Fatbob

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Molly Schuyler ate a 72 ounce steak in less than 3 minutes at Sayler’s in Portland, OR.

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Thanks Rich

 

Overstock.com unexpectedly announced today they had begun accepting Bitcoin.

CEO Patrick Byrne had told us and others the launch wouldn't come for another few months.

Byrne now tells us that last week, they decided to reach out to Coinbase.com, one of the largest Bitcoin payment processors. They said that with a dedicated team at Overstock they would be able to launch within a week. And they did.

"They actually came back with a plan on the evening of New Year's Day  on how get live in a week, we've had 40 people from diff parts of company, [on the project], including customer service agents." 

About $10,000 worth of Bitcoin from about 100 purchasers has already been spent since the announcement less than two hours ago, Byrne said. Online Bitcoin chatter indicates much of it is from folks making purchases in tribute to the company's vote of confidence in the digital currency.

The most expensive item yet purchased? This handsome 13-piece patio set from Amazonia. 

SEE ALSO: Presenting: Bit-PAC, The First Bitcoin Political Action Committee

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Since everyone knows candy tastes good, manufacturers of such products have long been freed from the burden of explaining their product attributes in ads and instead have let their freak flag fly

Though Skittles arguably pioneered bizarre, stream-of-conscious marketing for the category, the approach has also caught on in Hong Kong

Here, a seemingly normal young couple share some Rio Mints. What might have been a tender moment in another ad here becomes an exercise in random titillation. (Warning: Contains puppet-based nipple-licking.) Read more...

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Neatorama presents a guest post from actor, comedian, and voiceover artist Eddie Deezen. Visit Eddie at his website or at Facebook.

Robert Osbourne David Denver was born in New Rochelle, New York, on January 9, 1935 (that is exactly one day after the birth of Elvis Presley). Just as his "distinguished-sounding" real name seems a bit incongruous for the actor who was to achieve worldwide fame playing a perennial goofball named "Gilligan", so the real-life Bob Denver was almost a direct dichotomy to the character too.

Shy, introverted, highly intelligent and well-read from his youth and on into adulthood, Bob, and his family, soon moved to Brownwood, Texas, where he was to grow up. His early jobs included working as a mailman and as a high school teacher of both math and physical education.

After high school, he moved to California, where he enrolled at Loyola-Marymount College in Los Angeles. Denver earned a degree in political science and was considering a career in law when he got bit by the acting bug.

He made his stage debut in a west coast stage production of The Caine Mutiny Court-martial in the late fifties. Soon thereafter, he made his movie debut in the 1959 film A Private's Affair with Sal Mineo (also in the cast was his later Gilligan's Island co-star Jim Backus). The year 1959 also brought the young actor his first big break when he was cast as beatnik Maynard G. Krebs on the TV series The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.

Denver's portrayal of Krebs is legendary in television history. His catch phrases "You rang?" upon his entrance in every episode and his stimulus-response of "Work??" whenever the word came into the conversation became highly popular and Maynard became one of television's first icons and "breakout characters." Denver's character was so popular there was a huge backlash from fans when rumors of Maynard being drafted into the army cropped up during the show's run (in real life, Denver had broken his neck in 1956, saving him from actually being drafted into the military).

Although the "Gilligan" character is more well-known nowadays, Denver actually played Maynard in more episodes (142 to 98) and it was Maynard who was later voted one of TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Characters. After the Dobie Gillis run ended in 1963, Denver again played a beatnik-like character in the 1964 movie For Those Who Think Young (also featuring his soon-to-be co-star Tina Louise).

In 1964, Denver was cast in his signature role as the bumbling, but well-meaning Gilligan in one of TV's most beloved and perennial cult shows Gilligan's Island. The role of Gilligan was originally offered to Dick Van Dyke's kid brother Jerry, who turned it down to do the notorious flop series My Mother the Car. Despite savage reviews from the critics, Gilligan's Island was to become (according to many sources) the single most rerun show in the history of television, surpassing even I Love Lucy in terms of worldwide showings.

Denver, the show's star, was well-known for taking care of his fellow actors. He ensured Dawn Wells got as much publicity as the more publicity-hungry Tina Louise, and also made sure the names "the Professor" and "Mary Ann" were featured in the show's theme song during the second and third seasons of the show's run (the two characters were referred to as "the rest" in season one).

Denver and the cast got along famously, with the sole exception of actress Tina Louise, who played the movie star Ginger. While Denver wanted the show to be a wholesome show mainly for kids, Louise wanted to play Ginger very broadly as an overtly sexy bombshell. This led to several arguments between Denver and Louise, and the bad blood between them carried on long past the show's original run.

