JeffRubinJeffRubin.com

2008-02-18T14:28:00.006-05:00

This blog has moved.

Please go to JeffRubinJeffRubin.com instead.

So long, Blogger! Your posting tools are annoying and desperately in need of an update that doesn't appear to be coming. I'm moving over to Tumblr.

JeffRubinJeffRubin.com should be redirecting you to the new blog (jeffrubinjeffrubin.tumblr.com) soon. You'll have to click that link if you want a list of bad movies I've seen in theaters.

Update your RSS subscriptions!

2008-02-16T11:18:00.005-05:00

I get a pretty steady trickle of Facebook friend requests from CollegeHumor fans. I'm no Jake Hurwitz, but I get maybe 5-10 every week.

However, in the 24 hours since that NBA Jam video went on the main page of the site, I've received an unprecedented NINETEEN friend requests. Two of them explicitly mention how much I suck at NBA Jam and how badly they would beat me, given the chance. To me, that's really stretching the definition of friend request.

Someone mentioned in the comments beneath the video that they've shut out the opposing team, a feat I never would have even dreamed possible until I saw it set to Beastie Boys on YouTube. I love when people play games harder than they were intended to be played. The "about this video" notes that, "we have broken The Matrix."

2008-02-15T11:27:00.001-05:00

Susanna Wolf, a very funny CH intern, started a blog.

2008-02-13T15:53:00.004-05:00

I did another video game video for CollegeHumor. Jake and I played Amir and Pat in NBA Jam (original, not TE).

To produce and edit a video of you and your friends playing video games for work is about as much fun as it sounds like. I think this one may be my favorite yet. It will be living in CH's new video games channel for a few days, before moving over to the main site. I'd embed, but it's widescreen so I think it's worth watching on CH. Link.

This week also saw the release of the first new Play Value in a while.This one is about the Commodore 64. I didn't really live through the era (the Commodore bridged the gap between Atari and my beloved NES), but I still managed to sneak a few lines in. I'll be filming more of these soon. Link.

2008-02-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

Note that "what the fuck? (WTF?)" and "what the hell? (WTH?)" moments are not necessarily mindfucks. A mindfuck occurs when the writers go to a lot of trouble to create a certain perception in the minds of the audience, and then right when the audience is comfortable with that perception, the perception is dramatically changed in a single moment. Most WTF? and WTH? moments are simply plot twists, and should be collected in the plot twist article.

- The Lostpedia.com article for "Mindfuck."

2008-02-06T20:17:00.000-05:00

For my birthday, my coworkers got a one-man band from the Subway to come to the office. I probably don't have to say this, but it was amazing. Footage below, and fun fact even further down.

Banjo Man for Jeff from Blake Whitman on Vimeo.

FUN FACT - I don't know how, but everyone has figured out I appreciate a good subway performer. On my birthday last year, friends from high school got this Mariachi band to come to my apartment.

2008-01-30T17:29:00.000-05:00

"Pundits who thought the strike would cripple Leno misunderstood something fundamental about his art: His act is already essentially crippled. Real stand-up comedy is famously time-intensive; it converts months of solid work into minutes of material, and its tiniest successes depend on superhumanly precise calibrations of tone, pace, and gesture—a discipline antithetical to the relentless, workaday schedule of a talk show. A monologue is, by definition, wounded comedy. We should assess late-night hosts, then, not by their rare bursts of excellence but by how they cope with mediocrity. Leno and Letterman both, at this point, deal mainly in terrible jokes. The question for viewers is what attitude—what existential garnish—do you want on top of them?"

- Why The Writer's Strike Couldn't Cripple Jay Leno

Conan, though I love him, could be on that list too.

2008-01-27T23:48:00.000-05:00

THE WIRE WIRE: NEWS AND UPDATES ABOUT THE WIRE

- Beadie (aka Amy Ryan) was received a best supporting actress nomination for her role in Gone Baby Gone. Stringer's work on Daddy's Little Girls was snubbed by the academy.

- Six Degrees of the Wire - both Beadie and Omar appear in Gone Baby Gone. Both Omar and Bunk appear in I Think I Love My Wife. Literally everyone that has ever been on The Wire appears on Law & Order.

- Did you know Bunk was in Hackers? He played the bumbling FBI agent who doesn't believe the hackers. But don't take my word for it! Someone posted Hackers, in it's entirety, over 11 parts on YouTube. Bunk pops up at 6:30 in part 10. Hack the planet!

- BustedTees now sells a Carcetti for Mayor shirt. It's a new day in Baltimore!

2008-01-17T13:48:00.000-05:00

Bold prediction!

2008-01-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

According to the Las Vegas Sun (via Paul Scheer), Obama loves The Wire and his favorite character is Omar.

2008-01-14T23:20:00.000-05:00

This video is supposed to make you think about the writer's strike, but all I got was a severe case of the "Don't I know you from somewhere?"s.

Look for:

- Ryan O'Riley from Oz, who was also Liz' deadbeat beeper-salesman boyfriend on 30 Rock.

- Ryan Chapelle from 24 (who has one of the most absurd exits from that show, which is really saying something).

- Judge Phelan from The Wire (he helps out Jimmy in season 1).

- The priest from Oz, who I'm pretty sure was also on Margaret Cho's short-lived sitcom All American Girl.

- THE BAD GUY FROM UNDER SIEGE 2!!!

- Chris Noth, who I have to admit I recognize.

(written without IMDb)

2008-01-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

Sam's blog post about Ricky's blog post about not reading blogs anymore raises some interesting points.

2008-01-11T12:01:00.000-05:00

I am very excited to see Persepolis. The animation reminds me of the Critic, but with more depth.

2008-01-10T21:29:00.001-05:00

THE WIRE NEWS ROUND-UP FOR THURSDAY, JANUARY 10th

The Wire superfans know that the actor who plays the deacon, Melvin Williams, was once a notorious drug dealer and the inspiration for Avon Barksdale.

BUT DID YOU KNOW?.... BET's American Gangster series, which has no relation to the movie, profiled Melvin this year. If you're interested in the real life Avon, check it out. Here's a torrent, but those with loose rules at work can watch it on BET Blast. I can't link through their crappy flash site, but go to American Gangster season 2.

In sad Wire news, this season's premiere had dismal ratings even by the The Wire standards. I suspect the number with DVR, on demand, and downloads would be substantially higher - can you even watch the show without a rewind button? This is a show that was never going to be for everyone but if you enjoy a good serialized story with characters, you really don't know what you're missing.

A lot of CollegeHumor people have messaged me about one of our "Morning After" columns for The Wire. I can only assume they read this blog, or my fanaticism is somehow coming through in Parents Just Don't Understand. Guys, if you can figure out a funny way to write about this show on a weekly basis I know I'd love to read it.

2008-01-09T15:06:00.000-05:00

Over at the Freakanomics blog, Sudhir Venkatesh watches The Wire with real life thugs.

Greeting Card

2008-01-08T20:53:00.001-05:00

2008-01-07T16:41:00.000-05:00

Notes and observations on American Gladiators.

"It was far too epic to be covered by just one man, so this morning I sat down with Dan Gurewitch, Sarah Schneider and Patrick Cassels to discuss Hulk Hogan and his army of spandex-clad beasts."

2008-01-06T16:51:00.000-05:00

The Perry Bible Fellowship book is about to enter it's third printing. Congratulations, Nick!

2008-01-06T14:57:00.000-05:00

"I heard the other day that Mitt Romney is so careful with his weight that he will pick the cheese off his pizza. Then I heard from another source that he eats pizza with a knife and fork. That's two sources, two angles: That's practically confirmation.

I just can't imagine the American people electing as president someone who does that to pizza. I'm not saying a president has to have a special knack for eating pizza - what you call 'pizza talent' - but he or she has to respect the pizza, and look comfortable with it.

You want, as a voter, to be able to say, 'He looks like he knows his way around a pizza.' "

- The Washington Post, via Slice

2008-01-06T12:41:00.001-05:00

This blog is about to turn into TheWireTheWire.com, as my favorite show returns tonight for it's fifth and final season.

I think I'm better at writing about things like Kid Nation than The Wire, but if you seek commentary I'd highly recommend TV critic Alan Sepinwall's blog. He writes reviews for New Jersey's Star Ledger, and for shows he really enjoys (The Wire, Dexter, Friday Night Lights) he blogs a weekly in-depth analysis. I recently rewatched The Wire season 4 (best season yet of the best show of all-time) and his reviews pointed out things I missed even on my second time through.

He hasn't posted his review of the season premiere yet, but he did write up a preview (which is a little spoiler-y if you are anal about these things like I am, but not too bad) and a handy guide to how the first scene each year establishes that season's theme.

Still want to read more about The Wire? I know I did this morning! Here's a (lengthy) guide to The Wire's credit sequence. Several people from the show reply in the comments, including David Simon.

2008-01-05T13:20:00.000-05:00

Now on sale at Nathan's...

2008-01-03T21:17:00.001-05:00

VocationVacation is a company that offers "dream job" vacations.

I'd say Dude Rancher is the only one that really jumps out at me.

2008-01-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

Here's the trailer for a Pixar knock-off called Ratatoing. It's totally real.

2008-01-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

2008 is already awful. According to Wikipedia:

On December 31, 2007, Nick GAS went off the air after its final airing of Figure It Out and was replaced by The N, which became a 24-hour channel after splitting from sister channel Noggin.

I wasn't going to say anything on my blog, but this is the kind of story where I think it's almost more suspicious if I stay quiet.

No news on why GAS went off the air, but if I had to guess I'd say it was their business plan of showing sports tips and trivia instead of commercials. I'll also never understand why they only showed 4 or 5 game shows from Nick's orange, splattered vaults. They were airing Figure It Out 8-12 times a day, every single day, for several years. Would it have killed them to show a What Would You Do?

NBC is bringing back American Gladiators. Maybe it's time to update GUTS for a new millennium too.

Phil Moore, Mike O'Malley, Kirk Fogg, Mo, and even you Summer Sanders - thanks for the memories. I only hope the Internet can deliver 10 years from now when I'm feeling nostalgic and have an itch to watch a temple guard scare a child.

2007-12-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

Some housekeeping:

- I did another video game talk show-y video for CollegeHumor, this time with Ben Schwartz. I'm still kind of feeling out this format, but I'm starting to get a better idea of what works and doesn't. I think next time I'd plan out what we're going to play a little more, and maybe try to trace a theme through a few different eras. Watch the video in all it's HD glory here.

Ben is unbelievably funny, both in his work and in person. His website, RejectedJokes.com, was nominated for a New York comedy award in the same category as CollegeHumor's CHTV so actually nevermind fuck him.

- Dave Fishel made another Dance Blog video. This is the third one I've participated in, and it's at least as fun as it looks. I was a little intimidated by the security guard yelling at us to stop, so I sorta half-danced for some of it. I guess I thought that the guard would be say, "Arrest them all! Except that one, he's just sort of bopping."

- It's tempting to link to every CHTV video, but you really must must watch Million Dollar Babies.

- Here's me and Amanda killing You Oughta Know karaoke at the company Christmas party. Someone said this was the first time a beer bong had been in a Frank Gehry building. I'm not sure if that's true, but it's almost certainly the first octobong.

- I had another million dollar idea. Lifesaver Toppers - a top for your Lifesavers that keeps your top lifesaver from getting all linty. It's adjustable and also fits Tums, etc. I figure I can sell them for $25.

2007-12-14T12:20:00.000-05:00

All three seasons of Arrested Development are $30 on Amazon. Today only.

2007-12-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

First pictures from Indiana Jones and the Blah Blah Blah Whatever.

2007-12-10T19:22:00.001-05:00

Pizza!, originally uploaded by DrBaloney.

The Hanukkah gift Jessie knitted for me was blogged by Slice. In my world there is no greater honor than to be on the New York pizza blog and filed under "pizza weirdness."

I saw a guy on the subway with what appeared to be a jacket for people who worked on MTV's Oddville. I hadn't thought about Oddville in years!

2007-12-10T08:23:00.000-05:00

I saw a guy on the subway with what appeared to be a jacket for people
who worked on MTV's Oddville. I hadn't thought about Oddville in years!

I still can't decide if the guy worked at MTV in the early 90's or was
homeless. I suppose it could be both.

2007-12-08T11:42:00.000-05:00

Human Giant came over to the CH offices, and we played the original Halo. Here's the video. The game was a perpetual distraction, which led to some unusual conversations.

Obviously making the video was a blast, but I'm still not sure what it's like for you the home audience. Is this a format you guys would want to see more of?

BONUS FEATURES! Here's two deleted scenes on Vimeo.

2007-12-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

Amazon is hosting three short films that serve as prequels for The Wire. One deals with Bunk and McNulty's first meeting in 2000, one features a young Omar in 1985, and the one features a young Proposition Joe (my favorite character) in 1962.

I'm pretty spoiler-phobic and I'm not sure if these are to be used in the fifth season, but I don't think so. I think we're safe. If you watch The Wire, you've already stopped reading this blog post and you're on your way to Amazon. I don't care about people who don't watch the Wire so I'm just going to stop writing.

2007-12-05T23:03:00.000-05:00

Notes & Observations on the penultimate Kid Nation.

(as always, spoilers. Fun fact: my blog sees a fair amount of traffic from people Googling "Kid Nation Spoilers.")

- Meeting those Native Americans must have seemed pretty awesome to the town council, until they got back and saw the hot air balloons. Hope they like wisdom!

- This is by far the most incompetent council yet, and the first class featured both Mike and Taylor.

- Thimble-child Mallory has yet to have a reaction the editors didn't like.

- I can see why Jared's upset! Of all the characters who got any face time, he's the only one who didn't make it to the council or win a gold star. It's a shame too, I think I would have really enjoyed that teleporter.

- After Sophia chose the balloons, I was hoping the host would burn down the monument in front of the kids. Mallory's reaction would have been priceless.

- On a similar note, I wanted to see the town tear apart the arcade after it was closed.

- A lot of Kid Nation's pre-air hooplah focused on reports that one of the kids drank bleach. I guess it's not going to be on the show, so we'll have to speculate. My money's on Pharoh.

- To me, this show is only barely tolerable and it only scores that high because of DVR. I feel pity for anyone who has to watch the entire challenges. I noticed in the credits that Kid Nation has a separate 'Showdown Director.' CBS, fire this man.

- Alex's dad was the twist this episode needed. Did not see that coming!

- With next week's finale undoubtedly full of crying and flashbacks, this was in many ways the last true episode. The writers' strike will probably reap Kid Nation 2 before long, but I'm not sure I'll be watching. When does the new American Gladiators start?

- The Kid Nation Wikipedia page is more organized than it needs to be, though I do love color-shaded tables.

2007-12-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

That Lauryn Hill video is now up in HD. Relive the magic!

2007-12-01T12:26:00.000-05:00

2007-11-30T00:22:00.001-05:00

New Play Value!

I had very little idea what I was talking about in this one, Coleco was before my time. I downloaded an emulator and did some research. Most of my findings didn't make it into the episode, so let me just tell you guys the best game is Popeye.

2007-11-29T17:50:00.000-05:00

First Comedy Central put every Daily Show, ever, online. Next, they are doing South Park. They report the program has been an enormous success, and has actually helped ratings.

So why hasn't NBC gotten every SNL skit ever online? The only thing they sell is a complete first season box set and various best-of's, so it's not cutting into DVD sales. I don't think anyone even syndicates anything from the pre-Ferrell era anymore.

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?

(The guy who runs NBC reads JeffRubinJeffRubin.com, right? If so, leave a comment.)

2007-11-28T17:23:00.001-05:00

Alexa's not the most reliable source of traffic data, but still interesting...

2007-11-27T19:49:00.000-05:00

"Excuse me does anybody know what time it is"
"Quarter-to-eight."
"Nope! It's doo wop time!"

- The opening to the greatest act I've ever seen on the subway.

It's unlikely, but I really hope I run into these guys again. They
will be really surprised when I correctly answer their question.

2007-11-23T12:26:00.001-05:00

The day after Thanksgiving, Americans are increasingly turning away from leftovers and ordering pizza..

2007-11-20T13:32:00.000-05:00

Live Free or Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis and an exploding helicopter.

2007-11-20T08:34:00.002-05:00

My friend Matt was mugged last night for his iPod Touch. Most people would call it a night after getting beat up and robbed but Matt, being Matt, went home and did something creative. The resulting video is equally horrifying and uplifting.

my stolen ipod touch commercial from matthew k on Vimeo.

2007-11-18T11:04:00.000-05:00

From the vaults...

This predates my time at CollegeHumor. I made it with some friends and no script my last summer at Penn State.

2007-11-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

"I think Mario 2 was like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Many of the original characters who were well liked didn't make an appearance, and more good guys (including a "princess") were added to the main group.

The bad guys completely changed, and, though not necessarily less evil, were taken less seriously (I mean, Hitler/Nazis and King Koopa/Troopas are generally depicted as the ultimate evil in their respective domains. Anything else seems less bad afterwards). It didn't help that the new enemies had quirks out of the norm from typical evildoers of the era.

etc.

All in all, neither of them deserves their bad reputation, and I enjoy both from time to time. The problem is that they're stuck in between an amazing predecessor and an awesome successor"

- CH user Skine in the comments on this week's video game column, which is all about Mario Galaxy.

2007-11-11T15:01:00.000-05:00

This week's 30 Rock was particularly strong, and likely the best comedy to on TV since Arrested Development was canceled. This post nicely sums up what made it so great, and calls attention to one particular joke that went down like a classic Simpsons gag (though I thought it seemed more Homer than Lenny).

30 Rock is obviously connected to Arrested Development on the style-of-comedy family tree, but I hadn't thought about the similarities to the prime years of The Simpsons until just now. The subtitles on Cerie's cousins were a little racier than anything that would have happened in Springfield, but still carry The Simpsons' trademark double-zag.

Comparing something to classic Simpsons is about the highest compliment I am capable of giving, but 30 Rock is really running on full steam now.

I think it's the thing I'll miss most if the writer's strike continues into next year.

2007-11-10T14:53:00.000-05:00

I do a weekly video games column for CollegeHumor, and this week I did it as a video.

Special thanks to Patrick and Blake for helping me shoot this, and the supercool Nate for letting us into his apartment for an afternoon.

2007-10-30T21:32:00.001-04:00

They are making a Crank 2.

Crank 1 was like an issue of Maxim turned into a 90 minute movie. I never thought I would have to call it Crank 1, but here we are.

(via Elephant Larry)

2007-10-30T21:09:00.001-04:00

photo by Justin Ouilette.

Justin's been taking fantastic pictures of everyone at the office and putting them on Flickr (link). This one's mine, and I love it.

2007-10-29T09:22:00.000-04:00

Good Idea For a Bad Movie:

The hero's girlfriend gets killed on the first Sunday of November, but then he exploits daylights savings and time zones to plausibly travel back in time and save her.

It's called, "Fallback Plan."

2007-10-29T00:21:00.000-04:00

My friend Scott did this, and it was awesome.

Previously in Scott & Pizza.

2007-10-25T23:49:00.000-04:00

Bryan found my new favorite song, Martian Hop by the Ran-Dells. He writes...

Ten years before Bob Moog invented the voltage controlled synthesizer, The Ran-Dells were manipulating sine waves and splicing tape by hand. Note the sci-fi B-movie blast-off effect at the beginning. Then take in the Doo-wop chorus. If not for the so-called "novelty" content of this song (Don't count me among the naysayers. I watched the X-Files. I want to believe! ) this song might be remembered alongside other vocal group classics.

2007-10-24T23:57:00.000-04:00

Notes and Observations on Kid Nation, episode 5 -

(spoilers)

- Not much to say about this episode. Taylor is such a one-dimensional bitch that she eventually just got boring.

- I wish I hadn't seen this picture right before the DK-focused episode.

- We replayed a few times on DVR and I'm pretty sure the home-schooled Guylan said, "I lived in a zoo, so I know how to handle a pig."

- While watching the episode I asked, "Who is more pathetic, Taylor or her friend?" New Kid Nation buddy Matt replied "You."

- Do they have showers? I guess they can't show kids showering, so we'll probably never know. It seems obvious, but last week we found out they had been living without toothbrushes.

- Is this the second challenge that has involved live pigs? Does CBS own a nearby farm?

- Speaking of challenges! Did you catch Olivia's bitter "come on Anjay" as he fruitlessly dugg through beans and pig shit? That rivalry is not over.

- CBS always works in one shot of the adorable little Asian kid with one tooth. You can set your watch to it. Same with the thimble-tiny Christian girl who won a gold star back in week 2.

- Fred Claus looks terrible, and I'm pretty sure it isn't going away until New Years. Just when it starts to fade there's going to be a second wave of "Get the family, and spend the holidays... with Fred" ads.

- PREDICTION: Taylor's no Greg, and she will not redeem herself and earn a gold star.

- The weekly challenges are getting increasingly arbitrary, which I suppose is as good a way as any to decide the upper class.

- I hate the one adult. They should get an 18-year-old to host the show or, at the very least, a cool 13-year-old in a suit.

- The Kid Nation cast page on CBS is full of kids who have received no face time, like Migle and Nathan. I guess they weren't being bitchy or making empty threats to leave Bonanza City.

2007-10-22T17:37:00.000-04:00

I'm not embedding this because I want you to see it in widescreen.

2007-10-18T00:39:00.000-04:00

Notes and Observations on Kid Nation, Episode 5

(SPOILERS !)

- I've got two "I told you so"s: 1) Greg finally got his gold star. The producers have been teasing it every week, and I'm glad this storyline is finally out of the way. 2) I thought councilman Mike was in over his head, but I was apparently underestimating the problem. In the past I've criticized Kid Nation for lacking teeth, but the scene where Mike failed to receive a single vote but his own was brutal. He answered his own question when, through tears, he asked why nobody had voted for him.

- Gunyan (Guynan? Something like that) - you kept quiet the first few weeks so I don't have a read on you yet. I'm watching.

- CBS is trying to make "deal with it" a catchphrase. I don't think it's happening. Deal with it.

- If the kids didn't go for the BBQ, they are never going to take the instant gratification prize.

- Why didn't they just let the kids have toothpaste from the beginning? This isn't Survivor.

- PREDICTION: The previously anonymous girl that called George Bush stupid will recede to the shadows and never be heard from again.

- The best shot every week is when the host rings his bell and the kids make a mad dash to get to him first. The whole sequence is equal parts Pied Piper and It's A Mad Mad Mad World.

- Bonanza Creek apparently does have one rule from the adults - always wear a bandanna with your team's color. Doesn't matter how you do it, just get it done.

- This week's challenge was particularly boring, even by reality TV challenge standards.

- I didn't write about Kid Nation last week, but I love it when a kid elects to leave. Everyone acts sad, but I bet after the on-camera goodbye hugs the producers take him behind the barnyard and bury him in an unmarked grave.

- My gold star of the week goes to the kid who pogo sticked all over Taylor's poster.

P.S. - Maybe I watch too many shows starring kids, but have you guys seen the new season of Degrassi? That show's slogan is "It goes there," and they fucking mean it. (vague spoiler) The most recent tragedy to befall a student at Degrassi High is two things they've done before combined, with an additional third thing I believe is new. It's a top 5 "goes there" moment for sure.

P.P.S. Is anyone interested in Notes and Observations on Degrassi? I usually fall behind watching that show, so I'd probably always be a few weeks late. Let me know in the comments or by e-mail. I'd love to do it, so if there's even a passing interest in delayed, in-depth Degrassi coverage I'll probably go for it.

2007-10-17T19:16:00.000-04:00

Vimeo has HD video! Vimeo has HD video!

Here's two to get you started...

Spinto Band's Trust vs. Mistrust (directed by Matt)

Jake & Amir's Make Believe

2007-10-16T23:28:00.000-04:00

Streeter and myself at the rejection show last week. Thanks to Steph for taping it.

2007-10-16T01:03:00.000-04:00

Bill Watterson reviews a new biography of Charles Schultz.

Bill Watterson doesn't write enough. I perk up whenever I hear his name.

Here's an interview where he answered 15 questions.

2007-10-15T18:55:00.000-04:00

I love Zappos.

- Once I ordered shoes from them on a Tuesday night, and they were there Wednesday morning. IT DIDN'T EVEN MAKE SENSE. We spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how they did it, as if it was a magic trick.

- Once I ordered shoes from them, and they sent me an email to let me know my purchase would be delayed because of a train derailment somewhere in Kentucky. They included a link to the CNN story. The shoes were still there the next day.

- Once Jake ordered shoes from them. When asked how he heard about Zappos, he said "from a friend." They emailed to ask what friend, and he told them it was me. That same day I received an email from Zappos customer service thanking me.

Still, nothing beats this one.

The company I work for owns a different e-shoe store. I get a 25% discount there, and I still use Zappos. That's how good they are - they're at least 25% better than the competition.

2007-10-12T09:42:00.000-04:00

That doesn't sound very chaotic at all.

2007-10-07T19:02:00.001-04:00

Streeter and I will be returning to The Rejection Show this Wednesday the 10th (UCB Theater, 8 pm, $5)

From the website:

"The Rejection Show is a comedic based event that embraces the rejected and "turned down" material of professional and amateur writers, comedians, cartoonists, artists, and human beings whom display their creative "failures" live on stage."

Streeter and I can't fail and have never been turned down, so we'll be presenting material that was sent into CollegeHumor and didn't make the cut. We've done the show twice before, and it's always really fun. Here's two videos from the first time we did it:

If you think you might go, I recommend reserving tickets.

Should be fun!

2007-10-06T12:55:00.001-04:00

I love finding chinks in Wikipedia's armor. It reminds you what the site is. From the page on multi-headed animals (polycephaly):

"Modern fiction does not like anatomical variation as much as mythology, perhaps because of the need to give specific detais, which is difficult to do if the thing one is describing is impossible. There is one obvious example: the character Zaphod Beeblebrox, in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

2007-10-06T11:45:00.001-04:00

This blog thinks I'm more clever than I am. JeffRubin.com was just already taken.

2007-10-03T23:31:00.000-04:00

Notes on Kid Nation, episode 3 -

(SPOILERS!!!!)

- The kids who are not hamming it up from the camera and falling between the cracks are probably having a blast. They're just avoiding the nonsense. Wasn't there a kid with a mohawk at some point?

- CBS got kids who were old and young, rich and poor, black and white, and everything in between. They were apparently, however, unable to find any ugly children.

- PREDICTION: 15-year-old bruiser Greg will walk out of Kid Nation with a gold star.

- I watched the show with my friend Adam, who theorized that the Indian team leader who never gets any face time is in fact a 30-year-old man with an Andy Milonakis-esque disease.

- I missed episode 2, but I'm pretty sure Taylor use the phrase "President George Bush" both tonight and on the premiere. According to the website, she's from Georgia.

- Speaking of the queen of the yellow team, moments like Taylor crying when everyone said she was doing a bad job are the reason I watch Kid Nation.

- Taylor caught a lot of shit at the town meeting this week, but councilman Mike is obviously in way over his head. Mike talks a big game about building a society, but when forced to choose between 40 pizzas or a microwave he argued "This town NEEDS pizza." When the other leaders pointed out that the town wants pizza but needs a microwave, Mike pointed out that the other kids were chanting for pizza. In a very adult moment, he asked "What are we going to do when we pick the microwave and everyone's groaning?"

- After the kids chose the microwave, the host should have poured gasoline all over the pizza and burned it in front of their eyes.

- PREDICTION: The season finale of Kid Nation will have so many slow motion montages it will slow down time itself.

- I don't think any other kids will elect to go home. Well, maybe Mike. Mike's such a tragic figure. I hate him and pity him at the same time. He wears a cowboy hat well though, I have to give him that.

- I wish there was a shot with a camera man in it, so I could get a real feel for what their world is really like.

- Do you think there was any hooking up in Bonanza Creek? Many of these kids are 14 and 15. Women love a jerk like Greg.

- CBS must think we think the kids are morons. When a kid says something obvious, they treat it like an accomplishment. While debating about the pizza vs. the microwave, CBS helpfully cut to fan-favorite Jared explaining "We can use the microwave to easily reheat things." I know they understand. They're kids, they're not idiots.

2007-10-02T22:14:00.000-04:00

I don't embed SuperDeluxe often, but DutchWest earned it.

This is the first of many commercial parodies they did for SuperDeluxe. They're all at least this great.

I also can't get enough of the new DutchWest intro.

2007-09-29T12:29:00.000-04:00

And now, Play Value brings you the thrilling conclusion to Failed Consoles part 1.

I'm always a little bit more excited when I'm the screenshot.

2007-09-24T19:45:00.000-04:00

Here's an easy, objective way to quantify your nerdiness -

How many names do you recognize on Wikipedia's list of fictional insects?

I scored a 9/35 but I also disagree with their interpretation of Jetstream as an insect, so let's bump it up to an even 10. Do I lose points for not checking out the list of fictional butterflies and moths?

2007-09-23T00:28:00.000-04:00

Gems from the New York Times archives.

Homey dont play that

2007-09-21T13:43:00.000-04:00

2007-09-21T10:09:00.000-04:00

Seriously, fuck you guys.

2007-09-21T00:06:00.000-04:00

Weird Al was amazing. He's such a unique talent, there's really nothing you can compare it to.

Some more pictures on Flickr.

I ended up wearing a Tenacious D shirt.

2007-09-19T09:07:00.000-04:00

This sounds girly, but I really don't know what to wear to the Weird
Al concert.

2007-09-18T15:59:00.000-04:00

Eric C on Vimeo took my original A Whole New Lipdub and redubbed it in Japanese. The Japanese version of the song seems to be identical note-for-note, beat-for-beat, so it actually works pretty well.

Eric wrote me beforehand asking if it would be okay, and I of course said yes. Take notes other video sharing sites! What separates Vimeo from the rest of you is the community.

A "whole new" Whole New World from eric cwiertny on Vimeo.

Found in the office

2007-09-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

2007-09-17T18:55:00.001-04:00

Fall TV Prediction

2007-09-16T14:47:00.000-04:00

People will get over Heroes, which isn't actually all that good.

2007-09-13T19:13:00.000-04:00

I took this on NJ Transit yesterday. That Game Boy is probably older than most CollegeHumor readers.

I think this photo says a lot about both the lasting appeal of Tetris, and how easy it is to take close-up pictures of strangers with an iPhone.

2007-09-13T18:07:00.000-04:00

Judaic quandary - Can't I just skip Rosh Hashanah and atone for it next week?

2007-09-09T14:44:00.000-04:00

I'm in here somewhere. This is the second Davey Dance Blog I participated in. These look even better if you go to Vimeo and download the source Quicktime. You can really see how much fun we are having.

Davey Dance Blog -34- TIMES SQUARE - Muse - "Time Is Running Out" from Pheasant Plucker and Vimeo.

2007-09-01T11:50:00.000-04:00

They've released a new version of one of my all-time favorite games, Capcom's Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo. You don't even have to get off the couch to buy it! You can download Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo HD Remix straight to your Xbox 360 for about $10. This is the first online-enabled Puzzle Fighter, so you can compete against people from around the world. We're a flying car away from The Jetsons here, people.

Puzzle Fighter is a cult game even among cult games. The tongue-in-cheek title turns a lot of people off, and one of the worst soundtracks ever doesn't help (listen).

Unlike similar block dropping games, Puzzle Fighter is built around competition. There's no way to just play for score, you are always trying to defeat an opponent. The game's not without it's quirks - as far as I know even the mighty Internet was never able to crack the math behind some of it's mechanics.

That's why I'm SO excited that HD Remix includes an option to play both a meticulous recreation of the original game (dubbed X) and a rebalanced remix (dubbed X'). The changes between the two are so minor and ridiculous, I would sound insane describing them. I'm embarrassed I noticed a few. Capcom was so paranoid about these little tweaks that they couldn't commit to them. They just threw up their hands and said, "you figure it out." I respect that.

Is anyone really going to use the drop pattern editor? I consider myself a pretty legit Puzzle Fighter fan, and Super Puzzle Fighter II HD Remix has more options than even I'm interested in. That's the best review I can give it.

2007-08-30T19:07:00.001-04:00

Probably should have mentioned this earlier in the week, but I'll be doing a show tomorrow night (Friday, the 30th) with Streeter, Dan and Amir.

The show is ROFL. Eight teams are organized in a bracket format. You beat your opponent by having a funnier presentation of a clip from the Internet. Streeter and I are one of the teams, Dan and Amir are another. You can buy tickets here.

If you can't make it, don't worry! There will be another chance to catch Streeter & I at the Rejection Show (again) in early October.

2007-08-28T22:00:00.000-04:00

Want to see the trailer for the new Coen Brothers movie, No Country For Old Men? It's online!

Me too, but I can't.

According to the official website, the MPAA concluded people under 17 shouldn't see the trailer. Fair enough. To prove you're of age, you have to enter your name, zip code, and birthday. NoCountryForOldMen.com then contacts a third-party to compare your information to government databases.

I still don't know what's in the preview, but apparently the film has "language, violence, nudity, sex and drug use."

