Thursday, January 20, 2011

In this weekend’s surprisingly not-near-as-bad-as-it-could-have-been release, No Strings Attached, Natalie Portman plays a doctor who’s too busy for a proper relationship, and instead creates a pact with Ashton Kutcher that develops into a “sex-only” one. How did Portman transform herself from child star to the odds-on favorite to take home Oscar gold (note: not for No Strings Attached) next month? You can always trace a direct line through a handful of important roles to illustrate what led to an actor’s current success, and with Portman, that line has been on a steady uphill climb sine her debut in Léon. So let’s look at eight performances — including something called “World Patrol Kids” — that trace the evolution of one Natalie Hershlag.

World Patrol Kids (1992)

Yes, in one of her first filmed performances, Portman dances around as a member of the World Patrol Kids who — for better or worse — try to educate the masses on the benefits of recycling. She’s doesn’t quite have down the dancing skills that she displayed in Black Swan, but could totally have been an extra in the video for Debbie Gibson’s “Electric Youth.”

World Patrol Kids from Eden Riegel on Vimeo.

Léon (The Professional) (1994)

Portman, in her first film role, plays a young girl who comes home to discover that a corrupt DEA agent has murdered her entire family. Seeking solace at a neighbor’s apartment (who also happens to be a hitman), Portman learns how to exact revenge and, in the process, falls in love with the hitman. It should be noted that Portman was 12 when she filmed this role and the hitman, Jean Reno, was 45. From an early age, Portman was never one to avoid controversial roles. Speaking of…

Beautiful Girls (1996)

In Ted Demme’s high school reunion dramedy, Willie (Timothy Hutton) — who is having a hard time figuring out what his relationship means — finds solace in the company of Portman’s character, Marty, who is 13. When filming, Hutton was only 35 — so not near as creepy of a relationship that we saw in Léon? No, still very creepy. This also marks the last time Rosie O’Donnell appeared in a film that could be considered watchable (for those who will say “It’s her only watchable film,” allow me to remind you of A League of Their Own, which I’ll defend until the day that I die.)

Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)

The tables, as they say, have turned. Now it’s Portman who finds herself the cradle robber, falling in love with a Jedi Knight five years her junior (in reality, Hayden Christensen is two months older than Portman). Of the three Star Wars prequels, this is probably the worst — which is saying something — but, in Portman’s case, it did give her the most to do. She basically spends the first film sitting around dressed in strange head ornaments until near the end; in the third, it would appear that her instructions were to “sit around and look pregnant.” At least in the second film she gets to see some action from start to finish. Regardless, it’s a testament to Portman that she isn’t identified by her role in Star Wars, a label which pretty much every other actor (including Harrison Ford) has found hard to avoid. If nothing else, Portman holds the distinction of being nominated twice for Worst Screen Couple with two different actors: Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen.

Garden State (2004)

OK, there are a lot of people that hate Garden State. And, yes, most of the people that do hate Garden State do so for their deep-seated (and sometimes understandable) loathing of Zach Braff. But what Garden State did for Portman was make her such an indie darling, that her roles in the Star Wars prequels (including the yet to be released Revenge of the Sith) became an afterthought. After Star Wars, it was almost a cry of, “Hey, this actress can show emotion! We all forgot!” Also, for better or worse, Portman can be held 100 percent accountable for turning The Shins into a mainstream band, causing all Shins fans at the time to declare them “over.”

Closer (2004)

To date — and we have less than a week to say this — Closer is Portman’s only Oscar nomination. Here, she plays a stripper with a somewhat mysterious past involved in a relationship with an obituaries writer played by Jude Law (since this was 2004, it was safe to assume that the co-star in every film was Jude Law). Due to an aversion to nude scenes at the time, Portman never appears nude in this film, even though she portrays a stripper (some nude scenes were cut, perhaps due to her then work in Star Wars?). An aversion that she no longer has considering less clothed scenes in Black Swan and, more notably, the prequel to The Darjeeling Limited, Hotel Chevalier.

Saturday Night Live 2006

Has one SNL Digital Short done more to change the image of an actor? Though filmed in jest during Portman’s promotional tour for V for Vendetta, Portman message was clear: She’s no longer putting up with your sh*t. “All the kids looking up to me can suck my d*ck.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember Mark Hamill having a similar message in 1984 — but, perhaps he should have. As Chris Parnell found out, future interviewers of Portman, don’t ask her stupid questions.

Natalie Portman Uncensored Rap
Uploaded by newsoftheworld. - See the latest featured music videos.

Black Swan 2010

At this point, what else can be said about Portman’s role in Black Swan? In a week, Portman will be introduced as “two-time Academy Award nominee,” and in a little over a month she will be an Oscar winner. (Unless something really crazy happens and/or Annette Bening pulls a Tonya Harding.) Also, it should be noted, Ashton Kutcher is in no way associated with Black Swan.

The Evolution of Nicolas Cage's Hair

Montage of Nic's various hairstyles. For list of films: http://www.pajiba.com/guides/the-evol...

Music: "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg

'Social Network' Team Reuniting for Ben Mezrich's 'Sex on the Moon'

by: Borys Kit

from: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/

Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti will work on the Sony project.

