Those dang liberal bullies!

Submitted by Maverick on 1/10/13 1:15pm
We need to beat up all the bullies.

I took to my Facebook page with the righteous indignation of a woman who has been wronged. It feels good! It's my favorite feeling. I love calling out bullies. I love to make them feel stupid in public. I love haranguing bullies with my words, shaking my finger in their faces. If I could, I would go to every leftist bully in America and I would give them wedgies, or pants them, or duct tape them to the flagpole. Yeah! Bullies suck!

I have been such a victim of the Left's bullying over the years. Oh, it saddens my heart to think about it. How could they say such things about one of God's children like myself? Obviously they are evil and mean and wrong, and they deserve to be mocked and vilified and maybe pitied a little bit at the end, but not too much. Eventually if you push back against a bully hard enough, they just shut up and go away and maybe cry themselves to sleep, I don't know and I don't care. Never really thought about it.
 
They say mean things about my kids, too. Have you seen the mean things they say about Bristol? My daughter is just a faithful, hardworking American who chose to keep her baby, doing God's work out there in the world, and the Left just tears her apart for it. They are so mean, those bullies! I want to punch them in the face. They deserve the worst kind of punishment. (Bristol needed that plastic surgery to help her jaw align properly! It was basically a medical procedure!)
 
Let me tell you about the time I stood up to a bully. My sister's ex-husband, he was a classic bully. After their divorce, I was determined that he would never hurt my sister or my family again. So I had him fired! Believe me, nothing feels good like using your power as the governor of Alaska to harass your sister's ex-husband and get him fired from his job. I love standing up to bullies like that! It's such a rush.
 
Like the man says, we have to push back twice as hard against the Left's bullying. We have to fortify our siege mentality, it's us against them! And them are going to lose, because we are bigger and stronger and we do this kind of thing for a living. The Left doesn't stand a chance!

Water-soluble oil paints vs. traditional oil paints

Submitted by erika on 1/10/13 12:37pm
Non-toxic is good!

This year I resolved to learn oil painting. Although I have dabbled in most media, I have never tried oil painting because it's "too expensive" and it's something that only "real artists" use. That's a pretty silly thing to think, right? So for Christmas I bought myself a beginner's oil painting set, and a very well-reviewed book about learning oil painting.

Not knowing better, I bought traditional oil paints. Whereas the beginner's oil painting book strongly advocated using water-soluble oil paints. I didn't even know there was such a thing, and I was a little dismayed to learn that I was already behind the curve when it came to art supplies.
 
To a beginner, the issue of solvents is a confusing one. Oil painting involves so many different chemicals, with overlapping uses, and a seemingly endless list of substitutions. For example, I bought a tin of Turpenoid Natural, which is a turpentine replacement that is non-toxic and has a pleasant citrusy smell. However, it turns out that this is only effective as a brush cleaner. The manufacturers recommend that you do NOT use it to thin your paints, as you would with traditional turpentine.
 
It should also be mentioned that you don't really NEED turpentine in the process of painting. Turpentine is used to thin out the paints, which you would mainly do if you wanted to create a thin glaze. If you paint in an impasto style, or alla prima (without using a second layer of glazes), you could probably get away without ever thinning your paint.
 
There are many oils that you can use to change your paint's consistency. They don't thin the paint the same way that turpentine does, but they might get you close enough to work. Linseed oil, walnut oil, and alkyd medium can all be used by many people without having a reaction. (Although they are not entirely non-toxic, they don't have the same issue with toxic fumes as turpentine.)
 
Many fine artists use water-soluble oils successfully. Others find that they feel like they are wrestling with the paints. And I suspect that a lot of artists might be interested in switching, but aren't willing to sink that much money into replacing all of their paints at once.
 
One undisputed use of water-soluble oil paints is for the traveling artist. Because airlines forbid you from bringing flammable and toxic substances on the plane, a travel kit of water-soluble oil paints would be just the thing!
 

Shaved dog repeatedly mistaken for lion

Submitted by erika on 1/10/13 12:21pm
Implications for cryptozoology are clear.

Last week, three separate people phoned 911 to report a "baby lion" running loose in Norfolk, VA. One of the callers even specified that the animal was "about the size of a Labrador retriever." The 911 dispatcher phoned the local zoo and determined that both of the zoo's lions were safe and sound. And that's when the story broke: It was just a dog with a haircut.

Charles the Monarch is a labradoodle owned by local garden center owner Daniel Painter. Painter has groomed Charles to look like a lion in order to honor the mascot of the Old Dominion University. But this tribute is lost on the many onlookers who run from Charles in fear, or - as happened when Charles got loose - phone 911.
 
Never mind that it's a dog. Never mind that there is no such thing as a "baby lion." Never mind that one of the callers said that the dog had "the mange and everything" (presumably he meant to say "mange"). The truth is that human beings are terrible eyewitnesses. If people in Norfolk VA can mistake a dog (one of the most common animals in America today) for a lion, then we have to cast doubt on every report of a cryptid ever made.
 
The police are already well aware of what bad eyewitnesses most people are. They misremember the height, skin color, and sometimes even the gender of the person they are supposedly identifying. I remember one study where strangers were interviewed on the street by a black man. Halfway through the interview, after a quick bit of visual misdirection, the interviewer was replaced by a white man. Most of the people being interviewed DID NOT NOTICE THE SWITCH.
 
It makes you wonder how much faith we should be placing in reports of Ogopogo, Sasquatch, pterosaurs in lost jungles, and all the other cryptid reports filed by everyday people. Because it's not just Norfolk residents who are idiots. That's one thing we have in common: people all over the world are idiots. 
 
Many people assume that someone who is born and raised on (say) the Congo river basin is able to easily identify the animals that live there. And that therefore if they report having seen (say) a dinosaur in a swamp, well obviously they know what they're talking about. But if this incident in Virginia is any indication, then Mokele-Mbembe is probably just a dog with a haircut.
 

Sims 3 University Life: March 5

Submitted by erika on 1/10/13 12:01pm
Starting this spring, your Sims can go to college.

A few random thoughts about the latest info on the University Life expansion pack, as detailed in the release trailer and this official blog post: 

The Sims 3 University Life -- Announce Trailer

 
DEATH
It looks at first glance like they will be introducing two new deaths. We see a Sim get snapped up inside a murphy bed (a death that was available with The Sims 2 Apartment Life). Another Sim appears to be trying to steal a soda from a soda machine when it tips over and falls on him. 
 
We don't see either Sim actually die, but these scenarios are entertaining enough even without the promise of a new kind of death.
 
NUDITY
In the earliest trailers for The Sims 3, they showed nudist Sims. But when the game was released, we only got the opposite: Sims with the Never Nude trait. It turned out that the ESRB ruled they couldn't keep their T For Teen rating if they allowed nudity, even though it's hidden behind a pixelated patch. (And even when the pixilation is removed, Sims don't have genitals. They have the same level of detail as a Barbie doll.)
 
However, University Life specifically promises nudity, and we see a Sim who appears to be streaking. Will you be able to become permanently nude? I don't know, but I hope so! Because that is hilarious.
 
IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR
Until now, the closest thing we got was pranks played by children and teens. Oh and you can sneak out and stay out past your curfew, but the cops ALWAYS CATCH YOU. (What is up with that?) But University Life is promising a lot more options for Sims Behaving Badly, including keg parties, games of juice pong, and graffiti. I like to see the game getting a little more rough around the edges, even though this is still pretty tame stuff.
 
SOCIAL GROUPS
Each university will have three different social groups: Nerds, Rebels, and Jocks. If your Sim spends time with them and gains their favor, it can also land them special jobs, or even earn them a new trait. The idea of a career track which is specific to a social group is pretty interesting!
 
YOU PROBABLY DO WANT TO PRE-ORDER THIS ONE
If you pre-order the expansion you get a special Party Pack which includes a ton of new interactions, and a statue that lets you throw a themed party (toga, masquerade, formal, sleepwear, or swimwear) as well as providing a mood boost to your party guests.
 

Bad news from Google Flu Trends

Submitted by erika on 1/10/13 11:20am
This could be the worst flu season in decades.

A few years ago, Google rolled out a tool called Google Flu Trends. It sounds silly, but Google turns out to be a surprisingly accurate predictor of flu cases worldwide. And according to Google Flu Trends, this is shaping up to be the worst flu season in decades. But you won't hear this story in the mainstream media, because the mainstream media is stupid and slow.

On the whole, the state of science and health reporting in America is shabby at best. News outlets tout weak studies, extrapolate conclusions without supporting data, and follow the wrong trends. And the warning from Google Flu Trends is a perfect example. 
 
