An original.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Michael Jackson's Breathtaking Performance at the 1988 Grammys
God rest Michael Jackson. His performance of Man in the Mirror (in the second half of the clip) is unforgettable. Thanks to Nic Murphy and Anthony Paget for turning me on to this moment in Mike's career. Check out Anthony's blog here.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Hey, Lets Pretend That Was Perfectly Acceptable
This woman has the testosterone of a Gorilla, the comic sensibility of a toddler, but her timing's not bad.
16 Year Old Girl Still An Infant!
Doctors Baffled, Intrigued by Girl Who Doesn't Age
Years Pass, but Brooke Greenberg Remains a Toddler. No One Can Explain How or Why.
By BOB BROWN
June 23, 2009
Brooke Greenberg is the size of an infant, with the mental capacity of a toddler.
She turned 16 in January.
"Why doesn't she age?" Howard Greenberg, 52, asked of his daughter. "Is she the fountain of youth?"
Such questions are why scientists are fascinated by Brooke. Among the many documented instances of children who fail to grow or develop in some way, Brooke's case may be unique, according to her doctor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine pediatrician Lawrence Pakula, in Baltimore.
"Many of the best-known names in medicine, in their experience ... had not seen anyone who matched up to Brooke," Pakula said. "She is always a surprise."
Brooke hasn't aged in the conventional sense. Dr. Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, in Tampa, says Brooke's body is not developing as a coordinated unit, but as independent parts that are out of sync. She has never been diagnosed with any known genetic syndrome or chromosomal abnormality that would help explain why.
Full article here.
Kinda makes you wonder if she'll be hitting puberty around 2100. Maybe she's the new breed.
Years Pass, but Brooke Greenberg Remains a Toddler. No One Can Explain How or Why.
By BOB BROWN
June 23, 2009
Brooke Greenberg is the size of an infant, with the mental capacity of a toddler.
She turned 16 in January.
"Why doesn't she age?" Howard Greenberg, 52, asked of his daughter. "Is she the fountain of youth?"
Such questions are why scientists are fascinated by Brooke. Among the many documented instances of children who fail to grow or develop in some way, Brooke's case may be unique, according to her doctor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine pediatrician Lawrence Pakula, in Baltimore.
"Many of the best-known names in medicine, in their experience ... had not seen anyone who matched up to Brooke," Pakula said. "She is always a surprise."
Brooke hasn't aged in the conventional sense. Dr. Richard Walker of the University of South Florida College of Medicine, in Tampa, says Brooke's body is not developing as a coordinated unit, but as independent parts that are out of sync. She has never been diagnosed with any known genetic syndrome or chromosomal abnormality that would help explain why.
Full article here.
Kinda makes you wonder if she'll be hitting puberty around 2100. Maybe she's the new breed.
700 NYC Teachers Getting Paid for Nada
700 NYC teachers are paid to do nothing
By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK – Hundreds of New York City public school teachers accused of offenses ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their full salaries to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the Internet or just staring at the wall, if that's what they want to do.
Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its "rubber rooms" — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings.
The 700 or so teachers can practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their colleagues — pretty much anything but school work. They have summer vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and holidays through the school year.
Full article here.
By KAREN MATTHEWS, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK – Hundreds of New York City public school teachers accused of offenses ranging from insubordination to sexual misconduct are being paid their full salaries to sit around all day playing Scrabble, surfing the Internet or just staring at the wall, if that's what they want to do.
Because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them, the teachers have been banished by the school system to its "rubber rooms" — off-campus office space where they wait months, even years, for their disciplinary hearings.
The 700 or so teachers can practice yoga, work on their novels, paint portraits of their colleagues — pretty much anything but school work. They have summer vacation just like their classroom colleagues and enjoy weekends and holidays through the school year.
Full article here.
Incredible Shot of Volcano From Space
This picture of Sarychev Peak exploding on Matua Island, a part of the Kuril Island chain in the northeast of Japan, was taken from the International Space Station.
Facebook Makes First Move Against Google
Great Wall of Facebook: The Social Network's Plan to Dominate the Internet — and Keep Google Out
By Fred Vogelstein
Larry Page should have been in a good mood. It was the fall of 2007, and Google's cofounder was in the middle of a five-day tour of his company's European operations in Zurich, London, Oxford, and Dublin. The trip had been fun, a chance to get a ground-floor look at Google's ever-expanding empire. But this week had been particularly exciting, for reasons that had nothing to do with Europe; Google was planning a major investment in Facebook, the hottest new company in Silicon Valley.
Originally Google had considered acquiring Facebook—a prospect that held no interest for Facebook's executives—but an investment was another enticing option, aligning the Internet's two most important companies. Facebook was more than a fast-growing social network. It was, potentially, an enormous source of personal data. Internet users behaved differently on Facebook than anywhere else online: They used their real names, connected with their real friends, linked to their real email addresses, and shared their real thoughts, tastes, and news. Google, on the other hand, knew relatively little about most of its users other than their search histories and some browsing activity.
