Adventures in Music!
5:50 PM | Author:
Hyper Crush is an awesome electro hip-hop band that you may not have heard of yet but I'm sure you will. The first video is for The Arcade and the second is their latest video for Robo Tech. Enjoy =)

NSFW - there are a couple swears, sorry.





Check out their website: Hyper Crush
Secret Message
3:38 PM | Author:
If you have the password, here are your instructions:

1 Copy the crazy text
2 Paste it in the pink "Cipher Text" box HERE
3 Type the password in the yellow "Key" box
4 Click the "Decyrpt" key under the pink box and the message will appear in the green "Plain Text" box

I know it sounds hard but it's only copy and paste. And this message needs all the security it can get.
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Pie Charts Suck
8:03 AM | Author:
Except this one. This one made me smile.


43 Things Update
11:39 AM | Author:

How to wake up when my alarm clock goes off

Stimulate This Oregon!
10:54 AM | Author:
The administration's stimulus bill is already having a positive effect on both the welfare of this nation and the welfare of our planet.

Bonneville Power Administration is going ahead with their project to add electrical transmission to Oregon. The added capacity will enable a total of 870 MW of energy, including 700 MW of wind power, to be be serviced by BPA. During construction about 700 jobs will be created. Construction is expected to begin as early as this spring.

It's not an amazing new green technology but 700 MW of wind power is great. The 700 jobs is even better.


via EcoGeek
Guilt Upon Accusation is a Crime!
9:06 AM | Author:
This Saturday, February 28th, Section 92A of the Copyright Act is due to come into force. This website has voluntarily been taken down in protest against this law, which will be used to disconnect New Zealanders from the internet based on accusations of copyright infringement, without a trial and without evidence held up to court scrutiny. May we be very clear: we do not support or condone copyright infringement or illegal downloads. But this blatant disregard towards the basic human right to a fair trial is completely unjust and unworkable and it has the potential to punish New Zealand businesses and individuals where in fact no laws have been broken. Similar laws have been rejected in the EU as being against
Field Trip!
6:30 AM | Author:
So I took a trip to IKEA last night looking for a new office chair since I destroyed mine. By destroyed I mean I my big fat ass suffers from an increased gravitational pull causing me to sit down faster than most people, thus bending the seat back a little further than it's supposed to every time I plop said fat ass down into the chair.

I just want to say that I HATE modern furniture. Don't get me wrong I love the look of modern, art deco and cutting edge/futuristic furniture. What I HATE is the cost and that I can't own it all. How is it that this plywood chair costs $800? I've grown to understand that this is art, along with fashion and paint splatter, but when your art is mass produced for $15 a piece... YOU DON'T CHARGE 800 FREAKING BUCKS FOR IT! It's molded plywood for crying out loud!

I think I just need to make more money so I can afford to fill my place with a bunch of crap I don't need and that V would hate. That and we need a bigger place so I can buy these.
Chicago's Greatest New Holiday
2:00 AM | Author:

Forget Christmas, Hanukkah, your birthday and all those other mediocre holidays. This is Chicago Restaurant Week, or Chicago Chef's Week depending on who you ask. This is the 2nd annual holiday of food, and it's not one day like Steak and a BJ day, it is a full 7 days.

Some of the best restaurants in Chicago are signed up and serving 3-course prix-fixe lunches for $22 and dinners for $32. In today's economy it's still quite a bit to fork over for a meal but to have a 3-course meal at Lawry's, Morton's or Hugo's for $32, it's a great deal. I have found that most places still have quite a few openings, which is probably due to the economy but good for those wanting to make a last minute reservation.

If I lived in Chicago during this great holiday week I would surely be heading out and figuring out something to celebrate on my way to the restaurant. Wait... I do, and I've already started trying to come up with a great made up holiday. I'll let you know when I figure it out.

The New York Post has published a political cartoon that shows President Obama as a bullet-ridden chimpanzee laying dead in the streets while two cops with gun are standing over him, one saying "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

I look at this and think that's it's a person's view of the disdain the public will show if Obama's stimulus bill doesn't help the economy, referring to a chimpanzee who mauled a woman just a day ago. I see the link clearly; a beloved animal who the mass public now sees as dangerous to the population rather than cute being compared to the current White House administration who many see as a redeemers to the US but if his bill doesn't work and hurts the economy he will be seen under the same light as the harmful chimp.

Not once did I think to scream "RACISM!" or even whisper it under my breath. I don't think it's because I'm naive, as some would have me think, I think it's because I'm not looking for it. I'm not looking for a way to make the world see there are still racists there and President Obama didn't heal the world by taking the oath of office we all know they are there.

The Al Sharptons and the Jesse Jacksons of the world are the reason people see this as racist, because they have us hunting for the bad in people rather than taking a cartoon for face value. Until they fight for people's rights and stop fighting for their publicity we will have arguments like this one.

Now, I do find the cartoon to be rather unfunny and not very thought provoking thus making it not very useful as to what political cartoons are for. All that said, I do not believe the NYP should issue a public apology or a retraction.

UPDATE: I sleep during the day so during REM I missed this:

In a statement, Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan said: "The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."

-Good for you Mr. Allan.

"No one ever died because of pot."

Really?

How about the 20yo "Good Boy" pot dealer shot 3 times in the head, the 25yo dealer who "had his head and throat smashed in with [a gym barbell]," or the 41yo who was so high he drove his car into oncoming traffic.

If that's not enough for you The LA Times has published an article about a link between a form of testicular cancer and smoking marijuana. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle has found a 70% higher risk of testicular cancer in those who were using pot and an even higher risk associated with younger age at first use and frequency of use.

"It's not just that you develop testicular cancer, but you develop a worse type of testicular cancer," said Dr. Glen Justice, director of the cancer center at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley,

Guys, think of your boys the next time you want to light up.

PLEASE REMEMBER YOU DO NOT DRIVE BETTER HIGH! DON'T GET HIGH AND DRIVE!
I love looking into the history of things. How a specific thing came to be or how a celebration came to form around a certain thing. This is the only video I could find that wasn't CRAZY a unique video about the history of St. Valentine's Day. I hope y'all enjoy and learn a bit!

X & O
Beave

Once Again...
1:06 AM | Author:
Here we go again! Another attempt to quit my habit of quitting smoking. I went to my doctor and got a prescription for Chantix (a medication to aid in quitting smoking).

For those of you who don't know, this is attempt #497 to quit. For those of you that do, I'm sorry you have to hear me talk about it again. I've tried just about everything and do fine for quite a while but somewhere down the line I bow out and go right back like nothing ever happened. This time (like every time) I'm hoping will be my last. Chantix is a 5 month program and all of the other things I've done it doesn't contain nicotine. I'm on week 2 of a 20 week program so wish me luck (again).

On the same note but in other news; I bought Guitar Hero World Tour, the one with the drum kit and mic, for my Wii for ridiculously cheap. The catch was that if I started smoking again I gave V permission to sell the game. This should help keep me in check because for some sick reason I love that game with a passion.
I Loathe Dr. Phil
3:34 AM | Author:
I loathe Dr. Phil, mainly because he's an inconsiderate man hating jerk but also because he is sometimes right. Even though we all wish we could choke out our partner from time to time, we have to make compromises and back down every now and then. Which by the way neither V nor I ever back down. Fighting is like an art between us, a glue that holds us together.

V and I have crazy fights. The kind where your guests get up and tell you they need to get up early and it's 4pm on a Saturday. The funny thing is they only last about 5-10 minutes and then it's over but usually not resolved. Most of them are about nothing at all so resolution is not always needed and we end up better than before after it's over.

I need to make sure that my life insurance policy stays low otherwise I fear the same fate as the guy in the picture.
John Sewell 1913-2009
2:07 AM | Author:

At approximately 11:50pm on January 31, 2009 John Sewell passed away in his sleep due to multiple complications. The world lost a truly amazing man who will be sorely missed.

I met John about 7 years or so ago, a little while after I started dating V. It was a neat that her grandfather and I shared the same birthday, just 70 years apart. When he was a kid they used to call him J for short, almost the same as my Jay for Jason, so he would consistently call me John which would amusingly get everyone confused from time to time.

John always had the swagger of a teenager even in his 90's. At 95 years old John was rocking a girl under his arm. He met M a few years back and she has become like part of the family. Rarely have I seen someone so full of life and happiness, especially at his age.

John was one of the most fearless, mentally brave and poetically compassionate people I have ever had the privilege of coming in contact with. He was always working up his next get rich scheme or how I could get Trump put him on the payroll. When he wasn't trying to become a millionaire, he was taking care of his family, even though it might have felt like we were taking care of him.

John Sewell was THE man. The world will never be the same without him.

We love you John. We miss you already.