You would expect that on a $3,100 bike there would be clipless pedals. As the President should know by now--

His foot got stuck in a strap that keeps it on the pedal

--straps that hold your foot to the pedal can be very dangerous.

When I first heard this story on NPR this morning, I imediately thought of how much ibuprofen I take. Luckily, it seems that

Acetaminophen, which is sold under the brand name Tylenol by a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and also marketed generically, was alone among commonly used painkillers to show an association with kidney impairment.

I definately am glad to hear that. I hardly ever take Acetaminophen. They were saying that as little as 3 times a week can cause problems with the kidneys. I probably take ibuprofen on average about 3 times a week. I am glad to know that only my stomache (at least based on this study) will be messed up.

Amusing polical parody that rags on both Bush and Kerry. It is worth your time.

Pretty good Lego short based on Spiderman II.

I really dig the Duplo block Doc Ock throws at Spiderman.

Very cool. This would save me a few hours of housework on Friday afternoons.

This seems like a rather unfortunate name for a funeral home, as when it is put in a URL it reads: http://www.bumafuneralhome.com.

To make matters worse, the e-mail I received had the URL wrong: http://www.bumafuneral.com. I, of course, read it as: "bum a funeral" which just seems like a bizaar concept.

I guess even Texas has some sense now.

Slate article about what exactly Bush has accomplished in the realm of restricting nuclear weapons proliferation and the expansion of nuclear weapons programs in a number of hot countries. He has accomplished some things, just not quite in the manner he leads the public to believe, and not with a clear and coherient policy. As the author of the article notes:

The key failure is that Bush said nothing--and has planned nothing--about devising a general international policy toward nonproliferation. Police enforcement can go only so far. An effective policy must deal with the reasons certain nations want to go nuclear--and the incentives, as well as the punishments, that might deter them from doing so.

Policy? A cowboy like Bush doesn't need any stinkin' policy. He just does what he has to do, when he has to do it. Why make it easy for the world? Aren't we better off if no one knows what we are going to do and why?

I think Bush needs a few classes in foriegn policy.

Article on how Asimov is constantly misunderstood, though his books are rather straightforward and simple. The new movie I, Robot has done this, by making robots evil. They were never evil in the stories. Their intentions were only misunderstood by humans. Asimov was trying to show that logical and rationality are good things and we should learn to trust them and not concentrate so much on the emotional side--eventually they will meet out a better society.

I read the I, Robot stories a month or so ago. I was underwhelmed by them. I hate it when short stories from the same universe are tied together loosely with a "story." The story that ties them together always sounds fake and contrived. The stories should be able to stand on their own. Aside from that, the stories were very simple. There wasn't much character development (the most was in the robots), and the plots revolved around problems. They were fun to read, though, as they made you think about the future of mankind and the role of machines and computers in it.

Such a flim would make a killing with the engineers of the world. Too bad Hollywood doesn't cater to engineers every once in a while.

Somewhat decent interview with John Flansburgh of TMBG. It was slashdotted if you want to read some nerds arguing about it--I'll just be a nerd taking it all in.

This looks like a pyramid scam. But they have the oddest way of getting people into the fold:

As ministers for 20 years, we have seen the devastation that the filth of the Internet has brought to our society, our churches and our young people. We are on a mission to save this generation. We have so desperately needed a company like SonMedia Online to step up to the plate and help families KEEP FILTH FROM OUR HOMES. I encourage you to educate yourself and protect your family. Our children are being destroyed before us and marriages are being ravished. It is time we take back our computers from the filth of the Internet. We would be honored to have you join us as a customer or even as a rep. Check out the links, do your investigation and then send us an email on how we can help you.

Filth like this, that is intended to separate people from their money should be kept off the net too...

Bobby Fischer has turned up again. He's wanted in the US because he violat[ed] U.N. sanctions against Yugoslavia by playing a chess match in Yugoslavia in 1992. I think the US just wants a piece of that $3.35 million.

I have a feeling they wouldn't be doing this to him if he was an athlete.

I have a feeling Jason will appriciate this infograph from The Onion.

Meanwhile, teens on the bus are going through every ringtone they have...

I hadn't thought about the similarity between MooLatte and mulatto until I read this Slate article. I just thought it was a really dumb name. I have a feeling this drink won't last long.

----

I was just running spell check on this entry. The spell checker suggested "mulatto" for MooLatte. Priceless.

Cool video for one of TMBG's songs from their new album:





which you should buy.

Excellent open letter to Roger Clemens from a fellow Red Sox fan. I agree, Clemens is a putz.

I know this is a serious matter, but the headline brings an odd image:

French swastika attack condemned

All I can imagine are emblems swarming a body and suffercating it.

What actually happened is much more disturbing. As Chirac said, this is truly the darkest side of human nature.

I never knew this about Mr. Ed. It seems he was a female zebra. Crazy huh? Hey, it's on Snopes, so it has to be true!

Great 404 from Snopes.com.

An article about a huge fund raising event for Kerry and Edwards. The best line is from a Bush spokesman:

a Hollywood fund-raiser filled with enough hate and vitriol to make Michael Moore blush

Also, this line from Kerry said at a Fort Lauderdale, FL ralley:

Continuing his running commentary on Mr. Edwards's children, Mr. Kerry told the crowd that 6-year-old Emma Claire and her brother Jack, 4, are "really good at math."

"They really know how to count," he said. "So I've given them a special duty in this election. We're sending Jack and Emma Claire down here to help those Republicans in West Palm Beach count those votes."

And to think, Mary Baker Eddy only had a telephone in her crypt. I can see it now Tombstone video diaries will turn even a graveyard into a carnaval. Excellent. Those places are way too somber.

Very good skeptics site. I read a few articles--one about claims that plants can read minds. Very cool stuff.

Good pick by Kerry of John Edwards. Bad typo by CNN:

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry has cosen Sen. John Edwards

From the US Flag Code (section m):

The flag shall be flown at half-staff 30 days from the death of the President or a former President

Which is why the flag is still at half staff for President Reagan's death. And I though people had just forgotten to raise it to its full height again.

A quick article about the popularity of running up the steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum like Rocky did int eh first Rocky movie. I like this comment from the end of the article:

The Independence Visitor Center is pleased the movie brings visitors to the museum, with many wanting a 'Rocky pose' photo at the top of the climb.
'We try to encourage people to actually go inside the Art Museum, too,' the center's chief executive, Bill Moore, said. 'But a lot of people just want to run up the steps.'

Bill Cosby is making a good point here. The same can be said about everyone--black, white, Latino, etc.--who doesn't take education seriously at some point in their lives. The words are harsh to hear, but they are true, no matter who you are.

From The Onion A.V. Club's review of America's Heart and Soul:

Technically, the film is a documentary, but it's closer to an advertisement or a state-funded propaganda film, calibrated to appeal to emotional, unreflective instincts through shimmering hogwash. If this is a real cross-section of America, then where are the needy, the disenfranchised, and the assholes?

Jason and I saw a preview for this when we saw Napoleon Dynamite last week. From the preview, I agree with The Onion:

A few of the subjects would be interesting if more than five minutes were devoted to them

so, I don't think I'll be seeing this. Plus, it did that crappy thing where you get all emotional because the sweeping shots and smarmy music evoke some sort of patriotism. I don't want a Disney film doing that to me.

To continue with the space theme, this photo is of Saturn's rings. It is a raw image--hense the lack of pretty colors or explainatory diagrams. The detail is wonderful. It is really neat how the rings seem to have a record (like a 45) like texture.

This pic was taken by Cassini in its Jupiter fly-by. It is beautiful. Pictures from space that are detailed and up-close like this amaze me.