w3rds

Marketingcrossing.com

2009-05-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Found another site from employmentcrossing.com that is called marketingcrossing.com. It is for people looking for marketing jobs. They currently have over a million job listings right now with over 200,000 new this week. They feature jobs from some of the top marketing firms in the world such as hewlett packard, kodak, nestle, ibm, etc. They have local and international jobs as well as work at home jobs. There is a charge for using their service but right now they are giving away 7 day free trials!! The site is super user friendly so even if you're not used to using job boards to find employment you will have no problem navigating marketingcrossing.com. They also show you the jobs you are most qualified for first and you never have to worry about spam listings. They have hundreds of employees to weed out spam jobs and match you with the best job listings possible. When you sign up for the free trial you get acces to all employmentcrossing.com sites including healthcarecrossing.com, lawenforcementcrossing.com, educationcrossing.com. They are all great sites as well as employmentcrossing.com. They have ebooks you can download or you can view free webinars to brush up on your resume, application and interview skills as well as keep up with hot topic marketing news and press releases. Employment Crossing has been featured in the wall street journal, the new york times and also on cnn, fox, and msnbc radio. It really is a great way to improve your career, life, family, anything.. You jus have to sign up for the free trial and see for yourself! Dont pass up such a great opportunity to find marketing jobs. You wont believe how many calls and interviews you will get!

Oops i did it again..

2009-05-10T16:48:00.000-07:00

2.50 in the pocket..

http://www.designingcrossing.com

2009-05-10T16:30:00.000-07:00

I wrote about employmentcrossing.com a few days ago but I found http://www.designingcrossing.com and it's a great site for anyone seeking design related jobs. Jobs in the design field, whether home design ot graphic design or some other type of design, arent usually found listed in newspapers or other job publications. Word of mouth has always been the best tool in finding design jobs but now with http://www.designingcrossing.com you can get listings that arent advertised anywhere else for any design job you could imagine. They do charge to be a member of their site but right now they are giving away free 7 day trials to anyone looking for a design job and wants to check out the site further. With all the jobs they list 7 days might just be anough to find a great job. The site is really user firendly and doesnt include any banner ads or spam jobs that your are required to pay for in order to apply. I have found that to be a big problem with public job boards. You read a description that sounds amazing only to find out they want you to pay 100 dollars to even apply for the job. For supposed job information or something like that. With http://www.designingcrossing.com the only fee you will ever pay is to http://www.designingcrossing.com for your membership and thats all. It's been a great site for me so far so i'm sure you will have great luck with it as well. You just have to sign up for the free trial to get started. Theres nothing to lose and everything to gain. You wont see these jobs listed anywhere else since they come directly from employer websites and are unadvertised. Im signing up, how great would it be to find a job in a field i love. Not just a job but a career. And if designing isnt necessarily your thing you can go to employemntcrossing.com to search jobs in a ton of other fields. ANy field you could think of they list and have a ton of sites specialized to the most popular job searches and they are all just as great as http://www.designingcrossing.com and they all have 7 day free trial specials going on right now too. If you try it out and find its not for you there is no obligation to continue the service so how much better can it get. No ads, great listings, free trial, seriously there is nothing to lose and in this economy any resource you can have at hand for job or career searching jus makes life that much easier.

brutally honestness

2009-05-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

i swear i didnt get paid 2.50 to make my previous blog entry. lololloll

http://www.employmentcrossing.com

2009-05-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

I found this website today with employment opportunities in nearly every field you could be looking for. You do have to pay I guess but if you are looking for serious job and career opportunities they are giving away a free 7 day trial. With all of the jobs they list 7 days may just be enough time to find the job of your dreams. Newspapers don't have near the same amount of jobs this site has, my newspapers jobs section is less than half a page, this site has hundreds of pages of jobs. Its also a good way to explore jobs in fields other than your current since they have such a variety of employment opportunities. With the free 7 day trial you really dont have anything to lose and it sure beats craigslist.

Boxes... Mailboxes..

2009-02-24T19:56:00.000-08:00

http://sblom.com/mailbox/

Icon War

2009-02-24T19:53:00.001-08:00

http://www.xs4all.nl/~jvdkuyp/flash/see.htm

Flash games post..

2009-02-24T19:50:00.000-08:00

Castaway
http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/quandary/version_2/examples/castaway.htm

The Web List

2009-02-24T19:42:00.000-08:00

Top stories from various news and bookmarking sites..

http://theweblist.net/

* Home * About * Recipes * Advertise * Sitemap * Contact Chinese Lemon Chicken Recipe

2009-02-24T19:40:00.000-08:00

http://blogchef.net/chinese-lemon-chicken-recipe/

Why order take out when you can make your own Chinese lemon chicken at home? There are a few different versions of lemon chicken out there, all coming from different countries. Probably the most popular type of lemon chicken would be baked in the oven. We all know baked lemon chicken is great but here is the Chinese version – just like take out or at the buffets. The Chinese version varies greatly from that of other cultures. Like most types of Chinese chicken the chicken is first cut into small chunks, battered, and then deep fried and covered with a sweet-lemon sauce. I do have a confession to make, I used yellow food coloring to get the sauce that amazing bright yellow color. If you have some yellow food coloring on hand, just add a drop or two into the sauce before you heat it. This recipe goes great served with rice and broccoli. Enjoy.

Ingredients:
2 1/2lbs boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” cubes)
Marinade-
2 tablespoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon salt
Batter-
2 large eggs
¼ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch white pepper
oil (for frying)
Sauce-
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup chicken broth
1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt
3 slices of lemon (peeled)
2 tablespoons oil
yellow food coloring (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Place cut chicken breast pieces into a bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Step 2: To make the batter – beat 2 large eggs with ¼ cup of cornstarch, a pinch of white pepper and baking powder. Coat the chicken with the batter.
Step 3: Heat deep fryer to 350 degrees and deep-fry in batches until chicken is fully cooked. Drain on paper towels and set aside. You can also cook the chicken using a wok if you don’t have a deep fryer.

Step 4: Now, to make the lemon sauce – combine 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and ¾ teaspoon salt (if using food coloring you can add it now). Mix until well combined and add 3 slices of lemon to the sauce mixture.
Step 5: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok and stir in the lemon sauce mixture and heat until well mixed and sauce becomes clear. Remove lemon slices and pour the sauce over the chicken and mix. Best served with rice and broccoli.

Deep Thoughts

2009-02-24T19:39:00.000-08:00

(by Jack Handey)

If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let'em go,
because, man, they're gone.
==========
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them
down?  We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.
==========
To me, it's a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when
you walk around.  That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a
hand?"  You can say, "Sorry, got these sacks."
==========
One thing kids like is to be tricked.  For instance, I was going
to take my nephew to Disneyland, but instead I drove him to an old
burned-out warehouse. "Oh no," I said, "Disneyland burned down."

He cried and cried, but I think that deep down he thought it was a
pretty good joke.  I started to drive over to the real Disneyland, but
decided to go home instead.
==========
The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face.
==========
If you lived in the Dark Ages and you were a catapult operator, I
bet the most common question people would ask is, "Can't you make it
shoot farther?"  "No, I'm sorry.  That's as far as it shoots."
==========
Is there anything more beautiful than a beautiful, beautiful flamingo,
flying across in front of a beautiful sunset?  And he's carrying a
beautiful rose in his beak, and also he's carrying a very beautiful
painting with his feet.  And also, you're drunk.
==========
I believe in making the world safe for our children, but not our
children's children, because I don't think children should be having sex.
==========
If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell
him is, "God is crying."  And if he asks why God is crying, another cute
thing to tell him is, "Probably because of something you did."
==========
If you ever catch on fire, try to avoid seeing yourself in the
mirror, because I bet that's what REALLY throws you into a panic.
==========
Whenever I see an old lady slip and fall on a wet sidewalk, my first
instinct is to laugh.  But then I think, what if I was an ant and she
fell on me.  Then it wouldn't seem quite so funny.
==========
To me, boxing is like a ballet, except there's no music, no
choreography and the dancers hit each other.
==========
I hope if dogs ever take over the world and they choose a king, they
don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with
some good ideas.
==========
If life deals you lemons, why not go kill someone with the lemons
(maybe by shoving them down his throat).
==========
Instead of having "answers" on a math test, they should just call
them "impressions," and if you got a different "impression," so what,
can't we all be brothers?
==========
Probably the earliest fly swatters were nothing more than some sort
of striking surface attached to the end of a long stick.
==========
I wish I would have a real tragic love affair and get so bummed out
that I'd just quit my job and become a bum for a few years, because
I was thinking about doing that anyway.
==========
I think a good gift for the President would be a chocolate revolver.
And since he's so busy, you'd probably have to run up to him real
quick and hand it to him.
==========
Maybe in order to understand mankind we have to look at that word
itself. MANKIND.  Basically, it's made up of two separate words "mank" and
"ind." What do these words mean?  It's a mystery and so is mankind.
==========
If you go flying back through time and you see somebody else flying
forward into the future, it's probably best to avoid eye contact.
==========
It's easy to sit there and say you'd like to have more money.  And I
guess that's what I like about it.  It's easy.  Just sitting there,
rocking back and forth, wanting that money.
==========
If you ever reach total enlightenment while you're drinking a beer,
I bet it makes beer shoot out your nose.
==========
To me, clowns aren't funny.  In fact, they're kinda scary.  I've
wondered where this started and I think it goes back to the time I
went to the circus and a clown killed my dad.
==========
As the light changed from red to green to yellow and back to red
again, I sat there thinking about life.  Was it nothing more than a
bunch of honking and yelling?  Sometimes it seemed that way.
==========
I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate.
And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it.
==========
I hope some animal never bores a hole in my head and lays its eggs in
my brain, because later you might think you're having a good idea but
it's just eggs hatching.
==========
Whenever you read a good book, it's like the author is right there,
in the room talking to you, which is why I don't like to read good books.
==========
What is it about a beautiful sunny afternoon, with the birds singing
and the wind rustling through the leaves, that makes you want to get
drunk? And after you're real drunk, maybe go down to the public park
and stagger  around and ask people for money, and then lay down and go
to sleep.
==========
Instead of a trap door, what about a trap window?  The guy looks out
it, and if he leans too far, he falls out.  Wait.  I guess that's like
a regular window.
==========
During the Middle Ages, probably one of the biggest mistakes was not
putting on your armor because you were "just going down to the corner."
==========
If I ever get real rich, I hope I'm not real mean to poor people, like
I am now.
==========
When I found the skull in the woods, the first thing I did was call
the police. But then I got curious about it.  I picked it up, and
started wondering who this person was, and why he had deer horns.
==========
I remember how my great-uncle Jerry would sit on the porch and
whittle all day long.  Once he whittled me a toy boat out of a larger
toy boat I had.  It was almost as good as the first one, except now it had
bumpy whittle marks all over it.  And no paint, because he had whittled
off the paint.
==========
Here's a good thing to do if you go to a party and you don't know
anybody:  First take out the garbage.  Then go around and collect any
extra garbage  that people might have, like a crumpled napkin, and
take that out too.  Pretty soon people will want to meet the busy
garbage guy.
==========
Sometimes I think you have to march right in and demand your rights,
even if you don't know what your rights are, or who the person is you're
talking to. Then on the way out, slam the door.
==========
If you're a cowboy and you're dragging a guy behind your horse, I bet
it would really make you mad if you looked back and the guy was reading
a magazine.
==========
If your friend is already dead, and being eaten by vultures, I think
it's okay to feed some bits of your friend to one of the vultures, to
teach him to do some tricks.  But only if you're serious about adopting
the vulture.
==========
Broken promises don't upset me.  I just think, why did they believe me?
==========
If you ever crawl inside an old hollow log and go to sleep, and while
you're in there some guys come and seal up both ends and then put it on
a truck and take it to another city, boy, I don't know what to tell you.
==========
One thing vampire children have to be taught early on is, don't run
with a wooden stake.
==========
If you go to a costume party at your boss's house, wouldn't you think
a good costume would be to dress up like the boss's wife?  Trust me,
it's not.
==========
Most of the time it was probably real bad being stuck down in a
dungeon. But some days, when there was a bad storm outside, you'd look
out your little window and think, "Boy, I'm glad I'm not out in that."
==========
Consider the daffodil.  And while you're doing that, I'll be over
here, looking through your stuff.
==========
For mad scientists who keep brains in jars, here's a tip: why not add
a slice of lemon to each jar, for freshness?

Customizing Windows info

2009-02-24T19:38:00.000-08:00

Here

Amazing Useless “Facts” (and the actual facts)

2009-02-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

I’m getting sick of these lists of “amazing facts” that are complete baloney. In the interest of keeping my readers from being uneducated and gullible, I decided to whip up this list - references are linked to. This is the latest list I received, verbatim, followed by the facts that contradict the “facts” (or at least show you why the fact isn’t really all that amazing):

“I am.” is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.

“Go,” used in the imperative mode is the shortest sentence in the English language (especially because you can use body language as a compliment referring to “there” or “away”). “I am,” is not a complete sentence. “Am,” would need a compliment to turn it into a predicate (i.e. “I am stupid”) - you can’t use body language like you can with “Go”. If you don’t like using modes, try “I go.” (Edit: Okay, whiz kids who think I’m wrong, a sentence needs a subject and a complete predicate - which can be implied. “I am” is a sentence just like “Q” is a sentence when used as a response - like, “What letter comes after the letter P?”. If you say it to some random stranger on the street and they think you make sense, then it is probably a sentence. Imagine going up to somebody and telling them “Go!” They would understand that you want them to leave. If you walked up to someone on the street and said, “I am!” they would likely wonder what you were responding to, because it is not a complete sentence. I’m not going to keep repeating myself for the stupid people, so I found some references for them to go look at. Reference 1. Reference 2. Reference 3) If you want to argue it, I will probably make fun of you. I am not the nicest blogger in the world.

More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.

There are more donkey related injuries than airplane deaths per year, but there are no statistics, nor has there ever been, to back up more donkey related deaths. There are roughly 1,200 airplane deaths per year.

The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.

“South America” and “North America.” Does that need a complete sentence or is it obvious enough?

The word “lethologica” describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.

“Aphasia” could just as easily be used here, given the generalized definition provided.

TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.

What about pepperroot, pepperwort, perpetuity, pirouetter, prerequire, pretorture, proprietor, repertoire, repetitory? I’m sure we can think of even more words, and I’m only using the top row of keys on a QWERTY keyboard for those ones.

A snail can sleep for 3 years.

Snails don’t “sleep” - they enter a state of torpor - no brain function and the appearance of being dead. Believe it or not, I actually raised snails for a season - even got 3rd place at the Great Folsom Snail Race.

The longest word in the English language is 1909 letters long and it refers to a distinct part of DNA.

The word referred to is LATIN and GREEK, not English. It is only used by a very small group of scientists, too, and would not appear in any English dictionary. But maybe they are actually trying to say it is the longest word in the world, regardless of language… a distinction that, with four more letters, already belongs to:

Methionylglutaminylarginyltyrosy -
lglutamylserylleucylphenylalanylalanylglutaminy -
lleucyllysylglutamylarginyllysylglutamylglycyla -
lanylphenylalanylvalylprolyphenylalanYlvalythre -
onylleucylglycylaspartylprolylglycylisoleucylg -
lutamylglutaminylsErylleucyllysylisoleucy -
laspartylthreonylleucylIsoleucylglutamy -
lalanylglycylalanylasparthlalanylleucylg -
lutamylleucylglycylisoleucylprolylphenylalanylse -
Rylaspartylprolylleucylalanylaspartylglycylp -
RolylthreOnylisoleucylglutaminylasPfraginylal -
anylthreonylleucylarfinylalanylphenylalanylalany -
lalanylglycylvalythreonylprolylalanylglutaminy -
lcysteinylphenylalanylglutamylmethionylleucy -
lalanylleuOylisoleucylarginylglutaminy -
llysyhistidylprolylthreonylisoleucylproly -
lisoleucylglycylleucylmethionyltyrosylalany -
lasparaginylleucylvalylphenylalanylasparaginy -
llysyglycylisoleucylaspartylglutamylphenylalany -
lthrosylalanylglutaminylcsteinylglutamyllysylva -
lylglycylvalylaspartylserylvalylleucylvalylalny -
laspartylvalylprolylvalylglUtaminylglutamylsery -
lalanylprolylphenylalanylarginylglutaminylalany -
lalanylleucylarginylhistidylasparaginyvalylalany -
lprolylisoleucylprolylisoleucylphenylalanylisoleucy -
lphenylalanylisoleucylcysteinylprolylprolylaspartylalany -
laspartylaspartylaspartylleucylleucylarginy -
lglutaminylisoleucylalanylseryltyrosylglycy -
larginylglycyltyrosylthreonyltyrOsylleucyl -
leucylserylarginylalanylglycylvalylthreony -
lglycylalanylglutamYlasparainylarginylalany -
lalanylleucylprolylleucylasparaginylhistidy -
lleucylValylalanyllysylleucyllysylglutamy -
ltyrosylasparaginylalanylalanylprolylpro -
lylleucylglutaminylglgycylphenylalanylglycy -
lisoleucylserylalanylprolylaspartylglutaminy -
lvalyllysylalanylalanylisoleucylaspartylalany -
lglycylalanylalanylglycylalanylisoleucylsery -
lglycylserylalanylisoleucylvalyllysylisoIeucy -
lisoleucylglutamylglutaminylHistidylasparaginy -
liSoleucylglutamylprolylglutamyllysylmethionyl -
leucylalanylalanylleucyllysylvalylphenylalanyl -
calylglutaminylprolylmethionlysylalanylalanylt -
hreonylarginylserine.

Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, dogs only have about ten.

Blatantly false. Somebody must have spent too much time hanging out with a very quiet dog. Try going on YouTube and looking up “talking dog.” A dog can make fewer vocal sounds than a cat, but far more than ten.

Feb 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

February 1865 did in fact have a full moon, though there was no full moon in the Februaries of 1866, 1885, 1915, 1934, 1961, and 1999. Go figure.

Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.

Almost any spice, when injected in the body, is extremely poisonous. Try shooting up some cardamom. I wonder if this was intended to imply how poisonous nutmeg is when taken in large quantities, orally? It has been shown to cause extremely intense hallucinations.

The strongest muscle in the body is the TONGUE.

I don’t know where people came up with this one. It has no basis in fact. Despite the fact that the tongue is made up of 16 seperate muscles, each fiber of a muscle, no matter where, exerts about 0.3 micronewtons of force. Gram per gram (compressed muscle), the myometrial layer in a woman’s uterus (yes, it is a muscle) is the strongest muscle a human has.

It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

I have sneezed with my eyes open. It is not natural, but it is easily done. And no, your eyeballs won’t pop out. They even did a debunking of it on Mythbusters.

Polar bears are left-handed.

Most polar bears are right handed. The best explanation for the confusion I could find was that they use their dominant paw to cover their nose (not a likely explanation at all, however - see comments from Des and Gryndyl), to blend in while waiting beside their prey. They catch their prey (primarily seals) by either biting their heads or swatting at them (with their left paw) to knock them onto the ice when they surface. Some of the studies on the subject can be very misleading because it appears that polar bears always attack with their left paw, but during casual interactions they revert to their right. I suspect the true reason is something along the lines of them requiring stability when attacking and thus, keeping their footing with the right paw is more effective.

The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds, that makes the catfish rank #1 for animal having the most taste buds.

Catfish do have a lot of taste buds, but most of them do not transmit anything. They are completely non-functional. It is like bragging about having the most cars of anybody in Texas… but it is only because you own the garbage dump where they drop off wrecked cars.

Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump.

First, I’m going to assume that there was a typo here and they meant to say mammals, since fish, snakes, eels, brine shrimp, etc., can’t jump. But even among mammals, I’ve never heard of a hippo being able to jump. How about a guinea pig? They can barely hop with the limited joints in their back legs. Sloths? (Edit: according to some comments I’ve received, I’m wrong because jumping can just mean “to be full of activity or bustling” - just to clarify, even an elephant could have this attributed to them, despite their inability to rapidly extend their extremities in order to gain enough vertical velocity to significantly propel them from the ground. The “fact” I criticize here is wrong, regardless of any of these arguments.)

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

This is as true as saying gasoline is made with Stegosauruses’ remains. Extracted peanut oil could be used to make glycerin that could be further processed to make nitroglycerin, and nitroglycerin is one of the ingredients commonly used for making dynamite, but peanuts are hardly a required ingredient.

A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

Pufferfish can blink. Last I checked, that was a fish - I mean, it is part of their name. Most sharks actually roll their eyes back in their head, rather than blinking, too.

Two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey.

New Jersey produces about 0.1% of the world’s eggplant, by the numbers. They produce roughly half the amount that comes out of California, alone.

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is “screeched.”

Scrootched is a word. Look it up (it is under the word “scrootch,” a variant of “scrooch”). It is longer than screeched, but still one syllable.

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.

