Monday, July 30, 2007

List of 50 best movie robots of all time, with video

List of 50 best movie robots of all time, with video: "Xeni Jardin:




The guys at Times Online (UK) have compiled a list of the 50 coolest movie robots, measured with the following factors in mind:


  • Plausibility (meaning how likely it would be that, with advances on currently existing technology, such a device could be built)

  • Coolness (just how well designed, shiny or generally well-appointed the robot appeared to be)

  • Dangerousness (scoring not only on built-in weaponry, but the robot's eagerness to use it)
    Related Links

  • Comedy Value (how effective the robot is at providing light relief in the film in which it appears)



  • Link
    to list, which includes lots of video clips -- this is a fun, obsessively assembled homage. (thanks, Mikey)


    Reader comment: Mark Christian says,




    Heya. If you feed that link into Chime.TV, you can watch all the video clips in one go. :) Link.

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Wednesday, July 25, 2007

    Vintage Planned Parenthood issue of Spider-Man comic

    and who said comix are evil

    Vintage Planned Parenthood issue of Spider-Man comic: "David Pescovitz:

    Spideyplannedparent
    Spiderman fan Andrew Farago was browsing in my favorite bookstore in the world, San Francisco's KAYO Books, when he stumbled upon a Planned Parenthood issue of The Amazing Spider-Man from the 1970s. Actually, the title page reads 'Stan Lee presents: A Special Planet Parenthood Issue Of The Amazing Spider-Man' and it was distributed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The inside cover contains ads for Planned Parenthood booklets and the back pages include 'the facts' about pregnancy, VD, homosexuality, etc. Thankfully, Andrew scanned and posted the whole comic.
    Link (Thanks, COOP!)

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Weekly World News dies after 28 years of awesum, Bat Boy bummed

    bat boy seeks day job

    Weekly World News dies after 28 years of awesum, Bat Boy bummed: "Xeni Jardin:
    The final issue of Weekly World News is slated for August 3, 2007.


    Lesbian Space Alien and Vegan Vampire Lady could not be reached for comment.


    As you can see here, Bat Boy remains inconsolable.


    SF Scope has more: Link 1, Link 2. WaPo: Link. Reuters: Link.

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Tuesday, July 24, 2007

    quote of the week

    quote of the week: "

    'Sometimes when she talks, you can hear the gun go off in your mouth.'



    --friend who works customer service in the Ferry Building Marketplace

    "



    (Via violet blue.)

    Trailers from Hell: directors muse on schlocky movie faves

    love this site and all de bad movies

    Trailers from Hell: directors muse on schlocky movie faves: "Xeni Jardin:



    The idea behind the recently launched 'Trailers from Hell' website is simple and fun. Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, there's a new video segment in which a renowned movie director comments over one of their favorite b-movie / exploitation / grindhouse flick trailers. Lots of personal memories, inspiration revelations -- it's like having a beer with a filmmaker whose work you dig, and fessing up about crappy movies you're both ashamed to admit loving.

    One of this week's uploads is Mick 'Masters of Horror' Garris waxing poetic about 'The Vampire Lovers': Link.


    What's extra cool here is the fact that each trailer is offered both with and without commentary. Great picks, and the commentaries I've watched are most watchable.

    For instance, John Landis pointing out people he went to high school with who appear in 'The T.A.M.I. Show,' the musical variety epic filmed in 'Electronovision' in 1964: Link.

    Or Joe Dante on the sciencesploitation crapsterpiece 'Incredible Petrified World': Link. ('You gotta hand it to [Jerry Warren] -- he made Ed Wood look like Bernardo Bertolucci, but he got these things made and people paid to see 'em!').

    The commentaries feel authentic. You can't really fake this stuff, so there's a lot for fringe movie buffs to enjoy.


    The only criticisms I have about the project are nitpicky UI issues -- I can't subscribe to an RSS feed (opt-in email updates, but that's kinda lame); the website has a big-ass noisy Flash intro at the front gate; audience comments would be nice; and I wish the content were available on some of the web video networks I get most of my daily video pickins from.


    Still, I'm totally bookmarking it and planning to come back regularly. Here's hoping they'll make these very good goods a little easier to access as time goes on. (Thanks, Elizabeth Stanley!)

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Dead frog with a webserver can be controlled over the net

    somewhat icky but kewl

    Dead frog with a webserver can be controlled over the net: "Cory Doctorow:
    The Experiments in Galvanism frog floats in mineral oil, a webserver installed it its guts, with wires into its muscle groups. You can access the frog over the network and send it galvanic signals that get it to kick its limbs.




