Bag of Randomness for Monday, July 13, 2015

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  • We sent to Lone Star Park along with our closest neighborhood friends on Saturday night.  I broke even only because I didn’t wager, I just enjoyed the company.  One of my friends actually went back the next day and almost got hit by that car the police were chasing, and the car actually ended up in the eating area of Lone Star Park.  CBS11 asked permission to use his tweet of the picture he took of the cops inside the facility, but I never got around to watching the news to see if it made the broadcast.
  • When we got home from the horse races on Saturday night I couldn’t understand why I saw a new tweet on David Letterman’s Twitter account.  I then noticed the tweet referenced Steve Martin and Martin Short and chalked it up to some old picture being retweeted, but after looking at the attached pictured, I noticed Dave had one hell of a beard and it was a new tweet.  It turns out Martin and Short was doing a show in San Antonio, and of all places, that’s were Dave made his first on-stage appearance after retirement to read a Top Ten list about Donald Trump and then sit and chat with the duo about his childhood and parents, and he was kind enough to say some nice things about the Spurs and the city (you gotta play it up for the home crowd, Easy Cheers 101).  Considering who he was on stage with, I really loved Number Two.
  • A Taco Bell employee in California dropped off his Nissan 350Z at the dealership to get worked on, but later in the day while he was at work, he noticed his own car going through the drive-thru with two of their mechanics inside.
  • GIF – Speaking of fixing things in your car, here’s a solution for broken windshield wipers.
  • Buzzfeed – A Rafting Guide Saved A Baby Bear That Was Stranded By A River
  • ‘The Brink’ is a thousand times better than ‘Ballers’.
  • While trying to fall asleep the other night, I started to think of ways that the Hulk could be killed, and then it hit me, drowning.  However, a little research tells me I’m wrong because he has a special gland.  That link also informed me that Bruce Banner is only 5’9.5″, which means he’s a quarter of an inch taller than me.
  • I’m not so sure how much I believe the section in this article that mentions Ben Affleck ran into Christian Bale at a costume store while shopping for their kids and Bale giving Affleck a small but humorous piece of advice, “Make sure you can piss in that suit.”
  • Though I think it’s almost impossible to avoid any small spoilers in Harper Lee’s second novel, Go Set A Watchman, which is a continuation of To Kill A Mockingbird, but was actually written before Mockingbird, this is what I want to post without giving anything away.
    • The Wall Street Journal has a very solid review of the book, and I think this one sentence from the review tells you all you need to know – Yet for the millions who hold that novel dear, “Go Set a Watchman” will be a test of their tolerance and capacity for forgiveness.
    • The Guardian has the first chapter available online, and it’s read to you by Reese Witherspoon, a spectacular choice.
  • Evangelical Pastors Gather To Learn Another Calling: Politics – Hundreds of conservative evangelical pastors across the country are being trained to run for political office. The project is part of an effort to mobilize an “army” to do battle in the culture wars.
  • It used to be skyscrapers was a way for big cities to “legitimize” themselves.  Today, I think it’s sporting venues.
  • Last night I saw a commercial for a toilet in which a woman was talking about how nobody likes skid marks.  We are getting closer and closer to Idiocracy.
  • Mexico’s most secure prison had their most famous inmate escape through a lighted and ventalated mile long tunnel. Seriously, if you were watching a movie which started off like that, you’d roll your eyes thinking how it wouldn’t even be plausible but was willing to curve believability for entertainment purposes.
  • Oklahoma tops Texas – Miss USA 2015 Winner Is Miss Oklahoma Olivia Jordan! Ylianna Guerra Miss Texas First Runner-Up!
  • Something for classic car lovers – Cuban car guys star in first US show shot entirely on the forbidden island
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First Clip From The Victorian-Era Themed ‘Sherlock’ Christmas Special

I love this series, and this looks like it will be fantastic.

Sherlock is back this year for a special extended episode — and it’s coming to the big screen. Speaking at Comic-Con today, executive producer Steven Moffat said that the show’s upcoming one-off special, set in Victorian London, would also be coming to select movie theaters around the world in addition to BBC One and PBS. Moffat didn’t give an exact date for its release, but said the special was set to premiere “in the next year, we hope,” before offering a short 90-second teaser trailer for the period drama.

