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Most of you have seen Calvin and Hobbes’ awesomely demented snowmen comics; if not, here is a good summary. Check out this “Snowy Tribute to Calvin & Hobbes” that has real-life versions of some of the comics. I think the car crash one is my favorite… 
For those of you that haven’t yet heard of Wikipedia, it’s a very cool “free-content encyclopedia that anyone can edit.” Jon Udell decided to examine the development of an entry, in this case the Heavy metal umlaut (links to page with embedded QuickTime movie). The movie not only demonstrates the genesis of a Wikipedia entry but also shows how various people attempted to display the umlaut over the “n” in Spinal Tap, among other things.
At 8:29, the movie is a bit long-winded, but it does showcase the power of Wikipedia’s collaborative nature. Here is the final entry in all its glory.
Check out Fast Times At Hero High, a great spoof of Fast Times At Ridgemont High that substitutes comic book superheroes for many of the roles in that film.
Johnny Carson died of emphysema yesterday at the age of 79. Johnny Carson was best known as the host of the Tonight Show for almost 30 years and is widely held as one of the best-liked TV personalities ever. Although his considerable talent is unquestionable, he is also responsible for starting the careers of many actors, comedians, and musicians, a legacy that will live on. This is quite a loss…
Update: The New Yorker has made the profile of Johnny Carson they first published in 1978 available online. It’s a very nice article, going over his career up to that point as well as shedding some light on his usually private nature.
Update: Steve Martin wrote a touching letter to Johnny Carson for the Op-Ed page of the New York Times.
Check out the movie trailer for Fantastic Four. This looks pretty damn cool, although it appears that they’re not totally faithful to the comic (don’t get me started ;-). It’s due out this July 4th…
The Beast lists its “50 Most Loathsome People in America” for 2004. The list includes each person’s crime, a “smoking gun,” and a suitable punishment. For example, here’s an excerpt from one of my favorite entries:
23. Jerry Bruckheimer
Crimes: … Master of the incoherent action sequence, full of unnecessary cuts and jittery close-ups. His rapidly multiplying CBS cop show empire is replete with ridiculously beautiful cops and scientists (and murderers and victims and witnesses) and impossibly stylish interiors…
Smoking Gun: Who brings a fucking Gatling gun to an asteroid?
Punishment: Made into shoes for Martin Scorsese.
I think a couple of them are a bit harsh, but for the most part this is pretty damn funny…
CNN reports that “Conservative Christian groups accuse the makers of a video starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Barney and a host of other cartoon characters of promoting homosexuality to children.” This is just ridiculous. Although the premise of anything remotely suggestive in any of the cartoons mentioned is tenuous at best, a spokesperson for one of the conservative groups insists that “We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids. It is a classic bait and switch.” (via Gothamist) Huh?
Vague inferences to cartoon character improprieties aside, the groups’ actual complaint was over a single sentence in the “tolerance pledge” buried on the web site of the producer of the video, the We Are Family Foundation, founded by musician Nile Rodgers:
Tolerance is a personal decision that comes from a belief that every person is a treasure. I believe that America’s diversity is its strength. I also recognize that ignorance, insensitivity and bigotry can turn that diversity into a source of prejudice and discrimination.
To help keep diversity a wellspring of strength and make America a better place for all, I pledge to have respect for people whose abilities, beliefs, culture, race, sexual identity or other characteristics are different from my own.
First of all, I know very few children who, after watching a video of cartoons, research the producers of the video by perusing their web site. Even if that were true, I just don’t see the whole “brainwashing” thing happening from a single statement on diversity.
This made the national news yesterday, so I almost didn’t post about it now that it’s somewhat more “mainstream,” but this just pissed me off. I was glad to see that the story on ABC News included an interview with Michael Medved, a conservative commentator, who said, “This kind of thing makes us look silly.” Indeed.
While it’s no substitute for MAME, Every Video Game is a very cool website that allows you to play a pretty decent selection of Nintendo, Game Boy, Sega, and arcade games via Java applets right in your web browser. Check it out!
Google’s address in the Cook Islands is google.co.ck. OK, so this should only be funny if I’m like nine, but what are ya gonna do…
Monday, January 24th, according to Cardiff University scholar Cliff Arnalls, who came up with an equation to calculate when the most depressing day of the year will be:
1/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA. Where:
W: Weather
D: Debt
d: Money due in January pay
T: Time since Christmas
Q: Time since failed quit attempt
M: General motivational levels
NA: The need to take action
Oh, and “the fact that the most depressing day fell on a Monday was not planned but a coincidence.” This really makes me look forward to returning to work next Monday…
