Friday, August 31, 2007
Cutie Patootie
I'm strangely attracted to this model on the Neal Sperling site.
Hubba hubba.
Via Notorious J*O*E!
Labels: Blogs, Fashion, Hubba Hubba, Images
Is it just me....
or is everyone else sick of Eric from Big Brother 8?
Man, I hate that guy now.
I'm glad Zach won HOH.
Hopefully Eric and Evel Dick get booted in the next week.
Labels: Big Brother, Television
MyRage
Jealous much? MySpace, Facebook can spark it
Couples' spying on social-networking sites can trigger paranoia
'Jennifer, a 23-year-old teacher, had just moved to Philadelphia for her first job. Chris, meanwhile, stayed behind in Los Angeles for his last year at Loyola Marymount University. They had agreed to cool things off so Chris could cut loose in his final year, but Jennifer says the two talked on the phone every day and still exchanged “I love yous.”
At first, Jennifer visited Chris’ Facebook page just to see his face. Then, other faces started to crop up … of girls. Though she says she’s not normally the jealous type, the photos — and distance — combined to make her paranoid. Soon, Jennifer was checking on her sort-of boyfriend every time she logged on.
Story continues below ↓advertisement
“The potential to start stalking somebody on Facebook is very real,” she says.
(As you might imagine, some people interviewed for this story only wanted their first names used.)
You’ve heard about social-networking spying: Employers do it to job candidates, parents to kids — and couples to each other. Just how many couples use sites like MySpace and Facebook to keep each other in check is difficult to measure. But the fact that terms like “MyStalking” and “Facestalking” have entered the street lexicon speaks to their proliferation.
Couples might be tempted to spy on MySpace and Facebook because it’s legal, anonymous — and easy. But a few mouse clicks could turn a levelheaded person into a "lunatic," as one relationship expert puts it.
“The nature of the forum actually allows jealousy and suspiciousness,” says Jamie Turndorf, a psychologist and creator of drlove.com.
That doesn’t mean that everyone with a MySpace or Facebook profile will snoop on their boyfriends, girlfriends or spouses. Turndorf points out that social-networking sites will be more apt to spark jealously in people particularly prone to it.
“Then, the technology is like the kindling that will ignite your fire,” Turndorf says.
Those in shaky or young relationships are especially vulnerable to spying — and its effects. Tara and Jeff Mooney from Portland, Ore., MyStalked each other when they first met. Both were known to get rowdy at parties before they dated — and reminders of their wild pasts haunted their courtship.
"If anybody commented [on MySpace] from our pasts, we had a conversation," 24-year-old Tara says. "It brought up jealousy issues."
But Tara says the issues forced them to build trust early on — and today they’re not only still together, they’re happily married. What’s more, they’re both still on MySpace, but now, they just laugh off raunchy MySpace comments.
"[MySpace] could pose problems to people who aren’t secure in themselves or their relationships,” she says.
Jennifer had plenty of reasons to be insecure: Her first job was a strain and her comfort, Chris, was slipping away. As such, her spying got worse. What started on Facebook snowballed to an account on MySpace, which she set up just to watch Chris through his ex-girlfriend’s page. Jennifer used what she saw — or thought she saw — in arguments.
By winter break, Chris drew a definitive end to the blurry relationship — but Facebook broke the news to Jennifer. Most social-networking sites gather personal information from users, including their couple status. Theirs had stayed “In a Relationship” since college. But the day Chris decided to change his status, his now-ex-girlfriend got a formal e-mail from Facebook letting her know. Jennifer thinks her spying hastened the end.
"I was acting a little bit crazy," she says.
But for people with legitimate suspicions, social-networking sites can help catch a cheater.
MySpace did just that for Dustin from Issaquah, Wash. His gut told him something was up with his boyfriend, Austin, but he ignored it.
Dropping into his boyfriend’s profile occasionally revealed blatant comments from strangers, racy photos — and a relationship status that didn’t reflect the couple’s exclusivity. Dustin soon found out that Austin had been going out and meeting people behind his back.
In the end, Dustin didn’t need MySpace to nab his straying boyfriend, experts say. High-tech tools might make it easier to spy, but our guts are the best indicators of infidelity, says Turndorf.
“Your intuition is very rarely wrong,” she says. “You don’t need this technology to tell you if this person is dishonest or unfaithful. This is just confirming it.”'
