The Next Phase

Well, it's been some time since my last post, and this one will no doubt fail to make up for that. So, I won't even try. I'm just putting the final touches on my first day of medical school (the picture above is my mom and me after the white coat ceremony), so this seemed like an appropriate time to make a short post. We had a week and a half of orientation preceding today to get us ready, and I think pretty much all of us were ready to get going after all of that. It was important stuff, but you can only absorb so much advice until you just need to jump in and make it happen.

I will relate one quick story about the orientation - one of the days was devoted to a community service project which we signed up for online a few weeks before. I signed up to paint and otherwise refurbish a Red Cross office, but the day before, my group got an email saying that the air conditioning had broken. For our safety, they provided an alternative to suffering through the stifling heat: we would be going door to door installing free smoke alarms in peoples' homes in Kansas City Kansas. My mom, who works in the area, later told me that a woman had been stabbed to death in her apartment literally one block from where we were just two days before we were there. It went off without incident, but I was very uncomfortable. I definitely feel like we made a small difference - we installed 15 smoke detectors in 4 different homes and handed out several others. And, there was one house that had a bunch of small kids living in it that actually had several smoke detectors, but not one of them had batteries. Not even old batteries, just none at all. So, hopefully we made a difference in an area that has a whole lot of house fires every month.

I think that's about all I can muster after a long day of class and studying. More to come in the following days, I just wanted to get the ball rolling again. Here, enjoy Beck at his finest.

Star Wars

This has been making it's way around the interweb the last few days, but I figured I'd post it here in case the 2 people who might read this blog haven't seen it yet. Very funny, original, well-worth 3 minutes and 43 seconds of your time (and keep your eyes peeled for the funniest use of a physics equation ever [which isn't that hard, now that I think about it]). Here's the description they provide on Fishrockit.com- "My friend Amanda had never seen a whole Star Wars film. When I asked her if she would watch the original trilogy with me she said that she would, but that she already knows what happens. So I took out my voice recorder and asked her to start from the top. I then created some very basic animation in Final Cut to go along with her narration. The end product is what you see below:"


Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Merry Christmas/100th Post

Batman Has Sad Christmases
from thehighdefinite.com

Hooray! We've now been rocking your face off for an unprecedented 100 posts! Unprecedented in the history of ever. None of this would be possible without you, the loyal readership, so pat yourselves on the back. From the beginning, way back in August of 2007, we've grown by leaps and bounds, providing nothing but the best drivel and low-brow commentary. In honor of this momentous occasion, I've decided to stay the course (if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and literally tens of hits over the past year and a half don't lie) and make a post just like all the others. Only longer. Enjoy.

First off, a very special treat - you may have seen this, but Drunk Jeff Goldblum is well worth a second look. Videogum was kind enough to compile a list of the 8 Best, so check them out, but here is the original.



Here's a nice post from Hotair.com entitled "Scientists Scoff at AP Global Warming Story." It pretty much sums up what's wrong with the current state of global warming propaganda-alarmism and how it's being used to drive policy. Even if you don't agree with me, you should still read this and make up your own mind about how facts are being manipulated.

And here's a nice little piece on Mr. Obama's pick as his science adviser, proving that you don't need to know science to talk about science. And in case you're wondering, yes, I do know science.

On a lighter note, here's a great blog called Club Trillion - while it is indirectly basketball-related (he very rarely talks about basketball), it is very well written and quite funny. I won't go into his whole story or the meaning of the blog's name, but do yourself a favor and check it out.

If you're having trouble remembering the reason for the season, watch this Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode, the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past. It's a high-quality episode of a hit-or-miss series. Prepare to be heart-warmed.

Here's Videogum.com's list of the 8 worst people of 2008. It's pretty right-on.

Finally, I figured we should end this post the way we started, so here are the 15 Weirdest Jeff Goldblum moments courtesy of Screenjunkies.com. Merry Christmas. Be good to people and don't drink and drive.

Videogum.com

Just a quick heads-up for anyone not aware of this website already, and looking to waste a little time: Videogum.com is a funny, well-written website with a little something for everybody. Here's a taste: I just read a post entitled "Children Have Trouble Cutting Bread the Darndest Things," which I think is an amazing title, especially since the post consisted almost exclusively of the video found below.


Not all of the posts are this ridiculous, but this is a website well worth an occasional visit. I liked this post entitled, "Seth MacFarlane is Not Even the Smartest Person in the Jail Where He Belongs." It's a reaction to Entertainment Weekly's list of the 25 Smartest People in TV, and I couldn't agree more - although he is at least smart enough to stick to his formula which exploits the public's desire for simple, lowest common denominator "humor."

Lastly, here's a great article by Charles Krauthammer about the future of America and what to make of President-elect Obama's appointments. And here's a thoughtful article from the National Journal about GM's past and possible future and how a bailout of the auto industry (excuse me, Automotive Bride Loan) would help/hurt. I'm on the fence. Fortunately, nobody seems to care what people like me think.

