The Buckeyes' Summer of Schadenfreude.

Click to animate.



Starring ~ Terrell Pryor as Hogan "Tats" Hero

               OSU Prez  E. Gordon Gee as Klink, the Bell Captain Colonel

               

Disgraced former OSU coach, Jim Tressell as Sgt. I. C. Nutting-Schultz.

"LSUfreek" appears regularly in the college football blog, Every Day Should Be Saturday .  Follow him on Twitter.

Buy lots of popcorn.. it's going to be a long, fun Summer!

Scientists Just Wanna Have Fun

Music awards you never heard of.. "Best Lab Song". And the winner is:



..as judged by the editors and writers of BioTechniques, The International Journal of Life Science Methods. Isn't Baylor a Baptist college? They're dancing! I won't tell.

Other finalists in the competition can be found at EarthSky. I didn't watch them, but I'll assume they're as good as the one above.

Actually, I have watched one of the other finalist videos. I even posted it here.

The Finest In Automotive Spy Photography

Several times over the past 25 years, I've been fortunate enough to be in  the right place at the right time to photograph upcoming automobile models on public roads, doing "real world testing".  Most often the vehicles are disguised, with outlandish extra body panels, or wild graphic paint schemes, designed to misdirect the viewer's eyes so as not to determine exactly what the shape of the car really is.  Other times, when they're closer to production, only the badging, and other identifying marks are stripped from the cars.


I first got lucky in Anchorage, Alaska of all places.  Engineers apparently experienced a stalling problem, and left what would later become the Subaru Impreza abandoned in a hotel parking lot, with the hood up.  I snapped away. I couldn't help it.  Those pictures ended up in AutoWeek Magazine.


Jump ahead several years, and I'm working as an independent representative for a firm which required me to visit a lot of backroads businesses.  I was in Livingston County, Michigan when a convoy of overly clad vehicles was leaving a rural gas station.  Again, I fired away, and again the images ended up in AutoWeek.  It was America's first look at the Oldsmobile Alero and Pontiac Grand Am.


Recently, I happened to capture images of the 2012 Audi A6 on nearby back roads.  These were brokered to several automotive online journals by the "Doyenne" of  automotive spy photography, whose name you would recognize instantly.


What follows, is the published account of my most recent discovery.  It was late at night, at a gas station in Abilene, Texas......

§    §    §    §    §    §    §    §    §    §    §    §    §    §   §

Our intrepid, tireless, ambitious, poverty-stricken, Instamatic®- toting, weasley, automotive paparazzi have been at it again.  Caught real world testing, without so much as a single fig leaf of disguise is Ford’s upcoming retro spectacular, the 2014 Edsel Redux!  (pronounced Ree-doo).

Word has been out there among the automotive cognoscenti for several months now, that this masterpiece of backward-thinking was in the works, but this is the first time it’s been captured on film, as it were, and we here at AutoLuddite were victorious in the bout of feverish bidding that ensued to be the first to present this image to the public.


Our sources in the industry tell us this fantastic retro-sled weighs in at an astonishing four-and-a-half tons, due in part to the extensive use of carbon fiber in the floor mats, and turn signal indicator.  Power to overcome massive amounts of inertia comes from the technologically advanced cast iron, straight 6 cylinder EcoBǖst, (pronounced boooost), engine, which produces upwards of 175 BHP when using 102 octane unleaded fuel.  Naught to 60 times are expected to be in the range of sometime before dark, therefore, no convertible model is expected to be produced.  Our sources tell us that an optional 3-speed manual transmission, mounted on the steering column (!), has never, ever been considered.

The designers have really outdone themselves in recalling the essence of the original, right down to the extremely wide white sidewall bias-ply tires, to the rust spots on the quarter panels.  One wonders why, with all of these styling cues resurrecting the marque’s illustrious past, the “toilet seat” was left off of the massive chrome grille?  Perhaps it will appear on a higher trim level model.  We can only hope and pray.


Unfortunately, prices are not expected to fall in line with those of 50+ years ago.  You can expect to pony up around $25,000 for a base model, to a staggering $55,000 for the super deluxe, although to be fair, that price does include your own personal dwarf mechanic in a satchel, so you will never have to worry about breakdowns, or even regularly scheduled maintenance.


The Edsel Redux will be produced in limited quantities, by Ford of Honduras, and for reasons known only to those at the very top of the Ford hierarchy, will only be sold through Kia dealerships.   We look forward to our first test drive!


- Peter S. Tingly,  AutoLuddite




....Y'know... I've been thinkin'... I might just could be wrong... about all of this.  Just sayin'.

Bubba's Story

A repost from 2007, (and one of my better efforts).  We had posted this picture of Bubba, and had a poll for people to guess his COO (Country of Origin):



The "Bubba Poll" is now closed. For those waiting breathlessly for the answer... It's Georgia. That's right, Georgia. And not the one over there in the old Soviet Union.. the one in the American South. Bubba is an
Appalachian Corn Hound;or rather he's descended from the Corn Hounds, which were first created in the North Georgia mountains at the turn of the last century by mountain men who needed sturdy guard animals to protect their "corn likker" stills. Borrowing heavily from the French Great Pyrenees, for size, American Pitbulls for tenacity, and an occasional greyhound for speed in pursuing the hated "Revenoors" out of the mountains, these ingenius mountain dwellers produced a hound whose only vice was a taste for fine French wines and cognacs. Alas, this was to lead to the ultimate demise of the breed, even though it guaranteed that they would stay out of the moonshine. Because of their expensive tastes, these poor hill folk were unable to afford to keep this handsome dog. Additionally, the Corn Hound was able to somehow maintain beautiful strong, white teeth throughout their lifespans, which led to poor self-esteem among the very people that created them.

The entire population was, therefore, shipped off to Texas during the Great Depression, where the somewhat-wealthy Sheep Barons were able employ them in their current capacity, as sheep guarding dogs. So that's Bubba's story.. so rare, you won't even find it in Wikipedia!

And not only that, but... what?
What's that?
What's today's date, you say?

Why.. It's April Fool's Day.

And Bubba's an Akbash. From Turkey.
Congratulations to all who got it right. Texas, Todd?? ;)

Hello There.

(Please cue soundtrack, below)

Hello there..

I'm Indiana Gauss.

I'm a famed dashing and handsome blog-cheologist.  I seem to have stumbled upon this ancient and neglected blog.  It appears to have been vacated by some early race of idealistic, energetic blogger.  I've seen this before.  You would think that these indigenous writers would have vanished mysteriously from the face of the earth, but that's not so.  In true nomadic fashion, they've become part of the diaspora to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other so-called "social networking" sights.  Their laziness had gotten the better of them, and they no longer wanted to make the effort to toil at their thankless blogging tasks.

Fortunately, the final history of bloggers in general, and this blog in particular is far from being written.  Enough empirical evidence exists to predict that this blogging malaise is reversible, and that this blog will become a hive of literary activity very soon, (in blog-cheologic time, that is).

In fact, I can pretty fairly predict that soon you will here be reading about such diverse topics as:

• Geocaching

• The Pack Hunt, and Desert Hare Classic

• Driving miles and miles of desert and mountain jeep trails

• Desert wildflower reports

And probably a whole lot more.  You would be wise to monitor this location closely.  That is my professional opinion.  Now, I must be off to kill some Nazis and eat monkey brains.

It's Sad, I Know...

Victim In Fatal Car Accident Tragically Not Glenn Beck

Not completely SFW (language)

Sue the Bitch!

Keeping you entertained while I think of something profound or pithy to write...

Government Not Working For You? This May be Why.

In The Know: Are Politicians Failing Our Lobbyists?

These Kinds of Tragedies Hit Us Right Where We Live.

Survivors Of Gas Station Explosion Mourn Tragic Loss Of Gasoline

It's bad enough the price per gallon is on the rise again without these senseless losses......... :o)

Look Before You Litigate!

Outtakes.

By now you've all seen the viral video of Governor Palin pardoning a turkey while other turkeys are being whacked in the background. But have you seen the outtakes? SlateV has them here.

My Last Post on BarkObamaBlog.

Assuming there is not another election theft in the offing, Bark Obama Blog will go off the air on Wednesday, having outlived its usefulness, and served its purpose. I gotta say, it was fun being a small part of it. I didn't post much, but I hope I did my share.

Since not everyone who reads this blog reads Bark Obama, (and shame on you!), I thought I'd reprise my final pre-election post there. It's entitled:


Last Minute Advice for All My Republican Friends.

Both of you. You're uncomfortable with the McPain/Calin ticket. I know... I can read your body language. But you just can't bring yourself to vote for Obama/Biden. I understand. I once voted for John Anderson. If you're truly conflicted, I have just the ticket for you: Bob Barr. Saw him on PBS NewsHour a couple of weeks ago.. he's just the guy for you. In fact, if you've got friends with the same hesitations about the 'Cainster let 'em know that a vote for Bob Barr will make them feel oh-so-good. The more the better. Really. Do it. Do it tomorrow. Lots and lots of Republican votes for Bob Barr. Ignore for a moment he's a friend of Al Franken's. So is Gordon Liddy, and we don't hold that against Al. (Although, we might should...).

Better than not voting.

I was listening to Radio Times last week, and the discussion was with a panel of three non-voters. These guys not only don't vote for President; they don't vote for anything. One guy's wife was an elected school board official and he didn't even vote for her! Their reasoning was the usual nonsense: Not happy with the choices. It doesn't make any difference, I don't live in a battleground state, yada yada yada.

I've only heard one person give a compelling reason for not voting: (Warning- Not work-safe, and definitely not for the little ones...)

And he's dead.

So get out there and do it tomorrow.. (if you weren't smart-as-whips like some of us were and already voted!)

Point. Counter-point.

Sometimes The Onion writers step over the lines of good taste.
That's why I just love them!

Doppelganger.

The nation held it's breath.

The question on everyone's mind: How would she do? This would be a role she'd never before been cast in. The Republicans were tense. Democrats, too. This could be the deal breaker... or the deal maker of the whole presidential campaign.

In the end, as if there was ever a doubt- she didn't just hit a home run. She hit it clear out of the park.

"Dan", you're saying, "have you switched parties?".

Of course not. I'm talking about Tina Fey on SNL last night:



Perfect. Right down to the Frances McDormand "Fargo" inflection. She's still so damned hot! And a major talent on both sides of the camera.

As if I ever had a doubt.

(Watch it while you can.. NBC apparently doesn't like its stuff on YouTube for some reason, and this may be pulled.)

UPDATE: As predicted, NBC pulled the clip off YouTube, but thanks to Andrew at Regal Vizsla we've got another link up. Watch it while you can.

See Ya.

"That's it then...we're all going to die."- Arthur Dent.

Hey, You Care!

I guess everyone's fed up with ObaMcCain...

My Cabinet meetings will be held, appropriately, at the liquor Cabinet!


(Shamelessly stolen from Patrick Burns' Terrierman blog. HT to Patrick!)

No.18 In A Series.

How not to photograph lure coursing:

Lure coursing photography is a dangerous art, and should be left to experienced professionals only. Do not try this at home!

Thanks, and a big Hat Tip to our friend and unofficial II sub-contractor, Ben Brodeur.

If the Shoe Fits...

Hey fellow bloggers...
Smile if you think this is about you.
It's not me!

Your Vote Matters. Really.

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early