Friday, January 30, 2009

shipping container as store

From Futurismic we get this interesting photo.



Its a small shop made from a shipping container. Pretty cool. Throw in a small generator and you have a nice little mobile store. Generally those containers are just bare steel with no insulation so they get hotter than midget sex in the full sun. But I am sure that it could be insulated pretty cheaply.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

water jet pack

Cool!
I have no details, just the below video. BUT it looks like there is a massive pump in the boat that the feeder hose is attached to. What a GREAT idea!
I
want
one




Amazing New Water-Powered Jet Pack - Watch more free videos

Explain this image

dot com is a site of just really weird photos, some are staged and ridiculous, but some are just snapshots of weirdness.
take this for example


Not staged. Kid came up with a creative way to cross the pond while his friend on the other side encourages him. Why is his friend dressed like that on a miniature three wheeler? Who knows.

Or this clearly staged photo


that still makes me say "huh?" I understand the two individual concepts here. But the juxtaposition makes my head ache.

Or this:


CLEARLY this is staged, but WHY?

Reason #1 to carry a pocket knife

OR
"Why we need the economic stimulus package NOW!"
If this guy had a job he would not have time to (almost) kill himself. Well, at least he had the common sense to video tape it...

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Fringe on fox


I am loving the new(ish) Fox series "Fringe", I am a HUGE Walter (2) fan, he is awesome! And Olivia, I mean, WHEW! So I was excited to hear that DC Comics has a series of 6 comic books dedicate to Fringe, and specifically Walters back story!

It has been decades since the last time that I was tempted to buy a comic, but this review of the Fringe comics from DC comics has me hoping that the snow stops soon so that I can head on over to Tower Records.

I am much bigger than most pets...

Too Soon?

TSL230R to Arduino interface

This may appear to be somewhat of a non sequitur, but here we go.

Thank you c.a. church for the great tutorial no how to get the TSL230R to interface with the Arduino. He did a great job showing how to interface and calculate the frequency. However, his approach required both an interrupt AND a separate poll of the results every second to calculate the frequency.

This tutorial has been moved to the TeamPaulC Arduino page.

Gotta Laugh...


Why hate? Why not just have some fun with the idiots? Its like road rage, when someone flips you the bird, just smile and wave enthusiastically.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

January 27, 1967


Today is the 42nd anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy that claimed the lives of Virgil "Gus" Ivan Grissom, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, Edward Higgins White, II, Lieutenant Colonel, USAF and Roger Bruce Chaffee, Lieutenant Commander, USN

The crew of Apollo 1 was performing launchpad tests when tragedy struck; a spark from the electronics ignited the 100% oxygen environment in the capsule, the crew could not get out and died of smoke inhalation within minutes.

While this tragedy set the space program back slightly, it did not stop NASA from winning the race to the moon, and on July 20th, 1969 Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Neal Armstrong landed on the surface of the Moon while Michael Collins stayed in orbit.

Other than this tragedy that led up to the first Moon landing, it is also worth noting the "Moon landing hoax" conspiracy. I only mention it as a segue into this video of a 70 year old Buzz Aldrin knocking a guy on his ass! The guy talking smack and taking the punch is the ringleader of the conspiracy nuts (I refuse to name him, he doesn't deserve the fame.) The guy calls Buzz a coward, a liar, and a thief, then POW! Down he goes. While I certainly don't condone violence, including punching reporters, I applaud Buzz for this one. Buzz IS an American hero and deserves to be treated like one.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Well, he didn't fail at EVERYTHING...

Cramped quarters...


And you thought that YOU had tight cubicles!

Personal Mecha Robot



SSSSOOO, how is your Italian?
If its any good, head on over to hobbymedia.it and translate this article.
It sounds like Japanese 3D artist Kazushi Kobayashi designed these, imagining that they came from a parallel 1950's where we had some FUN transportation. Just ignore the phallic seating arrangement.
:|

Hmm, if I could get a plasma canon and maybe a missile launcher installed, that could be a fun little mech warrior. :)

Turn a coin, into a ring...

