We all remember Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and even Franken Berry, but those ghostly brands have nothing on these creepy kids' cereals. From "slime" flavored puffs that turn milk green, to the creepiest mascots you've ever seen (that clown really will haunt us in our sleep), we wouldn't recommend giving these to any child. Unless, of course, you want them running around saying they had "Kiddo Balls" for breakfast. In that case, you go right ahead
Actor Dennis Hopper watches the Breeders' Cup World Championship thoroughbred horse racing at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California November 7, 2009.
Credit: Reuters/Mike Blake
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood actor Dennis Hopper, best known for directing and starring in the 1969 cult classic "Easy Rider," died on Saturday from complications of prostate cancer, a friend of the actor said. Hopper was 74.
The hard-living screen star died at his home in the coastal Los Angeles suburb of Venice at 8:15 a.m. PDT (1515 GMT), surrounded by family and friends, the friend, Alex Hitz, told Reuters.
In a wildly varied career spanning more than 50 years, Hopper appeared alongside his mentor James Dean in "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant" in the 1950s and played maniacs in such films as "Apocalypse Now," "Blue Velvet" and "Speed."
He received two Oscar nominations -- for writing "Easy Rider" (with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern), and for a rare heartwarming turn as an alcoholic high-school basketball coach in the 1986 drama "Hoosiers."
But his prodigious drug abuse, temper tantrums, propensity for domestic violence and poor choice of movie roles often made him a Hollywood pariah.
Hopper felt over-indulgence was a requirement for great artists. He once claimed he snorted lines of cocaine "as long as your arm every five minutes, just so I could carry on drinking ... gallons" of alcohol.
Still, his legacy rests securely on "Easy Rider." Regarded as one of the greatest films of American cinema, it helped usher in a new era in which the old Hollywood guard was forced to cede power to young filmmakers such as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese.
The low-budget blockbuster, originally conceived by Fonda, introduced mainstream moviegoers to pot-smoking, cocaine-dealing, long-haired bikers.
"We'd gone through the whole '60s and nobody had made a film about anybody smoking grass without going out and killing a bunch of nurses," Hopper told Entertainment Weekly in 2005. "I wanted 'Easy Rider' to be a time capsule for people about that period."
Hopper and Fonda were joined on screen by a then-unknown Jack Nicholson as an alcoholic lawyer, but it was not a harmonious set. Hopper clashed violently with everyone and Fonda later described him as a "little fascist freak." Their friendship was destroyed.
"Dennis introduced me to the world of Pop Art and 'lost' films," Fonda said in a statement. "We rode the highways of America and changed the way movies were made in Hollywood. I was blessed by his passion and friendship."
Hopper's 1971 directorial follow-up, "The Last Movie," shot amid what he later called "one long sex and drug orgy" in Peru, was a flop.
He was often gripped by paranoid delusions. In 1982, while filming "Jungle Warriors" in Mexico, he ran naked into the jungle, convinced World War Three had started. He was put on a plane home but jumped out onto the wing as it was about to take off, fearful that the plane was on fire. Upon his return, he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for three months.
He starred in bad movies just for the money, such as "Super Mario Bros." and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2," and turned down important projects that could have enhanced his legend, such as "Taxi Driver" and "Reservoir Dogs."
Hopper also found himself typecast as the psychotic villain thanks to such films as "Blue Velvet," in which he played a gas-huffing rapist, and the 1994 smash "Speed," in which his character rigged a city bus to explode.
Hopper mellowed somewhat in later years, becoming a Republican and a pitchman for the likes of Gap and Nike.
Outside of Hollywood, he was a noted photographer, painter, sculptor and art collector. He lived in a warehouse-style compound in the coastal suburb of Venice, in a neighborhood that was gang-infested until a decade ago.
Hopper fell ill last September. He continued working almost to the end, both on his cable TV series "Crash" and on a book showcasing his photography. But his final months were also consumed by a bitter divorce battle with his fifth wife, Victoria Duffy.
Indeed, his private life was never dull. His marriages included an eight-day union in 1970 with Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and Papas, who later told Vanity Fair that she was subjected to "excruciating" treatment.
Hopper is survived by four children. Funeral arrangements were pending.
Work at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine Holds Promise for a Biological Substitute for Dental Implants, According to Latest Journal of Dental Research
NEW YORK (May 19, 2010) - A technique pioneered in the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory of Dr. Jeremy Mao, the Edward V. Zegarelli Professor of Dental Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, can orchestrate stem cells to migrate to a three-dimensional scaffold infused with growth factor, holding the translational potential to yield an anatomically correct tooth in as soon as nine weeks once implanted.