Hacks

Here's something that's been around for a while, but it was new to me, so what the heck. Joe Satriani has filed a lawsuit alleging that Coldplay ripped off his work in writing "Viva la Vida." In my opinion, there are far too many similarities (not just key, chord progression and melody, but also intervals from later in the Satriani solo that come up later in the "new" song) to deny, but I don't know anything about copyright law. Having a fairly strong background in music and composition, though, I can tell you that I absolutely believe that Coldplay ripped this off. Pretty disappointing - give this video a watch and make up your own mind.

UPDATE - video fixed 12/25/08

Food Overdose

tiricosuave.com - go there

Well, Thanksgiving went off without a hitch - we were graced with the presence of family and friends and copious amounts of food. I really think I've eaten more in the last week (our Thanksgiving feedings last at least a week) than in the entire last month.

In light of the holidays, I give you this retelling of "A Christmas Story," which uses Plaxico Burress as the main character (from tiricosuave.com, a great sports-related website). It's really funny, with some high-quality photoshop work.

Lastly, here's an article that nobody seems to want to read called "Eight Facts that Burnish Bush's Record." As I think I've stated in the past, I'm not a huge fan of President Bush and many of his policies, but the "Bush derangement syndrome" is very real. He has made many mistakes, but the current trend of blaming absolutely everything on Bush is ridiculous.

Some Cool Stuff

I just came across this list of "Top Ten Amazing Biology Videos" over on Wired.com - it's definitely worth checking out. I've taken the liberty of including the most bizarre one below. It's a Spanish music video about the heart, and it's pretty funny. A few of these videos are sort of genetics-related jokes, which you may or may not need to be a biology nerd to find humorous, but I like them so whatever. On a somewhat-related note, at the bottom is one of my favorite music videos from Familjen. My brother found it a while back and it's awesome. Hopefully, it'll get your toe a-tappin'.

A Couple of Things

Here are a few things that have caught my fancy over the past few days. First, a few examples of the contested congressional ballots up in MN. No real analysis, other than that people who are too stupid to read simple directions shouldn't be surprised when their votes aren't counted. Next, a quick little article about a discovery that could possibly eventually provide direct evidence for the existence of dark matter - potentially game-changing stuff, but still very early. Lastly, I give you (once again by way of Filmdrunk.com) the greatest interview ever. JCVD is a true icon, and truly bizarre. One final note: I am deeply saddened that this season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia has come to an end. If you missed the finale, you really need to watch it; I laughed as hard as I've laughed in a long time. I'll try to keep you posted as to when it makes it's way to Hulu. Until then, I give you... van Dame. He's like poetry in motion.

A Couple of Things

First things first - This is something that I wasn't sure I would post, but ultimately decided to let my (millions of) readers decide for themselves. This is the "How Obama Got Elected" video by John Ziegler. On the surface, it's sour grapes, pure and simple. But I think it's interesting and worth a watch for entertainment value (for conservatives) and also as a commentary on just how much impact the media has on everyday people. Of course, not everyone is this uninformed, and this video implies that all Obama voters were - which is not at all the case. But read this to see the numbers from the Zogby poll which was conducted in conjunction with this video, and also read this to see how he refuted the criticism he has received. Their commentary on this video is far better than anything I can muster - just keep in mind, I've not posted this to mock Obama voters. Again, I see it as proof of the media's bias.



Now, I'm not the hugest Romney fan (I'm down to about 185 now), but I have to say that I agree with him on the auto bailout. Here he is on MSNBC talking about it.



Now, I'm certainly no expert on this, but it seems pretty obvious to me that just about everyone who is for this new bailout is talking about it as what it is - another short-term band-aid. With a government-aided bankruptcy, the auto industry could restructure the way it has needed to for years, and find a way to be profitable and competitive again. Plus, allowing them to go through this (admittedly very painful) restructuring keeps free market, capitalistic ideals in place and refrains from truly opening the bail-out floodgates.

And finally, some lighter fare - do yourself a favor and check out these headshots (plus descriptions). Really funny stuff. I found this over on Filmdrunk.com. If you've never been, go there. Here's a taste.

Star Trek

In case you haven't heard, the new Star Trek trailer is out. I saw it the other day when I went to see the new Bond movie, and now that it's online, I have spent the obligatory 15 minutes poring over it frame-by-frame. I would encourage you to watch it (go here for the official, high-quality goodness). I've got to say, I'm pretty pumped about this. It certainly looks like a special-effects extravaganza. A special-effextravaganza, if you will. Some of it even looks special-extraordinary. I just hope the effects are used special-effectively to service the plot, and not just for special-effect. At any rate, it's a very well put-together trailer, which I very much respect. I've always been a big fan of well constructed trailers (one of my favorites is the teaser trailer for Superman Returns [higher quality here - just scroll down], which brings me to my next point.

