Wired 14.01: PLAY: "Sixty years after Little Boy and Fat Man obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the cultural fallout is still fueling Japan's exploding neo-pop art movement. Check out Kenji Yanobe's collection of whimsical doomsday gear like Yellow Suit - radiation-safe attire for children and dogs - and Atom Car, a postapocalyptic commuter pod. Yanobe's latest creation is Giant Torayan, a 25-foot-tall, fire-breathing bot whose voice recognition software responds only to kids. During a recent show at the Toyota Municipal Museum, youngsters reacted with glee when the pyrotechnic bot danced and sang folk songs. Yanobe's next big exhibit takes place in March at the Osaka Contemporary Art Center, also in Japan."
Monday, January 16, 2006
Dressing for Doomsday
Wired 14.01: PLAY: "Sixty years after Little Boy and Fat Man obliterated Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the cultural fallout is still fueling Japan's exploding neo-pop art movement. Check out Kenji Yanobe's collection of whimsical doomsday gear like Yellow Suit - radiation-safe attire for children and dogs - and Atom Car, a postapocalyptic commuter pod. Yanobe's latest creation is Giant Torayan, a 25-foot-tall, fire-breathing bot whose voice recognition software responds only to kids. During a recent show at the Toyota Municipal Museum, youngsters reacted with glee when the pyrotechnic bot danced and sang folk songs. Yanobe's next big exhibit takes place in March at the Osaka Contemporary Art Center, also in Japan."
GIANT SHARK WATCH
CDNN :: Great White Shark Attacks Scuba Diver off Perth Australia
A Perth diver has told how a white pointer shark "chomped" on his arm before the monster took him for a terrifyingly brief "ride".
Bernie Williams, 46, was bitten on the left elbow after the predator grabbed him from behind as he was scuba diving about 3km offshore from City Beach.
The attack happened at about 11am (WST) on Sunday.
Mr Williams fought off the three- to 3.5-metre white pointer by striking it with his spear gun.
The electrician, an experienced diver, has told how he was diving with two friends when the shark appeared from nowhere.
"It just came out on my left hand side from below," Mr Williams, of the northern Perth beachside suburb of Sorrento, told Network Ten.
"I never even saw it coming.
"(It) chomped on my arm (and) took me for a ride for about two metres."
The father of three said that as soon as he spotted the shark he stabbed it in the nose with his spear gun.
"It was just like hitting a lump of steel," Mr Williams said from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where he is recovering.
He said his first instinct had been to hide among a reef and search for his friends and his boat.
Jaws it is not: Whale-sharks in the Philippines
Shark advocate faces challenges in and out of the water
New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz: Massive shark seen patrolling Taranaki coast
Shark fever has hit Taranaki, with multiple reports of encounters with what is thought to be a great white giant.
On Friday, a great white estimated to be at least five metres long spent about 20 minutes circling a New Plymouth couple fishing off Oakura.
The following day a kayaker got the shock of his life when a big shark circled him off White Cliffs.
And there are further reports of fishermen's encounters with a big shark between Oakura and New Plymouth.
Experts believe the great white encountered off Oakura may be the same monster that badly damaged commercial fishing nets in the area last summer � and may even be the fish that terrified a group of anglers by lunging into their boat off Motunui the previous summer.
"It most probably is the same shark," said New Plymouth commercial fisherman Rob Ansley, who lost a lot of gear last year.
"I had thought that the great white caught off Raglan in October might have been the shark. That one was a monster that weighed a tonne and half.
"But it looks like our one is still around."
New Plymouth couple Howard and Tara Okey were fishing from their boat west of Oakura on Friday when the big shark arrived and spent the next 20 minutes circling their vessel.
The couple's boat is 6.5m long, and they say the shark was not much smaller.
"It would have been no smaller than five metres, that's for sure," experienced fisherman Mr Okey said.
"It was certainly the biggest shark I've ever seen. In fact, at one stage Tara said there were two of them because we saw two fins - but then we realised they were the shark's tail and dorsal fin."
The pair had just arrived in the area, and had not even begun to fish when the shark turned up. It came to within a couple of metres of the boat and checked it out, then circled from some distance.
"Tara had a camera with her, and she got it out and wanted me to chuck some fish into the water so it would come closer again and we could get a better picture - but I said no bloody way."
Mr Ansley said a member of his fishing boat's crew reported talking to a man who got a big scare on Saturday while kayaking off White Cliffs. The shark, estimated to be at least four metres long, came close to the kayak.
News of the latest encounter brought back plenty of memories for Inglewood's Gary Dodunski, whose boat was attacked by a giant shark off Motunui almost two years ago.
