Arkady Shilkloper plays "Funk Horn"

Arkady Shilkloper plays an original composition on the alphorn with the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin. I saw this clip a couple weeks ago and didn't think much of it at the time. But since then, the song has continued replaying in my head. So now I'd say it's worth a post!

The Earth is 70% Water

The factoid that the earth is 70% water is often --if you'll excuse the pun-- floated around, but of course that's only true if you're talking about how much water covers the earth's surface. Here's an image that compares the total volume of water on the earth with the earth's volume itself (the second image compares the earth's atmosphere)

    

There it is, the blood of life, a limited resource, in all its delicate splendor.

Chimpanzees Love Magic Tricks

                  

I think most people would find the chimpanzee's reactions more interesting than the Japanese magician's illusions and rightly so. It is very clear that the chimp is predicting intention, being duped by suggestion, and is genuinely curious about and appreciative of the phenomenon. We are surprised and delighted by our common humanity with the chimpanzee. Our closeness is no illusion.

4 Chords, 36 Songs

It's all been done before... again and again and again...

Favorite Film Scene: There Will Be Blood

Let's be honest, there's probably about 4 or 5 scenes from Paul Thomas Anderson's masterpiece There Will Be Blood that I could list as one of my favorite film scenes of all time. But Daniel's Baptism scene is probably best in that it encapsulates all of the film's drama, tragedy, comedy and the amazing performances of the lead characters as their inflated egos clash.

The Fuller Weight Loss Program, Part Deux

I remember writing the original Fuller weight loss post, but I don't really remember the specifics or actually going through with it. And it was only a year ago!

What makes it creepier is that my current weight loss story begins more or less the same way as it did before. So to start, I'll quote:

If you had asked me a month ago about how much I weighed, I would have replied, "Oh I don't know, probably 145 maybe 150 pounds." So imagine my surprise when I eventually made it to a scale and weighed in at 160lbs.

In response to this discovery, I've once again started my usual diet and exercise regimen: breakfast shake in the morning, 20 min jog, dinner meal, crunches and push-ups before bed.

What's new is the addition of Wii Fit, which I've been using to track my progress. In 2 weeks, I managed to drop 10 lbs! Unfortunately, it seems I've plateaued, but I think I'm going to stick with the routine regardless. If I can't lose any more weight, then hopefully I can at least add muscle mass.

Doodling + UPDATE

Probably Bad News

More at probablybadnews.com

One Regular, One Indian

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

No, no, no. This has to be a ruse. It HAS to be a put on. Could anyone really be this thick? It's staggeringly ignorant!

The problem is religion is involved. And once you start talking about religion, it's almost impossible to tell what's real and what's satire. That's Poe's Law.

Free Market Capitalism and Communism: Birds of a Feather

"In theory, communism works. In theory." -Homer J. Simpson

Amidst all the rabble about government regulated health care reform, the radical free market capitalists have begun to bang their pots and pans rather loudly. With such blind passion flying around, I have to wonder if they've sat down and thought about their position. Is a free market really the magical answer to all of our health care woes?

I have always thought that the pragmatic refutation of communism is the strongest and it goes something like this: sure, the promise of equality as an end result of a communistic revolution sounds great, but getting there requires gross violations of human rights, a period of violent upheaval, and the unavoidable likelihood of abusive fascism and corruption. So while it sounds good on paper, communism in practice just doesn't work.

Well, the same argument can be levied against radical free market capitalism: sure, maybe at the end of the our little economic experiment, competitive free market forces will have created an even playing field where only the best solutions have survived, but in the meantime, we will have to suffer through unbridled corruption, monopoly, Bernie Madoff, and credit meltdowns.



Free market capitalism is the bastard cousin of the equally malfunctioning philosophy of social Darwinism. The problem with both of these worldviews is that they are fundamentally wrong. Evolution is not a calm, upward march toward progress. It has no direction. It is an arms race, a violent struggle for survival, red in tooth and claw. It is no system for decent human beings to model themselves after, social or economic.

Like most things, the best solution is somewhere between the extremes, a golden mean between too much government involvement and too little. I say bring on national health care reform if for no other reason but to add a little more competition to keep the big guys honest. It'd also be nice if my starving artist friends could just afford to see a doctor from time to time.

Iwata Asks, Creepy Guy Watches

Nintendo posted the latest installment of the Iwata Asks series and a GAF member noticed the comicbook nature of the accompanying candid photographs. And thus, a meme was born:

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Medley

Some of my favorite video game music of all time --performed by a live orchestra!

Lost Generation PSA

Jay on the Set of AMANDA

Favorite Film Scene: Inherit the Wind

One of the greatest court scenes on film.

The Christian Mafia

Scary stuff.