Labels: Interwebs, Pop Culture, Sociology, Technology
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Kristine W wouldn't let me take a shower.
Picture it, Pride '97.
I had been up all week partying, and helping to get the club set up for the big Sunday night.
It's Sunday, 4 in the afternoon.
99 degrees with nary a cloud in the sky.
My skin turning a nice shade of salmon pink.
I had just spent all day at the Festival selling tickets for the show.
I get to the club and can't wait to use the shower in the office [don't ask].
But I can't.
Because Miss W has commandeered the second floor as her 'green room'.
I was all dirty, sweaty and tired, and this sent me over the edge.
I was livid and threw a major hissy fit.
It was like expecting to be granted access to heaven, but then brutally stopped and sent back down to toil away in my circle of hell.
Luckily my boss let me sneak in during her sound-check.
I was much better once shaved and showered, and was able to work the rest of the night.
That is until after we closed down and found out..... we weren't done!
We had to break down Miss W's stage and audio too.
We were there until 8 AM Monday morning.
Talk about a Pride from hell.
Yes, it's been 10 years, and I still resent her.
Labels: Business, Gay, Music, Nostalgia, Personal Hell, Video
What is a 'Larry Craig'?
Seriously kids, I'm done with this subject.
And that South Carolina chick too.
I call a moratorium.
Labels: Kids, Law, Pop Culture
Today In - 'Closet Case'
Clinton over at ZFS was asking if it was ok to like The Dresden Dolls, and reading the comments, it made me wonder about which musical act/songs people are in the closet for being a fan of.
So first up, for me: Ace of Base - 'Don't Turn Around'.
Ok, so I LOATHED Ace of Base when they came out, mostly for the part that their songs were inane, and played ad nauseum on the radio.
However, now as an adult, whenever I hear the Base, I get instantly transported back to the early 90's, when I was a youngin'.
This song in particular reminds me of when I was living in NYC on $20 a week, and was hating the whole NYC experience.
A big factor in that was it snowed like a blizzard every week, and it was Arctic-like freezing.
Plus, I had really sloppy roommates in my dorm.
I really questioned my decision to go to NYU, and couldn't wait to get home.
All these years later, I look back now at that period with fondness because I had SO LITTLE responsibility back then.
No mortgage, no job....all I had to do was homework and study!
Good times.
Labels: 90's, Closet Case, Music, Nostalgia, Today In, Video
Wotta' buncha' wussies.
Those kids are going to be screwed when the grow up and realized not everyone plays fair or someone will come in and mediate things. Conflict is a part of life.
Springs school bans tag, citing conflicts
'COLORADO SPRINGS —An elementary school has banned tag on its playground after some children complained they were harassed or chased against their will.
"It causes a lot of conflict on the playground," said Cindy Fesgen, assistant principal of the Discovery Canyon Campus school.
Running games are still allowed as long as students don't chase each other, she said.
Fesgen said two parents complained to her about the ban but most parents and children didn't object.
In 2005, two elementary schools in the nearby Falcon School District did away with tag and similar games in favor of alternatives with less physical contact. School officials said the move encouraged more students to play games and helped reduce playground squabbles.'
Labels: Colorado Springs, Kids, Sociology
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Acid Jazz!
powered by ODEO
Try here if player doesn't work.
This is one of my fave songs!
I was just listening to some random French radio station and this came on.
Yay.
I have it on vinyl, but not mp3.
Back in my raver days, I was exposed to acid jazz, and while house my fave music, I also dug the 'acid'.
In fact, a really fun night they used to throw was named after this song, 'So What'.
That lasted for years until it puttered out at La Rhumba.
It was great because they would mix house, soul, funk, acid jazz, and drum and bass too.
Swollen Summer
powered by ODEO
Try here if player doesn't work.
One of my faves.
And indeed, this summer has felt 'swollen'.
It seemed it would never end as I trudged home in the sweltering heat trying to avoid melting in to the pavement.
Vive l'automne!
Bah!
Hey Esther, you kind of late to the train on the whole Timbaland/Pharrel trend.
Labels: 00's, Audio, Celebrity Gossip, Music, Pop Culture
Interesting
'FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Picture a beautiful beach spanning miles of coastline, gently lapped by aqua-colored water - and sprinkled with glass.
Ouch? Think again. It feels just like sand, but with granules that sparkle in the sunlight.
