Someone in my reference class pointed out a new search engine. Very different from anything I've seen!

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Over the weekend, we stopped in a pub to cool our heels and watched a rugby game between Wales (known as the WRU, for Welsh Rugby Union, but you can be forgiven for thinking they're the Brains) and the New Zealand All Blacks. Watching rugby is kinda like watching football, but with less waiting between plays and (so Dr. No tells me) more lust-worthy thighs. We're told rugby matches are typically slower, but this one was a blast -- the All Blacks slaughtered WRU 45-10, and you could almost sense the fear radiating from whatever poor Welsh player happened to be holding the ball.

The All Blacks -- named after their all-black uniforms -- had a reason to come out bruisin', it turns out. Before each game, they perform the haka, a traditional Maori dance. Note the throat-slitting at the end. Too awesome. Welsh rugby officials, however, aren't impressed. Before this past weekend's game, they insisted the Welsh national anthem be played after the haka. No can do, said New Zealand -- the haka is played just before the game starts, no earlier, no later. So they held their haka indoors.

See Australia make fun of the haka.

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Have you pried Hellx off your ceiling yet?

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Slug and I will be in Lawrence before Christmas (16th-19th, maybe) and the first week of January. Let us know if any of you will in around then. There might even be one of our parties (no peonies, groundhogs or fire twirling, but should be a good time none the less).
Of course, it's probably never to early to mark your calendar for the Groundhog Party. The tentative date is set for Sat. Feb., 3, 2007 here in Glenville.

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We just came back from a night of mixing political and religious talk with overconsumption of alcohol. Naturally, the night went splendidly.

Happy Thanx to all y'all.

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So I happened to be at the KU Memorial Union website today and clicked on their traditions page. Unbeknownst to me, every class has a banner that is only flown on Commencement Day. KU maintains an online gallery of the banners, however, from 1873 to 2005. My year's banner is lame, but not as lame as the next year's banner.

The 1972 banner is probably the funniest of the batch. The late 1980s also had a couple of outstanding banners with the über-traditional 1987 banner and the 1988 banner commemorating KU's NCAA championship.

A fad in the 1960s was to include T.G.I... in the banner, but the class of 1960 skipped that trend in their interestingly designed banner. The banner from 1928 recalls the flood of 1928 and you can compare the stateliness of the 1900 banner with the the tackiness of the 200 banner

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Goodluck finding out how the high school in my neighborhood, Bishop Ford, did against Cardinal Spellman in the playoffs in the pages of the NYT (they lost). However, if you're interested about about high school sports in Louisiana, the NYT is the place for you.

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Due to TSI!'s mad skillz working the cable company, when she got the KU-Nothern Arizona game on ESPN's gameplan, she also got access to ESPN's football gameplan. Well, it just so happens, that this Saturday the KU-Mizzou football game is on at 12 PM EST and the KU-Arizona basketball game is on at 10 PM EST. Will Jebus come home to TSI! standing over the bloody corpse of hellx screaming, "I don't fucking care about Nick Quartaro's play calling! Bill Self is GOD!"?

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Listen up, Hellx. And all you other single guys. There are Democrats and there are Republicans. And then there's Mr. Obama. The others don't care. But Barack? Barack wants you to score.

Wonkette points out the sad plight of Nicklaus Lovelady, a young reporter attending an Obama press conference who was blocked by Barack from making the moves on a young lady:

After about five questions from different television and newspaper reporters, I stood up to ask mine.

"Wait a minute son, this is for professional media only," Obama said to me.

"What do you mean? I work for the local paper," I said with a crackling nervous voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were a college student. You have such a baby face," he said with an unremorseful grin.

At that point everyone in the room turned to look at me and laugh. The 800 people in the lobby laughed as my face was projected on the big screen.

Remembered that girl who I was trying to get with, well she was sitting next to me and guess what she was doing?

Everyone was laughing except me.

The next time I saw that young lady was at another press conference, but this time she was acting as if she never knew me. I think I saw her maybe two more times and each time, it was the cold shoulder.

Thanks to everyone's favorite new senator, I lost big time.

Obama owes me a public apology for making me look like a court jester and for blocking my shot.

Turns out Obama does indeed feel sorry. So he called the Dickensian-named Lovelady:

Obama: This is Barack Obama.

Lovelady: Hey, how's it going?

Obama: Man, I’m calling to publicly apologize for messing up your game. I read that, I felt terrible, I didn’t realize there were any ladies around.

Hope he doesn't mean women can't be reporters. Or worse, that no woman reporter can be a lady.

