Nooo...

Another flashback to my childhood, but this time in a sad way.

Don Herbert, better known as Mr. Wizard to nerdy kids like me, has died at the age of 89.

I loved Mr. Wizard. I remember watching one episode in which he used mirrors to make the lower half of a kid's body invisible. It blew my seven-year-old mind.

Maybe I'll make some soap-powered paper boats in his honor.

D-D-D-Do you have it?

I've decided that the Nickelodeon GAS channel is the best thing to happen to me since Paris Hilton got sent back to jail and the Game Show Network decided to air reruns of Press Your Luck.

I'm convinced that this station was launched for the sole purpose of entertaining people like me who grew up watching television in the early 90s. Why did I never realize back then how much Mike O'Malley hated his life?

One of my all-time favorites has to be Legends of the Hidden Temple. This show had everything. A giant talking Aztec head, that silver monkey statue nobody seemed to be able to put together... and then to watch the kids have no idea what to do once they entered the temple at the end...so priceless. And the prizes. Oh, the lame, lame prizes. I mean, come on...I know they got ousted in the first round, but all they get is a can of Nestle Quik? Or a bag of Blow Pops? (Say from Charms! What? Cut, cut...)

And then of course, there is Nickelodeon GUTS, which is basically American Gladiators for kids. I nearly died laughing when I saw the treacherous Aggro Crag for the first time in 15 years. Tell him what he's won, Mo! Why, he's won a trip to SPACE CAMP! And a pair of BK British Knights!!

I've yet to see an episode of Nick Arcade (the nerdy, nonathletic version of GUTS) on this channel. Who can forget the Video Zone? It was only the hardest final challenge of any kids' game show ever.

Oh, the memories...

Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer = my new hero.

I'm kind of ashamed to be getting so much enjoyment out of a story about Paris Hilton, but wow. The woman is 26 years old and she's crying and screaming for her mommy like she just got handed the death penalty.

I know, I know, this is exactly the kind of thing that's wrong with society—the media and everybody going nuts about some shallow, vapid celebrity—but is this not the greatest thing ever? Redemption for the the American justice system, at least? It brightened my day.

I read the news today...

Today is my little (not-so-little) brother's 15th birthday. You probably won't read this, but happy birthday anyway!

Today is also Sgt. Pepper's 40th birthday. There is really nothing else about the Beatles that hasn't been said already, but here's a fun op-ed from the Washington Post about the timelessness of their music: It Was 40 Years Ago Today.

And because the world apparently needs more Beatles covers, the BBC is celebrating the anniversary by recruiting a bunch of bands to re-record songs from the album using the original 4-track method. It airs on BBC Radio 2 tomorrow and features bands such as Oasis, Travis, the Kaiser Chiefs, and the Magic Numbers. Oh yeah, and the Killers, who will probably be confused when they encounter a real melody for the first time.

I'm not predicting anything amazing (this was already done in the 80s, and probably better, with the likes of Sonic Youth, Billy Bragg, and the Fall), but it might be worth a listen. And hey, at least there's no Avril Lavigne or Green Day involved.