Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Prank of the day
Dig a swimming pool size hole in a forest. Fill it with water and cover it with leaves.
Then wait for the unsuspecting public.
Why do they all smile?
Then wait for the unsuspecting public.
Why do they all smile?
Maria Sharapova
It's Wimbledon time again, so cue lots of photos of Maria Sharapova.
Quite why Yahoo! chose to use this particular photo, I don't know.
I believe the technical term is camel toe.
Quite why Yahoo! chose to use this particular photo, I don't know.
I believe the technical term is camel toe.
Freak weather kills German farmer
A storm that hit parts of south-western Germany, bringing with it hailstones almost as big as tennis balls, killed one farmer and injured more than 100 people.
In Villingen-Schwenningen, meanwhile, police said about 100 people suffered slight injuries - mostly cuts to the head - as they were struck by hailstones, which also damaged several cars.
You can see a gallery of photos showing the damage here.
In Villingen-Schwenningen, meanwhile, police said about 100 people suffered slight injuries - mostly cuts to the head - as they were struck by hailstones, which also damaged several cars.
You can see a gallery of photos showing the damage here.
Device records smells to play back later
Imagine being able to record a smell and play it back later, just as you can with sounds or images.
Engineers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan are building an odour recorder capable of doing just that. Simply point the gadget at a freshly baked cookie, for example, and it will analyse its odour and reproduce it for you using a host of non-toxic chemicals.
The system will use 15 chemical-sensing microchips, or electronic noses, to pick up a broad range of aromas. These are then used to create a digital recipe from a set of 96 chemicals that can be chosen according to the purpose of each individual gadget. When you want to replay a smell, drops from the relevant vials are mixed, heated and vaporised. In tests so far, the system has successfully recorded and reproduced the smell of orange, lemon, apple, banana and melon.
"We can even tell a green apple from a red apple."
Engineers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan are building an odour recorder capable of doing just that. Simply point the gadget at a freshly baked cookie, for example, and it will analyse its odour and reproduce it for you using a host of non-toxic chemicals.
The system will use 15 chemical-sensing microchips, or electronic noses, to pick up a broad range of aromas. These are then used to create a digital recipe from a set of 96 chemicals that can be chosen according to the purpose of each individual gadget. When you want to replay a smell, drops from the relevant vials are mixed, heated and vaporised. In tests so far, the system has successfully recorded and reproduced the smell of orange, lemon, apple, banana and melon.
"We can even tell a green apple from a red apple."
How the Japanese are getting a buzz out of falling asleep at work
The sleep-deprived Japanese have found a cure for nodding off at inappropriate times.
The "nap alarm", a device fixed to an ear, buzzes the moment the wearer's head nods forward. The ticklish sensation wakes the wearer and temporarily banishes the alpha waves which cause sleepiness. Japanese politicians are notorious for sleeping in parliament, while "salary men" frequently doze during interminable meetings in offices where long hours are the norm.
The alarm was initially marketed to taxi and truck drivers. But it has proved an unexpected hit with the wider population. Sales of the vibrating alarm, which resembles a hearing aid, now outstrip production.
It has even been ordered for trainee Zen monks who are required to sit for hours in meditation.
Traditionally any who fell asleep were woken with a whack from a stick wielded by a priest.
The "nap alarm", a device fixed to an ear, buzzes the moment the wearer's head nods forward. The ticklish sensation wakes the wearer and temporarily banishes the alpha waves which cause sleepiness. Japanese politicians are notorious for sleeping in parliament, while "salary men" frequently doze during interminable meetings in offices where long hours are the norm.
The alarm was initially marketed to taxi and truck drivers. But it has proved an unexpected hit with the wider population. Sales of the vibrating alarm, which resembles a hearing aid, now outstrip production.
It has even been ordered for trainee Zen monks who are required to sit for hours in meditation.
Traditionally any who fell asleep were woken with a whack from a stick wielded by a priest.
Woman has stroke, starts speaking with foreign accent
A woman woke up after suffering from a stroke speaking in a foreign accent.
Linda Walker came round in hospital to discover her Geordie twang had disappeared - replaced by what sounds like a Jamaican or Eastern European accent.
The 60-year-old, from Fenham, has a rare case of Foreign Accent Syndrome, where patients wake up speaking differently after suffering brain injury.
Linda is one of only 50 recorded cases in the past 65 years.
I heard her interviewed on the radio earlier and her accent really does veer between a Caribbean accent and an East European one.
Edit: You can listen to the interview here and there's a video on this page.
Linda Walker came round in hospital to discover her Geordie twang had disappeared - replaced by what sounds like a Jamaican or Eastern European accent.
The 60-year-old, from Fenham, has a rare case of Foreign Accent Syndrome, where patients wake up speaking differently after suffering brain injury.
Linda is one of only 50 recorded cases in the past 65 years.
I heard her interviewed on the radio earlier and her accent really does veer between a Caribbean accent and an East European one.
Edit: You can listen to the interview here and there's a video on this page.
Football feud at factory turns bloody
A decade long feud between two factory workers over the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide ended in a forklift duel that left one with a bloodied face and the other unemployed.
After a history of workplace pranks, jibes and racial insults, Crows fan and Greek-born Simeon Christopoulos, 63, hit Power fan and Italian-born Frank Cappelluti, 58, after the pair locked forklifts on the factory floor of Kilburn steel firm, Korvest.
Mr Cappelluti, of Pooraka, suffered a cut lip and his boss, Mr Christopoulos, who had worked with the company for 34 years, was sacked.
After a history of workplace pranks, jibes and racial insults, Crows fan and Greek-born Simeon Christopoulos, 63, hit Power fan and Italian-born Frank Cappelluti, 58, after the pair locked forklifts on the factory floor of Kilburn steel firm, Korvest.
Mr Cappelluti, of Pooraka, suffered a cut lip and his boss, Mr Christopoulos, who had worked with the company for 34 years, was sacked.
Power cut to school play as parents clap and cheer too loud
A school play in a village hall was cut short — after parents clapped and cheered too loudly.
The Jungle Book show was halted when triggered a noise-limiter which cut the power.
The incident sparked outrage among the 130 audience and performers in award-winning Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Leics.
A children’s disco and a charity race night were also plunged into silence when the noise-limiter cut in.
The Jungle Book show was halted when triggered a noise-limiter which cut the power.
The incident sparked outrage among the 130 audience and performers in award-winning Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Leics.
A children’s disco and a charity race night were also plunged into silence when the noise-limiter cut in.
Man prefers jail to being at home with grandpa
An Italian man escaped from house arrest and begged police to put him in jail because he could not bear living with his grandfather.
The 30-year old, who could only be identified by his initials A.M., had been placed under house arrest for six months in the Sardinian town of Sassari after a scuffle with a policeman.
But he escaped, and Sunday showed up at a police station in the northern city of Genoa, asking them to arrest him and put him in a cell.
His lawyer said he did not know what the problem between the two was. "It's probably irreconcilable differences".
The 30-year old, who could only be identified by his initials A.M., had been placed under house arrest for six months in the Sardinian town of Sassari after a scuffle with a policeman.
But he escaped, and Sunday showed up at a police station in the northern city of Genoa, asking them to arrest him and put him in a cell.
His lawyer said he did not know what the problem between the two was. "It's probably irreconcilable differences".
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