Clipmarks | falconz's clips

Every Flavor Coke Machine Coming Soon

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:32:23 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: Sounds like a good idea. Not so great waiting for the person in front of you trying to decide which flavor of Coke Zero they want.

Clip Source: www.ajc.com

Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co., the world’s largest beverage firm, is working on a proprietary fountain system that can dispense more than 100 beverages from a single unit.

First-generation prototype dispensers were tested earlier this summer, the company said Thursday. Second-generation dispensers will begin testing in the first half of 2009. A decision on whether to roll out the system in the market will be made after the second round of testing.

Tags: soda, business

Tired of paying taxes? Incorporate Now!

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:00:38 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: What?!?

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Most U.S. and foreign corporations doing business in the United States avoid paying any federal income taxes, despite trillions of dollars worth of sales, a government study released on Tuesday said.

The Government Accountability Office said 72 percent of all foreign corporations and about 57 percent of U.S. companies doing business in the United States paid no federal income taxes for at least one year between 1998 and 2005.

More than half of foreign companies and about 42 percent of U.S. companies paid no U.S. income taxes for two or more years in that period, the report said.

Tags: corruption, business, taxes

Transponders for Tolls lack Security

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:56:29 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: Hmmm...

Clip Source: www.hackaday.com

FasTrak is the electronic toll collection system used by the state of California. Motorists can purchase a toll transponder for ~$26 and link the serial number with a debit account to have their tolls deducted automatically. Today at Black Hat in Las Vegas, security researcher [Nate Lawson] presented not just the privacy problems with FasTrak, but why absolutely no transaction from the tag should be trusted.

As for the privacy issues, [Nate] is hoping to develop a timer circuit so you can power up the transponder only during the time you're passing through the toll plaza. In the end though, none of the transactions with these FasTrak transponders can be trusted.

Tags: security, state, business, cars

Passports easily hacked

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:53:27 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: At least our passport information is safe. <sarcasm>

Clip Source: www.engadget.com

It's downright frightening that we've become numb to this news, but here again we're faced with another report of e-passports being hacked within minutes. The University of Amsterdam's Jeroen van Beek was reportedly able to clone and manipulate a pair of British passports in about the time it takes you to sip down your first cup of joe in the morning, and worse still, they were accepted as genuine by the software "recommended for use at international airports." The tests point out a number of vulnerabilities, including the fact that the microchips could be susceptible to having falsified biometrics inserted for use. As expected, talking heads at the Home Office still insist that any chip manipulation would be immediately recognized by the electronic readers, so we'll leave it up to you to decide who's telling the truth here.

Tags: security, international

Corpse Flower in Bloom

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:49:35 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: It always draws a big crowd. Who would have thought rotten meat would be an attraction?

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

The Amorphophallus Titanum -- literally "the giant strangely shaped penis" -- has been attracting big crowds at the National Botanic Garden of Belgium on the outskirts of Brussels.

The rare phallus-like flower that springs from the plant only survives about 72 hours and its timing is completely unpredictable, said Gert Ausloos, head of education at the garden.

Also known as Corpse Flower, it releases a strong smell to attract pollinators, thought to be sweat bees.

Tags: plants

Walmart doesn't tell it's employees...

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:13:36 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: Wally World is quite happy paying no benefits and minimum wage to its workers, and it wants it to stay that way.

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Friday it has warned U.S. store managers in recent weeks about the possible consequences of a labor-friendly bill backed by Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama that would make it easier for workers to form unions.

But the retailer, which has kept its U.S. stores free of unions, stressed it was not telling employees how to vote.

"We believe EFCA is a bad bill and we have been on record as opposing it for some time," Tovar said. "We feel educating our associates about the bill is the right thing to do."

Tags: business, politics

Customs agents can take your laptop.

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 21:10:57 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: What?!? "Yeah, i need to confiscate your MacBook Air Pro because my nephew always wanted one...ugh! I mean, just because I can."

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. federal agents have been given new powers to seize travelers' laptops and other electronic devices at the border and hold them for unspecified periods the Washington Post reported on Friday.

Under recently disclosed Department of Homeland Security policies, such seizures may be carried out without suspicion of wrongdoing, the newspaper said, quoting policies issued on July 16 by two DHS agencies.

DHS officials said the policies applied to anyone entering the country, including U.S. citizens, and were needed to prevent terrorism.

Tags: government, abuse

Air Force officials are being SLICC

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:56:13 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: I can't even get a bag of peanuts on my flight.

Clip Source: www.reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - They sound like first-rate in-flight accommodations -- leather chairs, a 37-inch (94-cm) flat-screen monitor, bed, couch, table -- all the comfort a traveling VIP could want.

But critics say the new amenities intended for top U.S. defense, military and other officials come with a price tag of $4.4 million, and counting.

That, plus the fact that some money for the facilities was requested in a bill meant to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, has exposed the already scandal-hit U.S. Air Force to charges of extravagant waste.

SLICCs are two connected chambers with chairs, couch, bed and other amenities on a pallet that can be loaded onto a cargo aircraft such as a C-17 Globemaster or C-130 Hercules.

Tags: government, war, airplane

Solar Windows from MIT

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:38:42 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: Keep the inventions rolling.

Clip Source: www.engadget.com

No, the blacked-out rear quarters of your '90 CRX aren't going to start powering your hooptywoofer anytime soon, but a new window treatment developed at MIT that functions as a solar concentrator promises to finally bring solar windows to the masses. Based on similar work done in the '70s, the dye mixture pulls in light at a range of wavelengths and re-emits it to solar cells at the edges of the window at a different wavelength -- a technique good for a 40x increase in each cell's power output, or 10 times what current systems can provide. The team estimates that the panels could become widely commercial within three years -- just in time for us to bolt 'em onto our new solar ~~shoe~~ Prius.

Tags: solar, solar power, cars

Bill Gates email from 2003

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:14:30 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: The things no one, usually, ever sees. Check the whole email out at the blog.

Clip Source: blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com

From: Bill Gates
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2003 10:05 AM
To: Jim Allchin
Cc: Chris Jones (WINDOWS); Bharat Shah (NT); Joe Peterson; Will Poole; Brian Valentine; Anoop Gupta (RESEARCH)
Subject: Windows Usability Systematic degradation flame

I am quite disappointed at how Windows Usability has been going backwards and the program management groups don't drive usability issues.

Tags: microsoft, email, bill gates

Light up your clothes...80's style

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:38:41 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: Kids will like the result...whether they are 2 or 62.

Clip Source: www.instructables.com

how to add EL wire to a coat or other garment

As a lighted costume designer, I get a lot of questions from people who want to know how to make their own EL wire costumes (many of them seeking to mimic the immensely popular Daft Punk red robot suits, which I illuminated for their Alive 2007 tour). I don't have time to help everyone individually, so I thought I'd consolidate my advice into one instructable. Hopefully this will help you understand the steps involved in this labor-intensive process, and get you started with your own lighted clothing projects.

Tags: sewing, mod, diy

RawSolar creates cheap solar array

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:46:48 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: Keep on innovating! Eventually, we'll have a good collection of useful energy production methods.

Clip Source: web.mit.edu

A team led by MIT students this week successfully tested a prototype of what may be the most cost-efficient solar power system in the world--one team members believe has the potential to revolutionize global energy production.

The system consists of a 12-foot-wide mirrored dish that team members have spent the last several weeks assembling. The dish, made from a lightweight frame of thin, inexpensive aluminum tubing and strips of mirror, concentrates sunlight by a factor of 1,000--creating heat so intense it could melt a bar of steel.

Wood credits the students who built this dish, as an independent project that started in January, with making significant improvements to his original design to make it a practical and competitive energy producer. "They really have simplified this and made it user-friendly, so anybody can build it," he says.

Tags: power, solar, science

Spore Creature Creator is ready

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:25:55 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: Very interesting concept.

Clip Source: www.spore.com

Spore Creature Creator

Get it!
Find out more

Tags: games, spore, will wright

Hit and Run in the No Pass Lane

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:35:28 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: Ridiculous! The video is in the link.

Clip Source: hosted.ap.org

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -- A 78-year-old man is tossed like a rag doll by a hit-and-run driver and lies motionless on a busy city street as car after car goes by. Pedestrians gawk but do nothing. One driver stops briefly but then pulls back into traffic. A man on a scooter slowly circles the victim before zipping away.

The chilling scene - captured on video by a streetlight surveillance camera - has touched off a round of soul-searching in Hartford, with the capital city's biggest newspaper blaring "SO INHUMANE" on the front page and the police chief lamenting: "We no longer have a moral compass."

MS Surface Parody

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 21:56:11 GMT

clipped by: falconz
clipper's remarks: An oldie but a goodie. I still get a laugh out of this video.

Clip Source: sarcasticgamer.com

[Video]

Tags: parody, microsoft