    Experiments in Galvanism is the culmination of studio and gallery experiments in which a miniature computer is implanted into the dead body of a frog specimen. Akin to Damien Hirst's bodies in formaldehyde, the frog is suspended in clear liquid contained in a glass cube, with a blue ethernet cable leading into its splayed abdomen. The computer stores a website that enables users to trigger physical movement in the corpse: the resulting movement can be seen in gallery, and through a live streaming webcamera.


    - Risa Horowitz


    Garnet Hertz has implanted a miniature webserver in the body of a frog specimen, which is suspended in a clear glass container of mineral oil, an inert liquid that does not conduct electricity. The frog is viewable on the Internet, and on the computer monitor across the room, through a webcam placed on the wall of the gallery. Through an Ethernet cable connected to the embedded webserver, remote viewers can trigger movement in either the right or left leg of the frog, thereby updating Luigi Galvani's original 1786 experiment causing the legs of a dead frog to twitch simply by touching muscles and nerves with metal.


    Experiments in Galvanism is both a reference to the origins of electricity, one of the earliest new media, and, through Galvani's discovery that bioelectric forces exist within living tissue, a nod to what many theorists and practitioners consider to be the new new media: bio(tech) art.


    - Sarah Cook and Steve Dietz





    Link

    (Thanks, Stuart!)

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Secret list of buildings you can't photograph

    Secret list of buildings you can't photograph: "Cory Doctorow:
    The DHS says that it's against the law to photograph 'sensitive' government buildings, but they won't publish a list of these buildings, so it's impossible to comply with the law. The rub is that if you get caught breaking the law, you'll get shaken down, have your name and personal information taken, and go into a file, presumably forever.


    The bottom line is that McCammon was caught in a classic logical trap. If he had only known the building was off-limits to photographers, he would have avoided it. But he was not allowed to know that fact. 'Reasonable, law-abiding people tend to avoid these types of things when it can be helped,' McCammon wrote. 'Thus, my request for a list of locations within Arlington County that are unmarked, but at which photography is either prohibited or discouraged according to some (public or private) policy. Of course, such a list does not exist. Catch-22.'


    Link

    (via Making Light)

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Monday, July 23, 2007

    Interview with Jess Thorn, host of The Sound of Young America

    too true

    Interview with Jess Thorn, host of The Sound of Young America: "Mark Frauenfelder:
    Media Bistro has a nice interview with Jess Thorn, host and producer of the tremendously good podcast/radio show The Sound of Young America.


    200707231046
    MEDIA BISTRO: Do you believe newspapers are going to die? If so, when?

    JESSE THORN: They tell me that they are, and who am I to disagree? My hope is that if and when that happens, news that isn't tied to a deadline cycle will grow. The internet makes scoops important, but once someone has the scoop, everyone else has to do analysis, which I think is kinda great.

    Cable news is unwatchable to me, and many newspapers are equally lame but I enjoy listening to public radio news. I think it's because in public radio, there's no deadline culture--partly because they were incapable of breaking news in the early days, since they had so few reporters. The joke motto was 'report it a day late, call it analysis,' but I think it's of much greater service to the citizen to convey information in context than it is to 'break' a story. For most stuff, what day you find out is much less important than what you find out.

    In other words: what the fuck do I know? I'm not a real journalist. I didn't even write for the high school newspaper.



    Link

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Saturday, July 21, 2007

    Trekworld photoshopping contest

    Trekworld photoshopping contest: "Cory Doctorow:


    Today on the Worth1000 photoshopping contest: if Trekkers ruled the Earth.

    Link



    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    TSA head calls lighter-ban "security theater"

    TSA head calls lighter-ban "security theater": "Cory Doctorow:
    Wow -- not only are lighters allowed on US airplanes again, but Kip Hawley, the guy who runs the TSA, has described the ban on lighters as 'security theater.' The term 'security theater' is Bruce Schneier's, and has been used exclusively by critics of the TSA -- to hear Hawley use it suggests that he isn't the capricious, eight-armed* vengeance deity implied by the airport security process.


    Lawmakers said that if Mr. Reid had used a lighter, instead of matches, he might have been able to ignite the bomb, but Kip Hawley, assistant secretary for the Transportation Security Administration, said in an interview on Thursday that the ban had done little to improve aviation security because small batteries could be used to set off a bomb.


    Matches have never been prohibited on flights.


    ‘Taking lighters away is security theater,’ Mr. Hawley said. ‘It trivializes the security process.’



