Down to the letter

Roeland Otten's ABChairs are really creative and extremely awesome. I am attracted to most of the letters. I think these would look great with some bright, solid colors. What do you think?

Thursday Traffic | 27 May

Today's traffic was worse than ever. Not only the clogged streets, but an equally packed metro. Luckily, even when I'm late to work, I arrive earlier than my company actually opens. On the bright side, it's my Friday. Unlike the rest of the world, I work 4 day weeks. No, I'm not bragging or anything, I am part-time. So, even though traffic sucks, it's "Friday."

Lately, the weather has been unpredictable. It switches from sunny to sweltering to torrential rains at the drop of a hat. That makes it difficult to decide what to carry with you, and what one should wear. I have a few tips that I've picked up over the past couple years. How to be prepared for summer weather:

• Check the weather: Even though the weather is often wrong, it's better than going at this blind. People in the past predicted the weather based upon the wind, sun and dew on the ground. It's good to understand what you are up against.
• It's better to be safe than sorry: I know that it's a hassle, but if there is a percentage of rain, bring a light jacket or a mini umbrella. It's a little something for you to carry, but you don't have to worry about being caught without it—like a driver's license.
• Good hygiene is a must: That summer sun will heat things up and the last thing you want is to be the smelly person. Use soap, wear deodorant, apply a conservative amount of perfume/cologne. Be careful about using sweet smelling products as you will attract insects (especially bees).
  

If you have some additional ideas, please add them in the comments.

Image via Photo Moto Blog

Game Review | Again

So, since I've been stingy with my money in anticipation of Epic Mickey (Wii only; release: Q3 2010) and Sonic 4: Episode 1 (Playstation Network; WiiWare; XBOX Live; iPhone/iPod Touch), games haven't necessarily accounted for much of my spending. However, I wanted to try the DS game Again after watching a video about it. The game seemed like a good diversion for my commute. How I wished I had looked at those videos again and chosen not to purchase this game.

Again, like so many detective style games, has no replay value. For some reason, I assumed that with a name like "again," that might not be the truth. Alas, it is and even if it weren't, I'm certain I'll never play it again. While it starts out fairly well, the game quickly takes a turn for the absolutely annoying. The basic gist is that you are a detective in the FBI and the lone survivor of the "Providence" murders. Nineteen years later, another series of murders occur that are almost identical to the originals. You and your partner reopen the past cases and join forces with the local police department to discover the truth of the recent and past murders. Hit the jump for the full breakdown.

Cartoon Chatter | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

I know that the cartoons I showcase skip around in terms of years. Since going back to the 90s last week, I'm ready to jump back into the 2000s with The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. In terms of cartoons, Jimmy Neutron was a bit of a trendsetter in its usage of computer animation. The attention to detail throughout every episode made the series not only visually interesting, but quite successful. It was very popular and even shared the spotlight with The Fairly Oddparents during the Jimmy/Timmy Power Hours. Hit the jump for my rundown of the show.

Embrace your inner geek

Happy Geek Pride Day! While I don't necessarily classify myself as a geek—I'm more of a nerd—I geek out about enough that I am really feeling Geek Pride Day. Started back in '98, Geek Pride Day is the same day as some other geeky events—the premiere of Star Wars and Towel Day (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy). So regardless of how or where you celebrate, I hope you enjoy your day and may the force be with you—I just had to add that in there.

Image via yours truly

Picking

When I was in elementary school, there were a few kids in my class that picked their noses and ate their boogers. It was gross to adults, but funny to us as children. It was the same for kids that picked their wedgies. It was something that we found funny as children, but not so funny to adults. So what has happened to the adults all over the world? Instead of stealthily picking a wedgie or getting rid of a booger, people just dig up their noses in public. This is disgusting because a) in the city, your germs spread every time you touch something, and b) you could just as easily take care of this business in a bathroom. In terms of wedgies, that looks so inappropriate when done in public.

Next time you feel you might have a booger, for goodness sake, blow your nose! Also, if your underwear are riding up you-know-where, find a bathroom and fix yourself. No need for you to do this in front of the world.

Image via Straight Digs

Cartoon Chatter | Rocko's Modern Life

Rocko's Modern Life was by far one of my all-time favorite shows when I was younger. Rocko is a wallaby and he made me want to go to Australia about as much as the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. However, the reason that I enjoyed the show so much is because Rocko was just a guy living his life. He had annoying neighbors (the Bigheads), best friends, a job and a dog.

This was during the days of Ren & Stimpy and Rugrats. Cartoons weren't as polished as they are now. They had a sort of rugged look to them. That was true of Rocko's Modern Life. Although the characters were somewhat strange looking, they were true cartoons—heavily stylized and easily recognizable. Of course, the subject matter got a little dicey just as many other cartoons of the 90s. Rocko ending up stuck between a woman's boobs was not something that parents liked. Despite the occasion "adult themes" throughout the show, the storyline often focused on quite mundane ideas—like Rocko's issue with biting his nails.

For a while, Rocko's Modern Life had re-aired on Nickelodeon in the mornings, but it later moved to Nicktoons. I'm not certain if it is still on television, but you can easily dig up episodes on the internet or purchase dvds. Again, this was one great show! Hope you like it as much as I did when I was younger—and still do at 23.