Some insight into why the Deadpool video was such a failure. Via.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Posted by
John
at
2:12 PM
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Labels: marvel
Commission by Michel Fiffe for this collection of Witch King of Angmar illustrations.
Posted by
John
at
1:49 PM
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Labels: lord of the rings
Creepy--snowy owls kill lemmings and store their carcasses around their nests. Via.
Posted by
John
at
11:32 AM
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20% off all items at Last Exit to Nowhere with the code NEWYEAR20. (If you haven't looked lately, they unveiled a bunch of great new designs in the last few months.)
Posted by
John
at
11:12 AM
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Wired looks at Home Depot's efforts to reimagine stale products like buckets.
Posted by
John
at
8:12 AM
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Labels: design
Doing business in France:
In November, France banned Amazon.com from delivering books for free, saying the company risked driving the country’s independent bookstores out of business.
...
When Uber, the taxi app, was launched in Paris (where taxi service is a perennial gripe), the government imposed a 15-minute minimum wait time on its orders in an effort to protect the medallion cab companies.
Posted by
John
at
7:54 AM
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Link roundup
1. BB:
The publicly funded, $35B cleanup of radioactive soil around Fukishima is staffed by homeless men recruited from Sendai subway stations. They are preferentially sent to the most radioactive zones, and work for less than minimum wage. Mobbed-up subcontractors confiscate as much as two thirds of their pay in "fees."2. BBC:
One in five Irish homes is unoccupied.3. How did last night's ridiculous college basketball 104-point blowout happen?
If the country immediately used them to house every person on the social housing list, there would still be hundreds of thousands left over.
The NCAA's rules for what constitutes a legal opponent are shockingly brief: If a school offers a four-year degree and plays the majority of its games against U.S.-based college varsity teams, it counts as a legal opponent for a Division I basketball team.4. Playing Fable 2 with the goal of marrying as many towncriers as possible.
Posted by
John
at
7:34 AM
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Labels: college sports, corruption, crime, fraud, ireland, japan, sports, video games
These seem like Robot Chicken props, but no, they're mass-produced--Lost dolls are 50% off today at Entertainment Earth.
Posted by
John
at
6:45 AM
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Monday, December 30, 2013
Stickers designed by Hydro74 on sale here.
Seems like blue and pink are the hot combination right now (or at least my favorite combination, so I seem to be noticing it everywhere). Check out the design of Wildstyle from the upcoming Lego movie:
This wonderful set is $20 at Amazon. (All the sets based on the movie are great. There's a giant mecha pirate with a shark fist.)
Posted by
John
at
5:59 PM
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The tobacco hornworm is a caterpillar that eats tobacco leaves, and exhales nicotine through pores in its skin, creating "a toxic miasma that deters hungry spiders."
Posted by
John
at
5:37 PM
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The terrific survival horror game Outlast is currently $6.70 (66% off) at Amazon (Steam download). (Alternatively, this is a good playthrough.)
Posted by
John
at
5:35 PM
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Helpful review of the Nexus Silent Wired Mouse SM-8500.
Posted by
John
at
3:29 PM
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Labels: amazon
The most interesting thing about the new Star Wars Inquisitor action figure is how limited the articulation is.
Posted by
John
at
12:49 PM
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Lego Arwing by Bruce Lowell.
Posted by
John
at
11:20 AM
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Labels: lego, nintendo, video games
I've always been suspicious of the mysterious people who "solved" absurdly arcane promotional ARGs. I suspect Cards Against Humanity is finding out what happens when a plant isn't being fed the answers:
On the first day of Holiday Bullshit, we announced that there was a puzzle hidden across the 12 Days. So far no one has solved it.
...
The puzzle requires multiple steps, one leading to the next.
As far as we know, no one has figured out the first step.
Posted by
John
at
10:57 AM
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Sunday, December 29, 2013
Posted by
John
at
9:56 AM
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Labels: batman, video games
$60 Ninja blender as good as the $450 Vitamix
It was hard to take seriously Businessweek's lengthy advertorial on the recent success of Vitamix when it includes paragraphs like this:
If a demonstrator does well, the store will book him for a repeat visit. Some demonstrators share their cell phone number and develop loyal followers who show up each time they come to town, as if they were the Eagles.But I did learn that Consumer Reports rated the $60 Ninja Master Prep Professional as highly as the $450 Vitamix.
Posted by
John
at
8:40 AM
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Novels by Joe Hill, Jo Nesbo, and Guillermo Del Toro are featured today as $2 downloads at Amazon.
Posted by
John
at
5:48 AM
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Gifs showing the end of the Weidman vs. Silva (ghastly) and Rousey vs. Tate fights.
