THE DIGITAL STORY OF THE NATIVITY

This is a must see Christmas video.

Samsung 3D TV & Preparation H

Preparation- H
Last weekend I tried the new Samsung 3D TV and experience horrible headaches like many others are claiming on the internet.
The interesting thing is that I am used to watch 3D movies and do quite often at the movie theaters and at home with the old paper glasses. As a previous post shows, my experience watching Avatar on 3D was a great one. But recently, after saving enough to buy the very desirable new Samsung 3D 55" tv; I was very please to see that my local retailers had the tv on sale and the "bundle" including the tv, a blueray 3D player and a pair of 3D glasses was going to cost me less than what I was willing to pay for the tv alone. So, all looked great.. I went to the store and asked the salesperson for a demonstration before I buy. The fact is, I had researched EVERYTHING about this tv and knew way more than the salesperson. Seriously, I was ready to buy based on the specs provided by Samsung.

The first experience with this tv was a mixed of awesome and awful. The look, the image and the 3D experience was awesome. but, after 8 minutes of exposure, an awful headache settled in. I excused myself and left the store.. Knowing my health and everything I had consumed, I knew it was unlikely that the headache experienced was induced by anything other than the exposure to the tv. So, I was sad. I went back home and did some additional research by reading reviews from other people that tried this tv... The internet is full of reviews and reports about this tv and many of them come along with the headache word attached to it.
I wanted to buy this tv so bad, that I went back to try it for 5 more minutes a week later on another retailer and just to be completely sure that I wasn't experiencing some "fluke abnormality", I went a third time to a retailer and tried for 5 more minutes. The result was consistent. All 3 times, I experienced EXTREME headaches after properly watching this tv. Why "properly"? Well, if you read the fine print from this tv, you'll find all sorts of disclaimers and health warnings. The fact is that pounding headaches is one of many side-effects of exposure to this tv.

Now, I know what you may be thinking... "What an idiot! 3 times?!..." Well, yes. I did try it 3 times and my reason was simple, as a science minded geek, I wanted to be completely and absolutely sure that these headaches were not caused by anything else other than the proper exposure to the tv. My suspicion was triple-verified and conclusive.

Unfortunately, I can't buy this tv and will have to wait until the "headache inducing" problems are resolved and this new way to display 3D videos is safe for public consumption.

Oh, BTW - The "H" in Preparation - H has nothing to do with this pain-in-the-ass experience. The "H" is for HEADACHE. Read more about Samsung "Health Risks" at:
http://www.samsung.com/au/tv/pdf/Viewing-3D-TV.pdf

Not cool Samsung. Not cool at all.

Vinnie, this one is for you!

To be Happy or to be Right

Eight P.M., the traffic was unusually busy... The couple was already late for dinner at some friends house. The address was new and the construction zone made it extra confusing to match the printed map to the correct direction to take. He drives the car as she again consults the map stating the obvious frustration. She tells him to take a left as he turns the signal to take a right. He is so sure of his decision that he proceeds to take a right.
Realizing that in addition to been late and now grumpy, she yields to his decision.
He turns right and then realizes he was wrong. Although it was difficult, as he does a U-turn, he admits that he insisted on the wrong turn. She smiles and says that there is no problem if they arrive a few minutes late.
But he still wants to know:

- If you were so sure that I was going on the wrong way, you should have insisted a little more ... And she replies:

- Between been right and been happy, I chose to be happy. We were on the verge of an argument, if I insisted more, we would have spoiled the night!

THIS STORY:
This little story was told by a manager, during a lecture about "simplicity in the workplace". The manager used this illustration to exemplify how much energy we spend just to prove that we are right, regardless of been right or not. Since I heard this story, I often ask myself: - Do I want to be happy or do I want to be right?

2010 Wedding Anniversay Gift - MARRIAGE

More than just "the anniversary of the date on which a wedding took place", a Wedding Anniversary is a date that deserves something special and perhaps unique.
I am not a "card and roses" kinda of guy, unless if I get to create the card myself and the roses are equally unique. So, a few years ago I created a flash animation for my wife. At a later date I created a painting effectively immortalizing her... This year I wanted to do something very different to celebrate my wedding anniversary. Perhaps, something funny and artistic.
So, I compile a few of my favorite quotes about marriage and I created an iPhone illustration to go along.
Without further due... I now present you with my unique 2010 Wedding Anniversary gift:


A man placed in the classifieds:
- "Wife Wanted"
The next day he received hundreds of letters. They all said the same thing
- "You can have mine"



The son asks his father:
"Daddy, how much does it cost to get married?"
And the father responds:
"I do not know, son, I'm still paying."



The child:
- "Father, it is true that in some parts of Africa a man does not know his wife until he marries her? ".
Father:
- "It's like that here too, son."



