Original writings of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank is one of the most widely read works of non-fiction in the world. It is a story of a 13-year-old Jewish girl and her family who are forced into hiding by the Nazis during World War II. Anne's legacy, however, extends beyond her diary. Between the ages of 13 and 15, Anne wrote short stories, fairy tales, essays, and the beginnings of a novel. Now you can view Anne's photo album and notebooks online courtesy of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The picture here shows Anne's first diary which she received when she was 13.

(Thanks gregoryat)

How to cast voodoo doll spells

The wacky folks at Weekly World News reported a story on how to make your own voodoo doll and cast spells that will make your troubles go away. If you ever wanted to lower your utility bills to almost nothing or make your children behave like angels, then you should check the article out. From Weekly World News:

LOWER UTILITY BILLS TO ALMOST NOTHING
"This spell is a versatile one, which can cover phone bills, electric, water, sanitation or any other bill you would like lowered," said Mandela.
INGREDIENTS: Voodoo doll wrapped in any utility bill (use tape), whole chicken, 5 yards black yarn, 10 dead flies, 1 cup oatmeal (instant, not slow cook), white candles, Crest toothpaste (Colgate may be substituted).
Step 1: Debone chicken and cut flesh into pieces with razor blade. Place in ceramic (nonmetal) mixing bowl.
Step 2: Clean bones and let dry.
Step 3: Mix remaining ingredients (except candles) with chicken parts. Beat at high speed for 5 minutes.
Step 4: Coat candles with paste. Set into holders fashioned out of bones. For each bothersome bill, light one candle and repeat the following incantation: "Thou art a vile money grubber who overcharges and takes away my hardearned cash that could be spent on better things. I deserve more. I should not be held hostage to you anymore." The next time your statement arrives, it should be substantially lower.

But I have to warn you. No guarantees they will work. Ha!

(Thanks Lord Kimbo)

Risks of climate change greater than we thought

A report by the UK government finds that greenhouse gases may have more serious impacts that previously thought. The report paints a grim picture for the world in which greenhouse gases is causing global warming at a rate which is unsustainable. From BBC:

The European Union has adopted a target of preventing a rise in global average temperature of more than two Celsius.

That, according to the report, might be too high, with two degrees being enough to trigger melting of the Greenland ice sheet...

A rise of two Celsius, researchers conclude, will be enough to cause:

* Decreasing crop yields in the developing and developed world
* Tripling of poor harvests in Europe and Russia
* Large-scale displacement of people in north Africa from desertification
* Up to 2.8bn people at risk of water shortage
* 97% loss of coral reefs
* Total loss of summer Arctic sea ice causing extinction of the polar bear and the walrus
* Spread of malaria in Africa and north America

It's the year of the dog!

Happy Chinese New Year! May you always have a prosperous and a humping good time during the year of the dog. Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Stardust reentry video

NASA has released a video of the Stardust capsule during its reentry on January 15 shot by its crew onboard a flying DC-8. The open star cluster Pleiades or also known as the Seven Sisters can also be seen in the video. Stardust returned home carrying comet and interstellar samples.

Previously: Stardust has landed!, Stardust to land in less then 3 hours

Don't shave your ass hair!

This is the best tip I've read from a blog this week. Don't shave your ass hair unless you want to make the greatest mistake of your life. From Tadpolenet:

I now have a great respect for anal-hair. Like everything in this world God created, it has its mighty purpose in existence. It was only after I had removed it that I started to learn how much I had been taking it for granted. For one, it provides friction. I learned this the next day, when I walked out into the sun heading for class. After climbing two flights of stairs and starting to sweat, I started to notice something unpleasant. The sweat was accumulating in my crack, and was causing the unpleasant sensation of my two asscheeks sliding past each other with every step. I thought about going to the bathroom and wiping it off, but had to get to class. Eventually, I thought, it would dry.

I'm keeping my ass as it is ... unshaved!

How to throw a soccer ball

Good news for those of you who play football especially those who are full-backs and throw-in takers. Researchers have found out how best to get speed and distance with a throw-in. From Nature:

"People haven't been able to explain it," Linthorne says. He and Everett have now made a detailed study of the football throw-in, videoing a player making a series of throws at different release angles. They fitted the resulting release speeds, throwing distances and flight times to mathematical equations.

This enabled the researchers to find the best release angle for producing a long throw. The answer, it seems, is that it doesn't matter too much, provided that the angle is between about 20 and 35°.

(Thanks Raul Jo)

Jap Sex Figurines

From the land of Japan, comes the interlocking sex figurines. The best thing about these figurines is that they can be rearranged into a variety of positions. Click here, here and here for the figurines in action.

(Thanks fishsoon18)

Ghostbusters in animated gif

Relive the classic Ghostbusters movie with this cleverly done animated gif. All we need is the Ghostbusters song when viewing it. "There's something strange in your neighbourhood. Who do you call? Ghostbusters!"

(Thanks Todd)

The story behind the 100x100 Burger

Here's the story behind the 100x100 burger which contained 2 buns, 100 beef patties and 100 cheese. The giant burger took 2 hours for 8 people to finish eating it. I think if I ever eat this, I will never look at another burger for a long time.

(via SupersizedMeals)

Sexual intercourse helps your public speech

Sex is good! Sex is good! A psychologist found out that having sex can help a person to give a better public speech. But it must be penetrative sex. Oral sex doesn't work. From BBC News:

For a fortnight, 24 women and 22 men kept diaries of how often they engaged in various forms of sex.

Then they underwent a stress test involving public speaking and performing mental arithmetic out loud.

Volunteers who had had penetrative intercourse were found to be the least stressed, and their blood pressure returned to normal faster than those who had engaged in other forms of sexual activity such as masturbation.

Now you know the trick to giving a good presentation.

Boombox PC

This dude modified his boombox and installed a Fujitsu Tablet PC in it. Can you imagine carrying the boombox around town and using it as a PC? I'm awestruck!

Come near me again, I'll fucking kill you!

Last night, after supper, while walking home, Dana and me were stalked by a Chinese man in his late thirties. He looked something like the picture on the left. Oh well, much taller of course. And yes, he is balding at the top.

We first saw him, standing a couple of meters away from us. He looked like he was waiting for someone. As we walked passed him, he then followed us. I then suggested to stop and let him walk past us. He did, but only for a short distance and then he turned around and walked towards us. At that moment, I knew this guy was looking for trouble. He then stood just next to us and looked at us. I had it with this motherfucker son of a bitch, so I confronted him. I asked him what's up and if he has problem. He replied if I have a problem with him. Then we hurled abusive language at one another. I was ready to strike the motherfucker if he made the move to hit me or Dana. As I sensed that he wasn't prepared to get an ass whipping session from me, I decided that we should just walk away. He continued to follow us. Maybe because he was pissed or shocked that I would confront him. To cut the story short, we then lost him but I think he must have followed us for quite a distance.

I'm fucking pissed! To that motherfucker son of a bitch (if you happened to be a reader of my blog and a stalker), if I ever sense your presence again near the place where I eat my supper, I swear I'm going to smash your fucking ugly face and your balls, you fucking piece of shit! Try me!

Quench your thirst with Coke Lime

Today on my photoblog, Katoomba Syndrome: Quench your thirst with Coke Lime

Earth-like planet found

A small rocky planet has been found orbiting a normal star outside our solar system. Astronomers said that this is the most earth-like planet ever found. Although rocky like the Earth, the planet is too cold to support life. From Space.com:

The planet is estimated to be about 5.5 times as massive as Earth and thought to be rocky. It orbits a red dwarf star about 28,000 light-years away. Red dwarfs are about one-fifth as massive as the Sun and up to 50 times fainter. But they are among the most common stars in the universe...

It was discovered using a technique called “gravitational microlensing,” whereby light from a distant star is bent and magnified by the gravitational field of a foreground star. The presence of a planet around the foreground star causes light from the distant star to become momentarily brighter.

Chinese invented skiing

Ancient cliff paintings found in a remote part of China suggested that the Chinese invented skiing. From Reuters:

The paintings in Altay, in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, "have been verified as human hunting while skiing and, therefore, archaeologists prove the Altay region to be a place of skiing some 100 to 200 centuries ago", the news agency said...

"(Experts) held that cliff paintings in Altay were the earliest archaeological evidence to show how humans had skied in the early days and suggest skiing had originated in Altay."

Now the Chinese can add skiing to their already impressive collection of inventions such as earthquake detector, spaghetti, fan, kites, rudder, planetarium and paper. I would think that if you look hard enough for ancient paintings in caves or cliffs in China, maybe you would also find that the Chinese are the first to use "horse riding" as a form of sexual stimulation, ie iGallop.

(via Asiapundit)

Google launches censored Chinese site

One good way to make friends with the Chinese government is to help them censor the internet. That's what Google is doing. It is launching a Chinese search and news site that will censor material deemed objectionable to authorities there. From News.com:

"Google.cn will comply with local Chinese laws and regulations," he said in a statement. "In deciding how best to approach the Chinese--or any--market, we must balance our commitments to satisfy the interest of users, expand access to information, and respond to local conditions."

....The France-based human rights group Reporters Without Borders blasted Google, saying it was taking an immoral position that could not be justified.

"By offering a version without 'subversive' content, Google is making it easier for Chinese officials to filter the Internet themselves. A Web site not listed by search engines has little chance of being found by users," the group said in a statement. "The new Google version means that even if a human rights publication is not blocked by local firewalls, it has no chance of being read in China."

Superstars and their siblings

Keanu Reeves must be glad that he does not look like his sister! More photographs of superstars such as David Beckham, Sharon Stone, Naomi Campbell, Tom Cruise and their siblings here.

(Thanks Pete Chong)

iGallop Supreme

What can be better than Osim's iGallop? Maybe riding a real horse or riding your man but I think what's better than the current iGallop is this... the iGallop Supreme. You get the iGallop plus a Jack Rabbit vibrator (made famous by Sex in the City, supposedly best vibrator out there) attached to the seat! Now you can get that desired body shape and have lots of 'real' fun at the same time while you ride away.

I'm very sure this will sell like hotcakes! Watch the iGallop (not the Supreme version) ad here to get a better picture of what I mean.

Update: Ad has been taken down by YouTube. And for those of you who are interested to buy the iGallop Supreme, please take note that Osim doesn't sell this. This post is meant as a parody. Seriously, I heard the iGallop is really good for giving you flat abs, firm behind and toned thighs. Really! Don't believe me, go buy one today.

IZ Reloaded is a gossip column?

You guys are terrible. Yup my readers, especially lynch18, primus and mr black for commenting on my Invasion of the giant jellyfish in Japan posting. See what happens when you leave non serious comments about a serious topic? Other people start thinking that my blog is nothing more than a gossip column and no longer has credibility. LOL. From wow! amazing:

In this blog about jellyfish in Japan, the article alone seems credible, but the commentary which follows is nothing more than a gossip column. Albeit, it's gossip and speculation that happens to be EXTREMELY humorous, especially when attached to such a serious and forboding article...

The comments assert that giant jellyfish are aliens, are sent by other countries to attack Japan, and will eventually morph into land traveling creatures that terrorize citizens...

Comments can also mash, mangle and destroy credibility, turning readers to oppose the view of an author they otherwise would have trusted - whether or not that author is credible.

So from now on, my dear readers, please leave intelligent comments ok? Well, at least try.

Take a trip to Durex Playworld

I'm sure this beats Disneyland. Introducing Durex Playworld. It has five different theme parks built into a shape of the female's body. The highlight has to be its Orgasland. Heard the rides there are super awesome. Click here to view a bigger picture.

(Thanks Fong)

Watch Memoirs of a Geisha

A YouTube user managed to upload the entire Memoirs of a Geisha movie online. In all, there were six parts. If I'm not wrong, the movie was available for viewing for a few days before YouTube decided to take action. 5 of them have been taken down by YouTube but the last, Part 6 of 6 is still online. Go watch it but promise me you be good boys and girls and go watch the movie in the theatres ok? Promise? Nothing beats seeing Zhang Zhiyi and Gong Li on the big screen.

Update: Part 6 of 6 is now being taken offline by YouTube. (Thanks steve)

Previously: Memoirs of a Geisha goodies

Google is top brand

Brandchannel has announced the top brands of 2005. Google takes the top spot in the global category. Second place goes to Apple while Skype takes third place. What's interesting is that for the US category, Apple beats Google as the top brand there. From Brandchannel:

Apple loses the battle for world dominance this year in our Global results but soundly beats Google at home. Similar to the Global contest, the two have shared top five distinction in the US & Canada results for the last four years.

Scooping third place, Starbucks continues to waft through our world. We asked readers to choose those brands that had the most impact on them in 2005; Starbucks is for many a daily ritual, made more noteworthy by the cost and experience of choosing this retailer over the corner street vendor.

For the Asia-Pacific category, Sony, Toyota and Samsung take the first, second and third spot respectively.

(Thanks ST)

Snap + Send Postcard

An industrial design student in Australia has designed a light and inexpensive disposable digital camera that can be sent via the mail like a postcard. Take photos like a normal camera and once it is full, stick a stamp on it, write down the address of the person you want to send it to and put it in the postbox. Click here for the Snap + Send Postcard and here for my friend, Bohemian Philosophy's entry on it.

(Thanks Bohemian Philosophy)

Darth Vader The Conductor

Revenge of The Brick is a short film featuring Star Wars characters in Lego. It is brilliantly done by the folks at Treehouse, an animation studio. At the end of Revenge of The Brick, there's a short scene of Darth Vader and his Clone Trooper Orchestra performing the Imperial March. I only found out yesterday that over at the Treehouse website, you can not only watch Revenge of The Brick but also the Clone Trooper Orchestra performance in its entirety. There's also a behind the scenes video narrated by Mr. Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill.

Sonar killing whales and dolphins

An investigation by a UK newspaper, The Independent revealed that sonar from naval ships are killing thousands of dolphins and whales including Gonzo recently. From The Independant:

Experts believe that the whale's senses could have been damaged by military sonar. Some 30 strandings and deaths of whales around the world - from Tasmania to North America - have been linked to its use. The United Nations and other international bodies have warned that it is a major threat to the animals.

The investigation has also revealed that - in a separate, but deeply embarrassing development - the Government faces being hauled before the European Court for failing to take enough care of the whales and dolphins around Britain's shores.

This is a shocking example showing how we have played a major part in the killing of other species. I understand that a country has to protect its shores from possible attacks by enemy countries but there also needs to be a balance between protecting a country and protecting the wildlife that is living in the oceans surrounding it. Governments have to take care of the wildlife as much as they take care of their people.

Gonzo dies during rescue

I woke up today with the sad news that Gonzo, the northern bottlenose whale that was stranded in the Thames River, died while rescuers attempt to bring it to the open sea. From BBC:

But the whale died at about 1900 GMT on Saturday as rescuers transported it on a barge towards deeper water in the Thames Estuary.

It was moved after being placed in a special pontoon near Battersea Bridge.

Alan Knight, from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) which led the rescue operation, said the animal died after it began to convulse while it was still on the barge.

