Saturday, September 15, 2007

Radical. Mostly.

Run. Class. Run. Class. Run.

This story would be better if it weren't in Esquire. I don't think this would work in real life but very much love the idea. (even if the author is a tool) I can say i think I'm about as honest as is socially possible, but eventually the return on self satisfaction is eclipsed by the explosion of anger. But I'll say, the idea is pretty appealing.


I'm not gonna lie. College was FUCKED up

(and those are cross-dressers)

Ironman Is Here

Speaking of arms dealers.... life's all about good marketing.


Tales Of Brave Ulysses
By eric clapton and martin sharp

(compliments of Shad from work)

You thought the leaden winter would bring you down forever,
But you rode upon a steamer to the violence of the sun.

And the colors of the sea blind your eyes with trembling mermaids,
And you touch the distant beaches with tales of brave ulysses:
How his naked ears were tortured by the sirens sweetly singing,
For the sparkling waves are calling you to kiss their white laced lips.

And you see a girl's brown body dancing through the turquoise,
And her footprints make you follow where the sky loves the sea.
And when your fingers find her, she drowns you in her body,
Carving deep blue ripples in the tissues of your mind.

The tiny purple fishes run laughing through your fingers,
And you want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter.

Her name is aphrodite and she rides a crimson shell,
And you know you cannot leave her for you touched the distant sands
With tales of brave ulysses; how his naked ears were tortured
By the sirens sweetly singing.

The tiny purple fishes run lauging through your fingers,
And you want to take her with you to the hard land of the winter.


I really love XKCD



this is exactly how I feel about zombies

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

well fuck me

I will officially consider this my moment of fame. Turns out if you search the google for "Don't talk watch I will bite your torso" (athf ref.) the Sophist Webpage is first on the list.

As well, "athf+movie+lyrics+knife+face" will find me in the top 10, "bite your torso" with "give you a disease" puts me at number 2 and '"i will bite" lyrics' puts me in at lucky number 3.

If cutting isn't your thing, you can also find the Sophist's home in results 161 to 170 if you're searching for "what's hulk hogan's cell phone number . com" and finally, what's the only web result you can find when prodding the tubes for info about "Ace Hardbody?" You guessed it...

I will now sit back and wait for the sluts to roll in. (all the way to the bank)

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

fragments



******************

First day of fall grad class. Grad school, I've discovered is like a wrapped present, and on the first day you discover at level of insanity your prof is and to what degree of absurdness the course will be taught.

******************

Speaking of Alt. Energy, not all ideas are Good ideas.

******************

This piece of news is just another bullet in the corpse of privacy.

******************

accelerated marathon training is destroying me.

******************

Can no one appreciate my desire to nail a hot, drunk chick wearing a Megatron mask in the butt?

******************

Detroit Awesome-O radio quote of the day:
"Heard they'd do anything for a Klondike
Well I'd do anything for a blonde dyke
"

******************

Annual House of the Struggle Halloween party is in full effect this year. All efforts will be made to blow. you. away. Be There! BE THERE! IF YOUR NOT THERE YOU BETTER BE DEAD OR IN JAIL.... IF YOU'RE IN JAIL, BREAK OUT! (10.27.07)

******************



I will now leave you in the hands of beauty: (compliments of H)

My Nature Documentary
by Jack Handey July 2, 2007

Show monkey in a tree. Narrator says, “The monkey, proud and smart, in his native habitat. But one thing he does not have . . .” Show a giraffe. “. . . is a long neck, like the giraffe. Which is why nature has allowed them to combine forces.” Show monkey on giraffe’s neck. (Note: Monkey may have to be tied on.)

Then the narrator says, “The monkey can now see very far, and has protection from predators. And the giraffe has a little friendly guy to ride around on him.”

The monkey is shot by a poacher and falls from giraffe. Put ketchup on monkey to make him look bloody, but put something bad-tasting in the ketchup or monkey will lick it all off. Shoot BB gun at giraffe to make him run off.

Narrator: “The monkey and the giraffe have been separated.”

Show monkey wandering around, injured, lost and alone. Make him trip, using fishing line attached to his leg. (Try to get this on first take, because after that monkey will probably try to bite off fishing line.)

Show giraffe being chased by a lion. If not too expensive, use full-sized, realistic robotic lion, able to run at full speed. Otherwise get a man in a lion suit.

The oppressive sun beats down on monkey (heat lamp). Monkey looks up with an expression that says, “Why, oh sun, do you torment me so?” (Get good director.)

We see lion eating a giraffe. At first, we think it is our giraffe, but then we are relieved to see it is a baby giraffe.

Rock slide covers monkey (fake monkey). Show monkey crawling out (real monkey with a few heavy rocks laid on top of him).

Narrator: “Can the monkey and the giraffe survive? Will they ever be reunited?”

Show monkey trying to join group of monkeys (real monkeys or children in monkey suits, whichever is cheaper). Our monkey is driven away by the leader of the monkey pack, a vicious, snarling brute (papier-mâché marionette). Subtitle translates snarls as “You thought you were so great when you were riding on that giraffe’s neck, but you aren’t so high and mighty now.”

Show giraffe, alone in the darkness, shivering from fear (ice packs on legs). Finally, he falls asleep (sleeping pills?). We see his dream. In it, the giraffe fearfully approaches a gravestone. At first, he can’t make out the name on it, but when he finally does he is shocked. The name on the gravestone reads, “The Monkey.” The giraffe wakes up in a cold sweat (heat lamp).

Show two female explorers swimming in a crystal-clear lagoon, so you can see they’re nude. Narrator: “Meanwhile, nearby are two explorers, Laci and Brandy.” Show the explorers swimming for quite a while. Then show them getting dressed and leaving. We notice they have left behind a pair of binoculars.

The monkey is starving now. We know this because when he looks at a parrot on a branch it turns into a roasted, steaming parrot on a branch.

Narrator: “The monkey is now at the end of his rope. So he puts his faith in the Almighty.” Monkey prays. (Glue monkey’s hands together.) Show monkey walking along later. (Be sure to unglue hands first.) He sees a glowing treasure chest and opens it—it’s filled with bananas. (Have choir singing in background, so you know it’s from God.)

Refreshed and healed by that good banana nutrition, the monkey heads off. For comic relief, show monkey approaching a skunk and getting sprayed. If monkey will not approach skunk, feed monkey whiskey so he will relax and go up to skunk. However, do not let him drink too much or he may kill skunk.

Show monkey finding binoculars. Monkey learns how to use binoculars. (Have plenty of film, because this may take a long time.) Monkey climbs up tree and scans horizon. We see his point of view, which finally focusses on, yes, the giraffe! He screams (BB pellet) with joy.

