Recent Entries
Stop Motion Super Mario Bros.
June 11th, 2010
Man, the world is full of talented people with a lot of time on their hands. ...
The Mormon Women Project
May 9th, 2010
Since Mother's Day is a day honoring women, I figured it would be good to highlight an interesting website/blog I've been reading called The Mormon Women Project. About once a week, the project...
Happy Carl Sagan Day
November 7th, 2009
Today is Carl Sagan's birthday. He would have been 75 years old today. In celebration, here are two music videos that use clips from his epic documentary Cosmos. These were made using software...
He Did the Mash!
October 11th, 2009
My sister Marin made this funny Jib Jab card of all the Whipple grandchildren for Halloween. Funny stuff. :) Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today! The stars (in order of appearance): Ethan Rock, Ted...
How It All Ends - Global Warming
June 26th, 2009
I just finished watching a number of videos created by a science teacher from Oregon, in which he discusses Global Warming and the approach that we (the laypeople) should take concerning the debate...
Star Wars with 80s Show Openings
June 6th, 2009
Alyssa came across these gems today. Alyssa likes the Magnum P.I. one, but Chris is partial to the MacGuyver one. Bonus: Star Trek as the A-Team ...
The Beatles: Rockband
June 2nd, 2009
Alyssa and I are huge Beatles fans, so seeing this is totally tempting me to buy a Playstation 3. Total awesomeness! But for something even more impressive, check out the commercial for it. ...
Wolf and Pig
April 20th, 2009
Really cool stop motion animation. Thanks to Brandon for sending me this link. ...
Easter Leftovers
April 15th, 2009
Special thanks to my aunt Jill for tipping me off to these amazing Peeps Shows. For the last three years, the Washington Post has sponsored a contest to design a diorama depicting Peeps (those sugary...
Sheep Herding with LEDs
March 19th, 2009
I was really impressed with this video. ...
My Little Ponies: Not Just For Little Girls Any More
March 2nd, 2009
My Little Ponies just got a whole lot more hip. Check out this awesome list entitled 25 Inspiring My Little Pony Mods from the Toy Zone Blog. Here's the Edward Scissorhands My Little Pony to whet...
Validation
February 18th, 2009
This is a great little video. A little long, but totally worth it. ...
Why Are You So Angry?
February 1st, 2009
Halfway through this video, the boyfriend asks, "Why are you so angry with me?" The girlfriend says, "Because...." That's when the video gets really impressive. ...
Guess the song
January 27th, 2009
You can check out some of his other songs on his YouTube channel. ...
40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 minutes (the Answers)
December 20th, 2008
Matthew Belinki, who made the montage of inspirational speeches we featured in our previous Today's Special, had this to say about why he decided to make this video: So way back in April, I first...
Back With a Bang: Movie Montages and a GIVEAWAY!
December 15th, 2008
My good friend the Internet and I have been having some "time apart" while I was busy with teaching and while we were having issues connecting our wireless network. But now I'm back with a great...
Why Global Warming Matters
October 27th, 2008
Recently I was talking with a co-worker who didn't believe that Global Warming was human caused. "I believe that the Earth is warming," he said. "I just don't think that man is the primary cause of...
Take a Quick Survey
October 25th, 2008
I'm a member of a Google group devoted to LDS Earth Stewardship. One of the members recently put together a survey geared at church members to get a sense of current LDS attitudes towards the...
One for McCain, One for Obama
October 20th, 2008
Even though I'm sure most of you are sick of hearing it already, here's a couple of videos about the presidential race that I found enjoyable and thought-provoking lately. These first two videos are...
Best. Cards. EVER.
August 22nd, 2008
Somebody get married or have a baby right now so that I can send you on of these greeting cards from Line Upon Line! Oh my gosh I have never laughed so hard at greeting cards in my life! They're also...
Post-mordern YouTube Remixes
August 15th, 2008
My friend Garth found this little animated gem through Reddit the other day, a must-see for any Beatles fan: I've also been enjoying the new Internet fad of ironically re-cut movie trailers that...
Scientists find 125,000 Gorillas in Deepest Africa
August 5th, 2008
Being the big gorilla fan that I am (see my recent blog entry) I was thrilled to hear this. Scientists at the Wildlife Conservation Society have found 125.000 Gorillas in the Congo. This is more...
Rejected Talent Show Act
August 1st, 2008
Next week we're going to another family reunion that will involve a talent show. I was trying to come up with something funny or cool that Chris and I could do and came across this absolutely amazing...
Recent Videos That Made Me Laugh, Made Me Cry
July 24th, 2008
More than a few of my friends are aware of my intense dislike for Comic Sans. (Go Helvetica!) And they pointed me to this funny little film by the folks over at College Humor, who have done a few...
Happy Independence Day
July 5th, 2008
This one's for you, Susie: ...
The Benefits of High Gas Prices
July 1st, 2008
Since the recent increase in gas prices, there has been a lot of talk about how terrible it's been for the country. To demonstrate, here is a map of gas prices per county in the US. (click image for...
Problems with Perfection
June 30th, 2008
Recently. Alyssa and I watched a movie about a font: Helvetica. The documentary was fascinating, and it was interesting to see how ubiquitous the font is. Now we see it everywhere. Which is...
Awesome Snopes Entry
June 9th, 2008
If you're like me and you have one of those friends who forwards you every "interesting" email he or she receives, you better bookmark Snopes.com right now. It's a website devoted to verifying or...
Looks Like I'm a "Superior" Wife, Circa 1939
May 20th, 2008
I came across an interesting quiz posted on the Marriage Blog at Families.com. It's a test from 1939 that will determine your "performance" as a wife. Let's see how you measure up! Demerits On...
Salt Lake City on the Move
May 14th, 2008
Forbes Magazine recently named Salt Lake City the second best city for commuters. (Buffalo, N.Y. was first.) I guess it's a good thing that we moved since San Francisco was voted #10 on the top ten...
The Budget of the Average American
May 10th, 2008
I'm an avid fan of the blog Get Rich Slowly. The author, J.D. Roth, brought my attention to a really great interactive chart published by the New York Times last Saturday. Check out this very...
SEO for Newbies
May 6th, 2008
While Chris's parents were here visiting a few weekends ago, we had a conversation about how search engines work. They were surprised to find that the order in which Google/Yahoo displays search...
Playing Catch-up
May 5th, 2008
It's been over a month since the last Today's Special, but it's not because of a lack of things to post. Here's a collection of interesting things from the web that I would have posted if our login...
April Fool's Day Round-Up
April 2nd, 2008
April Fool's Day is probably my favorite day of the year to surf the web. Here's a round-up of some of the April Fool's Day jokes that were out there yesterday (and our rating of them): Hilarious...
Disaster at the Circus Peanut Circus
March 6th, 2008
I have a real soft spot for photo blogs of people's artwork. Today I found a really funny artwork blog called Bent Objects by a guy named Terry. He typically makes his art using food and bent wire. I...
Ode to Rube Goldberg
March 1st, 2008
A while ago, a friend of mine from DI sent me a link to a video of this elaborate Rube Golberg contraption that inspired me to create this Today's Special. Since I now have a copious supply of free...
Star Wars Summary and Darth Vadar Tribute
February 23rd, 2008
This is incredibly cute! "Don't talk back to Darth Vadar, he'll get ya!" Speaking of Darth Vadar, NPR did a short segment on him for their series about famous fictional figures called "In...
Instructions for the Care of Your Baby
February 22nd, 2008
I don't know if these educational graphics are meant to be serious or not, but Chris and I thought they were pretty hilarious. You have to check them out: Instructions for the Care of Your...
Why I'm a Democrat
February 7th, 2008
So, I'm a Democrat. It's shocking, of course... but I've known I was a Democrat since high school. First, it started out as just a way to "rebel," to assert my identity as a non-conformist. Then,...
Each Life That Touches Ours For Good
January 29th, 2008
Of course everyone has since heard that President Gordon B. Hinckley has passed away now. I thought I would mention a few interesting tributes to him that are out on the web right now. First of all,...
I Never Thought I'd Want to Learn to Knit.... Until Now!
January 24th, 2008
Aren't they cute? They're from the new They Might Be Giants podcast for kids. (Technically, it's a vodcast. Oh well.) I really wish I knew how to make cool puppets like this! I think I need to...
One Thing I Miss About Utah...
January 22nd, 2008
In addition to being in the thick of the Sundance Film Festival, I really miss attending the annual LDS Film Festival. For those of you who weren't able to make it (like me), one of my favorite...
The Pocket Snails in Review
January 13th, 2008
At the risk of my single friend accusing me of having now become an "old married person whose only joy is to talk about their child's feces" (direct quote), I must share this hilarious satirical...
Secret Admission: I Like Old-School Computer Games
January 10th, 2008
Pssst... if you do nothing else, you really have to check out the very last game I describe in this post. Especially if you're LDS. If you are a child of the eighties like me and you happened to...
The Christmas Jibblies
December 1st, 2007
That's what Chris gets every time he sees this video of the Rock Family as elves: Come see us as elves! You can make yourself and your family an elf too at Office Max's Elf Yourself. ...
30 Things That Change When You Have a Baby
November 27th, 2007
Okay, this was admittedly cheesy, but I'm a mom now, so I now have an "Enjoy Cheesy Stuff Guilt Free" card. From babycenter.com, here's 30 Things That Change When You Have a Baby by Rebecca Wolfe...
Wow! He Found Her!
November 7th, 2007
Okay... you gotta go to this site today before it disappears, just because it's a cool love story... Yesterday during my idle surfing, I stumbled upon the site NYgirlofmydreams.com where this guy had...
They Might Be Halloween
October 29th, 2007
First of all, check out this amazing pic: So, if I were to choose a band who represented Halloween, I would definitely say it was They Might Be Giants. They recently came out with a new album...
All Hallow's Eve Speedily Approacheth
October 11th, 2007
Looking for unique ways to carve your pumpkin this year? Why not carve one of the presidential candidates using the templates from Des Moines Register! I've got Halloween on my mind because...
Sometimes Behave So Strangely
October 8th, 2007
I've recently been listening to a really neat radio show called Radio Lab. I enjoyed one of the programs so much that I had Alyssa listen to it as well. Here's a clip from it. To listen to the...
On This Lovely Conference Morning
October 7th, 2007
According to the LDS Web Guy, the Church Public Affairs office has created a new YouTube channel. To inaugurate the new channel, they've posted eight short videos of Elder Ballard answering some...
'Dem Bones
October 1st, 2007
Okay, folks. I've been seriously saving this very awesome Today's Special for several months for the Halloween season. Now that it is officially October, I can finally share one of my favorite blogs...
The Art of the Book
September 22nd, 2007
"Brian Dettmer carves into books, revealing the artwork inside, creating complex layered three-dimensional sculptures." Pretty amazing. Check it out: Brian Dettmer: Book Autopsies For more of...
Avast, Ye Land Lubbers!
September 19th, 2007
Arrr! Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, scallawags! Would you bilge rats like ter know yer Space Pirate name? Then take a gander at: The League of Space Pirates. My name is...
Fight for Kisses
September 18th, 2007
Fight for Kisses This is apparently a game that's recently come out. You can view a trailer for the game at the link above, which is hilarious. I imagine that most of marketing will start moving...
Japanese Hornets vs. Honeybees
September 13th, 2007
Bringing a foreign species into an area is rarely a good idea (see Cane Toads for another good example of this). Japanese people brought European Honeybees to pollinate their crops, but didn't...
So THAT's Mr. Whipple!
September 9th, 2007
Before I was a Rock, my maiden name was Whipple. As my Whipple elders are constantly fond of reminding us "young'uns," in the 60s or 70s there was a series of Charmin commercials about a grocer named...
It's Fun to Charter an Accountant and Sail the Wide Accountancy
September 4th, 2007
In honor of the Labor Day (yes, I know I'm a day late), here's a delightful little film I thoroughly enjoyed about the mass revolt of hard-working British accountants: The Crimson Permanent...
Monkey Shines!