The Observer reports from the scene where hundreds of Londoners and tourists were watching and cheering on the whale. From The Observer:

It was quite another, 30 minutes later, one minute before noon, to watch it beached, so obviously distressed. To see its would-be rescuers, up to their necks at times in the Thames, attempting to pat, push, calm, to somehow convey the feeling that there was goodwill from man, while that great tail began to flap so frantically. Were we going to end up with happy children, perfect endings: were we going to free Willy? Or were we going to end up with - there's no great way to put this - two tons of dead blubber?

The Telegraph has a nice graphic on how the rescue attempt unfolded. The whale's death is a sad end to a story that has captivated the hearts and minds of Londeners and the world. Gonzo may have died but hopefully its death teaches the world a lesson about how important these animals are. The northern bottlenose whale is an endangered species. We must do our best to protect not only the northern bottlenose whale but also other endangered animals from becoming extinct.

Previously: Free Gonzo!

Cupcakes galore!

Cupcakes! I love 'em. They even have their very own Flickr group called Cupcakes Take The Cake. This photo on the left taken by Cosmic Crusader, is just one of the many delicious photos of cupcakes found in the Flickr group. Yummy! Now, I want my cupcake! Click here for cupcake recipes.

(Thanks Myra Leong)


Update: Zoey Carlise tells me that the Flickr Group, Cupcakes Take The Cake has a blog.

Free Gonzo!

A northern bottlenose whale is stranded in the River Thames in England! The whale nicknamed Gonzo, has been in the river for more than a day. BBC reports that Gonzo is swimming further inland. From BBC:

The 16-18ft (5m) northern bottle-nosed whale was spotted early on Saturday in the Battersea area - the furthest upstream it has swum....

"The whale is currently in the water, it's very quiet," he said.

"We were not 100% sure it was in Greenwich. The fact that it is in the Battersea area suggests the whale is disoriented. It's not going in any particular direction."

He explained it was "impossible" to tell what the whale's condition is like, but he said Paul Jepson, vet with the Zoological Society of London, saw the whale from a boat and it appeared to have injuries.

Meanwhile, a blog has been setup by a PR firm to track the progress of Gonzo. Here's a poem sent to the whale blog by one of their readers. From Lewis PR - Whale Watch:

Oh Gonzo we feel like we know you,
Swim swim as best you can

You know what you have to do
all of London is your fan

Gonzo is in trouble -
we must not let him die

If only we could put him in a bubble
Why Gonzo? Oh why?

'We must save Gonzo' we say,
don't let them fill him with lead

At the end of the day
Gonzo is dead.

I sure hope Gonzo will be alright. After the dolphins, whales are my next favourite animal. Go Gonzo! Swim out to the ocean! For photos, do take a look at A whale came to The Thames photoset on Flickr. Learn more about the northern bottlenose whale here.

(Thanks Greg, falsetto55)

YouTube having a break

Even YouTube needs to have a break.

Chinese Democracy out this year!

Oh god! It is finally coming out! I'm talking about Guns n Roses (GNR) decade-in-the-making album called Chinese Democracy. GNR lead singer Axl Rose said to Rolling Stone Magazine that the album, most probably the most anticipated album in the history of Rock n Roll, will be out this year. From Rolling Stone:

"It's a very complex record," says Rose, a surprise guest at Korn's tour announcement bash. (Others in the house: Jessica Alba, cast members of The OC, and members of Linkin Park, Good Charlotte and the Used.) "I'm trying to do something different. Some of the arrangements are kind of like Queen. Some people are going to say, 'It doesn't sound like Axl Rose, it doesn't sound like Guns n' Roses.'" He then smiles and adds, "But you'll like at least a few songs on there....

"We're working on thirty-two songs, and twenty-six are nearly done," he says. Of those, thirteen are slated for the final album. Among Rose's favorites are "Better," "There Was a Time" and "The Blues."

Maybe I should not get too excited. We have heard this before. Every year, we've heard news about the launch of Chinese Democracy but it never happen. Hopefully Axl keeps his word this time around. 10 years is a fucking long wait for an album.

Anyway, back to the Rolling Stone story. It is good to know Axl has a sense of humour. From Rolling Stone:

And, when he's out of the spotlight, Rose says you'll find him doing average-guy stuff: reading books and watching movies. His favorite book is Philip K. Dick's A Scanner Darkly. "I was a little scared when I saw they were making it into a movie starring Keanu [Reeves]," he says. "But I guess if he can handle The Matrix, he can do this."

Here are some GNR goodies from YouTube. Watch some of their great performances by clicking the following links.

The Blues - "I don't know just what I should do, when everywhere I go I see you." One of GNR's new songs confirmed to be in the new album.

Madagascar - Another new song to be included in the new album.

Don't Cry - Axl with the old GNR members. Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon who sang Don't Cry (I and II) with Axl for the album, performs with Axl live.

Don't Cry II - Rare footage of Don't Cry II performed by Axl and the old GNR members.

Sweet Child O' Mine - The greatest rock song of all time!

Ferry La Cafe

Today on my photoblog: Ferry La Cafe

Must try the File-o Fish Burger.

Vibrate it without batteries

For ladies. A vibrator that uses solar power to charge itself. Great! Now you no longer need to keep buying batteries for your enjoyment. Just make sure the sun is out cause you need at least a few hours of direct sunlight to charge it.

(Thanks xXx)

The Book Bar

Need a bar for that little corner in your house? If you have lots of books to spare, you can do what these dudes did. They rescued old books thrown away by a library and used them to construct a bar from which to entertain their frequent guests. Who says books are only good for reading?

(Thanks redraiders_79)

Invasion of the giant jellyfish in Japan

Mysterious giant jellyfish known as the Nomura's jellyfish have invaded the Japanese coast and causing huge problems for the Japanese fishing community. From Reuters:

"It's a terrible problem. They're like aliens," Noriyuki Kani of the fisheries federation in Toyama, northwest of Tokyo, told Reuters ahead of the conference.

There are no official figures on the size of the problem, but Kani says the financial losses are obvious.

"If your nets are full of jellyfish, of course there is no space for fish," he said.

Wikipedia has an entry on the giant jellyfish. From Wikipedia:

Nomura's jellyfish (Stomolophus nomurai) is a very large Japanese jellyfish. Known in Japanese as echizen kurage, it is one of the largest species of jellyfish.

Growing up to 2m wide and weighing up to 200kg, with countless poisonous tentacles, they drift across the waters between China and Japan, causing problems for the local residents. Previously found mainly in the Yellow Sea, the Echizen's sting can be fatal, causing a build-up of fluid in the lungs. Victims can take up to a day to die.

Singapore earthquake proof?

An earthquake expert said that Singapore should conduct long term study focusing on how its reclaimed land reacts to earthquake. Reclaimed land usually amplifies earthquake shaking. From Yahoo News:

Rice said a sustained study was necessary because Singapore's situation is "roughly analogous" to that of Mexico City, which was devastated by an earthquake in 1985 because it was built on an old lakebed.

"You have extensive areas of marine clays, soft sediments, reclaimed land and you're going to have more," he said.

Singapore should not rely on its experience as a modern nation to think it was immune from the threat of a major earthquake off Sumatra's western coast, Rice said.

Memoirs of a Geisha goodies

Over at YouTube, you can watch a special on the making of Memoirs Of A Geisha. It has interviews from the cast, crew, and author, behind the scenes footage and clips from the movie. Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2. If you prefer laughs, then you should watch this hilarious spoof of the Memoirs trailer done by the crazy people over at Mad TV. Memoirs is is now showing in Singapore. Go watch it.

