Owner: The Epicarrion URL:http://www.epicarrion.squarespace.com Join Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 10:32:27 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Cultural critique for those with wit and wonder. Site statistics:Click here
The Lawsuit That Is Fighting To Stop Doomsday (No Really) 2008-04-15 06:25:29 I think I know why that phone that Hillary Clinton claims to be equipped to answer at 3 am is ringing. It's the end of the world. We're being besieged by runaway black holes, strangelets and magnetic monopoles!Just outside of Geneva there is a megamachine buried beneath the ground on the border of France and Switzerland. The device is called The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and is 27 km in circumference. It's purpose is to create high energy collisions. Scientists hope to create phenomenon that have never been witnessed in a lab setting before. The results could change our entire understanding of the universe. An unintended side effect might be a universe destroying atomic anomaly. That's why a lawsuit is currently being argued to file an injunction to stop this project from Read more:Doomsday
, Fighting
, Lawsuit
The Weakerthans 2008-04-14 08:56:10 Currently, The Weakerthans are out supporting their recently released full length Reunion Tour. The album contains the razor sharp lyrics and hapless characters that are the trademark of John K. Samson. While considering the strengths and weaknesses of this latest creation I forced myself to rank the band's discography.4. Fallow (The band is still finding their way here and some of the songs sound like Propagandhi b-sides. The tunes that hang more towards the fringe send a signal to where the band will head with the sophomore release of Left and Leaving.)3. Reunion Tour (A record that grows on you over time and still finds time to innovate. It isn't a quantum leap but still gives the fans more of what we've come to love.2. Reconstruction Site (This album has an unashamed twang to it. It mi
Atheism and "The Perfect" 2008-04-13 23:01:52 This short video asks a question that all atheists should feel compelled to answer. Read more:Atheism
, Perfect
Some Kind of Bug? 2008-04-11 05:38:39 For those of you out there with unique dietary needs I'm sure you're aware of just how hard it is. Getting someone to understand your limitations and to actually listen can be quite the feat. Whether you're ordering in a restaurant, going to a friend's place for a dinner party or simply being handed a box of donuts. People are very sensitive about food. One segment that is particularly challenged by strict guidelines is the vegan community. This begs the question: Do you know what a vegan is?
Top Six Habits of Highly Successful Showgoers 2008-04-10 07:29:33 1. Stare Hard at The BandYou might think you're keeping an eye on the guitarist as she rips her way through her solo sacrificing all that is holy on the alter of rock. The truth is that your effort is lacking. If you're not burning a hole in the back of her head you've failed. Let nothing divert your attention. Did someone run streaking by you? Are you stealing glances at that girl in the vintage Iron Maiden t-shirt? Did the merch guy just blow a line of coke off a donkey's back on the side of the stage? ALL POOR EXCUSES. STARE HARDER.2. Cross Your Arms In Front of YouExperts in non-verbal communication tell us that folding your arms is a sense of unconscious defensiveness. It's important to tell the band that you're not ready for a commited relationship and that you may need a l
A Balanced Look at the Occupation of Tibet 2008-04-09 05:49:02 There seems to be one thing that most Americans can agree on: China is a bad place. Their disregard for human rights and the environment run contrary to most liberal sentiment. Couple that with their vast expanses of cheap manufacturing power, lack of safety standards for products and military might to rile up the conservatives and you've got a sea of heads nodding in unison. The flashpoint for this issue has been the occupation of Tibet
by the Chinese. The Dalai Lama has sky rocketed to international super star status as Tibet's answer to Martin Luther King, Jr. Tibet was reported to be a magical perfect place prior to the Chinese invasion. Peace and prosperity were the rule rather than the exception. Western literature and cinema helped perpetuate this idea. There is Read more:Balanced
Robot Spider Dances Better Than Me 2008-04-08 05:42:22 Robots have become sort of blase as the virtual world has replaced our previous dreams of Adam Link, Hal, R2D2, T-2 and Rosie The Maid. The logistics and cost created major barriers to advancement in this field. The recent major advances in computing power and software have opened a vast array of possiblities. I wonder how the enthusiasts find the capital to keep at it? The angel investors who made such endeavors come to life in the past now are mostly heavily commited to social networks, alternative energy or some other buzz word. Corporate America discovered that it could simply mine the endless supply of Third World labor instead of creating expensive and hard to maintain robotics in their factories. The current administration has been science-phobic from day one. I guess thes Read more:Robot
, Spider
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi 2008-04-07 07:36:55 For those afraid to venture outside their comfort zones the world has become a scary place. Globalization does not favor the agoraphobic or isolationist. This is the age of collaboration. It's in an age such as ours that a biographical graphic novel written by an Iranian woman could be published in France and become a smash hit here in the United States.The story details the many textures and complexities of a society in flux. Attacked from outside (Iraq) and from within (Islamic Revolution and the Shah) the Iranian characters in Persepolis struggle to define what is right and how to achieve it. You see it all through the eyes of Marjane as as she transitions from young girl to young adult. Her family lives a history alive with repression, revolution and regret.It's not all doom and g
Humble Abode 2008-04-06 20:36:14 Please take off your shoes and let me grab your hat. This is my new place! Isn't it great? I'm still working on making it just right but these things take time. I think this is the sort of place that will really inspire me. I particularly enjoy the view. Consider this my Temporary Autonomus Zone.Let me get you a drink. I love what you've done with your hair! How's life treating you? Read more:Humble
Top Six Ways To Get To Know Your Neighbors 2008-04-17 15:30:17 Recently, the wife and I cast aside the era of feudalism and became landed peasants. Huzzah! Now how should we go about mixing with the locals?6. Comment on their significant other. Most cultures enjoy praise. When this praise is applied to their mate then all the better, right? Don't just keep it about their personality either. Go into details and really let them know how much thought you've put into their loved one's body.5. Wait for them by their door. Nothing shows that you care more than spending the time to hover in the shadows outside your new neighbor's door. It can get cold out there so perhaps don a trench coat and/or ski mask. Make sure to run up and get that obligatory introductory hug out of the way before identifying yourself as well.4. Share a secret. Do you have some s Read more:Neighbors
Weird Places 2008-04-16 17:00:49 Here's a good idea for the upcoming summer. Pick up one of the books from Weird
USA for your region/state and plan to visit a few of the places inside. They cover everything from roadside attractions, haunted spots or odd historical locations. It seems to me that you always end up with a story when you step off the beaten path. I have Weird Carolinas and I love it!Here are some sample stories for various states: Read more:Places
Food Riots Loom Amidst Gloomy Global Economic Forecast 2008-04-18 13:13:28 There is a lyric by Rage Against the Machine from a song called New Millennium Homes that rings true in our current political climate. Zach de la Rocha sings, "Hungry people don't stay hungry for long." The people of Haiti, Bangladesh and countries across Africa unknowingly echoed this sentiment in the past few weeks. Violence broke out as starving people went in search of food. World Bank President Robert Zoellick noted on cnn.com that:"In just two months," Zoellick said in his speech, "rice prices have skyrocketed to near historical levels, rising by around 75 percent globally and more in some markets, with more likely to come. In Bangladesh, a 2-kilogram bag of rice ... now consumes about half of the daily income of a poor family."The increase worldwide has Read more:Economic
, Forecast
, Global
Your Most Memorable Spiritual Encounter 2008-04-27 10:41:31 Here's a chance to share something personal. I'll begin.One bright winter day I walked into the snow covered bliss that is Darien, NY in December. I was only 12 at the time and bundled up to avoid the biting wind. Decked out in my snowsuit, winter hat and thick gloves, I was ready to go snowmobiling.My parents had bought two 1970s era Arctic Cat snowmobiles for us to use. Being that Upstate New York has a long and brutal winter it helped break up the monotony and provided my dad with a way to get around should the weather take a turn for the worst. They were great fun and not really that dangerous. The speed you could achieve was limited but most the time I was too afraid to push it that hard anyway. My parents had a lot of land attached to our farm so I could roam all over with no problem Read more:Encounter
Will Kindle Catch Fire? 2008-04-29 22:41:08 I gotta admit this electronic library has got me interested. The theory of a mobile unit to replace paperbacks has been floated before and failed badly. There are some interesting possibilities in terms of educational uses and for those who wish to quote their favorite books on a whim. I love the idea of kids carrying this to school instead of a huge bag of books. The touch of adding WIFI and Wiki was genius. Instant gratification! Amazon is in the middle of a major push in terms of marketing this device right now. My beef is that most titles cost $10. I imagine this is based on the iTunes model where most CDs end up costing about $10 in digital format. The price point of $399 will scare off all about the early adopters for now. Could a mobile digital device like Kindle replace your boo Read more:Catch
Biggest Video Game Launch of The Year 2008-04-29 21:54:14 On a day when the executives at Take Two Interactive and Rockstar Games are popping bottles to celebrate the release of GTA IV bad news has emerged involving a stabbing and their prestigious Grand Theft Auto Franchise. (Credit to Kotaku) picked up the game myself I can say that I haven't quite caught the fever gripping the industry regarding this title. So far it has received a 98.8% on www.gamerankings.com thus far. That's nearly unheard of. The cash registers will be ringing this title up for months to come despite the unfortunate bloodshed. Read more:Launch
Top 6 Reasons Why Waterboarding Is Torture 2008-05-01 17:20:47 1. If you can't perform an act yourself then I think it should be considered cruel and inhumane.2. If the United Nations Convention Against Torture
defined torture as:"any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only fr Read more:Reasons
Hazmat Suits and The Little Trial That Could 2008-05-01 08:05:47 Huzzah! Sometimes intelligence and justice do win out. It only takes a mountain of legal bills and 4 years to accomplish it.Before May of 2004 Steve Kurtz was just another artist in Buffalo, NY. He belonged to a collective of artists known as the Critical Arts Ensemble. He worked at the University of Buffalo as a professor and his art focused on questioning the politics of food. In particular he was interested in genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and he produced works that involved actual bacterial material. On what had to be the worst day of his life, Kurtz lost his wife to a heart attack. The police who responded to his 911 call noticed the petri dishes that Kurtz used for his art projects. The materials in question had travelled across Europe and the US with no issues and had been d Read more:Suits
, Trial
Building Your Own Video Game 2008-05-05 08:17:00 I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who have a "great idea for a game." The problem is most of us aren't well-versed in code or creating artwork. Thanks to www.kotaku.com I've discovered an excellent alternative. The folks over at Microsoft have created a web based utility for crafting custom games that require no art skills and more importantly no coding skills. I was shocked by how much power they gave you to create unique ideas. Check it out! The games have embeds with them so you can share your masterpieces. Anyone who submits a game to me will have their creation posted here. I'm going to work on my beast tonight. Read more:Building
A Peculiar Creature 2008-05-04 14:23:27 Months ago, I watched the documentary Jesus Camp. I went into this movie knowing that the hair on the back of my neck would stand up. I liken it to a fire and brimstone sermon for agnostics and atheists. One character in this tale definitely stood out. Ted Haggard has the slick gloss of Madison Avenue combined with the religious fervor of the Deep South. He's the sort of preacher you thought died when televangelism fell on it's hard days in the late 1980s plagued by scandals. Such a peculiar creature captured my interest. Who was he? Why did people follow him? This lead to a web search to learn more. The result shocked me. Check out his life story here: Read more:Creature
The Pen Is Mightier 2008-05-05 20:26:09 This pen has schizophrenia. It's a camera, an audio recorder, a computer and it does in fact spit out ink. The product is made by Livescribe and is dubbed The Pulse Smartpen. That makes sense as it comes with 1 or 2 gb of HD space and a 140 mhz processor. Pretty smart.The thought is that when someone is taking notes sometimes you miss what is being said. Imagine being back in college and your professor is flying through a lecture on organic chemistry. She doesn't think to pause while the class is furiously taking notes. This pen would give you the power to hear what she said and match it up with exactly what you wrote. You could even be drawing a diagram or sketching a portrait. This holds obvious advantages for journalists or architects.Livescribe also offers free space for you to upload
Mother Boy 2008-05-07 20:22:53 Just in time for Mother's Day! What's that taste in the back of your throat? Oh, that's bile. Creepy.
We Do What We Do To Get By... 2008-05-12 09:10:37 I know it's not cool to like Against Me! these days but I love this song. Also I've never liked things when it's cool to like them. It makes me endearing.
Connecting With Food 2008-05-11 16:09:51 Here's a guy from North Carolina on a great mission to get children to know where food comes from. As the suburbs encroach on farm land, scientists create GMOs and food is outsourced overseas the knowledge of food production needs to be in more people's hands. Read more:Connecting
Top 6 Global Catastrophes Of The Moment 2008-05-11 15:11:28 1. Myanmar Underwater- You can't help but hate the Junta in Myanmar. What sort of people seize shipments of supplies from the UN meant to help those in desperate need? As it stands, 1.5 million people stand in danger of starvation or disease. Estimates of the casualties could soar to 100,000 if aid is not allowed quickly.2. Georgia Teeters On Brink of War- The Russians are looking more and more Co Read more:Catastrophes
, Global
, Moment
Ultra Low Cost Laptop 2008-05-13 08:15:29 The initial push for these devices (supposedly) was as a part of the One Laptop
Per Child initiative. It appears that those with deep pockets envision a world where absolutely everyone owns a laptop capable of browsing the Internet. These affordable, portable computers allow for someone with $200 a chance to surf and interact with content on the web. One catch is the availability of WI-FI but Read more:Ultra
High Art and High Rollers 2008-05-15 07:39:46 A piece by Lucian Freud has sold for $33.6 million. The painting is titled "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping." The woman posing in the scene is rather rotund and is nude. Where exactly would one hang this piece of art? I think it might make suits a little uncomfortable in a board room or lobby. I guess it will live in a gallery on some rich weirdo's private island. Maybe next to the Elephant Read more:Rollers
Red Collar 2008-05-18 20:24:45 I had the pleasure of checking out a great band this weekend. Red Collar
calls Durham, NC home and they play out on a regular basis. They combine the raw power of Fugazi and the straight from the gut rock of The Clash. It's the spirit of punk without the bullshit. They are a tidal wave and you have no choice but to be swept away. I know I was.www.myspace.com/redcollarmusic Here's a vi
Religion and The Upcoming Election 2008-05-18 20:07:16 I think that the religion of the candidates will play a limited role in the general election. Questions of morality seem secondary to the economic woes and global melee we find ourselves embroiled in. There has been numerous questions about Obama's support amongst the Jewish commitment due to his supposed views on Israel and his completely erroneous categorization as a Muslim.The Evangelicals seem Read more:Election
, Religion
, Upcoming
Pumpcakes 2008-05-17 12:46:30 My wife makes these and I love them. These are from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World. Indulge your face off.Ingredients1 cup canned pumpkin 1/3 cup oil (she uses canola oil)1 cup granulated sugar1/4 cup soy milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (she uses whole wheat pastry flour though)1/2 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1
Top 6 Ways To Cure Your Bad Mood 2008-05-17 12:14:01 1. Make a funny face at a baby. I prefer to make faces at babies I don't know in stores or walking down the street. The quizzical look on their faces is priceless. Although at some point I guess this will land me in front of some judge, I still enjoy it.2. Call up an old friend you've lost touch with it. Surprise someone you haven't talked to in a while. Decide on a funny story to share
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