Tricks of the Trade

An interesting collection of little tricks that people do to help their work go easier. It may help you in your job, although a lot of them are for uncommon jobs such as balloon animal makers and jugglers. But it's fun to read.

Perfect Nap

Here's an article on how to take the perfect power nap. Enjoy.

Best Homemade Rube Goldberg Video

I know there's tons of goldberg videos online. This has got to be one of the coolest ones I've seen. It includes everything, fire, vacuum, even a bow and arrow! And it's all amateur. I think these guys need to clean up their house tho. It's a mess!

Worst April Fools Pranks

Somehow I don't think it's very funny for a government regime to play April Fool's Pranks... Call me crazy.

Game: Qwerty Warriors

Happy Monday!
A typing game. Type the word underneath the enemy to kill/destroy it. It starts slow but ramps up quickly. One problem I found was that sometimes it was hard to read the word. Anyway, my first trial I got 55480, which is only half as good as the best, so I'm going to keep trying. Anyway, it's fun and educational!

Video: History of Pop in 4 chords

The guy sings pretty well, and demonstrates one of pop music's most popular chord progression. Check it out at his blog.

Quiz: American Accents

Interesting quiz. At the end it will tell you where you're from, based on your answers. It guessed me correctly. See how you do!

Column: Fiction

It's been a while, I know. I've been a little busy with stuff, so I haven't had much time to actually just sit down and write coherent essays. It's not like I've run out of things to talk about, but it's a time thing. I've been pretty inconsistent with my quiet time and devotion as well, however, hopefully I will be on track again.

For those who don't know me, I'm an avid reader. I've always loved to read, ever since I first learned the skill. I vividly remember reading through the ENTIRE book of Dick and Jane, and was glad that Spot was OK in the end. I distinctly remember loving the beginning, but the end was meh. I read a diverse set of books, from suspense (usually spy/military/political) to murder mysteries; pulp to classics. My favorite is fantasy. If you're ever interested, ask me, and I'll be glad to hook you up with quality fantasy books. And no, that doesn't include Harry Potter.

I don't hate the Potter series because it's anti-Christian or whatever. I don't believe it will cause people to take up witchcraft. I doubt even if someone manages to make a gay wand, it'll do anything "special" other than getting their butt kicked in the playground. And saying that it glorifies witches and wizards is just crazy-talk. Children are not that gullible. What about all the traditional folk tales that our society has grown up with? Jack and the Beanstalk, Thumbelina, even Cinderella! That has a sorceress in it. Where's the talk of banning THAT movie by the Christian "family" groups?

No, the real reason I don't like the books is because -- and please allow me the pleasure to state the obvious-- Harry Potter is for kids! This is not a broad generalization similar to how people state that video games are for kids (which incidentally, I hate to hear!). Seriously, if I were 7-12, I would be all over HP Harry (I'm sorry, I just tried to abbreviate Harry Potter, but there can be only ONE HP. Lovecraft rules! *Ahem* sorry about that.). I can see how it can be an engaging story and all, but I'm not 7-12 (although I'm sure some of my friends would argue that I am mentally). The childish contrivances, the forced ways Rowlings abruptly ends a chapter just to force the reader to continue. It's bad. The writing is bad, the characters are all cardboard cutouts. Harry is the man, err- wizard. He's the most powerful magician, the best broomstick flyer (yay, how would you like that on your resume? I like to ride a wooden stick.). He has no weaknesses, other than the fact he acts like an idiot most of the time. Playwriters call it... BORING.

To see adults reading the book is disheartening to me. It shows that the average person is an idiot. I don't mean you guys of course! I'm just saying the "AVERAGE", but because you read my blog, obviously you aren't average. How's that for a save...? Anyway, to me it says that adults read at a fifth-grade level. They prefer easy-to-read books, with no "layers". Onions have layers too; that's probably why adults don't like onions either. Basically, Ms. Rowlings catered to the lowest common denominator, the path of most readership. She put money as the reason for writing, not the story itself. Did she milk the franchise? You bet she did. And that is why I abhor Harry Potter.

So, how about the argument that what we put into our minds is what enters our hearts? Jesus did warn against it, after all. I can see the point that Christian groups make. But I wonder if Potter is the whipping post, simply because of its fame. I'll talk more about that point, in the next column.

Game:Scribble

It's a lemming-type game, where you have to save the stupid blots (lemmings) from death and get them to the end of the level. The difference is that you use your mouse to draw ramps and fuses to get them past the traps and enemies. A neat twist. Plus you can save your game as well.

Ask Dad

Ok, I don't care what you Peanuts-loving fanatics say, Calvin and Hobbes is the best newspaper strip EVAR!
To prove it, here are some awesome examples.
Calvin's dad is the kind of dad I want to be :) (I sure hope this doesn't lessen my chances of finding a wife!)

Space etiquette

Have you ever wondered how astronauts pee and poo? No? Well...uh.. me neither. Anyway, you should read this so you won't be embarassed the first time you're up on the space station.

50 Pieces of Art

According to the readers of the Guardian Unlimited, a British magazine, here are the top 50 artwork you have to see before you die. So...it's something to strive for, I guess.

Game: Ice breaker

You know what day is today? Of course you do, it's Online Game day! This one is about a guy running into ice walls. I find it very funny when after he congratulates himself he runs smack into the next ice wall. Very entertaining. What I did was to position my cursor so that I click it right when a wall passes the mouse. That helps get the timing down. Happy Friday, my dear reader(s)!

How to win arguments

If you ever met me, you'd know I love to argue. Well, argue is a strong word. It's more like I like to discuss. Sometimes I would take the opposite point just because it's fun, sometimes to see what a person really believes. Most often because I like to play with their minds. Anyway, here's a site that offers tips on how to win arguments.