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Friday, June 16, 2006
Quote of the Week
Quote
Freedom is not the right to do what I want but the power to do what I ought.
-Bill Gothard
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Monday, June 12, 2006
Quote of the Week
Quotes
"The same wind blows on us all, it's the set of your sail that makes the difference"
-Jim Rohn
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Friday, June 02, 2006
Million-Year Forecast Shows Disasters Galore
Life, Science
Forecast for the next million years, plenty of meteor impacts, supervolcanic eruptions, megaquakes and worse, says Steven Dutch, a geologist at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay who is taking a novel look at Earth's last million years to forecast the next.
Dutch says that even without major catastrophes, gradual geological change will dramatically alter many landscapes. Some examples Dutch cited are Niagara Falls, San Francisco, Hawaii and New Orleans.
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Quote of the Week
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Credit Cards That Earn Tuition Dollars
Life, Money, Personal Finance
A new group of credit cards is being introduced as of late that generate contributions to college savings plans with every purchase. These cards offer a range of percentage contributions and bonus contributions. This is an easy way to start saving for your child's education without feeling the pinch in your pocket book.
The article discusses some key points to consider when shopping for one of these cards. Among these points are:
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Elimination of the Penny
Life, Money,
This is a follow up to my blog on The cost of making money about an article stating that the cost of making a penny has now risen to around 1.23 cents because of the rising cost of zinc. As a result of this, Representative Jim Kolbe, R-Arizona, says he plans to reintroduce legislation to eliminate the penny in the coming weeks (see article). The Legal Tender Modernization Act did not pass back in 2001, he plans to present this legislation again that would require the rounding of all cash transactions to the nearest 5 cents.
Mark Weller, Executive Director of the pro-penny organization, Americans for Common Cents, says that "American's want the penny" and "they also hate rounding". Wow, Americans hate rounding. That's tough.
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Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Inventing a new life jacket
Health, Humor, Life, People, Science, Tech
The BoatU.S. Foundation for Boating Safety and the Personal Flotation Device Manufacturers Association (PFDMA) recently held an Innovations in Life Jacket Design Competition .
The winner of this competition was Adam Malcom, a graduate student in the University of Virginia’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Program, whose design is a simple and comfortable belt that when activated manually or automatically be CO2 cartridge, extends slender, symmetrically-arranged air bladders stored inside the belt inflate rising up to surround the wearer on all sides. No secondary action, such as sliding flotation over the head, is necessary. You simply float much like you would in an inner tube.
Honorable mention in the competition was Grand Rapids, Michigan's very own Nicholas Weigel who attends Kendall College of Art and Design. His device uses water soluble locks, on contact with water, the locks dissolve and fills the straps with 486 cubic inches of buoyancy foam.
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Monday, May 29, 2006
Train your Brain, Stay on your Game
Health, Life
Money magazine has an article in this months addition about exercises to train your brain like you would your body to keep up with our fast paced world. Money claims the 66% of older people who did brain training activities similar to these showed significan cognitive improvement in a long-term study.
Here are the activities that were listed in the article:
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Saturday, May 27, 2006
Michigan bakery sells Hoffa cupcakes
Health, Humor, Life
The Milford Baking Company in Milford Township, Michigan, is having a hard time keeping up with the demand for their new dessert, the Hoffa cupcakes. The cupcakes have a plastic green hand emerging from the chocolate-flavored sprinkles and frosting meant to resemble dirt.
The company started making the cupcakes are in response to dozens of FBI agents, police and others that invaded this small community 30 miles northwest of Detroit to search for the remains of former Teamsters chief Jimmy Hoffa.
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Bill Cosby's mantra for the future, "personal responsibility"
Humor, Life, People
This article in USA Today reports on Bill Cosby's recommendation to the black youths of this country. Personal responsibility is the way to keep this counrty and and it's youth heading in the right direction.
I think Mr. Cosby's message appeals to all of us. Too often now a days people are quick to blame external things in their lives for their problems. We need to start looking a little more inside ourselves and changing our attitudes and views on how we handle the external things that come our way. Focusing on ourselves allows us to concetrate on things in our control, ourselves, instead of the external things that we have no control over.
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The ol' Chicken or the Egg Debate has been solved
Life
The oldest question has finally been answered, what came first, the chicken or the egg? A team of made up of a geneticist, philosopher and chicken farmer claim to have found an answer. It's the egg!
The reason, genetic material does not change during an animal's life. Therefore the first bird that evolved into what we would call a chicken, probably in prehistoric times, must have first existed as an embryo inside an egg.
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States get tougher with sex offenders, what is going on in Michigan
Life, News, People
There was an article in USA Today recently regarding the public fear of sex and how 14 govenors have signed bills this year that are tougher on sex offenders. The measures extend prison sentences, restrict where offenders can live, improve public notification of their whereabouts, order electronic monitoring or broaden prosecutorial power.
The part of this article that was interesting to me, that is not icluded in the above link, it was only in the paper, was this chart shown here listing states that have enacted tougher sex offender laws this year and the number of registered sex offenders in each state. Being from Michigan, this freaked me out a bit.
For those of you as shocked about this as I was, here are a few more sites that will give you addresses and maps of where the registered sex offenders are living:
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Friday, May 26, 2006
Yokohama Panorama
Digital Camera, Internet
Check out this amazing Panoramic view of Yokohama. An incredible look at the city at night, you can also check out other cities and events here.
Thanks Neatorama
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Cellphones on a plane!
Cell Phone, Life
Consumer advocates, trade groups, and even one phone company (Cingular) have gone on the record against phones on airplanes in flight. An early attempt at the service, Verizon (Research)'s Airfone, appealed to only the most desperate callers, thanks to its $4.99-per-minute rate and echo-chamber sound.
But now air carriers (which are hungry for any new revenue opportunity) and some mobile-phone carriers (which want to extend their reach to the skies) are pushing for changes in rules that will permit phone calls while in flight (see link.
As FORTUNE went to press, the FCC was holding an auction for two available licenses to provide high-speed telecom services on planes. While the auction was mostly about the right to offer in-flight Internet access, most industry observers believe no-holds-barred calling can't be far off.
There are already signs that regulatory resolve is on the wane. Right now the Federal Aviation Administration bans the use of regular mobile phones in flight for safety reasons. But last year the FAA gave preliminary approval for United Airlines to test Wi-Fi in flight.
