Big Ball Knockouts!

It's such a simple idea but always a classic and funny one: big ball knockouts! The video on this site has a very entertaining compilation of "big ball knockouts" caught on film. Now, you might be asking, what is a "big ball knockout"? It is exactly what it sounds like. People getting knocked out and over by a large ball, like a yoga ball. Although in most cases, taking pleasure in other peoples' misfortunes is considered rude and mean, I think in this case I'll let it slide. The entertainment this video provides is proof that you don't need a lot of money to have fun- just a video camera, a big ball, and an unsuspecting friend.

Warmer Weather Distracts WSU Students

As warm weather descends upon Pullman, WSU students are having a difficult time being productive and getting their final projects done.  I went out and interviewed three students to tell me how the sunshine has been keeping them from their studies.  

This video was done by Meg Janssen. 

New Ninja Turtles Movie... with Suits?!!

I don't know about you, but growing up (and still today) I was a huge ninja turtles fan. It's no secret that the first and second ninja turtles movies were definitely the best, with the third being a let down but still holding its own. The recent computer animated ninja turtles film in my opinion, and in the opinion of many of others, was a BIG disappointment! In the original films the turtles used suits rather than being digitally animated, giving the older films a more "real world" feel. After the recent animated bust, I was excited to learn of talks about a new ninja turtles movie that will attempt to regain the originals' "real world" appeal. You can find an article about it here. While animation will be used, it will be through the use of CGI, where actors will wear suits in the real world, so the animated turtles will be in a real world setting. With this great news I hope all other Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans can cheer in excitement with me, COWABUNGA!!!

Where is Matt?

Let me point out the obvious and say I spend a fair amount of time on the Internet surfing the web, bouncing from site to site and desperately searching for anything even remotely interesting. I originally saw Matt on Youtube. I instantly loved the above video. Then, when I found his site, I was therefore ecstatic. This is hands down one of the best Web sites I have visited in the last few months. The combination of dancing, travel and mystical background music made Where the Hell is Matt entertaining as well as mildly inspiring. As I quickly approach graduation, this site was almost exactly what I needed; it showed me that it is okay to take some time, see the world and dance.

Read Matt's story and learn how this 30-something year old man went from making video games, to wandering around Asia, to eventually seeing the world with the help of some chewing gum. At the very least, I hope you find Where the Hell is Matt entertaining. At the very most, hopefully you will book an airplane ticket to Seljalandsfoss, Iceland, Madrid, Spain or even New York, New York. I think I will.

Distractions of Technology vs. Nature Video

With summer approaching and spring upon us, the weather is heating up and the distractions of nature are becoming more and more prominent. This observation inspired fellow Distractionade blogger Jamie and me to investigate the differences between distractions of technology and distractions of nature. Watch this video to learn which type of distraction we concluded to truly be the MOST distracting!

Shining

This trailer of The Shining is perfect and quite self-explanatory. For anyone who has ever seen The Shining, I highly recommend you watch this video. It is absolutely hilarious.

Soccer + Binoculars = Entertainment

Whoever thought of the idea to attach binoculars to these guys' faces and have them play soccer, was a comedic genius! I couldn't help but laugh at the failed upon failed attempts of these Japanese contestants to simply kick a soccer ball. The contestants definitely get an A for effort though! No matter how many times they miss the ball, the contestants never give up!

Sit back, relax and enjoy this classic piece of entertainment! (It's really quite distracting...)

Miss USA 2009 Attempts to Tell Some Jokes

On Sunday night, Miss USA was crowned. Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton was given the official title of Miss USA 2009. She stated that "It feels really natural."

Dalton is a 22 year old aspiring motivational speaker. Being a winner of this amazing honor comes with some perks such as a New York apartment, a public relations team, a two year scholarship at the New York Film Academy, and an unsaid salary.


To bad it doesn't come with a decent sense of humor...

Conservative Tea Bagging, in a Nutshell...

To the surprise and entertainment of many, the media has chosen to call the recent conservative tea parties movement, tea bagging. For anyone else who has found the media's new use of the term "tea bagging" absolutely hilarious, check out this video! MSNBC took the innuendo to an entirely new level.

