What a coincidence; I was just reading all about this in The God Delusion! Of course, I don’t think that this result should be any surprise even without that…

Via Pharyngula.

First, it was a reincarnation of Wazzup?, and now this:

When will it end? At the beginning, probably.

/me waits for the next ARPAnet mashup/remix.

Seriously, if you don’t register to vote, and then actually vote, you deserve whatever shite state of affairs we wind up with. Not that the current mess we are in isn’t bad enough, but all that could have possibly been avoided if things had gone differently 8 years ago. So please please please don’t let them keep going the way they are going.

Here’s some inspiration!

Via Pharyngula, a Rolling Stone article on McCain’s sleazy past. Excerpts (emphasis mine):

This is the story of the real John McCain, the one who has been hiding in plain sight. It is the story of a man who has consistently put his own advancement above all else, a man willing to say and do anything to achieve his ultimate ambition: to become commander in chief, ascending to the one position that would finally enable him to outrank his four-star father and grandfather.

At least three of McCain’s GOP colleagues have gone on record to say that they consider him temperamentally unsuited to be commander in chief. Smith, the former senator from New Hampshire, has said that McCain’s “temper would place this country at risk in international affairs, and the world perhaps in danger. In my mind, it should disqualify him.” Sen. Domenici of New Mexico has said he doesn’t “want this guy anywhere near a trigger.” And Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi weighed in that “the thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded.”

The myth of John McCain hinges on two transformations — from pampered flyboy to selfless patriot, and from Keating crony to incorruptible reformer — that simply never happened. But there is one serious conversion that has taken root in McCain: his transformation from a cautious realist on foreign policy into a reckless cheerleader of neoconservatism.

“He’s going to be Bush on steroids,” says Johns, the retired brigadier general who has known McCain since their days at the National War College. “His hawkish views now are very dangerous. He puts military at the top of foreign policy rather than diplomacy, just like George Bush does. He and other neoconservatives are dedicated to converting the world to democracy and free markets, and they want to do it through the barrel of a gun.”

In the end, the essential facts of John McCain’s life and career — the pivotal experiences in which he demonstrated his true character — are important because of what they tell us about how he would govern as president. Far from the portrayal he presents of himself as an unflinching maverick with a consistent and reliable record, McCain has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to taking whatever position will advance his own career. He “is the classic opportunist,” according to Ross Perot, who worked closely with McCain on POW issues. “He’s always reaching for attention and glory.”
…
In fact, his own statements show that he has been on both sides of a host of vital issues: the Bush tax cuts, the estate tax, waterboarding, hunting down terrorists in Pakistan, kicking Russia out of the G-8, a surge of troops into Afghanistan, the GI Bill, storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, teaching intelligent design, fully funding No Child Left Behind, offshore drilling, his own immigration policy and withdrawal timelines for Iraq.
…

But perhaps the most revealing of McCain’s flip-flops was his promise, made at the beginning of the year, that he would “raise the level of political dialogue in America.” McCain pledged he would “treat my opponents with respect and demand that they treat me with respect.” Instead, with Rove protégé Steve Schmidt at the helm, McCain has turned the campaign into a torrent of debasing negativity, misrepresenting Barack Obama’s positions on everything from sex education for kindergarteners to middle-class taxes. In September, in one of his most blatant embraces of Rove-like tactics, McCain hired Tucker Eskew — one of Rove’s campaign operatives who smeared the senator and his family during the 2000 campaign in South Carolina.

Throughout the campaign this year, McCain has tried to make the contest about honor and character. His own writing gives us the standard by which he should be judged. “Always telling the truth in a political campaign,” he writes in Worth the Fighting For, “is a great test of character.” He adds: “Patriotism that only serves and never risks one’s self-interest isn’t patriotism at all. It’s selfishness. That’s a lesson worth relearning from time to time.” It’s a lesson, it would appear, that the candidate himself could stand to relearn.

And now on a more entertaining note, here’s a music video about McCain’s near-octogenarianism (via Laughing Squid):

Which is relevant, of course, because if McCain wins, once he kicks it, we’ll be stuck with Palin as president. Then we’ll be even worse off, for different reasons- Instead of having a self-serving aggressive liar, we’ll have a dim-witted superstitious puppet.

Edison was known to electrocute animals to demonstrate the dangers of Tesla’s alternating current. He seemed to believe that this was a valid argument for direct current, which he preferred despite it being less practical for wide-spread use. While Edison’s insanity is certainly good for a laugh,

At the end of a busy day filled with hubris and animal execution, wouldn’t you like to relax to a good light show and musical performance? I know I would! Luckily for us, Tesla not only developed the better method of current, but also made some pretty ingenious devices which to this day people are still finding new uses for.

The tesla coil above is not dancing along to the music; it is making the music. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Edison! (Video via The Miskatonic Archive, where you can see some more of the same, including some musical tesla coils frolicking with a jedi.)

Ironically, while people eventually came to their senses and agreed that Tesla’s mode of current was the more practical of the two, and despite the fact that Tesla invented radio and at the time of his death was working on a death ray for national defense, Tesla died impoverished and alone and is unknown to all but the cognisanti today; while Edison’s name is forever driven into the heads of school children.

On another note, I think a musical tesla coil would make a really awesome, yet highly impractical, steampunk doorbell. Just the image of opening the door to find solicitors have soiled themselves in abject terror and run from the premises makes me giggle like a schoolgirl.

Part 1:

Part 2:

From the creator:

A 12 minute short depicting the origin of “The Bat-Man” and introducing his amazing skills and abilities… Bob Kane and Bill Finger drew on a lot of silent films to create Batman, and I’ve always wanted to give the story a try using silent film techniques. What with that whole copyright/waste of time thing, you’ll have to settle for this collage. Here are the original influences re-arranged to tell Bruce Wayne’s story and his crusade against crime. A bit of fun not intended for sale or commercial exploitation… what with the huge commercial value of silent films and everything.

Sources used:
THE BAT (1926)
THE MAN WHO LAUGHS (1928)
THE CABINET OF DOCTOR CALIGARI (1920)
Edison’s FRANKENSTEIN (1910)
THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (1910)

Via Neatorama

According to Consumerist, this would surely be bad. That sucks, I guess, but I was kinda already betting on imminent inevitable economic and societal disaster and downfall.

More interesting to me at the moment is the graphic used to show our impending doom: SkiFree! Squee! Clearly, I’m perfectly okay with doom providing it comes with classic computer game references.

I’ve known about the Wilhelm scream for ages, but it’s surprising how many people are unaware of its existence, despite having likely heard it dozens, if not hundreds, of times. This is especially odd considering what a very, very, silly scream it is. Now I go to see movies and often guffaw in the middle of action scenes when I notice a Wilhelm. Depending on the film, this inside joke may be the only thing that makes the movie theater experience worth experiencing.

Here are some scenes of the Wilhelm in action, via videosift:

Now you too can get some snarky pleasure out of films like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Via Neatorama, a mashup of Russian dance and rap, which just goes to show how everything old is new again.

Headless Historicals is the lamest thing since buying (not making!) a duct tape wallet.

While the concept is cool, any self-respecting fan of the macabre would make their own, a la Wednesday Addams.

Via the J-Walk blog and various other places.

If you’ve heard the recording this is based on, you’ll realize just how brilliant this Pinky and the Brain skit is.

Form VideoSift, of course.