RSS in Plain English

Trying to wrap your head around RSS feeds, or explain them to someone else? Check out this video.

And the winner is...

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Wanchai Ferry giveaway earlier this week!

It was a tough choice, but Josh and I have chosen our favorite entry, a fortune cookie message that made us both laugh out loud:

"Help! I'm stuck in a fortune cookie factory!" by Dorothee Royal-Hedinger.

Dorothee will be receiving a Wanchai Ferry "Stay at Home" gift pack.

Watch for our next giveaway - coming up soon!

Annie's mixes: Cardio workout

This is the first in a series of posts I'll be doing listing some of my favorite mixes (well, selected songs from them, anyway - to list them all would take way too long).

Does Your Mother Know - ABBA
Charlie's Angels 2000 - Apollo Four Party
The Best Damn Thing - Avril Lavigne
Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
Love Shack - The B-52's
Mickey - B*Witched
Walk Like An Egyptian - The Bangles
Bad Cartridge (E-Pro) [Remix by Paza of The X-Dump] - Beck
BREAK DOWN! - BeForU
Mony Mony - Billy Idol
Strike It Up - Black Box
Let's Get It Started (Spike Mix) [Bonus Track] - Black Eyed Peas
All the Small Things - Blink-182
I Feel Love - Blue Man Group, Tracy Bonham & Rob Swift
I Like the Way (Radio Edit) - Bodyrockers
LONG TRAIN RUNNIN' - Bus Stop
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everyboday Dance Now) - C+C Music Factory
High School Confidential - Carole Pope & Various Artists
Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
Candyman - Christina Aguilera
Busy Child - The Crystal Method
One More Time - Daft Punk
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger - Daft Punk
Technologic - Daft Punk
Groove Is In The Heart - Deee-Lite
Dancing With Myself - The Donnas
Fall Behind Me - The Donnas
It's On The Rocks - The Donnas
Take It Off - The Donnas
Too Bad About Your Girl - The Donnas
Wild, Wild West - The Escape Club
No Sleep Tonight - The Faders
The Rockafeller Skank - Fatboy Slim
Weapon Of Choice - Fatboy Slim
Fergalicious - Fergie
Conga - Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
If Everybody Looked The Same - Groove Armada
Sexual Revolution - Macy Gray
Ray Of Light - Madonna
Shake Me (Vocal Edit) - Mint Royale & Various Artists
Hey Baby - Mocean Worker
Move - Mocean Worker
Sing It Back - Moloko
Nth Degree - Morningwood
Candy Girl - New Edition
Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) - Nickelback & Kid Rock
Sparkling Diamonds - Nicole Kidman et al. (Moulin Rouge)
Here It Goes Again - OK Go
The Queen of White Lies - The Orion Experience
Vaxxine - Visqueen
Crush On Radio - Visqueen
All Things (Just Keep Getting Better) - Widelife
Start the Commotion - Wiseguys
How Do You Work This Thing - zefrank

Post your favorite cardio workout tunes in the comments!

Awwww...

When we were at CONvergence, we took part in the Smooch Project, an art project that aims to collect 10,000 photos of people kissing. They just posted our smooch and we wanted to share it with you!



We are so freakin' cute!

The post in which we sell out, but you get free stuff!

So, awhile ago I signed up for MyBlogSpark, a service where you can help with marketing research, get free samples of things, and get free stuff to give away...all because we have a blog. Nifty!

Our first pack of awesome arrived yesterday, and I just couldn't wait to tell you about it. Thanks to the kind folks at Wanchai Ferry, makers of frozen Asian meals, we have a special prize pack to offer you, our faithful readers!

To get the "Stay-At-Home" prize pack, which includes a coupon for Wanchai Ferry meals as well as some great Asian-inspired rice bowls, chopsticks and bamboo placemats, pictured in this post:

1. Think of a clever fortune cookie message. It can be funny or profound - but it has to be short.
2. Post it in the comments by midnight Eastern time on Wednesday, July 29.
3. We will choose our favorite and that person gets the prize pack.

P.S. We have a coupon for a free Wanchai Ferry meal to try, and I'll be writing a review - an honest one, rest assured - as soon as I redeem it. If you want to try a Wanchai Ferry meal, you can get a coupon for $1.50 off. Then we can swap notes!

Rick Eddleman sentenced to six years

Rick Eddleman, who embezzled millions from Decipher, was sentenced today to more than six years behind bars.

This information comes from Jennifer Newman, the in-court clerk for the Circuit Court in Norfolk, Va. In a brief phone interview today, she told me that Eddleman was sentenced to 36 years in prison. All but 77 months of that term was suspended, though, meaning that Eddleman will serve six years and five months in prison.

Newman also told me that once he's released from prison, Eddleman will remain on probation until he's paid $910,000 in restitution. She noted that when he's again employed, 25 percent of Eddleman's net pay will go toward paying restitution.

Newman said she was in the courtroom when Eddleman was sentenced and that he had no reaction — "none whatsoever" — to the sentence. "He accepted full responsibility," she said. "His main concern, he said, was just paying restitution back." No doubt that would be my main concern, too, if I suddenly owed someone $910,000.

Eddleman, less you forget, stole a whopping $8.9 million from Decipher through various means, including paying himself double his scheduled salary, making improper loans to himself that he never repaid, and other nefarious methods. His inexcusable behavior ravaged the company and incurred such severe losses that 90 people at Decipher lost their jobs.

Although the image above of "Data Laughing," taken from the Star Trek CCG that Decipher once produced, reflects my happiness that justice was served, today's events were bittersweet. The money that Eddleman embezzled has not magically reappeared. The lives he threw into turmoil have not suddenly calmed. Prison time can be served and restitution can be paid, but that doesn't mean the victims are suddenly made whole. And that's saddening.

But let this serve as a reminder that with crime comes punishment. Even the white collar perps spend time in prison.

UPDATE: I'm not the only one tracking Eddleman's sentencing. This report, which includes an interview with Eddleman, comes from WTKR television. The Virginian-Pilot also has a report here.

Happy Monday!

From I Can Has Cheezburger

Highlights from Comic Con

Having spent my geeky summer getaway in Minnesota, I wasn't able to attend this year's Comic Con International. But that's alright. Thanks to those grand interwebs, I could attend in spirit.

• Taking full advantage of the iTunes world, DC Comics All-Access is your new one stop shop for all your digital comic material needs. You can use the gateway site to find DC's newest and most classic motion comics, audio books, movie soundtracks, television episodes and more. Also, be sure to check out the free for now, debut chapter of the "Superman: Red Son" motion comic.

• Many people were left scratching their heads after HeroClix seemed to show some signs of life. A new HeroClix piece was on display at the NECA booth, but no explanation was immediately offered. Did the company acquire the line? Might the game continue? Does anyone even care at this point? My Magic 8-Ball says "ask again later." There was too much else happening to dwell on this mystery.

• It was good to learn that "Wednesday Comics," the incredible weekly DC Comics project, will be reprinted and collected in some form. I flipped through the first issue and was impressed, but am waiting for the final collection. Why? Because if comic book publishers have taught me anything across the last few years, it's that consistency is not their strong suit.

• Jazzed is the best word to describe me after seeing the "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition" trailer. I've been back and forth on the game, but the notion of adding new levels so I can fight Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Boba Fett is too good to ignore. A pity it's not hitting the Nintendo Wii, but at least the game is getting a Mac release.

• I was disappointed there was no news about the long gestating, direct-to-DVD animated "Teen Titans" movie. A panel dedicated to DC Comics' animated film projects focused instead on plugging the next two releases: "Green Lantern: First Flight" and "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies." I'm eager to see both, but I and many others are more interested in the "Teen Titans" flick.

• New information about the "Tron" sequel — don't roll your eyes! — makes it look very interesting. Slated for 2011, "Tron: Legacy" tells the story of how Sam Flynn, played by Garrett Hedlund, goes looking for his father, Kevin Flynn, the main character in the first movie. Where is he? Here's a hint:

AFI Silver = teh awesomez!

