Blogs are Stupid

So I read about this on my MD message board. The dude who actually did it posted a recap. Then Colin pointed out that it made its way to the Diamondback. And now CBS Sportsline picked it up....nice.

According to the Maryland student newspaper, a Terps fan in Duke clothing suckered the Cameron Crazies into taunting their own team.

This information comes courtesy of the Diamondback, with a tip o' the cap to college basketball blogger Yoni Cohen, who found the item. Now that credit has been given, here's the deal:

Duke's famed student-fans, the Cameron Crazies, routinely distribute pre-game cheat sheets on the other team -- suggested chants, areas to ridicule, etc. It destroys the idea that thousands of students could spontaneously think up such brilliant cheers, but that's not the point.

The point is, one such cheat sheet was distributed for the Maryland game, and somehow a Maryland fan managed to get a bogus bit of information onto it. According to the Diamondback, the fraudulent factoid centered on Terps star Nik Caner-Medley, whose girlfriend was said to be nicknamed "Piggy."

During the game, the Diamondback reported, the Cameron Crazies oinked at Caner-Medley and serenaded him with chants of "Pig-gy, Pig-gy."

As it turns out, Caner-Medley does not have a girlfriend whose nickname is Piggy.

But Duke does have a connection to tarnished summer coach Myron Piggie, who has admitted giving money to several of his club players, including future (and now former) Blue Devil Corey Maggette.

Fortunately for the Cameron Crazies, they didn't take the bait all the way. That same fraudulent factoid on Caner-Medley identified his girlfriend by her first name: Myra.

Imagine the sound of thousands of Duke fans chanting, "My-ra Pig-gy."

Duke Sucks!

I want one for work.

It's not wrong to love a toilet company, I promise. Toto continues to innovate in the john, with a brand-new model that includes an MP3 player that loads songs from swappable SD cards. It appears to be an optional accessory for Toto's new models, which also include built-in air fresheners and other civilized accouterments.


Via gizmodo.com and engadget.com

I wanna buy a Google Gpod...and a Google HDTV.... and a Google car. ...

John C Dvork guesses whats coming from Google. His guess - the GBrowser - Google OS? Google Box?

Experts Agree ..
Good to know.

From DMa:

The new Amazon - Yellow pages search is pretty slick...except it doesn't include DC yet....so its worthless, but I post anyway.

SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- Amazon.com Inc. launched a local Internet search service on Wednesday that allows users to virtually walk streets and see photos of businesses, a move that could help it better compete with established search providers such as Google Inc.

Amazon explains how they did it.

!!!!!

From Justin:
Worst Weatherman:

Last week was the crazy weather man post. This is just a horrible weather man post.
Worst weatherman ever.

So bad...is this fake?

... if you sleep with someone, you've slept with all the people that they slept with.....

Sex Map Shows Chain of Almost 300 High School Lovers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The first "map" of teen sexual behavior gives new meaning to the old warning that you don't just have sex with a person, but with everyone that person ever had sex with, researchers said on Monday.

They found a chain of 288 one-to-one sexual relationships at a high school in the U.S. Midwest, meaning the teenager at the end of the chain may have had direct sexual contact with only one person, but indirect contact with 286 others.

Seriously...people voted for him????

Slate.com Bushism of the day:
"I'm also mindful that man should never try to put words in God's mouth. I mean, we should never ascribe natural disasters or anything else to God. We are in no way, shape, or form should a human being, play God."—Appearing on ABC's 20/20, Washington D.C., Jan. 14, 2005

dude...this is an actual Reuters article:

Do NOT Give This Man Batteries...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (Reuters) - Police were on the search on Friday for a thief who made off with three "male appendages" from a Vancouver-area sex-toy store and may now be looking for batteries.

A clerk discovered the man stuffing the fake body parts into his clothes and asked "if he was going to need batteries for these three objects," the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a news release.

"The male calmly stated 'no' and then panicked and fled, running out of the store with the three objects, minus batteries," the police statement said.

D.A. Confronts 'Jury Pool From Hell'

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Defense attorney Leslie Ballin called it the "jury pool from hell." The group of prospective jurors was summoned to listen to a case of Tennessee trailer park violence. Right after jury selection began last week, one man got up and left, announcing, "I'm on morphine and I'm higher than a kite."

When the prosecutor asked if anyone had been convicted of a crime, a prospective juror said that he had been arrested and taken to a mental hospital after he almost shot his nephew. He said he was provoked because his nephew just would not come out from under the bed.

Another would-be juror said he had had alcohol problems and was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover officer. "I should have known something was up," he said. "She had all her teeth."

Another prospect volunteered he probably should not be on the jury: "In my neighborhood, everyone knows that if you get Mr. Ballin (as your lawyer), you're probably guilty." He was not chosen.

The case involved a woman accused of hitting her brother's girlfriend in the face with a brick. Ballin's client was found not guilty.

I was watching the DVD Outfoxed and went to its website and found this: the FOXBlocker.
Kinda funny...pointless though.

Another nugget from Outfoxed is www.neshound.us. It's a FOX news blog created by the people that volunteered to watch hours and hours of FOX news for the documentary. Its tagline: "We watch FOX so you don't have to". Basically highlites all the spin that they see.

I really should just IM this to Pete since he and I are the only ones that do this...but in case anyone else wants free itunes...new Pepsi Itunes caps are coming out and - oh yeah, the tilt trick still works.

Oh and a note for anyone that plans on collecting the caps and then "cashing" them in on the last day, you can collect a max of 10 a day (that fine print cost me a song or two last year)

HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) - They really said it -- notable quotes from the news:

"She's not sexy, she hasn't got a great body and she's not a great singer."

