Father shows off device he dug up in back garden... unaware it's an unexploded anti-tank grenade

By Daily Mail Reporter

A father-of-two posed for photographs unaware he was holding a live Second World War anti-tank grenade after digging it up in his back garden.

Paul Davies, 32, found the undetonated bomb and thought it was part of an old lawn mower or machine.

He took it into his house, where his friend used a camera phone to take a picture of him joking and holding the eight-inch device.

Explosive: Paul Davies, 32, poses with the anti-tank grenade he dug up in his back garden. Twelve nearby homes were evacuated after he realised what it was

Mr Davies, a window cleaner, then placed it near his sink next to some washing up where it sat for more than two hours.

But later in the morning he had a 'bad feeling' and after checking the internet, he realised the rusty lump of metal was an anti-tank grenade.

He threw it into his back garden and called police, who evacuated 12 nearby homes and summoned bomb disposal experts.

They set up a 100 metre exclusion zone around the house before taking the bomb - which was still live - to a nearby field to blow it up.

Mr Davies, of Exeter, Devon, said: 'I couldn't believe what was happening. I dug this thing up and it looked like a part of some old machine.

'I took it inside so I could show the kids when they came home from school and my mate took a photo of me for a laugh and I put it down the side.

'A bit later on I suddenly thought it might be dangerous and had a look on the internet. I said "I think it's a bomb".

'I can't believe I had it in my hand and was posing for a picture. The bomb team told me it was still live.'

Lucky escape: The unexploded grenade next to the sink. Bomb disposal experts safely detonated it in a nearby field

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said the anti-tank grenade was detonated by experts at 12.50pm on Friday.

He said: 'The bomb disposal team took it away and blew it up. We visited homeowners and asked them to leave their houses to retreat behind a cordon. Twelve properties were affected.'

Mr Davies added: 'It wasn't buried that deep in the earth. I've asked around and apparently the guy who used to live here years ago had an air raid shelter.

'It must have been buried then. I'm glad I didn't hit it with my spade when I dug it up - it could have been kaboom.'

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1213144/Father-poses-photograph-digging-unexploded-anti-tank-grenade.html#ixzz0R7PjcdK6

'Curb Your Enthusiasm' trailer (video)

'Curb Your Enthusiasm' trailer (video)

From the upcoming seventh season: Larry David vs. the anti-theft plastic electronics box.

8 Brilliant Bicycle Concepts

Take a spin through our list of innovative cycle designs

By Brynn Mannino

from WomansDay.com

The bicycle, which, according to the Pedaling History Bicycle Museum, evolved from a pedal-less machine built in 1817, is constantly at the center of innovation—whether to correct a flaw, meet a mobility need or simply as a means of artistic expression. So, we set out to find new bikes crafted with modernity in mind, regardless of whether they are rideable or not. From the motor-assisted Gocycle to a three-wheel seesaw-inspired cycle, each of the bikes below binds together the world of cycling and design.

“Bio-Cycle”

Requiring 100 hours of work, Jud Turner’s “Bio-Cycle”—made of welded steel and found objects—is part of his ongoing series of sculptures that examine how humans are intertwined with their modes of transportation. It sports an exact replica of a human skeleton, the bones of which are coated with a metallic finish, whose feet are attached to the pedals and whose arms serve as the bike’s forks. Displayed in May 2008 at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem, Oregon, the “Bio-Cycle” was purchased by a private collector within two days for $3,000. Photo courtesy of Jud Turner via JudTurner.com.

The Contortionist

Dominic Hargreaves designed the Contortionist to—unlike other folding bikes—specifically showcase the aesthetics and feel of a traditional bike. Mechanically, he aimed to create a bike that was unable to fold up while being ridden, even if the quick release were to come loose. The aluminum frame collapses between the two wheels, making its compact size equal to that of a 26-inch wheel, allowing it to be easily carried (or rolled!) onto public transportation. When opened up, it becomes a standard, full-size bike. Click here to watch the bike fold up. Photo courtesy of Dominic Hargreaves via EyetoHand.com.

Gocycle

The final of many prototypes, Karbon Kinetics Limited’s Gocycle took its desired form in spring 2009 as a compact, electric-assisted, corrosion-proof folding bike. Designed to meet the everyday get-around needs of British citizens, the three-speed cycle with five-spoke wheels is equipped with optional accessories including a lightweight kickstand, chain guards to prevent oil rub on pants, integrated cable locks and luggage carriers on the front of the bike (in the form of a mount that allows you to hang a standard pannier) as well as at the back (a luggage arm can be mounted above the rear tire for transporting heavier cases). Fully assembled, the Gocycle costs ₤1,198 (approximately $1,995). Photo courtesy of Gocycle.com.

Skybike

The Skybike, a project designed by Marios Diamantis for the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, was meant to satisfy abstract needs as opposed to practical ones. Rather than providing a transportation solution, the Skybike, which has the rider sitting upside down and pedaling backward, is meant to make a person feel as if they are “riding on the sky” according to Diamantis. The artist claims that this concept raises questions such as “What is the purpose of designing only objects that adapt or apply to everyday life?” Click here to watch the Skybike in action. Photo courtesy of Marios Diamantis via itp.nyu.edu/~md1660/skybike.html.

Cardboard Bicycle

Phil Bridge, who majored in Product Design at Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England, aimed to design a recyclable bike that was, in essence, worth nothing. Bicycles are often stolen or damaged throughout England, so he hoped his cardboard creation, devoid of sentiment and cost, would deter thieves while also preventing owner worry. A waterproof, honeycomb-structured cardboard called Hexacomb—generally used for engineering purposes—was used for the frame, pedals and wheel spokes. Designed to withstand approximately six months of constant use, the bike has an estimated production cost of around ₤15 (approximately $25). Photo courtesy of Sheffield Hallam University via shu.ac.uk/art/design/news/cardboardbike.html.

Bi-Cycle

This unique tandem bicycle is all about trust! Allowing both riders to contribute equally to the riding experience, the Bi-Cycle requires one rider to pedal forward and the other to pedal backward while they sit with their backs to each other. Designed by My Atomic Mass designer Elad Barouch as a “couples counseling” technique, the Bi-Cycle is meant to help a pair establish trust and communication to provoke forward movement within the relationship; once established, the rest should be fun! Watch the video to see how it’s done. Photo courtesy of Elad Barouch via MyAtomicMass.com.

SeeSaw Bike

Displayed at 2008’s Design Miami conference, the SeeSaw Bike is a prime example of bike-meets-art. Though two people cannot ride this bicycle at the same time, designer Elad Barouch was intent on building it with real variables (manufactured bike parts) while imitating an actual object (a seesaw!) so that the SeeSaw Bike creates the illusion that it could, in fact, work with multiple riders. After creating the Bi-Cycle (see above), Barouch aimed to “create an object that stands on that thin line between reality and imagination” and wanted observers to have “a baffled look about what their eyes are seeing.” Photo courtesy of Elad Barouch via MyAtomicMass.com.

Nulla Bicycle

Still just a concept, the Nulla, which means “nothing” in Italian, embraces a minimalist approach to bicycle design. Named as such due its missing parts, including the chain, fork and spokes, the Nulla uses a “direct-gear-chain drive system” instead to support the wheels and produce movement. Created by Bradford Waugh, the bike is still causing much debate as to whether or not it would indeed be operable, but most cycling enthusiasts agree that with its sleek, beautiful design it doesn’t matter all that much. Photo courtesy of Bradford Waugh via LikeCOOL.com.

Extravagant Dubai island project sinks under weight of the credit crunch

By James Mclean and Brian McDonald

THE Galwayman who bought Ireland is dead, England is deserted, while Australia and New Zealand have merged.

They were designed to make Dubai the envy of the world: a series of paradise islands inhabited by celebrities and the super-rich reclaimed from the azure waters of the Arabian Gulf and shaped like a map of the Earth. It was called The World.

As millions of tonnes of rock were dumped into the sea for the foundations, timely leaks suggested that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were to buy Ethiopia, Richard Branson was tipped to occupy England, while Rod Stewart would border him in Scotland.

Hazard

Instead it has become the world's most expensive shipping hazard, guarded by private security in fast boats and ringed by warning buoys to keep the curious away.

