Links posted in April 2006
April 30, 2006
Colbert Lampoons Bush at White House Correspondents Dinner-- President Not Amused?
Comedy Central's faux talk show host Stephen Colbert takes off the gloves at the Whitehouse Correspondents Dinner. via bandelier.net
Watch the video here:
What's the best thing you got? WHAT'S THE BEST THING YOU GOT?
More about bananananas. I never did know when to stop. Wait and ye shall hear/see.
and finally...a little sumthin' for tha ladies...Mr. Murray Hill!
If more preachers were like this, I might go back to Church.
OK, maybe not, but.. Flash video of a public access show, with an African American Preacher, with a 'different' kind of approach. The first part has annoying funk music in the back, but it clears up when he starts talking to the satanist phone-in caller.
NSFW due to bad language. HAW HAW
John Kenneth Galbraith, one of the most interesting economists of the second half of the 20th century, has died aged 97. Galbraith was a very good writer and a provocative social commentator. [more inside]
President Announces Tony Snow as Press Secretary [more inside]
Stephen Colbert sticks it to Bush - to his face. Bush = not amused. hehehe! Oh, I love it. [more inside]
Exporting green and leafy water Agricultural exports, including fresh fruit and vegetables, are an important source of income for many developing countries, but also threaten the future of those same producers. "Irrigated agriculture accounts for 70% of the freshwater used globally", while only a part returns to the environment. It isn't just in Africa; in India and in North America, all over the globe, water supplies are being stretched to the point of near breaking. [more inside]
April 29, 2006
Ho Hum Just carrying em all in me head is screwing with the multi-tasking circuits.
Watch paint dry. (Flash) Oh those wry polymer scientists. Previously
The Four Beauties of Ancient China
(larger pictures), one of whom may have been fictional. Two were patriots who sacrificed themselves for their country, while the last was traditionally blamed for almost toppling a dynasty.
[more inside]
Nuestro Himno Bush is an Anglo-centric chauvinist. Whoda thunk it?
World Famous *BOB*
See Like a Bee
Compound eyes? OK. 'Apply a little ultraviolet light and heat, and a gumdrop of polymer transforms itself into an artificial bug eye. The advance could lead to small, inexpensive wide-angle cameras for surveillance, biomedical imaging, and other applications.'
April 28, 2006
Camaraderie building at work? By spanking? Touch-feelie employee bonding sessions appear to have gotten out of hand. [more inside]
The Aphrodite Project.
Shoes for prostitutes. (SFW)
[more inside]
Kymaerica
WTF? Can some one 'splain this one? I like joking
the mundanes as much as the next monkey, but these
guys seem to have a complete alternate world history
with no explanation of what's going on or how to participate even though they ask for donations.
via Boing Boing
Foamy rules Foamy is my hero. Hilarious, some more than others.
Rembrandt's 400th birthday
is coming up in July this year. Here's the Webmuseum's introduction to Rembrandt, and here's Rembrandt's house.
According to legend, Rembrandt had a pet monkey: when it died, he was so upset he painted it into the family group he was working on at the time, causing the client to reject the picture. Some say the picture still exists, but I'm not convinced myself.
Rock Goddess, Jayne County
Bring It On! Ever wanted to be in the Royal NZ Air Force? Now's your chance with these amazing flash-based simulators! Airlift flooded farmers! Rebuild Polynesian villages! Build a Hercules C-130 out of paper! (Via Vishy)
Anxiety-Panic History. "Anxieties, Treatments and Disorders Throughout the Ages." A sample entry: "Electrical stimulation for therapeutic purposes is not new. At least two millennium [sic] ago, physicians used electric eels to relieve pain." Another (which Chy should enjoy): "the Crusaders fought a band of Moslem warriors known as 'hashshashin,' so called because they used hashish prior to battle to reduce fear and control pain." Sources cited.
Encouragement Kittens! --Kittens to make you happy, and feel good about yourself! Best of all, to give encouragement!
Curious George: Typeface. I'm trying to find the name of a typeface used by National Geographic in its paper maps. See this sample (e.g. "Thessaloniki") or this (all town names). All the samples I'm finding are too tiny to run through engines like WhatThe Font. [more inside]
a slide show of monkeys, some familiar, I'm sure... [more inside]
April 27, 2006
Resolute Bay, Nunavut (Qausuittuq) is the most northern point in Arctic Canada to which you can take a commercial flight, and it functions as both a residence and a point of departure for mining, exploration, hunting or research farther north. This be where da polar bears and Eskimos live, eh? [more inside]
Would any Toronto Monkeys like to play volleyball on Wednesday nights for the next seven weeks? I signed up for co-ed court volleyball this spring thinking it was something new to try that might be fun. Unfortunately, I hate it and can't stand the thought of playing the whole spring session. So I'm looking for a surrogate player. Visit the MetaTalk thread for more details, and email me if interested.
