Nightline Debate

I'm sure you've seen these before, but there is going to be quite an interesting Christianity vs Atheism debate going on for ABC's Nightline. I know to most people this isn't a big deal, and when I saw the headlines, I wasn't too impressed, however, when I read the article I was quite intrigued. First of all I like the quote:
"Most people equate atheism with intellectualism," explained Comfort in a statement, "but it's actually an intellectual embarrassment. I am amazed at how many people think that God's existence is a matter of faith. It's not, and I will prove it at the debate – once and for all. This is not a joke. I will present undeniable scientific proof that God exists."
And I do have to agree..... most people who aren't Christian do look at Christians as an ignorant group who believe in a book that is partially or completely untrue and choose a "pie in the sky" type of bliss.
I do wish to say, however, I fear this guy will not reach his goal of "undeniable" scientific proof that there is a God, although I applaud the effort. Don't get me wrong, I believe in God and Christ and the inerrant word of God we call the Bible, but undeniable is a huge word. People will and do deny everything, even when scientifically proven. For example, the JFK assassination, has been proven many times to have been a one man operation. Entire documentaries have been created that deny man has gone to the moon. Let's also look at the fact that many people around the world even deny the existence of the Holocaust. Despite the undeniable proof of these things, they are still denied everyday.
My hope is that this debate is carried out intelligently (unlike the banana and peanut butter theories) and fairly. It'll be interesting to hear the arguments on both sides, but moreso on the part of Mr. Comfort and Mr. Cameron due to them now having the burden of proof, and due to the fact that they are not using the Bible.

Cellphones in Theatres

Phones can be some of the most annoying things in the world. I'm not sure why they must always take precedence over all else. But have you noticed, you could be watching the best show ever, or be in the most important conversation and when the phone rings, it must be answered. We get caller-id's so we don't have to take calls, but answering machines so we don't miss them. Cellphones have introduced an entirely new annoyance to the phone urgency. You see people at restaurants eating their entire meal while on their cellphone, and most the time, you can hear (even when you try not to) their entire conversation. It makes me imagine what it must be like to be so important, that I could not be disconnected for even a meal, then I shudder.
Don't get me wrong, I think cellphones are an excellent resource, but it seems that they're overly used. Perhaps that's just the anti-social part of me coming out though.
I apologize for the rant, it was supposed to be just a little comment then a funny video of a StarWars scene and a Cellphone. Anyway, this rant brought to you courtesy of this video and the number 6..... gotta take this call...

Noah's Replica

Here's a story about a man who built a replica of Noah's Arc. There is a video on the link that shows a tour of it and it's huge, but the the real one was actually 5 times bigger. The story of Noah has always been one of my favorite, so to see this replica really puts it in perspective.

With that said, there is a new movie coming out called Evan Almighty that tells somewhat of a modern day Noah's arc story. It's a sequel to Bruce Almighty, but with no Jim Carey. Instead, it has the guy who plays Michael from the office. He's not as funny as Jim Carey, but he's still pretty funny, so we'll see how it goes.

Jeter on Letterman

I'm not a Yankees fan (Go Sox), but I did enjoy the spot that Derek Jeter had on Letterman the other nite. For those of you who missed it, he did a top 10 of the little known facts about Derek Jeter. They're listed in the link above, but it's much funnier to watch the video which is on the same page as the link above.

Robot Chicken Star Wars

I'm not sure if you've heard or not, but Mark Hamill and George Lucas are getting back together to make a Star Wars spoof called Robot Chicken Star Wars. This is something I really want to watch, it earns a s spot on my calendar for June 17 at 10pm on Cartoon Network. When I read this article, I did a search for a cartoon clip and found this one. Pretty funny stuff, but notice how different Luke's voice is now from back then.

Will Ferrell Draft Video

Here's a video that's been popular on YouTube today of Will Ferrell advertising the NFL draft. I'm not sure why he didn't take that Twinkie just a little better. I guess it's hard when Hurricane Chuck rains his havoc and uses the swing technique.

Chedder Vision

You're reading my blog, so you're probably bored. If you stay bored often, you may want to watch some cheese age. Cheddervision is a site that seems to be gaining popularity. I'm not sure I really understand the concept, maybe it's for extreme cheese lovers. Here's something a little more fun, watch the elapsed video, it'll save you a lotta time.

Super Hero Creator

If you have a little bit of time and pretty much no creativity, you can now make your own Superhero. I thought it'd be cool to see what I'd look like if I were a superhero so I made it up for blogging purposes. The site takes a bit to load and can be a little confusing to use, but once you get started it's a lot of fun. I'll probably make some more of them, theres all kinds of fun to be had with these.

