What’s all that thumping, you ask? It must be Michael Moore doing the “I told you so” dance

In not-so-breaking (or oh-so-shocking) news, the U.S. ranks last in healthcare among industrialized nations. Now, while I do enjoy Michael Moore’s passion for bringing light to important issues, I tend to agree with those who say he often goes too far. That said, this report is quite a slap in the face to all the naysayers who said Sicko was just a bunch of baloney. (Having not seen Sicko myself, I can’t really comment on it.) One thing I can comment on, however, is my own problems with the healthcare system, which have been almost entirely with the business of healthcare and not with the actual medical treatment I have received. To those of you who have always been on your parents’ plan or employed full time with benefits, you have no idea the nightmare involved with getting your own insurance. And god forbid you have a pre-existing condition. You might as well just say you have a rare form of leprosy that can be spread through the telephone. It took me months of forms and innumerable phone calls to get a plan in place (with one of the leading healthcare providers, mind you) and nearly cost me my sanity. Which, of course, would have been quite the problem if I had gone crazy before I had healthcare.

Read the AFP article here. I must say, the toughest decision for me would be choosing whether or not I was willing to deal with the French people in order to experience their top-ranked healthcare.

Here comes 2008…and a badass cold…yippee!

Here I was telling myself that since I had a nice, long break from school, I’d be able to blog so much more. Well, first there was the entire first season of Heroes to watch (thanks Lance), then an urgent need to replay Final Fantasy 3 all the way through (for the 187th time), then some books to read, and now, for the entirety of 2008 (all four days, I know), I’ve had to deal with this:

No, I have not had a small, very sad-looking child (with ginormous hands!) dropped on my doorstep. What I have had since I woke up on the first morning of 2008 is a very, VERY annoying cold. So I apologize for my recent lack of witty banter and smart-ass comments on the goings-ons of idiots all across this lovely planet, but my nose is rubbed raw, I’ve sneezed so much I think I have brain damage, and all I want to do is snuggle under my covers and have Morgan Freeman read me stories. (Johnny Depp in character as Jack Sparrow will do as well.) Is that too much to ask for?

Therefore, I promise there will be more action on the site very soon, as I plan on kicking this nasty cold to the curb ASAP.

The Bubble video is back!

The Bubble video, a catchy song about the “second tech bubble” and put to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” is back online, after it was temporarily removed due to a threatened lawsuit by photographer Lane Hartwell regarding unlicensed use of an image of hers. (The image in question was removed.)

The song is actually quite funny and relevant. It amazes me that anyone who has been alive during 2007 could actually suggest we’re not experiencing 1997 all over again. Hopefully, this time the bubble burst won’t be quite as painful.

Oh, and I felt compelled to blog about this, because the song said I would. Then again, the song also said I should blog during sex. I have to figure out logistics for that one still.

Hulu: Is that YouTube’s demise I see on the horizon?

So I was lucky enough to get onto the beta version on Hulu earlier this month (good to see my ridiculous amount of blog reading did something positive for me besides eating away my soul), and so far, so good.

For those who aren’t familiar with Hulu, it is a new video on demand website that was created by NBC and News Corp. As of right now, it is not offering any video sharing capabilities; however, the addition is expected sometime in the future. What the site does have, however, is content. A whole lot of content. You’ll find episodes from almost every major show on a FOX or NBC network (i.e., NBC, FOX, FX, Sci Fi, Bravo, USA, and more), plus plenty of content from other networks like ABC, MTV, CW, etc. The best feature the site offers in comparison to YouTube is that videos are not broken into 7-9 minutes sections, but rather you watch an entire episode from start to finish. The only interruption is a 15-second commercial every 10 minutes or so, which is more than bearable. For videos from NBC or FOX, the screen is much larger than that on YouTube (of course, you can maximize the screen size just like you can on YouTube, but I found this causes the picture to “blink” every few seconds). When you are viewing content from other networks, it links you to that network’s page, so the screen size and other functions will vary.

Overall, I give Hulu the thumbs up. However, I am 100% certain this site will not cause YouTube many problems as the two sites serve pretty separate services — at least at this point. We’ll have to see if the pendulum begins swinging when Hulu begins offering video-sharing capabilities. It would take awhile regardless, if for no other reason than the sheer number of videos already existing on YouTube.

I would definitely advise trying to sign up for the beta version so you can check out the site for yourself. Just don’t expect it to happen too fast — I waited for about a month to get my invite.

Paging all men: please check your balls

Health campaigns are often a hard sell, so ad execs have to find a creative way to push a message. For example, in order to encourage more adults to have colon exams, at some health fairs you’ll see a giant, inflatable colon that reminds me of some twisted moon bounce (fun for the whole family!).

Here’s a hilarious 45-second PSA for testicular cancer, featuring what must be the ugliest testicle ever, getting “checked” by a hockey player as he skates around merrily. The dozen or so pubic hairs hanging off the sides are a nice touch.

C’mon boys, it shouldn’t be too hard to check your testicles each month. I mean, most men have their hand down their pants every possible waking moment, so instead of just letting it hang out down there, give the boys a little once-over.

Ok, now I think I’ve grossed myself out. Watch the video!

Picture of the day: Even whales get into the holiday spirit

Even though environmentalists are up-in-arms about how the Japanese have offered the final humiliation to these beluga whales by placing Santa hats on their heads, I still find this picture oddly endearing. The whales certainly seem to be enjoying the attention. The one of the left looks like he’s just gotten the best fin massage ever, resting against the glass with his eyes closed and a gentle smile.

And furthermore, do environmentalists actually think whales have feelings? If so, we may have to offer them some counseling at the least, and more likely some white coats.

Who’s a good little Christmas whale? You are!

New Pew Internet blog post: getting “googly” wit it

Ok ok, so I just made up the word googly in a lame attempt to combine Google and jiggy. Sue me.

Anyway, my latest blog post is up on PIP’s website, offering my personal experience with googling my name. This is in reference to our recent PIP report, “Digital Footprints,” which contains data on how individuals manage their online identities, including data specifically on googling oneself, as well as googling other people (i.e., potential employees, first dates, ex-boyfriends, random people you’re stalking, ex-boyfriends you’re stalking, etc. You get the point).

Vote for your favorite viral video of the year

Mashable has released its nominees for viral video of the year. There’s that stupid kid who cried about Britney Spears; the most dramatic chipmunk to ever walk this earth (you heard it here first: this chipmunk has a future in acting); a girl opening her 300-page iPhone bill (which is the only video in this group I had never seen before); Will Ferrell’s first FunnyOrDie.com video, The Landlord; and my favorite, the Late Show series, Will it Blend? I’ve seen these skits on various late shows over the past couple years and always enjoyed watching random things getting thrown into a blender. But in this version (seen below), Chuck Norris is thrown into a blender with a bunch of bad guys. You can guess what happens.

Man, I do love you Chuck Norris.

I think I may just cry (from joy)…more VOLTRON!

I already got uber-excited last month when I realized that Voltron (the 1980s anime show about five lions who form Voltron) had been released on DVD (and yes, I put it on my Christmas list). I mean, don’t get me wrong, I made sure to tape every single episode when the show made a brief reappearance on USA in 1991. However, as we all know, VHS tapes like to degrade, and so those tapes aren’t exactly in the best condition.

Well, today I cam across this little gem, which made me wonder if maybe Voltron will come back again, this time to take over our world? How awesome would that be?

Of course, the more likely explanation is that Voltron looks somewhat like Transformers (who, I believe, came out AFTER Voltron) but it was cheaper to use Voltron on shoes instead on Transformers. And Reebok, just an FYI, but they’re lions, NOT tigers. Geez. Do some research people!

Does anyone have any Qualudes? I think this LOTR fan needs a few dozen or so

New Line Films, the makers of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Peter Jackson, the hobbit-looking director of those films, have finally settled their financial bickerings, a mere four years after the third film was released. So now we can finally all breathe a sigh of relief as plans to turn the prequel to LOTR, The Hobbit, into another big-screen success, right?

Well, kind of. New Line, who must apparently think Jackson is the devil to start such a ridiculous fight with him (I mean, the trilogy grossed more than $3 BILLION at the box office. Come on people!), does not want Jackson directing The Hobbit films. And yes, I said films (the plural of film) because apparently they’re making two films, not one, to cover the breadth and depth of The Hobbit (or, more likely, they’re just seeing twice the profits from two films). Actually, the second of the two movies is envisioned to cover the 80-year gap between when The Hobbit occurs (during Bilbo Baggins’ youth) and when the LOTR began (when, if I remember correctly, Bilbo is celebrating his 111th birthday). Don’t worry your pretty little heads though, as Jackson (and his wife, who was also involved in LOTR) will serve as executive producers, aka the iron grip, for the films.

Anyway, the funniest thing I pulled out of this article I was reading about this story was comments regarding LOTR fans who had demanded Jackson be involved, and were excited when the announcement was made about him directing. I can just imagine masses of 20-something guys foaming at the mouth as they angrily posted on message boards late into the night.

Here’s what one such fan said:

“Fist in the Air! YEEEEESSSSS!!! … “TRUST PETER!!! THE MASTER, THE COMMANDER, THE WIZARD!”

I love that he actually says “fist in the air” to give me a visual cue as to just how excited he is. And if that wasn’t enough, I have four extra “e”s and four extra “s”s to convince me of his sincerity. Then I get a little confused with the Master and Commander reference, as I thought that was Russell Crow, followed by a comment calling him a wizard, which in my mind means Harry Potter or Ian McKellen. But even with that confusion, I still think this kid wet himself just a bit while typing this.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to see these movies made and I’m happy Jackson will be involved, but these kids should probably get out to see sunlight more often than the handful of times each decade that he makes a movie. I’m also happy that seeing Peter Jackson’s head on a clock will always make me smile, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to buy one anytime soon!