Fruit Sculptures - A Vegan's Nightmare

Today the local rag printed an article in the Flavor section about Saxton Freymann, a children's books author that uses fruit and vegetables carved into playful faces. Freymann beleives each fruit or vegetable has its own unique personality hidden inside which he calls forth with deft strokes of his tools.

The sculptures he creates are cute and amazing. Though die hard vegetarians might be put off by their formarly guilt-free-to-eat food now having faces.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 59 days is:

$5,764,607,523,034,234.87

More Toilet Humor

Ran across this cute picture.

Decided to have a contest to see who can make the funniest caption for it. The winner will receive a prize of photo-manipulation caricature of themselves, or other person they want. Winner must provide the original digital photo. contest ends Friday, March 2nd, Noon EST.

I'll start off with a few (that won't count):

"OMG, that is the last time I eat at that Chinese restaurant!"

"Ma'am, we've found the clog in your toilet ... and your missing cat."

"I dunno why my humans complain about this job. Who needs scrub brushes?"

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 58 days is:

$2,882,303,761,517,117.43

I've Been WoWed!

I took the plunge today. I held my breath and dove into the MMORPG juggernaut that is World of Warcraft.

A friend in my Guild Wars guild gave me a 10-day free trial code. She did so because several of the Rebel Dragons have been trying it out, a few have defected, and she understood my flagging interest in Guild Wars. Plus, if I sign up, she gets a free month of gameplay.

Pay-to-play is the main detractor to my involvement in WoW. I am unsure if our budget can handle the monthly fees. Not that the fees are staggering ... $14.99 a month is not too over the top. Though, when budgets are tight, any extra cash layout hurts, especially recurring ones.

We don't live frugally. We eat out quite often, go to movies, add to our staggering DVD collection (300+), and do other fun things. (The Bay Area Renaissance Festival, for example). I'll have to make choices on what to cut back on.

Until then, I have 10 days to enjoy the cartoony fantasy world of Orcs, Dwarves, Elves, and Undead.

I spent around 3 hours downloading the game last night. It was 3.14 GB. The download sped wasn't too bad. I think I was getting around 1 MB every 4-5 seconds. WoW uses a peer-to-peer process for their Downloader. My firewall had a little trouble at first, then it began to chug the data through easily enough.

While the game streaming into the hungry computer, I used most of that time to read about the game on the World of Warcraft website. Tons of useful info there. Enough that when I felt comfortable entering the game world without an actual manual. (I'm a firm believer in RTFM). It also was organized very nicely with beginner's sections and in depth FAQs.

After the download was complete, I began the actual install. This took around 20 minutes.

Then I created an Account. Even though it was a Free Trial, Blizzard wanted my credit card info. They claim no charges will be made. I certainly hope not.

Next, it time to Log In!

Whereupon it told me it needed to download an update and closed out of the game.

A 300+ MB update followed, taking about 15 minutes.

I was ready to play! I logged in again.

Another update!

Cripes, you'd think their patcher would read what you needed and send it all at once, much as other games do. But, nope!

A third update followed my subsequent attempt to log in, and thankfully it was the last one, allowing me to get in game and start playing!

I created a Tauren Druid named Moolasses. Sweet, slow, and just a little sticky. ~.^

It's going to take some time for me to get used to the controls. They are not so far off from most other MMORPGs, but they are different. I keep running places i do not want to, or backing off from my foes instead of attacking. There is a nice, in-game tool tip system which has helped quite a bit.

I've played a little over an hour and am enjoying the game. It is very engaging, even at the beginner levels.

So, um ... Expect short posts for the next few days. ^.^;;;

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 57 days is:

$1,441,151,880,758,558.71

Kayla, the Original Rap Cat, in "Kitty Cat Dance"

Long before Checkers had RapCat, there was Kayle the cat.

Kayla's human, Steve Ibsen, created a video of Kayla dancing to his original music and lyrics back in 2004. The video cat-apulted Kayla to minor Internet stardom for a short while. The tune is cat-chy, so do not be surprised to find yourself humming it days from now.



Here are the lyrics to the song, if you could not understand the cat-erwauling:

CAT, I'm a kitty cat, and I dance dance dance, and I Dance Dance Dance
[So on so on...]
PERRRRRAVACOTIVE POSING!
PERRRRRAVACOTIVE POSING!
CAT, I'm a kitty cat, and I meow meow meow, and I meow meow meow [so on so on...]
I say sexy things to myself when I'm... Daaaancing!
I say sexy things to
myself when I'm... Daaaancing!
PERRRRRAVACOTIVE POSING!
PERRRRRAVACOTIVE
POSING!
bat-im a picky pat- and I boop be boop babba boop boop boop
CAT, I'm a kitty cat, and I dance dance dance, and I Dance Dance Dance

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 56 days is:

$720,575,940,379,279.35

James Cameron Documentary to Display Jesus' Remains

Director and Producer James Cameron is set to terminate the widely held belief of Jesus of Nazareth's Resurrection in a titanic New York press conference on Monday (February 26th).

A new documentary by Cameron will be sure to outrage Christians with claims that Jesus was not resurrected after his death on the cross, and that he had a son named Judah.

Cameron claims he has evidence via DNA testing, archeology, and even from the Bible that three coffins he will reveal at the press conference belong to Jesus of Nazareth, his mother Mary, and Mary Magdelene.

The timing of this couldn't be better from a propaganda viewpoint.

With all the hype that surrounded "The Da Vinci Code" and claims that Jesus had sired a line of descendants, as well as the recent focus on the supposed "lost" gospels of Judas and Mary Magdelene, the world is primed for another shake-up of religious beliefs. Cameron's claims and documentary is bound to fire up Christian and skeptic alike.

You can read more at Time Magazine's Blog. And, of course, I'll post more as this develops.

Infrared Farts

At Mudpuppy's blog he posted a quote he enjoyed. I, too, enjoyed the quote and decided to put it into action.

The Quote:

Make visible what, without you, might never have been seen.
—Robert Bresson

The Action:


Okay, okay ... I know that's probably not what Robert Bresson had in mind. Or Mudpuppy, for that matter. But what can you expect from a filler post on the Roost? Muahahahahaha

Admit it, you now wish you had infrared goggles when you were out in public.

And a gas mask.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 55 days is:

$360,287,970,189,639.67

New Blog - Raivynn Reviews

I've started a second blog to house the various reviews I will be writing. It called Raivynn Reviews and is hosted at Wordpress.


I wasn't going to open the new blog up until I had several reviews written and posted. But, I wanted some opinions on the layout.

By all means read the single review which is there, but I'd really appreciate any comments regarding how it all looks. Is there enough information? Is there more information you'd like to see? Stuff like that.

I am fairly well satisfied with the general layout I've worked up. Obviously books, games, and such will be slightly different than the movie's style.

You can post the comments here or there.

On a side note, I got rid of those annoying borders around the posted images on this blog. That is one very nice thing Blogger has over WordPress ... the ability to change your CSS code without payiong to do it. =/

Also, tomorrow's Roost blog entry may be really, really late. I'm taking the family to the Renaissance Festival. ^.^

Video: Being Homeless

Here's another podcast of TekPhreak TV. In this episode, Tek Phreak ponders the mysteries of those cardboard signs clutched in the hands of street people. (And, see how it ties in neatly with my recent sign blog posts? muahahahaha!)

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 54 days is:

$180,143,985,094,819.83

Signs of the Times

Signs.

They're everywhere.

I sometimes think they've learned to breed. Late at night, when no one is awake to see them. Especially political signs.

Some signs are helpful and informative. Others are just confusing.

Take today for example:

I went to Arby's for lunch. A friendly sign on the window informed me of a good deal. Any four pictured items for only five bucks. I got that. Two Arby's Cheddar Melts, a soda, and a cherry turnover. Yum!

When I paid, a small sign on the cash register informed me that debit and credit cards were accepted. I scanned the logos it showed and my card type was there. That sign saved me precious seconds as I no longer had to ask the cashier if I could pay with my Visa card.

The beverage station was emblazoned with a plethora of helpful signs: signs denoting which beverage dispensed from which nozzle, signs which kept me from mistaking ketchup from horse radish, signs which informed me that the big, round plastic things were "Large Lids" while the smaller ones were indeed "Small Lids", and even one that made sure I knew the long, thin, tubular, paper-wrapped objects were "Straws". That was a relief, because I was thinking they might be miniature blowguns, wrapped for my sanitary pleasure. The napkins had no signs, but I think those silver and black napkin holders are a universal sign for "Here There Be Napkins" anyhow.

