Category: Funny Stuff

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Critters Funny Stuff Gadgetology

Man’s best friend(s)

Romana and K-9I’m not the most social animal in the world, but a quick inventory of the Twitter accounts I follow has revealed that nearly half of them are robots operating on or near other planets. I just like the company of cats (on this planet) and robots (on other planets). (I also like dogs on this planet, just for the record. Soviet-era Russia launching live dogs into orbit and never bothering to return them home in one piece: not OK. Poor Laika.)

I’m sure psychoanalysts would have a field day with that.… Read more

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...And Little E Makes 3 Funny Stuff Gadgetology

Any other answer and we would’ve had to have a long talk

WiringOne of my beloved Samsung LCD monitors bit the dust today: dead lamp. This is the first dead lamp I’ve had in over 10 years of not doing CRTs (except as TVs that sit across the room – still haven’t made the leap to HD yet, despite the whole forced-obsolescence thing – my brother’s 23″ Zenith color TV that went to college with him and back is still working, thank you very much). This is a pain-in-the-butt loss because the Samsung screens had baseband (RCA) video and audio inputs as well as VGA – they were pretty dandy for hauling to OVGE and hooking old video games up to.

Also, it was a pain in the butt to unplug everything and grab another monitor to put in its place. The cable leading to the monitor’s AC adapted fell behind my desk into the veritable Sargasso Sea of wires and cables, and I needed to retrieve it somehow. My son has a “grabber” (the same thing they market to old folks and disabled people) that he inherited from my wife, who uses it at work (but not because she’s old or disabled). He inherited it because it didn’t quite work the way she needed it to for work purposes. I asked him if I could borrow it.

ME: Can I borrow your grabber?
E: I lost it. [he says this a lot]
ME: Can you find a stick that I can get this cable with?
E: A stick?
ME: Yeah. Even better if it has something on the end so I can hook this cable.
E: I don’t have a hooker, dad.

Good thing too, son. You wouldn’t be getting an allowance for chores anymore if you did.… Read more

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Funny Stuff Gadgetology

Pop-cultural anthropology

It's for youI was watching an older TV show (read that as: very standard-def) the other night, when an incredibly amusing thought occurred to me.

You know the old pop culture convention where someone makes a phone call on a land line, and someone else quietly listens on another phone on the same line, overhearing everything that’s said, thus introducing some complication to the plot?

Kids who have only ever known cell phones aren’t going to have even the slightest freaking clue as to what that‘s all about. … Read more

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Funny Stuff Gaming ToyBox

You’ve never seen a Dalek jump… until now

Showdown at... well... a new locationI think I’ve worked out enough kinks in my Diabolical Plan for an audience participation piece at my Glitchcon table in a few weeks to let you in on it.

First off, it’s all in keeping with the Doctor Who theme, since I’ll be at Glitchcon primarily to sell my lovely little (well… little… 3-pound, almost-400-page) Doctor Who book. Also, and I don’t think I’m spoiling this for anyone since the BBC has already beaten everyone over the head with it, the upcoming season premiere of Doctor Who will feature – for the first time in the new series – every make and model of original series (1963-1989) Dalek that ever menaced the Doctor. This plays with that notion too. … Read more

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Funny Stuff Gaming ToyBox

Check your Dalek

Late last night, a really goofy thought hit me about an audience participation gag for Glitchcon. It would actually be tied into this year’s Doctor Who season premiere, which – the advance publicity boasts – features every previous model of Dalek from the original series in one strange setting. I’ve now come up with an idea to place Daleks, new and old, in an even stranger (and interactive) setting. Part of me thinks it’s goofy enough that folks might walk by and stare and not have anything to do with the other stuff on the table (that would be bad, since I’m trying to sell books), another part of me thinks it’ll be irresistible (which would be good, because… ooh, look! Books and DVDs! Shiny things for sale!).

Cryptic hint: this is directly related to the image in the blog post before this one.

Stay tuned.… Read more

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...And Little E Makes 3 Funny Stuff Television & Movies

I never asked this question in ’77

Little E and I were watching Star Wars (again) on Friday night; toward the end, when the Imperial Flunkie asks Tarkin if he wants his escape pod fired up and ready, my son suddenly blurts out “ARE THEY TRYING TO TEXT EACH OTHER?”

I have no. idea. where. that. came. from. I don’t have a plan that allows for a lot of texting. Texting is something that really doesn’t go on in this house. I’m old and unhip. But, you know, if George is going to keep reinventing Star Wars for a new generation, then I guess this road only leads to one place…

TEXT WARS … Read more