New Faomy!!
FOAMY FAN MAIL VIII [
watch]
Now I am getting Gay Man Spam
Interesting TV Innovation (From Stephy)
At long last, a way to watch two crappy reality TV programs simultaneously. On Thursday Sharp uncrated a "two-way viewing-angle LCD," a display that presents different images depending on the angle from which its viewed. The LCD (photo), the first of its kind, sends the light from a backlight into right and left directions, making it possible to display disparate images on the same screen at the same time depending on the viewing angle. An incredible innovation and one for which Sharp envisions a wide array of applications, in video editing, advertising and, of course, the living room. "Take a typical family where the mother likes to watch dramas and the father likes to watch baseball or soccer. Now they can watch them together on the same screen," Mikio Katayama, head of Sharp's LCD business, told a news conference. No word on new developments in directional sound, so it looks like headphones for everyone.
Reference Articles:
http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=165702592http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050714/photos_od_afp/050714114737_y93epcli_photo0http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1528984,00.html
 | |
WTF? Really?
NBC Universal (which owns SCIFI.com) is in talks to buy the privately held live-action film studio DreamWorks SKG, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Re: Happy...
RAD. You rule. Nobody deserves it more than you!
Re: Disco Tank!
so I drove to work with my iPod directly plugged into my stereo, which is WAY better than that crappy tape adapter...Hey!!!
Fluke: Six Wheels on My Wagon
 | Es Muy Bueno! [ get it] I got this and Puppy on my recent splurge on Amazon, which also included Katamari Damacy, a VERY fun Japanese Game (the premise just sounds retarded, but it is actually very fun!) and The Historian, the book that I am currently reading. All are highly recommended! |
Disco Tank!
 | The Tank got a new groove last night! I got a pretty cool stereo for it that has a front loader CD/MP3 CD/WMA CD.
The coolest feature is that it has a input jack in the front, so I drove to work with my iPod directly plugged into my stereo, which is WAY better than that crappy tape adapter or even the FM Transmitters.
The thing I don't understand is why I have a remote for my car stereo.... |
Interesting Microsoft Blurb/News (from Stephy)
If you haven't yet registered your copy of Windows with Microsoft, you'd better. Because if you don't, Redmond will cut you off from the free, regular system updates it provides. Microsoft on Tuesday officially launched Windows Genuine Advantage, a program designed to temper the widespread counterfeiting of the company's software by requiring Windows users to verify their operating system's authenticity. From now
on, you must prove you paid Microsoft before downloading updates through Windows update, Microsoft Update for Windows content, and the Microsoft Download Center (critical security updates will be available to users with or without WGA validation). Customers who discover they have a counterfeit copy of Windows are eligible for a legitimate copy of the OS at no charge, assuming they're able to provide Microsoft with a proof of purchase. For Microsoft, whose software ranks among the world's most counterfeited, WGA is not only a way to address the piracy problem, but also a means of padding its bottom line. With a market share estimated around 95 percent for desktop personal computers, reclaiming a portion of the millions of dollars in sales lost every year to counterfeiters around the world is one of the few ways Microsoft can grow its Windows business. "The company has demonstrated sensitivity to customer reaction and put in place several reasonable Windows replacement options," Joe Wilcox, senior analyst at Jupiter Research, wrote in a post to Microsoft Monitor. "But I also see, at least at this point, the program being more about curbing piracy than rewarding legitimate customers."
Reference Links:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/business/233950_msftgenuine26.htmlhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/26/ms_updates_wga_launch/http://news.com.com/Piracy-check+mandatory+for+Windows+add-ons/2100-1016_3-5804045.html?tag=nefd.pophttp://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/legal/0,39020651,39210814,00.htmhttp://www.microsoftmonitor.com/archives/009490.html
Crystal Method Alert!
In my inbox I reciewved news:
09/23/05 San Francisco, CA Ruby Skye
Tickets are not on sale anywhere as of yet, but if they go on sale, anyone interested?
Re: Magnolia
Seen it twice, would watch it again. It's about redemption.
Amorous couple sparks rescue drama
LONDON (Reuters) - A British couple who headed out to sea in a dinghy for an amorous liaison sparked a major rescue operation when their cries of passion were mistaken for someone in trouble, British police said Tuesday. [
more]
Voltron Zooms To Theaters
Producer Mark Gordon (The Day After Tomorrow) is developing a big-budget feature based on Voltron: Defender of the Universe, a 1980s Japanese animated series about a team of pilots whose individual ships combine to form a giant robot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film will follow the team as they travel to the planet Arus to learn how to operate Voltron, the last hope against the evil Drule Empire that has subjugated Earth and taken control of the universe, the trade paper reported. The film will be produced by New Line Cinema's Mark Costa and Ford Oelman, who secured the rights from Voltron owner World Events. Pharrell Williams, a partner in the producing duo the Neptunes, will score the film and produce the soundtrack. [
more]
STAR WARS Light Sabers go on the Block
Light sabers used by Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are expected to sell for approximately $60,000 each at a Beverly Hills auction this coming Friday. The STAR WARS items are from producer Gary Kurtz's private collection.