    Link

    (Thanks, Christian!)


    *One arm to hold your boarding pass, one to hold your shoes, one to hold your freedom baggie, one to hold your phone, one to hold your laptop, one to hold your coat, one to hold your belt, one to hold your coins, and one to salute the flag as you bend over and let someone from the TSA shine a flashlight up your colon.


    See also:

    TSA: calling Kip Hawley an idiot is not allowed

    HOWTO make a 'Kip Hawley is an idiot' Freedom Baggie


    Update: Damien sez, 'They also now allow
    'mothers flying with or without their child [..] to bring breast milk in quantities greater than three ounces'
    Lets hear it for *some* common sense.'

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Friday, July 20, 2007

    Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein: "'Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.'"



    (Via Motivational Quotes of the Day.)

    SHIFT: Is gadget lust causing you to buy before it's time?

    SHIFT: Is gadget lust causing you to buy before it's time?: "

    the_replacement_gadgets.jpg


    One of my coworkers is celebrating a birthday this weekend. Not a birthday for a living person, but rather a birthday for his 100-year-old house. Granted, there are a few problems like small closet space and a basement that could stand for some updating, but the house is still livable and is in great condition for something that old. Can that be said about consumer electronics? I recently got rid of my seven-year-old Handspring, the PDA knockoff of the Palm Pilot developed back in 2000. It wasn't because I ran out and purchased a new one, but simply because I haven't needed to use it in six months.



    When millions flocked to the Apple store to buy the iPhone, I wondered, 'Are their old cell phones really that bad?' I'll let someone else open that can of worms, but it brings up the question of where do you draw the line between outdated and useless? There are five key questions to ask yourself when you need to decide if it's time to replace a gadget or piece of gear. Follow the link to check them out.

    Question 1: Is the gadget broken beyond repair?

    Long before Apple introduced the magnetic-release power plug, I tripped over my power cord causing my laptop to come crashing to the ground with a thud. When it wouldn't power up, and phone support didn't offer any solutions, I simply sent it in for repair. A quick three-day turnaround, and my laptop was back, good as new, and it cost me a fraction of going out and buying a new one.



    I don't mind a scratch or two, and a simple ding isn't cause for replacing a piece of my tech inventory, but when the insides are hanging out and duct tape won't fix it, it's time for replacement. Such was the case when my precious third-generation iPod finally called it quits after one too many drops on the floor thanks to headphone wires that were too short. The cost of repair was slightly less than going out and buying a new MP3 player. In that case, it was easier to simply replace the device, especially when the next two questions were also answered.



    Question 2: Does the new gadget or software offer a significant improvement over what I'm currently using?

    There was a commercial that ran several years ago where a guy was driving down the street with a brand new computer in the backseat. He was pretty happy about his purchase, until he got to a stoplight and saw a billboard for an even newer computer. His mood suddenly changed when he realized his new toy wasn't the latest and greatest. In the case of my iPod replacement, a larger hard drive, longer battery life, color screen, and ability to play video were significant improvements over the broken player.



    For me, the iPhone looks like a really great product, I would really like to have one to show off, but when I really sat down and thought about it, my current cell phone does everything I need it to do. It makes calls, I can take pictures, and I can even get the latest weather updates for the area I'm visiting. If I'm on the road, there's a good chance I've got my laptop with me, and answering e-mail and checking websites can be done much more easily on a notebook than with a handheld. Those considerations, plus the fact that my city isn't in AT&T's primary service area, were enough to turn the cold shower on my iPhone lust.



    Question 3: Buy it now, or wait for the next version?

    Questions two and three tie closely in with one another, but this one's more prominent when it's time to buy new software. A good friend of mine gave me some advice years ago when he said, 'Only buy the latest release of the software if the improvements are significant enough to make your job easier, and never buy a version one of anything.' Unfortunately, some companies release what they call a new release when it's nothing more than a series of bug fixes to problems that should have been addressed prior to the new version.



    Question 4: Is upgrading your old component a possibility?

    When I see the huge number of kids driving around in cars that are 10 years old that they've modified with spoilers, paint jobs, rims, and new tires, it reminds me that my computers can be modified too. Many people are surprised the computer I use for most of my Web surfing, downloading, and DVD playback is a seven-year-old Dell. Back in the day, it was perfect for rendering complex animations, doing speed comparisons against other systems, and other processor-intensive tasks.

    Today, my laptop runs circles around that Dell as far as speed goes, but I've been able to keep the desktop in use by upgrading components. A new hard drive or two for more storage, a new DVD drive for burning discs, and even a graphics card to play HD content are enough to keep this computer active long after others would have pitched it in the garbage. These kinds of upgrades can be done for a few hundred dollars when compared to the potential thousands that might need to be spent for a computer system that screams.



    Question 5: Does it have the Wow Factor?

    Even after answering the above questions, a gadget should have the Wow Factor. I love the Canon XL-H1 high-definition video camera because it looks cool. Sure there are other HDV cameras that cost less and produce a pretty picture, but when it comes down to it, I'd go for the device that sets my heart a flutter. For millions of people, the iPhone certainly has a huge Wow Factor and more than likely weighed heavily in their decision to make the purchase.



    By no means is this meant to be a strict method in making a purchase. My sister, the lawyer, would tell me there are all sorts of loopholes in my methods. I try to adhere to these rules whenever I purchase a new gadget; be it an HDTV or digital SLR camera, and so far they have worked in my favor. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and there are many methods people use in determining when it is time to upgrade. I want to know your rules. Use the comments section below to share the methods you use in determining when it is time to upgrade. I might even refer to some of them when iPhone 2.0 is released.

    "



    (Via SCI FI Tech Blog.)

    Press release of the day: Harry Potter grief counseling

    my gawd its a book

    Press release of the day: Harry Potter grief counseling: "Xeni Jardin:
    Snip:

    [Counselor name] is available to speak with parents and children, as well
    as the media, on how to cope with feelings of grief and loss. This is a
    particularly timely issue with the release of the final Harry Potter book,
    Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows scheduled for release this Saturday,
    July 21, 2007. Recent articles have sparked rumors suggesting that one or
    more main characters will die. This could have a serious impact on
    children, millions of whom have grown up reading, watching and profoundly
    enjoying the characters and storylines of the Harry Potter series.


    Link (via needcoffee, thanks John 'Widgett' Robinson)

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Easy Bake oven recalled -- again

    I'm sending mine back

    Easy Bake oven recalled -- again: "Mark Frauenfelder:

     Oldeasybake
     Neweasybake


    The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall of the Easy-Bake Oven due to entrapment and burn hazards. The recall notice says:

    Young children can insert their hands into the oven's opening and get their hands or fingers caught, posing an entrapment and burn hazard.


    I posted the first recall of the hideous oven in February. The old design (left) was much better, and prettier, too.

    Last weekend (inspired by Merlin Mann's recent de-cluttering kick) I happily threw my kids' Easy Bake Oven in the trash. Maybe I'll build them a dorkbake oven to replace it.

    Link (Thanks, Bob!)

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Kevin Kelly: Harry Plotters and the Prophesies of the Hive Mind

    some people are such potterheads

    Kevin Kelly: Harry Plotters and the Prophesies of the Hive Mind: "Xeni Jardin:
    Kevin Kelly has a must-read essay online today which relates to the current Harry Potter leakmania (see Cory's previous posts, below). Snip:

    Might the hive mind of fanfiction predict the plot of the seventh Harry Potter?


    We'll know in 2 days. At least four books (see below) aggregate the predictions for the final episode in the Potter series. Anticipating the course of beloved stories has a long tradtion. Novels were the new media of the eighteenth century. Readers loved the innovation they offered: complex characters depicted so vividly that they seemed to live beyond the story's pages. These full-bodied characters could be carried along serial episodes, or even lifted into other dramas and other media. This persistent life made reading novels hugely popular but it also tempted readers to transport these characters into their own stories. As soon as novels appeared, fans began writing their own alternative endings. Sequels to two of the first novels ever published, Robinson Crusoe, and Don Quixote, were issued by their authors primarily to preempt fan-written versions. Today we call that fan fiction. The universe of this derived work is very large; more than 10 million fanfic stories have been penned so far. Any popular fiction series you can name, from Jane Austen to Star Wars, will have thousands of extended stories written by avid fans.


    Every new medium since the novel has engendered further fan fiction, and nothing has done more to boost the involvement of the audience with fictional characters than the internet. In two days the largest book phenomenon of the year, perhaps of the decade, culminates as millions of people dive into the seventh and final Harry Potter book. Preceding them is a small army of intense Harry Potter enthusiasts on the internet who have already laid out in great detail their predictions of exactly what will happen in book seven. For years they have been scrutinizing the dark corners and subtexts of the first six books with a diligence that any professor of literature would be proud of, and have rendered their analysis as speculative story plots.



    Link


    Previously on BoingBoing:

  • Harry Potter photo-leaker might be busted through metadata

  • Last Harry Potter leaks online

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

  • Wednesday, July 18, 2007

    Thomas H. Huxley

    Thomas H. Huxley: "'Make up your mind to act decidedly and take the consequences. No good is ever done in this world by hesitation.'"



    (Via Motivational Quotes of the Day.)

    Close Encounter with Mars ... Again?

    i ghety this email from family members

    Close Encounter with Mars ... Again?: "A 'new' email flier claims that the orbits of Mars and Earth will bring the two planets closer together than at any other time in the past 50,000 years on..."



    (Via Urban Legends and Folklore.)

    The PB&J Campaign / The environmental impact of lunch

    pb rules

    The PB&J Campaign / The environmental impact of lunch: "

    by Morgen Jahnke


    When I was younger and didn’t have a lot of money to spend on lunches outside the office, I often brought a bag lunch to work which usually (although not always) featured a peanut butter sandwich. My coworkers teased me about this habit, chalking it up to frugal necessity, but it really was a matter of preference. I really liked, maybe even loved, peanut butter sandwiches, and as a vegetarian at the time, it was also an easy way to get some protein into my diet.


    According to a new online initiative called the PB&J Campaign (referring to peanut butter and jelly, for those uninitiated into this North American tradition), it turns out I was not only saving money and my health, but the environment as well. Through their Web site at www.pbjcampaign.org, the organizers behind the campaign lay out the facts about how incorporating this humble treat into your lunch plans can be a simple way to help the planet.


    Butter Me Up

    The PB&J Campaign gives four main reasons why choosing a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich over other types of lunch food can have a positive impact on the environment. These reasons are all based on how much of the earth’s resources are needed to produce a meal that contains no animal protein, such as a PB&J sandwich, versus a meal that contains animal protein, such as meat, eggs, or cheese.


    By chowing down on a PB&J more often, an individual can make a difference in four areas, according to the campaign: global warming, water conservation, land conservation, and animal welfare. Because of the greater resources needed to raise livestock, the group argues that by eating a PB&J sandwich rather than a hamburger for lunch, a diner could save almost 3.5 pounds (1.6kg) of carbon dioxide emissions, and about 280 gallons of water. That meatless lunch could also preserve 12 to 50 square feet (about 4 to 15 square meters) of land from deforestation or other harmful practices. Lastly, a meal without animal protein would definitely have an effect on the animals concerned; the group estimates that eating 16 PB&J sandwiches is equal to saving the life of a chicken.


    Hard Nut to Crack

    Whatever your beliefs are about eating meat, I think this campaign is a simple and positive way to make a difference on environmental issues. I am no longer a vegetarian, but I can see the value of giving greater thought to the resources involved in putting food on my plate. Practical suggestions like the PB&J Campaign make it easier for those of us concerned about the environment to integrate enviro-friendly changes into our lives. I also like the fact that instead of being told what not to do, this group is advocating something we should do.


    All that being said, I worry that this effort, and others like it, may be too simplistic, and may only make me feel better about things I’m already doing (although unfortunately I’ve had to give up peanut butter because it no longer agrees with me). In addition, this is not a one-size-fits-all campaign; those with peanut allergies or sensitivities, or even those concerned about the fat or sugar content of a PB&J, cannot jump on the bandwagon. And this campaign disregards the preferences of those of us who do not like jelly with our peanut butter, but would rather have a PB&H (honey) or PB&B (banana), or other less-mainstream combinations.


    Sticking To It

    I’m playing devil’s advocate of course, because the PB&J Campaign itself addresses many of these potential pitfalls on its Web site. They even provide alternatives to PB&J, like black bean chili, vegetarian burritos, and falafel. It’s clear that the call to greater PB&J consumption is not meant to be taken literally, but rather as a means to a worthwhile end.


    However, I do think touting this mostly unsung culinary creation is a great strategy; there is something very familiar, at least to North Americans, and therefore iconic about the melding of bread, peanut butter, and gelatinized fruit. Now if only I can find some information about how eating chocolate croissants for breakfast every morning can stop global warming, I’d be very happy indeed. —Morgen Jahnke



    Want podcasts of every article? Support ITotD by becoming a paid subscriber.


    Permalink'•'Email this Article'•'Categories: Food & Drink, Science & Nature


    ITotD Mini icon'Good karma: priceless. For everything else, there’s PayPal donations!'[?]




    More Information about The PB&J Campaign...


    Thanks to reader Bernard Brown for suggesting today’s topic!


