Clipmarks | ericskiff's clips

Distant space crash doomed the dinosaurs

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 05:25:53 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Will Dunham

A collision 160 million years ago of two asteroids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter sent many big rock chunks hurtling toward Earth, including the one that zapped the dinosaurs

scientists believe that catastrophe eliminated the dinosaurs, which had flourished for about 165 million years, and many other life forms

this event then paved the way for mammals to dominate the earth and the eventual rise of humankind

US and Czech researchers used computer simulations to calculate that there was a 90% probability that the collision of two asteroids - one about 170 kilometres wide and one about 60 kilometres wide - was the event that precipitated this disaster

The asteroid Baptistina and rubble associated with it are thought to be leftovers

researchers looked at evidence on the composition of this meteorite and found it consistent with the stony Baptistina

there also was about a 70% probability that the prominent Tycho crater on the moon

was also carved out by a remnant of the

collision

Tags: dinosaur, asteroid, chicxulube, yucatan, extinction, collision, rubble

Godin: using data in PowerPoint

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 18:27:17 GMT

clipped by: danielfoster

Clip Source: sethgodin.typepad.com

More data does not equal more information.

Sooner or later, you're going to be tempted to use actual data in a presentation. Powerpoint makes it easy, and it also tempts you to do it completely wrong. Here are some ideas to help.

The first question: What's the point?

when dealing with percentages, you need to communicate that getting closer to 100% is incrementally more difficult. In other words, 40% is not twice as good as 20%. It's actually ten times as good if you're talking about some sort of networked device like a fax machine.

Next question: How do I make it a verb?

PowerPoint isn't a printout. It's a presentation. As a result, you get to create action. Instead of just showing the slide I just showed you, I'd show this slide instead. Why? Because I want to set the baseline.

You can also aggregate data. In fact, you're expected to. Pie charts are a great example of how people go wrong.

Tags: powerpoint, information, visualization, how to

Okinawa island in Japan.

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 17:56:24 GMT

clipped by: matsu_keita

Clip Source: matsukeita.blogspot.com

Tags: sea

Fancy Pants

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 14:50:40 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

WAUKESHA, Wisconsin (AP) -- It was embarrassing enough that Mark Stahnke woke up in a neighbor's yard without his pants. Then he remembered they contained a cashier's check for $41,093, meant for his son, and several hundred dollars in cash.

But he got it all back Friday, including the pants, thanks to a man and his dog.

Stahnke said he doesn't know what happened between when he left the bar and when he woke up the next morning, and police were skeptical when he filed a report on Monday.

Stahnke said he had met his son at a bar and doesn't remember much afterward.

"I woke up cold not knowing where the heck I was, and I didn't realize it at first because I still had my shoes and socks on," he said. "When I got up, I realized, my God, I don't have any pants."

Tim Curzan's dog, Joe, found the pants at an intersection, according to a police report. He found the cashier's check and tried twice, unsuccessfully, to deliver it and the cash to where he thought the owner lived.

Tags: he, might, want, to, set, a, limit, on, his, drinking

Selfportrait (not mine): "A few things I've learned"

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 18:45:55 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: Very cool self-portrait on Flickr by Corey (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ten0fnine/).

Clip Source: www.flickr.com

It's sometimes better to listen than it is to speak.
Don't ever expect others to be as courteous as you are.
Be gracious and appreciative.
We all have hard-luck stories- it's who you are in spite of it, not because of it that matters.
Do not reach into the back of a television while it's plugged in.
Gossip is evil, and does nothing but hurt the people involved.
Don't correct your boss in front of co-workers.
It's ok not to like someone- but it's never ok to be a dick to them.
Don't talk with food in your mouth, no matter how important it may seem at the time.
Say what you mean, and mean what you say.
You will suffer what may seem like insurmountable grief in your life.
Be the kind of friend you wish you had.
Whenever possible, smile and make eye contact when you meet someone.

There are at least two sides to every situation.
My grandparents were wiser than I shall ever be.
A whole carton of ice cream is not a suitable dinner.

A few things I have learned through the years.

Tags: image, art, personal, cool, via:del.icio.us

A "Second Sphinx" at Giza?

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 16:03:34 GMT

clipped by: invictus

Clip Source: omega.wordpress.com

After analyzing the elements of the Ancient Egyptian belief system, Egyptologist Bassam El Shammaa comes up with a very unorthodox view that would shake the established Egyptology and most likely, trigger a swarm of fresh debates on the origins of the monuments at Giza. Pointing out the dualist essence of the Ancient Egyptian cosmology, El Shammaa argues the very likely existence of a “Second Sphinx” on the Giza plateau, next to the one we know as The Great Sphinx.

“Whenever we have to deal with the solar cult, we should speak of one lion and one lioness facing each other, posing parallel to each other or sitting in a back-to-back position,” says El Shammaa. He draws our attention to the Egyptian creation myth, where the almighty Atum gives birth to his son Shu and his daughter Tefnut, in the form of a lion and lioness. He also points out that the Dream Stela carved by Thutmosis IV and found between the paws of the giant statue, clearly depicted two sphinxes.

Tags: archaeology, egypt, giza, sphinx

German restaurant replaces waitstaff with computers

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:21:59 GMT

clipped by: Caleythia
clipper's remarks: I could see it working as a niche kind of thing, especially if you just want a quick bite at a quirky place. But, in general, I'll keep my waiters and waitresses, thanks.

Clip Source: blog.scifi.com

Bad news, waiters and waitresses: your days are numbered. You're about to become obsolete, replaced by technology that can do your job more efficiently and without requiring tips. A new restaurant in Nuremburg, Germany has replaced its waitstaff with a completely automated system that delivers meals to diners via a gravity-powered rail system.

Sure, while that might be kind of cool and cheap for the owners, are diners really ready to give up that personal interaction with servers? Can a computer really make good recommendations? Can you flirt with a cute computer? I didn't think so. Perhaps you shouldn't get worried about your job security just yet, waiters and waitresses. — Adam Frucci

Tags: tech, restaurants

God save us from the Croc!

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:10:18 GMT

clipped by: michellezm
clipper's remarks: "And why this global expansion? Because Crocs are fast becoming one of the most successful fashion brands of all time. Sales in John Lewis stores alone have gone up 270 per cent in a week.

Twenty million pairs have been sold in 12 months. And now the Wall Street analyst Piper Jaffray is predicting sales will more than double from £178 million in 2006 to £408 million this year".

Clip Source: www.dailymail.co.uk

My brother is a professor of surgery, his wife a respected GP, his teenage children are style conscious without being fashion victims.

But here they were, all victims of the greatest fashion heist in modern history - the curse of the Crocs.

I can't bring myself to even call them shoes, as you cannot call a pair of luridly coloured plastic colanders with reptile snouts and orthopaedic straps 'shoes'.

Back then, I dismissed them as an Aussie eccentricity, this is, after all, the same nation that is still partial to mullet haircuts (especially the women). But then, like some form of malign foot fungus, the Croc disease started to spread across the globe.

Soon Crocs were everywhere. On the beach. In gardens. Even at the supermarket.

Surely a one-season fad, I thought.

I was wrong. This week comes the news that the firm behind Crocs is about to branch out internationally into men's and boy's clothing made, wait for it, from the same hideous trademark Croslite soft, spongy foam resin.

Tags: shoes, fashion, croc shoes, current affairs, clothing

World's tallest man marries in Mongolian ceremony

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:43:42 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.usatoday.com

BEIJING (AP) — The world's tallest man married a woman who only comes up to his elbow on Thursday, holding a traditional Mongolian ceremony with great fanfare at the tomb of Kublai Khan.

VIDEO: Pair marry in a traditional Mongolian ceremony

In keeping with Mongolian tradition, the bride's attendants tried to "stop" Bao from getting into the camp. But they relented after the giant groom's sincere appeals, and he was offered tea by the bride's relatives, symbolizing that he had been accepted into her family.

Tags: marriage, china, world record, love, ceremony, mongolia

album sales

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 02:40:21 GMT

clipped by: mieuxx
clipper's remarks: i wonder how many albums our boys sold...

Clip Source: www.nme.com

UK album sales fall in first half of 2007

Sales of CDs fell in the UK by ten per cent in the first half of 2007.

Digital albums sales have increased by two million, though this has failed to make up the shortfall.

Meanwhile, sales of individual tracks online have grown by 50 per cent, although downloads only count for between ten and 20 per cent of the whole UK market.

Tags: nme

Make Money Blogging: Paid Blog Review Services

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:03:17 GMT

clipped by: jjjacob811
clipper's remarks: What the heck...if you're on the computer blogging...might as well make some money.

Clip Source: www.seoposition.com

A Review of the Top Blog Advertising Sites

Blogsvertise.com

Payperpost.com Blog Reviews

ReviewMe.com

SponsoredReviews.com

Smorty.com

B5media.com

Reviewback.com

Blogitive.com

PayU2Blog.com

Bloggerwave.com

Weblogsinc.com

InBlogAds.com

www.linkworth.com also does paid reviews.

loudlaunch.com
creamaid.com

Tags: blogging

"Deleted Images": don't toss those blurry pictures yet!

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 15:28:02 GMT

clipped by: enbar
clipper's remarks: Take your blurry, off-center, shot-by-mistake digital photos and share them here. You might be surprised -- some are real gems. Great for browsing.

Clip Source: www.deletedimages.com

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Tags: image, photo, photography, art, cool

5-Year-Old Pins Rabid Fox During Cookout

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:47:08 GMT

clipped by: rmowery

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

5-Year-Old Pins Rabid Fox During Cookout

5-Year-Old Pins Rabid Fox During Family Cookout to Protect His Little Brother

A 5-year-old boy grabbed a rabid fox by the neck and pinned it to the ground during a family cookout, protecting six other children before his stepfather could kill the animal.

"I wanted to protect my little brother," said Rayshun McDowell, who battled the fox in the front yard of his home Sunday in Kingstown, a town about 50 miles west of Charlotte.

The fox bit Rayshun in the leg, but the 61-pound-boy held the animal down for more than a minute. Animal control officials said Tuesday that test results confirmed the fox had rabies, which is fatal unless treated before symptoms appear. Rayshun is undergoing treatment.

Tags: fox, rabies, tough kid, protector, nc

Illegal to read Patriot Act

Wed, 04 Jul 2007 01:32:46 GMT

clipped by: kkcapricorn
clipper's remarks: OK folks, lets laugh a little today.

Clip Source: www.theonion.com

Revised Patriot Act Will Make It Illegal To Read Patriot Act

September 17, 2003 | Issue 39•36

WASHINGTON, DC—President Bush spoke out Monday in support of a revised version of the 2001 USA Patriot Act that would make it illegal to read the USA Patriot Act. "Under current federal law, there are unreasonable obstacles to investigating and prosecuting acts of terrorism, including the public's access to information about how the federal police will investigate and prosecute acts of terrorism," Bush said at a press conference Monday. "For the sake of the American people, I call on Congress to pass this important law prohibiting access to itself." Bush also proposed extending the rights of states to impose the death penalty "in the wake of Sept. 11 and stuff."

More News Briefs

Tags: satire, humor, the onion

The Real Reason for SSN--per Colin Powell

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 21:23:28 GMT

clipped by: thedoorway
clipper's remarks: According to an obvious "slip" made by Colin Powell on Fox News Sunday, 06/17/01, the real reason (or benefit) of our SSN is that it allows the government "to MONITOR, TRACK DOWN and CAPTURE an American citizen." Doesn't it give you a warm feeling to know that your U.S. Secretary of State felt that way about U.S. citizens?

Clip Source: www.theforbiddenknowledge.com

Colin Powell leaks real reason for SSN

Mr. Powell during the entire interview was very confident, and spoke without hesitation throughout the entire interview excluding for a one second period, after one specific statement made by him as he was talking about the Russian peoples. When he realized the consequences of making this disclosure indirectly to the American public, he froze for a second, his eyes rolled back as he realized what he had said, and then he continued without further pause for the rest of the interview.

The quote from Mr. Powell, per the Russian Scientists that every American "NEEDS" to hear immediately is as follows:

[Colin Powell] - "Finding the Russian scientists may be a problem being that Russia does not have a Social Security System, as here in America, that allows us to MONITOR, TRACK DOWN and CAPTURE an American citizen."

Tags: ssn, social security number, american citizens, tracking