Irregularities

Finally...

2007-10-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

A lawsuit against the Westboro Baptist Church! It is for intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion-of-privacy grounds.

Link to the full article: here

Poem #4

2007-10-12T15:42:00.000-07:00

This poem was first published in 1671 with a simple trick to make sense of it. Can you figure out the trick?

I saw a peacock with a fiery tail
I saw a blazing comet drop down hail
I saw a cloud with ivy circled round
I saw a sturdy oak creep on the ground
I saw a pismire swallow up a whale
I saw a raging sea brim full of ale
I saw a venice glass sixteen foot deep
I saw a well full of men's tears that weep
I saw their eyes all in a flame of fire
I saw a house as big as the moon and higher
I saw the sun even in the midst of night
I saw the man that saw this wondrous sight.
I saw a pack of cards gnawing a bone
I saw a dog seated on Britain's throne
I saw King George shut up within a box
I saw an orange driving a fat ox
I saw a butcher not a twelvemonth old
I saw a great-coat all of solid gold
I saw two buttons telling of their dreams
I saw my friends who wished I'd quite these themes.

Answer to "Poem #3"

2007-10-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

It is something called an "Acrostic" poem. Read the first letter of each line. You will find a second message!

Poem #3

2007-10-11T16:42:00.001-07:00

Just the other day I sat,
Under a great oak tree
Silently pondering
The perfect life of me.
Knowing that I'm perfect
(I'm seldom ever wrong)
Does that make me terrible?
Do I not belong?
I will never make mistakes and
Never go associate with your
Greatly imperfect lives.

-Me

Answer to "Poem #2"

2007-10-11T09:54:00.000-07:00

The entire poem does not include the letter: s. Not a single s in that poem!

Poem #2...

2007-10-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

This poem also has something strange about it... can you guess?

Oh! come to-night; for naught can charm
The weary time when thou'rt away.
Oh! come; the gentle moon hath thrown
O'er bower and hall her quivering ray.
The heather-bell hath mildly flung,
From off her fairy leaf, the bright
And diamond dew-drop that had hung
Upon that leaf — a gem of light.
Then come, love, come!

To-night the liquid wave hath not –
Illumined by the moonlit beam
Playing upon the lake beneath,
Like frolic in an Autumn dream –
The liquid wave hath not, to-night,
In all her moonlilt pride, a fair
Gift like to them that on thy lip
Do breathe and laugh, and home it there.
Then come, love, come!

To-night! to-night! my gentle one,
The flower-bearing Amra tree
Doth long, with fragrant moan, to meet
The love-lip of the honey-bee.
But not the Amra tree can long
To greet the bee, at evening light,
With half the deep, fond love I long
To meet my Nama here to-night.
Then come, love, come!

From George Wakeman, "Tormenting the Alphabet," Galaxy, 1866.

Answer to "Poem..."

2007-10-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

When reading yesterday's poem you will notice that each line has the same amount of letters. Not only this, but each line has the same letters! Each line includes: e's, 3 h's, 3 i's, 3 l's, 2 t's, c, g, n, o, r, s, v and a w! Go ahead and check, I'll wait here.

The trick I used here is called an anagram. Kind of like how the word "owl" is and anagram of the word "low". Each line uses the same letters.

Poem...

2007-10-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

The poem below is complete nonsense. Total blubbering of an idiot.... or is it?
There is something unique about this poem, can you figure it out? I'll post the answer tomorrow!

I wither, this love challenge
With a telegenic shrove hill
A cleverest night; lie, hi, howl
We receive a loth night-shill

Hitler who is cheating level
Who is achieving letter-Hell
Oh! Ace with ill veneer lights!
High, Coelenterate Shiv: Will.

Violinist herewith challenge:
Cartwheeling-Hilliest-Hove.
Elegant, thievish, relic howl
Elegant, thievish, cello whir

Loveliest wheelchair thing,
Viewing hellhole theatrics.
Volatile hitchers wheeling,
Wavering theistic... hellhole.

