Rag Times

Jagged Little Pill

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:48:11 -0500

Sidenote: I don’t usually get into music with female singers. I don’t know exactly why, but I suspect it’s because I can’t easily sing along (it’s usually far out of my range). Or maybe I was just too self-conscious and embarrassed to like music by women. I think Allison Weiss is first female artist I’ve bought music from since Jagged Little Pill.

I love music from female performers; I probably listen to more women than men nowadays, which is interesting just because it seems (to me, anyway) that male bands and performers way out-number those of the female sex. And I unabashedly sing along with them (admittedly, having a tenortone voice makes that a bit easier, but I’ll go for the falsetto, where necessary).

Vacation

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 18:26:33 -0500

Hello Tumblfolks. If you happen to be wondering where I’ve gone off, the answer is Portland. I’m taking my first real vacation, and it’s been going great so far. I couchsurfed with a really nice couple in Twin Falls, ID who are equally nerdy (read: awesome) as I.

Now I’m staying with Jen and Christr and we’ve been having a blast. Yesterday we went shopping downtown, and today…uh, more shopping. I’m not sure what else is planned, but I’m way excited and happy (also for other reasons not related to vaction or Tumblr). Normal posting will resume next Monday.

In the meantime, Twitter is seeing slightly more regular updates.

I don’t know when they added this, but Google Maps’s “Print”...

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 13:23:32 -0500

I don’t know when they added this, but Google Maps’s “Print” functionality has increased significantly. Previously, it wasn’t a lot of help when I needed it the most: trying to find back roads or unimportant roads to turn on. They can be easy to miss, even at 25mph.

Now you can get better visual cues by printing images of close-ups of every turn (or on a case-by-case basis), and even add images of the street view. Now that’s helpful.

THEN WHO WAS PHONE? (via eec)

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:06:00 -0500

THEN WHO WAS PHONE? (via eec)

littletinyfish: On the way home from the subway today I saw this...

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:45:29 -0500

littletinyfish:

On the way home from the subway today I saw this inadvertent(?) mashup of an old Grand Theft Auto mural advertisement with a new Whoopi Goldberg PSA billboard (via Ethan Ham: Grand Theft Auto / Whoopi Goldberg mashup)

This almost seems too good to be real, but it looks unintentional.

Sucker Theme 1.1

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:50:26 -0500

To anyone using it, I updated my Sucker theme slightly, increasing the bottom margin of the posts for better scanability. I also fixed a display bug with videos with long descriptions. You can update your theme to reflect these changes via the source link in the post, “How to Use Sucker on Your Tumblr”.

The Scaly-Speedoed Prince

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:09:00 -0500

hotmarcus: So, Michael Phelps as Namor?
ragdoll: He’d have to get his teeth fixed.
hotmarcus: They could fix that in post.
What’s wrong with his teeth?
ragdoll: His smile.
He has kind of a douchey smile.
hotmarcus: Namor doesn’t smile.
Problem solved.

"I don’t want to be friends with people I hate anymore."

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:47:32 -0500

“I don’t want to be friends with people I hate anymore.”

- firstsight, little gamma ray—And you shouldn’t. Welcome to adulthood.

pica: Wow, Eric Ripert of NY Times 4-star restaurant, Le...

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:44:05 -0500

pica:

Wow, Eric Ripert of NY Times 4-star restaurant, Le Bernardin, is doing videos of recipes made in his toaster oven! The videos are available on Youtube but it’s much better viewing them and reading from his Avec Eric blog.

Recipes so far include:

Butterflied Garlic Shrimp

Raspberry Clafouti

Quail Egg and Smoked Salmon Toasts

Mustard Crusted Salmon Fillet

Tomatoes Provençal

Herb Roasted Chicken Tenders

Caramelized Mango with Rum

Parmesan Zucchini with Balsamic

Broiled Red Snapper Fillet

These are great. I love when talented chefs make easy-to-prepare meals and show you the tricks on how to make it fabulous. It’s nice that they can be viewed on my Macbook in the kitchen, too. (Everyone remember Gordon Ramsay’s delicious scrambled eggs?)

