Musings of a Mechanical Engineer

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T02:14:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day Google Doodle

Star Wars Valentine's Cards

(via Star Wars)

And... The Cost of Love

(mint)

And here's a Natalie Tran video (from last year, she refuses to post more):

The Grammys: 2012

2012-02-13T23:36:00.000-05:00

Sad, sad state of music in 2012...

1. Nicki Minaj's performance may have been the worst thing I have ever seen/heard:

(via VH1)

2. We celebrated an admitted woman abuser with, not one but, two performances

3. Kids these days...

(via buzzfeed)

4. =(

(via TDW)

5. Ending on a good note: Bruno Mars' performance was pretty awesome

RIP Whitney Houston

2012-02-12T11:34:00.002-05:00

Rick Santorum: Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

2012-02-10T13:45:00.005-05:00

I recently heard something about Rick Santorum hating on Libertarian ideals (not that I'm a huge fan of all libertarian ideas, but I agree with many and was curious which Santorum disagreed with).
Anyway, I wanted to see if this was true and did a search on YouTube for some proof.

What I found was far more frightening than just hating on Libertarianism.

Rick Santorum wants to control your life, public and personal.
He doesn't believe in personal free-will or a Constitutionally limited government.

It goes beyond just disagreeing with libertarians or liberals.
He has a complete "if you're not with me, you're against me" mentality.

(If you don't want to watch the whole thing, just watch the first 30 seconds of the video)

"One of the criticisms I make is to what I refer to as more of a libertarianish right. You know, the left has gone so far left and the right in some respects has gone so far right that they touch each other. They come around in the circle. This whole idea of personal autonomy, well I don’t think most conservatives hold that point of view. Some do. They have this idea that people should be left alone, be able to do whatever they want to do, government should keep our taxes down and keep our regulations low, that we shouldn’t get involved in the bedroom, we shouldn’t get involved in cultural issues. You know, people should do whatever they want. Well, that is not how traditional conservatives view the world and I think most conservatives understand that individuals can’t go it alone. That there is no such society that I am aware of, where we’ve had radical individualism and that it succeeds as a culture." -Rick Santorum

Just another scary clip:

Complete disregard for the 'Declaration of Independence'....

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security." (Declaration of Independence, Wiki)

How anyone could back this man and his ideas are beyond me...

Social Media

2012-02-07T23:50:00.001-05:00

I just attended a social media speaker panel tonight.
Apparently you're supposed to create unique content and engage your viewers.

Too bad. You get this.

Dr. Seuss descriptively titled books:

(via fb)

New 'Spiderman' movie trailer

------------More------------

Speaking of Spiderman...

"So my wife may soon be giving birth to venom.. any tips?"

(reddit)

Bro or Hipster?
Not really sure why I found this so funny the first time around... not so much this time.
I'll let you decide.

(via THD)

I'm Rich B*tch: Why Congress is way richer than you
Or, Why Congress will never truly represent 'The People'.

(via GraphJam)

Banned Superbowl Commercial: Durex Condoms
I can't imagine why they wouldn't want to broadcast this to the extremely family-friendly/sensitive SB audience...
(Durex even removed it from their YouTube page).

Also, this is pretty awful. (Link- in case that YT vid is also taken down).
(via TDW)

Reality TV Venn Diagram
They forgot the giant circle that encompasses them all: "TERRIBLE".

(via THD)

And some food for thought:

Although they did save more than one life...
(via 9gag)

Penguins!

2012-02-02T23:52:00.000-05:00

A penguin pet would be so awesome...

Penguin Stroll

"King [and gentoo!] penguins explore the snowy outdoors with keeper Cyndie Gitter on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at the St. Louis Zoo. Keepers decided to use the wintry weather as part of the penguins' daily enrichment activity by letting a few selected penguins walk outside of the Penguin and Puffin Coast area."
(via Neatorama)

Penguin Attack

Jerk Penguin

WTF? Dick move, penguin.
(via Barstool)

I found (Google) Buzz!

2012-02-01T23:55:00.000-05:00

Apparently I was one of the few that actually liked and used Google Buzz, and I have found Google+ is not a sufficient replacement.

The two things I liked the most about Buzz were:
1) It kept a record of all your statuses- I post links constantly in my statuses and sometimes like to refer back to some of those links. And 2) it was integrated into Gmail- Work cares far less about me being on Gmail, than it does being on a social network.

Anyway, while browsing through my Google Account Settings, I found out that Google is still keeping a record of your Gchat statuses and still technically calls it 'Buzz'.

