October 31, 2012 - Special Halloween Edition

  Since it IS Halloween, I took it upon myself to decorate 
  the place with some gravestones and skeletons.  For 
  some inexplicable reason, though, that didn't go over 
  all that well with the people here at the retirement home.

Zombify Yourself for Halloween
     http://mashable.com/2010/10/25/make-me-zombie/

Honey Boo Boo and Mama June?  PSY?  Vote for The Most Annoying Halloween Costume of 2012
     http://www.ranker.com/list/what-will-be-the-most-annoying-halloween-costume-of-2012-/danielle-dauenhauer

34 Facts About Halloween Movies That Will Blow Your Mind
     http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/scary-movie-facts-that-will-blow-your-mind

Houses to Avoid on Halloween (and how to die quickly if you can't)
     http://www.kuriositas.com/2012/10/halloween.html

20 Amazing and Geeky Matching Parent/Child Halloween Costumes
     http://www.neatorama.com/2012/10/23/20-Amazing-and-Geeky-Matching-ParentChild-Halloween-Costumes/

The World's Scariest Pumpkin
     http://www.flavorwire.com/340056/is-this-the-worlds-scariest-pumpkin?all=1

Horror Films You Didn't Realize Were Based on True Stories
     http://www.flavorwire.com/340359/horror-films-you-didnt-realize-were-based-on-true-stories?all=1

Photoshop, Old-School Style - Spirit photography in the 19th Century
     http://www.buzzfeed.com/angelameiquan/old-school-ghost-hunting-in-photographs-70fn

Halloween Costumes to Inflict Upon the Innocent
     http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/19662

Six Seriously Spooky Cemetery Stories
     http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/104083

5 Ways to Epically Destroy Pumpkins
     http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/people/news-5-ways-epically-destroy-pumpkins

Dunno who to go as for Halloween?  How about going as yourself?
     http://freshpics.blogspot.com/2011/10/japanese-company-creates-super.html

October 31, 2012

            I tried to tell myself that getting fired
            was just part of my personal and
            professional journey, and not at all
            emasculating. Until, that is, they
            mentioned the words "severance"
            and "package" in the same sentence.


Top of the Heap:  Pretty much every plane in the air, everywhere  (Thanks, Melody!)
     http://www.flightradar24.com/%23!/

A timeline of real-time updates on hurricane Sandy
     http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/28/hurricane-sandy-updates/

What is Espresso?
     http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-06/fyi-what-espresso

Star Trek Technology : How 21st Century Scientists Are Making it So
     http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2012/oct/19/star-trek-technology-scientists

Borg Floppy Disc Drives and Other Facts You Might Not Know About Star Trek: The Next Generation
     http://alturl.com/677ev

How the Cellphone Became the Smartphone
     http://mashable.com/2012/10/15/cellphones-smartphones/

Tom Hanks' 10 Most Internet-Baitable Moments
     http://www.uproxx.com/webculture/2012/10/tom-hanks-most-internet-baitable-moments/?showall=true

Do You Get It? 15 of TV's Most Elaborate Inside Jokes
     http://www.uproxx.com/tv/2012/10/15-of-tvs-most-elaborate-inside-jokes/?showall=true

10 of the Most Unspeakably Filthy Basslines in History
     http://www.flavorwire.com/338012/10-of-the-most-unspeakably-filthy-basslines-in-history?all=1

20 Differences That Confuse Us All
     http://listverse.com/2012/10/26/20-differences-that-confuse-us-all/


U.S. Debt Clock on just about everything
     http://www.usdebtclock.org/

11 Ways to Cook Bacon That Will Probably Kill You
     http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/11-ways-to-cook-bacon-that-will-probably-kill-you

October 24, 2012

  So charity begins at home, right? 
  And home is where the heart is. 
  The heart is a lonely hunter. 
  Therefore, ergo, ipso facto, 
  charity begins with loners carrying firearms. 

Top of the Heap:  Department of Redundancy Department: The Top 30 Biggest Summer Movies of 2013
     http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=23370

99 Life Hacks to Make Your Life Easier
     http://shialabeowulf.tumblr.com/post/33670447154/99-life-hacks-to-make-your-life-easier

Interesting: The tech behind Baumgartner’s skydive
     http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/137521-the-tech-behind-felix-baumgartners-stratospheric-skydive

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About E.T.
     http://fancydresscostumes.co.uk/blog/10-et-film-facts/

Chart of Comparative Religions
     http://www.religionfacts.com/big_religion_chart.htm

Cool pics of the Space Shuttle Endeavor on the Streets of Los Angeles
     http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2012/10/a-space-shuttle-on-the-streets-of-los-angeles/100386/

...and a cool time-lapse of the event
     http://framework.latimes.com/2012/10/15/time-lapse-video-space-shuttle-endeavours-trek-across-l-a/

10 Things (you might not know) About Vampires
      http://thefw.com/10-things-about-vampires/

Why "Moist" is the Worst Word Ever (Thanks, Robert!)
      http://www.buzzfeed.com/hunterschwarz/why-moist-is-the-worst-word-ever-6zgv

Y'ever wonder why elections are always on a Tuesday?  Me neither.
     http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2012/10/23/162484410/why-are-elections-on-tuesdays

The Story of Elvis Presley's Hound Dog   Thankyouverymuch.
     http://www.neatorama.com/2012/10/21/The-Story-of-Elvis-Presleys-Hound-Dog/

The Downsides of Winning a Nobel Prize
     http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2012/oct/15/downsides-winning-nobel-prize

How to Steal the Space Shuttle : A Step-By-Step Guide
     http://jalopnik.com/5949166/how-to-steal-the-space-shuttle-a-step+by+step-guide

The 20 Most-Watched TED Talks to Date
     http://blog.ted.com/2012/08/21/the-20-most-watched-ted-talks-to-date/

October 17, 2012

            I try to live each day like it's my last.
            It's a pretty good way to live,
            except for the bad check fees.

Top of the Heap:  In this week's "No-DUH" department: Mitt Romney's tax plan can't work, and here's why
     http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-12/the-final-word-on-mitt-romney-s-tax-plan.html

13 Brilliant Pumpkin-Carving Hacks
       http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/13-brilliant-pumpkin-carving-hacks

8 Horror Myths Debunked (or Confirmed)
      http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/18936

What happened The Year You Were Born? Dunno. It was still cooling back then.  (Thanks, Billy!)
      http://whathappenedinmybirthyear.com/

The story behind the theme song from Frasier  (Turns out "tossed salad" doesn't mean what you think, after all...)
      http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2012/04/story-behind-tossed-salad-and-scrambled.html

The Timeline of an Unpaid Internship
     http://www.buzzfeed.com/angelameiquan/the-timeline-of-an-unpaid-internship

Some pretty amazing Pop Culture Finger Portraits
     http://www.pleated-jeans.com/2012/10/11/pop-culture-finger-portraits-20-pics/#more-43177

The 10 Best McDonald's Meals You Won't Find in the U.S.
      http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/10/08/10_best_mcdonalds_meals_you_wont_find_in_the_us

In this week's "This-Guy's-Got-WAY-Too-Much-Time-On-His-Hands" department: The LOTR Family Tree
      http://lotrproject.com/

How to Age Your Wine 5 Years in 20 Seconds
     http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2011/12/18/hyperdecanting-wine/

Do Our Electronic Gadgets Really Threaten Planes? (Short answer: no.)
      http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444273704577637703253402734.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read#

How Long Stuff Takes to Decompose
     http://padmum.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/592/

This has possibilities - Virtual Reality  Contact Lenses
     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/03/virtual-reality-contact-lenses_n_1252481.html
     http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-02/terminator-vision

America's Secret Weapon in the Cold War: Elvis Presley
     http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/14/elvis-presley-america-s-secret-weapon-in-the-cold-war.html

A Historical Dictionary of American Slang
     http://www.alphadictionary.com/slang/

October 10, 2012

              I'm relatively certain Bobby McFerrin never envisioned that
              so many people would listen to "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and
              immediately feel the urge to strangle the person next to them.

