Today's Mighty Oak

To those who say we can’t do it…

Yesterday's nut February 19, 2009

Quick update for everyone.  First off, it appears as though Dollhouse is doing well, though not necessarily in its time slot (surprise, surprise!).  It’s doing really well on iTunes.  I don’t know if you have to pay for it there, but I think it’s also doing fairly well on Hulu as well (turning your brain to cottage cheese, thank you Alec Baldwin).

Looking to buy a house, check out this link first. And of course, Lifehacker is also reporting about 20-somethings and their lack of insurance, and how they cope.  Thankfully I have insurance now, it may not be great, and my doctor may not accept it, but it’s something, right?

If you haven’t logged onto Facebook, you’re not only missing “25 things” but more importantly, the rise of the corporate overlords!  That’s right, FB changed their terms of service, with barely a whisper about it, saying that all the content belonged to them forever, even if you delete it.  Then when the shit storm broke, thanks to one of my favorite sites (ex-gawker media owned) Consumerist, they quickly changed their tune, insisting that they never said they owned what you uploaded or would profit from it.  Now the terms of service are back to what they once were while FB licks their wounds.  Will I close my account?  No, am I more skeptical about it, of course.  Want some tips on how to protect your privacy on FB, check it out here.

KDKA reported about it today at lunch, and Lifehacker covered it yesterday.  Cell phone companies are doing something right for once.  All phones will now have the same charger, mini-USB.  My phone, the Chocolate 3, uses it, and it’s great.  Look for that I think by 2012.

Otherwise, I’m just trying to keep up with everything, TV shows included.  Lost tonight, I’m racing through a bunch of books trying to finish them before I start my book for the March book club meeting.  In the meantime, here’s the latest news coming out of metblogs:

That’s right, they got 3 Flip Minos.  They’ll be sending them around to help video tape events whenever a city needs them.  We’ll see how that goes!

And, for fun, here’s an awesome video that combines Queen (and Shawn of the Dead) and Super Mario Galaxy:

Five minutes later, I’m back

Yesterday's nut February 14, 2009

So literally, about five minutes have passed since I finished my last post.  However, I feel I must comment on two sports related issues.

First, it looks like Jeff Reed got arrested for attacking a towel dispenser at Sheetz on Rt. 22 in New Alexandria.  Most importantly, I know people who used to work there!  Just a quick drive from Latrobe, how exciting!  And secondly, really?  Being out of towels makes you that mad?  You can just wipe them on your clothes like a normal person?  Really?

And second, apparantly there is talk about Bode Miller retiring.  UpaDowna posted an article about it and included this great video as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gSwL-qhLZw

Ok, I think that’s it for now.  We’ll see though!

A + B does not equal liver tumor

Yesterday's nut

Alright, here’s a regular update for everyone:

First off, if you didn’t see Dollhouse on Friday, check it out, and make sure to watch it next week (Fox at 9 p.m.):

 
Slate has been running a project called the Change-o-Meter.  I tried putting it in the sidebar, but it was too wide, I may play with it, but for now, I’ll post it in here every now and then:

 

My bookclub meets tomorrow, we’ve been reading “1000 White Women,” and it’s really good, I highly suggest you check it out if you want a historical fiction/alternate history book dealing with the Cheyenne Native Americans.

 In case you hadn’t heard, in Tuscon during the Super Bowl, the feed was interrupted by half a minute or so of porn.  Now, only people without digital cable saw it.  Now, the studio is offering a coupon to watch the movie for free.  Really funny, but the kicker is to watch the movie, you have to have digital cable.

The CEO of one of the major airlines in Japan broke down a wall in his office to make sure his employees would come talk to him, and he insists on only taking a $50,000 salary.  American companies could learn a lot from this man.

Note to self: learn how to grow these plants (for healthier air indoors)

FOX News turned a Press Release verbatim into a news story.  The problem (aside from the crap journalism that is FOX news and anyone for that matter that uses a Press Release verbatim) is the glaring error in said release.  See if you can find it (hint, it’s in the picture)

Black Cats will be advertising for FEAR 2 in England.  Pretty cool if you ask me, I hope we get them here as well, although I wouldn’t count on seeing any around Pittsburgh.  Also, I love the handlers for the cats, makes them look much more ferocious, and boosts their egos…which they don’t need!

OMG the galaxies are colliding!  No need to panic, we have two billion years to brace for impact.

Gizmodo has a great article about google searches, check it out!

If you’re on facebook, chances are you’ve seen and been tagged in the “25 things” meme.  Slate gathered data and found out some cool stuff about it, including that originally it was only “16 things”

Mozilla has a new web based text editor called Bespin.  I’m still trying to figure it out, but I’d like to give it a shot.

