Click on the pic to see it larger.
Cell phone companies stink
You know, they charge you for airtime…so if you call someone and they don’t pick up so you hang up – it still counts against your time cause you were “on the air”.
Same thing applies when you call someone and it goes to voicemail. Except you need to listen to their greeting, then info from the stupid cell phone company. It’s a scam. You don’t have to listen to all that.
Blogger Jeremy Toemon runs down the three-key combo that will cover major cellphone carriers in the U.S.: One Star Pound. When you call a friend and want to leave a VM fast:
- Step One: Push 1. If your friend is on Sprint (or possibly Verizon, but not always), this skips the greeting and you are done, skip to End. IF you hear a message that says “One is not a valid option” skip to Step Three below, otherwise continue to Step Two.
- Step Two: Push *. If your friend is on Verizon, you’ll hear the beep, and can leave your message. Skip ahead to the end now.
- Step Three: Push #. This works for both AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers, and you’re all set to go.
So just remember One Star Pound (and listen to what happens in between). NY Times technology writer David Pogue is so incensed by carriers upping minute usage with lengthy automated messages he’s launching the “Take Back the Beep” campaign. Here’s how to let your feelings known to your carrier about wasting your time on the phone.
(via Smarterware.org)
The torture room
20% of the internet…
This made me actually laugh out loud.
cat in a bath "The Torture Room" from danilo Parra on Vimeo.
It’s really well done. But, why do cats need to be bathed? Don’t they do that licking thing to keep clean?
My Hero
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Quitter | ||||
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Jon Stewart talks about SarahP’s resignation and her incredible lack of logic. He also manages to get in some (well deserved) digs against all of the 24 hour news channels – especially CNN’s amazing lameness (but they’re referencing Twitter, so they’re hip and with it…)
You should also check out his interview with Bill Kristol last night. This is why he’s the most trusted man in news (according to a recent poll). He totally nailed BK – caught him saying that the best medical care in the world is provided by the US government to our veterans. He then tried to backpedal and say it wasn’t good care. It was great to watch and Comedy Central has posted the full, unedited version. Click here to watch it.
Fox News Oops…
Everyone’s favorite zealot, Bill O’Reilly did a show about the corrupt city of Amsterdam that has been taken over by criminals and is in a state of anarchy. Someone has made a video response that I found very enlightening.
BTW, I loved Amsterdam and I did not partake in either the brown (pot) cafes or the prostitutes. It was charming and beautiful and I felt safe walking the streets by myself both during the day and at night.
But I’m a nutty American liberal.
This is brilliant and beautiful
My friend Alyssa sent me a link to a 2003 documentary called Children Full of Life, now viewable in its entirety on YouTube (also embedded in this post). The film features a very unique 4th grade class in Kanazawa, where the teacher encourages students to keep journals, read them out loud in class, and then share deep, ordinarily inaccessible emotions with the rest of the students. For example, in the first section, they talk about death. Most teachers would shy away from talking about such subjects in class & they might deem it inappropriate, or opt to spend the time doing other stuff, or maybe it's just not customary to talk openly about such deep emotions in school. I certainly don't know that many classrooms, even in the US, where this is actively encouraged. But this teacher, one Mr. Kanamori, tells the children that their primary goal is to be happy, and that sharing feelings is part of the path to happiness.
Head over to Tokyomango to see the rest.
My whole world just collapsed
I’m pretty sure that the sun is now rotating around the earth. Nothing is right any more.
It appears that I agree with Ann Coulter.
I feel nauseous.
Naughty kitties
I guess it’s only naughty if they’re both the same gender, right? That’s what Republican kitties would say, I suppose.
Dmitri is a moron
Hmmm…what do you think about these voicemail messages? This guy is out of his mind IMHO.
My tip of the day
If you have sex with a 13 year old – no matter what names your neighbors call you – DO NOT CALL THE POLICE!
Cause, um…having sex with a 13 year old is against the law.
Apparently, no one told Arlayne Cheryl Curiel, 24 that it’s illegal to have sex with minors (a small oversight, I guess).
Here’s the story.
Smile
This kicked off my morning with a smile. I love that these folks approached their wedding with joy rather than focusing on the solemnity of the occasion.
This is why I can’t be a parent
I find this absolutely hysterical.
Duct tape – it’s not just for inanimate objects any more.
Cousins
Gus the dog asked me to post this highly amusing video of his cousins (well, they’re Westies…)
Beautiful!
Now this is an aquarium. Apparently, this is the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan. Music is “Please don't go” by Barcelona.
I can’t believe they have Whale Sharks in their aquarium. It must be HUGE.
Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.
The exploding internet
Click on the image to see a larger, and easier to read version from newscientist.com. This shows that 72.5% of the U.S. population is now on the internet, while only 19% of China’s population is on (as of 2008). But then look at the numbers…wow.
How does this then affect the internet in 10 or 15 years as more Chinese get access? And how does the Chinese government’s policies about the internet affect us if the overwhelming majority of internet users are Chinese? Can it?
Movie reviews
I have been a very very very bad movie-goer since I moved up here to the PacNW. I don’t know exactly why – there’s some decent theatres and quite frankly, it’s not like the weather (generally) prevents me from going…
Anyhoo, I saw two movies this weekend, which is probably a personal best since I got up here.
I LOVED 500 Days of Summer. It stars Zooey Deschanel who is just adorable and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (who was the kid on 3rd Rock from the Sun) and has turned into a really interesting actor.
Okay, so Zooey Deschanel has amazingly beautiful eyes.
Oh, to the story. It’s from the guy’s perspective about how he first met the girl of his dreams (Summer, played by Zooey and her beautiful eyes) and follows their relationship for the next 500 days. It jumps around a little, but it’s really easy to follow.
The script rocks. It’s intelligent and funny and interesting and feels real, unlike much of the dreck that comes from Hollywood. The two leads are great. They are both adorable and sweet and believable.
I know this is going to sound odd, but this is not a relationship flick. It’s about discovering who you are and what you want. I highly recommend it. Especially for Rosellen. Heh.
The second flick I saw this weekend was Moon starring Sam Rockwell. It’s an interesting piece and I’m amazed it kept my attention. Sam Rockwell is the only character in the flick. Ah, there’s a few moments of other people, but literally, he’s the only character. Ok, there’s a computer that he talks to, but seriously – he’s the only character.
He’s this dude in the future who’s stationed on the moon (by himself!) for a three year stint. Some company is mining the moon and generating the majority of the earth’s energy from it. And of course, they need someone onsite to make sure all is well and troubleshoot.
Something happens and suddenly he finds out that things are not what they seem to be. And neither is he.
Movie was okay – corporations are evil. You may want to wait to watch this one at home though. Sam Rockwell did a really good job in the flick and he’s not too hard on the eyes, so that definitely helps.
I’m going to try to hit some more flicks this week – probably sneak out to Harry Potter at some point when the kids are in bed or something (no, I don’t have kids – I just don’t like them around me when I’m trying to be entertained. Actually, I don’t mind if they’re quiet. It’s the noisy ones that bug me.
So, that’s Amy’s weekend movie reviews. I’m going to go mull over Zooey’s blue eyes now.
This is a real picture
Granted, because of the whole “2 dimension” thing you can’t really have a good perspective on how far away the plane is from the building, but still…
From the Daily Mail :
This is the moment a a US Navy pilot gave a shocked resident a very close look at his F18.
The fighter/bomber streaked past an apartment block on the banks of the Detroit River at the weekend.
It was part of a tactical demonstration fly-past to open a speedboat race in the North American city.
Officials waived rules to allow the Navy flyers to swoop under 100ft along the waterway.
Music rec
Jason’s got several albums available on Amazon (which means you can download them without DRM, which is a good thing – plays on your iPod or other music device). I just downloaded this one and just like Doomed to Make Choices (the other album of his I have), it’s really good. You can click on the album pic above or below to go to the link where Amazon will let you check out the tunes.
Support small artists people! (Yes, he’s a friend. But still, I really like his music.)
This looks like fun
Harry Potter has a good head on his shoulders
Nice interview in the Daily Beast today with Daniel Radcliffe about being cast as Harry Potter, 10 years of shooting HP flix and even about losing his virginity…also, he curses, which is kinda fun.
I’m not fighting the crowds to get to see the flick, but I definitely want to see it. I am a Potter fan.
Feminism and other serious thoughts
Recently, I jumped midstream into a Twitter “discussion” (as much as a discussion is possible on Twitter – which it isn’t, which is why I prefer Friendfeed, but that’s a totally different topic than the one at hand…). The topic seemed to be about whether a stay at home mom could be a “real” feminist.
Okay, so I don’t know what the official definition of feminism is (and yes, I’m feeling way too lazy this morning to type my way to it) but here’s the AmyGeek definition: "Feminism means that women’s options are not limited due to their gender.” That’s it. It’s not about the choices people make – as long as their choices are their own – and that they have options.
I have several friends who have made the choice to stay home and raise their kids. First of all, this is a major family decision – obviously, by choosing to limit their income to one wage-earner, this affects a family’s financial ability and choices. This is not a light decision for many/most people. In many situations, it’s not an option at all – people cannot support their families without two salaries. That’s just wrong. I could go on a whole rant just about that, but I’m doing my best to stay focused for the moment…
These friends who have decided to stay home with their kids do so because they feel it’s best for their children. Period. In some cases they have advanced degrees and had been out-earning their spouse prior to their pregnancy. These are not women who are lacking in opportunities – these are women who have weighed their options and made a decision that they feel is best for their family.
To me, this is feminism in action. They are not staying at home because they aren’t capable of working, because they’re pressured by others, because of some social stigma or because of some lack of intellectual curiosity.
Of course, this is obviously a middle class issue – many many women just don’t have the financial ability to make this choice. Of course, for most single moms (who don’t have some sort of trust fund), this just isn’t an option. Shame on our country for not taking better care of our women and children. (See, I really am a big ole liberal. Even though I respect stay at home moms.)
So for my stay at home mommy friends: I salute and respect you and your (feminist) choices. And if you need a break, I’m available for movie watching and comic relief.
Got Microsoft off my back
I was getting yelled at earlier this week because I hadn’t authorized my copy of Windows 7 so as punishment, Microsoft took away my desktop background and said that my copy of Windows wasn’t genuine (see link for evidence).
I was insulted. And a little irked cause my screen wasn’t pretty any more. Just cause I hadn’t done anything to prove that I was legally using their product. Whiners.
Got it straightened out now and am back to my pretty desktop:
Here’s my desktop (pretty, right?):
I love when science makes me look less crazy
UCSB brain researcher Jonathan Schooler has an intriguing theory about why our minds wander:
The regions of the brain that become active during mind wandering belong to two important networks. One is known as the executive control system. Located mainly in the front of the brain, these regions exert a top-down influence on our conscious and unconscious thought, directing the brain's activity toward important goals. The other regions belong to another network called the default network. In 2001 a group led by neuroscientist Marcus Raichle at Washington University discovered that this network was more active when people were simply sitting idly in a brain scanner than when they were asked to perform a particular task. The default network also becomes active during certain kinds of self-referential thinking, such as reflecting on personal experiences or picturing yourself in the future.The fact that both of these important brain networks become active together suggests that mind wandering is not useless mental static. Instead, Schooler proposes, mind wandering allows us to work through some important thinking. Our brains process information to reach goals, but some of those goals are immediate while others are distant. Somehow we have evolved a way to switch between handling the here and now and contemplating long-term objectives. It may be no coincidence that most of the thoughts that people have during mind wandering have to do with the future.