Excellent, short, tutorial on how to turn a coin



Into a ring


Its a clever method that seems so obvious once you see it. :)

Hug me pillow

Dizzy in the head and I'm feeling blue
The things you've said, well, maybe they're true
I'm gettin' funny dreams again and again
I know what it means, but …

uh, yeah, maybe its that CREEPY pillow that is making you dizzy and blue and freakin out your dreams.

Yeah, that is weird. Overstock is selling these "hug me pillows" that were apparently modeled after Brad Pitt (I guess that means no chest hair?)


Read the comments at Overstock, the are fairly humorous, for example:
"I LOVE the hug-me pillow. I sleep with 5 of them, it makes me feel like i'm in bed with a whole family.I've always felt there was something missing in my life, a void. I can't explain it but I now feel like one complete person. thank you hug me pillow!"


[via the consumerist]

Meet the new boss.....

Same as the old boss...
OR
Got a feeling inside (Can't explain)
It's a certain kind (Can't explain)
I feel hot and cold (Can't explain)
Yeah, down in my soul, yeah (Can't explain)

Man, there is weirdness in the tubes today that is palatable, so lets get going shall we?
First we started with a nice butt heater, now lets throw a bone to Uncle Pat...



WOW.
That's pretty cool. BUT, contrary to what SOME people think, there really is no similarity.

low tech butt heater



What to say?
The picture says it all...
"Well yeah, it was a bit cold out, so I grabbed an old iron and a lead acid battery, and well, there it is."

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Steampunk Keyboard II

Yes, the Scrabble keyboard was cool, but this is WAY cooler!



AND, the directions for making your own are on the makers website!
So that means that you could put the keys in the Dvorak Layout. Unfortunately this project appears to be rather complex and requires tools that most people don't have just hanging around. :( BUT, its still pretty cool!

PS I think that the guy lives in or near Groton Ma

Flaming Lotus Girls

Its REALLY hard for me to NOT watch a video with the keywords
industrial arts
sculpture
steel
fire

This is a video about the Flaming Lotus Girls from the West Coast, they make, well, like the keywords say: Industrial art using steel and fire. :) The group is predominantly women, but that's not the point...

Maker Profile - Fire Sculpture on MAKE: television from make magazine on Vimeo.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Steampunk Cylon

The gang over at DVICE are having a "Steampunk Cylon" contest. Contestants can submit their interpretation of a steampunk Cylon to win.

The example that they give is pretty weak.

I don't like this form of dysfunctional steampunk. Note how the hips attach to the leg, that can't be functional. And notice that the pivot point of the shoulder, well, can't. :( I prefer my steampunk to at least LOOK like it could work.

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

While I did post a "Majel Roddenberry passed away" article, I didn't post a "Ricardo Montalban passed away" article because I figured that you COULDN'T miss that in the mainstream. BUT, it is a bummer that Fox is working on a remake of "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" and Ricardo wont be in it . :( The director/writer Scott Frank has promised a science based movie. Read the article from IO9 for the full 411. I can't wait!

Hacked road signs and general paranoia

Now you KNOW that I am a big zombie movie fan, but imagine driving down the road and seeing this:



Seriously, whats a boy to do?
Sure, you laugh it off and say "THAT IS awesome!" But that little voice in the back of your head is saying
"Hey, right now there is a guy in a theater screaming at you 'TURN AROUND YOU IDIOT!', maybe we should turn around?"
:|

Anyway, they have a nice post over at I-Hacked about these signs.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The Way the Future Blogs

Frederik Pohl, the 89 year old SCIFI editor/writer has a new blog that is oddly appealing. His posts so far have been personal (why its hard for him to write, physically), political (why he voted Obama) and historical (remembering Arthur C. Clarke).

He only started the blog recently, but I recommend it to any scifi reader.
http://www.thewaythefutureblogs.com/

Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809, did you celebrate his 200th birthday yesterday? A cake may be a BIT over the top, but one man (or woman?) visits Edgars grave every year and leaves a bottle of cognac and three roses.

I have always enjoyed "The Raven" (but who doesn't), and while I enjoy reading it, it is best enjoyed read aloud. BUT, even better than reading it out loud, is Vincent Price reading it out loud!

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Steampunk Keyboard

-

As I am sure you followed along on the TeamPaulC discussion, Andy is getting a new computer and was asking for advice. Andy, I found the perfect keyboard! The key caps are made from real scrabble keys! And the CAPS lock even glows!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Nick Nolte on your credit card...