-- "American Idol" judge SIMON COWELL, on singer BEYONCE KNOWLES, in Esquire magazine.

What???

The title of this Reuters story is "Eeeeeeeewwwwwwww!". Very professional right? The story doesn't even evoke an "eww" response......but I post anyway.

LONDON (Reuters) - The makers of the handy spray lubricant WD-40 proudly list 2,000 uses for their product, from unsticking rusty screws or squeaky bicycle chains to polishing frying pans.

But British police have found another -- keeping the public from snorting cocaine off toilet lids in bars.

Police in the English city of Bristol said Tuesday they have been advising pub and nightclub owners to spray the colorless lubricant on toilet seats and other flat surfaces in the lavatory that customers often use to snort drugs.

Apparently, cocaine and spray lube don't mix.

"A chemical reaction takes place with the cocaine that causes it to congeal and become a mess so it's unusable," a police spokesman said. "It's one very small, very cheap way in which you can very seriously restrict the amount of drug use in your premises."

Slate.com Bushism of the day:

"I want to appreciate those of you who wear our nation's uniform for your sacrifice."—Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 14, 2005

From Dan Adam's away message (I had to post this):

Diew, a five year-old Thai elephant, demonstrates how to use and flush a toilet at an elephant camp in Chiang Mai province, in northern Thailand. Having taught Thailand's elephants to paint, dance and play musical instruments, their Thai handlers are now toilet-training the beasts, media reported.(AFP)

Seeing-eye dog relieves self on court at halftime

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Who didn't let the dog out?

A stink was raised during halftime of the Detroit Pistons-Orlando Magic NBA game on Tuesday night when the start of the second half was delayed by three minutes after a seeing-eye dog relieved itself on the court.

The dog was with a charity organization, Canine Companions for Independence, that was receiving a $10,000 donation from the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation.

When the Pistons came out for warmups, Rasheed Wallace walked up to the lane where the excrement had fallen, stopped and stared in disbelief. His teammates were just as confused before wide smiles broke out.

A custodian was enlisted to scoop up the mess and wipe up the remains with cleaner, a mop and towels.

An email from Pete:

"behind the times on your blog, come on

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=738&e=1&u=/ap/20050118/ap_on_hi_te/google_photos


http://www.picasa.com/index.php?tid=Y2NpZD0zNTU4JmN2PTE%3D



and you call yourself a google fan"


Behind the times?? I knew about this on monday, but I deemed it unblogworthy (unlike my quality posts about big fat obnoxious boss).

[Google Releases Photo Organizing Software]

[Picasa 2]

From that random blog I read:

Thai jail plans death-row webcam

A prison in the Thai capital, Bangkok, is planning to broadcast inmates' daily lives, as well as their final moments before execution, live on the internet.

Rights group Amnesty International has criticised the plan, which prison officials say will deter criminals.

Text of an email I just sent:

So it was cancelled because the ratings suck, and they put Family Guy repeats on instead (cant argue with that)..but there are like 5 remaining episodes, and theyre planning on letting people watch them for free on the web.

http://www.fox.com/bigfat/


I think I have now posted enough for the week. Maybe tomorrow I will do work instead.

So, in case people have not seen this....
From both Colin and DMa (and slashdot):

Bill Gates Strikes a Pose for Teen Beat Photospread, 1983

TV is getting worse and worse....


Osbourne's Celeb Spawn:

Check out all the crappy "celebrity" themed reality shows that are coming out soon:

Strange Love" premiered Sunday on VH1 and follows the unlikely romance between Brigitte Nielsen and rapper Flavor Flav.

Wayne Newton's "The Entertainer," Jan. 23 on E!, has the star mentoring 10 wanna-bes competing for a chance to perform with him at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Missy Elliott is busy fashioning aspiring rappers in her own image on UPN's "The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott," Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

Lisa Gastineau, the ex-wife of troubled former Jets star Mark Gastineau, and her daughter, Brittny, go on the road looking for love in E!'s "The Gastineau Girls," premiering Feb. 1.

MTV's "Meet the Barkers" chronicles Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker's home life with his wife, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler.

Tommy Lee heads to the University of Nebraska, where he toils for part of a semester while the cameras roll for NBC.

TLC (UPN) and INXS (CBS) both take the reality route to replace dead bandmates in upcoming series.

VH1's "Kept With Jerry Hall," which follows the model/actress as she hunts for love, is on the horizon.

Bravo's upcoming "Being Bobby Brown" chronicles the life of the oftarrested husband of Whitney Houston.

From DMa:
Dude, this guy is psycho.

Psycho Weatherman - Video.

That hurt to watch.

Cell Phone Shushing Gets Creative:

It's a familiar issue: You're stuck somewhere with a nearby stranger yapping on a cell phone, but you're unwilling to say anything about it. In December, designers Jim Coudal of Chicago's Coudal Partners and Aaron Draplin of Portland, Oregon-based Draplindustries Design drafted a solution that's been gaining buzz across the blogosphere.

Following an idea initiated by Coudal's wife, Heidi, Coudal and Draplin put together a series of free, downloadable cards, with messages like, "Just so you know: Everyone around you is being forced to listen to yer conversation" and "The world is a noisy place. You aren't helping things." Cards are attributed to the Society for HandHeld Hushing, or SHHH.

The cards are pretty funny. Check out the PDF.

I woulda loved to given one to the incredibly loud guy at the Wizards game who was talking about how he wanted to go see the aviator or coach carter. The dude was practically yelling.

The Washington Post has a review of the new Tivo ToGo feature for Series 2 Tivos. I'm waiting until I get my USB wireless adapter before I test it out, but Im thinking that the feature will be great as I try to encourage my roommates to watch episodes of Smallville (yes, I'm talking to you Sheel, Dave) on their computers instead of tying up the TV while the NFL playoffs are on!

