Friday, December 31, 2010

Leaves



OK so believe it or not, this is our second raking of the season! The first time, probably about 4-5 weeks ago, we ended up with 8 large garbage bags full (non mulched). I expect this might be another 12 bags. Damn oak tree! And yes, the tree is finally empty.

Billiards Meets Bowling



"Knokkers" is what creator Steve Wienecke of Fredericktown, Missouri calls it.

Think a pool table that got mega-rayed with bowling ball-sized balls on a table that is 15 X 30 feet. Players stand and walk on the felt to make otherwise billiards-type shots by bowling the cue ball. The table is about a foot and a half off the ground. It's safe, fast-paced, and entertaining for others to watch. Let's just say — it's very different, but in a good way.

You can contact him via his website, or Facebook page. Click here or the banner image for the article.

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10 Ways To Guard Against ID Theft


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1. Thieves don't need your credit card number in order to steal it.
Conversely, they don't need your credit card in order to steal your identity. Identity thieves are crafty; sometimes all they need is one piece of information about you and they can easily gain access to the rest. As a result, says Heather Wells, recovery manager at ID Experts, an identity protection company,

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today it's crucial to lock up important documents at home. "Secure birth certificates, Social Security cards, passports, in a safe deposit box or in a safe hidden at home," she says. "And that includes credit cards when not in use."

2. The nonfinancial personal information you reveal online is often enough for a thief.
Beware of seemingly innocent personal facts that a thief could use to steal your identity. For example, never list your full birth date on Facebook or any other social-networking website. And don't list your home address or telephone number on any website you use for personal or business reasons, including job-search sites.



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3. Be careful with your snail mail.
"Follow your billing cycles closely," says Lucy Duni, the vice president of consumer education at TrueCredit. "If a credit card or other bill hasn't arrived, it may mean that an identity thief has gotten hold of your account and changed your billing address." Al Marcella, professor at Webster University's School of Business and Technology in St. Louis, and an expert on identity theft, suggests when you order new checks, you
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pick them up at the bank instead of shipping them to your home. "Stolen checks can be altered and cashed by fraudsters," says Duni. And never place outgoing mail in your post office box or door slot for a carrier to pick up. Anyone can grab it and get your credit card numbers and other financial information. Take it to the post office yourself.

Continue to the rest of the list..

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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Double Shot


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"Uhm yeah I'll take one AK-47, two 9-lugers, 120 rounds for each, a fifth of Jack, two bottles of Jager, and a double shot glass."

"Would you like fries with that?"

What Is So Unusual About This Sign?

OK so the last week or two I've seen this picture posted all over the Interwebnets, grouped with pictures such that there is an implication that it is odd, or unusual, or hilarious, or something.


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These signs are everywhere! ATM drive-thrus, fast food restaurants, airports, and yes bridges. Maybe they're just everywhere in Texas or something, but I just don't understand why everyone thinks this is such a unusual sign. On the contrary, it's very clever, and has been around a long time!

Speaking of drive-thrus...

Crazy Illusion


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No, those dots aren't moving, they're merely changing color.

Ceiling Fan Installation FAIL


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Can you say "oops"? Hope the bulbs are screwed in tight..

One More From The "Why Didn't I Think Of That" File

Information is Beautiful won a Wired contest to re-design the standard medical bloodwork test results – you know, so you could actually understand what they meant. The result is much easier to understand.

From this:


To this:


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Monday, December 27, 2010

For QBs


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Wouldn't this be a great idea for a quarterback? I mean seriously.. A lot of what defenses cue on is the QB's eyes. With good practice (moving only his eyes, and not his head), a good QB could dominate even moreso, right?

Just sayin'..

The Contraction / No Contraction Contradiction


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Thursday:     "Imagine if you could take Kevin Love off Minnesota and add him to another team and you shrink the [league]," James said Thursday. "Looking at some of the teams that aren't that great, you take Brook Lopez or you take Devin Harris off these teams that aren't that good right now and you add him to a team that could be really good. Not saying let's take New Jersey and let's take Minnesota out of the league. But hey, you guys are not stupid, I'm not stupid, it would be great for the league."

My dominant lingering thought was "You are NOT bigger than the league, my friend!"

Today:     James said that he never intended to advocate contraction in recent comments he made about the league's "watered down" talent level compared to the 1980s. "That's crazy, because I had no idea what the word 'contraction' meant before I saw it on the Internet," James said after the Miami Heat's practice Monday. "I never even mentioned that. That word never even came out of my mouth. I was just saying how the league was back in the '80s and how it could be good again. I never said, 'Let's take some of the teams out.' "

My dominant lingering thought is now "You are NOT a very good liar, either."

A Nation Of Wusses

"We've become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything," Rendell added. "If this was in China do you think the Chinese would have called off the game? People would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down." -- Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, regarding the postponement of Sunday night's Vikings/Eagles game until Tuesday night


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When There Just Aren't Enough Gifts Already Under The Tree


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..the dog will always bring you anther gift. This picture still makes me laugh out loud.

Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" - by Jack Conte



This guy is so insanely talented, it's not fair to the rest of the human race. Be sure to check out some of his other stuff at his YouTube page such as Gulf (the one which opens with the page), Ten Thousand Feet per Second, and Kitchen Fork.

Also if you click the video above (taking you to YouTube), you can check out some of his other covers on the right pane, such as James Bond 007 Theme, the Incubus Green Day Mashup, and the Voice Box Video. Do a little clicking around - the guy's got a lot of simply fantastic material!

Here is his website, and you can like him on Facebook, too.