Archive for November, 2011

The NBPA Has Disbanded

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Following weeks of negotiations between players and owners, things look bleaker than ever for the 2011-2012 NBA season. In fact, the players have now walked away from the negotiations and decided to take the owners to court. As part of that action, they’ve disbanded their union, the National Basketball Players Association. Their website has been updated to reflect this:

NBPA website
NBPA.com Screenshot (November 16th, 2011)

Ultimately, the fans are getting screwed no matter who wins. If nothing else though, you’ve got to give the webmaster for the NBPA credit for adding a bit of levity to the whole situation.

This Week in Crappy Deals

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Since they launched in 2008, recently-public company Groupon1 has popularized the idea of local daily deals. That business model has been taken up by dozens of different companies in the past few years, leading to thousands of local deals every day. With that sort of volume, the deals can’t all be gems. Here are some of the crappier deals I’ve seen.

Pregame Early for BC vs FSU at MySportsRug.com

MySportsRug.com deal

Sure! Grab some beers, fire up the grill, and pre-game for a college football game with the purchase of a rug.

$12 for Two Boxes of Sleep-Enhancing Snack Bars

Nightfood deal

What the what? Sleep-enhancing snack bars? Yes, on their site, the company states NightFood “provides nutrition for better sleep”. They also say it “helps fuel the important processes that take place in the brain and body while you sleep” and claim that the chocamine and melatonin in each bar “help you quiet your mind and fall asleep more quickly”.

Of course, their site is also required to note that those statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.

$20 for $40 worth of dinner at Sushi Yoshi

Sushi Yoshi deal

Yoshi? Like, Yoshi Yoshi?

Yoshi.
This Yoshi?

Yoshis are dinosaurs. Or possibly dragons. They may be part-bird. But a Yoshi is definitely not a fish! They’ve got arms. And legs. With boots!2 You can’t make sushi out of a Yoshi.

Half Off Laser Surgery at Sheth-Horsley Eye Center

Eye Surgery deal

“Half off Laser Eye Surgery” sounds less like a daily deal, and more like the makings of a medical malpractice lawsuit. Maybe it’s just me, but when lasers are going to be used to cut my eyeballs, I’d rather pay a premium than get a discount.

Up to 60% Off Large Pizza at Domino’s Pizza

Domino's deal

Paying 40 cents on the dollar would ordinarily be incredible deal. Ordinarily.

Footnotes:

  1. The only Ponzi scheme you can buy stock in! ↩︎

  2. Little-known fact: Baby yoshis hatch from their shells fully clad in their fancy footwear. ↩︎

Countering Grenades With Balloons ∞

Monday, November 14th, 2011

In a live-art project he calls “Monday Morning”, American artist Yazmany Arboleda has organized the giveaway of tens of thousands of brightly colored balloons. Arboleda’s stated goal is “to take a balloon and inserting it in this weak moment…to change the way somebody thinks about Monday mornings”. Following recent attacks and threats from terrorists, the latest giveaway in Nairobi took on special significance. From the looks of this picture, it seems to be having the desired effect.

A volunteer hands out yellow balloons for Monday

Nobody Messes With Megalon 14 ∞

Friday, November 11th, 2011

A recent viewing of The Twilight Zone reminded of Drew Olbrich’s amusing plans to upgrade Earth’s image. The post is an oldie (dating back at least 11 years, according to the Wayback Machine), but it’s still a great laugh.

What? The Twilight Zone is still awesome too.

Noel Gallagher, Super Excited To Be Here

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Peevish former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher has apparently decided to endorse an Adidas shoe, possibly to help further his solo career alongside the release of an upcoming solo album. With some rocking sellouts previously seen on this site, enthusiasm was part of the package. Noel, however, seems to be offering a different take on the whole “celebrity endorsement” concept.

Noel Gallagher Looking Thrilled
Not Exactly Ringing

That’s an official promotional image from Adidas, which would make you think it’s the best they could get. One can only imagine the awfulness of those photos they opted to discard. I bet we could learn a lot from those pictures. For example, a whole new repertoire of obscene gestures!

The shoes themselves look nice enough, yet even the cartoon Noel seen on the tongue refuses to smile. Ultimately, one must wonder if this supposed “endorsement” is hiding something much more sinister than a mere cranky pop star. Thus, two very important questions must be asked: “Has anyone seen Noel Gallagher lately?” and “How do you report a corporation for abduction and blackmail?”

Domenick Scudera’s Gay Lifestyle ∞

Wednesday, November 9th, 2011

Finally, a homosexual brave enough to tell it like it is.

We go gay bowling at our Suburban Gay Bowling League. There are quite a lot of us homosexuals who gather each week to bowl at our local bowling alley.

Sex With Animals Linked to Penis Cancer ∞

Tuesday, November 8th, 2011

Son of a bastard, you can get cancer of the penis?

Dog Leading the Blind ∞

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Mondays suck. This story about a blind dog getting her own guide dog does not.

Louis Vs. Rick ∞

Friday, November 4th, 2011

Long ago, friend-of-the-site Shane Cyr created a short-lived, but ridiculously great, Tumblr site. That site is called Louis Vs. Rick, and it is the story of a man who taught his cat to use instant messaging. The site popped back up yesterday, and it’s well worth sharing. Read all eight episodes sequentially.

You Know, Like the Amish ∞

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

Despite the fact that it’s in the “weird news” category, a section I usually refrain from linking, two separate reader submissions have caused me to write up this bizarre story (be forewarned, the associated images are more than a bit grotesque). Apparently after caring for an aging horse and ultimately putting it down humanely, an Oregon couple took a series of bizarre photographs with the body, before ultimately consuming the animal. The Internet is aghast, though no actually crime was committed here.

“The fact that this woman crawled into the horse between killing and eating does not constitute a crime,” Thompson said.

Being harmlessly weird shouldn’t be illegal, but maybe we could all engage in a little group shunning?

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