Why America Is Slouching Towards Third World Status - Business Insider

America Is Slouching Towards Third World Status :

It used to be, everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. But that's not the case anymore. Facts matter not at all... What is important? What you want to be true, or what is true?... Truthiness is "What I say is right, and [nothing] anyone else says could possibly be true."
-S.C.

Can a Better Vibrator Inspire an Age of Great American Sex?

Technology -The Atlantic:

Sex toys have transformed into sophisticated and well-designed gadgets that take their inspiration from Apple not Hustler. But one company has a bigger hope: that a better machine could mean better sex for a repressed nation.

'via Blog this'

Anatole France Quotes

"An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even

how much you know. It's being able to differentiate between what

you know and what you don't ."

"Chance is  God's pseudonym."

"I prefer the folly of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom."

Anatole France

Yes, Dear.

Lindsay McCrum's Chicks with Guns explores the connection between women and guns through portraits of female gun owners at home.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/chicks-with-guns-photos-lindsay-mccrum-2011-11?op=1#ixzz1f2m3Mfx2

Undercap

Feeling a little chilly under that stocking cap? Tired of scalp irritation from wearing that fedora? You need an Undercap™! Each 95% cotton, 5% spandex cap is just like underwear for your head. Wear it underneath your hat for extra warmth and protection! Wear it by itself for a wacky new fashion statement! Hundreds of uses! Fits most adult heads.

http://www.mcphee.com/shop/products/Undercap.html

Love Gun

Love is in the air... literally! The Love Gun is a 5-3/4'' red and pink plastic cupid catapult. Just load one of the four tiny 1-1/4'' plastic cupids into the compartment and shoot it at the girl or guy of your dreams. The Love Gun's powers have not been fully tested. Love is not guaranteed.


http://www.mcphee.com/shop/products/Love-Gun.html

Bacon Tuxedo Puzzle - Archie McPhee & Co.

Bacon Tuxedo Puzzle - Archie McPhee

Bacon Tuxedo Puzzle

Ham? Too casual. Meatloaf? Too retro. Make no mistake about it, bacon is the best meat for formalwear! This bizarre jigsaw puzzle features a dashing young man in a bacon tuxedo posing with his date for a prom picture. She must have been so proud. Also includes a 48 piece bonus mystery puzzle! Each 500 piece puzzle is 14" x 18" when assembled.

Bacon Air Freshener - Archie McPhee & Co.

Bacon Air Freshener - Archie McPhee

Bacon Air Freshener

This unlikely Bacon Air Freshener is the perfect way to brighten any carnivore's day. Put one up in the family room and everyone will have a sudden craving for a BLT. Each has a handy string for hanging and measures about 4'' tall.

Sunrise in Meatopia Puzzle - Archie McPhee & Co.

Sunrise in Meatopia Puzzle - Archie McPhee & Co.

Sunrise in Meatopia Puzzle

This surreal jigsaw puzzle is either a carnivore’s dream or a vegetarian's nightmare. The gorgeous pastoral scene features a hot dog cabin, a bacon waterfall and a sausage canoe peacefully bobbing in a gravy lake. Also includes a 48 piece bonus mystery puzzle! Each 500 piece puzzle is 14" x 18" when assembled.

http://www.mcphee.com/shop/products/Sunrise-in-Meatopia-Puzzle.html

Control a mate - remote control

http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/supplies/d26a/

Point at subject, press button, hope for the best

Couples therapists will tell you that many relationships break down as a result of poor communication. She assumes he can read her mind and anticipate her every need. He assumes she's doing fine as long as she's still... well, still there. Meanwhile, on the inside, she's boiling mad about his bad habits and he's bummed that he hasn't gotten any action in weeks. Recipe for disaster? You betcha.

ThinkGeek to the rescue! Why spend hundreds of dollars to sit on a couch and spill all your secrets to a complete stranger when you could solve your problem with these two remote controls?

Highly Tested EvilTron

A truly diabolical device

Easy-to-hide with six creepy sound choices

There are a lot of scary things out there. But here at ThinkGeek Mindlabs(TM) we think there are certainly few things scarier than one's own imagination. The human mind can play devious tricks on itself, especially when given a small amount of outside stimuli to work with. Your thoughts can easily lead you into a maze of paranoia and put you into a very uncomfortable state of heightened awareness. That odd noise that just came from the attic or the "face" you just saw hovering for a split second outside your window - these things can really stir your thoughts. So, we used this simple principle to create our newest mind toy, the ThinkGeek EvilTron.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/c427/

Tech Story :)

I called Dell once upon a time to get a warranty replacement for a power supply that had gone up in smoke. My company has a support agreement with them and is supposed to receive priority support from Americans. Somehow I wound up in the queue talking to the morons from New Delhi. That went something like this:

Heavy Indian Accent: Thank you so much for calling Dell, my name is "Bob" (yeah, I bet it is buddy....), how many I assist you? 

Me: *sigh* (well, might as well give it a shot) "Yeah, I have a bad power supply here and I need to get a replacement for it." 

Tech Guy: Yes, yes, I am understanding that you have a bad power supply. Please insert the system diagnostics CD into the CD-ROM drive. 

Me: I can't do that. When I plug the system in sparks come out of the back. 

Tech Guy: Yes, yes, I am understanding your problem, please insert the system diagnostics CD into the CD-ROM drive. 

Me: No, you don't understand, I can't plug the system in, the power supply failed. 

Tech Guy: Please insert the system diagnostics CD into the CD-ROM drive. 

Me: (trying different tack) I can't get the CD-ROM drive to open. 

Tech Guy: Yes, I understand, is the computer plugged into the wall outlet? 

Me: (back to square one) No, sparks will come out of it. 

Tech Guy: Please insert the system diagnostics CD into the CD-ROM drive. 

Me: *click*

So I call them back and go through the same exact menu system. Somehow I wind up with an American this time. He had the thickest Texan drawl that I've ever heard in my life.

Tech Guy: Thanks for calling Dell, my name is John, how may I help you? 

Me: John, are you in the United States? 

John: No sir! I'm in Texas.

http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/12/21/1748220/Virtual-Visits-To-Doctors-Spreading?art_pos=3

In My Tub? - Department of Unintended Consequences

From Bloomberg:

Jerry Mendoza says he’s willing to go to an extreme he wouldn’t have before the real estate slump. It hit Southern California hard, with the median home price in a six-county region falling a record 34 percent in November to $285,000.

His four-bedroom house in suburban Burbank, which Mendoza built in 2006, didn’t sell for the $1.3 million he asked, and when renters left in November he began leasing it for filming. The most he received for a day was $1,300, he said. So he posted an Internet notice that the property, which has an eight-person hot tub, was available to the adult-film industry, which he had heard pays as much as $5,000 a day.

A few months ago, “I probably would’ve said, ‘You want to do what in here?’” he said. “That’s reserved for me and the missus.”

www.bloomberg.com

Yodelling Lederhosen

Remote Control, Hopping, Yodelling Lederhosen
6-1/4" tall, plastic pair of Bavarian trousers is activated by infrared remote control technology. Just press the button on the 4-1/2" long, plastic knockwurst and watch as the lederhosen hops around and sings a merry little yodel.

Groucho Quotes

"I must confess, I was born at a very early age."

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."

"Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others."

"Room service? Send up a larger room."

Economist Joke II

“Insofar as there is a lesson in history,” said James Grant, editor of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer, “it’s that human beings are not very good with large sums of money, anything over $136.”

Squirrel Underpants - Archie McPhee

Squirrel Underpants - Archie McPhee: They started as an April Fools joke, but the reaction to them was so strong we decided to actually make them.

Are you sick and tired of squirrels running naked? Have you had to hide your children’s eyes when a tiny furry streaker crosses the sidewalk in front of you? We’ve got the answer, Squirrel Underpants! Each pair of tiny briefs has a 3' waist and is made of 100% cotton. Also good for hamsters, frogs and gerbils.

Economist Joke

Man walking along a road in the countryside
comes across a shepherd and a huge flock of sheep. Tells the shepherd,
"I will bet you $100 against one of your sheep that I can tell you the
exact number in this flock." The shepherd thinks it over; it's a big flock
so he takes the bet. "973," says the man. The shepherd is astonished, because
that is exactly right. Says "OK, I'm a man of my word, take an animal."
Man picks one up and begins to walk away.

"Wait," cries the shepherd, "Let
me have a chance to get even. Double or nothing that I can guess your exact
occupation." Man says sure. "You are an economist for a government think
tank," says the shepherd. "Amazing!" responds the man, "You are exactly
right! But tell me, how did you deduce that?"

"Well," says the shepherd, "put down
my dog and I will tell you."

Inflatable Fruitcake - New Blow Up Holiday Tradition- Archie McPhee

Inflatable Fruitcake - New Blow Up Holiday Tradition:

It’s festive, it’s traditional and it’s inedible — just like the real thing. Each vinyl fruitcake comes deflated with a 9-1/2' x 5-1/2' envelope and a decorative sticker, making it easy to send one to all of your friends and family! When inflated, this icon of old-fashioned baked goods is 8-1/2' x 5' x 4-1/2' and makes a great centerpiece for the holiday dinner table.

Jousting