A Computer Re-Imagined

I am likely to take a ballpeen hammer to my computer today. Fix it real good.

I'm just sayin'.

Civil War Soldiers vs Dinosaurs

Not far from this corner of East Tennessee, folks can find some sights that are simply not among those you can find anywhere else. Like what, you ask?

Well, first there is Foamhenge. Yes, it is indeed Foamhenge. I saw this and immediately wondered if the guys from Spinal Tap had ever seen it.

And as an added bonus, another unique location. Dinosaur Kingdom -- the only place in the world where Civil War soldiers are attacked by the giant prehistoric reptiles. Take that, Creation Musuem! Pictures and info on both Foamhenge and Dinosaur Kingdom are here at Hillbilly Savants.

They also had another post which gave me pause, about the mysterious herbal delight called ginseng. A chunk of it just sold for $400,000!!

I do recall growing up when someone asked me if I wanted to go Ginseng Hunting. I admit I thought to myself, "what did he just say? and what word was he trying to say which has been filtered through mountain-speak?" Foolish me. It brought good money way back then and who knew one day it would be a key ingredient in a host of energy drinks and vitamins?

And that, for some reason, brings to mind the three warehouses which bear the name Elizabethton Metal and Herb Company.

Who is this Rove?

While dominating political debates and policies for years, when the history of American politics is written, Karl Rove will be a footnote, a thesis paper topic, and an example of 'what could have been'.

I'd wager that about as many average folks know Rove's name as know the legacy of President McKinley, the man Rove used as template for political ambition.

Rove's resignation from the White House staff might have made news headlines today, but most in America can tell you more about Lindsay Lohan.

What does his departure mean? I think Eugene Robinson is probably right:

"Rove's new job will be to put lipstick on Bush's hideous legacy -- and, in the process, freshen up his own."

"But let's give the man his due. Karl Rove managed to get George Walker Bush elected president of the United States, not once but twice. Okay, you're right, the first time he needed big assists from Katherine Harris (speaking of lipstick) and the U.S. Supreme Court, but still. Honesty requires the acknowledgment that Rove was very good at what he did.

"The problem, of course, is that what Rove did and how he did it were awful for the nation."

Even a dubious legacy is still a legacy.

Forum from T-FIRE Draws Concerns

State Rep. Stacey Campfield (R) spoke to a gathering of folks who see many threats to America from illegal immigrants which was held in Morristown over the weekend. The group, says one blogger, dips into some dangerously racist worldviews:

"I think allowing white supremacist concerns to slip into the immigration debate is ridiculous. Why are respected Tennesseans granting validity to this nonsense? "

The entire post from Aunt B. can be read here.

Music For A Hot Summer Night

John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb

Guide To Webspeak

The ever-expanding online world, where topics and talks change moment by moment, can be a daunting and confusing world for those who want to jump into the often wild and wooly debates and discussions.

And the language itself changes just as fast, and as texting messages grows in popularity, slang becomes an even deeper and more bizarre swirling eddy of information.

I have a friend who often visits various forums and message boards about television who says the manipulation of language (or the failure of understanding what language really is) is enough to give him a brain aneurysm.

That's why the Urban Dictionary can be your friend. And whether new to the internets or a longtime player, that site is just mighty fun to read.

Some samples:

pregret
The feeling of regretting something you're about to do anyway.

cafediem
Caffeinate the day.

(NOTE: I like the definition of "seize the coffee" better and have submitted as much to the Urban Dictionary folks.

iPerbole
The media hype which surrounds the release of new Apple products.


The best advice I can offer newbies for such rapid language changes - this is a media which is being created anew every nanosecond. Someone is always going to be ahead of you, and many more will be trailing after. Relax. If it doesn't make sense to you now, it might eventually. Maybe.