Many of the key people behind Sony's awards season darling The Social Network are reuniting for another movie project.

The studio has picked up the movie rights to Sex on the Moon, a book proposal from Ben Mezrich, whose non-fiction tome The Accidental Billionaires was the basis of Social Network.

Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti, who works with Spacey at Trigger Street Productions, worked together to produce Moon.

The new book, another true tale, centers on a rising NASA scientist, who in 2004 came up with the brilliant idea of stealing moon rocks and sell them on the Internet. The goal? To impress his girlfriend.

Social Network is coming off Golden Globe wins for best picture, best director, best screenplay and best original score.

US eases travel restrictions to Cuba

By Nick Miroff

Analysis: Obama relaxes rules, though further improvements unlikely for US-Cuba relations.

Caption:

A tourist shouts as she looks at the waves hitting the Malecon waterfront in Havana, Dec. 13, 2010. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

HAVANA, Cuba — It's been a long-held tenet of U.S. foreign policy that American leaders shouldn't ease the 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba without getting something from the Castro government in return.
So when the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama announced Friday it would allow more Americans to travel to the island and send cash there, in addition to other minor changes, the move raised the question: Why now?

The administration had been floating its proposed changes to Cuba experts and journalists since last fall, but with U.S. government contractor Alan Gross still held in a Cuban jail without charges after 13 months, the measures seemed to undermine American insistence that Gross' ongoing detention is a roadblock to better relations.

Do the gestures reflect a belief that Gross will be released soon? Possibly. Are further steps to ease the embargo forthcoming? Probably not.

The White House measures make it easier for Americans affiliated with religious groups and academic institutions to travel to Cuba, the only country in the world the U.S. government restricts its own citizens from visiting.

Under the new rules, any American — not just those with family on the island — will be able to send up to $500 to Cuba every three months. The measures will also allow more U.S. airports to set up charter flight services to the island (the flights are now limited to Miami, New York and Los Angeles).

Similar travel policies were in place under the Clinton administration, but were later rolled back by President George W. Bush.

For ordinary Cubans and the Castro government alike, there will be significant financial benefits to Obama's moves, as more dollar-wielding U.S. visitors are added to the 400,000 or so who flew in last year, mostly Cuban Americans with family to visit. Obama lifted restrictions on those travelers in 2009, and last year — despite the remaining ban on most other forms of travel to Cuba — the United States had already become the second-largest source of foreign visitors to the island, after Canada.

Cubans starting micro-businesses and going to work for themselves as a result of Raul Castro's recent economic reforms might be among the biggest beneficiaries, especially those who rent rooms to tourists and operate small restaurants in their homes.

The timing of the White House announcement has fueled speculation Cuba might finally bring charges against Gross, clearing the way for his possible return to the United States. The measures were unveiled one day after State Department officials visiting Cuba for semi-annual migration talks with the Castro government told reporters they were optimistic that the Cuban authorities would resolve Gross' case.

The 61-year-old American was arrested in December 2009 while attempting to install unauthorized satellite equipment on the island. He had been posing as a tourist. While the U.S. government insists he is a harmless aid worker, Cuban officials have said they believe he is a spy.

Some have speculated that Cuba arrested Gross to slow the momentum that had been building toward lifting travel restrictions, which could bring an unwieldy flood of U.S. tourists to the island. And policymakers in the Obama administration don't necessarily view the presence of more U.S. students and religious travelers as a reward to the Castro government.

Instead, the Obama administration said its goal is encourage “purposeful” travel to Cuba and increased contact between Americans and Cubans, building support for democratic reforms through personal relationships.

“The President believes these actions, combined with the continuation of the embargo, are important steps in reaching the widely shared goal of a Cuba that respects the basic rights of all its citizens,” the statement from the White House read. “These steps build upon the President’s April 2009 actions to help reunite divided Cuban families; to facilitate greater telecommunications with the Cuban people; and to increase humanitarian flows to Cuba.”

While further moves by the Obama administration seem unlikely, even if Gross is tried and released in the coming months, other attempts to loosen the embargo in Congress will almost certainly be blocked by the new Republican majority. Friday's move drew immediate criticism from the embargo's passionate defenders, particularly Cuban-American legislators such as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), who said the measures will "not help the Cuban people free themselves from the tyranny that engulfs them."

As the new chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Cuban-born Ros-Lehtinen has indicated she opposes any Congressional efforts to chip away at the long-standing trade sanctions, such as last year's failed push to expand agricultural sales to Cuba and lift travel restrictions to the island for all Americans.
The Cuban government was eager to frame Obama's new measures as a “defeat” for the Florida congresswoman, while not giving the White House much praise either. "While the measures leave the blockade intact and do not substantially change Washington's policies, they do reflect a consensus among wide sectors of the North American people in favor of a change in policy," the website Cubadebate said.
Phil Peters, a scholar at the Lexington Institute and author of the Cuban Triangle blog [2], applauded the moves as a smart policy change.

“The increase in contact between Americans and Cubans will expand the flow of information and ideas, and it will increase the income of Cubans in the country’s expanding private sector,” he wrote, adding, “it is only common sense that American influence in Cuba will expand if we open doors rather than build barriers to citizen contact.”

