creative riff » Linked Goodness

Coffee gets me up in the morning

Ruth Loose88 — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 14:02:01 +0000

In case you didn't read my earlier post about the Aeropress coffee maker last week, this is an example of some damn good coffee. Brewed a 15 ounce cup today of Cafe Americano... essentially the same as a triple expresso. Woooo! Seriously, everyone should pick one of these coffee presses up. $26 on Amazon.com with a bonus 250 filters.

Oliver Stone to begin shooting “Wall Street” sequel

Ruth Loose88 — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 07:18:01 +0000

Aptly titled "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps," Oliver Stone is set to shoot the sequel to his movie that glorified excessive greed to some, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas). To others it was a warning of the toll trading can take on an unwitting stock broker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen).

Stone laments how the first film resonated

IRS saves money by making advertising push in Second Life instead of with NASCAR(?)

Ruth Loose88 — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 20:32:40 +0000

They say there are two constants in life: death and taxes, so when the Internal Revenue Service decides to invade the virtual computer massively multiplayer online [MMO] game known as Second Life a few heads should turn (as well as a few eyes start rolling).

Virtual Worlds & Social Networking Project Manager Frank Stripe said, "In 2008, the IRS project team established a presence in the Second Life virtual world with the goal of exploring the potential use of this environment for recruitment and training purposes. The team has created the IRS Careers Island and constructed a sky platform with an IRS Careers Center and an IRS Education Center. A number of building

Just how effective is Cash for Clunkers?

Ruth Loose88 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:04:23 +0000

So I was standing in the grocery store the other day with my mother. Somehow the topic of Cash for Clunkers got brought up. I was thinking to myself, "I wonder how many folks have taken part in the program thus far." Looks like I have a number. 240,000. That's a metric shit ton of cars that have to be completely destroyed. I hate to link to anything related to Time.com but they have a decent article explaining some of the numbers involved and how this program is likely to have little to no real world benefits. I can't wait to see more people on their Sunday drives... to the nearest three Walmarts to do price comparisons on Pillsbury crescent rolls. Source: Cash for Clunkers: How big Continue reading

Hiroshima 64 years ago

Ruth Loose88 — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:35:59 +0000

Today marks the 64th Anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb. Occurring at 8:15 AM a blinding white light surrounded the city. People were thrown about, eyes melted onto faces, babies were instantly aborted within womens' stomachs and hundreds of thousands of victims would suffer the specter that is leukemia until their premature death.

Not the most pleasant day to remember but a critical day in the forging of our future. View the images here and check out my review of John Hersey's Hiroshima here.

Sources: Boston.com

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In space no one will change pants

Ruth Loose88 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:10:15 +0000

Here's an interesting article I just read via the Drudge Report so I thought I would link it here. Apparently Japan is interested in testing out a new prototype space pant to see how it holds up. The test: wear said pant for a month and analyze the results. Poor Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata was the unlucky guinea pig in this sick experiment.

Designed to resist the rigours of lengthy space travel, the anti-static, flame-resistant, odour-eating, bacteria-killing, water-absorbent smalls have been put through their paces as part of a project aimed at ensuring that future space travellers will need only minimal space in their suitcases. “We’re going to go beyond the Moon some day, and little Continue reading

Protect your SeXBOX from ‘truders with Master Lock

Ruth Loose88 — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:00:13 +0000

How often do you find yourself staring down the barrel of a shotgun as you are forced to hand over the controller to your favorite video game system? If you answered more than once than Master has a deal for you.

A new Xbox 360 security kit enables the user to lock their TV to a nearby support post or table. Oddly enough the device does not protect the detachable hard drive or any other devices attached to said Xbox such as a Rock Band drum set or guitars. Some say money can't buy you love, but $29.95 can help you rest easy knowing your $299 purchase will be around when the forensics team is sweeping

Taco Bell Chihuahua Dies at 15

Ruth Loose88 — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 04:17:25 +0000

The summer of celebrity death continues with the passing of former Taco Bell spokesdog, Gidget. The popular catchphrase, "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" could be the only Spanish that most Americans know.

"She made so many people happy," says Gidget's trainer, Sue Chipperton. PEOPLE met both Gidget and Sue at a Hollywood animals photo shoot in February, where the pup was a consummate pro and delighted the crew with her playful nature. - PEOPLE.com

Source: Taco Bell Chihuahua Dies [People]

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My question made it on the Giant Bombcast [giantbomb.com]!

Ruth Loose88 — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:24:53 +0000

Giant Bomb.com, for the unintiated, is a huge video game wikia that also licenses said database to companies and research firms while providing daily news and updates for surfers. The wiki part of the website just turned one yesterday and is now available as an iPhone application in the iTunes store. The site also has daily reviews, previews and content submissions by video game industry veterans Jeff Gerstmann, Vinny Caravella, Brad Shoemaker and Ryan Davis - all former Gamespot employees who left after the Eidos review bribery scandal in late 2007.

Each week the crew at Giant Bomb does a two-hour podcast wrap-up of the previous week and talks about upcoming releases, taste tests sodas and

Apple says no to Microsoft “Laptop Hunter” ad campaign

Ruth Loose88 — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:45:40 +0000

In what could go down as one of the lamest attempt at corporate backlash, Apple apparently tried to get the latest Microsoft ads pulled from TV. Apple cited a recent "price drop" of $100 across their computer line that rendered the "too expensive" statements in the ads as slander.

Microsoft's response:

Kevin Turner, Microsoft's chief operating officer said, And so we've been running these PC value ads. Just giving people saying, hey, what are you looking to spend? "Oh, I'm looking to spend less than $1,000." Well we'll give you $1,000. Go in and look and see what you can buy. And they come out and they just show them. Those are completely unscripted commercials Continue reading