MC5 - Kick Out the Jams

Shabbas

Jefferson Airplane - We Can Be Together

Buffalo Springfield - For What it's Worth

lonelyterrorist15

Spontaneous Paris Tube Concert

Daft Punk Charleston

Railside Graffiti Animation

Olga Korbut's 1972 Performance

Ike and Tina on the Big TNT Show

Larry David's Life Flashes Before His Eyes

Two O'Clock Trailers - The Maltese Falcon

Japanese Scarecrows

Photos of mannequins used as scarecrows in rural Gifu Japan. Set to Harry Lubin's "FEAR"

Quick Poll Question

All Known Bodies in the Solar System Larger than 200 Miles in Diameter

Simon and Garfunkel

All of the Doctor Who Intros

Subscribe to Comments

Napoleon Dynamite Goes Bollywood

Diversity Day at The Office

Otters Holding Hands

Samurai Sword vs. Bottle of Tea

What We Call the News

Just Call Me "Spike"

Two O'Clock Trailers - Blacula

Legoland's Vegas Strip

Southern California theme park Legoland has constructed a gigantic replica of the Vegas strip using 20 million tiny plastic bricks. Notable features include the smooth pyramid shaped LuXor, a 20 foot tall replica of Stratosphere, working roller coasters, showgirls and... get this... Lego Porn Slappers.

It took 15 designers over 3 years to design and build the Lego Vegas at the Lego headquarters in Billund, Denmark. The Lego Vegas attraction opens March 29th.

Prison Weapons

Project Alpha

Project Alpha was a hoax orchestrated by magician and skeptic James Randi. It involved the "planting" of two fake psychics, Steve Shaw and Michael Edwards, into a paranormal research project. The researchers became convinced that the pair's psychic powers were real. The hoax was later revealed publicly, leading to a backlash against the entire paranormal field.

The success of Project Alpha led Randi to use variations of the technique on several other occasions. Perhaps the most famous example led to the downfall of TV evangelist and faith healer Peter Popoff, when Randi had a male postman pose as a woman with uterine cancer, which Popoff happily "cured". In another example, Randi hired a performance artist to pose as a channeller known as "Carlos", who was presented on Australian television and soon had a wide following. After this hoax was exposed the artist was constantly approached by people who believed him to be "real", even if he told them directly that he was an actor.

Anti-Pastafarian Bigotry

A student has been suspended from school in America for coming to class dressed as a pirate.

But the disciplinary action has provoked controversy – because the student says that the ban violates his rights, as the pirate costume is part of his religion.

Bryan Killian says that he follows the Pastafarian religion, and that as a crucial part of his faith, he must wear 'full pirate regalia' as prescribed in the holy texts of Pastafarianism.

The school, however, say that his pirate garb was disruptive.

Pastafarians follow the Flying Spaghetti Monster , and believe that the world was created by the touch of his noodly appendage. Furthermore, they acknowledge pirates as being 'absolute divine beings', and stress that the worldwide decline in the number of pirates has directly led to global warming.

Canned Heat - Little Red Rooster

Canned Heat - On the Road Again

Be a Man!!

The 485,460-Calorie Messiah

Man cannot live on bread alone, but if he were to consume Cosimo Cavallaro's newest creation he could live off of Jesus -- for approximately eight months. An oddball artist known for his "eclectic" forms of expression, Cavallaro's latest contribution to culture is a six-foot tall, anatomically-correct milk-chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ. His confectionary Christ is made with more than 200 pounds of chocolate, containing approximately 480,000 calories. (The artistic endeavor titled, "My Sweet Lord," can also give you 3,240 percent of the Vitamin A you need each day.)

Cavallaro is an artist fond of working with food; his most infamous installation up until now was his exhibition in 1999, which involved covering Room 114 of New York City's Washington Jefferson Hotel in melted mozzarella cheese. If consumed, the junk food Jesus would fill you with 32,000 grams of fat, which is enough to insulate you for well over a year. This Jesus is sure to pack on the pounds, but is this art really food for thought...or just a publicity stunt passing as art?

John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom Boom

Threat Alert Jesus

This incredible invention receives signals directly from the Dept. of Homeland Security anywhere within the continental U.S., and changes color the moment the national threat level is updated.

This beautifully sculpted figurine is molded out of high impact plastic and comes with full instructions. Requires two 'AA' size batteries (not included). Get one for every room in your house. Even works in your car!

Hot Tuna - Candyman

Evangelicals Distribute 350,000 anti-Mormon DVDs

Evangelical Christians claimed they distributed 350,000 anti-Mormon DVDs in Utah on Sunday, hoping to convince members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that the church is a non-Christian cult.

They said they gave out another 150,000 across the U.S. and Canada - about a half-million altogether.

Hundreds of volunteers placed the discs, which feature a picture of the church founder Joseph Smith and the Salt Lake temple, on doorknobs in a white plastic bag that said, "Good News for LDS." Others handed out the bags after Monday night's Jazz game in downtown Salt Lake City. Some confused it with the LDS Church's own promotional material rather than seeing the DVD as a critique of Mormon beliefs.

Advice from a Kid on Monsters

Japanese Restaurant with Goldfish Swimming in the Deep-Fryer

You have to see this video! This is a restaurant in Japan that has a goldfish tank - INSIDE THE DEEP FRYER! And the goldfish is actually alive and well, swimming around totally oblivious of the 162° C hot oil floating above them.

The reason why this is possible is that oil floats on water. The burning hot oil therefor floats on top of the water where the goldfish is. So as long as they don’t try to “jump” out of the water, everything is fine. They can live inside an active, working deep-fryer for 5-10 years! The bonus is that all the crumbs and leftovers from whatever is being deep-fried sinks down to the goldfish.

Thank God My Baby Died

Thank God My Husband Cheated On Me
Thank God I Can't Conceive Children
Thank God I Went To Jail/Prison
Thank God I Was Scammed
Thank God I Was Raped
Thank God I Was Sexually Molested
Thank God I Masturbate
Thank God I Have HIV/Aids
Thank God I Have/Had Cancer
Thank God My Wife Died
Thank God My Husband Died
Thank God My Dad Died
Thank God My Mom Died
Thank God My Baby Died

Thank God I Am A Bitch

Two O'Clock Trailers - Rear Window

Dan Rather's Segment on the 1972 Republican Re-Election Effort

Taiwanese Gangster makes commercial to threaten rival

An alleged Taiwanese gangster has chosen a novel way of threatening the life of a rival: He sent a video to a local TV station in which he promises to kill him the next time they meet.

Chou Cheng-bao, reputedly a member of the Celestial Way Gang, sent the video to Cable Station TVBS on Monday, less than two weeks after police say he was involved in a shoot-out with other members of the gang at a pub in the central Taiwanese city of Taichung.

The video was broadcast repeatedly on Taiwanese cable news stations Tuesday.

American Girl Place Mocks 6 Year-Old For Having A Doll From Target, Refuses To Style The Doll's Hair

"This isn't a real doll!" the stylist exclaimed. (Thank your stylist!--we never would have had the heart to explain it that way!). And to prove that a fake doll isn't worth the plastic she's molded out of, she refused to do the doll's hair. I'm not sure exactly what's in it for your company, because you still stood to make $20 off of my daughter for doing the fake doll's hair. I have two thoughts on that. Either her $20 wasn't worth the same as someone else's $20 (in which case I've learned something new too!) OR it was worth the $20 to you to be able to be the one to break the news to, I mean, to *enlighten* my little girl. You do promise to teach little girls, don't you? And she cried and cried and cried, and your stylist held her ground. That was a good lesson for her too. That feelings don't have a place in "the heart of Manhattan's prestigious shopping neighborhood.

Infamous moments in Saturday Night Live history

October 30, 1976, John Belushi accidentally gashed Buck Henry on the forehead with a sword during one of his samurai sketches ("Samurai Stockbroker"). Henry had to wear a bandage for the remainder of the show. The rest of the cast also wore bandages on their foreheads for the rest of the show, as a running gag.

On November 9, 1985, magicians Penn & Teller appeared on the show, performing their infamous Water Tank Trick for the first time. Unknown to anybody at the time of the act, Teller's mechanism had failed, leaving him locked under water for over ten minutes with an almost fatally low air supply. It wasn't until after Marc Garland unlocked the tank that anyone knew that anything had gone wrong.

When Gwyneth Paltrow hosted in 2001, a TV Funhouse cartoon featuring Michael Jackson was aired. The cartoon featured numerous comical attempts by Jackson to come in contact with young boys. It was only shown on the East Coast, while on the West Coast, a cartoon featuring Pat Robertson hosting the 700 Club and showing a fake cartoon called Harry the Embryonic Cell. The reason for the substitution was not announced, but the Michael Jackson cartoon can be seen on the Internet, while most SNL fan sites have no trace of the Pat Robertson cartoon.

Art For God

Stephen Sawyer is internationally known for his "Art for God" series. The reproductions can be found in over 100 countries and in every state of the union. His Christian art has been featured on the front page of the New York Times, appeared in the Wall Street Journal, and been featured in virtually every major city in America. His Christian paintings have been seen on the TODAY Show during a spirited discussion about the changing face of Christ. Stephen has promoted the life and teachings of Jesus with his art in over 400 newspapers and hundreds of radio stations here and abroad.

Quentin Tarantino and Roberto Rodriguez's Top 10 Favorite Movie Posters

Hacking John McCain

If you visit John McCain's MySpace page (as of 9am PST Tuesday morning), you will notice an interesting announcement from him. He's apparently reversed his position on gay marriage as well as revealed a bias towards attractive lesbians.

Why would a presidential candidate make such an important announcement on his MySpace page?

The answer? He wouldn't.

But I would.

You see, John McCain's people commandeered my world-renowned MySpace design template and did a few things wrong:

ABC News' Jennifer Parker Reports: In what is perhaps a new weapon in campaign digital media warfare, the MySpace page of presidential candidate Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., was hacked Tuesday.

"All I can say right now is that we're investigating," said Matt David, a spokesperson for McCain's 2008 White House bid.

According to the webblog TechCrunch, which tracks new Internet products and sites, McCain's MySpace page profile included a pranked letter on Tuesday morning that read: "Dear Supporters, Today I announce that I have reversed my position and come out in full support of gay marriage … particularly marriage between two passionate females."

News of the hack spread across digital media sites today such as Newsvine, TechCrunch and TechPresident....

..."I'm not surprised by this at all," said Andrew Rasiej, cofounder of TechPresident, a web site that tracks how the '08 candidates are using new media and the Internet.

"This just goes to show that the Internet is an entirely new battlefield for many of these candidates and they are going to have to develop sophisticated new responses to deal with them," said Rasiej.

Supermodel Poses Nude To Prove Naked Photos on Internet are Fake

Supermodel Vida Guerra has decided to pose nude for men's magazine, Playboy, to demonstrate that her naked photographs on the internet are fake.

The bootylicious model- turned-actress agreed to bare all for Playboy last year, after rejecting quite a lot of offers from various magazines.

Her false images on the internet provoked Vida to unclothe herself totally and show fans the real Guerra.

Peanut Butter, The Atheist's Nightmare

Public Access and Gorgeous George

An obnoxious public access television host gets belittled on his own call-in show by goons from Something Awful.

Let's Paint,Exercise,& Blend Drinks TV!

More Public Access

Pranking Public Access

Two O'Clock Trailers - Taxi Driver

God's Dupes

PETE STARK, a California Democrat, appears to be the first congressman in U.S. history to acknowledge that he doesn't believe in God. In a country in which 83% of the population thinks that the Bible is the literal or "inspired" word of the creator of the universe, this took political courage.

Of course, one can imagine that Cicero's handlers in the 1st century BC lost some sleep when he likened the traditional accounts of the Greco-Roman gods to the "dreams of madmen" and to the "insane mythology of Egypt."

Mythology is where all gods go to die, and it seems that Stark has secured a place in American history simply by admitting that a fresh grave should be dug for the God of Abraham — the jealous, genocidal, priggish and self-contradictory tyrant of the Bible and the Koran. Stark is the first of our leaders to display a level of intellectual honesty befitting a consul of ancient Rome. Bravo.

Instant Laser Coffee

Am I Spock or Not

Stop Motion Lego Super Mario Bros.

Profile of the Founder of Untours

Hal Taussig wears baggy jeans and fraying work shirts that Goodwill might reject. His shoes have been resoled three times. He bought his one suit from a thrift shop for $14.

At age 81, he doesn't own a car. He performs errands and commutes to the office by bicycle.

He lives on the outskirts of Media in a narrow wood-frame house that was built for mill and factory workers.

And he has given away millions.

Given the fortune that Taussig has made through Untours, his unique travel business, and has given away through the Untours Foundation, you could call him the Un-millionaire. If he so chose, he could be living in a Main Line mansion and driving a Mercedes. But he considers money and what he calls "stuff," beyond what he needs to survive, a burden, an embarrassment.

