Friday, May 30, 2008

Japanese Bug Fights!

The first video is of a scorpion versus what I guess is a goliath beetle or something:

http://www.japanesebugfights.com/

There's a moderator, too, although it's all in Japanese. It doesn't matter, though, because it's the enthusiasm that counts. I was surprised to see how well a crawfish did against a big, menacing-looking beetle.

This might be better than watching a couple of UFC meatheads tear the stuffing out of each other.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

Nuts-And-Bolts Weird Thing

Just an odd little thing off the web.

I wonder the origin:

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z219/Business6/1183918277338.gif

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

On The Strange End Of The Spamfest

Seeing as I'm somewhere close to the center of the Beaumont Enterprise news universe, I probably get more than 100 e-mails a day at work.
If I go off for a week on vacation, it can take more than an hour to navigate through the e-mail minefield that awaits me on Monday morning.
My e-mail is easy to find. It goes out on more than 50,000 copies of the newspaper daily and is on our newspaper web site for all the world to see.
I get the usual spam, such as the lovely folks over in Nigeria, or wherever, who want to cut me in on some $2 bazillion inheritance . I get the usual male enhancement spam. I get the alarming ALERT ads from bogus banks. I get e-mailed news releases for things so far outside our coverage turf that it might as well be about Pluto.
But the ones that really leave me scratching my head look like this:


¼¤W¥«ªÑ²¼ªº¯SÂI:ªÑ¥»¤p. Äw½X¶°¤¤. °ª°tªÑ.°ª°t®§.¥i¥H±o¨ì«D±`ì§QÂ׫pªº³ø¹S. ¢¯¢¸¢°¢·-¢°¢±¢¶-¢´¢µ¢µÂ²¥ý¥Í Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:08:39 +0200
¿Ô¸ß¼ö½u¡G¡§¢¯¢¸¢°¢·-¢°¢±¢¶-¢´¢µ¢µ¡¨Â²¥ý¥Í
ªA°È¶µ¥Ø:
¥¼¤W¥«ªÑ²¼¤½¥q¸ê®Æ³Æ¯Á
¿³ÂdªÑ²¼¤½¥q¸ê®Æ³Æ¯Á
°t¦X¤½¥q¨p¶Ò¡B¤jÃBªÑÅvÂàÅý¡B¤Þ¶iªk¤H³W¹º
°t¦X¦U¤j³Ð§ë¡B§ë¸ê¤½¥q»{Áʤ½¥qªÑÅv
°t¦X¥¼¤W¥«³Ì§Cµ½á¨î°ÝÃD¬¢¸ß³W¹º¤Î¦U¥¼¤W¥«¿³Âd¬ÛÃöªk¥O¿Ô¸ßµ¥µ¥
¦p¦ó§Q¥Î¥¼¤W¥«¤½¥qªÑ²¼²¾Â൹¤l¤k§KÃØ»Pµ
§Y®É¶R½æ½L³ø,¥þ¬ÙªA°È,²{ª÷¨ì©²¦¬°e§Y¨è½Ð¨Ó¹q¡K¡K
¿Ô¸ß¼ö½u¡G¡§¢¯¢¸¢°¢·-¢°¢±¢¶-¢´¢µ¢µ¡¨Â²¥ý¥Í
ºÃ¦¨¥ß¥xÆW³Ì¤j¥¼_¤W_¥«_ªÑ_²¼³ø»ù¿Ô¸ßªA°Èºô¸ô¥æ©ö¥­¥x
Åwªï§ë¸ê¤H.³Ð§ë¤Î¤jªÑªF¡D¦@Á¸²±Á
Åwªï¨Ó¹q¡G¢¯¢¸¢´¢·-¢´¢µ¢¸-¢¯¢²¢´
ÐÂà±Hµ¹§A­ÌªºªB¤Í,¤]½Ð¹q¸Ü§iª¾§Aªº¿ËªB¦n¤Í,ÁÂÁ¡I)
¥t¼x±M·~±¾¥¼_¤W_¥«ªÑ²¼§ë¸ê¤H

What the heck is that? Why would anyone send that out? What's their game? Do they really think anyone knows what that is?
What's this? ¤
And this? §
And that? Å
It's as if some alien race is trying to make contact .
Who knows?
Perhaps some alien race on Pluto has made some killer male enhancement product they want humans to try.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Timewaster Of The Week-May 27

It's always slow going after a three-day weekend, so maybe this gem of a timewaster will get those synapses firing:

http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/covert-front/

It's one of those point-and-click story games where you have to explore, find things, check out rooms and figure out how things work.

Once you're done with Part 1, you can move to Part 2. Part 3, I guess, is under construction.

Good luck!

Monday, May 19, 2008

Timewaster Of The Week-May 19

With the holiday weekend coming up, here's your chance to practice in advance of getting your grill on:

http://www.flashgames247.com/play/871.html

It gets progressively harder to satisfy those hungry customers!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Not-So-Turbo Tax

I just received this annoying little notice:

Dear Valued Customer,
We want to provide you with the most up–to–date information about the tax rebate to which you may be entitled.
Recently, you may have received a letter from the IRS advising you when to expect your Economic Stimulus Payment (rebate).
That IRS letter may have inadvertently left off some important information. Taxpayers who chose to have their tax preparation fees deducted from their federal tax refund will receive their tax rebate in the mail, not via direct deposit.
Our records show that you chose this payment option in TurboTax. As a result, the IRS has determined that you will receive your tax rebate in the mail. This may result in you receiving your rebate on a date later than expected.
This situation, while not unique to TurboTax, is understandably causing some concern and confusion. To help further clarify the situation, below is the most current IRS rebate payment processing schedule, as well as additional resources about the tax rebates.
I hope you find this information helpful. If you still have questions, the best source for the most up-to-date information is www.irs.gov (see the "Rebate Payment Questions" link).
Sincerely, Bob Meighan
Vice President, TurboTax Customer Advocacy


If the last two digits of your Social Security number are:
Payments will be mailed no later than:
00 – 09
May 16

10 – 18
May 23

19 – 25
May 30

26 – 38
June 6

39 – 51
June 13

52 – 63
June 20

64 – 75
June 27

76 – 87
July 4

88 – 99
July 11

Other sources for current information on the rebate program are.
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=182734,00.html
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=182735,00.html
For more information on TurboTax and rebates, please visit http://turbotax.intuit.com/support/kb/tax-content/tax-tips/6255.html

Now I know why I haven't gotten my rebate. At least I'm sooner than later on the schedule, but still ...

Thursday, May 15, 2008

One Of Those Unexplainable Things

The shimmy in my dad's old Chevrolet Blazer started ever so slightly perhaps yesterday or the day before. I'm not really sure when I had a gut feeling that something funny was afoot.
Like a medical malady that comes on slow, the Blazer's problem developed in a way that cheated the mind out of a sense of certainty.
The Blazer has never been a smooth ride. The engine rumbles, and it drives like chuck wagon. It's an old car that has seen a lot of miles and adventures.
The problem grew slightly worse as yesterday progressed, but certainty didn't come until the worst possible moment: with my two young boys in the car while heading home last night on the busy and dangerous Texas 105 between Beaumont and Sour Lake.
The ride grew rougher, as if the vehicle had cinder blocks for tires.
Traveling at the minimum speed limit, we made it home. I checked the back tires, which looked fine - but I hoped one would go flat overnight, quickly defining the problem.
I didn't have to wait long.
Within 30 minutes, the back driver's side tire went pancake flat.
This morning, after putting on the spare, I checked the bad tire. There were no noticeable nails, screws or other impalements.
I ran my finger along the tire, and something poked back, drawing blood. It was a strand off an inside belt. I then found two holes, hidden by flaps of rubber, that I could insert a finger into. The tire was coming apart from the inside, a very bad thing.
If you've ever had a sudden tire blowout, you understand what I mean. A few years ago, when Curt was a toddler and Luke was in his mommy's tummy, we were going 70 mph on a Houston freeway when the same back tire on my Nissan Pathfinder exploded with such force that it dislocated part of the bumper. That sickening here-we-go feeling ensued as the white-knuckle struggle began to control the vehicle and ease it off the highway. This is how SUVs flips in this situation.
Luckily, in the case of the Blazer, given to me last year after my father died, the tire didn't explode or even go a little flat while driving. How this happened is a mystery. Considering the tire's gaping holes, how did it manage to hold air long enough to make it home? There wasn't anything sharp to run over in the driveway at the last minute.
I'd like to think my dad, whom my kids call Pawpaw, extended a meaty hand from the heavens and held that damned tire together long enough to get the babies home.
It's an explanation that perhaps trumps one involving a terrible tire, with holes big enough to run a pencil through, managing to hold air for miles and then going flat in under 30 minutes while parked.
Who knows?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Timewaster Of The Week-May 14

This is as dumb and simple as it gets:

http://www.zimm-co.com/PressTheSpaceBar/pressthespacebar2000.swf

Whack the space bar as many times as possible in the allotted time.

I managed to hit it 40-something times in 5 seconds. I only did it once. It says the record is 93. I can't understand how that's possible without breaking the space bar.

I'd try harder, but I don't want to have to explain to the computer-repair dude how my space bar got broken.

Monday, May 05, 2008

Test Your '70s, '80s Music Knowledge

A little trivia quiz for you on a rainy Monday:

1970s:
http://www.shegoddess.com/q/70s/

1980s:
http://www.shegoddess.com/q/80s/audioquiz.aspx

I got 80 percent on the 1970s and 70 percent on the 1980s.

Had the 1980s been more about punk rock and garage bands like The Replacements, I would have done better. No sir, you won't find any Culture Club, Wham!, Spandau Ballet or Duran Duran in my album and CD collections!

Timewaster Of The Week-May 5

Speed Racer!

http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/speedracer/play.php

Watch out for the turns!

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Have A Bad Day

There is no avoiding those occasional works days when we feel like balloons in a porcupine factory, when employees let us down or The Man abrasively leans on us from above. When both happens, it's a poop sandwich.
Bad work days often start off with an unrelated event, such as a flat tire, some booger-eating moron on the freeway or maybe a spat with the spouse over something silly.
Bad-news days for others sometimes make exciting days for journalists. For example, we aggressively chase stories about people whose days are made bad by getting shot, running away from Category 5 hurricanes, driving off a bridge or seeing their business burn down.
We take no pleasure in these tragedies, but it is our job to cover them, and we have an obligation to feed the hungry beast better known as readers. Good news, such as someone getting a kidney or winning the lottery, also helps make for good newsroom days.
No news is the basic recipe for our bad days. Inaccuracies or getting scooped on stories also are fixins for bad days.
Everyone has bad days. It is how we handle them that defines our character.
However, there are some who don't handle their bad days so well.
Here are some examples:
http://glumbert.com/wii/view.php?name=baddayoffice
Maybe just watching that will help turn your lemon day into a lemonade day.
Have a nice day.