A development that was meant to send Dubai's star into the firmament of First World cities has been left to the mercy of the waves and the baking winds.

Mile after mile of breakwater built from boulders brought hundreds of miles by ship has been laid, but inside its man-made lagoon, work has completely stopped.

The expected map of the world of 300 islands is instead a disjointed and desolate collection of sandy blots -- a monumental folly just out of sight of Dubai's shore.

Those who bought into what was the world's most ambitious building project were not celebrities.

Many were more ordinary investors who put down 70pc deposits, some of them Anglo-Indians.

Galway auctioneer turned developer, John O'Dolan (51) fronted a consortium under his O'Dolan International banner and bought Ireland for e28m in 2007 and last year snapped up England from under the noses of several UK interests for e23.5m.

But the property crash brought tragedy in its wake as the Galwayman committed suicide in February of this year.

As well as his foreign investments, the popular family man had extensive business interests in Ireland. He owned a bar and a hostel in Galway as well as other properties in Dublin and Limerick.

A couple of weeks before his tragic death, a receiver was appointed to his Galway hostel and a property company. His body was discovered in a shed on his Barna Road property.

His fellow investors in the Dubai development now have little prospect of seeing a return. The World has stopped, but they can't get off.

"The World has been cancelled. It doesn't even look like the world. Basically there is one island that is maintained that is said to be owned by the Sheikh [Dubai's ruler] and the rest looks like a pile of muck," said one local property agent.

It is the starkest example of a financing crunch that faces the emirate but many other projects are also in jeopardy.

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), of which Dubai is a part, about $300bn (e205bn) of building is on hold after prices began tumbling.

Abu Dhabi, Dubai's oil-rich neighbour, is helping to support it through the crisis, so far to the tune of about $10bn. Another $10bn is likely to follow soon, and more may follow.

Property is not the only dark spot in the UAE. In the nearby emirate of Sharjah the credit crunch caused massive power outages, leaving businesses and houses without electricity

Troubles

This week, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai's ruler and the UAE's Prime Minister, vowed to steer the emirate through its troubles and pledged to further rein in extravagant developments.

Officially, however, not a single project has been cancelled -- just delayed.

"I don't blame anybody. Some papers try to write this but they are forgetting their problems [in their own countries] ... But people only throw stones when a tree has fruit," he said.

- James Mclean and Brian McDonald

How to Accurately Predict the Lottery on Live TV

By andy, under Articles.

Most Americans aren’t familiar with Derren Brown, the mentalist-cum-magician-cum-con man, but in the UK, he’s been boggling the minds of TV watchers for years, with his oft-unexplained feats of psychological tomfoolery, such as reading minds, performing live séances, and predicting horse races. In the first of series of live specials for UK’s Channel 4, he upped his game by claiming to be able to predict the outcome of the British National Lottery on live television, a feat he apparently successfully achieved. Here is that broadcast:

Now, Derren Brown himself calls this a “highly complex event of misdirection”, so you know things aren’t exactly as they appear. His own explanation involved 24 volunteers, long division, and a heart free from avarice– basically bullshit.

Discarding that explanation, several enterprising viewers claim to have figured out how he did it, and the results seem to fall in line with what was broadcast.

The Solution: the 30-second version
Mutated Monty applies Occam’s Razor to the task: the simplest solution being the best. He demonstrates how some phony camera shake and a split screen gave Brown enough time to jigger with his balls.

The Breakdown
Noiseache gives us a play-by-play of exactly what’s going on during the broadcast:

The Evidence
And DerrenExposed corroborates this explanation, exposing a technical glitch in a close-up of the balls:

And Just For Laughs
And finally Holy Moly takes the piss out of Derren Brown with this send-up:

Despite what Derren Brown claims is the “official” explanation, he has maintained that it’s just a trick after all. This doesn’t detract from the fact that he’s a master of misdirection and manipulation by suggestion as one of my favorite clips below demonstrates:

Derren Brown Uses Subliminal Ads to Influence People – Watch a funny movie here

Better Tomatoes Via a Fertilizer of...Human Urine?

By Rebecca Boyle

Tomatoes C.P.Storm (CC licensed)

You say tomayto, I say tomahto.

You say Miracle-Gro, I say ... pee.

Apparently, human urine works remarkably well as a fertilizer for tomatoes, according to a new study out of Finland.

Plants fertilized with a mixture of stored human urine and wood ash produced 4.2 times more fruit than plants without the pee, the study found. The urine-fertilized tomatoes had more beta-carotene than unfertilized ones, and much more protein than traditionally fertilized plants.

And the tomatoes were just as good as those grown with traditional fertilizer, according to a panel of 20 brave tasters.

Healthy human urine is rich in nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphate, all key ingredients for healthy plants. As long as the pee doesn't contain any fecal matter, it's usually free of any microorganisms.

Surendra K. Pradhan, K. Holopainen and Helvi Heinonen-Tanski of the University of Kuopio in Finland collected human urine during the winter of 2007-2008 from several eco-toilets in private homes. The urine was stored for about six months at 45 degrees F and tested for microbes and bacteria. The team mixed it with wood ash collected from a household furnace, and found the mixture was just as good as -- or better than -- conventional chemical fertilizer.

In taste tests, the urine-fertilized tomatoes tasted different from those fertilized with urine and ash, but tasters didn't have a preference -- "all tomato samples were evaluated as being equally good by the tasters," the study says. The results are reported in the latest Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The same team had previously tested human pee as a fertilizer for cucumber and cabbage, and a South African team reported last year that urine had successfully fertilized maize. The Finnish team said they tried tomatoes because they're grown all over the world and are a staple ingredient in many recipes.

The use of urine to fertilize crops has been practiced since ancient times, but is relatively rare today, thanks to the ick factor and the prevalence of chemical and mineral fertilizers. But as farmers and home growers seek organic ways to grow food, urine could be a solution.

The study "may contribute to the development of positive attitudes about the use of urine and ash as fertilizer as a way to both increase crop yield and reduce water pollution," the authors wrote.

It may not be necessary to go all NASA with our pee and start drinking it. But if we can safely and efficiently grow food with it, why not?

How marijuana became legal

money.cnn.com — Medical marijuana is giving activists a chance to show how a legitimized pot business can work. Is the end of prohibition upon us?

click here to read this long but compelling story: How Marijuana Became Legal - CNN

Jeff Bridges in talks for 'True Grit'

Role would reunite 'Lebowski' star with Coens

By MICHAEL FLEMING

In what is shaping up as a "Big Lebowski" reunion, Jeff Bridges is in discussions with Paramount to star in Joel and Ethan Coen's redo of "True Grit." Bridges would play the role that won John Wayne an Oscar for the 1969 original.

Bridges last worked with the Coens when he turned in a heralded performance as Jeffrey "the Dude" Lebowski in the 1998 cult fave.

The picture, which also reunites the Coens with their "No Country for Old Men" producing partner Scott Rudin, has been redrafted by the brothers to be more faithful to the Charles Portis novel on which the original film was based.

Story centers on a 14-year-old girl who tags along with an aging U.S. marshal, Rooster Cogburn, and another lawman to track the outlaw who killed her father. The original told the story from Cogburn's point of view, but the new version will work from the viewpoint of the girl.

The Coens premiere "A Serious Man" at the Toronto Film Festival. Bridges most recently starred in "The Men Who Stare at Goats" and reprised in "Tron Legacy."

ends

Michael Jordan's Top 23 Moments watch!

espn.go.com — Watch the 23 most memorable moments of the legendary career of Michael Jordan.

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New Pirates Movie w/ Johnny Depp Coming In 2011

Studio backing Guillermo del Toro production shingle

By Paul Bond

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

ANAHEIM -- Disney has teamed with director Guillermo del Toro to create Disney Double Dare You, a new label with a mandate to produce spooky animated feature films.

Studio chairman Dick Cook made the announcement Friday in front of 5,000 enthusiastic fans of all things Disney during the second day of the company's four-day D23 Expo.

The first film from the new studio is called "Trollhunters" and based on an original story by del Toro. He'll also produce the movie.

Del Toro was in New Zealand directing "The Hobbit" for MGM and New Line. However, there was plenty of star power on hand to wow the crowd. And Cook had other official announcements up his sleeve.

Cook confirmed that Disney will remake the 1968 Beatles' film "Yellow Submarine," to be written and directed by Robert Zemeckis and turned into a 3D motion-capture spectacle.

Zemeckis showed the attendees scenes from his upcoming take on "A Christmas Carol" that stars Jim Carrey in "seven or eight roles" (he couldn't quite remember which). "And we only had to pay him once," Cook quipped.

Johnny Depp also hit the stage to a standing ovation. Playing a drunken Jack Sparrow, he and Cook announced that the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie will be subtitled "On Stranger Tides" and hit theaters in summer 2011.

Tim Burton also joined Cook -- rousing almost as much passion from the audience as did Depp -- and showed some "Alice in Wonderland" clips. He confirmed that he is working on a feature-length version of his 1984 short film "Frankenweenie."

John Travolta, wife Kelly Preston and their daughter Ella Bleu Travolta showed scenes from their upcoming comedy "Old Dogs," which also stars Robin Williams. It's 9-year-old Ella Bleu's feature-film debut.

Miley Cyrus, who stars in next year's "The Last Song," sang her hit tune "The Climb," and Jerry Bruckheimer showed snippets from "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time."

Nicolas Cage told Cook he's interested making another "National Treasure" movie and he showed scenes from "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," a live-action film inspired by Disney's 1940 animated "Fantasia," which Cage called "the most beautiful movie ever made."

Cage also took a few moments to get serious, noting that Friday marked the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Turmoil like that inspires him to make family-oriented movies, he said.

The nearly two-hour event at the Anaheim Convention Center began with a lengthy montage, accompanied by a live orchestra, of Disney films through the ages, with fans showing their appreciation with various degrees of applause. For those keeping score, the crowd made the most noise for "Mary Poppins," "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and "Beauty and the Beast."

And not only did directors, stars and movies receive love from the fans, so did Cook, providing evidence that the Disney studio itself attracts the sort of loyalty usually reserved for celebrities.

That sort of reaction must have been like music to the ears of Steven Clark, head of the D23 Expo. The conference ends Sunday, when Disney-Pixar chief creative officer John Lasseter will head a presentation similar to Cook's.

Clark wouldn't reveal how many attended the conference -- beyond "tens of thousands" -- nor would he guarantee a repeat performance next year.

He did, though, say that if D23 Expo is to be an annual event, he plans to keep it in Anaheim.

D23 is the name of the $75-a-year fan club that Disney launched six months ago. The D23 Expo is its "signature event," Clark said. The number "23" is an homage to 1923, the year Walt Disney founded his animation studio.

Clark says Disney's intent is to break even on D23 Expo, though it's obviously a marketing effort and -- judging from the positive reaction from fans and attention it has been getting from mainstream media outlets -- a successful one.

Attendees paid $37 a day or $111 for all four days, with discounts for children and D23 members. Clark said attendees have come from all 50 states and several countries, "including large contingents from Australia, the U.K. and Japan."

This is what two million people looks like

Reader Discovers New Secret Menu Order At In-N Out

By Phil Villarreal

A couple years ago we put together a comprehensive list of all the secret menus in the world. But time continues to march on and apparently there are still new menu secrets to be discovered.

Madison writes in to tell us about a burger cooking style that isn't even on In-N-Out's not-so-secret secret menu. She writes:

If you like a spicier In-N-Out burger, order it with 'fried mustard & chopped chilis'. The chilis are the yellow style. Awesome.

Has anyone out there tried the Fried Mustard & Chopped Chilis burger? And now that we've re-opened this can of fried worms, are there any other new secret menu items — for any restaurant — that have popped up over the past couple years since we ran that post?

If so, email them to us at tips@consumerist.com with "Secret Menu" in the subject, or leave them in the comments of this post.

(Photo: hellochris)

Girls rescued from fake 'Big Brother'

HASAN ÖRNEKOĞLU

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

DHA Photo

Nine young women tricked into joining a fake reality show and kept isolated for two months were rescued by the gendarmerie Tuesday.

