Chawlk

1. Drawar
2. Fenxy
3. Decaflon
4. Two Credits
5. Wriging
6. Loose Suits
7. Chixe
8. Dud3s
9. Wing Colors

 

Hey, RightOn:

Not to be a downer (honest!), but have you seen this?

Scrivs:

I play with guys who run it out of Bootcamp, and it works perfectly for them.

ErinR:

I've used Print100 extensively over the last year. I had my own cards printed by them, and have since printed nearly a dozen sets for clients.

Really, I cannot recommend their services any more highly.

I wrote up a thorough account of my first experience with Print100 on my blog. Hope it helps!

Dammit! Don't give away spoilers without warning us!

@BonitainPink:

There are lots of ways to do it, but you can start with Videora.

Hey, Ryan:

Just thought you might want to know about American Home Shield. Basically, they provide insurance on all the appliances in your home (and other things) for a very reasonable fee.

You pay a small monthly premium, but if anything breaks in your house, they'll fix or replace it for free.

I have several friends who swear by their services.

Hmm...Gnorb is either being playful or is about to start a seriously heated conversation.

Not to be a bully (honest!) but I've noticed a lot of these posts by avuee. And some of them do spark good conversation, which is what 9Rules Notes is all about...

But she kind of has a "set it and forget it" M.O. Going back into any of the notes she's posted in the last week, how many did she ever return to and leave another comment?

I'm sure there must be some, but I couldn't find any.

@Cappuccino:

I knew what you were getting at. ;)

But at the same time, I think it's worth promoting the development of technologies like these - because eventually they do influence more universally usable applications. The genius behind this sort of interface has amazing potential!

And I'm a very big open source supporter, as well. If this had come out of an open development lifecycle, I'd be thrilled. But just because its coming out of Microsoft labs doesn't mean it's hamstrung.

It is still just an application in its infancy. Have hope for the future!

Where do you come up with these endless queries, avuee?

Listen, all you Mac users...while you're busy using your computers and making iMovies and whatnot, us Microsoft-bound PC users are working. Hard.

Working at trying to delete folders...

Working at trying to not punch our monitors...

Working at theming our Windows desktops to look like OSX...

So, you can just get off that high horse. You go right ahead and enjoy using your computers. We'll be hard at work. Deal?

@ Cappuccino & RightOn:

It's still in the development phase, so broad-spectrum usability hasn't been achieved yet. But that's all part of developing a wholly unique application like this.

And how is the fact that the preview only runs on XP and Vista a hamstring? ;)

@Gnorb:

Oh, yeah - the infection note!

It is a much better choice. Apologies for my narcissism.

**Sorry, Tyme! Didn't realize...

Hey, Gnorb!

Not to make you change your vote again...and not to promote my own note...but I actually started the original Pokemon note. So it should be fair game to nominate, right?

Unless you're thinking of a different note, which might totally be the case.

*I am not endorsing [the Pokemon note] :)

**Tyme edited the link out because we're still developing that area.

I own a pair of these. They produce just about as good a sound as you can expect for anything under $40.

No in-line volume control, though.

Wow. He literally yelled, "I don't want to f---ing marry you!" just before she slapped him.

I felt bad watching it unfold.

Here is Streeter's follow-up on his blog.

Ugh. I did not watch, but since it was requested....

If you guys get a chance to watch Discovery Channel's Shark Week, you'll get plenty of opportunities to see this behavior.

There is a production company called Air Jaws that specializes in documenting this amazingly acrobatic phenomenon. Although it has been observed in other places, nearly all of the footage of breaching sharks is recorded at Seal Island in False Bay, South Africa.

Sharks almost never approach any prey item with this sort of velocity, because it's dangerous for them to do so without knowing what they're attacking. The reason most human injuries are considered "investigative bites" is that sharks are concerned primarily with their own safety before pursing a meal.

If you've ever seen a shark's eyes "roll back" into its head as it's biting something, that's an instinctive response - they use that nictitating membrane to protect their delicate eyes from being damaged.

Although nobody knows exactly why sharks breach like this in such a dramatic fashion - only in this one location - it's likely because of the abundance of easy prey. The sharks know those are seals, and they're not as hesitant to attack.

BTW @ fuscom: Although the filmmakers do use decoys to help them have a fixed location for getting the shots, the sharks exhibit this behavior totally on their own. It isn't coaxed.

The seal isn't jumping, the shark is attacking the seal from below at an incredible speed. The shark's impact hurls the seal into the air.

See what a YouTube search for "air jaws" will get you. Awesome stuff. :)

I actually think that's a seal cub.

@seanrox: Believe it or not, I think that's ice in the dish.

Japanese game shows are notorious for forcing contestants into water that's sometimes over 51°C (124°F). They're probably trying to cool off after falling in.

This is still my favorite game show clip (although there's no shortage of other hilarious ones):

I've only walked out of one movie in my entire life...

Battlefield Earth.

I had no idea it was Scientology propaganda at the time. So my reasons for hating it were purely based on its own merits...or demerits as it were.

Ten minutes ago, the Apple Store looked like THIS.

Thirty seconds later, it looked like THIS.

Did I see it before I was supposed to, or did the weight of the entire internets shut down the Apple Store...?

I don't know about hardware upgrades, but At&T will be the iPhone's exclusive carrier for the next five years. So you won't see it on any other provider networks until at least 2012.

That is, unless you feel like unlocking your iPhone SIM.

The updates look great. I've got you bookmarked, so I look forward to watching the site grow.

Mike:

I followed the link from your profile and gave your site a thorough read. My first impression was that you've got the potential for a really great site.

Your content is already interesting. I like the way you've styled your posts and what you have to say is completely engaging. As a comic fan, I appreciate your opinions and really enjoy the way you've presented the material.

One thing I've learned from my own blog is that you are not going to be a news source for the most part. There are hundreds of other outlets for that. What you are able to be, though, is a source of unique opinions and perspective. Comic fans can get raw news anywhere. They won't get you anywhere else.

Being a new blog, my only real suggestion would be to give the site more personality. As it is, it's still a very stock template. Take some time to develop a presence for your site that reflects both the content and your own personality. At the very least, build yourself a custom SIX-16 header image (although I'm sure you've already thought of that).

If you keep producing posts with good substance, you're going to have a great site on your hands, my friend. And listen to Tyme - she knows what she's talking about.

Cheers!

In case you haven't already seen it:

Have any of you watched Human Weapon on The History Channel?

Not that it's comprehensive style versus style comparison, but it does a great job of showing the detailed histories, techniques and training involved in different martial arts.

Jason Chambers is a MMA guy, and Bill Duff was co-captain of Tennessee's 1998 NCAA championship football team (go Vols!). I think between the two of them, they make a good showing of the strengths and weaknesses of a wide range of fighting styles.

Personally, I enjoy watching mixed martial arts matches much more than just boxing. Although I'm a longtime boxing fan, and really appreciate a good fight, I think the energy and intensity of MMA makes for a much more engaging experience.

Google's GMail TOS explicitly states that:

Google owns all right, title and interest in and to the Service, including without limitation all intellectual property rights (the "Google Rights"), and such Google Rights are protected by U.S. and international intellectual property laws.

But that:

Google does not claim any ownership in any of the content, including any text, data, information, images, photographs, music, sound, video, or other material, that you upload, transmit or store in your Gmail account. We will not use any of your content for any purpose except to provide you with the Service.

So...

Holy crap.

Seriously? 14, 10, 8-9 pairs of jeans? Do you just hate doing laundry?

Ha!

It may not be quite as cathartic as you're hoping for, but Spam Poison is a good start.

I don't know if anyone else followed the Blue Frog Security debacle, but it was a frightening example of what can happen when an organized effort is made to combat spam.

I used the Blue Frog plugin at the time, and when the spammers turned their firehose on us, it was a nightmare. I was getting 200-300 spam emails a night in my personal email. I had no choice but to abandon Blue Frog.

Spammers suck. Here's a small vindication to make you feel better.

Mallmus:

This might end up being a bit useless after the fact, but when I work with clients who have proven difficult in the past, I set up the payment schedule right the other way around.

Once the project stages and goals have been clearly defined (very clearly, as bobbyh pointed out) I only agree to do the work if the payments are made at the outset of each stage. Period.

This puts many people off right away. But if they really want the work done, and they really want you to do it, they'll pay. Otherwise, let them be someone else's problem.

Once the first stage is complete, I won't begin work on the second until I've been paid the full amount for stage two. That applies all the way until the project is done.

Sometimes this results in the client dragging their feet at the very end, wanting more and more changes. Their argument is, "I've paid you, you should do what I want."

My argument is, "I've completed the work we agreed on. If you have additional changes or additions outside our agreement, I'll do the work on my fixed hourly or daily rate."

The end result is usually one of two things:

1) You lose the client because they refuse to pay upfront. I have lost clients this way. But those kind of jobs are rarely worth the pittance they pay, anyhow. I'm usually willing to sacrifice a problem client and simply dig up more work somewhere else.

2) The client gets angry at the end of the job if you won't continue making "fixes" ad infinitum. Again, this is a sacrifice I'm willing to make, because I'd much rather have a reputation for putting the brakes an over-drawn project than for being a pushover and being easy to take advantage of.

You're in the unenviable position of your client also being your friend. But you have even more reason to be firm with him than you do with someone else - because he will take greater advantage of you otherwise. He'll leverage your friendship against you, and your work as a professional will be compromised.

Make sure the requirements for completing each stage of the work are clearly defined - in writing. Make sure your payment schedule is agreed upon - in writing. And stand your ground. Otherwise, as Mango pointed out, you're going to deal with this from here on out.

Best of luck, mate!

@ estarla:

Don't forget idontlikeyouinthatway.com.

I read that and The Superficial several times a day. Why? I can't explain it. There's just something about the trainwreck quality of celebrity lives that keeps you looking.

Let's not forget Lindsay Lohan. She's set to be arraigned on the 23rd for repeat DUI plus cocaine possession. And she was arrested only 8 days after getting out of a prolonged rehab.

My question isn't whether jail is the new rehab, it's what has happened to result in so many similarly-aged celeb chicks flipping out with the same M.O.?

Britney Spears = Cracked up
Lindsay Lohan = Coked up, Drunk
Nicole Ritchie = See above, Going to jail pregnant
Paris Hilton = 'Nuff said

Merry Christmas, legions of impressionable 12 year-old girls!

S3ri0usly. Most ass-kicking Medieval Web 8.0 I've seen.

You might have just created Web 9.0. And I love that you did it without a style sheet.