Went to see the fab Depeche Mode in concert last nite in the O2 Dublin - first visit there this year and gotta say it lives up to all its promises, the old Point was a shed but the new O2 is a Proper Venue. Dave Gahan is still girating his hips and his voice is great and the rest of the band are top notch. Enjoy a bit from last nite!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Specials
Went to see the Specials perform in the Olympia Sunday 15/11/09. Gig of the year so far...They still sound the same and give a great live performance.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Rude Bits from Rainbow
Back to the days of innocence when balls were balls! If you have problems viewing this just click here.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
iCub The Robot Child
The humanoid iCub robot, which explores the world like a real child to model the human mind -- has demonstrated that it can change roles in a game....
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
For all those of you worried about Swine Flu
A new iPhone application, created by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, enables users to track and report outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as H1N1 (swine flu), on the ground in real time.
The application, "Outbreaks Near Me," builds upon the mission and proven capability of HealthMap, an online resource that collects, filters, maps and disseminates information about emerging infectious diseases, and provides a new, contextualized view of a user's specific location – pinpointing outbreaks that have been reported in the vicinity of the user and offering the opportunity to search for additional outbreak information by location or disease.
Additional functionality of Outbreaks Near Me is the ability to set alerts that will notify a user on their device or by e-mail when new outbreaks are reported in their proximity, or if a user enters a new area of activity
The application, "Outbreaks Near Me," builds upon the mission and proven capability of HealthMap, an online resource that collects, filters, maps and disseminates information about emerging infectious diseases, and provides a new, contextualized view of a user's specific location – pinpointing outbreaks that have been reported in the vicinity of the user and offering the opportunity to search for additional outbreak information by location or disease.
Additional functionality of Outbreaks Near Me is the ability to set alerts that will notify a user on their device or by e-mail when new outbreaks are reported in their proximity, or if a user enters a new area of activity
Friday, August 28, 2009
Some Bad Taste Michael Jackson jokes
How Does Michael Jackson Pick His Nose?
From a catalogue.
What time does Michael Jackson go to bed?
When the big hand touches the little hand.
Why did Michael Jackson stop breathing?
His nose fell off.
Disney expressed their sadness over Michael Jackson’s death, and also celebrated that now only Disney movie’s will be the only things to touch children.
What was Michael Jackson’s last hit?
The floor.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wireless Electricity
Watch this talk from Eric Giler on TED TV who explains how wireless technologies are advancing at a rapid pace and we could soon have wireless TV's, mobile phones which could be charged with wireless technology.......
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Summer is Over
Well as if you didn't already know it summer is over! It didn't really start but looking out the window tonite while watching the 9.00pm Big Bro catch up it was dark, almost black outside. The long stretch is over. I took a long break from my blog over the summer due to a wonderful month long holiday in Greece but before that and since work pressure took the fun out of posting to a blog as my eyes were "Beeling" from working on the computer all day. Pressure had eased so now I'm back, so for all of you interested in Robots....Look what they do now!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
ABBA have been partially reformed
ABBA stars Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus are set to premiere their first newly written pop song in 15 years.
The song, called 'Story Of A Heart', will be released on July 6. It is available as part of a 14-track album by Andersson's 16-strong group The Benny Andersson Band.
Vocals on the track have been translated into English, and are sung by Swedish star Helen Sjöholm. As well as the Andersson/Ulvaeus song, 'Story Of A Heart' takes in Swedish folk music, polka, waltzes and Celtic folk.
The Benny Andersson Band have also announced their first UK performance, to take place at London's Hampstead Heath on July 4 as part of the Sweden On Stage festival. No tickets are required for the event.
Estrogen controls how the brain processes sound
Scientists at the University of Rochester have discovered that the hormone estrogen plays a pivotal role in how the brain processes sounds.
The findings, published in today's issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, show for the first time that a sex hormone can directly affect auditory function, and point toward the possibility that estrogen controls other types of sensory processing as well. Understanding how estrogen changes the brain's response to sound, say the authors, might open the door to new ways of treating hearing deficiencies.
Previous studies have hinted at a connection between estrogen and hearing in women who have low estrogen, such as often occurs after menopause, says Pinaud. No one understood, however, that estrogen was playing such a direct role in determining auditory functions in the brain, he says. "Now it is clear that estrogen is a key molecule carrying brain signals, and that the right balance of hormone levels in men and women is important for reasons beyond its role as a sex hormone," says Raphael Pinaud, assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester and lead author of the study.
The findings, published in today's issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, show for the first time that a sex hormone can directly affect auditory function, and point toward the possibility that estrogen controls other types of sensory processing as well. Understanding how estrogen changes the brain's response to sound, say the authors, might open the door to new ways of treating hearing deficiencies.
Previous studies have hinted at a connection between estrogen and hearing in women who have low estrogen, such as often occurs after menopause, says Pinaud. No one understood, however, that estrogen was playing such a direct role in determining auditory functions in the brain, he says. "Now it is clear that estrogen is a key molecule carrying brain signals, and that the right balance of hormone levels in men and women is important for reasons beyond its role as a sex hormone," says Raphael Pinaud, assistant professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the University of Rochester and lead author of the study.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Touch Screens with Pop-up Buttons
Touch-screen technology has become wildly popular, thanks to smart phones designed for nimble fingers. But most touch screens have a major drawback: you need to keep a close eye on the screen as you tap, to make sure that you hit the right virtual buttons. As touch screens become more popular in other contexts, such as in-car navigation and entertainment systems, this lack of sensory feedback could become a dangerous distraction.
Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed buttons that pop out from a touch-screen surface. The design retains the dynamic display capabilities of a normal touch screen but can also produce tactile buttons for certain functions.
Graduate student Chris Harrison and computer-science professor Scott Hudson have built a handful of proof-of-concept displays with the morphing buttons. The screens are covered in semitransparent latex, which sits on top of an acrylic plate with shaped holes and an air chamber connected to a pump. When the pump is off, the screen is flat; when it's switched on, the latex forms concave or convex features around the cutouts, depending on negative or positive pressure.
To illuminate the screens and give them multitouch capabilities, the researchers use projectors, infrared light, and cameras positioned below the surface. The projectors cast images onto the screens while the cameras sense infrared light scattered by fingers at the surface.
Simpler systems, such as those that use a flexible material like latex and a pneumatic pump, have also been explored by researchers in the past. However, these systems haven't had all the capabilities of the Carnegie Mellon project, Harrison says. He explains that the display is the first to combine moving parts (the pop-up buttons), display dynamic information, and be touch sensitive. Other projects and products usually achieve two of these three criteria, he says.
Now researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed buttons that pop out from a touch-screen surface. The design retains the dynamic display capabilities of a normal touch screen but can also produce tactile buttons for certain functions.
Graduate student Chris Harrison and computer-science professor Scott Hudson have built a handful of proof-of-concept displays with the morphing buttons. The screens are covered in semitransparent latex, which sits on top of an acrylic plate with shaped holes and an air chamber connected to a pump. When the pump is off, the screen is flat; when it's switched on, the latex forms concave or convex features around the cutouts, depending on negative or positive pressure.
To illuminate the screens and give them multitouch capabilities, the researchers use projectors, infrared light, and cameras positioned below the surface. The projectors cast images onto the screens while the cameras sense infrared light scattered by fingers at the surface.
Simpler systems, such as those that use a flexible material like latex and a pneumatic pump, have also been explored by researchers in the past. However, these systems haven't had all the capabilities of the Carnegie Mellon project, Harrison says. He explains that the display is the first to combine moving parts (the pop-up buttons), display dynamic information, and be touch sensitive. Other projects and products usually achieve two of these three criteria, he says.
The next Big Thing - Friend Feed
Paul Buchheit built the first version of Gmail in one day. Then he built the first prototype of Google's contextual advertising service Adsense, in one day as well. Now he's working on a much-watched startup called FriendFeed that he believes just brought to market the next big form of communication online: flowing, multi-person, real-time conversations.
"The open, realtime discussions that occur on FriendFeed," he says, "are going to become a major new communication medium on the same level as email, IM and blogging." That's a pretty ambitious claim, but Buchheit has the credibility to make it.
Things are changing fast at FriendFeed. Buchheit says that the company believes aggregation to be less important than real time conversation. "The open, realtime discussions that occur on FriendFeed are going to become a major new communication medium on the same level as email, IM and blogging. The aggregation component of FriendFeed is a convinient feature and a component of that openness, but not as central as the discussions."
Do you buy that? I'm not sure. But if anyone can lead the charge against incumbent technologies with a new paradigm that combines powerful richness and ease of use - Paul Buchheit might be that person. He did it with Gmail, now time will tell if he can do it with FriendFeed.
"The open, realtime discussions that occur on FriendFeed," he says, "are going to become a major new communication medium on the same level as email, IM and blogging." That's a pretty ambitious claim, but Buchheit has the credibility to make it.
