The Incredible Discoveries of Ian J. Spector

Remarkable but true: This cover by Ben Howard is actually the...

Tue, 29 May 2012 19:15:00 -0400

Remarkable but true: This cover by Ben Howard is actually the only version of “Call Me Maybe” that I’ve heard.

Also, the volume slider on this player goes to 11.

Snapshot from 10 years ago

Tue, 29 May 2012 02:02:10 -0400

It seems like this kind of content is only shoveled out around New Year’s; Instead of adding to that deluge, I’m posting this now. There may be more later.

1/8 - No Child Left Behind signed into law

2/3 - U2 performs at Super Bowl XXXVI

4/25 - Lisa Lopes, the ‘L’ in the group TLC, dies while driving in Honduras

5/26 - Mars Odyssey mission finds signs of large ice deposits on Mars

6/5 - R. Kelly is charged with 21 counts of sexual intercourse with a minor

7/14 - Jacques Chicac escapes an assassination attempt (on Bastille day, no less)

7/21 - WorldCom files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

9/4 - The first winner of American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, is named

9/28 - A portion of Tennessee State Route 19 is renamed in honor of Tina Turner

9/10 - Switzerland joins the United Nations

10/3 - Jam Master Jay is shot and killed

11/25 - Department of Homeland Security formed

Photo

Mon, 28 May 2012 21:25:19 -0400

Just discovered these guys, The Glitch Mob. Some of it is...

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:31:00 -0400

Just discovered these guys, The Glitch Mob.

Some of it is hit-or-miss, but the hits are unbelievable. If you’re a secret agent and need to get pumped up for your next mission while powersliding a slick coupé through some European city at night, in slow motion, in a custom suit, you’ll be very happy with this.

Just in case you’re not a secret agent, you’ll probably be happy for the really good attention-grabbing electro/ambient music. I know that may not make much sense, but take a listen and you’ll see what I mean. There also are little-to-no annoying lyrics that get in the way of the beat.

Blizzard getting ready for a toast to Diablo III. My first...

Fri, 25 May 2012 16:50:00 -0400

Blizzard getting ready for a toast to Diablo III. My first thought:

I bet your new laptop doesn’t have a floppy drive OR a...

Fri, 25 May 2012 00:27:26 -0400

I bet your new laptop doesn’t have a floppy drive OR a trackball. Thanks @ozsultan!

(…and yes, it works.)

So many things wrong here. (via)

Thu, 24 May 2012 19:58:41 -0400

So many things wrong here. (via)

virginmobilelive: Probably the nicest way to handle this...

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:19:34 -0400

virginmobilelive:

Probably the nicest way to handle this situation.

Audio

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:50:00 -0400

"c.1600, perhaps from M.Fr. pimper “to dress elegantly” (16c.), prp. of pimpant..."

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:47:00 -0400

“

c.1600, perhaps from M.Fr. pimper “to dress elegantly” (16c.), prp. of pimpant “alluring in dress, seductive.” Weekley suggests M.Fr. pimpreneau, defined in Cotgrave (1611) as “a knave, rascall, varlet, scoundrell,” but Liberman is against this.

“Judging by such recorded meanings of pimp as ‘helper in mines; servant in logging camps,’ this word was originally applied to boys and servants.”

The word also means “informer, stool pigeon” in Australia and New Zealand and in S.Africa, where by early 1960s it existed in Swahili form impimpsi. The verb is attested from 1630s. Related: Pimped; pimping. Pimpmobile first recorded 1973.

”

- The Online Etymology Dictionary’s entry for “pimp.”

Found: Profound advice from a police officer on the streets of...

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:01:00 -0400

Found: Profound advice from a police officer on the streets of New Zealand.

(via Police Ten 7)

Well, that’s awfully brazen. I can’t tell if...

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:55:00 -0400

Well, that’s awfully brazen. I can’t tell if it’s more annoying than the on-air “expanding banner ads” Comedy Central’s been running these days, though.

Can you name everything that’s in this picture? (I...

Wed, 23 May 2012 16:50:44 -0400

Can you name everything that’s in this picture? (I can’t.)

tsmskimonoyokubo:

relevent

The least likely car crash There’s a great Volkswagen ad...

Tue, 22 May 2012 16:39:00 -0400

The least likely car crash

There’s a great Volkswagen ad running in my area where a teen is freaking out on the side of a street at night because he just crashed his dad’s VW and is afraid of how his dad will react. The words “He can only kill you if you’re OK.” then fade on-screen.

Now imagine this. It’s 1975. You’re driving home in your mom’s ‘68 Buick LeSabre. You stop at a traffic light, and after it turns green, you proceed through the intersection and suddenly slam into a limo that blew the light and appeared out of nowhere.

Except this was no ordinary limo. This limo was chauffeuring President Gerald Ford from a GOP. fundraiser in Hartford, CT to Bradley International Airport.

This actually happened to then-19-year-old James Salamites. As it turns out, local police forgot to barricade this one intersection. There were no significant injuries, only a significant coincidence.

Taken 5/18/12, 5:04 PM

Fri, 18 May 2012 17:11:00 -0400

Taken 5/18/12, 5:04 PM

You've probably read a lot of things today, but nothing as useless and as unnecessary as this

Fri, 18 May 2012 15:10:00 -0400

You've probably read a lot of things today, but nothing as useless and as unnecessary as this:

BREAKING: ANGRY IDIOTS, IRRATIONAL BEHAVIOR, ANONYMOUS TROLLING … ON THE INTERNET?

STOP THE PRESSES. THE PEOPLE MUST BE INFORMED ABOUT ROAD RAGE ON THE INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY IMMEDIATELY.

What’s that? Oh, it’s just a violin and piano built...

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:38:00 -0400

What’s that? Oh, it’s just a violin and piano built at 50:1 scale and then turned into a building.

Opened in 2007, the Piano House can be found in Huainan City, An Hui Province, China. Inside are performance and practice spaces for music students as well as a bunch of plans on display for the public to view for newly developed areas nearby.

If the daytime shot wasn’t impressive enough, check out what it looks like after dark. It’s like if Stradivarius and the Steinways kidnapped an architect from inside TRON:

Taipei, Taiwan: A restaurant on the ground themed to look like...

Fri, 18 May 2012 09:05:00 -0400

Taipei, Taiwan: A restaurant on the ground themed to look like the inside of an Airbus A380, except with better-than-airline food and no security.

Another (completely unrelated) A380-themed restaurant opened recently in Chongqing, China. As you can see below, it’s a bit classier looking.

George Lucas does something likable for a change by planning...

Sun, 13 May 2012 22:29:00 -0400

George Lucas does something likable for a change by planning revenge on his rich neighbors

I don’t know if this makes up for Episode I, but it definitely makes up for Howard the Duck.

(via Movies.com)

Would you wear this shirt out? How about if you were going out...

Sun, 13 May 2012 21:36:00 -0400

Would you wear this shirt out? How about if you were going out to a taping of a TV show that’s broadcast in over 170 countries and watched weekly today by over 300 million people?