I travel enough for work to know that this is just not a good idea. There are just some folks who are not able to control the volume of their voices when talking on the phone, and now we are going to have a plane full of these people. If you can't go without your cell phone for a few hours, then there are help groups for people like you. I think this is a bad idea all around.
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Pre-fab Structures from Inflate
Tech
The Mobile Living Conference, which will be held in New York (on Hudson street) from May 21st - 23rd will unveil some of the most gorgeous and latest pre-fab structures. One of the participants is a UK based company called Inflate who are all set to show a stupendous range of inflatable bouncy structures.
Thanks TheDesignBlog
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Quote of the Week
Quotes
Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity, and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigors of the mind
-Leonardo Da Vinci
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Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Microsoft: Run Word in 'Safe Mode'
Computers, Internet, Tech
Microsoft has advised users of Word to run the application in Safe Mode in order to protect against "zero-day" attacks. The recommendation comes after the discovery of a serious flaw in the word processor that could result in code execution.
The vulnerability (see link) can be exploited after a user opens a specially crafted Word file with a malformed object pointer. The issue causes memory to corrupt, and opens a hole that allows for code execution. The flaw can also be exploited through e-mail or the Web, however it requires the opening of a malicious file.
Microsoft is currently testing a patch for the flaw.
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Is high-fructose corn syrup the devil?
Health, Science
I have always assumed that High-Fructose Corn Syrup was toxic and was contributing to the obesity of this country. It sounds like there is still a big debate on wheather it is acutally worse than sugar. This site looks at some of the tests that have been done and breaks it down pretty well.
The scary part of this whole thing is that we are worried about HFCS replacing sugar and being worse, when it appears that we are actually adding the consupmtion of HFCS to our regular sugar intake. So whether it is worse or not right now is not the issue, it is that it is increasing our intake of sugar and sweeteners as a whole.
Thanks BoingBoing
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Vacuum Pets
Humor Shopping
I just thought these were funny as can be, it would be hard not to crack a smile while doing housework with one of these Vacumm Pets .
Thanks Popgadget
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China’s Three Gorges Dam is Finally Ready
Life, News, Science, Tech
China’s Three Gorges Dam, construction of which began in 1993, is all set to be inaugurated this Saturday when it is expected to reach its final height of 185m (607 feet). During 10 years of its making, the dam that has been surrounded with controversies would come into operation only until 2009.
Once completed, the Three Gorges Dam that stands as the world’s largest at 2,000-meter in length will start controlling floods by raising its water storage. The water level is expected to reach 156 meters. Authorities claim that the structure is sturdy enough to withstand even the most devastating of floods and deadliest terrorist attacks.
Built on the Yangtse River, the dam has come up as one of the top-notch travel destinations in China. One kind of flood that the Three Gorges Dam is unable to withstand is the flood of tourists who are pouring in from all corners of the country to have a glimpse of the world’s largest dam.
Thanks TheDesignBlog
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The anatomy of an ant hole
Life, Science
Walter R. Tschinkel, from the Department of Biological Science at Florida State University pours orthodontal plaster down ant holes, and creates perfect molds of the topology of the inside of an ant-colony. These are lovely sculptural pieces -- someone should mass produce them
Thanks BoingBoing
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Tools for shaving your head
Life
Todd Greene invented this funky looking razor called the Head Blade. It is specifically made for shaving your head.
Thanks Neatorama
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Tracking George the Traveler
Internet, Life, Money
Ever wonder where that dollar bill in your hand has been, or where it will be going once you spend it? We may not realize it, but the currency we use in this country is well traveled. Cash makes it's way around the states in quick fashion.
Well, if you happen to get a bill with the stamp on it shown here, you can find out where that bill has been and track where it is going. The people at Where's George have placed these stamps on bills and encourage people who receive one of these bills to enter the location of the bill when they get it. What results is a history of where each bill has been.
While this is fascinating on its own, Wired Magazine is now reporting that researchers are using this data to predict the spread of disease based on the theory that money probably travels in the same patterns as disease carrying humans. This has been a concern most recently with the fear of avian flu. If you consider that nearly 25% of the bills tracked during a one week period traveled 30-500 miles, it certainly makes you worry.
Thanks Gadling
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The cost of waiting one year to invest
Personal Finance
The picture shown above illistrates the impact of waiting to invest into yourretirement find, this chart was developed using this financial calculator. It is easy to see how investing, even a small amount early on can help you in the long run. Your yearly required investment to reach your retirement goal are less of a pain in your pocketbook if you start early.
Another example is if you invested $1,000 per year for eight years and never invested another dime, you would have more in your savings at retirement in 40 years (based on 8% return) than the person who invests $1,000 per year starting at your 8th year until they retire. Pretty amazing the power of compounding interest.
Thanks Get Rich Slowly
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Voyager II detects solar system's edge
Life, Science, Tech
Voyager II could pass beyond the outermost layer of our solar system, called the "termination shock" sometime within the next year, NASA scientists announced at a media teleconference Tuesday.
The milestone, which comes about a year after Voyager 1's crossing, comes earlier than expected and suggests to scientists that the edge of the shock is about one billion miles closer to the sun in the southern region of the solar system than in the north.
This implies that the heliosphere, a spherical bubble of charged low-energy particles created by our sun's solar wind, is irregularly shaped, bulging in the northern hemisphere and pressed inward in the south.
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Italian robot perfroms unassisted heart surgery
Health, Science, Tech
A robot surgeon has for the first time carried out a long-distance heart operation completely by itself .
The 50-minute surgery, which took place in a Milanese hospital, was carried out on a 34-year-old patient suffering from atrial fibrillation, or 'heart flutters'.
The operation was initiated and monitored on a PC in Boston, USA, by Carlo Pappone, head of Arrhythmia and Cardiac Electrophysiology at Milan's San Raffaele university. Also watching the operation - a world first - were dozens of heart specialists attending an international congress on arrhythmia in the American city.
The Italian expert has used the robot surgeon for at least 40 previous operations, some of which have been described in detail in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Thanks Davesdaily
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Fun facts about your birthday
Humor, Internet, Life
It's odd to think that I have been around for 10,773 days, and that you can boil 3.43 US ounces of water with the number of candles that will be on my next birtday cake. Just some of the random info that the birthday calculator will give you when you enter your birth date.
Thanks LifeHacker
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Monday, May 22, 2006
Flawless Man-Made Diamonds
News, Science, Tech
During the past year, scientists have mastered the ability to grow 10-carat single crystals with a color and clarity that surpass mined diamonds. Experts predict that within a decade, they will be cheaper and to expect to see the first diamond semi-conductors in 2011.
They start with flawless, button-sized diamonds. They place these diamonds in the microwave chamber and feed them hydrogen adn methane gases. When the temp hits 1300 degrees F, the hydrogen combines with the methane to produce a highly reactive form of carbon. These carbon radicals rain down from a cloud of hot plasma and bond to the carbon on the surface of the diamond seed and a new diamond crystal soon begins to form.
These are not fake diamonds, they have the same atomic structure as mined diamonds. So no Zirons here.
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Wow, a real doggie bag
Humor, Life, Shopping
This is an actual doggie bag for carrying your dog. It actually doesn't look all that uncomfortable....for the dog. I think they need to add a shoulder strap though.
Thanks Neatorama
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NASA spacecraft crashes into satellite
News, Science, Tech
A robotic NASA spacecraft designed to rendezvous with an orbiting satellite instead crashed into its target, according to a summary of the investigation released Monday.
Investigators blamed the collision on faulty navigational data that caused the DART spacecraft to believe that it was backing away from its target when it was actually bearing down on it.
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Unanswered Questions
Humor, Life
1. Why do they sterilize needles for lethal injections?
2. If you shoot a mime, should you use a silencer?
3. Why is the word "abbreviation" so long?
4. What is the speed of dark?
5. If a stealth bomber crashes into the woods, does it make any noise?
6. Would a fly without wings be called a "walk"
7. If a book about failure does not sell, is it a success?
8. If it is tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
9. Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
10. When you choke a smurf, what colour does he turn?
11. Why are there Braille signs on drive-up ATMs?
12. Why do you never hear about "gruntled" employees?
13. If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it a hostage situation?
14. If women wear a pair of pants, a pair of stockings, a pair of earrings, a pair of glasses, why don't they wear a pair of bras?
15. If you throw a cat out the window, is it kitty litter?
16. If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil come from?
Thanks The Stealth Bomber
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Amazing Robot Videos
Tech
Tech Blog has some amazing Robot Videos on their site. There is a robot that jumps rope, one that rapels down a rope, and the best one is a robot battle where robots participate in what looks like sumo wrestling. These robots do some amazing things.
Thanks Tech Blog
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Malfunction cuts gas price to 29 cents
Humor, Life, Money
In Hammond, Indiana, a gas pump recently malfunctioned and was giving its patrons gas for 29 cents. The malfunction lasted for about 90 minutes until is was caught and corrected. By then, nearly 50 people were in line waiting to take advantage of the mishap.
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World Tallest Ferris Wheel Opens in China
Life, Tech, News
Compensating for what? The Chinese just opened the worlds tallest ferris wheel in Jiangxi province. The new ride stands at 160 meters (just under 525 feet) tall, which is 25 meters (82 feet) taller than the current Guinness World Record holder London Eye on the banks of the River Thames in London.
Thanks Gadling
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Sunday, May 21, 2006
Organs that regenerate themselves from within
Health, Life, Science, Tech
Glenn Larsen, the chief scientific officer at Hydra Biosciences in Boston, has been chasing this regenerative dream for the past four years. With help from a team of Harvard University researchers, Larsen and his colleagues are developing protein-based drugs that encourage the regrowth of muscle tissue that has died after a heart attack (See Article).
The strategy Larsen envisions is simple, though groundbreaking. Patients will use a self-delivery device, such as an inhaler or supersonic drug gun, to propel the regenerative protein molecules into their bloodstream. The circulating molecules will bind to receptors on the surfaces of their damaged heart-muscle cells, touching off a chemical reaction that mutes the activity of genes inhibiting cell division. Once this biological switch has been thrown, new heart cells will begin to develop, filling in the dead-tissue gaps. The result: Within a few weeks, heart-muscle function will be permanently restored.
Human trials of Hydra’s cardiac drugs won’t begin for another few years, but experimental evidence already points to the treatment’s potential. Last year, Hydra researchers induced heart attacks in rats, then dosed them with CRF-1, one of the protein compounds under investigation, for 10 days. A month after their heart attacks, the rats receiving treatment demonstrated heart-muscle function that was about 20 percent better than that of the control group.
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Cars with Night Vision
Science, Shopping, Tech
Popular Science recently conducted a test of Mercedes-Benz (see picture on right) and BMW's new infrared night vision systems. What they found was pretty impressive. Both use infrared to detect obstacles; however they differ in applications.
The Mercedes-Benz projects near-infrared light almost 50 feet down the road. The light is invisible to the eye but reflects off objects and is detected by a camera. The image is then displayed on a very bright screen in the instrument panel.
The BMW uses passive infrared technology, a thermal imaging camera detects heat from objects nearly 1,000 feet away. The dashboard screen is not as bright as the Benz, but detects people and animals much better.
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The Flying Photography of Jan von Holleben
Digital Camera, Humor, Life, People
Some pretty amazing pictures by Jan von Holleben, on his website, he has a link to his Dreams of Flying pictures. He sets his scenery up on the ground, and lays people on their sides in this scenery. He then takes the picutres from directly about the scene, this gives the illusion that it is a vertical scene, and not a horizontal one on the ground. Great shots, take a look.
Thanks The Cool Hunter
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Green Mall (Renewable Energy)
Life, Shopping, Tech
After years of delays, developers and local officials have agreed on a 30-year tax deal that will allow construction to start on Destiny USA — a megamall in Syracuse whose backers vow will run on renewable energy and be a model for clean living and shopping.
According to the lead developer of the complex, Robert Congel, the space will be the largest complex in the world run entirely on renewable energy. It will contain some 848,000 square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment space, and might be open as early as 2008.
