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King of Pop is Dead

Please take a moment of silence to remember this amazing role-model. Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today at 2:26pm after suffering a heart attack. He was 50 years old. I am surprised he has lasted this long given the amount of chemicals and facial procedures he's gone through. Although, he has "looked" dead for quite some time now. More details inside.


Despite Michael Jackson's insanity, he did give us some freakin' sweet stuff: Thriller, the moonwalk, the white glove, and lots of great music.

Here's the story from [NYDailyNews]

Pop icon Michael Jackson died Thursday after being taken to a Los Angeles hospital in cardiac arrest, officials said. He was 50.

The "Thriller" superstar was unconscious and not breathing when Fire Department paramedics were summoned to Jackson's Bel Air home by a 911 call at 12:26 California time.

They desperately tried to resuscitate the faded King of Pop as a cherry-red ambulance sped him to UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

"You've got to save him!" aides to the star screamed as he was wheeled into the hospital on the stretcher, the Web site TMZ.com reported.

Jackson's mother and his sister LaToya were seen rushing into the hospital, apparently after he had already died.

The cause of death was unknown. The Los Angeles County coroner said an autopsy would be performed Friday.

Apparently Michael's death spawned some rumors that Harrison Ford and Jeff Goldblum died today as well. Totally fake.

Shaq Going to the Cavs

[ESPN] LeBron and Shaq get to hang out. Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic get to slide over to the Suns. The deal is supposed to go down on Thursday. The video is below.

Boy Scout Survival Skills

For all you Boy Scouts out there here is a little survival skill that your camp leader didn't teach you. So, when you are out in the middle of nowhere without a flashlight hop on over to your nearest vending machine and grab yourself a bottle of Mountain Dew. After all, you are in the mountains!





I have yet to try this, but if anyone does before I do, please share your results. Happy camping!

American Ignorance

We've all seen Jaywalking or something like it, where we all get some kicks from the ignorance of common man. Well unfortunately, those people we see on T.V. apparently aren't in the minority.


A study by a researcher from Georgetown tried to find out if people learned anything about government in junior high or high school (my words, not hers). The following is my favorite, as sad as it is, finding:

Only one in seven Americans (15%) can correctly name John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States; 78% don’t know. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) know at least one of the judges on the Fox television show American Idol. In a 2006 survey, less than one in 10 (9%) could identify the Chief Justice.

So, if you want to feel good about how much you know, check out the rest of the findings.

Submit a Video: Win a Man Cave

[via DIY network] My wife watches a lot of HGTV, I mean A LOT of HGTV, which means that I also have the pleasure of watching wayyyyyyy too many renovation shows. Anyhow, they had some commercials on there about the DIY network and MLB network teaming up to give out a free MLB Baseball Man Cave based upon video submissions. You've got until July 24th to submit a video of you basically begging for a man cave on camera and then releasing it to the public, good luck and don't make a fool out of yourself (unless it gets you the win of course). Hit the jump to see the official contest site in a new window.

Go to site...

This Beats the Crap out of My 42" Flat Screen

[via Engadget via YouTube] I felt pretty manly when I upgraded from a 28" to a 42" but this guy has me beat. Someone working for the Jonas Brothers (no less) played his Xbox 360 on the Cowboys Stadium Video Wall, that's 160' x 72' (or 1920" x 864") of LED flat screen awesomeness. Hit the jump to watch the video.

Time Waster: Star Wars in Asciimation

[via Asciimation] For your viewing pleasure, some loser genius produced Star Wars into a text-only silent movie. I didn't have time to watch the whole thing but what I saw was sweet. I don't even want to think how much time went into it. Hit the jump to see the asciimation movie.

Go to site...

Detroit's Best

This is what the man-log is all about. I spend way too much time watching way too many youtube videos and then rewatching them until I find the exact video that highlights the original video that was a little long or... you get the point. I waste time so you don't have to. It took a while but I uncovered 3 really good originals films of Eminem, Biggie, and Tupac freestyling. No music videos or directors but real footage before they were big time. (Eminem's was post fame but is still real freestyle)

You tell me who you think is the best..

Eminem




Biggie



Tupac





Final thoughts.

a) Biggie has by far the best rythm. Even without music, he was just flowing.
b) Tupac is the most raw talent who eventually refined his passion into lyrical genius
c) Eminem has always been mentally disturbed but man he is a genius. His unique style and flow is amazing. I hate the guy but you can't deny his ability to make it happen.

Cheap Stripper Pole

Alex showed us how to get cheap pole dancing lessons. Well, now you can complete your repertoire with a pole that's on sale on Amazon.com. Oh, and here's the best part: its portable.



