Game of Thrones prank

No, I've only seen one or two episodes of the show. It's far too brutal for me to enjoy it. I have enough trouble getting through the books, where I can skip the violence mentally. But this is absolutely hilarious...

Prank it forward...

I love pranks. However, that comes with a caveat. I love gentle pranks that make everyone including the victim laugh at the end. I love pranks that do not insult or bring people down. I prefer silly pranks, but every once in awhile a truly uplifting prank comes along. This is one such prank, "The best shift ever":

Via Mark Evanier (and my hubby-Eric on Facebook)

No Way, Is It Really A Linkdump?

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #180: Death Note, Dream Hunters, and Midnight Sons.

I don't like yaoi, and I've never even heard of lolicon (though the link makes it disgustingly clear what it is), but it is still wrong for a man to be arrested for possessing Japanese comics and cartoons.

CGI Wizard of Oz? Not sure... I'm just not sure.

How those yard signs actually make money for dating services. Impressive detective work here.

Now THIS is a lovely prank.

Altering Perception allows us to understand more.

Tired of taking the same old photographs? Give Tilt-Shift Photography a try, and make all your pictures look like models.

More Photography: Top 20 Great US Civil War Photographs.

Monty Python has started their own YouTube Channel, with exclusive videos.

I was actually considering trying to grow my own popcorn until I read about pollination and realized I don't know enough about gardening yet. Maybe when I get good enough to grow my own sweet potatoes I'll give it a try.

Wow. Some voters really are stupid. How hard is it to fill in a bubble next to a candidate's name? For some, it's apparently impossible.

Prop H8 hurts businesses.

Science Kittens.

Pug for the in-laws. No, this isn't meant as any sort of statement. It's just a cute picture of a pug. Really.

Bigfoot Discovery

I'll link to Boing Boing since Cryptmundo has been hammered to the point where I haven't been able to visit it at all the last few days. The gist is that some guys claim to have a bigfoot body in a freezer, from a bigfoot found in Georgia.

I have always accepted the possibility of unknown animals, including primates, still existing in the wilderness of North America. Which means my philosophy allows for the existence of bigfoot. I've seen how much of the North Cascades are nearly untouched by Man. However, bigfoot's existence has never been proved, although the evidence is tantalizing at times. I would welcome proof of such a primate. I just don't really think this is the proof I've been waiting for.

The first doubt creeps in when you consider the folks who are promoting the thing. A known huckster is involved. Second is how this has played out on Cryptomundo, something which would be hard to check right now, but basically it seems like the people behind it have been trying to string Loren along. He's willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but I feel considerably less confident than he is, and he's not really that confident.

So, despite my belief that bigfoot could exist, this story just isn't all that interesting.

Update: Read this for the opinions of people who are certain this is a hoax, and are considerably less kind about it than I was.

Wednesday? It's Wednesday?

Sleeping Chick. Scroll down to read the whole story.

This is really cool. That's all I have to say about it.

The Biggest Drawing in the World and five reasons it's certainly a fake.

Using a passenger's luggage for a drug test is really dumb. And it's a bit of catch-22 for the passenger. Yeah, they are going to report it, when they might end up in prison if some official decides to not believe them? (Note: the passenger called the police as soon as he found the package, and everything ended happily... whew!)

I really want to go visit the Wing Luke Museum again, now that they've reopened. It sound fantastic.

Guns From Space! Well, ok, maybe not really.

What this woman did wasn't safe, but dang, I have to admire her!

Adding injury to insult, local gas stations deliver water instead of gas. I was a bit annoyed by the local TV news coverage, which went on and on about customers being "cheated" by the stations. Uh, no, it was an accident. And if anyone was cheated, it was the stations.

Biofuel alone is not behind the rising cost of corn. In fact, it's only a tiny portion of the costs.

Evening Lunkdump

Paul Cornell was in a car accident. Paul is a writer of Doctor Who and Marvel comics, and a friend of mine who wrote me into a Doctor Who book. He's ok, but the description of the car crash is intense and worth reading.

Seattle treasure in need of saving.

Earthquake Lights. If you see a funny multi-colored cloud, get out of the flimsy building you're standing in.

Swarming ants eat electronics. Yikes.

Marv Wolfman directs apple users to a place they can get tips on how to get the most out of their machines.

I really want a Wii Fit. I've collected some article links about it: CNN, Seattle Times Business, Seattle Times Entertainment, and Wired. Though, I suppose before I can get the Wii Fit, I need to get my hands on a Wii? *sigh* I guess I'll put them on my wishlist.

The Cthulu ride. I really like Kaja's kids' imagination.

Uh. One of the oddest hoaxes I've seen in some time.

Possibly not safe for work: Garry Kasparov was buzzed by a modified remote-control helicopter. Be sure to check the comments for a translation of how Kasparov responded.

Boing Boing rounds up stories of photographers being harrassed or questioned: LA's Red Line, Port of Los Angeles, and a Weigh Station in Spokane County.

A wedding photographer in China captured the church falling down as the earthquake hit. Be sure to look at the church before and after picture. Via MeFi.

A note on the story... while the report says that 33 guests were buried in the rubble, a later report says that all the people at the wedding survived.

Dreams from Obama's mother, my eighth cousin and a girl who lived in the town next to the one I grew up in.

I just want to say: Scientology is a Cult, and attacking a teenager for saying that is truly cult-like behavior.

Basement Cat Arises.

For my in-laws (and my hubby this time): Pug Life.

Monday Linkdump

I need to put the first comment on this post in my quotefile: "The celebration of different cultures does not equal the oppression of your culture."

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #153: Rob Liefeld, Bug of the Micronauts, and Conjura.

Mark Evanier on The Trial of Gordon Lee.

Well, it's a start.

This is the book to get for kids (of all ages) interested in science. Heck, I wouldn't mind a copy.

The Museum of Hoaxes has a really good one related to a species "commonly kept in homes in the United Kingdom and other countries in Europe and North America."

I want wall aliens!!

Why broken legs are devastating for horses, and why they are so often euthanized after a broken leg.

Wednesday Afternoon Links

While several comic news sites were careful to cover up spoilers to the ending of a DC book I had pre-ordered that arrived today, ComicList had the spoiler right up front in a headline of their RSS feed. I've now unsubscribed from ComicList and will no longer visit the site. I hate spoilers. I don't care if the New York Daily News already spoiled it. I don't READ the NY Daily News. ComicList changed the article after the damage was done, to their slight credit. I'm still annoyed.

Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #152: Mutants, Patricia Highsmith, and Wizard of Oz.

Speaking of Oz, read this interview with Linda Medley. Yes, there is Oz content. One of the projects she was working on when she took her break from Castle Waiting was an Oz book. I've seen some of the art from it, and I think Oz fans would love it.

And if you have any comic book questions, Comic Book Questions Answered will help.

Burma Shave!

Going to Mecca makes Muslims more moderate. Perhaps we should make an effort to help more pilgrims get to Mecca.

We're wrecking our feet with shoes.

I don't see any Bloggers do it with... on the list.

EMI claims that storing files online is illegal. So you can't back up your own files on-line.

Pathetic. Penguicon is tainted by the Open Source Boob Project. Tamora Pierce chimes in with support of Penguincon, links to other commentary, and disgust for the twits behind the "project".

A cake in celebration of the Power of Two.

Don't like icy roads? Maybe under-road radiators could help. A pilot program is ready to start in the UK.

The first oil paintings in the world may have been painted in Afghanistan. The article also mentions the Taliban's desecration of artwork.

Drew Carey: Battle of the Bacon Dogs. The zinger of the video is that the woman who was arrested and spent 45 days in jail for selling bacon dogs was licensed (by the health department) and knew proper food preparation techniques. The smaller vendors who get her business now that she dare not sell with bacon are fly-by-night operators without any licenses. So the health department efforts to protect consumers is doing just the opposite.

The zebra pranksters write to the Museum of Hoaxes. The museum also lists three more pranks, one of which was harassment and got no punishment, one which was harmless and funny and got the students week-long suspensions (serious over-reaction), and one that was just strange.

I'm with Ken Jennings on the whole Harry Potter reference book thing. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with him, or even disagrees politely.

I am only linking to this article because of the name of the seal.

Another sad pug for the in-laws.

Tuesday Thoughts

I want a Kitteh!

Awesome page of original artwork, congrats Heidi!

Batman: Master of Timing!

Voting Scandal in Round One of Comic Book Idol. Oops. Voting for round three starts tomorrow.

Shipping delays on One More Day and Green Lantern. Hrm.

Shirtless men go shopping at Abercrombie and Fitch, a store that celebrates the naked male torso, but apparently doesn't appreciate customers displaying their own. Note that two guys who were in the act of BUYING SHIRTS were kicked out.

I'm a bit late on this, but Mike Sterling reports on the fires in California, with pictures. Newsarama has a roundup of reports from Comic Book folks. Has anyone heard how Eric Shanower fared? He lives in San Diego.

The Beat on a teacher fired for showing kids The Simpsons Movie. Apparently a cartoon doodle is too much nudity.

Vampire Cupcakes that Bleed. Yum!

Folded Paper Batman, but I want directions on how to do the V for Vendetta mask, personally.

Fear through the ages.

Spoiler: It's a candle holder.

Bill Watterson cartoons prior to Calvin and Hobbes.

Reverse Graffiti artist gets the government to clean tunnels.

Red Fountain.

For the in-laws: Pug Unicorn.