Today's Mighty Oak

Often the sandwich filling is the source of the name of the sandwich; for example, ham sandwich.

Yesterday's nut March 29, 2010

Hello everybody!  Big ole update for you today, enjoy the links and all the fun things!

I saw Alice in Wonderland last week, and I enjoyed it, although the 3D was totally unnecessary, and I would suggest you save the money and see it in normal 2D.  One entire section of the movie is the classic orange/blue contrast (Alice’s dress and the Mad Hatter’s hair), which was cool, but kind of overdone.  And strangely enough, every singe preview before the movie was for a Disney movie.  My brother and I both noticed it, I hope that does not become a trend.  Disney however, did do a cool thing and pull the original Alice out of the vault for an ‘unanniversary’ release.  And finally on the subject of Alice, check out what Disney did with $700,000 dollars:

The Wrap discusses the blurring of the line between news and advertising and the journalistic integrity/ad revenue debate that always rages on.  Do I like te ad?  Not really, I don’t think it made much use of the medium.  Do I think readers realized it was an ad and knew to turn the page?  Yes.  Do I think it probably annoyed them?  Yes.  But then again, those are just my thoughts.

Also in ad news, Copyranter has coverage of an awesome McDonalds ad:

Copyranter also links to a spot for colon/rectal screening, pretty clever:

Queen of the Nerds, Felecia Day will return as Little Red Riding Hood on SyFy (I feel dirty just typing that).  I’m very excited, hopefully it turns out well.  Now to wait for The Guild season 4!

Also in nerd news, BrentalFloss’s first CD is coming out soon:

Speaking of nerd type things, you should read Sex Advice from a DnD player, including this gem:

I’ve been dating someone really great for a few months, but he’s never referred to me as his girlfriend. How do I take it to another Level?

While the obvious answer is “Accomplish a story task in the boyfriend track for XP equal or greater to your next level threshold,” I get the feeling you might be hinting that you want to descend into the fetid labyrinth that festers beneath his ancient wizard’s tower. In that case the stairs are in quadrant M23, behind the Throne of the Kobold Hetman.

During the Oscars, I was really interested in the winner of one of the short film categories: Logorama.  Check out the entire film (16  minutes) here.

I know it’s been over for a while, but this is one of the coolest things to come out of the Olympics: Water usage (specifically dealing with toilet flushes) during the gold medal hockey game.  Pretty awesome!

Here’s a cool video made entirely from a flatbed scanner:

Memoirs of a Scanner (Pillows Edition) from Damon Stea on Vimeo.

 

XKCD is one of my favorite online comics.  Toby Dave and Ian explain it here, and Jocelyn explain Toby, Dave and Ian explaining it here.  Wow, so meta!

I missed it (due to date and the fact it was in Washington State), but even though I’m horribly afraid of any kind of public protest, I might have gone to a protest for Pluto:

ATTENTION ALL CONCERNED CITIZENS!

A horrible injustice has occurred! Aghast astronomers, intrepid interstellar adventurers, and many others have joined forces to protest one of the darkest days in recent solar system history. Pluto—the smallest and most distant planet—has been removed from the planetary pantheon.

We refuse to bow to this outrageous decree and declare: PLUTO IS A PLANET.

It’s been stirring for a while, but here are some of the letters that have been send to the Itawamba County School Board, in response to their cancellation of prom and then trying to blame it on one of their students.

And speaking of, here is a great, great editorial piece written in response to it, here is one of my favorite paragraphs, which is a little out of context, so I would encourage you to read the whole thing:

What happens is that some Protestants cherry-pick edicts out of the Bible that support their prejudices and then, in a neat bit of mental judo, spread their arms wide and claim their religion is under attack if anyone contradicts them. “What about tolerance for ME?” they cry. It’s as if I seized a copy of the Bible and began beating someone over the head with it and, when you try to stop me, I accuse you of failing to respect my faith.

And some more old news, check out Jon Stewart discuss the Massa/Beck interview:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Sour Gropes
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

Cool video showcasing monsters/aliens taking profile pictures:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcbZ0v8Mpvk

Here’s an interesting article about how to put together a useful online news room, some great ideas, although I would probably pick and choose a couple of things, depending on the situation of course.  And Nathan discusses some of his favorite online tools.

Remember those old Choose your Own Adventure books?  How about choose your own adventure blog?  Pretty cool stuff!  I can’t wait to read through it!  And here’s the Twitter version.  Speaking of Twitter, have you ever wanted to see Tweets illustrated?  Of course you have!

I saw this on Slog, and I think a couple other places, but here’s a cool video about possible future kiosks that will work with tablets:

Penguin Books is going to be releasing cloth bound, hard cover classics, the design is very old, but impressive (especially the cloth).  Here is what the first and second sets will look like.

Apparently one of Tiger’s mistresses has released the contents of her text messages with him.  Apparantly we already knew half of the conversation, so Slate put together their own version:

Joslyn: Sent: 04:02 PM 08/28/2009:
What would you say to Carlsbad Caverns if you were there right now?

Tiger: Sent: 04:06 PM 08/28/2009:
I want to be deep inside you

Joslyn: Sent: 04:12 PM 08/28/2009:
LOL. I love spelunking.

I don’t see what all the fuss is about!

And an absolutely, positively must watch clip:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Conservative Libertarian
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

And here’s an awesome video from Colbert about the Census:

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
United States Census 2010
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Reform

And in scout news, the Girl Scouts (who are surprisingly more and more progressive, even if their paperwork or organization doesn’t really work or make any sense), even (denying and then admitting) to putting out a sex-positive, realistic pamphlet.  The PR is kind of a nightmare (denying it, then making up lies, then saying that it was yours all along).  And the story is at a conservative site that uses a boy scout merit badge sash by the way.  And over on the other side of the gender gap, an Eagle project had to be changed from a volleyball court to bocce due to noise concerns.  It doesn’t make any sense to me at all, but that is part of the process, working with the community. I will add though, that when we play bocce at camp, we are generally pretty loud, it’s because we’re having fun!

The Kill The Gays bill in Uganda debate rages on, Andrew Sullivan covers it, here’s a quote:

The anti-homosexuality bill, simply put, is a backlash. A backlash from a group that, in the long run, is losing the battle of ideas.

Andrew also recently had a great entry about his marriage:

Even though we have been together for six years, shared a household for five and a half years, pooled our finances for five and a half years and will be celebrating our third wedding anniversary this summer, we are total strangers as far as the federal government is concerned. And if the federal government recognized our marriage, I would have been an American citizen three years ago. In fact, if I had married a longtime female friend 20 years ago, I would be a long-standing citizen right now. (Yes, a heterosexual marriage would have voided the HIV ban automatically for the past 22 years.)

What does the federal government call a legally married man who has paid taxes for twenty-two years and has a PhD, and a job? A faggot.

I almost forgot, Healthcare finally passed!  Here’s some reaction to it, as well as how it will affect you (three versions here, here and here)  And here’s some reaction and some answers to common questions (a very good read) as well as Slate’s ideas for the Republican party.

Here’s a great, if asshole-ish series of e-mails, the greatest quote:

Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus have a sword fight.

Ben Folds sings to Chatroulette users as his new alter ego, Merton, live during a concert.  Check it out:

Here’s a really cool evaluation of Flickr images throughout the seasons (click through for the whole article):

Lifehacker covers how to make cheap and effective screen covers here.

In college we read a book called The Influentials, and this made me think of my friend Teri, who most certainly was an influential on our campus.  I’ll have to alert her to her changing status…

I don’t have anything to add to this trailer, it’s just awesome:

And finally, here’s a cool montage of movie endings:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOqSXHtk0s

That’s it for now, have a great one!

Even an innocent muffin can turn into a serial killer

Yesterday's nut November 8, 2009

And I’m back!  Big update, and another big one coming, hopefully tomorrow.  I’ve been working hard on my NaNoWriMo novel, and the word counts are now working, you can follow my progress on the left side.  Also, Pittsburgh is in a word-war with Sacramento and Finland.  Yes, the entire country.  And we’re also battling Philly, but less officially.  Tracking for that is over there as well.  We agreed at our write-in today that we need to take down Finland.  Because it would be so satisfying to say that we won versus an entire country!  Also, we learned that they only have to write 30,000 words because of how their grammar works, sentences like we use can be said in three or four words.  Only fair, and a cool fact!

I watched live online the House pass their version of Health Care Reform.  It was exciting, I found out that most representatives don’t know when to sit down and shut up, and generally I would not like to be in either house of Congress.  I also spent a good bit of time researching on wikipedia things like Whips.  All in all, a fun evening.  While I don’t agree with the individual mandate and I think there are cuts for women’s health hidden in it (but I would have to check), generally, it’s a step in the right direction.  Heck, just getting rid of the term “pre-existing condition” would do this country a lot of good.  Well, the term, and everything associated with it, you can’t just rename it and expect it to work…you know what I mean.  Good job House!

Ok, too much talking, here’s the newest trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks:

Did you know they are working on a space elevator?  I didn’t either.

And in the UK, construction can begin on the first underground mansion, complete with water slide!

That guy in Louisiana who refused to give out marriage certificates to interracial couples finally quit.

And I think this family wins for Halloween costumes!

Speaking of, Dan Savage has a great column about Halloween costumes.  Check it out, but not while you’re at work.

