How to Argue Effectively 

I argue very well. Ask any of my remaining friends. I can win an argument on any topic, against any opponent. People know this and steer clear of me at parties. Often, as a sign of their great respect, they don't even invite me. You too can win arguments. Simply follow these rules:

Drink Liquor
Suppose you are at a party and some hotshot intellectual is expounding on the economy of Peru, a subject you know nothing about. If you're drinking some health-fanatic drink like grapefruit juice, you'll hang back, afraid to display your ignorance, while the hotshot enthralls your date. But if you drink several large martinis, you'll discover you have strong views about the Peruvian economy. You'll be a wealth of information. You'll argue forcefully, offering searing insights and possibly upsetting furniture. People will be impressed. Some may leave the room.

Make Things Up
Suppose, in the Peruvian economy argument, you are trying to prove that Peruvians are underpaid, a position you base solely on the fact that you are underpaid, and you'll be damned if you're going to let a bunch of Peruvians be better off. Don't say: "I think Peruvians are underpaid." Say instead: "The average Peruvian's salary in 1981 dollars adjusted for the revised tax base is $1,452.81 per annum, which is $836.07 before the mean gross poverty level." NOTE: Always make up exact figures. If an opponent asks you where you got your information, make that up too. Say: "This information comes from Dr. Hovel T. Moon's study for the Buford Commission published on May 9, 1982. Didn't you read it?" Say this in the same tone of voice you would use to say, "You left your soiled underwear in my bathroom."

Use Meaningless but Weighty-Sounding Words and Phrases 
Memorize this list:

Let me put it this way
In terms of
Vis-a-vis
Per se
As it were
Qua
Ipso facto
Ergo
So to speak

You should also memorize some Latin abbreviations such as "Q.E.D.", "e.g.", and "i.e." These are all short for "I speak Latin, and you don't." Here's how to use these words and phrases. Suppose you want to say, "Peruvians would like to order appetizers more often, but they don't have enough money." You never win arguments talking like that. But you will win if you say, "Let me put it this way. In terms of appetizers vis-a-vis Peruvians qua Peruvians, they would like to order them more often, so to speak, but they do not have enough money per se, as it were. Ergo, ipso facto, case closed. Q.E.D." Only a fool would challenge that statement.

Use Snappy and Irrelevant Comebacks
You need an arsenal of all-purpose irrelevant phrases to fire back at your opponents when they make valid points. The best are:

You're begging the question.
You're being defensive.
Don't compare apples to oranges.
What are your parameters?

This last one is especially valuable. Nobody (other than engineers and policy wonks) has the vaguest idea what "parameters" means. Don't forget the classic: You're so linear. Here's how to use your comebacks:

You say: "As Abraham Lincoln said in 1873..."
Your opponent says: "Lincoln died in 1865."
You say: "You're begging the question."
You say: "Liberians, like most Asians..."
Your opponent says: "Liberia is in Africa."
You say: "You're being defensive."

Compare Your Opponent to Adolf Hitler
This is your heavy artillery, for when your opponent is obviously right and you are spectacularly wrong. Bring Hitler up subtly. Say, "That sounds suspiciously like something Adolf Hitler might say," or "You certainly do remind me of Adolf Hitler."

So that's it. You now know how to out-argue anybody. Do not try to pull any of this on people who generally carry weapons.

Dave Barry

X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Before and After CGI special effects

NYTimes: Some Pirates Won’t Watch Illegal ‘Wolverine’. So goes the title of a NYTimes blogpost. Apparently, someone at 20th Century Fox (un) intentionally "leaked" a rough cut of the film before it's to hit theaters, a rough cut that lacks any special effects or computer graphics imagery.

Well, lads and lassies, risking imprisonment, sneaking through movie lot security, with bruised knees and past gunfire, we here at Solargun.com have gotten our hands on an exclusive just for you. That's right. We managed to smuggle a screenshot of a scene that has star Hugh Jackman before and after the computer graphics department airbrushes out all the "ugly realities".

 
Before: When you're a star like Hugh Jackman, you have some basic demands.



After: Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in finished airbrushed shot

The Daysleepers

Never eat beans before scuba diving


I was listening to The Radio Dept. on Last.fm and stumbled upon an excellent New York band called The Daysleepers. Dreamy guitars with a lot of reverb creating a lush, layered, textured sound reminiscent of highly influential acts of the early 90's like Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, The Cure, perhaps some other more obscure 4AD bands (Red House Painters) or Projekt bands (Love Spirals Downwards). In fact, they describe themselves on their homepage as "shoegaze, dreampop, ambient music", having been inspired by "Slowdive, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, The Cure, and the Chameleons". Oooh, just what I like. On Amazon.com, there's an impressive quote from Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins: "Lovely sounds ... lovely guitars." The album features both male vocals with a sense of nostalgic longing and beautiful ethereal female vocals. It's pure awesomeness.

Their web splash page has nice contemporary design elements: dark photo of giant octopus tentacles overlaid with a nice 2d floral illustration with half opacity.


Think twice before ordering the Phillip McKraken sushi...


I like how the 2d illustration looks a wee bit like flowers and a wee bit like waves. The tentacles are a nice association with the first track "Release The Kraken" from their first full debut album "Drowned in a Sea of Sound" (2008). For that track, I like how the "release" has a double meaning: does it mean "unleash", as in, unleash the monstrous kraken to destroy the world? or does it mean "free", as in free the enigmatic mysteries of nature? In the lyrics, it's kinda cool that the Kraken is a symbol for love. About the Kraken...


This Kraken loves the people on the ship


...on a random note, I originally thought this band was Swedish. Why you ask? Well, I was listening to Swede Pop on Last.fm, and this band was part of the set. So when I found the album on Amazon.com, and saw that the first track was called "Release the Kraken", I naturally thought it was a Swedish band, since the first thing one thinks about the Swedes are gigantic Krakens.


Swedish Chef playing air guitar


Current band members are:
- Jeff Kandefer
- Scott Beckstein
- Elizabeth Kandefer
- Mario Gimbrone


It's always snowing in Buffalo, NY


Current discography is:
- Drowned in a Sea of Sound (2008)
- The Soft Attack (EP) (2006)
- Hide Your Eyes (EP) (2006)

External Links:
- The Daysleepers
- Amazon.com
- Browse similar bands on Last.fm
- Discography on discogs.com
- Myspace