Hey Freak!

Some weird things have been spotted around the bay area lately. Check it out:

Whenever I see one of those Nigerian style email scams (you know, the ones that say "I own a billion dollars, but I need you to give me 10k, and you'll get $100 million finder's fee" or whatever), I wonder who in the hell falls for these. Heck, these have been around for so long, I wonder "Who in the hell still falls for these tricks?"

Now, I feel bad for this guy, but damn...

Paul Malone, a retired Vietnam War veteran, said he was leaving a convenience store when a man with an accent approached him and told him a story about donating money to charity.

"He was going to give me $10,000, and I would take the rest of the $80,000 and place it in a charity to help the poor," Malone said.

The man then asked Malone to prove he could be trusted by showing he had his own money, so Malone said they went to a nearby bank.

"All I could think about was, 'This money's going to help a lot of people,'" Malone said.

You don't really have to think hard to figure out what happened. Oh, sure, he didn't fall for the scam 100%... he went to the bank and withdrew some money just to show the guy... but then the guy ended up pulling out a knife and got the money anyway.

Sad.

Just a few thoughts...

• Congratulations to Michael Phelps... 8 gold medals in the Olympics is quite a feat, but to get 8 in one Olympics? Incredible.
  
  Hey, he's fairly tall, right? I say we get him a Team USA basketball jersey and let him go for 9.



• Speaking of the "Redeem Team," it's nice to see some of our overpaid yet still incredibly talented and athletic NBA pros go to some of the other events and cheer on our athletes from other sports.



• Who saw the final for the men's 100m dash? Holy crap, Usain Bolt is amazing. I mean, when you're winning a short race (less than ten seconds), and you have time to celebrate and thump your chest even before you finish, and you get a world record? Yeah, you pretty much destroyed the field (2nd place was over two tenths of a second slower - which is an eternity in the short sprints). And he did it with one of his shoes untied.
  
  And apparently, that's not even his best event (that would be the 200m).
  
  But... Usain? Sounds like "Hussein." As in Saddam. Usain... Hussein... humm, are they brothers?
  
  
• Anyone watching beach volleyball? I love the sport. (I still hate rally scoring, and always will. Bring back the Sideout game!) And beach volleyball is getting a lot of prime time air time, which is great for fans like me. Something that's not great? A lot of the yokels I've seen at various websites, commenting on beach volleyball, saying "that's not a sport." Are you kidding? Have you ever tried to play volleyball in the sand? Hell, have you even just tried to move quickly in deep sand? It's not easy, that's for sure.
  
  Yeah, I know that lots of families go to the beach over the weekend and hit a ball around, because yeah, beach volleyball is fun. But to say something's NOT a sport because you think it's a recreational game instead of a highly competitive, intense game? What a bunch of cock. I mean, really, you could say the same about running. And swimming. Hey, I can go outside right now and run; why consider running a sport? Bottom line, these athletes are the best in the world at their sport, be it running, swimming, cycling, or beach volleyball. Just because you play the same game at home doesn't mean that it's easy, or that it shouldn't be in the Olympics.
  
  Seriously, if you disparage beach volleyball as a sport, then you obviously know NOTHING about beach volleyball, and your knowledge of sports in general is also in question.
  
  Oh. Oh! And I really love this - I've seen comments around saying that the women in beach volleyball are all a bunch of hussies, parading around in their skimpy bikinis. One person even called it "soft core porn." Are you fucking kidding me? First off, hello, it's BEACH volleyball. This is a sport that started on the beach, natch. Women wear bikinis on the beach. That's just how things are. And you know what? Surely, they're comfortable with it - when they practice (on the beach), they wear... bikinis. Surely, they don't have the body issues that a lot of people have. And, really, those "bikinis" are more like uniforms than skimpy bikinis. I mean, wha, you want them to wear long shirts and pants? Hello, sand everywhere. And hello, who in the fuck wears long pants and shirts to the beach? It's hot there.
  
  My fave comment about women's beach volleyball:
  
  "Women's beach volleyball is a poor excuse for men to watch women in skimpy bikinis perform subliminal sexual acts!
  
