Saturday, February 27, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Tips on Cleaning: Carpets and Rugs
This clever trick is very helpful during these snowy times and this chilly winter.Take advantage of the local blizzards to give your rugs and carpets a thorough deep cleaning using nothing more than snow.
You can easily clean a wool rug using freezing temperatures and powdery snow. Check the labels on your man-made acrylic fibre rugs, just in case they shrink when wet!
First, take the rug outside and leave it there, draped over something clean, to acclimatise it to the cold temperatures. Leave it for half an hour to be sure.
- Throw it down on the fresh clean snow,
- Beat it with a broom for 10 minutes or so,
- Turn it over and beat it again for 10 minutes or so, and then
- Sweep off all the excess snow before bringing it back inside.
Kate Winslet Arrives at BAFTA awards London
Kate Winslet arrives at the British Academy Of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London.
She was nervous about rumours concerning a large woman allegedly snacking on skinny supermodel guests in the foyer.
Also concerned about how to get past the large pin-up model sponsored by the chocolate makers Hershey's
Perpetual Motion: Ongoing process
Ongoingness: a perpetual motion machine.
The wheel at the top writes the email, the twisty thing sends it, and the disc on the left reads it and sends a reply to everyone.
This process carries on for ever.
For more ONGOING nonsense click here
Cash Dispenser Smashed and Grabbed - Take away funds
This is one way of getting your money back from the bank and stopping them giving each other bonuses, but one we would not recommend it.
The only secure future in this business will be behind bars.
The Huntress - Beautiful Photography from Alexia Sinclair
It's pretty impressive how Australian photographer and digital artist Alexia Sinclair is able to balance the beauty of fine art, history, and modern art techniques.
"The Regal Twelve" series is a suite of pictures depicting powerful historical women combining photography, illustration, European backdrops, fashion models, historical treasures and symbolic references, digitally montaged to create works based on historical truths.
"My influences range from Botticelli and de' Medici circle to contemporary couture fashion designers such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. All of the portraits are inspired by the styles and fashions of each monarch and are reinterpreted into a contemporary visual narrative." -Alexia Sinclair
To see more fantastic photography from Alexia Sinclair Click Here...
"My influences range from Botticelli and de' Medici circle to contemporary couture fashion designers such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. All of the portraits are inspired by the styles and fashions of each monarch and are reinterpreted into a contemporary visual narrative." -Alexia Sinclair
To see more fantastic photography from Alexia Sinclair Click Here...
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Driving a Lada on Snow and Ice
First find an old Lada that you can customise. Next, find an old tractor and remove the rear axle.
It will return a big saving on tyres (50%) but don't be tempted to turn it into a snow plough. That's a bit like sawing off the branch you're sitting on!
Friday, February 19, 2010
Spoons, Chihuahuas, and Autonomous Robots make Odd Title shortlist
Nazi spoons, murderous cyborgs and the musings of an invertebrate hunter are among the subjects tackled in the books nominated for the latest installment of the Diagram Prize.
The prize, which celebrates the oddest book title of the year, received a record number of submissions in 2009, with 90 books suggested to 2008’s 32.
After an intensive judging process, the "Very Longlist" was whittled down to a more palatable six by The Bookseller’s diarist and prize custodian Horace Bent.
Voting has opened on the six books at http://www.thebookseller.com/. The winner will be announced on 26th March.
Bent said: “Selecting a shortlist proved a Herculean task, as many books carried titles that furrowed the brow—not least How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo, and Map-based Comparative Genomics in Legumes.
However, the vast sum of submissions has, in my humble opinion, created one of the most competitive shortlists in the 32 years of the prize and I look forward with incalculable anticipation to the result of the public vote.
“I would like to thank fans of The Bookseller’s award for scouring the bookshelves and sending in so many submissions. Without them, and without the huge public support at voting time, The Diagram Prize would not be the eminently prestigious literary award that it is”.
The 2008 Diagram Prize was won by Professor Philip M Parker’s unforgettable The 2009–2014 World Outlook for 60mg Containers of Fromage Frais, while other previous winners include: If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start with Your Legs, and Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers.
The 2010 shortlist in full:
- David Crompton's Afterthoughts of a Worm Hunter (Glenstrae Press)
- James A Yannes' Collectible Spoons of the Third Reich (Trafford)
- Daina Taimina's Crocheting Adventures with Hyperbolic Planes (A K Peters)
- Ronald C Arkin's Governing Lethal Behavior in Autonomous Robots (CRC Press)
- Ellen Scherl and Maria Dubinsky's The Changing World of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (SLACK Inc)
- Tara Jansen-Meyer's What Kind of Bean is This Chihuahua? (Mirror)
All books are available from Amazon, of course.
The 2009 shortlist in full
- Baboon Metaphysics by Dorothy Dorothy L Cheney and Robert M Seyfarth (University of Chicago Press)
- Curbside Consultation of the Colon by Brooks D Cash (SLACK Incorporated)
- The Large Sieve and its Applications by Emmanuel Kowalski (Cambridge University Press)
- Strip and Knit with Style by Mark Hordyszynski (C&T)
- Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring by Lietai Yang (Woodhead)
- The 2009-2014 World Outlook for 60-milligram Containers of Fromage Frais by Professor Philip M Parker (Icon Group International)
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
UK NHS taking extraordinary measures to combat hospital superbugs - C-Difficile
Clostridium Difficile Dance troupe perform for the UK NHS hospitals around the country.
Another old favourite is MRSA - (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus)
In the beginning, Methicillin was a popular antibiotic but through good intentions, overuse and familiarity, the bacteria family of Staphylococcus (or Staphy for short) has grown up and become resistant to it. Hence the name.
It is rumoured that the UK NHS is looking at starting a cheerleader group to help raise further awareness about MRSA.
'Give us an M! Give us an R! Give us an S! Give us an A! What have we got? MRSA! Say it again! MRSA! Yeeeeah!' Go team and wash your hands!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Europe wants to turn down the volume
EU wants to turn down the volume
With millions at risk for hearing damage, the EU is introducing sound limits on portable (iPod-type) music players
With millions at risk for hearing damage, the EU is introducing sound limits on portable (iPod-type) music players
NB: Subtle European marketing poster!
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Icicles in Sweden: Shoot on Sight
When pest control workers were asked to help remove a dangerously long icicle hanging from a building in Norrköping in eastern Sweden, they took the unusual step of shooting it down with a rifle."We were helping out with getting rid of the icicles in the neighborhood and there was one hanging there that we couldn't reach," Per Wernerson, the manager of the company, Anticimex, told local newspaper Norrköpings Tidningar.
"So we decided to use a little creativity. The man that shot it down has passed the hunting license and when he shoots, he hits."
However the local police were less impressed with the hunters sharp shooting abilities.
"Their authorization to shoot does not cover icicles, only vermin, and we'll have to report this," said police commissioner Ingemar Sigsjo, adding that there were extenuating circumstances.
"One must not forget at the same time that it was an act of goodwill - there were ugly looking icicles hanging there."
Security Devices: The Most Accurate Paintball Gun Turret
Here is your automatically responsive defensive paintball gun turret installed on your garage roof. Ready to respond in a reactively defensive way, to any movement inside the established perimeter (your garden)i.e. it will detect, track and fire paintballs at the 'intruder'. Let's admit it, we all want one of these!
View the video below and make up your mind. NB: It would be easier to see the paintball strikes if they had chosen a darker colour i.e. not yellow!
This is the most amazing device that has a number of uses in everyday life and in more specific defensive military applications.
I certainly would not want to be the crash test dummy that was running around on front of it.
Anti-theft Mug: Just pull the plug on the bad guys!
Now here is a very useful device for the busy office.
Now you can safely leave your favourite mug sitting on the shelf in the kitchen and feel secure that it will still be there when you need it.
You simply take the plug with you! Isn't that a great idea?
Well yes, but I am sure that the people in the office who suffer from CBD (compulsive borrowing disorders) will soon whittle down a wine cork to just the right size.
Ah well, back to the drawing board, and IKEA for another cheap disposable mug!
Anti-theft Devices for everyday
Would you leave this tasty snack in the fridge or would you look further?
Aha! you can't tell a snack by looking at the cover!
Unfortunately, if I had seen it I would have chucked it in the bin!
This is a great example of the oldest tape deck ever fitted to a car, but is it?
Voila! It's all a front and a cunning device to make your stereo less attractive to the bad guys.
Not sure if your trendy date is going to admire it as much, though!
I can also imagine that the original tape cassette players will become 'collectables' in the future. The new antiques.
Excuse me, while I now go into the deepest darkest area of my cavernous attic to retrieve my 16 track cartridge player and my collection of Rod Stewart cartridges! Oh yes, he is that old!
If you would like to see more of the quirky anti-theft devices click on this link....but do be careful I had some trouble with this link and had to reset my IBM XT PC to continue.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Looking at Cracks on the Ice
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Members of the Russian speed skating team practise ahead of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics at the Richmond Olympic Oval
Picture: REUTERSBoogie the impressive Black Jaguar
A black jaguar called Boogie walks in his cage at the zoo in Tbilisi, GeorgiaPicture: AFP/GETTY
Largest Guinea pig in South America
Melanie Typaldos at home with her pet capybara named Caplin Rous, Buda, Texas. Capybaras, closely related to guinea pigs, are the largest rodents in the world and are native to South AmericaPicture: Melanie Typaldos / Rex Features
Monday, February 8, 2010
A Glass Half Full or Half Empty?
An Optimist will say the glass is half-fullA Pessimist will say the glass is half-empty.
A Severe Optimist will burst into tears of gratitude, and will write an inspiring blog post about being thankful for having access to clean drinking water, and a glass to hold it in.
An Engineer will say the glass is at 50% full capacity.
An Engineer Professor will point out that the cross-section of the glass varies with height (h). In order to find the true volume (V) one needs to integrate (dV/dh) from h(0) to h(final).
An English Major will get mad at the Engineer Professor’s explanation, because they don’t understand it.
An English Professor will write a paper on “The Symbolism of a half-full glass, related to the juxtaposition of the American Dream and the plight of post-industrial Welsh Coal Miners.”.
A Liberal will point out that the glass used to be more full, but the last Neo-Conservative government drained it by giving tax breaks to their fat-cat corporate rich friends.
A Conservative will point out that the glass could be much fuller, if the Liberals didnt’ insist on emptying it all the time to fund their social services programs.
An Environmentalist will say that we waste too much water, and that chlorine is killing the fishes and making the ice-caps melt.
A Zen-master wannabee will point out that the glass is what it is.
A Labrador Retriever will sniff the glass, knock it over, and chew on it while wagging its tail, regardless of glass slivers on the tongue.
A Senior will point out that in their day, the glasses were only one-quarter full, and they were thankful to have THAT….
A three-year old kid will keep touching the glass (despite Mummy’s urging NOT to), until it topples over the edge of the table and smashes, resulting in a tantrum and a Time-Out.
A Social Media Expert will offer to sell virtual E-Glasses for $127.77, but buy now, because next week the price goes up to $577.77.
A Life Coach will say ask us how full we would LIKE the glass to be, and what postive ”Actions” do we think we’d need to complete, in order to achieve this goal?
An Squirrel, for some reason, will find the glass extremely annoying, and will spend the morning perched up in a tree chattering at it.
A Twitter addict will announce to the world in intricate detail how refreshing and tasty it was to drink half the beverage that was originally there. (Yum!)
Mr. T won’t tell you either way but he’ll pity the fool glass.
Donald Duck will give an honest answer. Unfortunately nobody will be able to understand him.
An IT guy will want a bigger glass. This existing one is obsolete, and can’t keep up with the flow from the new water tap.
A Viking Warrior will ask: “What happened to the hollowed-out skulls we used to drink from?”
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Photomanipulation Master, Erik Johansson
Volvo Toolkit
Escher Lego
Serendipity Spill
Welcome to Fish Island
Looking a little Light Headed
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