Google Lets It Snow Via "Let It Snow" Google Search

Google "Let It Snow" ...And It Will Surely Snow!!!

This holiday season, Google's got a neat little Easter egg to keep you cheery...especially if you live in an area that doesn't get any snow, but would like to see some.

Just Google "let it snow" (without the quotes) and you'll be able to see some virtual snowflakes falling down your computer screen on the Google search page.

The Google Snowflake Easter Egg

If you let it snow long enough, the Google search button will actually turn into a "Defrost" button that you can use to get rid of the frost and clear your computer screen. -The snowflakes will continue to fall down the page.

Also, once the defrost button appears, you can hold down your left mouse button and use it to erase the accumulated frost...just like clearing off a real frosted window! :)

All in all, it's some fun, festive stuff from Google for the winter holidays. Enjoy!!!

Btw, just like last year, if you do a Google search for 'Hanukkah', you'll see some special decorations along the top of the page. :)

NOTE: As of this posting, Google searches for "Christmas" and "Kwanzaa" seem to be like they are normally.

Mr. Bean Crashes His McLaren F1 Supercar

Mr. Bean Crashes His McLaren F1 Sports Car

Rowan Atkinson (a.k.a. Mr. Bean) crashed his $1 million McLaren F1 on Thursday, unjuring his shoulder when his car hit a tree and a lamp post on the A605 in Haddon, Cambridgeshire, England. The car then caught on fire.

Rowan Atkinson was able to walk away from the crash all on his own, and was then kept company by a passing motorist until fire and rescue crews arrived. Crews from the Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service brought the fire under control, and Mr. Bean took a trip to the hospital. Thankfully, he was released the next day.

The McLaren F1 is one of the world's fastest cars, with a top speed of 231 mph with its rev limiter on, and 240 mph with its rev limiter removed. Atkinson's McLaren F1 was on of only about 65 in existence worldwide.

But Mr. Bean Really Is A Good Driver!

Actually, he is. For real. He's a well-known car enthusiast and owns vintage and classic cars, including Aston Martins and Rolls Royces. He also recently recorded the fastest lap time on Top Gear's Star in a Reasonably Priced Car. You can see him do it in the video below...

Car Enthusiast and Star of Blackadder, Rowan Atkinson, Breaks Top Gear Fastest Lap Record

In this YouTube clip from the BBC, the Blackadder actor clocks the fastest time time ever on Top Gear. His record-setting lap time was 1 minute and 42.2 seconds. Brilliant!

Hot Girl Turns Out To Be a Prostitute...

Hot Girl Turns Out To Be a Prostitute...

Gave a ride to a...uh..."working girl" this afternoon. A fairly weird experience indeed. Long story not so short...She was walking down the street with a backpack on and came into the gas station where I was getting gas. My first thought was, "she looks like a college student." She was wearing nice jeans and flip flops (with socks on), a nice jacket and some cool shades, and had a tiny boom box CD player with her. She was very attractive, to say the least.

She asked the clerk if they happened to have a cell phone charger since her battery was dead. In the midst of the conversations going on inside the store, I heard her say to someone that she needed a ride up the road to her house. I thought to offer, but changed my mind and walked out to my car. As I was about to pull out, she exited the store and waved to get my attention. She walked toward my car and asked if there was any way that I could give her a ride up the street to her house. Since I had almost offered to do so inside, I decided I would and said, "Uhh, yeah. Sure, no problem."

She got in and said, "You're the bomb. Thanks so much!" I pulled out and asked where she lived. It was an apartment complex right up the road on 140th street...about half a mile away, and pretty much on my route back to my place, which was cool since I wouldn't have to travel out of my way.

So here I am with this hot chic in my car (she smelled really good, too, btw), and I'm thinking, "OK...I never have this kind of luck; something's gotta give." I was very much on guard, since she was a stranger and all, and was watching for any sudden movements...or anything that would raise a red flag. But she sat very calmly, with her hands folded in her lap. Still, I know my luck...and it's never this good. I mean, to have a strange girl in my car, one that is extremely attractive and in need of my help, is not an ordinary occurrence...probably due to the fact that I never take chances like this. Like I said, I initially thought to offer her a ride while inside the store, but I changed my mind like I always do in these situations.

