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Category Archives: news

news/propaganda from/to the masses

ze frank’s The Show is “back”

24-Jun-09

…in it’s new & permanently sponsored form, “That makes me think of”, the first of which is here at time.com.

as a fan of the original “The Show”, I see that Time has essentially allowed Ze to exercise his presentational art form to it’s near fullest. while I doubt very much we’ll see anything as awesome, like “fingers in food” (see vid below,) coming out of this new venue, I am excited for the world at large that once we again may bask in his comedic and insightful interpretation of current events.

Also filed in awesome, fyi | | Comments (0) »

not just spooky “Friday the 13th” but “1234567890″ day, too!

13-Feb-09

of course, the latter only applying to the geekiest among us as it is the digits represented by the unix time stamp as of today (Friday, February 13 3:31PM) for systems in the pacific standard timezone.

so today, thank your friendly neighborhood developers, who work feverishly deep in the underbelly of modern-day-internet-society, and share a drink. maybe a scary story, too.

[via 1234567890day]

Also filed in fyi | | Comments (0) »

track PMS – the threat of global bitchiness exposed

30-Jan-09

pms tracking

funny, was just talking about this. questions like, do women actually have to track their cycle? can’t they just feel it coming on? apparently there are many who keep a record on a calendar. (fortunately for me, this is not an issue, my lady is as cool as a cucumber.)

while the site is targeted to men, perhaps the ladies too, could saddle up to a new e-pal – for the good and civility of a peaceful relationship.

related links: pmsbuddy pms stories, pmsbuddy tips!

When all else fails, flowers will always do the trick. They are kryptonite to PMS.

[via slantback]

Also filed in fyi, humorific | | Comments (1) »

download “hope over fear” – President Obama’s inauguration speech

20-Jan-09

took way too long to find this; we have certainly entered an era where “traditional search” engines are fail. I finally found a link for Pres. Obama’s inauguration speech on twitter search after going through countless pages on y!, goog’ and utube. the reality is clear: news publications and search engines are too slow for news, now.

crooks and liars has the speech for download in wmv and mov formats.

44th president obama

enjoy and be humbled by our 44th president’s speech, which was written 27 year old, Jon Favreau.

Also filed in video | | Comments (0) »

the problem with corn ethanol and big-government’s short-sightedness

24-Nov-08

Q: Do you deny global warming? Is Obama right to invest money in green technology? If you don’t deny it, and don’t think Obama is right, what is your solution?

A: I try to look at global warming the same way I look at all other serious issues: as objectively and open-minded as possible.
…
Just look at the mess government created with ethanol. Congress decided that we needed more biofuels, and the best choice was ethanol from corn. So we subsidized corn farmers at the expense of others, and investment in other types of renewables was crowded out.

Now it turns out that corn ethanol is inefficient, and it actually takes more energy to produce the fuel than you get when you burn it. The most efficient ethanol may come from hemp, but hemp production is illegal and there has been little progress on hemp ethanol. And on top of that, corn is now going into our gas tanks instead of onto our tables or feeding our livestock or dairy cows; so food prices have been driven up. This is what happens when we allow government to make choices instead of the market; I hope we avoid those mistakes moving forward.

this is the kind of insight and logical-factual explanation we’ve come to expect and adore from Dr. Paul. as a Ron Paul supporter, I highly recommend this read at freakonomics: Ron Paul Answers Your Questions, Part Two.

[via slantback]

Also filed in fyi | | Comments (2) »

this is not about race, it’s about change

05-Nov-08

I voted for Obama and I am happy that he won. he is the lesser of the evils, which is an awesome change to the past two terms. I am confident he will do more good than evil. granted, he doesn’t have to do much right to top the current act’s numerous and grievous wrongs to come out a hero.

by the by: while I am not a democratic party member, I tend to the left. but I also wholeheartedly agree with the policies of republican Ron Paul.

so anyway, I was watching the news last night and a reporter interviewed a young black man who proclaimed among other slightly black-centric statements, how long that “they” have been waiting for this. and while I’m sorry for the slavery of your ancestors and the contemporary oppression/version of such injustice, I can’t help but feel that that kind of mentality just further sets us back from becoming a color-blind society. the dream that Obama (marketing) has won us over with is that his vision and influence of “hope and change” will proliferate America and make it a better place for all. singling out the black element of America’s new leader is not helpful, and I have no doubt President-elect Barack would agree.

so please, young black guy, don’t steal our hope-thunder with your blind and somewhat arrogant pride. just be proud to live where you do and realize you couldn’t have elected Obama without all the help of your fellow (non-black) Americans.

[image by patrick moberg, via abram's nickels]

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Suzuki favors Europe with additional V-Strom love

23-Oct-08

they get so many more options, from colors to new models.

for instance, the DL650X which is not offered to America:
european pre farkled wee

The new non-ABS VStrom 650X has arrived on the scene to complement the range, still with the versatility to switch from urban sprawl to country lanes, but with the punchy and flexible v-twin engine.
It comes with alloy skid plate, engine bars, hand guards and black sports screen, in Candy Sonoma Red or Matt Black for a fantastic price of £5,149 [~$8375].

for that price, and all those sweet addons (farkles) it’s a hellva deal! I paid around $8k for mine after taxes, registrations & fees…ugh! plus all the addons I’ve put on thus far: madstad bracket, handguards, center stand, givi luggage, crampbuster, buell signals. and I still want to get a givi windshield and engine guard, skid plate and maybe that black sports screen the 650X has for the summer time. at this rate, I doubt I’ll ever be “done” farkling my wee. not to mention all the costs of repairs I’ve incurred and still have yet to do! classy motorcycling is simply not for the poor man’s pocket book – tis a pricy way of life.

p.s. the germans get *four* colors to choose from for their v-strom ABS model… More…

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California Bureau of Automotive reinstates assitive programs

07-Oct-08

I was totally expecting this program to be dropped due to all the CA budgety delays and global credit crisis’ riggamarole. anyway, good news for my old mercedes that has been sitting collecting bird crap and dust in front of my house.

if you have a california vehicle that doesn’t pass smog, like I do, do not dismay! you will probably be granted assistance under reinstated program known as CAP (consumer assistance program.) just fill out the form found on the ca bureau of automotive website and then after receiving ‘yes, you’re in’ go get the repairs done. in theory, this saves me (and you?) a few hundred buckaronies.

Effective immediately, CAP Repair Assistance and Vehicle Retirement service contracts, as well as the Referee contract, have been reinstated. Today, October 6, 2008, services provided under the CAP contracts may resume. Consumers can contact CAP at (866) 272-9642.

Also filed in awesome | | Comments (0) »

sarah palin does not appear in a 2001 google search

01-Oct-08

why is this significant? well, it exposes her utter lack of political leader experience by showing that just seven years ago, she was completely off the radar.

say McCain and Palin are elected and then he dies (not all that unlikely) – we now have a president who was a city council member, mayor of a town with a mere ~5K population and <two years governeral experience of the most distant state in the U.S.. give me a frackin’ break!#@$* we’d be ROYALLY SCREWED. Oh but wait, she’s got ~1 year AK-OIL-COMISSIONER experience too, awesome!? is this someone we want so close to the reins?

2001 google search results:

- senator barack obama has #1
- senator joe biden also has #1
- senator john mccain also has #1
- governor sarah palin does not have a single result.

please do not vote for McCain/Palin …

Also filed in blah, thinking | | Comments (1) »

beer will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no beer

17-Sep-08

tech and booze are the only industries (relatively) unhampered by a depressed economy. being that I work in one and frequently enjoy the other (in moderation!) I feel good about that.

The uptick is significant for a mature industry with roughly $50 billion in annual sales, particularly as consumers reduce spending on other discretionary purchases, such as venti lattes and designer jeans.

source article entitled Beer not feeling economic hangover is full of shameless beer and beverage related puns.
(title quote by Beer historian Maureen Ogle, who wrote “Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer”)

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matt damon denigrates sarah palin qualifications

12-Sep-08

bullet point transcript:
- mayor of really small town
- < two years at govenor of alaska
- political purposes ticket
- absurd
- 1/3rd chance president palin?
– hockey mom from alaska facing down vladimir putin using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink (haha)
– does she think dinosaurs were here 4k years ago? will she ban or has she banned books?
– nuclear codes!?

Also filed in video | | Comments (0) »

2009 v-strom 650 (DL650K9) arrive at U.S. dealerships

25-Aug-08

according to this stromtrooper thread, the new suzuki wee strom’s have hit dealerships in Texas. a couple lucky stromtroopers have already purchased theirs.

here’s a couple shots of stromtrooper energywhiz123’s new ‘09 650 gray beaut’:

msrp pricing for this bad boy is set at $7,199 for non-abs and $7,499 with.

Also filed in motorcycle | | Comments (1) »

michael phelps – animated gif friday ix

15-Aug-08

phelps goes super saiyajin

a little nostalgia with this one, as gold medalist michael goes super saiyajin with excitement.

and after the jump: phelps goes leo from sparta, and then some weird creature who fires blue plasma from his gaping jaw, and finally an info snippet about phelps’ ~12k calories consumed a day.

More…

Also filed in animated gif friday, awesome | | Comments (3) »

painting of television icon

10-Aug-08

I [my Dad, J. Vogel] created this piece in 2003, during the build-up to the Iraq War. It is a portrait of my T.V. the day after President Bush’s State of the Union Address. In this speech, the President delivered the infamous “16 Words”. My painting depicts Ari Fleisher at the White House press conference.

real ari