Hunth , a word meaning a hundred thousand. Sporange as a variant of sporangium per Webster’s Third Unabridged and the Oxford English Dictionary. Chilver as an ewe lamb per the Oxford English Dictionary. Hirple, meaning to limp. Look them up. They are, in fact, words (though hirple is a Scottish English word, so it might not be in everybody’s dictionary).

There are only four words in the English language which end in “- dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

How about amadous, apodous, decapodous, iodous, nodous, nonhazardous, palladous, ultrahazardous, and vanadous? Yep, they are all words.

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

A cat has 0 muscles in each ear. They do have about 30 muscles at the base of their ears. Am I being petty?

A dragonfly has a lifespan of 24 hours.

A dragonfly’s lifespan is up to 6 months.

A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.

A goldfish can remember an event for about 3 months. See multiple studies on this for more info. It is pretty interesting.

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

The correct term is Speaker of the House of Commons, and they are allowed to speak, but are required to take an impartial position and can’t argue one side over another. Their position is a little bit similar to a judge’s at a trial.

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

Regulation size golf balls can have anywhere from 300-500 dimples.

You can’t lick your own elbow.

If you are flexible or have a long tongue, yes you can. I happen to have a very long tongue, and can almost reach it. There are groups of people on YouTube that post videos of themselves doing this very thing.

Is any of this enlightening?

http://eumaledictio.com/?p=130

Movie Posters

2009-02-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

A great movie poster is a hard thing to find. Most posters are cut and paste jobs that don't sell the movie very well at all. A great poster should intrigue, shock, inspire & excite. It should be aesthetically beautiful or original. Above all, it should be so memorable that a single glance will be instantly recognizable.

Top 100

http://www.tccandler.com/columns/100_greatest_movie_posters.htm

Dots

2009-02-24T19:29:00.000-08:00

Proof that computers are smarter..

http://www.athey-educational.co.uk/games/game5/game5.htm

Moar Tutorials

2009-02-18T20:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.gfxartist.com/features/tutorials

11 Reality Shows That Prove The Apocalypse Is Upon Us

2009-02-18T20:09:00.000-08:00

http://www.campussqueeze.com/post/11-Reality-Shows-That-Prove-The-Apocalypse-Is-Upon-Us.aspx

Reality shows are difficult to understand. "Reality" refers to how "real" something is, so a television show labeled "reality" would have to be "realistic," right? And yet, you've never found yourself in a tuxedo handing roses to 28 year-old investment bankers with Ph.D's in neuroscience and years of training at a Tibetan Tantric-sex monastery. And you've probably never lived in a Hollywood mansion with the dad from Wonder Years and the fat, untalented Baldwin. With that in mind, check out our list of the reality shows that prove the Apocalypse is upon us.

11.) MTV’s A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila

What is this crap?
Disappointingly famous for no reason “Tila Tequila” (real name Tila Nguyen) is the star of this mind-bogglingly awful reality show in which contestants compete for her affection. BUT HERE’S THE KICKER! She’s bi-sexual**. The show follows around the sheep-like participants as they vie for the attention of someone not much more famous than they are.
**She isn’t bi-sexual as made evident by the fact that she has a boyfriend. And come on, tons of girls kiss other girls at parties for attention.

Moment That Proves The Apocalypse Is Upon Us:
After the first season ended, series winner Bobby Banhart didn’t actually get to fall in love with Tila, as is evident by his incoherent Kindergarten-esque writing style on MySpace when he wrote; “well everyone wants to know so here it is she never called me after the last show and no one would give me her number so pretty much I feel like and ass but we are not 2gather u cant have a realationship bye urself ya know so now you all know and sometimes no matter how bad you want things to work out they dont and theres nothing you can do i tryed… thank you all.” Yes, those are his actual words.

10.) Fox’s Trading Spouses

What is this crap?
The show seems like a great idea for men right off the bat: “Get rid of your wife for two weeks! But wait: you get another, a crazier one, in her place. And you thought it was hard not to punch your regular wife!” Fox decided to see how zany it would be if you switched moms with families completely different than their own. According to Fox producers, the “putting a conservative mom in a liberal household and visa versa” concept never gets old.

Moment That Proves The Apocalypse Is Upon Us:
God fearing and bat-shit insane Christian fundamentalists are always good for a laugh, and putting an especially insane (and grotesquely fat) one in a house that practices astrology and other pagan-esque worship techniques means some serious shit is gonna go down. When the woman named Margaret got home, she proceeded to scream and rant about “the dark side” and proclaimed she was “a God warrior.” She even went as far as to tear up the check Fox gave her family for their troubles, which is exactly how Jesus Christ used to act in any given situation.

9.) Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker

What is this crap?
Bruce Wayne was a gazillionaire with all the coolest playthings; the Batcave, Batmobile, Bat utility belt, Robin. He knew how to keep it classy. The dude always had tons of chicks around him, and he was flaunting his money like a millionaire/superhero should. It was partly because he had to keep up a high-profile lifestyle, but also because he loved getting the D-wet, just like anyone. The millionaire's on Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker are all idiots. They have all the money they could want, and no idea how to pick up chicks. "Hey babe, I have lots of money." Boom. She's in your car, and her boyfriend is left standing on the curb thinking, "When my bumper sticker company gets big, she'll come back."

Moment That Proves The Apocalypse Is Upon Us:
Dumb-ass millionaire Paul from Las Vegas showed us why he's got a pile of money and no women when he took out former Playboy cyber girl of the week Cidney. He used the classic equation for scoring chicks: He told her he's "not a risk taker" and is "afraid of heights." Logically, the first thing you should do is book a helicopter ride over Las Vegas. Another thing you should do to avoid looking like a desperately creepy super nerd stuck in a successful person's body is ask your date's family over the phone if it's ok to marry their daughter. And oh yeah, make sure you've known the girl for less than a day. With that in mind, take her back to your place and propose marriage to her as awkwardly as possible. Surely, she'll find your nervous demeanor and awkwardly sweaty palms endearing as she tearfully calls her friends to say she's bagged a million-dollar fuck up.

8.) VH1's Flavor of Love

What is this crap?
Remember that movie Cloverfield? The giant alien monster is walking around New York City ruining everyone's shit, and as if that's not bad enough, a ton of small, equally vicious monsters are falling off of it, killing everyone else? That's Flavor of Love. The Surreal Life is the giant Cloverfield monster that spawned Strange Love featuring Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav, which in turned spawned the demon known as Flavor of Love.

Moment That Proves the Apocalypse is Upon Us:
The world was shocked when, after being eliminated, serious white trash slut "Pumkin" went toe-to-toe with the terrifying "New York." New York hurled insults at Pumkin as Pumkin walked out, which Pumkin responded to with a horrifying loogie.

7.) Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City

What is this crap?
This show follows around annoying and over privileged socialites who live in Manhattan and the Hamptons. They enjoy shopping, talking about shopping, driving to the mall, and discussing how the Calabi-Yau manifold has effected the advancement of pure mathematics. Imagine if you made $9 million more a year. Now, envision the things you would do with your $9,000,500; look at the places you would go, the house you'd buy, women you would bang. Isn't it interesting? That's exactly the opposite of this show. Instead of using their money for anything important, the women gossip and socialize like a bunch of sorority sluts, which they were 20 years ago.

Moment That Proves the Apocalypse is Upon Us:
RHWONYC has made a tremendous philanthropical donation to YOU! That's right, in one episode, the women provide an obnoxiously elitist list of ways to fit-in with Manhattan's high society. Is "be an incredibly stuck up whorebag whenever possible" one of them? Not in that many words, but each rule on the list implies that anyway. Some of our favorite tips include "Make a large philanthropical donation in your name...because we care about people...as long as they aren't poor and don't look at me or touch me or anything," and "Never wear the same outfit twice." One of the wives actually says "You know the only thing that makes me sad? That I can never wear this again." You know what makes a child in Darfur sad? Contemplating whether he should bury his best friend, or eat him.

6.) E!'s Keeping Up with the Kardashians

What is this crap?
This drivel follows the lives of the Kardashian family. Who are they, exactly? Exactly. They're no one. Does the name Robert Kardashian ring a bell? No? How about O.J. Simpson? Kardashian defended OJ in that little trial that OJ was involved in during the mid-90s. His family is still super rich, and deserve a reality show for some reason. Probably the only notable member of the cast is Kim Kardashian, whose sex tape has been masturbated to by many men across the country. The problem with the show? It isn't about anything. None of the people here are actually famous or talented or can give any credible reason why they deserve to continue living.

Moment That Proves the Apocalypse is Upon Us:
Kim purchases a Bentley, which causes friction among her less attractive sisters. The insults fly, and someone calls Kim "Mariah Carey," which would be funny if they were implying that Kim is bat-shit insane, but really it was to imply that she's a diva. Would have been hilarious 12 years ago, but hey, when you're dealing with the brainpower of the Kardashians, that's the best insult you get. The episode culminates in Kim LITERALLY throwing her Blackberry and crying on her bed while her sisters watch with little remorse. That'll show 'em. And that is how boring this show is...that is its most crazy moment.

5.) NBC's Celebrity Circus

What is this crap?
Some celebrities are lifetime celebrities for a reason. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep win Academy Awards, John Mayer bangs Jessica Simpson, and Wee-Man joins the cast of celebrity reality shows. It's just how you get invited to the big parties. Anonymity is kryptonite to the semi-famous, and they'll do whatever it takes to stay in the limelight. This conversation has definitely taken place:

Christopher Knight: I'll do whatever it takes to be on TV sir, anything....(attempts to fellate producer)
Producer: (Pushes him away) Umm, how about you just live in a house with Da Brat and Verne Troyer, among other worthless former celebs?
Christopher Knight: Oh...well, that's fine too...(continues to attempt fellatio)

Moment That Proves The Apocalypse Is Upon Us:
A very large and muscular man gets into a wheel and spins on it for a really long time. Looks simple enough. That's why Christopher Knight of The Brady Bunch fame decides to get in. Does his spin go well? Thankfully, no. Immediately, Knight falls face first onto the ground, shattering his shoulder.

4.) The Oxygen Network's The Bad Girls Club

What is this crap?
The Bad Girls Club is a popular show on The Oxygen Network, which is a network similar to Lifetime, without all the made-for-TV movies about rape. The reason they made it? Oprah and some of her high-powered buddies wanted a network so that women could watch a channel they could relate to, unlike MTV, VH1, and the History Channel. (Insert image: Four women on a white sofa, wearing turtlenecks, holding glasses of red wine, giggling.) So where did The Bad Girls Club come from? It's basically a show about the slutty girls you knew in college who never woke up one day and said "I pledge to stop blowing guys just because they're on the football team." Oxygen threw them all into a house, gave them some booze, and waited for them to go nuts. After all the fighting and crying, the girls realized it was time to start drinking, and everything started all over again.

Moment That Proves the Apocalypse is Upon Us:
In episode 2 of the first season, self-proclaimed "black out queen" Ripsi, whose stupid name actually falls short of her real-life stupidity, goes on a Cosmopolitan induced rampage after her roommates threw her Ted Kennedy level drunk ass into a pool, which was a smart idea because severe drunkenness and swimming have a very rich and positive history. Unfortunately, some of the girls realized "Hey, what's that thing that happens when you don't breathe for a long time? What? Death? Pull her out, we're not even close to the season finale yet," and she was pulled out. She got up and went crazy, with all the hair pulling and awkwardly un-athletic open handed punches you can handle.

3.) Fox's Moment of Truth

What is this crap?
"Hey! Don't you hate your family, want to drown your wife, and fantasize about making love to wildlife? Oh, you'd rather not answer those questions? Well what if I gave you the chance to answer those questions and more on national television?!" That's Fox's Moment of Truth in a nutshell. It showcases America's unwavering dedication to the truth, as long as you're handsomely rewarded and your loved ones have the ability to instantly forget that they heard honest answers to the darkest secrets you hold. The more questions you answer, the more money you win, unless the lie detector finds you're lying, in which case, you go home with nothing but a pair of underpants loaded with the squishy feeling of regret. Want to make every Thanksgiving from now until your murder at the hands of your family impossibly awkward? Then Moment of Truth is for you.

Moment That Proves the Apocalypse is Upon Us:
Our nation's moral watering hole was severely poisoned by--not surprisingly--a New York housewife (no relation to above) named Lauren Cleri. Lauren's incredible honesty was hilariously overshadowed by revelations of her immoral behavior towards her marriage. She managed to answer honestly in front of her husband that she should have married her ex-boyfriend, and that she had cheated on him. But when it came down to the simple question of "Are you a good person?" the lie detector found that her answer of "Yes, I am" was shockingly false. Who knew?

2.) VH1's I Love Money

What is this crap?
"That's no moon...that's a space station." Much like the Death Star on Star Wars, this new creation by VH1 seems harmless from far away...but up close, it could easily destroy a planet. This is the show social scientists have been dreading since the dawn of television. It's a nice frothy glass of SARS, Ebola Virus, Bubonic Plague, and high fructose corn syrup mixed together. I Love Money takes the stars of other reality shows, and puts them together as they bathe and save the lives of impoverished children suffering from leprosy, and solve world hunger. Oh wait, it's the opposite of that. The cast of I Love Money is comprised of failures, not even the winners, from past shitty VH1 reality shows as they compete for the chance to win $250,000 by completing challenges like catching a turkey shot from a catapult, and building a tent. Seriously.

Moment That Proves The Apocalypse Is Upon Us:
Contestants compete in a game called "The Spit Olympics." It's pretty self explanatory. The contestants drink a colored beverage and then see how far they can spit it. Something tells us the ladies on the show will either win this competition by a landslide, or make themselves sick by swa...well, you get the idea.

1.) MTV's My Super Sweet 16

What is this crap?
My Super Sweet 16 is a show about all the girls you hated in high school. In the movies, the girls are rich, bitchy, and hot, but My Super Sweet 16 flips that stereotype on its ear, by utilizing girls who are rich, bitchy, and generally unattractive.

Moment That Proves the Apocalypse is Upon Us:
On episode 3 of the first season, a young lady who you'd love to strangle named Ava is gearing up for her sweet 16 party. She is of Iranian descent, so she cleverly themes her party "An Arabian Night!" Wouldn't you love to see her attempt to survive for a night in the Middle East? Her parents are super rich, and prove the theorem that with money comes the inability to raise a child. Ava demands to wear a sexy dress for her party, although her body indicates she enjoys a pretty steady diet of the Bastani-e Za'farani. To find a dress, her parents fly her to fucking Paris, where not surprisingly, she finds nothing she likes. The horror culminates when her bitchy demeanor prompts her father to yell "If you stop whining, I'll get it for you!" about a custom made dress. In the end, he buys her a Range Rover despite declaring he wouldn't, which made her cry at dinner.

Scribbler.

2009-02-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Try it!

http://www.zefrank.com/scribbler/

Northern Lights

2009-02-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

Where to go in case of zombies.

2009-02-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

http://paradoxoff.com/sure-youd-like-to-live-there.html

Crazy small writing

2009-02-18T19:24:00.000-08:00

Convicted forger A. Schiller was serving his time in Sing
Sing prison in the late 1800s when guards found him dead in
his cell. On his body they found seven regular straight pins
whose heads measured the typical 47/1000ths of an inch or
1.17 millimeters in diameter. Under 500 magnification it was
found that the tiny etchings seen on the heads of the pins
were the words to The Lord's Prayer, which is 65 words and
254 letters long. Of the seven pins, six were silver and one
was gold - the gold pin's prayer was flawless and a true
masterpiece. Schiller had spent the last 25 years of his life
creating the pins, using a tool too small to be seen by the
naked eye. It is estimated that it took 1,863 sepatate carving
strokes to make it. Schiller went blind because of his
artwork.

Crazy Questions at Google Job Interview

2009-02-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

1. How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?

2. You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and your mass is proportionally reduced so as to maintain your original density. You are then thrown into an empty glass blender. The blades will start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?

3. How much should you charge to wash all the windows in Seattle?

4. How would you find out if a machine’s stack grows up or down in memory?

5. Explain a database in three sentences to your eight-year-old nephew.

6. How many times a day does a clock’s hands overlap?

7. You have to get from point A to point B. You don’t know if you can get there. What would you do?

8. Imagine you have a closet full of shirts. It’s very hard to find a shirt. So what can you do to organize your shirts for easy retrieval?

9. Every man in a village of 100 married couples has cheated on his wife. Every wife in the village instantly knows when a man other than her husband has cheated, but does not know when her own husband has. The village has a law that does not allow for adultery. Any wife who can prove that her husband is unfaithful must kill him that very day. The women of the village would never disobey this law. One day, the queen of the village visits and announces that at least one husband has been unfaithful. What happens?

10. In a country in which people only want boys, every family continues to have children until they have a boy. if they have a girl, they have another child. if they have a boy, they stop. what is the proportion of boys to girls in the country?

11. If the probability of observing a car in 30 minutes on a highway is 0.95, what is the probability of observing a car in 10 minutes (assuming constant default probability)?

12. If you look at a clock and the time is 3:15, what is the angle between the hour and the minute hands? (The answer to this is not zero!)

13. Four people need to cross a rickety rope bridge to get back to their camp at night. Unfortunately, they only have one flashlight and it only has enough light left for seventeen minutes. The bridge is too dangerous to cross without a flashlight, and it�s only strong enough to support two people at any given time. Each of the campers walks at a different speed. One can cross the bridge in 1 minute, another in 2 minutes, the third in 5 minutes, and the slow poke takes 10 minutes to cross. How do the campers make it across in 17 minutes?

14. You are at a party with a friend and 10 people are present including you and the friend. your friend makes you a wager that for every person you find that has the same birthday as you, you get $1; for every person he finds that does not have the same birthday as you, he gets $2. would you accept the wager?

15. How many piano tuners are there in the entire world?

16. You have eight balls all of the same size. 7 of them weigh the same, and one of them weighs slightly more. How can you find the ball that is heavier by using a balance and only two weighings?

17. You have five pirates, ranked from 5 to 1 in descending order. The top pirate has the right to propose how 100 gold coins should be divided among them. But the others get to vote on his plan, and if fewer than half agree with him, he gets killed. How should he allocate the gold in order to maximize his share but live to enjoy it? (Hint: One pirate ends up with 98 percent of the gold.)

Do you still think you have what it takes to work for Google?

http://tihomir.org/crazy-questions-at-google-job-interview/

Maze Game

2009-02-18T19:21:00.000-08:00

www.MazeFrenzy.com

What is Maze Frenzy?
Its the wackiest and most exciting maze game on the internet!

Huge fudging snail!!!11!!!!!1

2009-02-18T19:20:00.000-08:00

http://www.wackyarchives.com/bizarre/the-ginormous-snail.html

Coupon Codes!!! for all the things i dont buy online.. :(

2009-02-18T19:17:00.000-08:00

http://www.retailmenot.com/coupons/clothing

Another Ascii converter...

2009-02-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

http://asciiconvert.com/

A ton of Choco Chip cookie recipes.. Om nom nom nom <3

2009-02-18T19:10:00.000-08:00

By Ruth Wakefield

There is no substitute for quality. Even in simple recipes, like mine for chocolate chip cookies, every ingredient's quality has an effect on the recipe's outcome.

Eggs: Always use fresh eggs. Eggs that are past their prime may exhibit a cloudy white and a flatter rather than rounder yolk. If you are not sure about the freshness of an egg, break it into a measuring cup to inspect it before adding it to the recipe. Washing your hands after handling eggs is good procedure. This is especially true if you are going to touch the cookie dough later or taste the dough as you prepare it.

Baking Soda: Arm & Hammer brand baking soda works fine.

Butter: There's no substitute for butter. If you can not use butter for health reasons, do not waste your time attempting to make a great chocolate chip cookie. They will be substandard. I prefer unsalted butter, but you can use salted butter. Name brand butter works better than a generic brands. Generic brands vary a great deal in their taste and texture. You should experiment. My recipe uses softened butter. Softened don't mean liquid butter. When butter becomes a liquid during softening the cookies texture will suffer greatly. My method for softening butter is to use a microwave safe mixing bowl put the butter in it and the mixing bowl goes on a turntable in a microwave. If you do not have a microwave turntable, you should rotate to the bowl every 30 seconds or so. Set the microwave level at low and microwave the butter for a minute or two. The stick of butter should still be shaped like a stick, but can be easily dented by a gentle touch of a finger. Microwave ovens will sometimes microwave the center of the butter and c melted a hole in the center. Don't worry if this happens, a small liquid amount will not seriously damage this recipe. To prevent this, move the butter around in the microwave when you rotate it.

If your butter does not fully soften you will just have to work harder with your mixing the butter into the ingredients, but exercise will do you good.

Salt: I prefer iodized table salt. Salt substitutes taste is not complementary to the cookies.

White Sugar: Grocery stores house brands are not equal to name brands in my experience. White sugars don't seem to vary from one brand to another in quality.

Cookies made with white sugar substitutes are not fit for human consumption.

