The Stalled Server Room - The Daily WTF

Here is an except from an article that I came across today: "A few months back, Jen Frickell's company was given some bad news. When their lease ended, they'd have to move out of their second-floor suite. ...
It was a fairly reasonable request, so the company's executives signed a new lease and prepared to move. There was, however, just one, small hitch. The nice little server room they built in the back of their office - equipped with air conditioning units, ventilation, dedicated power, backup power, and so on - could not be relocated."

Read the article to find out what happens, its definitely worth it (the picture is priceless).

ICANN adopts new Web site naming rules

CNET News.com reports: "The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers voted Thursday to relax rules for naming Web sites.

At its meeting in Paris, ICANN, a not-for-profit organization that oversees the naming scheme for Web sites, voted to accept a proposal that will allow companies to purchase new top-level domain names ending in whatever they like."

Get ready for a new set of Top Level Domain (TLD) names (i.e.: .com, .org, .net, etc.) This could turn out to be a gold rush for new TLD domain names or a major devaluation of all the existing prized ones in the existing TLD space.

Finavera Renewables' AquaBuOY

There are several different type of clean renewable energy systems, most are solar, wind, or wave power. I have seen several different wave power systems, but I like the design of this system. Its also has what looks like the lowest surface profile of most of the systems that I have seen so far.



The AquaBuOY is a floating buoy structure that converts the kinetic energy of the vertical motion of oncoming waves into clean electricity.

Creme That Egg!

A Rube Goldberg machine that is used to squish a Creme Egg. It goes around the walls of our lounge. This is an entry in Cadbury's "Unleash The Goo" competition, in which entrants must find the most creative way to break a creme egg.

How To Diagnose Problems With Your Car

Learn what every shake, rattle, and roll means so that a car mechanic can't tell you that a cracked hose is a major transmission meltdown.

How the Brain Works: Illusions

Jerry Andress shows and explains a few different optical illusion.

Note: This video can and will mess with your mind... :-)

First Drive: 2009 Honda FCX Clarity

Clarity. It's the name Honda has given its production fuel cell car, and it's a name you'll want to remember. After years of having fuel cell prototypes in the hands of fleets and even paying customers, Honda makes good on its commitment to a hydrogen future. The 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show was the venue for the introduction of the FCX Clarity, an Accord-sized sedan with styling based on the FCX Concept from a few years ago that promises to "enable levels of performance room, comfort and dynamic styling previous unattainable in a fuel cell car.

World of Workcraft

A group of dragon slayers seek out a new way to spend their time.

The Great Office War

Witness the biggest and greatest office confrontation ever! (Note: its corny but funny, I hope you enjoy it...)

Dead Gecko Rapidly Eaten by Ants! (Time-Lapse Video)

Its gross but really interesting...

The Most Epic Rube Goldberg Game Mod Video Ever

WeGame.com - Garry's Mod Videos

FAQ: Meet the new iPhone 3G

Computerworld reports: "The days and weeks and months of speculation are over. Apple Inc. did, as expected at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, retire its original iPhone and replace it with a faster, cheaper model.

You could have knocked us over with a feather. Of course, it would have to be a darn big feather."

I have been covering the new iPhone 3G in my Windows Mobile Tips blog, but I wanted to make sure that I had a reference in this blog as well.

The new iPhone 3G is more evolutionary then revolutionary, but its definitely worth checking out. Its the first version of the iPhone that I would consider using, but I doubt if I would buy one (you would have to know me to understand my logic otherwise you would be reading a 25 page dissertation about my views).

Worst Male-Bashing Ads

AskMen.com reports: "You’ve seen him plenty of times on sitcoms; he’s the dumb, bumbling, idiot dad, husband and boyfriend who appears useless at everything but bringing home a paycheck. The message: Guys are dumb and women have to lead them around. This, of course, cues the laugh track. Yet a survey from an organization called Children Now found that two-thirds of kid respondents described men on TV as angry, while respondents from another group’s survey said men were portrayed as corrupt on TV by a 17 to 1 margin. Clearly, this is no laughing matter."

Its interesting, if this was done about any particular race, gender or group it would be considered politically incorrect. So why does it seem to be politically correct to bash men in general?



Watch the videos in the article to see what I am talking about.

Boeing 737 Landing with Jammed Landing Gear

Here is a Boeing 737 trying to land with some of its landing gear jammed. In the first landing attempt the pilot tries to dislodge it by bouncing the plane, when that doesn't fix the problem he has to land it any way he can...

BMW GINA Concept Car

BMW's latest concept car called GINA is the most revolutionary car body I have ever seen. It has a fabric material over a moveable wire mesh frame that allows the shape of the car body to change. Underneath the fabric material which covers the body there is a light aluminum subframe with moveable electric hydraulic controls.

High Speed Camera Video

Here is some high speed camera footage of a bullet passing through several different items. These camera are capable of recording up to 250,000 frames per second.

Pentagon Looks for 'Killer Switch' | Danger Room from Wired.com

Wired.com reports: "Imagine if the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter could be effectively shut down by a foreign adversary with the flip of a switch? That's, in part, the the concern behind the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's Trust in Integrated Circuits program, reports IEEE Spectrum, in a fascinating article that explores the underbelly of national security and globalization"

There were rumors of this technology being used in the first Gulf War. I read a small article in Time magazine that talked about a network virus that was inserted into a printer's firmware that shutdown the network.

Although, I later read that this might be a hoax. If it's true or not that doesn't matter because the concept is realistic. Here is a post that I found that talks about it.

Ford Nucleon, A Nuclear Powered Car Researched In The 1950’s

Absolute Random reports: "In the 1950’s people were still quivering with anticipation to see what new possibilities will nuclear power open for them. Nuclear powered houses, trains, airplanes and cars, all dreams of a petrol free future, without much thought on the dangers of nuclear power.

ford-nucleon-atomic-carFord Nucleon was one of those dreams, a nuclear powered car that was supposed to travel for 5,000 miles without a recharge. The nuclear car project was announced in 1957 by Ford, and it was a futuristic looking vehicle with an incredibly efficient fuel mileage, thanks to the small atomic fission reactor fitted in the trunk."

I remember reading an article or seeing a show that briefly talked about this car. I had a conversation with a friend tonight and we were talking about it. So before I forgot, I thought I would post a link to it just in case anyone might be curious.

A Buyer’s Guide to Sugar Substitutes

MSN Health & Fitness reports: "According to a recent survey, seven out of 10 adults say they want to reduce or avoid added sugars. To do so, they’re turning to sweeteners that deliver zero or minimal calories. Data from Mintel, a market research group in Chicago, shows that while sales of caloric sweeteners like sugar have been declining in recent years, sales of 'diet'-friendly substitutes have skyrocketed, increasing by about 50 percent from 2000 to 2006. And since 66 percent of Americans are overweight and 20.8 million have diabetes, even many health experts are advocating the use of these sugar substitutes."

I have read too many scary things about sugar substitutes, so I stopped using them. Although, Stevia looks promising to me.

What if gas cost $10 a gallon?

MSN Money reports: "In four years, U.S. gas prices have doubled to more than $3.70 a gallon, and crude oil has tripled to around $125 a barrel. Allowing for inflation, that's higher than prices were during the 1978–83 oil shock that triggered a recession and sky-high interest rates. But..."

If the future of gas is going to be $10 a gallon then we need a public transportation system. Read what the future have have in store for us.

Jammed transit systems running on fumes

msnbc.com reports: "Transportation experts who have pushed mass transit since the 1970s are getting their wish as soaring gas prices persuade Americans to abandon their cars for buses and trains in record numbers. But as the adage says, be careful what you wish for."

We need to start investing in upgrading our public transit systems now rather then later. Although, if the price of oil falls we will return to our old ways...

The Grid (A Brief Introduction to Grid Computing)

A video by CERN regarding the future of the Internet.

New Spy Cam Software Blurs Faces of the Innocent

Wired.com reports: "Cities and corporations are stringing up thousands and thousands of surveillance cameras, armed with advanced video intelligence algorithms, to watch out for terrorists and crooks. Too bad the rest of us get caught on tape, while the electronic eyes make their spy sweeps. And no one knows what the spycams are recording."

Read the article for more information about this software, or view the video sample below to see it in action.

New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

30 Upcoming Movie Sequels You Didn't Know About

Den of Geek reports: "We've spent days of our lives scouring the world for news of sequels that you may not have heard of. And here are 30 films in various states of production..."

Want a glimpse of what new movies to expect over the next couple of years, then check out this article.

TransUnion offers free credit monitoring to 150 million

Computerworld reports: "In a class-action settlement that may be unprecedented in its size, Chicago-based credit-reporting bureau TransUnion LLC is offering up to nine months' worth of free credit-monitoring service to anyone in the U.S. who has ever held a credit card or a line of credit over the last 20 years."

Looking for a free credit report monitoring service. Well at least it will be free for six months. Check out the article to learn more.

Video BMW 330i with AutoPilot (Racer Version)

The following is an excerpt from a British car show called Top Gear. In this excerpt the BMW 330i races around a car test track with no one driving it.

Personally I found the video pretty amazing. Although, they do have to train the car before it can do this automatically

Honda Accord "Jump" Commercial

Proving "Difficult Is Worth Doing." This is the new Honda Accord "Jump" commercial. A group of skydivers make shapes in the sky of the new technologies included in the new Honda Accord.

Edible.com - Very strage edible stuff...

This site contains very strage edible stuff that you might never generally think about eating.

Below is a brief list of some of the items available.

• ANTLIX LOLLIPOP
• CHOCOLATE COVERED GIANT ANTS
• CHOCOLATE COVERED SCORPION
• GIANT HORNET'S HONEY
• GIANT TOASTED LEAFCUTTER ANTS
• and more...

Photographing a Wedding and then an Earthquake

Xanga reports: "Can you imagine what it was like to have been photographing a wedding in Sichuan, China when 7.9
earthquake hit and shakes for three minutes with the entire church crashing down?"

There are some really interesting shots on this page. I am pretty sure the bride and groom appreciated these candid shots of them. ;-)

Low-Cost Multi-touch Whiteboard using the Wiimote

Using infrared (IR) light pens and the Wii Remote, it is possible to create very low-cost multi-point interactive whiteboards and multi-point tablet displays. Johnny Chung Lee, Carnegie Mellon University. The software can be downloaded at http://johnnylee.net.

How to Make a Cheap Multitouch Pad

Multitouch Mini (MTmini) a Cheap Multitouch Pad

Website:
http://ssandler.wordpress.com/MTmini
MTmini discussion thread: http://nuigroup.com/forums/viewthread...

Materials

• Cardboard Box
• Piece of Clear Flat Sturdy Material (ie. Glass, acrylic, plexiglas)
• Paper (ie. printer paper, tracing paper, almost any paper)
• Webcam or Video Camera (I use a Philips SPC900NC)
• Computer (dual core recommended, but not needed)
• Optional Picture Frame

Total Cost: $5 - $50

Finger Tracking Software

• Touchlib: http://nuigroup.com/touchlib
• Set touchlib to use front illumination xml file.

THERE WILL BE A MAC VERSION OF THE TRACKING SOFTWARE SOON. ALSO A PACKAGED VERSION WITH TRACKING SOFTWARE AND EXAMPLES/DEMOS COMBINED.

Other Software/Demos

• -Windows Mousedriver: http://nuigroup.com/touchlib
• -Smoke Demo: http://nuigroup.com/touchlib
• -MultiKey Application: http://ssandler.wordpress.com/my-soft...

Coming soon:

• Photo Application
• Ripples
• Wall Pong Game
• Physics Demo

How's it Work and What Conditions are Necessary?
For this to work, all you need is a room with (at least) some light. The results will be best when the room lighting is even (no bright lights shinning from one direction onto the multitouch pad).

When you place you fingers on the surface, shadows are created where your fingers are. The webcam sees these shadows and sends the image to the tracking software which tracks the shadows as they move around. It's really that simple!

For more information, visit:

• http://ssandler.wordpress.com/MTmini
• http://nuigroup.com/forums/viewthread/1 731/
• http://www.nuigroup.com/forum
• http://www.nuigroup.com