Just another weblog
Fastest amphibious car A high-speed land and water vehicle which transforms from sleek sports car to jet-propelled boat at the touch of a button made waves at its unveiling here yesterday. The Aquada is designed to reach speeds of 100 miles per hour on land and over 30mph on water, according to Gibbs Technology, which […]
Hormone jab beats hunger in the obese Giving obese people top-ups of a naturally occurring gut hormone could help fight obesity, suggests a new study. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994129
Report blasts American infrastructure WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s infrastructure is full of cracks, leaks and holes and is getting worse, according to an analysis by civil engineers that gives the nation’s transportation, water and energy systems an overall grade of D-plus. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-09-04-aging-infrastructure_x.htm
Where do salad dressings get their names? Although manufacturers introduce new flavors all the time, many consumers stick to their longtime favorites in salad dressings — ranch, French, Italian, Caesar, blue cheese and Thousand Island — and many of the dressings available in stores and restaurants are variations of these. http://www.howstuffworks.com/question515.htm/
Cancer deaths decline Death rates from cancer are declining, and the number of new cases is leveling off — solid progress that appears to be a result of longstanding national efforts at prevention, screening and early treatment, federal experts report Wednesday http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-09-02-cancer-deaths-_x.htm
Chilli receptors detect heart attack pain The same receptors that sense the burning taste of chilli peppers also sense chest pain during a heart attack, scientists have discovered. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994127
Top 10: Most Expensive Divorce Settlements According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 43% of first marriages will end in divorce or separation within 15 years in the United States. In 2000, there were 957,200 divorces, and reconciliation occured only for about 10% of them. In 1994, Massachusetts had the lowest divorce rate in […]
Ok – This is pretty cool… I dunno where they keep coming up with this stuff… but very cool. http://www.donpixel.com/video/?v=030822061503
Is this for real? Is this chick really white? Sarai – “Ladies”
Brain study links negative emotions and lowered immunity Brain activity linking negative emotions to a lower immune response against disease has been revealed for the first time, claim researchers http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994116
A shot of the rain in San Antonio from the Tower of Americas on the afternoon of 8/31/03. It was very windy up there as well. 🙂
Who makes up this stuff?! New Laws Starting Monday A look at some new laws taking effect Sept. 1 http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-FF84CEDF-9E1B-4F22-8F72-B7A49A2EFE1D.asp?0na=x2212241W
Origami helps cellphone cameras to focus Picture-messaging phones may be about to get a whole lot more intrusive. Thanks to a novel and ultra-cheap micromotor technology, cellphone cameras should soon be able to zoom and focus with the same precision as the autofocusing lenses used in expensive stills cameras. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994096
Plugging hole in heart slashes migraines Treating a common heart condition can dramatically reduce the occurrence of debilitating migraines, suggests new research. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994113
MIT to uncork futuristic bar code A group of academics and business executives is planning to introduce next month a next-generation bar code system, which could someday replace with a microchip the series of black vertical lines found on most merchandise. http://news.com.com/2100-1019_3-5069619.html?tag=fd_lede1_hed
Make time for festivals and special events It took only one visit during Seattle’s music and antic-filled Labor Day Bumbershoot Festival to persuade our correspondent to move to the city for good. The best part was this laid-back city has festivals and season-kickoffs all year long. Here’s a sampling to help you plan your visit: […]
Rummaging through the recycle bin of Net obsessions Good news: Net fashionistas have already declared the “flash mob” — in which participants follow instructions given by e-mail and mobile phone to gather, annoy passersby, and disperse — passé. Like a vapid-but-catchy summer anthem (here’s looking at you, Nelly), a sartorial whim that everyone follows and […]
Scientists Crack Secret Strength of Silk A Tufts team has figured out how spiders and silkworms spin such strong silk, which could have far-reaching implications for everything from hospital dressings to body armor. http://enews.tufts.edu/stories/082903Silk.htm
Report: Wal-Mart was top furniture retailer in 2002 Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which employs about 9,000 people in the Houston area, sold more furniture than any other U.S. retailer in 2002, according to a survey by Furniture/Today magazine.. http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/08/25/daily49.html
Fatigued neurons explain waterfall illusion It is an illusion that has bedazzled people since Aristotle described it 2000 years ago. If you look at a waterfall for a short time, then look at the bank beside it, the bank will appear to drift upwards. Now an experiment that monitors brain activity has explained how the […]
Next SoBig worm may trigger torrent of spam A new version of the SoBig computer worm, expected in September, could not just overwhelm networks with infected mail but also lead to a massive increase in spam, according to some experts. http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994110
Holy Shit! I found the recipe for Rudy’s Creamed Corn! I’m so excited! Ingredients * 1/2 Gal + 1 cup milk * 1/2 Gal +1 cup Heavy Cream * 15 lbs Frozen Corn * 3 cups Sugar * 1 tbsp White Pepper * 1 tbsp Salt * 2 cups Parmesan Cheese (Grated) Roux for Cream […]
Study: Women’s family businesses more productive Women-owned family businesses are not only a growing segment of the U.S. economy, they’re also more productive, on average, than those run by men, according to the results of a study released this week by MassMutual Financial Group and Babson College. http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2003/08/25/daily38.html
Ok, ok…I watched the VMA’s… it was somewhat entertaining – was it just me? or did Chris Rock look a bit old? hmm. Oh, and what was with security pulling off Snoop’s buddy off stage? And yes – I saw the hot girl on girl action involving Madonna and Britney – and if you were […]
Mount Rainier is the future of DVD writers – unfortunately hardly any drives support it. But its something to look out for – its a great vision… having DVD-RW drives as replacement for floppies!
