Classic Battle Between The Dog and The Bunny

"A shocking display of animal cruelty", says someone I know. I however enjoyed the references to Bugs Bunny, Coyote and the Road Runner, Hong Kong action films, and spaghetti westerns. We should remember the message of Bugs Bunny. Bugs never started off angry however when he was repeatedly attacked out would come the line, "of course you know, this means war.

What A Cat's Dreamlife/Drug Trip Looks like

best comment on youtube for this ad

wow i didn't know that friskies main ingredient was LSD

jimcourtois

"Vikings Never Have Insurance"

Obama, The Future Footnote

In a story on Simon Johnson's blog, President Obama On CEO Compensation At Too Big To Fail Banks, a cleverly named markets.aurelius (sic) has this reaction.

Sad to think Obama’s goal, and that of his handlers, was to become a very prominent footnote in American history. Being elected and feted for 4 years is more than anyone dared hope for. They got in: Mission accomplished.

Source of the US "Cultural War" According to David Brin

...it is sad what's happened to rural America, and my crackpot theory about "culture war" is that Red America has been traumatized by seeing the brightest in every high school class flee to the big city.

David Brin in the comments of his post,
the betrayal of the smart sons,
about the dumbing down of America's aristocracy.

Zombie Economics and Other Undead Ideas

Zombie Economics is a forthcoming book by John Quiggin. In introducing his book and the concept of the undead ideas, he writes:

Ideas are long-lived. They often outlive their originators, and, even when they have proved themselves wrong and dangerous, they are very hard to kill.

I would like to see other books on zombie ideas infesting politics and philosophy.

I got this link from Paul Krugman. Brains... Brains...

Total Perspective Vortex

Total Perspective Vortex was a torture device The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy designed to make you feel insignificant and life meaningless. In the TPV the victim is shown, with VR, the entirety of the universe.

Now this game/toy/program, The Scale of the Universe, from Newgrounds does this as well, minus hopefully the mind destroying effects.

Anachronism by Investment Advisor

The February 3, 2010 edition of the Report on Business had this image of James Hymas, actually the image above is cropped from a larger photo that appeared in the physical paper, in a article about preferred shares, An investor with a preference for preferreds. What I found interesting is that everything in the photograph, the man at the desk with flowing beard, the desk, the Persian carpet, the fireplace, the suit look as through they are from 1899. When I asked several people to point out what doesn't belong it woulkd take them a while to find the laptop.

As a comparison here is the cover art to the book Guns of the South. Note the similarities a bearded man in a old style suit with something that wasn't manufactured in the 19th century.

Disturbing German Ads

New Salty Ads

Half a year ago a Knorr's ad introduced us to salty, a man shaped salt shaker with holes in a triangular pattern to from a pair of eyes and a mouth. In the first ad Salty wanders the streets after seeing a sodium reduced meal being made, he comes home and sees his family eating the sodium reduced meal, at which point he cries, salt comes out of his eye holes.

Now new ads have been released without any voice overs. Check them out.

The original Salty Ad


Salty and the Neck Brace


Salty Dating


NEW
Salty Mask

The Trouble with Too Much Video Game Realism

In a review/overview of Guitar Hero and Rockband by David Hajdu in the December 2, 2009 issue of the New Republic, Pretending, there is examination on how reality of computer games.

As with most video games, the play action of Guitar Hero and Rock Band takes place in a fictive landscape conjured in a vein of digital stylization now so familiar to gamers that it has become a form of realism, a projected reality of the digitally fabulous. As usual, the player is represented on screen by an avatar--in these games, either a real rock star or a custom hybrid of actual or player-invented characters such as one, say, with the hair of Billy Idol and the nose of your cousin Donny.

In the Red Dwarf story/novel/episodes Better Than Life there is a computer game that more enjoyable and flashier than real life. In the end it becomes the real life for its players as their bodies slowly fade from too little exercise, too little nourishment.

The Contrast Between Google versus Microsoft

Don't be Evil.

Google

Just following orders

Microsoft

"You've got to decide: do you want to obey the laws of the countries you're in or not? If not, you may not end up doing business there"

Bill Gates recently gave this explanation/excuse of dealing with Chinese Communist regime. As quoted in The Guardian article, Web censorship in China? Not a problem, says Bill Gates. For more discussion see slashdot, Ballmer Defends Microsoft In China.

Self Referential Graphs

(from xkvd)

Oakland Refuses to Honor Emperor Norton I (5 year old story)

News report (5 years late) from the San Francisco Chronicle, "No offense to the emperor, but I don't know who he is", about how Oakland California refuses to respect Emperor Norton because he didn't "live in Oakland".

Epic Rap Battle Between Keynes and von Hayek

New Port Of M.U.L.E

M.U.L.E was an early economic computer game from way back in 1983. I remember playing it until my eyes bled, hands cramps, until Crystite pirates terrorized my waking dreams. The children of the original designer has brought back M.U.L.E as a free game playable solo or multiplayer.

Here is the slashdot story on the return of M.U.L.E , M.U.L.E. Is Back.

Planet Mule, site of the reborn M.U.L.E .

You Can't Touch Vader

What do Schismatic Mormoms Do When They Actually Drink

Lousy American over-watered beer, Coors.

Big Love S04E01

William Notman - Photographer

Just watched a documentary about William Notman on TVO. Here is his wiki entry and an exhibit about him.

Web Comic Based on Warhammer 40K - Servants of the Imperium

Warhammer 40K is an exceedingly grim RPG from Games Workshop, see Darker and Edgier at TV Tropes. To provide "some" lightness a devoted fan Rob Leigh has created the webcomic Servants of the Imperium. The webcomic is still pretty grim and finds dark humor in the violent weirdness of the Warhammer 40K universe.