September 23, 2003
Smiling George on $200 bill
Just came across this on the Smoking Gun: North Carolina cops are searching for a guy who successfully passed a $200 bill bearing George W. Bush's portrait and a drawing of the White House.
Animated Arianna
Yesterday I reported on the Match Your Candidate Game, created by the web gang at Arianna Huffington HQ.
Now comes another fun and edgy Internet film short, the Special Interest Brothel, set in a cathouse for fat cats.
Meantime, I had missed this earlier animated short, Hybrid vs. Hummer.
It's amazing what creative minds can do when they're not inhibited by front-runner status.
September 22, 2003
Jon Stewart and the Emmys
The only good thing about last night's Emmy Awards show: Jon Stewart, who snagged two Emmys for his outstanding Daily Show.
Catch a clip of him on Lisa Rein's Radar.
The Match Your Candidate game
Not sure which California recall candidate is your favorite? Can't figure out what Arnold really stands for? Wish you could tell Gray Davis and Cruz Bustamante apart? Arianna Huffington's web crew has come up with an animated interactive Match Your Candidate game.
Says the Arianna camp: "If you're tired of the media's obsession with personalities, scandals, glamour and glitz and want to know what the candidates actually believe, here's your chance. Find out where the candidates stand on the issues."
Sure, it's politically skewed, but the game (in the tradition of The Dating Game) is also pretty amusing.
Playground hell ahead for Heaven?
Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander missed the first quarter of yesterday's game to be by his wife's side as she gave birth to their first child. Shaun and Valerie named their daughter Heaven. Sorry, kid, but your parents are asking for trouble.
September 17, 2003
WordPirates seeks to untwist the language
David Weinberger and Dan Gillmor have just launched a site called WordPirates where, as David puts it, "you can register and discuss words that you feel have been taken over by commercial and political rapscallions who twisted them to serve their own nefarious purposes. For example, people who share copyright mp3s may be many things, but they are definitely not 'pirates.' And when you stay in a hotel, you are certainly not their 'guest.' "
A worthy endeavor. Hope it flourishes.
September 10, 2003
September 09, 2003
Top 10 Arnold Schwarzenegger Debate Conditions
Here are the Top 10 Arnold Schwarzenegger Debate Conditions, courtesy of CBS's Late Show With David Letterman:
10) Questions may be answered in English, German or a combination of both.
9) Long breaks to allow screenwriters to craft candidates' responses.
8) Debate ends when gas truck plows through wall and Arnold gets everyone out just before the whole place blows up.
7) Candidates may use their time to show a 90-second clip from "Terminator.''
6) No tricky words like "budget'' or "Sacramento.''
5) Attire: bathing suit and baby oil.
4) Candidate receives a standard $30 million fee, plus 10 percent of box office gross.
3) Moderator: Lou Ferrigno.
2) No questions that can't be answered "I'll be back.''
1) Arnold must win.
September 08, 2003
Flash mobs for Dean
Doonesbury: Flash mobs for Dean.
Meantime, former Gov. Dean will be on Paula Zahn on CNN tonight at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT.
anthony said:
That is just brilliant. Trudeau really surprises me with his handle on current events. I'm just wondering why I didn't see this on Day By Day first.
September 07, 2003
The offending 'Doonesbury' strip
Our two local Sunday papers, the SF Chron and San Jose Merc, both carried today's "controversial" Doonesbury strip. (We get three Sunday papers. The NY Times, of course, is too serious to publish comics.) Dozens of papers apparently yanked the strip because it mentioned masturbation (or "self-dating," as Zonker put it).
The Washington Post, Santa Rosa Press Democrat and San Diego Union-Tribune are among the between 200 and 300 newspapers that ran a substitute strip.
Some call it censorship. Trudeau calls it editing. I call it treating your readers like children.
lee said:
And why did the Doonesbury overshadow the Boondocks? The Boondocks has grandpa waving a GI Joe looking doll, except you can't tell because the top half of the doll is covered in some mud-looking substance.
Grandpa is telling one of the kids that he won't be buying anymore George Bush action figures 'and this better be mud'!
Explain that one to your 8 year old. :-)
Andy Maluche said:
Sometimes I can understand if people get uneasy about masturbation.
Bad thinsgs like this can happen:
http://dont-touch-my.com/cgi-bin/daily/november/021123.html
But luckily there is always somebody to protect us from any harm:
http://www.allaboutsex.org/mormonmasturbationprevention.html
Have fun
JD Lasica said:
Hmm. The Mormons giving advice about sex. I especially liked this:
>When you bathe, do not admire yourself in a mirror.
September 03, 2003
Bush-Cheney bumper stickers
Some Bush-Cheney bumper stickers:
Bush/Cheney '04: Over a billion Whoppers served
Bush/Cheney '04: Compassionate Colonialism
Bush/Cheney '04: Leave no billionaire behind
Bush/Cheney '04: Get used to it!
Bush/Cheney '04: Assimilate. Resistance is Futile.
Bush/Cheney '04: Because the truth just isn't good enough
Bush/Cheney '04: Putting the "con" in conservatism
Bush/Cheney '04: Thanks for not paying attention
Bush/Cheney '04: This time, elect us!
September 02, 2003
'Take back Vermont'
In Vermont, there's a move afoot to repeal the domestic unions legislation that provided civil partnerships between people of the same sex. Some proponents have posted "Take Back Vermont" signs around the state.
Anil Dash says some inventive Vermonters have appended a .com to the signs, registered the domain name, and pointed it here.
September 01, 2003
John Ashcroft's Patriot Act Summer Tour
Two riffs on the John Ashcroft Patriot Act Tour:
• An animated cartoon by the subversive Mark Fiore: John Ashcroft's Patriot Act Summer Tour.
• An op-ed piece by the subversive Jonathan Turley: John Ashcroft unplugged: On the road, pushing Patriot Act. The government strives mightily to keep fear alive.
August 17, 2003
RecallTV targets the recall election
The new website RecallTV will publish anything about the California recall election "as long as it is fun, interesting and entertaining," says its creator, Dan Jordan, aka Metro.
August 16, 2003
Arnold for California president
Arnold for president of California -- a wryly funny animated cartoon. Thanks to Robert Scoble for the pointer.
August 15, 2003
August 14, 2003
Catch a culture wave
 |
You don't have to own a long board to celebrate the carefree lifestyle of California's surfing culture. It's been inseparable from the state's image since the romance of shooting the curl went mainstream in the 1960s. These days, though, surfing is enjoying a pronounced renaissance in the collective imagination.
Morrie said:
"Catch a wave and you're sitting on top of the world."
August 13, 2003
An unexpected interruption in bed
On nights that I turn in early and join my wife in bed (rather than staying up to blog), I typically bring a few magazines or a book (just finished Masters of Doom and Fast Food Nation, both terrifically reported).
But last night I brought my 15-inch wireless Apple Titanium Powerbook. All was fine for the first hour. Then the cooling fan kicked on. My wife began tossing and turning but didn't say anything. Finally, with many RSS feeds yet to check, I had to turn the thing off.
If e-books ever make it big, they'll have to do it without a noisy internal fan.
August 12, 2003
Here, take our Constitution
Good quip from Jay Leno from the Aug. 4 Tonight show regarding the current efforts to write a constitution for Iraq:
"Hey, why don't we send them ours? It worked well for us for over 200 years ... and we're not using it anymore."
How to find Saddam
How to find Saddam: sic the RIAA on him.
Jennifer Martinez said:
On a similar note, those of us involved with the Prisoner of War/Missing in Action issue have often wondered why the USG doesn't let the IRS go after the missing servicemen, surely they could find them!
Jennifer Martinez sends
August 08, 2003
Soapbox: 'Bill Gates is not going to send me money'
Check out this very well done animated cartoon about the crazy stuff some clueless people believe in the e-mail world.
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Thanks to my sister Kathy for passing this along.
August 05, 2003
Idiot Comment of the Week
It's only Tuesday, but the Idiot Comment of the Week goes to Dallas Mavs owner/brash boy billionaire Mark Cuban, for saying the criminal charges against Kobe Bryant are good for the NBA's bottom line.
July 15, 2003
404 page for the New York Times
Sheila also points to The New York Times story cannot be displayed, brought to us by Anthony Cox, and fills us in on how the "weapons of mass destruction" page came to be.
These weapons of mass destruction cannot be displayed
Check it out: Go to Google, type in "weapons of mass destruction," and select the top link.
July 13, 2003
Playing fair a losing proposition
Sunday's Doonesbury was a keeper.
bern said:
Never underestimate the liberal's capacity for self-congratulation, especially when it comes to his innate moral superiority.
E.g., the notion currently in vogue among persons of a leftist bent that somehow they are personally more altruistic than the rest of us. Not sure how you even begin to reason with people like that.
JD said:
Actually, the very essence of liberalism is the idea of being open-minded, ie, open to all points of view -- a position that most certainly is not held by the vast majority of conservative publications or broadcast media in the land. I think it was Roger Ebert who recently wrote that when he receives emails from those in the political center or left of center, they tend to take issue with his argument, offering citations and point-by-point rebuttals. Those on the right, however, immediately launch into vitriolic ad hominem attacks on his motives or his personal life, seldom offering a factual rebuttal, confident in their smug knowledge that they're the keepers of the Truth.
I can't find that citation, but I found this in an Ebert Q&A:
The right really wants to punish you for having an opinion. And I think both the left and the right should celebrate people who have different opinions, and disagree with them, and argue with them, and differ with them, but don't just try to shut them up. The right really dominates radio, and it's amazing how much energy the right spends telling us that the press is slanted to the left when it really isn't. They want to shut other people up. They really don't understand the First Amendment.
Dems = pot party?
Click on this NY Times story about the Democratic candidates for president, and you get a somewhat jarring image of a marijuana plant (at least I did) in an advertisement on the page. Coincidence or product placement?
Later: A reader writes to say he's getting Nokia banner ads. Ah, well, it was too serendipitous to be intentional.
Happy birthday, Hollywood sign
Happy birthday to the Hollywood sign, which turned 80 today. As it happens, my father-in-law turns 80 tomorrow. Thanks to Adam Curry for the pointer.
July 10, 2003
Idiot comment of the week
From Dave Farber's Interesting People list:
Idiot comment of the week
ìNo serious person thinks that we are in the middle of a civil-liberties crisisî
-- Ann Coulter, Time Magazine, July 14, 2003
June 25, 2003
Jersey version of Windows XP
Dear Consumas:
It has come ta our attention dat a cupola copies of the Windows XP New Joisey Edition may have been shipped outsida Joisey. If ya got one a dese, you may need some help unnerstanin da commands.
Da Joisey edition may be recognized by da unique openin' screen. It reads: "Windas XP", wit a background pitcha a Hoboken. When yous start da program, instead a da usual hary stringy like music, you hear a little Springsteen. It's also shipped wit a Sopranos screen sava.
Please also note:
Recycle bin is labeled "Newark"
My Computer is called "My Friggin' Computa"
The Inbox is referred to as "Da Trunk"
Deleted items are referred to s "Wacked", "Erased" or "Rubbed Out"
Control Panel is known as "The Bosses"
Performing an "illegal operation" is known as "Enhancin' da Family Business" and will actually maximize da program instead a shuttin' it down
Hard Drive is referred to as "Da Turnpike on Da Way to Da Shore"
Instead of an error message, "You Ain't Gonna Friggin' Believe Dis'" pops up.
Changes in Terminology in Da Joisey Edition:
OK . . . . Sure ting
Cancel . . . . Fugetabouit
Reset . . . . Start ova
Yes . .. . . Yeah
No . . . . Nah
Find . . . . Put a Contract Out On
Browse . . . . Get a Looksee
Back . .. . . U-Toin
Help . . . . Get Your Own Friggin' Ansa
Stop . . . . Knock it Off
Start . . . . Move it
Settings . . . . Here's da Rules
We regret any inconvenience it may have caused if you mistakenly got a copy of the Joisey Edition (not). You may return it to Microsoft for a replacement version.
You gotta problem wit dat?
June 22, 2003
Lou Reed moves SF to the valley
It's our seventh wedding anniversary today. We did the partying last night, first hitting Kokkari, the best Greek restaurant in San Francisco, for dinner. And then catching Lou Reed at the Warfield.
Lou & co. were in pretty good form, with a driving rock set interspersed with more introspective and experimental numbers, like The Raven. They put a novel rhythmic spin on the classic Dirty Boulevard.