But now, as Page took his seat on the Google jet for the two-hour flight from Zurich to London, something appeared to be wrong. He looked annoyed, one of his fellow passengers recalls. It turned out that he had just received word that the deal was off. Microsoft, Google's sworn enemy, would be making the investment instead—$240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in the company, meaning that Redmond valued Facebook at an astonishing $15 billion.
...
Page soon got over it, but Facebook's rejection was still a blow to Google; it had never lost a deal this big and this publicly. But according to Facebookers involved in the transaction, Mountain View never had much of a chance—all things being equal, Microsoft was always the favored partner. Google's bid was used primarily as a stalking horse, a tool to amp up the bidding. Facebook executives weren't leaping at the chance to join with Google; they preferred to conquer it. "We never liked those guys," says one former Facebook engineer. "We all had that audacity, 'Anything Google does, we can do better.' No one talked about MySpace or the other social networks. We just talked about Google."
Full article here.
The article is pretty in depth and worth the read. Interesting tidbit brought up later on: "Mark Zuckerberg is notoriously cocky, even by the standards of Silicon Valley. Two years ago, he walked away from a reported nearly $1 billion offer from Yahoo for his company. He could have sold to Google or Microsoft for a lot more. His business cards once famously read: i'm ceo ... bitch."
By Fred Vogelstein
Larry Page should have been in a good mood. It was the fall of 2007, and Google's cofounder was in the middle of a five-day tour of his company's European operations in Zurich, London, Oxford, and Dublin. The trip had been fun, a chance to get a ground-floor look at Google's ever-expanding empire. But this week had been particularly exciting, for reasons that had nothing to do with Europe; Google was planning a major investment in Facebook, the hottest new company in Silicon Valley.
Originally Google had considered acquiring Facebook—a prospect that held no interest for Facebook's executives—but an investment was another enticing option, aligning the Internet's two most important companies. Facebook was more than a fast-growing social network. It was, potentially, an enormous source of personal data. Internet users behaved differently on Facebook than anywhere else online: They used their real names, connected with their real friends, linked to their real email addresses, and shared their real thoughts, tastes, and news. Google, on the other hand, knew relatively little about most of its users other than their search histories and some browsing activity.
But now, as Page took his seat on the Google jet for the two-hour flight from Zurich to London, something appeared to be wrong. He looked annoyed, one of his fellow passengers recalls. It turned out that he had just received word that the deal was off. Microsoft, Google's sworn enemy, would be making the investment instead—$240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in the company, meaning that Redmond valued Facebook at an astonishing $15 billion.
...
Page soon got over it, but Facebook's rejection was still a blow to Google; it had never lost a deal this big and this publicly. But according to Facebookers involved in the transaction, Mountain View never had much of a chance—all things being equal, Microsoft was always the favored partner. Google's bid was used primarily as a stalking horse, a tool to amp up the bidding. Facebook executives weren't leaping at the chance to join with Google; they preferred to conquer it. "We never liked those guys," says one former Facebook engineer. "We all had that audacity, 'Anything Google does, we can do better.' No one talked about MySpace or the other social networks. We just talked about Google."
Full article here.
The article is pretty in depth and worth the read. Interesting tidbit brought up later on: "Mark Zuckerberg is notoriously cocky, even by the standards of Silicon Valley. Two years ago, he walked away from a reported nearly $1 billion offer from Yahoo for his company. He could have sold to Google or Microsoft for a lot more. His business cards once famously read: i'm ceo ... bitch."
The World's Next Smallest Man
(writer unknown)
Little Khagendra Thapa Magar is the world's smallest man - in waiting.
He can't wait until his 18th birthday in October when he can officially claim the title.
He and his family are so excited they are already in contact with Guinness to take the official crown from 2ft 5in He Ping Ping of China.
Full article here.
Magar, 17, stands just two feet tall and weighs only 10lbs.
Sidney Crosby Sleeps With The Stanley Cup
Written by RobG
Pictures leaked just days after the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Teammates photographed Sidney Crosby (team captain) sleeping with the cup, also snuggling up with it!
Full article here.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
First Spaceport in History Begins Construction in New Mexico
This is the artists rendering of the design.
Johnathan Martinez
Two years after it was announced, construction will finally begin Friday on ‘Spaceport America’ in New Mexico. The spaceport will be used for commercial space flight from such start ups as Richard branson’s Virgin Galactic. Construction on the 18,000 acre, $198 million venture will be kicked off with a big bash, which is open to the public.
The site of the spaceport is north of Las Cruces in New Mexico and will be the center of commercial space flight in coming years, which has been a dream that many of us have waited a long time for. Spaceport America is being funded by the state of New Mexico.
Virgin Galactic currently has two ships, White Knight 2 and Spaceship 2, and has already sold out at least the first 200 seats for $200,000 a piece. If all goes to plan, the price will drop dramatically in a few years. The flight takes you up into lower orbit where you’ll experience 6 minutes of weightlessness and have breathtaking views of earth.
Full article here.
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