Playboy iPad ‘Uncensored’ App Arriving this March; Hugh Hefner Tweets So!

From : http://www.devicemag.com/

By Sanjeev Ramachandran

Apple iPad users, you are in for something exciting! Though this might sound a bit bizarre, we have reasons to believe it is happening. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner seems to be bent on popularizing his way of celebrating the female body on to the Apple iPad too, with a new explicit Playboy app in the works.

Playboy iPad Uncensored App Arriving this March; Hugh Hefner Tweets So!

Playboy iPad Uncensored App Arriving this March; Hugh Hefner Tweets So!

We just wonder if Apple is fully okay with Hefner’s plan. The Playboy boss has tweeted that an “uncensored” Playboy iPad app is coming in March. Playboy had earlier launched its iPhone app back in 2009, but wasn’t explicit.

All the iPhone app had been offering are some sexy lingerie shots and interview excerpts. The iPad app will see women strip down for a fuller view!

Apple already has in place some extremely stringent rules when it comes to nudity. However, the Hefner tweet makes us think Apple is loosening up a bit.

Going by what Hefner says, old and new Playboy editions will be available on iPad with no cuts whatsoever. The thought of uncut Playboy versions waiting to arrive on our iPads by way of the new app makes us go wild in anticipation. May be this is what Hefner too is aiming at.

It is also being said that Hefner might be trying to make the most of Steve Jobs’ absence. As you already know, the Apple boss is on medical leave.

Even as we continue to stay excited over the possibility of uncensored playboy versions on our iPads, we would also want to know if Hefner just teasing Apple or does he really mean to bring in the app in March?

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Starbucks Starts Accepting Mobile Payments Nationwide

by Jennifer Van Grove
from http://mashable.com/

2174Share

Nearly 6,800 company-operated Starbucks stores in the U.S. will begin accepting mobile payments Wednesday. Customers using the Starbucks Card Mobile app on their iPhone, iPod touch or BlackBerry will now be able to use those devices as tender.

The nationwide rollout marks the official launch of the Starbucks Card Mobile payment program, which has been piloted at Target stores and select San Francisco, Seattle and New York Starbucks locations.

Starbucks Card Mobile [iTunes link] lets users add their Starbucks Cards, track rewards and reload cards as needed via PayPal or credit card. To pay with their phone, app users simply select “touch to pay” and hold up the barcode on their mobile device screen to the 2-D scanner at the register.

An Android application is also said to be in the works, but the company has yet to disclose a release date.

Starbucks is using its own custom-built technology to enable the 2-D mobile barcode scans. The coffee retailer opted for barcode scanning over near field communication technology — which Google (

) is exploring — because of its limited availability. The coffee retailer was reluctant to wait for a NFC ecosystem to develop when its customers have expressed interest in mobile payments now, according to Chuck Davidson, the category manager of innovation on the Starbucks Card team. “Once there are more users, we will adapt,” he says.

In testing, Starbucks assessed the mobile payment option by measuring application speed, transaction speed and total customer wait time, says Brady Brewer, vice president of Starbucks Card and brand loyalty. In all instances, Starbucks Card Mobile was the fastest way for customers to pay.

Starbucks is investing in mobile payments, an investment Davidson describes as modest in relation to expectations, because customers have requested the option and have shown a propensity to not only pay with Starbucks Cards — one in five transactions are made using a Starbucks Card — but frequently use their smartphones while waiting in line.

The company also believes that its customers carry their mobile phones more often than a wallet or purse, and sees Starbucks Card Mobile and the mobile payment program as an opportunity to reach these consumers and build stronger relationships.

Starbucks seems confident that its customers will appreciate the new, faster way to pay. Both Davidson and Brewer believe that adoption will spread as customers tell their friends about the new mobile payment option.
Image courtesy of gumption, Flickr

Stimulus Writ Small: Tiny California Town Prints Its Own Currency

Written by: Keith Wagstaff

From: http://utopianist.com/

Josh Freeman of North Fork, CA sure took President Obama’s talk about providing help to “Main Street, not Wall Street” seriously. The tiny town of 2,400 people, located near Yosemite National Park, sits in a county with a staggering 15.7 percent unemployment rate. Seeing his town struggle, Freeman did what any red-blooded American would do: create his own currency. North Fork Shares, emblazoned with pictures of a butterflies and hummingbirds, are worth $12 per share, and are available in half and quarter shares.

This idea actually isn’t new; Ithaca, NY has its own currency, Ithaca Hours, which it launched way back in 1991. There are plenty of other local currencies around the United States: BerkShares in Massachusetts, the Plenty in Pittsboro, N.C., etc. The idea is to keep money in the community by encouraging spending only at local vendors who accept the money, like Disney Dollars, except less evil. Freeman explains his motivations to the L.A. Times, stating that ”In a small town, you tend to look out for each other …. With the changes in economy, the more we support each other in positive ways, the better the quality of life is for everyone.”

It’s not exactly a revolutionary idea, but it’s definitely a smart way to keep things local. If you had, say, a wallet full of $6 North Fork half-shares and you were trying to decide between the local coffee shop and Starbucks, chances are you would head over to the local coffee shop to spend your cash. Each bill is legal and printed on washable, synthetic paper called yupo.

