On this 50th Anniversary of summiting Mt. Everest, take a quick peak at a 360 degree panoramic view from the top of the world.....
Head over to this link to rate your geekiness. I ran through the test and came up with a rating of 42.80079% = Major Geek which really isn't all that surprising.
I did notice however, that I think the test is slightly skewed towards a younger geek, of maybe 5 years my junior. (in their mid-20s)
Anyone else care to post their Geek Factor?
Ok, so I had only ever seen engine powered monocycles until now.....I'd love to try one of these monocycles out though. Just think of the strange looks you'd get cruising down the boulevard.
Stopping quickly would probably suck though - the only thing providing momentum to stop would be your own body weight. Brake too fast and upside down you go!
On the other hand, that might be kinda fun.
Related:
Tractor Wheel Monocycle with 80cc motor
V8 powered Monocycle raced at Bonneville Salt Flats!
Digital Rights Management: For Better Or For Worse?
Nice article profiling the current state of Digital Rights Management (DRM). Dr. Stamp discusses the current state of DRM usage (and non-usage) and where it is appropriate. He also touches on hardware methods for DRM and how they are also likely to fail. Finally, and in my opinion most importantly, he looks at the business models that can sustain DRM in a real world.
Unfortunately, the RIAA and MPAA don't think they live in the real world.
ExtremeTech - Deep technology for enthusiasts and professionals
After reading a few articles (Future of 3D Graphics, among others), this site really delivered when it came to the technical description and analysis of the topic at hand. I'll definitely be checking back from time to time for updates, and I'll be using it as a reference for future tech searches.
Make a movie in a weekend....the website is at InstantFilms.tv
Here's how an Instant Films weekend works. On Friday evening, eight writers make three random draws: a noun, an adjective and specifications for the number of men and women to be the cast. Twelve hours later, they have to present a finished script. Directors then make their own random draws from the available scripts and actors.
These teams then turn in a finished seven- to nine-minute film, all edited and complete with music and titles and everything ready for public screening at 7 p.m. Sunday at Los Angeles Center Studios.
Sounds like fun to me...only wished I lived nearby so I could go to a screening.
Two great video links here.
1. Video of the latest in electric "micro" RC helicopter technology and flying. In this video you will see a flyer inside of a gymnasium doing acrobatics and upside down flight. Truly amazing.
More info on the Piccolo Micro Helicopter.
(note, you may need to ask your PC to use Windows Media to play this file)
2. Watch this complete moron try to fly the helicopter he just bought for the first time. It really isn't pretty, nor all that long of a flight.
Remember, always take lessons first and get checked out on your new equipment. Especially if it costs a lot of money.
Electronic nose sniffs out cancer'
In a test group of 60 patients, half with lung cancer, this electronic nose was able to indentify every patient by a simple breath exhalation and analysis test. This could make a great screening test, if nothing else....the real question is how much cancer must there be before it is able to detect it?
Taking 'Matrix' to the next FX level - May. 8, 2003
Nice article detailing some of the work behind the special effects for the upcoming "Matrix Reloaded" and "Matrix Revolution" sequals to be released this year.
Also, another Matrix Reloaded article
...are rebelays and knots considered "technical difficulties"?
the imo website today made me want to cry or laugh, i'm not sure which. and why does it come with two non-locking carabiners? for me the longe lunga gets attached straight to the ascender, and locked...
see the ad for GGG cowtails, about halfway down the page. then tell me that when cavers expect newbies to negotiate rebelays on their third cave trip ever, they're just a technical difficulty. ahh, american rope techniques...
The added a new forum over at BanjoHangout.org for folks to upload banjo clips of them playing / practicing / whatever. So, I added mine.
Take a listen to:
Eight More Miles to Louisville
Each one is only 30 seconds or so long, just the melody line once or twice through. Played on my GoldTone BG-250F that I purchased a few months ago - a good investment that I found necessary after renting my first instrument last October.
Link to the Banjo Forum post to see the feedback I've gotten.
"It ain't bluegrass if it ain't got banjo."
Can you imagine shooting 606 takes for a car commercial? Neither can I, but take at look at this amazing ad for the Honda Accord.
No special effects tricks were used...this is a real life Rube Goldberg setup that is truly amazing in its execution. The related article describes some of the madness that went into it - including the huge budget of about $4 million.
"The bigshots at Honda's world headquarters in Japan, when shown Cog for the first time, replied that yes, it was very clever, and how impressive trick photography was these days. When told that it was all real, they were astonished."
Guardian Unlimited | With pot and porn outstripping corn, America's black economy is flying high
A new book by Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation (ranked 87th with Amazon), investigates the shadow economy of the US -- pot, pornography, and immigrant labor. The book, Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labour in the American Black Market is sure to cause a stir...especially after the success of his first book.
"While the nation's largest legal cash crop, corn, produces about $19 billion in revenue, "plausible" estimates for the value of marijuana crops reach $25 billion. Steve White, a former coordinator for the DEA cannabis eradication program, estimates that the drug is now the country's largest cash crop."
Baby Gramps is a piece of living history here in the Northwest, and one who is well respected throughout the country. The first time I saw him was last summer, at the Northwest String Summit - I was instantly hooked into his distinct style, his rhythmic contortions, and his ear-bending sense of humor...all conveyed through a beat up steel guitar and a weathered voice belting out rhymes, melodies, and palindromes.
Baby Gramps is someone not only to be heard, but to be seen -- hence his 2 videos and his DVD. A characteristic clip gives a taste to the new listener.
Check him out...