Wait, what? Piranhas? Christmas?
So they're trying to figure out how many drugs were distributed via Silk Road. And the numbers seem crazy to me.
Looking for an innovation? Try the pizza box industry.
I'm fairly certain you can't guess any of the items that were the most popular selling on Amazon this holiday season.
Ah the holidays. A time to get together with your family and ogle your hot cousin.
Enjoy a look back at 2013 with Google's Year in Review:
This New Year's maybe you wanted a casual, yet catered affair. And finally, if you're in Times Square, you can get it. It's just going to cost you $375. Oh yeah, and it's going to be at Applebees.
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Monday, December 30, 2013
Monday, December 9, 2013
Cool Shit 12/9
I always figured one of the most dangerous jobs was "parachute tester" but that didn't make this list.New Sherlock trailer...I guess spoiler alerts if you're not sure whether he survived the leap from the last season.
For those of you who need to plan a Christmas dinner, aren't a very good cook, but are extremely proficient with a can opener.
Speaking of trailers, here's one for Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark.
And if you like and/or hate Kelly Clarkson, I'm sure you will appreciate this review of her latest CD full of Christmas music.
Supermarkets are sneaky!
This article touches on the idea that I've always had about smart watches, that they're really not that necessary and will have a tough time in the marketplace. And with a bunch of different choices all vying for that small share of the marketplace, I don't think any will really succeed. I wish the article went into a little more detail about why companies think a smart watch is the next "big thing," my theory is that it's because they have a shallow vision and simply believe its the only place left to get into the tech market, in an attempt to bite into smart phone profits. But, in the 80s I thought Michael Knight looked cool; today not so much.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Christmas Caroling with GWAR
If you're going to do some caroling, why not do it in the style that everyone will love...the style of GWAR!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Links of Interest 12/16
The worst films of 2009.
The hottest “women” of Christmas movies. For some reason, the list seems a little lackluster.
While I’m no huge fan of Christmas movies, I have to assume there’s a more comprehensive list someone can put together, no?
And you thought I was lying yesterday about The Kids in the Hall being back!
It’s a question that’s plagued us for almost 30 years – how long could Luke survive stuffed inside a dead Tauntaun carcass?
I think I would live in all these. Except for the shoes. They seem lame.
Read all about the public access show the Beastie Boys debuted on – and see rare footage! So old it has Kate Schellenbach on drums, who would later leave and go onto help form Luscious Jackson. She also probably had the most talent of the 4 on the stage here.
Oh good, the super volcano underneath Yellowstone is bigger than first believed.
Part 2 of The Big Picture’s 2009 photo retrospective.
Awful holiday movies.
Alec Baldwin is not like other actors.
The hottest “women” of Christmas movies. For some reason, the list seems a little lackluster.
While I’m no huge fan of Christmas movies, I have to assume there’s a more comprehensive list someone can put together, no?
And you thought I was lying yesterday about The Kids in the Hall being back!
It’s a question that’s plagued us for almost 30 years – how long could Luke survive stuffed inside a dead Tauntaun carcass?
I think I would live in all these. Except for the shoes. They seem lame.
Read all about the public access show the Beastie Boys debuted on – and see rare footage! So old it has Kate Schellenbach on drums, who would later leave and go onto help form Luscious Jackson. She also probably had the most talent of the 4 on the stage here.
Oh good, the super volcano underneath Yellowstone is bigger than first believed.
Part 2 of The Big Picture’s 2009 photo retrospective.
Awful holiday movies.
Alec Baldwin is not like other actors.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
The great Christmas decoration challenge!
UPDATE: It's January 13th, almost a full three weeks after Christmas. Most people have taken their Christmas lights down, haphazardly bundled them into balls they will never untangle next year and thrown them back in the unmarked boxes in the attic to not be disturbed until next Christmas. Notice how I said most.
On my way home from work this evening, I passed 30 houses (including a neighbor up the street from my own house) still proudly displaying their holiday lights. Wrapped trees of shiny white lights, automated Santa Clauses, even electric candles in each window. At first, I thought about discounting candle houses, but soon realized candle people probably put more effort into lighting those individual candles in each window. Amazing. And I didn't even go out of my way to find these houses. I'll update everyone in the next few days and let everyone know what the count is. And please feel free to tell me about any houses you've witnessed with the holiday spirit alive and well.
Sure, Christmas and New Year's is over, but that doesn't mean we have to turn our back on the holidays so soon... in fact this is the greatest time of the year to see just who can and who really can't give up on the holidays.
I'm of course, talking about the people who keep their lights up an uncomfortably long time after the holidays are over.
Read more on the flip side!
I love driving home from work, seeing the sporadic smattering of houses along the route defiant in their belief that the holiday season has to end after January 1. There they sit, as yule time beacons amongst the other darkened bah humbugs.
What is the motivation? A clinging to the good times of the holidays? A prideful display of hard work for all to see? We may never know, but we will see what lengths people will go to keep the holiday cheer going well into 2009.
It is that zeal that has driven me to attempt to find out just who keeps their holiday decorations up the longest. And that is where you can come in. Now, obviously this will be as unscientific as MTV's Fear, but it's all we have right now. If everyone could keep their eyes out for holiday decorations, and either leave it in the comments, or email with the town you've seen it, we can get to the bottom of this bizarre phenomenon once and for all.
The "rules:"
- Outdoor lighting/decorations. Inside Christmas trees don't count.
- Begrudgingly, I'll accept wreaths spotlighted on doors, but only when we're out of light decorated houses. In fact, I hope it doesn't come to this.
- Haven't taken your lights down yourself and feeling like they would really enhance your Easter celebration? I love it. Send a picture in and I'll throw it up. The more the merrier.
Now, obviously right now, it's not really that big a deal to still see lights out on houses. We're less than a week out from New Year's Day. Heck, my local park still has its display out. So, it's not really a big deal. But after this weekend it starts getting desperate. Third week, it starts getting sad, last week in January and now you think it's being done on purpose and by February, if you still see lights on houses, you begin to wonder if someone inside had an accident and didn't have a Life Alert bracelet.
So, keep your eyes peeled at night and keep a mental list of some of those houses that just might keep the holiday cheer going for an uncomfortably long time.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Week 17 NFL Lines
I'll use this space to echo Goose's wish that you enjoy whichever regional/ethnic customs you celebrate at the end of the fourth quarter.
Here's another Xmas song that doesn't suck. It wasn't around when I made the compilation in this post, but it easily would've made it if I had.
It's a collaboration between (surprise) Marah and author/NPR contributor/Pixar voice artist/Naughty Nottie Sarah Vowell.
She wrote the lyrics and Marah did the rest. It's a weird mix of treacle, patriotism, and gore as they recount the struggles of the American forces during the Revolutionary War and tell kids today that they don't have it that bad in comparison. Even cheesesteaks get a shout-out:
Week 16 Records:
Cline -- 8-8 (-$160) (LOTW=L -- BDCS=L)
Goose -- 8-8 (-$160)
Overall Records:
Cline -- 117-88-4 (.571) +$810 (LOTW=6-7 -- BDCS=7-6)
Goose -- 107-98-4 (.522) -$1190
Schedule/Lines:
- Sunday, Dec. 28
- St. Louis at Atlanta (-14.5)
- Jacksonville at Baltimore (-12.5)
- Oakland at Tampa Bay (-13)
- Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-10.5)
- New England (-6.5) at Buffalo
- Kansas City at Cincinnati (-3)
- Detroit at Green Bay (-9.5)
- Chicago at Houston (-2.5)
- Tennessee (-3) at Indianapolis
- N.Y. Giants at Minnesota (-6.5)
- Carolina (-3) at New Orleans
- Miami at N.Y. Jets (-2.5)
- Dallas at Philadelphia (-1.5)
- Seattle at Arizona (-6)
- Denver at San Diego (-8)
- Washington at San Francisco (-3)
My Thursday Pick:
STUFFING (-3.5) at Mashed Potatoes
I love both teams, but when Stuffing is on their game, they can't be touched.
Ephemera:
110 years ago, some English guy made this film in a weekend. Not bad:
My Christmas present to Goose, some Kwanzaa Afro-funk:
And my present to myself:
Hanukkah Harry!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Top Chef - Colicchio is pissed!
I don't know about any of you, but to me, it seems like this season, Collichio hasn't been too happy with the quality of the food the chefs have been presenting. He has yet to really rave about anything, and appears downright curmudgeonly just about every time the camera catches him. Taking its cue from the main judge, the show has been uneven in quality. No one has really stepped up and given us something to drool over, and a caterer from Jersey who's afraid to step foot in New York has been consistently winning challenges the past few weeks.
It's enough to make a chef want to say something. And that's exactly what happened last night. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
See more on the flip side...
Quickfire Challenge.
1 pot cooking! It's something viewers should be able to get behind, since it really limited the chefs from getting too crazy. Of course, it looked like some of the chefs bent the rules slightly (not that I'm accusing anyone of cheating, but I'm not sure you're adhering to the spirit of the competition with the use of a food processor) and prepared some decent looking dishes for guest judge Martha Stewart to sample for the 6 minutes she was there. Seriously, did she wander into the wrong building and simply stick around for a little bit before realizing her mistake? Is that all the Martha Stewart we're going to see this year? Why she's an expert of 1 pot cooking eludes me.
Anyway, Ariane wins with a cauliflower puree and beef thing. I'm sure it was delicious, and Martha was taken aback with the lack of butter in it, but honestly, it didn't give me the 1 pot vibe I thought the show was going for. It looks like a normal dish any cook could create. I'd much rather they rewarded Hosea's paella. But hey, who am I? Ariane wins again, Jamie complains that it wasn't her, and it feels like every other episode of Top Chef.
Elimination Challenge
Martha ducks out to buy a crock pot and figure out what 1 pot cooking really should be, and the rest of the chefs find out about the elimination challenge. In a absolutely perfect you-couldn't-show-the-difference-between-the-races-any-better moment, the Harlem Gospel Choir walks into the kitchen, singing carols. Carla, the lone black contestant is bobbing her head, while the other chefs share looks of confusion, astonishment, and yes, even a little bit of fear. I am glad Top Chef actually addressed it, by having both Carla and Hosea give their accounts of the moment (Carla was psyched and apparently immediately recognized them; Hosea suggested he and some of the other chefs were scared about what the next challenge was.)
Whatever - the choir was there to give the chefs their inspiration for their next dishes - each of the 12 had to cook around one of the days of "The 12 Days of Christmas," for an AIDS benefit being hosted by Natasha Richardson! Inspiring yet probably a little intimidating, it seemed that this threw some (all?) the chefs for a loop.
So now we're left with shopping and prep work and everyone telling us how their dishes relate. Everything seemed decent, but again nothing was crazy or spectacular. I'm not sure what it says about Jeff's cooking when he basically says he thinks everyone is playing safe and that he wants to show the judges he is "cooking circles around everyone" and yet he basically makes a salad. It made the top 3 so it had to be good, but still - anyone think Jeff is a crazy innovative chef based on what he's plated this season?
Day of the big benefit, a fridge apparently is left open, or something. It wasn't really made clear. Maybe no one really knows what happened. Hosea suggests it's not a great idea to put a bunch of steaming stuff into a fridge, but then we never hear about that again, so who knows. What we do know is that Hosea's, Radhika's and Melissa's dishes are affected the most. Radhika comes close to jumping out the window, but in true Christmas spirit al the chefs come together to help them and put something together for the big show. It's a nice moment, and shows some compassion. Not sure if it happens in seasons' past, but whatever. I (and the judges) believe it helps Radhika's dish, which annoys me even more when she's chosen as one of the top 3. Basically a mistake improved her dish. That doesn't bode well for her in the future.