Posted by
John
at
5:44 AM
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Labels: extreme sports, mma, sports
Friday, December 27, 2013
Charming post at Reddit about a big dog, until you dig deep into the comments and it becomes something different.
Posted by
John
at
7:28 AM
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Thursday, December 26, 2013
Ricky Rubio is on pace to be the worst shooter of the modern era.
Posted by
John
at
7:40 PM
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I knew Cards Against Humanity donated $100,000 from the Holiday Bullshit earnings to public school classrooms, but I wasn't expecting to receive a child's thank you letter.
Posted by
John
at
7:29 PM
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Labels: cards against humanity
Best news bloopers 2013
Let's retire the Wilhelm scream and replace it with the one at 3:59.
Posted by
John
at
9:45 AM
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Enterbay T-1000
Enterbay T-1000 available for preorder (super expensive).
*Buy cheaper T-1000 toys at Amazon.
Posted by
John
at
9:32 AM
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Labels: terminator, toy
(Giveaway over) First commenter wins Cubecraft, the book of paper toys
Paper toy expert Christopher Beaumont has a brand new book Amazing Cubeecraft Paper Models: 16 Never-Before-Seen Paper Models:
Young model-makers can assemble a fabulous new cast of personalities dreamed up by the creator of the popular website Cubeecraft.com. These previously unavailable models include Princess Pummel, the little pink punching machine; Dead-Sea Diver, the lethal reincarnation of Davey Jones; space explorer Red Eye Robot; and others. Printed on sturdy stock, the easy-to-make models require no tape or glue and come with simple instructions plus directions to a YouTube video demonstration.You can buy it right now at Amazon..
Posted by
John
at
7:11 AM
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Labels: giveaway
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
(Giveaway over) First two commenters win a pack of 24 plastic surfers
The latest addition to the Toy Boarders line of plastic figures is surfers:
You can buy them here. I also have two packs of surfers to give away. First two commenters to leave their email win. USA residents only. Please let someone else win if you've won a recent giveaway.
Posted by
John
at
8:18 PM
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Labels: giveaway
The Man of Steel Limited Edition Gift Set (Blu-ray + DVD + Ultra Violet Combo) with Superman and Zod figures is 45% off at Amazon.
The Amazing Spider-Man (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray / DVD + UltraViolet Digital Copy) is $5 (82% off).
Posted by
John
at
7:59 PM
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Brain-eating amoeba that looks like a clown face.
Posted by
John
at
7:54 PM
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Labels: science
How St. Nicholas became Santa Claus
In the better-known tale, three young girls are saved from a life of prostitution when young Bishop Nicholas secretly delivers three bags of gold to their indebted father, which can be used for their dowries.
"The other story is not so well known now but was enormously well known in the Middle Ages," Bowler said. Nicholas entered an inn whose keeper had just murdered three boys and pickled their dismembered bodies in basement barrels. The bishop not only sensed the crime, but resurrected the victims as well. "That's one of the things that made him the patron saint of children."
Posted by
John
at
7:46 AM
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are $1.99 each at Amazon today.
Disney's Castle of Illusion is $3.75 right now (iOS version is $10).
Posted by
John
at
7:41 AM
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Hello Games suffered massive flood damage
Hello Games, makers of Joe Danger and the upcoming No Man's Sky suffered massive flood damage:
A river broke its bank nearby yesterday, and A LOT of water flooded in really quickly. A biblical amount. It was coming in the windows!
— Hello Games (@hellogames) December 25, 2013
We've lost most things - PCs, monitors, furniture, a door, a wall. You'd think the massive water cooled mega PC would be ok? It was not :(
— Hello Games (@hellogames) December 25, 2013
Lots of personal stuff lost (my console collection! my super rare neo geo pocket!) - that line between home and office is a little blurry
— Hello Games (@hellogames) December 25, 2013
Posted by
John
at
7:34 AM
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Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Upcoming 3.75" Grim Reaper, Wasp, Hyperion, and Hulk. And speaking of new Marvel figures, check out photo galleries of the new Winter Soldier Marvel Legends series Red Skull, Baron Zemo, and more.
You can preorder the set here and here.
Posted by
John
at
7:50 PM
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Blowout sale at Entertainment Earth includes 50% off on Marvel Legends and The Walking Dead figures.
Posted by
John
at
1:55 PM
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Snow-Moai
I don't know anything about the people who live in this house, except that I think I love them! pic.twitter.com/8pomwWvJ20
— Shawn Huckaby (@ShawnHuckaby) December 23, 2013
Posted by
John
at
9:31 AM
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The Lost Hero, part of the Percy Jackson series, is one of today's $1.99 downloads at Amazon.
Posted by
John
at
3:40 AM
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Monday, December 23, 2013
The difference between Cracked and Buzzfeed:
BuzzFeed's more about making you feel good about things you already know or believe
Posted by
John
at
8:34 PM
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Quantum Conundrum with DLC is $1.19 at Amazon (Steam download) and comes with a $5 promotional code.
Posted by
John
at
7:37 PM
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Highlights from Future Cinema's screening of Ghostbusters
Video of highlights from Future Cinema's screening of Ghostbusters, including an in-theater battle against Slimer and Stay-Puft. Big photo gallery, too.
*Buy Janine Melnitz toys at Amazon.
Posted by
John
at
6:01 PM
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Labels: ghostbusters, secret cinema
Gone Home is getting an authorized JRPG demake
I got the go-ahead to continue on with my @GoneHomeGame JRPG demake. Here are the screens, if you haven't seen them. http://t.co/f83TAnT7c8
— Seth Macy (@sethmacy) December 23, 2013




Via.
Posted by
John
at
5:48 PM
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Labels: video games
Brandon Boyer's post finally convinced me to order one of Mr. Div's prints. (The "SWISSGIF" discount code Swiss Miss posted last week still works.)
(They've sold 18 of these. I wonder how many were purchased by bloggers I follow.)
Posted by
John
at
4:48 PM
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"Groupon Waits Until Now To Admit It’s Not Shipping Nexus 7 Purchased On Black Friday."
Posted by
John
at
4:14 PM
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Cowboys QB Tony Romo has been ruled out the rest of the season due to his back injury, per league source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 23, 2013
Posted by
John
at
1:31 PM
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Labels: nfl
Posted by
John
at
8:34 AM
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Polygon looks at Telltale's upcoming Game of Thrones and Borderlands games:
"Creatively, we're going to defer to the show because we are using HBO's license," Allison said. "Playing the game should feel like watching the show and we'll be making lots of decisions the same way the showrunners do.... the Games of Thrones project, though still in early development stages, took more than a year of conversation with HBO to seal the deal — a multi-year, multi-title deal, to be exact.
Posted by
John
at
8:25 AM
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Labels: game of thrones, telltale, video games
Looks like ThreeZero will make Game of Thrones figures.
Posted by
John
at
7:04 AM
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Labels: 3atoys, george martin
Sunday, December 22, 2013
A detailed look at threeA's upcoming Metal Gear Ray. (You can also preorder a cheaper model with five tiny figurines at the BBTS.)
Posted by
John
at
8:32 PM
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Labels: 3atoys, metal gear, toy
Gerard Way has started posting Umbrella Academy series 3 concept art
Gerard Way started posting character designs for Umbrella Academy series three. Gabriel Ba will again be the artist. (I highly, highly recommend series one and two, available at Amazon.)
*Previously: Umbrella Academy custom action figures.
Posted by
John
at
8:34 AM
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Labels: comic books, dark horse comics
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Predictable behavior from the writer of the New 52 Starfire.
Posted by
John
at
3:36 PM
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Labels: dc comics
Former Eagles Cheerleader to Be Honored for Military Service in Afghanistan:
[Rachel] Washburn spent three seasons (2007-09) as a cheerleader for the Philadelphia Eagles before joining the military in 2010.... She’s since served two tours in Afghanistan as an Army intelligence officer in a special ops combat unit.
Posted by
John
at
3:20 PM
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Labels: military
Private Eye #5 by Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin is now available. Terrific pay what you want series.
Posted by
John
at
11:25 AM
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Documentary about Detroit-area firefighters battling a plague of burning buildings
Limited budgets and crumbling infrastructure have left Highland Park's fire department stretched thin. Abandoned buildings are burning with families inside.Here's the featured fireman's personal Youtube channel.
Posted by
John
at
11:10 AM
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Labels: video
"South Africans are dying of AIDS at the same rate that Americans died during the worst years of the Civil War."
Posted by
John
at
10:26 AM
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From 6 Ridiculous Lies You Believe About the Founding of America:
that's generally how the settling process went: The plague acted as a lead blocker for white European settlers, clearing the land of all the natives. The Europeans had superior weapons, but they also had superior guns when they tried to colonize China, India, Africa and basically every other region on the planet. When you picture Chinese or Indian or African people today, they're not white because those lands were already inhabited when the Europeans showed up. And so was America.I've also been reading the outstanding Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History.
Posted by
John
at
9:00 AM
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Labels: history, US History
Friday, December 20, 2013
Star Wars 1313 Concept Art by Gustavo Mendonca.
Posted by
John
at
7:18 PM
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Labels: star wars