Jessica Simpson’s New Movie Grossed $384 on Friday!

Blonde Ambition averaged $48 per screen on Friday for a total box office of $384. Based on an $8 ticket price, that means that 6 people paid to see the movie at each of those theatres, and only 48 people went to see the movie! That’s amazing! One of the worst performances a movie has ever had.

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Flight Simulator in Google Earth 4.2

"Not only did the latest version of Google Earth add Sky—it also quietly got a fabulous new flight simulator which flies a virtual airplane (either an F16 'Viper' or SR22 prop plane) from an airport and runway of your choice. To switch into flight simulator mode the first time, launch the latest version 4.2 of Google Earth (free download) and hit Ctrl+Alt+A (Mac users: Cmd+Opt+A.) Choose your plane, airport and runway and go! Well, ok, it's not quite that easy."

The Month Of Zepcember | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

After years apart, the three original members of Led Zeppelin reunited in a triumphant concert in London on Monday. What do you think?



Scott Frederiksen, Cabinet Maker
'It was truly a concert that people will tell their grandchildren about the following weekend.'"

» Bush offers phone number for “hope” - sadly, the wrong number Dvorak Uncensored: General interest observations and true web-log.

"U.S. homeowners who could face crippling mortgage payments will have a hard time getting help if they call a telephone number President George W. Bush recommended on Thursday — he gave them the wrong number."

Bad Santa - The Best of The Worst Mall Santas

Run kids, run.

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Weird Sleeping Cat

As seen on Digg.

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Most unusual data disaster horror stories for 2007

December 06, 2007 (Computerworld Australia) -- An ant-infested hard drive and a failing parachute top a list of data disaster horror stories for 2007.

The list, provided by Kroll Inc.'s Ontrack Data Recovery unit, illustrates some of the strangest and wackiest things that people put electronic storage devices through on a regular basis.

Putting drives in the washing machine. Using oil to stop them from squeaking. These are just two examples of the user bloopers the company's engineers nominated for inclusion on the list. Remarkably, Kroll data recovery specialists were able to recover the data in both instances.

This year, Kroll's engineers said the company has seen more damaged portable devices than ever before.

One woman called to complain that she had "washed all her data away." Her USB stick had been through a cycle in her washing machine and -- surprise! -- she couldn't retrieve any data from it.

Clever Uses: Open Clamshell Packaging with a Can Opener

"Tips Team Tip your editors: tips@lifehacker.com Editor: Gina Trapani | Email Senior Editor: Adam Pash | Email | AIM Contributor: Kyle Pott | Email Tamar Weinberg | Email Lifehacker Shop Buy our new book! Lifehacker, 88 Tech Tricks to Turbocharge Your Day Site Meter Site Meter Lifehacker username: password: new user? « || next » Clever Uses Open Clamshell Packaging with a Can Opener can-opener 1.pngThe gift-giving season is upon us, and that means the battle between you and the stubborn plastic clamshell packaging standing between you and your new gadget is in full swing. Reader Karthik writes in with a very simple and clever alternative to cutting up your hands on the pointy and stubborn plastic:"

Dvorak Uncensored » In-flight Lingerie Show With Ecuadorean Airline

"Hotties in the sky - reuters.com: An Ecuadorean airline has come up with a risqué way of attracting customers - they have put models in lingerie in the aisles. Ícaro airlines is putting underwear fashion parades on several national flights for a two-week special. All passengers on Ecuador’s most well-travelled route from the capital Quito to the port city of Guayaquil will be treated to a 10-minute sky-high show."

New Trojan Horse Strikes Mac

A rare new Trojan horse that targets Mac users and takes over their computers has been found on pornographic websites. What do you think?

Rick Donnelly,
Ground Crew

"Though I know this Mac virus is undesirable, its rarity gives me an unquenchable thirst to possess it."

University Defies RIAA Demand to Release Student Downloaders' Names

The University of Oregon is believed to be the first US educational institution to refuse a RIAA demand to hand over the names of students alleged to have illegally downloaded music.


Go Ducks!



read
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$200 “Google PC” is launched today at Wal-mart

PC maker Everex rolls out a budget desktop PC today that costs $200 and combines the Ubuntu Linux kernel with Google applications and open source software.

The machine uses a 1.5GHz Via C7-D processor, Via UniChrome Pro IGP graphics core, and comes equipped with 512MB of memory, an 80GB hard drive, a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive, and has built-in Ethernet.

But the real secret sauce is a software suite that begins with what the company calls its “gOS,” which turns out to be a customized Ubuntu Linux kernel. The software bundle includes open source desktop applications highlighted by OpenOffice, GIMP photo software, the Xing DVD and video player, and Rhythmbox music management software.

Additionally, the PC’s user interface includes icons pointing to popular Google applications such as Documents and Spreadsheets, Calendar, News, and Maps. Also pre-installed is the Firefox web browser, Meebo IM, and Skype.

Special note of the inclusion of Skype. Should piss off Telcos.

The Associated Press: US Signs Maritime Pact With Mongolia

The Associated Press: US Signs Maritime Pact With Mongolia: "US Signs Maritime Pact With Mongolia By MATTHEW LEE – 1 day ago WASHINGTON (AP) — Somebody should have looked at a map.

The State Department with great fanfare on Tuesday signed an agreement with landlocked Mongolia that will allow Mongolian ships to be boarded and searched if they are suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction.

This despite the fact that Mongolia — a vast land that's home to the Gobi Desert, windswept steppes and largely populated by nomadic yak herders — has no navy at all and lies thousands of miles from open waters.

Still, its tiny merchant marine is recognized as one of 32 'flag of convenience' countries by international maritime authorities.

The U.S.-Mongolia shipboarding pact, the eighth signed between the United States and usually coastal or island nations, is designed to cover those Mongolian-flagged ships in international waters that might be used by other countries, notably North Korea, to disguise cargos of illegal weaponry, U.S. officials said.

Asked what Washington hoped to achieve with the agreement, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said 'I'll have to check,' but stressed it was a key part of the 'Proliferation Security Initiative' that aims to halt trade in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.

Although Mongolia has only 62 ships registered under the "flag" program, according to the latest edition of the CIA World Factbook, officials said it is important to sign up as many countries as possible no matter how modest their fleet.

The seven countries that have signed agreements before Tuesday account for nearly 10,000 registered ships and include the top three "flag of convenience" nations — Panama, Liberia and Malta — as well as Cyprus and the Marshall Islands, which are both in the top 10, according to the State Department.

Taking a Whack Against Comcast - washingtonpost.com

By Neely Tucker Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 18, 2007

Sometimes truly American virtues arise in outlaws who -- by dint of heroic but questionable endeavors -- display the mettle of the national character.

For instance: The Dillinger Gang, robbing banks (and destroying mortgages) when banks were foreclosing on the poor. Stephanie St. Clair, matron of the numbers racket during the Harlem Renaissance, striking a (dubious) blow for both gender and racial equality. Junior Johnson bootlegging liquor during Prohibition (the benefits of which were self-evident).

Fear not, fellow Americans! In these dark days of war, pestilence and Paris Hilton, a new hero has arisen. She is none other than 75-year-old Mona "The Hammer" Shaw, who took the aforementioned implement to her local Comcast office in Manassas to settle a score, and boy, did she!

Comcast Blocking extends past Torrents.

In the wake of several reports showing that Comcast is targeting BitTorrent traffic with forged TCP reset packets, new evidence demonstrates that Comcast is targeting Gnutella and Lotus Notes, too. Wait... Lotus Notes?

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Revenge of the Smart Playlist

Revenge of the Smart Playlist: 5 tricks for packrats & power users

Merlin Mann | Nov 10 2006

The success of yesterday's post on the basics of Smart Playlists makes me think you might enjoy seeing a few more. So, today I want to show you how to get control of a very large iTunes library — to save space by getting rid of stuff you're not enjoying or listening to, as well as bubble up stuff you may not even realize you like.

If you are an iTunes packrat but feel overwhelmed by your collection (or are simply running out of drive space), try these recipes for Smart Playlists to help you get it together.

http://www.43folders.com/2006/11/10/smart-playlists-for-packrats

White House Doesn't Return Sanchez's Fire

ABCNews -- Faced with sharp criticism from a former U.S. commander in Iraq, the White House has chosen not to return fire.
Responding to accusations from retired Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Kate Starr, spokeswoman for the National Security Council said, "We appreciate his service to the country."

Speaking Friday to the Military Reporters and Editors' Conference just a few miles from the Pentagon, Sanchez, who commanded American forces in Iraq for a year after the March 2003 invasion, lashed out at the administration's strategy and competence. He called the Bush plan for war "catastrophically flawed." "There has been a glaring, unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders," Sanchez said

Gore hopes Nobel win aids global warming fight

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Former Vice President Al Gore, newly named co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, said day he hopes the honor will "elevate global consciousness" about the challenges of global warming.

Gore, whose documentary An Inconvenient Truth, won an Academy Award earlier this year, was awarded the prize earlier in the day along with an international network of scientists for spreading awareness of man-made climate change and laying the foundations for counteracting it.

Microsoft Fine Upheld In Court

Microsoft Fine Upheld In Court

Europe's second highest court recently upheld the European Commission's 2004 decision to fine Microsoft 497 million euros for antitrust violations....

NBC Universal, Apple's iTunes deal sours

A WAR of words has erupted between NBC Universal and Apple, laying bare the tension between media and technology companies as they fight for advantage in the burgeoning market to sell video online.

The two companies had been negotiating to renew NBC's contract to sell its television programs through Apple's iTunes digital media store. However, the talks soured after NBC told Apple it would not renew the original deal because of frustrations about iTunes' pricing policy and anti-piracy controls.

Apple accused NBC of trying to push a "dramatic price increase" on consumers and said it would drop the network's new autumn television programs from iTunes.

NBC countered that Apple's pricing strategy was "designed to drive sales of Apple devices, at the expense of those who create the content that make these devices worth buying".

The dispute is another reminder of the growing discord between media and technology companies as they try to hammer out new business models to sell film, television, music and other content on the internet.

Universal Music, the largest music company, this year informed Apple that it would not renew its long-term iTunes contract and has since begun to supply rivals, such as Wal-Mart and Amazon.com. Universal and others have long complained that Apple has used its dominance in the online music market to force them to accept a uniform, 99c-per-track pricing model while it cashes in on lucrative sales of its iPod device.

As they seek to gain a foothold in the burgeoning online video market, film and television executives are desperate not to repeat the music industry's mistakes. As such, NBC is demanding greater power to price its programs on iTunes, including the ability to bundle episodes at special rates. NBC also wants Apple to install stronger filters on the iPod to block it from playing pirated materials.

NBC first signed with Apple in December 2005. Its programs now account for about 30 per cent of iTunes' television sales, although the resulting revenues still pale in comparison with the network's traditional advertising streams. NBC says that it still hopes to reach an agreement with Apple before their contract expires in December.

But they have also drawn closer to Amazon.com, which is now selling downloads of NBC programs, and expect to deepen that relationship.

NBC is also preparing to launch an online video portal with News Corp called Hulu.com that will feature its film and television clips.

"Surrender Should NOT be an Option" by Ron Paul

Saddam Hussein has been removed. An elected government is now in place in Iraq that meets with US approval. The only weapon of mass destruction in Iraq is our military presence. Why are we still over there? Conventional wisdom would dictate that when the "mission is accomplished", the victor goes home, and that is not considered a retreat.

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I realize it's a cat ... [pic]

but WTF is wrong with it?

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Would you like some fish?

Dvorak Uncensored » Pic Of The Day Dept.

Australian Woman Killed By Amorous Camel

BRISBANE, Australia,
Aug. 19, 2007(AP)

An Australian woman was killed by a pet camel given to her as a 60th birthday present after the animal apparently tried to have sex, police said Sunday. The woman, whose name was not released, was killed Saturday at her family's sheep and cattle ranch near Mitchell, 350 miles west of the Queensland state capital Brisbane, state police Detective Senior Constable Craig Gregory said. The 10-month-old male camel — weighing about 330 pounds — knocked the woman to the ground, lay on top of her, then exhibited what police suspect was mating behavior, Gregory said. 'I'd say it's probably been playing, or it may be even a sexual sort of thing,' Gregory said, adding the camel almost suffocated the family's pet goat by straddling it on several occasions. Camel expert Chris Hill said he had no doubt the camel's behavior was sexual. Hill, who has offered camel rides to tourists for 20 years, said young camels are not aggressive, but can be dangerous if treated as pets without discipline. The fate of the camel was not known. The woman was given the camel in March as a birthday present from her husband and daughter. 'She had a love of exotic pets,' Gregory said.

