tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55784592011-04-21T18:02:33.260-05:00"What ToonTask are you working on?"Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.comBlogger1301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-81892876235434451572007-12-21T14:18:00.000-06:002007-12-21T14:19:25.574-06:00

The result of a lot of hard work:

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1153931648121109312006-07-26T11:34:00.000-05:002006-07-26T11:34:08.213-05:00

A good Slate article that answers the question, "What the hell happened to the value of my baseball card collection?"

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1153242980148655972006-07-18T12:16:00.000-05:002006-07-18T12:16:20.216-05:00

Enjoy YouTube while it lasts, because it can't last forever. While rummaging through some 1970's soul performance clips, I found these little treasures: the Jackson 5 shilling for Alpha Bits and Stevie Wonder grooving on Sesame Street.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1148051873617157692006-05-19T10:17:00.000-05:002006-05-19T10:17:53.680-05:00

Yes, my wonderful child, the Brangelina baby is better than you.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1147703459752024032006-05-15T09:30:00.000-05:002006-05-15T09:31:01.420-05:00

The BBC's 24-hour news TV channel thought they were interviewing a computer expert about the recent lawsuit between Apple Computer and the Beatles. In fact, they had mistakenly interviewed a cab driver who made the mistake of raising his hand outside the studio at the wrong moment. Read and watch.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1144689537428777772006-04-10T12:18:00.000-05:002006-04-10T12:18:58.963-05:00

Slate's reviews of TV commercials are always entertaining. They title their latest entry The Nastiest Wife on Television, and you'd be hard pressed to disagree after watching this Century 21 ad yourself. Her facial expressions, her pushy "What?!"s, and her tactic of letting the real estate agent eavesdrop into what should be a private discussion -- pure evil.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1144254339775067172006-04-05T11:25:00.000-05:002006-04-05T11:28:03.860-05:00

A company called ThorSheild has invented a lightweight fabric that makes Tasers/stun guns useless. Their demonstration video (see the link inside the article) is amazing to watch, merely because absolutely nothing happens to the target of the attack. Makes the Taser look like a toy.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1143895301154521102006-04-01T06:41:00.000-06:002006-04-01T08:30:15.070-06:00

Well I was in tears, anyway. Here's a thread with a bunch of good ones. Hard to pick a favorite, but it might be "Chuck Norris doesn't use a condom, because nothing can protect you from Chuck Norris." P.S. The most complete collection is here.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1143729344515983752006-03-30T08:35:00.000-06:002006-03-31T18:30:26.593-06:00

Funny, you wouldn't think "pre-pixelated" is even a real word, but it finds a perfect and comedically practical meaning in this line of clothing.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1143653868752387612006-03-29T11:37:00.000-06:002006-03-29T11:39:26.776-06:00

The best product demonstration website ever.And on a related note, the best news coverage about a serial killer ever.(I suggest you avoid these links if you're at work).

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1143247625048328142006-03-24T18:47:00.000-06:002006-03-24T18:52:47.420-06:00

The Rolling Stones shilling for breakfast cereal in 1964.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1141768895081776302006-03-07T16:01:00.000-06:002006-03-07T16:01:35.126-06:00

Wow, satirical humor in the New York Times. I kept double-checking the URL to make sure I wasn't really reading The Onion or a David Sedaris essay. Funny stuff.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1141581404834556192006-03-05T11:56:00.000-06:002006-03-05T11:56:44.883-06:00

Here's a pretty detailed live action version of the Simpsons opening theme. Apparently produced by a British TV channel (which explains why it appears that Maggie is actually driving the car).

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1141409986081748392006-03-03T12:19:00.000-06:002006-03-03T18:16:43.923-06:00

ESPN.com talks about a new commercial for Nike Air Jordans where kids perfectly replicate MJ's most famous moments. You can view the commercial there also.A company trying to use a sports star's endorsement after he's retired? How absurd. (Actually, Nike does a pretty cool job with this. American Century? Eh, we'll see.)

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1141305791552966002006-03-02T07:23:00.000-06:002006-03-02T08:26:13.136-06:00

This may be funny only to a select audience, but I thought it was good. Yesterday, the gaming-themed webcomic Penny Arcade featured a strip which compared the games of Sony Online Entertainment to Krispy Kreme donuts filled with, uh, shit. (SOE is the maker of several well-known flops in the gaming world, including "Star Wars Galaxies", "The Matrix Online", etc.) All in all, it was a

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1140507272969630932006-02-21T01:34:00.000-06:002006-02-21T02:14:20.006-06:00

