Happy New Year!!

FUNNY CATS SING NEW YEARS

100 Cupcakes, 100 games (PICS)

From: steelheadstudio.com — Every year, we throw a big, game party to ring in the new year. This year (2010) is our house's 100-year birthday, so we celebrated with cupcakes... ...and the cupcakes were a game. Here they are in random order - see how many you can guess! Mouse over the question mark to reveal the answer.

Click here to see all 100 Cupcakes, 100 games 

Blue moon to shine on New Year's Eve

From: http://www.cnn.com/

This image of Earth and moon is a composite of two images sent back by the Galileo spacecraft.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Second full moon in December to light night sky
• Term "blue moon" has been around 400 years, professor says
• Meaning of the phrase has shifted over the years

(CNN) -- It happens only once in a blue moon -- and scientists say a blue moon is exactly what we'll see in the skies this New Year's Eve.

Don't expect an azure glow over our lunar satellite, however. The term "blue moon" simply refers to the second full moon in a calendar month, something that hasn't happened on a New Year's Eve for nearly 20 years, NASA says.

"December 1990 ended with a blue moon, and many New Year's Eve parties were themed by the event," said Professor Philip Hiscock of the department of folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland, in Canada. "It was a lot of fun."

Most months have just one full moon, because the 29.5-day cycle of the moon matches up pretty well with the length of calendar months. Occasionally, there will be two full moons in a month, something that happens about every 2½ years, NASA says.

But a blue moon on December 31 is rare.

MOON MONIKERS

The Farmers' Almanac lists these Algonquin Indian names for the full moon of each month:
January: Wolf Moon
February: Snow Moon
March: Worm Moon
April: Pink Moon
May: Flower Moon
June: Strawberry Moon
July: Buck Moon
August: Sturgeon Moon
September: Corn Moon
October: Harvest Moon
November: Beaver Moon
December: Cold Moon
Source: www.farmersalmanac.com

Elvis Presley crooned about it when he sang the old Rodgers and Hart song "Blue Moon," in which he stood alone without a dream in his heart or a love of his own.

He struck a more hopeful tone in another tune, singing about his love returning to his arms "When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again." He also covered Bill Monroe's bluegrass classic, "Blue Moon of Kentucky."

It is possible for the moon to have a cerulean hue, NASA says, but that's sometimes caused by fine dirt circulating in the Earth's atmosphere or the dark blue tone of the sky.

A blue moon hasn't always meant the second full moon in a month. Hundreds of years ago, it simply meant "never" or "absurd," Hiscock said.

"The phrase 'blue moon' has been around a long time, well over 400 years, but during that time its meaning has shifted," he said. "I have counted six different meanings which have been carried by the term, and at least four of them are still current today. That makes discussion of the term a little complicated."

When the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa erupted in 1883, it put so much dust in the atmosphere that the moon actually appeared blue -- an event so unusual that the term "once in a blue moon" was coined, according to NASA's National Space Science Data Center. The effect lasted for almost two years, Hiscock said.

Full moons used to have 12 names, one for each month, such as "harvest moon," NASA said. The term "blue moon" referred to the 13th full moon in a year.

The term acquired its current meaning in the 1940s, after the Farmer's Almanac of Maine offered an astronomical definition of a blue moon "so convoluted that even professional astronomers struggled to understand it," NASA wrote on its Web site.

A writer at Sky and Telescope magazine in the late 1940s tried to explain the almanac's definition by saying it referred to the second full moon in a month.

"That was not correct, but at least it could be understood," NASA wrote. "And thus the modern blue moon was born."

All About The Times Square New Year's Eve Ball

Each year, millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve Ball. At 11:59 p.m., the Ball begins its descent as millions of voices unite to count down the final seconds of the year, and celebrate the beginning of a new year full of hopes, challenges, changes and dreams.

New Video: Making the New Year's Eve Ball

For 2010 Waterford Crystal has designed a new sparkling "Let There Be Courage" triangle. The crystals feature a unique interlocking ribbon pattern woven into the Celtic knot. The triangles, each about 3/8" thick and 6.8 ounces in weight are custom made and built to exacting standards to withstand the stresses of high winds, precipitation and temperature fluctuation that exist over 400 feet above Times Square. 288 are being installed alongside crystal installed in previous years. Waterford has also released a New Year's Eve iPhone app called "Clink-Clink"! More >>

The "New" New Year's Eve Ball

On November 11th, 2008, The co-organizers of New Year’s Eve in Times Square (Times Square Alliance, Countdown Entertainment) unveiled a new Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball at a press conference at Hudson Scenic Studio in Yonkers, New York.

The new Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball is a 12 foot geodesic sphere, double the size of previous Balls, and weighs 11,875 pounds. Covered in 2,668 Waterford Crystals and powered by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDS, the new Ball is capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns producing a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square.

The organizers also announced that the new Ball will become a year-round attraction above Times Square in full public view January through December.

“For one hundred years, the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball has attracted millions of revelers to Times Square on December 31st to celebrate the beginning of the New Year” said Jeff Straus, president of Countdown Entertainment and co-organizer of Times Square New Year’s Eve. “The new Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball will be a bright sparkling jewel atop One Times Square entertaining New Yorkers and tourists from around the world not only on December 31, but throughout the year.”

“The New Year’s Eve ball is bigger, better and brighter than ever, just like Times Square itself,” said Times Square Alliance President Tim Tompkins. “And like Times Square, it’s not afraid to show off. That’s why we’re proudly putting it on display year-round so visitors to the neighborhood can enjoy a true Crossroads of the World icon.”

WATERFORD CRYSTAL created an exclusive “Let There Be Joy” design for the crystal triangles on the new Ball. Designed and crafted by Waterford artisans in Ireland, “Let There Be Joy” features the design of an angel with arms uplifted welcoming the New Year on each of the 1,728 new crystals. The remaining 960 triangles are last year’s “Let There Be Light” design of a stylized radiating starburst.

"The new 2009 Times Square New Year's Ball represents the perfect blend of time-honored craftsmanship and state of the art technology," says Pete Cheyney, Director of Corporate Communications for Waterford Crystal. "The theme for the Waterford crystals on this year's Ball, "Let There be Joy" reflects our belief that New Year's Eve is a time when happiness and optimism for the future should be at the forefront of everyone's thoughts. We at Waterford consider the Ball to be of our Company's greatest achievements."

PHILIPS LIGHTING provided the new solid state lighting technology for the Ball, resulting in an astounding increase in impact, energy efficiency, and color capabilities. Capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million colors and billions of possible patterns, the 32,256 Philips Luxeon LEDs in this year's Ball represent more than three times the number of LEDS used last year, to deliver a brighter and more beautiful New Year's experience than ever before. And this year’s Ball is 10-20% more energy efficient than last year’s already energy-efficient Ball, consuming only the same amount of energy per hour as it would take to operate two traditional home ovens.

"At Philips Lighting, we are proud to be driving innovative and energy-efficient solutions for the world's broad range of lighting applications - from celebrated landmarks to consumers' homes -- and we're especially delighted to be the official Lighting Partner to the iconic New Year's Eve Ball in Times Square," said Philips Lighting Company Director of Corporate Communications Susan Bloom. "Now bigger in size and incorporating even more powerful and energy-efficient Philips Luxeon LEDs than last year, this year's Ball will deliver a New Year's Eve experience that will be brighter, more beautiful, and more sustainable than ever before."

FOCUS LIGHTING created a spectacular and unique lighting design that utilizes over 3,500 lighting cues to orchestrate the colorful moving patterns of light radiating from the Ball. Theatrical techniques were used to show the beauty of each facet of each individual crystal, making the sparkle visible whether viewed from 5’ away (as members of the press have seen it) or from 500’ when viewed from the streets of Times Square. It is like accenting a performer on a stage.

“We tried to create a beacon of light in the sky over Times Square,” says Paul Gregory, Principal Lighting Designer for Focus Lighting.

The companies listed below also provided essential contributions to the development of the new Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball:

E:Cue Lighting Control provided lighting control system

Hudson Scenic Studio provided structural engineering design and development

Landmark Signs assembles and operates the Ball

Lapp Group provided power and control cabling

Lighting Science Group provided the 672 LED modules and technology integration

History of the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball

Revelers began celebrating New Year's Eve in Times Square as early as 1904, but it was in 1907 that the New Year's Eve Ball made its maiden descent from the flagpole atop One Times Square.

The first New Year's Eve Ball, made of iron and wood and adorned with one hundred 25-watt light bulbs, was 5 feet in diameter and weighed 700 pounds. It was built by a young immigrant metalworker named Jacob Starr, and for most of the twentieth century the company he founded, sign maker Artkraft Strauss, was responsible for lowering the ball.

As part of the 1907-1908 festivities, waiters in the fabled "lobster palaces" and other deluxe eateries in hotels surrounding Times Square were supplied with battery-powered top hats emblazoned with the numbers "1908" fashioned of tiny light bulbs. At the stroke of midnight, they all "flipped their lids" and the year on their foreheads lit up in conjunction with the numbers "1908" on the parapet of the Times Tower lighting up to signal the arrival of the new year.

