As usual, because I keep odd hours and don't sleep enough, I got my days confused and completely forgot about Musical Monday.  I know there were many tears shed, and since I hate to disappoint, I've got an extra double-geeky dose of Musical Monday for software fans, World of Warcraft geeks, and zombie fanatics. 

Jonathan Coulton is a musician who does things a little differently.  Because he's not signed to a big label, he distributes his music freely under the Creative Commons License, which basically says that you can use his songs for anything you want if it's a non-profit endeavor.  Like, say, a zombie-themed World of Warcraft machinima.  Jonathan is incredibly talented, as a lot of his songs have become big deals in the machinima world, and he's even gotten into the act as part of the latest Hit games Rock Band and Portal!  It couldn't happen to a more talented dude.

I've already written here, several times, about how much of a morning person I'm not.  That's why my blogs generally come in here well after the work day, because it's a constant struggle to get up and get moving in the morning.  To make matters worse, whenever my alarm goes off, I get an ear full of complaints about how often I let it go off, how much I rely on the snooze bar, and any number of other grouses related to my inability to wake up in one fell swoop and my need to slowly rouse from my slumber.  I already hate mornings, and complaining constantly about how I go about my morning business is a quick way to ruin the rest of my day, kthnx.

That's why I need to get my hands on something like the Glo Pillow.  It's supposed to awaken the user naturally, using the power of incredibly bright lights that slowly get brighter, thus slowly rousing the unconscious sleeper.  Would just the lights work for me?  I'm not sure; probably not.  I sleep with the light on now all the time, so I'm not sure if this would help unless the pillow also vibrated or gave me an electric shock. 

I'll try anything to shut up all the complaining, though.  Since I've given up coffee, I'm a bear before noon (and even after noon, I'm still kind of grumpy).  One of these days, mark my word, I'm going to scream at the first person who bothers me about my morning routine.  Just leave me along! 

I'm a big fan of store promotions.  There are always such cool things at grocery stores, electronics stores, and even liquor stores that normal people can't get access to unless they know a distributor or work at the place and somehow escape with it after work.  Your best chance to get any of that kind of stuff, aside from becoming manager, is to check eBay.  That's where I found this incredible vintage World of Nintendo light-up sign!

I absolutely love things like this.  My room at home is full of posters from movie theaters and video stores I've worked at, collectible action figures I bought with employee discounts, and light up beer signs and displays from my time working at the liquor store.  I've got autographed teeshirts, pictures, posters, and DVDs all over the place.  I even grab set lists from concerts I go to.

Not only am I a big fan of collectibles, I'm also a hopelessly cluttered packrat.  I hate to throw anything out, which is why I have about 7 years worth of Sports Illustrated magazines filling my bookshelves and cardboard boxes.  I know I need to at least figure out a way to get more organized, but it's hard when your space is also everyone else's space for dumping stuff they don't want.    

For Earth Week, I thought I'd focus on what is probably the most energy-efficient gadget ever invented.  It's called the Leave Me Alone box, and all it does is make sure you don't waste energy?  Well, when you turn it on, it makes sure you don't waste energy and automatically extends a hand to turn itself off.  That is the only thing it does, and that's what makes it so hilariously awesome.

Check out the Leave Me Alone box out in action!

There's a lot of gamer-themed clothing out there.  When I bought my laptop, one of the big bonus freebies was a teeshirt with the iconic Alienware alien on it, and basically the first week I got it, I wore it out to the movies.  Of course, because I wore it out, someone recognised it and made a positive comment.  I practically glowed, because it was like that stranger and I shared some connection, however tentative, to one another, based on his recognition that Alienware computers were awesome and that I had one.  It was like being part of a secret organization.

I doubt these Mario-themed Nintendo underwear would have the same effect.  Then again, I generally don't wander around in public with my pants off, so maybe it would.  Mario's an iconic character known the world over, so there's not a coolness factor involved with wearing Mario gear.  However, there is the joy of reconnecting with childhood memories for most people under 35 that you can't put a price on. 

Plus, y'know, it's underwear.  Guys don't have a lot of fun underwear options once you grow out of tighty whiteys.  I just wish there were more boxer briefs and less boxer shorts to pick from.

It's Earth Day, so let's all celebrate the great planet we live on, and do our best to take care of it while it's still around.  To celebrate the big blue marble in all its glory, Wired has a great image gallery of satellite and infrared images of various beautiful and unique locations on the planet.  Make sure you check it out.  The full-sized images are huge, so if you want to make prints or have some awesome wallpaper for your computer, your prayers are answered!

