End-of-week update.

It's been a busy week for Yours Truly...

I spent the leading edge of the week in New York with DanO from Big Ice and the Usual Suspects from IDS... A couple of the Usual Suspects, anyway. Some of the players were not in attendance at the meetings in Man-Hat-Tan, but overall it was a productive and insightful set o' meetings.


Lower Manhattan skyline as seen from Jersey City. (click for the larger view)

Wednesday had me at the RoundBall HQ in Secaucus... Ran into some old friends there, notably Jeff Pozz from Denver who departed the Pepsi Center with a song in his heart to move to New Joisey to work among the Evil Minions of Dave Munoz...
(Trading Denver for Jersey? What the hell are you thinking, Jeff?)

The trip back to Jacksonville was uneventful, and it only took 38 minutes for my bag to be delivered to the baggage claim in Jax. Things are not improving at Baggage Claim in Jax.

Some sample times from the last few trips...
Newark....13 minutes
Detroit......25 Minutes (Including Customs and Immigration check)
Shanghai...31 Minutes (Ditto)

Can't wait to see how it all goes in Koln next week.

Speaking of Koln, here's a little slice of how events conspire to make my life interesing...
We're doing an NBA gig in Koln Germany starting next week-
("Koln" is "Cologne" for the Constant Readers unfamiliar with the fact that foreigners don't know how to spell the names of their own cities correctly.)
Anyway- I had lined up a statistician to work the games there in Germany...
The guy I contracted is a little outspoken and a tad abrasive, but he's a helluva statistician, and one of the very few that can stat a game virtually alone. Most stats crews are comprised of 4 to 7 guys that are needed to keep up with the action.
Anyway- my guy was all lined up, ready to go, plane tickets purchased, took time off work and everything... Then the word comes down- He isn't permitted to go.
Apparently his outspokenness has alienated someone in The League along the way and he's blacklisted.

Great.
This is exactly the kind of complication that I need in my life.

These occasions, just like during a 13 hour plane trip in Coach class, are the times when I wonder if there is a local gas station that might need need someone to work the register and dip the tanks and make decisions no more complicated than "Fill 'er up?"

--------------------------------------------

Spend most of the day Thursday futzing with Shanghai videowall stuff...
Ken "Redneck" Flanagan is working on some tasty new software that will improve the graphics. We had a nice long operational demo... Looking good.
(Sorry- no pics. Proprietary stuff, eh?)

-----------------------------------------------

Friday.

The IDS Roundtable Group decided (weeks ago) that we were throwing a cookout... We usually do something after the end of the Summer Swing (post-US Open) once a majority of our event staff is back in the office. This year we were throwing it on Friday the 29th.
I volunteered to find a BBQ Grill... SpongeMark Squarehands was able to source a nice big tow-behind-the-car grill that would handle anything short of a full side of beef...
Manny "High Voltage" Lopez and I worked out a deal to split cooking duties-and at around 10:30 I put some fire to the hardwood charcoal and soon had enough heat to start drop-forging horseshoes...
We fed the 60 or so folks in the office from 11:30 to around 2:00...
I grilled up a shitload of dogs and burgers and even whipped up a few Death Dogs... Good ol' high-fat-content Ballpark franks wrapped in bacon and served with a healthy (heh) squirt of cheeze-in-a-can... There are enough nitrates, sodium and preservatives to kill a small horse.
(Actually, the effort eventaully involved the killing of a small horse's *ass*, but that's different blog entry. Stay tuned, film at 11...)

Marco shot some pics during the cookout and circulated this little artistically filtered gem in the company e-mail...

The Jolly Green Giant

You'll be hearing more about Marco- He will be my partner-in-crime in Shanghai this year. He's handling the overhead video wall content at the Tennis Masters Cup, so no doubt he will figure prominently in some blog entries in November.

And Manny's shift at being Grillmaster?
Right... Manny brought some steaks that he threw on one corner of the grill and seared to perfection... the sliced beef was a great addition to the party, as was Redneck's pork shoulder that was also given a little grill time...
All in all, a great Friday at IDS...

Now, if I can just get the grill back to it's rightful owner before they find out it's missing...

------------------------------------

Anyone catch the game last night?
Rutgers is now 5-0...

As P-Squared would say - "Jaegermeister for everybody!!"

