Introducing… Brain Dump

OK, seriously… more brain droppings, less random links. ;)

Andy

For the record, no, Andy, you’re not the sole inspiration for this idea, but take credit if you want. I’ll probably deny it. ;)

One of the new blogging trends is something called a “tumblelog.” Basically, where many blogs have long entries, post titles, and discussions, a tumblelog is just stream-of-consciousness, “this is the crap I saw/browsed/heard online/in person today” log — something that kinda goes back to the original meaning of “blog” — a web log, where you record and share the things you saw on the web.

The folks at Tumblr make creating and maintaining tumblelogs extremely easy. I’m still working on getting some kind of feedback mechanism and links back to this main site, but it’s close enough to release to the wild. You could have a look up in the top of the sidebar for the link, but I know you’re too lazy at the moment, so click through here to the Brain Dump.

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Something else you’ll notice… there’s already posts there, dated over the last several days. Many bloggers (I’ve done it myself) will start their blogs with their first post, and immediately start seeking attention for their “Hello World!” posts. I read a neat trick recently, and decided to try it: I’ve been posting stuff to this new tumblelog for several days, so that when I unveiled it, there was already something to read. Hope you enjoy.

Copy swap at “Ask Yahoo!”?

If you’re not familiar with it, Ask Yahoo! is a component of the Yahoo! web site that takes user-submitted questions, researches the answers, and posts one answer a day.

Today’s article seemed pretty straightforward: what’s the best-selling album ever?

Before we began our research, we thought Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” held the title. But, as we quickly learned, that’s not the case.

The high-flying Eagles are the real champs of the charts. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, “Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975″ by the Eagles is the best-selling album ever with 29 million copies sold. Jacko’s “Thriller” is second, followed by “Led Zeppelin IV,” Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” and AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”

I might not have even read the article, though if it weren’t for the text in the article’s RSS feed. As I’m looking through Google Reader, I come across this little gem:

k-fed.png

Before we began researching, we thought Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” held the title. But, as we quickly learned, that’s not the case. Believe it or not, the best-selling album of all-time actually belongs to rap star and Mensa member Kevin Federline…

Waitwaitwait– WHAT???

Mensa… K-Fed… *brain explodes*

I have no idea how long this was live on the site; Google’s RSS reads are cached for a while, and the live feed has already removed the third sentence from the site:

no_k-fed.png

Before we began researching, we thought Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” held the title. But, as we quickly learned, that’s not the case…

I wonder if anyone’s getting reprimanded, if not fired, for this one.

If only…

I would applaud this if it were true.

The day after an unidentified man killed 32 people, and wounded many others at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recanted years of support for gun control laws and called on Congress to initiate a national weapons training program at schools that receive federal funding.

“Since it’s clearly impossible to keep guns out of the hands of criminals,” Rep. Pelosi said, “the only way to hamper the evil plans of the deranged and wicked is to assure that their potential victims are not helpless.”

Remember Them

Don’t say you support them.

Just support them.

(Hat tip: Power Line)

Whadaya know, an honest spammer.

Usually, spam gets through to you because it’s written to obscure its intent from the prying eyes of anti-spam filters. Chris Pirillo was recently surprised to discover a comment left on his blog that didn’t hold back:

Please visit my site, click my ads and buy my crap

American Idol Top 8

I haven’t done this much (read: ever), but I thought I’d throw out a “what did I think?” about American Idol this week. Yes, I watch. Shut up. :-P

  1. Melinda Doolitle: Maybe not as powerful as recent weeks, but still a solid performance. A little self-deprecating in the vignette at the beginning — she’s not as un-sexy as she thinks she is.
  2. LaKisha Jones: Sames as above — a little weaker than previous performances, but still really good.
  3. Chris Richardson: I like the song, but not a good show. He’s not projecting, he’s kinda reserved in his performance.
  4. Haley Scarnato: Her looks are all she’s got still going this week. Like last week, sounds like she’s not exactly following the mentor’s advice — Jennifer Lopez advised her to sing one part of the song very staccato, which she didn’t do come showtime. In the bottom two last week, she needed a strong showing to stay in the game, and I don’t think she got it done.
  5. Phil Stacey: Rather forgettable. Literally, I don’t remember what he sang. Needs to do better to get out of the bottom three.
  6. Jordin Sparks: Jordin did about as well as Melinda and LaKisha — good, but not as good as some previous shows.
  7. Blake Lewis: Easily the class of the night. ’nuff said.
  8. Sanjaya Malakar: Still mediocre at best, but showed a surprising improvement. Still hasn’t earned a vote in my book, but if he’d performed that well 5-6 weeks ago, he’d have earned the spot he’s in right now.

I’m calling in votes for (1) Melinda, (2) LaKisha, (6) Jordin, and (7) Blake. My prediction for the bottom three is Chris, Phil and Haley, and I predict Haley goes home.

Oh, and by the way… Has anyone else noticed this yet? Totally separated at birth:

Sanjaya…

sanjaya.JPG

…and Jian.

jian.png

There’s my take. Discuss.

Why are you here?

No, seriously.  I’m trying to get an idea of what things people read my blog for, to get an idea of what to write about going forward.  So, go on.  Tell me why you come here, and what kinds of posts you look for from me.

Let’s have an… Easter bomb hunt?

Oh, yes, this strikes me as all sorts of intelligent:

Alternative Easter Egg Hunt Near White House to Use Fake Cluster Bombs Made By Kids (AP via FOX News)

Announcement #2

I’d like to make another annoucement…

Read the rest of this entry »

Snow in April?


Snow in April?
Originally uploaded by Pauley2483.

What happened to spring? This is on Blossom Rd in Rochester.

(sent wirelessly from my Treo 650)