Thus revealed, the creature buried its nose in the tire-tilled soil...
February 21, 2012
People like dogs better than Rihanna.
Category: Current Events … Linkage … Miscellany

It's recently occurred to me that, while I often feel like I'm not doing enough writing, I actually do quite a lot of it! I spend a lot of time browsing and posting at length on various forums, and I frequently leave not insubstantial comments on web articles and blog posts that I read... to say nothing of all of the stuff that I throw out on Facebook and the like. Having realized this, I'm going to stop posting to these places so much and instead post what I would have written here and on Scary-Crayon -- which will hopefully let me keep better track of my writing while adding to the content on my own sites.

To that end, I'm going to kick off by reposting some of the stuff I added to a Facebook discussion last week, since I thought it was pretty hilarious. (more...)

-posted by Wes | 5:35 am | Comments (0)
July 15, 2011
Wes on the web!
Category: Linkage … SC Updates

Quick linkage post!

First, Scary-Crayon has updated! I don't usually post these here, but it's been so bloody long since the last SC update I figured I should. Also, in one of the two comics posted today (the other features the Doctor), I appear alongside Bacardi! Hilarity ensues, or as much hilarity as can ensue from a subdued exchange that follows a standard framework and generally stays pretty far from cloud cuckoo lander territory.

Next, my pal Kevin over at Interrobang Studios drew me into an I'm My Own Mascot strip. IN COLOR! Very appreciative of that, yes. 🙂

See, quick post -- I actually meant it this time. Ja!

-posted by Wes | 11:35 am | Comments (0)
April 21, 2011
Oh Lis Sladen
Category: Current Events … Linkage … Serious … TV, Film, & DVDs

Eldrad Must Live

She will be missed. (more...)

-posted by Wes | 9:58 pm | Comments (3)
April 26, 2010
BBC News: Have Your Say
Category: Current Events … Linkage … Miscellany

I hate this feature. Now, apparently there are a lot of times that it does ask valid questions that people can legitimately weigh in on -- such as "Are campaigning politicians visible enough?" and "Who should pay for the volcano disruption?" and "Should dogs be banned from parks?" Even "Should the rules for Scrabble be changed?" is appropriate, though it does seem a bit trivial in comparison to other issues addressed on the site.

But for some reason, whenever Have Your Say shows up in my headlines feed, I get some question that actually has a proper answer -- whether we definitively know it or not -- such that soliciting opinions on the matter is silly and pointless. For instance, following Ricky Martin's announcement last month concerning his sexuality, the feed linked "Does 'coming out' affect careers?" It's not necessary for anyone to "have their say" on this -- the question is a simple yes/no one, though one could elaborate upon it to discuss how coming out could affect people in different professions and so forth. In any case, however, people shouldn't be voicing flat "opinions" so much as looking at past cases, how people and the media and celebrities themselves react to suspicions of homosexual activity, and making relatively informed inferences concerning the topic.

And then there's today's question: "Do aliens really exist?" Maybe, maybe not -- but how the fuck would we know? The first question asked at the end of the piece is similarly irritating: "Are there aliens out there capable of communicating with us?" Again, how the fuck should we know?! Of course, there might be people who actually know the answer to this question (assuming it's in the affirmative), but it's not directed to them and I doubt they'd share their secret government knowledge on an online forum anyway. The final question -- "If they exist, should we avoid making contact with them?" -- is more appropriate for an opinion question, however, as it essentially asks about people's beliefs and fears concerning extraterrestrial policy as opposed to asking them to provide their opinion on a yes/no question.

I think my problem with these such questions comes down to the wording -- if it asked "Do you think aliens exist?" I'd likely be a lot less annoyed.

P.S. Everyone knows aliens exist. We've been aware of the Doctor's visits to the planet since the 60s!

-posted by Wes | 11:35 am | Comments (3)
September 4, 2009
Sentences of hilarity
Category: Linkage

From General Mills monster-themed breakfast cereals on Wikipedia:

Franken Berry was very popular when first introduced, even though the initial batches of the cereal used a dye that didn't break down in the body, causing many children's feces to be bright pink -- a symptom sometimes referred to as "Frankenberry Stool."

From Chubby bunny on Wikipedia:

Fish's parents subsequently sued the school district and appeared on "Oprah" to warn about the dangers of Chubby Bunny.

Yes.

-posted by Wes | 12:45 pm | Comments (2)