Also, on auction will be Harrison Ford's leather jacket from INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. The jacket is expected to sell for around $50,000. There will be 75 items in all on auction.
Collectors can bid in person in Beverly Hills, by phone, fax or live on the Internet through www.ebayliveauctions.com. [
via]
The Island
 | Saw the Island last night. I'd give it a B+. Not a damn original idea in the whole movie, but the execution was excellent. It was lik ethey had the shaker of sci-fi stories, but still managed to pour a damn good martini.
I'd say go see it. It's good on a really big screen with all the action sequences.
Ewan and Sean and Scarlette aren't bad to look at for 2.5 hours either. |
Magnolia
 | What a bizzarre movie.
It wasn't bad, in fact, it was very well done, it was just really odd. And not really a happy movie. Hm. I choose not to either recommend or ward away on this one. |
25 cheap ways to keep your house cooler
Simple changes such as moving lamps away from thermostats can save you hundreds of dollars. Here are more money -- and energy -- saving tips.
more
LIVE 105's Nine Inch Nails Remix Contest
Live105You can win an iPod and a chance to meet Trent Reznor and the rest of Nine Inch Nails by making the best remix of the NIN song "Only" in LIVE 105's Nine Inch Nails Remix Contest. Plus, the winning Bay Area remix will be debuted on the Sixx Mixx and also get some regular airplay on LIVE 105.
Just go to the
NIN official website to download the tracks for the new NIN single "Only," make your remix of the song and e-mail a ZIP file with an MP3 copy of the the mix and mail it here: live105@live105.comOR send a CD version to us at:
LIVE 105's Nine Inch Nails Remix Contest
865 Battery St.
San Francisco, CA
94111
Deadline for entry is Friday, July 29th.
Good luck and have fun with it!
YAY!!!!!!!!! Fray pages are here!
I'll take pics to show what they look like soon, but the most notable one is the cover of #8. Below is what it looks like colored (I have the original inked one):
I CAN RUN MY OWN JOBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most of you have no idea what I am talking about but it basically means that I can post things to the live server without having to send a list of job numbers to a programmer (who does not check them at all) to run for me. I cut out the middleman! YAY!
The Sadness
So I was just informed that my schedule for the stuff due for the conference has been drastically reduced and more work piled onto the load. I have at least 3 weeks worth of stuff due by the 1st now (Monday).
This sad little web producer would really like to be hired if she is going to take such abuse...
SWAG
For those of you who have no idea what I mean when I say that I bring a whole bunch of free stuff back from Comic Con, I have taken some pictures. You all may think this looks like a pile of crap, but to me it looks like a pile of $$. If I can sell everything for $1 and make another buck from shipping charges, i'll make a couple hundred bucks from this pile, efectively paying for my trip. Neat.
V for Vendetta Trailer Up
You don't know Jack Schitt
It's hot. Real hot. Africa hot.
Damn, this is nothing comapred to so cal in the summer, but I think I have grown soft in my old age. This sucks. Me and my cat are cranky. I think the pool will be in oder later today.
Currently: Cleaning up the dump that is my house & downloading the 548 images off my camera that I need to sift through.
The Bravery, Anyone?
Anyone want to see
The Bravery at the The Fillmore on 9/15? Tickets go on sale Sunday morning.
Origami full-sized house
 | This full-sized house and all its furnishings is made of paper elaborately folded. [ more][ via] |
iDJ Mixing Console for iPod portable music players
 | Numark, the leading name in the world of DJ products and accessories, proudly announces the iDJ Mixing Console for iPod portable music players. The iDJ enables mobile DJs and iPod enthusiasts to seamlessly integrate their portable music libraries with other music and sound reinforcement systems transforming the iPod from a personal music player into a source playback device. [ more][ via]
Holy crap that's cool. |
Those Dark, looming clouds on the horizon?
Yep, that's right, the mom is in town this weekend. I'll be up in SF on Saturday all day getting nagged, harassed, and, hopefully, purchased some new clothes. The aunt will be there as a buffer, so hopefully it won't be too bad.
When I do these things, I feel like a warrior girl, walking into the fire....
House Votes to Extend Patriot Act
WASHINGTON - The House voted to extend indefinitely the anti-terrorist USA Patriot Act, while limiting to 10 years two provisions of the law that have become linchpins in the ongoing congressional debate: allowing federal agents to use roving wiretaps and to search library and medical records. [
more]
As we wake up, finding ourselves in the downward spiral...
Re: And now off for a date with my Half Blood Prince....
Done.
Man, that was messed up...
And so is the fact that I have to wait like 3 years for the next one.
