Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Football and Aviation

gizmag Article: The Walrus: the US Army contemplates building an aircraft the size of a football field

"Whilst this would completely rewrite the way that war is conducted, the Walrus - a massive lozenge-shaped blimp the size of a football field capable of transporting 500 tons at a time - could offer solutions to myriad peacetime problems, opening land-locked countries to trade, enabling heavy construction materials to be delivered into urban centres with minimum disruption, freeing our highways of high volume, heavy loads, offering a more robust and agile air transportation network capable of absorbing disruptions due to weather or attack."

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This is especially big news because the NFL has just announced the "Walrus" as the site of Super Bowl L.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Help Me Bill Gates...You're My Only Hope!

gizmag Article: Holographic projection coming to laptops, PDAs and mobile phones

"A new ground-breaking holographic 2D projection technology could result in a new generation of pocket-sized digital video projectors and miniature projection displays incorporated into other handheld devices."

My PDA has had this technology for a long time actually. The only problem is I bought it used and I keep getting a message that I can't make heads or tails of. I think I need to take it to the shop to have its memory erased.


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Calling Doctor Love

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Remember back during the first Gulf War when Israel was so afraid of getting hit with a biological weapon from Saddam Hussein that they were passing gas masks out in the streets? Fortunately they never actually needed them, but that would seem an entirely proper use for a gas mask. These days, gas masks aren't just for genocide anymore. Nope. Gas masks have now moved into the realm of fetish accessory. Don't believe me? Check out a website called Rate My Gas Mask and see for yourself (though I must warn you that some of the gas masks are wearing naked women).

It seems these days many things fall under the fetish umbrella. You name it, there's someone turning it into a sexual fantasy. Once upon a time the classic nurses outfit was all the spicing up a bedroom needed. Now that's just the tip of the iceberg. For example, when did we reach the decision that forceps should be added to the mix? Or sterilized gauze? And under NO circumstances whatsoever should it be necessary to introduce an I.V. Stand to the proceedings! If any of those items actually are required at any point before, during or after lovemaking, you're doing something terribly wrong. If this is what you and your partner are up to, maybe you should look into renting a room in the local I.C.U.

But it's not just the medical supplies companies cashing in on this trend. Did you know that there are roughly seven hundred million clothespins produced in the United States each year (my own estimate after an informal count)? Do you know how many of those are used by fetishists? All of them. Now, if you still do your laundry the old-fashioned way, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking you only use your clothespins for hanging laundry and nothing else. Well, if you hang under garments, I think that pretty much qualifies as a fetish these days.

At this point you're probably wondering whatever happened to harmless old fetishes like foot fetish, spanking and even lingerie. Sadly, they're going the way of the vinyl record and Atari. They're old news nowadays. In this high-tech digital age we live in, people are looking for new thrills. There is a bit of good news for the old school fetishist though. Mummification seems to be making a comeback. We're not even talking old school, we're talk ancient school! I know you may be a little reluctant to try this, but if it was good enough for your ancestors 4,000 years ago, it's good enough for you now (of course, this assumes that everyone reading this is of Egyptian lineage, but you get my point).

In closing, let me just throw out a few ideas for new fetishes that I think could be big one day:

* Scrolling Sports Ticker Fetish - Can easily be added to any headboard. Guaranteed to keep a man's interest.
* File Cabinet Fetish - For work and play.
* Mortar and Pestle Fetish - I'm sure something could be figured out to do with this, but really I just wanted to say "Mortar and Pestle Fetish"
* Mouse Fetish - I'm talking computers, of course. This would give the term "scroll button" an entirely new meaning (I have no idea what that means, but work with me here)
* Fencing Fetish - A new twist on playing "dressup". Plus, a little jousting never hurt anyone. En guard!
* Texas Hold 'Em Fetish - It's already sweeping the nation, so this just seems like a natural if you ask me. Just add some "stripping" and you've got yourself a fetish.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

I Beg To Differ

How to make a Stable Plasmoid ( Ball Lightning ) with the GMR

"The GMR v 1.0 is a microwave resonator composed with a small quater wave antenna mounted on an artificial ground surface. The frequency of the magnetron is 2.45 GHz, its wave length is l = 12.2 cm, this gives the height of the 1/4 wave microwave antenna : l/4 = 3 cm and the ground base diameter : l/2 = 6 cm."

I'm not usually one to quibble but I'm looking at their calculations and I've just got to say, they actually think this Plasmoid is gonna be stable??? HA!!!

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

The Flybar

gizmag Article: The Flybar - think of a pogo stick on steroids

"The Flybar - think of a pogo stick on steroids"

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The Flybar - think of a lawsuit and a huge settlement.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Red Squirrel Week

Red Squirrel Week

"RED SQUIRREL WEEK 10th Sept - 18th Sept 2005"..."They're agile, cute and furry, and we're nuts about them! Red squirrels are one of the most loved animals in the UK."

I live near a nuclear power plant and we just started getting red squirrels around here. Is this normal?

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Friday, September 09, 2005

Right Under Their Noses

First Chimp Fossils Found; Humans Were Neighbors

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I have no idea why we're just now discovering this. How could these people miss it?!?

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Too Stupid For Science

Important Experiments in Quantum Physics

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"Anyone who is not shocked by the quantum theory has not understood it."

- Niels Bohr

I find myself repeating this quote numerous times on just about any given day, even when noone else is around. Why not?

Behold the Power of the Sun

Treehugger: New Solar Power Faucet by Sloan Valve


"A solar powered faucet? Apparently this faucet works with ambient light much like solar calculator."

The thing I hate about solar calculators is that to get them started you usually have to hold them real close to a light. I'm not sure if I would be able to lift this faucet to get it near a window. I just wish they listed the weight of the unit.

Monday, September 05, 2005

Shake, Fido!

moorepet.com/moorepet/index.cfm

"Pet Step Leg attachments"


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Talk about a niche product! I must say though that the legs on these dogs do look completely real and their prices seem quite reasonable for prostheses. What will they think of next?

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Just My 2 Tenths

msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050410/050410_gasprices_hmed_3...


While I'm on the subject of gas prices, to the gas stations of the world I say just drop the whole 9/10 bit. We get it, instead of $3.30 it's actually 1/10 cheaper - $3.29 9/10. What a deal! I'm not sure what I'll do with the extra money. Maybe I'll spend it at a 1/10 cent store. What world are gas station owners living in that pennies are actually divided into tenths??? One day I'm going into a gas station and buying one gallon of gas and demanding ALL my change. Let's see how they pay it out!

Let Them Drink Water

gizmag Article: The LifeStraw – the invention of the century?

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"The aptly-named LifeStraw is an invention that could become one of the greatest life-savers in history. It is a 25 cm long, 29 mm diameter, plastic pipe filter and purchased singly, costs around US2.00. The most prolific killer of human beings in developed countries is the automobile, followed by a host of diseases resulting mainly from an indulgent lifestyle."

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Considering that US$2.00 might as well be US$1000.00 in some of these places that need the LifeStraw, I don't exactly expect them to be flying off the shelves in these impoverished countries. On the other hand, the price of gas (currently averaging $2,473.99 9/10 per gallon!) must be saving lives everyday, so I guess you have the yin and the yang.

Keep Out of Reach of Idiots

Weber Grills, Weber Grill, Webber Grills, Webber Grill

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I've been meaning to mention this for a while, but have you seen those Weber commercials where the couple is talking about how much they love their Weber grill? The guy says something like, "No other grill we've owned has ever lasted more than a season". What the heck are these people doing to those things?!?! I bought a cheapie grill from Target about five years ago and it's still going strong with very regular use. They must be making those Weber's out of lead or something that this guy isn't somehow managing to smash it into little pieces.

Friday, September 02, 2005

Gonna Pack It Up Nice

gizmag Article: Fold up Stroller which converts to a backpack

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"Here's proof that you don't need a staff of MIT graduates to have and implement a good idea. This low-cost unit transforms from a three wheel stroller to a compact backpack in a few seconds, making it ideal for busy parents who need to juggle a young child with everyday tasks."

First of all, no matter how busy you are, I don't recommend juggling your children. There are plenty of other ways to keep yourself entertained, not to mention that I think you could probably get into trouble for doing this. Anyway, this whole stroller/backpack idea sounds like a good one for parents on the go. Here's a picture of the stroller being used as a backpack - looks like it works great:

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"There is no stroller, only backpack!"

Thursday, September 01, 2005

That's One Way To Do It

Woman torches house trying to kill spiders - Peculiar Postings - MSNBC.com

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"The spiders are gone though -- that problem was solved."

Yep. Pretty much.

The Ancient Egyptians Had Nice Jugs

COAST TO COAST AM WITH GEORGE NOORY

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"Recently, I took this to the Antique Road Show where someone that specialized in archeology verified that it was at least 500 years old and not modern man made. He still did not recognize it as belonging to a specific group of people."

I too am an appraiser and I think I can shed a little more light on this matter. It appears to be a container of some kind measuring somewhere around 12-14 inches tall and 5-7 inches wide, made out of a type of synthetic plastic material. It has an unknown liquid inside, which probably did not come with it originally. The ancient Egyptians used containers like these to supply their workers with water when they were building the Pyramids. I would say this one doesn't go back quite that far. I would estimate, judging from the markings, that this particular one is circa 1997 (the neo-plastic era). My appraisal value on a piece like this in such great condition would be somewhere around $3,000. Probably closer to $4,000 if the liquid inside was deemed to be original as well. Beautiful piece!