So, as I'm driving, I'm thinking, "OK, what's the deal here? What's the sign that I don't have luck like this?" And right then she asks, "You're not the cops, are you?" LULZ! I knew it! I freaking knew it. I knew that our encounter would have to have something more to it. The only people who ask that question when they're in your car are, well, "working girls." Or, to use a more common (but derogatory) term, prostitutes. See...I told you my luck wasn't that good. :P

Anyway, we did have a decent conversation on the short ride, and she did in fact need a ride to where she said she needed to go. But she also asked me what I was "into" and if I was looking to "do something," or if I "wanted" to do something. So yeah, I guess I was propositioned for sex. LOL. I simply told her that I wasn't looking for anything and was just offering to give her a ride since she needed one. She seemed a bit surprised by my refusal and said, "Thanks, you're very nice. I appreciate it." I guess she thought I offered to give her a ride because I was looking for sex, when if fact, I was not.

To be completely honest, this girl was so hot that, in the back of my mind, the gears were churning and turning. And even though I knew I would never embark on such an escapade, my brain was quickly calculating the pros and cons of doing so. You know...being arrested, catching an STD, psychotic pimps wielding deadly weapons, etc.

But I was also thinking of how ridiculous the laws are. That, if it weren't for the actual exchange of "money," sex between two consenting adults is completely legal. But once you pay someone for a good time, it's not. Oh, and by "pay" I mean with actual dollars...not dinner and a movie. Lol.

Anyway, that's the brief recap of my ride with a working girl. It was definitely strange, and once I realized what it is that she does for a living, I quickly became paranoid of being pulled over and of possibly being arrested as a "john" for soliciting prostitution. I mean, the police generally know which girls are prostitutes since most of them are in out of the jail system regularly. All it might have taken was a simple traffic stop and for an officer to "recognize" who I had in my car with me. Then who knows. I'm just thankful that the entire event was somewhat uneventful.

Lesson learned: Don't give rides to strange hot girls. Also, don't do it when you only have 40 bucks in your pocket that you're not willing to part with. :P

YouTube Goes Green For St. Patrick's Day!

YouTube Goes Green For St. Patrick's Day

Just a quick thing I noticed this early morning...YouTube pulled the old switcheroo for St. Patrick's Day. Yep, in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, YouTube is now sporting a green logo, instead of its usual red one (see amazing graphic below). Pretty cool, eh?


Not much more to say about that, really, so I'll just say this...

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!

And remember...The Hoff still loves you! :P

(click to enlargerize)

Why the Government Bailout is Bullshit

Like Poop From a Bovine's Anus,
The Government Bailout is Bullshit!

Note: I may be updating this post shortly. This is really just a 1st draft I wrote up in order to get some things off my chest...really quickly.

I'm so PO'd right now over this complete waste of our taxpayer dollars that it's not even funny. Anyway, here' are my current thoughts...

The Facts Behind the Bailout

The government bailout = socialism for the rich...with YOUR money.

The recent economic bailout (with our tax dollars) is complete and utter BS. And just as what they're saying actually caused the economic crisis/collapse is complete BS, so is the action our elected government morons officials have taken to "fix it."

The Real Cause of the Economic Collapse

As much as many of us would like to believe, it's not just the crooked people of Wall Street, with their golden parachutes and their "I can do whatever I want 'cause I'm a rich and important top executive" attitude that led to this economic crisis here in the U.S. Oh, no, no, no.

The real problem is our current way of doing things. And here are two prime examples:

1.The federal government sticking its nose where it doesn't belong (Exempli gratia, the financial markets).
2. The Federal Reserve printing money out of thin air (which devalues our currency).

A Deep Look Into The Problem's Core

Since the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913 (no thanks to The Federal Reserve Act, ch. 6, 38 Stat. 251, enacted on December 23, 1913, 12 U.S.C. ch.3), which was signed into law by then President Woodrow Wilson, the U.S. dollar has lost over 90% of its value. And it’s lost around 37% of its value in just the last seven years. Both shameful and frightening, I must say!

