I found this vid in a Wired review of an HD camera, but it's just beautiful footage of Tokyo, so enjoy.

Tokyo Reality (Canon 5D Mark II) Final
by lejapon

Gov't Rainbows.

Surprise post! Via the work comp. This lady is worth the extra effort.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Finally, the World Agrees With Me.

Torres Hailed as World's Best

Torres: The Making of a Legend

Torres Clinches Euro 2008 for Spain

Aragones Lauds Hero Torres

Torres Tipped for Greatness

... I could go on and on, really. But instead, I'll wrap it up with this awesome and hilarious commercial, which shows the city of Liverpool fall under the influence of a certain Spanish footballer.

The Funniest Thing I Have Ever Seen

Celebrate!

It seems that my Feminist Rant marked the 100th post of Maybe Slander. Please, feel free to send me a cake.

Feminist Rant!

... It's been awhile since I've been on one, but I've been inspired.

Wimbledon, a.k.a. the greatest of annual sporting events, began two days ago. Its second day featured men's number two seed Rafael Nadal and the newly-crowned women's number one, Ana Ivanovic. The post match coverage really blew my mind:

The segment that followed Nadal's match, Nadal Pleased to Win 'Strange Match', was perfectly reasonable, discussing the ups and downs of his performance that day. Chalk it up.

So I headed over to find out what happened in Ivanovic's match, only to find this gem: Ivanovic Looking for Love. The video, in which the reporter cheekily describes his efforts to liven up the interview process, focuses on the tough questions: Does she have a boyfriend? Does she get love letters? If she could get an animal, what kind of animal would she get? (I'm fucking serious- watch it.)

Now, I'm as smitten with Ana as anyone. She's gorgeous, charming, and talented. But I expect more during Wimbledon, which the British media is supposed to hold in the highest regard. After all, this is the most prestigious event in tennis, the game that gave us feminist icons like Billie Jean King; the only game I can think of in which the women are held in the same esteem and limelight as the men. Let's be professional, people.


...Although, when all is said and done, I must admit: I was relieved to hear she's single. God damnit, she's such a babe.

When Blackbirds Attack

First on The Chicagoist, now on BBC News, these birds be crazy, man.

omG Best Birds EVER!

The Bird's Poltergeist - 2 - video powered by Metacafe

Current Obsession: Cassie Berman

I've been into the Silver Jews since Josh told me to listen to them two years ago, but I never really did my research. Then I saw them on Pitchfork.tv, and lo and behold, there was this beautiful lady, and she was singing. Singing beautifully. She's Cassie Berman, wife of David Berman, her voice is gorgeous, and I think she needs a solo record. Please, God, let her record a solo record.

3304 W. Beach

... Is my new address. I'm officially a resident of Humboldt Park, and I'm excited about it.

My bathroom has a heated stone floor. With its own thermostat.

I have a backyard, with brick patio. Made for grilling.

A garage, too.

I have a finished back porch, with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors.

Oh, the porch has a maple floor, which is also heated. With thermostat.

Rooftop deck equipped with nice new patio furniture.

Mere feet from the gorgeous park, with tennis courts and a nice sandy beach.



I'm planning a bbq for the Fourth of July. I will keep you all posted.

Wait... Just one more post for today. I just logged into Flickr, and on the front page was a user named "Lestatshadow," the most goth-nerdy, Anne Rice-referencing handle I've seen since the mid-nineties. I clicked on the name, and sure enough, it features 200 nearly-identical photos of some sad girl's cat.

Genius.

A Tour of Intelligentsia LA: Part One.

Fifth Human Foot Found in Canada

Maybe I don't want to visit Vancouver.

Famous Again.

Oops, my pics were featured on The Chicagoist again this weekend.

NYC Street Sweeper Eats Little Dog.

Owner cries, BBC reports, Todd laughs.

Abandoned Japanese Theme Park

I found this collection of photos on a Flickr group I belong to, and I think they're the most beautiful and awesome pics I've come across in awhile. This is just one of many, so please check out the entire site's worth.

Plus, Zetterberg for the Conn Smythe (MVP). Duh.

Best Office Worker Meltdown EVER.

Office Worker Goes Absolutely Insane - Watch more free videos

UPDATE: This was faked. I suspected that the WWE-style foot-sweep off the desk looked a little too perfect. Total bummer.

"Liverpool are officially the best team in Europe. The Anfield club top the official Uefa rankings that are based on European performances over the last five years. AC Milan are a point behind in second, Chelsea make into third while European champions Manchester United only make it to seventh. (Sunday Express)"

Red Wings v. Penguins, Game 2

"The Wings have controlled every facet of this series and reduced the talent-laden Pittsburgh Penguins to a collection of matchstick men.

With their 3-0 victory in Monday's Game 2, the question isn't so much whether the Red Wings will win their fourth Stanley Cup since 1997 but rather whether the Penguins will manage to score at all in the series."-ESPN.com

Red Wings v. Penguins

"The 4-0 final score didn't come close to conveying the Wings' dominance of the final two periods, in which they out-shot Pittsburgh 25-7 and seemed to control the puck for minutes on end... It often seemed as if there were seven or eight Wings on the ice, so smothering was their defensive effort."- NHL.com

Game Two, tonight at 7pm. 8pm if you're actually in Detroit.

Chicagoist finds us sexy.

Apparently, May is national Masturbation Month, which is just fine with me. Even better, Chicagoist posted a list of 45 things that "get them going," and were kind enough to include The Baristas of Intelligentsia on the list.

We're flattered, Chicagoist. We never knew you felt this way. Wait, yes we did.

Red Wings w00t

In honor of the Red Wings progression to the Stanley Cup Finals (as of last night), I snapped some pics of pics from their 1998 victory parade in Detroit.

