Friday, July 31, 2009

7 year old leads police on a chase

7 year old boy steals his dad's car and makes a break for it. He was trying to avoid church.

At 3:12, the boy gets out of the car and makes a run for it. It's pretty funny.



Thursday, July 30, 2009

Golden Girls House Located

As a fan of the 80's era sitcom "The Golden Girls," I was excited to learn that the house used for the exterior shots actually exists - at 245 N. Saltaire Ave., Los Angeles!


Above: StreetView of the house. It was used for the exterior shots in Season 1, but for subsequent seasons, a replica was used.

Above: The floor plan as guessed from the TV show. From http://www.flickr.com/photos/baccarati/2678083556/

Addicted to Facebook. Need a job?


Turns out there are jobs out there just for people like you.
Five jobs you may qualify for:
1. Recruiter
2. Strategist
3. Enterprise architect
4.User operations analyst
5.Director of social media
So put those social networking skills to work for you.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Swimmer's Waldrobe Malfunction

US Swimmer Ricky Berens is making headlines but not for his swimming. Poor guy tore his swimsuit just before jumping into the pool. It ripped straight down the back.

Apparently the tighter the suit, the faster you can go.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Pulling the Plug on Mafia Games


The New York Times has reported that the Chinese government has banned online games that feature mafia or organized crime as themes, citing "internet addiction" which it claims is linked to crime.

Meanwhile, on Facebook, the application "Mafia Wars" is steadily gaining in popularity, with more than 14 million active monthly users at last count... If what the Chinese government says is true, should we be preparing for a massive crime wave?


Time Lapse Sand Sculpture

This is very cool.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Women are evolved, men not so much

Let me clarify before you come after me with a pitch fork. Women are getting more attractive. Men on the other hand are not evolving on the hotness scale. I didn't say it. Some researchers in Finland found this to be the case.

Apparently beautiful women tend to have 16% more children than plain women (I bet they don't stay beautiful for long after giving birth. Kids consume lots of time.) I digressed. Beautiful women tend to give birth to attractive girls who in turn have more attractive daughters.

Men did not evolve the same way. Women don't put the same premium on looks so men haven't had to evolve in the attractive department. I am sure men have evolved in many ways. Lets list some.


**Jennifer Aniston picture

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Football Star a Virgin

When radio reporters asked Tim Tebow if he was "saving himself for marriage," the 6' 3", 240 lb, 21 year-old very Christian college football star replied: "Yes. Yes I am," causing some nervous laughter in the room. Audio below.

Left: Tim Tebow. Right: His girlfriend.

If you like lady bugs

This is the video for you.


5D and EX1 Lady Bug Swarm from Michael Ramsey on Vimeo.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Fifteen Years in the Future...


What do we know about the future?

In 1985, Ebony magazine imagined what Michael Jackson would look like in the year 2000, at age 42.

This was their prediction: a vaguely Billy Dee Williams sort of character.

Image courtesy of snopes.com

Friday, July 24, 2009

Mary Kay Thriving

Well, some things are recession proof. Apparently women are spending on lipsticks. Check out this story about pink Cadillacs.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Behind Those Sneakers

image: http://www.downtownexpress.com

Around my neighborhood, there are several places where you can see a pair of sneakers hanging from a wire over the street. I was told that it signifies that someone in the neighborhood has moved away.

However, this ancient (by Internet standards) article offers other, intriguing explanations, summarized here:

