markjamesmurphy.com

2010-06-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

2010-02-15T23:47:00.000-08:00

Hi! I haven't posted anything here in over a year. During that time I pretty much migrated onto Facebook, which satisfied the same 'blogging urge' that I used to get by posting here. Also, when I was posting here regularly, I was trying to build something similar to my favorite kinds of websites like Neatorama. BUT I have a whole new favorite kind of web site now - much more along the lines of Reddit, Metafilter and Digg - and a Blogger format like MARKJAMESMURPHY.COM can never be anything like that. So, I'm shifting gears a bit here.

I'm occasionally going to post stuff on here from a mobile device, just to save it for posterity. The problem with Facebook is that it doesn't archive stuff for very long, so the main bulk of what you post there just kind of goes away.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time if you've read through some of the older content here. Although I was trying to provide a bunch of general entertainment, there's also a lot of my own personal memories mixed in there, so it's a nice record of some of the stuff I did during that time.

2009-01-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

(Kurt Kuenne)

Validation is a fable about the magic of free parking.

2008-12-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

(drbpony)

Merry Xmas everyone! Here's Henrietta and Merna with some Xmas cheer!

2008-11-28T12:57:00.000-08:00

(Rickroll)

Rick Astley rickrolled the entire world at the Macy's thanksgiving day parade! Best. Rickroll. Evar.

2008-10-25T20:02:00.000-07:00

(Glassyeyes.com)

Glassyeyes.com Imagine how you would feel if you found a gas station that had gasoline for 40 cents per gallon. That's how I feel right now. Not too long ago, I found the website Glassyeyes.com, the blog of a guy named Ira. "Shattering the eyeglasses scam", the tagline said. The information that I found there was incredible: eyeglasses, an important and vital commodity, are one of the most price-inflated products out there. In fact, they are routinely marked up 1000%.

I was procrastinating and badly needed new eyeglasses. My two pairs were ancient and worn out. I thought that I would embark on an experiment, and follow Ira's advice. On his website, he shows you how to use your prescription to order eyeglasses over the internet. He links over to some web-based eyeglass companies. Armed with a recent prescription, I ordered a pair from a website called Goggles4u. They arrived in about two weeks. The price?

$24.69. With free shipping.

This is about 1/10 of the price that I've been programmed to expect.

The kicker? The glasses are awesome. The lenses are perfect, and include antiglare/antireflective/UV coatings. The frames are no different in quality than any other glasses I've owned. It's not some cut-rate, inferior product - it's the same thing, at 90% off.

My mind is blown. I'm going to start ordering pairs from his other recommended sites, as an experiment. After all, if eyeglasses are no more expensive than a DVD or a book or a meal, why not have many pairs?

I have a pair on order now from Zenni optical that cost under $40, and I can't wait to see what they are like. Zenni even has a selection of glasses that are $8. EIGHT dollars, frame and lenses.

I'm officially shouting it from the rooftops: eyeglasses can be had for a tenth of what you have been paying. Thanks, Ira, I can hardly believe it.

2008-10-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

(DustoMcNeato)

Head Over Heels: The Literal Version Dustin McLean of Dustfilms.com has done it again, altering the lyrics of a classic music video to reflect what is actually happening in the video. This time it's Tears For Fears.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

2008-10-06T16:04:00.000-07:00

(DustoMcneato)

A-Ha's Take On Me, Literal Video Version. Now the lyrics describe exactly what is happening in the famous music video.

2008-09-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

(Sarah Silverman)

The Great Schlep is an awesome initiative by Sarah Silverman to get more votes for Barack Obama in Florida.

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

2008-09-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

(SNL)

Tina Fey sure makes a great Sarah Palin.

2008-08-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

(Whedon)

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog is a hilarious short film created by Joss Whedon. It was created during the writers strike when a lot of people in the film and television biz had a lot of down time. Packed with catchy songs, it tells the tale of a love triangle between a mad supervillian, a cocksure superhero and a pure-hearted girl. A smash hit, it is already inspiring a huge amount of fandom.

2008-08-30T19:50:00.000-07:00

(Bumbershoot)

Bumbershoot 2008 at Seattle center. It had been a long, long time since I attended Bumbershoot - I'd say at least ten years. But my friend Kat bought tickets weeks ago based solely on the fact that Neko Case was going to be one of the headlining acts.

I'm a giant fan of her side project The New Pornographers, but I had very limited exposure to her own brand of 'country noir'. It's a very dark and haunting music, and she sounded fantastic. There were infinite opportunities for some crazy people watching. And, of course, fair food galore.

