Yes, it is useless.

And yes, I want one.

CC

I initially suspected this was a hoax

After all, it kinda looks photoshopped.

But no, Liu Bolin is a real dude who camouflages himself. He's been written up in the London telegraph for example.

Weird, but awesome.

CC

CC's favorite Onion Article

Over the weekend, I was telling FortiesGirl about how several years ago TheOnion.com did this awesome story about Gonzo journalists meeting to discuss the death of Hunter S. Thompson.

So for your edification and hers, here's:

National Gonzo Press Club Vows To Carry On Thompson's Work

In other news, the when you search the Onion's website for "Gonzo," the other story you get is really funny, too:

Stoner Uncle All the Kids' Favorite

CC

For sale, amazing speech, never used

It must have been strange to be William Safire, have written at least hundreds of speeches and be, I don't doubt, delighted that the finest thing you ever wrote was never read in public.

Gawker has the speech William Safire wrote for Nixon to give if the Apollo 11 astronauts became stranded on the moon. It's really beautiful and sad to even consider those brave guys going up to the moon and the strong likelihood that something would happen and they wouldn't make it back.

CC

Got some extra money? Want to give it to a good cause?

One of my law student buddies has done some work here. They are nice folks and have raised half of what they need.

You can donate here and they will keep your money separate from everyone else's. If not enough money is raised to save the organization, you get your money back.

I know almost nobody has extra cash these days, but if you do, please think about it.

Thanks,

CC

Like everything with Will Ferrell, it goes on too long,

but like anything with Masi Oka, it's awesome.

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Total fluff on a Saturday

In June, our Tivo broke. TheCSO and I were totally like "We should fix that," but I was like "Eh, we have until August 20."

August 20 came and went, and we still have no TIVO.

I was complaining about my Project-Runway-denied-existence to Random Ranter last weekend, and she said "You realize that the old episodes are all online?"

Erm, no, I didn't.

So anyway, I'm caught up on Project Runway now (Team Gordana). But almost even better than that, someone realized that online episodes of PR were the perfect place to do commercials that were actual LESSONS on hair and makeup teaching people to USE L'Oreal and Garnier products to make themselves look awesome.

Very clever.

CC

Lady Gaga's date for the VMAs? Kermit the Frog

Love it.

MTV Shows

And I REALLY love that they got an actual Fashion Designer to do Kermit's tux.

Miss Piggy must be livid.

CC

See you at the debates, Bitches!

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Awesome. Just awesome.

CC

Hat tip to Druuid

Can I show you something awesome?

So ZombieKid made me a clay robot at Camp. Actually, theGnome made me some stuff too, remind me to take this post down before he's old enough to surf the internet unspervised as I would hate for him to run across my blatant favoritism for his brother's gift.

But ZombieKid's robot rocked my world. I freakin' love this robot and I've had it on my desk since the Monday morning after he gave it to me. I look at it all the time and smile.

Today, my boss goes sweeping through the office, carrying her lunch.

"Can I run something by you?" one of the secretaries asked her.

"Is it gory or disgusting or anything?" My boss asked in response. This is an extremely logical question in Workers' Comp.

"Kind of,"

"After lunch!" She said, gliding into her office.

I grabbed the robot and followed her.

"How about awesome?" I asked. "Is awesome OK?"

"I guess you can show me something awesome," she said, taking a bite of salad.

"Check out this cool robot my best friend's nine-year-old made me."

"WOW!" She said "That is AWESOME. What a GREAT ROBOT!"

She's mom, so her standards are correspondingly odd, but I don't think she was humoring me. I'm a lucky girl to have such a robot.

CC

You mock-a my bike, I break-a your face

CC is seriously considering purchasing this bike. She thinks it has
character.

One could write quite the elegy for this bottle...

Another complicated woman who has kicked ass recently

Justice O'Connor is putting together a video game about the judiciary and how it works.

"We hear a great deal about judges who are activists -- godless, secular, humanists trying to impose their will on the rest of us," she said. "Now I always thought an activist judge was one who got up in the morning and went to work."

This is way awesome.

She said the only way to preserve an independent judiciary was through public education, which she said was failing to produce citizens with enough knowledge about the three branches of U.S. government -- legislative, executive and judicial.

The Our Courts project will have two parts, O'Connor said. The first is on online interactive civics program designed to be used by children from 7th to 9th grades either to supplement existing courses or as a distinct unit in the curriculum.

Justice O'Connor is a lawyer friend of mine's hero. I am a little bit more of a Justice Brennan fan when it comes to the judiciary, but I have to say that O'Conner seems really wonderful and I was forever changed by the New York Times article from last year where she was so understanding and strong and mature and decent about the fact that her Alzheimer's-patient husband has a girlfriend in the ward because he can no longer remember his marriage to O'Connor*.

CC

*She gave up a seat on the Supreme Court to spend more time with him, and yet she's so amazing about the whole situation. I'm seriously tearing up a bit now just thinking about it. John Edwards, I realize that if you're reading this, you no longer consider me a reasonable candidate for president. The feeling is mutual.

How to tell that the Cuban restaurant you're in is REALLY authentic.

Yes, that's a painting of Castro on fire.

I find legal research and writing classes a pain

at the same time, if I ever write something like this it will all have been worth it.

I think you should read the whole thing where he takes their claims apart piece-by-piece but here's an excerpt from the end:


Let me be clear about this: there are only two ways for you to get anything out of me. You will either need to (1) convince me that I have infringed, or (2) obtain a final judgment to that effect from a court of competent jurisdiction. It may be that my inability to see the pragmatic value of settling frivolous claims is a deep character flaw, and I am sure a few of the insurance carriers for whom I have done work have seen it that way; but it is how I have done business for the last quarter-century and you are not going to change my mind. If you sue me, the case will go to judgment, and I will hold the court's attention upon the merits of your claims—or, to speak more precisely, the absence of merit from your claims—from start to finish. Not only am I unintimidated by litigation; I sometimes rather miss it.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

I find it striking how people who are writing letters of complaint usually can't do it this well. Lots of people try to make the other party feel bad, make moral judgements and exaggerate their issue with crazy comparisions and/or obvious advertising fluff treated literally. You'll note how this gentleman doesn't say "When you accuse me of violating your patent, it's like a human rights violation in Darfur" or "Your company motto is 'Excellence in Cables,' but you have failed to be excellent in the following fifty ways:". He keeps it focused on the issue at hand and strictly practical about the matter.

And I suspect he will get exactly the result he wants with no additional fuss.

Awesome.

CC
who has found the "only madmen write letters in excess of three pages" rule to be accurate, usually, but is delighted to consider this an exception to the rule.

Sci-fi short story in Wiki form

This is awesome.

CC

I'm not saying this is the *best* Gary Gygax tribute...

but it would be tough to beat.

CC

Some would probably argue

That the hot sauce wall at California Tortilla is a depressing
commentary on capitalism and a demonstration of the paralyzing number
of choices modern life puts in front of us, choices that ultimately
lead to social paralysis.

I think it's awesome.

Spike and Angel action figures that appear to be making out

Posted by request

World shrinks a tad

9:21: CC gets an email from the office administrator at her firm who has e-mailed the entire firm to ask if anybody knows somebody who speaks Ukranian.

9:23: CC emails LinguistFriend.

9:33: CC emails office manager, saying "I know someone who probably speaks Ukranian. Lemme check"

9:35: CC calls LinguistFriend at home. LF says his Ukranian speech isn't that great, though he can read it when he has to. CC says "Ok" and rings off.

9:37: LinguistFriend calls CC back to point out that every Ukranian LF has ever met is bilingual in Russian*. CC thanks LF, rings off again.

9:41: CC calls office manager, explains about the Russian. Office manager says she has just heard from another attorney who used to work with a guy who speaks Ukranian. She thanks CC, but says she will probably go with the other translator, who is an attorney.

An email to a medium-sized law firm yields two Ukranian translators in twenty minutes.

I heart globalization.

CC

*Russian is LF's favorite language. LF is AWESOME in Russian.