Faced with the constant erosion of Florida's beaches, Broward County officials are exploring using recycled glass - crushed into tiny grains and mixed with regular sand - to help fill gaps.
It's only natural, backers of the idea say, since sand is the main ingredient in glass.
"Basically, what we're doing is taking the material and returning it back to its natural state," said Phil Bresee, Broward's recycling manager.
The county would become the first in the nation to combine disposal of recycled glass with bolstering beach sand reserves, Bresee said.
"You reduce waste stream that goes to our landfills and you generate materials that could be available for our beaches," said Paden Woodruff of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Sand is a valuable commodity in South Florida, where beach-related business generates more than $1 billion a year for Broward alone.
Sand to replenish eroded beaches is typically dredged from the ocean floor and piped to shore - about 13 million tons of it since 1970 in Broward. That's enough sand to fill the Empire State Building more than 12 times over.
With reef preservation restricting future dredge sites, sand is becoming scarce. And the price is rising as construction and fuel costs rise and dredge operations are pushed farther offshore.
In 2005, dredging brought in about 2.6 million tons of sand at a cost of $45 million. A similar operation in 1991 brought in about 1.3 million tons of sand for just $9 million.
The county would create only 15,600 tons of the glass material each year, not enough to solve its sand shortage, but enough to create a reserve for filling eroded spots before they can worsen, Bresee said.
Most of Broward County's 24 miles of beaches are considered critically eroded, and more than a quarter of Florida's 1,350-mile coastline falls into the same category. About $80 million is spent annually restoring Florida's beaches.
The glass-sand idea grew from the unintentional consequences of an ocean dump site off Northern California near Fort Bragg. Beginning in 1949, garbage - including lots of glass - was dumped over a cliff into the ocean, said Charles Finkl, a marine geologist with Boca Raton-based Coastal Planning and Engineering.
Finkl said that while organic material degraded over the years, the glass broke up and became smooth as it tumbled in the surf. The area is now known locally as Glass Beach. Another dump site in Hawaii produced similar results, Finkl said.
"You talk about glass beach and people have images of sharp glass shards but it's not that way at all," he said.
Recycled glass also has been used for beaches along Lake Hood in New Zealand and on the Dutch Caribbean island of Curacao.
It's unclear how much the project would cost Broward County, or if the project is even feasible. The state and county have so far spent about $600,000 just on tests and engineering.
The county tested a small patch of glass sand on a dry patch of beach last year, using sensors to measure effects of heat and moisture. Scientists have also conducted laboratory tests that show organisms and wildlife can thrive in the material just like natural sand, they said. The county is awaiting a permit to test glass sand in the surf zone.
Some people are raising caution flags.
"There's no way that you can predict all the environmental consequences of an action like this," said Dennis Heinemann, a senior scientist with the Ocean Conservancy. "There always will be unforeseen consequences."
One example sits just off shore.
The state and Broward County are spending millions to remove some 700,000 old tires that were placed on the ocean floor off Fort Lauderdale in the 1970s and fastened together to create an artificial reef. The tires came loose, moving around and scouring the ocean floor and wedging against natural reefs, killing coral.'
Labels: Environment, Technology
Wonder if the lunar eclipse had anything to do with it.
Early morning accidents wreak havoc on commute
'KUSA - Traffic was a mess Tuesday morning across the metro area leaving many commuters frustrated in accident-related traffic jams.
Traffic.com's Graeme Nistler says the most significant accident of the morning involved a motorcycle and a sports utility vehicle. Shortly after 6 a.m. SKY9 flew over eastbound Interstate 70 at Vasquez where the SUV had hit the motorcycle. The motorcyclist involved sustained a leg injury, according to the Denver Police Department. The accident remains under investigation.
Shortly after the I-70 accident, a head-on collision forced one vehicle over the center median at Santa Fe and Union. Both an SUV and a dump-truck were tangled up in the accident causing lengthy delays.
As the morning rush pushed on, more serious accidents occurred in and around the metro area.
At around 8 a.m. SKY9 was over a four car accident at 6th Avenue and Osage but details about possible injuries could not be immediately confirmed.
Despite the dry and sunny conditions, Tuesday morning saw 22 significant accidents or stalls.
9NEWS.com is in the process on checking on the well being of the drivers and passengers involved in these accidents. All of these accidents are under investigation which can prevent the release of additional information. This story will be updated as more information is obtained.'
Labels: Accidents, Automobiles, Denver
Et tu, emu?
