Pub Quiz

VSI

Okay, I only scored 180. I didn't know some of the science ones I should have, and I got some of the culture and history ones right that I probably shouldn't have. Go give it a try and share your scores!

-B

The New Monogamy - Marriage With Benefits

From an Em & Lo column at the New York Magazine The New Monogamy - Marriage With Benefits: "For much of human history, monogamy (or, at least, presumed monogamy) has been the default setting for long-term love. Hack the system, goes the theory, refuse to forsake all others, open the door even a crack—and the whole relationship will crash. Any dissenters have been pathologized as delusional idealists or worse. But now a new generation of couples is employing a kind of homeopathic hypothesis: that a tiny injection of adventure will ward off the urge to stray further—as long as it’s all on the table and up for discussion. (And just as with homeopathy, a healthy percentage of the population considers this premise bunk.)"

Intersting premise. Not anything I'm about to go jumping into, but thought provoking. I'll post more here after I've mulled it over for a bit.

-B

Originally found at BoingBoing.

As seen in Harry Potter 6: The Half-Blood Prince

gormless (British informal) Adjective: lacking intelligence and vitality

So, that begs the question: can one be gormful? How about gormed?

Curious,
-B

Fashion hack: avoid wallet butt bulge - Lifehacker

Fashion hack: avoid wallet butt bulge - Lifehacker

A silly, but important thread over at one of my regular reads talks about wallet-bulge on guys, and how it ruins the topography. My $.02, (since I don't have commenting rights over there... hint-hint!) is this: go with a really slimmed down money clip in the front pocket. I use one that allows me a cash clip, an outside-visible clear pocket for my license, and inside spots for 4 cards, plus I use the foldy space in between for receipts. No wallet bulge. No painful butt from sitting cock-eyed for long periods. No scrambling for 'where'd I put that card...' again. Other useful, but seldom-used cards (library, video store, etc.) stay bundled in the car for easy access.

-B

Goodnight and Good Luck

Susie and I went and saw this over the weekend, and what a great movie it was!! All the actors did a wonderful job, and it left me with more questions about the whole McCarthey era hearings than it answered. But it was a very good snapshot at one particular part of that era. Murrow was a great journalist - it's a serious pitty that there aren't news organizations with that kind of backbone these days.

But that's another post.

-B

LunaDog

 

I love my OCD border collie. (And my darling wife who took this picture.)

-B 

Another 80's Dance Night done right

Another kick-butt night at Cat's Cradle last night. It seems that by sheer incompetence that they're making it harder for the non-UNC-student population to get tickets to get in at a reasonable time. Not to be daunted hasher Better Not Suck and I managed to tag-team the problem and scored tickets. We' had a fantastic time as usual, this time with BNS & BPD, Richard & Deb, Johnatan & Pat, and Ashley & 'her boy'. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

-B

Disney's Haunted Mansion

I found this really great site that details all sorts of backstage stuff about Disney's US Haunted Mansions. There's lots of details on how the effects are done, how the buildings are laid out, and some of the history of the rides. Check out The Haunted Mansion Secrets.


Originally found on BoingBoing: http://www.boingboing.net/2005/10/27/secrets_of_disneys_h.html

BSB - I want it that way

Okay, I know this is making (has made?) the rounds everywhere on the net already, but I got such a kick out of it I just had to post it here.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6739710473912337648

It's Backsteet Boys as done by a couple of Chinese students. It's too great for words.

Enjoy.

-B

Pet Cemetary Sells Out To Developers

Oh yay. North Carolina makes it on to BoingBoing again, and once again, in an odd, sorta unflattering way. They're moving a pet cemetary to make room for a Hampton Inn. Kinda eerie, because I know exactly where this is - we've hashed near there before. Hopefully it won't be as bad as Stephen King's possibility.

Original subcrawl link: http://www.subcrawl.net/node/86
BoingBoing link: http://www.boingboing.net/2005/10/25/pet_cemetery_dug_up_.html

-B

Miyazaki film festival on TCM

From BoingBoing:

Miyazaki film festival on TCM

Cartoon Brew says there will be a Miyazaki film festival on TCM in January. Nine of Miyazaki's animated movies will air.

This is the package of Studio Ghibli features that Disney acquired, which includes Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso and Whisper of the Heart. No word if TCM is going to run them subtitled or dubbed. This is probably timed to remind Academy voters to consider Howl's Moving Castle for Best Animated Feature. While I'm not crazy about TCM showing anything after 1970, I do admit Miyazaki's works are true modern classics.

CartoonBrew link
BoingBoing link

Woot! I'm really looking forward to this! There are 3 in there I've never seen, and don't recall having been easily available on home video. Time to crank up the Myth box.

-B

Sold my soul to the devil...

Yes, it's true. I've gone to the dark side, and all just for a sweet techno-tchotchke. Well, a sweet tecno-tchotchke and the apparently the best cell network in the area.

I just got a Motorola e815 (through Amazon - gotta love those rebates!) and a two-year sentence contract with Verizon. I have very mixed feelings about this, as I've heard more horror stories about Verizon than any other service provider out there. I think that they're not particularly more or less evil than the average wireless provider out there, but that they just have more customers to complain. I do think they have a greedy, non-customer-centric business model, but all I really need them for is a good phone and good network coverage. Everything else is just a seem edit away from being as Motorola intended it.

So yesterday started our 2-week worry-free trial, after which it's good-bye Alltel, hello Verizon. I'll miss Alltel, as they've always been great to deal with. I just can't take marginal- to no coverage at home and in my office. If I can't use my phone where I spend most of my time, why pay for it?

-Bill