BunkBlog

If you’re a geek, you’ve thought of or maybe even built a home-theater PC – that strange device which is a full-fledged computer hooked up to your television. Most of the rest of the TV-watching public, however, is utterly uninterested in such geekery. They do want to see their Youtube videos and Netflix streams on the bigger screen, but they’re not interested in doing the hard work necessary to put them there.

Enter Google TV and Roku boxes and Apple TV. A simple, somewhat affordable (Logitech, why 300 bucks?) device, hooked up to your television and your internet connection, enter some passwords and usernames, BAM! Internet media on your television. That’s the dream, right?

Google TV has been blocked from streaming ABC, NBC, and CBS shows from the networks’ web sites. Think about this for a minute, and you may begin to see the point of view of Network Neutrality advocates. Google TV uses Chrome, the web browser, to access ABC’s website. The user on his couch sees the web site just as he would see it if he were using his regular PC to view that site. The same ads load. The same content is there. But, because the machine he’s using says (as it’s supposed to), “I’m a Google TV browser” – no soup for you.

Still here?  True, this is not an actual case of network neutrality being violated, because the ISP is not the one blocking content from flowing over their network. The content provider has the right, no matter how irrational, to prevent anyone from watching their content in any manner. They could capriciously decide that only certain blocks of IP addresses could view their shows online. They could browser sniff and decide that they don’t like Opera, even if Opera is perfectly capable technically of watching their content. They’ve decided they hate Google this week. By extension, their viewers, the ones who care enough about How I Met Your Mother to go to the CBS website and seek it out, the most avid viewers with the most brand loyalty – fuck them.

Interesting business decision.

The jeep was out of the Army inventory before I enlisted (I saw lots of CUCV and HMMWV and tracks and the occasional deuce and a half or five-ton), but they were legendary for their ease of repair.  These guys make it look incredibly easy to rip one apart and put it back together, in less than four minutes.  I think they’ve practiced.

In case there’s any doubt that the terrorists have “won” the war for hearts and minds, here we have a bomb squad blowing up a “suspicious” $300 toy pony.

Yep, we’ve given up and are now paranoid police state wackjobs.

This squirrel has to be the most determined critter ever.  LET GO!

For those five science fiction geeks who haven’t seen it yet, may I present the only viral video I’ve heard of devoted to a Golden Age author: Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury. Embedded video after the break, since it is obviously Not Safe For Work (As an aside, this is likely the only time I’ll get to use the category tags of “Literary, Music, Video, and Geek” all on the same post).

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Another great stop-motion video, with the bonus feature of the paintings coming off the walls as well.  No digital effects, just thousands of photos and a lot of creativity.

Direct Youtube link

Apparently I have nothing to say lately, so here’s another cool video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwKtihWY_Qs

This is a piece of video art that took months of work to put together, so spare it 10 minutes and be amazed.

BIG BANG BIG BOOM – the new wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Unlike Kat or me, Alex was capable of the balance needed to stand up on his board while surfing in San Diego. I only got two clips of it, and neither is of a great ride, but here’s the best view.
[podcast format=”video” height=”360″ width=”540″]http://www.andysocial.com/Pigfiles/Alex_Surfing_Step.flv[/podcast]
720p h.264 Quicktime version

Do you know any insufferably perky people?  Give them Despondex!

And of course, for you Facebook readers who can’t see embedded videos in RSS notes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQWAAWk-naM

Youtube Video for the Facebook folks, since apparently Zuckerberg strips out the video embeds.

Here are a couple families that I can only assume will host every sleepover for a couple of years.
A man built his son an AT-AT loft bed with escape hatch in the play area above.

Another man decided to go completely insane and built a three-bed bunk with an even more-detailed model of an AT-AT.

Produced by Robert Rodriguez, starring Michelle Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Robert De Niro, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin, Jeff Fahey, Steven Seagal, Lindsay Lohan…and Danny Trejo in Machete!

Update: 20th Century Fox removed the trailer.  Way to destroy the buzz for a movie, you marketing masters!
Update2: Ain’t it Cool still has the clip on their site.

This is one seriously bizarre-looking killfest of a movie. And I think Robert Rodriguez dislikes Arizona’s new law.

For anyone who ever played a video game in the 80s or 90s, this video is made of awesome with a side of geek sauce.

I know, it’s unfair and biased.  But funny!

One would expect a show on Cartoon Network that airs at 4pm to be directed at kids.  I’m pretty sure that “Dude What Would Happen?” is aimed at stoners.  Duuuude.

I know that things which appear to be clusters are merely random stastical fluctuations, but if another Canadian child actor from the 80s dies this month, it’ll be freaky.

Corey Haim, 38. At least the vampires didn’t get him.

Kat and I thought they should have tried to get some of these into the broadcast.

Conan O’Brien is right – the Tonight Show isn’t the Tonight Show if it’s actually tomorrow morning.