Everybody Learns Bleep Blorp

I'm finally back from trick or treating. Stephen was in fine scary mode for the opening of his show. Nearly every scary sound or action was demonstrated in the first 15 seconds by a (sugar high??) Stephen.

In case you didn't watch today's Today show, Matt Lauer dressed as a babe in a bathing suit, prompting Stephen to ask Where in the World is Matt Lauer's Dignity?

Of course there was more on spying and NSA. Is it possible that the NSA spied on the Vatican? Stephen thinks it's a good idea since that's the best direct line to God. But some think that all this talk about invasion of privacy is overblown. For example, Representative Mike Rogers (R-MI) says that if you don't know someone is watching you, it ain't gonna bother you. Read a bit more here. I think his argument works for when you steal cookies out of the cookie jar. If grandma doesn't realize they're gone, you're in the clear.

Still more on politics. Jim Wheeler, Nevada State Assemblyman, would do anything for his constituents, or more importantly he would do whatever they told him to do. His recent comments about voting to bring back slavery has, predictably, got him is some hot water. He said it not so much to show what he thinks of slavery, but to show that he would vote for what his constituents want.

Stephen had an idea for a bumper sticker.

Jim Wheeler - You Want Slaves? - You Got'em

Stephen then put forth his own idea to see if Jim Wheeler was really willing to be that accountable. He came up with a plan and a petition. I'm sure we will here more on this as it develops.

Stephen's guest was Zach Sims. (Scroll down until you find the blurb about Zach.)  He's one of those people who gets into Columbia and then drops out. Don't judge him just yet. He still made something of himself. He is a co-founder of Codecademy. Go take a look here. You can learn how to code. For example, you can learn HTML. It's a fun step by step process that walks you through the process. I noticed on the website that they are hiring.

Stephen wonders what his parents think of what he has accomplished. Of course, that clues you in that Zach Sims is quite a bit younger than Stephen. And, his parents are quite happy with what he's doing.

Next they talked pick-up lines. Stephen suggested this.

Hi, I used to go to an Ivy League School. Now I work for free. On the Internet.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the show for me was when Stephen revealed just how he got started on the Daily Show which then paved the way for The Colbert Report. He used to work in those toll booths on the New Jersey Turnpike. Then one day, along comes Jon Stewart who obviously recognized the great talent Stephen had and told him to hop in the car because he (Jon) needed a correspondent.

So wow. Two great ways to be successful. One is to get into Columbia and then drop out. The other is to take money from motorists on the turnpike and wait for Jon Stewart to come along.