Brown Sugar: Brown sugars do vary from one brand to the next and by how old they are. I prefer Domino brand brown sugar. If your brown sugar is hard as a rock, it will not make a great cookie. To dissolve hard brown sugar will require too much stirring and will change the texture of the cookie. Using a dark brown sugar will produce a darker stronger tasting cookie than using light brown sugar. In my experience, most people prefer cookies made with light brown sugar. If they don't have a choice, they seem to enjoy cookies made with dark brown sugar just fine.

Brown sugar substitutes do not result in edible chocolate chip cookies.

Vanilla: Whenever two bakers gather to talk baking the debate over whether to use real vanilla extract or imitation vanilla will likely arise. My experience is that real vanilla extract is absolutely necessary for some recipes. For example, I use real vanilla extract when I am adding the vanilla to a cooked custard that I use in a chocolate eclair cake. However, real vanilla extract seems to lose its flavor when exposed to high temperatures like those required to bake chocolate chip cookies. I recommend imitation vanilla extract for this recipe.

Flour: Selecting a flour is also a matter of personal preference. I prefer to use a harder flour. Hard flours will often have labels that say something like "better for bread." Cake flours produce a cookie with a finer texture which in my opinion is not desirable.

Chocolate Chips: The quality of chocolate chips varies greatly. Nestles Toll House chocolate chips are very good and are available at most markets. I personally don't enjoy the flavor of Hershey's chocolate chips. My preferred chocolate chip brand is Guittard. These chips are available through Sam's Club stores. When I can afford them, I also use Merkens' semisweet chocolate chips. Merkens' chocolate chips are available through The King Arthur Baker's Catalog(800-827-6836).

Nuts: Although most chocolate chip recipes call for walnuts, pecans are preferred by most everyone I have asked. Use whatever nuts you prefer, but don't say that you are using my recipe unless you use pecans. Nut quality is also very important and not easily obtained. Old nuts will be soft and mealy. Taste the pecans before you put them into the dough. If you feel like you would like to have a second or a third, use them. If the not, look for better quality nuts. The brands carried by Sam's Club an BJ's stores are excellent. The Diamond brand nuts found in most markets areas o so and overly expensive.

Alexis's Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups real chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375^. Cream butter until smooth; add sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda and beat into above mixture. Add chocolate chips. Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake 8 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks. Note: If cookies become hard while still on the baking sheet, put sheet back into the oven for a few seconds to soften them for easy removal.

Annette Funicello's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c Unsifted flour
1 c Sugar
1/2 tsp Baking soda
2 eggs
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tb Water
1/2 c Corn oil margarine, softened
1 tsp Vanilla
6 oz Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c Skippy creamy or super chunk peanut butter

In small bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. In large bowl with mixer at low speed beat together margarine, peanut butter, eggs, water, and vanilla just until blended. Add flour mixture, beat until blended. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes. Optional: stir chocolate pieces into batter. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with floured bottom of glass. Bake in 375 F oven 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Store in tightly covered container. Makes about 2-3 dozen.

Better Homes and Gardens Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped nuts

Cream together first five ingredients until light and fluffy. Stir dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees . Makes 6-7 dozen.

Brooke's Sweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c Butter, softened
1/3 c Sugar, granulated
1/3 c Brown sugar, packed
1 Egg
1 T Water
1/2 t Vanilla extract
1 1/4 c Flour, all-purpose
1/2 t Baking soda
1/4 t Salt
8 oz Sweet cooking chocolate, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream together thoroughly butter and sugars, using electric mixer. Add egg, water and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, soda and salt. Blend dry ingredients into creamed mixture. Stir chopped chocolate pieces into batter by hand so they do not get too broken up. Drop from teaspoon 2" apart onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 13 minutes. Cool on racks. Yield: 3 1/2 dozen cookies

Butter Flavored Crisco Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie

3/4 c Butter flavored Crisco
1 1/4 c Firmly packed brown sugar
2 T Milk
1 T Vanilla
1 Egg
1 3/4 c All-purpose flour
1 t Salt
3/4 t Baking soda
1 c Semisweet chocolate chips
1 c Pecan pieces

Heat oven to 375. Cream butter flavor Crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Blend until creamy. Blend in egg. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, gradually. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop rounded Tablespoonfuls (about 2 measuring tablespoons) of dough 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 8 to 10 minutes. For chewy cookies (they will look light and moist) DO NOT OVERBAKE or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. 3 dozen 3-inch cookies. Note: if nuts are omitted, use 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips.

Chemical Engineer Chocolate Chip Cookies

The following recipe for chocolate chip cookies appeared in Chemical & Engineering News (June 19, 1995). It was attributed to Jeannene Aackerman.

1. 532.35 cm3 gluten

2. 4.9 cm3 NaHCO3

3. 4.9 cm3 refined halite

4. 236.6 cm3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride

5. 177.45 cm3 crystalline C12H22O11

6. 177.45 cm3 unrefined C12H22O11

To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat-transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr add one, two, and three with constant agitation.

In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm add four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogeneous.

To reactor #2 add eight followed by three equal portions of the homogeneous mixture in reactor #1. Additionally, add nine and ten slowly with constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result

of an exothermic reaction.

Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm). Heat in a 460 K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank & Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown. Once the reaction is complete, place the sheet on a 25 C heat-

transfer table allowing the product to come to equilibrium.

Chocolate Chip Krispie Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal
1 package (6 oz., 1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Vegetable cooking spray

In small mixing bowl combine flour, soda and salt. Set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat together margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well. Add flour mixture, mixing until combined. Stir in Kellogg's® Rice Krispies® cereal and chocolate morsels. Drop by level measuring tablespoon onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove immediately from baking sheets and cool on wire racks. Store in airtight container.

Chocolate Chip Meringue Drops (Forgotten Cookies)

2 large egg whites
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil or parchment and set aside. In large bowl of a mixer, beat the egg whites at moderately high speed until they hold stiff peaks. Beat in the sugar one tablespoon at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and beat in cocoa powder. With rubber spatula, fold in the chips. Note: May substitute 1/2 cup chopped pecans for the chips. Add a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon to the egg whites if using the pecans.

Drop mixture by rounded teaspoonsful onto baking sheets, spacing one inch apart and bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and dry cookies in oven 2 hours longer. Remove from pan and store in air tight container. Makes 40 cookies

Double Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 c Margarine
1 1/2 c Brown sugar firmly packed
2 tbs Water
2 c Chocolate chips
2 ea Eggs
2 1/2 c Flour
1 1/4 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
12 oz Andres mint candy (2 boxes)

Melt margarine, add chips and stir until partially melted. Remove from heat and stir until chips are completely melted. Pour into large bowl. Add brown sugar and water and cool slightly. At high speed, beat in eggs one at a time. Reduce to low speed and add dry ingredients. Stir until blended. Chill dough. When ready to bake, line cookie sheets with foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into very small balls (about 1/2 teaspoon per ball). Place 2 inches apart and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and while cookies are still on pan, place half a candy piece on each cookie. Remove to waxed paper, wait about a minute and swirl the candy pieces across top of cookie.

Barbara Bush’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c Flour & 2 tbs; sifted

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 c Butter; softened

1/3 c Sugar; brown firmly packed

1/3 c Sugar; granulated

1 Egg

1 1/2 tsp -Water; very hot

1/2 tsp Vanilla

1 c Chocolate chips;semisweet

Approx. Cook Time:10 minutes

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease baking sheets with vegetable oil. Sift flour, baking soda and salt on waxed paper. Beat butter, sugar and egg in large bowl till fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in hot water and vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture until blended and smooth. Drop dough by well rounded teaspoonfuls on prepared baking sheets. Bake in 375F oven till golden, about 10 minutes. Cook on sheets on wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Doh! Boy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This recipe closely approximates (although better than) the Pillsbury Ready-Made Chocolate Chip Cookies available at your Groceries Dairy Section. It's unique in that it uses Marshmallow Creme for sugar. Since marshmallow creme expands when heated.

1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)*

1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening (Crisco Butter Flavor)*

1 cup Brown Sugar, Light, Packed

7 oz Marshmallow Creme or Marshmallow Fluff (1 jar)

1 large Egg

3 tsp Vanilla Extract

3 cup All-Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder*

1 tsp Salt

1 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (most of a 12 oz package)

1 cup Chopped Walnuts (4 oz package - optional)

Soften butter/shortening in a microwave oven (use a microwave safe mixing bowl or glass measuring cup) stirring every 15 seconds until very soft. Add brown sugar, salt, marshmallow creme, baking powder, and vanilla and beat well. Add egg and beat until creamy. Add flour mixture (1/2 cup at a time) while beating. Add chocolate chips and nuts (optional). Refrigerate for 1-3 hours in covered bowl. Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Drop onto a waxed paper lined, room-temperature, air-bake cookie sheet in large rounded tablespoonful size (or small ice-cream scooper). Bake 10-12 minutes checking every two minutes after 8 minutes for golden brown appearance. Waxed paper may smoke so keep area well ventilated. Remove sheet from oven and let stand 5 minutes before transferring to a cool/flat surface. Rinse and dry cookie sheet between batches. Makes about [4] dozen cookies.

Double Tree Hotel Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 C. butter -- softened
1 1/2 C. granulated sugar
3/4 C. firmly packed brown sugar
4 eggs
2 1/2 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 C. all-purpose flour
3/4 C. old-fashioned oatmeal -- uncooked
3/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
3 C. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips -- Ghirardelli
1 1/2 C. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the butter in a large bowl and cream lightly with an electric mixer. Add the sugars and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the vanilla and lemon juice and mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add to the creamed butter mixture and stir well to blend. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and stir to combine.

Using a 1/4 cup measure or a 2-oz ice cream scoop, drop the batter on the parchment-lined pans, leaving 2 -3 inches between each cookie.

Bake for 13 - 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from parchment and cool on wire racks.

Famous Amos Raisin-filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c Softened margarine-4 sticks
3/4 c Firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 c Granulated sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
1 tsp Water
2 Eggs
2 1/2 c Flour
1 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c Raisins
1 pkg Chocolate chips-12 ounce

Beat softened margarine, brown and white sugars, vanilla, water and eggs in a large bowl with electric mixer until creamy and thoroughly blended. By hand, stir in flour, baking soda and salt until well mixed. Stir in raisins and chocolate chips. Using teaspoon from measuring set, spoon dough by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Allow 1 to 1-1/2 inches between cookies for spreading. Bake in moderate oven (375) for 8 minutes, or until cookies are nicely browned, depending on how crisp or well done you like them.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream:

12 oz butter

12 oz sugar

Blend in:

12 oz flour

12 oz chopped toasted hazelnuts

12 oz Ghirardelli Double chocolate chips

Form into about 40 cookies. Bake about 12 min @ 350 degrees F (until very slightly browned on the bottom, do not overcook)

Hilary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 c Flour

2 Eggs

1/2 c Sugar; granulated

1 c Shortening; vegetable

1 tsp Salt

2 c Oats; rolled, old fashioned

1 tsp Vanilla

1 c Sugar; brown, firmly packed

1 tsp Baking soda

1 pkg (12 oz.)Chocolate chips; semisweet

Approx. Cook Time: :10

Preheat oven to 350F.

Brush baking sheets lightly with vegetable oil. Combine flour, salt and baking soda on waxced paper. Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer till creamy. Add eggs and beattill light and fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in rolled oats and then chocolate chips. Drop batter by rounded teaspoonsfuls onto baking sheets. Bake in 350F oven for 8-10 minutes or till golden. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes 7 dozen from

Michael Romano’s Reverse Chocolate Chunk Cookies

These rich brown cookies studded with chunks of white chocolate are a delicious, inside-out version of chocolate chip cookies. Since the cookie batter is brown to begin with, you won't be able to use their toasty color as a visual indication of doneness. To avoid overcooking, remove the cookies from the oven as soon as they puff up and are still slightly soft to the touch. The cookies will set as they cool, but should remain pliable rather than hard or crunchy.

1 1/4 cup sweet butter at room temperature

1 Tbs. sweet butter for buttering cookie sheets.

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

10 oz. solid white chocolate, broken into 1/4 inch chunks (or 8 ounces white chocolate chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a cookie sheet, or alternatively, line the sheet with a strip of parchment paper. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda. Set aside. Using an electric mixer or a hand-held beater, cream the butter and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue to beat until they are well-combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and baking soda mixture until well incorporated. Fold in the white chocolate chunks with a rubber spatula. Filling a tablespoon, scoop out individual cookies from the batter and place in even rows on the cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each cookie. Transfer the cookie sheet to the middle shelf of the oven, and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are puffed and still to the touch. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and allow cookies to cool and set for 5-7 minutes before carefully removing them with a spatula. If you have used a sheet of parchment paper, slide the entire sheet off the tray, and allow the cookies to cool for 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, you may re-use the cookie sheet immediately for baking the next batch. Makes 60 cookies

Mrs. Field's Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 c Flour
1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/3 c Light brown sugar
1 c Sugar
1 c Butter, softened
2 lg Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla
2 c Raisins
2 c Semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300*F. In a medium bowl combine flour and baking powder. Mix well with wire whisk and set aside. Blend sugars in a large bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed. Add butter and mix until grainy, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla and mix at medium speed until smooth. Add the flour mixture, raisins and chocolate chips. Blend at low speed until just combined. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets, 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake 22-24 minutes. Transfer cookies immediately to a cool, flat surface.

Nancy's Cream Cheese-Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 c Butter or Margarine (NOT diet!)
1 (3 ounce) package Cream Cheese, softened
1 tb Milk
1 c Sugar
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 c regular (all purpose) Flour
1 bag of Mini or Regular Chocolate Chips
1/2 c Pecans or Walnuts, chopped

Heat oven to 375 F.

Cream butter or margarine, cream cheese and milk in medium bowl at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Mix in flour. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop level measuring tablespoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet, covered with parchment paper or they may get too brown or burn on the bottoms. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack. Makes 3 dozen 2 inch cookies. For a real different taste use white chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon orange or lemon rind & substitute Macadamia nuts.

Nancy's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening (Crisco Butter Flavor)
1 cup Brown sugar, Light, Packed
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs
3 tsp Vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
3 cup Uncooked Oats
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 cup Mini Chocolate Chips (you can use regular chocolate chips, I like the mini ones:

Combine the flour and baking powder and set aside. Melt butter/shortening in a microwave oven (use a microwave safe mixing bowl or a glass measuring cup) stopping and stirring every 15 seconds. Stop when the butter is more of a paste (usually about 30-60 seconds). Pour over granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat well. Add each egg separately beating until creamy. Add flour mixture (1/2 cup at a time) while beating. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours in covered bowl. Pre-heat oven to 375°F 15 minutes prior to first batch. Drop onto a waxed paper (or baking parchment) lined, room-temperature, air-bake cookie sheet in large rounded tablespoonful size (or small ice-cream scooper). Bake 10-12 minutes checking every two minutes after 8 minutes for golden brown appearance. Remove sheet from oven and let stand 5 minutes before transferring to a cool/flat surface. Rinse and dry cookie sheet between batches. Makes about [5] dozen cookies.

Orange-Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 c Shortening
6 oz Cream Cheese; Softened,(2PK)
1/2 c Sugar; Granulated
1/2 c Brown Sugar; Packed
2 Eggs; Large
2 ts Orange Peel; Grated
1 ts Vanilla
2 c Flour; Unbleached
2 ts Baking Powder
1 ts Salt
6 oz Chocolate Chips; Semisweet
1/2 c Nuts; Finely Chopped(Option)

Servings: 12

Cream together shortening, cheese, and sugars. Add eggs, peel, and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop from teaspoon 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. If desired sprinkle lightly with nuts or granulated sugar. Bake at 350 degrees F about 10 minutes. Makes 6 dozen cookies.

Otis Spunkmeyer's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup& Butter (1 stick)*
1/2 cup& Vegetable Shortening (Crisco Butter Flavor)*
1 cup Brown sugar, Light, Packed
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
2 large Eggs
3 tsp Vanilla extract
2 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 cups Chocolate Chips (one 10-12 oz package)
1 cup Chopped Walnuts (4 oz package - optional)

Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl and mix with a whisk. Set aside. Melt butter/shortening in a microwave oven (use a microwave safe mixing bowl or a glass measuring cup) stopping and stirring every 15 seconds. Stop when the butter is more of a paste (usually about 45-60 seconds). Pour over granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat well. Add each egg separately beating until creamy. Add flour mixture (1/2 cup at a time) while beating. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours in covered bowl. Pre-heat oven to 375°F 15 minutes prior to first batch. Drop onto a waxed paper lined, room-temperature, air-bake cookie sheet in large rounded tablespoonful size (or small ice-cream scooper). Bake 10-12 minutes checking every two minutes after 8 minutes for golden brown appearance.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped nuts(walnuts or pecans)
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, pumpkin, and vanilla. Mix and sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add to creamed mixture; mix well. Add chopped nuts & chocolate chips; mix thoroughly. Drop by teaspoons onto well-greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets while warm and cool on racks. Makes 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies. This recipe can be doubled.

Ruth Wakefields Chocolate Chip Chip Cookies

1 stick or ¼ pound unsalted butter softened, but no liquid

1 jumbo egg

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup white sugar

½ cup light or dark brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon imitation vanilla extract

1 1/8 cups flour. If the cookies come out too flat and runny,use a little more flour next time.

3 cups chocolate chips

1 ½ cups pecans whole or chopped

Preheat oven to 365 degrees F. Arrange oven racks so that your cookie rack is in the middle of the oven.

In a large bowl, add softened butter, and egg.
Sprinkle the ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of salt over the butter and egg.
Add ¼ cup white sugar and ½ cup brown sugar.
Pour 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract over the brown sugar.
Mix ingredients just until evenly moist.
Add 1 1/8 cups of flour and stir until incorporated.
Add chocolate chips and nuts stirring until evenly blended.You may want to break up the nuts by breaking them into pieces before stirring them into the batter. I usually leave them whole and let the stirring process break up the nuts.
Spray cookie sheets lightly with a aerosol oil like Pam.
Use a teaspoon measure walnut size clumps of cookie dough onto cookie sheets. Do not crowd cookies. Leave space for them to spread out a little and not touch. Women seem to prefer smaller cookies. Men and children prefer larger cookies.
Bake one cookie sheet at a time for about 13 minutes. Do not over bake.
Cool cookie sheets on wire racks. Separate the cookies from the cookie sheets with a spatula or pancake turner before they cool completely.
Store in closed container at room temperature. As with all quality baked goods, chocolate chip cookies taste best if eaten within 24 hours of being baked. After 24 hours the texture and taste of the cookies degenerates.

Notes

A recipe that contains so few ingredients shouldn't require artfulness to prepare, but it does. Although most recipes call for creaming the eggs and sugar before adding other ingredients, that process turns what should be a great chocolate chip cookie dough into something that tastes overly processed, something more like a mall cookie.

Do not use an electric mixer or food processor to make this recipe.Both appliances ruin the texture of chocolate chip cookie dough.

Do not refrigerate or freeze cookies. Even putting the cookies in a cold room overnight can change their flavor. They should remain a room temperature until they are eaten. If you can't eat all of the cookies you make, share some with a friend or neighbor.

Skaarup’s Almost Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)*

1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening (Crisco Butter Flavor)*

1 cup Brown sugar, Light, Packed

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

2 large Eggs

3 tsp Vanilla extract

2 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder*

1 tsp Salt

2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (one 12 oz package)

1 cup Chopped Walnuts (4 oz package - optional)

Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Set aside. Soften butter/shortening in a microwave oven (use a microwave safe mixing bowl or glass measuring cup) stirring every 15 seconds until very soft. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat well. Add each egg separately beating until creamy.

Add flour mixture (1/2 cup at a time) while beating. Add chocolate chips and nuts.

Refrigerate for 1-3 hours in covered bowl. Pre-heat oven to 375°F 15 minutes prior to first batch. Drop onto a waxed paper* lined (see below), room-temperature, air-bake cookie sheet in large rounded tablespoonful size (or small ice-cream scooper). Bake 10-12 minutes checking every two minutes after 8 minutes for golden brown appearance. Remove sheet from oven and let stand 5 minutes before transferring to a cool/flat surface. Rinse and dry cookie sheet between batches. Store in an air-tight container for up to one week. Makes about [5] dozen cookies.

TIP: Bake on waxed paper. Tear sheet to approximate size of cookie sheet; edges shouldn't hang over cookie sheet. During baking there may be some aroma and smoke from the waxed paper.

TIP: If you don't have (or won't try) waxed paper then cover cookie sheet with fresh aluminum foil. After removing from oven, slide foil and cookies off sheet together and let sit 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the foil with the back side of a spatula. Cool cookie sheet to room temperature before reapplying aluminum foil and dropping more cookies. Also aids in final clean-up.

TIP: If cookies become dry in the container then add a fresh piece of bread (loosely wrapped in a paper towel or wax paper or in a zip-lock bag with holes punched in it) to container and reseal. Rational: Water seeks equilibrium. The moisture (water) in the bread will leave it and enter the dry cookies. The result will be drier bread and more moist cookies.