That day, Mr Dodunski, his daughter Michelle and mate Shane Noble were terrified as the shark launched itself out of the water and on to the side of the boat, scratching the hull with its teeth.
"I'll never forget that day - it's firmly entrenched in my mind," he said
A Perth diver has told how a white pointer shark "chomped" on his arm before the monster took him for a terrifyingly brief "ride".
Bernie Williams, 46, was bitten on the left elbow after the predator grabbed him from behind as he was scuba diving about 3km offshore from City Beach.
The attack happened at about 11am (WST) on Sunday.
Mr Williams fought off the three- to 3.5-metre white pointer by striking it with his spear gun.
The electrician, an experienced diver, has told how he was diving with two friends when the shark appeared from nowhere.
"It just came out on my left hand side from below," Mr Williams, of the northern Perth beachside suburb of Sorrento, told Network Ten.
"I never even saw it coming.
"(It) chomped on my arm (and) took me for a ride for about two metres."
The father of three said that as soon as he spotted the shark he stabbed it in the nose with his spear gun.
"It was just like hitting a lump of steel," Mr Williams said from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where he is recovering.
He said his first instinct had been to hide among a reef and search for his friends and his boat.
Jaws it is not: Whale-sharks in the Philippines
Shark advocate faces challenges in and out of the water
New Zealand news on Stuff.co.nz: Massive shark seen patrolling Taranaki coast
Shark fever has hit Taranaki, with multiple reports of encounters with what is thought to be a great white giant.
On Friday, a great white estimated to be at least five metres long spent about 20 minutes circling a New Plymouth couple fishing off Oakura.
The following day a kayaker got the shock of his life when a big shark circled him off White Cliffs.
And there are further reports of fishermen's encounters with a big shark between Oakura and New Plymouth.
Experts believe the great white encountered off Oakura may be the same monster that badly damaged commercial fishing nets in the area last summer � and may even be the fish that terrified a group of anglers by lunging into their boat off Motunui the previous summer.
"It most probably is the same shark," said New Plymouth commercial fisherman Rob Ansley, who lost a lot of gear last year.
"I had thought that the great white caught off Raglan in October might have been the shark. That one was a monster that weighed a tonne and half.
"But it looks like our one is still around."
New Plymouth couple Howard and Tara Okey were fishing from their boat west of Oakura on Friday when the big shark arrived and spent the next 20 minutes circling their vessel.
The couple's boat is 6.5m long, and they say the shark was not much smaller.
"It would have been no smaller than five metres, that's for sure," experienced fisherman Mr Okey said.
"It was certainly the biggest shark I've ever seen. In fact, at one stage Tara said there were two of them because we saw two fins - but then we realised they were the shark's tail and dorsal fin."
The pair had just arrived in the area, and had not even begun to fish when the shark turned up. It came to within a couple of metres of the boat and checked it out, then circled from some distance.
"Tara had a camera with her, and she got it out and wanted me to chuck some fish into the water so it would come closer again and we could get a better picture - but I said no bloody way."
Mr Ansley said a member of his fishing boat's crew reported talking to a man who got a big scare on Saturday while kayaking off White Cliffs. The shark, estimated to be at least four metres long, came close to the kayak.
News of the latest encounter brought back plenty of memories for Inglewood's Gary Dodunski, whose boat was attacked by a giant shark off Motunui almost two years ago.
That day, Mr Dodunski, his daughter Michelle and mate Shane Noble were terrified as the shark launched itself out of the water and on to the side of the boat, scratching the hull with its teeth.
"I'll never forget that day - it's firmly entrenched in my mind," he said
STREAKER WATCH: televised dart tournament = what the hell are you thinking?
[this just takes guts on soooo many levels]
Mirror.co.uk - Sport - CUPID'S ARROW
Klaasen's opponent Greatbatch has been involved in two of the most memorable moments in televised darts history.
In 2002, he became the first man to hit a nine-dart finish live on TV, in the final of the Dutch Open.
A year earlier, his match at the BDO world championships against Ted Hankey was interrupted when a streaker sprinted on to the oche.
Weird Words: Oche
"The line behind which darts players stand when throwing.
The classic pub game, darts is the ultimate non-sportsman’s sport—you don’t need any special clothing and little equipment (a set of darts is a good idea, but pubs lend those out), and you don’t need to be fit (the aptitude of players often appears to be in direct proportion to the size of their beer guts). All you have to remember is to count back from 501, end on a double, and avoid putting your toes over the oche.
"
Mirror.co.uk - Sport - CUPID'S ARROW
Klaasen's opponent Greatbatch has been involved in two of the most memorable moments in televised darts history.
In 2002, he became the first man to hit a nine-dart finish live on TV, in the final of the Dutch Open.
