem to get it. (By the way, I'll be the first to admit that I think the DNC and RNC rules are outdated and illogical, and that the whole two-party system is ruining politics as we know it; yet, that does not mean that we can just throw out the rules when it suits our needs.) I'm proud to see Hillary where she is today. I was proud to see her in the campaign. I'm also proud to see her bow out gracefully and allow the winner to accept the nomination.

Second, a question: Is there really much difference between these two? This is why I say above that I don't really care who is on the democratic ticket; either one suits my needs. I mean, come on. They could barely find things to disagree on in their debates. They had to make personal attacks to keep the damn thing interesting. When it comes down to it they're both politicians. Neither one is the savior that we need for the next eight years. They're politicians, plain and simple. If we wanted change we should have worked harder to nominate Kucinich or Ron Paul. They were change candidates. What we have here on the democratic ticket is a tinkerer (just like Hillary would have been)*. Tinkerers are not bad at all. We definitely have good things to look forward to if the Democrats are successful in November. But, they are not saviors and they are not change agents. They're politicians. The one thing they have going for them is that they are not Bush or McCain. That should be enough (for either).

Please, please, please, stop bringing up issues of conscience when speaking about how you are so torn during this election season. For all that is holy, drop the grudge, lose with dignity and support the best of the two candidates (unless, of course, you really have legitmate reasons for chosing a third party candidate--I'm for that). The problem is not that someone wants to exercise his freedom and independence to vote for who he wants, it's the fact that he will throw away the privilege just to make a display in the center of the field.

Am I wrong? Or just an asshole?

*I heard Ron Paul say this in some interview, and I liked it a lot.

Dumbest Sentence I've Read In A Long Time

In an article from the LA Times regarding a new gym generating its own power:
Boesel doesn't know how much energy the solar arrays and human-powered equipment will produce, but he expects his fitness center to use about half the energy of most gyms its size by providing as much as 40% of its energy needs.
Did I miss something in that sentence?  How do they use half (a.k.a. 50%) of the energy of similarly sized gyms by only providing 40% of their energy needs?!?!

"Some are built so the front doesn't fall off!"

I don't know if this a hoax or not, but it is absolutely one of the funniest things I've seen.  What would be considered a "cardboard derivative?"


Our Video-Game Selves

An interesting blog about video games from Wired magazine. Thought provoking, I think.

I think, deep down, this means I really want to shred the lead guitar in a sweet rock band.

8.24.2008

To All My Midwestern Friends

Heard this song on NPR and had to find it for you guys. Things to love about the midwest (besides all of you guys).

J, take note because this will be your life!

I Really Love Technology That I Can't Afford

Love the touch-screen technology. If I could touch everything and make it do something for me, I would.

8.23.2008

O's VP

Looks like Obama/Biden '08. I'm actually really excited about this. I have always liked Biden for his straight-talk, especially because it often borders on indecorous. I get that.

Plus, he does have plenty of foreign relations experience and a good connection to working-class voters.

I know grawlix will disagree with me, but I think this is all good.

8.22.2008

Olympic Sex

The picture alone is worth the link.

7 World Trade Center

Another "magic bullet" theory?

I Almost Went To Work For World Vision

I like this commercial:


Hilarious

This was a comment posted in response to a blog post inquiring why India wins so few medals in the Olympics:
Simple explanation: India is the nation of geeks.

In our facebook profile pictures, I'm holding a sword, my sister is in a boat, another guy is buff and shirtless, etc. We all do this because it makes us look cool.

I also have a few Indian friends: one of them actually has a profile photo showing him wearing a suit while using a computer in an office environment. He too does this to look cool, albeit to his friends at home.

With such a culture, is it really surprising that there aren't too many athletes?
I need to find a boat and change my Facebook picture stat!

[from Marginal Revolution]

First they came...

for beer pong, and I didn't speak up, because I don't play beer pong.

[something, something]

Then they came for me, and by that time, no one was left to speak for me.

iPods through the University

Check out this article from the NYTimes explaining how some universities are deciding to give their students iPhones or iPod Touches. They say that the wireless capabilities could be endless, but it has some professors worried.

I'm personally not really worried about it. I mean, students have always found ways to ignore teachers if they want to; the students who want to listen and learn will probably still do the same.

