popplers

Lighter topics for a Saturday morning

• I really like this game: Guess-the-Google. I haven't been able to get close to a high score, but it's fun. (Requires broadband.)
• I'm amused by Darth Vader's weblog.
• Spiffy dual-duty heat/ electricity co-generator for the home. I want one.
• Interesting history of Concord grapes and Jewish wine.
• Funky hats!

Go Bernie!

Bernie Sanders introduces the Stamp Out Censorship Act:

"We don't need to have United States government commissars telling the American people what they can watch," says Sanders, who is concerned that already, even without new restrictive laws in force, spooked broadcasters are erring on the side of caution. In other words, censoring themselves.

He points to the 66 ABC affiliates that opted not to air the patriotic war film "Saving Private Ryan" last November because of fears that the FCC might rule certain swear words in the film to be indecent (it didn't). And last spring, some PBS stations removed the image of a nude lithograph from "Antiques Roadshow."

Not too much further down this slippery slope, Sanders warns, "you might find some people here in Congress and some right-wing fundamentalists arguing that, in the midst of the war on terrorism, attacks against the president of the United States border on indecency."

More on the godmocracy

Robert Kuttner on religious extremism and the separation of church and state:

[…] America, which separated church and state precisely to protect the private right to worship, has long had its share of religious absolutists who have wanted to harness the power of the state to their own view of revealed truth. But never before in our history has the government deliberately and cynically intervened on the side of the zealots. […]

I never thought I'd live to see a time when the Enlightenment -- the Enlightenment! -- was politically controversial. Democracy, like science, depends on debate, tolerance, and evidence. And in a democracy, nothing is scarier than a political force convinced it is getting irrefutable truth directly from God. […]

Banana split

Interesting (to me) New York Times article on multiracial demographics:

"Most Asians perceive me as white, and most whites perceive me as Asian," said Derrick Pfeffer, 21, who is Chinese and white and founded the Multiracial Biracial Student Association at the University of Maryland two years ago. As a result, he said, his white friends are surprised that he's extroverted and outspoken because it counters the Asian stereotype. His Asian friends are surprised when he speaks Mandarin and talks about Chinese family gatherings because they think of him as white. No matter what he does, he said, "people won't completely embrace you."

Time to bake the cookies

The ever-lovin' Fafblog interviews the Constitution:

FAFBLOG: We have fallen so far from the intentions of the Founders. But what about a hot topic like abortion? Is it covered by our right to privacy.
CONSTITUTION: A right to privacy? My goodness gracious, Fafnir! The Founding Fathers didn't want Americans to have a right to privacy! Privacy was what the British were trying to force down the throats of good patriots!
FAFBLOG: I can't believe I had it wrong all this time! What about all that stuff about search an seizure an troops in your house?
CONSTITUTION: More judicial tyranny! Police searches don't require probable cause, Fafnir - they require the officers present to call "dibs." And not only does the Third Amendment require you to quarter troops in your home, it requires you to serve them punch and cookies. Do you have punch and cookies for your troops, Fafnir?
FAFBLOG: No I don't! Oh no - I am unconstitutional!

Twinkies á l'orange

At the Florida Culinary Institute, do Twinkies constitute haute cuisine? Well, probably not, but some of the recipes sound amusing. Twinkie sushi still sounds amusing, but in general, there's far too much Cool Whip in the entries.

Bard-a-palooza?

Hey, Acme Theater gets a mention in the Globe: check out the brief interview with Dave Sheppard and synopsis of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).

LifeQuest

Steven F. (of Spamusement "fame") offers an interesting idea for personal productivity and motivation. Speaking as a City of Heroes addict^H^H^H^H^H^H^H player, I think it could work for me!

Premature senility

Ah, so that explains it. (At least now I have an excuse.)

Follow-up: Not to worry. It appears that it's really a load of marketing hooey.

Silence is rest the; thee follow I.

In honor of Acme Theater's production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged), I bring to you the Shakespearean Insult Generator:

Thou clay-brained guts, thou knotty-pated fool, thou whoreson obscene greasy tallow-catch! (Henry IV, part I)

Also, don't miss the Reduced Shakespeare Company's appearance on Jeopardy! They'll be providing the clues for one of the categories on Tuesday, April 26. (Check your local listings for times, or ask your TiVo to do it for you.) It'd be even funnier to see them as contestants on the show.

"It's time to rock it old school!'"

Wired News has an interesting article on the new i am 8-bit art exhibit in L.A.

Artist Luke Chuen agreed there's something inherently appealing about the low-res aesthetic. His canvas captures a Dig Dug villain at the exact moment it's about to explode. Chuen thinks the old games represent a turning point in art history.

"Creating characters that players could identify with and even develop emotional attachments to within an 8-bit environment forced designers to rethink the rules of 20th-century iconography and visual communication," Chuen said. "I can't think of another defining moment when the rules that governed the art world were forced to work with the rules that governed the math world."