Ah – that annoying phenomenon where a tune gets stuck in your head and you can’t get rid of it… Last night’s TechLive had a short segment on it… evidentally its called an “ear worm”. I’ve found an essay on it for your amusement. http://www.larrygoodcomposer.com/essay14.html
Want to make video CDs? Annoyed by how complicated it is? Well, the latest version of Nero Burning Rom will automatically convert any video file and make it VCD compliant for you… this is awesome! Burning Rom has now got to be the easiest way to make VCDs. Also, a TSS review of Nero is […]
Majoring in rating colleges When rankings bring good news for a school, most campuses bask in their success. … But when the distinction is dubious, the rankings become an annoying headache. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2003-08-27-college-rankings-usat_x.htm
Dark chocolate boosts antioxidant levels Eating chocolate can boost the level of heart-protecting antioxidants in the blood, but consuming milk at the same time cancels the potential health benefits, according to a new study http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994101
Interesting video… view it here.
S.A. housing market remains solid San Antonio’s housing market is holding its pace of record growth, according to a new report by Metrostudy. http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2003/08/25/daily20.html
Colleges brace for bigger classes and less bang for more bucks It’s an axiom among state policymakers: In tough economic times, colleges and universities take the cuts first, and hardest. After all, there’s always a backup money source: students. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2003-08-27-college-tuition-usat_x.htm
CarMax rides road to profit In 1998, things were so bleak at CarMax used car stores that employees were betting on when parent Circuit City would kill the 5-year-old venture, which had never made money and whose stock was trading at close to $5 a share. http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2003-08-26-carmax_x.htm
Interchange Planned for Highway 281 The Texas Department of Transportation says it gets more complaints about the Loop 410/Hwy. 281 area than anywhere else in the city. Now, frustrated drivers can relax because help is on the way. http://www.msnbc.com/local/KMOL/D-1A296CE7-C78E-4F7D-9FF2-7ED1D3AB29AA.asp?0na=x2203370Q
Osirusoft Blacklists The World ariehk writes “As of today, Osirusoft, distributer of the SPEWS and open relay blocklists, among others, is no longer operational. Servers using these lists (including the FTC) are currently rejecting ALL email. This shutdown seems to be in response to a several-week-long DDoS attack on Osirusoft, SPEWS and others, resulting in […]
Schooled in compatibility Freshmen Lauren Flowers and Anna Love are giving Wake Forest University rave reviews, and classes don’t start until Wednesday. Why? Because the school in Winston-Salem, N.C., faced with 1,000 incoming freshmen, paired them as roommates http://www.usatoday.com/life/2003-08-25-roommates_x.htm
The search engine that could Susan Wojcicki remembers when two Stanford students came to rent a room in her house in September 1998 for a new dot-com enterprise. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-08-25-google_x.htm
Press coverage of the Rackspace’s PrevenTier press release. http://news.com.com/2110-1009_3-5067676.html?tag=cdshrt http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2003/0825spbriefs.html http://sanantonio.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2003/08/25/daily5.html http://thewhir.com/marketwatch/rac082503.cfm http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?site=lightreading&doc_id=39120
Bright ideas Pop quiz: name the one technology in your home that hasn’t changed much since it was invented in 1879. Some hints: It breaks when you drop it, it’s hot when you touch it, it dies unpredictably, and it sucks up excessive amounts of electricity. http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2003/08/25/bright_ideas/
I’ve heard people talking about this, but I never spent the time to actually watch it… I have to admit, its pretty funny. http://www.btinternet.com/~moondoggy/star_wars_kid.html