Random Cars Exploding

Last night a car exploded less than a mile north of me. No one knows how or why.



SilverSpringSingular beat me to the punch on the witty analysis.

While car fires are not uncommon, non-Pinto cars don't generally explode (except in movies), as they are designed specifically NOT to do that. No one in the neighborhood has claimed the car and the authorities can't determine what caused the car to explode in the first place. All of this is quite mysterious. Is there an Al Qaeda sleeper cell operating in Silver Spring?? (If there is, it is a really lame one.)

Maybe Mythbusters is filming in town?

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The Scream

The same sound effect, known as the Wilhelm Scream, has been used over and over again in movies. For some reason I have a deep fondness for Foley artists, art history, and professional in-jokes. So I love bizarre things like this. Enjoy.

Hat tip to Boingboing.

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Holiday Gift Ideas

So, I have over a dozen close family members and friends that I have to buy gifts for. I've already gone on two outings with some success, but I still have a lot of work to do. So any ideas people may have would be welcome. In case you're wondering who I have to buy for, the answer is EVERYONE. Sisters, brothers, various parental and grand parental units, god children, step-family, friends, etc. Ages 0-87. The only categories I don't have to buy something for are pets or a significant other, unless I meet someone in the next few weeks, and then I'll have to find something romantic too. So if you're reading this and have ideas, please post them in the comments.

One gift that I know I'm buying is this knife set:


I'm not sure who I'm giving it too. But its just too cool not to buy for someone.

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Oddly accurate internet test

Apparently, I have a Philadelphian accent:

I find this hilarious, since I originally had a thick native New York accent, spent years in speech therapy to get rid of an impediment (thus also getting rid of most of the NY accent), was moved to central Jersey for most of grade and high school, and since then I've spent most of the last ten years living in and around the Beltway. I've lived in Philly for a grand total of six months of my entire life, and yet have somehow been infected by their speech patterns. Argh.

Numerous people have observed that I tend to reflect the accent of whomever I'm thinking about or talking to at the moment, a remnant of the speech therapy and years spent as a grassroots organizer, social worker, phone surveyor, etc. So I guess when I'm reading stuff on the internet, I think in a Philly accent. Wierd.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.

You can figure out your accent here.

Hat tip to Pandagon.

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Distraction: Humvee vs. School Bus

And the winner is.... School Bus!



Shortly thereafter AM General announced that the new H4 would be able to mow down childern no matter how they're transported. I can't wait to see the commercial.

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VOTE!

Today is Election Day. If you don't vote, you can't complain. Or more accurately, if you don't vote, I will complain. A lot. Until you ears bleed. So go and vote, because I'm out of Q-Tips.

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Noooooooo!!!!!

From the Washington Post:

Seafood Population Depleted by 2048, Study Finds

The world will run out of seafood by 2048 if steep declines in marine species continue at current rates, according to a study released today by an international group of ecologists and economists.

The paper, published in the journal Science, concludes that overfishing, pollution, and other environmental factors are wiping out important species across the globe, hampering the ocean's ability to produce seafood, filter nutrients and resist the spread of disease.

Alright everyone - stop eating seafood, having babies, and supporting anti-environmental policies. The future of the Italian people depends on it.

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