Thanks to Amazon, you can now step up your entrepreneurial game and take pole dancing on the road. This pole is usually $500, but it can be yours for a measly investment of just $300. If you're a big girl, sorry, it only supports 220 lbs. If you still need lessons, don't worry, it comes with an instructional DVD.

In case you forgot, here's the benefits of pole dancing:

"Pole dance classes are an empowering workout that GRADUALLY INCREASES your strength, flexibility and confidence as you explore your INNER BEAUTY and sensual soul through MEDITATIVE MOVEMENT and exotic dance."

Resurrect Your PC

I've covered how to speed up Windows by uninstalling most of your programs for these better, free apps. Well, if XP/Vista still just doesn't seem to run fast enough, I've got the solution. BUT BE WARNED: if you don't know what a hardware driver is, don't attempt this. Basically we're going to install a fresh version of XP or Vista that can run on ANY computer.


The bottom line is, over time with use, every computer will begin to slow as you mess it up with your crap.

The process I'm going to walk you through involves erasing your hard drive and installing a fresh copy of Windows XP or Vista. This task isn't as daunting as it sounds. I've done this to over 30 computers in the last year.

Here's the good news: Your computer will run faster than the day you took it out of the box.

There's an amazing group called eXPerience that has created modified, super-fast versions of XP and Vista. They are called TinyXP and TinyVista.

WARNINGS:

• You'll need a 2nd computer to read these directions during the install and possibly to download drivers.
• If your computer (especially laptop) is currently running Vista, don't use TinyXP.
  
• Make sure you really do backup all your crap before starting this, or you're going to cry really hard.
• Unplug all flash drives and external drives before proceeding (you don't want to erase these on accident)
• If you're running multiple OS's or partitions you want to keep, don't delete them in Step 2.
• I don't assume any liability if you have half a brain and mess something up

Step 1: Backup Data and Burn Disk

1. Backup anything you don't want deleted: songs, documents, videos, pictures, bookmarks, etc... If you aren't sure where all your files are, you can use WinDirStat. It lets you visually see what file types are where.
2. Download whichever operating system you want through torrents: TinyXP here or TinyVista here.
3. Burn the operating system image to a CD/DVD. ImgBurn can do that.

Step 2: Install Windows

1. Put your freshly burned disk in your CD drive and reboot your computer
2. Your computer will tell you "Press Enter to Boot from CD...". You only have about 5 seconds to press enter. If you don't get this screen, you need to change your settings so your computer boots from the CDROM before the hard drive. To do this, restart your computer and immediately start pressing F2, F10, the delete key, or TAB. This will take you into the BIOS. Look for the option to change the boot order. Save and Exit.
3. TinyXP users will see a red screen. Choose Option 1.
4. Once TinyXP/TinyVista setup loads, you need to delete your hard drive. If you have multiple hard drives on the list you know you're not keeping delete those too. The process is different depending on the version you're using:

TinyXP users: Press "D", then "Enter", then "L" to delete a hard drive/partition. Then on the Raw Unpartitioned hard drive, press "Enter" then format "NTFS (quick)."
TinyVista users: click "Drive Options (advanced)". Then choose "Delete" on all the hard drives. Once the screen shows you one big raw, unpartitioned hard drive, choose "Format". NTFS (quick) will get the job done nicely.

Step 3: Walk away for at least 30 minutes

No I'm not joking, the installation is "unattended". That means it will install everything automatically after a few reboots and will give you a clean desktop.



Step 4: Finish your installation
This next step requires a bit of patience if this is your first time.

1. Open the Start Menu and go to the Control Panel. Click "User Accounts" and add an account with your name.
2. Click the Start Menu and log out. Sign in under your name.
3. Right-click My Computer and choose "Manage". Click "Local Users and Groups". Open "Users" and right-click "Administrator" then choose "Properties". Check the box next to "Account is disabled"

Here are optional changes that I always make:

1. Right-click the desktop and choose "Properties". Under "Themes" tab, change theme to "RoyaleNoir". Under "Desktop" tab click "Customize Desktop..." and put a check next to "My Documents"
2. Right-click the taskbar (big black/blue bar next to start menu that goes across bottom of screen) and choose "Properties". Put a check next to "Lock the taskbar". Under "Start Menu" tab, choose "Classic Start menu" and then "Customize". Scroll down and uncheck "Show Small Icons in Start Menu"
3. Open Start Menu and delete "Microsoft Update" shortcut with a right-click
4. Open My Computer and click Tools > Folder Options. Choose "Show common tasks in folders" then click the "View" tab. Scroll down and put a check box next to "Show Control Panel in My Computer"
5. Once again, while looking at My Computer, click View > Toolbars > Customize... Click "Map Drive" and remove everything below it on the list except "Views". Under "Icon Options" change the dropdown box to "Large icons"
6. Go to interfacelift.com and download a sweet wallpaper

At a minimum, install these programs (found here): Firefox, SumatraPDF, VLC player, ImgBurn, and MS Office.