  Why don't those women wear long shorts? Answer: If they did, nobody will be watching!
  
  That's tells a lot about our society!"
  
  No, it tells me a lot about YOU. Like, you probably molest children. And you have serious issues with women. Subliminal sexual acts? Yeah, if you consider passing, setting, and spiking "sexual." And if you do, then you're a fucking freak.
  
  And... I'd still watch if they wore long shorts. Because I'm a volleyball fan. You fucking moron.



• Speaking of morons...
  
  Don't put off by the title of the article (A Story That Will Make You, Well, Shit Yourself), just read it. And the comments. Hilarious.

I guess I really have nothing else to say. Except that I decided a name for my new Giant Domo. From now on, he will be known as "Mondo." I like the name because it's fairly catchy, and it's almost an anagram of Domo.

OK, one more thing, but only because I love the picture. This is Nils Olav, a Scot who was recently knighted by Norway. And yes, he's a penguin.



Nils Olav, reviewing the troops

Happy Tuesday!

OK, who caught the men's 4x100 freestyle (swimming) finals last night? Anyone?

I was flipping around, and decided to watch the Olympics for a bit. And the race just happened to be coming up. While I'm not the best swimmer, I'm a fan of all (well, most) sports, and definitely a fan of some good competition. So I hunkered down to watch. Plus, there was the interesting side stories; France being favored and talking shit to the Americans, and Phelps and his quest for 8 gold medals (at the 8/8/08 games... how fitting).

What a freaking race. I was screaming at the TV. I think I may have stood up to cheer.

The final result (for the people who don't know/didn't catch it)...

Team Sweden - Congratulations! You just broke the world record in this event! But, um... you don't get a medal.

Team Italy - Congratulations! You not only broke the world record, but you beat Sweden. Too bad you don't get a medal, either.

Team Australia - Congratulations! You broke the world record by over a full second! For your troubles, you get a bronze medal.

Team France - Congratulations! You broke the world record by almost two seconds! Too bad it's only good enough for a silver.

Team USA - Holy shit, that was incredible. I didn't think he'd catch the Frenchman. No way. But he started closing in. And then they were even. They touched at about the same time, but who touched first? Team USA. By 8 hundredths of a second (another 8!). That's faster than the blink of an eye. Congratulations - you get the gold.

Just an incredible race.

That's why I love the Olympics.

So, it's 8-8-08.

Being a numbers geek, I like days like this - you know, when just the date makes the day memorable. Like, I know that the first night game ever played at Wrigley field was on 8-8-88 (the game was rained out after a few innings, so the first official night game was the next day, August 9). Dates like this are great mnemonic devices.

Anyway, so the Olympics have started, and... well, I'm just not excited to see them. Yet. Surely, I'll get into it, but for now, I just want the Olympics to start so that all the speculation regarding the upcoming events can end. (but I'm looking forward to synchronized swimming. kinda. have you seen the Brazilians Bia and Branca Feres? hello!)

So let's talk about something else. Like, my new friend. Meet Giant Domo.

Now, Giant Domo needs a name. I want something that references his size (giant), but is still Domo-ized. So far, I'm considering "Mucho Domo" and "Domo Grande," but am definitely open to suggestions. Anyone out there want to take a crack at it?

And let's talk about So You Think You Can Dance. Congratulations on Josh taking home first place. Of the four that were left, I think he was the most deserving to win, although I was surprised that Katee didn't take second (for the record, the order of finish was 1-Josh, 2-Twitch, 3-Katee, 4-Courtney). Hopefully, the fact that a popper/street dancer won the show will encourage more untrained dancers to try out next year. Well, untrained, but good dancers. Hell, maybe it'll encourage Robert Muraine to actually follow through and NOT quit when the choreography gets tough. All in all, though, it was a great season.