Dog vs. Balloons (via kbad73)—How quickly can this dog pop 74...

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:21:28 -0500

Dog vs. Balloons (via kbad73)—How quickly can this dog pop 74 balloons?

by Veronica Hebard (via Kitsune Noir’s Desktop Wallpaper...

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:59:47 -0500

by Veronica Hebard (via Kitsune Noir’s Desktop Wallpaper Project)

Sara Sidle fan tumblr

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:14:09 -0500

Sara Sidle fan tumblr: I haven’t watched CSI in years, but that’s no reason to not follow this. (via hotmarcus)

I’m sorry, did you say “ti—”. Ohhhhh, T-I-D-D-Y. Riiiight. (via...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:41:05 -0500

I’m sorry, did you say “ti—”. Ohhhhh, T-I-D-D-Y. Riiiight. (via thelosspeaks)

Watchmen: A Visual Cast Comparison Guide (via...

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:29:20 -0500

Watchmen: A Visual Cast Comparison Guide (via thelosspeaks)

Click through to see it full size. Personally, Snyder nailed The Comedian (and, even though there’s no competition, Dr. Manhattan), and Paul Greengrass’s picks for Nite Owl and Ozymandias would have been great.

Pro-floaty (via zeromush)

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:48:33 -0500

Pro-floaty (via zeromush)

(via Neatorama)

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:20:26 -0500

(via Neatorama)

"[…W]hen McCain says he believes life begins at conception (cheer!) it’s pretty meaningless unless..."

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:57:23 -0500

“[…W]hen McCain says he believes life begins at conception (cheer!) it’s pretty meaningless unless he’s asked to explain how that would be translated into policy. Are blastocysts entitled to child support? Do all late periods need to be reported to the Ministry of Health? And, of course, my favorite: Are those who implant multiple embryos during IVF treatments, knowing full well that most will die, guilty of negligent manslaughter?”

- Eschaton (via marco)

The Endangered Endangered Species Act

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:31:28 -0500

dihard:

It may soon be time to say goodbye to the gray whale, the gray wolf, the wild yak, and the iconic bald eagle (and 1234 others), and the laws that protect them. That’s because in his 11^th hour, Bush is trying to overhaul the Endangered Species Act.

The ESA was created in 1973 when Nixon decided current conservation acts were inadequate and called upon Congress to pass more comprehensive legislation to protect endangered species. The purpose of the ESA was to protect species and “the ecosystems upon which they depend.” There are currently 1238 endangered animals and 747 endangered plants on the list, which is updated daily.

Under the ESA, any project that may disrupt the ecosystem and impact an endangered species must be approved by the Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service. For example, if the Department of Transportation wanted to build a bridge somewhere that could damage the ecosystem of the Florida Scrub Jay, the plan must undergo an independent review by scientists at the FWS or the NMFS. Between 1998 and 2002, the Fish and Wildlife Service conducted 300,000 consultations. And the National Marine Fisheries Service conducts about 1,300 reviews each year.

The proposed overhaul would allow the Department of Transportation to determine if the project would disrupt the ecosystem. The goal of such measures is to end one of many environmental reviews that federal agencies and developers blame for delays and cost increases on many projects. Federal agencies and private developers say the process of reviewing each project has killed some worthwhile projects. So I guess they’d rather kill the species than the project.

Luckily, Obama opposes the act, stating “we should be looking for ways to improve it, not weaken it.” McCain so far has no comment. The proposal was laid out in the Federal Register, and allows a public comment period of 30 days. Mind you, that public comment period was shortened from 60 days to 30 because per an Interior Department spokeswoman, “It was determined that we needed to move forward in a timely fashion.”

This is really, really saddening.

One Thing Every Man Should Do Before He Dies

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:43:16 -0500

Stop checking off lists of unsolicited advice. It makes you look really silly.

Yelle—“Ce Jeu” (via hrrrthrrr)

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:56:04 -0500

Yelle—“Ce Jeu” (via hrrrthrrr)