The one law professor at Cornell says that he will ban these devices because he wants to promote independent, critical thinking. This is interesting, and I was just wondering what everyone thought about it. Do these devices (and others) limit the amount of free-thinking we do? Does it have the potential (through its ease) to stunt our desire for earnest intellectual inquiry?

I have just been thinking a lot about all the the technology we have lately. From one perspective, it is great and makes our lives easier, faster, more efficient, etc. But, from another, it also seems to make us lazy and weak. I think I realized this when it took me five minutes to find a phone number in a phone book one time. I mean, when I didn't have google, I was lost--if not helpless, lazy and lost. Other examples abound, I'm sure. But, I would like to here what others have to say about the article and my comments.

8.14.2008

I mean c'mon. Really?

In watching the women's team gymnastics the other night, I think we were all thinking it. No way some of those girls on the Chinese team were 13, let alone 16. But if their state-issued passports say so, they must be 16, right? Previous reports from Chinese state-run media say otherwise.

Granted, those little girls are incredible athletes, and they deserved to win. And I don't post this out of any pro-USA patriotic fervor. The United States lost on a couple unfortunate, big-time biffs. But I think a lot of people thought that something was definitely rotten in the state of Beijing.

This seems, to me, to be yet another issue the FIG and the IOC are having in policing their house. Let's not forget the gold medal fiasco (see Gold Medal Controversy) surrounding Paul Hamm in 2004, in which the head of the FIG sent a letter to Hamm asking him to return his gold medal after judges determined, after the fact, that they made a mistake in their initial scoring of a Korean gymnast.

I guess considering this sport gets pretty much no attention from me for 206 weeks out of every 2008, there has to be some scandal to keep people interested. It will be interesting to see if there is any action/investigation into the Chinese women's team.

8.09.2008

Let's cross this Rubicon

Yeah, I'd probably watch this. Only on The Peeb.

8.08.2008

Liberal T-Shirt

A pretty funny t-shirt, although it doesn't quite top the ol' hippo shirt.

Bored again.

Boning Down

Taking her to the boneyard?

Now the game is on--who can come up with the best pun?

Adam, you won't need this...

[link]

Poor John McCain...

My buddy sent me this link, I think he captured the emotion of this video when he called it "tragically hilarious." I think no matter which way you lean politically this has to elicit a few laughs.





video from talkingpointsmemo.com

Nelly's Comeback

Paddy--this song will solidify a Nelly comeback, at least way more than that atrocity he did with Fergie.

[Ashanti ain't too bad either...]


8.07.2008

No AIDS!!!

This story reminded me of that story.

Man on Wire

There's a new movie out called Man On Wire about Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the twin towers. It looks good. (J, if you are thinking man-date, just let me know when you want to go.)

Check out the trailer here.

Inspirational, but you could NEVER get me to do this:

Peter Nowak's Cajones Are Bigger Than Yours

$10million pine-rider
I'm not what you would call a morning person. I'm more likely to fall asleep against the backdrop of a sunrise than wake up to one. Nonetheless, I got up at 4 this morning to watch the American U-23's opening game in the Olympic tournament.

USA 1, Japan 0. Three points to the good guys who now sit atop Group B.

This game was a big deal. Now I'm not going to claim the Olympics are a significant tournament in the scheme of global football, nor will I claim that beating Japan means the US will even get out of their group (The Netherlands and Nigeria both loom large on the horizon). This game was a big deal because Jozy Altidore watched most of it from the bench.

For those who don't know, Altidore (right) is the "next big thing" in American soccer. An 18-year-old man-child of a striker, Altidore was recently sold to Spanish giants Villareal for an estimated $10 million, the highest fee ever paid for an American player. He dates pop stars. He's on the covers of video games. In short, the kid's the future.

Yet when I got up at 4am, coach Peter Nowak had dude riding the pine. Now, the US did have legendary forward and often bloody-mess Brian McBride in the starting eleven, and McBride did what he does well - win balls in the air, earn fouls, and hold possession. By the time the old guy was subbed out for the future, the US had a lead, the Japanese looked desperate, and Peter Nowak - who hours earlier was getting flambeed for sitting Jozy - looked like a genius.

