Autobots....FORE!

Day 35

Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots, a faction of heroic Transformers from the planet Cybertron who wage their battles to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons. He is depicted as a heroic, brave, wise and compassionate character that puts all his talent to use to improve the universe around him. Optimus has a strong sense of justice and righteousness, and has dedicated himself to the protection of all life, particularly the inhabitants of Earth; he will battle his foes with unyielding resolve. Recent allegations of misuse of Autobot property, including sales of small parts on E-Bay, Embezzlement of government funding and inappropriate use of cybernetic cleaning equipment, have tarnished the once, brilliant reputation of this valiant Autobot commander. Pending further investigation and following standard protocol in compliance with Cybertronian law, Optimus Prime has been demoted in rank, now serving as Autobot fry-cook, and liaison to earth golf tournaments. His ability to transform has been changed from diesel truck to golf cart. He will be known now as Minimus Prime. Trial has been set for late March. If proven innocent, Prime’s rank former designations will be restored.

Leggo my lego...

Day 34.1

Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, mini figures and various other parts. Lego bricks can be assembled and connected in many ways, to construct such objects as vehicles, buildings, and even working robots. Anything constructed can then be taken apart again, and the pieces used to make other objects. The toys were originally designed in the 1940s in Europe and have achieved an international appeal, with an extensive subculture that supports Lego movies, games, video games, competitions, and four Lego themed amusement parks.

Lego pieces of all varieties are part of a universal system. Despite variation in the design and purpose of individual pieces over the years, each remains compatible in some way with existing pieces. Lego bricks from 1958 still interlock with those made in the current time, and Lego sets for young children are compatible with those made for teenagers. Bricks, beams, axles, gears, mini figures, and all other parts in the Lego system are manufactured to an exacting degree of precision. When snapped together, pieces must have just the right amount of strength and flexibility mixed together to stick together. They must stay together until pulled apart. They cannot be too easily pulled apart, or the resulting constructions would be unstable; they also cannot be too difficult to pull apart, since the disassembly of one creation in order to build another is part of the Lego appeal.

Testing and quality control are paramount concerns in the construction and manufacturing of Lego products. Bricks, beams, axles, mini figures that to not meet testing standards are recycled, melted again, and formed into new legos.

He slimed me!

Day 34

After losing their jobs at Columbia University, a trio of misfit parapsychologists—Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, and Egon Spengler — establish their own paranormal exterminator service, "Ghostbusters." The business, operating out of a retired fire station (located at 14 N. Moore St. in TriBeCa), gets off to a slow start, and they run out of money. Fortunately, their secretary Janine Melnitz gives them the news that they have been contacted by the upscale Sedgewick Hotel to investigate a haunting. At the hotel, they successfully (albeit chaotically) capture their first ghost and deposit it into a "containment unit" of their own design located in the basement of their office.

Paranormal activity soon begins to increase across the city, and business skyrockets for the Ghostbusters, who become local celebrities in the process. As their workload continues to rise, the group is forced to hire a fourth member, Winston Zeddemore, to keep up with the demand for their services.

One day the Ghostbusters office is visited by Walter Peck of the EPA, who arrests the team for supposedly housing dangerous chemicals in their basement (though in reality Peck is a sceptic who believes the Ghostbusters are dangerous frauds), and orders their ghost containment grid shut down, unleashing hundreds of ghosts onto New York City.

The containment unit in question, albeit useful for multiple purposes, was never designed to contain rogue spirits and plasma based entities. A new, nuclear based method of containment is currently under construction by Mr. Spengler. 

My....precious.....

Day 33


Onion rings are a type of fast food commonly found in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and some parts of Asia. They generally consist of a small or big ring of onion (whose ring-like structure lends itself well to this mode of preparation) dipped in batter or breading and then deep fried; a variant is made with onion paste. Whole onion rings make for better presentation through a variety of sizes, while those made from a paste offer quantity through consistent size. Consumers of whole onion rings run the risk of pulling the onion out of the batter if they fail to cut it all the way through with their teeth, while onion rings made of onion paste break apart easily but oil absorbency diminishes the onion taste.

The Lord of the Rings is an epic fantasy novel written by philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit (1937), but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in stages between 1937 and 1949, much of it during World War II. The title of the novel refers to the story's main antagonist, the Dark Lord Sauron, who had in an earlier age created the One Ring to rule the other Rings of Power as the ultimate weapon in his campaign to conquer and rule all of Middle-earth.

The Ring seemed simply to be made of gold, but was impervious to damage. It could be destroyed only by throwing it into the pit of the volcanic Mount Doom where it had originally been forged. Unlike other rings, the One Ring was not susceptible to dragon fire. Like some lesser rings forged by the Elves as "essays in the craft" – but unlike the other Rings of Power – it bore no gem, but its identity could be determined by a simple (though little-known) test: when placed in a fire, it displayed a fiery Tengwar inscription in the Black Speech of Mordor, with lines from a rhyme of lore describing the Rings:

Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,
One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.

Now, remember that next time you order French Fries and a single onion ring finds itself on your tray....

P.S. If you do find the one ring, please, save everyone the trouble. Instead of going through the epic journey that cost thousands of lives, just fly on the back of the giant eagle and drop the damn ring into the volcano. Thank you.

Jabba the Hutt one....Jabba the Hutt two...Hike!

Day 31.1

Hello and welcome to Super Bowl XVIILMXCCMX! With the storm troopers of Galactic Empire taking on the pilots of the Rebel Alliance! Today’s game will be broadcast throughout the known universe on every channel, as per Emperor Palpatine’s decree.

This is the 32^nd appearance by the Troopers, having the reputation of “terminating” their rivals should they loose. We all remember the defeat of the Wookies from Kashyyyk last year, with the score; Troopers 93 Wookies 7, after the controversial use of blasters by the Troopers in the second half.

This year should be a more exciting game as it is rumored that several rogue Jedi have joined the Rebel Alliance. Their undefeated record this year gives a glimmer of hope that this might be the year the Troopers are defeated.

Today’s halftime show will feature John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra!

So, get ready, grab your blue milk and let’s get this game started!

Take out your stick and wack it!

Day 31

Piñatas are believed to have originated among the Aztecs, Mayans, and other native peoples of Mexico, who made clay pots in the shape of their gods. The pots were meant to be broken forcefully with poles and sticks, so the contents spilled to signify abundance or favors from the gods. Historians tell us that during the birthday celebration of the Aztec god of war, Huitzilopochtli, priests hung a clay pot on a pole in the temple. The pot was adorned with colorful feathers and filled with small treasures like bead ornaments, colorful or painted stones, berries, or nuts. When the pot was broken with a stick the little treasures spilled on the feet of the god as an offering. The Mayans played a game where the central player’s eyes were covered with a cloth while he tried to hit the pot that was suspended by a string.

Nowadays, piñatas have been adopted in many parts of the world and have become a more common sight at parties and celebrations, especially in México, Central America and the Southern United States, mostly due to the close influence from Mexican culture.

Piñatas are traditionally present at children’s birthday parties. They are usually made of cardboard, colorfully decorated to match the birthday party theme (superhero, princess, or any other creative design) and filled with candy, chocolates, small toys and confetti.

Piñatas have, in recent years, become harder to collect than usual, their population having dwindled in Mexico, Central and South America, due to overgrazing and inadequate medical practice. Large herds of piñatas are often seen roaming the countryside, having become wild and in some cases, untamable. Piñatas have become a “cash cow” in the black market, some going for thousands of dollars in foreign countries.  Government officials ignore the problem, as piñatas are, technically, just paper and candy. A growing movement to save the wild piñata is underway with dozens of members of PETP (People for the Ethical Treatment of Piñatas) forcefully breaking up countryside piñata parties. Their efforts are often futile as evidence (typically tissue paper, candy wrappers, rope and sticks) are still found throughout the region.

There are reports of some piñatas retaliating against their would-be oppressors. Apparently, if left alone, piñatas can grow enormous in size, and due to their now untamed nature, have begun to fight back.

Do you hear a gurgle?

Day 30.1

Throughout history, scientists have relied on a number of instruments to measure, map, and observe the ocean's depths. One of the first instruments used to examine the seafloor was the sounding weight. Ancient Viking sailors took measurements of sea depth and sampled seafloor sediments with this instrument, which consisted of a lead weight with a hollow bottom attached to a line. Once the weight reached the sea bottom and collected a sample of the seabed, the line was hauled back on board ship and measured.

Deep-sea exploration advanced considerably in the 1900s thanks to a series of technological inventions, ranging from sonar system to detect the presence of objects underwater through the use of sound to manned deep-diving submersibles such as DSV Alvin. Alvin is designed to carry a crew of three people to depths of 4,000 meters (13,124 ft). The submarine is equipped with lights, cameras, computers, and highly maneuverable robotic arms for collecting samples in the darkness of the ocean's depths.

A startling discovery made in the late 1970’s has recently been made public after years of private, military and international research collaborations. Speculation as to its placement (100 miles NE of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean) and use, range from extraterrestrial influence, ancient plumbing solutions and the supernatural. Carbon dating thus far, has been inconclusive. 

It should be noted that the current release of James Cameron’s 3-D movie, Down We Go  is merely based on speculation and influenced by the finding, and in no way reflects intentions of the world’s governments or scientific community.