Wampug

So, this is what you get when you combine a wampa and a pug. Sure it may lock you upside down while in a cave, but it'll be cute while doing it.

Why Everyone Hates the IT Department

Perhaps hate is a strong word, but us IT people sure do make for excellent fall guys.  When technology goes awry, someone has to be blamed (we blame Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Al Gore).  Here is a great article that attempts to explain "Why Everyone Hates the IT department".  This is a pretty good read if you are an IT person, but could be a little long and boring if not. 

Classic Programming Methods

There's nothing like some good programming advice/humor. Here is a list of some of the classic nicknames for methods and debugging of programming that have a blogger has accumulated. Even if you're not a programmer, some of these are pretty funny.

The Man Who Would Not Hang

I came across this article about the "Man who would not hang" a few weeks ago. I didn't save the link because it wasn't all that well written, but the link tells the story well enough. It's a link to the Wikipedia article about Joseph Samuel (the man in question). Unfortunately they don't tell how the guy lived the rest of his life (nor when he died, maybe he didn't), but I'd like to believe he lived his life helping those less fortunate.

Mario on the PETA Ads

This video is a little violent, but we really don't think of Mario being violent, just fun. In the end, Mario is no less violent than some of the stuff on Looney Tunes.

The Face

My wife sent me this link to a blog entry from the Sneeze that I really enjoyed. It is a little bit of a long read, but hang in there, it's well worth it. I had a great laugh and enjoyed the story in general.

Jimmy Fallon "Reading Rainbow"

I believe my favorite Star Trek TNG character is Geordi LaForge, who is played by the guy from Reading Rainbow (LaVar Burton). This is relevant because I follow him on twitter and he tweeted this Jimmy Fallon spoof of the theme song the other night. It's what the song would sound like if it were done by the Doors and is spot on.

Clever Solution to Slow Walkers

We've all been in a situation where we're in a hurry and come upon someone(s) walking too slowly in front of you. This is a clever little solution to this all too common problem. It's not in English, but you'll get the idea quickly.

E-Readers and Tablets --Why are they Grouped?

I've read a lot of articles online comparing e-readers with tablets and I'm not quite sure why two separate things with similar form factors have become grouped together so closely.  The fact that Amazon released a Kindle that is a tablet hasn't helped the matter much.
I got a Kindle for Christmas last year and absolutely love it.  I preferred a Kindle to an iPad because I wanted it to read books, not to play games, surf, and get email.  I ended up acquiring an iPad a few months ago, and it's great for angry birds, surfing, magazines, and other things that aren't reading.  As far as reading is concerned, the iPad is okay, but I don't think the screen is made for reading for more than 30 minutes or so at a time.  I have used it to read, but only because I left my Kindle downstairs and was too lazy to get it before bed.  With a Kindle (or e-reader) you forget you're using an a device instead of a book, it's hard to forget with a big clunky tablet.
Bottom line, if you want to read books, get an e-reader.  If you want something that's great for casual gaming (think angry birds), magazines, or something light to surf, get a tablet.  If you want both, save up and fork out the cash for both, but don't get a tablet for the soul purpose of reading books, or even with that as an intent.  I can't speak for who the Kindle Fire will work but I just can't see why these items have been so closely grouped together. It'd be like getting an iPad to replace your iPod or your camera... yes it does the same functions, but you look just plain silly out in public taking pictures with an iPad or trying to jog with one.

Note:  I wrote this for two reasons, I get asked frequently "Should I buy a tablet or an e-reader?"  Another reason, is I read this really great article the other day called "Why Did I Buy A Kindle 3 When I Already Had An iPad?" by a blogger/podcaster whom I follow.  His conclusions were much the same advice I have been giving for a while now.