Moral of the story: Any politician who calls hitting on women "your game" is worthy of vote consideration.

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A week after Slate lamented the demise of the Bus Plunge story at the NYT, a bus plunge story is featured on its website. I am particularly intrigued by the three guys in the photo who are pointing and yelling in the direction of the camera. Who are they yelling at? The photographer?

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Kent Brockman: So, professor, would you say it's time for everyone to panic?

Professor: Yes I would, Kent.

I'm jaded now. I won't panic 'til February.

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Oh my god! Oh. My. God.

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When I first read of warbles in a student lab report, I thought he intended "warblers." After reading several mentions of warbles, I made myself a teachable moment and looked them up. Boy are warbles gross. I love being a biologist.

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Introducing OhMiBod(TM), the First Socially Acceptable Vibrator -- The iPod(R) Accessory That Lets People Feel Their Music

GREENLAND, N.H., Nov. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- OhMiBod(TM) (http://www.OhMiBod.com), a music powered vibrator that translates tunes from iPods(R) into vibrations, is an overnight success. Over 2,000 of the $69 units have sold since its launch just three months ago. OhMiBod, which has not yet placed a single ad, attributes sales solely to the worldwide blogosphere. The broad acceptance it has met with demonstrates the demand for a mainstream vibrator and supports the company's belief that women desire sophisticated, approachable and easy-to-use personal pleasure products.

"I felt that creating a hip vibrator specifically for use with the iconic iPod(R) would give it a level of acceptance that vibrators have not previously enjoyed," says Suki, OhMiBod's creator, who previously worked in product marketing for Apple(R) Computer Inc. "The idea of approachability was carried through the entire development and design of OhMiBod -- its name, packaging and website." Suki's goal is for people to feel as comfortable buying an OhMiBod as they do buying an iPod(R).

How it Works

OhMiBod lets people actually feel their music. Its integrated audio circuitry converts the beat and rhythm of their favorite tunes into vibrations, creating a stimulating, non-repetitive vibration while they listen. Although optimized for all iPod(R) models, OhMiBod accepts input from virtually any electronic audio output source with a 3.5mm jack including MP3 and CD players, laptops and more. The volume controls the intensity of the vibrations, the higher the volume, the more intense the vibrations.

Elegant Design

OhMiBod's sleek form is molded from premium grade hypoallergenic white non-toxic, non-porous plastic with a chrome finish. Its audio-enabled microchip is seamlessly integrated into its design and it can easily be converted into a normal multi-speed vibrator by putting on the additional end cap.

500 Strong Beta Team

OhMiBod has, through word of mouth and the Internet, built a 500 strong beta team. Members provided input regarding its initial design, name and messaging.

Sharing OhMiBod Playlists and Experiences.

OhMiBod enthusiasts, whether they are vibrator novices or aficionados, can instantly and anonymously join a fun and hip community called "Club Vibe" (http://www.ohmibod.com/clubvibe/), which is centered around enhancing the OhMiBod experience. It provides a fun place for them to write about their experiences, trade tips and share their favorite playlists. Users can search for and purchase a variety of playlists by using OhMiBod as a search term in the iMix(TM) section of the iTunes(TM) music store. If they don't see something that tickles their fancy, they can create and upload their own iMix(TM) and share it with others.

Where OhMiBod is Sold

OhMiBod retails for $69 and is available via OhMiBod.com and select resellers worldwide. It comes packaged with a 3 ft "freedom cord", universal splitter, a multi-speed end cap for use without a music player and a hot-pink velvet privacy pouch.

OhMiBod Acsexsories(TM)

There are a variety of exciting products to choose from in the OhMiBod store including the exclusive iPod(R) Garter, OhMiBod Pinkie Sleeve, personal lubricants, toy cleaners, T-Shirts and more.

OhMiBod(TM) is trademarked by Suki, LLC. iPod(R) is a registered trademark owned by Apple Computer Inc. OhMiBod(TM) is not endorsed by Apple Computer Inc.

SOURCE OhMiBod
/CONTACT: Emma Stoner for OhMiBod, +1-603-205-1537, emma@microarts.com

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The Washinton Post's lead paragraph on orientation for new Congressmen :

The moment came for Nancy Boyda when she planted her derriere on the marble balustrade outside the U.S. Capitol, gazed up at the illuminated dome and drew in the mild evening air. She knew she wasn't in Kansas anymore.

The USA Today's lead on the same topic:

Nancy Boyda's not in Kansas anymore."

I like the USA Today's better.