I ignored most of the signs on my food wrappers as I ate. I didn't wish to be distracted from my epicurean delight by amusing slogans and funny cartoon characters. It was a tasty meal.

Then things went downhill.

I collected my refuse and located what appeared to be a standard fast-food restaurant waste receptacle. It had the brackets on top to stack dirty trays. It had the flap to shove the meal discards through. But the sign on it confused me.

It appeared that only cups could be thrown away. I carefully looked around and noticed several other receptacles, all marked with the same picture. I didn't know what to do.

Being very careful, I removed my cup, still filled with ice, and nudged it through the hanging flap. It landed inside with a satisfying "whumph" and tinkle of ice. I debated on slipping the other refuse though, but was worried an employee would yell at me for not obeying the clearly marked sign. So I placed the trash laden tray on top of the receptacle and walked away.

It was then I realized all the soda I had drunk was ready to be released into the wild. A set of doors were along the side of a short hallway. A blue sign was between the two doors. I moved down the corridor to study the sign.

The left hand door was closest to the stylized figure in the skirt. The right hand door was closer to the figure in pants. Or maybe it was naked. Who can tell with stick figures? I wasn't sure about the third symbol. I thought maybe it was for those who didn't make it to the restrooms and have filled their pants on accident. Or, maybe for severe hemorrhoid sufferers.

I was wearing pants against the cool weather, so decided the right side door must be for me. I just hoped I didn't run into anyone with loaded pants, like the third image, in there.

The door was locked when I tried it. I couldn't wait. I looked around, and seeing no one watching, I quickly slipped into the left side door, locking it behind me. I took care of business as fast as possible. It was then I noticed a folding, yellow sign standing in the corner.

It read "Caution! WET FLOOR".

I sighed deeply because I had just finished going and had already flushed. But, not wanting to get in trouble for disobeying that sign, and already being in the skirt bathroom with pants on, I turned the sink tap on and threw a few cupped handfuls of water onto the floor in front of the sign. I hoped that would be enough.

Satisfied, I turned around to clean my hands when a sign posted on the mirror caught my eye.

It read "Employees MUST Wash Hands Before Leaving Restroom".

So I waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

After fifteen minutes I started to think no employees were coming to wash my hands and I'd be trapped in the restroom for ever!

Finally, I gave up. I'd already disobeyed one sign by using this restroom, what would it matter if I washed my own hands and left? I'd sneak out, of course. I didn't want to get caught.

I made it outside and to my car without an employee yelling after me, or police tackling me to the ground. I quickly pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway. Safe, at last.

Or so I thought.

I looked in my rear view mirror and noticed a Sheriff's car cruising behind me. His lights weren't on, and no siren was warbling, but I got nervous.

It was then I realized I still a wad of paper toweling from the restaurant's bathroom! If he pulled me over, it could be used as evidence of my failure to obey those signs!!!

I began to panic. I didn't want to hide the incriminating paper towels in my car. What if they searched it? I could eat it ... no, it was full of icky germs. What to do? What to DO?

It was then my prayers were answered.

Another sign along the grassy shoulder told me what to do.

I rolled down my passenger window and chucked the damning evidence right out!

Just then the police cruiser flickered its lights and bleeped the siren at me.

Whew! I was safe. I had gotten rid of the evidence of my restroom transgressions in time!

Several minutes later, I sat disconsolately in my car, staring at $300 citation the firm, but nice, officer had written me for throwing the paper out of my car. I didn't argue with him about it. I was just glad I wasn't in worse trouble over those signs back at Arby's.

I'm thinking of contesting the ticket in court, though.

I mean, the sign I passed did say "Fine for Littering".

Stretching the Point

I bet he's handy putting up Christmas decorations, too.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 53 days is:

$90,071,992,547,409.91

A Little Toilet Humor

What? You expected something else?

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 52 days is:

$45,035,996,273,704.95

Cat's in the Kettle

I know what you're thinking.

No, this has absolutely nothing to do with the RapCat take-out bag controversy. I swear it doesn't! It's coincidence. Serendipitous, yes, but purely coincidence.

It started over at the Semper Fi Fellowship blog. Blame them! >_>



"Cat's in the Kettle" by Bob Rivers is a parody of "Cat's in the Cradle" by Harry Chapin. Cat Stevens had nothing to do with the original, nor does Weird Al have anything to do with the parody. Ignore unenlightened parodists to trying to convince you otherwise.

I don't know who the creator of the Flash animation is, but he's got my thanks, too!

Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

Checkers cat costumes create contrary catfight. Compassionate cat critics cry cruelty.

Okay, my awful alliteration abuse aside, these are the kinds of headlines surrounding a animal rights flap taking place in my area.

Tampa-based Checkers Drive-In Restaurants recently re-released a commercial starring a rapping feline named, of course, RapCat.

When it was first released last Fall, it was an "overnight success", according to a Checker's spokesman. I loved the commercial when I first saw it, both for the Right-side vs. Left-side aspect, as well as RapCat. I still love it, and walk around singing the RapCat song after I see the commercial again ... and sometimes just because. People, and my own cats, give me odd looks when I do. I don't know why. ^.^;;

Watch the commercial for yourself and decide if RapCat is stupid or genius. Either way, I bet you get the meow rap song stuck in your head. ~.^



The commercial spawned dozens of letters and emails to Checkers requesting RapCap merchandise.

Now, RapCat has his own official website at http://www.rap-cat.com/ where you can get RapCat merchandise (coming soon), download RapCat themed goodies, read RapCat's bio, and watch RapCat's Music Video World Premiere on March 5th!

Checkers even has carry-out bags emblazoned with RapCat's jersey design. Instructions on the bag tell fans how they can dress their own cat like RapCat:

1) Cut out the holes
2) Put YOUR cat in the bag
3) Submit the best pics/vids of your cat keepin' it real ...

Herein lies the problem.

At least according to Hillsborough County Animal Services.

They issued an advisory on Monday asking people not to put their cats into the bags. Their fear is that a cat or cat owner will be hurt stuffing a cat into one of the bags. The department also stated in a news release that if someone does force a cat into a bag, they could be charged with animal cruelty. A First Offense comes with a stiff $300 fine and arrest.

What?

I mean, okay, it's probably not the nicest thing you could do to your cat, but I don't think it is cruelty. Not any worse than the pet apparel you can find in most pet stores. How about those ridiculous costumes for animals? Are those cruel? (Well, actually, yeah they are cruel to the people who have to look at the poor animal in its stupid outfit).

Let's take it a step further ...

Is it cruel to force men to wear constricting neck ties to work? How about women forced to wear hot pantyhose or feet twisting heels? What about our put-upon children whom we dress in school uniforms and march them off into the halls of conformity? (Note: I like school uniforms, keeps my budget down. hehe)

The Hillborough County Animal Services Animal Ordinance describes animal cruelty as:

1. Unnecessarily overloading, overdriving, tormenting, depriving of necessary sustenance, shelter, or medical care, or unnecessarily mutilating, or killing any ANIMAL or causing the same to be done, or carrying in or upon any VEHICLE, or otherwise, any ANIMAL in a cruel or inhumane manner.
2. Intentionally committing an act to any ANIMAL which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done.
3. Poisoning a DOG, CAT, FERRET, PET PIG, or other pet ANIMAL.

I suppose some may consider placing a cat into a paper outfit tormenting, or even infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering. I don't see how it's painful unless you violently wrestle the cat in. The bag would likely be ripped to shreds if the cat really, really didn't want in. It'd be more painful to you if your cat has all its claws. Sharp, needle point claws.

I get shredded by my cat because I clip his claws. He hates it. With a passion. I force him to do it for his safety, and ours. This involves me physically restraining him. He hates that even more. Is that abuse. Am I being cruel to my cat? Does it hurt him? No.

Putting your cat into a paper bag outfit is not torment, it's just stupid. Funny, perhaps. Maybe even cute. But stupid.

Checkers even includes a warning on the bag stating, "Not all cats will be down with wearing this bag. Do not harm or endanger any cats."

Yeah, it's probably meant more for legal protection than actually warning that some (ha! most) cats won't like it, or to avoid hurting them in the process. Still, anyone who tries this will find out very fast if their cat will submit to the indignation of it or not. I say not.

You may remember my previous blog entry about tape and cats? We showed how cat fur acts like a sensory organ, making the cat try to "get away" from the pressure of the tape (or clothing, or paper sacks). Most cats simply do not like it. The same applies with the RapCat bag outfit.