Games Radar did an article about video games characters zombiefied.  I don’t like the article, I don’t think the graphics were great, however, there was one entry which made me laugh, Pac-Man:

This video has been floating around this week, I’m already a fan on Facebook.  You should be too.  You know, if you support the 11 principles and the 3 herbs and spices…and you oppose the communists who want to socialize your Nazism!

Not quite your thing?  Then check out this video mash-up:

Did you know you can grow a mustache in November in support of men’s health charities?  I didn’t know, although I’m already doing one month-long project.  Not shaving would require another commitment….wait a minute….nah

The Diocese of Fort Worth is finally going to ordain their first woman priest.  Only took them 33 years, but good for them.

And it makes me happy that wherever the Westboro Baptist Church goes, more counter-protesters go.  6-200.  Sounds about right.

Are you going to be participating in a drag race?  Not in cars, a race, in drag.  Here is what you need to know.

Ok, there is a lot more coming, but for now, that’s all.  Have a great one!

Now I went to public school, tell me again, why did Japan start the Civil War with us?

Yesterday's nut October 18, 2009

All kinds of things to pass on this time.  We’ll start with a new funeral for Edgar Allen Poe.  Kind of cool that he’ll get a proper funeral.  Still kind of creepy.  Point of reference: my bamboo plant is named Edgar and my desk plant is named Poe (Allen was Cat’s bamboo who is dead), and Poe is the inspiration for my favorite beer,  New Holland’s Poet.

Mika has a new video, this one for “Blame it on the Girls.”  However, the second single from his new CD is going to be Rain.  Unless this was already released as a single and I missed it, kind of strange to do a video for it, but still a lot of fun.  I’ve desribed this song as half hip-hop, half flaminco.  Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD8K0BGUCF4

I’ve been following this story for a bit, and now it looks like the right to donate blood is going to court, at least in Canada.  And the FDA is looking at the ban here in the U.S.

Just as the last of Polaroid film is set to expire, it is announced that it is coming back.  I’m actually excited for this, the Polariod is very iconic, and I’m glad to see it come back from the dead.

Yep, there’s a Rep for that.

So I’ve been looking for a new computer once Windows 7 comes out later this month.  I’ve looked at HP”s and Gateway’s.  Now I found a Sony I really like.  Check it out here.

Looking for a new , fun blog that may at some point be bought by icanhazcheeseburger?  Try Acronyms Sometimes Suck (ASS).

Here’s a great article from io9 about the relationships brough to us by Joss Whedon.  Caution, possible spoilers about Firefly.

Here’s a cool graph charting job losses.  Check out Pittsburgh, we were doing great until we literally got swallowed up by other cities.

An artist takes over the screens at a New York Best Buy.  Pretty cool, I kind of wish this would happen more often.

I really liked this sketch from SNL last night:

And finally today, here is the original painting.  You can hover your mouse over to get more information about all the people and objects in the piece.  And here is the updated version, including a cameo by Emperor Palpetine!

That’s it for now, have a great one!

It’s been a while…link update!

Yesterday's nut October 4, 2009

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, so we’ll see how many I can cram in here:

If you don’t read City Paper, or even if you do, make sure you check out this week’s cover article: Postcards from the Edge.

It was mentioned that there have been other research that contradicts this study, showing that having a gun brings violence instead of protecitng you from it.  But from my point of view, I’ll believe it.  (Strong language!)

 

Star Wars: Uncut Trailer from Casey Pugh on Vimeo.

This was leaked, but looks really cool.  Who knows when, or even if, it will be available, but Microsoft may be on to something.

Here’s a link to some cool billboards.  I really like the Run Nike board, and the TIE fighter PSP.  The sniper PSP one I think is in poor taste.

Wired Magazine tracked the seven deadly sins.  Pittsburgh tracked close to Saintly, good job!

More Billboards: Post-Mortem self-promotion through underwater billboards, genius!

Here is the Dan Brown Sequel Generator, I highly suggest it!  I may have come up with a couple invovling the Scouts, although to be more international, it should not have been the BSA, but rather International Scouting.

Turing tests have ben used to measure AI and its interaction.  Now, a Turing test is being used for video games, pretty cool stuff.

I’ve been trying to read David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” for a while now, but always get distracted.  Another one of his books is being adaped for screen, and the cast looks amazing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URCMDgdKMWk

I’ve been saying for years it seems that people who play Rock Band or Guitar Hero should form real bands.  Looks like I might be on to something.

Not cash for clunkers, but Certified, Pre-owned cats!

Want to be really patriotic?  Get one of these desktops from July 4th!

I hope to incorporate this someday in my house: Secret passageway behind a bookshelf!

I’m going to end it there, not becasue I’m out of links, but becasue my eyes hurt.  Have a great one!