Following in the lines of the Japanese Airline CEO above, the Steelworkers Union is giving their bonuses to their unemployed members.  Great to hear this kind of news (the good part, not the fact that there are unemployed steel workers).

See those links up there, see the ones below this post?  I may not be able to link like that anymore.  At least if some corporations have their ways.  Links are what connects the web, what makes it work.  Read about the sad case and how companies are trying to stifle the web in this article.

My friend sent me this trailer for the movie 9:

 
That’s it for now, I ran some errands today, including finally getting my pictures from Sea Base 2002 on CD, so hopefully I’ll have them up here soon.  I’m most likely going to be changing hosts, the address will stay and same, and no one should see a difference, but I’ll be getting a ton more space for the same price.  And since I’m just about maxed out anyway, that would be a good thing so I can add more galleries.  Have a great one everybody!

Massive Link Update, the second!

Yesterday's nut February 8, 2009

Here we go again, another massive link update:

Want to help solve the world’s problems…of 2019?  Check out Superstruct

Here’s a good letter to the editor about the Boy Scouts, but a good read even if you’re not involved.

The Post-Gazette has a good article about the digital generation, and how our we interact with it, and why it isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Will George Lucas sacrifice Jar Jar Binks to win back your love?  I can only hope so.

Gamestop ran a cool ad campaign this Christmas season, check it out here.

One of my all time Onion articles: God Clarifies ‘don’t kill’ rule

I want this awesome Firefly ornament for my Christmas tree!

I have my own ideas about what web 3.0 will bring, but here is one idea.

The death of the personal blog?  I hope not. I don’t think any of my friends wants to write with me.  Although it’s working for the guys at The Blog Impolotic

Here’s a link to a book called The Public Domain

Here’s an awesome entry at the Wesabe Blog about theh power of community, especially as it pertains to personal finance.

I wish I could have seen when Bill Gates did this at his press conference.  Awesome, and hopefully will make some sort of impact.

I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice, but I would read this version with zombies!

It’s a little old news at this point, but check out one of the bigger contributors to Obama’s campaign – GPC’s council commissioner!

Awesome view into Santa’s e-mail inbox

Did you know the theme to Indian Jones had lyrics?  It does, and they are not safe for work!

A really good read, although a bit depressing about being a man.  This was linked by the Pittsburgh Men’s Blogging Society and I’ll pass it on here.

Oh, Plaxico.  I think that’s enough I have to say.

Tired of all the green stuff that is everywhere?  Go anti-green!

Here’s a really cool flash drive that also has a built in micro SD slot.

I like this fireplace.  A lot of people don’t, nor do I know how it would really work, I guess a hidden chimeny, but I like it (albeit a bit small).

Got an old flashdrive you don’t know what to do with?  Find out what you can do here!

Welcome to the Waffle House.  The latest reality show project being produced by CMU.

Did you know that you can have a hippo that is small enough to sit in your lap.  Now you know.

Here is a look into the design process of the Obama logo.

Penguin is reissuing four classic works, including The Medium is the Massage, er Message.

A TV screen 120 feet long?  I want, but do not want to pay the electricity bills for it.

Great article at CSB about Charlie Brown

Bad PR surroudning CES

The headline is great.  And that’s all there is, as is typical with CSB.

Presented here is the Periodic table of Awesomeness.  Chemistry majors rejoice!

The RIAA backs down, finally

Looking for some good new Science Fiction, check it out here.

Watch this video and your brain will hurt, but it’s fun.

I’ve never seen the show, but I’ve heard its awesome.  HBO is running a cool campaign for Big Love

Need a list of free window’s software available from Microsoft.  Here it is.

The secrets of the NFL’s yellow line, finally explained.

Have old electronics you want to get money for, or just need to recycle.  Send them to HP

Garmin is adding ecoRoute to it’s GPS units, a way to reduce your gas usage, pretty cool stuff.

Need some advice on how to take a good photo of fire.  Take a look here.

Tetris, if played immediately after a traumatic event will help wipe those bad memories from your brain.  So will doing difficult calculus or anything else requiring a large amount of brain power, but Tetris is more fun!

Buying a car?  Watch out for compliments.

The German beer hall at the South Side has been delayed.  Hopefully it opens soon, although I still don’t understand why the majority of seating is going to be outside.  Have the owners been to Pittsburgh before?

Storytellers, technology and new social media.  All wrapped up in journalism.  Sweet.

Now you can once again Shake it like a Polaroid picture.  But you don’t have to.

A good look at public transit’s influence on growing communities, in the PG

Starting to grow your own vegetables?  Read this article for some helpful tips.

In preparation for the upcoming release of Watchmen, take a look at 10 years of Dr. Manhattan.

The future of transportation?  I can only hope not.

Want to make your own laundry detergent?  Try it with these recipes.

New blogs for me to check out: the Pens Blog and PittsBlog

Brandon Sanders, author of A Memory of Light, got a sword from Rober Jordan’s collection, really awesome!

Here’s a great history of marketing, in just three minutes!

Internet running slow?  Maybe it’s being throttled by your ISP

In celebration of last month’s Data Privacy Day, here are some useful tools for you, provided by Lifehacker.

Want to adopt a word to save it from extinction?  Do it here, I’m hoping to help save loquacious.

This article is sad and ironic, and a bit funny all at the same time.

While this article rallies against CSR, I think the idea, and wish that more companies would be interested in it.  If they did, we probably wouldn’t have as big of a mess as we do right now.

Just like there is a supposed patient 0 in the AIDS crisis, there may be a client 0 in the financial crisis.  Interesting read.

Think your mortgage is bad?  Imagine if you had to pay off the Death Star.

If you haven’t seen it, check out this amazing picture from the Inauguration, and play with the zoom, it goes really far in!

It’s been passing around, and everytime I see it I laugh:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnCnRuoYMxE&eurl

Good morning, tomorrow

Yesterday's nut January 19, 2009

“For as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible”

Eventually, I’ll have that framed.  But for now, posting it here will do.

If you get a chance, Early Returns has a great post about the inauguration here.

In case you missed here, here was my election coverage:

And in my mind I keep going back to the lyrics from Hairspray:

You can’t stop today
As it comes speeding down the track
Child, yesterday is hist’ry
And it’s never coming back
‘Cause tomorrow is a brand new day
And it don’t know white from black 

So anyway, this post is a bit disjointed, but a hopeful one.  I’ll watch all the inauguration festivities during the week when my schedule permits, but in the meantime, enjoy the random pictures and videos after the break!

(more…)

Happy birthday, Boniface!

Yesterday's nut January 15, 2009

Today marks the 200th birthday of Boniface Wimmer, O.S.B., and the start of a year-long celebration at St. Vincent of their founder’s bicentennial.  As I write this, I’m actually watching the Vespers service as it streams online.  Also, aside from the camera being a bit titled to the side and the audio not as loud as I would have liked, it’s pretty good.  They should stream more things online.

It also looks like the book, Boniface Wimmer: An American Abbot has a new cover:

And speaking of covers, my NaNoWriMo book from this year came in (all the winners get one free proof copy from createspace.com).  Here are the front and back covers (they aren’t centered because of the bleed area that was needed to be included, in case you were wondering:

Sketch from SNL

Yesterday's nut January 11, 2009

A bigger post to come (including another big link update), but I wanted to post this awesome sketch from SNL last night:

 

Amateur Drunk Night ’09

Yesterday's nut December 31, 2008

Happy New Year everyone!  Be safe out there, the weather can’t decide what it wants to do.  I got off the Parkway and it was bright and sunny, blue skies, and then I headed maybe 100 yards up to the junior high and it looked like the end of the world.

Anyway, could things for everyone.  First, apparently Best Buy now has vending machines in airports.  A bit extreme, but strange and interesting nonetheless.

This is a cool video, although overloaded with gadgets, a cool concept and some nice music:

And finally, 10 items or less will be coming back in January.  The show is awesome, I highly recommend it!  If you’d like to see the specials at the Greens and Grains, check out their listings here.

I think that’s it for now, be safe and catch everyone later!

The Episcopalian wonder baby!

Yesterday's nut December 28, 2008

Yes, according to my neighbor (from college) I celebrate the birth of the Episcopalian wonder baby!  Oh, I love religion.  Anyway, a quick update I’ve been meaning to link to: George Lucas has lost his mind.  He’s authorized the rights for a Star Wars musical to open in England.  I think he has forgotten the monstrosity that was the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Ok, back to work tomorrow, I’m updating my mp3 player as I type this for my ride to work, all kinds of fun podcasts!

Have a great one everyone!

We’re all people

Yesterday's nut December 26, 2008

Another quick media update for everyone.

If you haven’t, check out Improv Everywhere.  They create scenes around the world, although mostly in NYC.  Some of the stunts they pull are really cool, I especially liked the synchronized swimming of 2004.

I really like this ad for United Way, the song is great and of course, a great cause:

And this article takes a look at how Pittsburgh will fare during this recession.  Interesting, and short, article.

And on another note, I think I’m going to start a semi-regular column over at Pittsburgh Metblogs to chronicle my adventures on the bus.  So make sure to check that out when it starts up!

Social Links

Archives

How I’m Resisting

What I’m fighting for

What I’m running from

What I’m reading

What I’m drinking

What we’re writing

What I’m running

© 2022, Michael Crane

Powered by Switty WordPress Theme.