The Ball has been lowered every year since 1907, with the exceptions of 1942 and 1943, when the ceremony was suspended due to the wartime "dimout" of lights in New York City. Nevertheless, the crowds still gathered in Times Square in those years and greeted the New Year with a minute of silence followed by the ringing of chimes from sound trucks parked at the base of the tower - a harkening-back to the earlier celebrations at Trinity Church, where crowds would gather to "ring out the old, ring in the new."

(Above) New Year's Eve Ball, 1978. Photo credit: The New York Times.

In 1920, a 400 pound ball made entirely of wrought iron replaced the original. In 1955, the iron ball was replaced with an aluminum ball weighing a mere 200 pounds. This aluminum Ball remained unchanged until the 1980s, when red light bulbs and the addition of a green stem converted the Ball into an apple for the "I Love New York" marketing campaign from 1981 until 1988. After seven years, the traditional glowing white Ball with white light bulbs and without the green stem returned to brightly light the sky above Times Square. In 1995, the Ball was upgraded with aluminum skin, rhinestones, strobes, and computer controls, but the aluminum ball was lowered for the last time in 1998.

For Times Square 2000, the millennium celebration at the Crossroads of the World, the New Year's Eve Ball was completely redesigned by Waterford Crystal. The new crystal Ball combined the latest in technology with the most traditional of materials, reminding us of our past as we gazed into the future and the beginning of a new millenium.

About "Time-Balls"

The actual notion of a ball "dropping" to signal the passage of time dates back long before New Year's Eve was ever celebrated in Times Square. The first "time-ball" was installed atop England's Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1833. This ball would drop at one o'clock every afternoon, allowing the captains of nearby ships to precisely set their chronometers (a vital navigational instrument).

Around 150 public time-balls are believed to have been installed around the world after the success at Greenwich, though few survive and still work. The tradition is carried on today in places like the United States Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, where a time-ball descends from a flagpole at noon each day - and of course, once a year in Times Square, where it marks the stroke of midnight not for a few ships' captains, but for over one billion people watching worldwide.

The Times Square New Year's Eve Ball 2000-2007

The 2000-2007 version of the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball, designed by Waterford Crystal, made its first descent during the last minute of the 20th century, at the Times Square 2000 Celebration.

The Ball was a geodesic sphere, six feet in diameter, and weighed approximately 1,070 pounds. It was covered with a total of 504 Waterford crystal triangles that varied in size and ranged in length from 4.75 inches to 5.75 inches per side.

For the 2007 New Year's Eve celebration, 72 of the crystal triangles featured the new "Hope for Peace" design, consisting of three dove-like patterns symbolizing messengers of peace. The remaining 432 triangles featured Waterford designs from previous years, including the Hope for Fellowship, Hope for Wisdom, Hope for Unity, Hope for Courage, Hope for Healing, Hope for Abundance, and Star of Hope triangles. These crystal triangles were bolted to 168 translucent triangular lexan panels which were attached to the aluminum frame of the Ball. The exterior of the Ball was illuminated by 168 Philips Halogená Brilliant Crystal light bulbs, exclusively engineered for the New Year's Eve Ball to enhance the Waterford crystal. The interior of the Ball was illuminated by 432 Philips Light Bulbs (208 clear, 56 red, 56 blue, 56 green, and 56 yellow), and 96 high-intensity strobe lights, which together create bright bubbling bursts of color. The exterior of the Ball featured 90 rotating pyramid mirrors that reflect light back into the audience at Times Square.

All 696 lights and 90 rotating pyramid mirrors were computer controlled, enabling the Ball to produce a state-of-the-art light show of eye-dazzling color patterns and a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square. The now-retired 2000-2007 New Year's Eve Ball is the property of the building owners of One Times Square.

Twins born on separate days, months, years

One was born just before midnight on New Year's, the other just after

The Associated Press

ROCHESTER, Mich. - They're twins, all right, despite what their spanking new birth certificates say.

Tariq Griffin entered the world at 12:17 a.m. on New Year's Day at Crittenton Hospital in Rochester, Mich. Twin brother Tarrance was born a bit earlier — 26 minutes to be exact.

That means the boys have the unique distinction of having been born on different days, months and years.

Their dad, Tarrance Sr., is also a twin. The parents say the boys are doing well, which is their main concern.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Happy New Years Eve

Times Square Unveils A Dazzling LED New Year’s Ball

by Evelyn Lee

This New Year’s Eve Times Square in New York is set to debut a dazzling new LED-encrusted New Year’s ball! Composed of 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs, the 12-foot wide energy-efficient orb weighs in at 11,875 pounds, making it twice the size of any ball previously dropped overhead in Time Square. A marriage of tradition and new technology, the stunning new sphere will be ringing in the 100th anniversary of the New Year’s Eve ball.

Size certainly matters when designing an orb descending from the heavens high above the heads of those gathered in the cold of Times Square, but that’s not to say we still can’t cut back on the energy consumption. The new ball is 20 percent more efficient than last year’s, consuming roughly the same amount of energy needed to power two consumer ovens through a holiday feast.

All of the LEDs will combine to create more than 10 million different colors and billions of different patterns, making it a spectacular sight for onlookers in the streets and on TV. If you’re not within sight of Times Square or won’t have your eyes glued to the television on New Year’s, no worries - the new ball is slated to become a year-round addition to the lights of Times Square, with various different programs built-in to commemorate additional holidays and special events.

We’re hoping the dropping of the New Year’s Ball will bring forth another great year full of sustainable innovations. Stay tuned to Inhabitat to find out just what 2009 has in store.

+ Philips Luxeon

Via Cleantechnica

Related Posts

New Year’s Eve Around the World

By: Brie Cadman (View Profile)

For some, New Year’s Eve is the worst night of the year to go out and celebrate; for others, it’s the best. Either way, it is the one holiday that is celebrated—at home with friends and family or out in large crowds of strangers—around the world. Fireworks, champagne, and a midnight smooch are the usual, but various locales put their own unique twists on this festive night, making them the best in their category.

Best Place to Bless Water, Before Drinking a Caipirinha
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In Rio de Janeiro, December 31 isn’t just NYE, it is also the Fiesta de Iemanjá, or celebration of the Goddess of the Ocean. Traditionally, locals dress in white and flock to the Copacabana beach to watch fireworks and offer gifts of flowers and floating candles to the goddess; they also stay on the beach to party throughout the night.

Best Place to Do What You Can’t in the U.S.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Fireworks: everyone loves them, but here in the safety zealous U.S., we can’t personally set off much more than a sparkler or two. (Unless you live in my neighborhood in Oakland, and then you shoot off huge ones from your roof at least twice a year.) But in Reykjavik on NYE, fireworks are allowed, if not encouraged. Almost all families have a firework display; the city also sets up large bonfires around the town to add to the festive light show.

Best Sparkly Ball
New York City, NY
The most anticipated ball drop in the world is in New York City, and it’s no surprise. This year’s ball is twice the size of previous year’s, weighing 11,875 pounds, consisting of twelve-foot geodesic spheres, and covered in 2,668 Waterford Crystals. It is also supposedly capable of creating more colors than ever before, so it will look much like a kaleidoscope lighting up Times Square. But be warned: the masses flock to this sparkly globe, so prepare for elbow jabs and unsolicited grabs.

Best Spot for Grape Eating
Madrid, Spain
To ring in Nochevieja in Madrid, it’s tradition for crowds to gather in the Puerta del Sol plaza. As the clock on the Casa de Correos chimes, everyone eats twelve grapes to go along with the twelve strokes of midnight. The eating of grapes happens in other parts of Spain too and in some parts of Mexico.

Best Place for a NYE Meal
Paris, France
If watching fireworks explode behind the Eifel Tower isn’t spectacular enough, the traditional NYE French feast, called le Reveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre, is also one of the most decadent. It includes such specialties as foie gras, lobster, oysters, and champagne (locally brewed in Champagne, France). Rumor has it that it even Parisians have a hard time finding a seat at crowded restaurants, so crashing a well-stocked party might be the way to go.

Best and First Big City
Sydney, Australia
Although Australia isn’t the first major place to ring in the New Year (the Christmas Islands, Tonga, New Zealand, and parts of the Pacific beat it), Sydney probably has the biggest “first” celebration. The party starts early around Sydney harbor, where crowds gather to watch hourly aerial flyovers. The Sydney Harbor bridge lights up with a pyrotechnic display and two sets of fireworks go off in the evening.

Best Place to Watch a Rerun
Germany
In America, we have Miracle on 34th Street or It’s a Wonderful Life; in Germany, they have the 1920’s cult classic Dinner for One. Although the British skit isn’t popular in its home country, it’s caught on in Germany and in other parts of Europe, and has become a New Year’s tradition. Although the real party in Germany is happening at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, many people will be at home chiming in with the sketches’ repeating refrain: “The same procedure as every year.”

Don’t agree with my picks? You can go to hubdub.com and bet virtual money on your “biggest New Year’s Eve party locations” pick. (Currently in the lead: NYC, Rio, and “other.”)

Although many people revel with close friends and family for New Year’s, others are rubbing elbows and cheering with thousands when the clock strikes twelve. Whichever you chose, here’s to a safe, fun night and a wonderful new year!