Akismet must be broken today. 23 slipped through today.
8,981 Caught / 87 Missed / 0 False Positives (99.0% accuracy /
0.21%)
Lake View
Brokeback Mountain
Finally got around to watching this movie. I don’t know what all the “excitement” was about, but the movie was pretty average. It did show the complex relationship well, but the storyline… was there one?
Official Site
IMDb: 8.0/10 (53,978 votes)
Yahoo! Movies: The Critics: A- / Yahoo! Users: B
Rotten Tomatoes: Rating: 86% / Average Rating: 8.2/10
Apple Trailer
Amazon.com DVD
Amazon.com Soundtrack
Spoilers: (Show)
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
Just watched this movie today. It’s a pretty old movie that’s been on my queue for some time. The movie was somewhat interesting, but the ending totally confused me. In simple terms, the movie’s about a boss ganster that has left coming back to figure out and avenge his brother’s death.
Official Site
IMDb: 5.8/10 (1,819 votes)
Yahoo! Movies: Yahoo! Users: C+
Rotten Tomatoes: Rating: 44% / Average Rating: 5.5/10
Apple Trailer
Amazon.com DVD
Spoilers: (Show)
pya! FLOOD
- (img) おじいさんとわかぞう – Old Man and Youngster – I know understand students don’t get enough sleep, but this is just funny
- (flash) Stage of the ground – animation with a boy and a cute kitten
- (img) New York! – miniature model of New York made completely with Legos
- (img) 風物詩 – Things which remind one of a particular season – nice fireworks display
- (vid) 体育座り – Physical stability – doing flips in simulated zero gravity
- (img) Baby horny toad – horny here not as in “heat”, but in lots of horns. reminds me of the dragon that Harry Potter had to fight, but a lot tinier.
- (img) やっちゃった – Uh oh – another reason to make sure your car is in good condition
- (img) ポーカー – Poker – why it’s impossible for chameleons to play poker
- (img) 吊ってみた – Hanging – an F1 race car borken into pieces hanging from the ceiling.
- (vid) トルコの銀行 AK BANK 広告 : Mass Game – a Turkish Bank commercial with people forming pictures and animations. pretty neat.
- (img) 今年もDRYもん – This year’s Dry-mon – a sand sculture of Doremon being dried up.
- (vid) リフティング – Lifting – so how interesting is a soccer player drawn on a hand that kicks a crumbled paper ball? very interesting when it can do tricks! (more at FingerSkilz)
- (img) 水鉄砲 – Water Pistol – huge collection of super soakers
- (img) My保護 – My Protection – too cheap to buy a shredder? get the shredder scissors! is able to do cross-cuts too!
- (img) 米国様々 – American Version – how many USB ports does it take to power a small grill?
- (img) うそ つかない – Lie – Native American armed with computer clothing
- (img) アッー!! – Ahhh! – when fish are large enough to eat bears
- (img) 見つめ合う二人 – Staring at each other – cute polar bear stares at hippo toy
* Bolded ones were the most fun
Random Crap:
Clever Advertising (from Kira) – some pretty interesting ads. I really like the Folgers Coffee one.
I was going through Apple Trailers yesterday and some interesting ones I saw:
- The Motel – this movie looks awesome! the Chinese kid is hilarious.
- Infamous – they’re making another Al Capote movie? Storyline looks exactly the same as the other one.
- The Ground Truth – another documentary-like movie, but I thought this quote was interesting: Science has proven that you can live approximately 72 hours without water, but spiritually, you can only live a few minutes without hope.
Outsize shoemaker flies to world’s tallest woman – A German outsize shoemaker said he will fly to China next week with three pairs of size 57 ladies shoes as a special and much-needed gift for Yao Defen, believed to be the world’s tallest woman. She’s big!
Ripped 2 clips from 結婚できない男 (Kekkon Dekinai Otoko – Man Who Can’t Get Married):
- Organized – sure reminds me of a friend (-_^x)
- How to tie a tie
Lineage II: Chronical 5 – CG movie (from Tera at Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle) – as Tera states, we’ve all been jaded with the Final Fantasy VII – Advent Children, but this CG clip was still pretty amazing. If you want to stream it in a browser, you can watch it here.