Ray Raphael
, people’s historian. Real people, not paper heroes, make history. That’s why people’s history is so important — but myths we accept as truth have kept common people from assuming center stage. Ray Raphael, author of twelve books, has been a “people’s historian” for the past thirty years.
[more inside]
Matchbox Car Chase.
Embedded video thingy with sound etc.
Worth it for the Apoo and West Country voices of the cops alone.
引き篭り (hikikomori) is often described as a recent phenomenon which is seen mainly in Japan - but how does it compare to the time-honoured tradition of hermits? Is it unnatural to pursue solitude? [more inside]
Superstar Varla Jean Merman [more inside]
April 26, 2006
Designer dogs are all the rage.
They've been discussed here before. But can you tell the "real" designer dog from its humble cousin the shelter dog?
Take the test and find out...
[more inside]
Curious George: Small laptops I'm looking into getting a smaller laptop for writing and web development. I've been looking at the 12" iBook, and some of the smaller PC laptops as well. Any suggestions for useful, portable laptops? [more inside]
O, trembling horror!
For some of us still without a brood, this reads true verbatim. O, horror!
[VIA memepool]
William Burroughs Book Covers
Via Screenhead & The Presurfer
Curious Poetical George: Night Poetry I'm looking for Poems about night. [more inside]
Kingda Ka
holds the current records for tallest (456 feet) and fastest (128 mph) roller coaster in the world. Purists still love the old wooden coasters, while the Japanese seem to like longer rides, including the 8,133 foot long Steel Dragon 2000.
Not everyone is a fan, however.
Curious, George: OSX Keychain Help. I need to change the password on my Keychain, but I don't know the old one. How do I change a password withold knowing the current one?
Vidstone.
The personalised memorial stone featuring a video slide show (with sound) of the loved one's most precious moments.
W. T. F.
Stealth campaign of super-wealthy to repeal U.S. federal estate tax revealed. Meanwhile, President Bush "wants to eliminate what he likes to call the 'death tax'" at the same time as "he wants to end Social Security's lump sum death benefit -- a $255 check that the families of many of the nation's poorest use to help pay for their funerals." (Second link from Business Week, of all places.) [more inside]
Abstract Caricatures You'll probably get most of these without looking at the title, but you probably won't understand why.
Which Sports Care are You? One is a Porche 911. Not a car of choice though.
One of our own has put an end to a really useful site. Say goodbye (and if you're new to it, hello) to the LazyWeb, created by Ben Hammersley -- aka DangerIsMyMiddleName -- in 2002, a source of obscure answers for geeks all over. Now its time has come. [more inside]
April 25, 2006
PetFilter We need more puppies and kittens around here... Howsabout we use this link to post photos of our adorable pets and discuss?
Mr. Hurt Head and other models used in medical training. Some funny, some disturbing. [more inside]
The premier web site for tea drinkers who are keen on sitting down and biscuits. [more inside]
There's never a half-brick handy when you want one.
Pilot gets trapped (before take off) in plane by dodgy canopy.
Arf.
Whatever Dude... From 2001 to 2003, the internets' early Cenozoic, there was a fantastic time vacuum called 'Whatever-Dude'... [more inside]
Nauru is a tiny island nation (the smallest republic in the world, even) in the South Pacific that is about to collapse. The island has been purged of its one asset -- phosphate deposits from bird guano -- and after a century and a half of mismanagement the deposits are about to dry up. Meanwhile the country can barely afford to provide fresh water and electricity to the citizens and the vegetation has been stripped back to bare coral. Parts of it are still beautiful, and apparently tourist-worthy. [more inside]
April 24, 2006
Greg Dulli Radio Interview
The interview is from 1994. It's hysterical. Dulli is in total shock having his own lyrics read back to him.
MP3 file on the page linked.
Ladies' Night or Set-up? A bar in Maryland decided to open its doors only to women between 9-11PM this past Saturday night, while offering 1¢ beers, funnels and other cheap drunkenness-enablers. Then at 11, the men were let in. Was it a chance for women to bond, man-free? Or was it throwing chum to the sharks?
Retro viral?
Research leaves one mired in information, much of it speculative. Could this be an illness related to modern high density populations or has it been with us throughout history?
