Before we get to the real reason most of you check my blog, I want to just mention that over this past weekend some friends of the wife and me went out to San Diego for Comic-Con. They had a great time and got to meet some awesome people. First off, a former professor, Dr. Travis Langley (also known as "Papa Llama" at Rocket Llama.com), was part of an academic panel which discussed the psychopathy of The Joker (Batman's nemesis). As part of the awesomeness that was this panel, the Joker's creator Jerry Robinson and producer of The Dark Knight, Michael Ulsan, both met with Dr. Langley and others to discuss whether the Joker met the criteria to be a psychopath and if he was insane. The real surprise of the event showed up on request of Dr. Langley himself: Adam West.
Yes, Dr. Langley now has Batman's cell phone number. It's some really great reading if you'll head over to Rocket Llama's site and read on from there. He also talks about getting to meet Lou Ferrigno again (in the company of Adam West) and how Dr. Langley's son, Alex, got to chat briefly with Stan Lee! Additionally, one of the gems of the Rocket Llama gang, Action Flick Chick was busy busy at Comic-Con interviewing various writers, artists, and other personalities on topics such as the worst superpower. She's another piece of the awesome team that makes up Rocket Llama and Marko's Corner (Marko had a bit of fun himself taking a bus from Arkansas to San Diego). Anyway, I bring this all up because it's just freaking awesome, and it is relevant to today's Happy Wednesday pics as they are all Cosplay beauties via Comic-Con. So, here they are...enjoy!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Happy Wednesday!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
WTF Fridays!
This a fun WTF Friday entry after the last one. It's a great video and shows the power of dance! But, really, what starts as one guy's crazy fun grows slowly to two, then three, and then the crowd just begins clumping larger and larger into one large dance party! It's just great that it started with the one guy who was just out to have a good time!
Super Sports Saturday: Climbing
Wow, this guy does the seemingly impossible by climbing the side of a building using a set of vacuum gloves he created with foot loops. It's great and surprisingly effective. That's just awesome!
Ennies 2009
"The Gen Con EN World RPG Awards (the "ENnies") are an annual fan-based celebration of excellence in tabletop roleplaying gaming. The ENnies give game designers, writers and artists the recognition they deserve. It is a peoples' choice award, and the final winners are voted upon online by the gaming public.Leia Mais…
The ENnies were created in 2001 as an annual award ceremony, hosted by the leading D&D/d20 system fan site, EN World in partnership with Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News. Since they were originally conceived the ENnies have expanded from an Internet-based awards selection to an annual award ceremony at Gen Con Indy. The ENnies have also branched out from their roots as an award ceremony focused upon d20 system publishers and products to celebrate the achievements of all tabletop RPGs and the publishers and products that support them.
With award categories recognizing the components that make a game great to the types of products fans have come to love, categories for fan-based websites and much more, the ENnies are the best way for fans to acknowledge outstanding effort from and to say "thank you" to the publishers, designers and artists who make this hobby great.
2009 is the 9th year of the ENnies, and the 8th time that they are hosted by Gen Con. "
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Techknow Thursday!
Alright, I have a couple of techknow gems for you all today as I am constantly trying to find the best there is or if not the best, the strangest. This first one is just a bit of novelty and a video which produces the question, how or why does that happen? The answer is still elusive as of right now, but should I find out, then of course, I will share with the class. It's simple. A guy places a piece of scotch tape on frosted glass which consequently allows him to see through the glass. Weird, but why does it work? The world may never know, but here's the video.
The other techknow beauty is this guy's invention. Apparently he's built an automatic safecracker (to open his own safe, of course). It's not much to look at for now, but I can see him selling this to whichever company sees it as the biggest liability -- or biggest asset. Not really, because it would take a while to get any safe open as the "box" basically runs through every possible combination to crack the safe, so it'll be there for quite some time. Personally, the best thing about the safecracker is its appeal with those two ominous eyes staring at you. That's just speaks advanced tech! Awesome indeed.
Because I'm a Sappy Kind of Guy!
Wow, so I enjoy hearing tales from various couples about their wedding day. I think that marriage really is a great institution and it does wonders for both man and woman if done in the spirit of love. Yep, I'm a realistic romantic...meaning I know there are things that have to happen and will happen no matter what, but one can always keep an optimistic outlook on life. With that being said, this is a very creative and fun wedding party entrance (i.e. groom and groomsmen with bridesmaids and bride). Watch it. You'll enjoy it even if it wouldn't be your cup of tea at your wedding.
Too Good Not to Post
Do you ever just start at reddit or digg or fark and just keep going by following various miscellaneous links on one page or another? Well, this is how I got to this picture which is just complete AWESOME! It's amazing that someone actually took the time to not only piece these doll parts together, but to actually set this up, photograph it, and post it for all of us to see. You're welcome!
Oh, and if that isn't enough, Stephen Fry (of Fry and Laurie with Hugh Laurie and of V for Vendetta) gave a great speech on piracy and its purposes other than getting free media. It's a really direct and insightful podcast which points out some great ideas. Here's the link as it is a podcast and I can't embed it here (or really, just don't know how if it's possible). Below, as an end to this post, is a superb quote from Mr. Fry in response to what he feels about his own work getting pirated:
"I am not trying to get points for being noble, but I think I'm in an overpaid, overpraised, overpampered profession and that I think I'm paid perfectly well enough. And if certain fish slip through the net, the mesh is still narrow enough for me to have a very lucky, privileged, and happy life spreading the work that I do which I do for pleasure. The money is a marvelous way of keeping score, and I do love certain luxuries at my age and size like traveling first class or whatever it might be. And if I couldn't do that because noone paid for copyrights of my work, then I'd go on the streets as a prostitute and earn it that way."Leia Mais…
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Word of the Day: Capitulate
- capitulate
- Pronunciation: \kə-ˈpi-chə-ˌlāt\
- Inflected Form(s): capitulated; capitulating
- Etymology: Medieval Latin capitulatus, past participle of capitulare to distinguish by heads or chapters, from Late Latin capitulum
- Date: 1596
And, now for the visual goodness that seals the deal for most people when learning new words from Google Images! Enjoy and learn! After all, we don't use our minds nearly enough as it is, and some use it much less than others! I fall on both sides of the line many times too. Capitulate.
Leia Mais…
Update and Insanity!
Remember that story I posted a couple weeks ago about the two midget wrestlers in Mexico who were killed by a prostitute? Yeah, that one. Well, police have a suspect, and get this, she's 65 years old! She's denying the charges, of course, but the story gets a bit better. Not only did she slip the wrestlers some eye drops into their drinks when neither wrestler was looking, but she had an accomplice. His name? "El Gordo," or "The Fat One!"
That's too good to be true! Awesomeness in the making, and I can totally see this becoming a movie already. Anyway, "The Fat One" is still on the loose, so keep an eye out all you Mexican midget wrestlers...he's coming for you! By the way, anyone looking for a good time from a 65-year-old prostitute is asking for something to go awry! Sheesh! All I can say is thank the gods this didn't happen in the states!
Anyway, on to bigger and better stories, when you go to the amusement park and ride a roller coaster, do you ever wonder, could I inline skate down this thing? Well, here's a guy who not only wondered but did the seemingly impossible and knowingly insane! Dirk Auer of Germany: just one reason you should read more British news!
Dirk traveled to the Mammoth roller coaster at Trips Drill theme park in Stuttgart, Germany to pull of this amazing feat! Known affectionately as an adrenaline junkie, it took Dirk 110 hours of sweat and dedication to fashion these amazing custom inline skates so that he could spend the next minute reaching speeds of 56 mph riding the full length of the 860 meter track!
Dirk, the crazy 36-year-old German had previously won the world's record of top speed inline skating for reaching speeds of 190 mph as he was dragged behind a Porsche GT2!! Wow, this guy is some kind of awesome! That is just incredible!
So what's next for this guy? He's not sure, but if I had to guess, I'm thinking it will involve skates, a 747, and a very, very long rope! We'll see, but he may want to keep rubbing that lucky horseshoe just in case!
Happy Wednesday!