Sure, you will get an amusement factor from it, and it won't actually harm the animal, but you may stress it some. And it probably won't be happy with you for a while. And, I don't see how it's cruelty any more than a leash, collar, or other cat apparel.

See how this cat, named Tufts, reacts when put in the RapCat bag:



Tufts doesn't particularly care for her new wardrobe, but she is not overly stressed. As shown with cellophane tape, Tufts seems more concerned from getting away from the strange pressure sensation than actually upset. She appears to go check her food bowl; not a sign of a distressed cat. Her tail swishes in annoyance, but it is not down or curled under with anger or distress. She even seems to be purring at one point. Of course, an argument can be made that cats are known to purr when in extreme distress ... usually when seriously injured, however.

A local station, Fox13, posted a news story on the whole RapCap and bag thing while I was writing and researching this article. I could have saved myself some time. *sigh* Watch their news video for more info.

Seems to me they are playing it slanted towards sensationalism. I'll post updates on this as I learn them.

It's lunchtime now ... I'm going to Checkers. ~.^

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 51 days is:

$22,517,998,136,852.47

DVP: Donkey Vs. Predator

DVP: Donkey Vs. Predator
(CG animation from China. Run time: >10 minutes)

You gotta love it! Merging Shrek and AVP into a cute short movie involving a flying donkey (offspring of Donkey and Dragon from Shrek) and an inept, chibi-style Predator is sheer genius.

Toss in a few flies with attitude, some severed heads of well-known icons, the Engrish (fractured English) used in the very beginning, and you've got a perfect video for watching to make self happy. ~.^

I love the Shrek series, and am anxiously awaiting Shrek the Third, due out May 18th of this year. I also enjoyed both Predator movies, and consider that series to be underrated. AVP (Aliens vs. Predator) was a waste of my time to watch, combining two great franchises into one murky mess.

Speaking of movies, my next to go see is either Ghost Rider or Bridge to Terabithia. It'll depend on if my mother wants to go with me or not. She wouldn't not watch Ghost rider, but Terabithia is one she's been talking about wanting to see.

I plan on seeing more movies this year, and writing reviews of them. Someone told me I should make a separate blog site for my reviews, and I've begun looking into that. I'll keep you all posted.

(Like I need to have a third blog when I don't even write for my fiction one. hehehe)

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 50 days is:

$11,258,999,068,426.23

Video: The Winter

Another shortie post today. The day's plans are up in the air, and I've no clue if I'll be able to post anything later. My Aunt is still in town, and I suspect we'll end up going for lunch somewhere. Mainly because I ain't cooking. ~.^

Bruiser has inveigled me to abstain from flatulent humor on Sundays. You're safe from any gaseous gags today, thanks to him. But, I've got something you Northern readers might relate to. (Heck, here too in Florida, with our 40ºF temps of late).

It's a short animation by a guy named Tony Oswald. Enjoy!

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 49 days is:

$5,629,499,534,213.11

Tigger Bounces Back from Punching Accusation

(Another early pre-post due to earache, family visiting, and a possibly long day away from home. I know how you cannot live without your daily Roost rations! ~.^)

Back on January 6th of this year, a beloved childhood icon was accused of pugilistic pawing of a 14-year-old boy in Disney World's MGM Studio Theme Park. The incident was captured on video and rocketed into the national spotlight on news stations, Internet sites, and blogs ... including mine.

Disney had suspended Michael J. Fedelem, the man inside the Tigger suit, pending an investigation of the incident by the Osceola County Sheriff's Department.

The investigation is done, and the State Attorney's Office in Orlando has decided that Tigger is not criminally liable for what occurred. No criminal charges will be filed against Fedelem. The DA stated to a local Orlando news station "The family didn't react like they wanted justice, they reacted like they wanted cash."

No word yet on whether Tigger can bounce back to work at Disney.

This makes me so happy to hear. Anyone who reviewed the video could plainly see Tigger was provoked or that the "head punch" was entirely unintentional. Score one for the Florida State Attorney's Office and the little guy!

Of course, this does not mean Jerry Monaco, Sr., the man who shot the video and whose son was involved, will not file a civil complaint against Tigger, or Disney. One source states "the Monaco family is asking for unspecified money damages from Disney." Previously I had felt any lawsuit filed by the Monaco's would win. Now, I'm not so certain. No clear word on whether any further legal action will be taken by the Monaco's ... other than to change their names for trying to weasel money out of a false accusation of a well-loved American icon. ~.^

The same source cited above, as well as two others, cite Disney's employee union representative Donna Lyne Dalton saying Jerry, Jr. was agitating Tigger by pulling the back of the costume and cutting off air supply and that restricted peripheral vision didn't allow him to see where his "paw" was going when he swung around. A transcript from an unedited and longer version of the video, shows Jerry, Sr. may have taunted Tigger a little and that both a woman and Jerry, Sr. told Jerry, Jr. to stop "crowding" Tigger. Another source claims "the full-length video shows Junior pulling on the Tigger costume's tail, thus blocking proper air flow" and " earlier in the clip, Senior is heard mocking the character, sarcastically apologising for supposedly sitting on its head."

We'll wait and see. When I find more out, it'll be posted.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 48 days is:

$2,814,749,767,106.55

Fantastic Commercial - Talk Talk

Seeing as how my day tomorrow (Feb. 16) will be filled with inflamed Eustachian tube pain, massive grocery shopping, tedious doctor's visits (mine & my 13yo), and my aunt coming to visit, I thought I'd get a jump on my daily blog posting. Don't worry, if you read the Labels you know this is not another fart post. Like you can have too many fart posts. Hah!

Anyhow, this is a commercial from across the pond, for British Telcom. Pretty cool, huh?



As an aside, we've now hit the trillions mark in the Penny Doubled Daily project. Only 47 days to get up to almost 1.5 trillion dollars. wish it were real. *sigh*

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 47 days is:

$1,407,374,883,553.27

The Nose Knows - Fart Detector

Yup. Sick again. Another earache. Well, Eustachian tube infection, again, to be technical. I'll probably be going to the doc-in-the-box, again, for meds.

That means you get a good ol' fart post. Ain't I a stinker?

If I were a stinker, you could use this to find out for sure. It's a working Fart Detector from Cornell. It'll detect methane gas in the room and provide you with a loud warning when someone has cut the cheese. (Assuming the flatulent friend didn't blow his own foghorn, that is).

You still won't know who did the deed, but it might provide you enough time to hold your nose and move away from the offending odor.

I'd call this a gag gift, but it might actually prevent gagging.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 46 days is:

$703,687,441,776.63

Why Spellcheck Is So Important

I was going to do today's blog post on something entirely different. A post about Love, about Friendship. A post on Valentine's Day traditions. Then I saw this.


Just what kind of grocery store is this? Victoria's Secret & Deli?

This isn't the worst typo, misspelling, or ignorant usage of words I've seen, by far. I have contributed my fair share to the torquing of text, the warping of words, the subversion of sentences. Daily.

One of the most embarrassing, yet funniest, slips of the type was done by my mother. She was a church secretary and put together the weekly Sunday bulletin. The main section of which was composed of a short message from the pastor. He would hand write what he wanted put in that week, and my mom would transcribe it on the computer, then add it to the bulletin.

One week, the pastor's mini-message was on promoting fellowship within the congregation, especially with those members with which you may have issues. The final line admonished "God commands us to love others, as He loves us. Make an effort to befriend those brethren you avoid. Work out your problems with them, through the Grace of our Lord, and you will find a new friend, and more fulfillment in your worship, than if you continued ducking them in church."

Wonderful words.

Or, they would have been had the "d" and "f" keys weren't so close on the keyboard. A most "fowl" typo, indeed.

I do not know how the spellcheck missed it. I do not know how my mother, myself, and the pastor missed it in proofreading. The congregation surely didn't miss it ... all 400+ of them ... loudly, with great shock, and not a little laughter.

My mother paid much closer attention to her typed word from then forward. As did the rest of the church. ~.^

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 45 days is:

$351,843,720,888.31

World's Finest

Here is another really cool fan film called World's Finest. It is done in a theatrical trailer format, as if this was a real cinematic release coming out. It confused more than a few people as word of it made rounds of the Internet back in 2004. The film is based on DC comics' series of the same name.

The fan film uses the same actor for Batman from Batman: Dead End, Clark Bartram. Superman is played by Mike O'Hearn and he makes a (pardon the pun) super Superman. Had he played Supes in Superman Returns instead of Brandon Routh, I'd have been happy. (Though Routh seemed to channel Christopher Reeve so well in that movie, it was eerie). Lex Luthor is played by Kurt Carley, and he makes a fantastic Luthor. Two-Face is not what I ever imagined him to be, and is the weakest main character in this short film. They could have possibly used a different villain from the Batman mythos to better effect. He's not bad, per se, just doesn't jibe with my internal vision of the character. The actress who plays Lois Lane here was much better than her counterpart from Superman Returns.

The same people who made Batman: Dead End made this fan film. As with the earlier Batman film, I would love to see a real movie like this short one.

Below is a YouTube version of the fan film. Much better version can be found at TheForce.Net, along with other information.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 44 days is:

$175,921,860,444.15

Go Fly a Kite

In a comment on another post, Dawn asked me how the kite flying with the kids went.

It went well.

I took the kids to West gate Library, which has a huge field next to it. I used to go to that library and it's attached playground and field when I was their age. We recently stopped visiting it because a newer, closer library opened up just down the road from us. Also, the kids are getting older (9½ and 13) and no longer play like they used to.

Gone are the care-free romps and scampers across the steel and molded plastic playset.

They never played in it like they should, either. To them, it was more fun to slide down the top of the tube slides than inside them. The slide pole wasn't as fun simply slipping down it like a fireman when you could launch yourself from the five foot high platform, grab the pole as you hurtled by, and spin wildly around it like some deranged exotic dancer. And swings ... They couldn't just see who could go higher. They have to see who could go higher AND farther when they leaped from the apex of their swings.

Fortunately, the whole things squats in the middle of a fairly deep sand field. The tumbles and falls invariably suffered were cushioned by the forgiving softness of good ol' Florida sugar sand. My main worry were the things which might be lurking under the rippled, sandy surface.: Sand fleas (we call 'em chiggers), mole crickets, buried twigs, broken glass from beer bottles drunk teenagers late at night, or even the occasional canine landmine.

Actually, the glass problem has gotten much better, of late, as the police have cracked down on people at the little park after dark. The puppy presents are still a problem. I'm sure some are left by strays, but I've more than once seen an owner walking their poopy pooch and allowing them to drop their loads in the sand while kids are playing a few feet away. And then NOT pick it up!

Last year, a rather well dressed man was walking his large dog (some Irish Setter breed or mix) in the library park. Instead of letting it defecate in the grassy area on the other side of the sidewalk abutting the sandy play area where it wanted to, he dragged his dog directly into the sand. One mother yelled at him to "get the dog out of there, kids played here." The guy ignored her and walked away without picking up the mess.

I had had enough. Gathering some discarded plastic from inside one of the trashcans, I collected some of the still warm and slightly viscous load of dog crap. I was careful to avoid getting it on myself, as well as to make sure it was mostly hidden in my cupped hand. I walked hurriedly after the rude man, calling out "Sir, excuse me, you dropped something."

The man turned around a little, and reached towards his back pocket like he was checking for his wallet. I don't know if it was in his pocket or not, but as I got up close to him, holding out my little surprise payload, he stuck his hand out to accept what he must have assumed was something he did drop.

He was quite surprised to suddenly be holding a warm load of dog crap in his outstretched hand. Then Brainiac hurriedly dropped it and wiped his hand across his nice, clean slacks a few times before realizing what he was doing. I would have been laughing so hard had I not been trying to back away in case he went ballistic. But he didn't attack me. He just started yelling and screaming and cussing me out while the few other women there with their kids were howling with laughter as they realized what had just occurred.

The guy left in a rush, still screaming and calling me names which would have blistered paint. I waited until he was no longer in sight and gathered up my two miscreants and got the hell out of Dodge in case poopy pants came back for revenge.

The kids were laughing, and I had to tell them what I did wasn't really nice or appropriate, not to mention dangerous, al lthe while holding back my own chortles and smirks.

Hmmm, I was supposed to be talking about kite flying, wasn't I?

The kites were just cheap things. A dollar store special with two in a single pack, plus 250 feet of nylon string each. You can't beat a two-fer.

I fully expected the kites to be pure junk, to disintegrate as soon as they were airborne, if not while I put them together; made from a cheap, yet brightly colored plastic, with thin wood dowels slipped into hard plastic housings for the frame. And a long, black tail that looked like it was made from left over Hefty bags. The string was nice, a nylon type with 3 twisted strands.

I didn't know how to attach the string to the kite; there were no instructions, and nothing was obvious other than a separate length of similar string threaded through a small, plastic circle. I jury-rigged that piece on the front of the kite, threading the ends through two holes I made, then tying them together on the back after wrapping them around the wooden frame a few times. The 250 length was tied to the plastic loop and a kite was born.

They were surprisingly sturdy, withstanding both the kids' rough handling and several dive-bombing plummets to the ground. I was sure the string would have sawed through the thin plastic of the kite, but it held firm, barely even stretching the holes.

Eventually we got both kites up and near to the end of their provided 250 foot strings. It was breezy, and they flew well. Being the normal diamond shaped kites (sometimes called flat kites) there was a lot of looping and dropping as wind speed changed or updrafts struck them. The Hefty bag tails helped a lot to keep them stable.

I showed them how to manage the string to control the kite, and what to do when those errant winds flicked them around in the sky. The listened like usual, forcing me to explain things a half dozen times. Eventually they got the hang of it and did a pretty decent job. They never even got close to tangling their lines together, which was my biggest fear.

It was fun for a little while, until the kids lost interest. Then came the hard part. Reeling the buggers back in.

Of course, I was asked to do it for them because it was "too hard." And, of course, I laughed and said no. It took them the better part of of a half hour to wind the thin nylon cord onto the plastic grip handle, bringing their winging toys groundward at last. I relaxed under the canopy of a picnic pavilion, sipping my Dasani and mentally chuckling at their groans of frustration and the occasional slip which unravelled a few dozen of feet of tediously wrapped string back into the sky.

We packed up the kites in the back of the car and headed off to a welcome treat of Taco Bell. Mmmmmmm ... Ranchero Chicken Soft Tacos ...

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 43 days is:

$87,960,930,222.07

Batman: Dead End

I've always been a fan of superheroes. I collected comics when I was little. I even collected comics as recently as the early to mid 90's. Unfortunately, all the comics I had from my youth were burned in a fit of religous zeal by mother. (I had some very rare comics in that stash, too. *sigh*).) Now, I borrow comic compilations from my local libraries. Yeah, I still love to read them.

My favorite superheroes are (in no particular order) Spider-Man, Batman, Iceman & Beast (from X-Men), Hulk, She-Hulk (love her new series), Raven (from Teen Titans), and the Fantastic Four.

I'll read, or watch, most any superhero comic or movie. You can find a ton of superhero fan films on the Web, if you look. Some are good, some are horrible, most fall in between. One of my favorites is Batman: Dead End.

I saw Batman: Dead End a few years ago online. It is one of the best fan movies I have ever seen. If there ever was a real movie based on this short film, you bet your bippy I'd be there to see it. Downloadable versions, and a Making Of Featurette, can be found at theforce.net. (Tons of other great fan films are there, as well!)

The actors in this are fantastic. The sets are great, the sound is perfect, and the directing & editting seems extremely well done. Makes me wonder what these guys could do with a big budget. And, the story ... The story will blow your mind.

For those of you not minding a slighty non-pristine version, or who do not want to dowload a large file to their computer, I stumbled across a copy on good ol' YouTube.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 42 days is:

$43,980,465,111.03

Let 'er Rip!

I'm not sick today. I actually feel pretty doggone good. I'm even taking the kiddies out to the library and the park to fly some new kites I bought. Slight breeze today, so that'll help. They are a two-pack of kites I bought at the dollar store. I'll probably need all the help I can get from wind. ~.^

Speaking of wind, I have some breaking news:


Ha! Gotcha! And you thought it was more fart jokes. Tsk tsk.

Enjoy your day everyone! ^.^

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 41 days is:

$21,990,232,555.51

Optical Illusions on Vehicles

We've all seen those ubiquitous baseballs stuck in a cracked window on a car. Or, maybe it was a hockey puck, or a football, or a golf ball. You've probably also seen those faux bullet holes you can plaster on your car.

Those are pretty neat, but everyone is doing it. If you really want to shake up your fellow drivers, you need a great optical illusion. Maybe like some of these below. ~.^

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Sports car and van all in one. I know some boys who would have killed to have both back in high school.

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This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Give it some gas!" I wish I could get a picture of it, but locally there is a lawn service company that has a truck with a guy riding a lawn mower in a similar style. I've seen it twice in the last few years, but I forget the company name.

