Link rundown

Random news and web gems:

Yahoo News: "iPods more popular than beer"
Running a survey where you ask which things are 'in' is perhaps the most unscientific way of determing popularity among college students--why not just use a modified Q score?--but the implications this has on collegiate iPod usage are pretty interesting. Ditto for Facebook, which merely 'tied' with beer in the study.

Washington Post: "Specter Offers Compromise on NSA Surveillance"
I'm typically on the center side of the left (more to come on that soon), but does it strike anybody else as odd that this 'compromise' essentially says: "Presidential wiretapping without oversight isn't illegal. But just in case it is, we're going to change the law so it isn't, and pardon anybody who broke the law while it was illegal"? I would seriously appreciate an alternate perspective on this.

'Weird Al' Yankovic- You're Pitiful (direct link to mp3)
From his upcoming new album, verified by his site. Mom, I know you're reading this. Click on that link now.

the tall blond guy goes to Japan
Not a new link by any means. In fact, it's aged almost to the point of uselessness, but the fact remains that this was probably my first big encounter with Japanese culture when I found it back in 2000 or so. It's still pretty funny anyway.

Also, to 'anonymous' who asked for a postcard in the comments: ...what?