new extreme sport – speed cabling

Speedcabling: contestants race to unravel a bundle of wires. (I assume George Novak is all about this. He and Liang MUST be on the U of Alberta team.)

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more cable mess photos

Details on the competition tonight in L.A. – Boing Boing

$7 billion loss not his fault …

A mad Irishman, Garth has unique insight into the curious ways of the French:

FRENCH TRADER WAS FORCED TO WORK 30 HOURS A WEEK

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FRIENDS of rogue trader Jerome Kerviel last night blamed his $7 billion losses on unbearable levels of stress brought on by a punishing 30 hour week. Kerviel was known to start work as early as nine in the morning and still be at his desk at five or even five-thirty, often with just an hour and a half for lunch.

One colleague said: “He was, how you say, une workaholique. I have a family and a mistress so I would leave the office at around 2pm at the latest, if I wasn’t on strike.

“But Jerome was tied to that desk. One day I came back to the office at 3pm, and there he was, fast asleep on the photocopier. At first I assumed he had been having sex with it, but then I remembered he’d been working for almost six hours.”

Last night a spokesman for Sócíété Générálé denied that Kerviel was overworked …

Vince Vaughn – Wild West Comedy Show

Saw a preview of a new feature film to be released Feb. 8th. Surprisingly good.

In this documentary, the show’s emcee, Vince Vaughn, and four stand-up comedians hand-picked by Vaughn, travel the country and perform in 30 cities. This film documents the interactions on and off stage along the way.

… In the spirit of the old west variety shows, Vaughn played host to the ensemble of comedians and performed improvisational sketches with surprise celebrity and musical guests.

… a rare opportunity to experience Vaughn and his team as bring their unique styles and perspectives to regional audiences throughout Western, Southern and Midwestern states. Through rousing on-stage performances and behind-the-scenes interviews, the engaging grass roots documentary breaks down the true essence of each comedian’s life altering experiences and the personal and professional challenges that will unite four comics, one movie star and legions of fans from Hollywood to the Heartland.

The highlight for me were clips of two comedians:

  • John Caparulo
  • Bret Ernst
  • In fact, Bret was at the preview showing in San Francisco. He answered questions from the very appreciative audience after the screening.

    Normally I am no great fan of stand-up comedy. But this is pretty good.

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    Disclaimer: Vince Vaughn conceived and funded this project, filling it with his personal friends. But there is not much Vince in the movie.

    Click PLAY or watch the trailer on YouTube:

    video – last day for Bill Gates

    The hilarious footage of Bill Gates’ last days before retirement, featuring cameos by Brian Williams, Steve Ballmer, Matthew McConaughey, Jay-Z, Bono, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Jon Stewart, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, and Al Gore… From the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, during his last keynote address.

    Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

    Bill Gates – Wikipedia

    Thanks Ron.