Bo, Oh Bo

It's fairly common knowledge that there is a Wikipedia entry for just about anything; historical events, cooking, even socks.  Yet for some reason, I didn't think that Bo, the First Dog, would have a Wikipedia entry.   Call me old fashioned, but at the end of the day a dog is a....dog.  While people across the country attempt to make this six-month-old pup a celebrity, the rest of us can just sit back and read about him on his Wikipedia page.  

The Marriage Distraction

The gay marriage debate has been distracting the American people, politicians and grassroots organizations for years. This long-running, soap opera-esque debacle has been the topic of newspaper articles, evening news reports, magazine features, blogs and youtube videos. People from both sides of the picket line have spoken up and out, expressing their views to the world.

It seems to me that the central issue to all this debating and legal calamity is a human rights issue; some call me crazy. While I deem it human rights, others say religious, political, etc. When it comes to gay marriage, all you need to do is fill in the blank of "It is a ........ issue" and someone out there has your back. Everyone feels involved, as if they have a personal stake vested in the issue.

Whether I disagree with all this or not is irrelevant. My point is that it is one of the most hot button issues of the day, consuming our thoughts and facing us everywhere we turn. As I am sure many of you know, Vermont joined Massachusetts, Iowa and Connecticut last week in being among the first states to grant equal marriage rights to gay couples.

Numerous media outlets, from the New York Times to Youtube, have information regarding gay marriage rights, especially now with Vermont jumping on the bandwagon. After reading the New York Times editorial article featuring Vermont's new law, I thought it appropriate to highlight the issue. I have personally spent much of time following the progress of the gay right's movement, including marriage equality. This Youtube video by Tyler Oakley titled "Why Gay Marriage is Wrong" is amazing. As you can see, by combining the Times, Youtube and conversations with my friends, much of my time is spent discussing this issue and distracting myself from other, less important things. Enjoy! And remember, no matter how you personally feel about the issue, you cannot disagree the issue is at least a little distracting, if not consuming.

Daft Punk at Your Fingertips

Ever since Kanye used the Daft Punk "Harder Better Faster Stronger" sample in his single, "Stronger," the incredibly catchy sample has been stuck in the heads of almost everyone at some point or another. Now there's a website where you can use your keyboard to play slices of the sample; play it like the original or spice it up and make your own personal remix of the tune!

Be careful, you might just find yourself getting distracted and wasting quite a bit of time on this fun little toy- check it out!

Glo Fish

A while ago my friend told me of glow-in-the-dark rabbits.  Naturally, I was amazed.  After looking into it a little further (and wasting countless hours), I also found glow-in-the-dark fish.  At $18 a piece, these fish are genetically altered to light up in the dark.  These fluorescent underwater friends apparently come in three colors - Starfire Red, Electric Green and Sunburst Orange.  

The GloFish Web site has endless details and information about these fish.  I am not quite sure whether this scientific innovation was necessary to the progress of humankind, but apparently someone somewhere likes them.  

Tweet, Tweet, Tweet...All the Way Home

Twitter is taking over.  It is as if every day I open the New York Times an article concerning Twitter is placed in the Living, Technology or Business sections.  If one were to search for "Twitter" on the New York Times Web site, they will get more than 10,000 results (click here for more information). This, combined with learning about Twitter in most of my classes, led me to take the inevitable leap and start my own Twitter.  Not only is it highly popular and growing more-so every day, it can easily eat away hours of your day.   Unlike Facebook or Myspace, Twitter is only "updates."  No "about me" section or your "religious and political views."  Though those things can undoubtedly be expressed through your updates, those are not of drastic, immediate importance.  

Slowly, my friends are hopping on the Twitter bandwagon and tweeting up a storm.  With close to four weeks left in the semester, we gladly accept anything that will distract us from our homework.  

Toys!

This is a pretty cool article on how 10 classic toys were invented. We all played with at least some of these as a kid! Find out more about it now!
Toys!

Need a Good Laugh? Some of my Favorite Comedians!

Over the years I've become quite a fan of stand up comedy. A couple of my favorite comedians are Joe Rogan, Jo Koy and John Heffron.

You might recognize Rogan as the first host of Fear Factor. His stand up is all HILARIOUS! I put a link to one of my favorite jokes of his about his take on the Noah's ark story, here.

