It’s the story of a low-rent super-villain, the hero who keeps beating him up, and the cute girl from the laundromat he’s too shy to talk to.

Neil Patrick Harris…..as Dr. Horrible
Nathan Fillion……….as Captain Hammer
Felicia Day…………..as Penny

And a cast of dozens!

Joss Whedon began writing his musical web series (watch the teaser below), with the help of all his relatives and friends, during the writer’s strike, then streamed the first three acts, free, on the official web site (not to be confused with the official fan site). The “free streaming broadcast” part is no more, but they are available on iTunes and, in the not-too-distant future (before Christmas) the complete short epic will be available on DVD. It’ll be legen….wait for it….dary!

P.S. At great personal risk, I was able to obtain this copy of “The Master Plan”, secretly penned by Joss Whedon in a dark, scary secret cave somewhere (but not the Bat Cave. This one’s shown at the beginning of the teaser, I think) that will explain the whole twisted, diabolical scheme. Read it! Be safe!

Yesterday’s post was intended to be sort of tongue-in-cheek; I just wanted an excuse to use the old Cagle ‘toon and see if anyone was still concerned about mad cow. Guess many still are. So I was glad to get this from Roboseyo in Seoul, Korea, where the natives are pretty restless about mad cow. I found it humorous and worth sharing. Says Rob:

“I have good news for all my Korean friends, and even concerned citizens in America.

See, after I got home from a lovely date with girlfriendoseyo, and a delightful walk through all the friendly protesters offering me red signs, and walking like docile cattle through the winding streets around Gwanghwamun, I checked my e-mail.

I got an e-mail from an actual, real scientist… I forget his name because I was so excited that I deleted the e-mail without thinking after I read it, but he went to Harbard or something, I swear, and here’s, like, totally the best news I’ve ever heard, and it’s absolutely totally true, because a real, actual scientist from Harbard told me.

He says that I don’t have to worry about mad cow disease, because kimchi makes you immune to it! He said kimchi’s special combination of garlic, han, spicy chili, and jung kills the prions that cause mad cow, and he showed me some serious, like really actually real science that totally proves it’s true. Here it is: See!

That totally proves it! If you don’t want to catch mad cow disease from American beef, all you have to do is eat it with kimchi, and the kimchi will kill the prions! […]

So just make sure you eat your beef with kimchi, and you’ll be fine! I swear! It’s science! Science is true!

P.S. New definition of Irony: Mad cow beef protester taking a break from shouting slogans for a nice, relaxing cigarette.”

Remember mad cow disease? Did our boycott of foreign beef wipe it out in the U.S.? Is it really safe to go back in the water?

Apparently not, at least according to this web site…

Get in tune with your brain waves

Insomniacs who listened to classical piano created in response to their own brain waves — a technique called brain music therapy — improved their sleep quality in four weeks according to a University of Toronto study. The cutting edge therapy boosts levels of melatonin, a brain chemical linked to sleep.

Snake oil you say? Science, says Dr. Galina Mindlin, MD, PhD, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry in Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Supervising Attending Physician in the Department of Psychiatry in St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital Center. She has a PhD in neurophysiology and neuropsychology.

According to the Brain Music Treatment web site, brain music therapy is an effective, scientifically proven treatment for stress, insomnia, anxiety, and depression. It has also been found to increase productivity and concentration. Doctors record an individual’s brain waves and convert them into unique musical sounds. These musical sounds correlate to brain waves that promote relaxation and trigger activation in your body. The musical sounds are presented to you in the form of two musical files - one relaxing, and one activating. Playing the files promotes relaxation and activation in your body. The therapy is backed by solid scientific evidence, including double blind studies.

Click to read more ...

No presidential election would be complete without a contribution from JibJab to make light of it. Here’s their latest…

I hope you’re enjoying this mini-series on the making of a fine cigar. As I’ve said before, the process is long, laborious and considered an art form by cigar aficionados. It follows, then, that education and experience are essential to the full enjoyment of this fruit of a true master’s hand. And that, my friends, is the purpose of this series; to help you understand, appreciate and enjoy a truly fine cigar.

So let’s pick up where we left off. Our leaf has gone from seed, to plant, to the curing house and to the aging house. It’s been four to six long years since our journey began with a young plant in the fields. Now it’s time to take the leaf and do something with it!

Click to read more ...

Apple Inc. said Monday that it sold 1 million of its new 3G iPhones over the weekend amid high demand for the device that was greeted with long lines and long activation times around the world. In a statement, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said the new iPhone was “clearly off to a great start,” as it took Apple 74 days to sell 1 million of the first version of the iPhone. …

Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray said Apple’s iPhone sales exceeded his estimates of 425,000 units for the weekend, and that global demand is better than expected. “This trend will likely continue,” Munster said, as Apple plans to roll out the iPhone in 70 countries over the next few months. Munster estimates Apple will sell 4.1 million iPhones in the current quarter, and sales could reach 45 million units in 2009. Full story

As for Apple’s new online AppStore during the same weekend, users downloaded more than 10 million applications! AppStore has more than 800 native applications for iPhone and iPod touch. Of that number, more than 200 are offered for free and more than 90% are priced at less than $10.

I’m sometimes astounded by the inventive means some folks devise to rip people off. If only they were able to channel their creative energies toward something more, well, legal.

