If you’re looking for furniture or kitchen gadgets for your house, you might like to check out Cribcandy.
This site features many items for your house filed under numerous categories (such as appliances, heating, pets, doorstops, and eco-friendly).
Here are just a few of the items listed:
• a bent plywood pet dish
• cupcake containers
• pizza fork
• towel warmer
• a chair named “This Chair Forces Me To Read Books”
I didn’t know there were such things as pizza forks.
Posted by Amy as Domestic at 4:58 AM EDT
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One night six friends decided that civilization was doomed. Why? Not because of natural catasrophes or global warming, but because “of the idiocy of our times.”
As a result, they started the 10,000 Reasons Civilization Is Doomed website.
On this site, they say
we are tired of the fake optimism, superficiality, non-talented celebrities, doped-up athletes, dishonest and illiterate politicians, corporate thieves, wife-beaters and evangelical terrorists rampant in the world today and we decided that one way of making ourselves feel better would be to list them for all the world to see and to add upon.
So they started their list. Here are some of the entries that I also sigh over:
• American Idol
• incessant whining and complaining—then not doing a damn thing about it
• reality shows
On the other hand, here are some that I disagree with:
• people who still use cheques
• pop music
• engagement and wedding rings
Via Yahoo! Picks.
Posted by Amy as Popular Culture at 7:15 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Here’s a meme that I saw quite a while ago but never got around to working on until today.
1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
No.
2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
I don’t even go on roller coasters!
3. When’s the last time you’ve been sledding?
Never. That’s shocking, coming from someone who lives through Saskatchewan’s winters, but true.
4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
Well, it depends . . .
5. Do you believe in ghosts?
I keep an open mind.
6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Yes.
7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Yes.
8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
I’ve heard of both but don’t know anything else about them.
9. Do you stay friends with your ex’s?
I don’t have any, unless you count two boyfriends from when I was 15 and 16. I’ve been with my husband since I was 17.
10. Do you know how to play poker?
No.
11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
Good Lord, no. I managed 23 hours once when I was 18.
12. What’s your favorite commercial?
I love—love!—the Geiko commercials with the talking gecko. Some commercials make me hit the mute button or change channels; this one makes me turn the sound on and up.
13. What are you allergic to?
Feathers.
14. If you’re driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights?
No. I’m hopelessly law-abiding.
15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
No.
16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
Toronto Blue Jays. Oh, o.k.—the Sox.
17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?
Once, for about 5 minutes.
18. How often do you remember your dreams?
Most mornings I remember at least one.
19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
Maybe a year ago?
20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?
Penny Lane, Revolution, Love Me Do, Back In the USSR, She Loves Me
21. What’s the one thing on your mind now?
This questionnaire.
22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is?
No, but it sounds funny (funny ha-ha).
23. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Yes.
24. What cell service do you use?
SaskTel.
25. Do you like Sushi?
I’ve never had it.
26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
Yes (a semi once sped through a red light; thank goodness that I double-checked).
27. What do you wear to bed?
Humph.
28. Been caught stealing?
Nope.
29. What shoe size do you have?
Depends on the shoe. 8, maybe?
30. Do you truly hate anyone?
No,.
31. Classic Rock or Rap?
Classic rock.
32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?
Humph.
33. Favorite Song?
Nessun Dorma.
34. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror?
No.
35. What food do you find disgusting?
Eels, octopus.
36. Do you sing in the shower?
No.
37. Did you ever play, “I’ll show you mine, if you show me yours”?
No.
38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
Definitely not.
39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?
Yes.
40. Have you ever been punched in the face?
Not yet!
Via Edward Champion’s Return of the Reluctant.
Posted by Amy as Memes at 7:41 AM EDT
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Defective Yeti imagines an interaction with a bank machine with attitude.
The machine’s questions range from “Not a prob. How much you lookin’ to get?” to “Aw, c’mon man, I’m just bustin’ your balls a little. You got a stick up your ass or sumthin’?”
I’m rooting for the machine.
Via Defective Yeti.
Posted by Amy as Humour at 6:18 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Are you fascinated by sand? Do you collect samples of it to admire? If so, then here’s a website for you: The International Sand Collectors Society.
There’s a wealth of material here. Some of the information includes the following:
• the difference between sand and the different types of silt or gravel (cobbles, pebbles, and granules)
• information on sand collecting as a hobby
• information on sand for educators
• extreme close-up photos of sand
The society welcomes new members and its annual fees are very reasonable.
