Walmart Shoppers in All Their Glory

I thought this seemed appropriate on Halloween.

See more here.

Halloween Light Show

Caught on Video: Elderly Woman Driving Wrong Way on Interstate

An 84-year-old woman from Wilmington, Pennsylvania, was seen driving the wrong way on I-95 Thursday afternoon, causing several crashes along the way. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

This video was shot by another driver:


So far, the woman has not been formally charged with any crime.

Naturally, the first thing I thought of after reading that story was this scene from Planes, Trains, and Automobiles:

Allow Extra Time at the Airport When Traveling This Holiday Season

Thanks to changes in the "security" screening process in U.S. airports, you will want to allow plenty of extra time when traveling this holiday season. As a passenger, you now have a choice when passing through a security checkpoint: 1) You may walk through the full-body image scanner, or 2) you may submit to a pat-down.

If you opt for the latter, be aware that this is not a back-of-the-hand frisking and a quick wave of a metal-detecting wand. The new procedure is so invasive that the TSA agents conducting these intimate groping sessions will be required to buy each passenger dinner first. Pad your travel schedule accordingly.

Of course, you could always choose option one and have naked pictures of yourself taken and stored in a federal database so they can be ogled later by tax-subsidized perverts. It's entirely up to you.

I really long for the days when traveling to Grandma's meant a pleasant sleigh ride over the river and through the woods. I don't know about you, but my idea of holiday cheer doesn't involve sexual harassment.

Dads Against Daughters Dating

I may have to get one of these within the next few years.

NEWSFLASH: The World Won't End in 2012

Let's clear up something first. The Mayans never predicted the cataclysmic end of all things in a particular year; their calendar just ran out of dates. My theory is that the guy assigned to write down all those dates simply got tired and quit. But try making that into a Hollywood movie.

Like Y2K before it, 2012 has become its own multimillion-dollar industry. Web sites, books, movies, you name it; just about everyone has gotten in on the action. So imagine the collective disappointment when it was discovered that the Mayan Long Count Calendar - or at least our understanding of it - is wrong. The world won't come to an end in 2012. In fact, the ending date on the calendar may be off by 50 to 100 years. (Someone forgot to carry the one, or something like that.)

I guess that means our grandchildren will probably be the ones having to worry about the end of the world. But since they would have already had to deal with the bankruptcy of Social Security and Medicare, the collapse of the U.S. dollar, a third world war, and several more butchered re-releases of the Star Wars movies, I can't think of a better-prepared generation.

iPhone Travels to Space, Falls 100,000 Feet, and Survives

This is cool. Over the span of eight months, seven year old Max Geissbuhler and his father built a spacecraft designed to carry an iPhone that would record the trip to the outer edge of Earth's atmosphere. Here is footage of that amazing trip.



So what did your kid do for his science project?

iPhone Rock Concert on the B Train

Members of the alternative rock group Atomic Tom, using only iPhones, perform their single "Take Me Out" on the B Train in New York City.

"Validation" (an Award-Winning Short Film)

Mr. T on Sound Investing

I don't want to speak for Mr. T, but I'm sure he would pity the fool who doesn't invest in gold.



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Original Star Wars Trilogy As a Paper Animation

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Tired of Expensive Deodorants That Don't Work? Make Your Own

With very few exceptions, Americans like to smell good. In addition to showering and bathing regularly, we try to conceal our odorous emanations with all sorts of deodorants, antiperspirants, lotions, colognes, and perfumes.

Have you ever stopped to think what all of that costs? According to Euromonitor International, a market research firm, Americans spent $2.3 billion on deodorant and antiperspirant in 2006. That's a lot of Speed Stick.

There are other costs involved in our obsession with hygiene. One major problem with antiperspirants is that they inevitably stain your clothes. White shirts develop yellow stains from the toxic chemicals used to keep your armpits dry. Companies have recently started coming out with new formulas designed to minimize yellowing, but they are even more expensive than the regular stuff.

Deodorants, on the other hand, simply don't work. At all. If you like the smell of B.O. with a touch of lilac, then store-bought deodorant is your best choice.

I know what you're thinking: "Are there any alternatives?" I'm glad you asked.

A brief perusal of the internet will yield a wide range of interesting and creative suggestions for fighting body odor. There is one in particular that has worked for me, and now instead of spending hundreds of dollars each year on products that really don't do what they're supposed to do, I spend a few bucks on a solution that has proven to be 100% effective.

You will find many variations of this online, but here are the only ingredients needed for a natural deodorant that actually works:

• 1/4 cup baking soda
  
• 1/4 cup corn starch
  
• 4 to 5 tablespoons refined coconut oil

Stir the ingredients together until they are thoroughly mixed and store in a small jar or Tupperware container. (Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so you may have to heat it in the microwave or in a saucepan to make mixing easier.) To use, simply scoop a nickel-sized amount on your fingertips and apply under your arms.

The baking soda fights the bacteria causing underarm odor, and the corn starch absorbs moisture. The coconut oil holds it together in a nice paste, and since it melts at about 76° F, your body heat makes application very easy. (I prefer refined coconut oil because it doesn't smell like coconut.) I can only speak from personal experience, but this stuff works better than any deodorant I have ever tried, and I've tried a lot.

The nice thing about this homemade deodorant is that you can experiment with the formula to find a mixture that suits your particular body type. For example, someone with more sensitive skin may want to use less baking soda, or even add some aloe during the mixing process. Those who like their deodorant to have some fragrance can add a dash of scented oil (e.g. tea tree oil). The combinations are virtually endless.

Of course, the best thing about it is that it works. Again, I can only speak for myself, but there have been many occasions in which one application has lasted over 36 hours -- and several of those included mowing the lawn in 90-degree heat.

So, if you're tired of expensive deodorants that don't work, stop complaining and just make your own. What have you got to lose?

Alton Brown Talks Food and Faith

I've always liked Alton Brown, host of the popular Food Network show Good Eats. Unlike most chefs, he doesn't just show you the how; he explains the why, and he does it by delving into the science behind the cooking process.

In a recent interview with Eater.com, Brown discussed food, but he also opened up about his faith. I especially liked his response when asked about being a born-again Christian: "Yeah, 'born-again' is kind of an odd term because that's like saying a see-through window. But yes, I am a Christian."

You can read the full interview here.

Stop Saying "Irregardless"!