My Hot News Now

Supernatural Season 6

2010-05-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Supernatural is an American drama/horror television series. It stars Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, brothers who hunt.

The stars confirmed this week that Supernatural's season 6 will be filmed in Jacksonville, Florida. This after some had speculated that season 5 would end with the Apocalypse, a truly big bang, on the May 13 finale.

Ahh, but the show must go on! And on ... and on...

grey s anatomy spoilers

2010-05-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Grey's Anatomy: Meredith and Cristina Mad and Fighting — Over Owen?! Some are asking, "Will Meredith go all dark and twisty again?" or "Will Cristina and Owen Break Up?"

There are some real shocker predictions here.

And some real "behind the scenes insights" here.

Enjoy!

ihop free pancake day 2010

2010-02-22T19:18:00.000-08:00

Whooooah! ihop free pancake day 2010. It means that IHOP - International House of Pancakes - said that to celebrate the Free National Pancake Day 2010 on Tuesday Feb 23, 2010, IHOP will give each customer one free short stack (three) of its famous buttermilk pancakes from 7.am to 10 pm. It made this claim in its website at Ihoppancakeday.com so why not check it out? I will be looking for an IHOP near me! How about you?

Lincoln Tunnel Closed

2010-02-22T18:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, Outbound Lanes Closed For Emergency Repairs. Potholes have to be fixed! City officials are advising motorists to use the Holland Tunnel or the George Washington Bridge instead. Traffic in New Jersey and New York is affected. Please drive carefully!

There is a cool video of the drive through Lincoln Tunnel here. How did they do that? It looks like the camera is gliding along the roof! They must have had a camera on a pole... ya think?

Traffic through this route to Manhattan and beyond should get back to normal soon. Let's hope!

Bloom Box a clean energy breakthrough?

2010-02-21T18:01:00.001-08:00

Bloom Energy has been touting the effectiveness of new technology it's been rolling out to large companies. Their Bloom Box fuel cell system was described tonight in a "60 Minutes" segment, and detractors claim that this may be fuel cell energy storage combined with conventional fossil fuel energy technology. The secretive nature of the Bloom Energy dealings with the public have not made it easy to arrive at valid conclusions. Many people are wondering, "exactly what is a bloombox"?

Bloom Energy claims that their Bloom Boxes could replace the existing electricity grid with clean, easy to maintain fuel cell systems that run on a variety of fuels, water, and oxygen, with no combustion. They say that smaller units could be deployed in homes to provide both electricity and heating.

They are developing new solid oxide fuel cells, or SOFCs, which use ceramic instead of platinum catalyst (lower cost).

Current Bloom Boxes cost between $700,000 and $800,000 but there appear to be multiple sources of subsidies that may bring the cost down for the large companies buying them now. The current units can power a large commercial building or about 100 homes.

More will likely be revealed at a Wednesday morning event by Bloom Energy. Looks like there are still questions on how the Bloom Boxes actually work, how they can save big companies big money, and how and when any scaled-down versions may be brought to the consumer market for individual residences.

What is the Bloom Energy Stock Symbol? Bloom Energy Corporation. It's a private company, that's how they can get away with being so secretive.

Shattered Horizon gives gamers a free trip to space

2010-02-19T04:19:00.000-08:00

Reports are that Shattered Horizon will be free to play online this weekend on Steam, and the game will be offered at half price.

This all comes as Futuremark Games Studio released their Moonrise four level map pack for Shattered Horizon. The game is a multiplayer first person shooter that takes place entirely in zero gravity environments. You and up to 32 other players battle to control huge fragments of Moon rock, hollowed-out asteroids, and the ruined remains of the International Space Station. Lock and load!

Note: Shattered Horizon requires DirectX 10 or higher and Windows Vista or Windows 7. Get started here.