Free Texas Hold ’em for Xbox Live Arcade
If you have an Xbox 360 and an internet connection, Xbox Live Arcade is giving away Texas Hold ’em for free for the 1st 48 hours of release.
Texas Hold ’em Free in Arcade for First 48 Hours (from SD):
Microsoft isn’t bluffing: Log on to Xbox Live® within the first 48 hours after launch and download Texas Hold ’em completely free of charge! This full-featured poker title for Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360™ will launch on Wednesday, August 23, at 0800 GMT (1:00 A.M. Pacific Time).
For 48 hours only—through 0800 GMT (1:00 A.M. Pacific Time) Friday, August 25—as a special limited-time only promotion, all Xbox Live Gold and Silver members can download (and own) the game at no charge. Starting at 0801 GMT (1:01 A.M. Pacific Time) Friday, August 25, Texas Hold ’em will be available for 800 Microsoft Points.
Since this was a limited time offer, I actually went and cracked open my Xbox 360 from the storage area and set it up.
After downloading it, I gave it a short whirl. The animation and graphics were actually pretty nice. However I did lose $1200 already (from my initial $2000). Hehe. The game is fast moving and the buttons were easy to figure out, though I would say that holding onto the controller at lengths of time got tiring given the fact I pushed a button or two every 15 seconds. With an Xbox Live Silver account (free), you can play the single player mode. With the Sbox Live Gold account, you can play online with other players. I doubt they’ll ever make a version that allows playing with real money, though you never know.
Enjoy!
Speaking of which, I just realized you can now buy Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting through Xbox Live. It’s actually quite tempting for only 800pts (~$10). According to the newsflash, Street Fighter II Best Seller in Arcade – Sunnyvale , California—Capcom® today announced that Street Fighter® II’ Hyper Fighting, the company’s first title for Xbox Live® Arcade, has seen a phenomenal record of downloads since its debut on August 2. Within the first 24 hours of its unveiling, Street Fighter II’ Hyper Fighting has become the fastest selling Xbox Live Arcade title to date with hundreds of matches being played every hour.
Random Crap:
Beloit College’s Mindset List for the Class of 2010 (from MS newsgroup) – A rite of autumn is under way with the arrival of first-year students at thousands of colleges and universities for registration. Most 18-year-old students entering the class of 2010 this fall were born in 1988. They grew up with a mouse in one hand and a computer screen as part of their worldview. They learned to surf the internet as they learned to read. While they were still in their cribs, the 20th century started to close as the Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet bloc disintegrated, and frequent traditional wars in Latin America gave way to the uncontrolled terrors of the Middle East.. The list is interesting and I even went back to read the Class of 2005 Mindset List.
No, that’s not a penis pump, Mom. Really – Cook County prosecutors say a 29-year-old man traveling with his mother desperately didn’t want her to know he’d packed a sexual aid for their trip to Turkey. So he told security it was a bomb, officials said. Sigh… How dumb can people get?
An interesting thought from Deadlock: I was looking at that penis pump thing… I didn’t read the full article, but I think the airport misheard the guy. I bet he would have said BONG, because that would make more sense.
Police crack down on striptease funerals… – “Striptease used to be a common practice at funerals in Donghai’s rural areas to allure viewers,” it said. “Local villagers believe that the more people who attend the funeral, the more the dead person is honored.”
Ant jaws break speed record, propel insects into air, biologists find (from /.) – A species of ant native to Central and South America is entering the annals of extreme animal movement, boasting jaws arguably more impressive than such noteworthy contenders as the great white shark and the spotted hyena. Biologists clocked the speed at which the trap-jaw ant, Odontomachus bauri, closes its mandibles at 35 to 64 meters per second, or 78 to 145 miles per hour – an action they say is the fastest self-powered predatory strike in the animal kingdom. The average duration of a strike was a mere 0.13 milliseconds, or 2,300 times faster than the blink of an eye. Do check out the videos showing the ant achieving heights up to 8.3 centimeters and horizontal distances up to 39.6 centimeters.
