neat artwork from Kathleen Lolly

http://www.lolleyland.com/

for those of you from NoVA

http://www.norvapics.com/board/index.php

It's been quite a while since I mentioned thse folks. It's simply a discussion board fro those of us who grew up in Nova, with an emphasis on boomers. Things have been a little slow recently, but the archives are a minor treasure-trove of history, nostalgia, folklore and personal memories about the region. Highly recommended.

a plug

http://www.cooking.com/products/shprodde.asp?SKU=153901&CCAID=FROOGLE153901

One of the few things I enjoy about Winter is sitting around cracking and eating nuts (and pseudo nuts). I love 'em all - chestnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios, peanuts, almonds, etc. And after year's of frustration I found the ultimate cracker - the Rocket. It is perfect for walnuts and brazil nuts - I've only had one brazil ever successfully defy me while using this thing. It will open virtually anthing easily, (be aware that it will not work on very small nuts - we're talking the medium to larger varieties, here).
Like any cracker, the one thing that one must be aware of is the strong possibility that the shell will go flying off. With this device, I've wintessed shell particles explode like grenades, sending shrapnel up to six feet away. The solution was simple, if not particularly elegant looking. I placed the rocker in one of those cheap plastic bags from the grocery store, and made sure it was coverd over when I applied pressure. All of the pieces are left in the bag for easy disposal, with no risk of some sort of Christmas Story "You'll shoot your eye out" situation.

rare Stones film clips being released

http://showbiz411.blogs.thr.com/2010/02/25/rolling-stones-long-banned-film-is-coming-kinda/

Including part of Cocksucker Blues.

Chinese quality in the news!

http://www.weirdasianews.com/2009/07/14/anal-penetrating-chair-kills-teen/

I'm still trying to find out if they manufacture anything that isn't actually murderous.

Alert Claude Rains!

http://www.thesecretofinvisibility.com/

I gotta get this - I just hope it works in concert with my x-ray specs....

not a True Gamesman

http://www.games-inet.com/news-teen-hacker-admits-crashing-playstation-site_147.html

New book by David Ossman of Firesign Theatree!

http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id307.html

nice interview with Nick Lowe

http://www.believermag.com/issues/200905/?read=interview_lowe_barry

Happy Birthday Zero Mostel!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609216/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Mostel

Wonderful performer.

Wuss Britain

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1254175/Father-stopped-taking-picture-son-4-childrens-train-ride-case-paedophile.html

Apparently, we are now neck-and-neck with the Brits to see who can be the biggest pants wetters. GO USA! GO USA!

My petting zoo list

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/pets-animals/photos/15-cute-animals-that-could-kill-you/the-secret-weapon-cuteness#image

If you need a tank, come and get it!

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_495744.html

the latest Iraqi demands

http://flamingzombiemonkeys.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-iraqis-really-want.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FlamingZombieMonkeys+%28Flaming+Zombie+Monkeys%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

pencil sharpener of the damned

http://flamingzombiemonkeys.blogspot.com/2010/02/greatest-pencil-sharpener-ever.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FlamingZombieMonkeys+%28Flaming+Zombie+Monkeys%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

The "Alien" Baby Carrier!

http://flamingzombiemonkeys.blogspot.com/2010/02/this-is-awesome-way-to-carry-baby.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FlamingZombieMonkeys+%28Flaming+Zombie+Monkeys%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

interesting article on the state of solar power

http://papastraighttalk.blogspot.com/2010/02/solar-power-project-news.html


(Thanks for the link, Infidel753!)

Make Believe

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022506161.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2010022603133

On a purely gut level, I suppose I have a certain amount of sympathy for the soldiers and their criticism. But they, and all of us, have to remember the simple facts pointed out in this article: Hollywood exists, and only exists, to entertain - nothing more. And they've (or most of 'em) been quite up front about it. They're paid liars and exaggerators. So are all other entertainers - jokesters, satirists, novelists, poets, songwriters, playwrights, etc.
I never watched Remember the Titans, because I knew it was a pack of lies and would just piss me off, (and I find sports movies catatonically dull). I ahd no interest in being entertained that way, and ignored it. So I gotta say to folks: relax. Remember, I don't think there was a single movie made about WWII for close to 20 years that was in any way accurate, (No blood, no severed limbs, all members of the Allies are super-intelligent and brave saints, etc.). And since then, the resulting crop has found new ways to be flawed, (we now live in the fantasy world of the entire German Army being made up of "Good Germans", just doing their job, and hating hitler - pardon me while I vomit).
It's just Hollywood, nothing more, (which is to say, not a lot). I guess the problem isn't so much with what the entertainment media puts out, so much as how much of it the populace seems eager to take as gospel truth. One is reminded of the (true) stories of people eagerly telephoning the Coast Guard, beseeching them to rescue Gilligan off that damn island. The soldiers of Iraq, and anyone else, should stop complaining about how stupid Hollywood is, and focus on how stupid WE are.

Baba O'Riley - the geek version

http://www.urlesque.com/2010/02/26/think-geek-orchestra/

Kinda cute, if a little limited... This one's better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKUBTX9kKEo

more wuss America

http://www.latimes.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-us-chicken-sandwich-lawsuit,0,7741753.story

Twilight Zone bobble heads!

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/hitlist.asp?theme=Twilight%20Zone

So cute!

Happy National Strawberry Day!

Yum - probably my fave fruit, (but why is it celebrated in the dead of Winter?)

Happy Birthday Mary Jo Pehl!

http://www.maryjopehl.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Jo_Pehl

Happy Open That Bottle Night!

http://www.openthatbottlenight.com/

Yum!

D&D and Wuss America

http://www.examiner.com/x-6911-RPG-Examiner~y2010m2d26-Dungeons--Dragons-on-trial-Sellers-v-Ward


Given the latest terror on stopping the dire hot dog threat, I think that all of the fears of professional nannies and ninnies be combined and that we require all sets of D&D sold to contain a choking warning, should you be tempted to chew through the rules manuals.

Animal Cams at the National Zoo!

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/webcams/

Fun stuff - including an octopus cam!

The Old Ways Are The Best....

http://www.yeah-oops.com/2010/02/26/prison-guard-freaks-out-on-computer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+YeahOops+%28Yeah+Oops%21+-+The+Center+of+Funny+Stuffs+-+Funny+Pictures%2C+Funny+Videos%2C+and+Flash+Games%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

DAY-O!

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=25&sid=1898355

The Traditions of Virginia

http://www.disinfo.com/2010/02/the-virginia-colonists-practiced-cannibalism/

I believe this is still maintained in the Southwest quadrant of the State...

David Geffen is so vain

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/2869512/Carly-Simon-ends-Youre-So-Vain-riddle.html

Not that it's the least bit important, but I always assumed it was Beatty...

The Call Center

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOZKLtIIUZE&feature=related

I am reasonably sure that this is a transcript from my last call there...

Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

Well, the latest snowstorm missed us, but now we have wind. It started about 24 hours ago and has been pretty steady with almost a constant 10-20mph blow, with gusts up to 50mph. But the last hour it seems to have gotten worse, and it sounds like an airpliner is taxiing around the house, with all the noise. So far, we have power, but I wouldn't place bets on that situation lasting. Stuff is blowing against the house, making it difficult to discern between debris or the neighbors objecting to my experiments to create life from robbed graves, (they're a rowdy and superstitious lot....).
The red oaks that tower around the manor are swaying violently back and forth, like some sort of Middle Earth Ent Pentecostal revival meeting. It's really something. Hopefully it'll calm down soon...

On the rocks...

http://www.phenomenica.com/2010/02/mammoth-iceberg.html

Elizabeth II, explained

http://www.phenomenica.com/2010/02/plotting-treachery-rife-in-ant-royal.html

Happy is a suspect. No word on Doc or Dopey.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_14471069

Do you hear what I hear?

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2010/02/24/2010-02-24_age_prediction_machine_helps_you_figure_out_dates_age_using_mosquito_noises.html

Actually, I think a device that played Ramones tunes might also be able to alert you to a person's age...

Zombie Rights!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/26/2831030.htm?section=justin

the cutting edge of PTA involvement

http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=12033987

Colt 45, ugh.....

Steampunk computer mice

http://blogs.laweekly.com/style_council/art/five-steampunk-mice-and-one-hi/

Neat-O!

Classic Hi-Fi ads

http://www.classicaudio.com/ads/index.html

When I was in high school I would drool over these things...

a little something for the Ladies...

http://www.eatliver.com/i.php?n=5376

Great moments in DNA research

http://www.eatliver.com/i.php?n=5397

Happy Birthday Johnny Cash!

http://www.johnnycash.com/

Happy Birthday Fats Domino!

http://www.history-of-rock.com/domino.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OG3uPULQRs

One of the Immortlas.

Happy Birthday Francis Marion!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Marion

His real date of birth is unknown, so his death date will have to do...
A patriot.

Happy Birthday Godfrey Cambridge!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0131387/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_Cambridge

One of my faves, and one of those folks who should've gotten a lot more attention and success than they did.

fanvid for Roky Erickson performing Two Headed Dog

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7aLXehSXAo

fanvid for the Pousette Dart Band performing Amnesia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm6AFag8SdY

Black Sabbath performs Paranoid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBWcRMonvWA

The Count V perform Psychotic Reaction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODR6rGcluRs&feature=related

Neat-O!

Nils Lofgren news

He announced that some acoustic shows will be coming up at the Birchmere around Labor Day....

fanvid for Jimi Hendrix performing Manic Depression

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itXbYH8X5Y0

Wonderful!

