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August, 2006 Archives | Homepage

World's Largest Smoothie Created in Canada

Worlds Largest SmoothieWe've been waiting patiently for someone to make an enormous smoothie and it has finally happened. The Booster Juice store in Kitchener, Canada broke the world smoothie record with a massive 195 gallon smoothie.
After 7 blenders, 3.5 hours of blending and over 195 gallons of smoothie, a Booster Juice store in Kitchener, Canada broke the current record for the World's Largest Smoothie. To break this record Booster Juice had to surpass the previous record of 333 litres or 88 gallons of delicious smoothie. City firefighters were on site to help in the attempt to enter the Guinness World Records by making the world's largest smoothie. Best of all, Booster Juice raised $1,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society by selling the world's largest smoothie in 24 oz cups after the record breaking event.
The firefighters may have been present because of the infamous Snapple popsicle disaster. The Snapple disaster occured last year when Snapple decided a hot July day in New York City would be a perfect time to attempt to break the record for the world's biggest popsicle. Fortunately, everything went as planned at the world's largest smoothie attempt.

Posted on August 31, 2006
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SpiralFrog Takes on iTunes

Universal Music Group has announced that it will be launching a free music download service to compete with iTunes. The format will be Windows .wmv and probably won't work on an iPod. The downloads will be free, but you'll have to sit through ads and return periodically to the site in order to be allowed to keep your music. Oh, and you won't be able to share or copy the songs.
A new online music company said yesterday that it would make a huge catalog of songs from the world’s largest record company, the Universal Music Group, available for consumers to download free. The company, called SpiralFrog, said its intention was to wean music fans, especially young people, away from illegal downloads and pirate music sites by offering a legitimate source, supported by advertising instead of download fees.

SpiralFrog is the latest to offer a challenge to Apple Computer’s hugely successful iTunes service, which allows consumers to download songs legally for 99 cents each, and its many smaller imitators. Though the venture is not the first to try a free ad-supported approach, the backing of Universal, with millions of songs in its catalog from thousands of artists like Eminem and Gwen Stefani, Elton John and Gloria Estefan, Count Basie and Hank Williams, promises to give it instant credibility and scale.

SpiralFrog, which is privately held and headed by Robin Kent, a former advertising executive, said it expected to start testing its service in the United States and Canada by the end of the year and would extend its service to Britain and other European markets next year. The announcement reflects the music industry's eagerness to experiment with various digital business models and to find a way to overcome piracy and illegal copying, which remain a big problem despite the record companies' efforts to enforce their copyrights in court. While the industry has tried to encourage the growth of legitimate alternatives like iTunes, some record executives have begun to chafe at Apple’s dominance in the online market, particularly its insistence on a “one size fits all” pricing model, saying it has restricted the growth of digital sales.

For consumers, SpiralFrog's free downloads will come with many more strings attached than Apple's paid ones. Users of SpiralFrog will have to sit through advertisements and will be prevented by special software from making copies of the songs they download or from sharing them with other people. They will have to revisit the SpiralFrog Web site regularly to keep access to the music they download. And the songs will be encoded in the Microsoft WMA format, meaning they will probably not work on Apple iPod portable music players.
The success of SpiralFrog will be directly correlated as to how annoying it is to use. If the ads are endless, the music expires after a week and the selection isn't good, we expect dismal failure. On the other hand, being free is a great motivator, so we'll be interested to see how SpiralFrog sets up the service.

Posted on August 30, 2006
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Jessica Alba Loses a Tooth

Photo of Jessica AlbaJessica Alba discusses her love scene gone terribly wrong, in which she ended up losing a back molar and chipping a front tooth.
Jessica Alba's definitely known for being sexy, but after a run-in with co-star Dane Cook that left her toothless the actress is feeling anything but.

"We did all of our love scenes in one day and I chipped a tooth and I lost a tooth, isn't that disgusting? We're smashing our faces together, it's not the slowest, most romantic love scene."

