Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Amazing Facts to Learn

Amazing Facts to Learn

Amy Winehouse 2005

28 Billion Bottles of Water

28 Billion Bottles of Water [PIC]

Nintendo: A History From Pixels to 3D


Nintendo: A History From Pixels to 3D

Expensive sugar pills work better than cheap ones

Expensive sugar pills work better than cheap ones


Tue Mar 4, 2008 4:01pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Want a sugar pill to work really well? Charge more for it.

A study published on Tuesday shows the well-known "placebo effect" works even better if the dummy pill costs more.

Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University in North Carolina, and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tested 82 volunteers.

All got a light electric shock and were offered what they were told was a painkiller.

Half were given a brochure describing the pill as a newly approved painkiller that cost $2.50 per dose and half were given a brochure describing it as marked down to 10 cents.

Writing in a letter to the Journal of the American Medical Association, Ariely and colleagues said the effects were unexpectedly strong.

Eighty-five percent of volunteers who thought they were getting a $2.50 pill said they felt less pain after taking it, compared with 61 percent of those who thought they were getting a discounted drug.

The results fit with other studies that show charging more for something makes people value it more. But Ariely said the combination with the placebo effect was especially interesting.

"The placebo effect is one of the most fascinating, least harnessed forces in the universe," Ariely said in a statement.

The word placebo comes from the Latin word for "I shall please." Placebos, or sugar pills, are routinely used in trials of new drugs to see if they really work.

"How do we give people cheaper medication, or a generic, without them thinking it won't work?" Ariely asked.

(Reporting by Maggie Fox, editing by Will Dunham)

© Reuters 2007. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.

The 10 Greatest Comedy Teams of Our Generation


The 10 Greatest Comedy Teams of Our Generation

When we hear about comedy teams we immediately think of the past. Laural and Hardy, the 3 Stooges, the Marx Brothers and many others have become the icons of this comedic format. But comedy teams still exist today and still crank out some of the funniest material around. They have simply evolved past asking each other who is on certain bases and getting woefully confused. Here are the ten that have created bodies of work that will stand the comedic test of time and be forever tied to our current comedy landscape.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher

Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher

How Retailers Trick You in to Buying Crap You Don’t Need


How Retailers Trick You in to Buying Crap You Don’t Need (and How to Fight Back)

$8,000 per gallon


The Inkjet Refill



At up to $8,000 per gallon, inkjet ink is among the most expensive liquids by volume one can buy

Thundering Herd: 3/4

Thundering Herd: 3/4

Colin has trouble believing Brett Favre has really retired. NFL analyst John Clayton helps make sense of the breaking news.

Why flu strikes in cold weather




Why flu strikes in cold weather

Scientists believe they have uncovered a key reason why flu viruses tend to strike in cold weather.

They found the viruses coat themselves in fatty material that hardens to a gel, protecting them in the cold.

IT'S UNO!

20 Most Fascinating Prehistoric Paintings


20 Most Fascinating Prehistoric Paintings

How Not to Play Defense



How NOT to play DEFENSE

10 Best Sports Press Conference Meltdowns

10 Best Sports Press Conference Meltdowns


After seeing Kevin Borseth’s amazing post-game press conference freak out over a women’s college basketball game, we were reminded about some of our favorite post-game tirades. Because it’s not about who wins and loses, it’s about who has a mental breakdown on camera after the game.

Jim Gaffigan on Hot Pockets



Jim Gaffigan on Hot Pockets



The Tuesday Tony Kornheiser Show (03/04/2008)


The Tuesday Tony Kornheiser Show (03/04/2008)

The Monday Tony Kornheiser Show (03/03/2008)


The Monday Tony Kornheiser Show (03/03/2008)

Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water


Bottled Water Vs. Tap Water


Chemicals, contaminants, pollution, price: new reasons to rethink what you drink and beware of bottled water.

Gene glitches may hold secret of a long life

Gene glitches may hold secret of a long life

This article appeared in the Guardian on Tuesday March 04 2008 on p7 of the UK news section. It was last updated at 00:04 on March 04 2008.

A series of rare genetic mutations that boost human lifespan have been discovered by a team of scientists studying centenarians and their elderly children.

The genetic glitches are thought to interfere with the normal growth of cells, halting the ageing process.

The discovery mirrors similar findings from studies on animals, which have shown that certain variations of genes linked to an insulin-like growth hormone can extend animals' lives dramatically.

Dr Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Ageing Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, found a series of mutations exclusively among centenarians which affect sensitivity to "insulin growth factor 1", or IGF-1. This hormone influences the development of almost every cell in the body. It is crucial for children's growth and continues contributing to tissue generation throughout adulthood.

Barzilai's team discovered the genetic markers after scanning the genetic codes of 384 participants whose ages ranged from 95 to 110, with an average age of 100. They were compared with 312 controls, who came from families with a typical life span, none of whom had lived to 95.

Tests on cells taken from the elderly volunteers showed they were less sensitive to IGF-1, suggesting that the mutated genes were disrupting the body's ability to grow normally.

The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The Five Most Talented People on the Internet



The Five Most Talented People on the Internet


Babies who can sing the Beatles, men with nine-octave ranges -- simply put, the most talented people in the world are found on YouTube.

By Daniel Murphy

[more from this author]

There are a lot of insecure talented people on the Internet. It’s not like back in the ’90s, when attention-starved hams had to wait for their big break performing stupid human tricks on Letterman or be left to wallow in their isolation, performing at family parties and neighborhood fairs, spinning plates and toiling in their obscurity.

Now all you need is a webcam, a dream, and a wellspring of confidence disproportionate to your station in life. Don’t get me wrong -- there are plenty of reality TV shows and virtual competitions that will exploit your talents. But the best of the best remain the home-grown fare: adults not given enough attention as children and children given too much attention by adults.

Which isn’t to demean any of their achievements. And though some talents may be a little more useful than others, all inspire respect. Because juggling flaming axes may not get you a corner office or any modicum of “success” in the conventional sense of the word, but in some midsized cities it’ll probably get you laid. And that’s good enough.

Why do you get up in the morning?


Why do you get up in the morning? [Comic]

“West Wing”-Obama Mashup [BoomTown]

“West Wing”-Obama Mashup [BoomTown]



Anorexia Sufferer: I Live On 15 Cups Of Coffee A Day



Anorexia Sufferer: I Live On 15 Cups Of Coffee A Day



DIANE RICHMOND has spent 15 years battling anorexia and backs calls for better NHS treatment for sufferers.

The 30-year-old lives on a diet of cigarettes and milky coffee and the idea of eating repulses her.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Behind the original HBO movie intro

This video describes how they made the original bumper for HBO — the video that played before every movie and that signaled the start of big things back when I was 12 or 13. Whereas now you’d just CG this in a week, these guys spent weeks building a detailed, beautiful model of a city by hand.

PC Magazine - The Best Free Software


The Best Free Software
Why spend money when you can get what you need for nothing? Sometimes, you do get what you don't pay for.

Penn Says- Saying F*ck


From Crackle: Penn Says- Saying F*ck

Anchorman Gets a Big Surprise

Anchorman Gets a Big Surprise



Candy Bar Identification Quiz



Candy Bar Identification Quiz

How well do you know your candy bar innards? Test your knowledge by taking the Candy Bar Identification Quiz. Whether this is a quiz you want to score high on is debatable.

Say It All in Six Words




Say It All in Six Words


Brevity: a good thing in writing. Exploited by texters, gossip columnists, haikuists. Not associated with the biography genre. But then—why shouldn’t it be? Life expectancies rise; attention spans shrink. Six words can tell a story. That’s a new book’s premise, anyway. “Not Quite What I Was Planning.” A compilation of teeny tiny memoirs. The forebear, it’s assumed, is Hemingway. (Legend: he wrote a miniature masterpiece. “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Slightly sappy, but a decent sixer.)

EXTREME BILLIARDS

Cassette Tie



Cassette Tie



What better way to express woe over loss of the mix tape art form that with a 100% silk handmade tie? Playing on prepster versions with whales or turtles, the Cassette Tie from Los Angeles-based label House of Cassette makes for perennial mourning. The skinny black tie features a subtle pattern depicting a sad-faced cassette tape (click image for detail).

Available from House of Cassette for $103.

Bracketology: Teams on the Bubble



Asus 8.9-inch Eee PC 900 Confirmed [Asus Eee 900]


Asus 8.9-inch Eee PC 900 Confirmed [Asus Eee 900]

Asus has confirmed the Eee PC 900, which features a larger 8.9-inch screen with 1024x600 resolution, 1GB RAM and up to 12GB storage. Other than this, and a larger touchpad, it looks almost the same as the original.

Van Halen Postpone Tour Dates Due To Eddie's Unspecified 'Medical ...


Van Halen Postpone Tour Dates Due To Eddie's Unspecified 'Medical ...

The reunited Van Halen have been forced to postpone four upcoming dates of their U.S. tour due to an unspecified medical condition affecting guitarist Eddie Van Halen. A statement issued by tour promoter Live Nation on Monday afternoon (March 3) explained that concerts in Dallas, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Raleigh, North Carolina, have been postponed and rescheduled for April.

"According to Eddie Van Halen's physician, he is undergoing a battery of comprehensive medical tests to determine a defined diagnosis and recommended medical procedures," read the release.

Hair-Raising Landing Caught on Video

Hair-Raising Landing Caught on Video


The above footage is unlikely to make it into any commercials for Lufthansa, yet it depicts one of the company’s pilots in a manner deemed heroic in news reports and many more comments on the Web.

Steve Wozniak's frustrations with iPhone, Apple TV and MacBook Air


Steve Wozniak's frustrations with iPhone, Apple TV and MacBook Air

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak says he wishes Apple hadn't released a 2G version of the iPhone; that the Apple TV is frustrating to use, and that the MacBook Air won't be a hit.

Ten Cars That Lose Value Fast


http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/29/resale-value-autos-cars-forbeslife_cx_jm_0229resale.html?feed=rss_mostemailed

Some cars just don't age well. Even a great value buy in the new-car market can bomb in the used-car market with low resale values.

