Archive for January, 2009
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »Grandma Asks “What The Hulu Is Joost?”
[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 10, 2009 by admin in Popular Media
Saturday, January 10th, 2009Time To Finally Put Away Those Rabbit Ears
Many of us don’t have to worry about the switch to digital broadcast TV scheduled for February of this year, but apparently 3 Million viewers are expected to let their TV’s “go dark” on that day. Although corporate media news sources have been saying since the early 90′s that we would soon live our entire lives through our Internet connected TV (see this Time Magazine cover), the stark reality is that in spite of the availability of TV content on the web via services like Joost and Hulu, and in spite of ill-conceived notions like Yahoo’s TV Widgets (with TV screens already 20% full of “crawl”, who needs more, even if it’s personalized?) we still think of TV time and Internet time as separate activities (with the web winning sometimes). With all the available options, I’m personally left as befuddled as the old lady in the video clip at left, which ironically is TV content brought to you via YouTube. Especially in light of current economic uncertainty, it’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out. My bet since 1992 or so has been on AT&T slowly beating Comcast , but whatever the outcome, AT&T’s ventures into this market so far are expected to at least benefit customers through increased competition.
Mommy, What Does TSA Stand For?
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on January 9, 2009 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Friday, January 9th, 2009(T)housands (S)tanding (A)round (T)aking (S)cissors (A)way?
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It seems somehow fitting that the letters “TSA” stand for both Tourette Syndrome Association and Transportation Security Administration. I mean, haven’t we all felt like spontaneously erupting with a string of expletives while passing through TSA checkpoints from time to time? Yes, 2008 was an exciting year at the TSA, from the sticky-fingered screener who was nabbed stealing over 100 items from passengers (including a $47,900 camera from an HBO crew) to the $240,000 decision against the TSA and JetBlue over an Iraqi man’s T-shirt, the TSA has managed to create a reputation that ranks them as more hated than the IRS in an AP poll. That’s why it’s a good thing parents can buy a Playmobil Security Check Point
Happy Birthday Elvid Bowsley
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on January 8, 2009 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Thursday, January 8th, 2009Wow, nothing like David Bowie turning sixty-two to put things in perspective for you. I mean, is it okay to like Fleet Foxes if you’re over say, thirty-five? Am I turning into the creepy old guy who’s kind of hip that I used to laugh at in the clubs? Am I just a few short [...]
Wow, nothing like David Bowie turning sixty-two to put things in perspective for you. I mean, is it okay to like Fleet Foxes
It’s Finger Ricking Good!
[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 6, 2009 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009Kentuck Fly Chicken Anyone?
You may have already heard of Engrish or Chinglish, the humorous collision of English and Chinese in language and signage. Yesterday, the online news and information site Mirror.co.uk (never considered to be a benchmark of journalism in the first place) had a piece about a new mall opening in China that is comprised entirely of counterfeit brands like Pizza Huh and Bucksstar Coffee. Thing is, most of the images in the article were hobbled from other sites with no credit given. One of the best sites for perusing collections of these images (especially if you speak Spanish) is pincheschinos.blogspot.com, “La Biblioteca en Línea de la Piratería China” , where I ran across Wahaha Future Cola. They call the company “Wahaha” because that’s the sound their CEO’s make knowing that although it’s not “The Real Thing” now, it probably will be.
Monday Morning Time Killer
[ Comments Off ]Posted on January 5, 2009 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Monday, January 5th, 2009Don’t waste more time not wasting time, the year is already 1/73 over!
For some, this is not only the first work day of the week, it’s the first work day of the year. In our ongoing effort to prevent Monday from happening, let’s start with an annoyingly simple yet challenging short-term memory test, Beer Caps. Gave me a headache. Let me know if there’s some reward at the end. I spend most of my life trying to forget things, and here a game asks me to remember things. Moving on: in the tradition of Karoshi Suicide Salaryman (previously mentioned as a Christmas Eve Demotivator) Comedy Central’s Adult Swim brings you Five Minutes To Kill (Yourself). Hopefully you have more than five minutes, because it takes about that long to load, and another five to realize the arrow controls are a little counter-intuitive. And speaking of slow load times, some of you will appreciate the Dial Up Kid. Yes. That thing he’s doing is all he does. Double irony: if you’re on dial-up, you might not find it so funny after it finally loads. And here’s your positive thought for the day: The year is already 1/73 over!