Musings of the Great Eric

Shawn Hogan, Hero:
Last November, Shawn Hogan received an unsettling call: A lawyer representing Universal Pictures and the Motion Picture Association of America informed the 30-year-old software developer that they were suing him for downloading Meet the Fockers over BitTorrent. Hogan was baffled. Not only does he deny the accusation, he says he already owned the […]

Keith Chen’s Monkey Research
But do the capuchins actually understand money? Or is Chen simply exploiting their endless appetites to make them perform neat tricks?
Several facts suggest the former. During a recent capuchin experiment that used cucumbers as treats, a research assistant happened to slice the cucumber into discs instead of cubes, as was typical. One […]

An article on MSNBC examines the scientific reality of the best fantasy ever (zero-g sex):
However, off-Earth romantics will have to cope with some practical challenges:
* Sex in space would likely be “hotter and wetter” than on Earth, Bonta said, because in zero-G there is no natural convection to carry away body […]

People are bitching, actually bitching, about having to work 44.6 hours a week.

Martin Spence of Bectu points to a recent UK jobs survey as proving that such conditions exist in England, as well. “The results debunk some of the glamorous myths about working in media,” he says. “The hours are long and although on face […]

This cartoon answers the question.
Technorati Tags: Funny, Sex

Astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin became the first human beings to step foot on the moon; and to this day remain two of only twelve who have ever done so.
Technorati Tags: NASA, Moon, Apollo 11, History, Astronauts, Space

Technorati Tags: Funny, Star Wars, Yoda

BBC:
Sharing a bed with someone could temporarily reduce your brain power - at least if you are a man - Austrian scientists suggest.
When men spend the night with a bed mate their sleep is disturbed, whether they make love or not, and this impairs their mental ability the next day.
Ah, so now I have an […]

What’s the most universal digital music format out there, that will work on almost any system and play on almost any device, while allowing for the easiest conversions to CD audio and other formats?
Yahoo Music Blog:

You can buy a personalized version of the new Jessica Simpson song “A Public Affair” from Yahoo! Music’s Web Site […]

Sometime I’m just awed by the fact that I can get a photo taken on the surface of another planet delivered to my desktop. To say nothing of the fact that the photo itself is hauntingly beautiful. Link. (Go to the site for uncropped, high resolution version)

Technorati Tags: Mars, Rovers, Spirit, NASA, Photos

When Bush vetoed the stem cell bill the other day, he of course used a backdrop of mothers with babies as if that had something to do with it. One of the babies didn’t buy into the BS though.

Technorati Tags: Bush, Stem Cells, Funny

Let’s just face it. The last time anyone had a good idea for a kid’s show was the 1980’s. On the bright side, those were some freaking sweet shows back then - and it’s nice to see them still get tribute.
The only real question in my mind now; will Vanilla Ice be doing the soundtrack […]

Vietnam to offer movies about sex on Internet:
The straight-laced government of communist-run Vietnam, where pornographic Web sites are banned, plans to offer downloadable movies on an Internet site to educate married couples about healthy sex, a newspaper said on Thursday.
The official English-language Vietnam News quoted Khuat Thu Hong, Deputy Director of the Institute for Social […]

YouTube has updated their Terms and Conditions basically says that they can do whatever they want with content you upload to the site - put ads around it, sell it, license it - and they don’t have to pay you a dime.

Among other things, this means they could strip the audio portion of any track […]

So when he finally does, what does he use it on? An out of control spending bill? Nah… he uses it to inhibit the progress of medical science. Amazing.
Technorati Tags: Bush, Veto, Stem Cells, Science,

The Man Upstairs Is in the House:
Yesterday’s House debate on same-sex marriage was pure dead horse: The Senate last month rejected — emphatically — a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to ban same-sex marriage, so there was zero chance the amendment could be approved this year. But members of the House were answering to […]

A Washington Post columnist talks about the RIAA lawsuit against XM, and hits the nail on the head in describing the RIAA:

Here in Washington, there is nothing more amusing than watching business interests work themselves up into a righteous frenzy over a threat to their monopoly profits from a new technology or some upstart with […]

I don’t usually post from The Onion, but this is awesome:
There’s No Way I’m Saving That Guy
By Jesus Christ
All right. I realize I am supposed to be all-merciful, universally loving, the Light and the Way and everything, but even a divine avatar of the Supreme Being’s loving grace has His limits. I know I’ve said […]

[Connery]I’ll take “The Rapist” for 100, Alex.[/Connnery]
From Independent Sources:
1. A site called ‘Who Represents‘ where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… is
www.whorepresents.com
2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at
www.expertsexchange.com
3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than […]

Congressman: We Should ‘Prevent Those Who Commit Adultery or Get a Divorce From Running for Office’:
Today, the House of Representative is spending the day debating a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. (It has no chance of becoming law, since the Senate rejected it last month.)
On the House floor, Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN) said he […]