goatherding

shillard.com

2007-01-20T09:36:00.000+11:00

This is hilarious.

shillard.com has exploded in a huge cloud of hot air.

Here is a picture for the record:

Hortinanophilia

2006-07-23T17:56:00.000+10:00

This is perhaps the greatest adult site on the internet.

Hortinanophiles are those among us with a greater than normal physical fixation towards garden gnomes.

This site explores the boundless love between man and gnome.

L'Hortinanophile

English translated version

Sex is for FAGS!

2006-05-25T19:51:00.000+10:00

Finally, a boys abstinence-only sex education program which tells how cool it is to not have sex.

Glowing testimonials include:

"By learning to repress my urges, now I can to grow up and be what I always wanted: a prison guard or a priest."

Don't wait any longer, put your lovin gear away and check out:

http://www.sexisforfags.com/

Best and Brightest

2006-05-25T19:41:00.000+10:00

Ahh, what would we do without porn stars?

Here is a great collection of quotes from porn stars:

linky

My favourite: “Honey, don’t do lines on the floor. Everyone can see under the stall.”

TV makes old people stupid

2006-03-24T11:11:00.000+11:00

A recent US study has shown that elderly women who like talk shows and daytime soaps tend to score more poorly on cognitive tests than those who don't.

I'm wondering whether to interpret this as daytime tv makes you stupid.

But then I read the key paragraph:

According to Fogel, a potential explanation rests in the fact that talk shows and soap operas involve so-called "parasocial relationships," where viewers feel a connection to a show's characters or host. Such shows may, for instance, be better able to hold the attention of older women with some cognitive impairment.

Which can be summarised and then generalised as people who are already stupid watch daytime TV.

Which can be even further neatly generalised into I think daytime TV is shit therefore people who watch it are stupid.

I think that pretty much sums it up.

More proof of Bigfoot

2006-03-22T20:23:00.000+11:00

This grainy, inconclusive photo of footprints is further irrefutable proof of the existence of bigfoot.

Why won't you people just believe?

Divine Interventions

2006-03-08T20:38:00.000+11:00

In response to the tsunami of new content over at avastyematey, I need to tell you about Divine Interventions.

I'm not really going to tell you. Just go and have a look.

Start here.

Proof of Bigfoot

2006-02-22T20:53:00.000+11:00

A while back I posted photos of an object that could only be described as a bigfoot.

Some readers doubted the figure in the photo was actually a wookie. Now I respond with incontrovertible proof that it was.

Scientists in Malaysia have been studying a colony of wookies for 6 years. They are 12 feet tall and are covered in hair. The evidence will be made public soon.

unscientology

2006-02-22T20:35:00.000+11:00

Some interesting dirt on scientology:

L. Ron was mates with Jack Parsons (world famous rocket scientist and occultist) and skipped town with his wife.
L. Ron was mates (by correspondence) with Aleister Crowley.
L. Ron's dad was a satanist, and L. Ron incorporated black magic into scientology, to the point where he refers to it as "the inner core".

Funnily enought, the article mentioned a South Park episode which 'exposes' the scientology secrets. It played on Monday night just gone on SBS - it was a ripper.

Conspiracy Archive

Bollocks anyone?

2006-02-18T23:11:00.000+11:00

Feel like a dog's dick?
A horse's hoss?
An ox's organ?
A goat's gonads?
How about a canadian seal cock?

A Beijing restaurant has opened serving nothing but animal tackle. If you have ever felt the need to have horse, donkey, dog, yak, seal, deer or mountain goat gear in your gob then this is the place for you.

Cooked, of course. And for medicinal value. Yeah, medicinal value.

This is why lego was invented

2006-02-10T09:24:00.000+11:00

Whilst you have people banging on about sci-fi lego, someone has come up with a truly sublime creation.

The lego version of the Babbage Difference Engine.

Say Yes! to Human Cloning

2006-01-18T22:06:00.000+11:00

Remember the Raelians? The UFO cult trying to produce human clones so we can download our brains and live forever?

One of the projects they are running, Cloniad, has made a job offer to Korean scientist Hwang Woo-suk - the stem cell expert who skipped the research bit of his research. Clonaid says he has been fitted up by the anti-cloning establishment because he got too close to succeeding. Sounds plausible enough to me...

