Innovation

While updating my profile pic for my snazzy new blog layout, Blogger said to me, "Fetching profile photo..."
And I thought, "Why, thank you, Blogger!"

I'm obviously amused easily.

And speaking of amusing, here's some pics and stories from a couple of typical e-mails from my mother:

Email #1: A ridiculous, clearly forwarded message chain
Su: Fwd: Bad-ass mule
(# of copies of each picture attached to the email: 4. Don't worry, I won't make you look at them all 4 separate times.)

Here's how the story supposedly goes:
Some couple is out horseback riding in Montana (like you do), their faithful dogs playfully keeping pace as they trot along the countryside. A mountain lion, which has been "cautiously" stalking the party decided to make a run after one of the pooches. Unfortunately, it was not counting on the waiting ATTACK DONKEY!!! that proceeded to thoroughly mutilate the clearly desperate animal. Pics below (in order of ATTACK DONKEY battle plan):

I think that the most interesting part is that the man had a high-powered rifle, his wife had a camera, and this psuedo-psychotic mule "killed" the tiger with his bare hooves. Hm.

Email #2: Two slightly mundane pictures of a bunch of deer grazing in along a strip of powerlines running through a forest, blocking the way for an afternoon of snow-death-machine-mobiling.

The caption reads, "I know a way to clear that trail up!!", and I can just hear the redneck drawl on those words.

Needless to say, growing up was interesting. I vividly recall my step-brother's T-shirt that read:

There's a place for all God's creatures (this was on the front--complete with a giant male deer, or buck, as they're known 'round these parts) 
and on the back it went on:
Right next to the potatoes and gravy. Ai, Dios mio.
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Now that's out of the way, let's get down to business. I have some neat-o artwork by one very talented Nick Gentry from my old haunt London, UK. 

visit Nick's website right here!

 Of his art, Nick says,

"Each floppy disk used in the paintings has a history and story of its own. It represents the increasing pace of the modern life cycle, where objects are created, used and disposed of quicker than ever. To challenge this notion, as these personal artefacts of life are cast aside, the obsolete are now given new life and a renewed purpose by using them as a medium for art."

Man, I remember floppy disks... I used to have colored ones, (you know the kind I'm talking about)  and back then I thought I was THE MAN! 'cause I had me some multi-colored, 4 mb floppy disks.

Hellz yeah!
But seriously... what happened to floppy disks? Where did they all go when CDs and DVDs took over?

Probably to wherever 8-tracks and VHS tapes

 are comfortably spending their senility retirement.

Kudos to Nick Gentry for an interesting and well-executed idea!
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In completely un-related news, Space Shuttle Endeavor is set for launch in February. The mission mainly concerns the transport of the last US piece of the International Space Station.

This article found here!


According to CNN:

NASA plans to retire its space shuttles Discovery, Endeavour and Atlantis later this year.

The space agency has been looking for places, such as museums, to house the shuttles after they are retired.
Space Shuttle Discovery will be transferred to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington.

 Apparently, NASA is also ending its shuttle program entirely. :(

It also appears that the magnificent Steve Jobs has done it again, just when we all had decided our newly-obsolete Apple products might just be good enough to do the job and fulfill the status quo:

the iPad

It is nigh unto perfection, of course, and you don't know how you ever possibly lived without it before now. At least, that seems to be the marketing strategy.

It has a very cool interface, lots of handy apps, is light, portable, and features a mega-bitchin' high-def touch screen, complete with on-screen keyboard, which magically appears just when you need it.

The drawbacks: it has virtually no memory, the loading speed of videos, music, etc. is still dependent on 3G network speed--and oh yeah, you still have to PAY (out the nose) for that 3G service plan...

Ah well. I think it's just best to sit back and watch Steve take over the world, $1 in net profits at a time.

Yep. I believe in .

wildcoyote