"He really walks the talk," says Judy Wicks, owner of the White Dog Cafe and a fellow member of the Social Venture Network, which applies capital to enterprises that reduce poverty and advance social justice.

"A lot of people donate money to the less fortunate but live in high style themselves. Hal sacrifices in his own life by living very simply in order to have more money to give away."

In many respects, he's a 21st-century Thoreau. "Let your capital be simplicity and contentment," the sage of Walden Pond wrote. "Those are my sentiments precisely," says Taussig, who has three children, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren...

..."If capitalism is good, it should be good for the poor," Taussig declares. "I invest in entrepreneurial efforts to help poor people leverage themselves out of poverty."

Cat Sounds

People Banned From SNL

* Charles Grodin has never been asked back to host after he gave a clumsy performance. In October 1977, on his one appearance on the show, Grodin missed rehearsal, stumbled his way through the show, and ad-libbed many of his lines.

* On December 17, 1977, Elvis Costello and the Attractions performed as a last-minute replacement for the Sex Pistols, who were unable to obtain passports. NBC and the show's producer Lorne Michaels didn't want the band to perform "Radio Radio", since the song protests the state of the media. The band defied them by beginning to play their song "Less Than Zero", stopping, with Costello telling the audience that there was no reason to do that song, and telling the band to play "Radio Radio" instead. It infuriated Michaels because it put the show off schedule, and the band were barred from performing again.

* Chevy Chase was banned from hosting the show again after the February 15, 1997 episode due to his verbal abuse of the cast and crew during the week. Chase became notorious for his treatment of certain cast members when hosting past episodes, particularly his remarks to openly gay cast member Terry Sweeney.

Note: In 1985, Chase suggested that a perfect skit for Sweeney would be one in which he plays an AIDS victim who gets weighed every week. Chase's abusive behavior during the 1985 episode and other episodes are detailed in the Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live book.

How do you prove photography to a blind man?

That was the question I was asked: how would you prove to a blind man, that photography exists?

I knew what he was getting at. We had been discussing psychics. He was a firm believer in psychic powers, had had psychic experiences, and regularly visited a psychic. His point was, since I had not experienced psychic powers, I would never be able to believe in what he "knew" to be true. You could never prove to a blind man that photography exists, and likewise no one would ever be able to demonstrate to me that psychic powers were real.

It took me about ten seconds to think of a way to show he was wrong.

An Interview With Battlestar Galactica's Composer

Great question and observations! The toughest decision with BG was about the initial concept of using ancient music. We decided to score the show with music from early cultures from around the world. This includes the Japanese taikos, middle eastern woodwinds and Celtic whistles and pipes. Honestly, deciding when to use what was sort of arbitrary after that. The taikos are great for war. Being half Scotch/Irish and half Armenian, I brought in the duduk and bagpipes respectively, simply as a way to represent my own heritage. The duduk has a mournful quality and the bagpipes fit perfectly in “Hand of God.” I basically adapt freely with each new episode and see what kind of music the story requires. As for a new Cylon theme, the “Number 6” theme is pretty effective, I can’t imagine needing to create a new one. But you never know. We’ll see what happens next season.

Exploring Linda Vista Hospital

We made this expedition over two nights: night 1 to scout and find a point of entry, night 2 to actually explore inside (though, it actually turned into two nights because we sort of overlooked an obvious entrance point on night 1; also we were spooked by a hobo).

Doll Sandwich

The 10 Worst Rap Album Covers Ever Made

These are all real. (Feel free to search Amazon or Google for them.) They have not been edited in any way except for size. If you click on them, they will bring you to the full sized version. I highly recommend doing this since you cannot truly appreciate these works of art at low resolution. They are numbered in descending order from bad to worst.

Martin Scorsese's Sesame Streets

254 Uses For Vinegar

1. Used as a hair rinse, vinegar neutralizes the alkali left by shampoos. A reader says 'it will give your hair an all out shine!'

2. A quarter cup in a quart of water makes a good window cleaner. A reader adds: When you use vinegar in your water to wash windows, dry with newspapers. Your windows will sparkle!

3. Fabric softener and static cling reducer - use as you would liquid fabric softener.

4. Air freshener, used with baking soda - use 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon vinegar and 2 cups of water. After it stops foaming, mix well, and use in a (recycled) spray bottle into the air.