This doesn't solve the problem with Gmail integration, but you can also find your friends' Buzzs!

Just follow these steps:
1) Go to your personal Google+ page.
2) Find copy your identification number (located in the url) and copy it [see below]

3) Insert it into this url: "https://profiles.google.com/YOUR_NUMBER_HERE/buzz"

If your friends' status/Buzz posts are public or shared with you, you should be able to view their Buzzes as well. Just go to their Google+ pages to get their numbers and insert in the the url above.

Again, it's not quite the same, but if you're in need of a Buzz-fix, now you know where to get one.

Wednesday Vids

2012-02-01T23:19:00.002-05:00

(It's an alliteration if you're Dracula....)

Animated History of Aviation

(via Neatorama)

Muppets respond to FoxNews
If you recall, FoxNews accused the Muppets of being brainwashing liberals.

Attack liberals all you want, FoxNews, but we got a problem when you start going after the Muppets.
(via /Film)

Behind-The-Scenes: Your Bag's Journey On Delta
Though I'm sure this bag was handled a little differently from most other bags...

(via TDW)

------------More------------

Gronk mic'd up during the AFC Title Game
Just as awesome as you'd expect... maybe even better.

(via Barstool)

Rethinking the way we teach and learn
"Were you bored in school? Guess what, so was Einstein! Does that make you a genius, too? Not likely, but according to a new project called Born to Learn, it does suggest that our educational practices might need a rethink. The project’s main thrust is a series of short, simple animations aimed at raising awareness about how the minds of young humans are "born to learn"--but not necessarily "be taught." Here’s their intro:"

I've always felt that schools tend to stifle creativity and individualism... I'm glad more are starting to agree.
(via Fast Co)

Backward Pronunciation
Useless and dumb, yet impressive and oddly amusing.

(via TDW)

Newt 2012 Ad attacking Mitt Romney
... and French speakers?

"In his latest attack ad, Newt Gingrich goes after Mitt Romney, among other things, for speaking French.

Of course, Gingrich completely ignores the fact that Romney became fluent in French while spending time in France as a Mormon missionary. And that Gingrich himself has a “working knowledge of French.”"
(via TDW)

5-year-old analyzes logos:

I particularly like the additional commentary and random facts.
"Baby toys, those look like baby toys".
(via Brand New)

And tributes(?) to two of my favorite 80s movies:

Honda CRV does 'Ferris Bueller'

Apparently this was a hotly anticipated Superbowl ad...
(via /Film)

'When Harry Met Sally' diner-scene mashup

(via THD)

While I'm watching 'The League'

2012-01-31T00:22:00.000-05:00

Thank Jesus for this post.

(via TDW)

And nothing else matters...

(GraphJam)

Find the author who is focused more on ideas than promoting themselves.

(via Shades of Purple)

------------More------------

Expanding/Contracting Toll Lanes = Awesome optical illusion

(via TDW)

Another Illusion:

(via TDW)

So many $5 games I don't play....

(GraphJam)

The Cost of Patent Reform:

(via Fast Co)

Creepy Beavis and Butt-Head Busts:

(via TDW)

Truth.

(via GraphJam)

This kid is ballsy.

"No this is not a joke. My daughter is a first grade teacher in Springboro. One of her students was in a little trouble so he had to take a paper home and have his parents acknowledge his behavior. Attached is what she got back."
(via Barstool)

SotU: Breakdown of Words

(via THD)

Man, it just got really dusty in here...

2012-01-24T22:59:00.000-05:00

Side note: I had no idea what BERNAS was before this.
(via TDW)

Divisional Gameday Videos

2012-01-22T22:36:00.000-05:00

Now that the Patriots are back on their way to the Superbowl, I can relax and post.

To start, here's a behind-the-scenes video showcasing Andy Serkis' work on 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'

(via /Film)

From last week:
Sad Packers Fan

It was totally the sparkles and Clay Matthews jersey.
(via Barstool)

How to Move a Barn:
With some extra steel and 350 friends.

(via Neatorama)

------------More------------

Baby Twins Make Fun Of Dad's Sneeze
Babies are awesome.

(via TDW)

Girl says 'Bye' at the Copley Place Mall
Toddlers are pretty cool too.

Side note... yay Boston!
(via TDW)

The Page Turner
Rube Goldberg machine

(via Fast Co)

Where are they now?: Man with the Golden Voice

(via TDW)

Life-Cycle: 365 days in the life of a bike in NYC

"Get a bike. Lock it to a post. Take a pic every day for a year.