No worries! I would never go without giving you a Happy Wednesday, especially after doing it last month and nearly losing my life! Sheesh, some people! Anyway, today is special corset day! I love a lady all snug in a beautiful corset and I'm sure you do too, so here are a few I thought to be worth your while!
Now try not to get too excited gents and ladies! Just enjoy the scenery, and until next time, Happy Wednesday!
Some Time Away...Update for Today
So, quite a bit has been going on while I've been away, and I must apologize to my readers. I know that some of you look forward to my bit of wackiness and insanity everyday and some of you just wish I would stop I'm sure! Well, after hearing about the mishap and craziness with Little Rock and the State Troopers, I have gone flying around Northwest Arkansas sending emails, faxing resumes, and turning in applications anywhere and everywhere. As of yet, nothing, but it's only been a couple of days. Also, I talked with the lady who would have been my supervisor at the Troop Headquarters up here, and she said that my 2.5 years at DeGray using the small radio there might be enough to get the position up here, but she wouldn't know until she spoke with the Captain who would have to chat with Little Rock. We'll see what happens!
In addition to that run of events, I've been hanging out with the local gamers up here having all sorts of fun and keeping my mind off of the serious depletion of funds and lack of gainful employment. Saturday was Game Day July '09 where a bunch of geeky gamers got together and played various RPGs. It was actually a lot of fun, and I was able to push my character to a spectacular death in a one-shot Call of Cthulhu game: Death at Luxor. It was great! I played a professor from the U. of Chicago by the name of Theodore Ruxpin and we spent a few hours "running" around Egypt to solve a mystery and prevent ancient alien monsters and gods from escaping and destroying the earth. Easy, right? Well, the first character to die did so at the hands of a bartender after giving too much lip.
My character was the next to die as I ate some alien bacteria which was designed to multiply and ooze as a green slime, and it did so from my stomach and out all orifices including eyes and ears and nose! I thought it was great, but to add to it my character decided to go out in a blaze of glory by lighting five sticks of dynamite to blow the tomb closed. I nearly killed the entire party of characters, but the escaped through the sand and sewage. Eww... But have no fear, as the other three characters, two females and a male, ended up fighting a large starspawn alien to their deaths so that the ritual could be completed with their sacrifice and keep the alien at bay for another 100 years. Yep, it was a lot of fun! If you don't roleplay, you might try it!
As for the other gamers, they played a game of Exalted, which I don't really know much about. And a third group played Paranoia XP which is basically what is sounds like. You spend the game paranoid about who's on a mission to kill your six-pack of cloned characters. Yes, death is so rampant in Paranoia that you have not one character, but six! Clones of one another with a hive mentality so that the six know the experiences of one another.
The game is a lot like the movie The Island where you live in a colony run by a computer. The computer knows all, and you're either a Loyalist (to the computer) or a Communist (against the computer) and if the computer finds out the Commies, it executes them. So, it's actually a great mix of paranoid people running around to complete goals and to stay alive. You can even get perversion points for completing goals skillfully or creatively (such as killing an enemy by loaning him your clean room suit that has plastic explosives taped behind the oxygen tank set to explode one minute from then -- yep, stuff like that). It actually reminds me of playing Goldeneye in multiplayer mode! It's got that feel to it!
Anyway, after Game Day was over at 5 on Saturday, we ate and then played a long game of Arkham Horror which is a board game designed around the Cthulhu mythos and the fictional city of Arkham (of Lovecraft origin). It's a game that feels like a mix of Clue, Risk, Stratego, with a bit of roleplay goodness in it. Truly unlike pretty much any other game out there! Lots of fun though, and we lasted until 2 am when the Ancient One "awoke" and devoured us all. Yep, it's fun being devoured...you should try it some time!
So, that was that. Sunday, we played a one-shot quick start to a new World of Darkness game coming out in August called Geist: The Sin-Eaters. You basically play someone who went to the brink of death, made a pact with a Geist (spirit) and came back to life as a dual-natured person. You have a give-take relationship with your geist, you can interact with ghosts, and in this one-shot we were a group of Sin-Eaters who formed the group The Bronx Saints and we had to chase down a ghost who was re-living and re-enacting the Son of Sam murders to open a gate to the underworld. We were supposed to stop him and did so by destroying his one tie to this world: a .44 revolver. Lots of fun and major kudos to Roy, the Storyteller/GM for this game! He did a superb job of getting through it and with loads of fun!
