Just for one of you...

Here's the link to This American Life's episode about money being fiction. It's worth a listen.

And just to fill the space so this is sort of a real update...

Um, here's a link to a recent, fun Family Guy episode in which Brian and Stewie travel to the past to find Brian's tennis ball.

And a nicely done Google music commercial...

Two from the Enquirer

The Cincy Enquirer is an awful newspaper. Awful, I say...

That being said, two articles from this weekend caught my eye...

• Sharonville cuts ribbon on Twin Creek reserve - Very cool little story about Sharonville's neewst park and nature preserve. It's right up against I-275, but it sounds kinda cool.
• Knotty Pine restaurant closes - Only temporarily, though. I gotta get down there for some Cajun food whenever they open back up.

College Football excitement

Great last 24 hours of college football...

• #2 Ok State...loses 37-31 in double OT
• #4 Oregon...loses 38-35 when they miss a tying FG on the last play of the game
• #5 Oklahoma...loses 45-38 with a TD from Robert Griffin III with 8 seconds left
• #7 Clemson...waxed 37-13 by NC State
• #9 Stanford...barely leading at half 14-13 hosting California (hung on for 31-28 victory, natch)
• Wabash beats Illinois College 38-20 to open the DIII playoffs

Oustanding...

We all await Zorp...

...in the meantime, The Girl and I are going to try out Virgil's Cafe in Bellvue tonight. Their beef hamburger was rated #7 by Cincy Mag a while back, and we need to get us back on the burger train.

• Oedipus - These are my people.
• Little People - Spectacular tiny folks 
• Fake Any Thing -  See, what they do is take products from movies and make real ads and stuff for them.
• Nuna Plati tears it up with Elektra, Green Lantern, Iron Fist, and more... - Grooving it to the style
• Offerman Woodshop - It can't get any better than knowing that Ron Swanson actually is that much of a man. Thanks, Katydid, you rock.

• Dear John - seriously, these are my people
• SuperPunch tumblr - He runs a second blog, too?
• "End of the World" - Best episode of Parks and Recreation yet. It's really nice.
• From Bill Simmons - Suck it, Bill.

  For the past four and a half months, I've been walking across America, raising money for heart transplant patients, raising awareness for organ donation and exploring ways to fight tedium amid eight hours in a cornfield or feed lot. I've even had occasion to read your columns, Internet connection providing. As I was approaching the Queen City this week I thought of your recent QB Power Rankings and the breakdown of Matt Schaub as the league's version of beige window blinds. Then it struck me, that Cincinnati is the Matt Schaub of U.S. cities. Has anything about the city been relevant since 1979 (The Big Red Machine, the Who concert tragedy and WKRP's "Turkeys Can't Fly" episode)? Have you ever heard someone excited to get back to Cincinnati, or conversely, decry what has become of the once-great Queen City? It's just there, as it always is. Couldn't Matt Schaub really be a metaphor for that which that stirs no discernible passions, interest or derision? As in Simon & Simon was the Schaub of '80s detective shows or John Jay was the Schaub of the Founding Fathers?
  — Mikey Walks, Los Angeles

• Against the Grain -Stop motion doesn't get any more stopy or motionish

Hudson - Against The Grain from Dropbear on Vimeo.

• Hoosiers myth: Norman Dale takedown - I've never considered this, but it doesn't change the ranking of the favorite movies.
• Online Documentary of the Day - Life in a Day is entirely online...for free.
• Afternoon snack -  "Green Onions" never looked so good...or so weird
• The Miami Marlins - worst home run celebration to-be in the majors

• I will never Lego - Not that they have a choice...
• Movie Trailer of the Day - Mirror, Mirror may be the first movie with Horseface that looks good to me.
• Time-lapse view from space - gorgeous

Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.

The 80s rocked

But we're not talking about Guns-n-Roses or Twisted Sister, we're talking about Springsteen, J Giles Band, John Cougar, even Michael Jackson.

Take a listen to today's 80s playlist.

Random ten...a twist

Today's random ten...iTunes, in this order,  pooped out these ten songs.

Here's the closest I could come to actual video of the songs on iTunes...

TableTopics: #27

What's your favorite book and movie?

• Slaughterhouse Five - The emotional connection of this one turns it into so much more than a weirdo sci-fi book, even though that's what it kinda is.
• Sandman - Tears by the time I get to the end of this one, once the wake comes around...wonderfully rich characters in a wonderfully looping story. The absolute editions are gorgeous.
• Planetary - The finite nature of this comic series, admittedly, helped me get into it, but that's not what's spectacular about it. The combination of so many cultural references surprisingly creates an entirely new something that's beautiful.
• All-Star Superman -  There's not been a better Superman story told, and there aren't many better tales. We've pretty much never gotten this resonant a story from the comics.
  
• The Electric Brae - This one has a long, long history in my world. The copy I have was sort of stolen from the New Albany-Floyd County Public Library. It came into my world at a very needy time, and it's been perfect for me for a number of rereads. Pretty much everybody I hand it to doesn't believe that it's all that much good, but for me, it's everything I want and need.
• Infinite in All Directions - Another one that came into my world at a time when I needed something. The connection with Aberdeen certainly didn't hurt. Intelligent exploration of science and how it affects our world, what it means to one great scientist.
• Fight Club -  The book is better than the movie, seriously.
• Brave New World - I've loved this since I read it in high school. Brilliant exploration of modern culture and eugenics and mass production...and I love the misunderstanding of today's culture from the future archeologists.
• Iowa Baseball Confederacy - Found this one in the Wabash bookstore as a frosh. Cost me a whole dollar. Best $1 book I've ever bought. Wonderful balance of magic and sports...great love story.

I'll go for All-Star Superman from the comic world and Slaughterhouse Five from the non-. I read Slaughterhouse Five every couple of years, and I love it every time.

In case you're late to the party, here's the deal...

Here's what I've answered so far...

• #25 - "I Know What Love Is" by Don White
• #35 - no business 
• #36 - MLK, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall 
• #16 - Scotland...Wabash...my first college visit home
  
• #19 - No 
• #22 - skydiving
• #24 - Beastie Boys in NYC
• #27 - Fight Club, Grosse Pointe Blank, Hoosiers, or Primer...
  

Already requested answers...they'll be answered (probably in this order)...

TableTopics: #27

What's your favorite book and movie?

I've had a canned pair of answers to these for years,and I don't know that I'll be overthrowing those canned answers, but let's take a little bit to look at the various nominees...

We'll start with movies and break 'em down by genre...

• Favorite comedy - Dr Strangelove or The Big Lebowski or Grosse Pointe Blank or O Brother, Where Art Thou?
• Favorite kids-ish movie - The Muppet Movie or Spirited Away
• Favorite action movie - Hero or Kill Bill: Vol 1
• Favorite foreign film - Hero 
• Favorite guilty pleasure - Road House or LA Story
• Favorite drama - Fight Club or The Usual Suspects or Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Goodfellas
• Favorite sports movie - Hoosiers or Field of Dreams
• Favorite documentary - The Fog of War or I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
• Favorite war movie -The Thin Red Line
• Favorite concert film - Rattle and Hum or The Last Waltz or Purple Rain 
• Favorite western - The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly or Unforgiven
• Favorite sci-fi - Blade Runner or The Matrix or Primer
• Favorite suspense - The Player 

Let's play knock out again. The goal is to look for a film that I actually think is a great film and one that I'd willingly rewatch at the drop of a hat no matter my mood.

• Out first - Road House - It's not actually a good film. I know that.
• 2nd - The Matrix - As much as it shouldn't be so, the subsequent craptacular films poisoned this one.
• 3rd - The Last Waltz - It might be ranked higher if it weren't for the Neil Diamond crap and focus on Robbie Robertson.
• 4th - Rattle and Hum - As background, sure, but to actually sit down and watch the thing from tip to tail isn't one that I'm desperate to do all the time.
• 5th - Spirited Away - The oddness is gorgeous and beautiful, but it is beginning to age for me.
• 6th - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - This one's a little tough to watch because it's such a hard ending for me.
• 7th - Purple Rain - The concert footage is outstanding, and the between is hilarious, but those parts are of such dubious quality that this one doesn't make it any further.
• 8th - The Fog of War - This one's a thinker. It's a hard watch.
• 9th - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - Same reason as Rattle and Hum: it's not one I'll watch all the way through just because I'm killing time.
• 10th - The Thin Red Line - Too slow for viewing unless I'm in the mood.
• 11th - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - This cut is tough, but they'll all be tough cuts from here on in. I haven't seen this one enough (only twice) to say that it'll age and stay one of my favorites.
• 12th - Unforgiven - Man, this one's dark. It's spectacular and amazing, but it's dark.
• 13th - (From here on, every movie is in the running for my favorite depending on my mood.) - Kill Bill: Vol 1 - As much as I enjoy the hell out of this one, I'm not sure it's a spectacular film. It's stylish, but it's kind of all sizzle not as much steak.

Screw it...strengths of the rest...

• Dr Strangelove - Amazing quality performances from the most spectacular mimic that we've seen on film. Marvelous cultural relevance. Brilliant dark humor. Not laugh out loud funny through most of the film.
• The Big Lebowski - Tough to pass up no matter my mood. Spectacularly quotable...imminently referenceable...perfectly paced throughout.
• Grosse Pointe Blank - Impossible for me to turn away from. Perfect character study. Beautiful Minnie Driver. Most excellent John Cusack part ever, and that's saying something.
• The Muppet Movie - Cameos galore...funny at every turn...great message...Charles Durning...inspirational
• Hero - My vote for the best movie I've ever seen...highest quality but not my favorite even though I do love it.
• LA Story - I know this one isn't on par with the others in terms of quality, but it's a weak spot for me because of the second date thing. I love this one.
• Fight Club - I'll watch this one any time. Great performances from all the leads. Hell of a book. 
• The Usual Suspects - Best film of the 90's...I'm still stunned at the twist every time, and I find something new every time I see it.
• Hoosiers - If it weren't for the inexplicable kiss (which is explained in the cut scenes), this might be the perfect sports movie ever. It's not all truthful, but it's phenomenal, and it brings me to tears every time when they head out for the final game.
• Field of Dreams - It's a little slow in parts, but I weep like a baby in the last scene. It's perfect in every way.
• Blade Runner - First off, the choice is the director's cut. It's marvelous and thoughtful, and the climax with Rutger Hauer is among the finest scenes on film.
• Primer - This one's a thinker, probably the most thoughtful film I've seen. It's one that has to be seen over and over to be understood, and I love seeing it over and over. Outstanding stuff.
• The Player - Brilliant acting...more cameos than The Muppet Movie...dark as dark can get...great paranoia

I'm going with Grosse Pointe Blank...Fight Club...Hoosiers...and Primer. That's the best I can get, a final four. Take it or leave it.

I referred to my critickr rankings for some help here. I really should go back through and update those.

I'll come back tomorrow with the book choices.

In case you're late to the party, here's the deal...

Here's what I've answered so far...

• #25 - "I Know What Love Is" by Don White
• #35 - no business 
• #36 - MLK, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall 
• #16 - Scotland...Wabash...my first college visit home
  
• #19 - No 
• #22 - skydiving
• #24 - Beastie Boys in NYC
  

Already requested answers...they'll be answered (probably in this order)...

• 32...37
  

Feel free to request other answers in the comments.

The ultimate in narcicissm

The new versions of Picasa has a feature called FaceMovie that takes all the pics identified for one person and turns them into a movie with the faces roughly stacked on top of each other.

This would be great for graduation or wedding or whatever videos.

Or just for being a narcissist.

Best night of the year

• Trent Richardson's run vs Ole Miss - Pay special attention to #21 for Ole Miss. He's involved at the beginning and end of the play.
• The Evolution of the Joker: Still Crazy After All These Years - Well researched stuff here...
• The Duggars are Expecting #20 - Stop it, you sick freaks.
• Taste of the World - Tonight The Girl and I and Calen and Her Guy will be volunteering at this event. It's spectacular.
• Thirteen Movie Posters Trends That Are Here to Stay - Blech
• When Animals Attack Similar Animals of the Day - Bison or Honey Badger? KnowhatI'msayin?

• Anonymous 101: Introduction to the Lulz - After the anti-Zeta threats, we all should learn more about these nutcases...or heroes.
• Seanbaby: The Hostess Page - I feel like I've pointed this out before, but who cares?
• Wilco: Small Moments and Big Lessons - Great new album, by the way
• Grown-Ups Must Act Like Grown-Ups - Jane Leavy on Penn State, Victims, and a Personal Memoir of Abuse
• Kickass Cover of the Day - Thank you, Jimmy Fallon

• The Book of Batman - "And the Batman said, Father, give me a sign: and there was a bat."
• Out of This World Bloopers of the Day - Astronauts falling on the moon...I want that chance.
• Mail Order Mysteries - Sounds like a whole fun book
• Roger Federer back in find form - Yup...but fine enough to add to sixteen?
• The Daily Show looks at NPR - clearly the same as Fox radio

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

More 80's

I'd originally called this playlist New Wave 80's back when I started the 80's collection, but as I listen to it today, I'm not so sure these all qualify under that genre.

TableTopics: #24

If you could have front row seats to any concert, who would you like to see?

I'm going to chuck the option of traveling in time to see anybody in history - purely an arbitrary choice. I don't feel like going through whether I'd rather see Bob Dylan in 1962 or 1975, Led Zepplin on which tour, U2 in Sun Devil Stadium, Queen at Live Aid, Beatles in whatever year.

The acts in contention...

• Beastie Boys*
• Richard Thompson*
• Ryan Adams*
• Avett Brothers
• Wilco*
• U2*
• Chris Isaak*
• Beck
• Cake*
• Lyle Lovett*
• Yonder Mountain String Band*

I've already seen many of those in person already (those marked with a *), and some of those were pretty decent seats - Richard Thompson and Yonder Mountain in particular.

I'm gonna go with order of elimination...

• 1st out - Beck - His past couple of albums have left me cold, so I don't know that I'd enjoy all the stuff he plays.
• 2nd out - Richard Thompson - I've seen him in concert a half dozen times. While I've never been in the first couple of rows, I've been in the near balcony just over Richard's shoulder at the Southgate House. I can't imagine it'd be much better directly in front.
• 3rd out - U2 - Bono wanders around a whole lot, and I'm thinking that no one particular seat would do for one of their concerts.
• 4th out - Yonder Mountain String Band - I've seen the people who hang out in front of the stage at the Yonder Mountain concerts, and I'm not sure I'd be able to handle that level of controlled substances without getting a prescription for glaucoma. I like my teachers license.
• 5th out - Chris Isaak - The Girl and I saw him a decadeago, and I have no idea whether Isaaks can still rock the concerts, so I'll pass on the risk.
• 6th out - Avett Brothers - I don't know what kind of show they'd put on, and as much as I dig their music, they just don't quite make the cut compared to the rest of the acts left for me.
• 7th out - Lyle Lovett - He's a little too laid back to need the front row. His concerts are good enough from a few rows back.
• 8th out - Cake - Their music is a rockin' experience and would be good from the front row, but their newest album is way weaker than their previous albums...don't know what they could bring to the concert.
• 9th out - Ryan Adams - Here we start getting to tough choices. Adams isn't a guarantee to show for the concert, so I'm not going to take the risk.
• 10th out - Wilco - Man, this one's tough. They're  without debate my favorite band, and I would love seeing Jeff Tweedy's expressions from down by the stage, but I've seen Wilco a whole bunch of times. They're rock solid, but I'd rather go with...
• My choice - Beastie Boys - They're a rocking band, and they're hilarious in concert (one 45-minute set at the Rock the Vote concert in 2008), so I think seeing them up by the stage would be awesome. I'm down with pretty much their entire oeuvre,  so I'd be able to sing along with everything.

Beastie Boys...I'm sure they'd be thrilled to have me there. Right there at the first row in their next NYC concert.

In case you're late to the party, here's the deal...

Here's what I've answered so far...

• #25 - "I Know What Love Is" by Don White
• #35 - no business 
• #36 - MLK, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall 
• #16 - Scotland...Wabash...my first college visit home
  
• #19 - No 
• #22 - skydiving

Already requested answers...they'll be answered (probably in this order)...

