On farms that use automated RFID-controlled feeding systems for the animals, some pigs have figured out how to defeat the system to get more than their allowed food for that day. [link]
Friday
Pigs defeat RFID-controlled feeding systems
On farms that use automated RFID-controlled feeding systems for the animals, some pigs have figured out how to defeat the system to get more than their allowed food for that day. [link]
Monday
2009 World Series of Poker
My employer sent me to Vegas for 3 days this past week. While staying in the Paris I saw a poster advertisement for the 2009 World Series of Poker starting Thursday at the Rio. Wow, what an unexpected treat. Since I watch poker on TV I knew a few names and faces that it would be cool to see.
After work meetings and events were done Thursday I grabbed supper then hopped a cab for the Rio. Signs everywhere pointed to the large convention-sized poker rooms. Upon entering one room I was a little awe-struck at the sea of tables, many of which had players sitting in current games. I was surprised to see so many young guys playing, like 21 or so. I knew that there are rare free ways to get a spot, but most of these guys had to pay several thousand dollars to get in. All of the tables were contained in roped off areas so that large groups of spectators could watch without getting too close.
I wandered around, growing slightly bored until I got to a roped off area of tables loaded with chips, but no players. Dealers were still at the tables guarding the chips. I learned that these were game in progress and were paused for the players to take supper break. The most valuable gem I learned was that Phil Hellmuth would be returning to the table directly in front of me. Players and spectators know he makes rude comments about other players' skills at the table, but he has won 11 WSOP bracelets and I was not about to pass up the chance to at least see him. I looked up at the status monitors which showed a countdown of 40 minutes remaining for the meal break. My already hurting feet cried a little.
I was the lone spectator at “the rail” so could choose where to stand without having to fight masses of other spectators. With about 15 minutes left other spectators started crowding around behind me because everyone knew where the big-name tables were. Most of the players waited until less than 5 minutes to return, and of course Phil Hellmuth waits until the very last seconds. I heard he was actually late to the beginning of the tournament. Maybe he needs to use some of his millions to get a better watch. :)
As game play continued I recognized other faces at the table. Their positions clockwise from dealer were #2: Scotty Nguyen, #3: Phil Ivey, #5: David Pham, #7: Phil Hellmuth, #8: Bertrand Grospellier.
Scotty Nguyen was just to the front-right of where I was standing. He was as vocal as rumors say, often yelling for a beer or arguing with the dealer over a rule. He talks loud and verbally interacts with all the other players. I found him entertaining. He was wearing wife-beater t-shirt, white running suit, numerous gold necklaces, and a fat gold Rolex. He gave signatures to those asking, including a $100 bill. He's won 5 tournament bracelets and his live tournament winnings exceed $10.3M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotty_Nguyen
I was standing about 3 feet directly behind Phil Ivey. He is regarded as one of the world's best players. Even though he was the closest to me, I barely heard a word from him. He was sat motionless to his seat, except for getting up a couple times to talk on one of his two BlackBerrys. Also texting at the table, I was not going to be rude and try to read it. He gave signatures to those asking, including the $100 bill that Scotty signed. He's won 5 tournament bracelets and his live tournament winnings exceed $10M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Ivey
David Pham seemed to keep rather quiet, although got up a few times for his phone, and to talk to an apparent relative at the rail to my left. He's won 2 tournament bracelets and his live tournament winnings exceed $7.8M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pham
Phil Hellmuth competed with Scotty as most vocal, once even arguing with the dealer about a chip count. A very social guy, Hellmuth got up a lot during big hands, and often walked around to greet acquaintances at other tables. He's won 11 tournament bracelets and his live tournament winnings exceed $6M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Hellmuth
Bertrand Grospellier appeared quiet the whole night, only responding a few times to table humor. He was one of the world's top-ranked Starcraft and Warcraft III players. His live tournament winnings exceed $5.7M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Grospellier
I watched for five hours and saw some eliminations.
Shortly after Phil Hellmuth was eliminated, Alec Torelli took his seat. I had never heard of Alec. He presented thick stereotypical New Yorker mannerisms that reminded me of Andrew Dice Clay. A latecomer to the table, he immediately began conversing with the other players and appears the most comfortable and least intimidated of them all. His big bets appeared to be specifically targeted at other players chips. I was impressed with his style. Reading the news today I see that he made the final table and finished in 6th place, winning $329k.
Other famous players I saw:
Antonio Esfandiari was at the table to my left. I've seen him several times on TV. He's won 1 tournament bracelet and his live tournament winnings exceed $3M. He was a professional magician.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Esfandiari
Vanessa Rousso was at the table to my right. She's known for her PokerStars commercials, is a GoDaddy girl, and teaches poker classes that compare poker strategy to Sun Tzu's Art of War. She's been in Sports Illustrated and Maxim. She stopped right behind me for a fan to get a photo with her. With zero WSOP bracelets and zero final tables, my guess is that she's known more for her looks than her game, although her winnings do exceed $2.1M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_Rousso
I did not know Mike Matusow before seeing him, and only gave him any attention because he looks like a coworker. I saw him walk between tables a few times. Apparently he's known as “The Mouth”. He has 3 bracelets and over $6.8M in winnings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Matusow
I didn't have my real camera, so had to settle for extremely crummy cell phone pictures.
