Grease Truck Lollapalooza

The cheap way to get great local food in Portland is at food carts. This is no mere turnpike cure for alcohol poisoning. I've counted three parking lots so far where food carts pay rent, setting themselves up semi-permanently.

The carts are also regularly inspected by the health department so you don't have to worry about foodborne illness every time you want a gyro.

My favorite so far is Brunch Box, which has breakfast sandwiches on homemade English muffins.

So now, thanks to the fine, fine folks at Disjecta and Willamette Week, there is a Food Cart Festival. Next weekend, you can sample wares from a swath of carts for the grand whopping total of $5. Yes, that includes the food.

I'm there.

Obama Chia Pet

I voted for the guy and all, but come on. Seriously?

I Thought They Smelled Bad on the Outside

This has been pretty publicized but it's a great story so one more retelling won't hurt it. Thinkgeek.com played a little April Fool's Joke by putting up an ad for a Tauntaun sleeping bag designed after the scene in The Empire Strikes Back.

One problem though -- people loved it.

The orders and inquiry emails were so overwhelming that ThinkGeek is now in talks with Lucasfilms to try to get a license to make these things for real. They are sorta cute -- but this is where that line between your Star Wars geekdom and your childs need to rest will probably clash, especially when they find out what the lining of this thing is supposed to be made of..

Something That Doesn't Sound Like Coldplay

NPH FTW.

Everything Sounds Like Coldplay Now

Voodoo Doughnut

I had been saving up finds from my new hometown of Portland, OR to produce an all-in-one post a la San Francisco. However, I'm sort of getting a life (who knew?), and I'm not seeing a disposable hour coming up any time soon.















What's important is that you ask me what kind of car my parents got me. What's important is that any town worth its salt needs a fine, fine doughnut-making establishment.

So I'm leading off the Stumptown recommendations with Voodoo Doughnut, which combines the wonders of a nearly all-hours donut joint with a Mexican Day of the Dead/stoner aesthetic.

And yes, the doughnuts are amazing. I had one with chocolate and fresh coconut. I didn't have the maple doughnut with a strip of bacon on it, but please, don't let that stop you.

Temporal Anomalies in the Bill & Ted Films: The Excellent Adventure

How many times do I have to say this -- It's Popeye!!!!

188 year old news paper moves to twitter

Obviously the times they are a changing. And in light of Monster's ad post, The Guardian, in partnership with HRToM is announcing the shift to new media:



Guardian moves to Twitter

Of course that could also mean this is the new news:

Penny Arcade Tweets

Not Real Sure How I Feel About This

But I did love the book, and hated hated hated the original movie adaptation. Fingers crossed, I guess.

Epic Shepherding FTW

It's my second "hey this ad is cool" post of the day, but OMGWTFBBQ.

magnifique publicité

I love it when an ad agency gets a good idea and just figures out a way to work it into a product promotion.

Stella Artois has launched smoothoriginals.com - a collection of short film parodies - to support the release of its new light product. From the site:

Ah, le cinema! Remember the days when men were strong and silent, women were chic and sophistique, and the action was as smooth as our 4% tripled filtered beer? Formidable!

John Mequlaine apathetically follows Simone's cryptic instructions in "Dial Hard", rap battles get a bohemian redux in "8 Kilometers" (Monte Carlo side! Say bonjour to your mother), and a Belgium Jack Bauer contemplates just how long "24 Heuers" really is.



Hooray for Stella and its agency, Mother London, for a great campaign.

Factoid Monday!

The presentation is a little heavy-handed, but a lot of the stats are pretty interesting.



PS - Does anybody else find it amusing that a presentation with a lot of "wow are things obsolete fast" messaging used a techno-pop song from 1998?

Tee shirt appropriate for movie openings, parties, bar mitzvahs, etc.

I'm down with the guys at Jinx. Great guys, make some nerdy shirts and gear. They work hard, play hard.

This is all time:



Nice work guys. Simple, back to your roots, and works at many functions.

Oh and for everyone like Hex, internet superstar,- Here you go.

Juan Atkins and the Detroit Sound

Yeah. You need to check out the wikipedia if you are scratching your head:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Atkins

And then get into this:



and the title link is the trailer for the documentary.

Cosmos on Hulu

More ways for Satorical to put off doing real work, now available for viewing.



And while I'm at it -- here's the classic Family Guy bit -- Cosmos for Rednecks

Enjoy!

The Most Independent Movie Ever Made

Two dirty garages, way up!

Samurai Sword Umbrella

The fact that there's not actually a sword somewhere in here is somewhat disappointing, but it's still a pretty cool idea.

Electric Purgatory

It takes an hour to watch this documentary -- but it's soooo worth it.



Seriously -- did you know Rick James used the lead singer in a band featuring Neil Young on guitar?

BBC comedies

Because you are in the US, and you don't have someone helping you out. I sent you the Mighty Boosh and IT Crowd. Now you have some other tasks. First you need to check out Spaced. Oh and leave nasty notes on anyone who doesn't let you embed their youtube videos.

