Just before series 3 premiered on the BBC (and before it premieres here on Sci Fi next month, unless you've been "acquiring" it as Glenn puts it) The Weakest Link did a Doctor Who episode, featuring some cast members and delightful surprises. In 5 parts:





I tell ya, it seems some of the questions were the easiest this side of Sean Connery ripping on Alex Trebek.
Also, is it just me or does Anne Robinson look younger and better looking than a few years ago?

Note: The following post is sponsored.
Being a enjoyer of the website Fark, I was reading Drew Curtis' new book "It's Not News, It's Fark". Interesting enough, as it's subtitle says it's about "How Mass Media Tries to Pass Off Crap As News" At the end it talks about the emerging paradymes of the internet and advertising and how advertising is no longer going to be stick something in the paper, it has to get people responding to get the advertising dollars. One company that is working on improving search engines is Apogee Search, since it's inception in 2001 has become a leader in Search Engine Marketing. They even a blog and a Search Engine Glossary. You can learn all sorts of things looking around these links.

Okay, kids, time to talk about the 800 pound gorilla in the room.
You've noticed that I might've gone a little post happy shilling sponsored items. Thought I'd clear the air about it here.
Joining PayPerPost was something I thought about for a long time, especially after Wil Wheaton dissed it in a recent post. I'm not going to get into an argument about it, or point out the money I spent because of Mr. Wheaton's blog (I'm over 21 and no one put a gun to my head at any time) This is just a way I'm gonna go. Why? The main reason is that I have to pay each month to have this blog on Blogharbor. I looked at the options out there for blogging when I started, and ultimately decided to go with Blogharbor. I guess I could switch, but it would involve a big time transfer of previous posts, and I don't like the idea of my posts disappearing off the 'nets. So it's here I stay for now. And to do that, given my current financial situation, is to offset the $6.95 a month I pay to be on here. Unfortunately, I haven't received a cent from Amazon Associates, or from PayPal donations (I know, I never asked, but I'm just stating a fact here)
I did the 3 posts yesterday because 3 is the limit, and I was anxious to see how it'd go. Once you write the posts, you submit them for review which takes 48-72 hours to see if they're approved and you get paid. It's only been a day, but the post I wrote about IDrive-E Online Backup was approved, and will be paid in a month via PayPal. Hopefully, the other two will be approved, and I don't see why they wouldn't, as I followed the instructions given (which many people will tell you is very important, but many people fail to do so) Hopefully I'll make enough to cover keeping the lights on here, and if I get more, hey, bonus!
But I will make the following promises to you as far as sponsored blogging:
1) I will make every effort to make you aware that a post I'm writing is sponsored. This is a trick I picked up from Life and Debt in Chicago, the blog that brought PayPerPost to my attention.
2) I will not write about things that are against my grain, or I don't believe in.
3) What I write is what I mean. There aren't specific instructions in what to say, but what to put in such as certain links and a picture, just like in the Police post preceeding. I won't take an opportunity just to make money if it is a product I do not like, or am against. At the same time, don't sue me if something bad happens as a result of someone following one of my posts. As I said I'm over 21 and no one put a gun to my head at any time, and I assume you are the same, gentle reader.
4) And I will make every effort to make sure that the sponsored posts aren't overwhelming my other posts. I will try to put more back into the soil than I take out.

Note: The following post is sponsored.

The new police cd 2 disc anthology came out Tuesday and like most people here I got to thinking about the Police and some of their songs. Who can think of Eddie Murphy's debut in the movie 48 HRS without thinking about his first appearance as a convict wailing along to "Roxanne". We got satellite in 1983 (I'm talking about those big dishes, not the small jobs DirecTV and Dish Network, among others, offer now. And the ones you had to point to each satellite, and froze up in winter) living out in the sticks and didn't know when cable was coming to my home. And MTV had "Every Breath You Take" in heavy rotation, as Sychronicity had just been released by the band. Oddly enough, my favorite song is from the same album "Sychronicity II" Even without the video, the song stands in it's own right. How many of you out in the Rat Race agree with the line "And every single meeting with his so-called superior/Is a humilitiating kick in the crotch"? And who can forget Sting's precise enunciation of "Packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes"? Plus, Kathy likes the allusions to the Loch Ness Monster that parallel the "day in the life" part.
It's interesting to see how a punk band (or so they looked to this country mouse) as they started out become part of the mainstream, still keeping their unique sound. And the memories I talked about earlier were only two off the top of my head, I'm sure y'all have more you can think of. Looking over all the songs listed on the new police cd, I know I'm going to get it.


Win a New York fly-away to see The Police live.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
One of the things I like about this time of year is sitting out on the back porch and looking up in the sky. Looking at the stars, I can point out the North Star and the Big Dipper and that's it. And one thing Kathy and I did this evening was watch the deluxe 2 disc Fantastic Four movie that just came out. We watched the extended cut, which included a scene of Reed and Sue at the planetarium, recreating one of their first dates. Kathy remarked about how she wanted to go back to a planetarium sometime. But I don't know where they're at right off the bat.
One thing that comes in handy in both situations is the SkyScout which is literally your own personal planetarium. It also has a GPS and an extensive celestial database. I don't have to look up the locations of planetariums, hours, programs, etc. With this, I can just step out back for my own show, on my own terms.
And if $399 is too rich for your blood, you can find out about the Meade Telescopes they offer. There's sure to be one in your price range.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
A few months ago I had a problem with my computer that resulted in having to select the option of having it start from scratch. While that meant no more computer hassles, that meant everything I put on there was gone. And if I didn't have it on disk, it was definitely gone, no chance to get it back. Fortunately, there wasn't anything I lost that I didn't either have a copy of it, or could find it online. But what if it was important information, information that couldn't be obtained elsewhere?
Some businesses have off-site backups that they use in emergencies, and I'm sure individuals think they can't afford something like that. Fortunately, IDrive-E, a leading Online Backup service provider offers encrypted online backups for free (up to 2GB) and Unlimited storage (for $4.95/month). It is easy to use, fast and secure. While there are other alternatives in consumer online backup space, IDrive-E improves up on them in performance and features. Click on the link to check them out.

Note: The following post is sponsored.
While I was tooling around the internets the other day, one of the ones that caught my eye was Life and Debt in Chicago, and the blogger there talked about PayPerPost, an opportunity to blog about different things and get paid for it. Reading some of her posts made it sound like it was an interesting proposition. I went to their site, did some reading and research, and decided to sign up.
They approved my blog almost immediately, and I'm going to give them a try. The cool thing is you can select what you want to write about, and they eliminate the middleman and put the money in your PayPal account. Between Wednesday June 6th and Sunday June 10th I've had over $40 of posts approved. I'm going to use the money to pay the hosting fees for this blog here (eliminating a bill to worry about) and take care of some personal things I wasn't sure what to pay for if not for PayPerPost. I haven't made any friends yet, but hey, it's only 4 days, and I'm open. I've learned that my writing skills can be put to good use.
You can check it out here: blog reviews

Mark Evanier says that Berkeley Breathed's comic strip Opus is online at Salon now. There's even an interview with Mr. Breathed at the same site.
At the end, he explains why he prefers "Berkeley" to "Berke". As a result, I have adjusted my previous blog entries appropriately.

Both Mark Evanier and Paul Harris linked to this Cracked article listing the 20 Best "That Guys" of All Time, or actors you recognize but can't recall their names.
Funny story about number 1 (some spoilers about the list, Happy Days, All In The Family and Rocky III behind the cut)   more »