Besides this, Louise had originally believed she was to be the star of the show and was reportedly upset that Denver was the show's central character and had the meatiest role. One wonders where she got this strange idea, as the show was called Gilligan's Island.

Sparks with Louise aside, Denver highly enjoyed playing the Gilligan role and all the slapstick physicality it entailed. He and comedy partner Alan Hale (as the Skipper) became TV's version of Laurel and Hardy, playing off each other as the comic and straight man perfectly. According to Denver, often right before the camera started rolling, Hale would whisper to him what he was going to do and just let the two play out the improvised idea.

When asked to name his favorite Gilligan episodes, Denver graciously said "The ones with the dream sequences," and said he favored them because all the cast members got to really show their talent in them.

After the cancellation of Gilligan's Island in 1967, Denver battled the TV icon's greatest enemy- typecasting. Although he was to somehow move on from Maynard to Gilligan, after the cancellation of Gilligan's Island, Denver's career became much more spotty and irregular. He starred in two other less successful series The Good Guys (1968-70) and Dusty's Trail (1973), a pale Gilligan rip-off.

Realizing that he would forever be Gilligan to countless millions of fans around the globe, Denver voiced his signature role in two cartoon spin-offs and three TV movies (each featuring the original Gilligan's Island cast with the exception of Tina Louise, who wanted to shed her "Ginger" image, much like a snake sloughing it's skin). Denver also reprised the Gilligan role in several TV series, including Alf and Baywatch, as well as the 1987 beach party film Back to the Beach. He also recreated the character for the Make-a-Wish Foundation at a fundraiser in 1992.

In 1993, he wrote his memoirs Gilligan, Maynard and Me. The book, like its author, is fun and entertaining, with the minor caveat of Denver's slightly harsh words for former co-star Tina Louise. It is apparent from the book that Gilligan still harbored more than a bit of animosity for Ginger.

Life was not without controversy for the easygoing, family-friendly Denver. In 1976, while preparing to appear in a stage production of Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam in Norfolk, Virginia, he was charged with driving under the influence as well as driving without a license and refused to take an alcohol or blood test.

In 1998, Denver made headlines when he was arrested for possession of marijuana, which she claimed former Gilligan's Island co-star Dawn Wells had mailed to him. At the court trial, he recanted and refused to name Wells, saying "some crazy fan" must have mailed it to him.

Married four times in real life, Denver finally found the love of his life in Dreama Perry, who he married in 1979 (the two were to be happily married for 26 years). The couple had four children, three from Denver's previous marriages. In his later years, after moving to his adopted home of Princeton, West Virginia, Denver became a radio personality as he and Dreama co-hosted and ran a small oldies style radio show.

After submitting to quadruple bypass surgery in early 2005, Denver was diagnosed with cancer. He was treated at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital and died in Winston-Salem on September 2, 2005. He was 70 at the time.

On September 6, 2005, four days after his death, Denver's former co-star on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, actress-turned-state senator Sheila James Kuehl, who played boy-crazy Zelda on the show, was granted her request that the senate adjourn in Denver's memory.

Taco Cowboy writes "Japanese researchers are planning an experiment to better understand what transpires during a nuclear meltdown by attempting to create a controlled nuclear meltdown. Using a scaled down version of a nuclear reactor — essentially a meter long stainless steel container — the experiment will involve the insertion of a foot long (30 cm) nuclear fuel rod, starting the fission process, and then draining the coolant. The experiment is scheduled to take place later this year."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

During our session with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 back in December, we got the chance to sit down and talk with the game producer Dave Cox about the expansions and innovations the sequel has made over the original. We learned that MercurySteam created a brand new engine to tell their epic conclusion to the Lords of Shadow saga that pushes the power of the PS3 and Xbox 360 to their limits.

Unfortunately, we also learned that Konami and the developers at MercurySteam are content with keeping the Lords of Shadow series away from next-gen. "We have no plans to release this game on next-gen," said Producer Dave Cox rather bluntly.

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He never held a political office, yet he’s the most famous person in history. Whether you think Jesus was the son of God comes down to faith, but there are aspects of his life that are undeniable and misremembered today. 10 AD Didn’t Always Stand For Anno Domini Dionysius Exiguus wasn’t too thrilled that he […]

The post 10 True Things You Never Knew About The Life Of Jesus appeared first on Listverse.

The written word has a nasty habit of sticking around, surfacing in hacked email accounts, accidental forwards and the on untrustworthy lips of your peers. That's why former AOL executive Jon Brod created Confide, an iOS texting app that erases ...

Mmhmm.

(Via Zisquared's Tumblr)

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With seemingly endless motions still being filed in Apple's first suit against Samsung, it's easy to forget that the two tech giants have yet another patent infringement trial looming and slated to begin in March. Same issues, different ...

The ghosts of games past come alive again in this awesome one-minute mashup.

The song is a part of a monthly series called #OneMinuteMashup, which is the brainchild of musician and YouTube artist Chad Neidt. Neidt has announced plans on his Facebook and YouTube pages to release a debut album on Jan. 20.

Aside from Neidt's mind-blowing classical guitar skill, the song itself is a walk down memory lane, featuring some of the most popular titles in gaming history such as Super Mario Bros., Tetris, Final Fantasy, Legend of Zelda and Halo.

What are some of your fondest gaming memories? Tell us in the comments. Read more...

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Samsung will release its Galaxy S5 smartphone by April, and the device might include iris scanning technology, a new report from Bloomberg claims

“Many people are fanatical about iris recognition technology. We are studying the possibility,” Lee Young Hee, executive vice president of the Samsung’s mobile business, told Bloomberg at CES in Las Vegas

Lee did not reveal many specifics about the upcoming device, but she did mention the company plans to go "back to the basics," with focus on the device's display and the feel of the cover

Samsung has typically announced its flagship phones a few days before the Mobile World Congress, held in late February each year in Barcelona. It would then hit the market around March or April, and this year will be no different, Lee said Read more...

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Here's the tale of Allan and Nicole, two Miiverse users that fall in love. Watch as this relationship unfolds, from pure innocent intrigue to downright cringe inducing heartbreak. And it's all accompanied by bad grammar. 

Samsung has admitted that the public didn't see much difference between the Galaxy S III and S4 smartphones and said the S5 would likely pack a substantially different design. Exec Lee Young Hee told Bloomberg that the new flagship will go "back to ...

(708): Was having the best sex dream I've had in a while and only woke up when I heard my grandma fall down the stairs.

“My banana bread recipe calls for three ripe bananas,” says Hilary B. of Las Vegas, Nevada. “One day I had only two, so I added a chopped peeled apple. The result was moist and delicious.”

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LAS VEGAS — Among all the 4K announcements about 4K TV at CES 2014, Vizio stood out on two counts: first with the largest TV on offer, and second with the smallest price for a set from a major manufacturer.

Vizio beat even Samsung's 110-inch Ultra HD (4K) model with a massive 120-inch TV, part of the company's Reference Series for 4K, which will be available in the second half of 2014. Vizio's gargantuan 4K TV is the largest that we've seen at CES 2014.

But the company stood out on the other end of the spectrum as well. Vizio will offer one of the most inexpensive 4K TVs on the market, the entry-level model of its P series, which will be able to deliver true 4K content for the small sum of $999. Read more...

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A number of years ago, when I was working for a big company, we had a team of people working on a project with a fairly simple goal: to keep our customers longer. I knew someone on the team and I remember asking repeatedly — for over two years — how things were progressing. The typical reply was, "Oh, this is very complicated. We're trying to classify every customer and predict when they are likely to leave us. Once we do that we will have to find out why they are likely to leave us. And then…." That's when I usually changed the subject. (See also: How to Have a Better Day at Work)

Needless to say, the project was never completed. All that time and effort wasted. I suggested to the colleague, "Why don't you just '80/20' it?" That is, first focus the effort on just the relatively small number of customers who generate the vast majority of profits for the company and deal with the remaining, less-profitable customers later. In fact, for most companies 80% of profits do come from only around 20% of its customers.

The 80/20 Rule in Nature

But the "80/20 Rule" (also known as the "Pareto principle") doesn't just apply to customers and profits. The rule, which states that 80% of an outcome is usually determined by only 20% of the inputs, holds true for a surprising number and variety of things:

• 82.7% of the world's GDP comes from the richest 20% of the population.
• About 80% of traffic accidents are caused by 20% of motorists.
• Most people wear 20% of their clothes 80% of the time.

It doesn't always work out to exactly 80% and 20%, but the principle is usually a good rule of thumb. In fact, the 80/20 Rule can be applied to the "rule of thumb" — your thumbs account for 20% of your fingers but do 80% of the work!

I like the 80/20 Rule because it can help us manage things more effectively. Things like our finances. (See also: Manage Your Money in 5 Minutes a Day)

The 80/20 Rule and Your Money

Focusing on just a few high-impact assets and liabilities, and the cash flow associated with them, can pay handsome dividends. On the other hand, if you spend all or most of your time trying to micromanage hundreds of smaller daily expenditures, all that effort is only impacting about 20% of your overall financial situation. That's not a very effective use of your time.

80% of your household wealth usually comes from only about 20% of your assets.

What are some of those high-impact items? For the average U.S. household, two assets — real estate and retirement accounts — make up 80.7% of household net worth. So these should certainly be areas to focus on for your wealth creation. (See also: How to Build Wealth With an IRA)

Let's look at how you can increase the value of real estate property and your retirement accounts. Keep in mind that you can grow them in two ways: by increasing your investment amount or by reducing costs associated with them. We'll start with real estate.

Ways to Grow Your Real Estate Equity

The easiest way to grow equity in your home is to purchase a home you can afford and maintain. But if you're already in a home, you have several strategies to boost equity.

Prepay the Mortgage

This is your "biggest bang for the buck" option. You can accomplish it by either refinancing to a shorter term mortgage or by keeping your existing loan and making additional principal payments whenever you can. Refinancing a $200,000 mortgage from a 30-year to a 15-year term can not only save you about $100,000 in interest payments, but it also enables you to pay off the loan years sooner. Owning the asset (your home) sooner increases your net worth, which then frees up substantial cash flow…no more mortgage payments! (See also: How to Refinance Your Mortgage)

Appeal Your Tax Assessment

Since 2007 most U.S. home values have dropped considerably, but in some cases appraised values used to determine tax rates haven't been properly adjusted or they might have other inaccuracies. Filing an appeal requires doing some homework, but it might be worth the effort if it saves you $100 or more per month.

Lower Your Homeowner's Insurance

It never hurts to review not just the amount you're paying for homeowner's insurance but also what is covered. The last thing you need is for your house to be seriously damaged and then learn your insurance won't cover it. In addition to getting "a-la-carte" quotes be sure to also ask your carrier and competitors about their multiple policy discounts.

Downsize

If you've purchased a house that's bigger than you need with a mortgage that's much more costly than you can afford, you will experience a condition known as being "house poor." When the cost of a mortgage + taxes + insurance + maintenance + repairs for this one asset exhausts all or almost all of your cash, it prevents you from taking advantage of other opportunities to move ahead financially, so downsizing to a smaller home might be your best solution. (See also: What to Do if You’re House Poor)

Move Into an Income-Producer

If owning and managing a multi-family property suits you, it offers a chance to significantly improve your cash flow position — and to grow your equity faster, because tenants are helping you pay off the mortgage. You might even be able to collect monthly income from a one-family home if your primary residence has separate living space that can be rented. You can rent garages, too.

Ways to Grow Your Retirement Accounts

Again, the strategy here is to maximize your investment both in terms of dollars and investment choices, and to cut associated costs wherever possible.

Maximize Matching Contributions

There's no better source of savings than free money! That's what you're getting if your employer has a 401(k), employee stock, or savings account matching program. So be sure to contribute enough to receive the employer's maximum match amount. It might not put money in your pocket right now, but winning at the wealth and cash flow game isn't about immediate gratification.

Invest in Stocks

As Jean Chatzky summarized from a survey for her book The Difference, the wealthy buy stocks. Says Chatzky: "[F]or the wealthy, sound investing was the number one factor in helping them reach their financial status." Why? Because over time stock market growth outpaces inflation. (See also: How to Get Started in the Stock Market With Index Funds)

Include Dividend-Paying Stocks in Your Portfolio

Some stocks have the advantage of potentially growing in value (stock price) over time plus generating "interest" income in the form of dividends. At a time when CD and savings account interest rates are under 1%, stocks with dividend payments of 2% or 3% might be something for you to consider in your retirement portfolio. Like cash flow from company match accounts it's often best to save stock dividends for later use. In fact, reinvesting the dividends back into stock can compound the growth.

Keep Your Management Fees Low

Fees you pay that are associated with the management of your investments can, over time, add up to many thousands of dollars and slow your progress on the path to financial independence. These costs include retirement and mutual fund management fees, trading fees, financial advisor fees, and of course taxes. So it pays to manage them wisely. A good place to learn more about this topic is in Ric Edelman's brief, easy to read book Rescue Your Money.

(Of course, be sure to consult your financial advisor about stock allocation strategies most appropriate for your situation.)

Numerous small expenditures do matter, and they shouldn't be neglected. That's good budget management. But identifying and optimizing the few assets and liabilities that determine most of your overall financial success — that's good financial planning.

Can you think of any other ways to maximize the value of your retirement savings and real estate? What are your other high-impact assets? Are you taking steps to optimize them?

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We already know it's possible to make cheese using human bacteria. But the good news is that it's perfectly straightforward to make yourself, in the comfort of your own home! Here's how.

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