Exasperated Calculator

A survival kit in a barrel.

Slightly more sensible than the furniture in a crate from last week.

Starbucks helps independent coffee shops, rather than killing them.

Nativist views (of which the anti-chain thing is one example) are just out of step with the real world, because they assume a zero sum world. The base insight of Adam Smith and Ricardo is that we’re not in a zero sum world. This is just one example.

No Country for Old Men wins for 2007. Well deserved.

Really retro - like 12th century Russian.

I love the idea of doing these as religious woodcuts. There are a lot more of these if you look in the rest of the gallery linked.

The strange (and wonderful) behaviour of glass.

I’d never heard of this one before - although I bet it’s a perennial hit at the Christmas parties at the average glass blowers.

Another cool optical illusion.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - there are more bugs in the Human body than there are in the average computer OS…

A marching bands half-time tribute to great video games.

I think it’s pretty likely that this is the nerdiest thing ever.

The musical based on Abba’s music hits the big screen.

Looks bad. Even worse than the music it’s based on.

Geek Like Me by the Wonderstrucks.

If only I’d sen this before my wedding…

US school textbooks from the 19th century

It’s a little bit scary to look at these and realise just how much has changed in 150 years.

An awesome cloth simulator.

OK, it’s possible that wasn’t the most persuasive sales pitch ever. But have a play with it, it’s clever.

George A. Romero returns to the zombie milieu, this time a la Cloverfield or Blair Witch.

I love a good zombie movie, and (if done right) this is a really good way to present it. I’m not that optimistic from the trailer though.

Indiana Jones LEGO kits.

I have to admit to being a little excited by the movie. I mean, come on. It’s Indiana Jones here. On the other hand, we know what George Lucas likes to do to treasured childhood memories.

A guide to the GOP by analogy to Buffy villains.

Hard to disagree with any of these. Now will someone do the same kind of thing for the Democrats? I’m thinking ‘The Democrat primary field in Battlestar Galactica characters’.

A ceiling fan with retractable blades.

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that I could happily play with these for hours.

The CarCapsule - just in case your car wasn’t looking silly enough.

I can see how someone got to this product - what’s the point of a cool car that people can’t see? But it’s hard to imagine any car cool enough to justify this that you wouldn’t need to keep inside in a garage anyway…

Revered designer Edward Tufte reviews and critiques the iPhone interface.

Just makes me want one all the more. Even though most of what he says applies to the iPod Touch as well.

Emmerich takes the action movie to prehistoric times.

So much of this is so stupid, so I’ll just focus on the fact that the saber tooth tigers were extinct by 10,000 BC.

Reviews of high energy caffeine drinks.

Personally, I still stick with the tried and true for my caffeine fix each morning.

A great advert for Dutch store HEMA.

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