Recordings Made Way Too Hard ToGo

The negatives from what I've read:
- Xfer time is really slow. Looks like 2 hours for a show? I wonder what if his network was messed up.
-If there is an error transferring the file, tivo doesnt pick up from where it left off, it has to start all over again - thats some shit.
- 2 hours of footage = > 2.5 gigs of data.
- Every single time you try to watch something, you have to type in your playback password.

Random DC radio news.
Sportstalk 1260am is gone. In its place will be Air America - the liberal radio network. I wonder how it will do here, I'l try to give a listen, though Im addicted to sports radio now.

To Right Itself, WRC Looks Left

When Air America, the year-old effort to create a liberal alternative to largely conservative talk radio, debuts in Washington Thursday, it can't possibly do anything but improve the ratings for WWRC (1260 AM).

The station, which airs syndicated sports talk programming primarily from Fox Sports, has not registered at all in recent ratings books. So Clear Channel Communications, which also owns Sports Talk 980 (WTEM), had nothing to lose by trying out the fledgling network that features the talk stylings of Al Franken, Randi Rhodes and Janeane Garofalo.

Also, starting tomorrow, the sports junkies will be taking over the mid day slot on WJFk - 106.7 -- which means, I will no longer be a listener, and many AOLers too as I've noticed we cant catch radio signals in our offices.

dcrtv.com:

DCRTV hears that Infinity's DC talker WJFK-FM will start carrying the Junkies (right) in the 10:30 AM-ish (when Howard Stern ends) to 2 PM slot. Starting Tuesday, 1/18. More at junkiesradio.com. Then known as the Sports Junkies, they had done the evening shift on WJFK-FM before moving to mornings at Infinity's now defunct alternative rock WHFS in late 2002.

From Dan Adams:

Midway Tackles Mature-Themed Football
Blitz: Playmakers features levels of insanity not seen in licensed products.

December 16, 2004 - Midway Games Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading interactive entertainment software publisher and developer, announced today the development of Blitz: Playmakers, a new, unlicensed videogame exposing the harsh realism and troubling, behind-the-scenes stories of a fictional professional football league. Blitz: Playmakers has been in development at Midway's Chicago studio for the past year in collaboration with a writer from ESPN's controversial "Playmakers" TV series. Blitz: Playmakers goes behind the glitz and glamour of the game through a revolutionary campaign mode that explores the on-field violence, off-field fallout and front-office politics of professional football. Blitz: Playmakers is scheduled for release in the fourth quarter of 2005 on multiple videogame console platforms. "Midway's Chicago studio has laid the foundation over the past year for what is the ultimate alternative to watered down NFL sanctioned football games," said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer of Midway. "No longer bound to the NFL license, there will be no league restrictions on content and gamers will finally experience what makes playing a football videogame really fun: off-field controversies, dirty hits, excessive celebrations and much more. Blitz: Playmakers buyers will be assured of one thing - our game will include all the gameplay and fun the NFL won't allow."

Fresh off my posts where I profess my hatred of the south and Duke...heres something else I hate...the FCC.

FCC fears force Fox to pixelate cartoon nudity

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Fox says it covered up the naked rear end of a cartoon character recently because of nervousness over what the Federal Communications Commission will find objectionable.

The latest example of TV network self-censorship because of FCC concerns came a few weeks ago during a rerun of a "Family Guy" cartoon. Fox electronically blurred a character's posterior, even though the image was seen five years ago when the episode originally aired.

"We have to be checking and second-guessing ourselves now," Fox entertainment president Gail Berman said Monday. "We have to protect our affiliates."

Granted - the FCC itself didn't do anything here, but their activities after the superbowl have created this paranoia.

You know how I always say that I hate the South, how I'd never live there (ok, lets ignore the fact that MD is below the Mason Dixon line...you know what I mean)...

From wonkette.com:
Honoring MLK Day, the Mississippi Way

We are honoring Martin Luther King Day as we always do, by staying in bed until noon and starting drinking at one. In fact, we like to think of every day as Martin Luther King Day. The folks in Mississippi, on the other hand, prefer not to think about MLK day much at all! If you -- as reader J. did -- call the Mississippi tax commission today (601-923-7000), you'll find that the office is closed " in observance of Robert E Lee's and Martin Luther King's birthdays." We love this. We imagine it was floated as a way to get the bigots to observe a federal holiday and avoid being targeted by Chuck D -- a compromise about as meaningful as the Missouri one, really. If this is the case, we wonder what other kinds of intrastate racial tit-for-tat deals might be in the works. What about, "you can date our daughters as long as we can whip you for it after?"

NOTE: Really, no shit: That is the number of the Mississippi tax commission.

To the unmarried Virginian readers of my blog:

Singles' Sex No Longer a Va. Crime

The state Supreme Court yesterday struck down as unconstitutional a 19th-century Virginia law making it a crime for unmarried couples to have sex.

"We find no principled way to conclude . . . that the Virginia statute criminalizing intercourse between unmarried persons does not improperly abridge a personal relationship that is within the liberty interest of persons to choose," said the decision, written by Justice Elizabeth B. Lacy.

I could make some anti VA, pro MD comments....actually, there are a lot of comments/jokes that can be made....but I will leave this one alone.

To: Geffen/DGC Records & JT Simpson Entertainment

We, the undersigned, are disgusted with Ashlee Simpson's horrible singing and hereby ask her to stop. Stop recording, touring, modeling and performing. We do not wish to see her again.

She cannot match the sound of her voice that can be found on her CDs, when she sings live. She simply yells the words (sometimes the wrong ones) into the mic.

We are so sickened by her "performing" that we are taking this opportunity to demand that she stop.

Sincerely,
The Undersigned

ESPN Football 2k5 is dead, so does this mean no more ESPN in NBA 2k6? Also, they can't get rid of the name Madden. The name is like a video game icon. EA Football 2006? Forget that.

EA teams up with ESPN Fifteen-year deal could mean the end of long-standing Madden football games

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) – Television's leading sports network and the leading maker of sports video games have signed a long-term deal that could signal the end of an era.

ESPN and Electronic Arts today announced a 15-year partnership, giving EA access to ESPN's broadcast, print and online content - as well as its stable of personalities - for all of its sports titles. The integration of the two brands will begin in 2006.

What that will mean for EA's long-standing Madden franchise remains unknown. Madden is under contract with the game publisher through this year, but has not signed beyond that. EA said negotiations are continuing.

Just look at the X-ray

LITTLETON, Colorado (AP) -- A dentist found the source of the toothache Patrick Lawler was complaining about on the roof of his mouth -- a four-inch (10-centimeter) nail the construction worker had unknowingly embedded in his skull six days earlier.

A nail gun backfired on Lawler, 23, on January 6 while working in Breckenridge, a ski resort town in the central Colorado mountains. The tool sent a nail into a piece of wood nearby, but Lawler didn't realize a second nail had shot through his mouth, said his sister, Lisa Metcalse.

Following the accident, Lawler had what he thought was a minor toothache and blurry vision. On Wednesday, after painkillers and ice didn't ease the pain, he went to a dental office where his wife, Katerina, works.

From Pete:

Guess the Dictator or Television Sit-com Character

Here are the rules: Pretend to be a dictator or television sitcom character. I'll try to guess who you are by asking simple yes/no questions. If you're not sure of the answer to a question, answer "No". If you forgot who you were pretending to be, go take a nap, you're obviously under too much stress. Also, drink plenty of fluids.'

Ok, it totally got GOB from Arrested Development - took like 50 questions, but still, thats quality.

Blue Devils Network:

Duke played its first true road game Thursday night, beating a depleted NC State in Raleigh. The Blue Devils play at surprising Miami next Wednesday and then at struggling Florida State on Jan. 22.

So, when exactly does Duke play at one of the potential favorites for the ACC title? Not until Duke goes to Wake Forest on Feb. 2. Duke also visits Maryland on Feb. 12, Georgia Tech on Feb. 23 and will close the season at North Carolina on March 6.

Clearly, the Blue Devils caught a break with their ACC schedule. Duke will almost certainly have forward Shavlik Randolph back (he could be on the court against the Hurricanes next week after battling mononucleosis) and reserve Reggie Love (broken foot).

Of course, Maryland could right itself by then and Georgia Tech should have B.J. Elder (hamstring) on the court when Duke is town. But is the early-season schedule luck? Is it just a coincidence that Duke opened against Clemson the last four seasons?

No.

The reality for the rest of the ACC is that Duke plays the best teams in the ACC on the road, later in the ACC season, because that's when the ACC television partners want the high-profile, highly-anticipated, and usually highest-rated games.

"Duke is our highest rated television team," said Fred Barakat, who handles the television schedules for the ACC.

So, while Maryland went to North Carolina and Wake Forest last week and Wake Forest plays North Carolina on Saturday in Winston-Salem after the Tar Heels hosted Georgia Tech, the rest of the league can stop wondering why they're beating each other up while Duke gets its feet wet.

Read the rest of the story...

From Rowe:

Ali G' Comedian Risks Riot at U.S. Rodeo


LONDON (Reuters) - British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen escaped a near-riot at an American rodeo while filming his satirical "Da Ali G Show."

According to a report in the Roanoke (Virginia) Times, a man who was introduced as Boraq Sagdiyev from Kazakhstan -- in reality a Cohen character named Borat -- appeared at the rodeo over the weekend after organizers agreed to have him sing the national anthem.

After telling the crowd he supported America's war on terrorism, he said, "I hope you kill every man, woman and child in Iraq (news - web sites), down to the lizards ... And may George W. Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq." He then sang a garbled version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The Roanoke Times reported that the crowd turned "downright nasty." One observer said "If he had been out there a minute longer, I think somebody would have shot him."

from dcrtv.com, about the Junkies:

Junks Back To JFK? Virgin To NYC - 1/13 - So what will happen to the Junkies (right), who did WHFS's morning show? Speculation is that they'll be moving to middays at co-owned Infinity talker WJFK-FM, where they worked before jumping to HFS. The Washington Times reports that they "learned of the format flip after concluding their show yesterday... The members of the group who were contacted yesterday did not return messages or declined comment." Thursday, on their website junkiesradio.com, they said: "Much like the Terminator, we'll be back. Stay tuned for a major announcement coming soon." Also, the word is that WHFS afternoon driver Tim Virgin is headed to NYC hot adult contempory outlet WNEW.....

Search for Banned Arms In Iraq Ended Last Month

The hunt for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons in Iraq (news - web sites) has come to an end nearly two years after President Bush (news - web sites) ordered U.S. troops to disarm Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). The top CIA (news - web sites) weapons hunter is home, and analysts are back at Langley.

In interviews, officials who served with the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) said the violence in Iraq, coupled with a lack of new information, led them to fold up the effort shortly before Christmas.

Four months after Charles A. Duelfer, who led the weapons hunt in 2004, submitted an interim report to Congress that contradicted nearly every prewar assertion about Iraq made by top Bush administration officials, a senior intelligence official said the findings will stand as the ISG's final conclusions and will be published this spring.

Oh shit, no more WHFS?!?!?!
Its now Spanish Language El Zol. Whats gonna happen to the sports junkies.

From dcrtv.com:
HFS Goes Spanish - 1/12 - At noon Wednesday, Infinity killed off alternative rock WHFS (99.1 FM). It's now Spanish language El Zol, with "a current hit blend of Caribbean and Central American dance music." Check out whfs.com. "We have made clear our desire to expand into this burgeoning market and believe this move marks an important step in our commitment to Spanish radio," said Joel Hollander, president and chief operating officer of Infinity. "There exists a tremendous opportunity for Infinity to launch a Spanish-language format in Washington DC where almost 10 percent of the population is not being directly served. El Zol will be the most powerful Spanish radio station in the area and will provide listeners with the music, entertainment, and information relevant to the many segments of the Latino culture." Spanish Broadcasting System served as a consultant to and advised Infinity on the reformatting of the station. Infinity announced a strategic alliance with SBS in October 2004, which included an equity interest in the largest Hispanic-controlled radio broadcasting company in the USA. No word about what will happen to the old WHFS airstaff, although there are rumblings that the morning Junkies may move back to Infinity talker WJFK-FM. WHFS was born in the 1960s on 102.3 FM in Bethesda, and became a maverick free-form progressive rocker by the early 1970s. It moved to Annapolis-based 99.1 FM in 1983. After a variety of owners, it evolved into a mainstream alternative rock outlet serving both DC and Baltimore, with studios in Lanham. During the past years, however, its ratings have slumped, particularly in the DC market. More from Radio And Records. Check out DCRTV's WHFS Tribute. Listen to the death of alt rock WHFS here (MP3).....

Pete - "Just like wava"
Haha, thats a good pull. Had to blog that.

The Cubes - In This Office - You're The Boss

Finally, the drudgery of corporate life has been captured in a play set for adults! Bob, Joe, Ted, and Ann spend eight hours a day, five days a week, at tiny desks in tiny cubicles in a giant room packed with countless similar cubicles in a giant building filled with countless similar rooms.

Each set has one 2-3/4" posable plastic figure and all the necessary plastic parts to build a classic corporate cube: four walls, desk, chair, file cabinet, in/out box, phone, and computer. Comes with a sticker sheet of decor for your cube, complete with graphs, charts, screens for the computer and pithy office posters. Also includes a job title sticker sheet so you can create a convoluted and meaningless position for your employee.

Also available is The Cubes™ Figure Expansion Set. Sue, Jan, Jim and Dan are anxious to start their new careers and eager to please. Each set comes with four 2-3/4" posable plastic figures and nine different plastic accessories including a cell phone, a calculator, a laptop and other office essentials.


The Job Title Generator is great too:
Level B Personnel Officer
Foreign Information Administrator
Regional Systems Consultant
Domestic Engineering Officer
Regional Sales Trainee

Good ol Ashley is great with the excuses:

So after her band messed up on SNL, here's what she says about the Orange Bowl halftime performance. Really though, it was obvious that she was booed bc she was rooting for USC, and not because of her lack of talent and the cringe inducing sounds she was making:

* Maybe they were booing at me, maybe they were booing at the halftime show 'cause the whole thing sucked," she said. "I was facing [the Oklahoma Sooners], and I was rooting for USC, and they played a clip of it, so maybe it was that those people didn't like me. You never know. But I can't make everybody happy

* "There was some booing that went on after the halftime show was finished," she said. "If they didn't like the performance, and that's what it was about, then sorry to them.

* Simpson also pointed out that for this performance, the circumstances were less than ideal.
"There were no ear monitors when we went onstage," she said. "No floor monitors. And trying to sing in a stadium where you can't hear yourself is kinda hard. My sister [Jessica] was like, 'I don't know how you just did that! I performed in stadiums, and if I didn't have my ears, I would have freaked.' "

Turn any iPod into an iPod Shuffle in 3 easy steps.

Wrong Number Dept
Not Dirty

So this is kinda a random article about this "meek" "white" dude named Russell Jones that lived in Brooklyn. He would get phone calls all the time from people trying to call ODB (real name...Russell Jones, from Brookyln - duh). There are random parts of the story that are interesting/funny, like the reality show that ODB was taping:

* Of late, O.D.B. had been making a comeback. Two months ago, he was recording new songs and had finished shooting a reality TV show (in which a contestant had to stay within ten feet of him for a week) when he collapsed in a recording studio and died

* He learned that O.D.B.’s mother lived on a nearby street, and that he and O.D.B. belonged to the same video store. Jones really didn’t mind the notoriety of being paired with the self-destructive rapper. After all, he was much better off than his brother Tom Jones. “His life in the seventies was a living hell.”

* And then there was a call from a tuba-voiced man:

“This is Method.” Methane? Methadone? “Yo, Rusty, how you been, we need to get together.”

“I’m Russell Jones but not who you think I am.”

A pause. “O.K., well, tell my man to call me.”

After further protestations, Jones took down the number. Later, he learned that he had been talking to the hip-hop artist Method Man.

Apple Haters Unite
"Apple products suck. 'Cuz like, duh, they totally just suck"

Dammit, Im going to have to buy a Mac Mini....

From Reuters via a blog I read which I found via someones aim profile:

In his opening argument Graner's lawyer Guy Womack argued that his client was only following orders and often earning praise from his superiors for his actions. He also said activities such as making human pyramids with naked hooded prisoners were acceptable. "Don't cheerleaders all over America form pyramids six to eight times a year. Is that torture?" he said.

What the hell?

From McGovern:

My score: 88% and avg error of 33 miles.
McGovern apparently got 13 miles, but I think he lies.

Place the State

*Update*
OBrien got 9 miles and 94% accuracy. Apparently I suck.

Pete: : 84% and 33 miles off...I hate new england...all those tiny states

Colin: : i got 98%, avg error 2 miles, 209 seconds, but it was the second time i did it. first time my computer messed up
Colin: first time was 88%, like 30 or so miles, but my computer cost me like 400 miles or so and two states
Colin: cause of its slowness
---suuuuure Colin. blame the computer.

WKnight623 (5:13:31 PM): just did the map thing
Dma: i got 7 miles 96%
Dma: and thats using this damn touchpad!
Dma: i fugre touchpad cost me at least 6 miles of error!

Prolly the last of my obsessed Apple Posts:

Now with Pictures:

The Mac Mini

The Flash Based Ipod

Here is a good news.com wrap up:

update SAN FRANCISCO--After decades of being criticized for producing luxury items, Apple Computer is aiming squarely at the mass market with a new budget PC unveiled Tuesday.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the new Mac Mini during his keynote address at the Macworld Expo here, promising the machine would help further expand Apple's audience beyond the Mac faithful.

The Mac Mini is a tiny cube with a processor, hard drive and optical drive--you supply the monitor, mouse and keyboard. Jobs said the package will settle long-standing complaints that Apple extracts too high a premium for its products. "This is the most affordable Mac ever," Jobs said. "People who are thinking of switching will have no more excuses."

The new Mac Mini will go on sale Jan. 22 and will cost $499 for the base model, or $550 for one with a bigger hard drive. The device marks one of Apple's boldest moves yet to expand PC sales beyond a loyal but limited market of Mac addicts. The iPod and Apple's iTunes music store have been responsible for a dramatic surge in Apple revenue, but to date there has been little evidence that those products have done anything for Apple's PC business.

Jobs also confirmed several other high-profile debuts--including a tiny flash memory iPod--that have been grinding through the Mac rumor mills, prompting the secretive company to sue the alleged source of several information leaks.

Many of the reports turned out to be true, with Jobs beginning the cavalcade of products by announcing a new flash memory-based iPod.

The new breed of iPod went on sale Tuesday in two versions--a 512MB model (enough memory for about 120 songs) for $99 and a 1GB version for $149.

Both models work with a Mac or PC and have no display screen for navigating through a music library. Instead, Apple expects the player's largely will be used in "shuffle" mode that serves up songs in random order.

The new $500 iMac looks really cool:

From engadget.com:
10:33am - Things are getting good. “Why doesn’t apple offer a stripped-down Mac that is more affordable?” The Mac mini. About the width of a CD. Slot load combo drive (DVD/CD-R). DVI & VGA out. Ethernet. USB 2.0. Firewire. Runs quietly.
10:35am - Holding it in palm of hand. Looks about a third of the size of the cube. Like you took a slice of the Cube. BYODKM: Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse. It’s about 6” x 6” x 2.5”. Comes with Panther, iLife ‘05. $499 with 1.25GHz G4 processor. 40GB hard drive.
10:36am - Faster version is $599. Available January 22nd. Crowd is going wild.
10:37am - iTunes Music Store. Sold more than 230 million songs. 70 percent market share. Selling 1.25 million songs per day.
10:40am - “As you know we have the iPod and iPod mini.” Sold 4.5 million iPods last quarter. Sold 733,000 in Q4 2003. 500 percent growth. 10 millionth iPod was sold on December 16th. Steve kept it for himself, we’re sure he’ll be ebaying it soon.
10:42am - Over 400 iPod accessories. Talking about iPod and BMW. More car adapters to come: Mercedes, Nissan, Volvo, Scion, Alfa Romeo, Ferrari.
10:44am - Cellphones. Rehashing stuff Motorola announced at CES. Will be Motorola-branded phone, out Spring 2005. No applause.
10:45am - One more thing… iPod market share last year: 31 percent. Flash had 62 percent. “Wannabes” were 7 percent. iPod mini went after high end of the flash market. Now iPod market share is at 65 percent, flash is at 29%, wannabes at 6 percent. “We’d like to go after the remaining 29%.”
10:47am - Attributes of current flash players: AAA battery, tortured UI, very small display, no click wheel. Needed an original idea.
10:48am - Something happened in the iPod market. They discovered a new way to listen to music: shuffle. Basing new flash-based player around shuffle. iPod Shuffle. No display on player. Looks like a little stick. Smaller than most packs of gum. Like an elegant thumb drive. Weighs less than one ounce. Button to play and pause. Volume up and down button. Previous and next song. That’s it. Nothing else.
10:50am - Cap on bottom hides USB 2.0 connector (you can use it as a flash drive!). PC or Mac. Shipping with lanyard. 12 hour rechargeable battery. Integration between device and iTunes. 10:52am - Something called “AutoFill”. Will automatically build a playlist for iPod Shuffle.
10:54am - 512MB = $99. 1GB for $149. No 2GB version. Shipping TODAY from the factory. Accessories, armband, dock, waterproof sports case. Battery extender. Accessories are $29 each.

I sent this around awhile ago, most have prolly seen this, but it was brought up at lunch today, so figured I'd post:

Kirk Cameron telling people how they are going to hell.

From USAToday.com:

Imagine the surprise on passengers' faces at India's Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi when an adult film was broadcast on all of the airport's television sets. The incident prompted numerous complaints, and the film was stopped after 20 minutes, according to the Indo-Asian News Service. Airport officials claimed the film was shown as part of an AIDS awareness program, though it's unclear exactly how an adult movie fit into the program. Some sources say the blunder could come from airport workers viewing the film, thinking they were watching it secretly — but accidentally broadcasting it to the airport TVs from the facility's control room. "We don't allow any such things (adult films) to come even near our office," said airport official Mandeep Lal. British news service Ananova says the incident came at midnight, when the airport was packed with passengers catching international flights. Posted at 6:45 a.m.

From wonkette.com:

Today outgoing Homeland Security head Tom Ridge spoke at the University of Maryland, praising their new "Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Behavioral and Social Research on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism." Clever of them to name it a "Center of Excellence," eh? No "Center of Near Excellence but with Occasional Typos." Also, by the time terrorists finish saying "Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Behavioral and Social Research on Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism," they will have forgotten why they were so angry in the first place.

We feel safer already, though if the towering might of our Excellence doesn't keep the terrorists at bay, Ridge suggested that anthropomorphized reptiles will for sure!

Plenty of people have reasons to "Fear the Turtle" - and it's about time the terrorists did, too. And that's because the Department of Homeland Security has selected the University of Maryland to be our fourth Center of Excellence to combat terrorism.

Oh man, that was bad.

and go work across the street at Wegmans.

Wegmans tops best employers list

I'll work the coffee bar there.

LOS ANGELES - America could not have cared less about the low-rated Fox special “Who’s Your Daddy?” But there might be more reality TV high jinks in store for Mommy.

True Entertainment and Brighter Pictures, production companies owned by international reality giant Endemol (“Big Brother”) in New York and London, respectively, are co-developing a reality series that would pit a group of male contestants against each other for the honor of serving as a sperm donor to a woman willing to be impregnated.

The twist — there’s always a twist in reality land — is that the woman must choose between two finalists. One will be determined on the basis of biological compatibility, the other on personal grounds. Either science or love will prevail.

....

WTF????

.....
To make “Mum” more palatable for American networks, Endemol has opted not to use microscopic cameras that would enable viewers to actually see the egg get fertilized, according to Weinstock.

For the AOLers:

America Online on Friday confirmed that it plans to offer its subscribers 100MB of memory for storing digital files such as music, photos and documents.

Called the service My Storage, AOL will give a 100MB digital locker to every subscriber and up to seven additional screen names that each account holder can create. Because the locker is accessible on the Web, subscribers will be able to retrieve files using any Web-enabled device. AOL will allow subscribers to place files in public storage and share with other users.

So yeah, its kind of weird that Richard Gere is in a "Get out and vote" advertisement for the Palestinian elections....that alone is blog worthy in my opion...

"Hi, I'm Richard Gere and I'm speaking for the entire world. We're with you during this election time. It's really important. Get out and vote," Gere says in the English-language advertisement. He repeats the phrase, "Get out and vote" in Arabic.

But the best part is the reaction of some:

But many voters, already struggling with the labyrinthine politics of the West Bank and Gaza, say they have never heard of the actor who swept Debra Winger off her feet as a dashing Navy officer in the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman" and were even less interested when they were told he's an American.

"I don't even know who the candidates are other than Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas), let alone this Gere," Gaza soap factory worker Manar an-Najar told Reuters Wednesday.

"We don't need the Americans' intervention. We know who to elect. Not like them -- they elected a moron."


Hahaha

My god reality tv is getting even worse...

The Will
In this new reality series, Bill Long, a wealthy land developer and rancher is putting his most beloved possession--a large ranch in Kansas--up for grabs. Bill’s family and friends will compete in both physical and mental challenges to win rewards and stave off elimination. The last person standing will claim the title of most deserving heir and win the ranch.

The weird thing about this show, is that of the 10 contestants, only one is a blood relative. One is an employeee, one is a "surrogate" son, two are friends, one is an ex wife and three are related to the ex wife.

I thought this article from slate was cool. Only interesting for the nba fans.

Foul Play
How a Slate scientist changed the NBA forever—or at least a week.

Last week, I wrote to the NBA owner I deemed most likely to consider applying the scientific method to free-throw shooting, Mark Cuban of the Dallas Mavericks. I told Cuban that the assumption that waving balloons wildly will produce the biggest distraction is just plain wrong. Given how the brain perceives motion, randomly moving balloons aren't very off-putting. When you see a lot of little objects moving crazily back and forth, all the different motion signals that get sent to the brain cancel each other out. In the mind of a free-throw shooter, a crowd of people waving wiggle sticks looks like a snowy TV screen. This sort of white noise might make it harder to see the rim, but the stats show that isn't a big deal for the pros.

But what if the waving balloons didn't cancel each other out? If fans behind the backboard waved their balloons from side to side in unison, opposing players would perceive a field of background motion. When we see a moving background, we tend to assume that we're the ones moving and that the background is staying put. If everything on my desk suddenly drifted to the right, I would probably assume that my chair had rolled to the left. And if I were at the free-throw line as the world drifted to the right, my shooting motion would automatically compensate for what I perceived to be my own motion to the left. David Whitney, a visual psychophysicist at the University of California-Irvine, recently described this phenomenon in the lab. The results, published in Nature ("The influence of visual motion on fast reaching movements to a stationary object"), showed that a field of background motion can bias hand movements in the direction of that motion.

A few hours after I wrote Cuban that first e-mail, I got an answer. "I love using science to gain an advantage," he wrote. He said he'd give the plan a try.

Yeah, so they actually did this Scientist's idea for 3 games. Read the article, its kinda cool.

For those that don't know about Doug Christie:

* Jackie Christie said she and her husband began communicating with each other during games a while ago. "When I make this sign, it means drive to the hole," she said. "When I make this sign, it means smile because you look a little sad on the bench. He started making this sign and said, 'This means I love you,' and it developed from there. It makes me feel real special."

* With few exceptions, Doug Christie does not look at other women, avoiding dialogue or even eye contact. "Every conversation I've ever had with a woman since we've been married besides my wife she knows about," he said. "She's been there. But what are we talking about? Banking? Mortgage? Other than that, I don't have anything to say to anybody. It's taking up my time and my time is limited to basketball and my family."

