The Do hit chair from Marijn van der Poll wants to be hit.  In fact, the chair comes with its own hammer.  When you order the Do hit chair, you get a stainless steel cube.  You turn the Do hit into a chair by banging the 1.25mm stainless steel.

Not a bad idea, although I’m not entirely convinced that civilians can make a comfortable chair with a hammer.  Most likely, you’ll have some steel poking into your sides when you sit on this thing.

The funeral for Bengals receiver Chris Henry was held today.  If you’re not aware, Henry was killed after he was thrown from the bed of a pickup that his fiancée was driving.

While it wouldn’t be hard to convince me that fellow Bengals receiver Chad Ochocino lacks class, it is surprising that he didn’t even put on a suit for the funeral.  I mean really, he’s a multimillionaire – he can’t don a suit for just one day?

Actually, Ochocinco wasn’t the only one who was underdressed – check out this guy who came to the funeral in a jump suit.

Philly fans are known for being pretty unruly, but really this is ridiculous…and I’m not just saying that because I’m from the Bay Area.  As you’ve probably heard, a snowstorm on the east coast caused the delay of several NFL games this weekend.  And while the fields were relatively clear come game time, tons of snow was still packed in the seats.

That’s bad news for a couple of Niner fans who decided to enjoy Sunday’s game at Philly in their Niner jerseys.  The video below shows them being relentlessly pelted with snowballs, until security comes to remove them.

While it’s kind of sad that the niner fans were forced to leave because they were getting pelted, but really, snowballs were coming from every direction so security didn’t have any other choice.

Clever tees are fun, but they will encourage people to stare at your chest.  That can be creepy, sure, but on the other hand, you get to stare at the chest of girls wearing clever t-shirts.

Threadless is the king of clever tees, and they’re having a $10 sale for all tees on right now.

I’m not a big fan of microwaveable Japanese food, but today I saw a 30 pack box of Yaki Onigiri at Costco.  All you need to do is stick the onigiri in the microwave and you’re set.  Someone try this out and tell me how it is, please.

>

Posted via email from Japa’s posterous

Howard Stern’s sidekick, Artie Lange, doesn’t exactly have a good history on the show.  Stern has generally put up with him missing work, but last week Artie missed Monday and Thursday, and Stern was clearly upset.

On Thursday, Stern actually refused to talk about Artie’s absence, which is a bad sign for Artie.  During past absences, Stern was at least able to make a bit out of the situation.  Last Thursday, Stern just seemed sick of it.

Today, Artie was out again, and Stern mentioned that Sirius XM management had asked him to spend the rest of the week at home.  According to Stern, Artie didn’t look good last week, and his family and Sirius was concerned.  Stern said he’s not really sure what was going on, but he also said he didn’t want to say anything because he was afraid of offending Artie.  So, clearly Stern knows more than he’s letting on.

Now, it wouldn’t be surprising if Artie fell off the wagon again, especially because he has a new DVD that just came out.  Artie does seem to get into trouble when he releases material though, so this may all be a big publicity ploy.

Either way, Artie’s shtick is getting boring at this point.  He no longer adds much to the show, and often times he distracts from it.

Stern only has a year left on his contract, so this situation may resolve itself.  Otherwise, I’m hoping that Stern takes Artie off the show and ends his final year with just Robin and Fred, and perhaps some guest comics.

Season 6 of Top Chef ends tonight with a 3 man finale between Bryan, Mike and Kevin.  For those who watched this season, the contestants in this finale shouldn’t come as a surprise – throughout the 13 episodes this season Bryan, Mike and Kevin have won all but one of the elimination challenges (Jennifer, who was eliminated in 4th place, won that challenge).

There will be a couple of interesting battles tonight.  The first is between Kevin and Mike.  Several times this season Mike has called out Kevin for making food that is too simple.  At one point, Mike said Kevin’s food was something he’d make in his free time – not at a restaurant.  But Kevin has won consistently.  He’s won more quickfires and ellimination challenges than Mike.  And last week, Kevin’s simplicity was praised by Judge Tom Colicchio for its hidden complexity.

The other interesting battle tonight will be between the Voltaggio brothers, Mike and Bryan.  These two have traded jabs during the year, and although they are mostly civil, it’s clear that there is a strong sibling rivalry at work here.

So who’s the favorite?

I think Kevin is the better chef here, and I want him to win.  As mentioned his dishes are simple, but you can tell that he does an incredible job of building flavor.  Kevin’s Southern background helps here, but he’s not just a one trick ribs and fried chicken pony.  Kevin has consistently won challenges and impressed judges, including chefs like Thomas Keller and Daniel Boulud.

