Oct 27 2009 Delicious Memories: An Awesome 80's Cake

This is an awesome 80's cake that combines elements of this cake, this cake, sort of this cake, and these blue bastards. Really takes you back, doesn't it? I remember watching Smurfs. And I, for one, am not ashamed to admit that I know you had a crush on Smurfette. She's not even your species! Plus blue! *high five*

Hit the jump for closeups of the different elements.

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Oct 25 2009 All Windows Start Up And Shutdown Noises

Ever wanted to hear all the Windows startup and shutdown sounds from Windows 3.1 to Vista (suck it, Windows 7, you can't play with us!) in one short 1:11 video? Well you're in luck, cause here it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AYE AYE AYE!!!! Really brings back memories, doesn't it? Yeah, mostly bad ones, but still. Hey -- just be thankful you're not that guy in Momento.

Complete collection of Windows startup/shutdown sounds [dvice]

Oct 14 2009 Live Action Mario, Lou Albano, Dies At 76

Some of you whippersnappers may be too young to remember the awesomeness that was the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, a 52-episode series that come out in '89. But I do, because it was on tv, and tv was my only friend (plus on Fridays there were Zelda cartoons!).

Wrestling fans know him as the WWE Hall of Famer who managed more than 50 wrestlers in his day, with more than two dozen championships won by athletes taken under his wing. 80's music fans might remember him from his appearances in many Cyndi Lauper music videos, including "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", "She Bop", "Time After Time" and "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough." As gamers, we of course remember him as the best live-action Mario of all time.

Sadly, Lou Albano passed away today at 76. He will be missed.

Opening credits to the show on Youtube HERE.
Entire show HERE.

Live-Action Mario Dead At 76 [kotaku]

Thanks to Doctor Steel, Aisha and Gabriel, who promise to send flowers to the funeral. Good looking, guys -- but they better be fireball flowers and not Piranha plants.

Sep 11 2009 9/11: The World Trade Center From Space

This is a picture of the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, taken by current commander of the International Space Station at the time, Frank Culbertson. Damn, has it really been eight years? Remember.

The World Trade Center Terrorist Attack from Space [gizmodo]

Jun 27 2009 First Image Of A New Memory Being Formed

Allegedly, this is the first image captured of a new memory being formed on the cellular level. If your brain were dinner, new memories would be the glowing noodle appetizer.

The image shows that proteins are created at connections between brain cells when a long-term memory is formed. Neuroscientists had suspected as much, but hadn't been able to see it happening until now.

Scientists still want to understand more about how our brains translate memories made on the go into long-term storage. Since synapses are connections between cells, experts think that fortifying these connections, or perhaps even making new ones, helps our minds associate different ideas and form memories of connected events.

Speaking of memories, you remember the time we snuck off and made out in that house that was being built? Yeah, that was really, um -- that wasn't you, was it? Oh synapse!

First Image of a Memory Being Made [livescience]

Feb 17 2009 I Need A Rx!: Pill May Help Erase Memories

Finally, doctors are developing a pill that can help erase bad memories. Yes! Take two and forget to call me in the morning.

The method, using existing blood pressure pills, could be useful for weakening or erasing bad memories in people with post-traumatic stress disorder, the researchers say.

Some ethicists see problems, question whether such treatments begin to alter what it means to be human.

There's apparently a natural way to rid yourself of bad memories, too. A 2007 study involving brain scans found that test subjects had the ability to suppress specific memories at a particular moment in time through repeated practice.

First of all, is ethicist a paying position? I may want to apply. Secondly, there's an even more natural way of erasing memories -- it's called binge drinking. Unfortunately, it hasn't been working for me lately. So, let's get down to the brass tacks: how many pills do I need to erase nine years?

Pill May Be Able to Erase Bad Memories [aolnews]

Thanks to Dave, who's still trying to forget about the girl he woke up next to. Dave, that's your wife, man.

Jan 14 2009 Highly Questionable Guitar: The Wangcaster

Want to jam out on the guitar and look like you're stroking a giant member at the same time? Yeah, me neither. Unless you said yes first, in which case, DO I!

Wangcaster
via
Time to dumb down the guitar [splicetoday]

Thanks to Andrew, who had a Gibson Flying Vagina but set it on fire at a concert.

Dec 10 2008 Craft Time!: Make Your Own Zombie Barbie

Want to make your own zombified Barbie doll? No problem. All it takes is some paint, a razor blade, some Sculpey, a regular Barbie doll, and some brains (!). Hit the jump to see the basic process, which is so simple even a zombie could do it (!). Ha, this reminds me of when I was a kid and I'd always steal my little sister's Barbies and rip their heads off and set them on fire. Without fail the brat would always threatening to tell mom on me. So you know what I did? I told her I'd murder her imaginary friend if she even thought about it. Love you Kaitlyn!

Hit it for a bunch more, including the process.

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Nov 3 2008 Who Am I And Where The Hell Are My Pants?: Scientists Study Possibility Of 'Amnesia Beam'

Being able to selectively delete memories, this sounds promising.

A team of scientists from the United States and China announced last week that, for the first time, they had found a means of selectively and safely erasing memories in mice, using the signaling molecule αCaMKII. It's a big step forward, and one that will be of considerable interest to the military, which has devoted efforts to memory manipulation as a means of treating post-traumatic stress disorder. But some military research has moved in another direction entirely.

Wow, really? Who would have thought -- another direction entirely. Brainwashing anybody? I didn't really bother reading the rest of the article because I've been picking through my Halloween candy, but it said something about flashing lights and microwave exposure to the brain. Which can only mean one thing: how can I get the microwave to run with the door still open?

Military Investigates Amnesia Beams [wired]

Thanks to....uh, damnit, it was just on the tip of my tongue. Thanks to....shit, hold on. Thanks to Allegro, who could out-memory two elephants easily.

Oct 17 2008 Cosplay Friday!: Street Fighter's Chun Li

Ah, cosplay. I love it. And furplay, that's cool too. I think. So anyway, Francesca Dani is trying to give Jenni Källberg (aka the love of my life) a run for her cosplay money. And here she is as Chun-Li from Street Fighter. Looking good! Oh man, this reminds me -- remember when Street Fighter II came out for home consoles and you could do Chun Li's Spinning Bird Kick (the one where she spins around upside down like a helicopter) and pause the game to see her underwear? Yeah, I never did that either.

Hit the jump for a few more and a link to Francesca's cosplay page.

Alright folks, I'm off to New Orleans, wish me luck. And boobs. I'll see you all bright and early Monday morning, with bells on and puke in my shoes.

Continue Reading " Cosplay Friday!: Street Fighter's Chun Li "

Aug 25 2008 Smart Goggles Help Find Stuff You've Lost

Smart Goggles not only make you look cool, they help find stuff you've misplaced.

To use the glasses, the wearer first wanders around a house or workplace for an hour or so, looking at the objects he or she may later want to find in a hurry. Each time the camera focuses on a object - such as a set of keys, a mobile phone or a purse - the wearer says the name aloud. The name is then recorded and stored into the memory.

Once the names have been programmed in, the glasses will try to find the right name for any object they come across. The names appear in small type on the viewfinder. If they are unable to recognise an object they make a guess and - if they get it wrong - learn from their mistakes.

At some point in the future, if the wearer is trying to find their keys in a hurry, they simply name the object. The glasses search its video memory and show its last known location on the display.

Pretty neat concept, but I don't need any help finding my phone or keys. You see, I keep the phone in my car's cupholder, and just leave the keys in the ignit....freaking crackheads!

The Smart Goggles that could make lost keys, mobile phones or iPod a think of the past [dailymail]

Thanks Lauren, and no, I haven't seen your virginity -- but I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Jul 14 2008 Why Not?: Kid Makes N64 Controller Pipe

Ah, it seems like only yesterday I was a college freshman in the dorm puffing on a tinfoil pipe and blowing the smoke through a dryer-sheet filled 20oz bottle. Good times. Which could have been better if I had a wicked N64 pipe at the time. But I didn't. What I did have was a dorm custodian that would occasionally drop off a rubber glove stuffed with a NASCAR lighter and partially smoked pipe for me to finish off. I'd give anything to be 18 again.

N64 Controller Bong Combines the Two Reasons Your College GPA Sucked [gizmodo]

Thanks Alex, send me a picture after you make an X-Hotbox 360 and I'll post it.

Jul 10 2008 Rock-afire Explosion Band For Sale On eBay!

Well after yesterday's exciting Rock-afire Explosion post, a loyal tipster has notified me there's a set for sale on eBay. And it's only $14,000!

Showbiz Pizza Rock-afire Explosion Complete Show for Sale!

Complete 3 stage show with curtains and curtain rods. Show is mostly restored and ready to install at your location.

Of course, there are a few things about the auction that concern me. For starters, the seller only has 50% positive feedback for the past year. In one instance it was claimed they never sent an item that was paid for.

I Never Received Merchandise- Refund bounced. No Response from Seller

In another, they backed out of purchasing a car.

Car was misrepresented in ad; had to turn off with a screwdriver & more problems

Ha, the old bait and screwdriver ignition switch, freaking classic. No, but what really worries me is this: I've got the distinct feeling this particular band was used to lure kids into some guy's basement (more pics after the jump). After all, no child can resist free pizza and a couple songs played by the Rock-afire Explosion. And, as I learned years ago, some creepy dude trying to touch your butt doesn't seem all that awkward after watching their performance.

Hit the jump for the rest of the pictures and a link to the auction.

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Jul 9 2008 Okay: Showbiz Pizza Rock-afire Explosion Band Programmed To Play Other Songs

Remember Showbiz Pizza? It was like Chuck E. Cheese's, but with some southern flair. It was the total awesome when I was six. They had a playground with slides, a ball pit, all kinds of video games, pizza, and an animatronic band called the Rock-afire Explosion. You'd settle down to eat some greasy-ass pizza and watch the show while your dad chugged pitchers of beer and stole your game tokens. Well now two of the original programmers of the show are programming the long-defunct band to play new songs. This video is of "Love in this club" by Usher, but there are two by Madonna and Shakira after the jump. You definitely didn't see these songs performed at Showbiz as a kid! You did, however, probably see a turd in the ballpit.*

*And it was mine! That pizza always ran right through me.

Hit the jump for the others.

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May 12 2008 Sure, Why Not?: Get Buried Underwater

Some people are happy being cremated and spending eternity in an urn on the fireplace mantel that the grandkids get all freaked out about. Others are happy with a traditional burial 6 feet under -- but some, some take it a step further and want to rest 45 feet under. Enter the Neptune Memorial Reef, near Miami. The artificial reef opened this last fall, and is an underwater cemetery. The first phase consists of gates, pathways, plaques, and benches, and can hold up to 850 people's remains.

The ashes are mixed with cement designed for underwater use and fitted into a mold, which a diver then places and secures into the reef. A copper and bronze plaque is installed with the person's name, date of birth and death. There is also a line for a message.

The cement mixer treatment starts at $995 for their most modestly priced receptacle, and goes all the way to $6,495 if you want to be incorporated into something wicked like a lion statue. The hope is that eventually the reef will cover 16 acres and hold the burnt remains of up to 125,000 people.

"This is simply as good as it gets," said Gary Levine, a diver who conceived the reef and is now a shareholder in the company that owns it.

Whoa there Gary, whoa there. First off, that is not as good as it gets. Having your remains shot into outerspace in a rocketship is as good as it gets. And secondly, it's a little hard to trust anyone who has "conceived a reef". Now I've conceived children before, but never a reef. As a rule I keep my conceiver away from anything sharp like coral. Cut up your junk real bad.

Several more pictures (including a lion) after the jump.

Continue Reading " Sure, Why Not?: Get Buried Underwater "

May 1 2008 Albert Hofmann, Father Of LSD, Passed Away

Albert Hofmann, the father of LSD (that awesome stuff that makes the walls melt and/or talk to you), has died of a heart attack at age 102.

Albert Hofmann (January 11, 1906 - April 29, 2008) was a Swiss scientist best known for having been the first to synthesize, ingest and communicate the strong hallucinogenic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann authored more than 100 scientific articles and wrote a number of books, including LSD: My Problem Child. On January 11, 2006, Hofmann became a centenarian, and the occasion of his 100th birthday was the focus of an international symposium on LSD.

That's a picture of him there at age 100, looking healthy and zany as ever. Which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that acid is, in fact, the fountain of youth.*

* This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA. It has, however, been evaluated by me tripping balls and going to the rollerskating rink. Which was great -- I talked to my skates for over an hour. Good people.

Wikipedia

Thanks to Kathryn, who's a real trip to be around, for the tip

Oct 24 2007 Mix Tape Flash Drive Is Retro-Modern

The MIXA is a 1GB USB drive that looks like a cassette tape. It takes this idea to the next level. You got to the MIXA website and use some graphic creation software to design a custom sticker for each side of the tape, along with a sleeve to store the drive in. It costs $40 for all this action, but you also get some more MIXA stickers and a USB extension cable. Which still doesn't make it worth it. Now I'm no handyman, but I've got the feeling I'm capable of wedging a $10 flash drive into a cassette tape and printing off some stickers of unicorns and kitties to slap on. Which will leave me with about $25 left over to apply to a MIXA when my shit falls apart.

Make A Mixa - Cassette Shaped USB Drive [ohgizmo]

Sep 18 2007 Talking Photo Album Steals Your Voice

This talking photo album, from Vat19, uh, talks. You can record a 10 second statement for each of the 24 photos in the album and then listen to them while you're reliving the memories. It costs $20, and isn't that bad of an idea if you plan on dying. I'm getting one to set on the coffee table for visitors. "On the next page is a picture of my testicles, don't look if you don't believe me. HAHA! You turned. You are so gay, those are my balls! Those are them! They're attached to me. Sucker! Now put down the album because the next page has private pictures of my girlfriend. Seriously, stop. HAHA! Gotcha -- you turned again! More balls! Whee!"

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