Alba showed off the gaps left by her rough love scenes to "EXTRA" at an event for BeMoreYou.com, an organization which helps empower and improve the self esteem of teenage girls. While we think the gorgeous "Sin City" star has little cause for a low self-image she offered advice for those going through those awkward teen years.

"It's not about being skinny, it's about being healthy. It's about loving yourself, being proud of who you are and proud of how God put you together."
We think sweet Jessica better get herself to a periodontist tout de suite. To have a molar be knocked out so easily could mean some serious gum problems. In any event, she can always spring for a $5,000 dental implant and be good as new.

But what is the deal with Dane Cook, anyway? Because we're just not seeing the stardust here.

Posted on August 29, 2006
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OK Go Hits the Treadmills

Photo of Ok Go on treadmillsThis is the video that launched a thousand new exercise plans. If you haven't yet seen the hilarious and clever early video of OK Go singing "Here It Goes Again" while dancing on treadmills.

The lead singer of OK Go, Damian Kulash, appeared on The Colbert Report last week to discuss why they originally put their videos on YouTube and how they gained such a following. Damian is funny and articulate; this band is going places. And we wouldn't be suprised if one Stephen Colbert did a cameo in a future video sometime. And -- joy! -- OK Go will be permforming the treadmill dance on August 31, 2006 at the MTV Video Music Awards. "Watch your sexyback, JT!" says the band.

You can read the group's blog, which is mostly written by guitarist Andy Ross, here.

Now, hit the treadmill, people!

Posted on August 28, 2006
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Boot Throwing Robot Invented

Welly Wanger RobotScientists at Aberystwyth University have invented a robotic welly wanger, which is a robot dedicated to the task of boot throwing. icNorthWales reports that the robot has even been built with some AI abilities so that it can learn to slowly throw the boots better over time like a child would. The impressive robotic boot hurler can throw boots as far as 80 metres.
Team members Richard Shipman, who teaches artificial intelligence, Dr Andy Shaw, a researcher in space robotics, and computer technician Ian Izett applied their scientific expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence to improve its throwing accuracy - the main criteria for judging the competition.

Up to six wellingtons a time are fired from a 2m diameter computer-controlled disc which rotates at up to 250 times per minute.

A second computer monitors wind speed and direction and relays the information via a third computer and a radio link to a laptop where team members can monitor its progress.

Speaking as final field trials were set to get under way, Mr Shipman said: "Other than building the machine itself, the main challenge for us has been getting the computer systems to talk to each other and then to interact with all the hardware.

******

"It has been built with a certain amount of artificial intelligence and during the final week of field trials it will learn in the same way as a small child learns as it grows up", he added.
A post on Robots.net points to a photo gallery and a blog about the robot welly wanger. Another article about the robot can be found on the BBC. Apparently, the robot will have to battle 15 other similar machines in a competition later this month.

Posted on August 25, 2006
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The Real Mexican Wrestlers

Lucha LocoPhotographer Malcolm Venville reveals the secret life of Mexican wrestlers in his upcoming book of photography, Lucha Loco. We have seen Jack Black's comic portrayal of these wrestlers in Nacho Libre but the mexican wrestlers are very real and wear dramatic and unusual costumes. You can see some of the photographs on Venville's website.
Lucha Loco is the artistic result of Venville's quest to find and capture the essence of these masked gladiator-like showmen throughout many different trips to Mexico City in 2005. Venville says, "Lucha Loco represents something that is missing from life in the western world since the disappearance of the circus and vaudeville. There is poetry in its vibrant and expressive style that is lacking from wrestling."

As a child of profoundly deaf parents, Venville is fascinated with the unspoken language and still countenance of the luchadore mask. It is through Venville's tenacity and desire to observe this serious form of expression while revealing the humanity underneath that culminates in the stunning portraiture series Lucha Loco.

Detailed color photos introduce the figure, the name reveals the character, but the quote reveals the mind behind the mask -- ranging from the emotional -- Super Porky who says, "Here in Mexico us wrestlers work every single day. Sorry, do forgive the tears" -- to the humorous -- Coco Verde, "We don't mix the character from free wrestling with sex," -- to the simple -- Las Momias, "We're the mummies, here to serve the people."