Last year, Red Peak Branding conducted a unique urban experiment for Hudson Urban Bicycles. On January 1, 2011 we chained a fully loaded bike - bells, basket, lights and more - to a post along a busy Soho street. We took a picture of the bike everyday for 365 days, watching it slowly vanish before our eyes. The photos we took were then turned into a daily calendar. We call this project LIFECYCLE: 365 days in the life of a bike in NYC."
(via Neatorama)

Screaming Marine on a amusement ride
Well, he's right, that was not a countdown.

(via TDW)

Classical Music Rollercoaster

"Visualization of the 1st violin of the 2nd symphony, 4th movement by Ferdinand Ries in the shape of a rollercoaster. The camera starts by showing a close-up of the score, then focuses on the notes of the first violin turning the staves into the winding rail tracks of the rollercoaster. The notes and bars were exactly synchronised with the progression in the animation so that the typical movements of a rollercoaster ride match the dramatic composition of the music."
(via Neatorama)

Creepy live-action 'Rugrats' movie trailer

(via /Film)

Star Wars Uncut: Director's Cut
Only flipped through it quickly. Some is funny, some is lame, all of it is incredibly nerdy.

"It's finally here! Star Wars Uncut is a crowdsourced fan re-creation of Episode IV. Casey Pugh, the humanitarian responsible for the project, divided the entire movie into 472 15-second segments. Fans volunteered to make those segments, which Pugh then compiled. Legal issues prevented the immediate release of the finished product, but now you can watch the entire movie in one video."
(via Neatorama)

And, as usual, we'll end with a quality video:

Literal MSPaint Music Video: Party Rock Anthem
Almost makes it bearable... almost.

(via TDW)

Internet Blackout Day

2012-01-18T23:07:00.000-05:00

So the internet's been all atwitter (haha, get it?) about the online protest of the SOPA and PIPA legislations by several websites.

Obviously I'm against the bills (all I do is repost content).
But if you're unfamiliar with them, here are a couple good primers:

(Khan Academy via Business Insider)

(via graphjam)

------------Read on!------------

In case you were wondering, here is the list of Senate PIPA cosponsors:

Lamar Alexander	TN
Kelly Ayotte	NH
Michael Bennet	CO
Jeff Bingaman	NM
Richard Blumenthal	CT
Roy Blunt	MO
John Boozman	AR
Barbara Boxer	CA
Sherrod Brown	OH
Ben Cardin	MD
Robert Casey	PA
Saxby Chambliss	GA
Thad Cochran	MS
Chris Coons	DE
Bob Corker	TN
Dick Durbin	IL
Michael Enzi	WY
Dianne Feinstein	CA
Al Franken	MN
Kirsten Gillibrand	NY
Lindsey Graham	SC
Chuck Grassley	IA
Kay Hagan	NC
Orrin Hatch	UT
Johnny Isakson	GA
Tim Johnson	SD
Amy Klobuchar	MN
Herb Kohl	WI
Mary Landrieu	LA
Joseph Lieberman	CT
John McCain	AZ
Robert Menendez	NJ
Bill Nelson	FL
James Risch	ID
Marco Rubio	FL
Chuck Schumer	NY
Jeanne Shaheen	NH
Tom Udall	NM
David Vitter	LA
Sheldon Whitehouse	RI

(Campaign for Liberty)

Google had a noticeable logo change:

and infographic:

In case you can't read it (and the PDF is a pain to deal with):

1 — Vint Cerf, one of the founding fathers of the Internet, opposed SOPA in an open letter to Congress.

5 — Internet security experts (Steve Crocker, David Dagon, Dan Kaminsky, Danny McPherson, Paul Vixie) issued a white paper raising serious concerns about the technical approach of PIPA.

9 — Internet and technology companies (including AOL, eBay, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Firefox, LinkedIn, Zynga) sent an open letter opposing the bills and the risks posed to innovation and job creation.

17 — Internet company founders (including Arianna Huffington, Craig Newmark, Jimmy Wales and Sergey Brin) sent an open letter opposing SOPA and PIPA.

39 — Advocacy and public interest organizations (including the ACLU, MoveOn and Consumers Union) voiced their opposition.

41 — Human organizations, including the Center for Media Justice and Reporters Without Borders, sent a letter to express concern for the bills' civil and human rights implications.

55 — Leading venture capitalists issued a letter expressing concerns that PIPA "would stifle investment in Internet services, throttle innovation and hurt American competitiveness."

110 — Law professors sent a letter expressing "serious constitutional, innovation, and foreign policy concerns."

204 — Entrepreneurs sent a letter expressing concern that PIPA and SOPA would "hurt economic growth and chill innovation."

113,000+ — People have petitioned the White House to oppose SOPA and PIPA. The White House issued a commitment to "not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative, global Internet."

887,000+ — members of the American public called Congress to voice their opposition through AmericanCensorship.org.

3,000,000+ — Americans voice their opposition by signing petitions.

(Google)

Wikipedia's objection/blackout has been well reported.

The MPAA is nuts...
MPAA Calls Anti-SOPA Blackouts A "Gimmick" To Punish Politicians & Turn Us All Into "Corporate Pawns"

"The Motion Picture Association of America cares about you. It doesn't want children to see boobs or hear curse words (though rampant bloodshed is cool) and it doesn't want you to turn into a pawn of the big corporations that it says are really behind today's blackouts at sites like Craiglist and Wikipedia, which everyone knows are both monstrous examples of corporate greed.

In a press release sent out yesterday, the people who hold no sway at all in what gets shown in movie theaters nationwide cut through to the heart of the byzantine conspiracy:

Only days after the White House and chief sponsors of the legislation responded to the major concern expressed by opponents and then called for all parties to work cooperatively together, some technology business interests are resorting to stunts that punish their users or turn them into their corporate pawns, rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging.It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information and use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today.
It's a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.

A so-called "blackout" is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals. It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this "blackout" to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.

Because if there is any industry that knows how to differentiate between hyperbole, PR stunts and reality, it's the movie business."
(Consumerist)

And finally, an interesting take...
DEAR INTERNET: If SOPA Dies, You Have Republicans To Thank For It

"Today an enormous number of Republican legislators are bailing on SOPA, declaring it danger to free expression. As of this writing 26 out of the 29 legislators who came out against SOPA today are Republicans.

Even before today, a lot of the hard-core anti-SOPA voters were fiscal and social conservatives. Presidential candidate Ron Paul and his Senator son, Rand Paul both opposed it along with Justin Amash, Aaron Shock, Michelle Bachmann, and budget-slasher Paul Ryan.

This morning the floodgates really opened. Tea Party favorite Marco Rubio came out against it, Jim DeMint tweeted against it, and Arizona's Ben Quayle even took his name off the list of co-sponsors.

Some of the bills biggest supporters are from the liberal wing of the Democratic party. Just look at the list of Senate co-sponsors. They include Chuck Schumer, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein and Al Franken.

Of course the lines aren't entirely that neat. Nancy Pelosi, one of the House's leading liberals opposes SOPA. And John McCain is still listed as a co-sponsor.

But if SOPA is defeated, the internet will be in the odd position of having to thank conservatives first."
(via Business Insider)

That's all for now.
Contact your local Congressman/woman!
Don't let this awesome blog (and countless other, more useful sites) be taken down!

Video Game, Little Brother

2012-01-17T00:10:00.000-05:00

Usually I don't like to just copy/paste entire entries (I usually post snippets and figure readers will click the links and visit the original source for more info), but this is too good not to share in its entirety:

Dear Customer Who Stuck Up For His Little Brother
Kristen Wolfe | 1/7/12

You thought I didn't really notice. But I did. I wanted to high-five you.

Yesterday I had a pair of brothers in my store. One was maybe between 15 and 17. He was a wrestler at the local high school. Kind of tall, stocky and handsome. He had a younger brother, who was maybe about 10 to 12 years old. The only way to describe him was scrawny, neat, and very clean for a boy his age. They were talking about finding a game for the younger one, and he was absolutely insisting it be one with a female character. I don't know how many of y'all play games, but that isn't exactly easy. Eventually, I helped the brothers pick a game called "Mirror's Edge." The youngest was pretty excited about the game, and then he specifically asked me, "Do you have any girl color controllers?" I directed him to the only colored controllers we have, which include pink and purple ones. He grabbed the purple one, and informed me purple was his FAVORITE.

The boys had been taking awhile, so their father eventually came in. He saw the game, and the controller, and started in on the youngest about how he needs to pick something different. Something more manly. Something with guns and fighting, and certainly not a purple controller. He tried to convince him to get the new Zombie game "Dead Island" and the little boy just stood there repeating, "Dad, this is what I want, OK?" Eventually it turned into a full-blown argument complete with Dad threatening to whoop his son if he didn't choose different items.