I've been thinking a lot about decision-making recently. How do all the people I know who are getting married or advancing in their careers arrive at a point where they're confident making decisions of such consequence? From whence does Peter Nowak get the cajones to tell his $10 million wunderkind that his thirty-six-year-old counterpart gets the first run-out? When Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated calls you "ballsy,"you've made an impression. How does one become ballsy?

Are there people, like Nowak, who are just supremely confident in their decision-making abilities, even when their choices run against the proverbial grain? My sense is there are two ways of making significant decisions. The first is to trust in some kind of process. Adherents to this philosophy are evaluators and data-obsessives who think less about the results of the decision than about what the relevant information indicates is best. In this category I'd place research scientists, judges, and Peter Nowak. The second school is constantly aware of consequences and thinks beyond the decision-moment to what effects the decision will have. The process is less important than the result. In this category I'd place politicians, doctors, and LSU football coach Les Miles. Obviously, everyone uses some combination of both methods, but the extreme examples of both cases - those whose faith in their decisions is unwavering - are the ones we revere for their fortitude, their chutzpah, or their cajones.

However he arrived at the decision, Nowak already has hinted that Altidore will probably be in the first eleven when the US face the Dutch at 4am this Sunday. Set your alarms, bitches.

New Rule #2: Don't Come Up With Stupid Ideas

Now, don't get me wrong. To the best of my recollection, I have never come up with a great idea to make money before. In fact, I know I haven't because I am poor. But that aside, my question is this: Is no idea at all better than one really stupid idea?

Take, for example, CNN's headline-to-shirt option. The utter ridiculousness of this idea has bothered me for some time now. For those of you who don't know: when you go to CNN's homepage you will find a list of top stories, all hyperlinked to either video or written text. Just off to the right of the hyperlinked text, however, you may find a little t-shirt logo. If you click on this shirt, you have the option to buy (for $15.00) a shirt with that particular headline on it. Now, if that headline were funny ("Astronaut to World: 'Fuck you, I ain't never comin' back'"), or contained an innuendo ("Man Gets Mauled by Cougar") that would be one thing; you might be able to make some money off the idea and be proud of it at the same time. Yet, when I checked the archive of shirts today, I found things like, "Olympics: Doping Not Tolerated," and "Bikini Barista Stand Closed," which a neither cool, nor funny, nor innuendo-ish. My favorite though was: "Bag of Maggots Used to Treat Infection." Honestly. What is that? Who wants a shirt that has a headline about a bag of maggots? (Now, I know that J will post a comment saying that he would buy a shirt will a "bag o' maggots" headline on it, but that's because he, too, is neither funny nor innuendo-ish.)

So, I have no idea if/how this is making money. What I do know is that it shouldn't be. I mean, at what point do they break even. If they only have to sell one shirt a month, then, hell, run with it. I mean, you might stumble onto one good headline every 30 days or so. But, really, is this even necessary. You're a major news outlet. Doesn't this make you look a little...uh...nuts? (Imagine Lewis Black doing that line with his finger wagging for the full effect.) Why not stick to the news and make your money off of the thousands of advertisements that run across your pages everyday? Why do something this stupid?

That's my second new rule. I don't remember what the first one was, but I know one exists. As I said, I haven't come up with any good money-making schemes recently, but I am certain of one thing: I haven't come up with an idea that stupid. Maggots? Priceless. (Shit! I just thought about how funny it may be to buy that shirt.)

Raise the Gas Tax

Most concise argument I've read for raising the gas tax.

8.06.2008

Make Your Picks

Check out this NY Times Chart (you can add your own, of course) and share your picks with everyone.

