18 February 2009

DIY: Bicycle wheel pot rack


Pot racks are expensive, building one out of an old bicycle wheel and some parts you can pick up at the hardware store is not. This is a neat guide to building your own bicycle wheel pot rack. Bonus points for going green.

17 February 2009

Bush had some integrity left?


Ex-VP Dick Cheney is reported to be furious that ex-President Bush did not pardon Scooter Libby. He pushed the issue extremely hard right up to the end of the term, but Bush wouldn't budge. In fact, he was so persistent that Bush finally told his aides that he refused to discuss the issue further.

Is this a sign of some shred of integrity left in the man?

IBM patent lets you dodge bullets


That's right - IBM filed a patent for technology that will detect incoming projectiles and then stimulate muscles to create a reflex reaction that would allow one to dodge bullets.

IBM. Dodge bullets.

Is that a new ad campaign on the horizon?

13 February 2009

The Autism Verdict

Well, the verdict is in: no money for the families of the three children with autism who were seeking a court award from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, claiming that thimerosal, a mercury containing preservative formerly used in vaccines, caused their childrens' disorders.
Here is what this does not mean:
-That thimerosal has NO link to autism
-That vaccines in general have NO link to autism
-That the MMR in its traditional form is the ideal schedule for infants
-That physicians have not mislead parents on many subjects related to vaccinations

Here is what this does mean:
-That thimerosal has very little effect on the immune system (saying nothing about the neurological or gastrointestinal system)
-That these families are not entitled to relief from this particular fund, based on what this fund was set up to support
-That based on the evidence presented to the court, the link was weak (saying nothing about the scientific evidence available)

Autism is a mysterious disorder with a complex etiology that clearly involves multiple systems, genetic predisposition, and environmental triggers, all in a combination that is currently unknown. No one can say for sure that vaccines cause autism, but until there is conclusive evidence that it does NOT, which currently does not exist, we should continue to research.

Details on the Stimulus Compromise

The Associated Press has published a simple concise and darned near purty graphic to help you digest the 8 bajillion dollar stimulus compromise to be voted on in Congress today.

If you've got some serious time on your hand, you can also read the whole thing yourself.

12 February 2009

For Once, the Religious Right is Right

In the news in the UK this week, one of the youngest people to become a father has made the news. He has a newborn, and he is a tender 13.

See more here.

Obama beatbox

GOP making up stuff again...

Yet again, the GOP is complaining about non-existent provisions of the stimulus bill. This time around, they're claiming that the bill contains millions of dollars to save a type of mouse that lives in Speaker Pelosi's district. The provision does not now exist in the bill nor has it ever.

I know it's a big bill, but you can't tell me there's not at least one intern in the whole GOP that has read it.

I'm just saying...

Oh China...

This kid is going to have lung cancer before he's potty trained.

Joaquin Phoenix nearly appears on the Late Show

Michael Phelps should NOT be Sorry

Michael Phelps should not be sorry - yea, I know I should be over this, but honestly I'm not. Phelps let me and the rest of our culture out to dry with his comments about his "childish mistake" and this article does a good job of reminding us why Mary Jane is illegal in the first place. Enjoy my first post.

11 February 2009

This is why you're fat....mmmmm


With a tagline like "where dreams become heart attacks," how can you not be intrigued?

A collection of coronary-inducing food items sure to piss off your insurance company and make you drool.

Microsoft SongSmith butchers some classics

It's hilarious and I actually kind of like the version of Hotel California, but MS SongSmith completely butchers a couple of classic songs. Basically, the program adds background music when you sing into the computer.

SCOTUS declares death penalty 'totally badass'

Bath tub gin gets a little homier


I'll see your Mr. Beer and raise you one Crock Pot Still.

And if you really want to take it up a notch.

Transactional truth, the flaw in proof, wikipedia

Slashdot is carrying an interesting post this morning pointing out an interesting error. Without diving into unnecessary detail, in a quickly evolving news story, a man named as a potential candidate for a public service post had his name changed by adding 'Wilhem' as an additional middle name. Now for most people this is a noticeable change, for example Barack Hussein Obama turned into Barack Wilhem Hussein Obama would stand out pretty well. But, when your name is Karl Theodor Maria Nikolaus Johann Jacob Philipp Franz Joseph Sylvester Freiherr von und zu Guttenberg, things might go unnoticed for a little while. Then things get a little funny. A german newspaper decides to copy the name out of wikipedia and print it, and then wikipedia users use the newspaper as a citation on the name.

