I’ve been cleaning out my e-mail, so here’s some gems hiding in there:
Aside from the fact that you don’t dive on oxygen, which is repeated a lot through this article, it’s pretty cool to see painting underwater. FYI, tanks are either compressed air, or Nitrox, a blend of air and nitrogen.
Quick update for everyone, first up, check out this awesome recap of all the Superbowl ads:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc2SmA40LtE
So…..The Onion is awesome. Especially when a Republican congressman links to it as a real story. Check it out here, and check out the reviews on Yelp of the Abortionplex.
Maddow Blog has a follow up to a story about the lack of parades for vets coming home. Aside from St. Louis (which was entirely citizen-funded), there has not been a parade for any returning troops. But they can put together a parade in two days for Super Bowl champs. Sad.
And speaking of the troops, an artist has done a project entitled “The impact of war on a young person’s face.” Interesting stuff.
Virginia Senator Howell is amazing. When faced with a bill that now (I believe it passed) makes it mandatory for women seeking abortions to get ultrasounds, she proposed an amendment (which barely lost) requiring men to get a rectal exam and cardiac screening if they wanted to get a prescription for ED medication.
I’ve been meaning to post this before, looks pretty awesome:
Interested in SOPA/PIPA and what kicked it all off? Information is Beautiful took a look at the actual numbers, and they are a bit surprising, check it out.
I know some people are excited about this, but honestly, I don’t think they will end up being very good. Hopefully I’m proved wrong, but either way, DC is moving forward with the Watchmen prequel series.
Scientists are working towards making your internal monologue being able to be broadcast. While this will of course help medical technology a lot (think of those in comas, the deaf and those with developmental disabilities), but holy crap, that would be awful if my inner monologue was public. Then again, maybe the people who annoyed me would leave me alone finally.
JCPenny is redesigning all their stores. Interesting to see, especially since my local store is moving from one of the mall to the other, so it’s good timing for them at least.
Remember how Republicans love to campaign against voter fraud, the boogeyman that is not really a problem according to all studies, but it’s a good way to push through legislation that disenfranchises those who tend to vote democratic. But as it turns out, the latest verified case of voter fraud was by a Republican Secretary of State (of Indiana). Oh the irony.
Happy Monday everyone! Let’s see what we have today:
First up, this ad aired only in Canada during the Super Bowl, but I really like it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0qZYqdsYAg
Interesting ad from Copyranter:
What a strange caveat.
Lego is releasing LotR sets, and I’m super excited for them, as well as the inevitable video games. Check it out here.
Amazing post from Literally Unbelievable:
I still need to see Thor and Captain America, but here is the preview for Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, and I’m already making plans to go see it:
Another ad from Copyranger, kind of awesome, would be cool to see this run in City Paper:
I love the toast to Jared in this:
And this ad has been making its rounds, I think it’s fairly well done (or at least a good idea, the art needs some work), although a objectifying to women, I hope there’s a male counterpart in the campaign:
And finally, every presentation you’ll sit through, ever:
But I got scared when he was just holding it with his chin at the end!
I’ve never been a fan of the Susan G. Komen foundation, mostly due to their sue-happy nature (any other charity that has the audacity to use the phrase “for a cure” or apparently the color pink faces a lawsuit). However, they recently dropped all funding for Planned Parenthood, a partnership which provided cancer screenings for women, all because one Republican in congress thinks their money goes to abortion. So let’s recap, again, what all Planned Parenthood provides (women, men and families):
First up, the Muppets respond to FOX news at a press copnference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8YhED4IgQA
Thank you, Miss Piggy.
Sadly, this is the first parade for vets coming back from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it was held over the weekend in St. Louis. Check out some pictures here.
This is awful. We are supposed to be better than this. Kids should not be going hungry. I need to do some research and see if there is some charity that helps to fill the gap created by horrible, bigoted, asshole lawmakers.
I think some of the writing from this study is a bit misleading, but I guess it’s not too surprising. But how do I talk about it without being horribly mean and prejudiced? I have trouble skirting that line, but then again, maybe I shouldn’t:
The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience.
And finally, an awesome new image from one of Lev Grossman’s fans, the Physical kids encountering a clock-tree for the first time:
This also comes from Copyranter (I’ve been clearing out my RSS feeds) and he found it from Australia:
Ragan reports on an awesome interview given by the CEO of Morgan Stanley:
Morgan Stanley’s employees need an attitude adjustment.
At least that’s what CEO James Gorman thinks of his staff who are aren’t happy with recent 20 to 30 percent pay-cuts among senior executives. He also limited cash bonuses. In this Bloomberg Television interview, he outlined three reasons his employees shouldn’t be upset with a smaller salary.
1. They’re “naïve” and should read the newspaper.
2. Compensation shouldn’t define their overall level of happiness. If it does, “you have a problem which is much bigger than the job.”
3. Life’s too short. “If you’re really unhappy, just leave. I mean, Life’s too short.”
This man is amazing! But is it sad that just using some common sense is now considered amazing? Check out the article at Ragan to see the interview and read more.
The most amazing peephole ever:
I have mixed feelings about this, but I think we should keep the leap second. There’s something quaint about the atomic clocks lining up with the solar calendar.
This video is about the ad world, but much of it applies to clients trying to describe what they want:
Awesome cover of Adele’s Set Fire to the Rain, and I think I may like this better than the original:
An insulting law (the same type was ruled unconstitutional by the courts in Florida) was taken back, after another lawmaker decided to make it more fair. The law would require anyone applying for public assistance submit to a drug test, and the other lawmaker added a provision making lawmakers submit to the same test. Florida struck it down, since it violates the idea of unlawful search and seizure, but before that happened, through the testing, it was learned that only 2% of those applying for aid in Florida were drug users, compared to 10% of the general Florida population.
Star Wars Uncut was finally released! People from around the world were asked to submit 15 second clips, and the whole movie was pieced together:
And finally, check out this awesome experiment used with Google image search.
