apple admits major design limitation in i-pod:

from the bbc:

The Rolling Stones' A Bigger Bang tour is the 'top-grossing tour in history', Billboard magazine has reported.

Since August 2005, the band have grossed $437m (£226m), playing 110 shows in front of 3.5 million fans.

The Stones' success comes despite the tour being dogged by delays and cancellations due to throat problems for lead singer Sir Mick Jagger, 63.

apple engineers are working on a way to get owners of the hugely popular i-pod to listen to music they don't already know (good luck!), and apparently, the rolling stones themselves are readying to stuff keith richards, and rely on very heavy use of animatronics so they can all keep touring in 2050...at which point sir mick will release his new album entitled 'i can't get no...medication...'

you can't beat living in scandanavia

from the bbc:

Danish road safety officials have come up with a novel way of warning motorists about the dangers of speeding - by using topless blonde women.

They have produced a spoof news report where the blondes carry road signs showing the Danish speed limit: 50km/h.

The video - posted on the web - is aimed at grabbing the attention of young male drivers, but feminists say they hate it.

Speeding has been blamed for 25% of road deaths in Denmark.

Julia Pauli of the Danish road safety council told the BBC that the reaction to the Speedbandits video had been mostly positive.

"If you want to reach the young people, you have to communicate on their conditions... So, topless women are working," she said.

She said the advertising campaign had been tested and in the target group it was really positive - more than 50% said they were thinking more about the dangers of speeding when driving.

Asked if the council would consider using a man exposing his bottom to appeal to speeding women drivers, Ms Pauli said: "Maybe. We'll see."

Humans show major DNA differences

from the bbc:

Scientists have shown that our genetic code varies between individuals far more than was previously thought.

the dark areas have been identified as the ‘conservative right’ gene, and the light areas are those of normal well-adjusted individuals.

e-mail to the democratic & republican parties

as fortunate americans all around the country gather tomorrow with their families and friends to spend the day in each other's company 'thanksgiving', eating, and watching football, perhaps they all might spare a single thought during their day to the genocide and the humanitarian plight in darfur.

it is inconceivable to me, that all americans living in the wealthiest, nation on the planet aren't demanding action of their government on this nightmare the whole world has known about (and collectively done nothing to stop) for some 3 years now.

aren't we, as fellow humans, highest order of living life on the planet earth, a species dealt a very favourable hand by a giant asteroid, thereby ushering in the age of the mammals, supposed to care about other human beings? it seems not.

approximately 400,000 killed. approximately 2 million displaced.

apparently, this current administration has the stomach for a 'war' in iraq - i call it an occupation. wars are fought between armies of respective governments. how's that credible evidence weapons of mass destruction coming along...?

living in washington, d.c., just a few short blocks from the whitehouse, i was sadly astounded that during all the recent mid-term elections, not a single candidate, busily attacking their opponents, campaigning on both sides of the political table, even bothered to mention darfur.

for the world's most desperate and neediest, the reality is, that like the turkey on your family's table tomorrow, time has already run out.

there is some good news; republicans in the united states of america are doing everything in their power to limit gun-control, and to extend tax-cuts for the rich. let's hope that all those re-elected & newly-elected democrats actually care about something worth fighting for.

enjoy the game.

http://www.democrats.org/page/s/contact

http://www.gop.com/States/StateDetails.aspx?state=DC

think you can handle it? - this is how suzuki used to advertise!

letter to suzuki: autopr@suz.com

what a load of bollocks!

TV ad pens with a Suzuki Boulevard M109R motorcycle aggressively approaching from the right and XL7 from the left before sliding to a halt.

* A man emerges from the XL7 and a woman steps off the motorcycle. The woman asks, "Think you can handle it?" The man replies, "Can you?"

* They toss their keys at each other in exchange and drive off in the opposite direction.

* During the sequence, the lead voiceover asks, "Are our SUVs as much fun as our bikes?"

* The commercial closes with, "It's gonna be a great ride."