AGAIN with the Fucking idiots: Blasts Hit 3 London Subway Stations, Bus
LONDON - Explosions struck the London Underground and a bus at midday Thursday in a chilling but far less bloody replay of the suicide bombings that killed 56 people two weeks ago. [
more]
ALIEN 5 is Fine by Scott
A scooper sent us an inside up date on the rumored ALIEN 5. This is what he had to report:
Went in on an casting call for CBS's NUMBERS this week, and to my surprise, Ridley Scott - exec.producer- was there.
I got to shake the man's hand after my read (he wasn't involved in casting - not these small parts anyway) and asked him about an online rumor about an Alien 5.
So here's the deal, straight from the horse's mouth. "I'd love to - and we're talking", he said. I asked him would it star the originals and he said Sigourney's on-board, and he hopes Lance Henriksen might be interested too. But bottom line "Too early to even speculate...we haven't even finished the script yet".
[
via]
So What Next, a Smurfs Movie?! Yes.
 | Paramount Pictures has acquired the film rights to the Smurfs. Jordan Kerner and Nickelodeon Movies will produce a 3D cgi feature film based on the characters. They are planning on making a trilogy and hope to have the first film out in 2008 -- the 50th anniversay of the Smurfs, which started as a Belgain comic script in 1958. Herb Ratner will write the script. [ via] |
Re: And now off for a date with my Half Blood Prince....
400 pages and still thinking that it's great :-)
And now off for a date with my Half Blood Prince....
200 pages in and loving it.
I am cheating on my blog...
Dear Blog,
I do love you. You are my soul mate, and I will soon return to your inviting grey and orange arms. I miss you, I really do, but, you see, there's a fling with two other loves that I must have. Sleep and Harry Potter have distracted me from you, and work is slightly crazy until at least Thursday evening.
I feel like we have grow apart over the last week. I intend to remedy that shortly, as soon as I can get this wild crush out of my system. Please know that while I may go to the arms of another nerdy pass-time, I will always come home to you. I know that I just got over this thing with SDCC and I promised to come back to you, but just hang in there. I have so much in store for you: new photos (I know how those turn you on), new posts pilfered from scifi and boing boing (you secret passions), and even some commentary from me.
Keep the light on; we'll be hot and heavy by the weekend, I promise.
Love you always,
The Management
Labels: SDCC
SideShow Weta has some interesting coverage from SDCC
including interviews, photos, news, and more. [
check it]
Labels: SDCC
Why God, Why? Blade TV Series Coming
Batman Begins screenwriter David S. Goyer told SCI FI Wire that he's producing an hour-long television series based on his Blade movies for Spike TV, to begin airing next June. "We're doing a Blade TV show," Goyer said in an interview at CBS' fall press preview in Beverly Hills, Calif., where he was promoting his upcoming SF series Threshold. "I'm co-writing the pilot with Jeff Johns, and it's going to be Spike's first dramatic show, and it's going to air next June." [
more]
And just because I said this, I will watch it, end up loving it, and you can all point back to this post and mock me. It'll be fun. Like a game. Yeaaaaahhhhh...
STAR TREK's 'Scotty' Dies
Actor James Doohan, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott on STAR TREK, has died at age 85.
Doohan passed away early this morning at his home in Redmond, Washington. [
more][
Kevin's official coverage]
The Hippo and the Tortoise
And if you want more news, pics, and experiences from Con...
Check out the blog that Kevin is doing for the news site he works for.
Transmissions from the Ether has some great stuff on it so far, and it's only a week old!
..And We're Back
Yeah. Con. What can I say? It was Con. :-)
Saw Charlize Theron, Natalie Portman, The Rock, The cast of SG-1 and Atlantis, The cast of BattleStar Galactica, The Kubrick Brothers, Jim Lee, Terry Moore, Joss, The Cast of Serenity, J.M.S., and probably a hundred more people I didn't even know I was standing in front of.
The pannels were cool. The Doom movie, Narnia, Serenity, Harry Potter, Aeon Flux, The Corpse Bride, and The Fountain all look great. My old favorite shows (read: SciFi Friday) and a bunch of new ones look very promising as well. I learned about coloring comics, how not to do a Panel (Emily Strange Panel was stupid) and all about the costuming profession. JMS got up on a couple soap boxes, and even had me in tears at one point. Charlize is kind of a bitch, and Natalie is every bit as cute as you would imagine, even with no hair. The sleeper hit of the weekend was the Doom Panel, which made me want to go see the movie even if just for the 10 minutes of actual first person shooter but live action cinematography that I saw. It was really cool.
I have upwards of 300 pics to go through and get sorted and post for you all, should be up sometime this week.
I came back with the tank, which is actually pretty cool, despite the fact that things keep falling off of it ;-)
Saw Wonka. Half my party liked it, the other 1/2 did not. I thought it was good, despite the odd ending.
I also have the new HP book now, thanks to me being late today to go to the front office to pick it up - looking forward to cracking that open this evening.
Shout out to my posse of 9 at the con, since I actually saw very little of you all there, and I hope
Kevin got back ok.
Also, sorry to all of you who's emails I ignored while there - I did actually read them, but I was on dial up and VERY tired every night when we got home, so I literally only responded to one email, and that was because there was an offer I couldn't refuse in it ;-) (thanks Wendy!)
I am amazed at SDCC for it's ability to provide such a different experience to everyone who goes. I went with 9 people, and we all had such different days there. I don't even know what everyone did the whole time (save Paduan, who
documented his whole time there). It's a womderful thing.
I had a really good time, as you can imagine - slept like 5-6 hours a night and then walked until I couldn't stand anymore, got bags and bags of free stuff, found the coolest Christmas present for Wendy ever, Saw Jen and Ray, which was very cool, was recognized by Jim Lee and the people who run the DC booth (ya, I know, it's actually kind of sad, but I love it anyway) and generally did all I could do there.
Anyway, I am back, and will email you all back sometime between today and tomorrow. I may go home, do my freelance work and then pass out tonight with HP, but I will get to it! Oh, and my kitten is *VERY* angry at me, so I have to go make up with him too :-)
Labels: SDCC
Hiku from home
I am home my friends!
I had a great time at Con.
I must go to sleep.
Need return address labels?
This place has pretty cool return address labels - I may get some. For some reason, I love paper products... They also have
wedding invitations, party invites and other cool stuff.
Off to bed for SDCC.
Harry Potter Books Sold by Accident
Justice Kristi Gill last Saturday ordered customers not to talk about the book, copy it, sell it or even read it before it is officially released at 12:01 a.m. July 16.
The order also compels them to return the novel to the publisher, Raincoast Book Distribution Ltd., until the official release. At that time it will be returned to them. [more]
My god people. Get over yourselves. It's just a friggn book. Yes, it *is* a highly anticipated book, but come on! That's just rediculous.
Pitt Hospitalized With Flu-Like Symptoms
Why the hell is
this news worthy?
Study: What's Good Often Turns Out Bad
CHICAGO - Here's some medical news you can trust: A new study confirms that what doctors once said was good for you often turns out to be bad — or at least not as great as initially thought.
The report is a review of major studies published in three influential medical journals between 1990 and 2003, including 45 highly publicized studies that initially claimed a drug or other treatment worked. [more]
Again with the "they needed to do a stufy to figure this out?" This seems like a NSS to me. Drugs get recalled every day, most doing way more harm than good. All I hear about is Vioxx, etc... "Need a good
bextra lawyer? Get one here." I get emails from them in my mailbox every day for every kind of drug possible.
Sheesh, I need whoever pays for all of these studies to give me a job.
This desearves to be posted in full: Granny grows tired of prostitution at age 63
BERLIN (Reuters) - A Berlin grandmother who has worked the city's diplomatic quarter as a prostitute for the last 49 years plans to retire when she turns 64 next year, according to Germany's Bild newspaper.
Even though prostitutes were forced to leave the area after the Berlin Wall, fell because dead-end streets in the downtrodden district were re-connected to east Berlin and property values surged, Renate Dolle was allowed to stay, Bild said.
"I've got a lot of regular clients," the blonde woman told the newspaper, pictured wearing a short red mini skirt and high-heeled white boots as she stood near the Japanese embassy. She said she charges 30 euros ($36) and on good nights she has four to five clients.
"I'm going to stop at 64 and retire," said Dolle, whose husband drops her off for work each night after the television evening news and who has a nine-year-old granddaughter.
She is one of 10,000 prostitutes in Berlin and 400,000 in Germany, where prostitution is legal. Dolle said she tried to work in a popular red light district nearby recently but was chased away by younger competitors.
"What do you want here, you old whore, get lost," Dolle said they shouted at her. "What did I ever do to them?"
Comic Con Madness
Yeah. I am a little insaine. We are leaving for Comic Con at 7am tomorrow with Morgan and Amber. I have my clothes packed, but the "everything else" is still sorting itself out. To add to that, I am in Oakland tonight, seeing John Mayer and Alanis Moressette.
I asked the magic 8 ball if everything was going to be ok. It said "Outlook Unclear" and then "Ask Again Later", which gives me an ominous feeling.
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Re: The Tank
What is crappy about the tank?
Well, it looks like it should be painted black and have
funeral flowers on it.
Re: The Tank
What is crappy about the tank? That car should last forever, barring Jurassic Park like dino incursions.
Re: Holy Juicy Coochie Batman!
Sadly, I transposed the second and third words in your headline the first time I read it. :-)
Holy Juicy Coochie Batman!
 | Lapjuicer designed for lapdancers to make juice This chair is designed to hold a piece of fruit so a lapdancer can grind the juice out of it. Semi-NSFW photos of the chair in action can be seen here. |
The Tank
While not the *exact* car that I will be bringing home with me on Monday, this is pretty much it. 2 crappy cars is better than one, though, and it only net gains my insurance $50/6 mos. So now I can actually fit I think 16 of you in my car, which is nice. Yes. I am keeping the doom buggy.
Firms to Develop In-Flight Phone Service
BERLIN - Siemens AG said Monday it has signed a contract with aircraft maker Airbus SAS to develop technology that would allow passengers to use their mobile phones during flights. [
more]
Ya, cuz that's what would be cool, more people screaming into their phones while I am on the plane. That was my one safe haven.... damn it.
FOUND: One Black Sweather Thingy
I found a black cardigan thing in my car behind the passenger's seat. It has suspiciously blonde hair attached to it. Anyone claiming said sweater, let me know. If you want it back before next week, you need to come get it tonight!
- The Management
450 Sheep Jump to their Deaths
ISTANBUL, Turkey - First one sheep jumped to its death. Then stunned Turkish shepherds, who had left the herd to graze while they had breakfast, watched as nearly 1,500 others followed, each leaping off the same cliff, Turkish media reported. [
more - with pic!]
Sing Along! Daft Punk - Technologic
Buy it, use it, break it, fix it,
trash it, change it, melt - upgrade it,
charge it, pawn it, zoom it, press it,
snap it, work it, quick - erase it,
write it, cut it, paste it, save it,
load it, check it, quick - rewrite it,
plug it, play it, burn it, rip it,
drag and drop it, zip - unzip it,
lock it, fill it, curl it, find it,
view it, code it, jam - unlock it,
surf it, scroll it, pose it, click it,
cross it, crack it, twitch - update it,
name it, read it, tune it, print it,
scan it, send it, fax - rename it,
touch it, bring it, obey it, watch it,
turn it, leave it, stop - format it.
Technologic, technologic, technologic, technologic.
Comic Con is Blowing my brain right now...
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
I can't make all of these decisions!!!!
Must. Stop. Looking. At. Website.
Re: Ten things you should do if you encounter a UFO.
Shouldn't that be.... DON'T PANIC! ...?
A Letter To The Terrorists, From London
What the fuck do you think you're doing?
This is London. We've dealt with your sort before. You don't try and pull this on us.
Do you have any idea how many times our city has been attacked? Whatever you're trying to do, it's not going to work... [more]
Seattle's morality police to ban lap dances
Mayor Greg Nickels proposed new rules for strip clubs yesterday, including a virtual ban on lap dances, that could hurt existing clubs and keep new ones from opening in Seattle. The mayor's proposal would bar strippers from getting within four feet of customers, in effect eliminating the closer contact that often occurs with lap dances and table dances. It also would require brighter lighting, prohibit customers from directly tipping dancers, and hold owners and managers responsible for violations by dancers. [
more]
California to Stop Issuing ID Cards for Medical Marijuana Use
SAN FRANCISCO, July 8 -- California officials said Friday they will stop issuing identification cards to state residents who smoke marijuana to treat medical conditions, after last month's U.S. Supreme Court decision that said Congress may bar the cultivation and use of marijuana. [
more]
The Atlas of the Universe
This web page is designed to give everyone an idea of what our universe actually looks like.
The iPod Flea
 | The iPod flea is not available … yet … it is not for real … yet ... nonetheless you don’t want to miss this brilliant "new addition" to the iPod family. [ check it] |
Sparkler art made with long exposures
 | These sparkler artists left their cameras' shutters open while drawing elaborate pictures in the air with their Fourth of July sparklers. The results are fantastic. [ sparkle][ Flickr Pool] |
Wireless Network News Blurb (Via Stephy)
Wardrivers take note: An open wireless connection is not an open invitation, and unauthorized access to a computer network, even an unrestricted one, could be a felony. That's the case in St. Petersburg, Fla., where a local man has been arrested and charged with surfing an open network. "Police say Benjamin Smith III, 41, used his Acer brand laptop to hack into [Richard] Dinon's wireless Internet network," the St. Petersburg Times reports. "The April 20 arrest is considered the first of its kind in Tampa Bay and among only a few so far nationwide. ... Smith, who police said admitted to using Dinon's Wi-Fi, has been charged with unauthorized access to a computer network, a third-degree felony." A third-degree felony. Something to think about next time your neighbor's LAN shows up on the Available Networks list.
The article it references is
here.
| | |
A Retainer For Your Eyes
 | Paragon CRT Lenses are contact lenses you sleep in and take out for perfect vision. Corneal Refractive Therapy works by re-shaping your corneas while the lenses are in your eyes overnight. You take out the lenses in the morning and the vision correction should last until you're ready to go back to bed. The first pair will cost you $1500 and annual replacements about $300. |
Live 8 Video Downloads
This page links to downloadable .mov files from the live show. There's a pretty amazing lineup of stuff here - notably Pink Floyd. I'm gonna start downloading them in case they go away, maybe even get Carl to put them to DVD for me....
We'll see.
