Welcome to Ben’s Basement where I, the husband of BuenoBaby, get to enlighten you with my view of the world. Or at least post content that will, hopefully, crack a smile on your face. I hope you enjoy the ride…

If you have any link suggestions, please send them to me here. Thanks a bunch! Also, you can follow me on Twitter here.

2 March, 2010

Remember the Ok Go video with the treadmills? No? Well then, if you haven’t seen it, or can’t remember it, or you want to see it again, here it is:

I contend that these guys are more performance artists than musicians; not that there’s anything wrong with that. They are an extremely talented bunch of fellas.

Here’s the latest video from the band. It truly is a work of art.

18 February, 2010

After having rented internationally, I’m well aware that there are risks involved and that the home/apartment may not be exactly as described on the Interwebs, so I’ll count my blessings that my family and I didn’t have to take Dramamine to reside in our home, as some of the following residents must do. Very interesting architecture, but some are a bit dizzying (click on photo below).

9 February, 2010

This is my dream car: high performance, incredibly fast, superb handling, and only one seat (hear that kids and Meredith?). Only one seat! If it were only street legal.

Well, if I can’t afford the car, at least I can get me one of them here garage door decals. My only concern would be someone pulling into the “empty garage.”

22 January, 2010

This really is the most useless machine ever created. I, however, am totally fascinated with it. Maybe because it’s a wooden replica of Heidi. When I turn on the kitchen light, she turns it off. I turn it back on. Off. On. Off…You get the idea. If I didn’t have my sweet, little Heidi, I would totally build one of these for myself.

11 January, 2009

This has been on the Interwebs for quite some time, but I stumbled upon it the other day, and thought I’d share it for all the folks who may have missed it the first hundred times.

I just had Lexi try this. And if an 11 year old kid thinks it’s cool, well, then you KNOW it’s cool.

Anyway, follow this link for some simple entertainment: Mind Trick.

8 January, 2010

The Funniest Commercial EVER!

Seriously, there is nothing more to say. I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my cheek. No lie, Meredith walked in and asked me why I was crying. I, of course, answered with the correct answer. That answer being, “Because I love you so much sweety, it hurts.”

4 January, 2010

Alright, a new decade is upon us and you have had 12 months of 2009 to enjoy countless internet memes. If you’re like me (bless your heart), you are looking forward to the next 12 months to see what the internet will bring us this year.

So, in the next coming weeks, I will be recapping some of 2009’s Most Popular Internet Memes. That means that you may have seen them before. But…some of these are so great, they’re worth seeing again.

So, without further ado, let’s start this Monday off with Badgers. Crank your work computer speakers up to 11 and let ‘er rip! In fact, I may start all my Mondays with this.

31 December, 2009

I Love Toast…

but I hate toasters. Especially when I have to buy a new one. They always seem to either undertoast or overtoast. However, if I had a toaster this hip, I wouldn’t care.  All I would be eating would be toast ’cause if I had this toaster, all my free time would be spent using this KICK ASS toaster. My only question: Can I print my toast wirelessly?

26 December, 2009

My hope for all of you is that Santa was very generous this year in spite of this “economic downturn” we are experiencing. However, I know a lot of you out there had what you may call a “scaled-down” holiday season. If the latest and greatest video game didn’t make it under your tree this year, let me offer Browser Pong. It can be played against the computer, or another player…and it’s free!

Maybe I should have Meredith add this to Cheap-O-Baby.

Finally, a reason to turn off your Pop-Up Blocker.

19 16 December, 2009

UPDATE 2:

I now have a total of $80.00 $60.00 pledged towards a laptop for One Laptop Per Child. Let’s keep it going until we hit $199 so a deserving child can receive this useful gift.

Thanks to all who pledged so far.

Ben

19 December, 2009

10 Ways to Geekify Your Holiday Parties

It’s a fact that at some point at your holiday party, conversation may come to a halt and the party begins to wind down as if someone has shown Holiday Spirit the door. Fear not, though, because here are 10 ways to get your geek on and liven that party right up!

And remember: Geeks are Sexy!

8 December, 2009

Time and time again, over and over, we hear about the “value” of education. So much so, that the message is lost.

After spending almost a half year in Mexico with my family, and seeing the incredible difference between the “haves” and the “have-nots”, this message of education will never be lost on me. Especially after observing that one of the biggest differences between the two is education.

With that sentiment, I want to introduce you to, if you don’t already know about it, One Laptop Per Child. This, IMHO, will fundamentally change education throughout the world, and therefore the lives of countless children and families.

This holiday season, please help Ben’s Basement give a least one of these away to a child. Unfortunately, I alone, can’t afford the $199 price tag, so I’m asking the readers of this site to match my $20 donation (if that’s still too rich for you, any amount will help and be gladly accepted).

Please email me at muchogusto@buenobaby.com with your pledge amount. Once I receive at least $199 in pledges to purchase one laptop, I will place the order and email you proof of purchase at that time. I only request that all pledges be honored.

On behalf the child who’ll receive this life changing gift: Thank You!

Ben

7 December, 2009

I have always had cats, so this may only be funny to me, but here’s a video of a a feline who’s non-too-happy with her significant other. Make sure that if you’re watching this at work to make sure you have the volume pegged to 11 turned down low.

21 November, 2009

Cafe con Leche, por favor.

