Oh, Geordi. Poor bastard just can’t catch a break.

(via Wil)

Aside from plotting terror attacks, it’s not like bin Laden probably had a whole lot else with which to occupy his time in a compound cut off from “the Internet or other hard-wired communications networks”:

A stash of pornography was found in the hideout of Osama bin Laden by the U.S. commandos who killed him, current and former U.S. officials said on Friday.

The pornography recovered in bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, consists of modern, electronically recorded video and is fairly extensive, according to the officials, who discussed the discovery with Reuters on condition of anonymity.

(via Sarah)

Been a pretty good day so far. Woke up early and saw Kristin off to work, then went on my morning constitutional before the weather could transition from Pleasant Spring Happy Time into Sweltering Summer Death Day. I came home, applied for a few jobs, and have just now finished excreting several satisfying hundred words of a short story.

And in a couple of hours I am going to see THOR.

(Via The Daily Dish)

A couple times in the past several weeks I found myself in situations where it would have been damned useful for me to know how to tie a proper knot — like when I helped Nate put a tarp on top of his shed to cover a hole, and we ended up tying it down using a variation of the “loop it around itself twenty times and hope to god you never have to untie it” knot.

Peter Hudson’s iwillknot.com would have been useful to know about then.

This is a site about knots: how to tie them, how to appreciate their beauty. Even the seriously knot-challenged among us can learn to tie many useful and popular knots by following along with the short, step-by-step instructional video clips on this site.

The interface is simple and minimal, and Hudson demonstrates very clearly how to make twelve different knots.

I’m saying something about this here in case anyone else finds themselves suddenly needing to tie something — or someone — down and would like to do so using secure knot that will be easy to untie.

Tomorrow I am off to Columbus for a long weekend with the lady. I am very much looking forward to several days of gorging myself at delicious restaurants, perusing used book stores, and just generally bumming around Columbus and relaxing.

For entertainment during downtime, I’m bringing J.G. Ballard’s CONCRETE ISLAND to read, and the sixth season of BUFFY for us to watch. I’m hopeful the hotel also has a bar, in which case I anticipate spending some time there, too.

And for those of you who are religious . . . well, have a pleasant Zombification Celebration Day.

Below is a small poster that hangs in the guys’ kitchen on THE BIG BANG THEORY.

I first noticed it in the pilot episode, some four years ago, but couldn’t figure out what precisely it was. They never showed a really good close-up of it for me to accurately read the words, and an inquiry of the google gods for “robot chef” — because that’s what I thought it was — never returned anything useful. All I knew about it was that I liked it a lot, and wanted a copy.

Well, in the most recent episode, in a tight shot on Sheldon, the poster was clearly visible over his shoulder, and I was finally able to get a clear look at it.

Turns out it’s an advertisement from the 1930′s for Petre Devos, a Flemish beer brewed in the village of Audenaerde.

So the good news is that I know what the poster is called. The bad news, though, is that the cheapest reproduction I can find costs $249.

Ah well. Maybe once I’m working again.

Yesterday I went with Kristin and several of her delightful friends to see a two-person performance of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH at Club Vex in Dayton.

Due to size limitations, the audience was small but enthusiastic, and rightfully so. The two actors, JJ Parkey and Abigail Bengson, were phenomenal. I had never seen HEDWIG the film, so we watched it beforehand so I wouldn’t be completely fucking lost during the live presentation. The film was really good, and the songs alternately amusing and touching, but in my mind it didn’t quite compare to the electric experience of seeing it performed some twenty feet in front of you by a couple of extremely talented people.

They’re putting on another performance tonight, this time at MJ’s in Dayton. If you’re not already doing something, go see it. Tickets cost no more than going to see a movie, and it’s well worth your money. Check out the Facebook page for more info.

My latest DVD review for Examiner.com’s Dayton edition is now live. I review MUTANT CHRONICLES, and quietly weep that such a badass and fantastic role-playing game was translated into a truly terrible film.

Here’s the opening paragraph:

There aren’t many movies out there based on role-playing games, and the quality of what few there are is debatable — DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, anyone? But then there is MUTANT CHRONICLES, which does not a thing to elevate the RPG-to-film genre.

Please check it out, and feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section over there.

I don’t drink PBR. Can’t stand the stuff, honestly. But a lot of my friends drink it.

And this is the road that I think a lot of them are heading down.