The ultimate in geek music, Weird Al Yankovic has been blending popular music, parody, geek culture, and the accordion for almost 20 years, and as popular music continues to get worse, he's only getting better and better.  "White & Nerdy" is Weird Al's first top 10 hit, on his first platinum album, and his first #1 video on the VH1 charts.  The song is a parody of the Chamillionaire rap song "Ridin' Dirty," and the artist was so impressed "White & Nerdy" was featured on his MySpace page!

The video is also a veritable warren of geek trivia, from Pac-man to Donny Osmond, to a shout-out to the fraternity from Revenge of the Nerds.  For a full run-down, check out the Wikipedia entry.  You'll be surprised at just how geeky the video actually is. 

Microsoft has found something to do with its famous Works program.  For years, Works has come bundled on basically every computer I've bought, and I've never really used it because I've always bought or installed MS Office.  I never bought it on its own, because I figured if I'm going to pay $50 for something, I may as well pay $100 or more and get the top of the line software suite. 

Microsoft, no doubt realizing this, has decided to do something different with Works.  In an attempt to stave off free programs like Google Docs and Open Office, they've launched a trial program to turn Works into an ad-supported piece of freeware that's being released in limited quantites.  Wouldn't it be great if you could get a built-in free office suite that works natively with MS Word?  Of course, Docs and Open Office can do that, but they're far from built in. 

What say you?  Would you use Works if it was free, or would you still ignore it for an installation of an older version of MS Office?

Image:  HowStuffWorks

Another day, another giveaway from the gang over at Love Shak, Baby that I'm compelled to tell you all about.  The rug give-away is still going on, so go enter that, but after you're done, click here and go enter the give-away for $50 Macy's Gift Cards!  Seriously, all you have to do is go click on some links and leave a comment, and boom, you might have yourself an extra $50 to spend.

Isn't the internet great?  Not only are you registering to win free money, you're also checking out a service that provides you free shipping when you order online merchandise from places like Target, Macy's, Amazon, and Best Buy!  Truly, between online shopping and free shipping, we're entering a golden age of geekdom.  All the fun of going to the mall, and none of the expense on gas, better values, and wider selection. 

The only problem is shopping at home means no trip to the food court.  Ah well, maybe soon they'll figure out a way to have Amazon send you Chinese food.  You can order pizza online, so I imagine that's the next big step.    

It's Reader Appreciation Day, my faithful audience.  In the spirit, here's to you!  Without your subscribing to and reading this blog, and many other blogs, none of us would be here.  Thanks!

Well, okay, that's not true.  We'd still all be here, if by here you mean on Planet Earth, but none of us would be writing on the Internet, and none of us would definitely be getting paid for it.  A lot of bloggers would blog for free (and most of us do blog for free), but without people reading it then the whole process and point of blogging is meaningless.  Then it's just keeping a diary, or writing strange Kafka-esque rants about electronics in notebooks to be destroyed upon death. 

That's not nearly as fun as it sounds, so thanks to you guys for giving it a purpose.  Cheers!

Image:  turtles all the way down

H/T:  Home Ec 101

Have you filed your taxes yet?  I sure hope you have.  If not, you'd better hurry.

In honor of everyone's least-favorite day, Walgreens is having a unique promotional give-away.  For today only, you can get 15 free digital prints using the coupon from the Sunday circular.  If you're the type to do everything online, like I am, the magic code you need to get your free prints is the word TAXDAY.  It's limit one per household, and you have to submit the coupon with your order (though I'm not sure how they could do that if you use the online passcode, but whatever). 

I'm getting some paper copies of the last photos the family took with our dear, departed canine companion, Billy, with a couple of random pictures.  What might you get with your 15 free prints?  Better hurry, the offer is for today only. 

You know, I've ripped Sony a lot in this blog for the things they've said, positions they've taken, the price of their video game console, their fear of MP3s... basically, everything about the way they do business doesn't agree with me.  Then again, I might still be holding a grudge because the Discman I bought in high school was the worst CD player I've ever owned.  Either way, I can give credit where credit is due, and I'm really liking the ads for the Sony Bravia HD TVs. 

The ad itself is simple, beautiful, and incredibly effective.  The behind the scenes footage is even better, as you can see just how hard it was to put together a 30-foot-tall Claymation rabbit in the middle of New York City.  Sony's definitely onto something with these ads.  Head over to The Squirrel Queen's blog to check out the rest of the advertisements.  They're all brilliant.

I've been a big fan of Homestar Runner for years now, so the announcement that Telltale Games is bringing Homestar Runner action to the Nintendo Wii in the upcoming Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People (or SGCG4AP). I could not be any more excited, you guys!  If I could ever get my stupid router to play nicely with my Wii, I'd be waiting in line to download this game! Bring it on, Wii!