Destruction Of National Pastime Given Two-Minute Standing Ovation

Destruction Of National Pastime Given Two-Minute Standing Ovation

FEMA Slow To Investigate Toxic Trailers

FEMA is under fire for being slow to investigate reports by Hurricane Katrina victims who testified they've fallen ill from high levels of formaldehyde in their FEMA-provided trailers. What do you think?

Therese Dougan,
Office Manager
"Oh come on, those illnesses could've been the result of any one of the many governmental failures following Katrina."

Report: Astronauts Flew Drunk

An internal review at NASA revealed that some of their astronauts may have been drunk when they boarded shuttle missions into space. What do you think?


Doris Snyder,
Tobacconist
"Um, when are NASA astronauts not drunk? They're being shot into outer fucking space!"

Veggie Booty (?) Voluntary Recall Issued

Recent Recalls: "Wellbaskets.com Is Alerting Customers of the Veggie Booty Voluntary Recall Issued on June 28, 2007 by Robert's American Gourmet (July 2) (Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:33:00 GMT) Veggie Booty has been voluntarily recalled by manufacturer Robert's American Gourmet due to possible Salmonella contamination. The recently recalled product, Veggie Booty, was a component of many gift baskets created by www.wellbaskets.com."

IRAN'S SPYING SQUIRRELS?

By Ali Arouzi, NBC News Producer

You can tell that Iran is feeling a little beleaguered these days when there are reports that Tehran may be under attack from rodents!

That is what the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported this week, that police had, ahem, "arrested" 14 squirrels on charges of espionage.

The rodents were found near the Iranian border, allegedly equipped with eavesdropping devices, according to IRNA.

When asked to confirm the story, Esmaeel Ahmadi Moghadam, the national police chief, said, "I have heard about it, but I do not have precise information." He declined to give any more details.

IRNA said that the squirrels were discovered by intelligence services – but were captured by police officers several weeks ago.

British blamed for Basra badgers

British blamed for Basra badgers:

Last Updated: Thursday, 12 July 2007, 13:00 GMT 14:00 UK

The badgers appeared near the British base in Basra
British forces have denied rumours that they released a plague of ferocious badgers into the Iraqi city of Basra.

Word spread among the populace that UK troops had introduced strange man-eating, bear-like beasts into the area to sow panic.

But several of the creatures, caught and killed by local farmers, have been identified by experts as honey badgers."

UK military spokesman Major Mike Shearer said: "We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area.

Bourbon Street Sign

Playboy: At last something else to do with your free hand

N.J. Dog Crowned World's Ugliest - The Huffington Post

N.J. Dog Crowned World's Ugliest - The Huffington Post: "N.J. Dog Crowned World's Ugliest"

PETALUMA, Calif. — Elwood, a 2-year-old Chinese Crested and Chihuahua mix, was crowned the world's ugliest dog Friday, a distinction that delighted the New Jersey mutt's owners.

Elwood, dark colored and hairless _ save for a mohawk-like puff of white fur on his head _ is often referred to as "Yoda," or "ET," for his resemblance to those famous science fiction characters.

"I think he's the cutest thing that ever lived," said Elwood's owner, Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey.

Quigley brought Elwood out to compete for the second year at the annual ugly dog contest at the Marin-Sonoma County Fair. Elwood placed second last year.

Most of the competing canines were also Chinese Crested, a breed that features a mohawk, bug eyes and a long, wagging tongue.

Quigley said she rescued Elwood two years ago. "The breeder was going to euthanize him because she thought he was too ugly to sell," said Quigley.

"So ha ha, now Elwood's all over the Internet and people love him and adore him."

Beyond the regal title of ugliest dog, Elwood also earned a $1,000 reward for his owner.

Dvorak Uncensored » ‘Mr. Wizard’ Has Gone To That Great Science Experiment In The Sky

Mr. Wizard’ Has Gone To That Great Science Experiment In The Sky

Many of you are too young to remember who Don Herbert was. But for those of us with a little gray on top, we remember him fondly.

TV's 'Mr. Wizard' Don Herbert dies at 89

By LYNN ELBER
AP TELEVISION WRITER

LOS ANGELES -- Don Herbert, who as television's "Mr. Wizard" introduced generations of young viewers to the joys of science, died Tuesday. He was 89. Herbert, who had bone cancer, died at his suburban Bell Canyon home, said his son-in-law, Tom Nikosey.

See anything wrong in this Spelling Bee photo?

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86 Mac Plus Vs. 07 AMD DualCore. You Won't Believe Who Wins

86 Mac Plus Vs. 07 AMD DualCore. You Won't Believe Who Wins: "The Most Outlandish Computer Comparison Ever!

Bloat. If you think that Americans are getting fatter, take one good look at the operating system (OS) your computer is running right now. It gets larger and more weighed down with every update. We are in the third decade of global personal computing, and have we really progressed that far?"

....

When we compare strictly common, everyday, basic user tasks between the Mac Plus and the AMD we find remarkable similarities in overall speed, thus it can be stated that for the majority of simple office uses, the massive advances in technology in the past two decades have brought zero advance in productivity.

Greg Palast Has Roves Missing Emails

Greg Palast is in possession of the missing emails. He also points out what everyone else seems to be missing, that the attorney firings aren't the real story, the 2004 election is.



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The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: A new lie from Microsoft? Or just wishful thinking?

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: A new lie from Microsoft? Or just wishful thinking?: "A new lie from Microsoft? Or just wishful thinking?

See here. Headline reads: 'Next version of Windows to be `fundamentally different.'' Um, no it won't. It will be fundamentally the same. It will suck. For a quarter of a century these guys have been putting out sucky operating systems and vowing that the next one is not going to suck. Or won't such as much. Or something. But they always suck. They can't help it. The suckitude is ingrained in their culture. It's in their DNA. Sorry, Bill."

iPhone to be available at 2000 store fronts on launch

Apple's inaugural mobile handset, iPhone, will be available for sale at 2000 retail store fronts when it goes on sale for the first time next month, putting the device within reach of most US households.



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Slashdot | Click Here To Infect Your PC!

Slashdot | Click Here To Infect Your PC!: "Click Here To Infect Your PC!
Posted by kdawson on Wednesday May 16, @05:47AM
from the proving-a-point dept.
It's funny. Laugh. Security
Email me for FREE viruses writes 'Just how many people would click an ad saying 'Is your PC virus-free? Get it infected here!'? According to the security researcher who ran that very ad on Google for 6 months, 0.16% (409 of 259,723) would click on it. 98% of those people were running Windows. The Google Adwords campaign cost $23 in total, which works out to $0.06 per infection had the site actually been malicious.'"

