Robot Theatre

In this clip, robots re-enact the famous 'Royale With Cheese' scene from the movie "Pulp Fiction". I could make some joke about how you can't tell the difference between John Travolta and a robot, but you'll probably be able to tell.

It's still funny.

The NaBloPoMo finish line

When I started this blog a few months ago, my intent was to have one place where I could post lots of the things I found interesting so that I wouldn't have to dig through someone else's archives to try to find that post about, say, the incredibly rediculous modesty suits. I could put a link to the post in my own blog.

I also hoped it would make it easier to tell other people about funny or interesting things I'd found. Rather than having to find and send a link, I could just refer them to my blog.

And so far, I've met my expectations on both of those fronts.

When I first heard about NaBloPoMo, I thought it should be fairly easy for me to met the challenge—at least much easier than NaNoWriMo, which I started, but could not finish, last year. I was NOT happy about missing that finish line.

But in this blog, I haven't been (and don't really intend to be) deeply introspective. I don't write much about my life and experiences, I just post stuff I find that I happen to think is funny or interesting. How hard could it be to find 30 such things in 30 days?

Harder than I expected—although still not as hard as a novel in the same time frame. I am happy I did it, and I'm happy to cross the finish line. I probably won't post on a daily basis until the next NaBloPoMo, but if that's how you've gotten here, I hope you'll check back in every now and then.

Cheers!

First reaction

Defective Yeti posted this photo on his blog (apparently after emailing it to everyone he knows.)

What's your first reaction?



















His theory was that if you aren't a parent, you feel sad for the kids. If you are a parent, however, you can't help but laugh.

My reaction didn't match his theory exactly—I experienced both reactions, but I'm not sure which was first—but it's an interesting little test.

You can read the complete explanation of his theory in his post Picture Day.

'Tis the season

I don't usually get to watch "The Late Show", but I saw this Top Ten list on YouTube, and it seemed appropriate for the holiday season—it would have been the perfect Thanksgiving Day post, but it wasn't uploaded until yesterday!

If you think you're family is nuts, see if it earns a spot on Dr. Phil's Top Ten Signs Your Family Is Nuts . . .

Lyle on TV

YouTube helped me find more than just Lyle's music videos. I never saw the show "Dharma and Greg", so I never knew that Lyle had been on the show playing himself, but thanks to YouTube, I've had the chance to see it.

Lyle can stay at my house any time!

If I had a boat

As I was walking in to one of Lyle's concerts a few years ago, I overheard someone talking about Jimmy Buffett singing "If I Had a Boat" in concert. This person said that Jimmy introduced the song by saying "Some songs you hear and you wish you had written them, and some songs you hear and just think 'Damn.'"—the implication being that there are some songs that you can't even imagine being able to write.

I had no idea that there was a video to this song—thank you YouTube!—but I love the opportunity to see Lyle's 1980s Eraserhead hair in its full glory. I hope you do too.

She's already made up her mind

As I've already mentioned, I'm a huge Lyle fan. But until YouTube, I'd only managed to see one of his videos—and even that one viewing was by pure luck.

I don't know how long the videos will remain on YouTube, but I'm posting them here so I can watch them daily until they get removed.

Enjoy!

Here I am

Yes it's me.

Please, if it's not too late, make it a cheesburger.

A little modesty

I first saw this picture on Mr. Nice Guy's blog, and I assumed it was a joke until I went to the actual website where they sell this lovely bathing costume and other similarly revealing swimsuits.

Mr. Nice Guy's post about the suit is funnier than mine could ever be because the fact that some company has found a market for this crap just makes me a little sad.

So, if you want to laugh about it, please check out his post. If you just want to be shocked and amazed, head over to the company's website and check out their full line of 1910-era swimwear.

Lazy Monday

Continuing on a theme, this spin-off of the "Lazy Sunday" video does it West Coast style.

Color me mine.

Lazy Sunday

I just read an article about YouTube in this month's GQ (don't ask me why I happened to be looking through it! It's the articles, I swear!), and part of the article talked about the Saturday Night Live short film "Lazy Sunday" that both really helped YouTube grab hold of a large market share and brought a new audience to SNL.

Weeks after the video first appeared on YouTube, however, NBC requested that YouTube remove all of the copies of the video because the unauthorized copies violated NBC's copyright. YouTube complied, and I couldn't find a version of it on the YouTube site today.

The video is apparently available somewhere on the NBC site, but the site navigation was so awful that I fled screaming. I can't even give you a link—I just couldn't take it anymore.

Fortunately, the video spawned a number of homages to the original, and here's one I really enjoyed. I hope you like it too!

Hooked on a feeling

I saw this on another blog (can't remember which one) several months ago.

Good grief, I hope it's a joke.

John Stewart on "Crossfire"

I know I liked John Stewart well before he appeared on "Crossfire", but it was his appearance on that show that earned him my undying love. My favorite lines? "I'm not going to be your monkey" and "You're as big a dick on this show."

From Marks & Spencer, With Love

I saw this ad on PerezHilton.com, and I love it. It's done in the style of a James Bond film, with a re-styled version of Pink's song "Get The Party Started."

The weather in Hawaii

Most mainlanders probably feel the same way about Hawaiian weather . . .

Bill Maher vs Bill O'Reilly

I almost always hate watching Bill O'Reilly, but in this clip, Bill Maher actually challenges O'Reilly's pronouncements. Hardly ever happens, so it's nice to see it when it does.

The Bee Movie

I saw this trailer before a movie last week, and I thought it was one of the funniest trailers I'd ever seen. I have no idea what the movie itself will be like, but the trailer is enjoyable on its own . . .

When Germany accuses you of war crimes . . .

I first heard this story on Bill Maher's show, and I thought it was a joke. Apparently it's not.

From the Telegraph:

Germany weighs war crimes case against Rumsfeld

By Colin Freeman, Chief Foreign Correspondent

Donald Rumsfeld, the outgoing American defence secretary, faces the threat of a lawsuit in the German courts accusing him of involvement in prisoner abuses at Guantanamo Bay detention camp and in Iraq.

You can read the full story here:
Germany weighs war crimes case against Rumsfeld

Greg Hits Hollywood

I guess as long as you have a microphone in your hand, you can get away with a lot . . .

Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart at the 2006 Emmy Awards

Two of my favorite men working together at a show that is not usually so funny . . .

MSNBC Post-Election Comedy Roundup

I first saw this on Crooks and Liars—it's MSNBC's collection of post-election comedy highlights from several different shows.

Enjoy!

Be Here To Love Me

In searching for more video of Lyle, I found this preview of a documentary—Townes Van Zandt — Be Here to Love Me—about the amazingly talented songwriter Townes Van Zandt, who died in 1997. The documentary was released in 2004, but it came out on DVD earlier this year.

I've already ordered a copy.

The best, if not the brightest

A compilation of some of the best George Bush-isms . . .

Mirror, mirror

I know I've had some shocks when I've looked in the mirror, but none as bad as this poor monkey.

Lyle's Flying Shoes

I'm a HUGE fan of Lyle Lovett—in fact I named this blog after a line in one of his songs. So it seems only right that I should post about him frequently, but I haven't managed to do that so far. Here's a small start in that direction—it's a brief interview, and he sings "Flying Shoes" at the end.

I love it.

Another version of the Mentos and Diet Coke experiment

You may have seen the original Mentos and Diet Coke experiment shown here.

The Basic version . . .




The Advanced version . . .




And the Alternate version . . .

So THAT'S the problem

Finally, Bush admits why he's not interested in making the US better for everyone . . .

Mom said I could

I'm hoping this doesn't become a condom commercial blog, but here's another funny one . . .

Karaoke version of Jessica Simpson "A Public Affair"

I first saw this video on another blog (can't remember which one right now), and I couldn't help but think that if there had been You Tube when I was in high school, my friends and I would have created lots of videos like this one, although I don't know if they would have been this funny.

What about the other 95% of China?

I was looking for this video because I'd seen the clip of Bush trying to open the door that wouldn't open, but I was amazed to see the full clip. Although I guess he was visiting a Protestant church in Bejing, the message he left in the visitors' book—"God bless the Christians of China."—seemed inappropriate to me.

NaBloPoMo!

Just before midnight, I finally decided to participate in NaBloPoMo. And here's my official proof . . .

The Trunk Monkey—Road Rage Edition

The Trunk Monkey can handle those nasty roade rage encounters . . .

Michael J. Fox and Stem Cell Research

I first saw this ad in another blog I read, and I thought it was an amazingly powerful message. I then read about Rush Limpbag's comments and the alternative ads. When I went looking for those, I found this excellent interview with Michael J. Fox.

I'm posting both the original ad and the interview here. One of the things I particularly like in the interview is Michael J. Fox's call for a reasonable debate on the issue—no name calling, no insults. Sad that we can't expect intelligent debate on these issues.

Sold

A very innovative condom commercial . . .

Basic rule of defining words

Bush has apparently forgotten the basic rule of defining a word—you can't use the word itself to define it.

A new superhero

Thanks to "The Daily Show", we have a new superhero—George Bush as . . . The Decider

Deep Thoughts

Well, a completely unscientific quiz from some random website has confirmed that I am, in fact, a Deep Thinker. For all of you who may have doubted, here is the proof . . .

Your Scholastic Strength Is Deep Thinking

You aren't afraid to delve head first into a difficult subject, with mastery as your goal. You are talented at adapting, motivating others, managing resources, and analyzing risk. You should major in: Philosophy Music Theology Art History Foreign language

You can find out what you should major in by taking the quiz yourself, but don't come crying to me if the result is "Don't Bother." I'll be off somewhere Thinking Deeply.

The Trunk Monkey—Chaperone edition

The Trunk Monkey can be there when you can't . . .

Così perfetto!

I knew it—and now I have a completely random internet quiz result to verify it.

My inner European is . . .

Italian!

Passionate and colorful. You show the world what culture really is.

You can find out who your inner European is by taking the quiz yourself.

Buone

What is President Bush's job?

As he does so often, Jon Stewart finds the root of the problem. Why does Bush seem incompetent? Apparently, he's not quite clear on what is job actually is.

The Trunk Monkey—physician edition

The Trunk Monkey plays a doctor on TV . . .

New Heros—Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson

This post from Go Fug Yourself gave me yet another reason to admire Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson. Here's an excerpt from the post Well Played: Kate Winslet . . .

How much do we love Kate Winslet? A lot. She never shows up with her boob hanging out, or wearing formal shorts, or sheer culottes, or leggings. She doesn't go to Hyde and start yelling about the characteristics of people's ladyparts, or give interviews where she sniffs that she can't believe people aren't feeding their babies organic peas grown on their own acreage. She has not hired Rachel Zoe and wasted away down to a child's size pants. (In fact, in this week's EW, she says that Emma Thompson once told her that if she [Kate] lost weight, Emma would "never fucking speak to [her] again," and that is one of the reasons we love Emma Thompson, even if she sometimes shows up places in unflattering bodices.)

Getting to know me

OK, so maybe it's not enough to know that I'm a d12 polyhedral. Maybe you should also know that according to the Sesame Street Personality Quiz, I am . . .

Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

Frankly, I always thought I was a bit more Ernie, but who am I to argue with the results of this finely tuned test.

You can find out which Sesame Street character you are by taking The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

The Trunk Monkey—prankster edition

The Trunk Monkey vs. those pesky kids . . .

In the jungle

I saw this video on another blog, and it just made me laugh . . .

An awkward job interview

Funny, I've had a number of job interviews lately, and my Microsoft Office User Specialist certification (in Excel, thank you very much) has not had quite the same impact. Still, it's a pretty funny commercial.

The Trunk Monkey—so many uses

The Trunk Monkey is not simply a auto-theft prevention device . . .

When the boss is away

A new sport—office chair crew . . .

Kids in cubicles

I saw this Comcast digital cable commercial on another blog, and I had to post it here.

Better than The Club®

It's the Trunk Monkey—the ultimate car security system.

Dangerous snow plow

As this reporter learns too late, you should always keep your eyes open for incoming snow plows.

And you thought you knew me

How can you think you know me if you don't know which polyhedral I am? In the interest of helping you to know me in a deeper and more meaningful way, I'll let you know that. . .

You can find out which polyhedral you are by taking the quiz at dicepool.com.

Be a Presidential Speechwriter

Eyegas has a new online game—Make Your Own Bush Speech—that lets you play presidential speechwriter. Just choose your words from the available options (including several different sound effects) and move them down to the speech creation section. When you're happy with the results, hit "play", and you'll hear your speech in Bush's very own words. Priceless.

White & Nerdy

A friend forwarded this video to me a few days ago, and I can't stop playing it! I've never considered myself a fan of "Weird Al" Yankovic, but I think this one is pretty funny.

Star Trek versions of un-motivational posters

Echosphere has a very funny series of motivational poster parodies based on Star Trek. You can find the whole series here.

This poster is one of my favorites . . .















(If you can't read the tagline, it says "Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Ensign Ricky are beaming down to the planet. Guess who's not coming back." The line is from an ufies.org post "Top 10 Things I Hate About Star Trek.")

Daily Show report on Clinton's Chris Wallace interview

I always LOVE the Daily Show. I particularly love how they continually skewer the mainstream media—showing what they leave out or twist around.

This Bill Clinton interview is a great example—Chris Wallace asks an incredibly partisan question and Clinton's response is at first a bit angry, but then he provides factual answers to Wallace's question. Of course, the reporting on the interview only focuses on the angry part of the response.

You can see it all here . . .

Al Gore on Saturday Night Live

I recently saw a re-run of the 05/13/2006 episode of "Saturday Night Live." Al Gore did the opening skit—Parallel Universe—in which he was speaking from the Oval Office as if he had actually been elected President (or should I say been awarded the Presidency?)

In this parallel universe, the budget surplus is a mere several trillion dollars, cars run on trash, glaciers are on the attack, and Saudia Arabia needs foreign aid.

I thought it was very funny. I can't seem to post the video here directly, but here's a link to the Crooks and Liars page where it is posted:

Al Gore on Saturday Night Live

Or you can see it at Al Gore's website:

Al Gore Opens Saturday Night Live

Thanks to Ticklebooth for the link.

Un-motivational posters

I discovered this contest on Defective Yeti's blog—Retroblast gaming magazine is holding a competition to design one of those motivational posters using gaming images.

I'm not really into video games, but this poster was one of my favorites . . .

George Bush Does Teletubbies

A friend forwarded this video to me . . . Bush as the smiling, yet evil, baby sun on the Teletubbies.

Exploding whale

We saw Dave Barry give a talk last week, and he recounted a very funny story about a dead whale that had washed ashore in Oregon several years ago. Now, under normal circumstances, a dead whale might not be funny, but in this case, the Oregon State Highway Division decided that the best solution to the problem of removing the decaying whale carcass was to get some dynamite and blow it up.

In hindsight, that plan was probably not the best choice.

Barry said that we could actually view the footage of the incident ourselves, and he was right! Be sure to stick around for the rain of whale bits.