Fewer posts, for a good reason

Hi everyone. You may have noticed that we haven't been posting as frequently lately. Or really much at all.

To be honest, both Josh and I have been slammed. Josh has been busy nurturing the StreetPass Network, his new passion project (and when I say "busy" I mean "he works on it from the second he's off the clock at his day job until midnight every night"). I've been navigating many changes at work, a busy rehearsal and performance schedule for the band, and some health issues I won't detail here (nothing serious, but fatigue is an ever-present symptom), which basically renders me incapable of creative thought once I get home from work, and I spend as much time as possible on the weekends sleeping or vegging out.

So we've decided to update this blog on an "as we feel like it" rather than "Monday through Friday" basis for the foreseeable future. If we've got something to post, we'll post it. Although, honestly, we've been sharing all the best stuff on Facebook lately, just because it's easier!

If you want to ensure you don't miss anything from Think Lynsen, I recommend subscribing to our feed. You can do that in the right hand column of the page, where it says "Subscribe via email" or "Subscribe in a reader."

Thanks for understanding, and have an awesome week!

Weird Al spoofs Lady Gaga: "I Perform This Way"

Posted to Weird Al's Facebook page today with this info:
"This is my parody of Lady Gaga’s song ‘Born This Way’ — which, I’m sorry to say, will NOT be included on my upcoming album. I will give the details of the whole Gaga saga (and offer free mp3 downloads of the song) on weirdal.com very soon." (The saga has been posted - here.)

Love how he encourages people to donate to the Human Rights Campaign at the end!

UPDATE: Lady Gaga has relented (apparently she never even heard the song - it was her management saying "no") and now the song will be on Al's album after all!

A bunch of awesome shirts

The Babe with the Power

Batgirl Costume

"Define 'interesting.'"

Party Trick

Reflections on Pi

False Alarm

Cocktail Party

Pet Feeder

Modern Pirates

Clownfish

Alderaan Five-Day Forecast

Legen-dary!

Pirate Crossword

Five kitchen items I can't live without

1. KitchenAid Mixer: This thing is a workhorse. It never fails me.
2. Mix n' Scraper: Perfect for scraping AND scooping. 
3. Mini Serving Spatula: I use this way more than my full-size spatula.
4. Stainless Mixing Bowl Set: I love the rubber grippers on the bottom of these.
5. Panini Grill: Want to make the perfect grilled cheese? Get one of these.

What's on your list?

How to host an awesome party

If there's one thing I take pride in, it's in Josh's and my ability to host a pretty darn fun party. How do we do it? A few simple bits of preparation and some simple hosting techniques during the event can make all the difference.

PREPARATION

• Invitations: Invite people at least a few weeks in advance. Schedules can fill up quickly! Let people know what (if anything) they can/should bring.
  
  
• Food: If you're having people over, be sure to have something to eat. If people are over for more than a few hours, have a meal planned for them.
  
  Plan out a menu at least a few days ahead of time, so you have time to shop and do some advance prep. It doesn't have to all be homemade, but I recommend having all the food in the house in advance when possible (as opposed to ordering pizza during the party and having to wait God-knows-how-long for delivery when people are hungry).
  
  If you're doing a potluck, make sure you've covered the main dishes and a couple of sides, then ask others to bring additional sides, beverages and desserts. That way, it people flake out, you still have enough to cover people.
  
  The most important thing to remember is to have as much prepared in advance of the party as possible. You don't want to be scrambling and dealing with food when you should be having fun with your guests!
• Drinks: Have a couple of sodas, a few staple liquors, as well as some beer and wine, on hand and easily accessible. People usually don't mind contributing drinks, so don't overbuy in the beer/wine department if you've asked people to bring drinks.
• Cleaning: This should go without saying, but make sure your place is tidy before people come over. It makes them feel welcome and comfortable, and shows respect. It doesn't have to pass the white-glove test, but it should be uncluttered.

DURING THE PARTY

• Welcome: Welcome people at the door. Take their coats, or at least show them where to put them. Offer them a drink and show them where the food is, and let them help themselves to their next drink.
• Checking in: Every hour or so, ask folks if you can get them anything - another drink, something to eat, etc. Again, it makes people feel welcome and comfortable.
• Planned activities: Keep things moving, and make sure there's a variety of stuff to do. I usually like to have an area designated for group video games (i.e. Guitar Hero) and an area for board/card games that are easy to learn (i.e. Apples to Apples). This helps people get to know each other and makes conversation easier.
• Circulate: Talk to everyone at the party individually for at least a few minutes. Don't stay in the same cluster the whole time.
• Thank people: As people leave, help them find their coats and thank them for coming.

What are your top party-hosting tips?

New TRON remix album, DVDs/Blu-Ray released today

Check it out! The remix album dropped today, as well as both the original TRON movie (re-released after nearly 10 years) and TRON: Legacy on DVD/Blu-Ray.

MP3 album

CD album

Legacy DVD

TRON DVD

Combo set

Nine Random Things

Hi everybody!

Here's a lovely compilation of Random Things for you today.

1. 10 Vintage Visions of the Future [VIDEOS]
2. 4 Reasons Why a Roth IRA May be Better Than Your 401(k)
   
3. Great music video heavily inspired by "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World"
4. "Soft Kitty" as portrayed by animated gifs
5. Cadbury Creme Deviled Eggs
6. Envelope-free letter sending (Snail-Mail origami)
   
7. 16 Rad Retro Gaming Accessories for Your Home or Office [PICS]
   
8. Charlie Sheen is a complete loser, but this Funny or Die skit he did is WINNING.
9. [BLANK] is the name of my [BLANK] cover band shirt

New Three Musketeers movie? Yes, please.

Foods I want movie theater concession stands

I'm tired of movie theater popcorn.

It may sound sacrilegious, but it's never satisfactory for me. (And no, this isn't an April Fool's Day post - I genuinely don't like the stuff.)

Problem 1: The butter factor. First off, it's not real butter and it doesn't taste like it. Worse, it's never evenly distributed, so you eat a bunch of soggy kernels from the top and then completely dry and tasteless stuff on the bottom.

Problem 2: Salt. A lot of places have you put on your own salt, now, too, which results in the same uneven-distribution problem.

Problem 3: Quantity. Even a small bag is more than I want to eat.

Problem 4: Freshness. I guess I go to movies at off-peak times, because the popcorn is never as fresh as I would like.

So instead, I'd like to propose some alternative movie theater foods:

• Pancakes. Better yet, chocolate chip pancakes.
• Ants on a log. Reasonably healthy and delicious.
• Apple slices with caramel dipping sauce. Mmm, a state fair classic.
• Cheese curds. Another state fair classic!
• Sweet potato fries. I could eat these all day.

What movie theater foods would you like to see?