The Smarmy Carny

The official Blogathon website is running a game currently, asking bloggers to post a self-portrait in whatever format.

So, here's a very recent picture of me:

No, really, I wasn't sleeping! I'm staying awake the entire 24 hours! I really am!!!

Here's a picture of me as a little rascal.

This is a post on behalf of a game right now over at Blogathon.org. I originally wanted to post a picture of me this past January doing the Polar Bear Swim, but I really didn't want to show off my manboobs.

Don't I look like a little stinka'? I only wish that I stopped being so much trouble . . .

And boy, I've gotta get another shirt just like that one! Aww, who am I kidding. It could be worse.

Here's a cool site I ran across months ago and never got around to posting about. Now that people with time on their hands are streaming through this joint, this should be a great time to bring up.

Retrievr gives you a small square box that you can paint in. Various colors (probably 255 or more) are available, and you can paint whatever you want. Big deal, right? What's cool is that Retrievr then goes to Flickr and gets images that roughly match what you've drawn. It's really awesome.

A flower!

If you're bored, see if you can get these results:

• A sunset
• A flower
• A smiley face
• A seashell
• A fire truck
• Anything else — challenge yourself!

I couldn't get the fire truck, but I was able to get a small red car.

One entertaining game that can easily waste an hour of your day is Guess the Google. Head over to the site and click "Launch Project" to play.

In Guess the Google, you play 20 rounds. In each round, 20 pictures appear. What they have in common is that they are the results for a Google Image search on a particular word. You have 20 seconds to guess that word. You get a bonus point for each unused second left after you guess the word.

This is a fun little game. I've come back to it a few times and still enjoy it. Perhaps in a couple weeks I will post about a similar set of Google-based games that require two-player competitive/collaborative efforts.

Crooked House?

DelsJourney.com has a great picture of a "slanted" house. I was searching for a similar structure I had once seen a picture of, but I couldn't find that particular location.

DelsJourney.com has additional humorous and interesting pictures posted taken from New Zealand, Australia, and the U.S.

Of course, this is an optical illusion. An expensive optical illusion. Of course, the problem with this house is that a lousy telephone pole stands in front, ruining the effect. Additionally, the fence in the yard was not built with the illusion in mind. If you can't figure it out after staring at the original picture, take a look at an altered picture that might help you out.

Soy un perdedor

This Sunday's Site is fd's Flickr Toys.

fd's Flickr Toys had me cracking myself up. I definitely suggest you pick an embarassing picture and use it with Billboard or Movie Poster. If you have a Flickr account with at least several friends, check out Name That Contact.

For best results, get a Flickr account if you don't already have one. Some of the most fun features don't require a Flickr account, but some of the interesting ones do.

Here's a list of just some of the fun toys available over at fd (as described by the author):

• Badge Maker: See the badge I made with this tool! Make your own (unofficial) flickr badge. Print it out, laminate it, wear flickr with pride! Show the world how truly photographically geeky you really are!
• Captioner: Now with Captioner you can add comic book style captions to your digital photographs! Put words in someone else's mouth. Make an entire comic based on your photos. Tell a story.
• Magazine Cover: Make your own magazine cover! Be a superstar! Prove to your friends how famous you really are!
• Motivator: Inspire! Motivate! Mock! Armed with a digital camera and that non-stop wit of yours, you now have the power to turn a simple photograph into an inspirational message that will burn forever in the hearts and minds of dozens.

• Billboard: If you've got something important to say, say it BIG. Billboardize your message and a fabulous photo from that spiffy digital camera of yours.
• Movie Poster: Make your own customized movie poster. Be a star, spoof your family and friends. You're the director and executive producer of your very own super-blockbuster.
• Trading Card Maker: Ever wanted to honor and immortalize someone you love? What nerdierbetter way to show them you care than to put their mug on a trading card! Or make a whole deck and create your very own collectible card game.
• Calendar: Create a calendar using your photographs. Know what day it is at a glance! Plan ahead! Impress your friends with your pre-cognitive powers!
• Name That Contact: How well do you know your Flickr contacts? Can you spot them from their photos? Take the quiz and find out! And get to know your contacts better in the process.

Don't Block the Box!
by Novac.

Just say no. Don't do it, man! Don't block the box!

The amazing thing (to this novice non-photographer, at least) is that I took this picture from inside my car and it still required no editing, except that I reduced the size by 50% or so.

The "Don't Block the Box" sign is at an intersection. In normal areas, you might instead see a "Do not block intersection" sign or something to that effect. "The box," as it were, is created by painting a large square in the intersection and then filling the entire intersection with diagonal lines. It's ugly and quite unnecessary. You sure know where "the box" is, though.

The intersection was not particarly noteworthy, other than the signs and the paint. It was a slightly larger intersection, but exactly what you'd expect from roads in that area. I wonder why it is that the drivers in that area are incapable of clearing the intersection. Perhaps gridlock or a nearby train or something backs the traffic up into the intersection. Or maybe there's just something in the drinking water there.

I'd like to be there the day they have to paint the lines that create "the box." It's got to be messy, shut down the intersection, and take at least 15 minutes.