* The Christies, who have been married for eight years and have three children, get married on July 8 each year, their anniversary. It is not a mere renewal of their wedding vows, but an actual wedding -- replete with friends, family, cake and a reception.


* When Christie played for the Raptors, his wife once confronted a female fan seeking an autograph and a kiss in Toronto. "A security guard grabbed her, but I put my hand up and told her to back off really loud," she said. "It scared me, because my voice sounded like a demon. It just came out. She was a pretty girl, very young. But she was touching someone she shouldn't have been."

* Jackie Christie arrives before games with her husband and leaves with him afterward. She sends him a note in the locker room before each game, taken there by a team attendant. He writes a reply and sends it back. Sometimes on the road, Jackie will ride in a car behind the team bus, talking to Doug on his cellphone until he arrives at the hotel or arena.

* During Christie's time in Toronto, Jackie was uncomfortable that women working for the Raptors went into the locker room to distribute statistics after games. So Doug began dressing in an adjacent room

* "I just felt I needed to protect my territory in the beginning," Jackie said. "So I had a lot of issues. I have a jealous bone in my body, yes. It's probably as big as me. I'm very easygoing until I feel a threat."

* She added: "Doug is allowed to look at females. I would prefer he didn't."

* Jackie sometimes has made it clear to her husband and team employees that certain female reporters should not be allowed to interview her husband unless she is present. "If she wants an interview, I will attend it with my husband so there can be no games," she said.

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) -- It took Robert G. Swofford Jr. more than a month to come forward and claim his $60 million Lotto prize, but he had to take care of some unfinished business -- divorcing his wife.

Swofford, a postal worker from Seminole County, claimed his prize Tuesday in a $34.7 million lump sum payout, ending weeks of mystery about who won the November 24 drawing.

Swofford, 53, and his wife separated three years ago. But two weeks after the winning numbers were announced, Ann Swofford served him with divorce papers and claimed a share of the prize.

Just before Christmas, the Swoffords and their lawyers hammered out an agreement. His wife will get $5.25 million and $1 million will be set aside to support their 11-year-old son. In return, she agreed not to seek any more of Swofford's winnings.

Toilet Brush Warning Wins Consumer Award

DETROIT - The sign on the toilet brush says it best: "Do not use for personal hygiene."

That admonition was the winner of an anti-lawsuit group's contest for the wackiest consumer warning label of the year.

The sponsor, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, says the goal is "to reveal how lawsuits, and concern about lawsuits, have created a need for common sense warnings on products."

The $500 first prize went to Ed Gyetvai, of Oldcastle, Ontario, who submitted the toilet-brush label. A $250 second prize went to Matt Johnson, of Naperville, Ill., for a label on a children's scooter that said, "This product moves when used."

A $100 third prize went to Ann Marie Taylor, of Camden, S.C., who submitted a warning from a digital thermometer that said, "Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally."

Holy #$#$ a realiy show based on Doug Christie and his wife!!!!!
If you don't know, Doug Christie is the most whipped husband in the world.

Off the court, on TV
Doug and Jackie Christie could showcase their unusual marriage in a reality series.

I only post this because Brian sent a mail saying he heard this on tv, then I noticed it again on wonkette.com:

From Wonkette:

Did Bush really just say that "we need to put our medical records on the I.T."? Is that like the internets or is he talking about Phil, the guy who wears his pants up around his chin and who comes around when the printer jams?

For what it's worth: The speech is supposed to be about "tort reform," which always sounds more interesting than it really is. Also sort of disappointing: Bush is giving this speech from a town aides have referred to as a "judicial hellhole." But the lawyers there aren't dead at all! (Love that Spinal Tap song, though.)

Bush heads to 'Judicial Hellhole' [CNN/Money]

was booed at the Orange Bowl?? How could they?

She's so talented.......yeah

A page that describes and links to the 9 different versions of the Yetting hitting the penguin with a club game.

"Ridiculous" Longshot Version

Penguin minus gravity. As with the other versions, you'll have to hit the penguin very low to get the high scores. This penguin will bounce for a long time, so go eat a sandwich, read a book, and do your taxes while waiting for your score to pop up.

Random Bouncing Penguin Version

This game-with-a-twist features a penguin that bounces randomly (even backwards!) with increasing momentum. The game is a little buggy; if the penguin bounces backwards off the right edge of the screen, the game will need to be reloaded.

Top score: 1009.7 (Ws6fire)
Gory Version

This latest, crude hack features lots of blood, a dismembered bouncing penguin head and landmines!

Top Score: 3211.4 (Joseph Molina)

MovieMistakes.com lists the top mistakes from 2004.

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Buried under the avalanche of year-end lists is one that won't make moviemakers very happy. MovieMistakes.com has named and shamed its 15 favorite continuity errors of 2004.

Nice!

SAN JOSE, Calif. - TiVo (news - web sites) Inc. pioneered digital video recording as a new way of watching television — when you want it. Now it could be TV where you want it, too.

The long-awaited service feature called TiVoToGo, set to launch Monday, will give users their first taste of TiVo untethered.

No longer confined to TiVo digital video recorders in the living room or bedroom, subscribers will be able to transfer their recorded shows to PCs or laptops and take them on the road — as long as the shows are not specially tagged with copy restrictions. That's also the case for pay-per-view or on-demand movies, and some premium paid programming.

Users also will be able to copy shows onto a DVD — soon after but not immediately at the service launch, company officials said.

The mobile feature is a key step in TiVo's long-term vision of giving consumers more freedom with how and where they enjoy their favorite TV. TiVo plans to extend TiVoToGo so it will work on other portable media gadgets, as well.