Also, definitely click on this picture to zoom in…

[via Online Schools]

[via Kottke for a change]

[via (the bomb ass) Flip Flop Fly Ball]

But success, once it arrived, paled quickly for him. He told the editors of Saturday Review that he was “good and sick” of seeing his photograph on the dust jacket of “The Catcher in the Rye” and demanded that it be removed from subsequent editions. He ordered his agent to burn any fan mail.

With all the time he had by himself, though, Salinger also became known for his letter-writing, much of which reflected his disgust for the outside world.  So, you could imagine that when someone approached him about doing a movie adaptation of “Catcher and the Rye,” his response was not exactly friendly.  The following is from the fantastic blog Letters of Note:

Ever since its release in 1951, a steady stream of eager producers, directors, screenwriters and actors have unsuccessfully attempted to bring J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye to the big screen, all falling at the first hurdle when confronted with Salinger’s resolute refusal to sell the rights to his novel. The letter below, written in 1957 in response to an enquiry from a Mr. Herbert (and currently for sale here), is a perfect example of the opposition faced and provides an entertaining glimpse at the author’s reasoning.

[via (the amazing) Letters of Note]

Two things I learned from the above image:

1. Communism is fucked up; and
2. This guy really knows how to put together one of these “word charts.”

[via Information Is Beautiful]

[via Kottke]

I have no idea why I think things like this are funny, but I do.  And the problem is that whether you think it’s funny or not, you’re screwed, because you’re so bored right now that you’ve ended up at brandonblattner.com, the self-appointed “Dorians of the Internet:” you’re here because you have nowhere else to go, and even though you don’t quite want to go back to work just yet, it’s starting to look a little more appealing the more you look around.  Well, guess what? I think the fucking steak article is funny.  And guess what else? I happen to like Dorians.  A lot.

The problem here is clearly you, and no one else, and my guess is that it will probably do you some good to expand your literary horizons; so read up, bitch:

“How to Cook a Fucking Steak”

Go to the goddamn grocery and get steak. Yes, the grocery. A little ammonia is not going to kill you, you pussy. You want to be all fancy and grass-fed and environmentally conscious, go ahead, I don’t give a shit, just get a fucking steak. Ribeye is good. And, yes, bone-in. Schmuck. Take the steak home. Get a bigass frying pan and put the shit on the stove, cranking the heat up as far as that fucker will go. Take a shitload of salt—rocksalt, you dumb motherfucker, none of that fine-grained crap here—and toss it around the bottom of the pan. When the pan is hot as all fuck—it should scorch the shit out of your finger if you’re stupid enough to touch it—put the fucking steak on there. You can crack some pepper on the top of the steak as the bottom is searing, but don’t even talk to me about garlic or onion powder or COMPOUND FUCKING BUTTER, asshole. This is steak, all you fucking need is salt and pepper. After a bit (3 minutes for pink, 5 for cooked good), flip that shit over and do the same fucking thing you just did with the other side, i.e. sit on your ass and wait for your motherfucking steak to be ready, you useless assbag. When you’re done, sling that shit on a plate. Beringer’s 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Private Reserve makes an absolutely delightful accompaniment, particularly if you’ve taken care to let it breathe a bit before quaffing. Also, make some fucking potatoes, because that’s what you eat with a fucking steak. God, sometimes I just want to smack the shit out of you.

[via The Awl]

And the rest are that awesome too. Check them out here at Paul Rogers.

And if you don’t know the answer, you suck.

That’s the flag of the Benin Empire, a pre-colonial African state situated in modern Nigeria that lasted from 1440 until 1897.

[The] flag was changed upon the renaming of the country to Zaire in 1971. The Zaire flag….was created as part of Mobutu’s attempted re-Africanization of the nation and was used officially until Mobutu’s overthrow in 1997.

So, apparently, it’s THAT big…at least according to a random picture I found on the internet.  So that was kind of surprising.

Um, so, to read more about Antarctica click here I guess…

[via Twitpic]