Direct from Denmark to you! The Bottle Boys are taking the hottest songs and performing them their way – with only bottles as musical instruments. The results are some striking tunes that you simply must hear! The five performers from Copenhagen, Denmark, each use a different type of bottle and style to produce a particular musical sound. Christopher Bogár – Chords Philipp Brodersen – Melody Johannes Ettrup – Melody Kaspar Frederiksen – Bass Martin B. Handberg – Percussion Some of the bottles are filled with water and played as pipes to give a piano/keyboard effect while others are simply plastic that you would recycle at home that gets hit for a  percussion beat. The Bottle Boys have become a hit around the globe, with a growing fan base in the United States, thanks to their performances on Youtube. Their videos have hundreds of thousands of views. The more people that subscribe to their channel, the more performances they promise to upload. Their songs range from Top 40 to movie themes and are often staged out in public on city streets. They have toured around the globe, including a few stops in the US. They first began uploading their videos to Youtube in 2007. THE 411 Name: The Bottle Boys What: musical group Location: Denmark Website: http://thebottleboys.com/ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bottlesonly Twitter feed: @TheBottleBoys JERSEY JOE RECOMMENDS: They’ve uploaded a bunch of performance videos on Youtube and I first found them as a Youtube suggestion on the home page.  Take a listen – it’s really worth it. Hopefully, these guys will be making some more stops in the United States, soon.  I would love to see them in New York City or Las Vegas!  Their performances remind me of a more local or real Blue Man Group minus the flash. If...

As long as we’re talking about Star Wars, let’s end the day with Princess Leia’s business card. Also, a friendly reminder that we need more real life women in politics. Click through to The Mary Sue to see the other characters’cards. [via The Mary...

I was reading this great essay in the New York Times this weekend. Written by writer and teacher, Dean Bakopoulos, it asserts the notion that reading is like falling in love: I realized that what I’m really instructing them in is reading as a process of seduction. Consider how one falls in love: by fixating on certain attributes of the beloved. The way he looks in his brown cords. The way she flips her hair from her face. The flecks in her eyes, the twitch in his smile. We do not yet know the whole person, but we are lured by primal responses to a few details. Well, this week I fell in love. I’m in love with The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, specifically the first book in the four book series, Cinder. Cinder is set many hundreds of years into the future. Earth has been through two more world wars and nations have been reorganized. Linh Cinder lives in the Eastern Commonwealth, which the reader can only conclude (from the way the character’s family name comes before their first names and the fact that the characters dress in fancy kimonos) is now comprised of most the former nations of Asia.  Like the classic fairy tale, Cinder lives with her stepmother, Adri, and two stepsisters, Pearl and Peony.  Cinder is an outcast not only because she is an orphan whom is seen as a burden by Pearl and Adri, but because she is a cyborg. Cinder has a robotic arm and leg. She also has a retinal interface that alerts her to when people are lying to her and that informs her of when her adrenaline is running dangerously high. Cyborgs are fairly commonplace in the Eastern Commonwealth, but they are second class citizens. When the government needs test...

…and that’s kinda strange, because this is technically an ad for Tokyo Disneyland, which is over a thousand miles away. But, oh well, enjoy!...

Bioshock Infinite was released on Tuesday, but those who share my affinity for the midnight launch ran out at midnight on Monday to charge, not into Rapture, that slumbering underwater dystopia, but to Columbia, floating sky city of tomorrow. Well, as envisioned by the academic elite of 1911 anyways. Clearly it’s a stark departure from what we’re used to in exploring the art deco halls of Rapture, but my excitement couldn’t be more overstated right now. This, I very much believe, will set the standard for immersion and storytelling in gaming and here’s why. Ken Levine is back Bioshock 2 was good. Very good, in fact. But it didn’t quite have the magic of the original. And I believe a big part of that was not having Ken involved. It’s not uncommon for publishers in any medium to rush a sequel of a proven success and while Bioshock 2 was carefully constructe and faired better than most, there was something missing and I’m glad to see the original vision of the Bioshock series is returning in Infinite. The sky is the limit One of my good friends told me recently that Infinite looked horrible on account of being a floating sky city. I can understand that position because of the radical departure from the world of Rapture, but I feel like there is a TON of potential here that the hesitant should consider. For starters, being set 40 or so years before the original allows for a alot of development and throwbacks to the characters we’re used to. Hopefully we’ll see the origins of some of the characters we came to love in Bioshock 1 and 2 like Andrew Ryan, Sophia Lamb, Fontaine, Tenenbaum, and so forth. This could enrich the mythos considerably or,...

According to the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., one quarter of the 100 highest-paid American CEOs earned more than their employees paid in taxes in 2010.

Dear Dr. Miro, Every time I have an intense make out session with a boy my face gets hella messed up. Dry rough skin on my chin and upper lip, small pimples – EWW! I know it’s from guys that aren’t clean shaven but WTF?! Am I so muy sensitivo? Is there anything I can do to help post make out? This is embarrassing. It must be totally obvious to people about what I’ve been up to. I’m just beardy boy crazy!!! Sincerely, Ouchy Face Frieda Dear OFF, What you are describing sounds like beard burn and it can happen on your face or anywhere that a bearded person may be rubbing against for any amount of time. It’s that stubble combined with fluids and a lot of friction. There are quite a few home remedies available to those who are fond of lip-locking with the hirsute faced. Use either soy or skim milk with a bit of warm water. Soak a rag or t-shirt in the mixture, we ring gently and apply in a compress to your beard burn. Instead of the milks, you could brew some green tea and after it has steeped apply the cooled down tea with the afore mentioned soaking cloth. Do not use a wash cloth as it is too rough. Allow this to remain on the affected area 4-10 minutes. Do not rinse after. Then apply a bit of aloe vera gel (cooled in the fridge feels the best) and/or a bit of 1% hydrocortisone. The hydrocortisone is definitely not the most natural option but you will see faster results. This can all be done up to four times daily. Two more things to keep in mind: 1. Do NOT exfoliate your face at least five hours...

If you had plans to discriminate against an elderly woman this month, watch this Oscar-nominated short, written and voiced by Kathleen O’Rourke, and perhaps reconsider those plans. Sleep has no fury like a grandma scorned. [via...

Aw naw, ya’ll done made Wonder Woman pull out her scrunchie??? I pity the fool villains about to be on the other side of this beatdown! This is all to say, this artwork by Kevin Warren is all kinds of awesome sauce. [h/t Fashionably...

Hi, Everyone!  This is JP stealing the blog again.  Jenny’s working double-time on a film and a commercial, both at the same time because apparently sleep is for amateurs.  So, it’s a good time for me to put in my five cents on one of my favorite stops during our trip to Europe: The Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff, England! As this is Fierce and Nerdy, I don’t need to explain what Doctor Who is or why it’s the greatest TV show ever.  (And what better show for a travel blog, than a story about an ageless wanderer who can travel anywhere and everywhere?) I grew up watching daily re-runs of Doctor Who on our local PBS station. Weekdays at 6pm the series ran in order, starting with William Hartnell’s “An Unearthly Child” all the way through the end of Colin Baker’s “The Trial of a Timelord”. Sundays would be one of the “new” Sylvester McCoy episodes. So, even though our plans for England originally didn’t involve us going near Cardiff, I knew I’d never forgive myself if we didn’t try to go The Doctor Who Experience. We started our day by catching an early train from London to Cardiff, the capital of Whales. Cardiff gets a bad rap as being boring. So, we were pleasantly surprised when we found that the main area of Cardiff has a castle to explore, and a central shopping area that was a cool mix of New and Old with everything from pubs to churches to name brand stores. Very eclectic.  Very cool. And, it’s only a two-hour train ride from London. These factors alone make Cardiff a nice little day trip if, like us, you’ll check out any place you’ve never been to just to see what it’s like. Downtown Cardiff is right...

We here at Fierce and Nerdy rarely recommend not picking up a book, but c’mon, the GoT books are hella hard to get through — a perfectly explained by this NSFW animation, “What It’s Like to Read the Game of Thrones Books.” [via...

…because why not? Get your T-shirt here. [h/t The Mary...