Things are changing fast at FriendFeed. Buchheit says that the company believes aggregation to be less important than real time conversation. "The open, realtime discussions that occur on FriendFeed are going to become a major new communication medium on the same level as email, IM and blogging. The aggregation component of FriendFeed is a convinient feature and a component of that openness, but not as central as the discussions."
Do you buy that? I'm not sure. But if anyone can lead the charge against incumbent technologies with a new paradigm that combines powerful richness and ease of use - Paul Buchheit might be that person. He did it with Gmail, now time will tell if he can do it with FriendFeed.
Lithium in water 'curbs suicide'
Drinking water which contains the element lithium may reduce the risk of suicide, a Japanese study suggests.
Researchers examined levels of lithium in drinking water and suicide rates in the prefecture of Oita, which has a population of more than one million.
The suicide rate was significantly lower in those areas with the highest levels of the element, they wrote in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
High doses of lithium are already used to treat serious mood disorders.
But the team from the universities of Oita and Hiroshima found that even relatively low levels appeared to have a positive impact of suicide rates.
Levels ranged from 0.7 to 59 micrograms per litre. The researchers speculated that while these levels were low, there may be a cumulative protective effect on the brain from years of drinking this tap water.
Sophie Corlett, external relations director at mental health charity Mind said the research "certainly merits more investigation.
"We already know that lithium can act as a powerful mood stabiliser for people with bipolar disorder, and treating people with lithium is also associated with lower suicide rates.
"However, lithium also has significant and an unpleasant side effects in higher doses, and can be toxic. Any suggestion that it should be added, even in tiny amounts, to drinking water should be treated with caution and researched very thoroughly."
Researchers examined levels of lithium in drinking water and suicide rates in the prefecture of Oita, which has a population of more than one million.
The suicide rate was significantly lower in those areas with the highest levels of the element, they wrote in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
High doses of lithium are already used to treat serious mood disorders.
But the team from the universities of Oita and Hiroshima found that even relatively low levels appeared to have a positive impact of suicide rates.
Levels ranged from 0.7 to 59 micrograms per litre. The researchers speculated that while these levels were low, there may be a cumulative protective effect on the brain from years of drinking this tap water.
Sophie Corlett, external relations director at mental health charity Mind said the research "certainly merits more investigation.
"We already know that lithium can act as a powerful mood stabiliser for people with bipolar disorder, and treating people with lithium is also associated with lower suicide rates.
"However, lithium also has significant and an unpleasant side effects in higher doses, and can be toxic. Any suggestion that it should be added, even in tiny amounts, to drinking water should be treated with caution and researched very thoroughly."
Monday, May 4, 2009
A new system could make special effects more affordable
Researchers at MIT have developed a new system that may provide a cheaper and more efficient way to track motion. The system, called Second Skin, could be a cheaper alternative for creating special effects for movies. The researchers say that they hope it will also be used to help people monitor their own motions so that they can practice physical therapy or perfect their tai chi moves.
In contrast to traditional optical tracking systems, Second Skin doesn't rely on cameras at all. Instead, the system uses inexpensive projectors that can be mounted in ceilings or outdoors. Therefore, the system can be used indoors and out without special lighting, and it costs only a few thousand dollars, says Ramesh Raskar, an associate professor at MIT's Media Lab and the main researcher of Second Skin along with graduate student Dennis Miaw.
"I think it's a breakthrough technology," says Chris Bregler, an associate professor of computer science at New York University, who works on computer vision systems for motion tracking and was not involved in the Second Skin research. "It lets you do motion capture in lots of scenarios where a lot of other people wanted to do motion capture before and couldn't."
Tiny photosensors embedded in regular clothes record movement. The projectors send out patterns of near infrared light--approximately 10,000 different patterns a second. When the patterns hit the tiny photosensors embedded in the subject's clothes, the photosensors capture the coded light and convert it into a binary signal that indicates the position of the sensor. Because the patterns of light will hit the sensors differently, depending on where they are, each sensor receives a unique light pattern. These patterns are recorded about 500 times a second for each sensor. The sensors send the information to a thin, lightweight microcontroller worn by the subject under her clothes, which then transmits the data back to a computer via Bluetooth. The whole system can cost less than $1,000, with each photosensor costing about $2, a vibrating sensor $80, and a projector $50. (Raskar says that at least six projectors are required per system.) "Each photodector is essentially decoding its own indoor location in a similar fashion to GPS," he says.
In contrast to traditional optical tracking systems, Second Skin doesn't rely on cameras at all. Instead, the system uses inexpensive projectors that can be mounted in ceilings or outdoors. Therefore, the system can be used indoors and out without special lighting, and it costs only a few thousand dollars, says Ramesh Raskar, an associate professor at MIT's Media Lab and the main researcher of Second Skin along with graduate student Dennis Miaw.
"I think it's a breakthrough technology," says Chris Bregler, an associate professor of computer science at New York University, who works on computer vision systems for motion tracking and was not involved in the Second Skin research. "It lets you do motion capture in lots of scenarios where a lot of other people wanted to do motion capture before and couldn't."
Tiny photosensors embedded in regular clothes record movement. The projectors send out patterns of near infrared light--approximately 10,000 different patterns a second. When the patterns hit the tiny photosensors embedded in the subject's clothes, the photosensors capture the coded light and convert it into a binary signal that indicates the position of the sensor. Because the patterns of light will hit the sensors differently, depending on where they are, each sensor receives a unique light pattern. These patterns are recorded about 500 times a second for each sensor. The sensors send the information to a thin, lightweight microcontroller worn by the subject under her clothes, which then transmits the data back to a computer via Bluetooth. The whole system can cost less than $1,000, with each photosensor costing about $2, a vibrating sensor $80, and a projector $50. (Raskar says that at least six projectors are required per system.) "Each photodector is essentially decoding its own indoor location in a similar fashion to GPS," he says.
Cyberspace is filling up!
Internet users face regular “brownouts” that will freeze their computers as capacity runs out in cyberspace, according to research to be published later this year.
Experts predict that consumer demand, already growing at 60 per cent a year, will start to exceed supply from as early as next year because of more people working online and the soaring popularity of bandwidth-hungry websites such as YouTube and services such as the BBC’s iPlayer.
It will initially lead to computers being disrupted and going offline for several minutes at a time. From 2012, however, PCs and laptops are likely to operate at a much reduced speed, rendering the internet an “unreliable toy”.
When Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British scientist, wrote the code that transformed a private computer network into the world wide web in 1989, the internet appeared to be a limitless resource. However, a report being compiled by Nemertes Research, a respected American think-tank, will warn that the web has reached a critical point and that even the recession has failed to stave off impending problems.
In America, telecoms companies are spending £40 billion a year upgrading cables and supercomputers to increase capacity, while in Britain proposals to replace copper cabling across part of the network with fibre optic wires would cost at least £5 billion.
Engineers are already preparing for the worst. While some are planning a lightning-fast parallel network called “the grid”, others are building “caches”, private computer stations where popular entertainments are stored on local PCs rather than sent through the global backbone.
Telephone companies want to recoup escalating costs by increasing prices for “net hogs” who use more than their share of capacity.
Experts predict that consumer demand, already growing at 60 per cent a year, will start to exceed supply from as early as next year because of more people working online and the soaring popularity of bandwidth-hungry websites such as YouTube and services such as the BBC’s iPlayer.
It will initially lead to computers being disrupted and going offline for several minutes at a time. From 2012, however, PCs and laptops are likely to operate at a much reduced speed, rendering the internet an “unreliable toy”.
When Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British scientist, wrote the code that transformed a private computer network into the world wide web in 1989, the internet appeared to be a limitless resource. However, a report being compiled by Nemertes Research, a respected American think-tank, will warn that the web has reached a critical point and that even the recession has failed to stave off impending problems.
In America, telecoms companies are spending £40 billion a year upgrading cables and supercomputers to increase capacity, while in Britain proposals to replace copper cabling across part of the network with fibre optic wires would cost at least £5 billion.
Engineers are already preparing for the worst. While some are planning a lightning-fast parallel network called “the grid”, others are building “caches”, private computer stations where popular entertainments are stored on local PCs rather than sent through the global backbone.
Telephone companies want to recoup escalating costs by increasing prices for “net hogs” who use more than their share of capacity.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Stop boring Hugh Laurie
Well if you ever needed proof of the wide diversity(NOT) of questions that you can be asked on talk shows USA - see how Hugh Laurie manages not to thump each of these well known chat show hosts!
10 Ways to keep your Mind Sharp
1.Tease your brain eg.crosswords, puzzles, sudoku
2.Skip the supplements eg.get vitamins from natural sources like food
3.Chill Out eg. sports, yoga, socializing
4.Eat Fish
5.Enjoy Ur coffee eg.growing evidence suggests a caffeine habit may protect the brain
6.Get your beauty sleep
7.Take care of your body eg.plenty of excercise
8.Watch your diet eg.not too much and not too little
9.Eat, eat, eat eg. A low GI diet is recommended
10.Do something eg.for mental fitness, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every other day
2.Skip the supplements eg.get vitamins from natural sources like food
3.Chill Out eg. sports, yoga, socializing
4.Eat Fish
5.Enjoy Ur coffee eg.growing evidence suggests a caffeine habit may protect the brain
6.Get your beauty sleep
7.Take care of your body eg.plenty of excercise
8.Watch your diet eg.not too much and not too little
9.Eat, eat, eat eg. A low GI diet is recommended
10.Do something eg.for mental fitness, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every other day
The 10 Most Outrageous Military Experiments
From this choice list of Experiments performed by the U.S. Military here are 2 of my favourites:
GET YOUR PLUTONIUM SHOT
As the United States raced to build its first atomic bombs near the end of World War II, scientists wanted to know more about the hazards of plutonium. Testing began on April 10, 1945 with the injection of plutonium into the victim of a car accident in Oak Ridge, Tenn., to see how quickly the human body rid itself of the radioactive substance. That was just the first of over 400 human radiation experiments. Common studies included seeing the biological effects of radiation with various doses, and testing experimental treatments for cancer. Records of this research became public in 1995, after the U.S. Department of Energy published them.
NERVE GAS SPRAY
Threats of chemical and biological warfare led the U.S. Department of Defense to start "Project 112" from 1963 to the early 1970s. Part of the effort involved spraying different ships and hundreds of Navy sailors with nerve agents such as sarin and VX, in order to test the effectiveness of decontamination procedures and safety measures at the time. The Pentagon revealed the details of the Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD) project in 2002, and the Veterans Administration began studying possible health effects among sailors who participated in SHAD. This was just one of many chemical warfare experiments conducted by the U.S. military, starting with volunteer tests involving mustard gas in World War II.
GET YOUR PLUTONIUM SHOT
As the United States raced to build its first atomic bombs near the end of World War II, scientists wanted to know more about the hazards of plutonium. Testing began on April 10, 1945 with the injection of plutonium into the victim of a car accident in Oak Ridge, Tenn., to see how quickly the human body rid itself of the radioactive substance. That was just the first of over 400 human radiation experiments. Common studies included seeing the biological effects of radiation with various doses, and testing experimental treatments for cancer. Records of this research became public in 1995, after the U.S. Department of Energy published them.
NERVE GAS SPRAY
Threats of chemical and biological warfare led the U.S. Department of Defense to start "Project 112" from 1963 to the early 1970s. Part of the effort involved spraying different ships and hundreds of Navy sailors with nerve agents such as sarin and VX, in order to test the effectiveness of decontamination procedures and safety measures at the time. The Pentagon revealed the details of the Project Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD) project in 2002, and the Veterans Administration began studying possible health effects among sailors who participated in SHAD. This was just one of many chemical warfare experiments conducted by the U.S. military, starting with volunteer tests involving mustard gas in World War II.
Monday, April 27, 2009
6 Ways Mushrooms can save the World
Mycologist Paul Stamets lists 6 ways the mycelium fungus can help save the universe: cleaning polluted soil, making insecticides, treating smallpox and even flu.....
Pew Research Poll shows Fox news is too critical of President Obama
In the latest Pew Research Poll(an independent, non-partisan public opinion research organization that studies attitudes toward politics, the press and public policy issues in the U.S.), FOX News tops all networks by a huge margin as being too critical of the president.
When Americans are asked to assess television news coverage of Barack Obama, Fox News Channel stands out from other networks for being too critical of the president. Nearly three-in-ten (29%) select Fox when asked which of six broadcast and cable news networks have been too critical of the new Democratic president, a far greater share than any other network. In contrast, no one TV network is singled out for being too easy on Obama.
Then today the network is turning down the president's request to show his prime-time news conference on Wednesday. The news conference marks Obama's 100th day in office. Instead of the president, Fox viewers will see an episode of the Tim Roth drama "Lie to Me."
It's the first time a broadcast network has refused Obama's request.
This will be the third prime-time news conference in Obama's presidency. ABC, CBS and NBC are airing it.
When Americans are asked to assess television news coverage of Barack Obama, Fox News Channel stands out from other networks for being too critical of the president. Nearly three-in-ten (29%) select Fox when asked which of six broadcast and cable news networks have been too critical of the new Democratic president, a far greater share than any other network. In contrast, no one TV network is singled out for being too easy on Obama.
Then today the network is turning down the president's request to show his prime-time news conference on Wednesday. The news conference marks Obama's 100th day in office. Instead of the president, Fox viewers will see an episode of the Tim Roth drama "Lie to Me."
It's the first time a broadcast network has refused Obama's request.
This will be the third prime-time news conference in Obama's presidency. ABC, CBS and NBC are airing it.
Bleach Bath may help excema
Adding bleach to the bath may be an effective treatment for chronic eczema, US researchers say.In a study of 31 children, there was significant improvement in eczema in those who had diluted bleach baths compared with normal baths.
The Pediatrics study also showed improvements were only on parts of the body submerged in the bath.UK experts stressed the treatment could be extremely dangerous and should only be done under the care of a specialist.
Studies have shown a direct correlation between the number of bacteria on the skin and the severity of the eczema.
It has been shown that bacteria cause inflammation and further weaken the skin barrier.In the study, researchers randomly assigned patients who had infection with Staphylococcus aureus to baths with half a cup of sodium hypochlorite per full tub or normal water baths for five to 10 minutes twice a week for three months.
They also prescribed a topical antibiotic ointment or dummy ointment for them to put into their nose - a key site for growth of the bacteria.Eczema severity in patients reduced five times as much as those on placebo.
But there was no improvement in eczema on the head and neck - areas not submerged in the bath.
The Pediatrics study also showed improvements were only on parts of the body submerged in the bath.UK experts stressed the treatment could be extremely dangerous and should only be done under the care of a specialist.
Studies have shown a direct correlation between the number of bacteria on the skin and the severity of the eczema.
It has been shown that bacteria cause inflammation and further weaken the skin barrier.In the study, researchers randomly assigned patients who had infection with Staphylococcus aureus to baths with half a cup of sodium hypochlorite per full tub or normal water baths for five to 10 minutes twice a week for three months.
They also prescribed a topical antibiotic ointment or dummy ointment for them to put into their nose - a key site for growth of the bacteria.Eczema severity in patients reduced five times as much as those on placebo.
But there was no improvement in eczema on the head and neck - areas not submerged in the bath.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Earth Day
Today is Earth Day, you hippie treehuggers and to celebrate NASA has posted high definition video of our home planet from the space station. Ain't it pretty?
In celebration of Earth Day, NASA presents images of Earth captured by cameras aboard the International Space Station. Traveling at an approximate speed of 17,500 miles per hour, the space station orbits Earth every 90 minutes from an altitude of approximately 220 miles, and can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its crew experiences 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.
In celebration of Earth Day, NASA presents images of Earth captured by cameras aboard the International Space Station. Traveling at an approximate speed of 17,500 miles per hour, the space station orbits Earth every 90 minutes from an altitude of approximately 220 miles, and can be seen from Earth with the naked eye. Its crew experiences 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Banjo Playing Chicken, Pink Monkey on the Standing Base, Blue Monster on the Xylophone
Any chance you guys could come to Grafton Street?
Facebook Manners
The etiquette video covers everything from how to dump someone (do not break-up with your partner by changing your relationship status) to the best practices for making hate groups (don't create an "I hate so-and-so" group. But if you do, don't use it to call that someone a Communist).
People gots way too much free time.............................
People gots way too much free time.............................
Lickable Wallpaper
Willy Wonka would be proud. When Adnan Aziz saw people licking orange-flavoured wallpaper in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, it gave him the idea for a novel form of advertising.
Together with Jay Minkoff, a "serial entrepreneur," he set up First Flavor, a company that makes edible film strips that allow consumers to sample the flavours of foods, drinks and other products.
So far First Flavor has distributed strips that taste of grape juice, acai-berry juice, lime-spiked rum, and baking-soda toothpaste in shops and magazines and via direct-mail campaigns.
Just as retailers stuff newspapers with coupons and sales promotions, First Flavor wants to get food and drink companies to attach a sealed pouch, containing a flavour sample, to front-page newspaper advertisements for their products. Consumers can then take them for a "taste drive," puns Minkoff.
First Flavor has already run magazine-based campaigns, so edible ads in newspapers are an obvious next step.
First Flavor and US Ink think the decline in newspaper advertising revenue, as a result of the recession and the rise of the Internet, provides an opportunity.
While Internet advertisements can do all sorts of things, so far there is no way to transmit tastes electronically.
Edible ads would allow newspapers to offer something the Internet cannot match.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
First Cloned Camel
The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday claimed its own version of Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal, after the birth of a cloned camel in Dubai this month.