After work meetings and events were done Thursday I grabbed supper then hopped a cab for the Rio. Signs everywhere pointed to the large convention-sized poker rooms. Upon entering one room I was a little awe-struck at the sea of tables, many of which had players sitting in current games. I was surprised to see so many young guys playing, like 21 or so. I knew that there are rare free ways to get a spot, but most of these guys had to pay several thousand dollars to get in. All of the tables were contained in roped off areas so that large groups of spectators could watch without getting too close.
I wandered around, growing slightly bored until I got to a roped off area of tables loaded with chips, but no players. Dealers were still at the tables guarding the chips. I learned that these were game in progress and were paused for the players to take supper break. The most valuable gem I learned was that Phil Hellmuth would be returning to the table directly in front of me. Players and spectators know he makes rude comments about other players' skills at the table, but he has won 11 WSOP bracelets and I was not about to pass up the chance to at least see him. I looked up at the status monitors which showed a countdown of 40 minutes remaining for the meal break. My already hurting feet cried a little.
I was the lone spectator at “the rail” so could choose where to stand without having to fight masses of other spectators. With about 15 minutes left other spectators started crowding around behind me because everyone knew where the big-name tables were. Most of the players waited until less than 5 minutes to return, and of course Phil Hellmuth waits until the very last seconds. I heard he was actually late to the beginning of the tournament. Maybe he needs to use some of his millions to get a better watch. :)
As game play continued I recognized other faces at the table. Their positions clockwise from dealer were #2: Scotty Nguyen, #3: Phil Ivey, #5: David Pham, #7: Phil Hellmuth, #8: Bertrand Grospellier.
Scotty Nguyen was just to the front-right of where I was standing. He was as vocal as rumors say, often yelling for a beer or arguing with the dealer over a rule. He talks loud and verbally interacts with all the other players. I found him entertaining. He was wearing wife-beater t-shirt, white running suit, numerous gold necklaces, and a fat gold Rolex. He gave signatures to those asking, including a $100 bill. He's won 5 tournament bracelets and his live tournament winnings exceed $10.3M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotty_Nguyen
I was standing about 3 feet directly behind Phil Ivey. He is regarded as one of the world's best players. Even though he was the closest to me, I barely heard a word from him. He was sat motionless to his seat, except for getting up a couple times to talk on one of his two BlackBerrys. Also texting at the table, I was not going to be rude and try to read it. He gave signatures to those asking, including the $100 bill that Scotty signed. He's won 5 tournament bracelets and his live tournament winnings exceed $10M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Ivey
David Pham seemed to keep rather quiet, although got up a few times for his phone, and to talk to an apparent relative at the rail to my left. He's won 2 tournament bracelets and his live tournament winnings exceed $7.8M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pham
Phil Hellmuth competed with Scotty as most vocal, once even arguing with the dealer about a chip count. A very social guy, Hellmuth got up a lot during big hands, and often walked around to greet acquaintances at other tables. He's won 11 tournament bracelets and his live tournament winnings exceed $6M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Hellmuth
Bertrand Grospellier appeared quiet the whole night, only responding a few times to table humor. He was one of the world's top-ranked Starcraft and Warcraft III players. His live tournament winnings exceed $5.7M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertrand_Grospellier
I watched for five hours and saw some eliminations.
Shortly after Phil Hellmuth was eliminated, Alec Torelli took his seat. I had never heard of Alec. He presented thick stereotypical New Yorker mannerisms that reminded me of Andrew Dice Clay. A latecomer to the table, he immediately began conversing with the other players and appears the most comfortable and least intimidated of them all. His big bets appeared to be specifically targeted at other players chips. I was impressed with his style. Reading the news today I see that he made the final table and finished in 6th place, winning $329k.
Other famous players I saw:
Antonio Esfandiari was at the table to my left. I've seen him several times on TV. He's won 1 tournament bracelet and his live tournament winnings exceed $3M. He was a professional magician.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Esfandiari
Vanessa Rousso was at the table to my right. She's known for her PokerStars commercials, is a GoDaddy girl, and teaches poker classes that compare poker strategy to Sun Tzu's Art of War. She's been in Sports Illustrated and Maxim. She stopped right behind me for a fan to get a photo with her. With zero WSOP bracelets and zero final tables, my guess is that she's known more for her looks than her game, although her winnings do exceed $2.1M.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanessa_Rousso
I did not know Mike Matusow before seeing him, and only gave him any attention because he looks like a coworker. I saw him walk between tables a few times. Apparently he's known as “The Mouth”. He has 3 bracelets and over $6.8M in winnings.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Matusow
I didn't have my real camera, so had to settle for extremely crummy cell phone pictures.