Craig Ferguson (just) Talks

http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_late_show/

Our friend Carol got us watching the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson about five months ago. And it's been fun. I like Craig and I think he does very well with humor, particularly the off-the-cuff variety. He's good at pointing out that the show isn't very important, just a piece of temporary pop culture fluff - which is true. Any good comedian has a style and Ferguson's is kind of interesting to me because it harkens back to Johnny Carson. Johnny's monologues weren't as notable for their jokes as for his reactions to them. When a joke failed - that's when Carson shown, with a wry comment or two. He was great.
Ferguson does the same thing, but on a wider canvas, criticising his whole show. It works and it's funny. But, like Carson, he's not a one-play performer. He's very good at ad libbing, and his facial expressions and the sly "naughty boy" look he shoots the camera are all first-rate entertainment for a late night show. The only thing I can fault the show for is something it acknowledges - that it is existing in a Hollywood culture that has grown increasingly uninteresting, (unless you're part of the mob who breathlessly awaits soap-opera news of who is fucking whom, and who went into rehab this morning). Now, there have always been entertainers who were ONLY entertaining when on a stage or in a film, etc. Get them on a show and they were as boring, inarticulate, and shallow as the most brainless bimbos of today. But there also seemed to be a greater number of true raconteurs and people that could "wing it" in a talk show environment. And the shows often booked these people - even if they didn't have a movie to shill for at the time, etc. Joe Flynn, Orson Beane and Jim Backus were, let's face it, not A List celebrities. But they were all great conversationalists and were regulars on shows like Merv Griffin in the 60's and 70's - and it worked. And there were A-List folks out there who were also great for some stories and interesting viewpoints - Judy Garland, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, and more - and they were allowed to talk. And that gets me back to Craig Ferguson and others (like Conan O'Brien). THEY are now expected to carry the show single-handedly. When a guest is on, the assumption seems to be that they have nothing interesting to say, (which is frequently true), and so the host simply continues the monologue, only now with a temporary celebrity sidekick/punching bag along for the ride. It bothers me a little, and in the long run just isn't my cup of tea.
Like I said, in some cases, this is absolutely necessary. God knows how some of these stoned drones found their way to their chair. But in other cases, it's a shame. Carl Reiner is a giant in American pop culture, and there's a whole bunch of questions I'd like answered and stories I'd like to hear from him on his life and career. But when he came on the Late Late Show, he sat there for a few short minutes, with Craig gagging away, and nothing was said. What a shame and what a pity. Apparently, Craig may have come to this conclusion himself. He's a smart guy and from little hints dropped, something of an autodidact. He may be looking for substance too. The show on Tuesday was done with no audience or comedic monologue, and was just him chatting with Stephen Fry. I loved it, even though Fry is of limited interest to me. It was nice that someone could get a story or an idea across without all the distractions and unnecessary hoopla. It was fun because you could see that Craig took it seriously. I think twice he almost fell prey to instinct and was about to go off on a little comedy tangent, but you could see in his eyes that he'd catch himself immediately and "turn it off" and continue with the conversation. The guys' s a pro and he wanted this to work.
I've no idea what this show meant in the long run, if anything. I'm not even going to try to pretend to understand ratings, network management, etc. But it worked for me, and if the show can ignore whoever is out there just because they've got a movie out that they need to flog, and concentrate on people who really are interesting, I think this would be great. And it doesn't have to be sombre. I like Craig's monologue and sense of humor, and his bouncing off of the audience. I'd miss them, but I think he's capable of adding onto that, and I think he demonstrated that the other night.

Soul Train box set coming out!

http://www.timelife.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=1001&catalogId=10001&productId=144501&siteID=fziHLe0yqFU-6qj3L_6X_vDf6R9maI2PmQ

When the dead inhabit our movie screens

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0315/entertainment-hollywood-cameron-movies-star-reborn.html

I too have been waiting for this. It will take time, more technology, and intelligent/sympathetic/knowledgeable directors and writers; but I think we're going to see the artificial resurrection of John Wayne, Kate Hepburn, W.C. Fields, etc. The debates will occur, (I think), when the production team isn't careful with the "actor". Then those of us who are familiar with them, (and fans), will be disparaging. But I suspect we're a dwindling number, the up and coming generations won't care. Of course that then would mean why do it at all. If the majority of the public don't know who Groucho Marx or Maureen O'Sullivan is, then there's no monetary reason to "resurrect" them.

Happy National Clam Chowder Day!

Yum!

Happy Birthday George!

http://www.georgeharrison.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGKPHFrHVVY&feature=related

Happy Birthday to Yes, Minister!

One of my faves. Essential to understanding how government really works.

http://www.yes-minister.com/

Happy Birthday to Your Show of Shows!

Premiered on this date in 1950. Absolutely brilliant and essential.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042173/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Show_of_Shows

Happy Birthday Jim Backus!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000822/

http://www.biography.com/articles/Jim-Backus-273645

Happy Birthday Zeppo!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0555688/

http://www.marx-brothers.org/biography/zeppo.htm

Jackie Wilson performs Baby Workout

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJVcgP9ve-c

Fantastic. It doesn't get any better than this.

fanvid for Dee Clark performing Raindrops

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj4Ub5v6mg0

Always liked this song.

The Raspberries perform Go All The Way

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VG2e0z0h4I

Sounds like live vocals over a pre-recorced instrumental. Doesn't matter, it's still a great song.

David Ruffin performs My Whole World Ended

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3Kxlm6H3Ss&feature=related

One of the great soul singers, in Motown, or anywhere else.

The Georgia Satellites perform Keep Your Hands To Yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Ur45vTtw0

Great song.

Elton John performs Kiss The Bride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKCH3h1L-CA

Elton's cachet in rock'n'roll was already in the decline when he released it, which is too bad, as it's a wonderful power pop song.

men with small penises have their zippers at half mast today

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/24/AR2010022403401.html?hpid=topnews

Nothing Says "Ole Miss" Like Admiral Ackbar!

http://www.disinfo.com/2010/02/its-a-trap-students-push-admiral-ackbar-for-ole-miss-mascot/

"worst" weapons of WWII

http://uniqueupdates.blogspot.com/2010/02/worst-weapons-in-history-of-world-war.html

Actually, this shows the state of popular presentations on WWII. I am unfamiliar with the "flying jeep", but the rest of these systems/techniques showed real promise, as any serious research would show. Some were shelved due to the giggle factor, but that in and of itself is not a good reason for us to label them "worst". Militaries tend to be conservative, even hidebound at times, even if it's not in their best interest. (The Western Front during WWI is a very nice example of when innovation is ignored in favor of what is known and comforting, (or at least comforting to generals) - no giggles were allowed, and it bled Britain and France dry). Some of the other projects were shelved because the cost/benefit ratio didn't appear to be too good, especially by late '44 when a lot of Allied victories were at least partially being achieved through sheer quantity. But that does not make them "worst" by any means. Unusual, certainly - but not these were not bad ideas.
(For those of you in search of truly stupid WWII ideas, I'd suggest Ernest Hemingway - his plans to go out on fishing expeditions off of Cuba and take Jai Alai players to lob grenades at the hatches and snorkels of passing U-Boats gets my vote every time).

Rounder Records TV Special

http://www.rounderartists.com/PBS/PBSlist.htm

This'll be fun - a great label.

shower gel

http://www.spinninghat.com/product/blood-bath-shower-gel?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Emailmarketingsoftware&utm_content=458710933&utm_campaign=NewProduct-BloodBathShowerGel+_+uuuklt&utm_term=BloodBathShowerGel

When mascots attack

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/video/mascot-eats-cheerleader-9918048

Sigh...

There are various rumblings amongst our weathermen for more precipitation in our region tonight. The main part of the storm is supposed to miss us, but nobody knows for certain. Predictions are running from just a little rain to 5" of snow. The possibility of more white stuff is predictably and cruelly timed, as we're just getting things back to normal here. There's been a lot of melting in the past three days. Although the Manor is still heavily hit due to a Northern exposure and a copse of shade trees to our South, the ice dams that extended 4 inches OVER our rain gutters have gone, thus protecting us from any type of leakage or wicking into the house structure; in most neighborhoods there is now street parking and all major and secondary roads appear clear*. I even passed by two speed traps this morning. It was almost charming to once again see the polizei out and thwarting anyone getting anywhere with alacrity, as if trying to make up for the lack of ice and snow. Even the grocery stores have restocked, and no longer resemble some post-apocalyptic wasteland. But the gods are cruel. And I await their tricks - I now have enough chemical snowmelt to wipe clean Antarctica...Oh, I'm sure that the resulting yard will look like Death Valley, come Spring. But I figure the grinding glacier of ice on it now has probably wiped all life forms out all ready. We'll see.


*Of course there are the usual resulting potholes. But I zig-zagged around a small cluster on Braddock Road that were incredible! The surface areas weren't particularly wide, but my gods they were deep! I've never seen such holes! I swear, they were so deep that you could hear the cries of damned souls rising from their inky blackness, and smell brimstone.

Kraken Rum

http://www.strangerandstranger.com/kraken1.html

I'm a sucker for marketing like this...

Washington In The 70's - a quick review

http://www.weta.org/tv/programsatoz/program/73020

I thought it was okay, but I also think it was too brief for a show that is really menat to be broadcast just in this region. I'd prefer a whole series of 30-60 minute programs forcusing on different topics in each decade. I'd suggest shows devoted to local politics, neighborhood development, crime, traffic and transportation, TV, radio, local music, major public events, sports, and recreation & fads. That'd be fun, rather than jumping around from topic to topic every 3-4 minutes.

5 weeks till the National Halloween Convention!

http://www.nationalhalloweenconvention.com/

I really would like to attend - maybe next year...

The Air Car

http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4251491.html

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4028558/pat-boone-pushing-air-cars?category_id=86861

Very cool, (if true, I despise Pat Boone and wouldn't trust him for the right time).


(Thanks for the link, Mike!)

Happy National Tortilla Chip Day!

Yum!

Happy Birthday George Thorogood!

http://www.georgethorogood.com/

http://www.delawaredestroyers.com/

Happy Birthday Michelle Shocked!

http://www.michelleshocked.com/

Brilliant. Wonderful singer and songwriter.

Happy Birthday Franz von Stuck!

One of my fave painters.

http://franz_von_stuck.tripod.com/

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/stuck_franz_von.html

fanvid for Slick, Kantner & Freiberg performing Sketches of China

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Etp9y7grC28&feature=related

An almost forgotten song and album - but I love both. One of those tunes that got me through the late 70's.

Gary U. S. Bonds performs This Little Girl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zshUXe-PTeQ

A minor classic.

Tracy Chapman video for New Beginning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fNYEQYNjtg&feature=related

Great song for a cloudy day.

Aerosmith performs Back In The Saddle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I555U5wGns

Probably my favorite song by them. Great example of mid-70's hard rock.

The Monkees' video for I'm A Believer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfuBREMXxts&feature=related

Great Neil Diamond song.

Scotch Tape Art

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/814550-pregnant-woman-and-office-worker-made-out-of-sticky-tape


(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

Aspiral clocks

http://www.neatorama.com/2010/02/23/aspiral-clocks/

Pretty neat!

neat web comic!

http://xkcd.com/

A cute little science and tech oriented comic.


(Thanks for the link, Chris!)

a nice site devoted to guerrilla knitting

http://deputy-dog.com/2008/11/urban-knitting-worlds-most-inoffensive.html


(Thanks for the link, Carol!)

Abbey Road is saved!

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61M3LW20100223

Thank goodness. I really do think it would make a lovely center for some sort of pop music museum or research center.


