Hillary The Undead Rises Again
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 15, 2008 by admin in Politics
…and again, and again, and again…
Although pitched as a device to promote unity within the Democratic party, Hillary Clinton’s push for a roll call at the convention and Barack Obama’s concession both strike me as more divisive than unifying. At a time when Obama is running literally neck-and-neck (although McCain doesn’t have much neck left) with McCain, it seems to me to be a purely political, brand-building move for the Clintons. The popular news media that so gleefully shapes the election process these days will have a field day ranting about the Clintons at a time when the party’s presumptive candidate could obviously use a boost. It’s precisely this kind of politicking that drives people like me to launch their own campaign. In any case, ABC News’ Jake Tapper had an interesting piece last week – Deconstructing Hillary – that covers the topic in an historical context and also offers the interesting insight that Hillary still (as of August 1) refers to Obama as “my opponent”.
How To Frighten Hogs
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 14, 2008 by admin in Popular Media
Some contests you’d maybe rather not win…
When my ten seconds of Internet fame comes, I hope it’s not like this. When I first saw this clip the other day, I thought “Wow, Mrs. Numa Numa“. Sure enough, it caught on like cholera by Wednesday…
Bathing In The BK Lounge
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 14, 2008 by admin in Lifestyle & Culture
Can I please just pull up to the next window?
I’m gonna skip all the Whopper, Supersize It, and Have-It-Your-Way jokes. The news item linked to at left details how a Burger King employee bathed in the restaurant kitchen, videotaped it, and put it on MySpace. Yet another reason to not eat at Burger King. But what do you expect from a company that markets itself using Coq Roq and subservient chickens ? Full video here, if you enjoy watching gutter punks bathe in fast food restaurant sinks. Quite an interesting addition to the Freegan Subculture.
Spinning Ballerina Silhouette Illusion
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 14, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
A very cool perceptual phenomena
People often don’t believe that this spinning ballerina image changes direction because of your perception. Most people see it spinning clockwise at first, and then perhaps changing direction. For some people it ONLY spins clockwise or counter-clockwise. See the original full-size image here for better viewing. If it won’t change direction for you while you’re staring at it, try looking up, down, or to one side and then looking back. Or if you’re capable of consciously changing your thought processes, try switching between conceptual/non-verbal thoughts and linear/verbal thinking. According to everything I’ve read, this shouldn’t affect my perception, but it does. Most of the more reputable sources I found suggest the illusion is simply a result of Multistable Perception. Which to me is like saying “I know how gravity works…it makes things fall!” The original creator of this image, Nobuyuki Kayahara, has some other interesting stuff here.
Sultan-Peppered Ad Sheiks Djibouti
[ Comments Off ]Posted on August 13, 2008 by admin in Editorial & Opinion
Racism or humorous truthiness?
A new Nissan commercial being broadcast in Israel is causing a little resentment in Arab Gulf nations. In the commercial (left) Saudi oil barons are shown leaving a hotel, and upon noticing the new fuel-efficient Nissan parked nearby, begin pounding on the car shouting “Hawks should peck at you day and night” in Arabic. The voiceover concludes with “It’s clear the oil companies won’t like you”. Offensive, or truthiness in advertising? You decide. For more offensive car commercials, see the booby-jiggling Nissan Pathfinder ad, Jeep’s Bouncy & Fun, Toyota’s nipple-stimulating air-conditioning, and the accidently leaked VW Polo ad, Small But Tough.