Bernie Mac Dies, Aged 50 years

Today the great comedian Bernie Mac has passed away. He died earlier this morning due to complications from pneumonia.
This is a real shame. Yet another great comedian, actor, entertainer gone to the great beyond. Let it be known that you will be missed, Bernie.

There are Just No Words

This is great. Blockbuster and Hollywood Video can no longer slap me with that failure to rewind fee anymore. I can buy a DVD Rewinder! Yes, folks, somebody has created a DVD Rewinder. You too can have it if you want to. Just a few dollars out of your pocket and you too can avoid all those fees for failing to rewind your DVDs.

' Artificial pancreas developed, twice as cool as your boring real one' - Engadget

This week MIT is carrying a story about replacement pancreatic technology this week. Honestly, Engadget made it funnier. Either way, if you want an internal organ with an operating system, this one's for you.

Edwards admits to extramarital affair

"Former U.S. senator and Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards admitted to an extramarital affair in an interview with ABC News, the network reported Friday. He denied being the father of the woman's child, as had been alleged in tabloid reports."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/08/edwards.affair/index.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5441195&page=1

This may seriously hurt his chance at a cabinet position in the Obama administration.

Your fingerprints will narc you out

I've always told my fingers to remember two things - never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut. Apparently, they don't have a choice in the matter.

Police now have the ability to analyse the traces of cannabis, cocaine and other drugs, or explosives, in a fingerprint itself.

An Antichrist Obama in McCain Ad?

Do I really need to expound on the absolute absurdity of this article?

http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1830590,00.html?cnn=yes

"Perhaps the most puzzling scene in the ad is an altered segment from The 10 Commandments that appears near the end. A Moses-playing Charlton Heston parts the animated waters of the Red Sea, out of which rises the quasi-presidential seal the Obama campaign used for a brief time earlier this summer before being mocked into retiring it. The seal, which features an eagle with wings spread, is not recognizable like the campaign's red-white-and-blue "O" logo. That confused Democratic consultant Eric Sapp until he went to his Bible and remembered that in the apocalyptic Book of Daniel, the Antichrist is described as rising from the sea as a creature with wings like an eagle."

There really are no words...

In Beijing, Opening Ceremonies look awesome. . .too bad it hurts to breathe.

r
NBC will rebroadcast them tonight at 7:30pm. But until then a Photo Essay from NBC. This photo from the Associated Press (via MLive.com).

Georgia 'under attack' as Russian tanks roll in

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/08/georgia.ossetia/index.html

"Georgia's president said Friday that his country is under attack by Russian tanks and warplanes, and he accused Russia of targeting civilians as tensions over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia appeared to boil over into full-blown conflict.

Georgia, located on the Black Sea coast between Russia and Turkey, has been split by Russian-backed separatist movements in South Ossetia and another region, Abkhazia."

Makes me wonder what would happen if Russia backed a separatist movement in Atlanta or Macon...

Everybody Needs A Little....Murder Plea?

So, there is this guy that wants an ice cream truck and he orders one from the ice cream truck dealership on the other side of the country. The problem is that he doesn't have the money but the ice cream truck purveyor won't give him a refund so he travels all the way out there and offs the guy. He gets caught and the prosecutor says that he might want to consider a plea, to which he responds:
"I'll take calzones, pizza, KFC chicken, Popeye's chicken, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, carrot cake and ice cream."

Sold

full story here

Impeachment proceedings begin against Musharraf

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7547300.stm

Excerpts: "Pakistan's ruling coalition parties say they will begin impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf.

Mr Musharraf has previously said he would resign rather than face impeachment proceedings but he has made no comment yet on the latest move.

The president is still thought to have heavy influence over the military and its reaction will remain crucial."

Comment: Maybe someone will crack down on al-Qaeda in Pakistan now...

Toshiba Releases 32GB NAND

Three years ago NAND in this capacity and physical size, no less, did not seem like a reality in the near future. Now, Toshiba, has used a 42-nanometer process to create this embedded NAND which means that it will soon be in a portable device near you.

Full story here.

Fox isn't so "Fair and Balanced", afterall

I am sure, just as I am, that you are shocked by this revelation.

Watch the provided video in total amazement.

:-/

Price Of Gas Rises To Four Expletives Per Gallon

Gasoline prices rose to a record-high four expletives per gallon Monday, a rate of fuel-price-related cursing not seen since the 1979 energy crisis sparked a nationwide obscenity boom.

http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/price_of_gas_rises_to_four (link is likely NSFW or young eyes)

Commentary: You know, I'd honestly rather see a Paris Hilton energy policy than watch petroleum prices skyrocket. Thankfully, local gasoline prices seem to have had the bottom pulled out from under them; they have plummeted 35 cents in the last few weeks. I remember when I started driving... but I digress. No complaints about falling prices from me, but it's a sad day when I yearn for the post-Hurricane Katrina prices of $3.39/gallon of unleaded 87.

