Happy Canada Day Weekend everyone!
Don’t you put it in your mouth
What canadian kid of recent generations can forget this classic video. To this day all I have do is sing “Don’t you put in your mouth” at a gathering of friends and at least a couple people will join in with the entire first verse. The hilarious WTF nature of the puppets always made it a favorite too.
The mentalfloss blog had an entry today about creepy kids TV and that video was on it. I never really got a downright creepy vibe from it though on second glance the face of the girl puppet is downright demonic mid closeup.
I can’t say that I see the this clip as anything but scarring for little kids. I love the works of the late great Samuel Clemens more than I can say, but man the combination of what is already a bit out there of a story with some skin crawlingly creepy claymation produces what I could only call guaranteed nightmare fodder for those under 10. Hell, I found it creepier than 99% of the “horror” schlock hollywood puts out these days. This episode of the adventures of Mark Twain was apparently banned from TV after one showing.
Oddly enough I haven’t actually read the story in question… but yikes!
The rest of the videos don’t quite reach that level though the pure comedy factor of the following necessitate a link.
From The New Zoo Revue (which by itself sounds like a goat-happy alternative lifestyle magazine) we learn about sex!
And one that’s apparently from a PBS show called “Many Voices, Many Visions” that, while obviously heavily edited and probably missing a ton of context, is still pretty cringe-worthy.
Thanks to Ransom Riggs over at Mentalfloss for making my morning… Check out their site!
The Minnesota Two-Step
I spent last weekend south of the border indulging in my penchant for adrenaline on the (admittedly somewhat tame compared to some) roller coasters at valley fair. Much as we’re tempted these days to think that culturally Canada is quite similiar to the states I always get a reminder that that isn’t totally the case when I visit a decent sized yank city.
There is such a fundamental culture of excess down there. Every single possible niche of consumer goods is filled, overfilled in fact. Giant Big Box retail stores (some the size of minor league hockey arenas) that cater to one incredibly specific product. Back when Weird Al made U.H.F we all though Spatula City was funny but ridiculous, but honestly how far away from that are we?
A pocket full of sky…
Some of you may remember the video that’s been floating around the internet forever of the guy dancing in random places around the world. His name is Matt and he’s actually just released a new one (available on youtube or via his site.) For most internet videos the story would end there but in browsing his site I’ve been enjoying his travel journal.
From his earlier trips running cheap across Asia to his ascent up Kilimanjaro and even in his more recent journeys sponsored by Stride Gum his travel stories evoke vivid images of far off landscapes. Most of us won’t get to dance with penguins in Antartica or with the Moai on Easter Island and it’s nice to get to live vicariously through those get to see these awesome places. Matt firmly denies that his dancing videos had any purpose or message other than being silly in the first place but one can easily find several. Yet despite these claims I’d argue that his message has become a mantra about the importance of not only living vicariously, to get out and travel more. He quite consistently brings up the fact that young people elsewhere around the world constantly get out and travel yet he’s always receiving emails from Americans asking how he did it. I’d throw Canadians into that mix as well though I think in general we’re slightly better about leaving our home territory (though generally staying within Canada or the NAFTA area.)
And so, what apparently started as a site to keep family and friends apprised of his current location on his first trip years ago now comes across as something more. It’s a blog that follows his sweet new gig as a globe-trotting gum-endorsed “bad dancer” but also a springboard for people to see these beautiful images and great stories and hopefully say… “Man I’ve got to get off my ass and see the world.”
Learning about other people and places should be on everyone’s to do list. I won’t get into the whole one world one love hippy bandwagon but I do firmly believe that the more experiences you collect the richer life you’ll lead. Unfortunately I haven’t gotten to travel as much as I want to but a decent backpacking trip is on my radar for post-graduation. Step one is a tour of Cornwall this summer with some time in London as well.
In any case, there’s absolutely no excuse for having never left your home province or state. At the very least buy a cheap tent and a sleeping bag and spend a week driving in a random direction with a AAA guidebook of campgrounds.
I wholeheartedly encourage you to check out wherethehellismatt.com and start from some of his older trips and follow his journeys. Try as I might I doubt I’ll ever swim with whale sharks in the Seychelles but I really enjoyed reading and seeing the pictures.
I leave you with another picture of one of my favorite moments of his trips: The salt flats near Uyuni, Bolivia.
Even the damn robots are texting…
Twitter is all the rage these days. Taking the concept of a constantly updated Facebook or MSN status and running with it, there are thousands of users updating their every move via web or cell phone.
It seems now that the robots are getting in on the act…
Yesterday afternoon the Mars Phoenix Lander posted this on its Twitter:
Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!!! Yes, ICE, *WATER ICE* on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!!
The fries are only $65…
From ABC News.
Burger King in London has apparently introduced what they call the world’s most expensive hamburger (which it isn’t, but that’s another story.
The burger is made of Wagyu beef and sits atop an Iranian saffron bun with organic mayonnaise, white truffles and pink Himalayan rock salt. It’s garnished with onion straws fried in Cristal champagne and Pata Negra ham drizzled in aged Modena balsamic vinegar.
For those who don’t know Wagyu Beef is a breed that has a premium flavour, texture and marbling and is raised on a diet that includes premium grains as well as Beer and Sake. The Pata Negra ham is Jamon Iberico and is another incredibly expensive meat made from free range hogs that eat mostly oak acorns. It was actually illegal in the states until last year. One would assume they mean the onions are battered in a champagne batter.
Price for one burger?
$190 U.S.
What on earth do you eat as a side dish with this thing? The standard BK fries would feel awfully lowbrow sitting next to it… or do they make special premium fries with this “pink Himalayan rock salt” as a coating?
My other question (and a question brought up by many on the SA forums) is who do they get to cook these things? Is it just the usual minimum wage slaves who generally make my whopper or do they actually bring in a chef to do it? I somehow can’t imagine the regular staff being any part of the process of creating a burger where the beef alone costs more per pound than they make a day.
All the proceeds from this fancy-pants burger actually go to a London based charity.
Oops, I dropped my spoon…
The dark hunger of the soul…
Hot Pocket Passive Aggressive Notes
I noticed this at my old government job as well, anything hotpocket-ish (be it HP’s, Pizza Pops or whatever) is stolen far more frequently than anything else I kept in the fridge. There was really little excuse in my building as well since there was so often free food kicking around.
Is it to do with the portable form factor of the food? Perhaps one can be stealthier in microwaving and eating a Hot Pocket than say a Michelina’s Fettucini Alfredo, there is after all always the chance that someone will see you washing the fork (or alternatively noticing a bundle of plastic forks in your desk.)
The more I read of passiveaggressivenotes.com the more I realize that some people are just unfit to share any sort of communal space. I actually don’t mind not having access to the lounge at my place of employment (I’m not permanent staff so no staff lounge, nor a grad student so no GSA lounge) for that reason. In truth it makes me eat at my desk while working too, which in turn means I get to leave early.
Apparently there is a dark hunger in man’s soul that can only be only be sated by food in pocket form.
Welcome to relaunch 2…
The Bulldogs are Cheating returns again with another redesign, hopefully I’ll actually get around to writing again.
As before, while originally a poker blog this will now be a random assortment of thoughts in blog post form.
I suppose one must infiltrate the blogosphere (man do I hate that “word”) to write publicly in this day and age.