Freaking Which Is IT???

Screenshot of Google News taken at 2:16pm.

And Now... Telepathic Cyborg Monkeys!!!

Great. Another thing to worry about.

It seems that a monkey at Pittsburgh University has been able to control a robotic arm using only its mind. As if a future of talking apes taking over the world wasn't scary enough - now we have to be wary of EVERY monkey.

Next time you go to the zoo or to the circus or watch an episode of Friends season 2, beware! Is that monkey down there looking at me? Is he reading my mind? Is he probing for a weakness? Is he... BLAM! That's when he uses his robotic cyborg monkey arm to whip out a frickin' laser and fry your brain.

Stupid monkeys.

Anyone know where I can buy a roller-skating baby?

It's thursday, and you know what that means?

WRONG!

It's roller-skating baby time!



...and check out the "making of" video:

People are finally starting to realize what a mistake we made.

from Rassmussen.

Procter & Gamble Manages to Piss Off the Entire Production Community

Procter & Gamble, in an effort to save money and streamline its production timeline instituted a "Preferred Vendor" program, forcing its companies and agencies to use a set of around 30 production facilities, rather than the 125 or so that they used last year. And they want deep discounts, naturally, with no guarantee that just because a production house is preferred vendor that they'll see any work at all.

The entire production and creative community is up in arms over the policy. The quote that sums up the whole situation is this, from an unnamed producer:

"If Nike calls me up, which probably does one-tenth the advertising of P&G, I'm more likely to give Nike a deal despite the lower volume because they do better work," says one production company exec. "I don't sell products, I sell directors. So my product's only viable if they do good work. Why am I going to give someone a deal for work that's not going to do anything for my reel or my brand? It would just be for the money, and if it's just for the money, why am I giving them a big discount?"

Exactly.

via Creativity Magazine.

Jacko the Wacko

Great article in the Detroit Free Press on just how weird Michael Jackson was, and how strange it is that so many people are falling all over themselves to praise him as some sort of saint.

"Michael Jackson left this world three days ago. But he hadn't been living in it for a long time.

In fact, it's hard to think of a celebrity who had less to do with the real world than Jackson. In the real world, you don't have pet llamas or roller coasters in your backyard. In the real world, if you're $400 million in debt, people aren't still lending you money. In the real world, you don't buy human bones, wear lipstick as a man or sleep with other people's children in your bedroom."

That's two articles in a row from the Free Press, for those who are counting. Thanks to Matt for passing it along.

Bubba's Bar & Grill

Check out this new cooking site from Neil Peart. Yes, that Neil Peart.

It's Bubba's Bar & Grill, and its all about the kind of cooking I love: fresh and simple. It seems we have very similar culinary tastes. I would have chosen a salmon recipe as one of my first, also.

Michael Jackson and Mass Hysteria

An interesting letter from the Detroit Free Press:

28 June 2009

Editor, Detroit Free Press

Dear Editor:

Mitch Albom is correct that "We're wacko in how we view Jacko" (June 28). But not all of us are wacko. I, for one, am no more touched by Mr. Jackson's death than I am by the death of any of the thousands of other Americans who died last week, all of whom - like Mr. Jackson - are strangers to me and to the vast majority of people now so self-indulgently and flamboyantly grieving for a man they never met.

Americans' proclivity to mass hysteria causes me to want government to have as little power as possible. I neither can nor wish to stop other persons from doing with their lives as they wish. But I also damn sure despise the fact that, through their votes, so many persons prone to such childish sentiments and displays have a say in how I lead my life.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux

Thanks to Matt for passing it along.

What time is it???

I have a confession to make. I like the Spin Doctors.

I KNOW it's not cool in 2009 to like the Spin Doctors. They kinda went out of style somewhere around 1994. But I'm sitting here working and a Spin Doctors song randomly played from my iTunes library, and I can't help but jam a little.

And it's not the first time, either. I do it once a week or so.

So there. Suck it.

Hitler's subtitler gets a cheap font CD

Hilarious.

Steve McNair found dead

I hate to see this. Steve McNair seemed like one of those old school athletes who was a professional and played with a lot of heart every outing. Even though he's a Titan (the former Oilers), I found myself cheering for him when I could.

My sophomore year in college, McNair was up for the Heisman trophy when Alcorn State played Sam Houston State. It was a big deal because the game was televised, and back then Sam Houston NEVER got to be on TV. My buddies and I painted ourselves up, shirtless, and called ourselves the "barekats" for the game.

McNair came in and played an incredible game. The Bearkats ended up winning the game, but it was really special getting to watch someone play whom you could tell had a gift. It was obvious that he was going to go on to play in the NFL, and he ended up having a pretty good career in Tennessee and later Baltimore.

Thanks for the memories, Steve.

Steve Perkins, You're an A-hole.

The most recent jump in oil prices can be attributed to one man - a British man and oil speculator named Steve Perkins.

Is it me, or is there a problem when one person can affect the entire market in such a way? It's bad enough that oil speculators (and not genuine market forces) primarily caused the kind of prices we all saw at the pump last year, but we're in the middle of watching it happen again. In slow motion.

via Financial Times.