  • I heard tennis shoes hanging over a power line meant you could buy crack there.
  • It's a time-honored tradition to throw your sneakers over the power lines on the last day of school.
  • When I was a lad of 13 in Nashua, New Hampshire, we used to steal pairs of shoes that had been carelessly left on the sidewalk by kids who had popped open a fireplug. At this point we would play "over the wire keep away" until (a) the kid's mother, brother, father, or a passing police officer put a stop to the game, or (b) shoes went up but didn't come down.
  • When I was in the military and guys were getting ready to get out and go back to a "regular" life they would take their combat boots and paint them up all funky before tying the laces together and throwing them over a wire.
  • Either they're meant to increase visibility for low-flying aircraft, frighten rattlesnakes away, or just for the hell of it.
  • I read in the newspaper that shoes would be thrown over the power lines to serve as a reminder/warning of a murder that occurred nearby.
  • Depending on what part of the country you are from, one shoe from a light post or sign represents the death of a gang member. Usually seen in the inner city.
  • When I was a kid (late 60s, early 70s) the boys would tie together (1) their own sneakers that they hated or (2) sneakers of the weak and/or overweight kids and toss them over the telephone wires for fun. It usually took a number of tosses to get them up there, so the boys took this as a challenge.
  • I'll admit to being a former shoe thrower. After getting a new pair of sneakers, it was a common ritual in my neighborhood to tie the shoelaces of your old pair together and throw them up on the telephone wires. What else are you going to do with your old pair of sneakers?
  • There is no solid cause-effect going on here. Just your everyday kid hijinks. I suppose you could say it's a way of marking territory. Shoes can be seen hanging all over the beach area here in San Diego, over lampposts, power lines, trees, etc. It's as pointless as jamming gum in water fountains or throwing water balloons at cars. Just one of the things kids do.

Google Voice: One phone number, one voice mail

USA Today tested Google Voice out. One phone number ties all of your phones together. Check it out.


Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Michigan's Upper Peninsula Wants to be Shown on Maps


The Upper Peninsula of Michigan can't get no respect. A Michigan lawmaker has proposed a law that would require both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan to be shown on all official publications.

According to this article in USA Today:

"Last year, some high school students from Escanaba wrote to a textbook publisher after a map in a history book appeared to exclude the U.P. from the borders of the United States. The map colored the U.P. white — like the void surrounding the country — while the rest of Michigan was shaded light blue. The map identified states by their postal codes; the U.P. was designated "IL," for Illinois — which had no label.

Other maps have shown the U.P. as part of Wisconsin or Canada."

Link to the offending map is here.

Saving orphans one greeting card at a time

Little girl in Kansas decided to make and sell greeting cards to support orphans. She has made enough to build an orphanage in Hati.


Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Worth How Much? (Part 2)


The two men named as the executors of Michael Jackson's will hold the rights to videotape footage of Michael Jackson's rehearsals for the "This Is It" tour. The video could be made into a DVD or film. It is rumored that Sony Pictures Entertainment would pay between $50 million to $60 million for the footage.

College Quidditch



The imaginary game out of the Harry Potter books is now a reality on some college campuses. The land based game was adapted by a Middlebury College student. There is no flying involved in this version of the game but a broom and snitch are part of the game.


Is it time for you to organize your own Quidditch match? Here is some video of what Quidditch looks like in action.







Monday, July 20, 2009

Choosing not to work from home

It seems that even though many of us dream of working from home in our pj's, when we become freelancers, some of us look for the stability of an office space.
The Brooklyn Creative League is filling that void in NYC. Rentals can go anywhere from $275 a month to the sky.

I guess there are limits at the public library.

If you had a chance to work from your home, would you?

Sunday, July 19, 2009

A face only a mother could love

This is probably what people mean when they say a face only a mother could love. The NY Daily News has come up with a list of the World's Ugliest Animals. Yes, there are pictures. So, post one of these on your mirror, you're bound to feel better about yourself.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Gals and Gyarus



About ten or fifteen years ago in Tokyo, a fashion trend started which involved very, very deep tans, bleached blond hair, pastel makeup, platform boots, and a an f*-it-all attitude. Devotees to this fashion were called "Gyaru," after the English word "gal." The Gyaru eventually split up in to diverse sub-subcultures such as the "Kogyaru," "Ogyaru," and "Yamamba," the differences between which could be understood only by one immersed in their culture.

Now, weirdly, the Gyaru culture has crossed over into... Britain.


left: A Japanese Gyaru. Right: A British Gyaru.