A couple was arguing about finances. Husband blew up and said:
- "If it were not for my money, this house would not be here."
The woman replied:
- "Honey, if it were not for your money, I would not be here!"



A woman was chatting with a friend:
- "I made my husband a millionaire."
- "So, what was he before?" - Asked the friend.
The woman says
- "A Billionaire."



A man was complaining to a friend:
- "I had everything - money, a beautiful house, a sports car, the love of a beautiful woman, and then ... it was all over.
- "What happened?" asked his friend.
- "My wife found out about it!"



A man runs into his house screaming to his wife:
- "Martha, pack up your things. I just won the lottery!"
Marta responds
- "Should I take Winter or summer clothes?"
The man replies:
- "Take it all, you are out of here!"



I haven't talked to my wife in over a year
- Why? - Asked a friend
- I don't like to interrupt her ...



Think about it:
If it wasn't for marriage, men would live their life thinking that they never made any mistakes. Personally, I think one of the best things about marriage is that, as a father and husband, I can say whatever I want in my house. It's pretty clear that nobody pays the slightest attention to me anyway...



A successful man
is the man who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman
is the woman finding that kind of man.



A man said his credit card was stolen but he decided not to notify the police because the thief was spending less than his wife.



The best way to remember your anniversary or your wife's birthday, is to forget it ONCE.



A guy said (proudly):
- "My wife's an angel!"
The other guy replied:
- "You're lucky, mine's still alive."



- The two types of happy people.
Single men and married women ...



- What is the similarity between a marriage and a submarine?
- Both float, float, but were made to sink ...



Marriage: double the spending and half the fun.



Once a man said:
- "I never knew what real happiness was until I got married.
Than it was too late ..."



- "A marriage is going down the tubes when you are used to swallowing the frog
but ... you can't take a joke anymore!!!!!"

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!
I LOVE YOU!

The Internationalization of the Amazon Forest

During a debate at a university in the United States, the native of the great State of Pernambuco, former governor of the Federal District, former minister of education and current Senator Cristóvam Buarque, was asked what he thought of the internationalization of the Amazon forest.

The youngster asserted that he expected a response of a humanist and not a Brazilian.

These are excerpts of the response of Mr. Cristóvam Buarque:

"In fact, as a Brazilian I would simply speak against the internationalization of the Amazon .. Even if our governments have not given the attention that this treasure deserves, it is ours."

"As a humanist, knowing the risk of environmental degradation that threatens the Amazon Region, I could imagine its internationalization, as well as everything else that is important for humanity."

"If the Amazon, as a humanist, should be internationalized, also the oil reserves from across the world should be internationalized. As we know, oil is as important to the welfare of humanity as the Amazon Region is for our future. However, the owners of oil reservations feel they have the right to increase or decrease the extraction of oil and raise or lower the price at will."

"Similarly, the financial capital of the rich countries should be internationalized. If the Amazon is a reserve for all human beings, it can not be burned by the will of an owner or a country. To burn the Amazon is as serious as to cause unemployment by the arbitrary decisions of world wide speculators.
We can not have the financial reserves of a few countries serve the world in a frenzy of speculation to benefit just the few."

"Before considering this, I'd like to see the internationalization of all the great museums of the world. The Louvre should not belong only to France. Every museum is the guardian of the most beautiful works of art produced by the human genius. It is clear that the cultural and natural heritage of the Amazon belongs to all. Not long ago, a Japanese millionaire decided to be buried with a painting of a great artist. Prior to that sad decision, the painting should have been internationalized."

"During this meeting, the United Nations convened the Millennium Forum, the presidents of several countries had difficulties in attending due to U.S. border rules and regulations. So I think New York, as United Nations headquarters, should be internationalized as to allow all leaders of all nations to attend UN meetings.
At least Manhattan should belong to all mankind. Like Paris, Venice, Rome, London, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia, Recife, each city, with its unique beauty, its history of the world should belong to the world."

"If the U.S. wants to internationalize the Amazon, due to the 'risk of leaving it in the hands of Brazilians', internationalize all the nuclear arsenals of the USA. Since they have already demonstrated that they are able to use these weapons, causing destruction thousands of times greater than the unfortunate burning of the forests of Brazil."

"I support the idea of internationalizing the world forest reserves in exchange for debt forgiveness. Let us use this debt to ensure that every child in the world is able to eat and go to school. Internationalize the children treating them all alike, no matter where their birthplace is in the world."

"As a humanist I accept to defend the internationalization of the world. But as the world treats me as a Brazilian, I will fight for the Amazon is ours. Only ours!"

The iPad from Apple

Ok, the newest thing from apple is a little weird, juicy and kinda of cool... But with a name like iPad, you could expect nothing more and nothing less. Speaking of the name.. Why not call it the iTablet, iSlate or iThing? IPad just sounds wrong. It's like calling it iTampon... Speaking of witch ~Yes, I meant to write WITCH! Check out the MadTV spoof on the iPad.