The women, some as young as 16, were kept confined in a villa in the Beykoz district of Istanbul and videos of them in the house were sold over the Internet.

According to reports, the organizers of the fake show placed advertisements in newspapers that called for “contestants to compete in a reality show akin to ‘Big Brother’ that will be broadcast on FX TV” and interviewed dozens of would-be contenders.

Nine were told they were chosen and made to sign a contract that stipulated that if any of the participants left before two months were up, they would have to pay a fine of 50,000 Turkish Liras. The young women were also told they would have no contact with the outside world, including their families, for the two-month period. Dreaming of becoming television stars, they accepted all the preconditions.

Cameras set up around the villa recorded every moment and naked videos of the participants were sold on the Internet.

Some of the women, realizing the scam, wanted to get out, but were prevented from doing so by the organizers. A person who stayed at the house with them warned that they would have to pay the fine if they left.

Those who tried to leave anyway found they could not because they were locked inside the villa.

A 16-year-old’s parents eventually contacted the gendarmerie, notifying them that they had not seen their daughter for two months and could not reach the organizers.

Once the gendarmerie went to the address the parents provided, they were greeted by cries for help coming from inside.

The gendarmerie staged a raid on the villa, rescuing the young women and detaining the individual who had been staying with them.

In their testimonies to gendarmerie officials, the women said they were also beaten from time to time.

The gendarmerie said the investigation into the matter continued.

Amsterdam Board Game to Take Corners, Hotels, Ganja

With The Chaps From Amsterdam, Hard Impact Board Games has finally confirmed a nagging suspicion of ours: Board games are more fun when you're stoned. (The exception to this rule is Risk, which is so complicated that you'd end up cowering in South America, paranoid you'll be attacked by Kamchatka.) In Chaps, the premise is a bit more stoner-friendly, as you play a dealer navigating the complicated drug markets of Amsterdam.

You play as one of six "chaps" and start off with $250,000 and a designer drug called SPACE. The first dealer to unload all of his gear wins. Even though the rules appear to make it easy, be careful: There are cops, courts and informants, and if you land on the Rehab square three times you're out of the game. Fittingly, the rules encourage cheating and tangling yourselves into hazy alliances with other dealers.

Available now in the U.S. for $50.

iTunes 9 Tips and Tricks - Solve the Mysteries!

maclife.com — The latest update to iTunes is such a drastic change that many users are scratching their heads trying to figure out where everything is and how to work it.

Click here for: iTunes 9 Tips and Tricks - Solve the Mysteries!

6 easy laptop repairs: Your step-by-step guide

6 easy laptop repairs: Your step-by-step guide

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Saved By The Bell Screech Sued For Taxes, Has Car Repossessed

EXCLUSIVE: Saved By The Bell Screech Sued For Taxes, Has Car Repossessed

Zuma Press

Train wreck actor Dustin Diamond is being sued for more than $21,000 in unpaid property taxes and had his car repossessed, RadarOnline.com learned exclusively.

The 32-year-old actor, who found fame playing dorky Samuel “Screech” Powers on the TV hit Saved By The Bell , seems to have hit hard times judging by financial court actions against him.

RadarOnline.com discovered that Screech was sued by Ford Motor Credit Company on November 26, 2008, for $544 which resulted in the repossession of his 2005 Ford Expedition. And he hasn’t been saved by the bell from the Department of Revenue in Wisconsin, either. On June 30 of this year Screech was sued by the department for $21,015.62 in unpaid taxes against his property in Port Washington, Wisconsin.

See the court papers

He previously had been tagged with a small claim by the Wisconsin Electric Power Company

, on March 3, 2009. That was settled.

After Saved By The Bell ended in 2000 Diamond appeared in a few reality shows, including The Weakest Link, Celebrity Boxing 2 and Celebrity Fit Club.

In 2006 he infamously starred in a porn tape Screeched, aka Saved By The Smell, which showed him engaging in various acts with two women.

Diamond - who has also done stints as a stand-up comic – claimed that the tape was leaked as a mistake but his manager conceded that he hoped it might raise his profile.

Facebook Now Lets You Fax Your Photos. I Have No Idea Why Anyone Would Want To Do This

by Jason Kincaid on September 10, 2009

Okay, so Facebook Punk’d us. This isn’t really going live for everyone — just for the lucky few members of the TechCrunch network.

Wow, talk about a big day for Facebook. Hours after launching Facebook Lite, open-sourcing part of FriendFeed’s code, and launching @ tagging, the site has one more release in store for today: Fax This Photo, powered by efax.com. Now when you’re looking through photo albums, you’ll have the opportunity to send a photo you like to a friend’s fax machine. For price of $1.50 per photo. That’s one pricey fax.

Maybe I’m missing something here, but I’m not sure why Facebook would do this. For one, faxes aren’t known for offering great quality — if you want to print a photo, you probably aren’t going to rely on your Fax machine. Second, if you have someone’s fax number, there’s a good chance you have their Email address too — why not just send it over Email?

Update: As one of our commenters points out, this could make for a good way to send photos to relatives who may not be comfortable using computers. But $1.50 per photo seems expensive if you’re going to do this with any regularity. Update 2: This is a stupid idea.

Here’s a picture of the fax we received:

Japan's space truck ready to fly

By Jonathan Amos Science reporter, BBC News

Animation of the HTV's launch and payload delivery

Japan is ready to launch its new space freighter from the Tanegashima base in the south of the country.

The 16.5-tonne unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV) will haul cargo to the International Space station (ISS).

Its success is vitally important to the station project, which is set to lose the servicing capability of the US shuttle fleet next year.

When the orbiters retire, re-supply will be in the hands of a number of robotic vessels - the HTV included.

The logistics demands of a fully crewed, fully functional ISS will require all of the freighters to play their part.

Lift-off for the HTV is timed for 0201 local time on Friday (1701 GMT, Thursday).

"This HTV-1 vehicle is a demonstration flight to verify its functionality and performance," said Masazumi Miyake, one of the Japanese space agency's (Jaxa) senior officials in the US.

"After completion of this mission we are planning to launch one operational HTV per year on average."

The rocket carrying the cargo ship into orbit - the H-IIB is also new. Japan, though, has high confidence the launcher will work first time.

It is essentially a beefed up version of the existing H-11A vehicle.

The attachment of two additional solid rocket boosters and a second main engine on the core stage will give the IIB the significant extra thrust it needs to hurl the HTV into low Earth orbit.

The mission will be directed by engineers in Tsukuba, Japan, and at the US space agency's (Nasa) mission control in Houston.

The HTV will be directed to conduct a number of tests of its navigation and rendezvous systems before making a close approach to the ISS.

Docking is not expected to take place until at least day eight of the mission.

Unlike the European freighter (the Automated Transfer Vehicle - ATV), which made its maiden flight to the ISS last year, the HTV cannot drive itself all the way into the station.

Instead, the Japanese ship will simply park itself under the bow of the ISS to allow platform's robotic arm to grab it.

The vessel will then be locked into an Earth-facing docking port on the Harmony (Node 2) connecting module.

Safety will be the primary concern for the ISS astronauts. The robotic vessel will be monitored constantly to see that it is behaving as expected.

"[The astronauts] can command the vehicle to abort, to retreat or to hold. They can also command the grapple fixture to separate in case there is a failed capture," said Dana Weigel, a US space agency (Nasa) flight director for the mission.

The HTV will remain attached to the ISS for about six weeks while its 4.5 tonnes of supplies are unloaded.

In addition to the cargo (3.6t) carried in its pressurised compartment - accessed from inside the ISS - the ship has important cargo (900kg) mounted on a pallet in an unpressurised compartment.

These exterior supplies include two new Earth-observation experiments for the exposed "terrace" of instruments that sits outside Japan's Kibo science module.

Again, astronauts will use the station arm to remove the pallet before handing it across to the Kibo arm, which will then position the new experiments.

As the freighter's supplies are used up, the ship will be filled with station rubbish. Ultimately, it will undock from the ISS and take itself into a destructive dive into the atmosphere somewhere over the south Pacific.

When the US shuttles retire at the end of next year or the beginning of 2011, the ISS project will become dependent on five robotic freighters for its logistics.