Will North Fork Shares help revive the local economy? Only time will tell; if anything, the residents of North Fork will have undertaken a community building exercise and in this economy, hey, anything is worth a shot.

Adult Chocolate Milk: The New Four Loko?

By Elina Shatkin
From: http://blogs.laweekly.com/

Now that the original version of Four Loko has been deemed unsafe by FDA decree -- spawning loads of free publicity for the alcohol-fueled energy drink, a lucrative black market, a way to gas up your car, and, eventually, a stimulant-free formulation that beats the ban -- a new product hopes to fill the gaping void.
If recent history teaches us anything, it's that consumer passion for the Bottled Cocktail of the Moment is inevitably followed by a near-hysterical "Won't somebody think of the children?" panic. Next in line for the Helen Lovejoy treatment: Adult Chocolate Milk (website is very AFW*).

Combining 40-proof vodka with "real cream" (hmmm...), the drink is sold in a "retro-chic" glass bottle with a swing top closure. Adult Chocolate Milk, which was inspired by a casual Facebook post, launched a couple months ago and is now available in 19 states. It has proved so popular, the parent company plans to branch out with Adult Orange Cream, Adult Fruit Punch and Adult Limeade in May.

For maximum legislative hand-wringing, we just need the Adult Beverage Company to add some caffeine into the mix, perhaps combining it with Starbuck's forthcoming 31-ounce Trenta. Until then, it's nice to know that when we're just too lazy to pour vodka and milk into the baby's bottle, we have a backup plan. Oh, you mean it isn't for infants...?

*AFW: Annoying For Work. i.e. the website endlessly plays a maddening jingle with no obvious way to turn it off. (When will this insanity end? Not until Flash is ripped from the stiff lifeless fingers of every website designer, apparently.)

Schoolbus Bump ♫ I believe I can fly! ♪

i love video phones...

Test-Riding Personal Rapid Transit in Masdar City (Video)

by Brian Merchant

from http://www.treehugger.com/

Photos: Brian Merchant

Masdar City was designed to be a cleantech geek's dream come true -- it will be almost entirely powered by renewable energy, cooled by towers that draw wind into breeze corridors, and navigated by a number of futuristic mass transportation options. The Personal Rapid Transit system -- all-electric, driverless pod cars that would ferry denizens around Masdar along magnetically guided lines -- was the transportation proposal that perhaps attracted the most excitement. And for good reason: the PRT is sleek, low-carbon, and pretty damn fun to ride. I had the good fortune of testing it out during an extensive tour of Masdar City yesterday -- it went something like this:

Nick Aster of Triple Pundit was on the tour as well, and he put together this great video of the PRT ride (sadly, Air's electro-lounge background music wasn't included in the real-life experience -- but if you had to pick a single song that should be, this one's got my vote ...).

Now, the PRT has been the subject of much speculation, and it looks as if plans to adopt the system to the scale originally envisioned (3,000 units making 150,000 trips a day) have largely been abandoned. They're made by the Dutch company 2GetThere, and are essentially little electric cars, each powered by lithium-phosphate batteries. As it stands, there are just a handful of the vehicles ferrying the slightly larger handful of people who currently live in Masdar between the two stations -- while we waited, some residents did hop on the PRT.

Granted, there's only one cluster of buildings built thus far in Masdar, so it was a short ride. But it amply demonstrated the comfort, smoothness, and general I-feel-like-I'm-in-the-future-ness one would expect from riding the PRT.

Greatest Dance Performance Ever via Bobcats Jumbotron

The Kiss Cam has always been my favorite jumbotron scene, but that may soon change thanks to the Charlotte Bobcats’ Sprite Spark Fan Cam, which asks fans to dance their hearts out when the camera is on them for a chance to win a prize. We are not quite sure what that prize is, but it better be good considering the outstanding performance they got from this second coming of Michael Jackson.

It comes as little surprise to see that his moon walks, spins and splits won him this competition. I guess his only real threat came from that little boy at the 1:20 mark, whose “milk the cow” moves would help reinforce the notion that white boys can’t dance.
It may not be long before either of these boys has his own halftime show.

Go back to the island: Lost short shot entirely on location

Corey Vidal has created a 6-minute short that brings us back to Dharma — shot entirely on the abandoned Hawaii sets for Lost. We have to go back to the island!
[via The Daily What]

Company Offers Training To AZ Medical Marijuana Dispensaries

By Steve Elliott

From http://www.tokeofthetown.com/

Graphic: PRWeb

Gus Escamilla, the founder and CEO of Greenway University in Denver, plans to offer fledgling Arizona dispensaries an education in the business of medicinal cannabis.

His team helped open more than 225 dispensaries in California, Colorado and the western United States, according to Escamilla, reports John Yantis at The Arizona Republic.

"The demographic that we recognized, it's not the 21- to 28-year-olds," Escamilla said of prospective dispensary owners. "It's the 35- to 65-year-olds, the displaced professionals, the people that want to get into this industry in total and complete compliance with the state laws or jurisdiction that they live in."

