In 1911, the city of Pullman, WA, wanted more residents. So the Chamber of Commerce, the Railroads, and Sunset Magazine put together a nifty little pamphlet to encourage people to move. Of especial note, the question and answer section:
“What is the moral tone of Pullman?
Exceptionally pure. There are no saloons and little vice and crime.”
Keep in mind that this was a campus town even then…

Casting call for Mad Mad House. (Perhaps) interestingly, the copy of the casting call I first saw was looking for a Voodoo Priestess instead of a Priest, and a Naturist instead of the Trekker and Yogi Master. There’s a petition urging Sci Fi not to be so insensitive to pagans. Possibly in response, Sci Fi included that “important note” at the end of the casting call. In April, they thought they’d want a psychic.

An image of W, made of smaller images of an appropriate anatomical feature (hint: not “bush”).

If you’re under 18: MTV will be showing a movie about passion and jealousy.
If you’re over 30: MTV will be showing a movie of Wuthering Heights featuring a score by Jim Steinman!

This seems like exactly the sort of thing my co-blogger enjoys: Social Hygiene Posters. A memepool favorite is the one telling (some of) us not to worry.

According to a recent ruling, spyware is just fine. Despite performing no useful function for the user and making itself as difficult as the spyware companies can make it to remove from your machine once it’s there.

My inner child is 16. Sorry about the pop-up at Quizilla.

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I got to thinking about things (in part due to this article about how bad we are at predicting how we’ll feel about future events), and it eventually led me to the Cognitive Clearing House, via the Theorists Online page. One of these days, I’ll have to read Hofstadter’s Fluid Concepts &c.

Here’s a few highlights from Entertainment Weekly’s Fall Movie Preview, stuff that I wouldn’t mind going to see (hint hint):
Lost in Translation: Bill Murray stars, Sofia Coppola directs
Party Monster: Seth Green (yay) and Macaulay Culkin (huh) play club kids in a based-on-a-true story murder tale
Prey for Rock and Roll: Gina Gershon and Lori Petty play punk rockers. Hooray for cute punk girls!
Shaolin Soccer: will this ever actually be released? Is it quicker to toddle down to your local pan-ethnic video store?
Underworld: vampire action film that may suck or may turn into a wolf
Wonderland: Val Kilmer as John Holmes- it’s at least a rental!
Dummy: Adrien Brody as “a ventriloquist browbeaten by his own puppet.” It’s vent figure, dammit! Also starring Illeana Douglas (yay) and Milla Jovovich (boo)
Bubba Ho-Tep: Elvis defends his retirement home from an evil mummy. Bruce Campbell stars.
Luther: Joseph Fiennes stars as Martin Luther (just kidding) (about wanting to see it, it is actually a real movie)
Intolerable Cruelty: Coen. Clooney. Nuff said.
The School of Rock: Jack Black. Joan Cusack. Sarah Silverman. Richard Linklater. See above.
Elf: Will Ferrell, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, directed by Jon Favreau. It seems to be about an elf.
Love Actually: Directed by Richard Curtis, for whom I will forgive it starring Hugh Grant.
Big Fish: ’cause part of it was filmed near a friend’s house. Also Ewan McGregor.
Duplex: Ben Stiller, Drew Barrymore, Swoosie Kurtz. Unfortunately does not look that good otherwise.
Bad Santa: Terry Zwigoff movie about a bad santa with B. B. Thornton, John Ritter, and Bernie Mac. Hummm. Maybe another rental.
The Cooler: William H. Macy can make any film good.
Return of the King: w00t!
Calendar Girls: yes, Helen Mirren’s breasts are, in fact, afraid of the dark.
Two Men Went to War: British Army dentists invade France in WWII.

In a rare outright commercial endorsement, FP officially endorses the Home Owner’s Club. If you need something done to your house or yard, they will find a competent person to do that for you. And the contractor doesn’t get paid until you’re happy. I love it.