Mmm… polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons…

I realize the article is about pancreatic cancer risk, but jeez, could you make hot dogs look any less appetizing? (Happily, tofu hot dogs seem to be just fine.)

Passover recipes

What's even better than Donna's evil chocolate cracker dessert? Making it for Passover— with matzo. Apparently "matzo crunch" is very popular.

Third time's a charm

(Note: non-CoHers will probably want to skip this post.)

After two failed attempts, HP Wuvcraft finally completed the Terra Volta respec trial! General consensus was that the previous attempts failed due to insufficient damage-dealing and control. The winning combo (for us) was 2 blasters, 2 tankers (1 of which was a fire AoE tanker), and 1 defender. Congrats to Misspelt, Mister Snow, Crispy Fries, and Doctor Dude!

Freakazette did this trial some time ago, and is about to get the Atlas Medallion (just need to get the Pupil badge). On a side note, did a little bit of badge hunting last night with Doc and Snow. Easy pickings on Striga if you need Family, Warriors, or Wolves.

Free Cone Day!

Soda, not pop

Does it get any better than this?

Went to see Garbage at Avalon this evening. They put on quite a show— I actually enjoyed them even more than I was expecting to. Afterward, walked over the bridge and had a bite at the Middle East (mmm… falafel). Finished up with a microsundae at Tosci's and rode home with the top down.

Birdhouse in your soul

For the second year running, I am happy to report that our birdhouse is occupied by chickadees. Today, I was outside gardening (i.e., pulling up hundreds of maple samaras that have fallen and are now sprouting in the lawn). The weather was gorgeous today, sunny and in the 70s. While I was weeding near the birdhouse, I distinctly heard peeping. No pix from our nest, but these should give you an idea. I particularly like the little punk guy in the last photo.

Brilliant.

Startling new underground group spreads lack of panic!

"We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we read, what we eat or whom we sleep with. Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity notes for the record that he does not have a moral code but is nevertheless a good person, and Unexalted Leader Garrote of Forgiveness stipulates that Brother Neutron Bomb of Serenity is a good person, and this is to be reflected in the minutes."

Bonus: the Unitarian Jihad Name Generator. My current fave is Sister Rail Gun of Compassion (although I also like Brother Spikey Mace of Love and Mercy).

I scream, you scream…

Woot! Only 4 days 'til Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day: Tuesday, April 19, 2005 (noon to 8 p.m.)

Gnome invasion

She's got good aim, you have to admit.

UPDATE: CNN offers this questionably worded headline: Woman beats off burglar with gnome. (The sad part is that I'm sure that someone's into that.)

Giant Octopus! Giant Octopus!

Ah, motherhood: Aurora the Octopus lives to see her eggs hatch into cute little mini-Cthulhus.

"Right now the newly hatched octopuses are being fed every hour by electronic, automatic feeder," says Ed DeCastro, Alaska SeaLife Center aquarist. "The octopuses are on a diet of two types of copepods and ground-up krill." Mmm… copepods.

The Alaska SeaLife Center web page has lots of pix, and a link to a .wmv movie that I can't get to work.

Twinkie the Kid rides again!

I read today that it is the 75th anniversary of Twinkies. Although I haven't eaten any Twinkies recently, they do not in principle disgust me. These recipes, however, make me feel a little oogy.

Reading about "Twinkie Bread Pudding" makes me want to reach for Al Sicherman's Caramel Knowledge and bake "Binkies" instead. In his cookbook, Mr. Sicherman makes the point that Twinkies taste good, and they're made with pretty crappy ingredients. But imagine how good it would taste if you made an actual sponge cake and filled it with actual cream filling. He offers recipes for Binkies, Bostess Bupcakes, Bing-Bongs, etc. I also enjoyed the chapter where he recreates snack foods such as pretzels, potato chips, and (unsuccessfully) Bugles.

I wish I knew who borrowed my copy… I guess I'll have to search the used book stores for another one.

Quickies!

• Dang, Nora is a cute kid. I love the Chucks.
• Swedish taste sensations: Mattias explained this to me once, and I asked him if it was an acquired taste. He considered this for a moment, then replied that it was the opposite of an acquired taste. If you eat it and you don't like it, you will never like it. (He also described filling up the sink with water, and opening the package underwater so that the stench doesn't leak out.)
• Eww. Eww. Eww. I don't like caterpillars.
• To counteract that mental image, I bring you this story: Awww. (Note: he's doing better now. And they named him Squirt.)
• I love The Onion. What do you think? and this week's Horoscopes.
• Watchmen: not dead yet.
• Gnome news from Alert Reader Elke. (She did not, however, point out this movie.)
  Posted by rv at 10:50 AM to quickies | Comments (1)

The letters speak to me.

I just watched a strange little vidlit about Scrabble and hidden meanings, entitled Craziest.