Links

Stuff I find around the web that interests or amuses me.

Viagra gum?

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Here’s a bizarre little story that one of my co-workers just told me about: Wrigley patents anti-impotence gum:

Wm. Wrigley Jr., maker of Juicy Fruit, Big Red and Doublemint gums, is expanding its definition of “doubling your pleasure.” The Chicago gum company has been granted a U.S. government patent to develop a gum that contains a dose of the generic chemical in Viagra.

\Won’t this gum be hard to chew once your tongue swells up and stiffens inside your mouth? I’d guess it’ll sell quite well at lesbian bars, though….\</obligatory stupid jokes>

(via Tim)

Update: Comments have been closed for this entry, as I got tired of deleting constant spam comment links. This post is not an open invitation for Viagra or Phenteremine spam. Go the fuck away.

The greatest American is…

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In preparation for a show airing next week entitled ‘What the World Thinks of America,’ the BBC took nominations for the ten greatest Americans of all time. Nominations have closed, and now it’s time to vote!

So, out of a completely open playing field, what ten people were nominated as the ten greatest Americans ever?

Bill Clinton, Bob Dylan, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Homer Simpson, Mr. T, and George Washington.

Homer Simpson? Mr. T?

And, while this is kind of amusing, it’s also kind of disturbing — the current standings, after 28,548 votes:

  • Bill Clinton (3.53%)
  • Franklin D Roosevelt (3.78%)
  • Benjamin Franklin (4.07%)
  • George Washington (4.62%)
  • Bob Dylan (5.12%)
  • Thomas Jefferson (5.72%)
  • Mr. T (8.17%)
  • Martin Luther King Jr. (9.08%)
  • Abraham Lincoln (9.60%)
  • Homer Simpson (46.33%)

For the record, I voted for Martin Luther King, Jr.

(via Prairie)

Update: The website for the show (linked above) looks very interesting too. It includes a short 10-question quiz about America — that I got a whopping 60% on. Ouch. Maybe I need to watch the show, too…

But what about the kittens?

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Royce sent me a link to this page about kittens today, saying that it reminded him of us.

What follows is a dramatization. It is based on a very, very true story of two modern maniacs discussing the implications of God killing kittens, and deciding, logically, how to protect themselves in the event of a kitten apocalypse. Logic, of course, can be skewed terribly when your premise is a theory based on the Lord being a female kitten…

Y’know, I think he’s right!

Who's who in the blogging world

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A simple guide to the A-list bloggers is a wonderful tongue-in-cheek introduction to the “big names” of weblogging. Choice quotes from the ones I read:

Dave Winer: “In the beginning was the Blog, and the Blog was with Dave, and the Blog was God. The same was in the beginning with Dave. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness (everyone but Dave) comprehended it not.”

Doc Searls: This new meme here, that new meme there. Here’s some pointage to back and forth between this person and that person on this issue. DIY Journalism. The powers of Big Media have been forever broken!! Power to the People. Linux rules! Linux makes a great hamburger topping. Blogs, there is no us and them. It?s all us. Weblogs are the highest form of audience content. Weblogs are the highest form of evolutionary development. Printwash, Searlsowash, but NOT Googlewash, no no. Google is God. If not on Google it doesn’t count.

Ben and Mena: We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. We are cute. Blogs rule. Moveable Type rules. We are cute. We are cute.

Anil Dash: You can’t ignore wheat. Links. Weird Links. Cool Links. Links about Links. Links. More Links. Index of Links. Link Indexes of Link Indexes Indexed. Ben and Mena inside gossip. Moveable Type. Radio sucks! Dave Winer is a smushed toad. Winer is a Whiner. I work in Marketing. Moveable Type! Journalists are the Devil, they only ever rewrite Press Releases. Just who do they think they are anyways? Bah Humbug! Bloggers are the future.

Robert Scoble: I am nice, reasonable, normal smart type, not always given to the usual Blog Groupthink. I am not like all those other Bloggers. So why I am a Blogger? I am just gaming this meme. Link to friends. Link to more friends. Link to other friends. Link to these friends. Link to more friends. Link to my boss, he’s way way cool. Hey, didyah know, I used to work for Radio Userland. And I used to plan Tech Conferences, I know every Geek in the world! They all like me.

Cory Doctorow: Check out the guest blogger! We bagged Dvorak! Blogs have power! Guess old John C. knows old media is DOOMED. “Amazzzing Graccce, I onccce wasss blllinnnnddd butttt noooowww I seeeeeeeeee…” Whooooo! My first novel is out! I love me. I write weirdly chaotic makes-no-sense Sci-Fi stories about a not-to-distant future, or maybe the future is now. But since it is all Sci-Fi I get away with all this random un-defragged sheer-chaos. Look at me! I write Sci-Fi. I won all these awards! I won the John W. Campbell Award! Yeah yeah yeahhhh! I am special! I like Disney!

(via Robert Scoble and Dave Winer)

Episcopal Church elects first gay bishop

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Excellent news this morning — the New Hampshire Episcopal Church has elected the nations first openly gay bishop!

The selection of the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, 56, who was chosen over three other candidates in voting by New Hampshire clergy and lay Episcopalians, is still subject to confirmation next month by the church’s national General Convention.

The confirmation is likely to be a heated battle with international implications. Robinson drew opposition from many in the Anglican community worldwide.

After the election, Robinson told his supporters to be gentle with those who disagreed with their decision.

“We will show the world how to be a Christian community,” he said. “I plan to be a good bishop, not a gay bishop.”

This is wonderful to hear, and makes me quite glad to have been brought up as part of the Episcopal Church. Many congratulations to Bishop-elect Robinson!

(via D)

Well, hey there, sailor!

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In an unusual act of patriotism, a Nevada brothel is offering free sex to troops returning from the U.S.-Iraq war.

The first 50 servicemen and women through the door will receive a sexy knockoff of their military-issued “TA-50” kits of personal hygiene items. Instead of toothbrushes and soap, Hof’s kits contain condoms, lubricant, an adult magazine and a certificate for free sex.

Thirteen men and three women in uniform have shown up so far to claim their gifts. All told, the free and discounted sex will cost Hof about \$50,000 — a worthy sacrifice, he said.

Okay…so maybe there are some benefits to joining the military! ;) Actually, in addition to the humor factor of the story, I was rather impressed that thirteen men and three women have taken advantage of the offer so far. Good for them! Most of the time in our culture, women don’t seem nearly as free to express their libido as men are — even in movies, those women that do are often portrayed as disturbed in some way (think Basic Instinct or Fatal Attraction) — it’s always nice to see that tendency being shaken up a little bit.

Personally, I’m all for women expressing their libido more often.

And more obviously.

Especially around me. ;)

(via Prairie)

26 Things

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This could be fun: 26 Things, another project from the organizers of the Mayday Project.

on tuesday july 1st 2003, 26 things to hunt for will be posted on this website and you are free to complete the project on or before thursday july 31st 2003. come back friday august 1st to submit your 26 things website.

(via D)

Good luck, Larry Wachowski

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There’s a very interesting and serious story that’s just staring to break on the ‘net, that I’m afraid is going to be presented in extremely unflattering and quite probably derrogative ways once it starts to spread. As reported in a very thoughtful Hot Button article by David Poland, it appears that Larry Wachowski — one half of the team of brothers behind the Matrix films — is starting the process of undergoing a sex change.

Now, tell me whether you would be laughing and picking up the phone to share this gossip if he was a member of your family. Convince me how funny it is when someone finally comes out of the closet to his or her family. Explain how hysterical going to a 12-step meeting and admitting your addiction for the first time is.

Can you imagine anyone who is more emotionally vulnerable than Larry Wachowski is right now, no matter how sure he is and how proud he is to be making this change? Money and fame is obviously a lot easier than poverty and obscurity. Money can ease the burdens of the physical world. But it can’t protect the human heart.

I’m sure that once this story starts to spread wider, it’s going to provoke a number of reactions. Sadly, very few of these are likely to be messages of support. Given the success of the Matrix franchise, Larry is a very public name at the moment, and as such, is likely to catch far more flak for this choice than most people would — and from everything I’ve ever heard, this isn’t the easiest thing for people out of the public eye to go through.

For what it’s worth, I’d like to offer Larry support and wish him the best of luck through whatever may happen in the coming months. Hopefully people take Dave Poland’s column to heart and think about what they say before they shoot off at the mouth.

(via Patrick Sun)