5. Chewing gum dissolver - saturate the area with vinegar. If the vinegar is heated, it will work faster.

Email Exchange Between Military Recruiter and a Gay Guy

Andrew: Awesome! Sounds great! The US Military has so many vacant positions and opportunities. I had no idea. I'm seriously considering contacting you. One thing, I'm not up on current politics but since its 2007, I would imagine also that I am now able to serve in the US military as an openly gay man, right?

Ramode: WELL IF YOU ARE GAY WE DON'T TAKE YOU. YOU ARE CONSIDERED UNQUALIFIED.

Andrew: Wow! Unqualified to serve my country just because I'm gay? It's because they think I might all of a sudden desire one last kiss from my fellow male solider if ever facing death at the hands of the enemy in a fox hole, isn't?... Funny, the US Government doesn't mind taking my "gay" dollars every tax season or out of my paycheck every two weeks. I'm stunned that the US ARMY could afford to be so choosey when I see sergeants on my school campus and in the local shopping Mall...begging teenagers to enlist.

Ramode: YOU ARE DEFINITELY UNQUALIFIED, NOW TAKE YOU GAY SELF SOMEPLACE ELSE WE DO NOT TOLERATE GAY PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN ANY PART OF THE MILITARY. AND IF IT BOTHERS YOU PAYING TAXES THEN MIGRATE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY.... AND IF IT BOTHERS YOU ABOUT THE US MILITARY RECRUITING THEN YOU GO TELL THE BOARD OF EDUCATION .... AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE RECRUITERS RECRUITING IN FRONT YOU HIGH SCHOOL THEN COMPLAIN TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OR BETTER YET TRY COMPLAINING TO MAYOR BLOOMBERG AND SEE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY... YOU SHOULD SAY THANK YOU MILITARY PEOPLE FOR WHAT YOU DO SO THAT YOU CAN LIVE A FREE LIFE IN THIS COUNTRY. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE.

Two O'Clock Trailers - Raging Bull

The Book Behind the Movie "300"

The Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus is considered the first work of history in Western literature. Written about 440 BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories tells the story of the war between the Persian Empire and the Greek city-states in the 5th century BC. Herodotus travelled extensively around the ancient world, conducting interviews and collecting stories for his book. The Histories is divided into nine books, each named after one of the Muses. The rise of the Persian Empire is chronicled, and the causes for the conflict with Greece. Herodotus treats the conflict as an ideological one, frequently contrasting the absolute power of the Persian king with the democratic government of the Greeks.

Pancakes for Junkies

2007 Pig Book Summary

There is still enough pork to cause concern for taxpayers, as 2,658 projects were stuffed into the Defense and Homeland Security Appropriations Acts, at a cost of $13.2 billion. Pork identified in the Pig Book since 1991 totals $252 billion. Defense had 2,618 projects, or 204 less than in 2006, at a cost of $10.8 billion, or 28 percent less than the $14.9 billion in 2006. For homeland security, the totals were $2.4 billion, or 10 percent less than the $2.7 billion in 2006, and 40 projects, or five more than in 2006.

While only two bills were enacted, the states of Alaska and Hawaii, which have been the top two states in pork per capita every year but one since 2000, were served more then their fair share of bacon by Senators Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii). In the defense appropriations bill alone, Alaska received $209,900,000, a 127 percent increase over the total of $92,425,000 in 2006.

Controversial KFC Ad

The United States isn't the only country that has nosy parents with too much time of their hands. Over 1,500 Brits complained about this KFC TV spot, which they claim encourages children to sing with food in their mouths.

The Most Expensive Things on Amazon

Magazines: Comprehensive Data Base of US Chemical Patents. 12 months for $71,722. I knew this would end up being something other than what normal people consider magazines.

Toys: A city-park-size playground system for $32,229.59. The most expensive toy for a single child is an electric monster truck for $13,800. For that I bet the kid would have more fun with a real, yet not monster, truck.

Scientology vs. Science

Even before I start writing this column, and pretty much regardless of what I say, I know I am going to tick off the Scientologists. I know this because I have ticked them off already.

A few days ago, I visited their new anti-psychiatry museum in Hollywood, thinking, correctly, that it would offer an intriguing window into the thinking of a notoriously secretive organization. With a name like “Psychiatry: Industry of Death,” the exhibit was not exactly going to be coy about its point of view.

About halfway through the lengthy parade of videos and visual displays – after I had been informed of psychiatry’s long-standing “master plan” for world domination, after the lecture about Adolf Hitler’s central role in making this plan a reality, but just before the display holding psychiatry to blame for the deaths of Ernest Hemingway, Del Shannon, Billie Holiday, Kurt Cobain, Spalding Gray, and just about every other entertainment celebrity who did not happen to die of strictly natural causes – a man in a gray shirt and matching tie approached me in the semi-darkness and asked me to step aside.

Slate's Ze Frank Profile

Sadly, most blogs have an audience in the single digits. And most video blogs, unless made by an attractive woman, have a likely audience of one. But the 34-year-old Ze Frank defied these statistics and achieved laptop celebrity. Over the past year, he has created a five-day-a-week show, called The Show, that's composed of monologues spoken into a camera. The Show ended last week, at the 365-day mark. At roughly three minutes per episode, that adds up to 18 hours of improvised insights and cult creation. It's the best sustained comedy run in the history of the Web. Too bad it's over. And irreproducible.

Ze Frank tasted Internet stardom early. In 2001, he made a party invitation of funny dance moves for a few friends. The invite went viral, and he had the experience of refreshing his e-mail to find 60 to 70 new messages from around the world. He was a network star, and the attention was addictive. The dance thing, however, was a fluke. The real challenge would be to create that kind of attention purposefully, from scratch. He quit his job and built up his personal Web site. He had a few successes, but nothing on the level of The Show.

Dinner in the Sky

A unique event meant for anyone who wishes to transform an ordinary meal or meeting into a magical moment that will leave a lasting impression on their guests!

Dinner in the Sky takes place at a table suspended at a height of 50 metres by a team of professionals. Benji Fun, our partner in this event, is the worldwide leader for this type of activities.

Apparently, you can't eat Western cake and have it too.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY — A German judge has stirred a storm of protest by citing the Quran in turning down a German Muslim’s request for a speedy divorce on the ground that her husband beat her. …the judge, Christa Datz-Winter, noted that the couple came from a Moroccan cultural milieu, in which it is common for husbands to beat their wives. The Quran, she wrote in her decision, sanctions such abuse. The ruling was condemned by politicians, legal experts and Muslim leaders in Germany, many of whom said they were confounded that a German judge would put seventh-century Islamic religious teaching ahead of German law in deciding a case of domestic violence. The court in Frankfurt removed Datz-Winter from the case on Wednesday, saying it could not justify her reasoning…Muslim leaders agreed that Muslims living here must be judged by the German legal code…

Northern Oirish Boy

The Translator

Away for the Weekend

The Ronettes

NY Times Profile of Paul Rudolph

Much later I learned that it was the work of Paul Rudolph, a Kentucky-born architect who, in the second half of the 20th century, produced a remarkable series of buildings, virtually all of them of concrete poured into shapes so complex that users were both exhilarated and mystified, often at the same time. When he died in 1997, he was lauded as a homegrown talent who had adapted the ideas of European modernists — like Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe — into a uniquely American body of work....

If Rudolph’s buildings aren’t as highly valued as those of some of his contemporaries, that’s in part because they aren’t as well understood. But it isn’t difficult to become familiar with Rudolph’s prodigious output. In a Rudolph-themed road trip last month, with New York as a base, I was able to see nearly a dozen of his buildings in three days.

Rudolph’s earliest buildings are in and around Sarasota, where he worked in the 1950s after studying architecture at Harvard and serving in the Brooklyn Navy Yard during World War II. His final works are in Singapore and Hong Kong, where he was welcomed after falling out of favor with American developers. But much of his midcareer output is in the Northeast, where I made my pilgrimage. (Manhattan, Rudolph’s home for decades, has three Rudolph buildings, all town houses, but two are never open to the public and the third, completed after his death, offers only a glimpse of his talent.)

The largest of Rudolph’s works in the United States is the campus of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, in southeastern Massachusetts, built in the 1960s, after Rudolph’s tenure of six years as dean of the Yale architecture school. As a young man, Rudolph had visited medieval towns in Europe, and at Dartmouth he created the equivalent in poured concrete: two vast, twisting buildings circle a campanile. At a time when modernism was largely about mass production, Rudolph went the opposite route, sculpturing a seemingly limitless variety of forms. Inside, the trip from one room to another can take you up and down six different stairways.

The Womb Raider

So You Want To Be An Astronaut?

Damaris Sarria wants to fly in space, and the shuttle engineer is on a fast track that ultimately could lead to orbit.

What's more, you can follow her endeavor on the Internet. She's running a blog called "How I Am Becoming An Astronaut."

"I started the blog my first week out here at Kennedy Space Center. The intent of it is to keep a personal diary of what I am doing to become an astronaut," said Sarria, 25.

"But it's also a way for the readers of the blog to kind of see the areas that I am seeing here. And it's a motivational tool to encourage those who do have a dream not to give up -- to go ahead and pursue it no matter what obstacles might come in their way."

A thermal protection system engineer with Boeing Co., Sarria takes her readers to restricted areas all over the spaceport.

NASA Predicts Monster Solar Cycle Maximum

This week researchers announced that a storm is coming--the most intense solar maximum in fifty years. The prediction comes from a team led by Mausumi Dikpati of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). "The next sunspot cycle will be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one," she says. If correct, the years ahead could produce a burst of solar activity second only to the historic Solar Max of 1958.

Mickey D Chicken Nuggets are 56% corn

But perhaps the most alarming ingredient in a Chicken McNugget is tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, an antioxidant derived from petroleum that is either sprayed directly on the nugget or the inside of the box it comes in to "help preserve freshness." According to A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e. lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to use sparingly in our food: It can comprise no more than 0.02 percent of the oil in a nugget. Which is probably just as well, considering that ingesting a single gram of TBHQ can cause "nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse." Ingesting five grams of TBHQ can kill.

You're Fired!

Left Behind Video Game Update

When Left Behind Games launched its convert-or-die videogame Left Behind: Eternal Forces on November 7, 2006, its stock traded at a peak price of $7.44 per share. Breathless boosters at RedChip issued a "strong buy" recommendation and predicted that within 18 months, the stock would soar to as much as $18.70 per share. Really?

In fact, Left Behind Games' stock chart looks like a ski slope. Not a gentle bunny hill, but a World Cup grand slalom course, groomed for a world-beating downhill run. Today, you could buy a share of Left Behind Games for a quarter -- with change left over. On March 21, 2007, the stock closed at 18 cents a share....

Although game sales have brought in some revenue, the stock has yet to earn a dime of profit, according to the latest quarterly report of Left Behind Games, filed on February 20, 2007. And, according to the quarterly report, "As of December 31, 2006... we had $698,763... of deferred salaries due to our officers." Moreover, in December 2006 and January 2007, a corporate officer made two interest-free loans, totaling $23,000, to help the enterprise with "working capital."

And the road ahead looks even bumpier. For example, the firm is obligated to pay Bible publisher Tyndale House, by March 31, 2007, a hefty $750,000 royalty payment for licensing the game, which is based on the best-selling and profoundly bigoted Left Behind novels co-authored by Southern Baptist minister Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.

He Hates These Cans!

Homeowners' Association in TN Bans Firearms on Properties

ANTIOCH, Tenn.- Some people in a Nashville neighborhood are furious over a new rule that makes it illegal to own a gun.

Residents in Nashboro Village said it's unconstitutional and leaves them defenseless.

Two weeks ago, residents received a letter from their homeowners' association indicating that guns are not allowed on the property.

"It thought it was ironic that they say you can't have something when the United States government says you can," said resident Cristina Salajanu.

Salajanu would like to give her neighborhood management company a history lesson.

"I think it's unconstitutional," Salajanu said. "They can't tell you what to own or not to own in your own house."

Salajanu is talking about the Bill of Rights, specifically the Second Amendment, which grants citizens the right to keep and bear arms. It's been an American freedom for 215 years but Salajanu and other residents said it's been taken away from them.

"Something needs to be done," she said.

Two weeks ago, the property management company at Nashboro Village told its residents no more guns on the property.

22 Month Old Kid Kicking Ass in Wii Tennis

William Kemmler

Witnesses remarked Kemmler was composed at his execution; he did not scream, cry or resist in any way. He sat down on the chair, but was ordered up by the warden, Charles Durston, so a hole could be cut in his suit, through which second lead of electricity could be attached. This was done, and then Kemmler sat down again. He was strapped at the chair, his face was covered and the metal restraint put on his bare head, saying "Take it easy and do it properly, I'm in no hurry." Durston replied "Goodbye William" and ordered the switch thrown.