People who have lost some or all of their adult teeth typically look to dentures, or, more recently, dental implants to improve a toothless appearance that can have a host of unsettling psycho-social ramifications. Despite being the preferred (but generally painful and potentially protracted) treatment for missing teeth nowadays, dental implants can fail and are unable to “remodel” with surrounding jaw bone that undergoes necessary changes throughout a person’s life.
Human molar scaffolding from the lab of Dr. Jeremy Mao
An animal-model study has shown that by homing stem cells to a scaffold made of natural materials and integrated in surrounding tissue, there is no need to use harvested stem cell lines, or create an environment outside of the body (e.g., a Petri dish) where the tooth is grown and then implanted once it has matured. The tooth instead can be grown “orthotopically,” or in the socket where the tooth will integrate with surrounding tissue in ways that are impossible with hard metals or other materials.
"These findings represent the first report of regeneration of anatomically shaped tooth-like structures in vivo, and by cell homing without cell delivery,” Dr. Mao and his colleagues say in the paper. "The potency of cell homing is substantiated not only by cell recruitment into scaffold microchannels, but also by the regeneration of periodontal ligaments and newly formed alveolar bone."
This study is published in the most recent Journal of Dental Research, the top-rated, peer-reviewed scientific journal dedicated to the dissemination of new knowledge and information on all sciences relevant to dentistry, the oral cavity and associated structures in health and disease.
Dental implants usually consist of a cone-shaped titanium screw with a roughened or smooth surface and are placed in the jaw bone. While implant surgery may be performed as an outpatient procedure, healing times vary widely and successful implantation is a result of multiple visits to different clinicians, including general dentists, oral surgeons, prosthodontists and periodontists. Implant patients must allow two to six months for healing and if the implant is installed too soon, it is possible that the implant may fail. The subsequent time to heal, graft and eventually put into place a new implant may take up to 18 months.
The work of Dr. Mao and his laboratory, however, holds manifold promise: a more natural process, faster recovery times and a harnessing of the body’s own potential to re-grow tissue that will not give out and could ultimately last the patient’s lifetime.
Jeremy Mao, D.D.S., Ph.D.
“A key consideration in tooth regeneration is finding a cost-effective approach that can translate into therapies for patients who cannot afford or who aren’t good candidates for dental implants,” Dr. Mao says. “Cell-homing-based tooth regeneration may provide a tangible pathway toward clinical translation.”
Dr. Ira B. Lamster, dean of the College of Dental Medicine, stated: “This research provides an example of what is achievable when today’s biology is applied to common clinical problems. Dr. Mao’s research is a look into the future of dental medicine.”
This research was supported by NIH ARRA Funding via 5RC2 DE020767 from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Columbia has filed patent applications relating to the engineered tooth and, through its technology transfer office, Columbia Technology Ventures, is actively seeking partners to help commercialize the technology.
We all know the image of the poor, starving artist, but the reality is, it can be costly to create art. Whether for supplies, workspace or even classes, most artists are constantly throwing money
into their passion—but there are a select few who do it literally. These creative minds take cold, hard cash and turn it into art. So read on for 10 masterpieces made of money.
“Money Dress” by Dave Cole
Made of 1,000 unused single dollar bills, which Cole cut into raw materials, this 66" x 30" x 14" dress was displayed in the 2007 Radical Lace & Subversive Knitting exhibit at New York City’s Museum of Arts and Design, which was devoted to “using fiber in unexpected and unorthodox ways.” Photo courtesy of Clayton Parker via Flickr.com.
“Money Boat” by Qinyi “Raymond” Yu
This 3’-long x 4’-tall boat—currently on display at Yu’s Mandarin Island Chinese Restaurant in Mission Hill, California—showcases traditional Chinese paper art. According to Bob Nienhuis’ website dedicated to Traditional Chinese Paper Arts, Yu used over 20,000 modular units to create the structure, which took approximately six months to complete. Photo courtesy of WestWorld.com.
“Absolute Power” by Justine Smith
The London-based artist built this 7.5" x 5" x 1.5" handgun sculpture out of U.S. dollar bills and plastic in 2005. She says her work “examines our relationship with money in a political, moral and social sense, while also taking advantage of the physical beauty of the notes.” Photo courtesy of Justine Smith.
“Washington” by Justine Smith
Smith, whose work is currently featured in the collections of the British Council and the UK Government Art Collection, created this 3.5" x 15" x 9" model of a dog in 2005 using multiple U.S. dollars along with resin and leather. Photo courtesy of Justine Smith.
