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Planet Dave! Monday, October 31, 2005
That's one to grow on!
In this year's Halloween lesson, I learned that bonsai jack-o-lanterns are a fire hazard. Definitely something to keep in mind for next year.
Leaked 1st Draft of Statement from VP Dick Cheney
A first draft of a statement from Vice President Dick Cheney regarding the resignation of Lewis Libby have been leaked! Can't say I'm really surprised by anything he says in it.
The Best Beams, Lasers, Death Rays, and Photon Streams in Movie History
This is an interesting top ten list. It's the greatest energy beams in scifi movie history. The winner should be a surpirse to no one.
Legal Guide for Bloggers from the EFF
The fine folks over at the Electronic Frontier Foundation have published a legal guide for bloggers. Give a good overview of the DMCA, defamation suits, and trademark law. I really ought to read it. Maybe I will someday.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Put Down Your Key And No One Will Be Hurt
Ah, the endless stream of idiocy that airport security has become. I'm sure it's all for the best. I know I feel safer if people can't take their car keys with them on a flight.
Mercury in Vaccinations
Scot posted a sobering article on his blog. I couldn't even finish the article he linked to.
Open Letter To The Kansas School Board
Just doing my part to keep everyone up to speed on the latest developments in the field of Intelligent Design.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
New Star Wars Movie From the Makers of 'Troops'
From /., "A new fan-made Star Wars production is underway from the creators of the well-known 1997 Star Wars spoof 'Troops'. I.M.P.S. - The Relentless is a documentary style feature following the crew and missions of an Imperial Star Destroyer during the height of the Galactic Empire. While slightly more serious than Troops, the first available chapter of I.M.P.S is an exceptionally well-produced (and still subtly humorous) piece of fanfilm. Worth it for the incredible CGI alone." The experience shows. The production value of this is better than Troops, and the CGI is incredible. Unfortunately, it didn't have nearly as much humor as Troops did. But it's still entertaining if you have the bandwidth to download it.
PlanetDave HowTo - Homemade Baby Wipes
Have I mentioned that you can find damn near anything on the Internet?
Cybernet Wins Gizmodo's Office Prank Gold Medal
A while back, Gizmodo had a post about office pranks along with a call for people to submit office pranks that they'd seen or taken part in. Gene and Chris here at Cybernet sent in their superball prank. Witness the result. Note that due to the traffic, Chris had to move the prank page. The new page is here. Be sure to check out the video with Chris narrating. They got footage of the prank from three different angles. I love how Gene does a last minute check of Bill's area for anything breakable to spillable.
The Worm Within
In this day and age, not many of us have had to deal with a tapeworm. Just in case you've ever wondered about it, here's a guy who has. Granted, with modern medical technology, it wasn't life threatening. But it sure didn't sound pleasant.
Social Security
From The Mighty Pen, " "If it ain't broke... don't privatize it!" is the winner of MoveOn PAC's flash-animation contest called "Bush in 30 years". It does a real nice job summing up the whole issue."
Sometimes I can be so naive. I always thought that Social Security was for people who couldn't save their own retirement money. Rich people have 401ks and IRAs, they don't need it. So the whole concept of getting out of it what you put into it seemed to ignore the whole point. I guess maybe it's me who's missing the point.
Razor Review: Headblade S4
From Boing Boing, "Last year, I raved about the HeadBlade, a specialized plastic razor that keeps my pate polished. I just tried out the Cadillac of HeadBlades, the S4, and it's a beaut. The stainless steel razor resembles a Matchbox car with an edge. Indeed, it actually has rear wheels so it drives smoothly over your scalp. And unlike the plastic predecessor, the ring on the S4 that fits over your finger is spring-loaded so it doesn't slip. I also dig the kickstand that keeps the blade (Gillette Atra Plus or Schick Ultrex) elevated so it dries without the lubricating strip sticking to the tile. At $75, it ain't cheap, but I left the shower with zero nicks and a perfectly smooth dome." Hey Tiffany, does Diganta have one of these? Christmas is coming up, ya know.
Star Wars Barf Bags?
I've heard of some weird publicity campaigns in my time, but collectible Star Wars Airsickness Bags? That takes the cake.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Boing Boing: Science fair project on dangers of BB guns rejected b/c BB guns are dangerous
From BoingBoing, "Okay, follow the logic here:
Hypothesis: Middle School kids work for months on science project documenting the danger of BB guns using scientific methods, data, experiments, etc. thereby learning a valuable lesson about safety and the scientific process.
Result: Project is disqualified from the science fair because BB guns are too dangerous."
BSA Piracy Study Deeply Flawed
Just in case you were starting to believe the piracy numbers from the industry cry-babies (better not be any of MY readers in that group) I submit something I saw on /. about the Business Software Alliance. "The Economist has blown the lid off the BSA's recent report on software piracy (covered by Slashdot), referring to their methods as 'BS'. 'They dubiously presume that each piece of software pirated equals a direct loss of revenue to software firms.' The BSA has complained that the article is offensive but does not dispute their analysis. Score one for common sense."
PlanetDave How-To: Homebrew Air Conditioner
Ok, when I put this on the queue, it was hot out so it made a lot more sense. But it's something to think about for next summer.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Mammatus Clouds
Ok, I'm not even sure how to pronounce the name of these clouds, but man are they cool. They look like some kind of special effect.
Zork Parody in the Uncyclopedia
If you've played Zork, go check out the parody. If you haven't, go get some culture, you unwashed heathen.
Cool Optical Illusion
This is cool. You stare at the point in the center of a circle of purple dots. In sequence, the dots disappear and reappear. As your eyes get used to the dots, you stop seeing the purple dots, and only see their absence as green dots.
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Astrophysicists simulate 2bn-light-year cube of space with 20m galaxies
From BoingBoing, "The Virgo Consortium, a group of astrophysicsts from the Britain, Germany, the US and Canada, have created a simulation of the universe."
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
A Gamer's Manifesto
From /., "The top 20 things you always knew were wrong about games, but were afraid to talk about, since you thought that was just the way is was."
Neurotically Yours
If you've never seen an episode of Neurotically Yours, you need to check out their archives. I'm a fan of any that have Pilz-e, particularly Kavorkian Scarf.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Artist of the Day: Skottie Young
His stuff is really cool. Be sure to check out the Covers & Pinups section. He's got a great rendition of the Ninja Turtles.
What's faster? Text Messaging or Morse Code?
They put this to the test on Leno. It's something to see.
Voyager 1 Crosses The Termination Shock
From /., "In a scientific session at the AGU meeting in New Orleans this morning, Dr. Ed Stone presented clear evidence that Voyager 1 crossed the termination shock last December. The scientists in the room applauded when the announcement was made."
Daily Show on Deep Throat
From Boing Boing, "Here's the Daily Show segment on the revelation of Deep Throat's identity. As always: blisteringly funny and very true."
Friday, October 07, 2005
Slashdot | DIY High-Altitude Ballooning
From /., "Ever wanted to see the black of space but just can't pay a cool 20 million to do so? Well, just build your own small-scale, high-altitude balloon like these guys out of styrofoam, duct tape, electrical kit and a 'consumer-grade' weather balloon. They reached an estimated 52000 feet, had all kinds of tech issues, including hacking code to fly the mission minutes before launch. Cool pics and video were taken throughout the mission." Their next mission reached 61,200 feet.
Don't lose your head.
This looks like the same show that brought us Matrix Pong. Ant it's really cool.
Scary Jaw-Opening
(From Boing Boing) Did you know that the Tasmanian Tiger (now extinct) could open its jaw 120 degrees? Check out the video of one yawning.
Monday, October 03, 2005
The Gun Harp
Just in case you needed proof that you can find damn near anything on the Internet, I give you the Gun Harp.
Dracula Blogged
This is really cool. This guy is presenting Bram Stoker's Dracula as a blog! From the first entry, "This blog will publish Bram Stoker's Dracula for the next six months. Individual pieces of the novel will appear on the calendar dates indicated in the text, starting with Jonathan Harker's May 3rd Bistriz journal entry, and finishing up with November 6 and the final Note." There's another month to go. If you hurry, you might be able to catch up.
This is a cool format for literature. If you still haven't checked out Darth Vader's blog, I strongly encourage you to do so. It's fantastic writing, and loaded with terrific examinations of the character.
Jelly Bean Recipes
The idea is that a mouth full of jelly beans in the right proportions will create the taste of something more complex. For example, two Blueberries and a Buttered Popcorn will taste like a blueberry muffin.
Beauty In Music
Here's proof that you can find damn near anything on the Internet. Here's a web site dedicated to classical musicians who are also hot babes! I wonder how many school band/orchestra drop-outs would've stayed with it with this kind of encouragement.
Black Hole Birth Detected
I saw this on /. back in May, "SPACE.com is reporting on the first optical afterglow ever detected from a short-duration (milliseconds) Gamma-Ray Burst. The GRB signals the birth of a black hole resulting from a merger between two neutron stars. Theory had predicted the whole thing, which was all spotted this morning by NASA's Swift satellite and ground-based observatories, thanks to an automated email system that notifies astronomers worldwide."