Day 461: Friday Night Lights-Out

originally published April 5, 2013 Are you planning on watching TV tonight? Sorry, that was a rather personal and forward question, but I assure you, I’m only trying to survey the bleak and unloved landscape of a network TV Friday night. Purely for scientific reasons. You see, network executives have held Friday night with a […]

Day 460: The World Of Tomorrow… Yesterday!

originally published April 4, 2013 Every so often, a new technology grabs the public’s attention by the short hairs and doesn’t let go until it has gone mainstream. The iPad caused massive line-ups, earned gazillions in pre-sales, and offered the world an entirely new way to stream pornography. The first portable mp3 players showed us […]

Day 459: Remembering Your Astronomical Symbols

originally published April 3, 2013 So you want to learn more about astrology. Maybe you’re seeking answers and guidance from the stars, or perhaps you’re just looking to fleece a few bucks off the gullible suckers who think they can find answers and guidance in the stars. No matter – you’re going to need to […]

Day 458: Conquering Apathy With The Oregon Experiment

originally published April 2, 2013 One aspect that has been lacking from my university experience is activism. Actually, a number of things have been lacking – keep in mind, I’m returning in my 30s to complete a long-neglected academic career, and I have a family, a job, and no desire to drink until I puke […]

Day 457: Beer, Boobs, Bands & Bongs – Happy April!

originally published April 1, 2013 It’s April 1, a day when I can proudly post my retirement from this 1000-day project, only to retract it in a smartly-placed “APRIL FOOLS” at the end of the article. But I won’t do that. I respect my audience too much. Also, pulling a prank on April Fools Day […]

Day 456: Perusing The Putrescence – Worst TV Part 4

originally published March 31, 2013 Month’s end – always a great time to look back and reflect on some of the troughs in our culture. For every show like The Wire, there have been hundreds of Manimals – shows so ill-conceived and/or poorly-executed, it’s a wonder how they made it on the air. Especially when […]

Day 455: Ethnic Bitch-Slapping 101

originally published March 30, 2013 A warning to my more sensitive readers: today’s piece will be filled with some of the most vile, hateful, antagonistic writing my tap-dancing fingers have ever spewed. And none of it will be my fault. As a sensitive and kind-hearted soul (or so I tell the ladies), I try not […]

Day 454: Topping The Market, Part II

originally published March 29, 2013 The beauty of what some call ‘useless trivia’ is in its ephemeral nature. The facts and statistics under this heading are fleeting and transitory, often surpassed or rendered obsolete before they’ve made their way through the populace. Yet the good ones will merit a raised eyebrow, a muttered “huh”, or […]

Day 453: Topping The Market, Part I

originally published March 28, 2013 In my never-ending (well, not for another 547 days) quest to ensconce myself in the fluffy warm glow of superfluous and unnecessary trivia, I occasionally rely on lists to feed my cravings. I don’t present a lot of “top ten” lists here, partly because that format has been scribed to […]

Day 452: The Bright Light Of The Vietnam War

originally published March 27, 2013 It is perhaps the greatest failure of the American film production machine that no one has thought to put the story of Hugh Thompson Jr. on the big screen. I have read about some fascinating lives over the past 452 days, but Hugh’s is at the top of the list. […]