Monday, December 29, 2008

Vote ShopSavvy!

I reviewed ShopSavvy in an earlier post.

ShopSavvy has been nominated for a 2008 Crunchie award from the good folks at techcrunch.com. So head over and give them your vote. Alas, you can only vote once in a 24 hour period... Maybe we can ACORN in on a consultation basis

And while you're at it, there are several other categories in which you can vote... after you vote for ShopSavvy.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

While England Slept

Channel 4's sickening grant of air time to Iran's Imadinnerjacket is limned for the silly, self-important jack-assery it was... for on the 24th of December his government hanged 10 prisoners. Who knows if any of these convicts were political prisoners, or rape victims - they may have all been run of the mill criminals. However it seems that executing 10 less than 24 hours before Ahmadinejad spoke to a British audience smacks of intentional timing to me.

According to the website Iran Human Rights one man was hanged in one prison in northern Iran, while 9 were hanged in Teheran's Evin prison.

Amazing Spa Treatment

Hmmm.... I wonder if the spa is located near me:

Friday, December 26, 2008

Boxing Day

Lileks posted a link to this video on Twitter.

It's just under 10 minutes, but well worth a look. Christmas in England. But not Charles Dickens - it's 1941:



From the YouTube info-bit on the film:

Despite the Blitz, it's 'business as usual' as England prepares for Christmas in this propaganda film intended for US audiences. It's a Christmas of holly and barbed wire, guns and tinsel, yet the British, we are told, are determined to make it as cheerful as possible.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

Eartha Kitt, RIP

Eartha Kitt has lost her fight against colon cancer today.

Here she is in 2006 performing Santa Baby... not bad for a 79 year old (or a 49 year old, for that matter)... and is W blushing?



And a quick tribute vid:



I first saw her as Catwoman. Kitt is the gold standard for Catwoman. Lee Merriwether is a distant second, and all others who have played the role are just also-rans:



She described herself as "rejected, ejected, dejected, used, accused, abused"; and "too black to be white, too white to be black" so she didn't fit in anywhere. She was black listed for speaking out against the Vietnam war. She deserved better than she received in this life. Say a prayer that she receives better in the hereafter.

12 Days of Christmas - USMC Style

Via Mudville Gazette comes this best ever rendition of the familiar 12 Days of Christmas from Falujah, Iraq. This was put together and posted to YouTube by a Marine named Nick Hesselgrave. Here are his notes from YouTube. Check out the rest of his stuff.

1st Battallion 4th Marines, Bravo Company 3rd Platoon. Out of ECP1 in Fallujah, Iraq. We would like to thank everyone who has supported us through the first half of our deployment. This project was a challenge for me but in the end quite worth it. Merry Christmas everyone! -Nick Hesselgrave

1- full resupply of TP
2- megafones
3- crappy humvees
4- portajohns
5- hours of sleep
6- rusty dumbells
7- months deployment
8- IPs(iraqi police) dancing
9- sentries standing
10- hours posting
11- bags of trash
12- freakin' flies!



Merry Christmas, Part II

Goodwill towards men, and all of that...

Then I saw this picture of a banner haning opposite the Basilica of the Annunciation in Bethlehem:



Fine. I wonder what made them pick this time of year to put up a banner that argues that argues that Jesus was not the son of God? When can I hoist my banner decrying Mohammad as an illiterate pedophile war-lord? And can I do it opposite the Dome of the Rock?

It makes me think of this picture, courtesy of Theo Spark:

Monday, December 22, 2008

Resistance in the EU Parliament

I think I like this guy. The EUrocrats are hell bent on establishing some kind of uber-state. And their willing handmaidens in several European capitals have been hard at work on their behalf.

In the interest of full disclosure...

Caroline Kennedy is campaigning for the US Senate. Sort of. She only has to convince one voter. Apparently she believes she need not concern the little people with any form of disclosure, at least until after she becomes a Senator for Life.

Ugh... Rarefied Ethics for a Star Chamber Election... (Fair Warning - Link is to the New York Times.... sorry.)

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sweden is Burning




At least one city is... Powerline reports that Malmo is beset by riots. What triggered the "youths" displeasure? Why the closing of a synagogue, silly.

Except it wasn't a synagogue... Surprise! From The Local: ...

Westford said the troubles were linked to the recent closure of an Islamic cultural centre in Malmö's heavily-immigrant populated neighbourhood Rosengård.

The owner of the building wanted to use the space for other purposes, and the Islamic centre, which housed a mosque among other things, moved out and handed over the keys.

But a group of young people squatted the office space on November 24th, and police intervened early this week to remove the occupants and empty the offices.


So it took almost a month to evict these "youths"? WTF? I'm sure there was "outreach" or maybe "reaching out" going on during those 3 weeks, but what were the police thinking?


Police guarded the location until Wednesday, and once they left youths tried to occupy the building again.


Ahh, apparently they were thinking there would be trouble... and guess what, they were right.

Riots broke out on Wednesday night, when youths set fires in the area and threw stones and bottles at police. Seventeen youths were detained during those clashes.

"The origin of the riots is the occupation of the building. But that's not really the reason now, now other troublemakers have just joined in, taking advantage of the situation," Westford said.


I wonder if the other troublemakers are Presbyterians... or maybe those radicalized Unitarian Universalists.

Ponzi Scheme

I knew that it was named for a man named Ponzi, but I had forgotten the particulars...

Marina of Hot for Words fame explains... in a far more pleasing way than I ever could:

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Culture of Terror

3 'reformed' terrorists talk about how they came to terrorism, and how they left it. It's 16+ minutes, but this video is important. Try to watch the whole thing. Then watch it again. This is more than just troubling, even though it's almost 3 years old.



Money quote - "Bush should have been more aggressive."

This is from Comcast's CN8 "network". I may have to watch it a little more...

Thanks to Not a Sheep.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Newsbusted, 12/19 Edition

The last Newsbusted for 2008:

Those Wild and Crazy Guys

No, not the Czechoslovakian brothers... our brothers in arms from Lithuania (?!?)

Via Kevin at Exurban League comes a Michael Yon report:

Hell’s Angels — Lithuanian Style:

U.S. and Afghan soldiers in Zabul Province give high marks to the Lithuanian Special Forces, who like to ride these captured Taliban motorbikes to sneak up on, and chase Taliban fighters. The “LithSof” are on their way to becoming living legends: Both Afghans and Americans report that the Taliban are afraid of the Lithuanians. Stories about them are filled with dangerous escapades and humor.

Americans say that the Lithuanians are sort of a weaponized version of Borat, who think nothing of sauntering around a base in nothing but flip-flops and underwear. “They look like mountain men. They never shave, sometimes don’t bathe, and often roll out the gate wearing nothing but body armor and weapons. Not even a t-shirt,” an American soldier told me. The Lithuanians may be a little bit nuts, but the Americans love to have them around because Lithuanians love to fight, and when you need backup, you can count on them. That contrasts starkly with many of the NATO “partners.” Maybe when your country spends almost a half-century with the Soviet boot on its neck, its first generation of free soldiers know what freedom is worth — and that you sometimes have to fight for it.

Santa Went Down To Georgia...



I thought Rudolph's Nose was a nice touch....

Sadly, Kris Kringle was pulled over by the Highway Patrol... He blew a .30-06...

Monday, December 15, 2008

Drive for a special election

I don't think they will be successful, but the Illinois Republicans are pushing to have BO's seat filled via an election, not an appointment.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Louis CK Calls it

My sister in law sent me a link to this video. Louis CK says "Everything's amazing, and no one is happy"... How true.

Get (back) on the bus

Heh... apparently Obama's bus has some kind of hatch in the floor. Once thrown under the bus some folks find their way back in.

Rightwingsparkle points to a post at Publius Forum describing 'rehabilitated' Obama supporters.

I'm shocked, shocked, I tell you...

Christmas Stoopid

What do A Christmas Story, Home Alone, and Die Hard all have in common?

Yes - They are heartwarming, best ever Christmas Movies!.

Oh, and they are part of a silly Liquid Generation flash game...

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Che

An interesting video on the popular appeal of Che and other commies... at least among Norte Americanos....

Sarah Palin Calendar



So, don't know what to get that Obama loving socialist in your family? How about a 2009 Sarah Palin calendar, guaranteed to drive them nuts? Head over to sarahcalendar.com and order yours today.

Newsbusted, 12/12

Friday's Newsbusted:


Perfume for Christmas


Perfume vials from Christ's era unearthed in Israel is the headline in Yahoo news.

A team of Franciscan archaeologists digging in the biblical town of Magdala in what is now Israel say they have unearthed vials of perfume similar to those that may have been used by the woman said to have washed Jesus' feet.

The perfumed ointments were found intact at the bottom of a mud-filled swimming pool, alongside hair and make-up objects, the director of the dig conducted by the group Studium Biblicum Franciscanum told the Terrasanta.net religious website.

"If chemical analyses confirm it, these could be perfumes and creams similar to those that Mary Magdalene or the sinner cited in the Gospel used to anoint Christ's feet," Father Stefano de Luca, the lead archaeologist, told the website.

Mary Magdalene is cited in the New Testament as a steadfast disciple of Christ from whom seven demons were cast out. She is often considered the sinner who anointed Jesus' feet.

"The discovery of the ointments in Magdala at any rate is of great importance. Even if Mary Magdalene was not the woman who washed Christ's feet, we have in our hands 'cosmetic products' from Christ's time," De Luca said.
So what does this really mean? Honestly, not too much. We will never know what was actually used to anoint Christ's feet. But we will have more understanding of what was in use during His time. It will be interesting to see what properties these cosmetics had, scientists - or the blue haired perfume lady at the mall - will be able to make educated guesses as to the actual uses of these products.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Kentucky Fried Chicks


First there was the Burger King bubble bather, now this. A girl gets caught posting pics of herself and two friends… bathing in the sink at a KFC. In a word, what the hell were they thinking? And just how big are these sinks?

Ugh…. And is there anything kids won’t facebook or put on myspace?

Update: Wow... Mailing in posts doesn't seem to format too well...

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

ShopSavvy Review

Take away: If you have an android phone, you should have this app.


One of my favorite apps on my Android G1 is called ShopSavvy. It uses the camera on the G1 to scan the UPC bar code, then it does a server trip to check prices and availability. It's not infallible, but damn...

I was in a big box electronics retailer a couple of weeks ago. The first item I scanned was a GPS/Cell phone holder with weighted friction pad for 'mounting' on a dashboard. One of these thingies:



This particular retailer had it for $39.99. ShopSavvy returned two retailers in the area selling it for less. ShopSavvy then offered the me the opportunity to call the store or draw a map to the store. ShopSavvy also returned hits from the web and then gave me the choice of going to the website or e-mailing the link. Bottom line: I didn't pay $39.99.

In addition to searching for products, users can maintain wishlists organized by groups, set price alerts for items and keep a history of scanned items. Once an item is scanned ShopSavvy also presents the user with user reviews of the item.

The history function is more handy than I had first thought. You see I still haven't bought or ordered the friction mat thingy. But just the other day I retrieved my scan from history, and ShopSavvy re-executed the server trip and returned updated information... more stores locally and even cheaper.

I scanned an item that returned an incorrect graphic and description, but had the right prices. I fired off an e-mail to the developer, Big in Japan. I received a prompt and courteous reply that told me how the error happened, which was more than I needed to know but very much appreciated.

ShopSavvy has also saved me money the old fashioned way... by not giving in to an impulse to buy. Scanning and comparing is almost as good as buying. Like that 46" Sharp Aquous 1080p LCD TV with 4 HDMI inputs I saw at BJ's for $1,200... a price that ShopSavvy couldn't beat.

I wonder if I can scan some diamonds for my wife...

Similar apps: Compare Everywhere, Barcode Reader.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Newsbusted, 12/05

It will be a long four years... but the Clintonites Obamians may give newsbusters.org enough material to make this a daily show:

Sunday, December 7, 2008

The Dreidel Song... Like you've never seen it before

My sister in law sent me the link to this video... The singers belong to a Seattle men's chorus ensemble called Captain Smartypants.

This is quite likely to be the gayest, cowboy-iest presentation of the Dreidel song you will ever see. Well, at least at this blog.



According to their website (link above):

Captain Smartypants was discovered by Madame Curie in 1913 as she was emptying a test tube. The radioactive slime mold developed in the Paris sewers until it gained consciousness and crossed the Atlantic. Upon landing in America, this new life form sprouted legs and strode across the continent, singing Partridge Family songs all the while. They settled in Seattle where they became quickly known as ‘Those Nine Homosexuals Who Won’t Stop Singing.’


Gays singing a Jewish song. I can hear Islamonut's heads exploding around the world.

Day of Infamy



Take a few moments today to remember that other Sunday, 7 December. The above picture is from the National Park Service.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

iPhone commercial spoof

An Android version of an iPhone commercial...



And another variation on an iPhone commercial:

Monday, December 1, 2008

Schilling on signing with the Sox

I dare not cherry pick quotes from number 38. Read both parts of his article/posting.

I can't figure out if this is a 'retirement goodbye' or a "I'll come back in August - for another team" goodbye.

I hope that if he does want to come back for a 1/2 or a third of a season, that Boston finds a way to do it.

More toon time



Stolen from the fine folk's at Theo Spark's place, who stole it from somewhere else...