September 3rd, 2007
I know that I just posted something about monkeys (chimpanzees rather) but I came across some interesting videos involving primates. The first is of a robotic arm that has been attached to the brain...
Heima Trailer
August 31st, 2007
So, are any of you fans of Sigur Ros---the indie rock band from Iceland? (Hollow sound of crickets chirping.) I guess not. But you SHOULD be. They're a great band and there's a new documentary being...
Short-term Memory in Chimps
August 30th, 2007
I can't help it, I love documentary science videos! Here's an interesting one I found from Slate.com which talks about research involving short-term memory in chimpanzees. ...
Gerald McBoing Boing
August 27th, 2007
The other day I was playing Scrabble with Chris and it reminded me of a charming little Canadian animation short called The Big Snit. I looked to see if it was on YouTube and, sure enough, there it...
Fleep
August 23rd, 2007
This is a link to a long comic sequence titled "Fleep": http://www.shigabooks.com/strips/fleep/scrollindex.html The comic series is a little long a takes a while to read, but I found it extremely...
Mom Sells Pokemon on Ebay
August 21st, 2007
This eBay action for a set of Pokemon cards was really amusing. I've copied the entire text here because I eBay things don't stick around for long. You can read the original post here. The post...
My Brother on Television
August 20th, 2007
For those who might be interested, you can catch glimpses of my brother Nathan on this Fox News report on the demolition of the Key Bank building in Salt Lake City. Watching the Rise and...
Meta-Internet
August 11th, 2007
For Today's Special, here's two pieces that self-reflexively play with the culture of the World Wide Web we all know and love. The first is for all of you who love Instant Messenger and chat rooms....
The Great Midwestern Ice Cream Story
August 10th, 2007
I found Fred Gratzon's blog (called The Lazy Way to Success) because Fred wrote an entry singing the praises of Destination Imagination and a friend pointed it out to me. It was a cool entry, so I...
Post-release Harry Potter Items
July 27th, 2007
This is a video from the opening of The Colbert Report, a news show on Comedy Central. Normally the host introduces the show and gives a few quips on what the topics of the night will be. Here is...
From My Inbox
July 26th, 2007
A few people have been sending me interesting stuff via email that could be considered "Special." Here's a fabulous video my Dad pointed out to me. Talk about hidden talent: And here's...
Sad Songs and Etch-a-Sketches Aren't Selling This Year
July 22nd, 2007
More Harry Potter coolness: If you like that, check out the ...
It's All Gone to Potter
July 20th, 2007
In honor of final installment of Harry Potter being released tomorrow, we present to you a collection of humorous and interesting links related to Harry Potter. Enjoy! First is the collection of...
Charlie Brown Meets Japanese Manga
July 19th, 2007
I found some interesting drawings while surfing the web today. I really like the Japanese art style and the Peanuts gang has special childhood nostalgia for me, so these drawings are especially...
This Is What Happens When Your Religion Forbids Drinking Coffee
July 14th, 2007
As a diligent Beehive teacher, I was doing an Internet search for object lessons about prayer for my lesson tomorrow. I randomly stumbled upon this audio recording that Chris thought was funny enough...
Microsoft Surface: The Future?
June 22nd, 2007
Okay, I found this to be really interesting. Microsoft is going to release a new method of computing. It seems to be focused on computing as a more public, shareable activity. Check out the...
Amen Brother
June 16th, 2007
I had Alyssa listen to this after I had found it. We both thought it was interesting and we're including it as a Today's Special because we keep referring to it. It's quite informative and...
The World's Healthiest Foods
June 15th, 2007
I ran across an interesting site a while back entitled The World's Healthiest Foods. I especially like the site's "Food of the Week" which showcases a particular type of food and talks about its...
My New Favorite Site
May 23rd, 2007
Oh my gosh. Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency is a hilarious website. Why have I only now discovered it? Chris and I stumbled across it as a result of Ken Jenning's recent blog entry about a...
Mom Gets a Raise in 2007
May 13th, 2007
In honor of Mother's Day: Salary.com has released their annual Mom Salary. Based on its survey of more than 40,000 mothers, Salary.com determined that the time mothers spend performing 10 typical...
Not By the Hair of My Cheney Chin Chin
April 27th, 2007
Wow! It's been a long time since we put up a new Today's Special. This is a photoshopped image of Vice President Cheney as The Penguin. Many of you are aware that Vice President Cheney delivered...
Samurai Sword in Action
April 3rd, 2007
I came across these films from a blog entitled TV in Japan. The following clips are of samurai swords slicing through various things in slow motion. Pretty amazing. An egg A bottle A...
Of Ninjas and Mormons
March 28th, 2007
We're overdue for a new Today's Special, so here's a pretty good one: the Ninja (of AskaNinja.com) interviews Jon Heder about his upcoming movie Blades of Glory. Oh, and I guess Will Ferrell's in it...
Ask Mr. Rock
March 21st, 2007
When I was young, I loved watching Mr. Wizard's World on Nickelodeon. That may have been one of the reasons that I wanted to become a science teacher. The Intro to Mr. Wizard's World My parents...
The Algorithm March
March 7th, 2007
The Algorithm March is from a children's show in Japan. NOTE: You gotta be patient with this video in order to get the joke. You need to watch it all the way through! Chris and I would like to get...
Chase Scenes
March 3rd, 2007
Nothing like a good chase scene to create some drama. Another one: this one from Japan. Now we know where all those Power Rangers come from! ...
3D Glasses Required
February 24th, 2007
I heard that Sports Illustrated did some of the swimsuit models in 3D for their latest issue. I told some friends that I was thinking of buying the issue. "I don't care about the swimsuits, I just...
Put Your Hand as the Puppet Head
February 22nd, 2007
This is an interesting commercial that shows some of the cool things that can be done with shadow puppets. Along the same lines, someone has painted his hand to create his own brand of hand...
Rocket Man
February 21st, 2007
Inspired by Chris's previous Today's Special and a recent conversation about William Shatner with a friend, I would just love to present this wonderfully campy rendition of "Rocket Man" for your...
Titan: Moon of Saturn
February 17th, 2007
Saturn's moon Titan with Saturn in the background. My parents bought me a telescope when I turned 8. It was too small to be anything more than a spyglass, but it came with an awesome poster of the...
Happy Valentine's Day (From Google)
February 14th, 2007
A lot of people have been complaining on the internet about today's Google logo, saying that Google left out the L in this design. Google leaves a cryptic explaination, which invites further...
Embarassing Medical Stories
February 11th, 2007
Now that Alyssa is pregnant (approaching her eighth month) we've been spending a lot of time in doctor's offices. I found the following stories to be quite humorous. Embarassing Medical Stories ...
In the Season Thereof
February 5th, 2007
Alyssa and I were talking about food recently. We have a desire to eat healthier, but it seems that healthy food costs more. This reminded be of the following websites: What Does 200 Calories...
Stealing From Jeff
February 1st, 2007
Chris and I had a mutual friend before we got married. His name is Jeff Gustafson (he was Chris's roommate and my co-worker). Anyhow, Chris might get mad at me for totally stealing, but Jeff always...
Panda explosion!
January 30th, 2007
Chris put me in charge of finding today's special since he'll be gone all day. So, here it is... an explosion of cuteness: This is a picture from The Sichuan Wolong Panda Protection and Breed...
The History of Religion in Under Three Minutes
January 28th, 2007
This seemed like a good one to share on a Sunday perhaps. It's a flash animation showing the history of the expansion of the world's major religions throughout the world from the beginning of...
Life of Birds: Crows
January 24th, 2007
Alyssa and I finished watching The Life of Birds recently. It's a documentary series about birds done by the BBC and David Attenborough (who also did Life of Mammals and Blue Planet: Seas of Life) ...
Make Cupcakes, Not War
January 23rd, 2007
In this morning's issue of the New York Times, Michael Toner, chairman of the Federal Election Commission, stated: "We're looking at a $100 million entry fee" in reference to the presidential...
Math Education
January 22nd, 2007
Not sure if anyone will be interested in this, but I thought it was worth a watch. Some shows the failings of some of the current math systems taught in schools. The most interesting part for...
