Clipmarks | tonya-yvonne's clips

Levetation Now a Reality

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 14:45:49 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne

Levitation Discovered: Hoverboards Coming Soon

We might not have to wait until 2015 for a hoverboard after all, as scientists at the University of St Andrews in Scotland have succeeded in making levitation a reality. By using an already existing lens to reverse what is known as the Casimir Effect, physicists Professor Ulf Leonhardt and Dr Thomas Philbin have managed to make a force which repels instead of attracting.

The Casimir force works at the quantum level, where energy fluctuations can have a huge effect on particle attraction. In theory the new force can be scaled up to levite people, although at first it is likely to be used as a kind of non-stick coating inside circuits.

Here at the Lab, though, we're more psyched by the possiblilities of frictionless bike hubs, floating beer bottles and of course, Marty McFly's floating marvel.

Tags: levetation, hover, back to the future, marty mcfly

Cop shoots at snake, Kills boy instead

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:17:07 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: is it just me or does anyone here the dukes of hazzard music playing in their head when they read this. could cops realy be as back woods dumd as Rosco????

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

NOBLE, Oklahoma (AP) -- A police officer shooting at a snake apparently killed a 5-year-old boy who was fishing at a nearby pond, officials said.

Austin Haley was fishing with his grandfather, Jack Tracy, when Tracy said he heard a shot and saw something hit the water just a few feet in front of the boat dock where he was standing.

Moments later, a second shot hit Austin in the head.

Tracy thought someone must be trying to kill him and his grandson, so he put the child on the back of a 4-wheeler and drove to his daughter's house about 200 yards away.

Tracy has little doubt. "I'm not saying the cop shot him on purpose," he said. "But let me tell you -- if I had a kid and put him in this car and didn't put him in a car seat and he got killed on the way to town, they'd charge me with murder ... and what this cop did is a lot worse than that."

A Noble police officer

apparently fired the deadly shot while trying to kill the snake on Friday, City Manager Bob Wade said.

Tags: noble, oklahoma, austin haley, jack tracy, snake, cop

Students lined up and shot execution style in NJ

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 15:08:03 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: wonder if this will even make the national news with all the hub-bub of the bridge....

Clip Source: wcbstv.com

(CBS) NEWARK There is a massive manhunt in Newark, N.J. for the cold-blooded killers who executed three people. The victims, who include two Delaware State University students were lined up against a wall and shot behind the Mt. Vernon School early Sunday.

Police say the four friends were just listening to music outside Mt. Vernon School when they were apparently chosen by the killer or killers at random. They were shot in the head execution style.

Politicians and law enforcement officials admit they don't have any answers that will satisfy the many devastated families who want more action.

“We were told each were lined up,” said Beverly Reid, the great aunt of two of the victims. “Oh its unbearable just the thought.”

Reid is related to two of the victims but knows all four. Ofemi Hightower, Deshawn Harvey and Terrance Aeriel were shot and killed execution style. Shot and injured is Terrance's sister: 19-year-old Natasha Aeriel.

Tags: newark, nj, students, shot, execution, mt. vernon

Giant Squid Washes Up on Tsmanian Beach

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:25:27 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: now ask me why i dont like the ocean

Clip Source: www.foxnews.com

The dead squid, measuring 3 feet across at its widest point and 26 feet from the tip of its body to the end of its tentacles, was found early Wednesday by a beachcomber at Ocean Beach on the island state of Tasmania's west coast, the museum said.

HOBART, Australia — A squid as long as a bus and weighing 550 pounds washed up on an Australian beach, officials said Wednesday.

"It is a whopper," said Genefor Walker-Smith, a zoologist who studies invertebrates at the Tasmanian Museum.

Tags: tasmanian beach, squid, australia

Sims announces new EP on E3 lineup

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:20:17 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: Just when I thought I was out....they pulled me back in

Clip Source: blogs.guardian.co.uk

"EA is excited to announce The Sims 2 Castaway, a brand new game from The Sims Label that challenges your Sims to survive and prosper on an uncharted tropical island. Available on the Wii, Nintendo DS, the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the PSP system this Fall, the journey in The Sims 2 Castaway begins when your Sims are washed ashore and must overcome the forces of nature, craft tools for survival, and explore their surroundings to unravel the island's mysteries.

They'll learn to build a life from scratch in an undiscovered paradise while unearthing clues that will lead them back to civilization. By discovering the many useful treasures and ancient mysteries hidden deep within a diverse jungle, your Sims will discover all the things a tropical island has to offer, including plants, fruits, wildlife and more! From tattered clothing to sunburned skin, your Sims will change as they take on the many challenges of tropical island life and learn to survive in style.

Tags: sims, e3, ea, lost, castaway, psp, wii, playstation 2, ps3

The class divide between Facebook and Myspace

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 17:04:25 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: a nice article by itself but better enhanced by the broad range of comments.

Clip Source: blogs.guardian.co.uk

MySpace is about teenage rebellion; ugliness and defiantly folded arms. Facebook is much more popular among those of college age and older - it's more grown up, and looking at it isn't like pouring acid into your eyeballs.

So it's timely that Danah Boyd, one of the most incisive researchers looking at societies on the web, has come up with a paper on the class structures of Facebook and MySpace. In essence, she says good middle class kids use Facebook, while the working classes use MySpace. In many respects it is one of those things that puts what you already know into context, but it's a worthwhile read.

You can't move for people talking about Facebook at the moment.

But aside from all of the boggle-eyed social butterflies who spend hours each day updating their profile and the hand-rubbing money men (including those who enjoy stating the obvious) the real interest for me lies in who uses it, and why.

Tags: class, divide, facebook, myspace, socioeconomic, users, emo

Nintendo Market Cap Exceeds Sony's . . .Just for a Day

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:53:45 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: i hear the imperal march in the background as i read this

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

For a few brief moments on the Osaka Stock Exchange today, Nintendo's share price rose high enough to give the Kyoto-based company a market capitalization of 6.59 Trillion Yen, just a little higher than rival Sony's, which stood at 6.5 Trillion Yen. By the close of trading, however, the Nin closed at 6.39, while Sony fell to 6.49.

"How the mighty have fallen, etc.," as applied to Sony's gaming and portable music efforts, is fast becoming a cliche. Can this corporation, so bloated that every other executive has a list of titles to rival a medieval European monarch, turn its fortunes around? Is it agile enough to reposition the PS3, as Sir Howard believes it can?

This is all the result of Sony never having had a decent mascot.

Tags: nintendo, psp, sony, stock, earnings, mario, osaka, japan

Woman dies in ER lobby

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 21:31:47 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: what else has to happen around the LAPD before people realize there is a real problem there?

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

LOS ANGELES - A woman who lay bleeding on the emergency room floor of a troubled inner-city hospital died after 911 dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility, newly released tapes of the emergency calls reveal.

Relatives said Rodriguez was bleeding from the mouth and writhing in pain for 45 minutes while she was at a hospital waiting area. Experts have said she could have survived had she been treated early enough.

County and state authorities are now investigating Rodriguez’s death. Relatives reported she died as police were wheeling her out of the hospital after the officers they had asked to help Rodriguez arrested her instead on a parole violation. Sheriff’s Department spokesman Duane Allen said Wednesday that the investigation is ongoing.

The dispatcher told Prado to contact a doctor and then said paramedics wouldn’t pick her up because she was already in a hospital.

Tags: la, los angeles, california, ca, police, hospital, er, racism, 911

China Likely Blocks Flickr

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:36:47 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: sounds like something Bush would do

Clip Source: www.pcworld.com

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Flickr.com, one of the world's most popular online photo-sharing sites and owned by Yahoo Inc. , is likely being blocked by the Chinese government, Yahoo's Hong Kong unit said on Tuesday.

Flickr -- popular among a growing class of digital photo enthusiasts in the world's second-largest Internet market -- has not shown photos to users in mainland China since last week, amid rumors Beijing took action after images of the Tiananmen massacre in early June 1989 were posted.

"It appears that the Chinese government is restricting access to Flickr, although we have not received confirmation from them," the spokeswoman said in the email.

"It is our understanding that Flickr users in China are not able to see images on Flickr, and we have confirmed that this is not a technical issue on our end," a spokeswoman for Yahoo Hong Kong said in an email in response to a Reuters inquiry.

Officials from China's Ministry of Information Industry could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Tags: bush, flickr, camera, banned, censorship, internet, ministry

Apple to launch US iPhone on June 29

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 14:18:32 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: Things are getting really exciting

Clip Source: technology.timesonline.co.uk

Apple has confirmed that it will release its long-awaited iPhone on June 29 in the US.

In a series of ads aired on 60 Minutes in the US last night, the California-based company revealed the launch date, ending months of speculation about when one of the most anticipated products would come to market.

The device, which combines the functions of phone, media player and PDA, will sell in two versions - costing $499 and $599 respectively - depending on the memory capacity, and be available only on one network, AT&T.

When he introduced the iPhone in January, Steve Jobs, Apple's chief executive, seemed reluctant to allow outside developers create software for the device, but at a conference last week he appeared to have changed his mind, saying that the company was looking for ways to work with outside parties.

The initial contract to make the iPhone was reportedly won by Hon Hai, another Taipai-based manufacturer.

Tags: iphone, us, release, date, price

Nokia's Luxury Steel and Glass Luna 8600.

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 13:58:36 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: "Smoked glass and steel might remind you of a 1970s coffee table, but the new Luna 8600 from Nokia is all 2007 class. Aimed squarely at the the high end of the market, the 8600 is the first Mokia to use a micro USB port. " ....yes this will be my new phone

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

Smoked glass and steel might remind you of a 1970s coffee table, but the new Luna 8600 from Nokia is all 2007 class. Aimed squarely at the the high end of the market, the 8600 is the first Mokia to use a micro USB port.

It has all the usual functions: 2MP camera, video recording and streaming, music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+ and eAAC+), Quad band GSM, EDGE, GPRS and HSCSD. I'm not sure what the Finns were thinking up there at Nokia HQ in Espoo, but the Luna also sports a pulsing light under the keypad (which is itself encased in glass) that provides the phone with a "heartbeat" when you receive a call.

Tags: nokia luna phone glass camera usb

TB Patient ID'd as an Atlanta GA lawyer

Thu, 31 May 2007 20:38:07 GMT

clipped by: tonya-yvonne
clipper's remarks: ...I'm guessing that the guy and his soon to be father in law dont have a close relationship...well they probably dont anymore. Wonder if the father slipped him a TB mickey at the rehersal dinner.

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

ATLANTA (AP) - The honeymooner quarantined with a dangerous strain of tuberculosis was identified Thursday as a 31-year-old personal injury lawyer whose new father-in-law is a CDC microbiologist specializing in the spread of TB.

The father-in-law, Bob Cooksey, would not comment on whether he reported his son-in-law to federal health authorities. He said only that he gave 31-year-old Andrew Speaker ``fatherly advice'' when he learned the young man had contracted the disease.

Tags: tp, patient, atlanta, cdc, disease, family, father-in-law