• 27...32...37
  

Feel free to request other answers in the comments.

My dream collection

Did you know there was/is an Internet Database of Periodic Tables?

Until recently, neither did I...

I don't understand the arrangement of lots of these, but I clearly have some reading to do.

In memoriam

(source)

Byte Size Chemistry

Thanks to Neatorama for bringing these folks to my attention...

TableTopics: #22

What would you try if you had no fear?

Well, let's consider my fears...

• heights
• spiders
• general risk

I don't think there are any real other fears that I have. There are things I don't like - eggplants, microfiber, beer, Julia Roberts to name a few - but they aren't things that I'm afraid of. If that's it for my real fears, let's take a look at where that might lead me.

There are a few things I've avoided because of my fear of heights...

• skydiving
• walking on the skyway over the Grand Canyon
• hot air balloon flight

There's pretty much nothing I've missed out on because of my spider fear.

The kinds of choices that I've made because my general fear of risk have steered me toward my career - one where seniority used to protect you - toward a stable house. I'm not one to start a business because it's too much of a risk, not one to throw my money into risky stocks, not one to radically change what I'm doing in the classroom, but none of those are things that I really want to do.

So, the things I've missed out on are because of my fear of heights, and I really do want to go skydiving. The balloon thing would be nice and all, but not as cool, and the skywalk looks neat but seems like it would be disappointing.

Skydiving

In case you're late to the party, here's the deal...

Here's what I've answered so far...

• #25 - "I Know What Love Is" by Don White
• #35 - no business 
• #36 - MLK, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall 
• #16 - Scotland...Wabash...my first college visit home
• #19 - No 
• #22 - skydiving

Already requested answers...they'll be answered (probably in this order)...

• 24...27...32...37
  

Feel free to request other answers in the comments.

Happy Guy Fawkes's Day, all

• Early Bird Special - awesome surfing footage
• The 50 Greatest College Basketball Players of All Time - not the usual list as Closterman required the players to be greater in college than in the pros...he underrated #2...
• Sign of the Times of the Day - But how will I get my ice cream of the future?
• Women Struggling to Drink Water - C'mon, really?
• Drug War of the Day - Anonymous? Really? This isn't news yet, but it could be very quickly.
• Ask Chris #78: Why the Batman: The Animated Series opening is the best thing ever - He's almost right but mentions the other, better opening in the first paragraph, so I'll give him a pass.
• Time Lapse Thing of the Day - Undaming the rivers turns out to be way harder than the Monkey Wrench gang suggested.
• 10 Signs the Marriage Was One Big Hoax All Along - Reality TV isn't. Say it with me.
• Best Art Ever This Week - for The Wire and the trinity of mothers
• Perry Being Perry of the Day - I don't see drunk, but I do see a guy who is just very comfortable with his audience and very much not who I am.
• Going Down - Always wondered...this sounds very plausible
• Eddie Murphy by Bill Simmons - Anything nasty I every said about Grantland is taken back. There's some great writing there.
• V for Vendetta bandanas - Timing appropriate
• V for Vendetta female adult costume - Timing never to be appropriate...if this is your fetish, please seek help immediately

More 80's movie music...'cause it's awesome

We're back to our 80's movie music masterpieces...

Laiki remembered

On this day in 1957 the Russian space agency sent a dog into space. Laika, that dog, became the first animal successfully sent into space, but she did not return. The Russians never intended for her to return but rather for her to pass away aboard Sputnik 2 once she had given her life to research that would eventually lead to humans successfully entering and returning from space.

Today, 54 years later, we remember Laika.

If you get a chance, take a read of Laika, a gorgeous graphic novel about Laika and her handlers. The book is warm and engaging, heart wrenching and hopeful. It's a spectacular tale beautifully told.

Well, hello, Harold...

Cincy Shirts

I'm not a born and raised Cincinnatian, so there are a number of shirts for offer by CincyShirts.com that I don't get, but they're still fun.

Happy Halloween

via this isn't happiness

Realignment

Realignment in the past few years...

• Big Ten (now 12 teams) - got Nebraska...rumored to get (but probably not gonna get) Notre Dame, Texas, Missouri, Iowa State, Rutgers
• SEC - got Texas A&M...rumored to be getting Missouri and dozens of other teams
• Big Twelve (now 10 teams) - lost Nebraska, Colorado, Texas A&M...rumored to be losing Missouri...getting West Virginia, TCU...rumored to be losing pretty much everybody at one time or another
• Pac-12 (formerly -10) - got Colorado and Utah
• Big East - lost West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse - rumored to be getting Central Florida, Houston, SMU...rumored to be losing Connecticut, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Louisville - rumored to be falling apart entirely
• ACC - got Pittsburgh, Syracuse
• Mountain West - lost BYU, Utah, TCU - got Boise St, Fresno St, Nevada, Hawaii
• WAC - lost Nevada, Boise St - got Denver, Seattle, UTArlington, UTSan Antonio, Texas St - San Marcos
• Big Sky, MVC, OVC, all the other conferences - lost relevance - got screwed in the deal

Clear advantages here...

• Chaos makes for thoroughly entertaining chatter for a very short while.
• Mo' money, mo' money, mo' money (for the already wealthiest college athletic programs)

Clear disadvantages here...

• Incessant chatter from sports talk radio/television about rumors and half truths and things that they generally have no idea about at all
• Inability of most any sports fan to name the full roster of teams in his/her favorite conference
• Lack of stability of conference rules
• More conference championship games (in football and basketball, further cheapening the regular seasons)
• Continuing lack of football playoff system
• Continuing hypocrisy of college sports 'student-athletes' (The link is to a long article; I warn you. It is, however, an excellent article.)
• Ever increasing lack of me giving a crap about any conference
• Ever diminishing profile of college basketball relative to college football
• Big 10's new logo and Legends and Leaders divisions

Streaming music: Florence + the Machine

Apparently MySpace still exists.

Who knew?

I only know because Florence + the Machine are streaming their new album (in stores if you're still into that whole tangible music thing on November 1) on their MySpace page (thanks for the pointer, ew)

I'll admit that I haven't listened to more than the first minute or so yet, but their first album was a knockout, and the new album already has a great review from Entertainment Weekly.

Latelinks

• Kid Rocketeer - How cute is he?
• Koi observation tower - coolest fish pond yet
• Blogger integrating with Google+ - Don't know how this will/won't affect this blog yet.
• Is this the end for U2? And if it is, what is their legacy? - This article drastically undersells their legacy.
• Daylight savings time explained - I'd always wondered.
• Afternoon Snack: Links Edition - Greatest multiple choice question ever
• Things That are Real of the Day - American Professional Minigolf

• 25 Worst Cities to be Young - We're #22.
• 16 Best Twitter Reactions to Muammar Gadaffi's death - Twitter, best for quick, short humor. Useless for just about everything else.
• "Ping Pong at It's Greatest Heights" - Clearly
• Old school Muppetteers not exactly thrilled with the new Muppet movie - This is sad to hear.
• Is Pujols the greatest hitter of all time? - Probably not...but he's got an argument.
• Ben Afleck chosen to adapt The Stand - Again? Why do we need another adaptation of this?

Halloween music - part 2

More of the same...a little more contemporary than yesterday's list...enjoy 'em...

Halloween Music - part 1

All appropriate for work or school...play 'em to death this weekend...

TableTopics: #19

Question #19: Is there only one soul mate for each person?

No.

This one's a little awkward to answer since I'm all married and stuff, but in my head it really all comes down to the math of the thing.

I'm one of seven billion or so people on the planet. I'm a fan of girls, so that narrows things down to 3.5 billion for my soul mate.

Let's look at some numbers to see how many of those 3.5 billion I'll ever meet:

• My high school graduating class had about 400 students - 200 or so girls.
• Let's include the girls three or so grades each way of mine. That's 1200 more girls.
• I went to college with no girls. None at all. Shut up. It was a great school.
• By the time my career is over, I figure I will have taught with a couple hundred female teachers.
• I teach somewhere in the range of fifty young women every year. If I teach for thirty-five years, that's 1750 female students.
• I figure I will have bumped into another couple thousand or so women and girls along my life. Let's say 2000 to be safe.

That puts us at 5500 women I will have dealt with in my life. Let's double that number to assume I'm being gregarious. Heck, let's triple it and round up some to hope I maybe meet 20,000 women in my life - many of whom are pretty far out of any age range where I would be possibly even consider spending my life with them.

20,000 / 3.5 billion is 0.00000571 that means at an absolute outside best, I might meet 0.000571% of the female population of the planet. That's a 0.000571% chance I'll meet my soul mate if she exists, and we can assuredly eliminate a huge portion of the 20,000 because I'm not attracted to them...not age appropriate for them...in a crappy mood when I happen to bump into them...too busy failing them...creeped out by the fact that they're like as old as my Grandma...

That means if there is a soul mate out there for everyone, I have to assume that I'm never gonna meet mine, and dang near everybody else is never gonna meet theirs. So if I am to believe that there's a soul mate out there for everybody, then I also have to assume that we're pretty much guaranteed never to find that soul mate. For me that's was more depressing than assuming that we just don't have a soul mate.

That being said, I don't view this as an actually depressing thing. For me, it means that I don't have to hunt for that perfect one. I just have to look for someone who makes me really happy, who I find attractive, and who is a pretty outstanding rommate. I'm all good with that.

In case you're late to the party, here's the deal...

Here's what I've answered so far...

• #25 - "I Know What Love Is" by Don White
• #35 - no business 
• #36 - MLK, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall 
• #16 - What life experience has strengthened you the most?

Already requested answers...they'll be answered (probably in this order)...

• 22...24...27...32...37
  

Feel free to request other answers in the comments.

Party Rock Anthem...to death

A winning combination

With a blog titled Rainbow Zombies Ate My Unicorn, you might expect a little bit of everything, but you'd be wrong in this case.

They/he/she only post/s things about rainbows, zombies, or unicorns.

See...

(By the by, the focus of the blog is strongly not but there occasional moments. Be warned...)

Pooholes

With this Pujols fellow I think the Cardinals may be on to something.

• Statistical superlatives aplenty for Pujols
• Albert Pujols messes with Texas
• Albert Pujols buries Rangers with 3HRs as Cardinals take World Series lead
• How did Albert Pujols Become a Great World Series Hitter?
• Will Albert Pujols Make More Money Because of Game 3?
• Pujols on Baseball-Reference.com
• ESPN's unembeddable highlights
• Photo source

Dance, varmit, dance!

Yeah, excuses...I didn't post enough this week.

• My Neighbor Totoro - from Best Art Ever (This Week)
• Lunchtime links - greatest baby costume ever?
• The wonderful letters OUGH - English is hard.
• 2011 Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year - Outstanding oil photos
• Worth a try - I think I've read this before, but it's a quick classic.
• Yoouuutuuube - GO 
• Everything is a Remix - Kill Bill and The Matrix

Everything Is A Remix: KILL BILL from robgwilson.com on Vimeo.

