Kate

At this point we are quite confident that public The Old Reader will be available in the future, now with a proper team running it.

More details later this week.
Sorry about Monday. Again.

If you're a geek like me, then you know all the lucky/crazy people are at San Diego Comic-Con this weekend. (Lucky because, c'mon, it's Comic-Con. And crazy because IT'S COMIC-CON.)

So whether you're packed in like a cape-wearing sardine at the event itself, or just watching the coverage online like me with a mixture of jealousy and amazement that people are seriously paying $50 a day just to park, this is for you:

 

Highlights from Batman & Spider-Man's Day At San Diego Comic Con:

1) The Road Trip:

"I believe that clerk gave us the economy 'mobile."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, do we have to listen to your theme song the ENTIRE way? The nanananananas are giving me a headache."

 "Yes."

"Jerk."

 

2) The Restraining Order:

"Hey, it's not my fault those fans didn't appreciate my southern web-slinger. That takes real talent, you know!"

"Don't talk to me."

 

3) The "Comic Book Crafts" Panel They Waited 4 Hours In Line For:

"I still say it's not fair you used the Bat-Icer on yours."

"You're just jealous of my utility belt, Spandex-Man."

"That's IT. I'm telling Alfred."

 

 4) The "Hunky Heroes" Photo Shoot with Iron Man:

 (Which Spider-Man's web-slinging ways gets them kicked out of. Again.)

 "I think you have a problem."

"Oh, lighten up. At least Tony thought it was cool."

 

5) The Unexpected Early Departure:

"Wow. That Tannen fellow sure was spunky! Did you SEE his right hook? Although I could have done without the puns. Who says, 'now make like a tree, and get out of here,' anyway?"

"Just shut up and drive."

 

 

Thanks to Amy, Sara G., Mike L., Jennifer W., & Julia K. for bucking common conventions.

[incidentalcomics]

*KSCH* Officer down *KSCH* I repeat, we have an officer down 6 sizes after dieting. *KSCH* looks ridiculous in now-too-big uniform and hat

— Joe Rumrill (@2tonbug) January 18, 2013

Okay, it's not a blog. It's Gracie Hagen's instagram feed.

HER CAT IS NAMED CAPTAIN PANCAKES

Happy 5th of July, everyone! Americans, did you have a nice day yesterday? I sprained my ankle FOR AMERICA but I also ate two bratwurst, so I’m doing great. I picked this episode because there was a note on our spreadsheet that said “fencing outfits pointed out by domesticoutlet on tumblr” and I wanted to check that out, but then after watching it, I realized it was kind of perfect for the July 4th weekend since it’s about individualism and independence. DON’T TREAD ON HUGH, Y’ALL

The episode opens with the Enterprise tootling around and finding life forms somewhere, so they go check it out. An away team goes down to what appears to be a papier-mache set with a cube-shaped ship on it:

Say it’s only a paper moon

Surveying for damage, they find one survivor, but - GASP - it’s a young Borg.

Ooh, baby I Borg your way

Beverly, due to the Hippcratic Oath, has to help him/it, so they take him/it up to the Enterprise for medical attention.

He’s got the classic Borg look we’ve seen in other episodes:

Is THIS steampunk? Still pretty confused about steampunk

As you can see, he’s got a hologram eyepiece and a bunch of tubes all over his head, which is de rigeur for the young Borgs these days. And check out the lashes on his un-eyepieced eye! Cover Borg’s got a new spokesmodel!

The crew devises a plan wherein they will outfit this Borg with some sort of virus to take down the Borg from the inside (since they want to, you know, assimilate everyone), but Beverly’s not so keen on it:

Pantene Pro-Borg

This screenshot doesn’t have anything to do with her skepticism of the plan; her hair just looks really nice.

They put the Borglet in a jail cell until they can figure out what to do with him:

Do Borgs dream of assimilated sheep

I enjoy the Borg costumes overall: they need to look consistent from Borg to Borg, but somewhat piecemeal, and they need to dehumanize the wearer while still retaining a shred of humanity (especially in this episode). This one is a great example. Also: they can give you six-pack abs.

Meanwhile, in the Fencing Area, we’ve got a real nice bout happening:

THE SLEEVES, AGAIN, ARE TOO SHORT. GET IT TOGETHER REPLICATOR

Check out JLP’s buttcheeks there. Two fine Christmas hams, they are, working against the natural instincts of the fencing outfit to be completely unflattering on everyone. But who’s that he’s challenging?

Fencing wear with built-in neck brace

Why, it’s our fearless barkeep Guinan, trying her hand at a pastime we know JLP’s enjoyed for many seasons. I give full credit for Whoopi for appearing in this outfit. It’s not great. She does look nice in white (OMG what if Whoopi was on Scandal???? Someone call Shonda Rhimes), but it’s a terrible silhouette for anyone with boobs because it’s basically like wearing a bulletproof vest. I do have to give some credit to her fencing snood, though:

Holographic schmatta

Pros: holographic, matches outfit perfectly

Cons: might just literally be a fabric remnant bobby-pinned to her head

I’m not saying she’s going to go directly from the fencing match to rehearsal for Fiddler, I’m just saying she COULD.

Guinan uses the fencing match to teach Picard a lesson about sympathy (i.e., don’t be sympathetic to the Borglet because he will assimilate your ass). But will her views change? STAY TUNED.

Meanwhile, in the lab where they de-Borged Picard and created Lal, Bev and Geordi are studying the Borglet, who is giving them some serious side-eye…

Borg-kayyyyyyyyy

…and Bev and Geordi teach this Borg (Third of Five) about being an individual (AMERICA HURRAH). They come up with a name for him, Hugh, because it sounds like the word “you.” It’s…not the most sparkling dialogue. Hugh is THRILLED:

Borg emotions are hard to read

Bev and Geordi are ALSO thrilled:

SMILEZ

ALL SMILEZ

So Geordi and Bev are like “can we keep him?? he’s not like the other Borgs” and Guinan and Picard are like “UM HE’S A BORG” but Geordi convinces Guinan to go visit him. At the time of the convincing, she is wearing this hat:

Burgundy velvet, the most 90s of all fabrics

Seriously, my prom dress, which I still have, is burgundy velvet. #old

But then when she goes to visit him, she’s wearing this hat:

Do you have anything in a slate-blue rattan? Perfect

What I like most about this outfit is how every fabric looks like it belongs on an indoor-outdoor furniture set. Very practical, in case she got into a physical fight with the Borglet and needed to hose herself off later.

Anyway, once Guinan meets Hugh, she is also like “HE’S DIFFERENT” to Picard. This info is SO crucial that she visits him in his quarters:

*sexy voice* Am I interrupting? No? CAN I be interrupting?

I am pretty sure that robe came from the ladies’ section of Filene’s Basement, but you know what? No one cares. You drink that synthohol whiskey and rock that robe, Captain.

Picard is still feeling the aftereffects of being assimilated and has NO TIME to think about the possibility of a Borg having independent thoughts, BUT he also super-trusts Guinan. So he tries to trick Hugh into assimilating the Enterprise, which Hugh does not do because he has a weird friend-crush on Geordi. Look at his sweet face!!!

Can we keep him, dad, pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaase

In the end, Hugh chooses to return to the Borg ship because he knows that if he doesn’t, his friend Geordi will be in danger. The other Borg drones who come to fetch him also have tubes in their heads. Pretty standard Borgwear.

Lotta codpiece action in this shot, though

We all learn something about Borgs and friendship and individuality and the American spirit and also fencing uniforms. They’re just not great for a number of reasons:

#1 reason: pseudopanty

Thank you trekcore.com for the screencaps!

And this is COMPLETELY unrelated to Star Trek or fashion, but if you hate the Westboro Baptist Church and would like to learn more about a play in which Shirley Phelps-Roper is condemned to sing in a cabaret show in Hell for all eternity, go here.

Giraffe Manor is a luxury hotel which was set up by the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, to protect the endangered Rothschild Giraffe.

The hotel is also shaped in such a way so that the giraffes can peer inside and interact with the guests, and even join people at the breakfast table.

Located 12-miles outside Nairobi, Kenya, this hotel is also home to other species of wildlife including bushbuck, and more than 180 species of birds.

Scroll down for more photos of this unique hotel.











[via Honestly WTF]

Owner of Spanish bakery Triticum, Xevi Remón, pays a lot of attention to his bread. So much so that he designed special packaging for the different types of bread he bakes.

The custom packaging is designed to fit each type of bread perfectly, reducing bulk and material wastage.

Remón’s clever design also includes holes for the bread to breathe through, and notches on the sides, so multiple packages can be easily tied together.

















[via Trend Hunter, images via Lo Siento]

[Click here to view the video in this article]



In Dallas, Texas, a physical education teacher by the name of Dale Irby has worn the exact same outfit—comprising of a polyester shirt and knit sweater vest—for his work yearbook photo for the past 40 years.

2013 marks the year of his retirement at Prestonwood Elementary School, and the last yearbook photo in the same outfit.

This started in 1973 when he chose a certain shirt and sweater combo for his first yearbook photo. Due to a wardrobe of mostly athletic clothes, he accidentally repeated the outfit in the next year.

It was his wife, Cathy, a language arts teacher, who dared him to repeat the outfit for his third yearbook photo. After that, continued the prank for five years. After five pictures, he did not want to stop, so he continued to wear the same outfit for 40 years.

The following video shows the transition of the 40 yearbook photos that Irby has taken over time, and according to him, the shirt still buttons if he “sucks it in a little.”

View the transition below:





[via Mashable]

Previously: Episode 5 'Playtime'

[convoswith2yrold]

Britain—and the rest of the world—is waiting with bated breath to meet the latest addition to the British royal family.

In honor of the new prince or princess—there has been no word about the gender of the baby yet—London-based communications agency KK Outlet, in collaboration with illustrator leeleelee.com, has created an amusing royalty-themed alphabet poster.

Each letter of the alphabet on this poster represents a thing or subject that is associated with the British royalty—other than the obvious “Q is for Queen”, there are the cheeky and more controversial “D is for Divorce” and “V is for Vegas”, which refer to certain royal scandals.

This limited edition poster, “giving a tongue-in-cheek take on royalty, the monarchy and the escapades of his or her relatives”, is available for sale at KK Outlet in London.











[via My Modern Met]

[Click here to view the video in this article]



To promote its brand of dog food, Beneful created a Rube Goldberg machine that is powered by cute and adorable dogs.

Called a ‘Dog Goldberg Machine’, the loveable pooches can be seen playing catch, chasing after balls, and eating treats to activate different mechanisms on the machine.

Maybe someone should create a similar device, but powered by cats too.

Click to watch the adorable video below:


















[via YouTube]

Adam Davidson, of NPR’s “Planet Money,” makes a sheepish confession right at the very start of his latest NYTimes piece: “raising a child in Park Slope, Brooklyn, can bear an embarrassing resemblance to the TV show ‘Portlandia.’” Having trucked his family down to the Brooklyn Baby Expo, Davidson saw everything from plant-resin teething rings to organic-cotton car seat covers (to limit babies’ exposure to manmade fibers). He realized, the baby market is a commodity market, and that’s when he started to feel better:

It’s easy to feel like a sucker once you realize that nearly every dollar you’ve paid over the commodity price is probably wasted. But the process also has enormous benefits for all consumers.

When companies need to compete, they must differentiate, and in the baby market that can mean safety innovations that set the newest standard—possibly inspiring the government to raise safety regulations. Even if you’re not an early adopter of BPA-free bottles, you may soon find that your store brand bottles are BPA-free, just like joovy® “boob baby bottle.” And then everyone’s a little safer, even if that concern is relatively new.

Davidson turns to classic research from sociologist Viviana Zelizer to expand on “The Sippy Cup 1%” and changing childhood:

It might shock the shoppers at Brooklyn Baby Expo, but the idea that everything children touch should be completely safe is a fairly new one. In previous generations—and for most people currently living in poorer countries—having children was an economic investment. Viviana Zelizer, a Princeton sociologist, in her 1985 classic, “Pricing the Priceless Child,” tracked how childhood in America was transformed between the 1880s and the 1930s. During this period, Zelizer says, parents stopped seeing their children as economic actors who were expected to contribute to household finances. Families used to routinely take out life insurance plans on their children to make up for lost wages in the not unlikely event of a child’s death.

But eventually, increased societal wealth, child-labor laws and the significant drop in child mortality led parents to reclassify their children, Zelizer explained, as “a separate sphere, untainted by economic concerns.” This came along with “an increasingly sentimentalized view of children,” in which their comfort and protection can be given no price. Now, for the first time in human history, having a child in the United States is a net financial cost for a parent. This, of course, has been a huge boon to child-product manufacturers. Companies profit from our sentiment with extraneous features. The whole process is prone to produce absurdities like the $4,495 Roddler custom stroller, but the best advances become inexpensively incorporated into everybody’s products. In the end, it really does contribute to making children safer than ever.

No, it’s totally okay that you cut me in line for the breakfast buffet.

It’s wee answer Wednesday — seven short answers to seven short questions. Here we go…

1. When a reference changes their mind about what they’ll say about you

How do you tell a prospective employer that your manager has decided they can’t give you a glowing reference?

My husband left his job a few months ago on good terms. The company was moving state and downsizing anyway. My husband had always had glowing performance reviews, which often came with bonuses and two promotions during the 3 years he was there. When he left, his manager said he was always a good worker and would be happy to give him a good reference.

My husband is now short-listed for a job and contacted the former manager for a reference. Now, the manager says he cannot give a good reference considering some of the “challenges” before he resigned. My husband has no idea what these are and is willing to move on (this manager could be petty and make mountains out of molehills), but how does he now tell his prospective employer that his recent manager has changed his mind?

“Unfortunately, my former manager is now declining to be a reference, although he’d earlier told me he’d be happy to give a strong one. I had glowing performance reviews while I was there, as well as bonuses and two promotions in three years, so I’m at a loss as to what could be causing this, but I suspect he’s unhappy that I left. I’d be glad to supply you with other references who can speak about my work there and at other companies.”

If he has copies of those performance reviews, it wouldn’t hurt to offer to share them either.

2. My old manager emailed my new manager to say bad things about me

I have started a new job. My interview, references, and first week were all good. However, my new manager told me that she got an email saying bad things about me from my previous company. I do not know who sent it, but I am guessing that it was my ex-boss. My question is: Is not it illegal that she sent an email after I already started working with another company?

It’s not illegal unless she was deliberately lying about you, in which case it could potentially be slander or defamation. It is, however, incredibly petty to badmouth you to a new employer after you’ve already started working there. In fact, it’s such a bizarre action to take that if your new manager is at all sensible, it made her see your old manager as unhinged, rather than giving much credence to what was in the email.

If you’re concerned, go back to your new manager and say, “I’m really taken aback that she would do that, and I want to make sure that you don’t have any concerns about me or my work.”

3. Recruiter asked for my Social Security number and the year I graduated high school

Today I had a phone interview with an agency recruiter. Everything was going fine during our standard discussion. Toward the end, he asked me when I graduated high school, which I answered. After that, he wanted my Social Security number to “move forward,” which I refused to give him.

During the talk, I pretty much determined that asking about graduation was the way to get around the age question. And, regarding the Social Security number, I told him I do not give that to anyone at the early stages, so I doubt we are moving forward. Was I wrong in either situation?

Nope, you were right. There’s no reason that he should need to know when you graduated from high school (!), assuming that you’re not coming across as very young and inexperienced. And there’s no reason he needs your Social Security number at this stage either, and it’s intrusive to ask for it.

4. Reapplying for a job I was recently laid off from

I was given notice in January that I would be laid off at the end of March from a job I really loved. Last week, I saw that the job I was laid off from is being advertised — likely because they finally figured out that there was no way to actually cut the service and putting the work of a team of 5 onto the one person that didn’t get laid off was completely unreasonable. Since March, I’ve been consulting. While the money is great, the work isn’t and it’s not what I want to be doing or who I want to be doing it for. So I put some feelers out to my old manager and the guy who didn’t get laid off to see if they’d be open to me coming back. My old manager has been promoted and I don’t really know the new department manager very well — I think I met him once in the year I was at the company. Both my manager and coworker think I should apply and would love to have me back.

Should I decide to apply, what does my cover letter look like in this situation? It’s only been 3 months since I left and I haven’t even added the consulting job on my resume yet. Should I reach out directly to the new manager? Or the HR recruiter listed for the job (she is the one who originally placed me at the company)? Should I mention in my cover letter that I have discussed the position with my former manager and coworker?

You should absolutely mention in your cover letter that you spoke to your former manager about the position and that she encouraged you to apply.

Send your application materials directly to the new manager, and cc the recruiter. Then forward it to your old manager with a note that you applied — and you might also ask if she can advise you on how to have the best chance of moving forward (which she will hopefully take as a cue that she should go sing your praises to the new manager).

All this said … keep in mind that they might want to go in a different direction, and that there might have been a reason for the layoff and their subsequently not reaching back out to you when the position re-opened. I have no idea if that’s the case or not, but keep that in mind as you approach all this and be sensitive to any cues along those lines.

5. I’m on the schedule beyond my last day at work

I gave my two weeks notice to my boss, stating that my final day working there would be July 10. The newest schedule for my last week is up, and he put me on for the 11th. I’m a part-time cashier/deli worker in a small store, and we’re all relatively close because there’s so few of us. But I’m concerned about the last day he has me on for because I informed him I would be leaving town and I needed to be off by the tenth. Is there anything I can do or say about this?

Start by assuming it’s a mistake, and just point it out to him: “I noticed you have me on the schedule for July 11, but my last day is July 10.”

When in doubt, just be straightforward.

6. My job refused to give me time off to interview for a different position

In my current job, I have told my manager numerous times that the work is too simple. He agrees with me and has even given me more jobs to do, but I’m simply just bored. I advised him I was looking elsewhere, and when I had the offer of an interview, he said HR would not allow me the morning off the next week, because I need 3 weeks notice. Hence I missed the interview.

He said that the company didn’t look favorably on going to interviews outside the business on their time. Can they do this? And is there not a law protecting employees from this?

Uh, yes, they can do that, and no, there’s no law requiring employers to make it easy for you to interview for other jobs during the hours you’re supposed to be working for them. Generally people are discreet when they’re looking for other jobs and don’t announce that they need time off for an interview.

7. Advice for new managers

I was recently promoted to my first supervisor position. I manage 4 people now. Can you recommend your top five past articles that give advice to new managers? I enjoy my daily reading of your blog.

I certainly can. Try these:

the most important advice for new managers

12 ways to make your employees love you

how to deal with employee performance problems and its cousin, be honest about employee performance problems

what reality-based management looks like

10 ways to appear more authoritative at work

Yes, that was six, not five, because they’re all important. But most importantly, check out my book for managers, which will walk you through the mechanics of managing well, step by step.

Amazon sells almost everything and anything these days, including some pretty strange things that you would not have expected to find on an online store.

When you do spot a particularly ridiculous product, like the banana slicer seen above, you may want to read the review section—chances are, you will come across some seriously funny reviews.

Brainpickings has curated a choice selection of humorous reviews found on Amazon—while some are simply absurd, others are written as witty and subtle commentary on current social and political issues.

From an Edgar Poe-style poem about a gallon of milk to an epic 764-word essay on the merits of a tongue cleaner, these ingenious Amazon reviews would make you laugh and wonder if there is really hope for internet-enabled mankind.

Read more hilarious Amazon reviews over here.

















[via Brain Pickings]

Japanese design collective TENT has come up with a simple solution for those who like reading, hands free.

With this ‘open-book’ paperweight, readers can know place it atop their books while they read, ensuring that pages do not turn due to strong winds.

Perfect for reading outdoors, or bookmarking pages, this is a cool accessory for every bookworm.

Scroll down to view more of this product.









[via TENT]

Subscribe to my podcast on iTunes or RSS, and download/stream the new episode here!

How Was Your Week: Episode 122
“Rosie’s Meds”: Andrea Arden, Ted Leo & Marrilee Wilson

Happy Belated Birthday, America! This week’s HWYW is a family affair for sure, and not just because MRS. SPOONY IS IN THE FAMILY WAY!!

Join us as we meet friends of the show and join hands with our lifelong relatives.
First of all, MARRILEE WILSON, the pioneer of an email meme and so much more, is here to tell us how she came to reach out with the subject header “Greetings from a Black Woman in Halifax, Nova Scotia,” and who she is, exactly. This is a fabulous story from a wonderful woman! And what a nice opportunity to get to know a character from our universe as a human being. She is a gem!

Then, HWYW patriarch and dog-loving rock star TED LEO joins Julie to interview dog trainer and TV personality ANDREA ARDEN, who used to be on the world’s best show, UNDERDOG TO WONDERDOG. Together, Julie and Ted get to the bottom of what it’s like to spend one day a week hanging out with puppies, what it says about you if you have a cocker spaniel, why huskies are hard to train, and what the deal is with horse people.

Plus: Australians and MDMA and how they impacted this year’s Pride, how Tim Minchin’s godlessness made MATILDA perfect, what kind of dog Garrison Keillor would be, how overwhelming Julianne Moore is and how a Twitter birthday greeting from her can shake you to your core, Pepa’s inevitable prowess in the sack, and the pull of the slightly unfamiliar as it compares to the terror of change.

What a show!

Police in Bridgewater report:

7/4/13 12:14PM B&E-HERITAGE CIR Caller reports while sleeping, someone broke into house & put a kitten on her dining room chair

Dale Irby, a retired physical education teacher from Dallas, Texas wore the same outfit in every yearbook photo for forty years. Check out the full slideshow over on news.com.au.

Stories like this one make me happy. So happy.

Life is awesome and life should be celebrated, everyday, with a trophy: Trophy Buffet. Made me laugh.

13 Adorable Photos Of Baby Farm Animals, But With Each Click, Another Appendage Will Be Cut Off Our Finance Director’s Body. How Far Will You Go? When Will You Let It Stop?

Women pose in front of their surfboards on Waikiki beach in Honolulu, November 1938.
Photograph by Richard Hewitt Stewart, National Geographic

In a post by Boys Boots n’ Booze, a bunch of American soldiers were found ‘playing Quidditch’—a sport in the J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter universe—while in a desert in Afghanistan.

Though obviously fictional and few to look at, the resulting three images are rather amusing.






[via Geekologie and Boys Boots n’ Booze]