Cocktail: The Negroni

The Negroni is essentially an Americano plus gin. The drink is served on the rocks in an old fashioned glass with an orange peel.

1 part Gin
1 part Sweet Vermouth
1 part Campari

Stir into glass over ice, garnish, then serve.


Cin-cin!

'Energy crisis solved, I'll see you at the debate, bitches'

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Coup in Mauritania

It has been a long, bad day for the Government of Mauritania. The only real news out of Nouakchott is that the new Junta governing this unstable country in the West African sahel has promised expedited elections in a fair and transparent manner. Hopefully something good can come out of this in a country riddled with more corruption than all the US Presidential Administrations, plus all US Congresses combined.

Good News in Conservation

In a piece of great news, the number of lowland gorillas is up. Certainly one of the most majestic of the Great Apes, the Lowland Gorilla was thought to have a population significantly under 100.000. The new information today about the global population of these animals is wonderful, showing their population to be near or over 200.000. While this is not the end of the conservation efforts to save these Gorillas, it certainly is a heartening bit of news.

Perchlorate on Mars

After the landmark discovery of water on the surface of our sister planet, Mars, other discoveries have been made. One of the most interesting is that natural perchlorate has been found. Since perchlorate is a component of jet fuel, it was important to ensure that the perchlorate did not come from contamination. However, it has been determined that the perchlorate is not a contaminant, but rather, a natural part of the Martian soil system.

What does this mean? Well, since perchlorate is an alkaline poison, it is possible that it could negate the existence of life on Mars. However, it is also possible that there are extremophiles that are living in the Martian soil.

More here from the Globe and Mail

Someone Stole My Wii Controler

It looks as if ASUS has gotten official with their Eee stick, which has a design somewhat similar to Nintendo's Popular Wii controller. The controller will shipped with and will be released for use with certain ASUS Eee PC models and will include games specifically designed for the controller and its features.

While I think that it is great that they are bringing this type of gaming to computers and to Linux, no less, I can see Nintendo drawing up the papers to sue them already. I would also have to think that the games developed for the Eee would have to be lower-end in graphics and not all too impressive. I am a full supporter of the Eee PC, but I think they might have to boost the specs on it to get gaming to where it should be on their platform.

Full story here.

'DIY' kidney machine saves girl

You too can be the owner of your very own dialysis machine with a little patience and a well stocked garage.

If he receives a request for instructions to adapt a homemade version for a six-foot-five, middle aged man, with no available power outlets, he should probably let someone know.

RNC giving out free tire gauges

In response to Obama's comment about saving oil by ensuring that our tires are properly inflated, the RNC is distributing tire gauges. How nice of them! It's good to see that the RNC is getting on the Obama wagon and bridging the partisan gap to help solve this energy problem.

'"They think it's funny that they're making fun of something that is actually true," Obama said Tuesday in Ohio. "They need to do their homework."'

Free Homework Assignments!

XKCD: Holy Ghost

I don't know that words can describe the joy derived from this work of comic art. I will suffice to say, that it's made my day, and we're only just at the start.

When Feminism Goeth Awry

The world's largest "womyn" only gathering has been excluding women. In a rare twist of events, the reason that the women are being excluded is because they are transgendered. According to some feminists, transgendered women are still considered to be men, despite having gone through more feminization processes than most of the "womyn" ever will. In a sickening comparison, transgendered women have been described by these feminists as mocking women the way that actors in blackface mocked African Americans.

More here.

BREAKING NEWS! Fast food may be unhealthy for children!

Let's all take a few moments and congratulate The Washington Post for their current, cutting edge coverage of the latest health and wellness information. In this nation, where type II diabetes is striking children as young as 12 due to inactivity and poor eating habits, thank god we have The Post to inform us that perhaps we shouldn't feed our kids fast food packed with salt, fat, sugar, and processed chemicals. If I were wittier, I would insert the lyrics to an original "Bud Light Real Men of Genius" song in their honor. But in all seriousness- this is a scary prospect. According to the Post, a whopping 93% of available kid's meals at chain restaurants have more than calories than an average 8 year old requires for one meal- that's including those that offer apple slices, raisins, or carrot sticks in lieu of fries. Scary. And people wonder why childhood obesity is a problem?

Delta presents Wireless Fidelity

Coming soon to a domestic flight near you - Wireless Fidelity in-flight entertainment. For a nominal fee ("$9.95 or $12.95 for trips under or over three hours, respectively") you can use your wireless device on the plane - so whether you want to rock the mega-laptop or bust out the iPhone, you are good to go.