Dvorak Uncensored » Amazing photos of Nuclear explosion taken at 1/1000,000,000 of-a-second

Dvorak Uncensored » Amazing photos of Nuclear explosion taken at 1/1000,000,000 of-a-second: "Be sure to wear your sunglasses and not stare directly at it

Harold Edgerton built a special lens 10 feet long for his camera which was set up in a bunker 7 miles from the source of the blast which was triggered Nevada - the bomb placed atop a steel gantry anchored to the desert floor by guide wires. The exposures are at 1/100,000,000ths of a second."

New Orleans' Rebuilt Levees "Riddled With Flaws"

Joel K. Bourne, Senior Editor–Environment, National Geographic Magazine
for National Geographic News
May 6, 2007

Almost a year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declared that it had restored New Orleans' levees and floodwalls to pre-Hurricane Katrina strength.

But the system is actually riddled with flaws, and a storm even weaker than Katrina could breach the levees if it hit this year, say leading experts who have investigated the system."

The best thing to come from the Dot Com crash... Domino PCs!

Slashdot | AOL's Embarassing Password Woes

An anonymous reader writes 'AOL.com users may think they have up to sixteen characters to use as a password, but they'd be wrong, thanks to this security artifact detailed by The Washington Post's Security Fix blog: 'Well, it turns out that when someone signs up for an AOL.com account, the user appears to be allowed to enter up to a 16-character password. AOL's system, however, doesn't read past the first eight characters.' This means that a user who uses 'password123' or any other obvious eight-character password with random numbers on the end is in effect using just that lame eight-character password.'"

Dvorak Uncensored » Have any cockroaches for sale?

Dvorak Uncensored » Have any cockroaches for sale?: "A Houston museum is offering 25 cents per cockroach to fill an exhibit about the wonders of insects that eat decomposing things.

The Houston Museum of Natural Science wants 1,000 American cockroaches, which grow to 2 inches long, can fly and thrive in the city’s sub-tropical climate, said museum entomologist Laurie Pierrel on Wednesday.

They will be part of an exhibit polishing the image of bugs that feed off decaying organic matter and in so doing add to the general cleanliness.

Pierrel said she will be outside the museum the next three Saturdays with a bucket for the bugs and money for the sellers.

How big will the bucket be? I can think of a few really big cockroaches we’d all love to be rid of."

EO Newsroom: New Images - A View of Earth from Saturn

Although the Earth Observatory typically reserves “Image of the Day” space for publishing data and images acquired by Earth-observing satellites, we are sometimes so enthralled by the spectacular images acquired by spacecraft observing other parts of the solar system that we want to share these 'otherworldy' views with our visitors. And if you are looking for remotely sensed images of the Earth, this view is the most remotely sensed image we have ever published!"

Dell to choose Ubuntu

Several sources within Dell have told DesktopLinux.com that Dell's desktop Linux pick is going to be Ubuntu, and that Ubuntu 7.04 will be available preinstalled on three Dell desktop and notebook lines by the end of May.



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Dvorak Uncensored » RIAA to net radio: Even if you play only independent non-RIAA music, you still have to pay us! It’s the law!

Dvorak Uncensored » RIAA to net radio: Even if you play only independent non-RIAA music, you still have to pay us! It’s the law!: "RIAA to net radio: Even if you play only independent non-RIAA music, you still have to pay us! It’s the law!"

unfortunate placement of yahoo ad

Title says it all!



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14 Year Old Teenager in 1901 Makes Predictions About Life in 2001

In the year 1901 Arthur Palm, a fourteen-year-old student from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, published an article in his school newspaper (the Excelsior) describing the world of 2001. Below is an excerpt of his article as featured in the book Yesterday's Future: The Twentieth Century Begins (Voices of the Wisconsin Past).



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Mayor White: Electricity deregulation 'a rip-off' | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Mayor White: Electricity deregulation 'a rip-off' | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Mayor calls electricity deregulation 'a rip-off'
White and Rep. Sylvester Turner say low-income customers unfairly carry the burden

By ANNE MARIE KILDAY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle"

Before a crowd of about 400 people complaining about high electricity rates, Houston Mayor Bill White said deregulation of the electric utility industry was "a rip-off" for Texans.

Houston Rep. Sylvester Turner urged the crowd to let other lawmakers know they support his measure to cut rates by 15 percent, restore a low-income assistance fund and allow the state Public Utility Commission to review the sale of Dallas-based Texas Utilities.

White and Turner spoke Saturday afternoon at a town hall meeting sponsored by ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, at Barbara Jordan High School.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, Texas' retail electric rates last month were about 9.14 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared with the national average of 8.14 cents. States with higher rates were Hawaii, at 18.33 cents per kilowatt-hour, and northeastern states, where rates ranged from 10.95 cents in Maine to 13.95 cents in New York.

Electric rates for Texas residential customers increased in January, as many utilities were freed from state regulation.

The Perfect Bacon Sandwich Decoded: Crisp and Crunchy - New York Times

The Perfect Bacon Sandwich Decoded: Crisp and Crunchy - New York Times

First Sign of Water on Planet Outside Our System

First Sign of Water on Planet Outside Our System: "First Sign of Water on Planet Outside Our System
Anne Minard
for National Geographic News
April 10, 2007

For the first time, astronomers have detected water in the atmosphere of a planet outside our solar system.

Astronomer Travis Barman announced today that he has discovered water around planet HD209458b by combining theoretical models with observations from the Hubble Space Telescope."

Dvorak Uncensored » Princeton scholar and decorated Marine added to the secret “no fly list” because he spoke out against Bush!

Dvorak Uncensored » Princeton scholar and decorated Marine added to the secret “no fly list” because he spoke out against Bush!: "Princeton scholar and decorated Marine added to the secret “no fly list”"

A top Constitutional scholar from Princeton who gave a televised speech that slammed President George W. Bush's executive overreach was recently told that he had been added to the Transportation Security Administration's terrorist watch list. He shared his experience this weekend at the law blog Balkinization.

"I was denied a boarding pass because I was on the Terrorist Watch list," he said.

When inquiring with a clerk why he was on the list, Murphy was asked if he had participated in any peace marches.

"We ban a lot of people from flying because of that," a clerk said.

Murphy then explained that he had not marched, but had "in September, 2006, given a lecture at Princeton, televised and put on the Web, highly critical of George Bush for his many violations of the Constitution."

The clerk responded, "That'll do it."

A Setback Then a Reprieve for Vonage in Courts - New York Times

A Setback Then a Reprieve for Vonage in Courts - New York Times: "April 7, 2007
A Setback Then a Reprieve for Vonage in Courts
By LAURIE J. FLYNN

Vonage Holdings, the Internet phone company, had a wild ride in the courtroom yesterday.

First, a federal judge in Alexandria, Va., barred Vonage from signing up new customers for its Internet phone service.

Then hours later, a federal appeals court gave Vonage a temporary stay of that injunction, allowing the company to continue to enroll customers while it sought to overturn the lower court ruling.

"

Hackers Dissect Apple TV to Create the Cheapest Mac Ever -

Hackers Dissect Apple TV to Create the Cheapest Mac Ever -: "Hackers Dissect Apple TV to Create the Cheapest Mac Ever
Rob Beschizza Email 04.06.07 | 2:00 AM

Inside the Apple TV

Apple TV is dead, long live the Mac Nano. Sort of.

Just two weeks after Apple released its streaming media box to the public, hackers successfully installed OS X, Apple's desktop operating system, on the $300 device, making it the cheapest PC Cupertino has ever sold."

Vonage barred from signing new customers - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe

Vonage barred from signing new customers - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe: "Vonage barred from signing new customers

Internet phone company Vonage Holdings Corp. will be barred from signing new customers as punishment for infringing on patents held by Verizon Communications Inc., under an injunction ordered today."

Patrick boycotts Senate's first Muslim prayer

from HoustonChronicle.com -- Republican Sen. Dan Patrick on Wednesday boycotted the first prayer delivered in the Texas Senate by a Muslim cleric, and then praised religious tolerance and freedom of speech in an address at the end of the day's session.

--------

The Mobile Phone Industry Must Die. DIE!

The Mobile Phone Industry Must Die. DIE!:
ARTICLE DATE: 03.26.07
By John C. Dvorak

Let me preface this entire column by saying that I hate mobile phones and think they are the bane of modern society. I personally seldom carry one and when I do it's a prepaid cheap disposable. My mobile phone bill amounts to around $20 a month using this practice. What's yours? Furthermore, almost everyone carries a phone nowadays, so when I need to make a call I can just ask to borrow one. Most everyone obliges. And I'm not practicing this because I'm cheap. It's the principle."

French Train Breaks Rail Speed Record - New York Times

April 4, 2007
French Train Breaks Rail Speed Record
By ARIANE BERNARD



BEZANNES, France, April 3 — A French high-speed train broke the world speed record on rail today, reaching 357 miles (574.8 kilometers) an hour in a much publicized test in eastern France, exceeding expectations to travel at 150 meters per second, or 540 kilometers an hour.

The train, code-named V150, is a research prototype meant to demonstrate the superiority both of the TGV high speed train and of its likely successor, the AGV, which is also manufactured by the French engineering group Alstom. The performance on Tuesday came close to but did not break the world speed record for any train, set by an electromagnetic train in 2003.

The French railroad company SNCF and Alstom publicized the event as a test of “French excellence,” building on national pride for the 25-year-old bullet train.

TiSP: Going with the flow

How TiSP Works: "TiSP: Going with the flow
TiSP Kit

Google TiSP (BETA) is a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access by connecting your commode-based TiSP wireless router to one of thousands of TiSP Access Nodes via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines."

Dvorak Uncensored - Interior Department Falsifying Scientific Data For Political Friends

Dvorak Uncensored � Interior Department Falsifying Scientific Data For Political Friends: "Interior Department Falsifying Scientific Data For Political Friends"

Pandora founder talks about the danger facing internet radio- game over?

A ruling from an obscure, 3-person panel from the Library of Congress threatens the existence of Pandora, and every other internet radio service out there. The plan from the Copyright Royalty Board is to increase the fees to internet radio operators so high that they will effectively be out of business. Here's our video interview with Tim...



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Samsung Booth Babe

A Fee Per Song Can Ruin Us, Internet Radio Companies Say

March 19, 2007
A Fee Per Song Can Ruin Us, Internet Radio Companies Say
By ROBERT LEVINE

New-media companies and record labels are feuding again. But this time, it is the digital companies that warn they may be driven out of business.

Several Internet radio companies are arguing that a recent decision by the Copyright Royalty Board, a three-member panel under the Library of Congress, would make it almost impossible for them to stay afloat.

Under the ruling released on March 2, Web broadcasters must pay each time a listener hears a song, at a rate that began at 0.08 cent in 2006 (the ruling applies retroactively) and rises to 0.19 cent in 2010. Besides increasing the charge for each song, the ruling established a $500 minimum payment for each Web channel — making it difficult for companies like RealNetworks and Pandora to offer as many different kinds of music as they do now.

Captain America Killed | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Captain America Killed | The Onion - America's Finest News Source: "Captain America Killed

Captain America, the comic book character created during World War II as a patriotic opponent of the Nazis, was killed by sniper bullets in a recent comic. What do you think?


Monica Chan,
Systems Analyst
'But who will avenge him? If only there were a group of 'avengers,' if you will, organized for that purpose.'


Herbert Mandelbaum,
Archivist
'Yet another intelligence failure by S.H.I.E.L.D.. How many more screwups must we endure before Bush fires Executive Director Nicholas Fury?'


Diego Lopez,
Florist
'Oh, man! Why are all the really cool assassinations wasted on make-believe people?'"

Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive - New York Times

Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive - New York Times: "Getting Out of a 2-Year Cellphone Contract Alive
By DAMON DARLIN

The two-year contract. It is the bane of a cellphone owner’s existence, especially one who must have the latest hot phone at a discounted price.

Two years is a long time, and few other marketers can get away with demanding it, much less adding to it. Every time you walk back into the cellphone store or call the customer service operators, it seems, the contract is extended. Lose the phone or ask for a replacement, and the contract is extended. Sign up for a family plan, same thing.

But try getting out of a contract early? You can do it, but you will have to pay an early termination fee of as much as $240. "

Slashdot | FAA May Ditch Vista For Linux

Slashdot | FAA May Ditch Vista For Linux: "FAA May Ditch Vista For Linux
Posted by kdawson on Wednesday March 07, @08:07AM
from the hello-Google dept."

An anonymous reader writes "Another straw in the wind: following last week's news that the US Department of Transportation is putting a halt on upgrades to Windows Vista, Office 2007, and Internet Explorer 7, today comes word that the Federal Aviation Administration may ditch Vista and Office in favor of Google's new online business applications running on Linux-based hardware.

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product: "Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

March 6, 2007 | Issue 43•10

SAN FRANCISCO—At a highly anticipated media event Tuesday at San Francisco's Moscone Center, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs introduced a new Apple product he said would 'revolutionize' the process of unveiling new products throughout the world.

'In 1984, Apple introduced the Mac,' Jobs said to an overflowing crowd as an image of the first Macintosh computer was displayed on a giant screen behind him. 'We changed the face of the music industry with the first iPod in 2001. And in January, we showed off the revolutionary new iPhone. Today, Apple is releasing a piece of innovative new technology that will forever change the way innovative new technology is released.'"

Wired News: March 4, 1887: Start Your Engine

Wired News: March 4, 1887: Start Your Engine: "By Tony Long| Also by this reporter
02:00 AM Mar, 04, 2007

1887: Gottlieb Daimler's 'Benzin motor carriage' is given its first test run in Esslingen, Germany. It's the first four-wheeled vehicle to feature Daimler's gasoline-powered, water-cooled internal combustion engine, the prototype of the engine that continues to be the most widely used to this day.

Daimler's motor carriage was aptly named -- it bears a close resemblance to the traditional horse-drawn carriage.

'Benzin,' incidentally, has nothing to do with Carl Benz, the other German automotive pioneer closely associated with Daimler. In this case, benzin is the German word for gasoline. In fact, at the time when the Benzin motor carriage made its debut, Daimler and Benz were fierce competitors.

Their companies continued growing separately until 1926, when they merged. Daimler and Benz never met.
"

Houston WiFi to benefit lower-income residents | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle

Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "City's WiFi plan: Access for all
Lower-income residents could be among top beneficiaries of mayor's proposal

By ALEXIS GRANT
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The Internet remains inaccessible to many low-income people. Some Houston numbers:

• 270,000 : Households without Internet

• 40,000 : Low-income discounts available under city's planned wireless Internet system

• $10 : Discount monthly price for access to planned city wireless system

• $22 : Approximate regular monthly price

Source: City of Houston

Mireya Zenil isn't used to going to the library every time she wants to use the Internet.

Until a month ago, the 17-year-old used a cable connection in her eastside home to do online research for school projects or check her MySpace account. But her parents recently canceled their Internet service because it was too pricey, and they're now shopping for a cheaper connection."

17" Powerbook LCD bug, literally!

An actual bug stuck i just behind a lovely Powerbook screen. This is a sad (for the owner & the bug), but very interesting article.



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Good Morning Silicon Valley: It's not an office suite, dammit, it's a ... a workplace collection. Yeah, that's it.

Good Morning Silicon Valley: It's not an office suite, dammit, it's a ... a workplace collection. Yeah, that's it.: "February 22, 2007
It's not an office suite, dammit, it's a ... a workplace collection. Yeah, that's it."

How To: Build your own stuffed cat turn signal indicator (?!)

Winky the Cat was a stuffed animal turn-signal sold through catalogs. I wanted Winky for my car, to keep me safe with his soft fluffiness and his acrylon-like fur. Sadly, a victim of teenage peer pressure, I couldn't bring myself to buy Winky. Now, 25 years later, I realize that all is not lost. Yeah, I can't buy Winky, but I can make my own!



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Ancient Tree Frog Found Encased in Amber

National Geographic News

February 17, 2007—A miner from Mexico's Chiapas state has made the find of a lifetime—a tiny tree frog preserved in amber that could be 25 million years old, a scientist recently announced (map of Mexico).

The block of amber, or fossilized tree resin, encasing the 0.4-inch (1-centimeter) frog was unearthed in 2005 and sold to a private collector, according to the Associated Press (AP). The collector then lent the piece—seen in this photo released on February 14—to scientists.


Photograph from AP/Gerardo Carbot-Instituto de Historia Natural y Ecologa

XM And SIRIUS Radio Merging

By SETH SUTEL, AP Business Write

XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., rivals in the fledgling satellite radio industry, have agreed to combine in a deal that investors hope will result in lower costs, assuming it overcomes significant regulatory hurdles.

The companies billed the deal announced Monday as a merger of equals, with shareholders of both companies owning approximately 50 percent of the combined entity. However, Sirius will be giving $4.57 billion of its stock to XM shareholders, a substantial premium to the value of their shares.

Mummified man found in front of his Long Island TV

Mummified man found in front of his Long Island TV

Associated Press

HAMPTON BAYS, N.Y. — The partially mummified body of a man dead for more than a year has been found in a chair in front of his television, which was still on, authorities said.

Vincenzo Ricardo, 70, apparently died of natural causes, said Dr. Stuart Dawson, Suffolk County's deputy chief medical examiner.

Police found Ricardo's body this week when they investigated a report of burst pipes.

The home's dry air had preserved his features, morgue assistant Jeff Bacchus said.

"You could see his face. He still had hair on his head," Bacchus said.

Ricardo's wife died years ago, and he lived alone, Dawson said.

"He hasn't been heard from in over a year. That's the part that baffles me," he said. "Nobody sounded the alarm."

Neighbors said they had thought Ricardo was in a hospital or nursing home.

"We never thought to check on him," said neighbor Diane Devon.

Skeleton "Valentines" Won't Be Parted

February 13, 2007—In what's been called a Valentine's Day gift to Italy, archaeologists today excavated two interlocked Stone Age skeletons—leaving their "eternal embrace" intact and making it easier to analyze the double burial.

Discovered last week during construction not far from Verona, the setting of Romeo and Juliet, the roughly 5,000-year-old couple has already become an icon of enduring love to many.

Like Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, the prehistoric twosome appear to be young, as evidenced by the condition of their teeth. But that's about all that is known about them so far. They could just as easily be two brothers.

But dig supervisor Elena Menotti takes the romantic view.

"It was a very emotional discovery," the archaeologist told the Associated Press last week. "From thousands of years ago we feel the strength of this love. Yes, we must call it love."

—Ted Chamberlain
National Geographic News

Chinese man to hang for ant scam

A Chinese company chairman has been sentenced to death for running a scam involving giant ants.
Wang Zhendong promised investors returns of up to 60% if they put money into the fictitious ant-breeding project, the court heard.

Wang, from Liaoning province, raised 3bn yuan ($390m; £200m) in three years, prosecutors said.

HP printing secrets from a former employee

From the Houston Chronicle's Tech Blog....


The Consumerist — rapidly becoming one of my fave stops on the Intarwebs — has a great post featuring stuff you didn't know about Hewlett-Packard printers and their tech support.

The source? Supposedly a former employee. The goods? If true . . . absolutely fascinating.

Cartoon Network CEO Resigns Over Aqua Teen Scare

Cartoon Network boss quits over bomb scare
Jim Samples is taking the fall for the marketing debacle at Turner Broadcasting.
February 9 2007: 3:17 PM EST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The head of Cartoon Network resigned Friday after the network's guerilla marketing scheme for one of its shows went bad last week and led to a bomb scare in Boston - a fiasco that cost its parent company $2 million.

In a letter to employees, Jim Samples, the general manager and executive vice president of the network, wrote: "I deeply regret the negative publicity and expense caused to our company as a result of this campaign. As general manager of Cartoon Network, I feel compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch."

Turner Broadcasting System and Interference Inc. agreed to pay $2 million to make amends for last Wednesday's bomb scare in Boston, the Massachusetts attorney general said Monday. TBS is the parent of the Cartoon Network, which initiated the marketing scheme. CNN, CNNMoney.com and TBS are all owned by Time Warner Inc. (Charts), the world's largest media company.

Samples had been with Atlanta-based Cartoon Network for 13 years.

In the marketing scheme, battery-powered cartoon advertising signs were placed around Boston and other cities for Aqua Teen Hunger Force, a show that's on the Cartoon Network's late-night Adult Swim programming. The signs led to a massive security alert around Boston.

-- from CNN's Katy Byron and CNNMoney.com's Rob Kelley

As the president and Republicans continue to hype the surge -- and stifle debate about it -- Bush's own war planners are preparing for failure in Iraq

The Pentagon's not-so-little secret
As the president and Republicans continue to hype the surge -- and stifle debate about it -- Bush's own war planners are preparing for failure in Iraq.

By Sidney Blumenthal

Feb. 08, 2007 | Deep within the bowels of the Pentagon, policy planners are conducting secret meetings to discuss what to do in the worst-case scenario in Iraq about a year from today if and when President Bush's escalation of more than 20,000 troops fails, a participant in those discussions told me. None of those who are taking part in these exercises, shielded from the public view and the immediate scrutiny of the White House, believes that the so-called surge will succeed. On the contrary, everyone thinks it will not only fail to achieve its aims but also accelerate instability by providing a glaring example of U.S. incapacity and incompetence.

The profoundly pessimistic thinking that permeates the senior military and the intelligence community, however, is forbidden in the sanitized atmosphere of mind-cure boosterism that surrounds Bush. "He's tried this two times -- it's failed twice," Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said on Jan. 24 about the "surge" tactic. "I asked him at the White House, 'Mr. President, why do you think this time it's going to work?' And he said, 'Because I told them it had to.'" She repeated his words: "'I told them that they had to.' That was the end of it. That's the way it is."

On Feb. 2, the National Intelligence Council, representing all intelligence agencies, issued a new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, as harsh an antidote to wishful thinking as could be imagined. "The Intelligence Community judges that the term 'civil war' does not adequately capture the complexity of the conflict in Iraq, which includes extensive Shia-on-Shia violence, al-Qaida and Sunni insurgent attacks on Coalition forces, and widespread criminally motivated violence. Nonetheless, the term 'civil war' accurately describes key elements of the Iraqi conflict, including the hardening of ethno-sectarian identities, a sea change in the character of the violence, ethno-sectarian mobilization, and population displacements."

The report described an Iraqi government, army and police force that cannot meet these challenges in any foreseeable time frame and a reversal of "the negative trends driving Iraq's current trajectory" occurring only through a dream sequence in which all the warring sects and factions, in some unexplained way, suddenly make peace with one another. Nor does the NIE suggest that this imaginary scenario might ever come to pass. Instead, it proceeds to describe the potential for "an abrupt increase in communal and insurgent violence and a shift in Iraq's trajectory from gradual decline to rapid deterioration with grave humanitarian, political, and security consequences."

Bush justified his invasion on the basis of false intelligence in the now notorious NIE of October 2002 that claimed Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. Now, as the latest NIE forecasts nightmares, he is escalating the war. But almost everything has changed in the nearly four years since the invasion.

A newly elected Congress has been galvanized to debate a bipartisan resolution disapproving of Bush's escalation. Yet in the Senate, where 60 votes are necessary to establish cloture on a filibuster, the Republican minority has blocked a vote. Though many Republicans are keenly aware that continued support for Bush's policy amounts to political suicide in 2008, all but two of them have joined a phalanx to shut down the vote. By mustering behind him, they tie their fate to his policy. Bush, however, will be gone, while they remain exposed to the political elements.

Even Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the Republican cosponsor of the resolution against the escalation along with Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., cast his lot with the Republican martyr brigade, voting to suppress his own measure. In 2002, the Republican right mounted a primary campaign against Warner in retribution for his deviation from their ideological line, but failed feebly. Warner cannot fear a repetition of the right's vengeance. Can he be undermining himself out of deference to the authority of a commander in chief whose course he believes is reckless?

The Republican prevention of a vote on the Warner-Levin resolution reflects an effort to close debate on the war itself. It amounts in effect to a gag rule on Bush's Iraq policy. During the Vietnam War, under President Johnson, neither party attempted to shut down debate. After 1969, President Nixon's Vietnam policy consisted of misdirection, deception, covert action and fait accompli, such as the counterproductive and ultimately catastrophic invasion of Cambodia. The Bush administration's methods can be traced to the Nixon administration, with Dick Cheney as the connecting thread.

The reception of the latest NIE, even more than the NIE itself, indicates again Bush's and Republicans' denial of objective analysis from the professional intelligence community. The October 2002 NIE was produced under intense pressure from the White House, especially Vice President Cheney, to validate its preconceived views. "The administration used intelligence not to inform decision-making, but to justify a decision already made," Paul Pillar, the national intelligence officer for the Middle East who oversaw the assembling of that NIE, wrote a year ago. In the shadow of this travesty, the new NIE was written with great care; its frightening descriptions, therefore, should be considered to be deliberately guarded and reserved in tone.

Just as Bush and the Republicans rejected the bipartisan wise men of the Baker-Hamilton Commission, they have now rejected the objective assessment of the professionals. By thwarting the bipartisan Warner-Levin resolution, they have declared that they will operate on their own fanciful criteria, even against their own political interests.

As the Senate curdles in frustration over Republican tactics, the trial of Scooter Libby continues to clarify the degree to which the administration covered up its disinformation campaign that led the country into war with another disinformation campaign to cover up the role of the vice president as the prime mover of the smear campaign against former ambassador Joseph Wilson for committing the unforgivable act of revealing the truth. For the Senate Republicans, Scooter Libby is not an object lesson. The lesson they take away, if any, is not the necessity of open government but once again the need to burn the tapes.

Libby's effort to prevent his grand jury tapes from being entered into evidence in his trial resembled nothing so much as Nixon trying to suppress his tapes. Both in the end revealed their respective coverups. Cheney learned from Nixon to burn the tapes at least figuratively; now, his chief of staff, Cheney's Cheney, has tried to protect Cheney by literally and futilely suppressing the tapes. Cheney finds himself back at the beginning. For him, life has come full circle. From the entire history of deception, from the Nixon to the Libby tapes, the Republicans have learned nothing.

The new NIE offers more than "key judgments" on "The Prospects for Iraq's Stability." It is also a template for the short-term future of American politics. The ruthlessly cruel events projected for Iraq will blow back to the United States. The more Bush fights there, the more the embattled Republicans must fight here.

The Senate Republicans' vote to suppress the resolution on the war was the moment when they irrevocably aligned themselves completely with a president who rejects objective analysis. Unable to shield him or themselves from the inevitable consequences, they have made a conscious decision to place the president's delusions above the welfare not only of the Republican Party but also of the troops sent into the deadly labyrinth of Baghdad. Quietly and calmly, as the Republicans hype the "surge," the war planners prepare for the worst.

-- By Sidney Blumenthal

Google Apps, which lets companies offload their e-mail systems, is beefing up

Google Steps Into Microsoft's Office
Google Apps, which lets companies offload their e-mail systems, is beefing up

Greg Brandeau is itching to dump the decade-old, homegrown e-mail system he manages at Pixar Animation Studios Inc. (DIS ). And the senior vice-president for technology at the Walt Disney Co. (DIS ) unit is sure about one thing: The replacement won't be Microsoft Corp.'s (MSFT ) Exchange and Outlook duo, whose e-mail, calendar, and other programs dominate corporate computing. Brandeau says it's difficult to manage the software because Pixar uses a variety of computers. His likely choice may surprise you: Google.

Apple - Thoughts on Music

Steve Jobs
February 6, 2007

With the stunning global success of Apple’s iPod music player and iTunes online music store, some have called for Apple to “open” the digital rights management (DRM) system that Apple uses to protect its music against theft, so that music purchased from iTunes can be played on digital devices purchased from other companies, and protected music purchased from other online music stores can play on iPods. Let’s examine the current situation and how we got here, then look at three possible alternatives for the future.

Craziest X-rays

A dentist found the source of the toothache Patrick Lawler was complaining about on the roof of his mouth: a four-inch (10-centimeter) nail the construction worker had unknowingly embedded in his skull six days earlier.

The strange tale of General Tso's chicken.

General Tso’s (or Zuo’s) chicken is the most famous Hunanese dish in the world. A delectable concoction of lightly battered chicken in a chili-laced sweet-sour sauce, it appears on restaurant menus across the globe, but especially in the Eastern United States, where it seems to have become the epitome of Hunanese cuisine. Despite its international reputation, however, the dish is virtually unknown in the Chinese province of Hunan itself.

Record Labels Contemplate Unrestricted Digital Music

Record Labels Contemplate Unrestricted Digital Music
By VICTORIA SHANNON

CANNES, France, Jan. 22 — As even digital music revenue growth falters because of rampant file-sharing by consumers, the major record labels are moving closer to releasing music on the Internet with no copying restrictions — a step they once vowed never to take.

Executives of several technology companies meeting here at Midem, the annual global trade fair for the music industry, said over the weekend that at least one of the four major record companies could move toward the sale of unrestricted digital files in the MP3 format within months.

Most independent record labels already sell tracks digitally compressed in the MP3 format, which can be downloaded, e-mailed or copied to computers, cellphones, portable music players and compact discs without limit.

Zoo: Male panda too fat to have sex

By SUTIN WANNABOVORN
Associated Press

BANGKOK, Thailand — Chuang Chuang the Panda is just too heavy to have sex.

Thai authorities have put him on a strict diet as part of a long-running campaign to get him to mate with female partner Lin Hui at the Chiang Mai Zoo in northern Thailand.

"Chuang Chuang is gaining weight too fast and we found Lin Hui is no longer comfortable with having sex with him," said the zoo's chief veterinarian, Kanika Limtrakul, adding that Chuang Chuang weighed 331 pounds while Lin Hui is only 253 pounds.

As a result, zoo authorities are cutting out bamboo shoots in the daily meal for Chuang Chuang and giving the obese bear only bamboo leaves, Kanika said.

Playboy Playmates pranked into Apollo 12 mission checklists

Back in 1969, some pranksters at NASA inserted scanned images of three Playboy centerfolds (on fireproof plastic paper!) into the little checklists the Apollo 12 astronauts took into space.



[Apollo 12 crew member Pete] Conrad got Miss September 1967 Angela Dorian ("Seen any interesting hills and valleys?") and Miss October 1967 Reagan Wilson ("Preferred tether partner"). [Al] Bean got Miss December 1969 Cynthia Myers ("Don't forget — Describe the protuberances") and Miss January 1969 Leslie Bianchini ("Survey — her activity").
Conrad told us in 1994: "I had no idea they were with us. It wasn't until we actually got out on the lunar surface and were well into our first moon walk that I found them." Bean recalled: "It was about two and a half hours into the extravehicular activity. I flipped the page over and there she was. I hopped over to where Pete was and showed him mine, and he showed me his."

Bush On North Korea: 'We Must Invade Iraq'

Bush On North Korea: 'We Must Invade Iraq'

Eiffel tower made of matches

EnglishRussia writes -

"A guy from Ukraine, Alexandr Pashkevich, has made a model of Eiffel Tower from matches.

The height of the structure is 3,3 ft (1 meter) and it consits of 15 000 different details made from 7464 matches.

More than that there is a illumination in the tower, made of numerous LEDs

10 Top Tech Towns

Using highly scientific methodology as well as algorithms snuck out of NASA and Google, we analyzed cities across the US to find the top 10 places to get your geek on.

40 Photos of Abandonned Amusement Park

Some very interesting photos. Awful site hosting them, but the photos are very good.