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Dr. No loses her job, hellx gets one. Dr. No says that there's just one job that goes from person to person, hellx says that it was the Republican majority in Congress that was forcing him into low-skill low-wage jobs.

On Thursday, I accepted the position of fiscal manager with the the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. While I will be spending a fair amount of time at the Gordon Bunshaft designed Library for the Performing Arts, my main office will be at the central library.

Gordon Bunshaft designed two buildings that I absolutely loved hanging around as a messenger. Perhaps his most famous was the Lever House at 390 Park Avenue. Not only is it so clean and isolated from the buildings surrounding it, but the white ceiling that you see in the photos has been painted in multi-hued geometric patterns that really rounds out the building and makes it enjoyable from every vantage point.

His other building that I love is 140 Broadway with the Isamu Noguchi Red Cube. I'll never forget making a pick-up one day at 140 Broadway at a floor in the 40s. I got off the elevator, turned the corner to approach the receptionist and Wham! all of New York Harbor was in my face. I actually had to wait a while for the p/u and when the receptionist handed it to me, she apologized for making me wait. I loked at her and replied, "I was happy to wait because it gave me a chance to just enjoy the view." She laughed, nodded, and said, "Everybody has that same reaction to the view. It's fantastic."

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Dr. No remains in Virginia, which until about 2 p.m. today was land of the macaca. The house is dark when I get home. When I scoop the catbox, I scoop alone.

What wild and crazy shit should I be doing? Midnight Cinemax? Beer baths? Cat hockey? Flophousing? Whatever it is, I'm fairly certain it's not putting in 15-hour days and going home to stare at the wall. Nosiree. That regimen? No fun.

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I've gotten sick of seeing that damn Spore post at the top of Norlos so, unlike the rest of you fuckers, I'm doing something about it. Here is the official Norlos election 2006 post:

Election year 2006 was the year that the neo-conservative fuck-up of the United States became so blatantly obvious that even the incompetent imbeciles of the the Democratic national party couldn't lose. Unfortunately, the word "Republican" has become so synonymous with neo-conservatism that some of the good guys were swept out with the tide.

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The next big computer game doesn't sound like a game at all. This week's New Yorker profiles Will Wright, creater of SimCity, The Sims and the new Spore. Like the others, "Spore" isn't supposed to be a game, really. You begin life as a single-celled organism and gradually work your way up the evolutionary ladder, from gaining flippers to gaining feet to going to war with other critters to discovering space flight and taking to the stars. Yes, it's supposed to take a while to play.

From the sound of the profile, the game makes a bit of a logical leap. Supposedly, it's based on the real-life development of organisms including ourselves. As such, there comes a point where you have to decide whether you want to go to war with other organisms or peacefully co-exist. But this isn't what happened with us humans. If we ever went to war with other organisms, we won that war early and decisively. If "Spore" is true-to-life, it would have a setting where the organism is allowed to go to war with itself.

The Flash intro to the official Web site is fun to watch.

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Dr. No and I have radically different ideas of what it means to "work at home." Many of you know I work Sunday through Thursday, with Friday off. But for me, "off" is a relative term, as I've often got plenty of work to do and can spend six hours on the company laptop getting ready for the next week.

Dr. No's approach differs markedly. Obviously I'm at work most of the day, but from phone conversations and physical evidence this is what I've gleaned:*

9:15: I leave for work. Dr. No has put a pillow over her head and has settled in for the final round of shuteye.

Noon: Up in time for a lunch of sardines and soy sauce. Leave can in the sink for Mr. Guapo to rinse out.

1 p.m.: "General Hospital." Duh.

2 p.m.: She thinks, "There's got to be someone out there I can email these funny photos of cats wearing hats I found online to!"

3:15 pm: Are you familiar with the iSight function on iMacs that lets you take funny pictures of yourself? Dr. No is.

4:30 p.m.: She thinks to herself: "The more photos I take, the funnier they get!"

5 p.m. - 8 p.m.: "Beer-thirty."

8:30 p.m.: "Mr. Guapo! Make me a meatloaf sandwich!"

8:45 p.m.: "Can you toast the bread next time? Is that too much to ask?"

9 p.m.: "Wonder what Netflix brought today?"

11 p.m.: I can't keep up. I'm headed for bed. As I pass through the living room, Dr. No is mouthing Keanu Reeves's dialogue from "The Matrix." If anyone says "whoa" as well as Keanu, it's Dr. No.

*Ok, so none of this is true. The poor girl in fact put in a 14-hour day yesterday. Though she did wish I'd toasted the bread.

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