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -- unsifted

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter -- softened

1 cup shortening -- softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar -- packed

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 cup sourdough starter

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups walnuts -- chopped

2 12 oz pkgs chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375degrees. In a large bowl, combine butter, shortening, sugars and mix well. Add eggs and beat until all are blended. Add vanilla and sourdough starter. Beat in flour, soda, salt and mix well. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips. Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. This makes 70 cookies and can be cut in half for smaller batches.

Spuddy Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Many have said this is the best Chocolate Chip Cookie they've ever tasted; don't spoil it by telling them it contains potatoes. I like to call them my, "Little Spuddies."

1/2 cup Butter (1 stick)**

1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening (Crisco Butter Flavor)**

1 cup Brown Sugar, Light, Packed

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar (Extra-Fine Granulated Preferred)

2 large Eggs

3 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 cup All-Purpose Flour (or Whole Wheat Flour)

3/4 cup Potato Buds (instant Mashed Potato Mix)***

2 tsp Baking Powder*

1 tsp Salt

2 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (one 12 oz package)

1 cup Chopped Walnuts (4 oz package - optional)

Combine potato buds, flour, and baking powder in a small bowl and mix with a fork. Set aside. Soften butter/shortening in a microwave oven (use a microwave safe mixing bowl or glass measuring cup) stirring every 15 seconds until very soft. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, and vanilla and beat well. Add each egg separately beating until creamy. Add flour mixture (1/2 cup at a time) while beating. May add 1-2 tbsp milk if dough too firm. Add chocolate chips and nuts. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours in covered bowl. Pre-heat oven to 375°F 15 minutes prior to first batch. Drop onto a waxed paper lined, room-temperature, air-bake cookie sheet in large rounded tablespoonful size (or small ice-cream scooper). Bake 10-12 minutes checking every two minutes after 8 minutes for golden brown appearance. Remove sheet from oven and let stand 5 minutes before transferring to a cool/flat surface. Rinse and dry cookie sheet between batches. Makes about [5] dozen cookies.

Sunny Boy Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup Sunny Boy All-Purpose Flour
2 tbsp Water
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla
1 1/4 cup Sunny Boy Cereal
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 cup Vegetable Shortening
1 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Raisins (Optional)

Mix together Sunny Boy flour, soda and salt into bowl. Add shortening, sugar, egg, water and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add Sunny Boy cereal and combine thoroughly. Fold in chocolate chips and raisins. Drop from a teaspoon on a greased baking sheet and bake for approximately 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

The Neiman-Marcus Cookie (Urban Legend)

Okay, everyone....a true story of justice in the good old U.S. of A. Thought y'all might enjoy this; if nothing else, it shows internet justice, if it can be called that.

My daughter & I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because our family are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus Cookie". It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe and they said with a small frown, "I'm afraid not." Well, I said, would you let me buy the recipe? With a cute smile, she said, "Yes." I asked how much, and she responded, "Two fifty." I said with approval, just add it to my tab.

Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it said, "Cookie Recipe - $250.00." Boy, was I upset!! I called Neiman's Accounting Dept. and told them the waitress said it was "two fifty," and I did not realize she meant $250.00 for a cookie recipe.

I asked them to take back the recipe and reduce my bill and they said they were sorry, but because all the recipes were this expensive so not just everyone could duplicate any of our bakery recipes....the bill would stand.

I waited, thinking of how I could get even or even try and get any of my money back.

I just said, "Okay, you folks got my $250.00 and now I'm going to have $250.00 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover will have a $250.00 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus for nothing. She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do this." I said, "I'm sorry but this is the only way I feel I could get even," and I will.

So, here it is, and please pass it to someone else or run a few copies....
I paid for it; now you can have it for free.

The Neiman-Marcus Cookie (recipe may be halved)

2 cups butter 4 cups flour

2 tsp. soda 2 cups sugar

5 cups blended oatmeal** 24 oz. chocolate chips

2 cups brown sugar 1 tsp. salt

1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated) 4 eggs

2 tsp. baking powder 3 cups chopped nuts

2 tsp. vanilla

Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and other sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies. Have fun!!! This is not a joke --- this is a true story..

The Real Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe

1/2 cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 cup Brown Sugar
3 tbsp Granulated Sugar
1 large Egg
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1-3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1-1/2 tsp Instant Espresso Powder, Slightly Crushed
8 ounce Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes, or 10-12 minutes for a crispier cookie. Makes 12-15 large cookies

For several years, we have heard a story about the mythical Neiman Marcus cookie recipe. We don't know how it got started or who is perpetuating the myth, but this "cookie monster" just won't die! We would never charge anyone for a Neiman Marcus recipe. We share our restaurant recipes for free upon request.

This same story circulated in the late 1930's about a lady who dined at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. She liked the Red Velvet Cake so much she asked for the recipe. When she received her hotel bill, she had been charged $100 for the recipe. (This was during the Depression, so it seems our version of the story has been adjusted for inflation!)

Neiman Marcus never served cookies in our restaurants until recently, when we developed a new chocolate chip cookie in response to this myth! Following is the recipe (free of charge, of course.) Please feel free to share this letter and the recipe with anyone you know who may be similarly interested in the truth behind this "cookie that won't crumble!"

The Practically Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

This recipe was developed by Consumer Reports, known for their high standards. Here are their prefacing remarks:

We wanted a cookie with a chewy interior, crunchy edges, and well-blended flavor. Above all, we wanted a cookie with a high overall chocolate impact to give a sensuous rush to the chocoholic. After much experimentation and perhaps a few cumulative inches to staffers' waistlines, we created a cookie with all those assets. Our recipe makes 40 medium-sized cookies.

2-1/4 cups flour

1 level teaspoon baking soda

1 level teaspoon salt

3/4 cup each white and packed dark brown sugar

2 sticks (1/2 pound) sweet butter, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

12-ounce package Nestle semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 F. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. Use a stand-type electric mixer to mix the two sugars briefly at low speed. Add the butter in small gobbets, mixing first at low speed and then at high. Beat the mixture until it's pale, light, and very fluffy. Add the vanilla at the mixer's lowest speed, then beat at high speed for a few seconds. Add the eggs, again at the lowest speed, switching to high speed for the final second or so. The eggs should be well beaten in, and the mix should look creamed, not curdled. Add the flour mixture, a half cup at a time, mixing at low speed for about one minute, then at high speed for a few seconds. Scrape down the bowl's sides with a spatula, add the chocolate chips, and mix at low speed for about 10 seconds. If need be, scrape the bowl's sides again and mix for a few more seconds. Put tablespoons of the mix on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until the cookies are pale golden brown (nine minutes in an electric oven, 10 to 11 minutes in a gas one). Remove and let cool on a rack. Makes about 40 medium cookies.

The real, the original, the authentic Nestle Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups (12-ounce package) Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 cup chopped nuts

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 375-degree [Fahrenheit] oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely

http://www.chocolatemonthclub.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-cookies.htm

Moar Geeky Cakes

2009-02-18T18:48:00.000-08:00

The Penguin Wedding Cake for a Linux Geek's Wedding

All programmers shall eat this cake. Others learn C ;)

The Laptop Cake (you can eat the laptops too BTW)

Star Wars (R2-D2) Cake

This one seems inspired from our Geek Quotes collection.

Another Super Mario Cake. But more cuter.

Darth Vader Cupcakes

Katipeck made these rad Darth Vader cupcakes completely with red light sabers. Commenter Bonniegirl says it best: these are Sith-tastic!

Robot Cupcakes

Flickr user hello naomi makes all sorts of rad cupcakes. Be sure to click through to see more geeky / cupcake-y goodness. These robots are super cute, especially they way they are designed three cupcakes per robot.

Robot Cupcakes

The Simpsons Cupcakes

Veronica made these amazingly detailed Simpsons cupcakes for her niece’s fourth birthday. Lucky girl!

The Simpsons Cupcakes [via Craft Magazine via Cupcakes Take the Cake]

Revenge of the Sith Cake

Flickr user gmcmullens posted this ridiculously awesome Revenge of the Sith cake. I think this one is my favorite geeky baked good. I can’t let my son see this one, though, or guess what kind of cake I’ll be making next year!

Revenge of the Sith Cake

Space Invaders Cookies

These cool pixel Space Invaders cookies were made by Flickr user SeattleJonman. He’s kind enough to post step-by-step pictures on how to make pixel cookies with Play-Doh tools.

Space Invaders Cookies [via Wonderland]

Tetris Cookies

Here’s another great example of pixel cookies - Tetris by Eva Funderburgh. She’s got some step-by-step instructions, too.

Tetris Cookies

Yoda Cake

Eat cake, you will. The Official Star Wars Blog posted this Yoda cake how to, with instructions, pictures and an interview of the baker, Julie. There’s also a lot of good information on cake decorating in general.

Yoda Cake [via Craft Magazine]

http://geekcrafts.com/13-geeky-baked-goods/

Photoshop Tutorials

2009-02-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Various Good Tutorials..

http://photoshopcontest.com/tutorials/photoshop-tips.html

http://www.eyesondesign.net/pshop/tuts.htm

http://www.good-tutorials.com/

PS Tutorial: Advanced Glow Effects

2009-02-18T18:46:00.000-08:00

http://psd.tutsplus.com/tutorials-effects/advanced-glow-effects/

Polar Origami

2009-02-18T18:41:00.000-08:00

http://pem.org/origami/

Sandstorm

2009-02-18T16:46:00.000-08:00

Sand Storm in Iraq: April 26, 2005















http://www.sunbelt-software.com/stu/iraq/sandstorm.htm

Social Media in the 1990’s

2009-01-27T16:59:00.000-08:00

1. Before YouTube... there was "America's Funniest Home Videos"

This 90's television smash-hit, based on a Japanese show, kicked off user-generated video content in America. People submitted home videos of babies with nail guns, dogs on fire, and grandmas falling down, in hopes of winning a weekly cash prize.

2. Before Twitter... there was IRC.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a UNIX-based system of chat servers that was introduced in late 1988. A series of networks and thousands of channels allowed people to "tweet" about various topics, share cool links, and offer technical support. Twitter now offers a somewhat similar experience with a more user-friendly interface and mobile support.

3. Before blogs... there were 'zines.

image credit: Laughing Squid

If you wanted to delve in the world of personal publishing in the early 90's, it was pretty spendy. Desktop publishing with Adobe Pagemaker required investing big bucks into a high-end Mac and a state-of-the-art laser printer. Most young people stuck to cutting and pasting scraps onto blank paper and then xeroxing the final product.

4. Before podcasts... there were codelines.

image credit: Killbox

In the 90's, when digital voice mail was a cutting-edge corporate technology, there was a vibrant voice mail hacking scene. Phone phreaks from all over the United States would sequentially "scan" 1-800 exchanges for voice mail boxes (VMBs) and use default passwords to take over employees' (unused) voice mail boxes. They would record long informational greeting messages, known as "codelines." Codelines began with music and "shouts out" to other phone phreaks and then segued into first-generation "podcasts" packed with underground content: freshly hacked calling cards and credit cards, conference calls PINs, and global outdial passwords.

5. Before blogrolls and comments... there were web rings and guest books.

image credit: simon slade

Sites on similar subjects used link out to each other in a promotional circle jerk called a "web ring." Guestbooks used to be the hot way to leave comments, until bots were developed to harvest the e-mail addresses for the the worst kinds of spam imaginable.

6. Before Facebook... there was the 20th annual high school reunion.

image credit: Alan Light

You'd have to wait in 20 year increments – and buy a plane ticket – to catch up with many of your old friends or see their photo albums. Seriously.

7. Before Skype... there were k0dez and bridges.

Before VOIP and cell phone plans, it was rather expensive to make a long distance call. In some cases you'd pay over a dollar a minute (!) to "reach out and touch someone." The early-adopters (a.k.a. "phone phreaks") used home computer software to hack out calling card codes ("k0dez") to keep in touch. For teleconferencing, phreaks would hack out corporate phone systems' conferencing nodes, called "bridges." Epic rap sessions and knowledge downloads would go on for weeks... until the corporate host got a massive phone bill, found out, and shut it down. Check out these awesome vintage recordings.

8. Before eBay... there was the pawn shop.

image credit:Duien

Same questionable items, high fees and unsavory characters - but in an actual, real-life retail location!

9. Before the iPhone... there was the PayPhone.

Before technology allowed people to yak loudly on cellphones in restaurants, they had to go out to the payphone.

image credit:Aaroynx

And if they wanted to make a long distance call, they'd need an entire roll of quarters. The 90's equivalent of an "unlimited calling plan" was a toll-fraud device called a red box. Red boxes were modified Radio Shack touch-tone dialers that made the same sound a Bell payphone made when a quarter was inserted. By the end of the decade, Radio Shack had discontinued the device and Bell had upgraded to digital equipment. Thankfully, cellphones were becoming affordable, mainstream communications devices by then.

10. Before P2P file sharing... there was Columbia House Records.

image credit:joe madonna

Before DRM and iTunes - people downloaded music from Napster and burned it on a $569 external CD-R drive. Non-technical people who wanted free tracks got tempted by magazine ads that promised "Get 8 CD's for Just One Penny!" and they were unwittingly signed up for recurring CD subscriptions. Then they got slapped with a huge bill afterwards - the old-school equivalent of an RIAA settlement.

11. Before Craigslist... there was the men's room wall.

image credit: simon slade

Local newspapers would only publish "vanilla" dating ads. So, how did geeks and other shy people manage to hook up? The restroom wall, of course! Gay guys would post phone numbers and set meeting times for man-to-man encounters. Straight dudes would post the numbers of their ex's and innocent girls they wanted to harass.

12. Before Digg... there was your local newspaper's "Top Stories of the Year" issue.

You used to have to wait until December to find out hottest story of the year. And the news stories were picked by crusty old editors. Now there's an infinite stream of high-quality, uncensored content and entertainment - all just a mouse click away.

Isn't it great to be living in the 21st century?

http://copybrighter.com/blog/social-media-in-the-1990s

Piratelaws.com

2009-01-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

A pirate does not ask for directions. He relies only on his gut feeling, a compass, or a treasure map.

Parrots are the preferred pirate companion. Monkeys are an acceptable substitute, unless they fling their feces at people. Then they are an awesome substitute.

When fishing, a pirate uses either a sword, a knife, or his bare hands. Use of a hook is only acceptable in the event the pirate is missing a hand.

Pirates shall always wear boots, except in the case of a peg leg. Then one boot is acceptable. Flip-flops are right out.

Pirates do not cry, except in the case of the loss of a shipload of rum.

When describing the size of a treasure, a pirate is required to exaggerate by at least 130%. Flowers are not treasure under any circumstances, unless said flowers are made out of gold.

A pirate shall never wear lipstick, nail polish, or capri pants. Actually, that kinda goes without saying.

No pirate shall discuss his feelings, unless his feelings include gutting a man from stem to stern and spilling his entrails.

A pirate should always remove his hat in the presence of a bartender.

During a swordfight, swordfighting insults are required. In the event both participants are still alive at the end of the fight, the participant with the superior insults shall be declared the victor.

No pirate shall ever wear a "fanny pack".

All foods prepared by a pirate must include rum, grog, or beer. Boone's and other "Wench Punch" is prohibited.

A pirate may never compliment another pirate on the softness of his hands.

No pirate shall wear a bracelet or a necklace, unless it is the tooth or tusk of an animal he killed. If in the presence of cannibals, a necklace is acceptable camouflage, but only if said necklace is made of human toes.

Pirate Law: Dousing oneself in beer is a perfectly acceptable replacement for a shower.

No pirate shall drink Grog out of a glass. Grog is only to be consumed either straight from the barrel, or from a mug heavy enough to to kill a man.

Three-cornered hats, headbands and bandanas are the only acceptable headwear for pirates. Fedoras, bowler derbies, baseball caps, mickey ears, top hats, sombreros, or anything with lace and flowers will be removed from the vessel-- head included. A grace period of one minute is allowed for hats looted from a tailory.

A pirate shall never wrap presents. The only thing a pirate gives is a bludgerin'.

Pirate Law: A pirate does not use the word "Fabulous". Ever.

No pirate shall attend a movie with less than an Arrrr rating.

Only a pirate is capable of killing another pirate. If you are not a pirate (let's say a ninja) and wish to challenge a pirate, they have a word for that. Corpse.

Pirate Law: "ARRRRRRRRRRR..." is a perfectly acceptable answer to any question.

A pirate does not "go shopping". Unless by "shopping", you mean "killing".

Peglegs must be made of timber or some other suitable wood. Plastic, ceramic, porcelain, or metal peglegs are utterly unnacceptable, simply because it complicates the use of the phrase "shiver me timbers".

Real pirates have chest hair. If you cannot grow chest hair, you may be a cabin boy.

Under no circumstances is a comb-over an acceptable pirate hairdo.

No pirate may ever change his shirt because it is "wrinkled". A pirate may only change his shirt if it is completely soaked in blood.

When drinking, Pirates may sing. "Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest" is preferred. Kelly Clarkson songs are not allowed.

No pirate shall ever drive a minivan, unless he drives the minivan into a tavern, for the purposes of looting barrels of rum from said tavern. Upon completion of this task, the minivan is to be burned. No exceptions.

No matter how hard it is raining, two pirates may never share an umbrella. Pirates do not fear rain.

If circumstances demand a career change, a move into real estate brokerage or tax collection shall be considered a lateral move and said individual may keep their pirate status.

A pirate does not snuggle with an animal, unless he is trying to snap its neck. But I guess that wouldn't really be "snuggling".

A pirate may never wear another man's clothing, unless he first kills that man.

Two pirates must never share a bed or a hammock. It is perfectly acceptable for one pirate to sleep on the floor, or on a pile of treasure.

Pirates do not wear eyeglasses or bifocals unless they are looking at a treasure map, and even then they are allowed only a monacle. Any comments about "Mr. Peanut" while wearing the monacle are prohibited.

When setting out on a voyage, a pirate does not pack a suitcase. He is only to bring what he can carry under his arms, or what his wench can carry on her back.

A pirate does not mow the lawn. Lawns are for landlubbers.

Lifting or removing one's eyepatch is extremely impolite but is not considered an insult. It's just kinda gross. Likewise, one should never remove another pirate's eyepatch, except with a sword to the face.

Pirates never use the words "fresh" or "feelings," and certainly not together (as in "I have that not-so-fresh feeling").

A pirate must never visit a tanning salon. If he is not already tan enough from searching for treasure, he hasn't been searching hard enough.

While creativity is encouraged during any barfight or battle at sea, pirates may only use the following types of sword; falchions, scimitars, rapiers, and particularly long knives. Katanas or any other Ninja sword are strictly forbidden, unless the Pirate rips off a Ninja's arm and hurls the arm, and attached Katana, as a projectile.

No pirate shall ever sit on a toilet seat, for any reason.

Kidnapping is an acceptable substitute for killing, but only if it is for the purpose of plank walking at a later time.

When swimming, pirates do not dive. They cannonball.

Cannoneers aboard a pirate vessel are not allowed to use hearing protection of any sort. No matter what the OSHA regulations say, if ye can't stand bleedin' from the ears, you have no business being a Pirate.

A pirate will never wear a patch that is any other color than black; unless it's halloween. then they can wear a patch with an eyeball painted on the outside. Polka dots are not permitted under any circumstances.

Female pirates are allowed some exception to rules concerning hygiene and garmentry, but must make up for it by using twice as much profanity.

Hooks are the only acceptable hand substitute. However, they may not have secondary attachments such as screwdrivers, bottle openers, corkscrews, or nail files. These are Pirates we're talking about, not Inspector Gadget.

A pirate's diet consists mainly of meat. If at sea, and meat is not available, shoe leather is an acceptable replacement.

Pirate Law: You can't spell pirate, without "irate". There's a reason for that, so don't even try.

No pirate will ever, ever raise his pinky when drinking any sort of beverage.

Pirate Law: When choosing clothing, even if it looks dirty, or smells dirty, it is clean.

A pirate may ride in a rowboat, if traveling to or from his ship. Use of a Kayak is only permitted if used for cannon target practice.

When drinking rum, the only thing a pirate adds to the rum is more rum.

The official Pirate religion is Pastafarianism.

No pirate shall ever play wiffle ball.

Under no circumstances does a pirate speak with a Ninja, unless he first decapitates that Ninja and uses his head like a sock puppet.

When at the office, answering the telephone with "Arrrrrrr" is perfectly acceptable for pirates. Other acceptable choices are "Avast!", and "Ahoy Matey!"

A Pirate does not read poetry, unless said poetry is scrawled on the wall of a bathroom.

All women are to be referred to as wenches, with the exception of female Pirates, who can be referred to as "lass".

Pirates do not clean up, except when gold falls out of a treasure chest.

Spilling rum is not acceptable, except in the act of "pouring some out for dead mateys".

A pirate may tell any tale of swashbuckling without being called on the details, as long as at least 51% of the story is true.

A pirate may never shave below the neck. Shaving above the neck is allowed, but only if the pirate shaves his entire head. In the presence of cannibals, a mohawk is acceptable.

No pirate may do the arm movements for "YMCA", or engage in country-western line-dancing.

Pirates do not say "please" or "thank you". The phrase "Arrr, I'll probably kill you tomorrow" is an acceptable alternative for "Thank you".

Should the ship's bow have a carving of a naked wench, mermaid, or something of the like, crew members should not touch it. Feeling up a wooden statue is unbecoming of a pirate.

Pirates do not "IM". The only instant message allowed is a sword through the chest.

Dental Hygiene for Pirates is not a priority. Should there be occasion, however, strong rum or salt water can be used as mouthwash. Anything "minty fresh" is strictly forbidden.

Pirates never, ever obey laws. Period. Ironic, I realize.

And finally, How do you know if you are a pirate? You just "Arrrrrrrr"...

The Many Uses of Vodka

2009-01-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

Aside from being a fantastic drink, vodka has many uses which you may not have known about. Since vodka is one of the world's most popular drinks, many of us have a bottle handy in the home. And since its typically filtered and pure, it makes a handy liquid to have around.

Here are a few uses:

To remove a bandage painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The solvent dissolves adhesive
To clean the caulking around bathtubs and showers, fill a trigger-spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set five minutes and wash clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.
Clean jewelry. Soak the jewelry in vodka for five minutes, then rinse, and dry.
Clean lipstick from clothing. Rub the stain with vodka, then throw into your regular wash.
Remove the glue left behind by a bumper sticker. Rub the glue with a soft, clean cloth soaked with vodka
Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.
Spray vodka on vomit stains, scrub with a brush, then blot dry.
Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.
Add a jigger of vodka to a 12-ounce bottle of shampoo. The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.
Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle and spray bees or wasps to kill them.
Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water in a Ziplock freezer bag and freeze for a slushy, refreshable ice pack for aches, pain or black eyes.
Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers, fill the jar with vodka, seal the lid tightly and set in the sun for three days. Strain liquid through a coffee filter, then apply the tincture to aches and pains.
To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.
To cure foot odor, wash your feet with vodka.
vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.
Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the urushiol oil from your skin.
Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth. Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.
Soothe a sore throat. Add a tablespoon of vodka to glass of warm water and gargle. The alcohol helps numb the sore throat.

Eliminate swimer's ear. If you don't have rubbing alcohol, fill an eardropper with vodka, and squeeze it into the affected ear, then let it drain out

http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/33672/45476-uses-vodka/2

Temporary Email

2009-01-27T16:56:00.001-08:00

http://www.guerrillamail.com/

Movie Trailers

2009-01-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

http://www.themoviebox.net/trailers/

Block Posters

2009-01-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

create any size wall posters from any size images
Totally Free To Use!

http://www.blockposters.com/

100 Downloads

2009-01-27T16:52:00.000-08:00

http://100-downloads.com/

Top 100 downloads of free software & freeware for Windows XP & Vista

What started as the freeware Top 100, currently contains over 500 excellent free programs for both Windows XP and Vista, ranked by popularity and updated daily. As we don't want to change our name everytime the list gets longer, we keep calling it 100‑downloads.com. There are 15 software categories to choose from, so there should be something useful for you, too. You won't find trial versions, spyware or malware. Only the best hand-picked freeware available, just one click away. Because the best things in life are free!

What's popular on the internet?

2009-01-27T16:47:00.000-08:00

http://www.populair.eu/

How do you keep up to date on whats going on on the Internet? Do a daily check of the "whats hot pages" of the 150 sites on this page and you will remain up2date.

ASCII-O-Matic

2009-01-27T16:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.typorganism.com/asciiomatic/

I cant figure out how to save the image though..

Jus an update..

2009-01-01T17:25:00.000-08:00

I've really been bad at updating my blog lately and adding new content but i noticed that when i try to read my blog from my phone it really is a pita because of all the tags and titles it loads. I will try to make it more user friendly for mobile browsing since that is how i am getting online most often here recently.

My life has been hectic with x-mas and trying to save to buy xmas gifts and making xmas gifts. Hoping things settle down a bit in january..

Brain Teasers

2008-11-24T23:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.geekwithlaptop.com/49-brain-teasers-to-build-mind-muscle/

Did you know that your brain needs exercising in order to function effectively, let it go and your mental processing can become sluggish. All too often we get bogged down by the mundane and fall into the same patterns of thinking that lead us to the same results day after day.

The following 50 brain teasers will not only get your grey matter working but for some of them you will really need to think Ã¢â‚¬Å“out of the boxÃ¢â‚¬Â to work them out and in doing so you will be able to create new neural pathways leading to better problem solving abilities and a wider perspective on life in general.

1 EINSTEINÃ¢â‚¬â„¢S RIDDLE

Here is one only for the bravest of you. Einstein said that 98% of the world would NOT be able to solve this puzzle. Can you? The trick is to be patient and to pay attention to the details.

There are 5 houses in 5 different colours in a row. In each house lives a person with a different nationality. The 5 owners drink a certain type of beverage, smoke a certain brand of cigar, and keep a certain pet. No owners have the same pet, smoke the same brand of cigar, or drink the same beverage. Clues:

1. The Brit lives in the red house.
2. The Swede keeps dogs as pets.
3. The Dane drinks tea.
4. The green house is on the immediate left of the white house.
5. The green house’s owner drinks coffee.
6. The owner who smokes Pall Mall rears birds.
7. The owner of the yellow house smokes Dunhill.
8. The owner living in the centre house drinks milk.
9. The Norwegian lives in the first house.
10. The owner who smokes Blends lives next to the one who keeps cats.
11. The owner who keeps the horse lives next to the one who smokes Dunhill.
12. The owner who smokes Bluemasters drinks beer.
13. The German smokes Prince.
14. The Norwegian lives next to the blue house.
15. The owner who smokes Blends lives next to the one who drinks water.

The question is: WHO OWNS THE FISH?

2 IF THEY ARENÃ¢â‚¬â„¢T TWINS, HOW CAN THIS BE?

Two children are born to the same mother, at exactly the same time on the same day in the same year and yet they are not twins. How?

3 WHO IS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH?

I am staring at a photo of someone. I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have any brothers or sisters and yet that manÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s father is my fatherÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s son. Who am I looking at?

4 ONE WAY STREET

A young guy who has just started learning to drive went down a one way street but didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t break the law. Why?

5 WHY?

Why canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t a man living in London be buried in Paris?

6 APPLES

If there are three apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?

7 HOW FAR?

How far can you run into the woods?

8 THE MISSING DINNER PLATE

Two men sit down to dinner, each with his own son but there are only 3 plates and each person has his own. Can you work out how?

9 MAGIC NUMBER

Think of any number. Add 7 to it. Subtract 2. Subtract your original number. Multiply this by 4. Subtract 2. You will always get 18. Why?

11 WHY THE THANK YOU?

A guy walks into a bar and asks for a glass of iced water. The barman immediately pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man then says Ã¢â‚¬Å“thank you so muchÃ¢â‚¬Â and leaves the bar. Why?

12 WHY DOESNÃ¢â‚¬â„¢T THE KING DIE?

A king and one of his knights order a gin and tonic from the bar. Unknown to them, the drink has been poisoned. The King gulps his down in one go and has a bit of a tummy ache but nothing more. The knight sips his slowly but dies a few hours later. Why didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t the king die?

13 WHO GETS THE MONEY?

An old man wanted to leave all of his money to one of his three sons, but he didn’t know which one he should give it to. He gave each of them a few coins and told them to buy something that would be able to fill their living room. The first man bought straw, but there was not enough to fill the room. The second bought some sticks, but they still did not fill the room. The third man bought two things that filled the room, so he obtained his father’s fortune. What were the two things that the man bought?

14 A SHOOTING INCIDENT

A woman shoots her husband and then holds him under water for over 5 minutes before hanging him up. However, a few minutes later they both go out and celebrate their anniversary. How can this be so?

15 WHAT IS THE PLAN?

Two inmates are locked in a cell. There is a window that isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t barred but it is high up in the cell. No matter what they try to stand on they cannot reach the window. Then one of them decides to try and tunnel out. They give up tunnelling because it is taking them too long. Finally, one of them manages to work out how to escape. What is the plan?

16 WHY DID THE SHIP SINK?

One fine sunny morning a ship was in the harbour when all of a sudden it started to skin. There was nothing wrong with the ship and the weather conditions were calm yet there it sank, right in front of everyone. Why?

17 THE ARK

How many of each type of animal did Moses take on the Ark?

18 THE PARROT

A woman went to a pet shop to buy a parrot. Inside the pet shop there was a parrot with a sign on its cage that said “Parrot repeats everything it hears”. Great thought the woman, so she bought the parrot and for two weeks she spoke to it constantly and yet the parrot didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t utter a word. She returned the parrot to the shop but the shopkeeper said he never lied about the parrot. How can this be?

19 AGE REVERSALS

The ages of a father and son add up to 66. The father’s age is the son’s age reversed.
How old could they be? (NB there are 3 possible solutions).

20 THE LONGER WORD

What 7 letter word becomes longer when the third letter is removed?

21 WHAT AM I?

I am the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, the beginning of every end and the end of every place. What am I?

22 WHAT IS THE COMMON WORD?

What common English word will describe a person or thing as not being found in any place and yet with no changes other than a space between syllables, will correctly describe that person or thing as being actually present at this very moment?

23 WHAT IS THE NINE LETTER WORD?

There is a common English word that is nine letters long. Each time you remove a letter from it, it still remains an English word - from nine letters right down to a single letter. What is the original word, and what are the words that it becomes after removing one letter at a time?

24 WHAT POSITION?

You are running a race and you overtake the second person, what position are you in?

25 MATH MADNESS

Take 1000, then add 40, then add 1000, then add 30, then add 1000, then add 20, then add 1000, then add 10. What is the answer?

26 HOW MANY FÃ¢â‚¬â„¢S?

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

How many FÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s can you see in the above statement?

27 MORE MATHS MADNESS

Divide 30 by a half and then add ten. What is the answer?

28 MEDICATION

A doctor gives you three pills telling you to take one every half hour. How long would the pills last?

29 COUNTING SHEEP

A farmer has 17 sheep, all but 9 of them die. How many does he have left?

30 INCORRECT PRONUNCIATION

There is one word in the English language that is always pronounced incorrectly. What is it?

31 SNAIL PACE

A snail is at the bottom of a 20 meters deep pit. Every day the snail climbs 5 meters upwards, but at night it slides 4 meters back downwards. How many days will it take the snail to reach the top of the pit?

32 HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?

Jack is standing behind Jill but Jill is standing behind Jack. How?

33 WHAT IS IT?

The poor have it, the rich want it, but if you eat it you will die. What is it?

34 HOW MANY RUNGS ARE UNDERWATER?

A boat has a ladder that has six rungs; each rung is one foot apart. The bottom rung is one foot from the water. The tide rises at 12 inches every 15 minutes. High tide peaks in one hour. When the tide is at its highest, how many rungs are under water?

35 DIGGING A HOLE

If it takes 3 people to dig a hole, how many does it take to dig half a hole?

36 DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT IS?

What is it that goes up and goes down but does not move?

37 ANOTHER RIDDLE

What has 4 legs but only 1 foot

38 THE LONGEST WORD

Of all the words in the English language, which word is longest?

39 HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BOIL EGGS?

If it takes 10 minutes to boil an egg, how long does it take to boil a dozen eggs?

40 IDENTIFY THE FRUIT

What fruit has its seeds on the outside?

41 THE FIRST PLANET

Which was the first planet to be discovered?

42 THE SHORTER WORD

What common English word becomes shorter when you add two letters?

43 THE 4TH OF JULY

Do they have the Fourth of July in France?

44 CAN YOU HOLD IT?

What can you hold without touching it?

45 ODDS AND EVENS

How can you make the number seven even?

46 ANOTHER RIDDLE

If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don’t have it. What is it?

47 WHAT IS ITS NAME?

What is it that is so fragile you can break it just by saying its name?

48 BULBS

There are 3 switches in the room you are in and in the next room there are 3 bulbs, all of which are off. Each of the 3 switches is connected to one of the 3 bulbs but you cannot see which one. You are allowed to enter the room with the bulbs only once. How can you work out which switch belongs to which bulb?

49 THE BALL

How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn’t hit anything, there is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it?

50 WHERE IS THE MISSING POUND?

Three young men check into a hotel. They pay Ã‚Â£30 in total to the manager and go off to the room. The manager finds out that the room rate is actually only Ã‚Â£25 and gives Ã‚Â£5 back to the hotel assistant to return to the men. On the way the assistant decides that as it would be too difficult to split Ã‚Â£5 between 3, he would keep Ã‚Â£2 and give Ã‚Â£1 to each guy. So now each guy has paid Ã‚Â£10 to begin with and got back Ã‚Â£1 so have paid Ã‚Â£9 each, the hotel assistant has Ã‚Â£2 making the total Ã‚Â£29. Where is the missing Ã‚Â£1?

Here Are The Answers !!

1/ The answer is the German who lives in the Green House, smoking Prince cigars, drinking coffee, and who keeps FISH. The others are as follows:
1st House: Yellow, Norwegian, Water, Cats, Dunhill
2nd House: Blue, Dane, Tea, Horse, Blends
3rd House: Red, Brit, Milk, Birds, Pall Malls
4th House: Green, German, Coffee, FISH, Prince
5th House: White, Swede, Beer, Dogs, Bluemasters

2/They are 2 of a set of triplets.

3/I am looking at a photograph of my son

4/He was walking

5/Because as he is Ã¢â‚¬Å“livingÃ¢â‚¬Â in London he isnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t dead

6/You have 2, the ones you took away.

7/You can only run half way into the woods otherwise youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll be running out of the woods

8/It is a grandfather, his son and his grandson

9/You got the number 18 because it doesnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t matter what number you start with at the beginning, this problem is more of an illusion as the Ã¢â‚¬Å“unknownÃ¢â‚¬Â number has been calculated mathematically to reach 18.

11/He had hiccups

12/The poison was in the ice cubes and in the kingÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s case didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t have time to melt fully into the drink

13/A candle and matches and the light filled the entire room

14/The woman was a photographer and she did a shot of her husband, developed it and hung it up to dry

15/The plan was to use the earth from tunnelling to climb up onto and out of the unbarred window

16/It was a submarine

17/None, it was Noah who took the animals on the Ark

18/The parrot was deaf

19/They could be 51 and 15, 42 and 24, or 60 and 06

20/Lounger

21/The letter e

22/ the word is “NOWHERE”. When a space is placed between the ‘w’ and ‘h’, you get the words “NOW HERE”

23/ The common word is Startling - starting - staring - string - sting - sing - sin - in - I

24/Second because you overtook the person in 2nd place

25/Bet you thought it was 5000 didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t you? Wrong. The answer is 4100; check it out on a calculator.

26/There are 6 FÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s, most people forget to include the f in of

27/The answer is 70 not 25. If you divide 30 by a half you get 60 you arenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t dividing it by 2.

28/They would last an hour because you take one straight away

29/There are 9 left as all but 9 have died

30/The word is incorrectly because it is always pronounced incorrectly

31/ The snail reaches the top of the pit on the 16th day!…On the first day, the snail reaches a height of 5 meters and slides down 4 meters at night, and thus ends at a height of 1 meter. On the second day, he reaches 6 meters, but slides back to 2 meters. On the third day, he reaches 7 meters, but slides back to 3 meters. On the fifteenth day, he reaches 19 meters, but slides back to 15 meters.
On the sixteenth day, he reaches 20 meters, so now he is at the top of the pit!

32/They are standing back to back

33/The answer is simple, Nothing

34/None, the boat rises with the tide

35/You canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t dig half a hole, a hole is a hole no matter how small it is

36/Temperature

37/A bed

38/It is the word longest

39/It would still take 10 minutes to boil a dozen eggs although if you want to be pedantic about it, maybe a couple more because the water would take slightly longer to reach boiling point

40/A strawberry has its seeds on the outside

41/Earth of course

42/The word is Ã¢â‚¬Å“shortÃ¢â‚¬Â add e and r to it and you have shorter

43/Of course they do, they have 4th of July in every country

44/A conversation

45/Just take off the letter s

46/A secret

47/Silence

48/Simple really. Turn one switch on for a couple of minutes then switch it off and turn another one on. Go into the room with the bulbs and you will be able to identify the one that is on, the one that was on because the bulb will still be warm and the one that is left.

49/Just throw the ball straight up into the air

50 /This one is misleading to start with as there is no missing pound. The actual amount paid out is Ã‚Â£27, minus the Ã‚Â£2 for the hotel assistant makes Ã‚Â£25. ItÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s only because the numbers are so close to Ã‚Â£30 that it is confusing.

8 sec boot time!!!! Srsly?

2008-11-24T23:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.geekwithlaptop.com/asus-n80v-notebook-with-an-8-second-boot-up-time/

ASUS N80V

All in all it has been a busy few days for ASUS. Not only have they wowed fans across the world by releasing no less than three new notebooks (the N20A, the N50V, and the N80V) all at the same time, but all three of them are pretty impressive as well.

One thing that is immediately apparent is that the ASUS N80V is a pretty sleek machine. It is therefore sure to appeal to the fashion conscious and those customers for whom style is a top requirement.

However, it also has some pretty impressive features to boast about to back up the design. ASUS Express Gate is once again being employed by the ASUS technicians, which provides the user with a boot-up time of an incredible eight seconds. That hardly gives you time to make a cup of tea (or in my case have a shower, eat breakfast, and clean my teeth), and will be a fantastic feature for any business exec who does not want to waste any time while the computer is setting up.

The ASUS N80V is also one secure machine. Not only can you use your own unique key card in the shape of your fingerprint to get access to the notebook, but it also comes with facial recognition technology, meaning if anything goes wrong on your computer the suspects are limited to either yourself or your twin sibling.

The ASUS N80V also comes with Intel power and supports a standalone NVIDIA GeForce 9 Series graphics card with up to 1GB of VRAM. On top of that, it comes with a 320GB HDD, Bluetooth, Wireless, a 1.3 Mega Pixel Web camera, and a DVD Burner / Blu-ray Drive. All in all, a pretty impressive machine from the ASUS team.

World’s Smallest USB Flash Drive?

2008-11-24T23:00:00.000-08:00

The polished chrome Pico USB flash drive is only 31.3 x 12.4 x 3.4 mm in size, but it is still capable of storing an impressive 8GB of data.

Store four full length ripped movies, five days worth of music, more than four-thousand 5 megapixel photos, or eighty-meters worth of shelved books. Sure, it’s so small you could easily lose it, so we’ve included a chain to help keep it around.

Features:

Smallest size yet largest capacity USB flash drive around
8 gigs, yet the size of your fingertip
31.3mm x 12.4mm x 3.4mm
Polished Chrome finish
Shock and water resistant
200x speed, 30MB/second
Mac, Windows, and Linux compatible

The Pico USB is available from the ThinkGeek website for $49.99.

10 USB Gadgets to Help You Through the Winter

2008-11-24T22:30:00.000-08:00

http://www.geekalerts.com/usb-winter-gadgets/

As winter continues to creep up on us, the days are getting colder and colder. But don’t worry. This year you’ll be able to sit by your computer and laugh it all away. Here’s a list of 10 USB gadgets to help you prepare for the upcoming winter season.

1. USB Heating Shoes

These heating shoes can be powered using USB or an external battery pack. It comes with 2 battery boxes that can provide power for your shoes when you leave home.

Read more about the gloves »

2. USB Mousepad Warmer

This USB mousepad warmer will keep your hand warm during those cold winter times, increasing your productive or the reaction when you are playing your favorite game.

Read more about the mousepad »

3. USB Eye Warmer

Here is something useful for those annoying moments when you’re suffering from both hypothermia and computer vision syndrome - say hello to the USB eye warmer.

Read more about the eye warmer »

4. USB Mouse with Infrared Heater

Plug this infrared heated mouse into the USB port of your computer and the generator inside will gradually go up to a pleasant temperature of 40-45°C (104-113°F).

Read more about the mouse »

5. USB Heating Blanket

This soft blanket is doing a great job defrosting your cold body with its built-in warming pad. It will generate a temperature of around 35°C from the power of a USB port.

Read more about the blanket »

6. USB Animal Hand Warmer and Massager

These animal inspired USB-powered combo gadgets can help you with two things: heating up your frozen fingers and loosen those unwanted muscle tensions.

Read more about this gadget »

7. USB Heated Gloves

These USB gloves are made of wool and guaranteed to keep your precious computer fingers in good shape when the snow is falling down outside your office window.

Read more about the gloves »

8. USB Monkey Slipper

With this USB monkey slipper you don’t need to worry about cold feets anymore. Simply plug the chord into a USB port to start heating up your cozy footwear.