* Set in the desolate Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

really?

are you trying to be ‘american cool’? because if you are, your creative director is an american idiot. smugness was, and still is, never cool. cut the cheese. you’re worse than biesch in the middle of a party, chomping on a block of cheddar.

any moron can drive a car fast in a straight line. let’s see our ‘cool’ people get in a world rally championship car and complete a stage. i don’t think when they get out they’re gonna be looking at all cool (more likely wide-eyed scared speechless and physically sick). the only thing coming out of their mouths will be vomit…

i get the point of your ads, but i doubt you do.

actually going really fast, like doing 145mph fast, whether it be motorcycle or car demands total concentration and complete respect. i’ve never once been to a race track and saw the winner getting off their bike or getting out of their car looking smug. ever.

i doubt either your creative director or your ‘cool people’ in you lame commercials have ever even been on a track. please write back and let me know.

conclusion: your new ads are lamer than a one-eyed, one-legged dog. – and i’ve owned two suzuki motorcycles.

so what time's lunch?

Climate talks at the United Nations.

From the bbc:

"That's the question you're not allowed to ask," the delegate wryly ticked me off as we chatted in the Nairobi sunshine.

It was the question I had been asking all the way through the UN climate talks - what is any of this actually doing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

You would think it would be the one question on everybody's lips at conferences designed to formulate the definitive international response to climate change.

The reality is that climate change has become an incredibly complex issue.

Clearly there is no appetite in any government for doing things the straightforward way - mandating clean energy, banning coal-fired electricity generation, clearing city centres of cars, forcing builders to adopt stringent energy efficiency standards.

All this, we are told, will "damage competitiveness".

How is it to be that the world’s biggest polluter, the United States will not go down in history as the country that had the most opportunity to do the most with regard to climate change, but instead choose short-term economic growth, in effect giving a two-fingered salute to the environment and the rest of the world. Bush’s Republican administration will be judged not by rhetoric, but by its ‘tax is a dirty word in this country’ domestic mission statement, a catastrophic failure of foreign policy with regard to Iraq, and its head-in-the-sand approach and refusal to adopt the Kyoto Protocol.

And all the while, incredibly, he thinks he’s doing the right thing…hey, bushy; all those graphs, if you can actually read a graph that isn't related to taxes and the rich, aren't upside down. history, unless it’s written by Karl Rove, won’t be generous to George W. Bush.

o. j. simpson's "if i did it" book and tv special to be cancelled

he and his agent, judith regan, say his next book is going to be titled "this is our collective IQ"

the best player in the nfl

he's the real deal. a complete player.

shaun alexander's touchdowns in a single season record is looking likely to fall.

at last!

england beat south africa!

robberies, beatings, ebay greed: why it has to be a new gaming console launch in north america...

dc is under a tornado watch

i want to see bent steel as a minimum!

apple must be quaking...

microsoft's new zune

er, what's that supposed to mean?

you mean celine dion's nauseating tripe will somehow (and most worryingly) manifest itself into a meaningful entity?

on oct. 23rd, ford posted a loss of $5.8billion

so that's why, we're still trying to ram our gas-guzzling pick up trucks down your throats, during every single advertising break, every fox nfl football sunday. not a single family car.

ford - bold innovations...

"please buy our pick-up trucks, go on, please..."

er, we're built ford tough, you know...

yep, the immediate future of the american motor industry is looking real good with general motors and the chevy ads following exactly the same recipe on football sunday.

weird thing is, all these manly blokes, hurling giant boulders and buying pick up trucks in the ads will suddenly need to 'make the call' and get themselves prescriptions of ciallis as soon as they turn 50, upon which they'll amble along very slowly with their wives, gazing stupidly, inexplicably laughing at her because she's just put some flowers in a basket, take a 300 mile drive, and decide the best thing to do now you've got '36 hours' is to sit in a bath tub at the coast...

pick up trucks be damned!

both england and france lost

we lost 25-18 against argentina at twickenham (7th straight test match defeat...), and poor france got humiliated by the all-conquering all blacks. they have to be the favourites to win next year's rugby world cup.

the departed - and i'm not talking about donald rumsfeld

dicaprio: brilliant.

ted (well i'll be damned) haggard

From the family Christian book store: italics all mine.

There are many Christians who want to know how to approach God more effectively. (on your knees, ted, or is it the other way round?) God has made a way for us to meet Him and has created a map for us to follow (yeah, it’s called crank).

Using the tabernacle of Moses, (don't you mean pills, capsules, powder and some chunky crystals?) Ted Haggard shows how God has invited us into His presence and given us a road map to becoming competent (lying, drug-using, homosexual) Christians.

Fascinating tabernacle symbolism in this book includes: ·The two most crucial events in the life of every believer (don’t say a word until you’re caught). Followed by (I never actually used the drug....) · Four "basin basics" that every Christian should know ·How to move from believing to becoming a light for Jesus (just give me some ice will ya!)· Three choices that face all Christians in their journey· How to use the one key that opens the door to the (mom and pop labs) most holy place (What changes to expect as you move from the outer court into the holy of holies (er, sore knees, rotten teeth..)

The Pursuit of the Good Life offers a unique blend of practical application with life-changing transformations using symbolism that has been around for thousands of years. (yeah, but anyone knows that the widespread chemistry has only been around since the 70’s. duh!)

Q: What are some signs that a person may be using the drug?

A: he may well appear as an influential evangelical minister.

as they say on monday night football;

ted haggard got 'jacked up!'

BOINC: compute for science

Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing

Want to donate your idle computer time to science projects?

BOINC is a program that lets you donate your idle computer time to projectslikeSETI@home,Climateprediction.net, Einstein@home, and many others. It's safe, secure, and easy:

After installing BOINC on your computer, you can connect it to as many of these projects as you like.

SETI@home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data.

Climateprediction.net is the largest experiment to try and produce a forecast of the climate in the 21st century. To do this, we need people around the world to give us time on their computers - time when they have their computers switched on, but are not using them to their full capacity.

Einstein@Home is a program that uses your computer's idle time to search for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars) using data from the LIGO and GEO gravitational wave detectors. Einstein@Home is a World Year of Physics 2005 project supported by the American Physical Society (APS) and by a number of international organizations.

Join team nutty

To participate:

1. Choose projects
2. Download and run BOINC software: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/download.php
3. Enter the project URLs, your email address, and password.
4. Join a team - team nutty
5. Any problems installing, running boinc, joining team nutty, or want to know more, e-mail me at nuttyisms@gmail.com

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and my fantasy pick....

er... not looking good

the american vote

the past few weeks have not been good as far as the planet earth is concerned and the news emerging of our impact on the climate, human population, the natural environment and ecosystems in general.

some of the lowlights:

darfur: 200,000 people killed and 2 million displaced while the world continues to stand on the sidelines watching it happen…where is the most powerful nation on earth when the most helpless needs it the most?

of more than 500,000 weapons turned over to the iraqi ministries of defense and Interior since the american invasion — including rocket-propelled grenade launchers, assault rifles, machine guns and sniper rifles — the serial numbers of only 12,128 were properly recorded. some 370,000 of these weapons, some of which are undoubtedly being used to kill american troops, were paid for by united States taxpayers, under the orwellian-titled iraq relief and reconstruction fund.

iraq…even if the violence stopped today, does anyone think that this catastrophe of foreign policy is simply going away? all those thousands of dead and injured civilians’ families will not be forgetting or forgiving. strange how we see all the dead Iraqis and not a single fallen soldier…

if fishing around the world continues at its present pace, more and more species will vanish, marine ecosystems will unravel and there will be “global collapse” of all species currently fished, possibly as soon as midcentury, fisheries experts and ecologists are predicting.

stark warning of climate change. united states continued refusal to sign kyoto treaty, despite being the world’s biggest polluter…

despite all the media attention in the news about school shootings, I have yet to see one candidate advocating tighter legislation on gun control. amazing.

on november 7^th, americans will either vote or not in the country’s mid-term elections. the public has been subjected to relentless tv advertising by both parties that do little but attack their opponent. public office? higher calling? am i missing something?

november 7^th, america will find out exactly what its citizens’ priorities are. they will either vote to (incredibly) keep with the same, or desire a change. we, along with the rest of the world, will see exactly what it means to be an american…