"Researchers have long suspected and searched for a virus as the cause. It is now suspected that chronic fatigue syndrome, like cancer, represents a cluster of clinically distinct diseases whose origins may lie in a combination of factors: one or more viruses, environmental toxins, stress and genetic predisposition."
Pimpfants. This is a joke, right? Right? [more inside]
Don't trash the 'stache? There was a lot of talk about NDP Leader Jack Layton's moustache in the last Canadian election and the one before, about facial hair in politics as it relates to perceptions of trustworthiness and authenticity, blah blah blah. But what about facial hair as it relates to a woman? [more inside]
Eternity Travel dot calm "We give the discerning, God(s)-fearing ancient Egyptian consumer the tools and information to plan for a safe, speedy, comfortable trip to the afterlife." [more inside]
Free Scoop Day at Ben & Jerry's - sorry for the 2nd post (not that it matters round here with the slack that's been going on lately) but this is mucho importante for American Primates & others blessed with franchises in their locality - Tuesday, April 25th is Free Ice Cream Day at Ben & Jerry's - & Monkeys loves ice creams. [more inside]
Could this be the WORST music video EVAR? (Google video). It is quite likely this 80's Finnish pop vid called "I Wanna Love You Tender" by Armi and Danny is the worst music video ever made. If it isn't, it's in the top 5. What puts it over the top? The superb dance group, their costumes & choreography. The set appears to be from Starcrash. Komea!
April 23, 2006
DarwinFilter When you lock yourself out of the house and rappel nude down the inside of the chimney with the cable TV line, as they say, hilarity ensues. Yes, drugs were involved.
Favorville Is it the next Craig's List (except nicer)? [more inside]
Code Monkey A song by Jonathan Coulton. (Code Monkey likes Fritos)
A short film strip that sort of explains who the monkeys are, what the monkeys are, and why we're monkeys. Via MeFi (I can't believe they posted it first, what were you people doing all night anyway!).
New York Times Magazine Syndicates Jaime Hernandez
login: spambobby
password: password
In case you don't know, Jaime is one of Los Bros Hernadez, authors of Love & Rockets.
[more inside]
April 22, 2006
Shot For Having PTSD PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) was recognized even by the Greeks, who called it "war exhaustion". Yet hundreds of British and Commonwealth soldiers serving under British command were shot for 'cowardice' in WWI, even though those ordering men - often only teenagers - before the firing squads knew about what was then called 'shell-shock'. They shot them anyway. [more inside]
Free Starbucks Coffee for Canadians today. Bring yer own mug for teh free coffee. Canadians only. Saturday 22nd. Ta celebrate yer Earth day.
Spineless book Including 2002: a Palindrome Story. [more inside]
Gunshot suicide in a police interrogation room
- surprisingly, this is not from rotten.com or ogrish.com but instead snopes.com.
[WARNING: disturbing streaming .wmv]
I'm even more surprised that the Mikkelsons didn't put a warning on the page as per their usual protocol, considering this is probably the most disturbing thing I've seen on that site by far. Albeit the title of the link should have given me paws.
[more inside]
April 21, 2006
Water Bottle Jet Pack [Google Video]
Friday Flash: Orangutwang Swing from tree to tree, eat bananas, avoid spiders...the usual stuff.
Humans Are Cat Food?
"The theory of Man the Hunter as our archetypal ancestor isn't supported by archaeological evidence. . . Is Man the Hunter a cultural construction of the West? . . . Our species began as just one of many that had to be careful, to depend on other group members, and to communicate danger. We were quite simply small beasts within a large and complex ecosystem."
via Arts & Letters Daily
Homosexuality is shameful in Asia
This news got me searching on the ubiquity of the phrase "Homosexuality is shameful", which lead me to this. Not being Asian (geographically and culturally speaking), I found it interesting reading. Perhaps you will to.
E-Closure allows people to post their breakup conversations anonymously online, for 'closure', rather than, say, 'revenge'. [more inside]
Indie Comic Star and Illustrator recreates the X-Men The Doug Wright Awards given to Canadian comics and illustrators has an exclusive image by Seth [more inside]
David Bowie is very disappointed in you
Happy National High Five Day And no, that's not a euphemism.
April 20, 2006
Man parlays paper-clip into house. Someone tell me about efficient markets again...gives new meaning to the term "online trading".
Animal researchers start petition to allow 'silent majority' to support them.
"The People's Petition" allows you to register your support for animal research in the UK.
