What Amuses Me

Boy, 4, Gets Drunk, Wears Dress

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 03:26:00 +0000

Really. Apparently, he wanted to go to jail to be with his father. How sad.

Story.

Brittany Murphy...RIP

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:58:00 +0000

I was a big fan of "King of the Hill", so her voicing of Luanne Platter is her most memorable role for me. It always shocks me when someone dies so young.

Story.

Sad Murder.

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:37:00 +0000

98 year-old accused of killing her 100 year-old roommate. Pretty obvious there's a mental health issue in this case. I also wonder about the nursing home not moving the troubled woman to her own room or a different roommate.

Story.

Surprised Kitty Video

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:40:00 +0000

This one has been very popular on YouTube as of late. Short and sweet. Cats are too funny.

Surprised Kitty

Tom Cruise In A Mac Ad

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:28:00 +0000

Well, not really, but a pretty amusing parody. Of course, I'm a bit of a computer geek, so that might be why I find it funny.

Fake Mac Ad

Real Time Management

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:44:00 +0000

I need to use this method. That way, I'd make sure to update this blog more often (apologies to readers for the long delay).

Cal Newton, an MIT grad, came up with a method that allowed him to become very effiecent with his time. He gets a hell of a lot accomplished in a 40-hour week.

The basic principle is to decide the time-frame you want to work (say, 8am-5pm) and make it happen. Avoid busy-work, cull obligations, and other time drainers. He calls it "fixed-schedule productivity".

Check it out here.

1959 Chevy vs 2009 Chevy

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:13:00 +0000

I'm glad they don't "build them like they used to".

This test was done for the "Insurance Institute for Highway Safety" 50th year anniversary.

Sad to see a nice Bel Air go, but what a video.

Video

I Just Robbed You. Want To Date?

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 02:22:00 +0000

I think we have a Darwin Award winner, folks. This idiot was part of a group that robbed a couple. The guy came back two hours later to ask the woman out. Yeah, let's hope he never reproduces.

Article here.

Pet Rapture Insurance?

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:27:00 +0000

I know there are plenty of people out there who believe in the Rapture. I've seen countless bumper stickers warning me, "In case of Rapture, this vehicle will be unmanned".

What has never occurred to me is to offer a "service" for the Rapture believers.

Someone has!

If you're rapture-minded and will be taken away on that great day, but are concerned about what will haappen to your beloved pets when you're gone, there's a service for you.

Check out Eternal Earth-Bound Pets.

Personally, I smell a scam.

Canabalt. Another Time-Wasting Simple Game

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:48:00 +0000

This one's really easy in one sense. All you have to do is jump to make your daring escape. Good luck with that!

Game.

Unicycle + Segway = EniCycle!

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:33:00 +0000

If you like the concept of a Segway, but find it too bulky and pricey, this Electric Unicycle may be your thing. Smaller and cheaper, it may be the true low-power urban commute device everyone's looking for.

Video clip

Stranger Slaps Child.

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:31:00 +0000

This one leaves me close to speechless. How can someone ever think it's okay to slap a child, much less a total stranger's???????

Article is here.

Ben & Jerry's "Hubby Hubby"

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 02:45:00 +0000

In support of gay marriage, Ben & Jerry's is renaming their popular Chubby Hubby ice cream (one of my favorites) to Hubby Hubby for September. If you're in Vermont, their scoop shops will be serving Hubby Hubby sundaes.

26 Films That Changed Visual Effects

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 03:51:00 +0000

Pretty cool set of clips over the past 100 years.

Visual Effects.

Why You Should Be Sober At A Funeral.

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:19:00 +0000

Sorrow has many forms. In mourning the loss of a loved one, people will do all kinds of things to feel better.

One tiny piece of advice: if you want to mourn your lost friend/relative by having a few drinks, or hits, snorts, whatever the latest term is, please do so after you've sung at their funeral. Helps prevent you from appearing on the Internet in eternal infamy.

YouTube Link.

V - The Series - Again!

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Think shows of the '80's were great? Think some of those classic shows need to be remade so a new generation can enjoy what made you love them as a teenager?

Disappointed by the horrible remake jokes called Knight Rider, 90210, or any of the other re-do unoriginal crap that's come out recently?

Well, never fear! The ultimate cheesy '80's show reboot is here!

"V"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(okay, the promo actually looks decent. like they used real actors and real money to give us decent effects.)

YouTube promo link.

Cube News 1

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:15:00 +0000

I accidentally ran across this while looking at some other video on YouTube last night.

(okay, okay. a Wonder Woman montage done to the Flashdance theme. don't ask.)

Funniest thing I've seen in awhile. If you've ever worked in a cubicle, you can relate to these funny skits.

Cube News 1.

I Love My Pillow, But Otaku?

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:57:00 +0000

I remember how hard it was to let go of my attachment to stuffed animals. Those fluffy, soft, non-judgmental toys got me through some rough childhood times. Alas, adulthood came and it was time to let go.

Then, there's my pillows. Love them, too. Soft, fluffy, perfect for resting one's head. I have to have my pillows to sleep well. Normal attachment to pillows. Most of us need one or two to sleep well.

BUT, um, this New York Times article regarding the practice of otaku brings all that pillow-loving, stuffed animal, doll-type love to a whole new level.