(Thanks for the link, Erik!)

nice article and analysis on somewhat obscure Jefferson Airplane recordings

http://www.dangerousminds.net/index.php/site/comments/jefferson_airplane_loves_you/

Review and analysis of the new Solomon Kane movie

http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=11384

Customer Hell

http://notalwaysright.com/

You know, I don't miss retail in the least...

nice article on the evil history of eugenics in America

http://www.infowars.com/the-nazis-murder-of-jews-communists-and-gypsies-in-gas-chambers-was-an-american-idea/

the cutting edge of a pain in the neck

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/23/2827546.htm?section=justin

Man's Best Friend

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8528965.stm

Kirk needs to slow down

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18532-starship-pilots-speed-kills-especially-warp-speed.html

Happy National Chil Day!

http://www.hardtimes.com/

Happy Birthday Majel Barrett!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000854/

Today is Iwo Jima Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Iwo_Jima

http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/iwoflag.htm

An unbelievably fierce battle in a war that was full of such.

DC in the 70's

It's being broadcast tonight:

http://www.weta.org/tv/local/washingtoninthe70s

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/21/AR2010022103840.html?hpid=dynamiclead

Tweets From Space

http://twitpic.com/photos/Astro_Soichi

On the one hand, I think this is pretty cool. But my one question would be if it was possible for something a little more substantial, like blog entries? Pithy little tweets just seem like ads, and I'd enjoy learning more about the details of these folks' lives and duties, etc.


(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

The Serene Majesty of Mt. Chipotle in Charlottesville!

http://scatteredsheep.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/mt-chipotle-charlottesville-va/


(Thanks for the link, Carol!)

Elephants' "secret" language

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8527009.stm

Elephants' "secret" language

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8527009.stm

Tee Hee!

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/real_estate_developers_push_to?utm_source=onion_rss_daily

Lego Crawler Town!

http://gizmodo.com/5476507/lego-crawler-town-makes-having-a-tiny-yellow-head-totally-worth-it

Neat!


(Thanks for the link, Nick!)

Wuss America

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20100222/hl_hsn/pediatricianswantredesignofhotdogscandytocurbkidschoking

Unfuckingbelievable.... Of course, the logical conclusion is to stop feeding your kids, thereby eliminating the danger in its entirety.


(Thanks for the link, Doug!)

a little something for the Ladies...

http://community.livejournal.com/vintage_ads/1751385.html

If Devo sold cocoa

http://community.livejournal.com/vintage_ads/1755308.html

Only 250 days until Halloween!

HappyBirthday Dwight Frye!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0296859/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_Frye

A great and under-appreciated actor. The archtype of the mad scientist's assistant.

Happy Birthday Edward Gorey!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Gorey

http://www.edwardgoreyhouse.org/

http://www.goreyography.com/default.html

Brilliant. And needless to say, one of my faves.

Happy Birthday George Washington!

A local boy who did well...

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington

http://www.mountvernon.org/

By the way, for those of you in the hinterlands. If/when you visit DC, I strongly recommend a visit to nearby Mt. Vernon. I think it's one of the most enjoyable and interesting sites in our region. It's one of those places that, (I think), really gives you a feel for what the man and his times were like.

False promises

It was a nice day today. We actually got over fifty degrees and one could see/hear melting everywhere, (unfortunately, the Manor is heavily shaded with a Northern exposure and the thaw here was minimal - we will have snow till April). Those areas that were plowed and/or shovelled are now clear, (we're still left with quite a bit of snow, though, on the shoulders of streets, etc.). It was just pleasant to see the sun and not have to go outside bundled up like one of Peary's expedition members.
Oh, I know that the gods are a cruel and treacherous lot, and I am knowledgeable as to their ways. We've still got a good five weeks of Winter yet to go. This is but a tease to lull us into a sense of complacency. The more daring forecasts are already claiming a brutal March, perhaps as bad as February. But, at least for today, things were manageable. This time of year always reminds me of Buckingham & Nicks, and the later Fleetwood Mac recordings; perhaps because many of them were either released or promoted around now. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApAdKVh_Oec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCsP0Rx6Cfg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwc8Brdnhk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tcVGGpX9_0&feature=PlayList&p=E9297BD422F68AFD&index=5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2p5augniQA (Very nice version...)


See ya tomorrow...

Iran is a Monty Python skit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfQkKvC_sM0

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

new tribute album to the Velvet Underground

http://darla.com/index.php?fuseaction=item_cat.ecom_superitem_detail&item_cat_id=37572

with cuts by Jane Wiedlin and Jonathan Richman!

new collection of Appalachian blues

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/11/AR2010021105417.html

My old workmate Jeff helped produce this, so I KNOW that this is a quality collection. Highly recommended.

a neat jack-o-lantern gallery

http://www.zombiepumpkins.com/gallery.php?gal=2009

All right! Interesting diet plan!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021803177.html

A wonderful little article in today's Post Magazine. Check out the fourth and fifth sentences.


(Thanks for the link, Edie!)

armored golf carts for the military?

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20100221.aspx

Noodling for 200 years

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/18/AR2010021806498.html

As many of you know/remember, I had the pleasure of working in a record store for many years. We had three differenct sound sytems in the building, and one was always playing classical music for that department. Now, for the most part, classical does little for me. Oh, it's okay, just not my cup of tea. That's probably a shame, because we had quite a few experts working in that department over the years, (some of you may well be reading this), and a person could probably get a first rate education in the classics just having sat around listening to the selections that were played. For me, it was just background. I didn't hate it, it just wasn't for me - with one exception. I absolutely hated Chopin and his endless piano noodlings. In fact, he's the only composer I have any opinion about at all. Until the louder and brasher forms of rap came along, his was the one (common) musical form I could stand the least. And we had one clerk who would play his irritating trilling on a regular basis. I'd retreat to the "rock room" and play the Clash or Neil Young as loud as possible to regain my sanity. One of my compatriots (a classical expert) one time entrered the room while it on the stereo and simply yelled out "It's Not Music", and walked out. I practically applauded.
Another time, a clerk there, (my dear departed friend, Charlotte), doubted the intensity of my feeling towards Freddie's noise. She knew of my complete ignorance of composers, etc. And set up a blind test, playing different but (to her) similiarly sounding works to see if I could pick out Chopin's from amongst them. But there was no fooling me, I'd know that swill anywhere, and to her utter amazement I was able to pick out the offending piece each time. The man is consistently irritating.
So happy birthday, Fred. You stink.

Happy Birthday Mary Chapin Carpenter!

DC's Finest. Great songwriter and performer, and a nice person. One of my faves.

http://www.marychapincarpenter.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Chapin_Carpenter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qxU82mNaI8&feature=related

neat addition to Mt. Vernon

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/19/AR2010021902646.html?hpid=sec-artsliving

My only concern here is that the new building not mar the existing beauty around the estate. But this sounds cool. I've never attended the new visitor center because all of the announcements about it made it sound immature and stupid - hoping to make Washington "relevant for the kids' by turning him into some sort of action hero from TV. This new center will hopefully provide a counterbalance and a support for those of us still able to read and not needing worthless flash to learn something.

I think we can assume that whole tenure thing is a no go

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100219/ap_on_re_us/us_ala_university_shooting

Fortunately, she's still on salary....

What a pair of fruitcakes...

Indianapolis is #1 airport?

http://www.indystar.com/article/20100219/LOCAL1804/2190358/1001/news

That's nice, I'm happy for them. Just one question - who flies to Indianopolis???

Mummy paper

http://blog.seattlepi.com/bookpatrol/archives/195111.asp?from=blog_last3

I'd be curious as to how/why this was considered an economical alternative. Seems darned expensive to me.

Shatner My Dad Says

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ie935cc06a4035022666f553e0936ab6a

the cutting edge of First Aid!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7259636/Swiss-prostitutes-trained-to-use-defibrillators-in-brothels-to-prevent-clients-dying.html

(Thanks for the link, Infidel753!)

May I Take Your Order?

http://www.rahoi.com/2006/03/may-i-take-your-order/



(Thanks to Infidel753 for the link!)

Happy Birthday Sydney Poitier!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001627/

http://www.biography.com/articles/Sidney-Poitier-9443345

Happy Birthday Joel Hodgson!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0388273/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Hodgson

http://www.cinematictitanic.com/

http://www.members.tripod.com/joelnomiko/joel/joel.html

http://www.mst3kinfo.com/satnews/brains/20q.html

Genius. Essential.

Happy Hoodie Hoo Day!

http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/hoo.htm

Snow Report - Sterling, Virginia

http://failblog.org/2010/02/18/shopping-cart-return-fail/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+failblog+%28The+FAIL+Blog+-+Fail+Pictures+%26+Videos+at+Failblog.ORG%29

My brother in law lives about a mile from this Everest.


(Thanks for the link, Audrey!)

fanvid for Ananda Shankar performing Streets of Calcutta

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpJK6TQi-70&feature=PlayList&p=D110F0491D14CCA1&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=59

He's tried, but never quite made it in the States, which is too bad. Shankar is pretty cool.

nice article on Burton's Alice In Wonderland

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1252091/Alices-weird-wonderland-Why-scenes-row-Tim-Burtons-fantastical-film-disappear-cinemas-fast-Cheshire-Cat.html

Gotta see this, always loved the book.

The LEGO Harpsichord

http://www.impactlab.com/2008/05/14/the-lego-harpsichord-a-2-year-project/

Amazing...


(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

nice little article about the mysterious numbers stations

http://www.dangerousminds.net/index.php/site/comments/the_mysterious_vibes_of_the_numbers_stations/

Pick Temple & Ranger Hal interviews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RA3hWPyVT8

If you grew up in DC, (as a baby boomer), you grew up with these guys.

more info needed by tourists to DC?

http://www.fark.com/cgi/comments.pl?IDLink=5039595&tt=s

The sarcasm in this Fark link reminds me of a situation I was in about 35 years ago while taking a bus to my job at NASM. We passed by the Washington Monument, and the 30ish woman sitting besides me asked me in a perfect American accent what it was. She was very polite about it, and I tried to be to, and hopefully managed to mask my complete and utter surprise when answering her. More surprisingly, I resisted the many devilish temptations that are constantly running through my mind, and told her the truth, rather than making up some much more entertaining pack of lies.

Clubbing A Seal

http://www.soberinanightclub.com/2010/02/clubbing-seal.html


;)

the cutting edge of toys

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2010/02/bad-twisted-bizarre-toys.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheThrillingWonderStory+%28Dark+Roasted+Blend%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

I've posted a few of these in the past, but here's one big listing...

Pirate VS Legit

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj24HBlFRndG1bpvygK1IIFn-cEme7EzT4wJ5c0y5PFy0rsSiYxIN_ksGfhfBnjKfRp3VWvAAnHN4iYwLWZuILMn3tE3baGr8fwT_0V_m3dJJmXl5FZrtDYje59OufcA6sXeVA/s1600-h/pirate+dvd.jpg

Stick bomb!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiWxU3jXOFc&feature=player_embedded#

Neat-O!

a little something for the Ladies...

http://consumerist.com/2010/02/edward-cullen-man-pillow-eternally-yours-for-just-45.html

Woe to one of horror's most interesting icons, the vampire - evolved to a state of wussiness...

new poetry collections by Lovecraft, REH and CAS being released!

http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=9115

Babies With Laser Eyes!

http://babieswithlasereyes.com/

a new bangalore torpedo

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htinf/articles/20100219.aspx

sounds pretty neat

Anniversary of the Phonograph!

Edison patented the phonograph on this date in 1878.

Tandoor Terror!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/8523423.stm

I love tandoor cooking and have been after Linda for us to get one for years. This does not scare me off in the least. You'll get my naan when you pry it from my cold dead hand....

the five "smallest" languages

http://www.aroundglobe.net/2010/02/5-smallest-languages-of-world.html

I assume we're referring to monoglots, here. I suspect there are a variety of American Indian languages form the smaller tribal groups that are near-dead, or only live on as a second tongue. And Cornish would be an example of the latter in Europe, (and maybe Breton?).

Airfields and Nike Missile Bases in NoVa

http://www.airfields-freeman.com/VA/Airfields_VA_Fairfax_W.htm

I think I posted this link a few years ago, but it's cool enough (for us locals) to do so again.

Happy Birthday Copernicus!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus

Happy Birthday Smokey Robinson!

http://www.smokeyrobinson.com/

http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/smokey-robinson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2kxlZDOHeQ

Genius. Essential. An American Treasure.

Happy Birthday Bobby Hart!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boyce_and_Hart

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSMUtLHPH7Y

Happy Pully Lug Day!

An unbelievably obscure Cumberland holiday that I am single-handedly reviving. Basically, you're allowed to pull folks' ears. Have fun...

What If Edward Gorey Illustrated Star Trek?

http://shaenon.livejournal.com/48834.html

Wonderful!

Alice Cooper performs Under My Wheels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQwJaAhtCi8

A great rock'n'roll song off of a great album by a great performer. One of those tunes that it's difficult to hear without tasting/smelling those sensations of 71-72...

Rare Earth performs Get Ready

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFBLYuM7y4g

Sigh. Rare Earth never got any respect. Hell, Gil Scott-Heron, (one of the coolest people on the planet), even insulted them in his most famous song, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. But I think they're an excellent example of that sort of late 60's early 70's progressive/hard rock band that so dominated then. And they did it well.

Azted Camera covers Jump

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvRgyq6fybA

Brilliant. On the record release they acknowledge their debt to Lou by calling it the "Loaded" version.

The Flying Lizards perform Money

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHs-6xnMEdE

They were so cool. I still remember when I first heard this. The import had just been delivered to the little Penguin Feather record shop over in Annandale and the clerk, (who was a very hip and nice guy), put it on for me to hear and I bought it about 15 seconds into the song.

Dave Edmunds covers I Hear You Knockin'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdRVRuLbp2w

I always loved his version.

Carl Perkins performs Matchbox

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIzvmqAAsNc

Wonderful!

R.B. Greaves performs Take A Letter Maria

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJLoYd8xak

Great song. This was performed on the wonderful TV show called the Music Scene back in '69.

The Easybeats perform Friday On My Mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBJLoYd8xak

Fun song.

Snowpocalypse - The Video

http://sharing.theflip.com/session/f59ec4a9142836671688a54b1cadd0b0/video/10634891


(Thanks for the link, Audrey!)

Williamsburg Rap

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-youtube-williamsburg-state-of-mind,0,5814819.htmlstory

some more info on the film, "The Last Lovecraft"

http://io9.com/5473519/new-cthulhu-comedy-sneaking-into-theaters-this-year

Happy National Tick Bird Day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoko_Ono

Anniversary of "Hello, My Name Is Blotto"

Released in 1980. Fun EP. You had to be there...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blotto_(band)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMlyqKa1p78

Happy Birthday Gahan Wilson!

Brilliant. Essential.

http://www.gahanwilson.com/

Happy Birthday SONiA!

Baltimore's Finest. One of my faves. Absolutely brilliant songwriter and performer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hSokE5z2Qw

http://www.disappearfear.com/nSite_09/index.html

http://www.myspace.com/soniaanddisappearfear

Happy Drink Wine Day!

Yum!

http://www.virginiawine.org/

our guts form a second brain?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=gut-second-brain

Neat! But, as a professional hedonist, I would argue against the statement "The second brain doesn't help with the great thought processes…religion, philosophy and poetry is left to the brain in the head," - clearly, you've never heard me wax eloquent over a Five Guys hamburger and the deeply spiritual dimensions to it....

A holographic universe?

http://www.examiner.com/x-11705-Holistic-Science--Spirit-Examiner~y2010m2d15-Is-this-world-a-hologram-and-God-a-laser-beam?cid=examiner-email

Interesting, and totally beyond me...

Mosquito Laser!

http://www.physorg.com/news185463943.html

This is soooo cool! I gotta get one! I wonder if they'll power it up to squirrel level?


(Thanks for the link, Chris!)

SPAM Attack!

http://tools.ntnews.com.au/rss_article.php?news_id=40873051

Of course, Monty Python was ahead of the curve here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anwy2MPT5RE

the translator

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/157749-parliamo-glasgow-meet-the-worlds-first-glaswegian-interpreter/

Craig Ferguson would be amused, I'm sure...

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1251157/So-long-suckers-Human-fly-scales-wall-using-vacuum-cleaners-bought-Tesco.html

Badfinger performs Baby Blue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C53QAuOoSgc&feature=player_embedded

Beautiful. Power Pop Gods...

The T.A.M.I. show is coming out on DVD!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030ATZIA?ie=UTF8&tag=theverythingt-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B0030ATZIA

Wonderful news!

Abbey Road For Sale?!?!?

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/889e63f0-1a70-11df-a2e3-00144feab49a.html?nclick_check=1

I'd be quite stunned if the state didn't amke it into a museum.


(Thanks for the link, Perry!)

The latest snow report

It took days, but we finally managed to break through to the street. The physical costs were immense, but we had to get out. We had less than two six packs of Tab left, and the chardonnay was running dangerously low – six bottles. I’ve had a variety of physical problems over the years, and all of them have now been reinforced. My back is now little more than a twisted source of throbbing pain. My chiropractor is already shopping for tropical islands to buy with what he’ll make off of me in the coming year. My left arm, (tennis elbow) is in distress while my right arm (golfer’s elbow*) is totally worthless and hangs listlessly swinging at my side. I’ve pretty much given up on Aleve and aspirin, etc. There’s too much pain – and they don’t seem to affect it in the least.

The snow that’s caused all of this mayhem is still with us of course - hell, it’ll be here in June there’s so much of the god damned stuff. Those areas that were plowed/dug to the pavement are now free and passable, but everything else has undergone numerous days of partial melt and refreezing, resulting in adamantine blocks that are almost impenetrable, (as I wrote in my last missive regarding this phenomena). I write “almost” because there is one tool at my disposal that will destroy ANY ice. With it, I am like a Conan of the Tundra, able to break down or through even the sturdiest blocks. It’s a huge pole-like staff, made from some sort of super-iron composite, (I strongly suspect it was forged in the pits of Mordor). It’s a rusty black color, about 66” long and an inch in diameter with a business end that looks like a rather large, crude flathead screw driver, about two inches across. Besides its absolute solidness, its main attribute is the weight – it must be about 35 pounds. This attribute is both a blessing and a curse, you can smash it through anything, but it’s a royal pain to use more than a few minutes, especially with a body as strained as mine now is. The thing is an indestructible monster, I swear I can see Sauron’s initials on the butt end of it, but Linda insists that’s just some scarring from the minute amount of rust that coats it. I don’t even really know what it was for originally, it’s not really a post hole digger, and not quite sharp enough for effective garden work, (not that I can see any gardener sweeping one of these things around the peonies). There’s even a debate as to where it came from, with Linda insisting that we bought it at a flea market in Alexandria while I seem to remember being the only one in our region who was capable of pulling it out of a huge block of ice, and thereafter being proclaimed “King Glacier Killer”, and “Yeti Bane”. Whatever, it gets the job done, but at the cost of my muscles and bones.

The other physical change I’ve undergone may also have a psychological component to it. Whenever there is a mention of the possibility of more snowfall in our area, one of my eyes and the corner of my mouth start twitching uncontrollably. I was out shopping briefly today and a few stray flakes started to fall. The results on my face were immediate, profound, and if I might say so – damned intimidating. Children now run from me, (an effect I’ve been trying to hone for years, and now it’s occurred!).

My physical predicament and gait have earned me the moniker of Quasimodo. I’ve decided to run with that, (well, stumble along, really) and have taken to speaking like Charles Laughton with a mouth full of marbles; and have applied to Notre Dame Cathedral for the position of chief bell ringer. And my prospects look good! Management already acknowledges that I have all of the correct physical attributes, but there is a sticking point in negotiations, as I am a traditionalist and demand the right to pour vats of hot melted lead on anyone I should choose. They are balking at this, a sure sign of the spiritual slough that modern France has fallen prey to. Nevertheless, I feel on the verge of a capitulation on their part towards this, my eye is twitching….


(*It is one of the many ironies in my life to suffer from an ailment named after a game I have so little regard for)

Great moments in Maryland legislation

http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=97236&catid=168

I think that it should be Edgar Allan Poe's dust, but then I'm a romantic..

Prince rehearsal videos from 1984

http://www.thedailyswarm.com/headlines/watch-while-you-can-prince-rehearsal-videos-1984/

Watch fast, because these won't be available for long...


(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

Jabba The Cake

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/16/jabba-the-cake.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Eric Brace & Peter Cooper cover Karl Straub's "Drinking From A Swimming Pool"

http://karlstraubmusic.blogspot.com/2010/02/drinking-from-swimming-pool-eric-brace.html

A great song written by my old record store compandre, Karl. One of my faves.

A quotation for all of you parents out there

http://quotationsbook.com/quote/29189/

THE Ultimate Hitler Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CyzgOupqLg&feature=player_embedded

The New People

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/16/trailer-for-actual-p.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

This is where the guys from "Lost" stole their premise, (they deny it, of course, I couldn't care less, I was reading/watching the same crap they were when growing up, except more so - I know...). It had its moments and was, I believe, the last show put out by Rod Serling.

I will live forever

http://technoccult.net/archives/2010/02/15/frankincense-could-it-be-a-cure-for-cancer/

Anyone who ahs been to The Manor knows that frankincense is one of my fave incenses, and I burn through close to a pound a year. Now, they need ro research jasmine and sandalwood...

Captain Kirk sells frozen vegetables

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQP8sY0EbX8

My next homebuilder

http://www.nethercraft.com/index.html

Dracula returning to Broadway

http://thevaultofhorror.blogspot.com/2010/02/sweet-music-dracula-to-return-to.html

Splendid! I saw the road show around 77 after Langela had left and been replaced by Raul Julia, who did wonderfully. The set design was by Edward Gorey, and it was brilliant.

