Toilet Lid Sink

This just seems like an extraordinarily bad idea. Granted, incoming water is just as "clean" as the stuff that comes from other taps, but still...

From the Real Goods product page:

With each flush of your commode, clean water that would otherwise go straight down the toilet is first routed up through a chrome gooseneck spigot to dispense pure water for hand washing. The Toilet Lid Sink installs easily without tools, is attractive for any bathroom and is a great space saver. Shuts off automatically. Porcelain-like white plastic replaces your existing tank top and adjusts to fit standard toilets up to 8in wide and 18-22in long. Built-in soap dish. Overhang varies up to 1.5in.

I dunno about you, but I'd rather just eat it and clutter up my bathroom with an actual sink. Can you imagine brushing your teeth at this thing? Kinda gives new meaning to the insult "eat shit and die."

Via Cool Tools.

Technorati tags: Toilet Lid Sink, Gadgets, Stupid Products

The USB Bra: Dork Chicks Rejoice!

Not a hell of a lot to say about this one. It is, of course, retarded, but aside from that, it looks like a regular bra. In fact, I think the only thing that makes this waste of brain cells different from the standard bra is the use of USB connectors as a clasp.

Oh, but would it be great if the thing actually had some sort of functionality, though? Just imagine the level of stupidity required to buy a jump drive that requires the removal of your underwear with every use.

Oh, I'd love to see the type of marketing campaign that could sell that bad of an idea.

Via Gadget Review.

Technorati tags: USB Bra, Gadgets, Stupid Products

Superman Hates Smokers

There are just soooooooooooooooo many things wrong with this commercial.

For starters, does Superman have some kind of Slavic accent, here, or is he just retarded?

Oh, and he fucking murders someone!!!!!

I guess the DC universe doesn't have much need for a tobacco control program, huh? Not when you get superheroes to though cigarette retailers into orbit.

Technorati Tags: Superman Hates Smoker, Comic Books, Entertainment, Secret Wars

Handy Capable: The Understatement of the Year

Tank Chair is an all-terrain wheelchair that doesn't pull any punches. All it needs is some kind of enclosure and a gun turrent and it could be one of Dr. Mindbender's crazy-assed Cobra vehicles.

From TankChair.com:

Tank Chair is a Custom off-road wheelchair that can go anywhere outdoors. Conquers Streams, Mud, Snow, Sand, and Gravel, allowing you to get back to nature, and can also climb up and down stairs.

This almost beats Professor X's hover chair from the X-Men cartoon. Almost...

Via TechBlog.

Technorati tags: Tank Chair, Gadgets, Stupid Products

More Trek in 2008

From CNN.com:

More than three years after the last "Star Trek" movie crashed at the box office, the venerable sci-fi franchise is being revived by the director of the upcoming "Mission: Impossible" sequel, Daily Variety reported in its Friday edition.

The as-yet-untitled "Star Trek" feature, the 11th since 1979, is aiming for a fall 2008 release through Paramount Pictures, the Viacom Inc. unit looking to restore its box-office luster under new management, the trade paper said.

The project will be directed by J.J. Abrams, whose Tom Cruise vehicle "Mission: Impossible III" will be released by Paramount on May 5. Abrams, famed for producing the TV shows "Alias" and "Lost," will also help write and produce.

Daily Variety said the action would center on the early days of "Star Trek" characters James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer-space mission.

Yay!

Star Trek is what turned me into a dork and, god damnit, things just haven't been the same since Enterprise got cancelled. Sure, there's the Stargates, Battlestar, Lost, and comics, but that's all just filler until Trek makes its way back.

Also, I dig the idea of revisiting the original characters. The Next Gen cast has had their day, I think, and none of the other shows really lend themselves too well to a theatrical release. Going to back to the early adventures of Kirk and Spock might be just what the franchise needs to raise it from the dead.

I gotta admit, though, it'll be a little weird to see an officially sanctioned version of Kirk that isn't The Shat. I do hope that they find some way to involve him and Nimoy in the new film. That is, if they're willing, of course. They seem to go back and forth on this kind of thing.

Anywho, this is good news. Let's just hope that Abrams checks that Alias shit at the door. I god damn hate that fucking show and would much rather see him channel his Lost energies into this project. He's gonna need that kind of wonky shit if he wants to use characters from that goofy, drug-indused haze that is the original Star Trek.

Technorati tags: Star Trek, JJ Abrams

My Future?

Could this be my future? Re-enacting epic comic book battles with a big group of dork friends?

No. And here's why:

1. I'd bet real money that these guys are just a bunch of posers. The costumes suck way too much to have been made by any group of dorks dedicated enough to reenact the Secret Wars. Think I'm kidding, check out the League of Heroes.

2. For as long as I've been a dork (and trust me, it's been a reallly, really, long time), I've never had more than one or two friends that even remotely approached my level of dorkitude, let alone a whole group that would be reliable and self-seficient enough to pull this kind of thing off.

Now, that's not saying we never tried, though. There's a group in Florida that does this kind of stuff for parades and children's events, and if I were in good enough shape to wear spandex, I'd be all over that shit.

Anyway, got wind of this thing over at Monitor Duty.

Technorati Tags: Comic Reenactors, Comic Books, Entertainment, Secret Wars, Dorkitude

Comic Book Day - 04/19/06

Ok, well I never got around to writing a comic post last week, so here's a double.

I think I'm actually going to stick to this format from now on; Mini-review of the previous week, buy list for the current.

Anywho, from last week:

• Captain Atom: Armageddon #7 (of 9): I’m really enjoying this book and it’s introduction to the WildStorm universe. I’m a big fan of the darker side of superheroes and this series is really doing it for me. It’s also been a treat to see Atom portrayed as a real powerhouse for a change rather than a second-rate hold-over from a defunct comic company. I mean, we’re talking about a guy with the ability to absorb an almost infinite amount of raw energy and rechannel it into to almost any form. In this issue, for instance, Atom uses it to harmlessly neutralize an opponent by rearranging the atomic structure of her liquid nano armor, leaving her naked an unconscious. He also uses it to temporarily throw himself a week into the future by warping the space/time. That’s some crazy shit, right there, and much more interesting than simply shooting energy bolts from his hands.
• Crisis Aftermath: The Battle for Bludhaven #1 (of 6): This kinda sucked. I’m not even sure what it’s about, really. In Infinite Crisis, the Society (as in Secret Society of Super Villains) destroyed the city of Bludhaven by dropping some sort of living nuclear bomb dude on it. Jump ahead a year, and the government has had the place in lockdown, seemingly conducting genetic and nuclear experiments on some of the city’s survivors. Or was it some rogue group? Or the villains? I dunno. The art was kind pedestrian and the characters were ones I’ve only heard of in passing. It just didn’t hold my interest.
• DMZ #6: As a little background on this book, it’s set in near future Manhattan during the second American Civil War. Most of the United States has been taken over by the Free States and the line dividing the sides has been drawn right through the middle of New York City. The main character is US journalist who has been embedded (read exploited, abandoned, and left for dead) in the Demilitarized zone that was once the borough of Manhattan. The book is somewhat political, but mostly in an abstract kind of way and seems to be speaking more to the situation in current war-ravaged regions rather than saying anything about the situation stateside. In this issue Matty, the journalist, is essentially kidnapped by the Free Staters and taken to New Jersey to identify a prisoner of theirs and report his new information back to his superiors. The story here is good, but it’s the little details about this book that make it great. I’m not really sure how to describe it, but it really does feel like New York, despite the completely unfamiliar circumstances of the setting. If your in the market for a self-contained book that’s got more to it than the usual spandex title bouts, I’d definitely recommend this one.
• Firestorm: The Nuclear Man #24: I’m digging Firestorm. The book has a very light feel to it; it’s fun. And this issue was hilarious. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a comedy book, it’s just got some witty dialogue and goes places from which most DC titles tend to stay away. This issue, in particular, pounced pretty heavily on race relations and sex, with a laugh out loud line acting as a coda to the latter.
• Nightwing #119: Dick Grayson as male model. ‘Nough said.
• Superman #651: Third installment of the current cross-over arc with Action Comics, filling us in on Clark’s life now that he seems to have been without his powers for over a year. At the end of the last issue, Hal Jordan gave Clark a Green Lantern ring to help him get back in the game, so I was kinda hoping to see a big GL Supes tear-assing around Metropolis, but no, Clark tried it on and all we got was a green, floating Clark. Seems he doesn’t even think of himself as Supes anymore. A bit disappointing, but it certainly does make for an interesting and attractive direction for the rest of the story. Add that to the incredibly, refreshingly diabolical Lex Luthor running around collecting warehouses full of Kryptonite, and you’ve got a pretty decent issue. Oh, Hawkgirl and GL Hal Jordan kicking the asses of the Pranksters goofy creations and Toyman’s psychotically hilarious Operation (the children’s game) themed lab table for Luthor’s experiments on Metallo didn’t hurt either. Solid.
• Amazing Adventures of the JLA: To be honest, I haven’t gotten around to reading this compilation book just yet. Probably do it tonight or tomorrow.

And as for what I’m wasting my money on Today, here’s my list:

• JSA Classified #11
• Justice #5 (of 12)
• Manhunter #21
• Squadron Supreme #2

And I might pick up Wolverine Origins #1, but only if I can follow the first couple of pages without any trouble. I know slightly more than dick about the current state of the regular Marvel Universe.

Picture via Superdickery.

Technorati Tags: Comics, Comic Books, Entertainment, Infinite Crisis, Superdickery

Google Calendar

Ok, so this is a week or so old, but I've got nothing better to do than blog about it.

Google has taken yet another step towards world domination with the release of Google Calendar.

There's nothing too terribly special about it, really. It's got the same clean, ad-free interface that's so endearing about their other products, easy integration with Gmail, and the ability to import and export iCal and Outlook appointments.

Overall, a nice effort on their part. I just wish it had a task list.

Anywho, check it out.

Technorati tags: Google Calendar, Computers and Internet

"Lost" Wiki

Found a Lost Wiki that might be of interest to some of you. It's not terribly well written or anything, but if you're looking for something to kill some time, it's perfect.

It even had a few little tidbits I'd missed despite having watched a good number of the episodes frame by frame. Check out the "Other Features" pages for some of that stuff.

Also, here's a crazy-ass detailed transcription of that creepy blast door map from a few weeks ago via Lost 4 8 15 16 23 42. The rest of the site is pretty good, too.

And with that, I'm gonna go back to ignoring the blog a little more.

Technorati Tags: Television, ABC, Lost, Entertainment

Fix Firefox's Memory Leak

If any of you use Firefox's tabbed browsing function, you might have noticed that the more tabs you have open, the slower shit seems to load. Well, apparently that's because Firefox stores a seperate history set for each tab in the computer's active memory, something it really doesn't need to do. This little fix attempts to remedy that problem.

Now, keep in mind that this isn't really a proper fix as much as it is a temporary hack. Areal fix is only likely to come as part of some future version of the program.

Oh, and one more thing. You may not see any noticeable difference in the speed of the browser after perfoming this fix. Essentially,the fix takes the inidividual tabs' histories out of active memory and caches them to the hard drive. My guess is that if you're running a machine with a good amount of ram, the results here are going to be a lot less severe than if you're running some old ass shitbox.

Personally, this seems to have had no effect on my superbox at home, but on my work machine, it's like night and day.

Anyway, here's the actual fix:

1. Open Firefox and go to the Address Bar. Type in about:config and then press Enter.
2. Right Click in the page and select New -> Boolean.
3. In the box that pops up enter config.trim_on_minimize. Press Enter.
4. Now select True and then press Enter.
5. Restart Firefox.

Via Cybernet.

Technorati tags: Firefox, Tabbed Browsing, Memory Leak, Computers and Internet

Lost 2x19 - "S.O.S."

Oooo, flashbacks on "new" characters. This was a nice change of pace with some interesting revelations.

• So, Bernard and Rose are newlyweds and were in Australia on their honeymoon.
• Bernard was a bachelor until he was 56? Man, a 56 year old bachelor dentist. That's almost frightening. I wonder what kept him single for so long.
  
• Ok, so they weren't there just for the honeymoon. Rose is (was?) apparently dying of cancer and Bernard decided on OZ for their honeymoon so he could get her in to see some sort of faith healer.
• Bernard has some control issues. He's one of those people who needs to be fixing something or at least working toward a fix or keeping busy. His idea to build a giant sign wasn't a bad one, his motivation was just a little out of focus.
• I mean, building a giant sign probably wouldn't have done much good. If a plane dropped those supplies, it would have been hard for them to not see the firelight from the camp on the beach. It's a pretty fair bet that the suppliers know that there are people stranded down there, but can either do nothing about it, or don't care. And the chances of a satellite happening along that one remote island in the middle of the Pacific are so small that it shouldn't even be a consideration. Sure, a keyhole satellite could easily see the sign and even count how many people are on the beach, but it has to know where to look. They are, after all, called "keyholes" for a reason.
• Oh, yeah, the reason that it wasn't necessarily a bad idea to build the sign is that these people really do need something to do. Even if it is an ultimately fruitless endeavor, it's gotta be hard to keep occupied. Cause really, what have these people been doing for the past two months?
• Is Jack the leader of the group? It certainly seems likely that he's the soft-of defacto leader of the main characters, but I hadn't really thought of how the rest of the survivors see him. A little less than half of them refused to move to the caves and he's always being challenged in front of everyone by Sawyer and some of the other heavies. Is Jack seen as the leader simply because he's usually the only one throwing out ideas?
• I bring this up because Bernard seemed (at the beginning, at least) to hold at least as much organizational power as Jack when he decided to organize the sign thing. With Rose being the only one to bring up the idea of consulting Jack (for her own reasons, as we find out later), it occurs to me that maybe there really isn't any clear chain of command amongst the group as a whole.
• A baby doll lying so conveniently close to a path in the middle of the creepy jungle? Kate, you're a fucking idiot.
• Being stuck in a net with you isn't an entirely unpleasant thought, though.
• Oh, and thanks for finally telling some one about the others and their costumes. I can see why you might have waited for so long, though. You know, cause it's not like that information could be, in any way, useful.
  
• Heh, I was right. Eko and Charlie are, in fact, building a church. Bernard seemed particularly upset by this. I wonder if that was just because he felt that they had given up on being rescued, or because he's got some problem with religion.
  
• Kinda split on that one. On the one hand, I can see Bernard being bitter and pissed at god for giving his wife, the woman it took him 56 years to find, cancer and cutting their time so short. But, on the other hand, he did shell out 10 grand and fly all the way to Australia to bring her to a faith healer.
  
• Eh, whatever the case, his comment about liking Eko better when all he did was hit people with his stick was quite entertaining. I dig Bernard as a character. His seemingly unique background and this cynical wit he seems to have make him fun to watch.
• Has the faith healer shown up on the show before? I recognize the actor from Farscape, but his familiarity seemed to be connected to the show, some how.
• And staying with the faith healer for a moment; Harnessing energy, huh? Magnetic fields, huh? Not the right place to cure her, huh? You hinting at something, guy?
  
• And speaking of such Bernard again, the scene where he proposed to Rose at Niagara Falls was done really well. I can't imagine that they actually flew all the way out from Hawaii to film on location, but it certainly did look like they were actually there.
• I think Jin is picking up more and more English everyday. Seemed like he understood pretty well that Bernard was only doing what he was doing and acting the way he was acting for Rose. I think Jin also understood that on an emotional level too, and his departing apology in English seemed to reinforce that.
• So Rose has been cured by the island. Big surprise there... Knowing that she had a terminal disease before the crash almost makes it a certainly that she has somehow been cured by the island. After Locke's legs, Charlie's amazingly easy and successful heroin withdrawal, and now Jin's apparently miraculous fertility, the island really seems to have a knack for healing old wounds. Too bad it doesn't work quite as well on the fresh ones. The marshall, Boone, Shannon, Scott, and the two others could have really used a little help.
• Oh, and Rose knows about Locke! I'm really surprised that she's the only one, but it really is nice to see that at least one of these losers was even moderately observant of their surroundings. I mean, Locke was sitting directly behind Rose and Bernard, Jack was across the isle from Rose, and Boone and Shannon were in the row behind Locke and only one of them noticed that the old bald guy in the blue checked shirt had to be carried to his seat by one of the air crew?
• And in keeping with Rose and Locke, it's nice to see that these two characters have acknowledged their mutual view of the island. Even if Locke doesn't remember picking up Rose's medication or know that the island seems to have cured her, it seemed pretty obvious that two of them had an understanding.
• And another thing about Locke; he really does heal pretty fast. I seem to remember him being gorged by a boar in one of the early episodes. Here it is, only a month and a half later, maybe, and that may as well have never even happened for all the trouble it's been causing him.
• Ah, and what discussion of Locke would be complete without mention of the button. He seems to have lost the will to press it, needing a nudge from Jack after nearly letting the timer hit zero and then later up and disappearing from the hatch, leaving the job to Anna Lucia. I think he really does believe that Henry didn't enter the numbers, but is too consumed with fear [that the island might rescind its gifts] to actually let it go.
• And I really don't think the button does anything. Henry was obviously enjoying the fact that Locke was seeking reassurance about the thing. I think it's just an experiment of some sort; just to see if (and for how long) they can get people to keep pressing this thing.
• So Jack and Kate sat in the jungle for a while waiting for a sign from the others. Then, all of a sudden, Michael pops out of the middle of nowhere after being gone for so long that I was starting to think he was off the show. I've got two theories here; either the others have acknowledged and accepted the idea of a prisoner exchange without feeling the need to so explicitly state it, or Michael is part of some sort of trap. His participation could be willing, though even in that regard, there's still a little murkiness (e.g. Henry Gale is obviously a willing Other that seems to be in on at least part of their plan, but his enthusiasm seems to be aimed more at pleasing the higher-ups than in any real belief in their cause). Or, he could be participating under some form of duress. The first thing that comes to mind in this regard is that they're holding Walt over his head.
  

I guess we'll just have to see. Feel free to comment. I'm sure I missed something, but I'm getting tired of typing.

Technorati Tags: Television, ABC, Lost, Entertainment

Behold: Simply Google

Simply Google is meta-page composite of all of Google's different search functions and services.

It's quite the bad ass, so check it out.

Via Download Squad.

Technorati tags: Simply Google, Google, Computers and Internet

Lost 2x18 - "Dave"

This was a fun episode. I really like Hurley's character and the way the actor delivers his lines; it's quite natural. While many of the other characters seem to make a concerted effort to convey their personalities, Hurely is just himself. Now, whether that's intended to be part of the characters' premises or simply an indication of their acting skills, I'm not sure. But it does give the show a little something extra.

Anywho, observation/question/rant/witticism time:

• Yes, Hurely, we know you have a problem with food, but did you have to destroy all of it? I mean, you (and 40 or so other people) have been stranded on a creepy, inexplicably uncharted island for the past two months with seemingly now hope of rescue and very few supplies, you dick.
• And did all of those other survivors just run past Libby and Hurley and not notice the tremendous amount of wasted food all over the place? Supply pallet or not, WTF?
• And another thing, 5 gallon drums of salad dressing and mayonnaise? Jeez Hurley, I can understand the peanut butter, I think, but what the hell were you gonna do with all that mayonnaise? That's just wrong.
• So, the supply drop seems to be a somewhat regular occurrence. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about that. I mean, yeah, giving the characters food saves us all from having to endure episodes about food shortages and other mundane shit like that, but I can't help but feel that having some sort of spooky corporation dropping a steady stream supplies takes some of surreal allure away from the island. Granted, it raises its own questions and mysteries, but I think I would have almost preferred the show leave things slightly more supernatural, or at least ambiguous.
• No one seems to have seen or heard the plane(?) that dropped the supplies. If that's true, then from where did they come? Something to do with the giant electro-magnet, maybe?
  
• Ok, we got a fairly large question answered in this one: Why was Hurley in a mental hospital? Well, he was in a mental hospital because he had a breakdown and developed an eating disorder. This was brought on because he feels responsible for a fatal accident in which a deck collapse claimed the lives of 2 people. The deck, which was already overburdened (built for 8, was holding 23), gave way soon after Hurley walked on to it. His mother had him committed when she realized he had a problem.
• It seems that Hurley also developed an imaginary friend, Dave, as a manifestation of his guilt. See, Hurley subconsciously decided that the punishment for his perceived crime should be to gain even more weight as a means of assuring that he would 1) be eternally unhappy with his physical appearance and 2) be constantly reminded by that appearance of what he had caused. Dave's role in this was to assure Hurley that his current behavior was perfectly acceptable, therefore continuing the implementations of his self-imposed punishment.
• Yeah, I know, it's complicated, and I'm sure my explanation sucks, but, I promise, it made pretty good sense in the show.
• Ok, so the show is not a dream or an hallucination. If it is, the writers are a bunch of dicks for having Dave just reappear and tell us like that.
• Hurley sure did beat the hell out of Sawyer. Everyone's reaction to it was great, too; Jin just laughing, especially.
• It's both very sad and very funny that Hurley had convinced himself that he was hallucinating based on the fact that a pretty girl like Libby had the hots for him. Definitely some of the most telling insight into the character.
  
• Ok, so Henry's been lying, and tries to keep lying, but gets caught in it and then seems to have a bit of a breakdown.
• Henry really did seem scared shitless of talking about the Others. It was almost as if he believed that they would somehow know that he had betrayed them. More credence to my remote viewing theory, eh?
  
• When Sayid was about to shoot him, Henry had a look of disbelief on his face when he said "but I'm not a bad person." More evidence of his connection to the Others, or at least the group that attacked the Tailies, if they're not one in the same.
• Do you think Sayid and Fiesty McBitch planned the shooting thing? Good cop, bad cop, maybe? I've heard the idea floating around, but I'd have to see the scene again to really form an opinion.
  
• The others seem to be directly responsible for the real Henry Gale's death via a broken neck.
• "Zeke," the bearded guy who we've seen as the others' leader, is apparently just some middle management schlump who answers to an even scarier figure; someone to whom they seem to refer as "Him."
  
• And if Henry is to be believed, the dead man's switch is just one big mind fuck. He didn't enter the code and everything reset back to normal, except before it did, the big electro-magnet spurred up for some reason. I kinda get the feeling that something similar happened to Desmond right before the crash and that the activation of the magnet is what brought the plane down.
• Henry might still be playing everyone, though. He dodged Locke's question about his real name.
• And poor Locke, he almost ended up back in that wheel chair. Good thing they just happened to have a set of crutches with then, huh?
• But one more thing about Henry; his comment about how God has no idea how long he's been on the island or even where the island is really makes me believe that, no matter how involved he is now, Henry Gale is not, or at was not originally, a willing participant in the Others' plan. Couple that with Alex helping Claire escape and I really gotta wonder how many of their number are being forced in to these actions.
• As hokey as it might seem, I think Eko is building a church. And I think Charlie kinda gets that feeling, too. He's helping Eko with the church as some sort of subconscious means of atoning for his sins.
• So Libby was a patient at the same hospital as Hurley. I was expecting her to be one of the doctors that was treating him rather than a fellow nutball (and from the looks of it, she was, in fact, a nutball). Did she claim to be a psychologist or a psychiatrist when we were first introduced to her? I suppose she could actually be either of those two things and still haven ended up in an asylum, but it kind of defies logic. In any event, I get the feeling that this purpose of this episode was as much a means of setting Libby's story up as it was of further explaining Hurley's.
• Speaking of past character connections, I wonder if the real Henry Gale has shown up on any of the previous episodes. We know what he looks like from the driver's license photo. Maybe he'll show up in the future.
  
• And on a final note, I'm left with the interesting possibility that Dave's appearance on the island is not actually Hurley experiencing a psychotic break, but rather the most recent occurrence of the same affliction that has been haunting some of the other characters since the beginning of the show. Jack's dad, Locke's visions of the plane and his mother, Charlie with the baby, Boone's vision of Shannon's death, the visions of Walt, and even the black horse and the polar bears, to some degree. Is the island conjuring these things? Are they getting the sickness?
  

With that, see ya next week.

Technorati Tags: Television, ABC, Lost, Entertainment

Comic Book Day - 04/05/06

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I've done my weekly broadcasts of how I waste my money, but what can I say? I got bored with it.

The funny thing, though, is that I've now become bored with not doing. More so, in fact, than I ever was doing it.

And now that you're thoroughly confused, here's my pull list:

• Batman and the Monster Men #6 (of 6) - Finally. I've not enjoyed this too terribly much, but kept buying it just to finish out the series. The art just isn't to my liking and Hugo Strange is just about my least favorite Bat-Villain. It's mostly just the art, though.
• Detective Comics #818 - I dig the whole One Year Later thing, and the first two installments of this arc were good (DC #817 & Bats #651) but the prospect of Two Face being some sort of central plot point kind of sours me a bit to the rest of the story. The old Rogues are just that; old. I'd like to see more of how Jason Todd is integrating himself back into the Bat-family.
• Infinite Crisis #6 (of 7) - Yay! The last issue felt a bit rushed, but was otherwise awesome. The two Supes fighting each other made the whole series worth it, in my opinion. Superboy Prime comes back in this issue, though. And after how effortlessly and butally he killed all of those D-list heroes in his last appearance, this issue might actually top the last.
• JSA #84 - The second installment of the OYL Gentleman Ghost arc. To be honest, I wasn't thrilled with the first part of the story, but I like the JSA heroes and their team dynamic, so it's still worth my time (and money).
• Outsiders #35 - I just like the way Winick writes the team. It's an entertaining book even if the it doesn't always make the most sense.
• The OMAC Project Infinite Crisis Special - A follow-up to the OMAC Project and a tie-in to Inifinite Crisis. Need I say more? Well, yes, actually. This is supposed to lead in to the new ongoing Checkmate series, of which I'm not terribly interested. We'll see how it goes, though.
• Teen Titans #34 - The start of the Titan's OYL arc. I really like this book. The team seems to have been tredding water for the past several months, and this issue sounds like it'll actually advance their story some. Plus, the variant cover features a memorial to Superboy (Conner Kent), so I'm interested to see what that's all about.

And with that, I'm done.

Picture via Superdickery.

Technorati Tags: Comics, Comic Books, Entertainment, Infinite Crisis, Superdickery

U.S. Focus on Abstinence Weakens AIDS Fight, Agency Finds

From The New York Times:

Insistence by Republican Congressional leaders that American money to fight the spread of AIDS globally be used to emphasize abstinence and fidelity is undercutting comprehensive and widely accepted aid models, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Tuesday.

The report by the G.A.O., an investigative arm of Congress, examines the effect of a mandate from Congress that at least a third of United States money to prevent the spread of AIDS worldwide be devoted to sexual abstinence and fidelity programs.

It found that the provision had limited the reach of broader strategies to fight AIDS that include the use of condoms — a conclusion strongly contested by a senior Bush administration official.

The report also said the requirement had meant that officials in some countries have had to reduce spending on programs to prevent the transmission of H.I.V. from women to their newborn babies, as well as other prevention strategies.

That bunch of fuckers.

What's the moral here, folks? Vote Republican and a substantially higher number of men, women, and children in Africa will contract AIDS and die a slow, agonizing death.

Via AMERICAblog.

Technorati tags: AIDS, Abstinence, Africa, GOP, Bullshit

EULAlyzer: The End User License Agreement Analyzer

Technology is wonderful.

Here's a little program that'll scan through the End User License Agreement of a given installation program and flag any suspicious language that might lead to some kind of security concern.

Why is it important to know what's in an EULA, you ask? Well, because as hard as it might be to believe, randomly appearing porn sites can sometimes be something of an inconvenience.

From the EULAlyzer website:

ULAlyzer can analyze license agreements in seconds, and provide a detailed listing of potentially interesting words and phrases. Discover if the software you're about to install displays pop-up ads, transmits personally identifiable information, uses unique identifiers to track you, or much much more.

The Benefits

• Discover potentially hidden behavior about the software you’re going to install
• Pick up on things you missed when reading license agreements
• Keep a saved database of the license agreements you view
• Instant results - super-fast analysis in just a second

And with additional features like the EULA Research Center, which optionally allows users to anonymously submit license agreements they scan to help us to further improve the program, everyone can be a part of the effort to make something that used to be so tedious, so easy.

Via Lifehacker.

Technorati tags: EULAlyzer, End User License Agreements, Computers and Internet, Spyware, Malware

Desktop Earth 2.0

Here's something interesting that serves almost no real purpose, whatsoever: Desktop Earth 2.0 from CodeFromThe70s.org.

Basically, it's a Windows active desktop module that displays, in real-time, a map of the Earth and the position of the sun.

It's got a bunch of settings that let you control everything from refresh rate to cloud positions and is, generally, just a neat little thing at which to stare whilst zoning out at work.

Check it out.

Via Download Squad.

Technorati tags: Desktop Earth 2.0, Computers and Internet, Wastes of Time