iPhone 3G running OS 3.0 unlocked, ultrasn0w release coming Friday

by Ross Miller

The iPhone Dev-Team (no relation) have been teasing us for a little bit now with what they've been saying is an iPhone OS 3.0-compatible version of yellowsn0w, and tonight in a video presentation they unveiled ultrasn0w, which should let you unlock any iPhone on the market, running any version of the firmware from 3.0 on down. The trick to how they're getting the jailbreak hasn't been revealed yet for fear of Apple making a fix at the eleventh hour, but if everything goes according to plan, the new hacking software should be out Friday in time for the iPhone 3G S (no guarantee it'll work on the new device). Hit up the read link to watch the magic happen right before your very own eyes.

A Flowchart for Giving a Best Man Speech at a Wedding

Best Man Speeches are very important, and equally tricky. If they're not properly executed they can ruin weddings and reputations. With that in mind, we decided to create a helpful flowchart to guide you through the daunting task of delivering a Best Man Speech at a Wedding.

Congress to consider allowing marijuana possession

by Ben Morris

Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) introduced legislation today to remove criminal penalties for marijuana possession at the federal level. The Personal Use of Marijuana by Responsible Adults Act of 2009 would remove penalties for possession of up to 3.5 ounces of marijuana and the not-for-profit transfer of 1 ounce.

Please take action today to support this important legislation.

Congressman Frank’s legislation seeks to bring federal law in line with reality. 99% of all marijuana arrests occur at the state and local level. In practice, federal laws prohibiting marijuana possession act as a deterrent to states that may want a more sensible policy. Congressman Frank’s bill would remove that deterrent and push U.S. marijuana policy in the right direction.

The bill’s introduction comes amidst unprecedented momentum for reform, but it will still face significant opposition in Congress — so please visit mpp.org/federal-action and take action today!

—-

Connect on Facebook to help spread the word.

Tagged with: Congressman Barney Frank and decriminalization and Prohibition by the author

Happy Van Damme Friday!!! Steamy....

Mexico finds cocaine haul hidden in frozen sharks

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's navy has seized more than a tonne of cocaine stuffed inside frozen sharks, as drug gangs under military pressure go to greater lengths to conceal narcotics bound for the United States.

Armed and masked navy officers cut open more than 20 shark carcasses filled with slabs of cocaine after checking a container ship in a container port in the southern Mexico state of Yucatan, the navy and Mexican media said on Tuesday.

"We are talking about more than a tonne of cocaine that was inside the ship," Navy Commander Eduardo Villa told reporters after X-ray machines and sniffer dogs helped uncover the drugs. "Those in charge of the shipment said it was a conserving agent but after checks we confirmed it was cocaine," he said.

Drug gangs are coming up with increasingly creative ways of getting drugs into the United States -- in sealed beer cans, religious statues and furniture -- as Mexico's military cracks down on the cartels moving South American narcotics north.

President Felipe Calderon has sent 45,000 troops and federal police across Mexico to try to crush powerful smuggling cartels. But traffickers armed with a huge arsenal of grenades and automatic weapons are far from defeated, worrying Washington as violence spills over into U.S. states like Arizona.

Some 2,750 people have died in drug violence in Mexico this year, a pace similar to that of 2008, when 6,300 were killed.

Led by Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, smugglers from the Pacific state of Sinaloa are fighting a turf war with rivals. Guzman seeks to control Mexican and Central American smuggling routes into the United States.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott; editing by Patricia Zengerle)

Disabled stripper wants Constitutional right to White Castle Slyders

By Kevin Hoffman in Food Funnies

Yesterday, the Star Tribune's Whistleblower exposed a grave injustice on the front of the Sunday edition: Ariel Wade, a wheelchair-bound ex-stripper, can't drive her mobility scooter through the White Castle drivethru at 11 p.m. when she wants delicious mini-cheeseburgers.

Like all sensible fast food restaurants, White Castle only allows automotive vehicles in the drivethru, for fear that someone like Wade would get run over by an SUV.

But Wade says that's discrimination against the disabled, because the drivethru stays open one hour later than the dining room, and she has a Constitutional right to life, liberty, and late-night Slyders.

White Castle tried to mollify her with coupons, but she immediately went out to sue, and she may actually win:

The Minnesota Disability Law Center is weighing whether to take on Wade's case, said Justin Page, a staff attorney. It's an "unsettled" area of law, with few cases testing the issue, he said. But on first glance, the policy strikes Page as inconsistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

"I would argue if you're open 24 hours, you need to be accessible and provide accessibility 24 hours," Page said.

22 porn-film actors got HIV since 2004

Health officials in Los Angeles said Friday that 22 actors in adult-sex movies had contracted HIV since 2004, when a previous outbreak led to efforts to protect employees in California's multibillion-dollar pornography industry.

By GARDINER HARRI

The New York Times

Health officials in Los Angeles said Friday that 22 actors in adult-sex movies had contracted HIV since 2004, when a previous outbreak led to efforts to protect employees in California's multibillion-dollar pornography industry.

The officials accused an industry-supported health clinic of failing to cooperate with state investigations and of failing to protect industry workers and their sexual partners.

"We have an industry that is exposing workers to life-threatening diseases as part of their employment," said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of public health for Los Angeles County.

The latest controversy began Thursday, when the Los Angeles Times reported that an adult-film actress had tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS. The infection was confirmed by the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, a clinic founded by a former adult-film actress.

The foundation's Web site states that the actress tested negative for HIV on April 29, but a positive test result was confirmed June 4. The woman performed in a film June 5. A second test came back positive last Saturday.

Co-stars of the woman have tested negative for HIV but have been quarantined from acting for the time being and advised to be retested in two weeks.

Clinic officials refused to comment Friday.

Dean Fryer, a spokesman for the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, said the clinic "is not cooperative with us."

"We don't even know who the employer is in the most recent case, we don't know who the talent is."

Regulations require filmmakers to provide protection against the transmission of disease, such as condoms or using film techniques that involve simulations. "There is no reason these infections should be occurring if these employers are following these precautions," Fryer said.

The pornographic-film industry is centered in the San Fernando Valley, northwest of downtown Los Angeles. An estimated 200 production companies in the region employ up to 1,500 performers, making up to 11,000 films and earning as much as $13 billion a year.

Some health advocates have pressed for legislation requiring condom use in sex scenes.

Steven Hirsch, chief executive of the sex-movie company Vivid Entertainment, said condoms were optional among its actors. "Performers have the right to choose to use or not use condoms. They're adults, they know what industry they're in."

Material from The Associated Press is included in this report.

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

8th Grader Builds Solar-Powered Bike With GPS, iPod Dock

Written by Jerry James Stone

Eighth-grader David S. Dixon–along with his dad David G. Dixon–has built a street-legal quadricycle powered by a solar-charged electric motor. The bike not only carries his dog and three friends, but it has also has an iPod dock and GPS. Ya, it’s that cool!

Coined as the Solar Human Hybrid (SOHH), the vehicle was launched as part of David Jr.’s middle school project for the Novato Charter School.

David Jr. told Gas2.org that “I watched my dad install solar panels at home, I have had an interest in them ever since. I have had electric remote controlled cars, boats and helicopters that I would always take apart - and usually getting them back together with some kind of improvement.” David Sr. confirmed that “even his pinewood derby car in cub scouts back when he was 8 or 9 had LED taillights and headlights and ended up getting exhibited at the Marin County Fair.”

The vehicle’s Scott 24-volt motor provides 1 horsepower and it has a top speed of 14 mph. First geared to 18 mph, but it was then re-geared to provide enough torque for making steeper hills.

The SOHH uses GreenSaver Silicone Gel Cell batteries. The batteries, iPod, and GPS are all fed by 20-watt solar panels. They used a small motor as to keep pedal-power the priority for the bike. By doing so, the battery remained light-weight and the solar panels a reasonable size.

The base vehicle used, and the priciest part of the project, was a Switzerland-built ZEM (Zero Emission Machine) 4cycle. It’s made out of an aluminum frame and each rider can pedal at their own pace. In fact, the 4cycle took 3rd place at the human powered vehicle world championships at Interlaken, Switzerland.

And while the ZEM 4cycle is no longer produced, they got one from a dealer in Maryland who purchased the last 3 from the US distributor. It cost them $3,900.

“[The SOHH] has replaced our cars for errands around town, and it has grown into more than we envisioned with a lot of interest from the community,” David Dixon Sr. told Wired.com.

And for the win, they documented the project on their website with all parts and schematics so that anyone can build one. They don’t plan to mass produce the vehicle but would love it if someone else does. Though David Sr. did express an interest in updating the bike with a lighter battery “such as lithium polymer, but no budget for it yet.”

Of course, we’d love to see that too. But I had to ask if the dog actually rides in the SOHH.

David Sr. told us “Not really, but she [Mimzy] would rather come along than be left behind.”

Source: Wired.com and The SOHH Project

MIT Developing Concrete That Lasts for 16,000 Years

by Kevin Dalias

Civil engineers at MIT are currently developing a new breed of concrete that will be able to last for 16,000 years. Concrete is one of the most frequently used and widely produced man-made building material on earth, with over 20 billion tons produced per year globally. The use of this new ultra high density concrete will have enormous environmental implications, given its ability to deliver lighter, stronger structures capable of lasting many civilizations, while drastically decreasing the carbon emissions sent into the atmosphere by its inferior predecessor.



One of the inventors of the new material, Franz-Josef Ulm offers, “More durable concrete means that less building material and less frequent renovations will be required.” Ulm, alongside Georgios Constantinides successfully designed this long lasting concrete, with significantly reduced creep, (the time-dependent deformation of structural concrete), by increasing its density and slowing its creep by a rate of 2.6.
“The thinner the structure, the more sensitive it is to creep, so up until now, we have been unable to build large-scale lightweight, durable concrete structures,” said Ulm. “With this new understanding of concrete, we could produce filigree: light, elegant, strong structures that will require far less material.”
With regard to environmental impact, the annual worldwide production of concrete creates between 5 and 10% of all atmospheric CO2. Ulm explains, “If concrete were to be produced with the same amount of initial material to be seven times normal strength, we could reduce the environmental impact by 1/7. Maybe we can use nanoengineering to create such a green high-performance concrete.”
The ultra high density concrete could deliver exponential results both in terms of strength and durability, and is undoubtedly poised to redefine architects’ relationship with man’s most reliable building material while literally changing the face of the earth.
+ MIT
Lead photo by Jeff Kubina

'Karate Kid' Gets A New Writer

'Karate Kid' new writer? Apparently all the good karate movie plots were taken by the 90's.

In a turn of events that can only be described as “buttcheek vibrating”, the Jaden Smith Karate Kid project has picked up a new writer. It’s strange, you’d think a movie starring Jackie Chan and Will Smith’s kid, partially financed by the Chinese government, set in China, and called Karate Kid even though the Chinese martial art is Kung Fu would practically write itself. (after you beat with a truncheon and lock it in a sweat shop).Columbia has brought on Steven Conrad, who penned 2006’s “The Pursuit of Happyness,” to work on the studio’s reboot of the 1980s film [replacing Chris Murphy]. The screenwriter also penned the Nicolas Cage family tale “The Weather Man” and is attached to write the Scott Rudin-produced drama “Aloft” and the celebrity look-alike dramedy “Chad Schmidt.”Production will begin next month on the new “Karate,” which [Agent Cody Banks and Pink Panther 2 director] Harald Zwart is directing. Jaden Smith occupies the role played by Ralph Macchio in the 1984 film, while Jackie Chan takes on the Pat Morita part. [THR/RiskyBiz]Meanwhile, I will continue playing the part of dog-covering-his-eyes-with-his-paws. Ruh-roh!GET MORE LIKE THIS AT FILMDRUNK.COM !

Eddie Murphy Rollercoaster

Eddie Murphy is no longer the edgy and fearless comedian that he was in the 1980s. When it comes to his movies nowadays, Murphy seems to be resigned to strictly family friendly fare - the type of banal bullsh*t the Eddie of old would have mocked. Regardless of where you stand on the actor/comedian, it's important to take into account the breadth of his entire career. From Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America and his no holds barred stand up specials, to Pluto Nash, Meet Dave, and his most recent bomb, Imagine That, Mr. Murphy has produced some of the best and worst comedies of the last 25 years. With so many ups and downs, we felt a rollercoaster would make a lot of sense when mapping out his career. To take the ride, click the below image.

One Year Beard Growth Time Lapsed

trendhunter.com — Christoph Rehage walked 4646km from China to Germany and pictured himself every day for one year.You will see in the video that he grew a “mighty long beard” throughout that time.

Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport - in defense of the open top motorcar

Great writing here: Now I come down on the side that any open top performance car is folly and no real man would check the drop top option box. Any open top cars must fit into classic or cruiser categories. However the Veyron Grand Sport may be the ONE exception.

Ah, yes -- that choice. When you're done dawdling, you can do what you paid nearly $2 million for and accelerate at a rate that no other car comes close to. For this, you can stick with manual mode or choose the hyper-manic sports-auto mode, which never uses any less than 3500 rpm and is, frankly, utterly pointless and a pain in the ass unless you're either flat on the gas or hard on the brakes.

Driven like this, the Bugatti is shockingly, almost unmanageably fast. It doesn't matter how often you drive it; its performance never, ever begins to feel remotely normal. If you think you can detect the 0.2-second deficit in the Grand Sport's initial acceleration, you're a neurological marvel. Instead the open car feels faster because it sounds so much better. Under full load, that deep, loud drumming resonates in your chest cavity but stops after a beat or two because you're already at the next corner. When you lift off, the hissing of the waste gates in gentler driving is replaced by a cymbal-crash as they dump full pressure. BOOM-TISH! BOOM-TISH! It's like having John Bonham playing the drums a foot behind your head at full stadium amplification. And if you can find a stretch of road long and straight enough to let the drumming continue, you'll find the absurd acceleration doesn't begin to relent until you're well north of 200 mph. We know. We tried it.

But any old Veyron will do that. With the Grand Sport, as we said, it's the noise. All 30 that have been ordered so far have gone to existing Veyron customers. Some were probably just waiting for an excuse to buy another, but we suspect they'd all acknowledge that it's a significantly more involving car. Worth the extra? Yes. Cynicism gone? Pretty much.

Interesting Veyron Facts:

The engine is hand-assembled by two technicians in Germany and makes a minimum of 987 horsepower, even at high altitude or in high temperatures. In perfect conditions its output is closer to 1050 horses.

-With 12 radiators required to cool that monstrous engine and the other systems, the Veyron carries 26 gallons in fluids, excluding fuel.

-The Veyron might do 253 mph, but it can't cover 253 miles in an hour because at that speed its 26-gallon tank will run dry after about 50 miles.

- With a tread depth of just 4 mm, the tires need to be replaced every 10,000 miles and the wheels every 30,000 miles. Total cost? Around $73,000.- The seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox is made by Ricardo in the UK, shifts in less than 150m/s, and costs $172,000.

- The front grilles are made of titanium to withstand bird strikes at 253 mph. "At that speed, the effect could be disastrous," says an engineer. "We need them to arrive as French fries."

- The ultra-lightweight titanium bolts used to secure major components cost $85 each, and are thrown away if they are tightened or have to be removed for any reason.

- The paintwork is done by the same German company that worked on the BMW Z8 and Porsche Carrera GT, and takes two days to examine in a light tunnel.

- Only one piece of glass in 30 is deemed good enough to be fitted to the car; the rest are stored for spares and future restorations.

