Left of the Dial

Frozen Grand Central Station

From, as usual, the great BoingBoing comes some of the most amazing art I’ve seen yet this century.

Inneresting times we live. Really, really amazing.

Dramatic Lemur

Some of you might recall the most dramatic five seconds on teh intratubes.

We might just have surpassed that. Make sure your sound is up. Surround sound if possible.

Five times I’ve watched it now. And it just. Keeps. Getting. Funnier.

Genius!

As though there were any doubt my young chillens are computer savants—idiot computerants?—more proof appears.

You could also argue that this is, indeed, actually proof that their parents should watch said spawn more carefully and/or shut off their computers when not actually in use. You would be quite right and shut up.

Math for Maroons

Show up for dental appointment at 8:21, 9 minutes early. Ask once again about how long the procedure will take. Be told, once again, “an hour, hour and a half.”

Sit for fifteen minutes, cognizant you were told you were lucky to score “her first appointment of the day.”

Be brought back at 8:34.

Sit.

Sit some more.

Sit still more.

Hear her come in fifteen minutes later and greet colleagues and be asked how her weekend was.

Many minutes later, after she has graced you with her presence, be pronounced good to go and walk out. Note it is now 11:18, two hours and fifty-seven minutes after you walked in.

Adjust for your own earliness, and realize it took them an hour and eighteen minutes longer than they thought it would, or roughly twice as long as they estimated.

Hope desperately they get that exact level of service in every single restaurant they ever go to for the rest of their lives.

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel killed in Afghanistan and Iraq:

Richard B. Burress, 25, of Naples, Fla.; specialist, Army. Burress was killed Jan. 19 when a bomb buried in a road exploded under his Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle near Arab Jabour, Iraq, south of Baghdad. It was the first death of a soldier in a bomb attack involving the new, heavily armored vehicle designed to protect troops from roadside bombs. The explosion did not penetrate the cabin but threw the vehicle into the air and caused it to overturn. Burress was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

James M. Gluff, 20, of Tunnel Hill, Ga.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Gluff was killed in combat Jan. 19 in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Robert J. Miller, 24, of Iowa City, Iowa; staff sergeant, Army. Miller was killed Friday when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Barikowt in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar province. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Jon M. Schoolcraft III, 26, of Wapakoneta, Ohio; specialist, Army. Schoolcraft was killed Jan. 19 when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Taji, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Michael R. Sturdivant, 20, of Conway, Ark.; sergeant, Army Reserve. Sturdivant was killed Tuesday when his convoy vehicle overturned in a noncombat-related accident in Kirkuk, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 431st Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Justin R. Whiting, 27, of Hancock, N.Y.; staff sergeant, Army. Whiting was killed Jan. 19 when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Mosul, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel who were killed in Iraq and who died at a military hospital of injuries suffered in Afghanistan:

Richard J. Berrettini, 52, of Wilcox, Pa.; lieutenant colonel, Army National Guard. Berrettini died Jan. 11 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio of injuries suffered Jan. 2 when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan's Khowst province. A South Carolina Army National Guard soldier and an interpreter were also killed in the explosion. Berrettini, a nurse practitioner, was assigned to the Pennsylvania Army National Guard Medical Detachment, Erie Clinic, in Erie, Pa.

Curtis A. Christensen Jr., 29, of Collingswood, N.J.; lance corporal, Marine Corps. Christensen died Jan. 11 in a nonhostile incident in Iraq's Anbar province, west of Baghdad. No details were released about his death, which was under investigation. Christensen was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Danny L. Kimme, 27, of Fisher, Ill.; private first class, Army. Kimme was one of two soldiers killed Wednesday when their unit was attacked with a grenade and small-arms fire in Balad, Iraq, north of Baghdad. A third soldier died in Pallouata of injuries suffered in the attack. Kimme was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Keith E. Lloyd, 26, of Milwaukee; private first class, Army. Lloyd was killed Jan. 12 when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Tall Afar, Iraq, northwest of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Hood, Texas.

David H. Sharrett II, 27, of Oakton, Va.; private first class, Army. Sharrett died in Pallouata, Iraq, of injuries suffered Wednesday when his unit was attacked with a grenade and small-arms fire in Balad, north of Baghdad. Two other soldiers were also killed in the attack. Sharrett was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

John P. Sigsbee, 21, of Waterville, N.Y.; specialist, Army. Sigsbee was one of two soldiers killed Wednesday when their unit was attacked with a grenade and small-arms fire in Balad, Iraq, north of Baghdad. A third soldier died in Pallouata of injuries suffered in the attack. Sigsbee was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Bittersweetness

Yes. Exactly. Just so.

gggg

UPDATE: To answer those of you who asked, no, I did not put this post up and yes I was quite surprised to find it it gracing The Left of the Dial. The Boy is apparently something of a computer genius.

Emphasis on “something.”

Zombie Apocalypse

35%

35%. Sheesh. I just know it's because I said I'd try to find and help my fambly.

Stoopid fambly. They get you killed by zombies every time.

Ablum Art

Man, I miss LPs.

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following American military personnel who died in Afghanistan, Iraq and at sea:

Menelek M. Brown, 24, of Roswell, N.M.; petty officer second class, Navy. Brown was declared dead Jan. 4 after apparently falling overboard from the destroyer Hopper a day earlier while it was conducting maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea. Navy aircraft and ships conducted an extensive search but could not find him. The destroyer is home-ported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Todd E. Davis, 22, of Raymore, Mo.; specialist, Army. Davis was among six soldiers killed Wednesday when a booby-trapped home exploded in Sinsil Tharia, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany.

Jonathan K. Dozier, 30, of Rutherford, Tenn.; staff sergeant, Army. Dozier was among six soldiers killed Wednesday when a booby-trapped home exploded in Sinsil Tharia, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany.

David J. Drakulich, 22, of Reno; sergeant, Army. Drakulich was killed Wednesday when his vehicle struck a land mine in Chagali, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C.

Sean M. Gaul, 29, of Reno; staff sergeant, Army. Gaul was among six soldiers killed Wednesday when a booby-trapped home exploded in Sinsil Tharia, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany.

Michael L. Green, 36, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio; major, Army. Green was killed Monday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Laghar Juy, Afghanistan. Another soldier died at Jalalabad Airfield of injuries suffered in the explosion. Green was a member of the Army Special Forces Command assigned to V Corps in Heidelberg, Germany.

James D. Gudridge, 20, of Carthage, N.Y.; specialist, Army. Gudridge was killed Jan. 6 when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Stewart, Ga.

Timothy R. Hanson, 23, of Kenosha, Wis.; private first class, Army. Hanson was killed Monday when his unit was attacked with small-arms fire in Salman Pak, Iraq, southeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division at Ft. Benning, Ga.

David J. Hart, 22, of Lake View Terrace; sergeant, Army. Hart died in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in combat Tuesday in Samarra, Iraq, north of Baghdad. Two other soldiers also were killed. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

James K. Healy, 25, of Hesperia; sergeant, Army. Healy died at Afghanistan's Jalalabad Airfield of injuries suffered Monday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Laghar Juy. Another soldier also was killed in the explosion. Healy was assigned to the 703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment at Ft. Knox, Ky.

Jason F. Lemke, 30, of West Allis, Wis.; private first class, Army. Lemke was killed Jan. 5 when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Ibrahim Al Adham, Iraq, northeast of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Wash.

Zachary W. McBride, 20, of Bend, Ore.; sergeant, Army. McBride was among six soldiers killed Wednesday when a booby-trapped home exploded in Sinsil Tharia, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany.

Ivan E. Merlo, 19, of San Marcos, Calif.; private first class, Army. Merlo was one of two soldiers killed in combat Tuesday in Samarra, Iraq, north of Baghdad. A third soldier died in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in the fighting. Merlo was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Phillip J. Pannier, 20, of Washburn, Ill.; private first class, Army. Pannier was one of two soldiers killed in combat Tuesday in Samarra, Iraq, north of Baghdad. A third soldier died in Balad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in the fighting. Pannier was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) at Ft. Campbell, Ky.

Matthew I. Pionk, 30, of Superior, Wis.; sergeant first class, Army. Pionk was among six soldiers killed Wednesday when a booby-trapped home exploded in Sinsil Tharia, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany.

Christopher A. Sanders, 22, of Roswell, N.M.; sergeant, Army. Sanders was among six soldiers killed Wednesday when a booby-trapped home exploded in Sinsil Tharia, Iraq, north of Baghdad. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division in Vilseck, Germany.

In Memoriam

The Defense Department last week identified the following U.S. military personnel killed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait:

Joshua R. Anderson, 24, of Jordan, Minnesota, private first class, Army. Anderson died January 2, 2008, in Kamasia, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Anderson was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Joseph R. Berlin, Jr. , 21, of Chelsea, Alabama, private first class, Army. Berlin died December 30, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. Berlin was assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

Thomas J. Casey, 32, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, captain, Army. Casey died January 3, 2008, in As Sadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire during combat operations. Casey was assigned to the Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.

Brian L. Gorham, 21, of Woodburn, Kentucky, private first class, Army. Gorham died December 31, 2007, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, of wounds suffered on December 12 in Afghanistan when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Gorham was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Camp Ederle, Vicenza, Italy.

Shawn F. Hill, 37, of Wellford, South Carolina, sergeant, Army. Hill died January 2, 2008, in Khowst Province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Hill was assigned to the 178th Engineer Battalion, 218th Infantry Brigade, South Carolina Army National Guard, Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Victor W. Jeffries, 52, of Honolulu, Hawaii, petty officer first class, Navy. Jeffries died December 31, 2007, as a result of injuries suffered December 24 in a vehicular accident in Kuwait. Jeffries was permanently assigned to the Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, Kuwait.

Reno S. Lacerna, 44, of Waipahu, Hawaii, sergeant, Army. Lacerna died December 31, 2007, in Al Qayyarah, Iraq, of a non-combat related illness. Lacerna was assigned to the 87th Corps Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia.

Ryan D. Maseth, 24, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, staff sergeant, Army. Maseth died in Baghdad, Iraq, on January 2, 2008, of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident. Maseth was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Andrew J. Olmsted, 37, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, major, Army. Olmsted died January 3, 2008, in As Sadiyah, Iraq, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire during combat operations. Olmsted was assigned to the Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas.

Celine Dion Is Amazing

It's such a train wreck. And yet...I...just...can't...look...away...

All the parents + all the children of the world = ?

"Some people have everything—they have nothing. It's wonderful."

Dear Yoko

Pal Marc just sent this to me. There seems to be some question—understandably—as to whether or not this is real.

If it’s not? It should be. I had goosebumps from the first funny voice until the lacksadaisical scattershot ending.