This past week, Obama took his first ever trip to Israel and, in order to ensure that he never, ever, ever wants to come back, the King David Hotel in Jerusalem made him keep Kosher for Passover even though the holiday doesn’t officially start til today. This was partially because the preparations for Passover are so extensive that the hotel had to have them done before he and all of his staff arrived in order to ensure that the hotel would be ready by the first night of Passover and partially because Israelis are dicks. It’s actually just another example of the long tradition of Israeli presidential-hazing; like in 1974, when they made Richard Nixon fast for Yom Kippur even though he was visiting in June, and in 1992, when they sent George H.W. Bush a jar of expired gefilte fish and told him to save it for his big trip to Japan- and to eat it right before a formal banquet (Best moment in Bush family history. Hands fucking down. God, that’s a terrible family. Why can’t they be more like the Kennedys – you know, all liberal and dead and shit? Come on, Jeb- it’s not too late to learn to fly! I’m sure we can get someone to invite you to a wedding on Martha’s Vineyard during a particularly foggy weekend. #instrumentflyingiseasy #justdontkillyourwifenandhersister #dickmovejohnjohn.) And, of course, who could forget the best Israeli Presidential prank ever in 1993, when they signed the Oslo accords and acted like they cared about peace. Ha! Good one! Boy, you should have seen Clinton’s face when he found out they were kidding. He was deeply saddened and disappointed. And can you blame him? The Second Intifada was like an episode of Punk’d with Ariel Sharon...

I have no idea what’s going on in the trailer for L’ECUME DES JOURS, but it’s directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and stars Audrey Tautou (Amelie), so you know I’m going to be watching this ish as soon as it releases in the United States. But seriously if you do want to know what it’s about, click through to i09. They’ve got a description, but be forewarned the plot is almost as nonsensical as the trailer. [via...

Whatta week! I’ve been cleared for exercise and I’m doing a No Sugar Detox until April, so I’ve been ping-ponging between lots of energy and focus and … well, something akin to non-specific rage. Basically, it’s like going through withdrawal, but meanwhile I’m kicking ass on my ToDo list. But enough about me, lets crack open this week’s batch of nerdy procrastination! 1. Why am I, the queen of all gummy bear addicts, ditching sugar all of sudden? Well, last week my sister introduced me to, HUNGRY FOR CHANGE, a fascinating documentary about the way we eat and diet, and it really inspired me to a) never ever go on another diet-diet, and b) ditch the sugar. I’ve been eating as much as I want of good foods all week and I mostly feel awesome save for the sugar withdrawal symptoms. If you don’t have Netflix streaming, click through to watch HUNGRY FOR CHANGE for free on your computer. But hop on it soon, the film will only be available until the end of March. [HUNGRY FOR CHANGE Screening Event] 2. Since this is from THE ONION, this advice is probably meant to be a joke, but unfortunately, this is how many of us pursue our dreams in real life. Read it and laugh…or groan. [“Find The Thing You’re Most Passionate About, Then Do It On Nights And Weekends For The Rest Of Your Life”] 3. As a “zafty” “bookwright” and “spermologer,” I’m wondering why these wonderful “Englishable” words fell out of favor. And I’m determined to bring back “Wonder-wench,” which is so much more clever than it’s boring counterpart, “sweetheart.” [Jezebel, “Are you a Spermologer? Find Out With 18 Obsolete Words That Never Should Have Gone Out of Style] 4. Find out what your Facebook...

Coffee, a staple of the morning. Most of us need that caffeine jolt to get the day going. Mountain Dew is officially getting into the morning drink business with Mountain Dew Kick Start. But, does it provide the same jolt as a cup of Joe? Mountain Dew was first invented in 1940 with a reformulated version hitting stores in 1958. Brand and production rights were taken over by PepsiCo starting in 1964. The citrus-lime drink is known for its distinct flavor, high sugar and high caffeine content. PepsiCo has been experimenting for years with new flavors and variations to the extremely popular Mountain Dew brand. After adding several fan favorite flavors, they’ve decided to give coffee a run for the money and compete in the morning beverage business. Mountain Dew Kick Start is more than just a standard energy drink. Available in two flavors orange and fruit punch, the drink is half Dew – half juice. (Ok, it’s 5% juice, but you get the idea.) Seeing it recently introduced to stores, and being a big Mountain Dew fan, myself, I had to give this a try. Full disclosure: I’ve never really been a coffee drinker. Only recently, now that we have a flashy Keurig coffee maker at work, do I occasionally have a cup. Before that, I would maybe have two cups in an entire year. A bottle of Mountain Dew is always my choice. I’m not ashamed to take one into a 9am business meeting. Reading about this new product got me excited, finally a perfect solution! Seeing the ads when it was released, I’ve been looking for this in stores for quite a while. Finally, I spotted a sign on the door at my local 7-Eleven, they were advertising ‘Buy two, get one free.”  What a deal! I went for...

Harry Reems (true name Herbert Streicher) became the first and, to date, only actor to have charges brought against him by the U.S. federal government for appearing in a movie, specifically the 1972 seminal porn feature DEEP THROAT. [Editor’s note: And, he kind of looked like Steve Martin in his later...

“I Love It” by fierce indie synthpop duo, Icona Pop, is basically the best thing to happen to happen to Top 40 radio this decade. That is all.

As long as we’re on the subject of Disney Princesses today, here’s a list of their real ages, which, in some cases, will make you feel a little skeevy for rooting for them to get with a prince. Or, in the case of Mulan and Tiana, it might make you feel like an underachiever. I mean what were you doing when you were 16 and 19? Certainly not saving your land from an evil warlord or opening your own restaurant, right? [via...

Dear Dr. Miro, One of my newest lovers claims it always takes him forever to come. What is up with that and how can I help move things along? Is this a thing? I got sh*t to do. What if I need a quickie? Sincerely, Woman On the Go! Dear WOtG, What does he mean by forever? Make sure not to use condoms or lubricants that have numbing agents. Certainly some guys take longer than others – this is human – but I wonder why he was even telling you this. Since this relationship is in the beginnings, it is possible he was nervous and simply babbling. Perhaps he was trying to impress you and wrongly believed you would be intrigued by his claims of stamina. Do not put too much thought into him until you have decided you are sexually compatible. If you need a quickie, I suggest going to one of your other lovers until you figure this one out. After all this, if you still need suggestions about speeding things up, get back to me. Lust & Happiness, Dr. Miro featured image credit: Keith...

We like a happy ending here as much as the next nerd, but internet sensation, Paint, delves into what might have happened to some of our favorite princesses after their happily ever afters — and it ain’t pretty. Some words that come up: beastiality, oil spills, torture, and entrails. If you ignore the fact that most of the issues brought up don’t gel with the historical era in which these stories are set, then it makes for a fun listen. [via...

Just in case you’re now counting down to the next women-led big budget movie like we are after seeing OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. Meanwhile, here’s an official portrait…...

Friendly reminder… [via i09]

More than 80% of the worlds almonds are grown in California, and it requires approx. 75% of the U.S.’ population of bees to pollenate the crop annually.

I always liked to draw, paint, color, and make art. My family encouraged this by taking me to extra art classes outside of school. I did pretty good, until my teacher would touch up my work. Would you paint on your student’s work if you were a teacher? If you liked this post, please do us the further boon of Liking the Fierce and Nerdy page on FaceBook. Also, we’re giving great stream on Twitter, so do give us...

Seriously, if you watch one video this week, watch this one. I’ve been standing and sitting as advised by the fiercely nerdy Esther Gokhale for a couple of days now, and my chronically achy back feels so much better. Also, it’s so much easier to stick my butt out like our ancestors of old than “sit up straight.” Primal posture for the win! [via...

Shopping malls are plentiful in just about every state of the country. But in New Jersey, there’s a certain store that seems to be in just about every one – a massage parlor. Not, the illicit, happy-ending, adult ones – but the “my back’s sore from shopping can you rub it for a couple of bucks” ones. Each time I visit Atlantic City, I try to stop by Ping’s Place on the Boardwalk. The family run shop has been in business for a long time. While the Boardwalk is loaded with massage places, I tried Ping’s on my first trip to AC a decade ago, and now I stop by as a treat. For about a dollar a minute, they will massage your back, legs, neck, arms, and hands. You tell them how long you want to go, but I usually opt for the 20 minute session. They don’t use any crazy oils and you don’t have to get naked. I usually just lay down in a t-shirt as they play soft tranquil music and rub your cares away. Not only are these parlors plentiful on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, but also on other New Jersey shore town boardwalks and in their malls! The Shore Mall, in Egg Harbor Township, NJ, is currently undergoing a large de-malling construction project. The mall was once home to several of these mom and pop massage parlors, but as a wing of the mall is being demolished, they’ve simply moved to the nearby Hamilton Mall. I’ve shopped at the Newport Center Mall in Jersey City for years and have always noticed the set of eight massage chairs in the main mall walkway surrounding a kiosk. There’s no store to walk in here – you’re right out in the middle of the mall,...

