Author: Joey deVilla

The question is: how can I get my hands on some of these for my upcoming birthday party?

I don’t think it would be right to end this post without Have a Drink on Me, off Back in Black…

Joshua K. Pinney’s plan was a simple one — so simple that it was foolproof! With a another man’s stolen picture ID and the clever disguise pictured above, he would go to that man’s bank branch, request a new debit card, and then clean out his bank account. What could go wrong?

Here’s a quick slice of life from last night in Tampa, when the Lady Friend took me to a Bed Bath and Beyond. As usual, the most interesting stuff is in the “Beyond” section, where they’re getting a serious head-start on Hanukkah this year, and I do mean serious.

If you’re a “member of the tribe” who’s long wished for over-the-top yet cute holiday displays like the gentiles’, your prayers have been answered in the form of these Hanukkah bears and spinning dreidel display. It’s so cute that I’d get it, even though I lost my honourary membership in the divorce:

There are also a lot of baking kits for things like Hanukkah cupcakes and Star of David cake pops, but you’ll probably get the most use out of this latke server, which you can use any time of the year.

Here’s your funny video of the day: a guy whose primary language is German — but who’s also mastered the fine art of swearing in English — lets his friend record a video of his bold attempt to jump into a frozen pool. His buildup to the great event is fantastic, and it seems that his plan was to break through the ice. That didn’t quite work out.

The results are high-larious, and he appears unharmed.

In his own words: “Ow, mein arsch!”

By now, you’ve probably heard of Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking skydive. In case you didn’t watch the simulcast, here’s the highlight reel:

Baumgartner’s dive looks a lot like a deleted scene from the movie Star Trek: Generations. The film was supposed to open with Chekov and Scotty waiting at the landing site for Captain Kirk’s latest retirement-crisis thrill, orbital skydiving. Here’s a low-quality version of the scene:

Kirk’s skydiving suit doesn’t look all that different from Baumgartner’s. Here’s Kirk:

…and here’s Baumgartner:

Kirk, again, from the back:

…and Baumgartner, from the back:

Here’s Kirk with his chute deployed:

…and here’s Baumgartner with his:

And finally, Kirk on the ground:

…and here’s Baumgartner in roughly the same pose on terra firma:

Here’s a “same pose, different context” pair of shots. In this shot, Kirk is talking about the next orbital skydive he wants to perform, a triple-elliptical where you do three orbits of the earth before re-entering the atmosphere. That sounds pretty cool:

…and here’s Baumgartner waving to the millions of people watching him:

While making the dive, Baumgartner went past the speed of sound (about 1200 km/h or 770 mph). Chekov notes at one point, after hearing his sonic boom, that Captain Kirk has “crossed the sound barrier”:

While the orbital skydiving scene was excised from the film (which was already weighed down with too many subplots), it’s included in the special edition disc, and someone saw fit to post it to YouTube. Here’s a cleaner, longer transfer, complete with introduction and background material:

So, while Baumgartner is due many congratulations, remember this: Captain Kirk did it first!

Holy crap, it’s real. Duck Tape, makers of that ever-so-handy duct tape (a.k.a. “Gaffer tape”), have made a version with pictures of Justin Bieber all over it. If you’re moving, a handyman, a musician or into bondage and are looking for a change from the plain ol’ grey variety, this might be for you!

Here’s a video report from a young, incredulous duct tape shopper: