Friday, April 29, 2005

Recording Franz Ferdinand

A behind the scenes, in-studio look for the music geek in all of us...
Recording Franz Ferdinand

Saturday, April 23, 2005

"Crackberry Thumb"

Will 'The Simpsons' Ever Age?

Thursday, April 21, 2005

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Come see what $145 Million gets you now days....

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Karl Rove, Media Critic

Karl Rove, Media Critic (washingtonpost.com email reg. req'd): "underlying all of Rove's commentary . . . was that it was not good policy that mattered most -- but winning that did.'"

Check another thing off my list of uresolved issues in life

Yahoo! News - Experts Solve Mystery of Unpopped Popcorn: "Unpopped kernels, it turns out, have leaky hulls that prevent the moisture pressure buildup needed for them to pop and lack the optimal hull structure that allows most kernels to explode. "

Welcome to Kansas City! Skoal or Red-Man?

I could see spitting on her for helping start the whole "leg-warmer" trend, but this seems a bit extreme...

Yahoo! News - Man Spits in Jane Fonda's Face at Book Signing

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

BBC NEWS | In Pictures | Day in pictures

Bushism of the Day By Jacob Weisberg

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

A Papl History of Benedict

Source: The Popes, by Claudio Rendina. Seven Locks Press, 2002; Order of St. Benedict as seen on wsj.com

When Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger chose the papal name Benedict, replacing his Christian name in the customary practice of those chosen to be popes, he became the 16th in a line of Benedicts.

All took their name in admiration of St. Benedict, founder of the ascetic Benedictine order of monks, who was born in about 480 and lived first as a monk and then as a hermit. He and his twin sister, Scholastica, died around the year 547. He was the author of the Rule of Benedict, seen as a basic guide to Christian monasticism.

A brief look at his predecessors:

Benedict I – 575-579. This pope was actually probably only the third pope to assume a name other than his given name. Very little is known of Benedict I, who dealt with barbarian sieges of Rome and a long-running famine during his reign.

Benedict II – 684-685. A Roman, like his namesake, Benedict II took the chair of St. Peter 11 months after the death of his immediate predecessor, thanks to delays in receiving imperial approval.

Benedict III – 855-858. Benedict III, also a Roman, encountered imperial opposition to his appointment as pope and at one point was pulled bodily from the throne and imprisoned by the emperor's favorite. After several days of uproar in Rome, he was reinstalled. The rest of his papacy was peaceful, thanks to the emperor's loss of influence after the dust-up.

Benedict IV – 900-903. The fourth Benedict largely pursued the policies of his predecessor and spent time negotiating with ethnic groups in the south and north of Italy. He was described by a chronicler as "a mild man clearly of a priestly nature."

Benedict V – 964-965. Benedict V was exceptionally well educated for the time, earning himself the nickname "Grammaticus." As with Benedict III, the Romans encountered imperial opposition to their choice; the emperor at the time, Otto, besieged the city for more than a month and the city eventually submitted. Benedict sought exile in Germany.

Benedict VI – 973-974. The candidate of the imperial faction, Benedict VI faced Roman opposition, but Otto, who was still emperor, kept them in line until his death in mid-973, at which point they revolted. Benedict was imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo and was strangled sometime in July 974. Some chronicles say he was killed by his own successor, the anti-pope Boniface VII.

Benedict VII – 974-983. The first order of duty for Benedict VII was to condemn Boniface VII, and after that the new pope led a relatively peaceful pontificate.

Benedict VIII – 1012-1024. Benedict VIII's election came amid controversy; an armed conflict broke out after his supporters challenged the backers of a Roman named Gregory. Benedict VIII emerged victorious, thanks to a deal to make the king, Henry, into an emperor, and the two set out on a plan to improve the lives and practices of the clergy. No real progress was made.

Benedict IX – 1032-1044. A member of a rich Roman family, Benedict IX is largely seen as having bought his pontificate. He was very young – some chroniclers have said as young as 12 – and inexperienced. He was unseated in 1044, reinstalled in 1045, removed later the same year, reinstalled in 1047 and removed in 1048, amid imperial and Roman machinations, becoming the only person known to have been elected pope three different times.

Benedict X – an antipope

Benedict XI – 1303-1304. The mild-mannered Nicholas Boccassini was elected amid unrest in Rome among members of various factions, and he immediately plunged into sorting out the disputes, as well as one his predecessor had had with France. He lost that argument and is believed to have been poisoned less than eight months after his installation.

Benedict XII – 1334-1342. The first Benedict of the Avignon papacy, Benedict XII was previously known as Jacques Fournier, a French cardinal. Like the new pope Benedict XVI, he was known as a serious theologian and sought to rid the papacy of fiscal abuses. He attempted but was unable to return the pontificate to Rome.

Benedict XIII – 1724-1730. Pier Francisco Orsini was a member of a Roman family of nobles and the Dominican order of priests before being named pope. (Cardinal Ratzinger also is a Dominican.) He assumed the name, Benedict, and number, 13, claimed by a previous pope later determined to have been an antipope.

Benedict XIV – 1740-1758. After a six-month conclave, Cardinal Prospero Lambertini tried to lighten the atmosphere by declaring, "You want a holy man? Elect Gotti. You want a politician? Elect Aldobrandini. You want a good man? Elect me," and was elected, reportedly unanimously. A colorful character and native of Bologna, he once vowed to sanctify a particular four-letter word that he couldn't drive out of his own vocabulary. Like Benedict XIII, he also assumed the name and number of an intervening antipope.

Benedict XV – 1914-1920. Giacomo Della Chiesa, a Roman noble of Genoa, was elected in a lightning-fast conclave decision, hastened by the pressures of the world war. Preferring simplicity, he had his installation ceremony in the Sistine Chapel rather than in St. Peter's. In 1917, he declared the Vatican neutral in the war, earning criticism from members of the Allied Powers.

Monday, April 18, 2005

$250,000 Rims

Lego Disneyland

The Worlds First Inflatable Pub!

An adult moonwalk of sorts.. Brilliant!!

The Worlds First Inflatable Pub!

Ice Cream Math

A scientific approach to avoiding freezer burn ( or protective frost )

smokerblog Ice Cream Math

And the follow-up post as well.

The Alligator Mailbox

"Oh the things you find in the suburbs."

Byrdhouse: The Alligator Mailbox

Marginal Revolution: Do we live in a housing bubble?

Sunday, April 17, 2005

How a Pope Is Elected (washingtonpost.com)

In case you were wondering...
How a Pope Is Elected (washingtonpost.com)

IPod Devotees Rocked by Thefts

I dig mine too, but let's not become slaves to the machines, eh?

IPod Devotees Rocked by Thefts (washingtonpost.com - email reg. req'd)

Friday, April 15, 2005

Boost your Mac mini's performance by using a 3.5-inch hard drive

Golfers' Yips May Be Movement Disorder: Study

Tourists endanger legendary Inca citadel of Machu Picchu

"Overrun by tourists in past years, the legendary Inca citadel of Machu Picchu has been so damaged that the United Nations has threatened to list it as one of the world's most endangered monuments if the Peruvian government does not move to protect it. "

Tourists endanger legendary Inca citadel of Machu Picchu

Two Sets on Tap from Son Volt

All bow before Jay Farrar...

Yahoo! News - Two Sets on Tap from Son Volt

How would you change the iPod? - Engadget

Pandora's Box has officially been opened.
(see "comments" - 70+ and counting...)
How would you change the iPod? - Engadget - www.engadget.com /

Medical Money Pit

"why do other advanced countries manage to spend so much less than we do, while getting better results?"
The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Columnist: The Medical Money Pit [email reg. req'd]

Baseball returns to D.C.

evhead: Running your company on web apps

evhead: Running your company on web apps: "One interesting thing about starting a company today versus a few years ago: Lots of cool web apps are now available that you can more or less run you company on."

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Rumor mill: New Power Mac G5, iMac G5, eMac Specs

Implausible Claims Made by Vanilla Ice in His 1990 No. 1 Hit "Ice Ice Baby."

Indy Scotch

"There's an alternate universe of Scotch: the independent bottlers. They sell whisky from the same distillers, but in limited editions that have distinctive flavors of their own."

Tribune Cos. Food and Drink [email reg. req'd]

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Phat Cat Carts

Monday, April 11, 2005

Internet Wayback Machine

"The Internet Archive isn't just the Wayback Machine�the nonprofit's two dozen or so employees have filled an equal amount of disk space with uploaded film collections, presidential debates, Bugs Bunny cartoons, and news broadcasts from the Middle East."
The Archivist - Brewster Kahle made a copy of the Internet. Now, he wants your files. By Paul Boutin

Dubya's iPod

"'No one should psychoanalyze the song selection,' Mr. McKinnon said. 'It's music to get over the next hill.'"
The New York Times > Washington > White House Letter: President Bush's iPod [email reg. req'd]:

How to do Paris on $250 a day.

Friday, April 08, 2005

Final farewell to Pope John Paul II

NY Times Photo essays captures the pagentary and solemness of the occasion.

Slideshow 1

Slideshow 2
[email reg. req'd]


Thursday, April 07, 2005

Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT Review

"Highly Recommended" says Phil Askey. Say no more - buy it.

DPReview.com Canon EOS 350D / Digital Rebel XT Review


Long Island Wines: Better Now, Merci

More in common with Bordeaux's region than that of Napa...
The New York Times > Dining & Wine > Long Island Wines: Better Now, Merci


Wednesday, April 06, 2005

Shuffle's Got a Secret

"Apple's new iPod shuffle has stellar audio performance. In the bass registers, it blows away the competition, including its bigger siblings."

Opinion Column: Shuffle's Got a Secret

The Price of Infallibility

And now for a completely different take on the recent passing of the Pope...

