Yummy Wakame

Hobbit-size skull discovered on remote Indonesian island

(photo of skull)
“Probably this is one of the most important discoveries in hominid paleontological history,” says University of Pittsburgh paleontologist Jeffrey Schwartz. “This is just about the wildest thing anyone could have discovered.”

The team led by Peter Brown of Australia’s University of New England describes the being as a human relative, or hominid, that stood less than 40 inches tall. Except for a snout, she had a human face and a brain one-third the size of ours. She was older than 30, judging from her worn teeth and bone structure.”

How do they know it wasn’t a tall person with a very small head?

Dogs Dogs Bakery
The UK’s first bakery just for dogs!

Tired Japanese Man

I want to tell you how much Japanese business man is tired.
“I have experience to work in other countries. So I know how hard Japanese business man work comparing with American people, Chinese people and Thailand people. I never say that all foreign people is lazy. But I never hesitate to say that Jap is fucking hard worker.

Our priority is not to live, but to work.. It’s true. Every year lots of Japanese businss man tired to death while working. this is famous as overwork death or KAROSHI.

We devote ourself to job. Why?
I don’t know. Japanese people don’t know the reason. Because we have no time to think about that.

We have many job to do before doing such thing. We go home after finishing job. At the end of day, the reason we stop to work is not to go home for spleeping but too tired to work. this is the reason we sleep on the way home.”

See real pictures of tired Japanese men!

(as seen on enschede a/zee)

I knew there was something missing…
Click Nathan and art by harry have been added to the recommended list. Enjoy!

Aural Aphasia – Een dag was daar
“An Afrikaans ambient track. Believe it, bru!”

(Thanks Ken)

ACCESS DENIED!

“President George W Bush’s re-election campaign said on Wednesday it had cut its website, www.georgewbush.com, off from access from certain foreign countries, “for security reasons,” but declined to elaborate.

South Africa, along with Britain, Australia, France, Holland and other countries, is one of many countries that has been blocked.”

For lovers of the Bush, dont fret. There are some ways around it. Foreign users, can use an anonymous proxy service to access website such as www.anonymization.net/http://www.georgewbush.com, https://georgewbush.com or http://65.172.163.222.

Thanks Eon for bringing this to our attention.

Poes Pictures
“Now I know that for our Afrikaans or Dutch speaking internet users, POES stands for something completely different than Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellites. Go check out the latest POES images pages for some interesting pics and even how to receive signals from these satellites.” ~ Aquila Online

Think your new Pentium 4 based system is fast? You think the big 8-way Zeon servers are super fast? Wait until you get your hands on the PS3 with processing power equal to 125 of Intel’s new Itanium 2 Processors!

Playstation 3 News

Processor
“In order to design the most powerful processor possible with current technology, Sony formed a partnership with electronics giant Toshiba and supercomputer expert IBM. Together, the companies have assigned a team 300 engineers and are spending (an estimated) $500 Million to develop a new type of processor which has been nick-named the Cell. The processor is actually a collection of smaller processors. Software packets, called “cells”, are then sent to each of the smaller processors in order to give instructions on what tasks to perform. When implemented optimally, the processor will be able to calculate up to 1 trillion floating point calculations per second, which as you would imagine, is better than any standard computer processor. (equivalent 2 around 100 P4 2.5ghz chips)”

Memory
“XDR DRAM was developed through a joint effort by Elpida, Toshiba, and Rambus and will offer a bandwidth of at least 3.2 GHz (which is eight times that of today’s best-in-class PC memory). The architecture allows the memory to be expanded up to 6.4GHz”

(submitted by ken)

Sony’s Wireless PSP’s Price and Release Date Announced!
Sony Computer Entertainment announced that the PSP (Playstation Portable) will hit retailers on December 12, 2004, at a recommended Japanese retail price of 19,800 yen ($185).

As shown on the official PSP website, the handheld will be available in two very affordable packages; standard and value. The standard pack will retail at 19,800 yen ($185) and will include the handheld itself, an AC adapter and a battery pack. The value pack, on the other hand, will retail for 5,000 yen more at 24,800 yen ($232), and will include the handheld itself, an AC adapter, a battery pack, a 32MB Memory Stick Duo, a set of headphones with a remote control, and a soft case & hand strap.

Sony also touched on the PSP’s wireless LAN feature (IEEE802.11b), saying that the connection can reach up to 30 meters indoors at 11Mbps, and 91 meters at 1Mbps. Outdoors, it can reach up to 120 meters at 11Mbps, and 460 meters at 1Mbps.

• Pre-order yours from this link.
• 21 games titles available at launch

(found by ken)

Ground-breaking all-round 3D display system developed by Hitachi!

Hitachi, Ltd. announced the development of an all-around three-dimensional display system that enables projected images to be viewed from any angle.

The effect is made possible by the projection of twenty-four images of an object, taken from twenty-four different angles, on to a spinning screen. Without the need for special glasses designed for three-dimensional image viewing, audiences can perceive projected images as real objects floating in space before them.

Blue-ray
Nine leading companies have jointly established the basic specifications for a next generation large capacity optical disc video recording format called “Blu-ray Disc”.

The Blu-ray Disc enables the recording, rewriting and play back of up to 27 gigabytes (GB) of data on a single sided single layer 12cm CD/DVD size disc using a 405nm blue-violet laser.

The format was developed to enable recording, rewriting and playback of high-definition television (HDTV). There are also plans for higher capacity discs that are expected to hold up to 54GB of data.

(found by ken)

Scarlet Magaine
raunchy new magazine for women looking for a sassy, stylish and sexy read.

“Scarlet hits the news-stands in mid-October. It’s designed for intelligent women, who are sexually confident, but know that there’s always something new to learn. Open and frank, it’s the way that women speak to each other when men aren’t around.” ~ PressBox

If you subscribe to this new magazine for a year and get the world famous Jessica Rabbit or Zingfinger for free.

The Dreamwork Organisation

“The Dreamwork System employs methods and techniques derived from those used in individual dream therapy, enables an organisation to explore and discover the valuable assets normally hidden in its organisational unconscious. Archetypes are identified, Narratives are understood, and Stories are created that can transform an organisation into a powerful and purposeful expression of its true potential.”

Cycle King has every kind of bike imaginable!

• Penny Farthing £129.99
• Unicycle 18″ Mag Wheel £39.99
• Raleigh Chopper 2004 £199.99

Cross-browser design checking from one PC

Its really tough these days designing an attractive site that doesnt break when tested in all the obscure operating systems, countless new browsers and array of versions for every single browser. One of my biggest annoyances for years has not being able to test how a site renders in different versions of Internet Explorer, from a single PC. Until now Windows only supported one copy at a time.

In response to the Eolas lawsuit, Microsoft is circulating a developer’s preview of a version of IE without the features that are covered by the Eolas patent. One of the most interesting things about the test version of IE is that it can coexist with a standard version of IE.

• Stand-alone versions of Internet Explorer: Ryan Parman has packaged stand-alone versions of IE3, IE4.01, IE5.01 SP2, IE5.5 SP2, and IE6.0 Eolas Edition, and they are freely available here. Unzip and keep each in its own directory. No tentacles to worry about.

• Browser Cam! For a tiny fee, you supply a URL through a form, and are given screenshots of that page on more than 10 browsers, over more than 5 OS’s.

•ICapture! Test how your site looks on the Apple Mac Safari browser from your PC for free.

Nitin Sawhney is on tour again!

• Palais des Beaux Arts, Bruxelles Thu 16 Sept, 8.00pm
• Royal Festival Hall, London UK Wed 17 Nov, 7.30pm
• Brighton Dome, UK Thu 18 Nov, 8.00pm
• Cambridge Corn Exchange, UK Wed 24 Nov, 7.30pm
• Symphony Hall, Birmingham UK Sat 27 Nov, 7.30pm

LSD Experiment
“These 9 drawings were done by an artist under the influence of LSD — part of a test conducted by the US government during it’s dalliance with psychotomimetic drugs in the late 1950’s. The artist was given a dose of LSD 25 and free access to an activity box full of crayons and pencils…”

(Thanks Ken!)

Both Kerry and Bush Members of ‘Skull and Bones’ Secret Society
BOSTON (Reuters) – “The man elected president on Nov. 2 will be a member of an elite secret cabal with tentacles that reportedly stretch into all layers of American society.

Despite their ideological differences, Democrat John Kerry (news – web sites) and Republican George W. Bush share much in common. Each was raised amid wealth and privilege in the northeastern United States, and each attended Yale University in the 1960s where they joined the same secret society: Skull and Bones.”

BBC NEWS: Navy approves first ever Satanist
The British Armed Forces has officially recognised its first registered Satanist.

Naval technician Chris Cranmer, 24, has been allowed to register by the captain of HMS Cumberland, based at Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth. The move will mean that he will now be allowed to perform Satanic rituals on board the vessel.”

Mr Cranmer, who is from Edinburgh, is now lobbying the Ministry of Defence to make Satanism a registered religion in the armed forces.

Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe said she was “utterly shocked” by the Royal Navy’s decision. “Satanism is wrong. Obviously the private beliefs of individuals anywhere, including the armed forces, are their own affair but I hope it doesn’t spread.” She added: “The Navy should not permit Satanist practices on board its ships.

A spokesman for the Royal Navy said: “We are an equal opportunities employer and we don’t stop anybody from having their own religious values.”

Swearing Can Make Men Impotent
“Too much swearing can make men impotent and women develop male characteristics including facial hair and extra muscles.

According to research by Russian scientist Gennady Cheurin and his team at the Centre for Ecological Safety and Survival in Yekaterinburg, the research was based on the popular belief that water has a type of ‘memory’ that can be influenced by positive and negative forces. Cheurin said that his team had sworn at a glass of water for several hours and then poured it over wheat seeds. Only 48 per cent of those seeds which were watered with the ‘foul’ water sprouted as opposed to 93 per cent of seeds watered with holy water taken from natural springs. Cheuring said: ‘We then looked at heavy swearers and others who never used bad language, and found whenever men use these words in their daily life, this immediately leads to sexual dysfunctions, i.e. impotence. If a woman uses these words in her daily speech, she slowly begins transforming into a man, getting more hair and muscles.’”
~ OnlyPunjab.com (India)

Very scientific!

Own your own private island!

“I want to establish my own country. Is there any unclaimed land?” ~ Paul, San Francisco, California

“Sadly, every bit of land is claimed, but don’t let this ruin your dream of being Grand Poobah. For anywhere from the low six figures to the tens of millions, you can purchase your own private island and start from scratch. After you’ve got the island’s facilities (electricity, safe drinking water, etc.) squared away, you’re ready to build your nation. But remember, your island will still be under the jurisdiction of the country it belongs to and subject to its laws. One man, Las Vegas millionaire Michael Olivier, learned that the hard way.” ~ Ask Yahoo

iAfrica.com: According to John Greer of Unusual Villas & Island Rentals you don’t have to be Ted Turner to own your own sand spit. Not all the islands are reserved for the rich and famous. Apparently if you’re a serious island buyer, then Bahamas is the place to pick. It has zero income tax and is a democratic and stable member of the Commonwealth.

Vladi Private Islands of Hamburg, has sold more than 600 islands over the last 25 years and has thousands of private islands to buy or rent on their database.

My favourite island website is Private Islands Online.

Here are some more affordable islands I loved:

• Castle Island, Scotland – €490,000
Castle Island, rising dramatically out of the centre of Lough Kee, a three mile wide circular lake at the centre of the 350 hectare Lough Kee national forest park, presents a dream opportunity to possess your very own Celtic fairy tale. Once sought as the ideal mystic getaway by WB Yeats, this ruinous three storey 19th century castle extends to 4,000 sq.ft.

• Isla Aguja, Panama – $395,000€
A beautiful TITLED 7 hectares or 17 acre island covered in Rainforest, located in the Archipelago de Las Perlas

• American Island, West Canada – CAD 84,900
This fully treed island is quite flat, has beaches all round and two nice bays.

***SITE UPDATE ***
The sidebar has been updated with a brand new “recommended” list. Stuffed with blogs I love and visit regularly (in alphabetical order). Have a look – you might find your new favourite there.

Diego Garcia: The Secret Files That Reveal How A Nation Was Deported
“Three forgotten, grainy films shot more than 40 years ago reveal the evidence of a crime committed by British governments against some of its most vulnerable citizens. What they tell is a shocking, almost incredible story in which the Blair Government has played a major part…”

The Alternative Energy Institute
AIE is a non-profit educational organization deeply committed to raising public awareness and generating a healthy concern for the limitations and consequences of burning fossil fuels.

AEI is also working diligently to harness the hidden potential of the American farming community through expanded development and use of bio-diesel and ethanol based fuels.

INBOX: I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdenieg!

The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt!