March 29, 2002

Slayage
As an avid fan of the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" I can vouch for the show's bizarre plotlines and intricate story details. No really, "Buffy" must have an amazing staff of writers who all majored in mythology and folklore in college. Slayage is a magazine for those of us who want to understand deep psychological and metaphorical themes in this modern-day vampire show. With essays like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Pedagogy of Fear" and "Buffy the Vampire Disciplinarian: Institutional Excess, Spiritual Technologies, and the New Economy of Power," you gotta wonder how seriously some scholars take this show. If you have Buffy-themed dissertations and theses feel free to submit it.

Music from TV Commercials
Are you one of those people who discover great music from watching TV commercials? Hey don't laugh! I found out about Badly Drawn Boy from a Gap commercial. And a whole new generation was introduced to Nick Drake all because of a car commercial. Find out who's playing in the background of the latest VW Beetle commercial. Or browse to see which band does the most commercials.

Andrew Nestler's Guide to Math in 'The Simpsons'
If you remember more storylines to "The Simpsons" than what you studied in math class, you might want to look at this site. A wise, yet obsessive, fan has cataloged every quote from "The Simpsons" regarding math. Whether it's egghead Lisa explaining dodecahedrons to her baby sister, or Homer trying to win an argument by saying, "Fraid so infinity;" it's all here.

Arnie Pranks
Want to pretend you're Arnold Schwarzenegger? All you need is some sound files of Arnie speaking in various movies, a telephone and a sense of humor. That's what these pranksters did as they called Hooters, Chicago Pizza, Sunshine Hotel and other innocent establishments. Listen to clips of the acutal prank calls and download Arnie sound files.

Eternally Yours
After you've passed on do you want to be buried in a boring cemetery or would you rather live on forever as a piece of art? With the services of Eternally Yours, your cremated ashes can be mixed with paint to be used in a portrait or a landscape scene. No word yet if you can be painted on a kitschy velvet Elvis painting, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Twink
Would you want to listen to a little kid play a toy piano for hours on end? Probably not. But what if the people playing toy instruments were a group of talented musicians in a band called Twink? This band plays a kid piano, a musical saw, a theremin, an autoharp, an accordion, wind chimes, squeaky toys, water glasses, pots and pan lids, homemade drums and more. You have to hear it to truly appreciate the band's original sound. And lucky for you the site has plenty of sound files to tantalize your eardrums.

Documented Life
Miles Hochstein has posted a photo of himself from every year of his life. Not only that, he's explained what his life was like for each year. Read about how the Vietnam War affected him during summer camp. Or why he didn't last long living in Israel as a college student. It's a great look into someone else's memories. In fact, I wish more people who do this sort of thing online. (Side Note: This site is best viewed using the Internet Explorer browser.)