Tuesday, December 16, 2008

10 Unknown Facts About: Philip K. Dick

Ladies and Gentlemen, I love a good read, especially if it involves robots or space or things of that nature, so when I saw that today was Philip K. Dick's birthday, I had to learn more about him. He may be the author of numerous science fiction novels, several of them became movies (Minority Report, Blade Runner, Total Recall, and A Scanner Darkly). but here are a few things you probably didn't know.

10 Unknown Facts about Philip K. Dick:
  1. After writing Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep? he decided, in fact, that no, they shouldn't since real people don't dream about real sheep. So he built a robot to have dreams about flying gravy boats like the rest of us.
  2. Philip K. Dick's first name was originally spelled Phillip, but the other l was shot off in the war and doctors were unable to reattach it.
  3. Philip K. Dick could grow his beard at will, hence its impressive bushiness.
  4. Philip K. Dick took on a part-time job as a temporal conduit through which time traveling tourists could experience life in our days by mentally possessing his body from time to time. In return, he was able to visit their times (similar to Quantum Leap). This was often mistaken as mental illness.
  5. There have been so many adaptations of Philip K. Dick's books and stories that some scientists believe they spontaneously adapt themselves to film, television, and radio if left unattended for too long.
  6. Philip K. Dick was a pastamancer who could summon a plate of spaghetti five times a day.
  7. Philip K. Dick knew how to fly an interstellar space shuttle. His greatest sorrow was that they didn't exist yet for him to fly.
  8. The K stands for "kick a-- and take names," which made it difficult for him to fill out forms.
  9. Philip K. Dick was able to punch through walls no thicker pi inches thick, regardless of what material it was built out of.
  10. The scene in Back to the Future where Marty McFly plays the song at the dance and Chuck Barry's cousin calls Chuck and lets him hear it was based on an incident from Philip K. Dick's life (again due to the Temporal Conduit job), except the song was "Stars and Stripes Forever" and John Phillip Souza's cousin Cindy Souza passed the song along.
You have been informed.

Monday, December 15, 2008

More Information on Vampires

Ladies and Gentlemen, after spending the evening among the vampires, I've learned a few things that I would pass on to you so that you may perchance survive should you ever encounter a vampire.
  • When vampires get sick, they melt. Into smelly puddles. When they die, they turn to ash. So if you see a sick vampire, kill it. It'll be easier to clean up the body.
  • If you are ever incarcerated and a vampire tries to interrogate you, do not assault it with a cross. Sure, you may hurt it a little, but it will get the guards to beat you unconscious afterward.
  • If a group of vampires decide unanimously something is Absolutely Not A Good Idea, chances are at least one of them will do it anyway for no reason other than spite.
  • A vampire driving a car is asking to get shot. Maybe not deliberately, but statistically speaking, a vampire is more likely to be attacked in a car than out of.
  • Speaking of vampire cars, vampires rig their cars to ensure that any mortals climbing in or out will injure their knees. I confess it was very difficult pretending all night that my leg felt fine.
May this knowledge help keep you safe.

You have been informed.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Zombie Facts

Ladies and Gentlemen, last night in New Orleans I learned quite a few things about zombies. Sure, I've watched zombies from afar, mostly watched through a scope before inserting Bullet A through Forehead B, but I've never worked with zombies up close. And for good reason. Zombies are freakin' dangerous.

Last night, however, I did get up close and personal with the zombies. Here are a few things I've learned.
  • First and foremost: If you smudge some dark makeup around the eyes and maybe splash a little fake blood around the mouth, you can totally pass for the undead. Or at least I did. If you get eaten by zombies, I can't help you.
  • Zombie Easter Bunnies lay zombie eggs. Awesome awesome zombie eggs.
  • Zombie Easter Bunnies tend to outnumber Zombie Santas about five to two.
  • Zombies don't have to be slackers. They can have worthwhile professions like police officers and strippers.
  • Zombies are really good at air hockey. Really. But they choke up at Point 5, at which point you think maybe you'll make a come from behind victory, but no. The zombie finishes rolling over you after giving you a point or two. Zombies don't want to embarrass you with a close out nine-to-nil victory. Zombies are nice like that. And then they try to eat your brains.
Strange I know, but it's all true. Tonight I lurk among the vampires. Let's see what I can learn there.

You have been informed.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Vampires and Plagues.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there are strange things afoot. From time to time, I go undercover and try to figure out what the vampires of my area are up to. Mostly it's just burning down buildings and writing bad poetry and killing each other. And dancing. Some vampires really like to dance. But the vampires in Fort Worth, Texas are particularly heinous I'm told. I don't know if that means their poetry is worse or their dancing more pretentious, but I don't want to find out. What I do know, is that there's been talk among the vampires about a killer virus. Granted it killed vampires and not people, but that's beside the point. So what does any of this mean?

Recently, I ordered a board game called Pandemic. In this board game, a number of viruses are spreading all over the world and the players must work together to stop the outbreaks before all of humanity is destroyed. While shipping the board game to me, Fed Ex stopped its travel for the night at Fort Worth. The vampires surely know I'm in their midst even if they don't know who exactly I am. They've read my blog, cyberstalked me, and have intercepted my package. It can be no coincidence that a game about a humanity killing plague stopped in Fort Worth of all places.

I think these evil vampires have a deadly virus or two and are using my board game to determine how, where, and when to best release the virus(es). If they lose the game enough times in a row, they'll determine the outbreak pattern is sufficient to kill us all.

Tomorrow, I go undercover among the vampires again. I must learn more about what they want with my board game and try to stop them. I'd do it tonight, but tonight, I'm hunting zombies in New Orleans.

You have been informed.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Snow in Mississippi?

Ladies and Gentlemen, as my fiancee may have informed you, it snowed yesterday. Well, there was snow mingling with rain. And in that cold snowy rain, I had to climb on the roof and rehang lights. As such, my fingers were too frozen to type and I had her post for me. I hope you enjoyed her guest appearance.

This does, however, make me question the weather. If we were promised global warming, why am I getting snow two years in a row in southern Mississippi, where it's usually balmy even in winter? Jackson, I'm told, a city a mere three hours north, took six inches. Prior to these, the last real snow I remember was when I was in Jr. High (eighth grade). Perhaps someone actually attempted that fire-extinguisher bomb I proposed. Probably not, or we would have noticed a climate change much sooner. No, what must be happening is that the Southern Hemisphere, sick of Florida, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean getting all the snowbird tourists seeking warmth and as such have created a heat-vacuum, which is sucking all of the hot air toward the south pole to boost seasonal tourism. Now even people in warmer climes need to go south for winter. As the hot air moves out, the cold air rushes in to fill its place, pulling northern cold fronts down. Those cheeky Australians! Stop stealing my heat!

In other news, sugar molecules were found in a nebula far far away by French scientists. What this means is that when we start interstellar travel, we can bring along a pastry chef and not have to waste valuable storage space on sugar. Mmmm... pastries without the closet space.

You have been informed.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Fairy Tales and Monsters

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Truth is hanging christmas lights today, so I - Ms. Taken - shall be filling in.  

I have been following a news story for a couple of years now.  It's almost more than a news story, considering how deeply the journalist seems to be covering the lives of the people in it, but that's beside the point.  It concerns a small neighborhood in New York City.  Apparently, until this story started being published in a magazine, no one even knew this neighborhood existed (rumor has it that this may one day become a television documentary-reality show without voting and stupid challenges).  I imagine that every day, people still pass by it without ever knowing what a thriving, unique culture is right under their noses.  
The people in this neighborhood seem to possess supernatural abilitles.  Many are of royal blood, though few still possess their former wealth.  However, all of their histories are familiar to us.  For some unknown reason, the authors of our world have been able to record some part of their lives.  The major events in their early lives are in every fairy tale book around the globe.  I'm not sure how these writers gained the knowledge...if perhaps there are rips in space and time that link our two universes.  I do not believe I am the one who can say how it happened, only that more people must be made aware of the current events which threaten both our worlds.
Because of their abilities and histories, they felt they had to hide themselves in a tiny corner of New York City.  They say they've been here well over two-hundred years - before the United States was even formed.  They've tried to stay out of our politics and world events as much as possible.  However, in World War II they did come to the aid of the Ally forces.  And they do help us when we are in dire need.  Now, they are in need.  
They came here when their Homelands were taken over by an evil dictator.  Any who opposed him were slaughtered, and so they fled to this world.  They thought the portals of travel between the two worlds were secure.  Recently, they have become...less secure.  The launched a counter-attack most recently to try to drive away enemy forces.  They were successful, but I believe that they will need our help to sustain the resistance.  I know they will never ask for our assistance, but that is exactly why we must offer.  They are not only defending themselves, but our world as well.  The evil dictator of their Homelands is not content to stay within his world, but now has plans to invade and conquer this one as well.  If we do not aid them in their fight, we may very well be facing a threat more powerful than anything we have ever imagined.  

This is a call to arms.  I implore you to aid the Fables, as they call themselves, in their struggle against a most evil force.  If we don't help them now, we might not have another chance to stop this man before his iron fist reaches too far.   

You have been informed

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

War in the Eighth Dimension?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the U.S. military is stalking Wil Wheaton. If a stealth bomber flew over his house eight times, clearly they're looking for something. The dogs went crazy every time they passed over head, which makes sense. Dogs can sense stealthy things like burglars and ghosts. My question is, what do they need him for? They could probably just ask him for assistance, you know. He's an approachable guy. Their purposes must lean toward something Mr. Wheaton would not approve of. My guess is that they intend to start a war with the eight dimension and cannot simply ask Wil to lend them his oscilation overthruster (see #8) to get there because they know he's not one to condone unnecessary violence, or at least not since the AADA incident (see #5) when he became Three Laws Safe (see #10). They must be flying over trying to get a glimpse of how he built the overthruster, or at least some peek at where he keeps it.

It's a good thing you have those dogs, Mr. Wheaton, to let you know they're watching you. Now hide that oscilation overthruster quickly!

You have been informed.

10 Unknown Facts About Robert Kirkman

Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize. I've been late on Ten Facts Tuesday two weeks in a row. I've got to go ahead and do a second post today after this one to put me back on schedule.

Today, I've decided to post ten unknown facts about Robert Kirkman. Most of you, I'm sure, are scratching your heads wondering who that guy could possibly be. Robert Kirkman is a comic book artists who brings us such wonderful titles as The Walking Dead and Invincible. But here are a few things you may not know about him (in addition to the stuff listed above, which you probably also did not know, including his name).

10 Unknown Facts About Robert Kirkman:
  1. Many attribute Robert Kirkman's success to his luck in finding fresh undiscovered talent. Robert Kirkman is actually so lucky, he doesn't play the lottery because it "wouldn't be fair."
  2. Robert Kirkman does not have super powers on a permenant basis, but was able to temporarilly assume a few as research for the title character of Invincible to "get a feel for how a guy with those powers would react to things."
  3. Robert Kirkman is Mavis-Beacon certified at 500+ words per minute. He goes through a lot of keyboards.
  4. Robert Kirkman is always allowed to eat his dessert before his dinner. Always.
  5. Robert Kirkman was deeply disappointed after dating his first super model, when he learned that the "super" did not mean they had powers. He hasn't dated a super model since.
  6. Robert Kirkman's character Science Dog is actually based off of his own dog Rex, who won a Nobel Prize for science in 1997 under an alias.
  7. Robert Kirkman was troubled as a child when he read the ending of To Kill a Mockingbird, so using sheer force of will alone he changed his copy to the much more optimistic To Save a Mockingbird. No, you can't borrow it.
  8. Robert Kirkman does not have x-ray vision, but he can see x-rays.
  9. Robert Kirkman writes every comic he's credited with except The Brit. His beard writes that one while he sleeps.
  10. Robert Kirkman has killed more zombies than you could ever count. As such, he often gets hired as a technical consultant on zombie movies, though he requests not to be creditted so the zombies don't know who he is.
You have been informed.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Let's Stop the Round Worm Army!

Ladies and Gentlemen, it seems someone out their either reading my blog or watching the news and taking their own initiative has taken steps to protect us against the army of super worms I mentioned the other day. A farmer in Lebanon has grown a 22 pound potato. He may pass it off as a fluke of nature, but we know the truth. He knew that if he could only draw the worms away from fault lines and other areas of importance, we could distract them long enough to find a way to fight them. Solution? Giant potatoes. They grow underground. They're already wormbait, right? Yes, he may be in Lebanon, but he knows this army affects everyone. Further, by making it seem like a random thing and not the result of deliberate genetic experimentation, he threw our evil worm doctor off the scent. Thank you, farmer. You may have saved us all. If I don't see any headlines about killer worms rampaging across the breadbasket, I'll know I have you to thank.

You have been informed

Monday, December 8, 2008

Don King: Ninja Slayer

Ladies and Gentlemen, two odd things happened at work today. First, my hand was mysteriously sliced on something. It's possible one of the teachers at the teacher conference we hosted got me with a shiv, but that's unlikely. When I did my student teaching with the violent drug-addled seventh graders who shoved each other through windows, the shiv was saved for students who showed up high for the sixth school day in a row. I felt that, as an accommodating fellow teacher, it would be unlikely that they would pull the shiv on me, especially after I just got them two tables at the last minute. Plus, it happened without me knowing it happened until later. That's not the way shivving works. Shivving usually gets done with some kind of battle cry, like the name of your gang or something. I heard no "East Central Elementary Power!" when I got cut. It just happened. And we already know that my place of employment is inhabited by ninja. You may wonder what that has to do with Don King. 

The other strange thing at work is that everything metal I touched shocked me. Doors. Water pitchers. Other metal things. We all remember that Don King is surrounded by an aura of static electricity from his lightning powers. Clearly so much static at work could only be generated by that man's presence. It can also be no coincidence that the presence of Don King coincides with the increase in ninja activity at work. Don King has it out for them. My suspicion is that personally, Don King has no reason to hunt the ninja, at least not economic or emotional. I suspect it's to keep them on their toes. He is Cato to their Inspector Clousseau. Ninja pay him to jump out at them when they least expect it to keep them ready for attack at any moment. So if you notice a lot of static around you, beware, Don King is near, and where there's Don King, there's ninja.

You have been informed.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

An Army of Immortal Worms

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been brought to my attention that a scientist in San Francisco has created super worms. Using genetic manipulation, she was able to increase the lifespan of roundworms from roughly 20 days to over 140 days. That's a 600% increase in longevity. Such a change in humans would bring the average lifespan to approximately 525 years! What's more, says mad scientist of the worm world, "you can beat them up in ways that would kill a normal worm—exposing them to high heat, radiation and infectious microbes—and still they don't die"

Allegedly, this is all being done to help understand how to extend youth in humans to keep us productive longer. I think there's more to it than that, but what depends on whether or not this Doctor Cynthia Kenyon is using her science for good... or evil.

If the good doctor is using her super worms for good, then kudos to her. Perhaps she is trying to use these worms to help improve soil quality in less arable parts of the world. Worm waste, after all, makes pretty good fertilizer. Further, these super worms would be able to be used as bait for fishing with multiple fish, since being hooked by fishers and eaten by fish clearly won't kill these immortal invertebrates. There would be an increase in crop production and the homeless population could obtain food for cheap with only one worm and a fishing pole. As they say, give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime. These worms could be an effort to solve world hunger.

Or they could be up to something... sinister.

If Doctor Kenyon (if that's her real name) can develop super worms like these, she can surely develop a means to control them. An ultrasonic device that tells worms things like "attack," "kill," and "Get me the jewels out of the vault!" This wouldn't be the first time a horde of worms has taken over a town. Couple that with the fact that these are immortal worms and the terror could be endless! Or if not directly attacking the population, perhaps an underground assault is this evil genius's plan. She lives in San Francisco, correct? What if she orders her army of super powered worms to dig down to the bedrock and aggravate the San Andreas Fault, causing an earthquake on par the the deadly 1906 San Francisco quake that nearly wiped the city to the ground?

Time will tell what her true intentions are, but I say, unless you hear about deserts becoming good farmland soon, or that the homeless are getting plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, beware. Especially you, San Francisco.

You have been informed.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

What Goldfish Don't Remember They Know

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a common misconception that goldfish only have memory spans of ten, five, or even three seconds. In reality, goldfish, and all fish for that matter, have memories much longer than this. From an evolutionary standpoint, a species unable to remember where to obtain food would quickly die off. As such, I find myself wondering why this rumor would persist year after year. In my investigation, I was shocked to discover who perpetuates this rumor, but I could at least understand why they would spread the lie.

Approximately one out of three homes owns, or has owned, fish as pets. A large percentage of murders occur within the home. The police have discovered a way to communicate with fish to obtain leads in investigations. This interrogation technique is kept a closely guarded secret (oops... sorry for telling) because it keeps people from killing the fish and information obtained isn't legally admissible in court due to the fish being unable to request lawyers and the fact that courts currently do not issue subpoenas for sea life, and if the fish is unable to testify in court, its testimony is automatically considered unreliable. Regardless, because criminals rarely are aware that the fish can rat them out, the witness remains unmolested and is able to share information with the authorities. This is where the lie becomes important. Even if criminals do discover that cops can communicate with fish, the police-perpetuated myth that fish have no memory convinces any criminals who do know about interspecies communication that attacking the aquatic pets is pointless as the fish will forget the whole event the moment the crook steps out the door. Once more, the witness lives. 

And I know, you're all asking why I'm sharing it here if it's such a big important secret. Simple. No one goes around killing fish because Aquaman can talk to them, and he's a superhero. Crooks are lazy. They want to do things the easy way. Otherwise, they'd get real jobs and and earn their money the honest way. If they aren't concerned about protecting themselves from the Justice League, they certainly aren't worried about the cops.

You have been informed.

Friday, December 5, 2008

A Wake Up Call to Our Education System

Ladies and Gentlemen, you may or may not know this, but I am a licensed high school teacher in these United States, so matters of education hit close to my heart. That is why I found this especially disturbing. I admit, the American Education System™©® may not be the best in the world. However, we are trying to turn things around. You may have heard of a little piece of legislation called No Child Left Behind? Well, it's failing us, but worse than that, it's failing the kids, and worse than that, it's failing the kittens even worse. We may have a problem with juvenile delinquincy, but cats are hit especially hard. When I went to college, the campus was littered with litters of cats, lying about, never going to class. Never studying. They were like townies or hippies waiting for a jam band to come to town. But problems like these do not start in college. No, it starts when they're young. The problem is we aren't educating these lolcats.



What is a lolcat, you may ask? (look! New keyboard! I can ask questions again!) Lolcats, as you can see from the site and sample pictures above, lolcats are poorly educated, often lazy, violent, or greedy. They act upon their most id driven instincts and rely on looks and charm rather than hard work and a solid education to get ahead in life. They are the slackers of the animal kingdom.

What I want to know is, how have we failed them so much that they are only barely literate? Their spelling is atrocious and their grammar is worse. Who will inspire them to excellence and pull them from their wayward ways? Where are the
Jaime Escalantes, the Erin Gruwells, and the John Keatings for the kitten community? Where are the teachers willing to use unorthodox teaching methods and put it all on the line to ensure their feline students grow up to be intelligent, educated, productive free thinkers willing to take a stand against the cycle of violence and oppression they find their families caught within? These are not stupid kittens. They have brilliant minds that just need to be honed. After all, a look through these photographs will reveal that they've mastered invisibility technology. They can make indetectable to the human eye and visible spectrum cameras items such as beers, video game systems, transportation devices, and even other cats! Think of the great strides we could make technologically if they could be properly educated!

Please, write letters to your congressmen urging them to pass Kitten Education legislation. For the kittens. Without proper education and guidance, it's only a matter of time before an army of incomprehensible invisible kitty bots come to wipe us out. But if we educate them now, if we show them that they can make a place for themselves through hard work and literacy, then perhaps the life you save won't just be the cat's. It may be your own.

You have been informed.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

No Questions Asked

Ladies and Gentlemen, the question mark key on this keyboard is broken. On the surface, it's just a mild inconvenience, sure. I have to do this > instead of... well, I guess I can't really type what it's replacing, but it's a question mark. What does this mean> It means someone feels I've been too inquisitive. Too many questions leads to uncomfortable answers. Remember the vampires seeking the bailout to buy up houses so they could get in without having to be invited> Well, since I reported on that, banks that received bailout money have been buying up other businesses instead of mortgages at-risk of foreclosure. Suddenly, that vampire free-ride buffet is gone. The vampires, clearly, were not pleased at all with my expose' (it won't even let me put an accent over the e! but I mean ex-pose-AY and not ex-POSE), and have sabotaged this keyboard to prevent me from asking too many questions. Sure, I may have a right to freedom of speech which no citizen of this country should be able to strip me of. However, these vampires with their "centuries older than thou" attitude unfortunately means they can grandfather clause out of it. Having lived here prior to the formation of the United States means they are allowed to live here without claiming citizenship, and as such don't have to abide by my rights. Grrr... Likewise, the Freedom of Information Act keeps me from obtaining any government assistance in tracking down info about these ages old creatures of the night. As official non-citizens they are immune to laws that require Americans to reveal subpoenaed information, which means I can't even use the courts to require them to tell me why they broke my keyboard or what they want me to not ask about (that's what I really wish they'd tell me. You know, so I can ask about it.) Once more, the evil Red Tape of Bureaucracy thwarts my best intentions of informing the public about what's really going on. The only real question left is... Who invited the vampires into the house to break my keyboard in the first place> (insert dramatic music here)

Hide your keyboards, seekers of the truth. The vampires are coming.

You have been informed.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

10 Unknown Facts About: Vin Diesel.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I can't believe I missed Ten Facts Tuesday yesterday! Man, missing a day has really thrown my internal calendar off. I think I reverted to Julian instead of the proper Gregorian Calendar. Craziness. Regardless, let's get on with it, shall we?

Vin Diesel is a star of countless action movies (it's nine. I counted.) and is a self-professed geek. That's right. The man with that bald, jocular physique got that way by putting his bonus ability point every fourth level into Strength (and probably Constitution). He'll kick your butt in real life and then critical slay you in D&D when you're laid up in the hospital. But here are a few things you may not have known about this nerd-turned-knight.

10 Unknown Facts about Vin Diesel:
  1. Vin Diesel can karate chop lunch meats into deli-thin slices.
  2. Vin Diesel requires 15% fewer experience points to level up.
  3. Vin Diesel's real home is actually a secret underground lair hidden beneath his real him by a camouflaged elevator with biometric locks.
  4. Vin Diesel can train a dog to sit, stay, fetch, roll over, and do his taxes.
  5. Vin Diesel really does have polarized eyes. The producers on Pitch Black thought it was cool, so they worked it into the script.
  6. Vin Diesel has read the phone book. He says last years was better, but won't divulge any spoilers.
  7. Speaking of, Vin Diesel killed a man for telling him how The Sixth Sense ended, even after he'd already seen it. He's that serious about spoilers.
  8. Vin Diesel can knit a cardigan in 23 minutes. For those of you who have never knitted a cardigan, that's really fast.
  9. Vin Diesel is unstuck in time, though he can control it much more than Billy Pilgrim. Some suspect he's part Trafalmadorian.
  10. Vin Diesel's favorite day is Saturday. On Saturday, he can eat all the ice cream he wants.
I hope this information enlightens you and makes you realize that He isn't just a big guy in big movies or a geek made good. He's a human being. (probably.)

You have been informed.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

In which we all fail at something

Ladies and Gentlemen, some days you just can't win. I've yet to earn an Eagle Talon High Five despite many attempts. Perhaps it's like dating. If you go looking for a girl, you'll never find one, but whenever you give up the hard search and just let the drunk ones stumble into your life, you're bound to find one eventually. So perhaps I should wait until I see a drunken eagle, do something moderately impressive, and then hope that's enough to sway his or her impaired judgment.

I likewise failed to make the MSNBC 11 Lamest Blogs on the Internet. Sure they're lame, but at lest they're recognized for some kind of achievement. Maybe next year.

In other news of failure, those wacky pirates we've been seeing all the time these past few months have failed yet again. No, it wasn't a botched hostage situation or stealing something they can't sell. No, this time, they failed to outrun a cruise ship. A CRUISE SHIP! A ship whose purpose is to go slow, to get places at a relaxing leisurely pace. Really, pirates? Are you guys even trying anymore? And what were you going to do? Sneak into the magic show for free? Take all the caviar in the buffet so no one else can have any? You, sirs, fail. I don't think I can ever dress up as a pirate for Halloween again. I have to say, given the current state of piracy these days, ninjas win hands down EVERY time.

Also, my friend's roommate failed at robbing my friend and other roommates. He reported the house being stolen before actually getting everything out, leaving an awkward moment in which my friend rushes home from out of town upon hearing news he's been robbed only to find most of the stuff reported missing still there. Further, the guy left evidence everywhere, gave a really flimsy story to the police, and left notes from his friends lying around asking when he was going to sell said stolen goods, which they were holding for him. You sir, suck worse at your job than the average modern pirate. And thank goodness, for my buddy's sake.

What we've learned today is if you must fail, you may as well do it today and get it over with. Today feels like a good day for failure.

You have been informed.

Monday, December 1, 2008

The history buffs won't let me sleep...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I haven't really had a good night's sleep since August of 2007. Suddenly, I began waking up constantly in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. And not once. Multiple times throughout the night. Every hour or two. A good night's sleep is one where I only wake up once or twice. I'm exhausted all of the time and I've decided to figure out why.

  • I had slept moderately at the MANsion (what my roommates called my old abode), though I occasionally had sleepless nights.
  • At the very end of July, I moved in with some friends and my sleep became irratic.
  • In August of last year, I started a semester of almost nothing but history classes.
  • In August of last year, i started my final year of college.
  • In August of last year, I was supposed to have started my student teaching.
  • In January, I moved out and lived with a few other people for the next several months.
  • During my student teaching the following semester, the sleep problems grew worse and my eyes would twitch very frequently.
  • Having graduated, my sleep is still bad but not as bad as it used to be.
  • Having graduated, my eyes rarely twitch, but that doesn't mean they don't twitch at all.
Here's what it looks like to me. When living in the MANsion once I woke in the middle of the night and thought I saw a ghost. When I moved in July, the house the ghost must have followed me. After all, I was the only original resident of the MANsion left when I moved out. So the ghost follows me. It knows I'm taking history courses because it must have sat in my room planning my schedule for the coming semester. The ghost is into history. Plus, as the only college student remaining at the MANsion, it knows without me, it doesn't have access to classes. When I move, it follows.

It's ghosts keeping me up all night, for sure. The house did creep me out a little. And it was always pretty cold. Ghosts make the air cold, right? However, I was living with a bunch of people (at one time I had five other roommates). Therefore, the ghost woke me up, but not often, because it had several other people in the house to disturb. It had many people it could follow to classes. Still, I slept terribly, so I assume the ghost was most interested in history, something only I was really studying at the time. Great.

In January, I move in with someone else. Just one person. The ghost follows me, hoping for more history. I am after all licensed to teach history in this state. Perhaps the ghost hopes I will be teaching history during my teacher candidacy. I don't. I teach language arts and literature instead. The ghost is not pleased, and as such makes sure I don't sleep well for the entire sememster. I get all of the attention because the roommate is neither college student nor history buff. All of the ghost's attentions are on me. No rest for our scholarly shade, so no rest for me either I guess.

I graduate. I move out. I'm living with a couple of people, but still, I'm the one who reads history books, so the ghost keeps his attention on me. Even so, my sleep isn't as bad as it used to be. I assume this is because my old ghost is now distracted by Oliver Cromwell. After all, if you're a ghost who is into history, who would you rather hang out with? A student of history or a historical figure? So while he's getting his primary sources for his afterlife PhD, I'm sleeping mildly better, though not wonderfully. I guess the ghost still needs access to that contemporary historical critism.

Lately, though, my sleep has been really bad again. Perhaps because I've been coming down so hard on Oliver Cromwell, he's decided to back off a little, leaving my history ghost with no one to talk to and nothing to do... except bother me. I never thought I'd say this, but come back Mr. Cromwell. I miss you. That or our ghost is a hardcore restorationist and wasn't happy sharing a place with Cromwell, and because Cromwell began acting up over the past couple months, Mr. Restorationist Ghost is acting up too, which in turn is keeping me up.

Oh ghosts... will you never let me sleep?

You have been informed.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

What I learned in my Absence

Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize for my absence. Yesterday was the first day since starting this blog that I was unable to share a little truth with you. My internet was down all day and nothing I did would change it's mind and make it cooperate. I even tried water-boarding, and while it was fun to hit the beach for a while, I seriously do not understand how that's supposed to make someone spill a secret. Maybe the idea is you keep them in prison for a long time, and then you say, "Hey buddy. Me and some of the guys were gonna go hit up the beach. You know, have some barbeque, play some volley ball. Maybe surf some waves. You wanna grab a board and come along?" And then after having such a fun day after years of torture, they're like, "You know, you cats aren't so bad. Tell you what. The secret plans are buried under my basement." I guess. My router, however, sucked on the surfboard, so I had to break up with it and get a new one.

But I did learn some truths in my absence.

  1. Leonardo da Vinci started painting the "Mona Lisa" in 1400 B.C. (or B.C.E. if that's how you get your archaeological jollies off). No, he isn't an immortal like Duncan McLeod or Dorian Gray or fruit cake. He's a time traveller, as any well educated child of the 1990s can tell you. The fact of the matter is that da Vinci really wanted to capture an accurate representation of the natural beauty upon which he would later canvas his subject and its contrast to the invasion of "modern conveniences" like roads. Using his time machine, he went back in time to before that road in the background was constructed and painted the flora and fauna first. Then he painted the road atop the initial landscape to exemplify the invading nature of society on the countryside. Then he painted a woman in front of it because he "really mucked up the middle bit."
  2. Ninjas attacked me at work. I didn't see them, but that's because they are ninja. I am, however, feeling rather battered and bruised and don't recall being assaulted by tables or chairs, so I am forced to conclude that it was done by a clan of meeting-hating ninja. I hate meetings. Maybe I can be a ninja too.
  3. Oliver Cromwell is still a jerk. Stop breaking my technology.
You have been informed, albeit somewhat late.

Friday, November 28, 2008

The Rainbow Comspiracy

Ladies and Gentlemen, there's something in the water. Oh sure, we've been saying it for years. The government's putting something in the water. But now there is proof that our drinking supply has been compromised.



You see that? Rainbows! From a sprinkler! You never saw this twenty years ago. I know I never saw it twenty years ago when I was a small child playing in my sprinkler. I thought I did, but she said I never did, and she's older, so she must be right. Something is clearly being injected into the water that's causing light to refract the same way it does up in the atmosphere after rain. Perhaps some put those "metallic oxide salts" in our water supply and oxygen supply that are causing this. I will say, however, that I don't think that this is a threat to our health, at least not directly. No, this is a threat to our well being. This is not the work of the government. This is the work of leprechauns.

Leprechauns are hoarders, amassers of treasure, which they hide away. Whether this money is made through ill means or an endless stream of shoe repair has yet to be determined. What is known is that it is commonly believed in America that leprechaun treasure is at the end of rainbows. While there is little evidence in Irish folklore that this is the case, the belief still persists. As such, with the economy growing ever more sour, the leprechauns who have immigrated to the U.S. over the years are no doubt growing increasingly concerned over the safety of their valuables. They've added metallic oxide salts to the water supply to create additional rainbows and draw people away from where their treasure is really located. What's more, once an individual has found the end of a rainbow, it's very likely that a leprechaun will be waiting for him, using his smooth talking ways to con said treasure seeker out of whatever they have on them, perhaps by trying to sell him a condo or an AMWAY distributorship. After all, leprechauns have bills too, and it's not like there are a lot of job opportunities for shoe repairmen anymore. Plus, they also kinda feel justified in taking people's money as repayment for the way their stereotyped in the media. It is, after all, those who believe the "pot o' gold" myth that follow rainbows anyway.

Fact: Leprechauns are amassing wealth. Rainbows are increasing. But don't be fooled. The rainbow is an ambush.

You have been informed.

And as a bonus today:



Good luck topping that one, internet.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen, Happy Thank the Native Americans for Sharing Their Food so the Pilgrims Wouldn't Die Day!

Ordinarily, on this day, I make a post saying I'm thankful for my friends and family and freedoms and education and stuff, but that's an every year thing, and I think by this point, it goes without saying. Likewise, I've already shared ten facts about this holiday, so further illuminating you on the subject would only give me less to say next year. So today, I'm going to express gratitude for the more unlikely things in my life that helped me get here.

Thank you, Pen-and-Paper RPGs, for introducing me to so many friends and for helping me develop my creativity and social skills growing up.

Thank you, Theatre for letting me be someone else for a while and for introducing me to my fiancee.

Thank you, Calvin and Hobbes, for telling me as I was growing up that it's ok to be smart and a little different.

Thank you, Good Books, for finally breaking me of the habit of literally walking around crying as a small child saying, "I'm bored. There's nothing to do!"

Thank you, Internet, for making it easy to keep in touch with old friends, learn more about new things, and watch amusing videos like this.

Thank you, Movie Theater Job, for giving me so much time to design board games on the clock when business was slow.

Thank you, Readers, for giving me a reason to keep researching.

I think that'll about do it for now. I have cooking to pretend to help with. Now go out, be thankful, eat food, spend time with your family and friends, andget to bed early in a combination of tryptophan overdose and getting ready for the Black Friday sales tomorrow. (except for readers abroad. I'm sorry. I don't think you guys have Black Friday sales tomorrow unless you shop from online American retailers.)

Happy Holidays.

You have been thanked.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Answers to Questions that Plague Me

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have nothing fancy for you today. What I do have are answers to three to questions that have always bothered me. Today, with the help of CNN, I've discovered the truth, and I'm here to share.

1) What did the turkeys with the presidential pardon do to warrant execution?

It's no secret that every year since Truman has pardoned the presidential thanksgiving turkey, thus sparing them from execution and becoming dinner. But what did the turkey do to be given the death penalty in the first place? We know that it must have been bad. The death penalty is pretty much only given for murder and treason. Even so, most states have a moratorium on capital punishment. Therefore, it must be a federal offense, and not state, meaning the bird committed treason. Perhaps there was talk of him defecting from the U.S. and being the dinner of the president of Iran instead. Further, I think it's obvious he showed no remorse. The farmers saw him "strutting, fanning, and preening." So what's to become of him now? I suspect he'll be forced to spend the rest of his days at the butcher's shop, watching what becomes of traitors like him.

2) I wouldn't date Barbara Streisand if we were the last two people on Earth. What could I do to avoid it?

This is one that kept me up at night. The fear of a weird plague that killed everyone but me and someone else, and that someone else being Barbara Streisand terrifies me to no end. What could I possibly do in that scenario to save myself from her? As it turns out, the polar bears at a Japanese zoo have the answer. I could simply will myself to become female. Come on, the Japanese are really intelligent people. They make all of the cool robots and video games. And if ever there was a culture with no problems researching sex, it is the Japanese. Surely their zoo keepers would have noticed some time in those three years that both polar bears were female. They must have checked when they bought the new bear, and they wouldn't mistake girl parts for man bits. The only logical explanation is that their male bear wanted nothing to do with the Streisand of the Ursa persuasion, and spontaneously changed gender like the dinosaurs in Jurasic Park. It's a comfort to know that if I'm ever in that situation, I can just become a woman and tell her that we'd never be able to repopulate the world so there's no use trying.

3) Why do these aliens keep coming to Earth and abducting people?

There are so many theories about alien abductions. Scientific experimentation, sexual experimentation, enlightenment, and even the unlikely "it's all bunk" theory. But today, after watching an interview with an abductee, I believe I've found the answer. Abductions aren't about science or cosmic truth. The aliens are drumming up tourism for their medical themed amusement park called "Wackyville." Except I hear the rides are lame. "What? Lie down on this table and don't move while you implant tracking beacons in me? Sweet! How tall do I have to be to ride?" Personally, I recommend EuroDisney instead. Why stay in a real castle when you can visit one made of plastic instead?

If you have any questions that need answering, feel free to let me know and I'll see what I can uncover for you.

You have been informed.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

10 Unknown Facts About Thanksgiving

Ladies and Gentlemen, we're going to do things a little differently this week. Instead of sharing ten facts about a celebrity, I thought I'd share ten facts about the upcoming holiday. We have some international readers here, and Thanksgiving (at least as we celebrate it in the U.S.) may not be something they know much about. With that in mind, I thought I'd enlighten everyone about a holiday instead of a person.

First, what is commonly known about Thanksgiving. A long time ago, some settlers from England came to America and got slapped around a bit by nature and their own hubris. They had no food that first winter, no way to stave of the bitter cold they hadn't anticipated. So the local Indians (I know, I know. The P.C. term is "Native American" but at the time they were called either Indians or savages, and Indians sounds nicer.) came and gave them food and blankets. Those who survived the winter cultivated the land, again with some help from the locals. At the first harvest, they threw a big feast celebrating. They drank beer and ate venison and gourds and stuff. And then we stopped celebrating it regularly for a few hundred years until, I believe, the mid(?) twentieth century when the fourth Thursday in November became a federal holiday called "Thanksgiving" where we eat way too much food and (in theory) celebrate things we're thankful for. We also gloss over the dead Indians who were later robbed and killed. We're not so thankful these days for that ordeal.

And now we get to the purpose of the post.

10 Unknown Facts About Thanksgiving:
  1. Prior to eating, the Pilgrims and Indians laid out some cardboard, plugged an iPod into some speakers, and had a b-boy dance off to see who got to sit at the head of the table.
  2. They not only feasted on those foods mentioned above, but they did also feast upon the lambs and sloths and carp and anchovies and orangutans and breakfast cereals and fruit bats and other items as well.
  3. The image of the cornocopia, or horn of plenty, is actually a misinterpretation of the facts. There was no woven horn filled with foods to feast upon. Rather, Old Man Smythe had a hearing problem, and many people at the table thought it would be fun to try to see what they could throw into his antiquated hearing aid from twenty paces.
  4. After eating, the Indian warriors and the strongest of the Pilgrims (mostly the sailors who brought them there) played a game with an inflated pig bladder in which they each tried to get the ball to the other side of a clearing while the opposing team beat them up. Thus was there an Army-Navy game at the first Thanksgiving (a couple of weeks early, sure, seriously. They had work to do. They couldn't have fun every day.)
  5. One young Pilgrim girl performed magic tricks for the kids and was used to roast marshmellows that night when it got a little colder.
  6. The first Thanksgiving took place at Plymouth, Massachusetts, though after a few too many drinks, Myles Standish declared the village be forever known as "Party Town!" He then fell off the table and vomitted into Old Man Smythe's hearing aid.
  7. The Society section of the newspapers called it "the party of the century" and that "everyone was there." This is an accurate statement, as only fifty-three of one hundred twenty Pilgrims survived the first year and if they didn't show up, they didn't eat that day. Also, they didn't exactly party often, so the bar was set pretty low.
  8. John Smith cooked the deer with his eye lasers. He cooked the vegetables with a cast iron pot.
  9. The Indians were not entirely peaceful. They conducted take semi-military action against the colonists after the Pilgrims went to bed. The pantaloon raid lasted seventeen minutes and resulted in 23 bloomer and petticoat casualties and, according to one Indian in his journal, "showed those Alpha Betas that the tri-Lambs rule the school."
  10. The days after were generally referred to as "No-thanksgiving" as the overstuffed colonists both turned down leftovers and dealt with e. coli from improperly cooked food. As it turns out, eye lasers are not a Safeserv approved means of cooking.
Enjoy Thursday with your family and friends, whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not.

You have been informed.

Monday, November 24, 2008

"Are you suggesting pianos migrate?"

Ladies and Gentlemen, I was surprised to discover this story about a piano found in the middle of the woods. Now, this may seem strange to you, but the more I think of it, the situation is perfectly logical.

My first thought was that the piano was migrating for the winter. It seems logical. Many things migrate for winter. Birds, butterflies, elderly New Yorkers. Why not pianos? En route, it stops in the woods, as birds so often do. This of course raises the question, "Where is it coming from?" Police were unable to answer this question. Perhaps it didn't feel like answering any questions without a lawyer present. I don't blame it. That wooded area was probably private property. To find the answer, we must look at the anatomy and physiology of a piano. Unlike grandmothers, pianos thrive in colder weather. Heat and humidity loosen the strings, making it harder to keep the instrument in tune, and with insurance rates what they are, it is not unreasonable to assume the piano was in transit to colder climes to cut down on visits to the piano man. His time isn't cheap, you know.

The only problem is, well, it doesn't make any sense really. A piano migrating north for winter? Absurd! That would place it in the hot humid south during the hottest and humidest time of the year. And if it already lived in the north, why move at all for winter? And so I abandoned my original thesis and began working on a new one, one upon which I am sure I have struck right (good luck diagramming that clause).


It's the holidays here in the U.S. of A. That's right. Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away. It's a time of family, food, and football if you like that sort of thing. If not, more food and family. And probably fighting. Families fight around the holidays too. What does this have to do with a roaming piano? Everything. The piano wasn't migrating. It was visiting relatives for the holidays. After all, what is a piano made of if not wood? (other than metal). The piano returned to the woods from which it was born, to the glen and glade of its youth to visit its family. You see, this particular piano grew up in that very forest, but during an angsty adolescence ran away for a career in music. However, having never made it to the big show, he grew disaffected with his life. He spent his days entertaining in the suburbs. The suburbs! At least he got to spend time around children. He does so love children, even if they don't always respect him or play gently. He also met his fiancee there, a sweet little bench, who came home with him for the holidays, presumably to meet the family.

It's really not such a big mystery after all once you think about it.

You have been informed.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Wii're Coming For You, Mr. Truth

Ladies and Gentlemen, yesterday I bought a Wii. And it's fun, sure. Somewhat, but that's because I bought it used and the only game it had is Wii Play, which you really only get for the free controller. And the cow race. That's kinda fun. I digress.

I was really looking forward to the internet features. The news. The weather. Everybody Votes. But I can't get it to connect. I've gotten error 51030, 51330, and 51332 so far. I've adjusted the router channel, the firewall, the WEP key. All no dice. Grrr... There's only one logical conclusion.

The my Wii is trying to undermine the United States of America by denying me internet access. It woudn't be the first time Japan has tried to take us out.
  • FACT: Without the Wii Weather Channel, I will not know how to dress when leaving the house. That's an important deal when you live in Mississippi, as January 12 is just as likely to be twenty-eight degrees (Fahrenheit) as eighty-two. It could be gorgeous all day and then throw a monsoon at you in the mid afternoon. The Wii is trying to give me heat stroke, pneumonia, exposure, and other weather related badness. Plus it's trying to get my clothes wet to make me uncomfortable all day.
  • FACT: Without Wii News, I'll have difficulty seeing what's going on in the world today to know what needs researching. If I can't research, I can't share the truth, and thus help thwart SAG and the zombies and then I'll never earn that ETHF.
  • FACT: Without Everybody Votes, we won't be daily reminded of our dedication to democracy in this country. Without the daily reinforcement of the importance of voting by being asked what our favorite color is, we will be unable to remember how important it is to vote when congressional and presidential elections come up. Voter numbers will return to their pre-2008 election levels of 30%. 
  • FACT: Most importantly, without the internet on my Wii, I will be unable to watch streaming videos of the episodes of How I Met Your Mother on the big TV as opposed to on the tiny computer screen with the lame sound system, and keeping people away from the TV, that is the most unAmerican thing of all.
Alright, Wii. Today, I break the proverbial smack down on your internet denying hiney. You will yield up your internet to me or face the consequences of me just using you as a game machine and sticking to the desktop computer I've been using with very little change to my actual life. You have been warned, Wii. 

And the rest of you...

You have been informed.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Researcher's block

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have researcher's block. I have no idea what to investigate, what to share today. No matter how hard I try, nothing seems to demand to be researched. I look at the headlines and nothing screams, "There's something more going on here than what they're saying." Why would I, of all people, be unable to seek out hidden truths today?

I find it highly unlikely that there is nothing important happening. Something must be happening, but for me not to sense it, it must be something so huge that someone would use a mind scrambler of some sort on me to keep me from discovering it before I can leak word and stop it.

But who could possess such a mind scrambler? Mad scientists? The government? The Screen Actors Guild? I do find it suspicious that I wasn't suspicious when I read about their impending strike. It must be them.

So, SAG is up to some big secret plans beyond the strike and they're scrambling my brains to keep me from investigating. Those sneaky jerks. But what could they be up to? Oscar season is upon us. Perhaps they have the Super-Movie, no doubt staring a recently deceased celebrity (or one they plan to make deceased very soon) about a mentally handicapped Jewish gay man during the Holocaust fighting for the right to die, but with dignity and on his own terms. Such a movie would be bound to win best picture and gross millions upon millions in DVD sales. And they're hiding this movie. No, they've stolen the movie and they're holding it hostage unless the studios give into their demands! They probably have the star kidnapped too, with the promise to kill the actor once their demands have been reached and the film returned.

But what are their demands? Money? No. They always ask for more money. That wouldn't justify all of that effort. Jet packs? Eagle-Talon High Fives? Jet packs they could probably buy, and you can't force an eagle to give you a high five. One way or another, after a plan like this, the actors will need to lay low for a while.

That's it! They are demanding that for every role they play, the studios provide a legal identity for that character including birth certificates, drivers licenses, social security cards. This makes perfect sense. Actors are constantly getting DUIs. It will let them drive drunk without the tabloids getting them, because it isn't Mel Gibson throwing racial slurs at a cop. It's William Wallace, or at least that's what the license says. Further, with multiple social security cards, they'll collect multiple social security checks when they're older, thus cheating the American tax payers out of their money. Such a sinister retirement plan. This money will no doubt be spent to... no...

This is what they're up to.

The screen actor's guild is holding hostage a movie about a gay, mentally challenged Jewish piano savant with tuberculosis fighting for the right to die on his own terms in a Nazi concentraiton camp. They are also holding the staring actor hostage with a promise to kill the actor when talks are resolved, thus ensuring the greatest Oscar win ever, making the studios tons of money. In exchange, the actors get official identities for every character they've ever played. As such, any character they've played old, or any character from a time set before now will be able to collect social security checks, which they will use to go on an alcohol and drug induced killing spree across the country as they flee from Hollywood to Canada (I don't know why they aren't fleeing to Mexico). With their new drivers licenses, however, all of the DUIs won't slow them down, since they can surrender a different license every time they're pulled over.

Look out, Canada! There are about twelve thousand coked up alcoholic actors coming your way!

No wonder they scrambled my brains. If only they hadn't, I could research that...

You have been informed.

Friday, November 21, 2008

The Power of the Future

Ladies and Gentlemen, people ask me where I stand on the future of energy. I have to throw my vote in for nuclear. Oh, sure things like hydro-electric, solar, and wind power all seem like the better choice. They're clean. They're renewable. They're good for the planet. But how beneficial are they for society?
  • Fact: Shipping and disposing of toxic waste requires people to do it. It creates jobs.
  • Fact: Solar, Hydro-electric, and Wind power plants cannot melt down the way nuclear plants can. Your friendly neighborhood EPA has to start laying people off because business is slow.
  • Fact: Meltdown irradiates communities, spreading cancer like a plague... of cancer. Hospitals are booming. More doctors are needed to treat people. More hospitals are needed to house people. More lawyers are needed to help the people get the compensation they deserve. A new power plant needs to be built. It creates jobs.
  • Fact: For every person irradiated, there is a chance someone will develop superpowers and a superhero will be created. It creates jobs. It protects society.
  • Fact: No one has ever gotten super powers from the failure of a solar panel or windmill.
I think the benefits are clearly on the side of nuclear. Without the failure of nuclear plants, bombs, and experimentation, we'd have no Incredible Hulk, that juggernaut of rampaging green fury. There would be no Toxic Avenger, driven by his tromatons to vanquish evil wherever it shows. We would have no Doctor Manhattan to stoically look out for the best interests of a world he finds himself increasingly detached from after being persuaded on the surface of Mars by his former lover. So many heroes obtained their powers via nuclear forces gone awry. Who are we to try to stop more forces from going awry that a small handful of individuals among the teeming masses of cancer patients should find their lives' purpose?

Plus, it lets us feel superior when we hear people say "nucular."

And just to give you heads up, do not let your dogs have coffee. They could become addicts, which could lead to breaking and entering and acts of vandalism to get their morning fix.

You have been informed.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Misnomers

Ladies and Gentlemen, today's truth comes from approximately thirteen years of research. I have a confession to make, and chances are, it will shock none of you, but...

I'm a nerd.

I spent my youth playing Magic: the Gathering, Vampire: the Masquerade, and other fancy games with colons in the title. Over time and lots of research down in a dark room with pasty friends and lots of dice, I've learned a few things about these games: the names are all deceptive, and as such are false advertising. So today, I'll list my favorite games, describe why they're misnamed, and propose new names more befitting their nature. And along the way, I'll use lots of fancy colons.

Dungeons and Dragons: The quintessential geek game. Players take on the role of fantasy adventurers killing monsters and taking treasure.
  • FACT: Most games don't involve dragons. In fact, the bulk of the creatures you fight, that party can kill in one hit.
  • FACT: Many games don't involve dungeons, but rather tombs, keeps, castles, lairs, labyrinths, and fortresses. Almost all games, however, involve a tavern of some kind.
  • FACT: Every game involves getting treasure by taking it from cursed tombs and looting the bodies of dead monsters.
  • SOLUTION: Since most games don't involve dungeons or dragons, the name ought to be changed to something more appropriate.
  • New name? Taverns and Grave-robbers.
Vampire: The Masquerade: Characters are vampires living in our world pretending to be human. They walk among us just below the surface. It's the game that made being goth cool, or if not cool, at least, not as whiney. Plus, we've avoided the D&D trap, in that all games of Vampire involve vampires, and there is a major premise called the Masquerade. How could this possibly be a misnomer?
  • FACT: Vampires have nifty powers that let them shapeshift or pick up cars. And they have pointy teeth. All of these things kinda break the Masquerade, which states that vampires should act like normal people.
  • FACT: Most vampires in these games blatantly use these powers in ridiculous combat sequences and then slaughter wholesale all mortals unfortunate enough to have seen the events, which in turn, prompts huge police investigations into the activities of the undead. It's not a smart way to hide.
  • SOLUTION: The vampire part can stay. It's accurate. However, the Masquerade is often a laughing afterthought in the games I've played. In fact, quite the opposite happens. Too much attention is drawn to the characters.
  • New name? Vampire: The Big Neon Sign.
Cyberpunk 2020: Corporate greed, data espionage, street gangs. The gritty urban computer driven future. What's not to love?
  • FACT: The game does involve punks who are both online and often cybernetic.
  • FACT: The game is allegedly set in the year 2020, and while I can easily see corporations all but ruling the world by then and an increase in gang activity, I think it's safe to say that I won't be able to buy cybernetic adamantite retractable claws from a street doctor any time soon. Or have infrared sensors augmented to my eyes. Or use a neural relay to log onto a super-sweet virtual reality internet.
  • SOLUTION: There are two ways we could go. Set in what 2020 will probably really be like. Today with smaller cellphones and better gas milage. But then the game loses a lot of its flavor. So instead, we need to set it at a time when the future really could have those cool techno-gadgets. Unfortunately, technology never seems to advance as fast as we would like it to.
  • New name? Cyberpunk Undetermined Year at least One Hundred Years from Today (or Cyberpunk UYaLOHYfT for short).
Rifts: Post apocalyptic high tech, high magic goodness. This is a powergamer's dream. You will meet dragons in this game, and almost every character can drop a tank with ease and the U.S. is led by a xenophobic facist military government called the Coalition. And the world even got this way after a surge of magic energy tore open rifts to other dimensions. So what's the problem?
  • FACT: I've never played in a game where I've actually seen a rift. Sure they still open from time to time in the game world, but mostly that's all past.
  • FACT: People want to play the cool characters that can bench press battleships and blow up buildings with their minds, not the wimpy humans who need armor to survive. As such, the almost always end up fighting against the Coalition.
  • SOLUTION: We need a name that captures what games ultimately devolve into, and not a reference to a past event.
  • New name? Power Gamers Fight Space Nazis.
Magic: The Gathering: Sure, this one is a card game and not a role playing game, but the gamers, they love it. In concept, every player represents a super-powerful mage who is summoning all kinds of monsters and spells to beat up other mages. It's never really explained why these mages fight so much and don't just sit down, talk, and resolve their differences peacefully.
  • FACT: Calling the game a gathering seems wrong. Gatherings are for friends and family. They are a coming together, not a tearing apart by violent warfare and devestating spells.
  • FACT: Perhaps the gathering refers to the gathering of players, but I've seen many games get heated, even among friends. Or perhaps it's about the gathering of cards. Who can buy the most packs, the best cards, to ensure victory? The player who can afford the most packs and the best cards, that's who.
  • SOLUTION: Magic can stay. The game does involve magic. But Gathering? We need to clarify what that means.
  • New Name? Magic: The Rich Kid Always Wins.
Kobolds Ate My Baby: This game is exactly what it sounds like, almost. You play a kobold (or to be more accurate, several kobolds) trying to steal babies to eat. It's a fun, tongue-in-cheek, beer-and-pretzels rpg. What's the problem?
  • FACT: It isn't "my" baby the kobolds are eating, since I'm playing a kobold myself and we aren't after kobold babies. We want plump, tender, juicy human babies. Plus, the players go through kobolds rather quickly. They aren't the hardiest of monsters.
  • FACT: Mostly the kobolds don't actually get to eat the baby. Just their leader, King Torg. All hail King Torg!
  • SOLUTION: In theory the old name was fine. It just needs a couple of tweaks to get the name accurate.
  • New name? Many Kobolds Died to Serve Your Baby to King Torg (All hail King Torg!)
Before closing, I would to mention that there are many games with accurate names. GURPS really is a Generic Universal Role Playing System. Toon really is about cartoon characters. Paranoia really will make you think your friends are out to kill you (and they will). I applaud the honesty of these game titles. It's just the above Big Offenders that I feel ought to present themselves more accurately.

You have been informed.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Just a Minor Truth Today

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is no great earth shaking truth, I'm sharing today. It's simply an ordinary every day truth, but extracted from a whimsical lie. Many of you are no doubt familiar with Deep Blue Something's classic one hit about attempting to save a failing relationship through similar tastes in movies. It was a little song called "Breakfast at Tiffany's." The song was fun and catchy, but it didn't really feel like the end of a relationship. It felt like naive optimism, that both parties liking the same Audrey Hepburn movie would save the relationship. Olde English (not the malt liquor) has done their research and reconstructed the way the inspiring break-up actually went in an attempt to correct this long standing, much beloved mid-1990s musical hoax.



You have been informed.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

10 Unknown Facts About Jessica Alba

Ladies and Gentlemen, we all know Jessica Alba from her work in films such as The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Into the Blue, Good Luck Chuck, and The Love Guru. But did you know she has many talents beyond being pretty in really bad movies? I've discovered ten facts about this actress that you may not have known. Let's see what we can learn, shall we?

10 Unknown Facts About Jessica Alba:
  1. Jessica Alba always floats on her back when she eats.
  2. Jessica Alba can lift fifty times her own weight.
  3. Jessica Alba looks white, but she actually has black skin.
  4. Jessica Alba always keeps her eyes open, even when she's asleep.
  5. Jessica Alba has ears on her legs.
  6. Jessica Alba can hear and smell termites and ants.
  7. Jessica Alba was able to will with a bite from the time she was born.
  8. Jessica Alba's knees can bend backwards.
  9. Jessica Alba catches her prey by surprising it witha loud banging noise she makes with her claws.
  10. Jessica Alba has been known to eat her relatives when food is scarce.
And you thought she was just a harmless actress.

You have been informed.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Will Pirates Never Learn...

Ladies and Gentlemen, those wacky pirates are at it again. You may remember that long stand-off between the U.S. Navy and pirates onboard the hijacked boat carrying all those weapons (all those weapons the pirates didn't use in their defense). Well, this new breed of inept buccaneer is at it again. This time, they've captured a super-tanker of oil from Saudi Arabia.

Seriously. Look, pirates. It's high time you start taking this job seriously and stop grabbing every boat you see going past. First you took a ship full of guns that you didn't use to defend yourself and kept backing down from your threats for weeks and weeks before finally letting yourselves be captured. Now you've captured a tanker whose contents become decreasingly valuable every day. I hope you learned your lesson from the last prolonged hijacking, because if you don't move those crude oil goods quick, you'll be lucky to sell the oil for enough money to buy your old boat back. 

Remember, pirates. This isn't a hobby. It's not a game. It's a hard work job that requires you put in the training and the man hours to do it right or you'll just get crushed by the competition, who happens to be a modern navy with heavily armed warships. I assure you, the merger will be a hostile takeover. So act straight, or learn to ask if people want fries with that, because you are wholly unsuited for your current career choice. But then, that's kids today. Expecting everything to be easy and thinking everyone should just give them what they want without doing any work for it. **sigh**

You have been informed.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

1960s Rock Science

Ladies and Gentlemen, we all know the Beatles were great musicians, but what you may not have known is that they were also scientists. Paul McCartney is now trying to release an experimental track they laid down in the 1960s called "Carnival of Light," in which they wandered around the studio banging on all kinds of things and shouting random things. You may be wondering how that makes them scientists. I'll illuminate.

  • The track is "experimental." Scientists do experiments. Need I say more, I ask. No, I need not. But out of consideration for my readers, I'll tell more.
  • Sound is a wave. The song is a random assortment of sounds. Light is a wave\particle. The song is called "Carnival of Light." Clearly, light and sound are at least moderately similar from a physics standpoint.
  • Scientists recently managed to stop light and then restart it. The Beatles stop and start their sounds throughout the song.
If you read between the lines and analyze the similarities, clearly the scientists who stopped light were following on groundwork laid by the Beatles in the 1960s. The Beatles were hardcore particle physicists in their time, but due to their amazing popularity as singers, they decided the time was not right to come out as the brilliant nerds they were. After all, had they revealed themselves to be nerds then, they would have stopped selling records, and particle physics experimentation is crazy expensive. Not until the 1980s with the Hong Kong Cavaliers could a band be rockin' and rocket scientists. Even so, the Fab Four couldn't stand the idea of their hard work advancing human science going unused, so they slipped in references into their song "Carnival of Lights" in hopes of scientists deciphering the meanings and continuing their research. And now that contemporary science has finally caught up to their discoveries, the time is right for the song to go public. And for those asking why it couldn't be released earlier, don't forget that the song was written during the Cold War and the Beatles played all over the world. They couldn't risk the Russians getting the secrets to stopping light, lest they pull a caper of Lex Luthor proportions and block out the sun over the free world. That's the Beatles for you. Always looking out for democracy. Don't even get me started on Seargant Pepper as coded battle plans for our only successful major operation in Vietnam.
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And once more, we find ourselves one day older and one post wiser. Next time you listen to the Beatles, take a moment to really soak in the lyrics and ask yourself, what the glass onion really was.

You have been informed.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Cromwell Strikes Again!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Oliver Cromwell struck again. I woke this morning to find my clothes hamper tipped over, dirty laundry spilled everywhere. We all know the ghost of Oliver Cromwell resents me and my rising lower class affluence (at least in comparison to the standard of living three hundred fifty years ago). Clearly he is filled with some kind of unholy undead rage over my having so many clothes that it fills my hamper beyond capacity. Or perhaps it's not the clothes he dislikes, but that I haven't washed clothes in long enough time that my hamper runneth over. Regardless, surely there must be some way to keep this specter of Puritans past from knocking over everything I own.

Possible solutions:
  • An exorcism. Cromwell was a Protestant and a Puritan and in those days, those two meant anti-Catholic, so in theory a Catholic ritual may be just the thing I need to chase him away. On the other hand, it may make him stronger and angrier if I mess it up, especially since I'm not Catholic.
  • Ghost Malaria. Sure malaria and kidney stones killed him the first time, but I don't think they have diseases like this for ghosts. They don't need their kidneys anymore, so the stones thing won't work, and ghosts are kinda bloodless, so it's unlikely that a bloodborn pathogen would do the trick. Even if it is the ghost of dead bacteria.
  • Take a vow of poverty. Nope. Not gonna happen. I was born to a vow of poverty. I'm not gonna toss what I've painstakingly accumulated. I'm a pack rat.
  • Find a way to make the house haunted by the ghost of King Charles II. Sure he took the throne back from Cromwell's son Richard and not Cromwell himself, and yes, he may have enacted anti-Puritan laws upon his return, but really, that was under pressure from his constituency. He was a tolerant person. He did, after all, allow women on stage in English theatres. He probably wouldn't try to destroy my books or computer, especially if I'm acting as his modern day General Monck and invite him to take over where a Cromwell holds court. Now if only I knew how to summon the ghosts of long dead royalty. Any suggestions?
You have been informed.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Who Hurt My Ankle?

Ladies and Gentlemen, today I went to work and out of no where, my ankle started hurting. With every step, the pain that shot up my shins became sharper and more intense. I don’t recall every taking a bad step or losing my footing. I never twisted it, stubbed it, smashed it, jarred it, or dropped anything on it. No one else did either. Even so, it swelled. It hurt. It caused me pain. There are only three explanations.
  1. The Ghost of Oliver Cromwell. Sure, he seems to have it out for me and I didn't see anyone, so it could have been a ghost, but he has not motive. I really haven't done any of the things that make him seek vengeance upon me lately. Plus, work is a little out of his jurisdiction. He normally only harasses me at home.
  2. The Invisible Man. Well, let’s be a little less specific. An invisible man. Or person. However, if I get too vague, it’s hard to come up with any kind of justification for them. It could simply be a cruel invisible prankster, but I didn’t hear any laughter as I winced, so this seems unlikely.
  3. Ninjas. I do have an interest in ninjas, which in theory goes against their mystique. After all, if I’m researching them, they become less mysterious, correct? Further, I saw no one do it and heard no laughter. Ninjas would strike imperceptibly quickly and would make now sound, not even the sweet gloating of revenge. Also, it did start hurting while I was setting the night club, which is a much darker location, giving said ninjas ample shadow to lurk in.
Given the evidence, I’m going to have to say it was probably ninjas, who wounded me for looking too deeply into their secrets, and by too deeply, I mean looking into their secrets at all.

Moral of the story: Don’t investigate ninjas unless you can take the pain.

You have been informed.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

How the Zombies Will Rise

Ladies and Gentlemen, I have made a shocking discovery. We all fear the inevitable zombie outbreak and the end of our world. I'm sure all of you dedicated readers ready yourselves daily for the coming undead apocalypse. However, today, I have learned that the zombie plague will almost certainly not come in the ways we've always expected. There will be no radioactive meteor. There will be no flesh-eating ecstasy. There will be no cosmetics gone awry, desecrated burial grounds, or books of arcane secrets. No, the zombie apocalypse will come not with a bang, but with a whimper. Or rather, with a yawn. I suspect the makers of Benadryl are secretly attempting to create the zombie virus and release it on the world's populace in an easy to swallow, over the counter format.

My proof? Last night, I took a Benadryl. Despite getting nine hours of sleep, I woke feeling like a corpse risen from the dead. I shambled. I couldn't think. I had a strong urge to bring bloody violence on every stupid guest and to tear my over-demanding boss limb from limb. I was hungry. Very very hungry. Co-workers commented that I looked dead. All signs point to zombie virus. Granted, their virus clearly is not as strong as they would like, I'm sure. At least, it isn't strong enough yet. But soon, I fear, perhaps during cold and allergy season in the near future, the outbreak will come as more and more people turn to the zombifying Benadryl. Consider yourself warned.

You have been informed.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

An Explanation of the Ads and Some Random Facts

Ladies and Gentlemen, let me first apologize for the ads. I know they aren't pretty, crowded there at the bottom of these posts. They are there for two reasons.

1) With the amount of time I spend on the computer, I felt obligated to carry on the illusion that there's at least some possibility of getting paid for it.

2) The ads are allegedly content based, meaning if i talk about whales a lot, it will, I don't know, try to sell you a pet humpback or something. I'm curious as to what it will advertise based on what I write. Currently, it's just Obama stuff, but that's probably because that's almost all I've written about recently.

That being said, here are a few things I've learned lately.

  • Those of any moral alignment other than evil should never investigate an assassinated emperor with associates who are lawful neutral and chaotic neutral. They will not investigate the crime, but rather will remoreselessly do everything in their power to thwart the rest of the group's investigation, which in turn, draws too much attention to the investigation and gets everyone kidnapped, killed, or both.
  • The most magical animals in the world are penguins. Seriously. You can learn more arcane secrets from penguins than from any other magical animal, including how to tie your shoes with no hands. Who would have thought penguins would have a spell for putting on an article of clothing they never wear?
  • If you become unstuck in time, your best bet is to try to end up in an alien zoo with a porn star. You have to mate to get your food in a protected environment. Bam! First three levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs taken care of in one swoop.
  • Hugh Grant's crotch kills innocent people. (Bet you'll think twice before you do Notting Hill 2, won't you Julia Roberts?)
  • The universe assumes that if you come here for your daily truth, you probably want to buy a President-Elect You-Know-Who collectible plate.
You have been informed.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

10 Unknown Facts About They Might Be Giants!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I've been talking a lot about politics over the last few days, and I apologize. Elections bring out the worst in me. I've been spending too much time on opinion and not enough time on cold hard facts and equally hard, though less cold investigation. Therefore, today we return to the light and bouncy world of fact with the lightest, bounciest band of all time, They Might Be Giants. This band, composed of Johns Linnell and Flansburgh and a revolving cast of others, is dedicated to fact with their catchy upbeat songs about U.S. presidents, mammals, Belgian painters, and everything else under the sun (and the sun too, now that I think about it, but that's a cover). They are, hands down, my favorite band, and to honor them, I present 10 Unknown Facts about They Might Be Giants (or rather, five facts each about Johns Linnell and Flansburgh).

10 Unknown Facts About They Might Be Giants' own Johns Linnell and Flansburgh!
  1. John Flansburgh gets his name from an accomplishment of his in his youth. He built an entire city, or burgh, out of flan. Then someone made a loud noise and it collapsed.
  2. John Linnell can shapeshift into any former U.S. president. In January, he'll be able to become George W. Bush. Had he lived in the late 1800s, he would have temporarilly lost the ability to turn into Grover Cleveland when he was reelected to a non-consecutive second term.
  3. John Flansburgh speaks dog.
  4. John Linnell learned to play the accordian from a stranger on a side street. After teaching the young Linnell to rock out the accordian, he vanished into thin air, leaving behind only the instrument he played.
  5. John Flansburgh can escape from a straight jacket AND a curved one.
  6. John Linnell can travel through time, but only to the 1964 World's Fair, hence its prominence in his songs.
  7. John Flansburgh can operate any pieces of electronic machinery with his mind (and electricity, obviously, but other than that, he needs only his mind).
  8. John Linnell was once both a doctor and a worm. He has since gotten better.
  9. John Flansburgh spent a great deal of his spare time for several years studying psychology and sociology. Shortly thereafter, he wrote a musical called People Are Wrong. Coincidence? You decide.
  10. John Linnell is a white collar superhero in his spare time, often busting illegal back-alley insider trading deals.
If you'd like to learn more about this fantastic band (though arguably, it's more of the widely known knowledge), I strongly recommend the documentary Gigantic: A Tale of Two Johns. And then go buy their CDs afterward.

One ore thing before I wrap up today's post. Thank you veterans for all you've done for me, for us, and for the world.

You have been informed.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Ocean Census

Ladies and Gentlemen, I've just read an article about scientists discovering new species of creatures while conducting an underwater "census." This makes sense to me. The purpose of the census is to document what the current population is, who was born, who died. It's an effort to get the lay of the land (or current of the sea) of a population. Here's my question regarding these newly discovered species. If we have no documentation that they existed before, and we discovered them via this census, what measures are being made to remove these undocumented sea creatures from places where they clearly don't have the right to be? We must be wary of undocumented sea life, else they take all the best plankton.

I think we need to create a means for these undocumented organisms to gain legal access to these underwater areas if they agree to contribute to the ecosystem. Sponges, therefore, are obviously out. Likewise, we must remove those new species who fancy themselves at the top of the food chain because they take food, but provide none for other organisms. The spend their days on the aquatic welfare system. Back to other parts of the ocean, I say. If you're going to suddenly show up with no previous documentation of your existence, you certainly better prove you're willing to contribute to your seaciety or it's back to where you came from, and since we have no record of you being anywhere else, we must assume you are the result of spontaneous genesis. Ergo, you must be sent back to non-existence.

Extinction for freeloading undocumented species. Get to work or cease to be.

You have been informed.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

A Proposal to End Non-Suffering

Ladies and Gentlemen, daily I'm bombarded by people complaining about how this election turned out, and I always say, "Things could be worse." It occurred to me that for some of these people in their mostly cozy lives, this could very well be the worst thing that's ever happened to them. I thought about those who suffer and those who do not. It is no small tragedy that in these trying times of rampant poverty and crime abundant, of economic failings and civil unrest, that one portion of our society falls between the cracks, obscured and neglected. Those who suffer abuse and loss can turn their pain into book deals, find solace on the Oprah Winfrey show, and find opportunity to succeed. But what of those unexceptional masses suffering through their lives of ease, living unimpressively with nothing to bemoan or overcome? Not long alog, one such victim of non-victimization had to resort to lies in order to feel the same sense of los the rest of us are blessed to have, all to win expensive Hannah Montana tickets so hard to obtain by those in the tragically untroubled upper middle class. How can her daugheter ever win an essay contest to gain scholarships or enter college with no trials to overcome or losses to recover from?

I propose that these unlucky fortunate few be assigned a tragic relative to incorporate into their lives. Each child suffering through privelidge can be given a fictional brother killed in combat, mother battling cancer, and father in a coma after saving orphans from a fire. The imaginary abusive uncle will give the child just what she needs to milk sympathy from contest judges and office co-workers with dying pets and drug-addled siblings. No one need ever be uninvited to our great nation's favorite passtime: pity parties. James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces, will once more be able to hold his head high with a false sense of triumph over tragedy. New government agencies, such as the Office of Adversity, can be created to regulate these fictitious injuries to ensure no one has more misery than they are legally entitled to, giving false misfortunes to those unable to suffer and taxing those with more than their fair share of troubles. True our government already funs in a deficit, but what is the only thing more American than playing the victim and shifting blame? Debt. Through my proposal, America will be able to increase its debt while providing more illigitimate reasons to embellish one's achievements, shift blame for one's failures, and deny responsibility for one's own actions. Debt and self-pity. Finally a marriage both parties can support.

You have been informed.