IV for your plants

UK design shop Vitamin are getting ready to produce this cool self-watering planter. For only 149 GBP (that's ~$265 to us yanks), you can have the look of a clinic in your office or home. They also make some other interesting porceline art objects...Check it out.

Vitamin, A Life Less Ordinary

Gimme back my flesh

Just in time for Halloween, comes this story about a US company under investigation for illegally obtaining and selling human body parts.

The company produced products made of processed human bone, skin and tendons for use in skin grafts, dental surgery, and other medical procedures. The New York Daily News has dubbed the company Biomedical Tissue Services the "body snatchers of New York".

"A lawsuit has been launched against [a Brooklyn NY] funeral home, Biomedical Tissue Services, Inc. and two individuals linked to the scandal that has shaken the funeral industry. The family of a man whose body was ravaged for parts illegally say his death certificate and organ donor card were altered."

CTV.ca | Tissue implants may have come from funeral homes

Cheaper-Pedic

I bought a Tempur-pedic foam mattress, and I've been sleeping comfortably ever since. Today, a friend forwarded this DIY project for making your own memory-foam mattress. For a fraction of the price, and a little research, you can have a true memory-foam mattress, learn something, and get a great night's rest to boot. Enjoy:

ProjectMazda :: Cheaper-Pedic (courtesy of hal - thanks, hal!)

Cheney behind Plame leak?

Various news sources are reporting that secret notes of a conversation between Vice President Dick Cheney and Scooter Libby show Cheney was the one who revealed CIA agent Valarie Plame's identity to Libby. Later, Libby leaked Plame's identity to various news sources in retaliation for her husband's anti-Iraq invasion comments. Libby has testafied that he learned Plame's identity from other press sources, and he was therefore not the one responsible for the leak, (a federal offense).

"Mr Libby’s notes show that Mr Cheney obtained his information about Ms Plame from George Tenet, then the CIA director, in response to questions about Joseph Wilson, who is Ms Plame’s husband and a former ambassador. Mr Wilson had accused the Bush Administration of twisting prewar intelligence to justify the invasion of Iraq."

It's not a huge leap to imagine that Cheney instigated the leak, whether actively or implied.

America, United States, Times Online, The Times, Sunday Times

The iPod Is Doomed?

iPod Hacks brings us net-veteran Dave Winer's comments on the iPod. Several days ago, I commented on Apple's strongarm tactics to licence the iPod. See? I may not be that paranoid after all. In any case, I care because I like the iPod so much, yet I'm frustrated by the direction they're taking things.

Be inclusive, right. Where it's exclusive, you're hurt - it's not gonna work. That's the Internet. And you might argue, actually, that that has always, even when we didn't call what we were doing the Internet, that really was what we were doing. That was why the Apple II worked. That was why the Lisa did not work. That's why the Mac worked, you know. That's why ultimately the iPod is doomed. Because the iPod only allows a very, very slim amount of participation by the outside world. And, I guess it's a temporary thing.

The iPod Is Doomed? :: iPod Hacks :: The Latest and Greatest News and Info for Your iPod

Who's on TV?

I am frequently asked things like "Hey, did you catch 'So-and-so' last night on Letterman?". Usually 'So-and-so' is some uber-cool celeb that rarely makes public appearances, and I've missed them. There's so many talk-shows, it's impossible to keep up with who's appearing on what show - until now.

Late Night Lineups lists darn near every talk show on TV - from The Tonight Show to The Daily Show, from The View to The Tony Danza Show (did you know he had a talk show??). Most of the time, they're filled with the usual suspects, but occasionally, you can pick up the odd interesting guest or two. For example, Andy Dick is showing up at the "Too Late with Adam Carolla" show on Comedy Central this Monday. I would normally never watch Carolla, but I would to catch Andy Dick. The site is available as an RSS feed too, so you can easily keep up with the latest bookings. Check it out:

The Late Night TV Page

UN: Mid East Quake - Biggest disaster ever!

Homeless Pakistanis sit beside their collapsed house in Balakot

The devastating earthquake in the mountainous regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan has slipped relatively unnoticed from the public eye. Today the UN warned of an unbelievable catastrophe, as winter begins to set in, and relief donations have been slow in coming.

Over 3 million people have been made homeless - some villages are already dipping into sub-zero temperatures at night, and snow is beginning to fall. With no shelter and no heat, UNICEF says 10,000 children will die from hunger, hypothermia, and illness in the coming weeks.

Relief efforts have been hindered by lack of (and lackluster) international support and donations.

"We are humanitarians, we don't know how to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people in the Himalayas. But the most efficient military alliance in the world should be able to," he said.

"The tsunami-affected areas were on the coast so we could reach them by boat. The high altitude means helicopters must carry reduced loads," Mia Turner of the world food programme told Reuters.

In Balakot quake survivors have started to burn donated clothing for heating as temperatures dropped.

Guardian Unlimited | Earthquake worse than tsunami, says UN

You know I'm loving this

I'm always pleased when a pompous leader displays the depth of their hipocracy. Check out this Washington Post article on Rep. Tom DeLay's arrest today on conspiracy and money-laundering charges. Rep. DeLay was responsible for the gerrymandering of Texas, among other notable accomplishments. DeLay and two political compadres are charged in an scheme to route corporate and special interest donations to candidates for the Texas state Legislature.

A key Bush administration ally, DeLay's legal troubles are going to make it very difficult for the administration to push it's agenda this term.

DeLay Booked in Houston on Charges

How to talk to a human

We've all been cursed by voicemail-hell sometime or another: Calling a company only to be stuck endlessly answering automated telephone prompts. Sometimes you just want to talk to a human, not a phone-robot, and you can't stand listening to the endless menus and bad hold music.

Here's a community maintained web site that keeps track of several-dozen prominent companies, and how to navigate their voice-response systems to get to talk to a human quickly. Example:

"Bank of America - 800-900-9000 - Press 00 after menu choices play
TiVo - 877-367-8486 - Say "Live Agent"

Check it out - This is going to save me hours of agonizing hold time!

Find-A-Human -- IVR Cheat S... - Approved*

Fight the Bull

Yes, I am a corporate drone, and like most corporate drones, I've fallen prey to the disease known as "jargon-speak". I casually use terms like "resources" to mean people, and "opportunities" as a euphemism for problems. I regularly "think outside the box" worrying about the day we'll have "the smoking hole scenario" (I deal in business continuity planning...er...I make sure our crap can keep running if there's a disaster - see how hard it is for me?).

That's why I was excited to find Bullfighter. A free add-in to Microsoft Office products (Word, PowerPoint, etc.), Bullfighter works like the real-time spell check features built into Office with one important difference: It checks for bullshit. From their site:

"Bullfighter is the epoch-defining software that works with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to help you find and eliminate jargon in your documents. It may look like a little toolbar with three buttons, but it's actually much more. Bullfighter includes a jargon database and an exclusive Bull Composite Index calculator that will allow you to see -- in an actual window, on your PC display, live -- just how bad a document can be.

The rumors were true. Bullshit now has a number. And you now have the power to calculate it, using the freeware originally produced by Deloitte Consulting but now distributed as a standalone product."

Fight the Bull - Download Bullfighter

Apple steps up iPod 'tax' push | CNET News.com

Various media sources are reporting on Apple's strongarm tactics to get other gadget makers to pony up royalties. They have made their royalties and licensing programs a requirement for manufacturers who want their gadgets to plug into the "dock connector" at the bottom an iPod

Essentially hardware companies have to pay 10% of the wholesale price of their device to Apple as a licensing fee.

Apple seems to forget they've tried this route before and lost big time. In fact, you see so many PCs, and not Macs for this very reason: They pursued this scheme too vigorously in the 80's and 90's, stifling innovation and marketshare.

Apple steps up iPod 'tax' push | CNET News.com

Read your EULAgy

A EULA, or "End User License Agreement" is all that legal mumbo-jumbo you see when you install a computer program: you have to "Click 'I accept' to continue".

Few people realize that by clicking 'I Accept', they are signing a legally binding contract; agreeing to the terms and conditions outlined in all that text they never bothered to read.

There's been some controversy lately because game companies have been adding terms to their EULAs allowing them to legally scan their customer's computer for items of interest. Without realizing it, customers had granted legal access to their computers and all of it's information!

So EULAs can be bad, but how do you know when you're about to "click through" some harsh and invasive legal agreement?

Enter "Eulyzer". Eulyzer is software that automatically parses the text of a EULA, and notifies you if there's something of concern contained in the agreement.

Link to Boing Boing: Automatic abusive language detector for EULAs

World's Oldest noodles unearthed in China

The BBC is reporting that scientists have unearthed the oldest noodles ever discovered. Found in China and made from millet grass grains, radiocarbon dating has placed them at about 4000 years old.

This may help to settle the debate as to which culture invented noodles: the Chinese, the Italians, or the Arabs. Prior to this discovery, the oldest recorded noodles were traced via writings to somewhere around 200AD.

"Based on the geological and archaeological evidence, there was a catastrophic earthquake and immediately following the quake, the site was subject to flooding by the river," explained co-author Professor Kam-biu Liu, from Louisiana State University, US.

"Lajia is a very interesting site; in a way, it is the Pompeii of China."

It was in amongst the human wreckage that scientists found an upturned earthenware bowl filled with brownish-yellow, fine clay.

When they lifted the inverted container, the noodles were found sitting proud on the cone of sediment left behind.

"It was this unique combination of factors that created a vacuum or empty space between the top of the sediment cone and the bottom of this bowl that allowed the noodles to be preserved," Professor Kam-biu Liu said.

BBC NEWS: Oldest noodles unearthed in China

White House unraveling?

White House chief of staff and architect of the President's political strategy, Karl Rove, testified for a fourth and final day for the "Valerie Plame Leak Case" grand jury.

Valerie Plame was the the CIA operative who's identify was revealed after her husband, a diplomat, publicly opposed the administration's Pre-Iraq War justification. It is alleged that Plame's identity was leaked by the Bush administration in retaliation for her husband's comments, and as an example to others.

It's impossible to speculate where this Grand Jury is headed, but it sure looks bad for Karl. Or maybe even someone else? Political operative, and Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby was also revealed as a leak source. Coupled with the near "rebellion" in the House and Senate over Bush's Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, and record-low poll ratings mainly due to Iraq, the chinks in the administration's tarnished armor are starting to show. Meanwhile, Republican leaders Rep. Tom DeLay, and Sen. Bill Frist are under investigation for financial crimes and ethics violations. The Republican strategy in 2008 may need to be "I am not a crook".

Top News Article | Reuters.com

This game sounds awesome!

By way of BoingBoing, I came across this new report on Miami attorney and rabid anti-videogame activist Jack Thompson. To prove how violent video games are, he's proposed his own ultra-violent video game, and is offering $10,000 to charity if any videogame company makes it, to prove his point (huh??? Isn't that a little like Nancy Reagan snorting coke on TV to show how bad it is?).

Anyway, the kicker is that it's so over the top, it seems hilareously bad...Where do I sign up? Here's a snip:

Osaki Kim (O.K.) exits the courtroom swearing revenge upon the video game industry whom he is convinced contributed to his son's murder. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" he says. And boy, is O.K. not kidding.

O.K. is provided in his virtual reality playpen a panoply of weapons: machetes, Uzis, revolvers, shotguns, sniper rifles, Molotov cocktails, you name it. Even baseball bats. Especially baseball bats.

O.K. first hops a plane from LAX to New York to reach the Long Island home of the CEO of the company (Take This) that made the murder simulator on which his son's killer trained. O.K. gets "justice" by taking out this female CEO, whose name is Paula Eibel, along with her husband and kids. "An eye for an eye," says O.K., as he urinates onto the severed brain stems of the Eibel family victims, just as you do on the decapitated cops in the real video game Postal2.

Attorney Proposes Violent Game

must.have...ipod!!!

Excuse, me, I'm having ipod envy: Apple's just announced the new ipod "video". As you would expect, it plays (do I have to spell it out for you people??) v.i.d.e.o.: tv shows, movies, whatever... How cool is that?? I just hope they dont put in some crippling digital rights management that prevents you from putting "open" format videos on them. I assume they'll use Quicktime. Not the worst format, I guess. AVI support would be nice. I suppose this also means Quicktime player ceases to be a standalone product?

Apple announces new iPod

Real Hobbits?

The Daily Telegraph refreshes us on a story you may have missed a few months back: The discovery of a miniature species of hominids on Earth at the same time as modern man (albiet ~12000 years ago). While unlikely in the extreme, it's fascinating to imagine that early human mythology could have some root in truth.

Scientists led by Australian anthropologist Michael Morwood of the University of New England announced their sensational discovery of a delicate skull and partial skeleton of a female, nicknamed "Hobbit" and believed to be 18,000 years old.

In addition, they found bones and fragments of other individuals ranging in age from 12,000 to 95,000 years old.

It ignited a controversy unlike any other in the often contentious study of human origins.

The tiny bones have enchanted many anthropologists, who accept the interpretation that these diminutive skeletons belonged to a remnant population of prehistoric humans marooned on Flores along with dwarf elephants and other miniaturised animals, giving the discovery a fairytale quality.

If true, the discovery grafts a strange and tangled evolutionary branch near the very top of the human family tree.

Its discoverers speculate the Hobbit evolved from homo erectus, which had spread from Africa across Asia. They attribute its small size to its isolation.

Hobbits family tree grows

Backyard Imagineering

By way of BoingBoing, I came across this interesting web site, just in time for Halloween. They have a whole section on "Backyard Imagineering", or rather, replicating cool special effects from Disney World at home.

One more advanced discussions details ways to make your own "jumping fountain". Another, how to make the cool Haunted Mansion "ghost" effects that appear on the ride.

I found myself reading project after project full of great ideas. They're well written too. For example, the "how to decorate your cube like a tiki bar" was pretty much "no duh", except that including the step to...