Here are mine:

Obama: What Obama needs in a running-mate, I think, is someone who has a fairly good track record with foreign policy and defense and can help him out in some battleground states. No matter how much you like Obama, McCain clearly has the upperhand on experience in foreign policy (which is not to say that I agree with him, but rather that touting such a resume can win lots of votes no matter what decisions you may or may not have supported in the past). Biden seems to be the best pick in terms of offering experience in foreign policy, but what does he really offer in terms of state electoral votes? I would assume that his appearance on the ticket wouldn't give Obama much of a boost, or provide much sway in terms of battleground states. Bill Richardson's experience also makes him a top pick. He has served in a cabinet position, an ambassador to the UN, as a congressman, and now as a governer--a really well-rounded and respectable resume, even though it didn't get much play in the primaries. I also think that Richardson could help Obama court the Latino vote, which from some indications seems to be important this year. So Richardson is a top-pick, I think. Equally though, I would say that Chuck Hagel is also a top-pick. Choosing a Republican can really help Obama claim that he is there to "change Washington" and put partisan politics aside. He can say that he is reaching out to work with Republicans, and can find common ground. I think this balanced ticket could also help sway some swing-state moderates, who think that Obama is too far left, to vote for him in the Fall.

My picks: Richardson, or Hagel.

McCain: Really, all I want to say to begin this is, "ANYONE BUT ROMNEY!" I really can't stand anything about Romney, and really I think his presence could be detrimental to McCain's campaign. Sure, some people praise Romney for his conservatism, but in reality (and no amount of robotic double-talk can get around this) Romney has changed his position on "conservative issues," like abortion and same-sex marriage a number of times. And not the good change--like, oh, I found some good research and talked to a lot of people, and have now come to a different conclusion, but the bad change--like, ya, I need to make sure to get conservatives on my side during this election, so I better say that fetuses are human and gays shouldn't marry. But, seriously, I really think there is no other pick for McCain than Charlie Crist. There really seems to be nothing great about Crist, but he does happen to be in the right place at the right time. Those Floridians love him, and he could hand this key state to McCain. Besides Texas, Florida offers McCain the largest source of electoral votes--votes he will need to compete with CA, NY, and other big democratic-leaning states. Of course, Lieberman is mentioned on the list, but let's face it, he's a magoo. He didn't get people excited when he ran with Gore, and chances are when working with McCain he might even be able to drum up less excitement.

My pick: Crist

So there you all have it. Make your picks.

8.05.2008

This will totally work.

Seriously.

Good to be here

Sorry guys. I've been really busy with work, lately.

Greg Finally Shows Up At The Blog

Thanks for coming out, buddy. Good to see ya.

Texas vs the ICJ

A Mexican citizen is scheduled to be executed tonight at 6 p.m. central time, despite an order from the International Court of Justice staying the execution of 51 Mexican nationals currently imprisoned and on death row in Texas, because they were not given access to Mexican Consulates upon arrest.

This article by a former US Ambassador highlights the reasons why the US should comply with the ICJ order, even though Texas is proceeding with the execution.

Interesting points from the article:
-the US made it's case to the ICJ during the Iranian hostage debacle
-"The U.S. Supreme Court, however, in the Medellin vs. Texas decision issued in March, held that although the United States -- and its individual states -- are indeed bound by international law to comply with the International Court of Justice decision," only action from Congress can force Texas' hand.
-US citizens are arrested in foreign countries all the time. If other states start ignoring the right to confer with home-state Consulates, what will happen to those US citizens?

How does a country go about stopping this particular clusterfuck?

Dumbest Thing I've Read Today

"While Schork says it's anyone's guess where crude will trade - 'By the end of the third quarter, there's a good chance oil could be below $100 a barrel, and a good chance it could be above $150,' he says..."

Thank you for that expert analysis, dumbass.

[from Fortune]

Muqtada al-Sadr Produces Brochure on New Army

See paragraph four.

Brochure aside, can't we do something like this with our military? Something about beating swords into plowshares...

8.04.2008

Living Dinosaurs

The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles has a new "exhibit" that recreates as closely as possible living dinosaurs that interact with visitors. Eight-year-old me would have loved this stuff.

The most amazing part is that people actually appear scared - and not just kids.

Nebraska in the NY Times

You gotta link to it...

Batman

An article from CNN about Christian Bale's Batman voice. Some of the comparisons are pretty funny, but seriously, they need to cut back the raspiness in the next movie.

Apparently, there are people complaining about the political undertones of the film as well: here, and here.

Basically, I'm still obsessed with "The Dark Knight" and want someone to talk with me about it.

Mmmm...needles

They should make vaccination posters out of this picture.



[original]

8.01.2008

Just For You, Adam

No explanation necessary, just a link.