Wednesday, June 30, 2004
Boris Bests US, Again
So I guess we won. America won and the Soviet Union lost. They were a brutal regime that crushed any dissenters. We were democratically elected one who celebrated dissent. That the soviets were not the embodiment of evil, and that we were not run-through-the-meadow-songs-bouncing-off-the-Alps goodness is quite beside the point. We won, they lost. And how can I be so sure? We were first into Space! Um, first to orbit the earth! First to the moon! Yah, that's the one.... no? Crap, says here that some "Boris Chimp 504" beat us. Well, how about first woman... first space walk...
Boris Chimp 504
Boris Chimp 504
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
Fight Club At Staples
Turns out that Avery Injet Labels (#8293) have an Easter egg on the packaging. The sample label on the front of the box feaures the address of Brad Pitt's character in "Fight Club." I suspect somebody over at Avery is going to be looking for a job.
Thanks to seanbonner.com for breaking the story, and to Boing Boing for alerting us to it.
seanbonner: Fight Club At Staples
Thanks to seanbonner.com for breaking the story, and to Boing Boing for alerting us to it.
seanbonner: Fight Club At Staples
By the way, we dropped 2 nukes on North Carolina.
I swear, it's true. In 1961, we accidentally dropped 2 hydrogen bombs on North Carolina, and neither one exploded. Worse, we still haven't entirely recovered one of them.
That's right. For the last 43 years, there's been a severely-damaged NUCLEAR BOMB rotting away deep under the mud of some God-forsaken swamp. Looks like I have another reason to avoid North Carolina. Like I NEEDED another reason.
Nuclear Mishap in Goldsboro, North Carolina
That's right. For the last 43 years, there's been a severely-damaged NUCLEAR BOMB rotting away deep under the mud of some God-forsaken swamp. Looks like I have another reason to avoid North Carolina. Like I NEEDED another reason.
Nuclear Mishap in Goldsboro, North Carolina
Sunday, June 27, 2004
Best. Music. Site. Everrrrrr.
A maven of bizarre music, Otis Fodder, and his far-flung cronies conspired in 2003 to post one MP3 a day for the entire year. But these aren't any old songs. In fact, many of them aren't songs at all.
The recordings come from anonymous cassettes found at yard sales and thrift shops, high school talent shows, corporate training materials, commercials, self-help records, religious propaganda, and even some well-known names singing some not-so-well-known ditties the world may have otherwise forgotten. Artists range from The Detroit Zoological Park to the United States Air Force; from Ford to Chevrolet; from Strawberry Shortcake to Barbie & Ken.
Each entry has an accompanying description, and comments made by visitors at the time of the posting have also been preserved.
Among my favorites: "Understanding Marx" (#006), "The Monkey Song" (#075) and "Leper In A Tumbledryer" (#087).
This collection disappeared from the web when it finished its run at the end of 2003. Now, through the wisdom and generosity of the fine folks at UBUWEB, this collection has found a permanent home, and the internet is a better place because of it.
365 Days Project
The recordings come from anonymous cassettes found at yard sales and thrift shops, high school talent shows, corporate training materials, commercials, self-help records, religious propaganda, and even some well-known names singing some not-so-well-known ditties the world may have otherwise forgotten. Artists range from The Detroit Zoological Park to the United States Air Force; from Ford to Chevrolet; from Strawberry Shortcake to Barbie & Ken.
Each entry has an accompanying description, and comments made by visitors at the time of the posting have also been preserved.
Among my favorites: "Understanding Marx" (#006), "The Monkey Song" (#075) and "Leper In A Tumbledryer" (#087).
This collection disappeared from the web when it finished its run at the end of 2003. Now, through the wisdom and generosity of the fine folks at UBUWEB, this collection has found a permanent home, and the internet is a better place because of it.
365 Days Project
Friday, June 25, 2004
Just a Reminder...
Vote Kerry in 2004.
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Brian's Page of Antique Weirdness
Here's a bizarre and unsettling collection of... stuff. It offers up old stereographic girlie pics, woodcuts of demons, sketches of witches, religious propaganda, and a bunch of other cultural X-Files.
This is NOT safe for work, and you may find some of the stuff wildly offensive, but you'll be floored by some of this stuff. Really!
Brian's Page of Antique Weirdness
This is NOT safe for work, and you may find some of the stuff wildly offensive, but you'll be floored by some of this stuff. Really!
Brian's Page of Antique Weirdness
BookCrossing - a hippie conspiracy?
OK... I can't decide if this is a case of information wanting to be free, or just an incitement to littering. I'll let you decide.
BookCrossing - FREE YOUR BOOKS!
BookCrossing - FREE YOUR BOOKS!
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Confessions of a Car Salesman
Speaking of conspiracies (see below), here's one of the all-time greats -- buying a new car. Edmunds, the people behind Edmunds' Blue Book, had the brilliantly subversive idea to send a journalist to work in a car dealership. The resulting story reads like the list of atrocities at Abu Ghraib.
Don't buy another car without reading this. You need to understand that the salesman at the dealership is your sworn enemy. His aim is not to help you, but to rob you. Stick it to The Man!
Confessions of a Car Salesman
Don't buy another car without reading this. You need to understand that the salesman at the dealership is your sworn enemy. His aim is not to help you, but to rob you. Stick it to The Man!