Popping a Water Balloon in Slow Motion
January 21st, 2007
When I was teaching science, I'd fill a water balloon and pop it in a tank filled with water. It's incredibly undramatic, but the build up was great. I guess the kids were expecting an...
Hamster Video Game
January 18th, 2007
Ever since "Hamster Dance" made its debut in 1998, hamsters have been beloved by Internet users worldwide. Check out this latest iteration of hamster-ness on the World Wide Web: By the way, can...
Soccer Kid
January 14th, 2007
We wonder if our little one is going to be like this. This is a really cute video. ...
Star Wars - A New Look
January 13th, 2007
Alyssa and I have been playing Lego Star Wars 2, which makes this extra funny for us. www.morningstar.nildram.co.uk/A_New_Sith.html ...
Amazing Stop Motion Art
January 13th, 2007
I thought that this was amazing. Here's a link to the web site. www.flixxy.com/tony-vs-paul ...
I Don't Want the World, I Just Want Your Half
January 10th, 2007
Tee hee... Chris is busy all day today so it's MY chance to post a Special. For those of you who are fans of They Might Be Giants, you must check this out: You're especially cool if you've seen...
The Source of the Trouble
January 9th, 2007
Seeing this picture reminded me of a list of "Things Adults Learn From Kids" So I did a quick search to find it and found HUNDREDS of sites, all sporting the same list. Or rather, roughly the...
It was Revolutionary!
January 7th, 2007
I just bought this book at the Japanese Bookstore here in San Jose. For some reason, I really like recent history, mostly dealing with pop culture ("I Love the 80s", anyone?) This book was really...
The Genealogy of Rock and Soul Music (up to 1979)
January 7th, 2007
Chris and I watched the film New York Doll a few weeks ago. It's a documentary about Arthur Kane, a rock star in the 1970s who later converted to Mormonism. In part of the film, it references this...
Leggo my Legos
January 6th, 2007
Recently, Alyssa and I bought Lego Star Wars II and have enjoyed playing it. I've always enjoyed Legos but I felt that the modern Legos removed much of the imagination from it--too many...
Protect Yourself From the Future
January 6th, 2007
Creating a Password to Convince Yourself You Have Traveled Back in Time Not a bad idea. It might save you from embarrassments such as this: ...
Kids with Smart Parents
January 4th, 2007
The picture above is funny, but check out the link below. A Dialogue with Sarah, Aged 3: In Which It Is Shown That If Your Dad Is a Chemistry Professor, Asking "Why" Can Be Dangerous I always...
Bedroom Painted to Look Like Cartoon
November 15th, 2006
I thought this was really creative. I bet it would be really bizzare to be in this room--almost disorienting. "Bedroom Painted Like Cartoon" ...
World's Deepest Swimming Pool
November 15th, 2006
When I was a kid, we'd toss quarters and stuff at the deep end of the swimming pool to swim down and get them. After a while it wasn't challenging anymore. I dreamed of the possibilities of a...
Beatles on the Ukulele
November 15th, 2006
This was pretty impressive to watch. "'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' on the Ukulele" by Jake Shimabukro. ...
Nintendo and The Value of Money
November 9th, 2006
I found this old commercial just after reading an article about how to help our children learn the value of money. The article gave me a lot of good ideas for what Alyssa and I should do with...
Freeing Oneself from Bondage
November 8th, 2006
Yesterday I read a story about a woman who got herself into massive debt, then realized the error of her ways and got back out of it. You Can Learn a Lot From a Rich Girl by someone who calls...
Card's View on the War on Terror
November 7th, 2006
It's election day today. Alyssa and I will be voting for the first time in California today. There are a lot of things to worry about in regards to politics--mudslinging between candidates,...
FreeBSD Demon
October 24th, 2006
This link will only be fully appreciated by Linux nerds such as myself, but I'll try to explain the humor behind it. This is the mascot for FreeBSD, a free UNIX-based operating system. It's kind...
Google: The Government of the Internet
October 23rd, 2006
This article from the New York Times is a link that Alyssa sent to me about Google. We're always interested in the workings of Google, mainly because they're competitors to the company that Alyssa...