Jessie Rauch, graphic design | A Pantheon of Media Gods: "This series transforms media celebrities into Greek Gods as metaphorical commentary on the power that individual pundits and journalists have in controlling access to information and in the shaping of public opinion."
JUST MARRY HIM? | More Intelligent Life: "The Sex and the City movie was not the only big event in the public conversation about women and marriage this spring. For the thinking woman, the vapid romance flick likely took a backseat to the real head scratcher: Lori Gottlieb's controversial essay, 'Marry Him! The case for settling for Mr. Good Enough', published in the Atlantic in March."
Download the software and make some yourself (it's free) or just laugh at what other people post. GraphJam
This is just about the coolest damn thing I've seen in awhile. Basically, it's a flickr photo search via tags. You start out by entering your first key word. "Ireland" for example. Then more sub-choices pop up. Keep clicking on your sub-tags until you've narrowed your choice to what you are looking for. Then click the globe in the center and the app gathers the applicable photos from flickr and plants them on the spinning globe. LOVE THIS! Warning: ADDICTIVE!
Click Tag Galaxy to access the site.
Prisoners Dilemma Contest: Whats the One Question You'd Ask If.......
By Stephen J. Dubner
Pretend for a minute that you have done something to put yourself in jeopardy and are facing a real-life Prisoner’s Dilemma. Now pretend additionally that you get to choose your partner in the dilemma. There are three people to choose from. You cannot see or talk directly to the three people, but you are allowed to ask one question of each of the three people to help make your decision.
What is the one question you’d ask?
Read the entire post and submit your contest answer at: Freakonomics - New York Times Blog:Law of Attraction and Effective Parenting
"Struggle is not part of the natural order of life. One never sees a cherry tree struggle to produce blossoms when given the right environment. Why? Because the tree is simply following its purpose—its basic nature. Fortunately, struggle does not have to be part of the parenting equation either. This is good news for many parents because if we choose to use the law of attraction we can experience a happier, more peaceful and respectful home. Yes, this can even mean eliminating award-winning temper tantrums for good. Sound too good to be true?" Read on.
Rebecca J. BurnsA new study warns that writing text messages could hurt a writer's command of standardized English. lol.
The revenge of e.e. cummings - International Herald Tribune
1. Do a cartwheel.
2. Sing into your hairbrush.
3. Walk barefoot in wet grass.
4. Play a song you like really loud, over and over.
5. Dot all your “i”’s with smiley faces.
6. Read the funnies. Throw the rest of the paper away.
7. Dunk your cookies.
8. Play a game where you make up the rules as you go along.
9. Step carefully over sidewalk cracks.
10. Change into some play clothes.
11. Try to get someone to trade you a better sandwich.
12. Eat ice cream for breakfast.
13. Kiss a frog, just in case.
14. Blow the wrapper off a straw.
15. Have someone read you a story.
16. Find some pretty stones and save them.
17. Wear your favorite shirt with you favorite pants even if they don’t match.
18. Take a running jump over a big puddle.
19. Get someone to buy you something you really don’t need.
20. Hide your vegetables under your napkin.
21. Stay up past your bedtime.
22. Eat dessert first.
23. Fuss a little, then take a nap.
24. Wear red gym shoes.
25. Put way too much sugar on your cereal.
26. Make cool screeching noises every time you turn a corner.
27. Giggle a lot for no reason.
28. Give yourself a gol"
"I have to admit, I'm as lazy as the next guy. I have my moments of productivity, where I'm cranking out the tasks and checking things off my to-do list like my life depended on it.
But for the most part, I just want to do a few things each day, and then take a nap.
And as it turns out, that's all that's needed. Doing just a few things each day has worked wonders for my productivity -- I do less, but those few things I do have a higher impact."
The Pollster Wants to Know - New York Times:
"IF there’s butter and white wine in your refrigerator and Fig Newtons in the cookie jar, you’re likely to vote for Hillary Clinton. Prefer olive oil, Bear Naked granola and a latte to go? You probably like Barack Obama, too. And if you’re leaning toward John McCain, it’s all about kicking back with a bourbon and a stuffed crust pizza while you watch the Democrats fight it out next week in Pennsylvania.
If what we eat says a lot about who we are, it also says something about how we might vote."
From Freakonomics -New York Times Blog:
“Then what, what you gonna do, when the new wears off and the old shines through, and it ain’t really love and it ain’t really lust, and you ain’t anybody anyone’s gonna trust. … When you can’t turn back for the bridges you burn….”
The guy in the song is willing to throw out his marriage, even though he may know that in the future, the affair will come to nothing and he will lose his wife and family. He values the present pleasure much, much more than he worries about the future pain. It’s not just that he has a high discount rate; he values pleasure now much more than he is bothered by pain next year — even though, if he were asked today to compare an affair three years from now to the pain it would cause him the following year, he would choose not to have the affair. We economists call this strange valuation of present and future hyperbolic discounting — people overemphasize current pleasure and pain in comparing actions at different points in time."
Full text
The New Rules of Technology in Relationships
"Ever since technology -- text messaging in particular -- invaded our relationships, there's been a lot of gray area as to what the rules are. So I decided to set the record straight once and for all. After all, sometimes love and electronics just don't mix..."
... from the Editor of Sex on My Desk at ivillage.com
"Now, the average person can become adept at identifying dishonesty, and it's not as hard as you might think. Experts tell WebMD the top 10 ways to let the truth be known."
Link to 10 Ways to Catch a Liar:
That's an Irish proverb there, not just me rambling about butter again. So in the interest of promoting healthy living this St. Pat's, I offer you this fine little primer on Irish Whiskey from JC Skinner's Skin Flicks blog.
"It's whiskEy not whisky. With an 'E' and it's Irish, without and it's Scotch. Some Yanks like to spell their Bourbon the Irish way, with the E. This is a mistake, since the vast majority of Bourbon isn't proper whiskey at all. In my opinion, of course."
.... and so it begins. Slainte!
JC Skinner's guide to Irish Whiskey:
"In a world where Britney Spears is crazy, Lindsay Lohan is easy and Rihanna is just asking to get beat by Beyonce, it’s a surprise we could possibly care about insignificant things like text messaging. It really makes you wonder what this world is coming to. However, despite the utter silliness of it all, it’s still important to follow the rules. What rules, you ask? The text messaging rules. Because as we know, with any game there are rules and with every broken rule, you take one step closer to becoming a hermit with no dignity. Harsh, I know. No one said it would be easy."
Link
If your level of sobriety and sense of adventure compel you to go beyond simply boiling some spuds this Paddy's Day, there are some eclectic options on this site. A few examples...
Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes
Guinness German Potato Salad
Guinness Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue
Link
Get the best deals on everything from airline tickets to a car. It's all in your timing.
~ Men's Wealth at menshealth.com
While the title is a bit misleading (it's a very short list so if your idea of "Anything" is 6 things....), it still has some useful "tidbits." Like:
What: Airline tickets
When: 1 a.m. on Wednesday
Why: This is the best time to find a deal because airlines reset their fares every Wednesday just after midnight, says Peter Greenberg, Men's Health Travel Detective.
Link
The writers at Men's Health have come up with a dandy little list of body tricks you can actually use. 
Yes, yes, we'd ALL like to figure out how to balance on one hand during keg stands but come on, how often do you actually USE that skill? Twice a year? Instead, try this practical sample of manly wisdom:
If your throat tickles, scratch your ear!
"When you were 9, playing your armpit was a cool trick. Now, as an adult, you can still appreciate a good body-based feat, especially if it serves as a health remedy. Take that tickle in your throat; it's not worth gagging over. Here's a better way to scratch your itch: "When the nerves in the ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm," says Scott Schaffer, M.D., president of an ear, nose, and throat specialty center in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. "This spasm relieves the tickle."
So, uh, does it work for girls too? lol
Link
A Psychology Today article explaining how it takes more than the "L" word to make a relationship work.
On a sidenote, I just ran across a great quote that struck a chord on the subject:
"I need someone who believes that the sun will rise again, but who does not fear my darkness. Someone who can point out the rocks in my way without making me a child by carrying me. Someone who can stand in thunder and watch the lightning and believe in a rainbow." ~Fr. Joe Mahoney
I'm not going to comment on the fact the comment was made by a priest. lol.
Link
Psychology Today: Rock Around the Doc: Metallica in Therapy
What's a band to do when they just feel a bit lost, like they aren't seeing one another for who they REALLY are anymore? Why, hit the couch of course. Sorry groupies, wait outside.
Let me say for the record that I sincerely applaud Metallica for not only their decision to seek help but, even more courageous, to go public with it to help others. With that said, I really just can't help laughing my arse off at quotes like these... Just waiting to turn on Oprah and watch them passing tissue boxes around. It just feels so.... 'This is Spinal Tap'.
Lars: "...it happened so naturally. Phil opened that door. It was amazing to sit there with people who you'd spent over half your life with and get to know them for the first time, get to love them for the first time."
James: "I know that we created some type of spark with our negative energy, and I know we can do the same with our positive energy. We've used a lot of energy going nowhere. But as far as losing my edge, I feel I'm sharper than ever."
Link
Psychology Today: Intimacy: The Art of Relationships
Definitely a worthwhile read... here's a brief excerpt from the intro:
"...most of what goes wrong in a relationship stems from hurt feelings. The disappointment couples experience is based on misunderstanding and misperception. We choose a partner hoping for a source of affection, love, and support, and, more than ever, a best friend. Finding such a partner is a wonderful and ecstatic experience--the stage of illusion in relationships, it has been called.
...there then sets in the state of disillusion. We somehow don't get all that we had hoped for. He didn't do it just right. She didn't welcome you home; she was too busy with something else; maybe she didn't even look up. But we don't have the skills to work out the disappointments that occur. The disappointments big and little then determine the future course of the relationship."
Link
Psychology Today: Relationship Rules
The author suggests printing these out and keeping them on your refrigerator as a reminder. After reading through them, I must say I'd agree. A few favorites:
* Know your needs and speak up for them clearly. A relationship is not a guessing game. Many people, men as well as women, fear stating their needs and, as a result, camouflage them. The result is disappointment at not getting what they want and anger at a partner for not having met their (unstated) needs. Closeness cannot occur without honesty. Your partner is not a mind reader.
* View yourselves as a team, which means you are two unique individuals bringing different perspectives and strengths. That is the value of a team--your differences.
* Know how to manage differences; it's the key to success in a relationship. Disagreements don't sink relationships. Name-calling does. Learn how to handle the negative feelings that are the unavoidable byproduct of the differences between two people. Stonewalling or avoiding conflicts is NOT managing them.
Link
Workplace Vocabulary
Funny stuff. A few examples...
TESTICULATING: Waving your arms around and talking Bollocks."
ASSMOSIS: The process by which people seem to absorb success and advancement by sucking up to the boss rather than working hard.
PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see that's going on. (This also applies to applause from a promotion because there may be cake.)
Link
Oh... ummm...uhh... I guess boys can use it too...
Marie Claire's pick as their "favourite new website."
"In an online first, you can pick the model which looks most like you, pick the underwear you like the most and then your model will try it on for you, strut up and down the catwalk so you can see the knickers from both the front and back. What's more, there's free delivery on all orders and brands on offer include Calvin Klein, Damaris and Princess Tam Tam.For the men in your life, there's also a boys' buying guide. Why not send him the link?"
Link
So how excited am I to finally be a trendsetter? Very. Long before this list was published, I already had Poo and Pee sitting on my desk in prep for my son's potty training adventures. It's hard to believe I am, indeed, that cool. So I posted a photo above to prove it. So there.
Also filed in the WTF? folder? The teddy bear gun (yep, fires bears at kids) and the sled. Yes, it is a sled. For children. Baffling, eh?
Link
"What are the World's Cheesiest Love Songs?
Hmmm... Well, it's a matter of debate, but this playlist is at the very least a great start in getting to the bottom of it. A fine collection of gooey, bowel-clogging slag that can provide the foundation for your own personal love fondue.
There have been more cheesy love songs written than most would ever care to hear, but don't fret. We've filtered out anything with even the tiniest amount of artistic credibility to help create the ultimate in love song trumpery. Only the most sappy, overproduced, pop hit fromage has been included.
This playlist works it two diametrically opposed manners. The first is as a group of emotionally charged tear-jerkers that will truly appeal to some percentage of the population. You know the type. These are the people that will be the first to die in the initial chaos that ensues when Armageddon unfolds.
The second is as a satirical look into the very worst of pop music that will make being alone on Valentine's day seem like the better choice.
I have not ordered the list as many of these songs are true equals in their woe."
I think I'll let their description speak for itself.
Link
"We often assume that true understanding is conveyed through spoken speech rather than gesture, but new research shows that "talking with your hands" can not only reveal different information than spoken language, it can be both more correct and yield better learning."
Link
Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant in the world, but few use it to maximal advantage. Get optimally wired with these tips.
Definitely one of the more useful articles I've read on how to show the Joe who's boss and make it really work for you. To get you started, here's your first hit:
1) Consume in small, frequent amounts.
Between 20-200mg per hour may be an optimal dose for cognitive function.
Caffeine crosses the blood-brain barrier quickly (owing to its lipid solubility) although it can take up to 45 minutes for full ingestion through the gastro-intestinal tract. Under normal conditions, this remains stable for around 1 hour before gradually clearing in the following 3-4 hours (depending on a variety of factors).
Link
In leaving a comment for someone, I was just backhanded by the Ghost of Fabulously Random Gifts Past and remembered an old friend sitting on a shelf in my office. Fun times. Many many fun times.
I give these my highest rec.....
And as an aside, if lederhosen are "your thing" ( let's face it, you ARE still reading this) here's an article about Luxury Lederhosen that might interest you....
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20412240/
One of my NEW FAVORITE THINGS! Paul Anka- yes, I know, I too was shocked he made my very elusive NFT list as well- doing covers (and good ones!) of such alternative hits as "Mr. Brightside" and "Smells Like Teen Spirit." When I put the latter on my myspace site as the profile song, the response was outstanding.
Toss this in the CD tray at a party and it's a guaranteed showstopper. Just grab your martini and watch as people's expressions change once they begin to realize they recognize the song he's singing. It's like all brain motion stops for a nanosecond while their minds struggle to absorb the dichotomy. Fabulous.
Check out Paul singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on YouTube. I don't care what kind of music you usually listen to- hearing Anka croon "Oh no! I know a dirty word!" is titter-worthy.
A cool Halloween theme for a bloody good time.
See more of my How to Host a "Dexter" Party list at ThisNext.
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