Archive for July, 2009

Extreme Anti-Smoking Advert

Never, ever, ever smoke again! Humanity is counting on you!

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JetLev – Water Powered Jet Pack

This is a really cool invention, a jet pack propelled by water. It’s like something you’d see on a James Bond movie. You’ll have to dig deep into your pockets though- it’s $129,000.00 a pop!

Could The Pope Be The Christmas Number One?

Pope Benedict XVI has a shot at the Christmas number one spot after he signed a record deal to release an album of him singing chants in the Vatican.

It will feature the Pope singing litanies and chants in honour of the Virgin Mary, as well as reciting passages and prayers in Latin, Italian, Portuguese, French and German.
The recordings were made in St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, with the Pope accompanied by The Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome.

The CD will be released on November 30 on Universal’s Geffen label, the same label that released material by Nirvana and Guns N’Roses, however Colin Barlow, the president of the record company is “sceptical” about the Pope’s musical appeal.

“It’s a beautiful a piece of music as the soundtrack to the film The Mission.
“The Pope has got almost a lullaby tone to the way he sings,” he said.
He thought the album would make “a great Christmas present”.
One aspect of the album will be reassuringly traditional – it will not be sold as a digital download.
“I think this is going to be something that you would like to own,” explained Mr Barlow. “To break up a beautiful album digitally would be wrong.”
He hoped it would sell in large numbers globally, noting: “There’s quite a huge Catholic fan base out there.”

A percentage of the profits will go to a charity that provides musical education for poor children around the world and the rest will be split between the Vatican and Universal.

Let’s hope it’s a big success and raises lots of money for the children!

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Previously:

• Vatican Radio Airs Commercials
• Nuns Stopped By Police On Way To Pope’s House

Dodgy Fox News Geography

The Fox news graphic department may need to brush up on it’s Middle East geography. Is that Egypt or Iraq? Hmm…

Amazing Rain Sound By Clapping

This group has got their performance down to a tee. They are able to simulate the sound of rain just by clapping their hands. If you close your eyes and just listen to the audio, you’d think it really was rain. Great job guys!

Holy Burger Grease

Images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary seem to have been appearing in the most unusual of places as of late. The most recent spotting was when a builder from Yorkshire, England, noticed the face of Jesus Christ in a baking tray which he had used to cook a burger for his dinner.

I’m just amazed at the detail of that grease. The odds of it forming like that are incredible. Well spotted!

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Previously:

• Virgin Mary Appears In Tree Stump

Unexplainable Bright Spot Found On Venus

An intense bright spot has appeared on Venus and astronomers are not sure what it is or what has caused it.

Amateur astronomer Frank Melillo of Holtsville, New York, first spotted the new feature, which is brighter than its surroundings at ultraviolet wavelengths, on the planet’s southern hemisphere on 19 July. That same day, an amateur observer in Australia found a dark spot on Jupiter that had been caused by a meteoroid impact.

Is this another clue towards the much speculated 2012 doomsday? With unusual things occurring on Venus and Jupiter could Earth be next?

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Previously:

• Apocalypse Crop Circle Appears In the UK

Ghost Buster 1954 Trailer

What if Ghost Busters had been made 30 years earlier…?

Who should be part of the cast? Would they have the same equipment? Who would they battle? Considering Dan Aykroyd’s concept owes a lot to Bob Hope, Abbott and Costello, and Lewis and Martin comedies of the 40s and 50s, it is not that big of a stretch to speculate.

via i09

Update: New Fast Food Mafia Characters

So, on July 22, I posted a great little illustration by Andrew Shirey of the fast food mafia. Well, since then it has been updated and there are new characters.

The new version features Jack in the Box, Papa John, Taco Bell, Panda Express, Quiznos, Subway, Sonics, and Dairy Queen as well as the original mafia. Check it out!

Previously:

• Fast Food Mafia

Pepsi VS Coke Logo Evolution

Are you a Pepsi or a Coke person…or can’t you tell the difference?

Does the logo even matter that much? Will a bad logo stop you from drinking Pepsi? I mean, the drink is always stays the same…Maybe I’m naive.

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Strong Perfume Knocks Out 34

It was assumed that carbon monoxide or another toxic substance had entered the building when a large group of Texas call center workers started feeling sick and dizzy, however it turned out later that a particularly strong brand of perfume was to blame.

34 people from a Bank of America call centre in Fort Worth were taken to hospital in total, after suffering dizziness and shortness of breath, while another 100 were treated at the scene.

When fire crews examined the building, they found no signs of a gas leak or harmful substances, instead workers then realized they started feeling ill just after a colleague had sprayed perfume.

Now I know that some perfume can be unpleasant, but that’s just crazy! It reminds me of the Mr Bean sketch where he almost dies walking through the cosmetics section of a department store. Ever had a similar experience?

Gas Powered Vortex Cannon

We all know the story of the three little pigs…the big bad wolf huffs and puffs to try to blow their houses down, OK, you get the picture. But can a blast of air really knock down such materials? Well, Jem Stansfield, from the BBC’s Bang Goes The Theory show, created a vortex cannon to recreate the fairy tale. Check it out!

Guinness IS Good For You

We’ve seen the adverts, with the slogan “Guinness Is Good For You.” Well, that may be true after all, according to researchers.

It’s been found that a pint of Guinness a day can help prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks.

However, drinking lager does not have the same benefits as the black stuff, experts from the University of Wisconsin told a conference.

Guinness were told to stop using the slogan decades ago – and the firm still makes no health claims for the drink.
The Wisconsin team tested the health-giving properties of stout against lager by giving it to dogs who had narrowed arteries similar to those in heart disease.
They found that those given the Guinness had reduced clotting activity in their blood, but not those given lager.

There’ll be celebrations in Ireland tonight, I’m sure!

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Gears Of War My Little Pony

If you’re a Gears of War fan, would you ever consider purchasing a ‘My Little Pony’? How about if it was a Gears of War My Little Pony?

They say anything can be found on eBay and I guess that’s about right. One eBay user is selling the Gears toys for US$125 a pop.

They say opposites attract, but this is a match made in hell. Creepy, isn’t it?

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Twitter Releases New Homepage

Twitter has just released it’s new homepage. The new design focusses on search and popular topics. For those of you that use Twitter, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s more sleek and pleasing to the eye than the previous homepage.

Twitter’s functionality is still the same, however it’s redesign makes it more accessible to new users and more interactive as well as putting more emphasis on Twitter trends.

This is another step forward for Twitter, in making it easy for businesses to make money from the micro-blogging site.

Beluga Whale Saves Drowning Diver

Diver, Yang Yun, was competing in a diving contest without any breathing equipment at Polar Land in Harbin, China, when she suffered cramps that paralyzed her legs.

Competitors must sink to the bottom of a 20ft aquarium arctic pool and remain there for as long as possible. Swimming amongst them in the pool are Beluga whales.

Yun tried to head to the surface, but she couldn’t due to the intense crapms.

“I began to choke and sank even lower and I thought that was it for me – I was dead. Until I felt this incredible force under me driving me to the surface,” she explained.

Mila, the Beluga whale, had spotted Yun stuggling and used her sensitive dolphin-like nose to guide her to safety.

Intelligent Belugas were among the first whales to interact with man and have facial muscles that allow them to smile.

In a world full of negative news, isn’t it nice to hear a much more cheery story. Well done Mila, a true hero!

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Humanoid Robot With iPhone 3GS Head

One robot developer has programmed an iPhone 3GS to function as the brain and face of a miniature humanoid robot.

The robot, named Robochan is connected to the iPhone via the dock connector.

Robochan’s functions:

• change its face
• dance with playing music
• wake up alarm with body motion
• interaction with its body
• teach and playback.

Most Amazing Hole In One Ever!

This has got to be one of the best hole in ones that I have ever seen. Leif Olson hit the 132-yard 15th hole at the 2009 Canadian Open. The ball bounced off playing partner Kris Blanks ball and rolled into the hole, winning Olson a $51k 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster.

Get NY Traffic and Transit Updates On Twitter

Get New York traffic and transit updates on Twitter including subway lines. You can follow the 123, ACE, JMZ, 456, BDFV, LS, 7, G, and NQRW…that is of course if you can get a signal underground!

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iPhone App Tracks Sex Offenders

An application available to download on the iPhone and iPod Touch is able alert the owner to nearby sex offenders.

The technology, which is only available in the US, uses data from the sex offenders register, which is freely available online and processes it to produce a visual display of nearby offenders.

The application, created by ThinAir Wireless is called Offender Locater and is available to download from the iTunes store or directly off the iPhone.

The application uses GPS technology to pinpoint the user’s location and then provides a map of sex offenders in the local area. The user can then tap on one of the pins to view a photograph of the offender, their address, their date of birth and a list of their convictions.

The application is kind of neat, but kind of scary at the same time. Knowing that you’ve had ‘X’ number of sex offenders lurking right next to you all that time and you’d been oblivious to it is slightly worrying.

What are your thoughts? Is this a useful piece of technology which enhances our safety, or is it just putting fear in our minds when there was none before?

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