canspice.org

I just received a forwarded email containing a “magic trick” from “David Copperfield”. Here it is in simple list form:

1. Pick one of the following six cards: KH JS KS QD QC JD
2. Concentrate on the card.
3. I will remove your card, leaving five cards.
4. I removed it! Here are the five cards: QH KC JH QS KD
5. Bow before my greatness for I am David Copperfield!

Here’s the trick again for those who haven’t seen why this isn’t a trick:

1. Pick one of the following six numbers: 1 2 3 4 5 6
2. Concentrate on the number.
3. I will remove your number, leaving five numbers.
4. I removed it! Here are the five numbers: 7 8 9 10 11
5. Bow before my greatness for I am David Copperfield!

This “trick” has been going around for ages, and it’s not mind-blowing at all. Critical thinking, people.

Seriously. How do you satirize a country where camoflage testicles with a yellow ’support the troops’ sticker are sold?

(via Pharyngula)

January’s almost over, and the first Bad Baby Name post of 2008 is only coming now? What gives? Blame the Trib! I haven’t seen any baby names printed until today. Luckily for us, they seemed to have saved up all the really bad names, because we’ve got a bumper crop. To the Bad Baby Name-mobile!

We’ll start off slow with the horrible misspellings: Jaxson and Reigan. Jaxson is actually a middle name so it’s not quite as bad, but Reigan is pretty horrible. I don’t know if it’s pronounced REE-gan or RAY-gan. At least it’s not spelled Reygan, that would suck. Or Reygyn. Or Ryygyn.

I can’t believe I haven’t come across this name before, as it’s one of those “internet phenomenon” things, or one of those “hey I’m fucking out of my mind” things, or “jesus what the christ is wrong with me” things that have become all the rage lately. That’s right, it’s Nevaeh. Here’s the type of failure Nevaeh is setting herself up for:

The name recently gained exposure on the reality TV show Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School, when contestant Heather strongly insisted on being referred to as Nevaeh, a name she had recently adopted to further her singing career. The other participants refused to indulge her in this, calling it ridiculous, and she was expelled in the second episode.

FAIL.

I know the meme of naming your kid after where he was conceived is a popular one, but Shoreline?

And how does that song go? Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys? If Willie Nelson had a pair the second line would have been “Don’t name them Stetson you retard.”

We’ll finish off this week with the unholy trynyty: Shandynce, Jaytin, and Vanysa. Vanysa really grates on the brain, I think you all will agree.

Yes, there’s a part six. The previous entry in this saga outlined how for five months running Hawaiian Telcom managed to overcharge me for long distance. Lo and behold, when December’s bill came at the beginning of January, it was screwed up. This time we didn’t get billed for long distance service at all! This despite me making multiple calls to Canada in December.

This has happened before to us, and it took Hawaiian Telcom four months to charge us.

Luckily for me this saga is coming to an end. We’re moving again, this time to Volcano. Oceanic says that they’re in the testing phase for digital phone service up there, so until that comes along I’m either looking at getting a cell phone or a Skype phone. Anything to get away from Hawaiian Telcom.

Help celebrate Sam’s birthday in the Fourth Annual “Virtual” Groucho Party:

Well it’s that time again, and you know what you have to do, no ?

OK … on the 18th day of the second month of the year I celebrate my continued existence, and for the past three years for one reason or another that has been slightly tricky, however to get around an issue of geography I have celebrated it “virtually” online with a “virtual” Groucho Party.

What is a Groucho Party, I imagine you may ask ?

“Essentially a Groucho Party is a twist on a fancy dress party where by everybody comes dressed as Groucho Marx.”

The “virtual” twist works like this, “Take a picture of yourself wearing a pair of glasses and a greasepaint or false moustache, and smoking a cigar ( or cigar type object ;) and send it to me”, “I will display them on the web somewhere”, you can also upload them onto your own website and send me a link.

You can see previous years entries on the web here …

http://optimist.sdf-eu.org/groucho/