Props to Alex Roda for his chatroulette autotune improv video. Chatroulette, you are the gift that keeps on giving.

Probably on the advice of his lawyers, Shamu has taken a break from updating his Twitter account.

This week The Second Column podcast is joined by actor/writer John Ross Bowie (”Big Bang Theory”) as we talk about Barry Kripke, nerd punk rock, the secret appeal of improv, old man babies and being punched on the streets of New York City.

You can download the podcast or listen to it directly at www.thesecondcolumn.com.

We talked about this story while taping podcast episode No. 120 last night with guest John Ross Bowie. (The show, which turned out excellent, will go live at thesecondcolumn.com and on iTunes on Thurs., Feb. 25.)

According to a Wired story published today:

The Senate Armed Services Committee is holding a hearing today on Paravant, a previously little-known subsidiary of Xe Services (a.k.a. Blackwater). It caps a six-month investigation by the committee, and it promises to be a doozy.

Later in the piece:

Another issue the committee probed was Bunker 22, an armory near the notorious Pol-e-Charki prison that held weapons meant for the Afghan National Police. According to the committee investigation, more than 200 AK-47s were taken out of Bunker 22 in September 2008 and signed for by a Paravant/Blackwater employee named “Eric Cartman.” Some of the weapons apparently withdrawn by our favorite South Park character were unaccounted for for months afterward, according to the committee.

One way or another, you will respect his authoritah.

My parents were awesome … compared to the, bad, horrible, terrible parents in this Holy Taco photo gallery. Parenting - it’s not for everyone.