A world in and of itself

New York City is one of the few places in the world I used to live close enough to visit, but never bothered. I hope to rectify that someday. Meanwhile, check this guy - who over a period of 2.5 years walked every street in Manhattan (over 700 miles) and took some great pics along the way.

I can hear the whining already

I am beginning to understand what getting older does to the body and mind now. Aches and pains that come and go for no logical reason. Memory beginning to fail. Lessening interest in loud music. Increased desire to wear black knee-high socks with shorts......

But it's the aches and pains of the aging body that really mess with your psyche. You may ask yourself, "Am I having a heart attack!?" "Is that gangrene on my foot - is it going to fall off?" No, doofus, you're just getting older.

I wonder how this soft, new generation is going to handle all this when they get to my age. I can hear the whining already........

Karl 1 - Former Doc 0

So once I found out I was hypo-thyroid, I put 2 and 2 together. Hypo-thyroidism is linked with high cholesterol. If you treat the former, you can ease the latter. No more cholesterol medication. Did my former Doc listen? No.

Fast forward to today. New doctor. Only thyroid meds. No cholesterol meds. New blood test. Cholesterol normal.

Boo ya!

Using band names in a sentence

Mike and the Mechanics Fixx The Cars. Police Free James Brown.

Feel free to add your own in the comments.

A fly on the wall

No matter if you're a fan of Desperate Housewives or not - this parody, Desperate Houseflies is pretty good.

Lifelike sculpture

Once again with the sculpture. So real, it's freaky.

Scary

This movie talks about another kind of air pollution that may get outlawed.

Don't click it!

I'm always looking for people who design web sites with great flash effects and this one rates high on my list this year. It almost had me convinced we were about to enter the era of the "clickless" interface.

Shiver me timbers!

If I was a tree in Calgary right now, I'd be going "Hey! What the hell?" After all, the weather here for the past week or so has been hovering in the 15 to 23 degrees Celcius area. Leaves are budding or just about to bud and as of today, a giant arctic air mass is invading the prairie, threatening rain and snow. Ahhhh...............good ol' spring in Calgary.

But are they actors - or just MS employees?

OK, I'm the last person who's gonna go around tooting Microsoft's horn, but the videos at the OneNote2003 promotion site www.stationeryisbad.com are hilarious, a-la the UK series "The Office". Pay as much attention to what's going on in the background as the foreground.

I got yer episcopal mitre right here....

No I will not leave this Pope topic alone! Hey Kids! Make your own Pope Hat!

Love spray cheese? You ain't seen nuthin'....

There are some web sites that are fun to mention, but they have no longevity and wither into oblivion after a few months or so. That's why I am pleased to (re-?)introduce Halfbakery, the site where people get to suggest ideas and inventions (most of them not too serious). One of my latest faves: Spravy - The Aerosol Gravy.

From the makers of "Roll-on Hollandaise" comes "Spravy", the aerosol gravy in a can. Simply spray it on any food to give that good old fashioned "drippins" coating. Comes in many flavors like bird, cow, and sea critter.

And I thought it was fiction!

Pope? Sith? Coincidence? If Pope Benedict XVI starts referring to the masses as "The Empire" - I'm signing up for Jedi training. Maybe the clone army will be made up of Honda Asimos or Sony SDR-3X.
Thanks Jon.

Now stuff that's bad for you tastes even better!

Whilst grocery shopping yesterday, they were giving out samples of the new Coke Classic with Lime. I decided to give it a try. It's not too shabby. Then I remembered that I've pretty much cut pop out of my diet - so it didn't really matter how good it was......

Best headline seen on web of late

Officer's Gun Falls From Pants, Shoots Man In Other Bathroom Stall

Web pages that suck (as in bad design)

If you're a budding web designer, you must read this article: Biggest Web Design Mistakes of 2004. For anyone trying to make their web product better, I think this hits the nail right on the head. Btw, I do not include blogs in this discussion, as most (amateur) bloggers know absolutely nothing about web design and either use existing templates or massacre said templates.

I'll take Google Images for $200 Alex

If you're really bored give Guess-The-Google a whirl. A montage of images is presented that would have resulted from a Google Image search. You have to guess what word was used to return the images. It's timed and it's a time waster.

Big bank boneheads

My mood was tested today. First, it seems Darlene and I didn't notice we were putting money in the wrong parking meter. Don't ask, I have no idea how we pulled that off, suffice to say we returned to a car with a ticket on the windshield. Eager to put this embarrassment behind us, we went straight to the nearest bank, a TD/Canada Trust, to pay the ticket. Well, they wouldn't let me pay it because I didn't have an account there. Oh that's right - the ticket did say "payable at most chartered banks". Just not any bank. This is the same brand of bank that once wouldn't take our rolled pennies for the same reason. TD/Canada Trust - if you don't have an account with us, we'll do everything to keep it that way....

But I'm still smiling.

Pope squatter

Rogers Cadenhead bought the domain name BenedictXVI.com to keep it away from pornographers. Now he will agree to donate it to the Vatican if the following requests (they're not demands) are met, including getting "one of those hats" and a three days, two nights at the
Vatican hotel they built for the conclave.

Do you think they serve Eggs BenedictXVI for breakfast at the Vatican Hotel? How about Pope Tarts?

Cough....cough....

Don't think you can get out of work/school for the day to go see the new Star Wars movie? Not to worry - Geek Squad has you covered with a fill-in-the-blanks note you can download. My fave part:

One more thing. Beginning at , [NAME] will be unreachable for about two hours, thirteen minutes and eleven seconds. [HE/SHE] will be feeling really bad at this time.

Sponsorship smonsorship...

P.S. [singing] "It's my blog and I'll cartoon if I want to....."[/singing]

Listen to your inner child

There's nothing healthier you can do than to continue to listen to your "inner child" as you grow older. This site, Science Hobbyist, will help you in that endeavor. Some samples:

Sit in a sunbeam in a dimly-lit room. Light a stick of incense, hold it vertically, then move it upwards and stop suddenly, with a jerk. A perfect smoke-ring will be launched from the burning tip. Move the incense upwards, then suddenly jerk downwards, then repeat. You can launch fast smoke-rings through the center of slow ones, create side-by side rows, etc. In a draft-free room they persist for ages, and soon the air will be full of huge grey thin circles.

Create REALLY BIG "static" sparks: on a winter's day, scuff your feet on the rug so that your body becomes electrified. Now stand near a victim. Wiggle your shoes while pressing on the rug, so that you build up some charged footprints. Now suddenly LEAP INTO THE AIR and touch your victim with your finger at the same time, while you're still in flight. The spark will be much stronger than normal.

While waiting in the dark outside a movie theater or pub, violently shake your head back and forth while observing nearby neon signs. (this only works with clear-tube orange signs.) See those frilly filgerees in the bands of light? All neon signs have them, but normally they wiggle back and forth so fast that humans can't see them. Physicists call them "positive column striations," while neon signmakers call them "jellybeans". Tell bystanders what you are doing, and soon you'll have a crowd of people shaking their heads in the dark like fools.

Witty

Seen on the storefront of an eyewear merchant here in Calgary:

"Full frontal nerdity"

Medium large

There are some comic strips that really deserve to be recognized. This is one of them. Thanks to Kim for showing me the round-about-way.

God's gift to women t-shirt

But this one is the funniest.

Sassy

I found another t-shirt site thanks to my friend Jon. Here are 3 samples that are suitable for all audiences (most are not).

Holy Smokes! We have a new Pope!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself......

I've had an epiphany

Homer Simpson is one of the most beloved TV characters ever invented. Well I've got news for you. A real life Homer is actually alive and well and living in Canada. I'm serious. Think about Homer for a moment and imagine his voice in your head, his attitude......

See comment for the revelation......

More sand art

Speaking of art and sand......check this out!
Give it a few minutes, it starts out slow, but the material gets better.....

But why would you want to?

Someone turned a Subaru WRX into an ATV. Wicked? Or wasted?

I can see my house from here!

If you just can't waste enough time with the satellite images on the Google Maps site, give this site a try.

Isn't that special?

Enter some words and you can spell with Flikr.
Click the picture for a slightly larger rendering.

Sandsational

If you're into great sculpture, check out this site on sand sculpting.

Yo!

Let's talk about acceptable use of the words dude or man. My homies tell me that the generically accepted term for greeting an individual or group of people, regardless of gender is "Dude" or "Man" or "Guys" - as in "Hey man!" or "Dude, that outfit is hot!". Even in groups of only women, I've witnessed them being addressed as "How are you guys?" Now I know we've been striving as a society to do away with man-oriented naming, so we've done away with terms like mailman, fireman, etc. But I find that opening a message with "Hey woman" or "Hey chick" or "Hey lady!" [intoned with the proper Jerry Lewis accent] is not really any better, nor does it roll off the tongue. I've even had suggestions of "Hey Girrllll", but that doesn't really come across any better. Imagine me greeting a 40-something woman that way - or even a 20-something woman. So ladies, what is the accepted greeting as far as you're concerned?