Ubisoft DRM Pisses off PC Gamers

2010-02-19T04:01:00.000-08:00

New games from Uber-game-makers Ubisoft are requiring an Internet connection on their new games. No, we don't mean doing a quick online registration, then disconnecting. We mean requiring a persistent connection to be maintained DURING game play! Reports from PC Gamer and others say that if you get disconnected while playing, you're booted out of the game. All your progress since the last checkpoint or game "save" is lost. Your only options are to quit to Windows or wait until you're reconnected.

Assassin's Creed 2 and Settlers VII and maybe all other future games (like Splinter Cell: Conviction) from Ubisoft will come with this, a-hem, feature. This DRM is creating quite a stir among PC gamers, and it's safe to say many of them are not happy campers.

How does this nice new system work? It requires users to create an Ubisoft account, and install a front end Ubisoft application that will run in the background everytime an Ubisoft game is launched. Continuing game play requires an ongoing connection with Ubisoft servers. Thank you Big Brother! If Ubisoft server connection goes down, through no fault of a gamer, game play is halted. More details are here, but it's not pretty. Let's hope this is not an indication of the future of PC games. Can anyone say "boycott"?

Ash Wednesday

2010-02-16T05:33:00.001-08:00

Today is Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday). Signifying the start of a festival called Carnival, Carnaval, Carnevale, Mardi Gras, or Winter Festival for many revelers, Fat Tuesday is also an occasion for the faithful to fuel up on pancakes or other good food. The 40-day season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, a time of reflection, personal denial, and repentance for Christians, in advance of Easter.

For those who want to learn more about the holiday celebrations, read about the events and see photos from various parts of the world here.

There is a planned Lenten Witness event for each Friday of the Lenten season at the White House!

A Christian tradition of Ash Wednesday includes worship services, and a practice of placing ashes on the forehead of believers as a sign of repentance and penitence for one’s sins, and an acknowledgment of our frailty. We were formed from dust (Genesis 2:7) and although our bodies return to the Earth (Genesis 3:19), our spirits return to our Maker (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

The ashes applied to foreheaads were traditionally made from the palms used at the previous Palm Sunday ceremonies.

The 40-day Lenten season is viewed by many as a time of spiritual cleansing and renewal, in preparation for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

It's interesting that there is no mandate from scripture to observe Ash Wednesday or Lent. Instead of varying our routines with the seasons, we should match our routines with the scripture:

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
(Micah 6:8)

Sophia Stewart

2009-11-11T06:30:00.000-08:00

When Sophia Stewart (aka Zenia Kavala) went to see the movie, "The Matrix", in 1999, she discovered what she considered plagiarism.

In subsequent legal action, Stewart alleged that the movies "The Matrix" (I, II, and III) and "The Terminator" borrowed from her own life and work, particularly her 1981 work, "The Third Eye".

Those movies were produced by Warner Brothers, part of the mega-media conglomerate AOL-Time Warner.

Apparently Stewart is a gifted visionary, adept at mathematics and possessing a knowledge of history derived from spiritual revelation. She claims to be a practitioner of astral projection. You can read some of her own remarks here.

Looks like Stewart may be starting to get some justice. Reports are just out that she won a legal case. You can read details here. Similar reporting, but with link to interview with Stewart, is here.

We might need to reserve judgment on the truthfulness of these reports, however, as there is already a history of similar reports in the category of "urban legend".

Indeed, an article on Wikipedia claims that her lawsuit was dismissed in June 2005. Was another claim introduced since then, with positive results only now? As always, we must get independent verification. I'm sure this will all become clear in the days ahead!

Appalachian Trail

2009-11-10T20:14:00.001-08:00

The Appalachian Trail, a 2178.3-mile footpath extending from Maine to Georgia, is a popular destination for lovers of nature. It is also a destination for people wanting to test their outdoor skills, including hiking, camping, and wilderness navigation.

Those hiking the entire trail will move about 5 million steps! It's estimated that about 400 to 500 hike the entire length each year.

Here is an interesting short account of a hiker who went the distance recently.

The National Geographic cable channel just aired a program earlier tonight (Nov 10) called America's Wild Spaces: Appalachian Trail. The program is set to air again at 4 pm (EST) on Tuesday, November 17.

It seems you can see a bit of video from this program here.

For anyone serious about doing the full hike, there is a nice 4-part series at Trailspace.com on planning for such an endeavor. See it here.

While the above article series lists many good resources, a key site is www.appalachiantrail.org, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. There you can find official trail guides and maps, the Appalachian Trail Data Book, and the AT Thru-Hikers’ Companion, both updated annually. Check out the additional member benefits.

News: a federal grant to help preserve 1,000 acres of land along a stretch of the trail in Vermont was recently awarded. See the report here. It's good to know the trail is being conserved. I'm sure more work is needed, especially in remote areas.

If you hike the trail, be prepared to meet hikers along the way, and make some friends. Also be prepared to navigate the trail through many climates and ecosystems. In some areas there are large predators, such as bears!

Have fun in the great outdoors. Maybe the Appalachian Trail is in your plans for future fun!

descendants of Pocahontas

2009-11-09T12:40:00.001-08:00

Edith Bolling Galt was a descendant of Pocahontas. She became Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, marrying US President Woodrow Wilson who suffered a stroke during his presidency. His wife Edith apparently conspired with doctors to keep the President's true condition hidden. She controlled access to the President and through her actions became known as the first woman president.

Pocahontas and President George W. Bush Are Related, as revealed through a study by Ancestry.com. Although the Bush family counts relatedness to Pocahontas, it is not through direct descent but through marrage. You can find a report here, and the Bush-Pocahontas family tree can be found at www.ancestry.com/jamestown.

Isn't genetics wonderful?

AdMob acquired by Google

2009-11-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Google taking over the world?

Well, the world of online eyeballs, maybe!

Earlier today Google announced it was buying AdMob for about $750 million. AdMob specializes in delivering ads to mobile platforms, like the iPhone.

Also, Google has acquired Gizmo5 for $30 million. This will allow Google to add more robust functionality to a number of Google products, including Google Talk.

If it seems like Google is taking over the world, there are good reasons!

philippians 4 6 7

2009-10-31T15:25:00.001-07:00

I'm always interested in the searches being done on the Internet, and one of the ways I monitor this is with Google Hot Trends.

Today, in between all the Halloween stuff, I found a high-ranked search term for "philippians 4 6 7".

Presumably this is for Philippians 4:6-7, which states:

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

This is a great promise from God. It assures us that, as believers in the Lord Jesus, we will receive the peace that can only come from Him if we are seeking Him in prayer.

It's a great promise because we can have that peace even in the face of turmoil, even in the midst of strife!

Our God will truly supply our needs from the storehouse of His riches. He is the provider of all good things.

His love provides the forgiveness that allows us to be confident in our right standing before His throne. We don't have to fear the just wrath of God. We don't have to fear any penalty for our sins. Praise God He has provided the Way for us to be seen as beloved children of the Most High.

If you've not yet trusted Christ with your life, your sins, your accomplishments, and your soul, I invite you to do so now. He warns that there is yet another day, for TODAY is the day of redemption, as long as there are days, but we don't know when the Judgement Day will start. So get right with Him through what His Son has done for you, not what you have done, for all our works are as sinking sand!

By the way, here is a great site where you can search the Bible by verse, chapter, book, or topic:

http://www.biblegateway.com/

gunbroker

2009-10-30T20:49:00.001-07:00

I was wondering why the search term gunbroker was pushing so high on the rankings, then I found that gunbroker.com is the world's largest online auction site for firearms and hunting/shooting accessories.

GunBroker.com frequently hosts charity auctions that benefit the firearms industry and other causes.

Launched in 1999, the site hit $1 billion in cumulative merchandise sales on September.

