Let's finish the week on a lighter, happier note.

rah-ful-mao BD

[05-09-2008]

Before I get started, I'd like to apologize for the nega-fest my blog has been for the past few days. I have a tendency to get heated about politics I don't agree with [not so much with those I do agree with though]. Anyways, I should be way more relaxed now that the RNC is over.

A.B.S.R.D. [A Blogger Should Relax and Deal]

- While I think it's a nice concept, I don't see the practicality of video cell phone for the hearing-impaired. Before I upset anyone I just want to point out that if you hold it in one hand that limits signing ability. Also, they suggest placing it on a steady surface but that sort of takes away from the mobility of a cell phone in general. [@scientific american]

- Now, money adapted for the blind? See [haha, get it? SEE?], that is actually practical. Props to Judge Robertson for insisting this be done. Personally, I like the idea of raised numbers because different sized bills would be a hassle. [@time]

- I am such a nerd. I love TEDtalks. I "learn" a lot and laugh a bit along the way. If you have half an hour to kill, watch Pete Hirshberg talk about how the web and web 2.0 trumps teevee. If you don't want to watch 30 mins of nerdy comedy gold just skip to 25:00 where he actually gets to his point. [@ted]

- I think HP needs to take a lesson from Sony and recall the HP Pavillion dv9000. My screen cover already cracked once from overheating! [@wall street journal]

- Much like Joe Biden, I really like the idea of clean coal factories. Apparently, so does Germany. Why is everybody but the US actually doing something to help out the with the environment? [@scientific american]

- Memories have always intrigued me and now we're finally figuring out where they come from. This is really fascinating.[@nytimes]

- When I see or hear anything about breast cancer or mammograms, I just remember sitting in the auditorium at school and having to feel up three fake boobs that were either clear, had a cyst or had a tumor. This seems like a much more reliable technique. [@time]

- Last night concluded the Republican National Convention. Unfortunately, I missed John McCain's acceptance speech because I had no idea when it was and by the time I found out he was already half way through it. So instead I just read the notes on it from the TNR blogs. I'll end up watching it on youtube when I have time. The thing's an hour long! Geez![@tnr; @youtube: GOPconvention2008]

- US Open Update: I'll make this brief. The other mens semi match will be between my love Roger Federer and that Serbian I don't like Novak Djokovic. [@bbc]

Today's comic is brought to you by 1997 because last night made my head explode.

rah-ful-mao
[xx-xx-1997]
This is pretty much how I felt after watching the RNC.

A.B.S.R.D. [Absolute Bullshit is being Spread at the RNC Damnit]

- So, yeah. I watched the Republican National Convention last night to watch Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, age 44, speak. Between her and Rudy Giuliani, my head exploded approximately 2340980 times and my heart and stomach ached. Everything they said was either extremely disrespectful, exaggerated, or a flat out LIE. I was disgusted not because of what they said necessarily but because of their delivery. I just don't understand how someone can sit there and allow them to behave like bitter children. I find it completely unprofessional and don't believe that these are the people who should run our country. [@youtube: GOPconvention2008]

- There were a number of things I did last night to cool off a little. (1) I vented to my friends, (2) I read every blog post at The New Republic concerning Palin's speech and (3) I watched Sara Benincasa's Palin vlogs over and over again. I'd say they all worked out pretty well. [@tnr; @que sera sara; @youtube: SaraBenincasa]

- US Open Update: I know I said I quit womens tennis BUT I just can't help it. Any tennis is good tennis. That being said here's the line-up for the semis: Dinara Safina v. Serena Williams and Elena Dementiava v. Jelena Jankovic. On the men's side so far: Rafael Nadal v. Andy Murray. [@nytimes; @time; @bbc]

- "Hurricanes are getting fiercer" and global warming is to blame. Or is it? There's no denying that we have a lot more for storms to destroy nowadays. However, while there is more for storms to wreck, the fact of the matter is that the storms are stronger now than they used to be. I just thought it was intersting to see both of these articles within 30 mins. [@nature; @time]

- Archeologists may have found the oldest skeletons in the Americas in an underwater cave in Mexico. If the carbon-dating is accurate, this discovery may lead to a new theory of how the Americas were populated. [@national geographic]

- Speaking of old findings, the oldest gecko fossil has also been found! It's said to be around a hundred million years old. [@national geographic]

- This just makes me LOL. "Cross-dressing thief leaves fake breast behind" MSNBC sure has some quality headlines. [@msnbc]

- I may be guilty of loving a show that originated in the UK but I've been noticing a huge increase in foreign programming recently. Why don't American television producers know how to make quality original programming? [@salon]

I can't draw horses. I also can't draw dogs so there went my back up plan.

rah-ful-mao BD

[03-09-2008]

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

- I've always just assumed that peaceful protests aren't really all that peaceful. Obvs, I've yet to be proven wrong. It's kind of a shame that the ice sculpture they carved melted by the time the GOP big hitters got there. Guys, it isn't *always* cold in Minnesota. [@time]