It's a campaign for people who believe that this research, carried out under stringent animal welfare standards, is essential to the health and quality of life of humans and animals.[more inside]
Curious George: wearing in my boots is wearing my feet out! I love my 14-hole white Docs. But I've been trying to break them in for a year now and I still get blisters. [more inside]
To cell or not to cell !
All one requires is a cell phone which has numbers of a size one might see without the aid of ocular assistance, and that one may switch on to make and recieve 'phone calls.
Add that it should be of a size which will not slide into miniscule areas of furniture thus requiring that one delve into the depths of same with surgical tongs in a vain attempt to extract the accursed device.
Do others have a similar frustration?
Etymologic
- try a quick multiple-choice guess-the-etymology game.
Betcha don't know the origin of "Amazon".
April 19, 2006
Advertising only works on other people! A fantastic slideshow explaining semiotics, and the insidious(?) use of semiology in advertising. [more inside]
Quiet! Kang is Talking!
Civil war re-enactors? No.
Marvel Secret Wars Re-Enactors? YES.
via youtube
[more inside]
About Fucking Time [more inside]
William Shatner on Vegetarianism
circa 1982. Direct link to .mpg (300Mb).
via growabrain
For when quiddy's corpse just isn't good enough.
Blokes doing it with dolls. (SFW, honest).
...over half work in IT or engineering. Arf!
Some handy tips on how not to argue online. Your mission: find at least one comment on MoFi that fits each category. Your time: less than thirty seconds. Your reward: everyone else's dirty looks.
April 18, 2006
Archaeologists dig for pyramid in Bosnia.
Kill Your Television 2006
"Teacher! Mother! . . Secret lover!" (Homer Simpson) Yes Monkeyfans, TV Turnoff week approaches again (April 24 - 30), time for all you beer-swilling tube jockeys to switch off the idiot box for one of your 52 weeks. Research abounds, our 2004 and 2005 discussions have been lively and once again the stage is set:
What is television's impact on culture?
Are you affected by watching television?
Lace up the gloves, strap on your cup and jump in to the Chomskyist McLuhanesque vortex that promises to be MoFi TV Smackdown 2006!
Curious George Arthur Conan Doyle died in 1930, some 76 years ago, which means his works are now in the public domain, right? Well, yes and no. [more inside]
Curious George: My computer puts out some pretty annoying static on the audio line.
[more inside]
The rewards of being goth. While goths may be more likely to engage in self-harming behavior, they may also be more likely to grow up to be successful professionals. [via Mind Hacks]
This may be the single greatest Fark thread ever. it may also be slightly NSFW [more inside]
It's not the worst bad thing he's done, but perhaps the funniest Dubya subpoenaed by the RIAA for pirating music. The video where he shoots himself in the iFoot.
April 17, 2006
The Hole in the Wal
...So what's going to be the trigger* sending the American Economy down the toilet? Peak Oil? The Housing Bubble? China calling in its debts? We've discussed all these before so now it's time to consider: Wal-Mart Cutting Inventories by $6.5 Billion. Yep. We doomed.
*or should I say flush-handle?
[more inside]
Deism Defined ..
On arrival at Hate, flowed on to Deism.
One is lost for comment but is sure there are those who will apply the appropriate.
Ice Falls
For the second time in a week, a huge chunk of opaque white ice has fallen from the sky in California.
Freak airliner accident proponents over here, Secret military testing proponents over here - and Global Warning proponents on this side.
Ok, go.
Censored Wikipedia Articles Appear On WikiTruth
A group of disenchanted Wikipedia administrators have been retrieving articles deleted by Jimbo Wales or other higher-ups. Now they're putting them back up on a website for everyone to see.
Finding a killer's internet history: a young girl was murdered in Purcell, Oklahoma, by her neighbor. Now people are digging up her (alleged) killer's internet identities, partially out of pure train-wreck interest, partially to see if he left clues to his future behavior behind. [more inside]
April 16, 2006
Really Really Curious George; Sid Killed By His Mum?
Tried like hell to find any other information online about this but could not. Here's the story; saw an hour-long documentary last night called Sid Vicious: The Last 24 Hours, which apparently is part of a UK series.
[more inside]
Two German tourists who say they have taken a photo of the presumed extinct Tasmanian Tiger, the Thylacine, have returned to the state in a bid to prove the images are legitimate.
Draw a face And it will be added to all the others. These will then be rendered into the mean (average, not stingy or angry) face. (Flash-based.)
Sing a simple song. (warning, noise, lameness)
In Search of the Real Dracula
For the true believer, the boundaries between Bram Stoker's creation and historical fact have become blurred, like all great legends. Many people believe that the immortal count was based on a real person: a medieval Romanian warlord called Vlad Tepes, also know as "Vlad the Impaler" and "Vlad Dracula."
Was this famous national hero the man behind the legend?
Why Did The British Spaz?
Tiger Woods landed in hot water after he made this comment in a post-round interview with CBS at the Masters Tournament:
"I was so in control from tee to green, the best I've played for years... But as soon as I got on the green I was a spaz."
[more inside]
April 15, 2006
Baby walruses are dependent on their mothers for their first two years, but the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice may be forcing walruses to abandon their young in deep water. Also here. [more inside]
Global Corruption Report 2006. From Transparency International, "the global coalition against corruption." Lots and lots of info. This year there's a special focus on health care corruption, including reports entitled The causes of corruption in the health sector (.pdf) and Corruption in the pharmaceutical sector (.pdf). Also, reports on corruption in countries from Algeria to Venezuela (two downloads: A to K (.pdf) and M to Z (.pdf)). Plus, much, much more! [more inside]
The BBC's ranked list of rudeness. Rude words and their rudeness valence. According to the Beeb Beeb Ceeb.
Curious George: Touchy Subject Sorry for the bad pun, but me and some friends were talking about Skrik's earlier post... [more inside]
April 14, 2006
Heavy Metal Parking Lot ringtones!
Happy Poop for Peace Day! [more inside]
Matzah! Smooth-E drops lyrics on the tasty treat with "the same flavour as the box it came in." Embedded video, via ABS. [more inside]
Steve Martin Interview
from May 2005, about his fiction writing. His short article on King Tut, Johnny Carson (really good) and his own site.
Steve R00lz
The WPA kept artists like Milton Avery and Jack Levine busy during the Depression, but did you know the program also featured a circus?
Everything I Know About Canada...
I Learned During The Commercials.
A collection of NFB Vignettes that taught a generation of Canadians about archetypal norsemen, hydraulic treeshears, birling, how to speak French without having to learn it, and more!
(YouTubeorama)
And a link to the Hinterland Who's Who archive, for a one-two combo of unbridled nostalgia!
The SkinBag ™ Like leather but better; for example the skin jacket. [more inside]
April 13, 2006
Shonen Knife In December, the Japanese group Shonen Knife will have been around for 25 years. Here's a nice writeup of their history. They also have a new album coming out.
This Ad is so Wrong
(Via Metachat.)
Someone tell me it's a hoax, please.
Help support Hoth's bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics
Lego "Thieves". An embedded video for the Ministry song (bad words make it NSFW). See a Lego mosh pit. See a huge robot thing rip off peoples' heads. See (for the first and only time anywhere) Al Jourgenson smile. Fast forward through the slow part in the middle.
Christmas Island Crabs
This short video (~3 mins) shows the migration of the Christmas Island Red Crabs, as they cross the island to . . umm. . spawn. Or have beaucoups de bebes or something. Fascinating footage for those of us on the topside of Ye Olde Earf, but not for the kabourophobic.
Question: What is wrong with this picture?
[more inside]
Castration: North Carolina Style
Wow.
Authorities say they performed castrations and other types of genital surgeries on at least six people. Detectives searching the home found bloody scalpels, syringes, and prosthetic testicles in a room the men referred to as "the dungeon."
Officers confiscated a video camera apparently used to record the procedures, as well as scores of CDs and computer files. They also seized a Tupperware container from the kitchen freezer holding what appeared to be human testicles.
Tourist George: I will be spending a few days on Vancouver soon, and ask local monkeys for tips on the city. [more inside]
April 12, 2006
Curious, George...new career? I'm seriously considering leaving clinical medicine, but I want to find a career that still takes advantage of my strengths. These include communication, education, relationship building, and (given my surgical background) anything requiring a good deal of manual dexterity. [more inside]
Los Angeles meetup, anyone? Right now, we're thinking Saturday, April 22 at Basix Cafe in West Hollywood. [more inside]
Youtube presents; Girls Tongues
*possibly NSFW*
Oldest Hominid Fossils Found An international team including Tim White, of Berkeley, finds 4.1 million y.o. Au. anamensis fossils. [more inside]
Inside Guff on White House staff
from a low level insider, posted at Something Awful, & gaining some attention at Kos. Brilliant satire or truth? No idea, but it's fun anyway.
