Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Swedish man arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen; says it was only a hobby
By Associated Press
STOCKHOLM — A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.
The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.
Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden’s Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.
“I have always been interested in physics and chemistry,” Handl said, adding he just wanted to “see if it’s possible to split atoms at home.”
The police raid took place in late July, but police have refused to comment. If convicted, Handl could face fines or up to two years in prison.
Although he says police didn’t detect dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment, he now acknowledges the project wasn’t such a good idea.
“From now on, I will stick to the theory,” he said.
Planet of the Apes Infographic
Everything you need to know about Caesar and the gang in one easy click.
Does the Planet of the Apes franchise seem as impenetrable as a fortified Ape City on the eve of a mutant doomsday attack? Don't know your Corneliuses from your Doctor Zaiuses? Do you hate every ape you see, from chimpan-A to chimpan-Z? Well don't worry, because we've got you covered with our handy Planet of the Apes infographic cheat sheet!
With Rise of the Planet of the Apes hitting theaters this Friday, we figured it was time for a little tutorial. The infographic traces all five original movies with an easy to understand timeline, from the original Charlton Heston classic to the mutants of Beneath, through the adventures of Cornelius and Zira in Escape to Caesar's rebellion in Conquest and, of course, the cheesy final chapter of Battle… Well, the final chapter until the new Caesar arrives this weekend and (hopefully) spawns a whole new franchise. And as for the Tim Burton film, its importance to Apes lore is indicated by the amount of space it got in the graphic (read: none).
Click the image to make it larger. But be warned -- it's a madhouse in there! A madhouse! (And watch out for the vaguest of spoilers for Rise and serious spoilers for the other movies, which have been out since Nixon was in office.)
Six-Year High School Lets Students Earn a College Degree and a Job at IBM
Last week we hosted a panel discussion on how schools, businesses and government need to work together to educate the STEM workforce of the future. Well, Pathways in Technology Early College High School, an new collaboration between the IBM International Foundation and the New York City Public Schools might just be a model partnership.
Incoming students at "P-Tech" can go the traditional high school route and earn a diploma in four years. But, if they commit to the school for six years, they'll also walk out the door with an associate's degree in computer science from CUNY's College of Technology (City Tech) at no extra cost. Once they finish their high school credits, students who opt for that extra degree will simply take college-level courses from City Tech faculty during normal school hours. After graduation, they can continue on as a student at City Tech, apply to other colleges, or potentially be snapped up by the IT department at IBM or other area businesses.
They'll certainly have a foot in the door at IBM. The company, which had a hand in creating P-Tech's curriculum and choosing the school leadership, plans to provide students with mentoring and internship opportunities in information technology so that they're both college and career-ready by the time the six years are over.
Stanley Litow, the president of the IBM International Foundation told The Wall Street Journal that the company is "looking for scalable strategies that can be game changers." Eighty percent of the freshman class comes from low-income homes, and there are no special tests to get into P-Tech. The school's website says that "student of all abilities will be accepted"—they just need to have an interest in computers, math and science.
P-Tech will open in September with 130 ninth graders. Given that this is the school's first year, we won't know for another six whether it actually gets students ready for college or careers as IT professionals. But as far as innovative ideas that bring together businesses and schools go, P-Tech certainly seems promising.
photo via allwaysny.com
'Mad Mayor' Arturas Zuokas goes on 'crazy tank rampage' in Lithuania
Dramatic footage has captured the moment Lithuanian politician Arturas Zuokas 'lost the plot' and drove an armoured tank over a luxury Mercedes Benz parked in a cycle lane.
Take that: Mayor Arturas Zuokas holds on whilst the tank crushes the 'illegally' parked Mercedes (Pic: YouTube)
In the country's capital city Vilnius, Mayor Zuokas hopped into the military machine with his cronies and took out his anger on a blue Merc parked on the side of the road.
Every moment of this 'terrifying' ordeal was captured on film and as the tanks gigantic wheels crushed the roof off the car like a twig, a wry smile crept across Mr Zuokas' the face.
Ok, so dressed in a sharp suit, the 43-year-old didn't really fit the bill of 'crazed mayor' but nonetheless he proved a point - albeit in a rather violent way - to drivers of luxury cars who park illegally on the streets of Vilnius.
The stunt was set up by frustrated members of the mayor's office after they received hundreds of complaints, especially from cyclists, saying that parked cars have been blocking their bike lanes.
If you like to have a bit of a laugh at dodgy production values, we also recommend you take a look at the video...
The money shot moment is when the 'owner' of the car dressed in a pimp-esque white blazer and gold chain comes out and confronts Mayor Zuokas, with... wait for it... a friendly handshake.
Let's just hope London mayor Boris Johnson doesn't start taking inspiration from Lithuania, although (worryingly) you can definitely see if happening.
Video: Mayor crushes parked car with tank
Every moment of this 'terrifying' ordeal was captured on film and as the tanks gigantic wheels crushed the roof off the car like a twig, a wry smile crept across Mr Zuokas' the face.
