Stapes

Mystery Martian cleans US space buggy

An unexplained phenomenon akin to a space-borne car wash has boosted the performance of one of the two US rovers probing the surface of Mars, New Scientist magazine said.

It said something - or someone - had regularly cleaned layers of dust from the solar panels of the Mars Opportunity vehicle while it was closed down during the Martian night.

The cleaning had boosted the panels' power output close to their maximum 900 watt-hours per day after at one stage dropping to 500 watt-hours because of the heavy Martian dirt.

By contrast, the power output of the solar panels of Mars Spirit - on a different part of the Red Planet - had dropped to just 400 watt-hours a day, clogged by the heavy dust.

"These exciting and unexplained cleaning events have kept Opportunity in really great shape," the magazine quoted NASA rover team leader Jim Erickson as saying.

-Reuters

Another bigger article

Happy Birthday Paisley.

Hope we get to throw down again soon.

Yes

Remember that part in TRON with the lightcycles? That was cool. Remember the four million lightcycle games that followed close on its heels? That got a bit tiring. SWRON puts a new twist on the lightcycle game by changing to an up-close view, just like in the movie, except with an oddly out of place rubber squeal when you crash. It's not really an improvement, but it's nice to see how technology's improved since 1982.

SRON

Full Sight

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AP) -- An American T-shirt company has a solution for their fellow citizens who want to vacation in Europe without having to answer questions about U.S. politics -- pose as Canadians.

For $24.95, T-shirtKing.com offers the "Go Canadian" package, full of just the kind of things an American traveler needs to leave their country and its politics behind.

There's a Canadian flag T-shirt, a Canadian flag lapel pin and a Canadian patch for luggage or a backpack. There's also a quick reference guide -- "How to Speak Canadian, Eh?" -- on answering questions about Canada.

It's the brainchild of employees at the Mountainair, New Mexico-based company known for novelty T-shirts it sells worldwide on the Internet.

"It's not meant as a slight against the United States or Canada," explained T-shirtKing.com President Bill Broadbent. "It was meant as something Republicans could give their Democrat friends to say 'C'est la vie.' ... But maybe not c'est la vie because that's a French word."

The "Go Canadian" idea sprouted after one of Broadbent's colleagues heard of someone being harassed about U.S. politics during a recent overseas trip.

Some people might not mind, but others "just want to be on vacation," Broadbent said. "So we were joking that they could just go as Canadians, and that just kind of evolved."

The package went up on T-shirtKing.com's Web site November 12 and the company had sold a couple hundred in the first two weeks or so. Many of the out-of-state buyers were in Michigan, Illinois, and the Seattle area, Broadbent said.

When lifelong Democrat Dani Delaney saw the package, she was immediately sold. After the general election, she said, "if I could move to Canada, I would."

"I admire their liberal, progressive stand on things," said the 57-year-old, part-time writing instructor at the University of New Mexico. "And I thought, 'Well, that's a good way to peacefully protest.'"

Sylvia Dawson's boyfriend has been joking that she needed to find him a Canadian flag for an upcoming trip to Spain. That's after his daughter, who is studying there, warned that he might be questioned about politics when he comes to visit.

So she bought a package.

"I said, 'What are you going to do if someone asks you about the prime minister of Canada?' And he said, 'I'll study up,"' Dawson said.

Such questions are the reason for the package's quick reference guide, which offers tips in case an American in disguise gets quizzed on Canada.

When it comes to sports, the guide suggests: "This is easy to remember. There is only one real sport in Canada and it is called hockey. Regardless of any trivia question, the answer is 'Wayne Gretzky."'

If a Canadian says he had to "deke out of a meeting," it means he avoided the meeting. If someone is headed to "Hogtown," that's Canadian for Toronto. A trip to "Cowtown" means the person is going to Calgary.

And in all cases, the guide advises: "If your vacation is to be stress free, leave those heavy politics behind and travel with a light heart and quick wit, Canadian style."

Full Story

Happy Birthday!

Twenty-one-year-olds Ashlee Spinks of Indianapolis and Andrea Springer of Conyers, Ga., delivered their boys by scheduled Caesarean sections Tuesday about an hour apart at Northside Hospital.

The women were six months pregnant when they found out they were both going to have twin boys due on the same date - Jan. 1, 2005.

Spinks came to Georgia several weeks ago to share the pregnancy with her sister, and Spinks' husband, Bert Means, flew into town Monday to join the birthing party.

The two couples said twins run in the families of all four parents, and that they did not use fertility drugs to conceive the babies.

Dr. Larry Matsumoto, a physician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, said the chances of twin sisters being pregnant with twin boys due on the same date are probably one in a million.

I love sharks and I like you Cyberhippie wonder why they had to kill it?

The worlds oceans will be fu©ked when these beautiful fish are all gone.

and the ugly ones.

Goblin Shark

Wow!

Quint: [seeing Hooper's equipment] What are you? Some kind of half-assed astronaut?

[examining the shark cage]

Quint: Jesus H Christ, when I was a boy, every little squirt wanted to be a harpooner or a sword fisherman. What d'ya have there - a portable shower or a monkey cage?

Hooper: Anti-Shark cage.

Quint: "Anti-shark cage". You go in the cage?

[Hooper nods]

Quint: Cage goes in the water. Shark's in the water. Our shark.

[sings]

Quint: Farewell and adieu to you, fair Spanish ladies. Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain. For we've received orders for to sail back to Boston. And so nevermore shall we see you again.

stapes

What a great person and friend! Definitely a "Nice!" Wonderful job of always considering others. Hands out compliments regularly. Knows the great importance of "please" and "thank you." A good role model. The main suggestions for improvement: eat more veggies and really wash those hands!

Canada is officially the new "land of the brave and free"

Monday, December 6 12:00 AM ET

Washington, D.C. - The Department of Commerce announced today that the Government of Canada has purchased worldwide intellectual property (IP) rights to the motto "The Land of the Free" for an undisclosed sum.

The well-known phrase is from the closing bars of the American national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key. The announcement was made to coincide with President George W. Bush's visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia, this week. President Bush is making his first state visit to Canada since he took office.

"At Kellogg's, one of our core strengths has been the skillful management of brand assets," explained Secretary of Commerce nominee and former Kellogg's CEO Carlos Gutierrez. "A brand identity is a group of values and feelings that is most valuable when it faithfully speaks for the ideals or products of an organization. When a brand no longer reflects an organization's ideals, the best course of action is to extract as much equity from it as possible. After November 2nd, this became the most profitable choice for the American people."

The 'Land of the Free' designation possesses what branding experts call 'high brand equity', explained Cynthia Woods, Vice President of Brand Management at Global Texan Inc., a leading Houston corporate branding and PR firm. "Millions of Americans have striven to build brand value during the two centuries since Independence. We have braved dangerous native peoples, subdued vast, unspoiled wildernesses, and engaged sacrificially in several just wars," she explained. "Even though these threats have been wiped out, and such sacrifices may no longer seem relevant today, we cannot dismiss the financial value that has been generated by these activities."

"If a Kleenex no longer cleans your nose, then what's the point of calling it that?" said President Bush. "Freedom comes at a high price," he added soberly. "It would be unfortunate and unwise not to get something for it."

"We are delighted to have closed this agreement with our great neighbor to the south," said Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. "As Canadians, we have always prided ourselves on our open and just society. Today's agreement will give Canadians both the permission and the governmental protection they need to be the standard-bearers for freedom on this continent."

Spanish songs in Andalucia

The shooting sites in the days of '39

Oh, please, leave the ventana open

Federico Lorca is dead and gone

Bullet holes in the cemetery walls

The black cars of the Guardia Civil

Spanish bombs on the Costa Rica

I'm flying in a DC 10 tonight

CHORUS

Spanish bombs, yo te quiero INFINITO

Yo TE QUIERO, oh MI corazon

Spanish bombs, yo te quiero INFINITO

Yo TE QUIERO, oh MI corazon

Spanish weeks in my disco casino

The freedom fighters died upon the hill

They sang the red flag

They wore the black one

But after they died it was Mockingbird Hill

Back home the buses went up in flashes

The Irish tomb was drenched in blood

Spanish bombs shatter the hotels

My señorita's rose was nipped in the bud

CHORUS

Spanish bombs, yo te quiero INFINITO

Yo TE QUIERO, oh MI corazon

Spanish bombs, yo te quiero INFINITO

Yo TE QUIERO, oh MI corazon

The hillsides ring with "Free the people"

Or can I hear the echo from the days of '39?

With trenches full of poets

The ragged army, fixin' bayonets to fight the other line

Spanish bombs rock the province

I'm hearing music from another time

Spanish bombs on the Costa Brava

I'm flying in on a DC 10 tonight

CHORUS

Spanish bombs, yo te quiero INFINITO

Yo TE QUIERO, oh MI corazon

Spanish bombs, yo te quiero INFINITO

Yo TE QUIERO, oh MI corazon

oh MI corazon

oh MI corazon

Spanish songs in Andalucia, mandolina, oh mi corazon

Spanish songs in Granada, oh mi corazon

oh MI corazon

oh MI corazon

oh MI corazon

Flashing lights hover over Darwin

December 6, 2004

EVEN the sceptics are questioning the origins of a strange light that hovered over Darwin on Saturday night.

Several readers phoned the Northern Territory News late on Saturday night to describe the unidentified flying object that captured their attention.

But neither the RAAF or the airport were able to shed any light on the flashing green, blue and red lights witnesses saw.

Laboratory technician Julie Lynn was relaxing on the balcony with husband Nigel at their Leanyer home when they noticed the UFO about 8.30pm.

A self-described sceptic, Mrs Lynn believes there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for why the UFO hovered above Darwin - she just has no idea what it could be.

"It was fascinating to watch," she said.

"I was quite looking forward to curling up on the couch and watching a movie but it had our attention until we went to bed after midnight.

"It hovered in the one place for at least two hours but had moved significantly when we checked on it again before we went to bed.

"I can't believe there are UFOs or little green men out there - there must be an obvious explanation.

"And we weren't drinking so it wasn't something we imagined."

The UFO was described as being shaped like three connected ball-shaped spheres that flashed blue, green and red from as many as six different light sources.

It first appeared in a south-easterly direction and was moving northeast.

Department of Defence spokeswoman Kelly Cooper said the UFO was definitely not a secret military aircraft or RAAF-related.

The airport also denied the UFO could have been a plane waiting to land in Darwin.

Link

Ooooh, ahhhhhhh (and a groan from the women's rights campaigner at the back)

Gerard Seenan

Saturday December 4, 2004

The Guardian

It is not an activity generally associated with audience participation. By its very nature, pornography is made for the voyeur rather than participant.

But a new nightclub in Edinburgh is aiming to combine pornography with the only activity which perhaps provokes more general embarrassment: karaoke. The somewhat unusual hybrid is being called pornaoke.

Instead of tanked-up businessmen and hen nights murdering cheesy hits, pornaoke participants are being asked to provide the soundtrack for silent porn films - supplying grunts, screams and groans.

Anyone feeling they can outdo Meg Ryan's performance in When Harry Met Sally may be up for a prize in the best solo performance category. Those not wishing to alarm their partner(s) can enter the group sex category.

The promoters of the club said the night was more akin to a 70s quizshow than a cinema screening hardcore skin flicks, though admittedly one with fewer clothes.

"Pornaoke is set up like a comedy night," said Mark Taylor of Capture Entertainment. "We have the wah-wah guitarist providing the soundtrack, the comperes are comedians, there is a hostess and a host who collect people's entries and help explain the night."

Even the Pornaoke Lounge's compere, the stand-up Garth Cruickshanks - whose new role implies that winning a Perrier award is not the fast track to fame and fortune it would suggest - admits his first experience of pornaoke was a little bemusing.

"To be honest, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it at first," he said. "But the people taking part really enjoyed themselves and understand that it is just harmless fun.

"We expect that mainly young party people will come along - not the dirty raincoat brigade."

Women's rights groups, however, are not convinced the club is really so benign.

Catherine Harper of the campaign group Scottish Women Against Pornography, said: "I am so tired of hearing that clubs like this are just a bit of fun. It is sexist and tawdry beyond belief.

"What you are talking about is yet another place where men and women are subjected to the influences that make them devalue each other's sexuality."

Holy Jebas.

Stapes, I always forget about those shots. I think that one is a winner. Heck, I dont know if I have a shot that can top that one on the ole hard-drive, but I will take a look.

That unknown stranger beside you looks messed.

That unknown stranger is actually Phil Geroux from the Tom Green show.

I'm sure you have worse than that on the old hard drive.

textbook disclaimers