Bag o' Links: Doug shares things odd and aggravating things on a rainy day edition (Walmart's Homeland Security Video, the 17 Year Old Child Abuser, and the Hip Hop Cupcakes)

BLOT: (11 Dec 2010 - 05:14:11 PM)

Bag o' Links: Doug shares things odd and aggravating things on a rainy day edition (Walmart's Homeland Security Video, the 17 Year Old Child Abuser, and the Hip Hop Cupcakes)

It has been a long time since I have done a "Bag O' Links" (I don't think this is true, but the last one I found was March 2008). Mostly I just toss up links here or there as I go, but random things have caused me to come into possession of a half-dozen weird, odd, aggravating, or otherwise juicy links to share. Why not bring back the old custom, eh?

First up, 17-year-old girl gets in a fight with a girl 10 months older and has child abuse charges pressed against her. Since the "victim" has some loose teeth and a concussion, it was a pretty serious punch/fight, but just tossing this out there for your joy and amusement.

Also for your joy and amusement, Walmart shoppers are about to show videos of the Homeland Security Secretary telling them that if they "see something, say something". Triple the creepy factor because this isn't going to be an occasional message through the overheads, or playing on some sweet new flatscreen in the electronics department, but apparently set up to play as the customers are checking out. For those of you rushing to type out the words "George Orwell", this somehow manages to make all such attacks redundant. It's like calling the weird kid in the corner of the room non-social: we already know.

Or its like calling this argument against the truth of the moon-landing a bit hard to follow and repetitive. To be fair, that is a German language website with an English translation, but then again, by the end it is disproving the moon landing by talking about volts from the Van Allen belts and the nuclear radiation on the moon. The big huge gist of that particular page? Disney, a self-proclaimed "King of America", produced cartoons that showed people traveling in space with Werner von Braun. This cartoons led to science-fiction illness that made people think they could go into outerspace. Therefore, the space race was a lie. I'm not making that up, by the way. Lots of images and commentary, though, if you want to read a long one.

And if staying close to Earth is more your style, watch this video cupcakes making noises after syrup is placed on them, and then read how angry it made some people. Duncan Hines originally marketed this, I guess (that whole thing has been taken down), as "hip hop cupcakes". Which means the cupcakes develop a rhythm and beat after having chocolate face applied. Those angry cite the long and hateful history of blackface performers (the bulging eyes and pink lips are supposed to be tapping into blackface). How moot this is made, say, by the fact that the "black" cupcakes are more talented than the yellow/white one, or that what they are doing is nothing, at all, like hip-hop, is occasionally brought up.

Finally, for those who long for Youtube videos involving singing-esque noises that have nothing to do with racist cupcakes, and everything to do with busty-women laying in a bed, I'll end with the Cup Size Choir. From A to G, the women sing the note of their bra size and only that note. You'll see how it looks in motion down below. Since these are women in bed, making "notes", and wearing nothing but lingerie...well, sex sells. I won't say it is not safe for work (unless you work in J. P. Prude's Super Conservative Warehouse) but just FYI before you click. Part of me kind of wishes they had not pointed out the bra size, and just let some music major notice it. It would have made his/her Christmas.

PS: Nathan of the Makers Local 256 group has added said video to his Youtube-athon Christmas Edition. If you don't know what Youtube-athon is, imagine a large and somewhat random playlist of Youtube videos in one easy place, with no need to search or anything like such.

PPS: For those who felt that the images of women contorting on the bed while making noises could have been a bit more obvious: La Senza is there for you. Note: that link sends you to the interactive version, where you can play your own notes. Yes, this means what you would think it means. Also note: the motions on the bed are a bit...um...exaggerated. Whether you hate the idea or love the idea...you need to click on at least one of the notes to see what programmers/webdesigners get up to when no one else is around. For science. I giggled like a schoolboy. Then I got my wife and brought her to see it. And she didn't giggle like a schoolboy. Also, I have to say, the animations make me think of a 2000-era videogame for some reason. Makes me want to play some Seventh Guest.

BY WEEK: 2010, Week 49
BY MONTH: December 2010