Posted by Amy as Science & Nature at 5:53 AM EDT
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Bear with me, people, I’ve had to uninstall WordPress. I’m currently re-installing; things will be back to normal around here soon.
Thanks for your patience!
Update: I think things are up and running as usual here. If you find any bugs, please let me know.
Posted by Amy as Blog Housekeeping at 8:29 PM EDT
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Some long-suffering fans of DVD audio commentaries have put together a list of the commentators they find most annoying. You can read it at Inventory: The 15 People You Meet Listening to Audio Commentaries.
Here are some of the types:
• the professor
• the party crew
• the bloodless technician
I’ve listened to some commentators who fall into some of their categories, and there are others I have yet to encounter (although I’m sure it’s just a matter of time).
Via #!/usr/bin/girl.
Posted by Amy as Television & Movies at 6:53 PM EDT
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Roddy at Vitamin Q has a list of 32 different Types of Rock.
Some of the categories he mentions are country rock (The Eagles), hard rock (AC/DC), art rock (King Crimson), and hair rock (Poison).
I had no idea there were so many categories of rock music.
Posted by Amy as Music at 6:49 PM EDT
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If you’re a fan of Mr. Spock, check out Quotes From Mr. Spock.
Click on the photo of Mr. Spock to get a new quotation.
Here are a few samples:
• Violence in reality is quite different from theory.
• In critical moments men sometimes see exactly what they wish to see.
• There’s a certain inefficiency in constantly questioning me on things you’ve already made up your mind about.
Via WOW–Wonders of the Web.
Posted by Amy as Popular Culture, Television & Movies at 6:42 PM EDT
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I discovered an unusual take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice: a slideshow of photos by Annie Leibovitz.
The photos are of model Natalia Vodianova as Alice. In each photo Vodianova is wearing an outfit by a different designer and posing in a scene that recreates Carroll’s work.
The designer is always somewhere in the photo, usually as another character (e.g. Jean-Paul Gaultier as the Cheshire Cat).
Via Everything Isn’t Under Control.
Posted by Amy as Photography at 6:35 PM EDT
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I’ve always been interested in what people eat, especially the unusual foods.
I did a survey one time of friends and family and these were some of the unusual items that they ate or that they had watched others eat:
• chocolate syrup on sauerkraut
• pina coladas made with Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup
• baloney spread with marmalade, rolled up, and fried
• sandwiches made with white bread and raw hamburger
Now I’ve discovered a web site devoted to this topic: Utterly Outrageous Recipes. It lists such culinary wonders as the following:
• hot pepper milk shake: made with hot peppers, lemon juice, hot sauce, vanilla ice cream, and milk
• cheddar cheese in coffee
• ketchup in coffee
• mustard on ice cream
This is an utterly fascinating, if sometimes creepy, browse.
Via Weblog V2.
Posted by Amy as Food at 6:30 PM EDT
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Dentist David Steele recently put two gold crowns on his cat Sebastian’s bottom canines.
Steele explained that Sebastian’s canines had come in unusually, and he was concerned problems would result. The dental work was a preventative measure.
But did they have to be gold?
Via Boing Boing.
Posted by Amy as Animals at 6:21 PM EDT
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Here’s a site for nostalgia: Terms of the ‘70s, Slang of the ‘70s.
I grew up in the ‘70s; I still rememer when most of these words were current. Phrases like “Keep on truckin’” and “You’re so stunned” were part of everyday life then.
I can’t say I’m sorry to see them less popular now.
Posted by Amy as Popular Culture at 6:15 PM EDT
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Here’s an interesting concept for a museum: the online Museum of Small Things.
The items featured here are often so small they are only visible through a microscope.
There are four collections:
· the freshwater collection
· the marine collection
· the insectarium
· the botanical garden
Some items featured include the water flea, a mosquito wing (which is amazingly attractive up close), algae, and daisy pollen.
I would have like to see a little more information on some of the material, as some of the displays only have a label with no explanation of what they are. For example, I have no idea what a sessile is.
Despite this, the site is still a good browse.
Posted by Amy as Museums at 6:43 AM EDT
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If you’d like a little humour to brighten your day, check out Ian Frazier’s Old Testament Parenting: Laws of Forbidden Places.
