Big Pickles

Ok, I promise this will be my last Line Rider post.

For a little while, at least.

Urban Run

Jagged Peak Adventure

Labels: fun, games, video

The Tribulations of Bill Nye.

Labels: comics

Watch the snow accumulate in this Flickr slideshow.

Dan and Jeanine are spending Christmas in Texas, and by the looks of things, they got out just in time.

I wonder if it's this bad down in Canon City?

Labels: general, pictures

It's people tossing cans, and it's awesome.

Via J-Walk.

Labels: fun, video

Sometimes I like to listen to music that I've never heard of. Because then I've heard of it.

Numbers 1 and 5 seem well suited for Clark, and I thought Shannon might appreciate number 9.

Labels: audio, music

I didn't realize this when I wrote the last post, but this whole eye-eating thing is pretty hardcore. I mean, even zombies won't go that far. After all, they just want to eat your brains.

"I'll eat your eyes! I'll eat all of your eyes!"

Melissa will be getting a call from Dwight today.

Labels: audio, fun, tv

In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Carl Sagan's death, Joel Schlosberg has organized a Carl Sagan Blog-a-thon. Everyone with a blog who considers themselves a fan of Sagan is encouraged to say a little something.

I first encountered Sagan when I read The Demon Haunted World in July 2002. I can honestly say it changed the way I think about the world around me. I am now constantly asking myself "How good is the evidence?" when considering new ideas or even when reevaluating long-held beliefs. Not to mention that in my line of work, my Baloney Detector gets plenty of exercise.

In honor of this day, I recommend the May 12, 2006 episode of Radio Lab, all about Space. The first part, entitled Looking Up, features an interview with Ann Druyan that captures the romance that characterized space exploration during the 1970s.

Labels: audio, science

"Audio so real it's scary."

You really need to listen to this with headphones to get the full effect.

(Don't be scared, it's just a guy shaking a box of matches. It can just be a little unnerving how real it sounds.)

Labels: audio

I've mentioned Line Rider before, way back when I started this blog, in fact.

Today it was announced that Line Rider is coming to Nintendo. Wii, and DS, that is. Not Gamecube, which is what I bought the kids for Christmas this year.

(Kids! Stop reading Daddy's blog!)

On the one hand I think this is super cool, but it also seems a little bit silly. A dinky little flash game that started out as a homework assignment on a Nintendo? What a world.

Labels: fun, games, news

"If you've never heard The Sound of Young America, then The Sound of Young America is the greatest radio show you've never heard.
--Ira Boudway, Salon.com

Labels: audio, humor

Scott Adams addresses the paradox that it takes at least a little knowledge of a subject just to understand that you don't know anything about that subject.

"My magical solution is to give humans the power to tell the difference between a super genius and a moron. I think this would solve every problem in the world because chances are that the smartest super genius in each field has a good idea how to fix that field. But the only solutions being considered are the ones coming from tall guys with good hair."

Labels: general

If you haven't been following the recent kerfuffle over Verizon's math-challenged rates, catch up on it here.

Don't miss xkcd's response.

Labels: math

In his seminal tome entitled The Areas of My Expertise, humor writer, Daily Show correspondent, and embodiment of the Windows PC John Hodgman catalogs 700 hobos (800 in the paperback edition).

Then he recorded a song where he recites all of their names.

And then creative fans drew pictures of them.

EDIT: Goodness gracious! The audiobook is now being offered for free on iTunes!

Via Boing Boing.

Labels: audio, books, humor

When I was a kid, each holiday brought a Charlie Brown special followed by a Garfield special. Not so much Garfield these days, it seems.

Never fear, The Christmas Spot has managed to gather 101 Christmas specials, episodes, and commercials into one convenient locale. Now you can watch 'The Smurfs Christmas Special' and 'A Space Ghost Christmas' from the comfort of your computer.

I had forgotten all about number 30.

Labels: christmas, video

Everyone probably remembers this video from last year.

Light-O-Rama has collected many more videos of musical Christmas light displays, for your viewing pleasure.

Via Cynical-C.

Labels: christmas, video

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

Labels: fun

"A deadweight loss is created when you spend eighty dollars to give me a sweater that I would spend only sixty-five dollars to buy myself. Waldfogel estimates that somewhere between ten and eighteen per cent of seasonal spending becomes deadweight loss, which means that billions of dollars a year is now going to waste."

Labels: christmas, economics

Twenty iconic movie scenes are depicted using only office supples.

You have to guess the movies. I got 13.

Labels: film, fun

The tagline says it all: one day, one deal. Every day they offer something from the warehouse, and it's your job to take it or leave it. With a flat shipping rate of $5.00, sometimes you can score a bargain. But once they sell out, that's it until tomorrow.

Need more info? As always, Wikipedia's got you covered.

Labels: shopping

An oldie but goodie: square off against other citizens of the planet in this online world geography game.

Labels: fun, games

I'm reasonably certain that this is the most interesting page on Wikipedia to date.

I dare you to find a more fascinating article.

Ready, go!

Labels: wikipedia

I'm as big a fan of Firefox as the next guy, but sometimes a little perspective is in order.

And if you've never read xkcd before, your homework tonight is to read them all from the beginning.

That goes for Perry Bible Fellowship as well. Come on, slackers!

(Both of these comics may contain offensive content.)

Labels: comics

Our NPR affiliate just started running this excellent show, and while it doesn't air at a convenient time for me, that's what the Internet is for. It's about science, but it makes learning fun!. Give a listen.

Labels: audio, science

I don't know what's so hilarious about sending this little guy barreling down the side of a mountain, but I never tire of it.

Be sure to check out some of the videos for inspiration.

And if you like simple games based on realistic physics engines, try TeaGames. I particularly recommend TG Motocross 2.

Labels: fun, games

I've started a blog several times, but I always seem to come back around to the realization that writing well and having something to say are two different things.

I don't have any particularly keen insights on the minutiae of daily life, and I've never been successful at keeping a journal. So I've abandoned all attempts to try and make this some kind of online diary.

Last time I tried blatantly ripping off Dooce and writing a letter to each of my kids on their month-birthdays. (I figured even I could do just four posts per month.) I wrote a killer post about Benjamin's manic personality and then proceeded to procrastinate Michael's entry until Timothy's was due, and before I knew it, they were piling up. I don't need that pressure.

So here's my new strategy. Link Aggregation. I do it all day anyway--I poke around online and IM interesting links to the guy I share an office with. Now I will just be sharing my favorite links each day with the rest of the Internet.

Or maybe not each day. Maybe once a week, or once an Olympiad. There's no pressure.

Alright, enough stalling, time for the inaugural link:

Winterbells

There are many addictive flash games out there, but the sound and animation in this one cause it to stand out. My high score last night was 58,000 and change.

Labels: fun, games