In an article entitled, "Gold and Economic Freedom," former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan wrote:

"The excess credit which the Fed pumped into the economy spilled over into the stock market - triggering a fantastic speculative boom...The speculative imbalances had become overwhelming and unmanageable by the Fed... In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation."

But here's the funny part: That article, by the former Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, was written in 1966. Yeah, no kidding! And it was written to describe the era leading up to the Great Depression. Gee, sound familiar? Sure it does! And it could definitely be applied to today to describe the grave consequences of having the Federal Reserve...many of which we're seeing again, right now.

Bottom line, the Fed creates these economic bubbles, and the bubbles always burst…just like we’re seeing now.

If we want any sort of a proper and stable future for this country, the United States of America, we need to abolish the Federal Reserve immediately! In addition, our misguided government needs to stop meddling in the financial markets. And here's why...

Sticky Fingers That Just Don't Fix

Fact: Government interference in the financial market is what causes artificial economic imbalances in the first place. Additionally, it makes it virtually impossible for market corrections to take place quickly and easily (as they would in a truly "free market").

Ultimately, this guarantees economic crisis. Again, just like we’re seeing right now.

The bottom line is that we need to get these imbeciles out of office ASAP. And just as importantly, we need to get rid of the Federal Reserve. If we don't, we'll continue to see more of the same...and America WILL eventually collapse.

Fallen Empires - Is America Next?

The undeniable fact is that all empires and great nations fall due to fiscal, financial reasons (the devaluation of their currency, etc). And what we're seeing right now are the first signs of a falling empire. If things don't change, the U.S. will fall too.

Unfortunately, none of our so-called "leaders" are willing enough, or even brave enough to admit that. They want us to believe that America, in all its glory, is untouchable, indomitable and infallible.

But remember, the Romans thought that too. And of course, their empire fell.

For, it only takes a quick study of history and economics to realize that if we don't make some drastic changes, America will undoubtedly be in severe trouble as well. And feeding more money (printed out of thin air) to companies that couldn't operate profitably and responsibly in the first place, is NOT the answer!

It's OUR money, dammit! And we shouldn't just stand by aimlessly and watch as it's flushed and wasted down an endless drain...and funneled into the pockets of the very crooks who are a part of this economic mess. It's time to wake the F up America! And it's time to do what needs to be done!

I’m Aaron Cook, and I approved this message. :P

Blogger Contests And Important Shout-outs

Where ya been, Aaron?!

As most of you well know, I've been on quite a blogging break recently. But even so, I wanted to take the time to list a few contests for bloggers that may be of interest...as well as give a few important blogger shout-outs. :)

The blogger shout-outs are at the end of this post, and the contests are, of course, listed below. So, with no further ado, here we go...

Bob Buskirk's New Blog Design Giveaway

Bob Buskirk recently revitalized his blog with a brand new layout. Yay Bob! And to celebrate that, he's holding a contest to give away $550 in prizes.

• 1st Prize: A JohnChow.com 1 month Stripe Ad ($250 Value). This is the ad ou see on the top of John Chow's blog.
• 2nd Prize: Griffin iPhone Prize Pack ($185 Value). This prize pack includes: 1 iTrop Auto Pilot, 1 Power Dock (2-dock), and 1 Wave Case 2 Pack.

3rd and 4th prizes are also available. Just check out Bob's blog post.

Gadgettell Speaker Contest

Gadgettell is giving away a set of speakers...Axiom Audio AudioByte Computer Speakers, to be exact. Retail price: $528.

Note: This blogger contest giveaway closes on Friday, September 5 at 11:59pm EST. So if you're interested, don't put it off!

Shoemoney Comment Contest

For any of you who read the Shoemoney blog, you'll be familiar with this particular blog contest. Each day, Jeremy Schoemaker (the man behind the vastly successful Shoemoney blog) randomly selects just one commentator (at five minutes to midnight) to be the winner.

The winner of Shoemoney's blog contest will win a ShoeMoney T-shirt, as well as an entry into the month's grand prize drawing, whatever that may be at the time. More on the Shoemoney blog contest details can be found here.

Got A Blog Contest? Let Me Know!

If you're running a blog contest, and would like to have it listed on this site, just let me know! Feel free to contact me here. Be sure to include who you are, your blog's URL, and some of the contest details.

