
The Secret Life of Toys (Flickr Photoset)
Via we make money not art
"If you understood everything I said, you'd be me" - Miles Davis "There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge." - Bertrand Russell "Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government." - Lenny Bruce "Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!" - Homer Simpson |
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The Other Utility Fog
They link to me, I link to them, They link to me...
Safety Warning. Not for use as a stroller. May contain parts. Manufactured in a facility where one or more of the following may be present: Peanuts, almonds, unfiltered water, oxygen, ultaviolet and infrared radiation, sunlight. Use only as directed by your legal counsel. Do not use during earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding or presidential election years. Use of handles may promote RSI, see your doctor or therapist before opening. May be flammable when exposed to open flame. Not for use as a stepping stool or adult seat. May cause injury if dropped from a height. Does not enable user to fly. Do not eat.
If erection lasts for over 4 hours call friends and brag. Persons attempting to find a motive in this blog will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. We don't need no stinkin' badges.
Same-day service.
Unplug after use.
Slippery when wet.
Ignore this notice.
Use only as directed.
Consume in moderation.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Your mileage may vary.
For external use only.
Don't try this at home.
No purchase is necessary.
You must be present to win.
Do not think of an elephant.
Other restrictions may apply.
Apply only to affected areas.
Part of a daily balanced diet.
No shirt, no shoes, no service.
You need not be present to win.
No user-serviceable parts inside.
Do not exceed recommended dosage.
Offer void where prohibited by law.
Do not remove under penalty of law.
You have the right to remain silent.
If swallowed, do not induce vomiting.
Valid only at participating locations.
Freshest if used before date specified.
Prices subject to change without notice.
Do not fold, staple, spindle or mutilate.
Contents may have settled during shipment.
Caution! The edge is closer than you think.
In emergency, break glass, pull down handle.
Product is sold by weight and not by volume.
Do not use if safety seal is torn or missing.
If condition persists, consult your physician.
Detach and include upper portion with payment.
Nutritional need is not established in humans.
Objects on screen are closer than they appear.
Satisfaction guaranteed; return for full refund.
Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Anything you say can and will be used against you.
May be used as flotation device in case of emergency.
Please note locations of emergency exits upon arrival.
No animals were harmed in the production of this page.
Caution: Dates on calendar are closer than they appear.
Please leave as clean on leaving as you would like to find on entering.
Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
Do not use if you have ever had an allergic reaction to this product or any of its ingredients.
WARNING Business is unpredictable and unsafe. The Internet is dangerous. Many blogs have been written about these dangers, and there's no way we can list them all here. Read the blogs. The Internet is covered in slippery slopes with loose, slippery and unpredictable footing. The RIAA can make matters worse. Patent trolls are everywhere. You may fall, be spammed or suffer a DOS attack. There are hidden viruses and worms. You could break your computer. There is wild code, which may be vicious, poisonous or carriers of dread malware. These include viruses and worms. E-mail can be poisonous as well. We don't do anything to protect you from any of this. We do not inspect, supervise or maintain the Internet, blogsphere, ISP?s or other features, natural or otherwise. Real dangers are present even on the Web. E-commerce is not the mall. It can be, and is, steep, slippery and dangerous. Web features made or enhanced by humans, such as firewalls and spam filters (if any) can break, collapse, or otherwise fail catastrophically at any time. We don't promise to inspect, supervise or maintain them in any way. They may be negligently constructed or repaired. The web is unsafe, period. Live with it or stay away. Stay on trusted sites whenever possible. The terrain, in addition to being dangerous, is surprisingly complex. You may get lost. Carry food, water and an APU at all times. Ads for things you don't want and other objectionable content can arrive from nowhere. This can happen naturally, or be caused by people