Out of this world blunder

Remember the stories your heard about watching the Apollo 11 moon landing
on TV. Well, that footage is now gone, erased. NASA admitted that it erased that footage years ago to reuse the tape.
Hollywood is coming to the rescue. Using some video of the moon landing the agency found around the world, Hollywood is going to remaster the footage so it will look even better than before.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Gay Penguin Couple Breaks Up

One of the pair is now mating with a female penguin.


Pet Airways: Pooch flies in style

It's an Airline just for the four legged kind. There are no seats on this plane. You can't fly with your best friend, but you can make sure he/she gets the red carpet treatment in the sky.

NY to Chicago, $199 each way. First class of course.


Here is the commercial for Pet Airways.






Imagine if you could put your child on a separate airline... you are on one plane, all kids on another. Hmmm... I could see some parents opting for that.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Billionaire accused of theft

70 years ago, Texas oil tycoon, T. Boone Pickens scratched his name in wet concrete in his grandmother's driveway.
The owner of the home for the last 20 years recently realized the slab of his driveway with the Pickens name was missing. The thief replaced the Pickens slab with a plain one.
The homeowner filed a theft and vandalism report with the local police department. Neighbors told him some people with TX license plates removed the Pickens slab and replaced it.
Now T. Boone Pikcens is accused of stealing and vandalism. So, the billionaire may have to pay up for his own art work.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bee infested hotel

Nearly 50,000 bees call a luxury hotel home in London, England. Check out the video and find out why you should become a bee keeper.

Monday, July 13, 2009

?#@*&%!


A friend's 6 year old son recently asked the question: If you say bad words to a police officer, will he or she arrest you?

Maybe. But if you say bad words in a different situation, it might actually be helpful. That situation is: when you are in pain. That's according to this study.

Man confronts bear with a bark

A California man woke up to a bear breaking into his house. Who knew it spoke dog.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Dangers of texting near open man hole

This NYC teenager was texting and walking when she ended up 5 feet below ground. Now she's thinking about suing. Check out the video.



Saturday, July 11, 2009

The Shocking Fact Is...


A lightning strike has delayed the space shuttle Endeavor's launch.

But what do you expect? Cape Canaveral is in the part of central Florida called "Lightning Alley." The area recieves more lightning strikes per year than anywhere else in the United States: 12 per square kilometer. Between 2004 and 2007, an average of 7 people died each year from lightning strikes in Florida, and another 35 were injured.

Kinda makes me wonder why they would choose that area from which to launch space missions - which involve very tall objects on the ground that easily attract lightning?


Friday, July 10, 2009

Man Killed Running With Bulls

A 27 year-old Spaniard, Daniel Jimeno Romero, has died after being fatally gored in the neck by a bull at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona - also known as the "Running of the Bulls."

What's rather surprising is that it is only the 15th death since records began to be kept in 1924, and the first death in 15 years. The last person killed was an American, Matthew Tassio, 22 years-old at the time.

Warning: the following video, of the fatal accident, contains scenes of violence.

What should your home cost?

Rentometer.com can tell you if you're paying too much for the space you have. If you are a landlord, you can put in an address and figure out if you are not charging enough for the space.

So an interesting and useful tool. If you're looking for inexpensive living, you can also find that by location.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Take This Pill And Live Longer?


A new study shows that middle-aged mice fed rapamycin lived 28% to 38% longer than other mice.

But what is rapamycin?

It's been used for a couple of decades to help prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. And very interestingly, it was discovered in the soil of Easter Island.

If it works in mice... could it work in humans?

Sperm without a man

British researchers think they have figured this out using stem cells.




What does this mean for the human race?

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Oven Baked Chicken Flavored With Beef

Is KFC's Grilled Chicken really "Oven-Baked Beef Powder-Flavored Chicken"? So says El Pollo Loco, Bina found.

Bilboard bleeds when it rains

Check out this bilboard. It bleeds when it rains. I wonder if this bilboard is distracting to drivers.


Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Sarah Palin in The Atlantic


Andrew Sullilvan at The Atlantic has put together a roundup of "Sarah Palin's lies"... 32 documented in all.

Some things I found out:

"Palin lied when she claimed to be unaware of a turkey being slaughtered behind her during a filmed interview."

"Palin lied when she repeatedly claimed to have said, "Thanks, but no thanks" to the Bridge to Nowhere; in fact, she openly campaigned for the federal project when running for governor."

The rest is here.

How Chipotle Makes Money

Fast Food at Chipotle.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Worth How Much?


The final photograph of Michael Jackson may bring over $1 million for National Photo Group, the agency to which it belongs.

The whole staff of National will make money from this photo. Ben Evenstad, one of the co-founders of National, estimates the staff bonuses this year will be "six figures... if not, damn close."

In January this year, the paparazzo who took the photo, Christopher Weiss, had changed from being on commission at National to being on salary.

image: http://www.etonline.com/news/2009/06/75724/index.html

More privacy on Facebook

Millions of Facebook users can now decide exactly who sees the provocative picture of them.

The company is looking to streamline the space to better compete with Google, MySpace and Twitter.

Facebook as well as its users are trying to figure out how to monetize the site. This may put the company one step closer.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck


The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck is an ice cream truck in New York City with some pretty interesting toppings:

"Trix Cereal, Scharfen Berger Cocoa Nibs, Cayenne Pepper, Nilla Wafers, Dulce de Leche, French Peppermint Syrup, Fresh Blueberries (w/ or w/o Saba), Bariani Olive Oil & Sea Salt, Crushed Pretzels, Nutella, Organic Chunky Peanut Butter."

...Cayenne Pepper? Olive Oil & Sea Salt? Check it out if you are in New York!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Stepping onto the ledge

Just looking at this image makes me queasy. That's the view from the 103rd floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago.

You're looking at a busy Chicago street through glass from 103 stories. The Sears Tower just opened the 103 skydeck nicknamed 'the ledge.' From there you get unobstructed view of Chicago, the river and streets.

These glass balconies jut out of the 103rd floor, some 1353 feet above ground level.

I am not sure how I feel about heights, but I bet this is pretty awesome.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Governor Alec Baldwin?

The actor says there is a group in Ohio that's trying to convince him to run for governor of the state.

A democrat is currently in Columbus, Ohio, but Ohio could be a blue, red or purple state depending on the year.


Alec Baldwin is tied up with 30 Rock until March 2012. The actor has said he'll retire from acting then, but he doesn't know what he'll do with the rest of his life.

So, do you think Gov. Baldwin would do a good job? Or is he too liberal for Ohio?

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Flight Diverted After Passenger Gets Naked


There really isn't anything I could add to this to make it better.

On July 1st, a US Airways passenger took off all his clothes mid-flight. When the air crew asked him to put his clothes back on, he threw a fit.

The plane made an emergency landing in Albuquerque, where the man was taken off the plane in handcuffs. The plane then continued on to its destination.

From the AP story: "Authorities suspect the passenger may have been drunk or on prescription drugs."

According to philipsmith.com: "In August 1999, NASA released a study (Aviation Safety Reporting System database) on violent passenger behavior which reported that 2,603 incidents of air rage occurred. Out of the 2,603 incidents, 43% involved alcohol."

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Michael Jackson, Inventor

Thanks to my friend Leigha for pointing this one out.

Michael Jackson was a great entertainer, but did you know he was also an inventor?

US Patent #5,255,452, "Method and Means for Creating Anti-Gravity Illusion," is the design for a specially designed pair of shoes that allow the wearer to lean forward well beyond his or her center of gravity without falling.

Here is a video of the shoes in action... fast forward to 3:43 in the video.

More sex=quality sperm

Finally some news men have been waiting for. The more sex you have, the healthier your sperm which means you could potentially donate a better batch to your offspring.

Granted, this study was done by men, but it does make you wonder about the quality of the DNA you're passing on to your children. So sperm has an expiration date.