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Rare 1912 election footage discovered

As the election of 2012 rears its horrific and dysfunctional head this video of an old campaign film reminds just how far we haven’t come in the last 100 years.

http://youtu.be/MVZsoLJfCog

The good news is that in the future our robot masters won’t even bother manipulating voters with deceptive ads. That’s the silver lining, which is also the color of our robot masters. Makes sense to me.

Episode 090 - Matt Kona

Episode 089 - Tyson K - Part 2

InkyTweet - Star Trek Captains Making Their Daily Logs

Click to make bigger.

Follow me on Twitter: @Hank_Thompson

Episode 088 - Tyson K - Part 1

The Windy HOLY SHIT That’s Pretty!

Click for the full-size image. Then scroll.

The gods of Westeros couldn’t create a day like this. Whitecaps winking on the surface of the water, warm sunlight bathing the land in life-giving radiation, a firm breeze to excite the ends of skirts, and a soothing air temperature crisp enough to maintain not impolite nipple firmness.

From this vantage I wouldn’t be shocked to spot a gaggle of mermaids frolicking amongst the waves, their hair glowing in the bright sun, giggling while splashing cool water upon one another’s shameless nude breasts, lapping at each other’s swollen egg orifice in an ancient ritualistic aquatic 69 making their tails shudder in rapturous ichthyorgasm.

We live in a pretty cool world, don’t we?

Episode 087 - Saurin Choksi

TYT wants YOU

My favorite news and politics show is The Young Turks. If you haven’t heard of them by now it’s time you did. Their YouTube channel has close to 700 million hits. That’s not a typo. That’s more grains of sand than in a jar of sand! For a show of substance and not one based on cleavage or auto-tuned bullshit it’s an astonishing feat.

They posted an image of the host, Cenk Uygur, on their Facebook page and asked for captions. I had a different idea:

Not bad. A proper graphic designer could pick it apart, I’m sure, but I’m self-taught at this kind of thing. Kind of a pain in the ass, if I’m to be honest. I should have been asleep well over an hour ago. But the machinery started so here we are.

I’m a huge fan of The Young Turks. They’re a vital part of my daily podcasting rotation.

The show is fun, informative and entertaining. Hosted by the charismatic Cenk Uygur (pictured above) and the lovely Ana Kasparian, with a stable of other voices who pitch in from time to time, the show has earned my loyalty by always delivering an honest take on current events. It’s grown from meager, feeble but earnest beginnings to an Internet powerhouse with a double-digit staff and a nightly show on the Current Network. Despite it’s success the show retains the do-it-yourself, take-no-prisoners charm that sustained it during those first long fruitless years.

If the minutiae and gimcrack of politics causes your eyes to glaze over but you know deep down you should be more informed then this is the perfect show for you. Cenk has an uncanny ability to articulate the issues in a way that isn’t boring or preachy. He’s just a smart, likeable guy. He’s America’s cool big brother. And he has an excellent sense of comedic timing to boot, a compliment I am loathe to hand out, even to some of my fellow comedians. (cause I’m right-darn perfect *wink*)

No corporate media outlet will hammer home the point as often or as well, if ever, that money’s corrupting influence on Washington D.C. is what is at the core of our nation’s rot. Politicians of all stripes come under the TYT microscope and they wilt under the intensity like ants on a sunny day.

You won’t agree with him all the time but you’ll always know he harbors no secret motivations. He won’t bullshit you.

He turned down a contract with MSNBC because he refused to tailor his viewpoint to what the corporate office wanted. What more do you need to know? A liberal that makes the high-hats in charge uncomfortable? About fucking time.

I’ve been a listener and member for years and because of that I am a more informed citizen, a better voter and in a small way part of the new media revolution that is taking place on the Internet. Or at least witness to something unique in American discourse— the power of honesty.

Seriously, give ‘em a look. You really need to know more about this fucked up world.

Old People Are Funny

Here’s a bunch of adorable old people telling jokes. Featured in the video is @SarahKSilverman’s father.

I don’t know how to embed the video so click on the link and watch it.

Oy! They think they’re comedians in West Boca: Seniors audition for ‘Old Jews Telling Jokes’ fundraiser for JCC

Gives me reassurance that even when I’m rotting in a retirement home I’ll still get to do open mics.

Episode 086 - Pat O’Rourke and Rob Gregory and Me

InkyTweet - Rick Santorum reads his favorite Christmas book

Click to make bigger.

InkyTweets: Putting Pen to Pixel

Awhile back I had the idea of animating some of my tweets. The Internet needs more clutter, I told myself. But I quickly realized I might be biting off more than I could draw since animation, according to available research, is a huge pain in the ass. So the idea shifted to drawing a cartoon of a tweet, a single image. Or not a cartoon, exactly, a drawing. Is there a difference? Cartoons are drawn, but you can’t call all drawings a cartoon. Oh, who cares? Anyway, after a few months in the rock tumbler the idea finally got spat out into action. I picked up a dry-erase marker and started marking.