Wayward emu visits Wal-Mart
Workers corral ‘Myron’ with shopping carts
'WEST BEND, Wis. - Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers: The emu in the parking lot is not for sale.
Employees of a Wal-Mart Supercenter used shopping carts to corral a wayward emu outside the store Monday about 6 a.m., West Bend police said.
A manager fed the emu grapes and apples in an attempt to calm the bird inside the makeshift enclosure.
Richard Takacs, the owner of 3-year-old Myron, speculated the bird had been chased from his nearby farm by a coyote.
Emus can’t fly, but Takacs said he wasn’t surprised when police contacted him from the store, about two miles north of his Meadowbrook Market and Pumpkin Farm.
“They can run 40 miles an hour, so that was just a quick sprint for Myron,” Takacs said.
Two other emus from the farm also bolted from their pen but were found unharmed in a nearby pumpkin field.
Takacs retrieved the apparently frightened Myron from the 24-hour Wal-Mart and placed the bird by itself in a pasture so it could feel safe and relax.
Emus can grow up to six feet tall and weigh as much as 100 pounds.
West Bend is in southeastern Wisconsin, about 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee.'
Monday, August 27, 2007
Dream
Over the weekend I woke up with the memory of this bizarre dream I had.
I had been cast to be on a competition reality show, and my agent gave me such short notice, I ended up being late for orientation on the lot.
So I get to the studio for the show, and I find out it is some kind of 'how stylish are you' competition, hosted by Posh Spice.
Whua?
I was two minutes late and even though she wasn't on set, she had heard I was late, and wanted me taken off the show.
Since being late was not my fault, I became livid when the show's producer told me I was no longer on the show.
I lost my shite.
It was about this time that Posh came out of makeup and I made a bee-line over to her and proceeded to chew her out, yell, and basically berated her for being what is wrong with celebrities and pop culture.
So much so, that she burst into tears, and ran crying from the set.
'Uh oh', I thought.
I don't know why I went off on her, I actually didn't mind her when I saw her little 'Coming to America' show.
And why Posh?
I haven't seen or read anything about her recently so why was she in my psyche?
Back to the dream, once she left I realized what I had just done.
My next thought?
'Holy crap, I hope Becks doesn't come kick my ass!'.
Eventually the producer pulled me aside and told me to go wait in a conference room.
I sat there for a long period until the producer and some other show staffers came in.
I thought they were going to have me escorted off the lot in a zip tie, but nope, something else happened.
They stated that there was no way I could be on Posh's show, for obvious reasons, but that I would be perfect for a different show they were beginning to shoot as well.
It was like a Big Brother-type show.
They wanted me to be the rabble-rouser.
I agreed and was all set.
Cut to later, and the dream now has me on the first day of shooting in the house with all the other hamsters.
It sinks in, 'holy crap, what did I get myself in to?'
I really didn't want to have to be fake, and have to play like I am a hot-head for the show.
[I'm really not as long as I have my meds].
I also realized that being cut off from the outside world, stuck with the same people for three months, would potentially cause me to have a nervous breakdown.
On national TV.
Labels: Celebrity Gossip, Dreams, Pop Culture, Television
For October issue of The Magazine.
For those of you who are new to Bon Jour, Pee Wee, I write for a column in The Magazine called 'He Said, She Said'.
It's a fun piece where three people; a straight guy, a straight girl, and the gay of the village [that's me] write our opinion on one topic.
October's topic is how to keep a long term relationship interesting:
You want to keep a long term relationship exciting? Date an Aries. Seriously, you will never have to worry about the lack of drama (good and bad). I actually had a potential dating partner turn me down after he found out I was an Aries. He said he had already rode our mental-merry-go round, and didn’t want to take another spin. (His loss).
If you’re not lucky enough to date an Aries, I would say that the way to keep things interesting is to try and prevent going in to a rut in the first place. Part of the benefits of being in a long term relationship is that you and your mate eventually find your groove or rhythm.
But that can be a trap. One day you’ll wake up and realize that some takeout and a night, in has become you’re entire life. So if you make a concerted at the beginning to not get caught up in the monotonous and repetitive, you shouldn’t have to worry about down the road.
If you’re out of luck and things have gone stale, the steadfast rule is variety and surprise can work wonders. And when in doubt, adding a little kink doesn’t hurt either.
Labels: 303 Magazine, Gay, Sex, Words
Another article for the October issue.
