Clipmarks | JediKnut's clips

Photographer Captures America's Best-Kept Secrets1

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:48:14 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: 11 great Images - check the link!

Photographer Captures America's Best-Kept Secrets

Taryn Simon photographs some of the most top-secret, highly restricted areas in the world. Her latest book, An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar, took four years to assemble as the photographer gained access to research facilities and government offices hidden from the public. "I felt like I was discovering a new landscape in America, a new terrain, morally and politically," she said.

The book dives under the surface of society with images of decomposing bodies and radioactive waste, deadly viruses and an outdoor recreation area for death-row inmates. The result is an all-access pass into America's best-kept secrets.

Tags: photography

Non-stick chewing gum firm raises $20 million

Fri, 09 May 2008 15:33:12 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: Wow... chewing gum that doesn't stick...what'll they think of next!?

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Non-stick chewing gum firm raises $20 million

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A British company developing a non-stick chewing gum that can be easily removed from pavements and shoes has raised 10 million pounds ($20 million) to help bring its product to market.

The new financing comes from institutional and private investors, with IP Group -- an early backer -- chipping in an additional 800,000 pounds, the firm said on Wednesday.

Revolymer's new Clean Gum is the result of polymer research at the University of Bristol, where the company was created as a research spin-out in 2005.

Today's chewing gums are made from synthetic latex, which is resistant to the weather and is strongly adhesive. Clean Gum adds a special polymer to modify its properties, making it far less sticky.

Tags: chewing gum, stick

10 Albums That Changed the Direction of Rock

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:52:30 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: Another Top 10 List!
Debatable!

Clip Source: www.gibson.com

10 Albums That Changed the Direction of Rock

Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley (1956)

The Beatles: Please Please Me (1963)

The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced? (1967)

King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)

David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Soundtrack (1977)

The Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols (1977)

Roxy Music: Manifesto (1979)

Run-DMC: Raising Hell (1986)

Nirvana: Nevermind (1991)

Tags: music, albums, rock

To All The Girls We've Loved Before: Classic Songs About Classic Women

Fri, 09 May 2008 06:34:30 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: heh, cute list. Interesting stuff about the songs too!

Clip Source: www.gibson.com

To All the Girls We’ve Loved Before, Classic Songs About Classic Women

Here are some of the other greatest rock tunes inspired by ladies who happened to be at the right place at the right time.

The Rolling Stones “Angie”

[Video]

Kiss “Beth”

[Video]

Beach Boys, “Caroline, No”

[Video]

Rod Stewart “Maggie May”

[Video]

Prince “Darling Nikki”

Chuck Berry “Carol”

[Video]

Elvis Costello “Alison”

[Video]

The Beatles “Martha, My Dear”

[Video]

Michael Jackson “Billie Jean”

[Video]

Patti Smith “Gloria”

[Video]

Tags: music, songs, rolling stones, kiss

XBox 360 to have blu-ray drives?

Mon, 05 May 2008 11:41:51 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: As it says, it's only a rumour so far, but seems quite possible!

Clip Source: crave.cnet.com

More rumors that XBox 360 will add Blu-ray drive

Following HD DVD's demise, there's been a lot speculation that Microsoft would add a Blu-ray option to the XBox 360. The latest rumor has a subsidiary of Asus, Pegatron Technology, making a premium Blu-ray-equipped version of the XBox 360 that will arrive in time for the holidays. This one follows on the heels of a report that Lite-On was going to be the one making the Blu-ray drives for Microsoft's game console.

If you speak Chinese, you can translate the Asus rumor from Economic Daily News, a publication that Gizmodo calls a "Taiwanese rag." While we may not have tremendous faith in the specifics of the rumor, Taiwanese companies aren't known to keep secrets all that well (that's a gross generalization based on a few comments I've heard from industry insiders, but I believe it). And it does seem logical that Microsoft will add a Blu-ray option to help eliminate any perceived advantage that Sony might have with the PS3.

Tags: xbox, blu-ray, hd dvd

Vivaldi work revived 278 years on

Sun, 04 May 2008 14:25:13 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: Indian maharaja's court? Sounds interesting... wish I could get my hands on a recording of this!

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Vivaldi work revived 278 years on

A long-lost opera by the Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi has been performed for the first time in 278 years, in the city of Prague.

Argippo was written for the Czech capital and premiered there in 1730.

But the opera - a tale of "passion, love and trickery" in an Indian maharaja's court - later disappeared without trace.

Most of the score was discovered in Germany by a young Czech musician who completed the missing parts.

Ondrej Macek is a keen harpsichordist with a passion for tracking down rare music.

But all he had to go on was the original booklet from the opening night containing the libretto, and the knowledge that the troupe of Italian musicians who first performed Argippo in Prague later moved to Germany.

Only about two-thirds of the score had survived the centuries, and so Mr Macek used other arias from Vivaldi to fit the preserved text.

Tags: vivaldi, opera, classical

Google Is Your Friend: Effin' Google It!

Sat, 03 May 2008 16:10:05 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: Saw a link to this site at a forum I frequent... killer link!

Clip Source: www.fuckinggoogleit.com

Google Is Your Friend

All Smart People Use Google

It Appears That You Are Not One Of Them

Someone thinks you are an idiot because you were too stupid to check Google before asking a question. They gave you a link to this site as a joke. The fact that you followed it pretty much proves the point.

Hope that helps.

Have a nice day.

Tags: google

'Sex pest' seal attacks penguin

Sat, 03 May 2008 13:59:38 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: First spider-sex stories, now this... strange are these days!

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

'Sex pest' seal attacks penguin

Sexual coercion among animals is extremely common

An Antarctic fur seal has been observed trying to have sex with a king penguin.

The incident, which lasted for 45 minutes and was caught on camera, is reported in the Journal of Ethology.

The bizarre event took place on a beach on Marion Island, a sub-Antarctic island that is home to both fur seals and king penguins.

Why the seal attempted to have sex with the penguin is unclear. But the scientists who photographed the event speculate that it was the behaviour of a frustrated, sexually inexperienced young male seal.

Equally, it might be been an aggressive, predatory act; or even a playful one that turned sexual.

"At first glimpse, we thought the seal was killing the penguin," says Nico de Bruyn, of the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

The brazenness of the seal's behaviour left those who saw it in no doubt as to what was happening.

Cuba lifts ban on home computers

Sat, 03 May 2008 13:57:02 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: From the website:

The government says it is unable to connect to the giant undersea fibre-optic cables because of the US trade embargo. All online connections today are via satellite which has limited bandwidth and is expensive to use.

Cuba's anti-American ally, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, is laying a new cable under the Caribbean.

It remains unclear whether, once the connection is completed, the authorities will then allow unrestricted access to the world wide web.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Cuba lifts ban on home computers

The first legalised home computers have gone on sale in Cuba, but a ban remains on internet access.

This is the latest in a series of restrictions on daily life which President Raul Castro has lifted in recent weeks.

Crowds formed at the Carlos III shopping centre in Havana, though most had come just to look.

The desktop computers cost almost $800 (£400), in a country where the average wage is under $20 (£10) a month.

But some Cubans do have access to extra income, much of it from money sent by relatives living abroad.

Since taking over the presidency in February, Raul Castro has ended a range of restrictions and allowed Cubans access to previously banned consumer goods.

In recent weeks thousands of Cubans have snapped up mobile phones and DVD players.

But only now have the first computer stocks arrived.

Internet access remains restricted to certain workplaces, schools and universities on the island.

Tags: cuba, ban, pc, computer

Guzzling Girls: Arrests of drunken women up 1,100%

Sat, 03 May 2008 08:27:37 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: heh, seems to be a lot of negativity against women in the press these days... first the dirty keyboards, now this!

Interesting story though!, but I wish they compared to how much the increase is for arrests of men! That would really show if there's a lot of meaning to this story...

Clip Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Arrests of drunken women up 1,100 per cent

Arrests of drunk and disorderly women have rocketed by 1,100 per cent in some areas.

The shocking figures come amid nationwide concern at the spiralling crisis of binge-drinking girls.

West Midlands Police said its female drunk and disorderly arrests had multiplied by 11 times in just five years - from 59 in 2003-2004 to 731 in 2007-2008.

In Gwent they soared from 28 to 190 and in Leicestershire from 14 to 77 - increases of 578 and 450 per cent.

"Pubs and bars are targeting women with offers and cheap drinks to encourage them. It should be stopped."

Northumbria Chief Constable Mike Craik called for "an end to discounted drinks such as two-for-one, happy hours and supermarkets selling alcohol below cost price". He added: "There should be a ban on the sale of alcopops."

The 21 police forces which gave "like for like" figures to Channel 4 News of female drunk and disorderly arrests saw them up from 3,847 to 5,891 between 2003 and 2008.

Tags: drunk, women, britain

Bicycle Business

Sat, 03 May 2008 08:24:39 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: Enterprising! Classic case of seeing a need, & fulfilling it!

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

Malawi's alternative: bicycles for hire

NAMITETE, Malawi (Reuters Life!) - Bernard Banda makes $5 a day carrying people on his bicycle, good money in a country where more than half the 13 million people live below a dollar a day.