DiggNation Episode 139 - A Couch In St. Louis

Kingston Slams Obama for Flag Pin w/o Wearing One Himself

Vintage Geek: Get Your Own Vintage Typewriter


Vintage Geek: Get Your Own Vintage Typewriter

SXSW Review: The King of Kong


Yes, The King of Kong is a documentary about bragging rights among video game geeks -- a topic so nerdy I hesitate to even mention how fascinated I was by the flick's subject matter -- but it's also as compelling, colorful and entertaining as any of the "human interest" documentaries of the past five years.

http://www.cinematical.com/2007/03/17/sxsw-review-the-king-of-kong/

Do Coat Hangers Sound As Good Monster Cables?

Can you tell the difference between music that passed through a pricey Monster stereo Cable, and a coat hanger? A reader forwarded us a post from the Audioholics Home Theater Forum and its author says no. He says his brother ran an experiment on him and four other audio aficionados listening to a new CD from a new group blindfolded. Seven different songs were played, each time heard with the speaker hooked up to Monster Cables, and the other time, hooked up to coat hanger wire. Nobody could determine which was the Monster Cable and which was the coat hanger. The kicker? None of the subjects even knew that coat hangers were going to be used. This is, of course, "nothing new," a Google of "monster cables vs coat hangers" shows that some users have been saying this for a while. Still, this is an experiment begging to be recreated under controlled conditions (say, for instance, a double-blind test). Science fair project! Read how it went down, inside...

Thundering Herd: 3/3

from ESPN Radio: Thundering Herd

http://query-origin.andohs.net/8000A6/content-root3.andomedia.com/origin/mp3/espnradio/thunderingherd/thunderingherd080303.mp3

21 Different Accents


Chick Does 21 Different Accents - Watch more free videos

Travis Pastrana Skydives without a Parachute

There is a Reason Google is Best

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2038/2304064020_11310fdfe3_b.jpg

Bringing Back the Hat


http://www.bspcn.com/2008/03/03/bringing-back-the-hat/

Up until the 1950’s men were rarely seen out and about without a hat sitting upon their head. Since that time, the wearing of hats has seen a precipitous decline. No one is precisely sure why. Some say the downfall of hats occurred when JFK did not wear a hat to his inauguration, thus forever branding them as uncool. This is an urban myth, however, as Kennedy did indeed don a hat that day. Another theory posits that the shrinking size of cars made wearing a hat while driving prohibitively difficult. Most likely, the demise of hats can simply be traced to changing styles and the ongoing trend towards a more casual look.

Practice What You Preach: Nine Inch Nails Gives Away New Album


http://mashable.com/2008/03/02/nine-inch-nails-album-download-free-ghosts/

Falling Hillary [flash]


If she gets stuck, you can move her with your mouse. This is strangely addictive to watch.

http://www.planetdan.net/pics/misc/hillary.htm

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Are The New Hotel Robe



While hotels are used to catering to the shady sides of society—there's good reason that rooms are void of blacklight fixtures and stocked to the gills with plenty of cheap towels—they are not used to appeasing eco-conscious thieves. According to Montana's page on energy efficient CFLs, "building owners, hotel operators and office managers complain about people stealing the CFL bulbs right out of the fixtures."

http://gizmodo.com/362758/compact-fluorescent-bulbs-are-the-new-hotel-robe

Students Punished After Buying Lunch With Pennies


http://wcbstv.com/watercooler/pennies.readington.township.2.666113.html

Each student brought in 200 pennies. Multiply that by 29 you get close to 5,800 pennies.

25 Brilliant Animated Short Movies


http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/03/03/25-brilliant-animated-short-movies/

Let’s take a look at the collection of 25 brilliant animated short movies. Among them you’ll find funny cartoons, typography-related movies as well as artistic masterpieces — hopefully everybody will find something interesting and unusual for his/her personal taste.

thousands of king penguins


Birds of a feather... Thousands of penguins form striking pattern in this picture taken 2,000ft above South Georgia

http://pollsb.com/polls/poll/6902/the-sight-of-tens-of-thousands-of-penguins

Stuff White People Like


#67 Standing Still at Concerts



http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/

This is a scientific approach to highlight and explain stuff white people like. They are pretty predictable.

Is Your Child a Tagger?


http://www.ci.santa-ana.ca.us/pd/Graffiti.asp

Taggers come from every race and socio-economic background. Although most taggers are males there are female taggers. Some indicators that your child may be a tagger are:

79 Years of Best Picture Winners in Posters


http://www.movieposteraddict.com/2008/02/21/79-years-of-best-picture-winners-in-posters/



20 Beautiful HDR Pictures


http://www.bspcn.com/2008/03/01/20-beautiful-hdr-pictures-will-blow-your-mind/


There are some photography techniques that really give me the goose bumps, but the good ones. HDR is one of those techniques… and you’ll probably love these as much as I do.

“In computer graphics and photography, high dynamic range imaging (HDRI) is a set of techniques that allows a greater dynamic range of exposures (the range of values between light and dark areas) than normal digital imaging techniques. The intention of HDRI is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows.” - From Wikipedia.

Create Your Personal Newspaper


http://feedjournal.com/Reader.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1