The generator was charged with the 1,000 volts, which was assumed to be adequate to induce quick unconsciousness and heart stoppage. The chair had already been thoroughly tested; a horse had been successfully electrocuted the day before.

Kemmler was electrocuted for 17 seconds. Witnesses reported the smell of burning flesh and several nauseated spectators fled the room. The power was turned off and Kemmler was declared dead.

However, witnesses noticed Kemmler was still breathing. The attending physicians, Dr. Edward Charles Spitzka and Dr. Carlos F. Macdonald, came forward to examine Kemmler. After confirming Kemmler was still alive, Spitzka reportedly called out, "Have the current turned on again, quick — no delay."

In the second attempt, Kemmler was shocked with 2,000 volts. Blood vessels under the skin ruptured and bled and his body caught fire.

In all, the entire execution took approximately eight minutes. Westinghouse later commented: "They would have done better using an axe." A reporter who witnessed it also said it was "an awful spectacle, far worse than hanging."

Whiz Kids

Sledge Hammer

Nuclear Tests to the 1812 Overture

Misfits of Science

Practicing for the Half

Home Lard Rendering

When I wanted some lard a while back, I was annoyed to discover that I had exhausted my supply. I decided to make a boatload so I have more on hand—buying lard is not an option, since the store-bought version is stabilized with partially hydrogenated oils. I've given instructions on this before, but Melissa documented this round thoroughly, and so I'm offering my newly illustrated, step-by-step guide to rendering lard, a technique that works equally well for other kinds of animal fat.

The Gay Disease

The Rat Temple of India

Indian Superman

Urban Sprinting

Tales of the Gold Monkey

Voyagers!

The Amazing Table

Ralph McQuarrie's Star Wars Portfolio

Some production paintings McQuarrie had done for Hal Barwood and Matthew Robbins brought him to the attention of director George Lucas in late 1975. Very soon after, they began discussing production paintings for STAR WARS. Lucas suggested that McQuarrie approach the work from the point of view of "ideal" portrayals rather that feel restricted by what could actually be achieved in filming the situations represented in the art.

The first four of five paintings had been done when STAR WARS was still in the development stage trhough Twentieth Century-Fox. George Lucas felt that McQuarrie's paintings would not only be of interest to Twentieth, but, by helping them to visualize his ideas, would also dissolve any hesitation on their part to go ahead with making the film.

Top 10 Mysteries of the Mind

Much of what we don't understand about being human is simply in our heads. The brain is a befuddling organ, as are the very questions of life and death, consciousness, sleep, and much more. Here's a heads-up on what's known and what's not understood about your noggin.

Cheese Filled, Bacon Wrapped, Deep Fried Beer Battered Hotdogs

The Evolution of the Computer Mouse

It's been almost half a century since the first computer mouse squeaked out of a Stanford lab in the '60s. Here's a gallery of some of the good, the bad and the truly awful from the last 45 years.

The Magic Negro

Morgan Freeman plays God in "Bruce Almighty;" Laurence Fishburne a demigod in "The Matrix Reloaded," and Queen Latifah a ghetto goddess in "Bringing Down the House. "

What's the deal with the holy roles?

Every one of the actors has to help a white guy find his soul or there won't be a happy ending. Bruce (Jim Carrey) won't get the girl. Neo (Keanu Reeves) won't become the next Messiah. And klutzy guy Peter (Steve Martin) won't get his groove on.

In movie circles, this figure is known as a "magic Negro," a term that dates back to the late 1950s, around the time Sidney Poitier sacrifices himself to save Tony Curtis in "The Defiant Ones." Spike Lee, who satirizes the stereotype in 2000's "Bamboozled," goes even further and denounces the stereotype as the "super-duper magical Negro."

" [Filmmakers] give the black character special powers and underlying mysticism," says Todd Boyd, author of "Am I Black Enough for You?" and co-writer of the 1999 film "The Wood." "This goes all the way back to 'Gone with the Wind.' Hattie McDaniel is the emotional center, but she is just a pawn. Pawns help white people figure out what's going wrong and fix it, like Whoopi Goldberg's psychic in 'Ghost.'"

Children's Playgrounds in Russia

Ricky Gervais Visits Africa for Comic Relief

Film Stills from 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'

Balls

I Pity the Poor Fool Who Poops in This Building

Salvador’s Coffee in Kunming is so angry about people pooping they have hired Mr. T, american butt kicker, to keep your poopy butt away.

Religious Tubes