this is weird, and just a little bit scary... who knew those little guys could be so dangerous?...
Killer hamster ices owner | The Register
i've never heard of a bite-happy hamster before, but oh boy am i ever going to steer clear of ferrets in the future...
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Sunday, September 26, 2004
now this is definitely some ingenious design work
check out these walking wind-powered sculptures - they won't be what you expect, i can guarantee you that...
we make money not art
we make money not art
more irony
asahi.com : English
this is a mostly uninteresting business news story... the thing that really catches the attention (and the imagination) is that apparently japan has a kind of beer made out of peas...
where's the irony in that? well, consider this - it's a beer that starts out as peas and ends up as . . . well, i think you know the final state of all beer...
this is a mostly uninteresting business news story... the thing that really catches the attention (and the imagination) is that apparently japan has a kind of beer made out of peas...
where's the irony in that? well, consider this - it's a beer that starts out as peas and ends up as . . . well, i think you know the final state of all beer...
poetic justice
[probably not work-safe if your boss has 4 legs and tail]
there's a word for this (JPEG Image, 370x332 pixels)... that word is irony...
apparently irony isn't a well liked concept in canine circles... can you blame them?
there's a word for this (JPEG Image, 370x332 pixels)... that word is irony...
apparently irony isn't a well liked concept in canine circles... can you blame them?
apple of the earth...
IOL: A Step Beyond
you can eat 'em, you can drink 'em, you can shoot 'em, you can make prints with them, you can remove broken light bulbs with them, you can power your alarm clock with them, and now you can drive them... yes, that's right, the worlds most useful food just got better - you can now drive a car made with potatoes...
(boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew)
you can eat 'em, you can drink 'em, you can shoot 'em, you can make prints with them, you can remove broken light bulbs with them, you can power your alarm clock with them, and now you can drive them... yes, that's right, the worlds most useful food just got better - you can now drive a car made with potatoes...
(boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew)
Saturday, September 25, 2004
more robot videos
OmniHead
i just couldn't let this one go by without comment - look at all the things that robot can do... it can do a handstand... i can't even do a handstand... it can kick and throw too...
but don't be fooled into thinking robots don't relax and catch some rays, 'cause they do... it's just that it gets old fast, especially when there's places to go and people to meet...
of all the robot videos i've seen lately, this site has to be the best... bravo!, why don't you take a bow...
well, goodbye little robot...
i just couldn't let this one go by without comment - look at all the things that robot can do... it can do a handstand... i can't even do a handstand... it can kick and throw too...
but don't be fooled into thinking robots don't relax and catch some rays, 'cause they do... it's just that it gets old fast, especially when there's places to go and people to meet...
of all the robot videos i've seen lately, this site has to be the best... bravo!, why don't you take a bow...
well, goodbye little robot...
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
so the milky way is candy after all...
Scotsman.com News - Sci-Tech - Frozen sugar at centre of Milky Way
ok, so maybe it's not the creamy caramel center one might be expecting, but still this is good news for giant galaxy gobbling super-beings... i guess that means it's not such a good thing for us...
ok, so maybe it's not the creamy caramel center one might be expecting, but still this is good news for giant galaxy gobbling super-beings... i guess that means it's not such a good thing for us...
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
blue screen of death meets orange pixelboard of subway?
rebooting the subway
oh, i hope the ttc never gets high-tech enough that it can crash (bad enough to see air traffic shutdown due to microsoft windows)
oh, i hope the ttc never gets high-tech enough that it can crash (bad enough to see air traffic shutdown due to microsoft windows)
speaking of 'biodegradable' and "returning to the earth"
am i morbid for thinking about my own death? i don't think so, i think everyone does it from time to time in one way or another... usually what i think about is the practical what's the best way to get rid of the body?
there are a number of unorthodox options i've thought up as alternatives to the standard highly preservative burial (where my body would just sit there in a sort of time capsule, barely decaying for decades to come) or the inefficient cremation (where a whole lot of energy is wasted just to turn me into something you can pour into a can)... it would seem i'm not the only person who favours a more natural post-end...
capsulamundi
ideally i was thinking something more along the lines of being eaten by wild animals, but i suppose a more conservative approach would be easier to execute...
there are a number of unorthodox options i've thought up as alternatives to the standard highly preservative burial (where my body would just sit there in a sort of time capsule, barely decaying for decades to come) or the inefficient cremation (where a whole lot of energy is wasted just to turn me into something you can pour into a can)... it would seem i'm not the only person who favours a more natural post-end...
capsulamundi
ideally i was thinking something more along the lines of being eaten by wild animals, but i suppose a more conservative approach would be easier to execute...
children of the corn
not too long ago (relative to kurt time, which is funny since i don't wear a watch or keep track of the passage of time) i posted a link to an article about optical disks made out of corn... well, it's not just for optical disks anymore...
