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About

"Serial Bus is a place for me to dump interesting links that I find."

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Archives

Bible MMO Monday, August 30, 2010 | comments

Penny Arcade has a clever comic today which you can read here if you realize that in World of Warcraft people giving you quests have a yellow exclamation mark over their heads.

Despite having up-to-the-minute news, Sunday, August 29, 2010 | comments

I seem to still miss all the coolest Ann-Arbor-area events and only find out about them the day after. So far I've missed shopping cart races, an air show, and plenty of other cool stuff. It seems whenever I check arborweb, I see to only find out about swing dances classes, bingo, or a lecture series.


(Photo credit goest to Angie)

Worst board game title Saturday, August 28, 2010 | comments

Alright, so once upon a time there was a game called Last Train to Wensleydale. It was a train board game about moving, not surprisingly, cheese and other goods around a map.

Well, over on Board Game News they just ran this announcement: "Z-Man Games, in conjunction with Argentum Verlag (publishers of Hansa Teutonica), will be releasing Martin Wallace's Last Train to Wensleydale with the new title First Train to Nuremberg."

And while I realize there wasn't a concentration camp there (though of course there were the Nuremberg trials), this is the only thing I can think of:


I can't be the only one.

When you put it that way. Friday, August 27, 2010 | comments

I go over all the leases with people before they get their keys and there are four things that I always have to explain.
1) What is a water bed?
2) What is a halogen lamp? (I am good at drawing these)
3) What is a satellite dish? (I am bad at drawing these)
4) Christmas trees.

Now the thing is, I can't say "Christmas trees" so when I talk about it I have to explain that we don't allow live trees during the holidays. I'm sure if I said Christmas trees, people would know what I meant, but when it comes to fair housing you don't mess around and so it's always "the holidays"

Anyhow, try explaining what a Christmas tree is in a way that doesn't sound stupid. So, during the holidays, people here will go out and cut down a live tree so that they can put it inside the house and decorate it with lights. And then it slowly dies in their home and becomes a fire hazard.

If I see a picture and it makes me say "whoa" it must go here. Ultra tiny frogs! Wednesday, August 25, 2010 | comments



[io9 via GRR]

Largest hailstone ever recorded is the size of a volleyball | comments

"Even after melting, the stone [produced from the thunderstorm that struck Vivian, South Dakota, U.S. of A., on 23 July 2010] still measured 8.0 inches in diameter and weighed nearly 2 pounds (1 pound, 15 ounces) with a circumference of 18.62 inches"


Via Digg. NOAA article here: http://www.noaa.gov/features/02_monitoring/hailstone.html

This is made out of wood Monday, August 23, 2010 | comments



[more info]

Drew Carey got skinny Sunday, August 22, 2010 | comments

How about a punch to the face instead. Seriously. Thursday, August 19, 2010 | comments

The page below comes from a book about 100 items that women can use as improved weapons if attacked. Check out the full post over at Awful Library Books to see someone attacked with a handful of coins and a 3 1.2" floppy disk.

I think a lighter would only work if the assailant was a troll who needed to keep regenerating HP (D&D anyone?).

Ha Wednesday, August 18, 2010 | comments


[via]

Embroidery Illustrations Monday, August 16, 2010 | comments


Check more out: on her flickr page. Sorta via CRAFT

Attachment exceeds the 25mb limit | comments

I just got a Nigerian email scam that asks for all the usual info but also asks that I email back "9. A COPY OF YOUR IDENTITY............"

Check out these old cereal boxes Saturday, August 14, 2010 | comments



A whole lot more over here

Jackson 5 vs Nirvana Mashup | comments

Watch it before the cease and desist order takes it down!


Also, while I'm posting music videos, do you realize that Kidz Bop did Ke$ha, master of talking rather than singing? They changed "Before I leave, brush my teeth with a bottle of Jack" to "brush my teeth and then I go and pack." I can link you the audio track but I'll let you know that they cut out the whole middle part.

Someone also went and amped up the creepy by mashing up their original sexualized videos with the kids bop audio. They change the lyrics around, but somehow "we'll melt your popsicle" stayed in California Gurls.

Heroic day at work today Friday, August 13, 2010 | comments

Spot the contradiction in the 4 statements!
1. The lock on the door to my son's hall won't lock
2. I noticed this two days ago
3. I would have forgotten to call about this if I hadn't had this other thing to call about.
4. This makes me very concerned and I want this to be fixed right away. Anyone could walk into their hall.

Though her description, she made it sound like parts of the lock were sticking out, keeping the door from closing and wouldn't consider my suggestion on how it could be fixed [When maintenance uses a master hall key on a lock, they can turn it so that the lock stays unlocked. If you put a regular key in that lock to open it, it goes back to autolock mode]. So I said I would head over and see what could be done. I took a walk there, put a hall key in the lock, and turned it back to normal.

Rest easy, everything is fixed.

In other heroic news, some other people that moved in from Korea just came in and called me a hero for helping them resolve a problem they were having with getting electricity in their name without a social security number.

Just like beggar's canyon back home | comments

Someone made an android app that turns your GPS into an X-Wing targeting computer. This would afford you many opportunities to say great things like "we're going in, we're going in full throttle" and for your navigator to say "Luke, you've switched off your targeting computer". Who cares if it's functional?


Full details over at engadget.

Just make sure you don't leave any glasses on the table Thursday, August 12, 2010 | comments

This ship (which I shall henceforce call the flipship) transforms from a boat to an offshore platform. More details and video over at core77

The guy in the foreground works at this music store. That's all you need to know to enjoy this Wednesday, August 11, 2010 | comments


[via thediggreel]

You're all clear kid, now let's blow this joint and go home Wednesday, August 4, 2010 | comments



From Mint's money origami

Irony | comments

As posted on Fark, there was recently an event in Massachusetts for National Night Out. What's National Night Out? Well, it's an event to fight crime and to promote overall community safety.

At this particular event in MA, someone got stabbed.

Business card turns into a car | comments

I thought this was a neat look for a business card (since it looks just like the plastic molds that a model car uses), but then I realized that you can actually use the business card to make something and I had to post it.

Hopefully the contact info is all on that bottom part otherwise someone will say "whoa that was great, I have to call that person" and won't be able to since your phone number just turned into a rear spoiler on a dragster. [via make]

Everything is normal and hopefully will stay that way | comments

I think that that one resident of ours finally got some help. She was in the hospital for a bit (unrelated to her schizophrenia-like tendencies) and I think maybe they put her on some meds. She looks more together now (less garish eyeshadow, new haircut). Most importantly, when she comes in, she doesn't tell me things like "I'm on to your Baptist Cult" but instead just says "here's rent" and doesn't tangent to talking about satellites or seeing people from Fox News filming on the property. She still mentions knowing people in the federal government, but she's making progress.

If you want to read a good blog Tuesday, August 3, 2010 | comments

check out 1001 rules for my unborn son. Like it sounds, the guy writes down a bunch of advice that he has for his upcoming kid. It ranges from "When using a saw, patience not strength is needed to make the smoothest cut." to "Support friends in the arts. Especially if they stink." to which Hardy Boys book is a good read. It's the kinda stuff that sounds trivial by itself but makes for a good collection of wisdom when thrown on a tumblr

I found it recently when the guy's recent tip "You only get one chance to notice her new haircut." hit google reader recommended posts. Maybe it's just because I've got a kid of my own on the way, but I think you might like reading it. You might even want to start from the start [link goes to the page with rule #1 on it at the time this post was written, that'll change over time].

Don't give me anyone from the suburbs. Urban only. | comments

In looking for potential renters, I just found this craiglist post where the poster, a "DESIGNER BY TRAIT," says:

"I AM IN SEARCH OF A REALLY CLEAN, CUTE, URBAN SHEIK, AWESOME APARTMENT."