Top of the Heap:  TV Anchor Stands Up to Bully with a Public Shaming
     http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/03/tv-anchor-stands-up-to-bully-with-a-public-on-air-shaming/

Why is it dark at night?  (Duh, because all the lights are off.)
     http://youtu.be/gxJ4M7tyLRE

How Politicians Get Away With Dodging the Question
     http://www.npr.org/2012/10/03/162103368/how-politicians-get-away-with-dodging-the-question

The State of the Internet
     http://www.businessinsider.com/state-of-internet-slides-2012-10?op=1

The Secret of Humphrey Bogart's Distinctive Voice
     http://www.neatorama.com/2012/10/04/The-Secret-of-Humphrey-Bogarts-Distinctive-Voice/

27 Reasons Why a Billion People Should Not Be Allowed to Use Facebook
     http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/reasons-why-a-billion-people-should-not-be-allowed

How Bill Nye Got to BE the Science Guy
     http://www.fastcompany.com/3001653/how-bill-nye-became-science-guy-and-ballet-shoe-inventor-and-political-voice

The Decline of the Great Barrier Reef Over the Last Three Decades
     http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/02/great-barrier-reef-decline_n_1931924.html?utm_hp_ref=green

Weirdest World Championships
     http://www.neatorama.com/2012/10/03/10-of-Weirdest-World-Championships-Around/

A Blast From the Past - Early Pictures of Disneyland
     http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/disneyland/

10 Dog Facts Even Dog People Don't Know
     http://www.buzzfeed.com/thepetcollective/10-dog-facts-even-dog-people-dont-know-5x4b

This week's Absolutely Worthless Website Award goes here: How Much to Shoot Your House into Space
     http://www.movoto.com/blog/novelty-real-estate/space-house-2012/

Proof of Heaven: A Doctor's Experience With the Afterlife - interesting reading
     http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/10/07/proof-of-heaven-a-doctor-s-experience-with-the-afterlife.html

Hilarious Fake Signs in the London Underground
     http://thefw.com/prankster-signage-london-underground/

October 3, 2012

                    I think it's cool that so many of the
                    United States are named after women:
                    the Carolinas, Virginia, Mary-land,
                    Miss-Ouri, Miss-Issippi and Idaho.


Top of the Heap:   Wow!  Dodged THAT bullet!  (Thanks, Melody!)
      http://alturl.com/xuche

Rock with this jock and roll with this soul! A blast from the past with a 1970 aircheck of Gary Owens (Thanks, Wally!)
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs2oXf1wAMs

A cool way to get back your lost camera
     http://wildammo.com/2012/02/19/lost-camera-the-right-way-to-get-it-back/#1

Into pets and animal trivia? Nose to Toes is a wealth of information
     http://nosetotoes.com/

A Look at American Barbecue Sauces
     http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/BBQ_sauces/bbq_sauce_types.html

Fun with Laser Pointers (and the Moon)
     http://what-if.xkcd.com/13/

A humorous look at the age-old question, "What would happen if everybody on the planet and jumped all at once?"
     http://what-if.xkcd.com/8/

The Illustrated Guide to a PhD
     http://www.openculture.com/2012/09/the_illustrated_guide_to_a_phd-redux.html

12 Proposed U.S. States That Didn't Make the Cut
     http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/143276

How to Take Incredible Photos of Your Friends
     http://theoatmeal.com/comics/incredible_photos

Spend three and a half minutes and Enjoy the Ride (Thanks, George. You old softy.)
      http://www.lshs64.com/enjoytheride.html

From someone who was there - The First Night Cheers Aired
     http://kenlevine.blogspot.ca/2012/09/the-night-first-cheers-aired.html

Why Liberalism Works
     http://zompist.com/liberalism.html