Links of Interest 1/9

Peeping into other people's pantries (say that 100 times fast).

Apparently, this Sierre Leone place is a tough place to live. Who knew?

I know the stoners are getting excited about the possibility of marijuana being legalized, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Well, I would if I had just taken a pull off a bong. If it were legal.

The overlooked deaths of 2008.

5 reasons why college football is better than the NFL. The NFL responded with one word: "Playoffs." Jim Mora was bemused.

If you don't want to miss the biggest full moon of the year (from an illusion's sense - no the moon will not be growing), you better keep your eyes peeled this weekend. It's the ginormous white globe in the sky, for the uninitiated.

I've been thinking about starting my own honey crime syndicate.

Esquire Magazine asked some people about the meaning of life. Some people responded.

Hiking the continental divide, making a movie and raising money for charity. Presumably all at once - in a way.

Awesome examples of tilt shift photography - taking real pictures and making them look like they were photos of miniatures.

Making the world's largest Ferris wheel - and getting in the face of the then second largest Ferris wheel.

Links of Interest 1/8

I love Dr. Who. Not because I ever have any idea what's going on from show to show. In fact, I like it especially for that reason. The ingenuity, creativity, and absolute absurdity of the show appeals to me. Actually, as effects have slowly become easier and cheaper to produce, my interest in the show has waned. Give me Baker and his fabulously long scarf every day of the week and I'll be happy. Regardless, here's a look at all the good doctors over the years.

Someone extolling the virtues of atheism on a street corner almost seems more insane than preaching about God, no?

A list of people that influence the web.

I twitter. I bet you can't believe that. Anyway, this guy hacked some celebrity accounts and had some fun.

It isn't too surprising murder is getting easier. All I have to do is turn the tv on to see how they would catch me and change my plan accordingly. Plus, Grissom can't work in every police station.

I'm not 100% sure I believe UFOs are buzzing wind turbines. But I don't have a better explanation either.

That tuna on your plate? Chances are it didn't get there humanely.

Making sure everything is kosher.

Stores do everything possible to make sure you continue shopping there.

People trying to save rock and roll.

It's a long sordid history as to why marijuana is illegal.

Links of Interest 12/10

Apparently Oz has been lying to us all these years. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Who doesn't like gazing into the future and making bold predictions? Take a look here.

I really need to get into diamond mining. Apparently, it's quite lucrative. Look what it did for this man. (Wired)

I loved (and ok, let's be honest, still love) GI Joe. Even with all the bad press I've heard about the upcoming movie, I can't help but be excited about it. Still, I agree that some of these vehicles are really stupid. (Cracked)

Does anyone really think a group of pirates could defeat a group of ninjas?

Sure, it's easy to find the most dangerous place on Earth, but where's the safest?

Links of Interest 11/7

A list of restaurants you and I will never get a table at. (from Forbes)

I'm fairly certain this kid is not going to get laid anytime soon. Anytime you do something where the nerds can make fun of you, you're going to have problems.

It's nice to see that cops do have a sense of humor, and will allow themselves to show it now and then. Of course, I don't suggest you try something like this the next time you get a speeding ticket.

Texas has a huge hard on for Bigfoot. (from Vanity Fair)

Some lists about the end of the world can be fun - like ways aliens will destroy us, or the top ways Hollywood has destroyed Earth. However, when Discover Magazine creates a list of ways the Earth can end, it stops becoming funny and starts getting scary.

Jean Claude Van Damme has a new movie out. It's not like his others. First of all, it's about a struggling actor named Jean Claude Van Damme. (from USA Today)

Links of Interest 10/30

Big list today...

Possibly the greatest link I've ever seen. This is exactly why the Internet was invented - so I could own a Surf Nicaragua shirt.

How can you be mad at this guy/muppet?

There was a rumor once that the comic book series Preacher was going to be made into a series at HBO, but then they dropped it because the material was too disturbing. Now it looks like it's going to be a movie. I'm not sure if that's good or bad.