That's when big brother stepped in. He said to his dad, "It's my money, it's my gift to him. If it's what he wants, I'm getting it for him, and if you're going to hit anyone for it, it's going to be me." Dad just gave his oldest son a strong stern stare-down, and then left the store. Little brother was crying quietly. I walked over and ruffled his hair (yes, this happened all in front of me). I said, "I'm a girl, and I like the color blue, and I like shooting games. There's nothing wrong with what you like. Even if it's different than what people think you should." I smiled, he smiled back (my heart melted!). Big brother then leaned down, kissed little brother on the head, and said, "Don't worry, dude."

They checked out and left, and all I can think is how awesome big brother is, how sweet little brother is, and how Dad ought to be ashamed for trying to make his son any other way.

(HuffPo)

I Want One: Rhino Iguana

2012-01-12T23:21:00.001-05:00

I've considered getting a lizard pet, but the problem is they're all just so small...

Now that I know these guys exist, problem solved.

(via TDW)

Post

2012-01-11T23:08:00.000-05:00

Win.

(lamebook)

The phrasing is perfect.
(via THD)

Totally going to start doing this.

(thanks to Johan)

------------More------------

Yikes.

"Last year, a three-foot long Gambian pouched rat was found in a housing project in Brooklyn. This week, a similarly gargantuan rat turned up in a Bronx Foot Locker store."
(via TDW)

Awesome.

(via Chartporn)

aww...

Just kiddding. Hahaha.
(lamebook)

This is all Lego.

(via inspire me now)

This looks like so much fun...

"Artist Yayoi Kusama made a whole bunch of dreams come true for kids in Australia by letting them run wild with stickers inside her “domestic installation” at the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane.

Last month, the museum’s youngest visitors were invited to give Kusama’s white space a colorful makeover, and they happily obliged.

The result — dubbed The Obliteration Room — is currently on display through March 12th as part of the artist’s Look Now, See Forever exhibition."
(via TDW)

The Creative Process:

(via Fast Co)

...

(via lamebook)

Song of the Moment: Elton John - This Train Don't Stop There Anymore

2012-01-11T20:34:00.001-05:00

I was turned back on to this song because I read about a proposed Elton John biopic.
And Elton John's personal choice to portray him? Justin Timberlake. Yeah.

Anyway, turns out JT has already had a little trial run.
That's him in the official music video:

You may not believe it
But I don't believe in miracles anymore
And when I think about it
I don't believe I ever did for sure
All the things I've said in songs
All the purple prose you bought from me
Reality's just black and white
The sentimental things I'd write
Never meant that much to me

I used to be the main express
All steam and whistles heading west
Picking up my pain from door to door
Riding on the storyline
Furnace burning overtime
But this train don't stop,
This train don't stop,
This train don't stop there, anymore

You don't need to hear it
But I'm dried up and sick to death of love
If you need to know it
I never really understood that stuff
All the stars and bleeding hearts
All the tears that welled up in my eyes
Never meant a thing to me
Read 'em as they say and weep
I've never felt enough to cry

I used to be the main express
All steam and whistles heading west
Picking up my pain from door to door
Riding on the storyline
Furnace burning overtime
But this train don't stop,
This train don't stop,
This train don't stop there, anymore

When I said that I don't care
It really means my engine's breaking down
The chisel chips my heart again
The granite cracks beneath my skin
I crumble into pieces on the ground

I used to be the main express
All steam and whistles heading west
Picking up my pain from door to door
Riding on the storyline
Furnace burning overtime
But this train don't stop,
This train don't stop,
This train don't stop there, anymore

But this train don't stop,
This train don't stop,
This train don't stop there anymore

Anyone remember 'Young Hercules'?

2012-01-10T00:36:00.002-05:00

Either way, I bet Ryan Gosling hopes you don't remember it.

That's right! That's little Ryan Gosling donning the sheepskin(?) vest and trousers.

I never watched the show, but I do remember changing the channel every time it came on!
(Huffington Post)

I believe!

2012-01-09T23:42:00.000-05:00

Hope you all watched the Steelers/Broncos game last night because Tebow did it again.

This time with an overtime, first play, 80-yard TD pass.

Ridiculous.

On top of that (I heard this on the radio but had to verify for myself) check this out:

Tebow threw for 316 yards.
With 10 completions, that's an average of 31.6 yards/completion. (NFL)
And the Nielsen rating during the end of that game was 31.6. (bizjournal)

Why the 316 hype?

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

Yea. Believe, bitches!

But there's a conflict of interests next week...

Jesus Leaves Broncos, Signs with Patriots

"Tired of living in quarterback Tim Tebow’s shadow, Jesus Christ left the Denver Broncos today and signed as a free agent with the New England Patriots, who will face Denver in an intriguing AFC playoff game on Saturday.

