Monthly Archives: January 2007

There are a lot of wacky USB-powered devices on the market (here’s just a sampling). I don’t think that a coffee mug mouse is even in the running for weirdest, but it might be in the running for least practical.

As I said in the post title, I’m not going to buy one. I can’t imagine trying to get work done while also trying to NOT slosh the hot coffee all over my hand.

I think a wireless version would be slightly more practical. At least that way I wouldn’t have to worry about forgetting that there’s a cord attached to my coffee mug and spilling coffee all over myself, my desk, my keyboard, or all three.

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I found this picture while reading an article on MacUser and it made me laugh.

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As some of you are aware, the university at which I work has it’s own unofficial blog (“Overheard at Western“). The point of the blog is to post funny comments overheard on or around campus. The funny part is that Western is supposed to be home to some of the smartest undergrads in the country. As the blog shows, that is not always the case.

To illustrate, here’s a little something that I think both The Clam and The Big Seester will appreciate:

Two girls are talking about Rick Mercer’s Talking to Americans:

Girl #1: That show is hilarious. I saw one where they asked Americans how they felt about Canada finally becoming a part of North America. Then they got them to fully congratulate Canada and stuff, on air!

Girl #2: Ugh, dumbass Americans. They’re all just so ignorant.

Girl #1: I know, like, what the hell?! Don’t they learn about North America in, like, grade 8 geography? I mean, hello, North America has TWO countries, people!!!

Girl #2: Yeah, seriously!

On days like these I’m glad that I work in a secure area that keeps most people (especially the stupid ones) locked out.

Merlin Mann (of the excellent website 43folders has been putting out a series of short videos that are quite amusing. Titled “That Phone Guy“, they’re, well, Merlin pretending to be that obnoxious, oblivious clod who seems to have had his (or her) cellphone surgically attached.

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Some of these are funnier than others (courtesy of the folks at McSweeney’s):

“Hi, I’m Dad’s Root Beer.” “And I’m RC Cola.”

“Hi, I’m The Misfits.” “And I’m Glenn Danzig’s solo career.”

“Hi, I’m buying alcohol.” “And I’m paying rent.”

“Hi I’m Long Island.” “And I’m New Jersey.”

“Hi, I’m the internet.” “And I’m doing something productive with my free time.”

“Hi, I’m lactose intolerance.” “And I’m lactose tolerance.”

“Hi, I’m buying alcohol.” “And I’m paying off student loans.”

“Hi, I’m Woody Allen’s 1989 film Crimes and Misdemeanors.” “And I’m Woody Allen’s 2005 film Match Point.”

“Hi, I’m a Mac.” “And I’m a Golden Delicious.”

Feel free to add others

As I was trying to fall asleep last night, I had a BRILLIANT idea.

I know how The White House can sell the Iraq War to the American people. I’m telling you, this is guaranteed to work.

They just have to use the marketing people from Apple, Inc (they’re no longer calling themselves Apple Computer) and change the name of the country from Iraq to iRaq.

See, I’m brilliant, right?

Then they could hire John Hodgman and Justin Long and do a series of television ads extolling the virtues of the iRaq War – you know, how it’s so much better than the old, unhip wars, how it’s so much easier to use, so on and so forth.

Just imagine the possibilities …. (iRan? iNdonesia? iNdia?)

You could even use it at home. Want to get people to move away from densely-populated areas to sparsely-populated ones? How about iDaho?

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I’m a genius.

According to this post at The Detroit Tigers Weblog the Tigers have signed new deals (and therefore avoided arbitration) with Nate Robertson, Fernando Rodney, Omar Infante, and Craig Monroe.

This is a good thing.

Nate Robertson is, I think, one of the better young pitchers in baseball and certainly a starter that I want to keep in Detroit. Rodney is a late reliever who can most definitely throw a monster fastball (not quite the monster that Joel Zumaya can throw, but he’s a good setup man for the closer). Infante is, I think, going to be one of the best utility men in all of baseball in a couple of years. I think the signing I’m most happy with is Craig Monroe. I was a little worried that they were going to let him go to make some room on the roster, so I’m glad he’s sticking around for at least another year. Like Infante, he’s another good utility player and he’s definitely one of the better clutch/situational hitters in the game.

Ken Fisher wrote a great piece on DRM (digital rights management) for Ars Technica. In a nutshell, he argues (quite well, I must say) that, at least for the Hollywood studios, DRM doesn’t have anything to do with piracy, it’s all about gouging the consumer.

Bill Maher’s New Rules For 2007

New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for Classmates.com! There’s a reason you don’t talk to people for 25 years – because you don’t particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days – mowing my lawn.

New Rule: Don’t eat anything that’s served to you out a window unless you’re a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy’s chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Lobster?

New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged. I have a better description for these kids: “lucky”.

New Rule: If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you’re a dope. If you’re a kid, the cards are keepsakes of your idols. If you’re a grown man, they’re pictures of men.

New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here’s how much men care about your eyebrows: Do you have two of them? Okay, we’re done.

New Rule: There’s no such thing as flavoured water. There’s a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket – water, but without the watery taste. Sorry, but flavoured water is called a soft drink. You want flavoured water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That’s your flavoured water.

New Rule: Stop screwing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that’s square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.

New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the jerk. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a “decaf grande, half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double shot, gingerbread cappucino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet ‘n’ Low, and one Nutra-Sweet,” oooh, you’re a huge jerk.

New Rule: I’m not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering my PIN, pressing “Enter,” verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don’t want cash back, and pressing “Enter” again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up is standing there eating my Almond Joy.

New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn’t make you spiritual. It’s right above the crack of your ass and it translates to “Beef with Broccoli”. The last time you did anytihng spiritual, you were praying to God you weren’t pregnant. You’re not spiritual, you’re just high.

New Rule:  Competitive eating isn’t a sport. It’s one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What’s next, competitive farting? Oh wait, they’re already doing that. It’s called “The Howard Stern Show”.

New Rule:  I don’t need bigger, mega M&Ms. If I’m extra hungry for M&Ms I’ll go nuts and eat two.

New Rule:  If you’re going to insist on making movies based on crappy, old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what’s playing on the other screens. Let’s remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn’t good enough to be in a movie.

New Rule:  No more gift registries. You know, it used to be just for weddings. Now it’s for babies and new homes and graduations from rehab. Picking out the stuff you want and having people buy it for you isn’t gift giving, it’s the white people version of looting.

New Rule:  And this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants. After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex with George Michael. I can’t even tell if he’s supposed to be there or just some freak with a fetish. I don’t want to be on your webcam, dude. I just want to wash my hands.

New Rule:  When I ask how old your toddler is, I don’t want to hear “27 months.” “He’s two” will do just fine. He’s not a cheese. And I didn’t really care in the first place.

New Rule:  If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than minimum wage, then for God’s sake don’t pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, “Do you want fries with that?”