All the dishes go out and the chefs stand over them hawking them to the people at the AIDs benefit. There's a montage of everyone trying them, judges giving opinions, and Colicchio making faces that border on disgust. I think he might have been embarrassed that he was a part of this mess as it seemed everyone was a little disappointed with the quality of food served.
Top 3 - Hosea, Jeff, Radhika and Stefan. There were actually 4. Seemed like it came down to Jeff and Hosea, with Hosea taking the Michelle Bernstein autographed book (anyone else find it silly that the prizes are always autogrpahed copies of chef books? I don't think I have the ego to suggest a copy of my book, autographed is such a prize. Ok, maybe that's not true either).
Bottom 3 - Eugene, Patricia Arquette's stunt double (aka Melissa) and Jamie who has to be hoping she doesn't "win" here. Eugene is indignant, Jamie, only slightly less so, and Melissa is hoping for a sequel to Desperately Seeking Susan with more explosions.
The judges' panel dismisses them, and then pretty much sums up the season so far, stopping just barely of calling the chefs mediocre. Tom says he wants to address all the chefs, and I'll admit I still didn't piece together what was going to happen.
Tom walks in, tells everyone they stink, and that they better step it up, before dropping the Christmas bombshell that no one is being eliminated. It's a true Christmas miracle! Until next week, when six get eliminated. Well I don't know that for sure, but wouldn't it be awesome?
Next week's previews look awesome, with Fabio speaking my thoughts about Jamie's proclivity to use scallops for everything!
It's enough to make a chef want to say something. And that's exactly what happened last night. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
See more on the flip side...
Quickfire Challenge.
1 pot cooking! It's something viewers should be able to get behind, since it really limited the chefs from getting too crazy. Of course, it looked like some of the chefs bent the rules slightly (not that I'm accusing anyone of cheating, but I'm not sure you're adhering to the spirit of the competition with the use of a food processor) and prepared some decent looking dishes for guest judge Martha Stewart to sample for the 6 minutes she was there. Seriously, did she wander into the wrong building and simply stick around for a little bit before realizing her mistake? Is that all the Martha Stewart we're going to see this year? Why she's an expert of 1 pot cooking eludes me.
Anyway, Ariane wins with a cauliflower puree and beef thing. I'm sure it was delicious, and Martha was taken aback with the lack of butter in it, but honestly, it didn't give me the 1 pot vibe I thought the show was going for. It looks like a normal dish any cook could create. I'd much rather they rewarded Hosea's paella. But hey, who am I? Ariane wins again, Jamie complains that it wasn't her, and it feels like every other episode of Top Chef.
Elimination Challenge
Martha ducks out to buy a crock pot and figure out what 1 pot cooking really should be, and the rest of the chefs find out about the elimination challenge. In a absolutely perfect you-couldn't-show-the-difference-between-the-races-any-better moment, the Harlem Gospel Choir walks into the kitchen, singing carols. Carla, the lone black contestant is bobbing her head, while the other chefs share looks of confusion, astonishment, and yes, even a little bit of fear. I am glad Top Chef actually addressed it, by having both Carla and Hosea give their accounts of the moment (Carla was psyched and apparently immediately recognized them; Hosea suggested he and some of the other chefs were scared about what the next challenge was.)
Whatever - the choir was there to give the chefs their inspiration for their next dishes - each of the 12 had to cook around one of the days of "The 12 Days of Christmas," for an AIDS benefit being hosted by Natasha Richardson! Inspiring yet probably a little intimidating, it seemed that this threw some (all?) the chefs for a loop.
So now we're left with shopping and prep work and everyone telling us how their dishes relate. Everything seemed decent, but again nothing was crazy or spectacular. I'm not sure what it says about Jeff's cooking when he basically says he thinks everyone is playing safe and that he wants to show the judges he is "cooking circles around everyone" and yet he basically makes a salad. It made the top 3 so it had to be good, but still - anyone think Jeff is a crazy innovative chef based on what he's plated this season?