Aide to Rep. Davis Caught Altering Online Bio

The online world seems to be troublesome for ET Congressman David Davis. Following the online media and traditional media criticisms for a vote he made against tougher laws on dogfighting, Davis' press secretary Tim Hill, was caught trying to eliminate info on the WikiPedia website showing King Pharmaceuticals contributions to Davis and to Tennessee State Representative Matthew Hill, Tim's brother.

Oddly, Hill says he was just trying to make information about those connections disappear because it was "hurtful" to Davis. Which is not to say the information was not accurate. It was. But Hill seems to think the facts could be damaging. The very tech savvy administrators at WikiPedia caught the meddling effort and corrected it.

The online world is not very kind to Rep. Hill. This site, which is heavily linked to Democrat causes, has tracked his legislative record extensively.

SEE ALSO: Additional information reported in the Kingsport Times-News.

Rep. David Davis Dogged Again

While the GOP faithful paid out big bucks at a fundraiser for Rep. David Davis at the Bristol Motor Speedway yesterday, protesters braved the soaring temperatures to tell Rep. Davis his vote against tougher sentencing on dogfighting was a terrible move.

The always entertaining writing of DeMarCaTionVille features the event and story in the Kingsport press. Wonder if other news agencies in the 1st District will pick up the story that has been dogging Davis?

The Editor says Rep. Davis has been nipping at her heels over the dogfighting No vote he made as well. They called her this week after tracking her blog. Davis' legislative director, Richard Vaughn, says he is eager to talk about the problem.

DeMarCaTionVille also has a hilarious bit from Jay Leno from last Friday, as Jay tears into the Johnson City minister busted for .... well, being pretty dang naughty in public.

And yes oh yes, if you are not reading DeMarCaTionVille yet - my advice is to start and make it a regular stopping place on your web travels. I sure have!

UPDATE: Michael Silence posts another news report on the protest:

"It should have been a vote against dogfighting and making it more of a felony instead of a misdemeanor,“ said Greeneville veterinarian Vickie Howell, one of the protesters. "It’s kind of a black eye for the state of Tennessee and the 1st District."

UPDATE II: Another newspaper, this one from Oak Ridge, also chastises Rep. Davis:

"The Upstate’s freshman congressman has distinguished himself as a proponent of the status quo."

Camera Obscura - Neil Gaiman, Masters of Sci-Fi, Whedon Interview

Some quick TV notes for you to start off this Friday.

All day on Turner Classic Movies is a Vincent Price marathon. Many great performances and films are presented, including the weird "The Tingler" and his version of "I Am Legend", called "The Last Man On Earth." Tonight will bring some of his best known movies, the Roger Corman adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories as well as "The Abominable Dr. Phibes". (Phibes was the "Saw" series of it's day.)

I also love the marketing ploy used in "The Tingler" (the first movie to feature an LSD trip scene) as random theatre seats in movie houses across the country were fitted with honest-to-Pete electric shock gizmos. At certain times during the film, your seat would buzz and vibrate with a light shock and those in the seats would usually scream and jump up, which started some truly chaotic moments in the theatres.

Yeah, you could not do that today. Lawsuits would follow. The audience always got plenty of shocks in movies from producer William Castle, who would often provide a 'nurse on duty' during his movies, or offer you free life insurance in case you died of fear during his movies. Castle was the man who coined the advertising line "Just keep telling yourself, It's Only A Movie! It's Only A Movie!!"

Another TV treat is getting a very brief lifespan on ABCs on Saturday nights at 10 pm, "Masters of Science Fiction." This week's episode is based on a story by Howard Fast ("Spartacus") and is set in the war zones of Baghdad. Terry O'Quinn stars. The next two (of only four episodes) feature dramas based on the works of Heinlein and Harlan Ellison. NPR has a fantastic review of the show.

NPR also has a tasty segment on the delicious comedy show Robot Chicken, which starts it's third season on Adult Swim on August 12th. The geek in me is always impressed by the rapid-fire pop culture assault that RC provides in 10 and 15 minute bite-sized chunks.