Read more about the slipper »

9. USB Keyboard with Cooler and Heater

A switch at the front of this keyboard makes it easy to go from cooler to heater, and a wheel at the side lets you set the intensity of the fan to make the air hotter or colder.

Read more about the keyboard »

10. USB Monkey Hands Warmer

A pair of gloves that goes perfect together with the monkey slipper. Now you can keep both hands and feet warm with the same kind of fun and geeky animal theme.

Read more about the hands warmer »

Photoshop Brushes

2008-11-24T22:26:00.000-08:00

http://qbrushes.com/

http://www.obsidiandawn.com/

Chaos in the Kitchen: Pizza Bite

2008-11-24T22:23:00.000-08:00

Getting together to watch a game? Or maybe watching a different sort of game? Pizza bites are awesome party food. This recipe makes three trays which means you can pop them in the freezer and always have a quick appetizer on hand. Although, they are usually so popular that you’ll wind up baking all three trays in one night!

Pizza Bites

makes 48 bites divided into 3 trays, prep 20 min, cook time 20 min, adapted from Recipezaar

2 recipes pizza dough (or 2 cans refrigerated pizza dough)
8 oz block mozzarella cheese
4 oz thin sliced pepperoni
2 tsp Italian seasoning (combine oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
pizza or marinara sauce

Prepare pizza dough and roughly chop pepperoni. Cut block of mozzarella into 48 cubes.
If you are going to bake some (or all!) right away preheat oven to 400°F. Grease 3 pie pans.
If using refrigerated pizza dough: roll one dough out into a large rectangle and cut into 24 pieces. Repeat with 2nd pizza dough. If using homemade dough just pinch off walnut sized pieces as you go.
In each dough piece place a couple pieces of chopped pepperoni and a cube of cheese. Seal dough around meat and cheese and place seam side down in pie pan.
Repeat, placing approximately 16 dough balls in each pie plate.
Once assembled, combine oil and spices and brush over the dough. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Now you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze or you can bake right away.
When ready to bake: bake at 400°F for 16-20 min. Serve with warm pizza or marinara sauce.

I discovered this dough from Carmen Cooks when I tried her calzone recipe. I have used it over and over since then! I absolutely love it because it is so forgiving and easy to work with. Doubled, it makes the perfect amount of dough for this recipe. I used to use the refrigerated pizza doughs for this recipe, but I actually find the homemade dough far easier to work with.

Basic Pizza Dough

makes 1 recipe pizza dough, prep 10 min, rise time 1 hour

1 pkg active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp loose yeast)
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 3/4 cup flour

Combine yeast and warm water, stir to dissolve.
Add oil, salt, and flour. Stir to combine.
Once dough starts to come together, turn out onto a floured counter and knead to thoroughly combine-until dough is smooth and elastic. If it is uncooperative let it rest for a few minutes and come back to it.
Place dough ball in a greased bowl and cover loosely. Allow dough to rise until doubled, approximately an hour.

Chaos in the kitchen

More Open Source/Free ware

2008-11-24T22:22:00.000-08:00

http://www.opensourcewindows.org/

http://windows.tucows.com/

Filehosting

2008-11-24T22:01:00.000-08:00

FileSavr.com makes file hosting easier with Web 2.0 technology and the use of Ajax and Flash. FileSavr has 10 GB upload size limit, currently the largest available on the internet. This allows users the flexibility to upload any large file of 10 GB or less.

http://www.filesavr.com/

FileDropper’s beauty is in its simplicity. It has one click file hosting where you simply click on the upload button and select your file. After the file is uploaded you are taken to the page where the file is hosted. If the file is an image, it shows the image directly on the page for easier sharing. Upload size is an impressive 5 GB.

http://www.filedropper.com/

Bloons

2008-11-24T21:24:00.000-08:00

http://ninjakiwi.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=16&Itemid=52

http://www.bloonsworld.com/

http://jayisgames.com/archives/2007/03/bloons.php - walkthru

OMGz Castles

2008-11-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

20 Things I Wish I Had Known When Starting Out in Life

2008-11-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

“I hope life isn’t a big joke, because I don’t get it.” - Jack Handey

How to control impulse spending. If there’s anything that got me in trouble financially, it’s impulse spending. Buying clothes when I don’t need them. Buying gadgets because I gotta have them. Ordering stuff online because it’s so easy. Buying that new shiny SUV because … well, because it was going to help me with women. I’m not proud of any of that. I’ve learned to control my impulses, at least a little better. Now, I give myself some time to breathe. I think over my purchases, see if I’ve got the money, think about whether it’s a need or a want. That would have been a useful tool 15 years ago.
You gotta stay active. I was in track, cross country and basketball in high school, but once I started college, the running and basketball began to slowly fade away. Not right away — I played pick-up basketball for years after high school. But even that went away, until I became sedentary. Playing with my kids outdoors winded me. And I began to get fat. I’ve reversed that trend, and am very active now, but I’m still trying to burn the fat I gained in those inactive years.
How to plan finances. I always knew that I was supposed to budget and track my spending, when I became an adult. I just was too lazy to do it. And I didn’t have a good idea of how to actually do it. Now, I’ve learned how to plan, and how to stick to that plan. Sure, I deviate from my plan, but I’ve learned how to handle that too. Maybe that’s not a skill you can learn from book reading. You just gotta practice. Well, I hope to teach it to my children before they go out on their own.
Junk food will come back to bite you in the butt. Yeah, it wasn’t just the sedentary lifestyle that got me fat. It was all the damn junk food too. I would eat pizza and burgers and Twinkies and sugar cereal and desserts and donuts and … well, you get the picture. As someone used to being able to eat whatever I wanted, it never seemed like it would be a problem. Bad health was something to worry about when you got old. Well, my jeans began to get way too tight, and to my horror, I climbed several pants sizes and developed a gut that only now is going away. I wish someone had shown me an “after” picture when I was young and downing the Big Gulp sodas.
Smoking is just dumb. I didn’t start smoking until I was well into my adult years. I won’t go into why I started, but it didn’t seem like a problem, because I knew I could quit anytime I wanted. Or I thought I could, at least, until several years later I gave it a go and couldn’t do it. Five failed quits later and I realized with horror that my addiction was stronger than I was. Sure, I eventually beat the habit (quit date: Nov. 18, 2005) but it took a piece of my soul to do it.
Fund your retirement, son. And don’t withdraw it. This piece of wisdom, and probably all the ones above, might seem blisteringly obvious. And they are. Don’t think I didn’t know this when I was 18. I did. I just didn’t pay it serious attention. Retirement was something I could worry about when I was in my 30s. Well, I’m in my 30s now and I wish I could slap that little 18-year-old Leo around a bit. What money I could have invested by now! I had a retirement plan, but on the 3 occasions when I changed jobs, I withdrew that and spent it frivolously.
All the stuff you’re doing that seems hard — it will be of use. This is the first one that might not be as obvious. There were times in my life when work was hard, and I did it anyway, but hated it. I did it because I had to, but boy did it stress me out and leave me exhausted. Hard work isn’t as easy as I wanted it to be. But you know what? Every bit of hard work I did without knowing why I was doing it … it’s paid off for me in the long run. Maybe not right away, but I’m using skills and habits I learned during those times of high stress and long hours and tedious work — I use them all the time, and they’ve made me into the person I am today. Thank you, younger Leo!
Don’t buy that used van without checking it out closely. I thought I was being smart by buying used, but I didn’t check it out carefully enough. That dang van had loads of engine problems, a door that nearly fell off when I was driving, a door handle that snapped off, a side mirror that fell off, no spare tire despite three tires that were ready to blow (and did), windows that didn’t roll up, rattling noises, an eventual blown radiator … I could go on and on, but let’s just say that it wasn’t my best purchase. I still think buying used is smart, but check things out closely first.
That guy you’re going to sell your car to? On a gentleman’s agreement? He’s not gonna pay you. I sold another car to a friend of a friend, who I was sure would pay me even if I had nothing in writing. That was smart. I still see the guy once in awhile on the road, but I don’t have the energy to do a U-turn and chase after him.
Make time to pursue your passion, no matter how busy you are. I’ve always wanted to be a writer, and get a book published. I just never had time to write. With a family and school and a full-time job, there just weren’t enough hours in the day. Well, I’ve learned that you have to make those hours. Set aside a block of time to do what you love, cut out other stuff from your life that take up your time, and don’t let anything interfere with that work. If I had done that 15 years ago, I could have 15 books written by now. Not all would be great, but still.
All that stuff that’s stressing you out — it won’t matter in 5 years, let alone 15. When things are happening to you right now, they mean all the world. I had deadlines and projects and people breathing down my neck, and my stress levels went through the roof. I don’t regret the hard work (see above) but I think I would have been less stressed if I could have just realized that it wouldn’t matter a single bit just a few years down the road. Perspective is a good thing to learn.
The people you make friends with are so much more important than your job or the things you buy. I’ve had a few jobs, I’ve bought a lot of things, and I’ve made a few friends over these last 15 years. Of those, the only thing that still matter to me are the friends. And I wish I could have spent more time with friends (and family) than on the other things.
All that time you spend watching TV is a huge, huge waste of time. I don’t know how much TV I’ve watched over the years, but it’s a crapload. Hours and days and weeks I’ll never have back. Who cares what happens on reality TV, when reality is slipping by outside? Time is something you’ll never get back — don’t waste it on TV.
Your kids are going to grow up way faster than you think. Don’t waste a minute. I just had an Oh My God moment recently. My oldest daughter, Chloe, is 14 going on 15 next month. I have 3 years left with her before she leaves my house and becomes an adult. Three years! I am floored by that single fact, because it really doesn’t seem anywhere near enough time. I want to go back to my younger self and whack that younger Leo on the head and say Stop working so hard! Stop watching TV! Spend more time with your kids! These last 15 years with Chloe (and my other wonderful kids) have gone by much, much too fast.
Forget the drama. Focus on being happy. There have been many things that have happened to me, professionally and personally, that seem like the end of the world. And while these things were bad, they get blown up in our heads so that they become major drama. They caused me to be depressed from time to time. What a waste of time. If I realized that it was all in my head, and that I could be happy instead if I focused on the positive, on what I did have, and what I could be doing … I could have skipped all the moping about.
Pay more attention to blogs when you first hear about them. They’re more than just journals. I first read about blogs 7-8 years ago, but when I took a look at them they didn’t seem like anything of interest. Just some people’s journals about stuff they read on the web. Why would I want to read those? I have my own thoughts about the web, but I don’t need to share them with the world. I spent a lot of time on the Internet, on various sites and forums, but every time I happened upon a blog I would brush past it without interest. It wasn’t until a couple years ago that I discovered what wonderful things they could be (I mentioned some of my early favorites in my list of influences). If I had gotten into blogging years ago … well, I wouldn’t have been wasting all that time.
Speaking of which, keep a journal. Seriously. Your memory is extremely faulty. I forget things really easily. Not short-term stuff, but long-term. I don’t remember things about my kids’ early years, because I didn’t record any of it. I don’t remember things about my life. It’s like a lot of foggy memories that I’ll never have access to. I wish I had kept a journal.
Tequila is seriously evil. I won’t go into details, but it should suffice to say that I had some bad experiences, and I’m not sure I learned very much from them or benefited in any way except to learn that tequila is the drink of the Devil.
Yes, you can do a marathon. Don’t put this goal off — it’s extremely rewarding. Running a marathon had always been a dream of mine, since high school … something I wanted to do but thought was out of reach. Or if I ever did it, it would be years and years later. Well, I learned that it’s not only achievable, it’s incredibly rewarding. I wish I had started training when I was young and light and fit … I could have had some good finishing times!
All these mistakes you’re going to make, despite this advice? They’re worth it. My 18-year-old self would probably have read this post and said, “Good advice!” And then he would have proceeded to make the same mistakes, despite good intentions. I was a good kid, but I wasn’t good at following advice. I had to make my own mistakes, and live my own life. And that’s what I did, and I don’t regret a minute of it. Every experience I’ve had (even the tequila ones) have led me down the path of life to where I am today. I love where I am today, and wouldn’t trade it for another life for all the world. The pain, the stress, the drama, the hard work, the mistakes, the depression, the hangovers, the debt, the fat … it was all worth it.

“Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry.” - Mark Twain

T-Bone

2008-11-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

November 8, 2008: T-Bone

At the mega port of Singapore on Feb 27,2003 just after midnight the Gas Roman loaded with 44,000 cubic meters of natural gas T-boned the Springbo loaded with 4,000 cubic meters of sawn timber. The Gas Roman cut fully halfway thru the Springbo. The two ship were so tightly joined that they weren't in emanate danger of sinking. If the Gas Roman were to back out, the Springbo would rapidly fill with water and capsize in moments.

What to do?

The crews were evacuated and salvage was contracted. The ships were tethered to prevent accidental separation. Stevedores removed all accessible lumber from the Springbo via a barge. Steel was brought in and a sea wall was constructed around the gaping wound inside the Springbo. Internal fuel leaks that were leaking into the hole were repaired by divers.

On the afternoon of March 2nd the two ships were separated successfully with no sea contamination.

http://cellar.org/iotd.php?threadid=18663

Ten things I want to teach my child

2008-11-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

1. Don't let other people decide your future for you. Your dad is included in this list of "other people". I want what's best for you, but you have to decide what's best.

2. Beware of any group, political party, religion, or person who claim to have all the answers or to know the "true" way. No one has all the answers, and the is no one, true way. People who make claims of having special knowledge will only lead you into trouble.

3. Love your sister. You will have ups and downs throughout your lives, but if you let your sister be your best friend, then no matter what happens, you'll have someone to lean on.

4. Learn about the world. School will give you limited information, with most of it slanted a certain way. Learn as much as you can about other cultures and beliefs so that you can better understand both the world and yourself.

5. There are very few situations you'll encounter in life that can't be made more bearable by a Bruce Springsteen song.

6. Read everything you can, but definitely the following books: The Razor's Edge, The Shadow of the Wind, and You Gotta Play Hurt.

7. I'm always proud of you, even when you screw up.

8. The Dallas Cowboys are the only football team on the planet. On the flip side, we hate the Washington Redskins more than Communists, spinach, and math tests.

9. There's nothing you can't tell me or your mother.

10. Nothing I'll ever accomplish will be more important or more significant than being your dad. You'll feel the same way when you have kids...after you turn 40 and I let you start dating.

Quantum Weirdness: Balls That Don't Roll Off Cliffs

2008-11-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

A good working definition of quantum mechanics is that things are the exact opposite of what you thought they were. Empty space is full, particles are waves, and cats can be both alive and dead at the same time. Recently a group of physicists studied another quantum head spinner. You might innocently think that when a particle rolls across a tabletop and reaches the edge, it will fall off. Sorry. In fact, a quantum particle under the right conditions stays on the table and rolls back.

This effect is the converse of the well-known (if no less astounding) phenomenon of quantum tunneling. If you kick a soccer ball up a hill too slowly, it will come back down. But if you kick a quantum particle up a hill at the same speed, it can make it up and over. The particle will have “tunneled” across (although no actual tunnel is involved). This process explains how particles can escape atomic nuclei, causing radioactive alpha decay. And it is the basis of many electronic devices.

In tunneling, the particle can do something the ball never does. Conversely, the particle might not do something the ball always does. If you kick a soccer ball toward the edge of a cliff, it will always fall off. But if you kick a particle toward the edge, it can bounce back to you. The particle is like one of those little toy robots that senses the edge of a table or staircase and reverses course, except that the particle has no internal mechanism to pull off its stunt. It naturally does the exact opposite of what the forces acting on it would indicate. The researchers behind the analysis—Pedro L. Garrido of the University of Granada in Spain, Jani Lukkarinen of the University of Helsinki, and Sheldon Goldstein and Roderich Tumulka, both at Rutgers University—call this phenomenon “antitunneling.”

In both cases, the explanation lies in the wave nature of particles, which in turn reflects the fact that a quantum particle generally has an ambiguous location. The wave describes the range of locations where it could be found. This wave behaves much like ordinary waves such as sound. Whenever any wave encounters a barrier that is not absolutely rigid, some of the wave will penetrate into the barrier, albeit with diminishing intensity. If the barrier is not too thick, the wave can reemerge on the other side. That is analogous to tunneling.

For antitunneling, the analogy is that whenever any wave encounters any abrupt change of conditions—even ones more favorable to its propagation—some of it will reflect back. Something similar happens when a scuba diver looks up and sees the sea surface acting as a mirror. To be sufficiently abrupt, the distance over which conditions change must be shorter than the wavelength (which for a particle is related to momentum). If the change is too gradual, the wave will simply go along, and the particle will act like a soccer ball after all.

Garrido and his colleagues undertook a numerical analysis to rule out the possibility that the phenomenon was an artifact of idealized assumptions. They also calculated how long a particle will tend to roll around the table before going over the edge; it gets longer the higher the table is. David Griffiths of Reed College, author of a widely used introductory quantum mechanics textbook (the second edition of which gives a version of antitunneling as a student exercise), calls it “a very sweet paradox.” Physicist Frank Wilczek of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says, “It’s a solid analysis, and it points out an interesting phenomenon I hadn’t been consciously aware of.”

Antitunneling might have applications for building laboratory particle traps, describing nuclear decay or exploring the foundations of quantum mechanics, but its main appeal is to remind physicists how a nearly century-old theory has lost none of its capacity to surprise.

Note: This article was originally published with the title, "Quantum Brinkmanship".

Sciam.com

Truth

2008-11-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

Ferrari Virtual Tour

2008-11-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.ferrariworld.com/events/ss16m/virtualtour/eng/index.htm

Ferrari Scuderia Spider 16M

26 Ways to Update Twitter

2008-11-24T20:17:00.000-08:00

Free Texting

2008-11-24T20:16:00.000-08:00

http://www.notifu.com/

The 11 hottest superbikes in the world

2008-11-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

Ducati 1198
Thanks to a healthy dose of Italian design flair, Ducati has earned a reputation for creating the world’s most beautiful motorcycles, and the new for 2009 1198 shows that the company is definitely back on top form. Based on a 1198cc (duh) twin cylinder engine, the bike puts out 170bhp and like all big twin cylinder motors it produces a massive amount of torque. With a dry weight of 171Kg, this stunning machine offers twice the power to weight ratio of a Ferrari Enzo at a fraction of the cost. Although, to be fair, you’d probably pick up a lot more chicks with an Enzo.

Aprillia RSV4
Another stunning piece of machinery from Italy, the brand new RSV4 is one of the most agressive looking superbikes ever designed - it looks like it wants to punch you in the nuts and then take your girlfriend for a good hard ride. This bike uses an exotic 999cc V4 engine to deliver 182bhp, whilst keeping the weight down to a respectable 179kg, giving it a very slight power to weight advantage over the Ducati.

BMW HP2 Sport
The Germans might have a well deserved reputation for producing superbly engineered high performance cars, but their motorcycles are as boring as Belgium. With the HP2 Sport, they’re at least making an effort to be a little more exciting, although with the 1170cc Boxer twin motor pumping out just 130bhp, this bike isn’t exactly going to rock your crotch as hard as some of the others here. Still, if you’re a fan of sturdy German engineering, or you just want to buy a superbike that your grandmother can enjoy, this could be what you’re looking for.

Buell 1125R
Like the Germans, the Americans aren’t really known for producing mental sports bikes. Buell traditionally turns out bad-ass muscle-bikes based on Harley-Davidson V-twin engines, which look pretty awesome but not so much with the cornering. The Buell 1125R represents the company’s first serious attempt to produce a balls-out sportsbike to compete with the Japanese screamers. Cranking out 146bhp and weighing in at 170kg, it’s certainly got some grunt, and with the right colour scheme the styling looks pretty good too.

Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
Sixteen years after Honda tore up the rulebook and redefined sportsbikes, the Fireblade continues to moisten panties around the world. The 2009 model styling might not be to everybody’s taste (we think the front end looks a little wierd) but you can’t question the pedigree - this is the bike that changed everything, and for that we salute it. The engine is a howling 1000cc inline four-cyclinder lump that pumps out 175bhp - more than enough to hurl 199kg of bike down the road at a frightening pace.

Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja
1000cc and 185bhp of bright green awesomeness.
“What bike do you ride?”
“Ninja.”
“Please bone my wife and daughters. And then me.”

KTM RC8
Austrian manufacturer KTM is best known for its off-road bikes, and the RC8 is the company’s first entry into the superbike market, designed to compete directly with other European manufacturers like Ducati and Aprillia. With unique, razor-sharp styling and a gutsy 1148cc V-twin motor producing 151bhp, the RC8 is bound to win a lot of fans.

MV Augusta F4 1078 RR 312
Some people think this is one of the most desirable bikes in the world, while others argue that the front end looks like a bucket of soapy frogs. But whatever you think of the styling you can’t argue with the 190bhp produced by this monster’s 1078cc inline four-cylinder engine which was designed with help from Ferrari Formula One engineers.

