There are record breakers and then there are record breakers. For some record breakers, you'll look at it and go "Wow, I didn't know you could do that". But for others a big fat what is all you'll be thinking about. Running around in an over-sized inflatable ball? World's fastest office? You've gotta be kidding me. No offense but how hard is it to bounce around in a big ball or drive a vehicle disguised as an office? Anyone up for world's fastest toilet? Or has that already been claimed?
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Ever wished you had eyes on the back of your head? Well, this turtle has got it all and more. With 2 heads on opposite ends of the shell, this turtle could turn out to be a mean ninja turtle... If it could decide which way to go. For this turtle, two heads are definitely not better than one.
Edit: For those who can't see the BBC video above here's an alternative video I found.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Looking to buy something? Why not get it for free? PayItToMe.com is a brand new website that allows you to do just that.
The idea is simple - visitors submit photos of items they want and advertisers buy the items for them. And if you're skeptical like I was at first, 2 people are already popping the champagne and celebrating. The first person, John, received $40 for his Heroes DVD, while another, Json, walked away with a $22.99 beer pack.
Maybe an iPhone will finally materialize in front of my eyes... Or not, since someone else already submitted their entry and no one has bought it so far.
[Source: New Advertising Model: Wish Fulfillment @ Techcrunch]
(The ending features possibly Not Work Safe language. But then again why are you watching this at work? I'm quite sure your work is a million times more entertaining than this.)
(Inaccurate and wildly distorted) Description:
This guy is like the Pied Piper of drugged up ecstasy e-tards. Remember, Technoviking does not dance to the music, the music dances to Technoviking!
Do not ask me how this video got over 1,000,000 views in less than a day. And no, the million isn't a typo. Seriously how does a clip showing a half clothed muscle man writhing to some techno music garner so much interest?
Well if you're wondering the same thing, here are some things I found out about the video. First, it came from an event called F**kParade, which is more of a demonstration than a parade. This is obvious at the end of the video but what the hell is the F**kParade? I'll let Wikipedia fill you in. (I have no problem with the uncensored version of the name, but some people do so there you go.)
Second, probably everyone who saw this was German. Yeah, I know you're not German and neither am I but that only makes the 2 of us. How else can you account for the absurd number of views?
Third, there isn't really a point to the video - hence the most pointless video you'll see today. At first, I thought it was going to lead somewhere but that somewhere turned out to be nowhere. Unless you count nowhere as a somewhere.
Now that I'm done, can I have 5 minutes of my life back please?
Like many things, a stethoscope can be used in several ways. Listening to heartbeats, cracking safes and spying on people?!? Oops, did I mention that out loud? Yes, the big secret is out - hacked stethoscopes can be used for discreet surveillance through walls.
In this video, the guy shows you just how you could that all for the low price of $25. While a nice hack, somehow I don't think you can listen through thick concrete walls. Not that I've tried.
A couple of hours ago, Apple released new firmware for the iPhone and iPod Touch, bumping up the version number to 1.1.1. And they've made good on their promise warning about bricking iPhones.
WARNING: Apple has discovered that some of the unauthorized unlocking programs available on the Internet may cause irreparable damage to the iPhone's software. IF YOU HAVE MODIFIED YOUR IPHONE'S SOFTWARE, APPLYING THIS SOFTWARE UPDATE MAY RESULT IN YOUR IPHONE BECOMING PERMANENTLY INOPERABLE. Making unauthorized modifications to the software on your iPhone violates the iPhone software license agreement, and the inability to use your iPhone to unauthorized software modifications is not covered under your iPhone's warranty.
Gizmodo has all the gory details in a massive and regularly updated post, but to spare you the agony of reliving this nightmare over and over again, here's the quick summary.
Don't update your iPhone, period. Wait patiently for the iPhone Dev Team or someone else to release a workaround. anySim or iPhone Sim Free will fail upon updating the iPhone to the latest firmware, resulting in a locked iPhone. The iPhone isn't bricked, but you can't activate/unlock/use it either, so I'm not sure where that actually leaves you. The only exception to the rule is that iPhones unlocked with iPhoneSimFree are able to use AT&T sim cards. Which kinda defeats the purpose of unlocking.
If you remained unconvinced, Jonathan Seff @ Macworld tried it out and was left with an iBrick.
[Link: iPhone Firmware 1.1.1 Out and Tested: Breaks 3rd-party Apps, Relocks iPhones and Sends Them to Semi-Brick Activation Limbo (Updated with video) @ Gizmodo]
Edit: [Link: What does and doesn't work with iPhone 1.1.1 (Updated 9x, now with more bricking but custom ringtones) @ Ars Technica]
Update: How to Downgrade from 1.1.1 to 1.0.2 aka pulling a kmac from
***Update***: Bricking can be reversed with iPhoneSIMFree's new SimFree v1.6!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Hidden Object In Google Earth
If you have Google Earth, try entering the coordinates 52 05 51.90 4 19 36.16 and see what loads up. Now zoom in and what do you see? Now what could that be... Let the conspiracy theories begin.
As I was typing this, a commenter, mennonl, says it's just some good ol' buildings. Darn, and here I was waiting for crazy ideas to populate the net.
its the dutch secret service building.
They call it CID
cid=centraal inlichtingen dienst
Today Google officially turned 9 years old and they're celebrating with a makeover of the Google logo. The g is no more, and has been replaced with a pinata, at least for today. Just what is a pinata? Here's what Wikipedia says:
The piñata is a brightly-coloured paper container filled with sweets and/or toys. It is generally suspended on a rope from a tree branch or ceiling and is used during celebrations. A succession of blindfolded, stick-wielding children try to break the piñata in order to collect the sweets (traditionally fruit, such as sugarcane) and/or toys inside of it. It has been used for hundreds of years to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas.
Looks like Google may be planning on stuffing their Googlers with even more good food! Could they erm, spread some love this way since it's their birthday? :)
Just heard this cover of Kiss Me by New Found Glory and I think that Sixpence None The Richer did the better job. It's easy to tell that Kiss Me is a romantic song. New Found Glory killed the romance of the song with their heavy rock influence. They'd probably be better off with Punch Me or Hit Me. Leave the lovey-dovey songs to Sixpence None The Richer.
Speaking of which, There She Goes is a great cover by Sixpence None The Richer. It's one of the few covers that is able to outclass the original song.
Sick of zooming around Earth? How does a trip to the moon sound?
Like Google Earth, Google Moon lets you visit the moon, but from your browser instead of downloading a separate program. While I doubt you'll find any aliens on the moon, you could check out some historical sites. Here's the Apollo 11 site to get you started.
Or try Nasa's World Wind, which has pictures of other planets as well.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Avira’s exclusive offer only for PC World Komputer. All you have to do is to insert your email address and you will receive a free of charge 6 months license in no time. Take a look at your Premium advantages:
Box Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Premium
* Reliable protection against viruses, worms, root kits, Trojans etc.
* Inclusive email scanner
* Fast antivirus updates thank to the small data packages
* Proven, multi-award-winning virus and malware protection technology
* Over 15 million AntiVir users
Grab your free premium license at Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Premium for 6 months @ Avira!
If you want Avira's Premium Security Suite, it's also free for 3 months at Avira Premium Security Suite for 90 days @ Avira.
[Source: Avira Premium free for six months @ Wilders Security Forums]
Video: Windows DreamScene Released - New DreamScenes
Like it? Download more dreams at Stardock's Dream gallery.
Not using Vista Ultimate? Try this hack to enable Windows Dreamscene on other Vista versions or XP using VLC.
[Source: A look at the Windows DreamScene Content Pack Favorites @ Windows Vista blog]
A few hours ago, BlogRush sent out an email to all its members titled "Shocking Changes At BlogRush". In it, spammers are bashed and BlogRush, boosted.
Edit: The entire email can be found at Shocking Changes At BlogRush! @ income.com blog. Just a heads up, the email spans a few pages if you want to read it.
BlogRush?
If you haven't the faintest idea what BlogRush is, it's the latest way to get more traffic for your site. By installing the BlogRush widget on your site, you get free advertising on other BlogRush-ed sites every time someone visits your site. Caught your interest? Click here to sign up for BlogRush. Don't worry, it's totally free!
The email
Well, back to the lengthy email. It looks like things at BlogRush are about to change for the better or worse, depending on your use of BlogRush. If you're a spammer/cheater, seize the day and grab as much traffic as you can now, you won't be able to do so for long. For legitimate users, updates to the BlogRush widget and system should keep you satisfied.
Upcoming features
So how is BlogRush actually changing? Here's a quick look at what was promised in the email:
- Total shift to a manual review system.
- All blogs new or not will be hand picked for review.
- Spammers/Cheaters and non-English blogs will be weeded out.
- More categories
- Increased categories to improve post relevance.
- Better reports
- Reports will be adjusted to reflect bonus credits activity.
- Bonus credits
- Low traffic users will gain extra bonus credits.
- Improved credit usage
- Credit buildup will be balanced out.
New Features
But that's not all. There are 2 new features that have already been implemented. These are:
- BlogRush Flavors
- Choose between 13 different colors to suit your site.
- Post Filters
- Like Widget Filters, except Post Filters apply to your own posts. Use them to filter out irrelevant posts and save your credits.
Thoughts
Reviewing every site manually is tedious. Why not go social? Some users have probably clicked into the spam sites. Have an alert button built into the widget for users to flag a site just like Blogger. Then when flags accumulate, the site will get reviewed. It also helps prevent existing sites from morphing into something undesirable.
As for BlogRush Flavors, some CSS manipulation would be nice. 13 colors just can't compare with the millions of colors out there. Click-thrus will also improve if people can blend in their widgets with their sites.
And please send a shorter email next time.
Descended down digg: A 15 year old boy flies in the wing of a Boeing 737 and survives the entire ordeal!
Not sure why it was so incredible? Here's what he was up against:
- 2 hour, 1,300 kilometers (808 mile) flight to Moscow
- Flying at 10,000 metres above ground
- Moving at 900 kmh (560 mph)
- Estimated ambient temperature: -50 degrees Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit) !!!
And he made it through relatively unscathed except for severe frostbite on his hands. Hopefully the doctors can save his hands as well. Then he can take over the Die Hard franchise.
[Pictures: Его судьба в руках бога @ Твой ДЕНЬ (Russian)]
[Pictures: Пролетевшему в крыле Boeing-737 подростку грозит ампутация рук @ NEWru.com (Russian)]
[Source: Teen boy flies inside Boeing-737 wing for 2 hours and loses his both hands @ Pravda]
[Source: Boy survives two-hour flight to Moscow hanging onto plane wing @ RIA Novosti]
Did eBay get hacked? According to Ebay Hacked! - Credit Cards, Bank Accounts being posted on T & S in the eBay forums, private details such as credit details and bank information have been leaked in another eBay forum called TrustSafety. Posters noted that that thread has since been locked, although I can't confirm this since I don't use eBay.
To see the list of affected accounts, someone setup a page of possibly compromised accounts on their website.
Edit: AuctionBytes has the full summary story (full summary? What was I thinking...). Legitimacy of info is still in doubt though.
Edit: The eBay Chatter has a post about the leaked details. Seems the contact info could be legit, but your bank/paypal/credit card details are quite safe. They're contacting affected members to see what happened.
[Source: J.N.Lew Design Group]
Story
Amazon announces a new competitor to iTunes, Amazon MP3.
The Good
- Digital Rights Management (DRM) free - no restrictions imposed. Use on any MP3 player, not just iPods.
- A la carte - buy any songs you want, instead of entire albums.
- $0.89 - $0.99 for songs
- Top 100 best-selling songs are $0.89, unless stated otherwise
- Albums from $5.99 to $9.99
- Top 100 best-selling albums are $8.99 or lower, unless stated otherwise
- High quality - 256kbps
- Download individual songs using one-click button
The Bad
- Only 2 million songs
- Amazon MP3 Downloader software required for album downloads.
- Amazon MP3 Downloader runs only on Windows XP/Vista, Mac OSX 10.4 or higher. Linux version in the works.
- In beta - may contain some bugs.
Thoughts
Plenty of people have been claiming that they would be scrambling to lighten their wallets if there was a reasonable offering of DRM free, high quality tracks. While not as cheap as
Amazon MP3 also has the added advantage of its existing customer base who already know how to use the Amazon website. By making the process of downloading singles similar to its other products, Amazon may have
[Source: Amazon.com Launches Public Beta of Amazon MP3, a Digital Music Store Offering Customers Earth’s Biggest Selection of a la Carte DRM-Free MP3 Music Downloads @ Business Wire via Engadget]
Edit: Related Video
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Seen on digg: Thieves steal laptop. Caught on camera. Found on Flickr. Hunt the hunters!
Disclaimer: As noted by some diggers and comments at his blog, the person may simply be an innocent man who bought one of the stolen laptops.
[Source: Name that thief @ billmacewen.com]
[Link: Bonus Pics]
[Video: Thieves at work?]
Background
Imagine you're (legally) cycling down the road minding your own business when a bus comes along and honks at you. Not only do you have nowhere to move to, you notice that the adjacent lane has no vehicles occupying it!
That is what happened to a cyclist recently when he was on the road. Believing that he was right, he daringly challenges the bus driver by blocking the mammoth tank with his puny bike. He kindly informs her of the hazardous situation she had put him in.
The Twist
"You were in my way. You need to get off the road!" yells the bus driver. The cyclist ignores her and starts to call the cops. Unable to get through, he calls his wife to help him as well.
Starting the engine, she bumps the cyclist with her bus. He doesn't budge. Some of the passengers are now getting impatient. They scream at the cyclist to get away, even though it's clear who's at fault.
When the police arrives, both the cyclist and his wife (who just arrived on the scene) are cuffed! After a long discussion, it was decided that no arrests would be made. However, the cyclist may still get charged, depending on the outcome of the investigation.
Later, the bus driver's unfriendly behavior was explained to the cyclist. “But you have to understand, that’s how they are trained to drive. They are told to honk at road hazards!”
For the unabridged version, go to LAist (link below).
Thoughts
David fights Goliath and in this case, it was more trouble than it was worth. The real mystery however, is why the cyclist and his wife got arrested. And why bus drivers are taught to honk at anything on the road instead of proper road etiquette.
[Source: Hollywood Bus Driver Attacks Cyclist, LAPD Handcuff Cyclist (and Wife!) @ LAist via digg]
Monday, September 24, 2007
Background
The One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Project aims to provide children in developing countries with cheap US$100 laptops. Foreseeing the abuse the XO laptops would have to go through, these XO laptops are designed to be rugged and energy efficient. It also includes a handy hand pump to pump power if necessary.
This got plenty of other people interested in buying one, due to its touted reliability and low price. Many offered to donate one XO laptop to a child in a developing country, thus subsidizing the cost of the XO laptop for that child in return for the option to buy one. But these pleas went unheard until now.
The offer
Facing several setbacks like a hike in its price, the OLPC Project relented and has just offered this offer out to everyone. For 2 weeks beginning Nov 12, you can buy the XO laptop for US$400 and give one away absolutely free! Be the first 25,000 people to get it by Christmas! The rest have to twiddle their thumbs till the new year. Visit the xogiving.org website for more.
Thoughts
While a neat idea, are you wondering why they aren't leaving the flood doors open? One word - exclusiveness. By restricting supply, you can
- get publicity every time the doors are opened again.
- maintain people's interest (those who haven't bought one or intend to buy another).
Increase the price.Doesn't apply here since OLPC Project is non-profit, but useful if you're running a business.
[Link: One Laptop per Child (OLPC) Official site @ xogiving.org]
[Source: '$100 laptop' to sell to public @ BBC News]
Just a joke? Not so, it's a real body hack. Imagine all the extra things you could do - daydream, laze around, surf this blog, etc... if you can convince your boss he should be paying you to sleep while everyone else is working.
[Source: xkcd comics]
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Found in tomorrow's coupon section:
For a limited time only, go to www.snausages.com and register to receive a coupon for free Snausages Paw Prints via mail. Offer is limited to the first 50,000 registrants. Complete offer details on website.
I tried to get the details to post here, but they're not available yet:
The Snausages Paw Prints™ Promotion begins on September 22nd, 2007 - 09:00:00 AM (CT).
The offer isn't at the Snausages site, it's actually at the sister site, Snausages Paw Prints. And don't expect your dog to be happy to see the mailman. Instead it's a boring piece of paper. Only for the first 50,000 suckers living in the US. What you will get your paws on from the Snausages Paw Prints terms and conditions:The first 50,000 eligible individuals to submit a valid request, as determined by Del Monte, will be sent via U.S. mail one (1) coupon for Snausages Paw Prints™ dog snacks (ARV: $2.49).
As for the rest, you'll get to buy the pretty dog treat with Guinness World Records (wow!) for a dollar less.
Individuals who submit a valid request in excess of 50,000 will be sent to a link for a printable on-line coupon which may be used towards the purchase of Snausages Paw Prints™ dog snacks.
Better than nothing though, guess every dog does have its day.
[Source: Your Daily Freebies Forum]
Watch Chris Bliss mesmerize the crowd in this amazing juggling finale.
In the beginning, Chris Bliss starts off slow and no one is impressed. The crowd is probably bored to tears as Chris gets warmed up. After a while, you start to notice that his actions are in sync with the music. By now you're just wishing that the music would speed up or for him to drop a ball.
35 seconds into the video, the pace suddenly changes. Chris scores a wow from the crowd with several short and quick exchanges. Not wanting to show off his best hand too soon, he alternates the pace in tune with the music. But there's more, a lot more. Guess you have to watch it to find out. :)
If you're a digger (reader of Digg), you probably rely on the official Digg feed to feed your addiction (pun fully intended) instead of hitting the refresh button till your fingers fall off. While the official Digg feed may be sufficient for normal diggers, it simply leaves power diggers digging for more.
This is where the unofficial Digg feeds come in. They rely on the powerful Digg API to provide you with an enhanced Digg experience while you digg. However, just like there are top diggers and normal diggers, not all Digg feeds are created equal.
Official Digg Feed
First, let's examine the official Digg feed provided by Digg. The shortcomings are evident almost immediately. Click a story link, it loads the digg page. Who's the smartass that submitted it? How many foolish souls agreed with that smartass? Those are just some examples of stuff you won't be finding out from the official Digg feed.
DiggFeedr
Up next is DiggFeedr. DiggFeedr was dugg recently and shows some improvement over the official Digg feed. Some useful stats are shown, like diggs and comments. DiggFeedr also has space for 100 dugg stories unlike the official Digg feed topping out at a paltry 40 links.
It still needs some minor work however. You can bypass digg and head straight to the story... after fumbling through Feedburner. See who had something to blab about the story... but scroll down first.
Very small details, yes, but it's so very trival to fix that there's no reason not to. I suggest turning off Feedburner tracking and changing comment links to http://digg.com/DiggStoryURL/all#c-rply-to0, but that's just me.
Super Digg Feed
As its name suggests, Super Digg Feed is really quite a super duper digg feed. Think of it as DiggFeedr brought to a whole new level. Almost everything in DiggFeedr is included in Super Digg Feed, except for a link to the story's category. The comments could also do with a better link (see DiggFeedr above). However to make up for those, Super Digg Feed has 2 bonus features - related Flickr photos and mirrors.
For every story, Super Digg Feed finds a relevant Flickr photo and inserts it into the feed. While an interesting feature not found in any other feed, the photos don't always make sense. The mirror links though, hit the nail on the head. A necessity for servers that are built on quicksand.
Direct Digg Feed
The final contender is Direct Digg Feed. It's a variant of Super Digg Feed so you know it's super as well. Throwing away the Flickr photos, it adds more mirror links and has a clean look. In my opinion, among the 3 unofficial feeds, it's the best replacement for the official digg feed.
Disagree with me or know of other digg feeds? Tell me about it!
Continuing with the documentary format of the Halo 3 Museum ad and the second Halo 3 ad, Two Soldiers Reminisce is another well-made commercial for Halo 3. Two Soldiers Reminisce features two (duh) old timers recall their struggle, have a look at the weapons they used (plus a realistic Brute Striker) and as always, give a passing mention to the Master Chief. Edit: It seems this is actually officially called "Enemy Weapon".
Edit: And there's another Halo 3 film titled Hunted to enjoy. The darkness beckons.
[Source: Joystiq via digg]
Bonus: A montage of 2005 Plano Balloon Festival
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