Just seen online:

Arkham’s Razor: A theory which suggests that the simplest explanation tends to lead to Cthulhu.

think of what this'll do with popcorn!

I think someone missed that class in medical school

http://bitsandpieces.us/2010/02/16/prostate-exam/

the cutting edge of charging an Iphone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_LLj4_3ZRA&feature=player_embedded

The Tatar version of We Are The Champions

http://www.neatorama.com/2010/02/15/we-are-the-champions-in-tatar/

Actually, this is pretty neat. Great costumes!

Wuss America (and its costs)

http://www.enterprisenews.com/news/x1328936162/Brockton-reaches-settlement-with-family-in-sexual-harassment-case

I never would have made it out of grade school....

Wait till the pimps get ahold of this...

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100212141246.htm

The hannibal Lector Hello Kitty Tattoo

http://www.neatorama.com/2010/02/13/hannibal-lecter-hello-kitty-tattoo/

50 Impressions In 50 Seconds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ePpiyJDdwQ&feature=player_embedded

Wonderful!

Blobfish VS Crabzilla!

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/813517-freak-out-blobfish-v-crabzilla

I'm upgrading from aluminum foil:

http://www.stopabductions.com/

I'm a slave to fashion...

neuron inspired computers

http://www.realitysandwich.com/neuron_inspired_computers

Could be neat.

Weird Harrogate

http://weirdharrogate.blogspot.com/

Neat drawings!

an oldie but goody: Cthulhu Perfume!

http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/collectibles/d2cd/

a blog just devoted to skull art

http://www.iwantyourskull.com/

a working model of the Nautilus!

http://dvice.com/archives/2009/07/steampunk-maste.php

This is so cool! You could go out to the lake, hide in the shadows while a bunch of kids mess around with their little toy boats, then send this beastie out at ramming speed like something from Jaws!

Victorian-era bowling alley

http://houseoffoust.com/darkstyle/?p=132

I want one...

neat site devoted to Halloween-type scarecrows

http://thescarecrowspost.blogspot.com/

Cool!

One step closer to the "death ray"...

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairw/20100216.aspx


(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

Hubba Hubba!

http://community.livejournal.com/vintage_ads/1736520.html

Well I, for one, can hardly wait to see "Miss Torso" on my handy dandy "Movie Vuer".
(Doesn't Miss Torso sound like the name they'd give to a teacher/character in Welcome Back, Kotter?)

Happy Birthday Sonny Bono!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_&_Cher

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzW_7ANnHZI

Sonny had MANY faults, but I always liked his songwriting;(and he was a snazzy dresser!).

Happy Mardi Gras Day!

The Vatican's Top Ten

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2010/02/15/the-beatles-michael-jackson-and-u2-make-vatican-newspapers-list-of-best-albums-bob-dylan-snubbed/

There are about 500 replies running through my head about this, all of them rude in the extreme. The kindest thing this old iconoclast can bring himself to say si that if the Vatican is now recommending rock'n'roll, then the genre is indeed is as dead as one of Monty Python's parrots...


(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

Suicide performs Ghost Rider

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1woMEExMZXg

Wonderfully disturbing. I always thought Suicide was the best of the New York No Wave boomlet.

Laibach cover Sympathy For The Devil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uqP3Uuq_4E&feature=related

A neat take on a classic.

Bruce performs For You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxyo1bMQyEY

Great tune, one of my faves by him. Some of his best imagery. "Bar room eyes shine vacancy" - tell me about it; this is pure mid 70's street poetry. Truth.

Traffic's video for Paper Sun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ivt4nng4ogE

Wonderful example of British psychedlia. Always wanted to play the sitar on this song.

Chubby Checker performs The Twist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZStOLwTNrY&feature=PlayList&p=53CC492A4EDD1C53&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6

Silly - and Essential.

RIP Dale Hawkins

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20100215/NEWS01/100215013/-1/SAINTS/Rockabilly-icon-Dale-Hawkins-dead-of-cancer


(Thanks for the link, Perry!)

Baconaise

http://www.baconnaise.com/

I can literally feel my arteries seizing up as I peruse their website. Yum!

Enlist Today!

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1562/1

I've got my aluminum foil helmet all ready. All I need now is some sort of ultra-long range weapon. I wonder if InterArms is still down there in Old Town? They'd have something in their warehouse, I'm sure of it.
If there's anything cooler than killing off terrestrial nazis, it's gotta be hunting down SPACE NAZIS! Cool!

I think we've glimpsed Internet Hell...

http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=2110

collection of Soviet photos from WWII

http://www.dirjournal.com/info/world-war-photos-you-have-never-seen/

Interesting. Too bad there's not more background about them.

possible new info on Unit 731

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/7236099/Human-bones-could-reveal-truth-of-Japans-Unit-731-experiments.html



It'll be interesting to see how much the Japanese government investigates and then releases on this. My guess: nada.

Hitler painting for Freud?!?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/7221058/Adolf-Hitler-painting-may-have-hung-in-Sigmund-Freuds-surgery.html

I suppose anything is possible. But it all seems awfully super-ironic; and I keep hearing a little voice in my head whispering "fraud"...
As for the statement "It is known that Hitler was popular amongst the Jewish community of Vienna in those days." I can only question further: says who? I've never heard this. In fact, it seems pretty preposterous to me. Hitler was virtually living in the gutter in Vienna. It is difficult to imagine him being popular in ANY community. I'd note that no proof is offered for such an astounding statement and once again smell fraud from people making such claims.

heating water until it's frozen...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35351575/ns/technology_and_science-science/

Weird...

Hunter Thompson calls tech support

http://laughingsquid.com/hunter-s-thompson-calls-tech-support-about-his-home-entertainment-system/



(Thanks for the link, Perry!)

RIP Fredrick Morrison - Inventor of the Firsbee

http://www.dinosaursandrobots.com/2010/02/rip-fredrick-morrison-inventor-of.html



(Thanks for the link, Perry!)

RIP Doug Feiger of The Knack

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212284389.shtml

Happy Birthday Matt Groening!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Groening

http://www.thesimpsons.com/bios/bios_creators_index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_in_Hell

An American Original. Genius, Essential, (and a very nice guy).

Happy Birthday Harvey Korman!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0466327/

steam powered vibrator

http://gizmodo.com/5466997/the-steam+powered-vibrator-and-other-terrifying-early-sex-machines

An interesting collection of early sex machines. I don't care how tacky it is, that steam powered one looks cool! Of course one can't mention sex machines without a nod to our own:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86Cji6uDTQc

Remidner - Count Gore is showing Plan 9 this week on his web show

http://www.countgore.com/gore/lab.htm

Classic...

Happy Birthday Robert Shea!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Shea

http://bobshea.net/

Happy Birthday Norton I - Emperor of the United States!

And Protector of Mexico...

One of my heroes. An American Original.

http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/norton.html

http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/nort.html

http://www.emperornorton.net/

Happy Birthday Ray Teller!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teller_(magician)

http://www.pennandteller.com/

Happy Birthday Jack Benny!

http://www.jackbenny.org/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000912/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wNK1Jt4JLg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6W0rVkZCeU

One of my all-time fave performers. Genius. essential.

Happy Chinese New Year!

http://gochina.about.com/od/chinesenewyear/p/ChineseNYGuide.htm

http://www.chiff.com/home_life/holiday/chinese-new-year.htm

Happy Valentine's Day!

The film, Metropolis - Restored!

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/first-night-metropolis-uncut-berlin-film-festival-1898143.html

This is so cool! The DVD is supposed to be released in April. Neat-o!

a new Lovecraftian anthology on the way

http://store.pspublishing.co.uk/acatalog/Black_Wings_HC.html

the most irritating laugh in the history of the universe

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/13/octomom-plays-the-dating_n_461309.html

(From one of the most irritating people...)

a collection of neat Japanese monster illustrations

http://pinktentacle.com/2010/02/monster-illustrations-from-yokai-jiten/

great moments in spelling

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8511910.stm

Dental hygiene is so important...

http://community.livejournal.com/vintage_ads/1730865.html

the joys of texting....

http://gizmodo.com/5470946/omg-i-did-not-text-that

the Swiss Army Knife

http://www.gadgetshop.com/OutdoorGadgets/OutdoorSurvival/Wenger+Giant+Swiss+Army+Knife/EPN291773

clearly, I need more fish oil...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8490937.stm

A Brief Guide To Pretty Much Everything

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNYZH9kuaYM

Pretty cute!

Betty White for hosting SNL

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2010/02/this_time_facebook_is_right_be.html?sc=fb&cc=fp

A very nice article/pitch.

Wikirococo

http://wiki.chromiumswitch.org/Home

A Wiki devoted to Firesign Theatre!

a Polish/British spy in the nazi high command

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7025406.ece

Hmmm, interesting, it true. I think it's also possible that the British would have "created" this spy from their signals intelligence, (ULTRA, etc.), to see if word got back to Germany, thus exposing an agent in their own ranks. It would also be useful in causing paranoia and perhaps purges in Hitler's inner circle, (rumors are that the CIA was able to do something similar to this in Bulgaria during the Cold War). "The spy who wasn't there"...
Or it could have been one of Canaris' men, they were all over the place, politically. It'd be interesting to learn more.
I should also point out that I've always been a bit cynical about the last 30-40 years' worth of bragging about how much Britain "knew" of German war efforts through ULTRA, etc. In my opinion, much of the war in the West went on about as one would expect with out super code-breaking or super agents - both the successes and the failures. When one looks at situations like Arnhem, the Battle of the Bulge, Anzio,the destruction of the entire Dutch intelligence network, and the belief in the Tyrolian "Final Redoubt", it's difficult to mesh that with the near-perfect strategic intelligence that's often trumpeted.
I've often wondered if the claims on all of this weren't in some way meant to influence the Russians during the cold war. By claiming that we'd broken Ultra, etc, we were attempting to influence them away from a form of cryptography that we were having problems with, to one that we could break. One wonders. It's circles in circles...

MY kind of home protection!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8512173.stm

The Power Of Christ Compels You!

http://www.breitbart.tv/holy-smokes-drug-smugglers-hide-pot-in-framed-jesus-pictures/

Anniversary of the release of Black Sabbath

One of my fave albums.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sabbath_(album)

http://www.black-sabbath.com/discog/blacksabbath.html

Happy Birthday Peter Gabriel!

http://www.petergabriel.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Gabriel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7m7Q9VwYqw

fanvid for Lene Lovich performing It's You, Only You

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JWfS-qf6ZM&feature=related

A dub version. Still cool.

fanvid for Frederick Knight performing I've Been Lonely For So Long

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGkECbnFTFU

Love this song, almost forgotten now.

H.R. Giger Cake!

http://www.neatorama.com/2010/02/11/h-r-giger-cake/


neat-o!