“Obama vs. McCain” by Theodore Stanke
Brooklyn-based Stanke created this mosaic in the month leading up to 2008 presidential election. Created from adhesives and chopped-up American coins—Obama from pennies and nickels, McCain from quarters, dimes and dollars—the mosaic was intended to depict the distribution of wealth backing each candidate. The piece took 10 days to create and is currently for sale at Bunga’s Den in Manhattan. Photo courtesy of Ted Stanke.
“One Dollar Koi” by Won Park
Famed Japanese origami artist Won Park is known for using the U.S. dollar bill to create his detailed designs. Won even shares the secrets of his trade in a step-by-step video tutorial on his blog “Have Paper, Will Travel.” Photo courtesy of Won Park.
“One Dollar Camera” by Won Park
Park also created this tiny camera out of a “Won” dollar bill, as he refers to it, using the same unbroken folding technique showcased above. Photo courtesy of Won Park.
“Carpenter’s Tools” by Stacey Lee Webber
These three tools, constructed out of pre-1992 copper pennies, are part of Webber’s “The Craftsmen Series.” The artist hand-cut the pennies and soldered them together to create hollow, 3-D replicas of existing hand tools. She has said that they are synonymous with house construction and money is the reward for hours of labor and sweat. Photo courtesy of Stacey Lee Webber.
“Queen Elizabeth II” by Unknown
This paper portrait of the Supreme Governor of the Church of England displays “money-gami” at its best. Though a simple concept, constructing a leader out of his/her region’s currency produces impressive results. Photo courtesy of Close the World via Flickr.
“Paris Skyline” by Unknown
Each bill in this artist’s collection depicts a cut-out of a skyline or famous landmark, all instantly recognizable. In this example, we love the jutting Eiffel Tower beside the famous Arc de Triomphe. Photo courtesy of Spluch via Flickr.com.
With 2.8 million views and counting, "Worst Wedding DJ EVER!" (A bit hyperbolic, but that's beside the point) continues to make the rounds of meme sites and inboxes around the world (even inspiring its own Funny or Die parody video with Jerry O'Connell and Rebecca Romijn). But questions remain: Who is this magical DJ? Why was this filmed? Is this common at weddings and we were just too drunk to notice? And was this another example, as somehave suspected, of viral marketing disguised as reality? Or, was it just a fortuitous case of being in the right place at the right time? Urlesque tracked down Bob (not his real name), the wedding videographer and "Fast Eddie," the DJ himself, to find out more about this surreal video.
To get the obvious question out of the way, this was not a viral marketing stunt arranged by some corporation to bring eyeballs to their site. According to Bob, "Nothing was faked about it and nothing was staged. It was 100% a moment captured in reality that was bizarre and unexpected... This was an one-time fluke."
The incident took place Saturday, May 8 at a wedding in Daytona Beach, FL. Fast Eddie (he declined to disclose his last name) runs an upholstery business in Daytona Beach and has been an independent DJ and singer in the Florida area since 1993. We'll let him describe the circumstances leading up to The Slap Heard 'Round the Net.
I tease and joke around a lot. I always have something silly to say. I wasn't aware of me being taped and the wedding was actually over at the time this had happened. The bride and groom had left--there were just a bunch of drunks hanging around--and we were wrapping things up. I didn't mean any disrespect to the young lady. She's a friend of mine. We're not a couple, but we've been friends for years. She helps me out a bit when I do weddings. To be honest, when someone told me what I did at that wedding, I didn't even remember it. It wasn't rehearsed or planned. I've always been that way.
What inspired Bob to keep the camera on in the first place?
"When the conga line started, I wasn't shooting, but I felt that that was something I should capture," says the videographer. "I followed the line as they went around to the front of the room and as I looked past the line, I saw [Eddie] get to the microphone and start singing and slurring all of his words. So I left the camera on him because I thought that he would probably be doing something crazy. When he walked over to his assistant, I was getting ready to hit the Off button on my camera and then he started to play the bongos on her. As far as I know, I think I am the only person who saw it. Possibly the little girl in the foreground too, but she'll likely need therapy now."
After filming the incident and overdubbing Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" over the original sound, Bob uploaded the tape to YouTube for the sole purpose of showing the bride and groom--friends of his--what he felt was inappropriate behavior. The couple promptly stopped payment on Eddie's check. "I told them I'd upload the footage and if they canceled the check, they could send him this clip to tell him why," says Bob. "That was the whole motivation. It was only by people finding out on their own and passing it around that it blew up so big." Bob insists he only sent the video to Break.com and even that submission was rejected numerous times until it had already become a viral sensation.
