The Humanoids: Friday The 13th Edition

It’s that day of the year that shows up whenever the hell it wants. It’s Friday the 13th. Good luck avoiding homicidal maniacs that will try to kill and inevitably will if you try to run away screaming. But today’s column isn’t about serial killers, though I understand that one was in the news recently. No, today’s column is about things that are wastes of time or wasting our time or somehow attached to things that waste our time. Anyway, there’s dangerous forces at work that need to be stopped. Generally it’s the usual moroninity that I cover here on The Humanoids except that I was really fired up over some of the ridiculousness of some folks over the last week. This post might have a bad title but I’d like to think that the content is good.

Anyway, the latest episode of the radio show is online. This one had something that should go away: Me talking about TV. Entertainment should be purely Jackie’s domain. However, it had a lot of Christopher Walken’s Poker Face in there which brought the show right back up. Click here to get the synopsis and download links for the radio show and Extra. Our next show is going to be another hockey edition. Don’t worry, thing’s will pick up in December. We’re trying to get a copy of DJ Hero from Activision to review for the annual Christmas gift buying guide (also known as The Lowdown’s Salute to Capitalism). There’s no way that works out the way we want it to. Continue reading

Entertainment Link-Off: Better Late Than Never

jessica stroupNormally there would be a new release or something for me to plug at the start of the Entertainment Link-Off, but I got none this week. So here’s Jessica Stroup (again) because she’s gorgeous and not because she’s on 90210 (yes, I can’t believe that show is still on the air). Oh by the way I will be off next week, so Steve is taking over the Entertainment Link-Off. Be very afraid.

After the jump the awesomeness of Twitter, Paranormal Activity cuts into Saw’s box office numbers and Grocery Store Musical! Continue reading

Saturday Link-Off: Social Media Fail

january-jones-gq09-14I’m back on Saturdays. It’s good to be on the original home of the Lowdown linkdump. It’s even better to have January Jones back.

We mentioned that celebrities need to be muzzled from embarrassing themselves on Twitter. Maybe they’re already muzzling themselves and ruining Twitter for the rest of us. (NBC Dallas)

Speaking of people ruining social networking websites, it’s people like this that ruin Facebook for single guys like me. I’m glad that I’ve avoided it for the last four-ish years. (College Humor)

Some people shouldn’t be allowed to make any decisions for themselves. For example, an American guy is suing the Bank of America for a stupidly/fictionally large amount of money. (BBC)

After the jump, skating with the stars, loads of ice escapades, and let the Phillies (fans) hit the floor. Continue reading

Not News of the Week

Another week means it’s time for more of the news that’s not fit for print. It’s the Not News of the Week.

One of the rising stars of Twitter is not a popular Hollywood star or media personality. Instead, it’s not someone who is already a star but a 73-year-old grandfather whose quotes are being Tweeted by his son. The grumpy old man’s views on everything from actresses to voicemail to his grandkid are tweeted by his live-in son. He’s rocketed over 50,000 followers and is still gaining more from word of mouth about him rather than the shameless plugging that celebrities engage in. You can follow him @shitmydadsays where you can find gems such as “Your brother brought his baby over this morning. He told me it could stand. It couldn’t stand for shit. Just sat there. Big let down.” Continue reading

Montreal NASCAR Wrapup and Retweets

The NASCAR Nationwide Series made its only appearance north of the border this weekend. The stars of the NASCAR’s top development series came to Montreal for the only race of NASCAR’s three national touring series outside the US. Not only were the Nationwide stars there but so were several Canadian heroes like Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier, Alex Tagliani, and Andrew Ranger. I was live tweeting the event so here’s a look at some of my tweets and analysis from this afternoon’s race. Continue reading

Edmonton Indy Wrapup and Retweets

For the second straight year, the drivers of the IndyCar Series descended on Edmonton’s City Centre Airport to run one of the best tracks on the ICS calendar. The 1.96 mile airport circuit is among the favourite circuits for drivers and fans alike. So let’s take a look at how the events unfolded on track and what the drivers and teams thought of the race on Twitter. Continue reading

Toronto Indy Wrapup and Retweets

Open-wheel racing returned with a bang to Exhibition Place in Toronto. The IndyCar Series brought 23 cars to the show including Canadian heroes Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani. The whole race was exciting from start to finish and there were some wild moments throughout. I was live tweeting the event so here’s a look at some of tweets and analysis from this afternoon’s race. Continue reading

Wednesday Link-Off: Not Quite Right

olivia-munn-playboy-8bHere’s Olivia Munn whose Playboy shoot has nearly caused the internet to explode. That likely wasn’t the only thing…

The Bolivians and Dutch have to brush up on their journalistic skills. They ran footage of “Lost” believing it was from the Air France crash. (Gawker)

I mentioned the fake umpires turning up at Jays’ games on my Twitter. Turns out that they’re getting notice league-wide. (Fanhouse)

Some people just don’t get Twitter. Maybe if you aren’t going to put the time into researching it, then you shouldn’t write the column. (Providence Journal)

After the jump, more on the F1 crisis, a quick look at NHL 10, and the hottest video on the internet. Continue reading

Twitter’s Millionaires Club: Are They Worth Following?

Earlier in the year, there was one battle that seemed to captivate star watchers worldwide: Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN in the battle to be the first person (or company) to have over 1 million followers on Twitter. Kutcher won the battle but he may not win the war. As of writing, 16 of Twitter’s elite have crossed the million followers mark. The question I’ve been wondering is not why would that many people follow them. Like the James Bond theme, it’s a case of “you know my name.” Rather, are these cewebrities actually tweeting anything worth reading? Continue reading

Wednesday Link-Off: Twitterific

09_danica-patrick_8Another week, another linkdump.  To celebrate the beginning of Indy 500 practice, here’s Danica Patrick.  You might have heard of her.  After the jump, a guy in a sweater learns not to mess with Larry Merchant when he’s conducting an interview.

All sorts of coaches, managers, owners, and players are on Twitter.  Hell, even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is on Twitter.  Some sports leagues even have twittering policies.  Or would it be tweeting policies? (USA Today)  Did I mention that I’m on twitter at twitter.com/TheSteveMurray.  And did I mention you can subscribe to The Lowdown Blog news feed by clicking here?

Speaking of Twitter, it turns out that it’s more of a fleeting thing for folks that sign up for it.  Mind you, I’d like a 40% retention rate for visitors over here. (CBC)

Since we’re talking so much about Twitter, here’s your one stop shop for Twitter updates from sports personalities. (AthleteTweets.com)

This could be the greatest blog in the history of Canada. (Don Cherry Jacket Watch)

Grapes may condone hockey fights but I’m not sure what he’d think of softball brawls. (Busted Coverage)

Some athlete’s would be better than others for a night on the town.  Amazingly, I think this bunch could make things end worse than my last night out.  By worse, I mean the tab. (Fat Pickled)

An interview with the guy responsible for the seemingly endless playbooks in the Madden NFL video games. (Sports Prose)

As shocking as it seems, we missed Star Wars Day on Monday.  To make up for the lack of geektacular goodness, here’s Geek Tyrant’s best Star Wars stories of the last year. (GeekTyrant)

My business school education tells me that laying someone off is best done on Wednesdays.  Firing a reporter while he’s at the game might be pushing it, though. (The Big Lead)

The internet may be ending soon… again.  Plan accordingly. (Times Online)

Some blogs and blog writers are getting book deals and are actually getting paid for it.  How I envy them. (New York Times) Continue reading