Monkey Daemon

This blog has moved....

2009-08-11T21:28:00.001+01:00

Please follow me at Posterous: http://adampasick.posterous.com/.

If you're a fan of the Monkey Daemon podcast, it is now located here (link launches iTunes).

Lego Han and Leia are Thug$ for Life

2009-02-03T22:04:00.001Z

thugs for life_1, originally uploaded by devilsmarshmallow.

The iPod of Dorian Gray

2009-01-07T16:28:00.002Z

Apple's iPods keep getting skinnier....and so does Steve Jobs.

New Year's in Paris

2009-01-06T16:19:00.008Z

Thanks to possibly the best and most generous Christmas present ever, Kelly and I spent six days in Paris with her sister and brother-in-law.

A few highlights in a trip full of them...

Cops on Rollerblades

The world's best pastry shop -- Pierre Herme -- with a standout macaroon of grapefruit and wasabi (!)

Another pastry shop with a Dremel drill made of chocolate!

An incredible truffle-laden dinner at Michel Rostang. The waiter walked around with a wooden case full of white truffles, opening them up for a tantalizing whiff of the contents. I'm pretty sure this is what's was in suitcase in Pulp Fiction.

The most memorable dishes:

An amuse bouche with a minature cast iron skillet filled with shephard's pie, accompanied by white truffle soup with foie gras and curry.
Artichoke soup, with an artichoke heart stuffed with foie gras and a heavy layer of shaved white truffles
A salted caramel souffle to finish

Jerky

2008-12-27T22:14:00.001Z

When out shopping, when you're tired and hungry and a little bit doped up on pain pills, there are several important things to remember. FIrst among these: Be very careful about buying dog treats and beef jerky that have similar packaging.

I was running errands a few blocks from my house in Brooklyn. It was sleeting and snowing hard as I crossed Flatbush Ave.

First stop: health food & grocery store. Shopping list: baby spinach. Impulse buy: beef jerky.

The "All Natural Applewood Smoked Beef Jerky" looked wholesome and ecofriendly, like the beef jerky that hippies would buy. I hadn't eaten anything but an energy bar since breakfast. I was also on a cocktail of prescription drugs for a bad back, which made me spacey and hilariously clumsy.

Second stop: pet store. Shopping list: dog food. Impulse buy: dog treats.

The pet store smelled like an unclean gerbil's cage, and was not very well-run. The dog food ("Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Original Ultra" -- yes, the dad on "Eight is Enough") was missing a price tag, and the cashier had to call her boss at home to figure out how to enter it into the register. While I waited I admired the miniature puppies scrapping in the window display. They were dirty and the size of hamsters. I bought the dog treats ("New Zealand All Natural Real Meat Chicken and Venison Jerky Treats") out of boredom.

I trudged home in the ice and snow, dumped my bags on the table, and flopped facedown on the hardwood floor with some pillows. My back was aching. I had the presence of mind to grab the jerky on my way down. I was getting a little light-headed, and some dehydrated cow with extra liquid smoke sounded like just the ticket.

It was nice on the floor. My back stopped hurting. My dog Reny was all over me, licking my face and trying to get at the jerky. I was at her level and could not easily escape.

"She thinks you're eating one of her treats," my wife said.

I cautiously chewed at a piece of jerky, which had a processed taste with a weird richness, like Combos. It tasted great. But somewhere in the back of my mind, alarm bells were ringing. I glanced down absently at the bag. Time seemed to slow down. "New Zealand All Natural...." Sounds okay. "...Real Meat..." Hmmm, that's weird. "...Chicken and Venison Jerky Treats." Time briefly stopped. A realization: I am eating dog food.

I looked over at my wife. She was doubled over in laughter. I quickly adjusted to the fact that this was going to be a story that she would bring up at embarrassing moments with strangers and loved ones alike, and possibly blog about for the amusement of the entire Internet. Twenty years from now when someone Googles me, "My Husband Ate Dog Food" will be the first result.

I sighed and opened the "real" beef jerky. It was terrible. It was as hard and dry as jerky found at an archeological dig, an extinct animal cured by the Aztecs or Olmecs or something. As I chewed it splintered into ropey shards in my mouth, leaving a faint, generic meaty taste.

Reny was still inches away on the floor, gazing at me with her eyes full of want. My belly growled.

I tossed her a clod of beef jerky and reached for the dog treats.

Slumdog + M.I.A. = Paper Planes Remix

2008-12-17T00:17:00.002Z

I haven't been posting much -- seems I've moved over to Twitter/Facebook for most things. Might have to give this whole blogging thing a rethink in the new year.

But, in the meantime, allow me to share with you a hot remix of everyone's favorite Summer '07 jam, M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes," remixed for the movie "Slumdog Millionaire," which I can't wait to see.

Watch the video below, or download the song here.

Get Your War On: New World Order

2008-11-07T21:49:00.001Z

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

"There's gonna be a new flag -- a white flag with a picture of a burning American flag on it."

John Williams is the man

2008-11-03T19:09:00.001Z

MTV -- just like it used to be

2008-10-28T17:43:00.003Z

Not quite sure how this happened, but MTV has a new site that lets you watch music videos. Lots of them. For free. And that's it.

