Friday, October 10, 2003

Ong's Hat makes Weekly World News {{{{{{{ s*T*a*R*e }}}}}}} sez: Weekly World News: The Legend of Ong's Hat. Ong's Hat in the Weekly World News. That makes it official in some weird way. via [{{{{{{{ s*T*a*R*e }}}}}}}] (In the Ahhh-nnooollld voice: "Yes, I Totally Recalled that Ong's Hat line of jive. permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

Sombrero Galaxy by Hubble MetaFilter: My God, it's full of stars!. Breathtaking Hubble picture of the Sombrero Galaxy (also identified as M104). The Hubble Heritage team took the original images during May and June of this year using the Advanced Camera for Surveys and multiple color filters. They then stitched 6 images together to make the final composite image. via [MetaFilter] Lebowski, The Dude, says he wants a White Russian Galaxy. permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

Thought Screen hats to prevent alien abduction These may or may not be a real improvement on the Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie, documented here before. One big difference, though, is that THIS IS SERIOUS! From http://www.stopabductions.com : THIS WEBSITE TELLS YOU HOW TO MAKE A THOUGHT SCREEN HELMET, THE MATERIALS AND TOOLS YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE, AND WHERE YOU CAN OBTAIN THE MATERIALS The thought screen helmet blocks telepathic communication between aliens and humans. Aliens cannot immobilize people wearing thought screens nor can they control their minds or communicate with them. Results of the thought screen helmet exceeded expectations. Since January 2000 aliens have not taken any abductees while they were wearing thought screen helmets using Velostat shielding*. See Case Histories and Testimonials. The thought screen helmet was invented by Michael Menkin in 1998 and named after the thought screens that were described by science fiction writer Edward Elmer Smith Ph.D. in the Gray Lensman novels. Other shielding material was tried in previous models with less success. Do not substitute the Velostat shielding with other materials. The Velostat made by 3M works! You can make a thought screen helmet for $35. No, you can't BUY one, and the plans are free, just like the AFDB. What does that tell you? * Maybe just having one on makes you UNdesirable... permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

Dude, Where's My Country? 7 questions for Bush Michael Moore: Michael Moore: Answers Please, Mr Bush Dude, Where's My Country? I have seven questions for you, Mr Bush. I ask them on behalf of the 3,000 who died that September day, and I ask them on behalf of the American people. We seek no revenge against you. We want only to know what happened, and what can be done to bring the murderers to justice, so we can prevent any future attacks on our citizens. 1. Is it true that the Bin Ladens have had business relations with you and your family off and on for the past 25 years? 2. What is the 'special relationship' between the Bushes and the Saudi royal family? 3. Who attacked the US on September 11 - a guy on dialysis from a cave in Afghanistan, or your friend, Saudi Arabia? 4. Why did you allow a private Saudi jet to fly around the US in the days after September 11 and pick up members of the Bin Laden family and fly them out of the country without a proper investigation by the FBI? 5. Why are you protecting the Second Amendment rights of potential terrorists? 6. Were you aware that, while you were governor of Texas, the Taliban travelled to Texas to meet with your oil and gas company friends? 7. What exactly was that look on your face in the Florida classroom on the morning of September 11 when your chief of staff told you, 'America is under attack'? Those are just the questions. The link, of course, expands Mike's analysis permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

Get Junior "chipped" today! MetaFilter: Won't somebody think of the children? Wired News reports that a Mexican company has launched a service to implant RFID verichips (Technology That Cares) into children as an anti-kidnapping device. "The company envisions placing walk-through scanners -- similar to metal-detector portals used in airports -- in malls, bus stations and other areas where a missing child may appear." Similar plans have been proposed before by the UK's Kevin "Captain Cyborg" Warwick, but while his plans to use the mobile phone network are implausible, this method seems more feasible. So, why not sign up to get chipped today! via [MetaFilter] permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

sexual abstinence harmless when practiced in moderation Fans of abstinence had better be sitting down. "Saving yourself" before the big game, the big business deal, the big hoedown or the big bakeoff may indeed confer some moral benefit. But corporeally it does absolutely zip. There's no evidence it sharpens your competitive edge. The best that modern science can say for sexual abstinence is that it's harmless when practiced in moderation. Having regular and enthusiastic sex, by contrast, confers a host of measurable physiological advantages, be you male or female... ... men who reported the highest frequency of orgasm enjoyed a death rate half that of the laggards. Other studies (some rigorous, some less so) purport to show that having sex even a few times a week has an associative or causal relationship with the following: more?! permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?

Software company to sue student over using shift key Software company to sue student over using shift key Someone's slipped mescalin into our coffee, surely By INQUIRER staff: Friday 10 October 2003, 11:50 A STORY on Forbes that we read with some disbelief makes us think that maybe someone has slipped mescalin into our morning coffee. A student that pointed out (music CD) copy protection software could be blocked if people used the SHIFT key when they inserted a CD, will be sued by SunnComm, company motto "Light years beyond encryption". The firm made a "statement" claiming that Alex Halderman "came to false conclusions" about the robustness of the firm's Media Max software. It claims it has lost over $10 million in market value after the student published his report. SunnComm is alleging that Halderman has breached criminal provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by revealing that a particular driver could be disabled. permanent link #     ^ TOP ^  what is this place?