Link Love Shout-outs To The Cool Ones

Since I've been on hiatus recently, I wanted to take the time to give a few shout-outs to some of the best bloggers I know. If you haven't visited their blogs recently (or ever), then I definitely suggest that you do. These bloggers are the tops!

In alphabetical order, they are...

Brown Thoughts
Garry Conn
MeAndMyDrum
Revellian
Speedcat Hollydale
Success With Todd
The Random Forest
Things By Mike
Vanilla Soup
XANADU

Bill Gates Retires from Microsoft - Buh-Buy Billie Boy!

Well, it's official! Bill Gates has, indeed, "officially" retired from Microsoft today. Well, OK, so "technically" it was yesterday...but hey, it's 4 o'clock in the morning here, so it's still "today" for me! :)

Anyway, this surely marks the end of an era for the software giant. And though Billy Boy will still remain Microsoft's non-executive chairman, the weight of Microsoft's future now fully rests of the shoulders of Microsoft Corporation's current CEO, Steve Ballmer, who was officially named Microsoft's CEO in January of 2000 (though many people aren't aware of that).

So yes, today (er...yesterday, kinda) was Bill Gates' last day at Microsoft as a full-time employee (LOL @ "employee"). And as Gates said, with tears in his eyes, at a gathering on the company's scenic headquarters campus in Redmond, Washington, "My life's work is really about software and working with incredible people."

Gates also added, "There won't be a day in my life when I won't be thinking about Microsoft, the great things that we're doing and wanting to help."

Video: Steve Ballmer's tearful goodbye to Bill Gates regarding his very last day of work at Microsoft...


For the Lulz: Oh yeah, and just for the lulz...here are the most current results for a Microsoft Windows-relate poll I had on my blog this week. Ah yes, the great things Microsoft is doing. :P

My Yacht and the Swimsuit Models

Well, it looks like I was missed just a little bit more than I had expected. Jim recently informed me in the comments of this post that there was a search party sent out to look for me (87 volunteers strong, apparently), a helicopter and rescue team, as well as some bloodhounds. Oh my!

In addition, my good friend Diane sent me an email that read...

"So your blog, which had remained untouched for a long time, now sports a saying that you are sorry but it will remain untouched for awhile longer. Where can I go to get the Aaron spiel on things?? I am starting to feel deprived. I even had to go look up my own, "Will it blend?" episodes. Not to mention Chuck Norris one-liners."

Well, it certainly is nice to be missed. I just wish my absence was due to more exciting things than being busy and a bit burnt out. Perhaps something like...

Friend 1: Boy, I really miss Aaron.
Friend 2: Yeah, me too. He and the girls have certainly been gone on his yacht for a long time.
Friend 1: No Kidding. What's it...three weeks now they've been cruising through the Caribbean and partying?
Friend 2: Yeah, I believe so. Hey, how'd he get all those swimsuit models anyway?!
Friend 1: He's Aaron!
Friend 2: Yep, he's Aaron.

LOL.

Anyway, here are some brand new Will It Blend? videos for those of you who may have been missing them...and plagued with the burdensome chore of having to hunt them down all on your own. :P

I especially like the second one since it's a spoof on the Will It Blend? series. Pretty funny, indeed.

Will It Blend? - Mario Kart

Does It Blend? - Lightsabers

Btw, thanks also to Forest Parks and Bobby Revell who were also kind enough to welcome be back. :)

WTF?! Where The Heck Is Aaron?

Hey everyone, just letting you all know that I am, in fact, still alive! Just been extremely busy lately...and working on a few very interesting side projects as well.


Naw, fur realz, yo! Been very busy, indeed.


Yes, BLAARGGAG!!! Whattheheckdidyouthink?!


No, it's not a clever ruse, old bean. 'Tis indeed completely factual. I swear, for I speaketh the truth. The whole truth, the honest truth, and nothing but the truth.

In fact, I'll be back here shortly to post again and to give you a full update on my recent goings on. In the meantime, if you wanna reach me, just hit me up on Yuwie or MySpace. Until then, be sure to have an awesomely stellar day!


I SAID...I'll be back shortly to post an update, hit me up on Yuwie or MySpace, and be sure to have an awesomely stellar day! Oh, and BTW...that's just gross!

Earth Hour - Lights Out Everywhere!

If you visit Google today, then you'll notice that they made quite an interesting change to their homepage. It's black...

(click to enlargerize)

When I saw it, my first instinct, naturally, was to think there was something was wrong with with my computer - like a virus or a problem with my LCD monitor, but after taking a closer look, I realized that the blackened page was simply a neat reminder about Earth Hour.

What is Earth Hour?

Earth Hour is a worldwide event that invites people everywhere to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for just one hour in order to promote electricity conservation and lower carbon emissions.

Earth Hour takes place on Saturday, March 29th (today!) from 8:00pm until 9:00pm. So when 8 o'clock rolls around in your local timezone tonight, don't forget to turn off your lights, power down and do your part to conserve energy. Just see how much fun you can have in dark! :)

Cities all around the world are holding events to acknowledge their commitment to energy conservation, some of which include: Copenhagen, Toronto, Chicago, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, Melbourne, Brisbane, Dubai, and Tel Aviv.

To visit the official Earth Hour website go here. Note: It may take a couple of tries to get the Earth Hour site to load, as their servers are being bombarded with traffic right now.

Washington, D.C. Not Participating?!

What the?! After looking over the complete list of partner cities, I noticed that Washington, D.C. is not on it. Personally, I am quite disgusted by this. I think it sends a very clear message to the world (as if we needed yet another one) that many of those in the US government don't give a lick about anything that doesn't put money directly into their own crooked pockets.

And truthfully, I don't expect George Dumbya and his cronies to ever take an "honest" interest in anything dealing with conservation, anyway - at least not for "environmental" reasons. And if I did, I'd obviously have to be sniffing glue. And thankfully, I gave that up just last week. :P

Do Your Part - Please

While Earth Hour is a great idea, and does lower electricity consumption (for example: The 2007 Earth Hour is estimated to have cut electricity consumption in Sidney, Australia by between 2.1% and 10.2%, with approximately 2.2 million people taking part.), it is only one hour of one day of the year.

In order to really improve the environment we must make energy-saving practices a part of our daily routine. That means doing such things as:

• switching your light bulbs to energy efficient light bulbs
• turning off the lights when you're not in a room
• switching to cleaner electricity sources like "green power"
• driving less or as little as possible

These are some very easy things we can do to make a difference for the better, both for the short-term and for the long-term.

Are You Plugged In?

Also, don't forget to not only turn off appliances and such when they're not in use, but to unplug them as well! Cell phone chargers, televisions, stereos, computers, kitchen appliances, etc., all continue to draw and use up electricity when they're plugged in - even if they're completely turned off.

It's estimated that close to 75% of all electricity used to power electronics in the average home is consumed by products that are turned off, but still plugged into a wall socket. If you've ever noticed how your cell phone charger is warm to the touch, even when it's not attached to your cell phone, that's why.

So be sure to unplug chargers (cell phones, iPods, etc.) when they're not in use as they can eat up a lot of electricity - and a lot of your money! In fact, only 5% of the power drawn by a cell phone charger is actually used to recharge the cell phone. The other 95% is wasted when it's left plugged in.

Doing My Part

In addition to driving as little as possible, about two years ago I started unplugging things when they weren't in use (lamps, the coffee pot, the microwave, my stereos, my computer and printer, etc.) and I can definitely attest to the fact that it will lower your electric bill. So not only is it much better for the environment, it's also much better for your wallet. :)

Of course, if you use that saved money to go out and buy even more energy-hungry equipment, then you're defeating the entire purpose. But hey, it's a free country (at least for now), and that's entirely your choice.

The Earth Hour Video - Where It All Began

Aaron Cook Dot Com - Social, Social, Social!

Howdy, my wonderful blogging friends! Just figured I'd list some of the social sites on which I'm active so that it's easier for you to stay in touch with me and whatnot.

This list basically includes social bookmarking sites, social networking sites, video sharing sites, etc.

So with no further ado, here they are...

• MySpace - my band/music page
• Youtube - video sharing
  
• BlogCatalog - blog community/blog directory
• StumbleUpon - social bookmarking
• Digg - social bookmarking
• Technorati - blog search engine
  

There are a few more social sites that I use, but these are pretty much the main ones I utilize most often. Anyway, be sure to drop by and say hello. Oh yeah, and don't forget to add me! :)

So What About...

So what about you? Which social sites do you use? Which ones are your favorites? Do tell.

Aaron Cook Dot Com Endorses Ron Paul

With Ron Paul's 2nd place finish in the Nevada primary the other day, beating the likes of McCain, Giuliani, Huckabee and Thompson, I think it's time to kick things up yet another notch.

So...I'd like to formerly announce that it is indeed official - Aaron Cook Dot Com is endorsing Dr. Ron Paul in his candidacy for president. I've officially joined Ron Paul's campaign and am proud to be a part of what's come to be known as the Ron Paul Revolution.

In truth, this is the very first time in my 34 years of life that I've taken such a strong and passionate interest a presidential campaign. Dr. Ron Paul's message of limited government, a non-interventionist foreign policy (no nation-building or policing the world), protection of our civil liberties, and adherence to our Constitution resonates a chord of truth in me so deep that I cannot ignore it, no matter how hard I try.

And since this movement - the Ron Paul Revolution - started as a true grassroots effort, igniting hearts and souls and spreading like wildfire across the Internet, then what better way to continue spreading the word than by sharing some of the awesome creations that have helped to propel things this far.

So here are two of the many Ron Paul videos that are currently sweeping the Internet. Oh, and trust me when I say it - these ain't your momma's political songs!

Ron Paul for the Long Haul
by King Solomon

Let's Take America Back
by Dafrizzo

Let's take our country back! It's time we said NO to crooked, wasteful government. It's time we demand that our Constitution be followed. And it's time we put a stop to the erosion of our personal civil liberties before we have none at all.

Like Benjamin Franklin so wisely said, "Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both."


So get involved and help spread the word! To learn more about Dr. Ron Paul and his record as a United States Congressman, be sure to visit the official Ron Paul 2008 website. And join the Ron Paul Revolution today!

Zip the "What Is It?"

Zip the "What-Is-It?"

I came across this old photo of Zip the "What-Is-It?" and was instantly curious.

Zip was born William Henry Johnson in Liberty Corners, New Jersey in 1842 to a very poor African-American family. His parents, William and Mahalia Johnson, were former slaves. As Zip grew up, his body developed normally, but his head remained small. His tapering cranium and heavy jaw eventually attracted the attention of agents from Van Emburgh's Circus in Somerville, NJ. With his parents' permission, they hired him.

At the circus, Zip was a very popular draw. Claimed to have been caught in Africa, he was displayed in a cage where he would rattle the bars, screech and bound about for the audience. Due to his popularity, Zip's agents were quick to show him off to P.T Barnum. Barnum, who was then the owner of Barnum's American Museum, bought the rights to display Zip and hired him to work at the museum in 1860.

Zip's stage appearance there came just months after Charles Darwin's book "Origin of the Species" was published. Barnum quickly capitalized on this, touting Zip as the "missing link." Barnum also gave him a new look. He began wearing a fur suit and his hair was styled to a tiny point that further accentuated his sloping brow. Finally, he was given the name we're all probably most familiar with..."Zip the Pinhead," the "What-Is-It?"

Apparently, Zip's nickname (the "What-Is-It?" part) came about due to author Charles Dickens. When Dickens saw Zip he asked Barnum, "What is it?" Barnum thought that would be the perfect name for Zip, and so it stuck.


Zip's unusual physical appearance caused many people to believe that he was a microcephalic or "pinhead" (microcephalics are characterized by a small, tapering cranium and impaired mental faculty), but it is quite clear that Zip was in no way mentally deficient. According to his sister, Sarah Van Duyne, he would converse like an average person, with fair reasoning power.

In Zip's later years, he became more "civilized" in his performances and would regularly share the stage with fellow prodigies, including his personal friends: Jack Earle, the Tallest Man in the World; Jim Tarver, the Texas Giant; Koo-Koo the Bird Girl, and several others. Zip also traveled extensively with the Ringling Brothers Circus.

Zip was one of Barnum's most popular performers and remained with the circus until he died of pneumonia on April 28, 1926. Zip died a wealthy man, thanks to his manager, Captain O.K White, who had helped him to invest his money. Captain O.K. White claimed that he never saw Zip unhappy, except for when he wasn't on tour or performing.

On his deathbed, with his sister at his side, Zip's final words were, "Well, we fooled 'em for a long time, didn't we?"

I Want One of These Sooo Bad!

Perhaps one of the neatest things I've ever seen...

A True Bird's-Eye View - Video In The Sky

Video notes: This amazing video was shot from the cockpit of a conventional RC (radio controlled) airplane. On the airplane is a wireless pan-and-tilt camera that transmits the video to the "pilot" on the ground. The video itself is viewed through a pair of VRGs or VR glasses (also known as Virtual Reality goggles), which have a built-in gyroscope that senses every movement of the goggles.

Just move your head and the camera will pan and tilt to perfectly correspond with your movements. The result is something quite amazing and beautiful. It's almost as if you're really up there flying!

Unfortunately, this isn't a product you can buy in stores (yet). It's a total do-it-yourselfer. And I give two thumbs up to the guy to started doing it!

Music in the video: Enigma - Lord Of The Dance

Major Aaron Cook Dot Com Updates!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm in the midst of doing a few major site updates here on the Aaron Cook Dot Com™ blog. So if you see a few things that look different, new or not quite finished yet, well, that's why!

Basically, I'm updating the entire structure of the site so I can incorporate a brand new commenting system - a commenting system that is worlds better than Blogger's (ahem) new commenting system - Intense Debate.

Bottom line, Blogger's new commenting system (if you can actually call it that!) simply doesn't cut the mustard with me...at all! And I'm quite sure that many of you agree!

I'll elaborate much more on this later, but right now I'm knee-deep in HTML. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know what was going on in case you were wondering. :)

Update: (12-27-2007) I decided to reinstalled the Intense Debate comment system so that all comments from all posts would have it. Originally, I had only installed it on new posts that didn't have any comments. But after thinking more about it, I decided to try out the Import Comments function and put Intense Debate on all my blog posts, old and new.

Overall, the comment import process went OK. But I did encounter a problem - not all comments were imported successfully. For example, there were 10 comments for the Happy Holidays From Aaron! post, but they've ALL disappeared. The 9 comments that are there now actually belong to THIS post!

Also, it seems that anonymous comments didn't make it through the import process either, so I've lost some past comments. Something to think about it you plan to use Intense Debate and import your comments.

All in all I definitely recommend Instant Debate. I think it's a pretty awesome comment system. I'm just not entirely happy with the Import Comments function as it stands now. Obviously, there are still a few bugs to work out. But hey, that's why that part is still in beta!

Related Blog Posts

• Intense Debate Comment System - The Review (Part 1)

My 400th Post! The Teddy Bears Play Punk Rocker

Well friends, this is my 400th post on this blog! Woo hoo! To celebrate it, I was initially going to write something eloquent and profound. But as most of you know, I've been extremely pressed for time these days, and spending a lot of time writing just isn't possible.

But have no fear! This is probably way cooler anyway. Plus, it pretty much sums up not only how I feel personally, but how I feel about all of you. You're all so incredibly AWESOME! And so, I share this with you. Now turn your speakers up rock on!

The Teddy Bears Play Punk Rocker

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I Am Alive! Hip Hip Hooray!

Well, as most of you already know, I was pretty sick recently. From what? I dunno. All I do know is that I had all the signs of food poisoning...yet, I cannot figure out what I ate that made me sick...twice. And since the incubation period for foodborne illness can range anywhere from a couple of hours to several days, I'll probably never know.

Nonetheless, I'm feeling much, much better today. I still feel pretty weak from not being able to eat hardly anything for the last week or so, but that's par for the course.

I did manage make it out to the grocery store yesterday, even though I didn't feel like going anywhere at all. But since I'd chucked all of the open food in my refrigerator, there wasn't much left here to chew on, so to speak. So a trip to the grocery store was absolutely crucial.

Plus, I managed to down some yogurt and a nice turkey sandwich afterwards. So I felt worlds better. :)

A Great Big Thank You!