Lou's still got that New York attitude, big time. In introducing Small Town, he asked the audience members whether they considered San Francisco a small town. About half said yes and half no. But Lou went on to take a poke at the utterly savvy San Francisco audience (who need no lessons in urban hipness from New Yorkers) by saying something like, "Interesting reaction from here in the valley."
Uh, the valley? I don't think so.
Reminds me of watching Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News a couple of years ago. When the camera panned on the Bay Bridge between SF and Oakland, Brokaw said, "And that, of course, is a view of the Golden Gate Bridge."
Guys, there is life west of the Hudson.
June 20, 2003
Isn't it nice when things work?
Check out this Honda Accord commercial (Flash6 required). According to Andrew Sullivan, no special effects were used. They actually set this thing up manually and filmed it hundreds of times before they got it exactly right.
Amazing.
Amusement of the Day
OpinionJournal: What market would Al Gore's "liberal network" serve? "We already have an alphabet soup of liberal networks: ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC," claims columnist James Taranto.
Thanks to IWantMedia for the pointer.
GOP reports record 2nd-quarter profits
WASHINGTON, DCóAt a stockholders meeting Monday, the Republican Party announced record profits for the second quarter of 2003, exceeding analysts' expectations by more than 20 cents per share. ...
June 19, 2003
Two spoofs in the P2P wars
A little bit of levity in the P2P file-sharing wars:
JZIP: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) today introduced legislation authorizing the use of high-powered microwave lasers to burn out the eyes of non-paying viewers of copyrighted material. ìIf we could develop technology which just burned out the parts of their brains where the illegal memories are stored, thatíd be fine with me--but we can burn their eyes out right now!î said Hatch, while introducing the Hatch/Hollywood Eyeball Evisceration Act.
And from Declan's Politech list:
Senator wants copyright "kill switches" in PCs
Thursday, June 19, 2003; 10:12 AMWASHINGTON - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said Thursday that future personal computers should be required to sport "kill switches" that could be remotely activated in cases of peer-to-peer piracy.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-UT, said he was drafting legislation to require devices in PCs permitting the destruction of hardware used for widescale copyright infringement by sending a secret command to the remote computer. A copyright holder would be required to offer two warnings before the "kill switch" was activated and the computer destroyed or permanently disabled, Hatch said.
"That may be the only way you can teach these people about copyright infringement," Hatch told reporters in the Hart Senate office building before a meeting of the Judiciary committee. "Requiring kill switches is an extreme step, but if the private sector can't stop piracy on its own, the government will."
June 08, 2003
Clear Channel Purchases the FCC
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced today that it has agreed to be acquired by Clear Channel Communications (CCU) of San Antonio, Texas.
In announcing the deal, FCC Chairman Michael Powell said "This transaction will greatly expedite the demise of the antiquated concept of local ownership of media outlets. Critics of deals such as this need to understand that Clear Channel embodies all that is good and decent in the broadcast industry, and anyone that believes otherwise clearly isn't listening to the news."
In a statement issued today, Clear Channel CEO Lowry Mays said "This acquisition is a perfect strategic fit for Clear Channel. The FCC has been a wonderful business partner for the past several years, and has carried out our directions with great enthusiasm. We are proud to welcome the FCC into the Clear Channel family of companies."
Although terms of the deal were not immediately available, It is said that the acquisition will include all components, operating units and assets of the FCC, except for its soul, which was sold in a prior transaction to Satan, Inc. in 1996.
Clear Channel, which owns broadcast facilities, shopping malls, billboard advertising, and concert promotion units all across North America, has been on an acquisition binge for the past several years, and has recently broadened the scope of its acquisitions to include government entities. In a recent deal, CCU purchased a 50% interest in the U.S. Congress, and is reportedly close to striking a deal to purchase The White House. Clear Channel already has been integrally running the George Bush presidency. Clear Channel's Stock stood at $42.09 at the close of Monday's trading, up $1.39, or 3.42%
Mike said:
LOL! Absolutely hysterical. I hope they don't get the White House though. Seems like a better fit for Disney. Mickey'd make a great president.
Ben said:
This isn't really related to this post, but from what I had read, the FCC regulations rulings didn't really change radio regulations, but maybe even tightened them up a bit? I think it's kind of strange that all the press for years had been about the radio monopolies, yet I barely read a single peep about the fact that they didn't gain any ground in this latest round of FCC being pushovers.