(Thanks cflava)

Google Pizza Ambassador

I envy American university students because they get to work in some of the world's best companies there such as Google. If you are an undergraduate or a graduate student in computer science or related field, you can sign up for Google's Pizza Program to be a Google Pizza Ambassador. Your job will be to order Pizza for your peers. From Google:

The Google Pizza Program rewards hard-working engineering students by allowing them to take a study break on Google. Google ambassadors identify opportunities to order pizza for their computer science peers, most often around project deadlines or exams. The pizza ambassadors are Google's main point of contact, and responsible for making the Google Pizza Program successful at their university.

I heard it helps if you love pizza.

InsideOut

InsideOut is a project by The Photo Essay that puts cameras in the hands of foreign workers in Singapore. The photos show Singapore as seen through the eyes of migrant workers. What an interesting project!

Babes in Space

For those who love space and babes! William Stotler has a gallery of science fiction magazine covers featuring women in space. Here's a little bit of history about the gallery. The Babes in Space gallery was part of the Penn State Science Fiction Consortium Web site from May of 1997 to May of 1998. The entire PSSFC site was removed from the Internet by Penn State in May of 1998 due to lack of staffing. William then took a small part of the collection and host them on his site.

(Thanks greensocks87)

Want this lady to do your cloning?

Take at a look at this pic (taken from Boing Boing). If you want to be cloned, do you trust this lady to do it for you? Take a look at her again. I think not.

She is Dr. Brigitte Boisselier, head of Clonaid. Yesterday, I blogged about Clonaid's job offer to Hwang Woo-Suk, a Korean scientist who was making the news recently for faking his human cloning experiment. Newsday has a story published in 2001 which profiles Dr. Boiselier.

(Thanks Stuart L)

Hwang Woo-sook gets a job offer

Shamed South Korean scientist Hwang Woo-sook must be thinking that his world is falling apart. Lost his job, accused of fabricating his human cloning experiment and having to apologise to the world many times. Well, at least someone still believes in him. Clonaid, a US biotech firm is offering him a job! From Digital Chosunilbo:

A press release from the company on Monday said Boisselier has written to Hwang to outline the proposal. Boisselier said she believed Hwang’s discoveries to be original and that groups opposing stem cell research such as the Catholic Church conspired to undermine Hwang by making it appear as though the scientist concocted his data. She said he had become a victim of a conservative anti-scientific faction, according to the press release.

Here is the press release found on Clonaid website. From Clonaid:

It is interesting to do the mental exercise, for just a few seconds, and ask oneself - why would Dr Hwang play with the hope of millions of people who are desperately waiting for stem-cell cure to be available for either themselves or one of their relatives? Why would he declare that he has made these lines, if he wasn't able to do it, knowing that millions are watching him and that he would have to deliver them soon?

In the same way, how can people believe that Clonaid's announcement of a cloned child being born was a hoax while thousands of parents-to-be were and are counting on us? Thankfully these parents didn't trust the media and today many of them had their baby...

We at Clonaid, believe that Dr Hwang has cloned human embryos and has the knowledge to develop stem cell lines.

We also believe that, like Dr.Boisselier, he has been discredited as he wasn't in line with what the political and religious powers of this world wanted regarding the cloning technology. It is easier to discredit someone than to believe in his words when he disturbs the establishment....

Dr. Boisselier has offered Dr. Hwang to collaborate in one of Clonaid's laboratories.

Clonaid was started by a crazy alien cult known as the Raelians. They claimed to have 60,000 members in almost 100 countries. They also said that Clonaid is the first company that had cloned a human being although they have yet to show any prove.

Congrats Hwang Woo-suk and good luck. Accept the job offer. You're in with good company, I'm sure.

David Lane

Today on the photoblog: David Lane

Update: Panda told me that the Chinese words in the photo mean dig ear. LOL. I did not know hair saloon offers ear digging service.

Mr Miyagi clone found

I was asked to take a look at a new Japanese Flickr clone called Livedoor PICS. While looking through the photos at the site, I came across this - a clone of our very own Mr Miyagi! I thought he looks like a younger version of Mr Miyagi with lots of hair. Yes? No? Picture above: Mr Miyagi and his clone

A night of EPL with pasta

Last night while watching a game of English Premier League on cable, I got hungry and decided to cook pasta, probably one of the easiest meal to cook after instant noodles. Ain't late night snack great?! The meal was good but the scoreline sucked. Chelsea won again. Damn! Click here to view my Pasta photoset on Flickr.

Who owns my mp3s when I die?

The ultimate question for all you music lovers and mp3 freaks. Who owns your mp3s when you die? The following is one answer. From Ask MetaFilter:

Finally, Neale originally asked "Who owns my mp3s when I die?". Even assuming that (1) you obtained your MP3s in violation of copyright law, and (2) you transferred them to your heirs in violation of copyright law, your heirs would still "own" the mp3s until the copyright owner (RIAA) brought suit, won, and convinced a court to impound your harddrive. (RIAA would also need to bring this suit within a few years of your death.) All in all, this seems pretty unlikely to me.

So the short answer is, "Your heirs will probably own your mp3 collection."

(Thanks Tzar)

New Rubic's Cube record

A dude set a new a new world record when he took only 11.13 seconds to solve a Rubik's Cube. 11.13 seconds! Hmm, I'm trying to remember the last time I solved a Rubik's Cube. How long did I take? Well, I did not break any records because I gave up most of the time. Guess I'm no good with cubes. From ZDNet:

On Saturday, at the International Rubik's Cube competition held at the Exploratorium here, Lo took just 11.13 seconds to set the world record for solving of one of the iconic red, white, blue, green, yellow and red cubes....

He explained that the solution he'd chosen--based on algorithms he'd memorized for solving the cube as it was presented to him--ended up not requiring a final step that normally would have added two or three seconds to his time.

To watch a video of the world record click here. CNET has a set of photos from the competition.

Help your kids blog safely

Worried that your kid might be blogging? Here is how parents can help their kids to blog safely. From CBS News:

If your child or teen has a blog, ideally it would be good if he or she told you the blog's Web address so you could monitor what was being posted and be sure your child isn't posting any personal information or anything else that could be harmful. But the truth is that many kids who have blogs are reluctant to tell their parents because they use the blogs to express themselves in ways that they may not want to share with their parents.

Steve Jobs movie posters

What happens when you get readers to design a movie poster featuring Apple's Steve Jobs? Well, you get photoshopped entries like this one. Enemy of Bill Gates! Brilliant!

(Thanks Lord Kimbo)

Nasty Blonde Jokes

How about some blonde jokes for today? Presenting Memoirs of a Blonde. From Journal Of The Whills:

May: Tried to make jelly. Wrong instructions...a litre of hot water won't fit into those little packets!

June: Tried to go water skiing but couldn't find a lake with a slope.

July: Lost breaststroke swimming competition. Learned later, the other swimmers cheated. They used their arms!

August: Got locked out of my car in rainstorm...car swamped because soft-top was open.

Nasty!!!

Stardust has landed!

This is the latest I got from NASA TV. The Stardust capsule has successfully landed in the Utah Test and Training Range. This infrared image taken from NASA TV shows one of the helicopters used to track the falling capsule. They have located the capsule and a crew is being sent to retrive it. It seems that the capsule is intact and survived the entry.




Update 8.30pm:

Image taken from NASA TV shows a helicopter carrying the Stardust capsule arriving at an airbase. The whole mission is a success! Scientists now have in their hands the cometary and interstellar particles that could tell us more about the beginning of the solar system and hopefully, life on Earth.

Stardust to land in less than 3 hours

NASA's Stardust spacecraft is less than 3 hours from landing on the salt flats of the Utah Test and Training Range. The spacecraft has been travelling in space for 7 years collecting particles from a comet in space. These particles are very important because comets are thought to contain the building blocks of the early solar system. Some even thought that comets may have brought life to Earth. From CNN:

Stardust captured particles from the comet's tail in a tennis-racket sized collection unit made with blocks of aerogel, a strong, lightweight silica glass that is 99.8 percent air and looks like frozen smoke.

"The fundamental reason for this mission is that we are collecting what we believe are the best preserved samples of the formation of our solar system and they are preserved because they formed these comet bodies beyond the major planets out beyond Neptune," said principal investigator Don Brownlee of the University of Washington.

Stardust will launch its capsule containing the comet particles once it nears Earth's atmosphere. The capsule will then enter our atmosphere and will land in Utah with the help of a parachute. Those who are living in California, Nevada and Utah can see the Stardust capsule burn through the atmosphere. From Desert News:

It will come in at 29,000 miles per hour, its heat shield creating a long blaze in the dark heavens. For those in the best places, "Stardust's return home will look like a bright, fiery meteor streaking from northwest to southeast," said Patrick Wiggins, NASA solar system ambassador to Utah and Nevada.

While it should be visible across a large swath of the northwestern United States, its landing state may not be a good place to see it. Wiggins said the best places to see it may be along a line from Elko, Nev., to Wendover. People there may also hear its sonic boom.

NASA is also covering the landing on its NASA TV. You can view it online here.

Blog Celebrity Deathmatch

There's a war going on in the local blogosphere between Team A (Xiaxue, Sillycelly and Sandra) and Team B (Blinkymummy and Xialanxue). Go read their blogs to find out what happened. Tomorrow has links to some blogs following the story.

I thought I should add a little bit of humour to the whole situation. Just for laughs. I present to you Celebrity Deathmatch, blogger style! Oh, the person lying down with only the legs visible, that's Xialanxue. From left to right: Xiaxue, Blinkymummy, Sillycelly and Sandra

Previous: Xiaxue vs Fiona Xie

Beware of the pedicure

I watched a news report on CNN two nights ago about a group of women who are suing a few pedicure salons in the US. These women claim that they had scarring on their legs after their pedicure visits. This is actually a microbacterial infection called Fortuitum which causes boils on the legs. In some instances, they even cause permanent scarring.

Mycobacterium fortuitum is found commonly in contaminated whirlpool footbaths used by salons to relax customers and soften their skin before a pedicure. Fortuitum is found everywhere on earth. It only causes a problem to humans when nutrient content and temperatures get to the right level, allowing them to multiply in large amounts. The bacterium is not spread from person to person. A person can only acquire it from the environment. In this case, whirpool footbaths.

So what happens when you get infected by it? Usually after getting a pedicure, one that is infected will start noticing small sores developing on her lower legs. These small pores will then become larger and will developed into tender boils and skin ulders. A dose of antibiotics will usually make the infection go away but scarring on the legs will usually remain. These scars will require skin grafting.

How does a whirpool footbath get contaminated by Fortuitum? The answer is footbath screens. Chairs designed for pedicures have foot baths attached with individual filtering systems. These footbath screens if not cleaned, will accumulate hair, skin and toenails. This makes an ideal environment for fortuitum to breed. So when the water swirled around your feet, Fortuitum swims all over your feet too.

The International Nail Technicians Association (INTA) says that consumers should follow certain guidelines when having pedicure. You must not shave your legs for at least 24 hours before a pedicure. Do not do pedicure if you have open sores or nicks on your feet or legs. All equipment including basins and bowls must be clean and disinfected, before a pedicure. Before a whirlpool footbath, ask if the screen is removed, cleaned and disinfected every day. Disinfectant must to be circulated and flushed through the whirlpool system for at least 10 minutes. If the salon rejects your questions, then it is better that you move to another salon to be safe.

So is having a pedicure in Singapore safe? Today, I asked 10 salons offering pedicure services and this is what I found out. None of them know anything about Mycobacterium fortuitum. Only 3 out of the 10 that I spoke to told me that they heard of possible bacteria infections caused by pedicure. Only 1 salon stopped using the whirlpool footbath and now uses buckets that are cleaned with baricide instead. The other 9 salons do not clean their footbath screens daily. Only 1 out of these 9 salons cleans them once every three days. 5 of them don't even know that the screens have to cleaned in the first place! The other 3 haven't been cleaning the screens for weeks and months.

A doctor that I talked to says that fortuitum infections from contaminated footbaths may occur quite regularly here in Singapore but he says the authorities do not track the disease. "I have heard of it from other doctors too but I would say there are more people that don't seek treatment," he said. A person who is in the nail/pedicure industry told me that there is no law or code of conduct in Singapore for nail practitioners to adhere to. The person told me that some in the industry are discussing about forming an association where proper education and practice can be taught to the nail practitioners.

So the next time you step into a salon for a pedicure, remember to ask them about their footbath screens. You do not want to get Fortuitum.

The Cross

Today on the photoblog: The Cross

Tribute to Goatse

Even toy robots are at it! This one is doing an impression of the Goatse dude. Check out other Goatse tribute pictures on the Tribute to Goatse.cx site. Most pictures are safe for work.

(Thanks Vana)

Previously: My first Goatse reaction

Tag: goatse

Free 2006 Calendar

Hopefully this isn't too late. I have made available 12 of my photographs originally posted on my photoblog Katoomba Syndrome for this free 2006 calendar.

Click on the following links, print them out and feel free to hang them on your wall.

January 2006, February 2006, March 2006, April 2006, May 2006, June 2006, July 2006, August 2006, September 2006, October 2006, November 2006, December 2006

You can also view the above in my Flickr 2006 Calendar photoset. Hope you enjoy them all.

Solutions for net companies to behave ethically

Internet sector companies do not respect freedom of expression when operating in repressive countries. For example, the likes of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft all have helped the Chinese government to censor information. Reporters Without Borders proposes six concrete ways to make these companies behave ethically. From Reporters Without Borders:

Content hosts (websites, blogs, discussion forums etc)

US companies would not be allowed to locate their host servers within repressive countries. If the authorities of a repressive country desire the closure of a publication hosted by a US company, they would have to request it under a procedure supervised by the US judicial authorities. Like search engines, content hosts would not be allowed to incorporate automatic filters that censor “protected” key-words.

Internet censorship technologies

Reporters Without Borders proposes two options :

Option a : US companies would no longer be permitted to sell Internet censorship software to repressive states.

Option b : They would still be able to market this type of software but it will have to incorporate a list of “protected” keywords that are rendered technically impossible to censor.

No Wikipedia in China

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales says that one of the reasons for him starting Wikipedia is to encourage thousands of people all over the world, from all cultures, working together in harmony to freely share clear, factual, unbiased information. Well, looks like he has to do without the people living in China. China has banned the popular online encylopedia for more than 10 weeks. This has frustrated many Chinese students and intellectuals. From The Globe And Mail:

Wikipedia, which offers more than 2.2 million articles in 100 languages, has emerged as an important source of scholarly knowledge in China and many other countries. But its stubborn neutrality and independence on political issues such as Tibet and Taiwan has repeatedly drawn the wrath of the Communist authorities...

Others said the blocking of Wikipedia has been a major blow to their research projects and even to their prospects of passing civil-service exams. "How can I do my thesis now?" a university student asked on another Chinese website.