Then you need to check out Black Books. Oh and you should look for "black books the cleaner" on youtube. Some people just won't be cool with embedding.



If you do netflix just get the complete series of each in your queue.

off you go, shoo....

The Glenn Beck Show Generator

Deus Ex Malcontent is always awesome, but especially when he takes shots as precise and as effective as this one.

Enjoy!

NCAA March Madness on Demand

If you're like me (and I know you are) then you need this. Live first round tournament coverage on your computer at work, 100% free. I have a separate bracket that I've prepared that pits the things I have to do today against my desire to just watch college basketball.

I don't want to spoil the surprise, but guess which one is gonna win.

The Recession Claims Another Victim

Word out of New Zealand (where the Americanized version of the show is filmed) is saying that the Disney Company has pulled the plug and cancelled all future seasons of the Power Rangers.

Yes, it was still on the air.

..Well, now it's not. But it was.

Apostrophe Abuse

Bored?

Sure you are. We all get that way sometimes -- there's no shame in it.

Clicking on this site for more than an hour?

.. there might be some shame in that.

Youtube Mashup

As I happen to like mashups, the more questionably legal the better, I'll throw this one out there:

http://thru-you.com/

Also if you like that, there is a man named Greg Gillis aka GirlTalk who would like to have a word with you...

I mean I don't like Biggie Smalls and I don't like Elton John, but somehow together it is some peanut butter and jelly stuff (check the end of "Smash your Head" on Night Ripper)...

http://illegalart.net/girltalk/

and I'm not talking about Peanut Butter Wolf who is also worth checking out.

Private Parts

(almost) Full disclosure before I start: I work in the online ad industry. The company I work for doesn't do any of the behavioral stuff I talk about below, but I'm far from completely removed from the subject matter.


So Google is gonna target ads based on user behavior. The only surprise here is that they haven't started this already. The cool bit, though, is that they're going to give you access to YOUR user profile. This means you can log in and execute the digital equivalent of saying "Oh. My. God. I am SO not into cheerleading anymore! Do NOT show me cheerleading ads, Google! For serious!" This is also the legal equivalent of Google saying "Ha ha Congress, you don't get to lecture us about user privacy!" (See Google chief council Nicole Wong, pictured left, bearing her teeth at any congressmen that were tempted to pretend they understand what the hell they're talking about).

The win here is that you don't get ads that mean nothing to you, but you can control what the advertisers understand about you. THIS IS THE RIGHT BALANCE OF INTERNET PRIVACY PEOPLE, and you should use it to its fullest. In that vein, here are a couple of interesting links to help you sculpt the digital version of you into exactly who you want that to be:

Google Ad Preferences Manager: The Goog tool for profile management. It's probably a little slow today, and chances are you've not been tagged yet (it's an incremental release). Keep an eye on it, though, and remember - if you log into Gmail, Blogger, or YouTube, you automatically have a Google account (and you told them it was cool to keep an eye on YOU). See also Google's catch-all Privacy Center.

Network Advertising Initiative Opt-out page: A load of ad networks participate here, you can see if you've been cookied by them and opt-out of any targeting they're doing based on your behavior.

EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy: the EFF is the ACLU's smarter and more reasonable younger cousin. They've been around a while and do good work... like this handy guide (which has a bunch of useful links itself).

Don't be the silly people that say that any online tracking is an evasion of privacy... but don't be that guy that never deletes his cookies, either. Read those little pamphlets you get from Verizon, or AT&T, or Comcast, or whoever does your service provision in that world. If they don't make sense, call and make a person explain it to you. It shouldn't be up to Google or Congress to do the work for you... be as private as you like because you're smart like that.

At HRTotM, we don't collect any of your personal information, and wouldn't use it anyway, unless you're especially attractive, in which case we might divulge at a party that "this totally hot chick" left a comment on a post, and further use that as some indication that our wit is worth notice.

Really, Does it Get Any Better Than This?

I think not.

Serious Science

Your expert opinion is needed immediately to assist the University of Salford Acoustic Research Centre in their efforts to be ready for this years Red Nose Day (a UK-based fundraising effort to combat international poverty).

If you're interested please head over to Soundsfunny.org and vote for the whoopee cushion sound you think is the funniest.

It's a fart sound judging contest for the homeless. Do I really need to say more?

Schultz City

If this is the way he treats Linus, just imagine what's gonna happen to Lucy when she decides to yank that football away before Charlie can kick it.

Moderation

"Sweet Dreams" from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

This one's mainly about the aesthetics, but completely worth it just for that.

Thanks to Dorie at Clicking for the link.

Layin' it Down, Plastic Shoes and All.

Ok, I admit it. If it weren't for Cartoon Brew, I wouldn't have shit. But this made my day. Go Mickey!

One or Two Last Trips

Here's a blues written for the best bar in New York City, slated eventually to be a parking lot for the New Jersey Nets.

midi remix of songs + goofy video

Lolmidi Star Trek + midi. and then Marvin Gaye saves the day. Seriously.

