A League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Sequel to come out in 2011!!!

If you were a fan of the original as I was (it showed today on FX I believe), you won't be able to contain yourself for the sequel. The steampunk-esque world of the "gentlemen" is supposed to start back where the original left off. The twist is that Tom Sawyer is now forced to hunt down Quartermain, because he has been reanimated as the living dead by the shaman. I am pretty sure this is a total diversion from the original comics, but as we all know the book/comic is always better than the screenplay. Check out this lone production photo from the shoot!

Fake Gossip Commence

Check this out, I figured I would try my hand at Gossip Writing, hey most of it is fake anyway. So from here on out check out my quasi stories.

Tiger Woods apparently had an affair with a porn star according to TMZ.com... but check out this clip that was leaked on the internet with a foot fetish person, could this be Tiger as well? Its very hard to tell with the blurry camera image. Maybe more videos will be leaked and we can tell definitively.

Set afire, teen now struggles for survival

First of all, I don't know if I agree with the new CNN.com layout, I can't find the top 10 anywhere. Anyway, here is a crazy sad story about a kid who was doused with alcohol and lit on fire, because of some tit for tat story of thievery.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/02/teen.burned.recovery/index.html

Now I don't know what the law is for 15 year olds, but I hope these kids get everything that is coming to them. I remember when I was 15 and I knew what was wrong and what was right. They should be tried as adults. Also I am noticing a huge increase of "mob mentality" crimes. Those boys who gang raped the 15 year old girl, also this story, etc. etc. Maybe its a whole process of kids not thinking for themselves any more.

Am I the only one?

Every time I see that new Campbell's commercial about less sodium in their soups, it drives me up the wall. There must be other people out there who can't stand the sound of a wooden spoon on metal pans. Metal to metal is no problem for me. There is something about the wooden spoon not making a sound of "full contact" that drives me insane. Just a quirk I guess. And have you ever licked a wooden spoon to taste something that was on it? It nearly gives your tongue a splinter! Oh well please let me know I am not the only one.

I was going through instructables.com, one of my favorite places to peruse, and noticed this article.

Brennn10 Wins Digital Open

This guy won a competition for most innovative pocket sized contraption on instructables, then went on to win the Digital Open. This was for kids 17 and under. The first sentence I heard him say is "I took a class on the introduciton to electronics.." and I thought to myself..."education has failed us." I say this because where I grew up we had nothing like that to take in 9th grade let alone high school at all. Here in Texas we are operating under this no child left behind clause, which sound well and all, but has nothing to do with real world knowledge. What it means is that all kids should pass standardized tests or TEKS here in Texas.
But what is lacking in the boonie schools are electives. If you go to Highland Park, or something similar, you will no doubt have access to many more classes than if you went to a 3A or lower school out in east or west Texas. There is a law someone that states that all schools should get equal treatment, and children should get equal opportunities to learn. Here is a brief list of classes I was not able to take at my school.
Auto repair
AutoCAD or any type of Drafting
Electronics(other than basic home electricity)
Soccer
Softball (as a guy)
Volleyball(as a guy)
Lacrosse
Rugby
The list goes on...
I can tell you almost certainly, that while the worst school in Dallas may be very unsafe for children, it still had more class selection than the best 3A or lower school in East Texas. Where is all the money going? How is this not creating an endless downward spiral for kids who want to achieve in small towns?

whocanisue.com

I mean can do I have to say anything? We already live in a sue happy country, now we are giving people a website for suing people? I can understand if they are trying to get people affordable representation or help them from getting deported as the commercial leads you to believe. But please for the love of God change your web address to something that doesn't sound so SUE happy. Thanks whocanisue.com.

These kids are NOT good kids...

Good kids do not gang up and beat the life out of another human being. Unless there was some ulterior motive that no one else knows about. Which there wasn't.

Check out this article.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/10/22/lia.shenandoah.killing/index.html?iref=newssearch

There have been similar instances where the kids were "honor students" or some such crap. All that shows is that school is just one big popularity contest that has nothing to do with actual merit.

Spinnerz

Just a quick thought, but whatever happened to spinner rims, I saw some huge ones on a chevy silverado today and wondered. I haven't seen any in about 2 years, I guess it took that guy that long to pay off his 26" spinner rims....hahah. I bet he has bought about 800$ worth of tire tread since then too. HA.

Life in HD

I got a new monitor lately, and finally I can see some shows in full HD. I have noticed that alot of people on the shows don't look as good as they used to. Kind of like that Family Guy episode with the hot news anchor. But on the other hand most of the guests don't look too bad. HD is basically better than I see without my glasses, so its like I am seeing better when I watch HD tv. I like it because it is harder to hide flaws and I think people on TV should be more realistic anyway.

More on living like a nomad...

Along the lines of living more = less. I have a honda c70, which is used all over the world, top speed about 50mph. The route I go to work is all 35mph so I should be fine. It needs a lot of work still to make it truely road legal, but it shouldn't take too long. Should get anywhere from 100-125mpg. Suck that smart/prius/golf tdi cars. I hope to make it as clean as possible and it needs a good tune up as well. Check out the before picture:

Live like nomads

It seems like the people that are looked down upon most in our society are the ones who are actually using less resources than the rest of us. Think about a homeless person. They have no home, they use no electricity, and usually they aren't driving around a big car from point A to point B. Yet someone driving by them in their car or truck might look down upon them and say "What is this person doing for society?"
On the road bikers are looked at as outcasts or outcast wannabes. Once again, who is the more responsible one? The one driving by him/herself in a car, or the one driving by him/herself on a motorcycle. Its called being efficient. And us first world countries don't like doing it. We have rail systems, though not as good as Europe, but do we use them? Maybe, sometimes. The car companies know this, the oil companies know this. They know that we are going to keep driving the cars we want to drive instead of the cars we need to drive. Most of the time we are also living beyond our means as well. Driving an Escalade to work with those 24" rims. I know for a fact if you bought it new you would be paying at least $800 per month on just the car payment. All for a status symbol. Then if you only make 35k year, that doesn't leave that much for a house payment or other things.
Its not like anyone is going to listen, we had problems like this back in the late 70's. They just adjusted the price of oil again, and everyone was back in their gas guzzlers.
I want an electric car, but I can't afford one. Because none of the big auto companies have any reason to build them YET. So the prices will remain high, people will make fun of them because they are slow compared to gas cars. Maybe I will eventually be able to build my own, or buy one of my liking. The bottom line is: Sooner rather than later, people are going to have to buy things based on need of the environment if we want to stay alive, rather than 'want' of us humans to have material things. (Hey I like being different too, you can always keep that 67 vette as your weekend car.)

