randomWalks

Palm Pilot FAQ: thanks, rasterweb. I love my Palm, but this FAQ is right on.

Got Junk?: thanks, metafilter. This site is incredible… it may even have more crap you never knew you needed than Archie McPhee! While we’re shopping, did you know that J. Peterman is a real company? I always thought Seinfeld was making fun of old Banana Republic catalogs. I’m still trying to figure out if there really is a store in Florida where you can pick through other people’s unclaimed baggage.

Mr. Yuk: “Children are naturally curious. They touch, smell, and taste things as a natural part of learning. Sometimes they learn too late that something is dangerous…poisonous…even fatal. Your home is filled with many products that make life easier and more pleasant as long as they are not eaten or inhaled by children…things like cosmetics, cleaning supplies, and medicines. You can identify these dangerous products with Mr. Yuk stickers and teach your children that his green, scowling face means danger. Mr. Yuk can say no-no for you when your not immediatly available to protect your child. In addition, the Mr. Yuk stickers carries the telephone number of your Poison Center where an expert medical staff is ready to deal promptly with emergencies 24 hours a day. Mr. Yuk is ready to help you. He could save your child’s life.” To request a sheet of twelve Mr. Yuk stickers, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope and a $1.00 donation to: Mr. Yuk Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Marketing Department 3705 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2583 or contact the poison control center nearest you.

Worst Episode Ever: Jason Kottke knows why the worst Simpsons episode ever was also one of the greatest. Salon has a look at the subtext or something. Subtext? If I’m using the word wrong, just smack me.

Bloody Ethics: “I went out on a killing/looting binge for a couple of days, I was making a fortune compared to what I used to get as an ‘honorable’ man. It didn’t take me long to figure out that evil gives you a huge advantage over good.”

Weasel Hunt: thanks, eatonweb. “The people who need process, structure and accountability for external stakeholders are the people who get out of the shower when they need to take a piss.”

Dogma 2000: First there was dogme95, advancing a philosophy of filmmaking which produced at least one incredible film, now we have a stab at Dogma 2000, which looks to be guidelines for weblogging. It’s not really fleshed out yet, and I would propose that Kerouac said it first and best in his belief and technique for modern prose.

Rest in Peace, Big Pun: Hip-hop heavyweight Big Pun is dead at 28, presumably of a heart attack.

2 Good Reasons to Visit Yellowstone: According to this BBC article, both you and Yellowstone may soon be wiped off the face of the Earth.

Real Stuff About Organized Crime: no thanks, pigdog. Organized crime scares the shit out of me. Seriously. One of my greatest fears is that I’ll be walking down the street minding my own business, something will happen right in front of me that I’m not supposed to see, and I’ll be kidnapped, tied to a rock, and fed to the fish in the East River. I don’t even like it when I’m out in public and anyone near me says the word ‘Mafia,’ because what if someone hears and thinks I know something I’m not allowed to know … maybe I shouldn’t be living in New York City?

A few people have linked to me from their weblogs or portals, and I’d like to return the favor: Considered Harmful, who started logging for nearly the exact reasons I did, Baylink, who likes my embarrassingly large header gif, and Toby, who considers this site “daily fun”. Thanks everybody.

Movies I’ve seen recently: Hillary and Jackie, on video – a moving story and really well acted, but excruciatingly sad and not the kind of movie I want to watch very often. Cookie’s Fortune, on video – the cast was full of stars, and they all shared the stage generously. Liv Tyler and Chris O’Donnell became their characters and didn’t distract me with their faces, which I had strongly associated with crappy movies and acting. American Movie, in the theater – this movie really didn’t have much of an effect on me when I saw it today, but as I continue to think about it I find myself increasingly glad that it was made. I think it appeals to people because Mark is clearly such an authentic person, which quality is ever harder to find these days.

World’s Biggest, Smelliest Flower: thanks, twernt. “‘It smells like a dead person,’ said one of the crowd. ‘I happen to be a nurse and that is exactly what it smells like.'”

Emotion Eric: As in the words of Adam, “This guy knows how to be famous.”

originally posted by beXn

WebActive: I read somewhere that the guy who started RealNetworks had a social conscience, and had originally left Microsoft (or somewhere) in order to work for social justice. I had assumed, unfairly it appears, that he had given it up when his streaming audio code started to look profitable – but WebActive is “a project of RealNetworks” and provides streaming versions of Democracy NOW!, Pacifica News, and FAIR’s CounterSpin, among other programs, with daily archives going back a couple of years! Now if I could only find the time to listen to this stuff…

Jello Biafra for President: According to Music Insight, Jello Biafra, former lead singer for the Dead Kennedys, is the Green Party of New York’s presidential candidate. His platform? “The creation of a maximum wage of $100,000 per year, withdrawal of the US from NAFTA and the WTO, and end to the War on Drugs, abolition of the military and CIA, destruction of the American nuclear arsenal, and the eradication of all Sport Utility Vehicles.” He’s got my vote.

70s Children’s TV: “When I was a little kid I used to sit and watch TV with my tape recorder running. Sometimes I would even narrate, to fill in the details that wouldn’t be preserved on audio tape (like the names of all the songs that whiz by in those record offers!). Here are some of my earliest and most precious audio treasures, plus a lot of contributions from other 70s kids.” This reminds me of a friend of mine who used to record himself reading the comics in the newspaper aloud. There are lots of sites like this on the Net (TV Party looks incredible), but this one has some great stuff I haven’t seen anywhere else, such as a PSA warning kids not to take pills (even if they look like candy) which brought my appreciation of Busta Rhymes to a whole new level. Now if only someone could help me remember more about Alphabet Soup…

Movie Critic: I liked Broken Arrow more than A Simple Plan, but less than Look Who’s Talking. How much did I like it?

Homo Thugz Blow Up the Spot: “‘Gay culture is a misnomer,’ hip-hop producer Matt Wobensmith once remarked. ‘There isn’t just one gay culture. Gay white people tend to privilege homosexuality as their identity, whereas other people have to juggle several identities.’ According to Wobensmith, this makes it harder for blacks to come out, especially black males.” The Village Voice spends a night at the Bronx’s largest gay hip hop party.

China to Launch Taikonaut into Space: The BBC News is reporting that China may be planning to launch a taikonaut into space as soon as next month, according to sources including editorials in two pro-China Honk Kong newspapers. A launch next month would celebrate the dawning of the Year of the Dragon.

hey! url!: Intelligent smut. This isn’t Nerve, I didn’t say ‘pretentious smut.’ Not for children.

Julius Knipl: An Episodic Radio Cartoon: Audio ‘translations’ of Ben Katchor’s wonderful weekly comic strip Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer. Metropolis has a strip online – it’s not clear if or how often this is updated. Sadly, I haven’t found any other source for his comics on the Web.

Traffic Wave Experiments: This guy claims to be able to eliminate traffic jams by driving through them. His theories are intriguing enough that I’m going to give them a try the next time I find myself in a car on a congested highway.

Malkovich: This is a terrible place to start surfing the Web. You shouldn’t even go here. BTW, this was certainly one of my favorite movies of all time (Being John Malkovich, that is) – I can’t understand what anyone didn’t like about it.

IronChef.com: I can’t believe I didn’t think to check for Iron Chef fan sites before! This site is a comprehensive resource which includes a complete episode guide, a FAQ, and tons of links. There is even a link to what is allegedly a realaudio file of Chairman Kaga rapping!