Friday's Food For Thought - 3/21/08

In honor of the late Arthur C. Clarke, a prolific science fiction writer who passed away at the age of 90 on Wednesday after having some breathing problems, the quote this week is from him. Clarke was the last of the "Big Three" of science fiction, surviving Isaac Asimov and Robert Heinlein. As a journalist, I really like this quote.

"CNN is one of the participants in the war. I have a fantasy where Ted Turner is elected president but refuses because he doesn't want to give up power."

- Arthur C. Clarke

News Story: One very interesting thing going on in the news right now is the case that recently came before the Supreme Court, District of Columbia v. Heller. Dick Heller is a D.C. security guard who filed suit saying that D.C.'s total ban on handguns is unconstitutional. It has now made it to the SC, and this will be the first time that the Second Amendment has been decidedly ruled on by them, and the first time in over 70 years they've even discussed it. One appeals court struck down the ban, but that will now be decided in the SC. Even if they decide to rule that the Second Amendment gives individual citizens the right to own guns, as appears likely, they must still decide on whether the handgun ban violates that right. The SC will decide on this sometime before June when their session ends.

Video: Fair warning - this is probably both the best and the worst thing I've seen in a long time. Just so you know going into it, EVERYONE in the video was fine afterwards.





This week, you get a bonus video. It is a remixed version of the previous one. You can find a lot of these on YouTube, but this was one of the funnier.

Friday's Food for Thought - 2/8/08

This edition of Friday's Food for Thought is brought to you by caffeine. I wouldn't have made it through this week alive without this wonderful little drug. And now for the amazing, the weird, and the just plain interesting!

First, from the San Francisco Chronicle:


British Stores Halt 'Lolita' Beds

"Woolworths stores in Britain have stopped selling "Lolita" beds for young girls after a parents' organization complained because of the name's association with the famous novel about a pedophile."

Second, a quote in honor of Super Tuesday happening this week in the US political scene:

"In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet."
- Winston Churchill

Spoken like a true politician!

Last, but certainly not least, an incredibly interesting video! This video, entitled "The 1K Project II", it is a video collage of 1000 different replays of a car running on the same track in the PC stunt racer, TrackMania. I must admit to never having played this particular game, but the beauty in the presentation of this video transcends mere racing games!



See, wasn't that cool?

Friday's Food for Thought - 2/1/08

Today we are premiering the first of what we hope will be a regular feature here at Hobson's Buffet: Friday's Food for Thought. Each Friday, we will post an interesting or entertaining quote, a news story of the week (in the interest of being entertaining, they will probably mostly come from Reuters' Oddly Enough section) and a video. It will just be a small feature to try and further our goal of being interesting, and as we continue to post them, hopefully they will develop based on reader feedback. If there's something else you would find interesting, like a poll, a weekly photo, or anything else, let us know in the comment section.


Quote:

"Our opinions do not really blossom into fruition until we have expressed them to someone else."
- Mark Twain, the original blogger

News Story: For the mature woman who has everything: a boy toy
Are you a middle-aged with a lot of money and a need to be "loved"? If so, have we got something for you! Jeremy Abelson, a New York City entrepreneur, is organizing a special speed-dating event in New York specifically catered to wealthy older women looking for younger men. The women involved must be at least 35 years old and either earn $500,000 a year or have more than $4 million dollars in liquid or entrusted assets or divorce settlements. Ableson is putting on the event after a similar one last year in which the roles were reversed, with elderly rich men looking for younger women. The thing that gets me about this is that some people actually take it seriously. One of the women participating, a fashion designer, said, "Younger men expect an older woman to be more accomplished. They are looking for you because you are intelligent." Or maybe it's that $500,000 a year.



Video:
Ninja Parade Slips Through Town Unnoticed Once Again