Great story in Slate about how the new scoring system has pretty well eliminated whatever small pretense of "art" had remained in figure skating: "The hardest maneuver in figure skating -- a quadruple axel -- can get you up to 16 points with a perfect landing. But if you blow it, you'll still get 10 points -- more than you'd earn for almost any other move. To put this in perspective, you can

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1140129444680406062006-02-16T16:37:00.000-06:002006-02-17T17:15:14.776-06:00

I've really gotten into the album Illinois by Sufjan (pronounced SOOF-yan) Stevens, released last summer. This is his 2nd in a series of "state" albums -- he released Greetings From Michigan in 2003. He's claimed that he will produce one album about each of the 50 states, an absurd notion but fun to imagine nonetheless. Anyway, many of the songs aren't technically about Illinois; instead they

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1139924881422063642006-02-14T07:48:00.000-06:002006-02-14T07:53:08.280-06:00

How much does this sentence reveal about the secrecy of the Bush administration: "Vice President Cheney shot a man in the head on Saturday, and 21 hours later you had to be looking at the Web page of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times to find out about it." Good Lord, what world do these people live in?

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1139351126608350532006-02-07T16:24:00.000-06:002006-02-07T16:28:18.226-06:00

I thought I had already seen this movie and this movie, but now I'm not so sure.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1138658524701631292006-01-30T16:02:00.000-06:002006-02-06T13:32:26.696-06:00

Despite my lack of posts lately, I still enjoy writing from time to time. Last week I had fun contributing to Wikipedia, specifically the entry for the Disney game Toontown Online. The old entry was very haphazard and incomplete, so I pretty much reorganized and rewrote the entire thing. It's funny because my family doesn't even play Toontown that much anymore. But it's such a well-designed

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1137522828994085452006-01-17T12:33:00.001-06:002006-01-17T13:01:44.156-06:00

Good lord, my kids have been pestering me to buy this stuff, which basically looks like styrofoam beads mixed with slime. It doesn't help the cheesy commercial runs every 15 minutes, even on the "good" kids channels like Discovery Kids. I totally get that the sales pitch uses some old-fashioned deceptions ("If you act now, we'll double-size it, plus throw in some green floam... ABSOLUTELY FREE

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1132346766877592942005-11-18T08:10:00.000-06:002005-11-18T23:19:54.176-06:00

Slate (yeah, I know, I reference it waay too much) takes on the question of "Why have Catholics stopped lining up at the confessional?" Being the lame, "only-here-for-the-good-schools" Catholic that I am, I think it's a very interesting question. After a promising setup, the author almost flubs the answer entirely. He describes our modern confessional culture by noting such examples as the

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1131412690696407642005-11-07T19:18:00.000-06:002005-11-07T19:24:19.920-06:00

NYTimes profiles several families who moved to the Kansas City area from California to escape the ridiculous housing prices. But the article neglects to mention the tremendous psychological damage caused by moving from a blue state to a red state. It's a tradeoff that's not for everyone.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1131395308929988802005-11-07T14:28:00.000-06:002005-11-07T19:24:47.183-06:00

So, now that I've blogged about a comic strip, here's a comic strip about blogging. Know my cleverness!

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1131394931405219782005-11-07T14:22:00.000-06:002005-11-07T16:14:51.366-06:00

I've been enjoying a daily dose of old Calvin and Hobbes strips via email from UComics.com for a long time now. And my copy of the Tenth Anniversary Book is beginning to look pretty shabby from years of re-reading.Now, in conjunction with the release of the hefty "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes" book set, Slate provides an excellent overview titled "The last great newspaper comic strip" that

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1131354566377839492005-11-07T03:09:00.000-06:002005-11-07T14:30:44.266-06:00

This is pretty freaking brilliant, and I'm probably saying that because I've had this very idea myself. It's perfect for when you're away from the house and learn about an upcoming "must see" show. Unfortunately it's available only for TiVo and not for the Time Warner DVR that I use, but with luck that'll change soon.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1130970555191045872005-11-02T16:29:00.000-06:002005-11-02T16:31:32.526-06:00

The latest cool TV commercial, featuring 250,000 superballs. It's for a European line of Sony LCD televisions, so it may never be shown in the U.S. (Note that the hi-bandwidth version requires QuickTime version 7 to view -- the commercial site contains a link to download it if you don't already have it).

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1130779095162682592005-10-31T11:18:00.000-06:002005-10-31T11:18:15.233-06:00

I hadn't realized that Kansas City is quite the mecca for "haunted attractions". I just assumed that every big city had several dilapidated multi-story warehouses that have been converted into these things, but apparently Kansas City is tops in this category. I visited my share of them as a teenager, usually more than one in a night -- it was a pretty fun way to blow through quite a lot of cash.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1130345570684465542005-10-26T11:52:00.000-05:002005-10-26T11:52:50.733-05:00

Whatever your opinion of the war, this first-person account of a reservist preparing for deployment to Iraq is engrossing. I'm looking forward to more dispatches from this writer.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1129752029582124762005-10-19T15:00:00.000-05:002005-10-19T15:02:55.370-05:00

This quote from an LA Times article (via Yahoo) was just to funny to pass up:"Marcus Camby of the Denver Nuggets, whose contract will pay him nearly $50 million over the next five years, told an interviewer before the code was imposed, 'I don't see it happening unless every NBA player is given a stipend to buy clothes'".No, of course the NBA doesn't have an image problem.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1129051645713965562005-10-11T12:27:00.000-05:002005-10-11T14:04:14.550-05:00

If I could be a rock star, I'd be Bill Berry. Seriously. This is a guy who was smart enough to figure it out: work hard for 15 years, enjoy a ridiculous amount of both commercial and critical success (not to mention a ridiculous amount of cash)...then quit at the very top and spend the rest of your life indulging in silly hobbies. (In Bill's case, those hobbies include farming, golf, and

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1128655544196384432005-10-06T22:25:00.000-05:002005-10-07T07:15:50.916-05:00

Back in April, I blogged about a terrific webcomic called Mom's Cancer. Brian Fies used the medium of a comic book (with surprising effectiveness) to tell the true story of his mother's battle with metastatic lung cancer, along with the impact her struggle had on the members of her family. The comic went on to have great success. In July it won the Eisner Award for "Best Digital Comic" (and

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1128621446272615922005-10-06T12:57:00.000-05:002005-10-06T13:54:11.970-05:00

I realize that it's rather lame of me to link to multiple Slate articles in one entry, but hey, you get what you pay for with this blog.Speaking of paying, here's a very sobering preview of your home heating bills this winter. Holy crap. Our leaky, creaky 70-year-old house is about to get hit hard. We live here because we like the "character", but character doesn't keep your nose warm at night

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1128049779252831262005-09-29T22:09:00.000-05:002005-09-29T22:19:25.946-05:00

Harsh. Real harsh. But I thought the closing sentence was priceless.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1128011401037495582005-09-29T11:30:00.000-05:002005-09-29T11:44:55.033-05:00

Napoleon and his best friend Pedro did some pretty funny TV and radio advertisements for the recently completed Utah State Fair. You can find them at the Utah State Fair site (click on "Napoleon's Sweet Ads"), or you can find Flash-formatted versions here.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1127928043389936702005-09-28T12:20:00.000-05:002005-09-28T12:57:16.476-05:00

The upcoming "Born To Run" CD/DVD package is a product aimed right at my heart and wallet. As reported by Backstreets, "Hammersmith Odeon, London 1975 will be the first and only full-length concert film ever released of Bruce and the E Street Band's first 25 years" (i.e. the years of the band that actually mattered). And the "Born To Run" album is getting a much-needed remastering -- I love it

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1127411827585853232005-09-22T12:57:00.000-05:002005-09-22T16:15:24.960-05:00

Ok, this would fairly suck. But I suppose it introduces an interesting question: if you were a passenger, would you want to watch news coverage of your own flight? One the one hand, you might appreciate the ability to learn as much information as possible. On the other, we're talking about the 24-hour news channels here -- not exactly a great resource for real information.Is anyone else

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1127217584370519722005-09-20T06:59:00.000-05:002005-09-20T07:05:36.213-05:00

One day, CBS's Julie Chen will shed her "robotic" image and show the world her wonderful, bubbly, spontaneous personality. But first....

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1126803549513378392005-09-15T11:59:00.000-05:002005-09-16T08:04:39.010-05:00

True geek that I am, I've been trying to hunt down this puppy ever since I first read about it earlier this week. So, presenting the Bill Gates/Napoleon Dynamite spoof video (courtesy of Longhorn Blogs) that was shown during Gates' keynote speech at a Microsoft conference on Tuesday. It's a bootleg so it looks and sounds kinda crappy, but it's still pretty entertaining for those who liked the

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1126726174219813282005-09-14T14:29:00.000-05:002005-09-14T14:38:39.806-05:00

I know that this decision will cause an uproar among conservatives (and probably a fair number of non-conservatives), but I just want to make one point that many people aren't aware of: The original Pledge, written by a Baptist minister in 1892, didn't even contain the words "under God". This phrase was added 62 years later (in 1954) by the McCarthy-led Congress following a campaign that was

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1126553899524609442005-09-12T14:38:00.000-05:002005-09-12T14:38:59.716-05:00

Bryan Curtis of Slate discusses the appearance of Seinfeld catchphrases in TV commercials for various products. Apparently the original writers aren't receiving any royalties from these shenanigans, which sounds like good cause for a lawsuit. Just so long as they don't come after me -- "Vandelay" has been my nom de plume in three different online games so far.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1126039276392563472005-09-06T15:41:00.000-05:002005-09-06T15:44:17.570-05:00

Ok, a break from the ongoing tragedy. The New York Times discusses how "World of Warcraft" has completely dominated the computer gaming world. The sales comparison graph alone is pretty astounding, but the graph covers only the U.S. sales. "Warcraft" has also sold millions of copies in Europe and Asia.I've been game-hopping for the past several months, including the family-friendly Toontown, a

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1126037990225133072005-09-06T15:19:00.000-05:002005-09-06T15:26:45.400-05:00

The good news: they are now starting to pump the water out of the city and back into Lake Pontchartrain, the mouth of the Mississippi River and/or the Gulf of Mexico.The bad news: the water being pumped back out is so filthy that it will probably permanently damage Lake Pontchartrain, the mouth of the Mississippi River and/or the Gulf of Mexico. Of course there's no real choice here --

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1125523658614084152005-08-31T16:27:00.000-05:002005-08-31T16:27:38.686-05:00

New Orleans will be a completely abandoned and uninhabitable city for months. Unbelievable. A couple of particularly sobering reports, some personal experiences of the CNN reports on the scene and one from CNET on the extreme difficulty of the cleanup.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1125437809757187372005-08-30T16:36:00.000-05:002005-08-30T20:50:19.596-05:00

Governor: Refugees must leave New Orleans - Hurricane Katrina - MSNBC.comWow, just when you thought the worst was over, large sections of the city of New Orleans are slowly flooding due to levee breaks. You can only hope the levee can be repaired quickly, but even then I wonder how difficult it will be to get the floodwater cleared back out.It also seems certain that the death toll will be much

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1125344316676444692005-08-29T14:38:00.000-05:002005-08-30T07:24:03.086-05:00

Yeah, real smart, especially the guys in the photo with their heavy-duty bath towel protection system. I guess all those advance warnings from officials along the lines of "we could witness the total destruction of New Orleans as we know it" weren't enough to get these bozos moving. And no, they're not homeless types -- a quick Google search reveals that one of them is a Bourbon Street DJ. "

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1125336005449243982005-08-29T12:20:00.000-05:002005-08-29T16:53:04.093-05:00

Texas cowboys in love. With each other. A fairly daring choice of movie roles for Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. "Young Guns" it ain't. Larry McMurty (Lonesome Dove) wrote the screenplay for Brokeback Mountain and Ang Lee directs, so it should have some class, but the trailer still seems odd on the verge of humorously odd. But don't listen to me, I'm just a lunkhead who's probably just

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1125088735255222002005-08-26T15:38:00.000-05:002005-08-26T15:38:55.303-05:00

The above quote is from Jon Stewart. Here's a good interview with him and Daily Show executive producer Ben Karlin talking to Wired.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1124923458510634842005-08-24T17:44:00.000-05:002005-08-24T17:44:59.303-05:00

Oh yeah, the blog. Hi everybody!Hey, isn't it great that we won't have to deal with Pat Robertson's influence anymore? Since after this latest episode, he's pretty much lost whatever access he may have had to mainstream media. I thought this commentary from a Latin American missionary summed it up pretty well, but I got a particular laugh at one sentence: "Chavez may be unstable and erratic..

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1121635458702054312005-07-17T16:24:00.000-05:002005-07-17T16:27:32.426-05:00

Former British PM Edward Heath dead at age 89 - Yahoo! News. As your personal portal into the world of obscure Beatles trivia, I feel it my duty to inform you that Edward Heath was one of two former British Prime Ministers named in George Harrison's "Taxman". The other, Harold Wilson, died in 1995.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1121295148529099642005-07-13T17:52:00.000-05:002005-07-13T17:52:28.563-05:00

Survey finds Missouri is No. 1 in slacking at work. Uh, no comment.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1121285489348528572005-07-13T15:11:00.000-05:002005-07-13T21:03:24.806-05:00

Chicago-based nerd rockers OK Go are generating a little buzz on the Net with their remarkable video for the song "A Million Ways". The story, apparently, is that they developed this routine as an end-of-set performance piece, and the video is a practice run that was taped in someone's backyard. It may or may not be an official video -- I don't even see it listed on the band's website -- but

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1121197454295608122005-07-12T14:44:00.000-05:002005-07-12T16:01:12.426-05:00

Make something that becomes a cultural touchstone for an entire generation, then promptly drop out of the business, disappear from public view, decline all interviews, and basically act as though it never happened. I wonder if Peter Ostrum, the original Charlie Bucket, has the same publicist as J.D. Salinger?