XKCD: Regrets

The obligatory XKCD post. XKCD meets googlefight. For hours of nonstop entertainment, or at least a few minutes of light distraction, navigate your web browser to googlefight. I highly recommend checking out "Last 20 Fights."

Dick Cheney will be in an undisclosed location during RNC convention.

Shhh...he'll be with Christopher Nolan, who else is going to be the Penguin in the next Batman?

In all seriousness, there is a lot of careful quoting and speculation in this article, all saying - but not saying - that perhaps the present situation affords a relationship "at this time" between the Vice President's office and at least one presidential candidate, that would be best described as Dick Cheney is just way too busy to appear on national television on behalf of John McCain.  Which is a shame, I'm sure it'd be the express lane to the White House.

Recycle Your Old Tech for Cash

Gazelle, a revolutionary new website, allows its members to log on, enter some information about their old gadgets that they would like to dispose of and Gazelle's intuitive system will quote the user a price that they are willing to pay to take that technology off of their hands. Gazelle even shows charts (yay, charts) that will predict what your old gadget will be worth as time goes on.
Heck, this place is so willing to take your junk off of your hands, they'll even pay for you to ship the item to them, all you have to do is pack it up and send it on its way.
I don't think it could get any easier; In fact, its so easy it should even appeal to Mac users.

Visit Gazelle by clicking HERE.

Kyrgyz Medical Workers Sent to Gaol

In what seems to be a growing trend in the Former Soviet Republics of Central Asia, medical workers were tried, and most were convicted, of infecting children with HIV. The medics blamed poor hygeine and unsanitary equipment. I find this slightly suspect myself.

More at The BBC

Nobody panic, Morgan Freeman is OK

There seemed to be some fairly widespread panic over the last day or so with reports that Morgan Freeman was in a car accident and was listed in serious condition. While the hospital spokesperson did originally say this, this statement was PR- not medical- in nature. To dispell all rumors, Morgan Freeman and his press people have since stated that he broke his arm and shoulder, and while he will require surgery, he will be just fine, and is even in good spirits. So, not to worry, the next time the world needs the perfect black God in a white suit, or just the perfect voice over, Morgan Freeman will be there.

Full Story

2010: A Prius Sequel

For those of you who enjoyed Toyota Motor Corporation's pitiful previous Prius at 46 mpg, here comes the sequel with nearly twice the mpg, three times the omg, and solar panels bringing new meaning to "sun roof." Treehugger brings a preview plus a few tips on how to maximize your mileage even if you don't have the means to make the move to a hybrid.


Photo: Via Popular Mechanics

It's Bear Season

A woman was shot and killed by a bear hunter who mistook her for a grizzly bear on Sunday in Washington.

Full story here.

From Afghanistan with Love

All is not well in America's favorite Central Asian republic; after seven years, the "forgotten war" is still raging. With a recent jail break freeing hundreds of Taliban and the odd air strike blowing up wedding parties and family farms here and there, Afghanis are fleeing the South for the relatively stable North. A concise and insightful look into the current state of affairs in the "Place of the Pashtun."

Can we make them stand on one foot?

After the great Democratic Party primary debacle, what do you do with Michigan and Florida? Today Obama asked the DNC credentials committee to fully seat these rogue states. Yet it still begs the question, how can a party carry out it's rules if they just can't be enforced? What do you think, fully seated or not?

The Great American Laziness

This is laziness taken to a whole new level. I've seen get rich quick, and we have all seen the commercials for the lose the weight fast programs (just watch for the side effects- 'oily discharge' gets you every time). But this is a new one. This pill actually tricks your muscles into thinking that they have just been to the gym, and therefore increases your strength and endurance. Now if I could only find the strength to get the glass of water to my mouth...

A Great Author Departs

It is with a heavy heart that I note the passing of Alexander Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn was probably my first introduction to the Soviet Union outside of family lore. He is most famed, however, for his exposure of the evils of Stalin and his belief that the Orthodox east was unsuited to either Communism or Western style democracy. May God grant rest to this great writer.

Economist: Its the economy again, stupid.

At least its a better conversation than the Britney Spears ad:

"Republicans attack Mr Obama as a rank protectionist and big-spending liberal, who promises the biggest tax hike since the second world war. Democrats deride Mr McCain as an even more reckless tax-cutter than the current president, a man who will bust the budget and tilt the playing field even further against ordinary workers. But things are not exactly as they seem."

From The Economist

Lost in Translation

In the run - up to the Olympic Games, Beijing businesses are scrambling to make their city more accessible to the outside world. Reminding us of "Nothing sucks like an Electrolux" and the Chevy "No - Go", I think this restaurant is ready for the relentless chuckle from tourists and journalists alike.