A new method of storing bicycles (I am not sure this will ever become widespread because of: 1. Complications related to the use of underground space in large cities; and, 2. The negative environmental impact associated with the use of the motors in the parking unit, which offsets at least part of the benefits of riding a bicycle.):
Improved delivery of ketchup and mustard:
Showing posts with label Links. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Links. Show all posts
August 18, 2009
May 26, 2009
Bad parenting.
"Sometimes I do better with lists," a wise man once said. To that end let's start getting some lists together and vote on who makes the best submission (à la Apples to Apples). The topic for this trial run: awful celebrity baby names. My entries (these are just the ridiculously-named children, not all the kids in each family):
- Zakk Wylde: Hendrix Halen Michael Rhoads (named after Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Mike Piazza, and Randy Rhoads);
- George Foreman: George VI (Joe), George V (Red), George IV (Big Wheel), Freda George George III (Monk), Georgetta, and George Jr. Foreman has said he named all his sons George because, "In this career, you have to prepare for long term brain damage.";
- Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin: Apple (Paltrow discussing the name: "It sounded so sweet and it conjured such a lovely picture for me – you know, apples are so sweet and they're wholesome and it's biblical – and I just thought it sounded so lovely and … clean! And I just thought, 'Perfect!'" Bonus points because Apple's godfather is Simon Pegg.);
- Demi Moore: Rumer Glenn Willis (as in Bruce Willis) and Tallulah Belle Willis;
- Frank Zappa: Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan (a member of the Reggie Cleveland All-Stars), Moon Unit, and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen.
February 25, 2009
February 13, 2009
A quicker set of links
Sorry for all the posts that I have been making that are not much more than lists of links. I will work on cutting back, and not just by making fewer posts with more links. That will start right after I give you a few links:
- Dr. Grammar's Frequently Asked Questions - I have only clicked on a handful of these, but I agreed with the answers to all of them. A good resource for our debates, though I think it should be used only after an argument based on prior knowledge;
- "15 Amazing Yearbook Photos of U.S. Politicians" and also "12 Amazing Celebrity Yearbook Photos" - Jimmy Carter is terrifying.
- "5 Real Life Soldiers Who Make Rambo Look Like a Pussy" - My personal favorite of the group, this article is exactly what it sounds like, describing each of five men in the categories "Who was he?", (where the fuck does this comma go?) "The best Hollywood could come up with," and "Why it doesn't compare." My only problem with Cracked.com is that I get sucked into reading fifteen different lists with titles like "7 Historical Figures Who Were Absurdly Hard to Kill."
January 27, 2009
Link Dump - Bart's Bookmarks
I figure that while no one else is posting anything I may as well bombard the blog. To that end I just sorted through all of my bookmarks (except my StumbleUpon bookmarks) and pulled out a list of ones that I think others may use and/or enjoy. They are loosely sorted. Good luck getting through them all. (To clarify in advance: some sections are labeled "Sites" while others are labeled "Specific." "Sites" implies that the links will be to complete websites that fit the category; "specific" implies the links lead to specific pages of websites. For example, Badass of the Week goes into the "Sites" section while a badass I particularly liked would go under "specific.")
Blogs - Funny:
Funny Art Sites:
Blogs - Funny:
- Photoshop Disasters
- Steve Don’t Eat It!
- A man eats terrible things and describes them! - Meme Pool
- Brokers With Their Hands on Their Faces
- I Am Neurotic.
- Fistpumps.com
- Strange Maps
Funny Art Sites:
- Brandon Bird’s Brandon Bird-O-Rama!
- Garfield Minus Garfield
- Kate Beaton
- The Nietzsche Family Circus
- Eric Joyner - A man who paints lots of robots and donuts.
- 270 to Win
- Badass of the Week
- Cracked
- Fan Fiction Net
- Gapminder
- Kermit Bale
- McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: One More Handful of Letters From Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids’ Letters to President Obama.
- Perot Charts
- PolitiFact Truth-O-Meter
- Porn for the Blind
- Science Debate 2008
- Technology, Entertainment, Design (TED)
- Pundit Kitchen
- NumberSpiral.com
- Amnesty International poster
- Octomatics
- Tempo over time
- The Hundred Greatest Theorems
- Inaugural Words - 1789 to the Present - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com
- The Ebb and Flow of Movies - Box Office Receipts 1986 — 2008 - Interactive Graphic - NYTimes.com
- Poodwaddle World Clock
- Science Debate 2008: Obama and McCain answers
- Age, Turnout and Votes
- The MegaPenny Project
- Movie-A-Minute summaries
- The Anti-Gym
- Conan O’Brien’s Harvard Commencement Speech
- Pterodactyl porn
- A Concise History Of Black-White Relations In The United States
- If they IM’d: Obama’s VP Prospects
- GovTrack: H. Res. 847: Text of Legislation
- McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: Midlife-Crisis Bible Stories.
- My Year of Flops
- Peter’s Evil Overlord List
- Creepy Japanese Mario Fan Art
- Disappearing Car Doors
- Why Can’t I Own a Canadian?
- Fiscal conservative comic
- Reverse September 11
- Jesus vs. Bush 43
- Fuck the Earth Day
- Gauss facts thus far
- Obama’s Short List for VP Leaked to Press
- McCain’s Short List for VP Leaked to Press
- Victoria From “The Maury Show” Had Her Baby
- Big Dick’s Halfway Inn: Home of the Original Minnow Shot
- SNL: Census Taker with Christopher Walken
- SNL: Word Association with Richard Pryor
- Flush Bush: A funny look at Bush’s approval ratings over time
- Hannidate
- Sleeping animal live feed
- Italians vs. Europeans
- Bush Approval Ratings
- Did McCain Lift His Russia-Georgia Speech from Wikipedia?
- Geography game
- Study Bulb
- String Spin Toy
- Statetris (Tetris with states)
- Fake or Not (NSFW)
- Geosense
- Dice Wars - WiiPlayable
- World of Solitaire
- The eyeballing game
- Every Video Game
- Bush Shoe Game
- Wii Playable
- Puzzles.COM
- Random.org
- USAspending.gov
- Equation Sheet
- NationMaster
- StateMaster
- Kaiser State Health Facts
- NYC Subway Flash Overlay for Google Maps
- Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States
- Powerful Mp3 Music Search
- SendSpace
- YouSendIt
- MediaFire
- Google Maps
- HopStop
- NYC bridges on bikes
- Current Codes
- Get Human
- Torrent Pond
- NYC movie listings
- EasyBib
- Movavi Online Video Converter
- All UC
- IMDB
- Lostpedia
- VOTE411.org
- Gmaps Pedometer
- MediaCoder
- Bit.ly link shortener
December 16, 2008
More cities I wouldn't have expected
King of Prussia, PA
In other news, I apparently am descended from Prussian royalty. Yeah, that worked out pretty well.
In other news, I apparently am descended from Prussian royalty. Yeah, that worked out pretty well.
December 05, 2008
Animals!
None of these deserve their own post, so I decided to do a list of links. Enjoy.
The Pug Head Tilt.
The stealth cat.
Panda sneeze.
Laser kitty.
Octopus escaping through a one-inch hole.
Cute puppy howling.
Panda escape.
Raccoon steals carpet.
Best friends (duckling and puppy).
Cat eats with fork and chopsticks.
Tired cat one.
Tired cat two.
Sleepy bear in China.
Pathetic baby panda.
Puppies vs. cat.
Christian the Lion.
Jessica the Hippo.
That's all for now. My main goal was to ensure that I was not regularly posting animal videos, which can become quite annoying for the recipients. Congratulations to anyone who makes it through all of these.
The Pug Head Tilt.
The stealth cat.
Panda sneeze.
Laser kitty.
Octopus escaping through a one-inch hole.
Cute puppy howling.
Panda escape.
Raccoon steals carpet.
Best friends (duckling and puppy).
Cat eats with fork and chopsticks.
Tired cat one.
Tired cat two.
Sleepy bear in China.
Pathetic baby panda.
Puppies vs. cat.
Christian the Lion.
Jessica the Hippo.
That's all for now. My main goal was to ensure that I was not regularly posting animal videos, which can become quite annoying for the recipients. Congratulations to anyone who makes it through all of these.
December 04, 2008
Quick Links
Life is putting a whole bunch of pictures on Google. Some say these pictures are "important" or "historical."
Minnesota recount data. With 98.67% recounted, Franken leads Coleman 1,188,736 to 1,177,465. In my mind this is a lead of 11,271 votes, but since no media outlet is reporting it that way, I must be missing something.
