September 2008
38 posts
Riot!
The gestapo-like tactics of LEAs (law enforcement agencies) in Minnesota are getting all the headlines.
But this same shit happened before the DNC party too. Have fun trying to find those news report archives.
This RNC event is pretty disturbing:
Whelan says his roommate, Erin Stalmaker, went out to talk to talk to the police. She asked the officers why they were there. The officers asked why...
August 2008
35 posts
Huh? →
“For a candidate who turns 72 today, the heartbeat-away question carries weight. It also seems to undercut a key line of attack against Obama. If Sara Palin is ready to be commander in chief, then so is Barack Obama.”
The VP has become a farce.
Speaking of Hodg-Man
Here are illustrations to accompany all 700 hobo names from The Areas of My Expertise
John Hodgman's Blog Is Amusing →
You may know him as a correspondent on The Daily Show, the character “PC” in the Apple PC & Mac ads, or the author of The Areas of My Expertise (which is best experienced as the unabridged audiobook read by the author, available at various locations on the Internet).
let this be my annual reminder that we can all be something bigger
For All Those Wondering
Yes, I’m still following the campaign.
Yes, I’m watching the prime-time speeches at the Democratic convention.
I’m withholding comment because 1. I was tired of politics after the local voting in June and the extended Democratic primary and 2. I’ll be watching the prime-time speeches at the Republican convention next week.
I will say that after watching the end of...
LED Football for Mobile OS X! →
The Ultimate Dungeon Master's Screen →
I just picked up the 4E screen last week and think it’s the best screen I’ve ever used. But this thing is awesome.
Old Comics Are Funny →
Phwew! Still here!
Now that the Olympics have finished without the coming of apocalypse, it’s pretty much a sure thing that John Titor was full of shit.
It’s still a great story and urban legend, but as Adam and Jami would say, this myth is busted. (reminder via Tor.com)
James Jean Leaving Fables →
The best cover artist in the comics business is leaving the business.
Still Trying to Figure It Out
If Obama was going to pick a WASP, a Washington insider, someone who voted to authorize the President’s use of force in Iraq, why didn’t he just pick Clinton?
This can only weaken his attacks against McCain as an affluent insider who’s been in town for too long.
I don’t think the VP pick is that important. But: Blech.
They're there and I'm Not
The DFL blog “celebrates last-place finishes at the Olympics. Because they’re there, and you’re not.”
I’ve heard a lot of trash talk the past couple week about what should and shouldn’t be considered an Olympics-worthy competition. But Jonathan Crowe, the author of the blog, makes the point well in “Getting to the Games: A Reality Check”. There are...
Organizational Announcement
“Wizards Announces New Organizational Alignment
“Wizards of the Coast today announced new organizational alignment to focus on key growth strategies for core brands.
“‘As a company, we will continue to be the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer,’ said Greg Leeds, President of Wizards of the Coast. ‘Re-aligning resources ensures we achieve this goal...
That's a Lot
I started playing Magic: the Gathering back in 1994 with the release of the Revised Edition of the game. I took a long hiatus when I went to college, but came back to the game almost 10 years later with the release of 8th Edition.
I’ve recently begun a massive job of reorganizing and cataloging my collection of cards. Running some numbers, I figure I have anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000...
"Winners"? →
The, uh, awardees? results? Yes, results of the 2008 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest have been announced.
Fantastic Slide-Show of Phelps's 100m Butterfly... →
To feel these feelings
Like I do
The All Drug Olympics →
Classic.
Sad, but Inevitable
Rolling Stone is switching from tabloid to magazine size to be more “rack friendly”. *snicker*
The tabloid size has been as much the Rolling Stone brand as barely relevant album reviews and their bold, red typeface.
Computerworld, my favorite trade rag, went through this a year or so ago. To be honest, the format change wouldn’t have been so bad if their website didn’t...
Speaking of Sci-Fi →
Escape Pod features pretty much nothing but audiobook mp3s of recently published short-form sci-fi.
That includes four out of five of this year’s short story Hugo nominees:
“Distant Replay” by Mike Resnick
“A Small Room in Koboldtown” by Michael Swanwick
“Who’s Afraid of Wolf 359” by Ken MacLeod
“Tideline” by Elizabeth Bear (the...
The new home of fantasy and sci-fi on the web? →
If you are a fan of the fantasy or science fiction literary genres, you should probably make Tor.com your new home page.
I’m less of a fan than I once was, but it has been granted a news reader subscription—an increasingly rare feat.
Free Public Transportation for All! →
[pdf]
Georgian Internet Connectivity →
If you are following the Russia-Georgia conflict, you should keep the Renesys Blog in your feedreader.
The blog is pretty technical, but fascinating.
McCain for President
McCain was not born in the US but is considered a US citizen anyway, unlike many who are born in the US that the Republican Party wants to consider foreign.
As a proud third-generation employee of the government, McCain is uniquely experienced to be president. His third generation military status uniquely places him to find the best government military solutions for every problem, without the...
I love the Olympics.
Correction!
The recipe for creamed corn should call for 1/4 C (1/2 stick) of butter.
A whole stick would result in a delicious, but unnecessary, pool of butter floating on top of the corn.
The original post has been corrected. We regret the error.
Overly Detailed Instructions for Cleaning NES Game... →
Includes pictures!
Creamed Corn
Ingredients
4 Ears of corn
1/2 Pint half-&-half
1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter cut into 1/4 Tbsp cubes
Directions
Cut corn kernels from cob into a 9”x9” baking pan.
Pour half-&-half over corn.
Sprinkle sugar, then salt, then butter evenly over the mixture.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes, stirring gently after 15 and 30 minutes.
Serves...
WatchI’m sorry, but this is hilarious.
Top 5 Trance Albums
This list goes out to Luke
Northern Exposure, Vol. 1 by Sasha & Digweed
In Search of Sunrise by DJ Tiesto
Out There and Back by Paul Van Dyk
ESCM by BT
Tranceport by Oakenfold, Paul
The first of this list is a masterpiece, defines and transcends the genre, and is very much out of print. Though: if you want to only ever have one trance album in your library, it is it.
Trance is...
Incredible Construction Pics of the Large Hadron... →
“The increases in gross profit were partially offset in the quarter and fully...”
– Damning words regarding WotC’s failure to deliver on its “digitial initiatives” from Hasbro’s 01 Aug 2008 10-Q filing to the SEC.
More about Gleemax
Looking at Hasbro’s earnings call from the past quarter, it’s clear that anyone working on digital games at Wizards of the Coast should have their resume in order.
Hasbro is closely partnering with EA to create digital games across all product lines and just about every platform available. EA is the gorilla of digital gaming, and generally knows what they are doing. They put playable...