I should invest in a dictionary comprised solely of words beginning with the letters a, b, s, r, and d

rah-ful-mao BD
[29-08-2008]

A.B.S.R.D [Alright, Barack's Speech was RIGHTEOUS at DNC]

- Last night in Denver, CO, Senator Barack Obama [IL] accepted the nomination as the democratic presidential candidate. His speech was awe-inspiring and gave us hope for a better tomorrow. Basically, he made me want to jump up and down shouting things like "U-S-A! U-S-A!" and "YES, WE CAN!!" If you missed it, you can watch the speech here. It is definitely worth your time. [@cosmic variance;@youtube]

- On the other side of the political spectrum, John McCain announced Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska as his running mate. My first thoughts? This election is getting ridiculous. Obvs he chose her to get the woman vote. I highly doubt any Hillary supporters will agree with a thing she has to say though. [@nytimes]

- US Open Update: I hereby quit womens tennis. The only person I ever really pay attention to is Ana Ivanovic [looove] and now she's out of the tourney. I feel as if I'm just setting myself up for disappointment at every grand slam [besides Roland Garros]. Also, Janko Tipsarevic [looove] retired yesterday during the middle of his match? Serbian tennis players are really tearing me apart right now. [@nytimes]

- US Open Story: I have an odd fascination with the ball boys and ball girls at grand slam tournaments. Ever since I saw the almost robotic precision of the young ball children at the French Open, I've had a dream to start a montessori pre-school to train the little ones. So when I saw this headline about a spectacular ball "girl" [she's actually 24] I got all giddy and reveled in reading the personal story behind Kelly Bruno. [@nytimes]

- Voluntary Advertisement: Vote for Marie Lyn Bernard [this girl called automatic win] at HotBloggerCalendar.com! Riese '08!!


[I'll be doing an A.B.S.R.D. post sometime this weekend because I have a lot of articles starred on Google Reader that I've been dying to use.]

Come on! You've got to build your brain bigger for the memories!

rah-ful-mao BD
[28-08-2008]

A.B.S.R.D. [A Better Solution to Rainy Days]

- US Open Update: I'll admit I'm not a *huge* fan of Jelena Jankovic [Hello, I have two other Serbians to la-la-love] but I'd expect better game play from her. Way to pull an Ivanovic? It also seems as though Novak "The Joke[r]" Djokovic is doing well [as was expected] despite being treated for an injury during his match against Arnaud Clement. Why am I talking about the Serbians I don't cheer for? Where's Ana Ivanovic? Better yet, where's Janko Tipsarevic??! [@bbc]

- Highlights from Day Three of the DNC: Barack Obama officially wins the Democratic Presidential Nomination, Joe Biden accepts the VP nomination, and Former President Bill Clinton speaks to further unify the party and support Obama's presidential campaign. [@wall street journal]

- "Don't just do something, sit there." An interesting piece on the importance/power of noticing. [@aiga]

- They better put my wisdom teeth to good use once I get them pulled if they have to ability to produce stem cells without the controversy. [@national geographic]

- I.. um, wow. A movie about facebook? Really Aaron Sorkin, really? [@bbc]

Chicken Monkey Shoes?

rah-ful-mao BD
[27-08-2008]

A.B.S.R.D. [Always Busy with Some Reading Delicacies]

- This made me literally lol while I was reading it. Dogs are the perfect solution for any and every drawing related problem! [@kottke]

- I may not like Internet Explorer [Holla Firefox!] but I love how their new "InPrivate Browsing" feature is OBVS for those who don't want to leave traces of their porn viewing behind. xD [@nytimes]

- Scientists from the University of St. Andrews [UK] have discovered a molecule that could explain the emergence of life. "This shows that you can bring order from chaos." [@nature]

- If they can make it easily accessible for those who really need it, the Robo-skeleton could replace the wheelchair [at least for the paraylzed]. This really is quite an invention. [@bbc]

