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Websites Suck at Evaluating This Website

July 28, 2011 | 1 comment

A few longtime readers may recall the time I had this blog’s reading level gauged by a web-based tool. The less-than-flattering result was “Junior High School level.” Less than a year later, that particular website evaluator no longer existed.

graded-paperDespite that experience, I seem to have retained a masochistic urge to be graded. Spurred on by the example of MaryAnn (a.k.a. The Flick Filosopher — see my blogroll), I rashly submitted this blog to the scrutiny of Hubspot’s Website Grader. Following her lead, I focused on Section I, letter E of the report:

high-school

Hey — that means I graduated up a level in only three years! Although… oh yeah, junior high school is only three years. Read the rest of this entry »


Weiner Doesn’t Have a “Problem,” He Has a Computer

June 16, 2011 | Comment

Sex advice sage and blogroll mainstay Dan Savage devoted the first ten minutes of his latest podcast episode to a passionate and astute rant about the Anthony Weiner kerfuffle. I should clarify that Dan’s commentary was recorded and released two days ago, on June 14; in it he refers specifically to Weiner’s confessional press conference, which had taken place a week earlier. Weiner’s resignation from congress didn’t occur until this morning, but it doesn’t make Dan’s argument any less relevant.

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Dan Savage (photo: Flickr/mattoly)

Of course, the full effect is only available by hearing Dan speak his words. Nevertheless, here are some highlights for the benefit of those unable to listen (or who simply prefer to read):

My favorite question [at the press conference] was this: “Why would you do this after you were married?” Because Lord knows, nobody goes online and flirts — or masturbates, looks at [or] downloads porn, or creates through the interactive-ness of the web their own porn moments — no married person does that. The worldwide web is just this big jack-off-a-thon for single people.

Read the rest of this entry »


In the Spirit of FUPenguin

April 23, 2011 | 2 comments

catMy high school classmate Eileen posted this picture on Facebook the other day, saying

I’m being kicked out of my chair but how could I possibly be upset?

My reply:

Easy.

Hey, kitty — I guess just having your own faux-lambswool rectangular pizza-crust cushion to lie on doesn’t befit your station, huh? You have to put it on a chair that is not yours, without seeking so much as a momentary nod of permission, and flop yourself down into a smug, entitled, croissant-shaped little snooze, is that how it is? NOT COOL, CAT. Your attitude is one big three-letter enigma, spelled W-T-F. Read the rest of this entry »


Top Ten Videos of 2010: 4. The Colbert Report, “Jesus Is a Liberal Democrat”

January 6, 2011 | 1 comment

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My man Stephen Colbert made it tough on me in 2010, in a good way. He had enough excellent moments to make selecting just one for my top ten feel almost completely arbitrary. I ultimately went with this one, from the December 16th episode of the Report, for the total force of its hypocrisy-bashing. Make sure you watch the whole clip, because he saves the coup de grâce for the last couple of lines.

My inclusion of this video rather than one of Colbert’s more ballyhooed 2010 moments (the previously-mentioned Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear and his testimony on behalf of migrant farm workers before the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship and Border Security) may seem counter-intuitive. Taking the satirical brickbat to hypocrites is hardly new for him — in fact, it could be declared as his primary stock in trade since the Report began in 2005. However, Read the rest of this entry »


Top Ten Videos of 2010: 5. Comedy Fights Malaria, “Bobby Bottleservice Gets Serious” [NSFW]

January 4, 2011 | Comment

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Nick Kroll as Fabrice Fabrice
(Photo: Flickr/gaelenh)

The twice-weekly podcast WTF with Marc Maron (see also: “Worthy Podcasts” in my home page sidebar) has given me a window into what is going on in the world of stand-up comedy, how it interconnects to the broader realm of show business, and the varying trials and triumphs of the comics from their own perspectives. On a somewhat less profound note, it has also pointed my attention to a lot of really goddamned funny people.

One of these is Nick Kroll. Many know him as a cast member of the TV series The League on FX, although I’m still not yet one of them.1 I don’t know what the correct comedy-speak term is for Kroll’s overall schtick, but I’ll take my best shot by describing him as (mainly) a bag-of-characters comic. His douchebag extraordinaire creation Bobby Bottleservice appears in several Funny or Die videos, including as part of the faux crime-fighting duo the Ed Hardy Boys. In this video, Kroll takes part in the Comedy Fights Malaria effort of Malaria No More by bringing Bobby Bottleservice to West Africa. The result is just wrong enough to be funny.

Of Nick Kroll’s other characters I personally get the biggest kick out of El Chupacabra, although by definition that one is best suited for radio. Fabrice Fabrice almost made the list this year, but I already had one Funny or Die interview video. Maybe next year, Fabrice.


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