It's official. The AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, Md., is my favorite theater of all time.

I learned this morning that as part of its summer retrospective of 1980s films, AFI Silver is showing the original, animated "Transformers: The Movie" next month! It's scheduled to play Friday, Aug. 28, at 9:10 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 29, at 10:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Sept. 1, at 5 p.m.; and Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7:10 p.m.

These showings represent the first opportunity I've had to see the film — which remains among my personal favorites — on the big screen since it first hit theaters in 1986. I still remember watching it with one of my childhood friends and being absolutely stunned at its epic scale. While the "Transformers" television show was great, this movie was fantastic!

I'm going to attend either the Aug. 28 or Aug. 29 showing. Who's with me?

Best wedding processional EVER

I am both impressed and jealous. I want to go back in time and choreograph our processional to be that awesome. Weddings should be fun, joyous occasions - and this couple nailed it.

(Thanks to Rick Klau for pointing this out!)

UPDATE: I just found out this wedding took place in my old stompin' grounds of St. Paul, Minn. There was an article about it in today's Washington Post.

Rick Eddleman sentencing delayed

The much anticipated sentencing of Rick Eddleman, originally set for yesterday, has been delayed to Monday. Phooey.

No reason was given for the delay, which was reported by The Virginian-Pilot. But I suppose those of us who have waited this long to see justice served in Decipher's embezzlement case can wait another few days.

And to tide us over, The Virginian-Pilot article gave those of us without ready access to court files some new nuggets of information related to the case. Notably, the embezzlement forced the company to reduce its staff from "more than 100 to about seven." Also worth noting is that Eddleman had been boyhood friends with Decipher's chief executive officer and is married to the executive's younger sister. No doubt last year's Thanksgiving dinner was a rough gathering…

I also have a mea culpa to report: Eddleman actually embezzled about $1.5 million — not $8.9 million as I previously wrote. I was confused because Eddleman was ordered to pay $8.9 million after pleading guilty in the case. I'm not sure why there's such a large discrepancy between the two numbers. Perhaps a future article from The Virginian-Pilot will shed some light on the matter. Any way around it, though, I thank them for their continued coverage of this fascinating case.

Aspiring writers apply within

If you've ever wanted to write a line of dialogue for a video game, here's your big chance!

You have until Aug. 10 to submit a short line about how Guybrush Threepwood, mighty pirate and "Monkey Island" game series protagonist, wronged you. Among the current entries? "Guybrush Threepwood made me wait nine years for a new Monkey Island game, that scurvy dog!" There's also, "He made a voodoo doll of me and kept poking its funny bone." And the all too true, "He involved me in a series of complicated item manipulation puzzles!"

If you're unfamiliar with the "Monkey Island" games, you can learn all about the latest installment here. Good luck!

Oh. O.M.G...

How does this work so well? Nirvana vs. Rick Astley...just WOW.

Future imperfect

I was among the many who rejoiced at the news that "Futurama" was returning to television. But that's changed.

The show apparently will — or at least could — lack its original voice actors when it picks up where it left off. According to a report in Variety, talks have broken down between 20th Century Fox TV and stars Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche and Tress MacNeille over how much they should be paid to take part in the show. The voice actors reportedly sought $75,000 per episode. Let me repeat that as you allow that insane number to sink in: The voice actors reportedly sought $75,000 per episode. The studio understandably balked and talks broke down. Fox is now taking steps to recast the show.

Longtime readers will know I'm generally not inclined to support the studios when it comes to labor disputes. But I find it rather difficult to sympathize with people who want $75,000 for every three hours of work. A person can live rather nicely, I might note, on $75,000 a year. For each actor to demand $2 million for the season's work is outrageous.

I like "Futurama," but I don't like it that much.

Get discounts for DC services

I just came across this site called Groupon, which is available for several major cities, including D.C. It's kind of like a mashup of woot and DailyCandy. It both features limited-time-only deals AND highlights new and interesting restaurants and places to visit in the area. Recent deals have included half-price paintball coupons, half-price restaurant coupons, discount tickets to Madame Toussaud's Wax Museum, etc.

I just subscribed to their RSS feed. I'm looking forward to seeing some good deals on entertainment and restaurants!

Rick Eddleman to be sentenced this week

Four months after he plead guilty to 12 counts of embezzlement, Rick Eddleman is going to be sentenced for his crimes.

Eddleman, a former vice president of finance for Decipher, will be sentenced July 23 at 2 p.m. in Circuit Court in Norfolk, Va. I've previously written about my interest in his case, but for those just joining us, Eddleman stole a whopping $8.9 million from Decipher through various means, including paying himself double his scheduled salary, making improper loans to himself that he never repaid, and other nefarious methods. His inexcusable behavior ravaged the company and incurred such severe losses that 90 people at Decipher lost their jobs.

Eddleman has been ordered to repay the $8.9 million he embezzled, but because the money was frittered away, Decipher will see just a fraction of the money returned. The main penalty looming over Eddleman at this point is the up to 12 years in prison to which he could be sentenced. We'll find out Thursday exactly how much time he'll spend behind bars.

I'll do what I can to post the sentence as soon as possible, but you can check for yourself by calling the Circuit Court in Norfolk. Dial 757-664-4580, then press 1 for the criminal division, and press 1 again to speak to a deputy clerk. All you need do is ask for the sentence given to the Dirty Rotten Scoundrel — I mean Rick Eddleman.

Take that, autism!

Major, major props go out this morning to TheSpeedGamers for their efforts to fight autism while engaging and entertaining "Final Fantasy" fans.

The group's "Final Fantasy" Marathon, which began last night, has their team crank through all 12 numbered installments in the series. (A preset time has been allocated for the endless "Final Fantasy XI.") Participants will play the games continuously over the course of the next week while they stream their efforts online at www.TheSpeedGamers.com. A commentary feed and chat function accompanies the game play. They're even going to be giving away prizes, such as Chocobo and Cactuar plushies, and "Final Fantasy" posters with original art.

You can check out all the action, make a donation and see how close they've come to their $20,000 goal at their site.

TK-421, why aren't you at your post?

If this is what passes for a "flash mob" in Washington, I think our building's security team might have overreacted.

Too curious to ignore what might have been a worthwhile news event, I walked through Freedom Plaza at 10:30 a.m. to see what there was to see. I approached the scene from the plaza's northwest side and was surprised when I saw no gathering. Well, no gathering aside from the many squad cars. I walked to the nearest officer and asked if we were still waiting or if the event had already ended. He said he wasn't sure. So I walked to the nearest man with a camera and asked him. He told me that he'd seen a couple suspicious looking people at the plaza's opposite end, so I journeyed to the southeast corner. That's when I saw the "flash mob," such as it was.

Numbering no more than 10 people — including one woman who had inexplicably donned a tiara — the small group was positioned at the corner of 13th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. One group member apparently was being interviewed. At least two other group members were carrying video cameras to document the event. Another group member was openly bemoaning the small turnout. Can't say I blame him. A mob this most certainly was not.

The only thing that even approached act of civil disobedience was when tiara woman stood in the crosswalk (at a time when the crosswalk signal allowed her) to hold a small sign and momentarily block a car from turning right. And when the crosswalk signal turned red, the woman returned to the sidewalk. Officers stationed nearby didn't even need to act.

To say the gathering was lackluster would be an understatement.

TK-421, do you copy?

My workplace, the National Press Building, is going into lockdown today in response to planned "protest activity" at the nearby Freedom Plaza. I think they're planning to post Stormtroopers, too.

According to an e-mail from police, student activists are slated to convene in "flash mob" style at 10:30 a.m. "in solidarity with Iranian students." The flash mob was described as "an electronically-organized event that creates the appearance of a seemingly random gathering of people. Participants gather and perform an unusual action for a brief moment, then quickly disperse."

It sounds relatively harmless in concept, but the police e-mail notes that "one flash mob in Philadelphia pulled drivers out of their cars and assaulted pedestrians and severely beat a cyclist." As such, the "implication for D.C." is that today's "flash mobs could potentially disrupt traffic, entry/exit from train stations, and businesses." The National Press Building is wisely taking no chances and locking the doors — presumably only during the flash mob event — so only people with proper keys can enter.

For locals who are curious, the other flash mob locations today are Union Station at 8:30 a.m., Lincoln Memorial at 12:30 p.m., Dupont Circle at 1:30 p.m. and the Embassy of Pakistan at 3:30 p.m.

I'm not expecting anything bad to come of this, but yes, Mom, I'll be careful.

Don't grocery shop when you're hungry

I learned this week that the old adage "don't grocery shop when you're hungry" can be applied to downloads. Because those temptresses at the iTunes Store are capitalizing on my digital sweet tooth.

I didn't expect to buy anything when I launched iTunes on Monday, but fate had other plans. Not only did I purchase the rather impressive "Classics" application, I also purchased the first season of the original "Transformers" television show. I now have 16 glorious episodes starring the heroic Optimus Prime, villainous Megatron and all the other shape-shifting characters so near and dear to my childhood. And the best part? Because the show is part of iTunes sci-fi and fantasy sale, the episodes cost less than the price of two tickets to see Michael Bay's headache inducing "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen."

If you haven't yet seen the sale, you should check it out. Among the shows peddling 99¢ episodes for a limited time are "The X-Files," "Xena" and "Babylon 5." For those who prefer their sci-fi old school, original "Star Trek," "Outer Limits" and "Battlestar Galactica" episodes also are part of the sale. Should movies be more your speed, I'd recommend "Gattaca" among the handful of movies reduced to $4.99. Some audiobooks also have been marked down to $5.95 and $9.95.

Truth be told, I'd probably buy more if our laptop could hold it. For sci-fi and fantasy fans who like their escapism in travel size, this is one sale you don't want to miss.

We have a winner

I've long wondered what would be the first iPod Touch app to make me open my wallet. Now we know.

Last night, I purchased the 99¢ application titled "Classics," a great way to read classic novels on the go. It was featured in an Apple commercial that hit airwaves earlier this year, but I never gave the application a second glance until I stumbled across it while browsing the iTunes Store. I was impressed by the wide array of (admittedly public domain) titles that were included, such as "The Time Machine," "Hound of the Baskervilles," "Dracula" and 17 more. And through the magic of free updates, the application is pledging to offer additional titles in the future.

Transforming my iPod Touch into something roughly akin to Amazon's Kindle Reader, the app serves as an interesting experiment. Will I actually read these novels on Metro? Or will the whole system simply not work? Honestly, I'm not entirely sure. But since the app won 2,481 perfect scores and cost a mere 99¢, I'm willing to take that gamble.

There's a zombie on your lawn.

Thanks to Emily for this! Highly amusing and shockingly catchy! (Even 18-month-olds agree!)

To make your Monday a little better, we present...the best Laughing Babies on the Internet.

*snicker*

Seeking balance

I suppose it's inevitable upon returning from a nice week's vacation, but I find myself thinking more and more about life balance these days.

Too often I find myself sharing the couch with Josh while I'm totally absorbed in Facebook, Twitter, or other online distractions. Then I complain about not getting enough quality time with him. It didn't take long to realize something was out of whack. No offense to my online friends, but it makes very little sense to be chatting with others when my best friend in the world is RIGHT NEXT TO ME.

So I'm being more conscious about my screen time at home each night. We're going to be testing out a routine where we come home, work out, make and eat dinner while watching whatever we've got on Netflix, but once we're done eating, the TV and computer are turned off and we, you know, interact as humans for awhile.

It'll be interesting to see how well this works. If anyone out there has any tips for how to balance screen time and non-screen time at home, please share them in the comments.

CONvergence highlight: Dr. Horrible Sing-Along

The only thing better than watching Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is watching it in a room full of fans and singing along with all the songs while wielding a tiny Bad Horse finger puppet.