More meme craziness

Latest meme courtesy The Cheese Stands Alone

1. What time did you get up this morning?
8:30 AM. That's late for me.
2. Diamonds or pearls?
Sorry. What?
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
I can't even remember. It was that long ago. Could it have been Star Wars Attack of the Clones? Nawww. Yeah - could be.
4. What is your favorite TV show?
West Wing.
5. What did you have for breakfast?
Coffee, an omelette with ham, cheese and roasted peppers with Spolumbo's sausage and potatoes. It was mediocre.
6. What is your middle name?
A. Just the letter. No really........ OK, it's Adam.
7. Favorite cuisine?
The kind in front of me. It's hard to pick a favourite when you love most food as much as I do.
8. What foods do you dislike?
Anything too spicy.
9. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Peanut Butter. But since I can't find it anymore, I'll have to go with Butter Pecan. No wait! Coconut! Why do I have to choose?
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
The Garden State soundtrack. The new Beck album Guero is a close second.
11. What kind of car do you drive?
A 2004 Acura TSX.
12. Favorite sandwich?
Peanut Butter with strawberry jam. If that's not available, tuna salad.
13. What characteristic do you despise?
Despise is a strong word, but I can't tolerate close-mindedness.
14. Favorite item of clothing?
My new black Wayne Gretzky t-shirt. It's one of the most comfy shirts I own.
15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Gee that's a tough call. Japan.
16. What color is your bathroom?
"Silver Shadow" paint; faux tile linoleum (dark); brushed silver Towel racks, etc; white shower stall.
17. Favorite brand of clothing?
Whatever fits well.
18. Where would you retire to?
Someplace with a view. Either of the Rockies or city lights or both.
19. Favorite time of the day?
I got nuthin'.
20. What was your most memorable birthday?
The one I spent in Germany. 21st.
21. Where were you born?
Montreal, Quebec
22. Favorite sport to watch?
Duh! Hockey.
23. Who do you least expect to copy this meme?
My friend Jon. I have no explanation.
24. Person you expect to copy it first?
Maybe Kim at Bacon and Eh's? Who knows. My fan base is still kinda small.
25. What fabric detergent do you use?
Tide. I love the smell.
26. Are you a morning person or a night person?
I guess night.
27. What is your shoe size?
11.5
28. Do you have any pets?
An albino hairless poodle. I'm kidding - I got none.
29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your family & friends?
I've moved again. And this time, you'll never find me! Hahahaha!
30. What did you want to be when you were little?
I have no recollection of that time period.
31. What are you doing today?
That's classified.

No gas needed for this little beastie

For the last little while, I've been toying around with the idea of getting Darlene a scooter to tool around the neighbourhood with. Truth be told, I'm more interested in the idea than she is. The concept EC-02 scooter from Yamaha (pictured above) is around 100 pounds and is all electric. A 6 hour charge gets you a 40 kilometre range with a top speed of 30km/h. Not fast, but this little bad boy can be folded up and tossed in the trunk. I just thought it was a cool item. The link is not English.

Holy Gasguzzlers!

We really have no clue

If you are mesmerized by the unanswered science questions of the day - then prepare to be rendered speechless by these "13 things that do not make sense".

Remember when floppy disks really were floppy?

Has an older person ever started on you with the "I remember when computers only had 64k of RAM" and stuff? You see, the worst part is that the moment they begin reminiscing about the "olden days" of computing, they often figure you're too young to know the difference, so they start making stuff up. Next thing you know - they're trying to sell you on the idea that some models of Apple computers were powered by guinea pigs on treadwheels.

Set them straight after you read the Computer Geek's History of the Internet. It's chock full of computer history as well.

Science can be fun!

If you have children who would have fun doing experiments, or you're just a kid at heart and science is fun for you - check out these great experiments to try.

When pets do bad things

"Oh God - I'm never gonna get that drunk again - I swear..."

Who's scruffy lookin'?

Of course it makes perfect sense now that I've thought about it. Harrison Ford sure does a lot of pointing in his movies. And sure as the movie line "I've got a bad feeling about this", there's a web site devoted to capturing the pointing.

Magic carpet

If you've never seen a Radio Controlled Helicopter model fly before, it might be good to just get right to one of the aces and see him do his stuff. He's nine btw and he can make his RC copter do stuff that shouldn't be possible according to the laws of aerodynamics. Choose the Raptor 50 with inset link for the latest video with appropriate soundtrack. How long before you think the Air Force will hire him for their unmanned flight program?

Cooking for two

Maybe it's just me, but I find food packaging doesn't really take couples into account. Take a loaf of bread for example - too big for just a couple. Most of the time, half the loaf goes in the garbage once it goes stale. Mayo - the 750ml jar is the best value (millilitre for millilitre), but the "bad food bugs" get the best of the jar before we ever do. Sure the tiny jar would be more practical, but it's 80% of the price of the next size up while only containing 40% of the contents. Bacon is another example - too much for just 2 people. My biggest beef (no pun intended)? Ground beef. Most recipes call for a pound of the stuff (453 grams), but grocery stores insist on packaging it in 600-800 gram amounts.

There's hope for everyone

A Geek Prom? Yes, there is a prom for geeks. The first Geek Prom was held in 2002 with the theme 'We are through being cool.' The event was a somewhat formal party for about 300 adult misfits. Awkward romance, video-gaming and spastic fits of clumsy dancing were just part of the festivities. Check the yearbook link for some galleries from past proms.