Just then, the giraffe is shot by a tranquillizer dart. We show the shooters, two trappers from a zoo. We know they are evil because we saw a part earlier where they were shooting each other with tranquillizer darts, to get high.

Cut to a truck travelling across the savanna. In a cage in the back is the giraffe, looking sad (half a sleeping pill). But then we reveal that it’s not the two trappers driving the truck but the monkey! (Note: Use cheap truck, because monkey will probably wreck it.)

Show the two trappers sitting on the ground, tied up. No need to show how the monkey captured them; just have one of the trappers say, “That damn monkey!”

Show monkey releasing giraffe from cage and monkey leaping onto neck of giraffe. (Note: Monkey may not do this, so put monkey on giraffe’s neck and jerk back with harness; then show film in reverse.)

Narrator: “The monkey and the giraffe are reunited at last, as nature intended.” Show giraffe trying in vain to reach a piece of fruit high on a tree branch. The monkey clambers up on top of giraffe’s head and picks the fruit, but then eats it himself. The giraffe shakes his head and laughs. (Give giraffe something to induce choking, then dub in laughing sounds.)

Show the two female explorers returning to the lagoon, looking for the binoculars. They can’t find them, so they just decide to go swimming again.

Monkey and giraffe gallop off into sunset. Question: Would it be too much to show monkey wearing a little cowboy hat? Cute, but maybe hurts reality of the documentary. ♦



I guess this is close enough.

(Yeah, my blog has nudity when the joke necessitates as well as superfluous references to butt sex when it doesn't.)

Friday, August 31, 2007

back in the real world

...and by real i mean bunk


when did torpedoes get so damn powerful? And why does that guy on the radio look suspiciously like me?

See more here.

Also, consider this your warning: If i see anyone wearing this suit, I will try to run you over with my car.


{Que the Fear Factory: Invisible Wounds}

In other news, can the Sophist transform himself from drunken Grecian-beach bum to marathon god in a mere 6 weeks? Perhaps. The good news is I seem to be capable of building endurance faster than any person I know.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

se7en

Turns out seven really is always the answer. (Also, Jessica Alba is a good guess as well).

Reminds me a lot of Greece for some reasons.


Speaking of which, rather than running an "out of 10" scenerio, I'll just sum together what i learned, since I'm come to view all experiences are neither good nor bad and simply as being.

Communication failures will inevitably fuck things up.

Jokes never translate well, but friends are made by laughing anyway.

When (Interpretive) dancing to a remix of the "I wanna fuck you in the ass" song with Dutch girls, it's hard to keep a straight face. It's best not to try explaining why this is funny to you.

Getting back to my roots and taking work as a photographer only proved that while it was the best job i ever had, I'm rusty and may not have been that good at it.

Communications failure will get you smacked for photographing the wrong two girls. (It was her fiery Polish blood, I suspect)

Eating Greek bread is like walking up a sandy hill. Much more fun is walking up a sandy hill and then rolling down, but slightly less so when hung-over.

Your ears can hold a lot of sand.

A wingman, I've been told, has only three permitted responses: Affirmative, you've got the lead and.. err.. something else.

Wind surfing is not as easy as it looks but more likely than not, its faulty equipment.

Anatomically Perfect is a real thing.

It seems Europe has not produced any good music ever.

What do you call a person that speaks two languages? Bi-lingual. What do you call a person that speaks one language? An American. It's painful when everyone understands you, but has a secret language (or 3) with which they can hide their comments.

Sometimes a strip club full of Russian strippers is a case of human trafficking, and sometimes, after further investigation, it's just a good place to hang out.

The Fiat Spider was built for the rural roads of Europe and bringing it to the US is like putting a beautiful bird in a cage.

When arranging a meeting with a Russian stripper who speaks 27 languages and could likely recover a year's salary from sale of your organs, always bring a buddy.

"In the name of science" is a pretty good justification for most things.

Sometimes a bouncer will smack you up when mistaking your American Machismo for British Hooliganism.

Americans will always dominate at a carnival games involving shooting a gun. (Unless there's some strange scoring system that you don't understand because you're an American and likely don't speak the native language.)

Gypsy children are devil-shysters with several dirty, underhanded moves that can incapacitate a grown man.

The Swedes are admirably stoic to the above mentioned moves.

body surfing is as fun as it sounds and you should always skinny dip, drunk or otherwise, in the ocean at dawn when the opportunity presents itself.

Europeans have no sense of distinction between "modern," "metrosexual" and "homo-erotic," which will often lead to fashionably dressed men dancing way too close to each other and scamming super hot babes.

Fresh orange juice is delicious.

High school-aged girls with tits of scientifically-improbable perfectness are too intimidated by American Machismo to dance.

Left alone in an airport, Quagmire will be found drunk and passes out, possibly kicking the girl on the bench next to him.

Europeans have never (until now) heard the toasts "A ring doesn't fill a hole," "If you can't come in her, come honer" or anything involving a Bill Murray quote.

I'm the best male dancer on the Island of Rhodes. I don't think many people realized this.

The dude on the beach will claim that he's losing money by renting his jet ski's are 10 euro/min ($14/min). He is not to be believed.

A dozen or so topless beaches full of anatomically perfect euro-chicks is one of those ideas, the goodness of which holds up well to scrutiny and scientific method.

It's pointless to argue gun-rights with a bunch of rave girls

Everyone in Europe under the Age of 25 has spent many months or years of their lives traveling to every corner of the earth. Corporate America is a life-choking bitch and if such a thing as a soul exists, ours have been sold for Nike shoes and I-pods.

In some or all Scandinavian nations, if a girl accepts a drink bought for her, its like agreeing on the spot to fuck you later.

A good hostel is like a disco with beds.

Polar Bear 7 and Iceman are good drinking buddies. Derek the Irishman is good at pool but I can hold my own against him and I think i can out drink him. Kristine the Canadian is disproportionately hotter than her two friends and I hope Bryon the Australian scored with her. Bryon the Australian is the first guy I've ever "picked-up" in a bar, that is, I saw him standing there alone, struck up a conversation and invited him back to our table were we (with many others to join later) drank merrily for the evening. Paul and Scott, though both staying in our hostel room, you guys would never have hung out with each other if not for our roaming party of American Gusto. As far as I can tell, Svetlana is the most interesting person in Europe and though she may be seeking a green card, she is NOT as it turns out interested in harvesting my Kidneys. And lastly, to the The Dutch girls we danced with for hours: You seemed to have unlimited energy and (perhaps it turns out, because of a communication failure) you weren't interested in sitting around and drinking while we recovered feeling in our legs. And even though i was merely jumping on the land mine for Quagmire, i felt a pain in my heart when I found my dutchette several days later in the same bar making out with 3 chicks... Perhaps we should have stuck around to see how that one was going to shake-out.



I guess that's it. To sum it up, i would recommend spending your last night/morning in Europe at a London rave (because you have no alarm clock and can't guarantee waking up for your plane.) at which point somewhere in club, you'll utter the words "I gotta catch a flight to Detroit." 4 hours from rave to plane.


21:58 AMENDMENT: After taking a quick, mind-clearing run, i realized i forgot two things.

First, everyone in the non-USA free-world seems to use Facebook. And no matter how many guy's email addresses you bring home from Europe, all exchanged with the promise of "I'll totally come crash at your place some day, man!" you girl friend will never accept your explanation of International Good Will when it comes time to explain the scraps of paper and napkins with the names and email addresses of girls from all over the world. Especially if one is a Russian Striper.

Second, it seems that Greece and possibly all of the warm places in Europe are full of scooters. This leads to an ABUNDANT number of super hot chicks riding tiny scooters in pairs. I call this phenomenon "Two girls on a scooter" and every time i see it i think the world is a beautiful place and consider donating all my money to an orphanage. However the yang to this ying is the inevitable "Two shirtless guys on a scooter" which brings me back to my point about European men and perceived sexuality.

Monday, August 20, 2007

I'm sorry

but there is no reason to not live on a Greek beach and leave the world to it's own devices



goodnight

Thursday, August 02, 2007

(that guy's a dick...)


Click for Rhodes, Greece Forecast

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

robots

so maybe not all robots are evil



i still want to cut them open and see their insides.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

I remember the girls from MTU



I think knowing me really changed those girl's lives... (Is it weird to recognize that the hottest chick has the best equations?)

DAMN EMBEDDED PICTURE WON'T ALWAYS SHOW UP. SEE IT HERE.

It won't be long now before Notorious, Stos, the mystery person and I storm the beaches a Greece. I don't really know what to say about this because I don't really know what the trip will entail, though with Notorious there, we're almost guaranteed to find ourselves in an alcohol-fueled Fight-or-Flight scenario with some A-holes from a UN-friendly country.


I think Mr. T should have used the phrase "drag you down Ass Kick Ave." In this Snickers commercial but whatev, it's still cool.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

why does the internet distract so?

If this video doesn't seriously disturb you, then you are one of them



The internet tells me I'm
superficial
. (source: Scotter) Fuck you the internet. Entertain me! I command it:



(you don't finish!)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

the goings on

I've been reading this magazine online called Nerve. What originally caught my internet-groping eyes was a semi-regularly published feature called I DID IT FOR SCIENCE, which as most of you know if my justification for all the illegal, immoral and irrelevant things I've done in my life, not to mention some of the legitimate stuff. It certainly won't be for all of you but articles about (allegedly) normal people trying things like female ejaculation and a Devil's Threesome are what I call good reading.

There's also a pretty intriguing selection of personal essays that goes back a good 10 years.

Found at Nerve.com

Speaking of science, I figured on a boring Friday night there was only one place to go if i wanted to see some totally slay-able book nerds: The Harry P. book drop party. Homeboy Goddard was in the market for a book and I was in the market to nerd watch. We both left disappointed.


the scene. We estimated 2000 cars in the lot.


Our hero (not me) waits in line next to middle school brigade.


This ticket turned out to be worth jack


I was disappointed no one peed when these appeared.

In completely unrelated news, imagine a weapon you could drop over a field of say, 50 or so hard mobile military targets, like a cluster of tanks and armored personal carriers. Now imagine this one 1000 pound bomb could seek out and kill all of those tanks and what-nots at the same time in one flurry of explosion-ness... Turns out we had it all along and even used it a couple time against the browner peoples. (that thing is scary)



("i'm trying to go blacker")

Thursday, July 19, 2007

monkey



found at my new favorite site.

(this is boss


Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Ultra

Stos rides again

(sounds like a lot of work to me...)

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Thursday, July 12, 2007

dang

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Axe Man

Axe Man came yesterday to take the heads of 10% (25) of my co-workers. All employee meeting was called for 2pm and by 3pm I was watching folks do the unemployment shuffle out the front door.

I don't fear the Axe Man because I have a air-tight plan to take the severance pay (rumor was two weeks, which might as well be zero weeks) and invest it in the lucrative lottery ticket market. They say the Axe Man will be back today to finish his work.

I'll see you in hell Axe Man.



Thursday, June 28, 2007

"there was blood everywhere"

Quick! Name three guys you wouldn't want to get punched by!

...

How about an Ex-marine, a boxer and an iron worker? (their hands are like steal dipped in hate)

Okay, now roll them into one guy and see wat happens when you try to take his money


perhaps Big Foot just needs some hugs.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Rich Fucking Fuckers and the Shit they Fuck

Subtitle: life as a disappointment

At some point, likely during the college/post high school years, we all learn that most of those really sweet ideas that like, no one has ever though of before and/or had the moxy to carry out, are in the end, actually very bad ideas. These typically fall into a "do-it yourself," "huge money/time saver" or perhaps "engineering and building of unique and creative... thing" ideas. Examples might include buying something large like a car and splitting it down the middle with another person, buying a cheap, broke down fiat in the hopes of restoring it to awesomeness, maybe driving an absurd distance for a party that's gonna have "a million chicks" or perhaps living in a house with 200 roommates. The point is, after enough let downs, you just start to expect a certain percentage of failure and thus embark on less of these undertakings

I know this is true because I've seen the transition in myself and others, and yes its sad.

The point is, when did everything else turn into such a let down? When did having an apartment close to work turn into outrageous bills and friends were too far away to visit? And when did having a cool car become a slew of mechanical issues, parking lot accidents and police officers tapping on your window? And why the fuck is it so hard to ride my bike to work?

Society's refusal to allow bike riding is the last straw. It requires I pack a change of clothes because the man wants me to dress like a monkey. In fact, the "Green" company i work for doesn't even have a bike rack, nor will it let me leave the bike in the cubical. Of course there's few to no sidewalks out here in Xurbia where the rich people live. And when there are, mindless fucks in luxury SUVs keep trying to run me over because they have no clue what a pedestrian is or how right-of-way works. Then there's the un-accountables... like the old guy that yelled at me as he drove by and while I waiting for the light to change. I couldn't hear exactly what he was saying but i sensed a perception of distaste for bikers. And the fucks that when driving down the road, enjoying their new ICP album, have the presence of mind when they see a commuter to immediately honk there horn and yell something out the window. Do you realize what it takes to react that fast?

