The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan

I've often headed down to Wendy McClure's blog, the excellently named, Candyboots, when in need of a good laughed based on the hopelessly ridiculous struggle of restricting one's caloric diet (I'm looking at you Weight Watchers!). Not that restricting your diet is ridiculous (after all, Double Dubya was the first institution to teach me that portion control existed) but you can't help but lean back and laugh when you realize you plan to eat one-fourth of your cheeseburger in front of you friends in order to save up enough calories for another cocktail.

Anyhoots, after puttering around in her mother's basement, McClure stumbled upon some utterly fantastic and equally horrifying Weight Watcher's cards from the 70's. "Slender Quenchers" and "Cabbage Casserole Czarina" are some of the recipes that will help you eat (and look) like Weight Watcher's royalty. As long as you can ignore the wayward weenie sculpture and zany photo props (sadly, somewhere all those ceramic animals would have been put out to pasture).

Enjoy watching attempts at making some of the recipes (and some shocking finished products) on Flickr Group, "Make the Mackerel!" Internet down? Saving electricity so you can attend more WW meetings? Don't despair, these hysterical cards are also published in McClure's table book, "The Amazing Mackerel Pudding Plan". Which after purchasing, you can visit whenever you like, in the privacy of your own home.

I'm ashamed to file these under edible. But I guess, with a great deal of focus, they can be eaten.

You can't spell 'badass' without 'MLIS'

Regular listeners of Weekend Edition will be familiar with the names Mary Glendinning and Kee Malesky.  They're two of the reference librarians who provide invaluable information support to NPR's writers and reporters.  These and other masters of the stacks take you behind the scenes with As a Matter of Fact:

As A Matter of Fact is a blog by and for the audio-loving, fact-finding, truth-seeking, pop-culture-fiending, news-addicted librarians of the world. Of course, you don't need to be a librarian to read it. But we're pretty sure you may secretly want to be one after you do.

How Fail Went from a Verb to an Interjection

Uberfail, full of fail, made of fail, epic fail. When you're writing an e-mail, your spellcheck may never be the same. Ever wonder how "Fail" moved from a verb to a noun?" The New York Times article, "How Fail Went from a Verb to and Interjection," may shed some light on the etymology of a quickly grown grammar trend. Little surprise that they think it has roots in Japanese gaming where fractured English reigns king (but only if you shine ultimately) and the popularity of the Fail Blog whose snark quipping, web surfing fascination lies along the same lines as I Can Has Cheezburger and Photoshop Disasters.

Since we know "win" is traveling the same path, anyone want to brainstorm what the next verb will be to leave the ranks of verb virginity? Post in comments my friends.

Who says nerds can't be chic?

The musical touch of Leonard Nimoy

Nerd Boyfriend is an austerely simple but endlessly entertaining site.  It starts with a distinctive fashion point of reference, and then offers suggestions for recreating the look.  With a few clicks and a credit card you too can be as impossibly cool as Lee "Scratch" Perry, Alain Delon, or Sir Alec Guinness.  

Well, at the very least you can dress like them.

Make Butter in Under Five Minutes

Lifehacker featured this post, "How to Make Butter in Under 5 Minutes," from the blog, Over the Hill and On a Roll about how to make fresh Homemade butter with nothing but Cream, salt and a stand mixer. The apocalyptic fanatic in me believes such a skill is fundamental, while the alchemist wannabe thinks it would be fun. Let me know of your own results in comments!

You lookin' at me? Taxi Gourmet

It's such a simple idea, and I'm bittertoast with sad jam that I didn't think of it first.  Each week writer Layne Mosler hops in a cab and asks the driver to take her to their favorite restaurant.  She shares her experiences on her blog, Taxi Gourmet.  It's a true insiders take on the best eats in NYC.  

DIY: d20 Handbag of Holding

Some things are so nice you have to post them twice - such as this fabulous bit of handcraftery.

credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenore-m/ / CC BY 2.0

When I was in 7th grade, a couple of my guy friends tried to teach me how to play D+D.  Surprisingly, it didn't appeal to me and I never got into it.   Things might have been different though, had they presented the game in a way that better spoke to me.  I am fluent in accessorese.  

