Woman sends Stripper to 10 year school reunion.
Andrea Wachner sent an erotic dancer, named Cricket, to impersonate her
at her ten year high school reunion. The dancer wore a hidden ear piece
to stay in communication with Wachner. A film crew was on the scene
pretending to film a documentary about artists, including Wachner. Of
course, they were really documenting Wachner’s brilliant prank. When
she posted clips to YouTube, some of her classmates weren’t too happy
they’d been duped. Now Wachner has a manager shopping her story as a
reality show or feature film. From ABC News:
Cricket told the reunion attendees that she’d had
reconstructive surgery and also suffered from amnesia. It wasn’t
completely unbelievable, because some had already heard that the
real-life Wachner was in an accident after high school — her car was
totaled and she had been injured, but she had never suffered from
amnesia.Most of them had not seen or talked to Wachner since high
school, but many found her new profession suspect: Cricket as Andrea
said she was working as a stripper to help pay her graduate school
tuition.Daniel Wolowicz, 32, who had been an acquaintance of Wachner’s in high school, said he was immediately suspicious.
“She was just so different. You have to understand the
community we had come from,” he said. “Everyone was questioning who
this person was.“I had asked her a very specific question about seeing her at
a bat mitzvah when I was 15 years old,” he said. When Cricket answered
his question correctly, Wolowicz said he assumed it was Andrea or
“someone else who had been given a lot of information.”It would be awhile, however, before he learned the full truth.
As the night progressed the drinks flowed, and Cricket, always
outgoing, was getting ready for the climax of the evening: a striptease
performed to what Cricket described as “one of the worst songs of the
’90s,” Lisa Loeb’s “Stay.”
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Make Your Home Glow Like a Virgin-Atlantic Flight
Designer Mark Pohlkamp’s LIT Urban Underglow
is a long LED tube that changes color via remote. 16 colors and four
preset “light shows” can be yours for $200… Or you could save $44 and
book a seat on Virgin from NY to London. Tough call in this economy.
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am hatchink fiendish plan to catch moose and squirrel
Interested in Soviet era spying by the KGB in the United States? Bummed
that you cant get into the KGB archives? Well it turns out that someone copied all the good stuff already, and you can take a peek.
Alexander Vassiliev was a KGB officer who turned to journalism in 1990.
From 1993-96 he had access to the KGB archives for the 1930s to early
1950s to write notes for a book project on Soviet spying in the Stalin
era. His original notebooks – including extensive verbatim
transcriptions – were left behind in Moscow when he moved to London but
smuggled out via an elaborate plan.
There are eight notebooks, on the Cold War International History site
there are scans, transliterations and translations of each notebook,
free for nothing. Vassilev assisted in the transcriptions and
transliterations.
The whole story is in Alexander Vassiliev’s Notebooks: Provenance and Documentation of Soviet Intelligence Activities in the United States
(pdf). “Since the KGB’s archives remain closed, Vassiliev’s notebooks
are as close as we are likely to get to the actual documents for many
years, likely decades”
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Google looks like Garble
Similar Images is a Google feature that allows you to search for images using pictures rather than words. So you can get images of vaguely similar pigs or somewhat similar houses or egglike shapes or hands or snowflakes.
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A touch of Springer
War of the Roses
These are trashy, but fun, 3-8 minute radio segments in which suspected
cheaters are tricked into revealing their dirty sinful business over
the phone. Typically, the DJ posing as a local flower shop tells a
suspect boyfriend he has won a free bouquet of roses; will he send the
roses to his girlfriend or to the dreaded Other Woman? The girlfriend
waits in silence to ambush him if he gives the wrong answer. Some are sad. Some are infuriating. Most, I’m ashamed to say, are pretty funny.
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Books have the same enemies as people: fire, humidity, animals, weather, big business and their own content.
Build a DIY non destructive book scanner for under $300. An open source OCR package. A gratis ebook creation tool. An open source ebook library management tool and reader. An open-source Linux distribution for eink-based devices. And many, many ebook readers.
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Depression: What Is It?
Depression is not a sign of weakness or a negative personality. It is a major public health problem and a treatable medical condition. It’s natural to feel down sometimes, but if that low mood lingers day after day, it could signal depression.
Seasonal Depression
If your mood matches the weather – sunny in the summer, gloomy in the winter
– you may have a form of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
The onset of SAD usually occurs in the late fall and early winter, as the
daylight hours grow shorter. Experts say SAD affects up to 3% of the U.S.
population, or about 9 million people, mainly in the northern part of the
country.
Depression: What Is It?
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A boy named Sue and a girl named Marijuana Pepsi
By high school, her name was cool to many. “They were like, ‘Oh
yeah. Man, I wish I had your name. I love that. I’m going to name my
kid after you.’ I hear that so much and I go, Lord, please don’t do
that to that child.” —Marijuana Pepsi Jackson
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Boston Bruins – Date
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Canadian Members of Parliament voting records (finally) online
After a push from the NDP, the Canadian government’s put voting records of every Canadian MP online.
It’s about time, but what a lame execution: To view an MP’s record,
head to the website and click on the Members of Parliament link to find
your member of the House of Commons. Your MP’s site will will have a
tab for votes that takes you to a list showing whether they voted yea,
nea, or didn’t vote at all on any given bill.
It’s time for some civic-minded Canadian hackers to slurp out
all that data and reformat in a way that gives you real insight into
what your elected representative is up to and how she compares to all
the other politicos on the Hill.
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Giving WordPress Its Own Directory
Many people want WordPress to power their site’s root (e.g.http://example.com) but they don’t want all of the WordPress files cluttering up their root directory. WordPress allows you to install it into a subdirectory, but have your blog exist in the site root.
This process is not applicable to and does not work if you have enabled MultiSite.
Moving a Root install to its own directory
The process to move WordPress into its own directory is as follows:
- Create the new location for the core WordPress files to be stored (we will use /wordpress in our examples). (On linux, use mkdir wordpress from your www directory. You’ll probably want to use “chown apache:apache” on the wordpress directory you created.)
- Go to the General panel.
- In the box for WordPress address (URL): change the address to the new location of your main WordPress core files. Example:http://example.com/wordpress
- In the box for Site address (URL): change the address to the root directory’s URL. Example: http://example.com
- Click Save Changes. (Do not worry about the error message and do not try to see your blog at this point! You will probably get a message about file not found.)
- Move your WordPress core files to the new location (WordPress address).
- Copy (NOT MOVE!) the index.php and .htaccess files from the WordPress directory into the root directory of your site (Blog address). The .htaccess file is invisible, so you may have to set your FTP client to show hidden files. If you are not using pretty permalinks, then you may not have a .htaccess file. If you are running WordPress on a Windows (IIS) server and are using pretty permalinks, you’ll have a web.config rather than a .htaccess file in your WordPress directory. As stated above, copy (don’t move) the index.php file to your root directory, but MOVE (DON’T COPY) the web.config file to your root directory.
- Open your root directory’s index.php file in a text editor
- Change the following and save the file. Change the line that says:
require('./wp-blog-header.php');
to the following, using your directory name for the WordPress core files:
require('./wordpress/wp-blog-header.php'); - Login to the new location. It might now be http://example.com/wordpress/wp-admin/
- If you have set up Permalinks, go to the Permalinks panel and update your Permalink structure. WordPress will automatically update your .htaccess file if it has the appropriate file permissions. If WordPress can’t write to your .htaccess file, it will display the new rewrite rules to you, which you should manually copy into your .htaccess file (in the same directory as the main index.php file.)
Using a pre-existing subdirectory install
If you already have WordPress installed in its own folder (i.e. http://example.com/wordpress) then the steps are as follows:
- Go to the General panel.
- In the box for Site address (URL): change the address to the root directory’s URL. Example: http://example.com
- Click Save Changes. (Do not worry about the error message and do not try to see your blog at this point! You will probably get a message about file not found.)
- Copy (NOT MOVE!) the index.php and .htaccess files from the WordPress directory into the root directory of your site (Blog address). The .htaccess file is invisible, so you may have to set your FTP client to show hidden files. If you are not using pretty permalinks, then you may not have a .htaccess file. If you are running WordPress on a Windows (IIS) server and are using pretty permalinks, you’ll have a web.config rather than a .htaccess file in your WordPress directory. As stated above, copy (don’t move) the index.php file to your root directory, but MOVE (DON’T COPY) the web.config file to your root directory.
- Open your root directory’s index.php file in a text editor
- Change the following and save the file. Change the line that says:
require('./wp-blog-header.php');
to the following, using your directory name for the WordPress core files:
require('./wordpress/wp-blog-header.php'); - Login to your site. It should still be http://example.com/wordpress/wp-admin/
- If you have set up Permalinks, go to the Permalinks panel and update your Permalink structure. WordPress will automatically update your .htaccess file if it has the appropriate file permissions. If WordPress can’t write to your .htaccess file, it will display the new rewrite rules to you, which you should manually copy into your .htaccess file (in the same directory as the main index.php file.)
Pointing your home site’s URL to a subdirectory
In some cases, you may have a WordPress site that changes significantly every year, such as with a conference website. If you want to install each year’s version of the site in a subdirectory, such as /2010, /2011, and /2012, but have the root domain (yoursite.com) automatically redirect to a particular subdirectory (usually the latest), follow this technique:
- Install WordPress in a subdirectory, such as /2012.
- In your root folder (not the subdirectory folder), download and open your .htaccess file.
- Add the following to your .htaccess file:
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www.)?YourDomain.com$
RewriteRule ^(/)?$ blog [L]
- In the above code, change the “YourDomain.com” value to your root domain.
- In the above code, change the “blog” value to the subdirectory.
- Save and upload the .htacess file back to your root directory.
Now when users to go your root domain (yoursite.com), it will automatically redirect to the subdirectory you specified. When you want to redirect to a new subdirectory, such as the conference site for next year, just update the .htaccess redirect code.
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It’s the most important meal of the day!
Oh, but breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. For a bit of background, Chris Kimball of Cook’s Illustrated can teach you the history of pioneer and Victorian breakfasts, which were centered around foods we still enjoy today. Donuts are a staple, as are breakfast cereals, themselves the subject of a fine and storied history. Bacon is a universe unto itself, as you surely already know.
And what about the waffle? Not just a taste senstation but namesake to one of America’s great culinary joys. And it’s versatile, too. Fried joy is yours with the equally versatile beignet, fried apples and, of course, the simple and elegant fried egg.
All this wonderful food, surely we must have equally wonderful drink! Coffee is a staple, as is breakfast tea. But you deny yourself some of life’s great pleasures if you stop short of alcoholic breakfast drinks: mimosas, Bloody Marys, Irish coffee, or this eponymous joy built upon vodka, peach schnapps and raspberry liqueur.
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“No crime is so great as daring to excel.” — Winston Churchill
A little detective work traced the problem to default date format
conversions and floating-point format conversions in the very useful
Excel program package. The date conversions affect at least 30 gene
names; the floating-point conversions affect at least 2,000 if Riken
identifiers are included. These conversions are irreversible; the original gene names cannot be recovered.
Yet another reason not to use Excel as your “database”.
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Amycakes
This is a reposting of my old Office Managers email and ICQ messages to my coworkers.