The New York Times > Opinion > Op-Ed Contributor: The Price of Infallibility [email reg. req'd]

TheIn Louvre, New Room With View of 'Mona Lisa'

"After slumming it in a far-off corner of the museum for the past four years, the "Mona Lisa" moved back this week to the 19th-century Salle des États, which has been elegantly refurbished and redesigned to ease the ritual of paying homage to the lady with the mystic smile."

The New York Times > Arts > Art & Design > In Louvre, New Room With View of 'Mona Lisa' [email reg. req'd]

The Onion | Infograph

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

The Golf Channel - 2005 Masters coverage

A Free Wine Course From The CIA

We're not talking National Security here, rather the Culinary Institute of America

Vinography: a wine blog: A Free Wine Course From The CIA

Hybrid round-up

Phil speaks

Insight on spending habits, family, winning & his "man-boobs" (or "subcutaneous fat" in Phil's words)problem...

GOLFONLINE - Phil: one-major wonder?


Monday, April 04, 2005

Dear Beer

"The concept of "aged" beer itself flies in the face of conventional wisdom that beer is meant to be drunk within a few weeks of its production (and almost all beer is). But aged beers -- many of them brewed with lots of hops and high-alcohol levels, both acting as preservatives -- have become a staple of what might be called the high-end beer market.
Next question: Can beer -- any beer -- be worth $16.50 a bottle?"

WSJ.com - Dear Beer


Infographic of the day

See how much more gas is costing you at the pump vs. 5 years ago with the recent surge in oil prices
Cash Guzzler

Lonely at the top

He's no San Diego Chicken

Sunday, April 03, 2005

The 'M' Stands for Mmmm

"Witness the all-wheel-drive 2006 Infiniti M35 X sedan"

The 'M' Stands for Mmmm (washingtonpost.com) email reg. req'd


The Passion of Tom Cruise

Friday, April 01, 2005

WSJ.com - MCI Plans More Talks With Qwest

Let it go already, Qwest. Two wrongs don't make a right.

NPPA: Best of Photojournalism 2005: Still Photography Winners

Yet another entry courtesy of Jason Kottke. Thanks for being a pro blogger, dude!!

NPPA: Best of Photojournalism 2005: Still Photography Winners

Twenty-Six Entrepreneurs We Love

"Inc. magazine goes behind the scenes with 26 entrepreneurs who best exemplify the extraordinary drive, creativity, and passion of American business. Our top 26 list, one for each year of Inc., spans the gamut of the entrepreneurial world, from names you know well, such as Richard Branson, Michael Dell, and Martha Stewart; to Tony Lee, a former janitor who bought out his steel manufacturing employer; to Craig Newmark, who has been almost the antithesis of a dot-commer with his no-frills Craigslist site. No matter what the accomplishment, each entrepreneur profiled here offers a fascinating case study in what it takes to thrive in today's economy."

Twenty-Six Entrepreneurs We Love

Saved By Science

NYC Natural History Museum photos as shot by a staffer. Pretty cool.

Saved By Science

Apple Japan announces, pulls iPotty dock

More geeky April Fool's action...

iPodlounge | Apple Japan announces, pulls iPotty dock

Google Gulp - April Fools!!

Quench your thirst for knowledge.

"At Google our mission is to organize the world's information and make it useful and accessible to our users. But any piece of information's usefulness derives, to a depressing degree, from the cognitive ability of the user who's using it. That's why we're pleased to announce Google Gulp (BETA)™ with Auto-Drink™ (LIMITED RELEASE), a line of "smart drinks" designed to maximize your surfing efficiency by making you more intelligent, and less thirsty. "

Google Gulp

Griffin ships AirClick iPod remote

Segway Polo

Sidd Finch lives!

Mullet Haiku

This started out as my sister recycling an old joke email entitled "Mullet Haiku" - sort of an advanced poetry version of "you may be a redneck if..." Here are a couple that were quite amusing to me.


O! SQUIRREL brother,
Your tail, my hair We are one
Yet I must eat you

Short like your schooling
Long like your prison sentence
The penal haircut

Jeans tucked into socks
Haven't worn a shirt in days
Mutton chops emerge


So, as I forwarded the email on, I added my own entry:


Long hair in the back
My Camaro kicks some butt
Play some more honk y'all


And then the greatest thing happened - the other people on my distribution list started composing their own Mullet Haikus. And here they are:


Oh, the Flo Hender
A Seventies bitchin' style
Makes me gag some now
- T. Martin (reference to Carol Brady's famous Shag)

Business in the front
Party in the back, Oh Spring
Dreams of my 8-Track
- D. Carpenter

Empty Bud Tallboys
Denim Shorts Without a Shirt
Cowbell Keeps the Beat
- P. Clouston

White wifebeater on
with Kentucky Waterfall
Must be from Wyco.
- K. Weakley

IROC With T-Tops
Back Pocket With Goody Comb
Tennessee Mud Flap
- M. Clouston

Dixie airhorn rocks
Twin four-barrels get looks
CB is my cell
- B. Huey