Hey there Folks. Ok, here's the deal... someone sent me these pics that are allegedly from the Transformers set in New Mexico. I can not confirm nor deny if they are 100% legit, but they do look for real. If they are indeed real... man that decepticon cop car looks FANTASTIC! Oh man I wanna see them transform!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
The 25 Worst Sequels of All Time
(if you disagree or know of better choices, please comment - oed3)
As a side note... I actually really liked The Matrix Reloaded. Here's the list:
25. the Matrix Reloaded
24. The Next Karate Kid
23. Porky's II: The Next day
22. Teen Wolf Too
21. Legally Blonde 2: red, white & blonde
20. The Godfather part III (Don't agree at all with this one. It was nominated for Best Picture for a reason)
19. Revenge of the Nerds II: nerds in paradise
18. Battle for the Planet of the Apes
17. Star Trek V: the final frontier (Oh man this was HORRIBLE)
16. Ocean's Twelve (A let down after the first one... but I didn't mind it too much)
15. Dumb and Dumberer: when harry met lloyd
14. Conan the Destroyer (Meh, I still have fun watching it at 3am on chanell 13)
13. The Sting II
12. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (not any higher?)
11. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
10. Jaws: The Revenge (Did they REALLY make this trash?)
9. Speed 2: Cruise Control
8. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
7. the fly 2
6. Weekend At Bernie's II
5. Batman & Robin (This Should have been #1)
4. Blues Brothers 2000
3. Leprechaun: Back 2 Tha' Hood
2. CaddyShack II
1. Staying Alive
Is Disney Insane?
Disney has announced that they're going to start selling the full downloadable movies on CinemaNow on the same day that they are available on DVD. That's good new right? Well here's the rub...
Stupid Thing #1) When you download the movie... YOU CAN'T WATCH IT ON A TV! That's right... they're making it so you can't burn it to a watchable DVD on your television. That is retarded!
Stupid Thing #2) Ok... so they're selling you the movie over the internet. So they don't have to pay for the actual physical DVD disk... or the packaging... or the shipping to stores. Also, it can't play on your TV (See stupid thing #1)... so it's at least going to be cheap right? WRONG!!!! Disney is going to be charging $20 US for the movies. ARE THEY FRICKIN KIDDING ME!?!?!
How on earth do they justify this?!?!
Ok, so here's the question for you guys. Are you interested in buying a movie that you download yourself, that you can only watch on your computer or portable media player... for $20 US?Russell Crowe's Attitude Gets Him Fired
The hot-tempered Oscar winner demanded script approval for the love story with Nicole Kidman set in the Australian outback prior to the Japanese bombardment of Darwin in 1942. The producers told Luhrmann to find another actor, and the director met several times with fellow Aussie Ledger. "Baz liked him and offered him the movie," said one source. "Then Crowe came back to Luhrmann and said he'd forego script approval and wanted to do the movie, but they told him it was too late - to buzz off."Ok, let me first re-state this. Russell Crowe is one of the best actors alive (I'll go so far as to say the man's pure range, raw emotion and power make him the BEST actor alive).
Now, having said that... I'm glad he got his ass kicked off the movie!!!! I HATE IT when actors try to pull shit like that! Why the hell should he have script approval?!?! He's a frigging ACTOR! Three cheers for the studio not taking his crap and booting his ass!
As a side note, this is basically the same thing Chris Tucker wanted for Rush Hour 3. The studio SHOULD have booted his ass and replaced him with Heath Ledger too! LOL Thanks to CrzyDJM for the heads up.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
This was blogged for the picture alone...
TV over IP: it's an application, and it's the next VoIP - Blogging Stocks
Jeff Pulver says that Vonage (and, by association, Skype) shocked the world because they consider voice an application, something that you could monetize without owning the underlying network. Wall Street, however, doesn't get it. "While it is easy for analysts to try to put unaffiliated Voice over Broadband companies inside a telecom box, comparing them to a standard telecom services company that has CapEx and OpEx just doesn't compute," he writes, noting that the monies typically spent on burying lines and buying ever-more-impressive switches are instead spent on building a brand.
What's next, then? Pulver insists that TV will soon be placed over the internet protocol (TVoIP? TVIP?) thanks to the vision of "a next-gen TV broadcasting mogul whose customers pay for their own connectivity and whose content is licensed from third parties." He doesn't know who, but here are my predictions: eBay, whose radio "enterprise" just expanded today; or either Sirius or XM Satellite Radio. Whichever of these companies jumps first is certain to have a number of imitators.
But, will it make money? I think Apple's iTunes is the best example of something equally fantastic, and if the financials prove to be similar, the answer to the profit question is yes.
Wave Energy Concept: Clean, Cheap Power - Gizmodo
(this is a great idea if it works - oed3)
Feasibility studies are underway, with the researchers planning to set up these direct-drive wave energy buoys using federal funding. We're thinking that's one of the few good ways to put our tax dollars to work.
Wave Energy Parks Could Be Coming To Oregon [Treehugger]
local6.com - News - Baby Born With Third Arm
SHANGHAI, China -- Doctors in Shanghai on Tuesday were considering surgery options for a 2-month-old boy born with an unusually well-formed third arm.
Neither of the boy's two left arms is fully functional and tests have so far been unable to determine which was more developed, said Dr. Chen Bochang, head of the orthopedics department at Shanghai Children's Medical Center.
"His case is quite peculiar. We have no record of any child with such a complete third arm," Chen said in a telephone interview. The boy, identified only as "Jie-jie," also was born with just one kidney and may have problems that could lead to curvature of the spine, local media reports said. Jie-jie cried when either of his left arms was touched, but smiled and responded normally to other stimuli, the reports said. Chen said doctors hoped to work out a plan for surgery, but the boy's small size made it impossible to perform certain tests that would help them prepare. Media reports said other children have been reported born with additional arms and legs, but in those cases it was clear what limb was more developed. Chen's hospital is one of China's most experienced in dealing with unusual birth defects, including separating conjoined twins.
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"His case is quite peculiar. We have no record of any child with such a complete third arm," Chen said in a telephone interview. The boy, identified only as "Jie-jie," also was born with just one kidney and may have problems that could lead to curvature of the spine, local media reports said. Jie-jie cried when either of his left arms was touched, but smiled and responded normally to other stimuli, the reports said. Chen said doctors hoped to work out a plan for surgery, but the boy's small size made it impossible to perform certain tests that would help them prepare. Media reports said other children have been reported born with additional arms and legs, but in those cases it was clear what limb was more developed. Chen's hospital is one of China's most experienced in dealing with unusual birth defects, including separating conjoined twins.
Caffeine Gum Leads to Anxiety at School - Medgadget - www.medgadget.com
Chew on this: Sharing gum at school is now grounds for suspension. But it's not just any gum -- it's Jolt Gum, with caffeine:
LOWER BURRELL, Pa. (AP) -- A middle school student was suspended for three days for sharing chewing gum because it contained caffeine, school officials said.The girl, whose name and age were not released, gave another Huston Middle School student Jolt gum. The gum is "a stimulant that has no other redeeming quality," said Amy Palermo, schools superintendent.
Products acting as a stimulant are prohibited and possessing them is grounds for disciplinary action, and the suspension was mainly based on the girl's decision to share the gum, she said.
"What if the gum had been given to a student with a heart condition?" Palermo said Thursday.
Hysterical overreaction from school administrators, you say? No -- that girl got off easy. And if her gum had any nutrasweet, screw it, she sould be expelled.
Well, maybe the school officials did overreact -- but maybe they made their policy about stimulants very clear (we suspect this rule was created to prevent ritalin-sharing).
But the story gave us a chance to look into Jolt Gum, which promises an impressive 45 mg of caffeine per piece of gum -- two pieces is the equivalent of a rapidly-absorbed cup of coffee. One hundred pieces of gum approaches caffeine's LD50 for a 30 kg child... Granted, one hundred pieces would take some serious chewing, but that's just the lethal dose for 50% of the population. Throw in a "heart condition" and weird, dedicated kid, and it's enough to get your heart racing, too...
More from Jolt Gum...
Calculations assisted with the Death By Caffeine Calculator..
Boing Boing: Puzzlefloor: Jigsaw puzzle parquet pieces
Cory Doctorow: 
Puzzlefloor is a parquet flooring made of wood cut into jigsaw puzzle pieces, stained to differing finishes. Lay it down and turn your sitting room into a giant jigsaw! Link (via Wonderland)
Puzzlefloor is a parquet flooring made of wood cut into jigsaw puzzle pieces, stained to differing finishes. Lay it down and turn your sitting room into a giant jigsaw! Link (via Wonderland) 
Monday, May 29, 2006
Jobs' glass elevator locks in group customers - Engadget
Friday, May 26, 2006
A definite candidate for "What The?!?!" product of '06
Dog Turd Cellphone Cover
MAKE: Blog: Mona Lisa from computer parts
Here's a Mona Lisa made from a ton of random computer parts - good idea if you have a lot parts but ran out of functional things to make Link.
Daily tipple can bring health benefits: for men
LONDON (Reuters) - Moderate drinking reduces the risk of heart disease but the beneficial effects of alcohol seem to work differently in men and women, Danish researchers said on Friday.They found that for men drinking daily seems to have the biggest positive effect on health while in women the amount of alcohol consumed may have more of an impact.
"The risk of heart disease was lowest among men who drank every day," said Janne Tolstrup of the National Institute for Public Health in Copenhagen.
But a daily tipple did not cut the odds of heart disease in women, according to the findings reported in the British Medical Journal.
Tolstrup and her colleagues said the beneficial effects of moderate drinking in cutting heart disease risk are well documented but they warned that heavy alcohol consumption is linked to liver diseases, cancer and road accidents.
Most of the research into alcohol and heart disease has been done on men. Little is known about the impact on women.
The researchers studied the effects of alcohol on more than 50,000 men and women over more than five years. Men in the study who drank one day a week had a 7 percent reduced risk of heart disease compared to non-drinkers, but daily moderate drinkers were 41 percent less likely to suffer from heart disease.
Women consumed an average of 5.5 alcoholic drinks a week, about half of what the men drank. But in women the percentages of reduced risk were similar, regardless of whether they drank one day or seven days a week.
"This study does not change the fact that alcohol should be enjoyed in moderation only, both by men and women," said Judy O'Sullivan, of the British Heart Foundation in a statement.
Little Rocking: River Market district will be partying too
There will be plenty to do directly outside the perimeter of Riverfest on Friday and Saturday nights. We note the planned Pub Crawl, with $10 admission bands that get you into every River Market area pub, available both nights. And, that means that even though Riverfest shuts down at 11 p.m. those nights, the party doesn't have to shut down.
Also, Rumba, the restaurant owned by Sticky Fingerz folks Chris King and Suzon Awbrey had a soft opening last night and is opened with a limited menu for the weekend. But, even at limited, we're told it was pretty good food (Cuban-Mex blend) and the place "looks very cool," our source told us.
We're expecting lots of spillover from Riverfest into the piano bars, Sticky Fingerz for their planned acts, the Flying Saucer and Gusana's, and Rumba will be rumbling as well, though the Rev Room next door is still getting the finishing touches and won't have anything on tap.
The Underground Pub is the only club that will be within the perimeter of Riverfest. They absolutely insist being part of it; we're told that last year, their Saturday night was their biggest night EVER. So, there will be partying there until the early morning hours as well, and you can get in and out of that gate by the River Market to get to the Underground.
Across the river, when folks leave the North Little Rock gates, they'll find Cornerstone Pub and Reno's both offering live music on Main Street.
It's going to be a serious happening. If the rain stays away, this just might be the biggest weekend of fun ever for the riverfront. We're going to do our part. AmyB adds a "you bet."
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Treasury to give telephone tax refund - May. 25, 2006
Treasury Dept. concedes a Spanish-American War tax on long-distance service is antiquated and consumers are entitled to a refund.
May 25, 2006: 11:01 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - After losing several court battles, the U.S. Treasury on Thursday said it would provide refunds to consumers for a federal excise 'luxury' tax on long-distance service, the origins of which date back to 1898 to help pay for the Spanish-American War.
The refund will apply to the 3 percent excise tax billed to them on long-distance service since Feb. 28, 2003 and will include interest. Consumers will be able to claim it on their 2006 tax returns, which they will file in 2007.
'Today is a good day for American taxpayers; it marks the beginning of the end of an outdated , antiquated tax that has survived a century beyond its original purpose, and by now should have been ancient history,' said Treasury Secretary John Snow in a statement.
'The Federal Appeals courts have spoken across the board. It's time to 'disconnect' this tax and put it on the permanent 'do not call' list,' Snow added.
The tax was passed in 1898, when there was no federal income tax and telephone service was something that only the rich had access to. It was designed as a luxury tax to help the government during a time of high military spending.
Since then, it has become a good revenue generator for the Treasury, raising $5.9 billion in 2005."
May 25, 2006: 11:01 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - After losing several court battles, the U.S. Treasury on Thursday said it would provide refunds to consumers for a federal excise 'luxury' tax on long-distance service, the origins of which date back to 1898 to help pay for the Spanish-American War.
The refund will apply to the 3 percent excise tax billed to them on long-distance service since Feb. 28, 2003 and will include interest. Consumers will be able to claim it on their 2006 tax returns, which they will file in 2007.
'Today is a good day for American taxpayers; it marks the beginning of the end of an outdated , antiquated tax that has survived a century beyond its original purpose, and by now should have been ancient history,' said Treasury Secretary John Snow in a statement.
'The Federal Appeals courts have spoken across the board. It's time to 'disconnect' this tax and put it on the permanent 'do not call' list,' Snow added.
The tax was passed in 1898, when there was no federal income tax and telephone service was something that only the rich had access to. It was designed as a luxury tax to help the government during a time of high military spending.
Since then, it has become a good revenue generator for the Treasury, raising $5.9 billion in 2005."
I-69 route in south Arkansas approved
I-69 route in south Arkansas approved
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — A route for Interstate 69 that takes the planned highway south of Monticello and Warren and north of Hermitage has been approved by the Federal Highway Administration, state highway officials said Wednesday.
The approval allows the state agency to begin design and eventual construction of the 103-mile segment, estimated to cost $784 million.
'The public now has a good idea of exactly where this highway will eventually be built,' said Dan Flowers, director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
The section running from U.S. 65 just north of McGehee to U.S. 82 west of El Dorado is part of a proposed 2,700-mile highway from Mexico to Canada, the result of the North America Free Trade Agreement.
Officials said the next step will be more-detailed highway design work. During that process, they said, meetings will be held along the route to gather public input and show residents in detail what property will be affected, and how.
Once a design is complete, right-of-way appraisal and acquisition can begin, followed by construction when funding becomes available, the department said.
No target date for the beginning of construction has been set."
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — A route for Interstate 69 that takes the planned highway south of Monticello and Warren and north of Hermitage has been approved by the Federal Highway Administration, state highway officials said Wednesday.
The approval allows the state agency to begin design and eventual construction of the 103-mile segment, estimated to cost $784 million.
'The public now has a good idea of exactly where this highway will eventually be built,' said Dan Flowers, director of the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
The section running from U.S. 65 just north of McGehee to U.S. 82 west of El Dorado is part of a proposed 2,700-mile highway from Mexico to Canada, the result of the North America Free Trade Agreement.
Officials said the next step will be more-detailed highway design work. During that process, they said, meetings will be held along the route to gather public input and show residents in detail what property will be affected, and how.
Once a design is complete, right-of-way appraisal and acquisition can begin, followed by construction when funding becomes available, the department said.
No target date for the beginning of construction has been set."
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Comcast rolls out Motorola SBV5220 cable modem with battery backup - Engadget
If you've made the break and use a VoIP service as your only landline, you may have noticed one of the main downsides of the option (especially if you live in a rural or isolated area): if the power goes out, so does your phone line. Hooking up a UPS can help, but can also be expensive and may not provide power for more than an hour or so. However, help is on the way, at least if you get your VoIP access as part of a bundled plan from Comcast. The company plans to offer Motorola's SBV5220 cable modem to at least some of its customers as part of its $39.95 Digital Voice service. The SBV5220 includes its own lithium-ion backup battery, which provides up to 8 hours of power. Of course, if you use a cordless phone and it isn't fully charged before the lights go off, this may not do you a whole lot of good, so be sure to keep those phones charged.Vonage, The Worst Tech IPO Since Pets.com
Investors on Crack
The most surprising fact to me is that there is surprisingly robust retail investor demand about this stock. (You can find rants and raves from Mark Evans and Bottom Priced.) What I notice is the “Peter Lynch” and Motley Fool style of rationalization… Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Peter Lynch, but I fear that Vonage and WebVan are perfect examples of how individual investors can be lead astray by investing in companies that they are customers of. Let’s breakdown the pros and cons.
The Good: Vonage the VoIP Pioneer
Vonage was the early innovator in VoIP services for consumers and SMBs. For a low monthly flat fee of $25, you can spend an unlimited amount of time talking to anyone in the US or Canada. The company has 1.6 million subscribers as of April, by far the leading independent VoIP provider. VG is widely considered to have the greatest consumer mindshare, and has been growing revenues by about ~500% from 2003 to 2004, and ~300% from 2004 to 2005 — impressive by any standard. Consumers love the Vonage low price, the ease of installation, and the catchy commercials (you know the song I’m talking about).
Why Vonage Sucks
First and foremost, the company is bleeding cash. The company burned through $190 million in cash from operations in 2005, and another $150 million in investing activity in the same year. What’s more worrisome is that the company is unable to sustain pricing control in the market, as Skype, the cable companies and the telcos all roll out competively priced products. And consumers are notoriously fickle in having zero loyalty to telcom service providers, switching long distance carriers and local providers as soon as they get a good deal.
Pricing and revenues - Vonage charges $25 a month. In a year, that is $300 of revenue. As the consumer uses the phone service, Vonage pays a third party to “terminate” the call - this costs somewhere less than a penny a minute today in the US, but does add up if a consumer family is on the phone for say 2,000 minutes a month. This direct cost of telephony services costs VG about 32% of their total revenues. This leaves about $200 of gross margin dollars per account per year.
Customer acquisition - The company currently spends about $400 to acquire a new customer. In 2005, Vonage spent $243 million on marketing costs alone (doesn’t it only cost a couple of million for a Super Bowl ad with a sock puppet??), or about 94% of their revenue!!
ROI - Now, even without talking about capital equipment costs, customer premise equipment subsidies or paying employee salaries & rent, the math starts to look funny. Vonage is paying $400 to get a customer… but only making about $200 a year from that customer. That seems like a crappy business, especially given that pricing and revenues will likely further erode soon from all the stiff competition.
The Ugly
At Vonage’s valuation of $17 a share, that translates to a value per account of $1,600. Now after the brief math we did above, someone please tell me why I should pay this much value for a Vonage subscriber?
The competition is lead by cable company Time Warner (TWX), which is signing up VoIP customers like gangbusters. Word is that they have about 1.4 million subs today. They simply bundle VoIP with their cable and Internet package, and offer the household a single consolidated bill that includes all three services. Brilliant and simple. And it costs MUCH less for a Time Warner or Comcast to market and sell VoIP service to their existing base of cable customers — whereas Vonage has to sign up a brand new customer that they have zero relationship with.
Word in Silicon Valley is that Jeff Citron (former CEO) is selling $80 million in the IPO, essentially cashing out a big portion of his stake. This tells me he doesn’t believe in the future of the company. This is always a red flag in venture-backed companies. You didn’t see Eric, Sergey or Page of Google selling shares the day of the IPO, did you?
Vonage in Trouble
The math doesn’t make sense to me, and worse still, I can’t see anyone acquiring the company. The cable guys have product already, and the telcos aren’t likely to step up either. Both camps are well capitalized to fight a long price war with Vonage, have large installed bases of existing customers that they can sell to, and most importantly — they control the pipes going into each house.
This stock is a dog. With bad fleas. Stay away.
This is really cool...
Zoom forever into this photomosaic
The photo on this page is made up of tiny photos. Go to the website's link below and click on the photo to zoom in. More tiny photos. Forever.
Link
The photo on this page is made up of tiny photos. Go to the website's link below and click on the photo to zoom in. More tiny photos. Forever.Link
Listening Post: New Cellphone Sends Music to Radios
New Cellphone Sends Music to Radios
Normally, sending music from a portable audio device to a radio requires an external FM transmitter, but an LG flip-phone called Fusic that was announced by Sprint today comes with one built-in. You can purchase songs for $2.50 a piece from Sprint (this gets you two copies of the song -- one downloaded wirelessly to your phone and the other downloaded to your computer over your Internet connection), or use the included USB cable to transfer MP3s, unprotected WMAs, and unprotected AACs from your computer to your phone. This is good news for people who purchase their music on CD or download it for free in the MP3 format, but users who have already purchased music from iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, etc. will not be able to play it on the FUSIC. A 64MB microSD card is included, although you can expand that to 1GB by buying a replacement.
In the plus column, aside from the included FM transmitter, there's the external iPod Shuffle-like navigation pad, the ability to stream music from Sprint Radio, Music Choice, Rhapsody Radio, MTV Mobile, and VH1 Mobile, and Bluetooth Stereo compatibility for sending music to the optional stereo Bluetooth headset or compatible car stereos.
The Sprint Fusic by LG costs $330, or $180 with a two-year contract. Although I like the FM transmitter feature, I don't think I'll be picking one up.
Normally, sending music from a portable audio device to a radio requires an external FM transmitter, but an LG flip-phone called Fusic that was announced by Sprint today comes with one built-in. You can purchase songs for $2.50 a piece from Sprint (this gets you two copies of the song -- one downloaded wirelessly to your phone and the other downloaded to your computer over your Internet connection), or use the included USB cable to transfer MP3s, unprotected WMAs, and unprotected AACs from your computer to your phone. This is good news for people who purchase their music on CD or download it for free in the MP3 format, but users who have already purchased music from iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, etc. will not be able to play it on the FUSIC. A 64MB microSD card is included, although you can expand that to 1GB by buying a replacement.In the plus column, aside from the included FM transmitter, there's the external iPod Shuffle-like navigation pad, the ability to stream music from Sprint Radio, Music Choice, Rhapsody Radio, MTV Mobile, and VH1 Mobile, and Bluetooth Stereo compatibility for sending music to the optional stereo Bluetooth headset or compatible car stereos.
The Sprint Fusic by LG costs $330, or $180 with a two-year contract. Although I like the FM transmitter feature, I don't think I'll be picking one up.
MAKE: Blog: Make a square watermelon
BF5man writes writes - "Don't have more info than this picture but it's quite self explanatory. Put a small watermelon from you garden inside a box and let it grow. Garden Art!" - Link.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
MAKE: Blog: Laser scissors
Huh? Do people really need this??? - oed3
Nat sent this around, and I think we're going to review them, laser scissors - if it's at all a good idea, mounting a cheap laser point on normal scissors might be handy. But for the most part, it was important to have a post up called laser scissors. Link.
Aston Martin ALMS car flies farther than Wright Bros. - Autoblog
Last weekend during a practice lap at Mid-Ohio Raceway the 009 Aston Martin ALMS went airborne off the track and "flew" 142 feet before landing off the track in the dirt. The track was reportedly wet and the unidentified driver lost control under braking. Fortunately his car was the only one on that part of the track at the time and it amazingly remained level during its separation with terra firma.
These pics were found on the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club (NASIOC) forum, and those guys know a lot about flying cars from watching Subies take flight in World Rally competition. One astute forum member noted that the first record of powered flight by the Wright brothers on December 17th, 1903 lasted for 120 feet and 12 seconds. We checked it out, it's true, which means the Aston beat the Wright brothers' first flight by 22 feet.
Check out more pics after the jump including the takeoff and landing. Word is there was video shown on TV of the accident, so kudos to whoever can find it first.
Thanks Amp for the tip!
These pics were found on the North American Subaru Impreza Owners Club (NASIOC) forum, and those guys know a lot about flying cars from watching Subies take flight in World Rally competition. One astute forum member noted that the first record of powered flight by the Wright brothers on December 17th, 1903 lasted for 120 feet and 12 seconds. We checked it out, it's true, which means the Aston beat the Wright brothers' first flight by 22 feet.
Check out more pics after the jump including the takeoff and landing. Word is there was video shown on TV of the accident, so kudos to whoever can find it first.
Thanks Amp for the tip!
Boing Boing: Scottish Rite real time solar power performance
Gary says: "The Oakland Scottish Rite building has a full battery of solar panels on the roof. Now they have a link to a page where you can watch they system’s performance in real time."
When I checked at 10:30am PT, the panels were producing 31 kW, and the building was consuming only 23.2 kW, which means the Scottish Rite building's meter was running backwards. Link
Another "what the???"
Nike shoes catch up with iPod mania
Companies announce wireless system that syncs shoes with music player; will retail for about $29.
May 23, 2006: 12:42 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Nike is getting in step with the iPod craze.
The footwear giant announced Tuesday that it will sell a wireless device that will allow its line of shoes to work with Apple's wildly popular music player.
'Nike iPod will change the way people run,' said Nike CEO Mark Parker in a prepared statement. 'Nike iPod creates a better running experience. We see many more such Nike innovations in the future.'
The Nike iPod Sports Kit, which will sell for about $29, works with Apple's Nano version of the iPod. The device will allow shoe wearers to store information about their workout on their iPod or have distance, calories burned or pace displayed on the screen or broadcast through their headphones.
Nike (up $3.22 to $81.20, Research) shares jumped 3.4 percent in midday trade on the New York Stock Exchange whileApple (up $0.80 to $64.18, Research) stock climbed 1.5 percent in Nasdaq trade."
Companies announce wireless system that syncs shoes with music player; will retail for about $29.
May 23, 2006: 12:42 PM EDT
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Nike is getting in step with the iPod craze.
The footwear giant announced Tuesday that it will sell a wireless device that will allow its line of shoes to work with Apple's wildly popular music player.
'Nike iPod will change the way people run,' said Nike CEO Mark Parker in a prepared statement. 'Nike iPod creates a better running experience. We see many more such Nike innovations in the future.'
The Nike iPod Sports Kit, which will sell for about $29, works with Apple's Nano version of the iPod. The device will allow shoe wearers to store information about their workout on their iPod or have distance, calories burned or pace displayed on the screen or broadcast through their headphones.
Nike (up $3.22 to $81.20, Research) shares jumped 3.4 percent in midday trade on the New York Stock Exchange whileApple (up $0.80 to $64.18, Research) stock climbed 1.5 percent in Nasdaq trade."
Artificial sweeteners speed alcohol into blood
LOS ANGELES (Reuters Health) - Alcoholic drinks made with artificial sweeteners lead to a high rate of alcohol absorption, resulting in a greater blood alcohol peak and concentration than from drinks made with sugar-based mixers.
Boing Boing: Kids make a sport out of outsmarting school Web-filters
Cory Doctorow: Kids across America have made a sport out of evading the censorware that restricts which websites they're allowed to visit, handily outsmarting their IT departments and the indiscriminate filters that block whole swathes of the Web, including sites vital to the common curriculum, in the name of keeping them from seeing boobies.
Ryan had apparently set up a so-called Web proxy from his home computer so that when he was at school, he could direct requests for banned sites like MySpace through a Web address at home, thereby tricking the school's filter. (Web, or CGI, proxies can be Web sites or applications that allow users to access other sites through them.)"I eventually tracked down the (Internet Protocol) address, so that it doesn't work for him anymore," said Don Wolff, tech coordinator in the Phoenix-Talent School District, adding that Ryan didn't face disciplinary action. "It's against our acceptable-use policy, but he's not going to quit trying, (and this way) we can keep learning."
"This is a hot new trend among kids for getting around Web filters," Wolff said.
Boing Boing: Monsters-in-fine-art photoshopping contest
Today's Worth1000 photoshopping contest revisits my absolutely favorite theme: putting horror-movie/monster themes into classic fine art. I was utterly torn on whether to include the Girl With a Pearl Earring Meets Nosferatu pictured here or the equally awesome Mona Lisa Ringu mashup.
Much better than The Da Vinci Code, in my opinion...
With The Da Vinci Code opening at #1 in every country in which it played, it looks like Sony has a franchise on its hands. Reportedly, Sony owns the rights to the character Robert Langdon and the studio is ready to film Angels and Demons.
I'm told it's absolutely true that Sony bought the rights to the Robert Langdon character. Not only is Harvard symbologist Langdon the protaganist in Dan Brown's already written novel, "Angels and Demons," but I know Langdon is also featured in a new book Brown is penning as we speak that takes off where Da Vinci Code leaves off. So that means Sony has the immediate prospect of not only one but two sequels. Wow, this town is really, really, gonna hate that studio now. (Just remember, Sony had that big bomb Bewitched last summer. They were due.) According to news reports, "Angels and Demons" was Brown's other book to feature Langdon: crammed with Vatican intrigue and high-tech drama, it thrusts Langdon together with an ancient and shadowy secret brotherhood, the Illuminati, the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. Their enemy is the Catholic Church and they're detemined to carry out the final phase of a legendary vendetta against it. There's a frantic quest through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals and a most secret vault to find the world's most powerful energy source (which I'm told is a bomb; I haven't read the book myself). The heroine is a beautiful Italian physicist whose father, a brilliant physicist, has been murdered. I'm told it's better than DVC.You can see an article Dan Brown wrote exclusively for our sister site, The Internet Writing Journal here. In the article, Dan talks about the facts behind the book and all the interesting research he did all over (and under) the city of Rome. Angels and Demons is a great book: it's another Robert Langdon thriller (set before the events of The Da Vinci Code) and involves the Vatican, the Illuminati, secret crypts, codes and the conflict between science and religion. What's not to love?
Monday, May 22, 2006
Shake a Leg: Here Comes Caffeinated Pantyhose - Medgadget - www.medgadget.com
(if this doesn't qualify as "What The" then I don't know what does...)
A British website is selling caffeinated pantyhose. Are they kidding? When we posted about caffeine inhalers on April Fool's Day, it was obviously a joke. This is less ... transparent:
The way the tights work is that body heat releases caffeine microcapsules into the leg, thus promoting the metabolism to kick in and start fat burning. According to the makers, results should be apparent in about 1-4 weeks, but they do say they may not work for everyone. Even so, I think most women will be keen to give the "Slim Fit 20" caffeine tights a go. Costs are around £27 ...
As others have pointed out: if caffeine does cause weight loss, it's not through local effects on the skin but rather as a brain stimulant of muscle activity -- nervous energy (fidgeting all day may be as effective as hitting the gym). There's certainly no literature to suggest caffeine applied to the thighs causes targeted weight loss there, or even increased muscular activity at that site.
This is no lie, nylon fans. No matter what the testimonials say, these manufacturers don't have a leg to stand on.
What's Really In the Cube - Gizmodo
Revealed here for the first time: Steve Jobs’ secret plan to amaze the world with his feats of derring-do and pickled, pruny handshakes!
Oww!
  | New Glasses Require Piercing Bridge of Nose   posted: 22 May 2006 11:06 am ET |
Wanted to use a classic post to get things started...
 |
(AP) Lew Anderson, who captivated young baby boomers as the Howdy Doody Show's final Clarabell the Clown, has died at the age of 84.
He will forever be known as the epitome of the classic clown figure. There will always be a hole in the clown culture of today but thanks to Clarabell's stringent clown protege program, that hole will be much smaller than it could be.
Gene Fagini's clown character "Gairabelle" will be able to fill the gap left by his beloved mentor.
Below is the latest photo of "Gairabelle" at his last public appearance.
He will forever be known as the epitome of the classic clown figure. There will always be a hole in the clown culture of today but thanks to Clarabell's stringent clown protege program, that hole will be much smaller than it could be.
Gene Fagini's clown character "Gairabelle" will be able to fill the gap left by his beloved mentor.
Below is the latest photo of "Gairabelle" at his last public appearance.
Welcome!
Welcome. I hope you enjoy this collection of stories and links. The reason I started this blog was mainly because a couple of my friends got tired of the numerous emails and instant messages with links to "interesting" stories (I always precluded the link with the word interesting). Since some of them use feed readers/aggregators, I thought creating this blog would be a type of "one stop shop" for them to see what I would normally send them. This way I can pretend they share my same interests while eliminating traffic over our corporate network. Please comment on articles you find "entertaining."
Thanks,
OED3
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