Ok, so dressed in a sharp suit, the 43-year-old didn't really fit the bill of 'crazed mayor' but nonetheless he proved a point - albeit in a rather violent way - to drivers of luxury cars who park illegally on the streets of Vilnius.
The stunt was set up by frustrated members of the mayor's office after they received hundreds of complaints, especially from cyclists, saying that parked cars have been blocking their bike lanes.
If you like to have a bit of a laugh at dodgy production values, we also recommend you take a look at the video...
The money shot moment is when the 'owner' of the car dressed in a pimp-esque white blazer and gold chain comes out and confronts Mayor Zuokas, with... wait for it... a friendly handshake.
Let's just hope London mayor Boris Johnson doesn't start taking inspiration from Lithuania, although (worryingly) you can definitely see if happening.
Video: Mayor crushes parked car with tank
Gallery: High-Res Amazing Spider-Man
From: http://furiousfanboys.com/
Now that Comic Con is over and that week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly is old news, Sony has released the images contained in that issue online and in high res. You can find all of the images below, in full resolution. There’s nothing really new if you haven’t seen the last issue of EW (with Spidey on the cover), but they are nice high-resolution versions of the images from the magazine without being obscured by magazine text.
Now that Comic Con is over and that week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly is old news, Sony has released the images contained in that issue online and in high res. You can find all of the images below, in full resolution. There’s nothing really new if you haven’t seen the last issue of EW (with Spidey on the cover), but they are nice high-resolution versions of the images from the magazine without being obscured by magazine text.
Gmail Phone Calling: Now Cheaper & in 38 Languages
by
Google has expanded the scope of Gmail’s phone calling feature, reducing the cost of international phone calls and making the feature available in 38 languages.
The product, which is powered by Google Voice, will be rolling out across the world in the next few days. A green phone icon will appear in a user’s Gmail account once the voice calling feature is available in his or her country. The search giant introduced voice calling in Gmail in August.
In addition to the international rollout, phone calls will be getting cheaper for calls to more than 150 locations around the world. “For example, it’s now only $0.10 (or €0.08) per minute to call mobile phones in the U.K., France or Germany (landlines are $0.02/min), $0.15/minute to call mobile phones in Mexico and $0.02/min to call any phone number in China and India,” Google product manager Pierre Lebeau explained in a blog post.
For those of you who use Gmail phone calling to call your friends or colleagues in the U.S., you don’t have to worry; phone calls within the U.S. and Canada will remain free until the end of 2011.
Is this the Greatest Dunk Ever?
On July 6 2011, at Rucker Park NYC, perhaps the greatest dunk ever was thrown down. T-DUB is only 5’9 and he gets soooo high off the ground. Even though it is a relatively simple dunk… many people are calling it the greatest dunk they have ever seen. Thoughts?
isoHunt Turns 8, Keeps on Fighting Big Media
By: Ernesto
From: http://torrentfreak.com/
A few prominent BitTorrent search engines are celebrating their 8th anniversary this year.
On July 24 Torrentz silently celebrated its birthday, and this week it’s isoHunt’s turn. They even have a special anniversary t-shirt designed for the hardcore fans.
Although the site itself was founded in January of 2003, torrent were first added on August 1st.
isoHunt‘s founder Gary Fung has posted a few comments on this new milestone explaining that despite pressure from big media, they’re not going away anytime soon.
—
“It’s been 8 years since isoHunt began searching the internet for torrents, almost as long as BitTorrent itself. 8 years since isoHunt began its life, hosted off a cable modem and on my home PC. Since then, isoHunt has grown from a hobby to one of the 200 largest websites on the internet, with users worldwide conducting over 12 million searches per day (or 142 queries every second).”
“We now operate 2 server racks, collocated in 2 separate datacenters, in Canada and in Sweden. I believe we are the oldest, major BitTorrent search engine still in operation since 2003, and perhaps the only one with servers in simultaneous operation in 2 different corners of the world. While we cannot claim zero downtime, we pride ourselves in bringing you the best, fastest and most reliable search results available for BitTorrent files”
“All of these give reasons to celebrate. Perhaps especially that during these years, 6.5 years ago we received our letters with the MPAA, and 5.5 years ago they sued. Counting the years, it amazes me really that we’ve lasted this long. Many other P2P networks and services have failed, legally or financially. We are still fighting our lawsuit in the US with a pending Appeal.”
“A trial by jury is what we asked for, and we can only hope that for the sake of search engine neutrality and your freedom to search that we be granted a fair trial. We’ll need your continued support in this. Same goes for ourother lawsuit with *cough* Music Canada.”
From: http://torrentfreak.com/A few prominent BitTorrent search engines are celebrating their 8th anniversary this year.
On July 24 Torrentz silently celebrated its birthday, and this week it’s isoHunt’s turn. They even have a special anniversary t-shirt designed for the hardcore fans.
