all thumbs

These videos are hilarious overdubs of famous musicians playing awful music.

ridiculous

Why restaurants failed in Dubai.

Unbroken Chain, on piano

This is beautiful.

jolly good

Best vintage ads for modern products.

thank you

certifiable

song lyrics of the day

Almost home
And I miss the bottom stair
You were braiding your grey hair
And it's grown so long
Since I've been gone

Now the perfect girls,
By the pool, they would protest
With crosses 'round their necks,
But our sons were overseas,
And we all know about the hive and the honey bees.

Almost home
With an olive branch and a dove
You were beating on a persian rug
With your bible and your wedding band
Both hidden on the TV stand.

And the cruel wind blew
Every city father fell
Off the county carousel
While the dogs were eating snow
All our sons had sunk in a trunk
Of no ones clothes

Almost home,
We got lost on our new street,
While your grieving girls all died in their sleep,
So the dogs all went unfed,
A great dream of bones all piled on a bed

And the cops couldn't care,
When that crackhead built a boat
And said, "please, before I go
May your only honor bought
Be the kinship of the kids in the riot squad."

Carousel, Iron & Wine

keep scrolling

quote of the day

The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest: it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway;
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That, in the course of justice, none of us
Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy;
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render
The deeds of mercy.

-- Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice - Act 4, Scene 1

Iron & Wine, Paradiso, Amsterdam, 1/27/08 full streamed show

Setlist here. I declare, Sam Beam is one of those rare people who touches this world with grace and fire.

what do these sentences have in common

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama.

A man, a plan, a cat, a canal, Panama.

A man, a plan, a cat, a ham, a yak, a yam, a hat, a canal, Panama.

A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heros, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal, Panama!

i love these fences

why not.

nice

This is Google Sky. This is Mars.

with power comes great responsibility

get your Riely on

Great article in the South Bend Tribune on Mary Pat's dad Riely O'Connor and his latest round of gigs. If you live in the Midwest, get to the Midway Tavern in Mishawaka stat.

sudden cold

Impressively unintended ice sculptures.

metamorphose

The amazing life cycle of the Cecropia Silkmoth.

organic space

This guy builds some rather amazing homes. My favorite is the Nautilus.

O brave new world, that has such creatures in it

Incredible pictures and videos taken from the ocean floor below the Antarctica ice sheets.

bring on the hype

Great article in the Los Angeles Times about Alabama's wacky beer laws and the current legislation aimed at changing them.

this is either very cool or an incredible hassle

3-person chess

the next step

Introducing the Air Car. It runs on a hybrid engine that compresses air for acceleration. At speeds greater than 35 mph it uses a small amount of fuel to heat the air for greater power. The result is a car that emits little more than clean air and gets over 100 mpg. Get yours in 2010.

if you must

Get your beta version of Internet Explorer 8 here.

hope for better brew in Alabama

This is an email I just received. Good news may be on the horizon. Get involved and you can quit drinking all that cheap denatured swill.

Members and supporters of Free the Hops:
HB196, the Gourmet Beer Bill, passed the House yesterday. The fact that it passed is entirely due to all the hard work you put in to contacting your house representatives - we passed the BIR by one vote over the 3/5 majority needed, then passed the bill by 6 votes - if you had not all worked so diligently to speak to your representatives, this may have had a very different outcome!

The next step is to go to the Senate. We will be discussing this with our lobbyist to work out a timescale for this to happen, and what you can do to help pass the Senate bill, which may not happen for another few weeks.

Thank you again - we are one step closer to Freeing the Hops!

Stuart Carter
President
Free the Hops | Alabamians for Specialty Beer

the point of all religions

how very true

I personally prefer the politician who is willing to change his or her mind when they feel the facts have changed. The facts are always changing. As long as a politician bases the change on new facts and not on merely the popular will or the wishes of a donor, I have no problem.

best unintended energy drink ad ever

1. Wake up to find yourself on the floor of an airplane in the sky. You are only wearing a pair of shorts.
2. There is a Red Bull in your hand. Drink it.
3. Crawl over to the open door and jump out.

good morning

To hold the sun.

true

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."

- Mark Twain

bon mots

great retorts. My favorite:

In the 1920s, Dorothy Parker was establishing a reputation as a witty woman with a sharp tongue (the actress Mrs. Patrick Campbell called her, "My pretty, pretty cobra"). At the same time, Clare Booth Luce was becoming a respected journalist and well-known playwright. While both women were highly talented, their numerous political, philosophical, and personal differences resulted in a strained relationship. One day, Parker was about to step through a doorway when she came face-to-face with Luce. As the story goes, Mrs. Luce stepped aside, extended the palm of her hand, and said coyly, "Age before beauty." Parker glided through the door, saying ever-so-sweetly:

"Pearls before swine."