Wednesday, 11 November 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
#iPhone case with light
The "Beamer" #iPhone case from TUAW.com
TUAW has introduced several Quirky projects to you in the past. Quirky is a community of folks who come up with really cool ideas, and then the best of the ideas are fine-tuned by the folks who run the site and readied for manufacturing. Once a minimum number of customers commit to buy the product, it is put into production.
While looking at the headline for this post, you might think that we're talking about an oddly-painted BMW, but the Quirky Beamer is actually a case for the iPhone. Not just any case, mind you, but one with a built-in bright LED light that can act as a real flashlight or provide illumination for your nighttime photos.
Compatible with the iPhone 3G and 3GS, the Beamer uses replaceable lithium coin cell batteries to provide up to 10 hours of illumination without chewing up your phone's batteries. Pressing the button on the case once turns on the light for 10 seconds, enough to find your keys or take a picture of your buds. To turn the light on for an indefinite amount of time, press the button twice. A third press turns it back off.
Quirky won't produce the Beamer until 500 commitments at $32.00 are received on the site. As of 9 PM on Sunday night, 106 people had committed to the product. If you're looking for a way to flash your friends and not get arrested, the Quirky Beamer might just be the answer.
-------------------------------
This link came from The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) iPhone App. To learn more about the app or download it go here:
http://www.tuaw.com/downloads/iphone
Monday, 9 November 2009
Modern Day Slave Trade Flourishing
Sunday, 8 November 2009
Peacock Spider
Fascinating.
Peacock Spider
Peacock Spider
Photo: Jurgen Otto
This is a kind of jumping spider, and it's only about 5mm in size. The males have a colorful pattern on flaps that extend from their abdomen during breeding/mating. In addition to this, they raise their back pair of legs and dance from side to side to win over their plain brown females.
Only found in Australia, they were classified as species Maratus volans because people originally thought the flap was for gliding after jumping. Wiki
Sent from my iPhone
Latin Dancing Dog
YouTube says it's salsa, but it's actually merengue. Apparently. I have no idea what either of them are! Enjoy:
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
Why I Don't Want Kids: Reason # 721
Drug Combination has Social, Health ramifications
Friday, 6 November 2009
Sea Apples feeding
This is from Echinoblog - full post via link below.
The author is very VERY into his job - it makes me laugh.
SEA APPLE Video Day! Pseudocolochirus! woohoo!
end of the week VIDEO!!!... Tune in Monday for the Great Secret behind Sea Urchin POOP! It'll be special!
The author is very VERY into his job - it makes me laugh.
SEA APPLE Video Day! Pseudocolochirus! woohoo!
end of the week VIDEO!!!... Tune in Monday for the Great Secret behind Sea Urchin POOP! It'll be special!
Thursday, 5 November 2009
Bizarre Services via Oddee.com
(excerpts from)
Using some of your loved one's ashes combined with a very special mixture involving oil paint, the company has a professional artist create a one-of-a-kind portrait that will not only be a beautiful remembrance that will live on for many generations, but it will also help with your feelings of loss. You can also have a portrait of your beloved pet using its cremated ashes. (Link)
Last Meals Delivery Service in Toronto will bring you a last meal (only for Toronto residents). Not your last meal, but the meal someone on Death Row chose as his last. They all cost $20 and must be ordered a couple of days ahead of delivery. You don't get to pick it out, but when it's delivered it comes with a DVD to watch and a paper mask of the convict who selected it.(Link | Photo)
The problem with dying unexpectedly is that you never get a chance to say goodbye. No longer. A new web site called Lastmessagesclub.co.uk allows users to write and store adios e-mail messages to friends and family. Upon one's demise, the messages are made available to recipients.
The Last Messages Club is an email service that allows personal notes written prior to one's death to be sent to loved ones in the future. Important documents such as wills and insurance details can also be accessed through the service. Members can write up to 100 emails that can be released once they die at times of their election, such as when a relative or loved one marries or has a child. (Link 1 | Link 2)
When cremation or burial does not feel like the right decision for you and your pet, freeze dry preservation may be the right choice. Pets are avery special part of our family. Freeze dry preservation affords pet owners the opportunityto make a lasting memorial. This process keeps your pet intact. Your pet will retain its original size and shape in which it is posed indefinitely. We recommend a sleeping or a lying down position. Your pet will look very natural and even close up it will be difficult to tell any difference at all except for the lack of movement. With a little care, your pet can be held, carried, or even gently petted. (Link)
Now your cell phone can tell you the best day to have sex if you're trying to get pregnant. EggAlert is a text messaging service that will notify you when the optimum fertility day is approaching, so that you don't miss out on the perfect time for conception. The new service from PDA Health Ware, Inc., calculates a woman's next ovulation time, and sends a text message to her cell phone on her day of ovulation, fertility period, and when to expect her next menstrual period. (Link)
Ring4Freedom is a web-based service that rings your cell phone or landline phone anytime you want, allowing you to escape the throngs of unwanted conversationalists. Ever had someone walk up to your cubicle and start chattering away, wishing you could find a polite way to get rid of them? Ring4Freedom perhaps is your answer.
It's a piece of software that sits in your Windows system tray. Clicking on the icon (or pressing CTRL-D) will send a signal over the Internet to Ring4Freedom's server, which then places a call to your phone. This way, you can tell your unwanted guest that you're expecting an important call, and send them away. The cost? $4.95 per month. (Link 1 | Link 2)
The new fleet of 35 cabs in Mexico's colonial city of Puebla is driven exclusively by women and don't stop for men. The cabs cater especially to those tired of leering male drivers. "Some of the women who have been on board tell us how male taxi drivers cross the line and try to flirt with them and make inappropriate propositions," said taxi driver Aida Santos, who drives one of the compact, four-door taxis with a tracking device and an alarm button that notifies emergency services. In the Pink Taxi they feel more relaxed and they won't have that feeling of insecurity. The new taxis open up to Mexican women what has been an overwhelmingly male profession. (Link)
10 Most Bizarre Services
Published on 10/30/2009 under Misc - by Gracie Murano - 70,462 views
Ashes to Portraits: transforms the ashes from your loved one in a portrait
Using some of your loved one's ashes combined with a very special mixture involving oil paint, the company has a professional artist create a one-of-a-kind portrait that will not only be a beautiful remembrance that will live on for many generations, but it will also help with your feelings of loss. You can also have a portrait of your beloved pet using its cremated ashes. (Link)
Last Meals Delivery Service: delivers a surprise meal chosen by a death row prisoner
Last Meals Delivery Service in Toronto will bring you a last meal (only for Toronto residents). Not your last meal, but the meal someone on Death Row chose as his last. They all cost $20 and must be ordered a couple of days ahead of delivery. You don't get to pick it out, but when it's delivered it comes with a DVD to watch and a paper mask of the convict who selected it.(Link | Photo)
Lastmessagesclub.co.uk: stores good-bye messages to be sent after the client's death
The problem with dying unexpectedly is that you never get a chance to say goodbye. No longer. A new web site called Lastmessagesclub.co.uk allows users to write and store adios e-mail messages to friends and family. Upon one's demise, the messages are made available to recipients.The Last Messages Club is an email service that allows personal notes written prior to one's death to be sent to loved ones in the future. Important documents such as wills and insurance details can also be accessed through the service. Members can write up to 100 emails that can be released once they die at times of their election, such as when a relative or loved one marries or has a child. (Link 1 | Link 2)
Xtreme Taxidermy: freezes dry your pet to have a lasting memorial
When cremation or burial does not feel like the right decision for you and your pet, freeze dry preservation may be the right choice. Pets are avery special part of our family. Freeze dry preservation affords pet owners the opportunityto make a lasting memorial. This process keeps your pet intact. Your pet will retain its original size and shape in which it is posed indefinitely. We recommend a sleeping or a lying down position. Your pet will look very natural and even close up it will be difficult to tell any difference at all except for the lack of movement. With a little care, your pet can be held, carried, or even gently petted. (Link)
EggAlert: sends fertility SMS reminders
Now your cell phone can tell you the best day to have sex if you're trying to get pregnant. EggAlert is a text messaging service that will notify you when the optimum fertility day is approaching, so that you don't miss out on the perfect time for conception. The new service from PDA Health Ware, Inc., calculates a woman's next ovulation time, and sends a text message to her cell phone on her day of ovulation, fertility period, and when to expect her next menstrual period. (Link)
Ring4Freedom: gets you rid of unwanted people with a fake call
Ring4Freedom is a web-based service that rings your cell phone or landline phone anytime you want, allowing you to escape the throngs of unwanted conversationalists. Ever had someone walk up to your cubicle and start chattering away, wishing you could find a polite way to get rid of them? Ring4Freedom perhaps is your answer.It's a piece of software that sits in your Windows system tray. Clicking on the icon (or pressing CTRL-D) will send a signal over the Internet to Ring4Freedom's server, which then places a call to your phone. This way, you can tell your unwanted guest that you're expecting an important call, and send them away. The cost? $4.95 per month. (Link 1 | Link 2)
Pink Taxi: for women only
The new fleet of 35 cabs in Mexico's colonial city of Puebla is driven exclusively by women and don't stop for men. The cabs cater especially to those tired of leering male drivers. "Some of the women who have been on board tell us how male taxi drivers cross the line and try to flirt with them and make inappropriate propositions," said taxi driver Aida Santos, who drives one of the compact, four-door taxis with a tracking device and an alarm button that notifies emergency services. In the Pink Taxi they feel more relaxed and they won't have that feeling of insecurity. The new taxis open up to Mexican women what has been an overwhelmingly male profession. (Link) Reader Contributions to "10 Most Bizarre Services
 | Rent-a-Goat by C on 10/31/2009 Goats replace lawnmowers and heavy machinery to help with landscaping. Low cost, no gas fumes, and n(...) (Source) | |
 | LifeGems by Xoie on 10/30/2009 Create diamonds out of the ashes of your loved ones. (Source) | |
 | Eternal Earth-Bound Pets by Whitlock on 10/30/2009 You've let Jesus in to your heart and you're all set for the rapture. But who will look after Fido a(...) (Source) | |
 | Spellcasting Services by Bronwyn on 10/30/2009 They offer to cast spells on you to get whatever you wish. "Make your lover come home, find your los(...) (Source) | |
 | rapture pet service by Raywmjr on 10/30/2009 a service ran by atheist for Christians. if the rapture happens then the atheist you were paired up (...) (Source) |
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
BizarroBlog: Scary Health Care Reform
Scary Healthcare Reform from BizarroBlogs is well worth the read. I've excerpted below (all emphases in bold are mine):
Full post here.
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
Because of the cartoon above, I got a lot of hate mail from readers who are against government-run health care and/or are regular viewers of Fox News. I thought I'd spend a couple of minutes today explaining my position on health care reform, not as any kind of expert, of course, just from my vantage point as one who cannot afford health care in America.
I make a decent amount of money, but I'm not rich. I'm also self employed, so no one provides any kind of insurance for me, I have to buy it. Health insurance costs vary from state to state, but here in NYC, the cheapest I can find for my wife and I, with a large deductible, is over $1000 a month. [...] My wife had serious brain and heart surgery when she was 20, so just about anything that happens to her now will be called a "pre-existing condition." You can bet on it.
So here I sit, a reasonably famous guy who makes a decent living, unable to afford to get sick. Sure, I can afford the occasional doctor's visit or prescription, and do, but if either my wife or I are ever in an accident or get a serious disease, we're out of luck. We can't afford insurance and we can't afford to pay for the care. So we die.
[...]
Yes, it is popular in the U.S. to be fearful of the government, and throwing around scary words like "socialism" is a very effective way to herd people in the direction you want them to go. There has virtually never been a time in human history when this kind of tactic did not work. But all of the top nations in the world are a combination of socialism and capitalism, including ours. Medicare, Social Security, VA hospitals, welfare, public schools, road repair, anything you pay taxes for is a form of socialism. Some people imagine it would be better if none of those things existed and we all got to keep all our money and just "pay as we go" for these services, provided by private companies. But history shows that private industry is just as likely to screw up and cheat the consumer as any government. A combination of socialism and capitalism works best, which is why it is so prevalent worldwide.
[...]
Simply put, Fox News is not journalism, it is propaganda. And not because their opinion disagrees with mine, because much of what they say is demonstrably false, and always supports the narrow interests of a small handful of the uber-wealthy. [...] When every other large news agency in the world is saying something is bright and Fox News is the only one saying it is dark, especially when the ten wealthiest and most powerful people in the world are selling light bulbs, be very suspicious.
[...]
Your opinions may vary, that's fine. I'm just hoping there will be a way to afford to go to a hospital before I actually need it.
Full post here.
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
13 of the World's Prickliest...
The Huffington Post has put this list together, & it's worth a look!
Some examples:
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
Some examples:
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Monday, 2 November 2009
N'fa music video
Directed by Heath Ledger. I'm not an enormous fan of this sort of music, but I quite like this, and a very eye-catching video as well.
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
U2 concert
If you missed the live streamed U2 concert (as I did), then here is the link on YouTube. The video is 2 hrs 20+, so I'll be watching it in the off-peak download time at 2am!
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
Saturday, 31 October 2009
Dance Shoes, For the Father and the Daughter
A company has made Dance Shoes, For the Father and the Daughter.
Seriously.
As a non-child-owning person, my response is, "WTF? Who would want these?"
Then I read the comments (user IDs blocked out to protect the twee):
So, am I the only person to think these are a bit crap?
Thanks to STFU, Parents for drawing my attention to this madness.
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
Seriously.
As a non-child-owning person, my response is, "WTF? Who would want these?"
Then I read the comments (user IDs blocked out to protect the twee):
So, am I the only person to think these are a bit crap?
Thanks to STFU, Parents for drawing my attention to this madness.
-- Posted from my iPhone via BlogPress app
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