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Friday, August 5, 2011

One Hell of a Trick: 100 Sake Bomb Dominoes (Video)


Props to the bartender!

Shaun White’s come-from-behind X Games gold (VID)

By

From: http://matadornetwork.com/


Shaun White beat Pierre-Luc Gagnon in the X Games Skateboard Freestyle Vert competition.


SHAUN WHITE took home the 2011 X Games Skateboard Vert gold medal Saturday, beating his rival Pierre-Luc Gagnon. White last won the gold medal for the Skateboard Vert in 2007 — Pierre-Luc Gagnon has won it every year since.

After a fall in the penultimate round, White went into the final run in second place. He impressed the judges with a 720 and varial frontside 540 and (spoiler alert) when Gagnon fell as he started his final run, White had a clear victory.

Toto - Africa (Live in Amsterdam)


25th Anniversary
Taken from Live in Amsterdam DVD
HQ Audio

— His heart is torn between her and Africa. Even as he watches her plane land, the newly familiar constellations of the southern sky make him think about the changes he has undergone in these few short months. This process, which he calls "salvation", has begun but not yet finished. He still loves her. These months apart have reconfirmed or perhaps even strengthened that. Nothing could force him to leave her. But the thought on his mind is, what if he has to choose between her and Africa? Without exerting any kind of force, just by its mere existence, Africa might do what a hundred men or more could never do.

Gulp. The world's largest stop-motion animation set, shot on a Nokia N8.



Uploaded by on Aug 2, 2011

Shot with a Nokia N8: http://nokia.ly/clYHI2

'Gulp' is a short film created by Sumo Science at Aardman, depicting a fisherman going about his daily catch. Shot on location at Pendine Beach in South Wales, every frame of this stop-motion animation was shot using a Nokia N8, with its 12 megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics. The film has broken a world record for the 'largest stop-motion animation set', with the largest scene stretching over 11,000 square feet.

The animators: http://www.aardman.com
The sand artists: http://www.sandsculptureice.co.uk

Carrie Fisher on the set of Star Wars | Silent Speak

From: http://imgur.com/gallery/ttj5B

imgur.com

Team ILluminate rocks America’s Got Talent



Uploaded by on Aug 2, 2011

Lost Hitchcock film discovered in New Zealand

From: http://www.ctv.ca/


In this July 26, 1971 file photo, British film producer and director Alfred Hitchcock, right, discusses filming with actress Anna Massey, one of the stars of 'Frenzy', in Covent Garden Market, London. (AP / Leonard Brown, file)

Date: Wednesday Aug. 3, 2011 7:35 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — Alfred Hitchcock is still surprising his fans.

Film preservationists said Wednesday they've found the first half of the earliest known surviving feature film on which Hitchcock has a credit: a silent melodrama called "The White Shadow."

The first three reels of the six-reel film, made in 1923, were discovered by the National Film Preservation Foundation at the New Zealand Film Archive.

"The White Shadow" was directed by Graham Cutts, and the 24-year-old Hitchcock was credited as writer, assistant director, editor and art director.

Hitchcock made his own directing debut two years later with the chorus-girl melodrama "The Pleasure Garden." He went on to direct such suspense classics as "Psycho," ''The Birds," ''Rear Window" and "Vertigo."

"The White Shadow" is a "missing link, one of those few productions where we are able to bridge that gap of Hitchcock, the young guy with all these ideas, and Hitchcock the filmmaker," said David Sterritt, author of "The Films of Alfred Hitchcock."

"Even though he didn't direct it, he was all over it."

Foundation Director Annette Melville said the three "White Shadow" reels — about 30 minutes — were found among films donated to the archive by the family of New Zealand projectionist and collector Jack Murtagh.

No other copy of "The White Shadow" is known to exist.

The film stars Betty Compson in a dual role as twin sisters, one angelic and the other "without a soul," according to Melville.

"At the time, people said the plot was improbable. I'm putting a polite spin on it. Many said it was ridiculous," Melville said. "It's a totally crazy, zany plot with soul migration back and forth and all these improbable meetings."

A restored print of "The White Shadow" will be shown Sept. 22 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences headquarters in Beverly Hills. The program also will feature two recently rediscovered short films, including one directed by and starring silent-era superstar Mabel Normand.

"White Shadow" director Cutts was a workmanlike director concerned with delivering movies on schedule and "making sure the camera was in focus," said Hitchcock expert Sterritt.

The influence of Hitchcock, a meticulous planner and control freak once he began directing himself, can be seen throughout the images that have been released from "The White Shadow," Sterritt said.

"The images are just awfully expressive and terrifically interesting to look at," Sterritt said. "It has a look -- I don't want to call it a Hitchcock look -- but I'd call it a more atmospheric and nuanced and effective look than Graham Cutts probably could have injected into a film."

Hitchcock, who died in 1980, broke into filmmaking in his native London in 1920, working as a title-card designer and working up through the ranks as a writer and assistant director.

His own directing output during his British years, before moving to Hollywood in the late 1930s, included "The 39 Steps," ''The Lady Vanishes" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much," a film he remade in the 1950s.

Hitchcock's first Hollywood film was 1940's "Rebecca," the best-picture Academy Award winner that he made for producer David O. Selznick. Lewis J. Selznick Enterprises, run by Selznick's father, had released "The White Shadow" in the United States 16 years earlier.

"The White Shadow" was found during the second of two searches by the U.S.-based film foundation, which received grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to send an archivist to sift through American films preserved in the New Zealand archive.

The previous search turned up 1927's "Upstream," a previously lost feature-length film directed by John Ford ("The Searchers," ''The Quiet Man").

Other finds in the New Zealand collection included an early feature with silent star Clara Bow, but film foundation researchers are not expecting to uncover any other gems there.

"We've gone through every foot of American film there, and I can tell you, there's nothing more in the American collection," Melville said.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s The Angry Birds Airbus!

By
From http://walyou.com/

The Angry Birds you have been playing with might be flightless, but this whole new fleet of Angry Birds has wings and can go flying as well. There’s even a pig that can fly. Well, that is going a bit too far, but if you get to see the pictures and video you will have to believe your eyes.

angry birds planes Its a Bird, Its a Plane, Its The Angry Birds Airbus!

Or can you really trust your eyes on this? The answer would be both yes and no. Yes because you can actually see a fleet of Angry Birds theme painted aircrafts and no because these are not really birds (nor actual airliners … yet). Either way, it is fun to watch some of these favorite birds in a whole new form.

Posted on Jomni’s blog are a couple of Airbus pictures that have been given a whole new skin by Jomni himself. If you have been an Angry Bird fan you will not take a second to recognize the birds featured here. You have the Red bird, Yellow bird, Blue bird, and the Red Big Brother. Together they are out on a mission to destroy a ‘nasty egg stealing’ green colored pig. For a change the pig too is out flying in the blue skies. It is worth mentioning here that all the birds have been painted on Airbus aircrafts while the pig is a Boeing “since it’s Airbus’ rival.”

The stage is set and the characters are already out to perform their parts. What remains to be seen is how the plot unfolds. As the video reveals the pig takes off first, presumably with the eggs, and is soon followed by all the Angry Birds. After a long chase they finally close in on the villain but sadly enough the red, blue and yellow birds miss the pig. Now it is the job for Big Brother and he does not disappoint. He manages to hit the tail section of the pig after which he loses control and goes nose diving and finally crashes. The birds might not have been able to recover the eggs but they did teach the pig a lesson.

The entire plot and setting does appear pretty exciting on screen and thankfully has no reality attached to it. The video is simulator generated and gives quite a realistic appeal but is far from being real. Some things are only good as long as they are not real and this definitely is one of them.

If you are a fan of Angry Birds, don’t forget to take a look at Angry Birds Cake, Angry Birds Android App and Angry Birds Cyborgs.

These bras promise to boost your bust... but which is breast?


FAKING a killer cleavage has just got easier - thanks to a new bra.

Debenhams Triple Boost bra promises to make boobs look up to THREE times bigger without going under the knife.

Rosanne Ferraccu ... in normal B-cup bra
Rosanne Ferraccu ... in normal B-cup bra

Sharon Webb, the store's lingerie boss, says: "The market has shown people want to enhance their bust - but without the wait, cost or pain of surgery."

So how does the boob-job-in-a-bra compare to other High Street bust-boosting offerings?

Here, model Rosanne Ferraccu, 20, seen above in her normal B-cup bra, tells MELISSA SHEDDEN which she thinks is the breast in class, with ratings out of five.


Triple Boost, £22, Debenhams (available in sizes 30A-38DD)

Triple Boost, £22, Debenhams (available in sizes 30A-38DD)

The claim: Gives the biggest cleavage enhancement on the High Street.

Rosanne: "I feel like I could knock someone out with these.

"I can't help but feel sexy - my boobs look massive!

"The design is really clever as well because it feels like it's making the most of what I've got."

Cleavometer: 4


Maximise Your Assets, £6, Primark (32A-36D)

Maximise Your Assets, £6, Primark (32A-36D)

The claim: Boosts your cleavage by up to two cup sizes, thanks to foam pads that shape around what nature provided.

Rosanne: "This is the most comfortable of the foam bras and it does what it says - it is maximising my boob size.

"It's good value but the quality isn't great."

Cleavometer: 3.5


Triple Gel, £25, La Senza (32A-38DD)

Triple Gel, £25, La Senza (32A-38DD)

The claim: This multi-way foam and gel bra will boost your assets by up to two cup sizes.

Rosanne: "This bra is the heaviest of the lot but it does sit snugly.

"You could never wear it with a boyfriend, though. I'd be worried that when I took it off half my boobs would be gone!"

Cleavometer: 4.5


Full Effect, £30.50, wonderbra.co.uk (32A-38D)

THE WNNER: Full Effect, £30.50, wonderbra.co.uk (32A-38D)

The claim: A mix of air, gel and foam designed to enhance bust by up to two cup sizes. It is the lightest too, weighing in at only 80g.

Rosanne: "The original and definitely the best. The Wonderbra style is lower cut, showing more of my boobs.

"I feel super sexy but a little on edge that I might pop out."

Cleavometer: 5


2 Sizes Bigger Push-Up bra, £20, M&S (32AA-38C)

2 Sizes Bigger Push-Up bra, £20, M&S (32AA-38C)

The claim: Will add two cup sizes to your natural cleavage thanks to super light foam, coming in at half the weight of traditional gel pads

Rosanne: "This bra is perfect for girls with big boob envy.

"With all the padding, though, I could never wear this on a date. I'd feel like I was cheating the guy.

"It feels like I've got two pillows under my top but I'm definitely looking like a D cup now."

Cleavometer: 4

How to spy on your neighbors with an unmanned aerial vehicle

Dean Takahashi
From: http://venturebeat.com/

Two do-it-yourself hackers have built an unmanned aerial vehicle that they can use to spy on computer networks from above. Created on a lark as an intellectual curiosity, the project shows that it’s not that hard to create a low-cost UAV that could do some serious damage to your neighbor’s privacy.

Security researchers Richard Perkins (pictured in purple) and Mike Tassey (in black) told an audience at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas how they created the mini spy plane for just a few thousands of dollars. They jokingly called their talk the “Aerial Cyber Apocalypse” and refer to their cyber attack method as “war flying.”

It may sound crazy, but the project shows that it’s not that hard to create one more vector for compromising the security of computer networks — a vector that comes from above the networks and is not likely to be anticipated by anyone who is targeted by it. It’s also one more example of the free-wheeling environment at Black Hat, where security researchers are encouraged to broach whimsical and uncomfortable topics.

The system uses an old foam-based U.S. Army drone airframe (FMQ-117B) that can carry less than 20 pounds altogether. Perkins, a hobbyist collector, had one of these in his basement.

“Doesn’t everyone have one of these at home?” Perkins joked.

The yellow drone (pictured) has wireless hardware on board to capture signals from Wi-Fi networks and then relay them to someone with a remote control unit on the ground. The drone can also imitate the actions of a cell phone tower and hack into cell phone calls (this is not legal, so the researchers did not actually demonstrate this capability onstage).

“This can give hackers direct access to otherwise inaccessible targets,” Tassey said. “They can converge in real-time behind an airplane and penetrate the security of a physical location. No one is looking at the sky.”

Perkins and Tassey controlled the system with a remote control and a Wi-Fi connection. On the ground, they processed data with a generic Intel-based PC with a 3.06 gigahertz processor, 4 gigabytes of main memory, a 500 gigabyte hard drive, and an Nvidia CUDA-based GTX 470 graphics chip.

The GPS transmitter on the drone sends telemetry data via a download link to the base station on the ground, and also enables the ground-based controller to upload flight commands.

In a video, they showed the UAV flying around 500 feet off the ground. It makes a little bit of a buzzing sound but they say you can’t hear it from more than 50 feet away. The airframe was free for them but is available for sale on eBay usually for a few hundred dollars. All told, the researchers spent $6,190 on the project, plus hundreds or thousands of hours of their time.

To target a network, the two send the drone into the air, have it monitor a Wi-Fi network from above, capture the data flowing through that network, and then send the data back to the computer on the ground. They can hack a secure Wi-Fi network with brute force techniques and come up with a password in about 4.5 hours.

In addition, the system can do recon on unencrypted wireless networks, eavesdrop on calls or jam cellular signals and reroute dialed numbers from a cell phone. The device could be used to spy on sensitive national areas, like the secret Area 51 military base in Nevada. Of course, that’s not legal.

“We can follow a target home from a place of work,” Perkins said. “Instead of calling 911, we could redirect your call so you’re calling me. You can customize this to the mission that you want.”

The device could also be used for good. You could, for instance, create an ad-hoc cell phone site in the air to provide service to a disaster area. It could also be used for search and rescue tasks or law enforcement and border protection. The military already uses drones for intelligence purposes.

Tassey said that terrorists could also use this kind of technology to build a fleet of UAVs that could do some serious damage with them. The researchers say that their project isn’t meant to give those people ideas; it’s aimed at raising awareness of the risks that exist.

In one test, the researchers said they detected 50 wireless networks. The Federal Aviation Administration requires that unmanned aircraft fly lower than 400 feet, but the drone that the men created is capable of flying up to 22,000 feet high.

“If we can do this, then the bad guys can do it and they won’t tell you about it,” Perkins said. “You don’t need a Ph.D. from MIT to do this.”

Going underground: The massive European network of Stone Age tunnels that weaves from Scotland to Turkey

By Daily Mail Reporter

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Stone Age man created a massive network of underground tunnels criss-crossing Europe from Scotland to Turkey, a new book on the ancient superhighways has claimed.

German archaeologist Dr Heinrich Kusch said evidence of the tunnels has been found under hundreds of Neolithic settlements all over the continent.

In his book - Secrets Of The Underground Door To An Ancient World - he claims the fact that so many have survived after 12,000 years shows that the original tunnel network must have been enormous.

Evidence of Stone Age tunnels has been found under hundreds of Neolithic settlements all over Europe - the fact that so many have survived after 12,000 years shows the original tunnel network must have been huge

Evidence of Stone Age tunnels has been found under hundreds of Neolithic settlements all over Europe - the fact that so many have survived after 12,000 years shows the original tunnel network must have been huge

'In Bavaria in Germany alone we have found 700metres of these underground tunnel networks. In Styria in Austria we have found 350metres,' he said.

'Across Europe there were thousands of them - from the north in Scotland down to the Mediterranean.

'Most are not much larger than big wormholes - just 70cm wide - just wide enough for a person to wriggle along but nothing else.

'They are interspersed with nooks, at some places it's larger and there is seating, or storage chambers and rooms.

'They do not all link up but taken together it is a massive underground network.'

Not for the claustrophobic: Most of the tunnels are just 70cm wide - just wide enough for a person to slowly wriggle through

Not for the claustrophobic: Most of the tunnels are just 70cm wide - just wide enough for a person to slowly wriggle through

Some experts believe the network was a way of protecting man from predators while others believe that some of the linked tunnels were used like motorways are today, for people to travel safely regardless of wars or violence or even weather above ground.

The book notes that chapels were often built by the entrances perhaps because the Church were afraid of the heathen legacy the tunnels might have represented, and wanted to negate their influence.

In some cases writings have been discovered referring to the tunnels seen as a gateway to the underworld.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Legos



Little late on this, but never a bad time to see the last Harry Potter movie trailer recreated entirely in Legos!! Who doesn't love Legos?

Should a School Require Parents to Buy iPads for Their 9 Year Olds?

Contributor
From: http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/

Image: John Cave Osborne

Yesterday was a red-letter day for my nine-year-old daughter, as it was the first day in her entire life that she could legitimately say she was more technologically advanced than I. And I’m blaming her school. After all, they’re the ones who required that I buy her an iPad, a toy I’ve yet to even buy myself. And I’m not so sure how I feel about it.

I mean, on the one hand, I suppose I’m okay with it — at least from a conceptual standpoint.

After all, my daughter attends a private school, and in my opinion, a private school can ask anything they want of their student body. No one’s holding a gun to the parents’ heads forcing them to enroll their children there. What’s more, I attended that school back in the day, so I know firsthand what a great place it is — I believe in it.

Besides, I think every single school, public or private, should do whatever it can to deliver the best education possible to its students. And it’s obvious that my daughter’s school feels that having students in grades 3 through 12 use an iPad to navigate the school’s curriculum will do just that. They have a very detailed plan with regard to how the entire process will work, and the communication of that plan has been excellent.

So, again, conceptually, I’m reasonably okay with my soon-to-be fourth grader having an iPad for educational purposes.

But yesterday that concept turned into reality, and I have to admit, I’m not quite as okay with it as I had thought. Our daughter just seems too... young to have an iPad. To her, it’s nothing more than a toy, one on which she spent all day downloading various apps and games. One which she repeatedly flaunted to her younger siblings. One which may as well have been a $600 rubber ball.

Yet not only do I feel she’s too young to appreciate it, I’m also concerned she’s too young to take proper care of it. Within the first few hours of ownership, the screen was already filthy and when she tried to charge it, she inserted the charger the wrong way, then proceeded to try to force it in. Luckily, I was there to show her the correct way to insert it.

Once the newness of the iPad wears off a bit, I’m sure that it won’t be quite as sexy to her as it is now, which means that she won’t always want to sleep right next to it (joke?). Which also means that she’ll eventually begin to regard it as the serious thing that it is. Yet, even so, it’s obvious that I'm going to have to monitor her use of the iPad very closely. And, well, with four kids under the age of four in the house? I'm kinda up to my ears in monitoring at the moment.

And all of these thoughts have me wondering whether or not the school is doing the right thing by requiring students in grades 3 through 12 to have an iPad. Given that this is the first year of the new policy, and given that during this first year there are bound to be glitches, it seems to me that it might have been prudent to have only required the older students, say those in high school, to acquire the devices.

Yet, my reservations don’t stem from glitches which may or may not happen during this inaugural year. My reservations stem from a sixth sense that tells me that my daughter is just too young to have an iPad.

All that said, I’m certainly going to give it a go. And I will totally do my part to assure that my daughter gains all the educational value from her iPad that the school believes she will. And I'm hoping that my sixth sense is wrong. Besides, I think it's entirely possible that my skepticism is ill-founded.

After all, she hasn’t even had the thing for 24 hours yet, and she’s already MONEY at Garage Band. And don't even get me started on Angry Birds.

So what say you, parents? How would you feel if you had to buy an iPad for your 9-year-old?

Thriller Cat: The new coolest cat on the internet?

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/

Meet Thriller Cat, the latest mega moggy to light up the interwebs with his jive-tastic moves - so jive-tastic is he, in fact, that Michael Jackson-themed remixes are already popping up in his honour.

Joanne McCabe - 3rd August, 2011

Thriller Cat: The new coolest cat on the internet?

Meet Thriller Cat, the latest mega moggy to light up the interwebs with his jive-tastic moves - so jive-tastic is he, in fact, that Michael Jackson-themed remixes are already popping up in his honour.

Related Tags:
Australia
Thriller Cat video
Thriller Cat: What's cool about this, you say? Watch what he did next... (Pic: YouTube)

The 16-second slice of YouTube awesomeness opens with a seemingly normal moggy sitting on the floor opposite the camera.

Apparently spooked by the recording device, our feline pal gets up to investigate - and here is where his rib-tickling moves make their debut.

Leaping up off the floor, he walks towards the camera on his hind legs in a Grinch-like fashion.



Since being uploaded on July 31 the video has been viewed over 680,000 times and received over 8,000 likes.

Unsurprisingly, the video is being passed around so much that, as of August 2, it was the fourth most shared in the US, sixth most shared on this side of the Atlantic and the second most shared in Australia.

'This is the funniest video I have ever seen on Youtube hahaha. No matter how many times I watch it I can't stop laughing,' posted dubdub20 underneath the clip.

'What an awesome cat,' said Tom80049, while another viewer simply said: 'What the f**king f**k?'

One particular remixed version of the video has also proved to be quite the hit - trust us, just watch it and you'll see why.





Picture of a white child curiously touching the shield of a black riot cop during a KKK protest. No one is born a racist.

From: http://imgur.com/

Pols bet on casino plan at Suffolk


The idea of a casino at Suffolk Downs has some political support. (Item File Photo)

By Thor Jourgensen

REVERE - State Rep. Joyce Spiliotis thinks building a casino at Suffolk Downs is a good idea if the Legislature can approve casino gambling in September, but a real estate developer has different ideas and wants Massachusetts voters to weigh in on them.

Like Spiliotis, Revere Mayor Thomas Ambrosino wants a casino at Suffolk Downs if the Legislature acts on gambling.

"We want full-blown expanded gambling. If that could include one competitively bid slot parlor, then let's get it done," Ambrosino said on Thursday.

Gov. Deval Patrick, in broader terms, supports a similar arrangement.

Patrick, according to his spokesman Alex Loftus, supports siting up to three resort casinos in the state and he is willing to support a competitively bid slot parlor.

In a statement released by Loftus quoting remarks Patrick made to radio show host Jim Braude on July 28, the governor said: " ... if it helps get a deal, I will accept one slot parlor that is competitively bid anywhere in the commonwealth."

Spiliotis backs a Suffolk Downs "race casino" combining live horse wagering and casino gambling, but any legislative debate on the topic must include, she said, proposals for minimizing traffic around Revere and Logan International Airport generated by an expanded Suffolk Downs.

"I've heard we are going to do some sort of bill in September," the Peabody Democrat said, adding, "The issue is, can everybody get together?"

Past legislative debates about legalizing gambling in Massachusetts have fallen short, with recent efforts doomed by disagreements between Patrick and legislators about combining casinos with slot parlors or separating the two venues.

Self-described real estate syndicator David Nunes on Thursday said he will wait and see what action legislators take on casinos this fall before he makes a bid to ask Massachusetts voters to weigh in on bringing gambling to the state.

If the Legislature does not act by Nov. 1 on the issue, Nunes said, he will set in motion an effort to collect 68,917 signatures required to place a referendum question on the November 2012 state election ballot.

"I'll spend the dollars on a campaign for this knowing full well that Connecticut neighbors are spending money against me," he said.

Nunes, who said he has assembled real estate deals in Pennsylvania and Washington, DC, wants to see casinos sited in western, central and southeastern Massachusetts.

Nunes, in an electronic mail statement, defined his referendum question as "a petition for a law permitting casino gambling in three locations," including land owned by a federally-recognized Native American tribe; a location near Milford bordering I-495; and another location in Western Massachusetts.

Nunes said he has experience advocating for casino gambling, including a 2004 effort based in Rhode Island. He wants casinos to run 24 hours a day and to be able to serve alcohol around the clock, but his casino plans proposes sending tax payments by casino companies back to Massachusetts communities for tax relief.

"I propose all money that comes into the state goes back to homeowners," he said on Thursday.

​Everybody is a genius at something

From: http://uberhumor.com/

The Autonomous House By Michael Jantzen Is A Thirty-Year-Old Green Wonder

by
from http://www.treehugger.com/michael jantzen autonomous house photo

Image credit Michael Jantzen

I have not posted much of the recent work of Michael Jantzen on TreeHugger; he has interesting visions but very little reality, mainly renderings of architectural wonders in open fields. (Jerry covered a recent one here.) But I learn from a reprint of a 1982 Popular Science in Modern Mechanix that thirty years ago he was designing very green, cutting-edge stuff that pushes every button that we talk about today. The Liberated House, or Autonomous Dwelling from 1979 is a wonder.

michael jantzen autonomous house photo side view

The goals of the Autonomous Dwelling Unit were not dissimilar from what so many architects are trying to achieve today:

  • First, be a mobile home, light and small enough to be towed long distances over the road, or be carried by helicopter, or even be floated on water.
  • Second, be independent of utility hookups--electricity, gas, water, and sewage--and of fossil fuels.
  • Third, be mass-producible at a cost competitive with luxury travelers of comparable size.

Partner Ted Bakewell III explains the construction:

"Let's look at the external features first," says Bakewell, leading the way through the large muddy field in the center of a Bakewell office park. "The shell, for example." The interlocking, aluminized-steel sections that form the rounded ends of the vehicle are normally used for silo tops. The center section would normally be used to join twin silos. "They're very thin sheets, fabricated with a ridge in each panel, so they easily slide together, interlocking, for a totally watertight seal," Bakewell says.

michael jantzen autonomous house photo solar panels

The exterior has rainwater collection and solar panels.

With the sun shining, it has a peak output of 80 watts, going to 120 at noon when the reflector comes into use. Four 12-volt marine batteries store the electricity. "It works because we have designed our electrical needs with the most energy-efficient appliances available," Bakewell says. "We have a truly microload demand that is matched to this small solar panel."

michael jantzen autonomous house photo interior

The funkadelic interior includes a thermal storage system under the bed that gathers heat in the daytime and releases it at night, that I am thinking of knocking off for a LifeEdited. A round wood stove hangs from the ceiling. Transformer furniture abounds:

In the dining area, inventive design abounds. Leaves drop down or snap up to extend the table. Seats drop down to get out of the way. Most of Bakewell's cooking is done on an alcohol stove; he believes in using renewable fuels as much as possible. The refrigerator was designed from scratch. In winter, ducts below bring in cold air, saving electricity. A butterfly valve controls the amount. In summer, a solid-state thermionic device supplies cooling.

michael jantzen autonomous house photo interior

The toilet area contains a shower and a Clivus Multrum Bio-Loo, a Swedish waterless toilet that composts human waste odorlessly. The shower resembles a nylon telephone booth. Square hoops support an ingenious curtain arrangement (see photo) sewn together by Jantzen's wife, Ellen. Bakewell economizes on water by using a special nozzle head, developed for distributing chemicals from crop-dusting planes. It is capable of producing a very fine water-conserving mist that is, he says, nonetheless very effective in washing. Or, if he feels like splurging, he can open it up all the way. Bakewell showers with, basically, recycled water from a gray-water (used wash water) tank, to which he adds, as needed, fresh water taken from the vinyl rainwater bladder.

"We pump gray water into a pressure tank," he says. "Then it's forced through a five-micron filter, then a 0.25-micron filter, then an iodinator. Then it goes into a storage tank. Before it's delivered to a faucet or shower, it goes through a carbon polisher-activated charcoal. We take out the bacteria with the filters, and then we kill the viruses with the iodine."

michael jantzen autonomous house photo plan

It is a wonderful design, full of ideas that are just being rediscovered today. I so wish Michael Jantzen still built things like this, we have so much to learn from him. More at Modern Mechanix.

michael jantzen summer house photo

While reviewing other older work on Jantzen's site, I found this wonderful summer house from 1976. The exterior is certainly a period piece, but the interior!

michael jantzen summer house photo

Look at that transformer kitchen in the middle of the unit, with the sides that fold up to make a dining area. The bunks, hanging around the side of the unit with seating below, just like a railway car. The whole thing is brilliant.

Hungry Hungry Hippo



Like the game but IRL...and so much more fun

Woman sentenced for spraying breast milk at police officer

From: http://www.globalpost.com/

A U.S. woman accused of spraying sheriff's deputies with breast milk has been sentenced to two years' probation

A U.S. woman accused of spraying sheriff's deputies with breast milk has been sentenced to two years of probation.

Stephanie Robinette, 37, of Westerville, Ohio, pleaded guilty last month to charges of assault and obstruction of official business.

She was sentenced in Delaware Municipal Court on Tuesday and ordered to pay $200 in fines on top of court costs, AFP reports.

The 30-year-old was reportedly drunk at the time and had just had a fight with her husband at a wedding reception.

She has been ordered by the court to undergo anger management classes, the New York Daily News reports.

The woman was arrested June 25 after deputies responded to reports of a domestic dispute.

However, when sheriff's officials attempted to remove her from car she refused to co-operate. Disturbing footage shows her passed out inside the car and officers unable to rouse her.

She then apparently told the officials from central Ohio's Delaware County she was a breastfeeding mother and exposed part of her chest, spraying them with breast milk.

The New York Daily News reports:

Police arrived about 1am and tried to make her leave the car, but in an attempt to keep them away, Robinette "pulled out one of her breasts and started literally milking it, then spraying breast milk towards the officers," Delaware County Sheriff Walter Davis III said in June.

Surveillance footage shows Robinette becoming increasingly violent and verbally abusive as she is pulled from the car.

When told the arrest was being captured on video, she yells: "Record it all! Record it all!"

During the hearing, her husband told the court his wife needed to get help.

A message left with Robinette's attorney wasn't returned. He had previously said his client was embarrassed and humiliated, AFP reports.