Jo Koy is a very energetic comedian who has an amazing routine about his mother playing the Nintendo Wii. Check it out here.

John Heffron was the season two winner of Last Comic Standing. I find him hilarious because every joke he has I feel like I can personally relate to. His relatable stories and animated delivery can been seen in his bit about the "we gotta go girl," here.

Laugh & Enjoy!

Mentos and Diet Coke...amazing

I just spent about five minutes of my life watching the "Diet Coke + Mentos video twice on YouTube.  I am sure most of you have seen this video.  Yet whether you have seen it 30 times, or haven't seen it once, you should definitely take two minutes out of your day and watch "Diet Coke +Mentos".  I can only imagine how sticky the two guys in the video were after filming!

A Girl's New Best Friend: Black Coral

So I know they say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but whoever "they" are apparently have never seen black coral jewelry. Now normally I'm not the type of girl to get excited about jewelry, especially expen$sive jewelry; after a recent trip to a gallery in Maui, I've found an exception. The Black Coral jewelry of Bernard K. Passman has won my heart. He began his craft with sculpture-like works of art, combining precious metals and stones with the ebony colored deep ocean coral. Unique to Passman's work is that all of the black coral used in his pieces is naturally broken off from reefs, never being harvested from live reefs.

I personally love this jewelry because of the way the striking black coral makes the diamonds and metal really "pop." The pieces are all extremely unique and have a story from Passman's travels around the world as the inspiration for the piece. I'm really surprised that this very different jewelry isn't more popular. The only thing holding this art form back from mainstream popularity is its expensive price tag. While absolutely breathtaking, many one-of-a-kind pieces go for over $50,000. Although the bling'd out one-of-a-kind pieces cost a pretty penny, many pieces featuring black coral without too much other bling are very fairly priced.

Anyone interested in seeing some really cool and different jewelry and artwork should check out the pieces here. I already found the engagement ring and wedding band set that I PLAN on getting in the future...

Dancing Bird

This bird has some sweet moves!

Rejected

Pullman Moose Lodge

The Pullman Moose Lodge serves as a welcome distraction for local residents looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of a college town.

Many locals do not appreciate college students tearing through town for more than nine months each year. For them, a quiet getaway is all they ask.

During weeknights a few members get together to play poker. Some nights are devoted to special events where the Moose Lodge is open to the public.




Moose Inernational
operates about 2,000 lodges in all 50 states. In general, Moose lodges are not popular among young people. The average Moose member is about 56 years old.

This is not the case at the Pullman lodge.
"We have the youngest membership of any lodge in the country," said Kris Maxey, Event Coordinator and full-time bartender at the Pullman lodge. The average member age at the Pullman lodge is 27.

Jamie and Val's Soundslide Distractions

Joe tries to do homework but can't focus!!!

College Seniors Find New Ways to Distract Themselves

It is common knowledge that college students waste hours upon hours while on the Internet. Yet with six weeks left in the semester, many college seniors have found new, somewhat productive ways to distract themselves. Suddenly cover letters, resumes, networking and finding jobs have become a priority for many graduating students. Watch the above slideshow to learn what three college seniors do while on the Internet.

F My Life: It Happens to All of Us

Upon the completion of spring break, college students are zoning in on the school year's final six weeks.  It is around this time that students, faculty and staff have "hit a wall," often finding productivity difficult to accomplish.  For students approaching graduation, the temptation to call it quits early is all too appealing.  Most individuals here at WSU find themselves restless, longing to move out of Pullman and, at least among my social circle, complain about every little thing that happens to them.  "Ugh, I hate going to work;"  "God, when will teachers stop giving us tests;" " I F&*%@! hate Pullman"," etc.  One could deem it the "F my life syndrome." 

 Being a college senior myself, I hit the afore mentioned "wall" about four weeks ago.  I find it much more worthwhile to surf the Internet or watch episodes of the Office and share my complaints with my friends.   

That is why I brought this Web site to your attention.  A fellow student showed me Fmylife: Your Everyday Life Stories and I loved it.  It is a central hub where the general public can whine and moan about their lives and all the insignificant things that happen to them throughout the day.  Genius.  This Web site is the perfect blend of what college students need in their lives - it is distracting, full of other people's complaints and mishaps and it keeps one from being too productive!  I love it.  

Education Reform

President Obama announced today the need to reform the American education system. As quoted in the New York Times, "It is time to give all Americans a complete and competitive education from the cradle up through a career," President Obama said. (Click here for the full article at New York Times online.)

I had seen the above video a couple of years ago.  When I watched it again yesterday, its message resonated with me in a different way than it had originally.  Though hilarious, this video embodies so much more than a Miss Teen USA pageant. Apparently, Miss South Carolina is one of the many reasons President Obama is calling for an education system reform.  I hope you enjoy the irony as much as I did.  

Economic Crisis Explained

This funny stick figure cartoon explains the credit crisis in simple terms.
Problems in the economy have been distracting us for some time now, at least this time we can laugh about it.

Watch out for tequila!

This explains it all. Ouch, my head.

My Two Loves: Butch T. Cougar and Michael Jackson

My friend pointed out this YouTube video the other day and I instantly fell in love-Butch T. Cougar meets Michael Jackson's "Thriller".  Two of my favorite things in one glorious video.  

Kittens Inspired by Kittens?

I am one of those people who finds kittens and other small animals adorable.  Knowing this about me, numerous people have suggested that I watch the Kittens Inspired by Kittens video on YouTube.  Declaring the video "adorable" and "hilarious", these alleged friends of mine insisted I watch the short YouTube clip.  And so, I watched it.  I have many opinions regarding what I saw, yet rather than spoil the experience for all of you, I will refrain from having my thoughts taint your minds.   I will say two things, though, about this video.  One - it did make me laugh.  And two -never, ever, let a seven year old get hold of a video camera and a book about cats.  

Your not alone!!!

Are you having a bad day? Feel like it can't possibly get any worse? If so take a look at this website. I can guarantee that you'll feel better..or at least you'll realize that other people's lives suck too.

http://www.fmylife.com/

Scared Panda!

This poor panda is so scared by it's little baby! I even jumped when I first saw it!

Tell the World Your Secrets

I originally heard of PostSecret last year.  My roommate and her boyfriend were obsessed with the idea of reading other people's secrets and general gossip.  My roommate, being a genuine      "gossip queen", took me to the PostSecret website.  We spent hours reading strangers' confessions, laughing at both the humorous and somewhat disturbing.  

The idea of Post Secret is ingenious.  Giving people a specific place to send their written confessions and secrets is evidently exactly what modern society needed.  For those who are unaware of Post Secret's premise, PostSecret is a blog composed of people's deepest, darkest secrets.  According to their website,  "PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard."   

What I find interesting is society's love for this kind of thing.  Not only do we love reading other people's business, we love knowing everything about everyone.  My roommate was the perfect example of people who want to know more about everyone else.  Granted, not every individual has this obsession with other people's business.  Yet a large majority live for this kind of stuff, clearly.  Just look at Post Secret's success over the last couple of years.  

I admit, sometimes I don't want to email my boss back.  Sometimes I will have an exam at 7:45 a.m. the next day and do not want to study.  It is in these situations I find myself turning to PostSecret.  So give in to the urge; give in to your inner gossip queen/king and check out Post Secret if you have not already.   

OMG! This Internet Shorthand is OOC!

OMG! Personally I try to stay away from using internet/texting lingo whenever possible, but in today's IM and text crazed society it's hard to stay away from it. While I knew that the degree to which people actually made acronyms and used this "language" is ridiculous, it was not until I came across an actual list, or translator if you will, of internet shorthand acronyms, that I truly realized the level the phenomenon had reached! I wouldn't be surprised if one day children will be reading textbooks written in this shorthand; I mean shoot, in theory it would cut back on paper usage and help the environment!

Once I started receiving text messages from my mom that used shorthand slang, I knew I needed to become more familiar with the terminology; this shorthand sensation is here to stay. So, if you're like me, and have trouble translating this foreign-looking internet/texting shorthand, I recommend studying this very lengthy list of acronyms. After mastering this list you will undoubtedly become an incredibly efficient communicator, cutting conversation time in half, giving you more free time to stay up-to-date on all the new acronyms created daily!

Moskau!

