martes, 14 de octubre de 2008

Divorce Settlement - Cut the house in two

Looks like in a divorce settlement a Cambodian couple want everything to be divided into half - even the house. The guy found some of his relatives and saws to cut the wooden house in half. The ex-wife is reported to be living in the standing half of the house they once shared.

The 42-year-old Cambodian man, Moeun Sarim, found himself not getting along well with his 35-year-old wife, Vat Navy, in their 18-year wedlock.
Vat said that the divorce was prompted by her husband's jealousy about her alleged relationship with a policeman in the village. She denied having an extramarital affair. (source)

miércoles, 17 de septiembre de 2008

World's shortest guy with leggiest lady

Last year it was the tallest man with whom he posed for photograph. Recently he met a long-legged Svetlana Pankratova in London's Trafalger Square to pose for for the launch of the 2009 edition of the Guinness World Records book, which is published on Wednesday.

The world's smallest man, He Pingping, is 20 years old and just 74.61 centimeters tall. It is told that the shortness resulted from being born with a condition known as primordial dwarfism. Pingpin is told to be a keen poker player and smokes two packets of cigarettes a day.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the long-legged Russian woman, Svetlana Pankratova, has the world?s longest legs. Pankratova, 36, an estate agent from Volvograd, Russia, is 1.96 meters tall. Her legs alone measure 132 centimeters.

Pingping posed for a photograph showing him standing up comfortably between her legs. (Photo Source : WENN)

sábado, 30 de agosto de 2008

Si tiene la pretensión de ganar dinero en Internet, debes aprender de posicionamiento en Google

SEO son en verdad las siglas en inglés de "optimización de motores de búsqueda" (Search Engine Optimization) o de optimizador de motores de búsqueda(Search Engine Optimizer). Contratar a un SEO es una decisión relevante que debe mejorar su sitio y ahorrarle tiempo, y del mismo modo se arriesga a dañar su funcionamiento y reputación. Asegúrese de averiguar ya sea las posibles ventajas como los daños que un SEO poco solvente puede provocar en su sitio. Muchísimos SEO y otras agencias y consultorías pueden ofrecer servicios útiles para los propietarios de portales de internet.

El posicionamiento en Google no tiene por qué ser necesariamente el webmaster o el responsable , sino que éste último podrá contratar sus servicios. Por otro lado cada vez más sociedades que se han especializado en el posicionamiento en buscadores, y dan ayuda a otros portales de internet

Una de las técnicas básicas es posicionamiento para google y otros buscadores. Dicha técnica consiste en lograr de forma, natural, las mejores posiciones en los buscadores con los criterios de busqueda más importantes del nicho

La optimización SEO se compone de diversos detalles que se entrelazan entre sí, con técnicas que cumplen con buenas prácticas permitiendo que el sitio web sea amigable a los principales motores de búsqueda. Conocer de que forma funcionan los motores de búsquedas es relevante.

Imagine una enorme cantidad de sujetos que buscan a través de los buscadores los servicios y/o artículos que usted tiene listo para vender, ha confeccionado un sitio web con una inversión considerable y los resultados no son los esperados. Más aún, usted sabe que su sitio web podrá hacer retornar su inversión o pagarse sólo con tan sólo la venta de sus productos o servicios a través de él y ve que no es así..

En la actualidad la mayoría de las personas buscan información a través de Internet en donde la mayor medida del tráfico lo impulsan los motores búsqueda, por lo tanto si su sitio web no puede ser encontrado por los motores de búsqueda está perdiendo increíbles oportunidades comerciales para su negocio o empresa.

sábado, 2 de agosto de 2008

What is your national flower - 3 - Canada

National Flowers of Canada

The Leaf of Maple is an official symbol of Canada. The maple leaf was first used as a Canadian symbol in early 18th century and till now is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of arms.

Each provinces however have their own floral emblems (I don't have knowledge about floral emblem of Nunavut). Floral emblems of Canadian provinces and territories are given below:

Alberta - Wild Rose

Wild rose was chosen the provincial flower of Alberta in 1930.



British Columbia - Pacific Dogwood

The Pacific dogwood (Cornus nuttallii) was adopted in 1956 as British Columbia's floral emblem. It is a native plant that grows wild in coastal areas of southern B.C. all the way to northern California. Its showy flowers also make it a highly prized ornamental but the species is protected by law and it is illegal to pick or remove it. The Pacific dogwood is a tree that grows six to eight metres high and flowers in April and May. In the autumn it is conspicuous for its cluster of bright red berries and brilliant foliage.




Manitoba - Prairie Crocus

The floral emblem of Manitoba and the state flower of South Dakota, Prairie Crocus, is also called Pasque Flower and Prairie Anemone.




New Brunswick - Purple Violet




Newfoundland/Labrador - Pitcher Plant

Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea). Queen Victoria, more than a hundred years ago, chose the Pitcher Plant to be engraved on a newly minted Newfoundland penny. In 1954, the Newfoundland Cabinet designated this unusual and interesting plant as the official flower of the province. It gets its nourishment from insects that get trapped and drown in a pool of water at the base of the tubular leaves. The flower is wine and green in colour and can be found on bogs and marshes in Newfoundland and Labrador.




Northwest Territories - Mountain Avens




Nova Scotia - Mayflower




Nunavut - None

Ontario - Trillium

Red Trillium



White Trillium



Prince Edward Island - Pink Lady's Slipper
Pink Lady's Slippers (Cypripedium acaule)

Québec - Blue Flag Iris




Saskatchewan - Western Red Lily

Lilium philadelphicum



Yukon - Fireweed

lunes, 28 de julio de 2008

What is your National Flower - 2

The Bahamas

The national flower of The Bahamas is the Yellow Elder (Tecoma stans)
The flowers have an odd but pleasing fragrance and also provide nectar for bees. The Indians made bows from its wood, and in Mexico a beer was prepared from its roots; it has also been used for a variety of medicines. Also known as: Yellow Bells, Hardy Yellow Trumpet, Trumpet-flower, Yellow Elder.



Belize

The national flower of Belize is the Black Orchid (Prosthechea cochleata)




Bolivia

Bolivia gets two of everything, because the east and the west never get along. Bolivian national flowers are cantuta (Catua buxifolia) and patujú (Heliconia rostrata).

cantuta



patujú



Brazil

Tabebuia alba flower (Tecoma alba)




Bangladesh

The national flower and national emblem of Bangladesh is the shapla (Nymphaea nouchali)




Bhutan

Bhutan - Blue poppy (Meconopsis grandis)




Brunei

Brunei ? Simpor (Dillenia suffruticosa)




Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Lilium bosniacum




Bulgaria

Rose

sábado, 26 de julio de 2008

What is your National Flower -Albania, Argentina, Australia, and Austria

I am going to post a series of posts about National flowers (floral emblem) of different countries starting with countries with first letter A.