Presidential portrait morph. Exactly what it sounds like.
Eisenhower's Wiki article. Random, I know, but I'm reading it. Did you know his grandson married Nixon's daughter? Because I didn't.
There's lots of cute animals on the internet, but this is the most endearing thing I've ever seen involving pets.
Minnesota recount data. With 98.67% recounted, Franken leads Coleman 1,188,736 to 1,177,465. In my mind this is a lead of 11,271 votes, but since no media outlet is reporting it that way, I must be missing something.
Presidential portrait morph. Exactly what it sounds like.
Eisenhower's Wiki article. Random, I know, but I'm reading it. Did you know his grandson married Nixon's daughter? Because I didn't.
There's lots of cute animals on the internet, but this is the most endearing thing I've ever seen involving pets.
November 25, 2008
November 10, 2008
Nate Silver = Doogie Howser (but with math)?
"By kindergarten, he could multiply two-digit numbers in his head. By 11, he was conducting multivariate analysis to figure out if the size of a baseball stadium affects attendance (it doesn’t). By age 13, he was using statistics to manage a fantasy baseball team. When his parents refused to buy him computer games, he taught himself the Basic programming language and created his own."
Daa-yum. Go Nate. Not so much Keith.
to me, "Generation O" sounds vaguely dirty...
There's a lot of sweeping statements in here about "young people today" ("they love checklists" was pretty spot-on for me) and general feel-goodery about Obama, but...honestly, it made me feel good. Read it, pat yourself on the back, and enjoy what little of the honeymoon period we've got left.
Oh yeah, and then there's this: http://change.gov/, which is referenced in the article. Haven't had much time to check it out yet myself, but I plan to, and I'm interested in your reactions.
Oh yeah, and then there's this: http://change.gov/, which is referenced in the article. Haven't had much time to check it out yet myself, but I plan to, and I'm interested in your reactions.
requisite weekly NYTimes Magazine article link
This one's pretty long a little wonky (although what other type do I post, really?), but really fascinating in terms of checks & balances and executive power issues in the Bush era.
Also, if you're feeling a little too hopeful lately and are looking for some comforting, vilifying reminders of why to hate GWB a little more, this is your ticket.
Also, if you're feeling a little too hopeful lately and are looking for some comforting, vilifying reminders of why to hate GWB a little more, this is your ticket.
November 06, 2008
ain't it the truth...
October 31, 2008
"Too Much Fear"
excerpts from Sophia Carroll's latest HuffPo piece...
Obama's speeches are vigorous and inspiring, but they lose significance when they are part of a bigger picture in which our democracy lacks serious debate. McCain's failure to make a serious case for his side has victimized the whole country because now, whoever wins this election won't have won because of ideas or vision, but because fewer people are worried about the threat he poses to our way of life.
Weight-loss strategy can be of use, here: to change an outcome, identify problem behavior. What is making us particularly vulnerable to fear today? Well, people on the left feel our democracy has been deliberately and systematically destabilized by the current president's consolidation of power to the executive branch, and we are all affected by his administration's insidious tendency to justify foreign policy in personal terms (implicitly the president's), rather than, say, the interests of the country as a whole. I'm not sure many would disagree that the president signifies far more today than he did eight years ago, and that this has been done deliberately. Scary.
Insisting that America show things like resolve and determination, for example, has re-located our national character away from where it belongs, with the people and into the person of the president. The truth is, wanting to show "strength" and "resolve" is no more relevant a justification for military action than the desire to show "happiness" would validate buying every Iraqi a balloon. If this bothers Americans even at a merely subconscious level, that's a good thing, because such personification evokes the exact system of government that our nation formed in order to reject: monarchy. If we're still uncomfortable with that, all is not lost.
But can a people remain democratic and self-reliant when its choices are dictated by fear? Democratic government's great advantage lies in its ability to express the will of the people, but can a people even have a 'will' under such conditions, other than to survive? [Katie-reaction: I'm not sure I 100% agree with this - I think most Americans-and many people for whom voting is a given - are still too rich to truly worry about "survival" - we're worried about keeping our stuff.] If so, it's barely appearing in the campaign coverage. We see voters on each side who are terrified that the opposition will destroy the country should he win, and other issues are all secondary, 'politics as usual.'
I am in the same boat, because I can't stop myself from fearing a McCain victory ... Both McCain and Palin seem unpredictable, undignified, and barely in control of any situation. These are not traits that characterize an America I want to live in, and much as I oppose our monarchic turn, this election does feel like a moment in time when our body politic is about to switch heads.
While Obama may be a good candidate for new 'head', we are a nation founded in pursuit of self-reliance, and as such, the position should not be available. Whoever wins, we must find a way to thrive under his administration without being ruled by it (I doubt Obama would disagree). It is precisely because democracies do not mistake the desires of their leaders for those of the people that we don't tend to start wars. America has begun blurring both lines, and we need to stop.
It is looking like the Democrats are going to do very well in this election, which may help: a bigger government would necessitate the spreading of power. But it will be at our nation's peril if the new, left-leaning leaders interpret their victory, as Bush did his narrow 2004 win, as a clear mandate to institute the kind of broad social changes that so many of us liberals would dearly love to see. They need to restore trust in our democracy first, and to do that they have to restore our trust in government itself by resisting the urge to treat legislation like a game of tetherball, forcing as much through as possible while they're in control.
If Obama and Biden win, after all, it will be because conservative Americans feel they cannot trust McCain with all that power, and not because they have had a sudden change of heart about the estate tax. While I may be writing this from a position of fear, I believe it: those conservatives are going to save this country by voting Obama, and they should not be thanked having their values ignored. To do so would be to ignore the national conversation that has been taking place over the past two years, and they deserve better.
We all deserve better, because all of America needs a government we can trust--not love, but trust, so that, for example, campaign promises to shrink and weaken the government seem as ludicrous as they would in any other job interview. Once we don't need to rely on the president to embody all that we stand for, we can focus on his job performance and evaluate him accordingly without getting swept away in persona.
Such scrutiny makes leaders better leaders, and it is why democracy works. I hope our leaders start working to earn back the public trust in the next few years, so that our next elections feel a little more democratic, and a lot less scary, to everyone.
Obama's speeches are vigorous and inspiring, but they lose significance when they are part of a bigger picture in which our democracy lacks serious debate. McCain's failure to make a serious case for his side has victimized the whole country because now, whoever wins this election won't have won because of ideas or vision, but because fewer people are worried about the threat he poses to our way of life.
Weight-loss strategy can be of use, here: to change an outcome, identify problem behavior. What is making us particularly vulnerable to fear today? Well, people on the left feel our democracy has been deliberately and systematically destabilized by the current president's consolidation of power to the executive branch, and we are all affected by his administration's insidious tendency to justify foreign policy in personal terms (implicitly the president's), rather than, say, the interests of the country as a whole. I'm not sure many would disagree that the president signifies far more today than he did eight years ago, and that this has been done deliberately. Scary.
Insisting that America show things like resolve and determination, for example, has re-located our national character away from where it belongs, with the people and into the person of the president. The truth is, wanting to show "strength" and "resolve" is no more relevant a justification for military action than the desire to show "happiness" would validate buying every Iraqi a balloon. If this bothers Americans even at a merely subconscious level, that's a good thing, because such personification evokes the exact system of government that our nation formed in order to reject: monarchy. If we're still uncomfortable with that, all is not lost.
But can a people remain democratic and self-reliant when its choices are dictated by fear? Democratic government's great advantage lies in its ability to express the will of the people, but can a people even have a 'will' under such conditions, other than to survive? [Katie-reaction: I'm not sure I 100% agree with this - I think most Americans-and many people for whom voting is a given - are still too rich to truly worry about "survival" - we're worried about keeping our stuff.] If so, it's barely appearing in the campaign coverage. We see voters on each side who are terrified that the opposition will destroy the country should he win, and other issues are all secondary, 'politics as usual.'
I am in the same boat, because I can't stop myself from fearing a McCain victory ... Both McCain and Palin seem unpredictable, undignified, and barely in control of any situation. These are not traits that characterize an America I want to live in, and much as I oppose our monarchic turn, this election does feel like a moment in time when our body politic is about to switch heads.
While Obama may be a good candidate for new 'head', we are a nation founded in pursuit of self-reliance, and as such, the position should not be available. Whoever wins, we must find a way to thrive under his administration without being ruled by it (I doubt Obama would disagree). It is precisely because democracies do not mistake the desires of their leaders for those of the people that we don't tend to start wars. America has begun blurring both lines, and we need to stop.