Later this month, Greenway University, which says its curriculum is provisionally approved by a division of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, plans a two-day, $295 seminar in Scottsdale. Students can learn about the political and legal issues surrounding marijuana, as well as how to grow the herb and prepare it in a snack form called edibles.

Those who do well can become "budtenders," helping patients select the best strains of marijuana for their particular ailments.

Photo: Denver Westword

Gus Escamilla, Greenway University: "There's a lot of people that kind of see it as a savior from a business perspective"

Escamilla isn't alone in seeing the opportunity represented by Arizona's coming dispensaries. For example, Bruce Bedrick, a Phoenix chiropractor, is already marketing a dispensing system.

Once the state's regulations are in place, many entrepreneurs will likely want to get in on the beginning of what some call a sure high-growth industry.

Arizona voters narrowly passed Proposition 203 last November. The new law will allow qualifying patients with certain debilitating medical conditions buy up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana every two weeks from dispensaries, or grow up to 12 cannabis plants if they live 25 miles or farther from the nearest dispensary.

The Arizona Department of Health Services is now reviewing more than a thousand comments on the proposed medical marijuana rules. A new draft of the rules is expected by the end of the month, followed by a second comment period. Final rules are expected in March.

Those who attend his classes are "flat-out entrepreneurs," according to Escamilla, who see the industry as more than just growing and selling marijuana. For example, insurance brokers who sell medical marijuana insurance, real estate agents who lease or sell dispensary space, and security people employed by pot shops have attended his program, he said.

"There's a lot of outside interest just from those who are more entrepreneurial," Escamilla said. "There's a lot of people that kind of see it as a savior from a business perspective."

Arizona State University

Professor Gary Keim: "It's the classic high-risk, potentially high-return situation"

Starting up a pot dispensary is much like launching other businesses, according to Gerry Keim, a professor of entrepreneurship at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. There's learning how to cater to customers, measuring the competition and building relationships with suppliers.

"But this is one where you have uncertainty about the future of the rules of the game," Keim said. "They will be emerging."

Those able to land a spot in the market early may be better able to influence legislators and regulators, Keim said. "It's the classic high-risk, potentially high-return situation," he said.

Bedrick, the Phoenix chiropractor mentioned earlier, has held local seminars to inform others about medical marijuana permitting and how to properly run a dispensary.

He is marketing what he said was the most technologically advanced solution to get marijuana to patients: A medical dispensing system that looks like an ATM and could be run from a business office. The system is called the Medbox.

Bedrick said his system was the most affordable way for entrepreneurs because it requires as little as $25,000 to get into an investment pool.

"We are the most compliant, most fraud free, safest and most lean business model," Bedrick claimed, predicting there will be more security and regulations as rules develop.

Bedrick said his licensed technology was devised after regulatory problems plagued California.

"The best way to be compliant is to take human error out of it," he said, adding that his machines offer video security and biometric scanning if necessary. The Medbox machines take cards, so patients don't have to pay cash for medicine.

Software that will meet state requirements for a real-time database would be able to shut down dispensing to patients with expired medical marijuana ID cards, or those who already bought their supply, Bedrick said.

"Our technology and software does that whole job for the state," Bedrick said. "Whatever system Arizona creates, we will seamlessly integrate with that."

According to trainer Escamilla, traditional sources of funding for startups are hard to come by in the marijuana business. "People either self-fund or they put together business plans and attract friends and family to fund their startups," he said.

Greenway University has lawyers, CPAs and dispensary owners speak at seminars. Escamilla suggests that future pot shop owners hire a good attorney and an accountant.

"It's more for business transaction and formation as opposed to criminal defense, which, for most people, that's their first thought process," Escamilla said.

Finding landlords who agree to host a dispensary can also be a challenge, Escamilla said. But if you follow the rules, he said it's possible for some owners with several dispensaries to earn seven figures annually.

Startup costs run from $25,000 to $500,000, according to Escamilla, who expects annual license fees to be about the same as Colorado's: $7,500 for less than 300 patients, $12,500 for 300-500 patients and $17,500 for more than 500 patients.

Escamilla stressed professionalism as a way of winning over communities. "We express to the student base it's a professional environment, that we have to be mindful of the neighbors, the communities that we live in, and to tailor your marketing in such a way that it's tasteful," he said. "It's an approach where you want to have a 42-year-old mother of two be able to come to your facility and use this as an alternative form of medicine."

One of the ways to make people more comfortable with marijuana, he said, is to educate them that medical cannabis does not have to be smoked. He emphasized that patients can get their medication through edibles, sodas, ice creams and through vaporization, which eliminates toxins associated with smoke by heating the cannabis to form a mist.

10 Classic Video Game Commercials

Posted by Rich Shievener

From: http://www.joystickdivision.com/

Super Mario Bros. 3 joined the UN in '90.

And the nostalgia begins! Back in the day, Nintendo, SEGA and others hit the TV markets hard with clever adverts aimed at young kids who already loved Super Mario Bros., Street Fighter II and something called SEGA CD (ahem).

We thought it would be fun to revisit some of these masterpieces of marketing to see how far companies like Nintendo have come.

Our list begins, though, with a little love for Atari and Pac-Man.

10) Ms. Pac-Man

This woman was not only kicking more ghost ass than her hubby, she was also apparently Broadway bound, or something like that. "Don'tcha know? I'm more than Pac-Man with a bow!"

