How Do You Photograph A 300 Foot Sequoia?

You stitch together 83 individual photos.  Here’s the brilliant result:

Photo by Michael Nicols.

Video of the shoot (which proves he didn’t just use Photoshop, cynical) at Gizmodo.

Quote Of The Day

“You are being shagged by a rare parrot.”

A) That parrot’s got moves.
B) Is it just me, or is that parrot totally smiling?

Headline Of The Day

“China Tries To Ward Off Rain At Festivities” (NYT)

Ohhh, China.

Why You Shouldn’t Facebook Your Mom, Reason #239,420

Twitteleh: Twitter For Your Jewish Mother

BRILLIANT.

Thanks, Alex

New Britney!

Burj Dubai Versus The Empire State Building And Dubai, You Are Stupid

Skyscraper followers will be happy to know that the Burj Dubai, although not completely finished, has topped out at the official height of 2,684 feet (that’s, like, half a mile) and is now officially the tallest building on the planet!

If you’re having trouble wrapping your mind around those numbers, you’re not the only one.  Here’s some help:

Wow.

The folks over at This Is The Green Room did some computations to compare the views of midtown New York from the Empire State Building to the same view were it from the Burj Dubai.  The difference is staggering:

Additional, similar comparisons here.

While all of this is plenty fascinating, one has to remember that the geography of Dubai in no way required such an outlandishly expensive  (impractical?) structure and since Dubai’s building craze was conducted with the same zeal as a 6-year-old pursuing ice cream, the country is basically in a big fat bankruptcy clusterfuck right now.

Oh, and note to Dubai: before you try to make the world’s new vacation destination, you may want to take a step back and realize that Islamic law prohibits just about EVERYTHING THE REST OF THE WORLD ENJOYS DOING ON VACATION. Just sayin’.

And lastly in my “Dubai, You Are Stupid” rant, is this little video from Gizmodo. What do you get when you build the world’s tallest building in a fucking desert?!  Really, really dusty windows.  And dusty windows need cleaning.

More on the Burj Dubai at Wikipedia

Gratuitous Pic(s) Of The Day: Ben Cohen

Question: What do you get when you take this 6′ 2″ body…

…plus this smile…

…and add an English accent, a rugby career, and the bonus uncut cock (according – randomly – to Wikipedia)?

Answer: PERFECTION.

More photos at Towleroad, via Attitude Magazine.

Quoted: Dan Savage

Sometimes our subconscious mind takes the lemons of our sexual insecurities and turns them into delicious bonerade.

From his latest column.

The Killers’s “All These Things I’ve Done” Covered For Charity

War Child, the international network of charities that work to improve the lives of children affected by war, has pulled together some up-and-coming UK musicians for a follow-up single to their “War Child: Heroes, Vol. 1” disc of earlier this year.

The artists, collectively known as the Young Soul Rebels, tackle a slightly-reworked “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers, focusing on the love it or hate it “I got soul but I’m not a soldier” chorus.

The Young Soul Rebels consist of N-Dubz, Pixie Lott, Tinchy Stryder, Frankmusik, V.V. Brown, Kid British, Chipmun, Mpho, McLean, Ironik, Domino Go, Bashy, Egypt, and the London Community Gospel Choir.

The MP3 will be available Oct 19.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” Documentary Trailer Premiers

LOVE IT.

This film is going to make me really sad for what those concerts could have been.

VMA Tribute To Michael Jackson

Very well done, MTV.

PS: Janet’s new single, “Make Me”, which “pays loving tribute to” Michael’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, is currently streaming on Janet’s website.

Quoted: Lady Gaga

“This is for God and The Gays.”

- Lady Gaga’s closing statement of her VMA acceptance speech as winner, Best New Artist.

Yet Another “Family Values” Republican Caught With His Pants Down

I find all this hypocrisy very tiring, so I’ll just summarize:

- Republican Assemblyman from California Michael D. Duvall
- Married with two kids
- Pro “family values” and supported anti-gay Prop 8
-  While waiting for a legislative session to start, was caught on a live mic speaking to a colleague about the graphic details of the affair he is having
- The affair is with a lobbyist.
- He just resigned.  (And I guess that gets a pat on the back these days?)

Sigh.  It’s becoming all so predictable, isn’t it?

Video from the local news, after the jump.

Home Staging Fail

Blog Of The Day: “Best Of Wikipedia”

Wikipedia- and trivia-philes rejoice: “Best Of Wikipedia” pulls together interesting, bizarre, random and anything else that qualifies as “Best Of” and gives you the first paragraph or summary blurb of the page.  Two of my favorites:

D. B. Cooper
D. B. Cooper is the name attributed to a man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft in the United States on November 24, 1971, received US$200,000 in ransom, and parachuted from the plane. The name he used to board the plane was Dan Cooper, but through a later press miscommunication, he became known as “D. B. Cooper”. Despite hundreds of leads through the years, no conclusive evidence has ever surfaced regarding Cooper’s true identity or whereabouts, and the bulk of the money has never been recovered.

Um, I’ve definitely never heard of that story.

Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116
Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 was a name intended for a Swedish child who was born in 1991. Parents Elisabeth Hallin and Lasse Diding had planned to never legally name their child as a protest against the naming law of Sweden so, a district court in Halmstad, southern Sweden, fined them. Responding to the fine, the parents submitted the 43-character name in May 1996. The court rejected the name.

It’s pronounced “Albin” and it’s not the only such controversy.

More: Best Of Wikipedia

In other Wikipedia news, they have recently announced that they will color certain passages if it is suspected they may be less than factual.  Sounds like a good step.  More about that here.

Cash For (American) Clunkers

Top “Clunker” Trade-Ins 1. Ford Explorer 2. Ford F-150 Pickup (2WD) 3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4. Ford Explorer 5. Dodge Caravan/Gr. Caravan 6. Jeep Cherokee 7. Chevrolet Blazer 8. Chevrolet C1500 pickup 9. Ford F-150 (4WD) 10. Ford Windstar

Top Sellers 1. Toyota Corolla 2. Honda Civic 3. Toyota Camry 4. Ford Focus 5. Hyundai Elantra 6. Nissan Versa 7. Toyota Prius 8. Honda Accord 9. Honda Fit 10. Ford Escape

Well done, Japanese!

Source.

Butt Sex Makes Everything Less Complicated

[On an unrelated note, my computer is currently in California being fixed by the Apple gods and I've been super busy at work, so I apologize for the few-and-far-between updates.]

Florida Govenor Crist: I Prayed Away The Huricanes

Charlie Crist, homosexual

Anti-gay closeted homosexual and Florida Governor Charlie Crist has recently said that Florida’s current hurricane dry spell is because of his communications with God:

Crist noted that just before his election in 2006, Florida had been affected by a total of eight hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

“Do you know the last time it was we had a hurricane in Florida? It’s been awhile. In 2007, I took my first trade mission. Do you know where I went?” said Crist, a Methodist, referring to a trip to Israel.

He then told of going to the Western Wall and inserting a note with a prayer. He said it read, “Dear God, please protect our Florida from storms and other difficulties. Charlie.”

“Time goes on – May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December – no hurricanes,” Crist said. “Thank God.” (Source)

Crist is currently running to become a US senator.

Ew.

Temperature 85°!?  Ew.
Dew point 77°!? Ew.
Relative humidity 76%!? Ew.
Heat index: 96°!? Ew.

Michael Jackson Film: New Details, Release Date

More info on the film I first reported on here.

The Times:

The documentary compiled from Michael Jackson’s rehearsals for the concert series he was preparing when he died will be released in theaters earlier than expected and will be shown for only two weeks. In a news release, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment said that the documentary, called “Michael Jackson THIS IS IT,” would open on Oct. 28, two days sooner than originally announced, and that tickets for the film would go on sale Sept. 27 in most cities. The movie will be directed by Kenny Ortega, the director and choreographer who was working with Mr. Jackson on his planned “This Is It” concerts, a series of 50 shows that Mr. Jackson was to have performed at London’s O2 Arena beginning in July. Sony, which paid $60 million for the film in a deal between the studio, the Jackson estate and the concert promoter AEG Live, said the documentary would draw upon more than 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage and rehearsals shot between April and June.

I suspect Sony is using the “limited release” threat to drum up sales and I wouldn’t be surprised if the planned two-week run was miraculously extended if the ticket sales (which they are conveniently starting a month before hand) are high.

Needless to say, I WILL SEE THIS.

“Project Runway” Premieres Tonight On Lifetime

It’s in LA this year so be sure to get your hair, nails, and spray tan on before it starts.

10 PM EST/PT

More: “Meet the Designers” on Lifetime’s website | Tim Gunn on “The Daily Show” (8/19/09) | NYT Review

Wow

I’m pretty sure I would hate Sierra if I knew her.

“Avatar” Teaser Trailer Premiers (!!!!1!!)

The teaser trailer to James Cameron’s much-hyped uber-real 3-D film, “Avatar”, has premiered.

The 2-minute spot has got some great action and a healthy sampling of the film’s special effects. Judging by James Cameron’s previous CGI-heavy ventures – namely, “T2″ and “The Abyss” – I’m sure the special effects, coupled with the new 3-D technology, will make for an absolutely amazing visual experience.

Head over to Apple.com (where they’ve been touting a to-the-minute countdown for the past 5 days) to watch it in HD.

“Avatar” comes out December 18, when the collective heads of the geek-iverse will explode.

More: Official site

Man Meets Humpback Whale

Stunning.

Three more pics, and diver’s story, here.

Via Towleroad.

The DMCA And Me

Contributing to what is a somewhat shitty day, my blog was frozen this morning because of another DMCA violation.  This is my second violation – the first was for a leaked Toni Braxton track – and was for posting a Cahill remix of Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed.”

In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have posted Toni track.  It was a leak (although fully completed) and was months (it turns out) away from release.

In contrast, the remixes of “Obsessed” are not really available commercially and I therefore have fewer regrets (if any) about posting one of them.

While I don’t pretend to fully understand the music industry, I do know that there is a high demand for remixes that are often only distributed to DJs and sold at a premium price.  When these remixes are unavailable for mass, commercial purchase, a black market is going to form and thrive to meet the fans’ desires.  Basic economics.

In the post-CD, digital era we are now in, I cannot understand the labels’ apparent refusal to sell such remixes through sites like Amazon.com or the iTunes store.  With no physical distribution costs and minimal (any?) overhead, making more songs available for sale seems like a win-win situation. There may be legitimate legal or contractual reasons that prevent some labels from distributing these remixes but we know it can be done: Cascada’s great summertime hit, “Evacuate The Dancefloor”, just hit the iTunes store with a whooping 9 remixes.  Well done, guys.

I have been warned that if I receive “multiple” DMCA violations, the blog will be “suspended” – for how long, I do not know. I do not understand the rhyme or reason behind which songs are used to enforce the DMCA or I would try to avoid posting such targets. In the meantime, I’ll try to just keep on doin’ what I’m doin’.

-Mark

Small Penis Alert!

How Many Were Invited?!

Quoted: Subway Exhibitionist Kevin Bishop

“My private parts fell out. I looked down and it was out, it just popped out. I was trying to put it back.”

Source.

What Do All These Names Have In Common?

Allergan (maker of Restasis)
Ally Bank (a unit of GMAC Financial Services)
Best Buy
Broadview Security
CVS
Re-Bath
Travelocity
ConAgra
GEICO
Lawyers.com
Men’s Wearhouse
Procter & Gamble
Progressive Insurance
RadioShack
Roche
SC Johnson
Sanofi-Aventis
Sargento
State Farm Insurance
Wal-Mart

They’ve all reportedly pulled their advertisements from airing during Glenn Beck’s daily hour-long Fox News program.

Well done, Glenn, well done.

Source; Via.