Photo ageing

Is it just me or does Camryn Manheim look like Drew Barrymore might look 15 years (and 50 pounds) from now?

Click here to go to most recent posts.

America, the beautiful

If anyone has ever wondered about (traditional) American economic superiority, I'd like to enlighten you with a simple example of the types of tricks, deception and fraud that has been a mainstay of American business. We won't get into the intimidation, threats and empty promises in this piece, but they, too, are part and parcel of what makes America "great".

Subpoenas have been issued by the New York State attorney's office to three marketing companies: Webloyalty, Affinion and Vertrue. These firms have allegedly misled consumers for years into joining membership programs and paying monthly fees. Typically, the three firms present pop-up ads to online shoppers when they're finalizing a transaction with one of as many as 22 known "respected" web retailers such as Staples, 1-800-Flowers.com and Orbitz. Some consumers have said the ads appear to be a discount coupon from the retailer.

From ZDNet: The ads offer discounts or cash back coupons if the shopper will only provide an e-mail address or username. Buried in the fine print however, are the full terms, which state that by providing an e-mail address, the customer is agreeing to sign up for a membership program and authorizing their credit card to be charged sometimes as much as $20 a month. How can these marketers charge credit cards without the owners giving them their card information? Simple, they buy it from well-respected merchants, such as Continental Airlines, Priceline and Buy.com.

Gimme a break. These bastids are happy to sell their loyal customers' credit card numbers to unscrupulous, perhaps criminal companies. Proof, once again, that when it comes to ethics, morality, and relationships, the almighty dollar trumps...especially in America.


Click here to go to most recent posts.

The future is here

NASA recently said that it is working on a personal flying suit.

Called “Puffin,” the conceptual and highly experimental project is part one-man stealth plane, part personal jet pack.

Unveiled at a San Francisco meeting of the American Helicopter Society on Jan. 20 by Mark D. Moore, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center, the Puffin promises — on paper at least — a self-contained design with proper “cockpit” and helicopter-style blades that allow for high-altitude flying up to 30,000 ft.

The Puffin is intended to be 12 feet in length, with a total wingspan of 14.5 ft., and would tip the scales at 300 pounds, empty. It will be powered by a 60 horsepower electric motor for simplicity, reliability and low environmental impact.

The reason for this conceptual device? Covert military missions (”swoop and shoot”) or rescue operations.

Take a look at the video:

Click here to go to most recent posts.

Pizza lovers!

I hereby declare a name for the unknown force which during baking moves all pizza toppings that have been placed right to the edge of the pie inward about two full inches. It's like the opposite of centrifugal force. Instead of stuff gravitating outward, it goes inward. It shall henceforth be referred to as "Vinny's Edge".




Click here to go to most recent posts.

Chris Bosh is a wild man

No offence to Chris Bosh, who is one of my favourite basketball players and an all round stand-up guy, but from the moment I saw him with his relatively recent new hair style, it reminded me of someone. You tell me if there's a resemblance:

Click here to go to most recent posts.

Misheard lyrics

Here is the best (and most astounding) example of misheard lyrics. You know how some songs have a few words that can be misconstrued to be something else? Like the ones in Hendrix's Purple Haze where "Scuse me while I kiss this guy" is really "Scuse me while I kiss the sky". Prepare to be amazed and to LOL. After you view the video, have a look at the "true" lyrics I've conveniently posted below. "True" is in quotes because I don't think anyone knows for sure what the real lyrics are. I'm sure there are errors in these lyrics, but they seem more reasonable than any others I've examined.





Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam

Unsealed on a porch a letter sat.
Then you said, "I wanna leave it again."
Once I saw her on a beach of weathered sand. And on the sand I wanna leave it again. Yeah.
On a weekend I wanna wish it all away, yeah.
And they called and I said that "I want what I said" and then I call out again.
And the reason oughta' leave her calm, I know.
I said "I know what I waited not the box or the bag."

Ah yeah, can you see them out on the porch? Yeah, but they don't wave.
But I see them round the front way. Yeah.
And I know, and I know. I don't want to stay.
Make me cry...

I see... Ooh I don't know why there's something else.
I wanna drum it all away... [ ;-) ]
Oh, I said, "I don't, I don't know whether was the box or the bag."

Ah yeah, can you see them out on the porch? Yeah, but they don't wave.
But I see them round the front way. Yeah.
And I know, and I know. I don't wanna stay at all.
I don't wanna stay. Yeah.
I don't wanna stay. (x2)
I don't... Don't wanna, oh... Yeah. Ooh... Ohh...


Click here to go to most recent posts.

Romance is in the air

I was perusing vacation deals and came across the following review for a hotel in Cuba:

The hotel location is not good. There is lot of noise of cocks and cars. But with this price, I think that is good enough.

Now, I know that some women can be loud during moments of intimacy, but for a man to make "lot of noise" with his er, um, equipment, one can only assume that it must be heavy equipment. Perhaps it's fitted to give off that warning sound each time he backs up. I can see how that might be a bit disconcerting. You could be fearful a truck is backing up right into your room.

The review.

Click here to go to most recent posts.

Q & A's from around the web

Is it OK to scruff my rat?
I know it is OK to scruff (pick up by the scruff) baby rats, but is it OK to pick up my 13-14oz male rat Stuart by the scruff? Will it hurt him? I didn't think it would, but just to be sure...

For a moment there, I thought I learned a new euphemism.

Click here to go to most recent posts.

The Rush to the hospital

HONOLULU – Conservative talk radio show host Rush Limbaugh said Friday tests showed nothing was wrong with his heart after he was hospitalized with chest pains.

Limbaugh, 58, was released from The Queen's Medical Center two days after he was rushed there during a vacation. Doctors said he did not have a heart attack or heart disease.

"The pain was real, and they don't know what caused it," Limbaugh said, adding his best guess was he had a spasm in an artery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As it turns out, someone was able to get a copy of one of Rush's x-rays and it's been circulating around the web. It just goes to show that these days it's hard to cover up anything and when something is uncovered, it spreads like wildfire. Despite assurances that the cause of the chest pain was of unknown origin, I think the x-ray speaks for itself...



For God's sake, Rush--chew it up a bit before swallowing. You don't have to prove you have a big mouth.


Click here to go to most recent posts.

Adolph Bush

I like to pass along the occasional gem I come across. This certainly qualifies even if it's a bit past its "best before" date.

Click here to go to most recent posts.