These are some of the first photos I had ever taken (on film, too- Imagine that), and I still think they look pretty damn good. To digitize them, I just shot them on my desk with my sd870, so excuse the dust. And excuse Chris Osgood's Oakley Eyejackets. I had a pair in 1998 too, you know.

Now if only the league isn't fixed to let Sidney Crosby win the Cup, I can look forward to a weekend trip for another of these fine, tacky parades. Lord knows the Tigers won't be having one this year.

PS: Larger versions of the pics available on Flickr.

But the Kenyans are so fast!

This explains all of Africa's problems.

Lemme Lemme Upgrade

Lemme Lemme Upgrade
Originally uploaded by todd.burbo.

My beloved, but worn-beyond-its-years sd800 met its demise a few months ago, at Coffee Fest in DC. There are pics leading up to it's final moments, including one of the beer it was dropped in, on my Flickr page, of course.

But Spring is here, everything is beautiful, there is a wedding around the corner... how could I not splurge for a new guy? And how could I get anything less than the successor to my last guy? And how could I not get the Best Buy replacement plan this time around?

Texas. A 13-year-old boy steals his Dad's credit card. Buys Oreos, Fritos, Dr. Pepper, and Hookers... to play Halo with. what a good kid.

BBC Headline Writers Unfamiliar with American Vernacular

Great Tits Cope Well with Warming.

Yeah, it's that easy.

Hitchcock must've visited Tokyo.

Trash Day
Originally uploaded by todd.burbo.

I posted this crappy photo in an attempt to share the intensity of these big-ass crows found on the streets of Tokyo, but was frustrated that I never grabbed a better pic than this.

So I was grateful this morning, when the NYT posted a story on the birds, along with a much better picture.

I'm glad that the Times and I have the same journalistic vision.

私によっては東京が抜けている。

Cheiko Touching up
Originally uploaded by todd.burbo.

I was warned this week that my Flickr Pro account was expiring, and realized that I registered that account (and started this blog) the day before I left for Tokyo last April. That depressed me a bit, because of course I miss Tokyo tremendously.

So as a melancholy anniversary celebration, I've uploaded a handful of pics from the trip that, for some reason, I didn't see fit to share before. They're fairly mundane, and probably won't mean much to anyone outside of Louis, Ashley and me.

This one of Cheiko is the exception- I actually think it's gorgeous. Don't know why I never uploaded it before. But please, check out the rest and enjoy.

Sunday.

This morning: bored, hungover, lazy. Decided to watch Cloverfield, which was akin to tasering myself, volunteering for a waterboarding demonstration, or trying to find my soul mate in Wrigley Field.

I had eaten breakfast, and was starting to feel better when I put the movie on, but it's amazing what an hour of shaky cameras and non-stop screaming can do for your health.

I repeat: Do not watch Cloverfield hungover.

Actually, don't see it at all. There's one cool scene where a girl explodes, and that's it.

I was accused of misogyny the other day. Again. Maybe it's time to embrace it.


Domestic Abuse No Longer A Problem, Say Bruised Female Researchers

Obama's a dick.

I've always been more of a Craig Kilborn guy, but Jon Stewart won some points here:

Wake Up and Go Berserk

Wilbur
Originally uploaded by todd.burbo.

It's been a glorious, glorious weekend. There is no greater holiday than that first warm Spring weekend, when you have a new bike to ride and the 75,000 beautiful girls in your neighborhood come out of hiding. Like cicadas, but not terrifying.

Hopefully I'll get to see Wilbur, the uber-friendly neighborhood cat, soon, because I don't need a Groundhog- Wilbur tells me when it's Summer.

In the build-up to today's Champions League clash between Liverpool and Arsenal, BBC News wrote a lovely little essay about how incredible Fernando Torres is. I think you'll all agree.

Lolz

Long arm of the Law

Detroit's joke of a Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, is finally feeling some heat for his obviously shady reign over that blighted city. His hilarious text-message sex scandal was even featured on the front page of BBC News, which is of course where I discovered it.

Oh, and yes. That is indeed the mayor of Detroit, pictured. 'Nuff said?

I guess it's official.

Finally, something funny on this Todd-forsaken blog.



And it's from The Simpsons, no less. Double shocker.

Soccer Friends vs. Soccer Merchandise

I've acquired a few buddies to watch soccer with on the weekends, and their names are Amber, William, and Luc. Old, old friends who finally decided to see what gets me out of bed at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. They seem interested in the game, but not enough so that they're impressed by my incredible new Liverpool-edition Sambas!

Soccer becomes social.

Fresh from a vacation in Ireland, Amber and William decided to join me this weekend at Ginger's for some early morning football and brunch. Torres scored three times, and Amber said he has the same complexion as me. I would prefer his hair, but I was still giddy at the compliment. He's suuuch a dreamboat.

Ah, Fox.

This entry was originally for my gaming blog, but I decided that it's more about the faux journalism than gaming. Also, it just inspires too much anger for one blog to contain. Enjoy.

Arghhh, Fox News really gave me the screws this week, when they simultaneously attacked my hobby of gaming and my love for journalism with one tidy little package.

Watch their expert openly laugh when her "facts" are challenged, and she is asked if she's played the game in question, a.k.a., done any research at all.

Watch their mediator quickly change the subject when the correspondent from Spike TV points out their factual errors.

Watch the panel of experts at the end, who conveniently all share the same opinion and openly joke about their complete lack of knowledge.



Shit, I have a headache.

More pro-Clinton propaganda.

Rodham-Clinton 2008

Yeah, I'm an outcast here in Chicago. It's not that I dislike Obama. I actually think he's incredible. He'll make a great President eight years from now. Or perhaps a great Vice President this year. Cuz man, I'm sticking with the Clintons.