What a great game... Even though Rutgers tried to give it away through penalties, they were still able to pull out the win after drawing first blood then trailing behind the USF Bulls at the half...
If they (Scarlet Knnnnnigggits) can keep Leonard and Rice healthy, it will be a great season. (And of course, I will be bombarded with RU rah-rah from the office next door.)

A side note- My drinking buddy from Sauze D'Oulx was one of the sideline reporters for ESPN2... The lovely and talented Tina Dixon.
Seems she's been doing a good bit of NCAA football this season for ESPN...
Nice to see she's getting into more mainstream sports gigs rather than being exiled to the X-games and Dew Tour sports reporting...

--------------------------------------

Saturday had a disturbing start- my phone rang at 5:55AM.
My buddy Pete from Tampa says that when the phone rings that early it's never a good thing.
"Good news sleeps 'til noon." is his comment.

Well, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good either.
It was Mal (bad, in the latin) from Shanghai, throwing yet another Monkey Wrench in the Tennis Masters Cup works... Details another time, but it will suffice to say it was a situation worthy of a 5:55AM call...


Ok- Hunter's got a soccer game at 9:00 this morning, and I have lots to do before the game...

Famous, out-

Still alive...

...but only marginally.

Got back from Shanghai on Tuesday night... No real issues except for the 5 hour layover in Detroit.

Had the best experience with Customs there...
I went throught the rubber glove test with my bags and equipment, and for once didn't leave feeling like I'd been overly abused or violated.
They did check every nook and cranny in all my bags, dirty laundry and all, but their attitude was the thing that made it less of a burden that it could have been.
The questions were specific but not accusatory, they accepted reasonable explanations, and were very professional about the whole 20 minute ordeal.

Kudos to the Customs and Immigrations guys in Detroit.
(And I did send in a comment card in regards to my experience.)

So- Back in the office on Wednesday to start catching up-
Went to Lunch with Jingalls and Mitch- and wound up with the worst food poisoning I've had since Beijing in 2004.
By 6 Wednesday night I was expelling everything inside me that wasn't original equipment, and by noon the next day I was starting to worry that I was going to need some replacement parts...
My fever broke on Friday afternoon, and on Friday evening I finally was able to eat some rice and toast... It has not been pretty...
For instance, I can tell you the bathroom floor has 273 tiles visible, as I have had multiple opportunities to count them...

Well... I'm back among the living... At least until Monday.
Then I head to New York.

Egads.

Famous!

Road warriors, here's a site for you...

Friends, do you hate air travel?

Do you look for every advantage in booking your seats for those long flights?

Well I have a site for you, then, Champ.

SeatGuru...




Select the airline, then the plane type on the sidebar on the left, and SeatGuru gives you a color-coded diagram of the seats on the plane, complete with roll-over comments regarding the plus and minus of the seat...

This is a great tool used in conjunction with the view/change seat app on most airlines websites...

And it's free, and no registration...
How cool is that?

Famous, out-

Travel Day...

Man, I hate east-to-west travel...

Here it is, 3:30 in the morning, I'm wide awake, and it's travel day.

I have a 10:00am flight out of PuDong which is over an hour's drive, even longer if I go during rush hour. Needless to say, I'll be leaving early.

It's time travel day too... The flight segment leaves Tokyo-NRT at 3:00pm and gets into Detroit at 1:30pm. Neat trick, eh? The bad thing? The 5 hour layover at DTW. The Jax flight is at 7:30pm... Guess who will be sleeping in the bar nearest to the Jax gate?
I can just see that conversation...

Waitress 1: "You go wake him up."
Waitress 2: "Screw you. He's at one of your tables. You wake him."
W1: "No way. I had to mop the floor where he was drooling as he slept. You go get him up."
W2: "Ain't happening. He looks like the kinda guy who flails about and hits people when woken unnecessarily."
W1: "Think we can shoot him from behind the bar with the soda gun?"

Good times... Good times.

Amazing, out.

Testing, Phase 3

Well...
Another day in a warehouse in Shanghai.

We're getting better.
The image is getting better, but we still have a couple hurdles.


This image is shot a bit oblique but believe me- it's better than it was.


Neal (left) and Andy (center) are discussing why we need 8 pieces of hardware to process the signal...


Michelle and Mal supervising our efforts.
(Nice legs, Mal.)

We wrapped about 2:45, laid out our next-steps and I took my equipment back to the hotel, then headed to Xin-Xin Sports to see Charles and the guys for a short chat before leaving.

I took the subway-
As I was getting out near Jing'an there were some guys playing giant bamboo, uh, things. Kind of a cross between and digiridoo and a saxophone.


(Click for a bigger view of the pic)

Well... Onward to more and better stuff...
Gotta get ready to hit the road.

Famous, out-

How NOT to spend a Sunday in Shanghai.

or-
What we have here, is a failure to communicate.
DongTai, Huxinting and the demise of Xiangyang.

I've been on a quest...

One of the requests I got before I came over here was for a couple mooncake boxes...

Never heard of Mooncake?
See this entry from last year in Beijing.

Well... Mom wanted a couple of theses ornate compartmented boxes that folks pack their mooncakes in. We were able to find some in Panjiayuan last year very easily, so I though it would be the same here... I'd just find the local flea market/antique place and check off that task and I'm off to my next item on my to-do list.

Since I'm still time shifted I'm still getting up at 3:30 or 4 in the morning, so by 7:00 I was ready to go. I thought I'd get breakfast down near the market.

I figured I'd find them either over in the Xiangyang market or over in DongTai/Fengbang/DaJing antiques area, so I went to the concierge to get a taxi card. Taxi cards have the hotel name and address on one side and the concierge writes in Chinese destination you want to go to on the other side...
I told the concierge I wanted a card to Xiangyang and he said that it was closed.

Yours Truly: Huh?
Concierge: Yes. Xiangyang closed.
YT: Closed because it's Sunday?
C: No. Market closed. No more.
YT: What's up with that?
C: No up. (Note 1. Don't use slang/jargon with someone when English isn't their primary language.)
YT: What?
C: No up. No more market.
YT: Oh. What happened? (I had a pretty good idea.)
C: Government closed down.
YT: They closed the government too?
C: What? (Note 2. Don't try to be funny with someone when English isn't their primary language.)
YT: Never mind. So, the market is closed.

Basically, this is story: at 9:30 PM, June 30, 2006, all the gates of Xiangyang Market were closed, and no customers were allowed to enter the market from then on. Soon, the buildings was razed and the site is being turned into a retail and office complex.

No more Xiangyang Market in Shanghai. So don't need to waste time to go to the site to try your luck - it is closed, and it is gone.
It is clear message of "NO" to fake goods and products. According to the news, other markets put "No Fake Goods" into the rental contracts and keep close eyes on this issue. Anyway, China has entered the WTO; the Beijing Olympics will be held in 2 years, and the Shanghai World Expo 2010 is just 3 years ahead.
No more screwing around.

Now, if you think this is the end of the "You want watch, DVD Bag?" guys, I have news for you... they are still all over the place, but they aren't concentrated like they were in Xiangyang...

I was bummed... I headed over to the taxi stand.
I showed my taxi card to the taxi dude- they guy who hails the taxis in front of the hotel... This is the same guy who was calling me "Harley Davidson" last year... He saw me when I got here and shouts "Ay ya! Har-re Davisson!"

So... I'm off to Dongtai Lu.

Dongtai is a place with small stalls of antiques along a narrow road...
Pics from last year...




Thought I'd find those boxes easily, but alas, it was not to be.
I walked up and down the streets, peeking and poking around, but never found a box store. I found lots of ornate little chests and small wood boxes, but not the type I was looking for.

I saw a woman carrying 2 small boxes of the same type I was looking for.

I tapped her on the shoulder to ask her where she got the boxes.
(I thought she was a shopkeeper... oops.)
She stopped, looked up at me panic-stricken...
I pointed at the box then around the market.
"Where did you get these?" I asked.
Ok... Maybe this wasn't the best plan.
Let's set the scene...
A woman has purchased 2 gifts for someone in the market, and is scurrying off to wherever she lives. A huge ogre accosts her in the street, pointing at her gifts and gesturing all over the place and babbling at her.
This, of course, is a recipe for trouble...
I can see her building up for a good scream. This is going to go bad, I can tell.
Another woman shopping sees the trouble and comes to our collective rescue...the rescuer explains my question, the other woman says she doesn't know and hurries off with many backward glances to make sure she isn't being persued by the monster.

I wandered the markets until around 1, then got some lunch.

Kind of by accident I found the Huxinting Shanghai Teahouse...

You will note, just like in the Forbidden City in Beijing,
the ubiquitous Starbucks in the square behind the teahouse.

It's near Yuyuan Gardens near the Dajing jewelry area.
At one time the Huxinting Teahouse was a very prestigious place for business; Now it is a tourist trap of the highest order- I hear the tea is average at best... You'll see very few locals there now, except ones accompanying Westerners who are looking for an old-Shanghai experience.
They'd be better off going to Gu Yuan on Fuxing Lu for a more authentic time...

I went over to the Cybermart and shopped around a bit, then headed back to the Mayfair.

I got in about 3:30 and they were just starting to clean my room...Lovely.

I sat in the lobby bar and had a drink with 2 airline pilots- they got to listen to me ranting about airlines and airports... I got to listen to them rant about passengers and flight attendants...
We both ranted about the TSA. Glad to hear they are as disgusted as I am with the whole process...

Oh well...

More videowall testing today...

Fingers crossed. I'm going over to the temple over in Zhongshan park and burning some incense, maybe influence the local deities in our favor for this test.

I'll let you know.

Amazing out-

Studio 188 Shindig

The Studio 188 gig was a private party here in Shanghai.
It was at a big house over in Michael's neighborhood...

Mighty Zhou picked me up at the Mayfair at 9:00, then we got Mal ("bad" in the Latin, as I keep telling him...) and we hit Michaels house right at 10:00am.
We broke down all the equipment in the garage and loaded it into Zhou & Michael's vehicles and drove them the 300 yards to the house where the party was being held.


Studio 188 - Soundcheck. Yo! Michael! More Cowbell!

Why "Studio 188"? you might ask...
Well... it's a garage band. And the address of the garage is 188...
Simple, no? (Don't ask the street name...)



Michael and the youngest (provisional) member of Studio 188
singing "Day Tripper" during the sound check.



First set- the guys rocking out on Seger's "Old time Rock and Roll"



The girls dancing to Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl"...



The boys playing "Come Together"...
Alex, Mal, Michael, Carl and Adrian.
Not pictured - Jay (the Original Jay) and Clive

I met some nice folks at the party- the guest of honor- Jim Rice and his family...
Some of the folks from Xin Xin Sports were there, Mal's wife Michelle and his daughter. Michael's wife and his two children were there- Leo and his better half, Neal (Neil?) and his significant other... Christina, one of the court services girls from last year was there with
her father...
I also met (again, appearently) Ralph and Karen, the proprieters of The Thirsty Monk...
Really nice folks...
I had a great evening at The Monk last year when Studio 188 played their first public gig. I was here testing with the original video cube guys and coincidentally they were playing one evenig that I was there.
If you visit Shanghai and you want a change from the downtown bars that try to cater to ExPats, give The Monk a shot... Definitely worth the 60 or so RMB to get out there.

The Thirsty Monk...Website and map.

The gig wrapped about 8:00...
I got a ride back to the Mayfair- about a 30 minute taxi ride. Not too bad...
On the way back I saw this...

Pretty scary, eh?
Know what was more scary?
The bees that were pollinating that thing...

Wow.

Famous, Out-

Testing testing...1...2...3...

Oh boy...

So... Here's the deal.

I'm testing some new video cubes here in Shanghai...


Last year's video cubes - from across the court.


The is the first test result from Thursday afternoon
after a full day of futzing with hardware...


And this is Friday's results. Not really great, but
better than our first effort.

We have a new hardware suite coming in on Monday.
So, one more day to get things tested and get the
image crisp and clear...

Will it happen? Man, I hope so. I don't think I could
take another 26 hour trip over here between now and
November to do more testing.

So... Studio 188 is playing today.

I get to be a roadie... Oh boy...

"Yeah, I'm with the band."

Famous out-

Wish me luck-

Well, Constant Readers-

I'm off to Shanghai.

Again.

Watch this space for the inevitable rant against the TSA, Detroit Airport, Tokyo-Narita, Pudong, Shanghai taxis, and the hookers at the Mayfair hotel...

I have this feeling this week is gonna be a winner...

TTFN

Amazing- out

What the hell...?

Pick a caption...or write your own.



Drying rack for ballerina skins?

I've heard of boneless chicken, but...

Costume department at Ballerinas-R-Us?

Do you have a size three hanging on the rack?

Amazing out-

Upcoming Events

You know, I was checking my calendar to see what was in store for the next few weeks and I see where International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day is coming on September 19th.

Seeing as I will be aboard an international flight, and talkin' all "Arrrg me hearties, avast an' put a mizzen in me hornswaggle" would be a good way to ensure a visit with my good friends at the TSA and their assortment of x-ray machines, gas chromatographs and rubber gloves, I'll just have to forgo the festivities until another time.

You, however, must participate.
Yes, Constant Readers, you must go forth and get your Pirate Name, dig the nomenclature and the vernacular and otherwise carry the flag. Wear your eyepatch, peg your leg, and shiver your timbers; you only get to do it once a year, so make hay while the sun shines, hearties.

SpongeMark Squarehands will have a handle of Captain Morgan at his desk for anyone needing a bit o' Grog to help get all you landlubbers into the futtock shrouds, so pay 'im a visit and get a nip so's you can release your Inner Buccaneer.

Some jargon and other helpful stuff:

Pirate lingo is rich and complicated, sort of like a good stew or three-day sinus infection.
Takes years to become proficient...But if you just want a quick fix, a surface gloss, a "pirate patina," if you will, here are the basics that you cannot live without. Master them, and you can face Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day with a smile on your face and a parrot on your shoulder, if that's your thing.

Ahoy! - "Hello!" or perhaps "Yo. What up, Dog?"

Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check it out" or "No way!" or "Get out!"

Aye! - "Why yes, I agree most heartily with everything you just said or did."

Aye aye! - "I'm on it!"
(or if you are working an IDS event "I'll get right on that sir, as soon as I finish these other five things you've asked me to do.")

Arrr! - This one is often confused with arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin. "Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes", "I agree", "I'm happy", "I'm enjoying this beer", "I saw that television show, it sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a few of the myriad possibilities of Arrr!

(TBG's Note to the Event Minions and Dingo, JVW & SMSH especially: "Arrr!" is not to be confused with "Grrrar!" Enough said.)

Beauty – The best possible pirate address for a woman. Always preceded by “me,” as in, “C’mere, me beauty,” or even, “me buxom beauty,” to one particularly well endowed. You’ll be surprised how effective this is.

Bilge rat – The bilge is the lowest level of the ship. It’s loaded with ballast, slimy, reeking water and Marketing types. A bilge rat, then, is a rat that lives in the worst place on the ship.
Since bilge rat is a pretty dirty thing to call someone, by all means use it on your friends.

Bung hole – Victuals on a ship were stored in wooden casks. The stopper in the barrel is called the bung, and the hole is called the bung hole. That’s all. It sounds a lot worse, doesn’t it?
Possible usage: When dinner is served you’ll make quite an impression when you say, “Well, me hearties, let’s see what crawled out of the bung hole.” That statement will be instantly followed by the sound of people putting down their utensils and pushing themselves away from the table. Great! More for you!

Grog – An alcoholic drink, usually rum diluted with water or beer, but in this context you could use it to refer to any alcoholic beverage other than beer, and we aren’t prepared to be picky about that, either. Call your beer grog if you want. We won’t stop you! Water aboard ship was stored for long periods in slimy wooden barrels, so you can see why rum was added to each sailor’s water ration – to kill the rancid taste.

Hornpipe – Both a single-reeded musical instrument sailors often had aboard ship, and a spirited dance that sailors do.
I'm not a big fan of the capering, it’s not my favorite art form, if you will, so I don’t have a lot to say on the subject, other than to observe that the common term for being filled with lust is “horny,” and hornpipe then has some comical possibilities. “Is that a hornpipe in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me? Or both?”

Lubber – (or land lubber) This is the seaman’s version of land lover, mangled by typical pirate disregard for elocution. A lubber is someone who does not go to sea, who stays on the land.
More likely than not, you are a lubber 364 days of the year. But not if you’re talking like a pirate! Then the word lubber becomes one of the more fierce weapons in your arsenal of piratical lingo. In a room where everyone is talking like pirates, lubber is ALWAYS an insult.

Smartly – Do something quickly. “Smartly, me lass,” you might say when sending the bar maid off for another round. She will be so impressed she might well spit in your beer. Mmmm....


In the interest of those who will be out carousing and/or wenching on Sept 19th:
Top Ten Pickup lines for use on International Talk Like a Pirate Day

10. Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?

9. Have ya ever met a man with a real yardarm?

8. Come on up and see me urchins.

7. Yes, that is a hornpipe in my pocket and I am happy to see you.

6. I'd love to drop anchor in your lagoon.

5. Pardon me, but would ya mind if fired me cannon through your porthole?

4. How'd you like to scrape the barnacles off of me rudder?

3. Ya know, darlin’, I’m 97 percent chum free.

2. Well blow me down?

And the number one pickup line for use on International Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day is...

1. Avast! Prepare to be boarded!


Bonus pickup lines (when the ones above don't work, as they often won't)

Wanna shiver me timbers?

I’ve sailed the seven seas, and you’re the sleekest schooner I’ve ever sighted.

Brwaack! Polly want a cracker? … Oh, wait. That’s for Talk Like a PARROT Day.

That’s the finest booty I’ve ever laid eyes on.

Let's get together and haul some keel.

That’s some treasure chest you’ve got there.


And in the interest of equal time for the wenches out there:

Top Ten Pickup Lines for the Lady Pirates

10. What are YOU doing here?

9. Is that a belayin' pin in yer britches, or are ye ... (this one is never completed)

8. Come show me how ye bury yer treasure, lad!

7. So, tell me, why do they call ye, "Cap'n Feathersword?"

6. That's quite a cutlass ye got thar, what ye need is a good scabbard!

5. Aye, I guarantee ye, I've had a twenty percent decrease in me "lice ratio!"

4. I've crushed seventeen men's skulls between me thighs!

3. C'mon, lad, shiver me timbers!

2. RAMMING SPEED!

...and the number one Female Pirate Pick-up Line:

1. You. Pants Off. Now!


Here endeth the lesson.

Go forth- plunder, pillage, etc,
and remember- the Poop Deck the raised area near the stern of the ship.
The place you're looking for the called the "Head".

Famous, Arrr!

Star Trek Humor

A friend who I met 25 years ago (man, has it been that long?) when I first moved here to Jacksonville recently sent me a funny that I just have to share...
Thanks Greg-

-------

The Iranian Ambassador to the UN had just finished giving a speech, and walked out into the lobby where he met President Bush.

They shook hands, and as they walked the Iranian said, "You know, I have just one question about what I have seen in America.

President Bush said, "Well, anything I can do to help you, I will."

The Iranian whispered "My son watches this show 'Star Trek' and in it there is Chekhov who is Russian, Scotty who is Scottish, and Sulu who is Chinese, but no Arabs. My son is very upset and doesn't understand why there aren't any Iranians on Star Trek."

President Bush laughed, leaned toward the Iranian ambassador, and whispered back, "It's because it takes place in the future."

-------

Wow.

Famous, out-

Quit trying to be helpful.

Hey Google-

Knock it off,.
You're making me crazy with your suggestions, and making yourself look bad with the inane attempts at predictive marketing.



Now, the more astute of the Constant Readers out there might be pondering why the keyword "nuns" is one of my early-morning search topics.

Well... Ponder away.

I'll share the funny stuff with you, but only a limited amount of the wierd, twisted and perverted slice of my id/ego.
Even if I did tell you, trust me on this, you'd wish I hadn't.

Famous! Out-

Mini Cooper on a ski jump

If you have 10 minutes to waste on something funny,
watch this video on YouTube.com...

Mini Ski Jump

These guys on UK's Top Gear remind me of some wannabe Mythbusters...

Famous out-

Screamer removed from plane.

Uncontrollable child pulled from flight.


Now if they could just do this with the parents and idiots who insist on chatting when I have my face buried in my "don't-bug-me" paperback.

Famous out-

Errata

Save the Crab


Gil, the crab from the Honda Element commercials (of which I am a fan for obvious reasons) has gone and done it...
He was arrested recently for...well... indiscriminate pinching.
(Truth be told, we all enjoy the occasional pinch, but you have to be careful in California...)

Read about it on The Smoking Gun website...

Also, sign the petition to get Gil back in good graces with the folks at Honda...



And if you are so inclined, visit Gil's Myspace site...
(Geez- I guess *everyone* has a myspace.com site these days.)


Let's see, what else do we have piling up in the
'To be Blogged' file...

Ah...
During a recent trip to Philadelphia I came across this place...


Why the hell is Harry so damn happy? He's been dipping into the inventory, obviously.

Hmmmm...

Doesn't this ad campaign smack you as being a little racist?

I'm just saying...

And speaking of subliminal...

This is one of the designs for the 2008 Olympic Stadium in Beijing...

Rather an overtly feminine design, doncha think?

Amazing, out-