Nickel plated awesomeness

Long ago (before I got into the Library biz), I trained to be a mechanical drafter. I still have some fondness of those days, and that came rushing back as I beheld this stunning work of art (via Boing Boing):



I once worked at a table similar to this, but not nearly as gorgeous. And to think this was made in the 1940's blows my mind. If anybody wants to send me $20,000 to buy this thing, drop me an email.

"Why don't you say that to my face, Joe."

On the last post, I presented what I hope will be an indicator of McCain's performance in the coming general election.

Now allow me to present what I hope will be Obama's performance from now until November 4th:

Furthermore, during a Senate vote Wednesday, Obama dragged Lieberman by the hand to a far corner of the Senate chamber and engaged in what appeared to reporters in the gallery as an intense, three-minute conversation.

While it was unclear what the two were discussing, the body language suggested that Obama was trying to convince Lieberman of something and his stance appeared slightly intimidating.

Using forceful, but not angry, hand gestures, Obama literally backed up Lieberman against the wall, leaned in very close at times, and appeared to be trying to dominate the conversation, as the two talked over each other in a few instances.

Still, Obama and Lieberman seemed to be trying to keep the back-and-forth congenial as they both patted each other on the back during and after the exchange.

Afterwards, Obama smiled and pointed up at reporters peering over the edge of the press gallery for a better glimpse of their interaction.

Obama loyalists were quick to express their frustration with Lieberman's decision and warned that if he continues to take a lead role in attacking Obama it could complicate his professional relationship with the Caucus.

In short: Don't be an asshole (Republicans and Conservative pundits have that role covered), but don't take shit from anybody and let them get away with it without giving them a piece of your mind.

Popcorn Time!

A preview (we hope) of the next five months:

The manhood that doesn't move

Congratulations on your ownership of a limited edition, three ton BOULDER:

Today, General Motors announced that it will be closing four truck and SUV plants in North America and may discontinue its Hummer line, citing the slumping sales of large vehicles brought on by high oil prices. Sales of the Hummer were down 61 percent last month, and May was also the first month in which cars outsold the Ford F-series truck since 1992. In place of the Hummer, GM CEO Rick Wagoner announced that the GM board has approved production of a new small automobile and a new electric car. As CBS reported, Wagoner "said the change in the U.S. market to smaller vehicles likely is permanent."

Really? After all this time?

So this is how it works: When there is a news story on one of the IMDb's news services, they grab the name of the article's subject and find their picture through their IMDb profile to go with the story. If by some bizarre chance that person does not have a picture uploaded to their profile, then they use a picture of someone else named in the article, which leads to something like this:



Magic bullet or not, I doubt there's much left to operate on.

Giancarlo Esposito Quote of the Month: June 2008

In the hilarious commentary track for The Usual Suspects DVD, director Bryan Singer and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie let loose on all sorts of topics concerning the movie. When Giancarlo pops up as FBI agent Jack Baer, they point out how he's dressed not like a modern FBI agent, but like some film noir detective with a dash of beatnik thrown in. At the same time, they don't really apologize for the anachronism because Giancarlo looks awesome in his outfit and does a great job with the character.

Here he is talking to Sgt. Rabin (the equally awesome Dan Hedaya) about what he knows of the mysterious Keyser Soze:

Sgt. Rabin: You've heard of him?

Baer: Where? On the street?

Sgt. Rabin: Yeah.

Baer: A few times. You know, outside stuff. Somebody working for a guy who worked for a guy who got some money from Keyser Soze. Shit like that. (pause) It could be an old badge. You know, a hex sign. Keep people from fucking with you back when a name used to mean something.

Sgt. Rabin: But you're here.

Baer: Well shit, yeah. I got a guy trying to walk out of a hospital on a fried drumstick because he's afraid of Soze. Yeah, I'll run it up the flagpole.