The Stupid Test

2007-10-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Someone sent this to me and I couldn't resist. It is a quiz to test how "stoOpid" you are. I enjoyed it, but probably because it had this to say about me: You are our next Einstein. Wow! Keep up the great thinking.

Hee hee hee...
Link!

Why is the world so stupid....

2007-09-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

I received a "Fwd: Fwd: Re: Fwd: Re:" email today. I always can tell that it won't be anything good. Well, this one was no exception. The subject was: "Fwd: Re: Fwd: Can a Muslim be a good American?"

This ticks me off. What are the principals of the very country they speak of? Freedom! So, let's look at their email....

"On 9-11, did anyone attend the special service hosted by Calvary Chapel, Chino Hills? I heard they were so full, they turned folks away 45 min. before it began. Four "Ex-Muslim Terrorist" spoke. A family at bible study last night attended and a gentleman relayed that there are presently 44 terrorist training camps inside the United States. Thanks in advance for comments and or valid information!

--Forwarded Message Attachment--
From: Email
To: Email
Subject: Can A Good Muslim Be A Good American?
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:04:47 -0700

Can a good Muslim be a good American?

Interesting questions for the Muslim Community to discuss.

For research on our part also.

. . . Can a good Muslim be a good American?

I forwarded that question to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years

The following is his forwarded reply:

Theologically - no.

. . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon God of Arabia.

Religiously - no.

. . . Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam (Qu ran, 2:256)

Scripturally - no.

. . . Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Qu ran (Koran).

Geographically - no.

. . . Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.

Socially - no.

. . . Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.

Politically - no.

. . . Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and Destruction of America, the great Satan.

Domestically - no.

. . . Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him

(Quran 4:34 ).

Intellectually - no.

. . . Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Philosophically - no.

. . . Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression.

. . Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.

Spiritually - no.

- - - Therefore after much study and deliberation.... Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country.

- - - They obviously cannot be both "good" Muslims and good Americans.

* * * Call it what you wish..it's still the truth.

* * * You had better believe it.

If you find yourself intellectually in agreement with the above statements, perhaps you will share this with your friends.

+ + + The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future.

# # # : Pass it on Fellow Americans. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand.

. . . And Barack Hussein Obama, a Muslim, wants to be our president"

After reading the above, I was so irritated that I had to reply. (oh and Obama is a Christian (United Church of Christ))
Here is my reply:
Theologically - no.

. . . Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon God of Arabia.
This is true, but what does that have to do with being a good American? If you use this statement as truth, you have to condemn Jews(Jehovah), Buddhists(Buddha) and lots more! I do not think this country was created on the concept that one religion is better than another. That's the reason that the country's ancestors came here in the first place! Was to escape religious pressures.

Religiously - no.

. . . Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam (Qu ran, 2:256)
Here is the problem: Christians are like this too. Just read the Bible! "There is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." Isaiah 45:21-22
This states very plainly that there is no others! Even John 3:16 states that there is no other way to get saved.

Scripturally - no.

. . . Because his allegiance is to the five pillars of Islam and the Qu ran (Koran).
The Five Pillars of Islam are this:
1. Testifying that there is no God but Allah. (We do this with John 3:16, but with Jesus Christ)
2. Pray five times a day. (This is a good practice anyway, we should observe the liberty we have of praying whenever and pray even MORE often than they do!)
3. Charitable giving from those who are able. (Giving money to the poor? Not a bad plan...)
4. Fasting. (We do this all the time! In fact, every religion has a form of fasting included within it!)
5. The Pilgrimage to Mecca (This is where they believe Abraham is buried. Yes, the one in the Bible! In fact, they believe in everything we believe up until the new testament. Religions are more connected than you might think.)

Geographically - no.

. . . Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.
So what if they face Mecca when they pray? Are they supposed to pray towards the USA? That would be false idols to any religion! It is an expression of their faith that I believe is why this country is so great. People are free to pray how they want! How great is that?

Socially - no.

. . . Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.
What are you TALKING about?! Hahahaha! I can't count the number of friends I have made that believe in Islam. This is just too ridiculous.

Politically - no.

. . . Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and Destruction of America, the great Satan.
Woah woah woah. What? Mullah do not teach annihilation of anything. In fact the percentage of Muslim Extremists is extremely low! In a recent poll it was discovered that Muslims who: "Find it acceptable for religious or political groups to use violence for political ends, number 4 percent." This is a measly amount of people. In fact there is many MORE people who are not Muslims that use violence from day to day! But because there is this "War on Terror", the media moves toward the Muslim Extremists instead. What about Westboro Church? Or the "Christians" who began yelling in the middle of a Buddhist prayer? How about HITLER for goodness sakes?! HE claimed to be Christian and yet accounted for the deaths of countless MILLIONS of Jews. And so you look at the 4% of Muslims that believe it is okay to use violence?

Domestically - no.

. . . Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him (Quran 4:34 ).
Pffft! BWAHAHAHAHA! Oh man... I haven't had a laugh like that in a while. This is so absurdly wrong that... oh jeez. This isn't true at all. Polygamy hasn't been around in most Muslim countries since... the 1920s! And even if SOME men abuse their wives, I can give examples of dozens of "Christian" men doing the same. And not because their belief depended on it either...

Intellectually - no.

. . . Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.
The Bible is NOT based on biblical principals! I don't know how long it will take me to get this through to people. Read the Bible and you will not find much freedom for slaves or for wives or children, etc... Not only that, but most of those who wrote the Constitution were not Christians. Jefferson, Franklin and many others were actually Deists. This means that they believe in one God, but they deny the existence of Jesus Christ! I don't think that someone would write a composition as important as that, BASED on something they DON'T believe! That would be ridiculous.

Philosophically - no.

. . . Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression.
It is true that many Islamic countries do not allow for freedom of religion. But this is why they come here, to spread the Islamic religion to others. And don't even try to argue that this is wrong. We Christians do it all the time! Ever heard of "Crusades"? Or how about the numerous Christian missionaries who go undercover to break the law in order to spread the word of God? And for freedom of expression? This is a HUGE topic. I mean, they enjoy creating music, calligraphy, food.. the list goes on and on. Is this not freedom of expression?

. . Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.
Soooooo, if every total Christian government has been a Monarchy or some sort of King/Queen... should we get the heck out of the country? England, Spain, Denmark, Holland... they were all Christian based countries at one point or another, and what is their Government? Monarchy, monarchy, monarchy and monarchy... Do you think that a Monarchy and Democracy are exactly the same?

Spiritually - no.

. . . Because when we declare "one nation under God," the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names.
"One nation under God," was not added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954. So really, it was not until recent administration decided to add it, that the Pledge was "inconsistent" with Islam. And if you have problems with what they call their god, that is a personal grudge, NOT something that condemns them from being American.

- - - Therefore after much study and deliberation.... Perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country.
ALL MUSLIMS?! I would be tempted to slap someone who says this in front of me. You are condemning an ENTIRE race just from what a small bit does. It is for this very reason I do not like to associate myself with Christians. I still believe in John 3:16 and all, but when I tell an Atheist or "non-believer" that I am Christian, they automatically assume that I am like those from Westboro Baptist Church. And that I am here to yell at them and damn them to hell. You should never condemn a people for the doings of a select few. Do not condemn the Germans because of Hitler, do not condemn the Christians because of Westboro, do not condemn the Muslims because of Terrorists.

- - - They obviously cannot be both "good" Muslims and good Americans.

* * * Call it what you wish..it's still the truth.

* * * You had better believe it.
And one last thing I do not like to encounter, it is those people who do not keep an open mind. "Call it what you wish...It's still the truth."? This is being stubborn. More stubborn than anything else I can think about. And is that a threat I see at the end?! YOU are giving ME an ultimatum?! "Believe it" or what? You will become just as bad as those you are creating to be evil if you complete that sentence. Verbal can be just as powerful as physical violence and if you are using the verbal, you can be no different than any other terrorist.

If you find yourself intellectually in agreement with the above statements, perhaps you will share this with your friends.

+ + + The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future.
(is it just me or is this suggesting genocide?)

# # # : Pass it on Fellow Americans. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand.
You're right, we don't understand. And I don't think many people WILL understand why we at war for a long time to come. If you need more proof, look at this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RytxVNM0llQ
and this:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWdq7hg4dLU

Why are we at war? The reason keeps getting blurred for me.

But the one truth I know is that the Islamic people are more peaceful than many Christians I have met. And it is pretty pathetic that I would rather hang out with many of my Muslim friends than associate myself with the people that think in the blue text above.

signed,
E

ps. About that 44 training camps thing. You would think that they would be a little more secretive about their training camps if we know an exact number. And even IF we know there are 44 of them, how come we haven't gotten rid of them? If we have an exact number, we should have an exact location.

I have written all this just to say: if you come to me with "facts" come with proof first. Real, hard, evidence. I will keep an open mind, but I will not stand here and believe in everything I read. No one should. Therefore, please, PLEASE: be kind to the people who live around you. You don't know them, you can't condemn them.

Vladimir Kush

2007-07-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Beautifully dreamy and surreal art. Just take a look at a couple of my favorites...

Check his site out here.

2007-07-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

I found this really strange site, and I couldn't help but share. Obsolete Inc. They have galleries of objects of interest, from art to photography, furniture to artifacts. I don't know quite how to describe what they collect, show or have galleries of except to show this quote from their front page:

There are and have been and will be an infinite number of things on earth. Individuals all different, all wanting different things, all knowing different things, all looking different.

Everything that has been on earth has been different from any other thing. That is what I love: the differentness, the uniqueness of all things and the importance of life... I see something that seems wonderful; I see the divineness in ordinary things.

- Diane Arbus

So there you go. Visit the site, explore enjoy.

Travis A. Louie

2007-07-19T10:54:00.000-07:00

Sir Reginald Whiskers McPherson

Travis A. Louie creates a slightly twisted and whimsical new form of portrait and painting. Each painting he makes has a story behind it. You can see the story emerging as you look at them.
Louie comments about the above painting:

"One of the most celebrated Victorian minds, Reginald spontaneously combusted shortly after he was knighted."

Just for good measure here is his painting entitled, "Barnyard Noir: Night of the Clucker"

The rooster never saw it coming. "only one rooster in this henhouse"

Find it here.

Joe Pogan

2007-07-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

Joe Pogan creates sculptures out of all kinds of scrap metal. His work amazes me and you can explore through it forever all the while being amazed.
Pogan says:
"I create animal sculptures using various "found metal" objects like old watches, sprockets, nuts and bolts. The stranger the piece of metal the better, since the end goal is an eye-catching, fascinating amalgamation with odd nooks and crannies you can explore for hours. "

Check it out here.

Tim Baker

2007-07-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

I have found a few people who create customized books and I must say I am getting to like the idea. Tim Baker is probably the best in the business though.

As much as you may think you do or don't judge a book by it's cover, if you see a book that looks like this, you are most likely going to pick it up and explore...

Beautiful, don't you think?
Here's what he said about the one above:

I have always loved Ammonite fossils. I have two of them, so i made a mold, cast a bunch in plaster and carved them down to different sizes. I layed them out and filled the holes with dirt and did another mold. I cast it in a two part Urethane plastic and painted to look like the surface of fossil rock. The curvy brass stuff is cast, the hinges are piano hinges hidden around the bulbous bits :-)

I think that you will agree with me in saying that you have not seen a book look so inviting.

Links one and two

Stephane Halleux

2007-07-16T09:42:00.000-07:00

Amazing "steampunk" artist. That is about all I can say.
Just, go check it out and explore here. (Warning: flash)

This is so wrong

2007-07-13T09:04:00.000-07:00

and on so many levels.
Here is a link to a news story: link
Read the story and then head back here...

It's people like this that make it difficult for me, as a Christian, to press forward in the world. It's people like them that make it almost impossible for people to want to be saved by Jesus Christ. And then you read their press release, "Not one Senator had the backbone to stand as our Founding Fathers stood. They stood on the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" The "Founding Fathers" did not stand on the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they put it. In fact, many of them were atheists! Ben Franklin was a Deist, he said so himself:

"As to Jesus of Nazareth , my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupt changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his divinity; tho' it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and I think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble"
(Carl Van Doren. Benjamin Franklin. New York: The Viking Press, 1938, p. 777.)

Why would someone think that doing something such as this would change things? Did they think that automatically Senator Bob Casey would kick the Hindu priest out of the building and invite them up to pray? Here is a clip from a blog I read that puts how I feel fairly accurately and a bit sarcastically:

"It's hard to know how to even comment, since this group seems to be completely illiterate about, well, pretty much everything. Ignorance of Christian theology, constitutional law, Hinduism and American history aside, though, I love how they capitalise founding fathers. It's almost like they consider them gods. And insinuating that the world's third largest religion had raped a branch of American government was sheer tactical brilliance. And that bit about backbone and standing on the gospel of Christ? Nice play on words. Poetry really.

Still, this reminds me yet again that Christians in the US aren't concerned so much with loving their neighbour as they are with being right. Which is fine, I suppose. Pride is a fruit of the spirit, after all. Remember kids, nothing converts the heathen quite like three people behaving like complete dicks."

So, don't you see?! He says, "Christians in the US" NOT, "these types of Christians in the US". This is hard cold evidence that "Christian Extremists" are ruining the views of the Christian culture. I have met many people who choose not to even associate themselves with me when they find out I am a Christian. I have been told, like in the above mentioned blog, that short of strapping bombs to themselves, Christian fundamentalists aren't all that different from their Muslim "counterparts". And when you really get down to it, there is no difference when you take into consideration, Hitler, Eric Rudolf and other abortion clinic bombers, and the guy who intended to kill protesters at Jerry Falwell's funeral... the list goes on and on. All these people said that they were killing, destroying and pushing people down in the name of Jesus Christ. This is complete bull. The fact is, Jesus wants us to love one another. And if people don't want to be loved, then show them that you can be a well-mannered human being like everyone else. Believe me, just having a good attitude does an infinite amount of a difference. I know people who converted to Christianity because of people being kind.

If you are not a Christian and some Christians were screaming at you saying you were going to hell if you didn't convert... would you? I will tell you now.. I would most definitely not convert. I do not want to associate myself with idiots like them and I hope my friends don't either.

After reading this post, I hope you will go on with your life and love people. Love them because in today's society there is too much hate. People NEED to be loved and it helps!

Thanks for listening to me ramble, I'll go disappear again for a while...

Google in all it's majesty...

2007-07-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that many of you have seen these things before, but they are so cool that they need repeating... SO, here is a list of some of my favorite Google sites.

When I first open my internet browser, I want to have a bunch of information right there ready for me. iGoogle creates a very easy way to do that. I have bookmarks, Gmail, Google Reader and (of course) the Google search engine. And now iGoogle comes with backgrounds that change with either the time of day, the season of the year or even the weather in your area! Find it here!

This is just really handy. It uses the popular searches to suggest what you might be typing. If you begin to type "Three blind mice" it suggests just that after you reach "Three bl". It may sound dull, but it shaves a lot of time off of your internet surfing. I set a time limit for myself so that I am not on the computer all day and this helps. Firefox now comes with this already installed! Find it here.

Google Reader takes all the blogs that you read and puts them in a single manageable site. You can "star" items as your favorites so that they are easy to find and you can share items through email and your blog. It makes all the information you read in blogs come to you in one place. Find it here!

Google Trends allows you to see how many searches for specific words and search strings have been made. You can view where it is being searched and how often. Find it here.

[No picture]

Google Patent Search is a fun and very handy search engine to use. I have found that the US Patent Office's site is terrible to view the patents themselves. Google helps with that making it easier and more accessible than ever before. Find it here!

Not that I don't like Google Book search, but I wanted to mention something else. Google has a page within their book search that has a list of banned/challenged books. Find it here!

And if you thought that Google Maps/Earth was awesome then you will love

and

Just click those images and go see, cause it's cool.

I hope you enjoyed my little list of Google sites. If you would like a more thorough list please click here.

Images from Google.com and Wikipedia.org

2007-05-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

Ripple.org is one of the coolest websites I have ever found. When you click the button to give water (on the site you can give food and more) you will be shown an ad. The company that provides this ad pays a certain amount of money per click to that page. ALL this money is donated toward your chosen cause.
From the site:

"Over an indvidual’s lifespan of fifty years (conservative estimate based on World Bank statistics) the average cost to provide water per day is per day $0.0016. For 1c (the lowest amount raised per click) this equates to 6.8 days access to clean water and sanitation.

"$25 will cover the cost of opening up a full 7 years of primary school education for a child at one of the schools built by Oaktree and its partners in East Timor. This equates to $3.55 for one year of primary education for a child and 1c for 2 days of primary education (the school year is 35 weeks)."

Link

Map of the Internet

2007-05-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

A map composed of the approximate size of websites, according to membership. Irregularities.info is an island just big enough for a small hut in The Blogipeligo. For specifics, it is somewhere in between Washington Post and Post Secret.
Link

The Traveling Gnome

2007-04-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make. I stole my friend Wes' gnome. I stole his gnome and sent it off to travel the world! From now on I will be posting updates as Wes gets letters from Gerald the Gnome. So, first stop: Monterey!
Here is pictures from "ThePhrog" who was the first person to receive Gerald in the mail.

Checking into the hotel:

Wheeling to his room on a bell cart:

Checking his itinerary with the concierge:

At Monterey Harbor, on his way to the wharf:

The long shot of the Wharf:

Gerald at the sign at the entrance to the Wharf:

Gerald visiting Bob, his cousin who works at Rappa's at the end of the Wharf:

Here's a picture of the sports car Gerald rented for his stay in Monterey:

Here's Gerald debating whether he wants fresh crab for lunch, or not:

Gerald is going for a ride on a surrey! The bike trail here is amazing!:

Gerald stopped at the Maritime Museum for a quick shot pretending to steer a ship:

Condolences

2007-04-18T08:59:00.000-07:00

Picture by Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

My sincere condolences out to the friends and family of the Virginia Tech shooting victims.

I can't image what it would be like to loose family. Especially through something horrific like this.

Rabbits Gone Bad?

2007-04-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

This is hard to describe so I will just quote.
From Spiegel.de:

In a scene eerily reminiscent of the attack of the "most foul, cruel, and bad tempered" rabbit in the cult movie "Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail," the Linz hare assaulted a 74-year-old woman who was hanging laundry in her garden early Monday morning. The animal, described as a "crazed hare" in a statement by Linz police department, bit the woman's foot, causing her to fall.

The unidentified woman, still under attack by the rampant hare, was eventually able to escape into her home, where her husband called the police before going outside to attempt to shoo the bunny away.

When police arrived on the scene, they found the 78-year-old man fighting the hare off with a stick -- and losing. Police asked the man to go inside. When the hare refused to give up the fight, the police were forced to shoot and kill the animal.

Strannnnge happenings, huh?

Dinner in the Sky

2007-03-26T15:33:00.000-07:00

I had seen this before, but I lost the link. Now the link has been found and I am posting it here.
From the site:

Dinner in the Sky takes place at a table suspended at a height of 50 metres by a team of professionals. Benji Fun, our partner in this event, is the worldwide leader for this type of activities.

Dinner in the Sky is available for a session of 8 hours. It can be divided or personalised accorded to the client’s wishes.

Dinner in the Sky seats 22 people around the table at every session and three in the middle (chef, waiter, entertainer…). Just to give you an example: This means that, at a rate of 3 sessions per hour, more than 500 people could have access to this exceptional platform, or only 22 if you want an exclusive VIP event.

Technical Specs:

Total weight of the table: 5.000 kg
Weight of the crane: 90 tonnes or 160 tonnes
Measurements table (not assembled): 6 x 2, 50 m
Measurements table (assembled): 9 x 5 m
Rotation angle of the seats: 180°
Maximum height: 40 or 50 metres
Number of dinner guests seated (four-point seat belts): 22
Minimum ground space : 35 x 15 m

I'm not sure whether I could try this or not. I am not typically afraid of heights, but this pushes the limit

Linky

10 Most Magnificent Trees in the World

2007-03-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is wonderful! From the site:

There are probably hundreds of majestic and magnificent trees in the world - of these, some are particularly special.

So go ahead and click the link. You'll want to see these trees, trust me.

Link

MAiLmeART.com

2007-03-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

Really cool site. Send him an envelope with art on (not in) it and he puts it in a gallery! If the judge likes your art the best, you get a prize!

From the site:

MAiLmeART.com was created by Darren Di Lieto, the founder and editor of LCSV4, after toying with the idea of doing a collaborative project that everyone involved in gets something out of. MAiLmeART is a little project designed to test your skills, make you some money and give you the chance to have a bit of fun. Oh!.. and win some really cool prizes.

A post... Finally

2007-03-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, so I decided to come back with something really stupid.
Enjoy

I'll post more often now...

Action Figures

2007-01-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

That is so sweet!

This guy creates his own action figures!

His name is Mike Leavitt and now his site includes a "how to"

At the top is his Van Gogh (with detatchable ear action!)

Camping Trip! Unfortunately without photos...

2007-01-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

So, I had no camera on the trip. Yes, I know, that wasn't bright. BUT, I did have other people take pictures for me. So when I get them, I will post them!

Camping Trip!

2007-01-12T17:05:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Santa Cruz island tommorow! I will make sure to post pictures when I get back on monday!

The Order Electrus

2007-01-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

A cool short film about life adapting to technology.

Create Your Own: Noise Cancelling Headphones

2007-01-09T16:40:00.001-08:00

For under $20! Seems like they work amazingly, I'm going to go try it!
Here is the LINK

Impossible Lego Project, Episode 3: The Duck Factory

2007-01-09T11:31:00.001-08:00

Okay, I'm done....for now.

Impossible Lego Project, Episode 2: The AC

2007-01-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Nathan writes - "Working feverishly at the 2006 Carrier Convention I built a functioning replica of Carrier's newest air conditioner, complete with the compressor, valves and working fan. It took every hour of both days of the convention, but in the end I was happy with the result. And with that spinning fan, wow, what a breeze!"

There's something about this that makes me shiver.