"Donald Rumsfeld needs to wear iced underwear ... He was recently getting uncontrollable long-term erections ... The underwear and the erections is why he uses a standing desk, not because he is some super-man. He also wears nylon stockings ... to control some vascular problem with his legs which causes him intense pain.
President Bush uses anti-depressant medication, a lot of it, at a stupendous dosage, and he is hiding it from the American public. This is the real reason he stopped drinking. Because of the dosage, he is also impotent."
Seen @ Screenhead.
[more inside]
Monk Magazine I was perusing the front page when I thought of the shenanigans of a couple of guys who got tired of the rat race, hit the road in a beat up mobile home with their cats and created a magazine. [more inside]
Curious, George: Tell us a story I'm asking on behalf of #2, who has been looking for something similar to (but not) this story, the Parable of the Object-Oriented Toaster. [more inside]
"My Family and Other Animals." Last night, Masterpiece Theater on PBS (US) showed this memoir based on a story by Gerald Durrell about his family's stay in Corfu in the late 1930s. It made me love Masterpiece Theater all over again. [more inside]
10/25/86 A lot has been written about the '86 Fall Classic between the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox. There were heroes and goats. Now relive the bottom of the 10th thanks to Google video and Nintendo RBI Baseball.
The CIA wants you! "Ideally, candidates would have a broad range of interests including such varied topics as: art, history, philosophy, travel, sports, writing, foreign languages, coaching, law enforcement, science, photography, music, theater, medicine, information technology, public relations, marketing, teaching, and culinary arts." The job: Polygraph examiner for the CIA
April 11, 2006
Balnea "A virtual museum of sea bathing and seaside tourism." From Rimini on the Adriatic Riviera. [more inside]
It's art...man.
Having no formal training or instruction, Leon’s paintings reflect the world around him
. His work can be found in many homes and establishments throughout the greater L.A. / Orange County areas, including California Corvettes in Yorba Linda, Medieval Times in Buena Park and the Fox 11 Newsroom.
NBC's Dateline brings "muslim-looking-men" to a NASCAR event... and nothing happens. NASCAR ain't happy.
Reason #5632 to eschew Oklahoma What do we call spying anti-spyware vendors?
Pimp My Snack (food made bigger and better)
The Internet Craftsmanship Museum
Cheeta is 74. Happy Birthday Cheeta.
Doing the doctors' rounds, blogstyle. A compilation of links to some humorous, heartwarming and heartwrenching medical blogs, presented in hospital rounds format. [more inside]
April 10, 2006
Monkeys Get The Blues. How do scientists know when a monkey is depressed? It turns out that "it's really not rocket science."
Why is it always the low-level, disgruntled employees that are causing trouble?
Nepal Government cuts Cell Phone Network before Protests.
In an effort to stop a pro-Democracy rally, the government of Nepal killed cell phone service nationwide and some internet mere hours before the protests were to begin. Cell phones have become integral to protest planning.
[more inside]
The .EU Landrush Fiasco
What happens when you match an inept registry with crafty businessmen? The answer is a really large scam. This is what is taking place with the “landrush” introduction of the new .EU top level domain name.
Tangpagne. Good for if you're an exceptionally cheap drunk and/or convict.
Mangold Hurling
- Thank you for your interest in ballistic root vegetables.
Mangold Hurling is the sport of lobbing the mangold-wurzel. It requires skill, strength, alcoholism & cunning.
Via Lactating Bivalves
[more inside]
Thirty eight years ago, the Wahine went down. One of the worst storms in Wellington's history, with two cyclones colliding over the city, whipped up winds reported between 160 and 270 km/h in the Cook Straight and Wellington harbour; the overnight ferry from Lyttleton to Wellington sailed into the mess with tragic results.
Neato tunes!
I thought that monkeydom might enjoy this page of mp3 goodies. Cool, weird music for you and your loved ones.
April 09, 2006
On the importance of Turkmenistan.
Monkeys know and love the comic-opera dictatorship that is, when viewed from a safe distance, Turkmenistan. But did you know who Turkmenbashi has been hobnobbing with recently? Or why?
The great game is being played there, with momentous consequences.
Vintage Chinese Calendar Cards
How to cook ramen noodles (Embedded YouTube video)
Somebody drilled a hole in a Florida nuclear reactor's cooling system pipe. Nobody knows who. Or why. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. Meanwhile the DHS has arrested a little old lady in Arkansas for boarding a plane with a nailfile. We are all guilty.