Thanks Gadling
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Latest Case of Bird Flu
Friday, May 19, 2006
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION AFFECTS EVERYONE AD
Humor
The Singapore Environment Council certainly get their message across. Plugging the line " Atmospheric pollution affects everyone", the ads depict witches, angels and aliens falling to the ground, poisoned by the pollution the humans who they protect actually caused. Dramatic and fantastic
Thanks The Cool Hunter
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Top 10 scenic road trips
Life, Digital Camera
MSNBC has released it's picks for the 10 most scenic trips in the U.S.
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More reasons to cut back on saturated fats
Health, Life
We all know that eating saturated fats is bad for your cholesterol level, but recent studies have shown that they also effect insulin functions, potentially raising the risk of diabetes, cancer, ovarian disorders and other health problems.
Surveys suggest that American adults consume on average about 12 percent of their calories from saturated fat. However, the Advisory Committee for the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended a maximum target of 10 percent of calories for most adults.
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Quote of the Week
Quotes
The secret of happiness is to make others believe they are the cause of it.
-Al Batt, in National Enquirer
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Thursday, May 18, 2006
3D Street Art
Life, People
Julian Beever is an English artist who’s famous for his art on the pavement of England, France, Germany, USA, Australia and Belgium. Beever gives to his drawing an anamorphose, his images are drawn completly deformed which give a 3D image when viewing on the right angle.
Thanks The Cool Hunter
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How to prepare for having your wallet stolen
Life, Money, Personal Finance
What do you do if your wallet gets stolen? How do you make sure that all of your cards are not used and abused? Well, if you have prepared yourself for such and incident, you can minimize the damage.
Here's what you do. Take out everything in your wallet and make a photo copy, front and back of everything. Keep this photocopy in a safe place, a safety deposit box or in home safe. If you wallet is stolen, you will have all the information you need to cancel all your cards.
Thanks Matt (The guy we just interviewed)
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JAPANESE APARTMENT BLOCK - ALL THE DISCOMFORTS OF HOME
Life, News
The creative duo of Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins have unveiled a small and most unusual apartment block based in Mitaka, Tokyo. Reversible Destiny Lofts are eye-catching brightly painted lofts that look like a McDonald's play ground through the eyes of someone on LSD. The architecture looks like the aftermath of a size 3 earthquake, a little shaken and lopsided. There is a method behind the designers madness however.
The goal of these apartments is to keep its dwelers from lounging, sitting back and relaxing increasing their rate of decline. Arakawa and Gins designed an uncomfotable and non-calming building of nine apartments known as Reversible Destiny Lofts. Painted in eye-catching blue, pink, red, yellow and other bright colors, the building resembles the indoor playgrounds that attract toddlers at fast-food restaurants. Inside, each apartment features a dining room with a grainy, surfaced floor that slopes erratically, a sunken kitchen and a study with a concave floor. Electric switches are located in unexpected places on the walls so you have to feel around for the right one. A glass door to the veranda is so small you have to bend to crawl out. You constantly lose balance and gather yourself up, grab onto a column and occasionally trip and fall.
Thanks The Cool Hunter
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Thief steals Calif. homeowner's front yard
Life
It was a sod story for a Mojave Desert homeowner whose entire front yard -- grass, bushes and sprinklers -- was hauled away by a thief.
The homeowner telephoned law officials to report the yard in front of his under-construction home on was gone, a sheriff's spokeswoman Staci Johnson said Tuesday.
Witnesses told the homeowner they saw the thief taking the sod, plants and irrigation system to a nearby residence, Johnson said.
David Roger Bowers, 34, was arrested at the home and booked for investigation of grand theft and possession of stolen property, the sheriff's spokeswoman said.
The landscaping materials were returned to the victim.
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Biometric scans for nightclub access
Life, Tech
In Touch, a British company, is testing its first install of a customer database system which will voluntarily register nightclub patrons as they're admitted. A fingerprint scan and a mugshot, along with all the necessary personal information, guarantee that partygoers in the Somerset town of Yeovil won't have to carry identification while they're clubbing.
Thanks Popgadget
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Survey: Workers would give up coffee for Web
Health, Internet, Life
Believe it or not, a recent survey discovered that half of the people in America with internet access would rather give up their morning coffee than give up their internet access on the job.
The survey of 500 employees was conducted March 16 to April 4 by Harris Interactive. The random sample was limited to adults who work at a company with at least 100 employees and who have Internet access on the job.
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Present Female Heads of State
Life, People
The following women are currently serving as either presidents, prime ministers, or chancellors in their respective goverment:
Thanks Y. Wang
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Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Improve yourself with Mecanbe
Life, Internet
Mecanbe will enable you to track your goals in life. Mecanbe is a service for self-coaching and self-improvement. As you can see from the screenshots below the service is very nicely designed and has many applications and functionalities. You can easily create a list of goals (eg.loose weight, write a good blog, run faster) rate them and publish them on your blog and if you don’t have one Mecanbe will provide one for you. It enables you to track your overall performances and ongoing progress.
It is still in development, but you can go to the website and sign-up with your email address and they will inform you when the site is up and running.
Thanks TechCrunch
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BRUTALLY HONEST GREETING CARDS - Saying it like it is
Humor, Internet
Have someone you want to tell off, but not in person? Send them a Grating Card. These cards are brutally honest, and will tell this person exactly what is on your mind.
Thanks The Cool Hunter
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Blacklight Tattoo
Life
Blacklight reactive ink allows you to get a tattoo that no one will see, unless you are under a blacklight.
Thanks The Cool Hunter
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Last chromosome in human genome sequenced
Health, Life, Science
Scientists have reached a landmark point in one of the world’s most important scientific projects by sequencing the last chromosome in the Human Genome, the so-called “book of life”.
Chromosome 1 contains nearly twice as many genes as the average chromosome and makes up eight percent of the human genetic code.
It is packed with 3,141 genes and linked to 350 illnesses including cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
The Bathroom Diaries - Finding a clean bathroom anywhere in the world
Health, Internet, Life
The Bathroom Diaries is a website that allows users to search a database for the nearest public bathroom that has passed the "clean environment" standards. Restroom entries are submitted by users and reviewed by the website staff.
This is George Costanza's dream come true, a resource for finding a bathroom anywhere that is suitable for human use. This site also has a golden plunger section where awards are given for the worlds finest public bathrooms. This could be a very handy site while vacationing.
