Category: Overlooked Pop Culture

By Thomas Holbrook II

On Old School Raw, several legends made guest appearances.  “Double A” Arn Anderson, Sgt Slaughter, DDP, Booker T, and others would help bring back some wonderful memories of WWE.  The one pleasant surprise that ended the show was none other than Jake the Snake Roberts coming out with his customary bag to the dismay of The Shield, a faction that imposes it’s own “brand of justice.”

There was more to him than the giant snake.  His ring psychology was so effective, his mic work so extraordinary, that physique didn’t matter.  Here’s a rare piece of footage of him in WCW.

There was more to him than the giant snake.  His ring psychology was so effective, his mic work so extraordinary, that physique didn’t matter.  Here’s a rare piece of footage of him in WCW.

The intellectual villain has been a rarity in professional wrestling, and nobody has matched him to date in my humble opinion.  I remember his brief feud with Sting and to this day, it’s a shame that it wasn’t lengthy.

So who is your favorite wrestling legend?  Feel free to sound off in the comments section below.

The new year has started off right with more dedication to this site, including having some links ready for everybody to check out each week.

Have a link you want to see here?  Feel free to drop us a line in the comments, on any of our social networking places (linked to the left), via phone (660-474-0345), or by e-mail (thomash2@thenixedreport.com).

Unix

• Fedora Project: Sponsored by Red Hat, version 20 of this Operating System is the first stop on this year’s Distro Journey.
• Is Microsoft Grasping at Straws? (FOSS Force): Ken “helios” Starks asks the question of whether Microsoft is on their last legs regarding competition against Free and Open Source Software.  From mentioning the aQuantive buyout to Rockstar, Starks paints a picture of a company that has grown desperate.
• Razer’s Project Christine (MaximumPC): Those who are seasoned veterans when it comes to upgrading PC’s may have had their fair share of nicks and cuts on their hands and fingers.  Razer is apparently wanting to change all of that by creating a modular gaming system that lends itself to easier upgrades.

Overlooked Pop Culture

• The British Punk Band that Fooled Reagan, Thatcher, and the CIA (The Daily Beast): Crass, a British Punk Band conducted a prank in which a fake phone call between then President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher caused quite a stir.  American intelligence blamed the soviets, while the British blamed Argentine spies.  The lead singer is disturbed to this day that governments were so easily fooled.
• On News Sources and Bias (Bonnie Kristian):  The argument is made that there is no way to get rid of bias in news or the media in general.  The blog post links to sources that they pursue on a regular basis.
• Decapitated Sex Toys Prompted Police Probe (The Smoking Gun): A Florida woman’s ex-girlfriend had apparently cut off the heads of a few dildos, prompting her to contact the police.  Due to lack of evidence, the case was eventually closed.  Of course it wouldn’t be Wednesday Weekly Links without something really weird like this.

By Thomas Holbrook II:

I remember growing up with the NES.  It was the predominant gaming console of the late 1980’s.  That’s why it could be found in Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

Though I didn’t own one, I’ve also played the Sega Genesis and found it to be fascinating.  This 16-bit console hit North America before the SNES, making it among the first of the 16-bit systems.

Sonic, Mortal Kombat, and other games that had more of adult elements (in some cases, via cheat codes) were possible under the Genesis.  However, friendly games like Ecco the Dolphin were also available for enjoyment.

Sporting a Motorola 68000 CPU, this console ran off the same architecture as old school Apple computers.  Though it never really took off, the company eventually released add-ons to increase the capabilities of the Genesis.

Though they never quite made it in the console market, Sega can still be found today publishing popular games for numerous platforms.  Thank you Sega for re-igniting my passion for vintage gaming.

Out with 2013, and in with 2014.  No matter what this year brings, it won’t be boring.  With that said, here’s some links for you to check out this week.

Unix

• Getting Involved in FOSS (opensource.com): The Red Hat sponsored website has seven ways for people to get involved in various projects that share their source code and invite collaboration from others.  For those who can’t code their way out of a paper bag, there’s always writing documentation and creating digital art for the various projects, because good instructions and pretty icons can go a long way in making an application more attractive.
• Exciting Changes to 5.0 of the Phoronix Test Suite GUI (phoronix.com):  Though it was initially written in GTK2, HTML 5 is being used instead.  According to Michael Larabel, “This new GUI to Phoronix Test Suite 5.0 is being written as an HTML5 interface. This is being done for portability and network transparency with the Phoronix Test Suite commonly being used on embedded devices and servers where there is no connected devices — remote support for PTS 5.0 HTML5 GUI can be enabled, otherwise it’s only exposed locally.”  Work on the interface is currently ongoing.
• Now It’s Our Turn (Blog of helios):  Ken “helios” Starks has been through quite a bit over the years.  He decided to tell the story of how he is now able to give back to those who have helped him, starting with Randy Noseworthy.  It looks like the Reglue Project will be able to help bridge the digital divide more than ever.

Overlooked Pop Culture

• District Judge Rules in Favor of Warrantless Border Searches (Maximum PC):  The controversy continues over warrantless border searches as a Federal Judge declared that risk of seizure was insignificant, so plaintiffs have no standing.  It looks like it’s time to learn how to use encryption or data wiping techniques before traveling to other countries.
• Horrible Things Done to Male Sexual Organs (deadspin.com): In weird news, males have apparently hurt themselves in the no no parts in 2013.  Some of these entries will make you laugh, others will make you cry, and the rest will make you hurt down there.
• 14 Million Doses of Potassium Iodide Ordered (infowars.com):  The stuff that prevents radioactive iodine from being absorbed by the thyroid is apparently being ordered in an unprecedented quantity, according to this.  It is apparently related to the problematic Fukushima reactor.  U.S. Sailors have apparently come back sick after helping out in the area, and have sued the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).  This tidbit may crop up again this year.

The final issue of the magazine for 2013 is available for popular consumption.  Here’s what’s covered:

• Social Networking Ads and How they may backfire.
• Linux Mint Debian Edition
• Google Drive being used on the construction of this year’s final issue as well as a preview of things to come in 2014.

The magazine may be downloaded here.  The clouds on the cover page courtesy of Kamil Porembiński via Creative Commons.

Ah, wonderful glorious scientific research.  It can bring about amazing discoveries, such as cures to diseases.

Unfortunately, one of those so called “possible cures” for AIDS turned out to be a false positive.  According to the New York Post:

Dr. Dong-Pyou Han spiked a clinical test sample with healthy human blood to make it appear that the rabbit serum produced disease-fighting antibodies, officials said.

$19 USD in grants were received, his “findings” were published in journals, and others wondered how he managed to pull it off.  Things were hunky dory until the National Institutes of Health checked the so called “serum” to find it had been spiked.

So remember, when someone says, “follow the science,” trust only after verifying.

Yesterday was Christmas Day.  Though there has been much discussion and debate over the true origin of the holiday, the most well known figure of modern day Christmas is none other than Santa Claus.

While there is plenty of information on the history of this classic figure, it turns out that Coca Cola was the company that popularized the modern image of the big jolly guy in the red suit with white fur.

The soda company wanted a way to market their products during the winter, which was the slowest during the 1930’s.  When Haddon Sundblom was commissioned in 1931 to create a modern depiction of St. Nick for advertising purposes, they got the imagery they wanted; a larger than life figure that was realistic at the same time.

With that said, what holiday do you celebrate in December?  Feel free to sound off in the comments below.  😉

Many have had those dream careers in mind growing up.  Some wish to be in the military.  Others wish to be emergency workers.  Blake Tarrants wants to become a sports broadcaster.

He’s a senior at Blue Springs High School who broadcasts various games like basketball over the radio.  He knows the stats, the moves that the players make, and much more.

By the way, he’s blind.

The lesson for today is to never give up on one’s dreams, no matter the obstacles.  If Blake Tarrants can pull it off, then the sky’s the limit when it comes to dreams.

With the advances made in technology and social media, blunders are bound to occur.  This one happens to have occurred not too far from St. Louis, Missouri.

Considering the fact that St. Louis itself has been the subject of experiments against civilian populations among other weird things, this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise.

According to The Smoking Gun,

The 50-year-old woman and her child posed for the photo last month at their home in Wentzville, a city 40 miles west of St. Louis. According to a probable cause statement, the pair “were covering up their nipples in the picture.”

The hot tub photo, investigators reported, was subsequently “circulated throughout two high schools in the Rockwood School District.” As a result, the woman’s son “was ridiculed by classmates for the picture of his mother and sister.”

The photo was snapped by the teen’s sister, who used her sibling’s phone.

Remember kids: When taking certain pictures, don’t let them circulate in high schools.  If the judgmental peers don’t get to you, prudish authority figures will.

The A-Team was an 80’s show about a team of mercenaries wanted by the government.  One of the more prominent characters of the show was B.A., played by Mr. T.

The show brings back many memories.  Chief among them were the numerous overturning vehicles and big explosions.  What was your favorite show growing up?