wow.

Have you ever seen The Shining? You know, the one starring Jack Nicholson? Well, maybe you haven't.

now that's a brave cat

World Beard and Moustache Championships

I think this guy is the winner.

7 Habits of Highly Successful People

BY BRENDON LLOYD

1. Skiing
2. Yachting
3. Snorkeling
4. Golf
5. Polo
6. Dinner parties
7. Shopping

via McSweeney's

shakin'

This is a page of eyewitness accounts to the New Madrid, CA earthquakes of 1811-1812. Some of them are amazingly accurate and depict what was probably one of the most dramatic natural disasters in recorded history.

time is on my side, yes it is

Check out this interesting site on things made and invented by prisoners.

This is a chess set made from toilet paper, sugar water, and cardboard.

"The biggest treasure in history has been located."

600 barrels of loot found on Crusoe island in the Pacific.

Tomb of Odysseus found

The tomb of Odysseus has been found near Poros on the Island of Kefalonia, Greece. The location of his legendary capital city of Ithaca has also been determined, although local politics have kept the news under wraps for some time. Very cool.

it works

Was there an image posted here that you really want to see again? Just try this Google Images search: site:trialshoe.blogspot.com.

thou shalt read this

The thinking which resulted in the post below also led me to do a little research on the 10 commandments. It turns out the “10 commandments” we know and love are not the actual 10 commandments. There seems to be some controversy on this point, but after looking it up, it seems to me like someone has some explaining to do. The following is, appropriately enough, an excerpt from Russ Kick’s book 50 Things You’re Not Supposed to Know. Though Kick’s tone is smug and annoying at times, he notes some interesting things. You can read the whole book here.

Every Decalogue you see — from the 5,000-pound granite behemoth inside the Alabama State Judicial Building to the little wallet-cards sold at Christian bookstores — is bogus. Simply reading the Bible will prove this. Getting out your King James version, turn to Exodus 20:2-17. You'll see the familiar list of rules about having no other gods, honoring your parents, not killing or coveting, and so on. At this point, though, Moses is just repeating to the people what God told him on Mount Si'nai. These are not written down in any form.

Later, Moses goes back to the Mount, where God gives him two "tables of stone" with rules written on them (Exodus 31:18). But when Moses comes down the mountain lugging his load, he sees the people worshipping a statue of a calf, causing him to throw a tantrum and smash the tablets on the ground (Exodus 32:19).

In neither of these cases does the Bible refer to "commandments." In the first instance, they are "words" which "God spake," while the tablets contain "testimony." It is only when Moses goes back for new tablets that we see the phrase "ten commandments" (Exodus 34:28). In an interesting turn of events, the commandments on these tablets are significantly different than the ten rules Moses recited for the people, meaning that either Moses' memory is faulty or God changed his mind.

Thus, without further ado, we present to you the real "Ten Commandments" as handed down by the LORD unto Moses (and plainly listed in Exodus 34:13-28). We eagerly await all the new Decalogues, which will undoubtedly contain this correct version:

I. Thou shalt worship no other god.
II. Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
III.. The feast of unleavened bread thou shalt keep.
IV. Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest.
V. Thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
VI. Thrice In the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord God.
VII. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven.
VIII. Neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left unto the morning.
IX. The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God.
X. Thou shalt not seethe a kid [ie, a young goat] in his mother's milk.

Can anyone explain this to me? Daniel, I want you in here.

the truth

Recently we held our law school’s annual mock trial competition, and as a member of the board, I got/had to sit through all of the preliminary rounds as a “juror” (we were actually judging the competitors on style, ability to argue, etc.). We tried as best as we could to preserve all the gravity and decorum of a real trial in a real courtroom, even going so far as to sequester the witnesses (i.e. our classmates) and swear them in as they took the stand. However, at one point we realized that our witnesses were being sworn in on a copy of our school’s law review periodical, and this didn’t seem appropriate. (the Dean might not have minded, I suppose). I was asked if I had a copy of the Bible we could use, so I brought one the following evening and we proceeded.

