Picture shared by modean987.
Picture shared by kmsThese owls however are not so brilliant...
Globalization
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Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization?
Answer: Princess Diana's death.
Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whiskey, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles, treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines!
And this is sent to you by an American, using Bill Gates' technology Which he enjoyed stealing from the Japanese. And you are probably reading this on one of the IBM clones that use Taiwanese-made chips, and Korean-made monitors, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by lorries driven by Indians, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, trucked by Mexican illegal aliens, and finally sold to you.
That, my friend, is Globalization!
Answer: Princess Diana's death.
Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whiskey, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles, treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines!
And this is sent to you by an American, using Bill Gates' technology Which he enjoyed stealing from the Japanese. And you are probably reading this on one of the IBM clones that use Taiwanese-made chips, and Korean-made monitors, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by lorries driven by Indians, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, trucked by Mexican illegal aliens, and finally sold to you.
That, my friend, is Globalization!
The Golberg family in pictures.
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This is great stuff. The Golberg family have photographed themselves religiously since 1976 and shared their pictures with the world.
Link.
Link.
Picture Hoaxes
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From the website:
The picture (above) was widely printed in newspapers throughout the 1930s. It was represented as being a snapshot of Adolf Hitler as a baby. Sometime in 1937 Mrs. Harriet Downs, of Westport, Conn., noticed the image in a magazine and recognized it as an altered baby photo of her own son, John May Warren. The original, unretouched picture is shown on the right. It is not known how the hoaxer obtained the original picture.
Link.
More hoaxes here.
Rule by Example
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LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) -- President Evo Morales cut his salary in half and declared no Cabinet minister can collect a higher wage than his own, with the savings to be used to hire more public school teachers. Full Story.
Pick of Post Secret
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PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.
From the excellent PostSecret.
From the excellent PostSecret.
Retraining the brain.
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It is true that the images formed on your retina are upside-down. It is also true that most people have two eyes, and therefore two retinas. Why, then, don't you see two distinct images? For the same reason that you don't see everything upside-down. One of our most remarkable tools - the brain - is hard at work for us at this task.
Your brain CAN be retrained though. In one psychological study, participants were asked to wear inverting lenses - lenses that invert the image BEFORE they get to your eye, so that when your eye inverts it, it's right-side-up. At first, everything appeared upside-down to the participants. But, after a few days, people began to report that everything appeared right-side-up! As a second part of the study, the people were asked to take the glasses off. Because they were now used to the lenses, their NORMAL vision appeared upside-down!! Link
Picture by io2.
A World Without Pain is Hell
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When you first meet 4-year-old Roberto Salazar, you can't help but notice his unwavering smile and constant laughter. By all accounts, he's a very happy boy.
It is only when he rams his head violently into walls or plays a little too roughly with a schoolmate, all the while smiling, that you are reminded that he suffers from an incredibly rare genetic disorder. Read more.
Tilt-Shift Photography
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Cool models, right?
WRONG! These are real photographs by Olivo Barbieri. Link.
These next pictures are from Flickr:
From top to bottom: pictures by big daddy hame (first two) and digital josh.
Link for some more tilt-shift photography on Flickr
Plus:
More examples here.
And here (with nifty explanation of the lens used).
And here, and here and here, and here, and here, and... well, you get the picture.
via.
PLUSYou can find the definitive Tilt-Shift photography links page here.
Or make your own Tilt-Shift photography for free using photoshop like this one or this one.
Aurora Australis
Amazing Video: The IMAGE satellite captured this view of the Aurora Australis (southern lights) on September 11, 2005, four days after a record-setting solar flare sent plasma flying towards the Earth. The ring of light that the solar storm generated over Antarctica glows green in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum.
Link.
Link.
Waxy
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Labels:
microscopy,
no comment,
opticasens
Wax crystals on a leaf surface. Part of tossthecamera's out of science set.
Catalan sunset shared by Hamas victory in Palestinian elections
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I'm sure we will hear a lot about this in the coming days. Al-Jazeera's Q&A's on this make essential reading, if only because they happen to know the local politics and language better than anyone in the West.
Q: How did Hamas pull off this shocking upset?
A: Hamas exploited public discontent with the corruption-tainted Fatah Party, which has dominated Palestinian politics for four decades.While reiterating its commitment to "resistance" against Israel, Hamas focused its campaign on internal Palestinian issues, promising better public services, honesty in government and an end to lawlessness.
Q: Does Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas have to resign?
A: No. Abbas was elected last year for a four-year term as president of the Palestinian Authority. However, he will now have to work with a cabinet and legislature dominated by Hamas, severely limiting his ability to manoeuvre. Abbas has said he will resign if he cannot pursue his agenda of pursuing a peace deal with Israel. If Abbas steps down, the Palestinians would have to hold new presidential elections.
Q: Is this the end of the peace process?
A: Hamas, which has carried out dozens of suicide bombings, says it remains committed to its goal of destroying Israel. But it has signalled it would allow Abbas to handle negotiations with Israel while it focuses on its domestic agenda. A top Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, said on Thursday the group is ready to extend a year-old cease-fire with Israel if Israel reciprocates.
Hamas has not carried out a suicide attack since the truce went into effect.
Q: Although Hamas will dominate the legislature, it has said it is ready to share power. What are its options?
A: Hamas could try to rule alone, agree with Fatah on installing an independent prime minister to lead the cabinet, or even allow Fatah to hold senior positions in the cabinet while it focuses on social issues. Zahar promised broad changes on Thursday to "every aspect" of Palestinian life, including health programmes, education and economic policies. But the group was vague about its plans for dealing with Israel.
Q: Would Fatah agree to become a junior partner in a Hamas-run coalition?
A: The party has not yet made a decision. Senior members said on Thursday they would prefer to remain in the opposition. They say this would give Fatah time to rebuild, and force Hamas to see how difficult it is to lead a government.
Q: Is Israel willing to talk to Hamas?
A: Israel on Thursday ruled out negotiations with any Palestinian government that includes armed anti-Israel groups. Earlier, it said it would not deal with Hamas until it disarmed and renounced its calls for Israel's destruction.
Following Hamas victories in municipal elections in recent months, Israel has been forced to co-ordinate with Hamas-backed mayors on day-to-day issues such as providing water and electricity.
Q: Will Hamas agree to disarm, as required under the US-backed road map peace plan?
A: During the campaign, Hamas officials said they would not disarm. Hamas will have to decide whether to fold its military wing into the national Palestinian security forces or let it remain independent.
Q: What is the future of the Palestinian security forces?
A: Hamas has had tense relations with the Fatah-dominated security forces, which were involved in several crackdowns against Hamas in the past decade.With the next prime minister likely to be backed by Hamas, the group could soon be running those same forces. Hamas officials have sought to assure members of the security forces that they have nothing to fear.
Q: The US has pushed heavily for democracy in the Middle East. How did it react to the Hamas victory?
A: George Bush, the US president, said elections sometime bring unwelcome results. He said any group with an armed wing that advocates violence against Israel "is a party with which we will not deal".
Q: Will Hamas turn the West Bank and Gaza into an Islamic state?
A: Hamas says it has no plans to create an Iranian-style theocracy or interfere in people's daily lives. Instead, it says it will lead by example, encouraging people to respect Islamic customs like avoiding alcohol and having women dress modestly. Even if Hamas tries to impose its will, it will be difficult to change major laws. Changing Palestinian "basic laws," widely seen as the basis for a future constitution, require a two-thirds majority in parliament. These laws are a mixture of Islamic, Egyptian and Jordanian law and local traditions. However, Palestinian secular rights activists fear Hamas will try step by step to chip away at personal freedoms.
Link.
Full Story.
Also, Jay has written a great piece on the elections on A Calm Maelstrom.
Q: How did Hamas pull off this shocking upset?
A: Hamas exploited public discontent with the corruption-tainted Fatah Party, which has dominated Palestinian politics for four decades.While reiterating its commitment to "resistance" against Israel, Hamas focused its campaign on internal Palestinian issues, promising better public services, honesty in government and an end to lawlessness.
Q: Does Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas have to resign?
A: No. Abbas was elected last year for a four-year term as president of the Palestinian Authority. However, he will now have to work with a cabinet and legislature dominated by Hamas, severely limiting his ability to manoeuvre. Abbas has said he will resign if he cannot pursue his agenda of pursuing a peace deal with Israel. If Abbas steps down, the Palestinians would have to hold new presidential elections.
Q: Is this the end of the peace process?
A: Hamas, which has carried out dozens of suicide bombings, says it remains committed to its goal of destroying Israel. But it has signalled it would allow Abbas to handle negotiations with Israel while it focuses on its domestic agenda. A top Hamas leader, Mahmoud Zahar, said on Thursday the group is ready to extend a year-old cease-fire with Israel if Israel reciprocates.
Hamas has not carried out a suicide attack since the truce went into effect.
Q: Although Hamas will dominate the legislature, it has said it is ready to share power. What are its options?
A: Hamas could try to rule alone, agree with Fatah on installing an independent prime minister to lead the cabinet, or even allow Fatah to hold senior positions in the cabinet while it focuses on social issues. Zahar promised broad changes on Thursday to "every aspect" of Palestinian life, including health programmes, education and economic policies. But the group was vague about its plans for dealing with Israel.
Q: Would Fatah agree to become a junior partner in a Hamas-run coalition?
A: The party has not yet made a decision. Senior members said on Thursday they would prefer to remain in the opposition. They say this would give Fatah time to rebuild, and force Hamas to see how difficult it is to lead a government.
Q: Is Israel willing to talk to Hamas?
A: Israel on Thursday ruled out negotiations with any Palestinian government that includes armed anti-Israel groups. Earlier, it said it would not deal with Hamas until it disarmed and renounced its calls for Israel's destruction.
Following Hamas victories in municipal elections in recent months, Israel has been forced to co-ordinate with Hamas-backed mayors on day-to-day issues such as providing water and electricity.
Q: Will Hamas agree to disarm, as required under the US-backed road map peace plan?
A: During the campaign, Hamas officials said they would not disarm. Hamas will have to decide whether to fold its military wing into the national Palestinian security forces or let it remain independent.
Q: What is the future of the Palestinian security forces?
A: Hamas has had tense relations with the Fatah-dominated security forces, which were involved in several crackdowns against Hamas in the past decade.With the next prime minister likely to be backed by Hamas, the group could soon be running those same forces. Hamas officials have sought to assure members of the security forces that they have nothing to fear.
Q: The US has pushed heavily for democracy in the Middle East. How did it react to the Hamas victory?
A: George Bush, the US president, said elections sometime bring unwelcome results. He said any group with an armed wing that advocates violence against Israel "is a party with which we will not deal".
Q: Will Hamas turn the West Bank and Gaza into an Islamic state?
A: Hamas says it has no plans to create an Iranian-style theocracy or interfere in people's daily lives. Instead, it says it will lead by example, encouraging people to respect Islamic customs like avoiding alcohol and having women dress modestly. Even if Hamas tries to impose its will, it will be difficult to change major laws. Changing Palestinian "basic laws," widely seen as the basis for a future constitution, require a two-thirds majority in parliament. These laws are a mixture of Islamic, Egyptian and Jordanian law and local traditions. However, Palestinian secular rights activists fear Hamas will try step by step to chip away at personal freedoms.
Link.
Full Story.
Also, Jay has written a great piece on the elections on A Calm Maelstrom.
Altered Signs
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Here is an odd excercise: take pictures of stuff that is behind signs, then print them and paste them on top of the sign to make it appear as if the sign isn't quite there...
You can see more of these by Tano here from more vantage points, so you can observe that there is no trickery involved.
Jade Dragon
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From BoingBoing:
The maker of this gorgeous mechanical papercraft dragon has a cool business model: you can download the PDFs necessary to build the automata for free, but if you build it successfully, he asks for a $5 donation. The mechanical motion of this one is amazing, check out the animation. Link (via Paperforest)
Weird Nature
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The Ying , the Yeng and the Yang of Snakes (sorry about that):
A) The Unlikely Predator.
B) The Unlikely Bedfellow.
C) The Unlikely Victim.
Weird.
P.S.: They can also Fly!
A) The Unlikely Predator.
B) The Unlikely Bedfellow.
C) The Unlikely Victim.
Weird.
P.S.: They can also Fly!
Stained Glass in Motion
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This one is for the Photoshop buffs out there. Bluewave posted this awesome picture on flickr and then helpfully explained how it is done:
First I chose a colourful image. I then horizontally motion blurred it, applied extra contrast and sharpness and ran the "amazing circles" procedure. Next, I copied the result, rotated it through 90 degrees, colour inverted, and applied an overlay layer blend. Lastly I selected the background, feathered, and changed it to black.
Whatever that means.
Dumb Britain
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These are actual questions and answers from UK TV and Radio quiz shows, as compiled by Private Eye in their weekly Dumb Britain section:
THE WEAKEST LINK
Anne Robinson: In traffic, what "J" is where two roads meet?
Contestant: Jool carriageway.
Anne Robinson: Which Italian city is overlooked by Vesuvius?
Contestant: Bombay.
Anne Robinson: What insect is commonly found hovering above lakes?
Contestant: Crocodiles.
Anne Robinson: Wh...?
Contestant (interrupting): Pass!
Anne Robinson: In olden times, what were minstrels: travelling entertainers or chocolate salesmen?
Contestant: Chocolate salesmen.
Anne Robinson: The Bible, the New Testament. The Four Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and...?
Contestant: (long pause) Joe?
Anne Robinson: Who was a famous Indian leader, whose name begins with G, revered by millions, who was assassinated and received a state funeral?
Contestant: Geronimo!
NATIONAL LOTTERY JET SET
Eamonn Holmes: What's the name of the playwright commonly known by the initials G.B.S.?
Contestant: William Shakespeare.
FAMILY FORTUNES
1) Something a blind man might use? - A Sword
2) A song with the word Moon in the title? - Blue Suede Moon
3) Name the capital of France? - F
4) Name a bird with a long Neck? - Naomi Campbell
5) Name an occupation where you might need a torch? - A burglar
6) Where is the Taj Mahal? - Opposite the Dental Hospital
7) What is Hitler's first name? - Heil
8) A famous Scotsman? - Jock
9) Some famous brothers? - Bonnie and Clyde.
0) A dangerous race? - The Arabs
11) Something that floats in a bath? - Water
12) An item of clothing worn by the Three Musketeers? - A horse
13) Something you wear on a beach? - A deckchair
14) A famous Royal? - Mail
15) Something that flies that doesn't have an engine? - A bicycle with wings
RADIO LINCS PHONE-IN
Presenter: Which is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world?
Contestant: Barcelona.
Presenter: I was really after the name of a country.
Contestant: I'm sorry, I don't know the names of any countries in Spain.
STEVE WRIGHT SHOW, RADIO 2
Wright: On which continent would you find the River Danube?
Contestant: India.
Wright: What is the Italian word for motorway?
Contestant: Espresso.
Wright: What is the capital of Australia? And it's not Sydney.
Contestant: Sydney.
THIS MORNING
Judy Finnegan: The American TV show 'The Sopranos' is about opera. True or false?
Contestant: True?
Judy Finnegan: No, actually, it's about the Mafia. But it is an American TV show, so I'll give you that.
BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE
Paul Wappat: How long did the Six Day War between Egypt and Israel last?
Contestant (after long pause): Fourteen days.
BOB HOPE BIRTHDAY QUIZ, LBC
Presenter: Bob Hope was the fifth of how many sons?
Contestant: Four
BBC GMR, PHIL WOOD SHOW
Wood: What "K" could be described as the Islamic Bible?
Contestant: Er...
Wood: It's got two syllables... Kor...
Contestant: Blimey?
Wood: Ha ha ha ha no. The past participle of run...
Contestant: (Silence)
Wood: OK, try it another way. Today I run, yesterday I...
Contestant: Walked?
DARYL'S DRIVETIME, VIRGIN RADIO
Daryl Denham: In which country would you spend shekels?
Contestant: Holland?
Daryl Denham: Try the next letter of the alphabet.
Contestant: Iceland? Ireland?
Daryl Denham (helpfully): It's a bad line. Did you say Israel?
Contestant: No.
Via.
THE WEAKEST LINK
Anne Robinson: In traffic, what "J" is where two roads meet?
Contestant: Jool carriageway.
Anne Robinson: Which Italian city is overlooked by Vesuvius?
Contestant: Bombay.
Anne Robinson: What insect is commonly found hovering above lakes?
Contestant: Crocodiles.
Anne Robinson: Wh...?
Contestant (interrupting): Pass!
Anne Robinson: In olden times, what were minstrels: travelling entertainers or chocolate salesmen?
Contestant: Chocolate salesmen.
Anne Robinson: The Bible, the New Testament. The Four Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and...?
Contestant: (long pause) Joe?
Anne Robinson: Who was a famous Indian leader, whose name begins with G, revered by millions, who was assassinated and received a state funeral?
Contestant: Geronimo!
NATIONAL LOTTERY JET SET
Eamonn Holmes: What's the name of the playwright commonly known by the initials G.B.S.?
Contestant: William Shakespeare.
FAMILY FORTUNES
1) Something a blind man might use? - A Sword
2) A song with the word Moon in the title? - Blue Suede Moon
3) Name the capital of France? - F
4) Name a bird with a long Neck? - Naomi Campbell
5) Name an occupation where you might need a torch? - A burglar
6) Where is the Taj Mahal? - Opposite the Dental Hospital
7) What is Hitler's first name? - Heil
8) A famous Scotsman? - Jock
9) Some famous brothers? - Bonnie and Clyde.
0) A dangerous race? - The Arabs
11) Something that floats in a bath? - Water
12) An item of clothing worn by the Three Musketeers? - A horse
13) Something you wear on a beach? - A deckchair
14) A famous Royal? - Mail
15) Something that flies that doesn't have an engine? - A bicycle with wings
RADIO LINCS PHONE-IN
Presenter: Which is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world?
Contestant: Barcelona.
Presenter: I was really after the name of a country.
Contestant: I'm sorry, I don't know the names of any countries in Spain.
STEVE WRIGHT SHOW, RADIO 2
Wright: On which continent would you find the River Danube?
Contestant: India.
Wright: What is the Italian word for motorway?
Contestant: Espresso.
Wright: What is the capital of Australia? And it's not Sydney.
Contestant: Sydney.
THIS MORNING
Judy Finnegan: The American TV show 'The Sopranos' is about opera. True or false?
Contestant: True?
Judy Finnegan: No, actually, it's about the Mafia. But it is an American TV show, so I'll give you that.
BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE
Paul Wappat: How long did the Six Day War between Egypt and Israel last?
Contestant (after long pause): Fourteen days.
BOB HOPE BIRTHDAY QUIZ, LBC
Presenter: Bob Hope was the fifth of how many sons?
Contestant: Four
BBC GMR, PHIL WOOD SHOW
Wood: What "K" could be described as the Islamic Bible?
Contestant: Er...
Wood: It's got two syllables... Kor...
Contestant: Blimey?
Wood: Ha ha ha ha no. The past participle of run...
Contestant: (Silence)
Wood: OK, try it another way. Today I run, yesterday I...
Contestant: Walked?
DARYL'S DRIVETIME, VIRGIN RADIO
Daryl Denham: In which country would you spend shekels?
Contestant: Holland?
Daryl Denham: Try the next letter of the alphabet.
Contestant: Iceland? Ireland?
Daryl Denham (helpfully): It's a bad line. Did you say Israel?
Contestant: No.
Via.
Clichy-Sous-Bois goes to Paris
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