Robinette was an elementary school teacher at Summit Academy, a charter school specializing in students with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and Asperger syndrome. She was fired in July, according to WBNS 10 News.

Trim Your Electric Bill With these No-Cook Recipes

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When the temperature starts to climb, it’s cheaper not to cook. Yes, really.

Using the oven makes your house hotter, forcing the air conditioner to work that much harder and padding your electricity bill. Haven’t turned on the a/c yet? The extra heat may make it that much more tempting. But it’s not as though dining out is cheap, either. The combo solution: turn on the oven only in the cooler evening hours, use the microwave or grill outside when possible and work in a few no-cook, cooling recipes.

We asked chefs, bloggers and home cooks for their best cheap summer recipes that will help you beat the heat and don’t require the use of the oven or stove:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Frozen Bars

Cost: $1.78, or $0.15 per serving

Dietician Brenda Ponichtera, the author of Quick and Healthy, makes a frozen treat that is both decadent and diet-friendly. Line a 9” by 13” pan with graham cracker squares. In a separate bowl, prepare two packages of chocolate pudding according to the package directions but using only three and one-third cups fat-free milk. Beat in one-quarter cup peanut butter. Spread mixture on top of graham crackers and then top with another layer of crackers. Freeze for four hours, and then cut into squares.

Banana “Ice Cream”

Cost: $1.45, or $0.36 per serving

No ice cream maker necessary for this faux ice cream from Happy Herbivore blogger Lindsay Nixon. Just throw two frozen bananas into a food processor with a quarter-cup non-dairy milk plus a quarter-teaspoon each of vanilla extract and cinnamon. The chilled, blended banana mimics the texture of ice cream perfectly.

Tangy Watermelon Salad

Cost: $6.20, or $0.62 per serving

This recipe from Jill Ross of Gooseberry Patch is not your average fruit salad. Cube a watermelon (about 14 cups) and mix with one thinly sliced red onion. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine three-quarters cup orange juice, five tablespoons red wine vinegar, two and a half tablespoons honey, a tablespoon finely chopped green pepper, a half-teaspoon salt, a quarter-teaspoon pepper, a quarter-teaspoon garlic powder, a quarter teaspoon onion powder, a quarter-teaspoon dry mustard and three-quarters of a cup of oil. Pour dressing over watermelon and mix gently. Refrigerate for two hours.

Stuffed tomatoes

Cost: $1.80, or $0.90 per serving

Joan Jacobsen of Baby Boomer Way makes stuffed tomatoes by cutting the tops off two large, firm tomatoes and scooping out the insides. In a bowl, mix a 12-ounce can of tuna, a stalk of finely chopped celery, a quarter-cup of chopped red onion, half of a ripe avocado and the pulp of the tomatoes. Add the juices of half of a lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all together with a fork, and then place into tomato shells. Chill, then serve.

Strawberry Mint Lassi

Cost: $3.65, or $0.91 per serving

“Mint, yogurt and ice work collectively as a trilogy of coolants,” says Gurapeet Bains, the author of Indian Superfood. Place in a blender nine ounces of hulled strawberries, a few fresh mint leaves, seven ounces plain yogurt, a large handful of ice and sugar to taste. Blend together until smooth.

Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup

Cost: $3.71, or $0.93 per serving

Cumin and peperoncini and a kick to this cold soup recipe from Anne Maxfield of Accidental Locavore. Blend, chill, enjoy.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Cost: $12.55, or $1.25 per serving

For a refreshing cold soup, Chef Eric Gruber of Shore Lodge and Whitetail Club in McCall, Idaho, pairs a peeled, diced seedless watermelon with more savory fare. Blend the watermelon in a blender in batches with 10 diced Roma tomatoes, two diced red onions, two peeled, seeded and chopper cucumbers, two seeded and diced jalapenos, one seeded and diced poblano, two quarts of V8 vegetable juice, a quarter-cup lemon juice, a quarter-cup lime juice, a bunch of chopped cilantro, a tablespoon Tabasco sauce, a tablespoon sriracha sauce, a quarter-cup olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate overnight and then pass through a medium mesh strainer to remove any remaining chunks.

Frugal Foodie is a journalist based in New York City who spends her days writing about personal finance and obsessing about what she’ll have for dinner. Chat with her on Twitter through @MintFoodie http://www.twitter.com/mintfoodie.

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