Day of the big benefit, a fridge apparently is left open, or something. It wasn't really made clear. Maybe no one really knows what happened. Hosea suggests it's not a great idea to put a bunch of steaming stuff into a fridge, but then we never hear about that again, so who knows. What we do know is that Hosea's, Radhika's and Melissa's dishes are affected the most. Radhika comes close to jumping out the window, but in true Christmas spirit al the chefs come together to help them and put something together for the big show. It's a nice moment, and shows some compassion. Not sure if it happens in seasons' past, but whatever. I (and the judges) believe it helps Radhika's dish, which annoys me even more when she's chosen as one of the top 3. Basically a mistake improved her dish. That doesn't bode well for her in the future.
All the dishes go out and the chefs stand over them hawking them to the people at the AIDs benefit. There's a montage of everyone trying them, judges giving opinions, and Colicchio making faces that border on disgust. I think he might have been embarrassed that he was a part of this mess as it seemed everyone was a little disappointed with the quality of food served.
Top 3 - Hosea, Jeff, Radhika and Stefan. There were actually 4. Seemed like it came down to Jeff and Hosea, with Hosea taking the Michelle Bernstein autographed book (anyone else find it silly that the prizes are always autogrpahed copies of chef books? I don't think I have the ego to suggest a copy of my book, autographed is such a prize. Ok, maybe that's not true either).
Bottom 3 - Eugene, Patricia Arquette's stunt double (aka Melissa) and Jamie who has to be hoping she doesn't "win" here. Eugene is indignant, Jamie, only slightly less so, and Melissa is hoping for a sequel to Desperately Seeking Susan with more explosions.
The judges' panel dismisses them, and then pretty much sums up the season so far, stopping just barely of calling the chefs mediocre. Tom says he wants to address all the chefs, and I'll admit I still didn't piece together what was going to happen.
Tom walks in, tells everyone they stink, and that they better step it up, before dropping the Christmas bombshell that no one is being eliminated. It's a true Christmas miracle! Until next week, when six get eliminated. Well I don't know that for sure, but wouldn't it be awesome?
Next week's previews look awesome, with Fabio speaking my thoughts about Jamie's proclivity to use scallops for everything!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The top Christmas inspired music videos!
Ok, so the title might be slightly misleading, because it's not just a list of MTV style videos, though they have their share on here. No, I'm defining the videos on this list as ones that "truly invoke the Christmas spirit in a completely bizarre yet truly hilarious manner."
And if you have a problem with that, you can make your own list. But I don't think you will, because this list includes awesome holiday sweaters, rapping, Patrick Swayze and Rasheed Wallace. How's that for a tease?
On the flip side... the list!
8. Jingle Bells - Rasheed Wallace and some other Detroit Pistons
I'm guessing/hoping that the Detroit Pistons thought getting these four players would be a good idea to deliver a holiday message. That or it was part of their community service for violations they had against the NBA. I gotta give it to Rasheed Wallace, the man knows how to have fun. From the information I can gather, the other Pistons in this video are: Will Blalock, Jason Maxwell, Amir Johnson, 3 guys who have never been in my kitchen. I will say I appreciate watching the varying levels of enthusiasm on their faces as they go through the motions for this video.
7. A Patrick Swayze Christmas - MS3TK
Who knew Tom Servo (the bubble gum machine robot for those unfamiliar with MS3TK) had such a beautiful voice? And who knew the movie Road House could inspire such beauty on Christmas?
6. Merry Christmas Baby - The Ramones
Leave it to The Ramones to slap a leather skirt on Christmas take her out and have their way with it. Stay for the completely bizarre ending that involves a toilet and a guy who may or may not have a shaving cream beard.
5. 12 Days of Christmas - John Denver and the Muppets
I don't know about you, but when I think Muppets, I can't help but think about Christmas. And this video pretty much encapsulates what both are about.
4. Rock n Roll Christmas - George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers
Quite possibly the hippest Christmas party you'll ever witness. If Thorogood ever gives up the music gig, he's got a bright future in party planning.
3. Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
No list is complete without the tour de force Run DMC gave us in 1987. I'm pretty sure this is the first Christmas song I ever enjoyed, or at least the only song that doesn't drive me into a homicidal rage after hearing it more than twice during the season.
2. Jingle Bell Rock - Hall and Oates
Hall & Oates have a fantastic history for awesome videos that is criminally overlooked by the public (I mean seriously, can anyone tell me what is going on here?) Their Christmas video is no exception. From the fantastic sweaters to the people looking in on the Christmas scene getting drunk outside on the lawn, this video is full of surprises. I guess we're supposed to assume Hall and Oates live together in the house, right?
1. Do They Know it's Christmas - Band Aid
You've obviously heard this and probably seen it, but that doesn't mean it isn't still funny. Actually, it is pretty amazing that the whole thing was pulled off in 48 hours, including getting Boy George to fly in on the Concorde - because what would this have been without Boy George?
If for no other reason, watch this for all the awesome hair. Other thoughts as I sit, watching this:
Comments? Let us hear 'em!
And if you have a problem with that, you can make your own list. But I don't think you will, because this list includes awesome holiday sweaters, rapping, Patrick Swayze and Rasheed Wallace. How's that for a tease?
On the flip side... the list!
8. Jingle Bells - Rasheed Wallace and some other Detroit Pistons
I'm guessing/hoping that the Detroit Pistons thought getting these four players would be a good idea to deliver a holiday message. That or it was part of their community service for violations they had against the NBA. I gotta give it to Rasheed Wallace, the man knows how to have fun. From the information I can gather, the other Pistons in this video are: Will Blalock, Jason Maxwell, Amir Johnson, 3 guys who have never been in my kitchen. I will say I appreciate watching the varying levels of enthusiasm on their faces as they go through the motions for this video.
7. A Patrick Swayze Christmas - MS3TK
Who knew Tom Servo (the bubble gum machine robot for those unfamiliar with MS3TK) had such a beautiful voice? And who knew the movie Road House could inspire such beauty on Christmas?
6. Merry Christmas Baby - The Ramones
Leave it to The Ramones to slap a leather skirt on Christmas take her out and have their way with it. Stay for the completely bizarre ending that involves a toilet and a guy who may or may not have a shaving cream beard.
5. 12 Days of Christmas - John Denver and the Muppets
I don't know about you, but when I think Muppets, I can't help but think about Christmas. And this video pretty much encapsulates what both are about.
4. Rock n Roll Christmas - George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers
Quite possibly the hippest Christmas party you'll ever witness. If Thorogood ever gives up the music gig, he's got a bright future in party planning.
3. Christmas in Hollis - Run DMC
No list is complete without the tour de force Run DMC gave us in 1987. I'm pretty sure this is the first Christmas song I ever enjoyed, or at least the only song that doesn't drive me into a homicidal rage after hearing it more than twice during the season.
2. Jingle Bell Rock - Hall and Oates
Hall & Oates have a fantastic history for awesome videos that is criminally overlooked by the public (I mean seriously, can anyone tell me what is going on here?) Their Christmas video is no exception. From the fantastic sweaters to the people looking in on the Christmas scene getting drunk outside on the lawn, this video is full of surprises. I guess we're supposed to assume Hall and Oates live together in the house, right?
1. Do They Know it's Christmas - Band Aid
You've obviously heard this and probably seen it, but that doesn't mean it isn't still funny. Actually, it is pretty amazing that the whole thing was pulled off in 48 hours, including getting Boy George to fly in on the Concorde - because what would this have been without Boy George?
If for no other reason, watch this for all the awesome hair. Other thoughts as I sit, watching this:
- Collins is drumming with so much feeling, you can see the sheen of sweat building up between his nose and upper lip.
- I'm pretty sure George Michael and Simon LeBon have the hair stylist.
- I'm also getting the vibe that Sting isn't thrilled to be sharing a mic with LeBon.
- I love the business casual approach of this whole thing: Collins' argyle sweater, Boy George's blazer, etc.
Comments? Let us hear 'em!
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