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Tuesday, May 16, 2006
THE AURLAND LOOKOUT - NORWAY
Life
Jutting out from the roadside, high above the small Norwegian town of Aurland, is an organic highway to oblivion. The Aurland Lookout is a seamless curve of locally harvested timber that sprouts 30 meters out from the road, before cascading into a breathtaking fjord. The mind is easily tricked by the eyes, which barely register the wall of glass that protects sightseers against the edge of this structure. Designed by architects Todd Saunders and Tommie Wilhelmsen, it recreates the stomach-lurching sensation 'of a child on a swing'
Thanks The Cool Hunter
Try it on for size magazine ads
Books, Humor, Shopping
WEMPE jewelry has come up with an innovative advertising campaign for their magazine ads. The jewelry in their ads in on perforated paper, readers can open the perforations, and slip their hand, finger, neck, or whatever into the ad and see what the piece looks like on them.
Thanks The Cool Hunter
Monday, May 15, 2006
Web Zen, fun online games
Humor, Internet
Web Zen is a neat website with random games of the mind, or mindless.
Games include:
..and a viariety of other games.
Thanks BoingBoing
Commander in Chief, preping America for Hillary Clinton?
Life, People
Commander in Chief on ABC, starring Genna Davis as the first woman President of the United States Mackenzie Allen, may be preping America for the upcoming election in which Hillary Clinton is a potential candidate. Hillary has the potential to become the first woman President in the history of this country. This show has very coincidental timing coming out 4 years prior to the next election and still running as the candidates for each party are still up for grabs. I have never seen this show, not a tv watcher, just the concept and the possibility of this happening in 2008 was interesting.
Satellite photos of Earth
Internet, Life, Science
Pretty Planet has some wonderful shots of Earth from satellites. There are some night time shots as well as close-ups of various areas.
Thanks Neatomrama
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Volkswagon's 20-story cylindrical garage
Shopping, Tech
Volkswagen has a fully automated garage made of 20-storey-tall towers in Wolfsburg, Germany. These photos make it appear to be some kind of egg-chamber for the Queen VW to stash her larvae in before they hatch into marauding auo-duellists. Which is to say that it's really quite lovely. When cars are ordered, they are robotically fetched down for delivery: "In a fully automated procedure, your new car is brought down to you from one of the 20-story Car Towers. Large signboards in the Customer Center show you when your turn has come. Then, you're handed the keys, your picture is taken, the glass doors open and your brand-new car appears. You're all set to go."
Thanks BoingBoing
Drunk Monkeys Mirror People
Life, Humor
Researchers have discovered that Monkeys drink more alcohol when housed alone, and some like to end a long day in the lab with a boozy cocktail.
The monkeys behaviors strongly correspond with human patterns of alcohol use. In the study subjects, "blood alcohol levels often exceeded the .08 percent level, which is the legal limit for most states in the U.S.," said Scott Chen, one of the study’s authors and a researcher at the National Institutes of Health Animal Center in Maryland.
They also discovered that monkeys who were housed by themselves drank 2 to 3 times more than the ones housed in communities. Also, lower-ranked monkeys and males tended to drink more. They also drank more directly after working.
Thanks BoingBoing
Skywalk to offer thrilling Grand Canyon view
Life, Science, News
The Hualapai Indian tribe of Arizona and Lochsa Engineering of Nevada will be commissioning a new Skywalk at the Grand Canyon later this year. This horseshoe shapped footbridge will jut 65 feet from the cliff edge and suspend 3,800 feet above the canyon floor, a height more than twice that of the world's tallest skyscraper Taipei 101 located in Taipei Taiwan.
The skywalk is made entirely of glass, including the walking surface.
Need more of a thrill, Lochsa hints at future plans to ratchet up the thrill factor by turning a maintenance car designed to run on a track along the bottom of the Skywalk into a trolley ride for visitors.
This is a must see.
Potato Moon @ The Intersection, Friday May 19th
Music
Potato Moon, also known as The Lonely Jones, will be performing this Friday, May 19th, at The Intersection from 10:30pm - 12:00am. Openning for Potato Moon will be Grasshoppah, Seth Bernard and Daisy May, and Breathe Owl Breathe.
See you there.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Fotocommunity - Great Pictures
Life, Internet, Digital Camera, People,
Fotocommunity is a international photo community where you can submit your photo's and discuss them with others. There are some pretty amazing shots on here, the ones that caught my attention were by Rarindra Prakarsa.
The one pictured here is titled "Aceh, A Year After the Tsunami" by Rarindra's and is captioned: "River in Banda Aceh where thousands bodies washed away by Tsunami".
Thanks Neatorama
Kiplinger's - 50 Smartest Places to Live (Holland & Ann Arbor made the list!)
Life, Personal Finance
Kiplnger's asked it's readers to tell them what criteria they would use to pick a place to call home. Using those responses, they made a list of the 50 Smartest Places to Live based on where you can find good value in homes and reasonable cost living combined with a great quality of life.
They looked for places when you could find:
-an attractive home for under $400,000
-access to quality health care
-a strong economy
-a fun and vibrant atmosphere.
They worked with Bert Sperling of BestPlaces.net to compile a database of cities matching the requirements, and then traveled to cities that emerged at the top of the list and talked with residents and savored the flavor of the neighborhoods.
Notables on the list:
-(25) Ann Arbor
-(50) Holland
The cost of making money
Life, News, Money, Personal Finance
With all of the rising metal costs in this country, in now costs more to make pennies and nickels, than they are worth. See Story
-For the first time in U.S. history, the cost of manufacturing both a penny and a nickel is more than the 1-cent and 5-cent values of the coins themselves. Skyrocketing metals prices are behind the increase, the U.S. Mint said in a letter to members of Congress last week.
-The Mint estimates it will cost 1.23 cents per penny and 5.73 cents per nickel this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. The cost of producing a penny has risen 27% in the last year, while nickel manufacturing costs have risen 19%.
Last year, the Mint's coin-making profit was $730 million. Mint officials estimate the added penny and nickel expenses will reduce the Mint's profit this year by $45 million.
Thanks Get Rich Slowly
Popcorn, Hold the Carcinogens
Health
This story has been around for a while apparently but I had missed it until I saw a CNN video piece on CNN.com yesterday (it’s gone now, so no link).
Here’s the gist:
Results of a study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published in October reveal that compounds known to break down into the suspected carcinogen PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) may be served up to millions of unwitting consumers in bags of microwave popcorn. The family treat could account for more than 20% of the average PFOA levels now measured in the blood of U.S. residents.
Yum!
Thanks Jangel
Chewbacca the Wookie has a Blog
Life, People(sort of), Humor, Internet, Blogging
Ok, so this blog in nothing more than cheep humor, but is does have some humor. Chewy has a blog, and it is written in the Wookie language, so good luck.
Thanks Neatorama
Around the World in 44 Years -- on a Bike
Life, People
Heinz Stücke is a German adventurer who has claimed the title as "Most Traveled Man in History" in the Guinness Book of Records between 1995 and 1999. He has traveled over 335,000 miles in 211 countries over four decades, on a bike. He has survived being shot in Zambia, stung by bees in Gambia, arrested in Cameroon, and even being hit by a truck in the desert of Atacama in Chile. He lives on $4,000 a year, which he makes through journalism and photography
Stücke has been riding on the same bike since 1962, and after all of his travels, he recently pitched a tent and was fast asleep in the seaside resort of Portsmouth, England, on Monday, when his ancient cycle went missing. Stücke had even taken the precaution of covering his bicycle with a canvas, and tying it up with string and bungee cords. Local athourities were ready to donate a new bike to him when police found his bike in a nearby park.
Thanks ABC News
Kodak Photo Service Fined for Spamming
Internet, Digital Camera
Digital photo service Kodak Imaging Network, previously known as Ofoto, has settled charges it sent nearly 2 million unsolicited e-mails without a way to opt out, a violation of the CAN-SPAM Act. The Federal Trade Commission imposed a $26,331 penalty for the infraction, which is the total of the proceeds from the e-mail campaign.
Kodak is additionally now required to keep records and report to the FTC to ensure compliance. The CAN-SPAM Act requires that e-mail marketers give an option to opt out of unsolicited e-mails. The messages must be identified as an ad and include a vaiid postal address. The law also bars misleading subject lines or header information to conceal the identity of the sender.
I have used this service for years and have never noticed any spamming, maybe it gets caught by my spam guard.
Thanks BetaNews
Juza Nature Photogaphy
Internet
Jaza Nature Photography has some beautiful pictures of nature, animals, plants, water, scenery. Check it out.
Thanks Neatorama
Friday, May 12, 2006
Valleyschwag - Free stuff from start-up companies
Internet
For $15/month, Valleyschwag will send you a package filled with the Web's best schwag. These packages include anything from t-shirts, ballcaps, notepads, stickers, keychains, and other stuff blaring the slogans that create new industries.
Thanks Techcrunch
Millionaires24 - Email for the Rich
Internet
Millionaires24 is a new email service that caters to the super rich for $399 per month. Here is their plug:
-Do you belong to high society? Then take this chance to demonstrate your position in an unambiguous manner.
-The digital era has begun and free email accounts are available for the ordinary joe. Rise above the crowd!
-In a time where everyone is judged by his financial status, the memebers of Millionaires24 can demonstrate their wealth. To guarantee exclusivity, the number of members is limited to 10,000 worldwide
The features of this sevice are less than a GMail account and include things like "unlimited email traffic". I feel sorry for anyone who falls into this trap.
Thanks Techcrunch
Quote of the Week
Quotes
"Happiness is like a butterfly. The more you chase it, the more it will elude you. But if you turn your attention to other things, it comes softly
and sits on your shoulder."
-Author Unknown
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Kiplingers - 4 ways to simplify investing
Personal Finance
Kiplinger's Magazine had a great article this month about how to simplify investing for people who don't have the time and/or the knowledge to trade stocks everyday.
1. Don't sweat timing.
2. Don't chase performance.
3. Get the right mix and stay put.
4. Rebalance once a year.
Don't sweat timing - Timing the market is very tough to do, professional will tell you they can do it, but the reality is, that over time, most professional investors may have a good year or two, but they will eventually revert to the mean. The best way to overcome timing is to use "Dollar-Cost Averaging". This is where you contribute a set dollar amount each month instead of investing a lump sum. This will help to even out the highs and lows of investing.
Don't chase performance - The ups and downs professional investors have is why you also do not want to chase performance. As I stated before, an investor may have a good year or two, but odds are he is eventually going to average at or below the market, and his fees are going to be higher, so in the long run, you will make less. There are exceptions of course, Warren Buffett has beat the market for the last 30 years (incredible). There are a handle full of others that have beat the market for a few years running. But to pick these few out years ago, before they were stars, when it really counted, out of the thousands of investors would have been near impossible.
Get the right mix and stay put - Getting the right asset mix is the key, and then sticking with it through thick and thin. The general strategy for a mix is that your age is the percent of your assets you have in bonds. So if you are 20 years old, you have 20% of you assets in bonds. You can sway this either way depending on what your level of aggressiveness is, but most people are loss averse, so this is a good strategy.
Rebalance every year - It may be tough to sell those funds that are doing so well and buy the ones that aren't but when the tide turns, you will be glad you did it. When you hear about all of the money that people lost in the "Crash", if they had stuck with an asset allocation of 60% stocks and 40% bonds/cash, they would have lost only 60% of their money. Instead, people were riding the good times and putting all of their money in stocks. Also, by rebalancing, if after the crash you had reinvested your 60% in stocks, you would have made back most of your money. The majority of the gains after the crash were made within the first year, but everyone was too scared to reinvest.
Interactive maps show your city's floodline when the ocean rises
Life, Tech, Internet
This Google Map hack will show you how your city will fair in an ocean rising situation.
Thanks Kottke
Monday, May 08, 2006
The first author in history, that we can name anyway
Books, People, Life
Talk about immortal, and starting a trend, Gilgamesh, who was the king of Uruk in Babylonia, on the River Euphrates in modern Iraq, lived about 2700 B.C.. Many stories and myths were written about Gilgamesh, some of which were written down about 2000 B.C. in the Sumerian language on clay tablets which still survive. The fullest surviving version, is derived from twelve stone tablets, in the Akkadian language, found in the ruins of the library of Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria 669-633 B.C., at Nineveh. The library was destroyed by the Persians in 612 B.C., and all the tablets are damaged.