Mike also has performed well this season.  While his arrogance is annoying, Mike is still clearly very skilled and has strong technique.  At the same time though, Mike’s focus on complexity has sometimes got him in trouble.  For example, he lost the Culinary Olympics challenge for simple errors like the doneness of lamb.

Bryan is coming off a win last week, and he impressed guest judge Michael Chiarello.  Bryan is definitely the more humble and level-headed of the Voltaggio brothers, and I think his maturity will be an asset in the finals.

If Bryan does win, he will be the first contestant to win Top Chef without winning a quickfire challenge.  Interestingly though, in the show’s first 5 seasons only one winner, Hung, also most the most quickfires during the season.

This season, Kevin has won 4 quickfires, while Mike has won 2.  Kevin has also won 5 elimination challenges, the most in Top Chef history, while Bryan has won 4, and Mike has won 3.

At the end of the day, I gotta put my money on Kevin.  He’s been consistently successful throughout the season, and he’s a very likeable contestant which will help him if finalists are forced to work with eliminated contestants.

This week we learned one thing:  Tiger Woods like’s to fuck blonde girls.  Lots of them.

With the number of Woods’ alleged mistresses approaching double digits, it is quickly becoming apparent that Woods wasn’t exactly dedicated to his marriage.  And as each new mistress emerges, Woods’ apologies and pleas for privacy grow increasingly ridiculous.  There’s really only one thing left that Tiger can do:  own it.

Look, Tiger is a poon hound.  There’s nothing wrong with that, and unlike Letterman Tiger’s mistresses are actually decent looking.  Star athletes like Tony Romo or TO are always seen with girls around their arms, why can’t Woods do the same?

Yes, he is married – but it’s clear now that the whole marriage thing was just for show.  Just dump the wife, send the kids to a nanny and take the next flight to Vegas.

Should Tiger be worried about his sponsors?  Not really.  If Nike drops him, then someone else will pick him up for a hundred million dollar contract in a second.  He’s just that good.

Sure, Gillette can make threats about dropping Tiger as well, until Woods starts talking with, say, Axe.  At the end of the day, Tiger won’t lose sponsors, he’ll just be playing to a different demographic.

And lets be clear here, golf isn’t your apple pie kind of pastime.  Golf is about exclusivity, three figure green fees and five figure club memberships.  You won’t see any homo PETA members protesting on a golf course – you’ll see white men dropping hundreds, if not thousands on the latest golf gear used by the sport’s stars.

And golf is a male dominated sport – some clubs still don’t even allow women to join.  With that in mind, how many golfers do you think would not start fucking blondes if they had a one billion dollar bankroll?

At the end of the day, golf isn’t about family…it’s about escaping from your family.  And ironically, Tiger’s recent scandal has made him an even better spokesman for the sport.

There’s talk now of Tiger reopening his prenup and paying his wife to stay with him for a few more years.  Those rumors make me want to take a club to his head.  Tiger’s affairs give him the perfect escape from a marriage he clearly does not want to be in.

Either way, this is clear:  Tiger is a billionaire, and he doesn’t need a single sponsor for the rest of his life.  With that in mind, why does Tiger even need to care about his public image?  He’ll be able to play golf tournaments for the next two decades, no matter what his personal life is like.  Tiger really needs to stop being so self conscious and media savvy, and just live his life.

Tiger is no longer a brash black kid from Stanford playing a white dominated game.  He is Tiger Woods.  He defines golf.  He has nothing to be ashamed about, nor anything to apologize for.  He’s just that good.

Just in time for the holidays, Woot! has started another Woot! Off.  If you buy now, you’ll get these gifts about a week or so prior to xmas – that’s lots of time to pick up some stocking stuffers for the folks.

I haven’t been into The Real World for years – the last interesting season to me was probably when they were in Hawaii.  But this year’s RW really intrigued me.  Instead of putting a mixed bunch of people in a random location, it put a bunch of guidos in their natural habitat, the Jersey Shore.

Guidos, if you’re not familiar, are Italians that typically have heavily molded hair, tans that are often orange, and a juice head style body.  The female counterpart to a guido is a guidette, and this year’s RW packs 8 of these kids into a house on the Jersey Shore.

The premier this week was everything I hoped for.  You have the disaster drunk, slutty girl named Nicole aka Snooki, a couple of girls that cheated on their boyfriends by the 2nd episode, Angelina and Jenni aka J-WOWW, and, well, a bunch of douchey guidos that totally fit the bill.

Now, being from Hawaii I had no idea that these people existed.  Not only that, but it’s incredible to see a whole town of these people, all of which have similar hair, tans and personalities.  It’s almost like they’re working off of the same book and come to congregate in the Jersey Shore at the same time – it’s similar to a Star Trek convention it that respect, although Star Trek has a more diverse cast of characters.