First Hulu and now this -- are media companies finally figuring out the Internets?

Biz Markie |MTV Music

Guns N' Roses |MTV Music

Peter Gabriel |MTV Music

Beck |MTV Music

Yay Reny!

2008-10-28T16:59:00.001Z

IMG_0225, originally uploaded by scottcampbell5000.

30 Rock is back, early

2008-10-23T21:54:00.002+01:00

Sarah Palin gueststars....oh wait, it's just Tina Fey.

OR IS IT???

30 Rock is available online a week before it airs on old-timey TV.

"Don't even think about talking to her while her soaps are on. Seriously, she will bite you." (I can relate)

Spot the candidate

2008-10-23T17:26:00.000+01:00

Beware the one-upper

2008-10-20T19:20:00.002+01:00

JDizzle has a horrifying, hilarious depiction of a business trip with a nightmarish colleague -- sort of like David Brent without the charm -- on her blog Hometown Hangover.

It includes 22 fun facts about said colleague, "Barry," including fun facts that he overshared with the group:

15. Barry once auditioned naked for a production of Hair in London. He got the part but decided that he didn't want to take it. He just wanted to see if he could do it.
16. He knew a lesbian rocker who owned her own coffee shop or something (I lost interest on this one)
17. Barry is allergic to cats and goats.
18. Barry knew the guy who invented the pet rock.
19. Barry once had a waterbed with 10 cylinders. Whatever that means. I didn't pursue this one either.
20. Barry once vacationed at a Club Med in the Bahamas that was also a nudist beach.
21. Barry once road the Marrakesh Express with a guy who had a briefcase filled with hashish.

You'll have to click over to her blog for #22 -- it's just too good. But suffice it to say that it involves Johnny Mathis and the syphilis.

The Arcade Fire Incident

2008-10-17T17:54:00.002+01:00

My friend Will's had an eventful few days involving a night out, a break-in, a fist fight and the beloved indie band Arcade Fire.

In today's installment, a heart-felt apology and a possible way out of leaf-raking duty.

Go check it out at his excellent blog The Reluctant Grown-up.

Laid Off By Lehman: One Broker's Story

2008-10-17T17:43:00.002+01:00

On economizing: "Today actually I gave myself a my first rub-and-tug. Didn't save a lot of money."

On what he misses most: "Paying bums to blow each other -- that never got old."

On career options: "I can always get a job at Starbucks and scrape by on a couple hundred grand a year."

Pug Bowling

2008-10-15T19:10:00.001+01:00

Reny's so suspicious

2008-10-15T03:01:00.000+01:00

Day at the Beach

2008-10-08T17:23:00.000+01:00

As the weather grows cold, here's a nice reminder of summer.

Beached from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Take on Me. Literally

2008-10-06T22:23:00.000+01:00

Banksy on the credit crisis

2008-10-03T17:49:00.001+01:00

damn rats, originally uploaded by jakedobkin.

You've been hit by, you've been struck by, a smooth patent filing

2008-09-30T19:44:00.002+01:00

Michael Jackson patented the "anti-gravity illusion" used in his "Smooth Criminal" video. Who knew?

A system for allowing a shoe wearer to lean forwardly beyond his center of gravity by virtue of wearing a specially designed pair of shoes which will engage with a hitch member movably projectable through a stage surface.

Skateboarding REALLY FAST

2008-09-11T22:50:00.001+01:00

Adam Kimmel presents: Claremont HD from adam kimmel on Vimeo

I've been a bit busy....

2008-09-05T03:11:00.002+01:00

The last two weeks I've been in Denver and St. Paul, covering the Democratic and Republican conventions. I've been working on this. And here's a taste of life at the conventions from my Twitter feed:

Music in Words

2008-09-05T03:05:00.003+01:00

There's a new web gadget called Wordle -- enter in text, or a website, and it makes purty word pictures. Here's a few songs: Can you guess what they are?

Natalie Portman's Shaved Head - "Sideways Ponytail"

2008-08-18T16:04:00.000+01:00

natalie portman's shaved head - sophisticated side ponytail from thatgo on Vimeo.

Boba Fett / Flashdance mashup

2008-08-14T13:43:00.001+01:00

Someone had a lot of time on their hands....

Mandalorian Dance @ Yahoo! Video

RIP Isaac

2008-08-11T17:19:00.002+01:00

From Shaft to Chef, I loves me some Isaac Hayes.

The above video is from the WattStax festival -- check out Jesse Jackson in the background.

And, my favorite Isaac Hayes song, made famous by the Geto Boys sample but infinitely more: Hung Up On My Baby.

Is Mr. T a homophobe?

2008-08-06T20:12:00.003+01:00

This ad -- which shows Mr. T shooting a speed walker with a candy bar-firing cannon and urges the viewer to "Get Some Nuts" -- has already aired in Britain but has been withdrawn for the U.S. market, after Human Rights Campaign protested that it played into "the notion that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is a group of second-class citizens and that violence against GLBT people is not only acceptable, but humorous."

The Onion's newswire reports that there has been no comment from the man who was born Lawrence Tureaud, but "one assumes he finds the situation pitiable."

Is the ad really offensive? Opine in comments.

Le Shack, c'est chic

2008-08-05T13:41:00.001+01:00

Scott makes an unscheduled weekday afternoon trip to the Shack.

Mad Men - The Advice Column

2008-08-04T21:49:00.004+01:00

Are you confused, or lonely, and not sure whether to drink your martinis with gin or vodka? The cast of the AMC drama Mad Men -- Don Draper, Joan Holloway, and now Roger Sterling -- can help.

First order of business: Go watch this show. It's the best thing on TV at the moment.

What's Goin On?

2008-08-04T20:52:00.003+01:00

Incredible live performance by Marvin Gaye -- an excerpt from the recently released DVD "Real Thing: In Performance 1964-1981." This track is from the long out-of-circulation 1973 film, "Save The Children" with James Jamerson of the Funk Brothers on bass.

This song always gets me, especially the "Father father / we don't need to escalate" line, which has to be one of the most tragically prophetic song lyrics you'll ever hear.

more below from Scott: check out the suit!

Get Your War On

2008-08-01T15:36:00.001+01:00

Queen Reny

2008-07-30T20:36:00.002+01:00

The Beast has an eye infection and is wearing one of those goofy collars so she doesn't "self-harm," as the vet describes it. It's called an "e-collar" and the E stands for "Elizabethan." Seriously.

Reny hates it, obviously, but it's pretty damn funny to see her bumping into walls We're looking at getting her a pimped out version like this one. Bling bling!

Obama the new Britney?

2008-07-30T20:35:00.001+01:00

McCain's attack ad blasts Obama for being "the biggest celebrity in the world" and superimposes clips of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. I know politics is a dirty game, but I didn't think it was Paris Hilton-level dirty...

Try to watch this one with dry eyes

2008-07-28T20:45:00.001+01:00

Backstory here: Christian, the lion who lived in my London living room

thanks Seth!

For you Obama / The Wire fans out there...

2008-07-28T17:00:00.001+01:00

Buy it here.

elis e tom - aguas de março

2008-07-23T21:27:00.000+01:00

Detroit Basketbrawl

2008-07-23T20:43:00.002+01:00

Who thought we'd still be seeing Detroit basketball Bad Boy Rick Mahorn getting ejected for fighting? This one came at the end of the of the WNBA game between Detroit and LA game, which devolved into a massive brawl. Mahorn, an assistant for the Detroit Shock, got kicked out after just knocking down LA Sparks star Lisa Leslie, and Shock coach Bill Laimbeer -- a legendary brawler in his day -- was also involved.

WNBA Final
by bsap11

Thanks for being a friend, Estelle

2008-07-22T20:33:00.006+01:00

RIP Estelle. In your honor, I've included this tattoo to reflect your true worth to this nation. Believe it or not, I actually met the guy who has this tattoo on a beach in Thailand.

Kelly, Jen, Daniela, Rita and Phil -- you're my witnesses.

Watch the building disappear

2008-07-11T18:49:00.001+01:00

0710-paramount
Originally uploaded by ftantillo

When taking pictures in a rainstorm....

2008-07-11T16:15:00.000+01:00

....don't hold on to a metal pole.

I'm not here to make friends

2008-07-07T15:42:00.001+01:00

Jump, you fucker, jump!

2008-07-04T01:28:00.002+01:00

Yes, that is the young Dudley Moore. Thanks to Siobhan, who can totally sing this one a cappella.

Bow down before the giant head of Eddie Murhpy

2008-06-25T20:04:00.001+01:00

eddie murphy's giant head on the interstate, originally uploaded by ahhhitshayley.

The Gathering Storm

2008-06-24T20:07:00.003+01:00

More great time lapses from the office window, courtesy of Frank's camera:

It's Time to Match the Stars!

2008-06-23T21:46:00.015+01:00

Hometown Hangover has the scoop: The newly reinvented Match Game has been cast for a pilot on TBS. Let's hope it doesn't suck.

Here's the lineup:

Andrew Daly (pictured with Will Arnett)
Can he fill the shoes of Gene Rayburn? Of course not. But digging up Gene's grave and featuring him Weekend at Bernie's style isn't an option, and the show must go on.

Sarah Silverman
Apparently she's been schtupping the talented Mr. Ripley. Will she unload some jokes that offend everyone? Let's hope so. Brett Somers is watching from heaven.

Bob Einstein (pictured with Larry David)
Marty Funkhouser/Larry Middleman! Wicked.

Scott Thompson
Clearly supposed to fill the lighter-than-normal loafers of Charles Nelson Reilly.

Rashida Jones
Quincy Jones is your dad and Peggy Lipton is your mom? You are cool as shit. Let's hope you're funny too.

Niecy Nash
I've never seen Reno 911! But if JDizzle likes you, that's good enough for me.

Happy Summer Solstice

2008-06-21T14:06:00.003+01:00

Two things to note about this article in the Saturday Times about how the summer solstice was celebrated, or (mostly) wasn't in New York yesterday:

- The reporter called the Fire Department press office to inquire whether there had been any bonfires lit to celebrate the solstice.

- It takes the piss out of Wiccans.

"The Wiccan followers, some wearing colorful makeup and long robes and dresses, formed a human circle that was not allowed to be broken, as they received anointing oil and sang ritualistic songs, including one honoring the longest day.

This being the East Village, however, they did not draw much attention.

Ricky Martinez, a Wiccan who works at Enchantments Book Store on the Lower East Side, said he was considering attending a private celebration with other Wiccans. This party, however, was by invitation only; nonpagans excluded.

“The stuff that goes on I can’t really invite you to,” he said. “It’s for the people in the coven. It’s pretty hush-hush.”

Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Shoddy Sequel

2008-06-19T21:30:00.002+01:00

I won't say there weren't brief moments of non-suckitude in the new Indiana Jones movie, but sometimes it takes a painfully funny piss-take to make you realize what a piece of fossilized alien dookie it really was.

CATE takes the skull and places it on a THRONE. It then turns into an ACTUAL ALIEN and makes her head explode. The ALIENS pile into a GIANT UFO and fly off into SPACE.

HARRISON FORD

Wow. Considering that the first movie revolved around a magical box made by God that melts faces when opened, it’s really astonishing that this movie managed to be so incredibly stupid by comparison.

JOHN HURT

I can’t believe that the crystal skull wanted you to return it to the city just so that aliens could have blown your head up. Those aliens are total assholes.

SHIA LABEOUF

Seriously, what kind of jerks would intentionally trick people into thinking they were going to get something awesome, but then give them something so awful it makes their brains melt instead?

So that's how they build them

2008-06-19T19:42:00.001+01:00

0619_platform-up
Originally uploaded by ftantillo

Great time lapse taken by my co-worker Frank of a building going up across the street. They're adding a few floors a week.

Song of the Day

2008-06-19T19:41:00.002+01:00

Perfect song for a sunny summer day. (Ok, I'm in New York not California, but it still works)

Marlena Shaw - California Soul (Diplo/Mad Decent Remix)
from Verve Remixed 4

Oliver Wright of Soul Sides sums up this one perfectly:

Just when you thought Dockers may have ruined this song permanently, trust the folks at Verve and Diplo to pull it back. I admit - I was a little skeptical at first at the idea; Shaw's song is so much a classic that it's hard to imagine what one could do with it but I gotta credit Diplo here - instead of piling on, he pulls back, keeping the audience anticipating - but never quite delivering - the crashboombam they expect, at least until the very end where he brings back those gorgeous strings again. I don't care if you're not from Cali - feel this vibe.

Also, check out the Marvin Gaye / Tammi Terrell version of this song (which is good but lacks that great string section):

How could I not post this?

2008-06-18T16:02:00.001+01:00

That's one way to take care of rats

2008-06-17T20:44:00.001+01:00

IMG_9857, originally uploaded by jakedobkin.

If this ain't a Banksy it sure looks like one.

Reny in the park with Isaac

2008-06-13T22:16:00.001+01:00

Reny in the park with Isaac, originally uploaded by AdamP.

This was the brief moment where Reny was sitting still as we got ready to listen to Isaac Hayes in Prospect Park.

New York City is so hot...

2008-06-11T15:58:00.002+01:00

How hot is it?

Heat wave in New York. July 6, 1911. "Licking blocks of ice on a hot day." 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.

Time Lapsed New York

2008-06-10T17:18:00.002+01:00

One of the best things about my job, which is right in the middle of the tourist hell-hole that is Times Square, is the kick-arse view of the Hudson River and New Jersey from the window of my open-plan floor. Last week, I had a front row seat when the "French Spiderman" climbed the New York Times building to "raise awareness of global warming."

(Unfortunately I missed the encore, when some random guy from Brooklyn did the same thing a few hours later, this time to "raise awareness of malaria." As one commenter on the New York Times said: "I was staunchly pro-malaria, but this hero has made me see the error of my beliefs!").

For the last few weeks my coworker Frank and I have been taking some pretty sweet time-lapse photos with a Nokia N82 cameraphone on a tripod. The camera comes with a burst mode that captures a photo at set intervals. Frank then stitched the photos together into movie files. Check out a few examples below.

The building with the green roof is the old New York Times building, before the paper moved into its current, easy-to-climb, home. You can see the new Times building in the middle video -- it's the slate-gray one to the left of the crane.

Docu-music video

2008-06-05T12:55:00.000+01:00

Detroit based Hip-Hop artists Invincible and Finale rhyme about the impacts of gentrification on the Motor City. This piece includes interviews with community activists discussing displacement and predatory planning versus sustainable development in the D.

Dinner at Momofuku Ko

2008-06-04T17:30:00.006+01:00

After a couple of months of patiently clicking away at 10 am every morning, I finally managed to score reservations at Momofuku Ko, the newish restaurant from pork belly savant David Chang which has a mere 12 seats and only lets you book a table online. Predictably, even before the place got rave reviews, getting a table was harder than scoring tickets to a [insert your favorite musician here] show.