    The main Web site for the campaign is www.pbjcampaign.org. They also have a blog about their continuing activities.


    cover art

    If you’re looking for inspiration about how to get more creative with peanut butter, you might like The Peanut Butter & Co. Cookbooks: Recipes from the World’s Nuttiest Sandwich Shop.


    I grew up listening to the great Canadian children’s music trio of Sharon, Lois & Bram. The song ‘Peanut Butter (and Jelly)’ from their album Smorgasbord is a classic.



    Related Articles from Interesting Thing of the Day







    "



    (Via Interesting Thing of the Day.)

    Harry Potter is thinly-veiled homosexual propaganda

    potterheads be warned

    Harry Potter is thinly-veiled homosexual propaganda: "The story is about a boy who lives in a cupboard (i.e. 'in the closet'). His Aunt and Uncle are ashamed of him because his parents were quite eccentric (i.e. 'flaming') and they are deeply concerned and afraid that he will turn out just like them. On his 11th birthday (i.e. roughly at the onset of puberty), the boy discovers that he is actually a 'wizard', different in both style and substance from normal people, or 'muggles' (i.e. 'breeders'). The boy is groomed into his new existence by a large, hairy bear of a man who shows Harry a hidden underground community of 'wizards' living right under the noses of the general population (i.e. the gay subculture). Harry's first trip to this subculture involves traveling through 'Diagon Alley', a play on the word diagonally (i.e. not straight)."



    (Via Kuro5hin.org.)

    Senator Vitter’s "suppressed statement"

    Senator Vitter’s "suppressed statement": "Mark Frauenfelder:
    R.U. Sirius says: '10 Zen Monkeys received the following document from a friend who works as an aide to Republican Louisiana Senator David Vitter. It is the handwritten draft of the statement Senator Vitter planned to give before the press conference about his involvement in the 'D.C. Madam' scandal.'

    200707181510
    The point is -— I'm a pretty good looking guy and I've got money and power. I don't have to pay for it. But the nice thing about hookers: you don't have to please 'em. You know what I mean? I mean, it's nice to make a lady cum, but as you get older, you really just want to be serviced by a pro. And Deborah Palfrey had her a full stable of fine mares, if you know what I mean.

    I got into politics because a friend of mine who is a big time corporate attorney thought I'd be good at it. He said I should be a Republican. He explained to me all about crony capitalism and told me I'd make great connections and scads of money. And all I had to do was represent the interests of my friends and donors. They'd tell me what to do.

    It was a totally sweet deal. But he didn't tell me about the moralism part —- about how you've got to be all about family values, and you've got to be for teen abstinence and against the queers and porn and abortion and Janet Jackson's nipples. And that's because the common Christian folks down in Louisiana don't care that much about whether my financial supporters make butt-loads of money or not. They care about pretending to hate sex -— like it tells you to do in The Bible.



    Note: It's a parody.

    Link

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Uncle Sam Fear tee

    Uncle Sam Fear tee: "Cory Doctorow:


    Urban Medium -- the folks who made the striking Che Trooper image -- have just shipped this swell, limited edition tee that shows Uncle Sam dispensing fear.

    Link



    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)

    Xkcd fans bring chess-sets on roller-coasters

    Xkcd fans bring chess-sets on roller-coasters: "Cory Doctorow:



    Fans of the xkcd webcomic have taken up the challenge laid out in one of the strips and are riding roller-coasters with glued-together chess-sets.


    One of my all-time fave strips from xkcd is Chess Photo. The gag is that a prankster is gluing down his chess-pieces so that he can get on a roller-coaster, sit in the front seat, and be photographed deep in concentration over a gnarly chess-problem while behind him the rest of the coaster's riders go berserk.


    Now xkcd fans are submitting photos of themselves doing just this (pictured here, 'Jared Meadows and Renea Campbell at King's Dominion') -- including one incredible shot of an Army Marine captain in full camou on a military helicopter.


    This may, in fact, be the purpose of the Internet.

    Link

    (Thanks, Wellington!)


    See also:

    Where LOLCats come from

    Ironic Internet malapropism grid

    Geeky comic about chess and roller-coasters

    Nerd humor about Katamari Damacy

    Sarcastic comic about computational linguistics (and emo kids)

    Funny map of online communities in the style of a D&D map

    Geeky comic strip uses Cory as the punchline

    Bloggin' 'bout my generation


    Update: Your Obedient Serpent sez, 'LOLcats + Chesscoaster = Lollercoaster!'

    "



    (Via Boing Boing.)