It is looking like the Democrats are going to do very well in this election, which may help: a bigger government would necessitate the spreading of power. But it will be at our nation's peril if the new, left-leaning leaders interpret their victory, as Bush did his narrow 2004 win, as a clear mandate to institute the kind of broad social changes that so many of us liberals would dearly love to see. They need to restore trust in our democracy first, and to do that they have to restore our trust in government itself by resisting the urge to treat legislation like a game of tetherball, forcing as much through as possible while they're in control.
If Obama and Biden win, after all, it will be because conservative Americans feel they cannot trust McCain with all that power, and not because they have had a sudden change of heart about the estate tax. While I may be writing this from a position of fear, I believe it: those conservatives are going to save this country by voting Obama, and they should not be thanked having their values ignored. To do so would be to ignore the national conversation that has been taking place over the past two years, and they deserve better.
We all deserve better, because all of America needs a government we can trust--not love, but trust, so that, for example, campaign promises to shrink and weaken the government seem as ludicrous as they would in any other job interview. Once we don't need to rely on the president to embody all that we stand for, we can focus on his job performance and evaluate him accordingly without getting swept away in persona.
Such scrutiny makes leaders better leaders, and it is why democracy works. I hope our leaders start working to earn back the public trust in the next few years, so that our next elections feel a little more democratic, and a lot less scary, to everyone.
October 28, 2008
That's Not Debate, That's More of the Same!
If you liked watching Sarah Palin's RNC speech mashup, you'll probably enjoy watching this debate synchronization.
October 23, 2008
you guys may have already seen or read about this - it was a little while ago - but it's great speech by labor leader and former AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka about Obama, race, and labor unions. Trumka's a really fascinating guy anyway...
http://blip.tv/file/1327725
http://blip.tv/file/1327725
October 22, 2008
Where Do You Get Your News?
I've got a variety of reasons for asking, but I'm looking to improve on my news sources a bit. There's the political ones, and typically I used Yahoo for general news because it was sufficient without doing anything wrong. Well now it's ugly as hell, and I'd like some help.
Here, I'll start. I tend to mostly go to RCP, HuffPo, and Drudge. A few others here and there, but that's the bulk of it (mostly because of the election).
Here, I'll start. I tend to mostly go to RCP, HuffPo, and Drudge. A few others here and there, but that's the bulk of it (mostly because of the election).
October 20, 2008
An Interesting Read
Of course I'd heard of Adam Brinckley (sp?) before, if nowhere else than the Report. He's the guy who, in February 2007, started a blog called "Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President." If nothing else, you gotta give the guy credit for his insight.
Anyway, after he was mentioned on 538 this morning, I decided to stop over and start reading it from early August on through the announcement of the pick. Nothing earth-shattering, but an interesting read nonetheless.
Anyway, after he was mentioned on 538 this morning, I decided to stop over and start reading it from early August on through the announcement of the pick. Nothing earth-shattering, but an interesting read nonetheless.
October 17, 2008
McCain, Obama actually funny at event
High court rejects GOP bid in Ohio voting dispute
Story
So, my understanding is that what is at issue here is a big issue. In states throughout the country, most notably Ohio and Florida, Republicans are doing their best to ensure that new voter registrations must match either current state DMV records or current federal Social Security records.
Not a bad idea in theory, but if Bartholomew registers as Bart, my understanding is his application is eligible for rejection. And have you seen your driver's license number? I know it's tough to imagine someone who's job entails keying in that information off of applications to possibly make a mistake, but that would also invalidate your application.
In fairness to the GOP, I'd be pretty pissed if Mickey Mouse got to vote.
So, my understanding is that what is at issue here is a big issue. In states throughout the country, most notably Ohio and Florida, Republicans are doing their best to ensure that new voter registrations must match either current state DMV records or current federal Social Security records.
Not a bad idea in theory, but if Bartholomew registers as Bart, my understanding is his application is eligible for rejection. And have you seen your driver's license number? I know it's tough to imagine someone who's job entails keying in that information off of applications to possibly make a mistake, but that would also invalidate your application.
In fairness to the GOP, I'd be pretty pissed if Mickey Mouse got to vote.
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