videos

Randy Pausch, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, clearly understands the value of life. His thoughts on carpe diem, achieving your childhood dreams, and materialism are precise, inspired, and honest (no gimmicks here).

At the time of his discourse (Sept. 2007), doctors said Pausch would have “three to six months” to live. As of today, he is still alive. His original full-length lecture at Carnegie Mellon can be found here.

See also: My attempts to be a shoe designer | You have a choice

Or not. I’m sure the U.S. Military spent a fortune on this thing given the fat, slow cow that our government has become.

[via Gizmodo]

Lindsey and I watched The King of Kong: Fistful of Quarters on Wednesday, a hilariously funny “documentary” that follows Steve Wiebe as he attempts to overtake the world’s highest score in a game of Donkey Kong from reigning champion Billy Mitchell.

Not only is the movie entertaining, but it’s cleverly presented in “good vs. evil” fashion, boasts an awesome soundtrack, and features some very creative transition effects. Oh, and it stars lots of socially inept individuals who are fun to watch.

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A video mashup of Daft Punk’s “Around the World” and The Charleston, first popularized in 1923. All good things do come full circle…

[Thanks, Steven]

On this, a near-deciding Super Tuesday in American politics, Freakonomics author Stephen J. Dubner reminds us that statistically, your vote is rarely a deciding factor in an election. I’m posting this to feel good about myself for not voting today, especially after sending a fiscally conservative Ron Paul a coupla benjis in contributions which weren’t enough.

See also: My homeland is in a world of hurt | The silver lining of mainstream POTUS candidates

[via email. thanks, brooks!]

Jump the shark - a term to describe a moment when something that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality and popularity. Going downhill. (The Urban Dictionary)

My favorite part is at 4:09 in, where Richie says, “A shark! That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard… Fonz, you’re not jumping over garbage cans on a bike, you’re jumping over a shark!” The suspense crescendos at 8:35.

I watched an inspiring documentary on PBS this weekend — Harvesting the Wind narrated by Morgan Freeman. The film profiles wind farmers from southwest Minnesota, and how they are harvesting wind energy to provide local power and supplemental income for a decline in crop profitability.

The idea, which has shown initial success, is that wind farming can bring business back to small town America, without multinationals owning all the pie. In Minnesota, more than 25 percent of wind farms are owned by private individuals or cooperatives to keep money within the community.

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In light of recent news that Warner Bros picked Blu-ray over HD-DVD, there’s talk that the HD format war is essentially over, as nearly 75 percent of all studios pick Blu. Paramount and Universal, the last of the big five movie studios, are rumored to be following suit in an effort to avoid consumer confusion at retail.

Even though I own a Blu-ray player, I’m kind of rooting for a stale mate so we can bypass optical media altogether and go straight to downloads. I don’t even buy Blu-ray movies (only renting them) because I’m unconvinced that’s how HD should be consumed. Sure, the picture is gorgeous, though to a lesser extent than the transition from VHS to DVD. So I ask…

As seen on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno discussing his recent exclusion from a Fox News Republican debate, and why Mitt Romney shouldn’t lose the nomination because of his religion (filmed Jan. 7, 2008). Vote Ron Paul.