Amazon software error Jul 24, 2009
This is a funny little error from Amazon's Super Hits page: 
[Image: superhits.png]
The backend software that displays the artists' names must've seen a comma and figured it was stored as Last Name, First Name, so it computed
Blood, Sweat & Tears → Sweat & Tears Blood
Earth, Wind & Fire → Wind & Fire Earth
This is why computers will never run the world:  They're only as smart as we tell them to be, and we're fairly dumb. #technology
Football leagues Jul 23, 2009
Mental Floss has an interesting post about secondary football leagues, mentioning, among others, the United Football League, which starts its inaugural season this October and has signed some former NFL players, and the Women's Football Alliance, which started this past spring and already has 36 teams. #sports
Gym parachute Jul 23, 2009
From Once Upon A Win:  The Giant Parachute Game!  This was the reason I went to elementary school.  I'm not quite sure why playing with a parachute was so fun, but it was the most fun thing I've ever done in my life. #education
Sign letters (5) Jul 21, 2009
I wonder what the deal is with signs made up of interchangeable letters.  Do they come in a box with only one full set of letters, so business owners (mostly fast food places) are forced to create words with numbers and upside-down letters?  And if so, how expensive would it be to simply go out and buy another set of letters?  Better yet, why not buy a set of Wheel-of-Fortune-inspired letters that are found in common words (i.e. R, S, T, L, N, E)?  I swear, sometimes I think the world would be perfect if people would just appoint me to be king. #products
Seeking God Jul 21, 2009
If you look for the hand of God in something, you'll find it.  If you look for the hand of something else, you'll find that as well.  It's all about what you're looking for. #religion
Too much AC Jul 17, 2009
Last week it reached a mild 75°F during the day in NJ and dropped down to the high 50s at night, yet the people who live in the house next to mine had their air conditioner on all day and all night.  Maybe it's because I grew up without air conditioning (a habit I still largely keep to this day), or maybe it's because I can use half an ounce of brain power and realize how wasteful it is, but all I could think when I walked out of my house in the morning and heard their stupid air conditioner still churning was:  Open a damn window, ya sissies. #science
Idling planes Jul 16, 2009
As my plane sat on the runway at the end of a long line waiting to take off from Newark Airport last week, I couldn't help but think how futile it seems to own a car that gets good gas mileage, to have installed new windows to better insulate my house and further cut down on energy usage, and to turn off the light in my hallway when I'm not there for five seconds, all the while fifty gigantic, energy-sucking jets sit idling on a runway waiting around for god-knows-what so they can take off.  The power of one = zero.  Change needs to come from above.  (Sorry if that sounds ridiculous and sensational; I couldn't think of a better way to write it.) #science
Flavored flavors Jul 15, 2009
The idea of orange-flavored Craisins baffles me.  I voiced my opinion around some friends and they said it's like putting a lime in a Corona.  But it's not like that at all.  It's more like beer-flavored beer, e.g. Guinness-flavored Corona.  Beer and citrus are complementary flavors.  Orange and cranberry are supplementary. #food
Good movie Jul 15, 2009
I saw There Will Be Blood last night, and I knew I wouldn't like it but I had to prove it to myself.  It's proven.  I didn't like it.  It was a sad story about a greedy, alcoholic oilman.  That's about it.  It seemed to be pretty historically accurate, but I could've gotten the same amount of information from Wikipedia. 

People who like the film say it was full of great acting.  Is that what makes a good movie?  That's like saying a book uses a nice font.  In my opinion, good acting should be expected from a good movie, but it's not what actually makes the movie good.  To say a movie was made good because of its acting is sort of circular logic. 

The other thing critics liked about the movie was that it was original.  That's like saying a book uses unusual words.  That doesn't necessarily make it good.  The opposite is also true:  A tired, unoriginal movie is typically bad (e.g. why make Walk the Line when the exact same movie [Ray] came out one year prior?).  Originality is a positive thing, but it can't be what makes a movie good. 

To me, movies are about entertainment, not art, and entertainment can come in various forms.  Explosions are entertaining.  Unusual information is entertaining.  Plot twists that make your brain hurt are entertaining.  It's not necessarily important what is entertaining, but more the fact that something is entertaining.  Movies like There Will Be Blood just aren't entertaining.  Good acting can't take away the fact that there wasn't much of a plot.  Originality can't take away the fact that there really wasn't much of a purpose (i.e. in the end, I came away with nothing).  For that reason, There Will Be Blood wasn't a good movie, and my initial feeling was correct once again:  Movies that win awards generally aren't good. #entertainment
Secret country music fan Jul 14, 2009
I don't like country music.  It's stupid, predictable, and too shotgun-centric.  I don't watch the country music channel, and I don't know who's who or what's what.  I'm completely uninterested. 

But when I leave the state, I suddenly change my tune.  For some reason, traveling turns me into a country music fan.  It could be because country stations are easy to find on the radio.  It could also be because a large percentage of the population of our country likes country music.  Either way, I'm always eager to find me some Toby Keith and Brooks & Dunn. #entertainment