Month: August 2011

Here’s an interesting comic I found via Jeremy Hall:

Click the comic to see it at full size.

I’ve transcribed the text of the comic:

Consider the body type you see on a “Mr. Universe” contestant: The competitions stress definition more than usefulness. In fact, when you see these guys in competition, they’re at their weakest. That Saran Wrap skin look comes from starving and dehydrating themselves. This look stresses upper body bulk and a trim waist. In short, this is body sculpture for the sake of show, not real power.

Versus the body type you see at a strongman competition: These guys are legitimately strong. They are all about actual function and do not care about sculptured fat-free bodies. In fact, if a person puts on a lot of muscle bulk without fat in a short time, it suggests steroid use. They have very thick waists because of all the core muscles right through the torso are developed to prevent spinal damage and herniating organs during heavy lifting. This is the body of a guy who fights bears on a mountain.

The insightful reader will note that this lesson extends well beyond the gym.

Found via Reddit.

…and suddenly, I have this urge to go hit the gym.

An actual question from Trivial Pursuit:

Now all we need is the adult video remake.

I’d love to hear a reading of this story, inflections and all:

I found this at Said the Gramophone, which is also a great place to discover new music. Check it out!

Click to see the picture at full size.

Liu Bolin is a Chinese artist whose trademark is photographs featuring himself, painted to blend into his surroundings. I rather like the one shown above.

According to Wikipedia, “Liu belongs to the generation that came of age in the early 1990s, when China emerged from the rubble of the Cultural Revolution and was beginning to enjoy rapid economic growth and relative political stability.” His work is a protest against the censorship practices of the Chinese government, which persecutes artists (surprise, surprise) and who shut down his own studio in 2005.

Since I live in Canada, I now see this when I visit The Onion’s website:

That little “Subscribe Now” window doesn’t appear immediately when you arrive at The Onion. You see the page you meant to visit for a couple of seconds, and then it appears. You can still scroll the page away from the window and it looks as if you can continue reading, but a moment later, the little “pay up!” window snaps into position on the centre of the screen, almost as if to say “Oh no you don’t! Not until you cough up thirty bucks!” I’m sure there’s a clever web developer patting himself or herself on the back for this little programming trick, but if I meet this person, I will stab him or her in the eye. With my accordion.

What’s going on? It turns out that The Onion is testing a paywall for readers outside the US. If you’re an international user who wants to read more than 5 articles in 30 days, you’ll be hit up for money. If you’re within the US, the country that makes up for most of The Onion’s audience, who are most likely to get the jokes requiring a good understanding of American popular culture, who have one of the highest (if not the highest) average discretionary incomes and for whom The Onion’s credit card payment system is most likely to work, it’s free.

The one concession that The Onion is making is that US troops deployed in combat overseas will be able to read it for free. They realize that would be cruel and unusual punishment:

The Onion recognizes that it has a large fanbase in the armed forces, and it doesn’t wish to charge them for being overseas. They also have better stuff to worry about.

The more cynical have might surmise that they’re concerned that Onion staffers will run into soldiers on leave and get stabbed in the eye. With an M-16.

I don’t mind paying for my entertainment, but right now, the street performers in ByWard Market are giving me far better value than The Onion, and hey, I’m supporting a local small business. They’re getting my bucks. As for getting my laughs online, I count on Cracked, College Humor, Toronto Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti and the rubes who comment on the National Post’s site.

With the rioting and looting going on, many offices, shops and restaurants in north London are closed. If you’re a stuck-at-home Londoner with some Photoshop skills and nothing to do, may I suggest submitting some riot-themed Photoshoppery to the new Tumblr blog photoshoplooter? They’re looking for Photoshopped pictures of looters with “embarrassing loot”.

Wait just a minute! An accordion is not “embrassing loot” — it’s damned cool!