My first Goatse reaction

I first heard of the Goatse photos last year. The Goatse photos are a series of shocking photos of a man showing off his anal stretching abilities. They are totally gruesome. Today, I decided to take a look at the photos for the first time after reading a post on BoingBoing that highlights a cruel experiment. Show someone Goatse and then take a photo of their reactions. And all thanks to the wonderful world of Flickr, you can get to see these photos. The above is my reaction. Yup, you can see how shocked I was when I viewed Goatse. You can join in the fun too. Just tag 'firtstgoatse' to your photo and you can also send them to the First Goatse Group.

For those who want to view the Goatse photos, let me warn you that they are not safe for work and I'm not going to provide a direct link to it. Go to Wikipedia's entry on the subject, scroll down to the very end and click on the link which says 'Collection of the original goatse series'. Enjoy.

Update: Here's a safer pic of Goatse in ASCII. (Thanks Kurt)

Related: Tribute to Goatse

Tag: goatse

Apple zooms at Macworld Expo

Apple launches its iLife '06, iWork '06 and the new Intel Macs (MacBook Pro and iMac) at Macworld Expo. From Macworld:

Okay, so we “experts” got it half right and half wrong. In addition to the iMac, Apple has finally brought the PowerBook out of the G4 dark ages. Or, wait, has it? I guess Apple has finally put the PowerBook — G4 and all — out of its misery. In its place stands a new laptop with a moniker that could choke a horse, the MacBook Pro. (I guess we’ll all get used to it eventually. I understand the need to get the word Mac into the name of every Mac produced, but… PowerBook was a good name. I’ll miss it.)

Apple fans are already excited with the new Intel powered Macs. Those lucky ones who tested the Intel Macs at Macworld Expo said that they are faster than their predecessors. From CNET:

"Yeah, it's faster," said Gove, 21, after testing a MacBook at Macworld. "It connects really fast and the picture is really clear. When you're running multiple programs on other computers it really slows them down. I had a bunch of applications up and it ran smoothly."

Tags: macworld, apple

India lost 10 million daughters

According to New Scientist, as many as 10 million female fetuses may have been selectively aborted by their parents over the last 20 years in India where daughters are normally regarded as a liability. From New Scientist:

Their study of 1.1 million households across India reveals that in 1997, far fewer girls were born to couples if their preceding child or children were also female. “There was about a 30% gap in second females following the birth of any earlier females,” Jha told New Scientist...

Based “on conservative assumptions” the gap in births equates to about 0.5 million missing female births a year, says the team. Assuming the practice has been common in the two decades since ultrasound became widely available, this adds up to 10 million missing girls.

Giants and Girls

The Giants and Girls Galleries contain pictures of damsels in distress menaced by giants, freaks, monsters, gorillas, mutants and other monsters. The pictures come from scans of original, studio-issued promotional material such as 8x10 stills, lobby cards, window cards, posters, pressbooks, as well as contemporary magazines and movie captures.

(Thanks Tara)

Inflatable F16 Fighter Jet

Ever wanted a F16 Fighter jet but the price may be out of reach for you? Maybe you might want to consider this. Someone is selling an inflatable dummy F16 on eBay. It is developed and manufactured using 3-D digital computerized system and produce on a 1:1 ratio to a real F16. The good thing is that you only need 10 to 40 minutes to fully assemble and inflate it. Now, if only it can fly.

(Thanks Bern R.)

Rain Rain Go Away

Hate the rain? Sing along to this. Oh, for those of you who are having too much snow, you can replace the word Rain with Snow. Got it? K. Now sing.

Rain, rain, go away.
Come again some other day.
Little IZ wants to play,
In the meadow by the hay.

Rain, rain, go to Spain,
Never show your face again.

Rain, rain, pour down,
But not a drop on our town.

Rain on the green grass,
and rain on the tree,
And rain on the housetop,
but not on me.

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again on washing day.

Rain, rain, go to Germany,
And remain there permanently.

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day,
If you don't, IZ will say,
Rain, rain go away.

Asia Shivers!

I love the rain and the cold weather but I hate it when it rains too much. Over here in Singapore, we have been having continuous rain for the past few days and it is showing no signs of stopping. The weather has been mildly cold here too. It is currently 23 to 25 degrees celsius. I think the lowest ever temperature recorded in Singapore is 20.5 degrees celsius.

The cold weather is also hitting other parts of Asia with more devastating effect. Reuters is reporting that there is record snow in Japan, shivering in Delhi and freezing in China. From Reuters:

In Japan, troops and workers tried to clear snow that had piled up to more than three metres high in some of the worst-hit areas of Niigata prefecture and to re-open blocked roads in Nagano prefecture. Both areas are northwest of Tokyo...

In China, cattle have died of the cold in the far western province of Xinjiang and a 42-km section of the Yellow River has frozen over in eastern Shandong, officials and news reports said...

In India, residents of the capital awoke on Sunday to the coldest morning in 70 years with the temperature falling to around freezing point, forcing officials to shut primary schools for 3 days.

Local TV footage showed a thin layer of ice on the grass in parks and on the roofs of cars as people came out for early morning walks.

Ahmad Qisa'i, a blogger in New Delhi says that this year's winter is the coldest he has ever experienced there. From Kuch Bhi Kaho:

Based on my own experience, having been in India since October 1996, this year's winter is the coldest winter I have ever experienced so far. Today, Sunday, 8 January 2006, Delhi experienced the coldest morning ever in which the morning temperature recorded at 8.30 AM in the city was 0.2 degree celsius, some few degrees well below the normal 5 to 8 degree celsius. Everyone in Delhi was shivering throughout day and the situation is likely to continue for the next few days. The Delhi government has decided to close the primary school for the next two days, until Wednesday, due this severe cold.

Blogger Dave who lives in Miyagi-Ken, Japan, has been seeing a lot of snow since last month. He says that having a lot of snow is a nightmare. From English Man in Miyagi-Ken:

When you have to go out in the snow shopping or to go to work it is a nightmare. Trying to walk through snowy and icy pavements is troublsome and riding a bike on the stuff is extremely dangerous. Yesterday I had to go out and it was snowing but not that heavy. Even so I took my bike and my gosh it was dangerous and I had to really concentrate on my biking. One lapse of concentration could be a dissaster,even braking has to be done right or you slide everywhere.

Another Japanese blogger Mayuko who lives in Akita-Ken, is also fed up with all the snow and wishes that it will stop. From Kayano:

The snow on the roof appeared like big mass. It was more than my expectation. My family started to shovel snow, but we couldn’t see the roof until it passed thirty minutes. When we found it difficult to finish in a day, a man came to close the house and started to help clearing snow! I kept working with wondering who he is, and found another man was coming to the house. He climbed the leader and started to clear snow. The other men who I don’t know came one after another. At last, there were totally nine people including my family.

Click here for Kayano's photos of the snow that is wrecking havoc in her hometown.

Update: For those of you who hate the rain or the snow, you can sing along to this.

Tom Cruise saves Yahoo

Earlier on Friday before Google's keynote address at the CES, Yahoo gave theirs with the help of celebrities Ellen DeGeneres and Tom Cruise. The later surprised everyone with his presence. For me, I was surprised Tom Cruise did not take the opportunity to make any of his now infamous public comments about his beloved religion Scientology. Damn Tom, there are a lot of geeks there for you to convert. From CNET:

While trying to demonstrate the new Yahoo Go TV, which allows people to access Yahoo content and services through a Windows XP-based PC connected to a TV, the Internet connection failed. Executives tried to ad lib until Semel called his surprise guest, Cruise, to the stage....

Earlier in the keynote, comedian DeGeneres delivered a humorous shtick about how much trouble she has using technology and making puns about how different the gadgets were at the porn convention down the street. She suggested that e-mail developers enhance spell check to include a sarcasm check and a "24-hour hold on angry e-mails."

Ok, back to Tom. Tom Cruise is nuts. Really.

(Thanks ryanlo_66)

Tag: ces

Gallery of Movie Title Screens

Steven Hill has an impressive gallery of screen captures of movie title screens on his website. He currently has 3,529 titles. This one on the left is the title screen of the 1933 film, Son Of Kong.

(Thanks Fabrique)

Google Yawn

Everyone was waiting anxiously for Google to announce something big at this year's CES. On Friday, Google's Larry Page together with actor/comedian Robin Williams took to the stage for a keynote address. The keynote address was a breath of fresh air thanks to Robin Williams' antics but the announcement of new products by Google was a 'yawn'. That's right. No Google PC. Well, not yet. From PC Mag:

The Google Pack offering is positioned as a way for PC users to get common sets of software for fixing problems and protecting compatibility, free of charge. A one-click download lets you continue working while Google Pack installs the Mozilla Firefox browser, Picasa photo management software, Adobe Reader, Google Earth, and numerous PC protection titles. Google worked with the software providers so that the download includes no dialog boxes asking questions, and does not step on any existing software, Page said.

In other news, Google has forged a partnership with CBS to offer $1.99 downloads of many shows through Google Video. The shows include hit names, such as CSI, Survivor, and Amazing Race, but the deal also extends to making available classic shows, including Star Trek, the Brady Bunch and I Love Lucy. The NBA has also agreed to allow users of Google Video to download any game from Google Video 24 hours after the game finishes. In other Google Video partnerships, Google will start offering ITN historical videos, and music videos from Sony BMG.

Click here for Google Pack.

Tags: ces, google

The planets in 2006

Wonder where in the heavens are the planets this year? Space.com takes a look at the visibility of all the eight planets during 2006. Only five -Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn- can be spotted with the naked eye. The rest requires binoculars. Pluto requires a telescope. This is what Space.com has to say about my favourite planet this year. From Space.com:

Saturn: Usually shines like a yellowish-white "star" of moderate brightness. It will be primarily a late-night/early morning object through much of January. By late January into February it will be visible most of the night and will continue to be a convenient evening object through the middle of July. It is at opposition to the Sun on Jan. 27 and will also have two close encounters with other naked-eye planets in 2006.

It will pass just over one-half degree from a much-dimmer Mars on the evening of June 17 and will lie a similar distance from the much-more dazzling Venus on the morning of Aug. 27. Saturn is located within the relatively dim stars of Cancer, the Crab. On February 2 and again on June 5, Saturn will be situated just below the beautiful cluster of stars popularly known as the "Beehive." The famous ring system is visible in telescopes magnifying over 30-power.

From mid-March until the beginning of May, the rings will be tilted at a 20º angle toward Earth. You should take full advantage of this circumstance, because, we won't see the rings tipped 20º or more to our line of sight again until the year 2014!

Yellow Asia Miles Tram

On the photoblog today: Yellow Asia Miles Tram

CES Flickr photoset by Yahoo News

It looks like Yahoo is making full use of their acquisiton of Flickr. The folks from Yahoo News are posting photos of CES 2006 on their Flickr account! Here's the link to the photoset.

(Thanks madmax)

Tag: ces

The SkyScout

I have been following the coverage of CES provided by both gadget blogs Engadget and Gizmodo. One of the products that got my attention is the SkyScout by telescope maker Celestron. I own a Celestron 6 inch reflector telescope similar to this new model. The SkyScout isn't a telescope but a cool handheld decive that can help anyone learn how to spot the stars easily. From Celestron:

Point the SkyScout at any bright star and it will instantly identify the object or choose an object from the celestial database of over 6,000 objects and the SkyScout will guide you to it.

The SkyScout includes great information and stories about the most popular celestial objects in scrolling text and narrated audio...

SkyScout combines GPS technology, which gives the time, date and location of the user, software that calculates the position of the objects for that moment and 3 axis sensors measuring gravitational and magnetic fields to determine the true orientation of the SkyScout to the earth.

(via Gizmodo)

Tag: ces

Bigfoot drawn by Orang Asli

Is this how Bigfoot in Malaysia looks like? This is a drawing of Bigfoot done by an Orang Asli who claimed he saw the creature. This drawing is enlarged and enhanced from the one accompanying a story on Malay Mail Online. In the story, the writer asks, "Could Bigfoot, believed to have been spotted in the jungles of Johor, actually be a pre-historic animal which had gone extinct over hundreds of thousand years ago?"

It was revealed that the one day expedition by Johor National Park failed to find any evidence of Bigfoot. They will try again next month. Oh well, they can try but they will never find anything. Why? Because Bigfoot doesn't exist. People have claimed to have spotted Bigfoot in places like the US for many years but until today, no one has been able to come forward with hard proof of the existence of Bigfoot. I too want to believe in Bigfoot but it is as good as believing in Malaysia's Orang Bunians.

(Thanks exist)

Previously: Bigfoot in Malaysia

Make your nose nicer with HanaHana

IZ Reloaded reader Kitaro writes, "HanaHana is a Japanese product that is used on your nose. It makes your nose higher by working on the nose cartilage. After using HanaHana, it will change the entire impression of your face and make you prettier. People in Japan have been using it on average of one hour daily. They claim that it really raises their nose."

Interesting. I remember when I was a kid, my beautiful mum who was obsessed with noses I think, used to put a clothes peg on my nose every morning. She said that doing it will make me have a nicer nose. I think she's right. LOL

(Thanks Kitaro)

Microsoft took down Chinese blog

Yesterday, I blogged that Robert Scoble blasted his company Microsoft for censoring a Chinese blogger. Now, Microsoft has confirmed that it did take down the MSN Spaces blog written by Zhao Jing. It says it did it to comply with Chinese laws. From InformationWeek:

Microsoft said in a statement that the decision to unplug Zhao was inline with its practice of "ensuring that products and services comply with global and local laws, norms, and industry practices."

"Most countries have laws and practices that require companies providing online services to make the Internet safe for local users," the company said. "Occasionally, as in China, local laws and practices require consideration of unique elements.”

So I reckon Microsoft took down Zhao Jing's blog because it is unsafe for Chinese readers? I say that's full of crap! Nice work Microsoft. I'm sure after this act the Chinese government will love you guys more.

Previous: Scobleizer dissapointed with Microsoft

Tags: china, msn spaces, microsoft

Maturbazione?

For those of you who 'self-service', this baboon will show that you are not alone. Watch this short Google video of a baboon doing what he does best in his spare time.

Here's another interesting fact about baboons. Female baboons ( I call them baboobs!) will moan, groan and cry longer and livelier when having sex with a high ranking male. From New Scientist:

One possible explanation for the baboon behaviour is that the female is trying to avoid being harassed by other potential suitors while she is mating with a choice male, says lead researcher Stuart Semple of the Institute of Zoology in London.

However, the reason for the spirited shouting may be purely physical. The females could simply be more stimulated by larger, dominant males, says Semple.

Larger and more dominant males = more stimulation. Hehe. That makes sense.

For real life baboon sex and masturbation, head down to the Singapore Zoo's Hamadryas Baboons exhibit. I heard it's pretty happening there.

Previous: Being gay is the IN thing in the animal world, Top 20 sexy beasts

Internet is a threat to Asian governments

The Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) said that Asian governments trying to control free flow of information will find it more difficult to do so with the rising internet penetration rates in Asia. From Yahoo News:

PERC cited a report by industry watchdog Freedom House which named China, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam as countries where the press is "not free".

Of the four, the most vulnerable to the political impact of the Internet are China, Vietnam and Malaysia where the governments have taken a stronger stance to censor the Web, it said.

"Precisely because they are so vulnerable, the governments in China and Vietnam will go to the greatest lengths to control the information flows over the Internet and cell phone systems in their countries," PERC said.

PERC also said that it will be interesting to see how the Singapore government reacts to the potential use of the internet by opposition parties and critics during the next elections.

Tags: china, singapore, asia, internet

Scobleizer dissapointed with Microsoft

Robert Scoble, Microsoft's most famous blogger is dissapointed with his company for censoring a Chinese blogger. Zhao Jing aka Michael Anti's blog at MSN Spaces was taken down by MSN. From Scobleizer:

It’s one thing to pull a list of words out of blogs using an algorithm. It’s another thing to become an agent of a government and censor an entire blogger’s work. Yes, I know the consequences. Yes, there are thousands of jobs at stake. Billions of dollars. But, the behavior of my company in this instance is not right....

Oh, and to: Zhao Jing, aka Michael Anti I’d like to offer you a guest blog here on my blog. I won’t censor you and you can write whatever you’d like.

Guys over at MSN: sorry, I don’t agree with your being used as a state-run thug.

I agree with Scoble on this but it is indeed difficult when you are dealing with a country like China. As much as you do not want your company to help censor political views, the company if it wants to do business in China, has a responsibility to listen to what the Chinese government wants. And we all know what China wants which is to censor those who are opposed to its policies and ruling. Will Scoble's bosses listen? Will they risk the potential of millions and billions in China for the sake of one Chinese blogger? I don't think so.

BoingBoing has more on this.

Tags: china, msn spaces, microsoft

Erotic art and pinup gallery

For erotica art fans, PinupArt.RU has galleries of erotic art and pinups by artists such as Egor Fetisov, George Petty and Pablo Picasso.

(Thanks nwo68)

Singapore iPod Report

iLounge did a report of iPod's presence in Singapore and was surprised at the popularity of the iPod here. From iLounge:

Yet these stores, and even resellers largely focused on Sony products here, also almost invariably carry something else: iPods. Frankly, we were surprised at just how much of a presence the iPod family has in Singapore, given Creative’s established position and the continued appearance of cheap devices from comparatively obscure companies...

Gobs of iPods. Stores here have lots of them - at least, nanos and full-sized models. As in Tokyo, where we ultimately saw a total of one person (a child) wearing an iPod shuffle during our travels, the lowest-end iPod appears to be very rare here, both in stores and on the streets. We saw a bunch in Little India’s 24-hour Mustafa Centre, but not elsewhere. Rather, the nano appears to be the inspirational iPod of choice, as we’ve seen a couple of different “win iPod nano” contests sponsored by major stores or restaurants.

Read the Tokyo and KL reports too.

Tags: ipod, singapore, tokyo, kl

Companies are monitoring blogs

More companies are monitoring blogs and online forums to find out what their custormers are saying about their products and services. One such company that is treating online word of mouth very seriously is HP. From CNET:

"We pay attention to the blogosphere," said Scott Anderson, HP's director of enterprise brand communications, in a talk at the Syndicate conference in San Francisco in December. "Our audience is online. They're having discussions about us and about our competitors, and they're talking about the marketplace. It may be good, and it may be bad, but it's important for us to pay attention to what's being said out there."

Effectively, Anderson said, HP considers bloggers--especially chief-level executives, journalists and "influencers in our market"--to be valuable filters for what people think about its products and services.

"The blogosphere is a great place for customer intelligence," he said. "Things are happening very fast. Bloggers are considered to be people with real strong opinions. So it's a place where people are being really honest about what they think."

Tags: blogs, hp

Top make-out spots in NUS

As they say, love is everywhere especially in the university. Funkygrad has a guide to the top 5 make-out spots in National University of Singapore (NUS). They are Kent Ridge Road, the Sports and Recreation Centre shower cubicles, other toilet cubicles in NUS, hall rooms and the rooftop of NUS Central Library. From Funkygrad:

Rooftop of Central Library

Sweat-Before-The-Act: 2/10
Ranked as the top make-out spot, the only sweat before your act is probably due to the climb up a short flight of stairs. Then again, if you can't even climb stairs, are you sure you are able to handle the strenuous activities that follow?

All buses stop by the Central Library. Just climb up the short flight of stairs opposite the main entrance and you reach the rooftop! If you like, cool yourself down in the air-conditioned library first.

Sex-tisfaction Factor: 5/10
Some might find it uncomfortable making out on the cold and hard cement floor. It is recommended that you bring your own mattress. In fact, we have uncovered mattresses and used condoms at the rooftop.

Climax-ability: 10/10
Where else in campus allows you to make out under the stars, with a fantastic view of the harbour as backdrop and cool breeze caressing your face? This is the experience we so yearn for, or your money back.

(Thanks Jimmy)

Tag: singapore, nus

New Year panorama pics from around the world

Panoramas.dk has several Quicktime panoramas taken during New Year celebrations from places like Times Square (NY), Sydney, Tokyo and Amsterdam. These are truly spectacular 360 degree interactive panoramas. You can click on each image and move it in any direction.

(Thanks Johnny Q)

Best Batman joke ever

Commisioner Gordon had enough of Batman dissapearing in his office without saying goodbye. Haha! Brilliant!

(Thanks iggy)

Cat calls 911

If you thought the news of Bigfoot in Malaysia is bizarre, then how about this one? A cat calling 911 to help its owner. From CBS News:

Police aren't sure how else to explain it.

But when an officer walked into an apartment Thursday night to answer a 911 call, an orange-and-tan striped cat was lying by a telephone on the living room floor. The cat's owner, Gary Rosheisen, was on the ground near his bed having fallen out of his wheelchair.

Rosheisen said his cat, Tommy, must have hit the right buttons to call 911.

(Thanks Lord Kimbo)

Bigfoot in Malaysia?

There's something strange going on in the jungles of southern Malaysia. Reports of Bigfoot are surfacing there. Yup, Bigfoot! In Malaysia! And the hunt is on to track down the elusive creature. From The Star:

“I was trembling with fear as the creature stared at me,” he said, adding that he did not move for about 15 minutes.

Amir, who initially thought the creature would leave, decided to run when the creature continued to stare at him.

“I did not look back and continued running until I reached my village,” he said, showing a clearing in the jungle where the standoff occurred to some 50 people who took part in an expedition to gather information on the Bigfoot sightings in the state.

The one-day expedition, led by Johor National Parks director Hashim Yusof, comprised park officials and press members.

A director of the Johor National Parks Corporation hopes that the interest in Bigfoot will lead to a boost in eco-tourism for the state and country. From The Star:

Johor National Parks Corporation (JNPC) director Hashim Yusof in an interview with a Malay daily said any physical and scientific evidence of Bigfoot’s existence would turn the state’s forest into an attraction for researchers and tourists alike.

However, Hashim said that JNPC was unable to track down Bigfoot due to a shortage of manpower to comb the national park.

“But we are willing to work together with relevant authorities conducting researches on Bigfoot,” he said.

The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) in the US also carries the news on its website. From BFRO:

Recent news stories from Malaysia describe giant ape sightings in parts of Johor, on the southern tip of the Malaysian Peninsula.

Bigfoot/giganto sightings in Malaysia are nothing new. The new factor is the government's supportive attitude toward projects to investigate the sightings. That's a first, for any country. Government officials and conservationists with the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) are openly discussing the subject with the national news agency (see articles below).

The MNS is urging people to take the sightings seriously and treat the giant apes as national treasures.

According to the BFRO, Bigfoot sightings are common in the US and Canada. Bigfoot has also been reported in Malaysia, Indonesia, China and Australia.

Tags: malaysia, bigfoot