Avatar: $8,500 Per Blink
*blink*
James Cameron’s “Avatar” cost around $237 million. That’s not the most expensive film yet (Pirates 3 was $300 million), but holy crap.
At a running time of 162 minutes, that means each time you blink your eyes, you missed about $8,500 worth of movie.
So overall, your blinks missed about $7 million.
Really puts clean eyeballs in perspective, doesn’t it?
Suggest This, Google
I knew it.
Google Suggest is quickly becoming my favorite Google tool.
Start typing a string into the Google search box and a cool list of AJAX-powered predicted finished queries are presented to you. “4 9 e” – ah, here it is “49ers schedule”. Very helpful. It seems simple and innocent enough.
But try typing “Christianity is ” or “Judaism is ” and you’ll see a potential problem. Offended much?
So why would Google suggest that “Christianity is bullshit” or that “Chinese people eat babies”? Well, technically they aren’t. YOU are.
Google keeps its Suggest algorithm under strict lock and key, however hints from Google insiders reveal that the suggestions are naturally what you’d expect – they are largely dependent on a search string’s popularity. Those offensive and juvenile suggestions exist because normal people like you and me have actually typed those exact words into Google. And it’s not just one person – tons of people are using that search phrase!
It’s hard to believe though, isn’t it? Are there really that many people searching for “jon stewart is a douchebag”?
Reader Challenge: 50 Ways To Close A Window
X
A while back I was using a spawn of Linux for some work-related task. I went to close a window — and failed miserably. Having been raised in a strict Microsoft Windows household, I was momentarily displaced. Apparently my preferred window closing method, double-clicking the upper-left icon, wasn’t included in this particular distro.
It was then that I realized just how many freakin’ ways there were to close a Window’s window. So…
Reader Challenge: To my staggeringly few loyal readers, let’s come up with 50 ways to close a window in Windows (any/all versions). I’ll get us started with 10 easy ones.
- Left-click the upper-right X.
- Left-click the upper-left icon, click “Close” or “Exit”.
- Right-click the upper-left icon, click “Close”.
- Left-click “File”, click “Close” or “Exit”.
- Double-click the upper-left icon.
- Right-click the titlebar, click “Close”.
- With the window active, hit ALT+F4.
- Right-click the item in the taskbar, click “Close”.
- Hit CTRL+ALT+DEL, choose item from “Applications”, click “End Task”.
- Hit CTRL+ALT+DEL, choose “explorer.exe” from “Processes”, click “End Process”.
Post your methods in the comments and I will update this list as they come. And a million Sprocket Points to the most outside-the-box method.
Save $600 By Drinking The Crappy Water That Comes Out Of Your Sink Faucet
"How dumb do I think the Americans are?" - Jim Gaffigan
The other night I accidentally watched a TV commercial.
I know, I know. But I was fumbling for the remote and the DVR and I let one sneak by.
The spokesman (“Jim” from The Office I think) was trying to sell me a PUR Water Filtration System, one of those pitchers you fill with tap water, leave in the fridge, and forget to refill. I tuned out most of it, as my attention was fixed to the couch cushion and the thrilling, impending conclusion of “I Shouldn’t Be Alive”, but a single sentence at the end of the ad actually caught my attention: “Save up to $600 a year when you switch from bottled water.”
$600? I want $600! But the observant and cautious consumer in me was skeptical of such claims.
NASA Probe to Penetrate Moon’s Ass
LCROSS - Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite
How’s that for an attention grabbing headline?
Mark your calendars. On October 9th, LCROSS will reach the end of its 4-month trek and slam into a crater on Earth’s favorite orbiting heavenly body.
I have conflicting reports on whether or not you should be able to see the plume of debris with a cheap-ass telescope from Target. But there should at least be two quick flashes of light from the south pole of the moon. Best to make friends with that weird guy at work with the $8000 Schmidt-Cassegrain.
For viewing info and ample graphs, NASA has provided all you’ll need. NASA TV will also have spiffy live coverage of this once-in-a-lifetime-until-China-does-it-again event.
[Flashback: LCROSS launch party]
Tell Your Friends