Confessions of a Car Salesman
Monday, June 21, 2004
The thinking man's conspiracy site
The web is crawling with conspiracy idiots, each one with his or her own homebrew paranoia cocktail. Disinformation is not one of these sites. The rabble-rousers at disinfo.com deal in documentable facts, and wield the Freedom Of Information Act like a cudgel.
As you always suspected, the government, in cahoots with large corporations and certain powerful institutions (*cough* CATHOLIC CHURCH! *cough*), has been lying to us and manipulating the truth with a zeal even the most jaded citizen would find shocking. The folks at Disinformation will take you places that the corporate media won't, and you should take a peek. Disinformation
As you always suspected, the government, in cahoots with large corporations and certain powerful institutions (*cough* CATHOLIC CHURCH! *cough*), has been lying to us and manipulating the truth with a zeal even the most jaded citizen would find shocking. The folks at Disinformation will take you places that the corporate media won't, and you should take a peek. Disinformation
Sunday, June 20, 2004
The spirit of Edward Gorey lives on in Mark Ryden
As a nice follow-up to my recent post about Edward Gorey, I present you with a collection of Mark Ryden's work. His pictures are a perfect mash-up of the tranquil and the disturbing. If you like doe-eyed children posed in surreal and bloody situations (and who doesn't?), Mr. Ryden's work will set your heart aflutter. Mark Ryden
What the heathen Statue of liberty really means
The "Society for the Practical Establishment and Perpetuation of the Ten Commandments" is -- surprise! -- the frothing mouthpiece of a wacko fundamentalist.
You'll be surprised to learn some of the things that the Statue of Liberty represents, including "Freedom for women to foolishly seek to be equal with men." And when you're through, you'd be wise to investigate the rest of the site. You'll learn about how to combat "evil freedom" and why freedom of speech is "pure heathen insanity."
Remember, folks: These are the delusional maniacs that vote for Bush. For the love of our secular God, register to vote! What the heathen Statue of liberty really means
You'll be surprised to learn some of the things that the Statue of Liberty represents, including "Freedom for women to foolishly seek to be equal with men." And when you're through, you'd be wise to investigate the rest of the site. You'll learn about how to combat "evil freedom" and why freedom of speech is "pure heathen insanity."
Remember, folks: These are the delusional maniacs that vote for Bush. For the love of our secular God, register to vote! What the heathen Statue of liberty really means
The Gashlycrumb Tinies
Edward Gorey died last year, I believe. He was an artist based in lovely Gloucester, MA, and was most famous for his neo-Victorian tales of the macabre. Usually, his works involved the gruesome deaths of children. Very, very cute! Here's a good example of his work. The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey
Saturday, June 19, 2004
The short man with the tall intellect: Robert Reich
Robert Reich is a former Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, and also a former candidate for Governor of Massachusetts. He teaches at Brandeis and Berkeley, and he's one of the Left's smartest and most eloquent spokespeople. His latest book is a call to arms for democrats and other progressives. It succinctly explains why we need to fight, and why we'll eventually win, despite the dark times we're living in right now. Read it!
Reason: Why Liberals Will Win the Battle for America
Reason: Why Liberals Will Win the Battle for America
Let's God-bash for a moment...
The Pagan Prattle, unlike the more serious Raving Athiest (below), uses mockery and sarcasm to skewer the fundamentalist dinkweeds that want to rule the world. It's like The Daily Show tailored to the Godless Unwashed. The Pagan Prattle Online
The Raving Atheist
I like checking this site out every so often. It's an outraged but rational response to our increasingly theocratic and irrational society. With George Bush transforming the office of the Presidency into that of Supreme Inquisitor, and trampling our secular constitution under the boot of his Fundamentalist Christian Jihad, sites like this are more important than ever.
If this sort of thing appeals to you (and it should!), be sure to check out the list of links along the right side of the RA home page. The Raving Atheist
If this sort of thing appeals to you (and it should!), be sure to check out the list of links along the right side of the RA home page. The Raving Atheist
Friday, June 18, 2004
Pull your pud for peace
Let's state this up front: unless your boss is Larry Flynt, this site is NOT safe for work. The idea here is to focus your positive carrot-snapping energy on peaceful thoughts. I don't know if it works, but I'm going to keep on trying until I see some results.Masturbation to End War: Masturbate for Peace
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Speaking of Disasters... The Halifax Explosion of 1917
My grandmother was in Nova Scotia when this disaster occurred, and the building she was in shook violently, even though Halifax was hours away from her. The explosion killed 2000 people and literally flattened the city for miles around. It remained the largest man-made explosion in history, until the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. CBC - Halifax Explosion
The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
I'm sure most people outside of the Boston area don't know this, but in 1919 more than 20 people were killed and scores injured when millions of gallons of molasses flooded Boston's North End. It remains one of this county's most bizarre industrial disasters. The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things
If you know much about blogs, then you probably already know about Boing Boing. It's the very model of a modern major weblog. Intelligent, eclectic and culturally aware, Boing Boing sets the standard to which other bloggers aspire. Do yourself a favor and make it your home page. Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things
Boston.com
This is a cool site with, among other things, the day's complete Boston Globe. The news is updated throughout the day. There's a bunch of other stuff here, too. For New Englanders like myself, it's a priceless resource. Boston.com
Fortean Times - It Happened To Me
If you aren't familiar with the Fortean Times, shame on you. Here's a chance to rectify the situation. FT is the magazine of record for all the world's strangeness, and they even have a board where you can post your own true tale of alien abductions and other high weirdness.FT - It Happened To Me