I've decided to become a Raelian for a few weeks. I've just downloaded Yes to Human Cloning, and I'll grab Intelligent Design - Message from the Designers next. They put all this stuff here for free! This is way better than Scientology!

I'll post updates as I progress.

One-eyed mutant cat

2006-01-15T16:58:00.000+11:00

I shit you not.

This is a one-eyed mutant cat with no nose.

It died the day after it was born.

And before you ask, it smells terrible.

The Age article

Engage

2006-01-09T21:26:00.000+11:00

A recent paper submitted to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has caused a stir. It is titled "Guidelines for a Space Propulsion Device Based on Heim's Quantum Theory" and is based on the work of Burkhard Heim, a German theoretical physicist. Heim worked on some of the grey areas between relativity and quantum theory, his aim being a "unified theory". His work isn't generally accepted, partly because it is mostly in German.

The paper describes using an intense magnetic field to generate a gravitation field which could propel a spacecraft. If the magnetic field were strong enough, it may be possible to enter a different dimension. Switching the field off brings the craft back to our dimension. Sounds a bit like a warp drive?

Expect the paper to get plenty of scrutiny from the physics world over the next few years. I hope they don't spoil it by disproving it.

Scotsman Article
Paper at AIAA
Heim Theory on Wikipedia

Typewriter Erotica

2006-01-08T21:58:00.000+11:00

There's nothing sexier than a typewriter. Except perhaps an octopus.

Check this post over at the Rare Erotica blog:

Typewriter Erotica

Digital Polytheism

2006-01-05T20:16:00.000+11:00

Are geeks the quantum equivalent of the classical occultist?

Tim Leary seemed to think so.

Digital Polytheism

The true meaning of christmas

2005-12-27T11:43:00.000+11:00

It's the time of year when we need to stop and remember the true meaning of christmas. Pagan fertility rites.

Saturnalia

Wookie spotted in the US

2005-12-08T08:38:00.000+11:00

Someone on Silver Star mountain in Washington, USA spotted what appears to be a Wookie. We will call him Chewbacca.

Photo used without permission from: This site

Be Alarmed, not Alert.

2005-10-24T09:59:00.000+10:00

The Australian national security hotline received a number of calls about a black box on a fence with wires coming out of it. Obviously a bomb, according to the elderly callers. It turns out you can't even have a wireless access point in your front yard without getting hassled by the man.

The Register article

Thread on Whirlpool posted by the dude it happened to

500 hits

2005-10-02T09:33:00.000+10:00

a major milestone has been reached.

the 500th hit on this website.

this gives an average daily readership of about 2.7.

I think this is a wonderful illustration of the mediocrity that is this page.

here's to another 500.

automated sentry gun

2005-09-23T15:19:00.000+10:00

oh this is so cool:

http://cs-people.bu.edu/aaron/turret/turret.htm

Identifying Misinformation

2005-09-07T21:50:00.000+10:00

The US State department released a very helpful guide on how to recognise misinformation:

How to identify misinformation

I like this corrected version better:

How to identitify misinformation

the future, online.

2005-08-15T19:29:00.000+10:00

pointlesswasteoftime.com gives us 10 ways MMORPGs will change the world. I think he's not too far wrong. Personally, I can't wait.

pointlesswasteoftime.com

While you are there, check out:

The ultimate war sim

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest

2005-07-31T08:36:00.000+10:00

The winner of the 2005 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest has been announced. The contest is in memory of Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton. Bulwer-Lytton wrote the memorable opening lines "it was a dark and stormy night". This international parody contest seeks bad openings for imaginary novels. Check out the winners here:

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest

mypetgoat.tv

2005-07-31T08:32:00.000+10:00

Following the goat theme, here's a nice little place filled to the brim with conspiracy and healthy paranoia. Have a browse around:

mypetgoat.tv

War of the Worlds

2005-07-25T19:30:00.000+10:00

I caught War of the Worlds the other day and, to my surprise, it didn't suck.

I expected an effects-fueled train wreck like Independence Day but instead got a subtle, believable sci-fi masterpiece.

Spielberg has gone back to his "Close Encounters" days and showed that you don't need megabudget sfx to make a great sci-fi film. Whilst the effects are visually impressive, they aren't the centre of the show. Instead, he uses them with great effect as a device to build tension. It's a refreshing change from the 30 second attention span crap which usually spews forth from Hollywood.

I spent a good part of the film just watching Spielberg at work. He redefined the way frantic action is filmed in "Saving Private Ryan" with his low-tech, low frame-rate handheld camera effects. He uses this effect again in WotW, reminding us who invented it after it has been mindlessly abused by TV hacks in past years. Spielberg also revisits the kill-or-be-killed scene from "Private Ryan", again delivering a memorable scene as emotionally engaging as the orginal.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise was Tom Cruise. He plays a kind of anti-hero who gets thrown into a nightmare and just manages to survive. He has no plan, no skills and no shitty action movie one-liners. He is just a believable well played character from a somewhat underrated actor.

The one minor let-down was Dakota Fanning. Pretentious little attention seeking bitch, I just want to punch her in the face for crapping up a good movie. She is like a miniature version of Sharon Stone.

go see it.

Neuromancer - Audio Book

2005-07-25T19:20:00.000+10:00

If you are into audio books, this is a cracker.

Neuromancer by William Gibson, narrated by William Gibson with musc by U2.

This is the sci-fi classic where Gibson first used the term "cyberspace".

Grab it here:

Greylodge Link

Dawn of the Dead Dogs

2005-06-28T12:01:00.000+10:00

Scientists have managed to kill then resurrect dogs. They drain the blood of the dog and replace it with chilled saline solution. The low temperature preserves the organs and tissues. The blood can be replaced hours later and the dog revived with an electric shock. Tests show no brain damage to the revived dogs.

News.com.au article

han shoots first

2005-06-18T22:12:00.000+10:00

"Yes, I'll bet you have"

With those immortal words, Han Solo shoots Greedo dead.

Without Greedo shooting first.

The 1997 special edition of Star Wars has tried to alter history with a clumsy attempt to show Han acting in self defence.

Go to hanshootsfirst.org and express your outrage.

The Hedonistic Imperative

2005-06-06T11:51:00.000+10:00

The Hedonistic Imperative outlines how genetic engineering and nanotechnology will abolish suffering in all sentient life.

Where do you want to go today?

http://www.hedonistic-imperative.com/

goatherding abroad

2005-05-11T05:39:00.000+10:00

the herder is abroad researching new techniques for managing the herd. he will post some crappy photos when he returns.

john safran vs god

2005-04-20T14:34:00.000+10:00

John Safran vs God is being replayed on SBS starting next Monday 25th of April.

It was the best show on telly last year by a long way. If you missed it first time around, watch it this time. It goes for 8 weeks.

NNDB

2005-04-17T11:14:00.000+10:00

This is a really cool resource. It documents basic profile information on over 12000 famous people and the links between them. It's an easy way of seeing who knows who in the business, entertainment and political world. For example, it shows that Bill Gates' wife is a member of the Bilderberg group. The Bilderberg group is group of high ranking capitalists which a magnet for modern day conspiracy theorists.

NNDB

Disaster Capitalism

2005-04-16T20:33:00.000+10:00

A little known office of the White House called the "Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization" is drawing up plans and contracts for the post-war rebuilding of 25 different countries. 25 countries that haven't had a war yet. The plans involve reconstructing countries in a "democratic and market-oriented" way.

This makes Wolfowitz's appointment to the head of the World Bank make much more sense. The World Bank is the instrument with which privatisation is forced upon desperate countries. They withhold aid money until legislation is passed to allow the private sector to spend it. This is happening in Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti and Honduras following war, civil unrest and natural disasters.

Even more depressing is how the vultures are moving into Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia following the tsunami. No more pesky coastal villages to get in the way of tourist developments.

The Nation Article

Big trouble in little China

2005-04-16T19:14:00.000+10:00

A small Chinese village has reportedly repelled a force of 1000 riot police in a clash that left a bunch of police in hospital and a number of police vehicles burned. Villagers, fed up with corruption, pollution and poverty, were protesting when the riot police were called in. People rushed from their homes to defend the village.

I like this quote from one of the villagers the best:

"The communists are even worse than the Japanese"

Guardian article

Want fries with that, bitch?

2005-04-16T18:38:00.000+10:00

US rap stars are being paid by mcdonalds to plug big macs in their tunes. Product placement in films has been around for a while - I, Robot being an awful example.

I guess this makes for another reason not to listen to manufactured pop music.

Bummer.

