Colbert blasts Bush

At the annual White House correspondents' dinner, Stephen Colbert who hosts a satirical news show on Comedy Central put Bush on the hot seat with biting comments that were too close to the truth for comfort of most in the room. Bush was apparently unamused and left immediately. Colbert not only roasted Bush, but pounded reporters for being complacent and unquestioning of the administration's policies and others in attendance such as Cheney and Scalia for their various crimes and misdemeanors. Watch the video here.

Particularly great are the lines:

"This Administration is not sinking. This Administration is soaring. If anything they are rearranging the deck chairs on the Hindenburg."

"I believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least. And by these standards we have set up a fabulous government in Iraq."

"Guys like us - we don’t pay attention to the polls. We know that polls are just a collection of statistics that people are thinking in ‘reality’. And ‘reality’ has a well known liberal bias.

With his bravery, Stephen Colbert has stood up for the rest of us who could never hope to have such an occasion to publicly and personally call to account the people in power. Hopefully Colbert's tax returns are in order and all his phone conversations and personal affairs are suitable for additional ears, because I foresee a Bush administration IRS, CIA, FBI and NSA assault on his every move from now on.

Senate Republicans want to bribe you with $100

In order to attach an amendment to drill in the Alaska Wildlife Preserve to an emergency spending bill for Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, the GOP is trying to distract the public with a $100 bribe. That's right, under their plan, every taxpayer would get a one time payment of $100 to offset any difficulty they have had enduring the high gas prices that have lead to billions in record profits for some of the GOP's biggest friends. Doesn't that sound like a great deal? Their suggestion to you might be to skip the middleman and hand over your $100 directly to Exxon. No wonder the Republican led congress currently has an approval rating of a whopping 22%, an 11 point drop since last month.

American Express ad

As done by Wes Anderson, director of The Royal Tenenbaums among others.

Threadless

T-shirts that are designed by site visitors are selected and printed by popular demand. Some pretty great designs.

Bush drops to 32% approval

That's right, just under a third of the population likes what they see when it comes to Bush. Sixty percent disapprove of his performance. Heckuva job. How low will he go?

Supersized meals

A blog dedicated to gluttonous meals. Most of the featured items are ridiculously oversized hamburgers, but there are other foods represented such as a 27 pound cheesecake or the world's largest bagel. Enjoy!

Happy Earth Day

Be sure to enjoy Earth Day by taking a walk, riding a bike, planting a tree, or finding other ways to entertain yourself. If you've got a little time, take a look at the ecological footprint quiz. I was going to post some disturbing Earth Day related links from the warped world of the Bush administration, but they were too creepy. If you insist, you can find them here, but that's as much as I'll help. You can also check out the incomprehensible-for-ever-having-been-built US Army Earth Day site too. Oh, and happy eighth birthday, Heidi. Now get outside. There are better places to be than in front of a computer.

Hu's wild adventure in Bushland

Here's to an eventful visit from President Hu of China, what with getting yelled at by a protester, putting Cheney and Rice to sleep and being on the receiving end of a friendly tug from Bush himself. At least now Hu and Bush can each commiserate on how difficult running a repressive regime can be.

New Star Trek movie in the works

Calling all scholars of Klingon lore and other would-be alumni of Starfleet Academy. Prepare to cast your critical eyes on the next installment of one of the most successful series on film or television. A new movie outlining the early adventures of Kirk and Spock, predating the original series is on its way. Hopefully the film makers will stay true to the the sets, costumes, and technology of the original series, or Jeff Albertson may have to declare it "Worst. Prequel. Ever."

Comprehensive movie timeline

A timeline based on details from a wide variety of movies, created by a guy with a lot of free time. Particularly interesting are how movies with complex timeframes are dealt with.

747 House

An architect in California has designed an elegant home using parts of a scrapped Boeing 747 jumbo Jet as integral elements. Check out articles here and here. The wings serve as the roof, while pieces of the fusilage are to be used in other areas of the construction. Reusing is even better than recycling. Thanks to Brian for the tip.

Why are domestic automakers losing money?

GM announced a $323 million first quarter loss. Ford lost a staggering $1.2 billion in the first quarter. These are really the only two American car manufacturers left, since Chrysler as a division of Daimler is actually a German company. Oil has reached above $73 a barrel, this with an increasing public awareness of shameless profiteering by oil companies. Could it be that the fleets of US automakers are overloaded with a plethora of gas-guzzling SUVs that people are now realizing they can't afford to own? US car companies apparently are unable to read the writing on the wall. The days of the 14 mpg Chevy Tahoe or Ford Expedition are at an end, regardless of the potential of burning E85 ethanol. To see why, let's look at some numbers. . .