- For its 60,000-mile service, the Veyron must be split in half. The work can be carried out in just five locations, or a mobile workshop can be flown to your car. No Veyron has yet done more than about 30,000 miles.

- Three Veyrons have been terminally damaged in accidents: two in the UK, and one in Japan. Another was destroyed in the U.S. when the truck delivering it was involved in an accident. At least one has been repossessed by a finance company in the recession.

iPhone 3G S review

engadget.com — If it ain't broke, don't fix it -- right? We know countless reviews of the iPhone 3G S may begin with that cliché, but there's little chance you'd find a better way to describe the strategy that Apple has just put into play with its latest smartphone.

click here for the in-depth review...iPhone 3G S review

Scientology Has A New TV Ad Campaign And It's Very Creepy

By John Cook

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The Church of Scientology has launched a deeply creepy advertising campaign. They're buying spots on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360, and seem to have stolen the ad playbook from their arch-enemies in the pharmaceutical industry.

The ad—it's new to us, though we're not sure how long it's been in circulation—is awash in blue tones and features assorted lost souls struggling with an "unexplainable emptiness that can only be filled by one thing—the truth." It looks exactly like an ad for one of the anti-depressants that Scientologists regard as tools of a fascist psychiatric regime. Except at the end, you don't get a pitch for Paxil, you get a glowing Scientology logo directing you to the group's web site. (For comparison, see this old Effexor ad.)

And it's been working: According to the rough stat guide of Alexa.com, the reach of Scientology.org has seen a bump in the past month.

Traffic aside, the ad's real purpose is clearly branding: It's a slick, well-produced effort designed to position the church as a mainstream provider of spiritual answers and not a cult that relies on the slave labor of children. It's certainly miles ahead in that regard from Scientology's earlier efforts:

They're learning.

Donte Stallworth pleads guilty, gets 30 days in prison - NFL - SI.com

Donte Stallworth pleads guilty, gets 30 days in prison - NFL - SI.com

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La Tomatina: a tomato fight festival in Colombia

A child covered in tomatoes smiles during the fifth Colombian Tomatina Festival

Picture: EPA

click here for the whole gallery....

Seeing Stars Over Tattoo

I'll pay for half those star tattoos to be removed, says the man who engraved 56 on 18-year-old girl's face

By Mail Foreign Service

The tattooist embroiled in a row with a teenage girl who claims he tattooed 56 stars on her face when she only asked for three has said he will help pay for them to be removed.

Rouslan Toumaniantz said today that Kimberley Vlaminck 'absolutely' agreed she wanted 56 stars tattooed on the left side of her face.

But now the 18-year-old is suing Toumaniantz, claiming she had asked him for only three stars - and had fallen asleep during the procedure, waking up to a nightmare in her Belgian hometown of Courtrai.

A distraught Kimberley Vlaeminck speaks on her mobile phone at home in Belgium today - the 56 tattoos still healing across her face

Toumaniantz - himself covered from head to foot in tattoos and piercings - said he would help pay for half of the treatment to remove the tattoos.

'I maintain that she absolutely agreed that I tattoo those 56 stars on the left side of her face,' he told newspaper La Derniere Heure.

'A witness, a woman who was present, has already been questioned by police, and she confirms it.

'But be that as it may: Kimberley is unhappy and it is not my wish to have an unsatisfied client. There is a way to remove the tattoos with the help of a laser. I accept to pay for half the cost.'

Enlarge

Scarred from life: Kimberley Vlaminck shows her tattooed face. The 56 stars will cost £8,500 to remove

Toumaniantz claimed Kimberley was happy with the work when she left his shop in Coutrai but changed her mind when her father saw the stars.

'She's 18 years old, she's an adult,' he said. 'I don't regret it. To tell you the truth, this has given me some publicity.'

Kimberley is suing Toumaniantz for £10,000 after she paid £55 for 'the graffiti that has ruined my life'.

She claimed the Toumanaintz misunderstood her French and English.

She claims she fell asleep while he was doing his work... and awoke to 'this nightmare'.

