for men only: an aspirin a day
October 22, 2007 by Cash · 3 Comments
I’ve often heard about the almost magical effects of a daily aspirin on one’s health. Now studies have confirmed the benefits; but only for men.
Traveling With Electronics
I’m currently checking off a few last items to prepare for a three week trip to Argentina. One question I’ve been wondering about it is how I’m going to charge my laptop and my cell phone while I’m down there. Thankfully, the solution is quite easy. Read more
jeans having sex
In perusing some old posts, I came across a comment from UM reader Orawin Rungsinan. Clicking thru to her blog, I soon discovered two things; first, she is a talented Asian artist based in Dallas and secondly, she is obsessed with jeans.
zip skinny
Fellow UM co-conspirator Greg likes to dork out on all things urban renewal. Zip skinny is a cool contraption for people like him, and anyone else interested in the demographics of a particular ‘hood.
People Getting Punched Just Before Eating
SNL’s latest digital short is pretty much as the name describes. Add in Bon Jovi, the Foo Fighters, and a zombie dance, and it’s golden.
attack of(on) the 30JJ breasts
Some stories need to be read to be believed. As do the loving reader comments that follow.
Shirtless Abercrombie
When I think of Abercrombie & Fitch stores, I think of bad pop dance music and shirtless men advertising an eternal summer of beach front houses. Improv Everywhere agrees with the latter and decided to play an active role in the shirtless lifestyle.
Agent Nguyen came up with the idea for this mission when he noticed the 5th Avenue Abercrombie and Fitch store had a shirtless male model greeting all customers as they enter. Upon further examination, we discovered the model is only one aspect of the store’s celebration of the shirtless male. There are photographs all over the store of bare-chested men, both on the wall and on the products themselves.
slutz fashion dolls
I wanted to embed a YouTube video of LCP’s awesome Slutz Fashion Dolls parody, but they done did remove the clips. Luckily Britecove still has it (only part 1 of 3, sadly).
Three words:
“Ow! My cootch!”
NSFW.
Organic Deodorant
I’ve been wavering between my granola and metrosexual roots since I was about 18 years old. I hate the smell of hippies but I also suspect there is something awry with our underarm deodorants. Knowing my ways, it was with little surprise that I received a link to a review of organic alternatives from my friend on facebook this morning. Her advice comes down to three tips. Read more
top 10 urban cars
October 17, 2007 by Cash · 3 Comments
We at Urban Monarch are a happily car free bunch, preferring the parking / gas-buying / insurance-premium-paying free world of public transportation. If I was ever to buy another car though, (while still living in the city), I could do a lot worse than consult a recent list at Cars.com
Social Rule 99.1
There is a reason I often spend my idle time with my female friends.
If friends spend more than 60 minutes unable to decide what to do, they must default to sexual experimentation. Read more
watch your money roll in
“Cash to” has an interesting real time calculator that shows your earnings accumulate, second by second. Completely pointless, but strangly hypnotic nonetheless.
How Taxes Work
October 16, 2007 by Greg · 4 Comments
When I had my first job I would consult my father for career advice. I realized shortly thereafter much of his advice was not kind to the new workforce that he was isolated from. One piece of advice I received after talking about a pay increase, “Make sure you aren’t actually getting paid less from jumping to a higher tax bracket.”
I looked this up, found this to be impossible, started becoming interested in the right wing, and stopped calling my father for advice in this aspect of my life. Recently though, I found myself engaged in a Belgian beer soaked debate over the process and needed a quick review. Here’s the dirt. Read more
megan fox: hot, in red dress
October 16, 2007 by Cash · 6 Comments
Alright. You know it’s a slow news day here @ UM when I source an article from..(gulp) “Gossip Girls”. When said article features sexy pictures of UM reader favorite Megan Fox however, well, it could be worse.
Unnecessary Quotation Marks
I was amused by the first few posts, but when I got halfway down the page I was laughing out loud in my empty apartment. This is why I love the internet.
Andria sent me this. “Get Lost” could easily be the title of the corn maze, or its slogan. I prefer to believe they didn’t have the room to include a hyphen, indicating that they are attributing the quotation to the corn maze itself.
poll: suddenly rich- keep working or retire?
October 15, 2007 by Cash · 4 Comments
I have a friend who is about to become very rich. Over the past few years, he and two partners have been working on an invention that will revolutionize a particular industry. Now their hard work is about to pay off, as a frenzy of investors line up to offer their support, and the nation’s largest distributors of their product are requesting meetings with them and their patent attorneys.
All indicators point towards a seven figure payday within a year. To me, the surprising part is not his pending success (he’s a creative genius when it comes to this area, and has an innate familiarity with the market they hope to tap), but rather his plans following it.
Warm Glow
I bought the new radiohead album for about $5. Apparently this is interesting to economists who are trying to understand why anyone would pay money for something that is free.
Some economists suspect that what is going on is that people get a kick from the act of giving the band money for the album rather than taking it for free. It could take many forms, like pleasure at being able to bypass the record labels, which many see as only slightly worse than the military-industrial complex. It could come from the notion that the $8 helps keep Radiohead in business. Or it could make fans feel that they are helping create a new art form — or a new economy. People who study philanthropy call it the “warm glow” that comes from doing something that we, and others, believe to be good.
improve your outlook with a healthy diet
It should be no secret that your mental health can be affected by the foods you eat. The Diet Channel has a short article outlining some key points that can help you improve. One suggestion:
Include essential fatty acids in your diet everyday. Your brain is the richest source of fatty acids in your body. Essential fatty acids are incorporated into the membranes of its nerve cells. If your diet has an overabundance of trans-fatty acids or saturated fats, these elements are incorporated into your brain’s nerve cells’ membranes, which will make the membranes less fluid and affect their ability to function effectively.
- Sources of essential fatty acids include cold water fish (such as wild salmon, mackerel, herring and halibut), flax seeds (either ground or as an oil) and nuts (especially walnuts). Grass fed beef and free-range organic chickens have more essential fatty acids then grain-fed animals.
macgyver cocktails: the naughty sunset
October 12, 2007 by Cash · 3 Comments
Sometimes, when rations are low, you have to improvise. Take last Sunday afternoon for instance, when my barren liquor cabinet, an almost empty fridge, and no desire to leave the house led me to discover “The Naughty Sunset”.
Amy Sedaris and Martha Stewart
October 12, 2007 by Greg · 2 Comments
I’ve never really understood Strangers with Candy, but I still love Amy Sedaris. She cements her place in my heart with her latest appearance on The Martha Stewart Show. Part 2 after the jump. Read more
great books, bad beginnings
October 12, 2007 by Cash · 4 Comments
Some books are page turners from beginning to end. They’re truly great, and this fact resounds from the first sentence to the last. When I think about my experience with (most) Chuck Palahniuk novels, this certainly applies (Fight Club was one of my fastest reads ever).
Then, there’s the ‘other’ kind of great book.
One that sneaks up on you, slooooowly. Right now for instance, I find myself immersed in the final passages of Aldous Huxley’s seminal “Brave New World”. Frankly, I’m surprised I made it past the first 50 pages, which were mind-numbingly clinical. My fascination with the topics explored pushed me on, but it wasn’t easy.