Dear Sir Bill Gates: invoice enclosed (from /.) – Please find enclosed my invoice for £1,200 sterling for administrative and consulting work, caused by the need to repair Microsoft sabotage. I dare say you’d like details: An funny and interesting, yet so true complaint about Windows Update and the automatic “forced” restart.
San Francisco in Jell-O (from MS newsgroup) – a gallery of photos of a model of San Francisco made completely in Jell-O done by Elizabeth Hickok. She actually has a video of the jello city.
Free Songs from Weird Al
Weird Al “Yankovic” is giving a free song titled Don’t Download This Song (from /.) – Here’s the direct mp3 download link.
Lyrics: (HOTEL XVR27)
(sang to the tune of We Are The World)
Once in a while maybe you will feel the urge
To break international copyright law
By downloading MP3s from file-sharing sites
Like Morpheus or Grokster or Limewire or KaZaABut deep in your heart you know the guilt would drive you mad
And the shame would leave a permanent scar
‘Cause you start out stealing songs and then you’re robbing liquor stores
And sellin’ crack and runnin’ over school kids with your carSo don’t download this song
The record store’s where you belong
Go and buy the CD like you know that you should
Oh, don’t download this songOh, you don’t wanna mess with the R-I-double-A
They’ll sue you if you burn that CD-R
It doesn’t matter if you’re a grandma or a seven year old girl
They’ll treat you like the evil hard-bitten criminal scum you areSo don’t download this song
Don’t go pirating music all day long
Go and buy the CD like you know that you should
Oh, don’t download this songDon’t take away money from artists just like me
How else can I afford another solid gold Hum-Vee
And diamond-studded swimming pools
These things don’t grow on trees
So all I ask is, “Everybody, please…”Don’t donwload this song (Don’t do it, no, no)
Even Lars Ulrich knows it’s wrong (You can just ask him)
Go and buy the CD like you know that you should (You really should)
Oh, don’t download this songDon’t donwload this song (Oh please, don’t you do it)
Or you might wind up in jail like Tommy Chong (Remember Tommy)
Go and buy the CD (Right now) like you know that you should (Go out and buy it)
Oh, don’t download this songDon’t download this song (No, no, no, no, no, no)
You’ll burn in hell before too long (and you’ll deserve it)
Go and buy the CD (Just buy it) like you know that you should (You cheap bastard)
Oh, don’t download this song
If you don’t know Tommy Chong, you can read about him on Wikipedia.
If you visit his homepage, you’ll also find out that he’s giving away You’re Pitiful – Yes, Al recently recorded a James Blunt parody which unfortunately, due to matters beyond his control, will not be appearing on his forthcoming album. But if you’re so inclined, you can just download it for FREE! From the article:
According to Yankovic, Blunt himself gave his blessing to a song called “You’re Pitiful” (audio), which was to appear on Yankovic’s now-finished but as-yet-unreleased new album. But after Yankovic finished recording the parody, Atlantic Records, Blunt’s label, told Yankovic that he couldn’t release “You’re Pitiful.” Though Yankovic has encountered resistance from artists before — after a miscommunication involving permissions, Coolio publicly objected to a released parody of “Gangsta’s Paradise,” while Prince has always turned down Yankovic’s requests to parody his hits — he says this is the first time a label has stepped in to squash the release of one of his parodies.
That’s why he has decided to give it away online for free, since parodies are legal, but if you want to sell for money, you’ll need consent from the artist, or “whoever” owns the rights.
Lyrics: (from LyricZZ)
(sang to the tune of You’re Beautiful)
My life is brilliant…
What, was I too early? Oh, sorry. Should I…Do you wanna start over? Or, keep going?