Right now there is a charity auction to benefit breast cancer, featuring a pink rifle.

I think the rifle may be the cause of the huge search engine hits.

I can't bring up gunbroker.com as of this writing, but I can see the related site ammoland.com.

Not sure what's up with gunbroker.com website availability. Perhaps the site went down when it couldn't handle the high traffic from the recent big surge of search engine hits?

Daylight Savings Time Schedule 2009

2009-10-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

Stop wondering "When is Daylight Savings Time?"

Your Daylight Savings Time Schedule for 2009 is about to end.

Here is the information you need to adjust your clocks!

Daylight Savings Time will end November 1, 2009! So remember to set your clocks backwards, before you go to bed the night before.

That means you should set your clocks back an hour, on All Saints Day (or as the heathen call it, Halloween), October 31 before bedtime.

You will get an extra hour of sleep. Yeah!

Next year Daylight Savings Time will start the second Sunday in March (2010).

There has often been controversy around the use of Daylight Savings Time. Some think it helps people be more efficient with their use of time through the days as the seasons change. Others think it is an unnecessary imposition on what should be unchangeable calendar.

The modern idea of Daylight Savings Time originated with George Vernon Hudson in 1895. But there have been other manipulations of the calendar in the past, to adjust for seasonal fluctuations. For example, ancient Romans used different clock scales in different seasons.

Teacup Pigs

2009-10-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

The other popular animal-related search term today (besides Wonderpus Octopus) is Teacup Pigs.

At first I thought this might be a rock band, but then I remembered there are tiny horses, so maybe I'd better check.

Indeed, there are super-nano pigs, and they are being snapped up as the latest rage in designer pets!

Actual size? These little piggies are just over a half pound at birth, but grow to 12 to 16 inches high. Adults reach about 65 pounds, rather lightweight in the pig world.

These targets of the newest pet craze are being bred in Britain, although some may be available from Florida.

Why the buzz? NBC's "Today" show interviewed teacup pig breeder Jane Croft.

People are now searching for "pig breeds" and "miniature pet pigs".

They are reportedly clean, quiet, intelligent, expensive, and require lots of attention.

Who owns these things? For one, Rupert Grint, of Harry Potter fame.

You can see vids of these creatures here.

A picture of very young ones is here, and here. If you ask me, they are ugly. Then again, I hate dogs. Hey, go hog wild! Whatever floats your boat.

More about teacup pigs here. And here is video!

Wonderpus Octopus

2009-10-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

Well I was just noticing that there is a hot search term "Wonderpus Octopus".

That got me digging, since I am a PhD biologist, and I like the way Octopi are intelligent sea creatures.

I found that there are 289 different known octopus species.

Of course, octopi are cephalopods of the order Octopoda.

The Wonderpus Octopus is a small species of octopus that has long arms and rather spectacular coloration. The arms have stripes of white, thought by some to be "warning coloration", a mimicry of predators that could provide protection. This species is found in the area of Indonesia.

Here are some more links that have pictures or information about the Wonderpus Octopus:

Unique and Colorful Octopus and Cuttlefish (pictures)

Wonderpus (description)

Wonderpus Octopus (picture)

Wonderpus Octopus (picture)

My Word Is My Bond

2009-10-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

An autobiography by Sir Roger Moore is catching attention. And why not? His daring character in the James Bond 007 movies, the Saint and the Persuaders, and his philanthropy, are detailed in the new book entitled "My Word Is My Bond".

It's packed full of behind-the-scenes stories, including movie out-takes. Moore has interacted with such greats as Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Seymour, Cary Grant, Milton Berle, Richard Burton, Richard Kiel, Christopher Lee, Michael Caine, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, and Audrey Hepburn. We learn about many of these people in the book.

Moore is quite proud of his work raising money for UNICEF, to aid impoverished and disadvantaged children around the world.

