Web: Part of building a good network is regularly touching base with certain people. And well, it can't hurt to extend that to your personal life and drop a line to old friends. TinyBlu is a simple webapp to remind you when it's been too long since you last spoke with someone.
It's preview night at Comic-Con, and DC showed the pilots for two of its upcoming new shows: Constantine and The Flash. And they were both good! Here are our spoiler-free first impressions.
Yes, we know that this picture has most likely been photoshopped, but we think it’s still funny enough to post.
[Source: The Arnold Fans on Twitter | Via NA]
"Just keep walking. If I really commit, he’ll just assume I meant to do this."
I honestly just did this so I could draw the bird looking back like that in the last panel. Hahaha look at him.
I do a lot of these.
So do other people.
Meet Biddy, The Travelling Hedgehog
Those of us who want to travel but do not have the time or the money finally have a solution – we can travel in spirit together with Biddy the hedgehog, a little guy on Instagram whose travel photos are becoming insanely popular.
Toni DeWeese and Tom Unterseher, Biddy’s two loving owners in Oregon, take him on adventures almost every week throughout the Pacific Northwest. He visits mountains, forests, waterfalls, and the occasional donut shop.
[instagram] [h/t: catsbeaversandducks]
It may be the off season, but that isn’t stopping the Game of Thrones theme covers from flowing. This latest one comes from YouTuber Malukah, who has created a medley of the title theme, and the song that closed out season four, The Children.
Malukah uses her own voice as a one woman choir, accompanied by performances on the guitar, piano, and drums to create a truly beautiful tribute.
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Tired of the same old apples and bananas? Looking to top your corn flakes with something really special? Well, cash in that 401k and fly on over to Japan to sample these unique fruit:
YUBARI KING MELONS
A hybrid of two cantaloupes (Earl’s Favorite and Burpee’s Spicy), the Yubari King Melon hails from Hokkaido, Japan where they are grown in special greenhouses, each fruit (one to a vine – the rest are pruned) is outfitted with a special hat to guard them from the sun. They are usually sold in pairs but you can snag a single for a mere $100.
RUBY ROMAN GRAPES
Grown in Ishikawa prefecture, these ping-pong-sized grapes are sold under strict conditions. Each must weigh over 20 grams and have a sugar content of over 18%. Instead of splurging on a bunch, start with a solitary grape – that will set you back about $250.
EGG OF THE SUN MANGOES
Earlier this year, a pair of these prized mangoes sold for a record $3000 at auction and then were promptly airlifted from Miyazaki in southern Japan to a department store in Fukoaka where they went on sale. The average person can pick up one of these mangoes – that must weigh in at a minimum 350 grams and possess a sugar content of over 15% – for about $50.
DEKOPON
These orange/mandarin hybrids were only available in Japan until several years ago. They are grown in large greenhouses and then left to sit for 20-40 days after harvesting to mellow their citric character while allowing their sweetness to build. A half dozen will set you back about $80.
SEKAI-ICHI APPLES
Sekai-Ichi Apples translates to “World’s Best Apples”. They are pollinated by hand and washed with honey. In comparison to the other fruit on this list, a single apple is a steal at a little over $20.
SQUARE WATERMELON
Grown in tempered glass boxes to ensure their perfectly cubic form, they are incredibly practical: easily stackable and an easy fit for small Japanese refrigerators. Recent alternate versions include heart-shaped and pyramid varieties. Get your own for $200 a pop.
DENSUKE BLACK WATERMELON
Also grown in Hokkaido where a mere 100 are farmed each year, they are renown for their crispness and sweetness. They go for as much as $5000 but, if you’re lucky, you may be able to find one at your local Sembikya fruit store for the rock bottom price of $200.
WHITE STRAWBERRIES
Referred to as “Hatsukoi no kaori” (Scent of First Love), these beautiful strawberries are possessed of a high sugar content and run about $5 each.
HONOKA STRAWBERRIES
Or, you can settle for a box of plump red strawberries from Saga, Japan. Get your friends to chip in and pick up a box for $30.
GOKUSEN BANANAS
These $6 bananas weigh in at a hefty 200 grams and come packaged with serial numbers in their own special boxes.
OKAYAMA WHITE PEACHES
$40 will get you one of these luscious, premium peaches grown in Okayama Prefecture in western Japan (a.k.a. The Land of Sunshine).
Windows is a big operating system that caters to a billion and a half people. As such, there are a lot of components built in that you might not necessarily need. There's actually a place where you can remove many components of Windows if you don't need them, to lighten your computer's load.
i imagine both steve and bucky like to come up with different ways to poke fun at sam every time they pass him during jogging
because they are shitheads
(the first one is a print you can get here)
My dad just came into my room and shouted at me in Klingon.
Am I more embarrassed that he did that or that I know he said I was a disappointment to the empire?
You should be most embarrassed that you’re a disappointment to the empire.
OakfairyTIO ÅR SEN!??
Stargate: Atlantis premiered ten years ago today. I’m celebrating with a look back at my Top 10 favorite SGA memories.
In no particular order…
#10. RODNEY MAKES THE CUT. BUT JUST BARELY!
Production on the new Stargate spinoff was fast-approaching, but we were scrambling to cast one crucial role: the part of the intrepid, dedicated team doctor. Multiple auditions yielded no suitable candidates and the producers were at a loss until… Robert Cooper suggested a different tact. Instead of casting a new character, why not bring in an established one – namely, Dr. Rodney McKay who had already put in a couple of appearances on Stargate: SG-1? To say that this last minute switch “worked out quite nicely” would be an enormous understatement. Could you imagine Atlantis without him?
#9. ENTER GOLDEN BOY MARTIN GERO
Faced with the prospect of 40 episodes of television a season, we sought out new talent for the writers’ room. Enter young Martin Gero who proved himself with his first script, Childhood’s End – and then went on to become the most prolific writer on the show.
#8. ENTER CARL BINDER
Later in SGA’s first season, we added one more writer to the room, a veteran of Punky Brewster with a penchant for schnitzel and off-colour humor. He proved himself with his first script, Before I Sleep – and then went on to become the most prolific writer of ghost-themed episodes on the show.
#7. ENTER RONON
The show saw several cast changes over the course of its five year run, but perhaps none quite as significant as the introduction of the rough and ready Satedan, Ronon. A great onscreen presence, Jason Momoa was also a hell of a lot of fun to work with.
#6. INTRODUCING…TODD THE WRAITH
There’s nothing I enjoy more than an interesting, multi-layered villain and, while the show had them in bunches, none (in my humble opinion) matched the depth and color of Todd the Wraith, a soul-sucking alien with a devilish sense of humor.
#5. GOODBYE, CARSON
This one rivals the closing moments of SG-1′s Meridian as one of the most touching scenes of the franchise. Rodney says goodbye to his friend who fades away to close the episode and Carson’s story…for a little while anyway.
#4. WOOLSEY IN CHARGE
I loved Richard Woolsey’s evolution from pencil-pushing bureaucrat to principled suit, so when Amanda Tapping’s departure opened up the position of Expedition Commander, the first name that came to mind was: Bob Picardo. I called him up, made him the offer and we closed the deal that afternoon. One of my favorite characters to write for.
#3. BEHIND THE SCENES FUN
It’s hard to pick one moment among the countless great ones I enjoyed as a member of the Atlantis writing team. Amid all the story sessions, script notes, cut screenings and mixes, there was much hilarity. More often than not, it involved Carl being “tricked” into eating something awful (https://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com/2007/06/08/june-7-2007/).
#2. MY FIRST SAN DIEGO COMIC CON
Meeting 5000 Stargate fans – simultaneously.
#1. ALL GOOD THINGS….
Although it wasn’t planned as a series finale, the show’s last episode served nicely as a nice send-off, wrapping up existing storylines yet leaving the door open for further adventures. The final group shot on the balcony overlooking San Francisco Bay was an emotional one for all. We’d had five great years – but, dammit, we could have had so many more!
Client: Hello, I asked one of my friends and he said that you built our site using Hotmail.
Me: Excuse me! What do you mean?
Client: You used Hotmail to build my site.
Me: We can’t do that, nobody can. Hotmail is owned by Microsoft and they offer free email accounts. It’s not a development environment.
Client: My friend is a computer expert and he is sure.
Me: Is your friend next to you?
Client: Yes
Me: Can you put him through?
Friend: You made my friend’s site with Hotmail. Admit it.
Me: Sir, we can’t do that. What made you think it was created using Hotmail.
Friend: All the pages in the site end with .html.
There are lots of ways stores try to manipulate shoppers, from placing more expensive items at eye level to encouraging interaction with goods . A study published in the Journal of Marketing shows that the tempo of music you hear whilst shopping can also have an influence.
In my article, 11 Spiritual Truths You May Want to Remember, I listed 11 short spiritual truths. It received a very positive reaction, but some people wanted a little more information about what I meant. So I’m going to take each spiritual truth I listed and expand on it, each in its own article over the next 11 weeks.
Spiritual Truth #1: Everyone’s path is different. Don’t assume you know how people should walk their paths. You don’t. Instead of advice, help people see their options.
As we all know, our experiences in life are unique to ourselves. No one else has been where you’ve been, done what you’ve done, thought what you’ve thought, or seen what you’ve seen.
When someone comes to you with a problem or when you see someone struggling, it’s natural to want to help them in some way. Often the help we give people is based on what we would do if we were in their situation.
Have you ever had someone tell you about a problem and you instantly knew how to solve it? Well that solution might work really well for you, but it may not be possible, practical or feasible for them. They may not have the strength or resources to do what you would do. They may not be in the right frame of mind.
It’s important not to judge people. Their problem might be super simple for you to solve, but might be extremely difficult for them. Not to mention that spiritually they may need this problem to learn something valuable.
What I’ve learned is that the best way to help someone is to help them sort through their options. Help them see what paths lie open for them. Help them analyze their problem, help them get clarity, and help them see what possibilities exist to solve it.
The next time someone comes to you with a problem, try not to solve it for them. Don’t give them advice or tell them what to do. Instead ask them the following questions:
1. What sort of outcome would feel good for you?
2. What resources do you have at your disposal that could help you with this?
3. Have you ever made progress on this problem, and if so, what did that progress look like?
4. How would you like to feel about this?
5. What could you do today that would help you make positive progress on this situation?
6. What are your options as you see them?
7. What else could be an option if things were just a little different?
8. What will happen if you don’t make progress on this situation?
9. Is there anything I can do to assist you?
10. How can I support you on this path?
11. If you defined your problem a little differently, might that help you see a way through to a solution?
When you tell someone what they should do, you disempower them. Their problem exists because of the path they took, and they’ve got to learn how to find new paths from where they are, not where you are.
To empower someone, help them sort through their thoughts, ideas, and the actions they could take. Let them decide for themselves how they will solve their problem. You can be supportive, you can be kind, you can even be a resource for them, but don’t carry them on your back, rescuing and saving them, or they’ll never learn how to walk their own maze.
I went over to Scribd and discovered that several titles of mine were on the site without my permission, which gave me an opportunity to try out Scribd’s DMCA reporting form and process. I’m happy to say that Scribd seems to be doing a fine job on that score: The elapsed time from report to removal of the content was about ten minutes. That works for me.
However, one title of mine, The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies, I haven’t requested to be taken down yet. It’s not up on the site by permission of the publisher, because among other things, the book is currently out of print and the rights have reverted to me. I certainly haven’t given permission for the book to be there, either.
But as noted, the book is currently out of print — there might be a few copies still in bookstores, but not enough to represent any major economic benefit to me at this point, and no more are going to be made. I retain the rights to the work and may eventually do something with the contents of the book, but at the moment I don’t really have any solid plans. Which means that although the text is there illegally (and I can have it taken down), at the same time it’s not actually doing me any economic harm to have it up there, either. It’s not stealing sales from me because as an out of print book there are no sales to steal.
And so my position on it is kinda: Meh. I took down the books of mine that are still in print; if you want them, please pay for them or borrow them from a friend or your local library, that what bookstores, libraries and friends are for. But the out of print ones? For now I’m content to leave them out there. If I ever do get around to doing something with the text I might change my mind. Or I might change my mind because I’m mercurial. Until then, though, if you see The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies on Scribd or anywhere else, have fun with it.
Steak is delicious, but if the one you plan to eat is still frozen, there are better ways to defrost it than using the microwave. All you need for this method is a little water and two pans—no special tools or appliances at all, and it works in minutes.
Studio Ghibli's first foray into television will begin this fall with Ronia the Robber's Daughter , an animated series based on the children's book of the same name. Here's the first footage from the series (it looks like an intro sequence), which began airing this weekend.
