Off-topic

2 Tone Lobster

2006-07-15T11:26:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

Road Rage

2006-04-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

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

2006-04-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

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

2006-03-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

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.

2006-02-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

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'

2006-02-11T07:52:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

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

2006-01-28T06:12:00.000-08:00

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

2006-01-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-21T09:15:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

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

2005-12-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

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 ::

2005-11-07T10:03:00.000-08:00

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!

2005-11-01T06:54:00.000-08:00

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

2005-10-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-01T10:47:00.000-07:00

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

2005-10-01T10:27:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-30T07:48:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-21T06:36:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-18T08:01:00.000-07:00

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?"

Chinese Try to Get Chimp to Quit Smoking - Yahoo! News

2005-08-26T08:05:00.000-07:00

Chinese Try to Get Chimp to Quit Smoking - Yahoo! News: "XI'AN, China - The handlers of a smoking chimpanzee in a zoo in northwest China are trying to get her to kick the habit.

The 26-year-old female chimpanzee has been smoking for 15 years. Her mate died recently, which caused her to smoke even more.

Now, the chimp's keepers are worried about her health as a result of her intense smoking. So, they're trying to give her milk instead of cigarettes.

She started smoking years ago by picking up butts from tourists."

Earth and Moon Viewer

2005-08-12T07:20:00.000-07:00

"You can view either a map of the Earth showing the day and night regions at this moment, or view the Earth from the Sun, the Moon, the night side of the Earth, above any location on the planet specified by latitude, longitude and altitude, from a satellite in Earth orbit, or above various cities around the globe."

Dog vs. Porcupine

2005-07-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

Inca before the encounter.

Inca, is doing alright after her run in with a Porcupine May 23. Thousands of quills were embedded even in her tongue. The vets worked for quite some time to get quills out and even still could not get them all. The one's that are left will work themselves out over time.

Inca is home and on antibiotics and pain killers.

American diver injured

2005-07-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

USA's Chelsea Davis hits her head on the board during a preliminary round in the women's three-meter springboard diving competition at the World Aquatics Championships Friday, July 22, 2005 in Montreal. Davis required stitches after hitting her head.

World's ugliest Dog!!!

2005-07-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Sam, the above-pictured canine, is a 14-year-old pedigreed Chinese crested owned by Susie Lockheed of Santa Barbara, California. In June 2005, Sam won the "World's Ugliest Dog" title at the Sonoma-Marin Fair contest for the third consecutive year.

Unborn babies carry pollutants

2005-07-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Unborn babies carry pollutants, study finds - Yahoo! News:

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent Thu Jul 14,11:28 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Unborn U.S. babies are soaking in a stew of chemicals, including mercury, gasoline byproducts and pesticides, according to a report released on Thursday."

Chinese beers contain hazardous formaldehyde

2005-07-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

Japan Today - News - Gov't to check if imported Chinese beers contain hazardous substance - Japan's Leading International News Network: "Gov't to check if imported Chinese beers contain hazardous substance

Tuesday, July 12, 2005 at 07:05 JST
TOKYO — The health ministry asked importers of Chinese beers in Japan on Monday to check with their manufacturers whether the beers contain a prohibited hazardous substance, ministry sources said.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has also asked the Chinese government via the Japanese Foreign Ministry to conduct a probe into the allegation that some imported Chinese beers contain formaldehyde, the sources said.

Brewers usually use silica gel, a substance which is not health hazardous, to remove some substances from beer to help its stability, but some Chinese beer brewers may be using formaldehyde to cut manufacturing costs, the sources said.

The health ministry decided to launch the probe as it had received information that some Chinese beers may contain a large amount of the chemical which is banned in Japan under the Food Sanitation Law, the sources said. (Kyodo News)"

Anyone who has spent any amount of time in the Far East has drank formaldehyde. Trust me it was common practice in the 80's, maybe things have changed now but, I'm still alive. In my opinion it actually contributes to a good buzz, and less hangover. I'd like to see this compared with the crap that comes out of our breweries here in the United States. Huh.......We'll never see that happen.

frozen embryo baby born

2005-07-07T08:22:00.000-07:00

BBC NEWS | Health | Longest frozen embryo baby born:
A healthy baby girl has been born in the US after spending the last 13 years in frozen suspension as an embryo.

This is thought to be the longest an embryo has been frozen and resulted in a health baby."

Centenarian Celebrates Birthday on Harley

2005-07-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

STOUGHTON, Wis. - Ruth Stewart celebrated her 100th birthday by doing something she always wanted to try: Taking a ride on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

'If I were 20 years younger, I would buy one,' said the retired music teacher. 'I think they're just beautiful, but I never could afford it.'

Richard Ireland, 62, of Deerfield, gave Stewart a three-mile ride through downtown Stoughton after being contacted by Stewart's nieces and nephews. They wanted their aunt to realize her years-long dream of riding a Harley.

Ireland drove her from her condominium to the Vennevol Clubhouse, where nearly 100 family members, friends, and Mayor Helen Johnson waited to celebrate with her.

Her top speed Monday on the back of the Harley was 33 mph and she wanted to go faster.

'It could have been a lot faster,' she said. 'Next time, when he comes back, I'll go 50. That will be fun.'"

Body of Steelers Fan Viewed in Recliner - Yahoo! News

2005-07-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

PITTSBURGH - The body of rabid
Pittsburgh Steelers fan James Henry Smith, who died Thursday, was laid out this week in what his family said was his favorite spot — a recliner with the Steelers on the television.

Smith, 55, of Pittsburgh, died of prostate cancer. Because his death wasn't unexpected, his family was able to plan ahead for the unusual viewing Tuesday night.

Mourners stood before a small stage erected in the viewing room of the Samuel E. Coston Funeral Home, on which funeral director Roland Criswell had placed furniture, much as it was arranged in Smith's home on game day.

Smith's feet were crossed; a pack of cigarettes and a six-pack of beer were at his side. A continuous loop of Steelers highlights was playing on TV nearby, as Smith was reclined with a television remote in his hand and a Steelers blanket across his legs."

Watch Deep Impact's Comet Collision

2005-07-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Watch Deep Impact's Comet Collision Via Webcast - Yahoo! News

You don't have to be a scientist to grab a front row seat when the
NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft bears down on a comet between July 3 and 4.

Live webcasts of the event will be provided by NASA and several observatories, large and small, to offer skywatchers a digital view to the cometary collision.

NASA's Deep Impact mission is slated to crash an 820-pound (371-kilogram) Impactor probe into Comet Tempel 1 and record the event via a Flyby mothership, orbital observatories like the Hubble and Spitzer space telescope, and a myriad of ground-based telescopes from around the world. The impact is expected to take place at 1:52 a.m. EDT (0552 GMT) on July 4

Barbecue Chain Buys Porn Web Site for $6G

2005-07-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Surfers trying to find the barbecue chain Sticky Fingers on the Internet no longer face the possibility of ending up at a much saucier Web site.

The Charleston company spent $6,000 to buy the address www.stickyfingers.com from a site offering pornography.

'Now we don't have to talk to angry customers calling, thinking we're perverts,' said Jeff Goldstein, one of three men who own the 15-restaurant chain in the Carolinas, Florida and Tennessee.

During the 10 years the restaurant tried to buy the domain name, the company received a couple of calls a day from upset people who found porn instead of ribs and sauce, Goldstein said.

Since taking over the address, site visits have more than quadrupled and online sales have doubled, co-owner Chad Walldorf said."

Woman in crashed car died 1-2 days before accident

2005-06-27T08:51:00.000-07:00

A 28-year-old woman who was found dead with her husband and
their 3-year-old son after their car crashed on an expressway in
Sawara, Chiba Prefecture, early Sunday, is believed to have died one or
two days before the accident, police said."

The police intend to conduct an autopsy on Rie Ishikawa, whose body was already in a state of rigor mortis when it was found in the backseat of the vehicle.

The family resided in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture.

The force of the crash threw the woman's son, Masamune, out of the car from the front passenger seat. After the car had stopped, her husband Masayuki, 32, got out to find the child but both father and son were killed after being hit by oncoming vehicles, the police said.

The car had been traveling on the Higashi-Kanto Expressway in the Tokyo direction when it hit the left concrete wall on the expressway as it entered a gentle right curve and then rebounded and hit the central divider, before stopping about 100 meters away.

The police have arrested 66-year-old Seiji Abe, the driver of the car that hit Masayuki and his son, on suspicion of careless driving. They are also questioning a 33-year-old driver of another car that might also have hit the two.

The Tokyo-bound section of the expressway between the Itako and Daiei interchanges was closed off for about six hours as a result of the accident.

Little Johnny

2005-06-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Little Johnny's neighbors had a baby.

Unfortunately, the baby was born without ears.

When mother and new baby came home from the hospital,
Johnny's family was invited over to see the baby.

Before they left their house, Little Johnny's dad had a talk with him
and explained that the baby had no ears.

His dad also told him that if he so much as mentioned anything about
the
baby's missing ears or even said the word ears he would get the
spanking
of his life when they came back home.

Little Johnny told his dad he understood completely.

When Johnny looked in the crib he said, 'What a beautiful baby.'

The mother said, 'Why, thank you, Little Johnny.'

Johnny said, 'He has beautiful little feet and beautiful little hands,
a
cute little nose and really beautiful eyes.' 'Can he see?' asked
Little Johnny.

'Yes', the mother replied, 'we are so thankful the Doctor said he will
have 20/20 vision.'

'That's great', said Little Johnny, 'cuz he'd be outta luck if he needed glasses.'"

Stray Dog in Kenya Saves Abandoned Baby

2005-05-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Stray Dog in Kenya Saves Abandoned Baby - Yahoo! News: "NAIROBI, Kenya - A stray dog saved the life of a newborn baby after
finding the abandoned infant in a forest and apparently carrying it
across a busy road and through some barbed wire to her litter of
puppies, witnesses said."

Ozzy Osbourne diagnosed with Parkins's disease

2005-05-08T09:08:00.000-07:00

online.ie: entertainment: "Osbourne diagnosed with Parkins's disease"

Rocker Ozzy Osbourne has been diagnosed with Parkin Syndrome and will have to take daily medication for the rest of his life to combat the involuntary shudders associated with the condition.

The former Black Sabbath star was given the all-clear for Parkison's disease in 2003, after he complained his tremors were "practically destroying (his) life".

And the 56-year-old singer presumed his body shakes were a result of a lifetime of drug abuse, until doctors recently told him he has inherited the condition from his relatives.

He says: "I'd always assumed it was the booze and stuff. Now I've found it all stems from the family. It's called Parkin but it's not Parkinson's. Anything to do with the central nervous system has the word Parkin in it.

"A doctor in Los Angeles tried to tell me I had multiple sclerosis. And I believed him until I had a second opinion.

"When I told my sisters she said: 'Not you as well? Mum had that and Auntie Elsie and your grandma.'

"I'm like, 'Thanks for f**king telling me'. Me walking around thinking I've got some drug paralysis."

Be tough shirt

2005-05-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

They are selling this shirt in Japan. I'm not sure if this is a good idea. Would be kinda fun at the airport though.

Be Tough T-shirt, Solid Alliance
6,000 yen
Want one?

Study Finds Kids Can't Hit Slow Pitches - Yahoo! News

2005-05-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

Study Finds Kids Can't Hit Slow Pitches - Yahoo! News: "You're throwing a ball for a toddler to smack with a plastic bat. You toss
it gently, slowly, to make it easier. He just can't hit it."

It's because you throw too slowly, a new study finds.

Kids' brains aren't wired for slow motion.

"When you throw something slowly to a child, you think you're doing them a favor by trying to be helpful," said Terri Lewis, professor of psychology at McMaster University. "Slow balls actually appear stationary to a child."

Add a little speed to the pitch, Lewis and her colleagues suggest, and the child is able to judge its speed more accurately.

"Our brain has very few neurons that deal specifically with slow motion and many neurons that deal with faster motion," Lewis said. "Even adults are worse at slow speeds than they are at faster speeds."

Kids' neurons are immature, making the task even more challenging for them.

The study will be detailed in the July issue of Vision Research.

US Marine cleared in 2004 shooting of unarmed Iraqi in Fallujah mosque

2005-05-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, May 5 (AFP) - A US Marine who was videotaped shooting an unarmed Iraqi lying still inside a mosque during an attack on Fallujah last year was cleared of any wrongdoing after investitators determined that he acted in self-defense, NBC News reported late Wednesday.

Lieutenant General John Seattler ruled that the Marine corporal, whose identity was not provided, would not face court martial because he fired his weapon in self-defense, sources told NBC.

US forces taking part in the fierce street-to-street battle to quash insurgents in Fallujah in early November 2004 had been warned that the enemy would fake death and booby-trap bodies to lure Marines to their deaths, the sources told NBC.

The shooting incident made its way around the world as the corporal and a few other Marines were being followed by a video cameraman. The soldier warned that a man lying on the ground had moved and, after shouting an expletive, fired a round into the man's head.

The sources told NBC that the Marine corporal also shot three other unarmed insurgents inside the mosque, adding that he feared for his life when he blasted away.

They also said the probe into the mosque incident was not over, since at least one other US Marine was being investigated for shooting a fourth unarmed insurgent inside the same building.

At the time, the US military said the mosque in Fallujah was being used by insurgents as a safe haven and that they discovered a large cache of weapons when they went inside.

Good. These reporters need to remember this is war, not the evening news.

Boy finds snake in cereal box - Yahoo! News

2005-05-05T07:28:00.000-07:00

Boy finds snake in cereal box - Yahoo! News: "LONDON (Reuters) - A British boy sitting down to breakfast
had a nasty surprise when he discovered a two-foot long snake
inside his box of cereal."

Help promised for Mother who offered to sell eye - Yahoo! News

2005-05-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Help promised for Mother who offered to sell eye - Yahoo! News: "DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh Prime Minister Begum Khaleda
Zia has pledged financial and other assistance to a woman who
offered to sell one of her eyes for money, officials said
Wednesday."