9) Dr. Mario

Now it's stuck in your head - get over it. Yes, Nintendo went a little overboard pushing this Tetris-y game out to the masses, but that's not to say this is ridiculous. Unless you factor in that kid's scat solo.

8) Super Mario Bros. 3

Most of us joined the Mario cult (shown here) when this dropped stateside in 1990. In terms of this commercial, it's interesting because it lacks a gameplay clip, and instead hypes Mario's popularity. Wallets were drained immediately.

7) Legend of Zelda

See? No game clips in this Japanese ad. That's okay, though, because we're watching the awesomest Nintendo rap ever. Seriously, it's 30 seconds away from being a music video.

6) Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Ah, an early sign of viral marketing. Mom grated cheese with this, and my wiener dog had a copy, too.

5) Street Fighter II

Capcom likely had to toughen up its adverts when Mortal Kombat started ripping heads off in '92. Why not just throw Blanka in the ring with Raiden?

4) Mortal Kombat

Creepy. Something about this. Is Creepy. It's the menacing kid and his sense of anarchy. Parents beware (maybe).

3) Game Genie

Hyping the hackers' delight of video games, it's an obvious homage to Bill and Ted, dudes, championing the lazy. And the stoned?

2) Doom

We're taking you to hell with the Jaguar. This console
pretty much only had Doom to count on for sales, hence the reason for
creating this shadowy commercial.

1) SEGA CD

You heard it: Sega! Sega CD's Samuel L. Jackson carbon copy scared us into rigging our Genesis with this short-lived add-on. Here's another, except it's not as twisted.

View Comments (10)
| Post Your Comment

Categories: Lists!

Tags: Doom, Dr. Mario, legend of zelda, Moral Kombat, Ms. Pac-Man, Street Fighter II, Super Mario Bros.

Brian said:
How could you possibly miss this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwLdhygtbYs

To this day ... whenever I think of Zelda, this commercial comes to mind.

Posted 01/17/2011 at 08:05:50 PM

VeenReen said:
OK this makes a lot of sense dude.

www.anon-tools.edu.tc

Posted 01/17/2011 at 08:14:57 PM

Games On PlayStation 3 said:
Wow, the old SEGA! yell, how i missed it.

Posted 01/17/2011 at 09:20:05 PM

Kevin said:

That original MK commercial brings back some great memories

Posted 01/17/2011 at 09:54:14 PM

Mark said:
Where the hell is the Mario RPG commercial with the insane old man?

Posted 01/17/2011 at 09:57:47 PM

Rich said:
Yum: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNtuK4CU3ko&feature=related

Posted 01/18/2011 at 09:23:50 AM

Zoss said:
@Brian: That is a great one. That commercial still pops up in my head every now and again as well.

Posted 01/18/2011 at 09:24:00 AM

Adam said:

Is that Don Pardo doing the announcing on the Ms. Pac Man commercial?

Posted 01/18/2011 at 05:45:26 PM

Kevin said:
That original MK commercial brings back some great memories

Posted 01/19/2011 at 02:20:00 AM

Mark said:
Where the hell is the Mario RPG commercial with the insane old man?

Posted 01/19/2011 at 02:24:04 AM

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Insane Interactive 360 Video taken from a helicopter!

From: http://www.nimmobay.com

Fly in a Helicopter over Nimmo Bay Helicopter Fishing & Wilderness Resort and a 150 mile track of the Beautiful British Columbia coastal mainland. Hover over pristine waterfalls, race down rivers and over oceans, explore 10000 year old glaciers, forests, snow capped mountains reaching through clouds and amazing fishing spots secluded and hidden away from the world. Control the view of the camera the whole time. Look Up, Down, and completely behind you by clicking and dragging on the video above once it is playing.

Special Thanks to the Canadian Tenors for bringing the video to life with the song Hallelujah.

Wonder Woman: The Skateboard Wiz

This episode marks the first appearance of Wonder Woman in her skateboarding outfit. Basically, the outfit is the same as her regular outfit except that she wears knee and armbands as well as a bright red helmet. In this scene, some bad guys are getting away, so she spins around and Ka-ZAM! she’s wearing pads and a helmet, and has a skateboard! She tosses down the board down, hops on it and rides down the criminals!

Canoeing Through A Flooded McDonald's

Canoeing Through A Flooded McDonald's - Watch more Funny Videos

6 Of The Most Expensive Ways To Get Your Date Drunk

article written by: Susan Hayes

from: http://www.forkparty.com/

Everyone knows the old expressions “money talks” and “candy is dandy but liquor is quicker.” Combine them and what do you get? Fork Party’s menu of some of the most expensive liquid panty removers from around the world.

$500: The Ritz Side Car – The Bar Hemingway – Hotel Ritz, Paris

Now the drink itself is a mere $500 dollars, the trip to Paris, France is another matter all together. Honestly if you can afford to get your girl all the way to the most romantic city in the world just to get a booty call, then the drink is like dipping diamonds in chocolate, tasty, but totally unnecessary. The cocktail in question is really just a very expensive version of the drink invented at this very bar, a simple blend of Cointreau, cognac and lemon juice.
So if it’s an ordinary drink, why the extraordinary price tag? The answer is the cognac. The Bar Hemingway uses an extremely rare vintage, an 1830 Ritz Reserve that heralds from before the cataclysmic destruction of many of France’s greatest vineyards by mildew and pests.