USB MP3 car-stereo with SD reader
 | This is a hella clever car-stereo idea: a car-stereo with a USB port and an SD slot. Stick in any USB media or SD card and it will play any MP3s it finds on the media. Also plays MP3 CDs. [ The one I am looking at for the tank] |
Paper animal-skull trophies
 | These DIY-kit paper animal-trophy heads would look great on the wall of your favorite vegan gamer's study. [ more] I love the spattered blood... There's 3 of them, and they are pretty cool |
Found on a cafe window in London
Re: Kilowatt Game Controller
Isometric exercises are basically pushing and pulling on things without moving your arm, leg, or whatever. Like putting your foot up to a wall and trying to push your foot through it without moving your body.
Aeon Flux Goodness
Paramount has updated the
official Web site for its upcoming SF movie Aeon Flux with new images, a brief film clip (under "gallery") and a comic-book preview.
Actually, the trailer for the video game looks the coolest!
| | |
 | Now you don't have your addiction to your Playstation to blame for your flabby body. Powergrid Fitness' Kilowatt Game Controller aims to turn your body into a fit, toned joystick. Sensors in the ski machine-like device measure the force of your movements which are translated into game actions. You won't even have to move too much, as this is isometric exercise which means you exert your muscles without using your joints. Yeah I don't know what that means either, maybe it's kind of like Pilates. PowerGrid assures that you will feel the burn, however, and the demo users in Powergrid's funny infomercial-style plugs appear to be sweating from their efforts while not discernibly doing anything at all. The Kilowatt will be compatible with Playstation2, Xbox, and Nintendo Gamecube. Water and towels not included. Just one question- is the world ready for gamers with muscles? If this takes off, be prepared for global "Revenge of the Nerds". Want one? Hurry! They are on sale! |
The Ambient Beacon
 | The Ambient Orb now has a cousin, the Ambient Beacon Weather Forecasting Station. The original orb changes colors to reflect changes in any information available on the wireless Ambient Network. Presently you can track stock prices, pollen counts, news "probability", or someone's presence on Instant Messenger. The Ambient Beacon is a dedicated weather crystal ball, connected to the National Weather Service. The information is updated to the Beacon every fifteen minutes and in case of weather emergencies such as snow, the device will flash. Okay...this thing looks kind of cool, but I'm trying to figure out how it's really useful. You almost can't go 15 minutes without hearing a weather update via internet, radio, TV, etc. Uh oh, 13 minutes until the next update, surely I can't open the door and step outside. |
Restaurant offers diners a blind date
PARIS (Reuters) - Diners rub their eyes as they emerge from behind a curtain after eating at France's only pitch black restaurant.
For nearly two hours they have relied on blind guides who helped them reach their table, pour wine and find their way to the lavatory.
Some of them are not even sure what they had for dinner as they pay the bill after leaving the darkened restaurant. [
more][
website]
The Electric Unicycle
Oh, if only I had $1500 that couldn't be purposed for something more constructive... [
info]
Fingernails store personal information
Japanese researchers are using femtosecond laser pulses to write data into human fingernails.
Secure optical data storage could soon literally be at your fingertips thanks to work being carried out in Japan. Yoshio Hayasaki and his colleagues have discovered that data can be written into a human fingernail by irradiating it with femtosecond laser pulses. Capacities are said to be up to 5 mega bits and the stored data lasts for 6 months - the length of time it takes a fingernail to be completely replaced. [
more]
Sorry, but I have to do it: World's Ugliest Dog
And just in case Kevin gets the urge:
Snopes.
Black Ribbon
So the black ribbon up there is apparently a symbol of solidarity for London (among about 20 other meanings as I have researched).
I really get sick when I think about what happened over there. I feel so badly for them. It's kind of like being nationally raped. It's NEVER the solution to the problem, it really only makes things a lot worse.
The pics are horrible.
I hope that they know that we care about them as much as they did for us when it happened here.
I have to stop thinking about it for a while because it's making me sit here crying. I'm like 5,000 miles away, I don't know anyone effected and I am still really hurt for them.
It's moderately irrational, I know.
Copy and Paste from IM as FYI on current job status
ok
have update
Roger was supposed to be back
he is not
so they are extending me through the first couple days of next week
and then when I get back there will either be another contract extension or an offer
RE: Four London Blasts Kill 40, Injure 350
CNBC was covering it last night as well.
Four London Blasts Kill 40, Injure 350
So I was up at 2:00 this morning, flipped onto CNN, and saw this being covered right after it had happened. At the time, they were all still very confused, thought it was due to a power surge in the underground and they, at that time, didn't even know how many had gone off.
You know what makes me angry? Only CNN World was covering it last night (I flipped all over the place for more info) and absolutley NO mention of it on TV or radio this morning.
Anyway, here's
yahoo coverage and
BBC.
Luke's light sabre for sale
 | Gary Kurtz, producer of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back is auctioning off 85 items from his personal collection of memorabilia, including Luke (and Anakin) Skywalker's light saber and Yoda's cane. Profiles In History will sell the goods as part of their "Hollywood Auction 22" on July 29 in Beverly Hills. According to a press release, the light saber is expected to fetch $60-$80,000. [ more] |
Boy, 11, stabbed baby whose crying spoiled his PlayStation game
An 11-year-old boy stabbed his baby nephew in the stomach after the infant's crying disrupted his PlayStation game.
The boy told police that in the minutes before the incident he had kept "dying" as he played the game, based on the cartoon characters The Incredibles, in his bedroom. The crying made him feel like "an erupting volcano''.
He paused the game and went to get a kitchen knife to repair a toy. Then he went into the baby's bedroom and stabbed him in his carry cot. The blade broke and he hid the knife under a television cabinet. [
more]
YAY!!
Well, I had a somewhat wierd day at work filled with spats of extreme productivity, and spats of... well, me blogging and learning about TomKat. I was not looking forward to several more hours of working tonight, but when I came home there was a nice surprise waiting for me in my Netflix - Sopranos season 5!
YAY! Now I can work to some serious gangster (as oposed to gangsta) action! Oh boy.
Re: G-8
we are blowing money on *really* stupid stuff rather than taking good care of our people and people around the world.An interim solution would be to let people blow money on stupid stuff and then use it to take care of the people who need it. You know, like collecting a few bucks for a charity concert and using it to build schools in Africa. (I just don't understand the "free concert" poverty-fighting model.)
Now, if the UN or the Red Cross could just come up with the next Pokemon, we'd never go hungry again...
Whois: Xenu
I'm going to tell you a story. Are you sitting comfortably? Right, then I'll begin. [
be afriad]
I don't know why, but I could sit around all day and read the hubbub about TomKat and the Scientology mystery. Oh wait, I have. I had better get back to work.
OMG. This is Beaultiful.
The Great Tom Cruise BacklashWill this annoying phase pass, or will Tom become the next super-rich, Mel Gibson-like nutball?
...(H)e's been deep into Scientology for upward of 20 years, and is rumored to have progressed to the level of an OT6 (Operating Thetan 6), which is a super-secret high level of the church with super-secret knowledge of the alien story (called "The incident") and ESP, and they all get super-secret decoder rings with access to all the best alien-bred hallucinogens in the L. Ron Hubbard Bone Room, where high ranking devotees gather to drink bunny blood and watch old Travolta movies and discuss what the hell to do about Kirstie Alley.
HOWTO make a cheap coffin out of Ikea parts
A book by Joe Scanlan, an artist, describes how to build an Ikea coffin for less than $400.
Who thinks this is a good idea? Raise your hand.
Lions Gate has picked up North American rights to Highlander—The Journey Continues, the fifth film in the franchise, directed by Bret Leonard and starring Adrian Paul as the immortal Scottish swordsman Duncan MacLeod, Variety reported.
If the wine talks to you, maybe it's time to stop
ROME (Reuters) - Who needs a sommelier? A "talking" wine label could soon tell consumers in Italy everything they want to know about a particular bottle -- from its production history to the kind of food it should accompany.
"The idea is to bring the oenologist to the table so that each wine can explain itself in the first person," said Daniele Barontini, whose Tuscan company Modulgraf is putting the final touches on the product to be launched in November. [
more]
Neanderthal Genome May Be Reconstructed
FRANKFURT, Germany - German and U.S. scientists have launched a project to reconstruct the Neanderthal genome, the Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology said Wednesday.
The project, which involves isolating genetic fragments from fossils of the prehistoric beings who originally inhabited Europe, is being carried out at the Leipzig-based institute. [
more]
God. Fucking. Damn It. (as Noelle gets up on the soapbox)
G-8 Faces U.S. Pressure to Downsize GoalsGLENEAGLES, Scotland - World leaders faced pressure from the United States to scale back goals for relieving African poverty and combatting global AIDS, but British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday he planned to keep campaigning for his ambitious objectives with other world leaders. [
more]
I hate this. So we spend billions of dollars fighting imaginary wars, killing people instead of spending a considerable amount less feeding poor people. Look, I am all for the concept that we need to feed our own before we feed others, but we arent even doing that, we are blowing money on *really* stupid stuff rather than taking good care of our people and people around the world. Yes, he is increasing aid, but fell well short of what we need to be doing. Why the HELL would you ever use the term "scale back" and "fight against poverty" in the same sentance? We should be leaders in this, given how much land, excess food, and apparently, disposable income we have.
I can't even speak right now.
Dude, this is awesome....
Ok, take a moment and really realize what this says:
 | Every Sunday on Mt-Royale in Montreal a group of mideaval revivalists get together and beat eachother with duct-taped weapons. Some of them put a lot of work into their outfits but they still come off as "D&D Nerds" so a group of self-proclaimed hipsters decided to attack them... as ZOMBIES! [ awesome pics here][ more info] (3rd post down) That is just the raddest thing they could have possibly done. |
| | |
Astrologer Sues NASA Over Comet Probe (WTF?)
MOSCOW - NASA's mission that sent a space probe smashing into a comet raised more than cosmic dust — it also brought a lawsuit from a Russian astrologer.
Marina Bai has sued the U.S. space agency, claiming the Deep Impact probe that punched a crater into the comet Tempel 1 late Sunday "ruins the natural balance of forces in the universe," the newspaper Izvestia reported Tuesday. A Moscow court has postponed hearings on the case until late July, the paper said.
Scientists say the crash did not significantly alter the comet's orbit around the sun and said the experiment does not pose any danger to Earth.
The probe's comet crash sent up a cloud of debris that scientists hope to examine to learn how the solar system was formed.
Bai is seeking damages totaling $300 million — the approximate equivalent of the mission's cost — for her "moral sufferings," Izvestia said, citing her lawyer Alexander Molokhov. She earlier told the paper that the experiment would "deform her horoscope."
NASA representatives in Russia could not be reached for comment on the case.
For those of you wondering....
I got my contract extended through Friday, which means I should have an offer by then.... Or not. You never know around here.
| | |
The Birthday Calculator
The
Birthday Calculator said I have a lifepath of 4:
The Life Path 4 produces the most trustworthy, practical, and down-to-earth of individuals; the cornerstone members of society. The goal of this life path is learning to take orders and to carry them out with dedication and perseverance. You always demand as much from yourself as you do from others, and sometimes a lot more. You have the kind of will power that is often mistaken for sheer stubbornness. Once a decision is made, it will be followed through to the conclusion, right, wrong, or indifferent; you are very set in your ways and determined to handle things the way you are so certain that they should be handled. Your tenacity of purpose and ability to get the job done borders on obsession.
You are an excellent organizer and planner because of your innate ability to view things in a very common sense and practical way. You are a wonderful manager with a great sense of how to get the job done.
Loyal and devoted, you make the best of your marriage, and you are a dependable business partner. Friends may be few in number, but you are very close to them and once friendships are made, they often last a lifetime. The number 4 is solidly associated with the element of earth from which it gains it strength and utter sense of reality. You are one of the most dependable people you know. If patience and determination can ever win, you are sure to achieve great success in life.
The negative side of the 4 can prove dogmatic to an excess, narrow-minded, and repressive. A lot of skin-deep people turn you off, and you lack the tact to keep your feelings from being totally clear to all around. Additionally, the negative 4 has a bad tendency to get too caught up in the daily routine of affairs and often misses the big picture and major opportunities that come along once in a while.
Which I kind of agree with.
Mr Suicide Bathtub Plug
 | Mr Suicide was desperate and had enough from his life so he decided to end all his sorrows by throwing himself into...the bathtub. With the plug hanging from his neck, he will float on the surface of the water coming out from the bubbles. [ get suicidal] |
Anybody for a King Kong Trailer?
Does this not seem obvious to anyone else? TV is bad for children's education, studies say
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The more time children spend watching television the poorer they perform academically, according to three studies published on Monday.
Excessive television viewing has been blamed for increasing rates of childhood obesity and for aggressive behavior, while its impact on schooling have been inconclusive, researchers said. [
more]
Why Do Robots Suddenly Appear?
We don't exactly know. But they do appear -- singing a creepy Carpenters song while giving our heroine a make-over -- in this exclusive clip from '
MirrorMask.'
Comic Con Schedule Posted
For Carl
Sports Car Style MP3 player 
Available with 36mW turbo sound, the iAUDIO F1 features 128x64 OLED display and analog user interface. Nine level multi buttons maximizes user connivances allowing users to control the device in 13mm radius. The iAUDIO F1 weighs 40g including lithium polymer battery and continuous playback time extends to 22 hours. It also provides USB 2.0. [
Via]
Car looking cell phones
[
via]
If you can make it to Reno...
Axioms for life
So I was having a conversation with a co-worker today and he said something that really made me think:
It's now how you pick your nose, it's where you put the booger.That just about sums it up, doesn't it?
Magnetic bumper "sticker" Pranks
These just crack me up. I might get this one for my volvo... [
more pranks]
Sunnyvale traffic signal prankster on the loose
Police in Sunnyvale are keeping an eye out for a highly skilled and frustratingly elusive prankster who has been tampering with the city’s traffic lights for more than three months, authorities said today.
Whoever is behind the shenanigans has kept a low profile and drawn no attention to himself -- or herself -- while surreptitiously turning traffic lights around to face the wrong way, tampering with control boxes so the lights flash red in all directions and throwing the timing off to stymie motorists, said city spokesman John Pilger. [
more]
"Oh Shit" doesn't really cover it
Bush's legacy will now be felt even more...
O'Connor Retires From Supreme Court
WASHINGTON - Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court and a swing vote on abortion as well as other contentious issues, announced her retirement Friday. A bruising Senate confirmation struggle loomed as President Bush pledged to name a successor quickly.
O'Connor's decision — so closely held that a son did not know in advance — marked the first retirement in 11 years on an aging court. It came as a modest surprise, particularly since Chief Justice
William Rehnquist has been the subject of retirement rumors for months. Rehnquist, 80 and ailing with thyroid cancer, has offered no hint as to his future plans. [
more]
