Off-topic

2 Tone Lobster

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Sat, 15 Jul 2006 18:26:00 +0000

A rare two-toned lobster is seen in this Thursday, July 13, 2006, photo taken in Bar Harbor, Maine. The lobster caught by Alan Robinson in Dyer's Bay is a typical mottled green on one side; the other side is a shade of orange that looks cooked. Robinson, of Steuben, donated the lobster to the Mount Desert Oceanarium. Staff members say the odds or finding a half-and-half lobster are 1 in 50 million to 100 million. (AP Photo/The Daily News, Abigail Curtis)

WTF

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Wed, 03 May 2006 15:43:00 +0000

Road Rage

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:58:00 +0000

A man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him. He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection.

The tailgating woman hit the roof, and the horn, screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection with him. As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up. He took her to the police station where she was searched, fingerprinted, photographed, and placed in a cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping the guy off in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do" bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk. Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."

Movie-Goers Getting Smells to Match Scenes

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 18:34:00 +0000

TOKYO - A theater audience in Japan will be sniffing their noses — literally — at a new Hollywood adventure film when it opens here later this month.

A new service from a major telecommunications company, NTT Communications Corp., will synchronize seven different smells to parts of 'The New World,' starring Colin Farrell.

A floral scent accompanies a love scene, while a mix of peppermint and rosemary is emitted during a tear-jerking scene. Joy is a citrus mix of orange and grapefruit, while anger is enhanced by a herb-like concoction with a hint of eucalyptus and tea tree.

The smells waft from special machines under the seats in the back rows of two movie theaters, which create different fragrances by controlling the mix of oils stored in the machines, company spokeswoman Akiko Suzaki said Wednesday.

In 'The New World,' which opened in the United States in December, Farrell plays American colonial leader John Smith, who is said to have been saved from execution by North American Indian princess Pocahontas.

Theaters will be able to download from the Internet different scent sequences for other films, Suzaki said.

The company began a similar service for homes in Japan last year. Owners of the $620 home version can download different programs to emit smells to accompany a horoscope reading or work as aromatherapy.

Owners must keep refilling the machine with fragrant liquids. NTT Communications would not disclose how many machines it has sold.

U.S. startups have developed similar technologies before, although at least one company had to shut down during the dot-com bust.

This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "That movie stinks".

I wonder what Shrek would smell like?

Illusion

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 21:29:00 +0000

This is a pretty cool illusion. In the picture on top look at the sqares labeled A & B. They are clearly a different color right? Wrong. In the bottom photo I have removed part of the 2 squares and placed them side by side, as you can see they are the same color. Try it yourself using paint, photoshop, or whatever photo editing program you use.
Click on the image to view full-size.

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 16:08:00 +0000

Wind blown ice forms on a decorative light house along Lake Erie in Hamburg, N.Y., Friday, Feb. 17, 2006. Winds gusting up to 77 mph knocked out power to at least 1,000 homes and closed schools from Buffalo to Rochester.

Spirit Mars Rover Reaches 'Home Plate'

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 15:52:00 +0000

NASA’s Spirit Mars rover has arrived at a site dubbed "Home Plate" within Gusev crater. But what the robot found has left scientists puzzled.

As the Mars machinery relays images of the area, the sightseeing has sparked healthy debate within the team running the mission.
It has a shape when seen from above that is reminiscent of a playa or evaporite basin…so that has made it a point of possible interest in a mission seeking evidence for past water on Mars...
Full story

Superbowl XL- STEELERS 21, SEAHAWKS 10

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 21:37:00 +0000

Steelers running back Jerome Bettis holds the Vince Lombardi trophy aloft after the Steelers won Super Bowl XL at Ford Field last night. Bettis announced his retirement shortly after the game.
Official site of the Pittsburgh Steelers

Pa. Town Changes Name to Support Steelers

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 14:12:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, Pennsylvania - Just to make sure there's no confusion about which team they are supporting in the Super Bowl XL, the mayor and council voted unanimously to change this city's name.

Welcome to Steeler, Pennsylvania.

The name change for the city of about 15,000 people south of Pittsburgh will last through Feb. 5, the day of the football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit.

I know the folks in the state of Washington are rooting for the Seahawks, so we wanted to make sure everyone knows the city of Washington is fully in support of the Steelers, Mayor Kenneth J. Westcott told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Anyone sending bills, cards or letters should continue addressing them to Washington, however, because the name change is cosmetic and not recognized by the U.S. Postal Service.

It's just a spoof until after the Super Bowl, Westcott told the newspaper.

Browns Fan Gets Super Bowl Weekend in Jail

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 14:55:00 +0000

CLEVELAND - The fan who ran onto the field at
Cleveland Browns Stadium during a Steelers-Browns game was sentenced Tuesday to spend Super Bowl weekend in jail.

Nathan Mallett, 24, will begin his three-day sentence on Feb. 3 and won't be allowed to watch the Feb. 5 game on television or listen to it on radio.

Municipal Court Judge Joan Synenberg ordered Mallett not to attend Browns games in Cleveland or any other city for five years as a condition of his probation. He also most perform 150 hours of community service with Browns charities. He could have been sentenced to up to 30 days in jail.

Mallett, who expressed remorse in court, was convicted earlier this month of misdemeanor counts of disorderly conduct while intoxicated and criminal trespassing.

He has said he raced onto the field because he was upset by Pittsburgh's 41-0 win over the Browns on Dec. 24. His jaunt ended when Steelers linebacker James Harrison body-slammed him onto the ground and held him for police.

Pre-School test

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 21:24:00 +0000

When asked which direction the bus is going, most kids answered correctly.
Can you figure it out?

The answer has to be left or right.

The answer is in the comments section.

U.S. Marine Corps Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 17:15:00 +0000

Thought you all would like to see the original version of this popular Christmas poem, Darren

This piece, which sees wide circulation every Christmas time, is generally credited to "a Marine stationed in Okinawa, Japan" (or, since 11 September 2001, "a Marine stationed in Afghanistan"). More specifically, the poem is often attributed to an Air Force Lieutenant Colonel named Bruce Lovely, who purportedly penned it on Christmas Eve 1993 while stationed in Korea (and saw it printed under his name in the Ft. Leavenworth Lamp a few years later). Lovely wrote:

"I arrived in Korea in Jul 93 and was extremely impressed with the commitment of the soldiers I worked with and those that were prepared to give their lives to maintain the freedom of South Korea. To honor them, I wrote the poem and went around on Christmas Eve and put it under the doors of US soldiers assigned to Yongsan."

This attribution does a great disservice to the poem's true author, James M. Schmidt, who was a Lance Corporal stationed in Washington, D.C., when he wrote the poem back in 1986. As Corporal Schmidt told us in December 2002:

The true story is that while a Lance Corporal serving as Battalion Counter Sniper at the Marine Barracks 8th & I, Washington, DC, under Commandant P.X. Kelly and Battalion Commander D.J. Myers [in 1986], I wrote this poem to hang on the door of the Gym in the BEQ. When Colonel Myers came upon it, he read it and immediately had copies sent to each department at the Barracks and promptly dismissed the entire Battalion early for Christmas leave. The poem was placed that day in the Marine Corps Gazette, distributed worldwide and later submitted to Leatherneck Magazine. Schmidt's original version, entitled "Merry Christmas, My Friend," was published in Leatherneck (Magazine of the Marines) in December 1991, a full two years before it was supposedly "written" by someone else on Christmas Eve 1993 (and had appeared in the Barracks publication Pass in Review four years before it was printed in Leatherneck).

As Leatherneck wrote of the poem's author in 2003: "Merry Christmas, My Friend"has been a holiday favorite among "leatherneckphiles" for nearly the time it takes to complete a Marine Corps career. Few, however, know who wrote it and when. Former Corporal James M. Schmidt, stationed at Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C., pounded it out 17 years ago on a typewriter while awaiting the commanding officer's Christmas holiday decorations inspection . . . while other leathernecks strung lights for the Barracks' annual Christmas decoration contest, Schmidt contributed his poem to his section. Over the years the text of "Merry Christmas, My Friend" has been altered to change Marine-specific wording into Army references (including the title: U.S. Marines do not refer to themselves as "soldiers") and to incorporate line-ending rhyme changes necessitated by those alterations.

We reproduce below Corporal Schmidt's version as printed in Leatherneck back in 1991: Merry Christmas, My Friend

Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone, In a one bedroom house made of plaster & stone.

I had come down the chimney, with presents to give and to see just who in this home did live

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see, no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree. No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand. On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind, a sobering thought soon came to my mind. For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen. This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more, so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door. And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone, Curled up on the floor in his one- bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene, Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine. Was this the hero, of whom I'd just read? Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan. I soon understood, this was more than a man. For I realized the families that I saw that night, owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play, And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day. They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year, because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn't help wonder how many lay alone, on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home. Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye. I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice, "Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more. My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep, I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still. I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill. So I took off my jacket, the one made of red, and covered this Marine from his toes to his head. Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold, with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold. And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride, and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night, this guardian of honor so willing to fight. But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure, said "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure." One look at my watch and I knew he was right, Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

After leaving the Corps, Corporal Schmidt earned a law degree and now serves as an entertainment attorney in Los Angeles and is director of operations for a security consulting firm.

Woman Allegedly Hires Hit Man for Cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Wed, 07 Dec 2005 15:37:00 +0000

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - In an unusual case of mistaken identity, a woman who thought a block of white cheese was cocaine is charged with trying to hire a hit man to rob and kill four men. The woman also was mistaken about the hit man. He turned out to be an undercover police officer.

Jessica Sandy Booth, 18, was arrested over the weekend and remains in jail with bond set at $1 million on four charges of attempted murder and four counts of soliciting a murder.

According to police, Booth was in the Memphis home of the four intended victims last week when she mistook a block of queso fresco cheese for cocaine — inspiring the idea to hire someone to break into the home, take the drugs, and kill the men.

An informant described the plot to police, who arranged a meeting between Booth and the undercover officer.

The undercover officer gave Booth some nonfunctioning handguns, bought ammunition for her because she was too young, and the two proceeded to the home under police surveillance.

Booth told the officer that any children inside the house old enough to testify would have to be killed, police said.

A search of the home with the permission of the occupants revealed no drugs — only the white, crumbly cheese common in Mexican cuisine.

"Four men were going to lose their lives over some cheese", said Lt. Jeff Clark, who heads Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Robot Bartender

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 17:06:00 +0000

Koreans introduce 'talking' robots: "A talking, bartending robot has made its debut in Busan, Korea, serving world delegates with drinks and conversation at the recent APEC forum."

Several humanoid helper robots have been introduced in Korea in the past, but the
bartending robot is unique in its ability to both converse with people and serve them with whatever they need.

The robot is the creation of the Korean Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intelligent Robot taskforce. Designed to assist the elderly and disabled, its ability to hold conversations and execute commands has earned it the name 'thinking robot' or 'T-Rot'.

T-Rot has two cameras that enable it to recognize people and objects. These cameras help it to identify peoples’ faces and surrounding objects. As well as human speech it also recognizes its own location.

Another strength is its ability to identify items with its highly developed sense of touch. T-Rot is equipped with polyamide film and three-axis sensors that enable it to determine vertical pressure and horizontal sliding. This makes it possible for it to determine the weight of objects. Having gauged the precise weight of an object, the robot applies the appropriate strength to lift the object, be it a can or bottle of drink.

T-Rot can even sense a person's weight and determine the precise level of strength required to shake his or her hand. This is a significant advance over other robots who shake hands using pre-installed programs, few of which match with the person’s strength.

SPACE.com -- Japan's Hayabusa Spacecraft Lands Successfully on Asteroid

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 19:46:00 +0000

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan's space agency said Wednesday its spacecraft had successfully touched down on an asteroid 180 million miles from Earth despite an earlier announcement that it had failed.

On Sunday, JAXA officials had said the Hayabusa probe, on a mission to land on the asteroid named Itokawa, collect material, then bring it back to Earth, failed to touch down after maneuvering within yards of the surface.

However, the agency said Wednesday that data confirmed that Hayabusa had landed on the surface Sunday for a...

How to Shop for the Best DVD Player

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 14:54:00 +0000

The quality of audio output varies among different CD players, but the range is nothing compared to DVDs. Moreover, the quality gap isn't always determined by how much you pay. What it all comes down to are two key electronic components that largely determine the value of your DVD player.

:: Portable Firefox ::

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Mon, 07 Nov 2005 18:03:00 +0000

Portable Firefox: Deer Park 1.5 RC1
your browser, your way... in your pocket

Portable Firefox allows you to carry your whole web browser along with all your bookmarks and extensions with you on an iPod, USB thumbdrive, portable hard drive or any other portable media. You can plug it right into any Windows computer and use it just like you would on your own. It is a repackaged version of the popular Mozilla Firefox browser designed with portability in mind, so it has all the same great features of Firefox, but there's nothing to install.

World’s Most Powerful Subwoofer!

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Tue, 01 Nov 2005 14:54:00 +0000

No, it’s not a fan. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the world’s most powerful subwoofer: the Eminent Tech TRW 17. Rather than your garden variety 10 or 12 inch paper cone pulsating back and forth, this subwoofer creates a wall of air as big as your living room. In other words, the entire room becomes a resonating box!

By rotating the fins and modulating the speed, frequency goes...

CNN.com - Skywatchers await Mars close-up - Oct 28, 2005

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 19:05:00 +0000

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Mars is ready for another close-up as the Red Planet will swing unusually close to Earth this weekend.

Mars' latest rendezvous will not match its record-breaking approach to Earth in 2003, when it hovered from 35 million miles away. But more skygazers this time around can glimpse the fourth rock from the sun because it will glow above the horizon.

'This is the best we're going to see Mars, so we should strike the iron while it is hot...

McDonald's In Japan Offers Shrimp Burger

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Fri, 14 Oct 2005 16:57:00 +0000

local6.com - News - McDonald's In Japan Offers Shrimp Burger: "McDonald's In Japan Offers Shrimp Burger

TOKYO -- Struggling to lure customers back amid increased competition, McDonald's is adding a new item to its menu in Japan: the shrimp burger.

The $2.40 burger, shown to reporters Friday and set to go on sale this month, is the latest effort by the Japan unit of the U.S. fast-food chain to win over Japanese palates -- and spark sales."

Universe Today - Vivid View of Spongy Hyperion

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 17:47:00 +0000

Cassini made its first flyby of Saturn's moon Hyperion last week, and took this amazing photograph. The spacecraft got within 500 km (310 miles), and you can clearly see how unusual this spongy-looking moon is. Scientists think that Hyperion is little more than a pile of rubble, loosely held together by its own gravity because much of its mass is just empty space. Hyperion is only 266 kilometers (165 miles) across, has an irregular shape, and spins in a chaotic rotation."

Emergency call has dispatchers scratching their head

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Sat, 01 Oct 2005 17:27:00 +0000

Rattlesnakes hanging from trees, striking at people. Huh, what. St. Francois County dispatchers were scratching their heads when they dispatched that message out on Friday afternoon. Strange enough, the dispatch proved valid as St. Francois County deputies took 14 rattlesnakes into custody.

'A landowner on Whittaker Road was clearing some brush and noticed an unusual amount of rattlesnakes in the trees and called dispatch,' said St. Francois County Sheriff Dan Bullock. 'Upon closer investigation, the snakes appeared to young. There had to be some older ones around though, if there were that many younger ones.'

Bullock said deputies captured the snakes and put them into a glass jar.

'We are in the process of contacting the Missouri Department of Conservation to come and get the snakes,' Bullock said. 'Under Missouri law it is illegal to kill a snake. Even a poisonous snake.'

Bullock said he wasn't sure how the deputies captured the snakes, but he did say that no one was bitten or injured during the incident.

'The whole thing is strange,' Bullock said. 'I've never seen rattlesnakes get up in trees before.'

PCWorld.com - The 100 Best Products of 2005

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 14:48:00 +0000

PCWorld.com - The 100 Best Products of 2005: "The 100 Best Products of 2005"
#1-Mozilla Firefox

The (google ad free) Opera 8 Web Browser and Internet Suite

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Wed, 21 Sep 2005 13:36:00 +0000

Welcome to the Opera Wiki! These pages collect a range of information relating to tips, customization, and technical details of the latest version of Opera. Because this is a wiki, these pages are open to ALL who want to add information they consider important.

Opera has now removed the ad banners and licensing model; it is now free to use without any Google Ads."

PCWorld.com - 20 Things They Don't Want You to Know

noreply@blogger.com (Darren) — Sun, 18 Sep 2005 15:01:00 +0000

We reveal some of what vendors are keeping mum, such as: You never have to pay full price, extended warranties rarely pay for themselves, and the big sites do have customer service numbers.

Psssst! Wanna know a secret? How about a whole bunch of them?"