$1000: King Richard’s Pride – Boa at Ceasars – Las Vegas

If you’re looking to get laid in Las Vegas… the local hookers are going to be a hell of a lot cheaper than this next cocktail, we recommend Bambi or Bunny instead. If you’d rather skip the trip to your local clinic when you get home, then this drink might be the better bet.
A supposedly sublime mixture of Hennessy Richard, Dom Perignon Rosé 1996 and Chambord Liqueur Royale De France, this drink is served up with the juice of half a lime, a splash of cranberry juice and an orange twist. Since there’s nothing in that list worth $1000 bucks, they sweeten the deal with a souvenir. The drink is served in a Baccarat crystal cocktail glass you can take home with you, even if the girl doesn’t.

$1500: Platinum Passion – Duvet, New York City

Even the name of this drink is in on the plan. If this cocktail doesn’t get you where you want to be, then you should just take up a life of bitter celibacy now and stop trying. This expensive concoction is a pink girly drink of the first order, made of L’ésprit de Courvoisier (a $6,000/bottle congac), Ruinart champagne and a specially crafted syrup of forest berries, passion fruit, wildflower honey and brown sugar. Poured into a frosted champagne flute and served with a perfect white orchid, this baby should do the trick. Did we mention the ace in the hole with this plan? By the time the target gets her drink, she should already be in bed. The Duvet’s name isn’t a coincidence; the restaurant is set up as like one giant slumber party for the rich and adventurous.

$3000: Ménage a Trois –Wynn Hotel Vegas

No surprise that the City of Sin made this list more than once, the Ménage a Trois is supposedly named for its trio of costly ingredients and has nothing to do with sex at all. Still, there’s no harm in hoping. Made from Cristal Rosé champagne, Hennessy Ellipse and Grand Marnier Cent-cinquantenaire, the razzle-dazzle factor is bumped up with 23 karat gold flakes and a liquid gold syrup garnish.
To get your girl in the right frame of mind, the drink is served with a 9-point diamond studded golden straw so she can suck up every delicious drop.

$18,000: The Diamond Is Forever Martini – Tokyo Ritz-Carlton

So you’ve got the whole 007 vibe going on and you want to make sure to make a lasting impression on her so she makes an impression on your bed sheets later. No problem, just arrange for one of these to be delivered to your table. Chilled Grey Goose Vodka, lime juice and a hint of fresh mint is poured over a very special piece of ice, a 1 carat diamond. A word of warning: at over $1000 a mouthful, you better hope she knows when to spit and when to swallow, if she gets confused you’re both going to end the night in tears.

50,000: The Dazzle – Harvy Nichols Department Store – Manchester England

This one is not for the faint of heart or the light of wallet, but if you are looking to bag yourself a supermodel, it might be your best bet. The drink is a sweet concoction of strawberry and lychee liqueurs blended with rosé champagne, lemon juice and served up in a very ordinary champagne flute. So where’s the bling? At the bottom of the glass. It comes complete with an 18-karat white gold cocktail ring inset with pink tourmaline and diamonds. Just make sure your girl doesn’t swallow it, or she’ll end up falling for the paramedic that gives her mouth to mouth on the way to the hospital.

Harvard Psychedelic Club: 1956 Footage Of Housewife's Acid Trip

From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
By: Don Lattin

Author of 'Jesus Freaks' and 'The Harvard Psychedelic Club'

Here's some rare footage of an experimental LSD session that I came across doing research for my next book, a group biography of British writer Aldous Huxley, philosopher Gerald Heard, and Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. It's from a television program, circa 1956, about mental health issues.
The researcher, Dr. Sidney Cohen, was dosing volunteers at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Los Angeles. Aldous Huxley, who first tried mescaline in 1953 and wrote about it in his seminal book, The Doors of Perception, got Gerald Heard interested in the spiritual potential of psychedelic drugs.

Heard then turned on Bill Wilson, guiding him on an LSD trip supervised by Dr. Cohen in the summer of 1956 -- perhaps in the same room we see in this video. Wilson, who started AA in the 1930s, thought LSD could help alcoholics have the "spiritual awakening" that is such an important part of the twelve-step recovery program he popularized.

Heard and Huxley set the stage for better-known psychedelic research of Timothy Leary, Richard "Ram Dass" Alpert, Huston Smith and Andrew Weil, who are profiled in my 2010 book, The Harvard Psychedelic Club.

WATCH:

10 Drink Recipes You Can Light On Fire

Written by Alex Nolette

From: http://matadornetwork.com/

Photo by gribanov

Note: Please take precaution when igniting your drinks.

Flaming drinks are a great way to start a party or entertain guests. The uses of igniting your drink go far beyond just lighting yourself on fire and ending up on College Humor. It can actually enhance the flavor.

