Rick Santelli and the "Rant of the Year"

First Dog Chosen: Portuguese Water Dog

The dogs medium-sized and are supposed to be good temperamentally. Also, Ted Kennedy has two, and you don't mess with the Kennedys, unless you are David Paterson. In other first animal news....Socks is dead...RIP.

Cake Balls!!!

No....this is not some new middle school derived homophobic word, but Cake balls are just what you’ve been waiting for—bite-size bits of moist cake blended with rich frosting, surrounded in a deliciously beautiful confectionery coating. This appears to be an exciting twist on cupcakes and a sophisticated alternative to traditional desserts, it’s no wonder why they are becoming such a sweet sensation. The Cake Ball Company is located on Northwest Hwy near White Rock lake. They claim it is a one of a kind experience. Website here.

Rape Stats, Not Athletic Stats!

Bush Visits SMU Today

Usability Analysis of Apple.com: Why is it so Good?

We all have been influenced in some way by Apple, whether it be their brilliant OS, stunning industrial innovation, or the trends they have started in web/application design. Apple focuses a lot on usability. This can be seen in their products, and Apple.com. It is important for Apple.com to be a usable site, because it leaves a good impression on users, and they will therefore be more likely to buy products from Apple. Click here for the full in depth analysis. 

1. The Most Usable Content Navigation and Menus

2. Clean and Flowing Grid-Based Layout

3. Consistent and Smooth Colors; High Quality Images

4. Smooth and Scannable Content Organization

5. Fast Load Times

6. The Search

7. The Subtle Details

 

A History of Home Values

Here's the big problem with almost all the current rhetoric about the housing crisis: It presumes that the goal should be to get house prices rising again.  The problem with that idea is that, even after a 25% decline, house prices are still way too high. Even if there is a government mechanism that could stop house prices from plummeting and artificially pump them up again, therefore, it would just postpone the inevitable. The rest of the article and a bigger picture  are here. 

Four Bad Bear Markets

20 Most Valuable Blogs

Well, to no one's surprise, 'the Nomad Surfer' didn't even make the top 100, maybe next year. Here is the link. 

Gawker Properties -- $170 million.

Huffington Post -- $90 million.

The Drudge Report -- $48 million.

Perez Hilton -- $32 million.

Sugar, Inc -- $27 million.

TechCrunch -- $25 million.

MacRumors -- $21 million.

SeekingAlpha -- $11 million.

GigaOm -- $9.5 million.

Politico -- $8.7 million.

SmashingMagazine -- $7.7 million.

SearchEngineLand -- $4.5 million.

Boing Boing -- $3.6 million.

ReadWriteWeb -- $3.4 million.

SB Nation -- $2.7 million.

Destructoid -- $2.5 million.

Mashable -- $2.5 million.

Alley Insider sites -- $2.25 million.

/film -- $2.1 million.

The Superficial Network -- $2 million

Neatorama -- $1.5 million.

Daily Kos -- $2 million.

Talking Points Memo -- $1.2 million.

VentureBeat -- $1 million.

Wowowow.com -- $1 million.

How The Three-Tiered Beer Distribution System Works

An interesting insight into why we have the three-tiered distribution system. Beer distributors generate $8 billion dollars per year, which is passed on to the consumer. The article is here.

Southwest Airlines' Bikini Plane

Southwest Airlines has entered into an awesome partnership with Sports Illustrated; this was the result. More here. 

Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy

The cutting-edge of sports therapy: Injecting athletes with their own blood to speed recovery of everything from tennis elbow to knee tendinitis. According to an article in today's Times, injecting someone with their own blood “catalyzes the body’s instincts to repair muscle, bone and other tissue.” Sounds pretty good! Platlet-rich plasma is derived by placing a small amount of the patient’s blood in a filtration system or centrifuge that rotates at high speed, separating red blood cells from the platelets that release proteins and other particles involved in the body’s self-healing process, doctors said. A teaspoon or two of the remaining substance is then injected into the damaged area. The high concentration of platelets — from 3 to 10 times that of normal blood — often catalyzes the growth of new soft-tissue or bone cells. Because the substance is injected where blood would rarely go otherwise, it can deliver the healing instincts of platelets without triggering the clotting response for which platelets are typically known. More here. 

The Video Guide to Successful Seduction

Kiva.org

Well, today I finally decided to give this whole micro-financing thing a try. Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty. Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. After the loan is given, I will get journal reports and be able to track how much of the loan has been paid back. After the loan is repaid, I can then lend the money to another person. From what I have read, men are less likely than women to repay the loan. I, however, have more faith in my gender, so I lent two half men. 

Who I split my $200 between:

Maria Elisa is 45 and  from Ayacuccho, Peru. She used to have a soda fountain shop with three employees, but now she wants expand into a full restaurant. She needed a $950 loan to buy rice, sugar, and some more sodas. Why I chose Maria...I liked how she already had a functioning business with three employees; past performance is a great indicator of future success. 

Emmanuel Amofah is from Swido, Ghana. He requested $375 loan to buy some palm fruit so he and his machine can produce palm oil to sell at Ayaase Road near Cape Coast. He has been doing this for 2 years now and wants to increase business. Why I chose Emmanuel...he has received schooling through senior high. I am sure it isn't as good as here in the states, but I respect his educational accomplishments.

Mr. Yon Mouk is from the Preak Traeng Village in Cambodia (I have no idea where that is). Mr. Yon Mouk is 46 years old and requested a $2,725 loan to buy some piglets to start pig breeding business. Why I chose Mr. Mouk...I liked his simple idea...pig farmers, like prostitutes, have been around for a long time (well not in Israel).

Mrs. Srorn Chhay is a 38 year old widow from Tep Archurun Village, Cambodia. She asked for $1,975 to buy grocery products to stock her store. Why I chose Mrs. Chhay...from what I could tell her store was the main store in the village...she practically has a monopoly on the small store market...winner winner chicken dinner. 

David After Dentist

This is Why You're Fat

In my quest be more calorie conscious, I came across This is Why You're Fat. They had some good ideas for State Fair food, but thankfully I didn't see my idea for a corny burger ( a hamburger with corn batter around it instead of a bun). I am glad so see one my ideas hasn't been done just yet. 

Identical Twins Escape Death Penalty

A pair of identical twins escaped being convicted and hanged on drugs charges in Malaysia, due to confusion over which one of them was the culprit, reports said on Saturday.The 27-year-old twins, R. Sathis Raj and Sabarish Raj, had been charged with trafficking 166 kilos of cannabis and 1.7 kilos of raw opium in 2003. But police had trouble identifying which one was in possession of the drugs."This is a very unique case as they are identical twins. Even the DNA evidence could not prove anything as the DNA could be either Sathis' or Sabarish's," said High Court judge Zaharah Ibrahim. More here. 

Pets Who Want to Kill Themselves

All the photos of the ridiculous things humans do to their pets, compiled onto one handy blog with fitting captions. Naturally, this would be right up our alley because it seems like we feature tortured pets every day. More pics here.  Crazy poodle travesties. 

Bill Brewer Likes Him Some Fancy Suits

On the back page of the Personal Journal section today, there appears a story headlined, "Inside a Bastion of Old-School Power Attire." The story is about how the recession is making even junior lawyers rethink their corporate casual attire. Really, though, the piece reads like a Match.com ad for Brewer and how handsome he his, how shiny his shoes are, etc. So good on Brewer’s PR man. He earned his keep. 

6 Cars on Death Row

Times are tough and these cars got purged:

1. Honda S2000
2. Chrysler PT Cruise (really gonna miss this one)
3. Saturn Sky
4. Hummer H3
5. Lexus SC
6. Dodge Viper

More info here. Article via Evan. 

Free Wine at Cork on February 18

On February 18, head over to Cork in the West Village, a really cool little wine store that you’ve probably heard about before. They will be doing a free tasting of Lungarotti wines, from 5:30–7pm. You’ll especially want to check out Lungarotti’s new Pinot Grigio and the ever-popular Rubesco. Did I mention the free-ness? For more info, go here. Cya there. 

Via Professor Moss

Tough Guy Challenge: on my "to do" list

Billed as "the safest most dangerous taste of physical and mental endurance pain in the world", the Tough Guy Challenge took place yesterday, February 1st, on South Perton Farm, near Wolverhampton, England. Thousands of challengers (men and women) started the endurance race, with hundreds dropping out along the way due to exhaustion or injury - broken bones, dislocations, and over 600 cases of hypothermia. Even the overall winner, James Appleton, was treated briefly for hypothermia. The course takes racers through 21 obstacles - through mud, freezing water, across ropes and burning terrain. The challenge is also a fundraiser for charity, with funds going to the Mr. Mouse Farm for Unfortunates, which looks after hundreds of retired horses and provides jobs to young offenders. Here are a handful of photos from yesterday's race. More photos here. 

Triathlon Training

So I have officially re-begun training for a triathlon. I needed a little bit of instruction when it came to the art of swimming, running and biking. So I went on the web and found this site that features some Tri coach giving 5 minute instructional videos, enjoy. 

Porn Clip Penetrates Super Bowl Broadcast

One minute it was Kurt Warner going deep ... the next , it was some porn star!?  Bowl fans in Tucson, Ariz. were subjected to 30 seconds of hard core porn -- wang and all -- when somehow, the game feed was suddenly interrupted by a clip from an adult television channel. Comcast -- the cable company in Tucson -- is working on an explanation, but right now it appears the porn break in only occurred in its standard-definition feed reaching analog TV sets. More here.