The National Flower of Albania

The floral emblem of Albania is the red and black poppy. The poppy can be found everywhere in this Mediterranean country, and are recognized for their beauty, medicinal value, and seeds.

The National Flower of Argentina

Erythrina Cristina Galli was adopted as the National flower of Argentina on December 2, 1942. Erythrina is found naturally along water courses, in swamps and wetlands. Because of the red beauty of this flower it is also grown in urban settings such as parks and gardens. Basically the Erythrina is a South American tree, with carmine red flowers and a crooked trunk which locally is known as Ceibo, Sebo or Bucar.



The National Flower of Australia

Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha) is Australia's national flower. The Golden Wattle blooms in spring, - beginning September - in Australia, with large fluffy, yellow, sweet smelling flower heads. Each Golden Wattle flower head is a bunch of many tiny flowers. Acacias are popularly called Wattle.



The National Flower of Austria

Edelweiss (Leontopodium Alpinum), the Nationnal flower of Austria, is one of the best-known European mountain flowers. Belonging to the sunflower family, these star-like flowers are short lived perennials. Apart from being Pictured on Austrian euro coins, the flower has been used traditionally in folk medicine as a remedy against abdominal and respiratory diseases. The flower is also called Floarea Reginei (Queen flower).



Could not find any official National Flowers of Afghanistan,

jueves, 17 de julio de 2008

In a 101-list aboriginal Canadians voted 102

A government sponsored list of 101 things that most define Canada missed the most Canadian thing -- aboriginals.

The list was commissioned by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Dominion Institute.

Number one in the list is the maple leaf followed by Vimy Ridge and Queen Elizabeth. The Canadian Flag made it to #4.
Over 2,000 Canadians as well as educators and Order of Canada recipients from coast to coast participated. The result is a ranked list of 101 people, places, symbols, events and innovations that respondents believe define our country.
Well, looks like none of the 2000 participants realized that the aboriginal Canadians were important enough to be included in the list. They have set up a site to to ask people "What is missing?" in which general public can cast a vote for #102. That was how aboriginal Canadians were voted 102. People also want Canada "Eh?" in the list. More recommendation are listed here.

martes, 15 de julio de 2008

Stephen Hawking may relocate to Canada

After almost 50 years at Cambridge University the leading physicist Stephen Hawking, 66, is considering leaving Britain and move to Canada. He attacked the British government for carrying out "disastrous" cuts in science funding totalling $160 million.
Last month, Hawking said the funding cuts would "cause enormous damage both to British science and to our international reputation." He is now said to be contemplating an offer to join a fellow academic who is leaving Cambridge this autumn to lead a well-funded Canadian science institute. Neil Turok, an authority on mathematical physics, said "the door is open" for Hawking to join him permanently at the Perimeter Institute in Waterloo, Ont., which has received $600 million in funding.
Turok decided to leave Cambridge after failing to persuade university authorities, research councils and sponsors to spend $40 million expanding the university's Centre for Theoretical Cosmology, which he heads, into a Hawking Institute.

That was the rumor; but Hawking's office said that Hawking had no plans to leave Britain permanently.

A spokesman was quoted as saying that hawking "is not joining the brain drain".

UPDATE:
The University of Cambridge has poured cold water on reports its most famous physicist might be coming to Canada to work, saying Wednesday Stephen Hawking "has no plans" to leave. (CBC)

martes, 1 de julio de 2008

Are we giving too much attention to Google?

It made news when Google 'forgot' to change its logo to give a wink to Canucks on the Canada Day. Although the internet giant has a history of recognizing the Canada Day in the past (except for 2003) July 1st of 2008 brought a bit of hollowness for the Canadians when the same old primary-coloured letters appeared on the Google website. Here is the history and corresponding logos: 2007 - the L in Google was transformed into an image of the Peace Tower, complete with fireworks.
2006 - there was a Canadian flag2005, a simple Maple Leaf did duty as the first O (although Google's list of holiday logos for that year lists Canada Day as July 2.)
2004, the second G was a loon and its reflection with a Canadian flag hanging off the L.
2003, forgot the Canadians2002, a moose lurked behind the word Google with a Canadian flag again suspended from the L.
2001, the first year the company marked the holiday, there was a beaver, a Canadian flag and even text saying: ?Happy Canada Day.?


Do you really care if Google forgets or recognizes the Canada Day!

domingo, 29 de junio de 2008

iPhone launch in Canada - nothing much to celebrate

When Rogers revealed specifics for the services plans for the upcoming iPhone 3G this Friday many Canadians were not happy.

But why?
Rogers has set a mandatory three-year contract. O2 offers an 18-month contract and throws in the iPhone for free and AT&T has a two-year contract. In the U.S., AT&T offers 450 minutes of voice, unlimited data and 200 SMS messages. But Rogers thinks Canadian don't even deserve that.
$60: 150 minutes of calls, with unlimited evenings and weekends; 400 MB of data; 75 sent SMS messages, with unlimited incoming text messages and visual voicemail messages.$75: 300 minutes of calls, 750 MB data and 100 sent SMS messages.$100: 600 minutes of calls with 1 GB of data and 200 sent SMS messages.$115: 800 minutes of calls, 2 GB of data and 300 sent SMS messages.There is nothing like "unlimited data" to Canadians for whatever amount they pay!

People are really angry and James Hallen has started a petition at RuinediPhone.com. James is planning to send the online petition to Rogers on July 11th, the day the iPhone 3G is available, and also to send a letter to Steve Jobs. The letter was drafted when there were nearly 6,000 petitions which is a fraction of the current 15,664 number at the time of writing this post.

jueves, 26 de junio de 2008

Grandma gave birth to triplet

This is not a scientific achievement as was in this case when a grandmother gave birth to her own grandchild.

An Australian grandmother has given birth to naturally conceived triplets. Janelle Perry, a week short of turning 47 years, gave brith to three boys by caesarian section at Mater Mothers' Hospital in the east coast city of Brisbane on 19th June 2008.

Newcomers Cooper, Kyle and Jordan join the five more brothers and sisters including four children in their 20s from an earlier marriage and a four-year-old daughter, Rebecca, with her husband Robert.
"Rebecca kept telling me in November, 'You've got three babies in your tummy, Mummy -- one for me, one for Dad and one for you'," Perry said.

"I thought, 'No way' and told her, 'There's no babies in there'. Then, in December, I found out I was pregnant."

David Molloy from the Queensland Fertility group said the chance of having identical triplets at the age of 46 was "probably the same as winning Gold Lotto." (Yahoo news)

martes, 24 de junio de 2008

Do the Screensavers save your screen these days?