Install your missing drivers:
Please don't search google for "driver download" or you're going to immediately trash your computer with things like Driver Detective, DriversKit, etc...

1. To find which one's TinyXP/Vista didn't install, right-click My Computer and choose "Device Manager"
2. Anything with a yellow exclamation mark needs attention. Most often these will be modems or video cards
   
3. Go to your computer manufacturer's website and look for a support/driver link (if your computer doesn't have internet access, you'll need to download ethernet/wi-fi drivers on a 2nd computer)
   
4. Search your computer's model number in their driver section (Dell and Gateway computers typically have a service tag # that makes searching a breeze. Use that.)
   
5. Only download drivers for the devices in the "Device Manager" with yellow exclamation marks

That's it! Your computer is ridiculously fast.

MC Hammer Flash Mob

[via YouTube] This may be too soon after Darren's Evolution of Dance posting but I just couldn't pass up posting this MC Hammer flash mob video. Watch the video at least until you see the 60-year-old guy dancing, it isn't to be missed. Hit the jump to see the full video.

This + Natal = Real World Halo

[via Wired via YouTube] A joint team from Georgia Tech/SCAD-Atlanta built this augmented reality zombie shooter game. It uses a 2-d map laid out on a table and a handheld device to shoot zombies in a miniaturized 3-d city block. Hit the jump to see the full video and for an explanation of how this technology could be combined with Natal to give us real-world Halo or COD.



Bear with me on this, it'll definitely be worth it when it clicks in your head. Imagine, playing Halo/COD with a group of friends as you might play paintball.

This 2-d to 3-d tracking and projection software could be integrated into a low-weight virtual reality headset (called a head mounted device, it track your head movements and changes the screen projection in front of your eyes to match your head movements) and Natal to create a low-grade holodeck version of Halo. Imagine an empty building in which your every movement (and the movement of everyone playing) is tracked via Natal. Natal then sends that input to your headset (which is utilizing the 2-d to 3-d tracking software to fine-tune your projected display) which could project either your complete surroundings with virtual elements intermixed (virtual reality) or just a simple overlay onto the real environment (augmented reality) which shows you the virtual elements (like weapon status, health status, location of other players, superimposed design elements) projected on top of the what you're seeing in real life.

You run over to the rocket launcher in the middle of the floor and pick it up (it's a replica of a real rocket launcher made to simulate its reactions and noise when fired - the military uses this technology to train their soldiers) to fire at your friend. You fire it and watch the rocket race across the room (via your headset) and hit your friend dead-center, causing all sorts of blood and guts to spill out (again, via your headset). His health is down and he's out of the game, now you grab the sniper rifle on the table to finish the rest of his team...

Let me know if you see anything wrong with my logic.

House is Demolished on Accident

Beware if the power box on the side of your house mysteriously disappears. A crew may be about to demolish your house. That's exactly what happened to a family in Sandy Springs, Georgia. The company that tore down the house wasn't given an address, map, or even a picture. They opted for the more high-tech way: GPS coordinates.

[WSBTV.com]

The demolition company said it had paperwork.

"I said, ‘Paperwork for what?' and he said, ‘For the house, to demolish the house.' I said, ‘I'm the owner of the house, I haven't given anybody any authority to demolish this house,'" said [the homeowner]....

"I said, ‘What address did you have?' and he said, ‘They sent me some GPS coordinates.' I said, ‘Don't you have an address?' (and) he said, ‘Yes, my GPS coordinates led me right to this address here and this house was described,'" said [the homeowner].

[The homeowner] said he suspects the intended target was actually across the road.

The man who cuts the grass told Byrd about a month ago that the power box was missing and there were holes punched into the walls. They both thought it was vandalism. Now, Byrd believes it was part of the preparation for the demolition.

It appears that from reading the article nobody was living in the house at the time.

I'd make some joke that maybe this was a woman's idea, but I think the blame lies directly on a man.

Evolution of Dance

Any child of the 80s or 90s can greatly appreciate this. I don't know what is more sad, the fact that this guy can actually do all of these moves or that all of us at one time or another, whether on the dance floor or in front of the mirror, have attempted these. Even though Vanilla Ice and M.C. Hammer are so broke that they reunited this passed year for one concert at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, their dance moves are immortalized!




Just in case you didn't get enough...



Notice that in both videos he is wearing the same cloths, but YouTube indicates that there is a three year gap between the posting of the two videos. He must really like Orange Crush!