I'd like to sincerely thank all of you for your kind and caring comments and emails wishing me well. It's so wonderful to realize that people who know me only through the rapid pulses of light on a cathode ray tube or LCD screen can actually care so much. Bottom line...you guys (and gals) rock!!!

A Few Important Updates

Since it's been about a week since I last posted, and since the natives have also been getting a tad bit restless, I figure it's a good time for a quick update on a few things here in Aaronland.

Yuwie: Yuwie is going very well. I couldn't be happier. The Yuwie earnings report for October came out just a few days ago, and I'm happy to report that I made $0.46 last month.

I know, I know...that little bit of change isn't a whole heck of a lotta money. But hey, it's certainly not bad considering the fact that I didn't do anything different on Yuwie from what I've been doing on MySpace and Facebook all this time! And how much have they paid me? Nothing! Zero, zilch, nada! The cheap bastards. :P

And the fact that my Yuwie earnings have more than doubled since last month is also pretty damn cool. Overall, my Yuwie earnings have increased by 130%...right on the nose.

With such rapid and continual growth, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to see why I'm so pleased with Yuwie. Bottom line, you WILL make money with Yuwie. And the amount you make will definitely increase each month if you work on referring people.

So my suggestion is to join Yuwie right now. For Pete's sake, if you communicate with anyone online, in any way at all, then you'll definitely make money with Yuwie every month. And quite possibly, a lot of!

Blog Traffic: Two words...Nose and dive. OK, so technically that was three words...but you catch my drift. Bottom line, not updating my blog for the last week has definitely affected my blog traffic. And by definitely, I mean definitely. And by blog traffic, I mean, "Hello...Is there anybody out there?" -Think Pink Floyd. ;)

So don't forget, kids...be sure to update your blog regularly! EVEN IF YOU'RE DEAD!!! LOL. Otherwise, your blog traffic will do the Ole, dreaded "nose and dive" routine. :P

My Blogging Friends: Since I haven't been online much at all during the last week, due to my being sick and all, there's really not a whole lotta new stuff going on here in Aaronland at the moment.

But instead of just ending this blog post right here and now, I'll share some of the recent updates from our fellow blogging friends. To note: this portion of the updates section will also take the place of this week's Super Link Sunday post, which obviously isn't gonna happen today since I'm still playing major catch up. And as we all know, blog posts don't write themselves! Unfortunately.

Ordinary Folk Things By Mike - Well I'll be cornhobbled and dipped in shellac! :P Things By Mike has finally become...now wait for it, folks...Things By Mike! Yes! And with a slight redesign as well. So don't forget to update your bookmarks and blogrolls!


IslamCrunch 2.0 Launches - My good blogging friend Mikael Pittam has recently launched IslamCrunch version 2.0. IslamCrunch version 2.0 comes complete with a fully redesigned and customized template, as well as a brand new member to the team...Sidi Abdullah Alaydrus. So be sure to check 'em out!


Bush Mackel - A brand new blog design! Yep, Bush Mackel, the famed Link Love Loser Award winner (SLS batch #4) has a brand spanking new blog design up now! So whattaya think? Be sure to stop by Bush's blog and check it out! :)


Well, that about wraps it up for now. Thanks for reading, take care of yourself, and as always...Shine on.

Aaron's Status - Not Well

Very sick. Not able to post now. My apologies to everyone.

Happy Halloween From Aaron Cook Dot Com!

I'd like to wish everyone a very safe and happy Halloween! And for those of you who are in the spooky spirit of things, here's a special Halloween game for you to play. Try not to get ripped (or is that R.I.P.ed) apart by the evil zombies!!! Mwah ha ha.


And now for something completely different...

Why Pets Hate Halloween - Part II

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

• Why Pets Hate Halloween - Part I

Why Pets Hate Halloween - Part I

I think the images pretty much speak for themselves. LOL. Though, I will note that I notice there to be an extreme lack of cats present in these Halloween pet photos. Quite simply, cats will not stand for this kind of nonsense! :P

Anyway, here's the answer to why pets hate Halloween...

Why Pets Hate Halloween - Part I

For part II of Why Pets Hate Halloween, go here. Lots more photos of pets dressed up in Halloween costumes. Poor little fellas.