When it comes to the flu, mainstream news outlets follow the lead of the CDC. The CDC is an incredible organization, don't get me wrong. But the CDC's flu numbers are stale by the time they get to the news outlets. Their flu numbers are based on post-visit reporting from doctors, and are several weeks old by the time the CDC bundles them up into its weekly report. This just reflects the lag time between when someone gets sick from the flu, to the time they actually see a doctor, and the doctor reports the numbers to the CDC.
 
Meanwhile, Google Flu Trends is capturing real-time data on people searching for information about flu symptoms. And study after study has shown that Google's data is shockingly accurate when it comes to flu outbreak numbers. Their results have even been published in the highly respected science journal Nature.
 
According to the CDC, this is looking like a "moderately severe" flu season. But according to Google, the predictive numbers worldwide are alarming - and they are worst for the United States. The heat map (above) shows the flu prediction for the United States. The darker the shade of red, the worse the flu numbers. Most of America's major cities have been tagged "intense." 
 
Clearly it is time to batten down the hatches. If you haven't gotten a flu shot, it's not too late. Full immunity from the shot takes several weeks to build up, but if you catch the flu before then, having had the flu shot will reduce your symptoms. 
 
And as always, your best protection from the flu is to wash your hands frequently and correctly. For the next month, particularly if you live in a large city, make an extra effort to wash your hands when you get home, and before you eat anything. 
 

Things You Should Probably Know: The ABC Of Architects

Submitted by brodiemanthe1st on 1/10/13 11:00am

Rounding out today, let's have a little learning. Here is a nice breakdown, in alphabetical order, of the world's most important architects and their most well known creations. Very neat, very clever and a very good reminder how much amazing stuff is made internationally on this wonderful planet.

Pop Culture Happenings: Everything Wrong With "The Hunger Games"

Submitted by brodiemanthe1st on 1/10/13 10:00am

I know I am in the minority for not caring about this franchise, so I will let this clip mostly speak for itself. 

(However, "Battle Royale" did it first.)

Pulling At My Heartstrings: Corgi Super Excited For A Treat

Submitted by brodiemanthe1st on 1/10/13 9:00am

Lily the Corgi really likes her treats. So much so that she forgets to actually EAT her treats out of pure ecstatic joy of having them in front of her.

Oh No They Didn't: This Isn't How Trust Falls Work

Submitted by brodiemanthe1st on 1/10/13 7:46am

I feel like this video is a good metaphor for my entire relationship with my sibling.

Slightly Late Movie Reviews

Submitted by wrathamon on 1/10/13 1:20am
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I-The Egg Of The King

So I’ve been out of watching anime regularly for a bit of time now, and while I kind of realized they were re-releasing some popular series I didn’t know they were doing it for Berserk. When I saw this in the order forms, I just assumed it was the Blu-ray version of the first chunk of the original series. So I start watching it and it’s like holy carp no, not the case at all.

The best way I can sum this up is that it’s essentially the Cliff Notes version of the original anime with some prettier pictures. Sometimes far too pretty as it looked like they just wanted to show off but only sort of half-assed at the same time. They spent plenty of time detailing the main characters but decided to gloss over the random background people with a more streamlined 3D animation process that looks too odd. This is most noticeable in large battle scenes  and after a while it looks like a moving poser program. Then suddenly they start focusing on the main characters and they become more fleshed out and fluid. I actually really did like the way a lot of that translated, but then they really abused my patience with the 3D animation.

The story really mushes together large chunks of the first half of the original anime series, yet manages to gloss over the development of most of the supporting cast therefore leaving a lot of the movie to seem kind of vapid. Most of the keynote moments and developments with Guts and Griffith are there, but the pacing just goes all wonky and they start acting like you should really know all the other characters when there’s been no proper introduction or steps taken to flesh them out. Considering what’s coming down the road for some of these characters, that’s really obnoxious if you’re a fan.

While I’m glad the series is being translated to media again and I hope to see more of the manga reflected in the next couple chapters, I really can’t recommend this over the original animated series and the manga itself. This almost captures the pure bloody violence and foreboding nature of the previous material, but then it spends so much time showing off its animation it losses itself. There was just something so visceral about the other material that it’s tough to beat. It’s not bad to watch if you don’t have the time to refresh on the original series I suppose, and any Berserk is essentially good Berserk, but you should really take the time to fall back on the original source. C+

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