Okay, now? Now?My life is brilliant
Your life’s a joke
You’re just pathetic
You’re always brokeYour homemade Star Trek uniform
really ain’t impressin’ me
You’re sufferin’ from delusions of
AdequacyYou’re Pitiful (X3) It’s true
Never had a date
That ya couldn’t inflate
And ya smell repulsive too
What a bummer bein’ youWell ya just can’t dance
And forget romance
Everybody you know still calls ya
Farty Pants
But you always have a job well I meanAs long as you still can work that slurpie machine
You’re Pitiful (X3) It’s true
You’re half undressed
Eatin’ chips off your chest
While you’re playin’ Halo 2
No one’s classier than youLalala la
Lalala la
Lalala la LoserYou’re Pitiful (X3) It’s true
Your dog would much rather
Play fetch by itselfYou still live with your Mom when you’re 42
Guess you’ll never grow a clue
When it just sucks to be you
Akismet Spam Detector
1 more slipped through since my last report
8,521 Caught / 64 Missed / 0 False Positives (99.3% accuracy /
0.00%)
Happy Birthdays!
I know two people’s birthday which are today, so I wanted to wish:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MMOUSE!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHEWYDENISE!
Random Crap:
It’s been awhile since I posted a Japanese phrase, so today’s Japanese phrase is: 焼肉 (yakiniku) – barbeque meat – I was literally drooling when I was watching 結婚できない男 (Kekkon Dekinai Otoko – which literally means Man Who Can’t Get Married) and he was eating yakiniku. It’s basically where you sit around a grill and barbeque thin slices of meat.
Full Screen DVD
As I was sorting the DVDs alphabetically on my self the other day, I noticed there was a something different about one of my Lord of the Ring DVDs. I picked it out and noticed it was the full screen version. I was like shoot, it’s been a couple months since I purchased it already. What to do. It still had the Best Buy sticker on it and it was still completely sealed. My reciept did show the wide screen version, but it’s already pass its 30 day return/exchange period. If you look closely at this image:
you can see that I’ve taken out the Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers DVD.
Anyway, I went to my local Best Buy without my receipt and asked if I could do an exchange because I had picked up the wrong version a couple weeks ago. I tell them I misplaced my reciept and they were fine with that. It took me forever to find the DVD and ended up asking for help because apparently Lord of the Rings falls under “Science Fiction”. I didn’t find any Fantasy category, so I went to Drama and Action and even Wars.
Anyway, I did get scared when I found out the DVD was supposed to cost $9.99 last week, and mine had a $14.99 sticker on it, but the customer service rep didn’t notice and now I have my wide screen version.
Random Crap:

Haxorz license plate (photo taken by HKenshin)
Experts baffled by water-gurgling tree – Is it an artesian spring, a broken water pipe or an abandoned well? Lucille Pope’s red oak tree has gurgled water for about three months, and experts can’t seem to get to the root of the problem. Pope, 65, has sought answers from the Texas Forest Service, the Edwards Aquifer Authority and nurseries. They have taken pictures and conducted studies, but none have arrived at a firm answer.
The Perception Laboratory’s Face Transformer (from Schwartz) – You can use the Perception Laboratory’s Face Transformer to change the age, race or sex of a facial image, to transform it to the style of a famous artist, to make an exagerated caricature or even make an ape of yourself!. I had a lot of fun with this a one night and started putting in pictures of friends. Here’s mine with the original being my high school senior graduation picture:

Click image to start the animation or view it in the gallery.
Study Finds That a Type of Cancer in Dogs Is Contagious (from /.) – Scientists in England have gathered definitive evidence that a kind of cancer in dogs is contagious — a peculiar exception to the age-old medical wisdom that you can’t “catch” cancer. Uh oh…
With the recent banning of all liquids (including toothpaste) on flights, someone on /. posted this interesting comment:
I was on a flight to Kuwait deploying with my unit. We were waiting to fly out of Ft. Campbell and these guys are running around telling us we have to pack our Gerbers, Folding knives, and lighters in our stow bags and that they cannot be on your person or in your carry on.