Wow, so I love this video! Not only will the dancing blow your mind, but the catchy German dance song will be stuck in your head all day- if not all week! In this version of the video someone has taken the liberty of adding the English "translation" in subtitles. The translation is really just what someone thought the foreign lyrics sounded like in English, some of which are hilarious but actually do sound like what is being sung. I think it is important to remember that the English translation is simply a joke and is in no way meant to be offensive. If you want a good laugh and to hear an upbeat song that will put a smile on your face, definitely check out this video!

I Want to Live HERE!

Architects and architecture amaze me.  

As a Communication major, I lack the 3-D brain it requires to build structures.  I love walking on campus and watching the new science building go through its stages of progression on Stadium Way.  Carpenter is one of my favorite buildings on campus;I could spend hours walking through and looking at the building blueprints and models.  I find the whole process intriguing.  So, when I stumbled upon (using the Stumble Upon toolbar, of course) The 80+ Strange and Fantastic Buildings Architecture, it is needless to say I was fascinated.  

The site showcases innovative building after innovative building.  These structures pepper the globe, from Spain to the Nethelands, from Belarus to the United States.  Each building is unique and exquisite, pushing the limits of what is possible.  I hope you find it as interesting as I did.  And if you do not, then you just wasted time looking at buildings.  

 

Getting distracted is a fact of life

http://cbruffey.webng.com/audiocast.mp3

Jamie and Val find ways to fight distractions!

I Love Jesus, but I do drink a little...

I hope I'm like Gladys when I'm old!

They Dance the Night Away

The Hamster Dance.  I was surfing the internet yesterday, and ran across this 1997 favorite.  What can I say, I am just trying to bring back a classic.  

Kittens of the Sea!

The United State is a country full of activist issues.  For every controversial topic, there is an activist group ready to tackle it.  In a country full of people who love to hunt and fish, there are thousands of other people who want to protect animals from such harm.

I learned a whole new element of the animal rights issue the other day when I came across PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Web site.  At the time I found this site, I was supposed to be studying for a test, but what I saw was so much more interesting.  

Apparently, PETA has launched a campaign in hopes of renaming fish "sea kittens."  Yes, sea kittens.  One part of me was slightly embarrassed I had never before heard of these underwater kittens.  Another part of me was embarrassed for the public relations folk working on this campaign.  The third part of me fell in love with adorable depictions of mammalian fish; my personal favorite was the salmon sea kitten.

The Web site went on to explain PETA's mission and goals.  Basically, PETA wants to view fish as they would mammals.  I suppose they believe that by changing the expression from "fishing" to "hunting sea kittens," it may change people's perceptions of killing and eating fish.  I mean, who would want to be guilty of killing and eating a kitten?

On the Web site, visitors can make their own sea kittens and download sea kitten banners and computer desktop images.  PETA also provides visitors with a list of how to avoid the use of fish and fish products, such as eating vegetable sushi.

Now, as previously stated, I thought these sea kitten drawings were precious (though they somewhat reminded me of CatDog).  And, I love kittens.   But, I also love sushi.  I could eat Tekka Maki and Philadelphia rolls for days.  So, when I read the "eat vegetable sushi" suggestion, I found it a good time to go back to studying.

PETA's Sea Kitten Web site is a "must visit" if you haven't already.  It's interesting, full of adorable pictures and somewhat controversial.  Go check out the little underwater furballs so the next time you are SUPPOSED to be preparing for a test, you can strike up a healthy discussion on animal's rights issues.  It's definitely one way to procrastinate.  

Mighty Putty!

A friend showed me this Mighty Putty video the other night on YouTube, and I found it hilarious.  I personally love anything that makes fun of Billy Mays and the commentator does a great job.  I highly encourage all of you to take a two minute break from what you are doing and watch this video.  

Sidewalk Chalk Isn't Just for Kids!

Quite a while ago someone showed me Julian Beever's pavement drawings, and they are amazing! I know a lot of people are already aware of Beever's creative sidewalk chalk art, but for those of you who have never experienced it, prepare yourself to be blown away. Beever draws his sidewalk masterpieces in a distorted manner that from the correct angle gives the drawing a a 3 dimensional illusion. Some of his drawings would literally make you stop walking down the street to avoid falling into what looks like an open sewer lid or raging river. Although Beever's sidewalk art cannot be saved in museums and galleries like famous artists of the past and present, Beever's unique artwork is definitely worth your time to check out.