The tablets name an author, which is extremely rare in the ancient world, this authors name is Shin-eqi-unninni, the oldest known author we can name by name. This guy is number one, the first. Type in the word immortality, and you are bound to come accross this author. Don't know what his name will an in another thousand years, but for now, his is numero uno.
You think of what the internet has done, it has given all of our thoughts and ideas an infinite life span. We all now have digital records of everything we do, pictures, emails, purchases, blogs, all of these making permanent records of who we are. Possibly making all of us, Immortal.
The New York Times following the lead of Bloggers
News, Blogging
The New York Times has redesigned it's website with a little influence from bloggers. The site has the wide screen look allowing for larger ads without taking up news space, it also has a design team based around bloggers and a clear, open aesthetic, with lots of white space and a link-rich footer to help guide you around the site. Read this article on Six Apart.
Thanks Mike.
Quote Bill Gates, " I wish I wasn't the richest man in the world, nothing good comes of that"
Life, Computers, Money, People
In a recent interview, Bill Gates, the Chairman of Microsoft Corp., said that he wishes he weren't the richest man in the world. Gates, a man whoe does not like publicity, explains that, "you get more visability as a result of it". I agree with Gates in this aspect, I would not want all that comes with the type of fame that he has. But to say that no good comes of it, this man has revolutionized the computing world, he has been atop of the game for a long time, and not to mention that he is able to feed his family..........
I feel for the guy, I do, it would be rough to have a life with all that going on, but worse things have happened.
Peoples To-Do Lists
Life, Humor
The To-Do List Blog is a pretty funny posting that has people send in their To-Do Lists about whatever. The have list on everything from garden-variety daily to-do lists to lifelong goals, pros and cons lists, wish lists, work lists, honeymoon ideas, cliches to avoid, boys/girls you have kissed, vocab lists, shit lists, movies to see, lists of any kind.
No more driving with your cell phone in Detroit
Life, Cell Phone, Tech
I guess the city of Detroit finally figured out what was wrong with Motown, it was all those people driving while talking on their cell phones. The Detroit City Council has approved an ordinance that would ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving anywhere in the city limits. You will be fined $100 if you are pulled over for this. You are allowed to make emergency calls, and calls if you are using and hands-free device (earpeice, headset, etc...).
I get that some people are really distracted while driving with their cell phones, I have seen it first hand, and I understand that something should probably be done, but to start pulling people over, sounds a little, silly. I think this will be hard to enforce, who says what is and what is not an emergency call? Are the officers going to have to get actual video of these people on their phone, if they do not, I can see this just packing the courts with appeal cases. As it is, people speed, get tickets, and still appeal them becasue odds are, the officer will not show up to the appeal, or they will get off some other way. It will be interesting to see how this goes.
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Post Secret - Peoples Deep Dark Secrets on the Net
Internet, Life
Post Secret is a Weblog where people submit their secrets in art format on one side of a homemade post card. There are some pretty wacked out post on here, people just getting things of their chests. Infidelity, Envy, Greed, etc......Pick your sin, they are all here. You may find some of these interesting, or you may have one to submit yourself. Check em out.
Renaming Windows Files in Bulk, Very Nice for Digital Photos
Home, Computer, Digital Camera
Yahoo! Tech has a cool tip for renaming lots of files at once, useful for things like renaming huge batches of digital photos (IMG8398.jpg) to something descriptive and usable.
Once all the files you want to rename are highlighted, press F2, or right-click on one of the files and select Rename. All of your file selections will disappear except for one, but don’t panic: Type in your new name and click Enter. That’s it! One file will be now be named “renametext” and the others will have sequential numbers in the format of “renametext (1)” and “renametext (2)” and so on.
This is really simple, but I for one can say that I never knew that you could do it. This really does sound like a great way to make files a little more identifiable with hardly any time commitment.
Find User Manuals On-line
Home, Internet
Don't loose your hair becasue you can't find that user manual for your blender in your overflowing junk drawer (I know you all have one). Just visit UsersManualGuide.com and it will point you in the right direction. They can help you find user manuals and user guides for many items like mobile phones, photo cameras, mother board, monitors, software, tv's, dvd players, appliances and many others. Most of the manual you can download directly from this site, others they direct you to the manufacturers site for.
Pandora - Creating your personalized music stations
Music, Internet
Pandora.com is a web based radio station with a twist. The twist is that you imput your favorite artists or songs, and Pandora creates a customized radio station based on your submissions. You can add to and edit your station as well as have multiple stations. Pandora remembers your settings and when you log on, you can hear your favorite music. As songs are playing, you can rate each one and Pandora will change your stations settings to match which songs you are approving and declining.
I have found this extreamly helpful in one, making a radio station and listening to the type of music I like, and two, it is a great way to find new music that I may want to download.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Back to the Future DeLorean Flux Capacitor on eBay
Tech, Shopping
If you’ve got a DeLorean and a few extra hundred bucks lying around, get your bad self over to eBay and bid on this gorgeous flux capacitor. The seller/builder used real glass tubes, accurate to the one that appeared in Back to the Future and long out of production (i.e. rare), and the gold bases were machined out of aluminum to match the movie prop. It plugs into any car battery and is guaranteed to fit into a DeLorean. Oh, and there are no nasty strobe lights in this baby, only white LEDs that chase to the center.
The highest bid out of 46 so far is $450.00, with two days and twelve hours to go. If you’re broke or just cheap, you can always just make your own, but we doubt it’ll be this pretty.
Cult Classic T's
Home, Life
Like many people who work in a cubicle environement, I have a fondness for the movie Office Space. I always like to represent a good one liner from a movie, so I was excited when I descovered this website Cult Classic T's. This site has T-shirts from a herd of funny movies.
Just a few of my favorites:
Invisible bookshelf - floating stacks of books for your walls
Home
The "invisible bookshelf" is completely obscured by the books you put on it, creating the illusion of floating piles of books mysteriously affixed to your walls -- best of all is the charming franglais sales-copy that accompanies the shelf's listing at Singulier.com.
Saving in space and a minimum of emcombrement on your wall for this very astute rack which will enable you to arrange your books without seeing the structure of the rack! Your books are floated...the effect is amazing!