Impossible Lego Project, Episode 1: The Crossbow

2007-01-08T12:10:00.000-08:00

Alexei says - "One day I was making a simple little elastic gun to shoot Lego blocks and I thought to myself, "it would be cooler if it had some kind of trigger." The next thing I knew, I was involved in a competition with my own self - I tried to imagine the most impossible thing to make Lego do, and then set out to figure out a way to do it. About 300 hours later (in hindsight I probably should have spent the time canvassing for UNICEF or something more noble) I had a semi-automatic pump-action lego crossbow that took four blocks in the handle and one in the chamber. It can fire a standard lego brick about 20 yards. It's not terribly accurate, but believe me, you don't want to fire this thing at the family pet."

via: MAKE

Spidey (or Gecko-Man)

2007-01-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

Ever wanted to climb up walls? Shoot webbing and swing across cityways? Well, new technology may help you climb up walls! It's called Gecko Tape. The Gecko Tape is created with millions of tiny hairs that cling to surfaces. Much like the way Geckos cling to walls!
BBC says this:
The researchers say the material clings so well to a surface that by covering the palm of one hand with the tape, a person could hang from the ceiling - just like the remarkable lizard.

So far, however, Professor Andre Geim and colleagues have only been able to make a very small square of their gecko tape because of the difficulties involved in the fabrication process.

Nonetheless, the University of Manchester scientists are confident they can refine their work so that commercial quantities of the new sticky material can be produced.
Link.

2007-01-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

A4 Papercuts

2007-01-07T17:39:00.000-08:00

Okay, as most of you know, I love art. In fact, you may go so far as to say I have a PASSION for art. Art of all kinds. Well, this is one of those artses...es...
Link

The Outline of a Skeleton

Detail:

Movie time!

2007-01-04T10:58:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I just recently saw Happy Feet. I must say that I am impressed! It was actually a very good movie. Not too cheesy and not corny (although there were corny jokes). I reccomend it.

Wikipedia says this:

Happy Feet has received better than average reviews from film critics, and received a 77% "fresh" approval in the Rotten Tomatoes movie review aggregate site.

Kirk Honeycutt said that Happy Feet "astonishes," it has brilliant choreography and orchestration, and is entertaining for younger viewers. Honeycutt also said that, "[George] Miller boldly reaches for spiritual themes," and "happily, it all works."

While Gene Seymour described Happy Feet as "a rich, absorbing story that isn't content to dazzle you with effects, but rouse your spirits." Seymour adds "nothing prepares you for its sweeping visual design and its conceptual energy."

Moreover, Lou Lumenick praised Happy Feet for its "stunning visuals," calling the film "inspired" and "uplifting." Lumenick further added that "It's Dumbo meets Footloose," and "Happy Feet is not only the year's best animated movie, it's one of the year's best movies, period. Go."

Ebert & Roeper gave it two thumbs up. A.O. Scott, Roger Ebert's temporary replacement, is quoted as saying "Happy Feet was made with enough skill, and enough heart, to get a thumbs up from me." Richard Roeper agreed, saying "I think kids will love it, because penguins are cute."

Exremophiles

2007-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

Yellowstone National Park has some of the most extreme environments in the world. What better place to look for extremophiles! Extremophiles are viruses that actually live and THRIVE within the intense heat of the thermal geysers and acidic pools. What do viruses do? Trevor Douglas, PhD says this, "It transports something from a to b, gets into a cell (and) takes it over. It's a little machine. And what we want to do is take that little machine and manipulate it to do things that are good things."

Things like chemotherapy directly applied to the cancer cells, computer memory so huge that at the size of a matchbox it will hold 6 months of constantly playing music!
Here is a video on the Wired Science Pilot Episode that shows some of the amazing things they plan to use these viruses for.
Click

POM Teas

2006-12-29T10:20:00.001-08:00

Okay, really cool. These teas come in a simply designed container, shaped like a glass. Brilliant! Not only can you reuse these as cups, but the cap reseals AIRTIGHT! Use it for herbs and spices in the kitchen!
From the site:

"Every sip of all-natural POM Tea is and investment in you. It's
made from the finest hand-picked, whole-leave tea and it's
gently brewed for a delicious taste with less caffeine. And
POM Tea can even quench your thirst for antioxidants."

Cool
Linky

First post!

2006-12-28T12:44:00.000-08:00

Just trying out the feeds and such...