Tomorrow Is A Big Day... For Post Secret

Wanna freak the hell out of someone you love?

 

Buy them this.

 

I went and took a look at the Post Secret site again today.  Still freaks me out.

 

I won't post another secret today.  Yet.

 

 

Milestones

So, today, I passed over 2000 page views and 1000 distinct hits.

 

I would like to say thank you, thank you very much.  Things that I can promise to you in the future:

 

More stories.  Damn, I have a lot of them.

 

More culture posts.

 

More geek posts.

 

Probably not a lot of political posts, because poltics just makes me all verklempt.

 

More current event posts.

 

And more links than ever.  Expect a lot of permalink love.

 

Thanks guys!

 

 

 

 

 

Black Friday Is Coming

Be ready.

 

Controversial web site BF2005.com lists shopping deals rumored to be available on "black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving:

 

 

Via Lifehacker. 

 

This is one of those rare times that I actually knew about something before it showed up in another blog or news site.  Go visit and check it out.

 

Out of Town

Well, I've been working out of town for the last few days, hence, no new posts.

 

I haven't even had a lot of time to listen to my iPod.

 

However, I did have time to find this little nugget, thanks to my homegirl back back at home:

 

Leather Pants

 

Enjoy, people.  And make sure that you look at the Q and A.  It's worth the time.

 

I'll be back soon, with tales of frivolity and such from our West Coast.  I think.

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day.  The day that we use to celebrate and remember the sacrifices of our soldiers of World War I.  Hm.  Schools are open, traffic is still heavy, and I'm at work. 

Yeah, we're remembering.  Let me refresh some memories here.

Austria–Hungary was created in the "Ausgleich of 1867" after Austria was defeated by Prussia. As agreed in 1867, the Habsburgs would be Emperors of Austria Empire. With the formation of the Dual Monarchy, Franz Josef became leader of a nation with sixteen ethnic groups and five major religions speaking no fewer than nine languages.

In large measure because of the vast disparities that existed within the Empire, Austrians and Hungarians always viewed growing Slavic nationalism with deep suspicion and concern. Thus the Austro-Hungarian government grew worried with the near-doubling in size of neighbouring Serbia's territory as a result of the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913. Serbia, for its part, made no qualms about the fact that it viewed all of Southern Austria–Hungary as part of a future Great South Slavic Union. This view had also garnered considerable support in Russia. Many in the Austrian leadership, not least Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph, and Conrad von Hötzendorf, worried that Serbian nationalist agitation in the southern provinces of the Empire would lead to further unrest among the Austro-Hungarian Empire's other disparate ethnic groups. The Austro-Hungarian government worried that a nationalist Russia would back Serbia to annex Slavic areas of Austria–Hungary. The feeling was that it was better to destroy Serbia before they were given the opportunity to launch a campaign.

After the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, and nearly a month of debate, the government of Austria–Hungary sent a 10-point ultimatum to Serbia (July 23, 1914) — the so called July Ultimatum — to be unconditionally accepted within 48 hours. The ultimatum was the first of a series of diplomatic events known as the July Crisis which set off a chain reaction and a general war in Europe.

From Wikipedia, so use the appropriate caution.  I think this is generally correct, however.

 

I hate World War I.  It didn't solve any real problems, and was the impetus for the rise of fascism in Europe which led to some of the greatest atrocities seen in modern history before and during the second World War.  One might rationally argue that World War I was the most important event of the last two hundred years.  Tanks, trench warfare, mustard gas... yikes.  You want to know why terrorism now is all the rage?  In the 20th century, this is where it all began.  In spades.

 

And then there is this crap.  The freakin' Battle of the Somme.

 

The Battle of the Somme was planned as a joint French and British operation. The idea originally came from the French Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Joffre and was accepted by General Sir Douglas Haig, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) commander, despite his preference for a large attack in Flanders. Although Joffre was concerned with territorial gain, it was also an attempt to destroy German manpower.