The Dead perform Uncle John's Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4-_V__GUro&feature=related

Another timeless classic.

It's a buck dancer's choice my friend; better take my advice.
You know all the rules by now and the fire from ice.

Fight Smack In The Orphanage!

http://www.fightsmackintheorphanage.org/

I believe we've found the Black equivalent of the Landover Baptist Church...



(Thanks for the link, Perry!)

The Return of Blaxploitation!

http://www.blackdynamitemovie.com/

About time!

fanvid - Leon Russell performs Queen of the Roller Derby & Roll Away The Stone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpTCFGE4p2Q

Classics.

snow update

There have been many great fortifications throughout human history - The Great Wall of Chine, the Belgian fortress of Eben-Emael, the Maginot Line, the Assassin's castle at Alamut, etc. But today they are eclipsed. For the past twenty four hours, snowplows have been periodically running up and down our street, each time piling the snow higher and deeper onto our driveway entrance. Combined with the inevitable thawing and refreezing, it now is a solid block of jagged and jumbled ice approximately three feet high, seven feet deep and blocking the entire ten foot wide entrance. It is impenetrable, and it will not melt until mid-August. For once, I am hoping for a nuclear strike against DC, as I believe that may be what's necessary to break through, certainly conventional weaponry would be worthless against this White Monolith of Defiance.
Now, we all know about crime around here. Well, for the ONLY time in my life, I can leave my cars unlocked and know that they will be here in the morning. Hell, I can leave the doors open, the keys in the ignition, the engine on, and place a huge flashing neon sign on top saying "Free! Come & Get It!", and it wouldn't make any difference. No one can get them out. They might as well be parked on the Moon. Attila's horde couldn't get close to me. It's ridiculous...

a plug

http://www.uptontea.com/shopcart/home.asp

Upton Tea's new catalog is out and available as a pdf file at their website. We've been dealing with Upton for about twenty years and HIGHLY recommend them, both for the selection of their teas, as well as the quality and the the efficiency of their service. They've really spoiled us over the years. If you're seriously into tea, they're the place to go, as far as I'm concerned.

the hitch-hiker

http://www.wlbz2.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=114373&catid=109

getting off on the wrong foot

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/east-central/156926-two-left-feet-technician-admits-wrongdoing/

the toughest vole

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1249900/Pictured-Plucky-vole-does-battle-coyote-lives-tell-tale.html

Happy Birthday Dracula (the film)

Premiered on this date in 1931. One of my faves.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_(1931_film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021814/

Happy Birthday Ray Manzarek!

http://raymanzarek.com/

Happy Birthday Abe!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/abrahamlincoln

fanvid for Gong performing Floating Anarchy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odiAlcgOrRA

I think this is another one of those bands you pretty much had to be hanging around a record store to have heard of.

Blue Oyster Cult's video for Take Me Away

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-v9bvVdlwE

Cool...

The Toys perform Lover's Concerto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGDZc9bdUZM

Love this tune. A classic example of 60's girl group sound.

The Dovells perform Bristol Stomp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_Df3-hVh0U

Always liked this little doo wop number.

Deep Purple performs Smoke On The Water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jp3de50_d8

Dinosaur Stomp!

fanvid for Sam Cooke performing Chain Gang

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDq-AjPtU6Q

Perfect song to shovel snow to...

anatomical bed linen

http://hauntstyle.blogspot.com/2010/02/anatomical-bed-linens.html

They hid the bar! The WHOLE FUCKING BAR!

http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/all-fambooze.7168452feb09,0,5187801.story

Sigh. I am reminded of this scene from Animal House:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BplarHcB0Es

when vampires turn to armed robbery

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/812728-jesus-defeats-armed-robber

The snow has affected us all....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohNkqHnRn7Q

Pizza and the Occult...

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleytalong/pentagram-pizza-hpz

Dr. Frankenstein, I presume?

http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/europe/news/article_1532087.php/Italian-TV-tries-to-solve-mystery-of-skeleton-made-up-of-five-bodies

Germany's surrender for sale?!?!?

http://momentsintime.com/Germany%20Surrender.htm

I'd be extremely curious as to how such a document came into private hands. My first guess is that it's simply a forgery.

dogs VS cats

http://www.wlbz2.com/news/watercooler/story.aspx?storyid=114336&catid=109

75 years of gator legends

http://www.aroundglobe.net/2010/02/new-york-marks-75th-year-of-gator.html

An update

Well, the snow stopped sometime last night, and the sun is now shining brightly. It's about 30 degrees. While it's still quite breezy, the winds do seem to have died down. Everything is covered under at least two feet of snow. I'm not sure how much fell yesterday because the winds were so fierce* blowing everything around, but I'd guess we got 6-8" here, maybe more. the drifts are as high as four feet in our neighborhood. Personally, I'm prepared to say that this is probably the snowiest Winter that I've lived through here - and the weathermen are now predicting another snowfall on Monday (!).
As you can imagine, just about everything is shut down, and I have no idea how we're going to tunnel out without the benefit of at least three 50+ degree days in a row. It's really something.


*Gusts of up to 50mph were recorded and the Manor was buffetted for hours by blows that were easily 25-35 mph - hurling chunks of ice and snow off of nearby trees and power lines against the house. We were lucky not to lose one or more windows with some of the hits we took, and luckier still that we didn't lose power, (many thousands did).

Happy birthday Bobby "Boris" Pickett!

The Guy Lombardo of Halloween.

http://www.themonstermash.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Pickett

http://www.myspace.com/therealbobbyborispickett

Happy Birthday Sheryl Crow!

http://www.sherylcrow.com/

http://www.myspace.com/sherylcrow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyihQtBes1I

Happy Birthday Gene Vincent!

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/GeneVincent.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Vincent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDU9FP5_B2M

RIP Charlotte Lund

Most of you won't know her. Char passed away this afternoon. She was an old friend and comrade from my days at the record store. She was generous, smart, caring, and honorable. And she didn't suffer fools - whether they were customers, staff, or management. An Original in a store chock-full of Originals. She will be missed.

Me First! Me First!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/10/AR2010021001649.html?wpisrc=nl_natlalert

eva braun - still a worthless bimbo

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1249724/No-dumb-blonde-new-book-reveals-Hitlers-mistress-Eva-Braun.html

I'm beginning to wonder about the Brits and their sympathy to nazism. Despite the claims within this book review, there's not the slightest evidence that eva was anything ovether than what she has been accureately portrayed as from the beginning - a hole for hitler to stuff. The article itself offers NO proof as to the Olympic intelligence they assign to her except a single out-of-context quote from goebbels - a man whose name is synonomous with lies. And there are many quotes and witnesses to hitler's dismissal of her and her unimportance. This romanticising of mediocrity is just pathetic. I am reminded that the quick and dirty way to get noticed in academia is to take something well accepted and to propose the exact opposite of it, regardless of the evidence or ridiculousness of it. There is no "other side" to eva, she's as shallow as they come.

Henry Lamond - one of the great escapists of WII

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/military-obituaries/air-force-obituaries/7190761/Wing-Commander-Henry-Lamond.html

What a history!

the mix-up

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7196993/Indian-mans-internal-organs-all-back-to-front.html

Alert David Janssen!

http://news.stv.tv/oddly-enough/156179-one-armed-thief/

Don't leave home without it!

http://www.aroundglobe.net/2010/02/man-try-to-buy-crack-with-credit-card.html

the "hide-and-seek" survival strategy

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100128142130.htm

Pretty interesting.

The Olympic Pedobear...

http://www.forteantimes.com/latest/breaking-news/2821/daily_roundup_of_the_worlds_weird_news.html

Wonderful collection of American Civil War photographs

http://www.mikelynaugh.com/VirtualCivilWar/New/Originals2/index.html

Was not familiar with this site. Looks like an excellent resource for Civil War buffs if one goes to the main page.


(Thanks for the link, Marcy!)

Happy Birthday Bertholt Brecht!

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/brecht.htm

Happy Birthday Jimmy Durante!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002051/

http://www.redhotjazz.com/jdurante.html

Happy Birthday Lon Chaney, Jr.!

http://www.lonchaney.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001033/

Wolftrap just announced their lineup for this year

http://www.wolftrap.org/Filene_Center.aspx

Looks pretty good!

postings of Tom Lehrer appearing on That Was The Week That Was

http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2010/02/that-was-week-that-was-with-tom-lehrer.html

Frankenstein Valentine Stickers

http://www.normansaunders.com/MonsVal,01.html

I miss stuff like this...

Self Help

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/healthy-living/daddy-dearest-the-son-of-a-selfhelp-guru-reveals-all-1888522.html

some unbelievably good model cars and town

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24796741@N05/sets/72157604247242338/show/with/2346008881/

Really incredible.

office camouflage...

http://bitsandpieces.us/2010/02/07/office-camouflage/

Octopus VS Mom

http://theoatmeal.com/story/octopus

the cutting edge of cosmetics

http://www.mynewpinkbutton.com/

revenge of the nerds

http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=131307&provider=top&catid=188

the ultimate wireless notebook

http://smallbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2010/02/first-wireless-notebook.html

The cutting edge of hauntings...

http://and-now-the-screaming-starts.blogspot.com/2010/01/mad-science-case-of-haunted-scrotum.html

I somehow doubt we'll be seing this explored on any of the myriad of ghost hunting TV shows out there...

Anniversary of The Beatles appearance on Ed Sullivan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbtxTt_4SUw

Happy National Bagel & Lox Day!

Yum!

Happy Birthday Barbara Lewis!

One of the most under-rated talents in pop music. Beautiful voice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Lewis

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6gmeb_barbara-lewis-baby-im-yours_music

Happy Birthday Frank Frazetta!

http://frazettaartgallery.com/

http://frankfrazetta.org/

The all-time master of illustration for fantasy and sword & sorcery. Genius. Essential.

Happy Birthday Wizards!

It has its flaws - but I love this movie!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizards_(film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076929/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm1dsnTuBkM

Happy Birthday Carole King!

http://www.caroleking.com/home.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzPUfZ32GLw&feature=related

An American Treasure. Genius, and absolutely Essential.

review of Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/02/review-abraham-lincoln-vampire-hunter/

The razzle Dazzle Effect in the Great War

http://twistedsifter.com/2010/02/razzle-dazzle-camouflage/

Very nice site devoted to the efforts to confuse u-boats attacking Allied shipping in WWI.

(Thanks for the link, John!)

a curious ledger offers clues to Delmarva's 18th century history

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/ap/1700s-ledger-a-window-into-eastern-shores-past-83717837.html

nice article on the problems of long-term data storage

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527451.300-digital-doomsday-the-end-of-knowledge.html?full=true

military research into cellular development, immortality and synthetic life

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/02/pentagon-looks-to-breed-immortal-synthetic-organisms-molecular-kill-switch-included/

I believe this is how the next remake of "The Blob" will start out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhyRpvgm03g

I shall live forever - with bones of adamantine purity

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100208/sc_livescience/beermaybegoodforyourbones

(Thanks for the link, Doug! (And thanks for the IPA, Stone!)