Guitar Hero/Rock Band making kids into fake musicians

This kid is a good example of why I don't really like rockband games. They need to invent a game where you play an actual instrument and get rated based on how you play. These kids think that because they get 1000's of points on games they can play the real instrument. As this kid in the clip said he 'couldn't get the hang of it'. Because there were 'too many strings' and you had to 'hit the notes'. I suggested to my friend the other day, why don't you get a electric drum set and we could actually make a band in my tiny garage. She looked at me like I was insane, "That wouldn't be as fun as Beatles Rockband." Wow. This is how far we have come. Another friend had wanted to get into mixing/ or scratching, that has now taken a back burner to Rockband World Tour. I would rather make real music, on my Garageband program. Sure it might not sound like Sergent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club, but at least I am being creative.
On a separate note, I think the last kid who broke the 1,000,000 point mark, was actually really good at the bass or guitar, I forget which one. That kid is ok in my book.

Automakers don't care about what we think, they care about money

Read this first.
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/09/11/shelby-lowering-price-of-20k-gt500kr-hood-after-web-outrage-eru/

I remember the days when mustangs were affordable. That is what they have built their name on, affordability. Thats why they still have live axle rear end, etc. etc. Evidentally Shelby is not licensing any of its parts to be built for the after market part world. They even require you to send back your damaged parts to their warehouse before you can get your new (overpriced) parts. I don't get what the big deal is, no one will ever mistake a v6 mustang for a shelby 500KR just because someone put a KR hood on it. It sounds to me like they are trying to force those people that may be on the cusp of buying a GT or Cobra and fixing it up with KR parts, into buying an actual KR which is exorbitantly priced.
Why are these people trying to make everything so inaccessible lately? Smart Cars are now around the same price as a 2009 Yaris 3dr. With 5 spd, they both get comparable mileage, yet the Yaris has more inside room, seats, and comes with an A/C. It almost seems like some manufacturers DON'T want to sell cars. Here is a thought: if we build cars lighter, stronger, we won't have to have bigger infrastructure to support them. We will not have to have massive amounts of airbags to protect us from renegade Yukons and Suburbans. Pedestrian accidents wouldn't be so deadly, etc. etc. We are living in the future, things were supposed to get smaller and less imposing not larger and more imposing. I hate "big corporation".

My new garage!

I have never had a garage of my own before I now I have one. It will be a great place to work on scooters and cars alike. I will call it the Honda Shop, or Honda Bungalow, or Honda Hut. But then again if I get a different kind of car all those names won't work any more. I will include a couple of pictures of the VAST amount of space that is my 10x23' garage!

IT IS MY RIGHT....and other rants....

I wear a seatbelt, but I should not, by law, have to wear one. That is infringing on my rights. Yet here in Texas, although they have rescinded the helmet law, they still have a seatbelt law. People argue that your body could become a projectile and kill someone else in a crash, but I have yet to see any evidence of people getting killed in that way. Plus people die on motorcycles way more often with or without helmets. It is just another way the city/state likes to generate money. Hey I will always try and wear a seatbelt, and definitely a helmet, but it should be our right to choose! When you start eliminating rights like that whats to stop them from outlawing guns, cholesterol, cigarettes, everything can be shown to harm you in some way. It would be like on "Demolition Man" where in the future they have outlawed salt...haha.


Next rant, this time on "Fraud" and fraud based claims. At my place of work we are required to check the funds for any personal or business check over a certain amount. I know of someone that got fired recently because the NUMBER AMOUNT did not match the WRITTEN OUT amount. I, for one, don't believe someone who makes 7.00 an hour should have that kind of responsibility. Also why has the person who wrote the check not been charged with someone kind of fraud? Another example of this that always enrages me is when you hear about these poor minimum wage clerks that got busted for letting a minor buy alcohol with a fake ID. Give these poor people a break. Once again, how does the underage kid not get charged with fraud for making a fake ID. They just get a slap on the wrist and the clerk goes to jail. It all boils down to people not having to take responsibility for themselves.

Catching up on South Park....

I am catching up on my episodes of South Park. I saw this one with the "Do you like fishsticks." It featured Kanye West who didn't get the fishstick joke. You should really watch the episode. It made fun of Kanye's huge ego. I wondered what Kanye thought of it since it really made fun of him hardcore. I found his blog and it said that he was trying to get his ego in check, and even said the episode was pretty funny. Then I saw this ad on the side of his blog....



Wow so much for "ego checking."

Posts disappearing...update!! I'm an idiot...

They were on my review page instead of this page. I have posted them back here. Pffffeww!

THIS IS REAL LIFE

When you are on a cell phone in a public place, you are being rude. I don't care how you cut it. People are really going crazy with this bluetooth crap. I have people come up to me, and I think they are talking to me, but instead they are talking to their invisible buddy on the phone. And guess who gets the shaft when it comes to mental attention? The person here in the immediateness of vicinity. Its "Sorry dude I was checking out...." or "wait a second this person wants something..." Damn right I want something, I want my 3 minutes back that you wasted of my life. Then when the person leaves, they don't say thank you, or have a nice day, they just turn and walk away. Since when has this become socially acceptable behavior? Of course I have had a few people that do answer their phones, and apologize profusely because they don't like "those kind of people." Another thing, learn the language, don't come into a store in America and expect someone to be able to explain the HDTV switch converter box to you in your native tongue. Its not going to happen. Also another BTW, if you are one of those people that leave the bluetooth headset in at all times, even if you are not using it, you still look like a total douche. Men more so, because they can't cover it up with their hair. Just something to think about. When I see you stroll up with your Bluetooth headset in place, I know you are going to go out into the parking lot and get in your 3 series bimmer, or Mercedes 230 or Range Rover SUV. Because you are IMPORTANT, and everyone will know that:)

WTF?!? This is why Cash for Clunkers doesn't make sense

And also SUSPICIOUSLY enough I cannot embed this video from CNN. Probably because they don't want everyone getting pissed off at their sponsors. On a related note I tried out bing.com the other day. I put in the search "sports cars under 10,0000" and the first two links that came up were SPONSORED BY GM and had nothing to do with what I was looking for. BING, no thanks, I don't need someone to make my decisions for me, especially when they are sponsored by GM.
Back to the story, a Maserati BiTurbo is going to get crushed because the owner traded it in under cash for clunkers.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2009/08/14/delozier.maserati.cash.KUSA?iref=videosearch
I hope the link continues to work. I am sure this is not the only semi-rare gem that is going to get crushed for no good reason. Remember the EV-1's? Yeah they crushed all of those too. I don't think they were gas guzzlers.

An ebay video of another Biturbo.

Things I have noticed in Retail...

I have noticed some things, let me know if you concur with them or not.
1. Early in the morning 8:00-9:00 am people usually pay cash instead of credit.
2. Older people love bags, no matter how small the object they want that bag for it. Leading me to believe that old people are responsible for all the bags in the landfills:)
3. No body wants more credit cards. They will tell you this bluntly. If they do want a card its because they have never had a card before, or they don't speak English when I explain it to them, or they don't realize that credit is why our country is going under right now.
4. If you come to my register early in the morning with your Starbucks Latte, I seriously want to punch you in the face, because I want one, and cannot get one.
5. Everyone has heard this line before: "Well I didn't find everything...I was looking for a bag of money (or todays winning lottery ticket, or a bucket of money, or a million bucks)" Please stop saying it.
6. People who buy TV's 40" and under will show up with a minivan or Hummer or 13 passenger van. People who buy TV's 45" and above will show up with their Yaris 4dr, or Mercedes and expect it to fit across the back seat. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. Please think of how big the box is going to be first:)
7. Nearly everyone who pays with a lot of cash: Hates the government, has some conspiracy theory about the government, or is trying to fly "under the radar".
8. People who work for the government make LOTS of money, I can tell by the accessories they wear. They also don't mind waiting for things because they are getting paid regardless.
Maybe I will ad some more later.

Apple: Expensive for a reason...

Well I can't speak for newer intel macs, but my macintosh has not failed me completely yet. As I am pricing new computers and wondering whether I will buy one outright or build a PC, I see that Apples are still so expensive for what they are. I know that you are paying for all that aluminum, but they are essentially PC's now running OSX. I have a powerbook G4 and I just got finished rendering a video file from HD to 960 x 540. That took approximately 8 hours. I am running 2 gigs of ram and have a 1.25ghz processor. I don't think any other laptops from that time period would be so successful. Of course I couldn't do a full on HD file since the video was almost an hour long. It kept getting to about 16gb of file and failing in some way (i/o error, disk full, etc.). But it did well enough, and all my skits that I do are usually under 5 minutes so I can do those in full HD no problem. The H.264 codec is another issue however.
Sooner or later I will get a new computer, but will it be an Apple? Probably not, I cannot afford a 3500 mac pro with a cinema display, and thats the only mac right now that appeals to me.

R E S P E C T

Anyone who has ever been in the retail or otherwise sales business would know. There are two types of supervisors/managers/higher ups. One type while being still courteous to the customer, will not belittle the co-worker in front of him or her. The other type of manager etc, will ALWAYS take the customer's side, "always say yes" no matter what the cost to morale or otherwise. The former type of manager will have the respect of his/her co-workers because they know that they will resolve a matter that is conducive to both sides of the customer/salesmen equation. The latter type of manager will most likely get promoted at every tier because backstabbing is what comes with the territory in corporate America. And while he/she may not be liked altogether or at all, he/she will be will still be successful because he/she is a "company" person to the bitter end. This is why I was not made for the "customer is always right" business. Because NO ONE is always right. Thank you manager person for showing me that I mean nothing to you, and you will never have my back.

CASH FOR CLUNKERS, who will pay for these mistakes

I just lost my whole post, so rather than retype it all, I will sum it up in one sentence:
Cash for clunkers is misguided, where will all the money come from, and cash for clunkers rewards people who drive gas guzzlers.

http://minnesotaindependent.com/37161/cash-to-trade-clunkers-for-gas-guzzlers

Woman Sues Alma Mater because she can't get work

Hey Lady, join the friggin club, I mean the 10% club of unemployment. In case you haven't heard we are in a recession.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/08/03/new.york.jobless.graduate/index.html

This woman thinks that she deserves a job with her 2.7 grade point average when there are other people from her school with "closer to 4.0" averages. Get a DRIFT woman! Before I was laid off my job, I saw seasoned master Architects applying for CAD jobs that bachelor kids can do. Thats where our economy is right now. I think all the companies are going to have enough IT Managers until things pick up. I had to wait 6 months for my first job, and that was when the economy was good! Another thing you will find it out is people prefer someone with ANY experience, rather than someone with no experience. Its kind of a catch 22 I know, but thats life. PS, I could have tried harder at college, but I flunked out of one college and still got a 3.13 GPA, maybe you should try a little harder.

Studying for the test of funtabulation

If you believe in tests as a "measurement of scholastic intelligence" good for you. Because I do not. I am studying for the TeXES exam which is basically an entrance exam for teaching subjects in a school setting. And I am finding that this test probably falls in the same category as a the TEKS test. I am studying for questions on this test rather than studying for knowledge retention. There is no way in hades that anyone can study everything that is needed to ace the Generalist 4-8 test. I believe that you just have to know enough about every little subject to pass. I guess thats what they are going for. A broad base of knowledge. And of course right now, I am typing this blog out instead of studying. My test is Tuesday. I feel like I know Social Studies, Science, Math, and Language well enough, but I need to brush up on a lot of knowledge.
I am for knowing your subject matter intimately, but nobody can know every little bit of knowledge about those 4 subjects all at once? Also my Espresso Machine needs to be de-scaled because daddy needs his caffeine!

I'd like to open up the floor...

I think I may have mentioned that I did a stint out in LA. Doing everything from short films to background extra work. A friend of mine does acting, stand in work, background work, short film work, editing, etc. etc. And if you are thinking about moving there, there is no better time than now. I would advise you do save up some money though. I check out backstage.com alot to see whats going on in the industry. But if you ever had any questions about what its like to be out there, doing the whole acting thing, please ask. I would be glad to share any information I have with you. I would try to answer "aloud" on this blog so everyone can read it, I can anonymize your names if you like. I don't have all the advice in the world, but I do have some. I will be brutally honest with you and not sugar coat LA at all. Its a great place to live, and expensive to boot. Please forward all questions to lee@rleemiller.com. Look forward to hearing from you.
Peace!

The Harvard Professor vs. The cops

Its all over the news, and I have seen that picture of the irate College Prof. on the front porch of his own home. I think a lot of mistakes were made. If I were a cop, I wouldn't take a guy in for being angry in his own house area, unless he made threats. If I were the professor I wouldn't have gotten so angry, after all the cop was just doing his job. If some other black guy had been attempting to break down the door, or so it seemed, wouldn't you have loved for the cops to show up so they can arrest him? Thank you for saving my house kind officer. You have to understand how it looked from the cop's point of view. And you also have to understand how it looks from the african american home owner's point of view. Well I am glad its all settled down now, whats that you say? President Obama called the police officer's action stupid? Oh great, here we go again. Let a dead dog lie. Geez.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/21/massachusetts.harvard.professor.arrested/index.html

Windows on OSX, but OSX on a PC= Illegal!

What gives? I am looking to get a new computer, perusing hackintosh forums, and can't get over the fact that if you run OSX on a windows PC its basically illegal. Apple has had commercials bragging that vista runs faster on a Mac than a PC. But any mention of running OSX on a PC, and here comes that SLA, license agreement chatter. Its illegal, you are pirating! Thats what they say. But aren't monopolies illegal as well? I used to think that Windows was horrible, with certain sites being blocked unless you are running the latest version of Explorer. I will take my Firefox thank you! But Apple is just as bad, not allowing their OS to be put on any other machines than Macs? Its the equivalent of someone saying "And whatever you do, do not, I REPEAT DO NOT, drive my Ferrari with the keys in it while I am gone. I don't like being told what to do. I want my cake and I want to eat it too. My challenge to you Apple: Make the OSX available to everyone. I WILL buy it if you do so. And I WILL put it on my 800$ Mac Pro Clone, that runs just the same as a real one.

The language barrier in our country

I will probably catch some flack for this one. And let me preface this by saying I am not against immigration from any countries. With that being said, I have noticed a great trend of people not wanting, or having the need to learn English here in DFW. I had an instance at work today, where a couple asked for someone who could speak spanish. I gladly assisted them. I even tried my hand at spanish a little, when I was reading the total of their purchase.
I don't understand why we make it so easy for everyone to not learn the national language here. Are we afraid of offending people by making them learn the national language? I mean if you go anywhere else besides here, you would be expected to learn the language if you are staying there for any amount of time. Unless its an english language program abroad of course. I have to tell you that I am torn. I want to be able to understand people, and therefore I want to learn spanish, because that is the biggest secondary language that exists here. On the other hand though, I really feel stupid having to learn another language in my own country. (I am going to pick on hispanics here a little) Every other immigrant from every other country doesn't have the luxury of things being written in their language under the english signs. So why should we cater to one language or another? I feel like that is unfair to everyone.
I will probably be getting Rosetta Stone Spanish soon. So that I can get paid more for being b-lingual. But I am not happy about it.

Skinny People were never FAT

With all the buzz about being skinny, which is the way it has ALWAYS been in hollywood, there is a new trend I have seen in commercials. Its using genetically skinny people to show how losing weight is easy. The one commerical that comes to mind is Special K. They have some girl on there that is probably a size 1, looking at her bathing suit, everyday, eating special K until she can fit back into it again. The thing is, she was never fat, or thick to begin with. And this is the way she looks on camera, in real life she must be a rail, twig, stick-like figure.
I have seen in person some people, who on film have been criticized for being a little thick. In person they look what I would consider a normal healthy weight. Just like magazines, the movies and film industry are putting out this impossible image for people to mimic. A normal person will not have a makeup crew, lighting crew, trainer, soft focus, etc. etc, to follow them around at all times. Yet people everyday continue to try and look like these photoshopped head shots of celebrities. I say be yourself, and as long as that isn't endangering your health, that should be good enough.
Thank you!

THINGS I RE-USE

I know its not Earth Day or anything, but I was just thinking about how cheap I am, and how that plays a good part in saving the environment. I have a list of things that I re-use that maybe you haven't thought about to re-use yet.
1. Ice: If you change beverages instead of changing ice, just rinse off quickly and now you have new ice.
2. Plastic Bags: They are bad, but if you already have them, use them for kitty litter, oily stuff, chicken discard, any thing that stinks, they really do have a thousand and one uses.
3. Plastic Bottles: Yes before those fancy aluminum bottles were around people re-used their dasani bottles for free. Yes they have some plastics that give off BPA or whatever, but no one heats their bottles up in an oven, do you?
4. Crayons: you can melt them back together in a muffin pan and make HUGE crayons, or you can melt them into any shape you want with foil. Put a wick in them and you have artsy candles.
5. Paper: If you have misprinted something on paper, you can shred it, or you can use it for your next grocery list before you shred it. You can use shredded paper for paper mache, or other paper projects.
6. Aluminum: I used one of those fancy aluminum bottles that got mildewy for a scooter exhaust. I drilled holes in a pipe, filled the bottle with fiberglass, put the pipe through the bottle, and now the scooter sounds really nice instead of overly loud. Yay for sound pollution.
7. Guitar Strings: If you break one or more strings and get a new set, use the old set for a "altoid tin" guitar, or Shoebox Guitar. Look it up on instructables.com
Thats all I can think of right now. Enjoy!

Oldest Woman to give Birth dies at 69

Another CNN.com pull, and another reason there SHOULD BE BABY LICENSES. Do you remember that old woman that had twins a few years ago? They made fun of her on the Craig Ferguson show. She was 66 when she had twins, supposedly the oldest woman to give birth. Well now she has died and left behind orphans. Her selfishness has left behind 2 motherless children. I hope they can find some relative to take care of them...

Russian human rights activist kidnapped, killed

Well just when you think your country may not be that cool anymore, at least Human Rights Activists in this country aren't killed for their beliefs. Well at least none publicly. This poor woman was taken by force outside of her home, and later found dead in a neighboring country according to CNN.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/15/russia.estmirova.killing/index.html
Every time I see stories like this I am reminded how nice it is to be able to speak one's mind here in the USA. Sure nobody may listen for a long time, but as long as you aren't pissing off the wrong people you will not be shot, or kidnapped. This excludes big oil, I think they would do anything to keep alternative fuels out of the mix.
Check out this guy who made an electrolysis generator for his Dune Buggy.
http://www.waterpoweredcar.com/stanmeyer.html
He was found dead under suspicious circumstances. I guess speaking your mind is the ultimate right, but be careful because no matter how stable a country is, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Tell me there is no God or Karma :)

I'm so ronery. He won't be that "ronery" any more if he dies and goes to hades. According to "intelligence" sources, Kim Jung Il has Pancreatic Cancer. We will soon find out if this is rumor or fact.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6696778.ece

I just cannot stop laughing about this one...

The video should read "Idiot Teen Unaware of Gaping Manhole, because of Disconnect with Reality."


She could have stepped out into oncoming traffic and the effects would have been a lot worse.

Seriously, do people need any help to be MORE fake?

I saw this ad about Cartooning yourself, and laughed, because there is barely any noticable difference between the original photo and the cartoon. Whats this fascination with girls looking like street walkers, or strippers. I have also noticed this disturbing trend in my area of girls doing these black streaks in blond hair, or colored streaks in darker hair. STREET WALKERS! Whatever happened to natural beauty? Thanks Hollywood.

See Anyone Can do it, why can't automakers?

The answer isn't a simple one. Check out this 17 year old that built an electric car out of a forklift motor and an old escort.


This motivates me even more. My only setback is not having a house to charge it at. 11 miles would still be plenty of range for most people. Be. Do. Act.

The Philanthropist vs. the Actor

While I was doing my short stint as an actor in LA, and continuing now in Texas, I always wondered about the whole dream of acting and why people choose it. First of all, if you are thinking of acting, by all means there is no better time to do it than NOW. I would save up about 10k dollars before you leave because living in LA is expensive, and that will give you some time to get ready for the whole experience.
I saw a preview for the show "the Philanthropist" which of course is not a reality show. Its a show about some billionaire that has a change of direction and decides to start helping people in his life. The funny thing about it, is that while the show is entertaining, how is it actually helping people in the world? Well besides keeping them at home for an hour at a time while they could be volunteering at their local shelter. Please let me know if they are part of some kind of program where 50% of their advertisement proceeds go to charity or something.
Also, while some actors enjoy some of the highest pay rates of anyone in the world, how many of them give their money to good causes? It doesn't matter how much you give, like they say "it all adds up." Actors aren't the only ones living it up while their fellow man lives under a bridge. Look at your parking lot outside where you live, work, etc. How many SUV's are out there? How many of those people ever take those Range Rover/Land Rovers anywhere besides the local car wash to get detailed? People are selfish. Its just a fact. And while I believe whole heartedly that some people LIVE to act. There are others in it for the wrong reasons, and they would be much better suited doing something for the world rather than being set dressing for the rest of their lives. There are famous actors in this category as well.
I guess all I am trying to say is: Make sure you are doing something you like that is actually "rewarding" to you and not just a quick way to a buck. All that emotional baggage will catch up to you someday if you are in a crap job.
Even acting can be NON selfish if you are making a movie about a subject or cause that isn't well known, thereby bringing more public attention to this cause. Comedies bring people laughter in this time of people losing their jobs. I don't know where I stand on this issue anymore:)

How was your 4th?

We actually got a 4 day weekend, which was nice. Now that I am starting a new job, I probably won't have any of those for a while. This was also the first 4th in a long, long time that we didn't do any fireworks, or watch any fireworks. I was too busy workin' on the moped. Maybe later I will post pictures of my homemade muffler out of a aluminum water bottle. We went through alot of junk at our rents house. Not drama, but rather real junk from the 80's. Found a couple of pristine "Indiglo" Timex watches. Also one really nice Swatch Watch. It needs a new band. I hope they still sell those separately. Sold some Sarah Brightman DVD's on ebay, I didn't know that anyone besides my grandmother knew who Sarah Brightman was. I listened to one of her CD's and she sings well, but I think its more about her presentation on stage. In my new job I go in today and listen to those great motivational/instructional tapes that they have. I haven't done this sort of thing since Burger King. Can't wait to see what my a/c bill is going to be this month. Even though we left it on 83* I still think its going to be really high, as it was constantly running most of the month.
On the music front, as soon as I get a nice drum machine, or make better beats on Garageband, I will put up some new music. But for now here is my page http://www.myspace.com/quasigenuine

also check out this creepy video, about firework safety/anti firework propaganda. I thought it would be strange to be driving by this next to the Washington Monument, I hope they gave all the motorists advanced warning, or you might have another "low flying plane in NY" panic moment.

Kevin Jonas Gets Engaged

At the risk of appearing like a gossip columnist, I decided to write about Mr. Jonas getting married here.

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20288983,00.html?cnn=yes
I have gotten into the habit of reading books by their cover. And its a habit that pays off usually. When it comes to buying things from shady looking places. As they say "Your first impression is usually the right one." That is almost the polar opposite of "You can never judge a book by its cover." Anyway, I came upon this article about Kevin Jonas, and this girl from NJ getting engaged. I look at the picture, the first thing I think is "That chick is 22?"

I have noticed that this obsession over tanning has really led some girls to look way older than they really are. Now Kevin I can't say looks 21, but he still has that "wet behind the ears" look, just as I did when I was his age. And I believe to some extent I was wet behind the ears. People shouldn't get married before 23 I don't think. Especially people that are worth millions of dollars. Research has shown that those young marriages are far more likely to fail than the ones that start in the mid to late 20's. All I am saying Kev is wait it out a little longer. If she starts getting impatient, and starts mentally spending your money before you are even married, its time to get away. Far, far, away. Also if you are marrying this woman because you are waiting for marriage to have sex, just because she is pretty doesn't mean the sex will be good. Just some food for thought. In conclusion, sex is only one piece of the puzzle, so choose wisely. You don't want to wake up next to a psycho money grubbing wench a couple of years down the line saying,"this is not my house, how did I get here." Sneaky like a snake.

Baby Licenses, Baby Licenses, Baby Licenses

Hey look, here is another case where "baby licenses" would have kept this poor newborn from being born in a port-o-potty. And then thrown in said portable toilet. And how, I mean really how can someone not know their pregnant?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/07/02/maryland.toilet.birth/index.html

How can you not agree with baby licensing? Make it a world wide thing too, imagine 3rd world country families with 1-2 children instead of 9. No more "feed these poor children...they have no food." Because they would actually have enough food and the population wouldn't be growing out of control. Ah but who cares, I mean earth has infinite resources and food and energy. Oh, whats that you say? It doesn't? Oh. Maybe I should rethink my selfish, self serving, over consuming. Nah, let the next generation worry about it.

Taking a piss in a CUP, beat that?

Can you think of a more obtuse and unnatural situation than peeing in a cup while someone outside is waiting for said pee?
Inevitably someday you may find your way to a job, in which they drug test you. Not under suspicion for drugs, but rather they test you before you even start working. And you have to make your way to the dreaded "Diagnostics Center". This last time I went was actually not as bad as the first time I went, when I was working for the Highway Department. They explain things to you in a concise manner as to not confuse you. Don't worry you get to wash your hands with Purell and soap a couple of times during the process(in case you got a little hasty filling up that nasty clear cup). 60ml doesn't seem like that much to fill, but make sure you are well hydrated because you don't pee as much as you think. I couldn't imagine filling 60ml worth of "other fluids" if you know what I am saying.
I understand that employers are doing these preemptive tests so they weed out all the, um....weed heads, but I feel like we should give people the benefit of the doubt. Test them when they show up to work all lethargic and red-eyed. Just my 2 cents.

Airline policies juggle larger passengers

Another story off of CNN.com. YES, arlines should charge people for 2 seats if they are overweight. These poor folks need all the motivation they can get to cut that weight. They obviously don't pay very much attention to their health. They are charging for everything now, extra bags, carry on bags. They charge for bags that weigh over 40lbs, why wouldn't they charge for people that weigh over Another thing overweight people are directly contributing to is our health insurance premiums. 1/3 of people in America are overweight. Its easy to conclude that some of these people have insurance, and they will be using it for all their diabetic problems that are associated with their overweight lifestyle.
'"The airlines need to be making bigger seats," said Peggy Howell, a spokeswoman for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, a group based in San Francisco, California. "It's not safe to be cramming us into two seats."' I feel sorry for the flight attendants that have to deal with this every day. I cannot believe there is an "association to advance fat acceptance." This kind of goes back to my whole argument about overpopulation. Just like people that have too many babies when they can't afford it, obese people are using a little more than their fair share. You have the right to do whatever you want, until that right infringes onto someone else's rights. And when you have to "squeeze" into a seat, and your body is hanging into my seat, that is infringement on my rights. Everyone should be treated with respect, do onto others....as they say. But just like smoking, or drinking too much, there has to be consequences for over indulgence. This new airline seat policy is one of them. Just think of it this way: Do you pay the same price for one plate of Pad Thai and one plate of Pad Thai with spring rolls? No you don't. Another way to look at it: Is it the same price to ship a CD USPS, as it is to ship an Entire season of Friends? Nope. Also who is supposed to pay for all those Seat Belt Extenders? Me? I don't think so.