Almost as good as just jamming out to tracks from SuperNES games played by a live Band:

Minibosses Free mp3s from them if you don't know what I'm talking about. You should definitely check out Kid Icarus.

These guys play tracks from your NES childhood on 2 guitars, bass and drums. Some of the guitar arrangements are umm... megabosses!

The Slicer. It doesn't slice, it doesn't dice. It does look fun, like a red ryder bb gun

Apparently a company has made a sled for summertime. Instead of you taking the sled to snow, you strap ice to the bottom of your sled. Perfect for SoCal or Florida sledding fun. Also good for summer time sledding almost anywhere.

Headgear not included.

FUCK YEAH NEIL PATRICK HARRIS

Not content just to preach the coolness of sharks anymore, a new Tumblr has cropped up preaching the greatness of some character actor on TV. I can't remember his name at the moment, but I think it's written on the site somewhere -- probably in really small letters.

 

Embracing the Inevitable

This song sucked in 1975 and it sucks now.

But this is still pretty funny.

A Well-Named Site

I'm in the market for a new laptop. My aunt recommended I check Craigslist, and sent me a listing for a new MacBook Pro at less than half of retail price. I told her it sounded like bs, but that I'd e-mail the person. I asked for the serial number so I could check out the computer's warranty. Here's the response:

Hello,

I still have the laptop. But the thing is that i'm in Italy for my school
(I have the machine with me). I hope you are still interested
and we can make the deal happen right away. Obviously we need a safe way
to complete this deal that will allow us to make sure we receive
what we are after. I have found a way for us to complete the deal fast
(3 days) and easy. The solution is Royal Mail, they will provide
assistance in handling the payment and delivery of the laptop.
With this procedure you will be able to check the laptop
before I receive the payment.

Let me know what you think.

Richard Glaser

1) No serial number
2) Offer to complete transaction by wire service
3) In foreign country

Pass.

Anyway, stay informed about scams of all types.
Apparently fraud of all sorts is on the rise, with criminals preying
on the desperation of the unemployed and under-employed.
If you have a doubt about the legitimacy of an offer, check this site out:

http://www.lookstoogoodtobetrue.com

Tiny Joy

This is what I get for not subscribing to cable. I missed Miniscule completely when the series of five-minute French cartoons aired on the Disney Channel three years ago. They're still full of nifty.



Thanks to Tom for the link.

This is Why You're Fat

This is also why I'm hungry -- but yeah, the results seem pretty obvious.

Misery, Loving Company

Giving of yourself is a great way to break a funk. Of course, if that opportunity isn't immediately available, reading about other peoples' shit experiences can do the trick.

Today, after making a complete ass of myself to a girl I like, reading about estate law, and failing to get any work done on my overdue project, this F**k My Life post saved the day:

"Today, my boss fired me via text message. I don't have a text messaging plan. I paid $0.25 to get fired. FML."

Thanks to Alexis for the link.

Compressing Time

As predicted, Coraline is amazing. See it in 3D if you can, but see it regardless. It was made in my soon-to-be-new hometown of Portland Oregon, and the staff is waiting on box office results before proceeding with any other projects. The first weekend results are encouraging.

The movie is fantastic counter-programming to all the pap that passes for kids' entertainment. It features an empowered tween girl as the heroine, and is fearlessly weird in character design. The movie is honestly scary in concept, with elements straight out of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Go.

Shred Mania

So I just know you want to be transported to the 80s guitar shredding period of music through some modern day weird Japanese TV game show.

So here you are:



Marty Friedman vs. Paul Gilbert on Rock Fujiyama.

Angry Christian Bale Is Angry... REMIX

So, the director of photography for the new Terminator movie walked through the area where Christian Bale was trying to film an emotional scene - twice. Christian kinda loses his mind a little (NSFW) - and is pretty well trashed in the press, because you can't do this kinda thing after being arrested for slapping your own mother and expect anybody to be on your side. Despite that, I think Hex and I are both on the record for being on American Phycho's side in this (but neither of us, to my knowledge, have ever thrown down with our respective mothers. Or each other's mother, for that matter). Call this however you want, but I just like this guy a little more every time I hear about him. He's like that crazy-ass Russell Crowe we once new, before he went all Ron Howard on us.

Fear not, you're not reading a guest post from TMZ. There is something highly recommendable in all this, and it's this dance remix, titled "Bale-Out".



(ahem... dance remixes of NSFW things are almost always, also, NSFW)

Keeping Warm and Trendy

It was 13 degrees here in NYC this morning. With wind chill, it was zero degrees.

So I slit this guy open and stayed in his stomach 'til the temperatures rose. And I thought he smelled bad on the outside.

From the product reviews for the dead thing on the dude's head:

"For my 41st birthday, which was, as it always is, late November, my mother got me one of these hats. I immediately put it on and went up into the mountains to try it out. It happened to be a very cold, windy day and the hat not only kept my face and ears and neck very, very warm, but also my hands, which I had to stick under the part that hangs down because in my excitement to try out the hat, I forgot my gloves! After I returned from my hike, elated, I went to a gun shop to have my rifle re-bored and a cute woman remarked upon my hat and how much she liked it. We struck up a conversation -- much of which centered around whether the e in coyote is silent, which I think it is -- and discovered that we had a lot in common, especially our love for the TV show, "Cops." We have gone out on dates several times and we are pretty serious about each other. So not only does the hat keep my body -- especially my face and ears and neck -- warm, but it may keep my heart warm for many a year if I marry my sweet Edna."

The Scariest Thing You'll See All Day

Look, I shop there. I sorta wish I didn't have to -- but when you're in a certain financial position there are the things you'd like to do and then there are the things you gotta do.

Of course I also remember a time when Wallyworld wasn't a prime choice when money was tight and you still needed to buy stuff (although to be honest, compared with Pic n' Save, WalMart feels like Bergdorfs).

Anyways, here's what happened to that memory.

The WTF Blanket

Wait ..Super Herpes? Did he just say Super Herpes?

Cake Wrecks

What happens when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong?

Watching It Shred

Not like you didn't see this on Gizmodo already, but this is a 15 out of 10:

Dating A Banker Anonymous

Whether this is an exquisitely steel-tongued joke or a vomit-inducing reality isn't entirely clear, but whatever the case -- don't be shocked to see Kate Hudson making a movie about this crap in the very near future (apparently a book deal for the blog authors is already in the works).

Been There, Done That, Bought the T-Shirt

Personally, I think we should all get one of these for free.

Star Wars Yoga

"Fat" and "Nerd" are two things that simply go great together, much to the chagrin of all the fat nerds in the world. But in our image-driven society -- there's always pressure to look your best.

So what's a geek to do when the extroversion and leaving your computer desk-osity of physical activity and exercise get in the way of sitting at your keyboard and endlessly arguing about the finer points of the Ewokalypse?

Well as long as you have some semblance of flexibility, a little free time, and a green headband (which is apparently required wearing if you wish complete these exercises properly) you might try the various poses and stretches you'll find in the Star Wars Yoga series.



Or, if you're like me -- you can just chose to blog about it on the web, and then go back to eating your Cheetos.

Getting a Head Start on Spring Love

BKLN cats up for adoption:

Posh & Becks: adorable 5 month old kittens. Becks is all white and
quite the ham. Posh is all black and quite the lady.
http://tinyurl.com/cn6kfc

Fonde: 1.5 y.o. white and brown tabby. Shy, but very loving.
http://tinyurl.com/bj9e7s

Chicken Little: 7 m.o brown tabby. Instant purrer. Fonde's only
surviving daughter.
http://tinyurl.com/bxnmp7

Cheeto. Previous adopters took him in at 4 months. Eight months later
decided he wasn't cuddly enough and returned him. He's a total
sweetheart. Not in your face, but scritch around his chin and he flops
over on his back. He loves to sit in your lap when you're slaving away
at the computer. He's a great peach color too!
http://tinyurl.com/d445r3

Juno: 1 y.o. brown tabby. Very affectionate once she gets to know you
http://tinyurl.com/dgrk75

Hank the Tank: Seriously, the best of the bunch. This guy is basically
a dog in a cat's body. He's FIV+ though.
http://tinyurl.com/accp9k

MacBook Wheel

Looks fantastic:

MacBook Wheel

I'll take two.

No sarcasm, no sirree.

What is Sexy?

In a women's magazine survey years ago, more respondents said they'd like their men to take out the garbage than make love to them.

This sentiment has been updated for the Internet age.

(Despite appearances, this is safe for work.)

Thanks to Amanda for the link.

Freeing The Prisoner

AMC is currently streaming the entire original series of The Prisoner for free. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a huge favor. Watch the whole thing. Not only is the thing a masterpiece of trippy set design drawing from everything cool about the 60s, but the story is as plot-twisty as anything 24 has ever tried. No cheating and watching the last episode without all the rest. It's worth the payoff.

Obamicon.Me

The runaway popularity of Shepard Fairey's iconic "Hope" poster during the campaign season spoke to the country's overwhelming desire for change. But now that Obama's been elected, shouldn't the rest of us be able to get in on the fun?

That's where Paste magazine's Obamicon.me website comes in -- enabling users to quickly put together their own versions of the print using icons from their own lives, much like I have done here with site founder Satorical's beloved visage.



The site also features a gallery of user-submitted images, many of which are worth a grin.

Enjoy!

I Can Has..?

Looks pretty comfortable.

..Tasty, too.

Management Secrets

For the modern manager there are many sources of advice, examples, and self help books. But now we have a source that is authoritative (authoritarian?) and appeals to a broadbase (of film fans).

Management Secrets from Darth Vader

Clearing out the deadwood

This is brilliant. Burger King is giving away Whoppers to anyone who drops 10 of their Facebook friends. The New York Times says that claiming the prize lets your "friends" know they were dropped for a hamburger. It's worse than that: they were dropped for a tenth of a hamburger.

Looking Beyond Brooklyn

I'm moving from Brooklyn NY to Portland OR in late March, so I've started looking at what's doing out there. Apparently an aide to former president George H.W. Bush nicknamed the city "Little Beirut" after a series of violent protests of the elder Bush's visit in the 90s. It stuck, and has become a point of pride among activist residents.

Turns out there's also a band of the same name.

After April, if you're visiting that way, lemme know and I'll buy you one of the city's fine, fine microbrews.

My Year Of Flops

I love bad movies. There's something weird about it -- because it's not like I love bad music, painting, or sculpture. But a bad movie is a special slice of heaven. Whether it's watching a celebrity commit artistic seppuku, the ridiculousness of the plot, the shoddiness of the special effects, or whatever other kind of fuckery might bitter the batter -- a bad movie can be many times more fun than a good one.

Which is probably why My Year of Flops -- a comprehensive bad movie review/appreciation series by Nathan Rubin is so much fun. Especially when he gets to skewering movies you've actually found a way to suffer through yourselves.

The guy has such a zest for tearing movies up that it's hard not to lose hours at a time reading the recaps -- which is good because there are scads of them. Plus, it's not everywhere on the web you can find quotes like this (from his review of the Stephen King crapfest Dreamcatcher):

..It seems that for 25 years, the United States Government has been battling a secret invasion of malevolent space aliens that grow in the human body and exit out the rectum, but not before leaving a whole lot of toxic flatulence in their wake.

This development poses some unique acting challenges for [Timothy] Olyphant. How do you respond, for example, when an alien ass weasel chomps on your genitalia and you try to extinguish it by dry-humping an open fire? That’s the kind of shit they don’t teach you at Juliard.

To be honest, what I think really works about this series is that as much as he bashes the films, you kind of get the sense that Rubin secretly wishes he didn't have to -- that somehow the Delgo's and Exit to Eden's of the world would have worked as they were envisioned to, instead of crashing to the ground in a fiery blaze the way they actually did.

Besides, Ebert only gets pissed like once a week, so it's a good way to keep up.

20 Biggest Photoshop Disasters of 2008

This triumph + 19 others, including one that caught me so off guard I almost spit out my coffee.

The Breakfast Cereal Club

Do you know how popular Frankenberry is?
He is so popular. Everybody loves him so much at this school.

- via Ironic Sans

Communicating with The Old Man

Apparently my dad visited Brooklyn and didn't tell me. But at least he left this note on the men's room wall at Freddy's.

 

For Your Consideration

Digging the Cool Stuff Early

Ok, here's your chance to know about something super-cool before it goes national. Animator Nina Paley has made a by-all-accounts-amazing movie called Sita Sings the Blues. Unfortunately, she can't get it distributed because she used some copyrighted songs from the 1920s.

Not only does the movie look killer-diller (see trailer below), but Ms. Paley's distribution plan makes for an excellent overview of how new artists earn revenue in the ever-evolving world of digital distribution.

Alright, Where is He?

Bad Brains at the Presidential Inauguration

Disclaimer: My father told me never to discuss religion and politics with family or strangers. But I'm breaking the rule.

I hate linking facebook. I'm breaking that taboo.

Because I love the idea of Bad Brains playing Obama's inauguration. It won't happen, but it would be stellar. The only idea that comes close is Public Enemy and in light of Flava Flav's clown prince roles on Flavor of Love, bringing down the PE credibility, I'll go with Bad Brains back in DC on inauguration night. I know they played election night, and even if they don't play the inauguration- maybe they'll play DC on that historic evening.


Banned in DC

Paying the Piper

Sometimes movies pose unanswered rhetorical questions that are really offensive.

Exhibit A: In The Sound of Music, perfect-pitched nuns ask sweetly "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" Judging by the movie's resolution, the answer is "Marry Her Off."

But Wendell Jamieson of The New York Times goes one further. He's found a plothole in the Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life:


What about that banking issue? When he returns to the “real” Bedford Falls, George is saved by his friends, who open their wallets to cover an $8,000 shortfall at his savings and loan brought about when the evil Mr. Potter snatched a deposit mislaid by George’s idiot uncle, Billy (Thomas Mitchell).

But isn’t George still liable for the missing funds, even if he has made restitution? I mean, if someone robs a bank, and then gives the money back, that person still robbed the bank, right?

I checked my theory with Frank J. Clark, the district attorney for Erie County upstate, where, as far as I can tell, the fictional Bedford Falls is set. He thought it over, and then agreed: George would still face prosecution and possible prison time.

“In terms of the theft, sure, you take the money and put it back, you still committed the larceny,” he said. “By giving the money back, you have mitigated in large measure what the sentence might be, but you are still technically guilty of the offense.”

He took this a bit further: “If you steal over $3,000, it’s a D felony; 2 ½ to 7 years is the maximum term for that. The least you can get is probation."

Now we know.

Sock and Awe

At a recent press conference, Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi threw his shoe at George W. Bush during a recent press conference, a move that is considered one of the highest insults you can make towards someone in that culture.

And while opinions and reactions to the incident have varied, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who quietly thought to himself,

"Why didn't I think of that?"

Luckily for you, the Internet has come through (just as we knew it would) with the video game version of the incident.

Maybe it's because I'm not Bush's biggest fan -- but it's a lot more addictive than it probably should be.

Enjoy!

How Addicted Are You?

Interesting little quiz here for the movie lovers among us. The basic idea is this: Sure you love the movies you love and quote your favorite lines and all, but how many classic films have you actually seen?

There's a long list of films here spanning from the present to the earliest days of cinema, and all you have to do is check off whether you've actually watched them or not. At the end you click a button and your score is tabulated (I came out with 69.6%).

Knowing Monster, Satorical, and Wernda as I do -- I get the feeling that my score is easily beatable, but it's an interesting exercise in realizing that there are a bunch of films I've read about and know a lot about that I've actually never watched.

I will also caution you that some of the more modern choices that are on this list qualify as head-scratchers (In Bruges??) -- which makes the film nerd in me a little agitated that my score was somehow negatively affected by my choice not to watch Colin Farrel try to be funny.

But as with all lists, it's a subjective thing -- and being that it's all in the spirit of fun, it's not worth really freaking out about.

Enjoy!

Mining the Chestnuts

One thing to love about the Web is the extended life it gives to really great work. Here's a 1996 short that's getting a whole new audience thanks to the FutureShorts channel on YouTube. Beware the double-cross, er, triple-cross, um, quad-ah, forget it.



Props to Dorie at Clicking? for the find.

A BeTaMaXMaS

It's hard to put into words just how cool this is.

Here's what you're going to see when you click on the link: A crappy television set complete with rabbit ears, a remote control with only five buttons (channel up/down, volume up/down, and an option to make the playback fullscreen) and a classic issue of TV guide.

For those of you who might be a little too contemporary to get the joke, here's how it works. Much like days gone by, you check the TV Guide to see what's on, and then you use the buttons on the remote to try and find the appropriate channel. Some of them show up, some of them don't (which was always the worst part of being a part of that era in technology -- knowing something you might like to watch is on, but having no possible way where your house was situated to tune it in).

The volume controls work. The commercials are awful. The static won't go away. And, as many of us remember -- during Christmas season the only thing you got to see was ultra-schlocky Christmas versions of the shows that were normally on (a practice that still happens today on the networks, but with the vast expanses of cable isn't a month-long trap the way it used to be).

The other day all I could tune in was the Christmas episode of Perfect Strangers.

And just like the old days, instead of going outside and playing or, I don't know -- reading a book, I watched Balki in a Santa suit butchering every joke.

The only thing missing is a way to hit the side of the set to try to "help clear up the signal" (or perhaps the broken channel-changing dial with the pair of vice-grips attached to it).

Another cool feature that I've discovered since I've first stumbled across this thing is that just like old-time TV, the shows that were on last week aren't on this week, and unlike modern programming practices, there's basically no chance to see them on repeat broadcasting later in the day. In other words, if you missed it -- you truly missed it, which then (for some reason) you actually felt bad about when you realized all the other kids at school had seen it.

Let me be clear about something, though. Watching TV like this sucked ass. But it was all we had, and we fought tooth and nail for the chance to do it. In that sense, what makes this site great is that it recalls that suckiness and somehow makes it feel nostalgic and sweet.

Fortunately, after about 10 minutes I remembered how frustrating TV like this was, and came back from the visit with this particular ghost of Christmas past with a renewed appreciation for the improvements in equally vapid programming that we have today.

Enjoy!

Fuck You, Penguin

It's a blog where some guy tells off cute animals.
-- The cuter they are, the madder he gets.

The word "awesome" doesn't even begin to describe the awesome.

CEOExpress

The first time I saw this I said to myself, "This has to be useful ..to someone."

Admittedly, the sheer amount of stuff heaped across the page at CEOExpress seems well planned and organized to give busy people easy access to much more information than they could possibly use at any given time. And yet that seems to also be the problem -- because there's simply sooo much here that it's hard to know where to even start.

I also found myself sort of cringing when I discovered the "sister site" to this thing -- called Execudiva (complete with a high-heel icon that just sort of screams "The Sexism is OVER HERE! Click this link and then go make me a sandwich!")

Of course it's pretty clear that this thing isn't aimed at me -- but even I can't deny the possible usefulness of this particular linkdump (even if they did somehow forget to add a link to HRToTM).

Catch the Frak Up

Like a lot of people, I enjoyed watching the new-fangled Battlestar Galactica when it came out a few years ago. But I haven't really been keeping up with it the way I should, and now several seasons later I honestly have no idea what the hell is going on.

Fortunately, I discovered this, and now I guess I know everything.

I still don't really know what the hell is going on, but I laughed a bunch.

ps -- the vid is 13 minutes long. Pack a lunch.

Prop 8: The Musical

If you ask me, this is a better joke about musical theater than it is about Prop 8, but it needs to be said (again and again and again until they fix it) -- and if nothing else, Jesus shows up -- and I'm hoping for a good Christmas, so I'm kissing butt until the 25th.

The Fall

Odds are good you didn't see this. If so, fix that.

listening to stories at the moth

A pretty eclectic collection of verbal stories by many different people. Some authors, radio personalities, performance artists and the like do short stories.

Available here:

http://www.themoth.org/podcast

or search for the moth on itunes podcasts. It is a bit hit and miss, but the few that I listened to were great stories. To me they fit a short drive or train ride better than the audio books that I often listen to as each one is self contained.

The Ugly Sweater Store

Let's just be honest here -- It doesn't really get all that cold here in Florida. We get some chilly nights and windy days, but any Floridian out and out complaining about winter is full of it.

But that doesn't stop people here from buying sweaters.

And now, I finally know where they got them all -- The Ugly Sweater Store. Here you can shop, buy, and even learn to care for your ugly sweater so it can be worn year after year.

Which people here do, regardless of how hot it gets.

Happy Thanksgiving from HRTOTM

If you're lucky, you've been spending this day with friends and loved ones. Sure some of the traditions are hokey, and once in a while having to spend time with your relatives can be a pain in the butt -- but believe me when I say that these times, even with the possible tense moments are few, and they are precious.

Much like this moment -- which, if you didn't see it, may be the coolest thing to happen to this holiday since Turkey.

What you're looking at is a Macy's Day parade float celebrating Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, a vastly underrated Cartoon Network show created by Craig McCracken, the guy who invented Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls..

FHFIF hasn't been on the air for a while, so that should have been your first clue that something was up -- but could anyone have predicted something as cool as this, live on network TV?

Coverville, if you're like into podcasts

I like covers of songs I know. Pop songs, obscure songs, new songs, old songs. And I'm exploring podcasts recently, so there maybe other HROTM items from my podcast browsing... and of course I found Coverville. Coverville is a podcast, produced three times a week, that focuses on cover songs - a new rendition of a previously recorded song. The show is produced and hosted by Brian Ibbott, who has done some 500+ of these episodes consisting of six songs or so. It is amazing that he gets it done so regularly. Some of the episodes appeal to my tastes more than others, here is one recent one that I really like:

Coverville James Bond Themes II

The Aimee Mann version of Nobody Does It Better was really a great listen. There is some Art of Noise, some other covers of classic James Bond songs by artists I wasn't as familiar with- some great, some comedic to me. They have MP3 downloads at the coverville site or you can subscribe via iTunes or your favorite podcast software.

The Atlasphere

Having trouble with the dating scene? Tired of all the games and the BS? Perhaps what you need is the help of an online dating site. But not just any old site -- no, no, you need something different.

Enter The Atlasphere, a new niche dating site made specifically to bring together (..wait for it)

Admirers of Ayn Rand Novels.

A concept so utterly singular, bizarre, and frankly frightening in the sort of mental imagery of the kind of people who might be lurking around in a dating site designed to (if a successful match is made between members) launch the romance between people destined to be by far the MOST ANNOYING FAKE-INTELLECTUAL A-HOLE COUPLE YOU'LL EVER HOPE TO CLAIM TO BE TOO BUSY TO HANG OUT WITH WHEN THEY CALL.

Seriously, Ayn Rand people in love? One of them might be cool -- a good springboard for conversation and debate. But two of them?

Attractive Girls Union Refuses To Enter Into Talks With Mike Greenman

Getting Psyched

It's been a long time since I have been truly excited about a movie. Now there are two to get truly amped about: Avatar, and this:

The Assasins Wife Premiere

Local filmmaker Daniel R. Solomon will be premiering his new film "The Assassin's Wife" tonight at Sneaker's Sports Grille in Jacksonville.

Starring Judit Fekete and Nick Shepherd, this exciting new film is the result of a collaboration between Jacksonville-based film industry professionals Kirby Hamilton, Herman Mceachin, Laura Hamilton, Andy Howell, Dianne Cohan, Ryan Shannon, Jennifer Smith, Bob Clifford, Monique Alexandra, Jon Whitford, Dale Dickison, and Scott Whittier

Doors will open at 7:30 pm and the screening will begin at 8 pm.

If you're living in the Jacksonville area and interested in attending this event, please contact Dan Solomon to RSVP.

When You're Hot You're Hot

When it first starts you're happy for the kid. Then things start to get rolling and you can't help but get swept up in the excitement of it all. Then as the pattern emerges you start to get a little pissed off. And by the time you realize how it's gonna turn out you sort of want to punch him.



Not bad for your birthday, kid. Not bad at all.

PS -- I know it was an exciting moment, and Drew Carey's personality is sort of geeky to begin with, but that victory dance around the yellow car? ..Priceless.

Highly Recommended: San Francisco Edition

A couple of weeks ago I got to visit a friend in San Francisco. As anyone who knows her will attest, she is the embodiment of the Highly Recommended Thing of the Moment, on a lifelong mission to find, enjoy, and share great stuff and experiences with everyone she knows.

In four days we did not lack for good food or activity. There are a zillion travel guides to San Francisco, but this is a bit different:

Burmese food: Burma Superstar & B-Star are the hottest Burmese restaurants in town, and B-Star apparently has the best dessert going. But unless you're going specifically for dessert, avoid the hour-plus wait, and head instead to Mandalay. There you'll have the best tea leaf salad in the city. Recipes for this salad, prepared tableside with minced tea leaves, peanuts, roasted garlic, and other crunchy wonderments, are apparently guarded as family heirlooms. Worth fighting over.



Rae Ann's big hobby is jewelry making. She has a friend whose creations are being used in fashion shows and worn by the likes of Anne Hathaway. Her friend got us into a fashion show sponsored by Gen Art. Guys: if someone ever asks you to go to a fashion show, don't even blink: GO. What's not to like? Even if you think haute couture is an excuse not to make real art, or on a more basic level, that you'll turn into a girl, you need to go. The majority of the audience is female, and they're all hot.

The show was ok. One of the highlights was a funny menswear line with removable button-on pockets. The other was a collection of chiffon dresses that were about a foot too long for any of the models. We totally thought one of them would buy it while trying to walk in their Louisa Parris bustyourasswear.



Halloween night we went to a gallery opening, with many people in costume. There was a Frida Kahlo who gave Selma Hayek a run for her money. The opening at Velvet Da Vinci was for pendants, including this brain-bending piece. How the artist welded all of the rings together without it becoming a melted mess is beyond me.



There was also some outright art:



And then this:



The picture is the size of a quarter. It's a mosaic. It's as if Seurat worked in femtoclay instead of paint, and took his scale in the opposite direction. Phenomenal.

Other SF highlights: Blue Mountain Coffee at the farmer's market on the Embarcadero on Saturdays. Running over the Golden Gate Bridge.





This very California sign:



And last but not least, a chocolate donut from Bob's Donuts to make Homer Simpson proud:



On a side note, I have started a project which will consume my nights and weekends at least through February. If you don't see any posts from me 'til then, you'll know what's up. In the meantime, Hex, Monster, and Werdna will keep you hooked into what you need to know right this moment.

New Environs for Thin T-Shirts

Forget immigrants. In this economy, honest hard-working Americans may have to face competition for jobs from the threat within.

100 Movie Spoilers in 5 Minutes

Straight up, if you think there might be a movie in here that you don't want to have the ending of ruined, then DON'T WATCH THIS VIDEO. On the other hand, if you've seen your share of movies over the years and already know those endings, you gotta check this out.

Join the Impact!

This Saturday, November 15th there will be a Nationwide protest against the passing of Proposition 8 in California -- which not only bans gay marriage in that state, but effectively nullifies the scores of such unions that have already taken place in the last few years. While clearly the most visible proposition on the offer, Prop 8 is by no means the only state referendum dealing with this issue -- similar propositions passed in other states (including Florida) as well.

Speaking personally, It's embarrasing that this sort
of discrimination can still take place in our society.

Please lend your support to this extremely important protest by using this site to find the times and locations for the protest in your area.

FUCK YEAH SHARKS

Get in on this one early before it jumps itself.

R.E.M. Beat The Intro

How well do you know the R.E.M. discography? Here's a game to test your skills -- you have to try and name the REM song based off the first few seconds of the game. The bad news here is that if you miss one, the game is over.

I would have obviously been better off if the game was called "Anthrax Beat the Intro" -- but I actually got one right, which -- considering the fact that I was never the biggest REM fan in the world means it's probably a good test for those of you who know them a little better.

Here's hoping they do this with more bands. It's a fun idea.

this isn't happiness.™

Here's a new-ish Tumblr blog that's getting a lot of pub lately. It's a collection of varied images, photographs, paintings, etc. that all tend to tell a story in themselves.

And if this picture doesn't fully explain what I mean, then you need to check your pulse.

Movie Mash-Ups

Remakes are old news. What's hot now are mash-ups. Two existing movies made into one new one. How can you lose?

Hey, Have you heard?

80’s Cartoons Quiz

I'm not gonna lie here -- they go deep into the well on this quiz and pull out some names that I hadn't heard in a long, long time. Yeah, you get some Smurfs, JEM, and Voltron action, but the curveballs they toss in after that are sick. I feel lucky I only missed one, and I flat-out guessed on a bunch of these.

An 80's Cartoon Quiz



Score: 93% (14 out of 15)

Today's Front Pages

As you might expect, it takes a while for all the images to load -- but considering the historic event that took place last night, it's worth it.

Oh Man, I Was Worried About This

Free Starbucks Coffee if You Vote

Like you need any more motivation to exercise your rights today, but the folks over at Starbucks want you to know that if you vote you can have a free cup of their awful cofee.



I know a lot of people like it, so I shouldn't snark -- but if only you're in this civic process for the swag, I might actually prefer that your ass stays home.

Seriously -- Just Go Vote.

ps - The recycled paper looking backdrop to the animated words is an interesting touch. Was this film made with recycled flash?