"I charge MK70 (50 U.S. cents) per trip and on a good day I make about MK700 ($5) or more," Bernard says.

Banda is not the only one cashing in on a bicycle transport industry now booming because of the rising costs of fuel pushed up by strong global oil prices.

Along Mchinji road -- the highway linking Malawi to Zambia's eastern province -- colorfully decorated bicycles are neatly parked, waiting to transport students to a nearby government college, nursing staff to a hospital and visitors around the area.

The bicycles are remodeled to suit the business. A second seat is attached to the bicycle behind the driver's seat. The passenger seat is finished in colorful but cheap leather, comfortably sized to accommodate any size of passenger.

Animals feast on free 'omelettes'

Sat, 03 May 2008 08:20:49 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: heh, just a cute read!

Clip Source: in.news.yahoo.com

Animals feast on free 'omelettes'

Batlagundu (Tamil Nadu), May 2 (IANS) Wild and domesticated animals alike enjoyed a day-long feast of 'omelettes' Friday in this spice town of Tamil Nadu, all thanks to a truck accident!

'A truck carrying over 100,000 eggs from Namakkal to Kerala overturned here. The scorching heat (over 40 degrees Celsius) turned the broken eggs into omelettes. Foxes, stray dogs, domesticated cats and birds have been ceaselessly gorging on the free meal here,' said S. Balanagamma, a local resident who witnessed the unusual feast.

Batlagundu is 350 km south of the state capital Chennai.

The driver and cleaner of the truck, who inadvertently provided the huge meal, escaped with minor injuries, police officials said.

Man plans air ascent by ponytail

Fri, 02 May 2008 20:14:18 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: I know we Indians are crazy... but this is really a bit much!

Wonder if he can 'pull it off' !

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Man plans air ascent by ponytail

A man in eastern India says he is going to take to the air by hanging from a helicopter suspended by his ponytail.

Earlier this week Shailendra Roy drew large crowds when he pulled the famous Darjeeling toy train with his ponytail.

Mr Roy wanted to pull the train for more than 300 metres (Photos: Sanjay Sah)

One end of an iron chain was tied to his foot-long ponytail, and the other to the train engine and three coaches, weighing some 35 tonnes.

He says he keeps the hair strong by rubbing it with mustard oil and pulling cars and other heavy objects.

"I am planning to dangle myself from a helicopter," Mr Roy said after pulling the train 10 metres the town of Siliguri where the track is flat.

Tags: hair, ponytail, helicopter, train

RHCP: Influences & Inspirations

Fri, 02 May 2008 07:05:55 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: Great read for anybody who's a fan of RHCP!

Clip Source: www.gibson.com

Influences & Inspirations: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Having weathered death, addiction, and constant personnel changes, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have not only survived 25 years in the music industry but only grow more popular as time marches on. The miraculous thing is the band is still using the same basic formula Anthony Kiedis and Michael “Flea” Balzary originally hatched when they came together with Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons at Fairfax High School in 1983 as Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem―a bit of funk, bit of rock, and whole lot of unbridled energy.

Jimi Hendrix “Hey Joe"

Flea has Hendrix’s face tattooed on his arm. The band has covered “Fire.” Every single one of their guitar players has worshipped at his alter. It’s really a miracle that the Red Hot Chili Peppers didn’t end up as the world’s biggest Jimi Hendrix tribute act.

Iggy Pop “I Wanna Be Your Dog”

Van Halen’s version of “You Really Got Me”

Tags: rhcp, inspiration, tribute

Electronics' 'missing link' found

Fri, 02 May 2008 06:52:00 GMT

clipped by: JediKnut
clipper's remarks: Interesting read... with this, possibilites for reducing the size of most electronics (PCs, mobile phones, etc.) just gets bigger.

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Electronics' 'missing link' found

Details of an entirely new kind of electronic device, which could make chips smaller and far more efficient, have been outlined by scientists.

The new components, described by scientists at Hewlett-Packard, are known as "memristors".

The devices were proposed 40 years ago but have only recently been fabricated, the team wrote in the journal Nature.

They have already been used to build novel transistors - tiny switches that are the building blocks of all chips.

"Now we have this type of device we have a broader palette with which to paint our circuits," Professor Stan Williams, one of the team, told the BBC last year.

Total recall

Memristors were first proposed in 1971 by Professor Leon Chua, a scientist at the University of California, Berkeley.

They are the "fourth" basic building block of circuits, after capacitors, resistors and inductors.

"I never thought I'd live long enough to see this happen," Professor Chua told the Associated Press.

Tags: electronics, memristors