Here’s a sample:
And though your stick of carrot does indeed resemble a marker, draw not with it upon the table, even in pretend, for we do not do that, that is why. And though the pieces of broccoli are very like small trees, do not stand them upright to make a forest, because we do not do that, that is why.
You don’t have to belong to the Judeo-Christian tradition to appreciate this.
Via Books, Inq.
Posted by Amy as Humour at 6:57 AM EDT
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Here’s an entertaining article: Sports Superstitions.
I’d heard that athletes, especially professional players, were superstitious. This article spells out a few of the quirks of specific athletes and also lists some common superstitions according to the game.
Thanks to this article, I now know the following:
Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra gets dressed the same way every day, makes sure to step on each dugout step with both feet, and tugs at his batting gloves and taps his toes during each at-bat.
I’ve also learned that bowlers believe that wearing the same clothes will continue a winning streak, and that in both rodeos and tennis you should never wear yellow.
Golfers apparently should only begin with odd-numbered clubs.
Via Yahoo! Directory—What’s New.
Posted by Amy as Sports at 6:25 AM EDT
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Here’s an interesting article: “Hoarders vs. Deleters: What Your Inbox Says About You”.
According to psychologist Dave Greenfield, how we handle our incoming E-mail is a reflection of how we handle the rest of our lives.
He says “If you keep your inbox full rather than empty, it may mean you keep your life cluttered in other ways.”
He’s not full of approval for those who have super-tidy inboxes, either.
If you obsessively clean your inbox every 10 minutes, you may be so quick to move on that you miss opportunities and ignore nuances. Or your compulsion for order may be sapping your energy from other endeavors, such as your family.
The article cites the example of one person (a finance executive) who had 10,000 E-mail in his inbox, presumably unread.
Perhaps part of the problem here is not that these people are always disorganised (although I’m sure that’s true for many).
But some of them too may dread dealing with E-mail simply because they read slowly, type slowly, and hate to write. An E-mail that would take some people two minutes to respond to might necessitate 15 minutes work on their part.
Via LifeHacker.
Posted by Amy as Popular Culture at 7:46 AM EDT
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Apparently Mick Jagger has now, after over 40 years of being a lead singer, decided to take voice lessons.
No, it’s not because he wants to change his style—he wants to learn how to take care of his voice.
Via Knotted Knickers.
Posted by Amy as Music at 5:25 AM EDT
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Rabbi Yonassan Gershom tells us that there is a Jewish origin to the Vulcan salute.
Rabbi Gershom has a manuscript that covers this (and other related matters); it’s called Jewish Themes In Star Trek. He’s currently seeking a publisher for it.
It would be fun reading for Trekkers; according to the Rabbi’s web site, it contains such topics as whether Vulcan culture is based on rabbinical Judaism and whether Worf is a Klingon version of a ba’al tshuvah (which, according to Jay Litvin’s article, means a “returnee to Judaism”).
Via Rebecca’s Pocket.
Posted by Amy as Popular Culture, Television & Movies at 3:35 AM EDT
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Well, here’s a good spoof site to check out: the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
Bobby Henderson got tired of U.S. schools teaching creationism (aka Intelligent Design) as science. In his words,
I don’t have a problem with religion. What I have a problem with is religion posing as science. Teach creationism in school, fine, but DON’T teach it in a science classroom. Science = the study of repeatable, observable, natural phenomena. Accepting a supernatural explanation is a cop-out. It’s faith, NOT science.
As a result, he sent letters to those schools teaching creationism:
Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him.
It is for this reason that I’m writing you today, to formally request that this alternative theory be taught in your schools, along with the other two theories. In fact, I will go so far as to say, if you do not agree to do this, we will be forced to proceed with legal action. I’m sure you see where we are coming from. If the Intelligent Design theory is not based on faith, but instead another scientific theory, as is claimed, then you must also allow our theory to be taught, as it is also based on science, not on faith.
Read the rest of his letter on his home page, and check out all the rest of his great site too.
One of the more popular sections is his Hate Mail blog. It’s both funny and sad.
Via In The Middle.
Posted by Amy as Humour, Religion & Spirituality at 5:23 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Here’s a terrific site: TurtleKiss.com
Thanks to his person, Kira, Koopa the turtle has managed to produce artwork currently for sale on eBay; it hangs in 49 of the 50 states. 20% of the profits go to turtle rescue groups ($10,000 US has been donated so far).