I can draw, sort of, maybe a little better than your average untrained dolt. But I’m not going to let a lack of training or talent stop me from trying.

I decided to call them InkyTweets. Shrug.

The tweet itself, if not a direct caption for the drawing, will at minimum be a loose inspiration for the drawtoon. Whether it makes sense is entirely up to chance. I really don’t have any idea what or why I’m doing this. Maybe people will enjoy them. Maybe they won’t. Maybe neither will happen because more likely than not no one will notice. Or maybe I’ll just look like an idiot who makes bad decisions about how to spend his time.

Alright, enough words. Here’s the first one:

Follow me on Twitter: @Hank_Thompson

The End of an Error

Yet another website ascends to spend eternity in the great digital archive in the sky, a place filled with failed hopes, unrealistic expectations and poor execution. Nonetheless it’s a happy place, for when not basking in the warm web-ready light surrounding the throne of DOS, dead websites download delicious grapes, transfer images of soft comfortable clouds and play ping pong with jimi-hendrix.org.

Thank DOS I only paid for one year.

Episode 085 - Just the Gratuity with Matt Riggs

Winners & Losers - Episodes 081(Megan Gailey) & 082(Dan Ronan)

Two episode update! Hey carbon units! Yeah, you. Check out these episodes of the podcast.

Episode 081 - Bedroom Sighs with Megan Gailey (@MeganGailey)

[caption id=”attachment_1967” align=”alignright” width=”161” caption=”Megan Gailey (above)”][/caption]

Episode 081 welcomes comedian Megan Gailey back to the podcast. She’s a powerhouse of talent, and not just in the dressing herself department. Audiences first see her warm smile, classy accoutrements and confident demeanor but are quickly thrust into the tormented hellhole that is her mind, laughing and screaming the whole way. I’ve seen her command a room like a serial killer in a classroom on parent teacher conference day; try and ignore her! Plus she’s just fun and smart to talk to. I asked her what it’s like having your gender constantly pointed out in comedy, she shares her experience almost working at the Super Bowl and then attending it and seeing the Madonna. Plus we play another round of the famous DALAI LAMA or PORNSTAR game, the game of teats and tweets. We were joined by comedian and human tempura Joe Fernandez.

I first met Megan over three years ago in improv class, level 1, when she was making up a missed class by sitting in with ours for the day. I remember thinking, “Who the hell this hot bitch think she is being all attractive AND funnier than the rest of us? Sheeit.” And then I got into stand up and there she was. Now we’re tennis buddies. It’s cool. Oh, she also played an important role in the short film I made. See if you can spot her!

It won’t be long before she’s famous so I hope to have her back on the show as a guest as often as possible before she gets all over the magazine covers and starts living in a plane that never lands or something.

Direct Download: 2012.02.20_WL_081_-_Bedroom_Sighs_with_Megan_Gailey.mp3

Download via iTunes

Listen right here: [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/winnersandlosers/2012.02.20_WL_081_-_Bedroom_Sighs_with_Megan_Gailey.mp3]

LINKS

Megan’s co-hosts her own podcast: NakedSportsLive.com and is a member of the hit comedy hit squad, Your Funniest Friends.

EPISODE 082 - Dan Ronan (@RonanComedy)

[caption id=”attachment_1978” align=”alignleft” width=”140” caption=”Dan’s Twitter Avatar. Shrug.”][/caption]

Episode 082 is with my good friend Dan Ronan. We haven’t been friends long but the times we’ve shared together have been some of the most stimulating of my life. Oh wait, I’m thinking of egg rolls. Crunchy on the outside, filled with Yahweh-knows-what on the inside— the world’s perfect food.  Dan’s swell, too. Not egg roll swell but pretty close. He and I are going to know each other for a very long time because we’re both terrified of the world and that’s what keeps a person alive.

Dan’s still young but his soul is already shriveled up and dead. That’s why he’s such a funny comedian. After I ask him why the fuck I haven’t been booked at the show he co-books (The Lincoln Lodge) we trade childhood memories and insecurities and fears and shit like that. He’s like the little brother I always wanted to ignore.I don’t really remember all of it but it was a revealing conversation.

Aside from the constant eye contact it never got uncomfortable. Here!:

Direct download: 2012.02.27_WL_082_-_Dan_Ronan.mp3

Download via iTunes

Listen right here:[audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/winnersandlosers/2012.02.27_WL_082_-_Dan_Ronan.mp3]

LINKS

Lincoln Lodge website: TheLincolnLodge.com Dan’s Twitter: @RonanComedy

Thanks, reader. Now get back to your regularly scheduled distraction.