New England denied they signed Jesus specifically to counter Tebow, insisting their starting free safety, Patrick Chung, was inexplicably raptured late Sunday. Moments later, Christ appeared with His agent at the Patriots’ training facility and offered to fill the defensive role. Previously, Jesus had backed Tebow during the Broncos’ miraculous run to the playoffs, including an overtime victory Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Christ Himself said he enjoyed his time with Denver, but felt He needed to make a move.

“I’m getting on, and at this stage of my career I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to start with a title contender,” said Jesus, who will wear the number 1 jersey. “I may be the King of Kings, but I need the ring of rings, baby. Jesus needs a Super Bowl ring.”"

"If Jesus does get an interception, it sets up a theological conundrum for Tebow. Will the faithful quarterback be willing to make a tackle?

“I pray that never comes up,” said Tebow. “But if it did happen, I think Jesus would understand that I was put on this Earth to play football, and that would include me having to tackle Him.”

Jesus, however, has a more nuanced view of their relationship.

“I love Tim Tebow. I am his Lord and Savior and through me he will know love and peace everlasting,” He said. “But if that kid so much as lays a finger on me I will go all Herod’s Temple on him, you know what I’m sayin’?

“That’s gonna be a sweet, sweet ring,” he added. “People they’ll come to me and be like, ‘Jesus, can I enter Heaven? I’ve been good.’ And I’ll be like, ‘Maybe you been good, but you ain’t got one a these!’ Oh yeah. Some bling for da King.”"
(SatireWire)

A Post to Keep AMPS Happy

2012-01-09T21:16:00.000-05:00

Official Trailer for the 84th Academy Awards:

Billy's back!
(via /Film)

Clever Ron Paul Campaign Ad:

"You may not know it by name, but even non-type-geeks know it when they see it: Gotham, the typeface designed by Hoefler & Frere-Jones, which the Obama campaign used to brand the president during his 2008 campaign. Now it's 2012 and we're gonna be seeing a lot more Gotham from the Obama camp. But not just them. Ron Paul's political action committee has dramatized an incendiary, Obama-criticizing speech that Paul gave using animated typography . . . and the whole thing is set in Gotham."

"The actual content of the video, as one would expect from a PAC trying to get a libertarian cartoon character elected leader of the free world, is basically nuts: an elaborate recasting of Obama's nation-building policy as a "what if it happened here?" Red Dawn-esque apocalyptic fantasy, with a psychotic voiceover performance to match. And the animated typography style is an unimaginative rip-off of Cee-Lo's "Fuck You" music video (which itself was a rather unimaginative rip-off of a 2007 typographic visualization of Samuel L. Jackson's Pulp Fiction speech). But setting the whole thing in Gotham? That's some branding jujitsu right there.

Nowhere in Ron Paul's speech does he say "the president" or "Obama," but as soon as this video begins, the visual association with Obama is subtly seeded in the viewer's mind. Not because most people have ever heard of Gotham or Hoefler & Frere-Jones, but because that typeface was so distinctive and so ubiquitous at a specific time and place in our political history. It's like a sense memory. And setting the vivid, horrifying imagery of an America occupied by foreign invaders in animated "Obama font" for three minutes recasts the typeface's associations from "HOPE" to something much more menacing. Man, we'd better vote that dude out of office pronto!"
(via Fast Co)

Shit White Girls Say... to Black Girls

(via TDW)

And...
29 Ways to Stay Creative

(via Fast Co)

Song of the Moment: Seal - A Change is Gonna Come

2012-01-09T21:03:00.001-05:00

You can't beat the original Sam Cooke version, but this one is pretty awesome:

Official version (embedding was disabled for some reason...)

Sesame Street: "Engineer"

2012-01-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

James Marsden and Elmo explain the word "Engineer":

OK, not the best explanation... but in a country that is already starting to face a shortage of engineers, I'll take it.

Who Likes Congress?

2011-12-29T23:39:00.000-05:00

Answer: No one!

A bit old, but I'm sure public opinion hasn't improved...

(via ChartPorn)

Maybe everyone's finally figured out our Congressmen aren't working for us...
Growing wealth widens distance between lawmakers and constituents

"One day after his shift at the steel mill, Gary Myers drove home in his 10-year-old Pontiac and told his wife he was going to run for Congress.

The odds were long. At 34, Myers was the shift foreman at the “hot mill” of the Armco plant here. He had no political experience and little or no money, and he was a Republican in a district that tilted Democratic.

But standing in the dining room, still in his work clothes, he said he felt voters deserved a better choice.

Three years later, he won.

When Myers entered Congress, in 1975, it wasn’t nearly so unusual for a person with few assets besides a home to win and serve in Congress. Though lawmakers on Capitol Hill have long been more prosperous than other Americans, others of that time included a barber, a pipe fitter and a house painter. A handful had even organized into what was called the “Blue Collar Caucus.”

But the financial gap between Americans and their representatives in Congress has widened considerably since then, according to an analysis of financial disclosures by The Washington Post.

Between 1984 and 2009, the median net worth of a member of the House more than doubled, according to the analysis of financial disclosures, from $280,000 to $725,000 in inflation-adjusted 2009 dollars, excluding home equity.

Over the same period, the wealth of an American family has declined slightly, with the comparable median figure sliding from $20,600 to $20,500, according to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from the University of Michigan.

The comparisons exclude home equity because it is not included in congressional reporting, and 1984 was chosen because it is the earliest year for which consistent wealth statistics are available.

The growing disparity between the representatives and the represented means that there is a greater distance between the economic experience of Americans and those of lawmakers."...
(Washington Post)

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What Congress has done to fix the economy (Hint: Nothing)

"The 112th Congress is not doing much to help the economy.

The super committee failed. Lawmakers failed to "go big" on a debt reduction package. Congress failed to preserve the country's AAA debt rating.

The list goes on: Congress couldn't pass a real budget. The government almost shut down on more than one occasion. Lawmakers pushed the nation perilously close to default.

And that's just the negative stuff Congress has actually done. By way of inaction, they have also failed.

"I give them a failing grade," David Kendall, a senior fellow at centrist think tank Third Way said before reconsidering. "Ok, I'll give them a 'D' because they did some deficit reduction. But even that was not done in a productive way."

The current Congress took power in January, when the economy was sputtering. It's still sputtering today.

The economy grew at only 2.0% in the third quarter, which is actually an improvement from 1.3% gross domestic product growth in the second quarter. The unemployment rate has been sitting at or above 9% since April, and higher than 8% for 33 straight months.

The besieged housing market has even further to fall before home prices really hit rock bottom -- a triple dip.
What has Congress done to help? Not much.

Congress has, to their credit, approved free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama that have been in the works for years. And a bill designed to reform the nation's twisted patent system became law in September.

But vast areas of policy have gone untouched.

There is a reason for this: Lawmakers disagree on how to best promote growth. The two parties are miles apart on fiscal policy -- and they love to fight about it."...
(CNN)

But whose fault is it?
Stupid voters enable broken government

"Whenever I visit Washington, I can't help but think this is the town that elected a crackhead as its mayor.

I know, I know it's not PC to say, but just because it's insensitive doesn't mean it isn't true.

But think about this: There is footage of Marion Barry in a room of crack smoke saying, "Bitch set me up." And yet that image, that video did not disqualify him from being seen as a viable political option in the mind of voters. In fact, not only was he re-elected mayor after serving time in a federal prison, today he sits on the City Council, all because he managed to convince enough black people that the video of him with the crack pipe in his mouth was white people's fault.

When analyzing what is wrong with our government, allow me to present this example as Exhibit A.

Exhibit B would be Newt Gingrich, who cheated on two wives and is the only speaker of the House to have been disciplined for ethics violations. And yet somehow he is running for president of the United States as a religious conservative and managed to get 8% of the votes during last week's straw poll in Florida.

Are you freaking kidding me?"...
(CNN)

Well, maybe it's not all on the voters...
Reelection Rates

(OpenSecrets.org)

Why your vote for Congress might not matter

"Outside Independence Hall, ask a graduate student in line to see the Liberty Bell what he thinks of gerrymandering, and you might get this answer:

"I think Gerry Mandering is a great guy."

No, he isn't.

Gerrymandering is the term for the way politicians draw boundary lines for legislative districts in a way designed to keep one party or the other in power in that particular district.

In the last 10 years, 78% of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives -- almost four out of every five members of Congress -- did not change party hands even once.

In California, with 53 seats -- the most in the nation -- incumbents were kept so safe that only one of those seats changed party control in the past decade.

David Wasserman, redistricting expert for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, says only 20 races for Congress are expected to be tossups in the 2012 election. That's only 20 out of the 435 seats in the House.

"In general elections, it's almost rigged," he said."...
(CNN)

The "Gerrymander"

(Read more here!)

Things... Lots of Things

2011-12-29T00:45:00.000-05:00

Yes, terrible name for a post, but obviously I've ceased to care about post titles.

"Form follows function", right?

First World Tweets: Christmas Edition

(via TDW)

Curiosity Rover Lifts Off for Mars

I love spaceships...

(APOD)

Best thing about driving in the snow:

If only it was followed by a hyperspace jump to your destination... instead of spinning out into a ditch.

(via /Film)

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American Pie cast: Then & Now

Ahh... Nostalgia.

(via TDW)

Obesity: Then & Now

Again: =(

(via GraphJam)

Makerbot Thing-O-Matic

I want one!

"Forget buying gifts this year — create your own with the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic($1,100). This automatic 3D printer can print full objects instead of pieces, and includes MakerBot StepStruder MK7 software to let you easily design your own creations. Just think of it as your own personal assembly plant, minus the questionable labor practices and potential regulatory hassles."

(via uncrate)

Apparently some people are upset that these apartment buildings in South Korea resemble the Twin Towers after they were attacked:

Can't say they don't look like that...

(via TDW)

"Waiting" Fail:

(via lamebook)

'Wok on Fire' website:

Well, I checked and it works...

(link thanks to Myko)

Book Art:

Pardon the size, but you need to see these in detail:

Totally getting one for my personal library... once I get a personal library.

(via TDW)

And we'll round it out with a picture of Yo-Yo Ma lying on a bathroom floor with a wombat:

Yup.

(via TDW)

DJ Earworm - United State of Pop 2011 (World Go Boom)

2011-12-28T01:36:00.003-05:00

DJ Earworm just released his annual mashup of songs!

It's different, apparently:
"I’ve made some changes in the song selection process this year.
In efforts to better reflect the year, I have a system that draws from the weekly charts from throughout 2011 that ensures that all the late-breaking hits (such as “We Found Love” & “Sexy and I Know It”) are included in the 2011 mix." - DJ Earworm

And the list of songs:

Adele – Rolling In The Deep
Adele – Someone Like You
Black Eyed Peas – Just Can’t Get Enough
Bruno Mars – Grenade
Bruno Mars – The Lazy Song
Britney Spears – Till The World Ends
Cee Lo Green – F* You
Enrique Iglesias – Tonight (I’m Lovin’ You)
Foster the People – Pumped Up Kicks
Jennifer Lopez – On The Floor
Jeremih feat. 50 cent – Down On Me
Katy Perry – Firework
Katy Perry – E.T.
Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
Lady Gaga – Born This Way
LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem
LMFAO – Sexy and I Know It
Lupe Fiasco – The Show Goes On
Maroon 5 – Moves Like Jagger
Nicki Minaj – Super Bass
OneRepublic – Good Life
Pink – Raise Your Glass
Pitbull – Give Me Everything
Rihanna – S&M
Rihanna – We Found Love

Visualizations and Infographics

2011-12-27T17:57:00.000-05:00

Hope you all enjoyed your Christmas weekends!
And for the lucky few that are still on winter break/shutdown... I hate you.

To make me feel even worse, here is graph on where the US ranks among other countries in terms of PTO/holidays:

Surprise! France isn't first!
(via Neatorama)

The 10 Worst (or Best) Cereals in in terms of Sugar Content:

The others I could do without, but I love my classic Cap'n Crunch.
(via TDW)

------------More------------

The Difference between Correlation and Causation:
Politicians (and everyone else), take note!

(via GraphJam and ChartPorn)

Incredible Things That Happen Every 60 Seconds on the Internet:

Imagine if we redirected some of this effort towards more useful activities...
(via Business Insider)

Masters of the Cutaway: Hans Jenssen
"One of my absolute favorite things in the world are cutaway drawings, also known as cross-sections. As a child, I would pore over the drawings trying to absorb as many of the details as possible. In fact, I still do that! Cutaways are a fantastic intersection of technical drawing, graphic design, transportation design and architecture. Over the course of this blog series, I'll be spotlighting some of the masters of the medium. First up is Hans Jenssen."

"The Danish artist currently resides in the UK where he has made a career illustrating the hidden workings of vehicles, both real and fictional. In the 1990's, DK released Look Inside Cross-Sections, a popular book series on various modes of transportation, including military planes, trains and cars. The books were illustrated by Jenssen and his artistic partner Richard Chasemore (whom I'll cover in another post)."

I love cutaways... The Way Things Work was a favorite of mine as a child. (Man... I'm a dork...)
(via core77)

And here is an awesome map comprised of a song titles:

I might have just bought it...
(Dorothy)