But once Scott and I got through the unmarked front door (see left), everything was surprisingly chill and casual. The meal started off light, with a succession of small dishes that both had us secretly fearing that we might walk away hungry, delicious as everything was. But two and a half hours and more than a few deep fried short ribs later, that worry was long gone.

Here's a stab at the menu, constructed via memory and (mostly) surfing the Internet for write-ups by other food bloggers. Almost every course, we were each served different dishes, though we usually switched plates halfway.

pork rinds / english muffin with whipped pork fat
fluke sashimi with buttermilk sauce, yuzu and poppy seeds / kampachi with muscat grapes
oyster, pork belly and bok choi in kimchi consumme / pea soup with crawfish and morels in yuba
chawanmushi -- egg custard with asparagus, caviar and braised cashews / sous-vide egg with caviar and fingerling potato chips
lasagna with escargot, morels, ricotta salata and ramps, and a ricotta foam sauce(x2)
brined trout with pickled radish, bacon puree and radishes / halibut in pepperoncini purée topped with diced radishes, bok choy and burnt onion
shaved foie gras with lychees, pine nut brittle and grape wine gelee (x2)
deep fried short ribs, daikon with mustard seeds and pickled carrots / poulard with morels
kiwi, lychee sorbet
poached rhubarb over pea "sand" with yellow cake ice cream / cereal milk panna cotta with chocolate slab, cornflakes and avocado

Almost everything we ate was incredibly good, but there were a few standouts, mostly for the better but a few for the worse. Favorites were definitely the fluke, lasagna and trout -- the last of which came with A PUREE MADE OF FREAKING BACON. Not so good were the egg custard and sous-vide egg, which suffered from being at room temperature and of a not appetizing texture.

And although most reviews I've read lauded the foie gras -- which is frozen in liquid nitrogen and then shaved -- I found it entirely too rich and even a bit icky. I couldn't stop thinking: "I'm eating a snow cone made of liver." It was the only dish I didn't finish.

It was an incredibly good experience overall. It definitely wasn't cheap, especially after I opted for the $50 beer-and-wine pairing option, but as a once a year kind of meal it's hard to imagine anything better. And before I left, I got one of the cooks to tell me how to make that bacon puree!

[One side note: Scott came prepared to take lots of pictures of the beautiful food, but they've recently had to ban photographs during dinner, which were apparently slowing down service and -- I suspect -- annoying the crap out of the chefs. Lots of good pictures to be found here.]

Wall of Sound

2008-06-02T19:08:00.004+01:00

Norwiegen artist Maia Urstad does some very cool stuff with boomboxes.

From her website:

The CD-and cassette radios in the installation have a double, visual and conceptual function. On an auditory level they are mediating the sound image implemented in the installation. Visually they are the concrete building blocks, the obvious function in the wall, but they also reflects issues related to the technical development and our culture of consumption.

The CD players in the wall are playback units for a composition of electronically treated sounds borrowed from radio waves, Morse code, FM- and satellite radio etc. Sound signals that also will be obsolete and forgotten sooner than we might expect.

The CD-and cassette radios in the installation have a double, visual and conceptual function. On an auditory level they are mediating the sound image implemented in the installation. Visually they are the concrete building blocks, the obvious function in the wall, but they also reflects issues related to the technical development and our culture of consumption.

The CD players in the wall are playback units for a composition of electronically treated sounds borrowed from radio waves, Morse code, FM- and satellite radio etc. Sound signals that also will be obsolete and forgotten sooner than we might expect.

Photo: Flickr

More here, here and here

Bring me the head of Carrie Bradshaw

2008-05-27T21:13:00.002+01:00

From the London-based artist/photo defacer known, for obvious reasons, as The Decapitator.

Song of the Day

2008-05-21T16:18:00.003+01:00

The Flirtations - Nothing But a Heartache

New Flight of the Conchords

2008-05-19T20:51:00.001+01:00

Skip to the 1 minute mark -- the beginning is just annoying. But then you get a sweet 70s roller disco jam.

"Out of sight / late night /erudite / hermaphrodite."

"All you sexy hermaphrodite ladyman -- your sexy lady bits, your sexy man bits too, even you must be into you."

Handicapping the Veepstakes

2008-05-19T19:07:00.002+01:00

From mightygodking.com

John Edwards

PROS:
- shared message of change and battle against entrenched corporate interests in Washington
- leading progressive figure in the Democratic party
- strengthens Obama’s support with white males
- helps in North Carolina, a potential swing state
- nice hair

CONS:
- track record of not quite, like, you know, winning elections
- suffers in the vital “people who hate sons of millworkers” demographic

Joe Lieberman

PROS:
- makes Obama look much, much taller
- theoretically helps with independent voters
- reassures voters that unpleasant-but-survivable status quo will remain essentially untouched
- his nomination would ensure that David Broder, David Brooks, George Will, and Mickey Kaus would all get such massive erections that they would die of lack of blood flow to the brain

CONS:
- is Joe Lieberman
- no, seriously, is Joe Lieberman

Kcarab Amabo, AKA The Mirror Universe Barack Obama

PROS:
- All of the genius and inspiration of Barack Obama
- Just as likeable as Barack Obama
- In a pinch can replace Barack Obama if he shaves his goatee

CONS:
- Evil
- Like, whoa, totally evil
- We are so not kidding about the evil

Banksy Floyd

2008-05-19T19:01:00.003+01:00

From b3ta.com's "extending album art" contest. Via Soul Sides.

Mmmmmm....Bacon

2008-05-15T21:01:00.003+01:00

Was anyone else disappointed when they saw the headline $86 million for a Bacon triptych?

I was hoping for this:

Because, who doesn't like bacon?

But instead it was this:

Match Game: Murder Edition

2008-05-12T22:18:00.002+01:00

Saturday Night Live did a pretty good "Match Game" skit this weekend.

"I know you're a bunch of rum-soaked, over-sexed washouts."
"Thanks for noticing!"

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, "War"

2008-05-09T22:04:00.001+01:00

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble "War"
Uploaded by mambise

Every Simpsons couch gag EVAR

2008-05-09T22:02:00.002+01:00

Miss Piggy like you've never seen her

2008-05-09T21:59:00.001+01:00

I want my CCTV

2008-05-09T21:38:00.002+01:00

The Get Out Clause, an unsigned band from Manchester, couldn't afford to shoot a music video -- so they played their song in full view of some of Britain's many public surveillance cameras, and then requested the footage via the UK's version of the Freedom of Information Act. Pretty snazzy!

There are an astounding 13 million CCTV cameras in Britain, including one outside George Orwell's old house. Information Commissioner Richard Thomas warned that the country was "sleepwalking into a surveillance society." And a study released this week found that they have done virtually nothing to cut crime.

I pass no judgment on the quality of the band's music, but they are clearly talented when it comes to promotion.

Nintendo Nostalgia

2008-05-09T21:22:00.006+01:00

If you grew up in the era of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, you're gonna like these pieces of DIY home decor:

The Duck Hunt Lamp
"So one day I picked up an NES Zapper (gun) and went 'woah, that would make a cool lamp!'"

The Giant Nintendo Controller coffee table
Even more improbable than the fact that someone took many, many hours to build this (it even works as a controller) is that the guy actually has a girlfriend.

Grafitti of the day pt. 2

2008-05-08T15:21:00.003+01:00

IMG_9565, originally uploaded by jakedobkin.

Grafitti of the day pt 1.

2008-05-08T15:21:00.001+01:00

IMG_9568, originally uploaded by jakedobkin.

Momofuku Ko -- A Day of Rest?

2008-05-07T17:40:00.004+01:00

David Chang's Momofuku Ko -- notorious for its Internet-only, yeah-good-luck-with-that reservation system -- got its three star review in the New York Times today.

Faced with what I can only imagine was a tsunami of wannabe diners, the website seems to have stopped taking reservations all together.

It's the first time I've ever seen those symbols on the far right, and I've been logging on at 10 am to try for a table ever since the place opened.

Is the site broken? Or is David Chang shutting things down for a day because of the stellar review and the resulting surge in demand? Inquiring gourmands want to know....

Timmy, have you ever seen a grown man naked?

2008-05-07T00:43:00.004+01:00

Sounds like there was some weird stuff going on in the cockpit of an Air France plane this weekend. It made a daredevil 10,000 foot climb and rocked from side to side -- all because the captain was "showing off" for a young boy.

Reports that the captain was discussing whether the boy had ever been in a Turkish prison could not be confirmed.

Dissing Your Dog

2008-05-05T20:47:00.001+01:00

"How to train your dog with mockery and verbal humiliation"

I'm Trying this as soon as I get home.

"Milton Berle called - he wants his bladder control back."

Kiss your Friday afternoon goodbye

2008-05-02T19:56:00.001+01:00

Play Guitar Hero online:

Inside Dylan's Brain

2008-05-01T21:23:00.001+01:00

Mongoose, Robot team up to fight landmines

2008-05-01T21:22:00.001+01:00

Two (or three) great tastes that go great together

2008-04-29T15:05:00.004+01:00

Ok this is just geektastic. I give you:

Battlstar GalacticSimponsons (fracking awesome!)

And WireSimpsons (The players have four fingers but the game remains the same)

Above: D'Angelo teaches Body and Wallace how to play chess.

Weekend at Reny's

2008-04-28T02:36:00.001+01:00

IMG_4963, originally uploaded by scottcampbell5000.

Reny is coming out of her shell, two weeks after leaving the shelter. That means she's a lot more playful and rambunctious, and occasionally a bad little puppy. We love her just the same -- maybe even a bit more.

Thanks to Scott for the photo.

Tina Fey on how best to exploit yourself

2008-04-21T20:11:00.002+01:00

"Ladies, don't show your knockers to Joe Francis. Get your own camera, film your own knockers and get the money."

Photo: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Saturday in the park with Reny

2008-04-21T19:58:00.000+01:00

Thanks Alexis!

Save Ferris!

2008-04-21T17:04:00.002+01:00

I've been searching for years for the soundtrack to Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Turns out it doesn't exist -- John Hughes thought the mix of songs was too eclectic to sell. But Ferris fans have tracked down the songlist, which I present to you in part here.

(PS -- Looks like pop-o-matic was a fan as well).

SeeqPod - Playable Search

They tried to make him go to rehab and he said "NO - I'M RICHARD QUEST!"

2008-04-18T21:53:00.002+01:00

In the least surprising news story of the millennium so far, CNN TV personality Richard Quest was arrested in Central Park at 3:30 this morning for methamphetamine possession.

Quest on the Queen, and meatballs, and things: "THAT IS THE WAY YOU DO IT!"

Jon Stewart tortures Jon Oliver with the threat of Quest:

Hard to Handle: Otis, the Dead and the Crowes

2008-04-18T20:23:00.004+01:00

Hard to Handle - Otis Redding (the original, released posthumously in '68)
Hard to Handle - The Black Crowes (the best-known)
Hard to Handle - Etta James (the Otis tribute)
Hard to Handle - The Grateful Dead (Fillmore East, 2/14/70)
Hard to Handle - Patti Drew (Capitol Records '68)
Hard to Handle - Toots & the Maytals (the reggae version)
Hard to Handle - Henning Staekr (the country version)

Name that caption

2008-04-16T14:21:00.001+01:00

This one is so easy, I'll take the obvious answer myself. I'm counting on you, dear reader, for more creative entries.

"Pull my finger."

Say hello to Reny

2008-04-15T20:51:00.004+01:00

Say hello to our newest family member, Reny, who we adopted from the North Shore Animal League this weekend.

She's a 1-year-old mix: perhaps a sprinkle of Spitz, a dash of Shiba Inu and a dollop of Schipperke. She was apparently living on the cold, gritty streets of NYC before landing in a city shelter and then North Shore.

Amid the madhouse of the animal shelter, Reny stood out for her amazing levels of calm and affection. After we picked her out, we went through a similarly amazing amount of paperwork and bureaucratic foot-dragging (ZipCar late fee: $125). But it could have been worse. We watched one woman and her granddaughter get the third degree for burying a dead dog in the backyard 20 years ago, and the North Shore agent hinted that perhaps Grandma had buried a hobo or two back there as well.

Reny's turn-ons: licking toes, hanging out on the couch and furtive indoor peeing.
Reny's turn-offs: other dogs, peeing in the presence of others, and doggie treats (yes, even freeze-dried liver).

We doubtlessly have a few interesting weeks of pee-mopping and Monster Mutt obedience classes ahead of us, but we're thrilled to have Reny (name suggested by our friend Daniela because she looks so much like a fox, aka 'renard' in French) on board. Visitors and volunteer dog-walkers are welcome to come see her in Brooklyn.

Click here for some more pictures that Scott took of Reny last night.

New Banksy in London

2008-04-15T16:44:00.002+01:00

banksy, originally uploaded by mac morrison.

From Flickr user Mac Morrison:

best of all it was done BEHIND a fence inside a sorting office yard! apparently he errected some scaffolding and did it behind there - presumably no one checked out his story!

Super RC Mario bottle Brothers

2008-04-15T15:52:00.002+01:00

Will people ever run out of ways to play the Super Mario Brothers theme song? Not bloody likely.

Mario Theme Played with RC Car and Bottles - Watch more free videos

H to the Izzo + V to the Izzay = P to the Izza

2008-04-11T21:34:00.004+01:00

Turns out my favorite Brooklyn pizza joint Lucali got a visit from Jay-Zed and Beyonce this month. The New Yorker reported that owner Mark Iacono was a bit flustered and apologized to those who had to wait even longer than usual for a table: "They didn't even tell me they were coming! Usually they tell me first."

Except -- whoops -- it turns out Iacono was hustling a table of three women out the door 30 minutes before Brooklyn's royalty showed up and -- double whoops -- one of them was a food blogger:

"His whole bit about how he didn't know they were coming was extremely annoying, because actually he kicked us out so they could have our table, right next to him," Jane McGivney said.

Of course, you can't swing a dead cat these days in Brooklyn without hitting a food blogger, so celeb-fucking restaurant owners beware!

Controversy aside, Lucali's pizza is really, really, really effin good. Check out the picture I took:

Jay-Z/Beyonce Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

Previously on Lost: "What?"

2008-04-11T21:18:00.000+01:00

Wait, what?

NKOTB -- As creepy as they ever were

2008-04-10T15:05:00.003+01:00

“Our fans are between 25 and 35 now because they were really young then. They’re still very attractive — and very legal."

-- Joey McIntryre on the New Kids' return to touring.

More from Popbitch:

The world needs them. Back when Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan and Jonathan Knight and Danny Wood were megastars they were able to heal the sick. At a New York concert, a young autistic girl was attending with her older siblings and mother. Suddenly she snapped into lucidity, grabbed her mother and said her first words “I want Joe.”

Luckily for Joe, she should be nice and "legal" by now. Ick.

George Clooney vs Osama

2008-04-09T20:10:00.002+01:00

When Kelly told me last night that she'd be coming to bed as soon as she finished the George Clooney profile in the New Yorker, I knew it would be a while -- the thing is like 20 pages long!

Still, a nice job by Ian Parker, who writes that "Clooney’s masculinity is ambitious: he is a pickup artist, a flicker of locker-room towels."

Then my favorite quote:

Clooney, in 2005, speaking about suicide bombers: “But, really, who wants seventy virgins? I want eight pros.”

Sinnerman: Nina, Lauryn, and more

2008-04-08T22:04:00.008+01:00

I'm a little obsessed with this song. Can you tell?

Sinnerman - Nina Simone

Sinner Man - Bob Marley & the Wailers

Oh Sinner Man - Nina & Frederick

Get By - Talib Kweli

Oh Timbaland - Timbaland

Oh Sinnerman - Alvin Ailey (video)

Lauryn Hill (live in Copenhagen)

Lauryn (live in Brooklyn)

Nuestro Pequeño Mundo

Gregory Isaacs

The Thomas Crowne Affair

Inland Empire

The Seekers

Soda and his Million Piece Band

Sister Shout

Black Diamond Heavies

Gary Busey: High on Dogs

2008-04-07T21:24:00.004+01:00

What color is the sky in Gary Busey's world? If you had any doubts after this year's Oscars, when he gave Jennifer Garner a poorly received red carpet neck nuzzle, check out the following anecdote from Maxim.

What was the freakiest thing you ever snorted blow off of when you were a prominent coke fiend?

I came home one day, took off my windbreaker, and three bindles of cocaine fell to the floor. Well, my dog, Chili, who has short hair, came in and laid on her back with her legs in the air, and she rubbed all my cocaine on her back and side. I yelled, "No, Chili! No" So I got a straw, and I started brushing her hair and snorting where I saw cocaine. Back, butt, side -- not a spot was left. It took me 25 minutes to snort all the cocaine the dog had on her coat. The fringe benefits of this were that the fleas, the dog hair, the mud, and the sweat went in my nose, too. It's not a good flavor coming off the dog.

For more chuckles, check out this clip from the reality (if you can call it that) show "I'm with Busey."

The correct answer is "sand," Betty

2008-04-01T05:05:00.003+01:00

One of the strangest "Match Game" moments ever.

The question: "Dale was such a good salesman he could sell blank to the Arabs."

The contestant and nearly all the panelists answer: "oil."

Gene Rayburn: "Now, there is another answer here."

Betty White: "Yes, I know what you're thinking Gene, I was thinking of it too: Jewish persons."

And you thought your sex life was weird...

2008-03-26T19:58:00.004Z

Birds do it, bees do it....apparently even leopard slugs do it, and you would not believe the kinky shit they get into.

Check out the video below, accompanied by tasteful music and narrated by noted slug porn fetishist David Attenborough.

It all begins with a slime trail:

"suddenly, the pair release their hold on the branch and begin to slide downwards on a rope of mucous..."

"each everts its male organ from just behind it's head. these grow longer and longer, then they too begin to entwine..."

Mixtape Wednesday

2008-03-26T12:15:00.003Z

Here Come the Girls

Nicole Willis And The Soul Investigators - Feeling Free
Ernie K-Doe - Here Come the Girls
Gloria Jones - Tainted Love
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Tell Me
Etta James - Baby What You Want Me to Do
Aretha Franklin with Ray Charles - Ain't But The One
Barbara & Ernie - Play With Fire
Betty Wright - Shoorah
Minnie Riperton - Baby This Love I Have
Betty Wright - Clean Up Woman
The Supremes - Bad Weather
Nicole Willis And The Soul Investigators - Outro

Home for Purim

2008-03-25T18:45:00.003Z

Check out the Reuters slideshow of Ultra-Orthodox Jews cutting loose on Purim, a holiday that includes more than a little kosher wine. The party really gets started around slide #10.

Still in Love with Al Green

2008-03-25T16:16:00.003Z

The silky smooth voice of the revered Reverend Al Green has been known to make women faint, grown men cry and is probably responsible for a sizeable percentage of all babies conceived in America from the 1970s onward.

I had a roommate in college who nearly wore out the grooves on my copy of "I'm Still in Love With You" in his attempts to get laid. (Former roomie, you know who you are!) I wasn't mad at him, even if I had to spend the night on the couch. Just look at the white suit, black socks and wicker furniture!

The Reverend has been through a few ups and down, including a truly tragic incident with a suicidal woman and a pot of boiling grits. That led to Al setting aside secular music for a decade.

He's been back making R&B records for the last few years. Perhaps understandably, his songs didn't quite reach the amazing heights of his mid-1970s prime. But that may about to change.

Al has teamed up with ?uestlove and a group of modern-day R&B stars -- not to mention Bushwick's own Daptones Horns -- for a new album that harkens back to his heyday with Willie Mitchell at Hi Records. Check out the result:

Al Green feat. Anthony Hamilton: You Got The Love I Need Babe

I've been listening to this one all morning. The full album drops on May 27.

Extra-large tip of the hat to the always brilliant music blog Soul Sides.