BAGEENA

The 15 Most Influential Games of the Decade | GameLife | Wired.com

15. Portal (2007)

This senior thesis cum sleeper hit showed that students could hit it big in the games business — not after years of obscurity but immediately. But the space-bending puzzles of Portal will also have an influence on the way games are sold. Valve could have padded out the four hours of gameplay with extraneous cut scenes or boss battles, but instead it let the game be concise (and a bargain at $20). Portal proved that quality can trump quantity. –Daniel Feit

via www.wired.com

I could play Portal for hours and hours. I loves me some CAKE! Even if it's a lie.

Eerie outpost unnerves US Marines with strange lights and whispers in the night - Times Online

The Marines found the bone as they scraped a shallow trench. Long, dry and unmistakably once part of a human leg, it was followed by others. They reburied most of them but also found bodies. Three of the graves were close together; in another was a skeleton still wearing a pair of glasses. The Marines covered the grave and told their successors to stay away from it.

Observation Point Rock sits a few hundred metres south east of Patrol Base Hassan Abad, where a company from 2/8 Marines has been stationed for the past seven months. It is a lonely and exposed outpost 20 metres (65ft) above the surrounding landscape, which has been in Nato hands since it was captured from the Taleban in 2008.

via www.timesonline.co.uk

So now you don't just have to avoid gunfire and IED's, but also ghosts, ghouls, and specters. Forget that. I'll keep my military experiences on my 360, thank you.

The Sexiest Magazine Covers of 2009 - Asylum.com

With monthly periodicals folding by the dozen on a near-daily basis, we should be falling over ourselves to support the likes of Esquire, GQ, Vanity Fair, Maxim and something called Ralph.

They're the rags that really put out in a big way this year, showing off the finest female specimens from around the world, sometimes naked, other times in trench coats, other times in ink (like this July 2009 cover of Bar Refaeli covered in Stephen King's dirty words), but always looking hotter than a fireplace in hell.

Keep reading for our full rundown of the sexiest magazine covers of 2009, and feel free to stare.

via www.asylum.com

I usually avoid stuff like this, but the picture of Milla (ohhh Milla, my Milla) means that I'm legally obligated to post this to Bageena. And drool.

Full List - The Top 10 Everything of 2009 - TIME

Full List - The Top 10 Everything of 2009 - TIME

Exhaustive end-all, be-all list of the top 10 EVERYTHING (supposedly anyways) of 2009. What would December be without lists, lists, lists?

Illegal And Controversial Food From Around The World | Tripbase

We eat junk food because we know it's bad for us and we get pleasure from this, it's enjoyable. But on the scale of crimes as perceived by The Law, consuming junk food is hardly a great offense; it hardly even offends the senses. Now, if you were to consume something that was actually illegal or at least extremely controversial, imagine the proverbial rush from that.

This is a list of meals and delicacies that push the envelope, with some of the latter dishes going on to open up said envelope, read what's inside, set fire to it and then snort the ashes. These are the culinary equivalent of murder, of robbing a bank, of snatching an old lady's purse. They are at best controversial and at worst, downright illegal. But all are delicious. Probably.

via www.tripbase.com

10 Things Parents Should Know about Sherlock Holmes | GeekDad | Wired.com

When Sherlock Holmes was first announced, I had mixed feelings: Guy Ritchie? Seriously? More reassuring was news of Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Holmes, especially after Iron Man showed that he could pull off a genuinely fun action movie in a way that too many stars have forgotten. But the movie is here, the kid has been lobbying for months to go (”Please, Dad — for Christmas!?!”) and so it’s time to assess the final version:

via www.wired.com

Who is Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab? From wealthy soccer fan to suspected terrorist | Detroit News - - MLive.com

As the world tries to make sense of the failed terrorist attack aboard Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas, new details are emerging about the man allegedly responsible: Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab.

How did the privileged youth once respected for his religious beliefs end up the extremist who bombed a Detroit-bound plane?  Here's what we know so far:

via www.mlive.com

I guess I missed the news about this guy, 'cause this is the first time I've heard of him.

DAMNLAG : The Best 30 Games of the Decade

As 2009 winds down, the aughties, double zeros, or whatever you like to refer this decade as, heads towards its end as well. Its incredible to think that it has been a whole ten years since Y2K, but it has. The 2000s will be remembered in the gaming industry as the decade where gaming went mainstream. No longer is gaming a fad or a niche. Instead, video gaming has become a culture, and a part of everyday entertainment. The DAMNLAG Team has decided to take you down memory lane, and rank the best thirty gaming experience to come from this great gaming decade. Commentary and rankings were all done by Jaleel Boone, Chris Holmes, Connor Beaton, Zack Rovinsky, and myself. Enjoy guys, we worked pretty hard on this one. We promise you it will be epic.

---

via www.damnlag.com

I Wanna Hold Your Hand (for Tara)

via photography.nationalgeographic.com

The JFK Photo That Could Have Changed History | TMZ.com

We believe the photo was taken in the mid-1950s. It shows two naked women jumping off the boat and two more naked women sunning on the top deck. Just below the top deck -- a man appearing to be John F. Kennedy is lying on a deck, sunning himself.

TMZ had multiple experts examine the photo -- all say there is no evidence the picture was Photoshopped. The original print -- which is creased -- was scanned and examined for evidence of inconsistent lighting, photo composition and other forms of manipulation. The experts all concluded the photo appears authentic.

via www.tmz.com

Oh please. I'm sure it's entirely possible that JFK cruised around in boats filled to the brim with nekkid ladies, but in these heady days of Photoshop, I don't believe this picture is real for a moment.

AT&T Customer Service: "New York City Is Not Ready For The iPhone" - The Consumerist

AT&T has apparently found a workable solution to the reported data congestion in New York City. They've quietly stopped selling the iPhone from their web site to customers in the New York metropolitan area.

I guess that's one way to solve the problem.

via consumerist.com

Hatin' on the Mac

via i.imgur.com

Vimeo's 25 favorite videos of 2009 on Vimeo

2009 marked the most exciting year for Vimeo to date. Besides adding more than 1.5 million creators to our community, we saw thousands of the most creative videos in the world added to the site. It's been an amazing ride.

Here are our favorite videos of the year in no particular order.

And here's to another incredible year on Vimeo! Enjoy!

via www.vimeo.com

The Daily Show presents Decade in Review

via www.thedailyshow.com

Wish I could present this link a little better, but c'est la vi. The best of the 00's, Daily Show style.

Monster mummies of Japan ::: Pink Tentacle

- Demon mummies

It might seem odd that Buddhist temples in Japan house the occasional stray mummified demon (oni), but then again it probably makes sense to keep them off the streets and under the watchful eye of a priest.

Zengyōji (善行寺) temple in the city of Kanazawa (Ishikawa prefecture) is home to the mummified head of a three-faced demon. Legend has it that a resident priest discovered the mummy in a temple storage chamber in the early 18th century. Imagine his surprise.

Three-faced demon head at Zengyōji temple [Photos]

via pinktentacle.com

Want to have some nightmares tonight? Here you go then.

the annotated weekender

I draw in comic books and sketchbooks and in newspapers and on computers.

via theannotatedweekender.blogspot.com

I think I might be a better artist, but this guy has me beat in originality in spades. Some funny stuff here.

Bootie - Best of Bootie 2009

EARWORM'S UNITED STATE OF POP 2009Check out DJ Earworm's mega-mash of the Top 25 pop hits of the year as ranked by Billboard Magazine, all summed up in a tight 4-1/2 minute mix! It's sort of like the "Best of Bootie 2009" CD ,... but in one song!

via www.bootiemashup.com

The next best thing after DJ Earworm's foot-stomping new mix of the year's top 20 is this, the newest offering from San Francisco DJ's Bootie. I haven't heard the mix all the way through, but there's some amazing mixes in here. Plus, it's free!

A Pictorial Guide to avoiding Camera Loss

Have you lost your camera recently? Mislaid it somewhere in a national park? Left it in a taxi? Dropped it in the gorilla pit? Anyone can be a victim of the thoughtlessness and/or sleepiness that can lead to Camera Loss.

‘How can I prevent Camera Loss?’ I hear you ask, wishing I’d get to the point. Well, you can’t prevent cameras from getting lost, but you can do something so your camera can be found very soon after it has vanished.

All you have to do is take some photos – which you never delete from your camera – so when someone finds your camera at the bottom of the gorilla pit they are able to locate you and return the lost property to its rightful owner.

To illustrate just how you can safeguard your camera from the crippling effects of Camera Loss, here are the pics that I always keep on my camera.

via www.andrewmcdonald.net.au

This is awesome. I use that word a lot. I need a thesaurus.

Holy, Holy, Holy - Batman

via www.youtube.com

What the web was made for.

Upular

via www.youtube.com

put on your Christmas jacket | MetaFilter

Here's a fun collection of Vintage Christmas Album Covers, and more here at the Strange Christmas Album Covers Flickr set.

Some flapjax faves from the Strange Christmas Album Covers Flickr set:

Jul med Jularbo has gotta be one swingin' band...
Santa Watch Your Claws... you KNOW that's GOT to be, uh, good...
Nuttin' for Christmas for the creepy/somewhat disturbing puppetry action,
and of course, the magnificent Heino.

And I'm wondering if this musical offering from one Mrs. Mills was a sneaky attempt to cash in on the Mrs. Miller phenomenon...

posted by flapjax at midnite (7 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite

via www.metafilter.com

BestTweets, a selection of the best of Twitter

kolchak Today is allegedly FOX news' thirteenth birthday. I've yet to see the certificate.

via www.besttweets.com

Some really funny stuff here actually. Who knew Twitter was good for anything?

CBC News - Canada - Farewell festival marks end of remote fishing village

Hundreds of people gathered Sunday to remember better times and the close ties of a dying community on the eastern shore of Newfoundland's northern peninsula.

Musicians, games and dancing were featured in farewell parties that sprang up everywhere for people planning to move out of the tiny port of Great Harbour Deep.

Founded 350 years ago, the former French settlement is scheduled to become a ghost town in the fall.

All of its 80 families have agreed to leave after fighting for years for better transportation and health services.

Adding to the isolation was economic hardship brought on by the cod moratorium imposed 10 years ago.

via www.cbc.ca

How awful and sad. I feel so much for the families that had to move - after generations and generations of growing up and living there, to have to move and start all over again... hopefully somebody sees a reason or way to keep the town alive.

DJ Earworm IS AMAZING STILL

DJ Earworm releases for download his mashup of the year's top hits, according to Billboard.

No official video has been released yet. Here's a video to preview it [sorry for low quality!] Accompanying image.

DJ Earworm's previous mashups on Mefi: 2007, 2008

via www.metafilter.com

Without a doubt, the king of the mashup has done the unthinkable once again; he turned the top 20 songs of the year I'd rather not ever hear again into something uber-catchy and absolutely fantastic. From Earworm's site:

"This year in the charts, so many of the pop songs this year seem to tell the same story: Yeah, we’ve been through a lot, but right now we’re gonna celebrate with music and dance, and it’s gonna be ok. With that spirit in mind, I invite you to…BLAME IT ON THE POP."

* The Black Eyed Peas - BOOM BOOM POW
* Lady Gaga - POKER FACE
* Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O’Donis - JUST DANCE
* The Black Eyed Peas - I GOTTA FEELING
* Taylor Swift - LOVE STORY
* Flo Rida - RIGHT ROUND
* Jason Mraz - I’M YOURS
* Beyonce - SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)
* Kanye West - HEARTLESS
* The All-American Rejects - GIVES YOU HELL
* Taylor Swift - YOU BELONG WITH ME
* T.I. Featuring Justin Timberlake - DEAD AND GONE
* The Fray - YOU FOUND ME
* Kings Of Leon - USE SOMEBODY
* Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo - KNOCK YOU DOWN
* Jamie Foxx Featuring T-Pain - BLAME IT
* Pitbull - I KNOW YOU WANT ME (CALLE OCHO)
* T.I. Featuring Rihanna - LIVE YOUR LIFE
* Soulja Boy Tell ‘em Featuring Sammie - KISS ME THRU THE PHONE
* Jay Sean Featuring Lil Wayne - DOWN
* Miley Cyrus - THE CLIMB
* Drake - BEST I EVER HAD
* Kelly Clarkson - MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
* Beyonce - HALO
* Katy Perry - HOT N COLD

Defending the nation from temptation | MetaFilter

Air force personnel stole Malaysian fighter jet engine(s) from a military warehouse to sell on the black market abroad. Chaos ensues. Humour lurks. Rumours fly.

via www.metafilter.com

More Mefi goodness.

Dhani Jones is leading a bow-tie revolution -- latimes.com

There's a bow-tie revolution going on.

Sure, you've seen them on dandy hipsters or the chiseled and coiffed models who grace the pages of men's fashion magazines. And now, 31-year-old NFL linebacker Dhani Jones has proclaimed: "Just because you wear a bow tie doesn't mean you're a nerd."

via www.latimes.com

I don't even know why the hell I'm sharing this. I really think I'd look about as stupid as a bag of hammers if I wore a bow-tie. Good for this guy though, I guess.

LOOKIN' KITTIE!

via www.youtube.com

Alright, so the Christmas break is over and Bageena is back online, bringing all twelve of you dedicated users the same quality nonsense that appeals to me each and every day. Today, we start with this, a contender for the best rap song of all time. I have to thank my beautiful friend Nico, someone I've loved forever and ever and am genuinely afraid might know more about music than me. Only one way to find out; a drinking contest and a stocked Ipod on random. COME BACK TO AZ NICO!

New 'Lost' final season trailer (video)--The Live Feed | THR

Still no new footage, but this new trailer for the final season of ABC's "Lost" will get you excited anyway (and at least it's longer than 15 seconds this time) ...

via www.thrfeed.com

THIS I can't wait for.

10 Reasons why A Christmas Story Is the Best Christmas Movie Ever at Hollywood.com

9. The Bunny Outfit

Some moms tell you to put on your Sunday’s best for the Holiday. Mrs. Parker, oblivious to the humiliation she was putting her son through, ordered him to don the hot pink bunny pajamas his Aunt Clara made for him. Millions of fans hiss at the thought of having to sport that ridiculous get-up; luckily, the Old Man, despite his shortcomings, saved his boy from continued torture.

via www.hollywood.com

Brothers to have ears, noses cut off | The Daily Telegraph

A COURT has ordered that two brothers should have their noses and ears cut off after they were found guilty of doing the same to a woman who refused to marry one of them.

The judge at an anti-terrorism court in the eastern Pakistan city of Lahore handed down the sentences on Monday in line with the Islamic law of Qisas.

via www.dailytelegraph.com.au

This story is so awful, I literally have no words. Read the whole article - the last sentence will break your heart in two.