The universal sales event

If I get one more of those GIVE THE GIFT OF DEATH & DISMEMBERMENT INSURANCE! or LAST CHANCE TO SHOW YOU CARE WITH AN ARBY'S GIFT CERTIFICATE or ORDER TODAY FOR CHRISTMAS DELIVERY OF NO-LEAKS-MLADY BEDPANS I may... just... become...

... a little less Christmasy.

I do understand that people who sell children's bicycles or fine chocolates or sex toys are going to be advertising a lot this time of year, and I can make my peace with that. The inappropriate products and services sold as "holiday gifts" are astounding, though. All services have gift certificates and all products have special Gift-Pak stupidity.

I salute the energy and inventiveness of advertisers, but come on: prepaid oil changes? donations in your name to contentious and controversial nonprofits? A subscription to the Arthritis Health Letter? A new garage door opener? A genuine Third Reich swizzle stick! A dream date with Paul Williams in knee pads! A BABY'S ARM HOLDING AN APPLE

Whoa! Return of the Volcano Suns!

The post Mission of Burma band returns! They have a page up on Myspace and they're playing at least two East Coast gigs so far: Hoboken and Cambridge.

Jack of all trades and master of none
How can a person get anything done?

What the

( not safe for work )

pumpkin muffins with cream cheese

1. Yoga with the President. I wonder if you put him in the microwave is it Bikram?
   
   
2. I had no idea that Bill Maher was such a post-scientific assclown about vaccination. That's depressing, especially in a public figure who's encouraging all the other nuts. Go back to making fun of politicians, Bill.
   
   
3. Consumerist reports on one woman's awesome and total victory over her cellphone company. FINISH HIM! Also, tea. Schneier has a typically good analysis of this situation.
   
   
4. ATTACK OF THE SNAKE SPIDER DANCER, video via cruel.com
   
   
5. Albert Robida, O.G. 1890s steampunk.
   
   
6. Here's a variant on steampunk we might call atollpunk: What if Polynesian natives built electronics?
   
   
7. Let's all go Mach 5.5 in a jet fuel powered scramjet.

Cops... on... ICE!

The city may be frozen, but Beijing's finest are still on patrol, albeit looking sorta dumb.



via we make money not art.

Evolution after civilization?

About 7% of the human genome has changed in the last 50,000 years. One of the big external changes was culture. Did we domesticate ourselves?