A while back, I did a post on the Hey Monkeybrain pagebuilder at Squidoo. It lets you host a debate on whatever topic you choose.

To try it out, I made a fun page about how “Google is Evil.” And guess what… Now, that Evil Google Monkeybrain page is in the Top 50 at Monkeybrain debate central! In fact, as of today, it is Number 9!

The Squidoo team sent me this nice Monkeybrain badge to show off, so here it is. If you haven’t tried Squidoo yet, you should check it out. It’s free, easy, addictive, and completely legal!

Hey, have you said “Monkeybrain” lately? It’s kind of fun.

Thanks to Lewis for the heads-up on the latest page-builder from Squidoo! It’s called Hey MonkeyBrain, and it’s just as much fun as it sounds.

All you have to do is come up with a statement that you’d like to debate. Something like, “Innies are Better Than Outies,” or “Britney Spears is a Genius,” or “Ninjas Rule; Pirates Drool.” You get the idea. Type in your main idea, add a few supporting details, click the magic page-builder button, and invite all your friends to join in the fight. The best part about the debate format is that the comments generated by visitors keep the content of the page fresh and unique.

Also, Squidoo is a revenue-sharing site. You build pages (called lenses) for free, and Squidoo pays you a percentage of revenue generated by traffic to the site. Let me warn you: Squidoo is addictive. Even without the royalty payments, building lenses is really fun!

You can visit my new MonkeyBrain page on the topic Google is Trying to Take Over the World, and sound off in the debate. While you’re there, make your own page and get in on the Squidoo fun!

That’s Battlestar Galactica, for those of you who are wondering what BSG is. I’m a huge fan of the show, and the next and final season starts in March. I’m dying with anticipation! I wish I had a date to put on my calendar, so I could have a proper countdown, but that’s all it says on the official site: “Returning in March 2008.”

In the meantime, I’ve been watching BSG fan videos on YouTube and on the official BSG site. I’ve also been updating my Katee Sackhoff page at Squidoo. If you’re not familiar with Katee, she plays Kara “Starbuck” Thrace, a tough, damaged fighter pilot, who may or may not be human. She’s also been on the new Bionic Woman series, playing Sarah Corvus, the original BW, whose bionic brain implants have gone bad. Katee is a self-proclaimed “girlie girl,” who just happens to be awesome in those butt-kicking tough-chick roles.

Is anybody else out there waiting for BSG like I am? I have to know who the fifth Cylon is! And what is Starbuck’s Special Destiny?

I’m addicted to Squidoo. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should do so right away. There is not an easier, faster, cheaper way to make a web page on anything you like. Plus, you can link back to your own blog or site (free backlinks!), and you can even earn cash royalties for yourself or charity. Seriously, Squidoo rocks.

Now, there’s a new way to Squidoo. It’s called SquidFlix, and it’s a fun and easy way to build your own movie review page. Just type in the name of the movie you want to review (whether it’s your favorite or least favorite), add some information to make it unique, and voila! Now Squidoo will pay you for traffic that clicks through your page. Isn’t that nice?

I’ve made my first SquidFlix page on one of my all-time favorite movies, The Princess Bride. I used the default modules as a starting point, and added some awesome quotes, video clips of my favorite scenes, and links to DVDs on Amazon. It was quick and easy to put together, and I plan to fill it out a bit in the next few days. If you’re a fan of The Princess Bride, stop by and add your own 2 cents.

And while you’re there, don’t forget to try building your own page. All the other kids are doing it. You know you want to.

Yo Gabba Gabba is one of the few children’s programs that I can actually enjoy with my kids. It reminds me of Sesame Street and The Electric Company from when I was a kid.

Unlike some of the other meaningless junk cartoons, Yo Gabba Gabba is actually fun and educational. It took me a couple of episodes to “get it,” because it’s different from anything else I’ve seen, but now I see why the kids love it so much! We sing and dance together to songs like “Don’t Bite Your Friends,” and “Party in my Tummy!” Once you get over the “this is so weird” phase, it’s a blast.

One of my favorite parts of Yo Gabba Gabba is the special “Dancey Dance” segment. This is where a special guest actor or celebrity teaches the characters — and us — how to do a special dance, like the “Twirly Whirly” (Nikki Flores) or the “Puppet Master” (Elijah Wood), and other special moves by Laila Ali, Sugarland, Sean Kingston, and others. The dances are simple and fun for the kids, and having a real human person on the show makes it more relatable for adults. Plus, I’m not much of a dancer, so these simple steps are perfect for me, too! There are also special music segments, featuring fun bands like the Aquabats and the Salteens, doing some very perky, peppy toe-tapping tunes.

Quite simply, Yo Gabba Gabba is the freshest, hippest new kids’ show out there, and if you’d like to check out some videos and get more information on Yo Gabba Gabba, visit my Yo Gabba Gabba page at Squidoo.

As a follow-up to my previous post about my conflicted feelings toward Google, I have compiled all sorts of rants, complaints, and frustrations, that others have published on blogs, forums, and news outlets. To see it all, stop by best.i-hate-google-stuff.ever.com. You can read the latest “Google stinks” blog posts from around the world, and if you’re feeling frustrated too, leave your own 2 cents worth in the guestbook. Go ahead and let it out. You’ll feel better.

Making a perfect pie crust is a skill that can take years to perfect. How can something made from such simple ingredients be so difficult to master? I don’t know! That’s why I always buy pre-made crusts! But this year, I am going to figure out the magic and mystery behind homemade pie crust.

I have gathered some helpful video tutorials on pie crust making, along with some highly-rated recipes, and put them all together on this page. I’ve included video from Alton Brown and Cat Cora, as well as some home cooks.

It’s amazing how you can conjure such a delicious, tender, flaky, golden, crispy, soft, beautiful crust from just flour, fat, salt, and water. Sure, some people add extra stuff, but the basics are always the same. I’ve never had great success with pie crust. Maybe it’s because I’m too impatient to mix the cold fat with the flour properly. Or maybe it’s because my hands are always warm, so the dough gets sticky and overworked. I don’t know. But I hope I can figure it out this season. Otherwise, it’s back to the frozen crusts for good!

I’ve been working on a new project this week! This one is called best.geekgadgets.ever.com. It’s a page dedicated to geek toys, gadgets, gifts, and other things that I think are super cool. Some of the products I’ve listed so far are a USB lava lamp, a wi-fi detector t-shirt, and some very cute Darth Vader nesting dolls. I love this stuff! If you’re interested, stop by and have a look. And if you think of something I should include, please let me know. If it appeals to my inner geek, I’ll add it and give you a nod.

My main computer hobby these days is creating “lenses,” or single-page mini-sites, over at Squidoo. These lenses are great for me, because I like lots of different things, and the lens-building interface is very easy to use. I can delve into whatever my subject du jour is, organize everything I find, and share it almost instantly. I have been doing a few lenses per week lately, and I have to say I think I’m addicted. But that’s my problem, not yours.

I’ve lost count of my lenses, but I think I have about 25 active ones right now, [edit: I counted, and it's 41 as of today. My habit is worse than I thought!] with more on the back burner. I’m very excited that one of them, the Pumpkin Carving Video Showcase (doesn’t that sound fancy?) was awarded the coveted “Lens of the Day,” by the Squidoo gods on October 29, 2007. It’s a collection of the best and most popular pumpkin carving and other pumpkin-related videos on YouTube. It’s truly amazing what some people can do with a simple gourd. One guy carved Princess Diana’s face into a pumpkin. Seriously, that’s art. I can manage some triangles for the eyes and nose, and a zig-zaggy mouth, but that’s about it. And for people who are more about pumpkin destruction than pumpkin art, there’s a section on pumpkin trebuchet (punkin chunkin) videos. Fun, fun!

I am a big fan of “The Office,” and I am especially entertained by the character Andy Bernard, played by Ed Helms. I have not been a loyal watcher of Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show,” (it’s on too late for me) so I hadn’t seen much of Ed Helms before his part on The Office.

If you haven’t seen The Office, you are missing out on some good laughs. If you like sharp humor, sometimes uncomfortable politically incorrect situations, and interesting characters, you will love The Office. You might want to give it a try.

So as I was saying, I didn’t know much about Ed Helms. His character, Andy, is very annoying. He’s a huge suck-up. He breaks into song without warning. He brings his banjo to work. He has a problem with anger management. Get the idea?

I was wondering about the guy behind it all, so I did some research. Okay, I say “research,” but you know what I mean is, I typed “Ed Helms” into my search bar. What I found out is that he is from Atlanta, went to college at Oberlin in Ohio, did stand-up comedy, plays in a bluegrass trio, was on The Daily Show, and now he’s on The Office. I put all the details together on a Squidoo page, if you’re interested in learning more about Ed Helms and Andy Bernard. It includes some of my favorite scenes from The Office, and a link to his band’s site. Enjoy!