At first Joffre intended for to use mainly French soldiers but the German attack on Verdun in February 1916 turned the Somme offensive into a large-scale British diversionary attack. General Sir Douglas Haig now took over responsibility for the operation and with the help of General Sir Henry Rawlinson, came up with his own plan of attack. Haig's strategy was for a eight-day preliminary bombardment that he believed would completely destroy the German forward defences.

 

From Spartacus.

 

Let me tell you something.  In the first DAY of the Battle of the Somme, the British suffered 57,470 casualties.  That is not a joke or a misprint.

 

According to the British official history of the battle, total Allied casualties amounted to almost 630,000 and German around 660,000. British casualties reported by the Adjutant General were 419,654, of whom some 5% were missing at roll call but may have subsequently reported. Staggering figures, especially when taken alongside those at Verdun where fighting between French and German continued throughout 1916.

 

From 1914-1918.net.

 

The German Army never recovered from their staggering losses; nearly all of their best talent, meaning officers and highly trained solders, died there.

 

They say that the ground at the Somme bled for some time after both sides finally left the battlefield. 

This was for an advance of 12km.

 

Do not forget what people did for you. 

Do not let your children forget.

 

Thank you, Grandpa.

Independent Movies? Hell Yeah!

As per the usual, Boing Boing finds another gem.

 

Empire movie mag has compiled a list of what it considers to be the "50 Greatest Independent Films." The top ten includes Mean Streets, Sideways, The Usual Suspects, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Night of the Living Dead, Monty Python's Life of Brian, Clerks, The Terminator, Donnie Darko, and Reservoir Dogs.

 

Follow the link.  Some interesting movies on that list.  I might have to watch Sex, Lies, and Videotape again this weekend.

Oh, I have the baby.  Ah, Andie McDowell can wait. 

 

Barely.

 

Hum.  This is as good a time as any to mention that if you are in Denver, or plan to be, or want to be somewhere else besides where you are, there is a truly hip film festival that just started here yesterday:  The Starz Denver International Film Festival.  I actually know people who traveled here to see this.  Come by, see a few flicks.  I plan to over the weekend. 

 

 

 

Email Thyself

Even though I've known about this for a while, I figured I'd blog this love from the Boing.

 

Forbes has a free service that lets you send an email to yourself and have it arrive in 1, 3, 5, 10, or 20 years. I'm going to have my daughter write one to herself. I'll write one to myself, too.

 

 

Lots of other blogs jumped on this topic, too.  I'll probably write one for my 'lil baby to look at sometime in the future myself.

 

Course, I can think of lots of other weird applications for this.

 

1.  Impromptu Wills.

2.  Suicide Notes.

3.  Predictions Of Future Apocalyptic Events.

 

Am I cynical?  Nah!

 

Whoa...!

This cannot be.

Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the Pontifical Council for Culture, said the Genesis description of how God created the universe and Darwin's theory of evolution were "perfectly compatible" if the Bible were read correctly.

His statement was a clear attack on creationist campaigners in the US, who see evolution and the Genesis account as mutually exclusive.

Via The Australian. Mad props to Technorati.

Wait a minute.  Did I read about this last week?  Oh, no, not exactly.

 

Cardinal Paul Poupard, who heads the Pontifical Council for Culture ( search), made the comments at a news conference on a Vatican project to help end the "mutual prejudice" between religion and science that has long bedeviled the Roman Catholic Church and is part of the evolution debate in the United States.

 

Via Fark.

Ok.  Wait a second.  Who is this Cardinal Paul Poupard guy?  Hmm.  This bears watching; something is afoot.  Is one of the Big Culture Wars about to REALLY get started?

 

Best to buy duct tape, water, and plastic.

 

And Ramen.
 

Beat This!

I'm not sure that I've ever been more pleased with last ten songs played on my iPod.

 

Here's THE LIST.

