Bannen Way
http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2010/02/05/lodi_living/1-mark-gantt-100206.txt
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sword swallower Chayne Hultgren claims world record
SOME people call Chayne Hultgren the Space Cowboy for good reason, the Byron Bay street peformer has dared to go where no man had before - swallowing 18 razor sharp swords.
Sword swallowing record
VIDEO: Sword swallowing record
Chayne Hultgren 'The Space Cowboy' breaks a world record, swallowing 18 swords.
The professional sword swallower set the new Guinness World Record in Sydney today by swallowing all of the 72 centimetres long swords at the same time.
The 31-year-old beat his own previous record of 17 swords, which he set in 2008.
But for all those wannabe sword swallowers out there Mr Hultgren warned the stunt has taken years to perfect.
"It's amazing," Mr Hultgren said.
"I've been preparing for this since I was 16."
"It is definitely one of my greatest achievements so far.''
Hultgren began practising the art of sword swallowing at the age of 16 when he swallowed his first hose.
A few years later he upped the ante and began using stainless steel blades.
He swears his latest feat is not dangerous, but the cheeky entertainer conceded that ``it wasn't recommended by my doctor''.
"It's educated risk,'' he said.
"I don't just straight away grab 18 blades and shove them down my throat - you've got to practise a lot and build up to it.
"So I stretch my throat with hoses and use a few different techniques to basically enable me to do what, until now, has been impossible.''
Hultgren beat his own previous record of swallowing 17 swords - also a Guinness World Record, which he set in 2008.
He is the only person in the world to down more than 13 blades simultaneously, he said.
The Space Cowboy is a regular at the Royal Easter Show's "Psycho Sideshow" where he performs along side other side show acts such as Zoe Ellis, the Pain Proof Wonder who regularly climbs a ladders of swords barefoot.
Fizzy drink that you can reseal: Tab keeps contents bubbly for 24 hours
Fizzy drink that you can reseal: Tab keeps contents bubbly for 24 hours
By Vanessa AllenFrom: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
It's a perennial problem for lovers of fizzy drinks. You've snapped open the ring pull and had a few slurps.
But now you're full up - and you still have half a can of drink left.
And with no way of sealing it, you either have to leave it to go flat or throw it away.
Now, however, a solution is on the way for one of modern life's many little irritations.
Seal of approval: The new can can be shut by twisting the plastic tab by 180 degrees
The revolutionary design will allow consumers to reseal their fizzy drink after it has been opened, a development which could signal the end for traditional ring-pull cans.
The airtight device promises to stop spills and keep the contents bubbly for up to 24 hours.
Drinkers simply twist a plastic tab 180 degrees to break the seal and open the can, and twist it back to its original position to reseal their drink.
Open and shut case: The 485ml resealable cans will cost £1.19
It will be sold in 485ml cans instead of the usual 330ml size. But the plastic seal is likely to make the cans more expensive to manufacture. The No Fear drink is expected to sell at £1.19 a pop.
The drink is being marketed by Aimia Foods, based in Haydock, Merseyside.
Spokesman Neal Haworth said: 'The resealable technology allows people to drink the amount they want, when they want it.
'You don't have to finish the can in one go as it can be resealed to stay fizzy. It's such a logical step for canned energy drinks.'
More than five billion aluminium cans are used in the UK each year and, if successful, the device could be used for other fizzy drinks.
Resealable cans have proved popular in the U.S. but the British launch is believed to be the first time they have been made available here.
Drinks iant Coca-Cola used a resealable design when it launched its energy drink in France. It tried out a similar design in the Channel Islands, but said it had no plans to introduce the cans in the UK.
The first canned drinks had to be opened by punching holes into the lid with a sharp metal implement nicknamed a 'church key'.
Canadian Mikola Kondakow reportedly invented the ring-pull in 1956, but there were complaints that the detachable ring-pulls led to injuries and an increase in litter.
These problems were reduced after the introduction of 'stay-tabs' in the 1980s.
The system of a scored lid, with a pull-tab used as a lever to punch a hole to open the can, remains the most widely used drinks can in the world.
Sky Siege Augmented Reality Warfare Game Turns iPhone Into Deadly Portal to the Heavens
Sky Siege ($3, available now) uses the iPhone 3GS' compass and accelerometers to turn the iPhone into a window rather than just a screen, resulting in startlingly immersive gameplay. Don't know what that means? Just watch this remarkable clip. [iTunes]
Send an email to Mark Wilson, the author of this post, at mark@gizmodo.com.
Got Beer?
DAVIS, Calif. -- A new study shows beer could help make your bones stronger.
Research found that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, which increases bone mineral density.
The University of California, Davis study examined brewing styles and raw materials to see where the silicon comes from.
Higher levels of the element were found in beers with greater amounts of barley and hops.
(Copyright (c) 2010 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Research found that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, which increases bone mineral density.
The University of California, Davis study examined brewing styles and raw materials to see where the silicon comes from.
Higher levels of the element were found in beers with greater amounts of barley and hops.
(Copyright (c) 2010 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Got Beer?
Posted: Today at 8:20 am EST Last Updated: Today at 8:35 am EST
LeBron James and Dwight Howard McDonald’s Commercial
Back in the day, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan went head to head for a Big Mac and fries. The acts of chomping down on Micky D's and playing sports are polar opposites, but who cares -- the commercial was "nothin' but net." We never even find out who won because neither Air Jordan or Larry Legend missed. It's better that way, kinda like Rocky and Apollo sparring at the end of Rocky 3. Charles Barkley even wondered if he could play one year later.
Flash Forward to 2010, over 15 years later. The update of the classic "Bird vs. Jordan" McDonald's Super Bowl commercial features modern NBA superstars Dwight Howard and LeBron James. King James sits down with a bag of, you guessed it, Big Mac and fries while Howard is practicing. Dwight offers to play for it, and you know after Superman's Orlando Magic beat Bron's Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs last year that LBJ was down. Especially considering the way he dunks in practice.
Before things got started, the two agreed to "no jumpshots" per the request of Howard. That was a nice little bit of riffing off of Bird's "no dunking" line in the original. After that, the dunk contest we wish we'd get to see at NBA All-Star Weekend went down. Flat-footed 540s. Quadruple pumps. Between-the-leg windmills. 360s from the free-throw line -- with Olympic-style landings. Sure, a little CGI and some special effects tricks were used, but it was still awesome. One of the best commercials of the night hands down. Check it out...
Adam Best is the senior editor of the FanSided Sports Network. You can also find his work at FlickSided, a film and entertainment site.
9 Jeopardy! Fun Facts
By Stacy in Neatorama Only
I like to think that I’ve picked up a lot of random trivia as a writer. I often blurt out trivia at really inappropriate moments in casual conversation. I like to think that I would rock on Jeopardy!, but I have taken the show’s sample audition quizzes before, and the fact is… I suck. However, if there’s ever a Jeopardy! category about Jeopardy!, I might just ace it… and now you can too.
1. The original name of the show was What’s the Question? After pitching it to the network brass, Merv Griffin decided to change the name to the catchier one we know today. The reason? One of the execs thought that the game was a great idea, but that the game needed more jeopardies. NBC ended up buying the show without even seeing a pilot.
2. The winner with the smallest amount of earnings at the end of the game managed to triumph over the other two contestants by keeping a mere dollar. On January 19, 1993, Air Force Lt. Col. Daryl Scott cleverly bid just enough to keep him afloat. The other contestants got the question wrong and lost everything. No one else has ever won by keeping a single George Washington. The answer? “His books ‘No Easy Walk to Freedom’ and ‘The Struggle is My Life’ were published during his imprisonment.” The question? “Who is Nelson Mandela.”
[YouTube Clip]
4. The record for the largest one-day total ever belongs to Ken Jennings, of course. He’s the only contestant to surpass $52,000 in one day, and he surpassed it by a landslide with $75,000. Jennings actually holds 11 of the top 15 earnings spots. One of these top 15 spots was actually earned during Jeopardy! Kids Week by a 12-year-old from Virginia named Kunle Demuren, whose knowledge and quick buzzer finger earned him $49,000. Photo from Moore’s Lore.
5. Back in the pre-Trebek era when Art Fleming was the host, contestants could start the audition process by just giving the office in New York a call. They would pass preliminary tests over the phone and then set up a date and time to audition in person if the were eligible. Once they made it to the actual office, potential contestants went through a written test and a faux game. These days, the audition process often starts on the Internet during designated testing times. Sometimes a “Brain Bus” also roams the country and tests Ken Jennings-wannabes. If you think you have what it takes, one of the online testing periods is coming up soon – January 26-28 for adults.
6. In the show’s entire history, a three-way tie has only happened once. It happened fairly recently too – on March 16, 2007, every single contestant ended Final Jeopardy with $16,000. They all returned the following week to play again. You can see it happen here – Alex Trebek seems quite pleased.
[YouTube Clip]
8. Julann Griffin, Merv’s wife, was integral to the development of the show. She helped him develop the unique answer-and-question format when they were on a plane ride to New York in the early ’60s. From 1964-1975, a piece Julann composed served as the theme to the show. It was called “Take Ten.”
9. If Alex Trebek seems a little condescending when he corrects players with wrong answers, as if he would know the answers himself even without his cheat sheet, well… he just might. Trebek is pretty brainy. Time magazine once asked him if there was an easy question that he ever didn’t know the answer to, and this was Trebek’s response:
We were doing some shows at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and during the commercial breaks I’d go out and talk to the people in the audience. And a little boy stood up and asked, When was the Magna Carta signed? I said 1216. I was off by a year. I know a lot about the Magna Carta, but unfortunately I got the date wrong in front of 6,000 people.He admits that he probably wouldn’t do too well if he actually had to participate on the show, though, due to his slow reflexes.
Read more of that interview at Time.
Cola Powered Radio Control Car Fueled by a Sugar Rush
As a health conscious parent, you’re probably not seeking plausible reasons to introduce your kids to cola — but a radio controlled car powered by pop? How cool is that? Takara Tomy, a Japanese toy maker, has manufactured a prototype RC ‘ene Bio Engine’ car (looks more like a futuristic delivery truck) that runs on Sony’s sugar fueled Bio-Battery. See the car in action in the video after the jump!
The car, which may be powered by a variety of sugary liquids (ie: the residue in kids’ juice containers), is still in its prototype phase. Once on the market, parents will be able to use the toy to encourage less waste and introduce a bit of life science. “The passive-type bio battery system generates eco-friendly electricity by breaking down sugar using processes similar to those in living organisms.”
For those parents who find it a bit dubious that, as Gigazine explained, “The speed/running-time of the toy depends on what drink you use” (i.e. the more sugary the drink juicing the battery, the more power the car will receive) — it should be noted that although for commercial reasons Tomy has chosen to use colas to promote the car (Coca-Cola, Sprite, 7-Up), the most efficient fuel tested was grape juice. And whatever syrupy liquids are left may one day power… your cell phone.
Images and video via Gigazine
Battery-powered bicycles rule
By Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press
From: http://articles.sfgate.com
Estimates put the number of scooters and electric bikes, like this one in Shanghai, at 65 million on the roadways of China.Credit: Associated Press
China, the world's bicycle kingdom - one for every three inhabitants - is going electric.
Workers weary of crammed public transport or pedaling long distances to jobs are upgrading to battery-powered bikes and scooters. Even some who can afford cars are ditching them for electric two-wheelers to avoid traffic jams and expensive gasoline.
The bicycle was a vivid symbol of China in more doctrinaire communist times, when virtually no one owned a car. Even now, nearly two decades after the country began its great leap into capitalism, it still has 430 million bicycles by government count, outnumbering electric bikes and scooters 7-1.
But production of electric two-wheelers has soared from fewer than 200,000 eight years ago to 22 million last year, mostly for the domestic market. The industry estimates about 65 million are on Chinese roads.
Car sales are also booming but there are still only 24 million for civilian use, because few of the 1.3 billion population can afford them. And unlike in many other developing countries, Chinese cities still have plenty of bicycle lanes, even if some have made way for cars and buses.
"E-bike" riders are on the move in the morning or late at night, in good weather or bad. When it's wet, they are a rainbow army in plastic capes. On fine days, women don gloves, long-sleeved white aprons and face-covering sun guards.
One of them is Xu, on her Yamaha e-bike, making the half-hour commute from her apartment to her job as a marketing manager. She had thought of buying a car but dropped the idea. "It's obvious that driving would be more comfortable, but it's expensive," she says.
"I like riding my e-bike during rush hour, and sometimes enjoy a laugh at the people stuck in taxis. It's so convenient and helpful in Shanghai, since the traffic is worse than ever."
The trend is catching on in the U.S. and elsewhere.
In Japan, plug-in bicycles are favored by cost-conscious companies and older commuters. "Many company workers are beginning to use them to visit clients instead of driving, to save fuel costs," says Miyuki Kimizuka of the Japan Bicycle Promotion Institute, a private industry group.
Australians use electric bicycles in rural towns without bus and train service. Tony Morgan, managing director of The Electric Bicycle Co. Pty. Ltd., the continent's largest manufacturer and retailer of e-bikes, says he has sold about 20,000 in the past decade, priced at 1,000-2,000 Australian dollars (about $800-$1,600).
In the Netherlands, an especially bicycle-friendly country, the industry says sales passed 138,800 last year.
In India, Vietnam and other developing countries, competition from motorcycles, as well as a lack of bike lanes and other infrastructure, are obstacles.
Indian sales have risen about 15 percent a year to 130,000 units, thanks in part to a 7,500 rupee ($150) government rebate that brings the cost down to about the cost of a conventional bicycle. But they are far outnumbered by the millions of new motorcycles taking to India's roadways.
In China, electric bikes sell for 1,700 yuan to 3,000 yuan ($250 to $450). They require no helmet, plates or driver's license, and they aren't affected by restrictions many cities impose on fuel-burning two-wheelers.
It costs a mere 1 yuan (15 U.S. cents) - about the same as the cheapest bus fare - to charge a bike for a day's use, says Guo Jianrong, head of the Shanghai Bicycle Association, an industry group.
They look like regular bicycles, only a bit heavier with the battery strapped on. Some can be pedaled; others run solely on battery. In China, their maxium weight is about 40 kilograms (90 pounds), and maximum legal speed is about 20 kph (12 mph).
"For us, these are tools for transportation," Guo said. "We're not like Americans and Europeans, who tend to bicycle for fun or exercise."
(C) San Francisco Chronicle 2009
Terrell Owens: "If I Go To The Bengals, I'm Changing My Name To Ocho Uno"
Posted By Chris Littmann
I was fortunate enough to attend the Chad Ochocinco Mansion Party on Friday night in South Beach. I'll talk about who was there, but first I have to share the highlight of the night as Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens took to the D.J. booth.
Right before the clip, Terrell Owens shouted over the P.A. system, "Coach Lewis, is this tampering?" It was a funny moment in the continued campaign by Chad Ochocinco to bring T.O. to Cincinnati. (For what it's worth, Marvin Lewis didn't ever appear to actually talk to T.O. that I could see, so the tampering comment was purely in jest. Lewis was much busier talking to Spike Lee and Mike Zimmer for most of the night.)
Right before the clip, Terrell Owens shouted over the P.A. system, "Coach Lewis, is this tampering?" It was a funny moment in the continued campaign by Chad Ochocinco to bring T.O. to Cincinnati. (For what it's worth, Marvin Lewis didn't ever appear to actually talk to T.O. that I could see, so the tampering comment was purely in jest. Lewis was much busier talking to Spike Lee and Mike Zimmer for most of the night.)
As for the rest of the party, it was one of those nights that makes you say, "Oh, so this is what it's like to be rich and famous? I could get used to this." Of note that you'll see in this slideshow: Ochocinco, Owens, Spike Lee, Tracy McGrady, Marvin Lewis, Brady Quinn, Josh Freeman and Alfonso Ribeiro (aka Carlton from Fresh Prince).
Had a chance to talk with Lee about sneakers. (He was wearing the upcoming and at this point unreleased Air Jordan 2010.) Also chatted with Jordan Palmer, the brother of Bengals QB Carson Palmer, about his burgeoning side career creating athlete iPhone apps. (Expect to see something on FirstCuts on that front in the future.) We probably walked right past numerous other NFL guys, so if you spot any in the pictures, point them out in the comments.
Panda-monium: Sixteen panda cubs pose for a class shot on their first day at nursery
By Mail Foreign Service
From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Posing for their first day at their new nursery, these 16 panda cubs are clearly going to be a handful.
In these amazing images, the tiny pandas are shown their new home for the first time after being separated from their mothers.
The curious cubs were soon exploring their assault course home complete with umbrellas and balloons to welcome them on their first day.
It was the first taste of independence for the youngsters at the Wolong National Nature Reserve, in Sichuan Province, south west China.
Keepers at the reserve posed for a class photograph with their wide-eyed pupils and were helping the babies adjust to their new life under the gaze of visitors at the reserve.
Around 1,600 giant pandas live in the wild in China, mostly in Sichuan and the north western provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu.
Another 290 pandas are in breeding programmes in the country.
From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Posing for their first day at their new nursery, these 16 panda cubs are clearly going to be a handful.
In these amazing images, the tiny pandas are shown their new home for the first time after being separated from their mothers.
Morning class: The 16 panda cubs posed for a photograph with their keepers at Wolong National Nature Reserve, in Sichuan Province, south west China
Keepers at the reserve posed for a class photograph with their wide-eyed pupils and were helping the babies adjust to their new life under the gaze of visitors at the reserve.
Another 290 pandas are in breeding programmes in the country.
Playtime: The wide-eyed cubs take their first wander around the playground at their new home
PS While these were getting used to their new surroundings, over in the U.S. panda bear Tai Shan was getting ready to head off to China and say goodbye to 12-year-old mum Mei Xiang at the National Zoo in Washington. Under a deal between China and the U.S., all giant pandas originally from China are only on loan to foreign zoos and any cubs they produce must all return to China eventually.I want to play with that: One of the cubs admires a pink umbrella at his new home
Tai Shan gets covered in snow as he pulls on a branch on his final day at the National Zoo in Washington. The four-year-old is due to head to China
Slip sliding away. Tai Shan's mother Mei Xiang plays in the snow at the National Zoo in Washington
The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games Schedule
The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games kicks off with the Opening Ceremony on February 12, 2010 and ends with the Closing Ceremony on February 28, 2010.
Following is the calendar of events for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games at a glance.
February 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 O/C Ceremonies Alpine Skiing
Biathlon
Bobsleigh
Cross Country Skiing
Curling
Figure Skating
Freestyle Skiing
Ice Hockey
Luge
Nordic Combined
Short Track Speedskating
Skeleton
Ski Jumping
Snowboard
Speedskating
= Events scheduled = Events completed = Events with medals scheduled = Events with medals completed 
© 2010 by STATS LLC.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.
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