Thinking about getting a personal trainer but don’t know where to start about going to get one? There are a few things you should know before jumping head-long in to a commitment.
First thing is that here in Colorado, one does not need to be licensed or certified to become a practicing personal trainer. It is, however, recommended that you do find someone who is licensed and certified as you do not want to work with someone who, improperly trained, could actually cause serious injury to your precious body.
The American College of Sports Medicine [ASCM] and the National Strength Conditioning Association [NSCA] are both institutions to look for when selecting potential trainers. Certification from these entities does not exactly define how good a trainer is, but it does inform you that they have passed the minimum requirements in order to be at least, certified. They should also know CPR and basic first aid techniques, and be able to furnish proof of such.
It is also not a bad idea to use personal references from friends and family. If a trainer is a practicing professional, they should have no problem giving you their own personal references, if it is a trainer that comes unsolicited.
Next up, you want to find out what kind of fee or rate you are going to pay. You can get a feel for what the average price of a trainer is by calling around to various gyms and getting information on what they charge. This will give you some sense of where to start off when negotiating a contract. Be advised though, that more experienced trainers, as well as such things as if the trainer will be coming to you, rather than you going to a gym or their facility, will also be a factor in determining cost. Some trainers charge by session, but others may charge by the program. Make sure you discuss what your goals are and how the trainer will attempt to attain those goals with you.
Probably the biggest factor when looking for a trainer is personal compatibility. You need to consider such things as personality, your comfort level with this person who is going to be touching you, and just that general sense of whether or not you and the trainer “mesh well”. Having a trainer that you don’t like will kill your motivation, which in the end will make the whole thing a waste of time and money.
Finally, if you really want to see if a trainer is worth their salt, they should have a very clear and defined exercise or training philosophy. If you have a hard time getting motivated, maybe a drill-instructor type is for you. But as mentioned before with the compatibility factor, you want to factor in their philosophy with what you actually think you can handle. Also, don’t judge a book by its cover. Just because that trainer has buns and abs of steel does not mean that their statuesque figure was not the result of plastic surgery, or exercise obsession.
Labels: 303 Magazine, Health, Words
Tagged!
Notorious J*O*E tagged me.
So without further ado:
5 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth:
1. Crocs
2. The entire Bush family
3. Hipsters
4. High fructose corn syrup [it's what's makin' everyone fat, yo].
5. Hardcore religious types
4 things people do that make you want to shake them violently:
1. Clip their fingernails at work
2. Snap their gum
3. Pick their nose in public
4. Talk on their cell phone in enclosed spaces like an elevator or bus
3 things you find yourself moaning about:
1. Not being able to get all my 'projects' done
2. Stupid ignorant people
3. Spineless people
2 celebrities who deserve chinese water torture
[Only 2?]
1. Skank whose name we do not speak of
2. Gossip blogger whose name we do not speak of
1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself:
1. I hate people.
Labels: Blogs, Interwebs, Pop Culture, Sociology, Tagged
Great....
Now we're going to have to look at people wearing ugly day-glo rubber clothing.
Crocs adds new apparel line
'DENVER (AP) - Crocs Incorporated is introducing a new line of clothing that will incorporate an adapted form of a proprietary resin-like technology made popular in its funky footwear.
The clothing ranges from adult T-shirts to children's shorts, pants and skirts designed to make garments durable and resistant to chemicals and heat.
The Niwot, Colorado-based company has sold T-shirts and hats to accompany shoes but the apparel line is the first to incorporate Croslite.
Crocs spokesman Tia Mattson said Monday that it is a move toward diversifying the company's brand. She did not have details on how much the new apparel line has cost to produce.
The apparel will be introduced this fall at U.S. retailers and will be available through the Crocs' Web site.'
We rule!
Obesity rates climbed in 31 states in U.S.
Mississippi ranked No. 1 with 30 percent overweight, study found
'WASHINGTON - Loosen the belt buckle another notch America: Obesity rates continued their climb in 31 states last year. No state showed a decline.
Mississippi became the first state to crack the 30 percent barrier for adult residents considered to be obese. West Virginia and Alabama are just slightly behind, according to the Trust for America’s Health, a research group that focuses on disease prevention.
Colorado continued its reign as the leanest state in the nation with an obesity rate projected at 17.6 percent.
