June 2008
You're a fool to buy that new car, and I won't go the movies with you (unless you're paying)
June 22, 2008 - 11:00am | MelvixOne of my most cherished and long-standing chestnuts is this one: How in the hell are all these people who buy new cars affording them? You see new cars everywhere (especially, in my neck of the woods, those awesome new Mustangs). Cristy and I make a reasonable amount of money: we can't afford a new car. But you can? What's your secret? Are you an oil tycoon? Are you one of the ten richest kings of Europe? Will you give me $20,000 if I ask nicely?
There is no secret, though, is there? You're not an oil tycoon. You're not a millionaire. You're probably not even a thousandaire. No, you're in debt up to your eyeballs. You were able to afford a new car because you borrowed the money. You borrowed money, which you will pay interest on, to buy something that loses a huge chunk of its value the second you sign the papers. Good job!
Don't get me wrong: I envy your new car. I truly do. I bet it smells nice inside. But I do not envy your debt. But hey, that's between you and your god, isn't it, you sexy thing in your new car which I cannot afford. I couldn't afford your car if I bought it used.
But the reason I bring all this up is because I have a new gripe: Movie ticket prices. Which have gone up to $10 a pop at my local theater.
You're probably going to drive your new car to the movies this weekend, right? Yes, you are! And you're going to shell out $10 for your ticket to see "The Incredible Hulk."
Ten dollars. For one movie. That doesn't even include snacks.
You've got $10 in your pocket in any case, probably more, so you don't have to take out a loan to go to the movies. That's lucky. Even I could afford that. But you know what? I don't want to pay $10 for a movie. Five dollars: OK. Eight dollars: It's starting to sting. Nine dollars: This movie better be the best movie ever made. Ten dollars: Are you fucking kidding me?
$10 buys an album on iTunes. $10 buys a meal at a Mexican restaraunt. $10 will rent three DVDs at your local chain video rental ripoff store. $10 will buy a lot of things, but is the privilege of seeing Hulk smash things on a large screen really worth $10? No. It is not.
9AM Mexico: Hey, We Warned You!
June 17, 2008 - 7:25am | MelvixFunny transcript of lady trying to have an order shipped to Los Alamos, New Mexico. The people on the other end of the phone insist that they don't ship outside the U.S.
I have never had one of these encounters, but I want to, just to get the funny story out of it. However, I have witnessed this phenomenon: If I tell someone I live in New Mexico, many times they will understand this to mean that I live in Arizona. It's as if there's some kind of mental block that keeps them from recognizing New Mexico as a U.S. state, with a governor and roads and all that.
The flip side of this: When I tell people I grew up in Washington State, they hear "Oregon," and I get asked Oregon questions. Which is no big deal, but, you know, not exactly accurate.
Gallery of 60's and 70's Asian pop record covers
June 13, 2008 - 12:33pm | Melvix
People should still make album art like this (or single art, as the case may be). I love record covers that just have the singer or a model, you know, standing by a tree or a barn or a hut or whatever. Seems like it can't be done anymore without irony though.
(Probably via Boing Boing, but it's been sitting in my bookmarks for a long time, so who knows.)
Why I don't want to live in Santa Fe
June 13, 2008 - 8:24am | MelvixHigh concentration of wackadoos like this:
Time travel back to 1000 A.D.: Survival tips
June 11, 2008 - 9:27am | MelvixAn engrossing discussion about what you'd have to do in order to succeed (or even stay alive) if you were somehow transported back to Europe in 1000 A.D.
Personally I agree with the pessimists among the commenters. Day-to-day life skills and language would be nearly impossible to master in the time you had before you starved or were knocked on the head or burned or drowned or run down by a galloping horse. Where do you go to the bathroom? What if you look the wrong person in the eye, or don't salute the right person? How long would you last if pressed into farm labor?
via Boing Boing
How to chop an onion
June 9, 2008 - 7:23am | MelvixChopping onions is one of those things, like paddling a canoe, that you might think you do well but probably don't. Fortunately for you, YouTube is chock full of videos of onion chopping experts chopping onions. This truly is an age of wonders, isn't it?
Following are some notable YouTube onion-chopping tutorials. Not all of them are notable for their good advice. There is a fair amount of agreement that at least one horizontal slice should be made in the onion, which seems kind of dangerous and unnecessary to me, but what the heck: you only live once.
This one could just as easily be called "How to chop your fingers off."
This one takes a lot of pains to make chopping onion seem as fun and simple as doing your taxes.
This one is straightforward enough and includes only one horizontal slice.
Dani Spies shows you how to chop onion and make deep bloody gashes in the palm of your hand.
A more realistic, real-world approach.
And finally Chef Hung Huynh demonstrates several knife techniques, including chopping an onion. (Although it should be pointed out that he is slicing, not dicing.)
Fishing cat
June 4, 2008 - 11:19am | Melvix
This is probably old hat to you cynical Internet know-it-alls, but I look at this page about once a month so I thought I'd share.
Some Russian couple have a fishing cat living in their home. I can't find any actual information about this particular cat other than that it lives with "a Russian couple," but they've taken a bunch of interesting photos of the cat eating a fish in and what appears to be a chicken, along with some adorable-yet-frightening photos of the fishing cat interacting with a housecat.
This cat weighs 15 kilograms. That's 33 pounds of cat.
Here's an English translation of the page, for what it's worth.
I'm of two minds about keeping a wild animal as a pet. The first: Exotic pets are a bad idea for about 99.9% of people who have them. Do you really need a ferret? Do you really need an iguana? No, you don't. More importantly, the ferret and the iguana don't need you. Dogs and cats need you. The second: There are certain people who are crazy enough to really put the required effort into caring for a wild animal that needs a home for whatever reason. I know because I've seen them on TV. Those people get a pass.
Cool bench made of salvaged materials
June 3, 2008 - 1:28pm | Melvix
This bench is made of salvaged materials, including two chairs. It passes the would-I-have-this-in-my-house (wihtimh) test, in my opinion. More here.
via Boing Boing