Although the site itself was founded in January of 2003, torrent were first added on August 1st.
isoHunt‘s founder Gary Fung has posted a few comments on this new milestone explaining that despite pressure from big media, they’re not going away anytime soon.
—
“It’s been 8 years since isoHunt began searching the internet for torrents, almost as long as BitTorrent itself. 8 years since isoHunt began its life, hosted off a cable modem and on my home PC. Since then, isoHunt has grown from a hobby to one of the 200 largest websites on the internet, with users worldwide conducting over 12 million searches per day (or 142 queries every second).”
“We now operate 2 server racks, collocated in 2 separate datacenters, in Canada and in Sweden. I believe we are the oldest, major BitTorrent search engine still in operation since 2003, and perhaps the only one with servers in simultaneous operation in 2 different corners of the world. While we cannot claim zero downtime, we pride ourselves in bringing you the best, fastest and most reliable search results available for BitTorrent files”
“All of these give reasons to celebrate. Perhaps especially that during these years, 6.5 years ago we received our letters with the MPAA, and 5.5 years ago they sued. Counting the years, it amazes me really that we’ve lasted this long. Many other P2P networks and services have failed, legally or financially. We are still fighting our lawsuit in the US with a pending Appeal.”
“A trial by jury is what we asked for, and we can only hope that for the sake of search engine neutrality and your freedom to search that we be granted a fair trial. We’ll need your continued support in this. Same goes for ourother lawsuit with *cough* Music Canada.”
The First Image of the World’s New Tallest Building
From http://gizmodo.com/
By Jesus Diaz
This is the first image of what's going to become the tallest building in the world by the end of the decade: The 3,280-foot (one kilometer!) Kingdom Tower. It will dwarf the 2,717-foot (828-meter) Burj Khalifa. Take a look.
Until now, there was only one blurry generic sketch. This image is an actual rendering of the finished tower. According to Chicago's Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the building's designers, construction will begin imminently. The foundation plans are now complete and "the piling for the tower is currently being tendered" in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea.
There will be 59 elevators, 54 single-deck and five double-deck, along with 12 escalator distributed through the Kingdom Tower. The elevators going up to the observatory deck will travel at 10 meters per second. That's 22.3 miles per hour. It will take you one minute and forty seconds to reach the top of the tower.
There's even an outdoor space at the top of the spire which will be used by the penthouse floor at level 157. You can see it sticking out in the rendering, 98 feet (30 meters) in diameter.
While it will still not reach Frank Lloyd Wright's never-built dream of the Mile High Illinois, its hard-edged, sightly asymmetrical design reminds me more of Wright's sketches than the rounded Burj Khalifa ever did.
Until now, there was only one blurry generic sketch. This image is an actual rendering of the finished tower. According to Chicago's Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, the building's designers, construction will begin imminently. The foundation plans are now complete and "the piling for the tower is currently being tendered" in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea.
Mindblowing statistics
The Kingdom Tower's numbers are impressive. The building itself will take a staggering $1.2 billion to build, "while the cost of the entire Kingdom City project is anticipated to be $20 billion," said AS+GG. The massive 3,280-foot spire will house a 5.7 million square feet (530,000 square meters) space and will beat the Burj by "at least 568 feet" (173 meter). It will have a Four Seasons hotel, a Four Seasons apartment area, office space, luxury condos and the world's highest observatory.
There will be 59 elevators, 54 single-deck and five double-deck, along with 12 escalator distributed through the Kingdom Tower. The elevators going up to the observatory deck will travel at 10 meters per second. That's 22.3 miles per hour. It will take you one minute and forty seconds to reach the top of the tower.
There's even an outdoor space at the top of the spire which will be used by the penthouse floor at level 157. You can see it sticking out in the rendering, 98 feet (30 meters) in diameter.
While it will still not reach Frank Lloyd Wright's never-built dream of the Mile High Illinois, its hard-edged, sightly asymmetrical design reminds me more of Wright's sketches than the rounded Burj Khalifa ever did.
Boys starts lemonade stand to help parents pay bills following sister's funeral
By: Michael Rosenfield
From: http://www.wxyz.com/
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) - So many people called and emailed Action News following a Monday report on Tyler McVeigh's lemonade stand that his mother has now established a fund because so many people want to help.
Many people across the country heard about this story and although they cannot visit Tyler's lemonade stand in person, they still wanted a way to donate.
Donations can now be made to:
Charter One Bank
C/O Kristen McVeigh
5775 East 14 Mile Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48310
You may email questions to Tyler's mother, Cheryl McVeigh, at kmdiva94@aol.com
PREVIOUS ARTICLE:
This is Tyler McVeigh's way of helping his family following the sudden death of his big sister Kristen in mid-July.
Bills have piled up so Tyler and his friends set up a lemonade stand outside Fillmore Elementary School on Irving in Sterling Heights.
Monday was the first day of business.
Meantime there is a police investigation underway into Kristen's death. Police tell Action News they are now waiting on toxicology reports. Kristen went out with some friends, came home, and her family found her dead just a few hours later, according to Cheryl McVeigh, Kristen and Tyler's mother.
Kristen was a 16-year-old student at Cousino High School in Warren.
"She was just like a very nice person, " Tyler says. "The best sister you could ever have.".
If you would like to visit the lemonade stand, it will be open weekdays between 9 and 5.
WATCH THE INITIAL STORY IN THE VIDEO PLAYER .
From: http://www.wxyz.com/
STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) - So many people called and emailed Action News following a Monday report on Tyler McVeigh's lemonade stand that his mother has now established a fund because so many people want to help.
Many people across the country heard about this story and although they cannot visit Tyler's lemonade stand in person, they still wanted a way to donate.
Donations can now be made to:
Charter One Bank
C/O Kristen McVeigh
5775 East 14 Mile Road
Sterling Heights, MI 48310
You may email questions to Tyler's mother, Cheryl McVeigh, at kmdiva94@aol.com
PREVIOUS ARTICLE:
This is Tyler McVeigh's way of helping his family following the sudden death of his big sister Kristen in mid-July.
Bills have piled up so Tyler and his friends set up a lemonade stand outside Fillmore Elementary School on Irving in Sterling Heights.
Monday was the first day of business.
Meantime there is a police investigation underway into Kristen's death. Police tell Action News they are now waiting on toxicology reports. Kristen went out with some friends, came home, and her family found her dead just a few hours later, according to Cheryl McVeigh, Kristen and Tyler's mother.
Kristen was a 16-year-old student at Cousino High School in Warren.
"She was just like a very nice person, " Tyler says. "The best sister you could ever have.".
If you would like to visit the lemonade stand, it will be open weekdays between 9 and 5.
WATCH THE INITIAL STORY IN THE VIDEO PLAYER .
GIRL MEETS FOOD - BACON CUPCAKES
From: http://www.viceland.com/
Squeeeee! I love cupcakes! I love them so much I’m going to open my own boutique bakery! But only if I can fit it in around my daily thrifting and passion for hammering out handmade fascinators! But for now, let’s just have a cupcakes and appletinis party! We can watch Bridget Jones together and then sit in a circle talking to our vaginas in a hand mirror! Exclamation marks!
Actually, I truly believe that it is possible to eat a cupcake without being a twee dick about it. New wave liberated Stepford wife retro femininity bullshit is not really my bag, and I maintain that you don’t have to wear a floral dress to bake. You can wear a cum- and lager-stained Snuggie. So there.
Bacon Cupcakes
As I’ve said before, bacon is the porn of the meat world. Everything can be improved by adding bacon. I know this recipe sounds really gross, and to be honest, the piggy dripping you’re gonna be slapping in is gross. You have to think of it as an all-in-one breakfast. Like this. Yum.
Ingredients
Pack of bacon rashers
Leftover bacon-y drippings
¼ - cup of unsalted butter
1 - egg
¼ - cup of brown sugar
¼ - cup of maple syrup
1 ¼ - cup of self-raising flour
½ - tsp of baking powder
1/3 - cup of milk
For the icing…
1/3 - cup of butter
1 - tbspn of maple syrup
1 - tsp of vanilla essence
1 - cup of icing sugar
Sprinkles
More bacon
Step 1.
Fry your bacon rashers until they’re extra crispy. Be sure to waft the evaporating bacon water into your hair and the pores of your face, as seen in Fig. 1. When you shower later and the water drips down into your mouth, it’ll be like you got to eat it twice! Oh, and remember, you’re saving the elixir of life that is the leftover piggy dripping.
Step 2.
Once your rashers are cool, go at your meat pile with a knife and set aside. Clean off the knife, too, it’ll come in handy later when you’re hacking into your chest to perform a DIY heart bypass.
Step 3.
Put the butter, sugar, syrup, and fatty bacon slush you rescued from the pan earlier into a bowl and beat off… the mixture. Mmmm.
Step 4.
Whisk in the egg. It will look like cat vomit at this point. You’re going to have to power through that.
Step 5.
Sieve in the rest of your dry ingredients.
Step 6.
Slop in the milk and fold together till it stops looking like something Shane MacGowan just spit up.
Step 7.
BACON!
Step 8.
Plop your porky blobfish into ruffs and bake for 20 minutes at 350f.
Step 9.
OK, they’re wonky because they’re “rustic.” Just like my breasts.
Step 10.
The frosting is un-fuckupable. Just dump all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk. If you start worrying about prissy shit like piping, you’re probably not gonna enjoy the phrase “garnish with bacon.” More eating, less making stuff look pretty.
There you have it, both the perfect hangover cure AND a majestic army of bacon beauties. As always, eat alone on the kitchen floor with a Lactulose chaser.
JOANNA FUERTES-KNIGHT
Read the rest at Vice Magazine: GIRL MEETS FOOD - BACON CUPCAKES - Viceland Today
Actually, I truly believe that it is possible to eat a cupcake without being a twee dick about it. New wave liberated Stepford wife retro femininity bullshit is not really my bag, and I maintain that you don’t have to wear a floral dress to bake. You can wear a cum- and lager-stained Snuggie. So there.
Bacon Cupcakes
As I’ve said before, bacon is the porn of the meat world. Everything can be improved by adding bacon. I know this recipe sounds really gross, and to be honest, the piggy dripping you’re gonna be slapping in is gross. You have to think of it as an all-in-one breakfast. Like this. Yum.
Ingredients
Pack of bacon rashers
Leftover bacon-y drippings
¼ - cup of unsalted butter
1 - egg
¼ - cup of brown sugar
¼ - cup of maple syrup
1 ¼ - cup of self-raising flour
½ - tsp of baking powder
1/3 - cup of milk
For the icing…
1/3 - cup of butter
1 - tbspn of maple syrup
1 - tsp of vanilla essence
1 - cup of icing sugar
Sprinkles
More bacon
Step 1.
Step 2.
Step 3.
Step 4.
Step 5.
Step 6.
Step 7.
Step 8.
Step 9.
Step 10.
JOANNA FUERTES-KNIGHT
Read the rest at Vice Magazine: GIRL MEETS FOOD - BACON CUPCAKES - Viceland Today
This BASE Jumper Miraculously Survived His Parachute Failing
From: http://gizmodo.com/
BASE Jump Chute Failure, Miracle Save! from Rock & Ice on Vimeo.
Lucky Chance, professional badass, seems surprised himself to be alive. After flying off this cliff on the epically-named Death Swing, he did a triple backflip, counting on his chute to deploy. Only it didn't, leaving him to fall 590 feet to certain death.
But, miraculously, the parachute opened in the nick of time. Literally right before he hit the ground. Chance called the experience a true adventure. Fuck, man. Awesome as this was, I'd never want to have an adventure like that. [Vimeo]
BASE Jump Chute Failure, Miracle Save! from Rock & Ice on Vimeo.
Lucky Chance, professional badass, seems surprised himself to be alive. After flying off this cliff on the epically-named Death Swing, he did a triple backflip, counting on his chute to deploy. Only it didn't, leaving him to fall 590 feet to certain death.
But, miraculously, the parachute opened in the nick of time. Literally right before he hit the ground. Chance called the experience a true adventure. Fuck, man. Awesome as this was, I'd never want to have an adventure like that. [Vimeo]
15 Best 'Entourage' Guest Stars
Shows like Entourage remind us that however great we think our life is, it isn’t really. At all. If Vince and crew’s money-throwing, lady-grabbing lifestyle isn’t enough to make you hate your Prius, the parade of celebrity cameos are certain to put you in check.
But it doesn’t mean we’ll stop watching. After the series’ final premiere Sunday night, we’re left to wonder who will grace us with their presence for the eighth and last season. Until then, here’s a few of the best celebrity guests we’ve seen on Entourage thus far.
15. Jessica Alba
Jessica. If you cast her, we will watch. Even if it’s Honey (from which I am still recovering). Ok, so she’s only on this list because she is who she is and I’m happy to see her in anything. Is anyone going to complain about seeing her face? I think not. In the second episode of the first season, the boys attend an Alba-hosted party and Ari talks to her about....who cares. I’m not even listening to what she’s saying, I’m just staring. You should too.
14. Eminem
In the season seven finale “Lose Yourself” (oh, what a clever name for Eminem’s cameo episode about Vince spiraling out of control), Entourage outdoes itself with 14 celeb guests, the best of which is Eminem. Why? Because after an entire season of Vince’s escalating douchebaggery, someone needed to punch him in the face. Thanks Marshall.
13. James Woods
The upcoming Aquaman premiere is a big night for everyone, but with Drama and Turtle in charge of handing out VIP passes, getting hot women to attend is the priority. When the guys recklessly run out of tickets, including those reserved for James Woods, they find themselves dealing with Jimmy as he goes Hades on their doorstep.
12. T.I.
In a meeting with Ari, T.I. seeks to break out of his “gangsta, drug dealer, rapper” role and paints us an unpleasant mental picture of him and Meryl Streep playing lovers in a movie. Soon after, another unpleasant picture occurs as Adam Davies’ special present for Ari arrives.
11. Kanye West
The Medellin drama is over (for now) and the crew is getting ready for the movie’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. But after a terror alert scare, the entire airport is shut down, leaving everyone stuck in Los Angeles. Just as things look comically dismal, Superkanye saves the day in his private Superjet with Superconvenient timing! And then they fly off into the sunset. I’m not even joking.
10. John Stamos
Celebrities know that Entourage guest appearances are to be taken lightly. Maybe that’s why so many purportedly nice stars (remember Uncle Jessie and the pink bunny wallpaper?!) choose to play egotistical jerk versions of themselves. Enter John Stamos. In the middle of a discussion about starring together in a tv show, Stamos and Drama end up battling it out at the ping pong table. Uncle Jessie is apparently a sore loser and turns down the show, but then later hires a ping pong trainer and challenges Drama to a rematch.
9. Brooke Shields
Drama sees his new role in a made-for-tv movie as an opportunity to ignite an on set romance with co-star Brooke Shields. Though Drama’s Blue Lagoon fantasy predictably fails, Brooke still has the ability to get him excited.
8. Chuck Liddell
Taking a break from breaking faces, the Iceman makes an appearance in season three. This time on the other end of the prank (earlier that year he was Punk’d), Liddell helps set up Drama for Pauly Shore’s prank show Gotcha! In this clip, Liddell and the guys argue over a parking spot. Convinced that this is the impending prank (it isn’t), Drama acts a little too tough.
7. Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Most people were excited for Turtle when he finally got a girlfriend. After seasons of dealing with cougars, furries and girls too ugly for Vince, Turtle finds the perfect girl in Sigler. But when we found out the two were dating in real life, for some reason (or for the precise reason Ari so eloquently asserts -- ‘Oh yeah, I’m sure she’s got a fetish for guys built like a South Park character’) it wasn’t as cute.
6. Mark Wahlberg
Does he even count as a guest star when the show is originally about him? In addition to being the show’s executive producer, Wahlberg makes an on-screen appearance now and then. There isn’t a lot to his cameos; it’s mostly just him being him and fitting right in. In the clip below, Wahlberg and Tom Brady join Vince and Drama for a celebrity golf tournament. And of course Drama sucks at it.
5. Gary Busey
Guest stars on Entourage usually play fictional versions of themselves. Maybe they’ll turn up the ego or lower the inhibitions, whatever it takes to be more entertaining. How much of it is fictional? We don’t know. But with Gary Busey, it always seems 100% real. And 100% insane. In order to buy a present for E’s new office (an antique desk once owned by DeNiro and now in Busey’s possession), the crew has to negotiate. Busey is glad to trade the desk for the opportunity to paint on Drama to “bring out his beauty and his truth.”
4. Seth Green
According to Gary Busey (yes, we’re still talking about him; he is that crazy), “enemies are friends in reverse.” Eric’s “friend in reverse” is Seth Green. Or at least the annoying, Sloan-loving, tool version of Seth Green is. After continually harassing E about saying hi to Sloan, and after Drama’s almost-gay experience with his masseur, Green gets a punch in the face from a manhood-salvaging Johnny Drama.
3. Val Kilmer
Val Kilmer needs to be in...everything. Kilmer is the only celebrity on this list not playing himself, probably because we have so much fun watching him be other people. Back in the first season, our favorite Doc Holliday plays the Sherpa, a hippie at one with the world and in possession of abundant marijuana.
2. Bob Saget
Forever tainting our memory of Danny Tanner, Bob Saget trades Windex and Comet for women and cocaine in his multiple appearances on Entourage as a parody (or entirely accurate portrayal?) of himself. Whatever the case, people seem to like Bob Saget better when he’s dirtied up. I mostly agree, but certain things he says in this clip can still make my ears bleed.
1. Matt Damon
Though mostly forgettable, season six closes strongly with a brilliant cameo from Matt Damon. According to Entourage creator Doug Ellin, Damon pitched the idea of including his One By One charity in the storyline. In the season finale, Damon combines Jason Bourne and Tom Ripley into an intense, creepy, aggressive, donation-digging mockery of himself. He pressures Vince into donating $150,000 to the charity with the help of LeBron James and his hipster glasses. The best of his guest appearance, however, comes after the credits in a voicemail stalking meltdown.
Action Jackson: ski/ride adrenaline film promises to be its most adventurous undertaking to date
More Ski Videos
“Action Jackson” the Movie…
Storm Show’s 2011 ski/ride adrenaline film promises to be its most adventurous undertaking to date. The record books were shattered with over 700 inches of snowfall having blasted the Teton Range of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. As to be expected, big lines go down one after another, guys & girls alike... On display is the deepest of deep that will make your pants soggy, and massive cliff hucking that you can watch safely from your couch.
Highlights include Jeff Leger’s legendary 80 foot swan dives, and Adam Osgood’s 100 foot double-front flips… Also in the running is Derek Depiero’s first un-roped descent of Birdbrain Couloir in the Jackson Hole backcountry, and Travis McAlpine & Darrell Miller’s first descent of the disgustingly exposed Nomad Couloir. Yes, 2011 was one for the record books, and Action Jackson is the ski film that proves it…Epic!
Israeli scientists develop date-rape drug detector
From: http://www.physorg.com/
A bartender mixes a drink. The days of having to cart your cocktail to the ladies room may be over: two Israeli scientists say they have developed a sensor that can accurately detect date-rape drugs in drinks 100 percent of the time.
Professor Fernando Patolsky and Doctor Michael Ioffe of Tel Aviv University's school of chemistry say the sensor can tell you in real time whether your martini or your mocktail has been spiked with either of the two most common date-rape drugs.
"You just dip it into your drink, it might actually look like a stirrer in the final production, it's tiny, very tiny," Ioffe told AFP.
"And you don't even have to hold it up to the light and the system will let you know whether there are drugs dissolved in your drink."
The device sucks up a tiny drop of the suspect beverage and puts it in contact with the patented chemical formula devised by Patolsky and Ioffe.
"The drug itself is reacting with this chemical formulation and the previously clear formula becomes dirty and when the light shines it you can detect it," Ioffe said. "You don't have to do anything but dip it in your drink."
The two scientists tested their device on a range of popular cocktails as well as soft drinks and other beverages and found it was able to correctly tell which had been spiked 100 percent of the time.
"What's amazing is that there is no false positives until now," Ioffe said.
At present, the device can accurately detect the presence of the two of the most-commonly used date-rape drugs: GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) and ketamine.
The scientists are also working to expand the device's detection capacity to include Rohypnol, another drug commonly used to sedate the victims of date rape.
"We have some very, very optimistic preliminary results," Ioffe said. "All we need is money."
The pair expect the first batch of sensors could be commercially available within a year and a half.
The chemical formula that the device uses is cheap to produce and is not poisonous, meaning companies should be able to produce the sensor without requiring government approval.
All that remains is for the producers to decide how the device will let its users know whether their drink is safe for consumption, and a range of options are being considered, Ioffe said.
"We haven't decided how it will let you know. Maybe it will just light up or a part of it will rotate or maybe it will send a signal to your cell phone because you want to be discreet about it."
(c) 2011 AFP
A bartender mixes a drink. The days of having to cart your cocktail to the ladies room may be over: two Israeli scientists say they have developed a sensor that can accurately detect date-rape drugs in drinks 100 percent of the time.
Professor Fernando Patolsky and Doctor Michael Ioffe of Tel Aviv University's school of chemistry say the sensor can tell you in real time whether your martini or your mocktail has been spiked with either of the two most common date-rape drugs.
"You just dip it into your drink, it might actually look like a stirrer in the final production, it's tiny, very tiny," Ioffe told AFP.
"And you don't even have to hold it up to the light and the system will let you know whether there are drugs dissolved in your drink."
The device sucks up a tiny drop of the suspect beverage and puts it in contact with the patented chemical formula devised by Patolsky and Ioffe.
"The drug itself is reacting with this chemical formulation and the previously clear formula becomes dirty and when the light shines it you can detect it," Ioffe said. "You don't have to do anything but dip it in your drink."
The two scientists tested their device on a range of popular cocktails as well as soft drinks and other beverages and found it was able to correctly tell which had been spiked 100 percent of the time.
"What's amazing is that there is no false positives until now," Ioffe said.
At present, the device can accurately detect the presence of the two of the most-commonly used date-rape drugs: GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyric acid) and ketamine.
The scientists are also working to expand the device's detection capacity to include Rohypnol, another drug commonly used to sedate the victims of date rape.
"We have some very, very optimistic preliminary results," Ioffe said. "All we need is money."
The pair expect the first batch of sensors could be commercially available within a year and a half.
The chemical formula that the device uses is cheap to produce and is not poisonous, meaning companies should be able to produce the sensor without requiring government approval.
All that remains is for the producers to decide how the device will let its users know whether their drink is safe for consumption, and a range of options are being considered, Ioffe said.
"We haven't decided how it will let you know. Maybe it will just light up or a part of it will rotate or maybe it will send a signal to your cell phone because you want to be discreet about it."
(c) 2011 AFP
The 10 Most Insane Tricks Of This Summer's X-Games
From: http://www.businessinsider.com/
Shaun White proved that he dominates the X-Games no matter what the season when he picked up his skateboard and won gold this weekend.
Jackson Strong hit the first front flip ever in X-Games history.
And Matt Buyton broke the Moto X Step Up record.
But that's not it. We gathered the 10 most awesome moments of this year's X-games.
 Image: AP |
Jackson Strong hit the first front flip ever in X-Games history.
And Matt Buyton broke the Moto X Step Up record.
But that's not it. We gathered the 10 most awesome moments of this year's X-games.
Engineers Fly World's First 'Printed' Aircraft
SULSA is the world's first 'printed' aircraft. (Credit: Project SULSA UAV)
ScienceDaily (Aug. 2, 2011) — Engineers at the University of Southampton have designed and flown the world's first 'printed' aircraft, which could revolutionise the economics of aircraft design.
No fasteners were used and all equipment was attached using 'snap fit' techniques so that the entire aircraft can be put together without tools in minutes.
The electric powered vehicle aircraft, with a 2-metres wingspan, has a top speed of nearly 100 miles per hour, but when in cruise mode is almost silent. The aircraft is also equipped with a miniature autopilot developed by Dr Matt Bennett, one of the members of the team.
Laser sintering allows the designer to create shapes and structures that would normally involve costly traditional manufacturing techniques. This technology allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from concept to first flight in days. Using conventional materials and manufacturing techniques, such as composites, this would normally take months. Furthermore, because no tooling is required for manufacture, radical changes to the shape and scale of the aircraft can be made with no extra cost.
This project has been led by Professors Andy Keane and Jim Scanlan from the University's Computational Engineering and Design Research group.
Professor Scanlon says: "The flexibility of the laser sintering process allows the design team to re-visit historical techniques and ideas that would have been prohibitively expensive using conventional manufacturing. One of these ideas involves the use of a Geodetic structure. This type of structure was initially developed by Barnes Wallis and famously used on the Vickers Wellington bomber which first flew in 1936. This form of structure is very stiff and lightweight, but very complex. If it was manufactured conventionally it would require a large number of individually tailored parts that would have to be bonded or fastened at great expense."
Professor Keane adds: "Another design benefit that laser sintering provides is the use of an elliptical wing planform. Aerodynamicists have, for decades, known that elliptical wings offer drag benefits. The Spitfire wing was recognised as an extremely efficient design but it was notoriously difficult and expensive to manufacture. Again laser sintering removes the manufacturing constraint associated with shape complexity and in the SULSA aircraft there is no cost penalty in using an elliptical shape."
SULSA is part of the EPSRC-funded DECODE project, which is employing the use of leading edge manufacturing techniques, such as laser sintering, to demonstrate their use in the design of UAVs.
The University of Southampton has been at the forefront of UAV development since the early 1990s, when work began on the Autosub programme at its waterfront campus at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton. A battery powered submarine travelled under sea ice in more than 300 voyages to map the North Sea, and assess herring stocks.
Now, the University is launching a ground-breaking course which enables students to take a Master's Degree in unmanned autonomous vehicle (UAV) design..
The first 10 videos aired on MTV on Aug. 1, 1981 - Boston.com
In honor of MTV's 30th birthday, take a look back at the first 10 videos the network aired on Aug. 1, 1981.
The first 10 videos aired on MTV on Aug. 1, 1981 - Boston.com
The first 10 videos aired on MTV on Aug. 1, 1981 - Boston.com
Hurricane Balls
From: http://www.grand-illusions.com/
The 'Hurricane Balls' consist of two ball bearings welded together - no easy task! If you spin the Hurricane Balls on a smooth surface, you can use the plastic pipe to blow at one side of the Hurricane Balls. Not only does this keeps them spinning, you can accelerate them up to incredible speeds. Speeds of 12,000 rpm have been recorded for the Hurricane Balls using a laboratory strobe light.
In the home, it is possible to use a tv as a simple stroboscope. Dr Adam Chalcraft writes "I can easily get a speed of 3600 RPM, and more to the point I can easily measure this, by putting the top in front of my (NTSC) TV in a dark room. As it runs down, I can clearly see 60Hz, 30Hz, 20Hz and so on. Of course if you try it in front of a PAL TV (in the UK) you will see 50Hz, 25Hz and so on." Thanks for that, Adam.
Any smooth surface will work for spinning on, but the very best is a concave mirror, e.g. those round, magnifying bathroom mirrors. We do not supply the mirror, as these are fragile to post, and are readily available everywhere.
Once the Hurricane Balls are spinning, you can then use the coloured LED torches to illuminate them, with different colours at different angles. In a darkened room, the effect is magical!
Included in the pack is 1 set of Hurricane balls, 3 LED torches of different colours, and a plastic tube to power the Hurricane balls with!
WATCH THE VIDEO: AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
Watch the video...
The 'Hurricane Balls' consist of two ball bearings welded together - no easy task! If you spin the Hurricane Balls on a smooth surface, you can use the plastic pipe to blow at one side of the Hurricane Balls. Not only does this keeps them spinning, you can accelerate them up to incredible speeds. Speeds of 12,000 rpm have been recorded for the Hurricane Balls using a laboratory strobe light.
In the home, it is possible to use a tv as a simple stroboscope. Dr Adam Chalcraft writes "I can easily get a speed of 3600 RPM, and more to the point I can easily measure this, by putting the top in front of my (NTSC) TV in a dark room. As it runs down, I can clearly see 60Hz, 30Hz, 20Hz and so on. Of course if you try it in front of a PAL TV (in the UK) you will see 50Hz, 25Hz and so on." Thanks for that, Adam.
Any smooth surface will work for spinning on, but the very best is a concave mirror, e.g. those round, magnifying bathroom mirrors. We do not supply the mirror, as these are fragile to post, and are readily available everywhere.
Once the Hurricane Balls are spinning, you can then use the coloured LED torches to illuminate them, with different colours at different angles. In a darkened room, the effect is magical!
Included in the pack is 1 set of Hurricane balls, 3 LED torches of different colours, and a plastic tube to power the Hurricane balls with!
WATCH THE VIDEO: AMAZING!!!!!!!!!
Watch the video...