I’m not a film critic. I’m not even an overly cruel film reviewer posing as a film critic, but last week I watched Brave with my wife and three-year-old son and it got me thinking. Having just returned to being a full-time stay-at-home dad after the birth of my daughter, now three months old, I was curious to see what this Pixar film, with it’s first female protagonist, was all about. I vaguely remember some criticism of the girl being a princess and having to possess predominantly male attributes in order to succeed. Of course, I went into this film with an open mind and an open heart. Who I’m kidding? No I didn’t. Quick, name the superpowers of the family members in The Incredibles! Strength coupled with a secret life he can’t tell his wife about for DAD. Flexibility coupled with patience, compassion, and intelligence for MOM. Speed coupled with a love of sports for BOY. Ability to disappear coupled with a force field ensuring she never gets hurt for GIRL. Oh, wait, those aren’t super powers, those are just the stereotypical traits of a father, a mother, a son, and a daughter, and if there’s one thing Pixar does extremely well it’s stereotyping. But, is that wrong? Wait, what? Spoiler alert! Lots of spoilers coming up. The mom/Queen in Brave turns into a bear after the princess goes to see a witch. Didn’t see that coming. Now Princess Merida is a Princess and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. She could be a boring princess or an uninteresting princess or any kind of princess that people don’t like, but just being a princess is not a knock, any more than Lightning McQueen being a racecar is a knock. McQueen happens to...

Dear Dr. Miro, I love sex and maybe that’s an issue. I’m 22 and live with my girlfriend who’s 12 years older than me. In the beginning of Us, it was sex all the time and now I’ll be lucky when I can get some. When she says “no” I get mad and sometimes I want to call someone to “hang out” with. I work overnights and when I come home instead of being tired I’m all horny for her and trying to turn her on but she pushes me away! I want to have fun, but she doesn’t understand me. The most frustrating thing is that my love for her is strong and I can’t see myself with someone else. I just want this to work but she acts like there’s something wrong with me. She says this is what happens to lesbians is that true? Sincerely, Want it From HER Bad Dear WIBFH, There’s nothing wrong with loving sex as long as you are not hurting anyone, including yourself, against his or her volition. It sounds like you are in dangerous territory in that you are beginning to look elsewhere to fulfill your cravings. You cannot force someone to get “in the mood”. In fact, that is really disrespectful. I get how being rejected by your woman can be frustrating, to say the least. You need to have a conversation with your lady, letting her know where you are coming from. Even tell her you are considering “straying” from the relationship and how this constant refusal of your advances is taking its toll on your relationship. You mention not being able to see yourself with anyone else but that you are tempted to “hang out” with others. Figure out what is something...

Approximately 82% of the homicides committed in Chicago last year occured outdoors.

After a lovely rainy day of stuffing our faces with chocolate and taking in Geneva, we woke up very early the next morning to catch our train to Salzburg, Austria. This was not going to be a “normal” train ride. For the next 8½ hours (you read that correctly) and one train change in Zurich, we’d be travelling by rail through the Swiss, German, Lichtenstein, and Austrian Alps. Four countries in a few hours, and a whole lot of really high mountains. We couldn’t wait. It was still dark out when we arrived at the train station, but I had tried to organize it all so that the sun would be rising over the Alps as we travelled from Geneva to Zurich. I did the math right, and the results were breathtaking. Normally I encourage people to “play it cool” when travelling and try to not make it glaringly obvious that you’re a tourist. That just wasn’t going to happen. My husband and I were like little kids glued to the outside window of a candy shop; our faces pressed against the train car glass and our eyes filled with wonder. Seeing the Alps for the first time was an awe-inspiring moment, that turned into one amazing view after another. We looked around the train car, and everyone one else was sitting calmly in their seat, not even paying attention to the beauty right outside their window. They’d seen those mountains thousands of times before, and the Alps had lost their wonder. It made me sad for a moment, and then I realized, we would not be able to blend in at all on this ride. We most definitely enjoyed ourselves as tourists, and because of that, kept our guards high. It payed off. Earlier...

Sadly, our Fierce Women Month series can’t be all unicorns and rainbows. Sadly, despite the real world advances of strong women, damsels in distress are still in large fictional supply — especially in videogames. But knowledge is power. Learn all about the trope in video games from the brilliant Anita Sarkeesian of the Feminist Frequency blog. The history of this trope is both infuriating and fascinating, basically “in the game of patriarchy women aren’t the opposing team, they’re the ball.” [via The Mary...

Just in case you were looking for a reason to spend $125 on a doll in celebration of Women’s History Month, Hasbro has put out collectible Jem & the Hologram dolls. I have like no extra money in the budget, but the Shana doll is tempting me so bad… And I’m not even sure how I’m going to keep on resisting if/when they put out the rumored Misfits collection. [via The Mary...

Aaah, Downton Abbey and me. A love story no Netflix algorithm could have predicted. For one thing, I hate the rich. From Mitt Romney to Ritchie Rich and every Kardashian in between- they can all go fuck off and die and not leave me anything cause they’re bastards and don’t know me so I hate them. Oh, what’s that you say? I’m not being fair? Oh, I’m, sorry, I didn’t know income inequality was supposed to be FAIR. Tell you what, when they stop squatting on the world’s wealth like a bunch of plutocratic pigeons on a nest of golden eggs, while the rest of us scramble to lick their droppings off cars for a taste of the good life then I’ll stop fantasizing about throwing rocks in their plush, padded nests and poisoning their gluten free bird seed (I also hate birds, btw, so this is a particularly satisfying metaphor. Tee-hee-hee. Dead birds. Tee-hee-hee.) Don’t get me wrong- I’m not saying I’m poor or anything. I’m not a “have” or a “have not”- I’m a “have some” which is a far cry from being a “have enough change on my dresser for subway rides and Ramen til payday” which was me when I lived in New York. Although, because I now “have car” and “have house” and “have 80 year old electrical work in the house which was wired by drunk hobos half-blinded by bathtub gin”, it never feels like I quite “have enough” so I envy and resent those lucky enough to “have more”. At least I “have job” and don’t “have kids”- otherwise I’d “have debt”, but at least I’d “have someone to mooch off of when I’m old” cause I sure as shit won’t “have Social Security” or “have pension”....

…I would watch the heck out of it. Check out the promising first 5 minute webisode of “School of Thrones,” which stars the youngest sister from the web series version of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, “The Lizzie Bennet Diaries” as Sansa Stark. In other news, yes, I’m watching way to many books turned into modern day web series these...

I can’t believe my first week back from maternity leave has already passed! Today I’m finishing up the first copyedit of my second book, THE AWESOME GIRL’S GUIDE TO DATING EXTRAORDINARY MEN: a novel (click through to pre-order), and I’m also gearing up for my first night out unaccompanied by a member of my newly-large family. So yay, maybe I’ll get back to being even halfway interesting soon. Meanwhile, here’s a whole bunch of procrastination, just because I love you. 1. I often tell folks that it’s easier to date if you’re a writer, because you’re already used to rejection and things not working out as planned. I also believe that rejection makes you a much better artist; therefore you should go out there and accrue as much of it as you can. However, Tayari Jones explains why rejection is good for the writer’s soul much better than I do, so definitely click through. [The Best Way to Get Over Rejection? Get Rejected More Often] 2. This post about a now-stalled possible spin-off for ONCE UPON A TIME’S Mad Hatter character reminded me how underused some of OUAT’s most interesting characters are. Here’s hoping they give my favorite character, Mulan, an episode of her own someday soon. [The Mary Sue] 3. Read these “20 amazing facts about the human body” if you want to be fascinated and possibly somewhat disgusted by your mortal coil. My fave facts: “On sheer count of cells, there is more bacterial life inside you than human” and “If sci-fi movies were to be believed, terrible things would happen if your body were pushed from a spaceship without a suit. But it’s mostly fiction. There would be some discomfort as the air inside the body expanded, but nothing like the...