A year earlier, his match at the BDO world championships against Ted Hankey was interrupted when a streaker sprinted on to the oche.
Weird Words: Oche
"The line behind which darts players stand when throwing.
The classic pub game, darts is the ultimate non-sportsman’s sport—you don’t need any special clothing and little equipment (a set of darts is a good idea, but pubs lend those out), and you don’t need to be fit (the aptitude of players often appears to be in direct proportion to the size of their beer guts). All you have to remember is to count back from 501, end on a double, and avoid putting your toes over the oche.
"
KILT WATCH
Savannah / Hilton Head - Bluffton Women Join Together to Build Home
Dozens of women were behind the hammers that pounded away on Saturday morning on the Habitat for Humanity "Womenbuild" home in Bluffton.
[snip]
Some first-timers, others with many houses under their belts. And for this project no men were allowed except construction manager Tuck Daniels.
"It's fantastic," said Daniels. "What man wouldn't like it?"
Daniels said he wore a kilt in honor of his heritage--and the women.
Dozens of women were behind the hammers that pounded away on Saturday morning on the Habitat for Humanity "Womenbuild" home in Bluffton.
[snip]
Some first-timers, others with many houses under their belts. And for this project no men were allowed except construction manager Tuck Daniels.
"It's fantastic," said Daniels. "What man wouldn't like it?"
Daniels said he wore a kilt in honor of his heritage--and the women.
Friday, January 13, 2006
Septic tank truck drives into sewer hole
this just seems right... as if the dynamic balance of the universe has been restored
Septic tank truck drives into sewer hole
Septic tank truck drives into sewer hole
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Espresso
Espresso - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Variations
* Lungo (long): More water (about double) is let through the ground coffee, yielding a weaker taste 40ml.
* Ristretto (restricted): With less water, yielding a stronger taste 10-20ml.
* Doppio (double): Two shots of espresso in one cup.
* Corretto (corrected): Some sort of liquor added.
* Americano (American): Diluted with hot water, similar to drip-brew coffee.
* Macchiato (marked): steamed milk is put into the cup first, and the shots are added on top.
* Con panna (with cream): With cream on top
* Affogato (drowned): Served over ice cream
* Cubano (Cuban): Sugar is added to the espresso grounds during brewing for a sweet taste.
* Red Eye is a cup of American coffee with a shot of espresso in it.
* Black Eye is a cup of American coffee with two shots of espresso in it.
* Dead Eye is a cup of American coffee with three shots of espresso in it.
* Shot in the Dark is an alternate name for a Red Eye.
Lavazza Training Center - Barista Terminology
Einstein's 'spooky action' seen on a chip
New Scientist Breaking News - Einstein's 'spooky action' seen on a chip: A simple semiconductor chip has been used to generate pairs of entangled photons, a vital step towards making quantum computers a reality.
Famously dubbed “spooky action at a distance” by Einstein, entanglement is the mysterious phenomenon of quantum particles whereby two particles such as photons behave as one regardless of how far apart they are. It is widely regarded as essential to the development of quantum computers and quantum cryptography.
Famously dubbed “spooky action at a distance” by Einstein, entanglement is the mysterious phenomenon of quantum particles whereby two particles such as photons behave as one regardless of how far apart they are. It is widely regarded as essential to the development of quantum computers and quantum cryptography.
Doomsday Vault
Disaster Planning: Norway builds a 'doomsday vault'
New Scientist News - Doomsday vault to avert world famine
WITHIN a large concrete room, hewn out of a mountain on a freezing-cold island just 1000 kilometres from the North Pole, could lie the future of humanity.
The room is a "doomsday vault" designed to hold around 2 million seeds, representing all known varieties of the world's crops. It is being built to safeguard the world's food supply against nuclear war, climate change, terrorism, rising sea levels, earthquakes and the ensuing collapse of electricity supplies. "If the worst came to the worst, this would allow the world to reconstruct agriculture on this planet," says Cary Fowler, director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an independent international organisation promoting the project.
New Scientist has learned that the Norwegian government is planning to create the seed bank next year at the behest of crop scientists. The $3 million vault will be built deep inside a sandstone mountain lined with permafrost on the Norwegian Arctic island of Spitsbergen. The vault will have metre-thick walls of reinforced concrete and will be protected behind two airlocks and high-security blast-proof doors. It will not be permanently manned, but "the mountains are patrolled by polar bears", says Fowler.
New Scientist News - Doomsday vault to avert world famine
WITHIN a large concrete room, hewn out of a mountain on a freezing-cold island just 1000 kilometres from the North Pole, could lie the future of humanity.
The room is a "doomsday vault" designed to hold around 2 million seeds, representing all known varieties of the world's crops. It is being built to safeguard the world's food supply against nuclear war, climate change, terrorism, rising sea levels, earthquakes and the ensuing collapse of electricity supplies. "If the worst came to the worst, this would allow the world to reconstruct agriculture on this planet," says Cary Fowler, director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust, an independent international organisation promoting the project.
New Scientist has learned that the Norwegian government is planning to create the seed bank next year at the behest of crop scientists. The $3 million vault will be built deep inside a sandstone mountain lined with permafrost on the Norwegian Arctic island of Spitsbergen. The vault will have metre-thick walls of reinforced concrete and will be protected behind two airlocks and high-security blast-proof doors. It will not be permanently manned, but "the mountains are patrolled by polar bears", says Fowler.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
GIANT SHARK WATCH: Cape Town
Ok, so far I've seen this guy driving 275 KMH (that would be about 172 MPH) on the Autobahn and White Shark Cage diving in Cape Town, South Africa:
"My name is Jon Rawlinson, I was born and raised in Canada. I'm a producer, videographer, editor, photographer and designer. I'm currently travelling the world and the RAD blog is all about my travels! Follow me around the world! I'll be updating the rad blog almost everyday with my location, my photos and my videos!"
previously in:
* Victoria Falls, Zambia
* Kasane, Botswana
* Johannesburg, South Africa
* Dubai, United Arab Emirates
* Prague, Czech Republic
* Paris, France
* Berlin, Germany
* Zermatt, Switzerland
* Lugano, Switzerland
* Venice, Italy
* Florence, Italy
* Rome, Italy
* Santorini, Greece
* Mykonos, Greece
* Olympos, Turkey
* Istanbul, Turkey
* Brasov, Romania
* Bucharest, Romania
* Milan airport
* Sliema, Malta
* Lisbon, Portugal
* Sahara, Morocco
* Tangier, Morocco
* Fes, Morocco
* Tarifa, Spain
* Barcelona, Spain
* Mallorca, Spain
* Madrid, Spain
* London, U.K.
* Heathrow airport, U.K.
* Toronto, Ontario
* Thousand Islands, Ontario
* Scottsdale, Arizona
* Vancouver, B.C.
the RAD blog
And I'm... uh... I'm blogging about his blog!!!
"My name is Jon Rawlinson, I was born and raised in Canada. I'm a producer, videographer, editor, photographer and designer. I'm currently travelling the world and the RAD blog is all about my travels! Follow me around the world! I'll be updating the rad blog almost everyday with my location, my photos and my videos!"
previously in:
* Victoria Falls, Zambia
* Kasane, Botswana
* Johannesburg, South Africa
* Dubai, United Arab Emirates
* Prague, Czech Republic
* Paris, France
* Berlin, Germany
* Zermatt, Switzerland
* Lugano, Switzerland
* Venice, Italy
* Florence, Italy
* Rome, Italy
* Santorini, Greece
* Mykonos, Greece
* Olympos, Turkey
* Istanbul, Turkey
* Brasov, Romania
* Bucharest, Romania
* Milan airport
* Sliema, Malta
* Lisbon, Portugal
* Sahara, Morocco
* Tangier, Morocco
* Fes, Morocco
* Tarifa, Spain
* Barcelona, Spain
* Mallorca, Spain
* Madrid, Spain
* London, U.K.
* Heathrow airport, U.K.
* Toronto, Ontario
* Thousand Islands, Ontario
* Scottsdale, Arizona
* Vancouver, B.C.
the RAD blog
And I'm... uh... I'm blogging about his blog!!!
RIP MIX BURN: Queensrÿche
Queensrÿche! 18 years ago - still as vibrant to my ears as the first time I heard it. A top 5, marooned on a remote tropical island (with Nicole Kidman hopefully!) album of mine. Heavy Metal Rock Opera Concept Album! And they have the required Heavy Metal Umlaut!queensryche.com :: operation mindcrime
Operation: Mindcrime II comes out in April.... hmmmm, inspiration or new mortgage? I'll still buy when they unpack it from the box.
"Long dubbed 'the thinking man's metal band,' Queensryche have always been difficult to classify; somewhere between Iron Maiden and Pink Floyd."
Monday, January 09, 2006
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Yes Nurse! No Nurse!
My favorite genre brought back to life again...
Yes Nurse! No Nurse!
"Move over Fred and Ginger, there's a new game in town. 'Yes Nurse! No Nurse!', the new film by Dutch director Pieter Kramer, is a glorious, imaginative homage to the golden era of the late, great Hollywood studio musical -- and a celebration of all its camped up, Technicolor glory.
Saturated with eye-popping candy-coated colors, 'Yes Nurse', paints an on-screen 1960s world where the streets are filled with singing and dancing, carnivals always come to town and the biggest problem in everyone's' lives is that mean, old, nasty neighbor."
