Saturday, March 31, 2007

MacDevCenter.com -- Scripting Dot Mac

MacDevCenter.com -- Scripting Dot Mac: "Accessing the iDisk via WebDAV from Linux"

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | The Most Hated Family in America

BBC NEWS | UK | Magazine | The Most Hated Family in America: "Their actions are in the name of the Westboro Baptist Church, which numbers 71 and is headed by 'Gramps', preacher Fred Phelps. The church, which is based in Topeka, Kansas, mostly comprises his extended family."

ayb_calvin_and_hobbes.jpg

ayb_calvin_and_hobbes.jpg

All Your Base

Friday, March 30, 2007

Nobby Tech. Ltd. : 株式会社ノビテック - 製品紹介:高速度カメラ

Nobby Tech. Ltd. : 株式会社ノビテック - 製品紹介:高速度カメラ: "ハイビジョン対応スーパースローカメラ
HD-SDIフルスペックハイビジョンモデル Phantom HD"

So Thats Why Its Called a PYRAMID SCHEME

So Thats Why Its Called a PYRAMID SCHEME: "Crazy Eddie and the $120 Million Ripoff
“I’m Crazy Eddie!” a goggle-eyed man screamed from the television set. “My prices are I-N-S-A-N-E!”

If you were anywhere near the East Coast in the 1980s, you undoubtedly saw those TV commercials. The raucous ads saturated the airwaves in the tri-state area and helped Crazy Eddie’s quickly become the dominant consumer electronics retailer in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

As it turned out, “Crazy” Eddie Antar, who was behind one of the twentieth century’s most infamous financial statement frauds, wasn’t crazy at all—just crooked. Indeed, the face on the tube wasn’t even his (it belonged to an actor). The real Eddie Antar didn’t have time for acting. He and members of his family were too busy engineering a $120 million rip-off. Much of the ill-gotten loot was placed in secret overseas bank accounts. Once discovered, Antar spent several years on the lam and another several behind bars. According to a senior SEC official, “This may not be the biggest [financial statement] fraud of all time, but for outrageousness, it is going to be very hard to beat.” Even though the fraud is more than a decade old, it provides vivid examples of how these crimes can be pulled off and how auditors can be deceived."

squidsquid.com - find out your squid quotient

squidsquid.com - find out your squid quotient: "Take the carefully designed test in order to determine your Squid Quotient/ Squintelligence Quotient (SQ). Your SQ reveals your affinity for squid."

"Your Squid Quotient = 138.5

Interpreting your results: An average Squid Quotient is around 100. A SQ of 100 means you have a normal affinity for squid. A SQ above 100 means you have an attraction or fondness for squid. Below 100 means that you should probably stay away from the deep ocean."

ReadyMade Blog � Blog Archive � Diet soda cupcakes?!

ReadyMade Blog � Blog Archive � Diet soda cupcakes?!: "“Take a box of regular cake mix,” she said. “Substitute the oil and egg nonsense with a single can of diet soda, mix, bake, and voil�! Cupcakes!” It sounded way too simple and strange to work, but believe-you-me, it makes for a tasty, tasty treat. Alyssa used white cake mix and diet 7-Up for the lemony yumyums we’ll be enjoying today, but recommends using a dark soda if you’re making a chocolate or fudge dessert."

Saturday, March 24, 2007

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Austen 'too ugly' for book cover

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Austen 'too ugly' for book cover: "Novelist Jane Austen has been given a makeover for the cover of a book about her life after publishers decided an original image of her was unattractive."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Austen 'too ugly' for book cover

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Austen 'too ugly' for book cover: "Novelist Jane Austen has been given a makeover for the cover of a book about her life after publishers decided an original image of her was unattractive."

Thursday, March 22, 2007

10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25 by Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #104

10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25 by Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #104

"

The two biggest complaints I hear from people when it comes to buying emergency supplies are the high cost for items they may never actually use and the need to replace out-of-date food that was never eaten. Yes, those tasty freeze-dried, ready-to-eat meals from most camping stores are expensive, and yes, many may never actually be used. But that is also true of buying a fire extinguisher, as you don’t intend to ever actually use it either, but it’s a real life saver if you do.

To address these high-cost concerns and the difficulty to locate camping stores that stock hard-to-find survival equipment, I decided to assemble a 10-day emergency food supply by shopping only in a typical chain grocery store, and I kept the total cost under $25. This is very cheap insurance if you travel through areas where you would not want to be stranded, and you will not be out that much if you have to occasionally replace items that have reached their expiration date."

10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25 by Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #104

10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25 by Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM Issue #104

"

The two biggest complaints I hear from people when it comes to buying emergency supplies are the high cost for items they may never actually use and the need to replace out-of-date food that was never eaten. Yes, those tasty freeze-dried, ready-to-eat meals from most camping stores are expensive, and yes, many may never actually be used. But that is also true of buying a fire extinguisher, as you don’t intend to ever actually use it either, but it’s a real life saver if you do.

To address these high-cost concerns and the difficulty to locate camping stores that stock hard-to-find survival equipment, I decided to assemble a 10-day emergency food supply by shopping only in a typical chain grocery store, and I kept the total cost under $25. This is very cheap insurance if you travel through areas where you would not want to be stranded, and you will not be out that much if you have to occasionally replace items that have reached their expiration date."

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Cathy's World

RIP, Cathy Seipp, 1957-2007.

You will be missed.

Toolmonger � Blog Archive � Finds: Wonderlok Chair Glue

Toolmonger � Blog Archive � Finds: Wonderlok Chair Glue: "Though the Wonderlokking website may be difficult to find, Wonderlok Chair glue (thankfully) isn’t. These little tubes of chair glue are pretty unassuming, but the big fixing power of its formula is a great weapon to have at hand.

Wonderlok is what it is because of how it works. It’s not the strongest glue ever made to fix a piece of wooden furniture, but it’s preferred by craftsman because of its “ooze” factor. Wonderlok’s great because you can apply it from the outside of a joint seam and it will penetrate (”ooze”) into the joint to form a solid bond throughout — which’ll hopefully hold your rickety chair or table firm without disassembly."

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

The Transom Review: Ira Glass

The Transom Review: Ira Glass: "Ira is a radio hero because of the way he listens, and the way his listening summons stories you remember. He is a champion for the Many Voices that public radio's mission says it values. This American Life is not the voice of record, but a record of the voices around us. The stories are as fully strange and hopeful and funny and harsh and romantic as America itself...and occasionally all at the same time. They sprawl outside the usual standard-issue broadcast confines, telling about the way it actually was, what it felt like, what really happened. Ira is their shepherd, their piper.

But it was not always that way. Ira's Transom Manifesto, which will appear in serialized form over the course of his time with us, begins with his utter lack of talent at this work. We think Ira's failures will give you hope."

LIBERTAS � Blog Archive � The NPR Atheist Said What?

LIBERTAS � Blog Archive � The NPR Atheist Said What?

"Christians are actually, to me, anyway, as a Jew, much more interesting in America. And weirdly, much more misunderstood. Evangelical Christians are the most incompetently portrayed group in America, in TV, in fiction, in the news. When Christians say that the media gets them wrong, Christians are absolutely right. Christian life in this country is really horribly documented, and way more interesting than is done. Generally, in the media, very religious Christians are portrayed as hardheaded doctrinaire knuckleheads. But in fact, from my experience, the most religious Christians I know tend to be incredibly thoughtful, complicated, generous to a fault, very principled and not knuckleheads. Actually, they’re sort of weirdly the opposite of the stereotype, and that includes people from the hardcore fundamentalist faiths.

...That’s a quote from Ira Glass"

Monday, March 19, 2007

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 248-dimension maths puzzle solved

BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | 248-dimension maths puzzle solved: "An international team of mathematicians has detailed a vast complex numerical 'structure' which was invented more than a century ago.

Mapping the 248-dimensional structure, called E8, took four years of work and produced more data than the Human Genome Project, researchers said.

E8 is a 'Lie group', a means of describing symmetrical objects.

The team said their findings may assist fields of physics which use more than four dimensions, such as string theory.

Lie groups were invented by the 19th Century Norwegian mathematician Sophus Lie (pronounced 'Lee')."

Sunday, March 18, 2007

KOHLER: K-1166-C1: sok� overflowing bath for two with effervescence and chromatherapy: Bathroom

KOHLER: K-1166-C1: sok� overflowing bath for two with effervescence and chromatherapy: Bathroom: "The ultra-deep reservoir of the sok effervescent bath allows two bathers to completely immerse themselves in the water as thousands of champagne-like bubbles emerge from thirteen ports, gently caressing for a soothing bathing experience. This model features a continuous flow of water over the sides of the basin for a relaxing visual and aural sensation, and chromatherapy lighting provides a full spectrum of color that washes over you. A 1.5-horsepower pump with a 4-kilowatt, in-line heater powers the whirlpool system. The bath is constructed of acrylic and fiberglass reinforced plastic for exceptional durability and easy cleaning, and the drain outlet on this model is in the center."

Cognitive Daily: Artists look different

Cognitive Daily: Artists look different: "These two pictures represent the eye motions of two viewers as they scan a work of art with the goal of remembering it later. One of them is a trained artist, and the other is a trained psychologist. Can you tell which is which?"

Friday, March 16, 2007

rlwrap, Emacs midi-input and p5httpd

rlwrap, Emacs midi-input and p5httpd: "rlwrap is a 'readline wrapper' that uses the GNU readline library to allow the editing of keyboard input for any other command. Input history is remembered across invocations, separately for each command; history completion and search work as in bash and completion word lists can be specified on the command line."

Thursday, March 15, 2007

No more “stupid guys” at Beijing’s Silk Market

No more “stupid guys” at Beijing’s Silk Market: "Realizing that the counterfeit goods orgy might be nearing its end, the Silk Market now tries to boost sales and re-position itself by fostering exceptional customer service among its employees. Late last year, the proprietors have erected various signs around the market, elaborating on proper ways to communicate with patrons."

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Eyetracking points the way to effective news article design

Eyetracking points the way to effective news article design: "Eyetracking points the way to effective news article design
OJR's design experts review usability research and offer suggestions on how you can make your online articles better connect with readers."

Monday, March 12, 2007

Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes: "Phrase or keyword to search for:"

RLC: Times Reporter Dares to Buy Sliced Brisket

RLC: Times Reporter Dares to Buy Sliced Brisket: "Times Reporter Dares to Buy Sliced Brisket
I've been thinking about this New York Times article since it came out a few days ago -- an article on the barbecue craze in New York and whether the barbecue there meets Texas standards, or has to.

But that part's not what I'm thinking about.

What I'm thinking about is this line describing Kreuz Market, the legendary barbecue joint thirty miles down the road from here (page 3 of the article, fifth paragraph from the bottom):

A friend related a story of visiting Kreuz Market in Lockhart, Tex., one of the high holy shrines of Texas barbecue. He tried to describe the vibe in the room while he was eating: a low, throbbing, violent, ready-to-rumble hum that he felt and felt part of."

Friday, March 09, 2007

Stackless.com - About Stackless

Stackless.com - About Stackless: "An introduction for newcomers

Stackless Python is an enhanced version of the Python programming language. It allows programmers to reap the benefits of thread-based programming without the performance and complexity problems associated with conventional threads. The microthreads that Stackless adds to Python are a cheap and lightweight convenience which can if used properly, give the following benefits:

* Improved program structure.
* More readable code.
* Increased programmer productivity.

Features

For all the convenience gained through using Stackless, there is really only a minimal amount of functionality exposed through the stackless module. You can get more familiar with these aspects by reading the information provided in the following pages:

* Microthreads. Tasklets wrap functions allowing them to be launched as microthreads.
* Channels. Channels can be used for bidirectional communication between tasklets.
* Scheduling. A round robin scheduler is built in. It can be used to schedule tasklets either cooperatively or preemptively.
* Serialisation. Tasklets can be serialised to disk through pickling for later resumption of execution."

Burrito Blog

Burrito Blog: "The Burrito Blog"

Monday, March 05, 2007

iStumbler 98

iStumbler 98: "iStumbler is the leading wireless discovery tool for Mac OS X, providing plugins for finding AirPort networks, Bluetooth devices and Bonjour services with your Mac.

Release 98 includes a re-written AirPort plugin which now correctly reports signal for all current AirPort chip-sets, and provides more information about all networks. The info window is now resizable and the AirPort Inspector shows dBm values when available."

Friday, March 02, 2007