There is a great deal of focus on Moore's early life, from childhood illnesses, to working in the Publicity Picture Productions, enrolling in the Association of Cinema Technicians, and wartime relocations. He describes the birth of his acting career as an extra at Denham Studios.

Some may be dismayed at the relatively little coverage of the Bond movies. However, the inclusion of in-jokes in each chapter keeps the reader interested in solving the little riddles.

The book is available as a Kindle document, and as a hardcover and softcover book.

nys unemployment

2009-10-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

New York State unemployment has hit a 25-year high, and the news has been crating a buzz. However, other states are similarly afflicted.

Searches on the Google search engine are up for unemployment benefits, nys dept of labor, nys unemployment benefits online, nys unemployment, nyc unemployment, new york state unemployment, new york department of labor, ny state department of labor, and similar search terms.

The state of New York will receive approximately $4.5 million in federal grant funds for 2009 under the national Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) initiative of the US Department of Labor, Governor Paterson announced today.

The REA program seeks to help people receiving unemployment insurance get back to work faster by providing them with individualized job search and training services.

State officials said on Thursday that New York City’s unemployment rate jumped to 10.3 percent in August. The number of city residents unable to find work has risen to a record high of 415,800.

Some economic indicators show an economic recovery is starting. However, there may be a lag in job creation as companies see uncertainty in the future. Instead of hiring more workers, companies may attempt to squeeze higher efficiencies out of existing employees.

gwen araujo

2009-10-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

The story of Gwen Araujo is one of the saddest tales ever told.

Born as a boy, Eddie decided to live according to the inner voice, and was murdered when thugs found that the genitalia did not match their expectations!

What a sad tale, what a sad testimony to the power of sin to corrupt lives. Why should people be so focused on genitalia, rather than the true person within?

Gwen was a beautiful person, loved by God. The thugs are loved by God also! But sin corrupts, and violence against anyone is wrong. Some argued that the sentencing should be mitigated by the deception that was used by Gwen. That is not a valid argument. The thugs took advantage of Gwen as an object, then want to argue that they are less culpable due to deception. That is a shirking of responsibility for their own actions.

No matter how you look at it, the story is one of failure of humans to be compassionate.

Come, Lord Jesus, and teach your children.

It's now the 7th anniversary of Gwen's death. Let us remember so that we will increase our compassion. Let us always love one another, no matter what others do to us.

lovefest 2009

2009-10-03T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of a week-long festival in - where else? - San Francisco, as revelers pay homage to electronic music, display and flaunting of bodies, and debauchery of various sorts.

This "Love Fest" includes people vying for attention to themselves, of course.

Our nation is so focused on self that we murder millions of children in the womb in the name of convenience, and proclaim that all sin is up to individual decision. Well at least we have the last part right.

I just watched a Fox News report on "The Naked Cowboy" and he was displaying the same vanity and grasping for fame that we see all over the land.

In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.

Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

We are truly in the "last days". God help us!

National Coffee Day - Sep 29, 2009

2009-09-29T08:24:00.000-07:00

The history of coffee goes back to the 9th century AD.

Over 4 billion cups of coffee are now consumed each year, making coffee second only to oil as top commodity!

Coffee is now prepared many ways, and you can find coffee-flavored ice cream and yogurt.

Today is National Coffee Day, so please enjoy a cup of coffee, or use the beans in a recipe while preparing a meal.

Occam’s Razor

2009-09-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

This is a brief inquiry into why the term Occam's Razor is achieving a meteoric rise in searches on Google now.

The term has been around for hundreds of years, being especially well-known in the fields of philosophy and the sciences.

One of my favorite sources for learning about Occam's Razor is here. There is also the Wikipedia article.

In short, occam's razor is a principle first promoted by a 14th-century monk that the simplest explanation or theory is better than a more complex one.

So why is the term getting so many searches now?

Looks like there is a band called Porcupine Tree that recently released a recording (The Incident) that includes a brief song with the title "Occam's Razor".