Uh - oh. This sounds truthier than the Bush Administration. Which seems to beg the question, how often do we authenticate inaccuracy by repackaging?

Warning: Law school story

I'm way too lazy to look this up, but consider this. Years ago congress passed an amended requirement for import reporting and duty for certain products. Due to a transcription error, when the law was transferred into the US code an error was made in the reporting requirements for the dimensions of those products. Originally congress passed a requirement that a product had to be reported by its length, width and height, or its volume. In its published form, a product had to be reported by its length and width, or its height and volume. When tested in Federal court, the Judge cited the Code as the law and ruled that the flawed transcription should stand.

08 February 2009

Italy is really hard up for babies

Italy is currently in the midst of a constitutional crisis. The highest court declared that woman who has been in a persistent vegetative state since 1992 can be taken off feeding tubes, in accordance with what her father says would have been her wishes. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi issued an emergency decree preventing any patients from being taken off feeding tubes if their lives depend on them.
"Justifying his campaign to save Englaro's life, the prime minister added that, physically at least, she was 'in the condition to have babies'"
I guess that tax credit just isn't doing it for them.

Football vs. Handegg

Online predators





What you don't know could hurt you or someone you love.

07 February 2009

Obama can cuss a cow


Many of this country's highest officials have had reputations for their linguistic lashings. Lyndon B. Johnson would greet friends and rivals with a "how's it going you cocksucker," Nixon's private verbal abuse is the stuff of legends, and TR preferred "Bully" to "Fuckin' A," but we knew what he meant. While perhaps not on the Senate floor, Barack Obama joins a long line of First Foul-Mouths.

Sullenberger's epic ethics

The US Airways pilot who made the emergency landing in the Hudson seems like a pretty stand up guy:
"Chesley Sullenberger has a problem. He borrowed a book from the Danville Library – and it’s overdue. To complicate matters, the book was an interlibrary loan from Fresno State.

Sullenberger contacted librarians and asked for an extension on the loan and a waiver on the overdue fine. The reason? The book is in the cargo hold of the US Airways plane that made an emergency landing last month in New York’s Hudson River. Sullenberger is the pilot who made that landing. No one was seriously injured.

Fresno State library officials were impressed with Sullenberger’s sense of responsibility… and waived all fines and fees, even the one for losing the book. The library’s going one step further: when the replacement book goes up on the shelf, it will have a special template in front, dedicating it to Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger.

Oh, by the way. The topic of that book? Professional ethics."

Advice from Mr. Man: Bachelor Parties

06 February 2009

Per Tradition, Ex-Presidents Watch Obamas Christen White House Bed

From the Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON--Honoring one of the longest-standing rituals in American history, former presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush assembled in the nation's capital last week to witness the new first couple's christening of the White House bed.
Yes it is a satire, kids.

$.002 ≠ .002¢

05 February 2009

What's that smell? New Jersey

From the highly regarded Christian Science Monitor:
Only in New York, can the smell of Maple Syrup wafting out of New Jersey raise a suspicion of terrorist activity.

Photo: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is on the case (from AP).

God Bless America, giant inflatable rats have free speech rights too.


. . . At least in New Jersey

From the article:
In a case that pitted an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union local against a central Jersey town, the high court ruled unanimously that the rodent is protected speech under the First Amendment.

"The township's elimination of an entire medium of expression without a readily available alternative renders the ordinance overbroad," Justice John E. Wallace Jr. wrote for the court.The super-sized rat, sitting on its hind legs and bearing fangs, is a national symbol used by organized labor to signal a labor dispute. It had been blown up and displayed at a 2005 labor event in Lawrence Township until police enforced a law that bans banners, streamers and inflatable signs, except those announcing grand openings.

I, for one, welcome our new semi-gaseous rodentiary overlords.

Glenn Beck: Comrade Update



Good thing CNN sold Glenn Beck to Fox News for a thirty food effigy of Chairman Obama and exclusive broadcast rights to the streets running red with the blood of bourgeois oppressors.

Bill Gates attacks crowd with mosquitoes


Microsoft founder Bill Gates opened up a jar of mosquitoes this morning at this weeks Technology, Entertainment and Design conference to make a point about malaria. Apparently this is the best way to captivate your audience about a deadly disease you're trying to fight.

If they had been malaria carrying mosquitoes this would be a much more interesting story. Or quite literally, tiny flying Mosques.

03 February 2009

Pick me for HHS Secretary


Dear President Obama,

Given recent turns of events, in this time of crisis, you need to turn to someone you can trust. Sir, that person is me. Last year I paid my taxes, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before, and the year before and so on. Not to mention I've got mad government skillz and I scowl every time I see a lobbyist. Also, if absolutely necessary, I too am willing to steal Sally Jessy Raphael's glasses.

Submitted for your unquestioning approval,

Me.

Palin pulls a McCain

As much as this author would prefer to let the Governor of the great state of Alaska to fall into obscurity, this was simply too funny. Sarah Palin was invited to the US House Republicans' annual winter retreat to give what they hoped would be a morale-boosting speech. She declined, citing that she simply had too much pressing state business in Alaska to deal with.

So far, so good. So where was Sarah Palin this weekend?

Washington, D.C. - attending the super-elite Alfalfa dinner.

Republican reviews were mixed:
"She lied to us," said a Republican at the retreat.

Asked about Palin's no-show, House Republican leader John Boehner shrugged. "Whatever," Boehner said.

02 February 2009

Is Wal-Mart Truly Evil?

Came across this little blog entry on BoingBoing written by Charles Platt, a writer for Wired.

He gave up his writing gig to start at Wal-Mart to find out if Barbara Ehrenreich's feature Nickel and Dimed revealed the true Wal-Mart, or if there was another side to the "evil corporation" story.

For the sake of maintaining the journalistic integrity of this blog, I hereby submit the link for your perusal.

Cheers.

Cheney Dunk Tank Raises $800 Billion for Nation


Brand new edition to the White House Carnival: The Cheney Dunk Tank. 150 million assorted persons showed up for the event, with proceeds bloating the Treasury's coffers to the point of unlikely financial security.

Sigh... damn you, Onion. Why do you always have to dangle the ideal, utopian scenario in front of our face while the world burns around us?

Talk about a wardrobe malfunction

Porn? During the Super Farce, I mean Super Bowl? See here.

Some Judeo-Christian unity in pedophilia

A community of Hasidic Jews in New York City is coming under fire for allegations of pedophilia. Shockingly, even after allegations, one school principle was re-hired.

"If you're a pedophile, the best place for you to come to are some of the Jewish communities," he says. "Why? Because you can be a pedophile and no one's going to do anything. Even if they catch you, you'll get away with it."

Printer uses coffee grounds and elbow grease


Looking for an eco-friendly way to print? The RITI printer uses old coffee grounds for ink and the user manually moves the ink case left and right to print.

Martha Washington: First Fox


New evidence points to Martha Washington being quite the hottie. Scientists were able to use age-regression software to determine what she looked like at age 25, when she married His Premierness, GW. While this contradicts previous understandings of the First First Lady, it's an interesting look at an old subject.

And check out those wedding shoes... sassy!

Sarah Palin's road to No(me)where?*

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin wants to build a road to Nome that would cost an estimated $3-4 million per mile. In the same speech that she declared a billion dollar plus budget shortfall, she pushed for the $2 billion dollar project.

Budget deficit, spend 2 billion more... -1 + -2 =... Fiscal conservatives win once again!

*With apologies to the fine residents of Nome, AK.

John Baer's plan to balance the budget

Columnist John Baer has a plan to save Pennsylvania $1.5 bn.

30 January 2009

Medical Marijuana and the new administration


This week the Obama administration is facing its first test on drugs. Although President Obama has not yet appointed a new permanent DEA administrator, his comments on the campaign trail suggested that his administration would support medical Marijuana where the same controls are placed on the dispensement and prescription as other prescription prescribables. However, this week DEA agents have conducted the first raid of a medical Marijuana dispensing facility since Bush left office. This raid occured in California where voters decided more than a decade ago by public referrendum that medical Marijuana should be available by prescription as a legitimate drug treatment option as decided between patients and doctors. Should the Federal government get in the way?

Polish your shoes with a Banana

From Planet Green:
Historically, the meeting of shoe and banana peel has been tragic. Shoe comes in contact with peel. Hilarity ensues at the possible expense of someone's health. Yes. The relationship between yellow fruit covering and footwear has been tenuous at best, but now the two have come together in a pleasing, eco-friendly way.



Clean Green:How To Polish Shoes With A Banana

29 January 2009

Breaking: Rod Blagojevich removed from office

In a shocking turn of events this evening, the Illinois state senate has convicted former governor Rod Blagojevich on the articles of impeachment for eating The View co-host Judy Behar.
Film below.

28 January 2009

Doorgate: RECENT PRESIDENTS UNITED IN HISTORY



BREAKING: Barack Obama committed his first strategic blunder as President today after trying to enter the White House through a window. This physics tragedy can only call up memories of former President Bush's flawed escape from China.

NY Daily News was on the scene.

To your health: 4 more reasons to drink red wine


Stay fit, fight Alzheimers, help your heart, and reduce your risk for lung cancer... all this and more by drinking red wine.

Newsweek has the scoop.

Itching for a mistrial? All you need is poop

Don't like your court appointed public defender? Rub feces on him and then throw the surplus at the jury. Wam-Bam-Thank-You-Mam.

full story here

James will be so pissed when I do this to his drumset.


Some folks with too much free time have built a drum that uses electromagnets to play themselves so you don't have to. I prefer to see this as an easy way to mess with someone who already does. Gonna play the drum solo from In-A-Godda-Da-Vida oh no my friend, not today.

26 January 2009

Sweet secret White House record collection

The White House record collection has been hanging out in the basement since Nancy "No Party" Reagan banished it there in the 80s. Under Carter, the RIAA decided the White House needed an audio collection to go with all the books. The collection includes some classics like Led Zepplin, Rolling Stones, Ramones, Santana, et al, all in sleeves that carry the Seal of the POTUS.

No word yet on whether Obama will restore the vinyl to its rightful place.

Rolling Stones has the scoop.

A Toast!

Gentlemen!
I've drunk your health in Company,
I've drunk your health alone.
I've drunk your health so many times,
I've darn near ruined my own!
Here's to me!

More emissions control for states



In keeping with campaign promises, President Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency to review the Clean Air Act waver request from California, which would allow the state to impose stricter regulations on vehicle emissions. The Bush Administration denied these requests for years and auto makers are staunchly opposed. The move would bring more efficient and environmentally friendly cars on the road faster than current time tables allow.

Short version via Reuters

More in depth coverage via AP

TTBDYPNO: A series


The Ten Best Drinks You've Probably Never Ordered will start off with the Gin Fizz.

The drink is similar to a Tom Collins and one of the classic highballs. Simply pour the ingredients over ice and give a little stir.

3 parts gin, 2 parts lemon juice (fresh is better), 1 part simple syrup, top off with soda water (some suggest 5 parts).

Belgian creche stabber imitating The Joker

In a new revelation, police revealed that the Belgian creche stabber was a 20 year-old man dressed as The Joker from the recent Batman movie, wearing make up and quoting Heath Ledger. The man has been described by former schoolmates and colleagues as a "'film freak' and 'movie addict.'"

Senator Oprah?

Disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich went on Good Morning America as his impeachment trial began. He told Diane Sawyer that he had considered Oprah Winfrey for Barack Obama's vacated senate seat.

"She seemed to be someone who had helped Barack Obama in a significant way to become president," Blagojevich said. Blagojevich added that "she had a much broader bully pulpit than a lot of senators." ... "she probably wouldn't take it, and then if you offered it to her, how would you do it in a way it wasn't a gimmick to embarass her."

XKCD: It might be cool

'And ovaries, man. Ovaries, huh?' [awkward pause] '...faithfully.'

23 January 2009

Learn English with Obama

A Japanese book using Obama speeches to teach English is a hit. The 95 page tome offers some of the highlights, including his famous 2004 DNC speech. The simplicity of campaign speeches makes them useful for learning the language, but that doesn't mean every president gets a book.

"We don't publish every single president's speeches," Asahi Press official Yuzo Yamamoto said. "Would you buy the text of former President George W. Bush's speeches?"

Obama riding a unicorn t-shirt


That's right, you TOO can own a part of history - your very own Barack Obama Riding a Unicorn t-shirt. For only 28 dollars (which includes shipping) this shirt, designed by DC artist Chris Bishop, can be in your wardrobe rotation.

Don't delay, order today as supplies are limited.

Bush's note to Obama revealed


We finally have the official note that Bush left in the top drawer for incoming President Obama.

20 January 2009

Bush's last minute pardon: Osama Bin Laden

From the Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON, DC: In a stunning late-hour development, President George W. Bush has granted Osama bin Laden a pardon for the murder of more than 2,700 Americans in the fall of 2001.

"This kinda came out of nowhere," said a White House aide who requested anonymity. "I wouldn't have put bin Laden on the short list myself. On the other hand, maybe this is the president's way of finding closure. Because ... y'know ... he wasn't actually able to kill bin Laden, or capture him, or even keep him from making all those (expletive) videos. I mean, jeez, let's face it: Osama bin Laden is basically a one-man Netflix of cave movies."

To dive deeper into the issue, Conservative columnist William Kristol was asked for comment:
"George W. Bush is a brilliant strategist. I'm sure he has a good reason for this pardon. I'll figure it out."

President Barack Obama

Goodbye President Bush!





18 January 2009

Celebrate in your sleep... with OJAMAS


Many people are marking this historical inauguration in different ways... some are spending 15 hours on the beltway trying to get into DC, while others choose to stay in and have a pajama party. An Obama Pajama Party, to be specific. And what are they wearing to their Obama Pajama Party? OJAMAS.

Yes that's right folks, you can have your very own yes we can ojamas. This is awesome.

16 January 2009

Prison Night at the Good Ole Hockey Game *UPDATE*

Following up my previous post, the uniforms for the game have now been released. Even the referees are taking part! I think it's extremely clever and I for one am excited at least one game is taking part in the mockery! The jerseys are shown below:

15 January 2009

May have actually found the world's dumbest dad



Sorry about the little skip at the beginning, but seriously, this reinforces my idea that you should actually need a license to be allowed to participate in the gene pool.

A Note in the Drawer


"Don't let the Turkey's get you down" wrote Ronald Reagan to his Presidential successor. Today this begs the question, when Obama sits down behind the desk in the Oval Office for the first time. What will be on the note in the drawer left by Dubbya?

Here at Delvv, always hoping to spur your creative streak, we ask you to share your best guess in the comments.

14 January 2009

Seriously, it's science


A very scientific representation of the factors influencing President Elect Obama as his inauguration draws closer.

Expectations
Change
Racist grandpas rolling over in their graves
Political pundits saying racism is over in America
Racism in America
The audacity of hope


Thanks to collegehumor.com for the picture.

XKCD: I'm an Idiot



Apparently, this is even true.

10 January 2009

It's Ravens Time

Stumbled upon this poem in reference to festivus, the term Baltimoreans affectionately use to refer to playoff season in the Charm City, and just had to share.
And on that note:
IT'S RAVENS TIME!!!!!!!

Twas the night before Festivus, when all through Charm City

Ravens fans were stirring and even felt giddy.
The jerseys were hung by the chimney with flare,
In hopes that Joe Flacco soon would be there.

The fans were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of the playoffs danced in their heads.
And when we awoke and January 10 was the date,
We just settled down for a winter's tailgate,

When out in the end zone there arose such a clatter,
The opponent looked over to see what was the matter.
In a huddle of players that looked like a flash,
The Ravens looked ready for a hard-hitting clash.

The season had boiled down to one single game
as the players were looking for more than just fame,
And what to my wondering eyes looked intense,
For it was Ray Lewis...and the Baltimore defense.

A terrifying unit, so lively and quick,
They'll hit you, they'll haunt you, or even grab the pick.
More rapid than wolves these hunters they came,
And Ray whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"T-Sizzle! now, JJ! now, Bannan, Haloti!
On, Trevor! on Leonhard! on, Reed and Samari!
To the top of the mountain! to the top of the hill!
Knock them out! Get the ball! Now in for the kill!"