It was my first time seeing the movie projected on a big screen (well, a screen bigger than my television, anyway), and we managed to sit right up front, which was awesome. The experience was full of communal, Rocky-Horror-esque joyness. And speaking of Rocky Horror, the sing-along was immediately followed by the "Rocky Horrible Picture Show," where you could buy a small bag of props for $5 each and hold them up, throw them, etc. at specific points in the movie. They even had lacy, gently-wafting curtains in there. Glee!

CONvergence highlight: Killer B's Spectacular Improv Movie Show

Riffing on bad movies extemporaniously is tough work, but the riffers at Killer B's make it look easy. It could be something in the beer they're drinking during the show...

For the uninitiated, Killer B's is basically an MST3K-like performance, only it consists of clips of bad movies with the sound removed. There's a live theramin performance to accompany the movies, and the riffmasters fill in the dialogue and mock the proceedings. A big shout out goes to Melissa, who not only assembled the footage for the riffing, but also live-tweeted the best riffs throughout. If you have patience, you can dig through her feed to find them, but they probably won't make much sense out of context.

Still, mad props to all who were involved. The group I was hanging with were laughing so hard we could hardly catch our breath. It was definitely one of the highlights of CON.

CONvergence highlight: Masters of the Universe gets its due

The first night of CONvergence there was a midnight show of the movie Masters of the Universe, based on the popular He-Man cartoon/toy franchise from the '80s. Tim Uren and Joseph Scrimshaw were the riffmasters of the evening, and got us through the horror that was the bad acting, poorly-conceived plot and bad costuming with a steady stream of well-rehearsed and well-timed jokes. (My favorite: when Frank Langella's name came up in the opening credits, they said, "I'm saying that when Skeletor does it, it's not a crime!") The whole crowd was laughing throughout, and the experience culminated with a hysterical five-minute rant by Joseph that truly must be heard to be believed.

I beg the great CON masters...please create a downloadable MP3 (a la Rifftrax.com) of their performance so people can download it, sync it up with Masters of the Universe on DVD, and continue to enjoy. Heck, I'd even pay for the privilege. It was so well done, and though I know their performance wasn't recorded at CON, I'm sure they could reproduce it in a better audio environment.

And one more thing that made the showing awesome - an appearance by an incredibly well-costumed She-Ra. I wish I had gotten a photo - the costume was spot-on!

Shiny objects

L1020672.jpg
Originally uploaded by Marcus Metropolis

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a geek in possession of shiny objects is in want of more shiny objects."

Insert Quarter for Smackdown

Insert Quarter for Smackdown
Originally uploaded by Katriniac

The Smackdown panel was truly inspired this year, and this was my favorite matchup. I'm hoping we'll see the full panel posted to YouTube soon.

Running into Muppets in the stairwell

Convergence 2009 - Muppets
Originally uploaded by lostieborden

I passed these two on the stairway at one point while wearing my pirate wench costume. I said, "Oh, I love the Yip Yips!" to which they responded, in character as the puppets:

Yip Yip 1: "Cosplay."
Yip Yip 2: "Cosplay."
Yip Yip 1: "Run."

Pics from the MST3K panel

Oogie Boogie

Marx sisters

Another Cloud

Harley Quinn

Cami from Street Fighter

Dr. Horrible FTW!

Dr. Horrible won the election! Huzzah!

One of the weirdest photos ever

Manos...no, wait...

I guess this would be Pies: The Feet of Fate?

The Doctors are in!

Election HQ: Dr. Horrible v. Dr. Evil v. Dr. Strangelove!

May the Schwartz be with you!

Jar Jar + Juri Juice

In the Mos Icee Cantina!

"I knew we shouldn't have brought the henchmen. We're going to be the only ones there with henchmen!"

The Dispassionate X-Men

Creepy dude from Silent Hill

Genius Crow and Servo costumes

More awesome costuming

Molotov (Venture Bros.) and Deadpool

Taking a break to play some Betrayal at House on the Hill