In the introduction, Mexican poet, novelist, and literary critic Sandro Cohen, astute to the ironic imagery, observes that "El Solar, strangely, found it necessary to confess that he once wanted to be a lawyer, and in Mexico that still means fighting for the little guy. Real life didn't allow him to be an avenger for the downtrodden, but wrestling did."
Some of the photographs actually look even more ridiculous than Jack Black's costume. Mexican wrestling is definitely a very expressive form of entertainment.

Posted on August 24, 2006
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Las Vegas No Longer Offers 24 Hour Marriage Licenses

Photo of Britney Spears at her first weddingSo you're partying in Vegas and feel that urge to marry that nice dancer you just met. No problem, right? It's Vegas, so you can get a wedding license 24 hours a day, right? Well no more. If you feel the need to get married at 3 am (like Britney Spears did once up on a time, pre-K-fed) you are out of luck.
Getting married is as much a tradition in Las Vegas as slot machines and buffets. But when the urge to merge comes in the wee hours, you'll have to wait. The county government said that starting next week, its marriage license bureau will no longer be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Citing budget constraints, county officials said the graveyard shift is being scrapped. Would-be brides and grooms will be able to apply for licenses only between 8 a.m. and midnight, seven days a week.

Officials told the Las Vegas Sun that there's really not much demand for marriage licenses during the overnight hours. Fewer than 4 percent of licenses are issued on that shift, city officials said. Among them was a license issued to Britney Spears. However, the marriage was annulled after two days.
We just can't believe this. Think of the chilling effect this new law is going to have on spur of the moment, insane celebrity marriages. It's enough to make a tabloid reporter cry.

Posted on August 22, 2006
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Britney Forces K-Fed to Dump the Sharks

Photo of brunette Britney Spears Britney Spears is taking a stand and forcing K-Fed to get rid of his six -- yes, that's right, six -- sharks before the new baby is born.
Britney Spears is ruining all of K-Fed’s fun. The pop star is making her aspiring rap star hubby, Kevin Federline, get rid of his pet sharks, according to Life & Style. Spears, who is expecting her second child with Federline, apparently fears that the six Australian gray nurse sharks are a bit risky when there are two kiddies around the house.

"Kevin loves those sharks," a family friend told the mag. "He even named them. But Brit said there’s no way he’d be keeping them." K-Fed also says Spears is his toughest musical critic. "She gives me her real opinions about my tunes," he said, reports Passim. "When I get really excited about the songs, she would tell me to slow down."
We'd comment on this report, but we're speechless at the idea that K-Fed is keeping six nurse sharks in a home which will soon have an infant and a toddler in it. This guy has got to be the absolute worst dad in Hollywood. And that's saying something. You tell him, Britney: "Read my lips, K-Fed. No More Sharks." Oh and K-Fed's career? Jumped the sharks -- all six of them -- long ago.

(Photo courtesy of X17online.com.)

Posted on August 21, 2006
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Snakes on a Plane Slithers Into Theaters

Photo from Snakes on a PlaneWell, it's finally here: Snakes on a Plane is in theaters now. And, here's the real shocker: many critics actually like it. Or, at least they had a really good time at the screening, anyway. ABC's Joel Siegel gets his snake on:
The first screening was Thursday night at 10, and I was there. I think I was the only critic in the joint, and here's my one-word review: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! The parts I saw was a much better movie than I thought I was going to see. Jackson plays an FBI agent escorting a key witness in a murder trial from Hawaii to Los Angeles. How does the bad guy keep the witness from testifying? Four little words: snakes on a plane.

Much less a gorefest than most contemporary horror films, the film plays like a suspense thriller gone wacko — a thrill ride that's a whole lot of silliness and even more fun. I won't tell you what the snakes do, the places they come out of, or the places they bite people, but more than one of those bites ensured the film would be R-rated. Think "Airplane" meets that scene in the pit from "Raiders of the Lost Ark." Virtually all the articles I read about "Snakes on a Plane," written by people who hadn't seen it, used the adjective, "cheesy." Not true.

This is a good-looking film, and Jackson is just so much fun to watch. The other horror films that are out there? This one's a slither above them all. Grade: B
We're just waiting until after 4pm when our therapist gets off work -- we told her to bring extra Valium in case our severe fear of flying and fear of snakes phobias inconveniently kick in mid-movie.

Posted on August 18, 2006
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Conan O'Brien to Host Emmys

Photo of Conan O'BrienConan O'Brien has been selected as host of the the Emmys, which will air on NBC, Sunday, August 27 at 8 pm Eastern time.
The announcement was made jointly today by Dick Askin, Chairman and CEO, Television Academy and Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment. "Conan was a natural choice," said Reilly. "His comedic talent and hosting expertise coupled with his charm and spontaneity will make for a great show."

"We are excited about creating a dynamic and innovative Emmy telecast with our imaginative, award-winning executive producers Ken Ehrlich and Jeff Ross," added Rick Ludwin, Executive Vice President, Late Night and Primetime Series, NBC Entertainment. "And Conan has proven to be a perfect Emmy host -- he loves TV and is very funny and unpredictable."

"Conan did a tremendous job when he hosted the Emmys back in 2002 and we are thrilled that he's returning," said Askin. "His style of comedy and humor is sure to make this telecast a memorable one and we are thrilled to working with him again."
We like Conan -- we know he'll do a great job.

Posted on August 17, 2006
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James Bond and the Haunted Plane

The set of the new James Bond film, Casino Royale, has been plagued with accidents and disasters -- from the star's injuries to an entire set of Venice going up in flames, this is clearly a creepy set to work on. The latest weirdness involves a haunted plane.
Several crew members of the latest "James Bond" movie "Casino Royale" have refused to go inside a stunt jumbo jet because they claim it is haunted. According to crew members working on the set, the spirit of a passenger who died of a heart attack on board the 30-year-old 747 airplane, is protecting the air craft.

David McAllister, spokesman for the movie admits they were having problem shooting the film because of the crew's refusal to work inside the $3.8 million plane. He said, "I cannot discuss the film but I am aware of the plane being haunted. Everyone knows the story." Some crewmen claim the lights and warning systems of the plane suddenly came on during the shooting of the film, even though the jet has no power. Some even say they saw the woman's ghost gliding up and down the aisles of the aircraft.

One worker interviewed by The Sun said, "We were asked to stay on it overnight for one scene, but several of the crew refused. Some won't get on board at all because of the ghost. It's been a real problem." The plane is kept at Dunsfold Aerodrome at Cranleigh, Surrey in England.
So what's next? Poltergeists? Ghosts? We can't even imagine how the film is going to turn out. Huge bomb? Giant success? It's anyone's guess at this point.

Posted on August 16, 2006
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Kate Hudson Headed For Divorce

Photo of Kate Hudson and Ryder at the BeachKate Hudson and husband Chris Robinson are headed for divorce court, her rep has confirmed.
Actress Kate Hudson and her husband, Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson, are splitting, PEOPLE has learned exclusively. The You, Me and Dupree star's rep, Brad Cafarelli, confirms that the couple are separating after nearly six years of marriage.

Hudson, 27, and Robinson, 39, wed on New Year's Eve 2000 after dating for about a year. Their son, Ryder Russell, was born Jan. 7, 2004. In September 2004, while shooting Skeleton Key in New Orleans, Hudson told PEOPLE about her relationship with Robinson since Ryder's birth: "We're sharing something so gigantic now. I think it's the best we've ever felt being together."
This explains all those darling pics taken at Malibu of Kate and her darling baby Ryder frolicking in the sand, while her scruffy hubby was nowhere to be found. We have to admit, we never understood that pairing to begin with. But we loved Kate in You, Me and Dupree which is really a hilarious film, by the way.

(Photo courtesy of X17online.com.)

Posted on August 14, 2006
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Paris Hilton's Kinkajou Frolic Turns Into Disaster

Photo of Paris and Baby Luv Paris Hilton is not having a good week. She was bitten by her pet kinkajou and had to head to the emergency room for treatment.
Paris Hilton got no love this week from her pet kinkajou Baby Luv - in fact, the racoon-like animal bit her. The heiress was not badly hurt but did visit a hospital emergency room to receive a tetanus shot, her publicist, Elliot Mintz, told The Associated Press on Friday.

Hilton was frolicking with her exotic pet early Tuesday morning "the way some people play with their cats and dogs" when the animal became excited, Mintz said. "Baby luv bit her. It's a superficial bite on her left arm," he said. Hilton, concerned that she was bleeding, called Mintz at 3 a.m., and he took her to the hospital.

"She was seen by a doctor, who treated the wound, gave her a tetanus shot, cleaned the wound and applied something to it," Mintz said. The 25-year-old "Simple Life" star and her publicist left the hospital around 5:30 a.m. Mintz said Hilton's arm did not appear to be swollen the next day. She also felt well enough to continue promotions for her highly anticipated debut album "Paris," set for release on Aug. 22.

Hilton's breathy single "Stars Are Blind" has already jumped up Billboard's dance music charts. "Yesterday she did two photo shoots and two magazine covers," Mintz said. "She's OK, she's fine. Anyone in this situation would do well to have the wound looked at."
"Frolicking with her kinkajou?" Well, ok then. We know how dangerous that can be.

Posted on August 12, 2006
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Suri Sighting...Sort Of

Photo of Kate Holmes and a blob that may be Suri Cruise X17 has managed to get the actual first photos of The Loch Ness Monster baby Suri Cruise. The shots, which were taken from a specially equipped paparrazzi-copter, show Katie Holmes holding a diapered Suri.

Ok, they look like blobs in a window to us. We don't see a baby anywhere. But that might be Katie looking longingly out of her prison bedroom window.

In related news, Tom and Katie have invited David and Victoria Beckham over to see Suri. The excited yet puzzled Brits were surprised to recieve a long list of do's and don'ts for visiting the baby: no baby talk, no touching and no photos. It just gets weirder and weirder with the TomKat.

We hope Victoria totally forgets the rules and coos at the baby, then bursts into a Spice Girls hit, like say "Wannabe." Really loud, with choreography. Then, while everyone is stunned, David can fend off Tom and his howls of outrage while Victoria gives poor baby Suri a cuddle. Yes, they'd be banned from the Scientology Center for life, but is that really such a bad thing?

Posted on August 10, 2006
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Gwyneth's Secret Vice

Photo of Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Paltrow reveals her secret vice: road rage.
Gwyneth Paltrow says she’s kicked her smoking habit, but there's one vice she just can't let go: road rage. "I curse when I drive," the Shakespeare in Love star tells the September issue of Harper's Bazaar. "I'm like a horribly aggressive New York driver. I'm always yelling '[Bleep] you!' at truck drivers and honking my horn!"
Maybe she's just angry because of the nicotine withdrawal.

Posted on August 9, 2006
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AOL Removes Customers' Search Information From Web

The reverberations of AOL's giant info dump of its customers' search habits are still being felt on the Internet. AOL finally apologized for the information release and said that they "screwed up." They got that part right.
Internet giant AOL has apologised after releasing the search requests of hundreds of thousands of its customers. User names were not attached to the data, but it is feared that many of the queries contained personally identifiable information.

For example, some of the 658,000 customers whose requests were released had searched their own names as well as other personal information, such as their telephone or social security numbers. All of those separate searches would have been linked to the same numeric ID released by AOL. Although the US internet firm has taken down the data - which it released as a tool for researchers - it has since been cached and duplicated on the web.

AOL yesterday called the incident a "screw up". It emerged that one of its customers had searched for "how to kill your wife", "dead people" and "car crashes". Other users appeared to be searching for advice on how to commit suicide, how to get revenge on an ex-partner or how to disguise cocaine use. "Lolitas" - a term for underage girls - also featured in the search requests.

In a statement, AOL said: "This was a screw up and we're angry and upset about it. It was an innocent enough attempt to reach out to the academic community with new research tools but it was obviously not appropriately vetted and it if had been, it would have been stopped in an instant." The data was posted around 10 days ago but only became an issue when bloggers picked up on it over the weekend. It contained information about 19 million search requests, including what search terms were used, when the search was conducted and whether the user clicked on any of the results. The searches were conducted between March and May this year. The issue comes at a tricky time for AOL, which was one of the original internet giants and merged with Time Warner in 2001.
It's unconscionable that AOL 1) released its customers' search data; then 2) waited several days to do something about it. All the information has already been copied and people are busily linking information with real names right now, no doubt mostly for nefarious purposes. Identity theft certainly comes to mind.

Posted on August 8, 2006
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Hackers Crack the RFID Code

Hackers have managed to hack into the RFID chips that the U.S. government is putting into passports. The hackers' goal was to show the incredible security vulnerability of the emerging -- and very popular -- technology that embeds a computer chip wrapped with tiny radio antennae into everything from food products to passports.
High-tech passports touted as advances in national security can be spied on remotely and their identifying radio signals cloned, computers hackers were shown at a conference. Radio frequency identification technology, referred to as RFID, used in cash cards and passports, can be copied, blocked or imitated, said Melanie Rieback, a privacy researcher at Vrije University in the Netherlands. Rieback demonstrated a device she and colleagues at Vrije built to hijack the RFID signals that manufacturers have touted as unreadable by anything other than proprietary scanners. "I spend most of my time making the RFID industry's life miserable," the doctorate student told AFP. "I am not anti-RFID. It has the potential to make people's lives easier, but it needs to be used responsibly."

Rieback and university compatriots expected to have a reliable portable version of their device, RFID Guardian, finished in six months and "had no plans to immediately mass-produce these things." A cheer rose from the legion of hackers in the conference room when Rieback announced that the schematics and the computer codes for the device would be made public. "The industry and government needs to not be scared of us," Rieback said. "They need to talk with us and to work with us. Hopefully, together we can come up with some kind of reasonable compromise."

*****

RFID equipment makers would be wise to ramp up encryption and other security while technology is catching on, according to Rieback. Rieback was not the only speaker at the gathering who claimed to have found RFID vulnerabilities. "If you are using RFID on cows, who cares?" Rieback asked rhetorically. "But, with a passport, it only takes one breach at the wrong time and it could wreck it for the RFID industry."
We're not big fans of the current RFID technology. Kudos to Rieback for continuing to point out the serious security flaws of this technology.

Posted on August 7, 2006
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He Was a Sk8er Bot

PlenHere is a robot that would make Avril proud. Plen is a Japanese robot that skateboards. You can see a video of Plen in action here. Coolest Gadgets also has an article and video of Plen rollerskating.
The bipedal robot, for so long it was the holy grail of roboticists. Honda most famously produced some of the first walking robots with the "P" series, which has evolved into Asimo. Most of the bipedal robots today employ the zero moment point (ZMP) algorithm. This gives them kind of a stiff-in-the-knees walk and a permanent semi-crouch. Recently this has been applied to robots who, if you look closely, are really nothing more than a bunch of servos bolted together. Another entry into this category is "PLEN" from the Japanese company Akazawa.

Billed as a desktop robot, PLEN can be controlled from desktop software or via Bluetooth from a mobile phone. PLEN has a built-in 3 axis accelerometer which enables it to not only dance and walk like other bipedal robots but to also roller skate and ride a skateboard. Standing a mere 23 cm tall and weighing only 700 grams PLEN is pretty small, but still manages to pack a 32 bit ARM processor running at 33 MHz. This desktop robot will set you back about $2,000.00 US.
Plen looks like he has quite a few moves. Some bloggers are even admitting that Plen can skate better than they can. (via Geekologie)

Posted on August 6, 2006
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Just What We've Always Wanted: A Square Watermelon

Photo of a square watermelonAt last, what we've all be waiting for: a square watermelon. Yes, that's right. Square. Apparently, they're pretty easy to grow, too. You don't even have to use any genetic engineering, either. Just put the watermelon plant in a square box, and nature does the rest.
Tesco has developed a new square version which can be sliced like a loaf of bread. The supermarket says many people are put off the refreshing and healthy fruit because it rolls around in the fridge, or it is difficult to slice and eat. Now, they have adopted growing techniques, which originated in Japan, to offer the square versions.

There is no weird science or genetic modification involved in the process. Rather, wooden boxes with clear sides are placed around the growing fruit which naturally swells to fill the surrounding shape. Tesco exotic fruit buyer Damien Sutherland: 'We’ve seen samples of these watermelons and they literally stop you in their tracks because they are so eye-catching. 'Melons are among the most delicious and refreshing fruit around but some people find them a problem to store in their fridge or to cut because they roll around. 'These square melons will make it easier than ever to eat because they can be served in long strips rather than in the crescent shape.'

The melons, which feature distinctive dark green and yellow stripes, are being grown in Brazil by one of Tesco’s regular suppliers and take 60 days to reach maturity. Square melons are already available in Japan where they are sold for about 10,000 yen or roughly a sky high £46, appealing only to the very rich as show piece food.
That's over $100 U.S. For a watermelon. Maybe we'll get one for Christmas.

Posted on August 4, 2006
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No Male Waiters For Angelina Jolie

Photo of Angelina Jolie The New York Post reports that Angelina Jolie insists on having only female waiters serve her.
Angelina Jolie loves to eat out - as long as a woman is serving her. When Jolie and two pals breezed into the Dakota restaurant at the Hollywood Roosevelt the other night, she oddly requested "a female server only" to bring her halibut and salad, our spy says. "The theory is she feels guys gawk at her too much, and this is one way of avoiding that." Jolie's rep didn't respond. A few days earlier, Brad Pitt strolled into Gearys Beverly Hills and bought his and hers Rolex watches.
We especially love the apparent non sequiter at the end about Brad Pitt buying his and hers Rolex watches. Was the watch-buying spree somehow related to the halibut-eating restaurant visit? Was it a pre-emptive reward for not allowing too many male waiters to ogle Angelina? Or was Brad just feeling the need for a new watch? In any event, he has excellent taste in timepieces.

Posted on August 2, 2006
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Jessica Alba: Scientifically Ahead of Her Time

Photo of Jessica Alba as the Invisible Woman Scientists say that invisibility is around the corner. And it's all due to The Invisible Woman.
It's unlikely to occur by swallowing a pill or donning a special cloak, but invisibility could be possible in the not too distant future, according to research published on Monday. Harry Potter accomplished it with his magic cloak. H.G. Wells' Invisible Man swallowed a substance that made him transparent. But Dr Ulf Leonhardt, a theoretical physicist at St Andrews University in Scotland, believes the most plausible example is the Invisible Woman, one of the Marvel Comics superheroes in the "Fantastic Four."

"She guides light around her using a force field in this cartoon. This is what could be done in practice," Leonhardt told Reuters in an interview. "That comes closest to what engineers will probably be able to do in the future." Invisibility is an optical illusion that the object or person is not there. Leonhardt uses the example of water circling around a stone. The water flows in, swirls around the stone and then leaves as if nothing was there.

*****

In the research published in the New Journal of Physics, Leonhardt described the physics of theoretical devices that could create invisibility. It is a follow-up paper to an earlier study published in the journal Science. "What the Invisible Woman does is curve space around herself to bend light. What these devices would do is to mimic that curved space," he said.

Although the devices are still theoretical, Leonhardt said scientists are making advances in metamaterials -- artificial materials with unusual properties that could be used to make invisibility devices.
See? We knew Jessica Alba got it right in The Fantastic Four. And it's now been proven by scientists.

Posted on August 1, 2006
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