And then, the offense, led by a menacing line,
Came onto the field and was ready to fly.
A three-headed monster was at running back,
led by McClain, a big rumbling mack.

And Mason the veteran, with his shoulder so sore,
Kept reining in passes, one, two, three, more!
And finally, a sight so perfect, so new;
a quarterback to be proud of, a little like Johnny U.

Joe Flacco was ready to take the city by storm,
his cannon for an arm much better than norm,
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And led them downfield, the fans going berserk.

The Ravens were ready to give such a gift
to the fans of Baltimore who needed the lift.
Coach Harbaugh exclaimed, while his team looked so sleek,
"Happy Festivus to all, and we'll see you next week."

(Thanks to BaltimoreSun.com blogger "Purple Sunday" for the poem!)

09 January 2009

She's Baaaaaaaaaack!


Well, it's now over 2 months after the election, and we all thought the "Palin Power" frenzy would fizzle and we would have a break from the snow prince ss, until it was time to start campaigning for the 2012 presidency. No such luck. Apparently, she will be featured in an upcoming documentary entitled "Media Malpractice." The Washington Post's political blog has quite a comment on this in the article "Crazy, or Crazy Like A Fox?", my favorite being the observation that "She lives in alternate reality. It's very funny, yet very scary." In the 9-minute interview/conversation with the documentarian that is posted on the Washington Post blog, funny and scary are the words that came to my mind, as well.

How Porsche took the hedge funds behind the woodshed

Porsche recently used the markets in a somewhat unconventional and thoroughly self-beneficial way. Through slowly buying up VW stock and using short sellers' logic against them, they managed to make billions.

XKCD: Windows 7

08 January 2009

First 100 Minutes

5 things you didn't know about your penis

Nothing groundbreaking here, just a review of 5 fast facts (with explanation) you may or may not have known about your penis. Among them, you can break your penis (and how to prevent it), and some penises can grow up to double their length when erect. I was going to post a picture, but that doesn't seem like a great idea.

Of Apples and Men

Appointed Forever

07 January 2009

Porn industry next in line for bailout

The American adult entertainment industry is looking for a bail out. They are feeling left out and think 5 billion USD would be nice. The movement is being spearheaded by Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis. The two acknowledge that the industry is in no real danger in spite of lagging DVD sales, but they posit that it's still an important issue that needs to be addressed.
"With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind. It's time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly."

'You are being lied to about pirates'

Pirates have been the victim of propaganda campaigns for centuries and the war on pirates of 2009 is no exception. Johann Hari of the London Independent tells how many of the Somalian pirates are really just trying to stop the rest of the world from illegally overfishing in Somali waters and dumping toxic (sometimes radioactive waste) off the thousands of kilometers of Somalian coast.

6 years in Guantánamo


Muhammad Saad Iqbal spent six years in the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay before finally being released without charge. During those six years, he was interrogated, beaten, and tortured. Finally free, he tells his story as he pursues legal recourse against the United States government and seeks compensation for the more than half decade of his life that he will never get back.

04 January 2009

Michelle. Jackie. Ann?



My first and only response to this article was "oh no she di-int!!"
Ann Coulter has taken some time in her latest book to bash Michelle Obama's style, citing her as a cheap imitator of Jackie O's style which would have been "laughable if done by anyone other than a media-designated saint."


It's no secret that our future first lady has been compared to one Jackie O, but what Ms Coulter doesn't seem to understand is that this comparison-while strengthened by sleeveless A-line dresses, strings of short pearls and impeccable choice in eyewear- has its roots in a level of class and poise that Ms Coulter does not seem to be familiar with, seeing as her sense of style is better suited to be compared to a 17-year old showing off her too-skinny legs in a micro-mini skirt with intentions of sleeping her way to student body president than a timeless icon of class of style such as Jackie O.

02 January 2009

Pascal's Wager for the Paranoid Prankster

29 December 2008

Falling Water


A tour of one of Pennsylvania's most beautiful homes.

In defense of the "fat tax"

New York is proposing an 18% tax on sugary drinks and non-diet soda to combat the trends of increasing obesity among children and adults as well as the shift from drinking milk, water, and fruit juices towards sugary drinks like soda. According to recent polls, the public opposes the tax, but State Health Commissioner Richard Daines has created a video to talk about the shift and explain why he supports the tax.

Is this just another way the government is becoming a nanny state and trampling on personal freedoms or is it important legislation that addresses a public health issue that costs billions every year?

How does this compare with the Pennsylvania public smoking ban?

Discuss.

'The upside of downward mobility'

An insightful look into the current status of the American economy and the American Dream. Matt Miller assesses the situation and what that might mean in the short-term and long-term for the USA and challenges the way we look at the roles and responsibilities of the individual and the government. He cites three problems with the way we think and how we can change.

"The U.S. now offers its citizens a smaller chance of rising from their economic status at birth than do France, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and Germany."

28 December 2008

Bill O'Reilly revisited

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Shamelessly taken from Gunn'y

26 December 2008

"Please excuse me for being late to class, I was busy preventing heart disease"


New research has shown that hours spent sleeping has a direct correlation to risk for coronary artery disease. For each additional hour of sleep, the risk of calcification of the coronary arteries decreased by 33 percent -- an outcome equal to reducing blood pressure by 16 point elevations. This held true even when confounding factors, such as age, race, cholesterol level, and other possible risk factors were controlled. So, the next time you get in trouble for oversleeping, I'd say that this is a pretty good excuse.

American suburbia abroad

As the domestic real estate market slumps, American architects and urban planners are being hired overseas to create American-style suburbs in parts of Asia and countries like Egypt and Azerbaijan. Some places it's hard to tell you aren't in Southern California. They have tree-lined streets, sidewalks, parks, and shops. The American Dream has been exported.

Why?

Wouldn't Usonai, Prairie School, and Organic Architecture have been nicer exports?

XKCD: Google Trends


"Obama has been writing Lincoln/Obama erotic fan fiction on his secret live journal. Excerpt: Lincoln lay back on the bed, nude save for his trademark stovepipe hat. 'Tell me,' he purred seductively, as he and Obama formed a more perfect union. 'When you come, is it 10% ethanol?'"

RNC candidate distributes "Barack the Magic Negro"

RNC Candidate Chip Saltsman distributed a 41-track CD full of satirical songs including "Barack the Magic Negro," which was featured on Rush Limbaugh's radio show. The song was written by conservative satirist Paul Shanklin, played to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon" and sung in Shanklin's impression of Al Sharpton. The song was first played on Limbaugh's show in March 2007.

From the song:
“See, real black men, like Snoop Dog, or me, or Farrakhan, have talked the talk, and walked the walk, not come in late and won”

24 December 2008

Warning: beware of... snow globes?

Hallmark stores have recently recalled thousands of over-sized snow globes because they have received several reports of the 17" tall globe acting as a magnifying glass and igniting things around the globe. Wow. I can't decide if this is really freaky or really awesome. I'm going to go with awesome.

23 December 2008

Ho Ho (h)Obama

Shoe resistance inspires art

22 December 2008

Now you too can get shoes worthy of chucking at a President

The Baydan Model 271 was the shoe that an Iraqi journalist threw at President Bush last week, and now, the Istanbul based company has decided to rename the shoe "the Bush shoe" and demand is off the charts.

In this time of great international economic strife, at least this Turkish company has been able to tap into the Zeitgeist and instigate demand. In fact, Baydan has hired one hundred new staff members to cope with a sudden surge in novelty demand.

In other news, the brother of the shoe lobber is angry he says that Baydan and others are trying to capitalize on the situation and that his brother's shoes were in fact made in Iraq.

Meh.

Fill your tank . . . at Burger King


Forbes investigative journalism on the prowl:

For a time, Beverly Hills doctor Craig Alan Bittner turned the fat he removed from patients into biodiesel that fueled his Ford SUV and his girlfriend's Lincoln Navigator.

Love handles can power a car? Frighteningly, yes. Fat--whether animal or vegetable--contains triglycerides that can be extracted and turned into diesel.

Speed camera pwnage


Students at one Maryland high school have been printing up fake license plates with numbers of teachers or peers that they have it out for, attaching said "plate" to their car, and then speeding through camera traps. The mark gets a $40 fine in the mail.

The practice has brought into public discourse the problems of the photo system and its accuracy. Looks like high school students have once again found a way to pwn the system. Here's to creativity, and license plate fonts for the fifty nifty United States.