Friday Night Block Party

3 inches of snow and then 1.5 inches of rain that would have been another 14 inches of snow today. Disaster averted. Someday, this winter has to end. July maybe?

End of the Work Week
My real day job went well this week and I finished four DNA constructs that were problematic the last two weeks. Always good to get rid of the problem projects.

Market wise I am tapped out and in the mood for a fun night so this will be a quick note. I went in on HSY and DAN this morning and I am looking for a move up next week.

I do hope you all know that the Jesse Livermore quote I posted last night was made up?

Friday Night Block Party
I saw way too many cool things this week so off to the good stuff.

Dog Training Tip
Last weekend I reviewed killer dog treats made by Lose a Finger. After a week of using the slow smoked brisket balls here is what I can say. At first it was annoying as my pug dog Norman was obsessed with the things. He was following me around trying to get extra treats so I had to lay down the law. He figured things out (he is slow, as are all dogs, they are not cats after all!) and now he will do whatever I want him to for another treat! At this point the dog will bark out scenes from Hamlet for another brisket ball. If you need to train your dog, check these things out.

Gallium: Room Temperature Melting Metal
Gallium is a solid at room temp, but just over that it will melt. Freak your friends out when they are over for tea with this trick:

You could really mess with them and go all "The Matrix" and say 'there is no spoon' as you do this.

Physician, Heal Thyself
Over at iO9 they have a great list of 10 scientists that experimented on themselves. Click on over for the other 9, but here is one:

7. Stubbins Ffirth
Doctor Ffirth shows that some research needs not only guts, but grueling dedication and strong stomach. To prove that yellow fever was not contagious. Stubbins poured vomit from a yellow fever patient on cuts on his arms. Then he poured it on his eyes. Then in his mouth, ingesting straight from the patient. Then he moved on to other fluids. He never got sick, but he proved something that turned out to be false. Yellow fever is contagious, but only through blood.

Nasty.

Zoom in on a Moon
I am not talking about Google Earth you perverts looking at unsuspecting ladies! I must have burned a few hours this week using this cool tool that allows you to zoom way in on the Earth's Moon:
Nearside Spectacular
Looking at the craters and other features is amazing. Have fun.

Japanese Anime
Graph Jam breaks it down for us:

see more Funny Graphs
Yup.

Film Clips
Cinema you may or may have not seen.

A film with so many great scenes, "Joe Versus the Volcano" is a favorite of mine:


This is so sick but you know you love this one from "Misery":

Ouch.

Rock Blogging
Keeping the free world rocking on Friday since 2007.

I was reading this post over at soon to be published author (congratulations again!) Jennifer Hillier's site and I thought of Iron Maiden's "Moonchild" so here it is:

Love that tune.

OMG! I had no idea there was a music video for "The Neverending Story"! By Limahl:

Klo should like that one! That dude looks high on more than just life though.

How about "Still of the Night"? Not the Whitesnake song! Here are The Five Satins:

So smooth!

Sometimes it is just Pat Benatar time. Here is a live rehearsal of a "Promises in the Dark" show sure to please:

Awesome, just lights out. A rehearsal for crying out loud.

Two to go, two songs left. Try not to get too sad.

Not quite under the 1 year rule, but close! Here is Dokken's classic "Alone Again":

Lighters OUT!

Last call.

Closing the show with "Mr. Crowley" from the Tribute album. Don't bug me, I wanted to hear it:

Randy Rhoads is the man.

Have a good night.

Product Reviews

Saw a great film and discovered a new dog treat this weekend!

Film Review
I had mixed feelings about going to see the film "The Fighter". Being from Lowell and a huge boxing fan I know all about Mickey Ward and his boxing history. I was worried Lowell might come off looking like a bad city as well. I can say the film was outstanding! I had no idea how difficult things were for Ward and how his family was so involved with his career. The film features my old trainer Arthur Ramalho as well though he does not speak in the film, too funny.

I suggest you see this film and if Christian Bale does not win the Oscar for best Supporting Actor the whole thing is a sham. Bale gives a once in a lifetime performance that is one of the best acting displays I have ever seen.

Lose a Finger Dog Treats
Fellow Big Steel Keg user BoatnBBQ has started his very own small business. I stopped in to Lose a Finger and figured I would try out some of the all natural dog treats Boat makes using slow smoked left overs from the keg.

I ordered the bacon and cheddar, crunchy peanut butter, and slow smoked brisket flavors to try out on the Pug dog Norman. The product was shipped fast and here they are:

Instead of a laundry list of funky ingredients you need to be a chemist to understand, here is the ingredient label for the brisket balls:
-Whole wheat flour
-Milk
-Baking powder
-Slow smoked brisket
That's it. No preservatives and no weird chemical binders or filler.

Of course the real test is how the dog likes them. Norman is a pug dog who are not exactly known for being picky eaters. I cut open the bag of brisket balls and the dog started sniffing the air aggressively. I started him off with one and he rolled it on the floor for a second, then swallowed it down. When I took out a second one he went into a perfect sitting position waiting for the treat! This dog was hooked!

Every time I go into the kitchen now the dog follows me in hoping for another treat ball. He stares at the cabinet where they are kept as well. Safe to say he is a big fan.

Not to be outdone, the cat seems to be very interested in the treats as well but my cat Jessie is already getting huge so I did not give her any! Ha ha cat, too bad. Here are the kids trying to grab a brisket ball:

The pug fully endorses the product.

$10 will get you a full 16 ounce bag of treats. There are smaller sizes as well. In the pet stores up here I always see $15 dog biscuits made with froofy stuff like tofu, rice, and various granola. That is all well and good, but any real dog wants a hardy treat and these fit the bill. If you are interested swing on by the Lose a Finger site and try some out. I congratulate Boat and his wife on starting a small business and wish them well.

Disclosure: I have no affiliation with this company; I paid in full for the treats I have; I was not solicited or asked for this review.

Ok, off to watch the Daytona 500. Harvick's all black #29 will be my car today.

Have a good night.