Bomb or not?

(via boingboing)

I’m not sure who thought up this site, but I think it’s funny.  This is a Hot or Not style site designed for TSA screeners.  See if you can identify each item as a bomb or not on this great site. The only real problem is there are not enough pictures to go through yet – I found 2 repeats in the first 7 images I saw.

[tags]Bomb or not, Hot or not site for TSA screeners[/tags]

Time to travel

I’ll be heading out of town for a few days.  I doubt I’ll be able to get online while I’m travelling.  I was not able to get any posts set up to publish while I’m gone.  That means that unless I find a way to get online while on the road, I’ll not make any posts until Monday night when I return.  I apologize for not getting things set up ahead of time, but I’ve recently been blocked from my own site from one of the places I used to work on it, and have had limited time to work on it while at home.  Expect this to be cleared up next week, as I’ve come up with a way to work on the site elsewhere and publish when I’m at home.

It’s like rain on your wedding day

(via boingboing)

UK government officials post a public service video on YouTube.  Another office of the government has the video removed for copyright violation – YouTube is hosting a government created video without government approval, goes the claim.  Odd enough, since the government uploaded it, and presumably would be in a position to grant approval to host the video.  But the real free-ride-when-you’ve-already-paid moment comes when you find out that the video was on how the government could be more coordinated.

The UK cabinet Office has been forced to pull one of the public service videos it published on YouTube due to copyright violation.

A video called Transformational Government can no longer be viewed on the site, instead users get a box of red text stating: “This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner COI Television because its content was used without permission.”

COI Television is actually part of the Cabinet Office and the further irony of the video being about transformational government was not lost on one critic.

[tags]YouTube forced to pull government posted video by government for not having approval[/tags]

Lasers for saving the Navy some money

If there is a task which would be better suited for sharks with frikkin’ laser beams on their heads than this, I don’t know what it is. Using a grant from the National Science Foundation, Professor Daniel Bubb and his team have come up with a new method for coating polymers. With this new approach, the Navy should be able to reduce barnacle attachments, which will result in less drag on ships at sea, which will reduce fuel costs. It’s pretty much a win/win all around. Except, maybe for the barnacles. And keelhauling will be less effective, I suppose.

As gas prices continue to soar, the Navy will be eager to learn of research underway at Rutgers University–Camden. “Barnacles that attach to naval ships are a huge cost to the Navy. Imagine if you drove a car with a parachute attached; this extra drag force requires more gas,” says Daniel Bubb, an assistant professor of physics at Rutgers-Camden, who has developed a new method for coating polymers.

Just put those sharks beneath the water line and let them start coating all the ships we already have. And they can even use the lasers to zap the barnacles already attached to the ships.

[tags]Lasers, Frikkin’ sharks with frikkin’ lasers, New polymer coating process using lasers (sharks optional)[/tags]

SimCity DS coming

(via Joystiq)
Word from IGN is that SimCity will soon be available for the Nintendo DS.  At least, it will be available soon in Japan.  This news comes from the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu.

sc3k1b.jpgElectronic Arts may not be known for making major game announcements over in Japan, but here’s one for you: Sim City DS! That’s right! The original Sim is set for DS release through Electronic Arts, and the latest issue of Famitsu is home to first details.

There is no word on yet on a release date for Europe or the US.

I must admit, seeing this game and thinking about SimCity controlled via Stylus made me think about another game of yesteryear that I think might be good on the DS – Tempest 2000.  Maybe someday we’ll get that.  Also, the above screenshot is from the original PC version, and is not necessarily representative of what will be in SimCity DS.
[tags]Famitsu, SimCity DS, Nintendo DS, NDS[/tags]

Chuck Norris vs. Zombie Bruce Lee

I wish I had done this.  But I lack skill and imagination necessary to pull it off.  It’s a “The Movies” generated machinima of Chuck Norris fighting a zombified Bruce Lee.  As we all know, such a meeting must never come to pass, lest the very world on which we live be destroyed from that much awesomeness being in such close quarters.  But in machinima, anything can happen.

[tags]Chuck Norris, Bruce Lee zombie, Chuck Norris vs. Zombie Bruce Lee[/tags]

Yahoo music 2 years for the price of 1 offer

I’ve already mentioned this recently in another posting, but this is a big enough deal to get its own article.  If you are thinking at all about getting in on one of the online music subscription sites, consider Yahoo Music.  If you use your Mastercard to pay right now, and if you are a new subscriber, you get 2 years of service for the price of 1.  And given Yahoo Music’s low price, that works out to about $2.50 per month for unlimited downloading of music.  The big drawback to this for a lot of folks is that Yahoo Music is only portable to Plays4Sure compatible players, of which the iPod is not one.  And unfortunately for me, my Samsung YH-920 is not on the list either.

[tags]Yahoo music deal[/tags]

New laser trimming robot

To be shown at the upcoming IMTS (International Manufacturing Technology Show) in Chicago is the AccuTrim WJ-110 six-axis robot with Abrasive Water Jet from Robotic Production Technology (RPT).

At the show, RPT will demonstrate three-dimensional, abrasive water jet trimming of a stainless steel part. During the demonstration, the part will be approximately placed into the robot’s work area and an RPT AccuFind* Sensor will quickly locate the part and find varying critical feature positions to ensure the trimming occurs in the correct location.

. . .

laser_abrasive_water_jet_lr.jpg

“We’re excited to introduce yet another water jet trimming solution to the marketplace with more capability than has ever been available before,” said RPT CEO Chuck Russo. “By working with H2O Jet and FANUC Robotics, we’re able to offer abrasive trimming solutions that combine a high reliability robot and high pressure components with system design, software and process knowledge that maximize the productivity of the system and deliver world-class value to our customers,” Russo said.

No mention of shark use in future water jet trimming projects was made.  However, it is never wise to rule out the use of frikkin’ sharts with frikkin’ laser beams on their frikkin’ heads.  Just remember that.

[tags]Lasers, Laser trimming robot, Robotic Production Technology[/tags]