around you that are being used as bots. Spam and disgusting images of all sizes, including huge images, can arrive, or pop-up with no warning. Use of spam filters is advised for anyone approaching the Internet. They can be purchased or rented from us. They won't save you if you get hit by something big or on a port you left open. A whole DOS attack might collapse on you and squash you like a bug. Don't think it can't happen. Public opinion can be dangerous, regardless of the forecast. Be prepared with extra damage control, including press releases. Ticking off the blogsphere can kill you. The Streisand effect can turn a simple nastygram into a deathtrap. If you make hasty comments about those in high places (making unsupported comments that reduce the image of a person, often posted quickly and without thinking) without proper thought and, or allow your employees to do so, you are making a terrible mistake. Even if you know what you're doing, lots of things can go wrong and you may be sued for libel. It happens all the time. We do not provide rangers or security personnel. The other people on the web, including other visitors, our employees, agents, and guests, and anyone else who might sneak in, may be stupid, reckless, or otherwise dangerous. They may be mentally ill, criminally insane, drunk, using illegal drugs and/or armed with deadly malware and ready to use them. We aren't necessarily going to do anything about it. We refuse to take responsibility. If you surf at work, you may become pre-occupied with it. This is true whether you are experienced or not, trained or not, equipped or not, though training and equipment may help. It's a fact, surfing at work is extremely dangerous. If you don't like it, surf at home. You really shouldn't be doing it anyway. We do not provide supervision or instruction. We are not responsible for, and do not track how much time you surf at work (although we could if we wanted to.) As far as we know, your employer may find out and send you plunging to unemployment. There are countless tons of loose management staff ready to be dislodged and fall on you or someone else. There are any number of extremely and unusually dangerous conditions existing on and around the Web, and elsewhere on the Internet. We may or may not know about any specific hazard, but even if we do, don't expect us to try to warn you. You're on your own. Rescue services are not provided by us, and may not be available quickly or at all. Local computer geeks may not be equipped for or trained in hard drive recovery. If you are lucky enough to have somebody try to get rid of a virus or find that deleted file, they may be incompetent or worse. This includes your local computer store. We assume no responsibility. Also, if you decide to participate in a rescue of some other unfortunate, that's your choice. Don't do it unless you are willing to assume all risks. By entering our site, you are agreeing that we owe you no duty of care or any other duty. We promise you nothing. We do not and will not even try to keep the premises safe for any purpose. The premises are not safe for any purpose. This is no joke. We won't even try to warn you about any dangerous or hazardous condition, whether we know about it or not. If we do decide to warn you about something, that doesn't mean we will try to warn you about anything else. If we do make an effort to fix an unsafe condition, we may not try to correct any others, and we may make matters worse! We and our employees or agents may do things that are unwise and dangerous. Sorry, we're not responsible. We may give you bad advice. Don't listen to us. In short, ENTER AND USE THIS SITE AT YOUR OWN RISK. And have fun! Warning: This Product Warps Space and Time in Its Vicinity. Warning: This Product Attracts Every Other Piece of Matter in the Universe, Including the Products of Other Manufacturers, with a Force Proportional to the Product of the Masses and Inversely Proportional to the Distance Between Them. Caution: The Mass of This Product Contains the Energy Equivalent of 85 Million Tons of TNT per Net Ounce of Weight. Handle with Extreme Care: This Product Contains Minute Electrically Charged Particles Moving at Velocities in Excess of Five Hundred Million Miles per Hour. Consumer Notice: Because of the 'Uncertainty Principle,' It Is Impossible for the Consumer to Find Out at the Same Time Both Precisely Where This Product Is and How Fast It Is Moving. Advisory: There is an Extremely Small but Nonzero Chance That, Through a Process Known as 'Tunneling,' This Product May Spontaneously Disappear from Its Present Location and Reappear at Any Random Place in the Universe, Including Your neighbor's Domicile. The