(comments?)
The Osbournes, Sims style. It's really quite amusing, and I don't even watch the show!
Nuclear Waste Routes. Does a route go through your community?
San Antonio is the "sweatiest city" in the U.S. I live even further south than SA. I wonder if they even calculated Corpus Christi's sweat factor.
Amish buggies: Browse through photographs, play a game of trivia, interesting facts about buggies, research on buggy accidents and more.
on their history, recipes, and way of life.
Zippo lighter tricks bound to impress and amaze.
When the stars did the commercials: "In the early days of television, a show couldn't get off the ground if there was no sponsor signed on. The sponsor (alone or in partnership with the network) would pay the costs of production in exchange for commercials and product plugs throughout the program."
Satellite imagery from Terafly.com.
The 70s were before my time (I was born in 1980), but I like listening to oldies. This site is all about seventies rock: SuperSeventies.com
I really don't know anything about soccer (Is the World Cup still going on?), but UglyFootballer.com is funny. They have the ugliest soccer players, plus streakers, mullets, and ugly fans.
What exactly is Cheese Whiz, cement, new car smell? If you've ever pondered that, check out What's That Stuff? to find out.
"LibraryBookSales.org matches you with rare, collectible and quality books that have been donated to public libraries. The money you spend goes directly to the library that sells you the book. You benefit because you can find quality books at great prices."
America's French Diease: "A recent study in Sweden concluded that some starch-rich foods, when baked or fried, contain alarmingly high amounts of a potential carcinogen." Hmm, but since cooked tomato products have cancer-fighting properties, maybe it's ok to eat french fries as long as you eat them with ketchup! ;) Seriously, I'm glad I don't eat a lot of french fries. I try to stay away from fast food, especially after reading Fast Food Nation!
IMadeItLast.com will help you keep track of who made the coffee last in your office. Keep those slackers on their toes! :)
Cut and Paste: Trace the history of photomontage from the Victorian era to today. This montage from 1902 is just disturing!
It's almost Independence Day. Why not celebrate by ordering a free copy of the Constitution? Or just read it online at the U.S. National Archives.
FBI worker, 88, retires after 62 years without a day off sick. I can hardly believe that!
Aww, just like lassie: Dog in mercy dash to save farmer.
Too weird: A man attacked a woman with a syringe containing potentially lethal cobra venom as she napped in her car in Bangkok..."
Man tries to rob gun shop with a knife. Stupid criminals!
Tuesday, June 25, 2002
(comments?)
I haven't updated since Saturday? Wow, I didn't realize it had been that long! I've been somewhat preoccupied: I'm planning a trip and working on some other projects, not to mention my regular job. Ah, well, it's good to be busy! :)
Need a fun time waster? Check out DressLab.
According to Google, Joanna is...
"29 and a stay at home mom"
"heard and seen domestically and
internationally as one of
the top authoritative commentators on the
entertainment industry"
"becoming increasingly interested in
working alongside visual
artists, and in 1999 collaborated with digital
artist Andrew Stones on a
Contemporary Music Network tour."
"is a trademark of The Monotype Corporation
registered in the US
Patent
and Trademark Office and may be registered in
certain other jurisdictions."
"IS REALLY COOL"
"is best known for her courses on business
writing, particularly
writing
minutes and the 'mechanics' of writing (grammar
and punctuation)."
"is Baptised."
"is undoubtedly the stalwart who has not
only revived Cantonese Opera,
but has also lifted this art form to greater and
greater heights."
"is very much unheard of here in the UK."
"is quite good in it"
My name is Trademarked? And it's just a silly little font! Something grander for me, please! ;)
This had me laughing out loud!
[above two links via the presurfer]
Saturday, June 22, 2002
(comments?)
Is your job driving you crazy? Then, take this quiz and see if you should quit! ;)
Or you could learn How to Kick Your Boss's Butt (Online)
Even better, send your boss an anonymous evaluation via email! I wouldn't recommend doing that if you work in a small department, though!
F*ck That Job: This site is my answer to the employers who are taking advantage of people who are having a hard time finding work in this economy." Great site!
[via pcjm]
Speaking of bad bosses, Bill Lumberg, the boss from the movie Office Space, was awful!
Work, Work, Work: The Real World. No, not that Real World. Don't miss the Tender Vendor!
ArWon Online: An Aussie in America. Some of the stories are quite amusing. Oh, culture shock!
[via quiddity]
Here's another: An(ne) Aussie in America.
Asteroid Gives Earth Closest Shave In Years. And we didn't even know about it until 3 days later. Scary!
Thursay, June 20, 2002
(comments?)
Gratuitous "personality" quiz:
Take the Jimmy Fallon recurring SNL character quiz here.
I'm Weekend Update Jimmy!
[via missives anonymous]
Wednesday, June 19, 2002
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The case of the missing Salt Lake City girl, Elizabeth Smart, is heartbreaking. But I've been wondering: Why is it getting so much coverage? There are thousands of other children that go missing every year; yet they get a fraction of the coverage (or no coveage, at all) that the Smart case has provoked. Is it because she is Caucasian and her parents are wealthy that the coverage has been so heavy? Sadly, that may be the reason.
U.S. senator petitions to bring laptop to work: "You can still find brass spittoons on the floor of the United States Senate, but don't look for personal computers -- they're not allowed in the historic chamber."
Women speak up -- big names go down:
Women have moved up in the management ranks, but they remain "outsiders" to the inner circle of power. With less to lose, they are more likely to stick to their values and less inclined to go along with any management moves that are ethically or legally suspect, scholars say.
Web gives a voice to Iranian women: "Over the past few months there has been a big jump in the number of Persian weblogs which are providing an insight into a closed society."
I agree with parts of this article::
They Heard It All Here, And That's the Trouble. For example:
While the media have, over the past several weeks, written extensively on alleged intelligence "failures" surrounding the events of Sept. 11, I want to address the media's common-sense "failures." As a terrorism analyst, I am both appalled and confused by many of the post-9/11 articles published at home and abroad, in newspapers, news magazines and academic journals, as well as on the Internet.
Many of these articles have clearly identified for terrorist groups the country's vulnerabilities -- including our food supply, electrical grids, chemical plants, trucking industry, ports, borders, airports, special events and cruise ships. Some of these articles have been lengthy and have provided tactical details useful to terrorist groups. No terrorist group that I am aware of has the time and manpower to conduct this type of extensive research on a multitude of potential targets. Our news media, and certain think tankers and academicians, have done and continue to do the target vulnerability research for them.
Exactly! I remember back in '99, around the time of the Columbine massacure, the media was like, "You can find instructions on how to build bombs online." They didn't give URLs, of course; but if you're even only somewhat internet savvy, you're going to be able to find that information! Many times, on news magazine programs, they also give indepth details on how crimes were comitted (and often gotten away with). I've always wondered why they do that. Yes, let's just let the criminals know how easily it is to commit new crimes!
As much as I agree with the above quote, I certainly do not agree with this from the same article:
I propose that the Department of Homeland Security establish a program where academicians, reporters, think tankers or any citizen could contact the department and inform them of security vulnerabilities. If the department determined that these vulnerabilities indeed existed, then it could award "Homeland Security Protective Security" certificates to individuals or "Homeland Security Gold Stars" to newspaper or Internet sites that put the country first during a time of war. If displayed on its banner, this star might increase circulation.
Well, thank you, Mr. Pluchinsky, for reminding us that you think that we're like kindergarteners, who need to be rewarded with stars and patted on the back for doing a good job.
If the media would only use some common sense about reporting such consequential things, everything would be fine -- and there would be no need for censorship.
Monday, June 17, 2002
(comments?)
New layout. It's nice and summery, I think. I moved most of my sidebar links to this page. The site was just getting too cluttered with all of them on the sidebar. I also archived the May entries here.
My internet connection is still dismally slow. It's really frustrating! I'm going to get credit for next month from the cable company, which is good. If they hadn't offered that, I would be extremely mad. Better Business Bureau, anyone?
Sunday, June 16, 2002
(comments?)
Hints on Writing Love Letters (From 1882). Some of it is quite old-fashioned, but there are nuggets of good advice interspersed in it, as well.
Some Graduating High Schoolers Are Sketchy on Old-School Pop Culture. Haha! I'm only 3 or 4 years older than them, yet I know what Atari and Pong are. The interviewer is right, though, about this: I think the I've fallen and I can't get up granny is ingrained in our brains forever. As kids, me and my brothers just loved that commercial! Did you know that that commercial is still playing on CNN? I saw it a few days ago and I almost broke out giggling.
Pop Culture Junk Mail was second runner-up in the "FAVE 'BLOG" category in Canada's MuchMusic's Video Awards 2002. Congrats, Gael!
Two silly quizzes:
If I were a mythological creature, I'd be a gorgon.
[via isynk]
And if I were an evil villain, I'd be a double agent.
[via quiddity]
Russia's new naval rescuers: Seals. How cool!
Eminem Gets Terror Threat: "Eminem has received death threats from supporters of Osama bin Laden, according to reports." This is just ludicrous! Does Al-Qaeda really sit around watching MTV?!
[via bottledbliss]
Ack, this is scary: Heavy Metal Love Haikus. ::shudder::
I've never watched The Osbournes (Yeah, I'm probably one of the few who hasn't), but this article makes me curious about the show: Kelly Osbourne, America's Newest Sweetheart. Kelly sounds like my kind of girl!
Why oh why do people take such stupid dares?!
Well, anything to get kids' attention, right? (Seriously, that is disturbing!)
The New Reality:
The networks have totally given into the genre that spawned 'Survivor'—at least for the summer months. A look at a dozen examples that will premiere soon in prime time
Blah.
Israelis 'betting on suicide bombings' That's too awful. How can they trivialize something like that?
Letterboxing Makes Hiking an Adventure. I'd never heard of letterboxing before. It sounds like a lot of fun!
Borrowed from Katie who stole it from someone else:
PAST:
first grade teacher's name: Since I was homeschooled: my mom.
last word you said: I don't remember.
last song you sang: Hmm, I'm singing along to my MP3s.
what's in your cd player: No Name Face, by Lifehouse.
what colour socks are you wearing: I'm barefoot.
what's under your bed: Dust, random pieces of paper, and pens.
what time did you wake up today: Late! ;)
FUTURE:
where do you want to go: Ireland.
what is your career going to be: I honestly don't know.
where are you going to live: Well, I'm happy where I am, for now.
how many kids do you want: Currently: 0. I may change my mind, though.
what kind of car will you have: Heh, I really don't care, as long as it runs well!
CURRENT:
current mood: Contented.
current music: "Motherland," Natalie Merchant; "Where Are You Going?", Dave Matthews Band; "The Happy Song," The Nixons.
current taste: Coffee with milk.
current hair: Pulled back into a ponytail.
current clothes: Jean shorts, white shirt.
current annoyance: The hot weather! Ugh.
current smell: Bay breezes
current longing: Wishing I didn't have to go to work tomorrow.
current desktop picture: An X-Files collage. You can grab it here, if you want.
current book: "Circle of Stars," by Anna Lee Waldo.
color of toenails: No polish.
current crush: I'll let you guess! ;)
current time-wasting wish: Hmm...
current hate: Heat! I live in Texas; I should be used to this by now!
Thursday, June 13, 2002
(comments?)
Looking for something to read? What is your favorite author reading this summer? Beach Books & Beyond: 150 Reading Escapes.
Normally, I detest articles about weblogs (Blah blah blah...blawgs), but I actually like this one: Much ado about blogging: Is it the end of journalism as we know it? Or just 6 zillion writers in search of an editor? Neither.
Purportal.com: The Bunk Stops Here.
I don't even want to know! Ack!
The world's rarest diamond has been found and it's purple!
"Scientists have revealed a mysterious recording that they say could be the sound of a giant beast lurking in the depths of the ocean." Bloop?
Fine Diving: Young anarchists with guts of steel raid dumpsters for edible "trash." The idea? Divert waste to end wastefulness.
Wednesday, June 12, 2002
(comments?)
My cable connection has been awful lately, really slow (even slower than my old 56k connection, if you can believe that!) thus the lack of updates. It seems to be improving. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Links soon.
Monday, June 10, 2002
(comments?)
My first reaction to this picture: "Whoa...!" It really is amazing.
Tonight's sunset is going to be awesome. Catch it if you can!
What? You have to be a Xanga member to join the Texas BlogRing? No fair!
This story has beeng doing the rounds since Friday, but 'tis so hilarious, I have to post it: China paper crying after chopping the Onion.
"A Hong Kong woman lost her case for compensation against a hair salon which she claimed made her look like Osama bin Laden when she wanted a hairstyle like Hollywood actress Julia Roberts."
Widow gets paramedics to give corpse mouth-to-mouth. Ack!
Useful: Tips & Tricks for Windows.
Sunday, June 9, 2002
(comments?)
Fairies: In a post-'X-Files' world, fairies may be the next big--er, little--thing.
Fairy art: The Pagan and Faery Art of Marc Potts. If you ask me, those faeries don't look too friendly! On the flipside, here are some nice, innocent-looking fairies.
Gnomes in the Garden: "...an intriguing account of the authors' real-life meetings with members of the Celtic Faery."
About Celtic faeries.
Yeah, it's a fake. (QuickTime needed to view) It's still pretty cool, though. Here's the SciFi Happens website.
Be the roach (If you're bored!)
Flash Putt Putt. Ah, childhood memories!
Hee hee! Hahahahaha!
Star Wars in ASCII. Ah, I'm too easily amused! ;)
Friday, June 7, 2002
(comments?)
Mulder, Where Are You?:
It's been a big, bad month for the FBI. What started as a trickle out of the Phoenix field office has turned into a torrent of evidence showing just how much the Bureau knew about Sept. 11 preparations, versus how little it knew about what it knew. This on top of the May 10 sentencing of Robert Hanssen, a former agent and the most dangerous mole in the history of the intelligence community. Oh, and, of course, "The X-Files" folded.
Is Graham Hancock, author of Fingerprints of the God, crazy? I've read one of his books: The Message of the Sphinx. It was definitely interesting, although most likely not totally scientifically accurate.
Things like this always fascinate me: 4,000-year-old seal of Egyptian pharaoh found in stable ruins on Scottish estate.
Are you suffering my Abode-A-Phobia? Well, you're not alone! ;)
Science-fiction? No, it's real.
Hearing infants show preference for sign language over pantomime.
Random weirdness: Poop Report. Oh, the stuff you'll find on the internet!
Hay Penny. I'm always on the lookout for new webzines.
$97.50 for a holographic One Ring. That's kind of cool, but I think I'd rather waste my money on something else.
Cologne for dogs. I feel sorry for any dog whose owner sprays that on it!
So you wanna be a rock star? Unique school can help. Actually, it doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Maybe they shouldn't put the emphasis on becoming a rock star, though.
The first time I took this test, it said I act like I'm 20. I retook the test and changed my answer to the "What music do you like?" question from Tool to The Beatles and it said I act 21, my real age.
[via pcjm]
Thursday, June 6, 2002
(comments?)
Laura is back to blogging. Go visit and say hi!
KeanuVision: Inside the mind of a Keanu fan. Ok, I want to snort at that, but I can't. I run an Apolo Ohno fan site, after all, so I should just sympathize! ;)
I'd rather be naked than dead, that's for sure!
I'm running short on time today, so I'm just going to have to send you all in search of your own links:
Weblogs.com, Wander-lust: See something new, Blog of the Day.
I'll be back with some thought-provoking stuff later on...
Tuesday, June 4, 2002
(comments?)
Normally, it's pretty boring around Corpus Christi (Well, there was that thing about the gun that was used to murder Selena...) Recently, there's been some interesting stuff:
Natural horror show:
It started with the severed head of a baby bird. Then there were two black beetles and a decapitated lizard - all found impaled on the thorns of small citrus shrubs in John Henry's Padre Island backyard.
Turns out it was a Loggerhead shrike, not a Satanic cult, that was responsible.
From an ox to art: Corpus Christi becomes legend at English college:
A 2,000-pound steer and a South Texas barbecue master have for 50 years kept Corpus Christi unknowingly in the good graces of an elite university town in the English countryside.
I'm sick and tired of reality TV: Former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith joins reality TV trend. I watched the first three Survivors, but I hardly paid any attention to the fourth and I highly doubt that I'll watch the fifth.
Results of "terror sex"? Hospitals, doctors expecting post-Sept. 11 baby boom.
Nancy Drew author Mildred Benson died last week. I used to love those books!
Haha: Analysis of Britney Spears' handwriting. (No, I don't really believe in handwriting analysis; it is fun, though.)
Stands4.com. The source for acronyms and abbreviations. Neato.
[via memo to myself]
Monday, June 3, 2002
(comments?)
The Presurfer is back. Yay! :)
Sluts Against Butts: "We're Sluts Against Butts and we're bent on holding the tobacco industry responsible for what they do to women..." Excellent! Don't forget to get your Butt Fight Alias. Mine is "Flirt Baronet."
Another inane quiz: What Candy Are You? ("Another life-chaning quiz by Stephanie." Ha!) I'm Lemonheads, the same as Gael of PCJM, where I found the quiz.
"After more than a decade of silence, 'Indiana Jones' will be cracking his famous bullwhip on the big screen once again." Woohoo! (But 2005 seems so far away...)
[via Megg]
T-ShirtsThatSuck.com (Not child or work friendly!) I want this one and this one.
All I can say is: Eeewwww!!
Get free CDs at FightCloud.com. You just have to pay for shipping and handling.
Live in a Former Toilet -- Only $200,000:
A former Edwardian public toilet in south London, measuring just four meters square, is to be converted into a two-story "duplex apartment"...
Useful: Amazon adds restaurants, catalogs to offerings.
Saturday, June 1, 2002
(comments?)
I just joined a webring of sorts. Check it out: notice someone | get noticed
How Jedi are you? I'm a Jedi Master. Heh.
[via Trance Gemini]
At first, I thought these were kind of bizarre: Pregnant Bellymasks [Examples here] But after looking at them, I changed my mind. It's actually a neat idea.
Duct tape fashion. Some of the dresses actually look good. I wonder, though: How do the bikinis stay together when they get wet?
Haha: Make your baby earn his keep! ;)
Celebrity Loops: "What is a loop? It's a collection of famous people who share something in common. That 'something' may be a job, a hobby, a mode of death or practically anything else."
Oh, neat: Dust art. I just wish the pictures were bigger, so the details could be seen better.
See, our parents were right: Reading in the dark or holding a book to close to your face could indeed damage your eyes...
Just discovered magazine: Poets & Writers.
I rarely post lyrics, but I really like this song:
Alive - P.O.D.
Everyday is a new day
I'm thankful for every breath I take
I won't take it for granted
So I learn from my mistakes
It's beyond my control, sometimes it's best to let go
Whatever happens in this lifetime
So I trust in love
You have given me peace of mind
I feel so alive for the very first time
I can't deny you
I feel so alive
I feel so alive for the very first time
And I think I can fly
Sunshine upon my face
A new song for me to sing
Tell the world how I feel inside
Even though it might cost me everything
Now that I know this, so beyond, I can't hold this
I can never turn my back away
Now that I've seen you
I can never look away
Now that I know you (I could never turn my back away)
Now that I see you (I could never look away)
Now that I know you (I could never turn my back away)
Now that I see you (I believe no matter what they say)
archives: '99 - '02
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eclectica, a weblog copyright (©) 1999 - 2002 by Joanna Blackwell. Don't take what's not yours.