Gone are the days when screensavers save your monitors when old CRTs are replaced by flat panel screens!
In an effort to save environment an Australian company, Telstra, has decided to remove all animated logo screesavers from the company laptops and computers and replaced with a black, power-saving screensaver.
By removing 36,000 screensavers, they claim to cut 646 tons of CO2, which would be like removing 140 cars from Australian roads for one full year. (source)
Well, it sure is another simple method to make your PC greener if you haven't already done so.
Happy earth-saving!

jueves, 19 de junio de 2008

Movie-Viewing World Record

People have crazy ideas to make records!!

You might have heard of records of movie making, movie in theater, or movie sales but movie-viewing record is something new to me.

A German lady continuously watched movies for 117 hours 4 minutes for a record. But this guy from India, Ashish Sharma, watched various movies for 120 hours to make a new record.

Sharma started the marathon movie-watching on June 11 and finished 48 movies in almost five days.

Sharma is known in Mathura, India, as memory master. He is planning a book on improving one's memory for the youth. (source)

martes, 10 de junio de 2008

Monkey god chairs a technology and managemnt school

Do you do business in the name of god? I used to hear a businessperson considers clients as a God. But this school is teaching something else to its students!

A god that too a monkey god is named a chairman in a 'Techonology and Management' school in India.

Hanuman, the popular god known for his strength and valor, has been named official chairman of the recently opened Sardar Bhagat Singh College of Technology and Management in northern India, a school official said Saturday.

The position comes with an incense-filled office, a desk and a laptop computer. Four chairs will be placed facing the empty seat reserved for the chairman and all visitors must enter the office barefoot, said Vivek Kangdi, the school's vice chairman. (yahoo)


The god run school, Sardar Bhagat Singh College, is located in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, awards bachelor's degrees in engineering and management.

I don't know how technology, engineering, and management go together with mythology. I hope the school knows it better in its one year of existence.

viernes, 6 de junio de 2008

143-page love letter -- to an imaginary lover

A bachelor, Harish Kondakkuli (30), of South India has written a 143-page long love letter. The problem is he is not in love so he had to write it to an imaginary lover to enter the Guinness Book of Records.

The letter, in Kannada (local language), begins with ?Preethiya Abhisarika? (Dear Abhisarika) and ends with ?Mathe ninna nireeksheyalli kanasu marida huduga? (Awaiting you...).

Harish, an employee of BSNL, claims he penned his ?masterpiece? in leisure to popularize letter writing. He started writing on Valentine?s Day this year and stopped on May 25.

"I used to write one or two pages daily after 7 pm. I am used to writing as I had written stories when I was in college and later wrote to several newspapers and magazines,?? said Harish.

Since the common code word of lovers is 143 (I Love You), this love letter contains 143 pages, its length is 143 feet (papers are in 12X10 size). The total lines are 4,136 and total words 33,100.

Whether he enters Guinness or not, this eligible bachelor is hoping this love letter will find him a bride.

miércoles, 4 de junio de 2008

Got the look?

These ladies are competing in a TV show "She's Got The Look". You won't believe, all of them are 35 or older.

Looking at these ladies I feel like humming the Roxette song "She's got the look"


Walking like a man, hitting like a hammer, she's a juvenile scam.
Never was a quitter, tasty like a raindrop,
she's got the look.

Heavenly bound cause heaven's got a number when she's spinning me around,
kissing is a colour. Her loving is a wild dog,
she's got the look.

She's got the look.
She's got the look.
What in the world can make a brown-eyed girl turn blue.
When everything I'll ever do I'll do for you
and I go: la la la la la she's got the look.

Fire in the ice naked to the t-bone is a lover's disguise.
Banging on the head drum, shaking like a mad bull,
she's got the look.

Swaying to the band, moving like a hammer she's a miracle man.
Loving is the ocean, kissing is the wet sand,
she's got the look.

And she goes: na na na na na na na na.

domingo, 1 de junio de 2008

28 yr. old twin sue for mix-up

A Spanish twin, separated from her family for 28 years, discovered that she was living with the wrong mother because of a mix-up at the maternity hospital.

She discovered her identical twin sister in 2001when she was mistaken for someone else in a shop. The sisters confirmed that they were born in 1973 on the same day in the same hospital. The DNA test also showed that they were identical twins.
The woman is suing the Canary Island health services for 3 million euros ($4.7 million) for emotional trauma, El Pais newspaper reported. "I wish I'd never found out about it," her lawyer quoted her as saying. (yahoo news)
It is told that her sister was brought up alongside another girl, believing they were twins. Looks like another suing is on the way from the assumed twin sister.

miércoles, 28 de mayo de 2008

19 years old mayor of Oklahoma town

A University of Oklahoma freshman trounced 70 year-old Hershel McBride to become the mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma, making it the first city in the nation to be governed by a self-admitted gamer. Like most of the teenagers John Tyler Hammons, 19, digs rock music, fast cars, video games and rock 'n' roll.

Hammons is moving out of a dorm and back in with his parents as he prepares to be sworn in next week as mayor of this 38,000-person eastern Oklahoma city Muskogee.

"Politics stop at the door," Hammons said. "If someone wants to talk politics, I will literally leave the office and leave the building if I have to. In this office, it needs to be Muskogee-oriented."

He is aiming to become the governor of Oklahoma one day. (News and photo)

miércoles, 21 de mayo de 2008

Mp3 player behind student's death?

A 23-year-old student killed when a helicopter crash-landed on him in the middle of the street and the blame goes to the technology.
Isaiah Otieno, from Kenya, was crossing a street in a quiet Cranbrook, B.C. neighbourhood last week when a helicopter struggling to stay airborne suddenly dropped on top of him. It is reported that Otiena was wearing ear or headphones and may not have heard the downward spiralling chopper.
This was not a sole incident of accidents of people listening music on street. (Canada press)Is banning mp3 players in street a solution?

lunes, 12 de mayo de 2008

Mac Notebook Theft: Happy Ending

In what appears like a sci-fi movie scene a woman could catch her laptop thieves with the help of a webcam and remote access software.

It is reported that the victim logged on to her computerremotely using the Back to My Mac program and discovered that someone was shopping online with her computer. She activated the Webcam and waited for the guys to appear in front of the monitor. When the suspected thieves appear infront of the laptop she took photos of them and turned them over to the White Plains Police Department. Police arrested to two men, Edmon Shahikian of Katonah and Ian Frias of the Bronx. Police said they retrieved about $5,000 worth of electronics, including two laptops, two flat-screen televisions, two iPods, gaming equipment, and DVDs taken from the victim's home. (news source)
The laptop owner played spy on the thief and was able to assemble a full profile of information on the stolen laptop user as he signed into a hookup sites, read his Gmail messages and shopped in eBay. She discovered his birth date, mother?s maiden name, email address, Comcast IP address, and were able to use Photo Booth to take a snapshot that was clear enough to read the lettering of his tattoos.

domingo, 11 de mayo de 2008

Mother of 17 Celebrate Mothers Day

41-year-old Arkansas woman, Michelle Duggar, had a special Mothers Day lunch at the Peabody hotel, Sunday, May 11, 2008 in Little Rock, Ark. along with her husband and 17 children. Photo(AP/Mike Wintroath)

Good news is she is expecting her 18th child in the New Year day. Duggars' oldest child, Josh, is 20, and the youngest, Jennifer, is nine months old. She has been pregnant for more than 11 years to give birth to her seven daughters and 10 sons, all of whose names start with the letter J.

The 17 children in the Duggar family are: Josh, 20; Jana, 18; John-David, 18; Jill, 16; Jessa, 15; Jinger, 14; Joseph, 13; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 10; Jeremiah, 9; Jedidiah, 9; Jason, 7; James, 6; Justin, 5; Jackson, 3; and Johannah, 2; Jennifer, 9 months.

sábado, 10 de mayo de 2008

Funny Hairstyles

People like to care for their hair and search for hairstyle ideas too. Some people don't search for them but create their styles themselves. I came across these creative and funny hairstyles and want to share with you. I don't think you would like to go for any of these styles but looking at them is fun for sure.

lunes, 5 de mayo de 2008

Tiniest bodybuilder

Looking at the photo above, can you guess who is the most popular bodybuilder?

No, it is not a photoshoped picture, it is a real photo of people like you and me. And the kid-like person with yellow hair and mustache is Mr. Aditya ?Romeo? Dev from India, the world's smallest bodybuilder. (photo)

Pint-sized Romeo is just just 2 ft 9in and is well-known in his hometown of Phagwara, India; for his ability to lift 1.5kg dumbbells - despite his overall 9.07kg body weight. See his mighty strength! And he also love to pose to show off his body.

viernes, 2 de mayo de 2008

Geek Love

Geeks love or true geek art?
Only a geek can follow from the start to end :)
 

jueves, 1 de mayo de 2008

Ambulance sent to wrong city, thanks to VoIP

An ill-fated toddler's aunt in Calgary, Canada called 911 because the kid was having trouble breathing, an ambulance was dispatched to a suburb of Toronto some 3500km away causing Elijah Luck, only 18 months old, to die.
Reason: They were using their Internet-based phone, and were connected with the phone company's contracted call centre in Ontario. The call centre did contact emergency services but not in the right location.
The Calgary EMS had an ambulance at the Luck family home in under six minutes when a neighbour eventually called 911 from a land-based line but it was already too late.
Calgary EMS and Comwave, the VoIP service provider, arestill investigating but the family says what happened to them should be a lesson for anyone that uses Internet phone services, called voice-over-Internet-protocol technology (or VoIP). (CTV)

Nobody fails to praise the recent development in communication. It is one of the major factor for the journey towards the Global Village. VoIP has taken over every aspects of our life. But will this unfortunate incident teach the service providers some lesson? Only the future will tell.

miércoles, 30 de abril de 2008

Hundreds of ducks die in oilsands pond

Environmentalists have managed to rescue five mallard ducks while their ten-folds sunk to deaths in a tailings pond filled with toxic byproduct of oilsand giant Syncrude Canada Ltd.

Tailings ponds are formed during the oilsands extraction process. These ponds are filled with mixture of clay, sand water and hydrocarbons and are toxic by nature. To protect wild lives and waterfowl from entering the ponds they are supposed to have protective measures in place. Authorities are blaming the winter for the delay in the deployment of these devices.

This sure is one more issue for environmentalists to attack the oilsand industry reputed for causing other major environmental problems. You can read the details in the issue in this CTV news report.

domingo, 27 de abril de 2008

World Record - ironing underwater

People do crazy thing for the sake of making records and these Australian scuba divers are doing one of such crazy things at the sea bed.

A group of 72 Australian scuba divers has created the world record for ironing under water, taking the plunge off a pier near the southern city of Melbourne with ironing boards and irons, and their linen. Read more in this reuters report.

Washing underwater does make sense but ironing underwater doesn't make sense to me. What do you think? Tags: strange, ironing underwater

viernes, 25 de abril de 2008

Simple Tips - how to zzz...zzz

Tension, competition and day to day hassles have caused people to loose sleep and wake up early. Have you tried and tried to sleep all night and woke up the next day tired, cranky and unproductive? If that is you, you have to know that studies suggest - not getting adequate sleep can increase your risk for heart disease and depression, and can even cause weight gain.

You might say "I can't help it!"

But 'where there is will there is way' too. Why don't you try these simple tips:

No mobile phones before sleep

Researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit not to talk in your cell phone before bed. They found that people who were exposed to the slight radiation that emanates from cell phones took longer to fall asleep and spent less time in the deep stages of slumber.

Sleep prepared, get cozy

Make it dark - draw the blinds.
Block out distracting sounds - turn on a fan or a soothing CD of nature noises.
Swapping ordinary bedroom bulbs for yellow ones can help you feel more tranquil as you're getting ready to nod off.
Treat yourself to a cozy new comforter or put flowers on your nightstand - things that motivate you to go to bedroom.

Say Thanks

I am not that religious and even an atheist can take two minutes to reflect on the things one is grateful for. Practicing grateful thinking makes people more optimistic and going to sleep with happy thoughts help in sleeping more soundly.

That's it!
GOOD NIGHT!

Net neutrality in danger?

Looks like a its a conspiracy against Net neutrality! Big service providers are are predicting Internet will essentially run out of bandwidth by 2010 without substantial investment in network infrastructure.
Decades of dealing with the trickle of bandwidth consumed by voice and dialup modems left AT&T twiddling its thumbs. The massive rise of DSL and cable modem service in the 2000s has had AT&T facing a monstrous increase in the volume of data transmissions. And that's set to increase another 50 times between now and 2015.
AT&T says that video alone will eat up 80 percent of traffic in two years which is just 30 percent now. The BBC has come under fire from service providers like Tiscali, which claim that its iPlayer online-TV service is becoming a major drain on network bandwidth.

Publishers and content creators have argued that Net neutrality should be legislated in order to protect consumers. ISPs reject the neutrality concept itself citing services like voip requires priority by default.

Is it going to cost more to watch videos in YouTube in future?

domingo, 20 de abril de 2008

Oldest person turns 115

In the adjacent photo, Edna Parker is seen holding a rose that she was given during a birthday party for her in Shelbyville, Ind., Friday, April 18, 2008. Parker, who was born April 20, 1893, is the oldest known human. She will turn 115 on Sunday, April 20, 2008. She was recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest person living last August after the death of a Japanese woman four months her senior.(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Scientists are analyzing DNA samples from people crossing 110 years to find the clue for the causes of longivity. DNA samples of more than 100 supercentenarians is already in the research database. It is believed that the secret to a long life is a mix of genetics and environmental factors such as health habits. A research on about 1,500 centenarians also show that they appear not to dwell on stressful events.

Only 75 living people ? 64 women and 11 men ? are 110 or older, according to the Gerontology Research Group of Inglewood, Calif., which verifies reports of extreme ages.Tags: oldage, oldest living

viernes, 18 de abril de 2008

Jailed for Staring

Staring too intensely at a woman, his mother's age, sitting in front of him on a train was enough to take the man to the court and sentenced for 10 days.

It was told that they met on a commuter train going from Lecco, a town in northern Italy, to Milan in 2005. A judge sentenced the man in his 30s to 10 days in prison and a 40 euro ($63) fine after the 55-year old woman filed a complaint for sexual harassment. (Reuters)
Tags: staring

domingo, 13 de abril de 2008

'April Fool' T-shirt on sale for real

It was an April Fools prank but thanks to numerous calls to make the joke a reality, a technology company has been forced to make it a reality.

First, look the prank video ThinkGeek made about the T-shirt that was 'on sale' on the website for $39.99 and offered wearers the chance to play a soundtrack to their lives using an integrated speaker on the front of the shirt.Embedded Video And now the company has decided to put the joke into production following what it calls "overwhelming positive response and hundreds of e-mails screaming to 'make the damn shirt already'". It says it will be looking to unleash the product on the world "asap" but warns that its "army of robotic factory monkeys are a bit slow, and it might take them some time to make the real version of this nifty product". ThinkGeek also admits that the "final version might deviate slightly in appearance, features or price" from the April Fool product but urges interested buyers to get in touch. (metro)
Tags: aprilfool, t-shirt, video

Biggest BBQ in Uruguay

To set a new Guinness world record and to promote the country's succulent top export more than a thousand barbecue fanatics in Uruguay grilled up 12 metric tonnes (26,400 lbs) of beef on April 13, 2008.

A grill of nearly 1 mile long was set up and firefighters had to lit six tonnes of charcoal to start the grand ceremony.

Some 1,250 people grilled the beef and about 20,000 spectators cried with joy when a Guinness judge confirmed the barbecue record had been broken. (Reuters)
Tags: Urugay, BBQ, record

sábado, 12 de abril de 2008

Texan entrepreneur crowned Miss USA

A 26-year-old entrepreneur from Texas was named Miss USA on Friday, besting 50 other beauty queens for the coveted crown. Crystle Stewart completed her degree in Consumer Science and Merchandising at the University of Houston. She won the Miss Texas USA 2008 title in a state pageant held in Laredo, Texas on July 1, 2007, after competing against 121 contestants.

She founded and runs her business "Inside/Out" which aids young women in building self-esteem and volunteers with many organizations in the community

Details in the official Miss USA 2008 site.
Tags: missUSA

viernes, 11 de abril de 2008

Site Review: Web 2.0 Directory

Been blogging for some time but Web 2.0 has been a bit elusive to me and I always resisted to know more about it.

The excuse: I am not a webmaster!

Well, knowing a bit of the balls and bearings of new web phenomenon doesn't hurt you. So I am trying to see if I can know what Web 2.0 actually means. I am going through a blog that gives directory of nice Web 2.0 sites. I wish there were how-tos and tutorials too. But as it is a review site I think the design and contents justify the theme of the blog. Nice work!

miércoles, 9 de abril de 2008

Fun with Maths

These are the maths we used to share with our friends in school. If you like playing with maths you will love them (well.... if you don't know 'em already).

1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

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1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98

123 x 8 + 3 = 987

1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876

12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765

123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654

1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543

12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
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9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

987654321 x 9 - 1 = 8888888888

9876543210 x 9 - 2 = 88888888888
----------

Nice symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1

11 x 11 = 121

111 x 111 = 12321

1111 x 1111 = 1234321

11111 x 11111 = 123454321

111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321

11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321

111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321
Tags: mathsfun, digits

martes, 1 de abril de 2008

Google's April Fools 2008

Happy April Fools' Day!

Google has a tradition of releasing April fool hoaxes since 2000. With dominance in many web platforms, the scope of hoax has broaden in 2008. Some of the hoaxes for 2008 are listed below:
Google releases Adsense for conversations
Google's Orkut displays its name as Yogurt
Google announces a joint project with the Virgin Group that aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. This operation has been named Project Virgle. it also includes videos of Richard Branson as well as Larry Page & Sergey Brin (The Founders of Google) on YouTube , talking about Virgle.

Google launches Dajare in Japan (google.co.jp), with the mission of "organizing the world?s laughter."
Google announces gDay in Australia, a new beta search technology that will search web pages 24 hours before they are created.
Gmail's sign-in page announced a new feature, called Gmail Custom Time, that would allow its users to "pre-date" their messages and choose to have the message appear as "read" or "unread".
Around 11:00 p.m. EST March 31, 2008, on the newer and older version of Gmail, but not in the basic HTML version, in the upper right corner, next to Settings, a link appeared labeled, "New! Gmail Custom Time". The link led to a 404 error until April 1when it led to the full Gmail Custom Time hoax page. Clicking any of the three links at the bottom of the page brought the user to a page stating that Gmail Custom time was, in fact, their April Fool's day joke.
Google Books has a new section allowing users to 'scratch and sniff' certain books. Users are asked to "...please place your nose near the monitor and click 'Go'" which then 'loads odours'. When clicking on 'Help' users are redirected to a Google Book page entitled "Belgravia: A London Magazine"
Google launches Manpower Search (??????) in China (google.cn). This new feature is powered by 25 million volunteers who do the searching around the clock. When the user entered a keyword, volunteers will search any possible answers from a mass of paper documents as well as online resources. The user is expected to get the search result within 32 seconds.
A little easter egg was added, where a user can click the file menu and directly under new document is "New Airplane" which immediately opens a copy of a Google branded paper airplane. To reach the file menu, click the new menu, then "Document" then a new window opens.
Google launched their "Wake Up Kit" as a calendar notification option. The option sends a series of increasingly aggressive alerts, starting with an SMS message to your cellphone, and ending with a bucket of water dumped into your bed, which would then flip over, tossing you out (all using apparently-free equipment). Google also added the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button to its calendar feature. When you tried to create a new event, you were given the regular option of entering the correct details and hitting "Create Event," and also the new option of "I'm Feeling Lucky" which would set you up with an evening date with, among others, Matt Damon, Eric Cartman, Tom Cruise, Jessica Alba, Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton, Angelina Jolie, Britney Spears, Anna Kournikova, Johnny Depp, George W. Bush, or Lois Griffin.
If you want to know about previous april fool hoaxes from Google you can visit this wikipedia listing.
Tags: google, hoax, april fool

sábado, 22 de marzo de 2008

Interviewed in "Expelled" and Expelled from Screening

An associate professor at the University of Minnesota was expelled from a free screening of the movie "Expelled." P.Z. Meyers was interviewed in "Expelled," and even thanked in the movie's credits but was not allowed to see the first screening.

