YouTube has everything: ‘Dinosaurs’ character Earl performs ‘Hypnotize’

dinosaurs-earl

This one doesn’t require much an introduction: Someone took video clips featuring the character Earl from the TV show “Dinosaurs” and edited it to make it look like he’s rapping the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize.” The results of the mash-up are as enjoyable as it would seem on paper: Continue reading

Re-kindling an interest in reading

kindle-2009

I was a relatively early adopter of the Kindle, thanks to a birthday gift of the Kindle 2 in 2009. It has been a transformative device for me; I’ve read more since I got the Kindle than I had previously, and I pretty much read every day with it.

Sadly, the Kindle 2, which had been in service for so long, has recently decided it had enough. My screen effectively began to divide in two and reading on it became nearly impossible. The time had come to replace it. Continue reading

Managing MetroCard balances effectively with new tools

metrocard

I write about transit at times here; it’s generally top of mind for me given my regular commuting. But a number of subway-related links have fallen into my drafts folder over the past few months, so for the time being Sundays are going to be dubbed “Subway Sundays” and I’ll be sharing some cool stuff around it.

This week’s post revolves around the unnecessarily complex math that has sometimes been needed to zero out a MetroCard, which is used to pay for subway rides. Fares are generally round enough – until last week they were $2.50, and just increased to $2.75 – but when you put money on your card, bonuses are also applied which don’t always line up. Continue reading

Puzzling over a decision

american-crossword-puzzle-tournament

This weekend’s going to be a quiet one for me, but it didn’t have to be. For most of the winter I pondered over the thought of participating in the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament this year, led by New York Times crossword editor Will Shortz (who also has a pair of excellent magazine titles available through Penny Press). Those who read the blog have seen my previous posts about how I love solving puzzle books, and this would be a fun extension of that hobby. I didn’t even have travel as an excuse: The event is taking place this weekend at the Stamford Marriott. I walked by it on my way home from the train station last night. I could have easily been there right now. Continue reading

The breakfast taco is dead. Long live the breakfast taco!

biscuit-taco

I previously wrote here last year about Taco Bell’s move into breakfast and the most fascinating item of them all, the Waffle Taco.

While Taco Bell continues to push to make breakfast a more obvious option for fast food eaters everywhere, they are evolving their menu, and that sadly means the death of the waffle taco. Continue reading

YouTube has everything: Missy Elliott dancer Alyson Stoner, all grown up

alyson-stoner

Alyson Stoner made her name in various ways, but one of the more prominent places she gained a reputation for her awesome dancing is in a number of Missy Elliott videos while still a child. A recent video pays homage to that, and the opportunity given to her by Missy, in a very cool way. Continue reading

Mission Zero prepares new release, “People in Glass Yachts”

mission-zero

Regular readers of the blog know I’m a big fan of New Haven-based sibling duo Mission Zero, and have been following their path for a couple of years now. Last fall, they announced they were taking a break from performances to work on some new music, and as winter has finally decided to more or less pack it in, comes word that a new EP is coming out in May. Continue reading

Spinning the blog back up

peanuts-movie

It’s been a quiet couple of months here at the blog, but anything but in my life. The first quarter means a ton of activity for me, and the last two years I somehow fought through everything and kept posting, but this year, decided to take that pressure off (even though it’s fun in its own right to work on it and write things up) and focus on the other things, and circle back when things calmed down. Then, I got sick. My normal 24-48 hours of truly knocked out illness, and an unusually long battle against the cough that wouldn’t die (movie treatment coming soon). Continue reading