When my friends and I were at the theater (inside the lobby, after having our tickets taken), we were greeted by a slick guy who asked us, "Do you like movies?" Unsure of what was happening, we said that yes, we do in fact like movies, and he proceeded to invite us to some sort of focus group thing where they would supposedly screen several movie trailers and then get our input, and pay us $75. He gave us each a piece of paper with the details, and on the back of each, he scrawled his name (John) and his personal number. I asked who was putting the thing on and he replied (somewhat coyly), "A major movie studio." Sounded too good to be true, but we took the papers and left. Unfortunately, none of us were able to make it to the shindig; I really would have liked to have seen what it was all about (and I looked up the agency who was doing the research - they were reputable). The thing that kind of gave us a bad feeling about it, though, was that not only did John give us his personal number, but he also said (in a way that made it seem like it had slipped out) that the group was all male. Now, that surely was just the demographic that they were looking for, but to aid in your understanding of the situation, I've produced the following picture of my recollection of John. [ Please note that as my lame-ass brother has yet to provide me with Photoshop, I had to use a crappy online drawing program. So this is far below my usual level of artistry.] I guess I will always have to look back on this time with the bittersweet sorrow of missed opportunities. Or maybe the address on the sheet would have taken me to John's personal cabin out in the woods... (click the picture to enlarge and enhance the quality [image quality, not artistic quality])

Bond

First things first - I had a lovely afternoon/evening with some friends which included a viewing of the new Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace." It was a very solid movie, with a great deal of action to enjoy, though it was a bit convoluted at times. I definitely like Daniel Craig as Bond, and I really think that his performance did a lot to carry the movie.

Now for the real business - I've had these links ready to go, cluttering my browser for the last few days, and now it's time to post them. First, a couple of posts about the recount debacle up in MN. Pretty unbelievable stuff going on up there (especially since it was Al Franken who complained the most when GW Bush "stole" the election in '04; now that seems to be exactly what he's trying to do). Here's Megyn Kelly (who's amazing, but terrifyingly intimidating) interviewing Gov. Pawlenty about the whole mess. And here's a nice bit about exactly how Franken is trying to steal this election - by lying about 80 year-old stroke victims. Finally, here's Glenn Beck with a good breakdown of the numbers for all of the squirelly goings on up there.

Next, something truly unbelievable. Apparently, the FEC is planning to audit McCain's campaign (which is standard practice for campaigns which utilize the $84 million public grant), but not Obama's, in part, "...because the sheer volume of cash he raised and spent minimizes the significance of his errors." So, in spite of all of the irregularities in the fundraising, and the campaign's refusal to name the small donors, the Obama campaign will not be audited essentially because Mr. Obama went back on his word when he decided not to take the public funds. This is not sour grapes, for the record - it just doesn't make any sense to me.

And finally, in an attempt to end on a positive note, here are the guys from "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" learning how to "speak British." Enjoy.

In Case You Missed It

If you don't watch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, shame on you. It's easily the funniest show on TV these days (which isn't that hard), and well worth your time. Here's a clip to whet your whistle until next Thursday at 9pm Central. In it, Dee is trying to realize her dream of becoming an actor by paying her dues as a stand-up comic. By the way, Hulu.com is amazing.



Also, enjoy this clip.

Fava Beans and a Nice Chianti

In case you haven't met my dad, he's huge. He also played football in college (at Tulsa University), and as a result of that and his various other (mis)adventures, he has had some ankle trouble. They are basically the size of grapefruits. So, a few days ago, he had one of them operated on. He's doing fine; still in some pain, but he's able to moderate the use of painkillers now to the point where he's lucid. What's really noteworthy here is that the surgeon let him keep all of the crap that he removed from the joint. Before you look at the pictures below, do a couple of things - first, make sure you aren't eating; and second, look down at your own ankle to get a feel for the approximate size of the joint, paying special attention to how much bone you think could be removed and still have a functional joint. Now, here are the pictures, served on a salad plate with a fork for reference. (Click to enlarge. You know you want to.)


The second image (with the lovely garnish, supplied by my twisted mom), was taken by my brother. It should be noted that we are, for the first time in history, using a team-coverage tactic for this story. Check out his work here, and leave a nasty comment for him about how much better my blog is. In case you're wondering, most of the material that was removed from my dad's ankle is bone spur, which has been accumulating in the joint for many years. So that's that - I will take a picture of his ankle after the bandages are removed to show how slim and sexy it is now. Until then, I will follow my brother's lead and provide the following palate-cleansing picture. Enjoy.

Bummer

I just heard that Michael Crichton passed away, and I've got to say, this is really a tremendous loss. He was one of the most brilliant and prolific writers of our time, and his work has a special place in my heart. As a kid, I probably read Jurassic Park 10 times in 4 years, and I've seen the movie at least as many times, and several of his other books are also in my top 20. What a bummer.

The People Have Spoken

Congratulations to all who voted, and of course to Barack Obama. This truly is a great and momentous occasion, and while he wasn't my guy in this election, I am still proud of what our great country has accomplished. This is undeniable proof of how far we as a country have come and the progress we've made towards true equality for all. Furthermore, Mr. Obama ran a great campaign, and his supporters should be very pleased. I truly hope that he is a great president - we really need strong leadership at this point in history, and I am confident that President Obama can provide it. I hope that he can use his power and influence for the good of all Americans, and most importantly, that he can make the difficult decisions necessary to protect our great nation. I hope and pray that he will lead us proudly into the future. This truly is a proud day for America.