Pumpkin Pie

1/3 shot Kahlua
1/3 shot Bailey’s Irish Cream
1/3 shot Tequila (white)
1 dash cinnamon
Carefully layer this shot with Kahlua on the bottom, Bailey’s in the middle, and tequila on top. Light the tequila on fire and sprinkle with cinnamon. Down it. It’s just like warm pumpkin pie.
Courtesy of Drink Nation Drink Nation

Flaming Lamborghini

1 oz Kahlua
1 oz Sambuca
1 oz Blue Curacao
1 oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
Pour the Sambuca and Kahlua into a cocktail glass and give the drinker a straw. Pour the Bailey’s and blue curacao into two separate shot glasses on either side of the cocktail glass. Set the concoction ablaze in the cocktail glass and start to drink through the straw (this drink should be drank in one suck) . Once the glass is almost empty, pour the Bailey’s and blue curacao into the cocktail glass and keep drinking till it’s all gone!!
Now is not the time to operate a vehicle, unless it’s a beer bike.
Courtesy of The Webtender.

Flaming Dr. Pepper

¾ shot Amaretto
¼ shot of 151 rum
½ glass of beer
Fill the shot glass about ¾ full with amaretto and top it off with enough 151 proof rum to make it burn. Put the shot glass in a pint glass or beer mug and fill the glass with beer (right up to the level of the shot glass). Light the amaretto/151 and let it burn awhile. Blow it out and slam it. Tastes just like Dr. Pepper.
Courtesy of Drink’s Mixer Drinks Mixer

Photo by annia316

Flaming B-52

1/3 shot Kahlua
1/3 shot Irish Cream
1/3 shot Grand Marnier or Cointreau
Couple drops of 151 rum
Fill a shot glass 1/3 full of Kahlua. Then layer the Irish Cream on top by pouring it onto the back of the spoon that is held against the rim of the shot glass. Layer the Grand Marnier the exact same way. Then add a drop or two of 151 and light it! You can consume by blowing out the shot or sucking it down with a long straw.
Courtesy of About.com
There is also a great video on how to make this shot.

Bailey’s Comet

1 ½ oz Bailey’s Irish Cream
1 ½ oz Butterscotch Schnapps
¾ oz Goldschlager
1 tbsp 151 Rum
1 dash Cinnamon
Shake the Bailey‘s, butterscotch schnapps and Goldschlager with ice in a cocktail shaker and strain into a cocktail glass. Put a shallow layer of 151-proof rum on top. Light the rum on fire, then immediately sprinkle a generous dash of cinnamon on top. The cinnamon will sparkle and flame. Don’t let it burn too long, or the Bailey’s will curdle! Prepare for a hangover.

Photo by lilibear

Courtesy of Drink Nation

Backdraft

Warning: This shot is intense. Just take a look at Jim Bo taking one .
1 ½ oz Cointreau
1 ½ oz Sambuca
Few shakes of Cinnamon
Ice Cubes
Here’s one that is as complicated as Queimada (Galicia’s fiery drink ritual).
Place a saucer down on a table or bar. Put a shot glass filled with Sambuca in the middle of the saucer. Grab a pint glass and pour a shot or so of Cointreau into the glass. Light the Cointreau and swirl the glass until the sides are warm. Pour the lit Cointreau into the shot glass, igniting the Sambuca and spilling the flaming mixture onto the saucer. While swirling the pint glass over the flames to capture the alcohol vapor, shake some cinnamon from a safe distance on to the drink and then cover the shot glass with the pint glass.
Blow out the flames and then take the pint glass off of the saucer. Quickly drop in a few ice cubes into the glass and immediately seal in the alcohol vapor in with your palm. Shake the glass vigorously a few times and have the consumer stick a straw through your fingers and suck in all the vapor. Then the straw should be used to take down the shot and clean the saucer. All of this should be done as quickly and safely as possible for full effect.
Courtesy of Wikipedia .

Flaming Asshole

¼ Grenadine
¼ Green Crème de Menthe
¼ Crème de Banana
¼ 151 rum
This one is as bizarre as some of the most out-there drinks. Layer in a shot glass in this order: Grenadine, Crème de Menthe, Crème de Banana, Rum. Light the rum and then suck it down with a straw.
Courtesy of Super Cocktails

Flaming Sambuca

1 oz Black Sambuca
3 Coffee Beans

Photo by cavealierhorn

Put 3 coffee beans in a shot glass and add the Sambuca. Light the Sambuca and let burn for 10 seconds or so. Cover the glass with your hand to extinguish, then inhale the air underneath your hand. Drink the shot.
Courtesy of Drinks Mixer

Flaming Gorilla

1 part Peppermint Schnapps
1 part Kahlua
1 part 151 Rum
Pour into shot glass, layering ingredients in this order: peppermint schnapps, Kahlua, rum. Light on fire and extinguish after 15 seconds.
Courtesy of Drinks Heaven

Flaming Mouthwash

½ oz Blue Curacao Liqueur
½ oz Green Crème de Menthe
1 tsp Everclear
Pour the green creme de menthe into a shot glass. Add blue curacao, top with Everclear, and ignite. Take care, and extinguish before consuming.
Courtesy of Drink Swap

Zazzle Shop

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti will work on the Sony project.

From : http://www.devicemag.com/

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

by Brian Merchant

from http://www.treehugger.com/

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