NEC's biodegradable corn-based laptops
because really, it isn't enough just to buy a laptop and watch it devalue over time, you should get to see it denature over time and return to the earth....
NEC's biodegradable corn-based laptops
because really, it isn't enough just to buy a laptop and watch it devalue over time, you should get to see it denature over time and return to the earth....
thought for the day
what is the difference between an empowering technology and an enslaving technology?
i think the difference is this: an empowering technology is one that helps you do what you want to do while an enslaving technology is one that allows you to do what you need to do...
kind of a subtle difference, really... and if i were the kind of person who gave people the benefit of the doubt, i think that subtlety would be a likely cause for things like product/vendor lock-in... it's easy to misuse the term "want" when "need" is more appropriate, then when you think you're just adding features what you're actually doing is reducing the number of viable options...
i think the difference is this: an empowering technology is one that helps you do what you want to do while an enslaving technology is one that allows you to do what you need to do...
kind of a subtle difference, really... and if i were the kind of person who gave people the benefit of the doubt, i think that subtlety would be a likely cause for things like product/vendor lock-in... it's easy to misuse the term "want" when "need" is more appropriate, then when you think you're just adding features what you're actually doing is reducing the number of viable options...
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
FBI document about concealed weapons
this is really a must read document (with pictures) of some very clever concealed weapons... it makes me wonder why security checks at airports aren't more involved....
concealed weapons
now, don't get me wrong - i'm not about to condone the use of weapons on planes or anything but some of those key-knives made me wonder... what on earth has ever stopped anyone from simply using regular keys as a stabbing weapon? or, come to think of it, why not a pencil/pen?... heck, just about anything could be used as a club-type weapon, and shoelaces make for a handy garrot... why do they even bother taking away our nail-clippers when metal framed glasses can be used to puncture someone's lungs or heart?
i think maybe we've past the point of diminishing returns on the banned materials front and maybe we should start looking at alternative means of dealing with people who use everyday items as weapons, because boarding white padded planes buck-naked or in straight jackets seems a little far fetched and those are the only ways of preventing all everday items capable of being used as weapons from actually getting used as weapons... we need to save out toenails... instead of banning these things, have someone on board whose trained to deal with these things...
concealed weapons
now, don't get me wrong - i'm not about to condone the use of weapons on planes or anything but some of those key-knives made me wonder... what on earth has ever stopped anyone from simply using regular keys as a stabbing weapon? or, come to think of it, why not a pencil/pen?... heck, just about anything could be used as a club-type weapon, and shoelaces make for a handy garrot... why do they even bother taking away our nail-clippers when metal framed glasses can be used to puncture someone's lungs or heart?
i think maybe we've past the point of diminishing returns on the banned materials front and maybe we should start looking at alternative means of dealing with people who use everyday items as weapons, because boarding white padded planes buck-naked or in straight jackets seems a little far fetched and those are the only ways of preventing all everday items capable of being used as weapons from actually getting used as weapons... we need to save out toenails... instead of banning these things, have someone on board whose trained to deal with these things...
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
of all the rip-offs
normally i might find this kinda neat, but no this isn't just a working phone made out of lego, it's a lego phone someone is charging $135 for!... made in taiwan? more like made in some kid's playpen... cell phone companies are practically giving away phones so what exactly is it that one would be paying $135 for? the lego bricks?
Phone Vault: Lego Phone
Phone Vault: Lego Phone
Monday, September 13, 2004
claim that iraquis holding Optimus Prime hostage is a hoax, it's only Bumblebee
The Raw Feed
ok, there's nothing about iraquis in there anywhere, i'm just captioning now... the hoax part is real (ironically)... it's a very cool graphic though... click here for a different view (in flash)...
ok, there's nothing about iraquis in there anywhere, i'm just captioning now... the hoax part is real (ironically)... it's a very cool graphic though... click here for a different view (in flash)...
to help satisfy any curiosity you might have
if you've ever wondered what it would be like to see a lightning strike up close and personal (but not so up close and personal that medical rescue teams start referring to you as a 'crispy critter') then click this near miss...
yikes
and here we have a robotic blanket that crawls over you as you move to make sure you're always covered...
we make money not art
now if i'm in bed and i'm not quite asleep and not quite awake, tossing and turning in a darkened room, i'm pretty sure the last sensation i want to feel is that of something crawling all over my body...
it's a good thing this was intended as art and not an actual product... and hey, what if you don't want to be completely covered? or what if someone figures out how to hack this thing and make it smother you? it does have a wireless transceiver after all... (can you tell i've never trusted wireless technology? can you tell this makes me trust it even less?)
we make money not art
now if i'm in bed and i'm not quite asleep and not quite awake, tossing and turning in a darkened room, i'm pretty sure the last sensation i want to feel is that of something crawling all over my body...
it's a good thing this was intended as art and not an actual product... and hey, what if you don't want to be completely covered? or what if someone figures out how to hack this thing and make it smother you? it does have a wireless transceiver after all... (can you tell i've never trusted wireless technology? can you tell this makes me trust it even less?)
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
because a USB flashdrive watch alone isn't cool enough
so about a year ago i was browsing through the new stuff at one of my favourite geeky gadget online stores and i stumbled across a neat idea, a watch that doubles as a USB flashdrive, with a short USB cable that tucks nicely (and inconspicuously) into the watchband... ThinkGeek :: USB Memory Watch
now someone has taken that idea to it's next logical step... they stuck in an MP3 player and a headphone jack...
ThinkGeek :: Laks Memory Music Watch
now someone has taken that idea to it's next logical step... they stuck in an MP3 player and a headphone jack...
ThinkGeek :: Laks Memory Music Watch
wing flapping paper airplane
before i got interested in origami there was paper airplanes... i even had a book with a variety of paper airplanes in it... it didn't have this one though...
Flapper_Steps.jpg (JPEG Image, 1500x2300 pixels)
the cat loves it, maybe not because of the wing flapping (really he likes anything that moves) but i can at least convince myself that it is for the next 5 or 10 minutes...
Flapper_Steps.jpg (JPEG Image, 1500x2300 pixels)
the cat loves it, maybe not because of the wing flapping (really he likes anything that moves) but i can at least convince myself that it is for the next 5 or 10 minutes...
spinning propellor shaped spy drone - what could go wrong?
Defense Tech: WHIRL-A-DRONE BEGINS TO SPIN
this is definitely not the kind of spy drone you want to shoot down, not unless you really don't care about your civilian population getting sliced, diced, and julianed...
this is definitely not the kind of spy drone you want to shoot down, not unless you really don't care about your civilian population getting sliced, diced, and julianed...
Monday, September 06, 2004
where in the world is mark robinson?
10 years ago... 10 years to the day... i met mark on the second floor of the innis college residence on st. george street in toronto... we were assigned to the same 'appartment' (or whatever they were called) at the rez and as is usually the case with people i live with, he and i became friends...
good friends from my perspective, and while i can't comment on his perspective i gather i was one of the few people from UofT he kept in contact with... that is until april, this year...
mark moved out of the city, out of the country, off of the continent even... british virgin islands he says... i'll call you when i get settled he says... problem is mark isn't the kind of person who calls people, mark is the kind of person other people call - so no calls from mark... i've managed to get around this problem once before through some clever uses of online phone directories but not this time - no luck finding a recent directory of that area so no luck contacting mark... and what didn't occur to me until it was too late was that the email contact i had for him was his work email address, which obviously would be useless since he would no longer be working for the same company...
so, it's been months now and no word... i don't know if he's still alive (though i imagine the island life is probably just too enthralling for him) or what's going on but i sure would like to hear from my friend... so mark, if you're reading this (seems like a long shot but hey) email me! there's a link for doing so right at the top of the page...
good friends from my perspective, and while i can't comment on his perspective i gather i was one of the few people from UofT he kept in contact with... that is until april, this year...
mark moved out of the city, out of the country, off of the continent even... british virgin islands he says... i'll call you when i get settled he says... problem is mark isn't the kind of person who calls people, mark is the kind of person other people call - so no calls from mark... i've managed to get around this problem once before through some clever uses of online phone directories but not this time - no luck finding a recent directory of that area so no luck contacting mark... and what didn't occur to me until it was too late was that the email contact i had for him was his work email address, which obviously would be useless since he would no longer be working for the same company...
so, it's been months now and no word... i don't know if he's still alive (though i imagine the island life is probably just too enthralling for him) or what's going on but i sure would like to hear from my friend... so mark, if you're reading this (seems like a long shot but hey) email me! there's a link for doing so right at the top of the page...
hmmm...
hmmm... making a pillow out of used dryer sheets... that could work, and it would smell good too...
it goes up, it goes down, it goes round and round and round
as someone who owns a few yoyos himself, and probably spent more than the average amount of time playing with them, i can certainly appreciate the skill displayed here...
yoyo performer
one thing, though... i always thought a trick was considered unsucessfully executed if you couldn't get the yoyo to return at the end - look closely and you'll notice him restarting the yoyo to get it to return on a number of occasions...
yoyo performer
one thing, though... i always thought a trick was considered unsucessfully executed if you couldn't get the yoyo to return at the end - look closely and you'll notice him restarting the yoyo to get it to return on a number of occasions...
Saturday, September 04, 2004
whew!
wow, i think i'm finally caught up... last weekend was a birthday barrage, and gift hunting is hard... hunting for that one perfect gift for paytn all day saturday and not finding it, then deciding that i'd head out to a store i had a good feeling about on sunday before making pancakes, then not being able to because my router died overnight and i had to spend 2 hours on the phone with the manufacturer to find out that the warranty on my $150, 1.5 year old router only lasted for 1 year...
things were looking up, though, when i found the gift i was looking for later in the day and i got a new router from another manufacturer for $25 that has a 3 year warranty...
then skipping out of work early on monday for the celebration, getting paytn and kruz in trouble for noise, until we went outside to play tag... my friend lee ann's neices and nephews were a lot harder to run down on foot than paytn and kruz, and paytn and kruz were on bikes (and i'm in worse shape than i used to be) - i think those 2 need to get more exercise...
i didn't really feel up to sorting through them after work but i've finally weeded through all my wacky links now, so i should be all caught up...
things were looking up, though, when i found the gift i was looking for later in the day and i got a new router from another manufacturer for $25 that has a 3 year warranty...
then skipping out of work early on monday for the celebration, getting paytn and kruz in trouble for noise, until we went outside to play tag... my friend lee ann's neices and nephews were a lot harder to run down on foot than paytn and kruz, and paytn and kruz were on bikes (and i'm in worse shape than i used to be) - i think those 2 need to get more exercise...
i didn't really feel up to sorting through them after work but i've finally weeded through all my wacky links now, so i should be all caught up...
a public service announcement for geeks
DVD's aren't the top of the removable storage media food chain anymore...
Optware's 1TB Holographic Versatile Disc - Engadget
Optware's 1TB Holographic Versatile Disc - Engadget
an interesting blip on the otherwise useless convergence landscape
i have no watch, i'll say that right now... i walk around day in and day out with basically no concept of what time it is and i'm happy... i don't need to know what time it is all the time, in fact it's rare that i need to know what time it is... i need to know when to wake up, when to stop working, and when to go back to bed... occasionally i need to know if it's close to the time i was intending to meet someone... in all those situations there are almost always timekeeping devices on hand that i can use instead of being shackled to my own personal moment counter... i escaped from the slavery of clock-watching years ago when my last watch broke and i haven't given serious thought of returning until i saw this...
Lacrosse Technology UV-100 Ultra-Violet (UV) Index Watch
being of the fair-skined persuasion (hey, i'm a redhead), i can definitely appreciate a gadget that allows me to gauge my risk of exposure to harmful UV rays and act accordingly... and it's built into a fairly ordinary looking digital watch... and it's not like i'm the kind of guy who goes around with all sorts of gadgets (i may like gadgets, but i also like to travel light)... wearing a gadget like that on my arm just makes sense, and isn't that what good product design is all about?
Lacrosse Technology UV-100 Ultra-Violet (UV) Index Watch
being of the fair-skined persuasion (hey, i'm a redhead), i can definitely appreciate a gadget that allows me to gauge my risk of exposure to harmful UV rays and act accordingly... and it's built into a fairly ordinary looking digital watch... and it's not like i'm the kind of guy who goes around with all sorts of gadgets (i may like gadgets, but i also like to travel light)... wearing a gadget like that on my arm just makes sense, and isn't that what good product design is all about?
all things chia
once upon a time there was the chia pet... it was novel, it was green, and you could put it away when the novelty wore off...
then there was the chia head... extra novelty points for being able to play with funny green hair-dos...
the chia keyboard, however, doesn't strike me as a step in the right direction... chia furniture, sure... chia clothing even... but chia computer peripherals just don't work for me...
Gizmodo : Organic Computing
then there was the chia head... extra novelty points for being able to play with funny green hair-dos...
the chia keyboard, however, doesn't strike me as a step in the right direction... chia furniture, sure... chia clothing even... but chia computer peripherals just don't work for me...
Gizmodo : Organic Computing
halloween came early
if you weren't afraid of snakes before, this picture might just change your mind...
Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP
that snake doesn't look too pleased about having been exposed to that man's magic nose goblins, though... maybe this makes for unlikely nightmare material...
Yahoo! News - World Photos - AP
that snake doesn't look too pleased about having been exposed to that man's magic nose goblins, though... maybe this makes for unlikely nightmare material...
seeking inspiration?
well, if the inspiration you seek is for new ways of getting your personalized license plate ideas past the license plate censors then maybe this will help...
URPL8SUX: Licensed To Offend - September 3, 2004
i gotta say, though, some of the complaints here seem a little far fetched... i mean, i realize that "kike" is generally considered bad but "kike jr" seems like it's referencing someone and referential license plates usually reference the owner... who'd call themselves a "kike" unless it had another meaning? like maybe a proper name? i think with some of the weird names out there it just might be possible... i went to school with a girl who had the rather unspectacular name of laura goodenough... and at university there was a girl whose last name was hoare... now just imagine being told your license plate (that has your name on it) is offensive...
thank goodness 'wismer' is just the name of a pokemon... hopefully that won't offend anybody (except those radical anti-pokemon zealots, but they can eat my shorts)...
URPL8SUX: Licensed To Offend - September 3, 2004
i gotta say, though, some of the complaints here seem a little far fetched... i mean, i realize that "kike" is generally considered bad but "kike jr" seems like it's referencing someone and referential license plates usually reference the owner... who'd call themselves a "kike" unless it had another meaning? like maybe a proper name? i think with some of the weird names out there it just might be possible... i went to school with a girl who had the rather unspectacular name of laura goodenough... and at university there was a girl whose last name was hoare... now just imagine being told your license plate (that has your name on it) is offensive...
thank goodness 'wismer' is just the name of a pokemon... hopefully that won't offend anybody (except those radical anti-pokemon zealots, but they can eat my shorts)...
Friday, September 03, 2004
splat!
Skydiver killed in plunge
i've got to agree with the fark folks on this one... if you go to a skydiving school and the instructor's name is "Pancake", you are definitely in the wrong place...
i've got to agree with the fark folks on this one... if you go to a skydiving school and the instructor's name is "Pancake", you are definitely in the wrong place...
there's something you don't see everyday
/home/tero Lehtileikkeleet
right... when the machines take over the earth, this is the first place they'll go - to a crane (or something) with a giant circular saw blade on it...
what on earth could they be cutting with a saw whose teeth are each the size of a minivan? where are there trees that big, really?!
right... when the machines take over the earth, this is the first place they'll go - to a crane (or something) with a giant circular saw blade on it...
what on earth could they be cutting with a saw whose teeth are each the size of a minivan? where are there trees that big, really?!
truth in advertising
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Photo Gallery (Kern County Sheriff)
yes, that's right... a cop car that says "we'll kick your ass and take your donuts too"... and get this, at least part of that message is real (though all of it is the truth)...
yes, that's right... a cop car that says "we'll kick your ass and take your donuts too"... and get this, at least part of that message is real (though all of it is the truth)...
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