Spend a couple of bucks, scratch off the ticket, and win big! That’s the promise of instant lottery ticket games. They advertise big prizes for a few dollars investment. But, can you actually win anything on these? I bought a bunch from two different states to find out. Last year, my good friend Simon and I dropped $20 in a Pennsylvania Lottery ticket machine and ended up scratching off tickets for the better part of an hour. While the biggest amount we hit was only $20, we kept getting free tickets over and over that we kept cashing in. Pennsylvania gave us a lot of play, and our money back, for that $20 investment. But, are other states just as loose with their tickets? The New York Lottery recently installed a flashy, new lottery ticket vending machine at the Herald Square subway station. In addition to dispensing scratch off tickets, players can also purchase regular number games, such as Powerball tickets, from this machine. So yes, you can now legally gamble while riding the subway! I pass this machine every day on my commute to work so I decided that I would give the New York Lottery a try. I dropped $30 into the machine and chose a variety of tickets ranging from $1 to $10, ending up with 11 tickets in all. Several New York commuters cued up behind me to use the machine. Once I arrived home in New Jersey, I stopped in at a local convenience store, purchasing an array of tickets to see what kind of luck the Garden State lottery would give me. I asked for $25 in a variety of tickets. There are no $1 tickets in New Jersey so I had to plop down an additional $1. With that, the clerk handed me 13...

So here’s a handy dandy chart from Payscale.com about how to decide whether it’s time to ask for a raise. And, here’s an awesome post that Monique King-Viehland wrote for us a couple of years ago re why women should always, always negotiate their paycheck from the jump off....

Lunch time.  Two words that can spell doom for diets and pocket books alike.  How many of us have sat in our cubicles, willing the minutes to tick by, the hunger growing by the second into a monstrous yearning for the amazing sushi roll, the juicy cheeseburger and fries, the crispy falafel next door?  Day after day of consuming over a thousand calories in the middle of the day and spending 15 to 20$ a pop will take a toll on your body and your wallet, leaving you asleep in your chair and dreaming about where all your money went. Packing a healthy lunch is your salvation.  Balance protein and fiber with your carbohydrates to avoid the three o’clock sleepies.  Try a salad of arugula with avocado, almonds and balsamic vinaigrette.  Throw boiled eggs into the mix.  Sprinkle in nuts, seeds, or craisins.  Or try the following yummy recipe – make it for dinner the night before and pack the extra for lunch right off the bat to prevent eating it all at once. Salsa Rice with Black Beans and Corn (Courtesy of Food Network) Ingredients 1 cup brown rice 1/2 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained 1/2 cup prepared or fresh salsa 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions In a medium saucepot, cook brown rice according to package instructions. When the rice is half way cooked, add black beans and salsa, and cook until rice is done. Remove the pot, and using a spoon, stir in chopped cilantro and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Featured image credit:...

The next time you don’t feel like getting out of bed to exercise, maybe re-enact this Matt & Kim video. It looks like a great workout — also, the song is the usual Matt & Kim brand of awesome. [h/t...

Especially for African-American women. Please click through to read a wonderful acknowledgement of the struggles Dr. Mae Jemison, Stephanie D. Wilson, Joan Higginbotham, and Dr. Yvonne Cagle, endured and overcame in order to become astronauts....

Dear Dr. Miro, For a third date, with this guy I REALLY like, I invite him over to my place for dinner and what I was hoping would be more. Then, Dude brought his dog with him even though I was VERY clear before he came that it was a BAD idea. This really really bothered me. He also didn’t want to wear a condom when I asked him to!? On just our third date? So, the dog tore apart my room, got dirt everywhere and there was no way I could relax enough to get lucky. Generally I love animals, in fact I have several birds and a cat – which made the dog’s presence even more complicated, and maybe I could learn to love this dog but in the mean time how do I see this guy without his pet that he takes everywhere? Sincerely, Frustrated Fanny Dear FF, This all sounds like deal breaker material. Why some people insist on forcing their pets on folks who are simply not interested is an entire thing in and of it self. Hey people: nobody finds your fluffy friend as amazing as you do! The bigger issue is the fact you requested a few pretty important things and were ignored. This dismissal of your feelings in regards to bringing his pet with him is completely congruent with not wanting to use a condom. If this guy is unable to hear such simple things in the beginning throws of a relationship, it will be next to impossible later on. No one is questioning your love of animals. What I will call into question is why you would put up with someone who so blatantly ignored your needs. Lust & Happiness, Dr. Miro featured image credit:...

Kudos to Kayla, who tried her 2yo best to reach the moon by jumping at it. She didn’t make it, but maybe one day… [via...

…and herstorical badass. Please, please, please click through to read more about this abolitionist who was given a feminine-feature-hiding uniform to serve as a surgeon in the Civil War but purposefully grew out her curls so that everyone would know she was a woman. [via...

Dear Madame HR, I work for a small (about 50 employees) company that is an internet startup. The majority of our staff are phone sales reps, of which I am one, who report to “John” the VP of Sales. About a month ago, I walked into the men’s room and saw John, doing what looked an awful lot like snorting cocaine at the bathroom sink. Later that afternoon, while taking a smoking break with some of my co-workers I discovered that others have seen John doing suspicious things. Our team leader told us a story of how he was with John at a convention in Vegas and at dinner one night, John brought a stripper to the restaurant and proceeded to make out with her all through dinner. A group of us decided to go talk to the Chief Technology Officer because he is the one executive who has been here longer than 3 months and we trust him. The CTO wasn’t surprised by our story and said he would talk to HR. Well, many weeks have passed and John is still working here. Why haven’t they fired him? Wouldn’t this be immediate grounds for termination? I don’t understand. –Not so Silent Witness Dear Not-so, I love this story! Love, love, love it! Just reading it throws me into a trip down memory lane of all the times someone has sat in my office regaling me with tales of all the debauchery that they have witnessed at the hands of various co-workers/managers/executives. This is my first cocaine/stripper question here at HorroR Stories, but I did have a CEO/prostitute question once. To relive that little bit of glory, click here. Drug use/abuse is one of those sticky tricky HR things that cause many of us...

Yes, seriously! Take a listen to this “Call Me Maybe”/”Head Like a Hole” mash-up, aptly named “Call Me Hole.” [via...

Feminist satire from 1915. Happy Women’s History month! [via...

I was out playing Super Contra on an arcade machine last week, and a non-gamer friend commented on how cool is it was that this game was side-scrolling, unlike that “other Contra” game he’d played on the Playstation, which just “didn’t feel like a Contra game.” After some investigation, I realized that he was talking about Neo Contra. I’ve written a few columns about the difference between video games and movies, and this conversation brought me back to that line of thinking…”What is a sequel in a movie, and what is it in a game? How do they differ?” In my mind, a movie sequel is theme and subject driven. For example, in the second Back to the Future, Marty goes to a totally different time zone, with some new tricks (flying cars and hover boards). In the fourth Star Wars, the much maligned Episode 1, we visit characters from the previous trilogy in a different time, but the through-line is the common fiction and character lineage. Those are both good ideas for a sequel (well yeah, maybe if the Star Wars ones had been executed well). They delve further into the subject matter of those worlds. For a video game, I think part of the issue is that video games always tend to follow movie models. And the issue with that, is that games have special needs that are unique to games, and nonexistent in movies. In the years before games, movies, TV, and radio were the main media of technological form. So it made sense in the early years of games to take a little of what movies do, a little of what software does, mix them in a bowl, and out comes a video game. However, I think time has shown that...

Friendly reminder to all you fierce and nerdy parents: forget about piano lessons, enroll your little girl in a breakdancing class. 1) it’s great exercise, and 2) little b-girls are like the cutest things on the planet. Don’t believe me? Watch 6yo Bgirl, Terra, school a fool on the dance floor below. [h/t The Mary...

Heyo! I’m back! I’m back! And so very happy to be so. Reading nerdy tidbits just ain’t the same without you, dearest readers, and numerical aggregation. Also, I’m back just in time for Woman’s History Month, so a whole lot of fun is about to be had — if you’re a nerd who appreciates women, which I’m sure all of us are. But enough small talk, let’s get to the good stuff! 1. Man, I miss driving our electric car. I had to do an exchange with my husband and now he drives the Chevy Volt while I’m stuck in the much more twins + toddler friendly, Ford Flex. I really can’t wait until they come up with an electric 7-passenger vehicle — or even better — one that drives itself. So this Slate op-ed in favor of electric cars that drive themselves is right up my alley. And yes, I’m obsessed with the subject of self-propelled cars, and will probably find a way to bring it up at least every other month until I get one of my very own. [“A Computer Will Drive the Electric Car of the Future”] 2. The story of why men stopped wearing high heels — basically, they were practical at first for riding a horse into battle and the like, but then they became impractical. But do read the entire story as it’s fascinating. [Jezebel] 3. All artists — especially writers and non-trained actors– should download this body language cheat sheet by psychologist, Carolyn Kaufman, like yesterday. Very useful. [h/t GalleyCat] 4. My remaining twin tummy pooch is out of control, and I need all the shopping tips (and pooch-hiding clothes)I can get until I’m cleared for exercise and can attack it properly. So I really enjoyed...

All families have home remedies and wives tales that have been passed down through the years: stress causes gray hair, frogs don’t actually cause warts, etc. One I’ve come across is that you can use a newspaper to clean a mirror. Sounds crazy enough, but there are dozens of web pages devoted to it. So, I set out to see if this is truth or just an old myth. The recipe is simple. Mix a quarter-cup of vinegar and two cups of water. Spray and coat the mirror. Take out an ordinary piece of newspaper, crumple it up into a ball, begin to wipe. Sounds simple enough. I snagged an AM New York on my way home from work, I already had vinegar in the cupboard, so I mixed up the solution and headed for the bathroom. I coated the mirror with the vinegar solution and crumpled up a page from the paper. (Sorry, to the author of the article on tourism in New York City’s Brighton Beach neighborhood.) I started at the top of the mirror going in circular strokes and it did not go so well. The whole thing was coated in large white, foamy streaks. It looked like a child went crazy with a tub of Noxzema. After a few more moments of rubbing, to my surprise – it really started working! With a little more elbow grease, I got the whole thing perfectly clean! It was as good as a bottle of glass cleaner could do from the store. If it worked on the mirror, I figured it has to work on other surfaces, so I tried wiping the sink and countertop. Big mistake. The newspaper left black streaks all over the counter top that I had to go back and wipe up with glass cleaner. There was one major...

Dead Weight is the second installment in the Lizzy Gardner detective series by T.R Ragan. In this installment a dying mother contacts Lizzy. Her daughter went missing over twenty years ago and was last seen accepting a ride from an unknown man after her car broke down on the side of the road. She wants to know her daughter’s fate before she dies. Lizzy has also been contacted by a woman whose sister went missing and whose disappearance may be linked to a famous weight loss guru, Anthony Melbourne.  On top of that her newest intern/self defense student/fellow Spiderman victim, Hayley Hansen, keeps disappearing for long periods of time. Unbeknownst to Lizzy, Hayley has been exacting revenge on the all the men who sexually assaulted her in exchange for providing her drug addict mother with her fix. She hasn’t killed anyone yet, but she is working up to it. Can Lizzy find out what happened to Carol Fullerton before her mother succumbs to cancer? Can Lizzy locate Diane Kramer or at least connect Anthony Melbourne to her disappearance? Dead Weight is a great follow-up to Abducted. With her usual deft skill, Ragan brings the reader into the novel with clean crisp prose that doesn’t get in the way of the narrative. There are a few twists and turns in this novel that don’t feel forced, but grow organically out of the storyline. It’s a great read. If you liked this post, please do us the further boon of Liking the Fierce and Nerdy page on FaceBook. Also, we’re giving great stream on Twitter, so do give us...

Heyo! Ernessa here. I thought it would be nice to close out this Black History month by saying hat I’m still waiting for the next Octavia Butler. I’m longing for another wildly imaginative author, who is interested in sci-fi and futurism and fantasy and politics, and is also a hell of a storyteller. Tall order, I know. And of course, Butler was one of a kind, but surely there’s another good author out there who would love to be the next Octavia Butler. If so, all I have to say is I can’t wait to find her or him. And how about you, Dear Readers? What deceased author(s)’s doppleganger are you still waiting for? Let me...

This touching backstory told by Challenger astronaut, Ronald McNair’s brother has it all: books! racist librarians! Star Trek! fierce nerdery! I teared up like nobody’s business. A wonderful, stubborn, and brilliant mind was lost in that explosion. [h/t...

So really, why fight the robots? asks “Time Robot” by...

I frequently write and shoot video extolling the virtues of modern games, but seldom do I dive into anything retro. Well, recently I got to hang out with Muzz from NerdKO and was floored by his collection of games. Such a thing cannot be UNSEEN and amidst this treasure trove of classics I once held dear, I realized there were some pretty gaping (and damning) holes in my personal NES collection. So, here are 5 games I’m searching for and a little background on why that is. 1. Chip ‘N Dale Rescue Rangers Not only did I adore this show growing up in the early 90s, but I fell in love with the video game as well. Even at my young age of only 7 or 8 I could tell that the game was solid compared to other platformers I’d played and I spent a good chunk of my summer playing through the entire thing with my Mom. As Chip (uh, and Dale) you’d run around throwing items at enemies and truthfully it had some of the best graphics around at the time. 2.Metroid Not Prime or Corruption or Other M but the plain old, regular Metroid. Which, if you’ll remember was a milestone for gaming really as you’d discover the hoer, Samus was a woman at the end. It was a pretty big Shymalanian reveal and Nintendo quickly garnered praise for creating a game with deceptively rewarding play and bonus points for shocking all of us after her adventure on planete Zebes. Personally I remember looking at my grandparents’ hand-drawn maps when they were busy beating this title when I was a child and can’t for the life of me remember what I did with my original copy. So, here I am, 20...

After seeing this MRI-based video by Sivu, I really want to know what goes on in our heads when we write. From i09: Musician Sivu spent two hours inside an MRI machine to film the music video for his song “Better Man Than He.” The result is this hypnotic video, which lets us see what literally goes on in Sivu’s head as he...

It’s funny because it’s true…. [h/t...

Geneva, Switzerland was one of our first destinations in our three-week, whirlwind European holiday. We flew into Geneva from Manchester, UK (A VERY lovely airport, I was impressed by it’s décor, calm atmosphere, and cleanliness) via EasyJet. It had been about five and a half years since I had flown on EasyJet, one of Europe’s most economical airlines. The are the Southwest or JetBlue of Europe, offering fares at amazing prices, with most being somewhere in the double digits. I often advise that if you are travelling to multiple cities in Europe, first check if EasyJet (or RyanAir, another discount airline) flies between the two cities. It’s amazing how often taking a plane is actually cheaper than taking the train. EasyJet does tend to nickel and dime, but in the way almost all airlines are now: checked baggage is extra, more legroom is extra, etc. But, unlike RyanAir, use of their bathroom is complimentary (seriously). I have to say, this flight on EasyJet was much more pleasant than the last, and much more pleasant than most of my Southwest flights as well. The plane was clean, well maintained. The staff was quite lovely and helpful. And I didn’t feel like a stuffed sardine. While the flight was short, as most within Europe are, for being so inexpensive it was very pleasant. If you have the choice between RyanAir and EasyJet for flying in Europe, I would pick EasyJet any day. Once we landed in Geneva, we were shuttled to the main terminal and waited to go through customs. The line was long, but honestly, I was just really happy to get my passport stamped in Switzerland. Traveling by train is wonderfully picturesque, but you do not get any passport stamps when moving from country...

Several Bond theme songs have been nominated, but only one has ever won, and that’s the immensely worthy “Skyfall” as sung by Adele. Let’s celebrate with this wonderfully snarky honest trailer for...

According to recent ACNielsen research the average American television viewer watches programming on only 17 channels.

Look, we all know the world is a disappointing place. Sure, we wish that we lived in a world where the sun shines all the time (but not because of global warming), our favorite teams always win and Oscar Pistorius doesn’t murder his girlfriend, but that just ain’t the case. The fact is, we live in a world of blizzards and hurricanes (and not just because of global warming); the only thing that our favorite team wins is ESPN’s “Worst of the Worst” every Friday when they show the fucking butt fumble clip on the “Not Top 10”; and Oscar Pistorius became the single most disappointing disabled role model since the now infamous “Is Stephen Hawking gonna have to choke a bitch?” incident of ’97- as chronicled on his hip-hop album A Brief History of My Foot Up Your Ass. While no month has a monopoly on disappointment, February seems to have more than it’s share. The days are short and the weather is cold but the goodwill, glitz and gluttony of December’s merry holidays have long since been replaced by bigger waistlines and broken promises of a better you. Even the laziest, and drunkest, dads have finally emerged from their Two and a Half Men, Bud Lite, Papa John’s coma long enough to throw the desiccated brown corpse of their once proud Christmas tree out on the street like a kid who flunked out of El Camino Community College, where it lies around hoping that if it just looks pathetic enough, someone will take pity on it and haul it away like the goth-chick scowling in the back of math class, who hopes that if she just looks sad enough the quarterback will see the Disney princess hidden behind the black eyeliner and will...

In the form of Legos. “Lego Dance” by Annette Jung made me want to watch all the MJ TV and movie specials all over again.   [via...

Long before David Letterman became the king of late night, he was just another struggling Hollywood comedian. During the 1970’s, Dave was a fixture as a celebrity panelist on many game shows until he finally got a chance to host one of his own. Fortunately, that video has made it online and is hilarious! David Letterman grew up in Indianapolis and eventually worked as a weatherman in local television. He would eventually head to Hollywood, where he worked the comedy circuit and appeared as a game show celebrity panelist. Dave hosted a short lived morning show for NBC that led to his late night gig, Late Night with David Letterman. After a dispute over hosting duties of The Tonight Show, he moved on to CBS in 1993 and has been hosting his Late Show with David Letterman, since. One of Dave’s rarer TV projects was hosting the game show pilot, The Riddlers in 1977. Now a copy has been made available online. The Riddlers placed two teams, one made of five celebrities and one made of contestants with a common theme (five dance instructors were seen in this pilot). One player would read a clue and their partner would have to finish the answer to the hilarious riddle. Solving nine riddles wins $500 and a chance to play the Crazy Quotes bonus game. Missing a riddle, passed play to the other team. In the Crazy Quotes bonus game, players hilariously arranged themselves by intellectual ability to solve a series of more difficult riddles for a jackpot of $2,000. This pilot also features 1970’s celebrity guests Jo Anne Worley, Robert Urich, Joyce Builifant, Michael McKeon, and Debralee Scott. Take a look at the show that could have been, The Riddlers. Too bad – the game was just awful. The...

According to a January 2012 Gallup poll the chance a U.S. worker is of normal weight and without a chronic health problem is 1 in 7.

How much do you really love your friends?  Sure, you’re willing to cook for them, but do you love them enough to peel dozens of cloves of garlic? John Thorne, my favorite food writer, gives this recipe for chicken with 40 cloves. As a garlic lover, I highly recommend biting the bullet and freeing them of their pesky skins. It’s completely worth it for the unique, luxurious pleasure of eating them by the creamy spoonful. So come on, the smell will wear off…in a day or two.   John Thorne’s Chicken and 40 Cloves of Garlic (courtesy of Spicelines.com) – Serves four Ingredients: 3-1/2 to 4 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces Salt and pepper 40 cloves of garlic (about 4 heads) 1 to 2 tablespoons fruity olive oil A bouquet garni of several sprigs of parsley and a branch of thyme Chapons [crusts] of country bread, toasted in olive oil Method: Preheat oven to 200F. Season the pieces of chicken with salt and pepper. Examine the cloves of garlic. If they are fresh and firm—and if you care to—use them unpeeled. Otherwise, peel them carefully discarding any soft or moldy ones and cutting away any brown spots and assertive green sprouts. Choose a flameproof casserole with a well-fitting lid, just large enough to hold the chicken pieces comfortably. Heat the olive oil in it over medium-high heat and, when it is hot, quickly brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Do this in batches, removing each piece to a platter as soon as it is done. When all the pieces have been browned, put the garlic cloves into the hot oil and sauté these, stirring constantly, for two or three minutes, until they soften begin to brown a little at the edges. Remove the casserole from the...

The answer to the timeless question, “Can money buy happiness?” — yes! … provided you spend it in the right way. Apparently, those who spend their money on others and experiences versus themselves and material things report being much happier. See the video below for way more colorful details. [via Jezebel, “Can Money Buy You...

I mean we do want her twins to grow up to be nerds, right? [via The Mary Sue]...

Dear Dr. Miro, I was just dumped by the love of my life. All my friends say this is the best thing that could’ve ever happened to me. That’s BullS**t! The best thing that ever happened to me walked away from an amazing relationship and now I feel like I’m going to die. What do I do? He’s already with someone else so I don’t think I can fight for us. How do I deaden this pain? Sincerely, Broken Reject Dear BR, I know it feels like you are going to die. This is why it is called heart break. Your heart is actually in pain! I understand how much situations like this hurt. Sometimes you have to just feel those awful feelings for a while. It does not sound helpful right now but the old adage “time will heal” is pretty dead on. Using the word “dumped” is problematic because it reinforces that garbage feeling. Trash gets dumped. Remember: you are a human and NOT refuse. Words are really important in recovery. So much so that it often helps to simply do an old fashioned journaling technique in which, once a day, you write whatever comes to your head for three pages. Get out all those emotions un-edited onto the paper OR you can write letters to yourself and him. Whatever you do, do NOT send him these rants. It will only serve as fodder in ways you are too delicate to handle at this juncture. Having imaginary conversations that he does not in actuality participate can be incredibly cathartic. One woman I know kept a box filled with all her letters to her ex that she knew better than to send. When it was full, she held an amazingly beautiful bonfire exorcism...

I thought I was done with ads, featuring white people rapping, but then “The Motherhood,” a British ad for the four-door Fiat, pulled me back in! [via Jezebel, “Fiat Mom Raps About Sticky Furniture, Faking Orgasms, and Her Sweet...

According to Digital UK the average British dog watches 50 minutes of television each day.

Dear Mme HR, I am a manager and I have about 10 people reporting to me. Most of my employees are great. I have one employee, though, who is really good at her job, but she is crazy. When I say “crazy” I mean that she is almost impossible to deal with. None of my other employees, or managers, want to talk to her, so I carry the brunt of dealing with “Molly” because I’ve learned how to approach her on things and can usually withstand the onslaught I get back from her. I’ll try to be more specific. Recently I was talking to one of the line supervisors, she was saying how a group of them went to a happy hour at a local pub after work on Friday. She said “Even Molly came with us!” I, perhaps foolishly, brought it up to Molly in a very positive way, like “I hear you guys had fun the other night.” Much to my surprise, Molly completely freaked on me. She couldn’t believe that I had heard about that, wanted to know who else knew, if I had told any of the “higher-ups.” She then went to the employee who told me and yelled at her for telling me. Unfortunately, I have a lot of instances like this; I’ve come to just expect that if I have to deal with her on anything, she is going to freak out on me. Here’s my problem. Aside from all the freaking out, she is really good at her job. I don’t want to try and replace her, I don’t want to do what she does, I don’t even want to think about it. So how do I handle this? Do I just put up with the crazy...

Until now. Man, Swiss Alps, you sure are purty at night. [via...

It’s amazing because it’s true. All 100% true — especially the bits involving underpants. READ THE REST...

I was telling my boyfriend about my first few weeks of college. When I told him this story, he said that it would make a great comic. I did learn two things from this event: 1. Don’t be late to a comedy gig, and 2. I am funnier than...

But warning, do not watch this video if you only have a few minutes to procrastinate. I’m working, but now I want to read a book so bad…

Would you go on national TV looking for a date? How about a game show where old fashioned romance met modern (well, 1980’s) technology? We all tuned in to see couples air their dirty laundry about their first blind date. The ratings proved we loved it! So, why isn’t Love Connection still on the air? Love Connection, hosted by Chuck Woolery, aired in syndication on local television stations from September 19, 1983 through July 1, 1994, for over 2,000 shows. A one season revival hosted by Pat Bullard aired from September 21, 1998 – June 4, 1999. An updated version of The Dating Game, Love Connection producers would pick the three potential date candidates to choose from and a single guy or girl would have to choose a blind date from those three eligible bachelors or bachelorettes. The contestant would see a videotaped presentation on each, pick their favorite and immediately go on a blind date. After the date, they were not permitted any further contact until their episode was taped in front of a studio audience. The entire panel would return to tape the episode. The audience was shown a short snippet of the three potential date candidates and they would vote on who they think would make the best choice to date the contestant. The contestant would then reveal who they had picked and details of the date were discussed, while the other person was hidden backstage off camera and could only interact through a screen on the set. If the date went well, host Woolery would reunite the couple on the set, completing the “Love Connection.”  If not, that person would remain backstage. Whatever the outcome, the audience vote was then revealed and the contestant was offered a date with the audience’s pick, but they had...

Since Amy is the only one who loves ARCHER more than we do, we’re dedicating this Vulture post about the character models for the animated program to her — with a warning that she’ll probably be a bit skeeved (but sadly, not surprised) by the openly lascivious way the writer talks about Lana’s character model, who happens to be a Hooters waitress in real life. No, I’m not...

Love is full of shit. That was the original title of this post. A rough draft sat on my computer while my computer waited at Melrose Mac to be brought up to date. Seems like the whole world got connected via iCloud, twitter, and Mountain Lion while I was still using Leopard, MySpace, and a home phone. The post centered on the potty training of my three year old and the endless diaper changes involved in having a newborn. There were some funny comparisons between the romantic loves that border on lust we are saturated with via advertisers (see the Carl’s Jr. Super Bowl commercial where a bikini clad young woman on a beach makes love to a fish sandwich) and the reality of having two kids shit themselves at the same time and only having one changing table. For those of you who don’t have a changing table, a changing table is a place of calm amongst the storm. It’s where you put a kid that needs a fresh diaper or new undies. It helps contain the mess. There’s lotion, wipes, disposable bags, diapers, underpants, wash cloths, blankets, burpies, binkies, changing pads, anything and everything you need to get the job done cleanly and efficiently. It allows you to operate like a surgeon who graduated from one of those medical schools in Puerto Rico or the Caribbean, you know with the same basic training as everyone else, but an undying need to prove yourself. When both kids poop at the same time it’s def-con five. The end of the world is imminent. At the very least something that’s not supposed to have shit on it is going to get shit on it. The carpet, the stairs (and we don’t even have stairs), other...

You can either use an arc reactor to power an Iron Man suit, or to propose to your girlfriend. Either way, Happy Valentine’s Day! [via...

Big thanks to Jennifer May Nickels from “Gal About Town” for sending this “Daleks in Love” mug to us. Sadly, it’s currently out of stock, at the Betwixxt Etsy shop, but keep it in mind for your nerdy anniversary. This is also a great gift for couples who haven’t been together all that long, but already know that they share a great love … of Dr....

Dear Dr. Miro, I really want to do something special for my boyfriend for Valentine’s Day but I don’t have any money. Suggestions? Sincerely, Broke & In Love Dear B&IL, Love does not require money. Hopefully by now, your love has realized you are not rolling in moolah and accepts you for the tax bracket you are nuzzled in together. There are lots of sweet things you can do for a significant other that are not pricey. Men and women are not really all that complicated when it comes down to romance. If you want to do something tender and loving, you can start off with a nice hand made card that has a picture of the two of you in it. How about an old-fashioned coupon jar that has a bunch of deliciously filthy things you would like to do to him and have him do to you? Making a nice dinner or possibly just a dessert can work as well, especially if you are the main course! If you are musically inclined, write a cute little song for him and perform it wearing nothing but his favorite panties and a guitar. There are so many DIY sites now that have lovely little ideas for making bouquets and other fun tokens of your affection. The most important thing is to remember that this is simply one day out of the entire year to remind each other of your feelings towards each other. Try to take some of that pressure off yourselves and remember to simply enjoy one another. Lust & Happiness, Dr. Miro featured image credit:...

…then book a singing telegram to croon about how much you love the person you love like this xoJane writer did. Check it out below: [via...

Just in case you haven’t had a chance to think about how much you just love fictional robots lately, here’s a timeline. Try not to be bitter that we’ve yet to get a robot maid ala Rosie from THE JETSONS. [via The Mary...

Welcome back to the love fest blog about The Making of Harry Potter Tour– Part Two! If you missed Part 1, click here. Last time we met, we were just about to enter the Great Hall through the magnificent Hogwarts main doors. The Great Hall was absolutely majestic and awe inspiring. Additionally, since it was the holiday season, they had the hall decorated much like it was for Christmas in the movies. As you walked through the halls, you could see the carvings kids had made in the benches and tables over the years, costumes from The Philosopher’s Stone, and then the costumes of the Professors and Staff of Hogwarts at the head of the room. I got goose bumps as I stood in front of Dumbledore’s owl carved stand. From the Great Hall you walk into the main exhibit room of the tour. Here you are introduced to the Producers and Directors of the movies, and what inspired them in their work on the movies. From there you move on to see costumes, ice sculptures and food from the Yule Ball. Interestingly enough, they used both real and fake versions of the cakes and treats created from the props department for filming the Yule Ball. This was the start of the “vignettes” for each department from Art, Props, Hair/Makeup, Costumes, etc. The entire tour has a great variety from each of the departments, but the vignettes help you to discover a bit about what each department does. And while there’s a wealth of costumes around the whole exhibit, of course I had wished there had been a bit more to the Costumes vignette. What was really interesting about their vignette is that they had two mannequin’s there; one wearing Fleur Delacour’s Beauxbaton uniform,...

I love Tilda Swinton. I love Tom Hiddleston (better known as Loki from THOR and THE AVENGERS). And I love, love, love director, Jim Jarmusch. So I’m pretty sure I’m going to just adore his upcoming movie, ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE, which involves two of the people I love playing longtime vampire lovers. Here’s a first image: [via...

Heyo! Ernessa here with a special message for my fellow book lovers: 20 authors, including personal faves, Carleen Brice, Randy Susan Meyers, Catherine MacKenzie, Allie Larkin, Lisa Brackman, and Shilpi Gowda are giving away 20 (yes, 20!) books to four lucky winners on Valentine’s Days. So go HERE to enter now. Let me tell you, I’d be all over this if I were...

Let’s keep it real- I don’t have any problems. Not really. I’m not a Haitian earthquake survivor still struggling to rebuild or a Somalian child born into a world of famine and strife or the (former) Head Electrician of the New Orleans Superdome who painstakingly rebuilt his life after Hurricane Karina only to lose everything to Hurricane Beyonce- or should I say Hurricane Mrs. Carter (not to be confused with the former First Lady who has her own Mrs. Carter show “Fuck Habitat for Humanity, could you fix the fucking shelf in the kitchen already?”) And don’t tell me that you believe that “electrical relay” Jay-Z cover-up story- it had to be Beyonce who blew the power with her thousands of lights, dozens of video screens and two super-powerful mind control rays aimed at Michelle and Kelly to keep them from pouncing on top of her and stabbing her repeatedly like Ray Lewis in a production of Julius Caesar (“I come to bury Caesar not to praise him. The only person I’m gonna praise is JESUS!”) No- the only conclusion we can draw is that the Superdome was not ready for this jelly. You’re doing a heck of a job, Beyonce. Anyhow, I’ve been thinking a lot about people like Haitian earthquake survivors and all the other millions of poor schmucks around the world who would absolutely LOVE to have problems like mine (Oh. I’m sorry? Did I just manage to work this week’s obligatory Fierce & Nerdy “Love” theme into this post in the second paragraph? BOOM! That’s how it’s done, kid. Ain’t no arbitrary theme that I can’t incorporate in a totally half-assed and gratuitous way. Bring on Book Week, motherfuckas! ) because I’ve been really stressed out about buying a couch....

So you probably didn’t see this ad during the Super Bowl, because it only aired in Oklahoma, Texas, and Montana. But I can almost guarantee that if it had aired nationally, then it would have received a favorable review in Amy Robinson’s SuperBowl commercial round-up — Amy feel free to correct me if that’s not true. [via...