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More proof I am a geek:

A week or so ago, I got an early birthday present. It's yet another t-shirt to add to my gigantic collection of clothing from movies and television. The shirt is simply the punchline from an online comic strip, PVP, from 2005 as a father and son debate Episode 3 of the "Star Wars" saga. (click to embiggen)



And the shirt is shown here.

Speaking of Joss Whedon, a jam-packed interview from the just completed San Diego Comic Con has plenty of details about his work on Buffy and Angel and Firefly and future projects. I have always had my own tag line for the man, taken from Marvel Comics -- "Make Mine Whedon!"

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Comic books continue their massive influence on Hollywood with the opening this weekend of the fantasy adventure "Stardust" written by one of the most popular comics writer and novelist in many years, Neil Gaiman. It's a more intense and scary version of "Princess Bride".

The reviews are very strong for the movie. It stars Michelle Pfieffer, Robert De Niro, Peter O' Toole, Claire Danes and Ricky Gervais. Director Matthew Vaughn, whose previous movie "Layer Cake" I have mentioned many times here before, may be about to take over another comic book to movie project for marvel, Thor. Get all the details on Vaughn and "Stardust" and "Layer Cake" here.

And if you haven't read any of his work, his novel "American Gods" is a fine place to start.

Now please excuse me -- I have TV to watch and other geek habits to employ.

FISA, CSPAN and the Facts

Many of the problems with the new expansion of previously illegal warrantless surveillance are provided clearly and plainly in a discussion on CSPAN with Glenn Greenwald and former Reagan appointee Dave Rivkin. For one thing, Rivkin has that faulty memory so famous among Reganites about the cabinet-level officials indicted in the 1980s.

I saw this yesterday and was impressed with how well Greenwald lays out many key issues -- such as the new law does not require a person being 'listened to' actually be a terrorism suspect. And a point I've been hitting on too, that until this law was passed, the President and his staff have been conducting illegal surveillance. Years of breaking the law just don't seem to matter. And there is the retroactive protection of phone companies who illegally provided records to the illegal program.

It's a very intense discussion, including the call-ins. Here is a snippet, but the entire 48 minute discussion can be accessed here at CSPAN's archives and is must-see TV--


UPDATE: A very interesting article in Salon (reg. required) takes a look at the expanding technologies available for surveillance and the many ways it is used under the current administration. Check it out.

Here is a brief excerpt:

"Military, intelligence agency and police work is also coming together in numerous "fusion centers" around the country in a joint program run by the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security that has received little public attention. At present, there are 43 current and planned fusion centers in the United States where information from intelligence agencies, the FBI, local police, private sector databases and anonymous tipsters is combined and analyzed by counterterrorism analysts. DHS hopes to create a wide network of such centers that would be tied into the agency's day-to-day activities, according to the Electronic Privacy Information Center. The project, according to EPIC, "inculcates DHS with enormous domestic surveillance powers and evokes comparisons with the publicly condemned domestic surveillance program of COINTELPRO," the 1960s program by the FBI aimed at destroying groups on the American political left."

Internets Destroying The World, or Idiocracy Revisited

It's not just the tech -- it's the people who use it -- destroying the world with their non-sanctified, unpaid views and opinions. Well, it is more that traditional media companies -- newspapers, radio, television, recording and film companies -- are losing business and consumers of their products.

That is the core of a book, titled "The Cult of the Amateur: How the Democratization of the Digital World Is Assaulting Our Economy, Our Culture and Our Values" by one Andrew Keen.

Damn that urge for Democracy!!

A review of the book via Sports Media America says:

"... the proliferation of Web technology and its wide and easy access to any Joe or Jane has created a rudderless, authority-less media environment responsible for the following primary ills:

1. A general and alarmingly casual disregard for facts (i.e., the truth about certain things)

2. A democratized approach to learning (e.g., Wikipedia), wherein those with expert opinion (and conventional credentials) are being pushed aside by an army of amateur thinkers and journalists

3. The rapid (and continuing and probably inevitable) financial decline in traditional media such as newspapers and magazines

4. The absolute destruction of the music business as we once knew it

5. The potential destruction of the film business

6. A compromised society-wide morality (especially among the younger, cut-and-paste generations) that fails to recognize theft of intellectual property as a criminal act (Keen dubs this scene a kleptocracy)

7. An onslaught of exposure to pornography that is warping minds and further fueling an atmosphere where sexual deviance and predatory activities are fostered."

(Thanks to Sparkwood & 21 for this account of the book.)

And don't forget the Evils of learning to read, of speaking without being a hired representative, and thinking for yourself. Add in the devious unprofessional handling of music, politics and documentation .... well, here we are, in a digital handbasket in a large pipeline heading to Hell.

A Webwalk From The Serious to the Not So Much

So much good reading, fascinating and provocative and informative, and on a wide range of topics. A brief tour is offered herein.

Failure dogs the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Bush threatens to veto bill for assistance. (via Facing South) --

"The failure is seen everywhere: The tens of thousands of people still living in "temporary" FEMA trailers because insurance companies and the government failed to compensate homeowners. The 100+ public schools still closed in New Orleans. Lack of housing that has driven up rents 100-200% across the Gulf Coast, unaffordable to many. The lack of any meaningful effort to restore Louisiana's stunning wetlands, the best defense against future storms.

So one can only imagine the rage that is greeting this week's news that President Bush plans to veto a $21 billion bill for flood control and coastal restoration, passed 381-40 this week with broad bipartisan support in the U.S. House. The bill's programs are national but of special importance in southern Louisiana, where it would fund a 72-mile levee and floodwall system and put $1.9 billion -- a fraction of what's needed -- towards coastal restoration."
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If you're paying millions of dollars to writers and consultants to create information opposing the scientific findings related to global warming, that is not an imaginary conspiracy -- it's called paid propaganda. (via KnoxViews)

" ... learn how their propaganda campaign has successfully fooled 64% of Americans into thinking there is "a lot of scientific disagreement on climate change."
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Did you know that today is an almost formal state holiday?? Anyone? .... Bueller? Well it is and no, until I read ACK's post sharing the information, I simply did not know that today is Emancipation Day. The Greeneville Sun covers the story:

"Organizers of the event estimate that a few hundred individuals, some of whom came from out of town to attend, were on hand for the annual African-American historical celebration that marks the emancipation by then-Tennessee Military Governor Andrew Johnson of his personal slaves."
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Angelia reports that TriCities.com gives 1st District Congressman David Davis a 'thumbs down."
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Is that a monkey under your hat or are you just happy to see --- Oh My God! It is a monkey under your hat!!
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Um. Well. I know it's not meant to make me laugh but I, for one, am utterly helpless before the headlines and stories heralding the game that is sweeping through Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky. Yes, it is a Carnival of Cornhole.

Friends in the know confirm the game has captured tons of fans. That was after I sent them some info directing them to the American Cornhole Association website. (thanks, Sysm!)

The Plot Against Chocolate

This is just wrong.

"Chocolate in its purest state - the "liquor" made from ground, processed cacao beans - must contain between 50 percent and 60 percent cocoa butter, also known as cocoa fat.

The Grocery Manufacturers Association, Chocolate Manufacturers Association and 10 other food industry groups want more flexibility in those rigid standards. They seek broad permission to add ingredients, use different techniques, employ new shapes and substitute ingredients - something the standards currently don't allow.

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"Manufacturers already can use vegetable fats instead of cocoa butter - they just can't call it "chocolate." Hundreds of people have filed comments with the FDA, with the overwhelming majority seeking to keep it that way, according to an Associated Press review of the file.

"But the shift would make chocolate cheaper to produce, since cocoa butter can be four or more times the cost of shea, palm oil and other vegetable fats.

"If you're able to replace cocoa butter with another fat, even at the 5 percent level, you're saving lots and lots of money, especially if you are a major manufacturer of chocolate bars," said Bernard Pacyniak, editor in chief of Candy Industry magazine. ... But Gary Guittard, the president of California's Guittard Chocolate Co and others question that and said any change would debase the very nature of chocolate.

"This incremental degradation of foods over the years - it's a degradation that comes from wanting to make it for less money. We're always trying to make a little more money, and that I think is the problem," said Guittard."

Do NOT mess with the chocolate. If you outlaw real chocolate then only outlaws will have real chocolate for sale.

Dude! The Party's in Iran!

An international crowd showed up for a rave just outside of Tehran, Iran -- proof enough that plenty of people will party no matter the danger or risk.

"Iran's drive to enforce Islamic morals netted revellers from Britain and Sweden after police swooped on a "satanic" concert organised over the internet.

"Most of the detainees came from rich families and included people from Iranian backgrounds who had travelled from Britain and Sweden ..."

How the heck did they get past the borders?

Of course, some say this is a U.S. plan:

"Last Wednesday's raid occurred during a government-backed "social security" campaign in which police have arrested or cautioned thousands of women whose dress or headscarves have been deemed insufficiently Islamic. While such offensives occur periodically, this year's has been carried out with unusual intensity over a prolonged period amid accusations that the US is trying to topple the Islamic regime through a "soft revolution".

If so, then this may be the best plan yet out of Washington. I mean, gosh, we all know that Culture Wars from within America are the most dire threats imaginable -- just listen to FOX News and most talk radio.

Let's appoint Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton to join an international rave cartel (based in Amsterdam) and make Iran and Iraq and the rest of the troubled middle east into a bona fide Destination Democracy where party doesn't mean nuthin' but a good time.

Leaving behind stacks of CDs, caches of liquor and drugs, and maybe some glo-stix has got to be a lot safer than losing hundreds of thousands of weapons.

Congress Expands Secret Spying Plans

I posted the following over at KnoxViews today, a somewhat cautious post as I was entering the group blog thing for the first time there. I was and I am seeking some other opinons on the last-minute approval of an even larger federal secret surveillance program by Congress. I am fairly disappointed by the passage, though I wonder if it's worth bringing up. So I offer the post here, to see if anyone has a comment other than Trust The President.
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I've never made a blog entry here, but this particular blog seems like the best forum to take my questions about what happened in Congress this weekend.

I'm referring to the passage, demanded by President Bush, of continuing to expand some questionable surveillance programs. I admit to having hopes they would be able to adjourn without voting on the bill, but realizing it would likely pass since this President seems to get from Congress whatever he wants or ignores them whenever he wants.

The always outspoken critic of the administration, Glenn Greenwald, writes about some of the same things the passage brought to my mind, but I have others too for your consideration.

Why was this bill not fought and debated as intently as the recent Iraq War funding debate? Was that just theatrics after all?

Why are Democrats (those who voted Yes are listed in Greenwald's article) caving to the President? Or was it caving in at all? Is this why Congress' approval ratings are so low?

I know the FISA bill has a limited lifespan, but once policies are made into law, they seldom end. I'm just not very happy with this approval and have been hoping that Congress would provide less approval, even if that means stalling the entire legislative agenda.

Not that I consider aggressive intelligence-gathering bad, far from it. But it sure seems like both the intelligence groups and the Attorney General's office have done a truly botched job in the last 6 years - so how can Congress justify expanding the roles of both groups?

UPDATE: Russ McBee has some thoughts on the passage of the bill, and more info on how it changes the spying rules is here at MetaFilter.

And one more thing to consider -- these changes in surveillance authority, would they be tolerated by Conservatives if the Attorney General was appointed by a Democrat president?

China Regulating Reincarnation

China's government says their approval and proper forms will be required for reincarnation. As goofy as the idea may sound, the story about their new 14-point program has a very specific goal:

"Because tulkus have a large influence in the Himalayan region, the Chinese government has frequently sought to control the process of identifying the boys.

The new regulations, which go into effect September 1, 2007, will make it illegal to identify the child reincarnation of the Dalai Lama without the approval of Chinese authorities."

In other words, China will try to make the currrent Dalai Lama the last Dalai Lama. And you thought your religious beliefs were being marginalized and removed from existence.

Camera Obscura - Shooter, Watchmen, Bergman, Blow-Up

Conspiracies and secrets fill the movies on today's menu, along with generous amounts of tough guy-isms. Plus a few news items on movies coming out in The Future.

Speaking of The Future - the award for dumbest idea I've heard in a while is the project to make "Magic 8-Ball: The Movie". Yeah, the toy from the 1960s. At least it isn't a musical with John Travolta in drag (yet). Mattel and Hasbro are also pitching movies based on the board games Candy Land, Monopoly, and others. Hopefully all these ideas (like a lot of toys these days) will get recalled before they ever get rolling. Then again, if I could finish up my script for "Slinky vs Silly Putty" fast enough, I could be a major player in no time. No, you don't like that idea? Wait -- how about "Easy Bake Oven From Hell"??

A movie yet to be finished (or even started) held much of the attention at the San Diego Comic-Con which just wrapped up. The talk about the long-planned and now in pre-production movie version of Alan Moore's brilliant graphic novel "The Watchmen" was most intriguing. Director Zack Snyder, whose work has been just darn near flawless, has spoken of some terrible casting ideas in recent weeks, but the things he said in San Diego give me hope:

"One of the things I think is important about Watchmen is that it have resonance within cinematic pop culture as well as superhero culture. Because I believe there's a relationship between Rorschach and Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver."

"On running time for the film: "I don't have a time frame right now. I think it's running pretty long right now - it's about 130-140 page script, not counting "The Black Freighter". "The Black Freighter" (an essential subplot from the comic) is about 16 or 17 pages as a script."

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I have to give a big thank you to Les Jones, who wrote about a movie called "Shooter" out earlier this year and now on DVD. Based on action/adventure writer Stephen Hunter's book "Point of Impact," it didn't get much of a push from studios and disappeared quickly from theatres. But what Les wrote made me remember it and want to see it. Good call, Les.


Now you can watch it at home and prepare to be surprised. The story opens with a sweeping shot of burning villages in Ethiopia and the camera then tracks an oil pipeline, and by the end has covered several years and reaches deep into dark conspiracies about oil and government secrets. However the center of the story is Bob Lee Swagger, played by Mark Wahlberg, who is channeling Lee Marvin or Charles Bronson here. Swagger is a deadly sniper/marksman for the Army who is reluctantly drawn back into action when they appeal to his patriotic duty. There's enough action movie cliches here to make you pause, but don't -- this one plays out like an intense game which just gets better as it goes along.

Some key points -- never, ever mess with a guy who can shoot you from a mile away; lots of modern weapons tech and strategy play big roles; Ned Beatty does a nearly hilarious impersonation of Dick Cheney; and as Les noted, there's the scene in Athens, Tennessee - 'patron state of shootin' stuff' as Swagger calls us, where Swagger meets actor Levon Helm as a master of the history of weapons in a juicy part which Helm delivers with true style.

Wahlberg - and here's something I thought I'd never say -- is really impressive on the big screen. Contrast the steely-eyed Swagger with the nebbish and nervous hitman character he plays in the action/comedy "The Big Hit" or the soldier he plays in "Three Kings." Not to mention the small but fierce part he played in the Oscar-winning "The Departed."

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The Modern Tough Guy in movies was pretty much created by the pairing of director John Woo and actor Chow Yun Fat. Almost every video game shoot-em-up and most action movies that followed are all part of the Woo-Fat Pattern.

Their creation now comes full circle as a new video game for the PS3, "Stranglehold", is set for release. The game is a sequel to Woo's "Hard Boiled", where an animated Chow Yun Fat, playing a tough cop named Tequila (heh heh) will be the character you take through the continuing adventures in Hong Kong.