Tuesday
slow tech
Kind of crazy when you think entertainment went from sound w/o video (radio) to video w/o sound (earliest TV) to TV w/sound w/o color, to today's TV.
What I mean is like, you are sitting there watching a silent show and you are ok with it because it's normal. Then someone adds sound, but it's ok that it's black and white because it's normal.
I assume between each entertainment era there were scientists/inventors constantly working on the next step. But if you think about it, everything we ever needed (matter) is right in front of us. It just seems to take us a while to get from one step to the next, figuring out what to do with the matter. I wonder if that's based more on human mental capacity, or consumer demand.
We have big dreams of moon colonies, interstellar flight, and a cure for cancer. Why can't we just do them today? Are we slow thinkers that have to sit around for X amount of time pondering solutions? I bet if every adult on earth united every resource toward curing cancer, we would at least know within a month or so if it can be cured at all.
What I mean is like, you are sitting there watching a silent show and you are ok with it because it's normal. Then someone adds sound, but it's ok that it's black and white because it's normal.
I assume between each entertainment era there were scientists/inventors constantly working on the next step. But if you think about it, everything we ever needed (matter) is right in front of us. It just seems to take us a while to get from one step to the next, figuring out what to do with the matter. I wonder if that's based more on human mental capacity, or consumer demand.
We have big dreams of moon colonies, interstellar flight, and a cure for cancer. Why can't we just do them today? Are we slow thinkers that have to sit around for X amount of time pondering solutions? I bet if every adult on earth united every resource toward curing cancer, we would at least know within a month or so if it can be cured at all.
Sunday
weird (DON'T VIEW IMAGES UNTIL PROMPTED)
weird (DON'T VIEW IMAGES UNTIL PROMPTED)
This is definitely a weird experience. We stopped to eat at Fuddruckers on a road trip yesterday. About midway through the meal I went to the restroom and used the urinal. There was a framed photo in front of me of a football quarterback about the throw. Upon closer inspection I noticed the photo was just a cutout from a magazine affixed to a box-frame. I also noticed one on the wall by the door. (VIEW IMAGE 1 NOW OF BOX FRAME NEAR DOOR) I thought it seemed a little cheap and unprofessional for a decent restaurant. From that point until I got back to the table, I imagined a restaurant with all walls lined with images glued from magazines. They would encourage customers to bring their own, and tear down or replace any that are offensive. Every now and then employees may have to rip thick sheets of old images off. The restaurant would of course be called Mags. I returned to my table to continue eating and forgot about my ridiculous idea. At the end of the meal I decided to go again since we were getting back on the road. I was speechless when I got to the urinal and someone had ripped the photo from the box-frame. (VIEW IMAGE 2 NOW OF BOX FRAME OVER URINAL) To add to the weirdness, after I told the story to my family, my wife told me a little tidbit. Earlier a man went into the restroom with a folded newspaper. My wife assumed he was going to read it while using the restroom, but he emerged seconds later, not even long enough to have used the restroom OR washed his hands, much less both.
This is definitely a weird experience. We stopped to eat at Fuddruckers on a road trip yesterday. About midway through the meal I went to the restroom and used the urinal. There was a framed photo in front of me of a football quarterback about the throw. Upon closer inspection I noticed the photo was just a cutout from a magazine affixed to a box-frame. I also noticed one on the wall by the door. (VIEW IMAGE 1 NOW OF BOX FRAME NEAR DOOR) I thought it seemed a little cheap and unprofessional for a decent restaurant. From that point until I got back to the table, I imagined a restaurant with all walls lined with images glued from magazines. They would encourage customers to bring their own, and tear down or replace any that are offensive. Every now and then employees may have to rip thick sheets of old images off. The restaurant would of course be called Mags. I returned to my table to continue eating and forgot about my ridiculous idea. At the end of the meal I decided to go again since we were getting back on the road. I was speechless when I got to the urinal and someone had ripped the photo from the box-frame. (VIEW IMAGE 2 NOW OF BOX FRAME OVER URINAL) To add to the weirdness, after I told the story to my family, my wife told me a little tidbit. Earlier a man went into the restroom with a folded newspaper. My wife assumed he was going to read it while using the restroom, but he emerged seconds later, not even long enough to have used the restroom OR washed his hands, much less both.
Friday
10-15 cars stall daily near Empire State Building
In the shadow of the Empire State Building lies an "automotive Bermuda Triangle" - a five-block radius where vehicles mysteriously die. No one is sure what's causing it, but all roads appear to lead to the looming giant in our midst - specifically, its Art Deco mast and 203-foot-long, antenna-laden spire. "We get about 10 to 15 cars stuck near there every day," said Isaac Leviev, manager of Citywide Towing, the AAA's exclusive roadside assistance provider from 42nd St. to the Battery. "You pull the car four or five blocks to the west or east and the car starts right up." [article]
Sunday
Writers Strike Prompts NBC to Fire Entire 'SNL' Staff
Writers Strike Prompts NBC to Fire Entire Saturday Night Live Staff
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312073,00.html
The article mentions, "production staff", but surely that doesn't mean the cast talent.
"David Letterman is paying out of his pocket the salaries for both staffs of The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson."
http://www.bostonnow.com/blogs/uncommonbostonian/2007/11/17/writers039-strike039s-first-casualty-quotsaturday-night-livequot
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,312073,00.html
The article mentions, "production staff", but surely that doesn't mean the cast talent.
"David Letterman is paying out of his pocket the salaries for both staffs of The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson."
http://www.bostonnow.com/blogs/uncommonbostonian/2007/11/17/writers039-strike039s-first-casualty-quotsaturday-night-livequot
Saturday
The Golden Compass is opposite of Narnia series
The Golden Compass "childrens" books and movie are opposite of Narnia series
Friday
Students would trade right to vote for an iPod
20% of polled students would give up their right to vote in the next election for an iPod. Not surprising since colleges seem to be such a source of anti-right-thing-to-do.
Monday
Greenpeace hypocrites
In a boat that is probably not solar-powered ;) Greenpeace activists harass a coal-carrying ship
http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-10/33384819.jpg
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http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2007-10/33384819.jpg
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
Friday
Magic mirror trick
A pair of twin girls trick other restroom customers with a false mirror
http://www.flixxy.com/magic-mirror.htm
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
NO SOLICITING
Was on a neighborhood walk with one of my daughters and saw a NO SOLICITING sign on a door. Would be funny to try and sell them a new, improved, bigger, brighter NO SOLICITING sign.
I was just thinking how odd the NO SOLICITING sign idea is. Most residents don't want solicitors, regardless of whether they have a sign posted or not. I doubt having a sign is some legally-binding order to stay away, but is rather a notice of preference. So, why would salesmen skip these residences, other than to avoid some surely wasted time? In fact, on a slow, boring day of door-to-door, you might actually want a little angry-resident confrontation to spice things up.
I actually get really mad at door-to-door salesmen, not because they are unsolicited, but because they won't leave after I tell them I am not interested. I even ask, "Did you hear me say I am not interested?" These encounters usually get my wife mad at me. Maybe I should let them go through their whole pitch, then ask them, "What?" and see how many times they'll do it.
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http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
Tuesday
Human LCD
Human LCD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpTJISyKGrA
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
duplicate YouTube videos
Why do other people repost someones YouTube videos? Often a search result returns 2-6 identical videos, same time length, different text replies, and different rating. Seems like the feedback and ratings would be more relevant if they were all under the same post. YouTube needs a way to automatically combine or reject dupes.
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http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
built-in ashtrays in barber chairs
I got a haircut today and all of the barber chairs had built-in ashtrays. It's just kind of funny to think of how far we have come since open smoking everywhere. Are in-car cigarette lighters still called that? I would assume that eventually more people will just be using them to power their electronic devices instead of for lighting cigarettes.
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http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
Monday
University says rape victims can't put perps' names on t-shirts
University says rape victims can't put perps' names on t-shirts
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.clothesline04oct04,0,1802008.story
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/education/bal-md.clothesline04oct04,0,1802008.story
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http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
Friday
Scientists create world's first invisibility
Scientists create world's first invisibility
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=university+maryland+gold+invisibility
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&ie=UTF-8&q=university+maryland+gold+invisibility
================
http://GANNS.com
How small does an animal have to be so that I won't get in trouble for microwaving it alive? Kitten? Mouse? Beetle?
Monday
Why are planes shaped like birds?
Are planes shaped like birds because we model planes after flying animals, or is that shape the basic confines of stable flight?
Germans march into Paris
The caption says, "A Frenchman weeps as German soldiers march into the French capital, Paris, on June 14, 1940, after the Allied armies had been driven back across France." Why do you think the lady next to him appears to be clapping?
Friday
Immigrant burns body of texas female college student
Immigrant burns body of texas female college student
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5171215.html
The killer has proper immigrant documentation, but authorities can revoke it when they break certain crimes. Apparently buglary in 2006 and marijuana in 2007 did not stack up enough against the guy to save this girl's life. It is sad that we have to wait for someone to be violently murdered before we take action. Would be nice if we there was a point-formula for previous offenses that would stack up to incarceration.
Saturday
Manager must learn Spanish to speak to employees
I won't mention names, but I personally know a Caucasian female native-born U.S. citizen who is a manager at a restaurant in San Diego, CA. Yes, that's in the USA. Well, not surprisingly, there are some non-citizen employees there who do not speak English. The manager's boss told her that she needs to learn Spanish in order to communicate with the other employees. So she bought some books to teach herself Spanish.
Tuesday
Flashlight Weapon Makes Targets Throw Up
Flashlight Weapon Makes Targets Throw Up
It looks like a big flashlight — but it's really a nonlethal weapon designed to make you sick.
Intelligent Optical Systems, Inc., of Torrance, Calif., has been granted a contract by the Department of Homeland Security to develop what it calls the "LED Incapacitator," according to a DHS online newsletter.
The handheld device using light-emitting diodes to emit super-bright pulses of light at rapidly changing wavelengths, causing disorientation, nausea and even vomiting in whomever it's pointed at.
Friday
Shell Oil makes $3 million per hour
Shell Oil makes $3 million per hour
It's hard to believe Shell Oil makes $3 million per hour when gas prices are so reasonable these days. ;)
Wednesday
Helium balloons carry man in lawn chair 193 miles
Last weekend, Kent Couch settled down in his lawn chair with some snacks — and a parachute. Attached to his lawn chair were 105 large helium balloons. With instruments to measure his altitude and speed, a global positioning system device in his pocket, and about four plastic bags holding five gallons of water each to act as ballast — he could turn a spigot, release water and rise — Couch headed into the Oregon sky. [link]
Monday
Sprint boots high-maintenance customers
The third-largest wireless carrier sent letters dated June 29 to the dumped clients stating: "The number of inquiries you have made has led us to determine that we are unable to meet your current wireless needs," according to reports.The disconnected customers called customer service an average of 25 times a month, a rate 40 times higher than average customers, according to the Wall Street Journal. [link]
Friday
Smell your food faster!
If smells are actually molecules of the original substance, and we can assume that at least some of the molecules pass the lungs, finding their way into the stomach...
If you were not allowed to actually eat, how fast would you have to smell your food in order to stay alive?
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http://GANNS.com
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http://GANNS.com
Padres support homosexuality, and want kids in on it
Gay Pride Night at PETCO Park:
On the same evening, the San Diego Padres are enticing families to bring their children to the Padre’s game against the Atlanta Braves with a family day giveaway of “floppy hats;” the Padres are also advertising a homosexual event, "Pride Night at PETCO Park." [link]
Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego will sing the National Anthem:
Enjoy an evening of Padres baseball at a discounted price in the same section as fellow Pride supporters and volunteers. San Diego Pride supporters and volunteers will be recognized for organizing the group event with a scoreboard welcome and the Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego will sing the National Anthem. [link]
On the same evening, the San Diego Padres are enticing families to bring their children to the Padre’s game against the Atlanta Braves with a family day giveaway of “floppy hats;” the Padres are also advertising a homosexual event, "Pride Night at PETCO Park." [link]
Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego will sing the National Anthem:
Enjoy an evening of Padres baseball at a discounted price in the same section as fellow Pride supporters and volunteers. San Diego Pride supporters and volunteers will be recognized for organizing the group event with a scoreboard welcome and the Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego will sing the National Anthem. [link]
Thursday
Intel's 80-core research chip (doesn't run Windows)
Polaris can crank out a whopping 2 teraflops (that’s two trillion floating point calculations per second). It's really good at one type of thing - in this case, pushing out floating point calculations - but it can't perform the full range of functions you'd get with a regular CPU. You can't run Windows on it, for instance. That's why it's billed as a research chip. [link]
Tuesday
Own Dracula's castle in Transylvania
The Bran Castle is a top tourist attraction because of its ties to Prince Vlad the Impaler, the warlord whose cruelty inspired Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, "Dracula." Legend has it that Vlad, who earned his nickname because of the way he tortured his enemies, previously stayed at the castle. No price was announced, but the castle could sell for more than $135 million. [link] [wiki]
Bottled water basically the same as tap water?
Robert Siegel interviewed Charles Fishman, a reporter for the magazine Fast Company, who says that Pepsi's Aquafina and Coke's Dasani are basically purified tap water. No magical springs bubbling out of a picturesque hillside in some rural American forest, visited by locals for years. Just plain old tap water. The companies say they put the tap water through an "energy-intensive reverse-osmosis filtration process," but, to the author, that seems like basically the same stuff we get by running our tap water through a Brita filter. [link]
Monday
Roswell theory revived by deathbed confession
Accounts of the the Roswell alien incident of 1947 have largely been dismissed by all except the most dedicated believers. Last week came an astonishing new twist. Lieutenant Walter Haut, public relations officer at the base in 1947, died recently, but left a sworn affidavit to be opened only after his death. The text was released and asserts that the weather balloon claim was a cover story and that the real object and alien bodies had been recovered by the military and stored in a hangar. [link]
Man beats peacock he says was a vampire
A peacock that roamed into the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant was attacked by a man who said, "I'm killing a vampire!" He seized the iridescent bird by the neck, hurled it to the ground and started kicking and stomping the creature. [link]
Wednesday
DVD players finally outnumber VCRs
Ars Technica posts, for the first time, that more U.S. consumers own a DVD player than own a VCR. [link]
Thursday
Tuesday
Hasbro updates Monopoly with new current-day locations and playing pieces
Hasbro updates Monopoly with new, current-day locations and playing pieces
Thursday
Where did the name Bluetooth come from?
The name Bluetooth is derived from the cognomen of a 10th century king of Denmark, Harald Bluetooth. According to the inventors of the Bluetooth technology, Harald engaged in diplomacy which led warring parties to negotiate with each other, making Bluetooth a fitting name for their technology, which allows different devices to talk to each other. The name of the king in Danish is Harald Blåtand and the Bluetooth logo is based on the H and B runes. [link]
Friday
There once was a man from Nantucket
There once was a man from NantucketWho kept all his cash in a bucket.
But his daughter, named Nan,
Ran away with a man
And as for the bucket, Nantucket.
This version was so popular that the newspapers Princeton Tiger Magazine and The Chicago Tribune each started a "Limerick Challenge" for readers to submit sequels to the poem. The first in the series, as it appeared in the Tribune and Pawtucket Times, was this:
But he followed the pair to Pawtucket,
The man and the girl with the bucket;
And he said to the man,
He was welcome to Nan,
But as for the bucket, Pawtucket.
The New York Exchange followed up with this:
Then the pair followed Pa to Manhasset,
Where he still held the cash as an asset,
But Nan and the man
Stole the money and ran,
And as for the bucket, Manhasset.
Josh Wolf jailed for not releasing video
Josh Wolf is a video blogger and freelance journalist who was jailed by a U.S. district court on August 1, 2006 for refusing to turn over a collection of videos he recorded during a July 2005 anarchist protest in San Francisco, California. [link]
Massive rock slab growing out of Mount St. Helens' crater
A hulking slab of rock is rapidly growing in Mount St. Helens' crater. The fin-shaped mass is about 300 feet tall and growing 4 feet to 5 feet a day. [link]
Saturday
First pictures of live giant squid in its natural habitat
The first ever pictures of a live giant squid in its natural environment have been snapped in deep water off Japan. Working with a cheap camera and a fishing boat, the two Japanese researchers have succeeded where millions of dollars and international film crews have failed. [link]
Sunday
Book aims to teach Bible in school while avoiding legal woes
An interfaith group released a new textbook Thursday aimed at teaching public high school students about the Bible while avoiding legal and religious disputes.
The nonprofit Bible Literacy Project of Fairfax, Va., spent five years and $2 million developing "The Bible and Its Influence." The textbook, introduced at a Washington news conference, won initial endorsements from experts in literature, religion and church-state law. [link]
The nonprofit Bible Literacy Project of Fairfax, Va., spent five years and $2 million developing "The Bible and Its Influence." The textbook, introduced at a Washington news conference, won initial endorsements from experts in literature, religion and church-state law. [link]
Wednesday's solar flare affects communications
A large solar flare was reported Wednesday and forecasters warned of potential electrical and communications disruptions.
The flare was reported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Space Environment Center in Boulder, Colorado.
Significant solar eruptions are possible in the coming days and there could be disruptions in spacecraft operations, electric power systems, high frequency communications and low-frequency navigation systems, the agency said. [link]
iPod nano review
"Grab a standard American business card. Now, get a pair of scissors and trim the long side of the card by 20%. That's all the space you need to hold over 1,000 songs, plus audio books, podcasts and photos if you buy Apple Computer's newest iPod model, the gorgeous and sleek iPod nano. This latest iPod was publicly revealed yesterday at a razzle-dazzle marketing event orchestrated by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. But I have been testing a nano for the past few days, and I am smitten. It's not only beautiful and incredibly thin, but I found it exceeds Apple's performance claims." [review] [vendor]
Two secretaries fired over email flamewar
Two legal secretaries in Sydney have been sacked after an email flamewar over a ham sandwich got circulated throughout the cities financial district. The insults about figures, boyfriends and jobs flew thick and fast and ultimately resulted in the dismissal of both of them for mis-use of the email system. [link]
Saturday
New startup to colonize and mine Mars by 2025
Space entrepreneurs eyeing Mars as a hub of some future solar system economy launched a startup on Tuesday to mine the red planet for building materials.
The new company, 4Frontiers, plans to mine Mars for building materials and energy sources, and export the planet's mineral wealth to forthcoming space stations on the moon and elsewhere. [link]
Friday
Definition of supernovas changed
Electric Universe News is reporting that scientists claim to have proof that 'supernovae are catastrophic electrical discharges focused on a star' and not the result of giant stars undergoing gravitational collapse and subsequent explosion after having spent all of their nuclear fuel as previously thought. [link]
And they are still 97% sure there is no God.
And they are still 97% sure there is no God.
Thursday
Woman says birds planted her pot plant
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A 75-year-old Greek woman has been charged with drug offenses after police in her a sleepy island village spotted a small marijuana plant growing on her balcony, authorities said.
Hariklia Griva, a widowed mother of four from Ayiassos, on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Lesvos, was arrested last Wednesday and charged with growing marijuana with the intent of trafficking in the drug. She was released on bail of $2,480.
The retiree, whose late husband was a policeman, told police the 16-inch potted plant grew from seed dropped by her pet canaries. The birds live in a cage on the balcony overlooking a busy Ayiassos street — opposite the local police station.
"I couldn't believe it, when they told me I was being arrested," Griva said. "The plant must have grown from the bird seed. I had no idea what the plant was. I watered it regularly. I thought it looked quite nice."
Hariklia Griva, a widowed mother of four from Ayiassos, on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Lesvos, was arrested last Wednesday and charged with growing marijuana with the intent of trafficking in the drug. She was released on bail of $2,480.
The retiree, whose late husband was a policeman, told police the 16-inch potted plant grew from seed dropped by her pet canaries. The birds live in a cage on the balcony overlooking a busy Ayiassos street — opposite the local police station.
"I couldn't believe it, when they told me I was being arrested," Griva said. "The plant must have grown from the bird seed. I had no idea what the plant was. I watered it regularly. I thought it looked quite nice."
Wednesday
Parabolic display
Here is an example of a parabolic display. It uses a small projector (available Best Buy or comparable store) and apparently a satellite receiver dish as the screen. This setup could be nice for games to make you feel like you are in the action. A wall-sized dish might be interesting for movies. [link]
Sunday
Labor Day
Ever wonder what Labor Day is for? And why do we take a day off for this "Labor" Day?
Labour Day is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. On 21 April 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day in September and May Day. [link]
Labour Day is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. The celebration of Labour Day has its origins in the eight hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. On 21 April 1856 Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne, Australia, stopped work and marched from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight hour day. Their direct action protest was a success, and they are noted as the first organized workers in the world to achieve an eight hour day, which subsequently inspired the celebration of Labour Day in September and May Day. [link]
Saturday
Optimus keyboard
This very cool looking keyboard will appeal to gamers and other people who assign keyboard keys to special functions. Every key of the Optimus keyboard is a stand-alone display of pixels, like tiny monitors about the size of icons, that you can customize to your liking. [link]
Friday
Drowning pool girl saved by underwater cameras
A young girl has been saved from drowning in a swimming pool by new high-tech underwater safety cameras and dramatic footage of the rescue was released today.
The 10-year-old girl lost consciousness in the deep end of the Bangor Swimming Pool, North Wales, last Wednesday and dropped quickly to the floor of the pool, 12ft 6ins under the surface.
Within 10 seconds, one of four underwater safety cameras spotted the girl and alerted lifeguards via a pager message. A lifeguard dived into the water and pulled the girl to safety. She was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and made a full recovery in hospital. [article] [vendor] [rescue video]
The 10-year-old girl lost consciousness in the deep end of the Bangor Swimming Pool, North Wales, last Wednesday and dropped quickly to the floor of the pool, 12ft 6ins under the surface.
Within 10 seconds, one of four underwater safety cameras spotted the girl and alerted lifeguards via a pager message. A lifeguard dived into the water and pulled the girl to safety. She was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and made a full recovery in hospital. [article] [vendor] [rescue video]
Thursday
Milk carton sized satellites?
At only 3.5 kilograms, the Canadian Advanced Nanospace eXperiment 2 (CanX-2) will test small, low-power devices that could lay the groundwork for flying formations of small satellites that could eventually replace larger, more expensive satellites. [link]
Saturn's moon, Enceladus, delights and baffles
Space scientists say their discoveries about Saturn's moon Enceladus are stunning, if just a little baffling. Using the instrument-packed Cassini probe, they have confirmed that the 500km-wide world has an atmosphere. They have also seen a "hotspot" at the icy moon's south pole, which is riven with cracks dubbed "tiger stripes". But the US and European scientists told a London meeting they could not yet explain fully the energetic processes driving all the activity on Enceladus. [link]But we are still pretty certain about our guesses of the origin of the universe.
Tuesday
Google planning instant messaging system
Google Inc. is set to introduce its own instant messaging system, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday, marking the expansion by the Web search leader into not just text but also voice communications. [article]
Friday
Spammers beware - Russian spammer brutally murdered
Vardan Kushnir, notorious for sending spam to each and every citizen of Russia who appeared to have an e-mail, was found dead in his Moscow apartment on Sunday, Interfax reported Monday. He died after suffering repeated blows to the head. [article]
Rumor is that during the violent act he attempted to "unsubscribe from beating", but the attackers stated that it could take up to two weeks to be removed from the list.
Rumor is that during the violent act he attempted to "unsubscribe from beating", but the attackers stated that it could take up to two weeks to be removed from the list.
Wednesday
Google Moon
Like Google Maps, Google has provided a Moon maps interface. It's kinda neat, but make sure you zoom in ALL the way. [site]
Sunday
Store checkout item separators
You know when you are at the store checking out, and your items are on the conveyor belt? Well, you put that little separator bar behind your stuff so that the cashier knows where your stuff ends and the next guy's begins. Today, after they cashier rang up my items, he put that little separator away. I said, "Hey, I wanted to buy that." He stopped and stared at me because I said something that was outside of his normal daily routine; something that he had not learned during indoc week. He had no idea what planet I was from or what language I was speaking. Let's just suffice it to say that I got to enjoy that little joke by myself. On another note, let's say you are at the store where store managers go to buy those separators; how does the cashier know where one guy's separators end and the next guy's begins? I guess they put groceries between them.
Thursday
World's ugliest dog keeps winning streak alive
The owners of the other contestants in this year's World's Ugliest Dog Contest may have thought their pooches had a chance - until they saw Sam.
The tiny dog has no hair, if you don't count the yellowish-white tuft erupting from his head. His wrinkled brown skin is covered with splotches, a line of warts marches down his snout, his blind eyes are an alien, milky white and a fleshy flap of skin hangs from his withered neck. And then there's the Austin Powers teeth that jut at odd angles from his mouth.
He's so ugly even the judges recoiled when he was placed on the judging table, said his proud owner, Susie Lockheed of Santa Barbara. [article]
Monday
Astrologer sues NASA for upsetting universe balance
The cost of the Deep Impact project is estimated at $333 million. However Deep Impact could end up costing NASA twice as much. Today Moscow's Presnenskiy court opens hearings of a lawsuit against the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Astrologer Marina Bay is requesting that moral damage be compensated to her. She maintains that the NASA mission is encroaching upon "her system of spiritual values and disturbing the balance of forces in the universe". Bay has estimated her moral claims at $321.5 million. [article]
Ride the Pororoca
Picuruta Salazar rides the "Pororoca," a wave that flows upstream and reaches a height of 4 meters on the world's second longest river, the Amazon, in Brazil, in this undated photo. The Pororoca happens every year between February and March when the ocean whips back on the heavily drained Amazon and creates a giant swell that flows upstream for hundreds of miles. Salazar, a Brazilian, rode the dirty brown wave for 37 minutes, traveling 12 kilometers through the rainforest. [image]
PigeonRank - the technology behind Google
Google's success with PigeonRank relies primarily on the superior trainability of the domestic pigeon and its unique capacity to recognize objects. The common gray pigeon can easily distinguish among items displaying only the minutest differences, an ability that enables it to select relevant web sites from among thousands of similar pages. [article]
Saturday
Is phishing good for the anti-spam business?
This article basically states that phishing is actually good for the anti-spam business. Phishing is so rampant and so obviously not legitimate mail that people are now shying away from even the legitimate sounding spam, which in turn hurts the spam business ($$$). [article] [what is phishing?]
Sunday
Why do we dream?
The questions, "Why do we dream?" or "What is the function of dreaming?" are easy to ask but very difficult to answer. The most honest answer is that we do not yet know the function or functions of dreaming. This ignorance should not be surprising because despite many theories we still do not fully understand the purpose of sleep, nor do we know the functions of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which is when most dreaming occurs. And these two biological states are much easier to study scientifically than the somewhat elusive phenomenon of dreaming. [article] [dream tome]
RadioSHARK (think TiVo for radio)
The RadioSHARK can record any AM or FM radio broadcast in real time. You can also program it to record a scheduled show, or to ‘pause’ live radio so you can return right where you left off moments or even hours before. [vendor]
State-of-the-art robotics on display
Many of the world's leading robotics experts gathered in the picturesque city of Sendai, Japan, this week to discuss their latest research efforts at the 2004 Intelligent Robotics and Systems (IROS) conference. As well as hundreds of scientific papers and workshops, attendees enjoyed demonstrations from some of the latest entertainment bots Japan has to offer. [article] [roller-skating robot video] [sumo-wrestling robot video]
Colorado researchers crack Internet Chess Club
University of Colorado at Boulder students hacked the 30,000-plus-member Internet Chess Club as part of research funded by the National Science Foundation. With guidance from University of Colorado at Boulder computer security researcher John Black, two students reverse-engineered the service to up their ranks and steal passwords. [article]
Monday
Attorney general forces spammer to pay
The Attorney General of Massachusetts has forced a Florida spammer to pay a $25,000 fine and enter into a cease and desist order. The original suit contained both state consumer protection theories as well as allegations of CAN-SPAM violations. [press release]
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