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I believe the entire series of these truck images are from Germany. I tried researching them but could only find the images, not the information on them. Of course, I didn't spend a lot of time looking. I assume the trucks are draped with the painted canvas, then driven around as a mobile billboard. We have some mobile advertising in Tampa, but nothing like these trucks.


From this angle it appears the bottle is coming out from the side of the truck. You'd need one hell of a bottle opener for that thing.

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I'm not sure this would be considered carry-on.

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How many times do I have to tell those guys to unload from the top first?

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Reminds me of the time I was stuck behind a slow tractor-trailer. I got frustrated and changed lanes only to see another semi heading right towards me. I slammed on my brakes and near crapped myself before I realized it was only being towed by a huge tow truck. I'm sure the people behind were not amused by my sudden stop, either. =/

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Aquaman's RV?

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I heard Germans were big readers, but I never knew how big!

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If they could get some smoke to wisp out as it drove around ,it'd be a really cool effect. This one is my favorite.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 40 days is:

$10,995,116,277.75

Sometimes You Have to Step Back to See the Big Picture

Take a look at the image below. What do you see?


If you're sitting at the typical distance from your computer monitor, you likely saw a migraine inducing set of vertical black and white lines. But, maybe you also saw something else in those lines. Some pattern, some design, that you just cannot make out clearly. And you likely have increased that headache another notch or two, eh?

Look at it again and move your head slowly from side to side. Ahhhh, you were right! There is something there. You might even be able to recognize the shape, but you still do not see it very clearly, do you?

This next part takes a little bit of work, and a little bit faith. Get up from that comfortable chair and take a few steps back. Be careful, watch for obstacles, and don't trip.

Ahhhhhhhh ... You see it now. Jesus was the design, the pattern, behind that dizzying array of black and white. There is order to the seeming chaos of what you saw. There is a reason, a purpose, to the ways things were laid out. It wasn't until you allowed yourself to step back from the close comfort of your usual space that things became clearer.

Some will understand the subtle message in my prose. Others just want the "whys and hows" of the illusion I've shown you. You others keep reading to find out. You some, too, if interested. ~.^

The optical illusion above works very similar to the Dr. Angry & Mr. Smile optical illusion I showed yesterday. It uses a set of coarse and fine features in a hybrid image to trick your eyes into seeing one thing or the other.

Up close, your eyes are hard pressed to differentiate the varied shadings and finer lines that make up the embedded image of Jesus. Too, the stark black and white of the lines, and their closeness, produce another effect upon your eyes, further confusing your brain (perception) as to what it is seeing. When you step back, you begin to see those fine features as your eyes and brain start to fill in those areas making a coarser image.

It is a similar effect if you decreased an image's size in a paint program. You lose the finer details as the coarser ones become more prominent and the algorithms try to replicate things with the same sized pixels in a smaller area. If you right click and save the optical illusion above and open it in a paint program, you can test this out yourself. Just decrease the image size incrementally and you will see Jesus' image appear as the image itself grows smaller.

As in life, this optical illusion shows us that sometimes you have to step back to see the big picture.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 32 days is:

$5,497,558,138.87

Dr. Anger & Mr. Smile

Take a look at the image below. The top guy seems pretty angry, doesn't he? The bottom guy looks calm and serene, almost feminine. Now take a few steps back from your monitor ... you might to back 6 or more feet.


Wow! Did you see the faces swap places?

Pretty cool, huh?

This type of optical illusion is called a Hybrid Image. Hybrid images "change interpretation as a function of viewing distance." This means it looks different depending on far, or how close, you are to the image.

According to Aude Oliva and Philippe Schyn of the University of Glasgow, this optical illusion "illustrates the ability of the visual system to separate information coming from different spatial frequency channels." How this is accomplished is by use of coarse and fine features. When you are close to the image, you can make out both types of features. As you move away from the image, your eyes lose the ability to distinguish the finer features from the coarse. This makes the images appear to swap.

There are other very interesting optical illusions you can reach via clicking the image above, as well as other information presented by Oliva and Schyn related to this phenomena.

The image used above is a derivative of Aude Oliva & Philippe G. Schyns' copywrited original image.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 38 days is:

$2,748,779,069.43

It's So Cold the Tide Freezes

Okay, double post for today. (Even though I wrote the first one last night).

I know a lot of you, my good readers, are from up North. You have suffered some awfully cold weather the last few days, and you may be interested to see what kind of oddities that cold weather can do. For your viewing pleasure, here is a video of tide that freezes as soon as it comes in. Very cool!

I have no idea where this is, but it must be damn cold for the tide to come in frozen. Not only is it cool to watch, it's kind of pretty, too. It's a fairly long video, over 5 minutes, but it's worth it to see how the frozen tide just keeps building up and up and up ...



If you couldn't tell, this was swiped from Ebaum's World.

Art Appreciation Day

Here is some of my art. Appreciate it! ^.^;;

The spread winged raven below is used as my sig on several forums I haunt. It is a transparent PNG file with the text and main image highlighted by using a Drop Shadow effect. The actual image is a bit bigger than this one (500px wide compared to this 400x). The tail shadows are truncated because I sorta of messed up when creating it, but then realized it needed to be that way due to the allowed sig size limitation.


This little image is of my elementalist from Guild Wars. I use her as an avatar at some forums. She is wearing an older suit of armor and a 'shopped on jester's cap. There is a new, in-game jester's cap, but I like my faux one better. The title of Guild Jester was given to me for my bad puns, awful jokes, and silly antics. I wear the badge with pride ... and a little embarrassment.


This image was 'shopped from some Internet one I swiped using Google Images. I just made the moon a waffle and the rays yellow because in my GW guild we have a fellow we call Waffle. He is always called upon to help with tough missions or hard runs. So I made this for him as a joke a looong time ago. He's been missing for a few weeks, but today he posted he was alive and well, just busy. So I am happy, and the breakfast pastries of the world are rejoicing.

Last, but not least, for this little impromptu gallery showing, is an image I did over the Christmas holidays. It began as an off the cuff remark in-game and turned into one of the mind nibbling ideas that would not stop until I let it out. This is the result. It was actually used by Tek Phreak in one of is videos, but I cannot find the link to it. I composited dozens of images to make it, and did all sorts of picture trickery to it.

Oops, I lied. This is the last image. I made it as a companion piece to the Santa Jack Sparrow one above. Believe it or not, this one gave me more trouble. Lousy candy canes wouldn't render right for the longest. Grrrr.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 37 days is:

$1,374,389,534.71

Superb Owl Sunday

The Colts may have beaten the Bears, but neither of them could come close to beating Sunday, the Superb Owl!

Oh, c'mon. You know you smiled at that. Maybe even giggled. Didja think the title was a typo?

I'm known for my horrible typos in certain circles. Oh, sure, the blog is usually pretty typo free. I use spellcheck on it and two or three proof readings, yet I still have them slip through now and again. I can't help it, though. It's just in me to misspell, it's part of who I am. I have Type O blood.

Okay, okay. I'll stop. You've been pun-ished enough.

I'm glad the Colts won. I was rooting for them. Well, rooting for Tony Dungy, to be precise. I always liked Dungy. I wish he never left Tampa. Gruden is all right, but he won the Superbowl that first year with Dungy's team and a lot of Dungy's coaches. So, yeah ... Dungy deserved this win.

I didn't watch the game, though. I rarely do.

Usually on Superbowl Sunday, I'll take the kids out somewhere. To the movies, bowling, laser tag, or whatever. The crowds are a lot less because everyone is at home, or at a bar, watching the game. Restaurants are less crowded too. Except those bar-n-grill joints with a kajillion TVs hanging from the walls like glowing cubes of Damocles awaiting the proper moment to rip themselves from the wall and brain unsuspecting customers.

If I'm home, and watching television, I'll flip over to the game occasionally. Just to check the score. But with computer advancements, you can get score feeds sent right to your screen, watch animated, real time updates at NFL.com, and even watch the highly touted Superbowl ads.

That's the real reason I watch the game at all. For the commercials. They are usually more entertaining than the game anyhow. But, if you are like me this year and did not watch the game, how can you see those commercials?

Why, you go to websites that have captured them and put them up for you to watch at your leisure.

Ebaum's World has done just that. They seem to run in chronological order with the first shown at the bottom and the last show at the top. I watched all of them and was not overly impressed this year.

Budweiser's ads were not very funny to me. If the slapping thing they lampooned takes off, I'm going to Busch Gardens and start slapping everyone in sight. There were a total of 9 Budweiser ads during the Superbowl. the only one I thought was funny, and somewhat of a comment about our state of mind, is the "Rock-Paper-Scissors" one. The Wedding one was okay, too. It says something when about 15% (9 of 62) Superbowl ads were for Budweiser.

Other humorous, but not outstanding ads were from Sierra Mist, Taco Bell, and Fed Ex. Doritos had a couple ads, but I didn't like them much.

There were two ads that I did like, though.

The first is a return of the Blockbuster's Ray and Carl, a CG guinea pig and rabbit voiced by Jim Belushi and James Woods, who live across the street from a Blockbuster. The old commercials were always funny, and they first appeared in 2002's Superbowl ads. I have my issues with Blockbuster, but I love the Ray and Carl commercials. Here is the one from last night's game:

But my favorite favorite ad is from newcomer Garmin. They debuted a fantastic old school monster battle advert between "Garmin Man, The Champion of Personal Navigation"and "Mapasuarus". It brings me back to when I was little and watched Ultraman before and after school and on Saturday mornings. I sure do love those man-in-suit shows ... Ultraman, Godzilla, Gamera, any of those old 50's and 60's mega-monster movies. Here is the commercial:

There are tons of more related fun stuff on YouTube and at Garmin. There are interviews with Garmin Man and Mapasaurus at YouTube, along with a few others things. Garmin's main site has links to an Extended Commercial, a music video, downloads, and pictures of other Driving Demons like Trafficdactyl and Wireannasaurus Mess, as well as the low down on Garmin Man's arsenal.

Maybe I could make my own giant monster movies starring Superb Owl Sunday. He could battle the evil, polluting forces that try to keep people from watching football like Litter In-law, Honeydo CO2, and Kid Tantrum.

He could even have a theme song!

"Superb Owl, Superb Owl,
He's our feathered super pal!
Screeches loud, he gives a Hoot,
Catches guys, who pollute.
Hey now! It's Sunday the Superb Owl!"

Hmmm, I know I've heard that tune somewhere before ...

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 36 days is:

$687,194,767.35

If It's Fart Jokes, You Know I'm Sick Again

My apologies for the late posts the last few days. I just seem to be catching one thing after another. =/ I was basically unconscious most of the day today, so you get to watch this grossly funny song parody of Brittney Spears' "Oops, I Did It Again".

Enjoy.

Oh, and hold your nose.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 35 days is:

$343,597,383.67

Shipwrecked! What Would YOU Bring?

You slowly awaken to the warmth of sunlight, the gentle crash of waves, and the taste of salt upon your dry lips. You look around to find yourself inside a half-shredded rubber life raft on the beach of a small tropical island.

You don't know where you are. You don't know how you got there. You have only a vague memory of the roar of strong winds, flickering flames, screams of the dying, and of tossing a few items into the flimsy raft before fear and darkness overtook your senses.

No, you haven't awoken to find yourself as Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Rather this is one of those What If games you have likely played with friends and family, or lying awake in bed trying to sleep.

In this What If, you are shipwrecked on an unihabited, tropical island in the middle of who-knows-where with no hope of rescue. You get to choose any 10 items to have with you (not including a set of clothing you are wearing and the shredded inflatable raft). There are caveats, however.

¤ No item may electronic in nature. That is, you may not take water-proof, solar powered, satellite phones, indestructible, self powered HAM radios, or things like that.

¤ The items must be a real items. No pocket teleporters, no cold fusion jetpacks, no Star Trek communicators.

¤ No item may be bigger than you could easily carry and place into a raft or weigh more than 10 pounds each. So, taking along a fiberglass, double-hulled personal watercraft and 30 gallons of fuel is out of the question. Or, that 240 pound safe full of money and jewels, either.

¤ No All-in-One kits. There are hundreds of survival and camping kits with dozens of items in them you can purchase, but for this game, they are not allowed. You can have multi-function tools, or small kits like a fishing kit with some line, hooks, and a bobber, but not a generic all-in-one style kit. That'd just be too easy!

¤ You may bring only one type of medicine, but you don't have to worry about any pre-existing real medical conditions; your What If avatar is in reasonably good health and physically fit.

¤ One item must be a luxury item that fits within the above guidelines. A picture of your family, a small case of scotch, or a volleyball are some examples. It may not be a tool or have other obvious uses besides being comforting to have, hold, or use.

¤ Other than the 10 items you choose, you only have the shredded inflatbale raft and the clothes on your back (shirt, socks, shoes, pants, etc).

With these restrictions in mind, and having the foreknowledge that you will be on a tropical island for a very long time, what 10 things would you bring?

Here is my list:

1. Hand Axe - One of those nice camping ones with the rubber grip and saw that fits inside the handle. (Like this one!) So many uses for this.
2. Multi-Tool Pocketknife - Sometimes generically called Swiss Army knives. A couple utility blades, an awl, small scissors, fish scaler, hooked blade, and magnifying glass at minimum.
3. Duct Tape - A huge roll of it. The good kind. It sounds funny, but I can think of a hundred uses for it right now on our imaginary island, and probabaly find a thousand more. Used sparingly it could be one of the more important tools.
4. A Fire Starter Tool - There are many types out there; from simple matches to modren takes on flint and steel. I'd want the Light My Fire tool, preferably the bigger one.
5. Nylon Cord - The thin kind, sometimes called parachute cord, and as much as I could get, but for this game I'll say 50'. It can be used for fishing, snares, tying stuff together, etc.
6. Aspirin - The most useful, common drug you can get. Figure at least a large bottle, or a few small ones.
7. Fishing Kit - Some fishing line and hooks, basically. I'd want something with a good test pull to it.
8. Survival Manual - Because I know very little about what to do. And, I doubt SurvivorMan or Man vs. Wild has prepared me. (A hard copy of the U.S. Army Survival Manual FM 21-76 would be good. It's online, too.)
9. Survival Blanket - I can sleep in in, I could 'wear' it, use it for shelter or ground cover. Very useful. (Something like this one.)
10. Tennis Ball - No, I wouldn't call it Spalding or Penn. This is my luxury item. No real use to it, but I could amuse myself for hours with it. I have one on my desk, right now, that I hold, squeeze, or spin in my hand when I think or an agitated. Like Tom Hank's volleyball, I think my tennis ball would help me stay sane.

I had a few other items I debated on placing on the list: a collapsible shovel, one of those flashlights you shake to make work, a sleeping bag, a tent, a hunting knife. But, I decided the others would be more useful to me.

Share what you would bring with us in the comments section. Even if it's just your luxury item.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 34 days is:

$171,798,691.83

Who Invited That Bozo?

Technically, today is a double post. The post you are reading now is the real post for the day, while the What if a Penny Was Doubled Every Day for a Year? post below is more of an ongoing post.

I know, I'm probably not making a whole lot of sense. That happens with fevers. =/

Yeah, I'm sick. Again. Or, perhaps I should say 'still'. My mouth is still infected, but healing. But, somehow (probably from hugging those germ carrying kids of mine) I've gotten a sinus deal with sore throat, headache, and fever. At least there's no involuntary projectile regurgitation going on this time.

If you got a sec, go over and visit a friend of mine's new blog. It is called Way of the Sammarye. Only one post so far, but it is a pretty good one.

Sammarye is an old friend from my NWN days. We spent a few hours last night trying to get a header to look right on his blog. It is basically the one that is there now, but with the Kanji and samurai sword in place of the left side blocks. Not my best work, but I think it looks cool and meshes well with his color scheme. The Kanji characters literally say "Samurai Way".

I blame my burgeoning cold but it turns out all our wrestling with the template code to get the header to look right was in vain. It was a simple error on my part. The image host only allows images of 800 pixels wide. Bigger, and they get cropped. Hence our frustrating battle last night.

Anyone know of free image hosting sites that allow larger images? Flickr doesn't. I tried them, too. =/

Apropos of nothing ...

The kids' schools send out occasional e-mails with whatever information they wish to pass along. We usually get one every week, week and a half. I skim them, but mostly ignore them as it is the same information they bring home on handouts.

This morning I received one from my older boy's school. In it, the principal relates how two students' fathers passed away this last week, and how family is precious and we should all take time to appreciate our families. In all, a rather poignant and eloquent speech.

Except that under his digital signature, emblazoned in caps and encapsulated by curlicues were the words, "DON'T FORGET TO BRING IN YOUR BOXTOPS!"

...

That's like having clowns at a funeral. Well, unless it was a clown funeral, then it would be all right.

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Today's Penny Doubled Daily Cumulative Amount for 33 days is:

$85,899,345.91

What if a Penny Was Doubled Every Day for a Year?

NOTE: I believe I have devised a solution to the table boundary problem. It is not an elegant solution, by any means, but it allows you see all the data. I will continue to research alternative methods of displaying this interesting data and update this page accordingly.

The penny.

One cent. The lowest currency amount in the US. A coin so maligned that if you drop one, odds are you won't pick it up. A coin so insignificant most stores have small trays laden with the cast off coppers that you can actually use should you be short of the purchase amount.

Sure, they can add up. Most people have a jar filled with pennies somewhere in their home. They add to it from time to time, sometimes even daily. Slowly the amount increases, until it is decided to cash them in. You can get a good haul that way. Maybe even a hundred bucks. More if you slip in the higher value coins.

But what if you took that lowly penny and doubled it every day? What if you did that for a year? How much money would you have?

To find out, on each day's post I will put the cumulative total to that point for the year. Also, the chart below will be updated daily to reflect each new day's amounts. Expect to see some very large numbers the further along this project goes.

Penny Doubled Daily

Day	Date	Doubled Amount	Cumulative Amount
1	Jan 1	$0.01	$0.01
2	Jan 2	$0.02	$0.03
3	Jan 3	$0.04	$0.07
4	Jan 4	$0.08	$0.15
5	Jan 5	$0.16	$0.31
6	Jan 6	$0.32	$0.63
7	Jan 7	$0.64	$1.27
8	Jan 8	$1.28	$2.55
9	Jan 9	$2.56	$5.11
10	Jan 10	$5.12	$10.23
11	Jan 11	$10.24	$20.47
12	Jan 12	$20.48	$40.95
13	Jan 13	$40.96	$81.91
14	Jan 14	$81.92	$163.83
15	Jan 15	$163.84	$327.67
16	Jan 16	$327.68	$655.35
17	Jan 17	$655.35	$1,310.71
18	Jan 18	$1,310.72	$2,621.43
19	Jan 19	$2,621.44	$5,242.87
20	Jan 20	$5,242.88	$10,485.75
21	Jan 21	$10,485.76	$20,971.51
22	Jan 22	$20,971.52	$41,943.03
23	Jan 23	$41,943.04	$83,886.07
24	Jan 24	$83,886.07	$167,772.15
25	Jan 25	$167,772.16	$335,544.31
26	Jan 26	$335,544.32	$671,088.63
27	Jan 27	$671,088.64	$1,342,177.27
28	Jan 28	$1,342,177.28	$2,684,354.55
29	Jan 29	$2,684,354.56	$5,368,709.11
30	Jan 30	$5,368,709.12	$10,737,418.23
31	Jan 31	$10,737,418.24	$21,474,836.47

Day	Date	Doubled Amount	Cumulative Amount
32	Feb 1	$21,474,836.48	$42,949,672.95
33	Feb 2	$42,949,672.96	$85,899,345.91
34	Feb 3	$85,899,345.92	$171,798,691.83
35	Feb 4	$171,798,691.84	$343,597,383.67
36	Feb 5	$343,597,383.68	$687,194,767.35
37	Feb 6	$687,194,767.36	$1,374,389,534.71
38	Feb 7	$1,374,389,534.72	$2,748,779,069.43
39	Feb 8	$2,748,779,069.44	$5,497,558,138.87
40	Feb 9	$5,497,558,138.87	$10,995,116,277.75
41	Feb 10	$10,995,116,277.76	$21,990,232,555.51
42	Feb 11	$21,990,232,555.52	$43,980,465,111.03
43	Feb 12	$43,980,465,111.04	$87,960,930,222.07
44	Feb 13	$87,960,930,222.08	$175,921,860,444.15
45	Feb 14	$175,921,860,444.16	$351,843,720,888.31
46	Feb 15	$351,843,720,888.32	$703,687,441,776.63
47	Feb 16	$703,687,441,776.64	$1,407,374,883,553.27
48	Feb 17	$1,407,374,883,553.28	$2,814,749,767,106.55
49	Feb 18	$2,814,749,767,106.56	$5,629,499,534,213.11
50	Feb 19	$5,629,499,534,213.12	$11,258,999,068,426.23
51	Feb 20	$11,258,999,068,426.24	$22,517,998,136,852.47
52	Feb 21	$22,517,998,136,852.48	$45,035,996,273,704.95
53	Feb 22	$45,035,996,273,704.96	$90,071,992,547,409.91
54	Feb 23	$90,071,992,547,409.92	$180,143,985,094,819.83
55	Feb 24	$180,143,985,094,819.84	$360,287,970,189,639.67
56	Feb 25	$360,287,970,189,639.68	$720,575,940,379,279.35
57	Feb 26	$720,575,940,379,279.36	$1,441,151,880,758,558.71
58	Feb 27	$1,441,151,880,758,558.72	$2,882,303,761,517,117.43
59	Feb 28	$2,882,303,761,517,117.44	$5,764,607,523,034,234.87

Day	Date	Doubled Amount	Cumulative Amount
60	Mar 1	$5,764,607,523,034,234.88	$11,529,215,046,068,469.75
61	Mar 2	$11,529,215,046,068,469.76	$23,058,430,092,136,939.51
62	Mar 3	$23,058,430,092,136,939.52	$46,116,860,184,273,879.03
63	Mar 4	$46,116,860,184,273,879.04	$92,233,720,368,547,758.07
64	Mar 5	$92,233,720,368,547,758.08	$184,467,440,737,095,516.15
65	Mar 6	$184,467,440,737,095,516.16	$368,934,881,474,191,032.31
66	Mar 7	$368,934,881,474,191,032.32	$737,869,762,948,382,064.63
67	Mar 8	$737,869,762,948,382,064.64	$1, 475,739,525,896,764,129.27
68	Mar 9	$1, 475,739,525,896,764,129.28	$2, 951,479,051,793,528,258.55
69	Mar 10	$2, 951,479,051,793,528,258.56	$5, 902,958,103,587,056,517.11
70	Mar 11	$5, 902,958,103,587,056,517.12	$11, 805,916,207,174,113,034.23
71	Mar 12	$11, 805,916,207,174,113,034.24	$23, 611,832,414,348,226,068.47
72	Mar 13	$23, 611,832,414,348,226,068.47	$47, 223,664,828,696,452,136.95
73	Mar 14	$47, 223,664,828,696,452,136.96	$94, 447,329,657,392,904,273.91
74	Mar 15	$94, 447,329,657,392,904,273.92	$188, 894,659,314,785,808,547.83
75	Mar 16	$188, 894,659,314,785,808,547.84	$377, 789,318,629,571,617,095.67
76	Mar 17	$377, 789,318,629,571,617,095.68	$755, 578,637,259,143,234,191.35
77	Mar 18	$755, 578,637,259,143,234,191.35	$1,511, 157,274,518,286,468,382.71
78	Mar 19	$1,511, 157,274,518,286,468,382.72	$3,022, 314,549,036,572,936,765.43
79	Mar 20	$3,022, 314,549,036,572,936,765.44	$6,044, 629,098,073,145,873,530.87
80	Mar 21	$6,044, 629,098,073,145,873,530.88	$12,089, 258,196,146,291,747,061.75
81	Mar 22	$12,089, 258,196,146,291,747,061.75	$24,178, 516,392,292,583,494,123.51
82	Mar 23	$24,178, 516,392,292,583,494,123.52	$48,357, 032,784,585,166,988,247.03
83	Mar 24	$48,357, 032,784,585,166,988,247.04	$96,714, 065,569,170,333,976,494.07
84	Mar 25	$96,714, 065,569,170,333,976,494.08	$193,428, 131,138,340,667,952,988.15
85	Mar 26	$193,428, 131,138,340,667,952,988.16	$386,856, 262,276,681,335,905,976.31
86	Mar 27	$386,856, 262,276,681,335,905,976.32	$773,712, 524,553,362,671,811,952.63
87	Mar 28	$773,712, 524,553,362,671,811,952.64	$1,547,425, 049,106,725,343,623,905.27
88	Mar 29	$1,547,425, 049,106,725,343,623,905.27	$3,094,850, 098,213,450,687,247,810.55
89	Mar 30	$3,094,850, 098,213,450,687,247,810.56	$6,189,700, 196,426,901,374,495,621.11
90	Mar 31	$6,189,700, 196,426,901,374,495,621.12	$12,379,400, 392,853,802,748,991,242.23

Day	Date	Doubled Amount	Cumulative Amount
91	Apr 1	$12,379,400, 392,853,802,748,991,242.24	$24,758,800, 785,707,605,497,982,484.47
92	Apr 2	$24,758,800, 785,707,605,497,982,484.48	$49,517,601, 571,415,210,995,964,968.95
93	Apr 3	$49,517,601, 571,415,210,995,964,968.96	$99,035,203, 142,830,421,991,929,937.91
94	Apr 4	$99,035,203, 142,830,421,991,929,937.92	$198,070,406, 285,660,843,983,859,875.83
95	Apr 5	$198,070,406, 285,660,843,983,859,875.84	$396,140,812, 571,321,687,967,719,751.67
96	Apr 6	$396,140,812, 571,321,687,967,719,751.68	$792,281,625, 142,643,375,935,439,503.35
97	Apr 7	$792,281,625, 142,643,375,935,439,503.36	$1,584,563,250, 285,286,751,870,879,006.71
98	Apr 8	$1,584,563,250, 285,286,751,870,879,006.72	$3,169,126,500, 570,573,503,741,758,013.43
99	Apr 9	$3,169,126,500, 570,573,503,741,758,013.44	$6,338,253,001, 141,147,007,483,516,026.87
100	Apr 10	$6,338,253,001, 141,147,007,483,516,026.88	$12,676,506,002, 282,294,014,967,032,053.75
101	Apr 11	$12,676,506,002, 282,294,014,967,032,053.76	$25,353,012,004, 564,588,029,934,064,107.51
102	Apr 12	$25,353,012,004, 564,588,029,934,064,107.52	$50,706,024,009, 129,176,059,868,128,215.03
103	Apr 13	$50,706,024,009, 129,176,059,868,128,215.04	$101,412,048,018, 258,352,119,736,256,430.07
104	Apr 14	$101,412,048,018, 258,352,119,736,256,430.08	$202,824,096,036, 516,704,239,472,512,860.15
105	Apr 15	$202,824,096,036, 516,704,239,472,512,860.16	$405,648,192,073, 033,408,478,945,025,720.31
106	Apr 16	$405,648,192,073, 033,408,478,945,025,720.32	$811,296,384,146, 066,816,957,890,051,440.63
107	Apr 17	$811,296,384,146, 066,816,957,890,051,440.64	$1,622,592,768,292, 133,633,915,780,102,881.27
108	Apr 18	$1,622,592,768,292, 133,633,915,780,102,881.28	$3,245,185,536,584, 267,267,831,560,205,762.53
109	Feb 3	$3,245,185,536,584, 267,267,831,560,205,762.54	$6,490,371,073,168, 534,535,663,120,411,525.07
110	Apr 20	$6,490,371,073,168, 534,535,663,120,411,525.08	$12,980,742,146,337, 069,071,326,240,823,050.15
111	Apr 21	$12,980,742,146,337, 069,071,326,240,823,050.16	$25,961,484,292,674, 138,142,652,481,646,100.31
112	Apr 22	$25,961,484,292,674, 138,142,652,481,646,100.32	$51,922,968,585,348, 276,285,304,963,292,200.63
113	Apr 23	$51,922,968,585,348, 276,285,304,963,292,200.64	$103,845,937,170,696, 552,570,609,926,584,401.27
114	Apr 24	$103,845,937,170,696, 552,570,609,926,584,401.28	$207,691,874,341,393, 105,141,219,853,168,802.55
115	Apr 25	$207,691,874,341,393, 105,141,219,853,168,802.56	$415,383,748,682,786, 210,282,439,706,337,605.11
116	Apr 26	$415,383,748,682,786, 210,282,439,706,337,605.12	$830,767,497,365,572, 420,564,879,412,675,210.23
117	Apr 27	$830,767,497,365,572, 420,564,879,412,675,210.24	$1,661,534,994,731,144, 841,129,758,825,350,420.47
118	Apr 28	$1,661,534,994,731,144, 841,129,758,825,350,420.48	$3,323,069,989,462,289, 682,259,517,650,700,840.95
119	Apr 29	$3,323,069,989,462,289, 682,259,517,650,700,840.96	$6,646,139,978,924,579, 364,519,035,301,401,681.91
120	Apr 30	$6,646,139,978,924,579, 364,519,035,301,401,681.92	$13,292,279,957,849,158, 729,038,070,602,803,363.83

Day	Date	Doubled Amount	Cumulative Amount
121	May 1	$13,292,279,957,849,158, 729,038,070,602,803,363.83	$26,584,559,915,698,317, 458,076,141,205,606,727.67
122	May 2	$26,584,559,915,698,317, 458,076,141,205,606,727.68	$53,169,119,831,396,634, 916,152,282,411,213,455.35
123	May 3	$53,169,119,831,396,634, 916,152,282,411,213,455.36	$106,338,239,662,793,269, 832,304,564,822,426,910.71
124	May 4	$106,338,239,662,793,269, 832,304,564,822,426,910.72	$212,676,479,325,586,539, 664,609,129,644,853,821.43
125	May 5	$212,676,479,325,586,539, 664,609,129,644,853,821.44	$425,352,958,651,173,079, 329,218,259,289,707,642.87
126	May 6	$425,352,958,651,173,079, 329,218,259,289,707,642.88	$850,705,917,302,346,158, 658,436,518,579,415,285.75
127	May 7	$850,705,917,302,346,158, 658,436,518,579,415,285.76	$1,701,411,834,604,692,317, 316,873,037,158,830,571.51
128	May 8	$1,701,411,834,604,692,317, 316,873,037,158,830,571.52	$3,402,823,669,209,384,634, 633,746,074,317,661,143.03
129	May 9	$3,402,823,669,209,384,634, 633,746,074,317,661,143.04	$6,805,647,338,418,769,269, 267,492,148,635,322,286.07
130	May 10	$6,805,647,338,418,769,269, 267,492,148,635,322,286.08	$13, 611,294,676,837,538,538, 534,984,297,270,644,572.15
131	May 11	$13, 611,294,676,837,538,538, 534,984,297,270,644,572.16	$27, 222,589,353,675,077,077, 069,968,594,541,289,144.31
132	May 12	$27, 222,589,353,675,077,077, 069,968,594,541,289,144.32	$54, 445,178,707,350,154,154, 139,937,189,082,578,288.63
133	May 13	$54, 445,178,707,350,154,154, 139,937,189,082,578,288.64	$108, 890,357,414,700,308,308, 279,874,378,165,156,577.27
134	May 14	$108, 890,357,414,700,308,308, 279,874,378,165,156,577.28	$217, 780,714,829,400,616,616, 559,748,756,330,313,154.55
135	May 15	$217, 780,714,829,400,616,616, 559,748,756,330,313,154.56	$435, 561,429,658,801,233,233, 119,497,512,660,626,309.11
136	May 16	$435, 561,429,658,801,233,233, 119,497,512,660,626,309.12	$871, 122,859,317,602,466,466, 238,995,025,321,252,618.23
137	May 17	$871, 122,859,317,602,466,466, 238,995,025,321,252,618.24	$1,742, 245,718,635,204,932,932, 477,990,050,642,505,236.47
139	May 19	$1,742, 245,718,635,204,932,932, 477,990,050,642,505,236.48	$6,968, 982,874,540,819,731,729, 911,960,202,570,020,945.91
140	May 20	$6,968, 982,874,540,819,731,729, 911,960,202,570,020,945.92	$13,937, 965,749,081,639,463,459, 823,920,405,140,041,891.83
141	May 21	$13,937, 965,749,081,639,463,459, 823,920,405,140,041,891.84	$27,875, 931,498,163,278,926,919, 647,840,810,280,083,783.67 td>
142	May 22	$27,875, 931,498,163,278,926,919, 647,840,810,280,083,783.68	$55,751, 862,996,326,557,853,839, 295,681,620,560,167,567.35
143	May 23	$55,751, 862,996,326,557,853,839, 295,681,620,560,167,567.36	$111,503, 725,992,653,115,707,678, 591,363,241,120,335,134.71
144	May 24	$111,503, 725,992,653,115,707,678, 591,363,241,120,335,134.72	$223,007, 451,985,306,231,415,357, 182,726,482,240,670,269.43
145	May 25	$223,007, 451,985,306,231,415,357, 182,726,482,240,670,269.43	$446,014, 903,970,612,462,830,714, 365,452,964,481,340,538.87
146	May 26	$446,014, 903,970,612,462,830,714, 365,452,964,481,340,538.87	$892,029, 807,941,224,925,661,428, 730,905,928,962,681,077.75