Will Paul Boutin bring down the Net?
The scare headline in the NY Post read:
WIRED GIVES VIRUS CODE TO SLAMMER
And the lead said:
Think of it as a how-to guide to bringing down the Internet.The code to the Slammer virus, which paralyzed the Internet in January in just 15 minutes, will run in the next issue of Wired magazine.
Of course, it wasn't that simple, and writer Paul Boutin asks by email, "Why is this a story? I'm amused, and flattered in a way, but also surprised. Is it just that it sounds scary as a headline?"
Probably it's a case of tech-clueless journalists at everyone's favorite tabloid, is all.
Later: Paul emails with some additional details:
On the Slammer story, I traded a few emails with Post writer Lauren Barack and some other people on Friday. It seems that while security experts and IT people are familiar with the programmers' tradition of publishing code and detailing threats, others are still surprised and taken aback by it, so we have a chance to explain that. CNN has had Wired editor Blaise Zerega on two separate shows - Headline News and the "Next" weekend segment - and I was interviewed for a CBS radio segment. Reuters ran a story where a Symantec spokesguy said it was iffy that we were doing this, but I'm sure he didn't know his company was one of my sources.To my relief, I've gotten no hate mail on the story all weekend, and a few compliments instead.
Channel surfing with Rupert Murdoch
Regarding last week's FCC ruling on media consolidation, here's Channel surfing with Rupert Murdoch. (See 6/2/03 if it's been archived.)
June 05, 2003
The RNC wants my contributions
Today I received in the mail a "Census Document Questionnaire" from the Republican National Party. (Boy, have they got the wrong guy.)
Among the loaded questions (which they'll no doubt spin for their own propaganda purposes):
1. Do you support President Bush's initiatives to promote the safety and security of all Americans?Yes No Undecided
2, Should students, teachers, principals and administrators be held to higher standards?
Oh, they also want me to send a check up to $500 made out to the RNC.
Will you join the Republican National Committee by making a contribution today?Yes, I support the RNC and am enclosing my most generous contribution of ...
No, I favor electing liberal Democrats over the next ten years.
The FCC Minister of Information
Here's the outstanding online cartoonist Mark Fiore in SF Gate on The FCC Minister of Information -- starring Michael Powell as the general protecting the citizenry's interests against media consolidation. Absolutely hilarious, and spot on.
And check out his brilliant spin on Total Information Awareness. Big Brother is back ... but in a nice way.
Incidentally, Fiore just won his second straight award as the nation's outstanding new media cartoonist in an annual awards competition held by the National Cartoonists Society.
May 13, 2003
Hillary vs. Bill
The NY Post reports that CBS is skittish about a possible 60 Minutes interview with Hillary Clinton about her new book because Bill Clinton is under contract to appear on the show.
Here's an idea: 60 Minutes should dump the cadaverous and intellectually vacuous GOP apologist Bill Dole and launch a new slugfest: Hillary vs. Bill. Now, that would be television worth watching.
rusty said:
I've been disappointed by the Clinton/Dole segments on 60 Minutes, even taking into account the low expectations I had going into it. The format is hideously awkward, with both of them facing the camera straight-on like it's a campaign ad, and neither of them doing anything but talking about "your Republicans" and "your Democrats." I have no idea what either of them actually thinks about anything, and now I care less than I ever did. I'm embarrased for 60 Minutes every time they let those two on the air.
(I guess by posting this a I'm coming out of the closet and admitting that my TV demographic is "Golden Ager," but hey, I watch Fear Factor too)
May 10, 2003
Webcast of tennis in the buff
Hollywood Reporter via CNN.com: Naked tennis, anyone? A Florida nudist colony is planning what it's calling the first-ever webcast of a nude tennis tournament. For a fee of $10-$13, Internet surfers can go to http://www.TennisInTheBuff.com and watch on demand the two-hour tournament after it's played Sunday.
Ah, progress.
May 02, 2003
A couple of rich guys
Gotta like the fan's sign at tonight's Blazers-Mavs game in Portland, with Paul Allen and Mark Cuban in attendance:
Our billionaire can beat your billionaire.
April 29, 2003
The secret to invisibility
Raleigh, NC, News & Observer: Inventor claims he can make things invisible. It's not as far-fetched as it sounds.