Manufacturer Will Not Be Responsible for Any Damages or Inconvenience That May Result. Read This Before Opening Package: According to Certain Suggested Versions of a Grand Unified Theory, the Primary Particles Constituting This Product May Decay to Nothingness Within the Next Four Hundred Million Years. This is a 100% Matter product: In the Unlikely Event That This Merchandise Should Contact Antimatter in Any Form, a Catastrophic Explosion Will Result. Public Notice as Required by Law: Any Use of This Product, in Any Manner Whatsoever, Will Increase the Amount of Disorder in the Universe. Although No Liability Is Implied Herein, the Consumer Is Warned That This Process Will Ultimately Lead to the Heat Death of the Universe. Note: The Most Fundamental Particles in This Product Are Held Together by a 'Gluing' Force About Which Little Is Currently Known and Whose Adhesive Power Can Therefore Not Be Permanently Guaranteed. Attention: Despite Any Other Listing of Product Contents Found Hereon, the Consumer Is Advised That, in Actuality, This Product Consists Of 99.9999999999% Empty Space. New Grand Unified Theory Disclaimer: The Manufacturer May Technically Be Entitled to Claim That This Product Is Ten-Dimensional. However, the Consumer Is Reminded That This Confers No Legal Rights Above and Beyond Those Applicable to Three-Dimensional Objects, Since the Seven New Dimensions Are 'Rolled Up' into Such a Small 'Area' That They Cannot Be Detected. Please Note: Some Quantum Physics Theories Suggest That When the Consumer Is Not Directly Observing This Product, It May Cease to Exist or Will Exist Only in a Vague and Undetermined State. Component equivalency notice: The Subatomic Particles (Electrons, Protons, etc.) Comprising This Product Are Exactly the Same in Every Measurable Respect as Those Used in the Products of Other Manufacturers, and No Claim to the Contrary May Legitimately Be Expressed or Implied. Health Warning: Care Should Be Taken When Lifting This Product, Since Its Mass, and Thus Its Weight, Is Dependent on Its Velocity Relative to the User. Important Notice to Purchasers: The Entire Physical Universe, Including This Product, May One Day Collapse Back into an Infinitesimally Small Space. Should Another Universe Subsequently Reemerge, the Existence of This Product in That Universe Cannot be Guaranteed. Use inside a nuclear power facility voids warranty.
visitors
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Sun-Nov 27 2005
Sat-Nov 26 2005
But You Can Eat It In The Dark
"Australians have been told there is no need to panic after a recent "glow-in-the-dark pork chop" scare"Glowing meat alarms Australians Via Follow Me Here...
Thu-Nov 24 2005
Mmmmmmm, herring
Herring communicate by farting.
Unfortunately, the only thing they say is "hey, pull my fin".
Via MonkeyFilter
Holy Donuts
Utility Fog Blog has passed 20000 hits. Posting a lot about a certain
hit TV show (with a strong interweb presence) has almost tripled my
hit-rate. Who would have guessed?
Lost/Ep#208-"Collision"
Thoughts & Observations:
*This episode was very clue-thin. I'm sure somebody else will spot something from a frame-by-frame infrared HDTV analysis, but IMO the producers need to reconsider the balance between "puzzle" and "drama". *Note to Sayid: If you're going to shoot someone, do like Ana-Lucia: kill from a safe distance. *Man, Ana-Lucia just makes friends wherever she goes. *Something to consider from the last episode: The Other that Ana killed during the second attack could have been Rousseau's daughter. *Ana's boyfriend (who presumably left her after she got shot and lost her baby) was named Danny. *Locke was doing a crossword. The clue was "42 down - Enkidu's friend". The answer was "Gilgamesh". Wikipedia: Enkidu Wikipedia: Epic of Gilgamesh-very interesting *I got a big kick out of Locke and Eko's first meeting-"Hello.....Hello". See kids, good manners are cool.
Wed-Nov 23 2005
Be Afraid
In an empty Walmart, Jethro is building
his Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino
Via WFMU's Beware of the Blog
Mon-Nov 21 2005
Sun-Nov 20 2005
Sat-Nov 19 2005
Infallibe=Impossible
"While forensic scientists have long claimed fingerprint evidence is infallible, the widely publicized error that landed an innocent American behind bars as a suspect in the Madrid train bombing alerted the nation to the potential flaws in the system. Now, UC Irvine criminologist Simon Cole has shown that not only do errors occur, but as many as a thousand incorrect fingerprint ?matches? could be made each year in the U.S. This is in spite of safeguards intended to prevent errors.Study Of Faulty Fingerprints Debunks Forensic Science 'Zero Error' Claim Via Fortean Times
WTF?