As for the Stardust Entertainment banner seen in the video, Eddie claims that was just "a name somebody had stuck up there on the board for me." (Though it hasn't stopped a different Stardust Entertainment in Fort Wayne, IN from posting a disclaimer distancing themselves from the video on their site.)
Since its upload on May 10, the video has been featured on truTV, Web Soup and The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. And while Fast Eddie is enjoying his moment--"I'm not the least bit embarrassed or ashamed of what I did cause that's just my personality"--he's not exactly pleased with Bob, accusing the videographer of profiting off his likeness and going so far as to contemplate legal action against the cameraman.
"I believe I've got a legal issue with the gentleman that took my video," says Eddie. "I was paid for one show and not the others and somebody has to get paid and it wasn't me. In the long run, he's going to be in a lot of deep s**t over it."
Legal action aside, Fast Eddie hasn't decided whether to capitalize on the viral video or let it fade off into the sunset. He remains bemused by the whole thing.
One guy called me in Minnesota and said he'd fly me out from Daytona Beach. I just can't imagine someone wanting to pay for all that. Would I do it? If the guy paid me enough money, sure. But will it really happen? Hell, I don't know. A lot of local people want me to come to their karaoke show and sing a song with their band. They'll say, 'Bring that girl with you and do it for us.' But that's not what it was. It wasn't a routine or anything.
One of Italy's most famous landmarks is to open its underground corridors to the public for the first time.
Once, ancient Romans were entertained by bloodthirsty shows at the Colosseum - now visitors will be able to see the cells which once held gladiators and wild animals.
A house modelled on the Palace of Versailles that will eventually become the biggest in America, has been put up for sale - at a bargain price of £50m.
By Paul Thompson
Versailles is the largest family home ever built in the US.
The 30 bedroom mansion boasts its own bowling alley, roller skating rink and Olympic sized swimming pool to make it the largest family home ever built in the US.
Time share mogul David Siegel and his former beauty queen wife Jacqueline began building the huge estate three years ago.
But with almost 18 months of work still to be carried out on the property they have put it on the market at $75m.
Experts believe a further $25m needs to be spent before anyone can move in.
The shell of the house has been completed, but all the interior work including fixtures and fittings have yet to be installed.
Estate agents said there has already been interest from Russia and the Far East for the property in Windermere near Orlando, Florida.
As well as 30 bedrooms the home would have had 23 bathrooms with spectacular views over Lake Butler, about 20 miles from Orlando.
The hand-built windows for the house cost more than £2m and other luxuries included a ballroom and children's theatre.
No expense has been spared on the construction with materials flown in from around the world, including marble and granite from Turkey.
There is a garage with enough space for 20 cars, three swimming pools, a large boat house, formal gardens, and a one-story gatehouse with an apartment.
There is also a baseball field, two tennis courts, a 60 foot by 120 foot Grand Hall with a 30-foot stained glass dome, two grand staircases, a 37 foot by 30 foot kitchen, 10 satellite kitchens, a two-story wine cellar and a rock grotto with three separate spas behind an 80-foot waterfall.
All 23 full bathrooms have full-sized Jacuzzis, 160 tripled paned windows and Brazilian mahogany French-style doors that alone cost pds2.million.
There is also a His and Her office space with a 12-foot two-sided aquarium.
The property was called Versailles as the entrance was modelled after the Palace of Versailles in France.
The Siegels are currently living in the Isleworth estate where they are close neighbours of Tiger Woods.
Mrs Siegel,42, who won the Miss Florida beauty title in the 1990s, is well known on the social circuit in Florida.
She has a team of five nannies to help her look after her children aged from four to 15.
Local estate agent Kelly Price said "Versailles will probably be a house that will appeal to the uber-wealthy that don't ever think about the issues of money.
"It might be a second or third. For all we know, it could be a seventh or eighth home."
Rest in peace, oh soda jerk: Coke Freestyle elevates individuals to instant mixologists by using a zesty touch-screen system to mix selections from over 100 choices into a custom beverage, all while delivering a geeky high-tech thrill.
Coke spokesperson Helen Tarleton certainly thinks so, calling it a "complete departure from a traditional fountain machine." (She even reports that a gal was caught on security camera fondly embracing and kissing the machine.)
Tarleton expects 500 new Freestyle machines to pop up soon in Southern California, Atlanta, Dallas and Salt Lake City
We decided to take Coke Freestyle for a test drive at a local McDonald's in Atlanta, where we came up with some crazy combinations using the machine's 100-plus flavor options.
While Freestyle's club soda can help cut the sweetness of some of the machine's more intense flavors, you are likely to go crazier with the combinations than you think -- and you're virtually guaranteed to forget whatever it is you put in your cup.
But we were able to document a few of our greatest hits for posterity:
"Doogie Fanta, M.D." (Combination: Dr. Pepper, Vault Peach, Cherry Fanta)
"The Red Wolf Blitzer" (Vault Red Blitz, vanilla Diet Coke)
"Lima-berry" (Grape Fanta, Lime Dasani Sensations, Club Soda)
"Customers love them," says Stephen Cordell, McDonald's on Cheshire Bridge's first assistant manager, who seems like a proud father reporting that his two Freestyle machines connect via Wi-Fi to the Coke mothership every morning at 2 a.m. for software updates.
Freestyle feedback was largely positive. "Wow, this is cool" and "How neat" were thrown around McDonald's by customers while we were testing it out.
So go forth, soda geeks, but make sure to keep track of your mix for next time -- and keep some Tums handy for the inevitable sugar-stomachache.
Moz from 405th.com has made this amazing replica of the Halo Assault rifle. This thing took over two years to make and Moz took a plastic gun and transformed it in to a bad ass rifle. It also has a torch and a counter for the ammunition ( just like they have in the real games). Check the images and videos below.
Last week saw the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, and along with it came discussions about the best way to watch the film and what we can expect from future re-releases. Michael Kaminski wrote the exhaustively researched and illuminating book The Secret History of Star Wars, so he knows damn near everything there is to know about the film stock used to shoot the film. George Lucas famously said that the original film "doesn't exist" anymore, but is that accurate?
How exactly does Star Wars exist now? What are the challenges and possibilities involved in re-releasing a perfected original cut? How do the bootlegs stack up? Let's find out.
Many prints exist
We asked Kaminksi about the master copy of the original Star Wars. What does it look like now? "The term 'master copy' is slightly vague, because there are various kinds of print masters of different generations," he told Ars. The original negative is conformed to the 1997 Special Edition, meaning the physical copy has been cut and edited with CGI "improvements." With sections of the film being too damaged to work with, parts of that print were taken from other sources. "You never throw away your original negative, so I must assume that any pieces or shots that were removed are in storage somewhere at Lucasfilm or Fox," he explained.
Kaminski points out that a duplication of the original negative—commonly printed for the sake of protection—doesn't seem to exist for Star Wars. Something better was created, though: separation masters. "These are special silver-based copies that do not fade, and in theory should be almost identical in quality to the original negative itself, so even if the negative was destroyed you still have a perfect copy (which is the point of making the separation master)." Duplicates from these prints were used to replace damaged sections of the negative during the restoration before the release of the Special Edition.
That's not all, however. "There are also Interpositives and master prints. Interpositives (and Internegatives) are the color-corrected masters that theatrical prints are duplicated from, and were used in the past to make the home video telecines from 1985-1995." Another common practice is keeping print masters, which are high-quality, fine-grain prints kept in the eventuality that no other higher-quality copies or masters are available.
What this tells us is that Lucas wasn't lying—the original copy of Star Wars is, in fact, gone. What exists in its place is a composite film that has been restored and spliced together with Special Edition scenes and sections from other, later prints. There exist enough film copies and back-ups to re-create the film, however, so nothing is impossible in terms of a more classical high definition re-release.
Why film? Shouldn't this all be digital?
It's unclear how the film exists digitally within Lucasfilm, but Kaminski does know one thing: the scanning done in the past has become obsolete. "The 1997 SE scans were done in 2K and the 2004 Special Edition was done in 1080p, but now the standard is 8K (4 times the 1997 SE and about 7 times the quality of the 2004 SE), and the color reproduction is better too," he says.
While it may seem counter-intuitive, the original film remains important as the most robust way to store this information. Hard drives fail, and data is vulnerable to time. "This may seem silly because everyone always talks about how fragile film is, but film is the most robust, durable image technology we have ever invented. There are reels of film that date back to the 1920s that still look pretty good." He claims that color Eastman Kodak film has a half-life of around 50 to 60 years. Oddly enough, the negative film used in the 1970s to shoot Star Wars is less stable than the film used before or after. We'll get to a point where all we have left are digital copies, but technology has only recently allowed digital copies to rival the original celluloid in quality and detail.
Time to talk bootlegs!
In 2006, an official re-release of the original trilogy was brought to DVD without the annoying CGI updates seen in the Special Editions. The quality was impressive, but the film is shown in non-anamorphic widescreen, a major annoyance for fans of cinema. This is where the fans have stepped up to improve upon Lucas' official releases with high-quality bootlegs.
"Any bootleg made before 2006 is lesser than the 2006 DVD because they were made from the Laserdisc, while the 2006 DVD was made from the master tape that the Laserdisc was derived from and thus is one generation higher in quality," Kaminski tells Ars. "For a 20-year-old analog tape, it does look pretty decent." Bootlegs created after 2006 have used the DVD transfer for better quality video.
"There is a new 2010 bootleg by a guy named Editdroid (who did two previous ones from 1999-2005) that hasn't yet leaked onto the Internet that is quite astounding, and another version called LFL PWNAGE edition; both use the 2006 master," he said. "These bootlegs reduce the amount of grain that came from the use of the duplicate film, smoothed out the aliasing issues, [and] used the original subtitle font from the theatrical release. The aspect ratio has been corrected for true anamorphic widescreen, and the sound mix has likewise been improved."
"Unfortunately, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are not yet available in any of these. Empire is available in a theatrical reconstruction that is mostly accurate and made by the guy who did A New Hope Revisited (it was just released this week) and uses a color-corrected 2004 master with original shots re-composited in to very good effect."
Is there hope for a definitive release of the original films?
Kaminski says that he's fairly sure Lucas is done with large, sweeping changes, but we should expect a CGI Yoda in Episode 1 instead of the physical effect shot on the set. The inevitable Blu-ray copy of the movies will likely be safe from further meddling.
The thing he stresses is that a perfect, uncut version is possible with the film left from the edits, and there is money to be made there. "It's certainly possible to do a new, high-quality transfer from original 35mm material. You could totally restore the original films from their original negatives for a few million dollars, and the 2004 release sold $100 million in a single day, so that pricetag is meaningless."
We're not asking for much, here. "Even films like Revenge of the Nerds have new transfers from 35mm prints. It costs nothing, and there are fine-grain masters and Interpositives that would only require mild clean-up to be presentable, even if the transfers were grainier and a bit damaged."
Kaminski is not convinced that we'll get a classic version of Star Wars on a high definition format, at least not for a while. "I've been trying to organize a letter writing campaign to Lucasfilm and get websites to promote the importance of having the original versions in high quality," he said. "I really don't have any need to pay money for another release of the films unless the originals are restored and available, and I don't want to sound like a disgruntled fanboy. I just don't think the 2004 master is something I would pay money for again; I would rather just watch the bootlegs of the original versions."
What George Lucas does love is money, however, and the hunger and enthusiasm for the non-fussed-over releases is going to be impossible to ignore. "Which is a great—but callous—business practice on their part, because you get people to buy the same thing over and over again."
Why is this important?
The story of Star Wars is the story of film, and of how we keep our past to share with the future. George Lucas does have the legal right to change and adjust his own work any way he'd like, but Star Wars existed in a very specific way for its original theatrical run. Those memories, and those scenes, have a very real value and meaning to fans. This isn't just a science fiction film anymore—it's an important piece of culture.
Star Wars is always going to be an ephemeral thing, changing and shifting as the film adapts to the technology of the time. As the film gets older, digital copies will become more important, but fans are always going to yearn for a version of the film that may exist mostly in their imaginations. Every time George Lucas or a fan takes another crack at the film, it's a new interpretation of the past, and as the film ages and our viewing technology changes, it will continue to look different from how each of us remembers it.
Late last week, Epyon unveiled Europe's first commercial electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging station at a fueling depot in the Netherlands. The Epyon system is capable of delivering 50 kilowatts of juice, which the company claims can charge a nine-person taxi-van or a Nissan Leaf in as little as 30 minutes. Taxi Kijlstra, the nation's largest taxi company, recently converted a couple of its vans over to electric power and will utilize the charger during the work day.
The Epyon charging system is somewhat unusual because it features several outlets, allowing multiple vehicles to charge up simultaneously. The fast-charger supports the 400-volt CHAdeMO-standard, though it should be noted that no official standards exist for fast-charging systems. The charger also features remote configuration and Internet-based communications which allows the Dutch utility company Essent to bill customers for usage. Though it's Europe's first fast-charger, it certainly won't be the last. We imagine demand for EV charging that takes mere minutes is sure to grow.
Spooky exorcisms are a staple among horror movies. But the latest trailer for the new Eli Roth-produced exorcism film has us wondering: Can this shaky cam "real life" film be half as frightening as the original Exorcist?
Some of the scenes in this trailer look horrifying, while others look very shaky-cam and shticky. But it is being produced by Roth, who knows how to get the audience to jump out of its seats. Here's the official synopsis:
A troubled evangelical minister agrees to let his last exorcism be filmed by a documentary crew.
In a near perfect example of convergence, soon you'll be able to use your iPhone as a VISA card. Visa and DeviceFidelity have teamed up to introduce In2Pay, a case that turns your iPhone into a credit card. The resulting device will allow you to use the iPhone at approximately 150,000 retail outlets nationwide that have terminals that accept contact-less payments like Visa payWave.
