Offbeat And Off Topic

Tag Archives: Offbeat and Off Topic

Quickies September 23, 2012

The ’90s Live on … in My Attic

We have been cleaning out our attic, and found this piece of “once-cutting edge technology”. Yes, Sarah’s ruggedized CD player was her prized possession in the ’90′s…and while it was no doubt super-cool at the time, it’s amazing that we once carried these around happily. Even old school cassette players were less cumbersome! The next [...]

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Rants and Raves September 13, 2012

by Michael Anderson

A Sad Milestone as Report Shows Post 9/11 Torture by Americans Much Worse Than Reported or Admitted

On September 11th, we remember all of the tragic loss of life from the 2001 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, Pentagon and Flight 93. We also celebrate and mourn all of those who responded to the tragedy and many who lost their lives trying to save others and still more who have lingering [...]

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Quickies September 10, 2012

by Joel McLaughlin

Buying Local Matters, and Not Only When Talking About Food

There is a growing movement within “foodie circles” to buy locally grown food. After all, food grown nearby not only supports small, local farms but, since it doesn’t require transporting it significant distances, it adds less pollutants into the environment too. But just as there is a benefit to buying locally when it comes to food, so too [...]

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Editorials August 31, 2012

by Carly Z

The Most Important Lesson This Election Year

I worked for Borders in 2004 during the Bush vs Kerry presidential election. While most of our customers were polite, some took the election extremely seriously. We were sold out of a particularly incendiary title, and I had a customer get in my face to tell me he did not believe we were sold out, [...]

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Quickies August 30, 2012

by Dan Cohen

Oh, Those Internet Jokesters

This speaks for itself.

China Rebuttal of U.S. Human Rights Report is Fascinating – and Scary – Reading

And the bottom line is this – for the most part they are correct if not technically accurate. OK, let me step back for a second. This weekend I was away and traveled by air. As I was waiting for my final plane to load, I was watching CNN on a big screen, and in [...]

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Quickies August 26, 2012

by Judie Lipsett Stanford

Eight Chocolate Planets for the Discriminating Palate

I’m still mourning the loss of Pluto, but you’ll find the other eight planets (including the sun) in this luxury chocolate gift box … Chocolate can taste all of the solar system eight planets, planet is chocolate set. Planets lined up in a row in the package that the image of the universe, like a [...]

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Outdoors, Quickies August 21, 2012

by Carly Z

Slacklining Courtesy of Volvo and Adrenaline

Volvo cars may be known for being “boxy but good”, but I think their trucks need a better slogan…”boxy but stable enough to slackline across”? It’s a mouthful, but, well…just watch the video. Amazing, right? There is balance, grace, athleticism and courage, and then there is the mondo serving of all of the above that [...]

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Quickies August 20, 2012

by Michael Anderson

Fifty Shades Generator Gives You Filthy Smutty Filler Text (NSFW Obviously)

Aside from being a massively successful entry into the romance sub-genre some refer to as ‘mommy porn’, the book has also spawned a large number of memes and parodies. For example, I love the video of Gilbert Gottfried reading excerpts (video below), and now we have a new one – the 50 Shades Generator. Here [...]

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News August 9, 2012

by Carly Z

Maybe the Athletes Are Making Water Balloons?

Have you heard about the latest Olympic scandal? No, it’s not more doping accusations. And no one else threw a badminton game. But it is hitting the Olympics where it hurts- their pocketbook. See, the Olympics have sponsors for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. So the organizers were quite unhappy to discover that non-Durex condoms [...]

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Quickies, Travel August 9, 2012

by Dan Cohen

This Video of First Class on an Emerates Airlines A380 Will Have You Hating Coach More than Ever

I hate flying. Hate it. And I hate flying Coach even more. At 6′ 1 1/2″ the fact that he seats are getting closer and closer is not only annoying, it is downright uncomfortable. And when I’ve flown coach to Israel… ouch!!!! I have, thankfully, taken that long flight in Business First a few times [...]

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Editorials July 28, 2012

by Dan Cohen

How to Guarantee That You Won’t Get the Reaction or Results That You Want

There are very few “sure things” in life, but here are a few things about which you can be certain … 1. How to Guarantee that We Won’t Review Your Product You can pretty much guarantee we won’t review your product if you introduce it to us by lying. Here’s a good case in point. [...]

Turkey Dubstep Animation Is Awesome

Whether you like dubstep or not, there is no denying the cuteness of two turkeys spitting it out. The video short was so popular that not only has it earned a sequel … Turkeys + Dubstep + a little bit of success = Selling out … it has also earned several YouTube remixes, including one [...]

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Quickies July 24, 2012

by Michael Anderson

GoodBye Shake-Weight, Hello Ace Power!

In terms of ideas that must have seemed great on paper but in reality is so totally sexually suggestive that it can never be taken seriously, it seemed difficult to replace the Shake Weight – which has a great prank video here, but really is perfectly hilarious in the actual TV ad. Well… apparently some [...]

Mustache Pacifier Can Help Make Junior’s Escapades All the More Snidely Whiplash-ish

Infants and early toddlers… like kittens and puppies… they’re oh-so-cute, aren’t they? Typically gifted with a cherubic countenance that hides their true mischievous nature, there’s always so much more just beneath the surface. The folks at Gadgets and Gear are offering a most clever device that reveals the truth.. the Mustache Pacifier. Why a Mustache [...]

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