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
http://freerice.com - Build your vocabulary skills and give poor people free rice for every question you get right. I am currently stuck between 36-38, although I have gotten the occasional 40!
Normally, I hate it when people dress up their dogs, but some of these are kind-of cute.
Costco has partnered with GreenSight to offer an easy trade-in program for gadgets and other electronics. Use the web-based calculator to determine the value of your product, send in the item (with free shipping for the moment), and once received you'll be sent a Costco gift card for the trade-in value. They'll even take CRT monitors, printers, and fax machines, although only to be recycled. (Presumably you have to take those into Costco or a GreenSight center; I can't see them paying for you to ship a monitor.) [Costco][via BingBoing]
Yep, I am still at work, and earlier this evening, we had a 5.6 earthquake which was enjoyed by the entire office (except one girl who freaked out and ran out of the building).
Howdy, all! I'm selling off a lot of my furniture and kitchen items in preparation for a move. Don't wait, or else some lucky fool on Craigslist will get it!
-Full-size IKEA "DALSEV" bed - $40 (original price: $99). Pictured. -Full-size IKEA "SULTAN HAMNO" innerspring mattress - NEW PRICE $120! (previously $150, original price: $349); this is their top of the line mattress. Medium firm. Pictured. -BUY BED & MATTRESS TOGETHER: $140 -IKEA beech lacquer nightstand - SOLD
-IKEA coffee table - $30. Pictured. -IKEA DVD shelving unit - $20. Pictured. -IKEA "BILLY" bookcase - red - $40. Pictured (beech one sold!) -IKEA "PELLO" armchair with matching footstool - $40 (originally $95). Pictured. -IKEA "OMAR" metal kitchen shelving unit - SOLD -IKEA wooden dining table - NEWLY ADDED - all purpose solid unfinished wood rectangle. $40 -IKEA kitchen island - NEWLY ADDED - has two wheels, well-oiled cutting board surface, two shelves - $40 (orig. 99)
-FREE (or nearly free) kitchen stuff: Too numerous to list here, so just ask. Lots of pots, pans, cooking- and bakeware, utensils, silverware, dishware, mugs, wine glasses, glasses, small appliances, pizza stone & peel, etc.
Interested? Call me! 510-387-2379. Cheers, Zak Nelson (aka "Ken Solanz")
Update on fires and RUFF! RUFF! RUFF! RUFF!
okay i said i would post a few pics
this was on the 21st, first i even saw or heard of the fire. this is looking west. at first i thought that what i was seeing here was the source of the fire, somewhere like laguna canyon since the wind usually comes from that direction but no. that was the smoke from the mountains being blown out to the ocean. i drove the 5 north that nite and ran into heavy smoke, saw the hills near tustin burning
this one was from the 22nd. it was taken from a hill close to the back of RSM looking north. that was the santiago fire, and at that point it was burning very close to coalee's parents home, and even closer to my friend cassie's home. i saw some pictures of how close it got to those neighborhoods and it was ridiculous. basically burned its way all around entire neighborhoods. this is the only decent nite shot i have. my skateboard is the tripod.
this one is from the 24th. you can see santiago peak and the smoke coming from down below. i think the fire was getting close to modjeska canyon at this point. now all the smoke in the sky that is taking up most of the pic was coming from either the camp pendleton fires or san diego, difficult to say. it all blends together after a while.
ugh the 25th. pic is same place as yesterday but you cant see too far. smoke everywhere, ash everywhere, the sun was red. after all this time the santiago fire was still at 30% containment. thats what they had been saying for days. i think that was the last day i posted about this, and things looked very down that morning. turned out that day or the next was the day everything turned around
so all in all, thats it. the fire is still going but they seem to have a better handle on it, 75% containment as of this morning. from where we are here its kinda hard to even tell its still burning apart from the occasional smell of smoke. some people lost their homes but it seems the ocfd did a good job for what they had to work with. this whole situation was fucked up from the beginning as they didn't have all the support they needed and many crews were already fighting fires in malibu and elsewhere. anyway the community came together and thats always good to see. now i need to get out there and make some sort of donation because like most OC residents im too lazy and important to donate my time.