But, seriously lets talk about foresight for a minute, this Mad TV iPad skit aired several years ago... and easily became 10x funnier.

But the name is not the only "turn-off" for this product. so, I am listing a few additional reasons why the iPad may have a problem...

1.) No Multitasking
Are you serious... who thought this was a good idea? How can the iPad even compete with Netbooks if you can’t multitask? - BTW, it's important to understand that this sort of device exists to fill the gap between the mobile smart phone and the laptop. So, with that in mind, consider that if you're writing a document with the iPad you can't listen to music. You can’t have TweetDeck open if you want to check your email. In short, you can only do one thing at a time, which has always been a complaint with the iPhone.

2.) No Camera
Why is there no camera on the iPad, front or back? It's got a microphone… but no camera. Look at the size of the case that surrounds the screen, there is ample space for a camera. The iPad should've at least a 3-megapixel camera built in. As it stands, this means no iChat/Skype chat for you. Simply a poor deliver from Apple.

3.) Huge Ridiculous Adapters
Want to access your camera or plug in something USB… Well there’s an adapter for that, actually 2 separate adapters both excessively huge.

4.) Same Touch Keyboard
The iPad needed to re-revolutionize the keypad for touchscreen devices, make it easier to use. So what did we get... just a larger version of what we already had. It’ll be hard to type on. But there is a book cover for that called the iPad case.

5.) No Adobe Flash capabilities
Really?!... Most of us are probably accustomed to Apple devices not being Flash compatible. Flash is currently installed in 98% of all the Web browsers, but if Apple is truly wanting to compete with other Netbooks they need to remedy this. With a larger screen comes gigantic holes in the middle of webpages.If anyone claims it to be "the best web experience you've ever had" that's just another marketing lye.

Personally, I will wait to get an iPad when and if it becomes up to par.

Espanhol X Portugues

PARA AQUELES QUE DIZEM QUE ESPANHOL É FÁCIL, QUASE IGUAL AO PORTUGUÊS....

Traduza a frase abaixo:

'LA VIEN UN TARADO PELADO COM SU SACO EN LAS MANOS CORRIENDO ATRAZ DE LA BUSETA..'


Traduziu ?


Acertou ?


Tem certeza ?


TRADUÇÃO CORRETA:

'LÁ VEM UM TONTO CARECA COM SEU PALETÓ NAS MÃOS CORRENDO ATRÁS DO MICRO ÔNIBUS.'


-Pois é, além de não saber nada de Espanhol, só pensa besteira!

Skype to the rescue...

Skype, the Internet-calling service that lets you dial for free or nearly free, is growing like crazy, particularly when it comes to international calls.

But, what is Skype exactly?

Put simply, Skype is a peer-to-peer Internet telephony service that is free for Skype-to-Skype calls. The service also allows Skype users to call mobiles and landlines, and vice-versa. Skype has special charge plans for non-Skype-to-Skype calls and lots of features and additional plug ins.

My brother, who is not really a techie guy, told me about Skype over six years ago. Since then, I have saved an average of $500 per month on international calls. Yeah, my phone bills would scare anyone including myself. Now, with Skype, I don't even have a traditional carrier home phone service anymore. Skype has replaced all the high cost non-sense with an easy to use service.

We're bound to get cheaper cell-phone plans in the near future. This is why...

In 2009, Skype accounted for 12% of international calls. That's up from 8% the year before. And Skype's share of the market is only expected to grow.

VoIP services similar to Skype have emerged, but Skype has seen its share of international calling minutes jump to a 50% increase compared to the year before. And as you can expect, 54 billion minutes out of 406 billion in total were accumulated by users calling each other Skype-to-Skype last year. Are you listening, carriers?

The numbers hail from a report published by TeleGeography, a benchmark research service for the international long-distance telephony industry.

TeleGeography says international call volume from telephones has grown at an annual rate of 15 percent over the past 25 years, but that growth has been slowing for the past few years. In the past two years, specifically, international telephone traffic annual growth has reportedly slowed to a mere 8 percent, growing from 376 billion minutes in 2008 to an estimated 406 billion minutes last year.

Skype’s traffic, however, has soared. The international services between Skype users grew 51 percent in 2008, and 63 percent in 2009, to 54 billion minutes.

TeleGeography analyst Stephan Beckert refers to Skype’s estimated volume of traffic as “tremendous” and goes on to say that Skype is now by far the largest provider of cross-border communications in the world.

Recently, Skype Journal reported that the service has seen an all-time record number of concurrent logged on users: 22 million people signed in to Skype at the same time. And I am happy to say, I am one of them.

The Skype revolution is ON and going strong. To join, visit Skype.com.

George W. Bush's Burial

George W. Bush died. Then a meeting was set up in Washington DC to decide where he would be buried.
A senator suggested: Let's bury it in New York.

