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May, 2006 Archives | Homepage
Hermaphroditic Sea Squirts Invade Long Island Sound The AP reports that blob-like creatures known as Sea Squirts are invading the Long Island Sound.
The researchers say they have found colonies of invasive sea squirts, blob-shaped animals that reproduce easily, on the floor of the sound.They sound like a real menace and they are listed here in the USDA's invasive species index. Ivar Babb sure doesn't like them. "This thing is ugly," Babb said. "It has no socially redeeming virtues."That's pretty harsh but we don't like these lowlife good-for-nothing sea squirts either if they are suffocating the delicious New England seafood. Posted on May 31, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Now this is something handy: an Office In a Bucket (OIAB). Crave explains why this is just the thing when you need a quiet place to hold an impromptu meeting, or just get some work done.
The trusty OIAB does exactly what it says on the bucket. Simply pull the fabric out of the bucket, plug it into a power source and the fan in the base of the bucket will inflate it in about eight minutes via a terrifying umbilical membrane (see picture). There's no door system, but you can clip it shut for "added privacy", according to the OIAB's manufacturer Inflate.£150 a day, just to rent one? It's a bargain at twice the price! We'd love to carry one in our trunk, because you just never know when you need to leap out of your vehicle, inflate your office and get to work. Posted on May 30, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Grilling Out To Impress In an article entitled "Pimp My Grill", The New York Times delves into the latest suburban obsession: having a bigger and better grill than the guy next door. The article examines the lives of men who think that grilling out is somehow cool. A Kalamazoo grill can suck a standard tank of propane dry in two and a half hours. Not that backyard grill-users would want to crank every burner simultaneously and reach the full 154,000 B.T.U. capacity of this $11,290, six-and-a-half-foot-wide brute. But, as with a Porsche that can go 175 miles an hour on the autobahn, some owners find it sweet to know they've got that kind of juice under the hood.Mmmm...news flash: you're a suburban dad who's grilling out. By definition, the Coolness Factor is a big negative one. Sorry guys, but it's the truth. You never see George Clooney grilling out on some ridiculously large contraption -- he has a chef that does that. And after the feast is prepared, a devoted Italian staff brings him his grilled meat on the terrace of his villa on Lake Como. Now that's impressive. Posted on May 29, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt Has Arrived People magazine reports that Angelina Jolie has given birth to a baby girl. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have welcomed a baby girl, Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, a rep for the couple confirms in a statement to PEOPLE. The child was born on May 27, at night, in the African country of Namibia. The new parents, along with kids Maddox, 4, and Zahara, 1, have been staying at a luxury resort in Namibia since April, where their personal security team and Namibian police have shielded them from paparazzi.Shiloh? Isn't that the site of a famous Civil War battle? And "Nouveau" means "new" in French, of course. There's also a Neil Diamond song called "Shilo" -- that's a different spelling, though...According to Babynamer.com, the source of the name Shiloh is a Hebrew expression meaning "His gift." We were under the impression that Angelina follows the Buddhist way, but that she was going to give the baby a Namibian name, not a Hebrew one. It's all most confusing. In any event, now the race to get the baby pix is on! May the strongest paparrazzi win! Posted on May 28, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Creepy Cupcakes for Hoffa Search FBI agents are searching for Jimmy Hoffa's remains in Milford Township in Michigan so a local bakery decided to honor the search with some creepy cupcakes. An MSNBC article says the cupcakes have been very popular. An FBI agent even ordered a few dozen.
As FBI agents combed a Michigan farm looking for the remains of labor leader Jimmy Hoffa this week, a local bakery has decided to capitalize on the search with a cupcake apparently not only grave-digger can love.The cupcakes are made by the The Milford Baking Co. in Milford, Michigan. Looking at their website you wouldn't think such a nice little company could come up with such disturbing cupcakes. Posted on May 27, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia announced is diving into the online social network business: the company is starting social networking site like MySpace.com, but aimed at adult women. The network would appeal to women aged 25 to 45, and allow members to share photographs, scrapbooks, recipes and similar projects with each other and home design experts, said the company's chief executive, Susan Lyne.It's an interesting project. The real question is whether soccer moms have time to add 1,000 people as friends, upload videos of their day and list all their favorite bands. MySpace.com is reportedly terrified of this new competitive threat which the blogosphere has already named "MarthaSpace." Posted on May 25, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Walking Your Way To a Clean Kitchen Artist Marie-Louise Gustafsson created Mop Flip Flops as a fun way to clean. The slippers come with a cotton scouring-cloth that you use to walk your way to a clean kitchen floor.
Alas, they don't appear to be in any U.S. stores, but if you wrote Marie-Louise via her website, no doubt she'd tell you where you could buy a pair. (Via Blavish.) Posted on May 24, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati |
Madonna's new summer tour kicked off with a bang: in one part of the show she hangs from a giant mirrored cross as pictures of world poverty play across the screens.
She insulted George Bush, simulated sex and suspended herself from a giant mirrored crucifix, head adorned with a designer crown of thorns (provided by Cotter Church Supplies, LA) in an all-out attempt to get someone, anyone out there, riled. Before one can go further, mention must be made of her body - the most amazing feat of engineering since the Golden Gate Bridge.Needless to say the Catholic Church is not amused: clearly Madonna wasn't going to let Ron Howard hog the protest spotlight this past weekend. Posted on May 23, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Air Travel Will Be Miserable This Summer The New York Times has an ominous article about summer air travel: in a nutshell, it's going to be a nightmare. Brace yourself for a summer of miserable air travel. Planes are expected to be packed fuller than at anytime since World War II, when the airlines helped transport troops. Fares are rising. Service frills are disappearing. Logjams at airport security checkpoints loom as the federal government strains to keep screener jobs filled. The usual violent summer storms are expected to send the air traffic control system into chaos at times, with flight delays and cancellations cascading across the country.It goes on about air rage, smaller planes, grumpy flight attendants and even more security screenings. Oh, and as for redeeming your frequent flyer miles this summer: good luck. Well, now you know. Posted on May 22, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | We love to watch! TV, Film and video, that is. We're happy to announce the launch of WatchersWatch.com, our new blog about what's hot in movies, television and videos. What's hot this week at WatchersWatch? Why it's the Da Vinci Code, of course. Dan Brown's international bestseller opened in wide release Friday, May 19, 2006 and has already made $224 million worldwide in its first weekend, making it the second biggest opening weekend of all time. You can find our Da Vinci Code review roundup, the scoop on the new fall TV shows and much more at: http://www.watcherswatch.com Posted on May 21, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Britney Breaks Down After Baby Mishap After nearly accidentally dropping sweet little Sean Preston on his head yesterday, Britney Spears reportedly became quite distraught over the incident. TMZ reports:
It was too much for Britney Spears to take. Shortly after stumbling on a New York street and almost dropping Sean Preston, Britney broke down crying.TMZ has the video. This is just awful, and where the heck is K-Fed anyway? No doubt he's working on his plans for world rap domination. Britney clearly loves the little Sean Preston and needs some emotional support from her absent husband...and a good stroller wouldn't hurt either. Posted on May 19, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Britney Nearly Drops Sean Preston
TMZ recounts the latest, horrifying Britney Spears Parenting Disaster (and will have video of the incident by Friday evening):
We're told Britney was leaving the Ritz Carlton, holding a drink in her right hand and Sean in her left as she maneuvered through a crowd of onlookers. Britney moves through the crowd and then she suddenly trips, the baby's head goes backward and his hat flies off his head. Britney regained her balance and the baby seemed ok.Yeah, a gun, to go with the drink in her right hand. That's exactly what she needs, not a stroller or anything like that. Oh, and the new bodyguard with the quick reflexes -- that guy just earned his pay for the month. Posted on May 18, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Paris Hilton's Mother's Day Gifts Stolen Paris Hilton had to show up empty-handed to her mother's house on Mother's Day. A bag of expensive gifts she had bought for her mom was stolen as they were being delivered. In a mess seemingly tailor-made for the mishap-prone heiress, the spoils of a Mother's Day-centric shopping spree were nabbed from outside the estate's gates while being delivered. The party-hopping heiress confirmed the act of thievery to a group of paparazzi while attending a celebratory Mom's Day dinner with her parents and sister Nicky at the Ivy. "Yeah, someone stole it," she said.We don't think there is anyone in Hollywood who has been burgled more than Paris Hilton. She's a veritable magnet for crime. And by the way, "Diamondquest" is a much better name for a game than "Paris Hilton's Jewel Jam," which is just ridiculous. Posted on May 17, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Tremendous Sand Sculptures This website contains photographs of some very impressive sand sculptures that were created during a tournament last year in Harrison Hot Springs in British Columbia, Canada. The sand sculptures portay people, animals, fantasy scenes and massive castles. We would like to offer our thanks to the Harrison Hot Springs security team. We don't know how they did it but they kept the bullies (who must have really been tempted) from
kicking over all these wonderful sand creations. If you think you can out sculpt these master sand sculptures there is another competition in September when the 17th Annual World Championships of Sand Sculpture begins. (via Screenhead)
Posted on May 16, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Halliburton Hoaxed: The $100 Million SurvivaBall
The Washington Times reports that Halliburton got punk'd big time last week when a group of naughty pranksters dressed up as Halliburton executives at a conference to promote their new "SurvivaBall" to survive the effects of global warming.
Members of the Yes Men, a group of environmental and corporate ethics activists, gave a presentation at a trade conference pretending to be Halliburton executives touting large inflatable suits that provide corporate managers safety from global warming. They also distributed a phony press release through e-mail and set up a Web site, halliburtoncontracts.com, similar to the real Halliburton site, halliburton.com.It was just a hoax? We've already ordered twenty of them! Posted on May 15, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Britney Finds Sculpture "Hysterical" Britney Spears has finally commented on that horrible sculpture that artist did representing the pop star giving birth while hanging onto a furry rug.
In her first public comments about a supposedly pro-life sculpture of her naked and bearing a child, pop star Britney Spears says she is shocked by it. Normally the one doing the shocking at her concerts and in the headlines, the sculpture of Spears debuted at a local New York art gallery in late March. The life-size sculpture depicts a naked, pregnant Spears as she is about to give birth to her new baby, Sean Preston. She is crouching down on a rug and holding on to a wolf's face as the baby's head appears from her uterus.Sue, Britney, sue over this! How else are you going to find enough cash to convince K-Fed to relocate to the other side of the world after the divorce? Posted on May 12, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Scientists Invent Robotic Tentacles New Scientist reports that scientists have invented robotic arms called Octarms.
Robotic "tentacles" that can grasp and grapple with a wide variety of objects have been developed by US researchers.Why do today's inventions have to look and function like the appendages of comic book supervillains? You just know one of the scientists is eventually going to strap a few of these octarms on. Do you think we are kidding? One of the scientists is already thinking about it. "Coordinated control of multiple arms would be a real challenge," says Chris Rahn, another project member from Pennsylvania State University. But it is by no means impossible, he adds. He believes the robotic tentacles could perhaps one day be used to create a robotic octopus or even a backpack with extra limbs.Someday a scientists is going to try Chris Rahn's backpack idea and then something will go wrong, just like with Otto Octavius' experiment, and then we will have our own flesh and blood Dr. Octopus to deal with. Posted on May 10, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | The Myths Of The Maternal Instinct Just in time for Mother's Day, The New York Times features a horrifying article about the myth that mothers naturally care for their offspring and will fight to protect them. Taking some really gross examples from the animal world, the articles details how animal mothers routinely kill, eat and abandon their young, and why nature set things up that way. Among several mammals, including lions, mice and monkeys, females will either spontaneously abort their fetuses or abandon their newborns when times prove rocky or a new male swaggers into town.Nooooo! Not the pandas!! Worst. Mother's Day. Feature. Ever. Posted on May 9, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Britney Grounds K-Fed Page Six reports that Britney Spears is so fed up with K-Fed's free-spending ways, that she's finally grounded him. Britney Spears is pregnant and depressed - and she's not in any mood to let free-spending hubby Kevin Federline take off to have fun in Las Vegas with his posse. "Kevin asked Britney for money to go to Las Vegas in two weeks, and she shut him down," our insider said. "Britney told him that she won't be funding his trips with his friends any longer - he used to fly everyone out on her dime.Cut him off, Britney!! Posted on May 8, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Harry Potter Fan Fiction Titles That Are Better Left Unread CapnWacky.com presents a list of the Harry Potter fan fiction titles that we don't ever want to see: Harry Potter and the Uneventful Year When No One Tried to Kill HimIt goes on and on, but you get the idea. And no, we don't ever want to read any of them, thanks! Posted on May 5, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Kelly Monaco Admires Her Blanket Kelly Monaco is a co-host of the 33rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. Being the Emmys, of course there will be lots of swag. Kelly is holding her very own TreasureKnit Photo Blanket which features her very own giant smiling face.
You know who'd love one of these giant blankets with your picture on it? Your mom. She never gets tired of looking at your face. The folks at Treasure Knot weave a photograph into a luxurious blanket. It's not silkscreened or anything like that -- it's actually woven into the blanket so your giant face will never fade or look wrinkled. The blankets retail for just under $130 and are made of hypoallergenic yarn. We'd love one that features Tom Cruise's Couch Jumping Escapade on it. (Photo by Mychal Watts/WireImage.com.) Posted on May 4, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Are You A Blogoholic? Fraywatch examining the tragic addiction pattern of blogoholics. Blogoholism. Sarah Hepola's confessional piece on her recent decision to shut down a long-running blog prompted fraysters to share their own struggles of addiction. synesthesia offers words of solidarity in admitting it happened to me, too. 4cabbage describes the same painful withdrawal symptoms as being like "quitting smoking or drinking."Blogoholic? We don't think so. We can quit anytime we want, like that. But first maybe we'll just head on over to PerezHilton to see what's new since we just checked it five minutes ago. (Well, you never know...what if Charlie Sheen's "Denise" Tattoo-Removal scars aren't healing properly and we don't hear about it?) What does David Spade think about Denise's latest revelations that Heather was the cheater? This is important stuff. Oh, wait.... that article is about people who can't stop actually blogging, not people who just obsessively read blogs all day. Nevermind. Posted on May 3, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Tom Cruise Causes Bomb Scare In L.A. People magazine reports on Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible III marketing disaster: A Mission: Impossible III marketing scheme went haywire--literally--Friday when a Los Angeles Times reader in Santa Clarita mistook his friendly neighborhood newspaper rack for a device on the verge of spontaneous combustion. In this day and age, you really can't blame the guy for being a bit concerned when he inserted his quarter, opened the lid and saw a small plastic box with a few wires poking out of it sitting on top of the papers.And if a mere citizen had left a suspicious plastic box with wire sticking out of it in a newsrack? Why, they'd have been arrested, of course! Posted on May 2, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | Scientists Invent Shrug Detector New Scientist reports that scientists have created a real-time shrug detector.
I must admit that at first I struggled to see the point of this. Some computer vision researchers at the University of Illinois have come up with a "real-time shrug detector". But after a quick chat with Huazhong Ning, one of the researchers behind the project, I'm less sceptical. "When we communicate with other people we watch their body movements to help us understand," he told me. "Shrugging is a relatively easy one to detect, while others like blinking, hand movements and facial expressions are a lot harder. So we started with shrugging."You can shrug but you can't hide. Or can you? Close inspection of the six page PDF document explaining the scientific principles and formulas behind the shrug detector reveals that the shrug detector will fail in some situations. The system could fail in some special situations. It does not work when the face detector fails since the shrugging frame classifier depends on the result from face detector (e.g. in Figure.6 the face turns in large to one side). Fortunately our face detector detects almost all faces with yaw rotation angle within [¡60o; 60o]. A reasonable solution to this problem is to embedded a robust head tracker into this system. Also the system maybe generate false alarms when the subject drops or forwards head (Figure 7 is an example). In this case the false alarm is caused because the ct of TP approaches that of a real shrug while the ct of SP is not stabilized yet. The system will recover from this failure after several frames if the subject keeps this pose because 1) the classifier utilizes a decreasing threshold (see Eqn.2); 2) ct of TP will stabilize after some time.The other problem with detecting shrugs (according to the PDF) is that people shrug differently. Some people make obvious shrugs while other people make very subtle shrugs that are hard to detect. The first issue is "what is shrug"? The definition is usually qualitative rather than quantitative. Usually shrug means raising the shoulders but there is no objective definition of the time length and height of the action. The more ambiguous situation is that some people may shrug by just opening their arms with little or no movement of the shoulders.We were going to purchase a shrug detector for the office but what good is a shrug detector that fails in special situations or generates false alarms? And can it make coffee? Because if it can make good coffee then that might make up for a little imperfection in its shrug detecting abilities. Posted on May 1, 2006 Permalink | Digg this | Blogs linking to this post: Google | Technorati | |
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