Quote of the Week
Quotes
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
-Aristotle
Bone Glue, getting you back on your feet quicker
Health, Science
Brian Genge, a biochemist at the University of South Carolina, has devised a novel treatment for fractures: a toothpaste-like cement that’s injected into the cavity created by the break. In 15 minutes, the bone is strong enough to bear weight.
Bone cements aren’t new, but those in use today can inflame surrounding tissue. Genge’s concoction works like mortar for a brick wall: Just add water. Its key ingredient is a nanoparticle resembling calcium phosphate, the mineral that gives bones their hardness. The tiny size of the particle increases the surface area, allowing more room for water, which speeds up the chemical reaction that hardens the paste. The result is an epoxy that is twice as strong as current bone cements. And because it’s moldable, the glue could also replace surgical hardware such as screws and plates.
How happy can you be?
Life
Interesting article about happiness in the "Grand Rapids Magazine" this month. The article is centered around a quote in Jonathan Haidt’s Book "The Happiness Hypothesis" “In the long run, it doesn’t much matter what happens to you” in regards to your level of happiness. This is based on the discovery that average level of happiness is inheritable. Basically, no matter how many material things you posses, no matter how much you see, do and love, it doesn’t matter. This concept explains why lottery winners do not suddenly become happy, and why when we achieve long term goals we are often disappointed.
Personally I don’t by this theory, my theory is you can make your own happiness, you just have to know what you are looking for. If you are looking for happiness in things you want (cars), a time in your life (when the kids are out of the house), taking a trip, or any finality, you will be sadly disappointed. “Happiness is not a destination, it’s a journey” to quote my hero "Zig Ziglar" . It’s not what you get, it’s what you become getting there. It's not a who, what, when or where. If you are not happy now, you won’t be happy when you take that trip, or get the car, or get that raise. You have to learn to be happy with the here and now.
Another great theory on happiness I read was from Stephen R. Covey in his book " The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
" when he said that you have to live by a principle based life. If you base your life on work, what happens when you loose your job. If you base your life on your spouse, what happens if you get a divorce. If you live a life based on principles, no matter what happens to you, you will always have those principles and you can use them to make decisions in your life that will allow you to have balance between the various areas of you life (work, marriage, etc…). Living a principle based life will also allow you to know what decision to make in every situation because if a decision doesn’t line up with your principles, you will know that is not what you should be doing, makes decisions easy.
Those are my thoughts on the topic of happiness, if you have any comments, or options, please feel free to shoot me an email, I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
Smart Microwave tells you how long to cook your dinner
Home, Tech
"The Beyond Microwave" is a smart microwave that tells you how long to cook your dinner. Simply scan the UPC barcode on the package you are about to nuke, and the microwave will cook the food at the right setting for the right amount of time. The microwave currently comes with over 4000 pre-programmed UPC barcodes and can be upgraded to update itself with additional ones as they become available. This microwave can also connect to other appliances wirelessly allowing your appliances to communicate with each other.
Quote of the Week
Quotes
"The true test of character is not how much we know how to do, but how we behave when we don't know what to do."
- Anonymous
Google Zeitgeist, what do people search for on the internet
Internet
"Google Zeitgeist" is Googles list of search patterns and trends of everyone who uses Google to get information. Statistics are automatically generated based on the millions of searches conducted on Google over a given period of time - weekly, monthly, and annually.
It is a cumulative snapshot of interesting queries people are asking, some over time, some within country domains, and some on Google.com that perhaps reveal a bit of the human condition. It is interesting to see what your internet peers are intersted in.
The Pill that gets rid of really Bad Memories
Health, Science
Clinical psychologists have started testing with the hypertension drug called propranolol and it's effects on lessening the trauma of bad memories (see article "The Spotless Mind" ). Propranolol, blocks the effects of strees hormones which can permanently scorch traumatic sights, sounds and smells into the brain.
The drug is given to patients when they recall the trauma and the stress hormones are being released again giving them the "flashback" feelings. The drug blocks the hormones making the recollection less dramatic and begins to edit the feeling brought about by the memories making them less tramatic.
Think of it, wiping out bad memories like accidents, embarissing moments, bad dates, bad hair days, that day you had toilet paper stuck to your shoe all day.......the possibilities are endless.
World Community Grid Helping Humanity (Donate your PC time)
Internet, Life, Health
"World Community Grid's" mission is to create the largest public computing grid benefiting humanity. Their work is built on the belief that technological innovation combined with visionary scientific research and large-scale volunteerism can change our world for the better. Our success depends on individuals - like you - collectively contributing their unused computer time to this not-for-profit endeavor.
How can you help? Simply donate the time your computer is turned on, but would normally lie idle, for projects that benefit humanity. Like a screensaver, grid technology is easy to use, safe and free. When you are ready to use your computer, the grid software will shut itself off until the next time your computer is idle. To learn more, click on Become a Member at this link World Community Grid to start volunteering your PC time now.
Currently my machine is working on finding out how well one of many potential drug molecules fits into the pockets for Human Immunodificiency Virus Protease. The best molcule found will be lab tested, and could lead to a new drug in the fight against AIDS.
Refunds from Online Retailers
Internet, Shopping
There are a number of online retailers that offer to credit buyers back cash on past purchases. For instance, if the product you purchased at "Amazon.com" . Amazon.com within the last 30 days has dropped in price they will credit you back the difference.
That's great news!
The only problem is that you have to check the latest prices and then notify them in order to get the credit.
The guys at "RefundPlease.com" make this process much easier for you. After you make a purchase, visit this web site and enter the purchase information into their database along with your email address. They do the rest. they'll check the prices everyday and send you a message if the price has dropped. In the message will be a link right to the place where you claim your credit.
You can track any kind of item: cameras, clothes, consumer electronics, computers, software, DVDs, well, anything! Just enter the information into the database and they will track it for you!
Currently, they only track prices at Amazon.com, but they have identified a number of other online retailers that we will be adding to their system in the days and weeks ahead.
Could save you a dime or two.
Quote of the Week
Quotes
"Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh."
- WH Auden
The Brilliance Web Site
Internet
"The Brilliance" web site is a cool web site by my friend Ben and his friend Chuck. These guys do a lot of internet research, and let you know what they find and what their thoughts are on these topics. Topics range from arts, entertainment, fashion, gomet, homelife, tech, transporation and travel. They find some very useful information, and their feedback on what they are finding is very insightful and helpful. Check em out.