Then a drunk, who, God knows how, entered the meeting, said with that typical tone of drunk man:
- In New York we can ... But in Jerusalem we can't!

Nobody gave attention to what he said.

A republican said: The brother should be buried in Texas. It was there, with us, that he lived and build his military and political career.

The drunk again intervened: In Texas we can ... But in Jerusalem we can't!

Again, no one listened to him.

Not in New York or Texas intervened a Democrat: He must be buried in here in washington as he was a president and all presidents should be buried in the Capital.

The drunk again: In Washington we can ... But in Jerusalem we can't!

The politicians lost their patience and question the drunk:

- Why is it that George W. Bush can not be buried in Jerusalem?
The drunk replied:
- Because once a man was buried there, and he IS RISEN!


Very Important
Anyone who reads this post has a moral obligation, in defense of ethics and democracy to pass it along to at least one friend. If you break the chain, another Bush can be elected one day...

Male Sincerity

A man was in a coma for some time.

His wife was at the head of his bed day and night.

Until one day the man wakes up, makes a

signal for the woman to approach and

whispers to her:


- During all these years you've been with me.

- When I graduated, you were with me.

- When my company went bankrupt, only you stayed and supported me.

- When we lost the house, you were near me.

- When I lost the car, again you were by my side.

- And you have been with me throughout all these health problems.
...You never abandoned me.


-You know what?

Her eyes filled with

tears

Tell-love ...


I think you give me bad luck!

It had To Be a Brazilian!!!

In China there was a Brazilian, an American and an Argentine, who were drinking in the street. But in China it is prohibited to do so and they were caught red-handed. Under arrest they were sent to the judge to receive their sentence.


The judge scolded them and said each would receive 20 lashes as punishment. But due to the fact that China was in transition between the year of the dog and the mouse, tradition stated that each prisoner had a right to a wish:

- You American! Your country is racist, capitalist, and I hate you, but a promise is a promise! What is your wish, provided it is not to escape punishment?

- I want 1 pillow tied to my back!

- So be it! The beating started and the blows were absorbed by the pillow until the tenth lash when the pillow gave in and the American took 10 lashes.

- Your turn Argentina! Your people are very arrogant and rogue. I hate you, but a promise is a promise! What is your wish?

- I Want you to tie 2 pillows on my back! And so it was done. At the fifteenth lash the pillows gave in and the Argentine took 5 of 20 lashes. But he was happy because the American had taken more.

It was the turn of the Brazilian.

- Well, well, you're Brazilian ... nice people, good football, humble ... as I like your people you will have 2 requests!

- Well, I wanted to take 100 lashes ...

- Amazing! On top of all you are brave! Your request will be done! What's next?

- Tie the Argentine in my back!

To all my friends...

To all my friends from whom I had the pleasure of
receiving a monumental amount of email chain-letters
promising fortune and money in 2009, I hereby
attest that:

THEY DID NOT WORK!!!

So, in 2010, instead of a chain-letter, please
send me Money.

Thank you,

It's not offensive to Ask, but it is Dangerous !!!

My wife and I went to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo last weekend and as we walk around, we saw an interesting sign that read:

"This Bull mated 50 TIMES LAST YEAR.


My wife, playfully nudged me in the ribs .... Laughing, he said "Hum he crossed 50 times last year. Once a week."
We continued walking and at the next stable the sign read:


"This Bull mated 150 TIMES LAST YEAR"


My wife gave me a slap on the back and said: "HELLO!? It is more than twice a week! You could learn something from him."
We continue our walk and in the next stable we found a sign that read in bold letters:

"This Bull mated 365 TIMES LAST YEAR"


My wife was so excited that her elbow nearly broke my ribs, "This is a once a day. ONCE-A-DAY! You could REALLY learn something from this Bull."

A little annoyed, I admit, I looked at her and said: -Go over there and ask if it was always with the same cow."

- The Result -









My condition has improved from critical to stable and, God willing, I should be discharged within a couple of months without any major sequelae.

RipStik G

Defined as a caster board, two wheel skates or snakeboard, the ever so popular RipStik G is my kid's favorite Christmas play thing. So I decided to write about it.

But what is it? I asked. And after a little research I found that this "toy-thing" is described as a "human-propelled vehicle that is closely related to the skateboard and the snakeboard. Two narrow platforms known as "decks" are adjoined by a rubber or aluminum coated metal beam that houses a strong spring. Each truck has one wheel that is connected to the board in a way that each wheel can rotate independently, like the wheels on a shopping trolley. Both wheels are mounted on slants that measure around 30° in angle, facing away from the front of the board." And in many other places the descriptions become even more interesting. But suffice to say, the RipStik is a little complex board to stand on, but when you dare to get it going... It's a lot of fun.

Cheers!

Ripstik G

The Ripstik G will be the subject for tomorrow's blog.
If you are wondering why tomorrow, wait and see...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Nothing today.

Nothing today.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

IFFHS Global Ranking of Soccer Clubs

So, my brother sent me these rankings obtained from the IFFHS - International Federation of Football History & Statistics today. It's very interesting to see how Futebol (also known as, Futball, Footbol, Soccer or any other variation of this sport) has evolved. So, I decided to post here the statistical results of the most played sport in the World.


Updated 01/07/10 - 10:53 am

Barcelona leads the ranking of IFFHS clubs. Cruzeiro appears in ninth place.

Countries that have more teams in the top 100 are Brazil and Italy. Brazilian national champion Flamengo, only appears in 114th position, behind Sport Recife.

Current Brazilian champion Flamengo does not even appear in the top 100, appearing in the 114th position, behind Fluminense (38) and even behind of Sport Recife (89).

Sport Recife (Champion of the Brazil Cup last year) is one position ahead of Corinthians..

In addition to Cruzeiro, Gremio, Fluminense, Sao Paulo, International, Sport and Corinthians, ten Brazilian clubs are present in the track list that includes 354 clubs around the world: Flamengo (114), Goiás (145), Botafogo (147) , Coritiba (148), Atlético-MG (160), Victoria (169), Avaí (206), Atletico-PR (250), Santos (265) and Riyadh (266).

Vasco (champions of Serie B of 2010) does not appear in the rankings. Nautico and Santo André, attended the First Division in 2009 and returned to Serie B, did not appear in the rankings.

Check out the top ten ranking IFFHS, 2009 (* Bold, the Brazilian teams in the top 100)

1. Barcelona (Spain) 341.0 points
2. Chelsea (England) 292.0 points
3. Manchester United (England) 291.0 points
4. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) 275.0 points
5. Werder Bremen (Germany) 272.0 points
6. Hamburg (Germany) 264.0 points
7. Arsenal (England) 260.0 points
8. Estudiantes de La Plata (Argentina) 243.0 points
9. Cruzeiro (Brazil) 235.0 points
10. Galatasaray (Turkey) 219.0 points
13. Gremio (Brazil) 206 points
25. Palmeiras (Brazil) 181 points
38. Fluminense (Brazil) 166 points
50. Sao Paulo (Brazil) 153 points
76. Internacional (Brazil) 134 points
89. Sport (Brazil) 125 points
90. Corinthians (Brazil) 124 points

View all rankings here

Separation... No Comment!

In the case of Separation, no comment is the best approach.

Two friends were talking, when, after the second, third, fourth glass of wine, Carlos said:

- You know Bob, I found some strange things and ended everything, it was touch but needed. Now we are at the stage of division of property. It has been hell.

- Gee, hell is the right word.
- I am still recovering, but now I will organize my life differently.
- But, Carlos, you know what? It was better to let go of her. Your wife was screwing everybody and the guys who did her said she is a bigger slut than the Empress Theodosia of Byzantium, the one who liked to be screwed by three Nubian slaves at the same time.
- What-a-heck Bob! I separated from my business partner not my wife, damn!

"Silence" ...

Wikipedia

That's true. this is my blog. But today, I want to give this space to Jimmy and the Wikipedia folks that have tirelessly worked to assure that we can continue to enjoy the best encyclopedia on earth.

Here's what Jimmy wrote:

"
Thank You from Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales
Wow. What can I say? Thank you.

We’ve just ended the most successful fundraiser in our history, $7.5 million USD raised in less than 8 weeks.

Incredible. But I’m not surprised.

In 2001, I took a bet on people, and you’ve never let me down.

You have created the largest collection of human knowledge ever assembled: 14 million encyclopedia articles in 270 languages, still growing and getting better every day. You have supported, funded and protected it.

Advertising doesn’t pay for Wikipedia. You do. Wikipedia is the fifth most visited website on earth – 340 million people last month – and we run our servers and pay our lean staff entirely with donations.

Your donations keep Wikipedia free to use and free of ads. Your donations keep spreading free access to knowledge all across the earth.

Thank you for everything you give to make Wikipedia a reality. I’ve been inspired by your comments, and feel privileged to witness your passion for Wikipedia.

* “When I'm at a loss for answers in life, you are always here to rescue me!” - Lauren Sierra

* “To my 6-year-old son, Wikipedia is a wonderful window into the world's knowledge.” - Pilgrim Beart

* “Wikipedia é muito importante para todos. É uma conquista da humanidade.” - Fernando Borba

* "Wikipedia is all about fulfilling one simple need: immediate access to high quality information on any topic you can think of. That is why I’m glad to support it." - Joao Nunes

It’s an amazing story. There’s nothing else like it.

And if you haven’t yet made a contribution to support Wikipedia, it’s not too late. You can still make a gift to support the free and open sharing of knowledge. Just click here.