Get rid of non-essential stuff Eliminate all non-essential work-related clutter from your cube. File excess paper. Put away corporate awards, coffee cups, paperweights, etc. Take old memos and calendars featuring kittens off your bulletin board.

...makes all the difference for an impressing execution, and something you might not have consciously thought of.

Backyard Imagineering

DaVinci's Notebook

Slashdot refers us to the British Library today.

They have published scans of Leonardo DaVinci's personal notebook, loaded with sketches, writings and quotes in his own handwriting. You can flip through the pages, and helpful pop-up text translates a few interesting bits, like these "Profetie" (or prophetic riddles) DaVinci collected:

Riddle: The dead will come from underground and by their fierce movements will send numberless human beings out of this world.
Answer: Iron, which comes from under the ground, is dead, but the weapons are made of it which kill so many men.

Riddle: There will be many which will increase their destruction
Answer: The ball of snow rolling over the snow

Sounds like a good secret society passphrase to me.

Turning the Pages™, the British Library

StuffYouShouldSee to DeLay: Isn't this kind of fun?

Here's a case of "back-atcha" - A few weeks ago, I blogged on Tom DeLay's insensitive comments to Katrina victims.

Back at you, Tom: Isn't this kind of fun?

AP: DeLay, Blunt Traded Secret Donations

God told me to invade Iraq, Bush tells Palestinian ministers

In a previous post, I mentioned that "God" had told Ashley Smith to drive her car into oncoming traffic.

Today, the BBC is reporting "God" told George W. Bush to invade Iraq. I hear a bunch of people have found God. If you talk to the guy, ask him what's up with the bad advice lately.

BBC - Press Office - George Bush on Elusive Peace

Brief Review: Foo Fighters, Weezer, Kaiser Chiefs at Denver's Pepsi Arena

On Friday, September 30th, I had the opportunity to see the Foo Fighters, Weezer, and the Kaiser Chiefs at Denver's Pepsi Arena.

Thanks to my good friend, Stefanie Eulinberg, drummer for Kid Rock, and her friend Red, we got "working crew" passes, which meant we could go pretty much anywhere we wanted to in the arena.

I spent most of the evening with Stef and Red, chatting about the technical aspects of the show (lights, sound, touring, and other interesting stuff).

Unfortunately (or perhaps not), I was backstage during the Kaiser Chief's set meeting the Foo's drummer, Taylor Hawkins, and didn't get to check them out.

Taylor Hawkins and Stefanie Eulinberg

We went out for Weezer, though. While I was generally a little disappointed in their stage show, they sounded great. At the end of their set, they brought a random audience member up on stage to play acoustic guitar with the band for "The Sweater Song". The guy looked like it was the thrill of his life (it probably was!). At the end of the song, they escorted him off stage, and let him keep the acoustic guitar he played on stage. I hope he managed to hold on to it through the Foo's pounding, energetic set -- But more on that now...

Around 9:45 the Foo Fighters took to the stage. The difference between the bands was immediate. The energy level coming off the stage was amazing. Backed by a wall of (faux) speakers and amps, floating video panels, robotic lighting, and lasers, they looked as tough as they sounded. The crowd, ranging from head-bangers, to 10 year olds, and disabled folks in wheelchairs sang along through most of the set.

With one part demanding attitude and two parts humor, Dave Grohl kept the audience shouting, jumping, and generally keeping up with the band. One of the highlights of the show was Dave's acoustic (well, actually clean-electric) rendition of "Evermore". Truly spectacular - it gave me a new appreciation for the song, and I haven't stopped humming it for 5 days.

The Foo's came off a lot harder in concert than on their recordings. I immediately thought "of course: this guy was in Nirvana, after all". Dave Grohl's ability to keep head banging, jumping, and running across the stage while singing was stunning. At the end of the show, he did a brief "raise your hand if..." poll with the audience to gauge his demographics. "Enjoy it while you can" he says to those under 30. "I'm 36 and it sucks! I just blew out a muscle in my leg!" he admitted to the audience. They went nuts. Closing their encores with "Monkey Wrench", he led the band, limping off stage.

Dave Grohl "I blew out a muscle in my leg!"

I must admit, I've never really been into the Foo Fighters. This show really gave me an appreciation for the band. I've since gone back and listened to their music with a new-found interest.

The Foo Fighters rock out

The Foo Fighters are currently on tour with Weezer and the Kaiser Chiefs. Link to Ticketmaster

An Electro Goth Tribute To Prince

Here's an interesting project: Folks like Heaven 17, Information Society, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, and others (including Rebecca Romijn Stamos???) cover Prince songs. Worth a listen for entertainment value alone. Some of the songs are actually pretty good too!

AllofMP3.com: Prince, Electro Goth Tribute To Prince