Thank you science.And Boingboing.
Disquieting Bedtime Stories
Esquire is starting a series of videos starring Mary-Louise Parker called “Disquieting Bedtime Stories”. She’s a great actress and not so hard on the eyes. And if you aren’t watching Weeds (or catching up on the series on DVD if you don’t have Showtime), you’re missing out on some seriously amusing entertainment.
Crazy man
This is (nutcase) Minister Leroy Swailes testifying before the Board of Elections and Ethics.
He makes up his own definitions of pedophilia, sadism and bestiality. In a way, this is good for free thinking (and educated) people because it illustrates just how ridiculous the arguments against gay marriage truly are.
"A beast has four legs and one gender. If you put two men together, you have four legs and two penises...that's one gender -- that's a form of bestiality."
Slapping my hand
Sigh. Microsoft is punishing me by taking away my background and generating errors saying my Win7 is not real. But it is! I swear!
Must straighten this out, eh? Who knows what they’ll take away next – copy & paste?
The way my mind works
Here’s what I notice about this picture:
Three men wearing sparkly gloves on their right hand and two men wearing sparkly gloves on their left hand. Which means they bought three pairs of sparkly gloves (to save some dough) and split them up.
Wha? Rational analysis on Fox News?
Liz Trotta (a conservative analyst often featured on Fox News) was interviewed about SarahP and said that she brought the media ridicule upon herself.
..a flashy person who gets into a lot of trouble and really has no credentials for any job…
Palin’s a big ole quitter
So, conventional political wisdom is that if you want a story to slip by the public, you release it late on Friday afternoon. That means it misses the Friday evening tv news and slips into the weekend news when folks aren’t paying attention.
Unfortunately for politicians, the interwebs do not have a “news cycle” as such. They’re all over news whenever and wherever it happens. We’ve removed the limitations of time and space.
So, SarahP in her infinite wisdom, decided to announce that she was stepping down as Governor of Alaska on a Friday afternoon – on a holiday weekend. Obviously, she was hoping to minimize the story.
Yeah, how’s that working out? Seems that the interwebs and the 24 hour news channels are all over it. I was just watching Fox “News” to try to see how they were spinning it but they were busy talking about other items, oddly enough. Everyone else is discussing it like crazy – it’s a good 4th of July conversation starter, doncha think?
Everyone seems to be taking a wait and let’s see what really motivated this particular decision attitude (although I’m all about making up rumors and spreading them – such as her affair with DICK Cheney, her Michael Jackson lovechild, the fact that she’s an alien, the fact that she’s a man, and so on…). The usual suspects are defending her (I’m talking YOU Bill Kristol) and everyone is trying to figure out if it’s because she’s about to be indicted, if she is just overwhelmed by the press attention, if she has a health issue, if she’s prepping to run for President (and the whole Governor thing just interferes with it) or what.
The funniest comment I saw was on Andrew Sullivan’s blog. He’s been all over her being a moron for a long time now. (BTW, he’s been doing an outstanding job of following and discussing the Iran situation lately.) Here’s the quote from Ezra Klein:
The main thing I'd point out about Sarah Palin's dazzlingly incoherent farewell is that it's pretty clear she wrote it herself. The proof is in the punctuation. The transcript was posted to her official Web site earlier today. The style is closer to a high schooler's angry diary entry than to an official speech. I've read a lot of speech transcripts. They tend to have fewer words in all capital letters. And fewer things in quotation marks that aren't actually, you know, quotes.
hahahahahahahaha! She would definitely be a president in the GWB mode, eh?
Happy 4th of July!
Culture, morality & patriotism brought to you by Sam the American Eagle and the rest of the muppets.
The right responds to Al Franken becoming senator
“Who’s safe now that Al Franken is going to be in the Senate?”
Time capsule
New Jersey in the 1992. From Jezebel:
From a documentary about the women of Wildwood, New Jersey, a popular summer spot.
Oh Joisey.
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