MTV.com article

Discover the Network

2005-04-13T22:07:00.000+10:00

I've just discovered this little gem. It's called:

Discover the Network

It's a compilation of anyone involved in left wing politics in the US, compiled by a stooge of the right - David Horowitz. He is part of the movement pushing to legislate liberalism out of academia following the Ward Churchill/University of Colorada episode that created such a stir a little while back. Google it if you missed it.

I especially like the classification of Alexander Cockburn (journo for counterpunch.com) in the same category as Mohammed Atta and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Pure genius.

Penis Enlargement

2005-04-13T21:36:00.000+10:00

No, i'm not trying to sell you pills.

This is an article about a dude who runs a natural penis enlargement website. No pills, creams or patches, just exercise. He reckons he has gone from 6.5" to 10.5" by using the techniques he espouses. He's got 40,000 members on his site to back him up.

This is totally surreal. I can't stop laughing.

Salon.com article

You will need to click on the "Day Pass" link and watch a few ads to be able to read the full article. You may need to click on the above link again after watching the ads.

God Save America!

2005-04-11T20:14:00.000+10:00

Here is a great article about the religious right in the US

Rolling Stone

LoTR hidden features

2005-04-10T18:43:00.000+10:00

On the special edition LoTR DVDs there are a number of hidden features. They are pretty funny. Details are here:

Fellowship
Two Towers
Return

US govt manipulation of financial markets

2005-04-10T17:48:00.000+10:00

Here is a thought provoking article about how the US government manipulates world finance markets, especially for the dollar.

An interesting point in the article is the tremendous leverage China will have over the US economy in years to come.

Link to article

Direct interfacing to the brain

2005-04-08T09:42:00.000+10:00

Sony have just filed some patents which describe a system of aiming ultrasonic pulses at the brain to induce sensory experience. This technique looks like it is non-invasive, and could induce sound, vision or smell in the brain.

this is way cool.

http://www.newscientist.com/

Bionic Eye

2005-04-06T20:26:00.000+10:00

Scientists have created a bionic eye. It's a chip interfaced to the optic nerve that takes signals from a spectacle-mounted camera.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4411591.stm

I'll have the zoom model thanks.

Pope Dies, Rapture Index Soars

2005-04-06T17:05:00.000+10:00

The Rapture Index soared yesterday following news of the death of the Pope. The rise was lead by the "False Prophet" index, which jumped 2 points on the news. The market felt that the death of the pope left open the possibility for the new pope to be the false prophet. The "Ecumenism" index jumped 1 point on the news due to fears that a new pope may help integrate the world's religions. The Index now stands a 153, close to this years high of 155.

Tony Abbott for Pope

2005-04-04T20:08:00.000+10:00

Tony Abbott is the perfect candidate for Pope.

He is a catholic.
He is totally self-righteous.
He supports "family values"
He'd be able to send everyone who took the piss out of him to hell.
Including the guy who knocked up his girlfriend.
I heard he is mates with George Pell. That's one vote already.

Cardinals of the world, vote 1, Tony Abbott.

Stargate Atlantis

2005-04-04T15:24:00.000+10:00

I watched the first 2 episodes of Stargate Atlantis the other day.

The first one wasn't bad.

The second one was a pile of dogs turd.

I hope the third one is better

How motherboards are made

2005-04-03T13:51:00.000+10:00

Here is a photo-tour of a gigabyte motherboard factory in taiwan:

http://www.pcstats.com/index1.html

It shows the entire process of a motherboard assembly, right down to the
hot taiwanese testing and assembly girls. I found it fascinating how
much labour is involved for a $100 piece of equipment.

the technological singularity

2005-04-02T19:43:00.000+10:00

This is pretty heavy going, but it makes for some great thinking material.

I came across this podcast:

http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail374.html

it's about accelerating technological change, and what will happen when real AI finally gets built. The mp3 goes for about an hour, but it's worth a listen.

It ties in with transhumanism and exposes the concept of the "technological singularity", or the point at which technological progress accelerates beyond our ability to comprehend it. Certain thinkers are putting this point as early as 2030. Have a read of this for some more background:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

chicken

2005-03-22T12:37:00.000+11:00

chicken
Originally uploaded by The GoatHerder.

hailstorm photo

2005-03-21T09:39:00.000+11:00

hailstorm 003 - small
Originally uploaded by The GoatHerder.

first post

2005-03-20T12:32:00.000+11:00

here's the disco dancer: