Information Nation

For Slippery When Wet, Forever Ago

2012-01-24T00:38:00.001-05:00

A little Bon Jovi/Bon Iver mashup? Well played, everybody.

Bon Joviver - You Give Love A Bad Name

Beavis & Butthead In Real Life

2012-01-21T01:26:00.000-05:00

Makeup special effects artist Kevin Kirkpatrick has dropped us off and left us stranded deep, deep, deep in the Uncanny Valley with his 3-d models of everyone's favorite subnormal 15-year-olds, Beavis and Butthead. Hope you weren't planning on sleeping anytime soon.

First, here's the source material in case you're a little rusty on B & B canon.

Hello

2012-01-18T01:20:00.001-05:00

Hello from ant1mat3rie on Vimeo.

Lionel Ritchie's "Hello" through films. This must have taken forever to compile.

Happy Lemon The 13th

2012-01-13T00:02:00.000-05:00

From the always-interesting, sometimes inscrutable Shorpy, titled Queen of Lemons: 1920. Click to enjoy in all its full-size what-the-effery.

The Name's Bop. Beezow Doo-Doo Zoppitybop-Bop-Bop.

2012-01-08T23:19:00.001-05:00

Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop, a 30-year-old Wisconsin man, was arrested on multiple drug and firearm charges on Thursday afternoon in Madison. (via Daily Picks and Flicks)

Break Like The Wind

2012-01-07T21:50:00.001-05:00

I'm ashamed to say that this made me giggle much more than I'd care to admit. What am I, 12? (via Miss Cellania)

Bonus video: The arm fart scene from the movie Robots.

We're Gonna Run The Good Dad/Bad Dad Routine On Her

2012-01-06T23:07:00.000-05:00

"Law & Order" fan interrogates his daughter. She should have known better. She had the right to remain silent.

WARNING: Contains dangerously high levels of adorableness.

I Don't See Dead People

2012-01-06T22:50:00.002-05:00

Album covers minus the dead guys. Can you figure out who is missing from these iconic covers?

Pinkies Up!

2012-01-05T20:42:00.001-05:00

Mug-tiquette (via Meme-Meme)

By the by, does anyone know just how the whole "Pinky Extended While Drinking Tea = Fancy" thing originated? Is that even a real thing? This online tea shop says no, it's actually considered rude (or maybe just overly-pretentious?)

How to Properly Drink your Tea - First and foremost, never hold your cup with your pinkie finger extended. This is improper and in most social settings is considered rude. Place your index finger into the handle of the cup up to the knuckle while placing your thumb on the top of the handle to secure the cup. The bottom of the handle should then rest on your third finger. The fourth and fifth fingers should curve back towards your wrist.

Collared

2012-01-04T23:02:00.002-05:00

Maybe you remember a bizarre bank heist from 2003 in which Brian Wells, a middle-aged pizza delivery guy, wore a collar bomb while attempting to rob an Erie, PA bank, and, when captured, told the police that he was being forced to either come up with $250,000 or his captors would detonate the device. The police called in the bomb squad to defuse it, but it exploded before they arrived, killing the man.

The most perplexing and intriguing pieces of evidence, though, were the handwritten notes that investigators found inside Wells’ car. Addressed to the “Bomb Hostage,” the notes instructed Wells to rob the bank of $250,000, then follow a set of complex instructions to find various keys and combination codes hidden throughout Erie. It contained drawings, threats, and detailed maps. If Wells did as he was told, the instructions promised, he’d wind up with the keys and the combination required to free him from the bomb. Failure or disobedience would result in certain death. “There is only one way you can survive and that is to cooperate completely,” the notes read in meticulous lettering that would later stymie handwriting analysis. “This powerful, booby-trapped bomb can be removed only by following our instructions… ACT NOW, THINK LATER OR YOU WILL DIE!” It seemed that whoever planned the robbery had also constructed a nightmarish scavenger hunt for Wells, in which the prize was his life.

That was the last I had heard of the case, except for the 2010 release of 30 Minutes or Less starring Danny McBride and Jesse Eisenberg, which, astoundingly, uses the source material as the basis for a surprisingly funny action-comedy(!)

About a year ago, in their January 2011 issue, Wired Magazine published a fantastic article on the latest developments the FBI has made in this twisty case.

READ ON...

Li'l Homewreckers

2012-01-04T01:25:00.000-05:00

What happens when you give kids thousands of stickers and turn them loose in a pristine, pure-white room? These pictures are from a beautiful interactive piece called The Obliteration Room by Yakoi Kusama at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.

Does anyone superannuated (ie. old) like me remember a Harvey Comic called Little Dot? She was obsessed with polka dots, and, uh, well, that was about the extent of her character development, I think.

To be honest, her mania over dots seemed to zoom right past obsession, waved goodbye to OCD in the rear-vew mirror and put the pedal to the metal on the express line to Crazytown. I would be interesting to read a psychiatric write-up on poor old Dot. Here are some of the zanier/ weirder/ WTF-ier covers I found.

While the screams of trapped children in the burning orphanage caused even the most grizzled firefighter to weep uncontrollably, Dot attempted to blend into the background by suddenly feigning interest in a bug on the store window.

Yeah, I'm sure Little Dot's parents were totally cool with their little Miss OCD making their home forever unsaleable by turning it into a goddamn Jackson Pollock canvas.

Ha! It's funny because Little Dot is painting on polka dots with some mythical "polka-dot color" paint! That must be why they use variations of this gag on about 30% of their covers! Ha!

Issue #102, in which Little Dot falls in love with a lifeless, soulless, eyeless zombie.

Little Dot began her vandalism spree relatively early on. Later in life, when she came to work for her local organized crime unit, Dot a/k/a "The Postholer" used the same technique for body disposal in locales where there was not enough space to bury the victim in a supine position.

One can almost hear the fevered mutterings. "So hungry. Must eat... but... can't... until every food item has been polka-dotted in some fashion."

GAAHH! NIGHTMARE FUEL!

Saint Bill

2012-01-02T01:56:00.000-05:00

"So I jump ship in Hong Kong and I make my way over to Tibet, and I get on as a looper at a course over in the Himalayas."

"A looper?"

A looper, you know, a caddy, a looper, a jock. So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama, himself. Twelfth son of the Lama. The flowing robes, the grace, bald... striking. So, I'm on the first tee with him. I give him the driver. He hauls off and whacks one - big hitter, the Lama - long, into a ten-thousand foot crevasse, right at the base of this glacier. Do you know what the Lama says? 'Gunga galunga... gunga, gunga-lagunga.' So we finish the eighteenth and he's gonna stiff me. And I say, 'Hey, Lama, hey, how about a little something, you know, for the effort, you know.' And he says, 'Oh, uh, there won't be any money, but when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness.' So I got that goin' for me, which is nice"

(via Skip's House of Chaos)

Joe Ely - Saint Valentine

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

2011-12-29T22:49:00.000-05:00

Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt twee-fully cover Nancy Wilson's "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

As for me, I am going with Mrs. Captnkurt and the two Junior Captns to our friends for an evening of beer, margaritas, Wii games and snark. And what are you doing for NYE?

And You Thought He Only Had Crack Back There

2011-12-22T01:18:00.000-05:00

Headline Of The Year?
Man Dies After Eating Cocaine From His Brother's Butt

The two brothers, 23-year-old Deangelo Rashard Mitchell and 20-year-old Wayne Mitchell, were taken into custody on allegations they had drugs in their car. While in the back of the police car, the older brother convinced the younger brother to eat cocaine, which he had hidden in his rectum.

The in-car police video showed Deangelo pleading with his younger brother to eat the cocaine so that he could avoid a life-long prison sentence. His young brother eventually agreed, and died of a drug overdose shortly afterwards.

The Asskicker-in-Chief

2011-12-22T00:48:00.001-05:00

Jason Heuser aka Sharpwriter must have taken all that "American Exceptionalism" rhetoric to heart, because he's on Etsy selling prints of various American Presidents performing exceptional badassery. Teddy Roosevelt putting some new airholes in Bigfoot with a little help from a machine gun. Lincoln riding a massive grizzly bear while brandishing an M-16 in one hand and the Emancipation Proclamation in the other. And oh so much more. Best get yourself over there forthwith and drop some dead presidents, before one of them drops you. (via Fun With Cole)

Merry Bummer!

2011-12-20T00:52:00.000-05:00

Back in my predigital days, circa 1989, I used to have a Rhino Records compilation on cassette called Bummed Out Christmas, which was a compact little 12-song collection of anti-cheer. A lot of emphasis on booze ("Santa Came Home Drunk", "Santa Got A DWI"), and incarceration ("Christmas In Jail", "Christmas In Prison"). But it wasn't all like that... Dan Hicks has the peppy jive of "Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit", The Staple Singers throw some funky-soul into things with "Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas?", and The Sonics are full of good sneer on "Don't Believe In Christmas".

The tape is long gone, but I'm considering picking one up online. Here are a few tracks I found on The Tube de la You. Merry Bummer!

Sherwood Linton - Santa Got a DWI

Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit - The Christmas Jug Band (feat. Dan Hicks)

The Sonics - Don't Believe In Christmas

The Youngsters - Christmas In Jail

We Have To Go Deeper...

2011-12-12T23:56:00.000-05:00

Artist Phil Hansen asked his viewers about an experience that shocked them or
caused disbelief. Over 1000 of these stories were written in
sharpie to make this deeply-zoomable image of Van Gogh.

That Great Love Sound

2011-12-08T12:33:00.001-05:00

The Raveonettes - That Great Love Sound

The Raveonettes: My #1 go-to substitute for The Jesus & Mary Chain.

Die In A Fire, Comment Spammers

2011-12-07T10:50:00.001-05:00

Due to some random posts getting spammed this morning in the comments section, I am turning commenting off for the moment. Will keep you posted.

Classing Up The Joint

2011-12-04T23:46:00.001-05:00

I get a kick out of seeing motel signs that still advertise "COLOR TV!"

Man, this place just reeks of classy. (via Criggo)

Also: Real tomato ketchup, Eddie?

The Zoetrope is Neither Someone Named Zoe Nor is it a Trope. Discuss.

2011-11-28T22:56:00.001-05:00

Katy Beveridge created a pretty set of zoetropes constructed out of paper inserts to the wheels of her bicycle. (via Colossal)

Gobble X 3

2011-11-24T12:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Google has a cool interactive turkey today. Click any of the feathers, hair to change them, or click the big ol' turkey wing to randomize them all at once. Here are a few samples:

Did you know we call turkey "turkey" because the English thought the birds were coming from Turkey, but in Turkey, turkeys are called "hindi" because the Turks thought turkeys came from India? (Turkey birds come from North America.)

Loudon Wainwright III - Suddenly It's Christmas/Thanksgiving

Six Dog Night

2011-11-22T17:25:00.001-05:00

Hope you don't have a problem eating a sentient, talking hot dog eagerly complicit in its own demise! Mmm-mmm! I can taste its soul!

How To Make Spiral Hot Dogs

Here's a couple of unusual hot dog creations from Steve Schaible's blog, Hot Dog Cart News (C'mon guys, don't even tell me you don't read Hot Dog Cart News!) These are just a couple of the many listed. Check the rest out, too.

The Ditch Dog, served at Ditch Plains in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village .A grilled potato bun, hot dog and topped with a Gruyere/American/Parmesan mac ‘n’ cheese blend. I am very down with this, though maybe not so much with the $14 pricetag. And this post was from 2009, so who knows how much it is now.

The Hamdog, found at Mulligan’s Bar in Decatur, Georgia. One hoagie roll, one hot dog wrapped in a half-pound of beef patty then deep-fried and topped with chili, bacon and a fried egg. That's what I call heart smart!

How to make Bento Octo-dogs that are almost too cute, or perhaps too creepy, to eat.

IronShay shows how to make sort of squirmy-lookin' spaghetti-dogs.

