Wednesday, November 29

The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catch Phrases

TV Land has compiled what it deems to be the 100 greatest lines from television. It's a pretty neat list (link below), and here are some of my favorites:

* "D'oh!" (Homer Simpson, "The Simpsons")
* "Holy (whatever), Batman!" (Robin, "Batman")
* "Holy crap!" (Frank Barone, "Everybody Loves Raymond")
* "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" (Alka Seltzer ad)
* "Is that your final answer?" (Regis Philbin, "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire")
* "No soup for you!" (The Soup Nazi, "Seinfeld")
* "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?" (Grey Poupon ad)
* "Schwing!" (Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as Wayne and Garth, "Saturday Night Live")
* "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids" (Trix cereal ad)
* "Suit up!" (Barney Stinson, "How I Met Your Mother")
* "We are two wild and crazy guys!" (Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd as Czech playboys, "Saturday Night Live")
* "You eeeediot!" (Ren, "Ren & Stimpy")

It's cool that a show that's only in its second season (How I Met Your Mother, one of the few shows I actually watch these days) has already created a phrase popular enough to be put on a list like this.

Dyn-O-Mite! TV Land lists catchphrases

The Biggest Understatement in All of Eternity

Today's classic Calvin and Hobbes (originally published November 29, 1995) is disturbingly prophetic. If Watterson thought things were going down the tubes eleven years ago, I imagine he's positively appalled by now. If so, I'm in complete agreement.

goComics.com featuring Calvin and Hobbes

Tuesday, November 21

Computer Security: Is Windows Worth It?

I recently read an article in USA Today about the measures people take to secure their Windows PCs. Since switching to the Mac a few years ago, I can't help but shudder when I remember the attention I had to pay just to keep the machine running smoothly. Just keeping up with Microsoft's security updates on my wife's Windows laptop (she needed it for work) is difficult.

There are so many options: you can shell out money for anti-malware utilities ("malware" is a term that encompasses all malicious software, from viruses to worms to spyware), or you can find comparable software for free if you know where to look. But even once the software has been installed, you still need to diligently check the Internet for updates; otherwise, your money and/or effort is rendered useless.

And then I look at my Mac. It's a great machine: it does almost anything you would require right out of the box (aside from a few small shareware and donationware products, the only Mac software I've purchased is Microsoft Office), and it's got an inherently better security system than the one found in Windows.

As the linked article testifies, I don't mean to imply that Macs are somehow immune to intrusion. As John Gruber puts it:

The explanation that makes sense is the obvious one: that Mac OS X really is more secure and better designed. Not that it’s totally secure. Not that it’s perfectly designed. Not that it is utterly impervious to attack because it’s protected by magic leprechauns. Just that it’s better.
As disheartened as I am by the state of Windows security, I can say that there really is a better option for the average user. (The fact that it's also a really cool option for advanced users is an added benefit.) Mac OS X really does make a home computer easy to operate, easy to maintain, and-- thanks to its thoughtful design-- pretty darn easy on the eyes as well.


Links mentioned in this post:
As far as PC security, Goldilocks got it just right (USA Today)
Jackass of the Week: Larry Seltzer (Daring Fireball)

Sunday, November 12

Bush Sr. + Clinton = A Laugh Riot?

From the linked article:

They're separated by more than 20 years, they come from opposing political parties, and one evicted the other from the White House. But Bill Clinton and George Bush act like a team, a pair of touring comedians with a well-honed act.

Bill, George show keeps laughs coming - Associated Press

Thursday, November 9

Baby Got Book

I like... big... BIBLES and I cannot lie...



...NIV with the ribbon bookmark...

Friday, November 3

xkcd

I found a webcomic today called xkcd. (No, it doesn't stand for anything. The letters, I mean. Maybe the comic stands for something. I dunno.) The comic is about random humor, math, and general nerdity.

Anyway, I read through the archives. There are only 179 of them, and most are single-panel. Check it out! Keep in mind, however, the following disclaimer shown beneath every comic:

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

A sample of a few of my favorites:





Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available by emailing the author (use the link above).




The Geek Code desperately needs updating, but in any case here's mine (as of 2010-02-28):

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12
GIT/MU d+(-) s:+>: a C++> ULXB++++$ L+++ M++ w--() !O !V P+ E---
W+++ N o++ K? PS PE++ Y+ PGP t !5 X- R- tv+@ b++ DI++++ D--- e*++
h--- r+++ y+++ G+
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------


If you really care about knowing what that all means, you either know the code already, or you can get it decoded for you here.