Make Your Own Mii

Still haven't gotten a Wii? You can now make your own mii by using a simple web app. I actually looked for this a few months ago so I could put "my image" on this blog. Isn't the Wii just great

Play'n out Pi

Here is a link for all you Math loving people who just happen to love music as well. It's Pi being played to the 1000th decimal point via flute, bass, and piano. I find this to be very midi'ish (old school internet sound). It would be really cool if it wasn't done via keyboard but by the actual instruments. This is done by assigning a number to each of the keys, then playing each number as you hit it in the number Pi. How dorky do you have to be to sit around and think "Yea, I think I'll play Pi", but it is amazing how cool it sounds.

Donkey Takes the Stand

So, I saw this bit of news about a donkey taking the stand in court come across the news on my pager the other day, so I had to look up this story for further details. This seems a little weird to have him take the witness stand, I'm not sure quite what they were expecting. I would see him more as evidence in the case than a witness, but my legal knowledge is lacking. Either way, I'm glad there was a happy ending and the donkey didn't have to do any time.

Emails and Mice

There are two terms in the tech world, that I'm just not sure of how to say them correctly plurally. The first term is E-mail. I always say "I have 20 new email", however some people would say "I have 20 new emails" which is correct? According to dictionary.com it should be used as emails when using it as a verb, but there is not a plural listed for the noun in the previously mentioned context. To solve this horrible dilemma I guess we have to look at what we got. We didn't receive mail, we received 20 new messages, so I would guess the correct way to say it would be the first way which has an implied "messages" appended to it. Besides wouldn't it sound funny to hear "You've got mails" or "You've got mail messages" (no I don't use AOL, just a reference).

The next term that gets me is mice. We all know the plural of the squeaky scuddlers is mice, but have you stopped to think, what do we call this bunch of pointing devices. When I try to say the word for multiple pointing devices I must pause to think about it. I once more turned to dictionary.com to find my answer. According to both dictionary.com and Wikipedia, both uses are acceptable. I don't like having this option, it doesn't seem very consistent. In my protest to the silliness of the English language and for purposes of consistency and incorrectness, I declare the correct term for multiple pointing devices to be meese.

By the way, I know that none of this really matters, I just thought I would address these points that have been on my mind for quite some time. Thoughts on this are welcome.

Yogi Berra on 2008 Politics

Just in case you haven't already noticed, I'm a pretty big baseball fan. Although I don't like the Yankees, I really enjoy Yogi Berra and his quotes. Here's an article I read about how the 2008 Presidential election issues can be taken care of by some of his statements.
They do stretch these a little to make them fit, but for the most part they're pretty good. If you don't read the entire article, check out the quotes just for a laugh. I enjoy the Aflac commercial with him in it "They give you cash, which is just as good as money"

Mollett on Idol Tryouts

I've never really understood how the tryouts work for American Idol, but I had a friend who tried out several months ago in Memphis. My friend, Brian Mollett, whom I IM'd earlier today, sent me this photo of him at the tryouts. He didn't make it past the initial tryout because he "wasn't what they were looking for". I'd say it's not because of his singing, but because the type of music he sings. He's more of a country music singer/writer, and they're usually looking for a pop type singer. Here's a link to his myspace page as well, where he has a few of his songs. I've actually played some of his songs on guitar for him a few times in the past, and I must admit they're pretty good. Even though you didn't make it, congratulations on the effort, I would have voted for ya.
Oh, by the way, he made that sure for the tryouts... pretty creative guy.

You Can't Photoshop and Image

Here is a link to the actual Adobe Trademark page explaining how to use the term Photoshop. This is so messed up, I can't believe they actually put this on their site. So, you can't use Photoshop as a verb at all (ie. I photoshopped this image).
I really dislike Adobe, I say don't Photoshop anything, just "Gimp it" using the gimp. It's free and fairly easy to use especially if you're used to Adobe® Photoshop® (making sure to use the term correctly). Of course you could use good old fashioned paint, it's not that powerful (arguably), but it's good for doing some basics.

Kryptonite Found

We all have grown to know and love superman and almost anyone can tell you that his mortal weakness is the rare substance known as Kryptonite. According to the first sentence of that Wikipedia article, Kryptonite is a fictional substance (although it does talk about the real stuff later), but now it has been discovered in a Serbian mine.
The significance of this is that the mined substance was sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide which is the exact substance Lex Luther used to make Superman's weakness. I love the quote... "The real mineral is white and harmless, says Dr Chris Stanley, a mineralogist at London's Natural History Museum." Of course it is.... to humans.

Making a Geek Happy

Here is an article that lists 13 Little Things that Make a Geek Happy.
I saw this on Digg earlier, so we know that someone made them happy and posted it. They did a pretty good job although I've never been to that animated gif site nor the flash gaming site they mentioned. I've also never had someone make a leaf in my latte, which would be nice.

;)
7.) Someone posts a real comment on one of my blog entries.

Future of Home Security

Here is a video/article of a webcam turned into home security system. By the description you'd think this only makes sense but what this guy has done is extraordinary. He has mounted a USB webcam onto a BB gun and has controls built into it so you can control the system from the computer. Simple solution, log in remotely, take a looksy around, if you see an intruder, aim and fire at them. I have really thought of devising something similar before. I enjoy the way he has done this, you really have to see the video to appreciate it though.

Birthplace of Kirk

Here is a cool story of a town in Iowa that is claiming to be the future birthplace of James T. Kirk. So the story is that Kirk was born somewhere in Iowa, but it was never specified. To get tourists and because one of the council members is a Trekkie, they decided to make this their claim to fame.
I highly appreciate how this guy is making the entire town into Trekkies. I wish they had pictures of the model Enterprise they pull behind their truck.

Clever Way to Get Out of Jail

Here's an interesting story about how a man was released from prison by a phony fax. I wonder why it is that when we get a fax we assume it's something official. Obviously someone had to read the fax, I'm not sure why they didn't pick up on some of the unofficialness of it or even bother to check on the legitimacy of it. I'm also surprised that things like this do not happen more often, either via fax, phone, or letter. It would have also seemed wise, if I were the criminal, to go into hiding if I were involved in it, but it doesn't really mention if he was involved or not.

Help the Police Video

Here's a very clever video of a guy manually censoring a rap song. I love the way this is video is done ....very funny. It's been out on the internet for awhile, but I just thought to mention it. Ya gotta love British humor.

Featured Artist

So, I'm probably the last person in the world to notice this, but since I have I think I'll share it with you. There is something that iTunes has come out with where they feature an Artist. They do this when an artist is just at the point of becoming popular to give them an extra push. When they do this, you can download a song of theirs for free. I just discovered this feature today.... the band that was featured is called "The Guggenheim Grotto" which is an Irish Trio folk band. Which to hear the description doesn't sound too pleasant, but I thought, what do I have to lose and downloaded the free song. I really enjoyed their music and downloaded some of their other songs. I'd recommend checking them out just for the free iTunes download if anything else.... it's free.
I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again. I really love the way these bands that are good but cannot get signed by a record company are making it big by things such as iTunes. It seems like this is the way to maximize our musical talent. I don't really like this junk we hear on the radio, but some of these independent bands are really talented. Yesterday my friend Kommissar Krunch blogged about a band called The October Project whom most people have never heard of, but seem really good.

Some of My Friends' Blogs

I'm not sure if you noticed, but I put some more links to the right side of my blog. They are links to some of my friends sites who have been blogging for not too long. One of them is a coworker who runs a site for his church. He puts up some pretty good links and thoughts on there.
Another blog I have added is called Atlas Shirked. This is ran by a good friend of mine who goes by Kommissar Krunch. I've known him since highschool and enjoyed checking out the stuff he's put up so far.
I thought I'd share some of my audience with my friends :).

The Vista Blues

I came across this article yesterday in a Microsoft forum about a tester's troubles with Vista. I must admit, I feel the same way. I tried to switch to Vista and put it on a separate partition on my hard drive and worked on it for a while. I was as well very hopeful in getting it working, unfortunately it seemed like one flaw after another kept me from using it. After about two weeks I decided to wipe that partition and go back with a Linux partition. I enjoy how the editor of the MSFN site put in a comment at the end of this guy's forum post (very Microsoft of him).
I must admit that Microsoft has done an excellent job with Windows XP. It does what I need it to do to get my daily computing activities on. I actually beta tested Windows XP back when I was using win98. When I installed the beta I never turned back. Even though I was using an Intel Pentium 2 with 366 mhz processor and 192mb ram, it seemed to work great.
Vista has seemed to have some major issues since it started and they haven't gotten better. It almost seemed like they just pushed it out when no one was ready for it. Dell stopped shipping Windows XP with home computer but have been forced by the customers to start shipping it once more. Things aren't looking so great for Microsoft at this point, but in the end, we'll all end up switching.

Predictions from 1900

Here's an article that appeared on Digg earlier today that lists some predictions for the year 2000 from 1900. These are amazingly accurate (considering), but it's amazing how much stuff we really do have nowadays as compared to back then. However, I prefer Conan's "In the Year 2000" predictions when he looks into the future.

Stuck in a Drive Thru

As you may remember from the past, I'm a weird Al fan. Also, I may have mentioned I'm an "Ask an Ninja" fan. Anyway, I first heard of doogtoons.com from an ask a ninja episode a bout a year ago. Anyway, what does this have to do with Weird Al? Well, Doug from doogtoons did a really great video for him for his "Trapped in a Drive thru song (he did actually work with Weird Al during the creation). I laughed really hard throughout the entire 11 minutes. This is all I'm putting on here tonight because I feel it's worth the time to watch. I think my wife and I go through similar situations to these every night that we decide to go out (which is alot on the weeks prior to a test).
Also, if you're really bored or have a long trip to work, you may want to check out Net @ Nite 's podcast from earlier this week for a full story of this video and an interview with Doug. It tells in more detail how this was created and some things about his work. He also has a commentary on it scene by scene (even though it doesn't translate to podcast too well). Anyhow, it's a great job by both Al and Doug.

Transformer's Alphabet

We're all look'n forward to the new Transformer's Movie, right? Well, just in case you're not, or if you're not up on the cool transformer lingo, here's a link to an article from Wizard that takes you A through Z of some on details of Transformers. You can't really go wrong with Transformers, so I'm sure this movie'll be more than meets the eye.

Vince Young Named for Cover of Madden

If you play fantasy football, you may not want to draft Vince Young this year. Not because he's not a good player, but because he has been named for the cover of John Madden's football. If you're not familiar with Madden's Curse, you may think this is a great thing, but if history holds true, Mr. Young will not have a very good year in the coming season. In the past players that have been on the cover of John Madden football have just had the worst of luck. Last year, Sean Alexander had a broken foot and well, similar things have happened with just about every other person on the cover. When asked about this curse, Young said "I am on the cover and I am not worried about the curse.".... famous last words.

Longest Baseball Game Ever

I've often wondered what the longest baseball game ever was, but never really bothered to look it up. If you're in the same situation, here's the link to the Wikipedia article about it. I found this by looking up some info about one of the greatest players ever to play the game, Mr. Wade Boggs. Strangely enough he played in this 33 inning showdown in April 1981. The game had to be called in the 32 inning after lasting until 4:09 am and continued on in another session. There were several records broken in this game, and they are listed in the article. I highly suggest checking it out, it's quite an amazing story.

Sure You're Innocent

Many of us knew Daylight Savings time being readjusted could cause some problems, but who would have thought it could result in jail time. An innocent kid calling the school news hotline was blamed for calling in a bomb threat and did some time for it until the school realized they forgot to adjust their clocks on the caller id. This is pretty sad, you know the principle had to be a difficult person to deal with from the quote "Well, why should we believe you? You're a criminal. Criminals lie all the time." It'd be interesting to know if there will files charged on the school.

Wascally Wabbits

This is an odd story that came across the news on my pager yesterday. There was a roadblock in Hungary by 5000 rabbits. Strangely enough a rabbit truck crashed and released its contents onto the road. I bet that was one hopp'n traffic jam. It's amazing they got 4400 of them back, that's alot of rabbit hunting.

20 Most Annoying Tech Products

I see these lists all the time and blog about them a lot mainly to critique them or add or take away, but this time PC Word seems to have done it right with the 20 most annoying tech products. Whatever happened to the spam mail of AOL CD's? It seems like I used to get about 2 or 3 per week but the best were the floppies, you could format those and use them for more important things. Why don't they use USB drives nowadays, that'd be beneficial. Anyway, I may reorder some of these products, but for the most part they have the list pretty accurate.

Bill Gates.... in Space

I blogged about a month ago that when you run out of things to do, you might as well do it in space. There is a rumor floating around in "cyberspace" (pun always intended) that Bill Gates may go into space. I'm not sure if it's true or not (I doubt it is), but wouldn't it be the geekiest thing to do in retirement. I say, why not, he deserves it, he's the founder of Microsoft and has the extra $20 million to do it with. It's my understanding that the type of trip he would take is one that not only puts you in orbit, but takes you to a space station. This is another one of those technologies I'm surprised we're even talking about. It seems odd that a "common person" can pay their way into space for sight seeing purposes.

Chuck Norris vs. Megatron

Talk about an epic battle. Here is a series on YouTube of battles between Megatron and Chuck Norris. So far I've managed to find two of them. The first one is a simple battle of less than a minute, that is short and to the point. The second one is longer, but displays a little more of just how big a deal it is when such powers collide in battle. It looks as though the second was just posted today, so, lets hope a third will shortly follow.

Cool Party Trick - Cork out of a Bottle

Here is a really neat trick to impress your friends. You can push a cork into a bottle and then use a plastic bag to get it back out fairly easily. This looks simple enough.... I haven't tried it, but I can't see why it wouldn't work. Besides, if it's on the internet, it must be true and trustworthy, right?

Another "I'm a Mac/PC" Video

I haven't seen this Mac/PC commercial on TV yet, but we probably will soon. I don't mean to keep putting these commercials on my blog, but some of them are just so true. This is one thing that really makes me angry about buying a new PC. When you buy a PC, they come with all this junk. As an IT professional, my recommendation for you would be to format your PC and reinstall Windows as soon as you get it. This will get rid of all this "bloatware" that you see on these PCs.
This is what I've kinda been worried about when Dell start pre-installing Linux on their PCs. What are you going to get with it. The only reason I'm excited about this move to Linux for Dell is that it may get more people to use Linux, hence creating more apps. Also this will mean that we don't have to search for months to find drivers and hardware solutions on the internet, it'll just work out of the box (or so I hope). Anyway, just always know what is installed on your computer, be it a Mac, Windows, or Linux. Even if it's a computer you've had for a while go through the program folders or Add/Remove programs from time to time and clean it out.

More Women Internet Users

Here's an interesting study about how more women are internet users than men. These results are a little different that what you may expect. Usually we think of the people using computers to be us geeky guys. Even in the IT field, you don't see as many women as men. However, it seems like everyone now has a computer and is on the internet, so it's not just the geeks using them anymore. Just for fun I'll say that men are on the internet less because they're doing manly stuff like cutting down trees and killing animals for food.

Another Math Joke

I saw this picture on Digg today that came from mightywombat.com. Thought I would share it with you.

Computer in a Beaver

I've seen many case mods, but this one seems to be one of the most disturbing I've seen in a while. It's a computer that was placed in a stuffed beaver. If you check out the process pictures you'll understand just a little more what this person had to go through. I wonder if this could increase productivity in a business, beavers do stay busy you know. I wonder how long it'll be until someone starts up their own taxidermy/computer shop.

Ferris The 13th

Tis Friday the 13th again, the day many people feel is bad luck. I'm not too superstitious, but Friday the 13th has never seemed to be bad luck for me, just another day. Anyway, here's a really cool spoof of the Friday the 13th movie called Ferris the 13th. Happy Friday the 13th and enjoy the good luck video.

NES Quiz

If you ever had the original NES, here's a quiz I'm sure you'll love. I won't give any of the answers away, but wow, this brings back some memories. I don't know if there has ever been a better time for gaming then back then. Everything was much simpler, we were happy when the point of the game was to jump on critters. It seems that the Wii is bringing this simplicity back to games.

50 Best Tech Products of All Time

Here is another list that gets posted to the Internets from time to time of the 50 Best Tech Products of All Time. I'm not going to say that I necessarily agree with all of these (especially in that order), but this list brings back a lot of memories. I mean, how great was the original Gameboy with Tetris. I also thought the Voodoo 3d card was the greatest thing ever, especially when playing Unreal. In fact I had a friend at the time who said it made Unreal look "unreal". How many of these did you have/still have?

Nerd Evolution

In the last blog entry I posted, I talked about how being a nerd is now cool. My question is, though, aside from that, when is it that being a nerd is no longer seen as a bad thing. Here are my thoughts on Nerd Evolution.
When you start school everyone is weird to everyone else because they're different. As time passes there are groups and suddenly you start seeing the nerdiness coming out in the nerds. Once you're singled out as a nerd, the bad times start. You can look forward to wedgies, getting shoved in lockers, and well, I'm sure you've seen these things, I prefer not to talk about them. Usually this lasts throughout high school.
I find that after high school life, while transitioning into the workplace or college, things get much better for the nerd. You go from being the outcast that everyone picks on to being the person people could rely on for information. Gone are the days with your head being forced down a toilet, suddenly you have the upper hand. I'm convinced that the world is ruled by nerds or at least people who depend on nerds. Bill Gates... nerd, Steve Jobs.... depended on a nerd (the Woz), the list goes on and on. No they don't necessarily rule the world, but how many people depend on them.
So, the lesson is, if you're a nerd and getting picked on, don't be too discouraged, things will get better. If you're the one doing the picking, you may want to lay off, the nerd you're picking on will appreciate it and I bet they'll still do your homework. And take that sign off their back.

EW Writer Admits to Geekiness

I don't usually read EW, but I was sent this article earlier today and I thought it was a really good read. It's an article by one of their geeky writers about being a geek. It seems like more and more people are coming out and claiming to be geeks, we're in a time where geek is cool. Why couldn't this happen when I was in school, I'd be the coolest kid there.

Strange Cellphone Hack

I'm not too sure what to say about this cellphone hack video. It may be something to do with your old cell phone that you have around your house. After watching the video, this doesn't appear to be phone specific, I would however appreciate it if I had that 2 1/2 minutes of my life back.

Grocery Store Wars

Sometimes you see a video that you know you'll have to tell your friends about. Here's one of those. It's Grocery Store Wars. It's a very cleverly put together video of organic foods acting out Star Wars scenes. With the multiple puns and play on words, it's just my kind of humor. Search your peelings and may the farm be with you.

First Non-Segregated Prom

I've been reading this article over and over again trying to figure it out. It's about a school that is finally having it's first non-segregated prom. I can't really believe I'm even reading something like this, it seems like this should be a thing of the past.
When I first read this article I imagined a scenario where I could lie to myself to justify it but my scenario doesn't work because of the previous protests they've had. Anyway here's the scenario .... back when segregation was being done away with they realized "hey what's better than one prom? two proms!" and left it at that. The whites could invite the blacks, the blacks could invite whites and have separate, yet similar proms. Unfortunately, life can't be an after school special all the time, so that's not the case. I really hope this works out for them, and I encourage them not to budge on this decision. Talk about way overdue.

Dream Date

Seemingly something straight out of a movie your wife would make you see, here's a story about a man who dreamed a number and then texted a message to it. I'm not a text messaging kinda guy so I don't really know how it works, but if I receive an email that said "did I meet you last night" I think it'd go straight to trash. These people had to be "meant to be" so many things could have gone wrong, but it seemed to work out just perfect.
Ya know, I have this number stuck in my head, 8675309. Hmm... or perhaps should I text 4 8 15 16 23 42 (especially if I'm LOST).

Ninja Warrior

I don't know if you've flipped through the channels and seen it yet, but G4 shows this show called "Ninja Warrior" quite a bit and it's highly addictive. I have spent an entire Saturday before watching this show. The link is highlights of one of the best Ninja Warriors. These guys are extreme! In episodes I've watched they will actually make replicas of the courses to practice on. They take it way too serious.

Shows that Shouldn't have been Canceled

It seems like we always see shows come an go on networks, some should go, many should not. Here's a list of 13 shows that should not have been canceled. If you'll do some research you'll find that eight of these shows were either produced or aired on Fox. Some of these shows were absolutely magnificent (Firefly).
I'm really hoping the movie/television industry can somehow eventually go the same way music has. I'm talking about these musicians who can get known by being good, not because a record company says their good. In fact, many authors are going this way by using what is called podiobooks. Unfortunately many of these shows are very expensive to make so this'll be a very difficult, if not impossible, task to perform. I really hate it when we see talent get shot down for what seems like no reason at all and Fox is the worst to do it.

Air Guitar Nation

We all have our air guitars, sometimes we need to take them out and practice just a little more. Need some inspiration.... check out this "Air Guitar Nation" trailer. I'm highly surprised that the US doesn't have a representative in this competition.... where's the try outs, I'll rock for our country 8>).
A really cool part of this video is where the guy says... "I'm just here keep'n it real". When I want to keep it real, I don't go to an Air guitar contest (Air Guitar = not using a REAL guitar). For the most part this movie looks like it'll be pretty good, I won't watch it in theaters, but it'll be cool to watch and rock along at home.

Are You Talking to me or Not

You ever wanted a Virtual you? Here's an article about a new instant messaging system that learns your personality a little and creates a Virtual Twin of you. I'd rather have it make a real me and let me live in the virtual world for awhile. Here's what my Virtual Twin would be like if you've ever chatted with me you'll know this is true.

Mr X says : Hello
Green_Lantern (vir_twin): howdy
Mr X says: something random
Green_Lantern (vir_twin): cool :)
Mr X says: something else random
Green_Lantern (vir_twin): hmm

You'll never read my IM messages the same again. I've thought of setting one of these up at work to take help desk calls. Using a voice recorder/playback.
"Helpdesk this is Brian"
<insert random problem>
"Hmm, that's odd, try turning it off and back on again, that usually fixes problems like this"

And you know what, it probably would solve many problems, it's really a win win situation.

20 Unique iPod Designs and Stories

I'm not sure if you've heard yet, but apple has now sold 100 million (puts pinkie to his mouth) iPods. Just in time for this occasion, here is a link to an article showing 20 strange or unique iPod Stories.

On a side note, believe or it not I got my first iPod (it's a nano) about three weeks ago. Before that I was using my PSP to upload podcasts on and listen to them on my way home from work. The iPod is easier to sync and is smaller so it works a little better for this I've found. I didn't pay for my iPod, but won it while at Brainshare. To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure why this is the #1 mp3 player out there. You pay your $150 for a uni-tasker that seems like you have very little access to. I may be wrong, but if my computer dies I don't think the iPod works as a very good backup of my music. I know it's possible to replace the battery, but it takes on the appearance that once the battery life is dead so is the iPod. I've never been one to buy into the whole Apple thing, but that's just me, I'm probably not cool enough. Maybe some day I'll purchase a Mac, but I can't see me being a fan, but who knows.

Raining Frogs

Frogs are one of the coolest creatures you'll find out there. Several of them hang out by my apartment of the spring and sound strangely like geese. It's not too odd to see them, but I can't imagine what it'd be like to see them raining from the sky. This is a really funny story about frogs that got sucked up from a lake by a storm and rained down in Serbia. I'm guessing a standard umbrella doesn't hold up against frogs (I guess it depends on the size)... poor frogs.

Holy Week: Easter Sunday

Today is Easter Sunday, the most important holiday to the Christian Religion. In fact, without the event's this day celebrates Christianity would not exist. Easter is not the celebration of bunnies, chocolate, eggs, and clothing, it's the celebration that Jesus rose from the dead. This was significant evidence proving he was who he claimed to be, the Messiah, the Son of God. After this he appeared not only to his disciples, but several others. The Bible story of this can be found here. Happy Easter! He is risen indeed!

Human Slingshot Video

Here's a video of a crazy device in Japan that catapults humans. I can't see that this could be much fun. It also looks like they could find a better place to attach the catapult as opposed to the neck. If something goes wrong in one of these catapults, I'd say it's really wrong, either missing the target or the catapult not letting go.

Stuff to do to Telemarketers

I saw this list today on John C. Dvorak's blog and thought I'd share it with you. Pretty funny stuff to do. Dvorak recommended to print this stuff out and keep it by your phone just in case. It's too bad we can't have as much fun with spammers. By the way, I recommend putting your name on the do not call list, I don't get many calls at all from solicitors anymore. By the way, this list is kinda old, but still funny and for the most part useful.

1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money.

2. If they start out with, “How are you today?” say, “I’m so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems. My arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just died . . . ”

3. If they say they’re John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located, how long it has been in business, how many people work there, how they got into this line of work if they are married, how many kids they have, etc. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary.

4. This works great if you are male. Telemarketer: “Hi, my name is Judy and I’m with XYZ Company.” You: Wait for a second and with a real husky voice ask, “What are you wearing?”

5. Cry out in surprise, “Judy? Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have you been?” Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where she could know you from.

6. Say “No” over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up.

7. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply, in as sinister a voice as you can, “I don’t have any friends, would you be my friend?”

8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: “Can you get out blood? Can you get out goat blood? How about human blood?”

9. After the Telemarketer gives his or her spiel, ask him or her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you can’t just give your credit card number to a complete stranger.

10. Tell the Telemarketer that you work for the same company, and they can’t sell to employees.

11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a Telemarketer, set the receiver down, scream, “Oh my God!” and then hang up.

12. Tell the Telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask him/her if he/she will give you his/her home phone number so you can call him/her back. When the Telemarketer explains that telemarketers cannot give out their home numbers say, “I guess you don’t want anyone bothering you at home, right?” The Telemarketer will agree and you say, “Me either!” Hang up.

13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times.

14. Tell them it is dinner time, but ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation.

15. Tell the Telemarketer you are on “home incarceration” and ask if they could bring you some beer.

16. Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number.

17. Tell the Telemarketer, “Okay, I’ll listen to you. But I should probably tell you, I’m not wearing any clothes.”

18. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. “Come on, Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how’s your momma?”

19. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up . . . louder . . . louder . . .

20. Tell them to talk very slowly, because you want to write every word down.

The Year of the Yankees

No I'm not a Yankees fan, in fact I like the Red Sox much better. I came across this article earlier about how mathematically this year is the Yankee's big year. I'll come out against math and say they're not, no proof, just the fact that I don't want them to have a big year. However, I do wish some of that Math would have proven true tonight when Mike Mussina was pitching because he's on my fantasy team. I'll once again quote my college stats teacher Dr. Legge on this one
"There are three kinds of lies. 1) lies 2) da[ng] lies 3) and Statistics." This is probably a quote from someone else requoted, but he's the one I remember saying it and in this case I hope he's right.

Hatfield McCoy Feud Caused By Disease

I just mentioned how Eastern KY doesn't ever make any news that is good, but hey, Pikeville made the National news today and it wasn't bad news (not good either). Apparently the Hatfield-McCoy feud may have been caused by a disease that makes your temper flare. I'm not so sure this is much of a big deal away from here, but I've heard stories of this feud all my life (read more about it here).
This story has always intrigued me not only because it went on right here at home, but because a dispute over a razorback hog (ok, maybe not really, but that's what I like to think) was actually seen as a National problem. It's interesting that this is still getting talked about and more info is being found out about it.

Holy Week: Good Friday

Today is Good Friday. It seems weird that this day is hardly celebrated and even the mail runs. What's so special about Good Friday you ask. This is the day we remember the ultimate sacrifice Jesus made for us. He was beaten and hung on a cross to die. Why did this have to happen this way? From the first sin on Earth we learned that the consequence of sin is death. When Adam and Eve first sinned an animal was slain. After that, sacrifices were made for the atonement of sin. God sent his son as the ultimate sacrifice for our sin, one sacrifice that is sufficient for all who will except it. Today is the day we remember that sacrifice. It's not something we like to think about, but it's real and it had to happen. Fortunately, that is not the end of the story.

Living Underwater

Here is an awkward story of a man who is going to try to live under water for two weeks. His plans to do this involve using algae as a food and oxygen source. Really strange story, reminds me of the Battlestar Galactica episode where they had to harvest algae to survive. Umm algae burgers and an algae shake.

Holy Week: Maundy Thursday

Today is the day in Holy Week known as Maundy Thursday. This is the night in which Jesus was betrayed and the what we all know as the Last Supper. The entire story in the Bible can be found in Luke Chapter 22. This was the last peaceful time Jesus would spend with his disciples before the crucifixion. Many churches celebrate this today by special services or a special communion service.

Put Your Crime on MySpace

It seems like I'm embarrassed every time somewhere near my area makes the news and it looks like they've done it again. The city I went to highschool in (go Pirates) made national news today when kids posted their crimes on MySpace. As we've seen with sites such as justin.tv, people are making their private lives more public. Fortunately, it seems to be making the cop's jobs easier too.
I wonder what would make someone think they could post stuff on the internet like this and not get caught. Two things I ask from you:
1) If you have video of you committing a crime make justice easier and post it on the internet (you're even welcome to link it here in the comments).
2) If you live in Eastern KY make the National news with something good so I can post it on my blog.

Isn't Metallica Just Adorable

I don't have any kids so I haven't ever had to look through one of those baby name books, but for some reason I don't think the name "Metallica" is in there. A couple in Sweeden are fighting a battle to name their baby girl Metallica. I'm pretty sure that this whole controversy is going on because you have to submit your baby's name for approval in Sweeden.
Imagine the lullaby her parents sing her "Hush little baby don't say a word and never mind that noise you heard .... off to never never land". Of course they'd probably "rock" her to sleep if they could get her to take a "nap"-ster.

Serenity Above Star Wars?

If you've been reading this blog for awhile now, you probably know I'm both a fan of Firefly (Serenity) and Star Wars. Who wins favorite between the two of them? Well, it really depends on what you factor in. On a strict basis Star Wars (which fans would know as "A New Hope") vs. Serenity, not factoring in the other movies or the series, I choose Star Wars. When factoring in the Firefly series and the other Star Wars movies (especially 1-3) I'd have to choose Serenity.
The Star Wars Sixilogy (or whatever you call it.... Saga perhaps) was a wonderful idea. A great story which really didn't get told as well as it should have. I was greatly upset with Episodes 1-3, enough to push it out of my "Best of All Times" category. With the original trilogy alone, it was a masterpiece, but now it has been tainted. I compare it to watching the original Matrix movie, then watching it's sequels (although not as extreme, now i can't even watch the Matrix).
In regards to the Serenity movie, it was just mediocre. If you had never seen the Firefly series, you were entertainted, but kinda left out in the cold. The Firefly series, however, is to me perhaps the greatest series ever on television (although shortly lived). When watched in combination with the Firefly, Serenity is just excellent.
What brings me to this you ask? Well, I saw this BBC article earlier today that talked about how Serenity was voted above Star Wars as the top Sci-Fi move. As mentioned, I don't believe at a movie by movie comparison it should win, but I'm kinda glad it did just for the publicity.

12 Ways to Ensure Easter Attendees Don’t Come Back to Your Church Next Week

I was sent this link earlier today and thought it was rather humerous, but hope no one follows through with it. It is the "12 Ways to Ensure Easter Attendees Don’t Come Back to Your Church Next Week". If you do click on the link be sure to read the last link of the article before clicking out of it.

Special thanks to Ernest for this link.

Dungy Speaks Out on Traditional Marriage

I was listening to the "Focus on the Family" broadcast this morning and they were talking about a speech Colts Quaterback Tony Dungy gave about traditional marriage. I'm not much of a Colts fan, however this does give me a lot of respect for Coach Dungy for regarding morals, the family, and most importantly, God in such high regards. From the link there is a link to the actual video.

I find it kinda strange that Focus on the Family is signing a "petition" thanking him for his speech. By definition a petition is something that carries a negative connotation to it. This is just a strange wording for what they're doing.

Star Wars Questionnaire

I'm usually not much into taking surveys, but I saw this Star Wars questionnaire earlier that was actually entertaining to take. It has questions over your favorites from all 6 movies. One of my favorite questions was #20 about who's the baddest bounty hunter.... for some reason they put "Dog the Bounty Hunter" as a choice.

Vista Chair

I've yet to adopt Vista as a primary OS, and I don't plan to in the near future. I do have to admit, I tried to be an early adopter, but I wasn't so lucky. It just wouldn't work with some of the programs I needed (strangely enough I feel I would have an easier time migrating to Linux). I found this humorous comic that tries to portray just how uncomfortable Vista is.

Free TiSP from Google

Here's a really cool new concept Google has just released. It is TiSP.
From their site:
"Google TiSP (BETA) is a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access by connecting your commode-based TiSP wireless router to one of thousands of TiSP Access Nodes via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines."

It looks like it's currently in BETA, but for any of your questions just check out the link there is a detailed diagram on how it works and they'll sign you up for free.

Holy Week: Palm Sunday

Happy Palm Sunday. Today is the start of Holy Week. People often look at me strangely when I speak of Holy Week and its significance, so I've decided that throughout the week, on the significant Holy Week days I'll keep you updated on what they're about.
I mentioned that Holy Week is a significant week to me. The reason for this is it is the week that celebrates the basis of Christianity. This is the week designated as the celebration of the last week of Jesus' life. It could be argued that this is something that should be celebrated every week of the year, and I agree, but then again it could be also be argued that we should celebrate the birth of Jesus (Christmas) every day of the year.
Palm Sunday is when Jesus rode a donkey (symbol of peace in those times) in a triumphant entry into Jerusalem. On this day he was greeted by a crowd waving branches from a palm (Story found in Mark 1:1-11). Simply put this is mainly used as an occasion to "kick things off" in the celebration of the last week of his life. It is a time of preparation for Christians for the agony of Jesus' Passion and the joy of His Resurrection.