I also encourage you to support our friends:

* Creative Commons makes it easier for anyone to share and build upon the work of others. Make a donation to Creative Commons.
* The Electronic Frontier Foundation defends the rights of all Internet users. Make a donation to the EFF.
* The Free Software Foundation promotes the development of free software and supports the rights of computers users. Make a donation to the FSF.

Thank you again.

Wikipedia forever,

Jimmy Wales

Founder, Wikipedia
"

If you have not yet made your donation, do so now. It's easy, affordable and needed.

Idiocracy Now!

The other day I was flipping the channels on my TV when I came across a movie called "Idiocracy". Intrigued, I started to watch. On the very beginning of this movie, I saw it was created by Mike Judge. Well, for the younger folks here, Mike Judge was the creator of the never-to-be-classic Beavis & Butt-head cartoons. Needless to say, I almost changed the channel. Even got to the point of checking the TV guide for what else was available on TV... Not much was available, so I decided to watch Idiocracy - But, at this point you can just imagine how low my expectations were... The movie depicted a future, in which, people were not advanced, but rather made by idiots. That was an interesting movie. But, I asked, was Mike Judge forecasting or predicting something??? Or the idea came from a "Let's make a movie about idiotic people just for entertainment's sake". So, I begun to research and gather a few scenarios to make a comparison of two calendar dates. Arbitrarily, I choose the year 1957 and 2009. Arbitrarily, I choose a high school as the place for this exercise to take place. The idea was to compare our past to our present. You see... I believe that our pass is a pretty good indicator of our present and our present is equally good as an indicator to what's to come. So... Here we go:

HIGH SCHOOL -- 1957 vs. 2009

Scenario 1:
Jack goes quail hunting before school and then pulls into the school parking lot with his shotgun in his truck's gun rack.
1957 - Vice Principal comes over, looks at Jack's shotgun, goes to his car and gets his shotgun to show Jack.
2009 - School goes into lock down, FBI is called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario 2:
Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up buddies.
2009 - Police called and SWAT team arrives -- they arrest both Johnny and Mark. They are both charged them with assault and both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario 3:
Jeffrey will not be still in class, he disrupts other students.
1957 - Jeffrey sent to the Principal's office and given a good paddling by the Principal. He then returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.
2009 - Jeffrey is given huge doses of Ritalin. He becomes a zombie. He is then tested for ADD. The school gets extra money from the state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario 4:
Billy breaks a window in his neighbor's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college and becomes a successful businessman.
2009 - Billy's dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy is removed to foster care and joins a gang. The state psychologist is told by Billy's sister that she remembers being abused herself and their dad goes to prison. Billy's mom has an affair with the psychologist.

Scenario 5:
Mark gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1957 - Mark shares his aspirin with the Principal on the school yard.
2009 - The police are called and Mark is expelled from school for drug violations. His car is then searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario 6:
Pedro fails high school English.
1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English and goes to college.
2009 - Pedro's cause is taken up by the state. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against the state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English is then banned from core curriculum. Pedro is given his diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he cannot speak English.

Scenario 7:
Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the Fourth of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle and blows up a red ant bed.
1957 - Ants die.
2009 - ATF, Homeland Security and the FBI are all called. Johnny is charged with domestic terrorism. The FBI investigates his parents -- and all siblings are removed from their home and all computers are confiscated. Johnny's dad is placed on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario 8:
Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.
1957 - In a short time, Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2009 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison. Johnny undergoes 5 years of therapy with the psychologist who had an affair with Billy's mom.

IDIOCRACY?!!

But wait, there's much more!

As promised, Here is an almost-full list of Ron Popeil's multimedia appearances:

* "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded the song "Mr. Popeil" on his second studio album, "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D. The song was a "style parody" (i.e., not a direct parody of a specific song, but emulating a performer's specific style) of the early music of the B-52's (and bore a striking resemblance to their first hit single, "Rock Lobster"). The verses are structured as pitches for unnamed but easily recognizable Ronco products, and draws upon all the catchphrases associated with the Ronco infomercials, including the phrases "It slices! It dices!", "Take advantage of this amazing TV offer!", and Ed Valenti's more commonly heard phrase"Now how much would you pay?". One of Weird Al's background vocalists was Lisa Popeil, sister of Ron Popeil[2]. This song is actually a tribute to Samuel Popeil, Ron Popeil's father, who was in the same business of inventing and selling products.[5]

* On his 1983 album, DaDa, Alice Cooper sings, "I love General Patton in World War II, my Pocket Fisherman and my Crazy Glue" in the song "I Love America".

* On his 1983 album, Affordable Art, Steve Goodman sings Vegematic. It is a narration of a man who falls asleep with the TV on and orders from every infomertial that airs, he then awakes, believing it was a dream. After 4–6 weeks, he does actually receive every single product he dreamt about, revealing that it was no dream. Most notable in the song are the Vegematic, Ginsu knife, Pocket Fisherman, and numerous items from/for Six Flags (theme park) Over Burbank.