It's The Big One, Elizabeth!

2011-11-22T16:04:00.001-05:00

This Thanksgiving, why not whip up the modest TurbaconEpic Thanksgiving AKA The Massive Coronary Starter Kit. (via The Wrong Stuff)

A bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a bird in a pig. A steal at only 79,046 calories and 6,982 grams fat!

Feel The Burn

2011-11-22T01:04:00.001-05:00

Pepper-Spraying Cop got himself a capsaicin-drenched Tumblr! (via LGF)

Butthole Surfers - Pepper (Dancing Riot-geared police! Hey! That's Ponch!)

Matrix No. 5

2011-11-21T00:49:00.001-05:00

It turns out that the iconic lobby shootout scene in The Matrix syncs up perfectly with Lou Bega's Mambo No. 5. Worth watching, especially @ 1:05. (via Cynical-C)

Morning Laff

2011-11-19T09:18:00.001-05:00

Morning Jukebox

2011-11-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

Beat Farmers - Gun Sale at the Church

I Love The (18)90's!

2011-11-19T02:18:00.001-05:00

The iRetrofone Base is a fully-functional, stationary iPhone dock with working handset and complete compatibility with USB cable. If you've got a pocketful of ha'pennies burning a hole in your jodhpurs, it's yours for the taking. (Top-hat hat tip, Bonnie A.)

Steampunk Washington is one of any number of "enhanced" currency available for viewing at Defaced Dollars.

Oh Man, I Hope She Doesn't See This

2011-11-14T23:01:00.001-05:00

(via Bits and Pieces)

What in the actual hell did I just watch here?

2011-11-11T12:06:00.001-05:00

Second Life race scene from CSI:NY

But This Post Goes To Eleven

2011-11-11T09:25:00.001-05:00

Happy Nigel Tufnel Day!

Make sure you turn the amp all the way up to 11 today.

You can also visit the Facebook group Declare 11/11/11 Nigel Tufnel Day, though it's kind of the eleventh hour to get that legislation passed.

This Is Spinal Tap - These Go To Eleven

Nightmare Fuel

2011-11-10T22:28:00.001-05:00

'Cause you weren't planning on sleeping anytime in the next, oh say, two weeks, were you? A collection of truly creepy images of vintage ventriloquist dummies is on display at How To Be A Retronaut.

Meet My Mustache Mini-Me

2011-11-10T01:09:00.000-05:00

The MOUSTAIR Tumblr tries to clear some of the Huhwuzzitnow? out of the air with this tagline:

Where men meets moustaches meets hair meets moustaches meets hair meets MOUSTAIR.

Or something. (via Copyranter)

He Thinks He's People!

2011-11-10T00:19:00.001-05:00

Some dog-themed photos from a favorite timesink of mine, Shorpy.

Semper Fido: 1925
Remember when Tom Berenger traveled back in time to join the experimental canine/Marine unit? Yeah, me neither.

The Smoking Dog: 1927

Speaking of smoking dogs...

Walls Come Tumbling Down

2011-11-09T23:24:00.000-05:00

Explosive Breach of Condit Dam from Andy Maser on Vimeo.

On October 26th, a hole was blasted in the base of 125' tall Condit Dam on the White Salmon River in Washington. In less than 2 hours, the reservoir behind the dam drained completely and the White Salmon flowed unimpeded by a dam for the first time in 100 years.

The time lapse near the end of the video and the amount of built-up silt released is quite amazing!

More pics and information at Andy Maser's White Salmon Restored: A Timelapse Project, where two remote cameras stationed around Condit Dam will be shooting still images every day for the next several years. When stitched together as a video sequence, these images will provide a never before seen view of large-scale dam removal and river recovery.

The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down
Ex-The Jam singer and guitarist Paul Weller formed The Style Council in 1983. This political pop blast came from the 1985 release Our Favourite Shop (US title: Internationalists).

As If You Needed Yet Another Reason

2011-11-03T23:45:00.003-04:00

..to "Just Say No" (via Daily Dawdle)

Goo-Goo Googly Eyes

2011-10-30T00:09:00.000-04:00

Magic: The Gathering is serious business. Unless, you know, someone pastes googly-eyes on all the cards. A few from the wonderful new Tumblr blog Magic Cards With Googly Eyes.

Why you should never type "Google" into Google. Not even as a joke.

SNL - Christopher Walken: Indoor Gardening Tips From A Man Who's Very Scared Of Plants. Includes many googly-eyes.

Flickr set of random items with googly-eyes attached.

Morning Jukebox

2011-10-25T04:30:00.000-04:00

Some surprisingly still-fresh bubblegum from 1974 with Reunion's novelty hit "Life Is a Rock (But the Radio Rolled Me)". The lyrics are a fast patter of '50s, '60s, and '70s disc jockeys, musicians, songwriters, record labels, song titles and lyrics.

As far as I know, there was no "video", so to speak, made at the time, but this is one of the better current ones compiled from photos to accompany the lyrics. If you've got a nimble tongue and enough lung capacity (you'll probably find yourself running out of breath long before you run out of words), you can take a crack at singing along:

B.B. Bumble and the Stingers, Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers
Lonnie Mack and twangin' Eddy, here's my ring we're goin' steady
Take it easy, take me higher, liar liar, house on fire
Locomotion, Poco, Passion, Deeper Purple, Satisfaction
Baby baby gotta gotta gimme gimme gettin' hotter
Sammy's cookin', Lesley Gore and Ritchie Valens, end of story
Mahavishnu, fujiyama, kama-sutra, rama-lama
Richard Perry, Spector, Barry, Archies, Righteous, Nilsson, Harry
Shimmy shimmy ko-ko bop and Fats is back and Finger Poppin'

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

FM, AM, hits are clickin' while the clock is tock-a-tickin'
Friends and Romans, salutations, Brenda and the Tabulations
Carly Simon, I behold her, Rolling Stones and centerfoldin'
Johnny Cash and Johnny Rivers, can't stop now, I got the shivers
Mungo Jerry, Peter Peter Paul and Paul and Mary Mary
Dr. John the nightly tripper, Doris Day and Jack the Ripper
Gotta go Sir, gotta swelter, Leon Russell, Gimme Shelter
Miracles in smokey places, slide guitars and Fender basses
Mushroom omelet, Bonnie Bramlett, Wilson Pickett, stop and kick it

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

Arthur Janov's primal screamin', Hawkins, Jay and
Dale and Ronnie, Kukla, Fran and Norma Okla
Denver, John and Osmond, Donny
JJ Cale and ZZ Top and LL Bean and De De Dinah
David Bowie, Steely Dan and sing me prouder, CC Rider
Edgar Winter, Joanie Sommers, Osmond Brothers, Johnny Thunders
Eric Clapton, pedal wah-wah, Stephen Foster, do-dah do-dah
Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda, Surfer Girl and Little Honda
Tighter, tighter, honey, honey, sugar, sugar, yummy, yummy
CBS and Warner Brothers, RCA and all the others

Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa)
Life is a rock but the radio rolled me
At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

spoken:
Listen--remember, they're playing our song!
Rock it, sock it, Alan Freed me, Murray Kaufman, try to leave me
Fish, and Swim, and Boston Monkey,
Make it bad and play it funky.
(Wanna take you higher!)

What, You Gotta Problem With My Halloween Costume?

2011-10-24T00:46:00.000-04:00

(via Dependable Renegade)

This Protest Is Part Of A Balanced Breakfast

2011-10-14T22:07:00.001-04:00

Cute.
(via The Daily What)

Guess They Should Have Cut The Blue Wire Instead

2011-10-14T20:04:00.001-04:00

These kids may well have The Planet's Coolest Parents. Before tonight I had never heard of a Stick Bomb. My mind is now officially blown. (via Fun With Cole)

Looks like fun, right? Want to roll your own? Instructables.com shows you how to make one.

48 State Represent!

2011-10-11T22:34:00.000-04:00

The US Represented By Its Movies

Um, pretty sure a couple of other kinda famous states joined the Union sometime in the last 50 years or so. What, no love for Hawaii and Alaska movies?

Not Afraid To Be Afraid

2011-10-10T00:58:00.000-04:00

Niagara Falls, Ontario's Nightmare Fears Factory is your standard haunted house business, with customers paying to walk through pitch-black rooms while the employees pop out from hiding to scream or try to grab you and so forth.

All that is pretty much par for the course, but what makes Nightmare Fears Factory stand out is their Flickr feed, which shows an impressive range of people in the process of emptying bladders and/or filling pants.

Nightmare Fear Factory Flickr Photostream (via Boing Boing)

...Answers To "Lucky"

2011-10-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

The Bloggess found her missing cat and took down all her "Missing Cat" posters. Then, feeling the bulletin board was looking a little empty, posted this in its place, which is not only hilarious in its own right, but also generated bonus smart-ass icing-on-the-cake responses:

I know, funny, right? Down to the final "This is why it's important to put collars on all of your pets." So of course, this happened next.

12 Goofy Lost Pet Signs

Get Up On This

2011-10-08T00:45:00.000-04:00

Now wait a minute y'all
This post ain't for everybody
Only the sexy people
(via Found Shit)

Salt-N-Pepa - Push It

The Unbearable Likeness of Mushrooms

2011-10-06T23:28:00.001-04:00

Yeah, that's about right.

Yo, Baby, Yo

2011-10-04T23:48:00.002-04:00

Meet Samm Scott, your 2011 U.S. National Yo-Yo Champion.

I was never much of a yo-yoer beyond your basic moves like Walk The Dog and Rock The Baby, but if you''ve a mind to hone your skillz, YoTricks.com seems like a pretty good place to start. It's filled with a good variety of tricks ranging from anywhere from Easy to Challenging to Expert to I-Am-So-Never-Going-To-Get-Laid, and presented in HD video so you can see how it's done.

The first half of an episode from the don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it ABC cop/buddy series "Holmes & Yo-Yo", of which just 13 episodes saw the light of day during their brief moment in the sun that was the 1976-77 television season. I was 12 at the time and, needless to say, loved it.

Richard B. Schull stars as Detective Alexander Holmes, a schlubby, clumsy, down-on-his-luck cop who constantly injures his partners. Of course, the force supplies him with a new, indestructible android partner Gregory "Yo-Yo" Yoyonivich, who purportedly "weighs 427 pounds" and is a "completely mobile computer specially programmed for police work," played by the amiable lantern-jawed John Schuck. (Wikipedia entry Holmes & Yo-Yo)

How Did Hitler Tie His Shoes?

2011-10-04T00:36:00.001-04:00

In little knotsies, of course.

Not a lot of people realize who did the vocals for the theme song to The Jeffersons.

Babitler? (via I Raff I Ruse)

Kitler?

Nick Lowe from his 1978 debut Jesus of Cool with "Little Hitler".

Fall Is Coming

2011-09-25T22:05:00.000-04:00

(via [Geeks Are Sexy])

Morning Jukebox

2011-09-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

Genki Sudo - Machine Civilization

Genki Sudo is a retired MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter and kickboxer who was best known for his flashy, elaborate ring entrances. He now writes music for and fronts the robo-dance outfit World Order. The ever-increasingly complex hand movements start around 3:16 and just get better and better (hey, is that guy at 5:01 floating??)

Morning Jukebox

2011-09-22T06:36:00.000-04:00

Army Navy - Ode To Janice Melt

Jackson Browne - Rosie (live)

Reality Hits You Hard, Bro

2011-09-19T23:31:00.001-04:00

A somewhat exuberant eyewitness to an auto accident in Phoenix. (via Bits and Pieces)

Growing up in the 70s as I did, Harry Chapin was not only a staple on the radio ("Cat's In The Cradle" was on constantly), but we had several of his albums at home as well that got frequent play. This song, "30,000 Pounds of Bananas", is from his 1974 Verities & Balderdash and was a perennial crowd favorite at his live shows, though the band apparently didn't care for the song all that much. It's a macabre story-song about a young truck driver "just out on his second job", bringing a load of just about 30,000 pounds of you-know-whats to you-know-where. Unfortunately, as he begins his descent down the steep grade going into the city, he's thinking about his girl and misses the sign warning him to shift to low gear. Once the brakes go out, the perfect storm is in place.

What I didn't know was that this was based on an actual event that took place on March 18,1965. The lyrics of the song are not too far from what actually transpired.

Harry Chapin - 30,000 Pounds of Bananas

I Like Big Buddhas And I Cannot Lie

2011-09-14T23:00:00.001-04:00

The largest Buddha in Thailand is the Wat Muang in Ang Thong, a couple hours drive north of Bangkok. It measures 95 meters (312 feet) high, or approximately 2 meters taller than the Statue of Liberty. Some other great pics of this immense statue.

However, it isn't the largest statue in the world (here's a list), or even the largest Buddha statue in the world. Both of those claims currently rest with the Spring Temple Buddha in Henan, China, which tops out at 153 m (502 ft), including the 25 m (82 ft) pedestal/building.

I looked at a number of pictures of Spring Temple Buddha, but none seemed to really drive home the immense size as dramatically as the Wat Muang, if you ask me. Below is one taken from a distance so that it is framed by some of the surrounding city, and here are some other shots as well.

Chart comparing sizes of Spring Temple Buddha (153 m), Statue of Liberty (93 m), The Motherland Calls (91 m), Christ the Redeemer (39.6 m), and Statue of David (5.17 m).

And no one knows what goes on

2011-09-14T21:55:00.000-04:00

...behind beard doors. With apologies to Charlie Rich.

From the 1991 National Beard & Moustache Competition, Tacoma, WA

Don't Shoot Until You See The Green in Their Nose

2011-09-10T02:28:00.002-04:00

*Snort*, by "Roland Flicket", eh?

From the pilot episode of WKRP In Cincinnati, where Dr. Johnny Fever winds up after getting fired for saying "booger" on the air. I don't often link to Hulu, hopefully it'll work for you. I had to turn off adblocking to make it play for me... Let me know.

Ewwwww... Booger Sniper tasks you with flinging your mucus at someone else, who catches it. In their mouth. Who's hungry?

Oh, Yoshimi, they don't believe me, but you won't let those robots eat me

2011-09-09T00:30:00.001-04:00

(click to activate The Embiggenator Bot)

From the creepiness of The Golem of Prague to the goofiness of Vaucanson's Digesting Duck, which ate kernels of corn and "digested" it, dispensing pre-loaded feces (now there's a phrase I never thought I'd be using) to the uncannily almost-human intelligence of The Turk, a chess-playing automaton, here's A Brief Visual History of Robots in a Matrix of Creepiness & Intelligence (hat tip to Janet Z. for the link!)

I took the Information Nation staff, aka Mrs. Captnkurt and Junior Staff Editors Sam (10) and Ben (8), to the Franklin Institute on a recent trip to Philadelphia. The Franklin Institute is a science and technology museum, and one of the coolest exhibits was their incredible Maillardet's Automaton.

Built around 1800 and donated to the museum in 1928, when the machine arrived it was not in working order and badly damaged from a fire. It was extensively repaired, with new legs and clothes built for it, though nowadays it is displayed partially disassembled so as to show off its inner mechanisms. However, it is still operational and is capable of producing four drawings and three poems. The secret lies in its mind-bogglingly intricate brass gears and cams, all handmade, which guide the movements of the head, eyes, arms and hands.

Click the pic above or here for more info and a couple of way cool videos of Maillardet's Automaton in action.

If you are a fan of shows such as This American Life, I think you would also dig the fantastic Radiolab, which explores big questions in science and philosophy in an engaging storytelling format.

A recent episode was on Talking To Machines, which explored, among other things, the unnerving ability of Furby, that plush robotic toy from the late 90s, to act almost like a living thing.

Hugo, a new Martin Scorsese film is coming out this year based upon the wonderful Young Adult graphic novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret. The story takes place in Paris during the early part of the 20th century, where orphan Hugo Cabret secretly lives amongst the clockworks of a busy Paris train station. Before he died, his father gave him a mysterious broken automaton with a few secrets of its own.

The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink... by Warner-Music
What fighting evil robots has to do with some sort of Japanese eating contest(?) is beyond me, but I've always been partial to this song.

In your face!

2011-09-05T22:53:00.002-04:00

Ulric Collette's Portraits Génétiques (Genetic Portraits) blends photos of family members (father/daughter, brother/sister, etc) into one composite image. (via Kottke)

English pop due Kevin Godley and Lol Creme split from the band 10cc to form their own group, Godley & Creme. The pair had several hits in the UK, but their only hit on this side of the pond was in 1985 with the groundbreaking video for "Cry".

Arthur, the less-than-heroic sidekick of The Tick, comes up with his battlecry.

More Than Words

2011-08-21T16:29:00.002-04:00

Grammar
Notes on "Sweet Child O' Mine" as Delivered to Axl Rose by his Editor

She’s got a smile that, it seems to me—Why equivocate? You weaken your point by framing this as a mere personal observation instead of a fact.

Reminds me of childhood memories—Redundant. You either have a memory or you’re reminded of something. You’re not reminded of a memory. Heavy-metal fans won’t stand for such writing, my friend.

Rock
Classic rock lyrics obfuscated in verbose and scholarly language. Take the quiz

Grammar Rock I

Mr. Morton, one of the Schoolhouse Rock series covering grammar, this one having to do with subjects and predicates. I thought I had seen all these growing up, but this one must have escaped my notice (until today).

Grammar Rock II

A quick grammar lesson from The IT Crowd

If You're Happy and You Know It...

2011-08-20T23:49:00.001-04:00

...well, your sentient mohawk will know what to do. The commercial is for Gatsby, a line of hair gels and waxes popular in Asia. (via Copyranter)

No relation to Jon Secada

2011-08-20T22:48:00.000-04:00

It's summer (in my half of the world) and our backyard has its fair share of cicadas, making that one-of-a-kind sound.