'It is terrible for me,' said Kimberley yesterday. 'I cannot go out on to the street, I am so embarrassed. I just look horrible.'

Denial: Rouslan Toumaniantz, who runs the tattoo parlour, says Kimberley asked for 56 stars

Enlarge

Rouslan Toumaniantz's tattoo parlour in Courtrai, Belgium, where Kimberley's face was tattooed

'I think he didn’t understand what I wanted. He spoke only fractured English and French.

'But I explicitly said in my native tongue, French, and also in a little bit of English when he looked confused, that I wanted three little stars only near my left eye.'

Toumaintz, who runs the tattoo parlour called The Tattoo Box in Courtrai, said Kimberley was awake and actually looked in the mirror several times during the procedure to see how it was going.

He said she knew 'exactly what she wanted'.

'The trouble all started when she went home and her father and boyfriend threw a fit.

'They are saying things now like I doped her or hypnotised her. What rubbish!

'She asked for 56 stars and that’s what she got.'

To remove the stars would require surgery costing £8,500.

But even the most advanced laser techniques would, while removing the tattoos, leave deep white marks all across Kimberley's face.

She has launched legal proceedings against Toumanaintz seeking damages, plus the money for the operation.

He was questioned by police earlier this year but they decided it was a civil matter and that there was nothing they could do.

Jules Clocher, a Belgian psychologist, said: 'The trauma this girl must be feeling is indescribable. She feels like a circus freak - and no wonder, because she looks like one.'

Toumanaintz said from now on he will get written consent from clients before he begins tattooing.

'Hunch' Web site will make decisions for you

By John D. Sutter

(CNN) -- Stumped on a tough decision? New Web sites are there to help.

Hunch, a site open to the public Monday, asks questions and helps people make decisions.

Hunch, a site that launches for the public Monday, will consider your quandary by getting to know you, asking you a series of questions and then spitting out three decisions.

Another site, Let Simon Decide, makes a similar attempt.

Caterina Fake, co-founder of the photo-sharing community Flickr, says she created Hunch not because people need help with emotional decisions but because it's too tough to find smart information online. You often have to replicate someone else's research, which is a waste, she said.

Tech bloggers seem to be pleased with the effort.

"For the most part, I was impressed, though it quickly became clear that Hunch isn't capable of magically making up your mind for you," wrote Jason Kincaid, a reporter at TechCrunch, a technology blog. He called the site "very clean and unintimidating."

Don't Miss

• Hunch.com
• Let Simon Decide
• Blog: We take Hunch for a spin

Fake spoke with CNN about decision making, her nerdy past and the power of collective knowledge. The following is an edited transcript:

CNN: Where did you get the idea for Hunch?

Fake: It's a user-generated content site similar to Flickr, but the unit is not a photograph but a decision. And so it's sort of a similar thing in that way. We kind of built the system so people can contribute to it. They can ask questions on there and suggest questions. And then you sort of codify it into a decision tree.

CNN: So you're answering questions about yourself?

Fake: Well, there are two components. So you answer questions about yourself, and there's a little module that says things like, "Alien abductions: real or fake?" And what [Hunch] does is, it then puts together a profile of you, a taste profile. And then you can go into the system and ask it any question that's in the system. So it's things like, "What HD-TV should I buy?" or "Where should I go to college?" or, you know, "Where should I eat in San Diego on a Saturday night?" It could be just about anything.

Once it kind of gets to know you, you can ask it questions, and then it gives an answer to you that it doesn't give to anyone else.

CNN: What are the downsides?

Fake: It depends on what the decision is. There is kind of an array of decisions that are too taste-oriented. Like, no matter how well we know you, we're not going to know that your backyard is like 25 feet by 10 feet, versus 10 feet by 10 feet [for a person looking to buy a backyard grill]. You know what I'm saying? There's no system that can get to know that. So what we try to do is narrow it down. So we ask you questions about your aesthetics or your beliefs or your politics or your demographic.

CNN: What kind of decision-maker are you?