The case, which connects to the dock of your iPhone, adds a MicroSD card slot in which a DeviceFidelity MicroSD card is used to make the secure contact-less payments. The In2Pay case is designed to stay on your phone and includes a Micro USB port for charging and syncing your phone. The price of the case and the use of mobile payment services will be determined by the individual financial institutions, according to Dave Wentker, head of mobile contact-less payments for Visa, in an e-mail to WalletPop.
Because the iPhone Visa case uses Visa payWave and industry standards, you'll be able to use your iPhone as a Visa card at all types of retail environments, ranging from restaurants and convenience stores to unattended kiosks and baseball games. You can view all the payWave locations near you on this handy map from Visa and view a demo of the new iPhone Visa case below.
To use the iPhone to make a Visa payment, users will need to launch an app, click "pay" and then wave their device in front of a contactless point of sale system. As part of the security, the device will only transmit payment information when you click pay. Users can set a password lock on the app, but it is optional so that users who already have a lock to access their iPhone don't need to enter yet another password. If you lose your iPhone with an In2Pay case, you'll need to call your card provider just as you would with a regular credit card.
One issue with the current setup is that many users already have a favorite iPhone case. It could be one that works with a wireless charging station, acts as an extended battery or just provides protection. Whatever your current case situation, you may need to alternate or adjust your use if you plan to add In2Pay to your iPhone. Perhaps we'll see future iPhone models come with the DeviceFidelity technology built right in.
When asked if users of other devices can expect to see similar technology in the near future, Wentker confirmed that the technology will work in other smartphones with a MicroSD slot, but he didn't provide any specific dates or devices.
The Visa iPhone case will be in testing during the second quarter of 2010, so there's still a bit of time before you can start making payments at your local coffee shop. When In2Pay does arrive, your iPhone, combined with a loyalty rewards card app like CardStar, could easily replace your wallet for quick trips out of your house.
Dr Walter Watson, nicknamed "Papa Doc", has been present at the births of generations spanning from grandparents down to grandchildren during his 63 years as an obstetrician.
The doctor from Augusta, Georgia, USA is thought to be the oldest practising medic in the world.
Among his patients is Sabra Allen, 77, who he has treated for 59 years. He has delivered 17 members of her family.
“He delivered all five of my kids and twelve of the grandkids,” said Mrs Allen, a retired hospital administrator.
“There ain’t no one like him, he’s the best.”
Dr. Watson, who still goes to work every day, said: “There is nothing quite as amazing at witnessing the miracle of life.
“Trouble is I remember the births with complications more vividly than the ones that went perfectly. Once you’ve done several thousand they start blending in together.”
Dr. Watson qualified at the brink of the Second World War but served in Korea until 1947.
When the war ended he returned to Georgia, his wife of 65 years Audrey and the practice of medicine.
Dr Watson turned 100 on February 25.
“I get up at 6.45, have my breakfast and get to the hospital by 8.30,” he said.
“I stopped delivering babies when my eyesight got bad but I do my rounds at the nursing stations and operating rooms just like I’ve always done.”
The women’s centre at University Hospital in Augusta, Georgia, bears Dr Watson's name and there is a bronze statue of him holding a newborn baby.
Dr Watson also delivered his colleague at the hospital, Dr Michel McDonough, who is young enough to be his grandson.
Dr. McDonough said: “His work ethic is unsurpassed by anybody.
“He was around before beepers – back then you were either at the hospital, at home or at church.”
Dr. Watson says he has no plans for retirement despite suffering from minor arthritis and diminished eyesight and hearing.
“I love medicine and I love having contact with people," he said.
“It gives me a reason to crawl out of bed in the mornings.”
According to records Dr Watson is the oldest practising doctor.
The previous record holder was Dr. Leila Denmark, also of Georgia, who practised until she turned 102 in 2000.
fiveprime.org —Crystal clear waters breaks on a white sandy beach, where the rusting hulk lies half-buried. Imposing cliffs, eroded by wind and sea, descend behind it completing a spectacular picture. The beach is only accessible by boat.
Oct. 5, 1789: Five months after George Washington takes the oath of office at Federal Hall on Wall Street, the new president checks out two books from the New York Society Library. The library was located in the same building as the president's office, in what was then the nation's capital. In a ledger, next to the names of the books — The Law of Nations by Emmerich de Vattel and Vol. 12 of the Commons Debates, containing transcripts from Britain's House of Commons — the librarian writes, "President."
Nov. 2, 1789: The books are due. No sign of Washington. Fines begin accruing.
April 1792: Librarians retire the leather-bound ledger where Washington's loan was recorded, and start a new one. At some point, the 18-pound record book covering 1789 to 1792 goes missing.
1934: The missing ledger is found in a pile of trash in the basement of the library's fourth home, at 109 University Place in Manhattan. The library can find no evidence that Washington's books were ever returned.
April 16, 2010: Archivist Matthew Haugen stumbles upon the New York Society Library's long-lost 14-volume collection of the Commons Debates. Volume 12 — the one checked out by Washington — is missing, confirming the staff's secretly held suspicion that Washington never returned the books. The fine, adjusted for inflation, amounts to about $300,000. "We're not actively pursuing the overdue fines," says head librarian Mark Bartlett. "But we would be very happy if we were able to get the books back."
May 20, 2010: Mount Vernon staff returns a copy of The Law of Nations to the New York Society Library. After hearing of the missing books, employees at Washington's estate were unable to locate either of them. But they found an identical Law of Nations online for about $12,000. "We express our gratitude for your patience... and for your generosity in erasing the considerable funds that were probably owed by George Washington," James Rees, executive director of Washington's Mount Vernon Estate, told library staff. "He did not do his public duty." Nonetheless, the library has absolved Washington "and his representatives" of all fines.
Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger has called for U.K. government officials to legalize marijuana and other drugs on a British island, to see if it prevents violence associated with the illegal drug trade.
The rock singer, who was convicted of marijuana possession in the 1960s, said that young people will always experiment with psychoactive substances, despite the risks, reports StarPulse. He is urging the government to legalize drugs on the Isle of Man, a British Crown dependency in the Irish Sea, to test the consequences of an end to prohibition.
"The whole question of legalizing drugs is fraught... You usually try these things out in very small places," Jagger told interviewer Larry King. "You know, like you try a new product out in a small kind of society or an island somewhere," Jagger said.
"And in England they always try out new mobile phones in Isle of Man," Jagger said. "They've got a captive society. So I said, you should try -- you should try the legalization of all drugs on the Isle of Man and see what happens."
"Human beings seem to have a propensity to want to take drugs in some form," Jagger said. "It seems to be the propensity of human beings to want to use them."
"And then you also get a lot of violence at both ends of the scope," Jagger said. "So you get violence in some countries... which, like, we have in Mexico now, and you get violence at the other end of people trying to obtain drugs. That's the part that speaks to some sort of legalization, Because that, you would hope, would help the violence from both ends of the supply line."
BEYOND BLIMPS: The Bullet 580 is 235 feet long. By comparison, the Goodyear Blimp is only 192 feet long. (Photo: chadwho1ders/Flickr)
The heyday of air ships like the ill-fated Hindenburg were thought to be long gone. But decades since the famous airship crashed in New Jersey, the behemoths of the skies are making a comeback. Space.com reports that the E-Green technologies Bullet 580, a 235-foot long airship that is as long as a 27-floor skyscraper, is to serve as a stratospheric satellite, or "stratellite." Its developers hope that it will serve as a “high-flying sentinel” in the air.
The gigantic airship recently took six hours to inflate inside Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery, Ala. It is designed to carry payloads of up to 2,000 pounds at altitudes of 20,000 feet. The ship is made of Kevlar, which has a width just one-16th of an inch thick. Nonetheless, this is 10 times stronger than steel. E-Green Technologies bought the Bullet 580 from its developers, 21st Century Airships, just last year.
The Bullet 580 is intended as a prototype for a series of ships for commercial use. Michael Lawson is chairman and CEO of E-Green Technologies. As he told Space.com, "Our airships are radically different designs thatmove beyondthe performance limitations of traditional blimps or zeppelins by combining advanced technology with simple construction and the ability to fuel with algae, protecting our environment.”
The practical uses for the gigantic air ship include military and civilian purposes. Space.com reports that different versions of the airship might take on roles for “battlefield surveillance, missile defense warning, electronic countermeasures, weapons platforms, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) services, weather monitoring, broadcast communications and communications relays.” Further, E-Green Technologies expects that the new series of airships will create aerospace and aviation jobs in both Florida and California, where the business hopes to set up operational centers.
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All you art collectors out there. Here is a chance to get a Giclee copy of some of Ian M Sherwin work. Ian is planning on doing a whole series of Marblehead, Massachusetts paintings. His work is amazing.
"Doogie Fanta, M.D." (Combination: Dr. Pepper, Vault Peach, Cherry Fanta)
In a near perfect example of convergence, soon you'll be able to use your 
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Huffington Post | Katla McGlyn