I'm serious: people here are pissed when they see someone on a bike

here's somethign to think about

Friday, June 22, 2007

Too Close Onion. Too Close.

Is it ironic that the Superman ride took the legs of a child... considering that the super man himself was chair-bound?

watch yourself out there boys and girls.




Too close Onion. Too close.



this guy made his car to run on vegetable-jiz. The government rewarded his efforts by fining the shit of him. I cried a little.

It could be worse- You could have amnesia so bad that you can't remember more than a few seconds. Later, you'll try to keep a journal to track your life, but it will simply become a long list of the same sentences:

"I have awakened for the first time"
"this is the true awakening"
"I have awakened for the first time"

Apparently this can last for twenty years.

(don't taser gas-covered men)

Sorry- i didn't mean to make this so bleak...

Monday, June 18, 2007

I'm in your noun verbing your noun

First a reflection:



(i love that he edited out the part where Adrian shows up- in order to get back to the monster 8 minute sports-training-montage.)

Today I made time to stop by the Lifetime Fitness Center that is literally 200 yards from the back door of my apartment. See, i do most of my training in the street, running and biking and knifing, but i feel like my upper body is getting flabby and i miss the sensation of lifting heavy things. (insert mom-joke here). While i was looking for a place that would have a weight set and a pull-up bar, turns out Lifetime is packaged as a "lifestyle." The big box mart of gyms, if you will. This is what the parking lot looked like after work:



I approached the desk and naively sought for some membership rates. They presented a page long waiver assuming I would release things like my address, phone number, email address, license number, work number... the best/worst part was the confusion on their high school faces when I asked why they would need this information: It was so obvious- why couldn't I understand?

"Because that's what they ask for."

"What a fool i was."

Mel, in her airy, spring dress gave me a tour of the facility. (Seems "i just want some rates, I'm kind of in a hurry" fell on death ears) I swear to the imac they had 100 treadmills if they had 1. It was hard to explain to Mel that my last gym membership was at a community rec center and i spend most of my time on the street. I'm used to paying $70/year and her proposed $200 membership fee would have been unreasonable even without the $60 monthly fee i was still looking at. Sure the classes are free and yes the locker rooms are supplied with soap, shampoo and towels and of course there were more hot chicks than a Sophist-takes-his-pants-off-convention, but dammit... you all saw that video above and i saw a motherfucker on a stationary bike with a laptop hooked up to him and that shit is just not right.

This was my bounty:



Sure I could survive there, block out the bullshit and go out of my way to lift things that obviously weren't weights like bulimic blonds, benches and the expresso machine in the attached cafe. But i'd still be paying a thousand fucking dollars a year for a gym membership. And then I'd have to kick my own ass.

(maybe next year I'LL have a solstice parade)

Saturday, June 16, 2007

i see red

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

linky-dinky

i have not the energy to comment on these, so I'll break it down quick:

this seems unfair when you measure it against this guy's scant 45 years.

I bet this guy never thought they'd come back. But they did. (and won)

these guys will save us. Or kill us. Either way it will be wireless.

(read these but start from the beginning)

"are ninjas supposed to have super strength?"
"He's also a doctor!"

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

started out so strong

to understand what the deuce I'm talking about, you should first read (or skim-through-like-in-college) this article about hydrogen. I've actually passed by this story once under some conspiracy title like "DOE stonewalls new hydrogen production process" or something of the like, but then Jon dropped it on me again and I took a more serious look. After so many of these articles I've become a big fat cynic which makes me look for the obvious faults. I spare the details but it's actually a pretty sound idea with just a few question marks. Turns out gallium is quite expensive even for the low quality stuff they call out in the article. And even though aluminum oxide makes a fine aluminum... the energy required...

ah, whatever. I'm too tired for this all this.

Don't be selfish

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Go Team Venture

Even though it hurts me to fill the gas tank these days, it makes me happy to know those fools driving monster trucks to work every day are feeling equal pain. And on top of it are angry and confused by the whole situation like a monkey with a banana glued to the back of his head. Yes, I enjoy their confused anger.





Other than that, we have proved once again that Chestocrates and I (as well as previously proven Notorious and I) could never live in the same city, for we would find ourselves dead. Then we watched 28 Weeks Later... and i was disturbed.

I hope we get past this.

Also, this is crazy. Not "i never thought of that before" crazy. But crazy.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

(did i really just see that?)

the bubble of absurdity continues to expand outward in every direction.


Tuesday, May 22, 2007

blue punches red. red too angry to care.

this is a balls move (even though I'm not even sure what "balls move" means.) Either way, the best place for a hybrid is in stop & go, idle-tastic traffic. this dude would agree.

Sadly, I'm torn, since his state has been mandating cars which no matter how you describe them, cannot be termed with "balls moves." I loves me some GTO.

Monday, May 21, 2007

it's all i know

spring weather is all i can think to blame on my unusual number of post dealing with, well, the ladies.

The fiat is pretty dirty.

(and so am i)

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Now boarding all buses

Next stop: Bizzar-O world

(the snozberry's taste like snozberry)

Thursday, May 17, 2007

In repsonse to my previous post...


i present Arnold's repsonse

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Decency is pretty much out the window anyway...



(I feel so very... sneezy)

Sunday, May 13, 2007

In case you were wondering

Toyota is NOT fucking around when it comes to hybrids. (so much for the passing fad-theory. should prove well for my sense of accomplishment and sense of wallet)

Likewise, I'd even more prefer to work on something like this highly unlikely and fully toted Fuel cell car. I'll pee a little if it actually drops in '08.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Action Packed

This is a hot song. I will find it one way or the other.



My trip to the south last week was interesting- Proof again that the human body has an amazing ability to function with out sleep. Moments after turning it on, my uber-expensive camera stopped functioning. This likely had something to do with the oil wrestling party i attended the weekend previous, though I can't be sure (insert vague references to topless wrestlers, broken noses, simulated acts of lesbian affection an good old fashioned BBQ) Life can't be all work.

So i had to fall back on the old camera phone. (The old camera phone stopped functioning as a phone several days later... I blame Key West)

Since it was the company's dime, I stayed in a lot of hotels that looked like this:


Miami seemed to be under massive construction. I swear there dozens of building going up simultaneously.


Most of Key West looked liked this: We spent the day driving the hybrid in circles.


Four rednecks that didn't speak queen's english tried to start a rumble with me and my co-worker by throwing french fried at us in this joint that sold the same things White Castle sells, but with different packaging.


We didn't pummel the local-yocals because we were there to support the Germans. I can't fully explain how much I learned that week, but it was pretty incredible to spend so many hours in a car learning about Germania. At one point, our SUV had 4 engineers, (1 driver, 3 computer jockeys) and I imagined a horrible roll-over accident that would render us all dead. Headlines: 4 nerds dead

One German was disappointed that the fans at a Tigers game weren't nearly as rowdy as his typical hometown soccer crowd. After much discussion, we decided the reason things are so lame in the U.S. is because away fans have to travel so far to support their local regional sports team, that any event will be dominated by the home team's fans. In Germania it's always a ~50/50 mix meaning you're not so much cheering for your team, as you are cheering AGAINST those bastards on the other side. This dialog makes sense in my mind.



We also spent a few nights at the bar with the Germans where i managed to pick up a few sayings. For one, as the saying goes, "while toasting, always your the person you're toasting in the eye or it's seven years bad sex." Seems logical. Another one that came out at the end of the night didn't translate as smoothly... apparently, "just one more beer is like zero more beers." Also, it would seem that free health care leads to a lot of loafers that refuse to get a job. (did i mention that moments after realizing we were 4-geeks in million dollar proto-type car that had more instrumentation than you can shake a stick at, the hood of the broke-ass honda in front of us flew up and snapped off, sailing 40 feet in the air and landing just meters from our faces? that was crazy) Oh, and i also heard a terribly lame penis joke that was only funny because it required the use of metric units. I'll only tell it in person and when drunk.

Finally, it might have something to do with the company these guys worked for, but they all considered Ferrari's to be really expensive Fiats. I took it as a massive compliment.

I apologize for the lack of wit and formatting. I had a lot of material i wanted to get down (more for myself than fr you slackers) as well as plenty of other self-expression literary works I'm trying to form in my mind... and too much material rolling around up there will make me fall down stairs.

What is all movie posters were made in the style of GrindHouse?





Finally, I'm sad to say I'm been damn too busy to send out a DVD full of BSG. My apologies.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Update:

For those who were wondering, I now have a functioning phone

Sunday, May 06, 2007

on running

I was disappointed that i didn't get a chance to jog around Key West. The problem of course was, even had I more time and were not exhausted from lack of sleep, I neglected to pack sneakers. (you win again, brain) I don't understand why I run. I do not compete and never did, yet forever there is that burn to go farther and faster. I tried to run yesterday, but after my week long road trip- essentially a full-week diet of refined sugars and empty carbohydrates known as fast food, my body revolted and put down the idea. Last week it was different. Last week it looked something like this:

Mile zero:
My best runs often start out the most painful. Joints and muscles are sore and tight, likely from some combination of last night's drinking and the week's various other work-outs. If I'm feeling overly spry I'll push too hard early and it will turn into a shorter, speed building workout. I'm going to need some mindless power music like AC/DC's "Rock and Roll Ain't Noise Pollution" or Jay Z, "Justify My Thug."

Mile two:
{cough}{cough}{phlem}{spit} This is where i start to shake of the stiffness and find a rhythm; Breathing has slowed. For me distance runs are spun by stacking together as many 10-minute miles as possible, while speed runs are typically half the distance and should combine to approximately 8-minute miles averaged between periods of sprinting and trotting. I have to keep in mind that "Rochester Hills" is NOT just a clever name and 5 - 10% grades are as common as self-conscious teenagers cruising town in Daddy's Escalade and there are almost no truly flat spots. Lora Branigan's "Self Control" with White Rose Movement's "Love is a Number" on deck

Mile Four:
Side step the pavement for the rutty, lumpy, root-filled grass. Ankles that don't roll or sprain will become stronger. I find myself in a series of peaks and valleys, hitting the wall and finding a wind. I feel strong now and want to run faster but need to smooth out the sinusoidal: slower now, faster later. A feeling of invincibility needs a soundtrack: Animotion, "Obsession," Pantera "I'm Broken."

Mile six
I'm not overly familiar with the area I'm running through but the first path turned out to be about 5.5 miles, onto which I built in small increments. I don't know it yet, but the deviation in path I've taken today will put me back at my apartment in about 8.9 miles, which will be a new high this season. {nod to the hot chick on roller blades, direct her back to the early 90's} It turns out that the most painful run is not the one that eclipses all previous, but instead the one where you try to match for the first time, that personal best which has already been achieved. I'm not sure why, but it seems to make sense. This is like the calm before the storm. Covenant, "Like Tears in the Rain."

Mile eight
Here comes the pain. I may be reduced to a trot by the time i get to the top of the hill by the nature reserve. Walking is like surrendering, which means I'll try to slow-trot three miles before being reduced to walking 3 steps. (this does not always work). Over the course I'll have descended a sum of ~1000feet which will have to be ascended again. There may be a lot of grunting involved. Occasionally I'll lift my head to find I'm precariously close to a deer or raccoon or something of the sort. I'll need a psychological boost from the likes of Alan Silvestri's "Delta Force Theme," Joe Eposito's "You're the Best" (Karate Kid S.T.) and

Home stretch
I would be able to see my back door from here, were it not obscured by two big ass hills. {Off with the shirt: 4 parts aid in evaporation/1 part show off the goods} Every time I'll try to sprint this distance but almost always fade away on the second climb. If I've eaten well that week and I've kept up on the training and I took my vitamins and I said my prayers I can dig in and get it done: to the top of the hill, under the trees, over the lawn and across the apartment parking lot to my back door. "Training Montage" Song from the Rocky IV soundtack.

K'S Choice: Not an Addict

Pull of the i-pod and walk in circles to cool down. The silence of the world combined with the ringing in my ears (likely caused by the sudden jump in blood pressure) is deafening. I must eat and then rest, for there is much to be done if I'm to achieve 10 miles next week... though I'm not exactly sure why.

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

live from Key West

I've been awake for 22 hours



updates eventually

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

I will bite your torso

This is good I thought. But a lot of people are still pissed. And their's some mercury involved. (Hurray for the gray area of life) Perhaps the others think politician's time could be better spent.

Cash-Money, though?

In unrelated news, though the movie itself wasn't all that, I HIGHLY recommend the soundtrack to the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Movie.


Artist: Mastodon Lyrics
Song: Cut You Up With A Linoleum Knife Lyrics
Genre: Death Metal

Don't talk, watch!
Don't talk, watch!
You came here. Watch it.
Don't like it? Walk out.
We still have all your ****ing money.

Do not nudge, kick or jiggle the seat in front of you.
I'm sitting there!
I am everywhere at once
and I will cut you up.

If you make out here,
I will cut your lips and tongue
from your head
with a linoleum knife.

Do not explain the plot.
If you don't understand, then you should not be here.
Your money is our money
and we will spend it on drugs.

Do not crinkle your food wrappers loudly.
Be considerate to others,
or I will bite your torso
and give you a disease.

Did you bring your baby?
Babies don't watch this.
Take the seed outside. Leave it in the streets.
Run over it after the show.

If I see you videotaping this movie,
Satan will rain down your throat with hot acid
and dissolve your testicles
and turn your guts into snakes.

This is copyrighted movie for Time Warner.
If I find that you've sold it on eBay,
I will break into your house
and tear your wife in half.

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

At least it's warm now

Apparently, not since we had to bail their sorry asses out of Double-you Double-you Two, have we as a people been more disappointed with the performance of the British Armed Forces.

Also, it's become obvious that since it's unethical to test execution drugs (you know... with science) they're not exactly working (you know... all the time)

Left hand: allow me to introduce you to Right hand.

Now who wants to be my friend?

Sunday, April 22, 2007

I find that duck's opinions of me is very much based on whether or not i have bread

I have added the Cespool to my link bar. It features articles such as "Physcological Color Profile" and "Everybody loves a Whore."

Enjoy

Saturday, April 21, 2007

You can't stop the signal

It's Fiat driving season and I'm a Fiat-Driving man.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

beating the drum

It seems in Virginia there was a whole classroom of students that laid down and waited patiently while some dude walked up and down the desk-rows executing mutherfuckers. It says so here. This makes me feel ways about things.

In un-related news, (thanks to Jon's willingness to show me the way), I've been preaching the power and unstoppable coolness of Google's free online utilities. Google pedometer may have actually been developed by someone else, but it builds off the ultra-awesome Google maps. I love it. (Works for bike routes also. Of course, these aren't my real routes because then you could memorize and predict my patterns, thus making a clean and inexplicable assassination easier.)

by discovering and sharing this particular Google technology, i am convinced Lois Lane is not simply trying to steal my medication. Good for her.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Can i have 4 beers?

Seuth-sayers have been predicting peak oil dates since the 50's, so here we are again.

Think of it this way: Everything will be fine so long as such scientists are wrong every time.


{insert working class hero by john lennon}


Will Ferrell - The Landlord - Funny As Hell - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

Sunday, April 15, 2007

as i watch Adult Swim

I think there's a new tattoo in my future this summer.

The internet is full of ideas. I'm trying to decide between tipping my hand or revealing the inner me

Also, the Fiat is back on the road, logging over 30 trouble-free (though "witch's-titty-cold") miles today.

Finally, I think there might be a connection between this story about mate selection and this one about diseases that make your naughty bits fall off.

(look who's back)

Thursday, April 12, 2007

"Everything was beautiful, and nothing hurt"

Greatest novelist: DOA

(i haven't felt like this since Douglas Adams died a week after shaking my hand)

Great auto-man knows the score.

(Detroit is on the brink of imploding... Surviving the riotous 60's and gang-ridden 80's. Much like our a for mentioned author friend mused, suicide might have been better than rotting away in our own decay.)

CHEERS!

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

circle jerk

Let's get this straight. Katie Couric fired the guy who writes her blog, for stealing content from the Wall St. Journal.

I'll repeat that.

Katie has people who produce her "blog," likely born of an attempt to humanize and "make hip with the kids" a women who is essentially a face-puppet but with creepier eyes. Those people steal that data from other sources. Then they get fired.

If you can't find 3 things wrong with this, kill yourself.

For the fellas...



(and the cool chicks, too)

Monday, April 09, 2007

bendy

Those who have lived with me will likely noticed that i strive to minimize the "junk" i have, and I'm always looking for ways to minimize my possessions (other than cars and tools). For some reason, this crazy, folding fork has survived several cleanings of the counter top, leaving it again and again the sole "counter-top" survivor.

0327071943.jpg

I remember it so clearly- It came with a package of instant Tai- not the add water box, but the vacuum sealed, already boiled noodles. The only way to fit a utensil in the small, tradition carry-out-shaped box was to make it a folding utensil, complete with locking mechanism to ensure it would stay folded or opened.

0327071942b.jpg

I've had this thing for the better part of 6 months and it even got packaged and moved over to the new apartment. I can't let it go because even though I'm still debating whether I *really* need a bed or not, dammit, i'll never know when I need to conceal a fork in my deepest and most secret places.

0327071942a.jpg

I think this could easily be described as low-level OCD, which taken with my other habits, paint a telling picture.

0327071942.jpg

Now I will begin the work of figuring out how to incorporate this engineering marvel with my patented disappearing cigarette/match/napkin trick.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

eye opening

As expected, GrindHouse is the greatest movie ever made, and though i can't speak for all of you, chances are if you associated with me in your life, you'll agree.

(Though this guy wasn't exactly in the movie, you do see his gnarled face quite a bit. Seems he's quite a man in real life)

But perhaps the weekend's most amazing event was meeting a particular newly pregnant couple in Ann Arbor that filled me in on how fate smacked them up: Apparently, even though she was on the patch (messed up her dose rotation) and he was using a condom (broke during the act) and they had access to Plan B, or "the morning after pill," (which was administered with the prescribed dosage and timetable) but she still managed to find herself with child. (you can now insert a reference to this being the will of your particular deity).

And I never had sex again.

"Sex here!"

I'll take 7...

Saturday, April 07, 2007

100% Death Proof





H point out that Charlton Heston performs his own miracles. (It's people!)

I'm trying to finish the furnishing of my new place and it's proving expensive and complicated. I'm tired of sleeping on an air mattress, but quality replacements run well over a grand. I also need a vacuum. And some knives.


It seems the internet has provided us with a whole new way to exact revenge on unsuspecting fools.

life in the cube farm.



Sunday, April 01, 2007

Still April 1st

I will know drop mad engineering humor. (this is what we talk about during the infrequent down times at work... in fact, i'd say 97% of all jokes around there involve an air-graph or ven-diagram)

alcoholchart1

piratesarecool4

staffgraph2

staffgraph3

April Celebration of Fools

Q. How do you confuse a blonde?
A. Paint yourself green and throw forks at her

Q. How do you know when a Frenchman has been near your house?
A. You don't, really, unless you were there to see him or if one of your neighbors saw him. I wouldn't worry about it, really.

Q. What's worse then finding a worm in your apple?
A. The Holocaust.

Q. Why did the blonde get fired from the M&M factory?
A. Repeated absences and stealing.

Q. What do you get when you cross a chicken with a centipede?
A. A media circus about the debate over the morals and ethics of genetic engineering.

A priest, a rabbi, and a buddhist monk walk into a bar, sit at the end and start having some drinks. Two hours later, they come out with a better understanding of each other and a mutual respect, the beginnings of a friendship that lasts a lifetime.

A pirate walks into a bar with a ship's wheel stuck to his crotch.
The bartender says, "Hey, you got a wheel stuck to your crotch."
The pirate replies, "Yarr, me ship wrecked in a terrible storm and my testicles swelled with an infection while I was knocked unconscious against the wheel. Can you please call a doctor?"

Q. What's the difference between a post box and a vagina?
A. A post box is a public container for the deposit of outgoing mail, and a vagina is the passage leading from the opening of the vulva to the cervix of the uterus in female mammals.

A horse walks into a bar, and the barman says "Why the long face?". The horse replies:
"I'm deeply troubled by the anthropomorphic aspects of my existance and the extent to which I am now protected by law."

Q. Why was six afraid of seven?
A. It wasn't. Numbers are not sentient and thus incapable of feeling fear.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

I be like droppin knowledge

too many "how to" manuals in the world. Figure it out for yourself: It's better that way

However, the breadth of topic is still funny. But seriously, you need figure out how to date a stripper on your own... or learn from your dad/brother/priest


(the derivative of Batman should be Bruce Wayne or the integral of Bruce Wayne = Batman... Fucking amateurs)

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Why aren't I sleeping?

Because I can't stop watching episodes of BattleStar Galactica. It's Too Damn Good.

Tyrol: You know, we need to figure out whose side we're on.
Tigh: Which side are we on. We're on the side of the demons, Chief. We're evil men in the gardens of paradise, sent by the forces of death to spread devastation and destruction wherever we go. I'm surprised you didn't know that.

Fucking Brilliant.

Briefly

Okay. China, We FUCKING get it already, you're better than the west. Let it go. (I could do a lot of things if i had 6 foot arms)

The real question is, if a strange woman appears and masturbates on your couch, would you throw it (them) away?

I suppose you could apply the theory of unexplained bacon to identify this as a ninja trap... but if I have to live a life forever questioning the origins of mystery bacon and masturbating strangers, i don't want to live that life.

I wasn't hungry anyway

Also,

It can always be worse.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

i can't help but post this



(what else can't I help?)

classic good time

I'm sure everything is fine

In unrelated news we're all still fucked.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

meh

Could this lead to an Elise test drive? Perhaps not. I shall stick to my work (one carb down, one to go)

Fax party





Saturday, March 17, 2007

new place



week 1

week 0

Greatest Shower Curtain Ever.


(why would there be a shirt hanging from the ceiling lamp?)

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

too close to home

It seems there's an entire theory in the alternative energy underground that the company i work for (i tend to never mention here the name of my current employer) is essentially responsible for undermining the development of hybrid, plug in hybrid and even pure electric vehicles in the U.S.

This new data is highly detrimental to the paradigm.

It all revolves around legal action taken by my company and it's parents to defend battery chemistry technology, allegedly copied by Panasonic and Toyota. Alliances with oil companies make the plot go 'round, supplying a ready-made antagonist and conspiracy. I am so very... confused and It will take much time to absorb and react to this new information.

I want to believe in the goodness. It's what makes the 10 hours days go by so quickly and what makes you want to spend the first warm day of the year thermally profiling a new heat management system for the '09 model because there is so much science to be done and so few people.

What's most important now is informing the overlords that the master plan has been revealed... No one is falling for the ruse of a small group of people driving hybrids and riding their bikes to work because it's the most rewarding job you can find in a place like Detroit. Then again, if i was the evil management and wanted to convince everyone i wasn't choking-out battery technology, I'd hire a bunch of idealistic fools too.

More science is needed.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Best

good


better

Monday, March 12, 2007

edit

edit: in reference to a previous post about threesomes...

I just realized the first line of my threesome tirade refers to "bullet scared strippers" as in strippers that are afraid of bullets, presumably coming from a gun. It was supposed to read "bullet scarred strippers" as in strippers sporting bullet scars which your finger-tips can identify quite readily, even when drunk.

This is only important not only because it adds a level of gritty realness and visualization, but also because it's a true story based on actual events.

(Support your local pole workers union)

Sunday, March 11, 2007

part II

I once knew a man who refused to celebrate his alcoholism. Later in life, that very same man would request an “energy-generation-themed” sequel to my highly un-acclaimed synopsis on the state of alternative and non alternative transportation fuels; a valid request if every there was one. Especially considering the unofficial conclusion to my previous entry (the EV or PHEV) places the brunt of transportation energy needs on the national electric grid. Once again, I promise no fact checking, because that time is better spent in the VIP room, where I vowed to myself I would avoid for at least 3… 2 weeks.

--que “Workout Theme” from Rocky--

This one’s for Timbo. (Did anyone else know that in the originally planned version of the latest Rocky movie, Rocky was supposed to visit an HIV/Death bed stricken Ivan Drago in Russia? That would have made the movie 36% better)

Non renewables

Oil


Rundown: Seldom used to generate electricity, you may find a few smaller Diesel generators (think less than 100kW) used during rare high demand times, or maybe powering some Arctic outpost or some shit like that. As far as I know, it basically doesn’t exist in the modern electric utility.

Outlook: Save it for your gas-powered dildos and hedge trimmers: no one’s gonna use black gold to make megawatts.

Coal

Rundown: To domestic power generation, coal is like Dale Ernhart, The Super Bowl and that time in high school when that hot chick totally went down on you (man, you never again scored action like that... everything was so much better back then), all rolled into one. Coal is so cheap that the comparisons to your mother/sister/girlfriend practically write themselves. Likewise in both cases, it’s dirty as hell and many laws have been passed in an attempt (though often half-hearted) to outlaw its (and their) use. Depending on whose lies you believe, coal is said to account for something like 60% of our power generation and is so plentiful, it practically falls out of the earth. Or, you know, onto some minors. (Why wouldn’t they let those guys enjoy a cold beer after a long day in the mines?) Local laws, though often preventing the construction of new coal plants or requiring “clean coal” facilities, almost always allow for the continued operation of existing facilities, lest they drive the utilities out of business by mandating total replacement of existing infrastructure. The idea of clean coal is mysterious and as far as I’m concerned, bogus. It can be reformed into things like “coal gas” and such, but as we’ve already learned, when we turn a dirty fuel into a clean fuel, the equation of life dictates the “dirt” part still show up on the right side of the equation. That means carbon bi-products, the best disposal solution suggested thus far being “pump it into the ground?” Right...

Outlook: Everything having to do with clean coal is smoke and mirrors. Old facilities continue to pump mercury, sulfur, COX, solid pollutants and a slew of other junk into the air, while newer plants pump a portion of it into a box which is sold to third world countries and made into Ramon Noodles. Unfortunately, the US alone has enough to power itself for about 300 years.

Natural Gas

Rundown: Natural gas is the golden child of new utility capacity. This is because instead of building massive, large capacity coal or nuclear plants, they’re opting to add in smaller, cheaper increments, only fulfilling the needs of the immediate future. Nature gas is perfect for this because it’s relatively clean and unlike the others, efficient in small scales. (The large capital investment associated with carbon sequestering or nuclear containment require an equally large return on investment, making it uneconomical to build small nuclear/coal plants). Unfortunately, this gas which was once vented into the atmosphere for lack of a better purpose is now looked upon most favorably and without even arguing about how much of the stuff is left, we can’t deny that the supplying governments are unreliable at best.

Outlook: Tough to call and even harder to add wit to. Far cleaner than coal and other fossil fuels, it’s hard to come by and getting harder. Additionally, use of gas for heating is increasing demand big time. Also, this could be the Soviet Republic’s big ticket back into the major leagues.

Nuclear

Rundown: Nuclear energy is like an enigma wrapped up in misunderstanding and tucked into an "I-can't-quite-put-my-finger-on-it" shaped box. On one hand you have a basically limitless supply of energy and assuming nothing goes wrong, no waste that can't easily be dealt with. (if everyone was really honest with themselves, they'd realize that nuclear waste 40 miles below the surface ain't gonna hurt nobody). Of course, if something DOES go wrong, none of the above matters because your skin is boiling and your eyes are bleeding out. It falls somewhere between the guilty fossil fuels and the petunia smelling renewables.

Outlook: Depends who you vote for

Renewables

Wind


Rundown: The wind energy bubble came and went without many people noticing. Most cheap, viable, open windy farm land in the Midwest have been spoken for, though I’m not convinced the majority of it will never see the windmill it was purchased for. I think Europeans recognized electricity from wind as an elegant and simple solution long before the states did. Many people will say dumb things like “what if the wind stops blowing?” Those people have never been to the top of a tall building, off shore of a New England State or spent any time with Notorious’ sister/mother/girlfriend (I hear she blows AND sucks)

Outlook: Companies like GE and others are always building bigger windmills, the most recent of which can produce 5 megawatts when located offshore. This is enough to power about 5000 homes. I expect to see a lot more windmills, and in all honestly, they make me just a little randy.

Solar

Rundown: Believe it or not, the sun is predictable and action packed if you go to the right place. In fact, it's a pretty well known fact that something like 500 sq miles of solar panels located in the southwest would power the entire US. (look it up). And that calculation assumes your basic silicon cell of ~8% efficiency, where technologies like a dual axis-tracking, parabolic trough thermal system can convert solar thermal energy on the efficiency range of 40%. And since it's a thermal facility, instead of direct to electric, that thermal energy can be stored and distributed through out the 24 hour day.

Outlook: Facilities like the one described above have been operating in the southwest for 20 years, and though still operational... nothing similar has been built in the U.S. this millennium. What can I do?

The Others

Geo thermal

Rundown/Outlook: If you’re living in Iceland and a home-owner, pat yourself on the back friend, because Geo-Thermal Energy and nationalized health care are about the only things you got going for you in life.

Tidal

Rundown/Outlook: There’s a lot of water moving around out there and even if it moves just a little and very slowly, the ungodly mass makes it a viable energy source. However, I don’t have to throw myself head first into a man-on-man-on-man-on-rhino-on man orgy to know I’m not going to feel at home in that setting. Likewise, I don’t need direct experience with the sea to know those angry, salty, waters will make short work of any sort of power generating facility placed in its indignant depths. The point is, Joules Vern, time to go back to the Nautilus and play make-believe/touch yourself. This scenario seems unlikely.

Energy Storage

We all know god dammed well that as soon as I talk about renewable (and therefore perceived as unreliable) sources of energy, someone is going to pipe up about the inherent instability this system induces on the obviously fragile national electric grid. Allow me to piss on your face before you even open your mouth by exploring the wonderful world of large-scale, high power energy storage systems. (Back off man, I’m a scientist). There’s plenty of methods. Here’s two good ones.

Battery

Rundown: I’m sure you all realize that 95% of the technology for chemical-based batteries was sorted out about a hundred years ago. That said, even though I hate the idea of being a traditionalist, my experience says the longest lasting methods are normally the soundest. For your typical large battery, the best advances of late have come in the area of energy density and minimizing environmental impact. The downfall continues to be the pesky high price ingredients.

Outlook: Did I mention that I work for a battery company and after two engineering jobs in the battery field would officially consider myself a battery expert? Betting against batteries is like betting against Rocky: you don’t do it lest you wake up with broken arms. Still, batteries aren't the best way to power a building when the sun goes down- They are, however, a great way to suck up some solar power to get to work and back in your PHEV.

Note: If you’ve heard of super capacitors or something of the like, they’re a lot like batteries but more fantastical. People have been promising them to be “just around the time corner” for the last 30 years. If you get me really drunk we can talk about fly wheel-based energy storage devices… People already use these things! (Google it bitches)

Water

Rundown/Outlook: Power demand is like a sin wave added to a constant value greater than one. If you got laid in high school and don't know what that means, it basically says demand goes up and down with a pretty constant pulse. The problem is your generating capacity needs to meet the highest peak, making for unnecessary power when the demand dips. Big pumped water storage tanks are a way to use energy when demand is low (pump water into a resevoir) and recover it when demand is high (let the water flow out a la hydro-station). It's simple and elegant here under a cover of clouds we see the Ludington pumped water storage facility that's been in effect since the 70's.

More proof that like Rocky, sequels are never as good as the original. That is all. There is no point and no conclusion because nothing has been finished. It's hard to fight the good fight and I am tired. Next week I'll tell you about this simple theory: The further you study a topic, the more jaded you become. If only science can save us...

disc

We all knew that the bee is made in this state, but who would claim to know that the sport itself (or various sports) had such deep roots in Michigan?

Monday, March 05, 2007

life kicks you when you're down

My threesome entry has received little acclaim. It appears people only talk about this stuff when they're drunk.



In the mean time, kidney stones + pneumonia =/ crazy delicious. I've never spent a night in the hospital, let alone done the doubled-over, writhing-strut of pain into the emergency room. It breaks down like this:

1) All data, though inconclusive, shows that I am still invincible, though highly susceptible to prolonged stabbing sensations in the kidney. It also helps to add a respiratory-based viral infection to take me down.

2) The pain-medicine drip makes all the problems go away.

3) Vicadin makes it hard to concentrate on the written word; 11 episodes of "Heros" proves it is the greatest show on TV, as it is based on superhero/comic book stuff with a villain that increases his powers by eating the brains of other people with powers.


I am so very sleepy now