Friday LinkFrogging - 8/5/11

Welcome to the future kids.

We now live in a world where the Smurfs can nearly topple Indiana Jones AND James Bond.

We now live in a world where Jerry Lewis is no longer the host of the MDA Labor Day Telethon.

We now live in a world where Vince Young and Michael Vick are the quarterbacks on the same team.

In other words, these are clearly the end times.

And, as always, when things seem bleakest, Hollywood steps up to remind us that we will eventually be made mute pets by our simian overlords.

That's right, Rise of the Planet of the Apes opens today.

I'm a huge PoTA fan, much to my wife's dismay.  I can't help it.  Growing up in the 70s, the movies, television shows, cartoons and toys were everywhere.

I still remember my introduction to the PoTA universe.  One Friday night after a baseball game, a teammate came over to spend the night.  We were allowed to stay up late and we discovered Beneath the Planet of the Apes on the late local movie (remember those?).

That's all it took.  I'm a lifelong Apeist now.

I didn't care for Tim Burton's "reimagining" a few years ago.  Of course, that's a pretty safe position on just about all of Tim's reimaginings.

I've heard some people gripe about how the new movie deviates from previously established canon.  Come on folks, they're starting over...at the beginning this time.  Give them some room to work.

And by work, I mean give us this week's slice of cheesecake.  Please say hello to Freida Pinto.

Ms. Pinto sprang into our collective consciousness in 2008's Slumdog Millionaire.  She's worked steadily since then.  She's about to blow up like an atomic bomb in an underground postapocalyptic cathedral.  In addition to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, she'll be appearing shortly in the mythology heavy Immortals.

Seems the Apes aren't the only thing on the rise.

On to the links.



An awesome tale of generosity from a departing Steelers coach.

A riveting recount of the mission to kill Osama.

Dad issues a Facebook beatdown to son.

Free climber summits Mont Blanc (video)….amazing 

Exploding head montage

The Pot Republic – PBS Frontline

The Melvins – LIVE! – Hellfest 2011 (full set).

Early ‘70s Indonesian psychedelia

The five slowest metal bands.

Do not snort ocean bricks

Bronies: Going where no geek has gone before?

Wi-Fi hacking drone

Watch how you dress.

Matt Damon defends teachers…vigorously.

GM’s new self-driving pod car

Researchers warn of infrastructure control systems accessible via Google.

You think I’m fat? – Joe Pesci goes litigant against mobster movie

Vintage stereo gear rules!

This week marked the 30th anniversary of the launch of MTV.  See some people they made into stars...for better or worse.

Got an idea for a game?  Create it yourself right here.

Game of Thrones...the video game.

Breaking Bad gets pixellated.

Speaking of Breaking Bad...is it going to be leaving AMC?

And, speaking of AMC, is the next season of Mad Men going to bankrupt the network?

Jimmy Iovine releases a photobook celebrating the Culo.

And finally, our interview with Bruce Campbell at Comic-Con 2011...the Davebot5k remix!

And before our second slice of cheesecake, another bit of PoTA fun, courtesy of The Simpsons.