The World's funniest joke

2005-05-05T07:16:00.000-07:00

I didn't pick it, but it is funny.

"Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed.

"The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps: ‘My friend is dead! What can I do?’ The operator says: ‘Calm down, I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.’

"There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says: ‘OK, now what?’"

Student finds 5 million yen stuffed in his mailbox

2005-05-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

Daily Yomiuri On-Line: "An 18-year-old university student became temporarily rich Tuesday when
he found a brown envelope containing 5.03 million yen in the mailbox of
his apartment in Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto."

The student took the cash to a nearby police box. The money was all in 10,000 yen bills, both old and new, with bundles of bills held together with rubber bands, police said.

They said they had not received any reports about such a large amount of missing money in the area, and they were trying to track down the owner.

The student, who was not identified, found the envelope at about 11 a.m. Tuesday. The money was not there when he checked his mailbox at about 7 p.m. Monday, the police said.

2005-05-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

Dinobird

Dinosaur 'missing link' unearthed in Utah - Yahoo! News

2005-05-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur 'missing link' unearthed in Utah - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Birdlike dinosaurs newly unearthed
in Utah may be a missing link between primitive meat-eating
creatures and more evolved vegetarians, U.S. researchers
reported on Wednesday."

US detects N Korea’s test preparations

2005-05-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Okinawa Globe: "US detects N Korea’s test preparations "

SEOUL: US intelligence has detected the movement of heavy equipment in North Korea that points to possible preparations for an underground nuclear test, a South Korean newspaper said on Tuesday.

The influential Chosun Ilbo, quoting a government source, said US spy satellites had captured frequent movements of trucks in the northeastern region of Kilju, as well as the movement of cranes and other heavy equipment into the area. "US intelligence authorities believe the images and other information point to preparations for a possible underground nuclear test," the source was quoted as saying.

Firefox tweaking guide

2005-05-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

TweakGuides.com: "Mozilla Firefox, or simply Firefox for short, is just a free Internet
browser. It's not a cure for cancer. It doesn't wash your car or make
you a frothy coffee. So why all the fuss and hype over Firefox? In a
nutshell, the reason is simple: Firefox is a true open source
competitor to Microsoft's Internet Explorer."

"What's wrong with Internet Explorer?" you say - well for starters Microsoft was getting complacent. Internet Explorer's vulnerability to numerous security breaches was growing by the day, yet many simple things MS could do to patch these up were left undone. Along comes Firefox as a legitimate challenger with a range of great built-in features and MS has suddenly been forced as part of Windows XP SP2 to incorporate many of these much-needed security and convenience features into the latest version of the world's most used Internet browser. In fact Microsoft has already announced that the upcoming Internet Explorer 7 will include even more features which resemble those of Firefox. All of this has been spurred on solely by Firefox's existence and growing popularity. So even if you're a dyed-in-the-wool Internet Explorer user, you have Firefox to thank for the current and upcoming improvements to IE.

2005-05-02T14:26:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A fossil found in South Dakota is that of a never before seen species of dinosaur, a horse-sized plant eater with spikes on its bony flat head, scientists said on Monday.

"When my colleagues saw a CAT scan of the new fossil, they tore up their family tree diagrams and said, 'Back to the drawing board!' ... We never suspected such a creature existed," said paleontologist Robert Bakker.

Discovery of the flat-headed member of the pachycephalosaur family changes the view of dinosaur history during the final days of the Cretaceous Period 66 million years ago, showing that family trees were still evolving even as the entire dinosaur world was about to go extinct, the Children's Museum of Indianapolis said in announcing the find.

The nearly complete pachycephalosaur skull was donated to the museum by three amateur fossil hunters from Iowa who found it in 2003 while exploring the Hell Creek Formation in central South Dakota.

The discovery was announced in Indianapolis in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Association of Museums.

The museum said the pachycephalosaur family is marked by dragon-like heads covered with horns, knobs and bumps. The most famous family member, Pachycephalosaurus, had a solid, domed bone helmet up to eight inches (20 cm) thick used to ram other dinosaurs in their sides, it said.

The new species has a flat head with no bone dome. The only other flat-headed pachycephalosaurs discovered were found in China and Mongolia but all of those had had short muzzles and no long horns anywhere on the skull, the announcement said.

The pachycephalosaurs in general all had massive necks and could inflict significant "blunt force trauma" on other dinosaurs, Bakker said.

"This new species ... likely pressed their foreheads together and shoved one another really hard," he added.

The museum, billed as the largest of its kind in the United States, said the fossil would become part of its dinosaur exhibit.

A site that has the coupon code for almost anything!!

2005-05-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

This site has coupon codes for comp usa, crucial, Barns and Noble.....Almost anything!!!!

read more | digg story

STLtoday - Sports - Cardinals

2005-05-01T07:05:00.000-07:00

STLtoday - Sports - Cardinals: "Cards Insider: Taguchi isn't just so-so anymore"

View the Earth from any satellite in the sky.

2005-04-30T19:33:00.000-07:00

View from Satellite

The satellite database is updated regularly but may not reflect the current position of satellites, such as the U.S. Space Shuttle, which maneuver frequently after reaching orbit.

komo news | Distraught Man Shot By Seattle Police

2005-04-29T23:16:00.000-07:00

komo news | Distraught Man Shot By Seattle Police

SEATTLE - Police who went to the aid of a distraught man jumping off a bridge in Seattle ended up shooting him early Friday morning.

Spokeswoman Debra Brown says officers were trying to calm the man when they struggled and shots were fired.

The man in his 20's was taken to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

It happened about 4:15 a.m. at the First Avenue South Bridge over the Duwamish River as the man's wife and child were in a car. The man's mother had reportedly called police to say he was suicidal.

Brown says the man jumped off the bridge twice at a low level. After the first jump he went back and tried again before police arrived.

Beer makes you clever: official | The Register

2005-04-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

Beer makes you clever: official | The Register: "We already know that beer doesn't actually make you fat but rather fights cancer while promoting world peace and understanding and a brighter future for all our children."

We already know that beer doesn't actually make you fat but rather fights cancer while promoting world peace and understanding and a brighter future for all our children.

It's no surprise then that we can now confirm what the super-intelligent if somehat wobbly hacks at Vulture Central have known for years: alcohol makes you cleverer.

That's to say, a Swedish team has shown that mice fed with moderate amounts of alcohol grew new nerve cells in the brain. The full implications of the Karolinska Institute research - which appears in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology - are unclear, but lead boffin Stefan Brene told the BBC: "We believe that the increased production of new nerve cells during moderate alcohol consumption can be important for the development of alcohol addiction and other long-term effects of alcohol on the brain."

He did, however, add that it's possible that "the extra cells might help with learning and memory" - although we reckon the word "moderate" is key here since no-one who has ever drunk 16 pints of ale has been able to recall a single detail of the session come the following morning.

A spokeswoman from Alcohol Concern concluded: "This type of study could prove useful in the long term to shed light on the relationship between alcohol intake and dependency. However, very little can be drawn from a single animal-based study at this stage. Much more research is needed to explore the relationship between drinking patterns and their effect on the human brain."

2005-04-29T22:21:00.000-07:00

Origins: The scene pictured above was captured by Charlotte Observer Patrick Schneider during a house fire in July 1999 and shows firefighter Jeff Clark receiving a doggie greeting from a pregnant red Doberman named Cinnamon. As the Observer described the circumstances behind the photograph in an April 2005 retrospective:
Charlotte firefighter Jeff Clark and Cinnamon, a pregnant red Doberman, gained international exposure with this photograph snapped by the Observer's Patrick Schneider during a July 1999 house fire. Seen through wire services and the Internet, the picture has moved people around the world and is still a top reprint seller.
However, the text that now accompanies e-mailed versions of the photograph is inaccurate in suggesting that Cinnamon was "thanking" firefighter Clark for saving her life "by carrying her out of the house into her front yard." As Clark himself explained, he didn't rescue the dog, and his encounter with her was pure happenstance:
We didn't do anything (special) to save Cinnamon. When we have a house fire, we have to do a primary search. There could be people home and inside. Our first major concern is life safety. That house was full of smoke and we couldn't see it very well. All I saw was a dog run out, and one was (already) in the backyard. I think Cinnamon got out the door herself.

The dog approached me. As soon as I knelt down and took my mask off, Patrick was coming around the corner of the house and took the picture.
Jeff Clark is still with the Charlotte Fire Department. Cinnamon eventually gave birth to five puppies and lived for several more years until she passed away in January 2005.

2005-04-29T09:07:00.000-07:00

This is an actual emergency room photo of a gentleman who lost control of his motorcycle on a country road in West Virginia . Troopers believe that he was traveling at a speed of approximately 75 mph at the time of the accident. He was unable to negotiate a curve in the road. Unfortunately for him, upon striking the ditch and being ejected from the bike, he landed back end first on a fence post from an old barnyard fence that was downed on the side of the road. You can probably picture what happened next, but the attached picture says it all. This picture was obviously removed from the trooper's files without permission. The good news is that after about 6 months, this man made a full recovery after suffering a shattered hip, broken leg, several broken ribs, internal injuries, and "soft tissue" damage. Doctors credited his recovery to the fact that the post lodged itself so tightly that there was little or no blood loss. Now, That's a splinter!!!

2005-04-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft snapped this photograph of comet Tempel 1 on April 25. It is the first of many photos the spacecraft will take as it approaches the comet and prepares to launch a projectile into it on July 4.
Photo: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/UMD

Yahoo! News - Well, Here's Your Trouble Right Here, Sir...

2005-04-27T14:08:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News - Well, Here's Your Trouble Right Here, Sir...: "Doctors found around 50 maggots in the
ears of an 84-year-old Thai man after he went to hospital
complaining of an itch."
Wednesday's Nation newspaper said Anan Temtan, who lives in the tsunami-hit southern resort island of Phuket, had used cotton buds to relieve the itching, but had scratched so hard his eardrums ruptured and started bleeding.

"We believe flies might have gone inside his ears to lay eggs, which hatched into larvae and caused the itching," said Somsak Nonthasri, the doctor who treated him.

Somsak, who used tweezers and a small suction device to remove the maggots, said Anan would be kept in for observation for a while to make sure no more eggs hatched.

Do you get better gas mileage when you leave the tailgate of a pickup truck down?

2005-04-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

Do you get better gas mileage when you leave the tailgate of a pickup truck down?: "With petrol
at an unholy premium, folks are willing to try just about anything to
squeeze a few extra miles between fill-ups. Many pickup owners have
long believed that lowering the tailgate cuts down on wind resistance,
and, as a result, saves gas. Seems logical, right?"

While many have tried this method, only a few have bothered to quantify the results. One driver went so far as to use a device called a ScanGauge that determines mileage in real time. As he puts it, his results were "surprising." He achieved 17.6 MPG with the tailgate up and 17.7 MPG with the tailgate down. A slight improvement, but 0.1 MPG doesn't exactly equal big savings at the pump.

Automotive experts Tom and Ray Magliozzi have an opinion too. Like most of us, they initially believed that an open tailgate improves wind resistance. But as it turns out, it simply isn't true. Aerodynamics engineers have found that wind resistance is actually lower when the tailgate is up. Why? When the tailgate is raised, a "separated bubble" of stagnant air is formed in the bed of the pickup. Wind tends to swoosh over this bubble as though it were part of the truck. Lower the tailgate, and the bubble disappears, which leads to increased wind resistance.

Looks like if you really want to save money on gas, your best bet is taking the bus.

Yahoo! News - Would-Be Car Burglar Locks Self in Trunk

2005-04-26T09:06:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News - Would-Be Car Burglar Locks Self in Trunk
FRESNO, Calif. - A man attempting to burglarize a car over the weekend locked himself in the trunk and was swiftly arrested, police said.

A security guard at an apartment complex in southeast Fresno followed a trail of blood to a banging noise coming from the trunk in the early morning hours Sunday.

Authorities responding to the scene expected to find a victim, but instead discovered the burglar.

"Genius, pure genius," said Fresno County Sheriff's Lt. Louis Hernandez.

Police said he cut himself on the door of another car he'd broken into, then trickled blood across the parking lot to the car he eventually locked himself inside.

The man initially told authorities he had been hit on the head and stuffed in the trunk, but police found items stolen from another vehicle inside the trunk with the suspect.

"He popped the trunk from the inside and crawled back there, ransacking every inch," Hernandez said. "But then he grabs the trunk to heave himself out and closes it on top of him. He's got to be the dumbest criminal of the day."

The man was taken to University Medical Center to be treated for cuts, then to the Fresno County Jail to be booked on two counts of theft.

Police did not identify the suspect.

Liberated Games

2005-04-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

Liberated Games: "3 in Three"
Free, legal games for download.

Make a fire from a can of coke and a chocolate bar!

2005-04-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Should you ever get separated from your computer and stuck in the wilderness, this HOWTO could come in handy.

read more | digg story

Exploding toads baffle German experts - Yahoo! News

2005-04-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

Exploding toads baffle German experts - Yahoo! News: "According to reports from animal welfare workers and veterinarians as
many as a thousand of the amphibians have perished after their bodies
swelled to bursting point and their entrails were propelled for up to a
metre (three feet)."
"You see the animals crawling on the ground, swelling and then exploding."
Hahaa...........Damn, this would be fun on a Saturday night.

CNN.com - Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson dead - Apr 13, 2005

2005-04-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

CNN.com - Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson dead - Apr 13, 2005: "Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson dead"
Johnson died at his St. Louis home. The cause of death was not immediately known, said publicist Margo Lewis. He had been hospitalized a month ago with pneumonia and was on dialysis for a kidney ailment, said John May, a friend and fellow musician.

Though he was never a household name, Johnson and Berry's long collaboration helped define early rock 'n' roll. Johnson often composed the music on piano, then Berry converted it to guitar and wrote the lyrics. In fact, Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" was a tribute to Johnson.

After he and Berry parted ways, Johnson performed with Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker and Bo Diddley, among others. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 in the "sidemen" category.
-----------------------
While serving in the Marine Corps in the Pacific, he played in a group composed of musicians from the Count Basie and Lionel Hampton bands. He said that meeting many of his idols focused him on a career in music.
-----------------------
Born in Fairmont, W.Va., in 1924, Johnson began playing piano as a child; he was influenced by such jazzmen as Art Tatum, Earl "Fatha" Hines and Count Basie. He served in the Marines during World War II and was a member of the Special Services Band. After the war, he played the Chicago clubs in the blues bands of Muddy Waters and Albert King.
He is survived by his wife, Frances, and 10 children.

Computing History 1968-Present :: Scott Granneman

2005-04-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

Computing History 1968-Present :: Scott Granneman: "Apple"
Nice overview of the history of technology. Broken down by categories, and contains pictures.

Wired News: Why Google Is Like Wal-Mart

2005-04-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Wired News: Why Google Is Like Wal-Mart: "On one hand, you have a company that rose up from modest beginnings to
become one of the richest businesses in America (indeed, the world),
and in the process revolutionized the use of technology to create a new
way to do business -- helping people find what they want."
My favorite part:
• Wal-Mart: $202 billion (not bad for a company that peddles cheap goods imported from China).

• Google: $55 billion (not bad for a company that doesn't actually make anything).
I can remember as a kid when they used to promote American made product's. I wonder if Sam would be proud now , or if this was just part of his master plan.
I used to work with a guy who said that Sam Walton had a three phase business plan and that we were only seeing phase two now.
What's next?

Yahoo! News - Forced Hibernation Could Save Human Lives -Study

2005-04-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News - Forced Hibernation Could Save Human Lives -Study: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) -

Mice forced to breathe hydrogen
sulfide -- known best for its rotten egg smell -- go into a
kind of suspended animation, U.S. researchers said on Thursday
in a finding that may help save human lives.
"

Yahoo! News - Experts Solve Mystery of Unpopped Popcorn

2005-04-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News - Experts Solve Mystery of Unpopped Popcorn: "Eat your way to the bottom of almost any bag of popcorn and there they
are: the rock-hard, jaw-rattling unpopped kernels known as old maids.
The nuisance kernels have kept many a dentist busy, but their days
could be numbered: Scientists say they now know why some popcorn
kernels resist popping into puffy white globes."

Hundreds of cool things to do with RUNDLL32.exe

2005-04-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

This site has loads of great uses for RUNDLL32.exe that can be accessed from the Run Menu or from a RUN command. Very useful for getting to control panel functions from your users locked-down machines.

read more | digg story

Yahoo! News - Missouri Man Spits on Jane Fonda

2005-04-20T13:48:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News - Missouri Man Spits on Jane Fonda: "A man spit tobacco juice into the face of actress Jane Fonda after waiting in line to have her sign her new book, police said."
GOOD!!! Enough said.Darren

2000 uses for WD40 -- Tacoma Wheelmen

2005-04-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

2000 uses for WD40 -- Tacoma Wheelmen
• Use to loosen rusty nuts and screws, clean garden tools.
• Cleans piano keys
• Keeps wicker chairs from squeaking
• Lubricates small rolling toys
• Keeps garden tools rust-free
• Cleans patio door glide strip
• Removes crayon from clothes dryer (make sure to unplug dryer first)
• Removes scuff marks from ceramic tile floor
• Keeps metal wind chimes rust-free
• Removes crayon from walls
You gotta try these. What have you got to lose?

TechWeb | News | Mozilla Patches Firefox, But Site Suffers Brief Outage

2005-04-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

TechWeb | News | Mozilla Patches Firefox, But Site Suffers Brief Outage: "By
Gregg Keizer, TechWeb News"
Mozilla's browsers have been patched against a half dozen or more vulnerabilities, the open-source group responsible for producing the popular Firefox and the older Mozilla suite said late last week.

The Mozilla.org site was offline and unavailable for nearly two hours Monday, but at the time of this posting, it was back up and running.

Firefox updated to 1.0.3 and Mozilla to 1.7.7 on Friday, both updates essentially security fixes that plugged nine and six vulnerabilities, respectively. The most substantial vulnerability was a bug in the JavaScript engine's memory heap management, which was first reported earlier this month.

Science Tricks - Surfing Scientist - The Lab

2005-04-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Science Tricks - Surfing Scientist - The Lab
A website basically about some science tricks you can do. Try the physical challenge. That was pretty hard for me. They all are pretty cool to check out.

Wired News: U.S. Military's Elite Hacker Crew

2005-04-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

Wired News: U.S. Military's Elite Hacker Crew: "The U.S. military has assembled the world's most formidable hacker
posse: a super-secret, multimillion-dollar weapons program that may be
ready to launch bloodless cyberwar against enemy networks -- from
electric grids to telephone nets."

DLL-files.com - Download all your missing dll-files.

2005-04-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

DLL-files.com - Download all your missing dll-files.
Everyone has received a "Couldn't find ****.dll..." pop-up message at some time.
Well folks, your problems are over!
Here you will find the most common files that may be missing or corrupted on your computer. Feel free to download at no cost!

Photos: Up, up and away | CNET News.com

2005-04-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

Photos: Up, up and away | CNET News.com
The AirScooter II is a personal aircraft that weighs about 300 pounds. It doesn't require a pilot's license to fly it.

eHow.com - Clear Instructions on How To Do (just about) Everything

2005-04-16T17:02:00.000-07:00

eHow.com - Clear Instructions on How To Do (just about) Everything: "

Browse Thousands of How-To Solutions

Google Does Package Tracking

2005-04-16T09:32:00.000-07:00

digg: "Google Does Package Tracking"
Enter any shipping order tracking number in google(UPS, FedEX, whatever) and google will track it. Plus you can enter VIN numbers and much more!

the_unexplained: So tonight I spied on Area 51. Actually

2005-04-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

the_unexplained: So tonight I spied on Area 51. Actually

New Scientist Breaking News - Dinosaur eggs found whole in mother's belly

2005-04-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

New Scientist Breaking News - Dinosaur eggs found whole in mother's belly: "The first dinosaur eggs found complete with shells in the body of the
mother has solved the long-standing mystery of how dinosaurs laid their
eggs. The evidence shows they laid a clutch in a series of sittings,
like birds, rather than all at once like crocodiles and other living
reptiles."

The heroic actions of Marine Lt. Brian Chontosh in Iraq-Truth!

2005-04-14T20:07:00.000-07:00

The heroic actions of Marine Lt. Brian Chontosh in Iraq-Truth!: "The message says not much
was in the news about it, but a Marine named Brian Chontosh fought
to protect his men in Iraq by directly attacking them until he ran
out of ammunition and that he killed 20 enemy soldiers in the
process.

He was presented the Navy Cross as a result."

Certain Dryer Softener Sheets can Clog your Lint Filter-Truth!

2005-04-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

Certain Dryer Softener Sheets can Clog your Lint Filter-Truth!
Summary of the eRumor
The eRumor is a first-hand account of a person whose heating unit in a clothes dryer failed.
The man who repaired it pulled out what appeared to be a clean lint filter but when taken over to the kitchen sink would not allow water to run through it.
It was clogged.
The repairman said it was the result of using dryer sheets, that they result in a film that clogs the filter and that can only be removed by scrubbing the filter with a brush as well as soap.

Useful Dead Technologies || kuro5hin.org

2005-04-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

Useful Dead Technologies || kuro5hin.org: "Steel gears

During the 1950s when I was a young boy, machinery was made of steel.
Not just machinery, but almost everything. Even my toys were made of
solid steel. I learned at an early age not to drop things on my foot."

How to Brew Beer in a Coffee Pot

2005-04-14T18:09:00.000-07:00

How to Brew Beer in a Coffee Pot: "
Brewery tours are a golden opportunity for brewers to educate visitors
about the art of brewing. But any brewery employee who has been
assigned tour guide duty has seen the confusion on people's faces when
you describe the brewing process. To the visitor, brewing can sound
like a return to high school chemistry-with some alchemy thrown in."

Yahoo! News - Wis. Considers Legalizing Cat Hunting

2005-04-12T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yahoo! News - Wis. Considers Legalizing Cat Hunting: "Feline lovers holding pictures of cats, clutching stuffed animals and
wearing whiskers faced-off against hundreds of hunters at meetings
around Wisconsin to voice their opinion on whether to legalize cat
hunting."
Now there's something we should consider here in Mo.

Mitchell Baker Makes The 2005 'Time' 100 - MozillaZine Talkback

2005-04-12T08:13:00.000-07:00

Mitchell Baker Makes The 2005 'Time' 100 - MozillaZine Talkback
For the past few years, almost all Web surfers have used Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, which at its peak commanded close to 97% market share. But five months ago, a new browser, Firefox, managed by a nonprofit foundation headed by Mitchell Baker, began gaining ground. The upstart browser has been downloaded more than 40 million times by users looking for a break from spyware, pop-ups and other Web nuisances

the Daily Irrelevant � Blog Archive � Company Bypasses Cookie-Deleting Consumers

2005-04-11T14:45:00.000-07:00

the Daily Irrelevant � Blog Archive � Company Bypasses Cookie-Deleting Consumers
United Virtualities is offering online marketers and publishers technology that attempts to undermine the growing trend among consumers to delete cookies planted in their computers.

The New York company on Thursday unveiled what it calls PIE, or persistent identification element, a technology that’s uploaded to a browser and restores deleted cookies. In addition, PIE, which can’t be easily removed, can also act as a cookie backup, since it contains the same information.