This is the company that brought you the excellent Sam & Max, so you know it's going to be a great game. I'm insanely excited, and apparently, so is the rest of the internet.

I need a new alarm clock.  I've broken at least one, and the one I have now is a hand-me-down from my old resident adviser in college that was old even when HE had it.  The buttons don't want to work and the white plastic is now yellow, but it's loud, it's relatively easy to read in a half-awake state, and it still works, for now.  It does not look promising to last until next year.

That's why I'm looking hungrily at the awesome Oregon Scientific Projection Alarm Clock.  It looks good, the numbers are huge and bright red, and most importantly, it projects the time right onto the ceiling above your bed so you don't have to squint through sleep-watery eyes at the clock before slapping the snooze button, cursing, and rolling back over.  The basic edition is $39.99, and the deluxe edition, with the atomic timing, temperature display, and wireless thermometer with 300-foot range is a bargain at $59.99.

Really, if you're going to spend $40, you may as well spend $60 and get the top of the line model.  That's what I plan on doing when my alarm clock gives up the ghost.   

Look, you can't just fill your house with electronics and expect things to be golden.  Sure, we all love a huge TV and 13 video game systems from throughout the era of electronic home entertainment, but where are people going to hang out?  How will you make them comfortable?  Easy, you follow the advice of The Big Lebowski and get yourself a really nice rug to tie the room together.

Plaza Rugs has some awesome looking rugs, and since we all love free stuff, Shak Media is proud to give away a free rug to you, the lucky reader.  All you have to do is head over here to the official entry thread and do the following: 

* Leave a comment at the Shak In Style post saying which rug you want to win from the Jasmine Collection (a $329 value).

* Spread the word!

Even if you don't win, don't throw yourself off a building just yet.  If you can't live without that sweet rug (or any of these sweet rugs), then just use the code Shak10 to get a 10% discount when you check out!  See?  You can't say I never did anything for you.

Make sure when you comment you tell those brown circle rug people they're insane.  That rug can't possibly compete with the classic beauty of the black and white squares rug!

So, do you like science fiction at all?  I'm sure you do.  After all, you're here for a reason.  Science fiction and technology go hand in hand.

That's why I'm a huge fan of the website Paleo-Future.  It's a collection of all those old science-based projections of our future lives from the 1950's, 60's, and even earlier (all the way back to the 1880's!).  They're sorted by decade for easy browsing, and they're fascinating!  Just glancing over some of them you can see how far we've come, and how far we've yet to go when it comes to fulfilling the wild fantasies of previous generations.

We're behind schedule, to be sure, but we can still get to work on those personal helicopters.  We've already got computers more powerful than Babbage ever dreamed of, and we're hard at work on the social projections as we speak.  Check out the site.  It's a Rifftrax Guest of Honor, so you know it's got to be good! 

That instrument, gang, is called a theremin. If you've ever watched a 1950's science fiction movie, you've heard it. If you've ever listened to the Beach Boys song Good Vibrations, you've definitely heard it. Invented by Lev Teremin in 1919. it's the first electronic instrument and, in case you can't see above, it's played completely without being touched.

Any time you need an eerie sound effect, the theremin is there. The theremin is a great, versatile instrument capable of making just about any sound. Even, say, a human voice, as you've seen above.

Chrysler has had a tough time of it lately.  Ownership changes, billion dollar losses... things are looking pretty tough in Detroit these days.  That said, they're trying hard to turn things around, and one of their first steps is to reach out to geeks.

After the marketing success of Microsoft's Sync in Ford cars, Chrysler is adding WiFi access and wireless data to their automobiles, in addition to the back-seat TV.  I guess any improvement is good, but people are distracted enough by their text messages, cell phones, and in-dash DVD players.  Do we really need them browsing the web and sending emails, too?  Though, if you're stuck in traffic, it would be very nice to keep entertained with a nice game of World of Warcraft.  I guess everything has its good points and bad points.   

H/T:  Go Nintendo

As we all know, summer is coming and what’s the one chore nobody wants to do?  Lawn care; nobody wants to cut the grass.  People only do it because they have to.  There’s got to be a better way.  Technology to the rescue!

Since the Roomba was released, I’ve been waiting patiently for the release of the automatic lawn mower.  You know, something that just automatically starts itself, rolls out, and chops the grass for you without you having to raise a finger or pull a cord.  Now that there’s the Probotics RL-850 and RL-1000 automatic mowers!  My prayers have been answered!