Cheap cheap!

Mike Doughty put together an interesting list of music videos made on the cheap, not the half-million dollar budgets everyone had when music videos were masquerading as movies.

I have to quibble a bit with the Madonna video. Getting a crew to Venice isn't "cheap," even though the actual shoot was basic.

Put it Down

Mike Doughty's new video!



And here's the backstory.

Hi Bob!

So I'm at Wal*Mart to pick up a prescription the other day. (Yeah, I know, but my account has been there 11 years or so, when I used to shop there regularly, and it's just so easy.)

I've got 20 minutes to kill, so I wander over to automotive to pick up some wiper blades, grab a couple boxes of meal-replacement bars that I can't find anywhere else, browse the shitty music and magazine selections, and head back to the pharmacy area.

In the vitamin aisle, something catches my eye: a big box of ExtenZe. And right next to it, a package of Enzyte. Two boxes of expensive snake-oil, the makers of which have both been sued and fined relentlessly for false advertising. Right with the normal vitamins. That was just a little disturbing.

Even worse?

On the Enzyte, there was a little label: "If you see this product sold at any location other than Wal*Mart, please call 1-888-xxx-xxxx." That's right, folks! Not only does Wal*Mart carry this bullshit, they have the exclusive! And they're gonna sue your ass!

I can't wait until we move, when I'll have a Rite Aid a block up the street.

Ugly beauty

More pictures of cars that won't be sold at 50% discounts, or donated, but likely crushed and written off.

Because that makes sense.

Pushing a wheelbarrow

A lot of stuff going on, hence the radio silence, but I couldn't let this go by.



Too funny.

The pitfalls of Twitter

A great one from the Penny Arcade.



(h/t smadin in a comment at Shakesville)

It must be time for Alumni Weekend

I got 8 inches of snow in Saratoga...

No idea how Troy is, but come on!

We are so fucked

No work. Anywhere.

I could link every damned post on this blog. Just go read it yourself.

And this one.

Mighty blow!

Wonderful takedown of the perfesser.

There's no action on this pin

We had a little after-work corporate bowling outing today, good time was had by all. Well, those of us that turned out.

I haven't bowled since... (hold on, I'll be right back) November 2007.

And before that, more years than I can remember. I bowled really well that time, but I just couldn't find the slot today. I kept crossing my body too much, and hitting the head pin on the wrong side, if not overshooting it completely. Couldn't get a rhythm going. Bowled 142, 145, 139, 145. Ugh, ugh, and more ugh. With a dash of suck.

Fun flash game

Just the right amount of thinking. Not difficult, just a little tricky sometimes.

UPDATE: I took out the embedded version, as they started playing ads. Play it here.

Some sanity

On steroids.

You just know the story will not end well..

...when it includes this sentence:

Police are retracing the route the van drove in attempt to find body parts, he said.

Don't ask, don't tell

Also, don't dare show your face in public because some cocksuckingmotherfuckingpieceofshitdouchebagwasteofhumanity civilian co-worker might see you with your girlfriend at Target when you were off duty and start an e-mail campaign to get you kicked out of the military.

I smell years of lawsuits

A building planned for 49 stories has been cut to 28, because of "improperly installed rebar" on the first 15 floors.



Who's going to want to go near that thing anyway? Yes, I'm sure the engineers have adjusted for the new load-bearing capacity of the bottom floors, and 28 stories is well within standards. It's just creepy knowledge to have.

Would Wade Boggs have tested positive?

Chicken and steroids.

Bwaaaaaahhhh!

Any wonder cars aren't selling? Really, Mr. Pontiac Dealer? A markup of $10,000? The comments are good.

Also, a $40K ford Taurus? I don't fucking care what's under the hood.

Note to self

Make a Deep Fried Peanut Butter-Covered Brownie Wrapped In Cookie Dough.

Quote of the day

"Everybody needs to grab a hose, and that's what Charlie Crist is doing here today."
- President Obama

On sale, cheap!

Holy emmer effing ess

Did the world almost collapse on 9/18/2008?

Hah!

(h/t Atrios)

(NSFW and kids!)

Morons

First, read Josh's post, then click to watch the video.

Denial isn't going to help anyone.

What A-Rod really took

Very interesting.

Again, to those who don't know – steroids don't magically build muscle while you sit on the couch eating donuts. They make your workouts more effective, and shorten recovery time.


Shysterball has a great post.

As does the Hardball Times. This is exactly how I feel. I just don't care any more.

Juiced

Well, at least he admitted it and got it over with.

Let's see if he gets the Pettite/Giambi treatment, or the Bonds/Clemens treatment.

Social experiment begins... now.

(h/t for the image - tj)

Awwww yeaaahhhhh

At this point, they should just rename SNL - maybe call it "Andy Samberg and some other idiots."



Holy crap this keeps cracking me up.

"never thought I'd be on a boat..."

Gotta give it up to Seth Myers for this segment of the Weekend Update



So, there you go. One and a half hours of SNL, in a nutshell.

Crash!

So I have have the Buick Open on TV, and the cameras cut away to the California surf (fuck you), and then up to a guy flying a parasail around. Of course, he immediately goes into a death spiral and disappears over a cliff, out of the camera view.

It was a planned move, but it looked pretty damned scary. It was quite amusing how the announcers were freaking out.

The guy was flying around again a few minutes later. That was a great 5 minutes of television.

Friday linkdump

Krugmania!

Spudsy is righteously angry. More. More.

Ezra snarks. McCain is such a fucking fraud.

Family planning and womens' health IS an economic issue. But it's a human issue first. It's just that Republicans aren't human.

Again, this chart shows exactly why spending more is considerably more effective than taxing less.

More "two cows" analogies

This is hilarious.

Until you realize that this is the state of economy.

Could you run that by me again?

Sub. Tle.

For Your Consideration - Least Subtle Product Placement In TV History @ Yahoo! Video

Why can't it be this way?

I've been rereading my Asimov robot stories recently too. Donovan and Powell and Calvin, oh my.

More cool stuff here.

Linkdump

Marshawn Lynch is some kind of awesome.

KSK's football/sex advice column is wonderfully offensive as usual.

Deadspin's last Jamboroo of the season.

The "two cows" explanation of how the banking system collapsed.

BIIIIIIIGGGGG shitpile. Which is why no money should go to banks until shareholders are completely wiped out.

I know, you won't believe this, but wingnuts are lying about health care reform again.

Stimulus for the rich only.

No loans for used cars. Regardless of your credit score.

Something tells me this asshole won't be in the Mets bullpen next year.

24 Army suicides in January alone.

Holy emmer effing ess

Remember when millions of unsold cars were being parked everywhere?

Well, it gets better.

Cargo ships loaded with cars will be STAYING loaded with cars. Face it, if they unloaded, there would be nothing to put back on the ships for them to take back to Japan or wherever.

Fasten your seatbelts...

Perspective. UR DOIN IT RONG.

Yes, for years and years now, the package contains fewer and fewer cookies. And costs the same. It's called inflation. If the price point has to be $3, the amount you get goes down.

I only wish that instead of trying to get away with the lie, the packaging would get downsized also. Have you seen the space between cookies in some of those boxes? There's more plastic than product.

Yes yes, less product, I get it. But throw some green concern in there while you're ripping us off.

You think your shit don't stink?

Well, you may be right!

Great post.

Though I have no problem dropping the kids off at the pool in a non-home environment, as long as it's clean (office, friend's house, etc.). When nature calls...

Best. Slippers. Ever.

Saw these at Uncrate last week, and ordered them tootsweet, once I found a coupon code to get them down to $20.



Literally sleeping bags for your feet, made by a big name in outdoor gear.

Softer than you can believe, warm as hell, and they breathe, so they won't become stinkbombs within 2 months.

Recommended. Even though my wife laughs at me.

What Michael Phelps should REALLY say to the world

Dear America,

I take it back. I don’t apologize.

Because you know what? It’s none of your goddamned business. I work my ass off 10 months per year. It’s that hard work that gave you all those gooey feelings of patriotism last summer. If during my brief window of down time I want to relax, enjoy myself, and partake of a substance that’s a hell of a lot less bad for me than alcohol, tobacco, or, frankly, most of the prescription drugs most of you are taking, well, you can spare me the lecture.

...

The whole thing is awesome. Spot freakin' on.

I'll have what he's having

Also making its way around the tubes in record speed (I first saw this at around 3 pm; when I got home it was on almost every blog I read).

UPDATED with working video

Cancel the internets

Batman wins (NSFW NSFW NSFW)



The backstory: Christian Bale blew up on set of the latest Terminator flick, and unleashed a profane tirade of epic proportions. That audio is around everywhere, but it's mostly just:

"Fuck fuck fucking fuck fuck fucking FUCK FUCK fucking fucky fuck!!! You fucking fuck fucker!!! Who the fuck do you think you are? Do you know who the fuck I am?! Fuck fuck fuck, fuck fuck, to the fuck of the fucking fuck! FUCK! What the fuck?! Fucking fuckity fuck fuck. I am the Mayor of Fuckington and you are a fucking fuck fuckerfuck! Have you ever heard anyone say fuck so much?! I am LORD FUCK, you fucking fucker! And don't fucking forget it!"
(Transcript courtesy Melissa McEwan)

Anyway, Bale REMIX is much more entertaining.

LOLbardi

KSK brings the LOLNFL funny again. Plenty more over there.

Someone's losing a job

How is this even possible?

Stillers!!!!!!!

One for the cock, baby. Make that an extra large.

Quote of the day (paraphrase)

"I can do 11 minus you divided by FUCK!"
-Jeff

It was so ridiculous, and we laughed so hard, that we immediately forgot the exact sequence of words, but it was something along those lines.

Bill's tweet at 3:28 am says "I can do you divided by fuck" but that's can't be right, because there was definitely an "eleven" in there somewhere.

I think it had something to do with the final beer of the evening/morning, Weyerbacher's Blithering Idiot, which weighs in at 11.1%.

But that's just a theory, because it was such a random outburst.

Here we go

That is all.

Homebrew Report - 1/31/09

Kegged my beers from three weeks ago, and I am mighty pleased with the results.

The Amber is big and bold, and fortunately the accidental extra ounce of hops didn't ruin the thick and malty character I was going for.

The Pale Ale is not hoppy enough to be an IPA, but hops is definitely the dominant characteristic, as it should be. It's perfectly light and clear, with a thick foam that holds its peaks like whipped cream. A success.

Now, it's time for names and silly labels.

UPDATE: Forgot the most important stuff! The Amber is 8.9%, the Pale Ale is 5.8%.

Rock Band - the reunioning

Bill, Jeff, Dave and I spent yesterday evening in one of our marathon Rock Band sessions.

When Bill upgraded to RB2, our original band information didn't make it over, so Three Dorks Down is no longer, and in its stead we are Drunk on Homebrew. Not as punny, but quite apropos.

Many a laugh was had, many a ball was busted, and there was much out-of-key singing.

Bill's bud point analysis of the night was 40.88, which seems low considering some of the high-test stuff we were drinking, but what're ya gonna do?

Good times.

UPDATE: From Bill in comments, here's the list...

ESB Homebrew (4.8%): 4 litres, 10.82 BP
Palo Santo Marron (12%): 12 oz, 2.4 BP
Troegs Scratch #16 (6.3%): 48 oz, 5.04 BP
Wachusett Black Shack Porter (unknown, guessing 4.5%): 60 oz, 4.5 BP
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot (11.1%): 36 oz, 6.66 BP (Hail Satan!)
Westmalle Dubbel (7%): 44.8 oz, 5.23 BP
Allagash White (5.2%): 25.4 oz, 2.2 BP
Brown's Rauch (5.5%): 44 oz, 4.03 BP

I forgot about the ESB. We drank lot of that because it was outstanding, but at 4.8%, it's in regular beer territory.

And that Rauch, holy SHIT! Talk about breakfast in a bottle. Smoke, bacon, sausage, toast... and beer! Quite intense, and definitely a sampler beer, not a pounder. Anyway, one of my fraternity brothers' little brothers has been the brewmaster at Brown's practically since they started. He makes good shit, and this was no exception. Not a style for everyone; in fact, a style for very few. But this was a winner in the category.

UPDATE2: Here is Bill's write-up, with more beer info.