An attempt to find out what the greatest thing in the world is - using the NCAA bracket. (from kottke)

Who doesn't want to know about all those players anointed the "next Michael Jordan?"

This place seems like it has a lot of crime.

Think the universe is big? It might even be bigger than that!

South American Nazi land?

Links of Interest 10/28

Who doesn't want to get to know the Olsen Twins? (from NY Times)

Naked sushi model bares all (in a testimonial way sickos). (from Vanity Fair)

Cool site that shows you the electoral college breakdown from every presidential election.

For Halloween...a look at a spooky TB hospital that has gone through some different iterations over the years. (from Mental Floss)

More about sushi - this time about sushi "bullies;" sushi chefs that sometimes refuse service because of your order or how you eat. (from Wall Street Journal)

Links of Interest 10/27

Learn how a food critic thinks. (from NY Times)

I was one of the rare people who grew up when cassette tapes were the traded commodity for the music industry. When you think about it, it's a short-lived media. Of course, there are some people that still enjoy them.

Want to know how good a restaurant is? Check out its veggie burger.

Clint Eastwood's career did not take any traditional arc. In fact, it's fascinating to look into. Here's a look at his influences.

Who doesn't love E.T.? Even with this bizarre merchandise based on the movie?

Links of Interest 10/21

Cool article from Dave Sedaris, one of the funnier gentlemen out there. (from the New Yorker)

This presidential election has been relatively tame when it comes to attack ads. And that's a shame really, because there's nothing quite like an attack ad. If you don't believe me, check these out. I'm partial to the alluded golden shower from the first one. (from Esquire)

If you don't have children under the age of 4 I doubt you're watching Yo Gabba Gabba, but it's the latest kid/stoner craze. Of course, when it hits the mainstream like this, it might be on its way out. I forget how these things work. (from USA Today)

Regardless of what you think, I know I'm letting my child watch a show that has Biz Markie teaching beat boxing:



Oh sure bottled water might look better to you, but we all know what Evian spelled backwards says. Tap water is where it's at. (from New York Times)

You've seen the ads, (well if you're doing it right) and you may even have tried it out (I'm not here to judge)...but if you haven't, then this article about Adult FriendFinder might be perfect for you. (from Radar Online)

Links of Interest 10/20

Someone's been taking photos at just the right moment! Cool freeze fame photography.

That guy that wrote the fairly famous How to Lose Friends and Alienate People? He visited the set of the movie about his book.

Pretty cool article about the lengths the British went to attempt to infiltrate the IRA. Of course, I'd hate to be the guy that actually had to clean the clothes.

Rolling Stone's take on the life (and unfortunately, the death) of David Foster Wallace.

Synecdoche, Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut is coming out soon. Here's a look at the person behind it.

Links of Interest 10/8

M. Night Shyamalan really has to come to grips with himself. It's possible a sequel to Unbreakable would have worked immediately after the original came out, but now...or years down the road? Diehard fans will enjoy it I'm sure, but I can't say it will be a box office smash.

This library looks nothing like the one down the street from me. Mine doesn't have bones of any kind.

It's good to keep tabs on the current trends in prisons. Just in case. You never know when someone is going to try to Richard Kimble you. Or you might possibly just really hate your neighbor, but in the haste of "taking care of him" a stray hair from your beard falls out of the neoprene suit you had on. Or, uh...something like that.

You mean to tell me a guy in an awesome question mark suit is not going to have the answers to my debt problems?

Who didn't fantasize about popping up out of the ground from a concealed and camoflaged foxhole with a machine gun to wipe out those commie bastards? Um, me neither. Still, why not enjoy an article about the movie Red Dawn?

Links of Interest 10/6

Including this link continues the Popcorn Trick's weird fascination with modern day piracy.

For no sane reason whatsoever, after reading this list of cities with an insanely high murder rate, a part of me wants to travel around to them to say I did. Unless I got murdered.

Good stuff to know if you're thinking of going to live off the grid. Because, you know, buying butter at the supermarket is definitely on the grid.

So wait, voicing an animated Indiana Jones is somehow reducing the character, but the fourth movie wasn't? And a fifth movie wouldn't?

I guess it's possible one of these religious ceremonies is the one true way a supreme being wants us to celebrate him/her/it. In the same way that it's possible I will win the lottery tonight without having purchased a ticket to do so.

I enjoyed the book Into Thin Air, so it makes sense I would enjoy a story about tragedy on K2 this year. (Note: not that I enjoy the act of tragedy, more that I enjoy stories about mountain climbing. Just to clear that up.)

Links of Interest 9/16

Oh sure, the Hadron Collider might be good at defrosting a pizza, but do we really want to get into a war with our dimensional doppelgangers every time we get stoned and want some Elios?

I'll go to my grave defending Baywatch Nights. That it's on this list is reprehensible.

I thought this would be kinda obvious, but whatever - the stuff you put on the Internet can be used to track you down.

Who doesn't love tacos except for the stray lactose intolerant person? I don't know, but I never want to meet them (which is why I always carry a glass of milk around). Here's information I doubt you knew about the crunchy (or soft!) hand held delicacy.

Links of Interest 9/10

Best/worst case scenarios for the Hadron Collider. Why isn't every worst case scenario, "the world ceases to exist"?

I can't imagine why moonshine is illegal. Aside from the fact it could make you go blind. Regardless, I gots to gets me into this business.

In a weird way, this gives me hope. Not that criminals are continually breaking out of prisons, but that no matter what, human beings will always try to find a way to break free of things. I was struggling to cope seeing the kids of today and their mindless dronelike attitude toward everything.

Weatherperson misconduct. I might write a little more about that Stevens fellow. And keep a closer eye on the Japanese.

I can't argue with anything on this list. In fact, it might be one of the best, and most accurate lists on the web.

Links of Interest 9/3

I love the Internet. Why? Because although I have no need for a list of products that are sold on Indian roads, I sure as shit find it interesting.

Now, just in case I get incredibly bored with my home life, I have a new project - a homemade roller coaster.

I've seen Oz, so I of course know exactly what Death Row is like, but for the people who haven't seen the HBO masterpiece, enjoy this article about what it's like to live on Death Row.

Bullfighting is fascinating. Even when you eliminate the argument that it's cruel to the bull, the pageantry that lives on in the sport seems so antiquated in these times. I pass no judgement since I've never witnessed one, but this article explains a lot about it.

Who knew the album cover of Houses of the Holy wasn't a painting?

Along the lines of bullfighting, exorcisms also seem antiquated. And yet apparently they're still performed. As an aside, maybe I should learn a little Latin, you know, just in case I'm somewhere without a priest and something goes down.

Links of Interest 8/29

Perusing this list of "Best seasons of televisions," I love that they included Murder One. A great show that I think was ahead of it's time. I bet it would definitely work in today's environment and would really work on a cable channel. I will say I'm not loving the inclusion of season 2 of the Wire. The first season was probably as close to perfect as you're going to get. And no love for John from Cincinnati?

I need to get a relationship with a butcher. Problem is, they seem to be a dying breed, at least near me. And I'm not going to shoot the shit with the guy at the Acme, regardless of his skill.

Who doesn't like the Dude? As in The Big Leboski Dude.

Time gets grimy and steps into the porn world by interviewing Ron Jeremy.

It's true, I loved MacGuyver. So I spent a decent amount of time with this list of problems he solved without the use of a gun. (Macguyver fans should get that.)

Links of Interest 8/21

Have a need to buy a corpse? Hey, I don't judge. At least I don't judge anyone that feels the need to buy a corpse. See what other strange items you can buy here.

I have hated Blockbuster since high school. I even wrote an essay on how the company encourages censorship (yes I realize it's not true censorship - call it social censorship). So, to see their CEO have (alleged) bewilderment as to why people like Netflix is very enjoyable to me.

Though not as exciting as it sounds once playing the video, apparently there's been a rumor that an extra exposes himself in the movie Teen Wolf. Judge for yourself.

As I went down the list of bizarre delicacies from around the world, I asked myself whether I would try it. I don't think I could do number 1 - at least not alive like they describe it.

Links of Interest 8/19

I've always loved Robert Wagner. And after reading a few details about him and Natalie Wood, I love him even more. He almost shot Warren Beatty!

Ok look. I realize that lists of no value other than to spark debate, and I also realize a website called TV Crunch is not the authority on much, but still, this list of the top 25 worst game shows is atrocious. Never mind that they included Legend of the Hidden Temple, a children's game show that is adored by many, but Supermarket Sweep? Are you kidding?

We here at The Popcorn Trick, love Michael Gross. If you've never seen this, or this then I don't know what to tell you. Regardless, this news will have our DVRs humming during the afternoon.

Want to read about why a woman might head into high class prostitution? Here you go. Though I don't think the author does a real good job of intertwining her experience into the article. A lot of sizzle, but not a lot of steak at the end.

A video of cliff diving that is just so much more than that. It might have inspired a new series here at the Popcorn Trick. I live its weirdness and non sequitors.

Links of Interest 8/14

An old link, but one I hadn't seen before. And I'm surprised how well the grass-fed beef fared.

It amazes me, that for one of the most important jobs in the U.S., this kind of incompetency runs rampant. It wouldn't take much to organize the campaign, either.

After reading this new trend of people guerilla gardening in L.A., I wish someone would guerilla mow my lawn.

I'm always willing to help out the paranoid.

A list of "disgusting flavors." I would by X-13D Doritos everyday if they were currently available. Sadly, it seems there not. But that still doesn't mean they should be lumped in with the rest of these.

Links of Interest 6/5

Oh yeah, this is easy to follow. Of the three science ideas here, the last one is obviously the head scratcher. I have enough trouble with one dimension of time, and now people want to add another one? Could you imagine the time loop possibilities on Lost if that happened? Please feel free to explain it all to me if you happen to be a quantum physicist looking for the top 25 80s tv show theme songs. Or if you just want to show that you're smarter than me.

I don't know, it seems to me that R. Kelly might be in a decent amount of trouble. I can only hope he gets acquitted so he can continue to make the world's greatest music.

I love Wired's jab at the end of the article. So subtle, yet so spot on.

Ok, I understand that this was a bike race, and not the common roads around my town, but I'll take this moment to rail against the etiquette of cyclists in general (Cue stereotyping)...I don't know if there's a more elitist group out there than cyclists. Screaming about their right of way, yet barely pausing to obey traffic laws themselves, the double standard they have created goes by largely ignored. And what's with the tight clothes? I understand if you're in a bike race, but if you're just out for a stroll, loose clothing creates more drag which in turn makes it harder to cycle which in turn gives you more of a workout. Am I missing something?

Daily Links 6/4

Take a look at this... this guy hates computer monitors – and his coworkers (by the way, I fully expect this to explode on the Internet, followed by the discovery that it’s viral marketing for some vacation resort. If it doesn’t it should be and I’ll happily write the ad).

One day I will travel to these islands.

I disagree with this assessment about how made up acronyms can never be funny. I will say, they will never be funny in the workplace, because there are lines that people just won't cross. But, if you ever do cross those lines, I guarantee at least a few people will laugh.

David Foster Wallace is strange to me; in the sense that I'm not sure how to react to him, or more specifically, his writings. I want to like him because I think that makes me look more intellectual. But, I just can't do it. I've read a few of his essays, and they simply go above my head. Even this Q&A includes things that I can't think about without making my head hurt. That being said, it certainly doesn't diminish his intellect, and it's not hard to see he is an intelligent person. So take a look, but just make sure to have a dictionary handy (rapacity? mendacity? epileptoid? I must be an idiot). It's his take on the 2000 McCain election; I believe it's coming out now to show how much McCain has changed his tune in 8 years.

Do you think Scientology has a cabal of assassins they can send out and do their bidding? I hope not, and I hope that if they do, they don't want to kill anyone simply linking to an article like this.