Whats in YOUR wallet?
I got Nick Nolte...

NICE.
Dood got a Capital One credit card with Nick Nolte's mug shot.

You can read the full story here, but apparently Capital One realized the error and gave the dood $50 to get the card back.
SUPER.
COOL.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Porn up, Rape down?

Or, how Reagan rigged the system.

Anthony D'Amato wrote this in 2006 based on his experience and the raw data.
[link to pdf]
NOW,
Before anyone gets all heated and starts yelling:
1) Read the entire article
2) Understand that I think that this is an interesting stance, but I (PaulC) am not qualified to say that he is right or wrong. (but I do think that its interesting)

Anyway, whether you agree or disagree with the article, its interesting.

the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks

I "really" love the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks.

I don't know if it makes me want to laugh or cry, but I do read it.

Adama (Olmos) vs Kirk

Come on, admit it, you have stayed up late wondering
"Who would win in a battle, the Galactica, or the Enterprise?".
Just to set the stage, I mean the new Galactica and the original Enterprise. From a technology standpoint the new and original Galacticas are basically the same, I just like Olmos better. :)

Well it turns out that the gang over at dvice have been wondering the same thing and they put this nice comparison together for us. Its an interesting article that really highlights the philosophical differences between the technologies.

While I basically agree with the articles individual points, and I would like to agree with its conclusion, I can't. In a ship to ship fight, I think that the Enterprise could win. Kirk would swoop in, throw a few photon torpedoes and phaser the crap out of Galactica faster than Adama could say "what the frak...".
On the other hand, if Adama saw Enterprise coming... Yes, Galactica would win, easily. Adama would launch vipers, fire broadside into Enterprise and be done in time for a quick drink in the Officers Mess. So I guess that it all comes down to warp detection. Would Adama see Enterprise inbound?

Hopefully Andy will be able to sleep at night now that this has been put to rest, I know I will.

Galactica final season starts tonite!!!!

As you almost certainly know, the final season of Battlestar Galactica starts tonight on the SciFi channel. Hanson and I just finished watching the previous season last night in preparation for this momentous final season. My jummpin jammerz are laid out, the munchies are ready, and the DVR is set to record it on the HD channel.

I am amazed at how well the new BSG turned out. I was less than impressed to see Edward James Olmos cast as William Adama, but now I can't imagine anyone else in that role. He is one hard hitting mother-frakker who is beyond reproach and is not above a good old fashioned fist fight if that's whats called for! Now, as a management style, it leaves a bit to be desired; BUT, as the military leader of the last hope for humanity?
Bring.
It.
On.

The original Adama as played by Lorne Greene was a no nonsense, uh, like a, uhm, sort of, whew. What was he? Sure, he made decisions, but he would SMILE while on the bridge!!! He was like your Grandfather, you did what he told you to do, but only because the crazy old guy deserved respect because of his age. But the new Adama, you do what he says because THAT is the chain of frakking command people! And without it, we are no better than the Cylons! Now get your butt into that tutu and dance like... Oh, wait... Where was I...

So I am really anticipating tonight's kickoff of the final season of Battlestar Galactica. But the fact that its the final season is bittersweet. On the sweet side, there will be closure to the story. Who is the final Cylon? What happened to Earth? Is there an Earth 2? (I loved that show) And of course the bitter side, its the final season. :( BUT, not to worry, there will be a NEW series that takes place 50 years earlier that explains the back story! YAY!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Of Tom Cruise and Nazis...

The NY Times has an interesting article on the Holocaust and how some would change history and make it "not so bad".

Its an interestingly article and it touches on why I won't pay to see the Tom Cruise movie "Valkyrie". In Valkyrie Cruise plays a "good Nazi" that is part of a conspiracy to assassinate Hitler. I am sure that its a great action movie, but do we really need to portray Nazi officers as misunderstood "good guys"? UHHH, no, we don't. The Holocaust was not about a single man, it was about a culture of intolerance and runaway egos. Tom Cruises character (Stauffenberg) wore a Nazi officer uniform, no matter HOW you slice it, that makes him a "bad guy".

The Times article touches on a few other books and movies that down play the horror of the Holocaust. I am not sure if its intentional or not, maybe some idiot just said "this would be a great heart wrenching story!" and didn't think it all the way through. Whatever the reason, its just wrong, AND it REALLY shows how stupid people are.

A camp guard has an affair with a prisoner?
The camp commanders little son is playmates with a child prisoner?

Really, are we THAT stupid?

Anyway, read the article, the author makes some interesting points, and may even disagree with me on the Valkyrie issue.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Let the rumpus BEGIN!

YAY!
The "Where The Wild Things Are" movie is currently scheduled for an October 2009 release! YAY! Its based on the book (obviously) and will feature huge puppets with CGI faces. I am SO glad that they did not go 100% CGI.
I can't wait for the rumpus to begin! If you don't already own jumpin' jammerz, you may want to get them in time for the rumpus...

Monday, January 5, 2009

Paul, Hans, Sam, and Santa...

We went to the mall for our Santa picture this year. Sam and Hans told Santa that they wanted a horse for Christmas. I told Santa that he wont be able to get it down the chimney.

Has Andy been to Iceland lately...

Darth Vader joins a procession of clergy in Iceland.



The funny thing is that it WORKS!
Best comment ever?
"I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Whale wars...

So have you guys been watching "Whale Wars" on Discovery?
You should, it is HUGELY entertaining and educational. Want to learn how to run a 100'+ ship? Then watch the show and do the opposite of what "Captain" Paul Wilson does. There are WAY too many stupid things to mention them all here, just trust me, he is a giant tool, pure and simple.

I love their mantra "I am willing to die to save a whale."
Really?
I am willing to snap the neck of a Siberian Tiger, and stuff him down the blow hole of a Right Whale to save a person. Frankly, I would rather not do that, but if it meant saving a human life, I would. These clowns are willing to DIE to save ONE whale.

Are they doing a good thing by trying to save the whales? No doubt at all that they are. BUT, at the end of EVERY show I am always on the side of the Japanese whaling industry! I can't help it, the Sea Shepard is practicing piracy and they are just WAY out of control.

Anyway, watch it, it is very entertaining.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Of bacon and broken chairs...

So as you know, Melanie and Rick came over for Baconfest '08 and a good time was had by Paul.

BUT, Melanie got a little bit overzealous and broke a chair. :(
It's a stool basically, and Melanie stood on the foot rest for some bjorked up reason.
Doofus.
Anyway, here are the results.

BaconFest, Christmas '08

I warned you that this was going to happen...
well, we did it. We turned 40 ounces of innocent bacon into a treat from Hell.

We started out with


That's 40 ounces of bacon.
Then we weaved it into a mat on the broiler pan, Melanie said to "weave it like the top of an apple pie" which turned out to be a great way to do it.
This is during the weave:



And this is ready for the oven!


We baked it at 400 degrees "until done". :) Melanie INSISTED on flipping it once, and that worked out with the first one. But we made 2 (we had 40 oz of bacon) and she flipped the second one too early. :( BUT, we were able to recover, and this is what it looks like coming out of the oven!

Now we had to stuff it! I wanted to stuff it with basically a scrambled Denver omelet, but Melanie and Sammi said "no!". SO, we just used grated cheese this time, but next time...

So we rolled it up with the "Mexican Blend" grated cheese

Sliced it up, and ate it!


The bacon mat was still pretty hot from the oven, so it melted the cheese nicely.

I tell you what, THAT was some good eating! Really, it was
awe
some.

NOW,
for those of you who say "That is so unhealthy!"
1) We baked it in a drip pan.
2) We don't do this every week, or even every month.
3) One slice of the bacon role was probably 2 slices of bacon
4) Bacon is basically a fatty pork chop "the other white meat", see #1
5) Go to hell.

Things for the "Next bacon Fest"
1) make enough extra bacon for an Elvis.
2) put some scrambled eggs and Italian sausage in with the cheese.
3) Its ok to flip it, but make sure that it has cooked enough that it is flippable.
4) 450 degrees is too hot, 400 is perfect

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Wonder.... Boner.



Wow.
It really doesn't get any better than Mike Rowe narrating and "My wife would like that!"