Budweiser's comedy website bud.tv requires a similar verification, god forbid someone under 21 sees a ribald ad for their shitty beer.

Whoever thought of this is obviously old, and doesn't understand the Internet.

By the way, here's what happens if you search Google for porno.

2007-08-26T15:56:00.000-04:00

Today I launch my new blog, newyorkshittyads.com

2007-08-24T17:34:00.001-04:00

I interviewed Steve Wiebe, star of the new documentary King of Kong. Steve is the world champion of Donkey Kong, and the movie tells his fascinating story.

King of Kong is an amazing movie, and Steve's a great guy. The movie isn't about video games, it's about people - people who just happen to play too much Donkey Kong. Please, go see it. It's currently got a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.

2007-08-24T08:25:00.001-04:00

Another week, another new Play Value. I just noticed I can embed these. This one's about Tetris.

I think I got some good lines in this one.

2007-08-23T21:33:00.000-04:00

I'm a big Scott Gairdner fan. Here's his latest, Travis' Wish.

He's done a wide variety of great videos for CH, and you would never guess they are all by the same person. My favorite before this is The Pursuit of Rappyness.

2007-08-22T23:18:00.001-04:00

Vimeo, which was already awesome, just released this new widget called a projector. Check it out, this one goes through every Vimeo movie I'm in. You can full screen and everything.

2007-08-21T19:30:00.000-04:00

2007-08-20T19:47:00.001-04:00

The Perry Bible Fellowship collection (link) is currently the #414th best-selling book on Amazon.

In "comics and graphic novels" it's #4. #1 and #2 are both Stardust, which has a major movie version in theaters now. #3 is Watchmen, which is widely regarded as greatest graphic novel of all-time. #5 is 300.

Also, it's not coming out for another month and a half.

This is no longer support The Perry Bible Fellowship, just make sure you get your first edition.

2007-08-20T19:15:00.001-04:00

Dear HBO,

Please release all the music from season 1 of Flight of the Conchords in an easy digital download, preferably for free. If you don't do it, someone else will.

Thanks for renewing the show for a well deserved second season!

Sincerely,
Jeff

2007-08-18T12:31:00.000-04:00

(written by Streeter w/ Dan)

2007-08-17T10:59:00.000-04:00

I don't plan on posting about it every week, but I got so much positive feedback about the last episode I thought I would let everyone know that there's a new Play Value up. This one's called "The Fall of Atari."

Remember, new episodes every Thursday! You can subscribe via RSS, email alerts, or iTunes.

2007-08-12T10:40:00.001-04:00

I don't remember why, but at some point I made Creative Commons my default on Flickr. It's okay be my if the world remixes pictures of my drunk friends playing Sorry.

This company called Schmaps actually used them though (they asked first too, which was nice). They make free travel guides, and the photographs are all creative commons licensed pictures from Flickr. Now the world will see the second district of Leopoldstadt through my eyes.

Click here and go to Leopoldstadt second district. There's more than one picture, so let it cycle for a second.

Cool! I think this is neat.

2007-08-07T21:39:00.001-04:00

I appear in the new series Play Value. It's a talking heads show about the history of video games. I play a talking head.

Watch it here!

There's two episodes up right now, and there should be a new one every week. There's plenty of subscription options on the page including iTunes, iPhone, RSS, and e-mail updates.

2007-08-06T23:56:00.000-04:00

The Perry Bible Fellowship's Casting Call. My favorite in a while, and he's been on a tear.

Just pre-ordered the book on Amazon.

2007-08-04T10:35:00.001-04:00

My Grandma's Desktop by Jeff Rosenberg

Instant Messaging with Mom by Dan Gurewitch

2007-08-03T00:28:00.001-04:00

Did you know there's a Billboard chart for Ringtones, and that the #1 song right now is the Super Mario theme? It's been on the charts longer than anything in the top 40.

(#8 - Because I Got High)

2007-07-31T09:44:00.000-04:00

Here is an article about this:

Davey Dance Blog - 28 - NYC MTA - The Sunshine Underground - from Pheasant Plucker and Vimeo.

2007-07-30T22:25:00.001-04:00

It's old, but I just found Chris Rock's top 25 rap albums. Best call -

5.) PHARCYDE - BIZARRE RIDE II: THE PHARCYDE (1992)
Only in rap do you get one-album-wonders. The Pharcyde are like the Boston of rap.

2007-07-27T17:37:00.000-04:00

I write a weekly video game column for CollegeHumor called A Winner Is You. This week, for a change of pace, I made a video with our intern Susanna. Amir, as always, helped too.

2007-07-27T17:34:00.000-04:00

It's been a week, and I'm finally allowed to explain that my last blog post was the result of another lost bet with Amir.

When discussing it out loud, CollegeHumor's editor Dave commented "No it's not, and I've done both."

2007-07-24T10:01:00.000-04:00

Having six Oreos in your mouth at once is like eating the world's most delicious pussy.