The database of world currency design has lots of examples of money that looks better than ours. Check Macedonia's atomic spacepod

Manhole cover floormats

Earth temp at 400yr. high.
The Bush administration has maintained that the threat is not severe enough to warrant new pollution controls that the White House says would have cost 5 million Americans their jobs.

Effective Friday, AT&T is changing its customer privacy policy, giving itself broad permissions to share private customer data with the Bush Administration.

AT&T is being sued by San Francisco's Electronic Frontier Foundation for allegedly allowing the NSA to tap into the company's data network, providing warrantless access to customers' e-mails and Web browsing.

AT&T is also believed to have participated in President Bush's acknowledged domestic spying program, in which the NSA was given warrantless access to U.S. citizens' phone calls.

Great vintage candy bar wrappers on Mr. Toast's blog.
Mmmm, mmm... cold turkey.

Flash: Escape from the crimson room
Then try the viridian room and the white chamber

The sound of pi
Flash app plays the first 10,000 digits of pi. While great at circles, pi sucks at music.

Sushi Pillows

Embed
Check Mark Jenkins' other street art.

Hamster powered MIDI sequencer

The big list of fallacious arguments

"Hi! Come on in. Let me get you a cup of coffee and tell you about the swell bridge you'll be buying."

More edible Beatles stuff from RareBeatles.com

Beatles Bubble Gum Cards

[Too Much Fab Book-Lernin']
People tend to get really analytical about the Beatles. Here are a few of the most fevered.
Semantic Shifts In Beatles Chord Progressions
The intention of our experiment was to investigate whether harmonic shifts can be perceived as shifts in the semantic contexts of a song excerpt. To this end we presented progressions of two and three chords to a sample of 40 subjects. The first chord was meant to induce a tonal context for the next ones, which we asked the subjects to rate on both semantic dimensions. The stimuli contained a minimal amount of musical information. The song fragments with the relevant chord transitions were reduced to chords played on a piano, each lasting only a couple of seconds. The approach taken thus can be called highly reductionistic.

The Beatles Biography

Beatles Money. Just what it sounds like. I have no idea why anybody would want to know who lent who money.
Sample fact: In a promo sheet from '65 it states George bought a bow and arrow. Purpose unknown

And saving the best for last, Alan Pollock's The Official Beatles Canon
which features detailed analysis of every single Beatles song. The fanboy geek-factor is cranked to an unbelievable level, but there's just a lot of great info in hear that even the most studious listener would never have picked up.

"Surprisingly, barely six different chords are used within the entire song to exploit such a complex tonal situation, in which your sense of where the home key is is kept continually in flux. I'd suggest that this changeability is so strongly a subliminal hook element of the song that the final ending on C sounds a tad abrupt and forced; perhaps a fade-out would have worked better."

Happy 64th, Paul

Life Masks. Strange.

Amazing Colbert interview with Georgia (R) Congressman Lynn Westmoreland
(YouTube)

Check out The Jive's house band, Jet Weston and the Atomic Ranch Hands, playing live on WDVR's Heartland Hayride. The show runs Saturday evening from 6-8pm. The Ranch Hands will be playing a half dozen songs throughout the course of the show.

WDVR's Audio Feed Here

Looks like whale's back on the menu, boys!
"There are stocks of whales that are very abundant. What's the idea of having them just there, increasing, increasing and increasing," he said.

Gold rush, front yard (SFGate)

Apt. door peephole = digital camera fisheye lens.

Death by DMCA
Emboldened by their successes, U.S. entertainment companies are pushing for another wave of even more restrictive legislation. “Broadcast flag” legislation could require that all consumer electronics devices recognize protected television broadcasts and potentially refuse to copy them; a so-called “radio flag” bill would prevent or restrict the manufacture of hard disk recorders for digital radio; and an “analog hole” closure would restrict the connections new digital devices can make with analog devices.

This quiet 51-year-old Californian (above, on a ladder) for the past 22 years has been creating giant plywood people who pop up in fields and on storefronts all over Monterey County, California.

Spiritual album or serial killer's confession? You be the judge. Anyway, old Freddie should be arrested for the white hi-rise leather boots alone. I must have made a dozen bad album cover posts, but there's always something new. Here's another site full of horrible ideas.

[Scopitone film] Web of Love - Joi Lansing

Folgers: Wake up to torment by glowing yellow clowns singing "You can sleep when you are dead".

[The Dust of Oblivion] Paintings by Dan Kennedy

Stan Getz and a jaw-droppingly cute Astrud Gilberto doing "Girl from Ipanema" (1964)

I can't hear it (mp3).
(story)

Nixie clock gallery Digital clocks from analog tubes
(via gizmodo)

This is a really cool optical illusion

For more urban decay photography, check out Satan's Laundromat. Tons of great stuff, including the imitation chicken gallery.
I could really go for some Utah fried chicken.

A photo set documenting the death of the Pabst brewery in Newark.

Michael Berg talks about the death of his son and al-Zarqawi
I find it incredible that someone can be so hopeful, rational, and forgiving when something this bad has happened to them.

Well, my reaction is I'm sorry whenever any human being dies. Zarqawi is a human being. He has a family who are reacting just as my family reacted when Nick was killed, and I feel bad for that. (Watch Berg compare Zarqawi to President Bush -- 1:44)

I feel doubly bad, though, because Zarqawi is also a political figure, and his death will re-ignite yet another wave of revenge, and revenge is something that I do not follow, that I do want ask for, that I do not wish for against anybody. And it can't end the cycle. As long as people use violence to combat violence, we will always have violence.

Oneworldexpedition is the online diary of 2 guys trying to cross the arctic icecap before it melts. Sponsored by Greenpeace's Project Thin Ice

Less Popular Game Show Catchphrases (McSweeneys)

Harper's On Simple Human Decency

Why didn't I think of this?

Gallery of huge beings
Every huge roadside guy I've ever seen has had a beard. Big lumberjack. Big Amish guy. Big farmer. Trucker. You get the idea. Actually, I'm pretty sure the beard is these sculptors' only priority. I'll be damned if this blimp-holding welder (wtf?) isn't sporting one under his mask. Huge-guy-sculpting is truly a beard-enthusiast artform. So this is a welcome sight.

[Tri-tarded] Since the early 50's when electric guitars first gained popularity with players, people have been screwing up a perfectly good thing with idiotic schemes trying to come up with a better way to make them. Now there's this y-shaped... oh forget it.

Monkey Chow Guy is 4 days in and 5 pounds down.
It's all in the monkey sauces.

But can a human subsist on a constant diet of pelletized, nutritionally complete food like puppies and monkeys do? For the good of human kind, I'm about to find out. On June 3, 2006, I began my week of eating nothing but monkey chow: "a complete and balanced diet for the nutrition of primates, including the great apes." Maybe I'll lose weight. Maybe I'll gain superhuman monkey strength. Maybe I'll go crazy. Maybe it's too late. Check back here every day to follow along with the Monkey Chow Diaries. Comments, criticisms, questions and advice can be left on the blog.

RIP Billy Preston

The Mummies! Kings of the Budget Rock Showcase!

Stephen Colbert's Commencement speech at Knox College

And when you enter the workforce, you will find competition from those crossing our all-too-poorest borders. Now I know you’re all going to say, “Stephen, Stephen, immigrants built America.” Yes, but here’s the thing—it’s built now. I think it was finished in the mid-70s sometime. At this point it’s a touch-up and repair job. But thankfully Congress is acting and soon English will be the official language of America. Because if we surrender the national anthem to Spansih, the next thing you know, they’ll be translating the Bible. God wrote it in English for a reason! So it could be taught in our public schools.

So we must build walls. A wall obviously across the entire southern border. That’s the answer. That may not be enough—maybe a moat in front of it, or a fire-pit. Maybe a flaming moat, filled with fire-proof crocodiles. And we should probably wall off the northern border as well. Keep those Canadians with their socialized medicine and their skunky beer out. And because immigrants can swim, we’ll probably want to wall off the coasts as well. And while we’re at it, we need to put up a dome, in case they have catapults. And we’ll punch some holes in it so we can breathe. Breathe free. It’s time for illegal immigrants to go—right after they finish building those walls. Yes, yes, I agree with me.

Silent Library

Wooden Periodic Table of the Elements

[Would you like 50 lbs. of fries with that?] There's a place in Clinton, New Jersey called the Clinton Station that serves what has to be the world's biggest cheeseburger. It's 50 lbs. (demolishing their old record-breaking 15 pound "Zeus" burger, because, hey, why the hell not?), and if 5 people can finish it in 3 hours, it's free. Otherwise, they pay the $100. These guys tried, but failed.

(Flash) Paint like Jackson Pollock (via boingboing)

Guitar Face Gallery (from wfmu)

The Fate of the Ocean
A long (12p) but very worthwhile article on the effects and probable outcomes of man-made climate change and pollution-causing hypoxic zones on the oceans (Mother Jones)

["Yeah.... but why?" dept.] Gallery of the Absurd is gossip-page art, I guess.
The artist makes really nice paintings using empty celebrities as themes.

The long-awaited Ubuntu linux 6.06 "Dapper Drake" release is available today! Get it.

I can't get enough of The Jam lately. The demo version on "Snap!" is my favorite, but this album version is brilliant as well.
"That's Entertainment"

Puzzlefloor
(via boingboing)

Bad Japanese Inventions.
because, you know, rain'll kill you.

"Waitin' Round to Die"
A sad, sad song by the late, great Townes Van Zandt from the film Heartworn Highway. As he plays song, it brings an old man to tears. God this is what music is all about. A really astounding piece of video, and if this doesn't get you, you don't have a heart.

12

[2 birds; 1 stone] An old slot/vending machine that pays in smokes. From the vintage cigarette-worship page. As evil as these things are, there's some interesting ad art here.

Bub (short .mov)

More people voted for American Idol than for any U.S. president, ever. Oh shit. We're screwed.

Taylor Hicks, 29, emerged as the winner in the finale of the TV show on Wednesday night in which 63m votes were cast. It is the biggest single voting night in the five-season history of the show. In the 1984 US presidential election, 54.5 million voters backed Ronald Reagan - the most votes obtained by a president.

A nice little backmasking site that lets you play song sections forward and backwards thru flash.

Bob Dylan's 3rd XM show, "Drink", is up.

2-seater dolphin. Technically, I don't need this, but I-95 traffic isn't getting any better, and I live by the river...

This doll shit has to stop: Ghostface Killah

$15K record player.

Nothing to say here... I just love the pic.

I'll see your legal limit, and raise you 18 times.

Sin, then get forgiven in inflatable style.

Pork Tornado's 10 worst album covers of all time. Eh. They've got Millie Jackson, but not this one? (who thought that up? Her? Her manager?) I've seen worse. Hell, I own worse. Let me see if I can find scans of some of this crap...

New York Public Library has a large collection of Turn of the Century advertising posters

A nice little gallery of Terrytoons lobby cards.

Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames doing 'Yeh Yeh' on Hullaballoo, 1965.

If you're in or around central Jersey, check out the Jive's house band, Jet Weston and the Atomic Ranch Hands playing a stripped-down acoustic set at the Freehold Artfest/Antiquefest. Main St. Freehold, NJ at 1pm.

Decade by decade with Archie (OnionAVClub)

Downloads of Bob Dylan's Radio Hour from XM are available for free D/L thru whitemanstew.
Each of the two available episodes is an hour (.mp3)
(found, like much other great stuff, through Bifurcated Rivets)

10 Things I Hate About Commandments (youtube, vid link)

"Well you want a Wooo-Woooo!"
Hell yeah, I want a Wooo-Wooo!
After the news piece, Number 1 Raiders fan Bubb Rubb got a Soundboard and a Store. I hope Lil'Sis is getting a piece of the action.

Mini Paintings by Jeremy Tinder
(via gmt+9)

More great Lists from McSweeneys

DogRadioThailand.com joins the Daily Jive ultra-explanatory domain name club. (with great company)

The Bedazzled Video Podcast #1 features clips from The Everly Brothers (from Music Scene), Lee Hazelwood, and the Turtles.

Jay Ward concept art that the lucky-ass Mr. Toast found on ebay.

The phone-spying scandal is getting worse.
It appears the Administration is now actively targeting journalists to uncover sources. This is a far cry from the 'pattern mining' explanation given just days ago for the illegal spying activity. (abcnews)

Strap-on Beerbelly

Brilliant Al Gore bit on SNL from last night!

Senator Orrin Hatch's checklist:
1) Remote controlled self-destructing computers? Yup.
2) "Hell no, UFO"? Done.
3) R-Utah-style champagne-lovejams. Check.
The Utah-R Senator wants you to get down.

Yacht Rock! (thanks, Chris)

[Constitution? I don't see no Constitution!] The NSA has a massive database of every phone call.
Can we just impeach this clown already?

"It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added.

This is disturbing on many levels, not the least of which is the giant telecoms' complicity in this illegal activity. The lone hero appears to be Qwest, who has refused the government's demands.

Among the big telecommunications companies, only Qwest has refused to help the NSA, the sources said. According to multiple sources, Qwest declined to participate because it was uneasy about the legal implications of handing over customer information to the government without warrants.
Qwest's refusal to participate has left the NSA with a hole in its database. Based in Denver, Qwest provides local phone service to 14 million customers in 14 states in the West and Northwest. But AT&T and Verizon also provide some services — primarily long-distance and wireless — to people who live in Qwest's region. Therefore, they can provide the NSA with at least some access in that area.

Tired of looking at your flatlining Microsoft stock? Go long in Korea's hot-chick android market.

Google Maps: Just add water. Is your oceanfront property soon going to have a 360 degree water view? Flood Maps will show you your town under varying levels of floodwater when the polar caps release their full potential in the coming years. Head for the hills.

Yesterday, I saw this billboard off of I-95 northbound in Philly, which is pretty strange by any measure. Turns out its for the National Day of Slayer.

The holiday comes with instructions:
DO NOT use headphones! The objective of this day is for everyone within earshot to understand that it is the National Day of Slayer. National holidays in America aren't just about celebrating; they're about forcing it upon non-participants.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Philly Rock'N'Rods show today to listen to the Atomic Ranch Hands set, and especially those that stopped to say hey. There was a great bunch of people, fantastic music, perfect weather, and possibly the biggest collection of deathtrap automobiles ever assembled in one place. I've never seen such half-assed welding. Keep it coming! It was a really amazing day, and I'm glad to see that so many hundreds of hotrodders and music fans showed up. Thanks Scott and the Prof. for putting it all together. See you in August.

If you think all interviews with rock bands are the same, check out the Arthur magazine interview with Godsmack. I hate even typing that. Godsmack?! Ugh. (via mefi)

A gallery of anamorphic sidewalk drawings

Invisibility cloak, coming up.

The Clash on "Fridays" from 1980. Network TV ain't what it used to be. (snapped from BoingBoing)

Narthex: Diary of an early 80's Philly punk band

Got $145K socked away? If your dollars were Zimbabwean, it could buy you a single roll of toilet paper. (SFGate)
By March, inflation had touched 914 percent a year, at which rate prices would rise more than tenfold in 12 months. Experts agree that quadruple-digit inflation is a certainty.