• Sesame Street YouTube channel back after porn hack - That's not funny, folks.
• ComicsAlliance Reviews Batman (1966) - Part 1 and Part 2
• El Salvador flood among worst in history - They've had 1.513 meters of rain in 10 days. That's almost five frickin' feet of rain. Good lord...
• 18 Examples of Amazing Long-Exposure Photography - Excellent work, folks.
• Keeping Things Interesting - This is how to whistle as you pass a graveyard. Wonder if it's true.
• Stuffy SHIELD Agent Coulson takes a turn to bada$$ery in short film - I'm loving the Marvel films thing.
• Ten Best of the Worst Comic to Screen Adaptations - I've only seen The Flash
• Lyto Light Field Camera Launch of the Day - Cameras are about to change.
• Walt Disney's Sin City - Excellent synch

The music of my childhood VHS tapes

We continue through the hits of the 1980's with this week's movie playlist...



Cry along with me, would ya?

More Wilco...semi-live

Wilco on Letterman...

Wilco on NPR

It's two of my favorite things - Wilco and NPR - together again at last.

More college radio

Hopefully today's playlist is made up of 25 correctly-credited songs.

Berlin & Kim Wilde? I'm embarrassed that I didn't catch that gaffe myself.

We continue with last week's college radio hits of the 80's. They're not nearly all alternative and college-y this week as lots of these were big hits, but they're all adult enough to have fit into a station of college kids who think they're adults but also awesome enough to have gotten the wider play that college kids just want to tap into.

Enjoy 'em...

TableTopics: #16

Today; question #16: What life experience has strengthened you the most?

There are a trio...

I can't remember whether I've related this story on the blog or not. If so, congrats to the regulars for being around long enough (six years, two months, and twenty-six days as of today) to finally hear me repeat myself. I'm sure I've never done it before...in this forum, anyway.

I'd spent much of my elementary, middle, and high school career unintentionally cultivating a tidy little persona as the smart alleck, smartest guy in the room. I was quick with a comment - most likely an unkind one - and snappy with a comeback to pretty much anything said.

I hadn't entirely noticed the totality of my self pigeon-holing until I came back for my first visit home from Wabash. I was at a friend's house -Todd Kanning's, specifically, if that means anything to you. Many of our group of friends was back together for the first time, and I found myself falling far too easily into the role that I seemed to have written for myself. It wasn't a happy feeling, and I decided to change who I was in my group. I can't say that I am not quick witted or that I don't tend to have a snarky comment at the ready much of the time, but I hope I at least recognize that I don't have to lead with those words all the time.

Next up comes the totality of my time at Wabash. I'll admit that I never felt in high school that there was anyone around smarter than I. I wasn't the valedictorian or anything, but I felt I could have been if I'd wanted to, and I was the best test taker (because that matters in the long run) at New Albany High School. I never felt that I needed to work at much throughout the course of high school. I cruised fairly easily through and ended up doing pretty well (I can still quote my class rank, my SAT, and my AP scores in case you're curious as to the depth of my immodesty).

When I got to Wabash, however, the professors generally weren't impressed. I was an intelligent young man, probably on the high side of the bell curve, but I was surrounded by intelligent young men, some of whom were clearly my academic superiors. Even at Wabash I wasn't necessarily working my hardest, but I was working far harder, at least. During the second semester of my freshman year, I took an English class about short stories. I thought myself a pretty good reader and a talented writer, so I assumed I was in for a breeze. Sure, the class was for juniors, but I was one of three or four freshmen in the class, and I wasn't worried. I got my only Wabash C in that class, and I was the better for it. Prof Stern was a creature I hadn't know before, and he demanded a whole lot more than I was ready or - at the time, anyway - able to give him, and I saw these things happening more frequently at Wabash. Sure, I was pushing work off until later than I should have been, but I was having to start the final push earlier and earlier, to work harder and harder, to spend hours in the library studying where I'd been able to do the same in twenty minutes in high school. Academically, Wabash pushed me, and I'm the better for it.

The single most formative experience for me, however, was my time in Scotland. I went overseas knowing almost no-one (there was one other Wabash chem major there, but Doug and I hadn't necessarily been tight in Crawfordsville, and I didn't anticipate being all that tight with him over there.) I was free to create myself as whomever I wanted to be. I could be more outgoing, freer with a drink, more pursuant of the ladies, more whatever, and through the course of the year I found out which aspects of my personality I was happy with, which ones I wanted to jettison (as much as that's possible), who I wanted to be and who I was comfortable being. I came back a much more confident, fully realized person who was ready for the world to begin. I can't think of any experience that was more transformative than my time in Aberdeen. I can't recommend overseas study high enough for anyone. I was revelatory for me, and the classes weren't bad either.

In case you're late to the party, here's the deal...

Here's what I've answered so far...

• #25 - "I Know What Love Is" by Don White
• #35 - no business 
• #36 - MLK, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall

Already requested answers...they'll be answered (probably in this order)...

• 19...22...24...27...32...37
  

Feel free to request other answers in the comments.

Avengers trailer

You choice of formats.

Ok, I'll go see the movie, but only because you twisted my arm.

TableTopics: #36

Question #36: Which historical event would you like to (have) witness(ed)?

There's kind of a difference here between witnessed and  took part in.