Perhaps a bigger contributor to the search volume is the repeated use of the term in news reports about recent political wrangling, especially in the health care debates. Here is just one example.

A very interesting usage is in the efforts to explain away the conspiracy theorists, whether it be the 9/11 conspiracy advocates, or the "Death Star Truthers".

No matter what the cause of the peak in interest in the term, everyone should be acquianted with Occam's Razor because it really works! In the majority of cases when one is driven to choose between competing possible explanations or theories, the application of Occam's Razor will most often lead you closer to the truth.

Six Flags Under Water in Deadly Georgia Floods

2009-09-22T09:38:00.001-07:00

Torrential rains across the Southeast have caused widespread flooding. The storms have claimed 15 lives.

In Georgia, Governor Sonny Purdue declared a state of emergency in 17 counties!

The amusement park, "Six Flags Over Georgia" is flooded, see a picture here.

Other pictures are here.

The park, in the Atlanta area, is closed, and much cleanup will have to be completed before it reopens fully. More rains are expected in the area, with perhaps 3 to 5 more inches to come down in the next few days. If you are planning to visit Six Flags soon, you'd better check first with them to see if they are open.

I visited their website but I don't see any announcement of the closing!

People in Atlanta, Georgia are being told to stay home. Emergency workers were busy Monday night rescuing stranded motorists.

Sea Serpent - the Monster of Monterey - and the sudden disappearance of Sharon Novak

2009-09-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

A very compelling tale is told about the mysterious disappearance of a professional sailor during a solo trip around the world.

The story raises the question of the existence of Plesiosaurs, a type of dinasaur that most scientists say are extinct.

Trouble is, this tale is from a TV show, "Animal Planet" and their series "Lost Tapes", and the episode that tells the story of Sharon Novak does not claim it is totally true. In fact, the show does include the disclaimer that is was "inspired by the possibility that hidden creatures exist".

A big segment from this show is on YouTube.

Also, various aspects of the video are debunked by those with much more experience in video editing than I possess.

Nonetheless, the show is entertaining, and makes us think about the possibilities of "unknown creatures".

If there are still millions of species to be discovered (as most biologists agree), surely there are some that will be surprising. And some of those will likely be "living fossils", species largely unchanged from fossil samples originating long ago.

Interestingly, there is a branch of science called cryptobiology (some would label pseudoscience) that endeavors to search for organisms thought not to exist by mainstream biologists. Since the majority of these studies focus on animals rather than plants, we have the field of cryptozoology.

Film U-571 to be shown on TV ONE Sept 28

2009-09-20T16:20:00.000-07:00

U-571 is a film released in year 2000, directed by Jonathan Mostow, and starring Jon Bon Jovi, Will Estes, Tom Guiry, Harvey Keitel, Thomas Kretschmann, Matthew McConaughey, Jack Noseworthy, and Bill Paxton.

In the film, disguised United States Navy submariners board a World War II German submarine (u 571, uboat 571) in 1942, seeking to capture her Enigma cipher machine.

Although the plot is fictional and implausible, the film won an Academy Award.

The cinematography is exceptional, and the suspense level is great. The sound and visual effects are extraordinary. The battle scenes, especially those involving depth charges and torpedoes, are incredible!

The film has received criticism for historical inaccuracies. For example, the first Enigma machine to be captured by the allies was obtained by the British from U-110 in the North Atlantic May 1941, before the United Stated entered the war. Also, the film portrays German u-boat sailors in a falsely negative manner.

The film U-571 will be shown on the channel TV ONE on Monday 28 September, at 8:30pm.

More recently, Jonathan Mostow directed the movie Surrogates starring Bruce Willis.

Brother Speed Motorcycle Club Pileup in Oregon

2009-09-19T08:06:00.000-07:00

Oregon State Police reported yesterday that two dozen motorcycles were involved in a massive pileup on Interstate 5 in Oregon, south of Portland. Two motorcyclists with critical injuries were flown to Portland hospitals by helicopter. Seven others were driven to area hospitals by ambulance, and treated for shoulder and hip injuries and broken bones.

Most of the bikers belonged to the Brother Speed Motorcycle Club. Seems the bikers were not able to stop when a car they were following slowed for traffic.

Reports did not mention bad weather. Apparently the mayhem was caused by operator error. Can anyone say "too fast, too close"?

The Brother Speed Motorcycle Club was founded in 1969. It is one of six in Oregon identified by the state Department of Justice as an "outlaw biker gang".

Mystery Creature Found Dead in Panama

2009-09-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

At first the mystery creature seems very bizarre. Kids in Panama reported they encountered a strange creature last Saturday, killed it, and tossed it into a creek. Later they went back and now we have photos!

I must admit to being startled at first. News of a "mystery creature found dead" got me clicking, but if not a hoax, the "Panama creature" is most certainly a tree sloth. In Panama there are two-toed and three-toed sloths, and their bodies are really bizarre-looking, very close to the "creature" in the photos. The Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth is quite rare, with a range limited to one small island off Panama.

Previously, a weird-looking corpse allegedly washed ashore near Montauk, New York, and was called the Montauk Monster, although it was likely a dog or raccoon.

Crop circle pictures on Google logo cause quite a stir

2009-09-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Huge weird and intricate patterns in grain fields have long been a mystery. Google caused a stir today with their logo showing a UFO hovering over a crop circle pattern.

Some say crop circles are the work of alien craft. Some are obvious hoaxes. For example, some are known to have been produced by self-avowed "circle-makers":

Circle Makers

It's the second time this month that a UFO has appeared on the Google logo. The first time, this appeared to be a tribute to the Japanese video game Zero Wing.

Crop circles are really fascinating phenomena. The apparent frequency of their appearance, and the huge size of many of the designs, seems to indicate something more is going on than a trendy teenage prank.

If you want to look into this topic, there are a few good online resources that will put you in touch with actual research being done on crop circles. Here are some links to get you started:

Crop Circle Research

Crop Circle on Wikipedia

Crop Circle Connector

Crop Circle Secrets

Crop Circles

Crop Circles Go Worldwide Overnight

Weird stuff is reported to happen at crop circles, like cameras malfunctioning and GPS batteries dying.

Crop Circle Tours

I'm not paranoid and I don't usually get fired up by conspiracy theories. But crop circles are some pretty interesting examples of "unexplained phenomena". Here is a site with some amazing pictures:

Web Urbanist

Enjoy pondering the physics, the mystery, and the weirdness!

National Granparents Day 2009

2009-09-13T15:58:00.000-07:00

It almost got by me. Yes, today is National Grandparents Day here in the USA. Not that I've noticed in any years past. Seems there are so many holidays and designated days and weeks, that keeping up requires more time than I'm able. In fact, if I was cynical, I may be tempted to think that the proliferation if special days and holidays is a conspiracy by the greeting card companies, or maybe a coalition of marketing gurus. Surely National Grandparents Day is not marked by crass commercialism, right?

Well, not so fast. This day was used to launch a new "affordable" service, Grandchild Connection. It's an "interactive online resource for educational and social play between grandparents and their grandchildren". Basically, it's an online video conferencing platform. Their website is:

http://www.grandchildconnection.com

More information on National Grandparents Day 2009 and Grandchild Connection is here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS135646+08-Sep-2009+BW20090908

And just in case you are putting together your own calendar of holidays and special days, National Grandparents Day is celebrated in the USA on the third Sunday of September. For about 30 years, it's been touted as a time for honoring grandparents, and a chance for grandparents to show their love to their grandchildren. Now aren't you glad you know?

Reborn Dolls

2009-09-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows about dolls. Little girls love playing with dolls that are toys. Even boys started playing with them when "GI Joe" started being marketed as an "action figure".

Nowadays there is a new kind of doll, so life-like that even policemen mistake them for real babies!

Craftsmanship in producing realistic dolls has improved so much that now there is a new flourishing art-form. It's called reborn dolls. These dolls look extremely life-like, often including veins and skin spots.

The life-like dolls are starting to find a new niche - helping to comfort victims of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, through "reborn doll therapy":

http://www.abcarticledirectory.com/Article/How-Making-Reborn-Dolls-Help-The-Elderly/503186

Collectors are also snapping up the reborn dolls, with people seeking not only their life-like qualities, but their uniqueness.

http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/reborn-dolls-the-unique-and-interesting-world-of-reborn-dolls.html

Indeed, the production of reborn dolls is mainly done by individual entrepreneurs, each doll skillfully created as a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

http://www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk/news/Living-dolls-proving-popular/article-1266092-detail/article.html

http://www.epworthbells.co.uk/news/Making-babies-comes-natural-for.5585643.jp

Of course, once a trend is started, there are inevitable sellers of information on how to jump into the game. Same for these dolls - you can now order course materials for building your own reborn doll business!

http://www.reborndollsforfunandprofit.com/

Owners often display a high degree of emotional attachment to these dolls. In fact, there is some controversy over the dependence on these dolls, or their use, as some counselors warn against investing emotionally into a doll as a substitute for developing fulfilling human relationships. Nonetheless, the popularity of these dolls seems to be growing fast!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reborn_doll

Motorola Cliq looks like a hot new phone!

2009-09-10T20:56:00.000-07:00

Motorola Cliq is a great phone made by Motorola but made available through T-Mobile.

It uses a slick-looking MOTOBLUR skin for Google's Android OS. The MOTOBLUR Android overlay (A.K.A. a customized user interface) is a full-featured interface to the phone's capabilities. MOTOBLUR lets you stream your emails and social networks into one feed. There is a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard. A directional pad (mouse) is completely covered while the keyboard is stowed. The front-face features a large, wide-format screen and three control buttons.

This phone lets you do email, GPS, and video. It allows you to send rich text e-mails with colors, fonts and emoticons. You can also attach photos to your e-mails. The MOTOBLUR skin aggregates all of your contacts and their information from various sources and displays them in one seamless client. You can also view your contacts by individual network, if you prefer.

Wow, you can track your Motorola Cliq via assisted GPS if it gets lost. You can wipe it remotely and then all of your information is saved on the MOTOBLUR's servers. Way cool.

The Motorola Cliq has Wi-Fi support, turn-by-turn GPS, a 5-megapixel camera, and a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack. It streams video in 24 fps (frames per second). This phone is available in both Winter White and Midnight Titanium (titanium white).

Here are some other informative links to learn about this nice new phone:

http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/10/motorola-cliq-first-hands-on-impressions/

http://phandroid.com/2009/09/10/motorola-cliq-specs-details-galore/

http://gizmodo.com/5356696/motorola-cliq-quick-hands-on-impressions

http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090910/moto-cliq/

http://www.quickpwn.com/2009/09/motorola-cliq-android-smartphone-first-android-phone-moto-blur.html

Obama's school speech video

2009-09-08T14:58:00.000-07:00

President Obama's speech to students across the country today has stirred a lot of interest.

Earlier, the administration had released a plan to ask students to write an essay on how they could help Obama. This was understandably seen as a partisan action. Why not ask the students to think about how they can help America, or their families?

The administration quickly back-pedalled and revised the proposed lesson plan, but many people were still upset that the President's actions with pushing an entire lesson plan seemed to involve the federal government in determining curriculum in the public schools, something that's reserved for the states.

To view the video of Obama's speech, click here:

http://www.examiner.com/x-1146-Seattle-Eastside-Family-Examiners~y2009m9d8-Obamas-school-speech-video-Watch-it-here