Alice laughed: "There's no use trying," she said; "one can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ~ Lewis Carroll from Alice in Wonderland
Paramount Ballroom in Oakland 12/7 or 8 (we'll see what we can get) I prefer 12/7 as Christmas parties start that weekend and are usually on Saturday.
Ticket on Sale Sunday morning - let me know if you want one...
Aurigid Meteor Shower Peaks Saturday Morning
That moment (4:37 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time) favors the far-western parts of the United States, where the constellation Auriga will be about two-thirds up in the northeast sky around the time morning twilight begins. If you live in Portland, San Francisco or Los Angeles, you'll be in perfect position to view the meteors. [click]
Kako Ueda
Check out this artist's portfolio - she can do amazing things with cut paper...
How A Real President Handled Katrina... In 1965
On The Evening Of Sept. 9, 1965, Hurricane Betsy, A Category 4 Storm, Roared Into Louisiana With Winds Of Up To 160 Miles Per Hour. The Next Day, President Lyndon Johnson Was On The Streets Of New Orleans With His Secret Service Agents Giving Out Water. [more] [via]
Thursday, August 30, 2007
The Wachowski brothers are no more!
Mostly because Larry became Linda or Lana or whatever... [more]
German magazine Capital is reporting (google translation) that talks between Apple and Volkswagen are in an early stage for a so-called "iCar".
According to a Volkswagen company spokesperson, the two company heads held talks a few days ago in California on more heavily incorporating Apple products in Volkswagen's compact cars.
Apple already has a dedicated page for the integration of its iPod products into automobiles. Recently, Apple has worked with BMW for iPhone integration in 7-series models.
Note: The term "iCar" is said to be a preliminary designation for the project, much in the way that the AppleTV was first designated "iTV". [via]
Guitar Hero III for Wii Hands-on
Metallica, AFI, Guns 'n Roses... even the Beastie Boys... and check out the guitar :-) [rock me]
BioShock creator Ken Levine pulled his whole career out of his ass. [more]
He sends props to the Simms folks ;-)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WENDY!!!!!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Unicorns are real: the bible says so (Job 39: 9-12)
Based on the idea of 'if it's in the Bible, it must be true', The Unicorn Museum promotes belief in the Biblical Truth of unicorns, a creature mentioned nine times in the KJV Bible. [wow.... just wow]
(This website has been published as an act of protest by the Brotherhood of Fantasy Creatures (MiddleEarth Div.157) in response to the injurious actions of the Creation Museum.)
The worst threat to America is our own Debt
At least David Walker thinks so. He's the US comptroller General. He's gone far enough as to say that the survival of the Republic is at stake.
OMFG: Check out Chris's pictures of lunar eclipse!
Okay, let me back up and do this very slowly so you get this: You turn in data. I put it on paper, send to printer. Printer say ten days. You whine like beyotch and drag feet. I scream. I drag info from you slowly and painfully like back alley abortion. After i send to printer you try to change info.
NO. BAD.
Don’t make me have to kill you, man. Proof does NOT mean “Last chance to change everything.” Proof means “last chance to fix the one error 400 people missed.”
Hey everyone, in case you haven't checked it out recently, come see my new blog at http://thesnackies.blogspot.com. I just added a few new drawings, so I'm averaging about one a week (hey, it takes time to draw and color these things).
THE SNACKIES is a visual storytelling blog. Kind of like a picture book, where I create a character and follow him or her on a story. Right now, you can read the story of Fergus the Plumpkin, wherein Fergus mistakes a ransom note for a kind offer of flowers.
If you like it, subscribe to the feed, and share it with friends and coworkers! And please, send comments and feedback ("pretty whispers"). Then you can say you knew me when...
Cheers, Zak Nelson (aka Ken Solanz)
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Myers Briggs
So I went to find one of these tests to take. I found one and I appear to be eNFj - Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging. Here's the analysis.
anyone who remembers wizards and warriors for NES can explain
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us
For those of you who have not seen this, this video is very cool. I have a soapbox about web 2.0. It is a bullshit buzzword. Web 2.0 is the way the web should have been from the beginning. At least, it is everything I imagined it to be. Calling it 2.0 implies a finite distinction, stage, or a "release"; whereas I think of it more as a living, breathing, evolving thing. Despite my hatred for the phrase, I think this video is worth a look...
Is a perfect invisible cloak theoretically possible? Are there certain wavelengths—such as those in the visible spectrum—that can’t be made invisible? How will using imperfect materials affect the performance of a cloak? Scientists from Zhejiang University and MIT have recently analyzed the physics behind invisibility cloaks in an attempt to answer some of these questions. [more]
There's a Romulan joke in here somewhere...
Missed the TED conferences? Watch it on iTunes for free
Each year, the TED conference brings together a bunch of extraordinary, sometimes controversial, people to talk about technology, entertainment, and design. Past speakers have included Bill Gates, Frank Gehry, Jane Goodall, Herbie Hancock, Peter Gabriel, and Larry Ellison.
If you missed past conferences or need a recap, you can now download the best of TED for free on iTunes music store. Each week, TED will release a new talk in both video and audio formats to watch or download. With iTunes, you can subscribe to the series and have new talks automatically downloaded. [more]
Ten minutes of sun 'could stop 30,000 cases of cancer', researchers say
Ok look, 1st it's "Don't go out in the sun. It will cause you cancer. " Now it's "you have to go out in the sun or you may get cancer."
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- People across the western United States will have the best opportunity early Aug. 28 to witness the longest lunar eclipse in seven years. [more]
Japan eyes new generation of network technology to replace Internet
Japanese communications minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday that Japan will start research and development on technology for a new generation of network that would replace the Internet, eyeing bringing the technology into commercial use in 2020. [more]
This will totally lead to my iHole chip implant in my brain... I just know it.
Leo DiCaprio Takes Up Where Al Gore Left Off in New '11th Hour' Environmental Documentary
Three-time Academy Award-nominated movie star Leonardo DiCaprio and his filmmaking partners, Nadia Conners and Leila Conners Petersen, have done us a great favor. They have assembled an incredible array of passion and brainpower in their stirring documentary, The 11th Hour, to teach us just about every thing we need to know about the fate of planet Earth -- how bad things are, and what we can do to reverse the effects of humanity's rapid devastation of this planet. [more]
Direct quote from the just published REAGAN DIARIES.
The entry is dated May 17, 1986.
'A moment I've been dreading. George brought his ne're-do-well son around this morning and asked me to find the kid a job. Not the political one who lives in Florida. The one who hangs around here all the time looking shiftless. This so-called kid is already almost 40 and has never had a real job. Maybe I'll call Kinsley over at The New Republic and see if they'll hire him as a contributing editor or something. That looks like easy work.' [via]
re: You Just Might Be A Pirate
Sir Henry Morgan (a privateer, or legal pirate), born in 1635 in Glamorgan, Wales, who went on to rule Jamaica.
I am related to this dude. My Grandfather, who spends really freakish amounts of time tracking the family history back to like 1040, has traced the Morgan line through that guy.
This explains my demeanor. It's genetic, matey. Now I am looking for the ninja blood line....
You Just Might Be A Pirate
An article on famous pirates indicates that certain surnames might indicate a pirate heritage. No word on Ninjas. Appearently there was a "Calico Jack" Rackham, who was known for his flamboyant dress and had female pirates aboard his ship. Sounds oddly familiar. [article]
LEAKED! The Dark Knight stills! *19 photos* Add as My Number One
WB can not be happy about this one! Just moments ago, 19 still photos from The Dark Knight were leaked! Here are all 19! Damn this movie is going to be AWESOME! [Digg]
Physicists Discover Inorganic Dust With Lifelike Qualities
Science Daily — Could extraterrestrial life be made of corkscrew-shaped particles of interstellar dust? Intriguing new evidence of life-like structures that form from inorganic substances in space have been revealed in the New Journal of Physics. The findings hint at the possibility that life beyond earth may not necessarily use carbon-based molecules as its building blocks. They also point to a possible new explanation for the origin of life on earth. [more]
27 iPod Ads on Video With Lyrics
A complete list of all 27 iPod ads with Video and Lyrics. Enjoy.
speaking of waiting in line, here is the most important note I can ever give my fellow fans: Take a fucking shower every day. If you get hot and sweaty in your costume (excuse me, uh, “uniform”) and it’s stinky, guess what? You don’t get to wear it until you’ve had it cleaned. If we can see the stink lines coming off of you when you walk into the con, we shouldn’t have to endure standing next to you for two hours while we wait in an autograph line.
Astronomers using a NASA space telescope, the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, have spotted an amazingly long comet-like tail behind a star streaking through space. The star, named Mira after the Latin word for "wonderful," has been a favorite of astronomers for about 400 years, yet this is the first time the tail has been seen. [more]
oy.
According to the Treasury Department, from 1776-2000, the first 224 years of U.S. history, 42 U.S. presidents borrowed a combined $1.01 trillion from foreign governments and financial institutions, but in the past four years alone, the Bush administration borrowed $1.05 trillion. [more]
A MAN who lived in his own “zoo” of lizards and insects was fatally bitten by a pet black widow spider — then eaten by the other creepy-crawlies.
Police broke in to Mark Voegel’s apartment to find spider Bettina along with 200 others, several snakes, a gecko lizard called Helmut and several thousand termites had gorged on his body. [more]
your review shows me only that you dont understand anything about movies and that you are a untalented wanna bee filmmaker with no balls and no understanding what POSTAL is. you dont see courage because you are nothing. and no go to your mum and fuck her ...because she cooks for you now since 30 years ..so she deserves it. people like you are the reason that independent movies have no chance anymore. uwe boll
3. Hilarity ensues -- even Uwe's publicist gets in on the act.
...
5. Profit!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Move Over “Transformers” Here Comes “Voltron”!
We’ve already seen “Transformers” rise to the top of the box office charts this year, now it’s time for Voltron to morph into the movie world.
“Voltron: Defender of the Universe” is currently being made into a feature action film by New Regency, who is also working with the Mark Gordon Co..
You can almost guarantee that this ’80s cartoon will be a sure hit once it opens on the big screen. No fixed release date has been set yet, but look for it in 2008 according to IMDB. [via]
Hi there, I got some VIP tickets to the Treasure Island Festival for Saturday 9/15. I still have a couple left. The headlining act is Thievery Corporation who were really outstanding when we saw them in San Diego last year. If anyone is interested in these tickets. Please let me know.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Glass Solid or Liquid
IMO, glass is a solid. Just a solid with no crystaline structure. If you try to stick a piece of glass in a bowl it doesn't form to fit the bowl. :P
Y'know, I'd love to do a HUge post about the flight itself, but Xeni from Boing Boing and Artur Burgman from O'Reilly Radar did a better job than I would. They were both on my flight, and I chatted with both of them and they were lovely people. Xeni is particularly interesting, and has bitchin' sunglasses!
Other than the flight, the inaugural party was badass at the airport, with dancing old ladies, cheerleaders, and crazy balloons all over the place (pictures coming soon). The Ruby Skye party was very cool, and I got to see a bunch of pretty interesting people be pretty interesting all night. The morning party before the flight was mellow, and I got to hang out with Alex from Diggnation all morning, who is a very chill dude.
Ummmmm, I am *really sleepy and worn out so I'm gonna leave it there and say "that was pretty damn cool." and, as Xeni said in her post "Virgin America pwns." Noob.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
I just got smootched by Richard Branson
That was also wierd.
Sent from my iPhone
Tim o'reiley just handed me a moon pie
That was wierd.
Sent from my iPhone
RE: Aboard virgin America flight 001
OMG OMG .. You met Nicole Ritchie .. OMG OMG .. !!
Re: Aboard virgin America flight 001
Awesome! Tell Nicole that her and Paris are stuuuuuupid.
Aboard virgin America flight 001
On the flight with a really wierd group of people. Including nicole ritchie. I keep wanting to go up to her and be all "you seem mostly useless, but your dad is totally the shit!" I am thinking that would not go over well. I actually talked to her for a few, she seems very nice although I got a picture of her with a mimosa, and she's supposedly preggers... Huh. Anyway, more when I land!!
VA quote of the day..
Glenn the camera dude: "Ever been hit in the head by a bagel?"
Airline introduces triple bunk beds in economy [WTF]
Monday, August 06, 2007
You know what is awesome?
There's this moment, almost daily, where the conversation at VA gets to a point where Alex puts his head down and sullenly and fearfully says "ooooooooooooooohhhh dear mother of god."
...and links to other Joss related stuff at the bottom. In case you were not at SDCC, this will fill you in. I am most excited about Ripper, because I like the Head :-)
Buffy the vampire slayer actress turned down Stardust role..
Actress SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR turned down a lead role in STARDUST - because she didn't want to be apart from husband FREDDIE PRINZE JR.
The Buffy The Vampire Slayer star married Prinze Jr. in 2002 and the couple made a vow to avoid conflicting work schedules so they could spend more time together. But the promise meant Gellar missed out on a part in the new fantasy adventure movie starring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer - because the film was being shot in Scotland when Prinze Jr. was filming in the U.S.
She explains, "I turned it down because it was Freddie's turn in New York. I would have loved to have done it - are you kidding? But it was Freddie's turn." [via]
WTF? I, personally, am *so* much happier that it went to Clair Danes. She's a better actress by far and I think perfect for that role. (Normally, I HATE Clair Danes, so that is saying something)
Ok, so, empire building, why do it? The rich really only get richer, and the poor don't benefit at all. So Chris (work Chris) comes up with this theory that you are dude A in England. Your weather sucks, your women are ugly, and your food is disgusting. What do you do? You go conquer so you can get better food, more attractive women, and nicer weather. Makes sense to me. Also explains why the French don't fight very hard before they go back home. They already have everything they need...