Full Article @ The Verge

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Bag of Randomness for Friday, July 10, 2015

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  • “Don’t do something permanently stupid when you’re temporarily upset.”
  • I had a pleasant surprise watching the season premiere of ‘Rectify’ last night, right after the show was the world premiere of U2’s short film ‘A Song for Someone’.  What’s strange is that the Sundance channel is not available in HD on DirecTV, however, the U2 short film was in HD on the Sundance channel while I was watching it on DirecTV, and then the channel stayed in HD.  Woody Harrelson was the star of the film along with his real life daughter.  The only other connection I know of Woody and U2 was when he introduced their Slain Castle concert when it aired on CBS.  Its about with him being released from prison, and he leaves with some very light colored acid-washed jeans, which made me think he had to be in the slammer for a while.
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education – Losing Faith in Religious Higher Education – What happens when a seminary professor joins the religiously “unaffiliated”?
  • Religion and Politics – The King’s Chapel and the King’s Court: Richard Nixon, Billy Graham, and White House Church Services
  • Wired – Hey Look the Most Nightmarish Idea for Plane Seating Ever
  • DMN – Castle Hills private club unveils grass court to commemorate Wimbledon
  • “Years of love have been forgot, in the hatred of a minute.” ~ Edgar Allan Poe
  • GIF – The most impressive kicking of a phone book I’ve ever seen
  • While reading this Mental Floss article about the Army, this one part stood out – Soldiers who jump from airplanes wear Airborne wings. Those who rappel from helicopters wear Air Assault wings. Those who fly into space wear Astronaut wings. Colonel Douglas Wheelock wears all three. – When Wheelock returned to the Army, he later deployed to Afghanistan and flew thirty-eight aerial combat missions. And as much of a fan I am of presidential history, I totally forgot that Teddy Roosevelt, ten years after having served as president, volunteered for service in World War I.
  • Speaking of presidents, in Dallas, there was a two presidents for the price of one special – Former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton to speak at Bush Center Thursday night – Bush is making a funny face in this picturethis picture.
  • Speaking of Bush, he’s been in the news as of late charging $100,000 to speak at 2012 charity fundraiser for wounded veterans.  Immediately, conservative pundits starting to defend him stating that Bill and Hillary have charged for speaking engagement regarding funding for national disaster organizations or the Boy and Girl Scouts of America.  This is what’s frustrating about discussing politics, and both political parties are extremely guilty, but since this is current I’m just going to use it as an example.
    • First, the defending party thinks there’s something wrong, maybe immoral, just to say they are disappointed behind the person and their actions just because he or she is in their political party.  Hey, we shouldn’t think anyone is perfect, people make mistakes and bad judgement all the time, it’s about how they handle themselves after the fact that should be judged.
    • Second, they like to redirect the anger or tangent things out.  In this case, Bush was directly responsible for the wounds these veterans received because they were sent to battle on his orders.  President Clinton wasn’t directly responsible for creating a natural disaster (insert joke here), so it’s apple to oranges.  Yes, both charged speaking fees for charitable fundraising, but that’s not what is actually being addressed.  Both sides love to play the straw man card, and sadly, too many fall for it.
    • Third, and most importantly, just because someone is being critical of someone doesn’t mean he or she is stating their party is without any flaw.  People should just be able to judge a person and their activities on an individual and independent basis.  If I state the Philadelphia Eagles made a stupid trade, that doesn’t mean that as a Cowboys fan I think my team has never made a stupid trade, I just happen to opine about one specific action done by one specific team with no relation to anything else, I don’t think my team affiliation should be considered.
    • Man, it’s gonna be a long campaign season.
  • “At the end of the game the King and the Pawn go into the same box.”
  • Bonsai is an English bulldog puppy and one of the cutest things you’ll ever see.
  • i09 – Everything You Thought You Knew About Nic Cage’s Superman Film Is Wrong
  • GIF – Rat chases cat
  • Buzzfeed – The First Set Photos Of The New “Ghostbusters” Cast Have Arrived
  • “We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.” ~ Stephen Covey
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Hammerhead Fin Cam

Andy Casagrande captures some incredible 4K footage and gives us a unique point-of-view from a great hammerhead shark’s dorsal fin as it swims along the ocean floor.

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