and now about the RUFF! RUFF! RUFF! post i did back on the 3rd
the neighbors dog is still barking to no ones surprise, but the other morning i woke up to a different noise. COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO! yes. somehow they got their hands on a rooster. yes. a rooster! i thought it was one of their kids playing with, oh i dont know maybe a rooster like toy or something but nope! at this point all i can do is laugh, because really. A ROOSTER?! how funny is that? why its fucking hilarious! im actually laughing as i type this. i think this might be a sign its time to start thinking about moving again.
Time change, or lack of, keeps Halloween sky lit an hour longer
Apple (AAPL) just released OS X 10.5 Leopard, but a team of programmers has already figured out how to install the new operating system on off-the-shelf Intel PCs. See DailyApps‘ tutorial here for step-by-step instructions.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Re: Puscifer - Queen B
WTF?
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Puscifer - Queen B
The New Project from Maynard of Tool
You can listen to more tracks on the website: puscifer.com
Friday, October 26, 2007
Scientists Create Lesbian Worms
Scientists in Utah have turned a straight worm gay.
"TSA Breaks Your Laptop, Threatens You With Arrest"
"Reader Jake says a TSA agent dropped his laptop, smashing it in several places, then threatened him with arrest when he asked about filing a damage claim."
Stephen Colbert for President!? Poll shows 13% of America says 'Yes!'
In a Rasmussen Report telephone survey, results showed that in a race versus Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hilary Clinton, comedian Stephen Colbert would receive 13% of all votes, this just a week after Colbert's maybe/sort of/probably fake announcement of his candidacy for President.
Apparently they are doing a free screening of the first episode of the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica on the big screen. More info is here.
Cosmetic surgeon will point your ears?
A Dr. Lajos Nagy claims that his cosmetic surgery technique of pointing ears Spock-style can actually "improve the experience of listening to music." [more]
And you can look like Spok. Or an Elf. And be pointed and laughed at for the rest of your life.
Mad Max 4 Revving Up?
Moviehole.net reported that the production office for a proposed fourth Mad Max movie has reopened at Fox Studios in Sydney, fueling expectations that the sequel may have some life yet.
The film, reportedly subtitled Fury Road, is supposedly auditioning animation effects houses, the site said.
It's not known whether the film will be shot in Australia or in Nambia as originally planned. It's not expected that Mel Gibson will reprise one of his most iconic roles, but rather that a newer, younger actor will be cast. [via]
Neil Gaiman Discusses the (H.P. Lovecraft) Necronomicon
Human race will 'Split into Two different species'
The human race will one day split into two separate species, an attractive, intelligent ruling elite and an underclass of dim-witted, ugly goblin-like creatures, according to a top scientist.
already artists are following suit. trent has been working with saul on his new album for a while now, and they decided to release it for free or $5, again your choice. go register to download. it comes out november 1st. saul williams pwns your face. even if you dont like the hippity hops much, check it out. spread the word
http://niggytardust.com/
http://nin.com/
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
James Lipton, Pimp.
I shit you not. Dude is awesome.
more fire
just woke up, smoke everywhere. going to need to look for a mask to wear to work. last night went to a friends house in RSM and climbed up one of the tallest hills in the city. had a good view of the santiago fire which we sorta expected, but looking south we saw another one 20-50 miles away. i thought it was fallbrook but checking the news this morning i guess its a new fire at camp pendleton. we were far away from that thing but it looked like a really mean fire. anyway the 5 freeway is fucking CLOSED both directions at san onofre, trains arent running that way either.
only a few houses lost in the santiago fire sofar, coalee's parents neighborhood is safe but it was getting close for a while. another friend lives even closer to the burn, the pics on her myspace page are really scary. its still at 30% containment, hopefully that will change for the better soon. the santa ana winds seem to have stopped, which should make fighting the fires a little easier. then again if the on shore winds pick up it could blow the fire up saddleback mountain.
fire bad
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYLE!!!!
way to be born, dude.
Monday, October 22, 2007
socal fires
i told nool i'd post a little about the fires and maybe some pics for those of you who have friends and family in the area. not much i can say at this point that isnt in the news already. every region seems to have its own fire (9 at last count), its hot out, its very windy, and we havent had decent rain in like two years or something. looks like the fire dept. is keeping most of the fires away from homes, at least in the oc area.
theyre saying the fire in oc started on santiago canyon road just southeast from irvine lake, and they think its arson because they found like 3 areas there where it started. i think its the only fire sofar that is on the way to being contained, something like 30% right now, but with the wind its kinda scarey
last night i could see the fire from the el toro Y burning up in the hills of tustin. today everything is just grey nastyness, not much visibility. smoke and ash everywhere. not too bad at my house, and still not as bad as the 2003 fires when the sky was red
as for san diego and LA, check the news. i guess SD is evacuating 250,000 people, so if you have family down there you might want to call them, but dont be surprised if you cant get through. im sure the lines are tied up bad.
anyway ill post some pics later if i can get any decent ones. sofar its just a hazy gray mess, kinda how my brain feels after inhaling this stuff all day
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Hi from the top of the empire state building!
Friday, October 19, 2007
We got this email today
Subject: Our dog thinks your tray tables are the most comfortable in the business!
Note to self: Do not use pillows aboard VA.
Speaking of, Esther, Chris and I are off to New York for the weekend to enjoy the cheap tickets we were offered. CP and I will be back Monday. I hope you all have a good weekend!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
OMFG:THE NEW SINGAPORE AIRLINES SUITES
Dude. Check out the new suites on Singapore airlines. You can click Seat Features for more on it, but I recommend the virtual tour. Holy awesome flight batman! That looks awesome. Too bad round trip from SFO will be upwards of 20-25k.
That's my "i work for an airline" geekiness for today.
Pumpkin Patching: Endorsement
So, since the wife and the boyfriend and I are going to NYC this weekend, Chris and I decided to go pumpkin patching last weekend to prep for PP2K7. We got shut out of Monterey thanks to self preservation instincts (could have dies on the 92 to half moon bay that day) and ended up trying two new patches.
Both are worth mentioning if you are in the marekt: on 580, just south of 680, there's Moore, pumpkin patch, which is cute, has great pumpkins and decent prices.
BUT! If you can stomach the drive to Morgan Hill, get down there. This place is the shiznoz. Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Patch.
They have a train for the kiddies taht is more elaborate than I have ever seen, TONS of pumpkins, food, games, a haunted corn maze, a gift shop and even a pumpkin pyramid. It is AWESOME. I would say that it is equal to, if not better, than going to half moon bay. And don't take my word for it. Here's another person that loves it! The best thing about it is that th traffic does not make you wan to hang yourself.
True story, I was happy. My girlfriend and I had been dating for over a year, and so we decided to get married.
My parents helped us in every way, my friends encouraged me, and my girlfriend? She was a dream!
There was only one thing bothering me, very much indeed, and that one thing was her younger sister.
My prospective sister-in-law was twenty years of age, wore tight mini skirts and low cut blouses. She would regularly bend down when near me and I got many a pleasant view of her underwear.
It had to be deliberate. She never did it when she was near anyone else. One day little sister called and asked me to come over to check the wedding invitations. She was alone when I arrived.
She whispered to me that soon I was to be married, and she had feelings and desires for me that she couldn't overcome and didn't really want to overcome. She told me that she wanted to make love to me just once before I got married and committed my life to her sister.
I was in total shock and couldn't say a word. She said, "I'm going upstairs to my bedroom, and if you want to go ahead with it just come up and get me."
I was stunned. I was frozen in shock as I watched her go up the stairs. When she reached the top she pulled down her panties and threw them down the stairs at me.
I stood there for a moment, then turned and went straight to the front door.
I opened the door and stepped out of the house. I walked straight towards my car.
My future father-in-law was standing outside.
With tears in his eyes he hugged me and said, "We are very happy that you have passed our little test.
We couldn't ask for a better man for our daughter. Welcome to the family.
The moral of this story is: "Always keep your condoms in your car"
Order Zak's holiday greeting cards!
Hi folks! I've designed a greeting card that you can buy now! Take care of your holiday well-wishing with a sassy card from Zak Nelson Design! Woohoo!
Here's the front:The interior reads: "...or at least be cute about it." (Note that the type is a placeholder font and will change).
Cards are 4.25 x 5.5 inches, and come with white envelopes in sets of 20 or 10.
20 cards = $40 10 cards = $20
You can pay by personal check, cash, or Pay Pal. Shipping is an extra $4.60, but if you're at the Pumpkin Party I can probably just hand them off there.
Email me at zak@tentacle.net with your name, address, phone number, and quantity. Please keep orders to multiples of 10. Sorry, no disconts this time around for big orders (it's cheap as it is!). Cheers!
I think the best way to convince people to do responsible things for the planet is to tell them how they can do stuff that will directly benefit them. Here. Now.
Here's my recommendation: 41 lbs. This service goes through the people who send you junk mail and tells them to cease and desist. It should reduce the amount of junk mail you get by about 90%. It lasts 5 years, you can put multiple names into their database, it follows you if you move and a percentage of the ($41) fee goes to a charity of your choice. You can let them know what catalogs and magazines you *do* want and they work to let those get through.
I got this for Esther for her birthday and she says that it is already working.
It's good for you, it's good for your mailman's back, and it's great for the environment. You can give gift certificates for this and it seems like a great thing to give people for Christmas as well.
This post is part of:
Friday, October 12, 2007
Brother Al's having a good year
To all of Al's nay-sayers: Suck on his Emmy, his Oscar, and his Nobel Peace Prize.
Dude is having a good year. Good for him. After getting dicked out of a presidency after winning the popular vote, the dude deserves some props.
Ok, so we have sound bites (meh) and B-Roll (way better) on the right side of the Vegas inaugural which was yesterday.
Our marketings director got married by Branson on the plane, Branson repelled off the side of the Wynn (bouncing off the side of the building), Carmen Electra, the chicks from the Hills, and Penn and Teller were notable people there. [.....yeah.....]
Some pretty cool pictures of single moments. [check it]
SimCity adds global warming to the mix
SimCity Societies -- the forthcoming installment in the classic urban simulation franchise -- will include a global warming variable. If your SimSocieties aren't carefully balanced, they'll swamp their environments with greenhouse gasses and die off. [ummmmm.... wow.]
RE: Ann Coulter: "Take Away Women’s Right To Vote"
i hear shes also down with the black white supremacists and log cabin republicans
Space Toilet
RE: Ann Coulter: "Take Away Women’s Right To Vote"
I believe it was Rufus (Chris Rock) from the movie Dogma that said:
I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier. Life should malleable and progressive; working from idea to idea permits that. Beliefs anchor you to certain points and limit growth; new ideas can't generate. Life becomes stagnant.
Personally, I think it's just sad that people have these thoughts in their heads. How can you justify protecting America by taking away the very thing that makes this country (the right to be heard) from over 1/2 the population? She wants to annihilate the democratic party? Why? What is she scared of? That we may have a point? If it was really so wrong, they system would not allow it to be a major player for so long.
Anyway, whatever. I don't think she's stupid. I think she's ignorant, which is different. I also think the system was made to let people like her speak their mind, which allows all of the rest of us to shake our heads and say "how sad".
I also think she needs a hug.
RE: Ann Coulter: "Take Away Women’s Right To Vote"
Ms. Coulter (and those who disagree with her) may need a reminder:
Democracy protects stupidity in large numbers.
This is not a bug, it is a feature.
RE: Ann Coulter: "Take Away Women’s Right To Vote"
Of course Ann Coulter doesn't want women to vote. It wouldn't affect "her." I didn't think that skeletons had the right to vote anyway. Well, maybe in Chicago.
RE: Ann Coulter: "Take Away Women’s Right To Vote"
This is what happens when people believe that they are right ... without question ... without doubt.
It's far easier to dismiss issues that you don't understand as stupid, than it is to dig in and understand the reasons why there are people who disagree with you.
Absolute Certainty is a dangerous thing.
Don't let this happen to you.
Saturday, October 06, 2007
Indian Superman!
Friday, October 05, 2007
RE: Ann Coulter: "Take Away Women’s Right To Vote"
Well, that explains her adam's apple.
Ann Coulter: "Take Away Women’s Right To Vote"
"If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about another Democrat president. It’s kind of a pipe dream, it’s a personal fantasy of mine, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women."
do you have dogs? my neighbors have dogs. i've had quite a few neighbors at one particular house, and all of them have had dogs. they also have had issues with keeping them quiet.
i have been listening to my neighbors dog for about 20 mins now. it barks about two times per second, with little to no breaks. when there is a break its only for about 2 seconds so im not even going to count that. last week it did this for well over an hour non stop. i made an equation to help explain
x = barks per second y = duration of barking z = me pulling out hair
so 2 x 60 = 120 barks per min
so lets take that and multiply it by the minutes, lets say about 80
120 x 80 = 9600 barks in a little less than an hour and a half
i guess the point im trying to make here is even if it doesnt bother you, and even if you can tune it out, it doesnt mean your neighbors have the same amazing ability. you should try to respect your neighbors a bit by telling your dog to stfu after oh lets say 5-10 mins. i mean yea, dogs are dogs, they do bark and they should be allowed to up to a point, they are cool and sweet and all that crap, but WHAT THE FUCK PEOPLE? CAN YOU NOT HEAR YOUR FUCKING DOG LESS THAN 20 FEET AWAY FROM YOU BARKING NON STOP FOR HOURS ON END?
we have spoken to neighbors before and we have always been very nice about it. i like my neighbors (at least the ones with the dogs, they really are cool people). it helps for maybe a week or two then its back to BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK. i know we can also call animal control and complain to them, but thats kinda lame in my opinion and its fucked up to take an animal away for such a silly thing. then you think about the animal winding up at the pound or being put to sleep or possibly having its voice box ripped out, none of that is cool, so what can you do really. i suppose we can ask them again, but we all know its not going to do much in the long run.
i guess the point im trying to make is if you have doggys (yes not doggies) and they bark excessively, please make them stop. take them for a walk or play ball with them, maybe teach them a trick, do SOMETHING! but please dont just ignore them, because we cant. thanks
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
RE:Stand with the Burmese Protestors
I signed. This crap makes me want to cry. I can;t believe that we get lied to and rush into Iraq to spend billions, but we sit and do nothing about this. WTF?
HOLY CRAP: Ex-cop gives advice on how not to get busted with your stash in your car.
Wow. Good to know, I suppose.
Arctic ice island breaks in half
The giant Ayles Ice Island drifting off Canada's northern shores has broken in two - far earlier than expected.
I’m only now learning habits that I wish I had when I was entering adulthood. I think I’m not alone here, but if I had these habits when I was young, I’d be pretty well off now.
So the two non-myths the article implies are that:
1. Marijuana makes you fat.
2. Marijuana is why Jamestown initially failed.
(humor intended)
Top 10 Marijuana Myths
As we grow up, we're lead to believe certain things whether they're taught to us or they're implied by the people we're around… many of these things are true, but some simply aren't. Please note that the intent of this article is not to advocate the use of drugs but to assail the use of misinformation. Without further delay, here is my top 10.
Also of note is the "why is it illegal" article it links to.
I mostly find it fascinating that people still think that the old MJ is so horrible but they continually encourage people to drink. Anyone who has been to a concert or a ball game recently should have some indication that while smoking some weed makes you chill out and enjoy things, all that drinking seems to do is make people turn into loud, obnoxious assholes at the cost of everyone around them that is not drunk. */commentary*
The interior reads: "...or at least be cute about it." (Note that the type is a placeholder font and will change).