Yes Nurse! No Nurse!
"Move over Fred and Ginger, there's a new game in town. 'Yes Nurse! No Nurse!', the new film by Dutch director Pieter Kramer, is a glorious, imaginative homage to the golden era of the late, great Hollywood studio musical -- and a celebration of all its camped up, Technicolor glory.
Saturated with eye-popping candy-coated colors, 'Yes Nurse', paints an on-screen 1960s world where the streets are filled with singing and dancing, carnivals always come to town and the biggest problem in everyone's' lives is that mean, old, nasty neighbor."
Saturday, January 07, 2006
A conscience can be a terrible burden.
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."
Manic's Photoshopping Collection
Into the Wild / Fübar Watch
An Artist in Chains Walks Into Town ... - Los Angeles Times
The artist's suffering didn't truly begin until he pitched his tent in the desert and whipped out the chains.
Trevor Corneliusen, a painter and classically trained violinist from Washington state who makes pilgrimages to the Mojave Desert each winter to meditate, chained and padlocked his ankles Tuesday morning while posing for a sketched self-portrait — and then couldn't find the key.
The artist hobbled for 12 hours through sand and scrub brush, using a wooden pole as a walking stick, before reaching a gas station in Baker to call for help, said Ryan Ford, a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy.
"It's funny-sad," said his mother, Marie Corneliusen, "because he really could have gotten hurt. But it's not hard to believe. He can be very absent-minded."
Corneliusen, 26, graduated in 2001 from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma with a degree in music, said a school spokeswoman.
His mother said he lives with her in Olympia most of the year, teaching violin, painting with watercolors and oils, and writing a book.
Twice a year, he hops trains and buses bound for the high desert in San Bernardino County, where Corneliusen, a born-again Christian, camps for a month or so, his mother said. "It's somewhat a religious experience what he does there. He meditates. He communes with God in the desert."
Folks in Baker, a pit-stop town about 90 miles west of Las Vegas known for its giant thermometer, stumbled upon the artist a few years ago.
"We had a local who kept calling about a terrorist in the mountains, but it turned out he goes there for inspiration," Ford said. "He's not a typical person you'd find living in a mine."
Corneliusen's latest journey began two days after Christmas. He pitched a tent about 25 feet inside an abandoned silver mine, crashed on an air mattress and sleeping bag and lived on canned food, Ford said.
On Tuesday morning, the artist looped a foot and a half of inch-thick chain around his ankles, leaving a sliver of room to move, and bound the links with a Master Lock padlock.
Wearing sweats and socks, Corneliusen plopped down, stretched his legs and sketched the chains. The pencil drawing complete, he scoured the campsite for the key.
Uh-oh.
It was a long way to Baker.
The mine shaft sits atop rocky, steep terrain bifurcated with a narrow trail. Coyotes roam the mountains. The artist laced his sneakers, then hopped and shuffled and baby-stepped across the desert, leaning on a mining pole he had found and toting his sketch.
Nearly five arduous miles later, Corneliusen arrived at the gas station. He phoned for help about 12:02 a.m. Wednesday.
"I went out there to make sure it was a real call," Ford said.
Corneliusen was sitting in the gas station, head drooping, dirt-covered and weary.
"He was laughing and embarrassed and wanted to go back to his mine," Ford said.
So the deputy rang the county Fire Department, which used bolt cutters to unshackle the artist. It took three tries.
Corneliusen's ankles were reddened and indented with chain marks, but he was otherwise unharmed. He did not explain to his rescuers why he wanted to make such a sketch.
The artist could not be reached for comment, as he camps sans cellphone. He was last seen at the trailhead, taking long strides back to the mine.
Trevor Corneliusen, a painter and classically trained violinist from Washington state who makes pilgrimages to the Mojave Desert each winter to meditate, chained and padlocked his ankles Tuesday morning while posing for a sketched self-portrait — and then couldn't find the key.
The artist hobbled for 12 hours through sand and scrub brush, using a wooden pole as a walking stick, before reaching a gas station in Baker to call for help, said Ryan Ford, a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy.
"It's funny-sad," said his mother, Marie Corneliusen, "because he really could have gotten hurt. But it's not hard to believe. He can be very absent-minded."
Corneliusen, 26, graduated in 2001 from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma with a degree in music, said a school spokeswoman.
His mother said he lives with her in Olympia most of the year, teaching violin, painting with watercolors and oils, and writing a book.
Twice a year, he hops trains and buses bound for the high desert in San Bernardino County, where Corneliusen, a born-again Christian, camps for a month or so, his mother said. "It's somewhat a religious experience what he does there. He meditates. He communes with God in the desert."
Folks in Baker, a pit-stop town about 90 miles west of Las Vegas known for its giant thermometer, stumbled upon the artist a few years ago.
"We had a local who kept calling about a terrorist in the mountains, but it turned out he goes there for inspiration," Ford said. "He's not a typical person you'd find living in a mine."
Corneliusen's latest journey began two days after Christmas. He pitched a tent about 25 feet inside an abandoned silver mine, crashed on an air mattress and sleeping bag and lived on canned food, Ford said.
On Tuesday morning, the artist looped a foot and a half of inch-thick chain around his ankles, leaving a sliver of room to move, and bound the links with a Master Lock padlock.
Wearing sweats and socks, Corneliusen plopped down, stretched his legs and sketched the chains. The pencil drawing complete, he scoured the campsite for the key.
Uh-oh.
It was a long way to Baker.
The mine shaft sits atop rocky, steep terrain bifurcated with a narrow trail. Coyotes roam the mountains. The artist laced his sneakers, then hopped and shuffled and baby-stepped across the desert, leaning on a mining pole he had found and toting his sketch.
Nearly five arduous miles later, Corneliusen arrived at the gas station. He phoned for help about 12:02 a.m. Wednesday.
"I went out there to make sure it was a real call," Ford said.
Corneliusen was sitting in the gas station, head drooping, dirt-covered and weary.
"He was laughing and embarrassed and wanted to go back to his mine," Ford said.
So the deputy rang the county Fire Department, which used bolt cutters to unshackle the artist. It took three tries.
Corneliusen's ankles were reddened and indented with chain marks, but he was otherwise unharmed. He did not explain to his rescuers why he wanted to make such a sketch.
The artist could not be reached for comment, as he camps sans cellphone. He was last seen at the trailhead, taking long strides back to the mine.
Friday, January 06, 2006
not a mullet but...
Tommy thinking "Is that Dr. Righteous in the bushes over there?"
or perhaps "This waterfall makes me want to pee."
or perhaps "This waterfall makes me want to pee."
Mullets Galore
site suggested by Frank, I suspect he secretly desires one...
JOIN THE MULLITIA!
featuring not 10, not 20, but 99 different classifications of mullets!
STREAKER WATCH
Exclusive: The Matador's Richard Shepard - ComingSoon.net
[snip]
CS: I noticed that you also produced "Scotland, PA" and that you had another unusual role in the movie. Could you talk about that?
Shephard: Yeah, the last scene in the movie when Christopher Walken takes over the McBeth's restaurant, and he's outside by himself, and it's now a vegetarian restaurant, I streaked right by him. Really fast, but I'm there and I'm naked. The director was like "I need a streaker" and it was the last day of shooting so I was like "Sign me up!"
[snip]
CS: I noticed that you also produced "Scotland, PA" and that you had another unusual role in the movie. Could you talk about that?
Shephard: Yeah, the last scene in the movie when Christopher Walken takes over the McBeth's restaurant, and he's outside by himself, and it's now a vegetarian restaurant, I streaked right by him. Really fast, but I'm there and I'm naked. The director was like "I need a streaker" and it was the last day of shooting so I was like "Sign me up!"
INTO THE WILD WATCH
The Sunday Mail QLD: Sydney-to-Hobart sailors speak of ordeal
FIVE sailors survived 13 hours clinging to the wreckage of their yacht as sharks circled, only to collapse from seasickness aboard a rescue launch yesterday.
Three of the crew - which comprised four Swedes and a Finn - were returning from competing in the Sydney-to-Hobart race when they hit treacherous seas near Eden on the NSW-Victoria border.
They were encircled by sharks and had to endure 6m seas and 80-knot wind before being rescued.
Bulk cement freighter Goliath had been shielding the yacht from waves and wind after responding to the crew's SOS call, sent after the vessel flipped 360 degrees.
The carrier remained for almost 12 hours until rescuers arrived.
[snip]
"It's very, very good to be here. (I was) not scared a bit, I hadn't time to be scared. I'm never coming sailing in Australia again."
FIVE sailors survived 13 hours clinging to the wreckage of their yacht as sharks circled, only to collapse from seasickness aboard a rescue launch yesterday.
Three of the crew - which comprised four Swedes and a Finn - were returning from competing in the Sydney-to-Hobart race when they hit treacherous seas near Eden on the NSW-Victoria border.
They were encircled by sharks and had to endure 6m seas and 80-knot wind before being rescued.
Bulk cement freighter Goliath had been shielding the yacht from waves and wind after responding to the crew's SOS call, sent after the vessel flipped 360 degrees.
The carrier remained for almost 12 hours until rescuers arrived.
[snip]
"It's very, very good to be here. (I was) not scared a bit, I hadn't time to be scared. I'm never coming sailing in Australia again."
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Zeitlist: Feuilletons: Everything Counts in Large Amounts
Zeitlist: Feuilletons: Everything Counts in Large Amounts
11 secrets of swarm success
by GENDY ALIMURUNG
LA Weekly
When individual units combine to form complicated, intelligent structures with well-coordinated divisions of labor, command hierarchies, and problem-solving skills — that’s a swarm. More than just strength in numbers, the swarm is an emergent property: the whole can achieve what the parts alone cannot; but paradoxically, without the parts the whole does not exist. A nest of wasps. The antibodies in our immune system. Data moving through a network. WTO protesters in Seattle. This is why swarm theory is resonating these days throughout many disciplines, from biology to computer science to politics. The superorganism potential seems to exist everywhere. Here are some examples:
1. Autonomous NanoTechnology Robots. Soon, many tiny robots may go to Mars. A whole lot of nanobots — part of NASA’s Autonomous NanoTechnology Swarms, or ANTS project — were shipped to McMurdo Station in Antarctica for testing in harsh climates.
[snip]
2. Killer Bees. Still swarming with gusto, Apis mellifera adansonii, also called “Africanized” honeybees, were created in 1956 when scientists in Brazil imported colonies of studly African bees for crossbreeding experiments. The downside: 26 African queens escaped to produce aggressive hybrid hives in the wild with drones that are cantankerous, attack in greater numbers, sting 10 times more, and give chase for longer distances.
[snip]
3. Locusts. A.k.a. spam from God.
[snip]
4. Grunions.
[snip]
5. Bats. Each night, 2 million free-tailed bats exit the Gua Payau Cave in Borneo’s Gunung Mulu National Park, writhing in a long, sinuous ribbon across the dusk, headed for unknown feeding grounds.
[snip]
6. Sharks. There always seems to be Shark Summer news packages in Florida, but this year the normal migratory pattern turned swarm when thousands of blacktip sharks suddenly appeared off the coast.
[snip]
7. Velvet Ants.
[snip]
8. Feral Chihuahuas.
[WTF?]
[snip]
9. The Evildoers.
[snip]
10. Zulu Warriors.
[snip]
11. Smart Mobs. In 2003, the flash-mob phenomenon put swarms in the service of agitprop, when spontaneous e-mail organization caused 100 unconnected people to gather at the New York City Macy’s carpet section to all stare at one particular very expensive rug then, as instructed, declare that they were shopping for a Love Rug.
11 secrets of swarm success
by GENDY ALIMURUNG
LA Weekly
When individual units combine to form complicated, intelligent structures with well-coordinated divisions of labor, command hierarchies, and problem-solving skills — that’s a swarm. More than just strength in numbers, the swarm is an emergent property: the whole can achieve what the parts alone cannot; but paradoxically, without the parts the whole does not exist. A nest of wasps. The antibodies in our immune system. Data moving through a network. WTO protesters in Seattle. This is why swarm theory is resonating these days throughout many disciplines, from biology to computer science to politics. The superorganism potential seems to exist everywhere. Here are some examples:
1. Autonomous NanoTechnology Robots. Soon, many tiny robots may go to Mars. A whole lot of nanobots — part of NASA’s Autonomous NanoTechnology Swarms, or ANTS project — were shipped to McMurdo Station in Antarctica for testing in harsh climates.
[snip]
2. Killer Bees. Still swarming with gusto, Apis mellifera adansonii, also called “Africanized” honeybees, were created in 1956 when scientists in Brazil imported colonies of studly African bees for crossbreeding experiments. The downside: 26 African queens escaped to produce aggressive hybrid hives in the wild with drones that are cantankerous, attack in greater numbers, sting 10 times more, and give chase for longer distances.
[snip]
3. Locusts. A.k.a. spam from God.
[snip]
4. Grunions.
[snip]
5. Bats. Each night, 2 million free-tailed bats exit the Gua Payau Cave in Borneo’s Gunung Mulu National Park, writhing in a long, sinuous ribbon across the dusk, headed for unknown feeding grounds.
[snip]
6. Sharks. There always seems to be Shark Summer news packages in Florida, but this year the normal migratory pattern turned swarm when thousands of blacktip sharks suddenly appeared off the coast.
[snip]
7. Velvet Ants.
[snip]
8. Feral Chihuahuas.
[WTF?]
[snip]
9. The Evildoers.
[snip]
10. Zulu Warriors.
[snip]
11. Smart Mobs. In 2003, the flash-mob phenomenon put swarms in the service of agitprop, when spontaneous e-mail organization caused 100 unconnected people to gather at the New York City Macy’s carpet section to all stare at one particular very expensive rug then, as instructed, declare that they were shopping for a Love Rug.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
for Frank...
THE ZOMBIE SURVIVAL GUIDE by MAX BROOKS
Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack
1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don’t need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.
Powell's Books - The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks
Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack
1. Organize before they rise!
2. They feel no fear, why should you?
3. Use your head: cut off theirs.
4. Blades don’t need reloading.
5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.
6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it.
7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.
8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!
9. No place is safe, only safer.
10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on.
Powell's Books - The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks
STREAKER WATCH: DOWN UNDER
Christmas mass streaker faces community service. 03/01/2006. ABC News Online
An 18-year-old Alice Springs man who streaked through a Christmas Eve mass will have to serve 200 hours of community service.
Shaun Edward Mackley pleaded guilty in the Alice Springs Magistrates Court to disturbing religious worship at the town's Catholic church.
[snip]
Mackley's counsel Russell Goldflam told the court that the offence had started as a drunken, spontaneous prank and ended with serious consequences.
Mr Goldflam said his client wished to repay the town for his offence by performing community service [in the buff]
An 18-year-old Alice Springs man who streaked through a Christmas Eve mass will have to serve 200 hours of community service.
Shaun Edward Mackley pleaded guilty in the Alice Springs Magistrates Court to disturbing religious worship at the town's Catholic church.
[snip]
Mackley's counsel Russell Goldflam told the court that the offence had started as a drunken, spontaneous prank and ended with serious consequences.
Mr Goldflam said his client wished to repay the town for his offence by performing community service [in the buff]
Monday, January 02, 2006
RIP MIX BURN: Boot Liquor Radio
Boot Liquor Radio: "What the heck is this format? Boot Liquor is a disturbing mix of Country, Singer/Songwriter, Rock, Folk and Bluegrass. It's Alt-Country/Americana at its core, but somewhat musically flexible (if the lyrics are a good match). Songs I play tend to have an interesting (storytelling) or humorous narrative, such as those typically found on the Bloodshot or YepRoc Labels. Boozing, drugging, soured relationships and hard living songs get played more than anything else. Generic, bland or sentimental country is avoided at all costs."
via
Winamp.com: Media Player, Skins, Plug-ins, Videos, Songs, Riffs, Jams, Grooves
KILT WATCH: Auld Lang Syne
Hollister Free Lance:
New Year a Time to Start Fresh? and Write the Wrong Date
[snip]
Of course, a calendar change just isn't the same without singing that famous old song "Auld Lang Syne." Sure, nobody knows what it means. And sure, nobody knows the words. But still we sing it, and we love it.
In case you were wondering, after a bit of research, I believe I can clear up the "Auld Lang Syne" mystery. It seems this was a Scottish song, originally sung on New Year's Eve, which in Scotland is known as Hogmanay or "the night old man Manay's hogs turned loose on Edinburgh."
And the reason nobody knows the words is that the words are in Scottish, a language most Americans don't even pretend to speak. Oh, everybody knows a few words like "kilt," which is Scottish for "I'm manly and I wear a skirt." But for the most part, Americans are woefully ignorant of the Scottish language.
And that's why we don't understand "Auld Lang Syne." Not that it matters anyway. I mean, my extensive research (3.5 seconds on Google) revealed that "Auld Lang Syne" is actually a song about wading in streams, looking for daisies and drinking in a pub. Not one mention about changing your calendar or writing the wrong date on your checks, but for some reason, it's still a tradition.
[snip]
New Year a Time to Start Fresh? and Write the Wrong Date
[snip]
Of course, a calendar change just isn't the same without singing that famous old song "Auld Lang Syne." Sure, nobody knows what it means. And sure, nobody knows the words. But still we sing it, and we love it.
In case you were wondering, after a bit of research, I believe I can clear up the "Auld Lang Syne" mystery. It seems this was a Scottish song, originally sung on New Year's Eve, which in Scotland is known as Hogmanay or "the night old man Manay's hogs turned loose on Edinburgh."
And the reason nobody knows the words is that the words are in Scottish, a language most Americans don't even pretend to speak. Oh, everybody knows a few words like "kilt," which is Scottish for "I'm manly and I wear a skirt." But for the most part, Americans are woefully ignorant of the Scottish language.
And that's why we don't understand "Auld Lang Syne." Not that it matters anyway. I mean, my extensive research (3.5 seconds on Google) revealed that "Auld Lang Syne" is actually a song about wading in streams, looking for daisies and drinking in a pub. Not one mention about changing your calendar or writing the wrong date on your checks, but for some reason, it's still a tradition.
[snip]
Sunday, January 01, 2006
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