Lemony Snicket has contributed 13 sharp-eyed and well-worded observations to the Occupy Writers project -- I think anyone standing in a glass tower watching the demonstrators down in Liberty Park would do well to read all 13.

1. If you work hard, and become successful, it does not necessarily mean you are successful because you worked hard, just as if you are tall with long hair it doesn’t mean you would be a midget if you were bald.

2. “Fortune” is a word for having a lot of money and for having a lot of luck, but that does not mean the word has two definitions.

3. Money is like a child—rarely unaccompanied. When it disappears, look to those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on it while you were at the grocery store. You might also look for someone who has a lot of extra children sitting around, with long, suspicious explanations for how they got there.

4. People who say money doesn’t matter are like people who say cake doesn’t matter—it’s probably because they’ve already had a few slices.

5. There may not be a reason to share your cake. It is, after all, yours. You probably baked it yourself, in an oven of your own construction with ingredients you harvested yourself. It may be possible to keep your entire cake while explaining to any nearby hungry people just how reasonable you are.

(via Reddit)

Before you decide to pull a funny by changing your friend’s birthday after they left their Facebook logged in, take pause. Your change could be there for awhile. I opened my news feed, and found this story among the updates that Facebook felt pertinent for me today:

Ooops. It seems the quote from their help page regarding birthday changes is accurate, but it still makes me ask “Why?” I honestly can’t think of a good technical reason for this limitation. Their help pages refer you to their community standards on this matter, which leads me to believe there is no technical reason. Since the community standards makes no explicit mention of a birthday change policy, I’m inclined to believe they just don’t want you to do it.

These types of policies make me believe that they are a bit out of touch with their user base. Or, perhaps all the engineers at Facebook are just playing this prank on each other and want it to stick for before it can be undone.

Yeah, I’m going with option 2.

Pumpkin brownies are one of my favorite fall treats to bake because I am a huge pumpkin pie fan and like just about any dessert that gets those delicious pumpkin spice flavors into it. I first make Pumpkin Brownies with Pecans a couple of years ago, and I’ve been making them ever since. Unlike regular brownies, these don’t have any chocolate in them. What they do have a chewy, fudgy texture that is a lot like that of brownies or blondies, and a great pumpkin flavor. The brownies use canned pumpkin (or homemade pumpkin puree) to provide a moist, dense base for the bars, and are seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Chopped pecans add some texture and crunch to the bars, and contrast well with the pumpkin. They’re faster and easier to make than pumpkin pie – not to mention that they’re more portable and easy to share – so they’re a great snack to whip up on a fall day.

The bars are easy to make, but since it’s an unusual recipe, I’ve put together a step-by-step video (that I hope will be one of the first of many to come) showing the process of how to make Pumpkin Brownies from start to finish. Don’t forget to check out the full recipe from the original post so that you can try baking a batch yourself, too!

[Video Link] I couldn't figure out how he did it. I had to watch the video below to learn the trick.

(Via TYWKIWDBI)

supernining:faensoundslikefun:

Viggo bonded so much with the horse he rode in the Lord of the Rings series that after they finished filming, he purchased the horse from its owner.

I’d like to point out he ALSO bought the horse used by Arwen’s stunt double in LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring when it was put up for auction, and GAVE IT TO THE STUNT DOUBLE because she couldn’t afford it herself. 

Wonderful human being.

Stop saying I’m OCD! I’m not OCD… I just… I really like it when everything aligns correctly, okay? And it’s actually quite a bit easier to move between these cracks than it is on the sidewalk tiles themselves! I mean, it’s a more continuous line, for one, and it’s less bumpy and uneven for two, and I can pick every weed I find on my way for three and OKAY FINE SO MAYBE I’M JUST A LITTLE OCD.

Via This Isn’t Happiness

A large handwritten poster (purportedly) from a laid-off employee of the defunct bookselling chain Borders entitled "Things we never told you: Ode to a bookstore death," reveals several key truths of bookselling (and some cranky griping):

Things we never told you: Ode to a bookstore death

• We hate when a book becomes popular simply because it was turned into a movie.

• We greatly dislike the phrase "Quick Question." It's never true. And everyone seems to have one.

• We always knew when you were intently reading Better Homes and Gardens, it was really a hidden Playboy.

• It NEVER bothered us when you threatened to shop at Barnes & Noble. We'd rather you do if you're putting up a stink.

• "I was just here last week and saw this book there" meant nothing to us. The store changed once a week.

• Oprah was not the "final say" on what is awesome. We really didn't care what was on her show or what her latest book club book was. Really.

BB contributor Jess Hemerly turned 30 last weekend, so she had a Logan's Run themed birthday party! She made this fantastic origami Carrousel centerpiece, complete with a blinking LED in the center, and sewed her own "Jessica 6" dress from scratch. Happy birthday, Jess! Glad you were Renewed! More at Jess's Flickr stream

Yet more splendid news for that substantial proportion of Reg readers who are familiar with the view through the bottom of a glass: Scientists have discovered that drinking booze prevents one from developing asthma.…

Possibly NSFW in parts. Thanks, Jon Hiller!

Video Link

BBC News has a somewhat less breathless take here. More at Ars Technica, and Wired News.

[Video Link]

The 20th anniversary of Nirvana's "Nevermind" is an excellent occasion on which to recall an epic prank played on the New York Times by Megan Jasper, the receptionist for Sub Pop records at the time.

When an over-eager Times reporter demanded to know the jargon used by followers of Seattle scene bands, the story goes, she fabricated some neologisms and phrases which were reported in the NYT as the real deal:

(via @katephillips and @damiencave)

UPDATE: Pesco reminds us that Megan Jasper is now VP of Sub Pop! Here she tells the story.

Submitted by: Unknown

See more epic wins on FAILBlog’s silver lining, WIN!