- While doctors are still unsure that hypothermia treatment was the key component to former Buffalo Bills player Kevin Everett's parlysis recovery, the fact of the matter is that he's able to walk and that alone is simply amazing. [@scientific american]

- Apparently SciAm is all about football this week. Well, that's just fine with me because they finally answered a question I've had since last season: "What is turf toe?" [@scientific american]

- US Open Update: I'll make this brief because other than Roger Federer's nail-biting victory over Igor Andreev, I could care less about Dementieva moving into the semis or Djokovic narrowly beating Tommy Robredo [a match that I'm not too happy about]. I want my Serbians back. [@bbc; @nytimes; @nytimes]

- I don't care what anyone thinks - I own a Zune [well, technically owned.. mine was stolen a few weeks ago] and I'm proud of it. I used to own an ipod so it's not like I haven't checked out the competition. It's nice to know that someone else at least thinks about us Zune loyals. [@nytimes]

- After yesterday's post I was hoping to stay away from anything Sarah Palin BUT she's speaking at the RNC tonight so obvs I need to talk about her. This will most likely be make or break for Palin to show what kind of politician and potential veep/pres she will be. I'll save my comments for tomorrow. For now, this is what she'll need to do. [@the new republic]

Tuesdays were never meant to be Mondays.

rah-ful-mao BD

[02-09-2008]

Alright. A.B.S.R.D. is going to be a bit massive today because I didn't get around to making that weekend post I said I'd do. So to make it a little more organized, it's going to be separated into two sections: (1) All 'Bout Silly Republicans Day and (2) All 'Bout Stuff not concerning Republicans Day.


A.B.S.R.D. - The Sarah Palin Edition.

- When John McCain announced that Palin would be his running mate, my first reactions were "Who the hell is Sarah Palin??" and "The only reason he picked her is because she's a woman." I believe Joe Conason put it perfectly when he said that "Palin is the epitome of tokenism... she possesses the only two qualities that McCain now seems to consider essential: She is a right-wing religious ideologue with female gender characteristics." [@salon]

- For McCain to think he can gain the women vote just because of Palin is a complete and utter joke. I cannot express how infuriating this is for me. "How insulting, how condescending, how downright patronizing of Senator McCain to attempt such ham-fisted identity politics." Sarah Palin will not attract the votes of Hillary supporters and to think otherwise is simply foolish. [@the new republic]

- Another issue concerning Palin is her experience -or rather lack there of. As mayor of Wasilla, AK [pop. 5000+ in 1996] Palin was injecting major politcal issues and partisanship into a small-town local government. During the race, she was ruthless and beyond aggressive towards her opponent and anyone else who disagreed with her; a mindset that continued throughout her time in office. This is almost as bad as internet fights. Someone really should've told her to take a chill pill cuz that's what they said in the 90s. Then again, that may be a bit of a generalization of the decade. [@time]

- "What does a VP do anyway?" Well, for starters, a vice president is second in command. Americans need to be confident that the veep will be able to run this country if the president is unable to fulfill his or her duties. In this day and age, that person needs to be able to handle not only national issues but foreign relations as well. We see Joe Biden with 36 years of experience in both of those arenas whereas Sarah Palin has limited experience in state politics. But then again, she's from Alaska which is right by Russia so obvs she has international experience.. ? [@youtube; @the new republic; @youtube]

- While in my opinion, family matters are private and have no right to be exploited, I did find the news of Palin's 17 year old daughter's pregnancy lol-worthy. Of course she'll be marrying the father à la Jamie Lynn Spears. [@bbc]

- Let's not forget that there's is another name on the ballot in November - John McCain. In the beginning, there were a lot of center/center-left people who didn't have a big problem with McCain, he was a respectable guy. However, with the election only a few months away, John McCain has become a joke who's running "the most sarcastic presidential campaign ever." [@the new republic]

- And finally, it's time we address the Republican National Convention taking place in St. Paul, Minnesota. Honestly? The first day was pretty uneventful. Well, with the exception of the baby bomb. [@newsweek; @time]


A.B.S.R.D. - The Rest of the World Edition.

- Google's launching a new web browser called Google Chrome today! It seems pretty cool. I'll probably end up downloading it some time today to check it out. I'll let you know how it goes. [@bbc]

- We, as a country, expect so much of our president. We expect inspiration, leadership, and an answer to every problem that arises. Our view of the presidency has changed greatly over the past 200+ years; from simply upholding democracy and the Constitution to embodying and protecting the soul of our nation.[@csmonitor]

- With high gas prices and global warming, people everywhere are looking for better alternatives for transportation. [Re-]Introduce the electric car. Past models haven't really been all that we want or "need" them to be. Batteries drain fast and there isn't much power or speed involved. We're already working on the power/speed problem but what about the batteries? Shai Agassi seems to have found a pretty good answer. [@the new republic]

- Chris Jordan is quickly becoming an awesome person in my book. He's an artist who specializes in "giant photo collages." They aren't your typical collage though. They give you a visual idea of the [environmental] statistical data of our over consumption of products. You can look at his work here. [@the new republic; @chrisjordan.com]