The action and characters and explosive action sequences have colored most U.S. and international movies made since it's release in 1992. And it still holds up very well. A new 2-disc DVD set of "Hard Boiled" is now out so I can finally retire my battered letterbox VHS copy.

From Woo to Wahlberg, the urban landscape has replaced the Monument Valley backdrop of John Ford westerns, but the themes about the nature of revenge and justice are just as vibrant today as ever.

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Two legends of cinema history died recently, Ingmar Bergman and Micheangelo Antonioni. They were masters of cinematic imagery.

Their influence permeated movies and directors and actors for decades and still does today. Both men discarded conventional filmmaking and searched, some would say desperately, for ways that cinema turns into expressions of our most complex emotions. No - they certainly do not make movies like that anymore.

While Bergman's works are worthy of viewing and study, it was Antonioni who had the most influence on me. "The Adventure", about a woman who vanishes during an afternoon of sailing, is almost purely metaphysical. It's as if her indifference literally makes her disappear from sight. And the response of her friends is to casually discard her disappearance as well, sealing her fate.


But for me, his movie "Blow-Up" is one of the best I've ever seen. Critics and writers have all pointed to the movie as a benchmark for the Lost Souls of 20th Century Life. And it surely does provide characters who dwell in a portable and throwaway lifestyle. But for me the story is about perception itself and how we make our own meanings about reality and life. Did the photographer played by David Hemmings witness a murder or did he imagine it? It's a plot that has been very popular ever since. Antonioni does not provide the answer - you either participate in the movie or it may just bore you to tears. I remain fascinated by the movie, though I am certain to perceive layers where others perceive little at all or nothing. I kind of think that was Antonioni's point.

See, I do watch something besides mindless action movies and zombie stories. Oddly, I have often wondered what the death-dwelling mind of Bergman would have done had he made a zombie movie.

We do know that Bergman lost the chess game. (He should have, like Bill and Ted, asked to play Clue or Battleship instead.)

These Robotic Bears Can Rock

Wow. I am impressed and perhaps a little frightened by these videos.

This enterprising fellow got some of the old musical robotic bears (and a gorilla too) from an old Showbiz Pizza place, and now reprograms them to do modern rock songs, like this one from Evanescence. More videos of other songs are also provided.

He's even got a stage and curtains and some major programming skills. (via MetaFilter)

Finally, Some Good News

When I read this today, it made me smile really big.

I was just talking the other night to my friend Chef Bill, who is often kind enough to call me when he is attending a game, about the slow and steady rise this season and how that fits their style so well. I say they are due and man oh man I would love to see them winners in October.

Wombats Fly Spaceships

Once or twice (maybe even three times) I have tuned in to a bizarre talk radio show hosted by one Michael Savage. He seemed to always be really angry, not just cranky "you kids get offa my lawn" angst, but somehow deeply and emotionally devoted to some goofy ideas.

But on Monday, according to this transcript, he said that the Democrat party gave Supreme Court Justice Roberts the seizure Roberts suffered this week.

"Am I to believe that there's no connection between [Senator] Charles Schumer on Friday saying that he would never appoint, or never, excuse me, approve another Bush appointment to the court, to any court? And then the chief justice suffers a so-called seizure two days later? You're telling me there's no possibility of a conspiracy by the Democrats to have caused this seizure in some manner? Tell me that it's not possible. Tell me that the stakes are not so high that the liberals -- who've finally lost the court after 50 years -- that they would stop short of anything like this. Tell me it's not possible, and I'll tell you you're a liar."

Savage's ratings are pretty high - tallied at 8 million listeners per week. So Savage's rant was heard (and likely believed) by millions of people.

I know hyperbole and media go together like peanut butter and jelly. So I am going to predict the next Big Scandal from Savage -- he will claim that Wombats Fly Spaceships. And not just yer ordinary everyday Wombat, either. These will be Liberal Democrat Wombats who seek to become the Dark Overlords of Time and Space.