There are also some great videos of Koopa on YouTube.
Via Boing Boing.
Posted by Amy as Animals at 7:26 AM EDT
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Well, this is fun: the Pseudo-Elizabethan Name Generator.
This generator is subtitled “The Suburban Subdivision Placename Generator,” and the suggestions they create are pretty apt parodies.
Maybe we’ll give our house a name. The trouble is, there are so many wonderful possibilities to choose from just in the first page of names: Peasewynne, Ulversgate, Featherbottle, or Cunningcleak.
I like Thrushwalk, even though there are no thrushes to be seen in our neighbourhood.
This would be a great site to find a name for a new blog!
Via Paperback Writer.
Posted by Amy as Humour at 2:04 AM EDT
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Here’s an article from the New Yorker Online called “Atlantic Crossing”.
In it, pop music critic Sasha Frere-Jones talks to Ben Freeman about the differences and similarities between North American and British pop, the evolution of British pop, and much more.
I don’t agree with their assessment of ColdPlay, but it’s a good article despite that.
Posted by Amy as Music at 8:44 AM EDT
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On Sunday Rickie Lee Jones released a new song aimed at voters everywhere.
You can listen to “Have You Had Enough?” for free; click on this link to get to the Crooks and Liars blog; once you’re there, click on the Audio-MP3 link.
Via Robot Wisdom.
Posted by Amy as Music, Politics at 8:34 AM EDT
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Here in Saskatchewan it’s our civic holiday, a time to celebrate the province.
There aren’t any activities organised that I’m aware of, but to do my bit to promote the province, here’s a list of links:
· Wikipedia entry on Saskatchewan
· SaskTourism
· Official Provincial Government Website
· Virtual Saskatchewan (an online magazine)
· CBC Saskatchewan
· SaskBlogs Aggregator
Posted by Amy as Special Days/Weeks at 8:08 AM EDT
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Today is the final day of a festival in Tintagel, Cornwall that celebrates the final battle of King Arthur.
The festival features two mock battles which involve over 600 people. Participants train once a week all year round to learn how to use the weapons (real, but blunted) and how to defend themselves.
Over 1,000 people watch the battles, one of which is a re-enactment of the final struggle between King Arthur and Mordred.
There are also contests for those who want to show off their skills with swords or bows and arrows.
You can read more details of the festival here and you can see the official web site of Tintagel here.
Posted by Amy as History, Travel at 4:41 AM EDT
2 Comments »
Here’s an interesting little calculator. It’s not meant as a joke; the numbers are generated based on research into the value of each link.
Tristan Louis explains that, “Many in the blogosphere say that traffic is not a good measure of what blogs are but that conversation, as represented by links and indexes like Technorati, represent a more accurate view of the value of a blog.”
Accordingly, Dane Carlson built this little tool for us to figure out what our blog is worth in (American) dollars.
Via random Walks.
Posted by Amy as Blogs and Bloggers at 7:31 AM EDT
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Would you like to know what kind of flowers Keith Richards wants in his dressing room? What station the boys in the band want their television tuned to?
Check out the band’s 8 pages of specifications.
There’s an intro at the top of this page; to see the complete details of the band’s requirements, scroll down to the very bottom. In the left hand corner there are numbers from 1-8; these are the links to the 8 pages of the document.
Two nuggets: the band brings along its own snooker table, and Mick Jagger needs a running area.
Posted by Amy as Music at 7:27 AM EDT
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You remember Owen, the orphaned baby hippo who bonded with Mzee, a giant tortoise?
Owen will soon be introduced to Cleo, another hippopotamus. It’s hoped that he will learn about hippopotamus behaviour from her.
For updates and photos of Owen, Mzee, Cleo, and other animals in the sanctuary, see Owen and Mzee’s Web Log.
There’s a photo of Owen resting his chin on Mzee’s shell that’s particularly charming.
There’s also a photo of Owen and Mzee eating along with a bushbuck (a very shy antelope).
Via Popbitch.
Posted by Amy as Animals at 6:36 AM EDT
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Here’s a good list if you’re a fan of movies: the Top 50 Movie Endings Of All Time (warning: spoilers).
I was pleased to see Hannah and Her Sisters listed there, and not at all surprised at the rank of Citizen Kane.
Via Boing Boing.
Posted by Amy as Television & Movies at 6:34 AM EDT
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