"This is the first cloned camel in the world," said Dr Nisar Wani, researcher at the Camel Reproduction Centre.
Injaz, a female one-humped camel, was born on April 8 after more than five years of work by scientists at the Camel Reproduction Centre and the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory, The National newspaper reported.
"This significant breakthrough in our research programme gives a means of preserving the valuable genetics of our elite racing and milk producing camels in the future," Dr Lulu Skidmore, scientific director at the Camel Reproduction Centre, said in a statement.
Injaz, whose name means achievement in Arabic, is the clone of a camel that was slaughtered for its meat in 2005, the National said.
Scientists used DNA extracted from cells in the ovaries of the slain animal and put it into an egg taken from the surrogate mother to create a reconstructed embryo, it said.
Dolly was born in 1996 in Edinburgh in what was regarded as one of the world's most significant scientific breakthroughs, but was put to sleep in 2003.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
And who said guys were useless!
So here's our softball fan left holding the Baby - but that doesn't stop him! Watch the Ball, watch the ball....................................
A Poem Beyond Belief by Phil Plait
A is Ad hominem, attacks quite insulting,
They may feel good but no good is resulting.
B is for Bible, they swear it’s all true,
But which version’s right? The Muslim’s, Mormon’s, or Jew’s?
C is Creation, 6000 years past;
But when looked at the evidence is always half-assed.
D is Debunker, it’s said with a jeer.
But we cannot debunk without bunk, that is clear.
E: EVP, hearing voices of dead,
but it’s really just patterns of sound you are fed.
F: The Face that’s on Mars is really a butte,
Is there on the obverse a giant patoot?
G is for Geller, a spoon he will bend,
Is it magic or powers, or more likely pretend?
H, Homeopathy, infinite dilution,
Perhaps better known as persistent delusion.
I, Ideomotor, the dowser’s director,
It fallaciously points on a randomized vector.
J is Junk science, it’s always reforming,
from alt med to New Age, and anti-global warming.
K is for Karma, you reap what you sow,
but if it’s not coincidence, then how would you know?
L’s Levitation, they claim that they float
but I think it’s just bouncing they’re trying to promote.
M: Mayans said: doom in Twenty Oh Twelve,
In 2013 those predictions we’ll shelve.
N is Nibiru, a planet of vapor,
It never shows up but it looks good on paper.
O: Oxygen water, marks can’t get their fill,
What they don’t understand is that they don’t have gills.
P: Faces in patterns is called Pareidolia,
In clouds it’s mundane but in pastry it’s holier?
Q is for Quacks, their science is lacking,
They’ll sell you snake oil with the government’s backing.
R: Repressed memories, bad things you’ve forgotten,
But it’s really the premise behind it that’s rotten.
S: Sylvia Browne, who randomly guesses,
That people believe her is why it depresses.
T’s for Trudeau, and the trash that he’s sellin’,
But credit card fraud? FTC: "He’s a felon."
U, Unidentified, the definition’s specific,
But it doesn’t stop cranks thinking they’re scientific.
V is Vaccines, which clear germs up quick,
But some folks don’t like them, they fight little pricks.
W’s for Woo-woo, Randi’s favorite word choice,
And who’ll argue with him? He gave us our voice!
X is for Xenu, scientologist’s Satan,
Give us all of your money, your engrams we’ll straighten.
Y is for Yeti, the Bigfoot, Sasquatch,
A whole lot of nonsense without a single hair swatch.
Z is for Zetans, those E.T. mind readers,
But they disappeared as they followed the Lieder.
They may feel good but no good is resulting.
B is for Bible, they swear it’s all true,
But which version’s right? The Muslim’s, Mormon’s, or Jew’s?
C is Creation, 6000 years past;
But when looked at the evidence is always half-assed.
D is Debunker, it’s said with a jeer.
But we cannot debunk without bunk, that is clear.
E: EVP, hearing voices of dead,
but it’s really just patterns of sound you are fed.
F: The Face that’s on Mars is really a butte,
Is there on the obverse a giant patoot?
G is for Geller, a spoon he will bend,
Is it magic or powers, or more likely pretend?
H, Homeopathy, infinite dilution,
Perhaps better known as persistent delusion.
I, Ideomotor, the dowser’s director,
It fallaciously points on a randomized vector.
J is Junk science, it’s always reforming,
from alt med to New Age, and anti-global warming.
K is for Karma, you reap what you sow,
but if it’s not coincidence, then how would you know?
L’s Levitation, they claim that they float
but I think it’s just bouncing they’re trying to promote.
M: Mayans said: doom in Twenty Oh Twelve,
In 2013 those predictions we’ll shelve.
N is Nibiru, a planet of vapor,
It never shows up but it looks good on paper.
O: Oxygen water, marks can’t get their fill,
What they don’t understand is that they don’t have gills.
P: Faces in patterns is called Pareidolia,
In clouds it’s mundane but in pastry it’s holier?
Q is for Quacks, their science is lacking,
They’ll sell you snake oil with the government’s backing.
R: Repressed memories, bad things you’ve forgotten,
But it’s really the premise behind it that’s rotten.
S: Sylvia Browne, who randomly guesses,
That people believe her is why it depresses.
T’s for Trudeau, and the trash that he’s sellin’,
But credit card fraud? FTC: "He’s a felon."
U, Unidentified, the definition’s specific,
But it doesn’t stop cranks thinking they’re scientific.
V is Vaccines, which clear germs up quick,
But some folks don’t like them, they fight little pricks.
W’s for Woo-woo, Randi’s favorite word choice,
And who’ll argue with him? He gave us our voice!
X is for Xenu, scientologist’s Satan,
Give us all of your money, your engrams we’ll straighten.
Y is for Yeti, the Bigfoot, Sasquatch,
A whole lot of nonsense without a single hair swatch.
Z is for Zetans, those E.T. mind readers,
But they disappeared as they followed the Lieder.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Cat Shit One Movie Trailer
Fab animation from the Japanese Studio Anima Director: Kazuya Sasahara
Original Manga (released in the USA as Apocalypse Meow): Motofumi Kobayashi
Format: 23 min. 12 episodes
Target Viewers: Survival game fans and military fans
Anticipated Customers: Clients who are looking to invest in imaging contents that are on a par with those by PIXAR ...
Original Manga (released in the USA as Apocalypse Meow): Motofumi Kobayashi
Format: 23 min. 12 episodes
Target Viewers: Survival game fans and military fans
Anticipated Customers: Clients who are looking to invest in imaging contents that are on a par with those by PIXAR ...
i-phone Art
So here ya go, even with all the gaming, social networking, A-Z of anywhere in the World and camera and movie possibilities the i-phone is now for making works of art. Whatever happened to just having a phone!
Click here
Click here
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
7 Pet Myths debunked
1.NEVER GIVE PETS PEOPLE FOOD
As long as you’re using high-quality ingredients and a good recipe that meets a pet’s nutritional needs, “people food” is perfectly healthy as a regular meal for your dog or cat.
2.YOUR CAT HATES YOUR BABY
"I think the only danger of a cat around a baby is that cats like to snuggle next to warm things in small areas, and a cat will not know if this position is dangerous for the baby.”
3.DOGS AND CATS EAT GRASS WHEN THEY ARE SICK
"They love the taste and texture of grass, the newer shoots with a little water on them from the sprinklers or rain is even better.”
4.BAD BREATH IS NORMAL
A healthy pet has fresh breath. Just as in people, bad breath is a sign of a serious health problem.
5.TAIL-WAGGING MEANS A DOG IS FRIENDLY
Tail wags have lots of different meanings, some friendly and some not.
Some signals to consider:
- Relaxed, comfortable dogs generally have a gently wagging tail held horizontally or slightly lowered.
- Confident dogs carry their tails up.
- Dogs with their tails down may be stalking prey, feeling cautious or indicating friendliness and respect to the one they’re greeting.
- Together with a lowered head, direct stare, closed mouth, ears held back and eyes wide open, a lowered tail is a clear warning to back off.
- A tucked tail indicates anxiety, avoidance or caution.
6.RUB A DOGS NOSE IN ITS "BUSINESS" TO HOUSE TRAIN IT
That only makes your dog afraid of you. Instead of learning to potty outdoors, it will find hidden places to go in the house and avoid relieving itself in front of you, even outdoors.
To successfully housetrain a dog, always take it out on leash so that when it potties outside, you will be right there to reward it with a treat, praise, a favorite toy or playtime afterward.
7.CATS ALWAYS LAND ON THEIR FEET
Its almost always true but not all of them land on their feet. Every once in a while, a kitty klutz comes along.
As long as you’re using high-quality ingredients and a good recipe that meets a pet’s nutritional needs, “people food” is perfectly healthy as a regular meal for your dog or cat.
2.YOUR CAT HATES YOUR BABY
"I think the only danger of a cat around a baby is that cats like to snuggle next to warm things in small areas, and a cat will not know if this position is dangerous for the baby.”
3.DOGS AND CATS EAT GRASS WHEN THEY ARE SICK
"They love the taste and texture of grass, the newer shoots with a little water on them from the sprinklers or rain is even better.”
4.BAD BREATH IS NORMAL
A healthy pet has fresh breath. Just as in people, bad breath is a sign of a serious health problem.
5.TAIL-WAGGING MEANS A DOG IS FRIENDLY
Tail wags have lots of different meanings, some friendly and some not.
Some signals to consider:
- Relaxed, comfortable dogs generally have a gently wagging tail held horizontally or slightly lowered.
- Confident dogs carry their tails up.
- Dogs with their tails down may be stalking prey, feeling cautious or indicating friendliness and respect to the one they’re greeting.
- Together with a lowered head, direct stare, closed mouth, ears held back and eyes wide open, a lowered tail is a clear warning to back off.
- A tucked tail indicates anxiety, avoidance or caution.
6.RUB A DOGS NOSE IN ITS "BUSINESS" TO HOUSE TRAIN IT
That only makes your dog afraid of you. Instead of learning to potty outdoors, it will find hidden places to go in the house and avoid relieving itself in front of you, even outdoors.
To successfully housetrain a dog, always take it out on leash so that when it potties outside, you will be right there to reward it with a treat, praise, a favorite toy or playtime afterward.
7.CATS ALWAYS LAND ON THEIR FEET
Its almost always true but not all of them land on their feet. Every once in a while, a kitty klutz comes along.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
CRAZY FLYING MAN
The theme for today is flying! And on that note - Kids don't try this at home, without the correct supervision.....
AMAZING FLYING ELEPHANT
In the International Fund for Animal Welfare public service announcement, an elephant comes in for a landing in the style of a jumbo jet...making the point that travelers should think twice before purchasing souvenirs made from animal products.
HEATHER MILLS AND VEGETARIAN BURGERS
Paul McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills has reportedly signed a $4.3 million deal to promote vegetarian food for fast food chain Burger King.
The former model - who last week invested in a seaside cafe which she plans to turn into a vegetarian eatery - has agreed to launch a new meat-free burger at the company's 11,350 outlets throughout the world, according to U.K. newspaper The People.
A source tells the publication, "Heather is ecstatic. She believes she can change the eating habits of millions. She's also being paid a lot of money and the deal will help boost her standing."
Mills was reportedly chosen for the role after she gave $1 million worth of free veggie burgers to poor kids in New York last year.
The former model - who last week invested in a seaside cafe which she plans to turn into a vegetarian eatery - has agreed to launch a new meat-free burger at the company's 11,350 outlets throughout the world, according to U.K. newspaper The People.
A source tells the publication, "Heather is ecstatic. She believes she can change the eating habits of millions. She's also being paid a lot of money and the deal will help boost her standing."
Mills was reportedly chosen for the role after she gave $1 million worth of free veggie burgers to poor kids in New York last year.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Simon and Garfunkel to tour AGAIN
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are getting their group back together this spring for a reunion tour of Asia and Australia, according to a source close to the group.
Reunion plans apparently began after Simon and Garfunkel played three songs together during Simon's two-night gig at New York's Beacon Theatre in February.
Tour rehearsals begin in New York in May and the tour will launch in New Zealand around the first week of June, according to the source.
Shows in Australia and possibly Japan will follow, the source said.
Simon's manager, Jeff Kramer, has asked the group's musicians to clear their calendars -- which means canceling other shows -- from late May through June, the source said.
Kramer, in a statement to Rolling Stone magazine after the February show, hinted that a tour was in the works.
No official announcement has been made and Simon's publicist has not responded to CNN requests for comment.
"Yes there have been conversations taking place, but nothing has been confirmed," Kramer told Rolling Stone.
Simon and Garfunkel last reunited for their "Old Friends" tour in 2003 and 2004, which Rolling Stone estimated earned $123 million.
The duo, friends since childhood, is famous for breaking up and making up about every dozen years.
Their biggest hits together came in the late 1960s -- including "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Mrs. Robinson" and "Scarborough Fair."
Reunion plans apparently began after Simon and Garfunkel played three songs together during Simon's two-night gig at New York's Beacon Theatre in February.
Tour rehearsals begin in New York in May and the tour will launch in New Zealand around the first week of June, according to the source.
Shows in Australia and possibly Japan will follow, the source said.
Simon's manager, Jeff Kramer, has asked the group's musicians to clear their calendars -- which means canceling other shows -- from late May through June, the source said.
Kramer, in a statement to Rolling Stone magazine after the February show, hinted that a tour was in the works.
No official announcement has been made and Simon's publicist has not responded to CNN requests for comment.
"Yes there have been conversations taking place, but nothing has been confirmed," Kramer told Rolling Stone.
Simon and Garfunkel last reunited for their "Old Friends" tour in 2003 and 2004, which Rolling Stone estimated earned $123 million.
The duo, friends since childhood, is famous for breaking up and making up about every dozen years.
Their biggest hits together came in the late 1960s -- including "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Mrs. Robinson" and "Scarborough Fair."
FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE
THE WONDERFUL LOUIS ARMSTRONG AT 1958 NEWPORT FESTIVAL - NEED I SAY ANYMORE!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Prince to Stream Live into Fans Homes
Pop superstar PRINCE is set to perform from his Los Angeles mansion for fans at home - via a new Internet subscription service.
Supporters who hand over an annual fee of $77 (€56) will have access to music, lyrics, artwork and photos on a new website.
Fans can even make song requests - and watch as the icon rocks out their picks live from his own home, according to reports.
The website is scheduled to go live on 24 March (09) - days before the 29 March (09) release of his two new albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND.
In September 2007, Prince announced he intended to sue various websites, including YouTube and eBay, for hosting his music and film content online without his authorisation.
Supporters who hand over an annual fee of $77 (€56) will have access to music, lyrics, artwork and photos on a new website.
Fans can even make song requests - and watch as the icon rocks out their picks live from his own home, according to reports.
The website is scheduled to go live on 24 March (09) - days before the 29 March (09) release of his two new albums, LOtUSFLOW3R and MPLSoUND.
In September 2007, Prince announced he intended to sue various websites, including YouTube and eBay, for hosting his music and film content online without his authorisation.
The Great Gonzo Tells Us About The Script For The New MUPPET Movie - aka THE GREATEST MUPPET MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!
I have been lucky enough to get my hands on the script to the new Muppet Movie a.k.a "The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time!!!" (as theyre calling it) by Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller. I've read it an thought I'd pass on my thoughts.
Before I get started, I think it's helpful to get my take on The Muppets. I LOVE THEM. I have a huge place in my heart for these characters and many of their adventures. However, I feel the Muppets have been completely misused and misunderstood since Jim Henson's death. I love The Muppet Show, The Muppet Movie, The Great Muppet Caper, and The Muppets Take Manhattan. I feel like all the Muppet films after Jim's death just didn't "get it". There was something missing. The characters were watered down... kiddified, if you will. Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island, Muppets From Space... ugh. They just didn't feel like true Muppet movies.
Anyway- keeping that in mind, how did I like the new script? Well, I'm going to start with the non-spoiler review and let you know my impressions. Then I'll go into some spoiler-iffic detail for those interested.
The movie revolves around The Muppets reuniting after a huge falling out to save The Muppet Studios in Hollywood. They have to put on a show in the Muppet Theatre and get 10 million viewers to save the Studios from an evil Texas oil tycoon. That's the quick version. How is it? It's a solid, if not spectacular script that, with a bit of work, could be really great.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
GENE TESTING TO FIND A CURE FOR PARKINSON'S
23andMe, the gene-testing company backed by Google Inc., wants to collect DNA from the spit of 10,000 people with Parkinson’s disease to hunt for common genes that may cause the illness or predict patients’ response to drugs.
To entice patients to participate, the Mountain View, California-based company will offer to test them for $25, a fraction of the normal $399 fee. The quest is personal for Ann Wojcicki, who helped start 23andMe in 2006. Her husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has a gene variant that increases his risk of developing the neurological condition, which afflicts his mother.
One million North Americans and more than 4 million people worldwide have Parkinson’s, which causes people to tremble, shake and lose control of their body’s movements. The condition comes in different forms, and its causes are poorly understood, with a handful of genes known to increase the risk. 23andMe hopes to uncover others.
23andMe, a closely held company, is working with two nonprofit research groups, the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, California, and the New York-based Michael J. Fox Foundation, which was founded in 2000 by Fox, an actor, who suffers from Parkinson’s.
In addition to genes, environmental factors including chemical exposure and drug use may also play a role in development of the illness. “We want to try and find out if there are other genetic variations that are associated with Parkinson’s or with rapid progression or slow progression,” said Wojcicki, in a telephone interview yesterday. “Also, why some people respond well to therapy, some people don’t, and some develop resistance faster.”
“We’re very frustrated with the pace of research discoveries and we felt one way to accelerate it would be to empower individuals and form communities and self-create a research cohort,” she said. “We also believe we are really democratizing research in a new way.”
Google invested about $3.9 million in 23andMe in 2007. Brin is helping to subsidize the reduced cost for the gene-testing that gets performed for each patient, Wojcicki said. 23andMe wouldn’t disclose the extent of his contribution.
To entice patients to participate, the Mountain View, California-based company will offer to test them for $25, a fraction of the normal $399 fee. The quest is personal for Ann Wojcicki, who helped start 23andMe in 2006. Her husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, has a gene variant that increases his risk of developing the neurological condition, which afflicts his mother.
One million North Americans and more than 4 million people worldwide have Parkinson’s, which causes people to tremble, shake and lose control of their body’s movements. The condition comes in different forms, and its causes are poorly understood, with a handful of genes known to increase the risk. 23andMe hopes to uncover others.
23andMe, a closely held company, is working with two nonprofit research groups, the Parkinson’s Institute in Sunnyvale, California, and the New York-based Michael J. Fox Foundation, which was founded in 2000 by Fox, an actor, who suffers from Parkinson’s.
In addition to genes, environmental factors including chemical exposure and drug use may also play a role in development of the illness. “We want to try and find out if there are other genetic variations that are associated with Parkinson’s or with rapid progression or slow progression,” said Wojcicki, in a telephone interview yesterday. “Also, why some people respond well to therapy, some people don’t, and some develop resistance faster.”
“We’re very frustrated with the pace of research discoveries and we felt one way to accelerate it would be to empower individuals and form communities and self-create a research cohort,” she said. “We also believe we are really democratizing research in a new way.”
Google invested about $3.9 million in 23andMe in 2007. Brin is helping to subsidize the reduced cost for the gene-testing that gets performed for each patient, Wojcicki said. 23andMe wouldn’t disclose the extent of his contribution.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Dude if you're gonna grow Weed at home don't have a burgular alarm that calls the police!
Police seized more than 40 marijuana plants, two pounds of cultivated marijuana, $10,000 in cash, handguns and rifles when they responded to a burglar alarm at the waterfront home of a local dentist.
Dr. Raymond Pacholec, 61, was charged with possession of more than 50 grams of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute and operating a marijuana growing facility, police said. Pacholec was released after posting $50,000 bail.
According to Detective Sgt. James J. Smith, at 8:27 a.m. police responded a burglar alarm at Pacholec's home at Bayview Avenue and Magnolia Drive. Officers John Sperber and Don Rowley walked through the house with Pacholec, but did not find a burglar. They did, however, notice a strong odor of raw marijuana, Smith said.
The officers also saw other indications of illegal drug use and took the doctor into custody. Police left and obtained a search warrant, Smith said. The Ocean County sheriff's canine unit and Criminalistics Investigations Unit assisted. The State Police Marijuana Eradication Unit assisted in taking the evidence into custody.
The subsequent search turned up additional evidence, Smith said.
Pacholec has a practice on Route 9 in the Bayville section.
"I don't think it had anything to do with medicinal purposes," Smith said. Detectives are investigating. "This was really the result of good heads-up police work by the two officers who responded there for the burglar alarm," Smith said. "Without their keen observations, we never would have got involved with it."
Dr. Raymond Pacholec, 61, was charged with possession of more than 50 grams of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute and operating a marijuana growing facility, police said. Pacholec was released after posting $50,000 bail.
According to Detective Sgt. James J. Smith, at 8:27 a.m. police responded a burglar alarm at Pacholec's home at Bayview Avenue and Magnolia Drive. Officers John Sperber and Don Rowley walked through the house with Pacholec, but did not find a burglar. They did, however, notice a strong odor of raw marijuana, Smith said.
The officers also saw other indications of illegal drug use and took the doctor into custody. Police left and obtained a search warrant, Smith said. The Ocean County sheriff's canine unit and Criminalistics Investigations Unit assisted. The State Police Marijuana Eradication Unit assisted in taking the evidence into custody.
The subsequent search turned up additional evidence, Smith said.
Pacholec has a practice on Route 9 in the Bayville section.
"I don't think it had anything to do with medicinal purposes," Smith said. Detectives are investigating. "This was really the result of good heads-up police work by the two officers who responded there for the burglar alarm," Smith said. "Without their keen observations, we never would have got involved with it."
Friday, March 13, 2009
PRINCE GETS 3 NITES GIG ON JAY LENO
Pop genius Prince has just signed on to perform for three consecutive nights, March 25-27, on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno. It's the first time any artist has appeared on the show more than two nights in a row. Prince will also join Leno on May 28, the next-to-the-last appearance that the famed comedian will make as host of The Tonight Show.
Prince's March performances will promote the artist's new studio albums, LOtusFLOW3R and MPLSoUND, out March 29. The CDs will be packaged with a third disc, Elixer by Prince's new artist, Bria Valente. The three-disc set will be available through Prince's partnership with Target, which will sell the release for $11.98.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
RFK'S SPEECH ON MARTIN LUTER KINGS ASSASSINATION
Yep you've guessed it I have just watched the movie "Bobby" but here's another gem of footage from the 60's and a powerful speech from RFK.
MINDLESS MENACE OF VIOLENCE
This is an inspiring speech from Robert F. Kennedy April 5th 1968 at the City Club of Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio.
Eyeborg - The Bionic Reporter
The idea of lifecasting is not new but Rob Spence is going further. He is planning to have a camera embedded in his eye socket in order to become a 'bionic reporter'.
Speaking at DNA 2009, he explained he had lost an eye when young and had long thought about camera technology to replace his lost vision.
The camera eye will move in sync with the healthy eye, it will blink and it will be able to transmit footage live.
He explains: "One of the obvious applications is to be a reporter that has access to places other reporters don't - or access to conversations that normal people don't."
He says having direct eye contact will lead to a unique point of view and potentially a new grammar of film-making.
He has developed a prototype and is looking for further funding of $50,000 to complete the technical aspects of the eye. He is currently filming a documentary about the project.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Microsoft Surface
This has actually been around for a while but they're working on bringing down the cost! So if you're wondering where that iphone technology is going - watch this.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
FAMILY GUY DOES STAR WARS PART 3
"Family Guy" will extend its full-episode "Star Wars" parodies to the third film in the George Lucas series, "Return of the Jedi."
The show's cast completed a table read yesterday for a "Jedi" spoof script, which is tentatively titled “Episode VI: The Great Muppet Caper" (Ewok jokes never get old).
The animated hit's parody of "A New Hope" (which was titled, sort of confusingly at this point, "Blue Harvest," which is actually the production code name for the third film, "Return of the Jedi") was one of ... that parenthetical was so convoluted the start of the sentence is lost now, isn't it?
Do over: The animated hit's spoof of "A New Hope" was one of the show's all-time top-rated episodes and producer 20th TV sold the movie as a stand-alone DVD. For a studio, nothing beats having an episode so desirable that they can sell it solo, as it were, without needing to include the rest of the season.
The show's previously announced parody of "The Empire Strikes Back" is titled "Something-Something-Something Dark Side." Unfortunately, Fox won't air "Dark Side" until the fall. But with Carrie Fisher playing a recurring role on "Family Guy" as Peter Griffin's boss, there's some hope around the show's campfire that she'll do a voiceover in the "Empire" spoof (not as Princess Leia, since Lois plays Leia, but as another character...)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
ITS THE NEXT BIG THING - YARN GRAFFITI!
VANCOUVER — Vancouver’s urban landscape has become the target of a worldwide craze that is taking knitting and crocheting out of granny’s kitchen and onto the street in the stitching version of graffiti.
From doorknob cosies to knitted tree wraps, the yarn graffiti is showing up in all sorts of public spaces — and in a soon-to-be-released book by Vancouver yarn bombers Leanne Prain and Mandy Moore.
Yarn bombers leave tags, just as their spray-painting counterparts do, but they are far easier to remove. And the tags are captured in photos and postings online.
“I think it caught the imagination of a lot of knitters and crocheters to see graffiti done with textiles,” said Prain, who is co-authoring the book Yarn Bombing: the Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti and blogs about her pastime at www.yarnbombing.com.
In the book, the authors interview yarn bombers around the world, from the Netherlands to Texas, home of Knitta, a group that launched the practice back in 2005 with a knitted doorknob cosy. It describes itself as “guerrilla knitters.”
“Most of my tags have been on poles,” said Prain. The book will include patterns for yarn bombing, included knitted monster feet to put on sandwich boards and knitted runners for the yarn version of sneaker graffiti to go over wires.
There are also knitted tulips and a knitted mushroom to sneak into someone’s flower bed or lawn.
The yarn bombers even have their own Inspector Clouseau-like outfits for their clandestine work, from pink balaclavas to sweaters with changeable collars and sleeves that come off.
“If they are knitters they want to know what kind of wool we are using,” said Prain. “Some people just stop and stare quizzically.”
The book, published by Arsenal Pulp Press, is scheduled for release in September.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
RYANAIR - A EURO TO TAKE A LEAK!
RYANAIR is plumbing new depths with its latest passenger charge — the company wants to introduce a €1 toilet charge on its flights.
In a BBC interview, airline chief executive Michael O’Leary said: "One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the door so that people may have to spend a pound to spend a penny."
Asked what someone would do if they were caught short — of money — O’Leary responded: "I don’t think there is anybody in history who has got onboard a Ryanair aircraft with less then a pound."
Yesterday Ryanair’s publicity team were unconvincing in their attempts to wash their hands of Mr O’Leary’s comments.
"Michael makes a lot of this stuff up as he goes along and while this has been discussed internally, there are no immediate plans to introduce it."
The spokesperson said O’Leary’s comments highlight Ryanair’s obsession with lowering costs and passing these savings on in the form of lower fares.
"Passengers using train and bus stations are already accustomed to paying to use the toilet, so why not on airplanes?"
Then again, maybe O’Leary was just taking the p*ss.
In a BBC interview, airline chief executive Michael O’Leary said: "One thing we have looked at in the past and are looking at again is the possibility of maybe putting a coin slot on the door so that people may have to spend a pound to spend a penny."
Asked what someone would do if they were caught short — of money — O’Leary responded: "I don’t think there is anybody in history who has got onboard a Ryanair aircraft with less then a pound."
Yesterday Ryanair’s publicity team were unconvincing in their attempts to wash their hands of Mr O’Leary’s comments.
"Michael makes a lot of this stuff up as he goes along and while this has been discussed internally, there are no immediate plans to introduce it."
The spokesperson said O’Leary’s comments highlight Ryanair’s obsession with lowering costs and passing these savings on in the form of lower fares.
"Passengers using train and bus stations are already accustomed to paying to use the toilet, so why not on airplanes?"
Then again, maybe O’Leary was just taking the p*ss.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
INVEST IN TOYS!!!!!!!!!
Now when did you ever think you'd hear someone say INVEST IN TOYS? In a recent report by Reuters:
"With stocks and shares no longer a safe bet, some see toy collecting as a solid investment.Toys are no longer seen as collectables for eccentrics. Today, they are becoming the choice for serious investors.
"With stocks and shares no longer a safe bet, some see toy collecting as a solid investment.Toys are no longer seen as collectables for eccentrics. Today, they are becoming the choice for serious investors.
Something that may have seemed worthless a few decades ago may now be in real demand.But experts warn the toy collectable market can be a risky business."
Friendship, Belief, Spirituality
If any of the above are important in your life or if your looking for another blog to view to learn something, enjoy a quiz, pass some time head over to www.markvernon.com. Check out his Friendship and Spirituality Quiz.
"A true friend stabs you in the front" Oscar Wilde
"The darkest place is always underneath the lamp." Chinese proverb
"A true friend stabs you in the front" Oscar Wilde
"The darkest place is always underneath the lamp." Chinese proverb
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Microsoft on to a Winner!
Today, Microsoft researchers will demonstrate software that can, in real time, superimpose computer-generated information on top of a digitized view of the real world.
Adding additional visual data to a video display is a technique known as augmented reality. Michael Cohen, principal researcher at Microsoft Research, in Redmond, WA, says that the approach could add another dimension to future smart phones. "You could be out on the street, hold the device up, and it could recognize a restaurant and deliver ratings and the menu," he says. A smart phone featuring an augmented-reality display could also overlay a bus route and an estimate of when the next bus is due on top of a particular street. "It essentially becomes your portal to information," Cohen says.
Cohen and his colleagues will demo the augmented-reality technology at TechFest, an annual showcase of Microsoft's research projects, in Redmond. Their software, which runs on a small portable computer, analyzes scenes from a camera, matches to those stored in a database, and overlays supplementary information on the display. The researchers note that a smart phone with augmented reality could help allow engineers to "see" the pipes or electrical cables below a street. In the demonstration given at TechFest, the software will be used to lead people on a treasure hunt to a hidden prize of a (virtual) pot of gold.
People at Work
Although times are tough and many of Us have lost out jobs some people are actually working. Their jobs may not be glamorous, exciting or fun but there is a beauty in them as these wonderful photographs show! Beauty at Work
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
I love Mickey Rourke!
Maybe this speech is why he didn't win the Oscar but it sure beats a boring Thank you Monologue!
For the one you love on VALENTINES DAY!
Sorry this is a bit late - but just in case you're gushing with love for your nearest and dearest here's a company that makes personalized DVD's of your LURVE for each other!
Friday, February 20, 2009
The 50 Coolest Song Parts
Here's a link to "The 50 Coolest Song Parts" as described by retrocrush.buzznet.com. You will Love or Hate some of his selection but its an interesting mix of great, classic pieces and some hammy numbers! Enjoy
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
What Obama's Stimulus Package could buy?
President Obama signed the $787 billion economic stimulus bill into law today. About $281 billion of the stimulus will go to new tax cuts with the remainder being spent on infrastructure investments, expanded unemployment benefits, and other programs.
But what else could this stimulus package purchase? Here's a few examples:1.Romney's Utah ski home - more than 149,000 times over
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's Utah ski home was just recently put on the market with an asking price of $5,250,000. You could purchase this estate about 149,904 times over with the stimulus package.
2.Cover money lost in Madoff's Ponzi sheme - 16 times over
Bernard Madoff, a prominent money manager and former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market, was accused of a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. The stimulus costs could cover the total money lost in this enormous scam 16 times over.
3.More than 222 billion Big Macs
Since many look to the Bic Mac index to understand exchange rates, it might help put the stimulus package in perspective. With the Big Mac currently worth about $3.54, the stimulus could purchase over 222 billion of the beloved burgers.
Risk of Depression 50 Times lower in Japan
IRISH people are 50 times more likely to develop depression than the Japanese because we don’t eat enough fish, a conference was told in Dublin yesterday.
Professor Michael Crawford, director of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, at London Metropolitan University, suggested that dependence on a meat and wheat-based diet is resulting in a significant rise in brain ill-health in the Western world.
"Currently, just over 50% of the Irish population eats fish at least once a week," said Prof Crawford, a Bord Iascaigh Mhara-sponsored keynote speaker at the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute conference.
His key message to the Irish is to eat more fish and substantially lessen their risk of developing mental health problems.
Professor Michael Crawford, director of the Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition, at London Metropolitan University, suggested that dependence on a meat and wheat-based diet is resulting in a significant rise in brain ill-health in the Western world.
"Currently, just over 50% of the Irish population eats fish at least once a week," said Prof Crawford, a Bord Iascaigh Mhara-sponsored keynote speaker at the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute conference.
His key message to the Irish is to eat more fish and substantially lessen their risk of developing mental health problems.
Do we need a New Internet
Two decades ago a 23-year-old Cornell University graduate student brought the Internet to its knees with a simple software program that skipped from computer to computer at blinding speed, thoroughly clogging the then-tiny network in the space of a few hours.
The program was intended to be a digital “Kilroy Was Here.” Just a bit of cybernetic fungus that would unobtrusively wander the net. However, a programming error turned it into a harbinger heralding the arrival of a darker cyberspace, more of a mirror for all of the chaos and conflict of the physical world than a utopian refuge from it.
Since then things have gotten much, much worse.
Bad enough that there is a growing belief among engineers and security experts that Internet security and privacy have become so maddeningly elusive that the only way to fix the problem is to start over.
What a new Internet might look like is still widely debated, but one alternative would, in effect, create a “gated community” where users would give up their anonymity and certain freedoms in return for safety. Today that is already the case for many corporate and government Internet users. As a new and more secure network becomes widely adopted, the current Internet might end up as the bad neighborhood of cyberspace. You would enter at your own risk and keep an eye over your shoulder while you were there.
“Unless we’re willing to rethink today’s Internet,” says Nick McKeown, a Stanford engineer involved in building a new Internet, “we’re just waiting for a series of public catastrophes.”The Internet’s original designers never foresaw that the academic and military research network they created would one day bear the burden of carrying all the world’s communications and commerce. There was no one central control point and its designers wanted to make it possible for every network to exchange data with every other network. Little attention was given to security. Since then, there have been immense efforts to bolt on security, to little effect.
“In many respects we are probably worse off than we were 20 years ago,” said Eugene Spafford, the executive director of the Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security at Purdue University and a pioneering Internet security researcher, “because all of the money has been devoted to patching the current problem rather than investing in the redesign of our infrastructure.”
In fact, many computer security researchers view the nearly two decades of efforts to patch the existing network as a Maginot Line approach to defense, a reference to France’s series of fortifications that proved ineffective during World War II. The shortcoming in focusing on such sturdy digital walls is that once they are evaded, the attacker has access to all the protected data behind them. “Hard on the outside, with a soft chewy center,” is the way many veteran computer security researchers think of such strategies.
Despite a thriving global computer security industry that is projected to reach $79 billion in revenues next year, and the fact that in 2002 Microsoft itself began an intense corporatewide effort to improve the security of its software, Internet security has continued to deteriorate globally.Tuesday, February 17, 2009
LL Cool J tells Obama how to run the U.S.
And you thought LL had retired from dishing out his words of wisdom!Rapper LL Cool J has penned an open letter to new US President Barack Obama, offering him words of advice about how best to serve his country.The hip-hop star was an outspoken supporter of the Democrat on the campaign trail, and he is delighted to have played a part in such an important election.
LL, real name James Todd Smith, has urged Obama to stick to his principles as he embarks upon an historic journey.
"The next chapter of your life has begun," he wrote. "The toughest decisions you will ever have to make lie in front of you. Decisions that will require you to choose between integrity and necessity to enact the promises made to millions of people, and recognise a change in perspective that will sometimes make those promises impossible to keep.
"Only you will be able to make those choices.
"You have shifted the cultural paradigm of America, but now you have to live up to the ideal that fostered the shift and ensure that the paradigm doesn't shift back. You must deliver."
Monday, February 16, 2009
Gene Therapy Cures Fatal Bubble Boy Disease
Gene therapy marked another successful milestone last week when it was used to completely cure eight of 10 children who had potentially fatal “bubble boy disease,” according to a study that followed their progress for an average of four years after treatment. Formally known as severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID, the genetic disease causes its carriers to develop non-functional immune systems, typically resulting in death from infection within the first year of life without advanced treatment.
The patients in the study suffered from the second most common form of SCID, arising from a single malfunctioning gene that results in a defective enzyme, adenosine deaminase (ADA). To cure the patients, a sample of marrow cells was removed from their bodies, a virus was used to “upgrade” the cells with working copies of the gene, and then the cells were injected back into the patients’ bodies. After taking residence in the body these enhanced marrow cells were able to proliferate within the patients and supplant the original malfunctioning immune system with a functioning one.
SCID acquired the name “bubble boy disease” as a result of the famous story of David Vetter, a boy in the 70’s who literally lived in a sterilized vessel, or bubble, for 12 years in an effort to protect him from infectious encounters. Vetter eventually died in 1984 when an attempt to cure him with a bone marrow transplant failed. This disease, diagnosed in roughly 40-100 children in the United States each year, is particularly heart wrenching because it necessarily afflicts children.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Tom's the Man!
Meant to post this last week after watching a clip on Jon Ross on Friday nite. You gotta say Tom is the Man! Little Richard ain't bad neither!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
George Bush is DEAD!?
A South African TV station mistakenly broadcast that former US President George Bush had died during one of its news bulletins.
For three seconds ETV News ran a moving banner headline across the screen saying "George Bush is dead".
The "misbroadcast" happened when a technician pressed the "broadcast live for transmission" button instead of the one for a test-run.
The station said test banners would now be done in "gobbledegook".
The mistake happened when a senior staff member wanted to see how a rolling banner headline looked.
'Wrong button'
"The technical director pressed the wrong button, it took a second for the words to appear and then the words were on screen for only three seconds before they were taken off," said spokesman Vasili Vass.
He said he could not comment on whether the person responsible would face disciplinary action.
"We've learned from it, all test banners will now be done in gobbledegook," he added.
The mistake was first reported on by the Afrikaans language newspaper Beeld, and on the media group's website, News24.com.
"Its unfortunate, because we never comment on their mistakes," said Mr Vass.Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Evolution of Microsoft Windows
I'm sure that you all remember different versions of Microsofts Operating systems but here's
A look back at nearly 20 years of Microsoft operating systems.
A look back at nearly 20 years of Microsoft operating systems.
The Mac Evolution
Considering that this month marks the 25th anniversary of the Macintosh, it's a good time to take a look at this computer's past. From the first Apple to the MacBook Air, Macs have been regarded as technologically innovative, beautiful in product design and, over time, become just plain cool.
View a slideshow of how the Mac evolution led to the Apple revolution.
View a slideshow of how the Mac evolution led to the Apple revolution.
Chancellor Barbie
Toy company Mattel debuted the Chancellor Angela Merkel Barbie last week at an international toy fair in the southern city of Nuremberg. It sports Merkel's signature strawberry-blond bob, an elegant black pantsuit and low-heeled shoes."She's a role model for other women worldwide," said Mattel spokeswoman Stephanie Wegener. "She represents what we can achieve."
Merkel attended the fair's opening Wednesday and Wegener said she approved of her miniature doppelganger - even though Barbie's familiar face and figure do not exactly replicate her real-life appearance.
"Creating a copy of someone is not the intention - we're not Madame Tussauds," Wegener said. "It's just a lookalike doll created to honor her."
The special-edition Barbie, part of Mattel's celebrations of the ubiquitous doll's 50th birthday, is not for sale and will not go into production. The company said it has not yet decided what to do with it after the trade fair closes on Tuesday.
MIT Students turn Internet into a sixth human sense
LONG BEACH, California -- Students at the MIT Media Lab have developed a wearable computing system that turns any surface into an interactive display screen. The wearer can summon virtual gadgets and internet data at will, then dispel them like smoke when they're done.
Pattie Maes of the lab's Fluid Interfaces group said the research is aimed at creating a new digital "sixth sense" for humans. Maes' MIT group, which includes seven graduate students, were thinking about how a person could be more integrated into the world around them and access information without having to do something like take out a phone.
The prototype was built from an ordinary webcam and a battery-powered 3M projector, with an attached mirror -- all connected to an internet-enabled mobile phone. The setup, which costs less than $350, allows the user to project information from the phone onto any surface -- walls, the body of another person or even your hand.
Friday, February 6, 2009
India's $10 laptop too good to be true!
India's much-hyped plan to build a $10 laptop has been exposed as a massive exaggeration.
Several media outlets, including The Industry Standard, cited a Times of India article that last week stated India would be unveiling the laptop as an educational tool for children across the country.
The Times article quoted a government official -- Secretary of Higher Education R. P. Agarwal - which seemed to provide more legitimacy to the claim. Indian offficials had said it was to be an answer to Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child project.
Now it turns out that the project actually centers around a 2GB hard drive with wireless capabilities.
Fast Company reports that the device "appears to be nothing much more sophisticated than a specialized digital storage hub/net access point for educational media."
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
How to knit
For those of you suffering from the cold and boredom why not try the new extremely useful but fashionable hobby KNITTING! Check out the purple suit - Inspiring!
Monday, February 2, 2009
India's $10 Laptop to be revealed Feb. 3
On February 3, the Indian government will display a prototype of the Rs 500, a $10 laptop that will hopefully give more young people the opportunity to learn and help increase the country's school enrollment.
The $10 laptop project is the product of a collaboration among institutions including the Vellore Institute of Technology, the Indian Institute of Science, and IIT-Madras. The project began about three years ago in response to the proposed $100 laptop (the "One Laptop Per Child" project), an idea from MIT's Nicholas Negroponte, which was going to cost $200. Currently, the $10 laptop is projected to cost $20, but India's secretary of higher education R. P. Agarwal hopes that price will come down with mass production.
The $10 laptop will be equipped with 2 GB of memory, WiFi, fixed Ethernet, expandable memory, and consume just 2 watts of power.
The unveiling of the laptop will occur at the government's launch of the National Mission on Education through Information and Technology, held next Tuesday in Tirupati. The Indian government is working with publishers to provide e-content on educational subjects which will be available free of cost. The government is also considering a plan to subsidize internet connections for schools.
Currently, the government is consulting with different production agencies, and hopes to make the computers commercially available in the next six months
Sunday, February 1, 2009
SuperBowl XLIII
First year in seven I can actually watch the whole show! Here's what Pepsi Max has to offer in the intervals!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Get the Study Head back on again
I met my Japanese teacher today for coffee and although I haven't studied Japanese for a few years let alone practiced it I'm going to sit the Japanese Language Proficiency Test in December of this year if they decide to hold it in Ireland. Students normally have to travel to the UK, France or Germany to sit the exam so it would be a huge bonus if they held exams here in Ireland. They do say that learning another language is the best way to keep the brain active. So for all you out there who feel the need to get your study on this is what it involves JLPT. Well with all this free time we now have due to the CEC(current economic conditions) why not study Japanese! Think of all the money you could make just designing tatoo's.
First Commercially Cloned Dog
Well you knew it was gonna happen but who knew how soon it would be. BioArts International announced today that they have delivered the world’s first commercially cloned dog, a 10-week old Labrador named Lancey, to a Florida family. According to the press release issued by the company, “BioArts International is a biotech company focused on unique, untapped markets in the global companion animal, stem cell and human genomics industries.She is a cutey though!
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