I think part of the problem with past episodes of the Real World is that you get a bunch of people that are too over the top to be believable and put them in a house.  But this year’s RW is more like going to an African safari than going to the zoo – you really do get to experience the natural habitat of these people.

The first two episodes are available online now, and they’re great.  MTV does have a few commercials, but they’re nowhere nearly as long as the commercials in the real show.

Sure, this isn’t the most intelligent show on air, but it’s entertaining, and I love it.

So obviously the biggest news of the week has been Tiger Woods’ affair, car accident, and the bizarre incident with his wife and a golf club.  Woods has apologized publicly and he has taken a ton of flack in the media, but really, is what he did so wrong?

First of all, Tiger’s wife is crazy.  It appears now that she not only chased down his car and broke the windows with a golf club, but also hit Woods himself with the club.  That’s domestic abuse and it’s symptomatic of a crazy person.

Sure, Woods cheated on his wife, but that’s no justification for physical abuse.  No one would have blamed Rihanna for getting beat by Chris Brown even if she cheated.

Sure, Woods was attacked by a woman, but that doesn’t make a difference.  She assaulted him with a weapon, and with that in mind I understand why he cheated on her crazy ass.

Anyone disagree?  He’s a billionaire and famous, he can get most any woman he wants, and I’m sure that tons of incredibly hot women throw themselves at him.

Look, I get that he’s married and he made a vow and he has kids, but is it that hard to understand why Woods cheated?  Particularly when you consider that he had the crazy golf club beater waiting for him at home?

Woods certainly shouldn’t be rewarded for his actions, but at the very least the public should cut him some slack.  And everyone who criticizes Woods for his affair should really put themselves in his place and see if they could resist.  I’ve heard a stat that someone cheats in 50% of relationships – and that’s without Woods’ money.  Let’s not get so high and mighty until we’ve had a hot hostess shoved in our faces.

This Thanksgiving weekend I took a quick trip to Japan.  The food was excellent – Japan has really matured into one of the best cities for foodies worldwide.  The most notable part of my trip. however, was a visit to the world’s largest wholesale fish market in the Tsukiji district of Tokyo.

The Tsukiji Fish Market is known worldwide, and if you’re eating fresh fish there’s a good chance it came from Tsukiji.  The market is enormous, with row after row of seafood vendors.  The pictures I took can’t really show how big the market really is.  Still, when you’re inside you can’t help but feel crowed by the many back-to-back seafood stalls that are separated only by narrow walkways.

Although many tourists visit Tsukiji, the market isn’t exactly a tourist friendly spot.  There are no tour guides…well, actually, no guides at all.  To enter the market, you need to weave your way through hundreds of trucks that are shipping Tsukiji-bought fish around the world.  The market itself isn’t well marked – you just have to hop over a truck loading dock and walk towards the action.

The preferred mode of transportation in Tsukiji is a odd looking, three wheeled cart.  Although three wheels seems a bit unstable, the single front wheel gives the carts incredible maneuverability.  As you walk through the market these carts buzz around you.  Although it seems dangerous, cart drivers do seem quite adept as avoiding accidents – an important skill especially since tourists are wandering aimlessly throughout the busy alleys.

The main course at Tsukiji is of course tuna, and although the fish auction is no longer open to the public, there are literally hundreds of tons of tuna on display.

Much of the tuna is still flash frozen.  Although most people think ‘fresh’ tuna hasn’t been frozen at all, this is rarely the case.  A good portion of tuna is frozen rock solid…so solid that fish mongers have to use actual saws to cut through the fish.

You’ll see thawed tuna as well, however.  The most impressive part of these fish is how they are cut.  Fish mongers wield knives that are several feet long – they really look more like swords – in order to break down the tuna into smaller pieces.

From what I understand, some tunas are sold whole and shipped throughout Japan and the rest of the world.  Other tuna is cut and sold in smaller pieces that are better suited for smaller stores and restaurants.

While tuna is clearly the focus of Tsukiji, there are many other types of seafood on sale as well.  You’ll find everything from uni to puffer fish – all incredibly fresh, and in some cases still live.

Tsukiji is really a must-visit for any sushi fan.  It’s incredible to see the diverse selection of seafood sold in the market, and the enormous tuna on sale is impressive.  You’ll need to wake up early to visit Tsukiji, however – the market opens at 5am, and the market will be mostly closed down by 10am.  But, it’s worthwhile – just bring a pair of cheap running shoes with good grip, and jeans that you don’t mind getting a bit dirty.