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Amy Vs. The Booger Bandit |
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I’ve been informed that someone has been wiping snot on the walls of the This message is intended for whoever is doing this and I am hoping that it’s Now I hope I made the person feel really bad about what they’re doing and Thanks, Amy Johnson |
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Smokey the bear rides again |
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This is intended for the people that smoke in here. Someone decided to dump The person should have known this would happen but apparently they’ve never So to all the smokers, please don’t dump ashtrays into garbages after you Thanks, Amy Johnson |
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Amy Vs. The Brown Bomber |
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This is another message for those people in here who don’t have any common I’m hoping I don’t have to keep doing this but it seems to be getting worse Thanks, Amy Johnson |
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Amy The Holiday Girl |
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For all of you that keep telling me that Monday is a stat holiday, I called the province of New Brunswick like I’ve done all the other years I’ve worked here to ask them about this holiday. It’s considered a stat holiday but not a paid Stat holiday so it’s up to the employer whether to have us work or not. New Brunswick only has 6 paid public holidays while other provinces have more or some have less. Do, DON”T icq me about this again. Here’s a link you can look at for NB: http://www.info-galaxy.com/Holiday/Holidays_in_Canada/holidays_in_canada.html Amy Johnson |
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Amy Poops on Another Party |
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Before you start asking where the chips are, we will not be getting anymore chips, pop/bottled water from now on. The reason being is it has become too expensive and some people have been taking advantage of it by eating/drinking too much too fast. DON’T respond to this icq please. Amy Johnson |
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Amy Tackles the Floaters |
| I’ve been informed that some people arn’t flushing the toilets in the men’s washroom, please flush after each time you use it. It’s discusting for other people to have to do it for you. Once again, more common sense that has to be mentioned. Amy Johnson |
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Amy Wields her Plunger in Anger |
| I am hoping this is going to be the last message I have to send to you guys. When taking a shit, FLUSH THE DAMN TOILET or don’t use an entire roll of toilet paper to wipe your ass. No wonder the toilet gets clogged so often. If you notice it’s clogged, don’t leave until it’s fixed because I’m sick of going in there, trying to hold back the puke and fixing it myself. This is not a damn elementary school. Amy Johnson |
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Amy and the logistics of pooping, pt. I |
| There is no running water at the moment, we’re trying to figure out what happened. Please do not flush the toilet when you use it until I let you know it’s fixed so NO SHITTING!! We don’t need another plugged toilet Amy Johnson |
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Amy and the logistics of pooping, pt. II |
| Paul just told me the water is working fine so you may poop freely!!
Amy Johnson |
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Amy combats Chairjacking |
| There has been a person(s) taking chairs from other people. Everyone has a chair so there’s no reason to be taking chairs from other people. If you have a problem with your chair, come talk to me and I can get you a new one but please don’t be taking someone else’s chair from now on. Amy Johnson |
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I. P. Freely |
| People have been telling me that when they’ve gone to the bathroom there’s been piss all over the seat and/or floor. Now this isn’t the mall bathroom where you don’t care whether or not someone after you sits in your piss, these are your co-workers so you should have the decency to wipe up after yourself. If you are not coordinated enough to make it in the toilet without dribbling all over it maybe you should practice at home on your own toilet. Amy Johnson |
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A picture really is worth 1,000 words |
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Amy gets pissed off |
| I’ve been getting complaints yet again about people pissing on the toilet seat. It is mostly in the bathroom by the CS room so whoever uses that bathroom please aim more carefully or wipe up the mess afterwards so others don’t have to. If you can’t even pee properly I don’t even want to imagine you trying to do anything else with it. Amy Johnson |
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Amy don’t take no shit |
| Here’s another message about the CS bathroom and some disgusting employee.
Apparently pissing on the seat wasn’t enough so now someone has decided Amy Johnson |
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Smoking doesn’t kill people… Amy kills people. |
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Even thought you’ve been told many many times there is still people smoking in the bathrooms. Would you please just grow up and respect the rules of your workplace and your co-workers. Andrew has been nice enough to buy a bus for you to smoke in, yet you are too lazy to go outside and use it so you’ll do what you’ve probably done since junior high and that is hide out in the bathroom and smoke your cigarette. You’re pathetic. Just go outside like everyone else and stop thinking you’re somehow special because you’re not. Amy Johnson |
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Amy dishes out the Christmas cheer… |
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There has been a change of plans for the christmas party. Because we have some ungrateful whiners in here who can’t appreciate anything that is a little different than our usual christmas party activity we will now be having dinner at Pizza Delight and that’s it. Curling has been cancelled because apparently some of you think it’s such a stupid idea and felt the need to have to complain. I don’t know how you thought by complaining about it would do any good but now the ones that have have ruined it for everyone else. SO HERE’S A BIG THANK YOU! Hope you’re pleased with yourselves. Amy Johnson |
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Webcam – Test
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When RobDurdle.com just wont do…
You used to be able to ask Edward Tufte questions on his website.
He disabled the new questions part a few years ago so only a topic or
two a month comes out now. But the old topics form years long
conversations running to tens of thousands of words, generally polite
and insightful. Here are some excellent threads: recommendations for graphing software, Book design: advice and examples, Medical information exchange: The patient, doctor, computer triangle, Evidence and assumptions in tree diagrams, Airport maps, Lists, Advice for effective analytical reasoning, a celebration of Megan Jaegerman’s news graphics, Design of causal diagrams, the merits of ISO paper sizes.
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99 Things To See on the Internet
From Time.com
I remember my first viral video. The year was 2001 and I was a
fresh-faced teenager with my first high-speed Internet connection.
Someone showed me a Flash animation featuring 1980s Japanese video game
images repurposed into a techno music montage. Or something. I’m not
really sure. I didn’t understand “All Your Base Are Belong To Us”
then and I don’t understand it now, but I can’t deny its Internet
significance. All I remember is that people wouldn’t stop saying
“Someone set up us the bomb” for at least a week.Since then, I have become thoroughly entrenched in Internet pop
culture (I’m pretty sure that half of my workday is spent exchanging
YouTube videos with coworkers, but don’t tell anyone). There was the Star Wars Kid (2002); Homestar Runner (which I saw in 2003-4) and Tom Cruise’s Scientology video (2008). When a friend refused to stop singing “Peanut Butter Jelly Time,”
I didn’t speak to her for three days because whenever I did she would
sing it, and the song would get stuck in my head. But that was in 2002,
and I haven’t seen the video since. That is, until now.Advertising copywriter Greg Rutter has compiled everything great about the Internet and put it on one web page. Youshouldhaveseenthis.com is a list of 99 videos and websites that any self-respecting Internet addict needs to see — and probably already has.
So if you have a lot of free time, here are the best things the Internet has to offer:
• Number of animal videos: 11
• Number of animal videos that should come with a warning because they’re too adorable and will make you cry at work: 1
• People who injure themselves: 6
• People who injure other people: 3
• Children who will grow to resent their parents for putting embarrassing footage of them on the Internet: 9
• Things that are funny because they’re from the 80s: 6
• Home shopping TV screw-ups: 2
• Sports videos: 2
• Acts of bad journalism: 9
• Reminders that OK Go are better at making music videos than they are at making music: 1
• Inaccurate portrayals of American history: 1
• Fat people: 4
• Angry Germans: 2
• Transvestite midgets: 1
• Videos longer than 5 minutes: 5
• Videos shorter than 30 seconds: 12
• Celebrity videos: 7
• Wedding videos: 2
• Videos of people dancing: 9
• Ads for an office product that seems oddly sexual: 1
• Performances inspired by Star Wars: 3
• Freaky Tom Cruise moments: 2
• Things from Japan: 4
• People with too much time on their hands: 37
• Grown men who may never know the love of a woman: 12
• Bonus NSFW links hidden at the bottom of the page that should not be viewed in public, or even at all: 4
• Number of links I clicked on at work anyway: 4
• Level of awkwardness when my boss walked by: high to very high
That’s it. You’ve now seen everything that’s on the Internet. There’s nothing left to do now except check Facebook.
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Welcome to the Khan Academy…. KHAN!!!!
Sal Khan likes explaining things, and he’s really good at it. Here he is on CNN giving an excellent explanation of the financial crisis. And here’s a great explanation of Newton’s Law of Gravitation. His YouTube channel has over 700 lectures and you leave understanding everything he talks about no matter the subject.
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Levar Burton sings Reading Rainbow.
One
of the highlights of the show was that LeVar Burton, star of Roots,
host of Reading Rainbow and “Geordi LaForge” on Star Trek: The Next
Generation, came out to watch the show and even came on stage for an
impromptu performance of the Reading Rainbow theme song! If you missed
it, you can check it out here
RobDurdle.com 
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