Well, not "all" in all. There's something I've been meaning to bitch about since the beginning of the season, but always kept forgetting when it came time to blog - the camera angles/editing. Whoever is in charge of the camera angles and the editing needs to be shot. OK, maybe that's a bit harsh... fired, maybe. At the very least, he needs some lessons in angles and editing because a lot of times (and I mean A LOT), you couldn't get the effect of the dance because the angles were wrong. Or they were cutting between angles too quickly. Or... or... or... gah, that whole part of the production was shoddy. I don't know how many times we'd watch a group dance, and I'd think "Eh, this is OK. I'd probably enjoy it better if I could actually see what the hell was going on, though." Or, am I the only person who had a problem with this?

And another thing... who picks the music for the dances? Not that I mind the music that much, but damn, they sure featured a lot of Celine Dion songs. No, seriously! Like, at least one every show! Celine Dion! Who on the staff has such a hard-on for Celine Dion?

Aside from those two things, the show this season was just incredible.

And, speaking of incredible, what did you think of the Popping contest? Who do you think won? Chbeeb or Muraine?

First off, they're both incredible at what they do. No, not just incredible. Sick. Twisted. Insane. Ridiculous. But, for me, personally... I think Chbeeb won (barely). It's hard to choose, because the styles, while similar, are still very different. I think Chbeeb is a better dancer, but Muraine has the sicker tricks. Long story short - Phillip was more entertaining, while Robert was more... amazing. I hope they both come back next season so we can watch more of them.

If you missed it, or just want to see it again, here you go.




Happy Friday!

First off, I want to say thanks to everybody who wished me a Happy Birthday.

Most people on their birthday, they go out and cut loose. Buy frivolous things. I'm no different. For my birthday, I bought myself... more hibbies. Whoa, somebody stop me!

So, tonight is the finale of "So You Think You Can Dance." I can't wait to see who wins...

Will it be Katee, the girl who almost talked herself off the show? Or Twitch, a fan favorite who barely missed the cut last year? Or Courtney, the cute brunette who always seems to dance a little bit better than you thought she would? Or Joshua, the king of "I can't believe he's not classically trained"?

Personally, I think it's between Josh and Katee. Sure, Twitch and Courtney are fan faves, but Josh and Katee have both been dancing well and have been doing so all season. Of course, being a better dancer doesn't necessarily mean you'll get more votes (Hello, Will), so I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

But, also tonight... a dance off between Robert Muraine and Phillip Chbeeb. Don't know who they are? Well, they both tried out, both made it to the Vegas cuts, but Robert decided that the choreography wasn't right for him, and Phillip kinda just disappeared amongst the many who were cut that week. But... you have to see these guys perform. They are outright sick. Yeah, I know "sick" is an overused term, and I personally don't use it very often, but it's the best adjective to describe how these guys dance. It's sick. It's ridiculous.

See for yourself... check out their auditions:


Phillip Chbeeb


Robert Muraine


Crazy. Just crazy.

One more of Muraine...

Hey all, Joelle here! I just popped in to my friend mikey's blog here to wish him a very, very happy birthday. He's 40 today, which I'm sure he'll be happy I advertised, but seriously, the man looks like he's 33. He's not made a big stink about it, said it's just another day. He's been quite low-key, so I thought I'd hijack his blog like we used to back in '03 and embarrass him accordingly with a birthday tribute.

Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday, mikey!
Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday, mikey!
Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday, mikey!

I mean, hell, dogs and cats are supposed to be mortal enemies, right? Well, explain this:

English Bulldog Save Kittens.

And while you're explaining, maybe you can tell me who in the fuck throws a bag full of kittens in a lake.

It's usually pretty rare that I win something...

A few years ago (2003), I won a Bloggie for best tagline ("Still cooler than the other side of the pillow"). Damn, doesn't it seem like that was ages ago? That was back in my Electric Bugaloo days. Time sure flies.

Anyway... so, yesterday, I found out that I won the June challenge at Domonation. Woo hoo!

Here's the picture that won it for me:



On a side note... I really love the Domo Earth section of Domonation. It's just funny to me. Check it out! See how many domos live near you!

Um, that's it for now. Happy Friday!

You know what bugs me? When I hear people talking about NASA, and how we should abolish the space program because it doesn't do anything for us, blah fucking blah. Hell, just a few weeks ago, when they discovered ice crystals on Mars, I saw someone say something like "Why do we give a fuck about Mars when we have our infrastructure to worry about? Why do we continue to sink money into that bottomless pit?" (Ironically, the guy was totally pro-Iraq-war. Hello, not seeing the "real" bottomless pit)

I'm glad someone finally did an article like this. I'm sure there are more than 50 giant leaps, but it's nice to have some kind of starter. So here we go:

50 years, 50 giant leaps: How NASA rocked our world

So, if you still think NASA is a waste of time and/or money, then get a clue. NASA has a much bigger impact on technology than you think.

OK, so I have a gmail account that I'm trying to sign into. I've forgotten the password, so I clicked the links to reset my password.

Here's the problem - they sent the "reset password" email to another account that I've forgotten the password for. Hell, I don't even remember the username. I've looked in the forums for a bit, but haven't found anything really helpful (I've seen other people with the same problem, but nobody answered their questions). So, anyone out there - do you know how to get google to reset your password if you don't know/have forgotten your secondary email address?

This is an odd story. I don't know how to feel, because I'm totally against people raising wild animals in their home, but at least they were smart enough to release it back into the wild when it got too big. But, the reunion? Totally surprising. And very "aw" worthy.

First, the backstory: Christian, the lion who lived in my London living room. Yes, you read that right... a lion.

But enough reading for now... see the reunion for yourself:



Everybody together now.... "Awwwww." Crazy, but aw.

Oh yeah, forgot to warn you about the "soundtrack." Seriously, if you have to, mute the fucker, because there isn't any sound to it, anyway. Unless you like Whitney Houston.

I was gonna wait to post this news article, because I wanted to gather my thoughts so that I would be able to express myself and my anger in a clear, concise, and civil manner.

Well, fuck that. These assholes don't deserve civility. They deserve to be addressed as the scourge that they are.

White House Tries to Define Contraception As Abortion

In a spectacular act of complicity with the religious right, the Department of Health and Human Services Monday released a proposal that allows any federal grant recipient to obstruct a woman's access to contraception. In order to do this, the Department is attempting to redefine many forms of contraception, the birth control 40 percent of Americans use, as abortion. [full story]

Are you fucking kidding me? Pregnancy prevention = abortion?

I mean, it's fucking bad enough that Bush is making sure that anti-choice people can keep their health care jobs even if they don't do them, but now this? Dude seriously, what the fuck?

Seriously, how long until "pulling out" becomes included in the definition of abortion?

"Well, your dick was already in there, and you were ready to ejaculate, and you interrupted the natural course of action of impregnating that woman by pulling out, so, by definition, you aborted the pregnancy, sir." You might laugh, but surely, there are people out there who really think this, and it's only a matter of time before they're heard. You know, because they're religious, and therefore, moral, and therefore, their opinions matter much more than godless and/or science and logic based opinions.

I haven't done these in a while... rebuses! See if you can figure them out. They're lyrics from different songs, but they're both popular 80's tunes. Because, you know, I love the 80's.

This is probably the easier of the two:




This one's a bit harder. Well, hopefully.




Click on the images for the larger sizes (links go to my corresponding Flickr pages). Leave your guesses either here or on Flickr.

Happy Wednesday!

update: OK, they've already been figured out in Flickr, so if you need to look at the bigger versions, then make sure NOT to read the comments there. Or here. And I have to remember to make these even harder next time.

There's been a lot in the news about the new iPhone lately. Mostly, we hear about how the iPhone is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but we also hear about how people waited in line for hours to get one, and that there are certain bugs with it, and so on. I read a lot of blogs, and people are bitching about this or that not working on their new iPhone.

Now, I know I don't speak for everyone, so I'm speaking just for me:

You people bitching about your iPhones? I feel about as sorry for you as I do for the people who drive Hummers who bitch about high gas prices. Seriously.

OK, sure, the Hummer drivers cause more environmental damage, but as far as being annoying? The iPhone bitchers are just about at the same level. Like, boo fucking hoo; your shit doesn't work right. I guess you should have waited a few months before purchasing (you know, give them some time to work the bugs out), instead of waiting in line for hours for a fucking phone that you OMIGOD HAD TO HAVE TODAY.