An homage to my Mexican morning ritual: Nescafe with a little milk. And 14 more nifty hot air ballons to “lift” your spirits.

16 November, 2009

Way Too Much Bread Spent on Racecar

I am a HUGE racing fan, especially open wheel. I am also a fan of sandwiches. Sooooo, when I hear someone made a Formula 1 car out of bread, well, I’m all over like mayo on pumpernickel.

12 November, 2009

The Best Pac Man Game Ever!

Ok, so I wasn’t planning on a Pac Man themed Ben’s Basement page, but I can’t pass this up. Finally a reason for me to buy a Roomba vacuum cleaner. And, quite possibly, the best example of a few folks who a little too much time on their hands (as well as a few extra brain cells that I certainly don’t have).

Warning: this ranks about a 9.9 on the Geek Scale.

3 November, 2009

Pac Man Rocks!

The other day, my 11 year old daughter asked me if it was okay for her to download Pac Man on her iTouch, and of course I said, “Hell Yeah! That game ROCKS!” I love the fact the old school games are making a comeback, but not excited enough to paint my car in Pac Man colors.

I guess in their world, not only does Pac Man rock…it rolls!

26 October, 2009

I Totally Hate This Toy

This was one of the toys I absolutely hated when I was a kid. These images only reinforce my disdain. The best I could do was to spend hours making the entire screen grey so I could look at the inner workings, only to have my sister come along and shake to make a clean drawing slate.

These folks are pretty talented with the ol’ Etch A Sketch. The thing is, I hated that toy so much as a kid, I’m not even envious.

25 October, 2009

Anyone Care For A McNuggetini?

Wow…it’s been some time since I added anything here. As you probably know by now, we are back in Wisconsin for a wee bit of time, so now I will have a TON of time to find great things on the interwebs for your entertainment.

After being introduced to the michelada in Mexico, I am always on the lookout for new and interesting cocktails. The michelada didn’t sound too appetizing the first time I heard of the ingredients, but now it’s my favorite. However, I still haven’t had the stomach to actually make a McNuggetini. If any of you attempt this mixologistic feat, please drop me a line and let me know your thoughts.

Salud!

9 October, 2009

Job Done

They say that necessity is the mother of all invention. It may also be said that it’s the mother of ingenious shortcuts, as this site illustrates. I know, at least in my household, that most of these would not be an acceptable solution to items on the “honey do” list.

Below are my five favorite photos from There, I Fixed It.

2 October, 2009

Put the needle on the record…

Who said vinyl’s dead? Well, this gentleman wasn’t going to let the death of the “record player” get in the way of listening to his Sound of Music soundtrack. Check this out. It’s a fully operational turntable made entirely of paper. The only catch – you have to turn the crank clockwise at exactly 33 1/3 RPM for this thing to work.

The hills are alive…

28 September, 2009

Super Mario Bros. Theme Played on Stepper Motors

To be honest, I had no idea what a stepper motor was, but anything to do with Super Mario Bros. must be pretty cool. I’m not sure what possessed these folks to waste their time attempt this. It’s kinda’ like those large domino knockdowns. For those of you who can sing this song on cue (or are fans of stepper motors), here’s to you.

25 September, 2009

This is why you’re fat.

A 350 lb. wise-man friend once said, “It takes a lot of work to maintain a physique like this.” It would have been a hell of a lot easier if he had this site in his “physique building” arsenal.

As I see it, there are three categories here:

1. That actually looks kinda’ tasty, and I really could get fat if I introduced this on the weekly household menu.
2. Completely revolting. Enter the Hurler Burger:
3. Utterly disturbing. As in The Meat Baby:

Now, where did I put my Rolaids?

22 September, 2009

Cog Magazine

You ever see those bike messengers weaving through heavy, downtown, urban traffic? Ever wonder what it’s all about? What about those crazy bikes with the fixed gear and no brakes? As in NO BRAKES!

Let me introduce you to Cog. Born and bred in Milwaukee, WI, USA. My friend Kevin is currently in Tokyo promoting his magazine, while his lovely wife and beautiful daughter are visiting us here in Mexico.

If you like the site, seriously check out the magazine. It’s printed on thick stock with beautiful photography, and is a must for any cycling enthusiast. And if you’re not into cycling, it looks cool on a coffee table, and may even elevate your hipster status with your friends.

17 september, 2009

MP Change

This really shouldn’t make me laugh as much as it does, but where else can you turn Barbara Walters into the cougar we all know she is. I accomplished this by placing cat ears onto the photo I uploaded. Not bad, huh? Meeeeow!

You gotta try it out with your own photos. You can add beards, mustaches, and even a panda head. And who doesn’t like pandas?

Another interesting feature of this sight is the animation of the uploaded photo. It will make the eyes blink and the head turn. Pretty cool, er, creepy.

But it did make Cougar Barb really appear to be on the prowl.

16 september, 2009

Fark Photoshop Contests

- This is a vice of mine. I can’t get enough. I check this site at least 3 times a day to see if there is another “shop” contest. Some of these people are incredibly talented, and their sense of humor is, well, check it out yourself. Look for the Photoshop tag on the left, and then click the comments “number” on the far right. That will bring you to the contest photos.

Here’s one of my favorites from today. The contest title is: Photoshop This Raised Wreck.