tagged w/ Current News UK
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All of the Superbowl ads right here in one place.
And please, don't punch any Koalas...All of the Superbowl ads right here in one place.
And please, don't punch any... more
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Snow as thick as 15cm has hit the UK with the South-East England the worst hit.
Many train and bus cancellations have been in place as well as severe disruptions in airports as Gatwick Airports are tempory closed. The Met Office has issued a Severe Weather warning.Snow as thick as 15cm has hit the UK with the South-East England the worst hit.... more
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Google has already conquered the land with Google Earth, but they're getting ready to continue charting the earth by delving into the ocean. The new portions of Google Earth are expected to show views of the ocean and parts of seabed.Google has already conquered the land with Google Earth, but they're getting... more
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In an effort to bridge the "digital divide" between rich and poor, India's government is set to unveil an ultra-cheap laptop computer tomorrow. It's the latest example of low cost engineering to come from India. It's an answer to OLPC program launched by Nicholas Negraponte, who created the $200 laptop last year.
This computer is expected to gain favour from affluent Westerners as well. Would you buy one? I would!In an effort to bridge the "digital divide" between rich and poor,... more
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Scientists at Tufts University have patented a shock absorber that converts compressive energy into electricity, which can then be stored in a hybrid vehicle's batteries. Called the Power-Generating Shock Absorber (PGSA), actually an electromagnetic linear generator, it uses "magnet arrays, high magnetic permeability spaces, coil winding arrays," and a linear electric motor to capture the energy of its motion and use it to charge the batteries.
The movement of a standard shock absorber creates heat, which is neutralized by the oil in the shock. In a PGSA, a linear electric motor converts the magnetic field created by the repetitive motion into electricity. Or, if you like your technology to sound science-y, it "uses an electromagnetic linear generator to convert variable frequency, repetitive intermittent linear displacement motion to useful electrical power."
The technology can be used on any vehicle that uses shocks and batteries, but its greatest application could be on trucks due to their higher mass and electricity-generation potential. Electric Truck, LLC has licensed the shock technology, which is predicted to generate between 2kW and 17kW of energy on an average road. According to the men who created it, "the percentage of recoverable power/energy for a 2,500 lb vehicle that employs four optimized design regenerative magnetic shock absorbers and whose average speed is 45 mph on a typical US highway is likely to be between 20% and 70%." Put four of those on a Prius and stay in town, and all of a sudden you're talking about interstellar gas mileage.Scientists at Tufts University have patented a shock absorber that converts... more
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The quest to expand the technology has invigorated a debate about how widely jamming should be allowed and whether its value as a common crime-fighting strategy outweighs its downsides, including restricting the constant access to the airwaves that Americans have come to expect.The quest to expand the technology has invigorated a debate about how widely jamming... more
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In reference to the pic: Environmental activist Tim DeChristopher tainted an auction of oil and gas drilling leases by bidding up parcels of land by hundreds of thousands of dollars without any intention of paying for them.
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You may have never heard of the Monkey Wrench Gang—unless you read the 1975 novel by maverick writer and nature lover Edward Abbey, who introduced the world to a fictional collection of green misfits waging a guerrilla war against industrialization in the American West. They sabotage bulldozers and construction sites, burn billboards and destroy dams, all to keep their beloved Southwestern desert pristine. Think of it as muscular environmentalism, a world apart from the wonky work on climate change that now defines the mainstream green movement.
Still, the outlaw spirit lives on in the work of contemporary monkeywrenchers like Tim DeChristopher, a 27-year-old college student who singlehandedly disrupted a multi-million-dollar land auction that would have put hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in southern Utah in the hands of oil and gas companies. But DeChristopher didn't use sabotage or homemade bombs—just chutzpah. (See the top 10 green ideas of 2008.)
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which administers America's public lands, was running the auction on Dec. 19, in the waning days of the Bush Administration. Environmental groups including the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) had been fighting the move, arguing that the energy companies would damage nearby national parks and culturally sensitive areas. But the fight seemed lost, until DeChristopher, an economics student at the University of Utah, arrived at the sale. "I saw this as a very corrupt and fraudulent process, and a threat to my future," he says.
He decided to do something, but what? He thought about making a show or a speech, but as he watched the rapid-fire auction unfold around him he had an idea. He would bid himself—entirely without the cash to pay for any land he might win. "I thought I'd just drive up the prices," DeChristopher says.
If BLM officials thought it was odd that a 27-year-old dressed like he'd just gotten out of class—as DeChristopher had—was bidding for oil and gas leases, they didn't say anything. At first he simply bid near the beginning of an auction, to keep prices rolling, but as the sales continued, he started to win plots of land—12 parcels in all, more than 22,000 acres, at the cost of $1.79 million. By the end, DeChristopher was simply bidding nonstop, and BLM officials finally caught on to what he was doing and took him into custody. Though now in the hands of the feds, he remains cool. "I told them I was there to commit civil disobedience and that this was a fraudulent auction," he says.
*Complete article at link.In reference to the pic: Environmental activist Tim DeChristopher tainted an auction... more
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Collection of amazing 3D tattoos. Most of them seem to be alive :)
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If moralisers were logicians, coffee and chocolate would be outlawed too
A.C. Grayling
There are two rarely noticed facts about drugs. First, almost all human beings use them - alcohol and nicotine included. Secondly, drugs became illegal less than a century ago, first for soldiers in the First World War, who used them to combat the horrors of the trenches, and then as part of the “prohibition” lunacy, in which both drugs and alcohol were banned in the United States. As Prohibition proved, outlawing things is a godsend to criminals, who are energetic entrepreneurs and who will provide what people want at great profit to themselves and great cost to society.If moralisers were logicians, coffee and chocolate would be outlawed too
A.C.... more
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The woman had six other children before the set of eight, which were only the second set of octuplets recorded in the U.S. The babies' grandfather said Friday that his daughter wanted one more child and didn't expect this to happen.
Kaiser Permanente's Bellflower Medical Center reports that all is well with the mother and children. Seven babies are breathing unassisted, and one is receiving assisted oxygen through a tube in the nose. Seven are being tube-fed donated breast milk.
It is unclear how this woman ended up with eight embryos in the first place. "If she went to a fertility clinic, there's wide consensus from every single ethicist and fertility specialist that this was irresponsible and unethical to implant that many embryos," said M. Sara Rosenthal, bioethicist at the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine. "This is an outrageous situation that should not happen."
Doctors say that giving birth to extreme multiples comes with tremendous risks for both the mother and the babies. Risks for the children include bleeding in the brain, intestinal problems, developmental delays and lifelong learning disabilities.
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In addition to the ethical argument on how the young mother received so many embryos, both CBS and Fox news have reported that the 33yr old woman is unmarried and lives with her parents.
So what do you think? Is the mother going to be able to adequately care for 14 children?The woman had six other children before the set of eight, which were only the second... more
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Galileo Galilei is often credited with being the first person to look through a telescope and make drawings of the celestial objects he observed. While the Italian indeed was a pioneer in this realm, he was not the first...Galileo Galilei is often credited with being the first person to look through a... more
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We’re not quite sure what’s going on, but a couple of minutes ago any search result from Google started being flagged as malware with a message stating “This site may harm your computer”We’re not quite sure what’s going on, but a couple of minutes ago any... more
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These are some pretty amazing pictures of London taken by photographer Jason Hawkes.
Not news but amazing all the same!These are some pretty amazing pictures of London taken by photographer Jason Hawkes.... more
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SW2
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The Bank of England had a "Dress for Success" day. On that day they send out a memo to their lady employees of how they should dress for success:
“Look professional, not fashionable; be careful with perfume; always wear a heel of some sort — maximum 2 inches; always wear some sort of makeup — even if it’s just lipstick.” Shoes and skirt must be the same color. No-no’s include ankle chains — “professional, but not the one you want to be associated with;” white high heels; overstuffed handbags; an overload of rings, and double-pierced ears.
Why are women always being told how to dress? Why don't men have to wear heels and makeup?The Bank of England had a "Dress for Success" day. On that day they send... more
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The 25-year-old who does all of Daniel Radcliffe’s stunts for the Harry Potter films broke his back and is now paralysed after an explosion caused him to plummet to the ground during a flying scene.The 25-year-old who does all of Daniel Radcliffe’s stunts for the Harry Potter... more
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Fidel Castro is demanding that Barack Obama serve up a Guantanamo libre once the last US prisoner leaves, Reuters reports. Castro, posting on a Cuban government website, slammed as an "act of arrogance" Obama's comment that a giveback of Guantanamo would depend on US defense needs and might require Cuban concessions in return. The aging former president, who just last week lauded Obama as an "honest" man with "noble intentions," demanded the entire base be returned without conditions.Fidel Castro is demanding that Barack Obama serve up a Guantanamo libre once the last... more
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heatX
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3 years ago
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Apparently Swiss hikers rambling through the mountains don't like the idea of crossing paths with the hoards of German "boot-only hikers" that have been wandering the Alps. There's a new law against naked hiking that can get offenders a fine of about £125. German naturists are upset about the new legislation because they feel like their pursuits are harmless.Apparently Swiss hikers rambling through the mountains don't like the idea of... more
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What an incredibly strange statistic. Do you have a first date on Saturday? Tell us!
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Research shows many women in Britain are dying their hair blonde due to the recession.
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ClareW
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3 years ago
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More than one million French workers downed tools yesterday in the first general strike to hit a major industrialised nation since the start of the global financial crisis.
Public and private sector workers took to the streets across France to protest against President Nicolas Sarkozy's handling of the economic crisis, saying too much had been done to bail out fat cats and banks and not enough to protect jobs and help workers make ends meet.
"Take notes"-BansheewailMore than one million French workers downed tools yesterday in the first general... more
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