* In the X-Files episode "Beyond the Sea," Scully is shown sleeping while Ron Popeil touts the wonders of his Spray-On Hair (Great Looking Hair Formula #9) for only $39.95. The ad continues for a few seconds, displaying the product's fabulous abilities before shifting to show Scully awakening to the ghost of her recently deceased father.

* Lemon Demon references Popeil in their song, "Hyakugojyuuichi 2003", off of the album Clown Circus with the line, "Props to Neil, he’s the real deal, His friends all call him Mr. Popeil."

* Twiztid makes reference to him on their album Mutant Vol. 2 on the song Stardust claiming "We're gonna be the new Ron Popeils" after it is made clear they will market a product of unknown details.

* The "Veg-O-Matic" was parodied by Dan Aykroyd in an episode of Saturday Night Live as the "Super Bass-O-Matic '76". This parody is mentioned in the Biography episode on Popeil.

* "Dodge Veg-O-Matic" is a song by Jonathan Richman from the album Rock N Roll With The Modern Lovers (1977).

* Professional wrestling tag team The Midnight Express dubbed their "finisher" the Veg-O-Matic.

* The "Veg-O-Matic" provided the inspiration for the "Sledge-O-Matic" routine used by comedian Gallagher since the 1980s.

* In the film Major League, while hazing rookie Rick Vaughn, Roger Dorn asks if he had cut his hair using a "Veg-O-Matic".

* In the book The Slacker Confessions, Tommy Campbell (actor) writes, "... all while watching any infomercial starring the genius himself, Ron Popeil."

* Also on Saturday Night Live (September 25, 1982), Eddie Murphy did a commercial spoof for the "Popeil Galactic Prophylactic".

* In the episode "A Big Piece of Garbage," from the television series Futurama, Popeil is said to be the inventor of technology that allows heads to be kept alive in jars indefinitely (Popeil's own head, voiced by himself, appears in the episode). In the later episode "The Luck of the Fryrish" Fry keeps his lucky seven-leaf-clover in a "Ronco Record Vault"

* In the episode "Won’t You Pimai Neighbor?," from the television series "King of the Hill," Dale Gribble states that if Bobby Hill incorrectly chooses from among the items possibly owned by the late Lama Sanglung, Bobby Hill will win a cap snaffler and that the cap snaffler, "Snaffles caps of any size jug, bottle or jar...and it really really works.".

* In the episode "The Perils of Polling" from the television series "King of the Hill," Dale Gribble asks if Hank got him a cap snaffler while Hank and Dale are being escorted to the polling place by the police.

* The Ronco Showtime infomercial plays in the background of a scene in the Paul Thomas Anderson film Magnolia.

* In the film Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, the character Crow T. Robot uses the phrase "Snaffles caps off any size jug, bottle or jar...and it really really works."

* In the episode of The Simpsons entitled "Radio Bart", Bart Simpson receives a "Superstar Celebrity Microphone" for his birthday. The toy and the TV advertisements for it were modeled after Ronco's "Mr. Microphone".

* In the movie Old School during the morning-after hangover scene, Ron Popeil is on the TV; Vince Vaughn and company are watching.

* During a scene in Elizabethtown, you can see Popeil showing his knives on Orlando Bloom's television. (Bloom's character was having suicidal thoughts.)

* The Daily Show featured a clip with the famous line "Set it and forget it!" — from the Showtime Rotisserie commercial — after showing the "catch phrase" discussions of the Senate debating over the War in Iraq.

* The Beastie Boys reference him in their song 'Crawlspace', when Adrock says "I got more product than Ron Popeil".

* The character RJ Raccoon in the film adaptation of Over the Hedge uses a Popeil Pocket Fisherman several times throughout the film.

* In 1993, the Ig Nobel Award for Consumer Engineering was presented to Ron Popeil, "incessant inventor and perpetual pitchman of late night television, for redefining the industrial revolution with such devices as the Veg-O-Matic, the Pocket Fisherman, Mr. Microphone, and the Inside-the-Shell Egg Scrambler."

* In "X2: X-Men United", Popeil is playing on the television briefly when the school is attacked.

* In "The Kingdom", Popeil is playing on the television while Jamie Foxx is interviewing a family after the terrorist attack.

* In the film Little Miss Sunshine Ron Popeil is shown doing a Showtime Rotisserie Grill commercial on the TV in the background as the family is in the hospital waiting room.

* In the book "What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures", by Malcolm Gladwell, Ron Popeil is interviewed and many of his products, most notably the Veg-O-Matic and Showtime Rotisserie, are discussed.

* In the film Trick 'R' Treat, Popeil's rotisserie infomercial can be seen playing in a scene.

