Wednesday, May 08

But What About Their Sense Of Humor?: Woot Weads The Wire

by Scott Lydon 16 days ago

Every week in this space, we’ll take a look at the news and offer our own incisive blend of commentary, analysis, and poop jokes. The news you need, from a voice you can trust, in the 90 seconds you have to spare: that’s Woot Weads the Wire.

VATICAN CITY (UPI) -- The Vatican is now home to two popes, as Pope Francis welcomed his predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI, to the former pope's new residence, a spokesman said.

Insiders say Pope Benedict is his normal, super-tidy self, while Pope Francis is already leaving his vestments and hat on the floor. Will these two representatives of God's word ever find a way to live together?

The Trivial Eye: Chairs of the 20th Century

by Jason Toon 17 days ago

If you wanted to be a truly legendary designer during the 20th century, you had to make at least one great chair. The world we live in - offices, especially - is adorned with countless knockoffs of the innovative chair designs of the masters. You'll doubtless recognize the shapes and angles of these chairs - but can you name them and their designers?

Tuesday, May 07

There Can Be Only Pun: States of Mind

by Sean Adams 17 days ago

You guys, I have an addiction. I'm addicted to puns. I need them. I can't get enough of them. I HUNGER FOR THEM. That's why I've set up this weekly blog feature: so you guys can feed my addiction. Every week, I'll name the topic, give you some examples, and then you'll pun away in the comments, on Facebook, or on Twitter. I'll choose the best ones and post them here next week. Sound good? Good! Let's do it!

THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: States of Mind

Here's what we want this week, states… OF MIND! Get it? Like, it's a state, and it's a state of mind! Here are a few examples:

The Debunker: Do Undercover Cops Have To Identify Themselves?

by Ken Jennings 18 days ago

In 1962, a joint resolution of Congress made the third week of May “National Police Week,” a time to recognize the sacrifices made by the nation’s law enforcement officers. But let’s face it: unless you’ve dedicated a lot of time to breaking the law, most of what you know about the cops comes from movies and TV, and those may or may not be just the facts, ma’am. All month, Ken Jennings will be exploring the “thin blue line” between police fact and police fiction. If you actually thought this stuff was true—well, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the comments section.

Police Myth #1: Undercover Cops Have to Identify Themselves When Asked.

If everything you know about police procedure comes from an elite social circle of hookers, pot dealers, and paranoid college activists, then you probably agree wholeheartedly with this rule of thumb: any time you suspect someone of being a plainclothes cop, you can unmask them by this clever ruse of asking them! Presumably, at that point, the unconvincing john/buyer/whatever will shake his fist impotently at you, rip off his fake mustache, and stalk off into the night, his arrest thwarted.

Monday, May 06

Music Monday: Fun-kay

by Scott Lydon 18 days ago

Happy Music Monday! It's getting warm out, people are wearing less, and that's a good excuse to start havin' fun. We're gonna get funky today, and we invite you to join us.

Gap Band - Early In The Morning

The music is top notch, but even if it wasn't, you'd still have a good reason to love The Gap Band. What reason, you ask? THOSE HATS. Also of note is how The Gap Band made their song so impervious that even cover versions will remain substantially funky.

It's only gettin' funkier from here. See you after the jump.

Thursday, May 02

Game Fight! Jumping Finn Turbo vs. A Good Night's Sleep

by Seth Macy 23 days ago

I really enjoy Adventure Time. It's one of my favorite animated television shows of all time. To me, it's right up there with The Simpsons and DuckTales. Sure, Regular Show might have more edgy humor and a firm grasp of retro-pop references, but when I turn on Cartoon Network, I do it because I'm watching Adventure Time. I watch Regular Show because it happens to be on. There are a couple of AT mobile games out there, and I decided on a whim to add Jumping Finn Turbo to my collection.

Tuesday, April 30

The Debunker: Was the Civil War Fought Over States' Rights?

by Ken Jennings 24 days ago

Even though the Civil War hasn’t receded all that far into the past—the Associated Press reported last month that two children-of-Civil-War-vets are still alive and well and receiving government veterans’ benefits!—we may not remember very much about it. This month, Ken “Burns” Jennings will reveal that a lot of what you think you know about the Civil War is a bunch of Bull Run.

Civil War Myth #4: The War Wasn’t Really About Slavery.

A 2011 poll by the Pew Research Center commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War produced this shocking finding: only 38% of respondents said they believed that slavery was the war’s main cause. Nearly half—48%—opined that “states’ rights” was the real issue, while a wishy-washy 9% blamed both equally. Even more remarkably, younger people were more likely to be slavery skeptics than older ones!

Monday, April 29

Music Monday: RIP George Jones

by Scott Lydon 25 days ago

Happy Music Monday! On Friday, the great George Jones went off to join the great band in the sky. Today we're paying tribute to a man who lived like a rock star and sang like- well, nobody'd mistake him for an angel, so we'll just say a hero. We'll start with his first Number One hit, an ode to moonshine.

George Jones - White Lightning

George Jones manages to capture the fun of cooking up illegal liquor. Never mind that it might make you go blind or die. It's fun to take risks! And, truthfully, it's impossible to hear this song and not feel the same way. Say what you will about Snoop Dogg's love of marijuana, but it's no less illegal than George Jones' moonshine. Although Snoop probably can't play the guitar this well.

A former Marine who was born in Texas singing about breaking a Federal law. It just doesn't get more American than that. See you after the jump for more.

Thursday, April 25

The Woot Guide To A Sexy Arbor Day

by Sam Kemmis a month ago

The Debunker: Did the Emancipation Proclamation End Slavery?

by Ken Jennings a month ago

Even though the Civil War hasn’t receded all that far into the past—the Associated Press reported last month that two children-of-Civil-War-vets are still alive and well and receiving government veterans’ benefits!—we may not remember very much about it. This month, Ken “Burns” Jennings will reveal that a lot of what you think you know about the Civil War is a bunch of Bull Run.

Civil War Myth #3: The Emancipation Proclamation Freed the Slaves.

Say what you will about the recent work of Steven Spielberg, at least it’s helped to shoot down a lot of historical myths about Abraham Lincoln. For example, most Americans dimly remembering their tenth-grade history class probably assume that slavery in the Republic was ended by the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863. But as the movie Lincoln makes clear, abolition didn’t actually happen for almost three more years, when the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified in December 1865.