Well, if you want to hear the story from Mr. Meyers himself, you can read this post. His follow-up post:
Still straining to find an excuse is also a nice read. Got Meyers'  photo from Greg Laden's blog.

I was expelled

P.Z. Meyers

lunes, 3 de marzo de 2008

Baby Born, Fell off a Moving Train, and Survived

Bhuri Kalbi, 33, was seven month pregnant and she wanted to use toilet in a moving train in India. The lady however unexpectedly gave birth to a baby that slipped down the toilet bowl onto the tracks. "My delivery was so sudden," said the Bhuri Kalbi, the mother of the infant, born two months prematurely. "I did not even realize that my child had slipped from the hole in the toilet." Kalbi fainted on the toilet seat after the birth for a few minutes before waking up and alerting her family. They stopped the train and ran along the train to find the newborn girl lying uninjured on pebbles by the track. The photos of the baby taken inside a hospital in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, India February 28, 2008 are borrowed from Reuters.

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jueves, 14 de febrero de 2008

Application for the post in your vacant heart

Oh what a love letter. I got this letter in my inbox from somebody I don't know.
 
Date: 14th February, 2008
To My Beloved
Subject: Application for the post in your vacant heart

Sweetheart ? ? ? ?,
According to some of my reliable sources, I came to know that there is a vacancy for the post in the central core of your heart and I would like apply for the same.

I?m not as handsome as Brand Pitt. And not as popular as Paul Mccarthy. I even don?t have blue eyes like Hritiq Roshan, but above all, I?ve a soft and creamy heart which only knows to express these words for you, ?I love you?.

As for my experience I?ve loved you since my embryonic stage. You are not only my heart, but all the pacemaker of my heart . I love you, do care from all the four chambers of my heart. When I see you or hear your voice, my voluntary and in voluntary muscles get relaxed, specially my cilliary and cardiac muscles. We are like the symbiotic association between algae and fungi because we both need each other and cannot survive without each other. Our love is the perfect example of the third law of Newton. You act as a catalyst in my life. Little bit of your voice, your sight, and your love and happiness in my life. You are a beautiful phenotype with a perfect genotype.

I know I can bring stars from heaven to you. But if you ask for it, then I wouldn?t because I?ve a great fear of losing you while I?m on my way. I can die for you but if you ask me to die, then I will not because if I die then who will love you?

I hope all my experiences and qualifications will be enough to achieve the post. I?m the right and most qualified person to hold that post. I assure you that I will do my best to satisfy all you expectations.

I look forward to hearing soon from you.
Sincerely your
Vanished Horizon

I wish it were a real love letter to me. :)

What rose and other flowers say about you

Not everybody but some might be preety choosy in receiving the flower in this Valentine Day. If your special someone is literate about "meaning of flowers," you might be surprised in the way you receive the reaction. Here are some of the meanings of different flowers you might stumble upon.
1. Roses - Love
2. Orchids - A belle
3. Iris - My compliments
4. Daisies - Innocence
5. Tulips - Declaration of love
6. Calla Lily - Beauty
7. Amaryllis - Splendid beauty
8. Hydrangea - Heartfelt
9. Anthurium - Hospitality
10. Daffodils - Chivalry
11. Chrysanthemums - Fidelity
12. Carnations - Pride and beauty
13. Lilacs - Youthful innocence
14. Birds of Paradise - Joyfulness
15. Tiger Lily - Wealth, pride
16. Peony - Bashful
17. Anemone - Anticipation
18. Sunflowers - Pure thoughts
19. Aster - Patience
20. Gladiolus - Strength of character
Rose is the king (or is it queen?) of flower. Picking any rose doesn't always mean you are conveying the right message. Here are some of the secret meanings of different types of roses:
1. Red Roses - Love and romance
2. Black Roses - Vengeance
3. Blue Roses - Mystery and intrigue
4. Pink Roses - Gratitude and appreciation
5. Purple Roses - Love at first sight
6. White Roses - Innocence and purity
7. Green Roses - Fertility
8. Yellow Roses - Joy and friendship
9. Lavender Roses - Enchantment
10. Orange Roses - Enthusiasm, passion

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domingo, 10 de febrero de 2008

Funny Valentine

Who says you need to be serious on a Valentine Day! You can send funny cards and stuffs to your valentine on the special day. I found this little mathematical equation for you graphing calculator.

r = a(1 - cos(theta)) =>Plot that on your TI-89.

That was mitadmissions.org/topics/life/student_life_culture/my_funny_valentine.shtml" target="_blank bryan's idea. He has a nice and funny Valentine card in the page too:


Got this nice drawing in email : Always be prepared for the worst scenario when you give your heart away (I wish the art were not gender specific though).

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sábado, 9 de febrero de 2008

Valentine Day and flowers

With Valentine Day in doorstep, it is time to look for a nice gift. Don't fall behind in the game of love. St. Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so start thinking about buying some gifts before it's too late.

We generally express our love for each other by means of gifts, of which flowers play a prominent role. In fact, it is said that flowers and chocolates are so essential that those gifts would be taken for granted if presented, yet will be noticed if not presented.

Aside from flowers and chocolate, what else can you give your love? The answer is simple; just think about anything he/she has mentioned over the past few weeks, or get her something that relates to his/her hobbies and interests. The key is to prove that you put some thought into him/her gift.

Tattoo your vaccine

A tattoo, or dermal pigmentation, is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin for decorative or other reasons. Tattoos on humans are a type of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are most commonly used for identification or branding.
That is what wikipedia has to say about tattoos. Looks like the defination needs to be modified soon. A recent study suggest that injecting DNA-containing vaccines with a tattoo gun is far more effective than the way human vaccines are now delivered. Visit Yahoo Health for further details. (photo: Dennis Mojado)

The use of tattoo injections, coupled with the ability to rapidly produce large quantities of a vaccine, might prove extraordinarily valuable in a situation such as a threatened terrorist attack, where a sudden need arises for large amounts of an effective vaccine.

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jueves, 7 de febrero de 2008

Some cool ads

Ads are supposed to be distributed and I am doing it here... for FREE... I hope the creator of the ads won't mind. They really are nice ones.




Looks like the friend who sent them to me are collected from bestadsonly.com.
There are more ads:

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Drunk man threatened city with TV remote

As an example on how scared people are these days, a drunken man's threat to blow up half a city with his television remote control forced Australian police to declare a state of emergency at a luxury golf resort.
Geoffrey Martin Fryatt, 57, a resident of the Fairways Golf and Lifestyle Retreat in Brisbane, was arrested by elite paramilitary police after terrifying neighbors with a knife and threatening to detonate a store of chemicals with the TV remote.
"One push of the button will blow up half of Brisbane," Fryatt shouted in the standoff last May before police in the Queensland state capital opened fire with rubber bullets.
Fryatt's lawyer told the Brisbane District Court that his client lost control after losing much of his life savings in a fraud carried out by his finance broker, local media said.
"People are genuinely scared of sudden explosions," the judge said, sentencing Fryatt to a year's probation. "Frightening members of the public with threats of bombs and bomb hoaxes has a much greater impact than it once did," she said.
Fryatt accepted probation, but said he was concerned it could interrupt plans to travel overseas to do humanitarian aid work, the Brisbane Times newspaper reported.
"Let's get you right before we send you off to a third world country," the judge said.(Reuters)

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sábado, 2 de febrero de 2008

New tech usage ranking for 2008

The United States, Sweden and Japan topped a new ranking that measures how well countries use telecommunications technologies; networks, cell phones and computers; to boost their social and economic prosperity.
The ratings for "innovation driven economies" measured in the study, scale 1-10 are:

UNITED STATES 6.97
SWEDEN 6.83
JAPAN 6.80
CANADA 6.50
FINLAND 6.10
BRITAIN 6.10
AUSTRALIA 5.93
GERMANY 5.52
FRANCE 5.07
SOUTH KOREA 4.78
HONG KONG 4.46
ITALY 3.85
SPAIN 3.56
HUNGARY 3.18
CZECH REPUBLIC 3.11
POLAND 2.18
Following are indexes for "efficiency and resource driven economies", scale 1-10, but not comparable with indexes for innovation-driven economies.
RUSSIA 6.11
MALAYSIA 5.82
MEXICO 4.37
BRAZIL 4.28
SOUTH AFRICA 4.11
CHINA 3.42
PHILIPPINES 2.38
INDIA 1.68
NIGERIA 1.01
Source: Reuters

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Microsoft overtaking Yahoo and Flickr Users

In response to the Microsoft's wish to purchase Yahoo for $44.6bn, Yahoo and its other sites' users express dissatisfaction. Most evident were the photographic presentation of users of Flickr.

Yahoo! seems like dead. The funeral will cost Microsoft 44.6$ bn. And seeing as I don't want my photos on "Microsoft flickr", maybe it's time to move on to Google's Picasa. Eoow! :-(((( View large I HATE MICRO$OFT

That was what Anthony Sigalas says. It is interesting to read user-created group on the site is called ?Microsoft, keep your evil grubby hands off our Flickr.? too.
I won't say anything about it but some of the images posted in the site are interesting enough:

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Hard lesson to purse snatchers

Looks like a couple of suburban St. Louis purse snatchers picked the wrong women to attack. The victims fought back with a snow shovel to leave the suspect requiring staples to close the gash in his head (see photo).
One of the women grabbed a shovel from the suspects' pickup and smacked one of the men upside the head. The other woman jumped into the cab and attacked the other suspect, then grabbed the keys so he couldn't drive away.
Brave women!
Police tell News 4 that they still remain stunned about the heroics two tiny women used to battle back.

Authorities say they do not want to see victims putting themselves into danger like this case, but fortunately it worked out for the two women. (news 4)
Well well !

Screen shot of TV news shows suspects John Murray and Corey Brown in the picture below.

martes, 29 de enero de 2008

Magazine saved the day for a Mayor without ID

A West Virginia mayor was detained for a short time after trying to use an expired driver's license to board the plane. Charleston Mayor Danny Jones's was in a trip to California when the incident occurred.
He came with an idea to show a locally produced magazine, with his picture inside identifying him as the mayor of Charleston, before officials would finally let Jones fly back home.

"I think that magazine may have saved the day," Jones said.
Jones lost track of his driver's license two weeks ago while preparing for a trip to Seal Beach. (dailymail)
The guards at John Wayne Airport in Orange County searched his bag, he told the Charleston Daily Mail for a story published Monday. Then he remembered picking up a copy of Charleston Magazine while on his way to the West Coast for a little rest and relaxation. Inside was a photograph of him standing in downtown Charleston and an article Jones had written as mayor welcoming visitors to the state capital. (Photo)

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lunes, 28 de enero de 2008

Tantric Master - New Ice Record of 72 hours

To break his own this man, who calls himself a Tantric Master, stood on a Manhattan street in a clear container filled with ice for an hour and 12 minutes.

Wim Hof, 48, told that he survives in the ice by controlling his body temperature through tantric meditation. It was in 2004 Hof set the world record for full body ice contact endurance by immersing himself in ice for an hour and eight minutes.

The Dutch man, commonly nicknamed Iceman, holds nine world records including a world record for longest ice bath. In 2007, he attempted, but failed, to climb Mt. Everest in shorts. It is told that he has plans another attempt in 2008.

Hof claims Tantra, an Eastern tradition of ritual and meditation, is behind his extraordinary performance. (CBS)

On March 16, 2000 Hof swam 57.5 m. (188.6 ft.) under three feet of an ice lake near the Finnish village of Kolari, deep inside the Arctic Circle. Using no special equipment, he wore only swim shorts and a pair of goggles! Here is the video of his adventure:



Links:

BBC's interview with Wim Hof and physiologist Dr George Havenith on 13th March, 2002 might be of some interest too.
Hof's website

Don't Quit !

Are you thinking of quiting something? Well, I am not either. But reading nicely phrased writing is nice even if you think you knew everything about it beforehand. One of my friends sent this Don't Quit message in my mailbox and I thought it will be a good read for you too.

Don't Quit
When things go wrong,
as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging
seems uphill,
When the funds are low and
the debts are high,
and you want to smile,
but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must . . . but don't you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell
how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.

So, stick to the fight
when you're hardest hit . . .
It's when things go wrong
that you mustn't quit.

I searched around and found a longer version of the poem. You can read along if you feel like:

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martes, 22 de enero de 2008

Railway track 'not the best place' to take a nap

What a lifetime experience! This guy lived to tell the story about how he slept in between railway track and got bumped on his head under a fright train only when he tried to sit up!

A drunken Australian man who took a nap between railway tracks has had a miraculously survived with only minor injuries and a bump on the head after being driven over by a freight train.

The 20-year-old guy dozed off at a level crossing at Port Augusta, in South Australia state, when the train approached about 3.40 a.m.
The driver saw the man and slammed on the emergency brake, but the train, carrying 3000 tonnes of freight, was unable to stop in time and rolled over him, halting only after it had passed. (metro)

miércoles, 16 de enero de 2008

Man got $469K in payroll error

A man was arrested after allegedly getting $469,000 in deposits from company he never worked for. It was all because of a payroll error.

Anthony Armatys of Palatine, Ill., was arrested Wednesday on theft charges after allegedly receiving electronic payroll bank deposits from a New Jersey company he never worked for, authorities said.
Officials at Avaya Inc., a telecommunications provider located in Basking Ridge, discovered checks had been mistakenly direct deposited into his account for nearly five years, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.

Armatys, 34, had accepted a position with Avaya years ago, authorities said, but he rescinded the acceptance before he ever started working. However, a system error resulted in checks being deposited into Armatys' bank account from the fall of 2002 to March of 2007, when the company discovered the error, officials said.

During that time, Armatys collected more than $469,000 in pay and even withdrew approximately $1,900 from his company retirement account administered by Fidelity Investments, authorities said.
It is reported that the investigators took 11 months to do a thorough investigation, which resulted in the time gap between the discovery of the error and Armatys' arrest.

Avaya is told to have 18,000 employees globally and 1,800 in New Jersey. The official spokesperson refuesed to comment on the matter.(Source)

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sábado, 12 de enero de 2008

Scare of lifetime on Air Canada flight

The photo of Air Canada Airbus A319, flight 190 at Calgary International Airport on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008 was taken after it suddenly jolted and suddenly dropped 4,000 feet mid-flight. Ten people were injured when the Airbus A319 lunged from side to side, sending passengers not buckled into their seat flying, and then plunged from its cruising altitude at 35,000 feet to 31,000 feet over the Rocky Mountains. The Rocky Mountains are visible in the background of the plane. The pilot was able to re-gain control after about 10 or 15 seconds, but passengers had the scare of a lifetime.

Air Canada has plans to compensate passengers aboard the terrifying flight in which a jet plunged thousands of feet before making an emergency landing in Calgary. The response of emergency crews in calgary was praised as a "Textbook response". You can dig through the plane turbulence incident in this Google News collection.

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lunes, 7 de enero de 2008

World's largest plasma TV by Panasonic

Panasonic has stolen the show at CES 2008, day one, with a gigantic 150-inch plasma.

Looks like movie theater is shifting in people's living room (Well, it is another story that one might need to build a custom made home just to install it).
Photos of many new hi-tech displays in CES 2008 can be seen in ytechblogs' flickr photostream. I copied the photo of the world's largest plasma TV below.

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domingo, 6 de enero de 2008

Short, direct and interesting horoscope

I got it in email titled "The Happy Go Lucky One!!!" and it sure sounds convincing.

Photo - Somaliland zoidac sign coins - a set of twelve copper-nickel 10 Shilling coins featuring the twelve sun signs of the ?western? Zodiac. Each coin features a zodiac sign and figure, and is dated 2006.
VIRGO - The Perfectionist
Dominant in relationships. Conservative. Always wants the last word. Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos. Eager. Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh. Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic.
SCORPIO - The Intense One
Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive. Hardworking. Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be self-centered at times. Passionate and Emotional.
LIBRA - The HarmonizerNice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social. Hates to be alone. Peaceful, generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily. Procrastinators. Very gullible.
ARIES - The DaredevilEnergetic. Adventurous and spontaneous. Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit. Outgoing. Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.
AQUARIUS - The SweetheartOptimistic and honest. Sweet personality. Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and loyal. Can seem unemotional. Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn, but original and unique Attractive on the inside and out. Eccentric personality.
GEMINI - The ChatterboxSmart and witty. Outgoing, very chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable but needs to express themselves. Argumentative and outspoken. Likes change. Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous and tense. Gossips. May seem superficial or inconsistent, but is only changeable. Beautiful physically and mentally.
LEO - The BossVery organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is important to Leo s. Attractive.
CANCER - The ProtectorMoody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty/handsome. Excellent partners for life. Protective. Inventive and imaginative. Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person. Needs love from others. Easily hurt, but sympathetic.
PISCES - The DreamerGenerous, kind, and thoughtful. Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive. Don't like details Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind. Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful.
CAPRICORN - The Go-GetterPatient and wise. Practical and rigid. Ambitious. Tends to be good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimists. Capricorns tend to act before they think and can be unfriendly y at times. Hold grudges. Like competition. Get what they want.
TAURUS - The Enduring OneCharming but aggressive. Can come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers. Warm-hearted. Strong, has endurance. Solid beings who are stable and secure in their ways. Not looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient and reliable. Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind. Loves hard - passionate. Express themselves emotionally. Prone to ferocious temper-tantrums. Determined. Indulge themselves often. Very generous.
SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky OneGood-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up (Peter Pan Syndrome). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.
The predictions sound convincing and true. I wished the email didn't come with a red, bold warning too... :)
Once you have opened this e-mail, there's no turning back. Below are true descriptions of zodiac signs. Read your sign, then forward it on, with your zodiac sign and label on the subject line. This is the real deal, try ignoring or changing it, and the first thing you'll notice is having a horrible day starting tomorrow morning - and it only gets worse from there.

There are "bad-lucks" ranging from 4 to 20 years and bonus of 1 minutes of luck to 1 years of luck as a reward of sending them to friends too. I don't know when these people will stop telling such absurd things. If material is good you don't need to scare or reward people to circulate it. I would certainly forward it (minus those absurds) to my friends!

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viernes, 4 de enero de 2008

BC Bovernment to provide free crack mouthpieces

After syringes, alcohol swabs and water vials freely distributed by the B.C. government to drug users now they are providing crack-pipe mouthpieces to the drug users. You can read the full news in The Province but what was more interesting was reading the comments people have posted on the news.

Here are some of the comments:
WHAT?? So you're telling me that my sister, who is a Diabetic has to PAY for her needles and equipment but the crack-addicts get free supplies?? There is something definately wrong there!! She has a disease that is life threatening and not caused by anything she's done to herself, yet those who chose a drug lifestyle get sick and the they go into panic. She's paying to stay alive, these other people obviously don't care what happens to them. So I guess the government is taking on the 'if you can't beat em', join em' attitude now? Heck, lets just start giving out free razor blades, poison and a noose so people can commit suicide. That's all it is. Now we're condoning a life threatening drug addiction to attempt to prevent an illness they're getting from it? Here's an idea, how about using this program to actually catch these people who have illegal drugs?

...an addict will not wait for a free mouth piece when they need their fix..

... Maybe then you will be slightly more open to non-American style approaches to this huge problem...

... Crazy idea- to the nth degree ...
You can have your say too.

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martes, 1 de enero de 2008

Happy New Year 2008

It has nearly been a year since I started writing in this blog. You people have loved it and I am impressed and excited by the traffic it is getting.

Thank you and have a great year!