- As you know [well, assuming you're American and not living under a rock] the Democratic National Convention is well under way in Denver, CO. Last night, Senator Hillary Clinton [NY] spoke in an attempt to unify the party against John McCain and to support Barack Obama. You can watch her speech here. [@salon; @nytimes; @youtube]

- US Open update: Ana Ivanovic needs to NOT scare me like that ever again. It was bad enough watching her struggle at Wimbledon and then pulling out of the Olympics. I love you Ana but sometimes I swear you're gonna give me a heart attack. On the flipside, my other tennis love, Roger Federer, played fabulously, taking only 82 minutes to finish off Maximo Gonzalez with set scores of 6-3 6-0 6-3. [@bbc]

- ALSO! Auto-winners had an advanced screening of my comic late last night. Many thanks go to Marie Lyn Bernard aka this girl called automatic win. Her writing is wonderful and fills me with joy late at night/early in the morning. Obvs this means that you should check out her blog! [@autowin]

"Sorry about your dress" is the new "Your mom"/"In bed"

rah-ful-mao BD
26-08-2008

OK. So. I feel this comic, coupled with the title, needs a bit of explaining. The use of "sorry about your dress" originates from a FAIL picture floating around the interwebs. Though it has yet to hit mainstream vocab, this little gem is rising in popularity [granted, rising in popularity strictly amongst my friends..] so I figured I should share with all of you. When do you use it? Well, besides after anyone [including yourself] says "too late", it can pretty much be used in any sort of awkward situation or when someone say "too [insert word here]". Don't believe me? Just try it out. It'll be a big success! I all but guarantee it. =]

A.B.S.R.D. [A Bit of Stellar Reads and Delights]

- I can use cows as compasses? Great! Now I don't have to shell out $500 on that GPS system. [@scientific american]

- This may be the most innovative camera design I've ever seen. Sure, it's not the most sophisticated camera, but that's not the point. Finally, children are able to truly capture the world around them. [@TED]

- U.S. Open update: I was NOT expecting to see this kind of play from Nadal. Where's the complete domination we're so used to? And James Blake? Oh James Blake.. [@bbc]

- Government enforced discrimination sickens me. I find it appaling that the people of Arkansas voted to get this on the ballot. [@time]

- The more I read about Joe Biden, the more comfortable I feel voting for him. I'm intrigued by this whole clean coal idea. [@scientific american]

- Anyone interested in trekking across the South Pole? These guys are looking for a last crew memeber! [@bbc]

- I'm really starting to like NPR's This I Believe. Here's an essay from the VP at Nike, Howard White, speaking about "The Power of 'Hello'" [@npr]

- I feel like such a nerd but I think this is really cool. Holla at Nobel Prize winning physicists! [@cosmic variance]

Back to the grind

rah-ful-mao BD
[25-08-2008]

So before I get to A.B.S.R.D. I'd like to share with you just how productive my weekend was! It consisted of painting, biking, and sitting at the computer. Holla! BUT. While sitting at the computer I actually got something done: I designed a killer t-shirt and put it up on zazzle.com. This means people can buy my awesome shirt and I get some cash flow! The shirt itself is called "Dinobot Attack" and it features the dinosaur and robot from my e-party comic. This time, instead of partying, the two are destroying the city and fighting off an angry red helicopter. Which reminds me that, YES, the design is in COLOR. The robot is a colorful mess. =]

You can check out the shirt here: http://zazzle.com/rahfulmao
[As you can see, I also have my "I Love Bears" shirt up for sale too. Perfect for those of you who like Man vs Wild]

A.B.S.R.D. [Articles By Some Real Deals]

- There are no words I can think of that accurately describe how this article made me feel. It's horrific, beautiful, and human. "My Long War" by Dexter Filkins. [@nytimes]

- What can I say? I'm a sucker for photo essays; especially ones from the Olympics. This one has a photos of the different tattoos Olympians are sporting nowadays. It's nice to see more than just the typical five colored rings of the Olympic games. However, I think there is a serious lack of athletes with stars that happen to be on the inside of their right ankles. JUST SAYING. [@time]

- Like I said, I'm a real sucker. This Olympic photo essay documents the highs and lows of the games. [@time]

- On Saturday, presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama found a vice president in the likes of Senator Joe Biden of Deleware. As a first time voter, I figured it was best to look into the other man I will be voting for in November. [@salon]

- The title alone was enough to cause a double take. A remote.. in your mouth.. controlled by your tongue?? "Study: Tongues to Control Devices" [@time]

- Finally, and most importantly [!!!], the US Open starts today!! Holla! Obvs I'll be tracking my faves aka Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic, Rafael Nadal, Gael Monfils, Venus and Serena Williams, etc. [@usopen]

Monsoons are EXTREME.

rah-ful-mao BD
22-08-2008

A.B.S.R.D. [Afternoon Bundle of Some Reading I Did]

- Don't get me wrong, I have a great amount of respect for what Michael Phelps did at the Olympics but what Usain Bolt is doing absolutely INCREDIBLE. I realize I have a huge bias when it comes to swimming vs track, but you have to admit that it is much more difficult to break track records than swimming records. Just look at the stats: 25 swimming WRs were broken at the Olympics alone compared to the 7 track WRs broken all year. [@time]

- "'I don't want to go to school,' Bolduc told his parents, the crushing reality of his situation having yet to fully dawn on his naïve consciousness. 'I want to play outside with my friends.'" Me too, Connor, me too.. [@theonion]

- All I know is that I never want to become nostalgic about $4/gal for gas. I also know that conspiracy theories are interesting. Are oil prices rigged? You tell me.

I blame this post on my obsession with Google Reader

rah-ful-mao BD
[21-08-2008]

A.B.S.R.D [All 'Bout Stuff I Read Daily]

- Microsoft launched their new photo program Photosynth today. While I'm still unsure what it's used for, it looks like a really neat program. Unfortunately, according to the website, "Photosynth is a little overwhelmed" right now so I'm not able to make a synth of my desk. Once it's up and running again, I'll be sure to post an example of it. [@pcmag; @photosynth]

- American Airlines started their "sky-high wi-fi" services yesterday finally giving passengers a reason to bother with their laptops while flying. Howevs, I think they'd have a lot more success if the service was free. Nickel and diming your passengers is not the way to get more business. [@technewsworld]

- I find it's sometimes best to forget the one thing I learned in statistics - "correlation does not imply causation." Maybe it's because I'm a Yankee/liberal/Chicagoan but I loved this article. PS - I have a/c but it's not like I really need it. [@salon]

This is one of those times where I follow through with something.

Alright. Remember that one time where I said I'd put up an example of my custom comics?

No? That's ok, I forgot too. ANYWAY, my scanner's working and I have a comic for you! HOLLA!

[if you can't tell, it's a squirrel and he's found a giant acorn.]
[comment if you'd like a comic drawn JUST FOR YOU!]

AH! I actually have things I to blog about. I don't have time right now to write all of it out. It will come soon enough I promise! [It's in my draft folder]

For now, read what I read!

- I still don't understand why this Lennart Green had a TEDTalk or how he did what he did, but this guy is ACE. If anything, I learned how to turn my hand over without moving my wrist.. [@ted]
- Congrats to Rashid Ramzi in the 1500m run for not only winning the first medal for his country [Bahrain] but for making it a gold! [@nytimes]
- For John McCain, "alternative energy" is only one word and it has four letters. [@time]
- I'll admit I never watch any of the cable news networks but I have to give props to MSNBC for giving Rachel Maddow her own show. It's great to see a woman making it out there with the "big boys." [@nytimes]
- Lower the drinking age to stop binge drinking? I think university administrators should consider other alternatives before signing on to the "Amethyst Initiative." Watch the discussion between Amethyst Initiative founder Dr. John McCardell and National President of M.A.D.D. Laura Dean-Mooney that aired on The Early Show on CBS here. [@necn; @csmonitor; @youtube]