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has detailed instructions for d20 and d12 bags, with patterns and pre-cut kits in the works.

via

I'll Go Crazy, If I Don't Go Crazy

Today, U2's "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight," for their new album, No Line On the Horizon, will be released by Mercury records as a new single. Earlier this year on Candy Buffet we talked about David O'Reilly, the Irish animator whose animated short film, "Please Say Something" took home the 2009 Golden Bear award at Berlinale and whose stripped down animated style has been featured in movies like "the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Well, U2 asked this modern animation genius to design and execute the video and Boing, Boing is carrying the complete masterpiece on their website. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars but go directly there to feel a little more human. Well, go on.

Superior firepower is the other half of the battle

Save your money. Watch this. The casting and costuming are better, and the story is more compelling. Not to mention this one has Lady Jaye!

The Ballad of G.I. Joe via io9

Christopher Eccleston and nanothingies? This is how it's done.

If you simply must spend your coin, let me recommend this DVD collection from Shout! Factory. Your childhood will thank you. GO JOE!

Lollyphile

There's a good reason why lollipops permeate our society on all levels from wall-leaning cool kids to tootsie center chomping lawyers and even (or especially) sexual inuendo. Also, lollies taste good. Enter the queen of internet lolly fantasies, Lollyphile, a San Fransisco company with a huge sweet tooth who professes their hand-made lollipops are bigger, better, ship faster and have a longer shelf life then other candy competitors. It's hard to argue with them when you can buy flavors like absinthe, wasabi-giner, or maple and bacon from their website. And even though Lollyphile only offers five flavors (get excited, because they're working on a queue of other cool flavors!), they offer a service called Candyphile, a monthly club which sends delicious underground candies from miracle making confectioners all over the world, straight to your door and ready for you own gastronomical adventure.

So come on, admit it, candy IS all you think about.

We will know the place for the first time

Ze Frank has been entertaining the online faithful for nearly a decade.    In 2001 he unwittingly created one of the first viral videos when a birthday invitation meant for 17 friends was forwarded to millions.  And in this way, a generation learned how to dance properly.  

He's turning his talents to more thoughtful matters with a series of videos for Time.com called "That makes me think of ... "  In these 3 minutes pieces he takes on the day's topics in a stream of consciousness style that can start with stoned wallabies and end with Robert MacNamara.

His personal site, Zefrank.com, offers hours - hours - of videos, interactive toys, games, and articles.  The memory game is seriously addictive.

You can also follow him on twitter - @zefrank.

10 of London's best secret supper clubs

The Times of London is bringing underground supper clubs out into the light.  Think of them as speakeasies that serve gourmet food instead of bathtub gin.  Often hosted in private homes by talented amateur chefs, it's a dinner party full of friends you've never met.

The direct link to the Times Online article is mysteriously no longer working.  Clearly someone realized that a place isn't secret if everyone on the interwebs can find it.  But we know you need to eat.  Check out these links and start working on your secret handshake.

Green Onions

Salad Club

The Secret Ingredient

Savoy Truffle Supper Club

Ms Marmitelover's Underground Restaurant

Saltoun Supper Club

The Pale Blue Door

The Rambling Restaurant

The Bruncheon Club

The Loft

Yoshitomo Nara

If you were watching Stage 18 of the recent Tour de France you likely noticed a wide eyed little girl riding along with Lance Armstrong.  His time trial bike was designed by Japanese pop artist Yoshitomo Nara, and featured one of Nara's signature manga inspired tots.

His name may not be familiar, but his work is instantly recognizable.  

Yoshitomo Nara's paintings and sculpture of stylized cartoon children and animals evoke a range of memories from childhood, "both sad and fantastic."  [His] work is influenced by Japanese comic books (manga) but he is unique in the contemporary art scene here for bedeviling his typically cute and vulnerable figures with a horror like image ... Nara's work really instills the viewer with a juxtaposition of the innocence of children and the evil nature of humanity, or the fall from grace.  -- via

Enjoy more examples of his work at the Stephen Friedman Gallery and Zink Galerie sites.