tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:16:00 +0000http://www.thingsville.us/azraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)Blogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-8610971798936515758Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:16:00 +00002009-12-31T10:16:00.760-06:00ytmndShe taps my shoulder, because I'm laughing so hard at the computer. I take off my headphones, she asks what it is, so I unplug the headphones to allow the sound to fill the room. She, sadly, was not as amused.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/12/youre-webby-awards-now-dog.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-3670017087466073465Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:02:00 +00002009-12-29T08:11:49.675-06:00banksyaltered artYou know I love Banksy, and Simon Cowell does now, too, thanks to a million-dollar gift from Santa. Cowell got the above artwork by Banksy, a poorly photoshopped version of Degas' Dance Class At The Opera, with the bitchy American Idol judge included, ready to release a deluge of insulting cruelty on the Victorian ballerina before him. Maybe she can come back next year, after getting some http://www.thingsville.us/2009/12/no-its-not-good-at-all.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-1904283299075592510Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:22:00 +00002009-12-04T18:38:10.323-06:00contestdarpaIf you see one of these today, let me know. I, um, lost them, and, er, want them back.DARPA are offering a big cash prize to anyone who can correctly list the GPS coordinates of these red balloons. I can only gather that, in the interest of making it difficult, one or more will be here in North Dakota, so I'll be keeping my eyes open. The game is designed to test the reliability of informationhttp://www.thingsville.us/2009/12/find-red-balloon.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-7078981047845427670Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:14:00 +00002009-12-01T07:22:53.219-06:00languagepetsEnglish teachers at Ben Franklin Junior High in Fargo, only a block away from this sign, must be patting themselves on the back. Some students actually paid attention on anagram day:I'm not sure what they did with the extra 'R' when rearranging 'APT FOR RENT', but they did 'fix' both sides the same way.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/12/fart-on-pet.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-5719640625606387575Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:33:00 +00002009-11-27T17:33:00.237-06:00pantsThe photo on the left has been passed around the internet for a while, causing much consternation about how the guy could even walk in those pants without looking like a goofball. Now that we've got the diagram on the right, things make much, much more sense:http://www.thingsville.us/2009/11/only-explanation.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-6394820942373575076Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:29:00 +00002009-11-26T00:04:54.807-06:00dogsEither the shrooms are taking hold, or this pharmacist screwed up my prescription again."Huh? Oh, yeah - Marlboros, hard pack. Sorry, was I staring?"http://www.thingsville.us/2009/11/dogs-cheap-labor.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-1494082614745351509Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:12:00 +00002009-11-24T08:12:00.195-06:00mapillinoissupermanNational Geographic asked all 100 US senators to draw a map of their state, including at least three points of interest. Dick Durbin of Illinois included Chicago (home of Obama and the Bears), Springfield (Home of Abe Lincoln and Durbin himself; no mention of the Simpsons) -- and Metropolis, home of Superman. Cute, funny, but before you start to rant about Durbin being a jackass when Nat Geo http://www.thingsville.us/2009/11/illinois-home-of-superman.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-259813790936702118Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:53:00 +00002009-11-22T08:28:27.060-06:00x-raysecuritydogsWhen you want to get your dog into the country, but avoid those pesky quarantine rules, what do you do? Put the dog in your carry-on, and hope security isn't watching the x-ray machine. Sadly, they were watching.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/11/chihuahua-smuugling.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-825263478293428407Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:49:00 +00002009-10-06T06:55:00.864-05:00star warsfootballJames Lileks knows how to get right to the pulse of the football fan: interview a creature that can only speak in grunts and whines:I suppose that's about as good as trying to talk to a Bears fan, anyway.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/10/wookies-love-favre.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-8478093664537526608Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:42:00 +00002009-09-23T15:47:24.285-05:00recaptchabigamyFacebook's RECAPTCHA is psychic: how'd they know my favorite rapper was Shorty Bigamist? He's a white, Episcopalian salesman who has a couple kids in Houston, a couple in St Louis, but calls Chicago his home - most of his raps are about the difficulty of scheduling around three Christmases, or the advantage of using the same cute nickname for all three wives:http://www.thingsville.us/2009/09/short-bigamist.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-2648898085927277364Sat, 08 Aug 2009 02:41:00 +00002009-08-07T21:41:00.667-05:00designmotorcycletoysMore for my Milwaukee Harley-owning friends, here's a way to get your kid started young - "Because hes got no drivers license and because of his own room being the only safe district, he needs a hybrid of chopper and rocking horse. With this machine he could learn to keep his balance and most of all to sit on it in easy position. So he closes his eyes and his arms broad."Made by Felix Götzehttp://www.thingsville.us/2009/08/motorcycle-rocking-chair_07.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-6442982039044064492Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:27:00 +00002009-07-21T10:27:00.311-05:00squirrelphotographychipmunktoysFew creatures of burden were of more use to the Empire than the Giant Chipmunk. It's too bad those parts of the movie were cut. Better than those damn Ewoks.The above photo is not a photoshop. Photographer Chris McVeigh, rather than doing his laundry or solving world peace, devoted his spare time to training his neighborhood wild squirrels to tolerate being photographed with toys. When http://www.thingsville.us/2009/07/chipmunk-jedi.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-5737093773057453463Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:42:00 +00002009-07-19T13:42:00.172-05:00carswienermobileaccidentOh, the humanity! The crash started a small file, engulfing the community with the savory flavor of the finest beef sausages ever made by mankind.Sorry, no, there was no fire. Left in drive, the wienermobile wrangler stepped on the gas and lept forward into the house when she tried to back up.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/07/oscar-meyer-wienermobile-crash.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-2314823869342297996Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:03:00 +00002009-07-16T08:03:00.314-05:00humorchuck e cheeseWho knew Chuck E Cheese has been around so long? I wonder if Grandpa liked the pizza back then: "Where a child can behave as a ruffian without fear of being flogged" really gets the point across, but I can see why they shortened it over the years. http://www.thingsville.us/2009/07/chuck-e-cheese-in-history.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-337914703367046152Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:50:00 +00002009-07-15T14:50:00.454-05:00birdsskateboardpetsVia.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/07/parakeet-shredding.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-8273739777776051968Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:10:00 +00002009-07-13T10:10:00.484-05:00photographyephemerachina girlIn a similar vein to the china girl, pro photographers set their lighting and cameras based on reference material. They usually get tossed, but this is the internet: there's a place for everything to get saved:Via.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/07/light-tests.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-4750609651643570725Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:19:00 +00002009-07-10T13:21:37.120-05:00designchairSadly, this would be difficult to do with an ottoman:viahttp://www.thingsville.us/2009/07/chair-chair.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-166814329325110692Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:33:00 +00002009-07-06T11:59:18.184-05:00postersrewardI can understand the sentimental value, but, kids, it's time one of you ponied up and bought dear 'ol Dad a real cane:"REWARD!Dear 'ol Dad has misplaced his old field hockey stick he uses for his cane. It has very little monetary value. But HUGE sentimental value. Please help us find it for him.Please call xxx-xxxx or xxx-xxxxThank-you! The Reward is very generous!Seen in that gas station http://www.thingsville.us/2009/07/field-hockey-stick-reward.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-770930529451992534Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:51:00 +00002009-06-29T11:51:00.545-05:00contestdogsuglyThere has been an upset in the world of dogs: the previous Ugliest Dog in the World has been replaced by this guy:Maybe I'm just a dog lover, but I think the guy above is cute -- the previous winner was downright terrifying. Sorry about that...here, have a cutest dog in the world to cleanse your palate.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/06/pabst-blue-ribbon-ugly-dog.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-7717327016124090877Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:31:00 +00002009-06-26T10:31:01.831-05:00lawwierdadvertisingThe concept meeting started out fine, electing to use interesting stock photos, relevant to corporate and industrial law, to give the website a polished feel. After the wine coolers began to flow, the designers felt something was missing: an iconic, readily identifiable object. The law office is of Bryant Miller Olive needs something for people to recognize...what could it be?"It's sure a goodhttp://www.thingsville.us/2009/06/giant-olive-attack.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-8888582282295301221Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:29:00 +00002009-06-24T09:29:02.099-05:00dr whoawesomecybermenAlthough, I beg to differ: a Dalek on keytar trumps cybermen guitarists. Sontarans with tambourines are somewhere in between the two, I think.Via.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/06/cyberman-on-rhythm-guitar.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-8053600043313484615Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:18:00 +00002009-06-22T10:18:00.367-05:00costumeeasterwal-marthttp://www.thingsville.us/2009/06/wal-mart-easter-bunny.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-5185608618795279441Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:58:00 +00002009-06-19T09:58:01.065-05:00superpoophumorWhy is it funny? Tragedy, bananas, and funny-looking dogs in human situations. It's a perfect storm of comedy!www.superpoop.comhttp://www.thingsville.us/2009/06/funniest-thing-ive-seen-today.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-285876166368414530Mon, 15 Jun 2009 18:02:00 +00002009-06-26T11:08:40.394-05:00guinness book of world recordssmurfssouth africaA team of five — five — Guinness Book of World Records adjudicators were on hand in Swansea, South Wales, to count Smurfs:The record, of which there is one already, was broken by 2,510 blue-painted college students; the previous record of around 1,200 was originally held by the Irish, who were unaware of their record because they were more concerned about letting the color-blind guy buy body http://www.thingsville.us/2009/06/most-smurfs-in-world.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2579084138969308799.post-2616259331248009050Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:40:00 +00002009-06-12T16:22:59.811-05:00altered artstatuesconstructionA student was arrested for constructing the safety-reflective giant monster seen below. Before I saw the photo, I was ready for some stupid, sloppily-stacked heap, but his structure is excellent. Hopefully the N.C. DOT will keep it intact and use it to draw attention to construction zone laws; he'd be far better than the talking orange we have around here. More in his Flickr set.Via.http://www.thingsville.us/2009/06/construction-monster-on-patrol.htmlazraelbrown@infomercantile.com (Azrael Brown)0