This year’s report, for the first time, looked at rates of overweight children ages 10 to 17. The District of Columbia had the highest percentage — 22.8 percent. Utah had the lowest percentage of overweight youth — 8.5 percent.'
'I'm a bubble.'
'Just Friends' happened to be on and I forgot how great that movie is.
Anna Faris rules and Ryan Reynolds is total hubba hubba.
Labels: 00's, Hubba Hubba, Movies, Video
Friday, August 24, 2007
OMG. Denver needs a program, stat!
Zipcar
Past
In the fall of 1999, our two Zipcar founders were sitting in a café, excited about a concept they had seen in Berlin while on vacation. Cars were parked around the city for members to drive by the hour instead of owning their own vehicles. They had a Eureka! moment (or maybe it was more like, "Duh! What an obvious idea.") They put an American spin on it - outfitting the cars with wireless technology, creating a hassle-free reservation system and strategically placing the cars around key cities and neighborhoods. In June of 2000 the first Zipcars were on the road. The masses could now drive cars by the hour or day - on their terms.
Present
Today, tens of thousands of smiling drivers use Zipcars. In many neighborhoods, Zipcars are as ubiquitous as ATMs. Z2B (business) and personal drivers alike are loving the freedom and cost savings a Zipcar brings to their life - many have even achieved transportation nirvana. That's why over 30% of our customers have either sold their car or have stopped their purchasing decision. The revolution is underway, at least in the minds of members who no longer give a second thought to how they will get where they need to go. With a Zipcard in your pocket, a car is only a wireless signal away. Viva la revolution!
Future
Like Zipcar members, Zipcar the company is going places. Plans for regional and national expansion are in the works (Hurray!). And as you might expect, we're investing in even more fun and functional cars that are sure to be a crowd pleaser. The passionate team of Zipsters will also take the member experience to new heights with many enhancements based on the great ideas and feedback of our impassioned members. Like the best of superheroes, Zipcar will go where the trouble is—cities with congestion, parking problems, transportation issues and hard to get to IKEAs (but without the tights and cape). Get on board. Become part of the solution, drive or partner with Zipcar today.'
Labels: Automobiles, Denver, Environment
Ombreux mince.
Eminem in French:
Bonjour !
Mon nom est. (ce qui ?)
Mon nom est. (qui ?)
Mon nom est.
Ombreux mince
Bonjour !
Mon nom est. (huh ?)
Mon nom est. (ce qui ?)
Mon nom est.
Ombreux mince
________________________________
Hi!
My name is.. (what?)
My name is.. (who?)
My name is..
Slim Shady
Hi! My name is.. (huh?)
My name is.. (what?)
My name is..
Slim Shady
Labels: French, Music, Pop Culture, Words
Sex addiction is my anti-drug.
Just kidding.
My friend Sarah and I, have this on-going joke where we like to put even worse stuff than taking drugs in to that old '_______ is my anti-drug' campaign.
Or silly stuff.
Sarah's recent favorite: 'Educational hip-hop is my anti-drug'.
[This came about after seeing MC Lars open for the Aquabats].
The first rule of Fight Club....
don't mess with Amy Winehouse.
Her hubby found out the hard way.
Repeatedly.
Thanks to J*O*E!
Labels: Booze, Celebrity Gossip, Drugs, Images
Neato
Sony develops sweet little bio battery
Prototype generates electricity using sugar, enzymes
'TOKYO - Sony has developed an environmentally-friendly prototype battery that runs on sugars and that can generate enough electricity to power a music player and a pair of speakers, the Japanese company said.
The bio battery's casing is made of a vegetable-based plastic.
It measures 1.5 inches along each edge and works by pouring sugar solution into the unit, where enzymes break it down to generate electricity.
Test cells had an output of 50 milliwatts, Sony said.
"Sugar is a naturally occurring energy source produced by plants through photosynthesis," Sony said in a statement.
"It is therefore regenerative, and can be found in most areas of the earth, underlining the potential for sugar-based batteries as an ecologically-friendly energy device of the future."
The company said it aims to produce the batteries for commercial use, without specifying when.
Sony was hit last year by the recall of millions of laptop batteries over fears they could catch fire.'
Labels: Technology
Define 'fondling'.
So I was thinking about something that was said in that Crack Is Whack post, yesterday.
There's a line about how 'fondling of genitals' is against the law in Atlanta.
So what exactly is 'fondling'?
Say there's a dude who has to make an 'adjustment', or scratch an itch.
Can some prudish old lady tell the cops he was 'fondling' himself and get busted?
That got me to thinking, that statement could actually make a funny t-shirt: Define 'fondling'.
You could make a whole line of t-shirts with this concept.
Define 'stalking'.
Define 'indecent exposure'.
Define 'public urination'.
Ha.
With my luck...
Like the time I had a flight where the guy behind me had a mild heart attack.
Care travel by Trip Nurse
Boulder-based Trip Nurse pairs private caregivers with people who need help traveling
'Boulder - Joyce Thurmer remembers how frazzled she felt when she and her husband, Rigomar, traveled to Ireland two years ago.
"Rigo" struggled with health problems related to congestive heart failure and emphysema, leaving him too frail to juggle much of the details.
"It was overwhelming for me to be in charge of the tickets and be in charge of myself and be in charge of the luggage and in charge of Rigo," said Joyce.
The couple, both 77, had traveled frequently, often visiting Rigo's family in Germany over the years, but after a while, Joyce said, "I kind of realized ... it would be just too hard to do it on my own."
For that reason, the Thurmers have embraced Trip Nurse, a Boulder-based company that pairs skilled private nurses with people who want to travel but are constrained by health problems.
The company, which carries the slogan "Have Nurse, Will Travel," was co-founded last year by licensed practical nurse Andrew Fallon and registered nurse Suzanne Brandler after both began getting requests from clients to accompany them to weddings, family reunions or vacations.
"It allows the family to enjoy the vacation, and it relieves the patient of feeling like a burden," said Fallon, who has been a nurse for 13 years, including work with Alzheimer's patients. It also "alleviates the pressure on the caregiver."
The service appears to be unique in the nursing industry but is one other providers say they can envision gaining popularity among affluent seniors who don't want to be limited by illnesses.
Clients must pay all travel costs for the nurses, including airfare, lodging and meals, in addition to medical care, which can range from $300 a day to $1,000 a day for 24-hour care.
Trip Nurses will handle such things as arranging with airlines to have portable oxygen aboard planes, scheduling medications, assisting with personal care and navigating airport metal detectors.
"With this population exploding as it is, we're going to see more and more businesses directly catering to this age group," said Morie Smile, spokeswoman for Colorado AARP, a lobbying group for Americans 50 and older with 655,000 members in Colorado.
She said AARP officials have not seen trends in seniors hiring private nurses for travel but support any "service to keep people out there enjoying life."
"It's a brilliant idea," she said.
The use of private nurses is not a new phenomenon.
"It sounds like, in the old- fashioned days, what was called a private-duty nurse," said Amy Barton, an associate professor at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center.
"It was kind of in vogue for wealthy families decades ago," she said. "From that, the whole home-care movement kind of was born."'
Labels: Air Travel, Health
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Now it's bugging me.
A friend of mine asked me why restroom doors alway open in; meaning why they don't swing out so that you can exit without having to touch the germ-laden door handle.
As far as I know, doors swing in due to traffic flow.
You don't want a door swinging out in to a hallway, because it could smack a passer-by in the face.
But then I started wondering if there is actually a building standard that restroom doors swing in, rather than out.
I have seen handicapped and unisex bathrooms that the door swing out, but not regular public restrooms.
Does it have to do with locking the door for privacy?
The mind wonders....or at least mind does.
Labels: Architecture, Interior Design, Question
Whew!
For a second, I thought 'The Day The Clown Cried' had been released due to this Defamer post.
It's a horrible concept in that Jerry Lewis plays a Nazi clown working at Auschwitz, who entertains the kids by day, and leads 'em to the gas chamber by night.
It has been drawn up in litigation for years and was never released.
Jerry Lewis refuses to talk about it to this day.
Labels: Bad Movies
Holy moishe!
I just got the September issue of W, and it's huge!
Even they admit it by saying 'largest issue ever' on the cover.
It has almost 700 pages [650 of them being ads] and weighs in at 6 pounds.
I feel sorry for my postal carrier.
Labels: Advertising, Fashion, Magazines
Atlanta sez' 'Crack is whack!'
Atlanta considers banning baggy pants
'ATLANTA (AP) - Baggy pants that show boxer shorts or thongs would be illegal under a proposed amendment to Atlanta's indecency laws.
The amendment, sponsored by city councilman C.T. Martin, states that sagging pants are an "epidemic" that is becoming a "major concern" around the country.
