You may have noticed that two cousins — who just happened to both be part of the same secret organisation — have begun TV debates. (It’s funny that Bush and Kerry are not only family, and members of “Skull and Bones”, but we’re supposed to believe they’re on opposite sides). In case you think I’m a conspiracy theorist, read this on CBS News: Bush, Kerry and Hefner — Odd Cousins. And then read (or listen to) The Secret Society That Unites Bush and Kerry.
Having proved the above points, now learn something about the supposed debates that the two men are going through, at Top 10 Things They Don’t Want You To Know About the Debates.
Gear change. So your brother’s been kidnapped in Iraq, and you’re desperately trying to get your government to free him. Does your government help you? Or does it send intelligence agents to search your house? Read the BBC’s report, Hostage brother’s home searched.
And here’s another one. You’re a widow, whose husband was killed on 911. And because you want to know exactly what happened to him, you refuse to take the government’s money and shut up. Instead, you start legal proceedings against Bush, Cheney and others. Does the government sit quietly and let you do this? Or do they use lawyers to persuade your daughter to take legal charge of your late husband’s estate? Read the unfolding saga of one woman’s horror fight for justice, at NH widow fights 9-11 estate challenge linked to President Bush.
Time for some light relief. What’s better than public humiliation? Answer: Nothing. With that in mind, go and have a look at the latest collection of photographs online of people busted for prostitution – Online Protitution Charge Mugshots.
South Africa made the international news again. And naturally it was for something really exciting and profound. Okay, not really. Go stare thoughtfully at Sea of ancient microbes found on SA mountain.
And just to show that not all science is deeply relevant or serious, the Ignoble awards happened recently. Read this news report: Country music saps the will to live.
Do you have a partner that needs to be punished or in some way restrained? No — stop writing outraged letters and get a life and a sense of humour. And take a closer look at Leash your girl!.
As the endless war on terror continues to provide a lovely way for authoritarian actions on a wide front by anyone who feels like it, New York transport officials are trying their luck and attempting to stop all photography on buses, trains and subways. Go read a site by photograph enthusiasts fighting against this latest removal of rights, at Freedom To Photograph.
You’ve had that problem, haven’t you? How to keep a fresh brain in a box, undamaged and secure during a journey. This may seem a little bizarre, but go see Columbia University’s very useful instructions for all the would-be Dr Frankensteins out there, on How To Carry A Brain Safely Across Country.
As I have the pleasure of not eating sugar or crap in general, I don’t really know what Oreo cookies taste like — although I’ve seen the adverts which suggest that dogs and kids really enjoy them. Point being, if you’re insane and have a penchant for deep frying totally unexpected foodstuffs, go consider the recipe for Deep-fried Oreo Cookies.
Curious about death? No, I don’t mean as in what would happen if you wore your “Thabo Is A Fascist” t-shirt in public — but rather the oddly macabre and yet fascinating concept of death masks. Many famous folks have, at one point or another, had death masks made. Go have a close look through who’s been made immortal, at The Death Mask Gallery.
Graphics novels are something I got into a zillion years back, and although there’s a wide range of graphic novels out there, there’s still only a handful of classics that equal or better the printed word equivalents. (Alan Moore’s The Watchmen instantly springs to mind) Still, it’s an art form and literary experience that you weirdos who buy glossy coffee-table books filled with wildlife pictures ought to consider as a much more rewarding and saner option. Go learn something at Graphic Novel Review.
Star Wars geek time. Did you know that George Lucas has quietly used a sound effect from an old 1950s movie in almost every one of his films? And that this sound effect — a scream — can be heard in a wide range of Hollywood movies? Go read about the history of this one little scream, and then watch it in action at The Wilhelm Scream. And you can find more info at On The Media.
Now more Star Wars geeky stuff. And this is kinda cool to see — as many folks will have discovered. Star Wars is pretty darn boring now compared to what we all thought when it first came out. Film technology has also advanced quite considerably. To see how much tweaking has been done on the original film using modern digital effects, go look at the pictures at Star Wars DVD Changes.
“No! He thinks you’re hurting the girl!” For those of you who aren’t film geeks, you won’t recognize the King Kong reference. Or else you figured “It was that beauty killed the beast” was the only quote that Kong gave us. But Peter Jackson is hard at work remaking Kong, and hopefully its going to be less boring than the mid-Seventies remake. Go watch the work in progress at King Kong.
Need some cool audio things to listen to? Go browse the schlocky and often very fun world of old time radio broadcasts, and download a ton of copyright-expired old radio shows from the golden age of radio, at Radio Lovers.
Feel like having a glimpse into another world? Or at least to find a cool way of getting a cheaper apartment or living space in New York? (Of course, you’ll have to pretend to be a student) Go browse Rent Direct.
Flash atrocity time. Frogs are disappearing rapidly, given that they’re sensitive to UV radiation. But now, luckily, instead of having to go hunting down by the swimming pool late at night with scalpel in hand, you can slash into the frog of your dreams at The Virtual Frog Dissection. And still more flash horror. This one’s for David Hasselhof fans only. Go see what happens when well-meaning fans meet the internet and Flash at David Hasselhof.
Alternatively, you could always indulge in some Mass Pillow Fights. Or, if you have way too much time on your hands, why not do some Squirrel Fishing. Then there are the odd joys of Weird Fortune Cookies. And if you feel the need for a wide range of very noisy punk videos to download — assuming you have bandwidth and are wondering what to do with it — go bang your head at Blank TV.
As many of you have discovered, the internet is rapidly becoming a swamp of trojans, viruses and spam. You’d have to be pretty dumb to access the ‘net without at least a basic firewall, plus antivirus, plus spyware program. And no, don’t believe any of the companies that try and tell you their product manages it all. They don’t — and they’re lying. (Why? To make money — duh). This geek-rant aside, go start learning how to overcome your fear of your computer, and keeping it clean and lean at PC World.
Despite the absolute incomprehension from some of my more feminazi friends, I’m a happy consumer of porn when the mood takes me. And of the really funny things about porn generally — as with bad zombie movies compared high cinematic art — are the joys of bad dialogue and even worse titles. Porn movies often have ridiculously sleazy and tacky titles, supposedly to lure in the customer — titles ranging from the mildly amusing — to downright howlingly funny. That’s if you have the perspective to see the humour in the desperate selling of hardcore sexual activity in the first place. I do. So be warned that this is adults-only territory. Then prepare to be frightened at The 100 Worst Porn Movie Titles!.
Until the next time, if feminazi’s don’t get me.