We'll assume a fuel price of $3.00 per gallon. That means SUV owners will have to pay $75 to fill a 25 gallon tank. At 14 mpg, a 25 gallon tank will only move the vehicle for 350 miles, which at $3.00 per gallon translates to a cost of over 21 cents per mile to operate. Compare the fuel cost of 10 cents a mile for a car averaging 30 mpg, or about 6 cents per mile for a car that approaches 50 mpg. So, for a daily commute of 10 miles each way, five days a week, a 14 mpg Tahoe would require approximately $85.71 per month, while a 30 mpg Civic costs $39.99 and a 49 mpg Jetta TDI needs only $24.49.

Here are fuel costs by mileage, still assuming $3.00/gallon:

	14 mpg	30 mpg	49 mpg
1,000 miles	$214.29	$100.00	$61.22
10,000 miles	$2,142.85	$1,000.00	$612.24
50,000 miles	$10,714.29	$5,000.00	$3,061.22
100,000 miles	$21,428.57	$10,000.00	$6,122.44

So what does this mean for US auto manufacturers? The fact is most fuel efficient cars available in the US are not produced by American companies. In order to survive in the US, GM and Ford need to wean themselves off of cheap to produce, high profit margin, non EPA regulated SUVs. Their task is not as difficult as it might seem. They don't actually need to reinvent the wheel, they don't need to even create new designs. All they need to do is to start selling in the US some of the much more efficient models they already sell in other countries, sometimes under different brand names. Would Ford and GM still be dominant in the world if they were trying to sell their inefficient and wasteful US models in Europe or Asia? Hardly. Ford and GM both produce efficient diesel and high mpg gasoline cars in other countries. All they need to do is bring them here.

Right now, American manufacturers are at the edge of a precipice. They can choose to do the right thing and and avoid a downfall by producing responsible vehicles that fit in with the actualities of the modern world. Or they can be propelled by their greed over the edge, grasping for obscene wealth at their own peril.

Zombie roaches

A parasitic wasp armed with some very specialized tools is able to induce roaches to do its bidding and to harbor its young. Quite gruesome and impressive. Thanks to Uncle Jack for the link.

Bush at 33% approval

And this is from the de facto Republican propaganda distribution agency, Fox 'News'. If the 'fair and balanced' pollsters at Fox determined Bush's approval rating to be 33%, there's a good chance that it may actually be even lower. For all the worried Bush supporters out there, wait until the PR campaign musical chairs reshuffling at the White House is over. I'm sure that will set things right.

Marc Newson

Ethereal but practical items designed by British industrial design wizard Marc Newson.

1200 miles across the outback by bike

An inspiring 40-day adventure across a remote region of Australia on a remarkable bike.

One red paper clip

A Canadian guy started with one red paperclip and has been trading up to what he hopes will at some point be a house. The crazy part is that he's getting close. Why didn't I think of that?

Soviet style propaganda from the White House

Savor the moving lyrics of this song as sung to Laura Bush by the 'Katrina Kids'. This catchy tune of child exploitative propaganda would make any dictator tap their hobnail boots in approval.

Government spending hits record in March

How is it that Republicans consider themselves fiscally conservative? Spending hit a record $250 billion in March. This is a government completely owned by the Republicans and completely out of control. If you enjoy being hopelessly in debt and want to leave future generations an insurmountable bill, along with the legacy of unnecessary wars and the collective scorn of the rest of the world not to mention a broken country, by all means, vote Republican.

Ford relies on the stupidity of consumers when it comes to SUVs

In the eventuality that gasoline reaches $4 per gallon, Ford is confident that people will still buy their gas-guzzling, dangerous and needlessly large vehicles. Even as they continue to lose market share to more fuel efficient offerings from competitors, Ford doesn't plan to change its strategy much. Mark Fields, president of Ford's Americas division believes "there is a certain portion of the marketplace and customers who want that flexibility that is provided with a traditional SUV." Whatever that means. It sounds to me like Ford as a company is becoming suicidal, as this type of philosophy can't possibly come to terms with the reality that most people are unlikely to be willing to take out a second mortgage to fill up their car. Maybe when Ford collapses into bankruptcy, other US carmakers will finally wake up and realize that pushing massive SUVs on the public is not sustainable.

New Stella photos

Our little girl is enjoying the weather and experiencing the world.

Star Wars databank

More than you ever wanted to know about the Star Wars universe may be found in this resource collection. Only those truly beyond hope will be familiar with all that this listing entails.

Cheney gets booed at season opener

Making a photo-op appearance to throw the first pitch at the Washington Nationals season opener, Cheney was greeted with a loud chorus of boos. Luckily for him, the event was covered by his pals at Fox, so they could hit the mute button during the broadcast. Not coincidentally, a new Washington Post-ABC News poll found only 38% approve of Bush. Hopefully the next 2 1/2 years for Bush-Cheney will be even more difficult than the past 5 1/2 years have been for the rest of us.

Balloon hats

A curious experiment: to see how people from various places react to custom fashioned balloon headgear. Thanks to readers Judy and Bill.

iPod links

Here are 50 (or so) things that you can do with your iPod, and the key to useful hidden commands for controlling your iPod.

Banksy

An amazingly prolific and talented, Banksy is the pseudonym for a London based art jammer. He has pulled off some great stunts, including hanging his work in several pf the worlds greatest art museums. Check out his site.

What pops your dog?

If you happen to be in LA, it sounds like there are some terrific places to eat a dog. If elsewhere, you can always order the Hammacher Schlemmer pop-up hot dog cooker for your own recreational use.

Special Dates

Although 04/05/06 07:08:09 has already passed, I'm looking forward to 06/06/06 06:06:06 in a couple of months. See a list of special dates here.

Bloat in the 'burbs

Does living in the suburbs make you fat? A new study says that it just might. The sedentary lifestyle of spending much commuting time behind the wheel is a major contributor to the problem.

West Wing

After the real life death of a vice presidential candidate, a creative finale for the popular political drama West Wing is in store.

Another month, another record low approval rating for Bush

This time, in an AP-Ipsos poll, Bush's approval rating is at 36%. Those who believe the country is headed in the wrong direction are up to 70%. I wonder of the mental state of those 6% of people who still approve of Bush but who also think the country is headed in the wrong direction.

Dirty word in 43 down

The New York Times crossword puzzle is involved in a scandal over the use of the word "scumbag" as an answer to the clue of "scoundrel" for 43 down. After reading the whole article, I think the author may have missed the point. Perhaps the real story is less the use of the specific word in question, but more of a reference to Bush, who as the 43rd "prezdent" will definitely go down as a scumbag.

An exceedingly rare event

Harry Taylor, an actual concerned citizen and non-Bush supporter is allowed to make frank comments to Bush, at one of Bush's notoriously orchestrated so-called town hall events. Of course Bush doesn't address the concerns that Mr. Taylor raises, but what do you expect. Listen to the highly unusual exchange via NPR, or watch it here.

Wounded in Iraq

A very well done three-part series from the LA Times about the care provided to the wounded in Iraq. The images are difficult to see, but it is an important story. Would this qualify as the "good" news from Iraq that the administration thinks is not being covered?

Buck Owens bows out

Somehow I missed the story that Buck Owens checked out about a week ago.

New Hazel pics

Well, they are a few days old now, but that's because I'm running a bit slow. Enjoy set one and set two.

AirTrax omni-directional vehicles

These are the kinds of vehicles that I envision as a building block toward the futuristic society I always dreamed of as a kid. Amazing stuff. Imagine a forklift that can be driven sideways!?! Watch the video for the best impression. Live long and prosper!

The Comics Curmudgeon

So a lot of comics just aren't that funny. That's life. But you don't have to despair, it may be that you aren't looking at them correctly. Josh can help. With highly inciteful commentary, he helps ordinary comic readers understand the nuances that might be missed in such fine fare as The Family Circus.

Grass armchair

What's the matter? The ground isn't comfy enough? You need to get yourself a grass armchair.

When pigs fly

A series of archival photos bears witness as a boozed-up pig embarks on an amazing adventure in what one can only assume is some segment of the Soviet space program.

The Bush twins join the Air Force and head to Iraq

According to the British newspaper The Register, the first twins are about to embark on their first tour of duty in a combat zone. Read this April 1st exclusive story right away.

Really!?! A Bob Ross video Game!?!?

This is one of the best ideas I've heard of in a long time. A game where you will be able to paint happy little trees along with the highly talented and unfortunately deceased artist Bob Ross. No sarcasm here, I'm absolutely serious.

Happy Anniversary Apple!

And to celebrate, here's an Apple related link.

CIA world fact book entry on the world

In case you just arrived in the solar system in your galactic cruiser and want to find out a bit about the place before you visit, this could be a very valuable resource.

The 15 best skylines in the world

At least according to someone's opinion. Some good choices, I must say.

The quotable Steve Jobs

Wired Magazine assembled a whole slew of Steve Jobs quotes, some profound, some a bit ridiculous. If you don't know who Steve Jobs is, just look here.