All of our guns though – no problem. We didn’t even take out the bolts.
I understand that a military flight vs a civilian flight is totally different, but c’mon. You let me bring my GUN on the plane?

PacMan Therapy (from Game|Life)
The artist has some pretty funny cartoons on their site.
Hoarders vs. Deleters: What your inbox says about you (from /.) – The makeup and tidiness of your inbox is a reflection of your habits, your mental health and, yes, even the way Mom and Dad raised you. … Email addiction, of course, is now a cultural given. But a less-noticed byproduct of that is the impulse of the inbox. Some of us are obsessed with moving every email to an appropriate folder while killing junk “spam” on arrival and making sure Mom knows that we got her email and still love her. Meanwhile, others among us are e-procrastinators, modern-day Scarlett O’Haras who figure we’ll deal with old email tomorrow. We’re discovering that the disorder in our inboxes mirrors the disorder in our homes, marriages and checkbooks.
ACLU – Pizza (from MS Newsgroup) – A parody of what our future would be like if the government is able to step all over our privacy rights – The government and corporations are aggressively collecting information about your personal life and your habits. They want to track your purchases, your medical records, and even your relationships. The Bush Administration’s policies, coupled with invasive new technologies, could eliminate your right to privacy completely. Please help us protect our privacy rights and prevent the Total Surveillance Society.
Muppet creators go adult – The creators of The Muppets and Sesame Street are staging a rude and lewd puppet show that is strictly for adults only. I can’t believe they’re serious…
Japan man makes 37,760 calls to “kind” operators – The 44-year-old has admitted to allegations of obstructing the operations of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. by making up to 905 calls a day from his mobile phone, the daily Mainichi Shimbun said on its Web site. “When I made a complaint call once, the operator dealt with it very kindly, so I wanted to hear these women’s voices,” the paper quoted him as telling police in Hiroshima, western Japan.
Dumb has a new definition… – Spanish police have arrested four Frenchmen for jumping in front of cars on a busy road so that they could film them and post the footage on the Internet, the newspaper El Pais said Tuesday.
Mike gets a new office! (from MS newsgroup) – A few of us at work have been pranked one too many times by a certain coworker by the name of Mike. He was out of town for a few days and we had some extra cardboard laying around. This is what happens when you push creative IT workers too far! Enjoy your new office Mike!
Cops quickly find stolen doughnut truck – A stolen truck full of doughnuts? Better believe Tri-Cities police were on that in a hurry. Moments after the theft of the Viera’s Bakery van was reported early Friday in Kennewick, police issued an all-points bulletin.
Bar invites customers to take a swing – Stressed-out Chinese can now unleash pent-up anger at a bar that lets customers attack staff, smash glasses and generally make a ruckus, a Chinese newspaper reported Monday. I wish we had something here like that. A similar article is available at BBC: Chinese ‘anger bar’ is a big hit
Designer creates floating bed – A young Dutch architect has created a floating bed which hovers above the ground through magnetic force and comes with a price tag of 1.2 million euros ($1.54 million).

You know anybody who needs an “anti-stupid” pill? – It said Hans-Hilger Ropers, director at Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin, has tested a pill thwarting hyperactivity in certain brain nerve cells, helping stabilize short-term memory and improve attentiveness.
Someone posted this video on YouTube: Al Gore’s Penguin Army mocking Al Gore’s latest movie, An Inconvenient Truth, but it turns out it was created by a PR firm backed by the oil companies. Al Gore YouTube Spoof Not So Amateurish – The film actually came from a slick Republican public relations firm called DCI, which just happens to have oil giant Exxon as a client. Exxon denies knowing anything about the film, and DCI says, “We do not disclose the names of our clients, nor do we discuss the work we do on behalf of our clients.”
Snakes On A Plane :: Send a Message From Samuel L. Jackson! (from AT) – this is probably old news now, but the day it came out, I sent it to a couple friends and it was just hilarious having them receive a phone call with Samuel L. Jackson telling them to go watch Snakes On A Plane.