April 23, 2003
April 17, 2003
A slip of the finger
Egads! I was typing in the new url of www.copyfight.org and wound up at www.copyright.org instead.
April 14, 2003
How to draw 3,000 angry e-mails
Michael Wolff in New York magazine: While the war was raging elsewhere, I was stuck at CENTCOM, where I was supposed to be lobbing softball questions at generals. Naturally, I did the opposite. (Cue hate mail from Rush Limbaugh fans.)
April 10, 2003
Saddam's lounge chair
Clever joke on Ken Layne's blog that I just had to pilfer:
Pack of cigarettes: $3.50
Lounge chair: $500
Lighting up in Saddam's living room and dropping your ashes wherever the hell you want: Priceless
March 28, 2003
State of the world
Paul Saffo got this in his email in-box today:
You know the world's gone mad when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy, the tallest guy in the NBA is Chinese, the Swiss hold the America's Cup, France is accusing the USA of arrogance and the Germans don't want to go to war.
March 25, 2003
March 23, 2003
Sacbee in Doonesbury
My former employer of 11 years, The Sacramento Bee, is a key part of today's Doonesbury strip.
March 19, 2003
Animated editorial cartooning
Matt Mirapaul, a longtime contract freelance writer for the New York Times' Arts section, has a new piece that went up the other day: Political Targets With Moving Parts. Matt asked for some suggestions tracking down sources for the article; the brilliant SF cartoonist Mark Fiore pointed him my way, after the column I wrote for OJR last year on animated cartooning. Funny how this stuff bubbles up to the elite media.
Buy a thong for freedom
Introducing The Total Information Awareness Gift Shop -- Buy a thong for freedom!
It began as a bit of a joke, a modest attempt at political satire spawned during an inane session of late night creativity. Then the New York Times ran a story about it.
Richard Gingras, the former Excite@Home exec, is the mastermind behind it all. I hope to run into Richard next week at the new media conference in Berkeley.
Here's the actual gift shop -- though I like the other url that takes you there: buyathongforfreedom. Kind of kitschy cool. I might buy one of these things. Um, a mug, not a thong.
March 18, 2003
Pick a name -- any name -- for the phone book
One of the funny little tidbits Ernie and I picked up at SxSW came in a convesation with a waitress at Guero's who told us of a little-known policy at Southwestern Bell (now part of SBC). She claimed that anyone was allowed to have a phone book listing under any name of his or her choosing. So one could opt to be listed as Tom Cruise in Abilene, Texas, or Julia Roberts in Baton Rouge. She said some friends opt to use a pseudonym that's easy to remember so they can give it out to acquaintances and they don't have to have their real names listed.
Is it true? No idea, but she insisted it was.
March 04, 2003
'I'm not listening'
Mark Fiore, whom I profiled in OJR last year here, has a clever new animated political cartoon out. Make sure your speakers are turned on. Mark's one of the best at this, if not the best.
February 25, 2003
Making the email rounds
I usually hit the delete key when I get these emails, but I found this one entertaining.
Did you know Ö?
Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
Coca-Cola was originally green.
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
The youngest pope was 11 years old.
The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
Those San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile national monuments.
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from
history:
Spades - King David,
Hearts - Charlemagne,
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th,
John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes
them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
A. Conception.
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the most ironic?
A. He was allergic to carrots.
Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a party?
A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight."
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month we know today as the honeymoon.
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden ... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
AND FINALLY
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow.
February 21, 2003
Putting events in context
Just put your birthdate in the window when you click on this link and see what happens.
Taking up the cause of Charles Babbage
It's not every day I get an email missive from the Communications Manager
at Southwark Town Hall in London, but Lise Colyer writes to say:
I'm writing to ask if you would mind asking your readers to vote for Charles Babbage, the father of computing. Here in the London Borough of Southwark we're setting up a sort of People's Plaques historic plaque scheme, in which people vote for the famous places, events or people they believe should have a historic plaque. These include Shakespeare's Globe, The Mayflower, Brunel's Thames Tunnel and so on. Is there any chance at all you might be interested in urging your readers to take up the cause of Charles Babbage? It's just that he doesn't have many votes yet, of 2,000 or so we've had already. We'd really appreciate interest from cyber buffs all over the world. These two links should explain what's going on in full.
