Thursday, March 29, 2007
0 commentsWhat can I do with a liberal art's degree?
The answer may surprise you... or not. Thanks University of Alabama. It's funny because it's true.
Microsoft's ZenZui
Isn’t it time we re-imagined how we consume information on a mobile phone? Once upon a time, pre-ZenZui, mobile browsing went something like this: Navigate through a long list of web sites selected by a complete stranger. Pick one, and wait…then, read a few lines and scroll down down down down down, deeper into the abyss of mobile web boredom. Tedious. Painful. Ultimately an underwhelming experience.
Enter ZenZui.
Demo:
Smokers make poorer workers
Smokers take an additional eight days of sick leave a year and are more likely to perform poorly in the workplace compared with non-smokers, according to two new studies published today.
Smokers in Sweden took almost 11 extra days off sick compared with their non-smoking colleagues, researchers at the Free University of Amsterdam found. They analyzed national data on sickness absence in 14,000 workers between 1988 and 1991.
The number was adjusted to account for smokers' tendency to choose riskier jobs and have poorer underlying health, bringing the difference to just below eight days a year, said the researchers, led by Petter Lundborg.
Smokers in Sweden took almost 11 extra days off sick compared with their non-smoking colleagues, researchers at the Free University of Amsterdam found. They analyzed national data on sickness absence in 14,000 workers between 1988 and 1991.
The number was adjusted to account for smokers' tendency to choose riskier jobs and have poorer underlying health, bringing the difference to just below eight days a year, said the researchers, led by Petter Lundborg.
No Wal-Mart for Manhattan
Wal-Mart, embattled by failed attempts to open stores in Queens and Staten Island, may be giving up on New York, or at the very least Manhattan.
In an interview with The New York Times, published Wednesday, Lee Scott, Wal-Mart, chief executive and chairman, said that trying to conduct business in New York was so expensive that “I don’t think it is worth the effort. I don’t care if we are ever here,” he told The New York Times at a meeting with editors and reporters on Tuesday.
But Wal-Mart officials quickly clarified that Scott, who in the interview made repeated references to “New York,” was referring to Manhattan, and not the entire city.
In an interview with The New York Times, published Wednesday, Lee Scott, Wal-Mart, chief executive and chairman, said that trying to conduct business in New York was so expensive that “I don’t think it is worth the effort. I don’t care if we are ever here,” he told The New York Times at a meeting with editors and reporters on Tuesday.
But Wal-Mart officials quickly clarified that Scott, who in the interview made repeated references to “New York,” was referring to Manhattan, and not the entire city.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
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Japan is so much cooler than the USA, I don't care if it's because they have lyrics to the Super Mario Bros song
English translation:
Go Go Mario
Today, full of energy, Mario is still running, running
Go save Princess Peach! Go!
Today, full of energy, Mario runs
Today, full of energy, jumping!
Today, full of energy, searching for coins
Today, keep going, Mario!
Get a mushroom - it's Super Mario!
Get a flower - it's Fire Mario!
Goomba! Troopa! Buzzy Beetle! Beat them all!
Mario is always full of energy and strong!
[Spoken] The only one who can reverse the spell that has captured the Mushroom People is Princess Peach. But Princess Peach is hidden underground, in a far-off castle. Ah, the days of peace... if we could once more return to those days... to save Princess Peach and bring peace back to the Mushroom Kingdom, that is why Mario is on his journey today.
Today, full of energy, Mario is still running, running
Go and beat the Koopa tribe, go!
Today, full of energy, Mario runs
Today, full of energy, jumping!
Today, full of energy, searching for coins
Today, keep going, Mario!
Get a star - become invincible!
Quickly, go save Princess Peach!
Lakitu! Blooper! Cheep Cheep! Beat them all!
Mario is always full of energy and strong!
Today, full of energy, Mario is still running, running
He's made it to the castle and gets fireworks!
Lightly sidestepping the Hammer Bros.
Show the last of your power, Mario!
It's been a long journey but it's nearly at an end
You've done it, you've done it! You've defeated Bowser!
Princess Peach says "Thank you"
Mario's got a great big heart!
Mario's adventure is over for now, but
Mario's dream lives forever...
Kumar to teach at UPenn
Hollywood actor and producer Kal Penn is bringing his movie-industry insight to the University of Pennsylvania, where he'll teach two undergraduate classes next year, the school is slated to announce today.
So, Penn has landed a gig at Penn.
The 29-year-old actor, whose portrayal of Kumar Patel in the 2004 cult classic "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" put him on the pop-culture map, will be a guest instructor in the spring semester of 2008 for the Asian American Studies Program, said its director, Grace Kao.
Bald eagles set up shop in Philadelphia
America's national emblem is nesting in Philadelphia for the first time in more than 200 years but it may be on a collision course with developers.
A pair of bald eagles, a species that has recovered from the brink of extinction in the last 40 years, has built a nest in a former Navy yard on the south side of Philadelphia, the sixth-largest U.S. city and where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written.
"They have eggs in the nest and you can tell they are incubating by their behavior," said Doug Gross, an endangered bird specialist for the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Philadelphia valet-crimes awareness
It seems you can't trust anyone anymore in crime-plagued Philadelphia - not even the parking valet.
Police warned the public yesterday to pay closer attention to where they park their vehicles while out and about in Center City.
Since November, investigators said, they've counted at least nine vehicles stolen from garages used by the Marriot Courtyard, across from City Hall, the Kennedy House apartment building on John F. Kennedy Boulevard near 19th Street, and various other valet lots.
Police warned the public yesterday to pay closer attention to where they park their vehicles while out and about in Center City.
Since November, investigators said, they've counted at least nine vehicles stolen from garages used by the Marriot Courtyard, across from City Hall, the Kennedy House apartment building on John F. Kennedy Boulevard near 19th Street, and various other valet lots.
Tecumseh's curse
The story of the so-called Tecumseh curse, although known in the world, is part of the American culture and is taught in schools in history classes. How else to explain the horrifying sequence of seven American presidents who did not live to see the end of their mandates in the strict periods of 20 years.
Death to the elected on zero year.
According to folklore, the curse also known as the Tippecanoe Curse, the President Curse or the Curse of the Zero Year arose after the victory over American Indians in the battle of Tippecanoe in 1811. The famous Indian chief Tecumseh and his army was then defeated by the Americans led by General William Henry Harrison, a future presidential candidate. Tecumseh then cursed the American people. According to another version, his brother Tenskwatawa, also known as The Prophet, made the curse. Whoever passed the curse, it went like this: Harrison will die, I tell you. After his every big chief (meaning U.S. presidents) elected in the space of 20 years on the year ending with a zero will die during his term. And each time they die let them remember my people.
Doggles
So what are Doggles anyway? Doggles are protective eyewear for dogs. They are actually goggles for dogs, hence the name. Unlike ordinary sunglasses for dogs, Doggles actually protect dog’s eyes from foreign objects, wind, and UV light. What do Doggles look like? They are modeled after sports goggles. We currently have 2 styles of Doggles, fitting dogs 7 pounds and up. All models have flexible, snug-fitting frames, which have foam padding against the face; polycarbonate (shatterproof) and anti-fog lenses; and adjustable elastic head and chin straps to keep the Doggles securely on the dog. All pictures provided by Doggles and MidKnight Creations, LLC.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
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Tuesday, March 06, 2007
0 commentsMost expensive luxury cars of 2007
When it comes to automotive opulence, the Europeans retain the crown, thanks to such legendary brands as Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Maserati. However, Japan's Lexus LS460 squeaks onto the list.
Friday, March 02, 2007
0 commentsCan't resist... Rectum? Darn near killed him!
An inmate at an El Salvador jail was caught with a hand grenade stuffed up his backside -- a novel attempt to disguise his apparent escape plans.
Guards at the San Francisco Gotera prison outside the capital San Salvador found the V40 grenade, about the size of a golf ball, lodged up the man's rectum during a security clampdown, a prison spokesman said on Thursday.
They also caught another 16 inmates who each swallowed a mobile phone.
Guards at the San Francisco Gotera prison outside the capital San Salvador found the V40 grenade, about the size of a golf ball, lodged up the man's rectum during a security clampdown, a prison spokesman said on Thursday.
They also caught another 16 inmates who each swallowed a mobile phone.
Happy Birthday Market Street El
The Market Street subway-elevated line turns 100 years old on Sunday, and riders get the birthday gift: free trips for the afternoon.
The birth of the Market Street Line, which allowed passengers to travel easily from 69th Street to the Delaware River, linked Center City to burgeoning new development in West Philadelphia. And it helped spawn more growth west of the Schuylkill, as 69th Street Terminal sprouted in the midst of cow pastures.
Philadelphia's oldest high-speed line - which has since grown into the Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated - emerged at the dawn of intraurban rail travel, coming just a decade after the last horse-drawn car finally left the streets, following the rise of cable cars and electric trolleys. New York, Chicago and Boston already had built elevated rail lines to whisk riders above congested streets, and Philadelphia had been contemplating one since the 1890s.
The birth of the Market Street Line, which allowed passengers to travel easily from 69th Street to the Delaware River, linked Center City to burgeoning new development in West Philadelphia. And it helped spawn more growth west of the Schuylkill, as 69th Street Terminal sprouted in the midst of cow pastures.
Philadelphia's oldest high-speed line - which has since grown into the Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated - emerged at the dawn of intraurban rail travel, coming just a decade after the last horse-drawn car finally left the streets, following the rise of cable cars and electric trolleys. New York, Chicago and Boston already had built elevated rail lines to whisk riders above congested streets, and Philadelphia had been contemplating one since the 1890s.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
0 comments7 genres we could all do without
Theodore Sturgeon, speculative fiction writer and visionary, once formulated a "Revelation": "90% of everything is crud," though "crap" seems to be the word he was groping for. Cruel, maybe. And frankly, does the half-good, the good-in-spots, or the really-bad-with-a-couple-of-redeeming-moments counts as crap? And the 9 out of 10 ratio means a lot of mulch for the talented 10%...I mean, in this 90 percent are plenty of examples of what not to do, or what could be done better. However, there are 7 genres that are just so consistently low standards that Sturgeon's Revelation seems like blatant optimism. I'm tempted to use the above as one genre example -- the title card from John McNaughton's 1994 movie comes from the ever-reliable shillpages.com -- but there were all more frequent offenders that didn't even have the benefit of catfights and shower scenes...
They're at it again
A Pennsylvania restaurant thinks it has a winner. A Guinness World Record winner, that is.
Chefs at the Clearfield eatery said they've created the world's largest hamburger, all ready to order right off the menu.
Weighing in at 123 pounds, this giant burger features an 80-pound beef patty, a 30-pound bun, 12 tomatoes and 160 slices of cheese. Denny's Beer Barrel Pub also throws on a pound each of lettuce, ketchup, mustard and mayo -- and up to five onions.
