Bits & Pieces

(via Mashable)

Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, summarizes the “man points” he scored during a weekend home improvement project. The concept of “man points” is new to me, but I really like it. Hilarious.

Excerpt:

Yesterday I decided to make some man points. (-1 for knowing I need them.) Recently we purchased online a big metal rack to hold free weights. (+1). The delivery guy left the package outside the door when we were gone. I wasn’t strong enough to carry it inside. (-1 for having no upper body strength.) So I tipped it on its end and “walked” it into the garage. (+1 for using science to move a heavy object.)

The rack required assembly. This was a problem because all of my tools had been stolen from the garage last week. (-1 for leaving tools unprotected. -1 for having so few tools that they all fit in one basket. -1 for not replacing them the same day. -1 for not having an attack dog in the garage.)

The main tool I needed was a rather huge Allen wrench. I didn’t own that sort of tool even in the days when I had tools. (-1 for inadequate toolage.) So I dropped everything, jumped in the car, and headed to Home Depot for a tool buying spree. (+1 for going on a hunt for tools. -1 for calling it a spree. +1 for intending to buy tools for which I had no immediate use.

At least according to The Awl. Check out this video compilation of Apple products’ appearances in movies and on TV.

Apple’s Greatest Cinematic Achievements from The Awl on Vimeo.

What company does this product remind you of?

(h/t William Gibson)

What is this all about? Anyone have a clue who did this and why? The intentionally low production values should not mislead, in that a close look indicates it is actually extremely well done. And don’t let the current low viewer count on YouTube mislead. This is virtually certain to be a big YouTube hit. But why?

My guess: This is actually part of a viral campaign for Avatar to win “Best Picture” at the Academy Awards. And here I am being all viral and stuff….

(h/t William Gibson)

Yet the view count on YouTube is rocketing. (h/t Mashable)

Get it here.

Trouble with a bird and a briefcase.

New Law Would Ban Marriages Between People Who Don’t Love Each Other

Any idiot, upon seeing the first automobile, could easily predict that it would revolutionize transportation. Only someone with exceptionally keen insight could have foreseen that it would also revolutionize the sex lives of teenagers.

–Isaac Asimov

How does this work and where does she go?

(h/t Very Short List)

Unhappy Hipsters is a great website.  The author takes shots of modern housing, and the people who own it, and add his (or her) own captions. (via Very Short List)

The Onion has the real story…

Claiming that he completely forgot about the much-hyped electronic device until the last minute, a frantic Steve Jobs reportedly stayed up all night Tuesday in a desperate effort to design Apple’s new tablet computer.