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1120600686914299552005-07-05T16:58:00.000-05:002005-07-05T17:45:19.240-05:00

In freak-of-the-week news, a woman tattooed an ad for an online casino on her forehead for $10K. What an appropriate use of advertising money for a business that fleeces the poor on an everyday basis. Casinos should just offer it as a standard deal to their addicted customers: we'll pay off your gambling debts in exchange for you becoming our shill for life.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1120080260612080002005-06-29T16:24:00.000-05:002005-06-30T02:49:24.756-05:00

Wow, this takes me back, but then again I suppose that's the whole point of the TV Land channel. They're unfortunately including lots of 80s movies like "The Day After" -- isn't it a given that the 70s were the "golden era" of made-for-TV movies? I'd almost rather that they devote a full week to each decade. Growing up as I did during the 70s, I have vivid memories of quite a few of Movies of

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1119462107583760012005-06-22T12:41:00.000-05:002005-06-22T12:48:48.416-05:00

Ah, the blog, my neglected bastard child. I'll try my best to resume standard operations. Check out some clips of MTV2's Wonder Showzen, a grownup spoof of kids' TV. (Click "Videos" for list). It's got that South Park/Man Show combo of funny/offensive/annoying, but there are some good moments. My favorite is probably "Beat Kids at the Butcher Shop" -- "you ain't nothin' to me, Daddy", hehe.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1118174346661938222005-06-07T12:04:00.000-05:002005-06-07T15:27:11.910-05:00

This might be old news to some, but I just discovered the "My Virtual Model" feature of the Lands' End site. (You can find the link in the left-hand column). You customize a "model" to match your body shape, measurements, height, weight, hair color/style, etc. You can approximate yourself quite closely. Then your virtual counterpart can try on clothes from the site so you can see how they

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1117638029319991152005-06-01T10:00:00.000-05:002005-06-01T10:00:29.350-05:00

How timely. Neuroscientists have provided a explanation for Tom Cruise's psychotic behavior on "Oprah". Speaking of which, here's how you can help.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1117629274821767862005-06-01T07:34:00.000-05:002005-06-01T07:41:04.413-05:00

Wow, he really did it. David, my hairstylist for most of the last decade, used to talk about the book that he was working on in his spare time -- an encyclopedia of pop culture icons from the 1950s thru the 80s. Lo and behold, he actually got it published. Cool for him.In this nostalgia-filled era where VH1 regularly proclaims its love for the 70s, 80s and the previous 20 minutes, I have to

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1116939881203744812005-05-24T08:04:00.000-05:002005-05-24T08:06:10.983-05:00

David Plotz of Slate makes a pilgrimage to my town to get religion about barbecue. Favorite quote: "The 'burnt end' is, after jazz, Kansas City's most important gift to civilization." Amen, brother. I think I just decided what I'm having for lunch today.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1116606535755922802005-05-20T00:02:00.000-05:002005-05-20T12:17:49.793-05:00

Our local alternative weekly paper has the dirt on the alleged personal problems of Tony Peña, who abruptly resigned as the KC Royals manager the night before he was scheduled to submit testimony in a divorce case. If you manage to read to the "baby monitor" question -- well, just "yikes". It's a shame. I had liked Peña, he seemed like a good guy. During the Royals' amazing 2003 season (where

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1116444000170712252005-05-18T14:20:00.000-05:002005-05-18T14:52:07.966-05:00

In a neat synchronicity with the opening of the last Star Wars flick, Darth Vader's blog posted its last entry today. The blog has been a remarkable thing to follow. It took an inherently silly premise -- a supervillain with common, trivial complaints (really a parody of blogs themselves) -- and melded it with a smart and surprisingly moving piece of fiction. I'm just a casual fan of the

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1116427331627715532005-05-18T07:42:00.000-05:002005-05-18T21:19:38.363-05:00

The morning show guys at the local sports radio station played this for the umpteenth time today, which prompted me to finally check out the video version. (Or use this link if you want to save a copy for yourself). Oh, it's even more painful to watch than it was to listen to. The Ball State Daily News has more on the story. Just another reminder of why people fear public speaking more than

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1115935103218429242005-05-12T16:58:00.000-05:002005-05-12T17:51:40.826-05:00

News happens. Then in response, bloggers comment on the news. Now in response to that, the news channels have created shows where they talk about what the blogs are saying. So yesterday in response to that, The Daily Show did a typically brilliant piece on the absurdity of those shows. Which of course leads us to my blog, bringing you this link to that Daily Show video clip (about the shows

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1115684372797176842005-05-09T19:19:00.000-05:002005-05-11T19:05:47.496-05:00

Left among the online detritus of the "Runaway Bride" story: the Wilbanks-Mason wedding gift registry, still active at Macys.com. Pick out something nice for them.So as not to be your basic link whore, I'll toss in my complimentary (and very late) take. First, I'll try to ignore the obvious "excessive media attention for white, female victims" angle. But I would like to mention the sheer

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1115011960084293242005-05-02T00:32:00.000-05:002005-05-02T00:57:35.906-05:00

Sorry, but this is just creepy to me. I suppose it's ok to put a kid on this list, but a kid who was abducted and forced to act like a wife for nine months? It's just inappropriate, especially coming from the same magazine that also names the sexiest people alive. 'Nuff said.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1114719117336259642005-04-28T17:11:00.000-05:002005-04-29T09:41:49.006-05:00

After a trial run last year, the Postal Service is resuming its PhotoStamps program which allows you to make personalized "vanity stamps" from your own digital photos. Last year's run might have been considered a success if it weren't for those meddling kids at The Smoking Gun, who proceeded to print stamps containing such less-than-patriotic images as the Lewinski dress and the Unabomber. This

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1114700219110100482005-04-28T08:06:00.000-05:002005-04-28T15:34:53.170-05:00

Darth Vader has a blog. It's reassuring to discover that even the Empire's most ruthless despot faces the same day-to-day frustrations as the rest of us: a demanding boss, incompetent co-workers, occasional health problems, the rebellion.... It's nice that he has a little online space where he can vent . "Reach out with your feelings", as Obi-Wan would say. Also check out a funny interview

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1114538651236033662005-04-26T13:04:00.000-05:002005-04-26T13:19:29.003-05:00

The NBA is boring, yes. But even non-fans might get a kick out of the ramblings of Phoenix Suns benchwarmer Paul Shirley. It's a decent blog by any measure. I found it after reading his ESPN.com take on the typical NBA music. Good stuff.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1113907324372431382005-04-19T05:42:00.000-05:002005-04-19T14:10:30.023-05:00

When it comes to They Might Be Giants, dude I was there. I think I saw their first seven shows in Kansas City, most of which were in their original (and very charming) "two guys and a backing cassette tape" configuration. I thought Lincoln was a work of sheer genius, and my first band covered "Lie Still, Little Bottle" in our first/only show. When they came to town for a Halloween show, my

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1113622175623761432005-04-15T12:29:00.000-05:002005-04-19T07:59:10.293-05:00

Here's an odd but ultimately wonderful combination: a comic strip about cancer. The autobiographical webcomic Mom's Cancer was just nominated for an Eisner Award, apparently the big award among comic strip artists. It's incredibly insightful, moving, clever, and yes even funny at times. Read it from beginning to end, and do it soon -- it's going to be removed from the web soon because it'll

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1112808006514987452005-04-06T12:20:00.000-05:002005-04-06T12:25:31.223-05:00

When is a mall not a mall? When it disguises itself as a neighborhood, complete with sidewalks, "streets", individually designed storefronts, and sometimes even loft apartments. Kansas City got one of these new "lifestyle centers" last year, called Zona Rosa. Despite the more attractive appearance though, it's the still same old chain stores, restaurants, and throngs of mallrat teenagers. I

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1112297386312040792005-03-31T13:29:00.000-06:002005-04-01T09:53:54.986-06:00

Owners of the newly released Sony PSP have started complaining about dead pixels. And Sony apparently hasn't stated a clear policy on replacement, which leads to retail encounters like this one.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1111513398826376802005-03-22T12:43:00.000-06:002005-04-19T08:00:37.116-05:00

I heard this amusing story on NPR in January but forgot to follow up with a post. They call it "How You Remind Me Of Someday". For the record (pun somewhat intended), I think the NPR reporter indulges this kid's theories a bit much -- there's no "fraud" going on here, at least not technically. Yeah, they're pretty much the same chord progression, same rhythm and tempo, and similar arrangements

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1110566598937343582005-03-11T12:43:00.000-06:002005-03-11T12:43:18.936-06:00

Just this week, I've been researching how to make DVDs from my old "analog" camcorder home movies. In fact, I'm hoping to purchase some gadgetry this weekend to handle the job. As if reading my mind, CNET's Brian Cooley (the Bob Vila of computing?) comes along today to narrate an online video called Weekend Project: Transfer your VHS tapes to DVD. With Bob's (I mean Brian's) soothing dulcet

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1110406421953537372005-03-09T16:13:00.000-06:002005-03-09T16:13:41.953-06:00

Nuff said.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1110296536453840622005-03-08T11:42:00.000-06:002005-04-19T08:01:45.950-05:00

If you don't understand the incredibly addictive qualities of MMORPGs, Slate provides a good explanation today, along with comparisons of two of the better games going: World of Warcraft and City of Heroes. Wanna know how close I am to trying City of Heroes? Uh, where's the nearest Best Buy? Actually, I really can't justify a monthly subscription (to my significant other, that is), but they do

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1109689453558620302005-03-01T12:04:00.000-06:002005-04-19T08:02:10.743-05:00

The Parents Television Council is a watchdog group whose mission is to "restore responsibility and decency to the entertainment industry". Their endless complaints to the FCC have been grabbing lots of headlines in this post-Janet-Jackson era. Ironically, they also provide a convenient way for kids to see the bad stuff: their website provides a handy archive of the Worst TV Clips of the Week,

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1109400889224424142005-02-26T00:54:00.000-06:002005-02-26T01:38:54.436-06:00

I saw the "Numa Numa" video thingie last week. I thought it was kinda cute but not so entertaining that I felt compelled to send it to anyone. (But my daughter likes it and has asked to see it a few times). I thought the whole "Star Wars Kid" phenomenon was more interesting. Or the lesser known but equally entertaining "Metallica Drummer!" from 1999 (although I can't for the life of me find a

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1109355971695146302005-02-25T12:26:00.000-06:002005-02-25T15:02:58.930-06:00

A Yankees fan won a charity auction to rename Boston's FleetCenter Arena for one day. So of course, he wants to name it after Derek Jeter. They should make a MasterCard "priceless" ad for this.Speaking of which....By the way, if you have a couple grand sitting around, you too can rename the FleetCenter for a day by bidding at one of the eBay charity auctions. Maybe I'd name it the "Paige

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1109270239214126162005-02-24T12:37:00.000-06:002005-02-24T13:16:58.810-06:00

Josh Rouse's new album Nashville is mind-bendingly good stuff: smart, well-produced pop music, hooks that attach themselves to your very being, and moments of breathtaking beauty. Really remarkable -- in fact, here are a few remarks:"Somebody will really have to pull off a miracle to top Nashville as far as intelligent, honest and entertaining guitar pop goes in 2005. Or any other year." --

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1108652226143616372005-02-17T08:57:00.000-06:002005-02-17T09:00:39.520-06:00

CNET reveals how various flat screen retailers handle the annoying issue of dead pixels. Our 18-month old laptop has one -- it's near a corner and not all that noticeable, so I didn't even bother to ask Dell about replacing it. But if I were paying big money for a large PC or TV screen and it had one, they would know my wrath!

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1108632414216159952005-02-17T03:26:00.000-06:002005-02-17T09:05:30.953-06:00

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue - An intellectual history. I enjoyed how he specifically mentions a 1978 Cheryl Tiegs photo as "a watershed moment for cheesecake". Since I was 15 at the time, I remember that photo very well. (He says it was a "white fishnet top", but most males my age could tell you that it was a one-piece suit). As for it being a "watershed moment", let's just say

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1108498236978221972005-02-15T13:10:00.000-06:002005-04-19T08:02:48.806-05:00

Pundit Payola, Up-to-Date in Kansas City. I realize that low-budget newspapers which target small populations will sometimes bend the rules. But this is ridiculous.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1108408295412498812005-02-14T13:11:00.000-06:002005-02-15T14:27:31.116-06:00

Yahoo! News - Green Day Tests Grammy Censors. This was on the front page of Yahoo just now, and I have to wonder: how is this news? Green Day performed a song that contains an expletive and it got bleeped...just like it does every time the song is played on the radio. In this post-Janet Jackson world, the entertainment media are eager to hyperventilate over any trace of a live-TV controversy.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1108153670580011182005-02-11T12:27:00.000-06:002005-04-19T08:03:16.346-05:00

World Of Warcraft has quickly become the most successful online role-playing game ever, having sold several hundred thousand copies since its November 23 release. This New York Times article (reprinted at CNET) gives a glimpse behind the scenes as the software company (Blizzard) struggles to keep up with the growth. If I ever move out of Toontown's family-friendly confines, I'll be deciding

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1108073040499636902005-02-10T17:48:00.000-06:002005-04-19T08:03:46.660-05:00

From this week's Onion: Project Manager Leaves Suicide PowerPoint Presentation. Be sure to check out the slides attached to the bottom of the article. (And just in case there's anyone left who doesn't know it -- The Onion is satire).

