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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Goo.gl: Google Launches a URL Shortener, Too


It looks like today has quickly become URL shortener day. Just moments ago, we learned about fb.me, Facebook’s new URL shortener. It’s already in use for mobile and page link sharing and spreading quickly.

One of Facebook’s (Facebook) mortal enemies couldn’t let the social network have all of the fun and attention, though. Google has just launched Goo.gl, the official Google (Google) URL shortener of the world’s largest search engine.

In a short announcement, the tech giant revealed that the Google Toolbar and the FeedBurner syndication service now utilize Goo.gl for link sharing.

The company also made sure to preach the strengths of its URL shortener and why it should be chosen above others. Google’s three key talking points are stability, security, and speed. These are no surprise:


Facebook and Google are trusted brands with huge audiences and very good short URL domains. Today may just mark the beginning a new battle for the URL shortening market.



Potty Training Pigs Helps Cut Water Use by 50%, Prevents Water Pollution (Video)

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California

pig on farm photo
Photo via Maurice

Taiwan's 6.5 million pigs are a source of river pollution. But one Taiwanese farmer has found that potty training is porkers goes a long way in both conserving water and keeping it clean. He's trained his hogs to use a litter box, and has had such great results that he's starting to advocate the practice to other farmers.

Earth Times reports that Chang Chung-tou, owner of Shantung Animal Husbandry Farm in Yunlin county, started training his hogs 6 years ago after neighbors complained about the stench and pollution coming from the pig waste. He set up small litter boxes - about 4 meters by 6 meters for every 40 pigs - and trains them while young to use them.

The litter boxes have wire mesh so the urine seeps through, and the fecal matter is vacuumed by a special machine so the area is kept waste-free. The farmer has realized a 50% savings in water use. But possibly even more importantly, the success of his efforts has not only helped him avoid fines for pollution by environmental authorities, but the authorities are encouraging other farmers to follow his lead and start training their own piglets.

WATCH VIDEO: Positive Poop - All our favorite clips about great ideas dealing with waste, human and animal.

It helps that pigs naturally like to be in a clean environment, and are easily as smart as dogs. They pick up on the potty training quickly, and the feces can be used for fertilizer, biogas or, after special treatment, fish and pigeon feed.

This isn't exactly the system the farmer in Taiwan has, but the video below gives you an idea about just how capable pigs are when it comes to potty training:


The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards NOMINATIONS

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION
2010 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2009

NOMINATIONS PRESS RELEASE

1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

  1. AVATAR
    Lightstorm Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox
  2. THE HURT LOCKER
    Voltage Pictures; Summit Entertainment
  3. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
    The Weinstein Company / Universal Pictures; The Weinstein Company
  4. PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
    A Lee Daniels Entertainment / Smokewood Entertainment Group Production;
    Lionsgate
  5. UP IN THE AIR
    Paramount Pictures; Paramount Pictures

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

  1. EMILY BLUNT
    THE YOUNG VICTORIA
  2. SANDRA BULLOCK
    THE BLIND SIDE
  3. HELEN MIRREN
    THE LAST STATION
  4. CAREY MULLIGAN
    AN EDUCATION
  5. GABOUREY SIDIBE
    PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

  1. JEFF BRIDGES
    CRAZY HEART
  2. GEORGE CLOONEY
    UP IN THE AIR
  3. COLIN FIRTH
    A SINGLE MAN
  4. MORGAN FREEMAN
    INVICTUS
  5. TOBEY MAGUIRE
    BROTHERS

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

  1. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
    Watermark Pictures; Fox Searchlight Pictures
  2. THE HANGOVER
    Warner Bros. Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures
  3. IT’S COMPLICATED
    Relativity Media, Scott Rudin Productions; Universal Pictures
  4. JULIE & JULIA
    Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing
  5. NINE
    The Weinstein Company/Relativity Media/Lucamar Productions/Marc Platt Productions; The Weinstein Company

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR
MUSICAL

  1. SANDRA BULLOCK
    THE PROPOSAL
  2. MARION COTILLARD
    NINE
  3. JULIA ROBERTS
    DUPLICITY
  4. MERYL STREEP
    IT’S COMPLICATED
  5. MERYL STREEP
    JULIE & JULIA

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY
OR MUSICAL

  1. MATT DAMON
    THE INFORMANT!
  2. DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
    NINE
  3. ROBERT DOWNEY JR
    SHERLOCK HOLMES
  4. JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT
    (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
  5. MICHAEL STUHLBARG
    A SERIOUS MAN

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

  1. CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
    Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation; Sony Pictures Releasing
  2. CORALINE
    Laika, Inc.; Focus Features
  3. FANTASTIC MR. FOX
    American Empirical Picture; Twentieth Century Fox
  4. THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
    Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
  5. UP
    Walt Disney Pictures/PIXAR Animation Studios; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

  1. BAARIA (ITALY)
    Medusa Film; Summit Entertainment
  2. BROKEN EMBRACES (SPAIN)
    El Deseo SA; Sony Pictures Classics
  3. THE MAID (CHILE)
    (LA NANA)

    Forastero; Elephant Eye Films
  4. A PROPHET (UN PROPHETE) (FRANCE)
    Chic Films; Sony Pictures Classics
  5. THE WHITE RIBBON (GERMANY)
    (DAS WEISSE BAND – EINE DEUTSCHE KINDERGESCHICHTE)

    Wega Films; Sony Pictures Classics

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A
MOTION PICTURE

  1. PENÉLOPE CRUZ
    NINE
  2. VERA FARMIGA
    UP IN THE AIR
  3. ANNA KENDRICK
    UP IN THE AIR
  4. MO’NIQUE
    PRECIOUS: BASED ON THE NOVEL PUSH BY SAPPHIRE
  5. JULIANNE MOORE
    A SINGLE MAN

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A
MOTION PICTURE

  1. MATT DAMON
    INVICTUS
  2. WOODY HARRELSON
    THE MESSENGER
  3. CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER
    THE LAST STATION
  4. STANLEY TUCCI
    THE LOVELY BONES
  5. CHRISTOPH WALTZ
    INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

  1. KATHRYN BIGELOW
    THE HURT LOCKER
  2. JAMES CAMERON
    AVATAR
  3. CLINT EASTWOOD
    INVICTUS
  4. JASON REITMAN
    UP IN THE AIR
  5. QUENTIN TARANTINO
    INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

  1. NEILL BLOMKAMP, TERRI TATCHELL
    DISTRICT 9
  2. MARK BOAL
    THE HURT LOCKER
  3. NANCY MEYERS
    IT'S COMPLICATED
  4. JASON REITMAN, SHELDON TURNER
    UP IN THE AIR
  5. QUENTIN TARANTINO
    INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

  1. MICHAEL GIACCHINO
    UP
  2. MARVIN HAMLISCH
    THE INFORMANT!
  3. JAMES HORNER
    AVATAR
  4. ABEL KORZENIOWSKI
    A SINGLE MAN
  5. KAREN O, CARTER BURWELL
    WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

14. BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE

  1. “CINEMA ITALIANO” — NINE
    Music & Lyrics by: Maury Yeston
  2. “I WANT TO COME HOME” — EVERYBODY'S FINE
    Music & Lyrics by: Paul McCartney
  3. “I SEE YOU” — AVATAR
    Music by: James Horner, Simon Franglen
    Lyrics by: James Horner, Simon Franglen, Kuk Harrell
  4. “THE WEARY KIND (THEME FROM CRAZY HEART)” — CRAZY HEART
    Music & Lyrics by: Ryan Bingham, T Bone Burnett
  5. “WINTER” — BROTHERS
    Music by: U2
    Lyrics by: Bono

15. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

  1. BIG LOVE (HBO)
    Anima Sola and Playtone in association with HBO Entertainment
  2. DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
    Showtime Presents, John Goldwyn Productions, The Colleton Company, Clyde Phillips Productions
  3. HOUSE (FOX)
    Universal Media Studios in association with Heel and Toe Films, Shore Z Productions and Bad Hat Harry
  4. MAD MEN (AMC)
    AMC
  5. TRUE BLOOD (HBO)
    Your Face Goes Here Entertainment in association with HBO Entertainment

16. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
DRAMA

  1. GLENN CLOSE
    DAMAGES
  2. JANUARY JONES
    MAD MEN
  3. JULIANNA MARGULIES
    THE GOOD WIFE
  4. ANNA PAQUIN
    TRUE BLOOD
  5. KYRA SEDGWICK
    THE CLOSER

17. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

  1. SIMON BAKER
    THE MENTALIST
  2. MICHAEL C. HALL
    DEXTER
  3. JON HAMM
    MAD MEN
  4. HUGH LAURIE
    HOUSE
  5. BILL PAXTON
    BIG LOVE

18. BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

  1. 30 ROCK (NBC)
    Universal Media Studios in association with Broadway Video and Little Stranger Inc.
  2. ENTOURAGE (HBO)
    Leverage and Closest to the Hole Productions in association with HBO Entertainment
  3. GLEE (FOX)
    Twentieth Century Fox Television
  4. MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
    Twentieth Century Fox Television
  5. THE OFFICE (NBC)
    Universal Media Studios, Deedle Dee Productions, Reveille LLC

19. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
COMEDY OR MUSICAL

  1. TONI COLLETTE
    UNITED STATES OF TARA
  2. COURTENEY COX
    COUGAR TOWN
  3. EDIE FALCO
    NURSE JACKIE
  4. TINA FEY
    30 ROCK
  5. LEA MICHELE
    GLEE

20. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
COMEDY OR MUSICAL

  1. ALEC BALDWIN
    30 ROCK
  2. STEVE CARELL
    THE OFFICE
  3. DAVID DUCHOVNY
    CALIFORNICATION
  4. THOMAS JANE
    HUNG
  5. MATTHEW MORRISON
    GLEE

21. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  1. GEORGIA O'KEEFFE (LIFETIME TELEVISION)
    Sony Pictures Television
  2. GREY GARDENS (HBO)
    Specialty Films and Locomotive in association with HBO Films
  3. INTO THE STORM (HBO)
    Scott Free and Rainmark Films Production in association with the BBC and HBO Films
  4. LITTLE DORRIT (PBS)
    Masterpiece/BBC Co-production
  5. TAKING CHANCE (HBO)
    Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures in association with HBO Films

22. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION
PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  1. JOAN ALLEN
    GEORGIA O'KEEFFE
  2. DREW BARRYMORE
    GREY GARDENS
  3. JESSICA LANGE
    GREY GARDENS
  4. ANNA PAQUIN
    THE COURAGEOUS HEART OF IRENA SENDLER
  5. SIGOURNEY WEAVER
    PRAYERS FOR BOBBY

23. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION
PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  1. KEVIN BACON
    TAKING CHANCE
  2. KENNETH BRANAGH
    WALLANDER: ONE STEP BEHIND
  3. CHIWETEL EJIOFOR
    ENDGAME
  4. BRENDAN GLEESON
    INTO THE STORM
  5. JEREMY IRONS
    GEORGIA O'KEEFFE

24. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A
SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  1. JANE ADAMS
    HUNG
  2. ROSE BYRNE
    DAMAGES
  3. JANE LYNCH
    GLEE
  4. JANET McTEER
    INTO THE STORM
  5. CHLOË SEVIGNY
    BIG LOVE

25. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES,
MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

  1. MICHAEL EMERSON
    LOST
  2. NEIL PATRICK HARRIS
    HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
  3. WILLIAM HURT
    DAMAGES
  4. JOHN LITHGOW
    DEXTER
  5. JEREMY PIVEN
    ENTOURAGE

America's five best bars for beer lovers

From: http://www.mensfitness.com/
Pub Crawl

Sure, you love your local bar where everybody knows your name and they're glad you came. . . . Yada, yada, yada. You know the rest. But when you're on the road, check out these bars that turn beer drinking into a true art form.

Freakin' Frog
Las Vegas
The drinks are free when you're on the strip—but they're also crappy. Instead, drive a couple of miles over to the Freakin' Frog, a little hole-in-the-wall that serves more than 500 beers. Don't forget to go upstairs to the Whisky Attic to sample its collection of almost as many whiskies.

The Map Room
Chicago
Chicago is a beer-drinking town, and one of the best places to get a pint is the Map Room. Located in the hip Bucktown neighborhood, the bar serves more than 200 brands of beer and has 26 taps. Once a month, it even offers a beer school with classes taught by visiting brewmasters.

Kennedy School's Courtyard Restaurant
Portland, Ore.
The Courtyard Restaurant is old-school. No, really, it's in an old school that's been turned into a restaurant, bar, concert hall, and movie theater. The restaurant is housed in the Kennedy School's former cafeteria and serves pub food and beer made at the onsite brewery. And should your partying get out of hand, you don't even have to go home—just sleep it off in the brewery's adjacent hotel.

Spuyten Duyvil
Brooklyn, N.Y.
Just a few miles east of Manhattan, across the Williamsburg Bridge, lies Hipsterville, aka Williamsburg. In addition to being home to the Brooklyn Brewery, the area boasts one of the country's best beer bars—Spuyten Duyvil. It serves all kinds of rare beers and specializes in brews from Belgium. The selection is so diverse, in fact, that the menu lists available beers by the region of each country they're produced in.

Brickskeller
Washington, D.C.
This Georgetown institution has been serving cheap food—and offering an incredible selection of beers—since 1957. Housed in the Brickskeller Inn, the bar offers an exhaustive list of beers from around the world. How about a cold Zagorka from Bulgaria?

BEST MICRO BREWS
Ready for a change from your standard Coors or Corona? We asked Ray Daniels of the Brewers Association and Julie Bradford of All About Beer magazine to weigh in on some of the best microbreweries currently in operation. Pop open any bottle from these companies, they say, and it's almost impossible to end up disappointed.

  • Allagash Brewing Company
  • Brooklyn Brewery
  • Deschutes Brewery
  • Firestone Walker Brewing Company
  • New Glarus Brewing Company
  • Odell Brewing Company
  • Rogue Ales
  • Russian River Brewing Company
  • Sierra Nevada Brewing Company
  • North Coast Brewing Company

Star Wars: Force Unleashed II trailer




In non Star Wars: The Old Republic related news, the game industry announced lots of new projects at the Vidoe Game Awards, including a sequel to one of the most successful Star Wars games ever - "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed".

The Story in "The Force Unleashed 2", takes place between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope.


video

Official site and higher quality version can be found here

4G Goes Live in Sweden and Norway


By Zee







Picture 16

4G network technology has arrived in Oslo and Stockholm thanks to wireless carrier TeliaSonera.

As of Tuesday, people in Norway and Sweden will be able to buy a mobile dongle that supports the long-term evolution (LTE) of 4G.

The technology can deliver speeds of up to 100 megabits per second–ten times faster that its 3G predecessor.

In a press conference in Stockholm on Monday, Karlberg said LTE makes it possible “to do everything that you can do on the fixed network, but on top of that, [the network adds] the mobility dimension”. He said this combination of mobility and fixed-line-quality speeds and bandwidth would allow for “applications that we haven’t seen so far”.

At launch, TeliaSonera’s LTE services cover around 400,000 people in the centres of Stockholm and Oslo. However, the operator said it is adding base stations every day. That aside, users primary frustration will lie in the fact that no handsets can yet use 4G meaning customers will initially only be able to connect via a dongle and a laptop.

Until July 1, consumers keen to try out the technology will receive the modems for free and pay a subscription price of just 4 kronor a month. The price will then will increased to 500 kronor a month.

TeliaSonera said it expected the boost in speed to drive many novel applications including gaming on the move and much greater viewing of video on laptops.

13 Hollywood Mistresses Worth Cheating For

By BlackBook
From: http://www.blackbookmag.com/

13 Hollywood Mistresses Worth Cheating For

Tiger Woods may be up to his putter in a mistress scandal, but what's most disturbing about this particular case of martial infidelity is that Tiger's wife is a ridiculously attractive Nordic supermodel. Despite this fact, the man still found it necessary to cheat with strange picked up at various bars across the country. Sure, some of the girls in question aren't too shabby either, but was it really worth it? Now, no one here is advocating cheating on wives or significant others, but if you are a celebrity and you do decide to cheat, at least shoot for an upgrade. For example!



image1. Kevin Federline Cheated on Shar Jackson with Britney Spears. It’s sad to say, but when looking at the options, I don’t think any man on earth really blames K-Fed for his decision. It’s like when you own a clunker, and some executive does a suicidal plummet off of the roof of his office and the keys to his Benz just happen to land in your hand. What, you’re not going to trade up?


image2. Billy Crudup Cheated on Mary-Louise Parker with Claire Danes. Now I know there may be some heated debate on this one, but let the record show that this bout of infidelity took place prior to Parker’s sexy turn on Weeds. What makes this a particularly nasty split is that Parker was pregnant when Billy broke their bond. What goes around comes around, as Danes eventually cheated on Billy with Hugh Dancy while filming Evening. Oh well, Billy, you had a good run.

image3. Donald Trump Cheated on Ivana Trump with Marla Maples. Money may not buy happiness, but in Ivana’s case, the rumored $20 million and change from her divorce certainly must have helped. Was it any surprise that Donald cheated? Not likely. It was more of a surprise that he managed to get a woman as hot as Marla Maples. Come to think of it, maybe money really does buy happiness. Though apparently, it doesn’t buy a good toupee. However, do you really need a good toupee when you’ve got money to close the deal?

image4. Paul Hogan Cheated on Noelene Hogan with Linda Kozlowski. Paul and Noelene were the Australian equivalent of Brangelina for many years. Then Hogan met Linda Kozlowski on the set of Crocodile Dundee and saw her in that one-piece bathing suit. The rest is history, mate. Apparently it was a love at first sight scenario, because the two are still together and even have a son between them. Good job Paul. I mean, if you’re going to cheat, at least.

image5. Brad Pitt Cheated on Jennifer Aniston with Angelina Jolie. If you didn’t know about this one, then hopefully a landslide will take down that rock you’ve been living under. While it’s hard for a man to imagine how anyone could cheat on Jennifer Aniston, it’s harder for a man to imagine not sleeping with Angelina Jolie given the opportunity. Jen is hot, but the concept of “Branifer” just isn’t as clever. Also, think of the African children saved by this union!

image6. David Letterman Cheated on Regina Lasko with Stephanie Birkitt. Well, all right, Letterman’s given himself enough grief over this one. Among others.




image7. Balthazar Getty Cheated on Rosetta Getty with Sienna Miller. While Balthazar has kids with Rosetta, he clearly made the right choice in picking Sienna Miller, according to cheater calculus. Truly, if you’re going to pick someone to break up your marriage, don’t you want to pick the girl that you know won’t last long? See also: Jude Law.


image8. Marc Anthony Cheated on Dayanara Torres with Jennifer Lopez. No one can deny that Dayanara Torres is attractive, but when presented with J-Lo on a hook, who wouldn’t take the bait? Clearly it was worth the trouble, because people actually know who Marc Anthony is now. He’s still not known for being a musician, but fame is fame. And in true player form, Anthony has even been caught cheating on J-Lo with Dayanara.

image9. Billy Bob Thornton Cheated on Laura Dern with Angelina Jolie. Laura Dern is an elegant, charming dream girl that any man would love to be with. But as Billy Bob and the rest of male America knows at this point, Angelina Jolie is the wet dream girl that any man would be crazy not to sleep with. This trade up is so easy to understand that even Laura Dern got it, and eventually traded up herself, settling down with musician Ben Harper.

image10. Nick Lachey Cheated on Jessica Simpson with Vanessa Minnillo. You may think Nick is crazy for cheating on Jessica Simpson, but that’s because you’re not Nick Lachey. It’s hard for most people to envision doing better than Jessica because she’s the spitting image of a busty girl next door. On the other hand, Vanessa Minnillo is like the exotic version of the busty girl next door.

image11. Usher Cheated on Tameka Foster with Grace Miguel. Everyone involved here is certainly attractive and accomplished and would have no need of, say, cutting a person who remarked on the situation, so let’s move on.



image12. Robert Rodriguez Cheated on Elizabeth Avellán with Rose McGowan. Director doing his star? Shocking. Strangely there’s almost a ghost of a physical resemblance there, in some intangible way. But why go where Marilyn Manson has already been?


image13. Dave Navarro Cheated on Carmen Electra with Jenna Jameson. In terms of raw beauty, it’s impossible to determine if Carmen is hotter than Jenna, or vice versa. That would be like comparing a sunset in Fiji to a sunset in Hawaii, or a jeweled dog collar to a jeweled leash. There’s no difference. But when it comes down to “professional talent,” one of them only looks like a porn star, while the other actually is a porn star.

Garage Gets Decorated With 'Guitar Hero' Made From Christmas Lights

A few years ago, this guy dazzled us (and nearly sent us into a seizure) with his musically-synced Christmas wonderland. For '09 Ric Turner, a former "imagineer" for Disney and special affects aficionado, raised the Christmas ante to another level. He transformed his entire house into one big game of 'Guitar Hero.'

As The Huffington Post reports, Turner needed just 21,268 lights and LEDs to create his masterpiece -- a fully functional display synchronized to Guitar Hero controllers. As you can see in the video (after the jump), the display only works for the song "Cliffs of Dover" by Eric Johnson. But we're sold. We want this guy to be our new dad. In an article on Make, Turner explains how he pulled this Christmas miracle off, and says that, even though the game is set on "Easy," it's pretty difficult -- even for the Slashes and Hendrixes of the 'Guitar Hero' elite. That's because if you want a high score, you've gotta play while looking only at the lights, not at the video screen in the driveway which displays the actual game. And, for the sake of the neighbors and their eardrums, you can even stream your performance via a low power radio station for all to hear.

Turner says he still wants to tweak the game a bit, particularly the "initial show/game sync," but given his impressive holiday display pedigree, we don't doubt he'll be able to come up with something (Check out his YouTube compendium for more of his festive creations.). [From: Make]



Growing Body Parts: 60 Minutes


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Morley Safer reports on the emerging technology of growing body parts from human cells taken directly from patients, providing new hope for amputees and patients on organ-transplant lists.

Chicken Man plays "What is Love" on Pianica

Britain's first 140mph train service begins... but commuters face paying almost £50 for a London-to-Ashford return

By Daily Mail Reporter

Britain's first first full domestic high-speed rail service opened for business this morning - slashing journey times but bumping up ticket prices by around 20 per cent.

A full timetable of the Japanese-built 140mph trains is now running from London to Kent, on sections of the High Speed one (HS1) Channel Tunnel rail link.

But passengers have to pay more to use the super-fast trains, operated by the Southeastern train company, than those using the 'normal' services.

Enlarge high speed train

Commuters alight from a Javelin train at St Pancras Station in London on the first day of the new high-speed Javelin train services

And even those Southeastern customers not using the 508-passenger Javelins will find their fares going up by more than the national average in January 2010 as part of Southeastern's franchise agreement.

The Javelins were first introduced in limited form in June this year as part of a 'preview service'.

Those taking advantage of the new trains will find that a peak-time Ashford-London return will be £48.70 compared with the normal fare of £40.60, while London-Folkestone will be £52.50 rather than £44.40.

Ashford is around 50 miles from London.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown today hailed the service and promised to invest £20 billion in railway infrastructure in the next few years.

Mr Brown also announced that the Government would publish plans by the end of March for a North-South high-speed rail network.

The Prime Minister, just back from a tour of Afghanistan, was speaking at St Pancras International Station in London, where the first weekday services of the full Javelin train operation run by the Southeastern train company started today.

Mr Brown greeted his Transport Secretary Lord Adonis and double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, who had travelled on one of the Javelin trains today.

Enlarge New service: Gordon Brown and Dame Kelly Holmes launch the new high-speed javelin service at London St Pancras Station, with Transport Secretary Lord Adonis

New service: Gordon Brown and Dame Kelly Holmes launch the new high-speed javelin service at London St Pancras Station, with Transport Secretary Lord Adonis

The train has drastically reduced journey times from Kent into London, although Southeastern passengers are all paying more, both to use the service and in other fares to pay for the investment.

Mr Brown, speaking on one of the Southeastern platforms at St Pancras, said: 'This is a great day for St Pancras and for Kent, rail services in this area and for the UK.

'This is also a momentous day in the long and glorious history of British railways.'

Mr Brown said the railways have been essential for Britain and will always be essential to the country.

He said: 'I know some people who think this is not the time to be investing in infrastructure but I believe it is essential to do so and we will be investing £20 billion in our rail infrastructure in the next few years.'

Where the service will run

HS2, a Government set-up company to look into the feasibility of a north-south high-speed rail line, is due to report to the Government with its findings by the end of this month.

Mr Brown said today that following receipt of the report, the Government would be publishing its plans for a high-speed line by the end of March.

The Prime Minister said that later today Lord Adonis will be announcing the electrification of rail lines between Manchester and Liverpool and Preston.

The train that Lord Adonis and Dame Kelly travelled on today was named after the Olympic champion and is one of 29 that will form the high-speed service, running on part of the Channel Tunnel high-speed London to Folkestone line, which is now known as HS1.

Dame Kelly said today: 'I am from Kent so this is a very proud day for me. For my name to be on a train is really something.'

Enlarge

Gordon Brown in front of a train named after athlete Kelly Holmes at St Pancras Station in London on the first day of the new high speed Javelin train services

The new trains have been running on a limited basis since June, with a full service starting yesterday, and today it provided workers with their first opportunity to take advantage of reduced journey times to many Kent destinations.

For example, the Ashford to London journey time comes down from well over an hour to just 37 minutes.

London to Ramsgate times - now 81 minutes - are reduced by an average of 49 minutes, while the new London-Dover time of 69 minutes represents a 47-minute saving.

Customers seemed pleased with the new service today, although they are paying more to use it than they would travelling on the 'normal' trains.

Operations manager Mike Arnold, 40, from Chatham, Kent, said as he arrived at St Pancras today: 'It's fine. It's cool.'

Another passenger arriving at London, civil engineer Russell Naylor, 52, said: 'The new service is very good.'

Mr Naylor, from Lympne, Kent, who was travelling from Ashford, said he normally travelled in on a Sunday evening to London but was more likely to take the Monday morning services from now on.

One passenger who was less enthusiastic about the new service was budget manager Paul Tierney, 57, from Chatham, Kent. He said: 'The train was cold. I am feeling chilly.'

Passengers are paying more to use the new service and under the terms of Southeastern's franchise, annual fare increases for its passengers are higher than for other train companies, to take account of the extra investment and the fast trains.

Southeastern's regulated fares, which include season tickets, will go up by 1.6 per cent in January while some unregulated fares, which include some off-peak journeys, will rise by as much as 7.3 per cent.

Clash of the Titans Second Trailer

From: http://www.latinoreview.com/

By Kellvin Chavez
Clash of the Titans Second Trailer A second trailer is now online for the upcoming action-adventure remake, "Clash Of The Titans" starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Gemma Arterton.

After watching this trailer all I can say is "Film looks pretty damn good," can't wait to see this on the big screen now. The trailer shows you this time the release of the Kraken! And some more creatures.

Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think.

In "Clash of the Titans," the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. But the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Sam Worthington) is helpless to save his family from Hades (Ralph Fiennes), vengeful god of the underworld. With nothing left to lose, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus (Liam Neeson) and unleash hell on earth. Leading a daring band of warriors, Perseus sets off on a perilous journey deep into forbidden worlds. Battling unholy demons and fearsome beasts, he will only survive if he can accept his power as a god, defy his fate and create his own destiny.

Tara Reid Strips For Playboy, Calls Lipo Scars Her 'Battle Wounds'

Tara Reid

Just in case you were left unsatisfied by her red carpet breast baring, Tara Reid will appear naked in Playboy. Those pesky lipo scars, still apparent after an attempted revision in 2007, can't hold her back. In Touch Weekly released the following statement:

In Touch can exclusively reveal that Tara Reid has stripped down to pose for the cover of an upcoming issue of Playboy magazine. The American Pie star, who underwent a botched liposuction procedure in 2004, posed entirely nude for the popular magazine at a private residence on October 7 in Santa Monica, Calif. Although Tara, 33, was a bit nervous shooting, she seemed to ease into it as the day went on. "She was a bit insecure about her body when they first started," says an insider. "She looked great and finally got into the groove." Tara had said in the past that she would never pose for Playboy, saying, "I know there are problems with my stomach. There are bumps on it, it's uneven, but it's not that bad. My stomach scars are my battle wounds."

Stem cells 'reverse' MS in Canberra man

AAP

A Canberra man diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) just over 12 months ago appears to be on the road to recovery after being treated with stem cells.

Ben Leahy was in a wheelchair earlier this year and had suffered partial vision loss in one eye, but has since recovered to the point where he is walking.

The 20-year-old's remarkable recovery came after he underwent a procedure in which stem cells were harvested from his bone marrow, before chemicals were used to destroy all his existing immune cells.

Mr Leahy's stem cells were then re-injected.

ACT neurologist Dr Colin Andrews said the treatment appeared to have reversed the effects of MS which Mr Leahy was diagnosed with in August 2008.

Dr Andrews said Mr Leahy still had mild weakness in his right leg and some visual loss in one eye, but appeared to be recovering well.

"At the moment, there's a good chance we may have arrested the disease," he told ABC News.

The treatment, which carried a risk of death of eight per cent several years ago, was performed in Sydney after Dr Andrews was unable to get the green light from peers in Canberra.

It has also given hope to other sufferers of the disease.

Dr Andrews said the treatment offered between a 60 per cent and 80 per cent chance of halting the disease in some patients and a good chance of reversing it in others.

Almost 20,000 Australians have MS, which affects the central nervous system, prevents nerve impulses from travelling to the brain, spinal cord and eyes.

While the treatment appears to have reversed the progress of the degenerative disease in Mr Leahy, there is no cure.

The face on the left is priceless...WTF

Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax 'Big Four' Tour

From: http://www.metallica.com/

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax . . . the rumors are true!

You've been posting and chatting about it for months and we're here now to confirm it . . . Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax will all share the same stage for the first time EVER! Look for the four of us at the Sonisphere shows in Warsaw, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic on June 16 and 19, 2010 with a few more of the festival dates still in the works, you can be sure these shows won't be the only ones.

In the words of Lars: "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's big 4 would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time...what a mindfuck! Bring it on!"

What more can we say??

For more info, check out the Sonisphere Festivals site.


"Official" press release below:

* METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH AND ANTHRAX TO PERFORM TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY *

* THE BIG FOUR CONFIRMED FOR SONISPHERE POLAND AND CZECH REPUBLIC *

* MORE BIG FOUR APPEARANCES AT SONISPHERE SHOWS PLANNED *

The world wide web has been abound with speculation on a possible "BIG FOUR" tour for several months. Now, SONISPHERE can exclusively reveal that METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX will play together for the first time in history, in a move that will have metalheads across the globe frenzied with excitement.

Says LARS ULRICH/METALLICA of this historic announcement:
"Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's big 4 would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time...what a mindfuck! Bring it on!"

"It's about fucking time this happened," declares SLAYER's KERRY KING. "and about time the fans finally get what they want. This is fucking awesome."

ANTHRAX guitarist SCOTT IAN agrees, commenting on the enormity of the announcement.

"People have been talking about these four bands playing together since 1984. That's twenty-six years of expectation!!! And the thing is, I believe not only will we live up to the expectations, we will shatter them!! No other four bands as influential as the four of us have ever done this. Imagine if The Beatles, Stones, The Who and Zeppelin had done shows? Or Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Motorhead? Well, I may be getting into some rarified air here but as a fan, that's how big I feel this is."

These four legendary acts broke out of the underground thrash movement to dominate the metal world in the 1980s, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe. The metal giants have never before all shared the same stage, despite huge demand. But on 16th June 2010, METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX will take to the SONISPHERE stage at Bemowo Airport, Poland, to make the dreams of headbangers the world over become a reality. A second Big Four appearance is planned for SONISPHERE CZECH REPUBLIC three days later, with more SONISPHERE shows featuring the awesome combo to be announced in the coming days and weeks.

"This is a "once-in-a-lifetime" opportunity for Heavy Metal "Fans" to see the four greatest Heavy Metal "Bands" in American History back together on one stage" concludes MEGADETH mainman DAVE MUSTAINE. "If there are any heads left at the end of this Festival that haven't banged, they don't belong there."

Tickets available from www.sonispherefestivals.com