An album of Beever's pavement art can be found on his website here. I highly recommend visiting his page and looking at some of the crazy artwork he has done!


These photos are an example of the distortion technique used to give the 3-D illusion.

"Hey everybody, I just got accepted at Appalachian State"

So, THIS is why people are fat.

     I am not a big "food person."  By this I mean that I like food, but I am not one of those people who goes out of my way to try new an exotic things.  And I definitely get easily grossed out by food (it's the ex-Vegan in me).  So when I stumbled upon This is Why You're Fat.com, I was horrified.  Just looking at these dishes gave me a double bypass.  And it was slightly horrifying to see what happens when hunger meets boredom.

    There is a wide variety of greasy, grimy meals on this is Why You're Fat, but my favorite was the Mega Pizza.  This tasty treat is basically a pizza with a pigs in a blanket crust.  It is then topped with tomato, onion, basil, mushroom, peppers, garlic chips, italian sausage, ham, bacon AND bacon bits.  I suppose the bacon bits add extra flavor to the bacon?  Oh, and the pizza can be topped off with either maple syrup or ketchup. 

    I have to admit that I spent a fair amount of time looking through the cuisine displayed on this website, laughing with horror and overall shock.  Afterward, I ate a salad for dinner. My roommate, on the other hand, wrote down recipe ideas.  To each his own.  

Holy Sheet!

Normally I am not a fan of forwarded emails, but I have to admit that my grandma definitely pulled through with a really unique forward. The email had these photographs of entries in an art contest at Hirshorn Modern Art Gallery in Washington D.C. The rule was that artists could only use one sheet of paper. It's really crazy and impressive what these artists did with ONE sheet of paper, check it out!

Sumo wrestles over pot

Olympic hero Michael Phelps has been suspended by USA Swimming and has lost a major sponsor after a picture surfaced of Phelps smoking from a bong.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/olympics/2008717327_phelps07.html



Sports stars smoking reefer is nothing new in America, but a recent marijuana scandal has rocked the Japanese sumo wrestling community.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jCrMy-CFjvfMrOvXQiqKedzfN1agD965K5R82



The Associated Press reports four sumo wrestlers have been kicked out of the sport for smoking marijuana.

Wakakirin, a 25-year-old sumo wrestler, said he became interested in marijuana after attending hip-hop concerts.

Marijuana is not considered to be a performance enhancing drug, but I'll bet it helps them keep their weight up.

Falkor and Jesus...Perfect

So think back a long time ago to that super creepy but highly entertaining movie "The Never ending Story". We all remember Falkor the flying dog/dragon thing (if you know what it is please tell me) and of course we know Jesus. Put the two together and you get this highly creative, rather disturbing pictorial. Enjoy.

25 Random Things: So Much Better Than Homework

The other night, as I was getting into bed, my Blackberry announced a new Email arrival.  As usual, I immediately opened the document, only to be disappointed.  Another friend had tagged me in a "25 Random Things" Facebook note.  Being the fifth "25 Random Things" message I had received, I almost felt guilty for not having succumbed to the latest online trend.  But sleep prevailed and I did not think about it again.  

Today, picking up the New York Times to enjoy the weekly section of Thursday Styles, there it was - an article on the "25 Random Things" phenomena.  I realized I cannot escape it.  The epitome of homework procrastination and time wasting had followed me to my favorite newspaper.  

The best part of this "25 Random Things" phenomena is people's justifications.  For example, one note was titled "I am only doing 25 Random Things because my sister did."  Perfect.  But, let's be honest.  Deep down we love this stuff.  It's interesting, funny, peculiar and a great reason to not be productive.    

So, check it out for yourselves if you haven't already.  The New York Times article can be found here.  And if you haven't already, log onto Facebook and do your own "25 Random Things."  Or, be like me and simply spend 3 hours reading 25 random things about people you do not really know.  That research paper can wait, trust me.  

WEEDies

The breakfast of champions! It's no Wheaties but Michael Phelps seems to still enjoy it!