What this deranged individual is holding is a member of the largest cicada species in the world, the Malaysian Empress Cicada, which has a wingspan of 8 inches(!)

Morning Jukebox

2011-08-19T05:20:00.001-04:00

Whiskey Shivers - Gimme All Your Lovin'

You know, I could use a shirt like that. Also, there seems to be something amiss in the basement.

Lulzasaurus

2011-08-18T04:41:00.002-04:00

This still makes me laugh every damn time I see it. Enclicken to embiggen.

Your dress code said "Tie Required". It didn't say anything about a shirt. Or pants.

2011-08-17T06:58:00.000-04:00

The Escapist : The Big Picture : The Collar

Ever wonder why a lot of Hanna Barbera cartoon characters have a collar and tie, but no shirt? This is why.

Rumination Nation

2011-08-10T00:12:00.000-04:00

Some Deep Thoughts® from some reader submissions at Ruminations. People enter their pithy (or pissy) observations and everyone votes on the best ones. Here were some that made me giggle like a schoolgirl trapped in a nitrous factory:

"While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart. "

"I tend to think love would be a lot more efficient if Cupid replaced his bow and arrow with a sniper rifle. We need some accuracy up in this bitch."

"The supreme court is just like regular court except it has tomatoes and sour cream. This is correct?"

"I have a hard time believing there was a time in my life that I had to be coaxed to finish my entire plate of food."

"Wow! Its a beautiful day outside! I probably should do something productive, like get up and shut my blinds to stop the glare on my television set." (via Ned Hardy)

Send 'Em In

2011-08-02T19:52:00.000-04:00

Oh, that's a nice pic of... OH MY GOD

Roll your own nightmare fuel with the Evil Clown Face Generator

Tumbling in a World of Swirl

2011-07-25T06:59:00.000-04:00

Pas de Deux by Daniel Wurtzel uses just two pieces of fabric and a vortex of air to create a sensuous, hypnotic swirl. Also worth a look is his Fire Tornado. (via Miss Cellania)

Reminiscent of the plastic bag scene in 1999's American Beauty where Ricky (Wes Bentley), the odd neighbor boy, invites Jane (Thora Birch) to see "the most beautiful thing" he's ever filmed.

Beyond the Disco Ball of the Planet of the Apes

2011-07-22T00:25:00.000-04:00

Planet of the Apes Party Fun Time (via Miss Cellania)

The 2 Second Rule

2011-07-18T12:31:00.002-04:00

The rules are simple: I put the self-timer on 2 seconds, push the button and try to get as far from the camera as I can.

From the it's-nothing-if-not-specific Running From Camera blog.

This is Unix! I know this!

2011-07-17T15:28:00.000-04:00

Hollywood sometimes stretches the limits of our credulity, whether it's programming a virus that is able to interface, and infect, seamlessly with never-before-seen alien computer systems a la Independence Day, or, as Weird Science assures us, a couple of kids scanning in pictures from Playboy and hooking their computer up to a Barbie doll while wearing bras on their heads would create Kelly LeBrock.

Here are some of the more egregious examples of unrealistic computers in the movies.

From Hackers (1995), our hero Zero Cool hacks into a local cable TV station to wrest control of the robotic videotape mechanism so he can watch the movies he wants to watch. Wackiness ensues.

10 Unrealistic Uses of the Internet in Movies

14 Things You Never See Computers Do Except In Movies

By the way, you know the (in)famous scene in Swordfish where Hugh Jackman writes code like a maniac? Yeah, not so much in real life. In it there's about 7 monitors and he is wailing on that keyboard at like 900 words a minute, but he never seems to have any typos.

Cheer up, Novice Programmer! Now you too can impress your friends with your 1337 coding sk1llz with Hacker Typer. Open up Hacker Typer and just start banging on those keys with abandon! Hell, do a faceplant into the keyboard or have your cat walk across the keys, it doesn't matter. Up on the screen it will begin to type in perfect code, free of logical and syntactical errors.

Here's me Hacker Typing with my elbow:

Morning Jukebox

2011-07-08T06:04:00.002-04:00

In 1980, Utopia (Todd Rundgren's prog-rock band) put out the Deface The Music. The concept of the album was to pay homage to The Beatles.

The first track, "I Just Want to Touch You", was written by Rundgren for the movie Roadie soundtrack. It was rejected by the producers for fear of legal action because it sounded so much like the Beatles.

Veronica Lizzioncourse!

2011-07-07T18:27:00.003-04:00

NPR mainstay Car Talk has been around forever, and every show closes with credits to some of their extensive and oddly-named staff. Just a few below, and more (a lot more) at their site.

Director of Top Secret Strategy                  Donatello Nobatti
Conservative Political Commentator          Eileen Tudor-Wright
Head of Working Mother Support Group   Erasmus B. Dragon

What do mimes speak in Japan?

2011-07-04T09:49:00.000-04:00

Simple, stupid, very, very funny. Gamarjobat.

How to sound like you know what you're talking about

2011-07-04T01:48:00.000-04:00

The Names of 10 Fireworks Effects

Just add water! Actually, that's a terrible idea.

2011-07-04T00:43:00.001-04:00

Various alkali metals (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium) and how they react with water.

Protip: you do not want to make a cesium-and-water cocktail. (via Dark Roasted Blend)

Shh! Quiet! The ending is about to begin!

2011-06-28T23:53:00.000-04:00

15 Movies that Can Also Be Watched Backwards

Statue-pooping is only one of their many charms

2011-06-28T00:55:00.000-04:00

(via Daily Dawdle)

With all the counterfeits out there these days, a pigeon appraiser can never be too careful.

Perhaps you're thinking, "If you've seen one rat-with-wings, you've seen 'em all". Not so, my friend. Most definitely not so. Take a, uh... gander... at these finalists in the 2011 National Pigeon Association’s “Grand National” Pigeon Show. (via WowStrangeFun)

This is exactly how New York pigeons talk.

Ever wonder why pigeons bob their heads when they walk? Well, read this classic (1979) Straight Dope column and wonder no more!

President Thunder Thighs!

2011-06-25T17:16:00.000-04:00

The tip is fine, but I am a little concerned about how chubby Abe's legs are getting.

"I Am Going To Win A Million Dollars Today"

2011-06-20T12:50:00.000-04:00

If more people acted this way on this show (I actually didn't think Who Wants To be A Millionaire? was even on the air anymore!) instead of the usual hemming and hawing and agonizing over every single question, I would probably watch every day.

Watch as this contestant dominates the first part of the game.

A literal LOL from me when host Meredith Vieira comments on his rapid-fire answers which don't even allow her to read off the choices:

MEREDITH: Alan, did you write these questions?!
ALAN: No, but there are other people waiting to play the game and I want to give them a chance.

They ran out of time, but Alan was brought back for the following show. Part two below:

I'm High on Parenting!

2011-06-19T17:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day!

(via Woosk)

Soylent Brown Is People!

2011-06-17T18:26:00.000-04:00

Is this an actual thing?

Japanese scientists have worked out a way to make a beef substitute out of... wait for it... human excrement. That's poop to you and me, kids.

According to the work being done by scientist Mitsyuki Ikeda, "sewage mud" (gosh, isn't that term so much more appetizing than "feces"?!) contains a large amount of protein, and he has developed a way to extract this protein and form it into a sort of, uh, poopsteak.

The bacteria are killed off by heat during the manufacturing process, soy protein is added to enhance the flavor and red food coloring is added to give the end result a more reassuring pinkish hue.

I have seen a ton of stories on the interwebtubes this afternoon, but I am not entirely convinced that this isn't some kind of massive hoax. All the stories seem to a single report from Yahoo! News. I mean, the scientist's name is Ikeda. I-keeda. As in "I kid"? Hmmm....

Here's the video and the link to the original Yahoo! story, but, dare I say it, my bullshit detector is going off here.

Japan scientist synthesizes meat from human feces

111-Year-Old Hubba-Hubba

2011-06-12T00:05:00.001-04:00

Unknown subject in a circa 1900 photograph labeled simply "Thisbe". Pyramus and Thisbe are two characters from Roman mythology whose star-crossed love story sort of serves as a template for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet sixteen centuries later. Looks remarkably like a young Drew Barrymore. Click for the large version. (via Shorpy)

They may not have broken the mold when they made you...

2011-06-11T23:40:00.000-04:00

...but I think the camera may have been damaged. Some bizarre family/yearbook photos.

Kid? Or maybe Play? I always mix them up? (via the apparently now-defunct Bad Yearbook Photos)

Thinking of Me (via Awkward Family Photos)

I have kids. I have seen plenty of episodes of iCarly. I don't remember seeing the one where Spencer put on an unconvincing blonde wig, leather blouse, and fishnet gloves. Well, okay, actually, I think I have, but not where he then posed for yearbook a photo. (via Oddee)

Business in the front, party in the back, crazy in the eyes. (via Daily Dawdle)

Morning Jukebox

2011-06-11T07:06:00.005-04:00

I'm a sucker for a pop song with strings. Guess that's why I was a big ELO geek back in high school. Today we have a Pop/string two-fer, both from approximately the same time period.

Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't Over Til It's Over, released this as a single almost exactly 20 years ago, on June 6, 1991 from the album Mama Said. Lots of Philly Soul lushness and a killer bassline.

The Smithereens - "Too Much Passion" from Blow Up (1991)

A Series of Unfortunate Titles

2011-06-08T03:34:00.000-04:00

Despite the unfortunate title, Amazon reviewers really put their finger on something here.

"Gripping! You can feel the tension! You'll want to read it all in one sitting!" (via Oddee)

"You will love this book long time!" (via Awful Library Books)

I am so not doing the dishes tonight. (via Richard Wiseman)

Thoughts of a Rooster

2011-06-06T00:54:00.000-04:00

"Just play it cool, man, play it cool. You are so gonna pull this off!" (via Found Shit)

Morning Jukebox

2011-06-02T06:13:00.002-04:00

Nothing starts your day out like a hipster song about infanticide, amirite people? The Decemberists - "The Rake's Song" (live)

Morning Jukebox

2011-06-01T07:05:00.007-04:00

Supergrass - Alright

Using up 12 seconds of my 15 minutes of fame

2011-05-30T17:12:00.001-04:00

Grand Rapids Lipdub Project - "American Pie"

So, you know, last weekend I was in this. It was dreamed up by community organizer Rob Bliss as a response to a Newsweek article on "Dying Cities" that listed Grand Rapids.

The video, lipsynced to Don McLean's nine-minute opus "American Pie", was shot in one continuous take and involved shutting down a large portion of downtown GR for about 5 hours on a Sunday morning, featured various police, fire and news vehicles, a marching band, a high school football game, swing dancers, gymnasts, a giant pillow fight, a wedding, burning bridges and a whole lot more.

The weather was a little hot, and the downtime between takes was sometimes annoying, but from what I could see, everyone there was having a great time, and were just pretty jazzed to be a part of something that portrayed our city as the fun, positive city that I know it to be.

The video has been getting lots of media attention this past week, getting stories and mentions in NPR, NBC Nightly News, Adweek, Gawker, Roger Ebert's blog, an upcoming segment on The Today Show, tons and tons of online sites big and small, and, of course, Newsweek themselves, who walked back some of their "Dying City" claims by stating

... We're big fans (of the video), and are inspired by your love of the city you call home.

But so you know what was up with the list you're responding to, we want you to know it was done by a website called mainstreet.com—not by Newsweek (it was unfortunately picked up on the Newsweek web site as part of a content sharing deal)—and it uses a methodology that our current editorial team doesn't endorse and wouldn't have employed. It certainly doesn't reflect our view of Grand Rapids.

FWIW, my brief seconds of fame and glory can be witnessed in the pillow fight and rock concert crowds (2:15 and 2:57, respectively).

I Say, Jolly Good, By Harry!

2011-05-25T23:25:00.003-04:00

Up until a few days ago, I was quite unaware of a battle between rival rappers taking place across the pond. Maybe that's because the battle's being waged so... politely.

This war of words is a bit more (okay, a LOT more) gentlemanly than your typical hip-hop dissyfit dustup, because the rappers in question aren't strictly in the hip-hop camp, but rather a humorous offshoot called chap-hop, tea-sipping Victorian-style steampunks who would rather rap about their knowledge of cricket and maybe challenge the other guy to a bout of Queensbury Rules boxing.

The two with the beef are called Professor Elemental, clad in Victorian-explorer garb complete with pith helmet, and Mr. B. The Gentleman Rhymer, a bit more modern and dandy-ish, and an ever-present banjolele.

Check them out, good sir or madam! Pip pip!

Professor Elemental - Fighting Trousers

Mr. B. The Gentleman Rhymer - Chap-Hop History

I think I have a crush on Pantone Yellow 012C now

2011-05-20T17:35:00.000-04:00

How Ink Is Made

The photography and the music... an absolutely gorgeous look into the process for making, of all things, printing press ink.

I said SMILE, dammit! These are the best years of your life!!

2011-05-19T22:16:00.000-04:00

The Funnies: 1922 - Twenty-one little kids. All wearing hats decorated with characters from the funny papers. At Johnny's 11th birthday party. And they're mortified, every last one. You really need to view the large size to appreciate.

While you're there, check out the rest of Shorpy,assuming you don't mind losing track of the next couple of hours. Great stuff!

Makin' You a Sammich Post

2011-05-19T20:55:00.002-04:00

(Pics via Insanewiches and Xtraamazingpics)

Great Sandwich Moments in Cinematic History. If this doesn't become an Oscar category, I'm going to be very disappointed.

And I'd have to say that President Dave (at 1:29) did indeed make a tasty-looking sandwich. He could probably win a second term with just that sandwich as his running mate. (via The Dish)

Stiff as a board, Light as a feather...

2011-05-15T15:37:00.000-04:00

Planking is a fad that's taking Australia by storm, but catching on elsewhere, too. Goofy...

It's all fun and (board) games until someone gets hurt, and that appears to have happened after a 20 year-old man fell to his death from a seventh-storey Brisbane balcony while planking on the balcony railing. (via The Daily What)

Living on Planet Catalog

2011-05-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

Kids! Dinner! Last one to the table gets the tetanus stool!

From the ever-wry pages of Catalog Living, proving time after time that when it comes to the people inhabiting the pages of Pottery Barn, Plow & Hearth, et al., their cheese has done slid completely off their cracker.

Balloons!

2011-05-07T16:08:00.000-04:00

From the It's-The-Little-Touch-That-Means-So-Much Dep't.: Note the little balloons in the bottom right corner. Not quite sure this is exactly up to code.(via Guzer)

The Slo-Mo Guys tackle a 6-foot water balloon.(via Cynical-C)

Nena with a remake from 2009 of her one and only Stateside hit "99 Luftballoon" (99 Red Balloons), and listening to the new version, it's still got some air left in it. As for the video itself... Nena looking like she's in Second Life? Man, she really is retro!

Let the balloon-popping monkey in you out for some playtime with Bloons 2.

Something-amera

2011-05-01T22:42:00.001-04:00

Ben Heine has some playful works he calls Pencil vs. Camera

Japan didn't just make cheesy Godzilla movies in the 60s, you know. No, they also made cheesy movies starring a giant flying radioactive fire-breathing turtle named Gamera, too. Here's the trailer to the 1967 classic Gamera vs Gaos (a giant flying radioactive ~~fire-~~laser-breathing bat). Go, go, Gamera!

Step-by-step directions on how you can make your own pinhole camera out of a can of SPAM.

We Would So Be Amused

2011-04-28T01:12:00.001-04:00

I know the royal wedding is this week, but it wasn't something that really held any interest for me. That is, until I discovered that one of the invited guests is Rowan Atkinson, better known to most of us as Mr. Bean.

Hopefully this time around, meeting Tha Q-Dawg will go a bit better.

Mr Bean - Meeting Royalty

We've Got Big Balls

2011-04-26T23:21:00.000-04:00

In 1979 Atari released Hercules, one of the largest pinball machines in the world, standing 83 inches tall by 39 inches wide by 93 inches deep. It used a standard billiard cue ball instead of the traditional smaller steel pinball, and boasted over 18 square feet of playing surface.

I was quite the arcade rat at that time, and remember playing this. Sadly, the gargantuan game provided Lilliputian fun. The larger, heavier ball meant frustratingly slow gameplay compared to a traditional steel pinball, and the cue ball moved and felt like a shotput being heaved about as it lumbered from target to target. That coupled with the uninspired and overly-simplistic playing field made for a really, really dull game.

HERCULES

"Where the Fun Never ~~Ends!~~ Starts!"
(image via TheLongestListoftheLongestStuffattheLongestDomainNameatLongLast.com)

A speeding 500-pound rubberband ball versus car. Hint: don't bet on the car. (could have done with a bit of editing, so if you're the impatient type, jump to 1:56)

Just after Christmas last year, a Dayton, Ohio design company came out with the world's largest claw game called The Santa Claw. It allowed internet users to connect and control the 2000-pound robotic claw game as they tried to pick up giant balls filled with (mostly) small prizes that the company would ship to the lucky winners, free of charge.

It became wildly popular, with queues of 700 or more people, which meant minding their browser for 8+ hours waiting for a brief three-fingered grasp at destiny. Over 4,000 prizes were awarded, ranging from a set of those plastic chattering teeth to the complete Dokken collection on vinyl.

The game no longer awards real prizes, and crowds have since died away so there's probably no more than a few minutes waiting, but you can still play for fun at TheSantaClaw.com (via Destructoid)

AC/DC - Big Balls

"Man On The Street" Reporter Literally Laying There On The Street

2011-04-22T01:06:00.001-04:00

Compilation of Reporters Getting Owned - Watch more Funny Videos