Fake: It's really funny, because I think there's a mistake that's generally made with people asking about Hunch, and it's that it's solving people's emotional problems. And it's not. It's solving people's informational problems.

I don't have any problems making any decisions. I've never had any problem making decisions, but when I go to Google and I'm looking for information, say, about trademarks. I have to do all this research, and somebody has already done this research.

CNN: So you see Hunch as a kind of search engine, almost?

Fake: No, it's not a search engine. The feel of it is nothing like a search engine. It's something new.

CNN: How do you think collective knowledge online will change the way people live, or the way we interact with each other?

Fake: It's like it's an amazing period in the history of the Internet just in that way. ... We know more in the collective than we do in the individual.

It becomes even more amazing when you extend that out to people outside your social network. Like, I don't know anyone that has taken a yoga class in Romania. But I'm sure that if I ended up in Romania, and I wanted to sign up for a yoga class that somebody in the world would know three places to recommend me.

The information is out there in a sort of disorganized fashion. ... These systems that are kind of growing up now -- and Hunch hopefully is among them -- are able to take this sort of collective knowledge and make it easy for people to use and easy for people to access.

CNN: Is there anything in your background that influences your belief in this collective knowledge idea?

Fake: I was a nerdy little girl. I played Dungeons and Dragons, and I had a little TRS-80 computer.

It was really early on, I think it was, gosh, like 1994 when I first saw the Web, right? So I went online, and I saw these people uploading pictures of, like, their cats. And I remember there was a video cam of ... the famous coffee pot at the IBM research center that uploaded every 5 minutes to show that the coffee pot was full or empty or whatever.

And so the Internet struck me as this incredible thing where anybody -- like anybody -- could publish anything, and then anybody anywhere else in the world could read it. And I never got over that. There was kind of this wonder, this sense of wonder that I had about this incredible culture of generosity on the Web -- of all these people sharing stuff with each other. I've always been so amazed by that. I love that. Like, I love that aspect of the Internet. That's the thing that always seemed like it was magic to me.

CNN: What are some cool Web sites that are flying under the radar right now?

Fake: Have you heard of Etsy?

CNN: Yeah, is that where people buy and sell art?

Fake: Yeah, it's great. I think it's gonna be like the next eBay. And I met those guys when they were really small. I've been helping those guys since it was three kids in a dorm room. I love those guys. It's one of my favorite companies.

It has that same kind of ethic [as Hunch]: the power of the individual. There are like these housewives in the Midwest who had no idea they could make a living making Christmas ornaments or whatever. It's just kind of an amazing thing that can only happen on the Internet.

Human waste to power city homes

The scheme is thought to be the first of its kind in the UK

Sewage created by residents across Manchester is to be recycled to power about 500 homes in the city.

The £4.3m scheme, thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, is being tried out at waste water treatment plants at Davyhulme in Manchester.

Human waste is converted to biomethane which is pumped into people's homes.

Developed by National Grid and United Utilities, the method has been hailed as the "fuel for the future" because of its low carbon emissions.

Caroline Ashton, United Utilities biofuels manager, said: "Sewage treatment is a 24-hour process so there is an endless supply of biogas.

"It is a very valuable resource and it's completely renewable.

"By harnessing this free energy we can reduce our fuel bills and reduce our carbon footprint."

'Commercial scale'

Biomethane will also be used to power the utilities firm's sludge tankers.

The project has received funding from the government department Defra, through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap).

Janine Freeman, head of National Grid's Sustainable Gas Group, said the pilot scheme would power about 500 homes.

She added that a plant the size of Davyhulme would be able to provide energy for more than 5,000 properties in the future.

Several plants in Europe are already using the method to power homes and businesses.

Dr Richard Swannell, director of retail and organics at Wrap, said: "The project aims to be the first in the UK to process and inject biomethane into the gas grid on a commercial scale.

"By using biomethane as a fuel for sludge tankers, it could also help our country make more widespread use of renewable energy."

It is hoped the project will be up and running by 2011.