Google AdWord's inability to nail down the demographic of my store, or maybe blogspot blogs in general, lead to this pretty damn funny ad-pairing over at my CafePress Products Blog.

What do you buy as a gift for the Couch Potato who has everything? That's right, their own personal home vending-machine style beverage dispenser.

Hey, need a ride to the city?
Stolen bus unreported for 6 hours:

"The Peter Pan bus stolen from the Port Authority Bus Terminal was missing at least six hours before the company told cops"

"Two hours later, police said they found Slade, of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, at the wheel of the idling bus at Kennedy Airport, with an open can of malt liquor by his side."

Chrysler Group nixes sponsorship deal, says Lingerie Bowl too "distracting"

But will it go on anyway?

An actual press release that just hit the Yahoo News Wire.

Press ReleaseSource: World Almanac and Book Of Facts

Tuesday December 30, 2:13 pm ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Almanac and Book Of Facts fully supports and endorses all efforts of the FBI, and all government agencies, in thwarting illegal activities including terrorism. With over 80 million copies sold in its illustrious history, which spans more than 130 years, The World Almanac is proud of its place in the publishing arena. It is the sincere hope of everyone associated with The World Almanac and Book Of Facts that our product is used only for the purposes that it is intended -- research, learning, education and fun.

Unbelievable. They seem to be playing along, but even more so they seem to be using this as an opportunity to accomplish a bit of marketing.

The almanac market is pretty saturated, what with the Enclyclopedia Britanica Almanac, the Time Magazine Almanac, the apparently press hungry World Almanac and Book of Facts and the ever redoubtable The New York Times Almanac crowding the field. Even with that, it seems to me pretty damn cheesy that the World Book folks are using this bit of FBI silliness (Duct Tape II, as I saw it described over at FR) to try and create a marketing opportunity.

Almanacs, tool of terrorism?

My internet connection availability will be spotty over the next few days thanks to a shot USB-To-Motorola Cell Phone cable so I just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

I did a phone interview Thursday with Robert Price of the Bakersfield Californian about my "We'll Kick Your Ass" graphic. He did a far better job writing it up than I could ever do, so here's a link to his column entitled Just in time for holidays: 'Kick Ass' gifts. [Registration required].

Not bad, really, that in one year I've had one of my goofy graphics used as an uncredited prop on the floor of Congress & now I've gotten press for throwing fuel on an old controversy burning over 3,000 miles away.

(Oh, I'd already set up a shell for "We'll Bite Your Ass", but I haven't gotten around to making the graphics yet.)

UPDATE: I found a no-registration-required copy of Mr. Price's column posted here.

Another variant of the Kern County goofy graphic below, based upon this story:

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Comedian Rodney Dangerfield and Arvin Mayor Juan Olivares have something in common -- Dangerfield claimed he can't get any respect. Olivares claims he can't get any respect -- but the Mayor wants a Kern County Sheriff's Deputy fired because of it.

Olivares claims a deputy didn't show him the proper respect during a traffic stop. It seems the deputy pulled Olivares over because a passenger in the Mayor's car -- City Councilmember Carmen Acevedo -- was allegedly holding an open container of beer. Which, if true, is illegal.

During the stop, the deputy apparently referred to the mayor as "dude." Olivares wants that deputy fired for disrespecting him.

As usual, click on the image to go the CafePress store.

 

Heard on Imus this morning from Charles McCord: "Governor Rowland's cottage looked about one step up from a spider-hole."

Google grows yet again with the addition of Google Print (BETA), an experiment in offering some published content online.

I just don't get it.

700 Chicago cops on sick leave every day

As the Chicago Police Department takes drastic steps to put more officers on the street -- even sending out 1,000 desk cops to patrol drug markets -- about 700 of their brethren are at home every day on sick leave.

Yet later in the article we're told this:

'We have a pretty liberal policy,' said a 12-year officer who works in a high-crime district. 'It's there for someone who might legitimately injure himself and need time to come back 100 percent. If you work in the office and break your arm, you can still work. If you are a policeman, you can't.'

How about putting officers on sick leave to work replacing their desk bound co-workers, freeing up the healthy desk bound to work the streets?

There's probably some union rule against such a reasonable idea.

Yet another sign of the death of civilization: People pooping in retail stores, not in the bathroom.

 

[Based upon this story, found via obscurestore.com.]

Not so wonderful fact checing from the AP in this story about WI-FI:

Wi-Fi radiates an Internet connection that multiple computers within 300 feet can share at fast speeds. Wi-Fi hot spots have cropped up over the last couple of years in coffee shops, hotels and airports in bigger U.S. cities.

A quick googling of the term "Wifi '300 feet'" shows this to be a common myth

MYTH #3

Wi-Fi provides a 300-foot radius of coverage.
Unless you're installing a hot spot in an open field, you're going to have obstacles and devices that interfere with the signal, like microwave ovens and portable phones. While the most popular standard 802.11b is capable of reaching 300 feet, for all practical purposes the range is more along the lines of 100 feet, or even less. Many consumers are finding out the hard way that they cannot provide house-wide coverage with just one access point - leading to a fair amount of head scratching and disappointment. This should be a warning to Wi-Fi vendors. If vendors had simply claimed an in-house radius of 100 feet, instead of 300 feet, expectations would be better managed.

Sounds like a Berkeley type problem...
GREENWICH, Conn., Dec. 9 — When a deer hunt was proposed on 285 acres of pristine open land here owned by the Audubon center, it was not surprising that hunters, animal rights activists and bird lovers found themselves locked in battle.
The Homeless and the Meatless

How quickly they forget their own rhetoric.

Back when Vermont was debating gay marriage/civil unions signs sprung up all over the state hoping to "Take Back Vermont," meaning take Vermont back to before when it had civil unions for same gender couples.

Those on the other side of the issue wanted to Take Vermont Forward.

I guess Dean is just back and forth on his rhetoric...

The amazon Friday Sale deal of the month this month is the Metrokane's Houdini (Screwpull like) wine opener, in Blue, Black, and Red for just $17.99. Unlike last year this time when Amazon put these on sale for $19.99, this year, at the lower price, they are throwing in an extra screw and several accessories. I gave three or four of these as gifts last year and everyone loves them. By all reports they hold up well, look good and function flawlessly.

I guess the US isn't the only place where nutrition is beyond many people.
Fast food 'used to wean babies'

This thread about a couple of pharmacy techs swapping stories about how to spot a drug abusing customer made me laugh.