Say "What" Again!!!

Got an invite to Google Wave from my friend in the Pacific Northwest, Honester Ciphers, but I wasn't exactly sure what Google Wave was for. This video was helpful.



Oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration?

Jacked Up

From SI.com's Hot Clicks:



I think he killed that kid.

The De-Evolution Of Dance

Proof that the good old days weren't always that good. This is physically painful to watch:



For all the crap we give disco, how is this any better?

It's Called "The Internet"

Oh, how far we've come.

There's Something Wrong With My New Robe

Perhaps that's because its not a robe, but a Snuggie. Yes, a goddamn Snuggie. I swore I'd never buy one, so clearly that was the go-sign for my brother to get me one for my birthday. Thanks, bro (and actually, I'm kinda pissed I didn't think of it first and gotten one for him on his birthday).

As I've previously stated, I would never have purchased such an item on my own volition. There are products that are wacky but also kind of serve a purpose, and there are products that exist solely because they can; this abomination is the latter. However, since I ended up with one anyway, I feel obligated to give it a review.

What: A fucking Snuggie
Purchased: I didn't, it was a gift, so to speak
Does it work as advertised: Uh, yeah.

The question here isn't whether or not it works; of course it works, it's a blanket with sleeves in it and it works like a blanket with sleeves in it. The thing is, my other blankets- you know, the ones without sleeves- work just as well. But in the interest of equal time, I suffered through the Snuggie last night while I watched television (aside: the weekly reviews have stopped, since we're nearing the end of the television season, and I'll be doing a big recap post once all the shows have finished for the season and know whether they've been renewed for next season; I know you all really care about that). It was almost unbearable.

First off, you can't help be feel ridiculous while wearing it. Blankets aren't supposed to be something you wear. Eventhough I was alone and all the blinds were shut, I could feel the world laughing at me. This was not a pleasent feeling.

Second, this thing is waaaaay to fucking big for a regular sized (or smaller) person. I know this because it fits me (like a robe) almost perfectly. Short people (ie- everyone else, as far as I'm concerned) would have a hell of a time "using" this damned thing. The sleeves are insanely wide, in so much as they might as well be pant legs. Yeah, you can still use your hands and move your arms, but there's so much material there, it just gets in the way. So you roll up the material to free you hands, which leaves you with a unwieldy mass of material, and at that point, you might as well take your hands out of the sleeves altogether, which, of course, would defeat the whole purpose.

So anyway, as expected, I'm not impressed. Its a product that exists because someone thought of it, and not because its actually useful. That said, I am glad that I own a Snuggie now so that I can wear it a random and inappropriate times to garner a cheap laugh. But as for regular, daily use, I'll stick with blanket 1.0. No need for the so-called upgrade.

This Is Just Weird

I'm in full-on Watchmen mode right now. I would love to see this guy take on scenes from the graphic novel in the same Saturday-morning cartoon style.

The End Is Nigh.

You now have just over a week to go and read Watchmen before the movie is release on March 6th. I've been excited for this since the trailer first ran before The Dark Knight back in July. I've checked, and I couldn't be more stoked now. Here some clips from the movie that have been released so far (the last one combining 10 shorter clips together):









Yeah, couldn't be more stoked. I've checked the scenes against the novel (because, let's face it, I'm a geek), and I am impressed. But I'm not one of people that think any deviation from the source material is automatically a bad thing; I understand that things change when a property is adapted from one medium to another, so I can accept changes as long as they make sense. Example- clip 6 (of the 10 shown in movie four) shows Deisberg talking to Veidt about the Comedian's death. In the novel, its Rorschach that talks to Veidt. Why the change? Don't know, but as long as the same information is conveyed in the scene, it doesn't really matter. Also, I don't mind that they've decided to actually use the name "Watchmen" in the movie; nothing changes in the story by doing so, you eliminate any potential confusion among the non-graphic novel crowd about why the movie's called Watchmen and "Watchmen" is never mentioned, and it sounds better than "Crime Busters" anyway.

I've read that there are 3 cuts of the film- the theatrical cut (155 minutes), a director's cut (around three hours), and a special extended cut (pushing three and a half, which, I would guess, includes the Tales of the Black Freighter story cut into the film). I can't wait until the 6th. Let's hope that the greatest comic book ever made into a movie can also be the greatest comic book movie ever.

(Man, that last line was terrible. Sorry).

Seriously?

The Cabin Cuddler

How hard is it to use a fucking blanket? I manage to successfully use one all the time sitting on the couch in my basement and I do so without incident; why the hell can't other people? Are blankets really that complicated, or am I just smarter than other people?

And Now For Something Completely Different

From Friday's Attack of the Show on G4:



I was one of the 60,000+ who signed the petition. I think it was well worth it.

As Seen On TV!

If you can use a doorknob, you can read this post. Well, maybe not.

I admit, I have a weird fascination with "as seen on TV" products. I've never actually bought anything directly from TV (something Puddin' can't say- how'd The Perfect Pancake work out?), but I have purchased some products that I've found in other places (in a store or online). All the commercials make sensational claims, and I'm curious to know if they can do any or all of what they say they can do. Now, its easy to dismiss those claims outright (especially when they're being pitched by Billy Mays), but I figure that they all have to work on some level, and I just want to know that is.

So far, I've purchased 3 such "as seen on TV" products. One because I needed it, one because I thought it might work, and one out of sheer curiousity. How well do they work? Let's find out:

What: The Handy Switch
Purchased: Amazon.com
Does it work as advertised: Yes

I bought this one because I needed it. There aren't any convenient light switches in my basement, so a simple wireless switch seemed like a good idea. And it works perfectly. If I had had the need, I would have bought more, but I only needed the one. I'd recommend this for anyone looking to avoid any actual work in installing a light switch, like me.

What: ShamWow
Purchased: Target
Does it work as advertised: Yeah, for the most part

This one was just pure curiosity. How well does it actually work? How absorbent is it really? Well, I just had to find out. The best way for me to describe them is that they aren't really towels; at least, they don't really function like towels. They don't wipe well. In fact, they suck at wiping. Okay, that's not entirely true. When the ShamWow is dry, it'll soak up anything in any manner. But when its wet (or damp), it doesn't wipe up anything. It'll still soak up liquid when wet, but it won't dry anything when wet. Wring it out all you want, it'll leave a small film on whatever surface you're trying to dry. But that's not to say its not useful; as a sponge, its great. I also tried out some of the things they showed in the commerical, just to see if they're true. Drying wet clothes rolled up in a ShamWow? Doesn't work at all. Soaking up liquid from carpet? Seemed to work alright. Its not as effortless as they show, but it was effect enough. I don't know how well it would remove a stainable liquid like cola or wine, and unless Puddin' steps up and volunteers his carpet, I'm not going to find out. Also, when they're completely saturated, they do drip. Overall, they're just really good sponges.

What: Mighty Putty
Purchased: Bed, Bath & Beyond (I was buying my mom a Christmas present)
Does it work as advertised: I think so

First off, if you're keeping score, that's Billy Mays 2, that Vince guy 1. Now, I didn't try and pull a tractor trailer with a chainlink made of Mighty Putty, so I can't vouch for that. But I did use it to hold up some towel racks in my bathrooms, and that worked fine. Would it be able to hold something heavier than a bath towel? Sure. Would it be able to hold 350 pounds like they say in the commercial? I doubt it. I mean, I'm a big guy, and while I'm shy of 350 (thankfully), I don't think it could hold my weight. At least, I wouldn't trust it to. But for small things, its good. I also tired it on a leaking pipe, which seems to have worked. I think. The drip hasn't stopped, but it has slowed. It could be because the putty didn't seal the leak properly, but I think its more a factor of me not knowing exactly where the leak is. I'm going to add some more putty later to get complete coverage around the pipe and see if that does any better. And if not, I've got a ShamWow in place to catch all the drip.

There are probably some more TV products out there that I'll buy at a time later than now. ANd if so, I'll review those as well. But there are two products that I definitely won't be getting: the Snuggie and the Slanket. And I guess in reality, they're really one product. Either way, I hate it. If I ever saw someone "wearing" one of these, I would be forced to punch that person. "Can't use a blanket?" Are you serious? You've got to draw a line somewhere, and I draw it at a blanket with sleeves.

New Favorite Work Timekiller

MTV Music

MTV"s entire music video archive. All of it. Every video. Ever.

My new favorite spot in the internet.

(Thanks to my brother, BrotherofGiantAsianMan, for the head's up on this one).

Don't Call It A Comeback

We have a new "distance" champion.

It started with Puddin' (you know, back when he actually posted on his blog), setting the bar at 7,892 miles away.

Six days later, I clocked in with a mark of 8,012 miles.

Then four days after that, PreView claimed the title with a distance of 9,106 miles. And that's where the line stood (at least as far as I know) until today.

Today, someone from Purwakarta, Jawa Barat, Indonesia, searched "fantasy football" and landed on my blog (they left a comment on my Fantasy Football Failure: Week 7 post). That's a new mark of 10,052 miles from Cincinnati. Can't imagine American football (or fantasy football, for that matter) is real big over there, but hey, you never know.

Essential Videos 7 - White Wilderness

Its been a while since I've added to my list of "Essential Videos." But thanks to my friend, Hollywood Jeff, I was reminded of the following clip:



Greatest film clip, EVER, don't care that it was faked. I first saw this clip in high school, during biology my junior year (the only redeeming moment of that God-forsaken class). The following year, in my physics class, when we were asked what film loop we wanted to watch on our last day of classes, the answer was almost unanimous- the lemming video from biology the year before (and it beat out the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse, which could also make an appearance in my "Essential Videos" list).

In Re: Coldplay

I still don't have my cable service repaired at my house yet, so I forced to watch things at work (which is a problem because I should probably work at work). Anyway, this is a clip from a recent episode of Bones that should amuse Puddin' and PreView (which is half my normal readership- unless the visitor from Denmark becomes a regular):



You know how I know you're gay?

Essential Videos 6 - Never Give Up

There are inspirational speeches, and then there's Jim Valvano speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards.



I get chills every time I hear this. I remember watching this when it first aired, and even though I knew nothing about Jim Valvano at the time, I was still moved by it. All I knew then was that this was a guy dying of cancer who may be speaking for the last time (and who would die less than 2 months later).

Essential Videos 5 - Two-Ton Block Of Cheese

One of my favorite TV shows of all time (if not the favorite) is The West Wing. The following is a great scene where Chief of Staff Leo McGarry (the late, great John Spencer) talks about President Andrew Jackson and his two-ton block of cheese:



I could probably fill an entire blog with clips from this show, ranging from the ridiculous to the poignant, so I'll try and be judicious about the ones I include in the "Essential Videos" line so as to not incur West Wing overload.

Do It Rockapella!

Where in the world are people reading this poor excuse for a blog? How about Central District, Hong Kong, 8,012 miles away from Southwest Ohio. Sorry, Puddin', but I've somehow managed to out-distance you and your visitor from Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India. Didn't mean to steal your thunder, man. My bad.

Essential Videos 4 - Tiny Dancer

Elton John credits Cameron Crowe with reviving this song. Before Almost Famous, he rarely played it in concert; now, its one of his most popular songs.



I love how at first, it seems like the song is just underscoring the scene, but as it progresses, it becomes clear that the song is the scene. Simply the greatest movie-music scene in film history (though, this scene is a close second).

Manly Man Candle Review

After a long delay, my candles from the Manly Man Candle Company finally arrived over the weekend. And after a couple days of burning each candle for a few hours, my basement smells weird. I probably should have spaced the candles burns out a little longer, or at least tested them in different parts of the house, but whatever. My review of each candle:

Cedar Forest- Subtle, not too strong. I grew up in a cedar house, so I this one takes me back. Of course, I could just make the 5 minute drive and actually go back, but that's neither here nor there.

Coffee Shop- Best one of the group, easily. It smells like a cup of regular black coffee, not like something you get at Starbucks.

Frozen Mountain Air- Not what I was expecting from this candle, but its good none the less. Its supposed to replicate taking a deep breath on a really cold day, when the air is really crisp. Instead, its kind of like taking a deep breath into an a box of Altoids. Again, but bad, but not what I was expecting.

Leather- A little disappointed with this one. On the plus side, its a really subtle scent (as opposed to Frozen Mountain Air, which is pretty strong) that doesn't overpower the room. But its a little more "luxury sedan interior" and a little less "broken in baseball glove," if you know what I mean. I would have preferred a little more of the latter.

Wild Alaska- Pretty much as described on the site; its a good, strong pine scent.

Yarkwork- Holy shit. They weren't messing around when they say "Hayfever and allergy victims beware." This was insanely strong, though that could be my allergies talking. I love the smell of cut grass, but not when its this strong; then, it just drives me crazy.

So that's how my first order from the Manly Man Candle Company shook out. Because of the delay in processing, I got a discount to use with my next order, which I am definitely going to make. Along with larger size orders of Coffee Shop and Wild Alaska, I think I'm going to also try Irish Springtime, Clean Laundry, and Manilla. That is, once my basement loses the coffee-grass-leather-cedar-pine-peppermint scent.

Essential Videos 3 - Tainted Love

One of my all-time favorite commercials, from the brilliant mind of Spike Jonze: