POTC3 Effects

Say what you will about the cheesiness of the Pirate of the Caribbean franchise.. the makeup effects kick ass.

The Call of the Entrepreneur

The Acton Institute dives into the movie business with this documentary that premieres next month.

Cheddarvision

Via The New York Times: "As the star of Cheddar-vision TV, a Web site that carries live images of its life on a shelf, the cheese has been viewed so far more than 900,000 times.

"The cheddar is not busy. It just sits there in a dank, climate-and-humidity controlled cheese-ripening warehouse, subtly aging with hundreds of other cheeses. Once a week a man named Gary, Mr. Calver’s cheese-turner, comes in and turns it to redistribute the moisture within.

"As befits an inert object of obsession, the cheese has become a blank slate upon which admirers can express their passions and idiosyncrasies. Poems and songs have been written about it. It has been invited to a wedding. At Easter, it received an anonymous gift of chocolate and decorative chicks.

"E-mail correspondents have engaged in a lively debate about the metaphysical significance of the cheese’s mold patterns. From the United States, a teacher announced that his class had set up a wall of cheese, where students could post photographs of the cheese 'in various states of rotation.'"

Dollar hot dogs

Via The Presurfer: "If you're hungry for a hotdog, you're in luck. For only $1, I will cook you a hot dog and mail it to you.

"Just PayPal me a buck, and I will personally cook you a delicious hotdog, and then ship it out to you!

"Now, because your hot dog may get cold during shipment, I also include instructions to re-heat your hot dog, at no additional charge."

AmeriCone Dream review

Via WASAW: "The fudge-waffle cone pieces are amazing in a supporting role that can easily be confused for the lead. They are the Don Cheadle or Paul Giamatti of ice cream ingredients."

Introducing the second book on South Park and Philosophy

November 30, 2006: Richard Hanley, University of Delaware associate professor of philosophy, proudly contemplates entering the pantheon of scholars in March of 2007 when he becomes the first associate professor of philosophy to release a book on South Park and Philosophy.

December 1, 2006: Richard Hanley, University of Delaware associate professor of philosophy, curses the gods of academia upon reading the press release announcing the publication of Florida State University Visiting Assistant Professor Robert Arp's South Park and Philosophy.

April 17, 2007: Richard Hanley, University of Delaware associate professor of philosophy, manages to pull himself together enough to pull off a smug look of self-satisfaction for a photo op to accompany a belated university paper article on the subject. Sensing the tension, the reporter chooses not to mention Arp's book during the interview.

Link credit: BOB.

Veggie abuse

A quick overview of what went into making the bloody sound effects for the new game Dark Sector:

"We hit up a local market down the street from the office to pick out the days victims, and it was a lot of fun to browse through different fruits and vegetables, wondering what type of sound they'd make with a full velocity hammer ripping through them."

Katerine - 100% V.I.P.

Victor was kind enough to share this video from Philippe Katerine, and sends along with it the message that he now has "a new appreciation for lime-green boy shorts."

"It's Timeless.... That's What It Is."

Year Zero

Those feeling overly chipper of late now have the option of listening to the the new Nine Inch Nails album and fretting a bit about the future. Hey kids, check out all the biblical references in the "Survivalism" video at ninwiki!

UPDATE: Now censored for your protection by the U.S. Bureau of Morality. If you or someone you know viewed the original version, call 1-866-445-6580.

Dance Off

Support dull men

The Dull Men's Club is happy to offer ladies the option of providing calm support with these fashionable caps.

Uncut Dawkins Interview With Bishop Harries

Good stuff.

The Natalie Dee Shopping Network

Lots and lots of blood.

Oh yeah, and Kurt Vonnegut died.

Castaneda suicide cult

Via Salon: "For fans of the literary con, it's been a great few years. Much has been written about the slippery boundaries between fiction and nonfiction, the publishing industry's responsibility for distinguishing between the two, and the potential damage to readers. There's been, however, hardly a mention of the 20th century's most successful literary trickster: Carlos Castaneda.

"At the heart of Castaneda's movement was a group of intensely devoted women, all of whom were or had been his lovers. They were known as the witches, and two of them, Florinda Donner-Grau and Taisha Abelar, vanished the day after Castaneda's death, along with Cleargreen president Amalia Marquez and Tensegrity instructor Kylie Lundahl. A few weeks later, Patricia Partin, Castaneda's adopted daughter as well as his lover, also disappeared. In February 2006, a skeleton found in Death Valley, Calif., was identified through DNA analysis as Partin's.

"Some former Castaneda associates suspect the missing women committed suicide. They cite remarks the women made shortly before vanishing, and point to Castaneda's frequent discussion of suicide in private group meetings. Achieving transcendence through a death nobly chosen, they maintain, had long been central to his teachings."

Extreme! Manga Bible

Via Newsarama: In the tradition of Jesus Versus Vampires comes some more post-Easter comic book reading.

"You think you know what’s in the Bible? Think again!

"Siku’s provocative, edgy style brings a whole new dimension to the most important book in history.

"The Manga Bible launches in February 2007, when the New Testament is published in two different formats: Raw and Extreme. Siku is currently hard at work on the Old Testament, and the full Bible will be released later in 2007."

British Mode

Former AC/DC cover band Goose shows off some fancy Belgian special effects (and haircuts) in this video for the single "British Mode."

Thanks, Tom

Via The New York Post: "Scientology superstar Tom Cruise is coming here to promote his controversial 'detox' project to 9/11 workers, and will host a mega-fund-raising gala for it.

"Tickets for the April 19 fund-raiser, which will star Cruise and benefit the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Project, run as high as $100,000 for a table for eight.

"The downtown Manhattan clinic offers free Scientology-inspired treatments to firefighters, cops and other rescue workers exposed to high levels of toxins at Ground Zero.

"The program - which had received hundreds of thousands of dollars in city funds - hasn't been endorsed by the Fire or Police departments and has been described by some experts as nothing more than medical mumbo-jumbo.

"But others have embraced the regimen, which includes high doses of niacin to release fatty acids into the bloodstream, ingesting cold-pressed oil and sweating off 'toxins' in a sauna set at 140 to 180 degrees for 21/2 to five hours a day, with frequent showers.

"Experts question studies produced by advocates that claim the program works.

"Among the results claimed in one study were higher IQs."

Minor Updates

Sorry for the lack of posts - have been busy with work, vacationing, taxes, and important things like video games and tasty snack foods. I have a backlog of inbox items to post that I'll get around to one of these days... anyway, be sure to check out Todd's new and improved blog and feel free to update your Gravatar now that that site has been resurrected.

Alanis Morissette Discovers the Meaning of Ironic

Blatantly stolen from Dan Radosh.

Pizza King Watch is back in business!

Since you like gave up hope of new postings at Pizza King Watch months ago, I feel it is my duty to share the good news that someone is in fact keeping an eye on the signs:

"[I]t turned out it really wasn’t difficult at all to get my messed-up blogging software situation straightened out (for the 0 people who care, this meant reverting to an earlier version of Ruby, still installed on my machine, with which Hobix 0.3b would work). So here we are."

Golden Cage

Via Drawn!: "It’s not often that a song and its video have me hooked within the first second. Check out Whitest Boy Alive’s Golden Cage animated by Geoff McFetridge."

Conservapedia

For those times when only answers from home-schooled children will do, trust Conservapedia - the Christian right's fair and balanced answer to the liberal tool of Satan that is Wikipedia.