These days, with nationwide long distance and cell phone plans, most of us don’t think twice about making a long distance call. However, there are four area codes that look like they belong in the US, but aren’t, and an accidental call to one could have you paying big. I discovered this about two months ago, when my grandmother received a call that she had won a large lottery jackpot. All she had to do was to send several thousand dollars, via Western Union, to a prearranged address. Then the lottery would send her the prize. Sound too good to be true? It is. Thankfully, she wasn’t stupid enough to fall for it. International lottery scams are on the rise. Crooks from overseas are trying to deceive, what they assume to be, rich Americans into sending them cash. While this type of crime has been around for many years, but recent news reports say this type of scam is the rise. Scammers will call from, what appears to be a, local United States area code. They will leave a number to call back, often in the same area code. Their number will also show up on a caller ID, although it’s often faked. Sophisticated computer programs can disguise the actual caller’s number and assign a false number to a caller ID. The victim will then either call them back or call the number left on the ID to see whose call they missed. And BANG. You will get a big fat charge on your phone bill. Plus, some scammers redirect your call to another number that can get charge even more. According to the FCC, the deceiving area codes are: 809, 649, 248, and 876.  While the caller will dial the normal 10 digit American long distance number, 1-xxx-xxx-xxxx, these are located internationally...

With this $8 cardboard box for the Crib Dribbler, a product that purports to the perfect baby feeding system: With the Crib Dribblerfeeding system, baby will have the alone time it needs and its parents can enjoy some quiet time without having to tend to a hungry baby. You can put the real gift inside and then wait for your “I was horrified, then I laughed so hard” thank you card. [via...

According to this life expectancy calculator, if I get back to the lifestyle I had before I got pregnant with twins, I’m going to live to be 98 years old, barring any accidents or traumas. Wow. I mean… wow. That gets me to thinking about all sorts of things: long-term care insurance, what I’ll do with all those extra years — especially if I become too addled or arthritic to write, and how my relationships with the younger members of my family will go. I will say that one of the weird things about having my mother die on me when I was 19 is that I’m really murky about adult mother-daughter relationships. I have a pretty good idea of how I’d like to raise my daughters until they’re out of our house, but after that … no idea. I’ve observed loving mother-daughter relationships, toxic ones, estranged ones and a lot of in-between. But in the end, these are just observations. I joke about my plan to become the world’s orneriest senior citizen, and sometime late at night, I fret that my children, for whatever reason, won’t call or visit in my old age. But the truth is I have no idea what kind of mother I’ll be if I really do live as long as this calculator says I will. I know that I should strive not to nag my daughters; that I should give them a thorough money education, because I really don’t want them asking me for any kind of loan after the age of 25; that I’d do best to keep my opinions to myself unless they ask for them — and maybe even then; that I’ve got to let them live their lives, but that I probably won’t be able to resist a...

As someone who qualifies myself as a “loud introvert,” I really appreciated this video. It says that basically introversion is on a spectrum, and that people (including introverts themselves) are very prejudiced toward people who are on it. It’s also worth clicking through to take the quiz about whether you’re an introvert, extrovert, or a combination of both. [via...

I love to read. Love love love love love it. I find it to be an incredibly intimate way to share someone else’s thought(s). They wrote it down. They signed it. They hit enter, they hit send. There’s no backing off of that. “This is what happened to me,” they are saying; or, “This is what I imagined into being. This is what I think. This is what I feel.” What a brave and abandoned thing for them to do. What a gift for them to offer. To me, it’s a profound, a mystical, an intimate and vulnerable transaction. I could, but I won’t, say sacred. On my end of the transference, as reader, I become custodian of the thought. Behind the screen of the page (or the literal computer screen). There’s a safety, for the writer, and for me, of that page or that screen coming between us. Both writer and reader stand in naked intimacy, revealed in the light of what’s been shared, but wearing the masks that make it safe. We are hidden each from the other, by the mask of the byline; my anonymity to the writer; the face of the writer’s persona turned toward me. “Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth,” as Oscar Wilde said, wearing his Oscar Wilde mask. Which can all make it sound deadly serious. But to me, it’s just a shitload of fun. I love to imagine. I love to think. I love to feel. When I read, it’s like I get extra shots at these things, more than I’ve earned through my own life’s experiences. I love to let my mind and spirit loose, wandering someone else’s journeys,...

I love spinach.  And I love it significantly more now that it comes in bags already washed and ready to eat.  Because really, who has time to spend washing sand and grit off their food?  Spinach needs very little cooking to add delicious flavor to soups and sautés.  The less you cook it the more nutrients you keep; it must never be boiled.  Frozen spinach, however, is a thing I cannot tolerate.  Canned spinach is even worse.  Canning and freezing turn the bright green flavor of the vegetable to bland mush and should be avoided at all costs.  Since spinach is so versatile, you can throw it into almost anything you are making.  This is my version of a soup I had at a local eatery in Bethlehem, PA that makes everything fresh and amazingly good, called Hello Burrito.  Check it out if you’re ever in my town. Spinach and Swiss Soup (feeds 2 for dinner with crusty bread) 1 bag fresh spinach (8-10 oz) 1 cup grated Swiss cheese 16 oz broth 1 sweet onion, diced 1 Tbsp olive oil 3-4 cloves garlic, minced Heat olive oil in pan on medium low, then add onions and garlic.  Cook until onion is translucent.  Add broth, Swiss cheese and stir.  Once cheese is melted, add spinach.  Cook just until spinach is wilted and serve. featured image credit:...

Some things to think about, just in case you’ve been considering taking a trip through time. Thanks so much to Friend of FaN, Polly Harrison for posting this on her Facebook...

Dear Dr. Miro, I went on Winter Break to Maui with my cousin and she totally turned on me. We were in a bar and these hot guys invited us to their yachts and she made a big scene about how we couldn’t go because of how dangerous it was and so I tried to bring them to our room and she FREAKED on me. Am I really as stupid and slutty as she proclaimed to the entire floor of our hotel? Sincerely, Frustrated & Hurt Dear F&H, Not knowing all the details I choose not to make a blanket statement of yes or no to your query. It is a pity your cousin needed to be so loud with hurtful words. That must feel really awful! However, what I will say is that there IS something to being cautious even when, or rather, especially when, on vacation. Sure it seems like there are no consequences when you are on a far away tropical island but sometimes, there are. It is hard to predict what will happen when you are partying, but that just means you need to talk with your travel companion about what you both can agree on ahead of time. Sure your cousin may have been out of line to explode publicly, as opposed to taking you aside and calmly relating her fears. If she was in an altered state of consciousness, it may not have been that easy for her. Perhaps she was concerned about both your welfares and was unable to express it in a manner you could hear. Going with unfamiliar men to a yacht has a lot of deliciously fun potential but it could also result in a terrifying disaster. When sharing a room or any kind...

No? Then you should totally watch this under-2-minute history of the universe. I love feeling like a speck in history and a part of something so big at the same time. [via The Mary...

Why yes, Ernessa is still out on maternity leave. Why do you ask? Also, please, please, please click through to BuzzFeed to see all 20 pics of super nerdy nursery theme ideas. These are but a very geeky...

Dear Madame HR, I’ve worked part-time for the past 8 years for a non-profit organization. During that time, Cindy (not her real name), the secretary in the main office, was a great help to me in expediting a number of projects. Six weeks ago, I went into the office and found that Cindy was gone. The desk, shelves, and filing cabinets that Cindy had used were being cleaned out and the office had been re-arranged since my previous visit the week before. I asked about Cindy and was told that she had resigned when asked to adjust her work schedule (possibly in connection with the hiring of a new secretary in another department of the organization.) I wasn’t able to find out any additional information. Last week, I received a brief letter from Cindy, sent to my home address. Cindy wrote that she hadn’t resigned, but had actually been fired after 15 years of working for the organization.  The reason for her firing – “because they needed someone with greater computer skills.” Cindy stated that she’d received no severance pay, because the organization considered her leaving a “resignation.”  She wished me well and said she’d enjoyed working with me. I intend to continue working for the organization. How should I answer Cindy’s letter? I don’t want to insult her by ignoring it as she and I had a cordial working relationship. I’m puzzled by the issue of Cindy’s computer skills. The organization is rather low-tech and Cindy seemed to be able to provide the data and communications which the organization needed. Fired? Resigned? Which is true? Also, the organization never released any type of “official” explanation for Cindy’s sudden absence – rather strange for a long-time employee who played a very visible role in the daily functioning of the organization. Does a business have...