2008-08-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

(Evergreen State Fair)

The Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, WA is celebrating it's 100th anniversary this year. I had never been there before but I had a great time at the Puyallup Fair last year, so I thought I'd give it a go. I drove up there alone because my friends were working. It was fun to see all the tradition and effort put into the exhibits. I grew up near a farm, so the animal smells and sounds triggered some old sense memories. It was cool to feel the leathery snout of a pig, and the warm breath of a goat on my knuckles. I gorged myself on fair foods and took lots of pictures and video clips. I'm now officially psyched for the upcoming Puyallup fair, which I'm going to sleep at in Camppy with Kat and the doggies!

2008-08-24T15:48:00.000-07:00

(Idiot)

Playground ride Vs Head. The final score: Playground ride 1, Head 0. NSFW language!

2008-08-15T17:38:00.000-07:00

(WildSnake Software)

BLOCKY 2. You have to try this awesome game!

2008-08-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

(studiopendulum.com)

Pendulum Studios AlterEgo team is pushing the envelope of realistic human face animation. Methinks that we will soon see very realistic 'synthespians'...

2008-07-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

(Dark Knight)

The Dark Knight, Batman, has a way of causing a fair amount of collateral damage as he careens around Gotham City, as shown in this deleted scene featuring Aziz Ansari.

See more Aziz videos at Funny or Die

2008-07-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

(globalrichlist.com)

Global Rich List. This could sure make you feel better about your lot in life. Apparently I'm among the top 6.57% richest people on the earth.

I'm the 394,655,173 richest person on earth!

Discover how rich you are! >>

2008-06-23T22:50:00.000-07:00

(Carlin)

George Carlin R.I.P.

2008-06-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

(Daily Show)

Staycationing. (or Holistay.) John Hodgman explains how being homebound can be a world-class travel experience if you do it right.

2008-06-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

(Boomgames.com)

Hopper 2. Left/right arrows to move, space bar to hop.

BoomGames.com - Free Online Games And Free Video Games Directory

2008-05-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

(Advrider.com)

Here's an amazing, gripping account of a daring motorcycle trip across Angola. I found this story on MetaFilter, posted by user jcruelty, and got sucked into reading the entire adventure. Five guys take a risky motorcycle trip with very tight logistics that leave only a razor-thin margin of error. One 40 kilometer stretch in particular, "the doodsakker", has our adventurers racing along the ocean's edge, trapped between the merciless tide and a wall of desert sand dunes - a three hour nail-biting ordeal that defies sanity:

.....The longer we ride the more intense it gets. The sand is so thick and waterlogged it's hard to believe. At one point the drag pulls me down until I'm in 1st gear with the throttle wound to the stop. The motor don't rev out though. It sits in the fat part of the torque curve. The bike bellows like a wounded animal and it kills me. It just kills me. No motor should be abused like this. It goes on for a good hundred metres. And there's nothing you can do. I'm on the pegs, murdering the bike and moving at just above walking pace. If I tap off for just a second I'll be stuck, with no way to get going again. And if I get stuck I get fucked. It turns into a refrain in my head that I can't control: "If you get stuck here, you get fucked here"....

And all along, the brave guys are supported at every stage by the incredible people of Angola, despite being completely unable to speak the language! I recommend that you take the time to read the entire story.

2008-05-20T17:30:00.000-07:00

(Spaff.com)

99 Words For Boobs

2008-05-12T18:30:00.000-07:00

(Onion News Network)

Historic ‘Blockbuster’ Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past

2008-05-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

(Line6)

The mind-bending music-comedy of Reggie Watts.

Popcast from Reggie Watts on Vimeo.

2008-04-29T18:03:00.000-07:00

(Zappa)

Frank Zappa is one of the departed that I miss the most. Here's a fascinating interview clip conducted in the U.K. in 1984. Politically, right now, Barack Obama is embroiled in a snafu in which he must distance himself from his pastor/mentor because Wright made some controversial statements about AIDS being a manufactured and racially targeted disease. This clip shows Frank's views on the subject, as stated 24 years ago.

2008-04-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

(Cracked.com)

8 (Pointless) Laws All Comic Book Movies Follow

"#7. The Sequels Must Have Multiple Villains - For the first film, the franchise always whips out the most prominent villain in the hero's rogue gallery. They don't have a choice, millions are at stake and if you go with a lesser villain there may not be any sequels at all. Unfortunately, this means that you're going with a decreasing grade of villain for the rest of the series. "

2008-04-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

(The Onion)

Wildly Popular 'Iron Man' Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

Wildly Popular 'Iron Man' Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

2008-04-09T15:38:00.000-07:00

(Alan White)

Parallels: The Music Of YES I'm not even sure how to convey all the things I want to say in this post. How do I even begin? How can I sum up an experience this fantastic?

I had the best night of my life, just the other night. It was Thursday, April third 2008.

You see, I'm a huge fan of the music of YES. Last year, I went to some shows by Parallels: The Music Of YES. They're the stuff of YES dreams - a new group of passionate virtuosos on a deep, fervent soul mission to keep prog rock alive.

I documented these shows here:

http://markjamesmurphy.blogspot.com/2007/11/parallels-parallels-music-of-yes-i-had.html
http://markjamesmurphy.blogspot.com/2007/11/parallels-parallels-music-of-yes-played.html
http://markjamesmurphy.blogspot.com/2007/12/parallels-parallels-music-of-yes-heres.html

The band had left me gobsmacked. Something welled up deep inside of me. You see, I used to do a lot of music stuff, twenty years ago. I've played hundreds of gigs on the east coast with some extraordinary musicians - real bread-and-butter wedding and club type stuff with a band called Undercover.

As it turned out, Parallels had been looking for a backing vocalist for quite some time. I made a demo and eventually auditioned for the slot. Long story short, now I'm singing with them. Although, since I still can't believe it, I consider the present to be a trial period, a time to step up to the plate and prove myself over time. A special guest vocalist, if you will.

Thursday, April 3rd 2008 was to be my first show singing backups in the band. The show was only 5-6 weeks away. To get ready would entail reaching deep within myself and seeing if I had the stuff. Remember, these are five virtuosos who had a three year head start. Bang, go, the marathon is on, hope you can even see the pack in the distance...(long distance runaround? *groan* sorry)

Here's the kicker - the evening of the show rolled around, and ALAN WHITE, THE REAL DRUMMER OF YES, IS AT THE SHOW. HE GOT UP AND PLAYED THREE SONGS WITH US.

At a certain point in the show, I think I actually left my body. It was transcendent.

I'm currently 41 years old, and just experienced the best night of my life.

YES!

2008-03-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

(Rollins)

Henry Rollins writes an open letter to Carrot Top.

2008-03-27T22:24:00.000-07:00

(Stunts)

Top Ten Jackie Chan Stunts.

Also, here's a key scene from Jackie's Drunken Master 2, maybe the best overall Kung-Fu film ever made:

2008-03-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

(Hear 'N Aid)

Stars. What do you get when you combine We Are The World's smarmy conceit (that over-earnest all-star songs can change the world) with the most ridiculous gathering of hair-metal musicians ever assembled? I'll tell you what. You get 'Stars' by Hear 'N Aid, heavy metal's answer to USA For Africa. Not only did they raise a million bucks for the starving children of Africa, but they inadvertently created one of the funniest ... well ... things... ever commited to tape. Bask with me now in the bloated pomposity of 'Stars', and please ask yourself, as does Ronnie James Dio: Who cries for the children?
He does. Do you?
Well, do you?

2008-03-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

(washingtoncitypaper.com)

Doing More With Less: In Defense Of Creative Loafing

A thought-provoking article by Franklin Schneider.

"I’ve been on unemployment three times in the past six years. Each time was better than the last, and each time I stayed on until the last cent was exhausted. I didn’t even try to get a job; it was a paid vacation. This is somewhat unusual from what I can tell. There’s a deep vein of antipathy in this country toward collecting checks from the government.....

.....When you’re miserable, you buy things. It’s the American Way; whatever your problem, there’s a product that can solve it. Have a bad day? Buy some jeans! Just realize that your best years are a distant memory? Buy a big car! This is why a lot of people who make six figures still live check to check—perhaps this 50-inch plasma screen/Louis Vuitton bag/waterfront condo will make my soul hurt less?
But once you’re off the hamster wheel, you find you no longer need to overcompensate. You don’t need consumable solutions because your essential problem—your life sucked—is solved."

via MetaFilter

See also: The Drone Ranger , another great article by the same author:

"If, like me, you go to work each morning and sit in front of a desk, you belong in the professional lineage of Sisyphus, the mythical figure damned to roll a massive boulder up a mountain, only to do it all over again when the rock rolls back down. After all, do you really make any substantial difference from your cubicle? Even if you carry a lot of weight in your office, does it matter, in the big picture, if you move 10 percent more units this quarter than the last? For anyone living a conscious life, office culture inevitably brings the onset of a mild sort of existential despair. Call it the blahs if you’d like: What am I doing? Am I just flushing 40 hours a week down the toilet? And unless you’re a heart surgeon or something, the answer is generally a resounding 'yes.' "

2008-03-07T23:31:00.000-08:00

(Retro)

Back in the day, they sure knew how to treat their wimmin folk.

2008-03-04T14:41:00.000-08:00

(Failboat)

All aboard the failboat! This amusing internet meme, a severely listing ship with the caption "ALL ABOARD THE FAILBOAT" added, has been making the web rounds for quite some time. Now, WIRED magazine has written a gripping article about a team of the manliest men imaginable - salvage specialists who literally got aboard the actual failboat and attempted to right her, with millions of dollars of cargo at stake and a gigantic environmental crisis looming. This story begs to be made into a movie!

'After more than a day of full-speed motoring through the North Pacific, the Titan team spies the Cougar Ace. ....... as the Makushin Bay approaches, the scale of the ship dwarfs the salvage vessel. In the distance, a 378-foot Coast Guard cutter — complete with helicopter and 76-mm cannon — looks puny compared with the car carrier. It's as if the men have gone through some kind of black hole and emerged as miniatures in a new and damaged world. The Cougar Ace lies on its side, its enormous red belly exposed to the smaller boats around it. The propeller floats eerily out of the water, the rudder flopped hard to port in the air.

"Holy fuck," Trepte mutters.....' (Wired)

2008-02-23T15:07:00.000-08:00

(Demetri Martin)

Demetri Martin does a hilarious standup comedy routine involving a flip chart.

2008-02-21T13:44:00.000-08:00

(Context)

Out Of Context. Some scenes come off a little strange when the other 89.9 minutes of the movie are missing.

2008-02-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

(crystal skull)

Indiana Jones Trailer! WOW I've been waiting for this movie, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, forever, and now it's time to get pumped. It's not the years, baby - It's the mileage...

Indiana Jones 4 Teaser Trailer
Uploaded by Benjamin-Button

2008-02-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

(stuffwhitepeoplelike.org)

Stuff White People Like.

#9 Making you feel bad about not going outside

"As mentioned earlier, white people love to be outside. But not everyone knows that another thing they like to do is make people feel bad for wanting to watch sports on TV or play videogames. While it would be easy to get angry at white people for this, remember it is hard wired in their head that the greatest thing a person can do in their free time is to hike/walk/bike outdoors.
Usually, they will see that you are preparing to enjoy your life and they will say “hey, lets go for a hike in the park,” and most people will say “hey, thanks but I’ve been working all week and I’m really excited about watching this game,” and then they will respond “don’t be a lump on the couch, you’re wasting your life away, etc…” If you ignore them, they will eventually go away.
And much like most things with white people - they win both ways. If you decide to go with them, they feel good about getting someone off the couch and “into the fresh air,” and if you don’t decide to go, they can spend their entire time outdoors saying “boy, this is great, X doesn’t know what he/she is missing!” and running on a mix of self-satisfaction, Odwalla juice and muesli."

2008-02-08T21:08:00.000-08:00

(Smartkit)

Cover the red spot. An online version of a classic old carnival stumper.

2008-02-03T14:08:00.000-08:00

(Lennon)

John Lennon's Jukebox. "In 1989, John Lennon's jukebox surfaced in an auction of Beatles memorabilia at Christie's, and was sold for £2,500 ($4,907) to Bristol-based music promoter John Midwinter. Lennon had apparently bought the jukebox – specifically a Swiss KB Discomatic – in 1965, and filled it with forty singles to take with him on tour. Midwinter spent several years restoring the box and researching the discs catalogued in Lennon's spidery handwriting." - Wikipedia

2008-01-28T19:58:00.000-08:00

(Sugar-Free-Games.com)

ANTI PAC MAN! You control the ghosts.

Powered by playZgame

2008-01-27T14:15:00.000-08:00

(Half Life)

Half life: Full Life Consequences is a hilarious machinima video. It's based on a fanfic story written by an eight year old child. The story uses characters from Half Life 2, the greatest video game ever created. Gordon Freeman's brother, John Freeman, embarks on a classic heroic quest to save his brother from peril. Someone used Garry's Mod to animate the story with the actual Half Life 2 game engine.

2008-01-21T15:33:00.000-08:00

(Onion News Network)

For a majority of likely voters, meaningless bullshit will be the most important factor in deciding who they will vote for in 2008.

Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

2008-01-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

(Cloverfield)

The Cloverfield monster. The movie is finally here, after a brilliant and extended viral marketing campaign that left everyone wondering, 'what is the monster going to look like?' Well, someone shot a clip with their phonecam, so here he is... Clovy.

CloverField Monster Phone Camera - Watch more free videos

2008-01-15T21:01:00.001-08:00

(Todderman)

How to make a Big Mac at home.

2008-01-13T01:45:00.000-08:00

(Freestyle)

The amazing freestyle biking of France's Julien Dupont.

2008-01-06T15:33:00.000-08:00

(URgames.com)

Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road?

BoomGames.com - Free Online Games And Free Video Games Directory

2008-01-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

(Kurkjian)

THE LARGEST ART THEFT IN HISTORY I've been to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on a number of occasions, both before and after this theft, which happened in March of 1995. After the theft, as you can imagine, the security was beefed up about a million percent. In fact, if you go there now, (and you should - it's stunning) you will not believe the security measures.

In this Boston Globe article, STOLEN BEAUTY: THE GARDNER MUSEUM HEIST - 15 YEARS LATER, the dramatic story of this unsolved $300,000,000 theft is vividly told...

"Once inside, the thieves ripped a Vermeer, three Rembrandts -- including his only seascape -- five Degas drawings, and a Manet from their wall placements, smashing them out of their frames and leaving shards of glass and remnants of canvas behind. The thieves took some of the museum's greatest treasures but left behind some even more valuable objects......When they were done for the night, they made two trips to their car with the loot. Then they vanished.
Where the paintings were, empty frames now fill the museum's walls....."

2007-12-31T16:58:00.000-08:00

(New Year)

HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone! Be safe.

2007-12-30T16:48:00.000-08:00

(R/GA)

TATTOO SANTA Santa may be gone for the year, but when he was in Seattle he got an awesome tat on his back, and you'll never guess what it is in a million years.....

(via Presurfer)

2007-12-30T00:24:00.000-08:00

(Boomgames)

Hang Stan. It's like hangman, but with a pig.

BoomGames.com - Free Online Games And Free Video Games Directory

2007-12-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

(Edison)

Merry Xmas!

Here's the very first Xmas film ever made.

2007-12-22T01:24:00.000-08:00

(Cool)

Get The Groove With Captain Cool. I have no idea what this is from, what it means or what it's about, but.... well, tears are streaming down my face from laughing at it, so...here it is.

People videos

2007-12-20T22:45:00.000-08:00

(Coffee)

The Most Expensive Drink At Starbucks

This guy had a coupon for a free drink at Starbucks. He did some research so that he could get the most bang for the buck...

"And the ultimate yuppified result: A 13 shot venti soy hazelnut vanilla cinnamon white mocha with extra white mocha and caramel. It cost a total of $13.76 (with tax)."

More about Starbucks:

Starbucks Gossip

THE SEVEN TYPES OF STARBUCKS BARISTAS

Confessions Of A Starbucks Barista

2007-12-16T14:48:00.000-08:00

(Pictogames)

Bust A Mark 2: Electric Dorkaloo

Make a game | Share | Free games | Pictogame

2007-12-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

(Endofsuburbia)

The End Of Suburbia
Does the "suburban dream" have a future?

"Global oil peak and the inevitable decline of fossil fuels are upon us now, Are today's suburbs destined to become the slums of the future? This is .....'The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream', a documentary about the end of the age of cheap oil."

2007-12-12T17:11:00.000-08:00

(Ringo)

THIRTEEN REASONS TO GIVE RINGO SOME RESPECT By John Bryant

I'm well into an amazing book about The Beatles, so I'm in a real Beatley mood. Here's a great article about why you shouldn't diss Ringo.

2007-12-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

(Crazy)

The Well Of Death, a crazy stunt show in India.

2007-12-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

(Reload96)

.50BMG Ricochet Watch this gun enthusiast avoid winning a Darwin Award by inches.

"We're nawt doin' that ennymohr."

2007-12-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

(Theshiznit.co.uk)

Top 50 Movie Fight Scenes

A comprehensive cavalcade of asskickery.

#49. KING KONG vs THREE V-REXES in KING KONG (2005)

2007-12-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

(Boomgames)

FFX RUNNER Race through the city collecting tokens, while being chased by some very aggressive road-ragers. Arrow keys to drive/steer; space bar to brake. There will be signs to tell you which way to go. Floor it!

BoomGames.com - Free Online Games And Free Video Games Directory

2007-12-01T22:55:00.000-08:00

(Parallels)

Parallels: The Music Of Yes Here's a video I shot of Siberian Khatru at the Lincoln Theater gig on November 16th 2007.

2007-11-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

(Knievel)

Evel Knievel, one of my childhood heroes, has passed away.

I idolized this man. Although I didn't figure it out until much later in life, jumping a motorcycle over obstacles is a potent symbolic act, one that transcends all language (no wonder Evels fame was globe-spanning!) It is a visual metaphor for triumphing over whatever adversity is in front of you - by literally taking flight, and soaring over it.

I found an old review that I wrote in February of 2001 about his film Viva Knievel!

"Like a moth drawn to a flame, I find myself rewatching this movie time and again, and let me tell you- it's a hoot, and a unique little gem. Evel positively IS the '70s. It amazes me that the writers of this film actually were able to concoct a plot where, at a key moment, the criminals can only be foiled by a guy with the specific ability to jump a motorcycle onto a moving semi trailer. Not a biopic, Viva Knievel! is a fictional crime drama, featuring the kind of villians who mug & cackle so broadly that you'd think they were in a silent film. .......Leslie Nielsen heads up the bad guys in such a hammy, telegraphed fashion that you half expect him to hand out black wool caps and masks and 'loot sacks' with dollars painted on the side. You'd swear it was one of his post 'naked gun' performances. Evel Knievel plays himself, and delivers his lines with a surprising charm and machismo as he gamely shares scenes with Red Buttons, Danny Kaye, Lauren Hutton and Frank Gifford. Everyone seems to be gunning for Oscar gold, playing their ridiculous little roles as if they're dropping the bomb on Hiroshima.... MORE"

I loved you, Evel, and I will always think about you. I hope that if you're in heaven, you get to fucking JUMP OVER GOD.

2007-11-29T16:46:00.000-08:00

(Miss Cellania)

Sexist Ads Check out these hilarious sexist ads from a very unPC past.

via Miss Cellania and Neatorama

2007-11-29T14:01:00.000-08:00

(Zack Parsons)

The 14 Most Awful Moguls.

found at Something Awful

2007-11-24T21:50:00.000-08:00

(DoubleEdgeFilms)

Spin is an awesome short by Double Edge Films about a D.J. who can manipulate time and events.

2007-11-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

(Parallels)

Parallels: The Music Of YES played their third gig on November 16th. I was bound and determined to get to this show, even though it was in Mount Vernon, WA which is 60 miles north of me. They were performing in the historic Lincoln Theater. It would be a bona fide concert, just them, with stage lighting, fog and rear projection artwork.

I got up there just in time for the start of the show. Their fan from Minneapolis showed up at the last minute (he has flown out for all three of their shows!) Like last time, there were a lot of YES T-shirts in the audience and I could hear people engaged in conversations about YES shows they had seen. We were primed to hear some awesome music.

The opening, Parallels, sounded great, but the band had some hiccups with their stage monitors and could not hear themselves properly. It took several songs to straighten out the problems, which could not have been good for the bands nerves. Their confidence a bit rattled, soon the band relaxed and began to feel the YES love from the enthusiastic audience.

The show sounded great and the enhanced visuals and lighting added a lot to the experience. They were playing a lot more songs this time around, so I got to hear them represent a broad swath of YES music, even as recent as their magnification album. They played Close To The Edge, the song, in its entirety. They played a lot of songs from Fragile.

Their version of The Fish includes an awesome medley - it veers into chunks of other YES songs and even Chris Squire solo material. You can tell that, while being extremely faithful to the original arrangements, Parallels also adds their own stamp in the form of signature variations during certain passages.

This band can pull off frighteningly complex songs. They nailed the song Awaken, which is so difficult I can't even imagine the audacity of adding it to a set list. Navigating its maze of chords and time signatures effortlessly, Parallels once again left me awed. I had to work early the next morning so I had to leave right after the show and didn't get to talk to the band. Thanks guys for another great evening!