Suzuki GSX-R1000
Widely regarded amongst superbike riders as the ultimate toy for lunatics, the GSX-R1000 is guaranteed to put an insane grin on your face (and to send you to an early grave if you don’t treat it with total respect). The 2009 model in the picture has only just been unvieled and Suzuki hasn’t released official bhp figures yet, but you can rest assured that it will be somewhere in the region of shit-loads.

Triumph Daytona 675
By far the smallest capacity bike here, Triumph’s Daytona 675 is also a lot lighter than the others at just 162Kg, making it ideal for flicking around those narrow, twisty English country lanes. Its engine uses the three cylinder configuration favoured by the British manufacturer and produces 126bhp, giving it a power to weight ratio far higher than most super-cars. Easily the best thing made in Britain since the Spitfire.

Yamaha YZF R1
When it was originally launched in 1998, Yamaha’s R1 moistened a record number of gussets with its groundbreaking power to weight ratio and game-changing handling, and since then it’s just got better and better. The 2009 model looks sharper than ever and features an all new 998cc inline four cylinder engine capable of producing 180bhp.

http://www.chumster.co.uk/2008/the-11-hottest-superbikes-in-the-world/

Fifty things you might not know about Barack Obama

2008-11-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/3401168/Barack-Obama-The-50-facts-you-might-not-know.html

• He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics

• He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball

• His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili

• His favourite meal is wife Michelle's shrimp linguini

• He won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir, Dreams From My Father

• He is left-handed – the sixth post-war president to be left-handed

• He has read every Harry Potter book

• He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad Ali

• He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice cream

• His favourite snacks are chocolate-peanut protein bars

• He ate dog meat, snake meat, and roasted grasshopper while living in Indonesia

• He can speak Spanish

• While on the campaign trail he refused to watch CNN and had sports channels on instead

• His favourite drink is black forest berry iced tea

• He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president – he didn't

• He kept a pet ape called Tata while in Indonesia

• He can bench press an impressive 200lbs

• He was known as Barry until university when he asked to be addressed by his full name

• His favourite book is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

• He visited Wokingham, Berks, in 1996 for the stag party of his half-sister's fiancé, but left when a stripper arrived

• His desk in his Senate office once belonged to Robert Kennedy

• He and Michelle made $4.2 million (£2.7 million) last year, with much coming from sales of his books

• His favourite films are Casablanca and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

• He carries a tiny Madonna and child statue and a bracelet belonging to a soldier in Iraq for good luck

• He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee.

• His favourite music includes Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Bach and The Fugees

• He took Michelle to see the Spike Lee film Do The Right Thing on their first date

• He enjoys playing Scrabble and poker

• He doesn't drink coffee and rarely drinks alcohol

• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician

• As a teenager he took drugs including marijuana and cocaine

• His daughters' ambitions are to go to Yale before becoming an actress (Malia, 10) and to sing and dance (Sasha, 7)

• He hates the youth trend for trousers which sag beneath the backside

• He repaid his student loan only four years ago after signing his book deal

• His house in Chicago has four fire places

• Daughter Malia's godmother is Jesse Jackson's daughter Santita

• He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry

• He uses an Apple Mac laptop

• He drives a Ford Escape Hybrid, having ditched his gas-guzzling Chrysler 300

• He wears $1,500 (£952) Hart Schaffner Marx suits

• He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes

• He has his hair cut once a week by his Chicago barber, Zariff, who charges $21 (£13)

• His favourite fictional television programmes are Mash and The Wire

• He was given the code name "Renegade" by his Secret Service handlers

• He was nicknamed "Bar" by his late grandmother

• He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds

• His favourite artist is Pablo Picasso

• His speciality as a cook is chilli

• He has said many of his friends in Indonesia were "street urchins"

• He keeps on his desk a carving of a wooden hand holding an egg, a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life

• His late father was a senior economist for the Kenyan government

The Best Broccoli of Your Life

2008-11-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

You know you've done something right with broccoli when the person you made it for describes it to someone else the next day as "better than biting into a steak."

Those were Craig's words and they were a marked change from the first words he uttered about the broccoli, before he bit in: "You made broccoli for dinner? Broccoli and sweet potatoes?"

Then he did bite in and his eyes lit up. "Oh my God," he said. "This is the best broccoli I've ever had in my life." Later he said: "If parents made this broccoli for their kids, kids wouldn't hate broccoli. They'd beg for it."

So what did I do to the broccoli to make it taste so good?

I can't take any credit. The credit goes to that formidable force in my foodie life; namely, The Barefoot Contessa. From the very beginning, when I used to go to book stores and copy recipes out of her books on little index cards that I kept in my pocket, Ina Garten's recipes have proved to be that perfect combination of simple yet sophisticated; she maximizes flavors in ways that are both ingenious and incredibly replicable. Anyone can do an Ina recipe yet when you taste the finished product, it doesn't taste that way; it tastes like it was made by a pro.

I'm going to have a hard time this week not posting all of the recipes from her new book, Back To Basics. In the past few days alone, I've made her roasted pears with blue cheese and walnuts; her roasted sweet potato wedges (which I wrote about in the previous post); and from her "Parties!" book, her butternut squash soup and her roasted pork loin. As you can tell from these recipe titles, The Barefoot Contessa loves roasting.

Specifically, she loves roasting vegetables at a high temperature until they caramelize. That's the basic premise of most of her vegetable recipes in most of her cookbooks and that's precisely what makes her broccoli recipe the best you've ever had.

Normally, broccoli gets squishy when you cook it. Not this broccoli; it develops an amazing brown crust in spots. Then you toss it with lemon juice, lemon zest, and Parmesan cheese and you're in heaven.

Seriously, this recipe is so easy I can recite it without looking at the book. (Ok, I'm lying, I'm about to open the book just to double check....)

You preheat the oven to 425.

Take 4 to 5 pounds of broccoli (I just got two large bunches), cut into florets (but relatively big ones.) Here's the key that she doesn't mention in the recipe: dry them THOROUGHLY. That is, if you wash them. I saw an episode of Julia Child cooking with Jacques Pepin once when Pepin revealed he doesn't wash a chicken before putting it in a hot oven: "The heat kills all the germs," he said in his French accent. "If bacteria could survive that oven, it deserves to kill me." By that logic, then, I didn't wash my broccoli; I wanted it to get crispy and brown. If you're nervous, though, just wash and dry it obsessively.

Now, it's easy. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. (She says 5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but I just eyeballed it.) Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too.

Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until "crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned."

I shook the pan around a bit as it went, but not sure that's necessary.

When it's done, take it out of the oven--and here's where it gets really good--zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts (I left those out), and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. She also has you add 2 Tbs julienned fresh basil, but I left that out too.

You won't miss it: the magic combo of the crispy broccoli, the garlic, the lemon and the cheese will make this the best broccoli of your life. I guarantee it; you will go ga-ga over it. I'm so ga-ga over it that I would seriously consider a trip right now to the store just so I could make this for lunch. Broccoli for lunch? After trying this, you'll never want to eat anything else for breakfast, lunch or dinner ever again.

http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2008/11/the_best_brocco.html

How to Draw Buildings

2008-11-24T20:09:00.000-08:00

http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/how-to-draw-buildings.htm/printable

Top 10 Ways to Discover New Music

2008-11-24T20:07:00.000-08:00

By Kyle Judkins | Nov 3, 2008

Most of my life I have strived to find new and interesting music, but I am often far too busy to really dig deep and find new artists everyday. Now that I am done with college and have a real job, I find that I have even less time to find new music or even stay up to date with all of the new bands.

I have, however, found some great resources that keep me in the loop with minimal time and effort.

Pandora

Pandora is an easy to use music discovery website that has been a favorite of mine for some time. Pandora allows you to create “stations” by putting in your favorite band or bands. Then, Pandora will play songs from that artist and artists that have a similar sound to your main artist. I like Pandora for its no frills approach, as it doesn’t throw a bunch of extra stuff at you.

Last.fm

Last.fm functions much the same way as Pandora, but focuses much more on the social network side of things. Of all the websites and services on the list, I use Last.fm the most. I have found that it has a huge library of tracks that doesn’t stop at the end of mainstream. Their library has exposed me to lots of unknown and underground gems.

StumbleAudio

StumbleAudio was covered in my previous post Discover New Music with StumbleAudio. It is a great service that is easy to use, but it has a smaller library that is mainly focuses around smaller unknown artists.

The Hype Machine

The Hype Machine is a very unique website, in that, it aggregates all kinds of MP3 blogs from across the Internet into one place. This way you can find out what bands everyone else is talking about and discover them for yourself.

Musicovery

Musicovery presents a much different experience than most of the other services on this list. At Musicovery, you choose genre, mood and timeframe in order to discover new music. This is definitely a very unique way to discover new music and is worth checking out.

Skreemr

Skreemr is an MP3 search engine that returns webpages where MP3’s of the artist you searched are posted. This allows you to easily listen to your favorite song by that artist. Skreemr also gives you the option to search for similar artists.

iLike

iLike is a music social network that is similar to Last.fm, but iLike integrates with your iTunes through a sidebar. This allows you to easily get recommendations from iLike and find more people with similar tastes in order to find find new artists.

thesixtyone

thesixtyone allows its users to “bump” up tracks by different artists. It functions in a way that is very similar to Digg, but it is only for music. This way you can find great songs and great artists by using the knowledge of the other users on the site.

Amazon

Amazon is a site that just about everyone should be familiar with. Back before I knew all about the sites listed above, I would go to Amazon and see what else customers bought when they bought an album I liked. If you keep doing this, you start going down a rabbit hole and can find some great music. The little snippets that Amazon lets you listen to provide you with a great way to sample the artists as you come across them.

Blogs

What list of places to find music would be complete without blogs? There are lots of great music blogs out there that keep you up to date with current artists and events. I subscribe to Stereogum and Pitchfork in my RSS, and I highly recommend them.

lostintechnology.com

Convert pdf to word

2008-11-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

http://convertpdftoword.net/

Russian analyst predicts decline and breakup of U.S.

2008-11-24T19:51:00.000-08:00

MOSCOW, November 24 (RIA Novosti) - A leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts.

Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily Izvestia published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse."

The paper said Panarin's dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year's events.

When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: "It is already collapsing. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: America will no longer be the world's financial regulator."

When asked who would replace the U.S. in regulating world markets, he said: "Two countries could assume this role: China, with its vast reserves, and Russia, which could play the role of a regulator in Eurasia."

Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: "A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles."

He also cited the "vulnerable political setup", "lack of unified national laws", and "divisions among the elite, which have become clear in these crisis conditions."

He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts - the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong.

He even suggested that "we could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all."

On the fate of the U.S. dollar, he said: "In 2006 a secret agreement was reached between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. on a common Amero currency as a new monetary unit. This could signal preparations to replace the dollar. The one-hundred dollar bills that have flooded the world could be simply frozen. Under the pretext, let's say, that terrorists are forging them and they need to be checked."

When asked how Russia should react to his vision of the future, Panarin said: "Develop the ruble as a regional currency. Create a fully functioning oil exchange, trading in rubles... We must break the strings tying us to the financial Titanic, which in my view will soon sink."

Panarin, 60, is a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has authored several books on information warfare.

Predictions for the year 2000, from the year 1900

2008-11-24T19:19:00.000-08:00

@ bunchofnerds.com

The December 1900 issue of Ladies Home Journal contains an incredibly fascinating article by John Elfreth, entitled “What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years”, containing around 30 predictions for the future of the United States and the world in the year 2000. Some of them are what you’d expect from someone in the year 1900 dreaming of a wonderfully progressive Utopian civilization, but some of them are pretty spot on!

Mr. Watkins wrote: “These prophecies will seem strange, almost impossible. Yet, they have come from the most learned and conservative minds in America. To the wisest and most careful men in our greatest institutions of science and learning I have gone, asking each in his turn to forecast for me what, in his opinion, will have been wrought in his own field of investigation before the dawn of 2001 - a century from now. These opinions I have carefully transcribed.”

Prediction #1: There will probably be from 350,000,000 to 500,000,000 people in America and its possessions by the lapse of another century. Nicaragua will ask for admission to our Union after the completion of the great canal. Mexico will be next. Europe, seeking more territory to the south of us, will cause many of the South and Central American republics to be voted into the Union by their own people.”

Prediction #2: The American will be taller by from one to two inches. His increase of stature will result from better health, due to vast reforms in medicine, sanitation, food and athletics. He will live fifty years instead of thirty-five as at present – for he will reside in the suburbs. The city house will practically be no more. Building in blocks will be illegal. The trip from suburban home to office will require a few minutes only. A penny will pay the fare.

Prediction #3: Gymnastics will begin in the nursery, where toys and games will be designed to strengthen the muscles. Exercise will be compulsory in the schools. Every school, college and community will have a complete gymnasium. All cities will have public gymnasiums. A man or woman unable to walk ten miles at a stretch will be regarded as a weakling.

Prediction #4: There Will Be No Street Cars in Our Large Cities. All hurry traffic will be below or high above ground when brought within city limits. In most cities it will be confined to broad subways or tunnels, well lighted and well ventilated, or to high trestles with “moving-sidewalk” stairways leading to the top. These underground or overhead streets will teem with capacious automobile passenger coaches and freight with cushioned wheels. Subways or trestles will be reserved for express trains. Cities, therefore, will be free from all noises.

Prediction #5: Trains will run two miles a minute, normally; express trains one hundred and fifty miles an hour. To go from New York to San Francisco will take a day and a night by fast express. There will be cigar-shaped electric locomotives hauling long trains of cars. Cars will, like houses, be artificially cooled. Along the railroads there will be no smoke, no cinders, because coal will neither be carried nor burned. There will be no stops for water. Passengers will travel through hot or dusty country regions with windows down.

Prediction #6: Automobiles will be cheaper than horses are today. Farmers will own automobile hay-wagons, automobile truck-wagons, plows, harrows and hay-rakes. A one-pound motor in one of these vehicles will do the work of a pair of horses or more. Children will ride in automobile sleighs in winter. Automobiles will have been substituted for every horse vehicle now known. There will be, as already exist today, automobile hearses, automobile police patrols, automobile ambulances, automobile street sweepers. The horse in harness will be as scarce, if, indeed, not even scarcer, then as the yoked ox is today.

Prediction #7: There will be air-ships, but they will not successfully compete with surface cars and water vessels for passenger or freight traffic. They will be maintained as deadly war-vessels by all military nations. Some will transport men and goods. Others will be used by scientists making observations at great heights above the earth.

Prediction #8: Aerial War-Ships and Forts on Wheels. Giant guns will shoot twenty-five miles or more, and will hurl anywhere within such a radius shells exploding and destroying whole cities. Such guns will be armed by aid of compasses when used on land or sea, and telescopes when directed from great heights. Fleets of air-ships, hiding themselves with dense, smoky mists, thrown off by themselves as they move, will float over cities, fortifications, camps or fleets. They will surprise foes below by hurling upon them deadly thunderbolts. These aerial war-ships will necessitate bomb-proof forts, protected by great steel plates over their tops as well as at their sides. Huge forts on wheels will dash across open spaces at the speed of express trains of to-day. They will make what are now known as cavalry charges. Great automobile plows will dig deep entrenchments as fast as soldiers can occupy them. Rifles will use silent cartridges. Submarine boats submerged for days will be capable of wiping a whole navy off the face of the deep. Balloons and flying machines will carry telescopes of one-hundred-mile vision with camera attachments, photographing an enemy within that radius. These photographs as distinct and large as if taken from across the street, will be lowered to the commanding officer in charge of troops below.

Prediction #9: Photographs will be telegraphed from any distance. If there be a battle in China a hundred years hence snapshots of its most striking events will be published in the newspapers an hour later. Even to-day photographs are being telegraphed over short distances. Photographs will reproduce all of Nature’s colors.

Prediction #10: Man will See Around the World. Persons and things of all kinds will be brought within focus of cameras connected electrically with screens at opposite ends of circuits, thousands of miles at a span. American audiences in their theatres will view upon huge curtains before them the coronations of kings in Europe or the progress of battles in the Orient. The instrument bringing these distant scenes to the very doors of people will be connected with a giant telephone apparatus transmitting each incidental sound in its appropriate place. Thus the guns of a distant battle will be heard to boom when seen to blaze, and thus the lips of a remote actor or singer will be heard to utter words or music when seen to move.

Prediction #11: No Mosquitoes nor Flies. Insect screens will be unnecessary. Mosquitoes, house-flies and roaches will have been practically exterminated. Boards of health will have destroyed all mosquito haunts and breeding-grounds, drained all stagnant pools, filled in all swamp-lands, and chemically treated all still-water streams. The extermination of the horse and its stable will reduce the house-fly.

Prediction #12: Peas as Large as Beets. Peas and beans will be as large as beets are to-day. Sugar cane will produce twice as much sugar as the sugar beet now does. Cane will once more be the chief source of our sugar supply. The milkweed will have been developed into a rubber plant. Cheap native rubber will be harvested by machinery all over this country. Plants will be made proof against disease microbes just as readily as man is to-day against smallpox. The soil will be kept enriched by plants which take their nutrition from the air and give fertility to the earth.

Prediction #13: Strawberries as Large as Apples will be eaten by our great-great-grandchildren for their Christmas dinners a hundred years hence. Raspberries and blackberries will be as large. One will suffice for the fruit course of each person. Strawberries and cranberries will be grown upon tall bushes. Cranberries, gooseberries and currants will be as large as oranges. One cantaloupe will supply an entire family. Melons, cherries, grapes, plums, apples, pears, peaches and all berries will be seedless. Figs will be cultivated over the entire United States.

Prediction #14: Black, Blue and Green Roses. Roses will be as large as cabbage heads. Violets will grow to the size of orchids. A pansy will be as large in diameter as a sunflower. A century ago the pansy measured but half an inch across its face. There will be black, blue and green roses. It will be possible to grow any flower in any color and to transfer the perfume of a scented flower to another which is odorless. Then may the pansy be given the perfume of the violet.

Prediction #15: No Foods will be Exposed. Storekeepers who expose food to air breathed out by patrons or to the atmosphere of the busy streets will be arrested with those who sell stale or adulterated produce. Liquid-air refrigerators will keep great quantities of food fresh for long intervals.

Prediction #16: There will be No C, X or Q in our every-day alphabet. They will be abandoned because unnecessary. Spelling by sound will have been adopted, first by the newspapers. English will be a language of condensed words expressing condensed ideas, and will be more extensively spoken than any other. Russian will rank second.

Prediction #17: How Children will be Taught. A university education will be free to every man and woman. Several great national universities will have been established. Children will study a simple English grammar adapted to simplified English, and not copied after the Latin. Time will be saved by grouping like studies. Poor students will be given free board, free clothing and free books if ambitious and actually unable to meet their school and college expenses. Medical inspectors regularly visiting the public schools will furnish poor children free eyeglasses, free dentistry and free medical attention of every kind. The very poor will, when necessary, get free rides to and from school and free lunches between sessions. In vacation time poor children will be taken on trips to various parts of the world. Etiquette and housekeeping will be important studies in the public schools.

Prediction #18: Telephones Around the World. Wireless telephone and telegraph circuits will span the world. A husband in the middle of the Atlantic will be able to converse with his wife sitting in her boudoir in Chicago. We will be able to telephone to China quite as readily as we now talk from New York to Brooklyn. By an automatic signal they will connect with any circuit in their locality without the intervention of a “hello girl”.

Prediction #19: Grand Opera will be telephoned to private homes, and will sound as harmonious as though enjoyed from a theatre box. Automatic instruments reproducing original airs exactly will bring the best music to the families of the untalented. Great musicians gathered in one enclosure in New York will, by manipulating electric keys, produce at the same time music from instruments arranged in theatres or halls in San Francisco or New Orleans, for instance. Thus will great bands and orchestras give long-distance concerts. In great cities there will be public opera-houses whose singers and musicians are paid from funds endowed by philanthropists and by the government. The piano will be capable of changing its tone from cheerful to sad. Many devises will add to the emotional effect of music.

Prediction #20: Coal will not be used for heating or cooking. It will be scarce, but not entirely exhausted. The earth’s hard coal will last until the year 2050 or 2100; its soft-coal mines until 2200 or 2300. Meanwhile both kinds of coal will have become more and more expensive. Man will have found electricity manufactured by waterpower to be much cheaper. Every river or creek with any suitable fall will be equipped with water-motors, turning dynamos, making electricity. Along the seacoast will be numerous reservoirs continually filled by waves and tides washing in. Out of these the water will be constantly falling over revolving wheels. All of our restless waters, fresh and salt, will thus be harnessed to do the work which Niagara is doing today: making electricity for heat, light and fuel.

Prediction #21: Hot and Cold Air from Spigots. Hot or cold air will be turned on from spigots to regulate the temperature of a house as we now turn on hot or cold water from spigots to regulate the temperature of the bath. Central plants will supply this cool air and heat to city houses in the same way as now our gas or electricity is furnished. Rising early to build the furnace fire will be a task of the olden times. Homes will have no chimneys, because no smoke will be created within their walls.

Prediction #22: Store Purchases by Tube. Pneumatic tubes, instead of store wagons, will deliver packages and bundles. These tubes will collect, deliver and transport mail over certain distances, perhaps for hundreds of miles. They will at first connect with the private houses of the wealthy; then with all homes. Great business establishments will extend them to stations, similar to our branch post-offices of today, whence fast automobile vehicles will distribute purchases from house to house.

Prediction #23: Ready-cooked meals will be bought from establishments similar to our bakeries of today. They will purchase materials in tremendous wholesale quantities and sell the cooked foods at a price much lower than the cost of individual cooking. Food will be served hot or cold to private houses in pneumatic tubes or automobile wagons. The meal being over, the dishes used will be packed and returned to the cooking establishments where they will be washed. Such wholesale cookery will be done in electric laboratories rather than in kitchens. These laboratories will be equipped with electric stoves, and all sorts of electric devices, such as coffee-grinders, egg-beaters, stirrers, shakers, parers, meat-choppers, meat-saws, potato-mashers, lemon-squeezers, dish-washers, dish-dryers and the like. All such utensils will be washed in chemicals fatal to disease microbes. Having one’s own cook and purchasing one’s own food will be an extravagance.

Prediction #24: Vegetables Grown by Electricity. Winter will be turned into summer and night into day by the farmer. In cold weather he will place heat-conducting electric wires under the soil of his garden and thus warm his growing plants. He will also grow large gardens under glass. At night his vegetables will be bathed in powerful electric light, serving, like sunlight, to hasten their growth. Electric currents applied to the soil will make valuable plants grow larger and faster, and will kill troublesome weeds. Rays of colored light will hasten the growth of many plants. Electricity applied to garden seeds will make them sprout and develop unusually early.

Prediction #25: Oranges will grow in Philadelphia. Fast-flying refrigerators on land and sea will bring delicious fruits from the tropics and southern temperate zone within a few days. The farmers of South America, South Africa, Australia and the South Sea Islands, whose seasons are directly opposite to ours, will thus supply us in winter with fresh summer foods, which cannot be grown here. Scientist will have discovered how to raise here many fruits now confined to much hotter or colder climates. Delicious oranges will be grown in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Cantaloupes and other summer fruits will be of such a hardy nature that they can be stored through the winter as potatoes are now.

Prediction #26: Strawberries as large as apples will be eaten by our great great grandchildren for their Christmas dinners a hundred years hence. Raspberries and blackberries will be as large. One will suffice for the fruit course of each person. Strawberries and cranberries will be grown upon tall bushes. Cranberries, gooseberries and currants will be as large as oranges. One cantaloupe will supply an entire family. Melons, cherries, grapes, plums, apples, pears, peaches and all berries will be seedless. Figs will be cultivated over the entire United States.

Prediction #27: Few drugs will be swallowed or taken into the stomach unless needed for the direct treatment of that organ itself. Drugs needed by the lungs, for instance, will be applied directly to those organs through the skin and flesh. They will be carried with the electric current applied without pain to the outside skin of the body. Microscopes will lay bare the vital organs, through the living flesh, of men and animals. The living body will to all medical purposes be transparent. Not only will it be possible for a physician to actually see a living, throbbing heart inside the chest, but he will be able to magnify and photograph any part of it. This work will be done with rays of invisible light.

Prediction #28: There will be no wild animals except in menageries. Rats and mice will have been exterminated. The horse will have become practically extinct. A few of high breed will be kept by the rich for racing, hunting and exercise. The automobile will have driven out the horse. Cattle and sheep will have no horns. They will be unable to run faster than the fattened hog of today. A century ago the wild hog could outrun a horse. Food animals will be bred to expend practically all of their life energy in producing meat, milk, wool and other by-products. Horns, bones, muscles and lungs will have been neglected.

Prediction #29: To England in Two Days. Fast electric ships, crossing the ocean at more than a mile a minute, will go from New York to Liverpool in two days. The bodies of these ships will be built above the waves. They will be supported upon runners, somewhat like those of the sleigh. These runners will be very buoyant. Upon their under sides will be apertures expelling jets of air. In this way a film of air will be kept between them and the water’s surface. This film, together with the small surface of the runners, will reduce friction against the waves to the smallest possible degree. Propellers turned by electricity will screw themselves through both the water beneath and the air above. Ships with cabins artificially cooled will be entirely fireproof. In storm they will dive below the water and there await fair weather.

Badass of the Week: Jason Bourne

2008-11-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.badassoftheweek.com/bourne.html

Jason Bourne

I swear to God, if I even feel somebody behind me, there is no measure to how fast and how hard I will bring this fight to your doorstep.

From the moment that Jason Bourne’s half-dead, unconscious body was scooped out of the river by a bunch of crusty old European fishermen with nothing better to do than catch dead bodies in their tuna nets, he instantly became American public enemy number one. The ex-CIA special operative suffered from some kind of bizarre, permanent severe long-term amnesia, presumably stemming from a crazy offshoot of post-traumatic stress disorder (though it should be noted that in the original Robert Ludlum book, Bourne sustained a gunshot wound that glanced off of his skull, making the whole amnesia thing a little easier to swallow), and had no fucking clue who the crap he was. The man didn’t even know his own name, but holy shit his badassitude had been so deeply ingrained into his core being that from the second that three bullets were pulled from his cold, lifeless corpse he was ready to start busting motherfuckers’ heads open. Over the next couple of years, he would prove himself to be an insane badass espionage expert capable of single-handedly taking on everything from the United States government to Swiss park rangers, and making pretty much everyone in the world his bitch in the process.

Despite having no memory of his history as a top-secret black ops hardcore assassin motherfucker, Bourne’s training and badassitude has been so thoroughly hardwired into his brain that he was instantly competent in all manner of escape, evasion, hand-to-hand combat, and weapons skills right from the beginning of his adventure. On the run from the invisible black hand of the Central Intelligence Agency, Bourne spends quite a bit of time evading security cameras, leaping off of roofs, beating the shit out of elite agency operatives, and pulling insane handbrake turns while flying down the busy streets of crowded European cities in a bunch of cars that are about one step removed from a broken-down 1988 Yugo. Other than a massive wad of cash and about two dozen forged passports from a bunch of countries nobody has even heard of before, Bourne has no resources to speak of, and instead uses his wits, intelligence, instinct and asskicking prowess to evade capture, avoid detection, and exact revenge on some CIA directors who so royally screwed him over and are now trying to cover up their mistake by hiring dudes to put bullets into Bourne’s face. His ultimate goal is to retrace his steps and learn the secret behind his existence, but you can pretty much assume that the process isn’t quite that easy when you’ve got America’s most well-trained, well-funded secret agents trying to kill you every time you even think about taking a leak.

Eventually Bourne manages to escape capture, get the CIA off his back, and lay low in India for a while with his girlfriend, but a guy like Jason Bourne can never truly leave his old life behind. One day some jackass Russian motherfucker shows up and shoots Bourne’s girlfriend in the head with a high-powered sniper rifle (Marie actually survives in the books and the two more-or-less live happily ever after, but the plots of the movie series and the books are so wildly different that it’s pretty much impossible to reconcile them both in one article), so Bourne comes out of hiding and starts living for some motherfucking revenge. He takes the fight to the front doors of CIA itself, battles a corrupt Russian oil baron, and eventually exacts his vengeance in an insane car chase that culminates in Bourne using a stolen taxi cab to pile-drive his girlfriend’s murderer head-first into a tunnel support. Oh, and he also exposes an illegal plot by corrupt Agency directors to assassinate US citizens, kills half a dozen professional assassins, spits vodka in a cop’s face, learns the secret of his identity, fakes his own death, pops a wheelie on a dirtbike and independently outwits the police departments of Zurich, Madrid, Paris, Naples, Berlin, Moscow, London and New York City in the process. All in a day’s work for the world’s greatest super spy this side of James Bond.

One thing that is totally fucking badass about Jason Bourne is his insane hand-to-hand combat kung fu ninja face-punching skills. His fighting style is completely professional and direct – you don’t see any flying spin kicks or crazy backflips or wacky wire-fu Iron Monkey shit with Bourne, just quick, efficient strikes with no wasted motion, geared to disarm and subdue the enemy. He can be facing three trained police officers with their pistols trained on his face, and with only five moves he’ll steal their weapons, knock them unconscious and take control of the situation before his opponents even have a chance to finish screaming their pain-fueled profanities. He's also really good at punching guys in the balls. Of course, no badass secret agent worth his handgun would let himself be slowed down by a bunch of average cops, and Bourne’s hand-to-hand truly skills shine when he goes up against some of the ultra-insane CIA assassins the Agency sends out to take his shit down. He can hold his own against the best of the best, and he has an awesome talent for using the environment to his advantage, constantly beating the fuck out of his enemies with whatever ordinary household items he manages to wrap his fingers around. He’s used everything from books and extension cables to washcloths and candlesticks as lethal instruments of extreme bodily harm, pummeling and choking the shit out of some of the most dangerous and deadly men on the planet. He took one knife-wielding assassin out by stabbing him repeatedly in the face and arms with a shitty ten-for-a-dollar ballpoint stick pen (something I dream of doing every single day that I’m working at my shitty desk job), and busted another guy up armed only with a fucking rolled-up magazine like he was some kind of disobedient puppy. When the Agency sent a hardcore badass sniper out to take him down, Bourne hunted the dude down like Simo Hayha in a long black coat, outsmarting him and finally shooting him in the chest a couple times with a double-barreled Doom-style hunting shotgun. He’s also a master of interrogation who can get any information he wants from people simply by threatening them or beating the crap out of them Jack Bauer-style.

It’s more than just ultimate asskickings that make Yay-son Bourne Identity such a balls-out super spy, however. His whole attitude and composure oozes badassery – he’s a consummate professional who stays completely cool under pressure and who is always one step ahead of his target. There’s no dramatics, no flashiness, no wasted motions. He doesn’t slip up, he doesn’t make mistakes, and oh yeah, every woman he meets falls in love with him because he’s also goddamned Matt Damon and I read somewhere that Matt Damon has that effect on women. He can track down people who wish to stay hidden, elude capture by the best police agencies in the world and take out anyone who stands in his way without blinking, but even through all the professionalism and ruthless efficiency associated with his position as a black ops assassin, the Bourne character manages to retain his humanity somehow. He’s not a machine like the Terminator or some shit, he’s a man who is tortured by his past, and his flaws give him some distinctly human characteristics, which is also refreshing to see in an uber-badass.

“I can tell you the license plate numbers of all six cars outside. I can tell you that our waitress is left-handed and the guy sitting up at the counter weighs two hundred fifteen pounds and knows how to handle himself. I know the best place to look for a gun is the cab of the gray truck outside, and at this altitude, I can run flat out for a half mile before my hands start shaking. Now why would I know that? How can I know that and not know who I am?”

Links:

Bourne's Top Five Improvised Weapons

Fight Scenes from The Bourne Identity

Bourne vs. Desh

Moller M400 Skycar

2008-11-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

Imagine this: your daily trip to the office at 350mph with no traffic jams, no roadworks and a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet. Sounds like Science Fiction? Well, not for much longer, thanks to one mans' vision.

Moller International was founded in 1983 by Dr Paul Moller, a Canadian-born US engineer, to design, develop, manufacture and market personal vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (VTOL). His colleagues said it couldn't be done, but like many geniuses, Dr Moller worked tirelessly towards his dream: a personal flying car that could take off from any back garden of street and be as easy to fly as a car is to drive, if not easier.

The M400 is by no means Moller's first project; thirty years ago he designed a flying saucerlike VTOL volantor. He managed to make it hover off the ground but it was difficult to manoever and was more an attraction to tabloid newspapers than anything else. Undeterred by this, Moller continued to work on his plans for a personal flying vehicle while serving as a professor at the University of California, using the fortune he made in the 1970s by inventing a revolutionary type of motorcycle muffler.

In 1989, Moller produced the Skycar's predecessor, the M200x. Looking like a flying saucer, the pilot sat in the middle of the craft which was powered by six propellers providing lift. Moller has flown the M200 over 150 times at altitudes up to 50 feet. However, as the propellers can only point downwards, progress is slow and therefore not terribly practical for long distance travel. However, the knowledge gained from this project was put to good use for the M400.

The M400 itself certainley looks like something from a Sci-Fi movie, a mixture of fins and pods that would not have looked out of place in 'The Fifth Element' or 'Bladerunner'. The power for the vehicle comes from eight small 120hp Rotapower engines, a derivative of the Wankel engine designed in 1957 by Felix Wankel and best known for its use in the Mazda RX7. Dr Moller purchased the rights to the Wankel engine and quickly formed Freedom Motors to develop the Wankel engine for use in the Skycar. The Rotapower engines will allow the M400 Skycar to fly at 350 mph and get fifteen miles to the gallon and a 900 mile range, although future projections show that it could achieve forty mpg for a four-seater and eighty mpg for a one-seater. One of the best things about the lightweight rotary engine is that it causes far less pollution than a regular engine.

The Skycar will be able to take off and land vertically. Using a principle similar to that of the Harrier jump jet, the Moller M400 incorporates a patented thrust deflection vane system that redirects thrust, enabling it to hover or to take off and land vertically from almost any surface. Initial test cars will need trained pilots, but Moller's vision is of automated skyways where the navigational computers do all the work, and Moller's design calls for three computers to assure redundancy. However, some level of driver/pilot training will still be necessary.

Removing the hazard of untrained drivers makes the Skycar more feasible, but there are still many concerns about safety. With eight engines, if one or two fail the volantor will still stay aloft, and if a computer goes, there are still two more to back it up. There will even be a parachute for landing when systems fail, but what happens when a Skycar comes down in a crowded city street?

As far as the cost of ownership goes, Moller says that initially the M400 Skycar will sell for a price comparable to that of a four-passenger high performance helicopter or airplane, approximately $500,000. As the volume of production increases substantially, its price can approach that of a quality automobile ($60,000-$80,000).

"I see this as a cheap civilian product, and if it isn't then it would be a failure as far as I'm concerned." says Moller.

Also, with very few moving parts the M400's rotapower engines require little maintenance, and the Rotapower engine has the unique capability of burning a variety of fuels - thus making it affordable to operate regardless of which natural resources are readily available in your area.

Will the Skycar become a familiar sight in our skies? The Federal Aviation Authority seems to think this may be a possibility and is already monitoring the progress of the M400 Skycar and, "contemplating an airborne future, with helicopters, unmanned computer planes and inventions such as the Skycar," reports The London Independent.

Moller envisions thirty-five-foot diameter "vertiports" atop city high-rises where volantors will be able to land and take off. As far as overcrowding of the airways go, according to Moller, even if there were the same number of Skycars in the sky tomorrow as there are cars on the roads today, each Skycar in the sky would be over a mile away (in all directions) from any other Skycar in the sky.!

Your own personal Skycar may seem like "pie in the sky" at the moment, but Dr Moller's work and the technology now available make it seem like an increasingly viable option, so watch the skies!

Moller website
http://www.moller.com

Cool Toys @ Samstoybox.com/

2008-11-24T19:15:00.000-08:00

Mostly vintage toy collection.

42 Most Exotic and Amazing Animal Species

2008-11-24T19:12:00.001-08:00

Scientists have documented over 20,000 species of fish, 6,000 species of reptiles, 9,000 birds, 1,000 amphibians, 15,000 species of mammals and over a million species of insect - here are some of the strangest, most amazing and most threatened species in the world. Some of these animals may appear harmless but are all too deadly, while others look vicious and are simply rare and endangered.

http://webecoist.com/2008/11/24/weird-strange-amazin-animal-species/

Report: US spied on Blair, Iraqi president

2008-11-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Report_US_spied_on_Blair_Iraqi_1124.html

It's not just warrantless wiretapping anymore.

The National Security Agency spied on British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Iraq's first interim president Ghazi al-Yawer, according to a report Monday.

A former Army Arab linguist at the NSA told ABC News that he saw and read a file on Blair's "private life" and listened to "pillow talk" phone calls of Iraq's first president while working at a secret NSA facility in Georgia.

Last month, David Murfee Faulk and another former military intercept operator assigned to the NSA facility "triggered calls for an investigation when they revealed U.S. intelligence intercepted the private phone calls of American journalists, aid workers and soldiers stationed in Iraq," ABC News' Brian Ross reported Monday morning.

Faulk told the network he saw Blair's file in 2006, but refused to provide details, other than saying it had information about Blair's personal life. Intelligence services and governments sometimes keep files on elected officials -- known as control files -- in order to blackmail or force the hands of governments.

A spokeswoman for Blair had no comment on the report.

Unlike spying in the United States, collecting private information about foreign leaders is a common practice by US intelligence. According to ABC, the US and Britain have pledged "not to collect [information] on each other."

"If it is true that we maintained a file on Blair, it would represent a huge breach of the agreement we have with the Brits," one former CIA official told ABC.

Faulk, the linguist, said the intercepts regarding Iraq's former president included calls made to his fiance -- whom he later married. He said the calls were recorded by NSA employees in Georgia and posted on the agency's computer system for others to hear.

Faulk described the calls to ABC as "courting, wooing and pillow talk."

In a statement to the network, an NSA spokesman said the agency follows all laws.

Blair has also been fingered in some spying of his own. In 2004, one of his former cabinet members, Clare Short, accused the Bush and Blair Administrations of spying on former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in the run up to the Iraq war.

Blair refused to confirm or deny the accusation.

Secret Societies of the 20th Century

2008-11-24T19:08:00.000-08:00

http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica/secretsoc_20century/secretsoc_20century.htm

How can i recycle this?

2008-11-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

I betchu they know here.

http://www.recyclethis.co.uk/

10 best ideas for greening your home that you've never heard of

2008-11-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

http://www.dvice.com/archives/2008/11/10_best_ideas_f.php

Kinda gurly up in here..

2008-11-24T19:02:00.000-08:00

I uploaded a template with a foreign language and it funked everything up so im temporarily using this one til i can get stuff straight. Although i do like the layout of my blog now so i may try to make a new template that incorporates this layout with some images and colors that are more like me.

Mmmm, Sammiches

2008-11-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

http://www.nikibone.com/recipe/sandwiches.html

Every sandwich recipe you could ever want.

w3rds

Marketingcrossing.com

Oops i did it again..

http://www.designingcrossing.com

brutally honestness

http://www.employmentcrossing.com

Boxes... Mailboxes..

Icon War

Flash games post..

The Web List

* Home * About * Recipes * Advertise * Sitemap * Contact Chinese Lemon Chicken Recipe

Deep Thoughts

Customizing Windows info

Amazing Useless “Facts” (and the actual facts)

Movie Posters

Dots

Moar Tutorials

11 Reality Shows That Prove The Apocalypse Is Upon Us

11.) MTV’s A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila

10.) Fox’s Trading Spouses

9.) Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker

8.) VH1's Flavor of Love

7.) Bravo's Real Housewives of New York City

6.) E!'s Keeping Up with the Kardashians

5.) NBC's Celebrity Circus

4.) The Oxygen Network's The Bad Girls Club

3.) Fox's Moment of Truth

2.) VH1's I Love Money

1.) MTV's My Super Sweet 16

Scribbler.

Northern Lights

Where to go in case of zombies.

Crazy small writing

Crazy Questions at Google Job Interview

Maze Game

Huge fudging snail!!!11!!!!!1

Coupon Codes!!! for all the things i dont buy online.. :(

Another Ascii converter...

A ton of Choco Chip cookie recipes.. Om nom nom nom <3

Moar Geeky Cakes

Darth Vader Cupcakes

Robot Cupcakes

The Simpsons Cupcakes

Revenge of the Sith Cake

Space Invaders Cookies

Tetris Cookies

Yoda Cake

Photoshop Tutorials

PS Tutorial: Advanced Glow Effects

Polar Origami

Sandstorm

Sand Storm in Iraq: April 26, 2005

Social Media in the 1990’s

1. Before YouTube... there was "America's Funniest Home Videos"

2. Before Twitter... there was IRC.

3. Before blogs... there were 'zines.

4. Before podcasts... there were codelines.

5. Before blogrolls and comments... there were web rings and guest books.

6. Before Facebook... there was the 20th annual high school reunion.

7. Before Skype... there were k0dez and bridges.

8. Before eBay... there was the pawn shop.

9. Before the iPhone... there was the PayPhone.

10. Before P2P file sharing... there was Columbia House Records.

11. Before Craigslist... there was the men's room wall.

12. Before Digg... there was your local newspaper's "Top Stories of the Year" issue.

Piratelaws.com

The Many Uses of Vodka

Temporary Email

Movie Trailers

Block Posters

create any size wall posters from any size imagesTotally Free To Use!

100 Downloads

Top 100 downloads of free software & freeware for Windows XP & Vista

What's popular on the internet?

ASCII-O-Matic

Jus an update..

Brain Teasers

Here Are The Answers !!

8 sec boot time!!!! Srsly?

World’s Smallest USB Flash Drive?

create any size wall posters from any size images
Totally Free To Use!