Remember the contest that cities competed in for the Simpsons Movie premiere? Ed dropped by and posted an update to the story. It appears that everyone who actually did something for the video got screwed out of actually attending the premiere themselves. Classy.

Thanks to the Uncylopedia, I now know the truth about Santa Claus.

All I want is one little bundle of money from these pictures. Greedy drug dealers and their wads of cash….

The headline to this story pretty much says it all: “Falsely accused woman freed after 70 years”. That’s seven followed by a zero.

If you have Comcast and Bittorrent isn’t what it used to be for you, this article might shed some light on the problem.

If you have some time, this is one weird read: “An IM Infatuation Turned to Romance. Then the Truth Came Out.”

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice brings a heaping helping of depressing reading with the last statements of executed offenders.

I’ve seen more and more newspapers printing stories about the Jena Six case, but it’s still under the radar of a lot of people. Read up if you haven’t, it’s one ridiculous case. Unfortunately, the Rev. Al Sharpton has appeared on the scene. I hope this doesn’t turn people off, these teenagers could use as much support as possible if they really are as screwed as it seems.

Have You Seen Andy? A documentary filmmaker tries to find out what happened to a childhood friend that disappeared in 1976. The newspaper articles are disturbing but fascinating reads.

If you’ve hung around Allston, MA during the past few years, or visited Kenmore Square in the decades before that, you’ve probably seen a dreadlocked man playing music, asking for change or sometimes asking if you have any weed. If he knew you he’d usually just give a head nod and know if you were someone who gave him some spare cash or not, one of the more mellow panhandlers you’d ever want to meet. I remember first seeing Mr. Butch back in 1986 or so, hanging around outside of The Rat on an early visit to Boston. If memory serves, myself and friends took him behind the building and smoked a bit of weed with him. If we didn’t that first visit I can guarantee we did the next, when I made The Rat a regular visiting spot, I would see Mr. Butch pretty regularly. He was a strange dude, but one of the friendliest guys around. I’ve talked to him literally hundreds of times since then and he always made me laugh. Sadly, Mr. Butch died in a scooter accident today. I don’t think anyone would add Mr. Butch + Vespa Scooter without coming out with a “this is going to end badly”, but it’s still a shock. R.I.P. Mr. Butch, you were one crazy but nice guy.

Read a brief obit at the Bostonist. Visit the Mr. Butch Show website here. The Allston/Brighton TAB and Boston Globe also have articles online now.

I was never the biggest Alvin and the Chipmunks fan, but this is just sad. David Cross, what the Hell are you doing?

I’m surprised that I hadn’t heard of Miivi (no link, just add a dot com, I don’t feel like giving them hits) before today. They’re a video site similar to Youtube and Stage 6 with one small difference. They’re owned by Mediadefender and exist solely to get you to install their software, download movies they make available and get some names to the MPAA. If you’re installing software from a site you’ve never heard of before then you kind of get what you ask for, but still.

*Note: their site has crashed, their DNS’ changed and their Whois information altered in the past day or so.

Apple finally released a Windows beta of their Safari browser, and I have to say it’s awful. Ugly, ugly, ugly. I assume the actual Apple computer version is much, much better based on the way people rave about it.

The Super Mario Bros. cartoon always seemed lame enough (sorry to those of you who loved it, if there are any of you), but mixing Milli Vanilli in is just plain wrong. Was Koopa always this wimpy in the show? He had kids? WARNING: This episode is incomplete. If you seriously wanted to watch the whole thing you are not in luck here today. Sorry.

A Vietnam Photo Essay. Some amazing photos from the Vietnam War. Warning: This page is not safe for everyone, there are images of war here that may not sit well with some people, especially those currently at work. Each photo is linked to the site it was taken from, so you may lose some time if this interests you. While sad, I found most of the photos to be amazing.

Photographs from the Arkansas State Prison 1915-1937. Linked via Incoming Signals.

Totally absurd inventions and patents. There really are some lame ones in here.

I had never heard of the Bath School Disaster before, but all the media attention on Virginia Tech this week has pushed the topic around a bit online. 45 people killed by dynamite.

Dead at 84 after falling and injuring himself a few weeks back, read about Kurt Vonnegut and remember just how good “Breakfast of Champions” is.