2007-11-15T14:05:00.000-08:00

(Buffalaxed)

"My loony bun is fine Benny Lava" is a hilarious Indian pop music video, "translated" by YouTube user Buffalax (buffalaxed, if you will). He has added subtitles to show what he felt the words were as if the characters were singing in English.

The video is already about fifty kinds of awesome, with its bizarre dance moves, fashions, slo-mo and Bollywood-style romance. The ridiculous 'translation' kicks it up a notch into outright hilarity...

2007-11-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

(producten.hema.nl)

WOW. check out the HEMA online catalog. Trust me, you've got to check out this catalog.

found at YesButNoButYes

2007-11-08T01:33:00.000-08:00

(Rolling Stone)

MY NAME IS IN

MAGAZINE!
The current one. Issue #1039, 40th anniversary issue, page 204.

I'm part of a tribute to Todd Rundgren that was organised by Bill Bricker at Toddata.com.

Bill raised enough money to get a half-page ad celebrating 40 years of the music of Todd Rundgren. He created a picture out of all the donors' names.

This issue is the first ever of Rolling Stone to be available as a free online digital edition.

2007-11-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

(Parallels)

Parallels: The Music Of YES I had a magical experience last night. Alan Genatossio, a coworker of mine, has spent the last several years putting together a world class tribute to the music of YES. Parallels The Music Of YES is a band that dares to tread into the complex musical, philosophical and spiritual territory of YES music. Anyone who knows me knows about my passion for the music of YES, so it was with a very critical ear that I ventured to Everett to hear this, only the second gig by the nascent group.

After a great set by Blind Floyd (a tribute to Pink Floyd) I was primed to hear some YES music, because it was immediately apparent that Jimmy Z's had a great sound system. After a quick setup and cursory sound check, Parallels began (with the song Parallels) to leave the audience of Yes fans in awe.

From the first bar it was apparent that a massive amount of talent and experience was assembled onstage. The best compliment I can give to Parallels is that they took me to the exact same place that only YES had ever taken me before. Let me tell you that this band has the insane chops and sheer cojones needed to tackle this extremely complex material. On it's own, this show would have been extraordinary - but it was kicked up a huge notch when the band revealed that actual YES alumnus Patrick Moraz, the virtuosic swiss keyboard wizard, was in the audience. For me, this raised the event into something more: actual YES history.

Watching Parallels, and watching Patrick Moraz watch Parallels, went into the realm of being a magical experience. Remember, not many people have seen this band yet, so we all sort of collectively gasped in discovery as an audience. One guy had come all the way from Minnesota to see the show. There were quite a few Yes T-shirts in the audience - I mean, these were some big time fans of this music. And... well, there were ovations.

Afterwards, Patrick seemed thrilled to sign autographs and chat with audience members. He was a really cool guy.

Here's a video clip of Yours Is No Disgrace, their final song. Do not miss the part at 12:00 when Patrick takes the stage to commend the band!

Parallels The Music Of YES is going to be huge. YES fans are going to support this band as they continue their journey. I'm so glad I was there at this pivotal show. Alan, Jonathan, Randy, Dan, Robyn - THANK YOU!

2007-10-31T17:24:00.000-07:00

(Austin Powers)

Happy Halloween! I won a prize at work for my Austin Powers costume. A $100 gift certificate to Anthony's Home Port restaurant! Every time I've worn this costume I've won a prize. In fact, this was the biggest prize yet! YEAH BABY!

2007-10-28T23:35:00.000-07:00

(JibJab)

Night Of The Living Republicans.

2007-10-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

(Cat)

Trap The Cat.

2007-10-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

(myabcadventure.com)

Come along with me on a magical ABC's adventure!

I also learned how to "gleam the cube."

2007-10-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

(Gaffigan)

Jim Gaffigan really likes bacon.

I'm excited, I am seeing this guy at the Paramount in early November.

Hot Pockets!

2007-10-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

(SNL)

People Getting Punched Just Before Eating is a bizarre digital short from Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg.

(via Jellio at YesButNoButYes)

2007-10-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

(Hotcorn)

Hotcorn! Pop the popcorn. A game as addictive as actual popcorn.
Hotcorn -- FlashRolls.com

2007-10-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

(Miniclip)

Off The Rails

Off The Rails

Navigate your handcar safely.

Play this free game now!!

2007-10-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

(Picnicface)

Powerthirst 2: Re-Domination. A hilarious mock ad for a very powerful energy drink.

2007-10-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

(Spacebar)

Press The Spacebar is a game by Bryan Erck and Paul Zimmer where you... well, press the spacebar.