But I couldn’t help wondering—if judges aren’t allowed to display copies of the ten commandments on the walls of the courtroom, is it a violation of that principle to require witnesses to affirm their statements on a Bible? I’m not sure of the legal implications of being sworn in on a copy of the Koran or the Vedas or the Tao te Ching, but I wonder how the courts handle witnesses of different faiths who are asked to place their hands on the Bible and swear to tell the truth and nothing but the truth “so help me God”? By now some of you may be rolling your eyes, but I’m not necessarily advocating that we quit the practice of swearing on some text of higher import. I will admit that it doesn’t really serve any legal purpose, but I kind of like some of the old traditions provided they don’t step on anyone’s philosophical toes. Any Buddhists, Muslims, etc. out there with a take on this?

oh great

"It may be the oddest tale to emerge from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Armed dolphins, trained by the US military to shoot terrorists and pinpoint spies underwater, may be missing in the Gulf of Mexico."

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Staring across interstellar space, the alluring Cat's Eye nebula lies three thousand light-years from Earth. A classic planetary nebula, the Cat's Eye (NGC 6543) represents a final, brief yet glorious phase in the life of a sun-like star. This nebula's dying central star may have produced the simple, outer pattern of dusty concentric shells by shrugging off outer layers in a series of regular convulsions. But the formation of the beautiful, more complex inner structures is not well understood. Seen so clearly in this sharp Hubble Space Telescope image, the truly cosmic eye is over half a light-year across. Of course, gazing into the Cat's Eye, astronomers may well be seeing the fate of our sun, destined to enter its own planetary nebula phase of evolution ... in about 5 billion years.

Scout, Winnie

How does it feel?

Great article on Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone". The best quote is Frank Zappa's: "When I heard 'Like a Rolling Stone,' I wanted to quit the music business because I felt: 'If this wins and it does what it's supposed to do, I don't need to do anything else.'"

When the single was released, on July 20 1965, copies serviced to radio stations cut the song in half and spread it over both sides of a red vinyl 45, giving them the option of airing only the first three minutes, thus preserving their normal song-to-commercial ratios. Dylan demanded that Like a Rolling Stone play through, and soon a new pressing replaced the first - but when the song first appeared on the radio, three minutes was all you heard, with the fade sounding fake, as if something was missing. When the word spread that something was, stations were hammered by callers demanding all six minutes, and six minutes was what they got. And then, it seemed, that was all your station played.

"They cut it in half for the disc jockeys," explained Dylan at a press conference in San Francisco in December 1965. "If anybody was interested they could just turn it over and listen to what really happens."

Even now, when it is no shock that there is more, it is still a shock. The arrival of the third verse, the announcement that the story is not over, is like Roosevelt announcing his third term. Dylan reaches the last line of that verse, holds the last word as long as he can hold his breath, and then as the song tips into the third chorus everything shatters.

amazing

Here's the video of the JetBlue airliner making its emergency landing at LAX.

know your hurricanes

Check out this Google Maps hurricane tracker. You can view by year and by storm, all the way back to 1851.

keep scrolling

Super-high resolution image of Hurrican Rita.

Liquid Sculpture

Amazing high-speed photography of water drops and splashes.

wow

Jeep, Doing 80MPH, Drives Under Plane To Fix Landing Gear.

proof that god exists

mwuahahahaha mwuahaha

The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became An Evil Overlord

9. I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labelled "Danger: Do Not Push". The big red button marked "Do Not Push" will instead trigger a spray of bullets on anyone stupid enough to disregard it. Similarly, the ON/OFF switch will not clearly be labelled as such.

10. I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum -- a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.

11. I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or leaving my weaker enemies alive to show they pose no threat.

12. One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.

13. All slain enemies will be cremated, or at least have several rounds of ammunition emptied into them, not left for dead at the bottom of the cliff. The announcement of their deaths, as well as any accompanying celebration, will be deferred until after the aforementioned disposal.

14. The hero is not entitled to a last kiss, a last cigarette, or any other form of last request.

15. I will never employ any device with a digital countdown. If I find that such a device is absolutely unavoidable, I will set it to activate when the counter reaches 117 and the hero is just putting his plan into operation.

16. I will never utter the sentence "But before I kill you, there's just one thing I want to know."

5ives

Five things it would probably be disingenuous for me to rap about:

1. the streets
2. my bitches
3. thug life
4. popping a cap in your ass
5. my milkshake

The Revenge CD

Get it here.

"Don’t you hate it when the neighbours are making a lot of noise, disrupting your concentration, sleep or calm moments with their loud sex life, screaming kids or barking dog? Well here’s your chance to savour the sweet taste of retribution with the Revenge CD, which ships with earplugs; you’ll understand why. Here’s a partial track lineup:

1) Drill
2) Party (At Least 200 People)
3) Orgasm (Outstanding)
4) Train
5) Drum (Played by a Child)
6) Inhuman Screams
7) Walking (High Heels)
8) Domestic Squabble
9) Doors Banging
10) Bowling
11) Unhappy Dog
12) Practicing Scales (Violin)

Crank the volume up, put the earplugs in, and sip a tea while the neighbours bang on the walls. All this fun, for all of $18."

no thanks

Fried Oreo Cookies?

more fun with bones

Move the skeleton.

where human bones become art

The ossuary in Sedlec.

I want one. Bad.

The Worlds First Inflatable Pub!

wow

The Flying Mobulas of the Sea of Cortez

Make levees, not war

Indeed, a receipe for disaster.

o2

Beautiful ice photographs.

Acrophobia

I could live here.

quote of the day

"I don't try to imagine a God; it suffices to stand in awe of the structure of the world, insofar as it allows our inadequate senses to appreciate it."

-Albert Einstein

electric sashimi

This isn't your parents' USB Drive.

this is great

Via Boing Boing:

Planned Parenthood in Philadelphia came up with an ingenious way to fight back against anti-choice fundamentalists who block clinic doors and harass workers and patients. The idea: hold a fund drive in which donors give cash for each protestor that shows up. The more there are, the more money Planned Parenthood receives. And, let the harassers know how much their presence is helping the clinic raise funds.

Five terrible fake names for your new Irish pub

1. O’Connor O’Connor’s
2. The Chunky Emerald Yawn
3. Tipsy McShamrock’s
4. Casey O’Familywrecker’s
5. Punchin’ Pete’s Place

From 5ives.

nice, but does it work with the Nano?

Announcing the iDJ.

the man

As a young schoolboy in Virginia, George Washington took his first steps toward greatness by copying out by hand a list of 110 "Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation." I like #12:

"Shake not the head, feet, or legs; roll not the eyes; lift not one eyebrow higher than the other, wry not the mouth, and bedew no man's face with your spittle by approaching too near him when you speak."

wow--it was ugly

This was the original Google home page.

Introducing Daniel's blog

We now have written evidence that Daniel Crabtree lives a very interesting life. We also now know that Daniel has a number of very interesting friends, whom his blog is mainly about. More importantly, we will also now know whenever Daniel is having a party at his house in Asheville, NC at which many of these people may be found. Rock on, Mistah Crabtree.

Or should I say...Eros, the embodiment of all sexuality:

good lord

so this angel walks into a bar..

The top 20 funniest and most offensive religious jokes.

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump. I ran over and said: "Stop. Don't do it."

"Why shouldn't I?" he asked.

"Well, there's so much to live for!"

"Like what?"

"Are you religious?"

He said, "Yes."

I said, "Me too. Are you Christian or Buddhist?"

"Christian."

"Me too. Are you Catholic or Protestant?"

"Protestant."

"Me too. Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?"

"Baptist."

"Wow. Me too. Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?"

"Baptist Church of God."

"Me too. Are you original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?"

"Reformed Baptist Church of God."

"Me too. Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915?"

He said: "Reformed Baptist Church of God, Reformation of 1915."

I said: "Die, heretic scum," and pushed him off.

here they come

25 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath:

"Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well."
-–FEMA Director Michael Brown, Sept. 1, 2005

Emergency firefighters were stuck in Atlanta getting 'politcally correct' training

Breakdowns Marked Path From Hurricane to Anarchy.

The heart-rending pictures broadcast from the Gulf Coast drew offers of every possible kind of help. But FEMA found itself accused repeatedly of putting bureaucratic niceties ahead of getting aid to those who desperately needed it.

Hundreds of firefighters, who responded to a nationwide call for help in the disaster, were held by the federal agency in Atlanta for days of training on community relations and sexual harassment before being sent on to the devastated area. The delay, some volunteers complained, meant lives were being lost in New Orleans.

"On the news every night you hear, 'How come everybody forgot us?' " said Joseph Manning, a firefighter from Washington, Pa., told The Dallas Morning News. "We didn't forget. We're stuck in Atlanta drinking beer."

9-11-01
[huge]

hahahahahaha

intuitive but strapped for cash?

Has anyone tried Investopedia? It looks interesting--it's a stock market simulator, where you sign up and invest imaginary funds in real companies and track your investment decisions. Sounds ideal for those of us who, of course, tried to get in on Google's IPO but lacked the $150,000 deposit.

aaahhhhhhhhh

CRW_2541
Originally uploaded by t-lo.

Hunter S. Thompson's last words

Rolling Stone has published the gonzo journalist's final written words. He left this note for his wife before committing suicide in February:

No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun - for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax - This won't hurt.

It was titled "Football Season Is Over".

this is the first photograph ever taken

Info here.

what about the book?

Forbes Magazine has determined the 20 most important tools of all time.
No. 1 The Knife
No. 2 The Abacus
No. 3 The Compass
No. 4: The Pencil
No. 5: The Harness
No. 6: The Scythe
No. 7: The Rifle
No. 8: The Sword
No. 9: Eyeglasses
No. 10: The Saw
No. 11: The Watch
No. 12: The Lathe
No. 13: The Needle
No. 14: The Candle
No. 15: The Scale
No. 16: The Pot
No. 17: The Telescope
No. 18: The Level
No. 19: The Fish Hook
No. 20: The Chisel

Finally, Katrina has been tamed

Just in the nick of time, help has come to the millions of people stricken by Hurricane Katrina. We can now recall the FEMA trucks and send everybody home, for Michael Jackson will soon record a hurricane relief song. It will have the strikingly original title "From the Bottom of My Heart". Thank god, we are saved.

get your feather fix here

So my Conflicts of Laws teacher, Professor Hill, was explaining the elements of personal jurisdiciton and he ended up using his brother's business as an example of how products end up moving across state lines. His brother sells feathers. Peacock feathers, pheasant, ostrich rooster--the whole gang. This is his site.

Go see them in concert

Want to know how much your favorite artist usually makes off of one CD sale?

amazing photo on front of New York Times today

the love that dare not speak its name

FEMA Timeline

Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration.

second quote of the day

"Once a fact emerges into consciousness it is already an interpretation."

--Stanislaw Lem

quote of the day

"One more word about it after this show airs and I might likely have to punch him. Literally."

--United States Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, on ABC's 'This Week', about President Bush, after repeatedly hearing White House officials disparage the local response to Hurricane Katrina

from Vancouver to Moscow

2 Canadians,
1 Russian,
18,000 kilometers.
ZERO EMISSIONS.

just in case

This free tool makes you anonymous on the Web.

Welcome Winnie

joke?

Christopher Walken is apparently running for President in 2008.

CrystalXP

You can download this program and make your computer function like the new Windows Vista. I use it on both my computers, basically for the Apple-esque toolbar that comes with it.

hitler redux

This may be a repost, but these are amazing color pictures from World War II.

sepia

Interesting story about a fellow who makes a living taking old tintype photos.

You go, Jim

Big props go out to Jim's band "All the Saints," who got a positive write-up in an Atlanta webzine called KissAtlanta last week. If you can survive the critics, you can survive the world.

Show Preview: All The Saints

This article was submitted by a new addition to the kissatlanta.com staff, Ben Underwood. I'll be giving Ben his own formal login once I get caught up... but for now this post is being posted by me for him.

I promise I'm not one of those observers of the music scene who will waste your time claiming that every band that pops up is going to be the next big thing; however, I do think that one of the bands to watch in Atlanta right now is All the Saints. I saw them at a party over the weekend. They didn't play until 3am, and there were a ton of people there, many of them to see AtS specifically. While I don't think these guys have (nor do they seem to want) much top-40/MTV potential, they have the kind of potential that counts, the kind that leads to intense and interesting performances and very (hopefully, eventually) listenable records.

Admittedly, I may have been lost in a haze of happy pop music for the last few years, but I was under the impression that the days of the 3-piece rock outfit ended in the 90s with the N-word. All the Saints and a few other acts in town, Kill Gordon among them, are changing my mind.

Hard rock, or whatever you want to call it this week, isn't typically my bag. (My bag contains Of Montreal, The Flaming Lips, They Might Be Giants, Apollo Sunshine, and many others.) But I watched All the Saints' set, and I felt like I was mesmerized. What makes this even more amazing is that the songs were almost vocal-free. I got the impression that they often do more singing, but there was something funny with the PA that night. Even without the standard crutch of rock music (lyrics), the band was great.

Okay, so if these're the guys to watch, where are you going to watch them? They're playing The Drunken Unicorn on Thursday Sept 1 with Kill Gordon and a new band call HalfMOON. Also check them out with Tuju Belle (no www presence) and, once again, Kill Gordon on Friday Sept 2 at the Ten High. That's two chances, folks. Don't blow them both. Hope to see you there.

- Ben

David "Basho" Gilmour?

Someone has noticed numerous allusions to classical chinese poetry in Pink Floyd's music. More convincing than you'd think.

descending further into the abyss

Well, the governor of Louisiana wasn't joking yesterday when she said that Katrina has brought out both the best and worst in people. We can officially add to the "worst" the people who are submitting personal ads offering shelter to single young women from New Orleans in exchange for "occasional intimate contact." While this isn't as depraved as the looting, raping, random violence and shots fired at evacuated patients, I sincerely hope it is a joke.

Reply to: anon-94695591@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-08-31, 10:10PM CDT

Are you a "working gal", that is, a professional, self-employed woman who deals in "intimate physical contact," who has been displaced by the hurricane? Are you STD free, and non-smoking, and friendly? Have you lost clothes and a place to stay? Perhaps we can help each other. I am a retired guy, 6' 1', 220 lbs and STD and drug and smoking free in Northern Virginia with a nice big, comfortable town house. If you are around 25, tall, well built and attractive, and need a place to stay for a couple of months to get yourself "together," you could stay with me, rent and cost-free! All I ask in return is some "intimate physical contact" occasionally." If you can respond to this posting, and do not have any money to get to Northern Virginia, I can help with that as well! Hope to hear from you and good luck.

I love firefox

I just found this totally (and literally) pimpin' Firefox theme. Comes complete with faux fur window, leopard-skin tabs and 18-carat gold scroll bars. Do some funky browsin, yo.

this has not been photoshopped

BPGas
Originally uploaded by Spizzo.

check out this flickr set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/gasprices/

amazing satellite photo of New Orleans

Also, the New York Times has a good graphic of the flooding here.