It would seem Jeb Bush has gone utterly batshit:
"After more than an hour of solemn ceremony naming Rep. Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, as the 2007-08 House speaker, Gov. Jeb Bush stepped to the podium in the House chamber last week and told a short story about "unleashing Chang," his "mystical warrior" friend.Mystical warriors are on Bush family's side, says Gov. Jeb Via Fortean Times
Fri-Nov 18 2005
No Future Slash-Dotting
Now that I've told everybody I know
about the possibilty of my humble blog being swamped by Lost fans if the
"black smoke" is explained as being a Utility Fog I find out that
there are no nanobots.
Oh well, back to playing the Lotto and knocking over liquor stores.
Thu-Nov 17 2005
Lost/Ep#207 "The Other 48 Days"
Thoughts and Observations:
*The sight of the tail-end of the plane crashing into the ocean pretty well cancels any theories about a faked crash. *Mr. Eko in the ocean wearing a business suit puts the kabosh on the idea that he was already on the island. *How did Godwin show up so fast after the crash, wearing shoes and ready to pretend to be a crash survivor? Did he know ahead of time? *Why don't the Other's clothes have labels? Why do they have clothes, knives, paper, pens/pencils, but no shoes? They don't even have funky handmade sandals. *The Others apparently shave with something. They have stubble but not a beard. *There's been speculation about the Tailers having their own set of numbers. Here's my nominations: 3 people taken the first day Donald died on day 5 The Other's list had 9 entries 3/5/9.... *Why haven't the main survivors seen any chickens? *Ana-Lucia dug the hole. I'm so glad they explained this. My friends are sick of hearing me go on about that damn hole. *Of course Nathan had to die. He was wearing a red shirt. *The Dharma bunker had electricity and "quarantine" written on the inside of the door. *More Lost incuriosity: The Tailers don't try to find the source of the bunker's power. *Goodwin:"Nathan wasn't a good person. That's why he wasn't on the list."
Lost/Bad Twin
The Tailsection offers up an official blurb for the Lost tie-in novel Bad Twin
"Paul Artisan, P.I. is a new version of an old breed -- a righter of wrongs, someone driven to get to the bottom of things. Too bad his usual cases are of the boring malpractice and fraud variety. Until now.
Lost/Producers Interview
Tidbits from an interview with Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse:
* "When a character dies on the island, they stay dead." But if they died off the island they might not? I'm still holding out hope for Jack's dad being reanimated by nanotechnology. * "Keep your eyes on Mr. Eko's stick....That stick is an important ongoing clue." Eko was carving something into the stick. Via Lost News: a Lost fandom newsletter
Wed-Nov 16 2005
This Could Get Ugly
It occurred to me yesterday that there exists the (admittedly remote) possibilty that someone
on Lost might utter the phrase "utility fog" in connection with the mobile "black smoke"-
let's say, if they ever get around to explaining what the hell it is. And since this site is
ranked #1 in the Google search for "utility fog" and lost
I would then be in for some interesting times, traffic-wise. Accordingly, I'm thinking about
adding GoogleAds. A blogger can dream, can't he?
Mon-Nov 14 2005
Sun-Nov 13 2005
Bush's Definition Of Torture: Being Gnawed By Pandas
From the most excellent Fafblog:
"So You're STILL Being Tortured To Death In An American Military Prison!
Sat-Nov 12 2005
Who Needs Terrorists
"The Army now admits that it secretly dumped 64 million pounds of nerve and mustard agents into the sea, along with 400,000 chemical-filled bombs, land mines and rockets and more than 500 tons of radioactive waste - either tossed overboard or packed into the holds of scuttled vessels.Offshore WMDs Via MetaFilter
FBI/Paranoia
""National security letters," created in the 1970s for espionage and terrorism investigations, originated as narrow exceptions in consumer privacy law, enabling the FBI to review in secret the customer records of suspected foreign agents. The Patriot Act, and Bush administration guidelines for its use, transformed those letters by permitting clandestine scrutiny of U.S. residents and visitors who are not alleged to be terrorists or spies.The FBI's Secret Scrutiny Via MetaFilter
DRM Badness
"Sony has said it will suspend the production of music CDs with anti-piracy technology which can leave computers vulnerable to viruses.Sony Stops Infecting Your Computer (for now) Idiots...I hope they get sued so hard their heads pop
Lost/Hanso Foundation
The new Hanso KHR page leads to a
disturbing memo sent to the Hanso Life Extension Project by
the "Global Health Organization" regarding a rapidly mutating form
of Meningitis in Tanzania:
![]() The password is "Copenhagen" Password obtained from 815 Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes (meninges) covering the brain and the spinal cord. Although the most common causes are infection (bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic), chemical agents and even tumor cells may cause meningitis.
Lost/Ep#206-"Abandoned
Nitpick Dept.: Sawyer's strecher had holes in
the long handle-poles with cords threaded through them.
How did they drill such good-looking holes quickly without tools?
Fri-Nov 11 2005
Lost/Hanso Foundation
New Press Release at Hanso Foundation Site/Life Extension Project:
There's also a hidden link to a New Hanso Foundation Page with a Password form ! The page/project has a new acronym in the URL: "KHR". Let the speculation begin. Update: The KHR page may be the result of hacking. The "<!-- LOL H4x0r3d!!1 -->" in the HTML source is kinda suspicious. Or maybe that's what they want you to think.......
Lost/Ep#206-"Abandoned"
Walt 'said' "They're coming and they're close" to
Shannon and Sayid.
I like the idea that Libby is another Ethan. She was the one just ahead of Cindy. Anna-Lucia's reference to "trust issues" certainly raises the idea that the Tailers have already dealt with one masquerade. Rumble In The Jungle/Lost-Media.com I think there are at least TWO groups of "Others". There are the "Boat People", who are the remains of the Dharma Initiative. They could be taking the "numbers drug" to avoid the illness Desmond and Rousseau have alluded to. Desmond could be part of this group. Then there are the feral Others living in the jungle, who have caught the disease. The Boat People took Walt to keep him out of the hands of the Ferals. I also think that when we finally see Walt in the flesh he'll be in some sort of tank, that's why he always appears soaking wet. Either that or the kid really likes taking showers. Of course I could be totally wrong.
Thu-Nov 10 2005
Lost/Ep#206-"Abandoned
*I think I might have spotted Rose in the hospital hallway, hard to tell. *NOW Michael has questions. And he has to ask the cranky control-freak with a gun, instead of the nice man he spent a couple of hours hiking with. *I think there must be a reason the midsection survivors have not been attacked, with the exception of Ethan. *Why does Walt always appear soaking wet, even when it isn't raining? *I couldn't make out anything coherent from the whispering. Sawyer and Sayid have heard it without encountering the Others; the Others might not be the source of the whispers. Walt might have been trying to warn Sayid and Shannon. *Sawyer got left behind. And he called Jin "Chewy", which made me laugh. *After Cindy disappeared Ana-Lucia told Mr. Eco "this one's on you", so she might feel responsible for someone dying earlier. *I'll bet good money Sayid doesn't tell anyone about seeing Walt for a good long time, if ever.
Thu-Nov 03 2005
Boat+Warehouse=Fun
Last Friday night a large (about 20ft.) boat was moved into my employer's warehouse.
I stayed after work to enjoy the show and take pictures. ![]() A Little To The Left...No, MY Left ![]() When the forklift came into play I had visions of subpoenas. ![]() Easy Does It
Wed-Nov 02 2005
Lost/More Twins
"In an eerie synergy, scribes for ABC's "Lost" will soon be writing a subplot about a character named Gary Troup who didn't survive the crash but left behind a manuscript he was working on.Dead Character Writes Lost Book Via Evil Puppet Masters
Tue-Nov 01 2005
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