In the News
David Foster Wallace Dead
The most influential artists in my life seem to kill themselves soon after I discover them. Spalding Gray, Elliot Smith and most tragically of all, today, David Foster Wallace. David Foster Wallace Dead of Suicide at 46 My favourite author, a man who was highly influential in not just informing my writing style in both essays, blogging, and even online...
Mars Phoenix Is My BFF
Image courtesy my buddy, Mars Phoenix. 3:15 AM Jeffrey Werner Have you been following the MarsPhoenix on Twitter? It's so great. Possibly one of the best things the internet has ever done 3:15 AM The wha, no 3:15 AM Jeffrey Werner Ya, you know the Phoenix is over there right now digging up soil and ice and whatnot Well...
No Sexy Underwear
The headline in today's CBC BC online: Boxer shorts made mandatory for Richmond firefighters. So it's well known now in the media that female firefighters get hella discriminated against and there are courts and inquiries involved to get them some rights. So I'm reading this article and imagining just what the boxers have to do with it and, well, the...
Bono, Japan, Germany
Ha, this headline on the Globe and Mail really grabbed me this morning: (link to article) Specifically notice the tagline: Martin arrives at G8 Wednesday; has private meeting with Bono, Japan, Germany. So the prime minister of Canada is meeting the heads of two of the most powerful nations on earth. And Bono. Rock stars are very important. I'm barely...
Online Gaming Ad Network Launches
Had another article submission posted to Slashdot today: Wynken de Word writes "'In a move that could open a new vista of possibilities for advertisers, New York-based Massive Inc. today announces the launch of the first ad-serving network for video games. The company said it has so far signed game publishers UbiSoft, Atari, Universal and Konami as partners in its...
Kryptonite Locks Open with Bic Pen
This has been going around online for a few days now, but I just found out you can pick a Kryptonite bike lock with a bic pen. You remove the cap from the end of the pen and insert it into the circular key entry in the lock, wiggle it a bunch and it opens. Well, so these videos here...
Ken Jennings Secret
kottke.org, among others, is reporting some insider info about all-time Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings: Warning: spoilers. I received a tip about Ken Jennings this morning which I have pasted below in black-on-black text. Read the spoiler....
The Sound of shoulders snapping
Watching some quality CBC Olympic coverage on the TV this eve, 4am in Greece, and they (CBC) featured a Sounds of the Olympics segment, which was a real treat, the most incredible sound coming from a weight lifting competitor who just barely got the bar above his head until his left arm kinda wobbled and gave way, collapsing the whole...
Lethbridge Alderwoman: The End?
Perhaps the closing credits will roll on the Lethbridge, Alberta, Alderwoman scandal that is Dar Heatherington, story today in the G&M, and mentioned on here before. To summarize the latest news--in addition to its interesting bits about the cost of investigating her claims, the continued loyalty of a husband she's accused, and the fact that her first dissapearence was conveniently...
Andy Kaufman to return May 16
Andy Kaufman, if his May 16, 1984 death was in fact faked as he reportedly told friends it would be, should be fulfilling his twenty-year return prophecy next Sunday, May 16, 2004. See event planned by friends at the House of Blues club in Hollywood. Cross your fingers. Tony Clifton 'posed to be there, too....
Marketing damage control
This TV spot "Evil Twin" for the European-issued Ford Sportka has been making the rounds online and in the news. At first I wasn't shocked, but really: it crosses the line. A little too senselessly sadistic. But well done. In other extreme marketing news [AdAge.com], baseball has killed a component of its latest revenue scheme - Spidey Man's movie mug...
Hometown news
Couple Kootenay-related stories popped up this week. CBC is running a brief story entitled "Kootenays joining wired world" on G. Campbell promising broadband access to rural Kootenay residents. As far as I know at least every city over 5,000 has had high speed internet for years. Nelson certianly has. But the Moms is pulling up 14-year-old stakes to a somewhat...
Robot, Our Friend
Could it happen in my lifetime, my own robot? In grade about 2 my friend Denis had that one from Radio Shack, Omnibot. Programmed with magnetic audio tapes and could carry a drink. I was very jealous....
Simpsons, PWGSC and Sir WC
Speculated on for years, more concrete testimony is popping up re: Simpsons: The Movie. See Yahoo article. Choice quotes: Groening thought South Park's movie was the only based-on-TV feature that wasn't horrible, while Simpsons producer Mike Reiss cuts to the chase: the Simpsons movie is "gonna suck pretty hard." I say honesty's always the best policy. In other, equally important,...
Gymnast Nadia Comaneci
I don't know the first thing about gymnastics, but have been reading up on Romanian Nadia Comaneci, who scored the first perfect 10 in gym history at the '76 Olympiad in Montreal. Comaneci ended up with a total of seven perfect 10s in Montreal and three gold, one silver and one bronze. She was 14....
Lethbridge Alderwoman: The Film
One of the stranger news stories I read two years ago has returned even stranger, so I read in today's Globe and Mail. It will make a great movie along the lines of A Beautiful Mind, Fight Club, et all. The gist: in ‘02, Lethbridge, Alta. city official Dar Heatherington vanishes while on business in Montana and shows up dazed...
Mike Rowe on eBay
Is Mike Rowe, the guy who registered mikerowesoft.com and was under attack from the "real" Microsoft, a looser? First, the Bill Gates company offers him 10 bucks for the domain. Rowe, Victoria teenager that he is, dutifully counters and asks for $10,000. Bad move, apparently, as this appears like he purposefully registered the pun domain, which of course he did,...
I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.—Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) Copyright © 2002–2012 Jeff Werner, Creative Commons (Some rights reserved), Login