The Torch Flashlight

Wicked Lasers sells the Torch which advertises itself as the The World's Brightest Flashlight. Here is an excerpt from their web site: "Currently being reviewed by The Guinness Book of World Records, The Torch is the world's brightest and most powerful flashlight. This flashlight is easily capable of melting plastic, lighting paper on fire within seconds, and if you want, frying an egg or a marshmallow on a stick! At 4100 lumens, The Torch is 100 lumens more powerful than The Polarion Helios, the former most powerful flashlight. Looking to buy a bright flashlight? This flashlight torch will not disappoint you."

Here is a video of the flashlight cooking an egg.

15 great gadgets you can't get in the U.S.

ComputerWorld reports: "As Americans, we think it's our birthright to always have the latest computers, phones and electronic gadgets, but the simple fact of life is that there's a whole world of digital devices out there that are off limits to us.

It's ironic in this age of globalization, but it's true: Some of the world's best digital devices stay at home. Regardless of whether the maker is too small for exporting or vendors don't think it will sell overseas, the result is the same: You can't buy it here."

We have some great gadgets here in the U.S., but there are several that will never reach our shore. Check out this article to see some of the gadgets that you can't buy here.

Q&A: William Shatner Mugs in His New Memoir

Newsweek.com reprots: "William Shatner would like you to know that he is so much more than 'Star Trek''s Capt. James Tiberius Kirk. He is also, in no particular order: Shakespearean actor, B-movie star, Emmy- and Golden Globe-winner for his role as Denny Crane on 'Boston Legal,' musician, celebrity pitchman. And serial memoirist. His latest tome, the first to extend beyond his experiences with 'Star Trek,' is called 'Up Till Now' and chronicles his life from a modest Canadian childhood up to his latest gig, a self-spoofing Priceline.com spokesman. NEWSWEEK's Brian Braiker recently caught up with the unrepentant cheeseball and tireless huckster."

It has been amazing to see William Shatner trying to reinvent himself. Although he never seems to escape that he plays Capitan James T. Kirk of the Star Ship Enterprise. I wish him well, but I know I will have a hard time seeing him as anything else.

El Caminito del Rey (Amazing Footage)

Originally built in 1901, this walkway now serves as an approach to Makinodromo, the famous climbing sector of El Chorro.

IMHO: I would not personally be able to make this video, so to me that is what makes it so amazing...

As gas prices soar, thieves grow brazen - Oil & energy- msnbc.com

msnbc.com reports: "Bobby Lee Julien, who’s driven a fuel tanker for 27 years, was near the end of his route. It was 3 a.m. when he pulled up at a stop sign off State Highway 225 in Houston."

I was literally thinking about this subject the other day while paying $4+ per gallon for regular gasoline when filling up my vehicle. I was wondering if a locking gas cap would really stop someone from stealing my fuel or would they just pry it off.

This article shows the beginning of how far criminals are really willing to go to steal gas.

Pork and Beans (Weezer)

Watch the official video for "Pork and Beans" from Weezer starring some familiar YouTube faces. New Self-Titled "Red Album" out June 3rd, 2008!

IMHO: I have never been a big fan of posting music videos, but since Weezer is paying homage to some Internet video icon I thought it was okay.

Powers of 10

10 Days of World of Warcraft (Day 4)

I am finally getting a little more comfortable with WOW, and not losing every battle. To advance up through the different levels you have to kill a lot of things, and then loot the corpses.

I just made it to the forth level with my Paladin character, it only took an hour and half or so. I was told that you make it through the first ten levels very quickly, then it starts getting harder.

Note: There are "!" (exclamation marks) at the bottom of the screen to tell you what to do, or why something is happening. Until you're comfortable with the dynamics of the WOW world, I would heed the information.

10 Days of World of Warcraft (Day 3)

I discovered the first skill that you master in WOW is the art of dying. The problem is that this goes against the objective of the game, which is to make the other poor dumb bastard dye for his country (to paraphrase Patton).

If you're an experienced first person game player the controls should be easy, what is hard to master is the dynamics of the games (understand all the weapons, armor, what to attack, etc...).

Like anything if want to become good at it, you have to practice, practice, and practice some more. If you want to get good at WOW you need to get ready to make the time commitment, otherwise you're wasting your time.

10 Days of World of Warcraft (Day 2)

Well today has kinda of been a flop for playing, other obligations hindered my quest. Although it was not a complete lost. I was given some good reference sites to check out and read up on.

• www.worldofwarcraft.com
• www.thottbot.com
• www.wowwiki.com
• www.wowhead.com

For anyone taking up the quest to really learn how to play WOW, I highly recommend you have a friend show you the ropes. I am lucky to have someone explain the controls, and intricacies of the game.

It will be overwhelming at first, but like anything you have to learn to crawl to walk then run. In WOW you will be doing a lot of walking, running and fighting...

"What doesn't kill us [you] makes us [you] stronger." - Friedrich Nietzsche. This quote should be the mantra of WOW.

There is only one way to fail in WOW like life. You need to remind yourself to "Never give up. Never surrender." (a lot of people attribute that quote to the movie Galaxy Quest, but I not sure if that is where it originally came from).

10 Days of World of Warcraft (Day 1)

I have avoided online gaming for a long time, mostly because of the time commitment. Although, I am going to break that tradition, and try a free 10-day trial of World of Warcraft (commonly known as WOW).

Millions of people have been playing online games for years and maybe decades before me. I have personally played many different types of off-line games (like Zork) to some online early text-based MUDs (Multi-User Dungeon, Domain or Dimension).

The following entries will be my online journal of my advantures. You might ask why try to keep an online journal, well this will be a 1st person perspective of a total noob to WOW.

Day 1 - The installation

I was shocked that the installation required 4 CDs just to start the game. Then after I logged in for the first time after creating my account I had to download a 490MB+ update. Then after I logged in for the second time I had to download another 490MB+ update. I am on my third download, this time 900MB+. Oh joy, more patches, this time 5MB, 15MB. At last I can begin playing.

For those of you left who have never played WOW before (like myself), make sure that you set aside about 3 hours for this installation. I would also ask a friend to introduce you to the basics of this new world.

Below are some basic concepts that you will need to understand when starting to play WOW:

• First you select your Realm, which is a server on which you play. Each realm is the same as the others in terms of geography. Although some focus on player-vs-player (PVP) combat, while others focus on player-vs-environment (PVE), and role playing.
• Second, you select your character attributes, which includes factions (Horde [montsters] or Alliance [humanoid]), race, gender and class.
  

Once you start playing you wonder around aimlessly getting killed for other peoples pleasure. I was killed within about 10 minutes of wondering. Hopefully I will find my body soon so I can continue to wonder around aimlessly until I figure out what is happening...

Finding High Yield Saving Accounts

Is your bank paying .5% interest (or less) on money that you have in savings? Looking for places you earn more interest on your money?

Then check out the following sites for recommendations.

• High Yield Reward Checking Accounts
• BestCashCow.com
• Bankrate.com

Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC: Iron Man and Batman

Historic Blockbuster Store Offers Glimpse Of How Movies Were Rented In The Past

MUTO (Wall Painted Animation)

A weird short film by Blu. Its an ambiguous animation painted on public walls. Made in Buenos Aires and in Baden

The X-Files: I Want to Believe Trailer Has Arrived!

FirstShowing.net reports: "The very first trailer for The X-Files: I Want to Believe has finally arrived! The buzz for this movie is definitely going to pick up with this trailer. It really doesn't reveal much, but still the perfect amount to start up discussion surrounding what the heck actually happens."

If you're an X-Files fan, check out the video on this site.

Iron Sky (teaser)

In 1945 the Nazis fled to the moon. In 2018 they are coming back.

Note: The film is in pre-production and thus the teaser does not contain any actual footage from the film. It is meant as a demonstration of the style and feeling of the film.

STRUCK

On his way to work one day, Joel (Bodhi Elfman) is impaled through the chest by a three-foot arrow. But it doesn't harm him. And it won't come out. So Joel has to learn to deal -- both with his newfound protrusion and his own painful loneliness. He tries to go to work, to date women, but no one seems ready to accept his strange flaw. Little does he know, his life is about to change forever...

An Engineer's Guide to Cats

Two professional engineers illustrate the proper care and practical benefits of cats. None of the cats, humans, or engineers were mistreated in the making of this film. They were however, slightly annoyed.

Moving 2.0: More than 30 services to help you relocate

Webware reports: "Sometimes I feel like people might think we talk the talk, but don't walk the walk when it comes to using some Web services. Believe me when I tell you we use this stuff every day, and over the last month, nothing has been more useful to me than Craigslist. Why? I was moving, and I did 95 percent of it using a single service to find movers, boxes, people to buy and take away old furniture, and most importantly--a place to live."

New ways to move using the web...

CCTV boom has not cut crime, says police chief

Times Online (UK) reports: "Billions of pounds spent on Britain’s 4.2 million closed-circuit television cameras has not had a significant impact on crime, according to the senior police officer piloting a new database.

Detective Chief Inspector Mick Neville said it was a “fiasco” that only 3 per cent of street robberies in London were solved using CCTV."

I guess technology is not the answer to all the world's problems... ;-)

Magenn Power Floats Balloon Wind Turbine

DailyTech reports: "While interest in solar power is picking up, another technology is also gaining a lot of attention. The chief problems with wind power are consistency and strength of the winds. Some areas simply do not get strong winds regularly and even areas that do can go days without experiencing strong winds. One solution is to build turbines at higher altitudes land areas."

This seems like a cool new technology, but I still like wind turbines more. I think the greatest problem with this technology is the density in which you can place the devices next to each other without crashing into one another.

Star Wars vs. Sports

Greg proves that Star Wars fans and Sports fans are alike.

The Empire Strikes Barack

The second installment in The Obamacles: a unique chronicling of the 2008 presidential election.

Japanese Pay Less for More Health Care

NPR reports: "Everyone in Japan is required to get a health insurance policy, either at work or through a community-based insurer. The government picks up the tab for those who are too poor.

It's a model of social insurance that is used in many wealthy countries. But it's definitely not 'socialized medicine.' Eighty percent of Japan's hospitals are privately owned — more than in the United States — and almost every doctor's office is a private business."

There are several socialized heathcare plans out there, and some are better then others. I don't pretend to know which one is the best, but I do know that heathcare should be a human right and not a benefit for those who can pay for it.

Secret Seats on Airplanes

Everyone knows that getting an exit row seat will result in more leg room and comfort. But NBC Travel Editor Peter Greenberg knows that there are plenty of other secret seats that can be just as good.

Algae as Biofuel (Could this a Ultimate Biofuel?)

Algae to be Refined Into Cost-Effective, Non-Polluting Biodiesel

Can algae -- the green slime that forms on the top of stagnant pools -- reduce greenhouse gas emissions and be the source of a new renewable bio-fuel? The Holy Grail in the renewable energy sector has been to create a clean, green process which uses only light, water and air to create fuel.

Vertigro Energy is a joint venture between Global Green Solutions and Valcent Products. Vertigro's algae-to-biofuel technology mass produces algae and extracts algae oil. This oil can be refined into a cost-effective, non-polluting diesel biofuel. The algae derived fuel will be an energy efficient replacement for fossil fuels and can be used in any diesel powered vehicle or machinery. In addition, 90% by weight of the algae is captured carbon dioxide, which is "sequestered" by this process, contributing significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gases.

The Vertigro technology was developed in response to a huge unsatisfied demand for vegetable oil feedstock by biodiesel refiners and marketers. Biodiesel, in 2000, was the only alternative fuel in the United States to have successfully completed the Environmental Protection Agency required Tier I and Tier II health effects testing under the Clean Air Act. A U.S. Department of Energy study has shown that the production and use of biodiesel, compared to petroleum diesel, resulted in a 78.5% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

For more information, please visit: www.valcent.net

Tips to improve your Gas Mileage

fueleconomy.gov reports: "Here are some tips to help you reduce the amount of gas you use. If you are already following these tips, you are probably getting the best gas mileage your car can deliver."

Here are some great general tips for saving gas and saving money...

Still Alive Rubens Tube

A Rubens Tube is a classic physics demonstration. The device is simply a tube with a source of propane on one side, a speaker on the other, and a bunch of holes along the length. When the speaker outputs certain tones, the sound waves bouncing around the inside of the tube set up standing waves with areas of high and low pressure. The higher pressure areas force propane out faster and makes a larger flame.

"Still Alive" is a song with lots of sustained, computer generated tones that happen to be of the right frequency to react with our tube.

Gremlins take on a Dragon

Watch Peter Jones in the BT Business advertisement as he battles to keep his IT systems under control.

R2D2 Projector

Check out this Star Wars R2-D2 DVD projector.

Make sure to watch the video on the web page.

Silicon Valley Fight Club

This is just weird. Geeks fighting geeks...