It's we're talking took part in, then there's not even a question for me. I would have wanted to walk on the moon. For my money it's still the single greatest accomplishment that mankind has ever managed. We sent our exemplars to another celestial body where they had to bring every single thing they would ever need (food, water, wait, shelter, all of it), let them wander around (for as much as three full days - check it),  and brought them all back safely.

It's an achievement that will be phenomenal to see if we ever manage to top it, and it's still an event that leaves me speechless. I currently have a book of moon landing photos checked out. I've checked it out a half dozen times. There is nowhere or nowhen that I would rather be...or to have been.

Now, in terms of events that I would have wished to witness happening...

Two answers...the first one is to say any of hundreds of hypothetical/mythical/miraculous events from religions. If I could include the qualifier of 'whichever religion is right', then I would want to see some undeniable, absolute proof that religion is correct. I'd be fine seeing God (or whichever god) create the universe or Earth or life or whatever. I'd be fine seeing Jesus's loaves and fishes or to watch his tomb for three days. I'd be fine to see - and be able to comprehend - anything proving beyond any doubts that some religion (and I don't care which one - I don't have a dog in this fight). I have absolutely no faith in religion, believe that science and random chance over a long time span, and I would be fascinated to hear that I have been wrong low these many years.

On the third hand, if I had to go with picking a real, historical, definitive date, that's tougher.

It's tough to pick any science experiments because so many of the that we speak of as being singular events aren't really singular events.  They're experiments that come out oddly, are repeated, and are are eventually explained over the next few weeks or months. There is rarely a singular event to see with those.

Some of the historical dates that I would want to see, that are among the most important, were also probably rather nondescript. I'm thinking here of the first books being printed by Gutenberg. The actual event itself probably wasn't the fantastic spectator event that a wish like this one should be preserved for.

Maybe I'd go for seeing the Kennedy assassination. It would be nice to once and for all know who shot Kennedy and from where. I could take back recording equipment (if it's within the rules of the wish) and solve the mystery once and for all.

I'm thinking going back to Roanoke to see what happened to the settlers could perhaps be a bit unsafe for me, assuming that I would be physically present at the event I am witnessing. Since we don't know what happened, I'll assume that I would be vulnerable to it happening to me, as well.

Seeing Columbus come ashore on the new world would be pretty impressive.

Witnessing a great sporting event - Babe Ruth's called shot, Bill Mazeroski's home run, the Milan championship basketball game, the Mexico City Olympics with Bob Beamon's long jump for the ages, seeing Larry Bird's duel against Dominique Wilkins in the playoffs, any of Pete Maravich's games, Jordan's 63 in the Garden, Wilt's100, Reggie Jackson's 3 HR World Series game, Pudge's HR in the '75 World Series - would be neat to see, but this one calls, I think, for something grander.

When it's all said and done, I think I would have to pick something that was a singular event, one that we know to be stirring, emotionally rousing, and historically important. That leads me to think about being in the audience for a great speech. As to which one, I'll pick one that's admittedly fairly recent in terms of the scope of human history, but it's the one that exemplifies great speeches to me: MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The combination of setting (flanked by Lincoln, the Washington monument, the reflecting pool, the capitol), the speaker (MLK's cadence throughout this one is note perfect), the gravitas of the moment (the pinnacle of nonviolent protest against racial injustice in America) makes this my choice.

I would wish to have been a member of the audience for MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.



In case you're late to the party, here's the deal...

Here's what I've answered so far...

• #25 - "I Know What Love Is" by Don White (way more detail here)
• #35 - no business (more details here) 
• #36 - MLK, Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech on the National Mall

Already requested answers...they'll be answered (probably in this order)...

• 16...19...22...24...27...32...37
  

Feel free to request other answers in the comments.

Numberwang!

8Tracks will return next week, Calen. Don't freak out.

Thanks to SuperPunch for pointing this one out...

As to why this exists, well...um...because...see what they were doing was...if you think about the...because...

Yup...that's right.

In which the links take a look

• Funitivty of the Day - stick bombs...cool...
• Out of the Box 2011 - Wanna buy me a gift? Little pricey, maybe, but it's for a cause.
• "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz - Took me forever, but I found that 'On and on and on' sample that DJ Earworm used that's been driving me nuts.
• McGill Dances for Cancer Research - Click through and watch the video a few times for charity...and this is what made me finally hunt down the previous video. Love the use of obviously real science people.
• Science class injuries like one at Richards High School are rare, experts say - NEVER make a dry ice bomb. EVER!
• Kickass Cover of the Day - It's creepy but kinda engaging.
• Ultimate Batting Practice - Does anybody feel saddened because fake videos like this have ruined my belief in all videos?
• Create a Sliding Storage System on Your Garage Ceiling - maybe next summer
• Shuffling 110 of the Day - Marching bands, eh?

Lay your hands upon the dial and FEEL the power

We get a little more serious than last week's bubblegum theme with this week's first College Radio of the 80's playlist. There'll be another one next week. Be sure to tune in.

Thank a teacher

Taking a week from the TableTopics...haven't had time to write this week's...

In the meantime, take a minute to thank a teacher...

It's a tough enough job that a little encouragement (thanks, Ben Young, wherever you are) helps keep us moving along.

The Devil Made Texas

Texas is screwed...

From Jeff Masters' WunderBlog...