"Little children see it and want to adopt it, thinking it's the in thing," Martin said Wednesday. "I don't want young people thinking that half-dressing is the way to go. I want them to think about their future."
The proposed ordinance would also bar women from showing the strap of a thong beneath their pants. They would also be prohibited from wearing jogging bras in public or show a bra strap, said Debbie Seagraves, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia.
The proposed ordinance states that "the indecent exposure of his or her undergarments" would be unlawful in a public place. It would go in the same portion of the city code that outlaws sex in public and the exposure or fondling of genitals.
The penalty would be a fine in an amount to be determined, Martin said.
But Seagraves said any legislation that creates a dress code would not survive a court challenge. She said the law could not be enforced in a nondiscriminatory way because it targets something that came out of the black youth culture.
"This is a racial profiling bill that promotes and establishes a framework for an additional type of racial profiling," Seagraves said.
Martin, who is black, said he plans to hold public hearings and vet the proposal through churches, civil rights groups and neighborhood organizations. The proposal will get its first public airing next Tuesday in the City Council's Public Safety Committee.
"The purpose of the paper is to generate some conversation to see if we can find a solution," Martin said. "It will be like all the discussions we've had around the value of the hip-hop culture. We know there are First Amendment issues ... and some will say I'm just trying to put young black men in jail, but it's going to be fines."
Makeda Johnson, an Atlanta mother of a 14-year-old girl, said she is glad Martin introduced the proposal. She does not want to see a law against clothing, but said she thinks teenagers are sending a message with a way of dressing that is based in jailhouse behavior.
Atlanta would not be the first city to take on sagging pants.
Earlier this year, the town council in Delcambre, La., passed an ordinance that carries a fine of up to $500 or six months in jail for exposing underwear in public. Several other municipalities and parish governments in Louisiana have enacted similar laws in recent months.'
Labels: Fashion, Law, Pop Culture
Shrimp I tells 'ya.
Last night I checked out 'God's Warriors' on CNN, which discussed the upsurge in radical fundamentalist Islam.
One of the people they spoke to was this Persian-American woman [born and raised here in the States], and how one day she finally decided to start her own jihad [protest] here by always wearing a hijab.
She talked about how as she got older, she was drawn to how Islam dictates every aspect of her daily life and how she loved that it tells her how to live.
Which cracked me up because, not two seconds later, they show her making dinner, and what was she making?
Shrimp! [at 6:26 in the clip]
If she was truly hardcore Muslim, she wouldn't be eating shrimp because it is not halal.
Totally blew her credibility for me.
As for the rest of the show itself, I was surprised by how biased it actually was.
Christiane Amanpour kind of let me down.
There was actually this show on the Discovery Times channel called 'Root Of 9/11' with Thoms Friedman that was much more informative and honestly gave the Muslim point of view from radical to modern contemporary.
Labels: Islam, Religion, Television, Video
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
The car that runs on air.
The £5,500 car which runs on air
'The vehicle's new engine, hailed as 'one of the biggest technological advances of the century', uses air compression to turn the pistons without creating any pollution.
Once out on the motorway, the lightweight vehicle can reach 110kph (68mph).
The first car to go into production using the new technology is the MiniCAT.
The £5,500 fibreglass car will cost just £1 to charge up for eight hours of city driving or to cover 200km (124miles).
Moteur Development International, based in Nice in the South of France, spent 14 years developing the engine.
It stores compressed air in tanks and uses it to push the pistons while the air conditioning system uses cold air expelled by the engine. The air tanks can be recharged by using a small, mains-powered compressor.
MDI also envisages users charging their cars at air pumps on petrol station forecourts.
MDI founder, Guy Negre, said: 'Compressed air technology allows for engines that are both non-polluting and economical.
'Unlike electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles, our vehicles are not expensive and do not have a limited driving range.'
India's largest motor company, Tata Motors, has just signed a deal to make MDI's cars.
It is unclear when the first vehicles will be rolled out.'
Labels: Automobiles, Brits, Technology
Hee hee.
Tape Dispenser
Martini Shaker
These are some pieces from this artist I found for features for The Magazine.
Her name is Carol Boyes.
Labels: 303 Magazine, Art, Images
Ha.
powered by ODEO
A new take on 'Little Fluffy Clouds'
Alan Parker vs. The Orb - 'Grey Skies'
Try this link if player doesn't work.