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:

A + B does not equal liver tumor

Yesterday's nut February 14, 2009

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

Shop locally, save a pony

Yesterday's nut December 19, 2008

Just a quick post for two links really.  The first is something really cool I’m going to be keeping my eye on, the first ever collaborative symphony.  Youtube is asking for submissions to tryout for their collaborative online symphony.  Finalist will be flown to play in Carnegie Hall, and I’m hoping everything will somehow be edited together.  The piece is pretty cool, and of course, the French Horn part is in a wacky key (and way beyond what I could play with the time I would have to practice), but still cool nonetheless.  The web does work in mysterious ways!

Also related to Web 2.0, this article disucsses the state of user-generated content in video game.  It centers on consol gaming, so doesn’t take into account what I’m most interested in: URU.  A good read however, and fairly critical from what I can gather.

That’s it for now, a short update, but things I wanted to post before I lost them.  My office Christmas party is this weekend (scavenger hunt in Pittsburgh!) so look for pictures soon after, and then I’ll have the week to get caught up on more links, movies I need to see, and all kinds of other things!  Have a great one!

Aren’t you the person who told me to live every week like it’s shark week?

Yesterday's nut November 30, 2008

I can happily announce that I am in fact a winner of NaNoWriMo 2008.  My winning entry is:

A new telling of “The Practical Handbook of Bee Culture, with some observations upon the segregation of the Queen” by Sherlocke Holms and “Violent Seeds: The Holloway Roberts Myst” by Jeremey Flinte With a new introduction by Jakabok Botch Gone

Yes, the title is 40 words long, but it is what it is.  It was a lot of fun, as always, and I met some really awesome people at the write in’s, which I’ll make sure I get to them again next year.  For everyone still writing, you have another day to finish, so keep going!

And in the meantime, some cool links for you to peruse:

Crane porn!  And by that, I mean the phrase used by Gizmodo is ‘crane porn.’  There is this giant crane in england that floats, it is amazing!  Check it out!

Doctors will soon use lightsabers to fight cancer.  Not in a duel to the death, or like on Family Guy when Luke Skywalker used a lightsaber to perform eye surgery, but concentrated light blades to cut out individual cells.

Ever want to use a bath bomb but didn’t want to spend the 10 bucks for it?  Make it yourself!

Ok, that’s it for now.  More updates coming now that I have some time, including more galleries!

Massive link update

Yesterday's nut November 16, 2008

Ok, election recap coming soon (and more posts, NaNo is keeping me busy!), but in the meantime, a collection of links that has been sitting around waiting:

Computer games, and how they can help us in times of need (one woman’s post 9/11 journey with Diablo II)

Apparently Sarah Palin never said anything about not knowing the countries of North America or that Africa was a country (comments about Russia still withstanding).  I am glad it happened after the election, but still brilliant, and oh, so believable!

Great article from the P-G about the election (I’ll most likely repost this one in my election recap as well)

Hey, it’s cool to be American…according to those across the pond

If you didn’t see it before, this is what the White House would have been like had McCain won and then died

WSJ covers the return of the Wassup guys

If you read nothing else about the election (besides my forthcoming recap of course), read PittGirl’s article here

Obama is creating the country’s first CTO, help him decide what the priorites should be (ok, I know, election things, but still, fun links)

This google map street view has been floating around and making it’s round on the internet, check out how Pittsburgh is once again in the news for something super cool

Learn about therapy in space…yes, really

Pepsi’s new logo (probably will be launched sometime near the Superbowl) looks like crap I think, take a look and let me know what you think

You can no longer date your dentist in PA, be careful Andy!

Even the Bible is going green….yes, it’s true.  Or want to combine the power of Web 2.0 with your faith, check out kindlejoy.  Or want to see what services the Anglican Cathedral in Second Life is offering this week, check the schedule here.

This site might rival thinkgeek for some of the coolest stuff you never knew you needed

Michael Phelps in a fun campaign for an airline

And a funny (and suggestive) campaign from Levi’s

In case you missed the Pen’s scavenger hunt in Stockholm before the season began this year, check out this story

ESPN ran a good story about a blogging NFL player, check it out

Remember the shortlived Microsoft campaign with Jerry Seinfeld?  I loved it, most people hated it…

Police use a taser on Emu on Turnpike…yes, really

Did you know music can influence how wine tastes?  I didn’t!

More reason to interact online in games: leadership skills

The girl scouts finally figure out that leadership isn’t about power, or at least, not about obtaining power, it’s about doing something positve

The WB is coming back, but not on the air, just on the web

If you haven’t checked it out, guy buy some stuff here.  I bought reusable sandwich bags (also double as place mats) and I love them.  Or, get some tips here on how to live with a lower impact

Want to find some game to play outside, check out game snake

How about taking a college course through youtube?

And for making it all the way through these links, a fun (sad, but true) video about what drives communicators to drink:

 

Bigger updates coming soon, enjoy the links you visit, and I’ll keep writing my novel!

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