The devastating Texas drought that has already cost over $5 billion could continue for nine more years, predicted Texas State Climatologist John Nielson-Gammon in an interview with Reuters yesterday. "It is possible that we could be looking at another of these multi-year droughts like we saw in the 1950s, and like the tree rings have shown that the state has experienced over the last several centuries," Nielson-Gammon said. Drought statistics released yesterday by the U.S. Drought Monitor showed that over 96% of Texas is experiencing the two worst categories of drought, extreme and exceptional. The past 12 months have been the driest one-year period on record in Texas. The main blame for this year's drought can be put on La Niña, the cooling of equatorial Pacific waters that deflects the jet stream and takes rain-bearing low pressure system away from Texas. Other large-scale atmospheric/oceanic patterns called the Pacfic Decadal Oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) have also favored dry conditions for Texas this year. When the AMO brings warm ocean temperatures to the North Atlantic, as it has since 1995, Texas is typically dry. Texas also tends to be dry when the PDO brings cool ocean temperatures to the coastal North Pacific next to North America. This has been the case since 2007 (except for late 2009 and early 2010.) In a post earlier this month in his excellent blog, Climate Abyss, Nielson-Gammon has this to say about the influence of global warming on the 2011 drought:

Precipitation: The balance of evidence does not support the assertion that the rainfall deficit since October 2010 was made larger or more likely by global warming.

Temperature: Compared to long-term averages of summer temperature,the rainfall deficit accounted for about 4°F of excess heat and global warming accounted for about 1°F of excess heat. Warmer temperatures lead to greater water demand, faster evaporation, and greater drying-out of potential fuels for fire. Thus, the impacts of the drought were enhanced by global warming, much of which has been caused by man.

And, yes, I did see Brian Dwan live in college. He and his electric dulcimer opened for They Might Be Giants.

The lyrics, in case you needed them...

Oh, the devil in hell they say he was chained,
And there for a thousand years he remained;
He neither complained nor did he groan,
But decided he'd start up a hell of his own,
Where he could torment the souls of men
Without being shut in a prison pen;
So he asked the Lord if he had any sand
Left over from making this great land.

2. The Lord He said, "Yes, I have plenty on hand,
But it's away down south on the Rio Grande,
And to tell you the truth, the stuff is so poor
I doubt it will do for a hell anymore."
The Devil went down and looked over the truck,
And he said if it came as a gift he was stuck,
For when he'd examined it carefully and well
He decided the place was too dry for a hell.

3. But the Lord to just get the stuff off His hands
He promised the Devil He'd water the lands,
For He had some old water that was of no use,
A regular bog hole that stunk like the deuce.
So the contract was signed and the deed was given,
And the Lord went up to his spread up in heaven.
The Devil soon saw he had everything needed
To make a good hell and I'll say he succeeded.

4. He scattered tarantulas over the road,
Put thorns on the cactus and horns on the toads,
He sprinkled the sand with millions of ants
So the man that sits down must wear soles on his pants.
He lengthened the horns of the Texas steer,
And added an inch to the jack rabbit's ear;
He put water puppies in all of the lakes,
And under the rocks he put rattlesnakes.

5. He hung thorns and brambles on all of the trees.
He mixed up the dust with jiggers and fleas.
The rattlesnakes bites you, the scorpion stings,
The mesquito delights you by buzzing his wings.
The heat in the summer's a hundred and ten--
Too cool for the devil and too hot for men,
And all who remained in that climate soon bore
Stings, cuts, bites, scratches, and blisters galore.

6. He quickened the buck of the bronco steed
And poisoned the feet of the centipede.
The wild boar roams in the black chaparral.
It's a hell of a place that we've got for a hell.
He planted red pepper beside of the brooks;
The Mexicans use them in all that they cook.
Just dine with a Mexican and you will shout,
"I've got hell on the inside as well as the out!"

Reality Television...oxymoron

This is why I hate 'reality' television.

It's clearly not 'reality' in the least. It's a manufactured, manicured, groomed simulacrum of reality.

It seems painfully obvious to me that the judges (including a thoroughly creepy Randy-Jackson-alike on the left) have been told to open the scene looking angry and dismissive of the schlub in front of them. Handlers have already screened this schmuck and seen that he looks like crap but has a great voice.

A story...a storyline...ratings GOLD!

Everything about this entire scene - the pauses, the edited crowd reactions, the dramatically lit mixing board, the distantly-shot but immaculately mic'ed reaction shots that make us think we're somehow seeing intimate moments between mother and son -  just smacks of so much fakery and image management that it makes me want to throw crap at my computer monitor.

Ashes and Fire streaming

Thanks, again, to NPR for streaming another full album before its release.

This time it's Ryan Adams's Ashes and Fire. Check it...nice, easy, pleasant music.

The links...what else were you expecting?

Rock 4A Cause tonight...c'mon out...

• Table 7 - Short brilliance
• Running Diary of Game 162 - It was a heck of a baseball night.
• ComicsAlliance Reviews The Dark Knight part 4 - I haven't had time to read it yet, but I'm sure it's enthralling
• National Geographic photo of the day - Best one yet...maybe
• Early Bird Special - Slow-mo water balloon that doesn't pop. Gorgeous...and there's a sequel

• The Walk-On - Joel McHale's a funny guy.
• 15 Songs by This Year's Rock and Roll HOF nominees - The Beastie Boys - yay or nay?
• The Whole Love - Rolling Stone's review says it's good...I'm dying for the two-disc set to show up in the mail today.
• Lego Tower of Orthanc Breaks Seven-Feet Tall - You wouldn't need an electron microscope to see this one, would you, Calen?
• It's the 90's Supercut - Did this same thing happen in the tv and movie of the 80's?

IT'S THE 90S! from Everything Is Terrible! on Vimeo.