Discount Bananas Brain Candy

Packing Up, Heading Out

2009-08-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

In a nutshell: I'm moving to Wordpress. Update your links and your feeds!
soonercary.wordpress.com

This month marks my sixth full year of spilling things into this little "online diary." If you keep up with me at all, you are obviously aware of my posting drought over the past several months. The truth is, I have plenty to say, but I simply have not had the inclination to use this blog to say it.

However, I fully intend on getting back on the horse. And, to mark that occasion, we're going to take a little trip together over to Wordpress.com.

Yes, you heard me, Discount Bananas is saying goodbye to the blogging service that birthed it. We're packing up and moving in with Wordpress, starting immediately.

Many of you know that I have practically given my life over to Google, but I must be honest and say that I simply believe Wordpress does blogging better. Google, I'll still let you have email, blog feeds, search, maps, calendar, translation, phone services, video, 411, and everything else, but I'm going to take my blogging elsewhere. I still love you. It's not you... it's me. Just kidding, it's you.

So join me at the new Discount Bananas and Other Daily Deals!

(Facebook readers, you shouldn't notice a difference)

You might want to sing it note for note...

2009-08-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

Bobby McFerrin (Don't Worry, Be Happy) demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale by playing the audience.

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Kids These Days

2009-07-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

I post this for two reasons: 1) It features my great uncle. 2) It is a superb video edited in a way that makes what normally would be a pretty boring subject actually interesting. The tiny moments of odd humanity shown in these old people are poignant.

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Open-Mindedness

2009-05-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago I preached a sermon in which I claimed that institutional Christianity has received a very large "F" from the world, largely for the way it has gone about engaging the world. Thus, institutional Christianity, especially conservative Evangelicalism, has ended up doing little more than arousing suspicion and making itself look ridiculous. The following video is a brilliant explanation of exactly what has happened.

Mayo Clinic Piano

2009-05-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

I hope my future wife and I are patting each other on the butt at 62 years of marriage.

Pillar by Bootachitaville

2009-04-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well it may look like I'm just a shill for Boodachitaville, but here is a new video from my artist friend Eric Lee that shows a time lapse of the digital drawing process. This was a special piece produced for the band Pillar under the Boodachitaville name. He does all this on a specially modified tablet MacBook.

Boodachitaville Rocks Pillar from Eric Lee on Vimeo.

Cats for Christ Is...

2009-04-16T08:14:00.001-07:00

Here's a new Cats for Christ video put together by Megan Holmes, my intern.

Green Machine

2009-03-27T13:47:00.001-07:00

I post this out of pure nostalgia. I rode one of these for years.

Spin like Wild!!

How to Get Out of Debt

2009-03-10T18:50:00.000-07:00

The first SNL fake commercial that actually needs to be taken seriously.

"Next" (Shakespeare in 5 minutes)

2009-03-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

I've never been a big Shakespeare fan but this is a well-done run through of all this plays. Difficulty for Shakespeare scholars: name as many as you can.

Nihao, y'all!

2009-02-25T21:16:00.000-08:00

Some knee-slapping Bluegrass with traditional Chinese instruments and performers.

Juliet

2009-02-02T09:38:00.000-08:00

By Royal Wood.

Southern Hills on MSNBC

2009-01-29T09:44:00.000-08:00

A bit on MSNBC about the church I was part of in Abilene. Although, I wouldn't call a 2,000 member church "small."

Her Morning Elegance

2009-01-27T23:13:00.001-08:00

Super Mario Bros. 2: Gypsy Jazz style

2008-12-09T22:57:00.000-08:00

For many months now, I have had this tune in my head for no particular reason other than it has resurfaced from hundreds of childhood hours sitting with it playing on the TV in front of me. Still never beat that stupid game.

The Great Flydini

2008-10-29T21:17:00.001-07:00

This is a classic but never gets old.

Ode to the Progress Bar

2008-10-14T11:07:00.001-07:00

Balance

2008-10-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

Won the Oscar for best animated short of 1989.

Whatevah

2008-10-05T15:21:00.000-07:00

This immediately jumps me back to college road trips. This song debuted on the old Sifl and Olly show years ago.

Mortimer Ichabod Marker: a Preschooler's Hero

2008-09-24T20:36:00.000-07:00

So I just had a birthday, which never affects me emotionally one way or the other. What makes me feel old is something like referencing Picture Pages in front of all my students and they have no idea what I'm talking about.

So, for your educational benefit, BEHOLD: Bill Cosby and Mortimer Ichabod Marker, in all their glory. This was a staple of my childhood.

This is how it should be

2008-09-17T22:02:00.001-07:00

Whether or not you like him or agree with him on the issues, this is exactly how campaign advertising should work. Hopefully he can stay consistent with this kind of tone.

Disney's Genetically Engineered Child Stars

2008-09-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Onion - it always delivers.

Disney Lab Unveils Its Latest Line Of Genetically Engineered Child Stars

A More Perfect Union

2008-09-13T23:32:00.000-07:00

Something about this seems to display a very different spirit and direction than our current political season, which makes me both happy and sad at the same time.

(HD) A More Perfect Union from Andrew Sloat on Vimeo.

Jesus: Wrong for America

2008-09-11T04:40:00.000-07:00

Here's how American politics works.

(click to embiggen)

Jesus is a Friend of Mine

2008-09-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

I dare you to not sing this is your head the rest of the day.

He'll zap you anyway he can. Zap!

Return of the 17-Year Cicadas

2008-09-08T03:19:00.001-07:00

Growing up in northeastern Oklahoma, the sound of cicadas in the summer was a staple. I never realized how much I actually liked that sound until years later when I lived elsewhere and didn't hear it. Here's a look at the 17-year lifecycle of these insects.

I still attach the empty shells to my face, mainly to freak out little kids.

Boodachitaville

2008-08-22T21:51:00.000-07:00

Bob and Eric, two of my high school friends, have been publishing a comic for several months now. It stars their real selves and is funny to me largely because it is a true reflection of their personalities and follows the lives that they are living out in Boodachitaville, a.k.a Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bob is also an eccentric humor writer and publishes a blog on the site as well.

I Met the Walrus

2008-08-12T17:11:00.000-07:00

In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape deck, snuck into John Lennon's hotel room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview about peace. 38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it.

An anthropological eva...... er, why YouTube is changing the world

2008-08-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

If you don't have an hour for this, make one. Another presentation on digital ethnography by my K-State anthropology professor, this time for the Library of Congress.

Western Spaghetti

2008-08-04T21:01:00.001-07:00

Where the &$#@ is Matt?

2008-06-20T20:16:00.000-07:00

This is the latest video from Matt Harding. If you have not seen the first one, do not press play below until you have clicked here.

Red vs. Blue

2008-06-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

I post this only because, even though these are Russian babushkas, they seem to know exactly how American politics works.

A Voicemail from Jaz

2008-06-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Who knew that missing a call could make your day?

Flugtag Compilation

2008-06-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Did it fly? No? Did you have fun? Yes? You win.

J.K. Rowling at Harvard

2008-06-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

Again, another long one, but worth the investment. J.K. Rowling's extraordinary speech to the graduates of Harvard University.

Part 2
Part 3

Drag and Drop World

2008-06-07T22:45:00.000-07:00

It's a viral ad for Samsung, but I thought it was really well done nonetheless.

The Art of the Start

2008-06-06T09:57:00.000-07:00

If you've got an extra 40 minutes lying around, here is one from Guy Kawasaki. If you are not a business major, or you are a normal person, this is probably not interesting to you. A genius piece of advice starts at 16:15.

I wrote a letter to him back in the mid-90s and still have the hand-written card he wrote back to me.

Cardboard Testimonies

2008-06-04T11:00:00.001-07:00

Young Hillary Clinton

2008-05-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

Again, I'm not a Hillary hater. She has brought this on herself.

You Can Only Hope

2008-05-24T21:37:00.000-07:00

"..let him have your cloak as well." Matthew 5:40

The story of Julio Diaz. (Audio from NPR.)

Pork and Beans

2008-05-23T22:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a new video from Weezer that is a good test of your internetelligence. How many references can you recognize? Sadly, I got every single one of them.

Unintentional consequences of humanity

2008-05-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

"Cities at night are caught in a triangle between culture, geography, and technology."

MUTO

2008-05-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

Strange and brilliant at the same time.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Again and Again

2008-05-12T06:14:00.001-07:00

Some of the most brilliant art in the world is produced when tight limits are placed on what can be used or done. The following is an example of "make a music video using nothing but your Mac desktop."

Touching them all

2008-05-05T15:23:00.001-07:00

The Internet has a Face

2008-04-30T13:34:00.001-07:00

This video was made by a student of Digital Ethnography (under professor Michael Wesch) at K-State. I believe this shows what is possible with communities formed by new media, although it may come off as overly gushy about YouTube. All things hold the power of good.

Well La De Freakin Da!

2008-04-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

Best. Skit. Ever.

Cheeseburger

2008-04-29T20:39:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Hulu, a lot of classic Saturday Night Live material is now available. Hulu is also how I watch The Office every week. Please pardon the commercials.

K-State and Ft. Riley

2008-04-11T09:43:00.000-07:00

Manhattan, Kansas, is not only a bona fide college town, but being just minutes away from the massive army base of Ft. Riley, it is also a military town. This ESPN College Game Day piece from this last season covers a convergence of the two:

Conan, 1864-style

2008-04-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

This is partly why we should all be counting down the days until Conan takes over for Leno.

2008-04-09T20:52:00.001-07:00

(click for full size)

We've got a mighty convoy

2008-04-01T19:22:00.000-07:00

Well I figured it was finally time to take in a little of the work this guy who I've heard about all my life because he has my name. At least mostly. And it's not even his real name. Bonus points to this one because it even mentions Tulsa. CW McCall and "Convoy" in 1976:

18 minutes with an agile mind

2008-03-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

Clifford Stoll:

I'm a regular watcher of TED Talks, and you should be too. www.ted.com

I, for one, salute our robot overlords

2008-03-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Reach! A Lecture Musical

2008-03-10T16:55:00.002-07:00

A classic from Prangstgrup about the plight of the college student.

Amateur

2008-03-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Yet another oldie but goodie worth posting.

Fred Rogers, saint

2008-02-23T12:58:00.001-08:00

This is an old one (obviously). Watch and learn of the goodness of humanity.

Fiji Mission 2004

2008-02-22T21:06:00.000-08:00

I found this gem in the depths of my hard drive the other day. Good memories from a great time in the South Pacific and amazing people from my days at Alabama.

Brian and Angela revisited

2008-02-21T22:39:00.001-08:00

I don't get to watch LOST at its regular time on Thursdays, so I always watch it online first thing Friday morning since that's (supposedly) my day off. It's after midnight now so I thought I'd check out the website to see if it somehow posts immediately.

No such luck, by I did notice to my complete surprise that ABC is now streaming old episodes of... wait for it... MY SO-CALLED LIFE (look in the list on the left). Suddenly I am 15 again and reliving my love affair with Claire Danes and watching the show that perfectly captured the serious, life-and-death drama and extreme self-consciousness of early high school. And it did this right as I was living it myself.

You ever get those unexpected moments of extreme nostalgia?

From Wikipedia: "My So-Called Life brought up issues that were usually not mentioned in family series in the mid-nineties, when it was aired. These include child abuse, homophobia, teenage alcoholism, homelessness, adultery, kinky sex, school violence, same-sex parenting, censorship, and drug use, among many others. While a lot of shows brought up these themes as a one-time issue (a "very special episode") that would be introduced as a problem at the beginning of an episode and resolved at the end, in My So-Called Life they were just a part of the world. The very title of the show emphasized how the perception of meaninglessness that many teenagers experience is the main theme of the series. The show depicted teenage years as difficult and confusing as opposed to a light, fun-filled time of pranks and jokes."

Even though it was just a TV show, it seemed to really understand the world that was happening around me at the time.

There's Only ONE Sooners for Christ

2008-02-14T22:46:00.000-08:00

Here's an oldie but goodie from my people in the homeland:

Constance

2008-02-09T09:19:00.001-08:00

Even if this is not your style of music, please stick this one all the way through. Listen carefully.

Social Optimization

2008-02-04T06:08:00.000-08:00

It's going to take a lot to not keep posting comics from this guy.

Grownups

2008-02-04T05:52:00.001-08:00

(Don't get too overly imaginative with that last panel)

Frozen

2008-02-01T14:48:00.000-08:00

Fantastic mass performance art.

A history of modern warfare

2008-01-30T20:51:00.000-08:00

(Here's a cheat.)

1 to 100

2008-01-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

Observe who seems to enjoy this the most.

To Morrow

2008-01-06T15:35:00.000-08:00

From the first season of the Muppet Show

Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

2008-01-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

Another one of the most brilliant speeches.

You have to trust that the dots will connect.

An unprovable hypothesis

2008-01-03T20:51:00.001-08:00

I am posting this one because I believe its creator has one absolutely valid point: many Christians are ignorant of the real claims of science and therefore make ignorant arguments based on things they do not understand. As a result they appear foolish and only discredit the concept of faith in God, which is not in the realm of science and should never be approached as such.

One of the videos he references is the "Atheist Nightmare" by Ray Comfort. One of the most perfect examples of complete Christian scientific ignorance. There is another one involving peanut butter, but I don't want to get into listing examples of Christians making themselves look stupid.

The Flight

2008-01-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

Beauty and simplicity.

A Vision of Students Today

2007-12-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

I put this on my regular blog a while back, but it needs to be here because it is one of the most insightful looks into the lives of college students I have seen. Michael Wesch is a professor at Kansas State and fortunately he has allowed me to audit this class this spring.

Interview with MAD staff

2007-12-21T18:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes digging for gold on YouTube really turns up some winners. Here is an interview with several men I never met but who profoundly influenced my childhood. Sitting on my shelf today are almost every issue and Super Special of MAD Magazine from the mid-fifties through the late eighties, courtesy of my Dad.

Bono's Messianic Complex

2007-12-10T19:05:00.001-08:00

One of the most brilliant speeches of all time.

Foreskin's Lament

2007-12-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

How our God-view determines everything.