After that, on Monday, I got cracking with job hunts and resumes! And now it's Wednesday which means I couldn't, under any circumstances, miss posting today. It's the most sought after day of posts with Happy Wednesday which will be coming up here shortly! Thanks for reading! Good day.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Horror, Sanity Loss, and Priests!
So, over the past few years as I've become more and more acquainted with the world of table top roleplaying games, I've also become more and more intrigued by the horror world of H. P. Lovecraft and his mythos. The fact that someone created gods that cause terror and destroy everyone and everything in their paths and there's nothing we can do to stop or fight them is awesome (and understated at that)!! Oh, you might know another creation of his, especially if you like Bruce Campbell movies (or The Mummy - Book of the Dead): The Necronomicon. 
I think that too often do we get overexcited with our own race thinking we are the end-all, be-all of everything. To face alien Elder Gods whose one purpose is to destroy/devour everything is humbling in a freaky and horrific manner. Yay, Lovecraft! Anyway, here are a couple of nicely done comic pages from the web comic, Lovecraft is missing. I love the priest and his acid! Oh, and yes, I do know that the text is unreadable...that's because you should go to the site and read for yourself! It's great artwork!
Leia Mais…
Word of the Day: Amatory
- Pronunciation: \ˈa-mə-ˌtȯr-ē\
-
- Date: 1599
Google Images once again brings you the picture to enable better remembrance of the word and a visual cue to jog the memory...after all the next time you see something resembling the picture, I bet you'll think of the word amatory also. So, enjoy, learn, and have an "amatory adventure" or two!
Thank You Little Rock.
So, if you've kept up on here at all, you know that almost two months ago, I interviewed for the position of State Dispatcher at Troop L up here in Fayetteville (Springdale really). And along with that, I was told by everyone up here that I was good for the position. They wanted me, I wanted the position, everything was groovy. I was even sent a massive background packet to fill out.
Well, today, the wife received a call from the Captain in Springdale who said that in accordance with new rules from Little Rock's Central Office and the Governor, anyone wanting to work in the State Troopers' offices as dispatcher or trooper needs at least two years experience with the State Troopers' office. How a new hire is supposed to accomplish that, I don't know. What I do know is that despite all of his arguing on my behalf, the Captain has now informed me that the answer from Little Rock is no. ...
I even received excellent words from my former employer and references! I wanted this job, waited for this job, and now, all gone. Thank you Little Rock. Sometimes bureaucrats can be confusing, infuriating, and this time, depressing. Goodbye job...now, onto more applications. Sorry dear.
*Edit/Update: It would be remit for me not to thank my friends and wife for being there and encouraging me and just not allowing me to get down on myself about this. Thanks guys! You all are great!
WTF Fridays!
Well, it's a bit late in the day, but I've still made it with less than four hours until midnight (CST). As for today's entry, well, I had to read it a couple of times to let it sink in, but I'm still in a bit of shock. That being said, here is the link to the story. I just really can't believe this really happened...wow.
Anyway, a couple in Westwego, LA (just outside of New Orleans) lost their three-month-old child yesterday to rats. Apparently the police report hundreds of bites all over the infant's body and rat tracks on the baby's bed sheets in blood. Scary and horrifying, but I'm not sure that the rats actually were the killing culprit because the parents reported to not hear any screams which should have been heard had the baby been alive. Additionally, having dealt with animals and quite a few rodents, they don't usually act like this unless there is nothing else to eat or the baby were already dead. Either way, this is definitely a sad time for this family. The hospital has not yet officially released a cause of death, but I'll be keeping tabs on this story.
| Rat-bitten baby's mother tells her story |
I truly hope that the police and city officials can get to the bottom of this to protect the neighborhood and prevent something else like this from happening. Additionally, Child Services has taken the couple's other child from them for the duration of the investigation, but I really can't imagine a parent willingly allowing this to happen. Hopefully not. Leia Mais…
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Word of the Day: Mansuetude
- mansuetude
- Pronunciation: \ˈman(t)-swi-ˌtüd, man-ˈsü-ə-, -ˌtyüd\
-
- Etymology: Middle English, from Latin mansuetudo, from mansuescere to tame, from manus hand + suescere to accustom; akin to Greek ēthos custom
- Date: 14th century
And as is now the usual, here is the Google Images image for the daily word, mansuetude. Yes, mastiffs are generally known to be gentle dogs, so that is the reason the owner of this dog actually gave it the name Mansuetude. It's a beautiful dog, and I would love to have either a mastiff or a newfoundland any day! They're beautiful, loyal, and large!!
Leia Mais…
Techknow Thursday!
Wow, is it really Thursday again...already?! Okay, well for today's daily post, I have a few new pieces to share with you that all fit in the relevant topic, but I'll start with what seems to me as the best bit of news that could be implemented the fastest due to its need in society. We shall see...
It is a bionic/cybernetic arm that is controlled by thoughts alone...almost like the real thing! Anyway, there have been studies done with monkeys, as seen in the picture, where the monkeys were able to feed themselves with the arm simply through the power of thought! That's is awesome! Hey, I wonder if they could graft these things onto people who already have two arms? Wouldn't that be handy (pun intended)?! Anyway, the research and pictures come via the University of Reading and I came across it in the UK's Daily Mail Online news. You should really read the entire article, but one of the most amazing things is the sensor that allows the arm to read the monkey's thoughts. Check out the size of this tiny thing!
So, yeah, that's amazing technology that could really assist the multitudes of people who have lost a limb or both whatever the reason. And this next piece of advanced tech might just get the paraplegic and quadriplegic moving and shaking. It's codename is "HAL" (a bit scary, but okay) which is a Hybrid Control System undergoing development by CYBERDYNE, Inc. of Japan.
"HAL" is a two part system which works together to allow the person to get up and walk around. It is, from the looks of it, a bit further off in the future than the cyber arm, but it will mean that the thousands of bedridden people who have suffered from accident or disease, would again be able to do simple things like getting up and going outside or even just sitting up! This is wonderful and I hope that it really gets off the ground and into mass production quickly. Apparently, I can't offer you any pictures, but use the link to check out how this incredible machine will aid in motorlocation for the body. It's fascinating!
Alright, so the last two pieces of technology are great and fantastic developments designed to aid those persons who have been left at a bit of a detrement in just being able to complete some of the many basic tasks that you or I do on a daily basis, and while many of those individuals have been able to work around their problems, this is a great saving grace for some of them.
This last advancement is purely for improving our entertainment and communications while still looking aesthetically pleasing instead of a jumble or wires. The company of Goldsmiths, in conjunction with TalkTalk (I love the way the guy in the video says "rooter" for router - awesome), have developed a few internet routers with the aim of functionability and improving the aesthetical value of the box that many of us simply tuck away in some corner in order to use the internet. The video is below explaining the routers uses and looks, but I've included a couple of still photos for those of you who may not be able to view the YouTube clip.
And here are the photos(sorry they're a bit grainy, but I had to capture them from the video). This first one is the router clockface which allows the users to view the best time(s) of the day to use the internet via the colors on the face and also simply tells the time of day like any other clock.
This next one is a router that has another function as an end table. It looks pretty great.
The third router they are developing is an energy saving router that holds four sets of keys. When the last set of keys is lifted from the router, the router turns off in order to stop using power. Pretty neat, as long as there are four or less people living in the home.
And the last piece is called the jellyfish because that's what it looks like. It's mainly an art piece that functions as a router and includes ethernet cables for LAN parties or what not. I like this one, but if I were to purchase one, it would probably be the end table. I like that one most due to the dual functionality. So there you have it. Four awesome routers and the end to this segment of Techknow Thursdays!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Word of the Day: Limn
- Pronunciation: \ˈlim\
- Inflected Form(s): limned; limning \ˈli-miŋ, ˈlim-niŋ\
- Etymology: Middle English limnen to illuminate (a manuscript), probably back-formation from lymnour illuminator, alteration of lumenur, from Anglo-French aluminer, enluminer to illuminate, ultimately from Latin illuminare
- Date: 1592
And before I just post a picture derived from the word of the day, I feel that I should at least explain a little. The heart in the photograph is a sign for the Limn art gallery which consequently explains the connection to the word. So, there you are, Google Images has not failed us yet!
Happy Wednesday!
This Wednesday, I thought I'd allow you to check out Co-Ed's girls for yourself, and I'm bringing you a special sexy school girl session this week. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Movie Guessing Game
Alright, now for a game...what do the following actors and actress share in common?
Give up? Their all starring (or directing in the case of Ridley Scott) in the upcoming new Robin Hood movie starring Russell Crowe as the bowman himself and Cate Blanchett as his Maid Marian. I'm quite excited about this for all of the reasons above! It's truly a star-studded cast and what's great is that the movie is expected to open the Summer of 2010 (mid-May).
Therapeutic Tuesdays!
This idea also comes from the wonderful mind of my wife! To start this topic off right, and since I've begun reading The 60-Second Shrink (by Lazarus & Lazarus), I decided that everyone needs to know how to de-stress their lives. If not, one might explode! So, now it's a good idea to go through this process at least twice a day if not every few hours.
1.) Sit in a relaxed position, preferably leaning back at least a bit.
2.) Close your eyes.
3.) Breathe slowly and regulate your breathing.
4.) One by one, loosen your muscles from feet to head to fully relax and release the tension.
5.) Imagine some sort of pleasant, peaceful scene (essentially a daydream).
This simple process can take just a few minutes, but it allows you to just forget about those around you, especially the extra annoying persons you can't seem to escape. So, the next time you feel like exploding, don't. Simply go and sit back and relax a little. This will make your work environment an easier place to be.
Word of the Day: Lothario
- Pronunciation: \lō-ˈther-ē-ˌō, -ˈthär-\
- Inflected Form(s): plural lotharios
- Usage: often capitalized
- Etymology: Lothario, seducer in the play The Fair Penitent (1703) by Nicholas Rowe
- Date: 1756
This word came via freerice.com where you can answer vocabulary questions to gain free rice which correlates to rice donated to the United Nations Food Program (so go play it often). What's even better about this though is the photo that Google Images delivered (and many others were really NSFW - try it when you're at home...Wow). This guy is a bit whacky.
Belated Word of the Day (Monday): Velleity
- Pronunciation: \ve-ˈlē-ə-tē, və-\
-
- Inflected Form(s): plural velleities
- Etymology: New Latin velleitas, from Latin velle to wish, will
- Date: 1618
This word choice is actually from my wife yesterday. In fact, if you wish to know the whole of it (which, if you're even reading this, I assume you do), the entire "Word of the Day" post decision came via the wife as she always has some random word for each day. As she says, " Good words like when you show them off and introduce them to new friends." As for the Google Images version of velleity, I happened to find this jewel from someone in or at least visiting Toronto in Canada (just in case there are other Torontos out there - don't want to confuse anyone).
Leia Mais…
Update for this Tuesday Early-ish Morning
So, I was just checking my e-mail and reading some of the blog updates to which I have subscribed when I check the updates from Geeks Are Sexy. The video below was included in the update. This girl is amazingly fascinated with the AR-15 rifle she is field stripping and then reassembling. It's great to watch, and short at only one minute long. And who said American kids weren't talented?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Manly Mondays: Versus Mode
For today, I thought I'd just do a small photo exercise comparing various ways men have captured the essence of manliness and how others just failed miserably. To start off, while they are not homo sapiens, I think that starting with these gorillas is still appropriate, and whoever captured this moment did so superbly.
Not Quite There, Maybe Another Spray?
The Epic Grill of Manliness
There's just something missing here
Crazy Tough Manliness
Failure to Achieve
Just Some Old-Fashioned, Presidential Manliness
Sorry, but This Doesn't Cut It
Manliness in the Female Form