But wait, there's more... No, not really.. Just thought it would be good to end this entry this way. I hope you enjoyed.

But wait, there's more!

Who in the world never heard that phase? Impossible. It's as famous as Michael Jackson, Pele or Coca-cola. What? You never heard of Coca-cola? I doubt it! Perhaps, you prefer Pepsi, but I am sure you did hear about Coca-cola..

But wait, there's more!

Ron Popeil's catch phase is what I am writing about. Moreover, his success with a large quantity of products that entertained and captured our attention. From the Chop-O-Matic to the Electric Food Dehydrator, Mr. Popeil made his mark selling millions of usable appliances and other stuff.

During the pinnacle of his career, he earned the attention of celebrities and most importantly the parody praises of:

"Weird Al" Yankovic who actually recorded the song "Mr. Popeil" on his second studio album;

The "Veg-O-Matic" parodied by Dan Aykroyd in an episode of Saturday Night Live as the "Super Bass-O-Matic '76" and

the X-Files episode "Beyond the Sea, when Scully is shown sleeping while Ron Popeil touts the wonders of his Spray-On Hair (Great Looking Hair Formula #9) for only $39.95. Now... Even with a resume this stuffed, Mr Popeil's name is known by some but not all.

But wait, there's more!

Tomorrow, I will post the almost-full list of Mr. Popeil's multimedia appearances here.

Stay tuned.

Like a Chicken Without a Head!

It's interesting how every time there is a serious economic crisis, national or international, unexplainable occurrences plague our planet.

I remember the year 1999, Brazil lived a severe economic crisis that shook the Real (Name of their currency) Plan. The news took care of the major television news programs in Brazil. At that point, when the country was economically weak, it appeared the "Chupacabra".

Great "Chupacabra". In addition to killing our animals, stole the show. It was even featured in the National powerful Globo network.

When the economic crisis went away, took the Chupacabra. And it never appeared again.

Coincidence?

Currently, the world still live the final phase of a major economic crisis. Started in late 2008, the crisis and its impacts occupied for a long time, almost all of our newscasts.

At the height of the last economic crisis, the swine flu stole the show on the news. It was just flu, no one spoke more of the global economic crisis, only the epidemic of influenza.

We got our vaccine for swine flu and when the countries and markets emerged from the H1N1 scare. Alcohol gel and masks were put aside.

With the end of the world crisis, the swine flu has been forgotten, disappeared from the map, left the agenda of the world press.

As we run like a chicken without a head I ask: Coincidence?

Avatar the Movie

Before the movie Avatar came out, a family member asked me if I thought this movie was going to be a success. I replied by stating the obvious: -Directed by James Cameron it had to be at least good.
Since then, I have had a chance to see floods of people at the IMAX theater near my work. You see... From my office I have a clear view of the parking lot for one of the largest movie theaters in town. So, to me this movie was a success, even if some critics didn't agree with me... All fuss aside, the movie has some minor mistakes caught and reported by some sharp eyes.

Here are some of them:

- Near the end of the movie Norm Spellman is seen to be standing as they escort the humans off the planet, but then you also see his Avatar, how can both be present at the same time?

- When Jake is at the Soul Tree with his big new bird (I don't know what it's called) to say sorry to everyone, you can see white pixels for at least 15 frames on the wings of this giant animal. I saw this in the 3d Version.

- In the scene after Jake was just in his avatar for the first time, he and the Colonel are discussing things around a holographic 3D map. With each shot, Jake's arms change from being straight out holding the edge of the table, to clasped in front of him, with no time to move the position in between.

- When Jake and Neytiri 'mate for life,' Neytiri has no braids and longer hair, yet when Jake returns to his avatar body in Home tree Neytiri has her hair in braids and it shorter like at the beginning of the film.

If you have some additional mistakes to add, feel free to comment on this post.

Never mind the mistakes. This movie is awesome.

Take care,

Dragon dictation

So, as I try this new iPhone app called Dragon dictation, I am really learning to like the capabilities and easy functionalities crammed into this little free app. This reliable application is specially cool for multitasking and text control by voice. It can also be a quite fun way to update my blog giving me the flexibility to present my thoughts in a way that I feel comfortable and without a lot of effort.
Good stuff.

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Blogging Resolutions...

So I was thinking of writing on my blog today... The idea was simple, write a blog every day describing what happened to me that day. But then I thought: -What's the point? -Who is going to read it? -How much exposure do I really want? The anwers were clear as mud; I don't really like outsiders into my head, knowing about all my experiences or basically snoopyng on my life.. I guess I truly have a problem with privacy. Also, needless to say, I don't really do the new year's resolution thing. So, by starting to blog on the first of January, it feels a lot like I am commiting to some daily thing. But, without over analysing this initiative, I will agree to blog more some other time.

Cheers!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone