Nathan

One classy Etsy user is selling a miniature playset model of the Golden Girls house. The 1:72 version of 6151 Richmond Street runs a cool $175, but comes complete with plenty of Golden Girls fan Easter eggs, from the cheesecake in the kitchen to Sophia’s bamboo purse in the living room. The house also comes with 1-inch paper dolls of each of the Girls, though one would hope that the Sophia likeness is smaller than the Dorothy. The seller, an Etsy user named Alan who goes by the name EverydayMiniatures, only made one to sell, but says the ...

Hide your Skittles Texas:

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – George Zimmerman, a volunteer watchman whose acquittal in the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin led to protests, was pulled over by police in Texas on Sunday for speeding, officials said on Wednesday.

Zimmerman told the officer that he had a weapon in his glove compartment and was going “nowhere in particular,” said Brian Brooks, city manager of Forney, Texas, about 25 miles southeast of Dallas, where Zimmerman was stopped.

The gun in the glove box is legal in Texas, and police routinely ask motorists if they have weapons in the car, Brooks said. He said the entire stop lasted less than five minutes.

“It wasn’t for super-excessive speeds, they just got him on regular speeding,” Brooks said. “It’s a pretty routine stop except for the fact that it was George Zimmerman.”

Zimmerman was released when it was determined that he had no warrants.

many of these are discoverable on Shodan  

Think you know your physics lingo and jargon? Then see how you do with arXiv vs snarXiv.

BACKGROUND: General information about arXiv

Though it's the Saturday Night Live cast’s job to keep a straight face while performing the silliest of sketches, nobody is truly immune to the giggles. Slacktory recently posted a supercut of some of the most memorable SNL crack-ups (and, no, it’s not just four minutes of Jimmy Fallon breaking). There are the classics known and loved by all, such as Chris Farley’s van-down-by-the-river speech and Will Ferrell’s cowbell crackup, but viewers are also treated to older gems featuring cast members like Gilda Radner and Bill Murray. 

Here’s a script that won’t be worked into any new Entourage episodes anytime soon — but it is a sobering reality for anyone hoping to launch a new craft beer company.

Adrian Grenier – (Entourage character name: Vincent Chase) – starts a beer company (Churchkey Can Co.) with partner Justin Hawkins, garners some early media attention and launches his suds at popular, hipster-filled speakeasies in Portland, Ore., San Francisco and Manhattan.

But six months into production, the company hits a snag and is forced to pull all of its freshly made beer from the marketplace.

The idea was to revive the flat top steel can, a package that hadn’t been used in the beer industry in more than 50 years. But quality control issues and what Hawkins described as “bulging cans” forced Churchkey’s founders to halt production last October.

“The integrity of the beer was being compromised,” Hawkins said. “The canning line wasn’t as efficient as we needed it to be, the pressure inside the can was too high and we ultimately had to pull the beer off shelves.”

But even though the company hasn’t produced a single drop of beer in more than 10 months, Hawkins said the Churchkey executive team is still intact and evaluating ways to solve the canning issues. One solution would be to move away from the steel package altogether, but that’s something Hawkins said he’s not quite ready to do.

“That’s definitely been a conversation, but it is extremely important to our brand that we get it right.” he said. “It was the standard can for more than 30 years so there shouldn’t be any reason why we can’t do it. We are currently trying to find another brewing and canning partner, which has been difficult because we are trying to bring back a package that hasn’t been used in so long.”

Churchkey had been producing its beers as part of a contract agreement with Two Beers Brewing in Seattle, Wash.. Two Beers has since taken over the space where Churchkey was making beer and launched Seattle Cider Company.

Despite the challenges, Hawkins is hopeful that the Churchkey brand will return to retail shelves within the next six months.

“We are optimistic and moving forward,” he said. “Consumers really seemed to like the beer, the brand and the can. We just have to figure it out.”

The Light Blaster is a tool for creating instant, surreal backdrops when you don’t have a professional set-design team at your disposal.

Fuck I Hate Summertime.

Certain questions keep returning, as if on the edge of a rotating wheel:

“Why the Wheels Won’t Go,” Michael LaBarbera [pictured here, without wheels], American Naturalist, Vol. 121, No. 3, March 1983, pp. 395-408. The author, at the University of Chicago, begins:

“Why don’t animals have wheels? Introductory hiology teachers commonly note the lack of rotating structures in biological systems, usually as a starting point to illustrate the restrictions that structure and physiology place on the forms which may arise via natural selection. The question of why animals do not have wheels is part of the professional folklore of hiology; while rarely addressed in the formal scientific literature, every biologist is familiar with the question and has a favorite set of explanations…”

BONUS: Wikipedia takes the question for a spin

stunning exploration of music theory and constraints  

People on twitter sometimes get a little mixed up.

Whoa! It's almost finally here!

After 3 weeks of photo shoots, 2 weeks of research, 2.5 weeks of writing, one all nighter and eating 50+ breakfast tacos, our book is finally here! Join us, Mando & Jarod and the TacoJournalism crew to celebrate our book, Austin Breakfast Tacos: The Story of the Most Important Taco of the Day. We'll have breakfast tacos, beer and we'll share some highlights from the book. Also, you get to buy it for $14.99 just like everywhere else excpept you'll have some pretty darn good company. You may meet the authors and the photographers (Joel Salcido & Dennis Burnett), the owners of some of the best taco joints in the ATX and the people of Austin that are in the book that may or may not include Addie Broyles, Councilman Mike Martinez, Paul Qui, Aaron Franklin, Sara Hickman, Lonnie Limon, Dorsey Barger, Los TipsyTexans, David the Soup Peddler y mas!

Thanks to our taco friends at The Tamale House, Tacodeli, WhataTaco, El Sol y La Luna y mas for supplying the free tacos. Mil gracias to our beer sponsor, Indio #DoYourThing. Special #shoutout to The History Press for actually inviting us to write the book and BookPeople for having the book on hand at the event!

RSVP aqui with Eventbrite and El Facebook event here.

See ya there!
Mando & Jarod

I often get requests to make my art available to buy. Truthfully, I do my blog for my own amusement, but some parodies I am comfortable with selling. I just have never had the time to research for the best printer. I realized this week that I have an old Zazzle account. So, I've put the above art for sale on shirts, prints and canvases.

You can order through Zazzle. Click here! Whoa! Edit: Zazzle removed it! Let me check on that an I'll get back to you....

If you have other formats you would like to see, please let me know.

Btw, I'm very happy to mention, if you happen to buy the August issue of Glamour magazine (out this Tuesday), you'll find a version of my "Oops Woman" within its glossy pages. Thank you Glamour!

keyword heatmaps in 14 cities  

Jim Kelly, an actor and martial artist best remembered as one-third of the starring triumvirate of Enter The Dragon (1973), has died at the age of 67. Kelly was a high school athlete and played football for the University of Louisville before dropping out of college to study karate in 1964. After getting his black belt in 1969, Kelly set his sights on a film career. As he recounted in a 2010 interview, “What I had to do was become world karate champion and use that as a stepping stone and maybe get into the movies. Maybe by the time ...

When "Low" by Cracker came out in 1993, the concept of a streaming service was years away. Making money and reaching an audience were somewhat synonymous, with the exception of kids recording radio plays onto cassette tapes. Now, when all you need is an e-mail address to access millions of songs spanning several decades, the profits are dwindling.  Cracker's lead singer and songwriter, David Lowery, has posted his most recent statements from various media on The Trichordist, reporting a mere $16.89 profit from more than 1 million Pandora plays. He said that amount is less than he makes ...

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Night gathers, and it’s time to unveil the second Game of Thrones beer. From Brewery Ommegang and HBO comes the highly-anticipated Take the Black Stout, inspired by the Night’s Watch and the men who stand it.

The label features the sacred Weirwood tree, where men such as Jon Snow — who worship the old gods — take the Night’s Watch oath.

Take the Black Stout inherits the mantle of the wildly successful Iron Throne Ale, which arrived earlier this year and had beer lovers, retailers, and wholesalers clamoring for more. Bottle shops and grocery stores across the country sold out in days, while bars poured through kegs in hours. To quench the Tyrion-sized thirst of beer-drinking Game of Thrones fans, Ommegang will more than double the volume of the Iron Throne release. Take the Black Stout will debut this fall through Ommegang’s nationwide distribution network.

Mike McManus, Ommegang’s Innovation Manager, developed the beer with wintery thoughts and dark tidings in mind. “I imaginedTake the Black Stout as a hearty and robust beer to fortify those heroically standing watch at the Wall,” said McManus. “Like their lives, the beer is dark, complex and bold.  The maltiness offers deeper complexity than traditional stout; the brew also boasts more alcohol at 7% ABV, more body and more hops than typical stout offerings.   Spicing with star anise and licorice root – imbues deeper flavors and an enticing aroma. I’d like to think it would offer comfort to those upholding their vows at the Wall.”

Tasting notes for Take the Black Stout:

Take the Black Stout is brewed with base malts, caramel, chocolate and roasted barley malts. It’s hopped with Northern Brewer hops and spiced with licorice root and star anise.

The hue is deep black, almost opaque, with a full tan head. Aromas include dark chocolate, caramel malt, and earthy hops, with light roastiness, and a touch of fruitiness.

Taste includes chocolate, dark coffee, rich malt character, and balanced roastiness. Clean hop bitterness converges with a slight woody character and spiciness.

The finish offers a sweet malt character giving way to spicy, earthy, hop bitterness.

Take the Black Stout will be available on draft and in 750ml corked bottles. A new custom glass, designed especially for the beer, will also be available.

Further details regarding Take the Black Stout will be revealed  later this summer.

About Brewery Ommegang

Brewery Ommegang, part of the legendary Belgian brewer Duvel Moortgat family, opened in 1997 to craft-brew fine Belgian-style ales. Ommegang creates six ales year-round, as well as an extensive and imaginative range of seasonal and specialty ales. The beers have won a national following by connoisseurs of fine beer and are distributed in 45 states and internationally. Ommegang is located on a 136-acre farmstead in Cooperstown, New York, USA and offers free daily tours and inexpensive tastings as well as a 100-seat café, a well-stocked brewery store, and an annual calendar of public events. Ommegang is open every day of the year except for Christmas Eve Day, Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, and New Year’s Day. For more information, please contact info@ommegang.com, call 1-800-544-1809, or visit www.ommegang.com. Ommegang is a member of the Duvel family of fine beers. Follow Ommegang on Twitter: @BreweryOmmegang , Facebook.com/Ommegang, Instagram: @BreweryOmmegang

About HBO Global Licensing

HBO Global Licensing officially licenses the HBO^® brand for the development and merchandising of innovative product lines inspired by the network’s award-winning programming.  With products created around classic series like the The Sopranos^® and Sex and the City^® to current hits like True Blood^® and Game of Thrones^®, items include fashion apparel, jewelry, digital and CD soundtracks, games, books as well as exclusive, premium collections in partnership with upscale, designer brands.  Merchandise can be purchased in retail stores nationwide, athttp://store.hbo.com, and at the groundbreaking HBO retail hub, the HBO Shop^®, located at 42nd and 6th Avenue in New York City.  HBO Licensing & Retail products are also sold internationally across Europe, Asia and Australia.

In HateSong, we ask our favorite musicians, writers, comedians, actors, and so forth to expound on the one song they hate most in the world.  The hater: Songwriter and producer John Vanderslice has been active in the music industry since the mid-’90s, spending five years as a member of experimental band MK Ultra before going solo, releasing a number of his own records, and expanding his role at San Francisco’s Tiny Telephone studio, which he owns. There, he’s produced records by Spoon and The Mountain Goats. Vanderslice’s ninth solo full-length, Dagger Beach, was recently released via ...

WTF?

LITTLETON, CO. – Attention Beer Drinkers: Oktoberfest is coming early this year just for you, thanks to Paulaner Brewery. The Limited Edition Oktoberfest Wiesn is being brewed a month early and will be available on shelves exclusively in the U.S. by the end of June so the revelry of Oktoberfest can officially begin.

Paulaner’s Oktoberfest Wiesn is only brewed and distributed once a year in honor of Oktoberfest. This tasty golden lager has made its way to the U.S., but it was initially brewed and sold exclusively in Munich at the Oktoberfest grounds.  Wiesn is the German word for Meadow, named for the location of the Munich Oktoberfest celebration.  Wiesn remains the only beer being served in the Paulaner Oktoberfest tent, and now you can enjoy it in your own home!

With the early debut of the Paulaner Wiesn comes a convenient new packaging. This year, for the first time the limited edition brew will be bottled and available in six-packs of single serve bottles. The six-pack you have been waiting for will join the rest of the Paulaner line-up in the refrigerated section, and will be ready for your enjoyment upon purchase.

Paulaner also released a new 15-bottle Oktoberfest Party Pack and, as of last week, it is already sold out, even before production of the pack. The Paulaner Wiesn is just as popular so jump on it before it runs out.

Paulaner has launched these great offerings that will make you feel immersed in German tradition, whether or not your plans lead you to Munich this fall.

About:

Paulaner HP USA, purveyor of the world’s finest beers, is headquartered in Littleton, Colo., and imports Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Fuller’s, O’Hara’s Irish Stout, Fruli, Birra Dolomiti and Dixie beers, Vigna Dogarina and Cavallina wines, and Fuchen herbal liqueur. This list of fine imports is now available throughout the United States at upscale, on-premise establishments.

Last month, the removal of some 1,800 titles from Netflix’s streaming library caused a mass hysteria dubbed the “Streampocalypse,” leading to rash, post-streampocalyptic measures such as the hoarding of old Cheers episodes and even, in some extreme cases, the desperate repurposing of long-abandoned materials. Someone also probably got cracked in the head with a shovel, because it’s not a streampocalypse without someone taking a shovel to the head. Understandably, Netflix would like to avoid this scenario in the future, so it’s taking the most logical route: It’s just not going to tell you what titles ...

America, Japan has a question for you. Try to think of ten recent moments where you gracefully adjusted to a change you didn’t agree with. You didn’t resist or put up a fuss. Jot it down, with the date. Then, … Continue reading →

Arizona and Shaquille O'Neal have used the power of social media to announce a new drink collaboration: Soda Shaq Cream Soda, soon to be available in 4 flavors: Blueberry, Orange, Strawberry, and Vanilla.

Hatfield negotiated a license directly with Bowie, but it's otherwise complicated