April 08, 2006
The Orochen Foundation seeks to preserve the culture, language and identity of one of China's smallest ethnic groups. The Orochen were among the last hunter-gatherers in what is now the People's Republic. Post 1949 they were settled, and are losing their traditional culture as their way of life changes and outsiders move in to their homeland. [more inside]
Do you like Bananas? So do we. Do you like growing things? So do we. Well, now you can enjoy the Banana Farm Greenhouse. "It includes everything you need to get started growing banana trees of your own: banana tree seed pack, greenhouse, stones, planting mixture, instructions, info sheet and of course, a cute little decorative monkey." [more inside]
Jesus never walked on water, he walked on ICE! My mind blew at the randomness of this.
April 07, 2006
Bonobo's Bongos - very silly fun! Repeat the rhythm your bonobo buddy has just played on the bongos. Via.
Like hockey fights?
Like hockey goons ?
Then check out the Worst. Goons. Ever.
[more inside]
Rats...ON A PLANE!!! With all of the (insert animal here) on a plane hubbub, I found this amusing.
From The Truth Makes for Strange Fiction Dept.:
A new graphic novel called The Five Fists of Science has Twain and Tesla trying to save the world from Edison and J.P. Morgan -- a bizarro mix of truth and fiction, where the truth does most of the bizarring. (pdf preview available here, on a wonky connection.)
Edison and Tesla, mano a mano! Tesla and Edison, battling for our future, in the past!
Think that's scary, kids? AwROOOOoooOOOOooOO!
Stop at Red - let's pledge and make a better world. [more inside]
Gospel of Judas discovered.
The verdict? Jesus was just all right with him. Neato.
NYT, reg, &c.
Used Without Permission George
- I've somehow appeared inside Black, an XBox game, in a cutscene featuring two photographs a friend of mine took of me in an abandoned psychiatric ward. These photographs were used without permission or knowledge of either me or my friend, and we are curious if there is anything to be gained from making a big deal of this?
Special note, we were trespassing. Or urban exploring, if you like...
April 06, 2006
Statistics visualized in a map. Worldmapper takes statistical information and presents it in a world map. Just a bit of fun.
Curious George the trickster. We've done the monkey census, we've done the self-post filter -- but a larger question remains: what's your special talent? What party trick can you perform that would amaze and astound us, your fellow simians? [more inside]
Spelling poems! Herewith a collection of poems dedicated to the trainwreck that is English spelling. [more inside]
Curious George: Dallas Monkeys? Two weeks from tonight (Thu April 20), me and Ufez are going to take a crack at drying up Deep Ellum. Anybody want to help out?
Woman misunderestimates Internet. Hilarity may ensue.
Jessica Alba says she was coerced into kissing a monkey. She hated it.
Yes, in fact, we DO do Windows.
Apple today released a package to allow users to install and dual-boot Windows XP SP 2 on the new Intel-based Macs, that will be a full part of OS X.5 when it is released.
This is not meant to incite a platform war, I firmly believe that whatever works best for you is the best platform for you. But this move by Apple raises a lot of questions:
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April 05, 2006
Curious George: Who wants to have breakfast with me? Are you in the boston area?? Like breakfast?? Want to meet me and my awesome friend at breakfast? Do you want breakfast so bad you can taste it? [more inside]
A 9,000-year-old equivalent of a dentist clinic has been unearthed in Pakistan complete with drilled molars. Anaesthesia invented at the same time: rock to head. Meanwhile, 60 million-year-old penguin fossils found in New Zealand to complement the theropod fossils found in the Chatham Islands last week. It's been a busy week for archaeology.
THE MIND GOBBLES! 40,000 and counting ..
NPR Pledge Drive!
As American monkeys may know, the National Public Radio pledge drive is upon us like a pack of rabid locusts with switchblades. This year they may have some trouble due to podcasting, but I'm not donating.
Why? Because their supposed liberalism isn't.
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I tend to try and avoid alarmist but I could not resist this Monkeys be aware Mostly in my day to day life I consider myself an informed shopper - I buy food freah and cook things from the ground up up rather than relying on premade sauces and recipe bases. [more inside]
The Amen break: culture and copyright An 18-minute, 34mb movie discussing the means by which a 6-second sample of music released in 1969 went on to influence, indeed create, a whole musical subculture. Some thoughts about what copyright means for artists, too. [more inside]
April 04, 2006
Sadistic Senator's Son
Clifton Bennett shoves broomsticks and flashlights in the asses of 11 - 14 year old boys to humiliate and punish them. His pal Kyle Wheeler chokes them until they pass out. 40 separate incidents. The sentence? Meh. Probably probation.
"It looks like one of the most sweetheart deals of all time."
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I hereby post this item: Performative Verbs.
+5 sword of Curious: George Roleplaying events. I've got a cafe. I really want to host roleplaying games, perhaps one night a month. I used to play Rifts, but that was years ago... any suggestions on who to contact, how this might play out, the whole RPGer scene? More on what I'd like to do inside. [more inside]
Don't shoot the puppy! Whatever you do, don't shoot the puppy!
April 03, 2006
Padilla Lite
A CBS news Iraqi cameraman wounded by U.S. forces as he videotaped clashes in Mosul in northern Iraq in April 2005 was detained by the U.S. military for over a year without charge or evidence.
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalistssays that kind of thing has been happening a lot.
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Coingate!
How does a politician with a love of rare coins use big-money influence to become chairman of the brand-new US Treasury Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee, only to lose $13 million in state funds in a failed coin venture and be charged with 53 felony counts for theft and corruption as well as federal money-laundering charges stemming from raising $100,000 for the Bush-Cheney campaign and $200,000 for the GOP in general?
Um, well here's one way.
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Count me out. The 2006 Census for Canada will happen in a couple of weeks, and all Canadians are asked to give minimal cooperation. Pourquoi? Seems as though data collection has been farmed out to the subsidiary of an American corporation (and not a particularly nice one at that). Add one Patriot Act, and the U.S. gov't can find out lots of nifty information about you and yours. Info they don't already have, I mean. Now, start workin' on your tinfoil touque!
Mr. Happy, who really isn't. "Mr. Happy, aka John Long, is a very angry man indeed. I thought this raised some interesting questions as to the extent of free speech. [more inside]
Most viral marketing schemes work as stealth; they trick you with something cute (branded) that people pass along to others, receiving nothing in return but perhaps a smile. This one is an in-your-face bribe in which the price drops (and becomes FREE) if mentioned on so many blogs by a certain time. Is this an advertising wave of the future? Is "viral marketing" just a dirty "word" or can your web site make good use of it in the future? [more inside]
Death by Smiley Face: When Rivals Disdain Profit. New York Times article: "There is another breed of rival lurking online for traditional media. . . . These are new-media ventures that leave the competition scratching their heads because they don't really aim to compete in the first place; their creators are merely taking advantage of the economics of the online medium to do something that they feel good about."
April 02, 2006
Bob Ross: The Happy Little Video Game
Google Web Accelerator back for now, anyway. It's been showing up advertised at the bottom of my Google searches all day. WinXP/2kSP3+, optimized for broadband. (What happened to accelerating the web for those of us who actually need it accelerated?) [more inside]
Other Popular Mixes
Perhaps you need some teh cute with your coffee? Behold the Basschshund? And wonder to the Dorgi, the Bassugg, or a beautiful Jatese. Need a best friend? Look no further than the Kimola, or the Glechon.
Here's a Peagle to cure what ails ya, and a Pug-a-mo for good measure.
Bee All That You Can Bee.
DARPA's current big idea is to implant tiny microsystems into insects at the pupa stage of their development, when they can be "integrated" into their internal organs.
via CommonDreams
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The Voice of the Castrato characterized Western opera and religious music during a limited period of history; and the predicament of the castrato in history and his unique voice and situation can still command our attention and provoke our curiosity. [Caution: these links possibly NSFW, depending on the width of the employer's mindset and certain to distress those sensitive to the suffering of children] [more inside]
Schnauzbart/Vollbart, it's all art. The disciplined Schnauzbart Kaiserlich. The perky Schnauzbart Dali. The funky Vollbart Naturale. Wild and crazy Kinn- und Backenbart Freestyle! But it's the Vollbart Freestyle that really attracts the nuts!
Dumbland
Two Flash animated shorts from David Lynch.
April 01, 2006
2006 Roll Call: Curious Accountant. As this is typed, the Monkey member count is listed at 4,800. Here's a thread where each Monkey can chime in with a roll call number: we can see at the end how many are actually out there. [more inside]
Snakes in a car! - A man crashes his car after a snake, a snake in the car, began attacking him. News at 11.
April fools jokes and hoaxes of 2006 (so far). (via)
Beauty AND Brains!
"At first we were blown away by her beauty. Then we read one of her articles and we've been hooked ever since. Now we're blown away by her brains."
Meet the lovely and perspicuous Gabrielle Reilly! She has the Gift of the Gab!
porn night every other saturday at 11pm Is it wrong to enjoy adult videos with your hubby and girlfriend and have phone sex with your boy friend all in the same night...