 

Tribute - Tenacious D

The Love Cats - The Cure

Zombie - The Cranberries

Take It Slow - Long Beach Short Bus

You Got Me - The Roots

Keep It Rollin' - A Tribe Called Qwest

Hard To Handle - The Black Crowes

Pantala Naga Pampa - The Dave Matthews Band

Promises, Promises - Naked Eyes

Shape of My Heart - Sting

 

Observations:

1.  Did you notice how this set contains some of the best songs from these respective bands:  The Cure, Tenacious D, The Roots, and The Black Crowes?

2.  Sting was still relevant (and Queen Amidala was still a teenager - VERY troubling film, incidentally) in this list?

3.  The Love Cats.  Man, I love that song.

 

Put yours in the comments.

Ugly Bags Of Mostly Water

Fascinating.

 

Randell Mills, a Harvard University medic who also studied electrical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, claims to have built a prototype power source that generates up to 1,000 times more heat than conventional fuel. Independent scientists claim to have verified the experiments and Dr Mills says that his company, Blacklight Power, has tens of millions of dollars in investment lined up to bring the idea to market. And he claims to be just months away from unveiling his creation.

 

Found via Fark.  Again.

 

Oh, please, please please... PLEASE let this be true.  I had heard of something like this before (dammit, I can't find a link, but I'm pretty sure that I read about back in the 70's), but it's never been so important as it is now.  Hopefully they have this scientist under 24 hour survellience, before BIG OIL gets him.

 

Shout Out To A Friend

Hey, L,

 

I noticed that you have starteed a Cleanse.

 

I wish you luck.  I know what you mean, feeling nasty emotionally and physically.  Really, the last few days, I can't even describe how badly I've been feeling.  Probably stress has a lot to do with it.  But we're with you, babe.  You have friends.  And you know how to get a hold of us if you need to. 

 

So hey, hon.  Just showin' a little love.  Ok?  Hang in there.  If you do, I will.  Promise.

Man, Are We Dumb

You know those ridiculous gasoline prices that we are presently paying?  You know... because of rising costs, hurricanes, and such?

 

Well, I'm here to tell you - consumers are DUMB.

 

IRVING, Texas - Exxon Mobil Corp. had a quarter for the record books. The world's largest publicly traded oil company said Thursday high oil and natural-gas prices helped its third-quarter profit surge almost 75 percent to $9.92 billion, the largest quarterly profit for a U.S. company ever, and it was the first to ring up more than $100 billion in quarterly sales.

 

Net income ballooned to $9.92 billion, or $1.58 per share, from $5.68 billion, or 88 cents per share, a year ago.

 

Via Yahoo.

 

Net income for a three month period:  9.92 BILLION DOLLARS.

 

Billion.  With a "B".

 

Hyperinflated profits make Baby Jesus cry.

 

 

Blogroll Addition

Maybe you noticed this, and maybe you didn't, but the newest permalink is the website Snopes, which are the Urban Legend Reference Pages. 

Why do this, you ask?  For all you people out there who get those goofy emails claiming this ridiculous statistic or that ridiculous picture or story.  You want to know if it's true?

Check Snopes.  It's a very non-partisan site that will be ready to either confirm or debunk whatever you got from that friend of a friend.

 

Consider it my public service of the week.

 

 

Can I Get That In Cash?

Here's a kind of cool thang that I dug up.

 

Inspired by Tristan Louis's research into the value of each link to Weblogs Inc, I've created this little applet using Technorati's API which computes and displays your blog's worth using the same link to dollar ratio as the AOL-Weblogs Inc deal.

 

Actually, I was a little surprised to find out that this here blog don't do too badly.  Maybe it's all the geek posts.

 

Time to write another story, though.  Soon.  I promise.

 

 

 

Well, I Used To Read Novels...

...unfortunately, I don't take the time to read them like I used to.

 

I do like to read, though - which is why I read, with considerable amusement, TIME's Best 100 Novels.

 

Stunningly, it's not a terrible list.

 

But I've only read twenty-four of them.  That ain't good.  Obviously, I need to join a book club.

More Geek Love For Ya'll

Is your hard drive full of virtual crap?  God knows mine is.

 

How about a Hard Drive Janitor?

If I let it, my hard drive would fill to capacity with crap I don't need. Throughout the course of one day I get my paws on all sorts of throwaway files: video, images and songs meant for a single viewing or listen, PDF's I have to print, software installers and big ol' zip files I extract and do whatever I need to with the contents. The end result is a bunch of stuff hogging space on my hard drive for no good reason.

I'm lazy and I don't want to have to clean up after myself every time I work with a set of files. Instead, I've scheduled a cleanup script that sweeps through my hard drive every evening while I sleep. My virtual janitor deletes any temporary file that's been sitting around for more than x days, like old garbage starting to stink. This way space on my hard drive is constantly recovered, and I don't have to worry about getting the dreaded "Low disk space" message at the critical moment I'm about to conceive my opus. Because you know if you were going to run out of disk space, that's when it would happen.

Via Lifehacker, of course.  Man, I love those guys.

 

Halloween And Movies

"Hey, do you want to see something REALLY scary?"
                                                       - Dan Aykroyd,  from Twilight Zone, The Movie

So, because it's Halloween, here are:

The Scariest Movies Of All Time

5.  Jaws.
Amazing that I didn't think of this movie before.  Zoinks.  Scared an entire generation of going into the ocean.  Mad props to that.
4.  The Exorcist.
Heh.  Raised the bar for horror then and for all time.  Subliminal messages.  Pea soup.  Catholics.  What could be better?
3.  The Thing.
Probably the best of the John Carpenter horror movies.  If you don't know about the walking head scene, then you don't know horror.  Amazing, without the CGI.
2.  Alien.
Yeah.  Haunted house combined with Sci-Fi.  Remember this tagline:  "In space, no one can hear you scream."  Brilliant.
1.  The Shining.
Wow.  Almost a perfectly scary movie.  The Big Wheel scene, "Here's Johnny!"  Blood in the hallway.  Amazing.  Scared me for years and I'm still not quite over it.

Leave yours in the comments, if you like.  Just for fun, you might want to check this out: The 100 Scariest Movie Scenes Of All Time.  Via  Retrocrush.

Memes - The Friday Music Edition

Here we go again!

 

Last 10 on the iPod Shuffle List

 

"Colors" - Ice-T

"Crazy For This Girl" - Evan and Jaron

"Beginnings" - Chicago

"Always and Forever" - Heatwave

"Strange Fruit" - Billie Holiday

"It's The End Of The World As We Know It" - REM

"F-Stop Blues" - Jack Johnson

"South Side" - Moby and Gwen Stefani

"Babylon" - David Gray

"Midnight Rider" - The Allman Brothers Band

 

Analyzing....analyzing....

 

I think that maybe I should maybe leave the house tonight.  Sounds like a fun evening.

 

Pile on, y'all!

Text Messaging

Classic Consumer Scams:

 

1.  Disposable Razor Blades.  They cost more than the razors, and parody has now become fact. 

2.  Pantyhose.  Women hate them.  Why do they exist?

3.  Text Messaging.  Why?  People who make them, pay for them, people that RECEIVE them pay for them.  More revenue for phone companies.

 

So what have I been getting all week?

Text messages. 

In fact, I got a text PARAGRAPH today.  Gak.

 

When the revolution comes, I expect Gillette, Hanes, and Verizon will be the first up against the wall.

Geek Storage

No, I don't mean a place to store your geek.  Everyone knows that's in their parents' basement with plenty of beer and pizza.

 

I mean this.

 

All that porn clogging up your hard drive and your 500Gb external already full? Well no worries, thanks to this brand new Maxtor OneTouch III that'll have up to 1 whopping terabyte of storage space.

 

Via Gizmodo.

 

Of course, you know you want one.  Personally, I want three.  Being out of a computer for a while made me frightened and verklempt;  I couldn't feel my legs, and I panicked.

 

If you know that reference, you get a no-prize.  But if you don't, go here.  Think "Refrigerator Johnny".  What a classic.