Happy Birthday England Dan!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Seals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRFZUB3NzGs

I know, they were never cool - but I liked Dan & John.

Happy Birthday Jules Verne!

http://www.online-literature.com/verne/

The Father of Steampunk. Genius. Essential.

Lord Ha-Ha broadcasts available online

http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/hawhaw/index.shtml?page=2

I know some of his stuff is avaialble commercially, but this is a nice, if too brief, collection of historical broadcasts by one of the more infamous traitors of WWII.

Alien Sex fiend's video for I Walk The Line

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNz8SiO4DQ0

they were so cool...

Razed In Black perform Share This Poison

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRYdH_efUOg

One of my fave electro-goth bands.

The Dells perform Oh What A Night

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jjEP1ymrXQ

A classic.

fanvid for The Cookies performing Don't Say Nothing Bad About My Baby

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyGF9ocTZJ8

Always loved this tune.

Curtis Mayfield performs Gypsy Woman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc_nWUJ7jzQ

Beautiful.

Ugly furniture

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tqJx86xQJQ&feature=player_embedded

the escape plan...

http://www.topix.net/news/weird/2010/02/wyoming-suspect-flees-into-police-station

the day after...an update

Well, after several hours of digging, I'd ugess we're no more than 30% done here. The good news is that the snow plows have been coming down our street regularly and it looks passable, if icy. The bad news is that the piles of snow they put in front of our driveway are about 50" high and maybe 13 feet wide. This is going to be painful...

a little something for the Ladies...

http://community.livejournal.com/vintage_ads/1707019.html

I Killed Them...Myyyyy Waaaay!

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-myway_07int.ART.State.Edition1.4be319c.html


(Thanks for the link, Mathew!)

nice interview with Patrick Stewart

http://online.indianagazette.com/articles/2010/02/06/b_entertainment/10034374.txt

Aliens Rap

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/02/action-movie-rapups.html

Very cute!


(Thanks for the link, Chris!)

Count Gore is showing Plan 9 online!

http://www.countgore.com/gore/lab.htm

snow update

It's difficult to be completely accurate due to the drifting, but I believe we just hit two feet of snow here at the Manor. And it's still expected to come down for another seven hours or so. Preliminary shoveling has demonstrated that there's almost no where to pile the much snow. It'll be interesting to see if/when we get out....

My theme song of the day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z60NgWV8U_g

very cool mechanical calculator!

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/09/stunningly-intricate-curta-mechanical.html

something for the little ones

http://www.perpetualkid.com/little-vampire-pacifier.aspx

Hello Chainsaw

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/02/05/hello-chainsaw.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Chinese Quality

http://www.weirdasianews.com/2010/02/05/shanghai-wonderbridge-trash-collapses/

It would be interesting to discover if anything made in that country isn't poisonous, defective or otherwise dangerous.

DVD Classifications

http://www.eatliver.com/i.php?n=5323

the slow death of Centralia

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=9754362

for all of you Super Bowl fans - The Snack Stadium - with instructions

http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/nfl/superbowl/article/760726--how-to-build-a-superbowl-snack-stadium

Mother Knows Best

http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/83626547.html

It's time for Holland to get off of its High Horse

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/811523-bestiality-video-industry-hit-as-dutch-give-animal-sex-the-thumbs-down

Trifecta

http://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2010/02/bernards_man_charged_with_dwi.html

Wuss America

http://www.silive.com/news/advance/index.ssf?/base/news/1265196612230770.xml&coll=1

A nation of worthless pants-wetters.

great advances in technology

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=9743988

odd little article on Operation Catapult in WWII

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1248615/Mass-murder-stroke-genius-saved-Britain-As-closer-ties-France-planned-betrayal-forgive.html

I've noticed a disturbing pro-nazi trend in some British articles on the War, and this appears to be one, with it's ambivalent attitude towards a perfectly logical and inevitable course of military action by Britain. I won't bore you with details, but people whining about "poor ol' Vichy" deserve little but contempt. Vichy was an active, if mildly secret, ally of the nazis. Britain did the right thing, no question. Making it out like it was some gesture to get Roosevelt to smile is just being silly.

homesite for the new Wolfman movie

http://www.thewolfmanmovie.com/

Shatterproof pint glasses in Britain

http://www.gjfreepress.com/article/20100204/COMMUNITY_NEWS/100209913/1076&ParentProfile=1059

The Brits really are tumbling downhill. I can't believe anyone would waste a drinking vessel using it as weaponry. Barbarians....

just another day around DC

http://www.bartlesvillelive.com/news/national/story/Anger-counselor-accused-of-pulling-a-gun-in-car/wPSjeB3zyU-HYxVUt6rrDA.cspx

Happy Birthday Bob Marley!

http://web.bobmarley.com/index.jsp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFGgbT_VasI

Genius. Essential.

Happy Birthday Patrick MacNee!

http://theavengers.tv/forever/bio-macnee.htm

http://www.patrickmacnee.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001495/

One of my faves.

Tull performs My God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh0woT7NkKI

Wonderful...

Funkadelic performs One Nation Under A Groove

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTVH41QucDU

George is an insane genius.

Al Stewart performs Year of the Cat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM7LR46zrQU

I've written about this before, a snowy evening always reminds me of this time of year back in '77, shuffling along in Gtown from one bar to the next with my friends. It was wet and cold and depressing and none of us knew where the hell we were really headed. Don't bother asking for explanations...

fanvid for The Chambers Brothers performing Time Has Come Today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxpcZrQQM-4

Fantastic song...

The Commodores perform Sail On

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg-ivWxy5KE

Was never a huge fan of theirs, but always liked this rather retro song.

a little something for the secret agent ladies...

http://www.perpetualkid.com/secret-agent-tampon-case.aspx

a cute, nsfw, ad about HIV and AIDS

http://stiri.rol.ro/content/view/555723/96/

(Thanks for the link, Ed!)

teleporting energy

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24759/

Interesting.

silence...

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6143UW20100205?feedType=nl&feedName=usoddlyenough

tee hee!

http://stupidevilbastard.com/2010/01/frat-boys-ass-branded-by-his-brothers-while-hes-passed-out/

I am about as removed from frat life as one can be, (and always have been - I don't have to buy my friends); and all involved sound so charming. Thanks for making my day, kids!

Contraception

http://failblog.org/2010/02/04/contraception-win/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+failblog+%28The+FAIL+Blog+-+Fail+Pictures+%26+Videos+at+Failblog.ORG%29

(Thanks for the link, Audrey!)

Sigh...

It started snowing here about two hours ago and immediately started sticking to the lawns, trees, etc. It is now just beginning to stick to the streets with that icy wetness that this region is known for. The weather reports are still all over the place on accumulation, but seems to be narrowing down to 18-24" over the next 36 hours. Another snowfall of perhaps 3-6" is now being predicted for Wednesday; and yet ANOTHER one is being called for next weekend. This will pretty much destroy DC, (perhaps not a bad thing), and the end of any life within 100 miles of the Capitol dome. If all of this comes to pass, it will probably be one for the record books, at least in my lifetime here. I believe I'll have a beer...

Slang City

http://slangcity.com/index.html

Fun site! And it's not just modern slang. Ignoring this post makes you a slubberdegullion...

just another zoning issue around DC

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020403757.html?hpid=topnews

the cutting edge of moisturizing

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/man-arrested-had-75-bottles-of-lotion-in-his-pants-25-apx

Wargaming in the military

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/20100204.aspx

As the article points out, this has been going on for some time. My own hope would be that they would allow the players to lose. Back in the 70's I heard horror stories about commanding officers changing the rules in mid-game to allow the trainees to "win" and not ruin the poor dears' self-confidence. Such childishness is contemptable and results in horrible leadership. Two of the biggest brats I knew in wargaming in the 70's were both junior officers who'd obviously been brought up in this type of environment and simply couldn't believe when they (inevitably) started to lose a game and the rules weren't changed to assure them victory. The gods only know how effective they'd of been in a real-life situation, bawling at the heavens that the "rules" should be changed to stop the enemy. This is what causes fragging....


(Thanks for the link, Dennis!)

I'm Saved!

http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2010/02/ll_cool_j_satanist_studies_in_crap_presents_dancing_with_demons.php

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shackleton's Whiskey Found!

http://slatest.slate.com/id/2243811/?wpisrc=newsletter

Anniversary of the release of The Urban Verbs in 1980

http://www.myspace.com/urbanverbs

http://thep5.blogspot.com/2008/02/urban-verbs.html

Great band and album.

Happy Birthday H.R. Giger!

http://www.hrgiger.com/

Illustrator of the Damned....

Happy Birthday John Carradine!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001017/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carradine

Happy Birthday to The Smothers Brothers Ccomedy Hour!

Premiered on this date in 1967. Great show, one of the best, and one of the most mistreated.

http://www.smothersbrothers.com/

http://www.tvparty.com/smothers.html

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061296/

I think I need to find this film

http://www.shockcinemamagazine.com/beyond.html

New Emoticons

http://www.soberinanightclub.com/2010/02/curious-emoticons.html

a nice collection of strange festivals and celebrations

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2010/02/weird-festivals-strange-celebrations.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheThrillingWonderStory+%28Dark+Roasted+Blend%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Vampire Bad-Ass-Ness

http://www.soberinanightclub.com/2010/02/vampire-bad-ass-ness.html

I completely agree. It's disgusting...

The cutting edge of dating services

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFpAW3_R5QAeqC5qBO1GTqxPWcmPr9jsjaul4wcMWcdNvKbeDmw_rPMswTUsjfF9aHBRK1EILtvmP2vm5Cu-fL8JHqROWxi_EYy68XaCIrXomAtvLo6mui1h3cxLEIzberjS5wQ/s1600-h/sheep+mum.jpg

But Mom, all the cool snakes are doing it!

http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/811367-the-snake-whos-hooked-on-cigarettes

How to hide an airplane facotry

http://thinkorthwim.com/2007/08/19/1034/

Pretty neat! I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few Hollywood set and scene designers were employed this way during the War.

that special bond between a mother and her child

http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20100202/NEWS0107/302020024/

Beer paraphernalia show in Fredericksburg next week

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2010/02/04/celebrate-75-years-of-canned-beer/

a new procedure for transplanting lungs

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7148417/Pig-lungs-in-human-transplants-move-step-closer.html

A life saver - and delicious!

DOOMED!

For the last 36 hours we here in DC have been inundated with increasingly shrill warnings that the End Times are due to arrive in the form of snow, starting tomorrow morning. My disdain for our weathermen's abilities is by now well known to you. All I can say is, "We'll see...". The current predictions are all over the place ranging from one to three FEET. Although there's been some significant melting, there is still about 2-3 inches of snow left on most grassy areas around here - so I suppose you can add that in too. I went to my local Costco today for normal shopping and, (unfortunately predictably), was caught up in a scene out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. A few years ago, there was that popular movie, Gladiator. I never saw it, but I can now make a fair claim to having lived it. Imagine trying to shop and maneuver a large shopping cart through a warehouse full of rabid dogs. That was my morning, with a little more degradation thrown in. At any rate, we were well stocked before, and are now more so. I've got enough bourbon and Tab to last through the month. The fireplace is loaded and ready and I've been purchasing CD's of old radio shows like Lights Out, The Shadow, and The Witch's Tale. The Manor is ready for siege.

To them its a terror. For me - it's a main course

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7151596/Pheasant-terrorising-North-Yorkshire-village-attacks-people-in-street.html

New journal - Of Seredipitous & Unexpected Results

http://www.jsur.org/

ironic justice...

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Dog-Mauling-In-Slovenia-Doctor-Killed-By-Bullmastiffs-He-Spent-Four-Years-Trying-To-Save/Article/201002115541747?f=rss

Happy National Stuffed Mushroom Day!

Yum!

Happy Birthday Alice Cooper!

http://www.alicecooper.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbNEOJMGFAo

One of my faves.

Happy Birthday Tadeusz Kosciuszko!

http://www.polishamericancenter.org/KosciuszkoHistory.htm

http://www.nndb.com/people/114/000049964/

A Patriot.

I never played with dolls - until now....

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=BBP05005

fanvid for Kaleidoscope performing The Sky Children

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dQOJ657ptE&feature=related

This is the UK band - not the USA one (who were also quite good)...

The Byrds perform 8 Miles High

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoSwOrytf_M

Perfection.

The Five Stairsteps perform O-o-h Child

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVF4r3fLBrU

Classic...

The Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose perform It's Too Late To Turn Back Now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R8PhnQJaWI

Great group, and one of my all-time fave light soul songs. These guys should've been bigger.

The Chi-Lites perform Oh Girl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El2TM4KvZz8

always liked these guys...

The Stylistics perform You Make Me Feel Brand New

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyD5tAGBP9U

Beautiful.

Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes perform The Love I Lost

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhuZxaqj99g

I know it's not Teddy, but it's still a great performance.

just another day in the District

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/02/AR2010020203887.html?hpid=dynamiclead

I can't get all hot and bothered over the supposed drama in this article. It is just one more in a long list of criticisms I have of the pups now running the Post that they simply have no clue what this town is really like - and obviously aren't from here. The fact of the matter is that this place was, is, and always will be filled with secrets and people working on them. And it's not just the CIA (who are hardly the most secret of the bunch, just more arrogant about it - nice try guys). It is not ususual, and it is not dramatic. I had NO idea what my father did for a living until my late teens, and most of the information I've gained since then was as programs and details became declassified and part of history books and articles - and that was/is not unusual. DC is a company town, that company is the government, and some of that work is secret. No big deal. The pups at the Post need to grow up.

NASCAR VS Parrot

http://cbs3.com/local/New.Jersey.Parrot.2.1466110.html

Um, now maybe it's just me, but how could anyone or anything interrupt one "hearing" a race on TV? I mean, isn't the whole thing visual? Exactly what scintillating dialogue was this guy missing out on?

"Every Other Day Is Halloween" DVD being released in April

http://www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=BDVD0007

A documentary about that Ghost Host With The Most: Count Gore DeVol!

I had no idea that Herb Tarlek was the fashion editor at Playboy!

http://community.livejournal.com/vintage_ads/1686779.html

Klingons!!!!

http://gizmodo.com/5462539/hubble-detects-mysterious-spaceship+shaped-object-traveling-at-11000mph


Needless to say, I'm prepared: http://www.movies-dictionary.org/English-to-Klingon-Dictionary/

The Hapi Drum

http://www.oddmusic.com/gallery/hapi-drum.html

Great sound! Reminds me a little of some of the bigger African thumb pianos.

the tentacled snake

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100202-tentacles-snakes/

Pretty neat!

neat little lsiting of animals in warfare

http://www.ranker.com/list/10-astounding-animals-of-mass-destruction/shar3mor3

I'm familiar with all of these but the "war pigs". Am not sure how successful one could be in herding pigs (aflame or not) towards an armed enemy with elephants.

Hitler - Irish music fan?!?

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Adolf-Hitler-the-Irish-folk-music-fan.html

A strange little footnote to history. I wonder how that ss schmuck felt!

Nine year old mother

http://www.aroundglobe.net/2010/02/nine-year-old-girl-gives-birth-to.html

Sheesh! Sly Stone was ahead of the curve on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gFSQa9MvvM

the divorce settlement

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/wacky/man-pushes-19-rodents-through-wifes-letterbox/story-e6frev20-1225825768160

The Banana Car

http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=96719&catid=168

My eyes like the snow - my back does not

Well, it snowed another 3-4 inches here at the Manor. And it looks quite pretty out there with the tree branches all covered. But that long driveway will be the death of me. We just finished digging out, and out weathermen are now calling for 1-2 FEET this weekend. I'm choking down Aleve like it was candy. By Monday I expect to be a cripple....

Cthulhu & Hobbes!

http://shirtoid.com/12006/cthulhu-and-hobbes/

The Day The Music Died

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Music_Died

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6uEjifqTaI

Happy Birthday Norman Rockwell!

http://www.nrm.org/

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/norman-rockwell/about-norman-rockwell/689/

I know he's considered quite passe and low-brow. I don't care, I've always loved Rockwell's illustrations.

Happy Birthday Melanie!

http://www.melaniesmusic.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL3PrpWsmoU

Billie Jean - literally

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFYdNuHoG0c&feature=player_embedded#

the second weirdest posting of the day

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,26665625-3102,00.html

I thought we were past the full moon...

The Strangest Story of the Year?

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/02/01/ncbi-rofl-thats-one-miraculous-conception/

Ultra tres weird....

The Great Flydini!

http://bitsandpieces.us/2010/02/01/the-great-flydini/

new arguments for panspermia

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/south_east/8491398.stm

The Spokesbird

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7128042/Parrot-that-tried-to-mate-with-Mark-Carwardine-is-given-a-government-role.html

the death cat

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7129952/Cat-predicts-50-deaths-in-RI-nursing-home.html

Happy Birthday Talleyrand!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Maurice_de_Talleyrand-P%C3%A9rigord


Patron Saint of Diplomacy players. Genius.

oh...my...god...

My brother just sent me a new weather report for this weekend - one to two feet of snow...

the world's strongest beers

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,584247,00.html

Bravo! Dogish is in the running!


(Thanks for the link, Erik!)

Happy Birthday Wilbur Whateley!

According to H.P. Lovecraft, Wilbur (and his charming brother) was born on this date in 1913. Yog Sothoth!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dunwich_Horror

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM8EbSvNFqg

Happy Birthday Graham Nash!

http://nashnet.com/

http://www.myspace.com/grahamcrackernash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zwFoHFZVFQ

Happy Birthday Tom Smothers!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810691/

http://www.smothersbrothers.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Smothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kj_ZoQZUps

Happy Groundhog Day!

http://www.groundhog.org/

Timmy Thomas performs Why Can't We Live Together

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz1yjKMIfD0

So cool, almost forgotten now.

Big Daddy covers Dancing In The Dark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG7nj9s96TY

Great band and idea. They've released a bunhc of albums over the past 20-25 years, covering contemporary songs in a variety of styles from the 50's and early 60's. Fun stuff!

Paul Roland performs Lon Chaney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNtZ5ahyoFk

One of my all-time fave singer/songwriters. Brilliant. And a very nice guy.

Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul perform Lyin' In A Bed Of Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krbnCmFNoKU

Always loved Miami Steve and the Disciples. Great sound.

Bill Watterson interview

http://www.cleveland.com/living/index.ssf/2010/02/bill_watterson_creator_of_belo.html

The creator of Calvin & Hobbes

the Romans beat the Swiss!

http://www.disinfo.com/2010/01/the-roman-army-knife-predates-the-swiss-army-one-by-1800-years/

Cool!

pillow pumpkin patch

http://www.craftster.org/pictures/data/500/medium/87429_22Oct09_Picture_1310.jpg

Cute!

the cutting edge of Super Bowl ticket offers

http://www.blameitonthevoices.com/2010/02/craigslist-deal-of-day-left-testicle.html

Interesting series of articles, postings and debates about technology and the Internet

http://techliberation.com/2010/01/31/are-you-an-internet-optimist-or-pessimist-the-great-debate-over-technology%e2%80%99s-impact-on-society/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+techliberation+%28Technology+Liberation+Front%29&utm_content=Google+Reader


I confess I've not had time to digest all of this, yet. I remain somewhere between neutral and optimistic about most technology, (how could one have a blog and not be at least a little comfortable about the Internet). It is society's use of such that I remain deeply cynical about. As always, any advance seems to me to often be a mixed bag. One just deals with it and tries to create a society that will use any given advances in ways that are to one's benefit. Since opinions and views on what a "benefit" is can range widely and wildly, therein lies one of the great difficulties.
For a somewhat more optimistic view, with a nice list of associated links, I recommend folks go over to my old penpal, Infidel753 for a much deeper and broader analysis.

Whiskey Ads Predict The Future!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35147865/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets?pg=1#Tech_PCWorld_YesterdayAds

Fun stuff!


(Thanks for the link, Nick!)

neat (and spooky) icicle

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP9goKUQIjDqzmaxE_PiSu8RIEULu83MjCDXFrPbze1Fk9Ui9tRQ7wEI2Dz5Mjefpi3wz51uXbpEJrgFXPnYFO2gtvUfIQD7BC-cKqOg8ysrZEaUpK9HMDufZI2UVY_9x2vUjBIA/s800/546u4w5yhwraegtaseds.jpg

wuss America

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/25/oral-sex-dictionary-ban-us-schools

someone forgot to tell the parking garage that hitler lost

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/8487529.stm

One wonders if any software testing takes place at these devlopment companies...

more on Canada's mystery rocket

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100129/koddities/nl_object_in_sky_7

The Virginia Wine Expo is coming up

http://www.virginiawineexpo.com/

Happy Birthday Bill Mumy!

http://www.billmumy.com/

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0612621/

Happy Birthday Clark Gable!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000022/

http://www.clarkgable.com/

Happy Birthday Terry Jones!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001402/

http://terryjones.tumblr.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Jones

Happy Birthday Don Everly!

http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/the-everly-brothers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKn6h2x5IcY

Happy National Freedom Day!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Freedom_Day