Take the case of this former Folsom Auto Mall employee. He noticed that his employer used purchase orders to charge gasoline at neighboring stations, noted where managers kept the purchase order book, determined who was authorized to sign the orders and learned to forge their signatures. Then he stole about 100 purchase orders and used them to steal $14,000 worth of gasoline over a three month period.

A dealership employee noticed him orchestrating the fill up of a line of cars and alerted authorities. He was arrested Sunday night… Story

Literally.

“Sometimes they catch me, sometimes they don’t,” says the 28-year old performance artist who approaches strangers on the spot — usually a bar — and literally hurls her body at them. Hilarious and poignant, the resulting photographs make you wish you had been there to see what happened after the shutter release.

A tour of her web site includes several such “moments” along with video montages of her hugging strangers or protecting a chalk drawn box on a busy city sidewalk from passersby who might otherwise step inside. It’s an unusual art form in which McElroy is expressing herself… and making people laugh.

Another oldie from Mike…

The Lone Ranger and Tonto are camping in the desert. After they pitch their tent, both men fall sound asleep.

Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, “Kemosabe, look towards sky; what you see?”

The Lone Ranger replies, “I see millions of stars.”

“What that tell you?” asks Tonto.

The Lone Ranger ponders for a moment, then replies, “Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, it tells me the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, Tonto?”

Click to read more ...

Dawn and I saw “Wanted” (James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman) Sunday. It was just released June 27th so I won’t be a spoiler. Suffice it to say that Angelina Jolie is stunning as always. That said, I gave the movie just three stars.

First, you should know that the film is based on Mark Millar’s dark comic (excuse me, graphic novel) series. Without giving away too much, it tells the tale of an apathetic nobody’s (read disaffected, cube-dwelling drone’s) transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. It mixes a little of The Matrix, a bit of X-Men and Da Vinci Code, and a splash of Hellraiser, and delivers a fun, albeit reheated, ride.

The result straddles the narrow line between silly and plausible, using ample visual effects to trick you into lowering your expectations and settling for little more than a fun ride, and then hits you with plot twists that make you think, “Whoa.” Or at least, “Huh?”

The plot has its share of gaping holes, but for those who like shutting off their brains but discovering they might be thinking deeply anyway, Wanted is a worthy diversion. It’s not nearly as complex as it pretends to be, but did I mention that Angelina Jolie is stunning? Just don’t bring the kids (bloody violence, language) and don’t drink a big soda; the movie is an hour and 50 minutes long.

A couple weekends ago, Dawn and I attended a “going away” BBQ at friends Jerry and Cheryl Glance’s home. Jerry is what I casually call a “bomb tech”; his job is associated with disarming explosive devises. It’s dangerous work and, while I often kid him about it (see my April ‘07 post), I’m well aware of just how serious it really is.

Jerry’s also a Reservist where he does essentially the same thing and, as luck would have it, he was recently called for EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) duty in Afghanistan. He left a week ago Monday for Begram Air Base, a militarized airport located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan province where he’ll do what he does best — disarm and deactivate IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). If my geography is correct, Begram is about 27 miles from Kabul which puts him right smack in harm’s way.

So the going away party was for Jerry, and many of the guys in his unit and their wives were there to give him a fitting send-off. And it was a grand get-together with wonderful friends and neighbors. Yet despite all the food, laughter and camaraderie, the seriousness of the occasion was also present and weighed heavily on everyone, especially Cheryl.

So we promised to help watch over her until his safe return. We’ll keep Jerry in our prayers and ask that you keep him in yours as well. While he’s in Afghanistan, he’s agreed to send me photos of what he sees — the local people, guys he works with, whatever he finds of interest — and I’ll post them on this site. And when he returns, I’m sure he’ll have lots of stories to share as well!

Be safe, Jerry. And remember: Pray (hard).

The Laguna Beach artist who created California’s iconic whale-tail license plate is making a splash with state coastal officials, revoking the state’s right to use his art after they snubbed his request to share profits from the image with his environmental group.

Wyland, the marine muralist whose paintings of ocean life envelop buildings around the world, let the state use his hazy blue image of a whale’s flukes for environmentally themed license plates fourteen years ago in what state officials describe as a “handshake deal.” But Wyland says he allowed the use of his image for environmental causes for a period of time and that the time is up unless an agreement can be reached.

California earns about $3.77 million a year from the plates, but the Coastal Commission receives only a third of the funds: about $15 for each new plate sold; roughly $1.4 million a year. The rest goes to other state environmental programs. According to Coastal Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas, Wyland gave his image to the state unconditionally. Not so, says Wyland. Read the full story

Personally, I think Wyland may have erred in not getting something in writing at the onset and then waiting fourteen years to press the issue. What’s likely to happen? IMO, Wyland will either take the offer the Commission claims to have offered, or we’ll soon see a different whale tail on our license plates.

Davey sent a wmv version of this a couple years ago and I’d posted it on my AFP website. It apparently was shown on Good Morning America in August ‘06 and is due a reprise. If you live in a metered water area as I do, you’ll see this in a whole different light…

Q: How many psychotherapists does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: How many do you think it should take?

Q: What do you get if you cross an insomniac with an agnostic dyslexic person?

A: Someone who keeps waking up during the night wondering if there really is a Dog.

Via AFP archives.