• The Russian Progress and European ATV have already demonstrated their flight capability. Four more ATVs have been booked to fly to the station, one a year starting in 2010.

• After the first HTV mission, Japan plans a further six flights through to 2015.

• Two commercial US suppliers, SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, are in the process of developing their Dragon and Cygnus supply ships. The first of these is scheduled to deliver supplies to the ISS no earlier than late 2010.

Length: 9.8m; Diameter: 4.4m; Vehicle Mass: 10.5t; Max cargo: 6t Pressurised cargo: Food, clothing, water, laptops, science equipment, etc External cargo: Equipment to study Earth's oceans and the atmosphere First unmanned vehicle to deliver both pressurised and unpressurised cargo

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk

Nasa proposes Mars trip as Moon mission deemed too expensive to fly

By Daily Mail Reporter

A White House panel of independent space experts says Nasa's return-to-the-moon plan just won't fly due to a lack of funds.

The expert panel estimates it would cost about $3 billion a year beyond Nasa's current $18 billion annual budget.

'Under the budget that was proposed, exploration beyond Earth is not viable,' panel member Edward Crawley, from MIT said.

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The expert panel said private companies should be encouraged to invest in the International Space Station. Astronauts like Danny Olivas, pictured, are due to leave the station for good in 2015

The report gives options to President Barack Obama, but said Nasa's current plans have to change. Five years ago, then-President George W. Bush proposed returning astronauts to the moon by 2020.

To pay for it, he planned on retiring the shuttle next year and shutting down the international space station in 2015.

All those deadlines have to change, the panel said. Space exploration would work better by including other countries and private for-profit firms.

'The U.S. human spaceflight program appears to be on an unsustainable trajectory. It is perpetuating the perilous practice of pursuing goals that do not match allocated resources,' the report concluded.

The panel had previously estimated that the current plan would cost $100 billion in spending to 2020.

Former Nasa associate administrator Alan Stern said the report showed the harsh facts that Nasa's space plans had 'a mismatch between resources and rhetoric.'

Now, he said, Obama faces a choice of 'essentially abandoning human spaceflight' or paying the extra money.

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A gibbous moon hangs above Earth's atmosphere, photographed from the Space Shuttle Discovery. Nasa will not be able to return there unless $3billion is added to their annual budget

Nasa has already spent $7.7billion of a planned $40billion budget to develop a new rocket and capsule to transport astronauts to the space station and the Moon, said Jeff Hanley, manager of the post-shuttle program known as Constellation.

In response to the panel, Nasa has proposed heading to Mars instead of returning to the Moon. It would mean a major shift for the U.S human space programme.

It also follows critical comments by second man on the moon Buzz Aldrin about a return mission to our natural satellite.

'There's no reason for us to go back,' he said.

'We can look at the effects of long-term missions in space by flying around comets, rather than setting up a base on the Moon. We're not going to launch any missions from there.'

Mars next? Nasa has proposed ignoring the Moon and heading for the Red Planet

Nasa drafted its concept proposal called 'Generation Mars', which envisions a 30-year blueprint for developing technologies, staging initial missions to asteroids, and building grassroots support for eventual human expeditions to Mars.

Professor Crawley said: 'It'll be for the next budget cycles after that to figure out when we might actually get to Mars.'

The 'Generation Mars' proposal dovetails with one of the review panel's options setting out a flexible approach to exploration that begins with a five-year extension to the life of the International Space Station to 2020, and development of a new heavy-lift launch rocket.

Shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts are scheduled to return the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Thursday after a nine-day stay at the space station to deliver supplies and prepare the outpost for its final U.S. connecting node.

The space shuttles are due to be retired late next year or early 2011 after six more missions to complete construction of the station, a £60billion project involving 16 nations.

The 'Generation Mars' Nasa proposal makes no mention of cost. The space programme review panel estimates that its similar option would need another $3 billion a year.

Sticking with the present program would give the United States its heavy-lift Ares 5 by about 2028, but there would be no money to develop a lunar lander or even a rocket motor to leave Earth's orbit.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1212186/Nasa-proposes-Mars-trip-Moon-mission-deemed-expensive.html#ixzz0QodOoXLL