2007-10-01T22:00:00.000-07:00

(Halo 3)

Halo 3's popularity is just the beginning. Later comes the Halo-caust.

2007-09-30T16:24:00.000-07:00

(Rationalism)

Richard Dawkins - The Enemies Of Reason
Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins looks at how health has become a battleground between reason and superstition. A third of us now spend a total of over 1.6 billion a year on superstitious alternative remedies, but 80% of them have never been subjected to properly conducted trials.

"Dawkins is an outspoken atheist, secular humanist, and sceptic, and he is a supporter of the Brights movement." - Wikipedia

2007-09-28T00:57:00.000-07:00

(GoPotato.tv)

Sweet Dreams from GoPotato.tv is like a choose-your-own-adventure story, but with bewbs. In this chapter, Classroom Chemistry, you are a college professor with a beautiful student who needs help with her midterms. Will you impress the girl, or nerd out?

2007-09-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

(Ice Cream)

Make your own ice cream in three minutes! I have GOT to try this.

THE 5 MIN ICE CREAM - The best bloopers are a click away

2007-09-23T00:05:00.000-07:00

(Miniclip)

Alien Abduction.

2007-09-21T19:23:00.000-07:00

(Blu)

Fantoche is an amazing film by artist Blu. It's animated directly on the walls of the room.

found at Neatorama

2007-09-19T20:34:00.000-07:00

(Pictogame)

Shoot the monsters! (not the rabbit.)

Create your game | Share | Play games | Pictogame

2007-09-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

(Spielberg)

Steven Spielberg. Here's a documentary on him.

2007-09-13T13:39:00.000-07:00

(Butt rocket)

This is so wrong, but so funny.

NSFW! crude language and subject matter!

2007-09-11T00:04:00.000-07:00

(Post 9/11)

The Daily Show and other comedy shows had a tremendous problem when it came time to come back on the air after the horrendous tragedy of 9/11/01. Would the nation be ready for comedy after so much tragedy? In this clip, Jon Stewart brings The Daily Show back with a really moving and tear-filled speech.

2007-09-06T20:23:00.000-07:00

(Addictinggames.com)

Meal, Or No Meal?

Play Games at AddictingGames

2007-09-04T14:53:00.000-07:00

(Morph Thing)

At Morph Thing you can merge your face with different celebrity faces, with hilarious and sometimes creepy results.

(via Miss Cellania and Neatorama)

2007-09-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

(Stolby)

Stolby National Wildlife Nature Reserve is a place in Siberia where generations of Russians have indulged in a particularly reckless, dangerous form of rock climbing. Without safety gear of any kind, people of all ages scramble up and down sheer rock faces with the casual nonchalance of sports fans at a tailgate party.

In this clip, the first Americans to climb at Stolby, Jonathan Thesenga and Brittany Griffith, tell a tale of horror and disbelief upon being exposed to the bizarre cultural ritual of Stolby free climbing.

2007-09-02T19:20:00.000-07:00

(JoeyandDavid.com)

TastiBurger. Next time, think twice before you decline the pie.

2007-09-01T15:17:00.000-07:00

(GoPotato.tv)

Sweet Dreams from GoPotato.tv is like a choose-your-own-adventure story, but with bewbs. In this chapter, Unspoken Desires, you are a romance novelist meeting a big fan of your work in a library. Will you impress the girl, or nerd out?

(maybe NSFW, and basically for the guys)

2007-08-28T00:05:00.000-07:00

(Pictogame)

Arm wrestle me, wussbag.
Square off against the ugliest foe imaginable in this thrilling pageant of drunken forearmsmanship.

Create your game | Share | Play games | Pictogame

2007-08-27T15:05:00.000-07:00

(HeatEatReview.com)

Everyone's doing it: popping frozen meals into microwaves like the soul-scoured astronauts in 2001:A Space Odyssey. You see your coworkers in the break room scarfing their 'gourmet' 'cuisine' from those little plastic trays every lunch break. Heck, you probably have Hot Pocket crumbs all over your Atari T-shirt right now as you read this.

Check out HeatEatReview.com to find out what's good and what's not. After all, you are what you eat, and if your 'meal' is going to be doled out by a robotic lunch-lady machine two thousand miles away and shipped to you like a frozen brick by a long-haul trucker, it might as well be good.

2007-08-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

(Acting)

The guy in the red shirt in this Tiger Woods T.V. commercial is Eric, my niece's boyfriend!