To be clear, we're not talking the, ahem, sex dolls, some males use as an "aid". Nope, we're talking l-o-v-e, folks.

Article here.

Fun Time-Waster - Gravitee 2

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:09:00 +0000

Not a no-brainer as you need to think to get the golf ball around the planets (you heard me). Kind of fun, and I don't even like golf.

Gravitee 2.

Happy 400th Birthday!

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 05:36:00 +0000

Galileo's telescope was first shown to Venetian lawmakers on this day, 400 years ago. He didn't invent the first telescope, but his is the one that became known as the terrestrial telescope.

Google's home page today has a nice homage to it. Some other links below:

Wiki

Connexions

The Guardian

A Favorite Comic: xkcd

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 05:13:00 +0000

I work in the IT field, so this post felt particularly appropriate (I may know a lot, but I don't know everything about every single program out there.).

This one is even more fitting for many adult children, too (aka your parents keep calling for help).

Check out xkcd for more entertaining comics.

Want To Remotely Control Your Oven? Try Your Cellphone!

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 04:53:00 +0000

It's true. As hard to believe as it sounds, some Maytag ovens are sensitive to the interference caused by cellphones (the same reason your computer speakers might make weird noises when your cellphone is near).

The New York Times has an article and video to prove it.

Blue Lobster Saved From The Pot.

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 06:43:00 +0000

Check out this beauty. Experts estimate only one in 5 million lobsters are blue. Even rarer are bright orange ones. If you're into more than eating lobsters, this article has some cool information.

From Mental Floss: Why Shells Sound Like The Sea.

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 01:35:00 +0000

Mental Floss is becoming an educational site for me. Lots of answers to common myths and oddities we're all aware of, but rarely know the real answer to (at least, not me).

This post covers why when you hold a seashell up to your ear, it sounds like the ocean.

Health Care Reform Fact Check.

noreply@blogger.com (Bran da flake) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:37:00 +0000

There's so much media dedicated to health care reform, I figured I'd put my tiny voice in, too. Not my opinion (like anyone would listen), but a fact check article.

NBC News has done a new poll and the results indicate some people may believe the myths out there on health care reform. Below is the poll myth results and the actual facts. It would be nice if people would research myths. 'Death panels', indeed. The full AP article is here.

"A look at each of those points:

THE POLL: 45 percent said it's likely the government will decide when to stop care for the elderly; 50 percent said it's not likely.

THE FACTS: Nothing being debated in Washington would give the government such authority. Critics have twisted a provision in a House bill that would direct Medicare to pay for counseling sessions about end-of-life care, living wills, hospices and the like if a patient wants such consultations with a doctor. They have said, incorrectly, that the elderly would be required to have these sessions.

House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio said such counseling "may start us down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia."

The bill would prohibit coverage of counseling that presents suicide or assisted suicide as an option.

Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia, who has been a proponent of coverage for end-of-life counseling under Medicare, said such sessions are a voluntary benefit, strictly between doctor and patient, and it was "nuts" to think death panels are looming or euthanasia is part of the equation.

But as fellow conservatives stepped up criticism of the provision, he backed away from his defense of it.

___

THE POLL: 55 percent expect the overhaul will give coverage to illegal immigrants; 34 percent don't.

THE FACTS: The proposals being negotiated do not provide coverage for illegal immigrants.

___

THE POLL: 54 percent said the overhaul will lead to a government takeover of health care; 39 percent disagree.

THE FACTS: Obama is not proposing a single-payer system in which the government covers everyone, like in Canada or some European countries. He says that direction is not right for the U.S. The proposals being negotiated do not go there.

At issue is a proposed "exchange" or "marketplace" in which a new government plan would be one option for people who aren't covered at work or whose job coverage is too expensive. The exchange would offer some private plans as well as the public one, all of them required to offer certain basic benefits.

That's a long way from a government takeover. But when Obama tells people they can just continue with the plans they have now if they are happy with them, that can't be taken at face value, either. Tax provisions could end up making it cheaper for some employers to pay a fee to end their health coverage, nudging some patients into a public plan with different doctors and benefits. Over time, critics fear, the public plan could squeeze private insurers out of business because they would not be able to compete with the federal government.

It's unclear now whether Obama is committed to the public option. He described it recently as "just one sliver" of health reform, suggesting it was expendable if lawmakers could agree on another way to expand affordable coverage. Now the White House is emphasizing his strong support for it.

___

THE POLL: 50 percent expect taxpayer dollars will be used to pay for abortions; 37 percent don't.

THE FACTS: The House version of legislation would allow coverage for abortion in the public plan. But the procedure would be paid for with dollars from beneficiary premiums, not from federal funds. Likewise, private plans in the new insurance exchange could opt to cover abortion, but no federal subsidies would be used to pay for the procedure.

Opponents say the prohibition on federal money for the procedure is merely a bookkeeping trick and what matters is that Washington would allow abortion to be covered under government-subsidized insurance.

Obama has stated that the U.S. should continue its tradition of "not financing abortions as part of government-funded health care." Current laws prohibiting public financing of abortion would stay on the books.

Yet abortion guidelines are not yet clear for the government-supervised insurance exchange. There is strong sentiment in Congress on both sides of the issue."