Archive for 2008
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Reducing America’s Carbon Fatprint
[ 3 Comments ]Posted on December 23, 2008 by admin in Clean & Green, Technology
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008Would you like Lowfat or Thigh Octane?
 The Ultimate In Renewable Energy? |
Apparently it’s occurred to more than one medical professional to reduce waist (that’s not a typo) while fueling our cars more efficiently. Recently Beverly Hills doctor Craig Alan Bittner fled the country after coming under investigation for allowing unlicensed staff to perform liposuction procedures, but prior to this was making quite a name for himself by fueling his SUV with biodiesel made from human fat. He wasn’t the first to have this idea. Although ultimately shown to be a hoax, it was widely reported by credible news sources in 2006 that Norwegian entrepeneur Lauri Venoy had a deal with an American hospital to do the same thing. It’s possible that this hoax was perpetrated by The Yes Men, who pulled a similar stunt at an oil industry convention in 2007. In spite of all the scandals and disinformation, fat-as-fuel is a viable alternative; researchers are making biodiesel from chicken fat (watch for the new “Chicken Coupe” at 2010 auto shows ), turning fat into jet fuel, and in the case of Earthrace biofuel promoter Peter Bethune, using human fat to set world speed records on the oceans. With over 600,000 liposuction procedures performed annually, I think this is a great idea; the only real problem (much like the the one faced by the makers of Soylent Green
It’s All Lap Dances And Cupcakes Until Someone Sprains a Man-boob!
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 22, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Monday, December 22nd, 2008The Cliche-O-Matic™ And Other Time-Wasters
In our ongoing tradition of trying to make you late for work on Monday, we bring you, among other things, The Cliche-O-Matic™. Tired of the same old hackneyed phases like “Don’t piss on my shoe and tell me it’s raining”? The Cliche-O-Matic™ brings you 35 one-click cliche generators. Some of them were kind of stretching it, but maybe it’ll inspire you to think up your own. For those who are out to prove how smart they are, try Achievement Unlocked. Your college education won’t help you, and if you get it in less than 1,000 seconds you’re either a genius, or need treatment of some kind. Hard to say which. For you first-person shooter addicts who are tired of throwing shoes at Bush, we have a simple, “realistic physics” archery game, mysteriously named Jackpot. For something a little more holiday-themed, try Christmas Escape 1 and Christmas Escape 2. A friend told me that after spending several minutes being stumped, his six and nine-year-old kids bailed him out in less than 5 minutes. And speaking of wasting time, check out selfcontrolfreak.com. Although pretty clever, I’m surprised there’s any time left over for the rest of us to waste with this guy around. Which reminds me. Have you seen my Three-Second Rule Flowchart?
Happy Hanukkah!
[ Comments Off ]Posted on December 21, 2008 by admin in Holidays
Sunday, December 21st, 2008Here’s a dreidel for ya. I won $613.00.
Here’s a dreidel for ya. I won $613.00.
Evelyn Glennie: If You Think You’ve Heard It All, Think Again
[ Comments Off ]Posted on December 21, 2008 by admin in Music
Sunday, December 21st, 2008Dame Evelyn Glennie On Learning How To Listen
It would be impressive enough that percussionist Evelyn Glennie has worked with notable artists like Philip Glass, Bela Fleck, Ray Davies, Bjork, Fred Frith, Kodo, Bobby McFerrin, and Sting, but this is made a bit more impressive by the fact that she is “profoundly deaf”. Which is, by the way, a misleading term that she does her best to clarify here. In spite of her insistence that you disregard her “impairment” and instead focus on her musicianship, she does a great deal to help people reframe their rigid perceptions of what it means to hear and to listen in the first place. As part of her early musical training she learned to “hear” with her fingers, hands, and in fact, her entire body. And having turned a perceived adversity into an asset, she devotes considerable energy to motivational speaking, on top of performing 100+ times a year. The TED.com clip at left (view full size here) is a bit long for web viewing at over 30 minutes, but well worth a watch. Especially the piece she performs at the end, which powerfully shows the importance of dynamics in a piece of music. Although the piece is very harmonically simple, the dynamics of her playing nearly made me cry. But check her out for yourself, you can listen to a bunch of preview clips here
We’re Havin’ Us A Party & We Want You All To Come
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on December 20, 2008 by admin in Holidays
Saturday, December 20th, 2008The Winter Solstice – It’s not just for virgins and goat’s heads any more…
 Orgasms: Mutual is Good, Global is Gooder |
Yes, Donna Sheehan and Paul Reffell are a couple of tree-hugging peaceniks, but they have an idea just about anybody can get behind, so to speak. Let’s all contribute to Peace, Justice, and slowing Global Warming (although if we do our job, things should be heating up a little) by doing the deed* with someone we love this Sunday, which is the third annual Global Orgasm Day. As much as I’d love to give the gift of global orgasm myself, I’ll unfortunately be sitting this one out. I just can’t see falling in love with someone by Sunday afternoon. Don’t let that stop you though. Apparently the project was put in motion by Baring Witness (Naked & Not-For-Profit!), and is measured by Random Event Generators operated by The Global Consciousness Project at Princeton, of all places. Science, Sex, and Sunday – what a great combination, and it’s for the benefit of everyone. Maybe you could use that to motivate a less energetic partner: “but honey, it’s for world peace!”
*I got really stuck for a cute euphemism there, in spite of owning three slang dictionaries. Anybody have a suggestion?