Rammstein prepares for Oktoberfest

Many of you have heard of Rammstein, the heavy metal industrial rock group. They always produce some great head-bangin' music.

Here's a new take on the Feuer Frei guys, a parody of one of their performances with a definite German beery flavor to it.





(Via misscelania)

Indian speed train

An Indian couple narrowly avoid getting clipped by the Shatabdi Express flying through.

This'll get your heart pumpin'.

Windows v. Mac - it's all in your mind

During the course of any day in my life, the subject of any given discussion at hand, more often than not, affords me an opportunity to get a little insight into the computer usage of the person I'm talking to. Usually, the person has a Dell or a Gateway or some ancient 500MHz box that's been since overtaken by modern technology. All of them are Windows users and I pity the poor bastards.

I've owned a Mac since since 1997 and I'm amazed at its ease of use and why people don't just get a Mac. Why do they struggle with .dlls, service packs, viruses, malware and preventive software? Why don't they just get a Mac?

The die-hard Windows users will always throw the usual Win-facts in your face. "We have more games. Our machines are more upgradable. Windows machines are cheaper. Our OS does just what the Mac OS does." Their reasons are usually flawed.

Why do American corporations supply their employees with Windows boxes and then have to staff their IT departments with armies of techies just to fix all the problems that arise from the software and networking? The cost in wages and training must be astronomical.

I'm a firm believer the problem lies not within the particular OS in question, but rather in the psyche of the average computer user. Because they have a Windows box at work, they have to have one at home. And no matter how hard you try, you just can't get some people to even think about, let alone try a different OS, be it Linux or Mac OS.

Why do the Windows users think we Mac users are arrogant and smug? Because we are, in varying degrees. We know, we just know how great computing can be. There are die-hard Mac users just like their Windows counterparts. We're just like the Hatfields and the McCoys with keyboards.

If you have the time, I urge you to read this explanatory Ars Technica post about "Cognitive Lock-in". The article is neutral, neither Windows nor Mac. It's just about us. Humans.

And since you have the time, read this MacDailyNews article about the "Stockholm Syndrome" and "cognitive dissonance". This article really dissects the human psyche when it comes to the ongoing Win v. Mac differences and rivalries.

The Windows versus Mac conflict will go on for years to come. It will be up to the individual platform companies to design an interface system for all humans of all walks of mind. One mind, one computer.

(Sources: ArsTechnica; MacDailyNews; Wikipedia)

In orbit

Another Wulff Morgenthaler comic.

Click for supersize.

(Via wulffmorgenthaler).

Penile artist

This guy paints with his penis.

Apparently his hands don't hold the same artistic genes that his wang does.

If you're interested, Spluch has a nice write up.

No wonder women find guys "hard" to figure out.

(Via Spluch).

Everywhere a sign

(Via the wonder of the Internet)

New Babes

Here it Saturday and I'm sitting here with nothing but time on my hands. A coupla minutes later and poof, we have new babes here at SixPackTech.

A new rump and a new rack for yuz.

The BOTW is a sweet readhead and Nat or Not is a blonde that will make your mind wander. And don't forget to vote if you think she's a natural or not.

Look next door.

Saturday beer taste

The beer of choice this week is Krusovice Imperial, a Czech endeavor. If I think I know eastern European language nuances, I'd say it was pronounced "kroosh-oh-veets'-eh". Maybe I'm close; maybe I'm way off.

This brew was a buck sevenny nine at the local beer store and it was in the front row of the import shelf in the "orphan" beer cooler. It comes in a 16.9 oz. gold-labelled bottle and presents itself as if it were a Russian Czar or Czech potentate.

Disregarding the goldleaf covered cap, I popped it open and peeled back the leafing a little so I could wrap my mouth around the opening. At first whiff, I knew I'd be in for a treat.

This beer is robust in the fact that it announces itself like a high ranking public official when it hits your taste buds. A little heavy, a little bittery but all beer. It leaves a nice reminder in the back of your throat that says "I was here" through the entire imbibement.

After the first few bottle swigs, I decanted it to my stein (I call it a "mug"). It showed up with a nice head and dark golden color. The pouring cut down on the sharpness just a tad and the beer was gone before I knew it. Well worth the price of the bottle.

I'd say that this beer is special in the fact that, if you bought it by the case, you'd save it for that first tasting at a big family event or celebration. Then go back to Miller or whatever Budweiser crap you have for the rest of the evening.

A link to the Krusovice brewery is here.

Extreme rock, paper, scissors

Believe it or not, there is an event called the World RPS Championships. Players from far and wide compete in this "sport" hoping to take home the top prized of $50,000.

The RPS Babes at at the left, the 2:30 video is below.

Virtual engine

Here's a computer simulated video of the assembly and internal workings of a modern 4-cylinder engine. The video is 4 mins. 51 secs.

Stick with it. You shade-tree mechanics may learn something new. For you seasoned veterans, what make of engine is this? Maybe it's generic.
This is interesting, nonetheless.

God says He's sorry

This poor girl.

She's still a babe, though.

Care for a bit o' Spotted Dick?

Ahem. Spotted Dick is not what it at first seems to be. This is about a local European colloquialism for something you eat. (Stop snickering.)

It appears that Spotted Dick is spotted with raisins. (...and the imaginations run wild).

It's actually a dessert (oh. my. God.) enjoyed by many Brits usually with custard or brown sugar.

One variety comes in can. (Good Lord!)




It's shown here below.



I'm done. You can all go sophomorically crazy now.

(Via wikipedia)
(Photo: C.P.Storm)

Music, greed and the iPod

This guy has 200,000 music tracks in his iTunes collection.

Millions of gigabytes, and thousands of dollars worth.

Why? Read a short blurb about him here.

(Via mymac.cc)

Beer on tap at home

Gizmodo recently featured an article on the Asko Home Pub. The pub is an upright refrigerator with lots of room inside including storage for two 5-liter kegs of beer. The yuppified beer fridge costs about a grand and for now, is only available in a few countries in Europe. They will introduce the unit to the U.S. soon, they say.

Why "yuppified"? Look at the guy. Obviously a male model. What sort of guy is being targeted by the Asko marketers. Well, guys like me "ain't that guy".

If you're going to have some buddies over for beer and a poker game or to watch the fights or football, with swearin' and fartin' and diggin' and scratchin' and peein', then this isn't your kind of tapper. You want something a little more manly. Maybe even a beer tapper you built yourself. Then you'll have beer on tap and something to brag about. Yeah, sweat equity.










May I propose a Kegerator? Get yourself a used fridge, tear out the innards, buy a few parts and assemble them. This can be done quite cheaply anywhere from about $50 to $350 depending on your wallet and expertise. There are many variations on this theme.

Decorate the fridge on the outside, buy a keg and hook it up. Wait for it to get cold and then invite the guys over for a "beer fridge christening" party where you can all break the fridge in and give 'er a name. The babes will love it because you built it and may want to feel your muscles. "Oh, Joe. You're so handy and good with tools!"

Here's a how-to post explaining the steps involved in building your own. Thanks to realbeer.com.

Now get out there and buy a fridge and build a home tapper for yourself. But first, some advice. Advice I offer from personal experience. Don't drink beer during the assembly process. You'll get lost and may lose parts and your interest in the project. Drink beer afterwards. It'll be so much more rewarding.

Squirrell saves the day

This is hilarious! It's an animated ad for some breath gum but with a twist.

Watch as Cippi the Squirrell saves the forest.

(Via metacafe)

Karma

Sweet video of an asshole in a Mercedes convertible and a Grandma. I don't know if it's been staged or not, but it's good to see one get his just rewards.

(Via youtube).

Gotcha

We've all seen these "captcha" doo-dads from time to time on different websites, usually presented to the user to duplicate with keystrokes what's depicted in the little box. This is to prevent Internet bots and crawlers from compromising the deal at hand and to verify that, in fact, you are a human.

Here are some amazingly weird captchas found on the web.

(Via darkroastedblend).

Pen car

Somewhere along this way this guy lost his marbles but found a ton of pens.

After misplacing a few thousand, he decided to put the pens where he'd always find them.

And then... ah, forget it.

Golden triangle

Jeez, what else are they gonna make out of gold? Presenting gold lingerie for the lady in your life.

This get-up is made from 950 grams of gold. It took 4 artisans about a month to create. It's valued at about $27k.

This would be a great costume for that upcoming Halloween party, eh?

Too bad, it's not for sale.

More pics here (via Spluch).

Butt art

It's a face AND it's butts. Very weird, indeed. An obsession for buttocks.

Salvador Dali has nothing on this artist.

Enjoy a few butt-faces here.

(Via Spluch).

Shooting bikinis

It's ogling time. Scope out what just could be The World's Largest Swimsuit shoot.

Over a thousand babes on a sunny, sandy beach.

Lotta great pics.

Link (via onelargeprawn).

Nissan marble maze

Surely you remember this game. Been around for quite a while. Navigate your marble around a maze using the knobs to tilt the game floor all the while avoiding the black holes.
What would it be like if was in real life?

Here's a great video for the Nissan Rogue SUV in a downtown metropolitan area. Avoiding holes. Tilting. With obstacles.

(Via the presurfer)

Sexism on xkcd

xkcd is a great comic for geeks who are bionically plugged into all aspects of tech, especially the Internet. The comics are simply drawn but the message delivered is always funny and hard hitting. Here's an example with online sexism as the main topic of presentation.

Link (via boingboing).

Renault ballet

Great video of various Renault (ren-oh') body styles performing in syncronicity.

Great music, great photography, and some great sheet-metal bashing.

This is not your ordinary car commercial. It's all about crash testing. Crash testing and ballet? Oh, yeah. And it's good.

(Via neatorama).

Think about this for a minute

I've promised myself not to post jokes here on SixPackTech because there's a grunch of other sites that do. But good jokes can be funny. The best jokes are the ones that make you stop a think for a nanosecond or two.

Here's one of my faves:

A duck walks into a pharmacy and tells the druggist, "Give me a tube of ChapStick and put it on my bill."

Here's one more:

Two pies are baking in the the oven. One of them says, "Man, it's hot in here."
The other pie looks over and says, "Oh my God, a talking pie!"

Pfft!

Twinkies - what's inside

The ingredients used to make twinkies include some amazing yet common chemicals and additives.

To put it bluntly, Twinkies are made of petroleum, natural gas, limestone, and exo-glarnite from the planet Fnit.

An interesting read, short(bread) and sweet. With a little video tucked up the corner.

Link (via Spluch).

Makeovers

Nine women are turned in babes.

Before and after comparisons in one pic.

Just beautiful.

Link (via digg).

New prison inmate

The poor guy just doesn't get it.

(Via digg)

Crazy innovative products

Who thinks up this stuff?

Would I buy any of this stuff?

Would you buy any of this stuff?

It's out there.

Somewhere.

(Ikea may have a hand in some of these.)

More pics here. (Via reddit)

Poor photo angle

Click. For. Larger.












(Via yeah-oops)

Self-contained

Here's a very short but very entertaining VolksWagen commercial in tune with the times.

(Via neatorama)

The hidden meaning of road signs

We all know what traffic signs mean by definition. However, what do they really mean in day to day driving?

This link explains it all.

(Via misscelania)

Automotive metaphors

A metaphor, for those of who don't know, is one word that completely describes the subject at hand. For instance, the SR71 Blackbird spy plane can be described as a "blindingly fast Ninja".

Here are five cars whose utter existence can described by one word. They're pretty apropos, but not necessarily accurate.

Interesting nonetheless.

Link (via mentalfloss)

Coincidence?

While vegging out watching ESPN today, I saw this commercial for Guinness beer. I instantly thought back to the earlier post about the complex drainage system house in Germany. My comment on that, as you can see, is that I thought it resembled something out of Animusic, the series of CGI music videos utilizing imaginitive music machines.

Well, I think the ad gurus at Guinness were inspired by (arguably) the most innovative and well-known video from that compilation - Pipe Dream.

Compare the two and see for yourself. 1 minute vs. 3:25.

Grin and bear it

One of the posts that got my juices flowing and made me want to start writing more that just a blurb in the comments section was the August 18, 2007 post about the most functional word in the English language: Shit. Two items from that post got me thinkin', plus one I have been dwelling on for some time. Let's investigate. You can read the original post here.

On more than one occasion, I have announced to a group of buddies: "I'll be right back, I have to take a shit." One wiseguy always has the same reply to that: "Take 'em from the top, they're fresher!"

Hmmm. Why would I take a shit when I in fact, wish to leave one? My guess is "shit" in this instance refers to the actual process of shitting. To shit and to take a shit are one in the same. We take breaks, why not take shits? You could also say, "I'm going to have myself a shit." I may start saying that.

The next one may be easier to explain. "I don't give a shit."

In this instance, the word "shit" is a substitute for "care." One would give [a] care to someone else as a sign of acknowledgement, respect or sympathy. As care is a nonmaterial idea, you give it or take it figuratively, as with shit. If I do give a shit and hand you a turd, I may be less than sincere.

The third saying was absent from the original post: "Shit-eating grin." Most of us have heard that one and usually instantly know exactly to what it refers. But when I read it literally, it instantly raises a question to me.

Why would anyone grin after eating shit?!?! I have uncovered two theories behind this one.

1: "Shit" is another word for drugs, i.e. marijuana. "Hey, it's me, Dave. Open up, I've got the shit." If the police were to show up unexpectedly while one had some with him, he might stuff the "shit" into his mouth in an attempt to hide it. Perhaps the grin comes from the smug satisfaction that the "shit" avoided detection, or the mini-freak out that might ensue from injesting a decent quantity at once.
2: It is a blatantly false grin, one to signify sarcasm and contempt. As if the person ate shit (I'm talkin' feces here) and wanted to be smug. "Hey, I just ate shit, and I'm still smiling."

I don't know. I'm guessing it derived from #2 two there, but I'd have never come up with that phrase. I've worn cookie-eating grins, pie-eating grins, and spaghetti-eating grins. I'd love to hear some other theories. But don't be offended if I grin in your direction while I'm listening.

Here I am, There ya go!

As announced on Saturday, SixPackTech has a new co-author: Me! But don't think of me as a co-author. That would denote equality, which is something I don't wish to have here. This site is the brainchild of FCGrabo, and I'm here simply to supplement his already entertaining site with some of my own ideas. I don't want to steal any thunder, only to borrow some. Think of me as a weekly correspondent. I've always thought that if I went into journalism, I'd be better opinions columnist than field reporter. But they don't let you do that until you work your way there from the bottom. Stupid bureaucratic system!
I plan on posting only once a week (usually Wednesday or Thursday), but I won't necessarily limit those days to only one post. Depending on my level of creativity or orneriness, I may have a deluge of thought, up with which you will have to put. You may also notice that my sense of humor and writing style are eerily similar to those of this site's sdministrator. Perhaps that is why he is allowing me the privilege to share them with all of you. It's not the first time he's lent me a vehicle.
I hope you are at least marginally entertained by what I have to offer. I look forward to sharing a slice of my own warped mind. Please forward all performance complaints to sixpacktech@gmail.com, where they may or may not be considered.
Enjoy!

Three pix to amuse you and bemuse you

Some clever, some stupid

USB devices; there are many toys and other whatzits that take advantage of the USB bus voltage.

Some are cool and quite useful. Others seem to be a waste of money and energy.

View pic gallery here.

Russian pimp-mobiles

The Russians refuse to be outdone by the Japanese. They are using all their skills and automotive know-how to make their cars truly individual.

One of these days they just may learn about slamming the body. Or maybe they just think it's stupid.

Many pics here.

Young engineers

Below is an awesome video with a surprise ending.

It's about kids. And building stuff. And a train.

Watch below, its rather short.

Browsers compared pictorially

Click for clearer larger.

Artistic rainage drainage

Spotted in Dresden, Germany, the massive downspout was created either by an imaginative artist, or a sheet metal worker with a lot of material left over.

Great pics are here.

Issuing the skirt

A men's magazine has published an ad (?) with a very interesting picture.

A larger picture, showing the entire skirt, is here.

Plugger-style mini stove

Here's a cool D.I.Y. project that has all sorts of possiblities: a build-it-yourself mini-stove MacGuyver style.

You can use it to pre-heat your laptop or warm up your cat.