Anyone who thinks Global Warming is fake....

....hasn't lived in Texas through the summer months. Haha but seriously, I really don't care if you believe in it or not. Its getting really hot outside. Its been 105 already a couple of times since I bought my handy indoor/outdoor thermometer. I have alot of stuff I want to blog about, MJ, SUV's, Iran, but I don't feel like writing paragraphs on all of this. So for today I am going to relax and wait for something really interesting to come along. Wait, wait, whats that? The oxy-clean guy died, well thats news worthy. I wonder if they are going to dissolve his body in a giant vat of that stuff? I seriously only got stuff that said "oxy power" and "orange oil" after his barrage of infomercials. Kind of like what "vitamin C" has done to all cold and flu products.
To Billy Mays: You are gone too soon, oxy cleaned out of this life like red wine out of white shag carpet.

Engineers vs. Designers

Now when it comes to designing cars, it seems both engineers and designers have a say. And I now see why this movement of "Archtiectural Engineers" and "Design Engineers" is becoming popular. #1, its more efficient. If you want to build a building and have the plans made at the "Architectural Engineering" firm, you can side step having to collaborate with the Mechanical, PLumbing, and electrical engineers. Well maybe not all together, but you will cut much of the time out. Another good thing about it is that engineers usually plan things from A to B in the most efficient manner. Designers plan to make it look the best. But neither really are masters of both. My grandfather told me about an older mechanical engineer that was responsible for designing the conduit pipes that went from a nuclear reactor, to the control room. He said the way this guy planned the pipes, it looked like artwork, but it was also very efficient because repair points and access points were easy to get to. You see the "green" engineer would just do point A to point B, without really knowing how someone would go about fixing something if it ever broke down. Its experience and efficiency, form follows function, as they say. This brings me to today. I believe ENGINEERS designed all the electrical business for my civic. The main relay I had to replace was in a pocket of openess under my dash close to the hood pull. They gave me 1.5" to access the bolt that holds it in. They gave me exactly enough space to have to wrangle the relay through an area between the dash frame and some dash plastic. All of this while I am on my back facing up with the door sill eating away at my vertebrae. And with all this thought as to where they put the relay, guess what? These things still get rattled enough that over time the solder on the circuit boards cracks and causes continuity problems. I, as a designer/failed engineer, cannot wait to design my own car that runs on WVO, gets 30+ miles per gallon, and every electronic piece WILL BE ACCESSIBLE! End of rant.

Two pictures, the blurry brown bit is the frame.

A Sad Week

Ed McMahon - Not of my generation, but he was the #1 sidekick before Andy Richter.(and some might say still #1)
Farah Fawcett - Also not of my generation, but brave to shoot a documentary of her cancer struggles.
Neda - a brave martyr of the Iranian movement.
Michael Jackson - although eccentric and strange at times, still gone too young.

Is it just me or has their been a lot of death this week? Lets hope there isn't any more.

Pep Boys, my new favorite auto house

Well last night I was supposed to pick up a relay for my civic. I called ahead, made sure they had one at O'reilly's which was no where near where I live. On the way back from bike riding, we went to pick it up. Now mind you, I had looked up this part several times, to make sure it was the same as mine, and it would be cheaper to pick one up rather than get a OEM replacement from Honda. Everything looked good from the Intraweb end. Well we show up there, I point on this guys computer screen to which part I want, he happily brings it to me. I take it out, guess what? Its the right number, but the wrong part. Someone has probably returned the wrong part to the RIGHT box. So now they have mismatched parts. No telling how many times that same part has been taken, and then returned because its not the right part for the number. The box looked pretty old. The problem is that neither Autozone or O'reilly's had a PICTURE of it in their systems. Out of the 4 different relays in their system for my car, this one being the most important because it breaks more often, there was no picture of it.
Well thank goodness Borg Warner had a picture of their actual product so that I didn't look like an idiot when I went looking elsewhere for the part. Today I found another one at Autozone for 18.00 more than O'reilly's. Same exact part and number. I said screw it, as long as its the right one I will be happy. I started driving to this Autozone 20 minutes away, and saw a Pep Boys. Hmm, maybe I should check these guys out before I keep going. Sure enough they had 1, and it looked correct, and they even have a price match guarantee! So if I had gone to the trouble to find that one at O'reilly's, Pep Boys would have given me the same part at 5% cheaper than O'reilly's price. The other thing I like about Pep Boys is that they seem OVERstaffed rather than UNDERstaffed like all the O'reilly's and Autozones. Plus they have a service center, and bigger store layout.
On a separate note, if you ever have problems starting your honda when its really hot outside, listen for the clicks of your MAIN RELAY, its probably the culprit. They break a lot and don't allow your engine to get gas from the fuel injectors. You can even resolder the joints yourself if you want. Here's a link.

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/mainrelayoperation/badmainrelay.html

BE SAFE!

Can Chris Brown Make a Rebound?

I guess its reality week for me. But this headline has got me pissed. "Can Chris Brown Make a Rebound?" Who cares, he should be more worried if people are ever going to like him again, much less if his records are going to sell. But this clip from TMZ proves yet again, that "nice guys finish last". Its complete with Brown rolling up in a 1.5 million dollar Bugatti Veyron, then taking some pictures with some teen girl fans. PS:I Hope these girls are out of their parent's house, because if they aren't I would be so pissed as a parent that they are paying this girlfriend-beater any attention. In the real world (outside Hollywood) that guy would have gotten the 4 years in prison, and not some crap "probation" sentence. Awesome example your setting Hollywood. Don't even get me started on Lindsay Lohan's probation for cocaine possession. What is this the 80's?

After watching the video again, I can't get over the anger I feel that all these stupid people have to take pictures with him. This guy beat a woman, and you are condoning it. Give yourself a nice pat on the back.

'Reality TV stars Jon and Kate are divorcing'

Yep I am sure you have heard the news by now. I don't agree with their decision. I believe people give up too easily on marriage now a days. Thats why we have a 50% divorce rate. People don't take it seriously enough because divorcing is so easy. You could bet the farm that if divorcing weren't allowed, only by death, like in some other countries, people would think a lot longer about who they are going to marry.
This is not the case for Jon and Kate, to me at least. Unless one or the other has been unhappy from the start, this should have been fixed. I have not heard anything about them going to counseling or anything similar. As Dr. Phil has said, divorce is only the answer when all other avenues have been exhausted, and there is nothing left to do. No unfinished feelings, etc. That doesn't seem like the Jon and Kate I know. It looks more like two pissed off people who care more about their selfish feelings than that of their children. Unless a relationship is flat out abusive, you should always try to resolve it for your children. Thats my opinion anyway, coming from a single parent household. People always will try to find the easy way out, the easy money making scheme, the road MORE traveled. We really should get on that "road less traveled" every once in a while.
Think it over guys, will ya?

A note about overpopulation and starvation...

The whole sponsor the child thing has been around forever it seems. This poor child is starving to death in some 3rd world country. This is a horrible circumstance. Sometimes I do wonder, though. Why we spend so much money on sending food, why do we not send information and samples of contraception. Maybe we do, I never hear about it. These poor starving people, have TOO many poor starving children. A lot of these countries do not believe in contraception for one reason or another. We really need to change that. Its all a lack of knowledge. Its not just 3rd world countries either, its right here in our back yard. I watch shows, where mom's don't know who their baby's daddy is. "Baby Daddy" should not even exist in this world. It should be husband, or ex husband, or partner for life. These ignorant, ignorant people who don't use contraception for whatever reasons(religious, selfish, etc) are filling the world up with fatherless children. These children won't have a role model, a sufficient childhood, a father figure, any type of equaling male influence. And this is dangerous, for their family hierarchy, and for society in general.
When it comes to starvation, there will be a time when we are not able to keep up with the demand on food, anywhere in the world. Just look at our growth rates. We need to cap off this crazy growth. I like the idea of "baby licenses." You have to pass a test just like driving, to make sure you are fit to be parents. Everyone should have the privilege of having their own baby. I don't think everyone should have the right. Right now its easier to have a baby than to:
A) Buy a gun
B) Get birth control pills
C) Buy condoms
D) Get health care to cover that new baby
Just some food for thought.

On a very serious note....

Neda and her father before the shooting.


Perhaps you have heard about this girl, Neda, who has now given her life for the demonstrations in Iran. I really don't need to talk anymore about why they are doing this demonstration and what is going on over there. I hope you have gotten to see the video that was hosted on many sites of her. I want to talk about why these type of videos are important. A lot of people say there is too much violence on the internet, not enough censorship. Thats probably true about the violence, but what makes it unique is that it is always your choice. Its free, and it can spread like wildfire. Think of what it would be like in America if we were censored like Iran has been, limiting their bandwith so they can't stream videos to the outside world. Without this transparency they could do a lot more harm, now they know people are watching, they know there will be repercussions. They know they will be judged by more than just their God, for what they have done.
The latest report said that the man who shot Neda was a paramilitary volunteer policeman disguised as a civilian. He was on a rooftop nearby and shot her in the chest. I guess it was close to the heart because she died very soon thereafter. What a F*CKING coward, that guy. If this was war, and he was a sniper and she was a soldier, all would be fair. But this is in a demonstration, where people are getting beat up just for being there and showing peace signs. They are not allowing foreign reporters to report. The have their backs against the wall and they are scared, scared of change, and scared of different people getting power. Thank God for the internet and video, and thank the people that are brave enough to tape and upload this footage. They are the new voice of oppression in their country. Thank them.

A quick introduction

Woman FINED 1.9 million dollars for 24 songs

http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/18/minnesota.music.download.fine/index.html
I understand where the Recording industry is coming from when they say downloading illegal songs is like stealing. But if it is like stealing it should be treated as such. I am pretty sure if you walked out of Payless with 24$ worth of footwear, your fine would not be 1.9 million dollars. I believe the RIAA is once again trying to make an example of someone. So lets see what the actual maximum punishment in my state is for stealing under $50. Less than $50 is considered a Class C Misdemeanor here, with maximum fine of $500 and no jail time. Wow I really don't understand how it could go from $500 to 1.9 million dollars. Did she murder the lead singer of Linkin Park while she was downloading the songs? I THINK NOT.
DO YOU THINK THIS KIND OF PUNISHMENT IS JUSTIFIED?

Those stupid PC commercials

Now admittedly I am a MAC owner, which doesn't mean I am a mac person. I own a PC as well. Its nice to have both. But it angers me how they are using Macs to sell PCs in these newest "find a PC and its yours" commercials. First of all, these "customers"(in quotes because they could be actors)either have stupidly written lines, or they are stupid. What is sadder, is that they are probably actually reaching people with their stupidity. "Oh I like this apple but its 2,000 dollars?!". Guess what? As saying still goes, "You get what you pay for." I am writing on a 6 year old Powerbook G4 that has never given me any problems. And it still looks like the second to last generation of Mac Book Pros. Yeah it cost 2k when it was new, but how many trash compaq, or hp's would I have gone through by now? By the way this only goes for laptops. I am fairly certain I could build my own stellar "Mac Pro" out of Fry's electronics parts and still be thousands under the price for a real Mac Pro. In laptops they just have to be really well made, because everything is all one piece and put together so closely. Its a miracle they don't all melt together or catch on fire sometimes.....oh whats that you say? They do catch on fire, and explode sometimes? Never mind.
I think the argument from "Office Space" says it best. "You only have to wear 7 pieces of flare, but if you want to wear more, we are all for it. There are people who do the bare minimum, and then there are people who want to excel, and go a little further. Do you want to be one of those people?"

I also love how they all talk about how Mac is all about asthetics, and then choose a PC based on the way it looks :) But hey if someone gave me 1500$ to act like an idiot and get a free computer, I would do it too.

The Enertia Electric Bike

This is a good example of "responsible" hipsterness. I am of course answering back at that 1903 Harley Replica road bicycle with the 2 stroke engine I talked about last week.
http://www.enertiabike.com/
The specs for this electric motorbike are better than the 1903, that does come at a higher cost however. Who can put a cost on our environment though? Ok don't answer that.
Price: 12k USD
Top speed only 50mph
Range is 45 miles @ 25mph
0-30mph in 3.8 seconds!
Lithium Phosphate batteries power it. And as always, range, and speed will increase as battery technology gets better.
Its got about the same specs as my 1982 Honda Passport, but mine uses dirty dirty gasoline. I got mine for a 6 pack of wine though, not 12k. I have to say that THIS is a step in the right direction. YAY technology. BOOO big oil!

My Cheapness SCREAMS out with GLEE!

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/06/17/detroit.artists.homes/index.htmlAt this point in my life I would really love a home, and a garage for all my stuff, and I wish places like this existed in my city.
This house, although not in its current form, was bought for a measly 100$. Its in Detroit, yes, probably not the best of neighborhoods, but when would you ever get to nab something so cheap again? This almost seems like a Samuel Mockbee(rural studio) project, in the city at least. The way they are making a community out of this area again is really uplifting.
The only problem I see with places, and communities like this one (E.g. New Oreleans after Katrina) is keeping the bad element out. People get scared and leave their homes, and then the bad element wins. Gangs, crime in general should not exist. As long as we band together as a society to make sure the bad element can't get a stronghold on our cities, we can win. One city at a time, lets convert these criminals to community leaders. "F#CK THA CRIMINALS coming straight from the underground." As soon as crime is more dangerous than the spoils they reap from committing it, it will cease to exist.

Ahhh the art of Tipping

And I don't mean cow tipping, well unless your wait staff is unusually heavy set it wouldn't be considered cow tipping. I am talking about tipping your waiter/waitress, movers, carhop, car washer, etc. I was in a discussion with a friend on how much to tip a mover. First of all, I guess it depends on if these people get a fair wage. But then again, why should you have to make up the difference if they don't get a fair wage? You didn't choose their career, its a free country right? A good example is being a waiter at your local restaurant. They give you 2.55 or some crap per hour. Then on top of that you get tips? Add that all up what do you get per hour per night of work? Maybe 10$ per hour with tips? I don't know. But now compare that to a Barista at your local Starbucks. They get at least 8.00/hr, and they also get tips, albeit not as large as a restaurant but they still get them. They also offer health care, pretty good health care, for anyone working more than 20 hours per week. I guess my point is that if you are complaining that people don't tip enough you are at the wrong job. Its like working for commission and griping that you aren't selling enough. Its your fault. There will always be a steady inflow of teenage kids in High School to work all these crappy jobs, so move on and find something worth while.

And by the way waiters and waitresses, I am not going to give you more than 20% tip. I remember when 15% tip was good enough, now people have made it 20%. Its the same job you have always been doing, you can't say "inflation" because I am giving you a flat percentage that goes up with inflation. 20% is my best and final offer!

Where are the wiper blade refills?!!?

Ok unless you are a DIY'er like me, you may never have to deal with this. But I have been getting wiper blade refills for my car since I have been driving. Now I go down to WAL-MART and see they are only selling the entire blade now. To clarify for the laymen, instead of just selling the little rubber strip, you now have to buy the entire rubber part with blade backbone that all fits on your wiper arm. Next thing you know they are going to make you buy the whole damn thing all the way down to the nut that holds it onto your car. F THAT. These blade cartridgres cost 5$ and up as well. Before you could get 2 refills in a pack for less than 5$. And if you had a car with 2 different sizes you could get a pack of each and have 2 refills. This is just another in the line of consumer numbing business practices designed to waste our money. There will be more to come I bet.

This girl fell asleep while getting a tatoo?!?!

How does anyone fall asleep while getting a tatoo, she must have been snookered or something.
And now she is suing because she only wanted 3 stars instead of 56! Someone's an idiot. This story brightened my day!



http://current.com/items/90211760_starstruck-teen.htm

Movie leaves house a horror ( Kinda feel sorry for this lady but...)

If you watch the video she is an "out of work architect", just like me. And as an architect, if I was out of work and had nothing to do, the first thing I would do would be fix up my house. I would kill for a nice house like that. You can rest assured it wouldn't look unfinished for long. I don't care if I had to fix all the holes with soda cans, it would be livable and cheap! Haha. I bet she could fix her house herself, and send that movie place a bill for labor+parts. That would definitely stick in court. She definitely should get that 13k they promised her, because that is a contract and you can't break those. Another classic case of "If it sounds too good to be true...."

This Kid doesn't look like a Serial Killer (but niether did Ted Bundy)

Several studies have shown that serial killers usually started with animals to be cruel to when they were growing up, then later progressed to humans. Which studies you say? I am lazy look them up yourself. Jeffrey Dahmer was a good example. I believe he even said so in an interview. So what do you think of this kid who is facing 158 years in prison if he is convicted. First off he looks like he is 15 and not 18. He also doesn't look like an delayed kid either, like the woman who was just arrested for killing her friend and cutting her baby out of her stomach. I just don't get why people turn to torture and killing animals. They say its the way they are "wired" when they are children in the developmental stages of their life. So what do you think about this Cat Serial Killer?


Discuss amongst yourselves, I gave you a topic.

There are no words to describe this clip

I actually got this forwarded to me from an email. It almost looks like a SNL skit, but its all painfully real. It is some leader being questioned about their watching and auditing of the bailout money. JUST WATCH:

Why this 1903 Harley Davidson wannabe is stupid

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/uptospeed/2009/06/a-2009-take-on-1903.html

First Check this article in the LA Times out.
This is why this bike is stupid:
1) a fuel capacity measured in ounces.
2) a TWO stroke engine, in LA no less. Wow the EPA is going to love that one. Scooters are bad enough pollution wise.(I didn't believe it at first, but scooters and motorcycles pollute more per mile than most cars/trucks)
3) you can't fill the thing up without using a funnel
4) you have to fill with oil because of the two stroke
5) its basically a moped because you have to peddle and pop the clutch to start it.

I have to say that I like the look of the thing, but I would go with an actual tank for the gas, or weld off more of the frame to allow more fuel storage. Give it a headlight, 4-stroke engine, and it would probably blow that 125mpg rating out of the water. My 1982 Honda Passport gets that with 25 years less technology. You can't say that all this would ruin the purity of the cycle because it doesn't look enough like the original Serial #1 anyway.

So here is a big win for the hipster who wants a really unpractical way to say "I don't care about the environment." in LA or anywhere else for that matter.

Last day of the Analog TV Transmissions

Watch that old portable color TV while you still can. Tomorrow most of the stations it can get won't be using analog anymore. Goodbye to watching my judge shows on a 3.5" TV screen while I surf the internet.

Grandma Gets Tasered! from CNN.com

I love the way CNN puts grandma on their title, instead of 72 year old lady. As soon as you see Grandma, you think, "oh man thats cruel." I have to say when I saw the original video of just the grandma talking about what happened, I was hoping the cops would prove her wrong. She looked kind of bitchy to me. Here is the original video before the dash cam footage came out:


And here is the cops side with the dash cam footage:


Yeah she doesn't seem too compliant to me. She sounds non-compliant. He repeatedly tries to get her back on to the shoulder so she doesn't get hit by a car. In the first video she says something about protecting her rights, I don't know if that means lawsuit, but after you see the dashcam video I hope you see he was justified. You also see that everything that she said she didn't do in the first video, she actually did in the dashcam video. Bottom line, you don't try to get away from cops, you don't cuss at cops, signing the bottom of the ticket is not an admission of guilt. It just says you read it. Wasn't it hilarious how polite "yes sir" she was after she got tased. I think she might have been a little buzzed when she got pulled over if you know what I am saying.

#1 Ms California Dethroned #2 Security Guard killed at Holocaust Museum

What the F is wrong with this? How can some stupid dethronement of a california nobody be more impornant than someone dying defending a museum full of at least 1000 people? I don't know how CNN comes up with their rating system that puts stories in the top 10 standings, but why wouldn't someone's death be more important than MISS USA politics. Whatever, I am sure its the people emailing these stories back and forth that influences the ratings. Shame on people!

Here is the current list as of 3:47 central time:

1. Miss California USA dethroned
2. 2 Police: 2 shot at Holocaust Museum
3. 3 Search on for missing chopper
4. 4 3rd-grader vanished after bus ride
5. 5 Search for mattress containing $1M
6. 6 Commentary: Iran gender gap
7. 7 Online reporting aids WWII legacy
8. 8 Crash bodies heading to DNA lab
9. 9 Equator breeds dangerous storms
10. 10 Dealing with tech fatigue