Weird Topics, Ahoy!

// God Bless the Internet. It's hard for me to fathom how many hours of enjoyment I've gotten from the blah-blah type stuff. Addictive games, fantasy sports, YouTubes of animals being wacky; they've been great. I really love it though when I stumble onto something that's truly neat and original. The above image came from this site. It's pretty simple: people post their pictures of "extended album art", and it's exactly what it sounds like. Take an album cover, crop it and/or combine it with other images to make the album cover look like it's extending. I was amazed by some of the results. Staring at these makes me think, "There are some hyper-creative people out there." Then I wonder why television shows have gotten progressively worse since the mid-90s. It's a valid thought, but trust me: don't go down that road. It's dark and lonely.

// R. Kelly's trial is not going well, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Two days and twelve witnesses? Are you freaking kidding me? You mean to tell me that even despite the glacial pace of today's courtrooms, the R.'s lawyers got through 12 witnesses in two days? Are they running 24-hr. courts in Cook County? How did those questionings go? 

Defense: State your name for the court, please.

Witness: Charles Palm.

Defense: How cool is R. Kelly?

Witness: Hmm... not sure. I think my daughter listens to him.

Defense: Nothing further, your Honor.

Just a total bummer. I really hate it when musicians/actors/athletes that I really enjoy do bad things. You used to be able to do the moonwalk from Billie Jean down the street. Nowadays, I think twice before announcing to new people that I love Michael Jackson's music. And that's given the fact he was acquitted! Yes, I know that by liking Michael's music I'm not endorsing his (alleged) lifestyle or decisions, but there's still a stigma there. No matter how you word it, there's a chance people will perceive your affinity for a person's past work to be some warped de facto support of their transgressions. That's the unbearable part. First we lose Michael, and now your boy Kellllllllllls? I guess the hope is that 1) he's innocent, 2) he gets an acquittal, and 3) he files countersuits against the plaintiff and the prosecution's office. After reading that article (et al), that scenario seems like a long shot.

// Apparently, I've been very lucky during my lifetime of Detroit Tiger fandom. I really didn't even know ballparks could be this decrepit, but according to this report, there exists some heinous conditions at several ballparks throughout the States. If I were an Angels fan, I'd probably get a VD test, just to be safe. Also, I'd maybe drink some of those AIDS milkshakes that keep Magic on the up and up. Kind of a "why not" thing, y'know? Actually, let's think about that question. Why not drink the AIDS milkshakes? Can those hurt you if you don't have the HIV? I'll admit that I'm curious to see if they taste good or not. One would assume they could put the medicine part into a regular milkshake or something, right? It would probably just taste like a regular milkshake then (read: outstanding)! Seems like a win-win. Either you are HIV-positive, and the milkshake is helping you manage that pickle, or you don't have the virus. Then, you're just drinking a delicious treat! Hard to see the downside, but then again, I could be way off. It's hard to imagine those things being some sort of Dairy Queen taste-alike AND curbing the havoc caused by AIDS. It sounds a shade too good to be true. Something that is so powerful that it can hold its own with AIDS has at least the potential to taste a little off.

// I am a fan of good ideas. You can try to dissuade me all you want, but in my book, good ideas will always be WAYYY better than bad ideas. Here is a good idea worthy of The Good Idea Hall of Fame (located anywhere in the world except in a state that's home to an SEC school). Titled "Wants For Sale", this project is simultaneously simple and genius. These people paint pictures of something that they want (hence the title). John and Jane consumer then purchase the paintings. The paintings are priced at the cost of the item(s) depicted on them, and the money received by the artists for the painting is then used to purchase the subject of the now-sold painting. It might be the coolest thing I've ever seen, and it really chaps me. Why? Because the illustrations in question aren't that good. They're not bad... but they're most definitely not exceptional. I think I'm just salty because I didn't think of this first. Being a very homogenized mix of smart AND dumb, I get the pleasure of experiencing this feeling of "jealous I didn't think of it first" about 1,000 times per year. Not good times. Bad times.

// Having family members who live with diabetes, I thought this was kind of neat. Somewhere down the line, this will definitely prove helpful. Perhaps even lifesaving.

// I'll admit it: I mailed in the video ender for this post. Finding worthwhile videos that people haven't seen before can sometimes be a tall order. So here's a clip from Arrested Development from which I stole the go-to catch phrase I currently employ. Hasta luego.