How BIG is big?

Last night I was asked to define what a blog was, and what the hell a blog has to with anything.

I sat back for a moment, reflected, and decided that the best way to approach this query was with broad strokes of general blah about my beloved blog(s).

A blog, I told myInquisitor, is a personal web site that provides updated headlines and news articles of other sites that are of interest to the user, also may include journal entries, commentaries and recommendations compiled by the user (dictionary dot com agrees with me ;)

"So what's the point?" he asked. To that I responded, "Ah, hell. Just to rant and rave I guess." But that's not really it, is it? It's more. It's about a growing number of conscientious, internet-savvy free-thinkers doing just that: thinking freely. It's about content provided for the masses, by the masses.

This is all redundant, so I'll stop.

It's the questions that his questions raised in my own mind that are more interesting. By asking me flat out "What's a blog?", my Inquisitor made me realize that the blogosphere, while large, looming, and ever-expanding (sort of like a cyber-big-bang) - isn't as big as I thought it was.

To me the word blog, as a noun, verb, whatever, is part of commonplace language. To others, it's not.

To some, blogs are these things that are creeping up and are full of crap, and that folks don't, or don't want to, understand. To me, they're an endless source of semi-reliable but all-infotaining content rivers, full of goodness. Like nutella. Yep, nutella.

See you in the funny pages...

Anyone Feel Me?

Last Friday night I attended a round of mixed martial arts fights in Revere, MA (www.wfl.tv). Before the fights began, and during the breaks between a few rounds, several amateur rappers took to the ring and endeavored to entertain us.

So help me, never have I ever been so horrified at a live 'musical' act. Throughout high school and college I played in a few different bands, and I've seen some...variety...in terms of bands and beat makers. This past Friday was the first time that I could scarcely stand to stay seated, and not start throwing steel chairs into the ring a la WWE.

What is it about amateur rappers, and musicians in general, that make them think they have to scream as insanely as they can into any microphone in front of them to sound good? Why is it so many amateur rappers spend soooo much time talking about what they're going to do, or about to do, or are in the process of doing - but so little time telling you what they've done?

Personally, I think it's because they, like many of their professional counterparts, are full of shit.

Don't misunderstand. I like rap quite a bit. It's just that my idea of quality hip-hop and rap doesn't usually extend to the likes of what I saw last Friday night.

I remember, way back when, buying my first NWA album. Mix in some Wu-Tang. A little Tribe. Hell, even a little bit of Jay-Z and Nas. Maybe some Biggie. Maybe even som 'pac. But please. Pretty please. Hold the Luda, and the Em, and hand over the 2 quarters making up your 50 cents to me...I'm 'bout to feed that meter.

A'boogie.

A Case of The Mondays

There are generally three constants to my (week)days:

1) An early morning blog crawl.

This usually consists of various smut ridden, celebrity related, paparazzi-themed stuff that does nothing but provide eye candy to wake me up. Also, I throw in pinch ze frank, a dash of Rocketboom, and a big giant glob of my favorite podcast out there: Merriam-Webster's "Word of The Day", for good measure. Oh, and Amanda UnBoomed isn't bad, either.

2) Dunkin Donuts.

Consisting of either a hot coffee w/cream and sugar - or an iced coffee, with the same treatment. This is a hugely important part of my day - to the point where last weekend in Montreal, I plugged "Dunkin Donuts" into Google Maps Mobile on my BlackBerry - and got me some coffee, dammit.

3) Kempo.

Just about every day that isn't a weekend one - and sometimes on those, too - I can be found at Craig's Kempo Karate Academy in Watertown, MA. Mind, body, and spirit.

On this oh-so-drab Monday AM, I though I'd take a moment and share some of my day with you all, my Lovelies. For no other reason than it seemed like a good idea while I had my coffee during this morning's jaunt through the blogosphere.

See you in the funny pages...

Weekend Plans

Whew. Now that that bit of philosophomophising is out of my system, it's time to get back to bringing all you lovelies the usual Rebel Yell flare.

Have you ever had a steak, grilled by USB? If not, go out and try it - better you first, than me.

More travel is on the horizon. At some point within the next few weeks, I'll be in NYC for no reason other than I feel like going. Maybe I'll drag the ThinkPad along, and make use of one of the new WiFi hotspots in The Park.

Next weekend I'll be in fabulous Toronto - that's in Canada - for the Canadian National Comic Book Expo. Yes, I'm a fanboy and I'm damn proud.

If you don't already watch The Show w/Ze Frank...please do yourself a favor and check out the episode from August 23rd...especially if you've ever been on a plane.

Oh, right. Last night I attended the Black Eyed Peas concert at The Tweeter Center. This show was supposed to feature The Pussycat Dolls as the opening act - sadly, they were unable to attend and I was forced to sit through 15 agonizing minutes of some horrific thing calling itself Danity Kane. Being that I was in the second row from the stage, when the lead "singer" (quotation marks here denote loose usage of the term) barked into her mic "Do y'all want us to sing you some more songs?" and I shouted "No. Please leave." --- ya, I'm pretty sure she heard me.

Ah, well. This is that asshole from the 2nd row, signing off.

See you in the funny pages...

Waxing Conscientious

During my daily blog crawl, I usually come across stories and random links that I'll save to include in a links post later on. Today though, I've come across something I'd like very much to take the time to address.

"Israeli military chief of staff Lt Gen Dan Halutz has for the first time publicly admitted to failings in the conflict with Hezbollah."

This is the headline from BBC News' latest article on the continuing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah (full story here).

What sort of 'failings' are we talking about here? Are we talking about the civilians (on both sides) that have lost their homes, their livelihood, or worse?

Are we talking about the beautiful cities of Beirut and Haifa that have been beaten back 20 years, and buried under the rubble of intolerance?

Or are we talking about the fact that the instant a nation makes the decision to revert to war - a grievous 'failing' has occurred?

With the death toll already high (over 1,000 Lebanese dead, and over 100 Israelis) what's really been accomplished?

In the short term, sure, the looming threat of a militant militia has been quelled. The so-called 'party of god' has felt the wrath of the Israeli military. But what about the long term? This conflict will soon be just another page, or worse - a footnote, in the annals of this long conflict between Israel and its neighbors - brushed over by a reader's saccade.

It's important at times like these, for me at least, to ensure that my memory lasts longer than just the last sweeps week on the news. Before this latest conflict, countless others have all been part and parcel of the larger one - and that larger conflict is the one to lament.

In the long term, the onus to commit to peace in good faith (no crossing of fingers) falls on Israel as much as it does on the aggressors acting against it.

As for the 'failings' mentioned by the Israeli military chief of staff - I'm pretty sure he's ok. Lt Gen Halutz sold off his stock portfolio before fighting broke out.




Anybody see borders on this map?

A Link and A Smile...

Rachel Bilson's Last Kiss (Ok, it's really Zach Braff's...)
Finally! A wallet made of bacon!
Aliens heart Firefox.




Kangaroos hooked on The Pill.
Turn your PSP into a half-assed cell phone.
Dark Matter's for realz.

Feeling groovy?

So I finally signed up for IMDb Pro today. Don't ask why. Ask why not(?). So far, I love it. If anyone ever needs to know how high Hilary Duff is on the STARmeter, let me know (though I may relentlessly mock you for a while before giving you the info you're looking for).

In other news. This isn't a "What The?!?" Award, and it's not a links post - but I really want to 'share' this video with you:



In other news: look for The Rebel Yell's new vlog (tentatively called "Rebel Yell Live" (thoughts?) to premiere over and around the first weekend of September, when I'll be 'casting from the Canadian National Comic Book Expo, in Toronto.

Oh, and if anyone's seen Snakes On A Plane - please let me know how it was. Being that I was in Canada last weekend, I missed its bow.

See you in the funny pages...

The "What The?!?" Award of The Week (belated)

A few months ago, I was rocked senseless by this band Metal Skool at the Typhoon Saloon in Pacific Beach. Apparently I'm not their only fan. Check out the only American "Idol" worth her salt (that'd be Kelly Clarkson, btw) chugging Chivas & singing G&R...and just try to ignore the little punk from Yellowcard.

See you in the funny pages...

The post-midnight, midnight post

Some dialogue from the tail end of this evening's festivities:

Sarv: I know kung-fu.
Amanda: I know tae-kwon-do.
Sarv: TKD is predictable. It's all kicks.
Amanda: Have you seen my legs? I'll kick you from across the street.

Mmm-hmmmm...
See you in the funny pages...
www.TheRebelYell.org

Bonjour, Salut, et Bon Vendredi!

Back again from vieux Montreal. Already I've spoken french and been responded to in english & spoken english and had nothing but le langue d'amour spouted back at me in return.

One fantastic find was the "easy" button that reads "simple" -- and speaks...understandably...french.

The real question is, would this be half as interesting to me if I wasn't the aformentioned east-coast elitist I claim to be?

In other news. The Zach Morris phone is back...and big...and red.

See you in the funny pages...

Blog! Live!

So here it is. This is the very first 'moblog' entry on The Rebel Yell. This post comes to you live from fabulous Montreal, canadia...more specifically, a small town called Dollard-des-Ormeaux.

Already the festivities have begun. Look for video of said 'excitement' to be posted early next week.

Oh. And stick around for the weekend and read more about various exploits north of the border.

See you in the funny pages...
www.TheRebelYell.org

Finger linking good...

Make your own motivational poster.

Replace that tired old mailbox.

Bottle Blogging.




Real life Wolverine?

Dude...don't get a Dell...they, like, combust.

Still rubbing my rhubarb.

Ignorance Excused By Pop Savvy ?

Would it shock you to learn that over half of Americans can name Homer Simpson's son, but less than one quarter can tell you the title of a poem by Homer? (hint - he's a old Greek dude)

Is it strange to hear that the same majority can tell you what planet Superman is from, but can't identify Mercury as the closest planet to the sun? (is the planet named after that stuff in the thermometer?)

A recent survey, reported on here by Reuter's says this is all...sadly and pathetically...the case
...and don't get me started on the stats involving over-glorified-karaoke-crap-fest American Idol.

Sure. I can answer most of the pop culture questions the survey inquired about - and I don't feel the least bit embarrassed by that fact. Actually, I'm quite proud of my pop savvy - but certainly that's no excuse for the sheer ignorance of the world around them that respondents to this survey have displayed.

When three quarters of Americans can correctly ID The 3 Stooges...but less than half can tell you what the 3 branches of our own government are - is it any wonder that we find ourselves wondering "What the $#@* ?" so much of the time?

Maybe this is me being an East Coast/New England snob.
Maybe I should stop being such a Masshole.
Maybe...but I don't think so.

See you in the funny pages...

Zod? Wha?

I recently read somewhere that Jude Law is in talks to play General Zod in the next superman movie. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this. Sure, Law is a good actor. Sure, Zod is a cool villain. But (as I've said on this page before) who the heck does Bryan Singer think he is?

In the spirit of constructive criticism, I've addressed the following letter to Mr. Bryan Singer:

Dude. Singer. Duuuude. Richard Donner already MADE that movie. In fact, he already made the one you just (re-)released this summer. Please stop trying to honor/imitate Donner and come up with your own idea. We know you can do it. You're a pretty clever guy. Usual Suspects and XMen kicked @$$. Stop screwing around with Superman & do what's right. Oh, and please say the piano slid across the floor because the boat tipped ;)

-- Sincerely, TheRebelYell.org

See. No harsh words here.
Funny pages and all that...

The Midnight Snack

Ya ya ya...so it's a bit after midnight. Anyway.

In late breaking news, experts have said that the Mammoth is poised for a comeback in the near future. Yes, I mean the big hairy animal of yesteryear. Not biting?

"The woolly mammoth could be brought back from extinction using sperm extracted from animals encased in ice."

but how, you ask?

"The idea would be to inject mammoth sperm, assuming it could be retrieved, into the eggs of female elephants."

as far as why...you're on your own there.

Snacktime's over, and I'm a bit off my oddy knocky...and so now it's time to retire.

Do not pass Google...in fact, don't even cross it.

"To Google, or not to Google?"

That is the question posed my many a legal conjurer.

According to dictionary.com: to 'google' is to search for information about a specific person through the Google search engine.

Last month, 'google' (note the lowercase 'g') won a spot in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.

Other examples abound...

Oi, but here's the rub. In an uncharacteristic move Google has lashed out at the media, respectfully asking them to refrain from use of their trademarked name as a verb. Here's a thought...why?

Was Xerox bothered when the name of its product became synonymous with photocopying?

Did kleenex shed a tear when the term 'tissue' went out of vogue?

Did Christmas care when we officially re-named it?

Ok. Yes. Google needs to protect itself and its intellectual property. But this has encouraged copyright-happy Apple to follow suit, leading my mind to wander to places I'd nay visited before.

Can Creative hit us with a copyright for the word zen? What about ask.com? Heck, I know there are others - and I'm just drawing me a blank right now. Can y'all think of any?

Oh, and by the way: Googdesk, anyone?

[note* insert witty title here before publishing]

Good monday, good tidings, and all around good times to you and yours on this fine August 14.

It strikes me that this would be a good time to address the thing that I'm suuuure you're all curious about: my travel plans.

Will I still be going on a roadtrip across the country? ...yes. But in an effort to avoid the cruel midwestern sun - I love AC (note: AC is NOT a city in Jersey) - I'll be waiting until the fall & the calm repose it brings...mmm...football.

Will I still be coming back from said roadtrip? ...as my grandmother would say - it's depend.

There. Now that that's out in the open.

This weekend, The Rebel Yell will be blogging live (via BlackBerry) from glamorous Montreal, Canada. Follow various scandalous exploits here...and maybe on Cops Canada & Canada's Most Wanted.

See you in the funny pages...

The 'What The?!?' Award of The Week

I really wanted to have something borderline witty to say here, but...

...no...

...just the photo does the trick, methinks.

You know the deal - funny pages and all that...

A Minor Musing...

ed: I heart blogging.
lo: I told you you would.
lo: you just didn't listen.
lo: that's quite common w/ you.
ed: i dont heart listening

I [link] I like you, but you like this whole room...

Chinese Barfights!

"Chinese can unleash pent-up anger at a bar that lets customers attack staff, smash glasses and generally create trouble."

Chuck Norris bridges The Danube !!

"A newbridge in Hungary could be named after the action film actor Chuck Norris unless the trend turns in an internet vote organised by ministry for the economy."

Smurfs Arrested !!!

"TwoSmurfs were arrested by police in New Zealand for stealing a trampoline."

No. You read all of those correctly.

And don't get me started on

Spoon-wielding Mexican women or

the "kind" voices of female telephone operators.

Today's links have been brought to you by Scotsman.com

See you in the funny pages...

If you're reading this...

If you're reading this, then I've successfully posted my very first moblog entry via blackberry.

A'boogie.

"See you in the funny pages..."
www.TheRebelYell.org

Breaking news from the BBC...and Gizmodo

"Just under one-fourth of DVD sales by 2010 will be high definition discs"

At least according to one study (bbc.com). This isn't like cd's, or regular old fashioned digital video discs - this is 1080p for 1080p's sake.

Sure, I'd love to replace my DVD library with the new discs - but which one to choose? Blu-Ray? I do like the color blu. But what about HD DVD? Isn't there room for a little love there, too?

As far as I'm concerned, Sony and Toshiba (among others) - you should be ashamed of yourselves. When two media juggernauts like yourselves go to war over ownership of the new standard in home video formatting - it's US that lose out. Because you two don't feel like getting along - you're forcing studios and retailers into deals that, in the long term, may end up keeping your discs out of the hands of people who don't want to fork up $30/movie (not to mention the cost of the player - one for each format - and the 1080p-capable television, without which this is all useless).

The biggest question still looms. Which one of you two is the Betamax of a new generation.

See you in the funny pages...

Pre-Midnight, Midnight Snack

I'm not sure that I'm qualified to enjoy this song anymore, being that I spend most of my day in a Gi (essentially pajamas) hitting things (...yea), and teaching others to hit things - but it still made me laugh.

In any event, enjoy!

Temptation thy name is...

...it's BlackBerry ok?

Since getting my mitts on this little sucker, I've not been able to put it down.

When I'm driving, there it is. Staring back at me with it's sultry LED. Asking...no...demanding that I pay it heed while doing 80 on I-95.

Have I been outbid on that lamp on eBay?
What new music came out on iTunes today?
Did Yanni write back about the carpool plans for next weekend's trip?
Will GCalSync ever work properly?


In an effort to get a bit more Zen (no I don't mean the new theme) - I'll leave you with this BlackBerry haiku:


BlackBerry don't you see
You're what's troubling me now
Gosh it hurts so good.

Where you (are)?

Hi Folks. This is just a quick hit to respectfully ask y'all to add yourselves to The Rebel Yell's new map on Frappr.

You can get to it by clicking the nifty little "Where you at?" link in the right hand menu - or just click here, to open the map in a new window/tab.

Oh, right. Once you're there, the "Add Yourself" option is up top and to the right. Feel free to add some photos to the slideshow (just please keep it somewhere under NC-17...we've got kiddies about).

Aboogie.

Family Guy Unplugged

Just a litle sumthin sumthin I came across during this morning's blog-crawl.

Enjoy!

The 'New' Rocketboom: Hit or miss?

I'm not really one for calling out what I think may be 'failings' of a sort, out there in the world wide blog/vlog world...ok...yes I am, and with good reason it would seem...

A while back I started avidly watching Rocketboom (for those of you unfamiliar with it, check out the wiki entry here).

For a while, it was good. Then for a while, it was great. Much of this was due to original host Amanda Congdon's throughly delectable demeanor. Ms. Congdon has an uncanny talent for mixing her natural aptitudes in satire and sarcasm with just enough skill as a 'newscaster' to let slip by unnoticed the fact that you've just watched a 3 minute video about omnidirectional forklifts.

But for whatever reason, all that has changed.

In a 'classic' he-said, she-said mud-slinging-via-blog match, Congdon was/says she was unceremoniously dismissed from Rocketboom. What gives?

The rub lies here: sure, new host Joanne Colan is good times. Sure she's just as easy on the eyes. But what the hell is wrong with Rocketboom lately? Ok - yes, I do think it's interesting that Iraqi taxi drivers are vlogging. I do think that famed olympic sport of speedwalking is funny to watch Colan engage in, especially somewhere in Central Park. But c'mon. Where are the cheesy production values that I'd come to adore? Where are the shots of Joanne Colan spinning around in that chair, in front of that world map?

Don't get me wrong, I'm still giving Rocketboom a chance becauseI'm all for trying new things, but Rocketboom, if y'all don't pick up the pace real soon - you'll be off my iTunes Podcasts list quicker than Amish folk on a BlackBerry.

See you in the funny pages...

I Am of 'The Hype'

Funny title for a post? (hm)

I did something today that, after swearing off my Palm PDA last year, I swore I'd ne'er do again - succumb to the smart-phone craze

Well. To heck with all of that. I'm a proud crack-berry owner now. In fact - look for live posts from the road (if I can figure out how to get that to work), in the near future.

To all of you that may be disappointed in me - get over it. And to me, who swore he'd never be caught reading emails via scroll wheel in traffic - just embrace it, man.

See you in the funny pages...(as long as they're mobile funny pages)

Out, out darn spot!

A health drink firm I've never heard of before recently commissioned a survey to determine the 100 things folks find most annoying.

Not that I couldn't think of a few things to add to this list - but it hits a large number of my peeves right on the head.

Some notable items:

#4. James Blunt
#28. Noisy Eaters
#33. Novelty Ring Tones

...and the obligatory
#67. People who write 'text back' in texts

Text yo...err...see you in the funny pages...

I Like The Way You (L)ink

The Top 10 Manliest Superheroes of All Time
Can't say that I agree 100% - but good effort!
(Bam!Kapow!)

The 10 Best Will Ferrell Skits
How'd they narrow this down to just 10?
(cracked.com)

Kim Cattrall's Banned Nissan Commercial
Sex and the sedan. A losing combination.
(askmen.com)

The Biggest Thing In The Universe

"Japanese astronomers have discovered what they call the largest object in the universe"

Apparently the biggest the universe has to offer is a big blog...err...blob of goo shaped like the gunk from that Flubber movie.

Now riddle me this: what's more shocking, the fact that the universe is spawning eerie blobs of ecto-goop - or the fact that I just referenced Flubber?

See you in the funny pages...

The Rebel Facelift

The Rebel Yell is sporting a new look. Take a gander, and then take some time to tell us what you think?

Looking for the proverbial "More, more, more"? - well, ask and ye shall...ummm...get.

The "What The?!?" Award of The Week

This week's "What The?!?" goes out to you, Ms. Stacy Ferguson of Black Eyed Peas fame. What the hell were you thinking when you

a)"wrote" this song,

b)"spoke" this song

c) felt the need to grind up on a Royal Guard (yes we've all thought it, but no-one actally does it)

So thanks, Fergie. Thanks for putting up in plain sight everything that's wrong with music (though I don't know that your "song" really counts), "pop", and the good 'ol feminine mystique.

This has been your "What The?!?" Award of The Week.

See you in the funny pages.

Now about the 'break'...

I want to take a moment and personally apologize for The Rebel Yell's absence over the past week.

Rest assured that this won't be let to slide again. Those parties directly responsible for the blogging break have been dealt with appropriatley,and won't be a problem from this point on.

In other words, the Boss told me what's what, and to cut the jibber-jabber.

Needless to say, and as you can see, it hurt me a lot more than it hurt you.

But now we're back. Beter than ever(?)and poised to satiate your pop appetites...even the lone reader from Notre Dame. You know who you are.

Up next, look for the addition of a Frappr map, so's all you Rebel Yellers can tell me 'where you at'.

See you in the funny pages...

Insanely Cool Guitar Tapping. Really.

Please watch this. Never have I ever seen a guitar tapped like this one. Wow.