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1108031044546474102005-02-10T04:24:00.000-06:002005-02-10T12:28:11.320-06:00

I drive down State Line Road every morning to take my daugther to preschool, and this KC Star editorial has it exactly right. State Line is a two-lane road on this stretch, and yesterday morning the Kansas-side lane was clean while the Missouri-side lane was still yucky. This was several hours after the snowfall had ended, and the difference was ridiculous. (I look forward to retirement, when

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107979775239277812005-02-09T14:09:00.000-06:002005-02-09T15:59:22.656-06:00

The Super Bowl commercial for GoDaddy was one of few that caused any controversy. According to the company's president, the ad was scheduled to air twice during the game, but FOX cancelled the second airing after they received complaints about the first one. For those who liked the commercial, you can actually view a two-minute version of it here. Fill out the little survey and select the "

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107802480752971642005-02-07T13:54:00.000-06:002005-02-07T18:41:03.266-06:00

Slate provides a reasonably good analysis of the best and worst Super Bowl ads. I watched most of the game and laughed out loud exactly twice: the Diet Pepsi "Staying Alive" ad (when Carson from "Queer Eye" joined the hoard of women following a male model), and the Ameriquest ad with the cat killer. You can view most of the ads online at USA Today. (EDIT: Ok, the Bud Light skydiver made me

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107796512832489272005-02-07T11:15:00.000-06:002005-02-07T12:43:03.480-06:00

Oh, the thrill of a new toy. After having tons of fun playing with configurations, I ordered a new desktop PC from Dell this weekend. I'm pleased to see how prices have come down. I tend to buy these things in the upper-middle price range -- not top of the line, but darn close to it. When I did this 5 years ago, I spent $2400. This time, I bought even closer to top of the line but spent only

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107654536568413602005-02-05T19:48:00.000-06:002005-02-05T19:51:36.333-06:00

Two years after NYC banned smoking in all public places, most New Yorkers (even bar & restaurant owners) are happy with the change. (NYTimes, registration required). I would love for a ban like that to happen here.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107541473192076032005-02-04T13:24:00.000-06:002005-02-05T18:43:29.696-06:00

ESPN.com columnist Bill Simmons (aka The Sports Guy) has been sharing his experiences in Jacksonville this week in a Super Bowl blog. Despite the fact that he's actually getting paid to watch his hometown team compete in their third Super Bowl in four years, an event that most of us will never get the chance to see in person, he manages to find plenty to complain about. Yet somehow he still

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107459696673529622005-02-03T13:41:00.000-06:002005-02-03T13:48:10.886-06:00

Get ready for "The Godfather" the video game, coming this fall from Electronic Arts. Latest news is that the game will feature actual voices and likenesses of Marlon Brando, James Caan and Robert DuVall. Brando apparently recorded voice-overs for the game before his death.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107293578109653332005-02-01T15:32:00.000-06:002005-02-01T15:32:58.110-06:00

This war is getting weirder every day.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107283702371136622005-02-01T13:48:00.000-06:002005-02-01T18:28:33.450-06:00

Entertainment critic Ken Tucker dares to challenge all the fawning over the late Mr. Carson: "...millions don't recall that the late-'70s-to-late-'80s was a fallow period for Carson. He was increasingly out of touch, with his wide-lapelled suits drawn from the closet of his own clothing line, mildly contemptuous of post-Beatles popular culture; his monologues slowed to a series of 'It was so hot

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1107181112732110172005-01-31T08:18:00.000-06:002005-02-01T12:54:03.030-06:00

The Washington Post (registration required) explores the studio space of Saturday Night Live's infamous "More Cowbell" skit. They also provide a handy link to a video of the skit so you can enjoy it again and again.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1106952287129428282005-01-28T16:44:00.000-06:002005-01-29T08:34:03.980-06:00

Disney's Toontown Online game has been a big part of my family's gaming time for the past 15 months. Now, thanks to my toon comrade at the "Politicalities" blog, I understand why: the game feeds my innate Communist leanings. A brilliant satire.

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1106855483446243562005-01-27T13:51:00.000-06:002005-01-28T17:44:51.816-06:00

I didn't even realize that Buster, the white rabbit friend of PBS's Arthur, had his own spin-off series. But Buster is now boiling in a rabbit stew of controversy, because an episode shows a real-life Vermont family that is headed by two "moms". The episode hasn't even aired -- PBS decided to pull it before it could be seen -- but its very existence has allowed new Education Secretary Margaret

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5578459.post-1106780121586203242005-01-26T17:36:00.000-06:002005-04-19T08:04:39.303-05:00

A happy day it will be on February 22, it being the release date of "Nashville", the new album from singer/songwriter extraordinaire Josh Rouse. Josh's previous release, a gorgeous concept album titled 1972, is my favorite CD of the past couple of years. That thing has had an anaconda-like grip on me since I first heard it last July. As for the new title, I'm betting that it's so named after

Louishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15038898842145313219noreply@blogger.com0