Here's how it went down:

1. Smoovvy and Shady spot Jared-Leto-looking guy on Mill Avenue. He stops to look at girls in postage-stamp-sized shorts.
2. Smoovvy and Shady search Google Images for Jared Leto to see if it was really him. It totally was.
3. Smoovvy and Shady search Google for Jared Leto Band, thinking he might be in town for the Tempe Music Festival. He's in a band.
4. Smoovvy and Shady check Google for 30 Seconds to Mars, Jared Leto's Band.
5. Smoovvy and Shady find the Tempe visit in the list of tours on the band website.

We're kick-ass.

The Onion, January 18, 2001: "Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over" [ thanks to Brett ]

The troublemakers at Metafilter have a thread running with all their favorite one-liners from movies. It's long, and there are some good ones there. What lines would be in your list?

• Evidence that countries have been playing hot potato with the fancy stuff Iraq needs for its weapons.
• Using swarm theory to generate "free improv" music: "As we chatted, we both realized just how similar swarms and jazz musicians are, as strange as it sounds."
• Mapping Social Systems: "The maps show how ideas happen, how decision making happens, who the real experts are that everybody goes to."
• Is e-mail private, or in the public domain?
• The old theory says spectrum is limited and must be sorted, defined, and protected from interference. David Reed, super-genius, says it's all bunk. This spectrum stuff is interesting, and the debate is gaining a lot of attention.

While we're all peering over the walls and through the smoke to try and see what's to become of all this foot stamping and fist shaking at Iraq, the dutiful members of the US Congress are going about their business, seemingly free from the pesky review of the citizenry.

As Meg Hourihan says, "Don't get distracted;" this week our Congress is voting on Partial Birth Abortions and the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.

Republican representative Bob Ney, chairman of the House Administration committee, has dealt a serious blow to French pride. He has struck the word "French" from all food served in the House cafeteria. No longer do we have to be reminded of French contempt when ordering meals, for now we have "Freedom Fries" and "Freedom Toast." Liberation at last!

Seriously, Rep. Ney's action is dumb, a knee-jerk reaction that will surely make us look more like fools in French papers. Like many Americans, I'm displeased with French obstinance, but unlike Ney, I'd rather demonstrate to the French that they are wrong--stick it to them with evidence rather than resorting to what is effectively name-calling. Renaming our food is the silliest way to express our discontent with France. Besides, freedom has one extra syllable in it. Who wants to expend that kind of effort?

Bon appétit, mes amis....er, good appetite. Wait, that doesn't work. Chow down or something.

I have found that I like reading what Mr. Clay Shirky writes. He has novel and smart ideas, he writes well, and he likes to write about the social and economic effects of Internet technologies. Bitchin'.

From his most recent essay:

We have historically overestimated the value of network access to computers, and under-estimated the value of network access to other people.

Follow Up: The notes from the Effective Social Networks panel discussion at the SXSW conference this year.

I visited Little.Yellow.Different. again after I saw it won a bunch of Bloggies (best american weblog, best glbt weblog most humorous weblog, and weblog of the year (whew!)). And you know what, Ernie is one funny mofo. You should go read some of his stuff, because, well, everyone else is.

"We like the moon! But not as much as a spoon. Coz that's more use for eating soup."

I think the animation made me dumber. But results may vary. You know, like, you might be better off if you didn't watch it eleven thirteen times.